TJPW returned to Korakuen with an intriguing line-up. The top of the card is dominated by first title defences, where we know the belts aren’t going to shift, but there’s still some excitement to be found in people getting an opportunity in those positions. Further down, you’ve got the joy of the Mahiro Ironman title reign continuing, and even more thrillingly, a trio of interesting showdowns between young wrestlers and veterans. It all had the potential to be great, so let’s see what went down.
Kira Summer & Chika Nanase defeated Mifu Ashida & Ren Konatsu
Chika Nanase reminds me of Moka Miyamoto. Of the recent crops of TJPW rookies, she’s perhaps the one who stands out the least. She doesn’t have a showcase move or a huge personality. What she does have, though, is a seeming willingness to work hard and steadily improve. I’ve admitted in the past that I got the Moka thing wrong, seeing her lack of a leap forward as a flaw rather than acknowledging that she was always getting slightly better. This time, I think I’ve got my eye on it, and I have a suspicion that we’re eventually going to start seeing Nanase pulling out the kind of sneaky little bangers that became Moka’s speciality.
In fact, this match was full of people who are starting to figure themselves out. Kira has a confidence that I don’t think was there before, and she’s started working more to her size and power advantage. Ashida, meanwhile, is merging that cheerleader background even further into her wrestling, all while regularly being one of the most consistent workers in these opening matches. The only person who isn’t quite there is Ren, but I don’t see that as a major issue. She’s still very young in her career, and the in-ring work is solid if somewhat lacking in spark. TJPW love getting rookies to work a sleeper, and while I think she’s not on the level of Shino or Uta’s Koala Clutch with her use of it, she is improving at hanging off someone while selling the desperation of keeping a hold on. If she can bring that to the rest of her wrestling, she’ll be just fine.
As for the match as a whole, it was a perfectly acceptable opener. There wasn’t anything particularly eye-catching there, but everyone hit their beats, and it sped by fairly quickly. There was some aftermath, with a touch of tension between close friends Nanase and Summer, what with the ongoing Next Generation tournament, but it was short and nothing they dwelled on too deeply. You kinda knew what you were getting coming into this one, and they delivered on it.
Verdict: Solid Opener
Mahiro Kiryu defeated Suzume, Kaya Toribami, Raku and Pom Harajuku to retain the Ironman Heavyweight Title
Mahiro Kiryu’s run with the Ironman title is quickly becoming one of my highlights of the year. Between being hunted by Miyu Yamashita, losing it to contracts and pieces of paper and valiantly defeating a bottle of juice by drinking it (a challenge she almost failed at), I get a thrill of excitement every time I see a new video has been posted. Mahiro, with her tendency towards the hapless (affectionate), is the perfect person to not only cling to that belt but also deal with the paranoia of everyone else wanting to take it off her.
And I think this serves as a perfect companion piece to the opener. In that, I was talking about rookies who are starting to figure out who they are – these five have that sorted. Everyone in this match knew their role, from Suzume and Kaya serving as the glue to Mahiro’s twitchy, unsure of herself energy to Pom and Raku’s chaos. If you’d tuned into TJPW for the first time, I think you’d have everyone figured out within the first five minutes. Plus, Pom spent all that time pretending to be a turnbuckle pad, and if that doesn’t sound like a good time, what is wrong with you? She’s a genius!
I really hope DDT are happy to leave the Ironman title with TJPW for a while. This roster was born to mess around with that belt, and while I know it’s been a staple of DDT shows for years, they can let it go on holiday for a bit. It’s not something that needs to be taken at all seriously, but it gives a structure to these undercard nonsense bouts, and sometimes that’s all you need to bump it up from fun to a lot of fun.
Verdict: Pom Was A Turnbuckle!
Miyu Yamashita defeated Shino Suzuki
Suzuki vs Yamashita is the first of three LEVEL UP TRIAL matches on this show, all of which see younger members of the roster taking on established pillars.
And these matches couldn’t be more up my street if they let me book them. It’s Cape Verde qualifying for the World Cup, it’s the FA Cup 3rd round, and it’s the wild, incredible dream that maybe, just maybe, the impossible might happen. We all know Shino Suzuki isn’t going to beat Miyu Yamashita, but as she screams with frustration while pulling herself to her feet, her face contorted with the agony of climbing a mountain that seems impossibly high, you want to believe. You want her to crest that summit. And Shino was brilliant here. She was fired up and passionate, even delivering her tour guide shtick with a more aggressive edge. I praised Ren’s improvement at clinging to a sleeper in the opener, but compare that to Suzuki here, and it’s night and day. She doesn’t just cling on; she fights for it, her face telling you that every second she’s hanging off Yamashita feels like a millennium.
