It’s Max Heart semi-final time, as TJPW filed into KFC Hall to find out who will be battling for a big trophy and a shot at the tag-team titles. Of the four teams left, only Daydream have held gold before, and even with Miu already booked to challenge Miyu for the shiniest belt of them all, you’ve got to look at them as the favourites. Will they make it to the final? Let’s find out!
Mahiro Kiryu defeated Haru Kazashiro
I have a lot of affection for Mahiro. She’s come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of years, was the main character in one of my favourite 2023 matches and knows how to put on an enjoyable TJPW undercard romp. However, she’s not the person to pull a rookie to a good showing. Paired up with Haru, Kiryu slowed things down and went to the basics, at times looking like she was moving at half-speed as they went through their chain grappling. It wasn’t awful, but it was hardly exhilarating.
And I think they sprinkled the seeds of a solid idea through the match. Mahiro playing the reluctant and apologetic veteran beating on a rookie could be fun, and there were moments when it looked like they would lean into that. However, they never committed, making it a solitary gag rather than the core of the action. Instead, it fell on Haru to bring the excitement, speeding the action up when she went on offence. It was a role she did alright in, selling her desperation to chip away at Mahiro well and continuing to show an aptitude for this. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have enough in her locker yet to create magic.
It meant this stuck at okay. Nothing went wrong, so it wasn’t a disaster, but I can’t imagine anyone telling a friend about it. Haru getting another run-out and putting in a solid performance has value, but beyond that, it’s an easy skip.
Verdict: Nothing You Need To See
Yuki Aino & Toga defeated Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami
It’s hardly a fresh observation, but Shoko is exceptional at this stuff. Even in a match second from bottom on a smaller show where no one is going all out, her quality shines through. Whether being mean to Toga or engaging in a battle of power vs skill with Aino, Nakajima brings a touch of class that few can’t compete with. She’s brilliant.
Outside of that, there honestly isn’t much to say about this. It was a house show match, where they did everything you’d expect them to do but weren’t about to push themselves to that next level. All of which is perfectly understandable. You can’t go at 100% on every show. It was decent and a clear step up from the opener, but it’s another one you can happily skip by if you’re in a rush.
Verdict: Alright
Hyper Misao defeated Pom Harajuku in a nonsense match
Okay, so I think this was a feet touch the ground, become an oni, two-count falls match. Does that sound right? It’s what I’m going for. After you’d successfully got your opponent’s feet to touch the ground, you got to put on your oni costume (complete with blow-up club) and could therefore win with a two-count. It’s safe to say nonsense was happening.
I haven’t watched 2024’s Royal Rumble and probably never will. It’s been years since I’ve watched WWE beyond the occasional match, and considering what’s come out in the last few days, now doesn’t feel like the time to change that. However, I feel comfortable declaring that Pom and Misao’s Rumble spots were better than anything on that show, as they took full advantage of Pom’s ability to sell the peril of being chucked out the ring. She was dangling off the side, screaming, as Misao prodded and poked, trying to get her to fall to the floor. Pom will never get the credit she deserves for her selling, but if you doubt her talents, watch this match. She milked those relatively simple spots for everything they were worth.
When the oni masks came out, the nonsense was fully unleashed, and it was a joy. Who doesn’t want to see Pom and Misao hit each other with clubs? If you don’t, well, I’ve already had that rant this week, so I refer you to my previous Max Heart review. Just the sight of Pom in that daft outfit was enough to have me start giggling, never mind the actual wrestling. These two understand the value of simply being silly, and while that might not seem like a lot, it allows matches like this to fly. It was TJPW lower card nonsense division wrestling at its best, and on a day when I was a bit hungover and feeling sorry for myself, it was everything I needed.
Verdict: Wonderful
Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Kamifuku & HIMAWARI defeated Mizuki, Raku & Shino Suzuki
When Raku settled down for her pre-match nap, Kamiyu and Miyu fled the ring, leaving HIMAWARI to deal with what was to follow. They’re well aware that there are some powers that you should not mess with. Minutes later, when HIMAWARI flew into a rage that had her spinning her hair around like crazy, they were proven right. If you mess with Raku’s sleep, you will face the antics, which will not end well for you. Also, more of that pairing, please. They’re already great together.
Outside of the silliness, this was a good showing. It delivered marquee match-ups like Miyu vs Mizuki alongside the fun of Yamashita dishing out a kicking to Shino, using all of the rookie’s innate likeability to her advantage. When Mizuki provided the assists for Suzuki to get a couple of two counts on the Ace, it felt like its own mini-victory. Shino had made it through the fire, and when she clung to her sleeper, getting excitingly close to choking Miyu out, the fans were in her corner, embracing this plucky youngster’s attempts to beat the champ.
