Tag: TokyoJoshiPro

July 1, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Joshi Pro has been experimenting with several interesting new initiatives to expand the type of content they offer. Recently That’s JPW, their semiweekly one match all English shows, wrapped up after 24 episodes over the course of three months. It was a well done, worthwhile endeavor and I hope it returns someday.

Inspiration’s another unique new offering with a ton of potential. They’re shorter than usual shows (three matches, around an hour) that include things outside of TJPW’s normal purview.  Inspiration #1 was a great start, with all three Up Up Girls getting spotlight singles opportunities against major opponents and the deathmatch loving Hikari having her (and TJPW’s) first ever hardcore match in the main event.

Inspiration’s second show continues the format of an unusual stipulation match in the main event, and features four rookies getting spotlight opportunities as two of them face TJPW’s aces in singles matches while the other two face each other.

1) Arisu Endo vs Moka Miyamoto

Special match here for both, as it’ll be a first singles victory no matter who wins. Only Arisu and Yuki Arai have debuted more recently than Moka, so this is her first singles match against a less experienced opponent. Both have looked very impressive in their short careers so far, so I’m excited for this encounter.

One great thing about TJPW is that most of their rookies debut with a fair amount of their character/style in place. Moka’s traditional Japanese influence on her gear is unusual and makes her standout as much as Arisu’s unique, more flamboyant gear does for her.

Moka incorporates her karate background into her strikes, and Arisu centers her offense around knee drops to the back of the head. These core approaches give them something to build around as they gain more experience.

This became a really good example of how well properly executed fundamentals can anchor a match. They went hold for hold trading waist locks, side headlocks, reverse chin locks, hammerlocks, arm ringers, and so on as each gradually tried to build an advantage.

They were both always working holds and fighting for escapes. Moka concentrated on Arisu’s leg as the match went on while Arisu doggedly kept going for her kneedrop to the back of the head variations which connected more and more often.

Moka started to take control late, but her karate strikes setting up a submission hold were a tad too slow and just as she got it locked in time expired.

Rather surprised at this going to time limit. Wrestling a compelling draw is tough at their experience, and this was very solid and never felt like they were wrestling for a draw. In some ways the way they kept it engaging throughout is more impressive than a victory would have been for either. Good stuff.

2) Yuka Sakazaki vs Suzume

Huge opportunity for Suzume against one of TJPW’s top stars right before Yuka travels to the US for a month to wrestle for AEW.

TJPW’s magical girl is rightfully well known for her incredible high flying, but is also deceptively strong and a great technical wrestler. It’s the latter two traits she used to keep control of Suzume early while Suzume used her speed to try to counter.

Yuka’s tenacity against Suzume’s resilience became the story here. In one particularly great exchange Yuka stopped Suzume’s efforts to get out of a side headlock by reaching the rope with a leg by using her own leg to wrap up Suzume’s without releasing the hold, making Suzume roll them both completely over to get the ropes and the break.

Suzume fought back against everything Yuka tried, and managed to put together a solid string of offense late match. Yuka just kept laying on the power to wear Suzume down though. She eventually hit her awesome Magical Merry Go Round (over the shoulder hammerlock airplane spin into a sitout facebuster) to put Suzume away.

Yuka can do it all and I adore when she goes into aggressive mode. Suzume looked great here against her and it all came together into a really enjoyable match.

3) UWF Rules Match: Miyu Yamashita vs Mirai Maiumi

Miyu is the reigning Princess of Princess champion, but this is non-title. No pinfalls in this. Winner is determined by knockout, tapout, or TKO. Knockout is determined by failure to get up for a 10-count.

Each wrestler starts with 5 points, and a TKO happens if they are reduced to zero. A point can be lost by being knocked down (with a knockout count starting, simply taking your opponent off their feet briefly in some manner is insufficient), using a rope break, or breaking the rules (certain strikes such as punches and elbows are prohibited). If the time limit is reached, most points left wins.

UWF rules is a popular style in Japan that is considered to be the foundation of MMA, based in kicks/submissions. The match between the striker Yamashita and the grappler Mirai should be interesting. This will be my first UWF rules match. Given the unique nature of it I’m going full play-by-play here.

Tentative start with an exchange of delivering and checking each other’s low kicks. Mirai catches one and twists Miyu to the mat but the latter escapes and gets back to her feet before Mirai can apply any holds.

Miyu largely keeps her opponent at bay but when Mirai does dash in to grab a leg Miyu gets a front face lock on the ground instead. Mirai gets free and gets on top of Miyu’s back. Miyu keeps covered tight for a while preventing Mirai from getting an advantage, but Mirai eventually pulls Miyu over with a waist lock and rolls into a seated body scissors from behind. Miyu fights off Mirai’s attempts to take her head and spins around until she’s on top of Mirai on the Matt trying to get control of Mirai’s head and arms.

