2024’s Princess Cup was guaranteed a first-time winner, as we had a battle between TJPW stalwart Yuki Aino and outsider Ryo Mizunami. I think there’s an argument that neither was an obvious choice at the start of the tournament, although perhaps Mizunami should have been. However, I wouldn’t complain about either of them getting a match with Miu Watanabe, so I’ll be happy regardless. We’re also down a few roster members, as Miyu Yamashita, Raku, HIMAWARI and Mahiro Kiryu were in the UK wrestling for EVE (a show I was at). Anyway, on with the fun.
Before we got started, Yoshiko Hasegawa (aka Yoppy) appeared to announce that she’ll be a TJPW regular going forward. She used to work for Ganbare, who were formerly part of the Cyberfight family, so it feels like a natural landing place for her. I look forward to seeing more of her matches.
Runa Okubo defeated Chika Nanase
Chika Nanase was coming into this match off what I thought was the best performance of her career. It should be no surprise to anyone that it came against Rika Tatsumi, who has had more people’s best matches than most wrestlers have had, well, good matches. In classic Tatsumi style, she gleefully bullied young Nanase, grinning from ear to ear as she put her through her paces. And it worked! The rookie played along with some of Rika’s silliness, took her beating well and showed glimpses of personality as she battled to escape the White Dragon’s claws. It felt like the start of her figuring out who she is.
Sadly, this match didn’t follow the same formula. Runa Okubo might be a wee powerhouse, but they’re too close in the pecking order for this to be one-sided. Instead, Nanase held her own until those forearms wore her down. However, I still think this showed hints of that improvement. It was there when she took a few steps back after an Okubo forearm, gritting her teeth before returning to try and match her teenage opponent. She’s not quite put it all together, but she’s starting to do so, growing more expressive in the ring as she finds herself.
As for Runa, this was more of the same, but it’s impressive that this win doesn’t feel big. While she’s the more experienced wrestler, she’s still a kid, juggling TJPW shows with school, which often means you’re at the bottom of the totem pole that little bit longer. However, and this is true of both her and Haru, she’s proven herself, developing her talent and becoming a threat through, if nothing else, those big thumping forearms. I’ve said it before, but the distance she’s already come in her short career is incredibly impressive, and I can’t wait to see how much further she goes.
Verdict: Chika’s Getting There
Pom Harajuku defeated Shino Suzuki
The lengths Pom Harajuku will go to set up a roll-up are extraordinary. She had Shino Suzuki delivering nearly a full performance of her entrance theme while Pom enthusiastically pranced around at ringside. I don’t want to disparage the TJPW roster too much, but they’re not the brightest. She could probably get away with pointing and shouting, ‘Look over there’.
When Pom wasn’t tricking Shino into putting her heart and soul into song, she was kinda mean in this match. Okay, it wasn’t Sid Vicious brutally dispatching Lee Scott. The shin kicks didn’t suddenly become bone-crunching, but we did get a side of everyone’s favourite clown that we don’t typically see. It even bled over into her having to reposition Suzuki when she wasn’t in the right spot for her second rope dropkick, Pom hopping down with a look of frustration before delivering a boot to the shin and dragging her into place.
It made the finish feel extra definitive, too, Pom seeing Suzuki off with a Pom-de-Justice in under five minutes, with the young idol barely getting a sniff. Are we setting up a dominant Harajuku squash run? Probably not, but I’d quite like to see it. Anyway, this was fun. We got a song, a bit of Pom nonsense and a slight twist on the formula. Do you have to seek it out? Probably not. But if you’re not interested in Pom matches, you’re reading the wrong website.
Verdict: Mean Pom
Between matches, TJPW announced that Pom will be teaming with Aja Kong and Max the Impaler at Wrestle Princess in a bout referred by Aoki Shiori (the now former SKE48 idol who has reffed before). That explains the meanness.
Mizuki & Haru Kazashiro defeated Mei Suruga & Uta Takami
My god, there are two of them.
Mei Suruga hasn’t so much taken Uta Takami under her wing as adopted her. She even had her performing ‘Ri-Ri-Ringo’ for their entrance, ensuring that its residency in my head would be extended for another month or two. Suruga seems to have fully embraced the idea of being Uta’s big sister, as she inducts her into the art of being a menace. Sure, you could call that being a bad influence, but they’re having the best time together, and would you deny them that?