Of course, it was never going to happen, but that’s not the point. For a few seconds, it felt like everyone in that room had forgotten the reality, and is that not half the battle? Especially when you consider this was a middle-of-the-card tag with no stakes on a smaller show. If you can make people care there, you can make them care anywhere, and this over-delivered massively.
Verdict: Shino Shines!
Daisy Monkey (Suzume & Arisu Endo) defeated Shinken Kusho (Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano) in the Max Heart Semi-Final
Daisy Monkey almost let this one get away from them. Shinken Kusho have had some success as a team, and Moka is on a similar level to Suzume and Arisu, but they were always the favourites for this match. Juria is the weak link, and as long as they could keep out of the way of those strikes, they should have been able to exploit that. Suzume even showed how to do it early on, sneaking underneath a punch to drag Nagano to the mat, forcing her into a world she’s not as comfortable in.
Except, that wasn’t what happened. Moka and Juria kept finding the space and the time that allowed the karate nurse to unload. As the action progressed, Shinken Kusho grew in confidence, even as Daisy Monkey buzzed around them. There was a moment when all that saved Arisu was her partner sneaking in behind her and dragging her out of harm’s way with a schoolboy, a beautiful piece of improvisation that gave them a chance to pick up the pace. For every spot like that, however, there was a Nagano kick thudding home. It was starting to feel like it was Shinken Kusho’s day, that everything would fall into place, and they’d get into the final.
However, the one thing you can’t account for is a singular moment of brilliance. Having been peppered by kicks from Juria, Arisu threw everything she had into dodging under one and hoisting her into an Argentinian Backbreaker position before spinning her out into a TKO. It was a powerhouse moment from a wrestler you don’t associate those with, which made it feel like she’d levelled up, finding something new inside her to reach that next stage. Pushing through even when everything wasn’t going her way.
It all made me sad that we won’t see this match again, what with Juria about to ride off into the sunset, aka return to being purely a karate nurse. These two teams had great chemistry, and a series of matches between them that continued to explore these ideas could have been special. Instead, we’ll have to accept the one-and-done, but it was a damn good one.
Verdict: Great Stuff
Daydream (Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe) defeated Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara in the Max Heart Semi-Final
Our second Max Heart semi-final contrasted nicely with the first. While Daisy Monkey struggled to get their plan in motion, the favourites here had none of those issues. Daydream could do what they wanted, Rika relishing the chance to grind away on the two golden girls. They’ve taken on the precision of a well-honed football team, never needing to communicate because they trust that the other will be exactly where they want them to be, doing exactly what they should be. They’re the Xavi and Iniesta of TJPW but with significantly more strangling.
That meant that Wakana and Arai were forced to the outskirts of the match, grasping at any opportunity that came within reach. It wasn’t all one-way traffic, and they found a few openings, but they always had to work for them, relying on a touch of chaos to set them up. Their best opportunity came when Wakana got Miu locked in a sleeper, clinging valiantly to it before depositing her right in the path of an Arai boot and locking it straight back on. It was a brilliant piece of tag wrestling that felt tactically right. If Wakana and Arai were going to get something out of this, they needed to make the most of every slight chance, even if that was clinging to Miu’s back and hoping you were doing enough damage to stop her powering out.
Sadly for them, it wasn’t to be. Eventually, Miu got Wakana in a straight fight, and at that point, she didn’t stand a chance. There was a ruthlessness to how Watanabe finished this, barrelling through Uehara like she was nothing and dropping her with the Teardrop. However, it was the right kind of ruthlessness – the type that drew the line in the sand. When Wakana and Arai worked together and got the roll of the dice, they stood a chance of upsetting the odds, but at the end of the day, they’ve got a lot of catching up to do before they’re on Daydreams level. Will the same be true for Daisy Monkey? I guess we’ll find out.
Verdict: Daydream Supremacy
Overall Show
If you’re in a rush, feel free to skip the first two matches. They’re not offensive or anything, but they’re nothing to get excited about. However, from Pom and Misao’s nonsense onwards, this was a great show. We had silliness, a strong six-woman tag, and two great tournament matches to see it all off. It’s been a good year for the Max Heart, and with a final between Daydream and Daisy Monkey ahead, it’s surely going to finish on a high.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.
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