Mirai manages to flip it around so she’s on top and presumably in control, but the champ grabs her head in a front face lock from below. Mirai gets out and laces Miyu’s legs, then they largely stalemate each other for a bit until Mirai gets Miyu flipped face down and grabs her legs.

Mirai ties up Miyu’s right leg with her own legs, all the while have to fend off Miyu trying to twist out or use her arms to dislodge Mirai. She finally gets it settled and grabs Miyu’s other leg in a half crab. Miyu flips out but it was a trap and Mirai grabs the foot on Miyu’s still tied up right leg and pulls down, completing a beautiful triangle leg lace. Miyu’s in trouble and has to go to the ropes with her other foot to break, costing her a point and bringing her down to 4.

Mirai breaks and they’re separated to neutral corners. Being vertical again Miyu starts being more aggressive with her kicks to keep the grappler away and Mirai has to move back several times to avoid them. Mirai eventually shoots in regardless and takes Miyu down with a wasitlock, but Miyu’s able to push Mirai away then use her legs from a seated position to keep the standing Mirai back.

Mirai tentatively gets ahold of a leg, but it’s Miyu’s turn to spring a trap as she uses that legs to pull Mirai in and spins around in a GORGEOUS transition until Miyu’s in back mount position with a chin lock and bodyscissors on Mirai on the mat.

Mirai flips over with Miyu still on her back and creates a little separation, so Miyu converts to a cross armbreaker attempt. Mirai’s got her hands solidly locked to it takes all Miyu’s strength to break her grip and get the arm extended, but once she does Mirai has to quickly get to the ropes to break. One point down for Mirai and they’re both at 4.

Back to vertical again and Miyu alternates between hitting low kicks, just pushing Mirai away with boots to the chest, and the occasional swing at her head to make sure Mirai’s paying attention. She is and so far has avoid all Miyu’s “test” big strikes.

Miyu lays in a string of low and middle kicks that rock Mirai a bit, but it becomes clear the latter was absorbing them on purpose when she responds by LEVELING Miyu with her signature left lariat. Knockdown on Miyu costs a point putting her at 3. Miyu back up at 7 and they square up again.

Miyu charges but Mirai rolls her right into a key lock. She gets the body scissors too and it’s in DEEP. Miyu’s only chance of escape is backing up to the ropes and there’s another point spent. Miyu’s at 2.

Back to neutral corners and Miyu’s right arm is limp at her side. She begs off a bit but then NAILS a kick to the temple out of nowhere to lay Mirai out. Mirai’s back up at 9 but shaky. Knockdown costs her a point and she’s at 3.

Miyu presses the advantage and runs in with a knee strike and a flurry of kicks and palm strikes. She just barely misses another head kick. Mirai grabs the next mid kick and takes Miyu down, but Miyu hits a kick to Mirai’s head from the mat to break.

Back up and Miyu cuffs Mirai’s head a few times, then lands the Skull Kick and Mirai’s done. 10 count is academic. Miyu gets the victory. Mirai looked like she could hang with the champ though, and there are definitely big things ahead of her in the years to come.

A couple of presentation enhancements to make the rules clearer / provide reminders would be a good idea (I looked up the rules online before the show, or likely would’ve missed a lot of the context). That said, the match ended by knockout so not catching all of the nuance of the point system shouldn’t have hampered viewers too much in this case.

So the style and pace of this is much slower than a regular wrestling match, but intentionally so and not to its detriment. It won’t grab everyone but makes a good special stipulation for the right competitors and Miyu and Mirai were definitely perfect for this.

I really adored it, so for me this was another great main event to another great show making Inspiration two for two. Really looking forward to the next one.

Inspiration and TJPW’s other shows can be viewed with a Wrestle Universe subscription (which includes other promotions as well and is a great value at 900 yen a month).

April 12, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling has several interesting, new initiatives starting to expand the type of content they offer. A couple weeks ago they premiered Inspiration, shorter than usual shows (three matches, around an hour) that run every few months and can include things outside of TJPW’s normal purview.

This was the first episode of That’s J-PW, airing single matches specials with English commentary semiweekly.

Show opened with DDT’s Chris Brookes and ChocoPro’s Baliyan Akki, who will be the commentary team, introducing the concept and bringing out the participating teams for comments.

Sena & Hikari were all smiles and managed to introduce themselves then get out a couple of words about their opponents’ power. Neither can speak much English but the effort alone was the point here, and it’s a cute introduction to the duo for those that might not know them.