Well, Mizuki might. Seeing Mei and Uta prance around seemed to bring the petty side out of the rabbit, as she dragged Haru into doing the same before mocking them with a Uta shuffle of her own. She was the oldest sister who didn’t care what the younger two were up to until they looked like they were having more fun than her, at which point she got vindictive. Not that I’m complaining. Anything that added a bit of spice to her vs Mei was good for me. Watching them caper around the ring was almost enough to make me wish Mizuki was back in the indies, messing around with Suruga, battling Mio Momono and becoming a regular fixture in the SEAd High Speed division. I don’t mean it. She’s doing great where she is, but we got a taste of something different, and I enjoyed it a lot.
It’s why TJPW opening up to more outsiders is ultimately the right call. I don’t believe it’s a stale promotion (it’s still one of my favourites), but even the best-kept house needs a breath of fresh air now and then. Someone like Mei comes in and fits the vibe perfectly but does things just that little bit differently, which gives everyone she faces (or teams with) a chance to experience that. You could see Haru relishing in getting to try new ideas out with Suruga, desperately trying and keep up with her. While that’s less of an issue for Mizuki, it’s still flexing a different muscle, opening up avenues of her brain as she engages with Mei’s antics.
And even if that’s all made-up nonsense, you end up with matches like this, which fly past in a blur of motion and fun. I revel in them, loving every second of it and delighting in what these wrestlers can come up with.
Verdict: So Much Fun
Shoko Nakajima defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa
If Yoppy is a Tokyo Joshi regular going forward, then it’s only fair Shoko Nakajima gets to run her eyes over the new recruit. Shoko (perhaps more than anyone on the TJPW roster) knows how to make someone work for it. There will be no slipping out when Nakajima slaps you in a chinlock. She’s going to make you earn it, forcing you to fight your way free, and if you don’t then do something to stop her, she’ll put you straight back in when you do. Up against a new(ish) face, Shoko leaned into that hard. She cut Yoppy off at every turn, forcing her to battle for tiny openings and challenging her to show what she’s got.
And I think Hasegawa did alright with it. She gamely battled against the holds, showing good tenacity and never getting frustrated at her lack of options. In her handful of previous TJPW appearances, she’s come across as a likeable presence, so having her play the embattled babyface to Shoko’s veteran heel made a lot of sense. Sadly, I’m not sure her offence paid off the work Nakajima put in. When you get free of those holds, you’ve got to go big, and while she got close on a couple of occasions, she never quite nailed it. I’m not saying you have to start flipping about the place (please don’t), but I want to feel all the frustration of being ground into the mat exploding out in those moments.
Still, you’ve got to imagine matches like this are behind Yoppy’s move to TJPW. The chance to learn from one of the best and use that experience to shape who you are as a wrestler. She didn’t quite figure it out here, but it was a good start, and every interaction with a Shoko Nakajima will only make you better. I’m intrigued to see where she goes next, and with the few bright sparks we glimpsed here, I suspect she’ll be a strong addition to the roster.
Verdict: Shoko Keeps The Gates
Zara Zakher & Moka Miyamoto defeated Rika Tatsumi & Kaya Toribami
Zara Zakher won me over on this tour. I don’t want to suggest I thought she was crap beforehand. On her first trip to Japan, she came across as raw and hungry, packed with potential, but not quite ready to put it all to use. While I still think she leans more towards potential than the finished product, she’s much further down that road, figuring out how to use her talents to get the best results. Let’s hope returning to the American independents doesn’t encourage any bad habits to creep in.
And yet, it wasn’t Zakher who grabbed my attention here. It was an old reliable, instead, as this is one of those matches that makes me appreciate Rika Tatsumi. Take her away, and it would have still been good, but I suspect somewhat unmemorable. However, Rika doesn’t do unmemorable. For all her greatness in main events, I think what makes Tatsumi special is performances like this one, where she crams all her personality into a match that ultimately doesn’t mean all that much. It was in her attempt to befriend Zara in the opening, but also in how she stubbornly refused to be overwhelmed by Zakher’s superior power and speed. She can’t help herself. When you put a fight in front of her, she’ll throw herself at it regardless of her chances of success.
Outside of those two, I wanted to throw a quick mention towards Toribami, who also had some good interactions with Zakher. It had me wondering if her recent trips abroad have boosted her confidence a touch, as she seemed to be wrestling on a high. As for Moka, she never really took centre stage, but she was a reliably solid hand. Ultimately, though, this match became the Tatsumi show, and that’s never going to be a bad thing.
