TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP” Results

August 25, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 25/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
604 Fans

1. Runa Okubo defeated Chika Nanase with the Jelly Poison (4:41).
2. Pom Harajuku defeated Shino Suzuki with the Pom de Justice (4:28).
3. Mizuki & Haru Kazashiro defeated Mei Suruga & Uta Takami when Mizuki pinned Takami with the Cutie Special (8:49).
4. Shoko Nakajima defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Northern Lights Suplex (10:30).
5. Zara Zakher & Moka Miyamoto defeated Rika Tatsumi & Kaya Toribami when Zakher pinned Toribami with the Control Z (12:28).
6. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai, Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Toga & Kira Summer when Endo pinned Uehara with the Ju no Okite (16:26).
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Ryo Mizunami defeated Yuki Aino with the HOT LIMIT (13:47).

One of the busiest weekends of the year for Tokyo Joshi Pro wrapped up today with the finale of this year’s Tokyo Princess Cup tournament. While a small portion of the roster were off in England to run a show over in London, the majority of the crew remained in Tokyo for an eventful show at Korakuen Hall. The final was a fated meeting between the two wrestlers that make up Yukiniki. Back in January Yuki Aino and Ryo Mizunami won the Princess Tag Team Titles together and now here we are at the end of the summer where they had to fight each other for the Princess Cup. Aino tried to match Mizunami’s power by going for Shoulder Attacks, Side Suplexes, Venus DDT and the Full Nelson Of Love And Flame. But Mizunami relied on the Uranage to stay ahead and pinned Aino with the HOT LIMIT to win the tournament.

Mizunami told Aino after the match not to keep her head down for losing. She knows Aino always wanted a singles match against her and it finally happened today. The frustrated look on Aino’s face is a sign that she is getting stronger and it won’t end here with them. Aino said she will fight Mizunami again and she asked her for another match some day. Mizunami said she has high expectations for Aino from here on out. Aino then bowed to every side of Korakuen and left the ring. Backstage she talked to reporters about the fans supporting her and she’ll keep fighting so she can face Mizunami again.

Back in the ring Mizunami declared that Princess Aniki has been born! She called Miu Watanabe down to the ring and challenged her for the Princess Of Princess Title. Watanabe never thought the day would come and accepted the match. It will happen at “WRESTLE PRINCESS V” on 22nd September. She said she cannot give up a championship this important to TJPW. Mizunami closed out the show by telling the fans about how she was close to retirement five years ago. Then she got an offer to wrestle for AEW and that connection helped lead her over to TJPW where she won the Tag Titles with Aino. She’s now been wrestling for 17 years and it just goes to show you never know what will happen in life! She will treasure all of the chants for Aniki and can’t wait to see everyone at “WRESTLE PRINCESS V”.

All four current TJPW Champions teamed together for an 8-Woman Tag Match. The Princess Champion Watanabe was joined by Yuki Arai with the International Princess Title and also the Princess Tag Champions Daisy Monkey. Their opponents were the ragtag collection of Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Toga & Kira Summer. The finish came with Suzume diving onto everyone outside the ring leaving Arisu Endo to pin Uehara with the Ju no Okite.

The four champions celebrated their victory but as they all left the ring, Endo asked Arai to stay behind with her. Endo admits she is starting to feel greedy and wants to hold another championship before TJPW returns to her hometown of Aizuwakamatsu on 14th September. So she is challenging Arai for the International Title in Nagoya on the 8th! Arai is happy to accept the challenge because Endo was one of her opponents in her debut match three years ago and they have become good friends outside of the ring. Nagoya is also like a second home for Arai so she is determined not to lose her title there.

Zara Zakher’s final appearance for this tour with TJPW ends with her arms raised in victory. Rika Tatsumi tried to lull her into a false sense of security by calling her a friend in English but it was just to set up a sneak attack. Zakher fought back and along with Moka Miyamoto went on to beat Tatsumi & Kaya Toribami. Zakher even scored the pin on Toribami with the Control Z. She said she is grateful for TJPW letting her stay with them for so long and treating her as part of the team. She is already going to miss them and hopes to come back to Japan again.

One of the newsworthy announcements at the start of the show involves Yoshiko Hasegawa. The former member of Ganbare☆Pro went freelance earlier this year but revealed that from September onwards she will regularly wrestle on TJPW shows! So this match with Shoko Nakajima was kind of an early welcome into the TJPW family for her. Nakajima was able to win with the Northern Lights Suplex and thinks TJPW shows will heat up even more now that Hasegawa will be on the cards. Hasegawa calls Nakajima one of the best wrestlers in TJPW and she experienced first hand just how thick the walls are. There are a lot of people in TJPW she wants to fight and her goal is to win one of the championships here.

The Super Cute Sisters have been realised but they are not going to use that name after all! Mei Suruga & Uta Takami tried out being a tag team today after hitting it off so well as opponents last month. The two acted like brats for Mizuki & Haru Kazashiro to figure out how to handle. Mizuki ended up using high risk moves to great effect. Kazashiro even got ahead of Suruga by giving her the Fisherman Suplex. Mizuki then overwhelmed Takami with Elbow Strikes before pinning her with the Cutie Special. Kazashiro said the other team were a hundred times more crazy than she expected. Takami apologised to Suruga for losing but Suruga told her there was nothing to be upset about. She also knows Takami came up with a tag team name for them. Together they are… Apple Ice Cream? However Takami had second thoughts after saying it out loud so she will come up with a different name the next time they team up.

There was one thing Pom Harajuku wasn’t able to do this summer and that was attend an idol concert as a fan. She asked Shino Suzuki to perform one of her songs so she could cheer her on with penlights. However it was all a trap so Harajuku could ambush her and take control of the match. Later Harajuku told everyone there was something she wanted to shout out but Suzuki covered her mouth. Harajuku kicked her in the shin and hit the Pom de Justice to get the three count.

Beware of the Jelly Poison because that is the name of Runa Okubo’s new submission finisher! She used the Arm Clutch Half Crab Hold to make Chika Nanase give up in the opening match.

A few more matches were announced for “WRESTLE PRINCESS V”. Mizuki will team with Xia Zhao (the former Xia Li from WWE) to take on VENY & Yuki Kamifuku. It will be the first time VENYU have teamed together in a while. Shoko Nakajima will face Emi Sakura one on one. Sakura is somebody Nakajima says has been close with her ever since her debut. Back when TJPW hardly ran any shows Nakajima would go to Ichigaya to see Sakura. Aja Kong, Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku will team up for a 6-Woman Tag Match with Shiori Aoki from SKE48 as the special referee.

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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24” Results

July 20, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24”, 20/07/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
873 Fans

1. Wakana Uehara, Toga & Runa Okubo defeated HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro when Toga pinned Suzuki with the Rock Bottom (13:59).
2. Kira Summer defeated Chika Nanase with a Samoan Drop (5:50).
3. Mei Suruga defeated Uta Takami with the Gateau Invisible (7:19).
4. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi & Kaya Toribami when Aino pinned Toribami with the Venus DDT (9:02).
5. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Kakeru Sekiguchi with the Famouser (8:09).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Mizuki & Emi Sakura when Yamashita pinned Mizuki with the Skull Kick (16:16).
7. Special Single Match: Aja Kong defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Diving Elbow Drop (9:01).
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) defeated Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto when Endo submitted Miyamoto with the Camel Clutch (16:09).
*V2 for Daisy Monkey.
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi with the Tear Drop (20:19).
*V3 for Miu Watanabe.

The biggest show of the summer for Tokyo Joshi Pro was headlined with a Daydream clash for the Princess Of Princess Title. After weeks of mind games from Rika Tatsumi towards her tag partner Miu Watanabe the two finally got to see who is more deserving of being the champion. The match was taken outside a couple of times including one moment where they fought up to the stands. Tatsumi placed Watanabe onto a cart in the aisle and then ran the length of the aisle to hit her with a Sliding Hip Attack. She then kicked Watanabe down the stairs back to the ring. Watanabe got her own back by catching a Hip Attack from the apron and then giving Tatsumi a Reverse Giant Swing at ringside. Back in the ring Tatsumi tried to strangle her opponent but Watanabe powered out of it. Watanabe also kicked out of the Twist Of Fate and blocked the Missile Hip by striking Tatsumi with a Double Hammer Swing. She reversed the Dragon Sleeper into one of her own. Tatsumi reversed the reversal to take her move back but Watanabe got a rope break. Watanabe then went on to hit the Tear Drop and win the match.

The two bowed to each other and shook hands after the match. Tatsumi then left the ring and Watanabe described her freedom and strength as a style that only Tatsumi can have. She wants to fight with Tatsumi more and more. That includes Daydream continuing to team and go after championships together. Watanabe will do her best to make this summer a hot one for everybody and that will happen during the Tokyo Princess Cup starting soon. She wants to become the first reigning Princess Champion to win the tournament. However, Tatsumi’s comments backstage about Daydream’s future were different. She said she realises that Watanabe has been fine without her for a long time now so today Daydream has come to an end! When Watanabe heard that backstage she couldn’t believe it and told reporters she does not want to break up with Tatsumi. We’ll have to see if this gets cleared up in the near future.

