TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP” Results

August 3, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 03/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE
297 Fans

1. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Uta Takami defeated Shino Suzuki, Runa Okubo & Chika Nanase when Suzume pinned Nanase with the Ring A Bell (8:41).
2. Miyu Yamashita, Mahiro Kiryu, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami defeated Mizuki, Raku, HIMAWARI & Kira Summer when Yamashita pinned HIMAWARI with the Attitude Adjustment (10:35).
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Rika Tatsumi defeated Toga with the Dragon Sleeper (7:58).
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Pom Harajuku with the Famouser (6:58).
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Ryo Mizunami defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Ichijiku (7:10).
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Yuki Arai defeated Wakana Uehara with the Sasori-Katame (9:23).
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Zara Zakher defeated Miu Watanabe with the Control Z (12:45).
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Yuki Aino defeated Shoko Nakajima with a Shoulder Block (16:54).

Round 2 of the Tokyo Princess Cup is now complete. It could be that this year’s Cinderella run for the tournament will happen to Yuki Aino. She defeated Shoko Nakajima in the main event, the first time that has happened in Aino’s career. She blocked Nakajima from turning the Northern Lights Suplex into the Locomotive version. Nakajima however kicked out of the Venus DDT at one. She hit Aino with the Rider Kick but Aino responded with a Shoulder Block that wiped out her opponent and got her the victory. She is happy to win but it is only one victory so she wants to fight Nakajima even more. The rest of the Princess Cup is only going to get tougher from here but Aino promises to burn, burn, burn this summer!

The semi-main event is even more newsworthy. Zara Zakher, the first foreign outsider to compete in the Princess Cup has eliminated the Princess Of Princess Champion from the tournament! In a match that pitted power against power, Kazher scored the upset by beating Miu Watanabe with her Control Z finisher. She feels great after finally winning a match in Tokyo Joshi Pro, especially since she beat the champion. She moves on to face Mizuki in the Quarter Final. Zakher lost to her once before. She thinks the result will be different next time. Watanabe thinks she lose because of her own momentum and she praised Zakher for having overwhelming potential. She wants to turn this loss into a win someday to prove she is stronger than her.

It’s looking good that Yuki Arai will reach her goal of matching last year’s Princess Cup run where she reached the Semi Finals. Wakana Uehara gave her some trouble with a Brainbuster and the Banana Pillow. But Arai fought back with the Rookie Award and then the Scorpion Deathlock for the win. Arai said Uehara is ambitious and quickly growing in the ring. Beating her has given Arai confidence. She will be facing Suzume in the Quarter Final and is eager to beat her one on one after losing to her in the Princess Tag Team Titles match recently. Uehara said she had a plan ready to win but Arai was just so much stronger than she imagined.

Haru Kazashiro tried to get the jump on Ryo Mizunami early but her attack was easily dealt with. She got some more offence in with Cross Body Attacks and even attempted a Fisherman Suplex. Mizunami took over though and made Kazashiro submit to the Ichijiku Shoulder Lock. She was already looking forward to taking part in the Princess Cup but now her pespective has changed a little. It only takes one loss to get knocked out and getting jumped by Kazashiro flipped a switch. She is now fully determined to win the tournament! Kazashiro was upset after the match. She knew it was unlikely she would win but she wasn’t even a millimeter close to beating Mizunami.

The delayed match between Pom Harajuku and Yuki Kamifuku went ahead today. Harajuku kept kicking Kamifuku in the shin and Kamifuku kept poking Harajuku in the eyes. Harajuku went for a big move and charged in with the P Attack but Kamifuku cut her off with a Horizontal Chop. She then pinned her with the Famouser. Kamifuku explained she was too sick to wrestle last week but if the match went ahead it would have been on the same day as the big RIZIN show. She wants to be a winner this summer just like Ren Hiramoto. She will be facing Aino in the Quarter Final.

Toga came close to beating Rika Tatsumi but it just wasn’t to be. She landed the Rock Bottom but Tatsumi kicked out at two. Toga held on though, threw some Elbow Strikes and tried to use the move again. But Tatsumi countered it into the Dragon Sleeper and made Toga give up. Tatsumi thought the win would be a given and she is relieved with the result. She thinks Toga is a very honest person and should keep her spirits up. Tatsumi will be facing Mizunami next in the Quarter Final and she feels very lucky to be her opponent. Toga said she wanted to give it her all but knew she had to push past her limits to have a chance at winning.

It was announced that Max The Impaler’s next appearance for TJPW in Japan will be on 22nd September for “WRESTLE PRINCESS V”.


Last Minute Changes To TJPW USA Cards

April 5, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs Billie Starkz
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs “The Unbreakable” Rhio
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van Vs Raku & Trish Adora
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Aino & Zara Zakher
5. Aja Kong & Pom Harajuku Vs Mizuki & Vert Vixen
6. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

Some last minute changes to the Tokyo Joshi Pro USA shows had to be made. Nao Kakuta was too ill to travel and will not be on the show. Also Max The Impaler caught covid and can’t be there either. Aja Kong has stepped in to take Max’s place in Match #5. Also Trish Adora is the substitute for Kakuta.

GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Suzume Vs SAKI Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
3. Dark Sheik Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Steph De Lander Vs Hyper Misao
5. Shazza McKenzie Vs Arisu Endo
6. Allie Katch Vs Mizuki
7. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

Kakuta’s illness means she misses the “GCW VS TJPW” show too. Her tag match will now just be a 3 Way Match with the remaining participants.


