A Tokyo Joshi Pro press conference was held in Shibuya today for the 9th annual Tokyo Princess Cup. All 20 participants were in attendance to take part in a lottery that filled out the bracket. Each of them then commented on their matches afterward.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 16/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Shoko Nakajima Vs Haruna Neko
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyper Misao
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1E: Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Arai
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1G: Pom Harajuku Vs Moka Miyamoto
Shoko Nakajima enters the tournament as one of the strongest favorites. She currently holds the Princess Of Princess Title and has a great history with this tournament, winning it once and reaching the final 5 times. However she thinks this year’s field is completely unpredictable so she is going to fight carefully in every match. She is a similar size to her opponent Haruna Neko and for that reason wants Neko to follow her lead. Neko is a bit scared to face Nakajima in the 1st Round but take the match seriously and give it her all to win.
While Nakajima has great luck in the Princess Cup, it’s the complete opposite for Miyu Yamashita. The ace of TJPW has never won the Princess Cup, has never reached the final and in some years was eliminated in the 1st Round. In fact the woman who knocked her out from Round 1 in 2016 is Hyper Misao and they meet again in the same place! Yamashita has since gotten her own back by eliminating Misao from the 2020 tournament but she cannot hide her displeasure over getting an unlucky draw. Misao even drew lucky No. 7 to get matched with her! That now gives her the confidence to beat Yamashita with a perfect performance score of 100%.
Yuki Arai wants to make up for getting eliminated in the 1st Round last year. She is riding high from winning the Princess Tag Team Titles this past weekend. Mahiro Kiryu notices that and thinks it is a good thing for herself. She has a chance to beat somebody really popular and raise her own stock!
Both Pom Harajuku and Moka Miyamoto are happy to be matched against each other. Harajuku is feeling good and will put that kind of energy into her match. Miyamoto is motivated to win because she wants to surpass her seniors.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 17/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1D: Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Aino
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1F: Kaya Toribami Vs Yuka Sakazaki
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1H: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Rika Tatsumi
Arisu Endo and Miu Watanabe are also having opposite thoughts over their luck in the draw. Endo doesn’t feel lucky to fight Watanabe but promises to do her best. Watanabe however praises Endo for the growth she showed at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”. It makes Watanabe cautious not to lose her own focus when they face off.
Last year Nao Kakuta fought Yuki Aino to a 7 minute draw. It is a result that Aino does not want to repeat because she is full of energy right now. She is also looking ahead because the winner of this will face either a monster like Yamashita, a scary person like Misao or the third option even scarier than her! Kakuta isn’t worried about that. She said she is determined to win no matter who her opponent is.
Yuka Sakazaki sees a lot of potential in Kaya Toribami and is looking forward to playing with her. Toribami knows she is in for a tough fight. Even if she can’t win she wants to have a good match to keep her spirits up.
After this weekend there is nothing for Rika Tatsumi to be afraid of anymore. Even though she lost the Princess Title match she thinks she made a super amount of progress coming out of it. It won’t be easy but she will spend the summer aiming to win the Princess Cup so she can get another Princess Title shot. Yuki Kamifuku hates competing in tournaments. But she is about to reach the 5th anniversary of her debut match this August and she wants to do her best for that reason.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 18/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2B: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Raku
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Hikari Noa
The winner of Yamashita Vs Misao faces Raku in Round 2, the scariest one of all! Raku said no matter which of them she faces, she will confuse them to win. The match schedule for Round 2 is a little bit out of bracket order because Yamashita will be wrestling in America around the same time. TJPW made sure the 2nd Round match she can qualify for is not clashing with her travel schedule.
Hikari Noa takes on either Kiryu or Arai. Noa thinks every year is going to be her year to win the Princess Cup so she is getting impatient over not making it come true. Her motivation this time is the chance to face Sakazaki further down the bracket.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/07/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Winner Of Match 1B Vs Mizuki
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2D: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Suzume
Although Mizuki no longer has the Tag Titles, she still has plenty of dreams she wants to achieve as a singles wrestler. The two time Princess Cup winner is excited by the idea of facing Nakajima so soon in their block of the playoff.
Suzume has two very different potential opponents. She has never wrestled Harajuku one on one before and won’t be able to predict what Harajuku can do to her. She also recognises how strong Miyamoto is becoming and thinks she will be a scary opponent for her. However the thought of fighting and beating even stronger opponents like Kamifuku or Tatsumi in the next round after is something Suzume really wants to do.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 31/07/2022 Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 1B Vs Winner Of Match 2A
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 1D Vs Winner Of Match 2B
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 1F Vs Winner Of Match 2C
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 1H Vs Winner Of Match 2D
This will be the first time a Princess Cup show will be held in Otemachi Mitsui Hall.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 13/08/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: X Vs X
The bracket stops at the final four and a lottery will determine the semi-final match ups.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 14/08/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: X Vs X
Last year’s winner Maki Itoh will be in America during this time wrestling in GCW. That is why she is not entering the Princess Cup this year. Juria Nagano also could not enter the tournament because of a busy schedule.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,130 Fans
1. Moka Miyamoto defeated Juria Nagano with the Rashomon (4:58).
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Aino pinned Toribami with the Venus DDT (12:28).
3. Ryo Mizunami defeated Miu Watanabe with the Hot Limit (11:53).
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Shida pinned Kiryu with the Arawashi Driver (13:32).
5. Mei Suruga & Suzume defeated Riho & Arisu Endo when Suzume pinned Endo with the Ring A Bell (14:21).
6. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor defeated Maki Itoh (c) with the GTF (13:22). *Maki Itoh fails in V5. Alex Windsor becomes the 8th International Princess Champion!
7. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Thunder Rosa with a Cradle (13:39).
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai defeated Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) when Akai pinned Mizuki after the Double Rookie Awards (24:28). *The Magical Sugar Rabbits fail in V6. Reiwa AA Cannon become the 10th Princess Tag Team Champions!
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi with the Diving Senton (19:23). *V4 for Shoko Nakajima.
Not even a White Dragon going crazy can stop the Big Kaiju right now. In front of over a thousand fans allowed to cheer, Shoko Nakajima defeated Rika Tatsumi to defend the Princess Of Princess Title. Tatsumi promised to be more determined than ever to win and proved it by doing the Missile Hip from the top rope to Nakajima outside the ring. However her attempt to lean back with the Dragon Sleeper for leverage backfired when Nakajima rolled out to free herself from the move. The champion turned the tables from there, used a Double Arm DDT and pinned Tatsumi with the Diving Senton. She called her opponent strong after the match and looks forward to meeting her down the road again. Nakajima then thanked the fans for their cheers because it gives the wrestlers more energy than we think. She praised the roster for being great and wants Tokyo Joshi Pro to grow even more. While Tatsumi is upset over losing, she feels strange because it hasn’t broken her heart. Instead it made her love pro wrestling again.
