TJPW City Circuit Winter ～ Nagoya ～ (18/2/23) Review
Powerful Cheeky Chaps, Kick Demons And Arai Getting Another Shot At Aja Kong
Front Matter
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Nagoya has become a bit of a TJPW stronghold in recent times, as they got a boost from SKE48’s (and, therefore, Yuki Arai’s) popularity in their hometown. It’s led to us getting shows like this one, featuring a showcase for Arai, an International Title bout and a few interesting undercard matches. They sit as a fun midpoint between the usual house show circuit and their bigger event, and so far, they’ve delivered a lot of good wrestling. Let’s see if this one was the same.
Shino’s here! She gave her smoothest performance yet as the Up Up Girls blasted through Upper Kick, and her enthusiasm continues to be incredibly endearing. As if that wasn’t enough, they surprised her by announcing she’ll be debuting on March 6th at Shinjuku in a tag with her three bandmates, and her reaction was to promptly burst into tears. It clearly meant an awful lot to her, and I can’t wait to see her in the ring.
Yuki Aino & HIMAWARI defeated Hikari Noa & Wakana Uehara
I’m delighted to report that HIMAWARI’s nickname is ‘The Powerful Cheeky Chap’, which couldn’t be more perfect. She is all of those things! Unfortunately, her cheekiness was no use at the start of this match, as Hikari became the latest member of the roster to take an interest in her hair. For all its fantastic properties, like the ability to be spun around in the air while HIMAWARI does a little hop, it has joined Neko’s tail in being a target for abuse, something she’s probably going to have to get used to.
When she wasn’t having her hair pulled, HIMAWARI was giving us the sequel to her and Wakana’s battle at Korakuen. It may have been a tag this time, but it quickly focused in on the two rookies, as they’re already establishing an intriguing wee rivalry. That combination of HIMAWARI’s bubbly power and Wakana’s more technical, sophisticated approach is an enticing pairing, and HIMAWARI got revenge for her Korakuen defeat by forcing Wakana to tap out with a single-leg Boston crab. It seems the newbies are evenly matched.
That budding feud was the highlight of this opener, but Hikari and Aino put in solid performances, doing their thing and giving the rookies the space to shine. It was never about them, though, and the feeling that Wakana and HIMAWARI are both desperate to be head of their rookie class made this match worth watching, as that competitive edge made up for their inexperience. It may not have reached the heights of their Korakuen showdown, but their young careers continue to get off to an impressive start.
Verdict: Powerful Cheeky Chap!
Nao Kakuta defeated Pom Harajuku and Haruna Neko
Okay, this match might have had my favourite finish of the year so far. Having put up with Pom Harajuku being a nuisance for too long, Nao Kakuta finally had enough, grabbing poor Pom by the legs and somehow hanging her upside down from the top rope, leaving her dangling there, forced to watch on as she beat Neko. It was a wonderful visual and so very Pom.
As was most of this match, which started with Pom and Neko trying to suck up to Nao, ventured through them ganging up on her and eventually settled on Pom sacrificing the wee cat to Kakuta while she tried to pick her moments. They gave us some lovely TJPW undercard shenanigans while letting Nao take out her frustrations on these two pests.
It also means that this is, ultimately, quite disposable, as there is nothing here you need to see. However, the flip side is that it was really fun, showing off all three wrestlers’ personalities and making me smile. What more do you need?
Verdict: Don’t Hang Poms Upside Down
SKE48 hit the ring for a mini-concert, and they are ridiculously over in Nagoya. It’s not my thing, but you can’t deny that they’re a slick unit, and I appreciate that aspect. We also got the announcement that Shiori Aoki will be making her TJPW debut, albeit as a referee. Is this all part of Takagi’s plan to snag another one? Either way, she showed off her ability to make a three-count, and she’s got that part down, so I’m sure she’ll do great.
Rika Tatsumi, Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami
There has been something in the water in TJPW recently, as these six-person tags have been clicking nicely. They long ago left behind the days of having somewhat dodgy undercards, but I think the current roster has meshed together so well that it’s almost hard for one of these matches not to hit its stride. They’re not going out and doing anything different. It’s that everything they are doing is going particularly well.
The highlights included an extended sequence from Misao and Rika, which I would normally expect a bit of silliness from, but they played it down the line. I’m not going to complain, though, as coming off Misao’s brilliant performance in the Max Heart tournament final, it was nice to see her continue in a similar vein (although I hope the nonsense never ends). Not that the match was totally antic-free, as Rika tried to slap some life into her tag partners at one point, apparently unaware that it’s less effective if you knock them out in the process.
Finally, after having her development somewhat stall at the end of last year (which is perfectly natural), it feels like Kaya is now picking up speed. Her recent performances have been impressive, and she continued that here, particularly in the closing stretch with Arisu. She seems to have found a bit of edge, and while she would tap out to the Camel Clutch, let’s hope it’s a good sign for the future. It was certainly a strong way to finish off an enjoyable match.