Guide To TJPW In Philadelphia

April 2, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs Billie Starkz
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs “The Unbreakable” Rhio
3. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Nao Kakuta & Zara Zakher
5. Mizuki & Vert Vixen Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

Back once again on American soil, Tokyo Joshi Pro is entering this year’s Wrestlemania Week as part of The Collective series of indie shows. This time around TJPW will be involved across two days: one show will be held on their own and the next day they have an inter-promotional event with GCW. It just goes to show how much DDT’s little sister has taken the international spotlight away from them in recent years. Looking at the Mania schedule this year, you can say that about the offerings of Japanese wrestling in general with the joshi shows getting more hype than what the other puroresu companies are sending over. These two shows will be happening only a few days after TJPW holds “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” at Sumo Hall so fans around the world will get to see the promotion take their next step coming out of such an important show. Have you seen the gifs of the Skull Kicks and Giant Swings? Are you curious to know curious to know why a foul mouthed ex-idol has so many simps or why that crazy woman in white likes to choke people so much? Would you like to see a superhero crash her bicycle? Do you write for a wrestling website and mistook this for a Stardom show? Are you wondering what ever happened to Hikari Noa? Well you won’t get an answer to that last question but for everything else, this guide is for you!

Where and when are the shows taking place?

Both shows will be held at Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium in Philadelphia. “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY” is taking place on Friday, 5th April at 11:00am Eastern time. “GCW VS TJPW” will happen on Saturday, 6th April at 2:30pm Eastern time.

Where can I watch it online?

Both shows will air live on Triller TV (or FITE as it used to be called) with English commentary through the TrillerTV+ subscription service. The on-demand versions of both shows will be available to watch on Wrestle Universe a few weeks after the live broadcast.

Is this a proper TJPW show?

Yes. On paper I would put it on the level of their B shows when it comes to the card layout just without the matches built around the younger wrestlers and rookies. This is not like last year when they put together a lineup fitting for a Korakuen Hall show. What we have here fits in more for an event at Shinjuku FACE or Ryogoku KFC Hall. That’s not to say the show quality will be low or uninteresting. It’s more that you are getting to see TJPW at its status quo. The guest wrestlers booked have all appeared in TJPW over the past few years, some on a regular basis so none of the names stick out like a sore thumb. I assure you this will be as close to a genuine TJPW experience you can get without going over to Japan.

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1. Hyper Misao Vs Billie Starkz

It’s a super hero against a Minion In Training! Hyper Misao often delights the fans with her endless crazy ideas to protect love and peace in TJPW. But the chaos she creates is the same kind of environment Billie Starkz feels most at home in. The hero and villain in this match may be more alike then they both realize.

Hyper Misao – When love and peace is under threat in TJPW, you can always rely on Hyper Misao to come to the rescue. Just don’t be surprised if her plan to save the world turns out not to be as heroic as she looks. Sometimes she will get on the microphone, greet the audience with “Hello big children!” and reveal her plans to save the day. Other times she arrives to the ring riding on the Hypami Dramatic Dream combat bike. She has the talent to win fair fights but prefers using underhanded tactics like blinding her opponents with cold spray or crashing the Hypami DD into them. Hey, the Madame Web movie showed that vehicular manslaughter is a heroic trait so it’s acceptable for Misao to do it too!
Moves To Watch Out For: Hypami Returns (Final Cut), I Am A Hero (Diving Cross Body), Crossface Chickenwing, Vanitas (Double Arm Facebuster), Cold Spray Attack

Billie Starkz – Since the last time we saw her in TJPW, “Space Jesus” has gone from indie darling to a Minion In Training that you can rely on. Ring Of Honor is where you will find Starkz on most days but she still finds the time to pop up in GCW plus a few other indies every now and then. In fact this match kind of serves as a warm up for her because hours after this show is finished she will be competing in a tournament final to crown the first ever ROH Women’s World TV Champion.
Moves To Watch Out For: Swanton Bomb, Sugoi Driver (Double Legged One-Winged Angel sometimes on the ring apron), Starkz Driver (Tombstone Piledriver), Star 10 (CRII)

2. Shoko Nakajima Vs “The Unbreakable” Rhio

No, that’s not a typo for those seeing the second name and thinking of somebody else. This match is Japan versus England when one of TJPW’s most decorated wrestlers Shoko Nakajima takes on “The Unbreakable” Rhio, a rising female star from the British scene. Because when a kaiju is on the loose you need to put something unbreakable in the way to keep the rampage under control.

Shoko Nakajima – Meet the Big Kaiju, all 147cm of her! Nakajima has pretty much done it all in TJPW as one of the promotion’s longest serving wrestlers. Usually quick and speedy, she also has the strength to put away opponents with the Northern Lights Suplex. The Diving Senton she uses is nothing to sneeze at either. When put in Hardcore Match situations her favourite weapon is a pile of kaiju toys that she slams her opponents onto. She’s a Swiss Army Knife that can adapt to any kind of situation wrestling can throw at her.
Moves To Watch Out For: Northern Lights Suplex, Diving Senton, Unmanned Local Train Hold (Yurikamome submission hold), 619, Rider Kick (One-Legged Dropkick)

“The Unbreakable” Rhio – A working relationship between TJPW and British women’s promotion EVE opened the doors for Rhio to tour in Japan. She impressed with her power built on her background in Karate and Taekwondo. Since then she has been all over the European scene and has won the Women’s Championship in companies such as Progress and ICW (the Scottish one, not the chains one). She hasn’t been back to Japan since that tour but whenever a TJPW wrestler travels over to England you can count on her to be a likely opponent for them.
Moves To Watch Out For: Dreaded End (Neck Screw Hold), Package Piledriver, Pumphandle Bomb

3. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van

Here is a battle between sweetness versus seduction, love versus desire and naps versus partying. Among the many friendships that have formed within the promotion, Yuki Aino & Raku is one that has captured a lot of the fanbase’s attention. There’s just something about a sleepy trainspotting pop singer that people just can’t deny. The team facing them have quickly become friends too. Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van were meant to be put together as opponents but admired each other’s beauty so much they got immediately got along. When Van wanted to come up with a team name for this match, Kamifuku came up with The Casual Vixens. Let’s see if that sticks.