Some new looks for both members of Daisy Monkey kicked off the Princess Tag Team Titles match against Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto. The tag team experience of Suzume & Arisu Endo turned out to be the deciding factor too. Every time Arai or Miyamoto looked like they were going to win the match, Daisy Monkey were there to get each other out of trouble. When Arai was about to hit Endo with the Finally, Suzume jumped in to Dropkick her out of the way. Arai was then taken out with a Power Slam/Facebuster combo. Miyamoto had more chances to beat Endo until she was flipped over with a Waterwheel Drop and then placed in the Camel Clutch. Endo then rolled Miyamoto into the middle of the ring with the move, giving Miyamoto no choice but to give up. Endo credited the win on her team’s spirit rather than just relying on skill. Suzume admitted it took a lot of spirit though. Miyamoto said from the moment the match ended, her first thought was she wants to challenge Daisy Monkey again. Arai told her she wants the two of them to keep teaming together. She also loved the experience of being a challenger in a championship match again. That kind of aggressive attitude is something Arai wants to keep for her next International Princess Title defence.

The Big Kaiju went to war against one of the most legendary monsters in pro wrestling. Shoko Nakajima wasted no time in attacking Aja Kong from the start but a quick dive out of the ring was blocked by Kong’s steel can. Kong followed up with chair attacks at ringside and then some painful looking Back Drops in the ring. Nakajima launched a counter attack by hitting a 619 while Kong was climbing the turnbuckles. She landed the Diving Senton while Kong was on the ring apron, knocking her out of the ring long enough for a 19 count. When Kong climbed back into the ring, Nakajima quickly gave her a Double Arm DDT but when she climbed the corner, Kong was already back standing up ready to throw a Uraken strike to the body. Nakajima kicked out of the Veritcal Drop Brainbuster and also did her best to keep standing when she took another Uraken. But Kong knocked her down with another big slap and then hit the backwards Diving Elbow Drop for the three count. Kong praised Nakajima but her words weren’t taken as such by her. Nakajima thinks Kong is treating her like a baby and that annoys her. Kong doesn’t feel that way. She told reporters than had the match gone on for longer, she would not have had the stamina to beat Nakajima. She has a bad back and Nakajima did the right thing as a “monster” to target it. Her mistake was not continuing to target that weakness for the rest of the match. Being a monster is not just about size, it is also about being in battles of wits. Kong’s advice for Nakajima is to use her brain outside the ring as well as inside.

TJPW had the pleasure of having Mizuki & Emi Sakura teaming up in their ring for the first time ever. The student and mentor pairing joined forces to take on 121000000. The match turned into a fight from the get go but Mizuki & Sakura found their spots to mock their opponents with a tea time gesture. Sakura also called herself the cutest in the world while giving Maki Itoh a DDT. They then used double team moves like Assisted Double Stomp and Rolling Sentons onto Miyu Yamashita. However Itoh misdirected Mizuki and threw her into Sakura’s Tilt-O-Whirl Backbreaker before giving Sakura the Stunner. 121000000 then used a Flying DDT/Wheelbarrow German Suplex combo on Mizuki. Sakura was helpless to stop Yamashita from pinning Mizuki with the Skull Kick. She gave Mizuki another Backbreaker after the match, this time on purpose as her punishment for losing. Backstage Yamashita figured out that Mizuki & Sakura are the type of wrestlers who like to confuse their opponents. So Yamashita & Itoh being able to keep communication with each other throughout the match was a key for their victory, along with some luck. 121000000 are happy with the win because it fits into their future plans. They aren’t saying what that is yet. Sakura said she was going to name her team The Whirling Candy Sisters except she never wants to team with Mizuki ever again!

Unfortunately Nao Kakuta’s match with Yuki Kamifuku had to be cancelled because of Kakuta’s back injury. Kamifuku was given a match against Kakeru Sekiguchi instead with Kakuta watching at ringside. Mahiro Kiryu also missed the show due to illness so Kamifuku gave her an unintentional shoutout by accidentally calling Sekiguchi “Mahiro” during the match. Kamifuku was able to win by using a Reverse Famouser, a Big Boot against the ropes and then the standard version of the Famouser for the three count. She told Kakuta after the match not to cry because even though her retirement road has not gone to plan, she should have no regrets over it. Kakuta said she can feel so much warmth and kindness from everyone that she will do her best until the end. She also joked that she hopes Sekiguchi and Kiryu will meet each other some day because they do look similar to each other.

Kiryu’s absence from the show brought in the return of Moeka Haruhi to TJPW as her replacement in Match #4. Together with Yuna Manase & Kaya Toribami the trio went by the name of Ganbare☆Torippi. They were asked before the match if they wanted it to be fought under Summer Vacation rules. Ganbare☆Torippi refused but Love Triangle entered the ring wearing summer costumes and carrying summer related props anyway. Raku got rid of Manase & Haruhi with a Double Facecrusher while Pom Harajuku gave Toribami the Pom de Justice. Yuki Aino then finished her off with the Venus DDT. Ganbare☆Torippi complained about Love Triangle not following the rules even when they were told the match stipulation was not accepted. However Manase hasn’t been able to do a lot of summer activities this year so getting to do some of it in the ring today wasn’t too bad. Aino said she notices more fighting spirit than usual coming from Toribami. If she got that from teaming with the visitors then Aino hopes it encourages her to keep trying harder.

The match between Mei Suruga and Uta Takami was like seeing two long lost sisters meeting each other. Suruga definitely feels that way because she kept calling herself Takami’s first big sister after the match! She likes how cute and friendly Takami is while also having a cheeky side, just like her. Perhaps next time they will team up as The Super Cute Sisters! Takami said when the match was first announced she kept thinking about it. Then before she knew it she was wearing red things with apples on them. Today feels like a turning point to her and she is already sad to see her “big sister” leave.

Kira Summer scored her first singles win as a TJPW wrestler by beating Chika Nanase. She used a Samoan Drop to get the victory. She is so happy about it she thanks all of the fans who went to the show and those who watched from home for giving her their support. Next she would like to team with Nanase and win a match together. Nanase still wants to face her in singles match so she can try and beat her. She promises not to lose next time.

In the opening match Toga was able to win for her team by pinning Shino Suzuki with the Rock Bottom. The result almost turned out differently because Suzuki used the same Backwards Rolling Cradle she used to beat Toga before. Toga had backup to break the pin this time. So today’s result makes Toga feel like she got revenge on that loss to Suzuki. Runa Okubo noticed Haru Kazashiro is using new moves and getting stronger. She does not want to lose to her while they continue growing side by side. Wakana Uehara is also seeing how much everyone is growing, particularly everyone in the 23 Year Olds group. She is looking forward to even more matches between that group in the future. HIMAWARI said the result was a close call for the winners. She wants to train even harder to overtake everyone.

Two new TJPW dates for Korakuen Hall were announced. First they will close out the year on 29th December for “TJPW YEAR-END PARTY 2024”. Then on 4th January it will be the tenth annual Ittenyon show at Korakuen.

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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’24” Results

June 23, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’24”, 23/06/2024
Shizuoka Act City Hamamatsu
237 Fans

1. Mahiro Kiryu defeated Chika Nanase with the Hotei Raoyui (6:19).
2. Shoko Nakajima & Kira Summer defeated Haru Kazashiro & Uta Takami when Nakajima submitted Takami with a Butterfly Lock (8:11).
3. Mizuki defeated Runa Okubo with the Face Lock (8:46).
4. Nao Kakuta defeated Shino Suzuki with the Shiden Kai (9:26).
5. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Itoh submitted Harajuku with the Itoh Deluxe (10:05).
6. Miyu Yamashita, Moka Miyamoto & Toga defeated Suzume, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami when Miyamoto submitted Endo with the Rashomon (13:27).
7. Miu Watanabe & Wakana Uehara defeated Rika Tatsumi & HIMAWARI when Watanabe pinned HIMAWARI with the Tear Drop (13:01).

Two regular tag teams were mixed together in the main event. Daydream were having a prelim match against each other that also had Wakana Uehara and HIMAWARI involved. Rika Tatsumi & HIMAWARI worked together to get Uehara out of the way but Miu Watanabe came in to clean house. She got rid of Tatsumi with a Power Slam and then pinned HIMAWARI with the Tear Drop. Watanabe said the match made her more excited for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24” on 20th July. However she does not have a good read on Tatsumi yet. Tatsumi admits that Watanabe has become a real threat in the ring and today she felt the pain that she least wants to experience.

In a little bit of an upset Moka Miyamoto made Arisu Endo give up to the Rashomon in a 6-Woman Tag Match! The result came from Miyamoto countering out of Endo’s Ju no Okite finisher. Miyamoto reminded everyone afterward that she wants to fight for a championship soon. She laid out those plans after her match with Hikaru Shida earlier this month. Well based on today’s result Miyamoto now wants to challenge Daisy Monkey for the Princess Tag Team Titles. She will go look for a tag partner who can fight with the same passion she has. Both Suzume & Endo see her as an opponent they have to beat so they will accept her challenge.

