TJPW Spring Live Tour (18/5/24) Review

It’s been a bit of a sad weekend to be a TJPW fan. The announcement that Hikari Noa would be graduating from both the Up Up Girls and the company wasn’t surprising, but it still hurt. Noa has been an integral part of Tokyo Joshi since I started watching, and someone I’ve always had a lot of time for, so to see her depart so unceremoniously leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. One suspects that idol politics is at play, but I have no wish to delve into those murky waters. I simply hope she’s okay and that, if she wishes, we see her pop up somewhere else.

Away from the sadness, TJPW were in Shinkiba for the latest stop of their Spring tour. Let’s see what went down. 

Nao Kakuta defeated Runa Okubo

The version of Nao Kakuta we saw in this match is perhaps the one I’ll miss the most. When she walked into TJPW, she brought some grit to the midcard, never showing any qualms about bullying her juniors or delivering a boot to the face of her seniors. I love the happy family vibe, but you need a few people willing to get nasty, and Kakuta has always brought that. It fuels her reaching behind her back to grab Runa’s hair while holding her in a headlock or the spiteful little kicks she lashes out with. Nao’s a wonderful prick.

Her behaviour brought a decent performance out of the youngster, too. Runa’s improvement over the last six months or so has been remarkable, and it all seems to come from her burgeoning confidence. She’s still far from the finished product, but she’s now comfortable enough in the ring that it’s not as noticeable as it once was. There is no timidity to her wrestling, as she chooses instead to forearm her way through anyone who gets in her way. It’s a simple way to deal with your issues, but it’s working for her. 

We also saw Runa get emotional afterwards, finishing up what I assume will be her final match against Nao with tears in her eyes. It was lovely to see Kakuta, who not long before had been bullying her, switch to comforting mode, and I don’t think I’m the only one who will miss her. That was a lovely end to a solid wee opener that didn’t go out of its way to do anything special but was enjoyable while it was on. 

Verdict: I’ll Miss The Bully

Raku, Moka Miyamoto & Uta Takumi defeated Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase

It’s not a switch that has happened between this show and the last, but watching this match, I suddenly became aware that Arisu Endo feels like a star. It’s not just because she wears that tag title around her waist, either. No, she held herself like one. Maybe I’m wrong, but I suspect if you asked someone who had never seen TJPW before who they thought the most important person in this match was, they would have pointed at Arisu. She’s no longer simply a talented cog in the Tokyo Joshi midcard. She’s now the person you take note of. 

On the other side of the fence is Chika Nanase, who shrinks while Endo shines. I have no desire to be harsh on her, as her wrestling career is still in its infancy, but the timidness that Runa now lacks is evident in her. We’ve seen hints of a lively, engaging personality, but in the ring, she’s lacking something. I can’t even put my finger on what it is. She’s not making huge mistakes or hiding away. Chika’s simply struggling to stand out. Of her rookie class, Uta and Kira already feel like they’re figuring out who they are, while Chika is taking a little longer. There is no big rush (it took Moka a fair amount of time), but I hope she gets there. 

As for this match, it was perfectly fine. I always get a kick out of Raku winning with the Guillotine Choke because it seems so un-her, so that was enjoyable. However, outside of that, it was all fairly rudimentary and about what you’d expect for a second on the card outing between this group. It was easy to watch but perhaps not too memorable. 

Verdict: Fine

Suzume defeated Mahiro Kiryu and Shino Suzuki in a three-way

Following on from what I was saying about Arisu, there is something about Suzume smiling her way through a midcard nonsense three-way that I find particularly charming. As the number of big matches she’s part of grows, you get the impression that she enjoyed coming down to mess around with Mahiro and Shino. Sure, she’d have preferred not to be forced into joining Kiryu’s apology, but this was still a chance for her to relax and unwind. 

Sadly, the same can’t be said for Mahiro. I think she was trying to be manipulative here. She’s been watching Kamiyu or Rika Tatsumi and taking notes. There were a few attempts to play the other two against each other, and her crack at stealing a Shino pin led to the rookie very earnestly trying to explain to her that she’d done all the hard work. Of course, this being Mahiro, it could only end one way. Her opponents realised what she was up to and turned on her. Never change, Kiryu. Never change. 

From a pure wrestling point of view, my favourite part of this match was Shino’s attempts to sneak out with a pin towards the end as she looked to follow up her victory over Toga by bundling someone else up. I even bit on the O’Connor Roll, as I suspect my fondness for Kaori Yoneyama matches has cemented that move as a potential finish. It was a fun ending to an outing that made me smile. Again, it was nothing special, but I had a nice time.

Verdict: Fun

Mizuki & Pom Harajuku defeated Shoko Nakajima & Haru Kazashiro

Pom and Mizuki are almost a perfect chaos team. They’re both wonderfully all over the place but in very different ways. Pom is unpredictable and wild, leaving you unsure as to what she’ll do next. Mizuki, meanwhile, is a demon hiding behind a bright smile. One second she’s drawing you in, asking if you want a drink and a lovely meal, the next she’s stomping on your head. It’s quite unsettling. 

