It was a rough weekend for joshi as the dreaded virus forced both Stardom and TJPW to cancel shows. We did get one before the shit hit the fan, though, and it was the quarter-finals of the Princess Cup. I guess it’s time to see how that went down.
I’m slowly getting through the overload of shows from last weekend and up next is day two of the Princess Cup. The first round was rather upset free, so would there be any surprises in the first half of round two? Time to find out.
You wait all summer for a tournament to come along and suddenly they’re all fucking here at once! Up first, at least from my point of view, is the Princess Cup, Tokyo Joshi’s attempt to find their next title contender. It’s elimination-style with the entirety of the first round (some people are seeded and come in at round-two) happening on one show. What went down? Well, if you don’t already know, I guess now is the time to find out.
There was a lot of hugging on this show. Credit: TJPW
Watching everyone return to Korakuen, even if it is in front of small crowds, is a joy. There is just something right about wrestling airing live from that place, even if this did take place at 4 am on a Thursday for me. Still, it’s Tokyo Joshi! Who needs sleep?
There is a lot of energy in this picture. Credit: TJPW
For the first time since lockdown ended, we have a Tokyo Joshi show with a couple of announced matches! It’s time for Raku to finally step into her role as a main eventer while the two Yukis do battle over the right to face Yuka. Gosh, that could get confusing, couldn’t it?
Last week’s attempt to review Tokyo Joshi turned into a more general ramble about why I love it so, making this our first look at TJPW since the fans returned. If you haven’t guessed, I am very happy to have them back, so let’s see what went down.
It feels like a million years since we’ve had a Tokyo Joshi show and my God am I glad to have them back. Few things fill me with as much joy as a couple of hours spent with TJPW, so let’s stop blathering and start watching.
When you get past the discussion as to whether wrestling should be running empty arena shows, the biggest talking point for most fans at the moment is how to go about making those shows work. As I write this, the only WWE I’ve watched took place in a graveyard, but it’s safe to say their television efforts have been widely criticised and while AEW hasn’t been quite as badly received, no-one is screaming from the rooftops about them being shows of the year. Wrestling is struggling with how to present itself in a fan-less environment, and it’s quite interesting watching companies scramble for answers.
I haven’t stopped feeling weird about Japanese companies going back to hosting live wrestling shows, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy having the Up Up Girls kick off a show. Tokyo Joshi was back in front of fans and, to celebrate, were giving us the next chapter in the feud of the year. Misgivings or not, it’s hard not to enjoy that.