Pom Harajuku brought along unagi pies as souvenirs for almost everyone in her match including the referee. She did not have any left for Yuki Kamifuku and Maki Itoh wouldn’t share any of hers. That caused Kamifuku to get upset and spend most of the match crying outside the ring while Itoh had to fight RakuPom by herself. Raku put Itoh into a Sleeper Hold, forcing a desperate Itoh to tell Kamifuku she can take her souvenir just so she will get back into the match and help her win.

Shizuoka’s own Shino Suzuki was given a special match against Nao Kakuta as part of Kakuta’s retirement road. Suzuki came close to winning with a Sleeper Hold but Kakuta was able to get a rope break and then win with the Shiden Kai. She was surprised to discover first hand just how much potential Suzuki has. It reminds her of herself when she was a rookie. Kakuta will be watching Suzuki from a distance soon and hopes she will rapidly grow in an environment as wonderful as Tokyo Joshi Pro.

Yuki Aino was pulled from the show because she was feeling unwell. That changed the card a little bit resulting in Mizuki Vs Runa Okubo and Mahiro Kiryu Vs Chika Nanase both happening.

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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PRISM ’24” Results

June 9, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PRISM ’24”, 09/06/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
707 Fans

1. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro when Suzume pinned Kazashiro with the Ring A Bell (8:34).
2. Chika Nanase defeated Uta Takami with the Inari Dorii (5:12).
3. Nao Kakuta & SAKI defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Kakuta pinned Harajuku with the Shiden Kai (8:59).
4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Kira Summer defeated Maki Itoh, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami when Kamifuku pinned Toribami with the Famouser (11:46).
5. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Falcon Arrow (9:40).
6. Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino defeated Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI, Toga & Shino Suzuki when Tatsumi pinned Uehara with the Twist Of Fate (14:51).
7. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) defeated LA Taylor with the Finally (10:09).
*V3 for Yuki Arai.
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) defeated Vert Vixen with the Tear Drop (17:17).
*V2 for Miu Watanabe.

Vert Vixen came back to Tokyo Joshi Pro in order to be Miu Watanabe’s second challenger of the Princess Of Princess Title. In the leadup to the match Watanabe unveiled a new submission hold she calls the Reverse Paradox in order to keep her opponent guessing. Maybe it was a mistake to reveal the move too early because Vixen had it scouted today, avoiding the move and being able to rope break out of it once Watanabe got to apply it correctly. Watanabe had to rely on her usual move set which turned out to be the right decision in the end. Her barrage of Laserbeam throws and Double Hammer strikes weakened Vixen enough for the Tear Drop to finish her off.

The two bowed and shook each other’s hands after the match. When Vixen left the ring, Rika Tatsumi entered it to challenger her Daydream partner for the Princess Title! Tatsumi always thought that the match would happen some day but only thinking about it would never make it happen. So she is asking Watanabe directly and didn’t even wait for her to answer. It is happening at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24” in Korakuen Hall on 20th July! Watanabe said she always wanted to defend the title against Tatsumi and she definitely won’t lose to her. She still remembers when Tatsumi won the International Princess Title from her last year. She closed out the show by asking the fans “Do you like Tokyo Joshi Pro?” The fans responded with “We love it!”

Speaking of the International Princess Title, Yuki Arai scored her latest defence of the belt by beating English wrestler LA Taylor. The newcomer to TJPW used her size advantage by doing a Fall Away Slam, Lariats and a Michinoku Driver. Her size also made it difficult for Arai to use the Full Nelson and Sharpshooter but she was eventually able to lock in the hold. She also used a Backslide Pin nearfall to hit Taylor with a short range Rookie Award. Taylor was dazed by the move so Arai hit the Finally next to win the match. Arai said she has held the IP Title for half a year now and while she wants to continue defending it, she is not satisfied with only holding one title. She wants to find out if she can win back the Princess Tag Team Titles again with somebody other than Saki Akai! She would be happy to find a new tag partner who can help her improve. Backstage Taylor said it was a dream come true to have the paper ribbons thrown for her during the match introductions.

Tatsumi led a senpai team to victory against the Class Of 2023 in an 8-Woman Tag Match. Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI used their High Speed Combined Brainbuster on Tatsumi and Uehara followed up with the BANANA PILLOW submission hold. Tatsumi escaped and hit her with a Hip Attack while Yuki Aino got rid of Shino Suzuki with the Side Suplex. After that Shoko Nakajima & Mizuki hit dives onto everyone out of the ring and Tatsumi pinned Uehara with the Twist Of Fate. Toga said everyone in her team grows after every fight but their senpais are always growing at a rapid rate too so the gap never closes. She hopes they can catch up to them some day while also becoming a wall for the juniors below them.

Moka Miyamoto was given a big match against AEW wrestler Hikaru Shida. She dodged some of Shida’s attacks to hit her with the Zero Sen Kick and also use the Rashomon. Shida reached the ropes and rallied back, hitting Miyamoto with a big Elbow Smash and using the Falcon Arrow to get the three count. Shida said backstage it’s been two years since she was last in TJPW and back then she thought if Miyamoto showed a little more enthusiasm she could become a really good wrestler. She didn’t expect her to grow so much since then and is glad to discover how much of a threat she has turned into. Also next time she gets invited back to TJPW, Shida wants to show everyone a different side of her. Although Miyamoto lost the match she is happy to show her growth and wants to challenge for a championship in the future.

It was an intimidating sight when Aja Kong’s team all showed up in matching face paint. Meanwhile Maki Itoh’s team all entered the ring with matching twintail hairstyles (apparently Itoh forced them to do it). When Mahiro Kiryu got the upper hand against Kira Summer, Kiryu used her Apology Knee Drop to apologise for beating the Aja Kongs of the world so easily. The real Kong didn’t forgive her. Kong also hit Itoh with a steel can but Itoh’s iron head withstood the blow and she Headbutted Kong in return. Kong almost hit Yuki Kamifuku with the can by accident but pulled back at the last moment. Kaya Toribami tried to take advantage of the crossfire but Kamifuku took care of her and won the match with the Famouser. Backstage Itoh, Kiryu & Toribami all complained that they couldn’t tell which opponent was the real Aja Kong.

SAKI was confused to see Raku & Pom Harajuku lie down to sleep in front of her before their match began. She decided to join in but fell for RakuPom’s trap even though Nao Kakuta tried to stop her. Later SAKI used an Atomic Drop on Harajuku and then gave Raku an Atomic Drop. That set Kakuta up to pin Harajuku with the Shiden Kai. Kakuta said she was happy to team up with SAKI in Japan after their plan to do it at the TJPW USA show had to be cancelled. Harajuku complained the Atomic Drop hurts so bad she can’t sit down and feels like she’s been split in two!

In a match where both wrestlers were fighting for their first win, Chika Nanase defeated Uta Takami. She used a Modified Full Nelson called the Inari Dorii to win by submission. It was a move she used once before in an incomplete form but today she debuted the finished version. Nanase is happy to win but wants to aim higher. Takami thought she was going to shine brightly and win today but admits she became a complete mess instead. Losing has only fired her up even more though and she will cherish every day to work hard so she can win next time.

The show began with a non-title match where Daisy Monkey took on Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro. The result was no surprise with Arisu Endo taking out Okubo with a Diving Mt. Tsuruga and Suzume pinning Kazashiro with the Ring A Bell. They enjoyed being in the opening match again because it’s like being the first batter in a baseball game. They feel like they are in top form now and are confident they can defend the Princess Tag Titles against anyone.

It was announced that “WRESTLE PRINCESS V” will be held at Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall on 22nd September.

Nakajima will be getting a match at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24” that she has always wanted. She will have a singles bout against Aja Kong! Nakajima has experienced beatings from Kong before in places like Sumo Hall as well as beneath the cherry blossom trees of Shinjo Village. She believes this match will be meaningless if she cannot use this opportunity to beat Kong! Meanwhile Kong said she will be training alone in the mountains to prepare for the match. If she doesn’t she won’t be able to compete against Nakajima.

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Will Kazato Get Crowned? TJPW Prism Full Card, MAO Wants To Be The Focus Of Ryogoku

May 27, 2024

BASARA “BASARA 249 ~UTAGE~”, 28/05/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ryuichi Sekine, Fuminori Abe & Gaia Hox Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Yasu Urano
2. SAGAT Vs Gouma Ryu
3. Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Daichi Kazato

Tomorrow is the big day for Daichi Kazato. Is it his destiny to win the Union MAX Title from Minoru Fujita?

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/06/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
4. Daisuke Kiso Referee 14th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs To-y & Yuni
5. CDK 5th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi

There is currently a dispute going on over who is going to be the referee for the KO-D Openweight Title match. Hisaya Imabayashi is leaning towards having Yukinori Matsui as the official, which is normally the case. However Sanshiro Takagi thinks Matsui is too strict and wants somebody who will give him more leeway to do what he wants. He agrees the match will still be held under normal rules though. Yuki Ueno is willing as the champion to fight Takagi under his conditions. However he would prefer the match to have a strict referee so he wants Matsui to be the first choice.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN KYOTO”, 08/06/2024
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Toru Owashi & Ilusion
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura
3. MAO Vs Yuya Koroku
4. Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs D.O.A!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi

If losing in the King Of DDT semi-final wasn’t enough to annoy Chris Brookes, he now has to relive last year’s D-Oh Grand Prix when he was the only wrestler in his block to lose against Kazuki Hirata. There is probably no better time for Hirata to go for the upset win in a non-tournament rematch.