Yuki Aino – It happened so long ago that it’s hard to remember Aino originally debuted in TJPW as a ring announcer before turning pro so she could team with her sister. Tag team wrestling remains her forte and she is one of few wrestlers in TJPW to have held tag title gold with different partners. Love and the fiery power it can bring is what drives her as you can see from the names she gives her moves below. She also adores the woman she gets to team with on the show.
Moves To Watch Out For: Venus DDT (Inverted DDT), UBV/Unlimited Burning Venus (Double Arm Side Buster), Full Nelson Of Love And Fire (Full Nelson Camel Clutch), Side Suplex

Raku – The first of two members from The Up Up Girls you will see on the show. The Up Up Girls are a pop idol group that created a pro wrestling spin off unit in TJPW. The members often perform songs at the start of the show before wrestling in matches later in the card. Raku’s entire personality can be summed down to naps and trains. She knows so much railway trivia she often has a Train Of The Day to tell the audience on every show. Will SEPTA be up to her standards? Her moveset is built around sending her opponents to sleep so she can run over them with the Oyasumi Express. Somehow this entire package has made her absolutely adored to the point where she may as well be God to some people.
Moves To Watch Out For: Doctor Yellow (Jumping Neckbreaker), Hurricane Turn (Cross-Arm Backslide Pin), Oyasumi Express (running on top of the opponent over and over), Good Night Sleeper, Poppo Chop! (Brain Chop)

Yuki Kamifuku – Also known by her nickname Kamiyu, she is “The Casual Beauty” of TJPW. She knows how to get under her opponent’s skin with harsh and catty opinions. But there is another side to her where she is loyal and sympathetic to her friends. She is also proud of her modelling background because her accomplishments in the ring is proof you do not need to be a die hard pro wrestling fan to succeed in the business. Grew up in Ohio during her junior high school years so she knows the most English out of the bunch. Also really loves Zac Efron and after watching “The Iron Claw” it is now her dream to wrestle a match with him. She is currently the Queen Of Asia Champion after winning the belt in Singapore last November.
Moves To Watch Out For: Famouser (Jumping Leg Drop), Big Boot, Yahoo 83cm (Headscissors DDT), Manjigatame, Thumb To The Eye

Viva Van – One of the more recent foreign guests in TJPW is nicknamed “The Hellbent Vixen”. This Vietnamese-American wrestler has gathered together a large amount of championships in recent times but her attempt to dethrone Kamifuku as the Queen Of Asia ended in failure. However even before that match took place the two of them got along anyway because of how good looking they both are. It’s no surprise the two of them are definitely happy they get to reunite in America. Kamifuku even suggested one time they go on the lookout for a third attractive Asian wrestler to join them so they can be a trio Charlie’s Angels style. But don’t let that kind of attitude fool you, Van has been climbing up the ranks high enough to get matches in AEW and AAA as well as New Japan’s USA shows.
Moves To Watch Out For: Hellevator (Electric Chair spun into a Power Bomb), Ocean Cyclone Suplex, Code Red, Meteora, Butterfly Suplex

4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Nao Kakuta & Zara Zakher

When it comes to tag teams in TJPW you can expect a lot of creative team names. Some of the names have elaborate reasons behind them, others not so much. Daisy Monkey is so called because Suzume is like a flower and Arisu Endo is like a monkey. That’s it. Simple enough. Out of all of the pairings in TJPW currently Daisy Monkey have perhaps the closest bond together. The two of them are pretty much inseparable. It’s that kind of friendship that led to them finally winning the Princess Tag Team Titles recently. Facing them is the first time pairing of Nao Kakuta & Zara Zakher. This match will likely be Kakuta’s last time wrestling in America while Zakher’s wrestling career is really only just beginning.

Suzume – As sharp as a wasp, Suzume is the Daisy half of Daisy Monkey. She begun her career as a fast learner, only spending seven months in training before making her pro debut. Just on the looks of her aesthetic alone it is of no surprise that speed is the name of her game. As part of the Daisy Monkey team she has held a desire over the last two years (if not longer) to win the Princess Tag Titles so the two of them could reach the same level as the previous champions they fought and admired.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ring A Bell (RKO), Mikazuki Meteor Shower (Diving Cross Body), Twinkle (Twisting School Boy), Flying Facecrusher

Arisu Endo – The Monkey half of Daisy Monkey, please welcome Aizuwakamatsu City’s most cheerful tourism ambassador. She’s always ready to give fans the thumbs up with a smile. Endo also has a habit of constantly dying her hair in new ways, using every colour in the world you can think of. She has so much pride in where she comes from that she named many of her moves after local destinations and traditions. Together with Suzume, Daisy Monkey have established themselves as TJPW’s top tag team of the new generation.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ju no Okite (Hercules Cutter), Camel Clutch, Mt. Bandai (2nd Rope Springboard Dropkick), Tsuruga Castle (Guillotine Knee Drop)

Nao Kakuta – Soon to retire from pro wrestling, Kakuta gets a chance to say goodbye to her American fans. She was previously a kindergarten teacher, a social welfare director and a camp instructor before becoming a stage actress and pro wrestler. Her wrestling career begun in the original class of Actwres girl’Z before she jumped over to TJPW, where she will stay until this July when she graduates from the industry. There are not a lot of heels in TJPW but Kakuta’s wrestling style is closer to that line than pretty much the rest of the regular roster.
Moves To Watch Out For: Shiden Kai (Fireman’s Carry into a Stunner), Kamitaka (Cross-Legged Front Neck Lock), Tarantula Headscissors, Kenka Kick

