I know it’s how time works, but I’m still unsure how a year has passed since Miyu Yamashita defeated Mizuki for the Princess of Princess title at Wrestle Princess 4. Yet, somehow, here we are, Wrestle Princess 5. Neither Yamashita nor Mizuki were in the main event, as the shining new face of Miu Watanabe looked to defend her title from outsider and Princess Cup holder, Ryo Mizunami. Elsewhere, Tokyo Joshi’s favourite god and ghost married couple go head-to-head, Pom has got some big pals, and Daisy Monkey’s title reign faces its biggest threat yet. Sounds like a good day, right? Let’s find out if it was.
Haru Kazashiro defeated Runa Okubo
It would be easy for TJPW to run this pairing into the ground. As two sixteen-year-olds who started together and are close friends, I don’t think anyone would be shocked if they opened most shows with Haru vs Runa. How many times did Stardom do that with Hina and Rina? That’s not a criticism, either. It makes sense. However, Koda and company have gone the other way. This match was only their second meeting, with the last one coming at Wrestle Princess 4. I’m not about to claim that makes it feel like a huge deal, but it does foster intrigue. We’re checking in with the youngsters, seeing how far they’ve come in the last twelve months and noting what’s changed.
A lot, as it turns out. Last year, Runa was able to brute force her way through this meeting. She wasn’t a markedly better technical wrestler (if anything, Haru was more adept), but like the kid in your school football team who had a growth spurt before everyone else, she could bully her way to victory. Sadly for Haru, the last year hasn’t seen her morph into Andre the Giant, so it was understandable that Okubo came in confident. Sticking her tongue out at her pal, she went to work with those heavy forearms, chipping away at Kazashiro as she used her power advantage to control the flow of the action.
However, while Haru hasn’t turned into a tank, she has improved. She’s still that quiet wee nerd, but her confidence is starting to peek out, and where 12 months ago she might have crumbled, this time she rallied, daring to get into it with Okubo. Kazashiro refused to be bullied and had more than one trick prepped to help bring her level. Sadly, for her and this match, the big one they built up to, didn’t pay off. I suspect Haru was supposed to springboard from the second rope into a kick, but she slipped, cutting off their momentum in a second. To their credit, they reacted well, not trying to redo the spot, as they kept going until Haru hit an impressive Fisherman Suplex Hold for the win, but she could see how gutted she was. When she should have been celebrating, she looked like she wanted to cry.
But here’s the thing, that shit happens. It happened to Shoko Nakajima not long ago, one of the smoothest wrestlers around, in a match with Aja Kong. Everyone slips, so it doesn’t negate that Haru and Runa had a good wee showing. I suspect that Kazashiro is the type to beat herself up about this, but I hope she doesn’t because they’ve come so far. If you went back to their debut before watching this match, you’d be blown away by their improvement. For two sixteen-year-olds who are still figuring this shit out, they did great, and I can’t wait to see how far they’ve come the next time they get to wrestle.
Verdict: Mistakes Don’t Ruin Matches
Kaya Toribami, HIMAWARI & Yoshiko ‘Yoppy’ Hasegawa defeated Uta Takami, Kira Summer & Chika Nanase
Usually, when a wrestler comes into a company, there’s a settling-in period where it feels weird seeing them there. Not so with Yoppy. I know she’s appeared in TJPW before, but it’s impressive how easily she’s slotted into the midcard. It’s almost easy to forget that this hasn’t been her home for the last five years, and while I’m not entirely sure what her ceiling is, she already feels like a reliable face that will make matches like this just that little bit better.
On the topic of getting a little bit better, things are starting to click into place for Chika Nanase. She’s recently had fun matches with Pom and Rika, which, while not the hardest thing in the world, allowed her to let loose a touch. There wasn’t a much for her to do in this match, as they had a lot of faces and not much time, but I think she’s starting to take form, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her development suddenly take some large strides forward in the next few months.
Outside of those observations, this was fine. It’s always good to see HIMAWARI, who seems to be enjoying her wrestling even more than usual at the moment, and I got a giggle out of Uta squeaking her way into the action. Kaya also seems to be embracing her role as a senior. She’s surprisingly suited to being a little meaner in the ring and pulled her special twisting moonsault senton out for the win. (While we’re on that topic, read Sebastian’s piece on Kaya Toribami and subscribe to their fantastic newsletter.) Despite that, if you’re skipping one match on the show, it’s probably this one.
