• Championships and Tournaments Won: This includes any championship won during 2021, or any championship that was held when 2021 began. The prestige of the championship or tournament will be taken into account.
• Match Quality: The most subjective criteria, extra consideration is given to wrestlers that had high quality matches throughout the year, especially if it was with a variety of opponents.
• Wrestler Popularity: Being able to connect with the crowd is important in wrestling, wrestlers that have success interacting with the crowd and getting reactions will get credit for that.
• Wrestler Status in a Promotion: Generally speaking, the Ace of one promotion will be ahead of the #3 wrestler in another promotion, since wrestling on top means bigger matches, longer matches, and more opportunities. There isn’t a direct correlation, but leading a promotion or being the ‘face’ of a promotion can help a wrestler’s rank as it increases the wrestler’s visibility and match importance.
• Match Frequency/Availability: How often a wrestler wrestled is taken into consideration. A wrestler with 100 matches is more likely to be on the list than a wrestler with 10 matches. Also, it is harder to ‘rate’ a wrestler if their matches rarely were distributed via TV or an online streaming service, so visibility is a factor.

One criteria I am not using is ‘drawing power.’ In the current wrestling landscape there are very few wrestlers that by themselves are draws (I could probably count them on one hand), usually it is more the benefit of a good storyline or a hot region that impacts the size of the crowd. While the larger Joshi promotions may have more wrestlers on the list due to the other criteria (visibility being a major one), the size of the crowds will not be taken in consideration. Also, it should be noted that this ranking is based only on a wrestler’s matches/participation in Japan. This is not a list of my personal favorite wrestlers or fun rookies that I enjoy watching, but rather my version of what a “real” ranking of Joshi wrestlers would look like based on their success and status in 2021.

2021 continued to be impacted by the pandemic, even as many promotions returned to a more normal schedule. The trend of “more Joshi” being available via streaming methods continued, which is great, but also made it harder to keep up with everything. I did my best to do so however, and attempted to come up with a Top 20 list that I feel best shows who in lead the Joshi landscape during these unusual times.

Onto the Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2021!

1. Syuri (Stardom)

Championships Held: SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship (365 days), Goddess of Stardom Championship (272 days), and the World of Stardom Championship (3 days)
Biggest Matches: with Giulia vs. Himeka and Maika on 4/4, vs. Utami Hayashishita on 6/12, vs. Momo Watanabe on 9/25, vs. Utami Hayashishita on 12/29
Best Match: vs. Utami Hayashishita in Stardom on June 12th, 2021

14 years after she debuted in professional wrestling, Syuri finally had the year that her fans always knew she was capable of. After years of being a Freelancer or focusing on her MMA career, Syuri finally got the chance to take over in Stardom and she did not disappoint. Syuri had a dominant year in both singles and tag matches, going 13-0-1 in title matches. She also won the Stardom FIVE STAR GP, the most prestigious annual tournament in Joshi. As far as match quality, she had one of the best matches of the year against Utami in June, and had five matches rated **** or higher by the Wrestling Observer (all singles matches). She capped off the year winning the World of Stardom Championship, as she goes into 2022 as the top wrestler in the promotion. A hell of a year for Syuri, and one that her fans have long been waiting for.

2. Utami Hayashishita (Stardom)

Championships Held: World of Stardom Championship (363 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Bea Priestly on 4/4, vs. Syuri on 6/12, vs. Tam Nakano on 9/25, vs. Takumi Iroha on 10/9, vs. Syuri on 12/29
Best Match: vs. Syuri in Stardom on June 12th, 2021

Even though Utami Hayashishita only held one title in 2021, it happened to be the top title in Stardom and she held it for virtually the entire year. In her title reign she had a number of high-end defenses, including wins over Bea Priestley, Takumi Iroha, Hazuki, and Maika. She only stumbled when facing Syuri, as she went 0-2-2 against her in singles matches, which is the reason Syuri ranking over her was an easy decision. At only 23 years old, Utami is poised to lead Stardom for many years to come if that is the path she decides to take in her career.

3. Miyu Yamashita (Tokyo Joshi Pro)

Championships Held: Tokyo Joshi Pro Princess Of Princess Championship (242 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Rika Tatsumi on 5/4, vs. Yuka Sakazaki on 6/6, vs. Sakisama on 6/26, vs. Mizuki on 7/31, vs. Maki Itoh on 10/9
Best Match: vs. Maki Itoh in Tokyo Joshi Pro on October 9th, 2021

What really puts Miyu Yamashita over the top isn’t just her success in Tokyo Joshi Pro, but her popularity and her ability to put on high-end matches against a variety of opponents. She had four successful title defenses in 2021, and over the course of the year she was 18-1 in singles matches, with her only loss being against Mizuki in the Tokyo Princess Cup. To show her level of popularity in Japan, she finished 4th in the Weekly Pro Magazine fan voting for Joshi MVP, the highest of any non-Stardom wrestler.

4. Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)

Championships Held: ICExInfinity Championship (294 days) and the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (16 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Rina Yamashita on 2/20, with Tsukushi vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki on 2/21, vs. Maya Yukihi on 3/27, vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto on 8/9, vs. Tsukushi Haruka on 11/13
Best Match: vs. Tsukushi Haruka in Ice Ribbon on November 13th, 2021

With Ice Ribbon going through some turmoil in 2021, their long time Ace took back over as she won the ICExInfinity Championship for the first time since 2018 and held it for the bulk of the year. She was an extremely active champion, with 11 title defenses and wins over Hiroyo Matsumoto, Tsukushi Haruka, and Maya Yukihi along the way. She also had a brief run with the tag titles, although she had no successful defenses of the belt. Tsukasa Fujimoto was the undisputed leader of Ice Ribbon in 2021, showing that even at 38 years old she is one of the best in Joshi wrestling.

5. Tam Nakano (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship (301 days) and the Artist of Stardom Championship (276 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Giulia on 3/3, with Cosmic Angels vs. STARS on 3/7, vs. Natsupoi on 4/4, with Cosmic Angels vs. Queen’s Quest on 7/6, vs. Starlight Kid on 7/21, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 10/9, vs. Saya Kamitani on 11/27
Best Match: vs. Giulia in Stardom on March 3rd, 2021

Tam Nakano had a hell of a year in 2021. She entered the year as one of the Artist of Stardom champions, but her big moment came when she finally defeated Giulia in a Title vs. Hair match in March to win the Wonder of Stardom Championship. She held the title for almost the rest of the year, with successful defenses against Natsupoi, Starlight Kid, and Mina Shirakawa before losing the belt to Saya Kamitani. As the leader of the Cosmic Angels, Tam was frequently in major storylines and was a constant focus of the promotion. Easily the biggest year of her career, Tam showed in 2021 she has what it takes to lead a promotion.

6. Maya Yukihi (Freelancer)

Championships Held: OZ Academy Openweight Championship (137 days) and the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (257 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto on 3/27, with Maika Ozaki vs. Dropkicks on 4/11, vs. Kaori Yoneyama on 7/18, with Sera vs. Matsumoto and Fujimoto on 8/9, vs. Mayumi Ozaki vs. Saori Anou vs. Yumi Ohka on 8/18, with Sera vs. Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki on 11/13, vs. Yuu on 12/30
Best Match: vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto in Ice Ribbon on March 27th, 2021

Maya Yukihi is a constant force in Joshi, as even though she is a Freelancer she has a regular home in both Ice Ribbon and OZ Academy. As a regular, that gives her more consistent opportunities in both promotions, and she took full advantage in 2021 as she found success in both places. In OZ Academy, she won the Openweight Championship in August and held it the rest of the year, with one successful defense against Yuu. Over in Ice Ribbon, her “nicer” persona won the tag titles twice, with nine successful defenses between her two reigns. Being one of the top wrestlers in two different promotions is quite a feat, and I expect that trend to continue in 2022.

7. Rina Yamashita (Freelancer)

Championships Held: Ice Ribbon FantastICE Championship (187 days), Daily Sports Tag Team Championship (241 days), King of FREEDOM Tag Team Championship (107 days), and the OZ Academy Tag Team Championship (2 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto on 2/20, vs. ASUKA on 3/17, vs. Risa Sera on 6/27, vs. Suzu Suzuki on 8/9, vs. with Nakamori vs. Cherry and Leon on 8/29, with Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Aoki and Kuragaki on 12/30
Best Match: vs. Suzu Suzuki in Ice Ribbon on August 9th, 2021

I love Rina Yamashita. She is capable of wrestling such a diverse style, and is so well-respected by promotions that she held titles in 2021 in FOUR different promotions. OZ Academy and Ice Ribbon were her primary homes in 2021, as she won the hardcore-friendly FantastICE Championship in Ice Ribbon and ended the year winning the OZ Academy Tag Championship with Hiroyo Matsumoto. She also held titles in PURE-J and FREEDOMS, showing her versatility. More wild and unpredictable than your average Joshi wrestler, Yamashita brings a sense of danger to all her matches and is captivating to watch. Yamashita may not ever find a permanent home but she is doing quite well for herself as one of the most popular Freelancers on the Joshi market.