Keep an eye out for Yuya Koroku from this point onwards. He was the one to pin Poison Sawada JULIE over the weekend after being outnumbered for the finishing stretch of the match. I’m not saying he’s going to beat MAO next but we might be getting the start of something with him.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PRISM ’24”, 09/06/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro
2. Chika Nanase Vs Uta Takami
3. Nao Kakuta & SAKI Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Kira Summer Vs Maki Itoh, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
5. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI, Toga & Shino Suzuki
7. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs LA Taylor
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Vert Vixen

The full card was revealed yesterday and here it is. Aja Kong returns to team with Yuki Kamifuku again and this time Kira Summer gets to join in. RakuPom have been chosen to be the final opponents for Nao Kakuta & SAKI’s tag team. Either Chika Nanase or Uta Takami will earn their first singles win at the other person’s expense. The rest of the card is the usual veteran versus new generation type of matches.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN MATSUYAMA”, 09/06/2024
Ehime Matsuyama City General Community Center Special Exhibition Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
2. Shunma Katsumata, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Cutie Elly The Ehime), Akito & Tsuruhimeka
3. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Santaro Ishizuchi Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
4. Matsuyama Specialty Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Bonjin Pulp
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Imabari Taoru Mascaras Vs Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Kazusada Higuchi & Keigo Nakamura

Another person from Ehime Pro will be on the show but is not going to wrestled. Cutie Elly The Ehime will be in Sanshiro Takagi’s corner as his manager for Match #2 instead. She did the same at last year’s show in Matsuyama City.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM BATTLE”, 16/06/2024
TOKYO FM Hall

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs X

The Sumo Hall main event and KO-D Title shot is on the horizon but first MAO wants to defend his DDT Universal Title. His schedule prevents him from travelling overseas for the time being so he wants to defend the title against a wide range of wrestlers in Japan. He has begun searching for his first challenger and will choose one for a title match taking place at TOKYO FM Hall in a few weeks time.

Fuminori Abe will be on the show. That could be related to the title match or it might not.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Masato Tanaka
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO

MAO is now guaranteed to be part of the Sumo Hall main event. It will be either Yuki Ueno or Sanshiro Takagi who will be against him as the defending KO-D Champion. Takagi said he would defend the belt against MAO in a Weapon Rumble if he is the champ.

Next time Konosuke Takeshita is in DDT he will face Masato Tanaka in a rematch from March 2020. Tanaka successfully defended the KO-D Title against Takeshita back then in what was the last KO-D Title match held in front of an audience before the global pandemic shut everything down. Did anyone notice that this year’s Fire Festival tournament is the first one without Tanaka taking part in it? I know ZERO1 is a zombie promotion now but how can you have a Fire Festival without Tanaka in it?

Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado will be on the show.

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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’24” Results

May 6, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’24”, 06/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
756 Fans

1. Shino Suzuki defeated Toga with a Backward Rolling Cradle (8:21).
2. Moka Miyamoto, Kaya Toribami & Uta Takami defeated Mahiro Kiryu, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer when Toribami submitted Nanase with the Bird Cage (9:43).
3. Yuna Manase defeated Runa Okubo with the Suzuki Dynamic (5:45).
4. Maki Itoh defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Itoh Punish (9:42).
5. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Aino submitted Harajuku with the Full Nelson Of Love And Flame (12:02).
6. Yuki Arai & Yuki Kamifuku defeated Mizuki & Nao Kakuta when Arai pinned Kakuta with the Finally (10:38).
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) defeated Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI when Endo pinned HIMAWARI with the Ju no Okite (15:01).
*V1 for Daisy Monkey.
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Tear Drop (21:11).
*V1 for Miu Watanabe.

If this really is the start of a new era in Tokyo Joshi Pro then the new champions have shown what they can do when you give them the ball. Miu Watanabe’s first defence of the Princess Of Princess Title was against two-time former champion Shoko Nakajima. The two started off the match with lock-ups leading into Monkey Flips. Nakajima took control with a 619 and then targeted Watanabe’s neck with submission holds and Neckbreakers. She also countered the Giant Swing into the Unmanned Local Train Hold. Watanabe was in trouble when Nakajima landed the Diving Senton on the apron followed by the Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall. Watanabe stopped her from doing another Diving Senton and quickly put her into the Giant Swing. Nakajima fought back with another Northern Lights Suplex but the Locomotion version was blocked and turned into a Power Slam. The Tear Drop was countered into a Hurricanrana for a two count which turned out to be Nakajima’s last chance to win. Watanabe hit her with a Double Sledgehammer, the Laserbeam and then the Tear Drop for the three count.

Watanabe told the fans how happy she was to fight Nakajima for the title and win because she has now grown as a champion. TJPW is in a new era but that means each and every member of the roster is part of the new era. She wants to defend the title against everyone and do her best to make TJPW grow. She loves wrestling so much and hopes to bring in more fans who love it just as much. Backstage Nakajima said she was disappointed to lose and has no choice but to try again. She put her heart into this match so didn’t hold back from the beginning. Watanabe has not decided on who she wants her next challenger to be. She mentioned Mizuki and Rika Tatsumi because they are former champions but is just as interested in facing somebody she cannot even imagine so it will help her grow even more. If that person ever shows up then Watanabe will welcome her challenge.

Daisy Monkey are now seeing what it’s like on the other side of the fence. It was not that long ago they were the young tag team looking to beat the Princess Tag Team Champions. Now they are the champions defending against the young tag teams! Wakana Uehara put Arisu Endo in her version of the Tringle Lancer called the BANANA PILLOW but Endo escaped it. Instead Daisy Monkey’s level of teamwork was too high for the challengers to overcome. Suzume & Endo dropped HIMAWARI with a Double Team Facebuster. Endo then pinned HIMAWARI with the Ju no Okite. Endo said backstage the challengers were a tougher fight than she expected. Suzume now understands the position they are in as champions. Everyone is going to be chasing after them! TJPW will be returning to Endo’s hometown in September. She absolutely wants to defend the tag titles on that show.

Yuki Arai got to show everyone the spot she has established for herself on the 3rd anniversary of her debut match. She wore a new costume covered in stars and teamed with Yuki Kamifuku to beat Mizuki & Nao Kakuta. Arai even scored the pinfall by hitting Kakuta with the Rookie Award followed by the Finally. Backstage Kamifuku joked that each star on Arai’s costume represents the people she wants to crush in the ring. She then pointed to a star on Arai’s dress and asked if that one is for Miyu Yamashita? Arai denied it and explained when Sanshiro Takagi scouted her for TJPW, he said he was going to make her a star. Sadly for Kakuta she is starting to feel her time is running out. She would like to team with Mizuki at least three more times before her graduation. Mizuki promised the next time they team up they will win.

The mind games on display during the start of Match #5 were something to behold. Raku & Pom Harajuku offered the customary pre-match handshake when Tatsumi & Yuki Aino both collapsed and fell asleep. Rather than attack them, Raku & Harajuku decided to lie down next to them and fell asleep too. Tatsumi & Aino noticed that and tried to pin them but RakuPom kept rolling away until they were outside the ring. They then sprung their own surprise after they were Irish Whipped into each other and swung back around to attack the other two. Raku armed herself with a pillow and attacked Tatsumi with it. Harajuku went to finish Aino off with the Pom de Justice. She missed the move though and Aino put her in the Full Nelson Of Love And Flame to make her give up. Aino enjoyed getting to wrestle Raku & Harajuku who she often teams with. Tatsumi called them a great Love Triangle. She’d like to join in to make it a 4 Way but reckons she is better off being a lone wolf. Aino admits she hangs out with Tatsumi more than the other two anyway but Tatsumi told her to keep that a secret.

Maki Itoh defeated Haru Kazashiro and had some words for her afterward. Just as she expected, Kazashiro is a loser but just by working hard today she will have encouraged some of these fans to do their best at work or in school tomorrow. Itoh thinks there is already someone out there who looks up to Kazashiro the same way Kazashiro looks up to her but if she really wants to become a hero then she should make it her goal to destroy Itoh! Later backstage Itoh said she is really looking forward to their next match together just based on the look in Kazashiro’s eyes during her speech. Kazashiro said she was so scared about today’s match she thought about running away. Itoh was even stronger that she expected but if she gets to fight her again she wants to beat her.

There was another big test given to one of the young rookies when Runa Okubo fought Yuna Manase. Okubo tried to match power with power but eventually lost to the Suzuki Dynamic. Manase was impressed with her and would like to have more matches together because of their similar wrestling style. She also called herself a relative of TJPW and noticed there are more new kids being added to the family. Just for her sake don’t ever call them grandkids. Okubo doesn’t want to use her age as an excuse for losing and trained hard for this match. She has regrets but is ready to keep training after Manase told her they should fight again.