Verdict: Fine
Mahiro Kiryu & Kakeru Sekiguchi defeated Toga & Wakana Uehara
Our third match was a step up from the last but remained in the fine rather than good category. However, there were a few fun character beats. TJPW presumably made Kakeru and Mahiro a team because of their shared awkward energy. I always like to imagine what tag teams’ conversations are like backstage. With these two, I suspect there was a lot of umming, ahhing and after-yous. Talking of things I’ve concocted in my head, I adored their team pose and have decided that Kiryu has been pitching it to Kamiyu for years and getting slapped down every time. I’m glad she’s found a kindred spirit to try new things with.
The secret to this match was that while Kiryu and Sekiguchi looked awkward compared to the cool of their opponents, Wakana was the real nerd in that ring. She couldn’t help but take everything too seriously, as she was deploying her serious eyes in a lighthearted tag match that was third from the bottom. As I’ve said before, my affection for her increased greatly when I made that connection, and I now find her endearing rather than too much. She’s trying so hard, and how can you hold that against someone?
It also contrasts with her partner, Toga, who is effortlessly cool. I think TJPW might have something with her. She’s got the slightly androgynous badassery of a Takumi Iroha or Mika Iwata, aided by her offence looking great. There’s still some fine-tuning to be done, but there’s a lot of potential, and they seem to have set Mahiro as the first test for her to overcome. Passion Blue has picked up a couple of pins over her recently, including in this match, but I can’t imagine it will be too long till the tides turn.
Verdict: Some Fun Beats
Ram Kaicho defeated Raku
It’s finally happened. The lullaby has grown so powerful that it defeated its master. Raku is too strong.
Everyone’s favourite train god presents themselves as a divine being of peace and beauty. She’s sweet and gentle, lulling people off to sleep before letting them ride a train. The truth, however, has always been a bit darker. At best, Raku is a god of mischief. At worst, she is pure chaos. She has tried to drown people before! I’m not saying it as a criticism – I think she’s great – but we need to face the facts. Raku used this match to feed her husband cake until she felt sick and then proceeded to run over her stomach repeatedly. That’s not good god behaviour.
Apart from taking the opportunity to piss about, I always suspect there is no point in writing about these matches. The people like me, who love them, understand and know why they’re great. The people who don’t are never going to be convinced otherwise. If a referee counting a double knockout because a god and a ghost, who happen to be married, have fallen asleep because of the power of cake and magical lullabies doesn’t appeal to you, then I’m probably not the website you should be reading. It’s okay. We all like what we like, and you’re allowed to be wrong. For me, this was some wonderful TJPW nonsense, and the saga of Raku and Ram never fails to make me laugh. I hope those crazy kids are together forever.
Verdict: I Laughed A Lot
Aja Kong, Max the Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino & Shino Suzuki
Soon-to-be former SKE48 member Aoki Shiori once again donned her referee stripes, and it’s safe to say this was her toughest test yet. It was bad enough when they made her deal with Hyper Misao, but Aja Kong, Max the Impaler and Rika Tatsumi? That’s cruel. They’d even failed to inform her that Aja is allowed to hit people with a bin because telling her not to is scary.
A lot was going on here. You had referee shenanigans, Pom Harajuku and Shino Suzuki being bullied (both by their partners and opponents) and a little bit of the continued levelling up of Yuki Aino. Trying to fit all that into one match could easily have it burst out at the seams, the chaos spilling over, but I felt like they did a good job of keeping it together. Everything flowed into the next, and while I would have happily just watched these two teams throw Pom and Shino at each other, I never felt like the other stuff was getting in the way.
It helps, of course, that everything was done well. Shiroi has already proven to have a knack for nonsense, and her insistence on counting everyone out at a normal pace was a great addition to her repertoire. Sure, she struggled to keep Max and Aja in line and consequently ate bin, but she tried, and that’s all we can ask for. Pom and Shino were the real stars, however. I mean this with all the love in the world, but they excel at getting beaten up. There was a moment here when Suzuki tried to roll up Aja Kong and, brilliantly, was met by Kong turning around and slapping her across the head. Meanwhile, Pom served more as a projectile than a wrestler, something Tatsumi thought looked so much fun that she wanted to try it with Shino, too.