Miu & Mirai’s were next and also talked about their power, but then said their opponents have speed and are good friends. Mirai did the best of the four with English all around, introducing herself with an excellent summary of her style in catchphrase form:

“Strong style lives with me. No stereotypes. Open up a new world.”

Sayuri Namba on announcing duties as usual for TJPW, but again in English. Like Chris Brookes’ recent produce shows (as well as the AEW Japan bracket), this took place at Warabi Wrestle Arena (the Ice Ribbon dojo).

Miu Watanabe & Mirai Maiumi vs HikaShoi (Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori)

Miu and Hikari were also a part of Inspiration, with Hikari in the main event in TJPW’s first ever hardcore match.

Hikari & Sena are a regular team, but Miu is a former tag team champion and Mirai perhaps TJPW’s top rookie so this looked pretty even going in.

This was a solid tag match wrestled at a good clip built around the foreshadowed conflict of power versus speed. HikaShoi used quick strikes and teamwork to try to sustain an advantage while Miu & Mirai often countered using their strength. Highlights included a beautiful straightjacket pin by Sena, a particularly vicious series of dropkicks by Hikari, and Miu & Mirai throwing their opponents about and grabbing them out of the air into holds.

Akki and Chris made a natural team on commentary, and did a really good job emphasizing the action and adding context and depth to what was going on.

Eventually it came done to Miu against Sena and Miu wiped her out with the Teardop (over-the-shoulder faceplant) for the win.

Shame to see the regular team (and Hikari in particular) lose, but Sena was the most likely of the four to take the pin from the start and they still looked quite good in defeat. The match was fun and a good way to kick off this new program.

Quick post show plug has Kamiyu talking about TJPW’s big 4/17 event (in English as with everything else this show) to close things out.

This was a nice little 15 minute show, and I think these will help do exactly what they’re intended to do: further expand and engage TJPW’s international fanbase in a thoroughly enjoyable way.

That’s J-PW and TJPW’s other shows can be viewed with a Wrestle Universe subscription (which includes other promotions as well and is a great value at 900 yen a month).

April 1, 2011 in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Joshi Pro has several interesting, new initiatives coming to expand the type of content they offer. In a couple weeks they will be starting airing single matches specials with English commentary semiweekly. This is the start of another project: TJPW Inspiration.

Inspiration is an experiment in doing shorter than usual shows (three matches, around an hour) that can include things outside of TJPW’s normal purview. This premiere event looks like a great proof of concept, with all three Up Up Girls getting spotlight singles opportunities against major opponents including the Deathmatch loving Hikari having her (and TJPW’s) first ever hardcore match in the main event.

Namba announced that Inspiration will run every few months, with the next event set for July 1.

1) Miu Watanabe vs Mizuki

Mizuki recently had another unusual appearance wrestling in the unique confines of Ichigaya Chocolate Square  against Mei Suruga for ChocoPro 100.

There was a lot of grappling and matwork early that set the tone for this as a struggle, and it continued all the way through. Whenever they were vertical it became the perhaps expected battle of Miu’s power vs Mizuki’s speed, but even then no one ever had a sustained advantage and it felt like a war of attrition.

It felt different to me than the other matches I’ve seen of Miu’s in a great way. She pushed Mizuki to the limit and the Sugar Rabbit needed to rely on the ropes to break holds and pins at a few points.

Eventually though Mizuki busted out her incredible Whirling Candy (spinning crossbody) to set up the top rope double stomp to win with just a couple minutes left. Great opener.

2) Raku vs Rika Tatsumi

Rika is the reigning Princess of Princess Champion, so this is a huge chance for Raku to make a statement.

Raku disappeared under the ring during Rika’s entrance leaving a confused Rika behind. Rika couldn’t find her and went to the back at which point Raku emerged and quietly followed her around back to the ring. There she ambushed Rika and taped her pillow to Rika’s backside to blunt Rika’s signature attacks. It largely worked as Rina threw a few jumping hip attacks at Raku to little effect, but the pillow fell off pretty quickly.

Once the match proper got underway it was a story of Rika working the leg interspersed with strike exchanges and Raku’s signature offense. Down the stretch Rika hit the top rope hip attack for the expected win.

Pretty standard match from both, which is perfectly fine for the position they were in. Decent but nothing particularly memorable (which to be honest is how I generally find Rika’s matches, so your milage may vary).

3) Hardcore Match: Hikari Noa vs Rina Yamashita

So excited for Hikari to get this opportunity. Rina is an incredible wrestler an opponent for her to face in the first place, on top of being known for the style of wrestling Hikari adores.