Zara Zakher – This past February a new young wrestler from California was given a week long tour of Japan to compete in TJPW. With only a year of experience under her belt at that point, Zakher was thrown straight into the fire with both matches being against former champions. Short in frame but deceptively strong, Zakher had an impressive showing despite coming out on the losing end in both matches. She left enough of a good impression that TJPW fans get to see her again here in Philly.
Moves To Watch Out For: Control Z (Screw Bomb), Lariat, Standing Moonsault

5. Mizuki & Vert Vixen Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

Another international tag but this one with a far wilder selection of wrestlers involved. Mizuki joins forces with Vert Vixen for the first time ever. The two were opponents in America once before now everyone gets to see how well they fare as a team. Going against them is one of the most unlikely but heartwarming friendships you will ever find. What happens when you put a wasteland warrior like Max The Impaler with the childlike innocence of Pom Harajuku? You get a buddy-buddy tag team the likes of which would leave Pixar producers seething with jealousy because they hadn’t thought of it first.

Mizuki – The Popping Sugar Rabbit did not start her wrestling career in TJPW but she has established herself as one of the company’s all time best with multiple championship reigns and big show main events to her name. Don’t trust that smiling face of hers, she is vicious when she wants to be which is often. Constantly goes viral for using the Whirling Candy as well as Diving Double Stomps that leave those who see the moves locked in a state of inspiration and amazement. She doesn’t understand what U3+4 means but she is the closest pro wrestling can get to ever creating a real life Lili from Tekken. Just watch out for the biting. She can take the rabbit stuff a bit too literally sometimes.
Moves To Watch Out For: Cutie Special (Bridging Fall Away Slam), Whirling Candy (Spinning Cross Body Block), Diving Foot Stomp, Face Lock

Vert Vixen – Going from what I see online you can spell the name as either VertVixen or Vert Vixen. At last year’s American shows she made her DDT debut and took her first steps into the CyberFight universe. From there she did a month long tour in Japan with TJPW and returned in the summertime to defend the DEFY Women’s Championship, a title she still holds to this day. Obsessed with video games, her ring gear is often inspired by something gaming related. She is nicknamed Player One because Player One always wins!
Moves To Watch Out For: Game Over (Ki Crusher), Blue Thunder Bomb, Rolling Stunner, Sharpshooter

Max The Impaler – Puroresu has a history of bringing over wild rampaging warriors from the western world to cause chaos in their rings. Who could have guess TJPW of all companies would join in the tradition? Whenever “The Non-Binary Nightmare” comes over to TJPW you can expect a path of chaos being left in their wake. And yet Max has ended up becoming really well liked by the roster. Sure the times they rip the building apart gets management a little worried about future bookings with those venues but Max has become a part of the family at this point. And there is one wrestler more than anyone else who Max has established a strong attachment with.
Moves To Watch Out For: Welcome To The Wasteland (Canadian Backbreaker Drop), Short-Range Lariat, Body Block

Pom Harajuku – Bright and colourful costumes, loud screaming and plenty of kicks aimed at shins. Pom Harajuku’s fighting style can be most compared to that of a three year old throwing a temper tantrum. In recent years she has become the centre of Max The Impaler’s attention. Originally opponents in matches that more resembled a monster chasing down their prey, Max & Pom gradually developed respect for each other leading to them joining forces as a team called Pompaler. That is what happens when Max takes a liking to cute things and discovers just how effective it is to throw those cute things at other people. Even without Max, Harajuku can be a lot to handle by herself. And that’s just from the screaming.
Moves To Watch Out For: Pom de Justice (Step-Up Guillotine Leg Drop), Laforet Harajuku (Satellite Headscissors), Shin Kick, Denden Taiko (beating the opponent’s chest like a drum)

6. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

Similar to last year’s show the main event pits two of TJPW’s strongest ever tag teams against each other. 121000000 (pronounced “One To Million” because together their power increases from one to a million) consists of Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh. Both of them are feature players in the company yet in the last year they seem to spend more and more time wrestling overseas. Facing them is a team that can go by two names. Their Japanese name is Hakuchumu but I prefer using the English name Daydream. Together Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe are just as accomplished as their opponents and also have the edge of being the more established tag team. The match is also happening in the aftermath of “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” that just took place in Sumo Hall. Watanabe defeated Yamashita to become the new Princess Of Princess Champion in the main event and here they are fighting each other again. The result of this match may have the consequence of setting up the next Princess Title match back in Japan.

Miyu Yamashita – The Pink Striker has been part of TJPW since they first ran events and is never far away from the Princess Title. She is such a major part of the company that her dominance has long become a big fish in a small pond scenario. The Skull Kick she uses is one of the most deadliest looking finishers around. In recent years she has taken time away from TJPW to wrestle in America and Europe just like her tag team partner. That trend continues because after this show takes place Yamashita will begin a fresh stay in America that will last from April until June.
Moves To Watch Out For: Skull Kick (Backspin High Kick to the head), Crash Rabbit Heat (Running Knee Kick), Attitude Adjustment, Return Crash (Triangle Kick off the turnbuckles)

Maki Itoh – A failed idol who won her way into the hearts of wrestling fans after she transformed into a foul mouthed psychopath with an endless appetite for fame. When she’s about to punch her opponent in the corner she always shouts “Who is the cutest in the world?” and the audience respond with “Itoh-chan!” She struggled for years to become a success in Japan only to start making it big in America wrestling for AEW and GCW. In fact, nowadays you’re more likely to see Itoh carving up opponents with a pizza cutter in GCW than you will trying to be a popstar in TJPW! She recently became the new GCW Extreme Champion. It’s only a matter of time before she takes over the whole place!
Moves To Watch Out For: Itoh Special/Deluxe/Punish (Variations of the Texas Cloverleaf), Flying Big Head (Diving Headbutt), I.S.D/Itoh Suicide DDT (Flying DDT from the top rope), The Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World

