TJPW Wrestle Princess (9/10/23) Review
Big Show TJPW Do It Again
Front Matter
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There is an art to constructing the card for a big show, and while there are a lot of promotions that do it well, TJPW will always take the ribbon for me. From rookie battles to Aja Kong to Miyu Yamashita coming to get her belt back, Wrestle Princess 4 had something for everyone and the potential to be a TJPW classic. Would it live up to those lofty expectations? Let’s find out.
Runa Okubo defeated Haru Kazashiro
Not too long ago, I would have felt confident betting most of my possessions on Haru winning this match. In the early days of her and Runa’s careers, she was the one who took to wrestling naturally, pulling ahead of her pal and getting a little better with every show. Then, someone took Runa aside and introduced her to the art of thumping people, and everything clicked into place for the pinker half of the TJPW kid squad. Now I’d place the two of them on a level-pegging, throwing the winner of this match (and the identity of the rookie that would be picking up their first ever victory) up in the air.
Don’t come into this expecting anything fancy. These two are still working with the basics. I’m sure someone somewhere is, even as I write, dismissively awarding this two stars because it was, at its core, a simple wee match between two performers who are still figuring themselves out. Haru is the quicker and smarter of the two, her obsessive love of wrestling shining through in how she structures her offence. Okubo, meanwhile, is a blunter weapon, laying down those heavy blows on Haru’s chest and throwing in a couple of basic power moves. At this stage of her career Runa is finding that simple works best, and Haru lacked the tools here to answer her brute-force approach.
Most importantly, Runa and Haru both looked like they were having fun, despite the potential nerves that might come with opening one of TJPW’s bigger shows. Right now, that’s all that matters, and they shouldn’t give a hoot about what I or anyone else thinks about their matches. They’re young kids getting the chance to do some ridiculous things, and as long as they’re enjoying themselves, I’ll have a blast watching them.
Verdict: The Kids Are Alright
Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami & HIMAWARI defeated HARUKAZE, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara
Thanks to there only being twenty-four hours in a day, GanPro is one of the promotions I don’t have time to keep up with. That meant this was my first proper introduction to Sumire Natsu-associate Riara, and I came away relatively impressed. A propeller pin that left HIMAWARI dizzy aside (an idea I thought they could have played with more), her offence was rudimentary but decently performed, and she seems to have a bit of charisma. I can’t pretend I’ll be rushing out to watch a load of her matches, but I wouldn’t say no to seeing some more.
It was easy to get a good impression of Riara because this match was laid out as three mini-bouts. Up first was Riara vs HIMAWARI, followed by HARUKAZE vs Kaya, and we finished up with Arisu vs Yoppy. This structure ensured everyone got a decent amount of time in the ring, but it also meant we missed out on a few sustained interactions, and I would have liked to see them mix it up a little more. However, with GanPro controlling most of those first two mini-bouts, it felt like they were trying to showcase the smaller brand, a job which they accomplished reasonably well.
It was the final pairing who stole the show here though, firing up the crowd as Arisu battled back against Yoppy to get the win for Team TJPW. She’s got that underdog babyface act down, and her scrappy offence is well-suited to the role of a crowd favourite defending the honour of her company. Yoppy, meanwhile, is one of the GanPro wrestlers I feel I should be making more of an effort to check out, as she matched up well with Endo, doing a good job of setting her up for the big finish. Together, they brought a bit of spark to a match that was, on the whole, solid rather than exciting. If they’re looking for a future GanPro vs TJPW match, a battle between those two would have a lot of potential.
Verdict: Yoppy vs Endo, Please
Moka Miyamoto defeated Juria Nagano
I regularly whine about lazy and crappy strike exchanges, so it’s only fair to praise Moka and Juria for taking turns to karate chop each other in the neck. I’m not sure it’s the most visually striking way to throw down, as it’s hard to judge the impact, but it’s a cool idea, so on this occasion it gets the thumbs up from me.
