TJPW Live Tour In Spring '23 (22/3/23) Review
The Small Show After The Big One
Front Matter
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The small events that come directly after a biggie are always intriguing. I’m not talking about your RAWs after ‘Mania (they’re more like an extension of the big one than a separate event), but rather shows like this. With the excitement of Grand Princess in the rearview, TJPW returned to the more familiar surroundings of Shinjuku Face to head back to work. It was our first chance to look at the new norm, and while the consensus opinion is that their visit to Ariake Coliseum was a huge success, the real excitement is in what comes next.
Before the show, Namba announced that Vert Vixen is coming over for a tour in April. I know exactly nothing about her, but TJPW’s recent record with international talent is pretty strong, so fingers crossed she’s good.
Suzume defeated Shino Suzuki
I keep praising these rookies for not dropping people on their heads, and then Shino somehow managed to land on her own off a Suzume snapmare. Thankfully, she appeared to be okay (it being a snapmare meant there wasn’t too much force behind it), but it was an official ‘oocha fucker’ moment.
Scary second aside, Shino’s first singles match saw her put in another solid shift. Suzume controlled the action, buzzing around her as bees do, but Suzuki’s confidence already appears to be growing. The speed at which she charged into the corner to hit an elbow or leapt on Suzume to lock in a submission after she kicked out of a pin hinted at someone getting more comfortable in the ring, which will only aid her wrestling. There are still awkward moments, and she’s working with a very basic moveset (they did revert to throwing forearms to fill time), but she’s got potential.
And I suppose that means Shino, like TJPW, is now in her post-big-show stage. She’s done the debut along with all the excitement that entails, but it’s time to knuckle down and see what comes next. Like with the rest of the company, my hopes are high, but only time will tell if I’m right.
Verdict: The Hard Work Starts Now
Shoko Nakajima, HIMAWARI & Wakane Uehara defeated Arisu Endo, Runa Okubo & Haru Kazeshiro
Isn’t it lovely to see Arisu and Shoko take their rookies out for the day? Doesn’t every kid just want their family to take them to Shinjuku Face and have them fight?
Runa and Haru already looked more at home in the ring than at Ariake. They’re still a bit rigid and unsure of themselves, as most wrestlers who debut at their age are, but there were a few hints of them loosening up. Moments like Runa’s little yelp of fear as HIMAWARI powered her up were a glimpse of the personalities that I have no doubt will unfurl as they grow more comfortable.
Outside of them, HIMAWARI and Wakana deserve credit for how quickly they’ve settled in. With the influx of new talent, I’ve almost stopped thinking of them as rookies, which might even be slightly unfair, but it’s an easy mistake to make. I’m not going to suggest they’re perfect wrestlers (far from it), but they never look out of place. Finally, it’s probably not a coincidence that Runa and Haru’s best stuff came when they were in with Shoko, who continues to have a habit of being every rookie’s ideal opponent. The kids are lucky to have her, and if you are intrigued by their development, then you’re going to want to watch this match.
Verdict: Make The Kids Fight
Wasteland War Party (Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer) defeated Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku
Damn, I was sure Pom had figured it out this time. Backed up by master schemer Misao, it seemed like our Pom finally had a chance to take Max down and conquer her fears. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, as operation Hansel and Gretel (a plan that involved tempting Heidi away with a path of treats) wasn’t quite the success that they might have hoped. Still, to give Pom credit, this was an improvement. She got a one-count! Okay, it was barely a one-count, but it doesn’t matter how they go in. And sure, not long after, she fired up, let out a scream, hit the ropes and promptly ran into one hell of a Max big boot, but it’s all about incremental gains! In a few years, she’ll maybe get a two.
If you’ve been paying attention, you know the deal by now. Pom vs Wasteland War Party is a neverending delight, and throwing Misao into the mix wasn’t going to be the thing to diminish it. We all know how it will end, and it’s never great for poor Pom, but they’re so brilliant at getting there that it doesn’t matter. Plus, what could be more wrestling than dreaming that the impossible might happen? The only way Pom will beat Max is if they let her, but it’s fun to let yourself forget that’s the case. You can convince yourself that maybe this time, with Misao’s help, she’ll find a way to overcome her nightmare.