Credit also to Miyu. It’s performances like this that have always sold me on her the most. She enters dead behind the eyes, ready to dispatch this bug without a second thought. When she’s on the offensive, she’s brutal and deadly, showing not an inch of mercy. However, when she couldn’t shake Shino off, you saw just a flicker of panic, a moment where she was worried she could be in trouble, and when she did escape, she made sure to put the rookie down straightaway. You can’t play with food that might get a lucky bite back.
I don’t know how you can see this as anything other than flawless wrestling. They went out there with a particular goal in mind, and they absolutely smashed it. Standing ovation, five stars, however you want to phrase it, this was brilliant.
Verdict: Outstanding
Shoko Nakajima defeated Uta Takami
Despite the surface similarities, this was quite a different match from Yamashita vs Suzuki. Shoko isn’t going to go out and barge through someone. That’s not the kind of wrestler she is. She will challenge them in different ways, taking Uta to the mat, pulling her out of her comfort zone and daring her to keep up. She even willingly wrestled with a hand behind her back, handicapping herself, but still working rings around the less experienced Takami.
Not that Uta was blown away here. She isn’t someone you think of as a mat worker – she’s more chaos and squeaking. However, she found a way to make this work, even pulling out a variant on the old Lady of the Lake shtick when Shoko wrapped her up in a Paradise Lock, doing it significantly better than many others who have aped World of Sport (not that I’m suggesting Uta has actually been watching her WOS tapes). She was always chasing Nakajiima, clinging to her coattails by her fingertips, but when she managed to create a bit of distance and pick up the pace, she got to show some touches of magic. The little burst of energy when she hopped off the ropes, setting up a beautiful step up to a head scissors, was pure Mei Suruga with a touch of Uta’s own vibes to it. Despite being outworked at every turn, she still infused this match with her personality, and that’s a talent not many have.
I was convinced nothing on this show would top Miyu vs Shino, but then these two came along and did it straightaway. Uta vs Shoko was fast-paced, inventive and utterly delightful. I knew Shoko could produce this kind of magic, although it was still an extraordinary performance from her, but I had no idea Uta had it in her to keep up with it. She never matched Nakajiima, but she faced the challenge head-on and raced after her, desperate to show that she could do it too. It’s hardly a shock that she’s not quite there, but she’s still got a load of tricks up her sleeve, and that’s a victory in itself. This, meanwhile, will go down as one of my favourite matches of the year so far.
Verdict: Thrillingly Inventive
Mizuki defeated Haru Kazashiro
Is there a better group of young wrestlers right now than Uta, Haru and Shino? I love the Marvelous pair, adore all of the ChocoPro youngsters, and I’m sure there are some strong candidates in places like Stardom and Marigold, but could any of them do this? Could they be trusted to fill the midcard of a Korakuen and deliver three different, interesting matches against their seniors? If there is anyone else who could, please point me towards the evidence because I want more of this.
Credit, of course, also has to go to the veterans. Mizuki is, once again, a different force from Miyu and Shoko. For all her devilish, bullying ways, she’s not someone who is naturally set up to control matches. She relies on moments of magic and violence, a huge double stomp or a snatched Cutie Special. So while I’m not suggesting that Haru was giving the reins in this match, she was given more freedom to take control. The youngest member of the TJPW roster was able to fire off with dropkicks or get the upper hand on the rabbit through a series of roll-ups. I know I go on about it all the time, but watching how calm and controlled she is in the ring always makes me smile. She’s come so far.
All I just said also shouldn’t take away how generous Mizuki was here. Haru wasn’t an equal, but she did perhaps come the closest to pulling off the upset, catching Mizuki in one of those clutch pins. The rabbit even went out of the way to save Haru’s one flub, throwing herself forward to make sure she at least got some contact on a dropkick while Mizuki was trapped in the ropes. It’s another observation I’ve made before, but I always have the sneaking suspicion this is actually what Mizuki likes to do. She seems to come to life when given a younger wrestler or a nonsense merchant to play with.