The ring was pre-loaded with plunder including chairs, a ladder, and a glow stick adored board. Hikari has special hardcore/deathmatch gear, wisely including long pants. Pinfall, submission, KO, or TKO all in effect with no rope breaks or countouts. Everything is legal unless the referee finds it particularly life threatening (good thing to make clear I suppose).

This was the story of the Deathmatch Fangirl Idol reveling in taking a new step on her journey while simultaneously proving she was tough enough to deserve to be there. The structure and little details were PERFECT, including a brilliant spot where Hikari put the ladder on her hand and shoulder and spun to try to attack but the hardcore match veteran simply backed out of range and then hit the spinning ladder with a chair to make Hikari pay.

Early on Hikari ended a short feeling out period by upending a box of glow sticks and Up Up Girls CDs on herself to start the chaos, and Rina shortly thereafter broke a couple of the CDs with her bare hands.

Hikari’s full welcome to the hardcore style would come as the culmination of a well built sequence. Rina set Hikari on a table outside and went to the apron but Hikari got up and they had a tense extended fight for the advantage. It ended when Rina managed to hoist Hikari up and hit a FIRE THUNDER DRIVER (over the shoulder sitout tombstone piledriver) through the table. Insane.

From there Rina controlled most of the match and Hikari endured a multitude of punishment like being slammed on slam the on ladder and having Rina stack chairs on her then hit them with another chair. Hikari remained resilient and defiant though, and even kicked out at 1 after eating Rina’s lariat in an awesome moment. When she later swung the momentum around in her favor with some vicious use of chairs, the “fan of the style tries things she’s seen done” vibe continued when she got a huge near fall off using Jun Kasai’s Pearl Harbor Splash (complete with goggles).

Eventually the larger, more experienced Rina pulled ahead, but Hikari made her fight for every inch and successively kicked out of two lariats late (albeit barely). She made Rina resort to Splash Mountain (sitout poweromb from Razor’s Edge position) ONTO THE CHAIRS to win.

Phenomenal first hardcore match for Hikari against the Deathmatch Queen, and further validation that Hikari can totally hang in a main event position. True deathmatches are not my style, but I’m thrilled that Hikari (as well as Ice Ribbon’s Suzu Suzuki) is getting the opportunity to proceed towards her dream of participating in the type of match that inspired her personal love for wrestling.

Afterwards Hikari says she hurts but it was fun, and she wants to do it again tomorrow. Rina says she’s booked tomorrow but they’ll do it again someday and she thinks that Hikari will be welcomed into the deathmatch/hardcore world. Hikari ends the show saying hardcore isn’t enough, she wants a deathmatch! This was all done so well.

This show was everything it promised and extremely smartly put together. I adore the chances TJPW is taking and the new things they are trying and this one was definitely a huge success.

Inspiration and TJPW’s other shows can be viewed with a Wrestle Universe subscription (which includes other promotions as well and is a great value at 900 yen a month).

January 4, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Joshi Pro’s biggest show of the year helped start off 2019, and had three really intriguing matches scheduled for the top of the card.

 

 

A year to the day after their quadruple debut in a tag match against each other the Up Up Girls, sporting brand new gimmicks and names (kind of), teamed together in an 8-woman tag against Haruna Neko, Marika Kobashi, Mina Shirakawa & Pom Harajuku. 

The Up Up Girls are now Hikari Noa, Miu Watanabe, Pinano Pipipipi & Raku. The new names and looks were unveiled at a concert a few days prior. For the most part the new gear stuck to the established color scheme for each but now varies by their individual tastes and personalities. I kind of feel like the one who most needed a new direction changed the least (including leaving her name the same with just a different Japanese spelling), but overall all the new looks are good, nicely unique, and complimentary. The way Hinano fully embraced repackaging is great (she’s the only one who really changed her name, not just adding a last name or changing the spelling, and she also went multi color in her gear and changed her distinctive pigtails), and Hikari’s goth tendencies coming through is awesome.

 

 

Back to the match, it was an ok affair with a fair bit of the expected awkwardness given seven of the eight competitors had a year or less experience. It went a bit too long for what it was, but the effort was there, a few wrestlers stood out, and the Up Up Girls felt like a nicely unified unit on their way to a victory.

I will admit that Pom’s wrestling tends to grate on my nerves a bit. For example I’ve never seen her even so much as feint anything other than the shin kicks when rushing people in the corner. So instead of Pom looking like she outsmarts her opponents or something by kicking the shins as a response when her opponents throw their hands up to block their faces, her opponents always look like complete morons for blocking their faces in the first place. She has potential and we’ll see how things go, but everyone has their own preferences and pet peeves and her act’s not coming together that well for me so far.