The supernova rise of Yuki Arai continues with the “genius girl” winning her first championship in TJPW! Her team with Saki Akai was the force that finally broke The Magical Sugar Rabbits and ended their Princess Tag Team Titles reign. At first Arai looked to be out of her depth against the champions but once she got to show off her teamwork with Akai it turned out they had MagiRabi well scouted. Together they blocked one of the Toy Story double team attacks and Arai threw Mizuki off the top rope with the Full Nelson Buster. Akai was also too tall for Yuka Sakazaki to give the Magical Merry-Go-Round to. Mizuki tried to intervene until she was struck in the back of the head with Arai’s Finally kick. Arai went for the move a second time and Sakazaki took the bullet after pushing Mizuki out of harm’s way. Reiwa AA Cannon then took inspiration from the one achievement they both share by performing a Double Rookie Award to Mizuki. Akai then pinned Mizuki for the title change while Arai held Sakazaki back.
Akai admits that they wouldn’t have been able to beat MagiRabi 99 times out of 100. It was Arai’s luck that made today the 1 time they were going to win. Akai thought she was going to be leading the team but her tag partner supported her more than she realised. Now they have the Princess Tag Titles there will be many teams chasing after them. Akai tells Arai this is the hard part because they now have to run further ahead of everyone else. Arai said she feels the weight of carrying the title belt because she is also carrying the history of the previous champions. She wants to be somebody who won’t be ashamed of holding this title. She also can’t wait to show the belt to all the fans of SKE48.
In the days leading up to the show, Thunder Rosa sent a message to TJPW saying if Miyu Yamashita could beat her today then she will give her a AEW Women’s Title shot back in America. The new stakes added more to Rosa’s anticipated return to TJPW for the first time in two and a half years. Yamashita hit the Skull Kick but she couldn’t get the three count with a rope break. She then went for the Attitude Adjustment but Rosa countered it into a Cradle. Yamashita suddenly reversed the Cradle and got a three count out of nowhere to win the match! Rosa said she now knows what to do because she isn’t going to let the AEW Women’s Title be taken away from her like the International Princess Title was. Whenever Yamashita is back in America, she knows where to find Rosa to get her title match. Yamashita said having the home field advantage was why she won today. She would like to have the rematch against Rosa in America but wants to fight that match for herself, not as a representative for TJPW.
England’s Alex Windsor had some bad luck travelling to Japan because she lost her gear and luggage on the way over. However she must be all smiles after today because she beat Maki Itoh to become the new International Princess Champion! Itoh fought big by using an Avalanche DDT but missed the Flying Big Head. Windsor fought back with her own big moves by using a Liger Bomb and another Power Bomb as a counter. She then put Itoh away with a Modified Fisherman Buster called the GTF to win the title. Windsor says she is taking over the world and will take the IP Title where ever she wants to. Meanwhile a sad Itoh is left asking herself why is she always so weak? She has an overseas tour coming up in August so she knows she has to fight more different wrestlers from around the world. She is also upset she couldn’t live up to the expectations of the fans who could now cheer for her today.
The first match for MeiBee Surprise was a success for Mei Suruga & Suzume. They were paired against two opponents who are very close to them. Suruga and Riho have a lot of history together while Suzume regularly teams with Arisu Endo as Daisy Monkey. The match came down to Suzume against Endo. Suzume came out on top after hitting the Ring A Bell on her friend. Riho said she was excited to have the match because it was her first time wrestling in Japan for 9 months. Suzume described the match as a red string getting all tangled up because she has attachments to everyone involved. She also said she will continue fighting to surpass Suruga. You’d think Suruga would see that as a threat but she just laughed it off.
Previous opponents Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa were now teaming together on today’s show. Together they brushed off Toyo Mates even when they attempted to fight fire with fire. Mahiro Kiryu stopped Noa from using a chair but then tried using the same chair on Shida. That was blocked and Shida pinned her with the Arawashi Driver. Yuki Kamifuku gave encouragement to Kiryu afterwards, telling her life goes by fast and can be over in the blink of an eye. They can become strong people who can take a beating together. Noa said she had a lot of time to think about her previous match with Shida. She enjoyed today’s match more than anything and was happy to use weapons with Shida again. Shida thinks she made a good start in her quest to wreck havoc in TJPW with her appearances so far. She doesn’t know who she will face next but is looking forward to coming back here.
It doesn’t matter if her opponent was changed on short notice. Somebody was going to get a Giant Swing from Miu Watanabe! That somebody happened to be Ryo Mizunami. Watanabe had to work hard for it though because her veteran opponent put her through the wringer with Chops, slams and Lariats. Mizunami gained the upper hand with a Spear and never let go of the momentum, finishing off Watanabe with the Hot Limit. She praised Watanabe, saying she was blown away by her opponent’s power. It doesn’t matter if she is an idol with less experience in the ring, when Watanabe enters through those ropes she is a pro wrestler! Mizunami also appreciated the warm reception she got from the TJPW fans. Watanabe also gave credit to the fans for pushing her on. Even when she was hurt, the fans calling her name made her want to do her best. She achieved her goal to give Mizunami the Giant Swing. Her ultimate goal is to do that to Aja Kong!
Speaking of Kong, she was happy to be back in TJPW. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku in particular were surprised to see Kong give Raku a big hug during their entrance all together. Hyper Misao also welcomed Kong back and was nice to her. But that was because Misao wanted to swap teams and be on Kong’s side instead of being her opponent. Misao later sprayed Kong’s face but its effects didn’t last long. Kong wiped out Nao Kakuta & Haruna Neko with a Double Lariat, giving Aino the space to beat Kaya Toribami with the Venus DDT. Misao later said she would like to fight Kong again. Her tag partners are not as enthusiastic over the idea.
The opening match was special for Moka Miyamoto and Juria Nagano because it was the first time they got to experience wrestling in front of a cheering crowd. Nagano used a new combination of kicks but still went back to the Brazilian Kick late in the match. Miyamoto eventually got her in the Rashomon to earn the submission victory. She was glad to win because she knows she would lose to Nagano in a Karate bout. But this is pro wrestling and Miyamoto is more experienced than her here.
There will be a collaboration between TJPW and Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. Two of the characters in the game Akane Hino & Yuko Hori will receive costumes based on the ring gear Yuki Arai and Maki Itoh wore for their IP Title match from “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”. In return, Arai and Itoh will soon receive real life costumes based on Hino & Hori to wear for portraits and other related merchandise.
“GO GIRL 3” will be held at Korakuen Hall on 28th August. It is a show for only women in the audience and admission will be free. There will also be a brand new logo for Tokyo Joshi Pro unveiled at the show.
“The Non-Binary Nightmare” Max The Impaler will make their TJPW debut on the 13th & 14th August Korakuen Hall shows. If there is anything you need to know about Max it this. They hate idols!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~”, 25/06/2022 Kobe Art Center 258 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Hikari Noa defeated Mahiro Kiryu with the Blizzard Suplex (8:13).
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao defeated Haruna Neko and Kaya Toribami when Misao pinned Toribami with a Gedo Clutch (9:02).
3. Maki Itoh defeated Pom Harajuku with the Itoh Punish (8:58).
4. Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai defeated Yuka Sakazaki, Raku & Arisu Endo when Aino pinned Endo with the Venus DDT (12:04).
5. Mizuki & Nao Kakuta defeated Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto when Mizuki pinned Miyamoto with the Diving Foot Stomp (15:47).
6. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Shoko Nakajima & Suzume when Tatsumi submitted Suzume with the Dragon Sleeper (15:47).
