I was going to do a full review of this show, but having done my initial watch with friends, and therefore not exactly spent time taking notes, that would require watching it all again, and I can’t put up with that much of the fucking atrocious commentary and ring announcing. That shit is always excruciating in America (and Britain, to be fair), but it’s even worse when it’s about something you like.
Anyway, that’s not the fault of the wrestlers, and this main event was TJPW coming to Vegas with something to prove. Mizuki vs Yamashita isn’t just a clash of two of their biggest names but one with a long and storied history. While Mizupon has beaten the Ace before, it’s always been within the confines of the Princess Cup back in the days when Miyu shit the bed whenever a knockout tournament appeared on the horizon. With the title is on the line, this pairing is as one-sided as it comes. Mizuki’s first reign was ended by Yamashita’s kicks, and there was a reason that the champ was the one to issue the challenge for this show. Until Mizuki beats her, the Ace will always be looming over her shoulder.
That played heavily into this match. Yamashita settled first, taking control of the early action and riling up the crowd as she laid those heavy kicks on thick. Miyu was made comfortable by confidence bred from history. When she hit an early AA on the stage, she was in no rush to return to the ring, instead taking a second to gloat before leisurely dragging the Rabbit back. In contrast, when Mizuki went on the offensive, she threw it all at the wall, flying in with dropkicks and double stomps. It set the flow of the action, Miyu’s offence staying at a slower, deliberate pace, wearing Mizuki down and trying to cut-off her flurries of offence.
The difference was that this time, Mizuki survived the Yamashita onslaught. In the past, those kicks (which she’s admitted scare her) have taking chunks out of her, chipping her down to size and leaving Yamashita free to withstand the Rabbit’s biggest hits and pick her off. This time, Mizuki wouldn’t be stopped. She was standing her ground, eating up those hits the way Miyu had previously done with her offence. This time, when she grabbed the Ace’s leg to prevent her from running off to hit Crash Rabbit Heat, it wasn’t a moment of desperation. It was a chance to catch her breath, brace for the kicks that were coming to shake her off and prepare to leap up and hit a fast Cutie Special of her own. When the tide turned, it was Mizuki who was able to string together an unbeatable flow of attacks, following a double stomp with the Whirling Candy and a second Cutie Special for the win.
Truthfully, this probably wasn’t as good as it would have been in Japan. TJPW presented a Korakuen-level card, but a random room in Vegas is no Korakuen Hall, and the wrestlers adjusted as such. This same result would have hit with more emotional heft in front of their committed crowd, but surrounded by fans that were mainly there to have fun, they pulled back on that element. Still, even when they’re not quite at their peak, Miyu and Mizuki have got a hell of a lot to give, and this was some damn good wrestling. I’ve been pretty open about finding Yamashita frustrating recently. However, as this and the final act of the tag title match against Kyoraku Kyomei prove, she can still channel that Ace spirit when it’s called for. The fact she’s doing it to put people over perhaps hints at her future, but that doesn’t change the facts. The Rabbit finally got her moment, and it was well-deserved.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.
Ramblings About Wrestling 
Leave a comment