It is sometimes easy to forget during these emotional wrestling goodbyes that the person leaving isn’t dying or even retiring in the traditional sense. Nao Kakuta is 37. She is young enough to live a whole other life – two if she fancies it. By the time actual retirement comes around, wrestling will be something she used to do. A part of her time on this planet that people she talks to in pubs don’t believe happened. Yet, even knowing all of that, the emotion is so real. Solid, dependable Nao, who makes every TJPW undercard match at least 20% better, is vanishing from the world through which we interact with her. Sure, she might pop up now and then, but the (hopefully healthy) parasocial relationship we’ve established with her is dead, and that’s always going to be a sad thing.
Continue reading “Nao Kakuta vs Mizuki, Nao Kakuta Graduation Commemorative (25/7/24), TJPW Review”TJPW Prism ’24 (9/6/24) Review
Tokyo Joshi returned to Korakuen Hall with a show that, on paper, is one of their weaker big efforts this year. There were some intriguing combos scattered through the undercard, but with the title matches involving foreign talent I either know nothing about or have little investment in, it’s hard to get too excited about it. Still, you never know when the next Max the Impaler might turn up, and there is every chance someone will blow me away.
Continue reading “TJPW Prism ’24 (9/6/24) Review”TJPW Spring Live Tour (18/5/24) Review
It’s been a bit of a sad weekend to be a TJPW fan. The announcement that Hikari Noa would be graduating from both the Up Up Girls and the company wasn’t surprising, but it still hurt. Noa has been an integral part of Tokyo Joshi since I started watching, and someone I’ve always had a lot of time for, so to see her depart so unceremoniously leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. One suspects that idol politics is at play, but I have no wish to delve into those murky waters. I simply hope she’s okay and that, if she wishes, we see her pop up somewhere else.
Away from the sadness, TJPW were in Shinkiba for the latest stop of their Spring tour. Let’s see what went down.Â
Continue reading “TJPW Spring Live Tour (18/5/24) Review”TJPW Yes! Wonderland ’24 (6/5/24) Review
With all their big shows and adventures in America, it feels like a long time since we got a Tokyo Joshi trip to Korakuen Hall. I know they do grander things now, but this company in that room occupies a special place in my heart. So, let’s see what went down.Â
Continue reading “TJPW Yes! Wonderland ’24 (6/5/24) Review”TJPW Live Tour Spring (27/4/24) Review
Korakuen Hall is on the horizon, and with an intriguing card already booked, TJPW were back in Kitazawa to try and get us just that little more excited. Would they be successful? Let’s find out.Â
Continue reading “TJPW Live Tour Spring (27/4/24) Review”TJPW Live Tour 2024 Spring (13/4/24) Review
Goodbyes suck, but sadly, as a wrestling fan, you get used to them. Juria Nagano hasn’t been around as long as some of the people we have had to wave farewell to, but she’s still hollowed out a little niche for herself as part of the TJPW roster, so she deserves a rousing send-off. Let’s see if that’s what she got.
Continue reading “TJPW Live Tour 2024 Spring (13/4/24) Review”TJPW Grand Princess ’24 (21/3/24) Review
Tokyo Joshi returned to Sumo Hall for one of the most important shows of the year (it’s certainly the one I care about the most). Fittingly, they’ve gone all out. We’ve got giant pandas, Kyoraku Kyomei trying to take down kaiju, and Miu Watanabe getting her shot at the Ace! That’s just the beginning, too. It is a card that only gets better the longer you look at it, so let’s see what went down.
Continue reading “TJPW Grand Princess ’24 (21/3/24) Review”TJPW Live Tour Spring (16/3/24) Review
Aside from the main event, every match on this card had a wrestler who debuted for TJPW after the 1st of January 2023. Tokyo Joshi gets credit for producing wrestlers, but just how many they’ve brought through in the last few years sometimes goes under the radar. With three new rookies joining the fold, it’s an exciting time to watch these smaller events, as you’re getting to watch these kids develop from show to show, putting it all together and figuring out the wrestlers they want to be. Plus, there’s the small matter of a date with Sumo Hall on the horizon, which I’m sure they have at least one eye on.
TJPW Live Tour Spring 2024 (4/3/24) Review
You would have been forgiven for glancing at the schedule and dismissing this as a routine TJPW visit to Shinjuku, but with Sumo Hall drawing closer and a host of new rookies onboard, this show took on a bit more weight than usual. Two of those kids debuted here, the newly named Kira Summer and Uta Takami. Meanwhile, Chika Nanase was wrestling only her second match after starting her career against Moka Miyamoto on the previous show. Throw in some more build for the big one, and TJPW had a lot going on, so let’s see what went down.
Continue reading “TJPW Live Tour Spring 2024 (4/3/24) Review”TJPW Max Heart Tournament Final (10/2/24) Review
TJPW returned to Korakuen Hall to decide the winner of the 2024 Max Heart Tournament. On one side of the ring, we had the former champions, Daydream, who, in winning, would have been setting Miu Watanabe up to wrestle twice at Sumo Hall. Attempting to stop that from happening was Daisy Monkey, the young pretenders, who were desperate to break through. Last year, this final produced one of my matches of the year. Would it do so again? Let’s find out.
Continue reading “TJPW Max Heart Tournament Final (10/2/24) Review”