 

 

The second match was a triple threat “Queen of USA match” with Hyper Misao vs Yuna Manase vs Veda Scott. The three fought over a star spangled hat (which eventually became three star spangled hats), danced when they managed to wear the hats, and Veda won when she was able to dance long enough uninterrupted. Meh. Not my thing, but it was short enough and the rest of the crowd was highly amused.

 

 

With a bit of buzz about her departure from Actwres Girlz, Maki Natsumi made her TJP debut teaming with Millie McKenzie against the BAKURETSU Sisters (Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino). Really good match, with Maki and Millie both looking impressive and having great chemistry as a team. While I’m still waiting for a bit more momentum to be built for the repackaged Nodoka Temna, Maki & Millie going over here was definitely the right call.

 

 

My first look at Saki Akai in a while was honestly a largely forgettable affair. She teamed with rookie YUMI to defeat Himawari Unagi & Yuki Kamifuku, and my only recollection of this match is leaving it wanting to see more from Yumi in the future.

 

 

Ever since seeing Meiko Satomura come to TJP in August 2017 I’ve been dying to see my personal favorite from the promotion, the Muscle Idol Reika Saiki, get a shot at the legend. Reika just keeps getting better and better, utilizing her incredible power in wonderful ways and really strives to excel at everything she does. Meiko is quite simply the greatest wrestler in the world. I certainly wasn’t disappointed with this battle. Reika went toe-to-toe with the 23-year veteran at several points, and had an excellent, hard hitting, back and forth showing before Meiko put down the upstart. My match of the night.

 

 

In an interesting parallel, the Tokyo Princess Tag Team Title Match involved the same four wrestlers as the prior year’s event, but in different pairs. Yuka Sakazaki now held the titles with Mizuki, and her former championship partner Shoko Nakajima challenged alongside Gatoh Move’s Riho (who teamed with Mizuki to challenge Yuka & Shoko the prior year).

I found the previous year’s match just a touch better overall, but that’s slight criticism and this was still an excellent, high energy example of tag team wrestling. Again all four’s jaw dropping athleticism was on display in innovative double teams and exciting action. Down the stretch this became about Shoko trying to prove herself against her former partner, and she looked absolutely emotionally wrecked afterwards about coming up short and being pinned by Yuka.

 

 

The main event for the Tokyo Princess of Princess Championship saw the company’s ace versus the overachieving rebel as Miyu Yamashita defended against Maki Itoh 

Itoh’s limitations in the ring meant this wasn’t a technical masterpiece, but that was never the point. She grown into being a decent wrestler through force of willpower, and that journey and her incredible charisma make her impossible not to root for. This was always going to be a battle of the champion outclassing the brash upstart punching above her weight, who would then either refuse to die long enough to wear down Miyu and score the upset, or eventually succumb to the champ’s assault.

 

 

Between Itoh’s unique moveset (including spots like blocking an axe kick with a headbutt) and the story and limitations I mentioned, this match might not be terribly accessible to new viewers in isolation. But for those who have been following Itoh’s quest it was captivating and exactly what it should have been, and the crowd was into it the whole time. It was not quite Itoh’s time it seems, and Miyu would emerge with her title intact.

 

 

Decent, crowd pleasing show from Tokyo Joshi Pro to kick off the new year. A little hit or miss in the undercard but still quite fun overall, with a pair of excellent matches plus an appropriately worked main event closing out the show in a strong way.

 

December 22, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan

Second time seeing Tokyo Joshi Pro at Itabashi Greenhall, and the first back in September was a lot of fun.

This show featured six special Christmas matches (mostly just in name), with the pairings of the twelve participants decided by random fan draw at a previous event and a 10 minute time limit on each contest. A pair of tag encounters rounded out the card.

 

 

As usual, the Up Up Girls came out to dance to kick things off. I saw them debut against each other in a tag match to open TJP’s 1/4/18 show, so they’re coming up on their one year anniversary and all four will be repackaged with new gimmicks at 2019’s 1/4 show.

 

 

The first of the X-mas matches was Yuki Aino vs YUMI.  It was my first look at Yumi, who actually seemed more comfortable in the ring than her slightly more experienced opponent (while they’re both in their rookie year, Yuki’s been wrestling since May and Yumi debuted less than a month ago). Basic and a bit bland contest that saw Yuki pick up the win.

 

 

Raku & Veda Scott vs Hinano x & Yuki Kamifuku was built around alternating sequences of the Up Up Girls squaring off and Veda getting in each other’s faces about Yuki pretending not to understand English (she eventually went off on Veda fluently when her hair was touched, then reverted back to feigning lack of comprehension). Good character work from Hinano elevated this a bit, and I hope she keeps a lot of her mannerisms, etc with her repackaged character. The rest honestly struggled a bit to tell an interesting story ringwork-wise, and this was just ok as a result.

