TJPW The Night Before Grand Princess (7/3/23) Review
It's A Long Night
Front Matter
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It was the night before Grand Princess, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a Pom. Sure, it doesn’t rhyme, but as this show took place twelve days before Grand Princess, it’s a hell of a long night, so there’s plenty of time to work on it. Still, while the name might not be factual, it got the message across, making it clear this was TJPW’s last outing before their latest biggest show yet. On top of that, we’re getting a look at some of our new rookies, which is always exciting. How can you not be hyped for a new Up Up Girl?
Shino has taken on the last name Suzuki and the colour green as she performed ‘Upper Kick’ in full gear for the first time. I focused on her throughout, and, at least to my seasoned eye, she seemed to have nailed the routine. It still looks like she’s constantly reminding herself to smile, but that’s natural, and there is enough genuine enthusiasm mixed in to retain her aura of likeability. She was also less than an hour away from making her wrestling debut. I’d probably vomit from the stress of that alone, so doing a song and dance routine on top is hella impressive.
Kyoraku Kyomei (Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao) defeated Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
In my last TJPW review, I spoke about how a young, exciting tag team taking on two rookies is secondary only to a pair of grumpy veterans taking on those same rookies as my platonic ideal for a show opener. While I wouldn’t typically describe Shoko and Misao as grumpy, this match suggests that Koda might be a subscriber, as he promptly booked it. After Misao warmly introduced Kyoraku Kyomei to HIMAWARI and Wakana, she and Shoko proceeded to jump them and dish out a beating.
It set the opener up as a very different challenge for the kids, as they were on the back foot from the bell. Shoko and Misao weren’t in the mood for their usual antics, instead looking to shut this match down and control their young opponents. HIMAWARI and Wakana spent most of the action being ground into the mat and desperately fighting to find some momentum. It was a situation I thought they dealt with nicely, selling the beating well and managing to find the occasional sliver of spotlight. HIMAWARI, in particular, did a great job stealing a moment, spinning Misao around to set her up for a nice power spot.
It all meant this wasn’t the match I expected to get (I came in looking for nonsense), but it was still rewarding. At this early time in HIMAWARI and Wakana’s careers, exposing them to as many different ideas as possible makes sense, and while they still have moments that remind you how inexperienced they are, they’re generally doing great. Plus, Shoko and Misao were surprisingly suited to playing the grumpy vets, which I didn’t see coming. There will be plenty of time for antics, so a bit of seriousness was no bad thing.
Verdict: Surprising, But Interesting
Rika Tatsumi defeated Kaya Toribami
It’s irresponsible of TJPW to book this match. Would you leave your cat alone in a room with a defenceless bird? No, so why would you leave Rika Tatsumi with one?
I think this worked as a nice contrast to the opener. For all I described Shoko and Misao as grumpy veterans, there was a feeling that they were putting HIMAWARI and Wakana through their paces. They played a role, checking to see what the youngsters could do. Tatsumi was not doing that. When she chose to wrap her hands around Kaya’s throat or dropkick her leg into the ring post, she did it for the love of violence. Both ended in the same result, but only one will leave psychological scarring.
Fair play to Kaya, who continued her strong form and came out the other side alive. She was tasked with selling the leg and did an alright job, never forgetting that it was supposed to be in pain. It wasn’t a masterclass (I never really felt it was affecting her movement), but it wasn’t a disaster either, and that flashy offence is getting crisper by the week. In the future, though, let’s maybe give the bird some backup before placing her in these situations.
Verdict: Don’t Let Your Rikas Kill Birds
The Up Up Girls (Miu Watanabe & Hikari Noa) defeated The Up Up Girls (Raku & Shino Suzuki)
Shino Suzuki’s debut was shaping up to be a lovely time. She had a wee green flag, Miu put her through her paces with some basic grappling, and she even did her first-ever Goodnight Express. Then, Hikari decided she’d had enough of playing nice and slapped her round the head, signalling that it was time for her and Miu to find out what this rookie had to offer. A friendly introduction to the company? No chance.
From there, this was all about how Shino reacted to being treated rather horribly. Would she crumble at the first stop, unable to take Miu squeezing her head? Thankfully not. In fact, she did good! Of course, she’s green, and there were occasional awkward moments, but it’s her first match, so anyone focusing on that is probably a dick. At this point in her career, it’s as much about how comfortable she looks in the ring as it is about the actual wrestling, and I was genuinely impressed by how at home she appeared. It would be easy to fall apart the second the bell rang, but she had scrappy underdog energy, fighting well from underneath.