Rika Tatsumi is becoming laser focused on her Princess Of Princess Title shot against Shoko Nakajima. After winning today’s main event, Tatsumi told Nakajima she wants to be seen as more than just a threat. Tatsumi wants Nakajima to only see her more and more until she is all Nakajima can think about. Then when they have the title match on 9th July, Tatsumi will take the title from her!
The first time trio of wrestlers all named Yuki had a great time teaming together. They played mind games with their opponents by only calling each other Yuki so nobody could tell which one they were talking about. Yuki Arai did not take today’s match for granted because she got some ring time with Yuka Sakazaki. She was praised by Yuki Aino for standing up against her and being on the winning team. After Yukichans won their match they had an argument over who the team captain is. They all agree it’s Yuki but can’t agree on which one! Yuki Kamifuku remembered Tokyo Joshi Pro once held a trios tournament and would like Yukichans to reunite for it if one ever happens again.
Hyper Misao is calling herself the master of the 3 Way Match. She explained the key to winning those matches is to form alliances so you have a 2 on 1 advantage. Her advice almost blew up in her face when Haruna Neko offered to team up with Kaya Toribami. However Neko immediately turned on Toribami to side with Misao. That alliance didn’t last long and the match returned to a 3 Way that Misao won.
The 9th annual Tokyo Princess Cup will consist of 20 wrestlers competing in 5 rounds across 7 shows. Last year’s winner Maki Itoh will not be entering the tournament because she has a booking with GCW in America on the same day as the final. Itoh’s priority with Tokyo Joshi Pro right now is to wrestle on behalf of the company overseas. Juria Nagano will also not be entering the tournament due to a busy schedule. Miyu Yamashita is entering the tournament while she has an American booking scheduled for 23rd July. For that reason the match schedule for Round 2 will not be decided until the brackets are filled up. That way if Yamashita has a Round 2 match it will not clash with her Garden State Pro booking. The semi-final pairings will be determined by a lottery.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 16/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: 1X Vs 1X
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: 1X Vs 1X
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1E: 1X Vs 1X
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1G: 1X Vs 1X
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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 17/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: 1X Vs 1X
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1D: 1X Vs 1X
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1F: 1X Vs 1X
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1H: 1X Vs 1X
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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 18/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: 1X Vs 2X
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: 1X Vs 2X
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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/07/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: 1X Vs 2X
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: 1X Vs 2X
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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 31/07/2022 Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: X Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: X Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: X Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: X Vs Winner Of Match 1H
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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 13/08/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: X Vs X
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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 14/08/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ADDITIONAL ATTACK ’22”, 19/06/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 525 Fans
1. Kaya Toribami defeated Arisu Endo with a Cradle (7:38).
2. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Nao Kakuta & Haruna Neko when Kamifuku pinned Neko with the Famouser (10:11).
3. 3 Way Match: Yuki Aino defeated Raku and Pom Harajuku when Aino pinned Harajuku with the Venus DDT (7:11).
4. Miu Watanabe defeated Juria Nagano with the Candian Backbreaker (7:22).
5. Saki Akai & Yuki Arai defeated Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto when Arai pinned Miyamoto with the Finally (14:26).
6. Rika Tatsumi & Suzume defeated Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa when Tatsumi pinned Noa with the Missile Hip (12:59).
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) defeated Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao when Sakazaki pinned Misao with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (19:03). *V5 for the Magical Sugar Rabbits.
One week ago Shoko Nakajima successfully defended the Princess Of Princess Title against Yuka Sakazaki. Today Sakazaki evened the score by successfully defending the Princess Tag Team Titles with Mizuki against Nakajima & Hyper Misao. The challengers Kyoraku Kyomei pulled every trick they could think of to try and win the belts. They tried spraying foam at them, tried crashing bikes into them and even tried out-wrestling them. But The Magical Sugar Rabbits kept their cool and Sakazaki ended up pinning Misao with the Magical Merry-Go-Round.
Mizuki is pleased to reach her 5th defence in this reign. Even though the championships are remaining in the status quo, she thinks the value of the Tag Titles have increased which only makes her want to defend it more and more. Yuki Arai then entered the ring and threw out a challenge. She wants herself and Saki Akai to be the next opponents for MagiRabi! Arai has only been wrestling for a year but within that time she got to see so many cool things from Sakazaki, Mizuki & Akai up close. It drives her to become stronger and challenge for the titles.
Rika Tatsumi is building up her momentum for her Princess Title shot at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” next month. She & Suzume defeated Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa in the semi-main event. Tatsumi was able to cut off Noa with the Hip Attack, followed up with the Twist Of Fate and won with the Missile Hip. Noa & Itoh argued afterwards when Noa admitted to lying about wanting to team with Itoh. Tatsumi & Suzume however described their own teamwork as perfect. Today is the second time this month they teamed up and they are currently unbeaten together.
Reiwa AA Cannon can point to their win over Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto as their qualification to be the No. 1 Contenders for the Tag Titles. Akai hit Yamashita with the Quetzalcoatl to take her out of the running. Miyamoto still put up a fight on her own but Arai eventually got the better of her and struck the Finally to win. Akai had to leave the building shortly afterwards for another booking but gave Arai her blessing to to go ahead and challenge MagiRabi at the end of the show.
A big challenge lay ahead for Juria Nagano when she took on Miu Watanabe. She put up a good fight but the expected result happened when Watanabe lifted her up into the Canadian Backbreaker and held on until Nagano gave up. Watanabe later found out she is going to be Willow Nightingale’s debut opponent on 9th July. It will be Watanabe’s first ever singles match against a foreign wrestler. It makes her nervous but she will do her best to introduce herself to Nightingale with power and a smile.
The 3 Way Match turned into a bit of a love triangle with Yuki Aino and Pom Harajuku fighting over Raku’s affection. It was caused when Aino decided to join forces with Raku instead of Harajuku for the 2-on-1 advantage. Harajuku fought back by grabbing a homemade photobook of Raku pictures and using it to lure Aino away from the real Raku. Aino took control of the match until Harajuku came back trying to steal pins. Raku and Harajuku collided together and Aino dropped Harajuku with the Venus DDT for the win.
Toyo University Tag teamed up for the first time in a while to take on Nao Kakuta & Haruna Neko. It was a worthwhile reunion because they won with flying colours. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu landed a Big Boot/Spinebuster combo on Kakuta. Kamifuku then went on to pin Neko with the Famouser. Backstage Kamifuku talked about how exciting Tokyo Joshi Pro has been lately. She thinks it is time for her & Kiryu to update their tag team name. She told Kiryu to think of a new name on the spot. Kiryu came up with Toyo Mates because she wanted to keep Toyo in the name.
It took over a year but Kaya Toribami has finally won her first singles match! At first it looked like Arisu Endo had her beaten with a Camel Clutch. But when she readjusted the hold to pull Toribami away from the ropes, a series of Cradles began and ended with Toribami getting the three count. Toribami said she is really happy to finally win under her own power and without relying on teammates. She wants to fight more on an even footing against her seniors. Endo is disappointed to be the first person Toribami has beaten. She learned the lesson that she lost because she was not careful.
Miyu Yamashita is getting a major opponent at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July. She will take on Thunder Rosa from AEW! It will be Rosa’s first match in TJPW since January 2020 when she won the International Princess Title from Itoh. She wasn’t able to return because of the covid pandemic and eventually vacated the title. Yamashita is really looking forward to facing the current AEW Women’s Champion because they haven’t wrestled each other before.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND 2022 ~SPREAD THE WINGS OF YOUR DREAMS~”, 03/05/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 695 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) defeated Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta when Mizuki pinned Noa with the Cutie Special (13:53). *V4 for The Magical Sugar Rabbits.
