Just No Fall No Rope, Yuki “Pretty” Kamifuku, Princess Tag Titles Mini-Tournament

DDT “SOMA TAKAO LOCAL TRIUPMH! MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2023 TOUR IN OTA-KU”, 19/08/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Industrial Plaza PiO Small Exhibition Hall

1. Just No Fall No Rope Match: Makoto Oishi Vs KANON
2. 1 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Akito & Yusuke Okada
3. Special Tag Match: Masamune & Yukio Naya Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
4. Jun Akiyama, Saki Akai & Antonio Honda Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Toy Kojima & Yuya Koroku
6. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Yuji Hino Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
7. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Shota Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata

The main event spot goes to ROMANCE DAWN since the show is Soma Takao’s homecoming.

Yuki Ueno has a fever and will miss tomorrow’s show. Yuya Koroku moves out of the Handicap Match to take Ueno’s place in Match #5.

The match between Makoto Oishi and KANON will now be a Just No Fall No Rope Match. There will be no ropes attached to the ring and the match cannot be won by pinfall. Instead either submissions, knockouts or countouts can end the match.

DDT “OSAKA BAY BLUES SPECIAL 2023”, 20/08/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Makoto Oishi, Yuni & Rukiya Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
2. 3 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Saki Akai
3. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Tsutenkakka Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
4. BURNING Vs Harimao!: Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs KANON & MJ Paul
6. Current Blast Bat & Board 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yoshi Tatsu & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Soma Takao
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yuki Ueno
8. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shigehiro Irie & HARASHIMA

Shigehiro Irie has the wins over Chris Brookes so far with some thanks to Jun Akiyama being on his team. This weekend Irie swaps Akiyama for HARASHIMA while Brookes is teaming with Takeshi Masada again.

DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN – DAY 2”, 29/08/2023
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Ilusion Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
3. Rock ‘n’ Roll 4 Way Death Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuni
4. Drunk Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
5. Different Mixed Martial Arts Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida Vs Thanomsak Toba & Rukiya
6. Special Single Match: Yuko Miyamoto Vs Hideki Okatani
7. Beer Garden Specialty Customer Lottery 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya and Takeshi Masada

The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match gets a warm up bout when one third of the current champions Hideki Okatani faces Yuko Miyamoto.

A tag match built around the different martial arts of each competitor is being put together. Shinya Aoki represents Judo, Yuki Ishida represents (Sumo), Thanomsak Toba represents Kickboxing and Rukiya represents Grappiling.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Death Match returns to the Beer Garden! When music plays you must dance no matter what! Don’t know why they have faith in Antonio Honda showing up though. He often misses these things and need to be replaced by someone else. What’s A.YAZAWA up to?

BASARA “BASARA 227 ~UTAGE~”, 29/08/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. SAGAT Vs Yasu Urano
2. Jacket Match: Gouma Ryu Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. KUBITO, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino & Fuminori Abe
4. Isami Kodaka & Ryuichi Sekine Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
5. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
6. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs FUMA

The young team of Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka faces their biggest challenge yet against Isami Kodaka and a returning Ryuichi Sekine.

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN IZUKOGEN GRANILLUMI”, 02/09/2023
Shizuoka Izu Granpal Park

1. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima (w/ Shunma Katsumata) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Pretty” Kamifuku

The mystery wrestler teaming with Pheromones is Yuki Kamifuku… or as she’s being called here, Yuki “Pretty” Kamifuku! She thought her nickname was going to be “Cool” or “Sexy” but understands that it goes without saying she is already those things.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED EX”, 03/09/2023
Kanagawa Yokohama Skill Culture Center

1. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
2. Yuki Ueno Birthday Commemorative Match ~ Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Toy Kojima
3. Special Single Match: Yuji Hino Vs KANON

KANON might need ropes and pinfalls in order to fight Yuji Hino.

Yuki Ueno turns 28 next month and will fight Toy Kojima to celebrate it.

Naruki Doi will be on the show. Will he still have the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title with him?

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~FIRST ATTACK ON HIROSHIMA~”, 09/09/2023
Hiroshima Industrial Hall West Exhibition Hall 2nd Exhibition Hall

1. Princess Tag Team Titles 1st Qualifier ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku

A six team mini-tournament will determine who will become the next Princess Tag Team Champions. The winners of two 3 Way Tag Matches will face off at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” for the vacant titles. In the first 3 Way Tag Match Kyoraku Kyomei, Free WiFi and the pairing of Raku & Pom Harajuku will all fight each other.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~YUKI ARAI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 10/09/2023
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. Princess Tag Team Titles 2nd Qualifier ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo

The second 3 Way Tag Match takes place the next day. Here it will be Daydream against Toyo Mates against Daisy Monkey.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023
Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe

1. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs X, X, X & X
2. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose Vs Maki Itoh
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Winners Of 09/09 Match Vs Winners Of 09/10 Match
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Daydream are the only previous champion team involved in the tournament so the final will feature at least one pairing who were never champions together before. However if Kyoraku Kyomei and Daydream both win then that means the final consists of all former tag champions.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23” Results

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1,222 Fans

1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Endo submitted Nagano with the Camel Clutch (11:43).
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki defeated Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when HIMAWARI submitted Kazashiro with a Half Crab Hold (11:07).
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka when Kakuta pinned Kamifuku with the Shiden Kai (10:11).
4. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) defeated Hikari Noa with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (9:42).
*V6 for Vert Vixen.
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Aja Kong & Raku and Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku when Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Diving Senton (9:32).
6. Nyla Rose defeated Miu Watanabe with the Beast Bomb (8:01).
7. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Sawyer Wreck with the Skull Kick (11:51).
*V7 for Miyu Yamashita.
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel defeated Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara when Sakisama pinned Uehara with the Academy Award (12:24).
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) defeated Yuki Arai with the Missile Hip (15:11).
*V4 for Rika Tatsumi.
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Cutie Special (24:29).
*V3 for Mizuki.

The history between Mizuki and Maki Itoh that begun under the original Itoh Respect Army seven years ago reached its dramatic peak in Ota Ward Gymnasium today. Mizuki successfully defended the Princess Of Princess Title in the main event, stopping Itoh from winning the title in her fourth attempt. The champion had the injured Yuka Sakazaki in her corner while Itoh came out singing “Brooklyn The Hole” in English. Itoh’s focus was to use variations of the DDT both inside and out of the ring. Mizuki did her own big moves outside the ring including the Cutie Special and a Flying Cross Body. Submission holds couldn’t finish the job either with both the Itoh Deluxe and Crossface Lock proving fruitless. Mizuki dealt a big blow by landing the Diving Double Stomp onto Itoh’s back. Itoh clung onto Mizuki and was able to deliver one last Headbutt in resistance but Mizuki fired back with a Spinning Back Elbow and pinned her with the Cutie Special.

After the match Mizuki said she never believed Itoh when she said she wanted to forget their history together and that the Itoh Mizuki knew is dead. They walked the same path together and Mizuki always looked up to Itoh as her rival. Itoh however said Mizuki doesn’t understand how Itoh feels. She doesn’t like to talk about the past because when they were together, Itoh saw Mizuki become stronger and win championships with someone else. It made Itoh jealous and she looks back on their time together a a black piece of history. It is only right now in the middle of Ota Ward that Itoh now believes she is on the same level as Mizuki. For that reason Mizuki now has her respect and she wants to continue fighting with her. The two shook hands and gave each other a hug. Itoh left the ring so Mizuki could close out the show.

The burning momentum of Yuki Aino wasn’t enough to take the International Princess Title from Rika Tatsumi. She showed a lot of power by using the Side Suplex outside the ring as well as one over the ropes from the ring apron! Tatsumi tried to smother her out with the Dragon Sleeper but Aino powered out of it with a slam. Tatsumi found a way to put her into another Dragon Sleeper but Aino reached the ropes. Aino withstood a Hip Attack and caught Tatsumi in the middle of a second one but Tatsumi wriggled her way into hitting the Twist Of Fate. She then got the win by hitting the Missile Hip. Tatsumi gave her opponent credit for shining as brightly as she did. She hopes the fans will look forward to more matches between them in the future. Aino said the result proves she is not ready to hold a title belt yet. But she had fun in the match because she was able to burn every last bit of energy she has.

NEO Biishiki-gun were back to give their opponents a hard time. That was shown when Mei Saint-Michel danced in the ring to distract the referee while Sakisama attacked Wakana Uehara on the outside. Saint-Michel later dropped her metal tray over Uehara’s head to break up a Sleeper Hold. Yuki Arai pulled out a surprise by using Saki Akai’s finisher the Rookie Award on Sakisama. NEO Biishiki-gun regained their composure and Sakisama hit the similar looking Academy Award to pin Uehara and win the match. Sakisama did not like hearing reporters compare the two moves during her post-match interview because she is one of a kind. In Arai’s interview, she explained that Akai taught her the move but she never got the chance to use it when they teamed together. She felt today was as good a time as any to start using the move because she thinks Sakisama bares a resemblance to Akai. She intends to keep using it more often.

Perhaps Miyu Yamashita didn’t realize just what she was getting into when she decided to put her EVE Title on the line against Sawyer Wreck. The Spirit Of EVE ruleset used for the title match allowed the fight to be taken outside the ring because there are no countouts. The rules also permitted the wrestlers to use weapons under certain circumstances, which Wreck gladly took advantage of. She attacked Yamashita with chairs and slammed her through a pile of them with a Death Valley Driver over by the stage entrance. Back in the ring Yamashita did her best to deflect the chair with kicks. Wreck was able to defend herself from one Skull Kick but a second one reached its target and gave Yamashita her seventh successful EVE Title defence.