Verdict: Rika Is The Best
Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai, Arisu Endo & Suzume defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Toga & Kira Summer
Apologies, I’m using the start of this review to gripe. 121000000 challenging Daisy Monkey makes me nervous. As a general rule, I’m not overly bothered by who holds the titles in TJPW. A moment like Miu Watanabe or Daisy Monkey’s title win is great because of what it means to the wrestlers, but with such a likeable roster, I’m happy for nearly anyone to hold the belts. As long as they’re doing something interesting, it’s all good. However, I have no interest in 121000000 as champs. Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita are both brilliant by themselves, but there is something about that pairing that bores me. They’re a classic supergroup, weaker than the sum of their parts. Throw in that they’re both barely around, and I’m hoping this is about giving Daisy Monkey a huge win, but I worry it’s a sign their title reign is ending. Sigh.
Sorry, rant over.
My worrying about the future aside, this was a fun match for Daisy Monkey. Over the last year or so, we’ve started to see hints of what veteran Suzume looks like. Here, we saw it in the way she buckled Wakana’s leg from under her to set up a submission before maintaining an air of cockiness as she put it on. The bee doesn’t come across as a natural bully, but more and more, I get the impression that there is a touch of the Mizuki to her, and she’s going to grow into being more than capable of putting the kids through their paces. Endo, meanwhile, earned herself a shot at Arai’s title by picking up the win, a challenge I didn’t see coming but which delights me. While Daisy Monkey are flourishing as a pairing, it’s been noticeable that Arisu has improved a lot within the confines of the team, and I can’t wait to see what she can do with a big singles opportunity.
Other thoughts from this match include the fact that Miu Watanabe understands how to be a champion. She’s not only putting in fantastic performances, but she holds herself like the top dog, wrestling with a confidence that is hard to deny. I also spied potential in a powerhouse team of Toga and Kira Summer. It feels like a pairing that could air Summer’s development, and I’d be intrigued to see them get a run towards a tag title shot on a smaller show.
As you can probably guess, I don’t have a huge amount to say about the match itself, as it never hit the heights that some of these TJPW tags can. I had a pleasant time, but I doubt I’ll remember it in a month.
Verdict: Fun Match
Ryo Mizunami defeated Yuki Aino to win the Princess Cup
If I had been booking this, I think I would have given Yuki Aino the win. The Princess Cup Final felt like the conclusion of her finally emerging from her sister’s shadow. It was there when she won a game of human conkers with Aniki and even when she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists when she realised that a lariat was about to come crashing into the back of her head. In there against one of the scene’s best, Aino more than held her own, and having her lift the trophy would have felt right.
And yet, I don’t think this defeat does Aino any harm. It was the opposite. Aino’s big matches have always shown she has a talent for getting over the struggle of wrestling, but this was her best performance yet. I adored how she sold Aniki’s offence, clenching up as those chops came firing in, trying desperately not to show the pain but unable to stop it from leaking out. Then there was her offence, which felt tighter and stiffer than ever. She knew she couldn’t beat Aniki in a straight fight, but she could force open opportunities, luring her into crashing into the ring post before taking advantage of it to go big.
In return, Mizunami gave her a lot. A combination of the occasion and respect for her former partner brought the serious side out of her, as there was little to no messing around once the bell rang. She was going to lay everything on thick but also sell her arse off, at one point ending up dangling in the ropes with her head on the apron after being planted with a Venus DDT. You got the impression that she’d come for a fight but was still caught off guard by what Aino brought to the table, the typically mild-mannered figure snarling as she threw everything at Mizunami.
Sadly, Aino didn’t have the killing blow. She came close, dropping Mizunami repeatedly and firing up with the support of the crowd. However, Aniki always had more. She’s been in this position countless times before, and while it came close, there was a quiet confidence that she would always get the job done. When it was her turn to hit, the blows came hard, and Aino couldn’t stand her ground. She crumbled under the onslaught, and Princess Aniki was crowned.
Still, in fourteen hard-hitting minutes, Aino proved she could hang, and I hope this isn’t the last time we see her get an opportunity like this.
Verdict: Aniki Wins, But So Does Aino
Overall Show
A good, but perhaps not great, show. The main event was fantastic, and I had a blast with the latest adventures of Mei and Uta, but the rest fell into the watchable rather than must-see category. It felt like TJPW was saving their big matches for the next few months, and while I can appreciate that, this could have used an Arai or Daisy Monkey defence to bolster it a bit. Still, I had a good time, and you should see that main event.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.
Ramblings About Wrestling 
Leave a comment