And hilariously, this might be my least favourite of the three. However, that’s not a criticism of the match, which I thought was great, but a testament to how brilliant the other two were. I can’t imagine there has been a run of matches this year that I have enjoyed half as much as these three battles. The youngsters were handed the opportunity to anchor this Korakuen card, and they more than stepped up to the task. Now it’s up to the rest of the roster to follow them.
Verdict: A Great Cap On Three Great Matches
In between matches, Shirai announced a collaboration with Ocha Norma for the December 7th Korakuen show. I have no idea if that is a big deal or not, but most of the DDT Groups’ interactions with idols are at least fun, so I’m cool with it.
Yuki Arai defeated Hyper Misao in a legally distinct from Who Wants to be a Millionaire match
I don’t know how to review these quiz show matches. They’re something that is very much for the Japanese-speaking crowd, and while Mr Haku and Kira Summer did a good job translating on commentary, it’s never going to be the same experiencing from a step or two away. It’s not even a particularly good environment to see how Arai interacts with the nonsense, as the fun here is inherently in the questions and the wrestler’s lack of knowledge rather than in anything they do.
There were a couple of fun touches. Miyu Yamashita being presented as a phone-a-friend option (they were going for a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire thing), Kira’s not-at-all-diplomatic response to that, and Miyu’s annoyance that Arai never called on her got a chuckle. I also enjoyed Ren clearly knowing the answer to a SKE48 question that Misao got wrong. However, these matches are personality-based, not wrestling-based. The action always kind of feels tacked on in between the questions, as they hurry from two-count to two-count. It’s fine, that’s part of what TJPW does, but it doesn’t leave me with a whole lot to talk about.
Unless you’ve got a better grasp of Japanese than I do or you’re particularly intrigued to get some nuggets of information about Misao and Arai, it’s probably one you can breeze past.
Verdict: It’s Hard To Get Too Excited About It
Arisu Endo defeated Alice Crowley to retain the International Princess title
I find it hilarious that Alice Crowley’s nickname is Big Al. If you’re going to go by that, you should be selling me a kebab at three in the morning, sitting behind me at the football or forcing me to decide whether it’s worth arguing with your racism in a taxi, not competing in TJPW.
Anyway, this was Endo’s first real stint in the International Princess Title role of being asked to try and get something interesting out of mediocre foreigners. (I guess you could describe the Priscilla Kelly match the same way, but that was her coronation, so I was kind of willing to let it breeze by.) She’d done well in the build-up, responding to Crowley’s jabs about her height by insisting she’s actually big and standing on a chair during their contract signing, but now it was time to do some wrestling.
And I find it fascinating how all American independent folk wrestle in roughly the same way. I’m fairly confident I could tell the difference between, for example, SEAd, TJPW, and Marvelous rookies in a blind test, but I’ve never seen any evidence that the same is true in America. Admittedly, my knowledge of the scene is almost entirely through who gets tours of Japan, so maybe I’m missing something, but everyone seems to fit into the same mould, at least early in their career. While I guess part of it is having so much of the industry built around one standard for so long, it is a rather sad state of affairs.
All of which is my way of saying that Crowley could have been anyone here. She did the moves and emotes that a lot of American indie wrestlers do. The only unique moment was when she somehow managed to Buckle Bomb Arisu over the turnbuckle, a move that felt like it could have gone very wrong if the champ hadn’t managed to control her fall. Christ, even if I enjoyed Endo’s reaction to it, the small stuff was also about as route-one as you’re going to get. Yes, Japanese people tend to be shorter. Do we not have any new material?
Anyway, I thought Endo dealt with it alright. She bounced around fairly well, providing a lot of movement and energy as she tried to bring this match to life. Arisu is an incredibly likeable figure, so if you put her up against someone bigger and stronger than her, you’re probably going to get something at least solid. While it was hardly an outstanding proof of concept of her as someone who is going to drag these wrestlers to anything revolutionary, it wasn’t a disaster either. For her first try, she did a solid job, but I suspect we’re going to see much better as this title run goes on.
Verdict: Endo Did Alright, But She’ll Get Better
Ober Eats (Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara) defeated Hot Shots (Yuna Manase & Toga) to retain the Princess Tag Titles
I hope this defeat isn’t the end of Manase and Toga as a team. It’s an obvious comparison, but they remind me of the Anki and Aino pairing, as Manase feels like the perfect person to help Toga get to the next level. Plus, having someone like Yuna around is always going to be a good thing. She’s already something of a mentor to a lot of the TJPW roster, and with a couple of new generations having arrived since then, there would be no harm in letting her establish similar relationships with them.