Verdict: Impressive Stuff
Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Raku defeated Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
I like when Raku is paired up with Yuka and Mizuki. There is something about MagiRabbi having a lovely pal who knows magic and sorcery that feels right. I suppose they need to even out their violence by bringing along someone who will sing you to sleep and pat you on the head rather than try to murder you.
Anyway, if you’d asked me to predict which of these six-women matches was more likely to lean on the antics, I don’t think I’d have picked this one. Not because everyone involved is a serious wrestler (even those who are, aren’t really), but the other one featured Kyoraku Kyomei, making it a fairly safe bet. Yet, here we were, with Raku sending everyone to sleep and Kamiyu poking people in the eyes left, right and centre. I guess it was less a nonsense match and more a chance for everyone to go out and have fun.
That isn’t to say there wasn’t some less nonsensical wrestling. There was, and MagiRabbi were involved, so it was very good. It just felt like these six perhaps didn’t have anything to prove and were happy to have a laugh. It made for an easy watch, but I think the previous match overshadowed them somewhat.
Verdict: Good, But Not As Good As The Last One
Miu Watanabe defeated Janai Kai to retain the International Princess Title
Miu Watanabe has been kicked before. Everyone in TJPW has. It’s something of a rite of passage to have Miyu Yamashita boot your head into the last row, so it’s not like coming up against someone with that potential is a new idea. However, Miyu doesn’t kick the way Janai Kai kicks. Miyu’s kicks are an exclamation mark, a part of a larger plan, but for Kai, they are the plan. She takes people apart with them, dissecting them by chipping away with her stiff, vicious blows. When she started kicking, Miu’s eyes widened. It was recognisable but also something new.
And that has been what TJPW have got right with Miu’s title reign so far. They’re not just putting together good match-ups for her; they’re putting together interesting ones. Moka, Adora and Kai are all very different wrestlers who have forced Miu to adapt to what they do and find a way to overcome it. In this one, she was being peppered from all angles, Kai constantly finding a way to plant another boot on her and cut off Miu from ever really building momentum. Yet, in what is becoming a recurring theme for Watanabe, she kept coming. She knows now that if she can get a single opening, she can bully her way into it, using that power to turn the tide.
It only took that one chance, too, as she hoisted Kai up for the Tear Drop and made sure she kept that belt around her waist. It was, if anything, perhaps too sudden a finish, as it did feel like these two had a bit more to give. They also never convinced me Kai had a real chance to win, as impressive as her kicks were, and I would have liked to see them get a few more minutes to perhaps find that moment. However, even with those weaknesses, this was still a strong showing from Kai and, perhaps more importantly, another brilliant one from Miu. TJPW know what they have with her, and this title reign is letting her shine. Watching her do so continues to be a pleasure.
Verdict: Two Impressive Performances
In the aftermath, Rika slipped into the ring, helped Miu put on her title and challenged her Daydream partner for Grand Princess. Fuck, that match has the potential to go hard as hell.
Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Arai defeated Aja Kong & Moka Miyamoto
Yuki Arai and Aja Kong met once before, back in 2021, in a tag match where Kong gave Arai the wrestling seal of approval by beating the shit out of her. Coming from Aja, that kind of thing means something, and with the two of them set to have a singles match at Grand Princess, this was a chance for Arai to show Kong how far she has come.
I love this version of Aja Kong. She wanders into the ring like she’s out for a morning stroll and just needs everyone to get out of her way, casually booting Arai in the ribs and dropping her with a Piledriver. Yuki was treated like a mild curiosity, something to be back fisted into dust before moving on to the next thing. However, the secret of these performances is that they also tend to be incredibly generous. Yes, she gave Arai a kicking, but she made sure the idol looked great, letting her endure that beating and pepper little comebacks throughout the match. Few know how to use their aura and reputation like Aja does, so when it comes time for people to take her off her feet and get that moment of shine, she’s more than happy to do so.
There is only so much Aja Kong can do, though, and Arai did a great job meeting her halfway. She was as pure a battling babyface as you’ll see, selling the beating wonderfully and showing all the fire when she got her opening. She wasn’t alone in impressing from the TJPW side either. Unsurprisingly, Miyu vs Kong ruled, and Aja was even more generous with her, getting cut down by some vicious kicks. Moka, meanwhile, is the perfect fourth wrestler for these matches. She’s got an outstanding talent for making her moments matter but is still at the point where she’ll get a Finally Axe Kick to the head and go out on her shield. Her showing was the cherry on top of this already delicious cake, which left me incredibly excited to see Arai and Kong go head-to-head at Grand Princess.
Verdict: Brilliant Stuff
Overall Show
That was fun. From the rookies to Aja Kong, it felt like everyone put their best foot forward as TJPW continues to establish itself in Nagoya. The SKE48 connection has helped them get in the door, but if they continue to put on shows like this one, I suspect that at least some of those fans will be coming for the wrestling as well as the songs.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.