At the start of this match, I was preparing to write about Moka as the TJPW wrestler that gets deploy to make others look good before taking the fall. There’s a reason she’s been paired up with Yuki Arai and Juria Nagano early in their careers, and I felt like this was going to be another occasion where she did the hard work of keeping the match together only to be pinned at the end. Thankfully I was wrong: not only was Moka impressive here, but she followed it up with the win. She’s not the flashiest wrestler in the world, but she does all the little things right, selling the struggle of wrestling and making me believe she’s going through a fight. It would be easy to dismiss Moka as lacking charisma, but she regularly draws me in through her in-ring work, even if some of her karate moves lack a bit of oomph.
As for Juria, there are certain things she does that I love. There was a moment here where, rather than hitting the ropes after a Moka leapfrog, she stopped on the spot, spinning around to deliver a kick to the gut. It hints at the instincts to be an interesting wrestler, and watching her unleash a flurry of blows is always exciting, but with her current schedule, her development will always be slow. That’s not necessarily a dealbreaker, and I did enjoy her performance, but it’s hard to root for someone who shows up every few months when they’re up against a company workhorse like Moka. Still, whoever you were rooting for, this was a good wee match.
Verdict: Moka Deserves Big Wins
Aja Kong, Raku & Shino Suzuki defeated Hyper Misao, Wakana Uehara & Toga
Raku and Aja Kong walked down the ramp holding hands, so this was perfect before it started.
Apart from a chance to nourish her friendship with Raku, Aja Kong’s TJPW appearances have generally been used to put youngsters over in defeat. Her first anointed victim was the traitorous Mirai Maiumi, but we’ve also seen the likes of Miu Watanabe and Yuki Arai get the Aja seal of approval. Here, it was Wakana Uehara’s turn, an idea that I’d have been sceptical about pre-match as I didn’t feel she was ready for such a rub. Thankfully, I came away pleasantly surprised. Wakana is still not my pick of the current rookie class, but she brought the fight to Kong here, finding a well of fire that we haven’t seen from her before. You could call her brainbuster attempt foolhardy, and you’d be correct, but you’ve got to appreciate the gumption. In response, Aja was more than generous, bumping around for Uehara and looking like she was genuinely struggling (she might have actually been tired, but it had the same effect either way). To top it all off, she invited Wakana to slap her post-match, which would goes down as an unusual sign of respect anywhere but in the world of pro wrestling.
Elsewhere, Toga didn’t fare as well against Kong but stood her ground, never cowering away and getting a few good hits in. Misao and Raku, meanwhile, had a solid run together, although I would have liked some more superhero antics, as her early attempts at deploying the spray can on Aja were all we got. In amongst all that, Shino did somewhat fade into the background, never quite managing to carve a role for herself. She got a few moments to show off her plucky underdog nature before Aja and Wakana took centre stage, but she felt like the least important cog in this machine.
Even with Suzuki standing on the sidelines, this was another fun Aja Kong multi-woman tag, although perhaps not the best of the TJPW crop. Then again, that is a mighty high bar to hurdle, and even an alright one of these is better than most things. I mean, where else could you see Raku hopping on Aja’s back for a Goodnight Express? That alone is worth the price of admission.
Verdict: These Are Always A Delight
Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai defeated Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino
Yuki Arai learnt a potentially life-saving lesson in this match. It’s okay for the veteran to invite you to hit them, but if you’re stupid enough to return the favour, they will punish you. Early on, Aniki happily allowed Arai to tee off on her with some boots to the face, eating them all up and making it clear the idol would have to do more than that to faze her. When Arai later returned the favour by offering Aniki her chest for some rapid-fire chops in the corner, she couldn’t quite muster the same stoical impression. She felt every single one.
That encounter set the scene for this match, which revolved around Arai and Miu testing themselves against Aniki, who continues to be adored by every crowd she appears in front of. While things got rough for Arai, Watanabe held her own, showing impressive strength by hoisting Mizunami into the air. I wouldn’t go as far as saying she was presented as an equal to one of the scene’s top hosses, but the gap between them felt narrow, and what we were given here left me wanting to see those two slam into each other one-on-one somewhere down the line. Fuck it, throw Aniki in there with both of them again. I’ll enjoy it all.