I also think it’s worth comparing this to the tag match where the rest of the Up Up Girls debuted in 2018. If you’d dropped Shino into that, she would have been the best wrestler there, and I don’t think it’s even that close. TJPW and the other three have come a long way in that time. Go back to those nervous rookies, and it’s hard to imagine Hikari and Miu becoming these confident badasses or workhorse Raku guiding the rookie member of her team through a match. They’ve all turned into cracking wrestlers, and while Shino has a bit of a way to go, there was nothing here to suggest she couldn’t do the same.
Verdict: The Kid Did Good
Miyu Yamashita defeated Toga
Hikari and Miu at least pretended they were going to be nice to Shino. Miyu gave Toga no such courtesy. It didn’t take long for the Ace to start booting our second debuting rookie around the ring, testing what she was made of with some vicious kicks. Yamashita was dominant, limiting Toga’s offence to the bare minimum before seeing her off with an AA.
When Toga did get a chance to hit, though, it was perhaps the most impressive part of this debut. I inwardly cringed when Miyu drew her into a forearm exchange, as most seasoned wrestlers suck at those, but Toga didn’t do too badly. Let’s not get carried away, she’s not instantly claimed a spot on the list of great strikers, but she had the confidence to put a little pep behind them, ensuring that Miyu could feel it. Toga has a bit of a physical presence (and looks cool), so if she can hone those strikes, they could quickly become her calling card.
All in all, this was another solid debut. I think Shino shone a little brighter, but she had the safety of a tag match while Toga was alone against one of the best. I’m in awe of anyone who gets through their debut without bursting into tears and hiding under the ring, so they both cleared my personal bar.
Verdict: This Kid Also Did Good
Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Yuki Aino, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
Pom was in a very vocal mood. Early on, she wandered into the ring and broke up a pin by yelling at Mahiro, something I’m not even sure Neko (who was being pinned) was that overjoyed to experience. Pom has many talents, but the voice of an angel is perhaps not one of them.
When Pom wasn’t screaming at people, this felt a bit like a return to the norm after the excitement of the two debuting rookies. That’s not intended as an insult (I like TJPW’s norm), but there wasn’t an obvious hook to this match. It was your standard fare, featuring some fun pairings (Aino vs Mahiro was surprisingly good, Kamiyu bullying the wee cat is always a delight, and Pom brought it for the homestretch), but we’ve seen it all before.
It meant this was solid midcard action, nothing you need to get too excited about, but worth a watch if you’ve already got the show on. If nothing else, you can hear Pom make some funny noises, which I always enjoy.
Verdict: Unremarkable
Yuka Sakazaki, Suzume & Yuki Arai defeated Mizuki, Arisu Endo & Moka Miyamoto
TJPW have been confident enough in their Grand Princess main event that they haven’t felt the need to split up MagiRabbi in the build, as Mizuki and Yuka have spent most of the last few weeks teaming up rather than facing off. At the final opportunity, however, we finally got a chance to see them get physical.
Or at least that was the theory. In reality, Yuka was still unsure about fighting her best friend. MagiRabbi are incapable of wrestling without getting emotional, and even in this random tag in Shinjuku, that continued to be the case. Mizuki had to basically force Yuka into hitting her back, and even then, she tagged out before they could really get going. It was only late in the match that they finally came to blows, and, unsurprisingly, it ruled. That emotion is the same thing that makes their showdowns special, as when they go at it, they go hard, and every moment feels like it means the world.
The main event wasn’t the only match being teased, as Daisy Monkey will also battle at Grand Princess. They showed none of MagiRabbi’s restraint, getting straight into it and cementing their potential as a sneaky show-stealer. Arisu and Suzume are both at exciting times in their career, as their development accelerates and everything they do feels fresh and exciting. While I love them as a pairing, I can’t wait to see them get a chance to do their thing together on a big stage, as it’s a huge opportunity for them to impress.
There was so much going on with the two competing tag teams that Moka and Arai were forced into the background, but they were reliably great supporting players. Ultimately, though, this was all about building to those Grand Princess matches, something that it did damn well.
Verdict: Get Excited!
Overall Show
The Night Before Grand Princess (if you’re planning on sleeping for nearly two weeks) was mainly about the rookies and the main event, but those things were great, so it’s worth a watch. The other matches on the card were also decent, but if you are being crushed under the weight of the ridiculous amount of wrestling in the world, you don’t particularly need to watch them. Do make sure and watch the Up Up Girls’ performance, though! You can't miss Shino’s first proper appearance.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.