Rika Tatsumi – The White Dragon originally took her name and some of her moveset from Tatsumi Fujinami and she also developed hips as hard of diamonds thanks to some special training with Shiro Koshinaka. She is one of only two grand slam champions in TJPW, having won the Princess Title, the Princess Tag Titles and the International Princess Title. But turning into such a powerful creature eventually comes at a cost and she has gradually become a little bit crazy. When you step into the ring with Tatsumi she will find a way to strangle you. She claims it is just her way of making friends. She would also happily run her opponents over with the company tour bus if she knew how to drive it.
Moves To Watch Out For: White Dragon Sleeper, Twist Of Fate, Hip Attack, “Let’s Go!” Elbow Drop, Choking Opponents

Miu Watanabe – The second Up Up Girl appearing on the show and also the strongest. She has found the most success outside of the group by becoming the second ever grand slam champion along with headlining “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” in Sumo Hall just a few days ago. It is the first step towards an Up Up Girl’s ultimate goal of performing in the Nippon Budokan. Always full of energy, she uses big hand gestures to spell out L-O-V-E along with her theme song during her entrances. You need to see her doing the Giant Swing because she knows several ways to put opponents into the move. She’s no one hit wonder though. There are a variety of ways Watanabe gets to show off her strength in the ring. Everyone could see for years that she is TJPW’s next breakout star. It’s only just recently that the booking finally caught up to that opinion.
Moves To Watch Out For: Tear Drop (Modified Flapjack), Laserbeam (Overhand Chop to the chest), Giant Swing, Canadian Backbreaker, Swinging Backbreaker

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GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Suzume & Pom Harajuku Vs SAKI & Nao Kakuta
2. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
3. Dark Sheik Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Steph De Lander Vs Hyper Misao
5. Shazza McKenzie Vs Arisu Endo
6. Allie Katch Vs Mizuki
7. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

The next afternoon TJPW goes head to head against GCW with a show dedicated almost entirely to inter-promotion matches between the two companies. I’ve written about GCW before when DDT worked with them last year so if you don’t mind I’ll repeat my opinions of them here. GCW is a promotion I like but don’t love. I’ve gotten to attend a variety of their events before, most of them during WrestleMania week. They’re really fun to attend in person and I enjoy watching live on Triller whenever I get to chance to do so. Watching the shows on-demand a day or two later though isn’t the same because the energy never carries through the screen. It’s a promotion that does not give its viewers a lot of time to let things soak in because as soon as one show ends they go right into promoting their next events. It can make following them online a bit of a blur at times.

The “GCW Vs X” shows often come off feeling like the lesser event of their doubleshot weekends and I fear the same has happened here despite the admirable effort on GCW’s end to provide an all women’s lineup. It doesn’t help that this show will be on Saturday afternoon and ends only a couple of hours before the first night of WrestleMania opens its doors. I’ve been to other wrestling shows held the same day as WrestleMania in the past and the atmosphere was always poor because the majority of the crowd spends the show keeping an eye on the exits for the entire time. I’m trying to be polite here because the undercard has the potential to be atrocious. Matches #3 up to #6 could be an absolute slog to sit through if some of those style clashes don’t work out. The card was changed a little bit because Sawyer Wreck was originally part of it. A broken hand put her out of action and caused a small reshuffle which includes SAKI getting a last minute booking so she can team with Kakuta. I don’t know what how Allie Katch Vs Mizuki will turn out. That feels like a coin flip as to whether or not the match will be good.

There is something I like about the lineup and that’s the main event. Itoh being on the GCW side makes sense given how she’s been booked in both companies over the last two years. The GCW team consisting of three of their hardest pushed wrestlers against three of TJPW’s longest serving mainstays is a really good idea. And I don’t just mean GCW’s hardest pushed women. Itoh, Rina Yamashita and Masha Slamovich have been among the hardest pushed wrestlers out of the GCW roster in general. That trio is the GCW Ultraviolent Champion, the GCW Extreme Champion and the JCW Champion all joining forces together. Miyu and Masha are great in the ring together while Nakajima and Rina had some fun interactions teaming together during Saki Akai’s retirement road last year. The wild card of the match is Yuki Aino. She might just be there to eat the pin but stranger things have happened.

The penultimate tag match looks fine. I don’t have any complaints about it. I’m a little concerned that Billie Starkz & Janai Kai might be a little tired because of their busy schedules in Philadelphia that week. They both have a bunch of matches already booked and by the time this show happens Starkz will have had a crazy No Rules match with MAO on the DDT show, a possibly crazy match with Misao in TJPW and a championship match in ROH. That kind of schedule is sure to leave some bruises. But other than that they should do good against Daydream.

Last thing to note is the GCW side ran out of women so the opener is all TJPW, even before the card change was made to include SAKI. That is unless Suzume and Pom Harajuku were on the GCW side all along. Has Suzume been the third member of Los Macizos and Pom Harajuku part of the Second Gear Crew this entire time?!?

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There’s at least one other chance to see Maki Itoh during the week. Here is another show at The Collective she will be wrestling on.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 8”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Danhausen & Ram Kaichow

While Itoh went back to Japan to wrestle for TJPW again, Gage went and teamed with Danhausen to challenge for the GCW Tag Team Titles. They lost and Danhausen blamed the result on Gage. That caused Gage to come up with a challenge. He and Itoh will fight Danhausen and a partner of his choice at some point during The Collective. All signs pointed towards the annual Spring Break show as the destination for the match. Then Joey Janela broke the news that Danhausen chose Ram Kaichow to be his teammate! Itoh and Kaichow have never crossed paths in the ring before because Kaichow’s TJPW appearances are often contained within the Rakuverse


GCW “JJSB: CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER!”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X

I’m including this because there are apparently going to be 88 contestants entering this year’s annual Clusterfuck Match so maybe a few TJPW entries could show up in it? Perhaps Itoh will have an Extreme Title defence on the card too.


