Ramblings About’s 2022 Match of the Year: Miu Watanabe vs Yuka Sakazaki

Coming into 2022’s Princess Cup Final, it felt like the focus was entirely on Miu Watanabe. With good reason, too. Miu going deep in the tournament, beating Shoko Nakajima and Miyu Yamashita on the way, felt like the stepping up of Tokyo Joshi’s next generation. Yes, they’ve made it to main events and battled for titles before, but no one had ever done it by going through two of the heads on TJPW’s Mount Rushmore. Miu was brute forcing her way to the top, breaking down walls for those who followed, and people were desperate for her to go the distance.

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30/12/2022 1

Ramblings About’s Wrestler of the Year 2022: Mei Suruga & Pom Harajuku

Having gone back and forth for weeks over who my wrestler of the year was, I managed to whittle it down to two candidates and began the process of figuring out who would be number one. Then, having spent far too long thinking about it, I realised that this award is my own creation, which means I can do whatever I want. Therefore, for the first time ever, Ramblings About Wrestling have two wrestlers of the year, and what a pair they are. The best in the world in 2022, as decided by me, were Mei Suruga and Pom Harajuku.

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27/12/2022 1

TJPW Merry Christmas! (24/12/22), Review

The last Tokyo Joshi show of 2022 doubled up as a Christmas celebration and the go-home show for Ittenyon while continuing the tradition of the bulk of the card coming via a fan draw. It’s a fun way to end the year and always throws up a few intriguing combinations as TJPW look to see us out on a high. Did they? Let’s find out.

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24/12/2022 0

TJPW City Circuit Autumn (10/12/22) Review

For only the second time, the other one being earlier this year, TJPW took a trip to Hamamatsu, continuing the build to Ittenyon by hitting the road. They were short an Itoh and a Kamiyu on this show, as they were over in Malaysia, but a Rhio came in to fill the gap, and they’re treating the fans to an EVE Title match in the main event. You can’t say fairer than that, right?

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11/12/2022 0

TJPW Autumn Tour (3/12/22) Review

With TJPW’s final Korakuen Hall of the year behind us, all attention turns to the next big one: Ittenyon. It might just be another trip to Korakuen, but that date adds to its importance, and the show reflects that. We’ve already got our big title matches, but with a month to go, the rest of the card needs fleshing out, and perhaps this show will give us an idea of what to expect. Let’s find out.

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04/12/2022 0

TJPW All Rise (27/11/22) Review

The rookie killer strikes again. Credit: TJPW

With Wrestle Princess III and big shows in Osaka, it feels like a long time since we’ve had a Tokyo Joshi Korakuen. With how consistently excellent these shows are, that’s never going to be a good thing, so it was lovely to be back in that familiar room. Throw in a packed card with a couple of big matches against foreign talent and a crowd that was allowed to be in full voice, and it was hard not to be excited for this one, so let’s see what went down.

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28/11/2022 1

TJPW Autumn Tour (20/11/22) Review

With a Korakuen up next, TJPW were in Shinjuku for their last chance to wrap up any loose ends before the big one. This go-home show was more intriguing than usual, as we had a couple of new faces in the main event, with Millie McKenzie and Billie Starkz making their debuts. How would they go down? Well, let’s find out.

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21/11/2022 0

TJPW City Circuit Autumn (15/11/22) Review

TJPW were down a few faces for this show, with Miyu and Misao in the UK (wrestling for EVE, a pair of events that I was at, which is why this review is later than usual) while Nao was performing in a play. However, they were in the unique confines of KBS Hall, which is generally enough to make up for a few missing wrestlers, so let’s see what went down.

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17/11/2022 0

TJPW Autumn Tour (6/11/22) Review

TJPW has announced that the headline match for their next Korakuen will be Billie Starkz vs Yuka Sakazaki, which feels like something a bit different, despite having once been the norm. It’s easy to forget that before the pandemic foreign wrestlers coming over and challenging for a title wasn’t that unusual, with Lana Austin being the last one to have a shot at the big belt (which was coincidentally held by Yuka) right before the pandemic struck. I’ve never seen Billie wrestle, so I have no idea how it will go, but she seems to be a bit of a prodigy, so I’m expecting big things. Before we get to that, TJPW had a show at KFC Hall, where they said goodbye to another visiting star, Willow Nightingale. Let’s see what went down!

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07/11/2022 1

TJPW The Mountain Top (29/10/22) Review

Having battled her way to the International Title, it was time for Miu to see if she could hold onto it. Her first opponent was intriguing, as Moka Miyamoto stepped up to the top of the card, making this show’s main event a big occasion for both wrestlers. On top of that, TJPW treated Osaka to the debut of Willow Nightingale, the karate nurse teaming with the Ace and an appearance from Yuki Arai. It sure sounds like a good time, so let’s find out if it was.

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30/10/2022 0