 

Next up for the the X-mas matches saw Yuna Manase defeat Mina Shirakawa. This was  bit odd, centered around breast based attacks from both that somehow still felt like part of a competitive match instead of comedy. Mina looked good in my first exposure to her work, and seems to have decent potential.

 

 

 

In contrast comedy was largely the focus of the third X-mas match between Hyper Misao and Miu, and it was reasonably amusing. Misao came out in a Christmas tree costume, and Miu was at a loss with what to do with her eccentric opponent. Fine all in all, although I honestly wouldn’t have had Miu lose to a comedy act.

 

 

The fourth X-mas match was just past the midpoint of the show, and where things took off and never looked back. In what was very possibly the best match of the night, Reika Saiki battled Nodoka Tenma in a fast paced, exciting contest. Reika eventually wore down Tenma to the point where she could hit her jackhammer for the win. Reika’s gotten so great and I absolutely can’t wait to see her wrestle the legendary Meiko Satomura. Nodoka continues to benefit from the gimmick change, and kept pace with the Muscle Idol nicely.

 

 

 

Itoh Respect-gun (Maki Itoh & Mizuki) against Neko Haruna & Pom Harajuku was a way to feature a promising pair of rookies against two of TJP’s top level stars. It was a really fun tag match, with both Haruna and Pom looking decent before their inevitable defeat. Itoh’s on another level charisma-wise and is captivating to watch, and Mizuki’s one of TJP’s lynchpins from a work rate standpoint.

 

 

 

The semi-main and fifth of the X-mas matches featured reigning Princess of Princess champion Miyu Yamashita against the sole remaining member of the Up Up Girls she had yet to face in singles competition, Hikari.

 

 

Hikari looked really good against the champ, portraying a tenacious aura and really seeming like she belonged in the ring with TJP’s ace. Miyu eventually prevailed, but only after a well done in ring story that benefitted both wrestlers. Would love to see a rematch down the road.

 

 

 

The main event and last of the X-mas matchups was Yuka Sakazaki vs Shoko Nakajima. This was a fantastic choice to end the show with going into the big 1/4/19 show at Korakuen. Last 1/4, Yuka & Shoko were the defending tag team champions against Mizuki & Gatoh Move’s Riho. This time, Yuka is now champions with Mizuki instead and Shoko has chosen to partner with Riho to challenge them. Beyond the really interesting dynamic this creates, the match itself last time was amazing and there’s no reason to expected anything else from these pairings.

 

 

I’ve said it before and will say it numerous times again I’m sure: these are two of TJP’s most consistently great performers. As such this was excellent, with perfect pacing for a time limit draw and was structured such that the draw didn’t feel anticlimactic nor inevitable, which is difficult. Great preview for the upcoming tag title contest.

 

 

 

Overall this show was a great lead in to 1/4. The early matches were a bit lackluster, but there wasn’t anything horrible and the effort was there for the most part. The second half was excellent, and has really got me excited for Korakuen.

 

 

 

 

 

September 29, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Joshi Pro has grown into a really entertaining promotion with several excellent performers. This was my first time seeing TJP at a venue other than Korakuen Hall, and I was curious to see what one of their “smaller” shows would be like. Greenhall’s a great venue itself, so this looked to be a fun afternoon.

 

 

 

The Up Up Girls came out to dance to kick things off. I saw them debut against each other in a tag match to open TJP’s 1/4/18 show, so all four are still in their rookie year. Here the show proper once again opened with an inter-group match, in this case Hikari vs Raku in a singles contest.  A fine outing for both, although they’re still a bit tentative and have awkward exchanges at times. Hikari seemed just a touch more polished, and also picked up the victory. Decent for what it was.

 

 

The 3 Way match of Yuu vs Yuna Manase vs Yuki Kamifuku was all story, revolving around Yuna and Yuki trying to seduce Yuu into helping them instead of the other. Yuki had the alliance advantage early on after giving Yuu a magazine featuring pictures of Yuki, but miscommunications and Yuna flaunting her body keep things switching around. No, I’m not joking about any of this. Eventually both screwed up often enough that Yuu had enough, so they teamed instead. Yuu of course eventually won, being quite a bit above either on the card. Some amusing bits, but overall the comedy fell a little flat with me and this was just kinda there.

 

 

 

Azusa Takigawa is winding down her career and back in her regular persona after her brainwashed “Azusa Christie” phase. Here she teamed with the Muscle Idol Reika Saiki against Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima. The latter team came out with signs apparently protesting Azusa’s retirement, and Reika joined in the protest for a bit. Seeing the tiny kaiju enthusiastically copying Misao was highly amusing. Azusa eventually attacked her opponents and slapped her partner upside the head to get things started.