2. Reika Saiki Retirement – Exhibition Match: Reika Saiki Vs Arisu Endo ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Kiryu submitted Toribami with a Crab Hold (10:09).
4. Suzume defeated Juria Nagano with the Ring A Bell (5:46).
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai defeated Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Arai pinned Harajuku with the Finally (13:41).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto when Yamashita pinned Miyamoto with the Skull Kick (15:02).
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Hyper Misao with the Diving Senton (14:29). *V2 for Shoko Nakajima.
No time to rest just because the Golden Week show is over because “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” is coming up on the horizon. Shoko Nakajima defeated her partner in crime (figure of speech) Hyper Misao for her second defence of the Princess Of Princess Title. Misao wanted to prove she would fight fair to the best of her ability and placed down all of her hidden sprays before the match. She didn’t cheat but her plan was to find a way to beat Nakajima as quickly as possible. Nakajima’s gameplan was to target Misao’s arm and it paid off when Misao couldn’t use the Vanitas late in the match. Nakajima saw her moment to strike and dropped Misao with a Double Arm DDT before pinning her with the Diving Senton.
Nakajima told Misao she is amazing because she can do anything. Misao sees Nakajima as the main character but Nakajima thinks that does not mean the second best wrestler can never become champion. Both of them felt each other’s pain today and Kyoraku Kyomei will become an even better team because of it. Nakajima wants Misao to help her grab the box of toys that is Tokyo Joshi Pro and turn it upside down together. Next for the champion is to defend the belt at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” in Saitama Super Arena on 12th June. The previous women who held the Princess Title have all been great champions and Nakajima wants to surpass them all!
Hikaru Shida got to experience both sides of 121000000 for her return to TJPW. Maki Itoh attempted to hit Shida in the head with a microphone like she did in AEW a year ago. But this time Shida grabbed the mic off her and whacked her over the head with it. Itoh’s big head no sold it. A new experience for Shida was getting to fight Miyu Yamashita and they two went at it. Moka Miyamoto benefitted with her own actions in the match. Her rush of attacks had Yamashita on the defensive until she stopped her momentum with a Front Kick. The end then came when Yamashita hit the Skull Kick for the win. Yamashita has expressed interest in a singles match with Shida. The two of them also praised Miyamoto for exceeding their expectations. Itoh however found the match to be a frustrating experience. She wants to go back to America so she can get stronger!
One year into her career Yuki Arai is still shining bright. Miu Watanabe was her tag partner in her debut so it was only fitting she was by her side again along with Rika Tatsumi bringing up the rear. The three of them all put Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku in separate submission holds. Harajuku changed course and almost had Arai beat with the Pom de Justice but it was broken it up. They cleaned out the ring so Arai could pin Harajuku with the Finally Axe Kick. She is happy to show everyone how much she has grown in one year. Tatsumi joked that Arai will overtake her someday but she isn’t going to lose to her.
Juria Nagano’s third pro wrestling match pitted her against Suzume. Her standing strikes are something to fear but her weakness continues to be what happens when she is taken to the ground. Suzume got to work on some submission holds this way and cut off Nagano’s comeback with a Facebuster before winning with the Ring A Bell. Suzume credited her recent singles match with Yamashita as a sign she can overwhelm lesser experienced opponents. Nagano said she wants fight more like a pro wrestler in her next match without relying on Karate. She would like to participate in TJPW more often but she has patients to protect as a nurse so she can only wrestle once a month for the time being.
Match #3 had an unexpected guest at ringside. Yuna Manase appeared before the match to promote the Ganbare☆Pro show taking place later in the evening. She stayed to watch the Toyo University Tag defeat Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami. The finish came when Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu gave Toribami a Big Boot/Spinebuster combo. Kiryu then turned her over into a Crab Hold to make her submit. Kiryu exchanged some words with Manase by the commentary table after the match. The two will be facing each other in a singles match on 5th May.
Almost three years ago Reika Saiki’s pro wrestling career got sidelined when she got a broken jaw. Although she recovered, her return to the ring never came and she eventually made the decision to retire both from pro wrestling and bodybuilding. She chose Tokyo Joshi Pro to host her retirement ceremony, although there was a shoutout to her other home promotion when she wore a wristband with the WRESTLE-1 logo on it. The retirement match was only a three minute exhibition bout against Arisu Endo, a fellow member of the Cheer♡1 idol group they both came from. The match ended in a draw but it was Endo who had the upper hand in the final seconds when she applied a Camel Clutch and Saiki struggled to reach the ropes.
The ceremony had Saiki receive gifts from the roster (news reports also said Saori Anou was there to congratulate her backstage). She said it’s been two years and eight months since she last wrestled and her time here was too short. She loves pro wrestling and was happy to remember what it is like to be a wrestler for three more minutes. The Arisu Endo she briefly fought today isn’t the same person she knew from Cheer♡1 but she has turned into a good wrestler. Saiki’s wrestling career only lasted 3 and a half years and most of it was in TJPW. She will continue to love TJPW for that reason.
A sudden change in travel schedules for Yuka Sakazaki moved the Princess Tag Team Titles match to the opening spot on the show. Free WiFi relied on their plan to remove the turnbuckle pad because it’s been working for them so far. Both Mizuki and Yuka Sakazaki ended up feeling the exposed metal of the corner because of it. However The Magical Sugar Rabbits turned things around to defend the titles. Sakazaki took care of Nao Kakuta with the Magical Merry-Go-Round and after that Mizuki pinned Hikari Noa with the Cutie Special. Sakazaki was relieved with the win because it means she can go to the United States with confidence. She also admitted she could finally sense a little bit Free WiFi’s good receptions. Kakuta called the result a complete defeat but promised her team with Noa is just getting started.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STILL INCOMPLETE ’22”, 09/04/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 509 Fans
1. Pom Harajuku & Moka Miyamoto defeated Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Harajuku pinned Toribami with the Pom de Justice (8:52).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Juria Nagano with the Skull Kick (4:12).
3. Marika Kobashi defeated Raku with the Run-Up Bulldog Headlock (6:43).
4. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku when Kakuta pinned Kamifuku with the Shiden Kai (11:31).
5. Hyper Misao defeated Miu Watanabe with the Vanitas (11:01).
6. Saki Akai & Yuki Arai defeated Rika Tatsumi & Mahiro Kiryu when Arai pinned Kiryu with the Finally (13:20).
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) defeated Suzume & Arisu Endo when Mizuki pinned Endo with the Diving Foot Stomp (16:05). *V3 for The Magical Sugar Rabbits.
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Yuki Aino with the Diving Senton (15:49). *V1 for Shoko Nakajima.
A new chapter in Tokyo Joshi Pro began with Shoko Nakajima scoring her first Princess Of Princess Title defence against Yuki Aino. The challenger put forth a strong effort to show she is ready to fight on her own but Nakajima planted her with the Double Arm DDT and got the pin with the Diving Senton. She told Aino she will continue winning and moving forward. She hopes Aino will do the same. The two shook hands over the apron after Aino left the ring.
