When the draw for the first round of the Max Heart came together, one pairing stood out above all others: Max vs Uta. Max’s best moments in TJPW have come when they’ve provided them with a crash test dummy (typically, her partner in this match, Pom), and the idea of the smallest, squeakiest member of the Up Up Girls fulfilling that role was an instant win. I needed to see if Uta could fly.
Delightfully, the answer was yes. Even with recent champ and full-time monster Miu to back her up, Uta proved the ideal victim for the Impaler to launch across a ring. Not only is she small and light enough for Max to send her from corner to corner, but she is wonderfully floppy. Like Pom before her, Uta commits to a bump. She’s a tiny wee thing, but when she’s propelled through space, she becomes all arms and legs, her limbs seemingly growing as she cartwheels through the air, losing all contact with the Earth and gravity. It’s a wonderful visual that I can’t imagine ever tiring of. I would watch Max experiment with how far she could throw her for hours, laughing every time she crumpled to the ground (in the least malicious way possible).
Then there’s the noises, god, the noises. Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know how much I enjoy a funny noise, with the bizarre ones that emit from Chie Koishikawa being a particular favourite. However, Uta might be her first true competitor. Whether she’s yelling incoherently as she throws her entire weight behind her attacks on Max (which still isn’t all that much) or squeaking in panic as she’s hoisted up by her throat, you could follow Uta’s progress through a match with your eyes shut. She’s an erratic, noisy ball of energy, and there were moments here when she gave Max a fright. Credit to them because they gave the wee one a lot, coming off their feet when caught by a dropkick and getting tripped up by a quite brilliant (if slightly scary) sunset flip when Miu hoisted Uta over their head. Uta is as punchy as she is squeaky, and that’s a big part of her charm.
I haven’t even touched on how much I get out of Pom’s head inflating when she’s got her big pal there, perched in the corner like a gangland boss, only to panic every time Max turns in her direction. It’s a wonderful recurring bit. In any other match, I’d also have spent several paragraphs praising her bouncing around for Miu, proving that while Uta might be providing some competition, she’s not quite ready to give up the crown of TJPW’s resident bump freak. Then there’s Watanabe vs Max, a mouthwatering showdown that didn’t get the full attention here but feels like a perfect clash to fill out the midcard of a big show somewhere down the line. Watanabe has made her name now, so they’ll need some showcase matches, and Max is an ideal choice.
This day, however, was about Uta, who benefitted from wrestling’s somewhat unique ability to make someone look amazing by having them get beaten up horribly. She took her knocks like a champ and proved that, if nothing else, she’ll make a career out of being thrown around by much bigger wrestlers. There are worse roles you can play, although some of the others probably require you to spend significantly less time flying through the air.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.
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