TJPW Max Heart Tournament Final (11/2/23) Review
The Max Heart Reaches Its Conclusion
Front Matter
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On paper, TJPW’s latest trip to Korakuen was a bit different from most of their shows in that famous venue. Rather than paying off big matches, this was setting things in place for Grand Princess and Ariake Coliseum. Even the main event, the final of the Max Heart tournament, was ultimately about winning a shot at the Princess Tag Titles. Still, that didn’t stop this from having the potential to be a lovely time, and there was still plenty to get excited about.
Before the show, Namba had a few announcements. Number one: three trainees will be debuting, Touga on March 6th, followed by Haru and Momo on the 18th. They all got a quick chance to talk, and no one dropped the mic, which goes down as a win in my book. Number two: Yuki Kamifuku and Miyu Yamashita/Maki Itoh will have homecoming shows on the 27/5 and 25/6, respectively. Number three: Miu Watanabe and Suzume came out to shill their Idolm@ster collaboration, which is when I learnt that Andreza the Giant Panda has also been part of that collab. Even better, Andreza turned up (leading to Chris Brookes yelling at him to headbutt Suzume) to reveal that he’ll be appearing at Grand Princess. I want to see Pom try and kick the panda in the shin.
Wakana Uehara defeated HIMAWARI
Rookie battle! For the first time, Wakana and HIMAWARI took to the ring without the reassuring presence of a senpai, as they got the chance to test their skills against each other in a match with a surprisingly sharp edge. You could feel the competitive spirit between them, as the early grappling and strike exchanges felt aggressive, any sloppiness made up for by the feeling that they both really cared.
That feeling played a big part in this becoming a gripping wee match. HIMAWARI is a bright spark of a powerhouse, while Wakana is a more assured and technical wrestler, roles that bounce off each other nicely. As Chris Brookes and Drew Parker pointed out on commentary, they did slightly tire themselves out in the early going, the excitement perhaps getting the better of them, but that only added to the feeling that they were both desperate to come out on top.
In the end, Wakana would force the win, surviving HIMIWARI’s power to beat her with a Sleeper. The battle over that final hold was particularly enjoyable, HIMAWARI looking like she was going to escape, only for Uehara to drag her back, forcing the tap. It fit perfectly with the energy of the match, and it made sense that Wakana would be the one to get her first win, as HIMAWARI is a natural underdog. Most importantly, this all felt like the first chapter in a battle that we’ll see a lot over the years to come, and I’m already excited about what they do next.
Verdict: Good Rookie Battle
Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Raku, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
Feline abuse was abundant in this one, with poor Neko having to deal with both Kamiyu and Nao, two of her more regular bullies. They ensured the wee cat had a rough time, booting her in the head and even tieing her hair up in the ropes. I know she can be a bit scratchy, but she doesn’t deserve all of that.
It wasn’t the only thing that went a bit further than strictly necessary, as this whole match went surprisingly hard, with midcard workhorse Nao setting the pace. She always brings a touch of aggression to these affairs, dishing out beatings wherever they’re needed. I particularly enjoyed her impressive second-act battle with Raku, all the Train God’s usual antics forgotten as Kakuta dared her to keep up by booting her in the head, a challenge she largely met.
Even that was somewhat overshadowed, however, by Toribami’s performance in the home stretch, which might have been one of her best yet. This was an example of a match where they all clicked, but Kaya was at the forefront of that, as everything she pulled off in the final act looked like the best version of itself. Perhaps it was a response to Kamiyu trying to dropkick her soul out of her body, but this was a big performance from the bird, even if it ended in defeat, and it was a great ending to a match that over-delivered.
Verdict: The Bird Steps Up
Juria turned up between matches to announce that she injured her hand on the January 29th show, which will keep her out for around three months. She’s already had surgery (knowing her, she probably performed it herself) and seemed to be in good spirits, promising to return.
Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto
Incredibly, this was Arisu’s first singles victory, a milestone that feels like it has been a long-time coming. You could tell it meant a lot to her as she sat back and promptly burst into tears, but you didn’t need that to get the message across, as the way she wrestled this match told you everything. It felt like someone giving their heart and soul to finally push through a barrier they’d been slamming themselves against for too long.
In many ways, it made this a natural sequel to the opener, another battle between peers looking to establish who is higher in the hierarchy. That gave it the same competitive edge, but where Wakana and HIMAWARI are still trying to put all the pieces together, Moka and Arisu are close to having them all in place. Everything they did felt important, from the opening grappling to Endo’s desperate escape from Moka’s Rashomon submission and her subsequent selling of the shoulder. It was a struggle, every slight advantage having to be gained by working your arse off.
However, in the end, it was Arisu who wanted it more. Perhaps fuelled by her desperation to get that elusive first victory, she clung desperately to the final Camel Clutch, refusing to let Miyamoto escape. Even when Moka did get to the ropes, Endo held on, rolling her back to the middle of the ring, not giving Miyamoto a second to breathe. Again, it had a lot of similarities to the opener, but this match is a dozen or so steps further down the line, heightening the emotion even further. It was a hell of a battle, and these two are already brilliant wrestlers.
Verdict: Brilliant Stuff
The announcements continued as Sakisama and Mei Saint-Michelle are returning from France! They’ll be facing Billie Starkz and Kamiyu at Grand Princess, and with Bii-gun vs Wasteland War Party quite high up my wishlist right now, I am looking forward to that.
Yuki Arai defeated Pom Harajuku
It was time for Pom to feast on idol blood!
Okay, that’s not how it went down, but she nearly had a lovely dinner. Pom came into this with a genius plan, posing as Arai’s biggest fan (she’d even dyed her hair blue) and enticing her into giving a mini-performance. She then offered up her head in devotion, asking to be Finally Axe Kicked, something Arai was only too happy to do. Except, of course, Pom was playing her for a fool, bundling Yuki up for a, well, two, but it was really close!
And on a show where everyone had played it straight so far, it was nice to get a good nonsense match, as Arai was forced to deal with Pom and her antics. Even after her scheme was foiled (although she wore her Arai t-shirt for the whole match), Yuki still had to deal with Harajuku’s unusual offence, as she went hard on working over those shins. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the former tag champ from booting poor Pom in the head, a move that will see off even the most galaxy-brained wrestlers.
I imagine everyone reading this already knows whether a Pom nonsense match is for them or not, but I thought it was great. The opening bit was incredible, and Yuki proved a strong foil throughout. It’s a shame that Pom will have had to feast on simpler fare, but there is always next time.
Verdict: Better Luck Next Time, Pom
Hikari Noa & Janai Kai defeated Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino
Janai Kai joins the long list of American talent who I know nothing about, but I like her look, and the ‘Kick Demon’ nickname is a promising sign. Rika certainly seemed wary, as she tried to take Kai to the mat and responded to the first kick she ate by falling back on throttling the newbie. Welcome to TJPW, Janai.
It was an impressive debut, too, as Kai brings something new to the table. She has an aggression that is different to most of the roster, and I liked how she structured her offence, picking Aino apart. She also paired nicely with Rika, Tatsumi trying to take her legs out from underneath her and making me want to see that match somewhere down the line. Ultimately, though, it was all about those kicks, which lived up to her nickname. TJPW already has at least one elite-tier kicker, but it’s always good to have another.
This match was designed to highlight Janai, and it did that job nicely, with everyone else stepping back to allow her the space to shine. She’ll challenge Miu at Grand Princess for the International Title, and while I’ll be shocked if she gets the win, I’m intrigued to see how the match goes, as I don’t think Watanabe’s ever wrestled someone like her before. This did nothing to dent my intrigue and, if anything, got me more excited, which is what it aimed to do.
Verdict: An Intriguing Debut
The Magical Sugar Rabbits (Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki) defeated Miu Watanabe & Suzume
The semi-main is probably the match on this show with the least to say about it. That’s not because there was anything wrong with it, but because it was reliably good. When Yuka and Mizuki are in the ring, you can bet the house on them delivering something worth watching, and with a strong combo across from them, they did exactly that.