Hyper Misao then entered the ring challenging Nakajima for the Princess Title! Misao believes the reason why their Kyoraku Kyomei tag team always blow it during their most crucial moments is because she is weak. Misao was losing faith in herself but today she won her match after being pushed into a corner and feels like she has finally woken up. For Kyoraku Kyomei to improve, Misao has to grow stronger and to do that she needs to beat Nakajima for the championship! Nakajima accepted the challenge for 3rd May and the two shook hands. Then suddenly Misao gave her the Stunner! She said the battle has now begun and Nakajima shouldn’t let her guard down because Misao will tear the belt from her if she has too!
The newly renamed Daisy Monkey wanted to prove that their bond is just as strong as The Magical Sugar Rabbits. They hit them quick with plenty of double team moves and Dropkicks. Mizuki cut off Arisu Endo’s momentum and they dying minutes of the match came down to them. Suzume did her best to stop Yuka Sakazaki but Mizuki kicked her away so Sakazaki could go hit the Magical Girl Splash onto Endo. Mizuki then followed up with the Diving Foot Stomp to get the victory.
After the match, Free WiFi came out to confront MagiRabi. Both Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta politely asked for the two teams to connect together for a Princess Tag Team Titles match. MagiRabi began making jokes that they couldn’t hear Free WiFi because they have a bad connection and they left without accepting the challenge. Kakuta won’t take no for an answer though and told everyone the title match will take place on 3rd May. Backstage Sakazaki said Daisy Monkey had more guts than she expected. She made more jokes about Free WiFi being on 3G while MagiRabi are on 5G. Meanwhile Kakuta has heard the rumours about how every tag partner Noa has ends up leaving her and disappearing. She promises she won’t do that to her.
Reiwa AA Cannon is off to a good start, winning their first match together. Saki Akai & Yuki Arai showed off the double ring entrance they were working on together during the week. In the match itself they used a Double Big Boot to good effect. Akai got rid of Rika Tatsumi with the Quetzalcoatl. Arai then got a three count on Mahiro Kiryu with the Finally. Akai said she will watch over Arai to see how she grows and is looking forward to seeing how their destinies will be intertwined in the future.
Misao’s big win to kick off her big title challenge was at the expense of Miu Watanabe. When the match begun Misao handed Watanabe her CV to audition for The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling). It was of course a trap to make Watanabe drop her guard. Misao took her out of the ring and tried to trap her underneath the floor mat for a countout win but it just about failed. In the end Misao dusted off the Vanitas finisher she used from her darker days to beat Watanabe.
Free WiFi beat MakiYuki Happy to get them their Princess Tag Titles shot. They offered a handshake before the match but Maki Itoh refused, causing them to attack Yuki Kamifuku. WiFi’s teamwork led to Kakuta pinning Kamifuku with the Shiden Kai.
In her final match at Korakuen Hall, Marika Kobashi gets to leave the venue with a win. She beat Raku in a singles match and the two left ringside together happy for each other. Kobashi said Raku was the first person in TJPW she became friends with. It’s because of Raku that Kobashi got to show her true self and they have a lot of memories together. The match made Kobashi happy because it showed her that Raku has the muddy side of a pro wrestler to go along with her cute personality outside of the ring. Raku said she knows Kobashi will still be watching her after she graduates.
There were strikes and kicks aplenty when Miyu Yamashita fought the rookies Juria Nagano. The karate background of both women were on display as the two tried to get the better of each other. Nagano’s big mistake came when she missed the Brazilian Kick, giving Yamashita the opening to throw the Skull Kick and win the match. Nagano said she was honored to face Yamashita one on one in just her second pro wrestling match. The Low Kicks she took left her feeling heavy because they are not part of traditional Karate. Yamashita thinks the rematch will be really interesting once Nagano has more pro wrestling experience. They may even do the rematch at a “TJPW INSPIRATION” show so they can use different rules.
In the opening match Moka Miyamoto kept Haruna Neko away so Pom Harajuku could pin Kaya Toribami with the Pom de Justice. Toribami just couldn’t figure out how to stop those shin kicks.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”, 19/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 1,714 Fans
1. Juria Nagano Debut Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Suzume pinned Miyamoto with the Ring A Bell (9:43).
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Vs Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling: Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI defeated Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Manase pinned Kiryu with the Lariat (12:19).
3. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Hyper Misao defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the I Am A Hero (12:00).
4. Asuka defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Moonsault Press (9:37).
5. Yuki Aino defeated Nodoka Tenma with the UBV (9:23).
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent defeated Marika Kobashi, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow when Sakisama pinned Kobashi with the Academy Award (10:51).
7. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida defeated Hikari Noa with the Falcon Arrow (8:46).
8. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated Yuki Arai with the Itoh Deluxe (16:14). *V2 for Maki Itoh.
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe when Sakazaki pinned Tatsumi with the Magical Girl Niwatori Yaro (17:02). *V2 for The Magical Sugar Rabbits.
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with the Diving Senton (19:04). *Miyu Yamashita fails in V5. Shoko Nakajima becomes the 10th Princess Of Princess Champion!
In its ninth year of existence, Tokyo Joshi Pro has reached the “Dream Stage” that is Sumo Hall! In the main event, Shoko Nakajima brought an end to Miyu Yamashita’s reign as Princess Of Princess Champion. She took the Skull Kick to the back of the head but was able to dodge a second one thrown from the front. Yamashita was caught in a Frankensteiner for a nearfall and was left stunned with a Double Arm DDT. That was the end for her because Nakajima then hit the Diving Senton for the three count. It is the second Princess Title reign for Nakajima, reclaiming the belt in the same venue she lost it in November 2019.
Nakajima said today was the strongest version of Yamashita she had ever seen. After years of fighting together, no matter what pressure they were under, Yamashita never showed any fear. That is why Nakajima wanted to win so badly today, to be like Yamashita. She doesn’t know for sure if she surpassed her today but she knows for sure one day she will. Either way, the two will continue fighting together for TJPW. Nakajima later said her goal is to defend the Princess Title at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” in Saitama Super Arena on 12th June. She thought last year’s title match at the show was really cool and would love to be in that position on behalf of everyone. Yamashita has mixed with happy and sad emotions over the show. Her dream to headline Sumo Hall came true but she lost. Today isn’t the happy ending for TJPW because she wants the company to grow even bigger for their supporters! She couldn’t win today but that just means she has to get stronger and restart her training. However she admits if she was to fight Nakajima for the championship again she won’t be able to beat her. The next time she wants to be in a Princess Title match will be when she is confident she will win.
It’s going to be a difficult task to take the Princess Tag Team Titles away from The Magical Sugar Rabbits. The strongest challengers in the company are Daydream and they weren’t able to beat them today. Double team moves were the plays of the day with MagiRabi hitting versions 1, 2 and 3 of Toy Story. Miu Watanabe used her individual strength to give both MagiRabi a Double Giant Swing by herself. Rika Tatsumi tried to put Yuka Sakazaki away with Hip Attacks but couldn’t get the job done. Watanabe got back in only to get wiped out by Mizuki’s Whirling Candy. Tatsumi was then dealt with MagiRabi’s signature moves until Sakazaki finished her off with the Magical Girl Niwatori Yaro. Sakazaki calls this a huge victory because of where it took place. Mizuki is cheery again because she wanted to win the Max Heart Tournament earlier this year and they just beat the winners today. Daydream were obviously upset over losing but they said they will find a new dream to make come true.