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.


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.


Shoki On Tomorrow’s BASARA Show, GanJo Vs Marvelous, A New Miracle Power Combination?

February 19, 2024

BASARA “BASARA 242 ~UTAGE~”, 20/02/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. FUMA, KUBITO & Yasu Urano Vs SAGAT, Masato Kamino & Gouma Ryu
2. Daichi Kazato & Chicharito Shoki Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Lil’ Kraken Vs Kengo Mashimo
4. Isami Kodaka & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Takato Nakano

The mystery tag partner for Daichi Kazato is Chicharito Shoki.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 03/03/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kirra Debut Match: Kirra Vs X
2. Uta Debut Match: Uta Vs X

The debuts of Kirra and Uta will happen here in separate matches.

Ryo Mizunami will be on the show.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO SUPER DARIUS ’24”, 09/03/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Banny Oikawa Vs Kaho Kobayashi
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Sumire Natsu
3. Mixed Tag Match: Riara & Shota Vs Alex Lee & Tyson Maeguchi
4. GanJo Vs Marvelous: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono

There is more to the main event than just Yuna Manase’s return to the ring. It is also an inter-promotional bout pitting Ganbare☆Joshi against Marvelous. Manase steps in the ring with Takumi Iroha again plus YuuRI gets a chance to avenge her recent loss to Mio Momono.

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

1. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
2. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

A Great Kaiju War has been added to “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” and it might be too much for Kyoraku Kyomei to handle. It will be up to Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao to withstand the combined threat of Aja Kong & Max The Impaler. That’s right, Kong & Max are teaming up! Tokyo Joshi Pro describes the pairing as “Super Miracle Beast Power Combination” of the Reiwa era! Are they going to be as uncontrollable a tag team as Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody were?


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 1” Results

February 17, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 1 – SHOKO NAKAJIMA IS BACK ~ NIIGATA HOMECOMING PERFORMANCE”, 17/02/2024
Niigata Dúo CEREZO
251 Fans

1. Kaya Toribami defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Bird Cage (6:51).
2. 3 Way Match: Mizuki defeated Raku and Shino Suzuki when Mizuki submitted Suzuki with the Face Lock (8:11).
3. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku defeated Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI when Aino pinned HIMAWARI with the Venus DDT (10:57).
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Toga when Endo pinned Toga with the Ju no Okite (9:47).
5. Miyu Yamashita defeated Wakana Uehara with a Right High Kick (9:32).
6. Rika Tatsumi defeated Zara Zakher with the Figure 4 Leg Lock (8:58).
7. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto when Nakajima pinned Miyamoto with the Diving Senton (16:30).

Kyoraku Kyomei were determined not to lose in the main event of today’s show in front of Shoko Nakajima’s home crowd. It almost happened thanks to the combined power of Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto. Nakajima was put in the Giant Swing and also the Rashomon but Hyper Misao was there to save her partner when needed. Misao took out Watanabe using the Kingslayer knee strike followed by the Hypami Returns. Nakajima scored the pin by giving Miyamoto the Double Arm DDT and then the Diving Senton.

After the match Nakajima complimented their opponents. She told the fans Watanabe will be challenging for the Princess Of Princess Title at Sumo Hall next month while Miyamoto has become a strong wrestler herself. But Kyoraku Kyomei wanted to show they are still growing too and will not get overtaken by their juniors. Nakajima said she works in Tokyo now but her motto is to keep the winter spirit of Niigata alive no matter how hard that gets. That will be put to the test because today it was announced Kyoraku Kyomei will face the team of Aja Kong & Max The Impaler at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” on 31st March! Nakajima said the match will decide who the strongest kaiju really is. Misao is worried her brand new Hypami Dramatic Dream bike that cost two million yen in crowd funding could get destroyed so she won’t let Aja or Max lay a even a single finger on it. She also teased the bike has a secret function that will be used to beat the monster team.

Zara Zakher’s first tour of Japan sounds like it’s going well for her even if the match results don’t show it. She put on an impressive performance against Rika Tatsumi despite losing to her. Kazher took a lot of the match using her power but made the mistake of leaving her legs vulnerable for a Dragon Screw. Tatsumi used the move to set up a Figure 4 Leg Lock to make Zakher give up. Tatsumi was happy to have a match against a new foreign wrestler and thinks she made a new friend out of it. Zakher said wrestling in Japan is a dream come true and she wants to come back here.

The fans were behind the underdog Wakana Uehara when she took on the Princess Champion Miyu Yamashita in a non-title bout. She tried to get a pinfall using a Jackknife Pin but Yamashita returned fire with a Right High Kick for the victory. She thinks Uehara has grown a lot since the Next Generation Tournament and has always had a strong impression of her since the Yume Pro Wrestling project. She gave her a fierce fight today because she saw how fired up Uehara got during her match with Aja Kong.

The Argentine Neckbreaker Drop used by Arisu Endo is now called the Ju no Okite. It is named after the Ju no Okite code of rules learned by the Aizu clan of samurai. Apparently there is a more common version taught to school children in Aizuwakamatsu where Endo is from. It consists of rules like do not lie to others, respect your elders, don’t bully the weak, etc.