Last month Kaya Toribami helped save America from a kappa invasion and today she continued that momentum by winning another wrestling match! The trios match was also the first time Chika Nanase, Kira Summer and Uta Takami all got to wrestle in Korakuen Hall. Both Mahiro Kiryu and Moka Miyamoto talked about how nervous they must have been before the match.

The opening match marked a big milestone for Shino Suzuki. By beating Toga she has earned her first ever singles win! The result came when Suzuki countered the Rock Bottom into a Backwards Rolling Cradle off of the ropes for the flash pin. She believes she won thanks to the support of everyone around her. With this under her belt she feels she can now catch up to the rest of her class. Toga had already beaten Suzuki twice before so she admits her overconfidence got the better of her. She is looking forward to her next match though and is now determined not to lose.

This past weekend Kamifuku went to wrestle for Vietnam Pro Wrestling and became the company’s first ever women’s champion. She still holds the Queen Of Asia Title so she is now a double crown champion of Southeast Asia! She plans to defend both titles in a singles match on 18th May and her opponent will be the TJPW debut of Alexis Lee! Kamifuku defeated Lee in Vietnam to win the VPW Women’s Title. She also beat Lee in Singapore last November to win the Queen Of Asia Title.

There was a group of special guests for The Up Up Girls mini concert held at the start of the show. The pro wrestling version of the unit were joined by another section of the idol group called Up Up Girls (2). They were there to announce TJPW and The Up Up Girls will be holding an outdoor collaborative show at Ueno Park on 7th July.

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The Numbers Mizuki, What Do They Mean?

May 3, 2024

Let’s not even pretend where the inspiration for this idea came from. The brand new Marigold joshi promotion is using a jersey number system for their roster (not a new idea from Rossy Ogawa, he used a similar gimmick for Arsion). All of a sudden Tokyo Joshi Pro has come up with new merchandise that is also based on jersey numbers. Fancy that! Almost everyone in TJPW were asked to pick a number for themselves. People noticed Yuki Arai and none of The Up Up Girls were included. I guess that might be them being careful not to step into another idol group’s gimmick. Some of the numbers have deep meanings behind them, others are based on basic trivia about the women and some are just wordplay on their names.

Credit goes to @dweebyllo, @cmvenus_, @deesforta and @nampei1983 on Twitter for all taking the time to gather the names, numbers and explanations. I’m writing this post using all of the info they collected along with what the wrestlers tweeted out themselves.

1. Miyu Yamashita – She is the ace.
3. HIMAWARI – 3 means Sun, as in Sunflower.
04. Mahiro Kiryu – She is a FC Schalke 04 fan.
08. Suzume – 08 means Bee (8 = Hachi).
15. Rika Tatsumi – She changed her ring name to Rika Tatsumi in 2015.
25. Yuki Aino – Her birthday is 25th October.
39. Chika Nanase – Her birthday is 9th March.
46. Pom Harajuku – 46 means Pom (4 = Po, 6 = Mu).
70. Nao Kakuta – 70 means Nao (7 = Na, 0 = O).
82. Kira Summer – She hasn’t revealed her reason yet.
83. Yuki Kamifuku (Kamiyu) – Her inseam length is 83cm.
98. Arisu Endo – She was born in 1998.
110. Maki Itoh – 110 means Itoh (1 = I, 10 = To).
147. Shoko Nakajima – Her height is 147cm.
222. Haruna Neko – Nyan, Nyan, Nyan (2 = Nyan).
227. Toga – Her birthday is 27th February.
316. Mizuki – Her birthday is 16th March.
318. Moka Miyamoto – Her birthday is 18th March.
328. Haru Kazashiro – Her birthday is 28th March.
513. Wakana Uehara – Her birthday is 13th May.
615. Runa Okubo – Her birthday is 15th June.
708. Sayuri Namba – 708 means Namba (7 = Na, 0 = M, 8 = Ba).
810. Kaya Toribami – 810 means Bird (8 = Bir, 10 = Do).
1201. TJPW – The date of TJPW’s launch event was 1st December.
8183. Hyper Misao – 8183 means Hypami (8 = Ha, 1 = I, 8 = Pa, 3 = Mi).

Edit: In August TJPW released more jerseys for all of the idols who were left out of the first batch.


7. Shino Suzuki – She was born in July.
19. Miu Watanabe – Her birthday is 19th October.
42. Yuki Arai – 42 is Arai’s number from her junior high school exam.
329. Uta Takami – Her birthday is 29th March.
700. Raku – References the N700 Series Shinkansen train.

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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” Results

March 31, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”, 31/03/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
2,349 Fans

1. Haru Kazashiro, Runa Okubo & Uta Takami defeated Shino Suzuki, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer when Kazashiro pinned Nanase with a Fisherman Suplex (7:43).
2. Nao Kakuta & Ami Yumoto defeated Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI when Kakuta pinned HIMAWARI with the Shiden Kai (8:52).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Andreza Giant Panda & Kaya Toribami (w/ Haruna Neko) when Raku pinned Toribami with the Doctor Yellow (8:38).
4. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano defeated Wakana Uehara & Toga when Miyamoto pinned Toga with the Korokan (11:11).
5. Masha Slamovich defeated Rika Tatsumi with the White Knight Driver (10:35).
6. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler defeated Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao when Kong pinned Misao with the Diving Back Elbow Drop (12:39).
7. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Maki Itoh by Referee Stoppage with the Sleeper Hold (18:01).
8. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Emi Sakura & Chris Brookes when Mizuki pinned Sakura with the Aquamarine (15:43).
9. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Finally (11:28).
*V2 for Yuki Arai.
10. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) when Suzume pinned Aino with the Ring A Bell (15:57).
*Yukiniki fails in V1. Daisy Monkey become the 16th Princess Tag Team Champions!
11. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with the Tear Drop (20:07).
*Miyu Yamashita fails in V4. Miu Watanabe becomes the 14th Princess Of Princess Champion!

Has the dawn of a new era finally begun up for Tokyo Joshi Pro? The big story coming out of “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” is the young generation of wrestlers surpassing the veterans in each of the three title matches. None was more newsworthy than the main event where Miu Watanabe defeated Miyu Yamashita for the second time in her career to become the new Princess Of Princess Champion! It was as loud of a declaration as she could make in a Sumo Hall main event, kicking out of the pin after taking the Skull Kick (first time that ever happened in TJPW) and pinning Yamashita clean with the Tear Drop. This title win also makes Watanabe the second ever Grand Slam champion in TJPW!

Watanabe was overcome with emotion after the match. She thanked everyone for their support and talked about how much she loves TJPW. The company is entering its 11th year of existence and from now on everyone in TJPW are going to have plenty of big dreams that she wants to see come true. She will do her best to make those dreams come true and hopes everyone will love TJPW forever! The show ended with the entire roster gathered together on the entrance stage and bowing to the audience in thanks for their support. All of the new champions then remained for a group photo together.

Backstage Watanabe told reporters she’s been with TJPW for 6 or 7 years and came into the company not knowing anything about pro wrestling. It was the kindness and love she found within TJPW that made her fall in love with the promotion. It is an important place for her which makes today’s championship win even more meaningful. She looks forward to being here for another 10, 20 and even 30 years so she can expand her dreams! In regards to Yamashita, Watanabe believes she has now caught up with her but it only takes a second for Yamashita to sprint back ahead with incredible speed. It will be the same for the rest of Yamashita’s generation so Watanabe wants to be a champion who can take them all on. Yamashita admitted it was frustrating to lose but she is happy to see Watanabe become the champion. It gives her another reason to keep getting stronger. If Yamashita is currently at her limit then she will now focus on exceeding it.

The other title change of the day was in the semi-main event. Daisy Monkey have now won the Princess Tag Team Titles that’s been out of their reach for so long! Yukiniki put up a good fight and had the plan to isolate Suzume late in the match. Yuki Aino gave her a Side Suplex and Ryo Mizunami followed with the Uranage for a nearfall. Suzume blocked the UBV attempt long enough for Arisu Endo to come back in and even the odds. Together Daisy Monkey used a double team Facebuster on Aino and Suzume finished her off with the Ring A Bell for the title switch.

Daisy Monkey were so happy to win they didn’t even know what to do with the title belts or the streamers that were thrown for them. Suzume said she knew there were always people who supported her and with Endo by her side they were able to fight at their most passionate and win. Endo cried because what makes Suzume happy makes her happy too. So many of the senpais that they admire have held the tag titles and now Daisy Monkey’s name is deservedly added to that lineage. Suzume said their team was missing a pink colour and Yukiniki gave it to them today. So from now on they want to defend the belts against a variety of challengers who will offer them something new. They will absorb all the different colours from them to become more colorful than the rainbow! Aino is upset to lose but feels she has moved to the next level thanks to Mizunami. She is ready to take on new challenges and fight for more championships. Mizunami explained wrestling is a dream-filled profession and seeing Aino become so motivated after losing makes her think she is ready to take her own next step too.