Yuki Arai’s first championship match in TJPW career ended in failure thanks to Maki Itoh. The International Princess Title bout was big enough for Kero Tanaka to be the ring announcer for. Also Itoh was joined by Naoko Hara and Mayu Kishida from the idol group Toki wo Ikiru (of which Itoh is also a member) to dance for her entrance. Itoh choked Arai with her microphone stand and showed no mercy as the match progressed. Arai kept fighting and held onto Itoh as much as she could but an Avalanche DDT followed by the Itoh Deluxe made her give up in the end. Itoh asked for Arai’s handshake afterwards and Arai reluctantly accepted. Arai said next time she will win and be the one who asks for Itoh’s handshake instead. However Itoh is sure she will continue beating Arai no matter how many times they fight. But she also believes Arai is stronger than she thinks. She has power, stamina and guts but is missing one thing to make the complete package. Arai has all of the ingredients, she just isn’t a good cook yet. Itoh will still be here for Arai to challenge her again in the future.
Hikaru Shida did the deal because nobody kicks out of the Falcon Arrow! Even though her match against Hikari Noa was not a Hardcore match, the two couldn’t help but hit each other with a kendo stick and a chair outside the ring. Noa’s back was targeted throughout and Shida’s plan paid off when her opponent struggled to throw a Super Kick and could not hold onto the Blizzard Suplex during an attempted pin due to the pain. Shida went on to win but as she walked back up the ramp, she couldn’t help but notice Aja Kong on commentary and give her a determined look. Backstage Shida said she is grateful to wrestle in Japan again. She was surprised that Noa wanted to fight a Hardcore match against her but she likes that kind of spirit. Next time they fight Shida wants it under Hardcore rules for sure!
For the first time in TJPW, the entire NEO Biishiki-gun were together in one place. Sakisama was teaming with her usual loyal servants but the rest of the household stood with them for their entrance. Ai Shimizu, KANNA, Azusa Christie, Yoshiko-sama (with her teddy bear Charlotte) and even Misao were all seen in public again for the first time in years. The grand entrance made everyone forget that minutes earlier Raku & Ram Kaichow were walking down the ramp together looking like a newly married couple. During the match itself the maids Mei Saint-Michel & Martha worked together like a well oiled team against Pom Harajuku. Later Yukio Saint Laurent tried to stab his opponents with an injection but Kaichow turned the needle on himself. She also gave Sakisama the Rainmaker. Marika Kobashi took over and tried using moves like the Front Neck Lock and Shining Wizard on Sakisama. However Martha used a mop to distract her, Saint-Michel (with Charlotte) hit a mop assisted Diving Double Knee Drop and Sakisama pinned Kobashi with the Academy Award. After the match Sakisama gave Kobashi a red rose as a parting gift. Kobashi said that in the past she ripped up the roses Sakisama gave her but this time she will bring it home with her. She can tell this one was given out of respect and maybe even love?
Even though The Bakuretsu Sisters were opponents, they made their entrance together with a live performance of “BAKURETSU POWER” by the band angela. The younger sister won out in the end with Yuki Aino pinning Nodoka Tenma with the UBV. She said she finally found out how strong Tenma is by wrestling her one on one. She was happy to win because she admires her sister the most and shouldn’t be losing to her when Tenma is leaving pro wrestling to farm in Okayama. Tenma wants Aino to continue wrestling and doesn’t think she will need a new tag partner as a substitute for herself.
The entrances of Asuka and Yuki Kamifuku was just as much a competition as the match itself. Asuka had a routine with a male dancer while Kamifuku arrived in the arena on a motorbike looking for drinks and a smoke. The two began in the ring with light teases that grew more and more aggressive until it became a full on match. Kamifuku’s reliance on the Famouser didn’t work and she was dropped with a Sit Down Power Bomb. Asuka then picked up the win with the Moonsault. Kamifuku admitted to feeling more nervous about this match than any title bout she was ever in. She believes it is up to her to become stronger than Asuka because there will be new people coming into TJPW and looking up to her. And even if she loses to Asuka in the ring, she will never lose to her in the bar! Asuka said their bond has deepened and VENYU will team together again in the future.
TJPW’s first ring announcer Minami Momochi was on hand to witness the match between Hyper Misao and Sanshiro Takagi. She wasn’t the only face from the past because former TJPW wrestlers Nonoko and MIZUHO were in attendance to present flowers to Misao. The superhero said Takagi was not the crazy wrestler he used to be so she wanted to destroy him. Nobody was more shocked than her when Takagi showed up dressed like her in bodypaint! He grabbed the microphone and introduced himself as Hyper Sanshiro, the President who protects sales and numbers in Tokyo Joshi Pro! Misao attacked him with the help of Nonoko and MIZUHO. They then fought up the ramp on bicycles, crashing into each other. Another graduated TJPW wrestler appeared when Akane Miura from the ring crew hit Takagi with a Lariat on the ramp. Takagi knew the match was getting out of control so he ordered the rules be changed to Falls Count Anywhere! After he did that, Misao was seen standing on the top of the aisle and she jumped down onto everyone below! A castle of chairs was built in the ring and Misao got back on her bicycle. She shouted this was what she always dreamed to do in Sumo Hall and crashed into the chairs after Takagi jumped out of the way. Takagi hit her with chairs and called her a phoney hero. He sprayed her with a fire extinguisher, calling it the Hero Beam. But when he attempted to do the I Am A Hero onto some plastic boxes, Misao rolled out of the way and he crashed through them. Misao then did her own I Am A Hero to pin the DDT president for the three count! Misao said that as long as Takagi is her Peter Pan, she will always aim for his head. Takagi said he’s been dressed like this since 8am, even doing the pre-show speech to the entire locker room looking like that. He told Misao that today she has become a real hero! The two hugged and Misao then gave Takagi a Stunner.
Yuna Manase returned to TJPW with a new gang of friends with her. The visiting foursome from Ganbare☆Pro defeated the home team led by Nao Kakuta. Manase took her new role as the female Ken Ohka to heart by wrestling an outfit similar to his. Mahiro Kiryu also debuted a new costume too. Kaya Toribami and HARUKAZE had a sequence against each other that could have went either way. YuuRI joined in with Manasae to deal some pain to Kakuta & Haruna Neko. But Neko got to fight back by giving Moeka Haruhi the Nekodebreaker. The match came down to Manase and Kiryu and ended when Manase pinned her with the Lariat. The TJPW team are taking the loss as a learning experience and that more work needs to be done to make the company stronger. Manase credited her team’s win on the bond formed between all four of them. They all fought using the spirit of Ganbare☆Joshi! Manase wants everyone to know that CyberFight has so much hot joshi action from not just DDT and TJPW but Ganjo too. She wants everyone to come see Ganpro at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 10th July.
The show began with the anticipated debut of the TikTok Karate Nurse Juria Nagano. She teamed with Moka Miyamoto to take on Arisuzu in a losing effort. However it was Miyamoto who took the fall instead of the newcomer. She enjoyed her first match but described how frustrated she felt when she was taken down to the mat because she has no ground game. Suzume was delighted to see how many fans showed up to watch the match and she’s also happy to have new friends. Arisu Endo joked that the match went by too fast for her to enjoy it.