As with Shino in the last match, Aino felt like a bit of a spare wheel at points here, but she held her own when she was called upon, and I think she’s a natural fit to partner Mizunami. She’s having an impressive year, and while I expected her to lose the home stretch with Arai, I was still disappointed. I feel like she’s earned a couple of big wins. Booking quibbles aside, this match was a whole load of fun, continuing the trend of TJPW deploying Aniki perfectly. Slot her in the middle of the card to fire up the crowd and run her eye over some of the younger talent, and you can’t go wrong. Long may it continue.
Verdict: Arai’s Chest Won’t Have Enjoyed It
We got a teaser video for Regina, who will be coming over from Finland’s FCF Wrestling in October and was billed as a monster. It also included TJPW putting together a list of Finnish things, which included Santa Claus and saunas. That made me laugh.
NEO Biishiki-gun (Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Yukio Saint Laurent & Martha) defeated Shoko Nakajima, Suzume, Antonio Honda & Pom Harajuku
Look at this match! Just look at it! It’s an intoxicating blend of talent and nonsense. There are certain wrestling opinions that are shibboleths for me - Hirota is one of the greats, Eddie Kingston deserves the world, Raku is God - and I think this match-up gives me another one for the list. How can you picture all these people cramming themselves into a single ring and feel anything other than ecstasy at the thought of it all? Fair play if you can, but I don’t want to be your friend.
Those were my pre-match thoughts, but then the match itself opened with Pom wiggling her bum at the aristocracy in an unruly manner and blew past all my expectations. T perf. In what was confirmed by Sakisama to be Bii-gun’s final appearance they gave us a taste of everything that has made each version of this stable brilliant. There was a touch of delicious evil, an abundance of talent and a good old dollop of silly on the side. We also saw Mei and Suzume throwing in a touch of high speed, the general brilliance of Shoko, and a dive attempt from Antonio Honda that was genuinely hilarious.
And while I’m sure the usual suspects are moaning about Sakisama not putting anyone over on her way out, they should shut the fuck up for once. For all that Bii-gun has come and gone, they are woven into the fabric of TJPW, playing the role of the pantomime big bads that wander in and allow people to do something completely different. Sakisama is a character from a fairy tale, dropped into this world to corrupt and abuse whoever she chooses, and this point of contrast has always created magic. Why shouldn’t she leave on a high, picking up one final victory before riding off into the sunset with her retinue?
TJPW are going to miss this group. Matches like this, sprawling tags with a million different pieces that go from Pom and Mei making faces at each other to Shoko and Sakisama flying up through the gears, aren’t easy to pull off, and Sakisama’s household has made an art out of them. Big TJPW shows won’t be the same, but wherever they end up next, I’m sure they’ll find another way to sprinkle some beauty and magic on the world.
Verdict: I’ll Miss Them
We got some scheduling news for the start of 2024, with the headline being that they’ll be heading back to Sumo Hall for Grand Princess.
Nyla Rose defeated Maki Itoh
Maybe I’m being harsh or inventing a narrative that isn’t there, but this match was the first time I’ve felt like Itoh’s work on the American independent scene has filtered back into what she does in TJPW. Paired up with Nyla Rose, these two went shtick-heavy, revelling in comedy early on before having a straightforward match that never quite got out of second gear. It all felt like something I’d expect to see at a middle-of-the-day show on WrestleMania Weekend.
Not all of that has to be a bad thing. For one, I am rather fond of a touch of the silly, and Itoh and Rose are charismatic figures with significant comedic chops. Sadly, they weren’t firing here. My point about it feeling like an American indie match comes from the idea that they were playing the shtick in a way that is typically reserved for towns that are only going to see you once or maybe twice a year. Sadly, Itoh pulling kawaii poses isn’t enough for me any more, although I do have to accept that the fans in attendance seemed to be having a lovely time.