The International Princess Title match ended up having a big connection to Saki Akai thanks to both participants. Yuki Arai used to team with Akai as Reiwa AA Cannon until Akai retired from wrestling. Yuki Kamifuku wrestled the match wearing the costume top Akai gave to her the last time they were in the ring together. She also wanted to steal the spotlight knowing that a lot of SKE48 fans were in the audience today. However Arai went kick for kick against her, dodged the Famouser and beat Kamifuku with the Finally. Arai remembers the last time she wrestled in Sumo Hall two years ago she challenged for the IP Title and lost. Today she successfully defended the same title in the same venue, giving herself even more confidence. It makes her excited to see what she can do in another two years time. Kamifuku admitted her opinions on SKE48 changed today. She wanted to outshine them but when she watched their mini-concert during the show she realised they were too cute and she knew all of their songs. Now Arai is somebody she wants to go out for drinks with someday! Until that happens Kamifuku is considering going on another trip somewhere in Asia to brush up on her beauty tips.

The Magical Sugar Rabbits came back ready to fly all over Sumo Hall against the unusual team of TeaDK. That pair went off to an awkward start when Emi Sakura had to order Chris Brookes into helping her with double team moves that just didn’t work well because of their size difference. MagiRabi took advantage with big dive moves including a double dive that came off one of the aisleway entrances! Yuka Sakazaki also showed her strength by giving Brookes the Magical Merry-Go-Round as well as the Tea Time. TeaDK had more moments of bad teamwork but still overpowered Mizuki with their attacks. Mizuki wiped out Brookes with the Whirling Candy before facing off with Sakura once again. They had a back and forth exchange that ended with Mizuki pinning Sakura with the Aquamarine!

Backstage Sakazaki said the match hurt a lot but still felt so right. It was her first match since graduating from TJPW and she admitted her future turned out differently than what she imagined. She is feeling refreshed and excited because she hasn’t done anything in the last four months. It is still her plan to go to America this year but right now her schedule is undecided. Mizuki was happy to beat Sakura the way she did but admits it doesn’t feel like she won at all. Sakura is always ahead of her and Mizuki fears she can never catch up. Elsewhere TeaDK were at odds over why they lost. Sakura blamed Brookes while he tried to tell her she is not royalty. She wouldn’t listen and Brookes was left thinking he is better off going back to CDK.

Maki Itoh knew she was in for an impossible fight against Minoru Suzuki but she still gave it her best shot. She tried to get on his good side by acting cute and polite but they just made Suzuki ask what’s so cute about her? Suzuki grabbed Itoh by the hair, making her cry. He complained to Yukinori Matsui but took it too far and made him cry too. In Itoh’s case it was just a trap to get the jump on Suzuki. That didn’t work out because Suzuki hit her with a chair outside the ring. Itoh kept trying to fight back both in the fight as well as the war of words. She countered the Gotch-Style Piledriver into a Cradle for a few nearfalls until Suzuki caught her in the Sleeper Hold. Itoh fainted from the move and the match had to be stopped. When Itoh regained consciousness she refused to shake his hand, opting to give him the middle finger instead. Suzuki grabbed Itoh by the middle finger and dragged her backstage all the way to the interview desk. Itoh stuck up her other middle finger and Suzuki grabbed that too. He held on until Itoh apologised. Suzuki patted her on the head and left, promising he will be back. Itoh told the reporters it was fun to wrestle Suzuki. Next time she would like to team with him again.

With the new and improved Hypami Dramatic Dream combat bike fully completed, Kyoraku Kyomei were ready to take on the incoming rampage of Aja Kong & Max The Impaler. They had other tricks up their sleeve like Hyper Misao blinding Kong with a her spray so Kong would miss the Diving Elbow Drop. The match didn’t take long to move out of the ring. Misao tried to run over Kong with the Hypami DD but she dodged out of the way. However Shoko Nakajima caught Kong and kept her in place long enough for Misao to turn the bike around and crash it into her! Back in the ring Max came to Kong’s rescue and soon the two monsters were armed with steel cans. After beating up Kyoraku Kyomei with the cans, Kong & Max decided to give them Piledrivers together. Kong then copied Misao’s “I Am A Hero” catchphrase and hit the Diving Elbow Drop for the three count. Kong called it a forgone conclusion. The Princess Tag Team Champions should consider themselves lucky that Kong & Max aren’t the next challengers. As soon as Kong said that she began to wonder out loud what would happen if they did become the champions…

The reigning JCW Champion came to Sumo Hall and put down one of TJPW’s main stars. Masha Slamovich survived being strangled by Rika Tatsumi and also caught her Hip Attack. Tatsumi was left stunned with a Spin Kick to the head and was done for when Slamovich gave her the White Knight Driver. Slamovich said winning a match in Sumo Hall felt special and she is ready to fight more TJPW wrestlers in Philadelphia next week. Tatsumi hopes she will come back so they can have a rematch. If she doesn’t then Tatsumi will just go searching after her.

The new ring costumes worn by Wakana Uehara & Toga were not enough for them to beat Shinken Kusho. Instead it was the teamwork of Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano that made the difference. Nagano took care of Uehara allowing Miyamoto to beat Toga with the Korokan. With only a short time remaining until Nagano’s graduation, Shinken Kusho were happy to win in the same building where Nagano debuted and started teaming with Miyamoto two years ago.

It turns out that Raku’s lullaby is super effective against giant pandas. She was able to send Andreza Giant Panda to dreamland, thanks to some help from Pom Harajuku placing a pillow beneath his head. Andreza woke up when they tried to pin him with the Oyasumi Express. When Andreza became too powerful to fight directly, RakuPom turned their attention to Kaya Toribami. Andreza ended up Headbutting Toribami by accident, giving Raku the opening to give her the Doctor Yellow and win. Andreza took the result in his stride though and was happy he got along with both Toribami and Haruna Neko. He wants to make even more animal friends so they can all be part of an Animal Paradise. He also warned TJPW that some of the stuff that happened to him in the ring today counts as animal abuse and he will be calling the animal welfare centre later.

It was a successful debut match for Ami Yumoto. She started off the match against HIMAWARI and held her own. Things got difficult when HIMAWARI tagged in Mahiro Kiryu but Nao Kakuta was there to save the day. Yumoto did a dive onto Kiryu out of the ring while Kakuta beat HIMAWARI with the Shiden Kai. Yumoto wished she could have done more in training to be better prepared. She hopes this match will be a good opportunity to set up another one in the future. She said she has always been a tomboy since she was a kid and would like to do more high flying moves next time. Kakuta would like to team with her again but her advice to Yumoto is to prioritise her health and career.

The JK Trio of Haru Kazashiro, Runa Okubo & Uta Takami won in the opening contest. Does this make them the youngest pro wrestling team to ever win a match in Sumo Hall? The match went back and forth until the teenagers hit a Triple Dropkick to Shino Suzuki, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer. Kazashiro then used a Fisherman Suplex to pin Nanase.

Five members of SKE48 including Yuki Arai held a mini-concert after the third match. For one member Marika Tani it turned out to be her final live performance because today is her graduation from the idol unit. One thing she noticed is at SKE48 concerts the fans chant “Yuki-chan” for Yuki Arai but at wrestling shows the fans chant “Arai” for her instead.

Did April Fool’s come a day early? There was an announcement at the beginning of the show of a collaboration between TJPW and mecha franchise Armored Trooper Votoms. As part of the collaboration famed mecha designer Kunio Okawara created illustrations of existing Votoms robots with colour schemes and accessories related to TJPW wrestlers. The first revealed designs are Berserga Pink Striker based on Miyu Yamashita and Cat Shoulder based on Haruna Neko.

It was announced that “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24” will be held at Korakuen Hall on 20th July. Normally that show would be held somewhere like Ota Ward Gymnasium. However that building won’t be available for a while because it is being renovated for the rest of the year.

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Posted by JamieOD

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” Preview

March 29, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”, 31/03/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Shino Suzuki, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer Vs Haru Kazashiro, Runa Okubo & Uta Takami
2. Nao Kakuta & Ami Yumoto Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI
3. Andreza Giant Panda & Kaya Toribami (w/ Haruna Neko) Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
5. Rika Tatsumi Vs Masha Slamovich
6. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
7. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Maki Itoh
8. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura & Chris Brookes
9. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
10. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
11. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

The third annual “GRAND PRINCESS” supershow is taking place this Sunday. It is where Tokyo Joshi Pro will return to Sumo Hall after last year’s attempt at running Ariake Coliseum. The promotion’s three championships are all represented in the late side of the card but you will find some of the matches making the most headlines are right there underneath them. We have new faces that weren’t here a year ago, a few women who will soon be saying goodbye to wrestling, somebody who already said goodbye not that long ago but came back anyway and a few guests coming over to check things out as well. The three title matches will also end up answering a question that always follows TJPW’s biggest shows. Are they finally going to push the next generation? Let’s look through the matches one by one and see what’s on offer.