Sakaguchi Retires Tomorrow, Sauna Club Vs Bath Club, Hirata’s New Unit Gains Another Member

February 6, 2024

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kazuki Hirata & Danshoku Dieno Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
2. Jun Akiyama, Yoshitatsu & Soma Takao Vs Toru Owashi, Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. DDT Extreme Title Next Challenger Match – Hardcore Match: Hideki Okatani Vs MJ Paul
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Takeshi Masada & Rukiya Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino
7. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA

Tomorrow we bid farewell to the wrestling career of Yukio Sakaguchi.

Yesterday Hideki Okatani put out a message asking for his match against MJ Paul to be turned into a Hardcore Match. Paul sent a letter via courier to the DDT office that was simply a large, bloody “OK” smeared on the page. Challenge accepted.

There will be contract signings for the upcoming KO-D Openweight Title and DDT Universal Title matches held before this show begins.

DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 3 ~TOTONOI TO YOU~”, 14/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Takeshi Masada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. ~DDT Sauna Club Vs DDT Open Bath Club~: Kazuki Hirata & Naya Tonttu Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi
3. ~Toy Kojima’s Sauna Room~: Toy Kojima Vs Masato Tanaka
4. ~Shunma Katsumata’s Sauna Room~: Shunma Katsumata Vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan
5. ~Mao Inoue’s Sauna Room~: MAO Vs Chris Brookes
6. KO-D Openweight Title ~Yuki Ueno’s Sauna Room~: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno

A conflict has suddenly broken out between the DDT Sauna Club and the DDT Open Bath Club. Although Kazuki Hirata declined to join The 37KAMIINA, he still gets to participate in the Sauna Club away from matches. While heading out to a riverbed one day Hirata confronted Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi from the Open Bath Club and an argument broke out between them. Hirata found himself outnumbered when all of a sudden somebody who looked like Yukio Naya showed up to protect him. That being is Naya Tonttu, the mythical guardian of the DDT Sauna Club! Hirata convinced him to team up against the Open Bath Club at The 37KAMIINA’s sold out show next week.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 1 – SHOKO NAKAJIMA IS BACK ~ NIIGATA HOMECOMING PERFORMANCE”, 17/02/2024
Niigata Dúo CEREZO

1. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Raku Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Zara Zakher
4. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI
5. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Toga
6. Miyu Yamashita Vs Wakana Uehara
7. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto

The homecoming show for Shoko Nakajima sees her team up with Hyper Misao as Kyoraku Kyomei again. They cannot get full revenge on Daydream for being eliminated from the Max Heart Tournament but they still get to fight Miu Watanabe. Teaming with her here is Moka Miyamoto.

A first time singles match between Miyu Yamashita and Wakana Uehara is on the show. Zara Zakher also continues her tour with a match against Rika Tatsumi.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Iino, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Akito & Soma Takao
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yoshitatsu Vs Yukio Naya & Rukiya
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & X
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Toy Kojima
6. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Hikaru Machida
7. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Kaisei Takechi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada

Kaisei Takechi is responsible for selling out the show so no question he gets the main event slot.

So it looks like Hirata got Naruki Doi on board to join his new unit. He isn’t the only one though because Hirata is teasing another addition will be revealed at Korakuen Hall. Is he going for something Dragon System flavored as the unit’s theme I wonder?

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

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

Max The Impaler has been added to the show.

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Mike Bailey, Andrew “The Giant” Everett and Kid Lykos will all be part of DDT’s next USA show.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION” Results

January 6, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 06/01/2024
Shinjuku FACE
374 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Aino defeated HIMAWARI & Toga when Yamashita pinned HIMAWARI with the Attitude Adjustment (11:36).
2. Pom Harajuku defeated Kuishinbo Kamen with a School Boy (6:22).
3. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Max The Impaler ended in a No Contest (10:28).
4. Battle Royal To Win The Right To Challenge The Princess Of Princess Champion: Miu Watanabe defeated Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima and Yuki Kamifuku (24:00).
4a. Mizuki eliminated Shoko Nakajima by Over The Top Rope (14:02).
4b. Rika Tatsumi eliminated Mizuki by Over The Top Rope (14:26).
4c. Yuki Kamifuku eliminated Rika Tatsumi with a Kintaro Clutch (20:32).
4d. Miu Watanabe eliminated Yuki Kamifuku with the Tear Drop (24:00).

The challenger for “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” at Sumo Hall has been determined. Miu Watanabe won the Battle Royal to become the No. 1 Contender for the Princess Of Princess Title! The match went on with the champion Miyu Yamashita watching on nearby. Mizuki eliminated Shoko Nakajima by using the Cutie Special on the apron to bounce her out of the ring. Mizuki then didn’t last much longer because when she climbed the turnbuckles, Rika Tatsumi knocked her to the floor with a Hip Attack. Tatsumi and Watanabe then fought each other in a Daydream battle until Yuki Kamifuku slipped in and pinned Tatsumi with a Kintaro Clutch out of nowhere. Kamifuku then tried to give Watanabe the Famouser but she was caught on her opponent’s shoulders. A Victory Roll attempt was then blocked and Watanabe spun Kamifuku around with a Giant Swing. The finish came after that when Watanabe pinned her with the Tear Drop.

So now the stage is set for 31st March. Watanabe will face Yamashita for the Princess Title at Ryogoku! Watanabe said she loves Tokyo Joshi Pro so she will do whatever it takes to win the title and make the show a success. She feels the weight of the challenge because it is happening on the 10th year of TJPW. Yamashita said backstage she is not planning to travel for the next three months so she intends to wrestle all of her matches in Japan during this period. She will never lose so she asks Watanabe to come and beat her at Sumo Hall with all of her might.