During the show opening introductions, Sayuri Namba brought down KANNA and Chikage Kiba into the ring. They were the two other wrestlers who debuted in the same match with Yamashita and Nakajima in 2013 but both of their wrestling careers only lasted a few years. KANNA cried because she never expected to see TJPW to make it to this point and she thinks it will become the second launch of the company. Kiba said it was a miracle that the show went ahead without anyone having to pull out because of covid. Standing in Sumo Hall with somebody she debuted with felt like a dream come true for her. A voiceover for the show was recorded by another TJPW alumni, Azusa Takigawa.
The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) performed some of their songs and announced will be holding an audition to find a new member! They are looking for girls who want to sing, dance and fight with them. Noa would like someone to do a death match with and who is also imposing enough to beat up Sanshiro Takagi. Raku said she grew up knowing nothing about pro wrestling yet it changed her life 180 degrees and she is now here standing in the middle of Sumo Hall. Watanabe said it also isn’t important if the applicants do not know anything about idols. She is looking forward to hearing from anyone interested to join.
Tokyo Joshi Pro will return to Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”, 19/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Juria Nagano Debut Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Vs Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling: Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI
3. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hyper Misao
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Asuka
5. Nodoka Tenma Vs Yuki Aino
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs Marika Kobashi, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow
7. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Hikari Noa
8. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Arai
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
It took nine years for Tokyo Joshi Pro to start from a tiny little idol stage in Akihabara and make it all the way to running grand old Sumo Hall by themselves. It’s a show bigger than the “WRESTLE PRINCESS” name and is part of a stacked Ryogoku weekend with DDT celebrating its 25th Anniversary the next day. All three Princess Championships will be defended, there are some inter-promotional matches, some emotional backstories, a final call for two beloved roster members before they go away and an anticipated debut so let’s have a look at what’s in store for us.
The big debut TJPW has been building up since the start of the year is Juria Nagano. She is a woman of many talents being a former children’s world champion karate fighter, actress and nurse with 900,000 TikTok followers. Her 2nd dan black belt in Shito-ryu makes Nagano a suitable tag partner for Moka Miyamoto and her Shotokan background. Nagano was moved to tears when she first discovered the deep bonds the TJPW roster has with each other and is looking forward to forming her own. Even her opponents are excited to be in the ring for her debut match. Suzume said she wants to crush Nagano in the ring with her love and Arisu Endo believes it will be an exciting match showcasing the future of TJPW. Arisuzu are a team to watch out for and the most likely from this new generation to jump up a level together later this year.
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Vs Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling: Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI
A former TJPW wrestler returns looking for a passionate fight. Yuna Manase was with the promotion from 2017 to 2020 until she found a new home in Ganbare☆Pro. She kept a good relationship with TJPW since then but suddenly called out the company in a fiery speech demanding an opponent who wants to fight her instead of being told to by management. Nao Kakuta answered the call, fueled by memories of working with Manase in Actwres girl’Z before either of their TJPW days. The response is also the first time Kakuta felt like a proper member of Tokyo Joshi by defending the promotion’s honour. However Manase immediately got backup with everyone from the Ganbare☆Joshi division wanting to join in the challenge and take part. The challenge became big enough to suck in more people for an inter-promotional 8-Women Tag Match.
Kakuta gathered together Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami to be on her team. Kiryu was recently in the news for alerting everyone on social media to a convincing looking email scam she almost fell for. Neko continues to live life as a catgirl scratching every person who gets in her way. Toribami hasn’t lost a step in the ring since coming back from a European vacation over the winter but is still at risk of being the team’s weak link. Manase is flanked by the rest of Ganjo, a group of women who became tight from constantly teaming with and fighting against each other. HARUKAZE is the biggest example of that, reinventing herself from one of Japan’s weakest wrestlers to a reliable combatant under the tutelage of Yuu Yamagata. The weathergirl wrestler Moeka Haruhi understands Manase is the sun that everyone else in the match will gravitate around, but she wants to be the rainbow that catches everybody’s attention. The least experienced member is YuuRI. She made a surprise jump from JTO to Ganjo at a time when other joshi were transferring to higher profile companies. For her to wrestle in Sumo Hall is a big deal because that was where she discovered pro wrestling in the first place. Ganpro’s bread and butter is having wrestlers who wear their hearts on their sleeves and giving it their all in the ring despite their limitations. Win or lose, the TJPW team can learn a valuable lesson coming out of this match.
3. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hyper Misao
At first this match was just thrown out as an announcement promoted as an attraction match with no build attached to it. Still the match by itself makes sense on paper. Hyper Misao is always the most creative woman in TJPW when it comes to making up match structures and stipulations and Sanshiro Takagi will literally do anything in the ring to make DDT and everything surrounding it successful. But Misao was bothered by the idea of this match going ahead. Takagi as he is now isn’t the crazy wrestler she saw when she attended her first wrestling match eight years ago. He’s too much of a boring corporate president these days to inspire Misao on a match as important as this. It’s understandable. Takagi is older and his body isn’t what it used to be. He also has a lot on his plate behind the scenes along with a grudge match happening in DDT the next day. But he is still the crazy pro wrestler Misao saw eight years ago. As the poster says above, this won’t be a normal match!
As time has gone by Misao has become more publicly open about her past life before discovering pro wrestling. To go from feeling lost and empty to becoming a big driving force in TJPW is inspirational to see. Thanks to pro wrestling the “29 year old”* has become a stronger person, gotten married and continues to protect love and peace the only way she can. Meanwhile Takagi got stuck fighting with Pheromones and Michael Nakazawa. Who really has more going for them here?
*Misao became self-conscious over her real age during her last birthday and decided to break up from her year of birth.
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Asuka
The speed this friendship is going is really fast. Yuki Kamifuku and Asuka have been close friends outside of wrestling since 2017 but only went public with it last year when they started teaming together as VENYU. The team did well in TJPW this year, reaching the semi-finals of the “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament. But with no chance of winning accolades happening anytime soon the two drinking buddies have nobody to fight but themselves. There have been a few little swipes made in good nature between the two but for Kamifuku it is a chance to climb up to Asuka’s level on the big stage. Asuka feels honored having an important match like this take place while she is a freelancer. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking to have fun either. The VENYU entrance is already flashy. What will they be like when Kamifuku and Asuka are trying to out-do one another?
5. Nodoka Tenma Vs Yuki Aino
One of the women leaving pro wrestling soon is Nodoka Tenma. She has been with TJPW since 2016 starting off using a children’s TV character gimmick called Nodoka-oneesan. The time has come for her to retire after she decided to get into food production and agriculture in her hometown. She decided her retirement from pro wrestling will happen on 26th March because she does not want to miss this show. When Tenma & Yuki Aino failed to win the Max Heart Tournament final, Tenma came up with an idea for them to do at Sumo Hall. They should wrestle each other! The Bakuretsu Sisters have never had a singles match by themselves and Tenma does not want to end her wrestling career without doing one. It was an idea that has come up before but Aino always turned it down. This time the match is so important that Tenma will not take no for an answer. Aino has shown flashes of breaking out as a singles wrestler in the past. She seems to be sticking around after her older sister leaves so it is a path she will probably have to take as we head into the summer.