The originally planned match for Nyla Rose didn’t take place because of Sakazaki’s injury. So when Rose found out her new opponent was Miu Watanabe she steadily gained weight to make it more difficult for Watanabe to lift her! As soon as the AEW wrestler arrived in Japan she loaded up on pork cutlet curry and sashimi at the nearest Cocoichi curry house. The plan just about worked. Watanabe was able to give her the Giant Swing but only for one rotation. She also wasn’t strong enough to deliver the Tear Drop. Rose took advantage and landed the Beast Bomb to win. Watanabe did leave a positive impression on Rose though. Rose said that even though Watanabe lost, she definitely has something that could open the door into a new world for her.

No Tag Rules were a last minute addition to the 3 Way Tag match. The time for Aja Kong and Max The Impaler to meet again was just about to begin when Hyper Misao got on the microphone to big up Kyoraku Kyomei’s chances of winning. Both Kong and Max ignored her so she sprayed both of them in the face. Kyoraku Kyomei then stole Kong’s steel can as well as Raku’s pillow but Kong attacked them to reclaim the items. Kong even hit Shoko Nakajima with the pillow while Raku hit Pom Harajuku with the can! Kong and Max were on an even level whenever they got the chance to fight each other. They briefly joined forces against Kyoraku Kyomei only to turn on each other. Misao brought out the Hyper Mobile to crash into everyone outside the ring while Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Diving Senton to win. Kong took her anger out after the match by attacking the Hyper Mobile, damaging it to the point where it is now unusable! Kyoraku Kyomei are thinking about crowdfunding a new one or at least convince CyberFight to get a bicycle sponsorship. Kong & Raku said they’d rather crowdfund a new steel can and pillow for themselves.

It was a clean sweep of successful title defences throughout the whole show. Vert Vixen was the first one on the board by defending the DEFY Women’s Title against Hikari Noa. The challenger used the Running Neckbreaker Drop that’s been winning matches for her recently but it didn’t get her the result this time. The Last Supper cradle didn’t work either. Instead Vixen pinned Noa with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. She said the match was like a war but she was able to fight and defend her championship. Noa said she was very happy to be chosen by Vixen for a title match. They’ve teamed together during Vixen’s previous visit to Japan and Noa always wanted to have a title match with somebody she considers to be a tag team partner.

Flashy entrances were provided by both teams in Match #3. VENYU were accompanied by two dancers leading them down to the ring while Nao Kakuta looked dressed to party with Ryo Mizunami. The match started with a bang when Asuka Moonsaulted onto everyone outside the ring. Yuki Kamifuku then put on Mizunami’s entrance gear to taunt her but was reduced to apologising once Mizunami got her hands on her. VENYU gave Kakuta the Magic Killer but Kakuta kicked out at two. She then dodged a Double Big Boot leading VENYU to collide with each other and then get wiped out with a Double Spear from Mizunami. Kakuta then scored the win by pinning Kamifuku with the Shiden Kai.

Five of the eight wrestlers in the 8-Woman Tag Match all only just debuted this year. The match was also Haruna Neko’s return match from a knee injury. Her scratching the wrestlers from the other team led to Mahiro Kiryu apologising to everyone for it. Shino Suzuki and Haru Kazashiro started off before Kiryu and Kaya Toribami took over. Toga cut off HIMAWARI’s momentum with what is fast becoming her signature Elbow Strike. Runa Okubo joined in with her classmate for a Double Dropkick. But HIMAWARI turned the tables and locked Kazashiro in a Half Crab hold for the submission victory.

Juria Nagano was back in action after being gone for six months with a broken finger. The decision was made to have Nagano team with Moka Miyamoto because they were opponents on last year’s show. Nagano went back to using her Karate offence while relying on Miyamoto to make up for the holes in her game. Suzume used her speedy mobility to run circles around her opponents, keeping them in position for Arisu Endo to hit a Missile Dropkick on Miyamoto. Endo then put Nagano in the Camel Clutch, submitting her to give Daisy Monkey the win. Nagano said she’s been trying to build up her stamina to get ready for the match. Her goal is to win a match by herself again as soon as possible.

The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) performed their new song “Rxck it Now” at the beginning of the show. Their new 5th member Uta was also introduced to the audience. her thing on the microphone is to review a different ice cream every show. Today’s recommendation is chocolate coffee flavour.

At the beginning of the show Sayuri Namba found out that voice actress Rica Matsumoto was doing special guest commentary today. Namba was so excited to find out the voice of Ash/Satoshi from Pokémon was here that she wore the character’s signature cap during the show opening announcements.

Aja Kong Vs Super Sasadango Machine was announced for the Niigata show on 5th August.

A team series challenge was recorded at an outdoor amusement park recently. It will air on PPV through Wrestle Universe on 27th July.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION” Results

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 01/05/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
234 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. HIMAWARI defeated Toga with a Half Crab Hold (7:03).
2. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami when Suzume pinned Toribami with the Ring A Bell (13:11).
3. Gabai Ji-chan defeated Mahiro Kiryu with an Inside Cradle (9:11).
4. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Sawyer Wreck defeated Hikari Noa with the Choke Slam onto Lighttubes (11:01).

Thanks to the existence of the “TJPW INSPIRATION” shows, Hikari Noa gets to live her dream of doing deathmatches. She did one already once before but her second go raised the level by a lot because it contained lighttubes! It is an environment that her opponent Sawyer Wreck is more used to and it showed with her throwing Noa into the lighttubes attached to the ropes. Noa’s back got cut up from being slammed but she got to smash a few lighttubes over Wreck in return. Wreck won in the end by Choke Slamming Noa onto a bundle. Noa admitted the pain turned out to be more than she imagined but she still had fun because she got to do what she loved in front of everyone she cares about. She wants to another death match and next time she wants it to involve barbed wire!

Mahiro Kiryu found herself in an awkward position because her opponent was Gabai Ji-chan. Every time she attacked her opponent she got booed by the fans because she was beating up the elderly. It didn’t help that Ji-chan stepped into the gap between the entrance ramp and wrestling ring during his entrance, needing more help to get in. Everyone also discovered that Ji-chan’s slow movements come from his walking stick. When Kiryu held onto it, her body suddenly changed to that of a senior citizen. The same happened to Daisuke Kiso which resulted in him giving the slowest count when Kiryu pinned Ji-chan. It was long enough for Ji-chan to kick out and when he caught Kiryu in an Inside Cradle, Kiso gave a fast three count. Backstage Ji-chan approached Kiryu and suggested they go fight for a championship together. She didn’t understand what he meant so she went home instead.

Daisy Monkey were victorious against Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami in a tag team match. Toribami put Suzume in the Bird Cage submission but it was countered into a Modified Neck Lock that Miyamoto had to break it up. Arisu Endo took out Miyamoto with the Waterwheel Drop and Suzume ended up pinning Toribami with the Ring A Bell.

A rookie showcase between HIMAWARI and Toga opened up the show. Toga tried to work her opponent’s leg but it was HIMAWARI who locked on a Half Crab Hold to make her submit.

The opening speech took place with Sayuri Namba joined by Shino Suzuki. The two of them ran down each of the matches then Namba tried to get Suzuki to sing for everyone because there was no Up Up Girls performance booked.

Keigo Injured Again, Nivea Bracket, Wonderland Full Card, DDT At Takashimaya

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Rukiya
2. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida
4. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Saki Akai & Tsutenkakka Vs Toru Owashi, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
6. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

Keigo Nakamura aggravated his right knee injury and was diagnosed with a meniscus tear along with ligament damage. He was supposed to return to action this Saturday after a clearing a concussion scare but now will be out of action for a while longer. Makoto Oishi replaces him on the show, giving him another chance to judge Yuki Iino closely.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRECIOUS TIME”, 29/04/2023
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1A: Maki Itoh, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
2. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1B: Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Shino Suzuki
3. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1C: Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1D: Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haruna Neko
5. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
6. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
7. Sawyer Wreck Vs Moka Miyamoto
8. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

A year’s worth of Nivea Body Wash goes to the winning team of the tournament.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Rukiya
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Mari Manji Vs Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Rayne Leverkusen
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno
5. Ω Vs Pheromones!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
6. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida

Nakamura is replaced with Rukiya for Sunday’s show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Hyper Misao, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Ryo Mizunami, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Arisu Endo
6. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
7. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck

The other members of Daydream and Daisy Monkey face off before the International Princess Title takes place. Miu Watanabe will be a big challenge for Arisu Endo one on one.

Ryo Mizunami returns to Tokyo Joshi Pro once more. See fought Moka Miyamoto last time but now they are teaming up along with Kaya Toribami.

5th May is Children’s Day in Japan. For Hyper Misao she will be spending the day teaming with the two teenagers Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 1”, 13/05/2023
Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue

1. Sanshiro Takagi, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
2. Pokotan Vs X
3. Tetsuya Endo, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima

A free outdoor DDT event is taking place at the Takashimaya department store in Shinjuku. Three matches are scheduled for throughout the day along with talk shows and other experiences for the fans to see. Takashimaya contacted DDT to put the event together as something for their customers to enjoy while they visit the store. They also mentioned that DDT has a lot of female fans so they think this is a suitable cross-promotion for both companies. Sanshiro Takagi is hoping it will be such a success that they can turn it into an annual event. He warns that the wrestlers could get so heated up during their matches that they might bring the fighting inside the building. However Takashimaya management want to avoid those kind of incidents and any accidents that could happen alongside it.

DDT/ONLY WE “ONLY WE X DDT SPECIAL! ~YUJI HINO 20TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT~”, 14/05/2023
Chiba TKP Garden City

1. The 37KAMIINA Vs Ω!: MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
3. Yuji Hino Debut 20th Anniversary Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Tetsuya Endo, HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi

The mystery man in the main event has been revealed to be Yuji Okabayashi! He has been a regular opponent for Yuji Hino around Japan for a lot of his career.

