Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
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”
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.
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 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”
It’s Max Heart semi-final time, as TJPW filed into KFC Hall to find out who will be battling for a big trophy and a shot at the tag-team titles. Of the four teams left, only Daydream have held gold before, and even with Miu already booked to challenge Miyu for the shiniest belt of them all, you’ve got to look at them as the favourites. Will they make it to the final? Let’s find out!
Continue reading “TJPW Max Heart Tournament (27/1/24) Review”
Tokyo Joshi now hosts several more extravagant yearly shows than their annual Ittenyon trip to Korakuen Hall, but there is still something special about this one. The combination of the date, that venue, and it being TJPW’s traditional ‘big show’ gives it a magical feel, even if they are now in that old hall nearly every month. Without fail, this is one of my shows of the year, so let’s see if TJPW can keep that run going.
Continue reading “Tokyo Joshi Pro ’24 (4/1/24) Review”
As 2023 draws to an end, people like me decide to spend far too long coming up with a match-of-the-year list. Honestly, even I think this one is somewhat excessive, as I have nineteen matches to cover in what I’m describing as the best of the rest. However, I didn’t want to let any of my favourites go, as I’d be happy to have any one of these as my number one. As usual, these are the matches I loved, so while you can feel free to throw some suggestions my way (in fact, please do), don’t waste any time telling me I’m wrong. I don’t care how good you think Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega was – I’m never going to watch it. Anyway, on with the list!
Continue reading “Ramblings About’s Matches of the Year 2023: The Best of the Rest”
May is a quieter month for my best matches roundup, not because there isn’t plenty to talk about (there is), but because it’s exam time in Scotland, and as someone whose job is to help kids prepare for them, I’ve been quite busy. Still, I had a lot to say about the things I did have time to watch, and there are at least a couple I will be returning to at the end of the year, so May more than held up its end of the bargain.
Continue reading “Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for May 2023”
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.
Continue reading “TJPW Merry Christmas! (24/12/22), Review”
With Mizuki celebrating her 10th anniversary as a wrestler, Tokyo Joshi decided to put on a party and celebrate their favourite demonic rabbit. Not only did they let her book the main event, but we’re getting the ‘Mizuki All Around Battle Royal’. What does that mean? Who knows! I’m excited to find out, though.
Continue reading “TJPW Angel and Rabbit (15/12/22) Review”
Ramblings About Wrestling 