The real issue, though, was the meat of the action, where Itoh and Rose had a bland back-and-forth. It wasn’t awful, but it was devoid of spark, as I couldn’t help thinking how much better this would have been a few years back. Gritty, somewhat useless underdog Itoh battling against this foreign hoss would have been a perfect story, but she can’t do that any more. Now, she has to go out and match Rose, trading forearms with her as they struggle to bring this to life. It wasn’t awful, but it all felt strangely flat.
I don’t want to suggest that Itoh’s somehow lost her appeal because she hasn’t (the match with Mizuki proves that), and it’s only natural that she’s adapting her game for the scene where she’s spending the most time. Unfortunately for me, that means she’s bringing back some habits I don’t love, and matches like this are the consequence. Oh well, you can’t win them all.
Verdict: Meh
Free WiFi (Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta) defeated Toyo Mates (Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu) to win the Princess Tag Titles
In the build to this match, I posited the theory that Mahiro Kiryu would be the key to the whole thing. Kamiyu knows Noa and Nao well, having faced them multiple times before, so there was a sense that you knew how that battle would go, but Kiryu was the wildcard. 2023 has been the year where everything came together for Mahiro as she settled into who she is as a wrestler, culminating in the incredible main event of Hype, where she revealed to the world how she ended up here. Now, she had a chance to go a step further and win a title for the first time. The tears in her eyes while she entered told you how much that meant to her.
Unfortunately for Mahiro, she wasn’t the only one fighting with the weight of ‘the narrative’ behind her. Approach this match from the other side, and in Free WiFi you have a team that has felt destined for these belts since they formed. A bit like Magenta over in Marvelous, Nao and Noa have that combination of real-life and in-ring chemistry that makes everything they do seem natural. On top of that, Mahiro wasn’t the only person involved who hadn’t won a title. Nao Kakuta, TJPW’s workhorse who makes every match she’s in that bit better, was also fighting to make her mark and etch her name into the history books for the first time.
The battle of the potential first-timer champions took up the emotional heart of this match. Kamiyu’s big boots and Noa’s dropkicks played their part, but when everything else boiled away, Mahiro vs Kakuta decided where the belts were going. Kiryu gave it her all, bustling away as she threw some of the better strikes of her career and used that simple but effective offence to try to wear Nao down, but Kakuta just had too much. She’s that little bit tougher and grittier, and when they entered the final act, that, combined with Hikari’s interventions helping to turn the tide, was enough to push through. When Kiso counted the three, she promptly burst into tears, and while I was sad for Mahiro, I was also delighted for her. Free WiFi deserves this, and after the year she’s had and her performance here, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mahiro’s chance came round again.
Verdict: Everyone Deserves To Win
Max the Impaler defeated Rika Tatsumi to win the International Princess Title & retain the NWA Women’s Television Title
Rika Tatsumi does it again. She may have lost her International Title, but she served up more proof that she is one of the best as she tried to slay the monstrous Max the Impaler. We know how a match like this is supposed to go. The big scary outsider hoss dominates the beloved babyface, setting up moments of hope that are then brutally cut away. Not for Rika. She had a plan to spam those hip attacks and keep Max off balance, using the opening they created to attack the leg or go for the sleeper. She didn’t give her opponent a second of peace, bouncing back up whenever she got hit because she knew that if she gave Max too long to recover, it would all be over.
It wasn’t just Rika, though. Max was also brilliant here, bumping around for Tatsumi’s attacks and judging their selling perfectly. It’s hard to know how much you should put over an opponent’s offence when you’re being sold as a monster. However, Max got this spot on, showing a touch of confusion at having to deal with this unstoppable pest while also making it clear that they were struggling with that targeted leg. Towards the end, before they finally managed to get a hold of Rika and get the win, they pulled a strap from their gear and tightened it around their thigh. That one small moment was proof that Rika had forced the monster to think.