 

 

 

This was really the best of both worlds of TJP’s match types. Reika and Shoko absolutely tore it down action-wise, then when things slowed down/stopped for the sake of the story it was well done. A lot of that was thanks to attention to detail and the wrestlers themselves being heavily invested, such as when Reika and Shoko got so caught up in Misao’s apparent selfless act in the ring that they stopped fighting on the outside and watched, as captivated as the audience.

Misao offered to take Azusa’s second rope elbow to end the match, giving the latter a win as a retirement gift. Then she kicked out instead. Reika, angered by Misao not following through on her word, got involved but Azusa begged off saying it was reflex and offered to do it again. This time Misao countered the elbow into a backslide for a close 2 to try and steal the match. At that point even Shoko’s pissed, and she joined her opponents in a series of finishers and a three person dogpile to put Misao away.

 

 

 

The way Azusa, Reika, and even the ref went ahead and celebrated with Shoko as if it was a 3 vs 1 all along and Shoko’s excitement at “winning” were fantastic. Everyone makes up afterwards, Misao tearfully congratulates Azusa, and they all leave together. Far and away the most I’ve ever enjoyed Misao’s antics, precisely because there was a strong framework for them and they were supported by an exciting match, with Reika and Shoko being their usual exceptional selves.  I talk a lot about Reika, Maki Itoh, and Yuka Sakazaki in terms of incredible presence and charisma, but Shoko is right up there too and is perhaps TJP’s most underrated performer. Loved this.

 

 

 

Up Up Girls member Hinano was outmatched in non-title action against TJP’s Princess of Princess champion Miyu Yamashita and knew it, resorting to bouts of fake crying, etc to try and throw her opponent off her game. Hinano managed to get a bit of back and forth going out of it, but Miyu dispatched her in short order once the champ got serious. Fine way to get the rookie some experience against TJP’s ace and let her look good while still telling a story that made sense for those involved. 

 

 

 

The main event was a 6-woman tag between Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Maki Itoh and Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Miu. It’s interesting for me to see Yuka now tag champs w/ Mizuki given last time I saw TJP back in January Yuka defended those same belts (w/ Shoko) against Mizuki (w/ Gatoh Move’s Riho). Yuka’s a personal favorite and always a joy to watch, and Mizuki’s right up with her as one of TJP’s most consistently great workers. Add in the rising superstar with nuclear levels of fan support and charisma Itoh and their trio is a bit of a superteam.

I like Nodoka’s new gimmick (I am perhaps the only TJP fan thrilled to see her put Nodoka-Oneesan behind her) and her team with Yuki is clicking nicely. Miu’s generally considered the current top prospect of the Up Up Girls, and I understand why.

So with all the elements put together this was an engaging, solidly worked match with flashes of brilliance. Nodoka’s trio put up a good fight, but eventually came up short when Miyu fell to a high flying assault from TJP’s tag champs. The way Yuka in particular soars around the ring is amazing, and I honestly think she’s one of the best fliers in wrestling (right up with Dash Chisako at the top of the heap in my mind, and that’s saying a lot).

 

 

Afterwards Nodoka & Yuki stake a claim for a shot at the tag titles, which I believe the champs eventually accepted. During the whole exchange a somewhat bored looking Itoh sat on the ropes patiently waiting for her partners’ business to be concluded. Her trying to be supportive while just barely being unable to hide a touch of disinterest was a great character moment.

 

 

 

So the card obviously wasn’t quite as stacked as the Korakuen shows, but was still quite good with enough here to satisfy and some really strong performances from the expected names.

In contrast the merchandise situation was fantastic, far better than the madness at Korakuen.  Post show there was more time and space, which made a ton of difference. Everyone stayed until their personal line was done, with staff announcing as someone was getting ready to leave so fans had one last chance to go over. I finally got to meet several wrestlers I’m a big fan of for the first time, and I appreciate all the effort and enthusiasm both the company and wrestlers put into it all.

Tokyo Joshi Pro continues to excel at emphasizing its strengths and nurturing a roster that’s fully committed to improving every time they go out, to great effect. This was a different type of show than the previous ones I saw of theirs, but just as worthwhile and enjoyable.

January 4, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan

My experience with Tokyo Joshi Pro has been an interesting journey. I had major criticisms of the first show of theirs I attended but felt that with some tweaks they could present a vastly more enjoyable product without losing any appeal to their core demographic. Subsequent shows pleasantly proved it, and now I eagerly await more opportunities to enjoy their offerings.