And Now I’m Almost Caught Up

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “CLIMB OVER ’23”, 22/04/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Shoko Nakajima, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara & Toga
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs HIMAWARI
3. Vert Vixen Vs Moka Miyamoto
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Yuki Aino & Yuki Arai Vs Maki Itoh, Hikari Noa & Shino Suzuki
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

A contract signing was held for the Princess Tag Team Titles a few days ago. The Magical Sugar Rabbits and Pom Harajuku arrived to the building on time but Max The Impaler was nowhere to be seen. The three of them signed the contract anyway and gave comments about the upcoming match. Yuka Sakazaki said if Max does not show up for the title match then Harajuku will be too weak to wrestle by herself. Mizuki thinks the match will have to go ahead as a 2-On-1 Handicap match, which she thinks is convenient for her & Sakazaki. Harajuku was certain that Max would eventually show up and she was proven right. Max burst into the room, took a bite out of the contract, threw the remains at MagiRabi and then grabbed Harajuku and carried her out of the room. Sayuri Namba picked up the remains of the contract and declared it to be an official signature from Max so the title match will go ahead.

The potential next challengers could be coming out of the Daydream Vs Daisy Monkey match.

The trio known as Yuki Yuki Yuki are back teaming together to wrestle in front of a crowd for the first time. I don’t think they figured out who the team captain is yet.

Nao Kakuta is not on the show due to a schedule conflict. Also the teenagers Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo were not booked in order to avoid the burden of having to wrestle in Osaka and Tokyo on back to back days.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE UNIVERSE MEMBERS ONLY SHOW – PURE TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 8”, 23/04/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Maki Itoh & Toga Vs Vert Vixen & Hikari Noa
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Max The Impaler
3. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro Vs Raku, Shino Suzuki & Runa Okubo
4. Special Rules 5 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Miu Watanabe Vs Hyper Misao Vs Arisu Endo Vs HIMAWARI
5. Special Rules Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Costume Change Match: Mizuki, Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku Vs Suzume, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko

Everybody in the main event will be wrestling in somebody else’s costume.

Max The Impaler and Vert Vixen get to be the first foreign wrestlers to participate in Tokyo Joshi Pro’s fan club shows. Unless you count all of those last minute replacement gimmicks that always show up when somebody else gets unusually sick…

BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~”, 30/04/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. KUBITO Vs Masahiro Takanashi
3. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
4. FUMA Vs X
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa

Banana Senga’s schedule is preventing him from appearing in BASARA again until May so Takumi Tsukamoto has to keep himself busy until then. Tsukamoto leads Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe to take on Sparky in an Elimination Tag Match.

A mystery opponent awaits for FUMA.

Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka are still teaming together like they promised after they failed to win the IRON FIST Tag Titles.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

0. 5 Minute Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Chie Koishikawa Vs Tokiko Kirihara
2. Special Single Match: Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi
3. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Tomoka Inaba & HisokA
4. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Tae Honma

The next Ganbare☆Joshi show sees the return of Ami Manase and Marika Kobashi for a match between the two. Ami’s sister and the GanJo GM Yuna Manase will be in attendance.

Riara is taking part in another Exhibition match against Moeka Haruhi three days before her pro debut.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
2. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck

Suzume thought it was impossible she would ever be a pro wrestler but Rika Tatsumi inspired her to do it. Now Suzume thinks it is impossible to beat Tatsumi and become the International Princess Champion. She’s done the impossible with the former so maybe she can do it again with the latter!

Yuki Arai fought against and lost to Maki Itoh in her debut match two years ago. They will now be tag partners for Arai’s 2nd Anniversary match. Their opponents are Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima doing a Miraclians reunion.

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
3. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
4. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
5. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Nao Kakuta has been announced as Yoshiko Hasegawa’s opponent!

GANBARE☆PRO “INHERENT VICE 2023”, 06/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. GanJo Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
2. Hong Kong International Policeman Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Takuya Wada

Former Shooto and Pancrase champions are facing against each other in Ganbare☆Pro! For years now Shuichiro Katsumura has been wrestling under the GanPro banner but Takuya Wada has been a recent addition to the roster.

BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

When Senga is ready to return to BASARA he will put the Union MAX Title on the line against Tsukamoto. Senga found out he gets paid more money as a champion so he wants to earn enough money to get a hair transplant in Turkey (because it’s cheaper there than in Japan). Tsukamoto wants to be the MAX Champion again so he can try to break his tied record for the most title defences.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” Results

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
665 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Suzume & Arisu Endo when Noa pinned Endo after the 5G (11:38).
2. Janai Kai defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Tornado Kick (4:57).
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora defeated Yuki Aino & Raku when Misao pinned Raku with the I Am A Hero (9:03).
4. Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe when Max pinned Nakajima after the Master Blaster (11:56).
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) defeated Billie Starkz with the Missile Hip (8:56).
*V1 for Rika Tatsumi.
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) when Mizuki pinned Itoh with the Diving Foot Stomp (15:51).
*121000000 fails in V1. The Magical Sugar Rabbits becomes the 13th Princess Tag Team Champions!

A big Princess Tag Team Titles change marked Tokyo Joshi Pro’s first visit to America. 121000000 are now the first champions to end their reign with zero successful defences. The Magical Sugar Rabbits are now on their third reign, argubly cementing themselves as the most dominant Princess Tag Champions in history. It all went wrong for the defending champions when their Sandwich High Kick/Headbutt attack missed, causing Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh to hit each other. Yuka Sakazaki got rid of Yamashita with the Magical Merry-Go-Round in the ring followed by going outside to give her a Brainbuster on the floor. She came back to hit the Magical Girl Splash on Itoh, setting up Mizuki to get the three count with the Diving Foot Stomp.

An overjoyed Mizuki told the American audience how “happy happy!” she was to become a double champion. Sakazaki invited the rest of the TJPW roster in the building to come out and join them in the ring so everyone could close out the show together. Backstage Yamashita tried to console Itoh over the result. Itoh kept telling her it’s over because she can’t do it anymore. Yamashita told her she didn’t lose the belt, it was only take from her. They will get their chance some day to get the belts back, Yamashita just doesn’t know when. It was enough to change Itoh’s mind. No matter how long it takes 121000000 will become tag champions again!

The giant rabbit head Billie Starkz wears for her entrance ended up getting used against her by Rika Tatsumi during their match. Tatsumi grabbed the head and shoved it onto Starkz before giving her a Dragon Screw. She then followed up with the Twist Of Fate and then the Missile Hip to score her first International Princess Title defence. Tatsumi wants to make the title more valuable and is anticipating getting to defend it against different opponents. She thinks Starkz is awesome and now that their match is out of the way, she wants to go out and take pictures of Hollywood with her.

The Wasteland War Party returned to TJPW but something wasn’t right. Max The Impaler couldn’t find Pom Harajuku anywhere! Never mind about that, the War Party had a match to win. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe did their best and put up a good fight. Nakajima hit some dives while Watanabe Body Slammed Max. She also slammed Heidi Howitzer onto Max before spinning Howitzer around in the Giant Swing. But the War Party regained control and pinned Nakajima with the Master Blaster. Howitzer told reporters afterwards that she has to go back to the Wasteland soon so she is leaving the joshi hunting duties to Max while she is away.

Before Match #3 began the fans were introduced to a new superhero by Hyper Misao… Hyper Trish! Misao handed Trish Adora her own superhero mask so the pair can now go defend love and peace together. The mask did not provide any super powers though because Raku was able to send both of them to sleep briefly with a lullaby. Misao got her own back by spraying Raku & Yuki Aino in the eyes. Adora then took down Aino with a Lariat so Misao could pin Raku with the I Am A Hero. According to Misao, America has now been saved! Aino was frustrated to lose but also really happy she got paper streamers during her entrance.

Janai Kai defeated Yuki Kamifuku quick enough to surprise everybody. Right as the match was reaching the five minute mark, Kai dodged the Famouser and beat her opponent with the Tornado Kick. Maybe the match ended up that way because Kamifuku spent too much time daydreaming about finding the love of her life Zac Efron somewhere in LA. She also isn’t impressed with Kai’s toenails which is certainly caused by her fighting barefoot. She promises to take Kai to a nail salon the next time she visits Japan.

The wrestlers involved in the opening match could not have been happier with the crowd response. They were thrilled to hear Free WiFi and Daisy Monkey chants while they were fighting. The match ended with Hikari Noa throwing Suzume over with the Blizzard Suplex and then joining up with Nao Kakuta to finish off Arisu Endo with the 5G. Backstage Noa said when she went to wrestle in England last year she was anxious because she was by herself. But today she was with her important tag team partner along with the rest many other women from the roster.

Just like at every other TJPW show, The Up Up Girls performed their song “Upper Kick” at the start of the show. Also in the time between the venue doors opening and the show beginning, a playlist of entrance music for the wrestlers who weren’t able to come over played over the speakers.

Guide To TJPW In Los Angeles

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki

It took three years of waiting but Tokyo Joshi Pro is finally landing in the USA! Originally they were supposed to make their American debut during the WrestleMania Weekend of 2020 but the global pandemic scrapped those plans. This year everything has fallen into place for the trip to go ahead with a new audience coming over to see what all the fuss is about. Maybe you know about TJPW from Yuka Sakazaki and Maki Itoh’s appearances in AEW or from the gifs of Miyu Yamashita kicking the heads off of other girls. Or maybe you just want to find out what is Raku’s Train Of The Day live in person. Whether you are a long time fan, a casual follower or an online reporter who thinks all joshi wrestling is Stardom there is something for everybody on this show.

Where can I watch it online?

The “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” show will be streaming live on FITE as a PPV costing $19.99. It is NOT included in the FITE+ subscription. The on-demand version of the show will be available to watch on Wrestle Universe two weeks after the live broadcast.

When and where are the shows taking place?

“TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” is taking place at the Globe Theatre, Los Angeles on Friday 31st March at 12pm pacific time.

Is this a proper TJPW show?

Yes, I’d say so. You’re not getting the entire roster over but the card to me looks like 3/4 of a lineup you would get for one of their Korakuen Hall shows held away from 4th January or Golden Week. Two title matches on one show is a big deal for them. All that’s missing are the low card and rookie wrestlers. The American wrestlers booked have all toured with TJPW this year so none of them are out of place. Plus Sayuri Namba will be there to do her ring announcing duties.

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1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai

Glamour meets martial arts in the opening bout. Yuki Kamifuku is a model who entered TJPW as a party girl then over the years matured into a big sister role for many of the other women. Janai Kai has been making a name for herself across the indies as the “Kick Demon” and stepped into TJPW for the first time this past February.

Yuki Kamifuku: Sometimes called by her nickname Kamiyu, she is the tallest member of TJPW’s core roster. As much as she knows how to get under her opponent’s skin with harsh comments, she is loyal and sympathetic to her friends. Is proud of her modelling background because she has always been herself while proving you do not need to be a die hard pro wrestling fan to succeed in the business. Grew up in Ohio during her junior high school years so she knows the most English out of the bunch.
Moves To Watch Out For: Famouser (Jumping Leg Drop), Dropkick, Yahoo 83cm (Headscissors DDT), Manjigatame, Thumb To The Eye

Janai Kai: Looking straight out of a martial arts movie about a lethal fighting tournament, “Kick Demon” is a pretty accurate way to describe Janai Kai. She made her TJPW debut in February, achieving her goal of wrestling in Japan that took her 5 years to reach. She couldn’t bring any gold back home from that tour but will be even more determined to get another chance.
Moves To Watch Out For: Tornado Kick, Chaos Kicks (Speedball Kick Combo), Karate Kick to the back, Half Nelson Slam

2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo

How are these for tag team names? Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta are Free WiFi because they think putting that name on the show poster will attract more customers. They also recently came up with a big tag team finisher called the 5G. Suzume & Arisu Endo are called Daisy Monkey because Suzume looks like a flower and Endo pulls her own face like a monkey. The two teams fill out the midcard in TJPW’s tag division although Kakuta does have a big championship match coming up in Japan pretty soon.

Hikari Noa: The first member of The Up Up Girls to have a match on the show. The Up Up Girls are an idol pop group that established a pro wrestling spin-off unit with TJPW. Noa is the member who loves death matches way more than idol music! The only reason she joined the project in the first place was to back door her way into a wrestling career. Her history with tag teams are a little bit cursed because her previous tag partners wound up either leaving the company or leaving pro wrestling entirely. Free WiFi is the first team of hers to last for a year.
Moves To Watch Out For: Blizzard Suplex, Thrust Kick, Blue Racer (Modified Cobra Twist)

Nao Kakuta: A member of the original class of Actwres girl’Z, Noa went freelance and jumped over to TJPW transforming herself from a rat chasing catgirl to a roll calling leader. She was previously a kindergarten teacher, a social welfare director and a camp instructor before becoming a stage actress and pro wrestler. She also got really into horse racing during the pandemic. Kakuta is currently gearing up for a big championship match next month so she’s looking to build her momentum here.
Moves To Watch Out For: Shiden Kai (Fireman’s Carry into a Stunner), Tarantula Headscissors, Kenka Kick

Suzume: Strong as a wasp, Suzume is the Daisy half of Daisy Monkey. She joined TJPW when a friend invited her to go see a show and went through 7 months of training before making her debut. Has been gradually climbing up the singles ladder and may only be a matter of time before she earns her first championship somehwere. Every time she’s entered the Tokyo Princess Cup tournament she’s reached one round further than the year before.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ring A Bell (RKO), Mikazuki Meteor Shower (Diving Cross Body), Twinkle (Twisting School Boy)

Arisu Endo: There was once a cheerleading idol unit called Cheer♡1 and their standout member Reika Saiki became a successful pro wrestler in TJPW. When she left Cheer♡1, her replacement in the group was Arisu Endo. She too wanted to follow in Saiki’s footsteps and eventually took the same path. It’s the reason why she uses the Camel Clutch as one of her signature moves because Saiki used it too. Endo also has a habit of regularly dying her hair into any colour on the spectrum you can think of. Away from wrestling she is a tourism ambassador for her hometown of Aizuwakamatsu City.
Moves To Watch Out For: Camel Clutch, Mt. Bandai (2nd Rope Missile Dropkick), Tsuruga Castle (Guillotine Knee Drop)

3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku

A match that will send everyone who watches to dreamland and intentionally so. It’s a dream that could go off the rails though. You have Trish Adora teaming with Hyper Misao, a superhero who fights more like a super villain. The other team is TJPW’s spirit of burning love Yuki Aino fighting alongside Raku, The Up Up Girl who built her entire personality around trains and sleeping.

Hyper Misao: When love and peace is under threat in TJPW, you can always rely on Hyper Misao to come to the rescue. Just don’t be surprised if her battleplan turns out to be not as heroic as she looks. Before her matches begin she will get on the microphone and reveal to everyone what she is intends to achieve in the ring that day. She always greets the audience during these introductions with “Hello big children!” While she has the talent to win fair fights, she usually prefers underhanded tactics like blinding her opponents with cold spray, wrapping them up in tape and crashing the Hyper Mobile bicycle into them. You know, typical hero stuff.
Moves To Watch Out For: Hypami Returns (Final Cut), I Am A Hero (Diving Cross Body), Crossface Chickenwing, Vanitas (Double Arm Facebuster), Cold Spray Attack

Trish Adora: The current Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling World Champion at the time of writing. Became a pro wrestler after serving for the US Army and has been all over the American indies ever since. The “Afro Punk” got to tour with TJPW in January and is often chosen as an opponent for one of their wrestlers or title matches whenever they come over to America. Away from TJPW she is currently building herself up in the rebooted ROH.
Moves To Watch Out For: Lariat Tubman (Short Range Lariat), Cattle Mutilation, Kneeling German Suplex

Yuki Aino: TJPW’s former ring announcer turned pro wrestler. Ever since her sister Nodoka Tenma graduated from wrestling, Aino found herself getting more attached to Raku & Pom Harajuku. The three of them are almost inseparable but sadly Harajuku is not coming over for the show. Aino also recently debuted a brand new look so she is currently trying to figure out where she stands on the roster. As much as she considered going singles, she seems to be most comfortable wrestling in tag matches.
Moves To Watch Out For: Venus DDT (Inverted DDT), UBV/Unlimited Burning Venus (Double Arm Side Buster), Full Nelson Of Love And Fire (Full Nelson Camel Clutch)

Raku: The second Up Up Girl you will see on the show. Raku’s entire personality can be summed down to naps and trains. Knows so much railway trivia she often tells fans her Train Of The Day on every show. Will the metro rail in LA meet her standards? Her moveset is built around sending her opponents to sleep with a lullaby so she can run over them with the Oyasumi Express. She also sometimes brings a pillow to her matches to use as a weapon and a shield. Somehow this entire package has made the fans and a good chunk of the roster absolutely adore her.
Moves To Watch Out For: Doctor Yellow (Jumping Neckbreaker), Hurricane Turn (Cross-Arm Backslide Pin), Oyasumi Express (running on top of the opponent over and over), Good Night Sleeper

4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer

A pair of rampaging warriors called The Wasteland War Party invaded TJPW over the last year, causing havoc in a promotion that would never be associated with that word. Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer are on home turf this time ready for battle against a Big Kaiju and one of the more powerful pop idols you will ever see. Shoko Nakajima is one of the longest serving and most decorated wrestlers on the TJPW roster. Miu Watanabe always catches people’s eyes with her power spots.

Shoko Nakajima: Meet the Big Kaiju, all 147cm of her! Nakajima has almost done it all in the company. Usually a quick and speedy wrestler, she has the strength to put away opponents with the Northern Lights Suplex and her size does not make the Diving Senton any less effective. When put in Hardcore Match situations her favourite weapon is a pile of kaiju toys that she slams her opponents onto. Last time she was on American TV she pulled a gun on some detective in an episode of S.W.A.T. and got arrested. You can see why she gets along with Hyper Misao.
Moves To Watch Out For: Northern Lights Suplex, Diving Senton, Unmanned Local Train Hold, 619

Miu Watanabe: The third and last Up Up Girl on the show, also the most powerful. You need to see her doing the Giant Swing because she knows several ways to get opponents into the move. Unlike Noa, she adores idols and can’t keep her cool when she’s around them. Maybe the most improved wrestler on the roster last year, she picked up a ton of steam with her performances in the Tokyo Princess Cup. Uses big hand gestures to spell out L-O-V-E along with her music during her entrances. When she isn’t wrestling she likes to draw art. She has a knack of making every single thing she draws look like the Babadook.
Moves To Watch Out For: Tear Drop (Modified Flapjack), Laserbeam (Overhand Chop to the chest), Giant Swing, Canadian Backbreaker

Max The Impaler: When TJPW boss Tetsuya Koda struck a deal to bring the next great foreign wrestler into Japan, he didn’t quite understand who was coming over. Max The Impaler lived up to their name as “The Non-Binary Nightmare” by causing havoc in TJPW. They kidnapped members of the media and levelled anybody brave enough (willingly or otherwise) to stand against them. Oddly enough, some of the wrestlers quickly took a liking to Max and it didn’t take long for them to be welcomed into the family. Except for Pom Harajuku because Max continues to terrorize her at every opportunity. Maybe Max’s time in TJPW has softened them up a little. We found out that Max can get distracted by collecting any cute little objects they happen to come across. That’s where having a tag team partner comes in handy.
Moves To Watch Out For: Welcome To The Wasteland (Canadian Backbreaker Drop), Body Block, Short-Range Lariat

Heidi Howitzer: Whenever Max does lose concentration during their matches, Howitzer is there to snap the focus back into them. Brash and confident, she  is full of trash talk whether she’s in the ring or standing on the apron. We haven’t seen what Howitzer is capable of by herself in TJPW yet but she may not ever need to go in that direction. It looks like she’s having too much fun wrecking the place with Max!
Moves To Watch Out For: Master Blaster (Max carries Howitzer in an Electric Chair position and throws her onto the opponent lying on the mat), Stunner, Back Drop, Lifting Full Nelson Stretch

5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz

The International Princess Title is TJPW’s secondary singles championship. It was originally created to be defended around the world against international talent but the pandemic held that idea back for a couple of years. It finally got to be used as intended last year when a title match was held in England and America is going to be the second foreign country to host a defence (the physical belt also briefly visited Mexico while Thunder Rosa was champion). Right now Rika Tatsumi is the champion gearing up for her first defence. Her challenger is America’s own Billie Starkz, a young prodigy with a growing influence on the indies.