Credit also has to go to TJPW, who have done a fantastic job of not overdoing this one. I claim I’d like to watch it every day, but that’s rarely actually true, and if they threw it out more regularly, it might begin to lose its sparkle. Instead, we’re working on an average of one showdown on each of Max’s tours, which is pretty much perfect, as they get to play the hits and introduce a new idea (here we saw Max refusing to share Pom with Heidi, as it appears they get so much enjoyment out of beating her up that it is morphing into real affection). If we can keep it at that level, then this can go on forever, and I’ll be more than happy to watch them all.
Verdict: Pom Will Overcome!
Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Raku defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
Putting Mahiro in the ring with Rika feels a bit cruel. Kiryu would apologise to the ground for walking on it, and sure, she thought Tatsumi’s new hair accessories were lint, but she didn’t deserve the full Rika treatment. I’m not sure anyone deserves that.
She wasn’t alone either, as this was Toga’s introduction to the more evil side of the TJPW roster, and Rika promptly got down to bullying her. Still, she took it well and got some revenge with that killer forearm, wiping Tatsumi out. I’m a big fan of a rookie developing a signature move right from the start, even if the odds of it actually winning a match are slim.
Outside of that, there wasn’t much to get excited about. It trundled along, hitting familiar beats before ending, as you’d expect, with Toga being pinned. It wasn’t a bad watch by any means, but it joins the earlier tag on the card by having its main selling point be the chance to see a bit more of a rookie’s development.
Verdict: Solid
121000000 (Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh) defeated Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
Confession time, I’m not particularly interested in 121000000. While Itoh and Miyu are fantastic wrestlers, and there have been times when I have cared deeply about both of them, I feel like they’re lacking forward momentum. That’s perhaps a weird thing to say about a team that just won the tag titles, but (beyond their tendency to headbutt each other) I haven’t figured out why I should care about them as a pairing. They’re in danger of entering supergroup territory where, for all their talent, the result isn’t the sum of its parts - the Them Crooked Vultures of TJPW.
And I think a big part of it is that they’re a bit too good. That was evident when they overcame the odds against Wasteland War Party and also with the rather straightforward way they won this match. Now, Miyu has made a career out of being better than everyone else, and I think she’s brilliant at it, so it’s not a huge issue there, but it undercuts why I care about Itoh. Maki is at her best when struggling against something, so having her be one-half of a dominant team dampens a lot of what makes her great. Don’t get me wrong, she’s become a good enough wrestler to do it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s not why I (and many others) fell in love with her.
Anyway, that was all a tad self-indulgent and, as far as I can tell, is not a feeling shared by most, so when you take it away, this was a perfectly decent match. Kaya and Moka never felt like a threat, so it did have the whiff of a victory parade to it, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and the small moments they had all worked nicely. Ultimately, it was an enjoyable little piece of wrestling, and if you don’t share my issues with 121000000, I suspect you’ll like it even more than that.
Verdict: It Was Alright
Nao Kakuta, Hikari Noa & Yuki Aino defeated Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Haruna Neko
It didn’t take Mizuki long to find a challenger. After pinning Neko, Nao grabbed the opportunity to throw her name into the hat for her first-ever tilt at the big belt, which is fantastic news. Kakuta is one of those wrestlers who makes every match she’s involved in that little bit better, be it against a wee cat or Yuka Sakazaki. She isn’t only capable of producing an outstanding main event but has earned the opportunity to do so.
And judging by their interactions in this match, Nao and Mizuki could be special. I wouldn’t expect Kakuta to win, but she’s the perfect level of mean to get the best out of Mizuki, as you know she’s going to go out there and boot her in the head. I came in aware that Nao was going to challenge, so my view might be slightly influenced by that, but it felt like the match was built around their interactions, and they were all great. Whether they were grabbing each other’s hair or trading blows, everything had a little bit of spice to it, and while they didn’t go all out, it was enough to leave me very excited for what is to come.
Outside of that, it was a fairly routine (if enjoyable) main event. You had arguably the two best tag teams in the company, plus a couple of talented thirds, so there was little to no chance of it not being good. It joins the rest of the show in never being particularly essential, but still managing to be a fun watch.
Verdict: I’m Super Excited For Nao vs Mizuki
Overall Show
There is nothing on this show you need to see, but plenty you’ll enjoy. For those picking and choosing, I’d go with the opener, Pom and Misao vs Wasteland War Party and the main event, which will give you a nice cross-section of everything they did. However, if you watch the whole thing, I doubt you’ll feel like they wasted your time.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.