Haruna Neko: The Joy of Being a Wee Cat

I don’t trust people whose favourite wrestlers win all the time. Sure, you can appreciate and respect the people at the top of the card, but seeing them as your guy? I find that deeply suspicious behaviour. Does anyone really love Kazuchika Okada? Sareee? Roman Reigns? Even as I ask the question, I know the answer is yes, but I find it hard to imagine what goes on in their heads. I categorise them in the same category as those who support Wrexham despite not being from Wales, or claim to like punk but only listen to pop-punk bands who are statistically likely to have done some noncing. What you’re doing might not be inherently bad, but I don’t particularly want to spend time with you.

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30/09/2025 0

TJPW Wrestle Princess VI (20/9/25) Review

It’s somehow Wrestle Princess time. I swear it comes round quicker every year. Before the show, I saw someone describe this as the weakest of TJPW’s Ota Ward cards this year, but I don’t agree with that. You’ve got Rika vs Pom for fuck sake! Not to mention the return of Apple Ice Cream. There was a whole lot I was looking forward to here, so let’s get on with it.

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22/09/2025 1

Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for August 2025

Endo runs the Miyu gauntlet. Credit: TJPW

Despite heading down to London for a weekend to watch the stuff (don’t expect any writing about that, much beer was drunk), I feel like I didn’t watch as much wrestling as usual in August. There is no grand reason for that. I just never quite got around to a bunch of shows that I’m sure I’ll catch up with eventually. All the same, there were a few matches that I enjoyed. They’re mostly hailing from my usual places, but hey, it’s not like anyone is coming here expecting anything different.

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01/09/2025 0

TJPW Princess Cup Final (23/8/25) Review

A bit late, as I was down in London seeing friends, drinking beer and being subjected to MJF matches, but it’s time for my rambles about the Princess Cup Final! It’s the show that gives us our first indication of what direction we’re heading in as we start to swing towards the end of the year. Is Arisu Endo getting bumped to the top of the card? Or are we going back to Miu vs Mizuki? As it all took place several days ago, you probably already know the answer, but let’s keep the suspense alive for my own amusement.

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27/08/2025 0

Shoko Nakajima vs Miu Watanabe, Princess Cup (17/8/25), TJPW

I adore how Shoko has used the 619 recently. Credit: TJPW

The times they are a-changing in TJPW. I can’t quite pinpoint when it started, but there has been a noticeable shift towards working a limb. My completely baseless assumption is that with Yuka Sakazaki gone and Miyu Yamashita spending more time working overseas, it’s a consequence of the growing influence of Shoko Nakajima (and perhaps, to a lesser extent, Rika Tatsumi), which could never be a bad thing. It’s been particularly evident in 2025’s Princess Cup. Both semi-finals saw at least one body part being treated most unkindly, and I don’t think that would have been the case a year ago, never mind even further back. It’s a noticeable shift in the house style that seems to be carving itself into the company’s roots.

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19/08/2025 1

Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for July 2025

A photo that tells you everything you need to know about Rika Tatsumi. Credit: TJPW

I had another busy month in July, but unlike the last couple of times that’s happened, this was almost entirely for fun reasons. There was a Japanese exam at the start, but the rest was music festivals and seeing some of my favourite people, so I didn’t have much time to devote to wrestling. Despite that, I think I managed to watch a respectable amount! It’s all fairly on brand, as I didn’t stray too far outside of my usual promotions, but they’re my go-to places for a reason. They’re great.

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01/08/2025 0

TJPW Summer Sun Princess (21/7/25) Review

It feels like forever since we’ve had a big Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling show. Sure, there have been trips to America, farewells to beloved ring announcers and Yoppy’s retirement in that time, but we haven’t had a bells and whistles Tokyo Joshi event since March, which might as well be last year. Thankfully, they have come back with a bang. The now former idol has the championship shot, the two best tag teams in the company are facing off and a giant panda has turned up to wreck havoc in the undercard. It had the potential to be special – let’s find out if it was.

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22/07/2025 2

Ramblings About’s Matches of the Months for June 2025

The biggest match of the month, Hyper Misao vs imposter syndrome. Credit: TJPW

After a couple of months where I’ve struggled to put one of these together for various reasons, I feel like I got back into the groove in June. It’s been something of a return to safe ground, as I’m touching on a lot of TJPW, ChocoPro and Marvelous, but there are a couple of other things in there, and I just needed to find my spark again. Fingers crossed you enjoy it, and if you’ve got any cool recommendations that I missed, feel free to let me know!

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01/07/2025 0

Ren Konatsu vs Suzume, Spring Tour In Nagoya (1/6/25), TJPW

The Arai influence comes through in the facial expressions. Credit: TJPW

When looking at a wrestler’s debut, I think it’s important to focus on what is there rather than what’s lacking. Despite what some like to claim, no one turns fully formed, and as brilliant as the likes of Mio Momono and Mei Suruga proved to be in their rookie years, they’ve only improved since. I’ve previously joked that I consider it a successful first match if they can make it through without hiding under the ring, crying (too much) or dropping someone on their head, but there’s a degree of truth to it. This isn’t music, no one’s best showing is their debut, so if you can get through it without messing up and, in the process, give the world a glimpse of what makes you special, then you’ve done damn well.

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03/06/2025 0

Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for May 2025

For the second month in a row, I’ve left a whole bunch of matches I would have loved to write about on the table. That’s partly because I was still incredibly busy at the start of May, so I’m working my way through my backlog, and partly because my brain hasn’t been playing fair recently, and I’ve been struggling to do, well, anything. However, I did manage to get a few words down, so hopefully, there’s something here to enjoy! Fingers crossed that normal service will be resumed next month.

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01/06/2025 0