Importantly, they still found some time among the chaos to have Aino get a moment with Max and Aja, even getting Max over with a suplex in the process. Coming off her Princess Cup run, it was nice to see them at least point to her levelling up, and I wouldn’t mind her getting another chance to mix it up with either of those terrifying hosses. It was the final key ingredient to this wonderfully chaotic clusterfuck of a match that I had a lovely old time with.
Verdict: Good Chaos
Emi Sakura defeated Shoko Nakajima
Sometimes, all you can do is sit back and appreciate two masters at work. In the build to this match, Emi Sakura and Shoko Nakajima revealed that they have more history than one might have thought. In the early days of TJPW, Nakajima was a regular at Ichigaya and built a rapport with Sakura. While their careers haven’t crossed paths too often since then, they appear to have shared a mutual respect. Of course, this is Emi Sakura we’re talking about, so that respect only gets you so far. She knew her best chance at beating Shoko was to bully her, so she got to work out-muscling Nakajima from the bell, taking every shortcut she could find and laying down some vicious chops that soon caused a bright red handprint to appear on Shoko’s chest.
It was the foundation for the story you’d expect these two to tell. Nakajima brings speed and technical wizardry, while Sakura has power and experience. However, a simple story should not be confused with a bad one. It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen it before. When you’ve got people this talented, they can make it feel fresh and exciting. Shoko was never going to control this match. Emi was too powerful, and quickly figured out she’d struggle on the mat, so worked to cut off any attempt at building momentum. Instead, she was forced to sustain herself on crumbs, leaping on the tiniest opportunity to get in a quick burst of offence and hopefully stun Sakura for long enough to turn the tide. It built to some outstanding near falls in the final act, where Shoko was desperate to try and bundle Emi into a three only to discover that the veteran was at home with that game. For every close fall Nakajima got, Sakura hit back with one of her own, reminding the world that the years racking up have slowed her down less than you might expect.
The finish they eventually found was masterful in its own right, as Shoko stood on the top rope, ready to fly off into that senton, only for Sakura to throw herself into the ropes and send her tumbling to the mat. It was enough to knock the wind from Nakajima, allowing Emi to follow up and put her away for good, but it brought the air of someone having stolen the win. Sakura didn’t technically break the rules (at least not that time), but it felt immoral and like she’d thrown a spanner in the works just as Shoko was breaking through. I’ve no idea if they plan to return to this, but it’s the perfect setup for round two and seeds the idea that if Nakajima can hit that senton, she might have enough to get the three.
That’s for the future, though, as in the moment, this was a masterclass. I hope it’s not a secret that I adore these two, so I came into this with high expectations, but they smashed them. Not only that, but they did so in a way that was perfect for this spot on the show. I’m sure Sakura and Nakajima could go out and attempt to undercut everything that came after them, but they’re talented enough to work within the confines of this midcard battle. In the process, they produced something equal to anything else on the card. They’re geniuses, and we’re lucky we have them.
Verdict: A Standing Ovation
Mizuki & Xia Zhao defeated Venyu (Veny & Yuki Kamifuku)
I’ll be honest with you. After the thrills of Sakura vs Nakajima, this match did nothing for me. It wasn’t awful, but it never captured my attention, even if there were three wrestlers in there who I have a lot of time for.
And that’s not my way of putting my lack of interest purely on Xia Zhao. I suspect any match at this point of what was a long card would have struggled to capture my attention. However, there is no denying that she still has the stink of WWE on her. Everything she did was big, and not in a good way. It was like she was yelling every idea in her head, and at times, she literally was, as she spent what felt like 90% of this match shouting at her opponents. She’s not some lost cause, and there are a few raw ingredients there that you can see being worked on and shaped into a decent wrestler, but this was only her 5th match outside of the system that shaped her for a very particular brand of wrestling. Even if she can shed its poisonous touch, it will take a while.
