I find it hard to divorce my feelings about this match from the picture that Haru posted on Twitter afterwards. In it, she has a huge smile plastered across her face as she shows off the damage a match worth of Aniki’s offence does to one’s chest. It tells you everything you need to know. Wrestling nerd Haru, who came into this company as a shy and awkward wee thing, stepped into the ring with someone who has been doing this since before she was born, and while she didn’t win, she did survive. She took her licks, proved her toughness and, in the process, even gave Aniki a scare or two.
It’s a very different match, but I have similar feelings towards this as I did Mei Suruga vs Uta Takami. Like that goblin battle, this was under ten minutes and didn’t have any of the epic tendencies that draw notice from outside of the bubble (or even inside it). However, in the seven or so minutes it went for, they did everything they needed to do. We saw wee Haru try to tip the scales in her favour, firing off dropkicks and scrambling into flash pins, hoping to spring an upset. This was a huge opportunity for her, and she treated it as such, even debuting a new springboard dropkick to bolster her attempts to put the veteran down. At this stage in her career, the chance to wrestle Aniki in a match with stakes is the equivalent of a Korakuen main event, and for someone who started as a fan, that feeling is only amplified.
Haru’s ambition was grounded by a fantastic veteran performance from Aniki. She knew what to give Kazashiro here, never once suggesting that she was her physical equal, but letting her stumble into little spurts of offence. You were given the impression that if Mizunami put her game face on and turned it up, this could be over in seconds, but there was a slither of a chance she would be caught off guard before that happened. While Aniki never takes things too seriously, spending her entrance dancing around an impassive Tetsuya Koda hinted at her mindset. This was meant to be an easy day at the office. Then, before she could even get herself ready, this teenage pest was firing off dropkicks and trying to roll her up.
Not that there was ever any actual doubt about the result, but there didn’t have to be. The joy was in seeing Haru spend even thirty seconds on Mizunami’s level. She was always going to be sent crashing down to earth eventually, but that she pulled herself up there, finding it in her to cause one of the best in the scene a hint of trouble, speaks highly for her future. Outside of kayfabe, the fact she got in that ring, took everything Aniki was dishing out and came out beaming with pride is proof that she has it in her to go far. I’m a sucker for this stuff, and this match ticked every box I needed it to. An instant classic? Maybe not, but it was an example of pro wrestling done right, and everyone came out all the better for it.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.
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