This card was a particularly exciting one for me, with one of my favorites defending TJP’s top title against their first champion, and Gatoh Move’s Riho participating in the tag team title match.

 

 

After a fun opening bit of singing by Maki Itoh & Mizuki the show started up with a quadruple debut of members of the idol group Up Up Girls.  Hinano & Miu defeated Raku & Hikari in a fine outing that kept things appropriately basic but still allowed the participants to look good (despite a bit of awkwardness here and there).

 

 

 

After a pretty standard filler 6-woman tag between Yuu, Nodoka One-san, & Marika Kobashi vs Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, & Yuki Kamifuku, the visiting Veda Scott came out to face TJP’s resident zombie Maho Kurone. This was a touch short and I wish Veda had needed to do more to defeat Maho, but there were some great comedic elements that felt natural to the characters and didn’t detract from the competitiveness of the match. The highlight of which was Veda offering veggies to Maho as gift (in place of her brains), and Maho having none of it, knocking them away, and chasing Veda around the arena.

 

 

 

 

Maki Itoh impresses me more and more every time I see her. Her ability to naturally switch between humor and intensity is particularly great, and I still smile thinking about her chasing idol lumberjacks around the ring with gleeful menace during her match at the show I saw last August.

 

 

 

So she was really in her element against Danshoku Dino, going straight at him with ferocity while also matching his antics head on. There was a tangible sense of both dismissiveness and attitude from BOTH wrestlers towards their opponent, which is what made this work so well. Dino’s creepy approach was mitigated by the fact that Itoh fired right back in kind, and it made the match immeasurably more enjoyable. Dino’s style isn’t one I generally enjoy (although this was my first time seeing him personally), but this was extremely well done all around. Great match and my adoration of Itoh continues to grow.

 

Next up was a performance from opening match teams representing Up Up Girls. Tokyo Joshi Pro has gotten extremely good at mixing this aspect of their shows in with the wrestling at opportune times.

 

 

 

Since last I saw Azusa Takigawa she seems to have been reborn as Azusa Christie and is now the devoted follower of Saki-sama (Saki Akai). Here they teamed against Azusa’s ex-partner Nonoko & Yuna Manase (with Haruka Nishimoto). Nonoko kept trying to talk sense to her former friend, but it fell on deaf ears as Azusa nailed Nonoko with the book she carries to the ring and eventually emerged victorious alongside her new master. Match was ok. The story was more the focus anyway.

 

 

 

The Tokyo Princess Tag Team Title Match was a particular treat as two of TJP’s best workers, Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima, defended their championships against MIZUKI & Riho. The visiting Riho is a 12 year veteran at age 20 and received a well deserved superstar welcome from the crowd. Mizuki fit in very well herself and the result was an absolutely phenomenal back and forth match with a variety of brutal strikes, gorgeous double teams, and jaw dropping athleticism.

After a hard fought struggle to retain their titles Yuka and Shoko were confronted by Saki and Azusa, who issued a challenge for those selfsame belts.

 

 

 

In August I was lucky enough to see both Reika Saiki claim the Tokyo Princess of Princess Championship (in a fantastic contest against then champion Yuka Sakazaki) and Miyu Yamashita in a breakout performance against Meiko Satomura. The prospect of seeing the two face of here for the title was an extremely exciting one, further enhanced by the underlying story of TJP’s first champion Miyu trying to become their first 2-time champion as well at the Muscle Idol’s expense.

 

 

 

This was exactly the hard hitting, excellent battle I wanted from the two of them. They just laid into each other with strikes and tossed each other around until one couldn’t get up. Reika’s developed a perfect style to highlight her incredible power and just keeps getting better and better, while Miyu is really hitting her stride and learning to make the most of her wonderfully aggressive style. Great match that’s neck and neck with the tag title contest for best of the night. I was slightly disappointed to see Reika lose the belt, but Miyu’s certainly deserving and there are several interesting directions to go with her second reign.

All the matches at the top of the card got proper time to build and breath, and the wrestlers certainly took advantage of those opportunities to show what they could do.

 

 

 

After Reika leaves a celebrating Miyu is issued a challenge by… Veda Scott?! Well, while that’s not the direction I in any way expected now we know why Veda survived the zombie apocalypse earlier in show.

This was a really awkward promo, with Veda buttering Miyu up while the latter couldn’t understand her but switching to insults once she got a translator.  They should have just pretended Miyu could understand her, as Veda’s capable of much better on the mic than this. Still, at least Miyu’s first sacrificial lamb was set up for slaughter.

 

 

Tokyo Joshi Pro continues to really excel at emphasizing its strengths and developing a roster that’s fully committed to improving every time they go out, with great results.