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs Marika Kobashi, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow
The mighty NEO Biishiki-gun returns once more to be a thorn in everyone’s side. This time they are coming nearly at full force. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel are already established as a nearly unbeatable tag team but we also get the reappearance of Sakisama’s first loyal maid Martha. There is also the dark and foreboding presence of Yukio Saint Laurent to deal with too. The TJPW side put together to fight them are made up of a mixture of cute and sugary personalities but something is a little bit different this time. Ram Kaichow is part of the team and I bet she is something the likes of which NEO Biishiki-gun have never dealt with before. Kaichow has no problem acting like she owns the place whenever she shows up in TJPW so how will a woman as proud as Sakisama react to that? Kaichow recently celebrated 17 years in the wrestling industry and remember most of that was spent in Triple Six. NEO Biishiki-gun is nowhere near the weirdest thing she has seen before.
But what about the rest of the team? Marika Kobashi is the other wrestler who will be leaving TJPW soon. She wants to spend her final years in university living the full college life. However she also made it sound like it will not be the end of her pro wrestling career so it may only be goodbye for now (unless she shows up somewhere else). Raku is still big into trains and now calls her fanbase her “Passengers”. While not performing with The Up Up Girls she has been teaming with Pom Harajuku. That one continues to run around causing mischief like an out of control three year old. Raku & Harajuku are getting used to teaming with each other but they are regular cannon fodder for NEO Biishiki-gun. Chances of an underdog upset here are slim.
7. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Hikari Noa
Now we’re getting into the main course. The top four matches on the card are what I’m all hyped for and it begins with the TJPW debut of Hikaru Shida. Signs of a working relationship between AEW and TJPW were made clear last year and now that it’s become a little easier to travel overseas, that means Shida gets to wrestle in her home country again. TJPW gave her the offer to wrestle in Sumo Hall and here we are. The former AEW Women’s Champion looked a little lost in the shuffle at times but a high quality feud against Serena Deeb means she is coming to Sumo Hall riding a fresh wave of interest. This is the perfect test for her opponent, someone who spent the last few years coming out of her shell by making bloodlust look cute.
As time goes by Hikari Noa pushes TJPW closer inch by inch towards a more violent style of wrestling. He dream is to become the Queen of Deathmatch wrestling and she has jumped into the deep end whenever the opportunity presents itself. Now Shida is not a deathmatch wrestler per se but she has no problem getting dragged into the hardcore style. I mean, this is a woman we recently discovered will threaten decapitation if she hates somebody enough. Like I said, a perfect test for Noa. There are high expectations though and from studying footage Shida thinks Noa has been struggling to meet those expectations. She can tell Noa enjoys wrestling and is hungry to win but does she have the mental and emotional state to succeed?
This may not be the end of Shida in TJPW too. She wasn’t aware of the promotion until she went to America and the interactions she’s had with TJPW wrestlers since then have impressed her. Maybe there will be more interactions between them in AEW or Japan. She performed on stage with Arisu Endo before and Shida hasn’t seen any of her matches other than her debut. Plus there is a certain unbeatable champion in the main event that Shida has been thinking about. But now is not the time to talk about that…
8. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Arai
If there is a result on this show that will cause a shockwave throughout TJPW is will be Yuki Arai beating Maki Itoh for the International Princess Title. Itoh became a two time IP Champion on 4th January, ending Hikari Noa’s deathmatch title dreams. With the belt back in her hands, Itoh’s goal is to reestablish the championship as a global prize to be defended overseas. She isn’t shy (when is she ever?) about going back to AEW and defending the title against former champion Thunder Rosa to finally complete a thread that’s been left hanging ever since the pandemic began. She has a trip to America coming up in May and the title could be a necessary accessory for her plans. The worst thing that could happen now is if a far more popular idol steals her glory, her thunder and her championship. How typical would that be?
Momentum is such an overused word in pro wrestling but it really does apply here for Arai. The SKE48 idol has been a big boost for TJPW’s business and the wrestling media in Japan is throwing every Best Rookie achievement they can find in her direction. And she isn’t slumming it in the ring. The hard work is on show even when the match layout every now and then is a bit obvious in highlighting her strengths while hiding her flaws. I shouldn’t knock it when it works though, especially if it gets applied to a rivalry like this.
Whether Arai wanted it to happen or not, she was destined to be Itoh’s enemy. It’s only natural when it is an idol as successful as her to rub Itoh the wrong way. Even more so when the one place Itoh can feel superior is inside the wrestling ring. Itoh tapped out Arai in her debut match and encouraged her to keep coming back fo as long as it will take for Arai to finally beat her. A full year hasn’t even been passed since then but Arai is already confident she now has what she needs to beat Itoh. It would be an unusual result but these are two unusual idols.
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
We now reach the point where the remaining title matches are between the two strongest opponents. The Princess Tag Team Titles are what helped form The Magical Sugar Rabbits together in the first place. Their first reign holds the current record for the most title defences. In second place is the reign held by Daydream, who are their opponents here. The Max Heart Tournament is what sets up this match. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki were shockingly eliminated in the opening round, preventing them from facing Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe in Round 2. Daydream then went on to win the entire tournament. The two teams weren’t anywhere near each other in the bracket but MagiRabi know it is their duty as champions to beat the Max Heart winners.
The challengers have a lot on their plate. Tatsumi’s crush on Mizuki is well known but winning back the Princess Tag Titles is now more important. She doesn’t care about that anymore and accepts that Mizuki will hate her for taking the belts away from MagiRabi. Mizuki isn’t worried about a problem like that because she thinks her team is not going to lose anyway. Watanabe sees the champions as a wall she hasn’t been able to climb over until now. Sakazaki’s only concern is defending the belts so MagiRabi can continue bringing fans into their happy, sparkling world!
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
Let’s finish this one strong. The two longest serving members of TJPW headline the promotion’s biggest show yet in Sumo Hall. It is the very same building where Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima had their official pro wrestling debuts on 17th August 2013. Funny thing is they were both on the same team back then and lost to two wrestlers who are since long gone from the company. In the nine years since then Miyu Yamashita has been the constant ace in TJPW, growing up with the most dominant Princess Of Princess Title reigns in the championship’s history. She has been the female face of CyberFight’s expansion, sharing centre stage with the likes of Jun Akiyama and Naomichi Marufuji. Ever since her debut in Ryogoku, Yamashita has dreamed of Tokyo Joshi holding their own show there. This won’t mean much to her if she cannot beat her biggest opponent on TJPW’s biggest show.
Shoko Nakajima has beaten her for the Princess Title once before, back in 2019. It was how Yamashita’s 10 defence title reign was finally brought to an end. In fact, Yamashita and Nakajima are currently 1-1 in Princess Title matches against each other. Yet the Big Kaiju has always felt small around her rival. No matter how many times Nakajima won matches against her, Yamashita would easily shrug them off and return to winning ways. It can get disheartening. With this match taking place in Sumo Hall, Nakajima doesn’t know if she will ever get a title shot as important as this ever again. This is the Big Kaiju’s best chance to take down an even bigger monster and finally become the superior champion. Whatever the result is, the future of Tokyo Joshi Pro will be made clear when the dust is settled.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 