Outside of that, Venyu are always good value, although their entrance was positively chaste by their standards (so ridiculously horny by anyone else’s). We were treated to a few slithers of Mizuki vs Veny, which is a match I would like to see, but we didn’t get enough of it to hook me. I think this would have benefited from being earlier in the card, but as it was, it was a rare example of TJPW not nailing the flow of their shows as it all struggled to catch fire. Still, it was hardly a disaster.
Verdict: Meh
Yuki Arai defeated Moka Miyamoto to retain the International Princess Title
Our International Princess Title showdown was the first of two matches where the result did not go how I wanted it to. I had few hopes for the other one, but I genuinely bought into the idea that it was Moka’s time to win this belt. She’s worked so hard, rising from the bottom of the card into one of the more reliable workers in TJPW. Is she as flashy as Yuki Arai? No, but that’s her strength. Where Arai flourishes in the big moments, Moka is at home in the small, able to make a lot out of nothing.
And that’s almost the story of this match. Moka did so much right in trying to limit Arai’s offence. I’m not sure that asking the idol to sell a limb was the best idea, but it made sense for the story, as Miyamoto tried to cut her off and lock those submission holds in tight. She wanted to stick to the basics, grinding away at the champ and opening her up to attacks. Arai, meanwhile, was always going for the fireworks, desperate to push through with those big boots and set up Finally. She’s a final-act wrestler, and the longer Moka held off on being dragged into that, the more chance you felt she had.
Unfortunately, she had to go there eventually, and delightfully, Miyamoto was great when she did. Her firing up when she blocked Arai’s first Finally attempt, roaring back to her feet after she did so, felt like someone about to turn the corner. However, by stepping into Arai’s game, she’d perhaps already lost. The idol has a somewhat surprising talent as a bit of a bruiser. I’m not calling her a powerhouse, but she’s tougher than she looks, eating up damage before flying in with a boot. When it turned into a slugfest, it was Arai’s to lose, and Miyamoto didn’t have the firepower to break through.
Even with the result, you’ve got to put this down as a success for Moka. She’s often positioned as the supporting player in a bigger story, whether as a tag partner to TJPW’s latest experiment or backing up an outsider. Here, she was by herself, battling it out with one of the more popular wrestlers in the company, and she never flinched. Miyamoto proved she belongs on this stage, and while she didn’t get the title this time, you’ve got to believe her day will come.
Verdict: I Still Believe In Moka
121000000 (Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh) defeated Daisy Monkey (Suzume & Arisu Endo) to win the Princess Tag Titles
Daisy Monkey may have lost the tag titles to a team I am frustratingly cold on, but this was still their match. The moments I will remember were all theirs, and while I’m gutted to see their run end, it’s never been more clear that Arisu and Suzume are ready to get the tap on the shoulder whenever the moment comes. These two are special.
Despite knowing the second this match was announced how it would end, Daisy Monkey found ways to make me doubt it. That was particularly true of Arisu Endo, who has flourished over the last six months. The final act was almost entirely handed over to her and Miyu, and while I was willing Yamashita to tag out to the much more beatable Itoh, there were moments when I started to believe that Endo had her. They even pulled off a forearm exchange that I didn’t find tedious, Arisu hulking up and managed to beat Miyu back, refusing to go down from Yamashita’s stiff blows. It was the rare one of those that felt like a pivotal part of the action and not simply a lazy attempt to fill space. Endo might not be on the Ace’s level week-to-week, but in this match, when the pressure was on, she managed to drag herself up besides her and match Miyu blow for blow.
She wasn’t alone either. When I single Endo out for praise, it’s not a slight on Suzume’s development, but perhaps an indication that she was already there. However, you can still see how she’s flourished in this pairing. I’m not sure the Suzume of last year could have pulled off the spot where she planted a headbutt on Maki Itoh, but here it was triumphant. It was a level of grit and defiance that we perhaps aren’t used to from the bee, and you could see that exact moment working as a turning point in a main event somewhere down the line. I’ve said this before, but the best tag teams push each other, improving through competition and friendship. In that sense, Endo and Suzume’s reign has been a triumph.