There was no longer any death matches scheduled for the show after Hikari Noa was pulled but Masha Slamovich Vs Max The Impaler ended up going out of control anyway. They fought out of the ring and threw each other into rows of chairs. Max brought a chair into the ring and the referee stopped them from using it. When Max shoved the ref away, Slamovich then grabbed a chair and hit Max with it. The ref then shouted warnings at her and got shoved aside. The match had to be called off while Max and Slamovich were still fighting out of the ring towards the lobby. Later backstage when things calmed down Slamovich was able to comment on the match. She said a No Contest means there is still work to be done between her and Max. They can do it at Sumo Hall, in Philadelphia or anywhere else! Wherever a rematch takes place, Slamovich promises to have a surprise in store for Max.

Pom Harajuku is so much like Kuishinbo Kamen. Perhaps a little too much even. She entered the ring wearing her own Kamen mask as well as a lei made out of packs of candy. The two wrestled a comedy match that dragged the referee into it. The ref ended up kicking Kamen and Harajuku rolled him up with a School Boy to win. Harajuku said Kamen is awesome and they are so similar even she couldn’t tell who was who. Kamen said at the time Harajuku debut he thought her gimmick overlapped with his. He was glad to have a match with her and doesn’t want today to be the only time it happens. The two agreed to team up next time and decided to dance their way home together.

The show opened up with Yamashita teaming up with Yuki Aino so the two champions could take on HIMAWARI & Toga. The match was put together to celebrate the first anniversary of HIMAWARI’s TJPW debut. Aino dropped Toga with the Venus DDT and Yamashita pinned HIMAWARI with the Attitude Adjustment.

Haru Kazashiro joined Sayuri Namba for the show opening announcements. Namba asked Kazashiro to predict the main event. Kazashiro couldn’t pick a winner because she originally thought it was going to be Maki Itoh, who was pulled from the show on short notice due to injury.

There is going to be another TJPW show in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania Week. The second show will also include the women from GCW working with them. “GCW Vs TJPW” will be held in Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium on 6th April.


More Matches Just Keep Getting Added

January 5, 2024

NOTE: The Maki Itoh injury news came out while I was writing this post and has since been edited in.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 06/01/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Pom Harajuku Vs Kuishinbo Kamen
2. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Aino Vs HIMAWARI & Toga
3. Battle Royal To Win The Right To Challenge The Princess Of Princess Champion: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
4. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Max The Impaler

Both Masha Slamovich and Max The Impaler are looking for a rebound win after losing their big title matches yesterday.

Maki Itoh is out of action indefinitely after injuring her arm during yesterday’s match against Rina Yamashita. Her arm felt numb afterwards and she went for an MRI scan earlier today. The diagnosis was for her to rest and get medical treatment. That means she has to pull out of her upcoming matches both in Japan and abroad. The timetable for her return will depend on her doctor’s decision during her recovery. The Battle Royal tomorrow will now be between the five remaining participants.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 ROSIER”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Keisuke Ishii & Shota Vs Yuni & Ilusion
2. Legendary Hostess Vs The Toughest Girl In Osaka: Riara Vs Momoka Hanazono
3. Banny Oikawa & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. Special Single Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Tsuyoshi Okada
5. Yumehito Imanari & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka

Munetatsu Nakamura is showing symptoms of a fever so will not be at the show tomorrow. Yuni takes his place in the opener.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi & Ilusion
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Iino & Yuni
3. Special Tag Match: Yoshitatsu & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi
4. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Rukiya
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Bodyguard, Naruki Doi & Tsutenkakka
6. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Takeshi Masada
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Naya, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani

The card for tomorrow’s DDT show has been changed around because of MAO’s illness as well as plans to build up Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Naya for the end of the month.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 07/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Makoto Oishi Vs Yuni
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno
3. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Takeshi Masada
4. Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Akito, Yusuke Okada & Ilusion
5. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toy Kojima
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi
7. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
8. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Kazusada Higuchi

Not as many changes here but still a few. The big change here is Yuki Iino teaming with Tetsuya Endo as the newest member of BURNING. They are against DAMNATION T.A too and Daisuke Sasaki is not happy his plan to get Endo on his side again ended in failure.

BASARA “BASARA 239 ~UTAGE~”, 07/01/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. KUBITO & Yasu Urano Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
2. Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. Takumi Tsukamoto, SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Daichi Kazato, Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
5. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Minoru Fujita

The first BASARA show of 2024 has FUMA defending the Union MAX Title against Minoru Fujita as the main event.

DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT BLAST! 2024”, 14/01/2024
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. Kazuki Hirata, Kazusada Higuchi & Danshoku Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada Vs Yoshitatsu, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada
3. Special Single Match: Shota Vs Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs KANON
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Rukiya
6. Special 4 Way Match: MAO Vs Mecha Mummy Vs Mecha Pandita Vs Demonio Uno
7. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Death Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima

Two singles matches between ROMANCE DAWN and DAMNATION T.A to get them ready for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match later in the month.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO WINNING SHOT ’24”, 16/01/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ice Ribbon Offer Match: Ibuki Hoshi & Kaho Matsushita Vs Arisa Shinose & Tsukina Umino
2. Alex Lee & Riara Vs Kaho Kobayashi & Itsuki Aoki
3. SAKI Vs Banny Oikawa
4. Sumire Natsu & YuuRI Vs Yuu & Yoshiko Hasegawa

Riara gets to team up with Alex Lee for the first time. They have previously been opponents.

DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yoshitatsu Vs Kazuki Hirata & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada
2. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: KANON Vs Yuni
3. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Ilusion
4. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
6. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
7. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota

Because their is not enough matches going on in this show DDT have added a 4 Way Tag to it.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
3. Kazuki Hirata & Akito Vs Shunma Katsumata & Yusuke Okada
4. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MJ Paul
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Naya & Yoshitatsu
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith

The last preview match between Ueno and Naya before their KO-D Openweight Title bout takes place here.