Rika Tatsumi: The White Dragon takes her name and some of her moveset from Tatsumi Fujinami. Also has hips as hard of diamonds thanks to her training with Shiro Koshinaka. In recent years she has developed a psycho side which results in her trying to choke opponents. She claims its just her way of making friends. She recently won the IP Title, currently making her the only Grand Slam winner in TJPW history. She decided to behave more America-like in order to become an international champion. Her idea of “AmeRika” so far is wearing sunglasses and drinking cola.
Moves To Watch Out For: White Dragon Sleeper, Twist Of Fate, Hip Attack, “Let’s Go!” Elbow Drop

Billie Starkz: A lot of fresh faced wrestlers have come out of the US indies while the entire scene is crawling out of the pandemic. Perhaps none has won over so many fans in as little time as Billie Starkz. Her work has impressed TJPW as seen by her getting a main event title match on her very first tour! She just came back from another tour and wanted to be Tatsumi’s first challenger for the IP Title. Their singles match was already booked for this show so it was an easy decision to make it a title match. “Space Jesus” might just a level of crazy too high for Tatsumi. She’s definitely willing to put her body on the line to win.
Moves To Watch Out For: Swanton Bomb, Sugoi Driver (Double Legged One-Winged Angel sometimes on the ring apron), Tombstone Piledriver, German Suplex

6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki

The main event pits two of the strongest tag teams in TJPW’s history against each other. 121000000 (pronounced “One To Million” because together their power increases from one to a million) consists of Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh. They recently won the Princess Tag Team Titles and are putting them on the line against The Magical Sugar Rabbits in their first defence. MagiRabi are Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki. Together they recently headlined TJPW’s biggest event ever against each other. Mizuki is currently the top wrestler in TJPW as the new reigning Princess Of Princess Champion.

Miyu Yamashita: The Pink Striker has officially been part of TJPW since Day 1 and has had the company built around her more often than not. Her Skull Kick is one of the most vicious looking finishers around. This week is the beginning of a three month expedition across North America with a few detours to England planned in between. She could find herself becoming the in-demand breakout wrestler on the indies with the schedule she has planned.
Moves To Watch Out For: Skull Kick (Backspin High Kick to the head), Crash Rabbit Heat (Running Knee Kick), Attitude Adjustment, Return Crash (Triangle Kick off the turnbuckles)

Maki Itoh: A disgraced idol who wasn’t considered good enough for the job reinvented into a foul mouthed psycho pro wrestler with an endless appetite for fame. For years Itoh struggled to progress in the ring because her skills could not match her ambition. Her fortunes changed by going to America to wrestle for AEW and GCW, gaining a brand new fanbase of simps cheering her on to succeed. Since then Itoh has racked up the wins and achievements in TJPW. When she’s about to punch her opponent in the corner she always shouts “Who is the cutest in the world?” and the audience respond with “Itoh-chan!”
Moves To Watch Out For: Itoh Special/Deluxe/Punish (Variations of the Texas Cloverleaf), Flying Big Head (Diving Headbutt), I.S.D/Itoh Suicide DDT (Flying DDT from the top rope), The Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World

Yuka Sakazaki: It can be argued that The Magical Girl is TJPW’s true ace instead of Yamashita. Always lights up the room with her entrance music that includes the lyrics “AYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY”. As much as her cheerful personality wins over new fans wherever she goes, do not take her lightly. She’s at the point in her career where she can be absolutely vicious against unsuspecting opponents. Almost unbeatable in TJPW, her regular excursions to AEW only make her come back even stronger.
Moves To Watch Out For: Magical Girl Splash (Swan Dive Diving Body Press, sometimes done with a rotation), Magical Merry-Go-Round (Spinning Fireman’s Carry into a Facebuster), Tea Time (Northern Lights Bomb), Toy Story 1-4 (Variations of Double Dives with Mizuki)

Mizuki: Right now Mizuki is top of the mountain as the Princess Champion. Her bond with Sakazaki is one of the strongest out there in wrestling, the two have stayed together through thick and thin even when they have to wrestle each other. Only wrestled in America once before and that only happened last year. Has gone viral for using the Whirling Candy in matches, a move that leaves those who see it in amazement. The Popping Sugar Rabbit might sound like a silly nickname but we’ll see who’s laughing once she starts Double Stomping people to oblivion. Here’s the answer, it’s going to be her.
Moves To Watch Out For: Cutie Special (Bridging Fall Away Slam), Whirling Candy (Spinning Cross Body Block), Diving Foot Stomp, Toy Story 1-4 (Variations of Double Dives with Sakazaki)

———————————————————————–

But wait there’s more! Several TJPW wrestlers will have busy schedules throughout the week. Not only will members of the roster be at WrestleCon doing meet and greets but a few of them will be wrestling matches at other shows. Below is a list of events where you will see TJPW wrestlers in action.

PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe

It all kicks off tonight with Maki Itoh heading over to Pandemonium Pro. She will be teaming with Kidd Bandit, who caught Itoh’s attention online a few years ago by showing off her own Maki Itoh cosplay. Heather Monroe was originally supposed to team with Taya Valkyrie but Valkyrie had to pull out due to new booking priorities. Instead Monroe will be teaming with Steph De Lander, a former NXT wrestler who is reinventing her career on the indies. Itoh previously fought and lost to De Lander at a show in Malaysia last December.

WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X

Ten TJPW wrestlers will get to do their thing in front of WrestleCon’s premier event of the week. Who they are will not be revealed until the match takes place.

IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Deonna Purrazzo Vs Gisele Shaw Vs Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita’s North American excursion is going to take her everywhere. It was surprising enough to see her in Impact but by going there she is now technically showing up in New Japan too! The winner of the 4 Way will qualify for a Knockouts World Title match taking place on next month’s Impact PPV in Toronto. Masha Slamovich is a familiar opponent and there will be more matches between them in the future. Gisele Shaw also has history with Yamashita. Deonna Purrazzo will be a brand new experience for her. Will this be the only time we see Yamashita enter through the Forbidden Door or is there something even bigger on the horizon for her?

ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023”, 31/03/2023
Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki

Not everyone feels joy and happiness when Sakazaki enters the room. Athena has grown to really dislike her ever since Sakazaki ran in to stop Athena from bullying her beaten opponents. It’s led to a couple of fights between the two during AEW shows. Athena thought she finally got rid of Sakazaki when she injured her leg in a post-match assault. Instead she found out Sakazaki fully recovered in Japan and went back to wrestling like nothing had happened. At the time of writing Athena is about to defend the ROH Women’s Title against Emi Sakura on ROH’s weekly show. If she wins then Athena will put the title on the line against Sakazaki at the PPV just so she can get her hands on her again.

PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita’s match with Valkyrie on Friday is not effected by the AEW wrestler’s new commitments.

GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Effy & Allie Katch

Last but not least we finally get to see Maki Death Kill team up together! The alliance between Itoh and Nick Gage is a GCW storyline that caught fire with Itoh adopting a lot of Gage’s attitude and violent tendancies. For one night only they put out an open challenge for any two wrestlers to face them. Effy & Allie Katch, the team affectionally known as Bussy made it to the front of the queue and will get the match. When Itoh found out who her opponents were her message to them was loud and clear: “WE WILL DESTROY YOUR BUSSY.”

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23” Results

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 26/03/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
251 Fans

1. Wakana Uehara defeated Toga with a Jackknife Pin (6:05).
2. Raku defeated Shino Suzuki with a Jumping Front Neck Lock (4:50).
3. Yuka Sakazaki, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when Sakazaki pinned Okubo with the Tea Time (11:28).
4. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Pom Harajuku & HIMAWARI when Tatsumi submitted HIMAWARI with the Dragon Sleeper (10:23).
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko when Kiryu pinned Neko with the Hypami Returns (11:25).
6. Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu when Mizuki pinned Kiryu with the Diving Foot Stomp (12:43).

Mizuki and Nao Kakuta got to face off in a preview of their Princess Of Princess Title match on 15th April. Free WiFi tried to give Mizuki the 5G but she escaped and got Daisy Monkey to get rid of both of them. Mizuki then went on to pin Mahiro Kiryu with the Diving Foot Stomp. Afterwards she pointed out how happy Arisu Endo was to be on the winning team for the main event. She also told fans she would be happy if they go and watch Tokyo Joshi Pro’s show in America on PPV. That comment reminded Endo that she isn’t ready to travel yet. She doesn’t even have a suitcase!