I should also pay tribute to 121000000, who were great here. It’s the closest I’ve got to getting it since their match with Shoko and Misao. I still think they blunt each other’s strongest attributes (Itoh as the emotional fuck-up and Yamashita as the cold-hearted Ace), and I didn’t buy into their moment of emotional catharsis where they clasp hands to stop each other from giving up. Funnily enough, I think that’s a spot Daisy Monkey could get away with, but 121000000 can’t. However, individually, they are undeniably great, and Miyu tapped into the best of herself in that final act with Endo. She gave her the exact right amount before turning it on. Then, when she did, she was ruthless, cutting her off with those kicks and ultimately putting her down the way she has countless women before her. It felt like a dry run for a singles match somewhere down the line, and I would now very much like to see it.
I hope we get a million more Daisy Monkey tag matches in the next few years, but it’s time to let them run wild as singles wrestlers for a while. While they’ll always have this pairing, like MagiRabbi before them, I believe they can do it all, and if everything goes to plan, I suspect they’ll pick up as many belts apart as they do together. They rule.
Verdict: Wrong Winner, Great Match
Miu Watanabe defeated Ryo Mizunami to retain the Princess of Princess Titles
The moment deep in this match where Miu Watanabe turned the tide with a dropkick followed by a perfect powerslam might be the best five seconds of wrestling this year. It was that rare experience of watching someone level up in front of you. Since becoming champion, Miu has faced people who are quicker and more technically proficient than her, but in Mizunami, she’d found someone bigger, stronger and so much more experienced. Aniki can do everything she can, and for the first time, you worried the champ was out of her depth. Then she dug deep, pulled something different out of the bag and proved that she hadn’t even gotten started.
Like Sakura vs Nakajima, this was a match with an obvious story. Aniki is a veteran powerhouse and has been doing this for years, while Miu is the young pretender. Sure, she’s picked up a few scalps, but there is no one in TJPW with the authority built on experience that Ryo Mizunami has. She doesn’t lose matches. Not in TJPW, and not in many other places, either. It was a challenge unlike any other that Watanabe had faced so far, and if she were going to leave with that belt, she would have to hit a level she’d never reached before. If nothing else, putting Aniki down needed her to dish out one hell of a beating.
And Miu was outstanding here. Early on, you could see the realisation settle over her of how tough this would be, but even more impressively, you could see her grit her teeth and keep going. There was the obvious moments, the roar into Mizunami’s face before finally managing to swing her, but there were also the little details, the seconds where she regrouped and went again. I’ve talked before about that wonderfully expressive face, and it was working overtime here, every emotion flashing across it. In another wrestler, it would almost be too much, and you could accuse her of overacting. However, I believe every second of it. That’s just Miu.
Aniki met her on that level, too. Until the Princess Cup run, the Aniki we tended to see in TJPW was the house show version. She’s always good, but she was playing the hits, having a good time and going home with a smile. Now, the switch has flicked, and she unleashed both barrels on Watanabe. It’s not just those hard hits, but this feeling she gives off of a wall that won’t crumble. Miu hammered and hammered away, but Mizunami was shrugging off blows that sent previous challengers to the mat. It was all perfectly designed to climax with a final act that hit home brilliantly. Those last few minutes were wonderful because it took all those other matches, where Miu put people away with a single Teardrop and paid them off in Aniki rising to her feet, refusing to stay down. It was downright scary. She became a horror villain, returning to make one more kill.
In the end, it would take three to put Aniki down for good, as Miu had to go deeper than she ever had before. It was wonderful, an example of finisher spam down well, and proof of why TJPW are right to hold off on this stuff. You can always chase bigger and better, but when you set a template and make it a core of your company, breaking it is so much more impactful. Miyu Yamashita might still be the Ace, but judging by this, Miu Watanabe is on her heels, and honestly, it might not be too long before she claims that title for herself. My god, she’s brilliant.
Verdict: Outstanding
Overall Show
Big show TJPW, people. It’s not just the main events but how these cards are built. From the rookies in the opener through the fun of Ram and Raku to Miu laying down sledgehammer blows, everything escalates until you get to the big, beefy stuff. The show went over three hours, but there was only one match where I felt slightly tired, and the cobwebs were quickly blown away by what came next. They’re the best, and I’m already excited for the next one.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.
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