1. Shino Suzuki, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer Vs Haru Kazashiro, Runa Okubo & Uta Takami

It is up to the six lowest wrestlers on the tier list to open up the show. Three of the wrestlers only have a year of experience each. The other three have only debuted in the last month and only have around five matches under their belt! Shino Suzuki was the first of the six to make her debut and has been making strides in the ring lately. “She Know” might know how to lead her rookie partners Chika Nanase & Kira Summer to victory. Nanase has a pretty strong Shoulder Block she uses as her first move to build matches around. Summer was already no stranger to wrestling before she joined TJPW because her siblings back in Australia are wrestlers too. Facing them are the three youngest wrestlers on the roster. Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo debuted together at last year’s “GRAND PRINCESS” show. As the year progressed Kazashiro ended up getting more matches because Okubo needed to improve her school work. Kazashiro only just recently won her first singles match too by beating Suzuki. The newcomer on their side is Uta Takami, the newest member of The Up Up Girls. The best way I’ve seen her described so far is she has “bratty little sister energy”. So if you’re the kind of fan who gets drawn in by Mei Suruga’s personality then Takami is going to grab your attention. In terms of wondering which side has the advantage, it might actually go to the team of teenagers because they have more ring time combined than the adults!

2. Nao Kakuta & Ami Yumoto Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI

A match that was about a new beginning for someone when it was announced and has since added the story of the end approaching for someone else. Let’s start with the new beginning. Ami Yumoto is a former idol who was a member of the famous AKB48 troupe. She was part of group from 2013 until her graduation last year. You may have seen her before in that viral clip of the most highly produced Rock Paper Scissors tournament anyone outside of Japan has ever seen. In that time Yumoto participated in the Tofu Pro Wrestling series under the gimmick name Komanechi Yumoto so she has some familiarity with wrestling already. Since leaving AKB48 Yumoto became a stage actress and worked on a play with Nao Kakuta. The two of them became friends and Kakuta encouraged Yumoto to come see TJPW for herself. The reason is when Kakuta discovered TJPW she fell in love with the place and she thinks Yumoto will do the same. The two will be teaming together for the idol’s debut match. It may be a one off but if Kakuta’s plan is correct, Yumoto might end up sticking around afterwards.

That brings us to the point I made about the end approaching. Two weeks after Yumoto’s debut was announced, Kakuta dropped the news she will be graduating from TJPW and retiring from pro wrestling in July. It sounds like she’s ready to move on from being a performer in general because she said her next career step is going to be something that will not put her in front of an audience again. It’s a shame to see her leaving soon because I was hopeful there would be a chance for her to move up a spot this year. The success she finally earned last year got wiped out due to matters outside of her power. However given how roster advancement goes in this company that same success was probably the most she was going to get and she realised that herself. No shame in calling it a career when you’ve done everything you can do and know there is nothing else possible within your means.

Those stories above mean the match will be all about those two and not their opponents. Mahiro Kiryu got her day in the sun last year when she unexpectedly became the main character of the highly praised “HYPE!” show. HIMAWARI has fitted into the TJPW undercard so perfectly you’d think she was part of the company for years already. Either of them could very likely pick up the win just by targeting Yumoto but it is also a believable result if Kakuta just clears house and wins in her final Sumo Hall appearance instead without Yumoto having to do much for the finish.

3. Andreza Giant Panda & Kaya Toribami (w/ Haruna Neko) Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku

If last year’s match was “Andreza Minus-One” then you can call this year’s match “Andreza x Kaya”. Last year Andreza Giant Panda teamed with Haruna Neko but it’s a little different this time around. The catgirl has been out of action with an injury for a long while now. She will still be at the panda’s side but won’t be able to wrestle in the match itself. That’s not a problem because you can just swap out the cat for a bird. Kaya Toribami will be Andreza’s partner here in what could be the second ever recorded interaction between a panda and a cassowary (TikTok beat them to the punch because of course TikTok would).

TJPW’s resident kaiju and superhero are busy dealing with a more demanding challenge later in the show so who gets the responsibility of containing Andreza within Ryogoku this time? It’s RakuPom that has to deal with it now. Raku makes sense the more I think of it because trains have been used to take down giant monsters before and the power of sleep can turn Andreza into a Snorlax. Pom Harajuku’s chances will depend on what happens when you kick a large inflatable thing over and over. Maybe she can kick Andreza at the right angle and cause it to burst from the shins. If none of that works Raku & Harajuku can always use the power of friendship to prevail. Or just focus on beating Toribami, that would be a lot easier.

4. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga

Another match where one of the participants will be wrestling in Sumo Hall for the final time. Juria Nagano has her finger in a lot of pies and sadly it’s reached the point where she no longer has the focus and energy to continue her pro wrestling career. This match is happening two weeks before her final bout and graduation from TJPW takes place. She said she wants to keep fighting as hard as she can until she burns out. That hard work paid off when she finally won her first singles match in February. She won’t have any championships or tournament wins under her name when she graduates but to her it was still all worth it. Teaming with Nagano is Moka Miyamoto, one of the current gen wrestlers who’s been climbing up the card and finding more opportunities along the way. As long as she keeps going the way she’s going now, I can see her getting eventually rewarded with some success in the future. It’s sad to see Shinken Kusho become such a short lived tag team because two karate girls working together like that was fun to watch.

Their opponents are two wrestlers who debuted TJPW almost a year after Nagano did and I’d say just about count as the next generation after her. Wakana Uehara has become noticeably more popular over 2023. She won the Next Generation Tournament to become the top prospect in her class, her social media numbers are going up and she has that one fan that constantly shouts “WAKANAAAAAA!” during her matches. Everything’s going up for the girl with the big appetite. Toga is getting more comfortable with herself in the ring and starting to show she has more to offer than just throwing a big Elbow Strike. Her finisher is one of the weirdest ways I’ve ever seen anyone do the Rock Bottom but it still looks like it hurts when she drives her opponent onto the mat.

5. Rika Tatsumi Vs Masha Slamovich

The antics of a certain “White Dragon” has been gradually getting more unhinged as time goes by. It’s one thing for Rika Tatsumi to always choke people during a wrestling match but when she’s scary enough to make Demonio Uno or Demonio Dos nervous then it’s probably time to put her in check. If only there was somebody out there with the pain tolerance to handle Tatsumi at her worst as well as being powerful enough to challenge Tatsumi at her best. Oh! Good to see you again Masha Slamovich, boy does TJPW have an opponent for you! Earlier this year Slamovich had a great performance in the main event of the annual 4th January show in Korakuen Hall. Meanwhile she is racking up Tatsumi has spent most of 2024 wrestling in the tag team division as part of Daydream. This is a good matchup for both women and I can see the result setting up a No. 1 Contender for either of the singles championships in the aftermath.

6. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao

Damn it, I should have saved the Godzilla x Kong joke for this match. Kyoraku Kyomei did such a great job handling a giant kaiju at last year’s “GRAND PRINCESS”. So much so they are now being counted on to fight the two meanest monsters TJPW can find! In a throwback to the days of Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody teaming up as the Miracle Power Combination, TJPW have decided to put Aja Kong & Max The Impaler together on the same side. The previous times the two of them have been in the ring were as opponents. The wrestlers they teamed with were more concerned about protecting the venue from getting ripped apart than they were with winning the match. What hope does Sumo Hall have now that Kong & Max are going to team together? That’s when you call on the services of Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao to save the day.

Kyoraku Kyomei are well aware of the younger wrestlers in TJPW doing their best to catch up with the veteran generation. That kind of threat was what kept them motivated until this match was announced. Nakajima is looking forward to it because it is her chance to prove the Big Kaiju is also the strongest kaiju. Misao is not as enthusiastic. She only just recently built the second generation Hypami Dramatic Dream bike thanks to a successful crowd funding campaign. The original was destroyed by Aja Kong so there is no way Misao will let her or Max lay even a finger on the new one. Misao also warns the new bike has a secret weapon that was specially built in to deal with those two monsters. Maybe even three if Nakajima accidentally gets in the way.

7. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Maki Itoh

The cutest in the world is going to fight the meanest king of pro wrestling! A recurring story for a long time now is Maki Itoh becoming more and more disconnected from the rest of TJPW. She wrestles in America for GCW more often and whenever she does come back to Japan her matches in TJPW are in the middle of the card and she feels aimless despite still winning matches. Her wrestling career is still going great, it’s just that more and more of her highlights are happening away from TJPW. The big one that happened recently was Itoh winning the GCW Extreme Title. She’ll have the title belt with her coming down to the ring on the night but her match will have nothing to do with it. It is about something even more important.

In February Itoh went to the Piledriver clothing shop in Harajuku in search of its Minoru Suzuki. When she found him she pitched an idea for the two of them to team up at Sumo Hall. They have teamed up once before in DDT and Itoh thinks the cutest wrestler in the world teaming with the meanest person on the planet would draw fans to the show. Suzuki flipped the idea on its head and told Itoh it would be even more buzzworthy if the two of them fought each other in a singles match! Itoh was left speechless by the suggestion but pulled up the courage not just to accept the match but promise she will end Suzuki’s career too! Suzuki saw the funny side of the threat and isn’t intimidated. Itoh’s wrestling career is only the size of Suzuki’s little finger in comparison to his own legendary career.

In the leadup to the match Itoh had time to think over it. She wanted to send a message to Suzuki that she has no fear so she choked out Shino Suzuki with a Sleeper Hold backstage during a show. Then she went to Twitter and posted a long message about her wrestling life from the start up until now. She is now the best she has ever been but misses the desperation her younger self had back when she started out. She needs to feel true despair again and can only find it by fighting someone who can bring it out of her. The match against Suzuki is going to be exactly that. She knows he is going to beat her to a pulp but she cannot wait to feel that desperate energy again in order to take herself to the next level. For Suzuki this will just be another match. For Itoh it is going to be the only match in the world that matters.

8. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura & Chris Brookes

Okay tell me if I got this correct. Yuka Sakazaki graduated from TJPW in December, said her 2024 plans were to relocate to America and continue her wrestling career there. The graduation happened and since then Sakazaki hasn’t wrestled anywhere, might have stayed in Japan the entire time and her first match back in almost five months is going to be in… Tokyo Joshi Pro. I’m just as confused about this as you might be. Was she prevented from re-entering America to protect all the mascots at Disney World or something? In reality it’s either just a visa situation that is delaying her plans or she isn’t travelling overseas unless she has something ready to do.

Sakazaki coming back to TJPW is good news for Mizuki. Nobody is happier to be in the ring with her again than the other half of The Magical Sugar Rabbits. When Sakazaki’s return was first announced, Mizuki was nervous there would not be a reunion because the match wasn’t revealed at the time. Imagine the relief she must have felt when she found out followed by the surprise over who they are fighting against. MagiRabi are taking on a queen they both had battles with in the past along with a very tall new opponent for them.

Here’s the funny thing. Emi Sakura and Chris Brookes will both be wrestling in TJPW for the first time ever yet their appearances are not as random as they sound. Sakura was a mentor figure for Mizuki in the early parts of her career and they’ve been in plenty of matches together. She also fought Sakazaki a bunch in AEW on their Youtube shows. Brookes meanwhile is often at the announce desk doing English commentary for TJPW’s most important shows of the year. They are a suitable pairing to take on The Magical Sugar Rabbits. All they need now is a name. You can count on Sakura to come up with one because she is calling the team TeaDK!

9. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku

The eventual takeover by the idol is moving along at a slow pace as planned. Yuki Arai won her second championship in January when she defeated the seemingly unbeatable Max The Impaler for the International Princess Title. It is only a matter of time before she moves on to chase after the biggest prize but we’ll cross that bridge whenever we get to it. Let’s stick to the present where Arai is the IP Champ and already has one successful title defence in her reign. A glamourous girl like her needs a glamourous opponent for such a big show. Luckily there is someone right here who fits the description.

Yuki Kamifuku has shown a lot more determination to win recently. Last year in the Tokyo Princess Cup she became fed up with her own excuses about never taking tournaments seriously because the younger wrestlers were using it against her whenever she lost. She proved all of them wrong by reaching the final round. While she did not win the tournament, her run of success getting there was the spark needed to figure out what she wanted to do next. She began searching for ways she could make TJPW more exciting. One of them was wrestling around Southeast Asia and winning the Queen Of Asia Title. Next on her list is challenging Arai for the IP Title because it is a match that can attract fans from their hometowns (Nagoya for Arai and Fujisawa for Kamifuku). She also thinks two beautiful women fighting over a championship sounds like an exciting way to draw in a crowd.

10. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo

There have been many great super subs in sport throughout the years. Ole Gunnar Solskjear for Manchester United, Manu Ginobili for the San Antonio Spurs, Tadashi Yamaguchi for Karasuno High School and perhaps the most greatest of them all… Ryo Mizunami for Tokyo Joshi Pro! Whenever TJPW was in need of a last minute replacement, Aniki was there to step up for them. That kind of reliability was rewarded with a Princess Tag Team Titles run with Yuki Aino as her partner. It’s been a successful pairing that is taking them all the way to an important championship match at Sumo Hall.

The championship win was also a big boost for Aino. Tag Team wrestling has always been where her better performances come from but she keeps trying to break out into singles wrestling. This new team she formed with Mizunami was built upon their individual strengths rather than their teamwork so in a way it is kind of giving Aino the best of both worlds. The vacant titles went to Yukiniki when they won a 3 Way Match at the expense of Daisy Monkey. And wouldn’t you know it, Daisy Monkey are back looking to take those titles as revenge!

That 3 Way Match in January put Daisy Monkey in a disadvantage from the get-go. The original match was Suzume & Arisu Endo challenging the champions Free WiFi. That plan was thrown out the window because of Hikari Noa suddenly going on hiatus, causing WiFi to be stripped of the belts. While that match ended up being a big setback for Daisy Monkey, they were ready to start climbing from the bottom once again. In February they fought tooth and nail to win the annual Max Heart Tournament and become recognised as TJPW’s strongest tag team. They immediately called their shot and challenged Yukiniki for the titles. It is the one thing Suzume & Endo want more than anything else because becoming the champions will put them on the same level as all of the tag teams from TJPW’s history that they admire.

11. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

Memories of the 2022 Tokyo Princess Cup remain fresh in my mind. That was the year Miu Watanabe scored the upset semi-final win against Miyu Yamashita that planted the seeds to this weekend’s main event. The story today is similar to what it was back then. Watanabe believes she is ready to beat the veteran generation and surpass them to become the best wrestler in TJPW. The person who stands in her way though is the ace who has been on top of the company since day one. It’s Yamashita. It is always Yamashita. Watanabe got a reminder of that when she was pinned with the Skull Kick for the finish of the 10th Anniversary main event last December.

Yamashita’s 4th Princess Of Princess Title reign has so far been built around defences against foreign wrestlers. Regina, Delmi Exo (happened in MLW) and Masha Slamovich have all failed to dethrone her. She is also going on another tour of America this year that will last from April to June. If Yamashita wins at Sumo Hall she intends to bring the belt with her for more title defences overseas. It’s a situation all too familiar for TJPW fans. Yamashita has done it all on top and has become an even bigger fish in the small pond.

Watanabe’s talents make her the natural choice for a brand new champion yet TJPW always relies on the original generation to carry the top belt. The Princess Title lineage has been running through the same cycle of Yamashita, Sakazaki, Nakajima, Tatsumi and Mizuki since 2018. While it might be prestigious to book a championship lineage around an exclusive club, TJPW is long past the point of giving the ball to somebody new so they can run with it. The concern is they might miss the window and wait too long to crown the next ace. Do we really need another wrestling company that delays their coronation of a new star for a year again?

Tetsuya Koda’s management philosophy follows that of the idol industry. Over there the senior generation of idols graduate and open up new spots for the junior idols to take their place. That is how the business evolves. TJPW’s roster progression feels similar but moves at a much more glacial pace, perhaps surprisingly so. Not to jynx anything but it always amazes me the amount of wrestlers TJPW produced in its history that have stuck around for the long haul. Does it take losing main eventers like Sakazaki for the younger wrestlers to finally move up the ladder? Does that mean there is a permanent bottleneck on top for as long as Yamashita remains in TJPW competing at the level she always does? If she ever does leave would TJPW just resort to relying on the remaining former Princess Champions to carry the title scene again? Those are the questions on my mind if Yamashita beats Watanabe this Sunday. If Watanabe wins and becomes the champion instead then buckle up because TJPW will be stepping into fresh territory for the first time in a long time.

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Posted by JamieOD

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING” Results

March 10, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 10/03/2024
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
206 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Toga defeated Chika Nanase with the Rock Bottom (4:18).
2. Yuki Aino defeated Kira Summer with the Full Nelson Of Love And Flame (5:15).
3. Mizuki defeated Uta Takami with the Face Lock (6:00).
4. Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI defeated Nao Kakuta & Haru Kazashiro when HIMAWARI submitted Kazashiro with the Half Crab Hold (11:07).
5. Irregular Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Raku, Pom Harajuku & Shino Suzuki when Watanabe pinned Suzuki with the Tear Drop (14:57).
6. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Wakana Uehara with the Famouser (9:05).
7. Shoko Nakajima, Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Miyu Yamashita, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami when Suzume pinned Toribami with the Ring A Bell (17:09).

Daisy Monkey are feeling good after teaming with Shoko Nakajima to win today’s main event. Nakajima hit Miyu Yamashita with a Topé Suicida, Arisu Endo took out Moka Miyamoto with the Tsuruga Castle and Suzume pinned Kaya Toribami with the Ring A Bell. Nakajima joked that Daisy Monkey acts like a pair of cute juniors but she knows how strong they have both become. It’s enough to make her feel jealous of them. However she now has to put her focus on beating Aja Kong & Max The Impaler in Sumo Hall at the end of the month.

At the last minute Hyper Misao pulled out of the show because of lower back pain problems. Her removal turned Match #5 into a 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match with Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Shino Suzuki taking on Raku & Pom Harajuku. But before it began Harajuku complained about the other team having an unfair advantage because they had a much higher amount of ability combined compared to herself and Raku. Tatsumi agreed and literally threw Suzuki over to their side of the ring so the match turned into Daydream against Raku, Harajuku & Suzuki. It briefly became a 3 Vs 1 fight when they fought out of the ring and Tatsumi was locked outside of the room. Tatsumi found a way to break back into the room by moving two of the sliding walls apart. She then took care of Raku & Harajuku so Watanabe could beat Suzuki by herself.

The three new rookies were all given a singles match challenge for the early half of the show. Uta Takami, Kira Summer and Chika Nanase all lost but the matches were put together to help get them prepared for the “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” opening bout.

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