American death match wrestler Sawyer Wreck will be touring with TJPW from 29th April to 5th May. It was decided that the next “TJPW INSPIRATION” show will take place in Shin-Kiba 1st RING on 1st May where Wreck will face Hikari Noa in a Death Match! Then on 5th May at Korakuen Hall Wreck will face the Princess Champion (either Mizuki or Kakuta) with the title on the line!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” Results

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023
Ariake Coliseum
1,513 Fans

1. Suzume defeated Arisu Endo with the Ring A Bell (8:48).
2. Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Debut Match: Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki defeated Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when Kiryu pinned Toga with the Spinebuster (11:23).
3. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Ram Kaichow defeated Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Noa pinned Harajuku after the 5G (10:23).
4. Ryo Mizunami defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Diving Guillotine Drop (11:46).
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Andreza Giant Panda & Haruna Neko when Nakajima pinned Neko with the Northern Lights Suplex (10:25).
6. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz when Saint-Michel pinned Kamifuku after La Revolucion (13:42).
7. Special Single Match: Aja Kong defeated Yuki Arai with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (13:00).
8. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi defeated Miu Watanabe (c) with the White Dragon Sleeper (18:31).
*Miu Watanabe fails in V4. Rika Tatsumi becomes the 10th International Princess Champion!
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) when Itoh pinned Howitzer with the Flying Big Head (13:42).
*The Wasteland War Party fails in V4. 121000000 become the 12th Princess Tag Team Champions!
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki defeated Yuka Sakazaki (c) with the Cutie Special (21:02).
*Yuka Sakazaki fails in V3. Mizuki becomes the 12th Princess Of Princess Champion!

A clean sweep of title changes marked Tokyo Joshi Pro’s big day at Ariake Coliseum. In the main event Mizuki added her name to the short list of people to hold the Princess Of Princess Title, beating her closest friend Yuka Sakazaki. It was an emotional match for both Magical Sugar Rabbits because neither wanted to fight each other but knew it had to happen. Sakazaki used a top rope version of the Magical Merry-Go-Round before doing the regular kind but Mizuki was barely able to kick out. Mizuki missed the Whirling Candy the first time but eventually caught Sakazaki with the move. She landed the Diving Foot Stomp a few times but Sakazaki became dead weight that Mizuki struggled to roll over, giving her enough time to kick out of the pin. In the end it took one rolling strike to counter another with Mizuki stopping Sakazaki in her tracks with a Back Elbow. It then took two Cutie Specials for Mizuki to finally become the new champion.

The two hugged after the match and Mizuki received her title belt. She got on the microphone and told the audience how much she loves everyone in TJPW. She will hold onto the Princess Title and do her best to be like the previous champions who she all admires. Now that she is champion she promises to work with everyone to make TJPW even more exciting. She also won’t let anybody take Sakazaki away from her. In regards to any title defences she said backstage she wants to fight anyone but her tag partner.

The Princess Tag Team Titles have been rescued from The Wasteland War Party but it could be going on a new adventure around the world. 121000000 entered the arena with new ring costumes and an extra pep in their step. The contract signing for the title match only took place an hour before the show began. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh got fired up during it after Heidi Howitzer called both of them weak. The match got off to a rough start for the challengers when Howitzer & Max The Impaler ambushed them. However the tide changed when Yamashita got Max with a High Kick and German Suplex combo. The champions targeted Itoh and had her set up for the Master Blaster when she got out of the way, giving Yamashita an opening to hit the Return Crash. Max was given the Skull Kick and Itoh landed the Flying Big Head on Howitzer to get the three count. Yamashita is about to embark on a three month expedition to America. She made it clear she wants 121000000 to defend the titles around the world. Backstage they again tried to get the media to join along in their “One To…” “…Million!” catchphrase but again they kept silent.

Rika Tatsumi can now call herself the one and only grand slam champion in TJPW! She defeated her Daydream partner Miu Watanabe to win the International Princess Title, becoming the only wrestler to have won that, the Princess Of Princess Title and the Princess Tag Team Titles in their career. She made her entrance sporting a new short haircut and focused on using submission holds like the Figure 4 and Dragon Sleeper. Watanabe countered it with her strength, lifting Tatsumi out of the Sleeper and spinning her around into a Neck Hanging Giant Swing! But the Dragon Sleeper came back as a way for Tatsumi to counter the Tear Drop. Tatsumi then switched it into the White Dragon Sleeper to make Watanabe submit. Backstage Tatsumi said she saw a version of Watanabe she never knew before and experienced a daydream she never knew existed. She went into this match thinking it could result in Daydream splitting up but she would rather stay together with Watanabe and continue teaming with her. Watanabe agrees and is looking forward to seeing how her tag partner’s title reign will go. Now that Tatsumi has the IP Title and the grand slam, she now wants to recapture the other belts so she can truly become the Triple Crown King!

It was a good effort from Yuki Arai but she just couldn’t beat Aja Kong. She took some risk by using a Missile Dropkick for the first time to rock her opponent. The size difference rendered both the Sharpshooter and the Full Nelson Buster uselss so Arai found ways to hit the Finally kick from higher ground, whether it was from standing on the ropes or standing on the ring apron while Kong was outside. The tactic almost got Kong counted out but she made it back by 19. Kong launced the counter attack with her steel can. Arai took a Piledriver and kicked out of a Back Drop. She dodged the Diving Back Elbow and started throwing kicks to fight Kong off. A Short-Range Lariat knocked Arai down and she was able to kick out at one but the Vertcial Drop Brainbuster brought her spirited performance to an end. Kong gave Arai some words outside the ring afterwards before leaving. Kong’s words were “Let’s do it again.”

Match #6 featured a few returns. Billie Starkz is back and she got to form an American Midwest tag team with Yuki Kamifuku. Their opponents NEO Biishiki-gun were not flattered by Starkz’s appearance. Sakisama stared her down while Mei Saint-Michel got annoyed by Starkz ignoring her. That didn’t last long especially at that moment when Starkz did a Swanton Bomb out of the ring towards Saint-Michel’s direction. NEO Biishiki-gun regrouped and scored the win when they got Kamifuku with La Revolucion. Backstage Sakisama said she isn’t sure how long she will be around TJPW this time. It all depends on what mood she and Saint-Michel are in. Also Saint-Michel wants to go visit Odaiba because she heard there’s a giant robot there.

Have no fear, citizens. The threat of a rampaging Andreza Giant Panda destroying Ariake Coliseum has been squashed by Kyoraku Kyomei! Andreza’s tag partner Haruna Neko made the mistake of entering the ring while the panda was still walking down the ramp at slow speed. Hyper Misao attacked Haruna while Shoko Nakajima stood on the top turnbuckle shooting at it with a laser cannon. When Andreza got to enter the ring Misao sprayed it with a fire extinguisher. Andreza fought back with massive Headbutts. Misao tried attacking it with a glowing Kyoraku Saber but it didn’t have any effect. Andreza missed a Headbutt, hitting Neko by mistake. Misao then crashed the Hyper Mobile in the panda outside the ring while Nakajima pinned Neko with the Northern Lights Suplex. Backstage Neko said she would like to team with Andreza again. She knows the rest of Andreza’s family have wrestled in matches before so they can join in too.

Ryo Mizunami was feeling the groove in her return to TJPW. She even surprised Yukinori Matsui with a hearty slap on the back during the in-ring inspection before the bell rang. Moka Miyamoto took some heavy hits from her before getting to make a comeback. Mizunami took her best shots though and held her guard. The gap in experience was too much for Miyamoto and she ended up getting pinned with the Diving Guillotine Drop. Backstage Mizunami praised Miyamoto for still having life in her eyes after getting beaten. She’d like to fight her again when Miyamoto gets stronger.

A new double team finisher called the 5G was shown off by Free WiFi, but it’s a move that comes from Hikari Noa’s past. Noa & Nao Kakuta both picked up Pom Harajuku in a Double Argentine Backbreaker and then flipped her over into a Facebuster for the pin. The move was used by Noa before when she was in Pandemic Boo-Boo but now it belongs to her & Kakuta. The match also showed some trouble in the relationship between Raku and Ram Kaichow. When they were in the ring together, Raku accused Kaichow of cheating on her! Kaichow got the last word in by hitting Raku with the Rainmaker before Free WiFi did their finish. Even though Kaichow was on the winning team, she couldn’t help but do the Goodnight Express pose to the cameras while leaving the ring. She stopped once she noticed Free WiFi saw her doing it. Backstage Kaichow tried explaining to everyone that she’s not cheating on Raku because she would never do that to a girl that cute. She also thinks Raku is a genius for bringing in a pillow to do her nap spots. This entire drama took all then attention away from Yuki Aino’s new outfit too. She doesn’t mind though. In fact she brought up an idea to team with Kaichow as The Raku Lovers Alliance!

The 2023 class was put on full display for Match #2. Both Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo made their debuts teaming with Kaya Toribami & Toga. Both Kazashiro and Okubo got to show off on HIMAWARI. Kazehiro hit a Shoulder Blow while Okubo did a Waterwheel Drop. Wakana Uehara & Shino Suzuki played their parts to cut off the other team while Mahiro Kiryu pinned Toga with the Spinebuster. Backstage Toribami apologised to the rest of her team because she wanted to give them all their first win. Okubo said she was nervous but had fun. She wants to become a cute and cool wrestler that people will admire. Kazashiro has been watching TJPW since primary school and felt honored when she heard Sayuri Namba announce her name. She wants to be the kind of wrestler who will inspire people to work harder.

The first match of the show was the Daisy Monkey showdown. Suzume and Arisu Endo fought their hearts out against each other, ending with Suzume hitting the Ring A Bell for the victory. Backstage Suzume said Endo is the girl she would like to be: bright, straightforward and loved by everyone. Suzume can see a future where the two of them are champions together. Endo thinks the two of them were able to convey their feelings for each other through wrestling.

The show began with a musical performance from The Up Up Girls. It included the debut of their brand new song “SHINING MARK”.