Just look at Kamiyu in this match. I complained recently that she’s seemed a touch unmotivated this year, but there was no room for that in the ring with Manase. Yuna clearly means a lot to her, as Kamiyu’s usual unflappable exterior broke in the press conference beforehand, the tears flowing as she talked about their relationship. That kick up the arse meant she was back to her big booting best in this one, even pulling off a brainbuster on Manase that sat right on the cusp between thrilling and scary. It wasn’t just on offence, though, as I think this was the first time I’ve really appreciated Kamiyu as a bumper. Those long arms and legs flailing around as she ate lariats from Yuna really added to the visual of them.
It wasn’t just Kamiyu, either. Toga was great here, particularly in that final flurry as she fought not to go down. With Manase out of the match, she was launching Kamiyu and Wakana about the place, trying desperately to stay alive. Toga has always had that to her game, but this felt more focused and aggressive, as she’s been almost too laid back for her own good at times. I want to see more of that desperation, and while this ultimately was setting up a win for Wakana, you can easily picture her turning the tide single-handedly in almost the exact same way somewhere down the line.
It’s no secret that I was sceptical about switching the belts to Ober Eats. They took them from my beloved Kyoraku Kyomei, and I won’t forgive that easily, but this was a strong start. The TJPW tag titles have a strong history of being part of bangers in this spot, and while I wouldn’t go as far as saying it will be added to the canon, they put out a really good showing. A few more like this, and I might just start to get on board with what they’re doing.
Verdict: A Really Good Start
Miu Watanabe defeated Yuki Aino to retain the Princess of Princess Title
I can’t remember the last time I wanted a wrestler to perform as much as I did Aino in this match. Hoping she’d win was fruitless – it was never going to happen, but this match still felt a touch do-or-die for her. She’s been bumped up to this level before, and while I enjoyed the showings that followed, it’s never stuck. If she’s ever going to get the main event run that she deserves, she needed to show what she can do here.
And fuck me, did she do it. Aino was brilliant. It was a bullish, powerful performance where time after time she went barrelling into Miu Watanabe, sending her flying backwards and leaving her discombobulated. Aino has clearly stood in the background, watching Miu establish herself as the roster’s wee hoss, thinking I can do it even better. Poor Watanabe was floundering, bouncing around the arena as Aino kept coming at her, a bull that sensed the matador’s weakness and wanted to rip them to shreds. Everything she did had such a heft behind it that even the usually bulldozer-like Miu couldn’t deal with it.
It also allowed Miu to show something new. We’ve seen her wrestle powerful opponents before, but I don’t think she’s ever been on the back foot like this. She was stumbling around Korakuen, desperately trying to gain her footing as Aino refused to let her breathe. There were moments where she genuinely looked panicked, her arms grasping for a handhold that wasn’t there as she finally met an opponent she couldn’t just powerhouse her way through. Instead, this became a war of attrition, Miu clinging on, hoping that if she could survive the onslaught, an opening would come to allow her to level the field.
It did, but as I said, that doesn’t matter. What mattered was Aino’s performance, and on a show full of great showings from wrestlers, it was right up there for me. She looked like a main eventer. Someone who could stand on that stage next to Miu and hold her own. Importantly, she also did it by having a match that very few people in TJPW could do. This wasn’t your typical Tokyo Joshi main event. Friend of the site Statto has previously compared the Teej booking style to the King’s Road in his brilliant Princess Road article, but this felt like something out of BJW (I can’t think of a princess and Strong BJ combination that doesn’t either sound like I’m talking about strong style or is going to encourage the wrong kind of people to find this site). It was two wrestlers hammering into each other until one managed to inch ahead and take the win. Who knows if Aino will ever get the chance to hold that belt, but her odds right now are a hell of a lot better than they were before this match.
Verdict: Fantastic
Overall Show
I’ll need to go back through the archives to check exactly how long it is since I enjoyed a TJPW Korakuen that much, but I think it’s been a while. We started well, and the Mahiro Ironman run remains an undercard delight, but with the three youngster vs veteran matches, this reached another level. Even a couple of outings that didn’t land for whatever reason weren’t enough to derail it. I don’t do shows of the year because I’m lazy, but if I were to do so, I suspect this would at the very least make the shortlist.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.
Ramblings About Wrestling 