I’m sad that Rika lost this title, as her defences have been an almost guaranteed highlight of every show, but I can’t complain when her defeat was as perfectly plotted as this. Tatsumi did everything right, but Max was too big and too strong, which raises the question of who has what it takes to rip that belt from their hands. Can Rika regroup and do it herself? I’d certainly be tempted to book that for the upcoming America show. Or will someone else stand up and take down the Impaler? At this point, I have no idea, but I’m excited to find out.
Verdict: Rika Tatsumi Wrestler Of The Year
Miyu Yamashita defeated Mizuki to win the Princess of Princess Title
One of the many TJPW moments seared into my brain is a crying Mizuki challenging Miyu Yamashita for Ittenyon 2022. Back then, the rabbit admitted that she was scared of fighting Miyu and of all the pain that came with it. However, she felt that she had to put herself forward. She had to go on and prove that she could not just face Miyu but beat her. Of course, on that occasion, Yamashita won, proving Mizuki’s fears as she kept hold of her title. In 2023, things have shifted a bit. Mizuki came in as the defending champion, and the tears were gone. For perhaps the first time, there was a feeling that she had what it takes to beat Miyu.
Once again, though, this wasn’t just about Mizuki. This year, for the first time since the company’s inception, Miyu spent a significant period away from TJPW, touring the USA. When she returned, there was a sense that people hadn’t missed her. Of course, having Miyu on shows is better than not having her, and she’ll always be welcome, but TJPW has grown to the extent that Yamashita is no longer a necessity. Ever since that idea took hold, there’s been a sense that Miyu wants to prove that’s not true. Having spent most of the start of the year messing around with Itoh as part of 12100000, the Princess Cup saw the fire in Yamashita’s eyes return. Miyu ruthlessly booted her way through the opposition en route to picking up the trophy she’d never won. Whether Mizuki was afraid of her or not was irrelevant. She was coming to kick her in the head.
This match played out that theme, as Miyu came out of the blocks fast and aggressive, booting the rabbit around the ring. You could understand the champ’s previous fears as every kick came thudding home, forcing her onto the back foot from the bell. In response, Mizyupon was forced to dig deep, pulling out a rare dive through the ropes before hitting the first of many double stomps in the corner. Every move she went for was big, as if she was well aware that if she didn’t put Yamashita down hard her hold on the belt was as good as gone. There was a moment when Mizuki was perched on the top rope as Miyu rose up, and you could see in her eyes that she knew what was coming next and chose to accept it, eating the kick to the head and gritting her teeth through the pain to leap from her spot anyway, connecting with a double stomp as she came down. If you want to beat Miyu Yamashita in a match for this title, you can’t stop coming at her for a second.
I’m not sure Mizuki did stop coming at Miyu. I can’t point to a mistake or a slip that cost her this match. Miyu was simply too much. The final minutes were a whirlwind, as Mizuki threw her heart and soul into it, even kicking out of the Skull Kick, but every time it looked like she’d come roaring back, Miyu found another answer. Whether it was a German or another kick, The Ace always had one idea more than her opponent, and Mizuki slowly but surely ran out of steam. Before she got there, though, that wee rabbit fought her every inch of the way, refusing to give up until she was well and truly beaten. It was heartbreaking and beautiful but also inevitable. If you haven’t beaten Miyu Yamashita for that belt, you’re just borrowing it, and she turned up to Wrestle Princess demanding it be returned.
Verdict: They Did It Again
Overall Show
Wow, what an end to the show. Those last three title matches were fantastic and capped off a very enjoyable Wrestle Princess. Most of the undercard was fun rather than essential, but those who watch every TJPW show will have more than enough to get their teeth into. I also didn’t particularly enjoy Itoh vs Rose, but hey, nothing’s perfect. Plus, when you have a better version of that match in Rika vs Max, it’s easy to forget it. Big show TJPW do it again, and while I’m sure there are plenty of people out there moaning about the booking, I already can’t wait for the next one.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.