Although, I think you could argue that it never quite hit its potential. On a show where a couple of matches really shone because of how competitive they felt, it lacked that edge and was content to bounce along at very good. Throw in a few moments where the timing wasn’t quite perfect (although we are nitpicking there), and you did come away feeling like they could do better. However, that shouldn’t be mistaken for them having shit the bed.
As for what it said about the future, five weeks ahead of their title showdown Mizuki and Yuka were firmly on the same page. MagiRabbi’s adoration of each other is a difficult bond to break, and this wasn’t the moment to do it, but there is plenty of time before that match, and it might happen yet. In the here and now, they picked up a dominant win, keeping the momentum going for both of them.
Verdict: Good, But Not Incredible
121000000 (Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh) defeated Kyoraku Kyomei (Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao) to win the Max Heart Tournament
It’s not something you’ll hear me say very often, but this match did a good job of wrapping the nonsense up quickly. You expect some shenanigans with Kyoraku Kyomei, and it wouldn’t have felt right to miss them entirely, but they got that done in the opening few minutes and then got down to business. In fact, once 121000000 avoided the spray cans, Kyoraku Kyomei turned this into a limb match, going after Itoh’s shoulder and Yamashita’s leg.
And to get it out of the way early, I don’t think that entirely worked. Not because of Misao and Shoko, they did a brilliant job, but for all Itoh’s talents, she’s not one to sell a shoulder all match. Miyu kept it up a bit longer, but even she let it go, and a lot of that early work did feel a bit irrelevant as they worked towards a conclusion. Still, it doesn’t alter the joy I got from watching Hyper Misao aggressively attacking a limb, a sight we don’t see too often.
Plus, I wanted to get that out of the way because I ultimately didn’t care too much. Rather than quibble about limb selling, I’d much prefer to focus on Hyper Misao fucking ruling. There was a moment early on where she (seemingly accidentally) lost her mask and took it in her stride, continuing the battle until she got a chance to slip out of the ring and put it back on. Now, Misao hasn’t exactly been successful at hiding her identity over the years, but, intentionally or not, it still felt like a big deal, selling that, for her, winning this tournament was much more important than any mask. That feeling was backed up by how much more violent she was. I’ve always rated Misao highly, but we rarely see her this focused, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse of another side of her.
She wasn’t alone either, as it’s almost pointless to point out that Shoko Nakajima was brilliant because when isn’t she? Give her a big stage, and she will deliver, no matter who the opponents are, and she had two pretty good ones here. Because while 12000000’s limb selling wasn’t perfect, this match was ultimately about them. They’d teased friction in the build-up, and there were moments where it looked like that might boil over, but it wasn’t to be. As the action went on, Itoh and Miyu pulled together, Yamashita taking on the Itoh role of headbutting her partner back to life, giving them the impetus to take this home and break Miyu’s tournament curse.
They took it home in style, too, as the home stretch of this match fucking ruled. It was a perfect advert for tag wrestling, as deep into a long, gruelling bout, it suddenly turned to a sprint, Shoko and Itoh going back and forth brilliantly before a conclusion that saw 121000000 come together with an awesome-looking combination DDT/German to set up the Itoh Special. It was one of those performances where the flaws become irrelevant because everything else clicked perfectly, and while 121000000 got the win, let’s not ignore that Shoko and Misao were outstanding here.
Verdict: A Top Tier Main Event
Overall Show
On paper, this looked like one of TJPW’s weaker Korakuen cards, but damn, did it deliver. You had two intense singles matches, some great Pom nonsense, an intriguing debut, a midcard tag that hit all the right notes and a brilliant main event. Even the semi-main, which I didn’t love, was still a MagiRabbi match against Miu and Suzume, which, even at its worst, is never going to be bad. When it comes to TJPW and that building, you’d be daft to bet against them, and this proved that once more.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.