And that chaos was working to their advantage. Sure, Mizuki setting Pom up to charge down the ramp for a P-attack somewhat backfired when she got to the ropes and had to slowly climb over them, but it certainly left Haru bemused. She didn’t quite know how to deal with Pom clinging to the turnbuckle or throwing a tantrum in the middle of the ring. It can be hard dealing with an over-excited three-year-old, especially when you’re just a kid yourself. Unfortunately for her, that lack of surety was what gave Team Chaos the advantage. 

It also left Shoko to be the adult in the room, although she did benefit by it naturally building to her hot tag. TJPW don’t tend to structure tags that way, but if they did, you’ve got to think Shoko would be one of the best around. Even here where she wasn’t necessarily going for that explosive entrance into the ring, she still ignited the excitement when she arrived, kicking off a fun back-and-forth with Mizuki that was as good as you’d imagine that pairing to be. They weren’t going all out, but they didn’t have to. They’re that brilliant.

That all made for the best match on the show so far, as we got some nonsense, a fun rookie performance and a snippet from two of the best in the company. You won’t hear me complain about any of that. 

Verdict: Good Stuff

Yuki Kamifuku defeated Alexis Lee to retain the SPW Queen of Asia Title and the VPW Women’s Title

Singapore Pro Wrestling’s Alexis Lee was making her TJPW and Japan debut in this match, so it was a big day for her. However, she and Kamiyu are far from strangers. I believe this was their fourth meeting, as they’ve been touring this bout around Asia, with the two belts Kamiyu holds coming from wins over Lee. They seem to be fostering a nice little rivalry, and while I can’t pretend to have seen any of it, I’m glad it set Lee up to get this booking. 

What I appreciated about this match was that it started with a cheap shot that meant something. So often, someone gets the jump on their opponent, only for that to become irrelevant thirty seconds later. It’s not something that keeps me awake at night, but it can feel a bit wasteful. Thankfully, there was none of that here. Lee jumped Kamiyu and took advantage of it, refusing to give her time to catch her breath and get back into the action. It’s usually Kamifuku playing it mean, but Lee didn’t give her the opportunity, taking the fight to the outside and wrestling dirty for most of the action. 

It wasn’t perfect. Lee’s strikes lacked the oomph needed to feel really nasty, and the German she hit towards the end lost some impact thanks to the height difference. However, this match reminded me of something I have returned to again and again – Kamiyu’s International Princess Title run. That reign was built around short, tight matches that played to the strengths of the wrestlers involved. That was what we got here. These two benefitted from all those minutes in the ring together and knew exactly how to ensure they both came out of this looking good. When you can pull that off, you can get away with the odd nitpick, and this was an impressive start to wrestling in Japan for Alexis Lee. 

Verdict: Well Done

Daydream (Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi) & HIMAWARI defeated Maki Itoh, Yuki Aino & Toga

HIMAWARI has sneakily got very popular. The usually incredibly over Itoh was getting booed for biting her hair. While that was partly Shinkiba playing to the moment, you get the impression that HIMAWARI is rising through the rankings of TJPW’s most beloved faces. The Powerful Cheeky Chappy is an infectious presence, and watching her team up with Rika and Miu for some hammer-throw antics, it’s hard not to want all the good things for her. She’s just too damn likeable. 

Away from the sunflower, I’d forgotten how exciting a pairing Rika and Maki are. They had that outstanding title match during Tatsumi’s reign, and while I typically associate them both with other wrestlers, watching them together is thrilling. There’s something about throwing two hard-headed, stubborn people at each other that creates magic. On a slightly newer front, I also enjoyed Toga vs Miu, who had me craving a ten-minute showdown between them in the first round of the Princess Cup. Much like HIMAWARI, Toga was getting the fans behind her as she dared to stand up to the champ and try to match her. She’s not there yet, but damn, I’d like to see her get a few more chances.  

On the whole, this was a match that fitted the show it headlined. Good, but nothing remarkable. You had those fun pairings, plus Miu and Aino hossing it out and HIMAWARI being a natural third for Daydream. However, they mainly hit the beats you’d expect and finished with the predictable result of the champ pinning Toga. None of it was bad, but when I’m looking back over the TJPW main events of the year, I can’t imagine this one will even ring a bell. 

Verdict: What You’d Expect

Overall Show

I already covered it above. It was a solid trip to Shinkiba. There were a lot of decent matches, a fun debut from Alexis Lee and a Pom and Mizuki pairing that I enjoyed a lot, but it never quite broke through into great. If you’re not a completist, I’d recommend shoving it on in the background and paying particular attention to the Pom and Mizuki tag and the title match. The rest is easy to watch, but nothing you need to see. 

Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.

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