There will be three more “big match” TJPW events taking place later this year. “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23” will be at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 8th July. Then “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” will be held in Tama Mirai Messe on 9th October. Lastly, the 10th anniversary show “WE ARE TJPW” is happening in Korakuen Hall on 1st December.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” Preview

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023
Ariake Coliseum

1. Suzume Vs Arisu Endo
2. Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Debut Match: Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Ram Kaichow Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Ryo Mizunami Vs Moka Miyamoto
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Haruna Neko
6. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz
7. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai
8. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki

It’s been almost seven years since pro wrestling last took place in Ariake Coliseum. That event was the last Super J Cup to be held in Japan. For women’s wrestling it’s been even longer. Almost two decades! It’s a venue that served as a regular base for RINGS in the 1990s and NOAH in the 2010s, holding many wrestling related memories of all kinds. Tatsumi Fujinami won his first IWGP Title against Big Van Vader there in New Japan, Atsushi Onita fought Leon Spinks there in FMW, Kenta Kobashi dropped his fifth Burning Hammer there in NOAH, Dragon Kid unmasked Darkness Dragon there in Toryumon and an alternate universe Nobuhiko Takada was dragged down into the demon world by The Great Muta there in HUSTLE. Even WWE booked the Coliseum during their 2008 tour of Japan.

In the joshi scene Ariake Coliseum was often used by companies attempting to establish themselves away from AJW. From JWP to Jd’ to GAEA to ARSION until the alphabet soup of promotion names fittingly ended with AtoZ. This weekend Tokyo Joshi Pro gets to enter the arena with “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. It is the second annual “GRAND PRINCESS” supershow, a name they are going to use for their biggest matches inside the biggest venues. A running theme going through the card is teams and friendships being put to the test. Three of the five singles matches are built around tag team partners fighting each other to prove who is the best between them. There’s a lot more in store besides that so let’s see what’s on offer.

1. Suzume Vs Arisu Endo

We kick off with Daisy Monkey revisiting 4th January, 2021. That was the date of Arisu Endo’s debut match and Suzume was her opponent. 26 months later and it’s time for the rematch. Suzume is one of the rare TJPW talent to wrestle elsewhere in Japan over the last 12 months, appearing in Gatoh Move and Ganbare☆Pro. Endo was there with Suzume for a Gatoh Move match too but other than that she’s been chasing behind her ever since her debut. It was only just recently that Endo won a singles match for the first time, using the Camel Clutch she inherited from Reika Saiki to get her hand raised in victory. The win-loss records between the two say otherwise but Endo’s recent progression has led Suzume to ask herself if her tag partner has already surpassed her. If that did happen then it’s up to Suzume to kick up the pace and overtake Endo until they keep doing it back and forth over and over! But there’s no fear of their tag team suddenly fracturing over what happens in the match. Suzume has made it known many times she wants to team with Endo forever!

2. Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Debut Match: Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo

A match to introduce the class of 2023 to a larger audience. If I did the match correctly the combined in-ring experience of everyone in this match is close 7 years. Four of those years belong to Mahiro Kiryu and almost two belongs to Kaya Toribami. Everyone else are either brand new or barely a few months into their pro careers. So it will be up to Kiryu and Toribami to be the guiding hands for an 8-Woman Tag Match, which, um… yeah that’s going to be a challenge. Okay, I admit I’m being ridiculous thinking about this. It’s not like they will go out there and attempt to recreate the Michinoku Pro 10-Man tag… But what if they did! Just imagine it. An 8 person Kaientai DX Tower spot with Kiryu kneeling on top of the pile to give out her apology. That alone would bring the show up to the same level of “THESE DAYS” easily.

Kiryu’s side has what little experience advantage there is. Wakana Uehara is the sole survivor of TJPW’s Youtube series Yume Pro Wrestling -dream on the ring-. She was the only idol from that show who decided to go ahead and continue giving pro wrestling a shot. Her performances so far are can be added to the growing pile of evidence that Sanshiro Takagi’s dream of creating the Idol Wrestle Grand Prix sometime in the future isn’t such a bad idea. HIMAWARI originally caught the eyes of some fans with her distinct look during her very brief time in Actwres girl’Z. Since debuting in TJPW she’s been more focused on being entertaining rather than winning matches. Shino Suzuki only just debuted in the ring as the newest member of The Up Up Girls (who are debuting a brand new song at the show by the way), adding bus tourism knowledge that goes hand and hand with another member’s love for trains.

Over on the other team Toribami has kind of been given the short end of the stick. She’s been starting to win matches by herself because of the new blood coming in if nothing else. Toga only just debuted at the start of the month on the same day Suzuki did. What we have seen of Toga is she can throw a pretty mean Elbow Strike if given the chance. Haru Kazashiro (blue) & Runa Okubo (pink) are both having their first ever matches. Both girls are 14 year old junior high school students. Kazashiro in particular is wrestling this match one day before her school’s graduation ceremony. She was inspired to join TJPW after seeing Nodoka Tenma’s final match while Okubo became a wrestling fan because both of her parents are wrestling fans. Other than that info it’s hard to tell what kind of athletic background they have and how it is going to form their wrestling style. Maybe they’ll surprise us and start whipping out some Dick Togo & MEN’S Teioh style double team moves. Alright, alright, I’ll stop it with the Michinoku Pro jokes.

3. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Ram Kaichow Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku

The mascot of Triple Six returns to TJPW for the first time in a year. Last year’s “GRAND PRINCESS” in fact. Whether she is fighting on behalf of 666 or the Rebel X Enemy faction, Ram Kaichow’s match schedule is as full as ever. She even found time to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title with a blink and you’ll miss it reign last November. Plus she’s one of the few wrestlers who will get to have matches in both Stardom and TJPW within the same week of each other. Look at her playing both sides. That’s 18 years in the business shining through right there! Fighting by her side in the Coliseum is Free WiFi, which I think the arena already has. Hikari Noa’s progress in the last year has slowed down compared to her 2021 singles run. Perhaps the biggest positive is she finally found a regular tag team partner who did not leave her within 12 months. Nao Kakuta has been fitted firmly in the midcard being the useful hand in tag matches. As much as she enjoys starting roll calls on social media, she hasn’t been getting that many chances to lead the charge this year. Free WiFi suffered an early 1st Round exit in the Max Heart Tournament but it was by losing to the eventual winners. Maybe Kaichow’s ghostly presence can boost their coverage somehow.

Their opponents are possibly the most tight knit trio around in TJPW right now. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku have been hanging around and teaming with each other so much lately I still don’t understand why they haven’t been given an official team or unit name yet. The bond between them reached its strongest point last November when Raku fell sick right before she could team with Aino for a Princess Tag Team Titles match. Harajuku stepped in as her substitute and teamed with Aino to fight Reiwa AA Cannon who were on top form as champions. Their challenge ended in failure but it was a heartwarming story of friendship between the three that was on show for everyone to witness. Will there be jealousy from a certain white-faced opponent? Kaichow did team with Aino & Raku on last year’s show. Her and Raku looked like such a happy couple together too. No, seriously go back and watch the entrance if you don’t remember them literally dressed like a newly married couple walking down the aisle.

4. Ryo Mizunami Vs Moka Miyamoto

It’s becoming a staple now on TJPW’s major shows for the company to put one of their young prospects against a veteran figure like Ryo Mizunami. This is the third time now that Mizunami is putting somebody here to the test. So step onto the stage, Moka Miyamoto. The Max Heart Tournament gave the karate girl some big boost in experience, advancing to the final four as part of an underdog team with Juria Nagano (who does not have a match at this show due to a finger injury but will be there to provide commentary). Even before that she developed a new Neckbreaker finisher called the Korokan that brought her all the way to and International Princess Title shot. At this point she is comfortably out of her rookie phase but an opponent like Mizunami is still a high wall to climb. Mizunami has split her 2023 between Sendai Girls, OZ Academy and SEAdLINNNG so far but does not have a lot of wins in any of those places. Could an upset be on the cards if the stars are alligned the right way on the night? Probably not because there will likely still be daylight outside by the time this match starts.

5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Haruna Neko

It’s been a while since we’ve seen good ol’ Andreza Giant Panda around these parts. The reason is a sad one. Its handler Samson Miyamoto passed away in 2020 and their home promotion New Nemuro Pro Wrestling had already gone on hiatus for a few years. People attached to N2W decided to relaunch the brand last October to hold an anniversary event for Miyamoto and continue on his motto: “Do not overdo it, do not get injured, work tomorrow!” Andreza then began to tour again, directly beating Onita not once but twice in a weekend of FMWE shows due to its overwhelming size and power. So how did we end up with Andreza getting involved with TJPW? Would you believe me if I said it’s because of an Idolmaster marketing campaign? TJPW has been collaborating merchandise with The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, giving characters from the game the costumes worn by TJPW’s wrestlers. The recent batch unexpectedly included Andreza and the N2W brand so it was only a matter of time until the “Big Beast Of The North” made its way over here. Joining the panda’s side is Haruna Neko, the resident catgirl. And just like my friend’s pet cats you never see her do anything until you stop paying attention. Then all of a sudden there she claws out and ready to scratch something while perched on the shoulders of a giant. All together now. “Andreza is really neat! It is filled with panda meat! We all love you, Andreza!”

A danger of that magnitude needs an unbeatable defence force to keep the whole building standing. What could be better than the alliance between a Big Kaiju and a Superhero who has sworn to defend love and peace? Kyoraku Kyomei were so close to winning this year’s Max Heart Tournament, falling just short in the final. Despite that setback Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao are as tight a partnership as they have ever been. What other team could fight each other in a Ladder match and both come out of it as the official winners? Nakajima has a movie library’s worth of knowledge in how to defend a site from a kaiju attack. Misao has the most experience in actually turning those kinds of ideas into reality. If Andreza is not careful it could end up getting all of the wind knocked out of it by Kyoraku Kyomei! You ever see a panda deflate? It’s a sad sight to be honest. Like watching a snowman melt in fast forward.

6. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz

It will be one day short of a year when NEO Biishiki-gun returns once again to TJPW. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel have kept to themselves since their last public appearance. Who knows if anything has changed with the two since then. They have a unique combination of opponents waiting for them connected together via the Midwest region of the USA. Yuki Kamifuku (remember, she grew up in Ohio) has a history with the group, being one of the few women on the roster to be considered beautiful by Sakisama. In 2018 Kamifuku convinced Sakisama to make her an apprentice only to go back on the idea two weeks later because she quickly figured out it wasn’t a good fit for her. Then in 2019 Sakisama beat Kamifuku in a singles match. Afterwards Kamifuku asked for Sakisama to keep a watch over her as she continues to work harder to become a more beautiful fighter. In a rare show of public empathy Sakisama agreed. They’ve been opponents many times since then but there is a measure of respect between the two.

I don’t think there’s going to be any of the same respect shown for Kamifuku’s tag partner. What will a lady like Sakisama think of Billie Starkz when she sees her in person for the first time? How does a well kept maid like Saint-Michel behave in front of someone that’s been nicknamed “Space Jesus”? Starkz only had one match in TJPW so far but it won over the roster as well as the audience over there. While there’s been a lot of hype for her online as one of the new faces coming out of the independent scene since the pandemic, getting more opportunities to wrestle overseas is what’s going to make her a better wrestler. It’s cool that she has a tight knit group of people supporting her everywhere she goes in America but you don’t want to risk turning that into her being coddled. But hey if having a chance to dump Saint-Michel headfirst onto the ring apron is what gets her over then more power to her.

7. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai

The “Genius Girl” experiment continues at full pace with another big challenge thrown Yuki Arai’s way. Over the last 12 months Arai bonded with the other wrestlers her age by teaming together. The goal of the 1998 class was to help each other become stronger so they could all beat their senpais. Then came the return of her Reiwa AA Cannon team with Saki Akai, leading towards Arai’s first ever championship win. The two of them became the team to finally take the Princess Tag Team Titles from The Magical Sugar Rabbits during the summer. Then the rest of the year was spent defending those titles with a respectful 6 month long reign. When that came to an end at the start of this year, Arai quickly found out what path she was taking next. A singles match with Aja Kong! Their first meeting was in a tag match that took place only 5 months after Arai turned pro. A second tag match took place in February. Arai got the win for her team but did not take the fall from Kong, which made what should be an important victory taste bittersweet. She thinks she has developed so much as a wrestler since their first match that she can now stand face to face against the legend.

It’s fitting that this match is taking place in Ariake Coliseum because it’s kind of like the boss level for Kong. You know that list of joshi promotions I included in the intro that ran the Coliseum? Kong wrestled on three of those shows (JWP, Jd’ and GAEA), winning her match in all three. It is where she defeated Dynamite Kansai with a non-stop whirlwind of Uraken Backfists and then six years later defended the AAAW Title against a young Meiko Satomura. Kong has already paid respect to Akai by disregarding any kind of freakshow advertising a match between a pop singer and a monster heel will attract. When you stand in the ring with Aja Kong you are a pro wrestler in her eyes so she will treat you as one. Which leads to an interesting direction the match could take. Obviously Arai will be figuring out how to counter Kong’s moves but does this attitude mean that Kong will do the same against Arai’s moveset? Those tin cans she uses as weapons look like good shields that can block the Finally Axe Kick for example.

8. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

The second of three matches where close tag team partners have to fight each other. A breakout performance in last year’s Tokyo Princess Cup launched Miu Watanabe towards a well deserved International Princess Title reign. After taking the belt from Alex Windsor at “WRESTLE PRINCESS III”, Watanabe set up goals to make sure the title lived up to its international name. She won it from a foreign wrestler and got to defend it against more foreign wrestlers (Trish Adora and Janai Kai). It’s all so she can reach her destination of being the champion when TJPW goes to Los Angeles this April. The reason for this plan? To finally surpass her seniors who have dominated the main event scene for so long. That just so happens to include her Daydream tag partner.

Watanabe’s journey to become the pro wrestler she is today was an inspiration for Rika Tatsumi. Her tag partner has grown into somebody she would love to fight some day. So after Watanabe’s last defence, Tatsumi told her just that and challenged her to a title match! There is an ulterior motive to Tatsumi’s request though. She later revealed that if she becomes the IP Champion then she will become the only grand slam champion in the history of TJPW! Once she realised it this match gave her the desire of a dragon to win the belt. Problem is she found out in the prelim tag matches that Watanabe has become as strong as a demon! Sometimes Tatsumi’s acts of violence are really a show of affection, like whenever she chokes somebody in the ring it’s just her way of making friends with that person. Those are her words and I’m not one to question them. She might have to find “friendlier” ways of dealing with her tag partner in order to win here.

9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh

Maybe the most fun I’ve had writing about TJPW since the last “GRAND PRINCESS” is the invasion of Max The Impaler. How would someone like Max adapt to the sugar and sweet environment TJPW typically provides? From the moment Max raided the Tokyo Sports office and kidnapped a reporter in the promotion’s misguided attempt to get media attention I knew it was going to be a good time. Following that up by attaching Max to a feud with Pom Harajuku turned out to be inspired booking as their interactions became a highlight of shows. It was also a relief for the rest of the roster because Harajuku does such a “good job” being a distraction for Max to target anybody else. Although with that being said, Max did develop friendly affections towards wrestlers like Yuki Aino during her time here. If focus was becoming a problem for Max then it was time for a buddy of theirs to join in the fun. Heidi Howitzer regularly teams with Max in America as The Wasteland War Party and at the start of this year they sent a threat that nobody in TJPW wanted to hear. They were coming to Japan for the Princess Tag Titles! They did just that on 4th January by defeating the champions Reiwa AA Cannon before quickly returning to America with their new prize. Since then Max & Heidi have defended the titles three times on the US indies, marking the first time those championships have been defended outside of TJPW and Japan.

Their absence coincidentally timed with the annual Max Heart Tournament. As is tradition in Japan, the purpose for tournaments like these is to determine the strongest wrestlers in the company. It’s not necessarily always about winning a title shot but one always leads to the other. So with the Tag Titles currently out of play this was the stage now to decided who was the best tag team TJPW has on their roster. In the end the winners were 121000000 in a milestone achievement for the two wrestlers on the team. For Maki Itoh she became the first person to win both the Max Heart Tournament and the Tokyo Princess Cup. For Miyu Yamashita it was the first ever tournament she has won in her decade long career that’s lasted alongside the entire existence of TJPW! Even without the guarantee of The Wasteland War Party still holding the titles by the time March came around, 121000000 demanded to fight them at Ariake Coliseum with or without the belts. Once Max & Heidi swept aside their remaining challengers in America the promotion finally acknowledged the championships will be on the line. Whatever the result is, the titles are going to go on another crazy adventure anyway.

For Yamashita & Itoh their schedules over the next few months will be big. Itoh’s fandom in America has recently seen her switch from fighting in AEW over to appearing in GCW where she became an unlikely ally of Nick Gage*, turning his MDK catchphrase into Maki Death Kill. She’s taken to it like a duck to water, hitting opponents with lighttubes and using pizza slicers as a weapon as well as a makeshift compact mirror (I mean, she’s still an idol at heart). Meanwhile Yamashita is about to embark on a 3 month tour of America that will include continuing appearances for EVE in England as their current champion. Both have promised TJPW that if they win the Princess Tag Titles they will find the time to defend them in Japan whenever they are told to. They also really like the idea of defending the belts in America whenever their paths will cross over during their excursions. It’s a lofty goal for two women who are going to have a lot on their plates going into the summer. That’s if they can even beat The Wasteland War Party in the first place. If they can’t then it’s probably back to Plan Pom for the forseeable future.

*Holy crap I just imagined what Itoh & Gage Vs Max & Pom would be like as a dream match.

10. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki

What else was the main event going to be in this, the Year Of The Rabbit? Whether together as a team or on their own as singles The Magical Sugar Rabbits are often the strongest two wrestlers in the TJPW roster. It’s a position that’s sometimes felt daunting for Yuka Sakazaki because as the Princess Of Princess Champion she has to fight the strongest challengers even when she doesn’t want to. Sure, there are opponents she has fun fighting against like Billie Starkz but she never looks forward to defending the belt against, say Miyu Yamashita. The one match she dreads the most is also the one she knows must happen next. Sakazaki has to fight Mizuki.

It’s been almost five years since MagiRabi were randomly assigned together in a one-day tag team tournament. They won that tournament and came up with the team name straight afterwards, kicking off this wonderful bond that’s only gotten stronger and stronger as time went by. Despite their numerous success, recently Mizuki started feeling like she was lagging behind her friend. Sakazaki won the Princess Cup, became a 3-time Princess Champion and went to AEW to get even stronger. Mizuki got over her crisis in confidence and even though this challenge has her feeling emotional, there is nothing she wants more than to be the one who beats Sakazaki for the title!

There was one previous time when this match happened for the Princess Title. Sakazaki successfully defended the belt against Mizuki at the first “WRESTLE PRINCESS” in 2020. The few times the two have wrestled each other one on one, Mizuki has never gotten her hand raised in victory. The best result she has is a short time limit draw that happened all the way back in 2017. Her preparations for this upcoming match was to wrestle a lot of the roster in singles matches, building up her winning streak while Sakazaki was away in America. If she wins here she’ll be only the second woman who started her career outside of TJPW to become the Princess Champion. The “Four Princesses” that have been around TJPW the longest hold a tight grip on the belt. Will the Year Of The Rabbit mean it is finally Mizuki’s time to take that treasure for herself?