8. Giulia (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship (62 days) and the Goddesses of Stardom Championship (272 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Starlight Kid on 2/13, vs. Tam Nakano on 3/3, with Syuri vs. Himeka and Maika on 4/4, with Syuri vs. Mayu and Starlight Kid on 5/15, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 8/1
Best Match: vs. Tam Nakano in Stardom on March 3rd, 2021

The only thing that held Giulia back in 2021 was an injury that kept her out for a few months, but she still stayed in the spotlight in Stardom as one of their most important wrestlers. She had a great match in March against Tam Nakano, in which she ended up losing her hair. Giulia had no issue rocking the “short hair” look however and never really missed a beat, as she held the tag titles with Syuri for the bulk of the year. As the leader of DDM she was the focus of multiple major storylines, and ended the year defeating Konami in Konami’s last match before going on a long-term break. Even a “down” year for Giulia is a damn good one, and she’ll look to rebound in 2022.

9. Mei Suruga (Gatoh Move)

Championships Held: Asia Dream Tag Championship (365 days) and the Princess Tag Team Championship (175 days)
Biggest Matches: with Akki vs. Emi Sakura and Fujita on 3/27, with Sakisama vs. Tenma and Aino on 4/17, with Sakisama vs. BeeStar on 5/4, vs. Minoru Fujita on 6/12, with Sakisama vs. Maki Itoh and Yamashita on 6/17, vs. Emi Sakura on 8/9/21, with Sakisama vs. Sugar Rabbits on 10/9
Best Match: vs. Emi Sakura in Gatoh Move on August 9th, 2021

When I was compiling the ranking, I really struggled with the rest of the list as almost every wrestler has a different justification for being ranked ahead of another. What put Mei over the the top for me (if I can be permitted to put kayfabe aside) is her run in Tokyo Joshi Pro. As Mei Saint-Michel, Mei won the tag titles with Sakisama and together they had two successful defenses during their 175 day run. It also helps that Mei’s matches are extremely accessible, which builds up her popularity and makes all her bigger matches available to watch. In Gatoh Move, Mei held the tag titles for the entire year, with nine successful defenses. Mei may have reached her ceiling if she remains primarily in Gatoh Move, but even though she is in a smaller promotion she still puts on great matches and has a wide fanbase that spans the globe.

10. Miyuki Takase (AgZ)

Championships Held: AgZ Championship (94 days) and the Diana Tag Team Championship (289 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. SAKI on 4/4, with Umesaki vs. 3A on 4/18, vs. Rin Kadokura on 7/1, vs. Leon on 12/13
Best Match: vs. Mio Momono in WAVE on June 1st, 2021

Miyuki Takase gained more visibility in 2021 due to wrestling in more promotions and AgZ regularly updating their streaming service, but she was hurt by missing a chunk of the year due to an injury. Miyuki only had 60 matches during the year but made the most of it, as she held titles in two different promotions. Miyuki’s epic run as AgZ Champion ended in 2021, but she continued to be the best wrestler in the promotion. In WAVE, she won the Catch the WAVE Tournament, which is still one of the most prestigious Joshi tournaments even though WAVE itself has dropped in popularity. In Diana, Miyuki had two runs with their tag team championship, although she had a lack of defenses due to missing so much time. As the year ended, AgZ folded their wrestling division so Miyuki officially became a Freelancer. Hopefully she can turn that into a successful 2022 as she is well regarded in several Joshi promotions from her work over the years.

11. Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls’) – Chihiro again fails to crack the Top 10 for the same reason as last year – visibility. Sendai Girls’ doesn’t run as many shows as other promotions, and not as many of their events “make air” as they don’t have a dedicated streaming service. Hopefully next year we will get to see more of Chihiro as the matches we have seen (vs. Mio Momono and vs. Takumi Iroha in particular) were great and she deserves more attention.

12. Arisa Nakajima (SEAdLINNNG) – The only thing holding back Arisa Nakajima is she continues to have a light schedule, with only 32 matches on the year. Seven of those matches were title matches however, so when Arisa did wrestle she wrestled with a purpose. Over the course of the year she held three titles (SEAdLINNNG singles, SEAdLINNNG tag, and PURE-J tag) and continued to put on high-end matches. I’d like to see more of Arisa, but she seems to be happy with her current situation and she has certainly earned the lighter workload after the long career she has had.

13. Starlight Kid (Stardom) – In regards to growth in 2021, few wrestlers had the success of Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid has been a great wrestler for years, but she stepped up her game in 2021 not only by winning the High Speed Championship but turning on her friends and joining Oedo Tai. Ever since she became more…. dark, she’s become one of the stars of the promotion as she was immediately thrust into several major storylines. She is still a little young and undersized to expect a climb to the top in 2022, but I’m not going to be the one to doubt her as she has shown she is capable of anything.

14. Maki Itoh (Tokyo Joshi Pro) – Like Starlight Kid, Maki Itoh is here on the list due to her growth in popularity. Arguably the most popular wrestler in Tokyo Joshi Pro, Itoh didn’t win any titles in 2021 but did win the Tokyo Princess Cup when she defeated Shoko Nakajima in the Finals. She challenged twice for the Princess of Princess Championship without success, so even though she didn’t win as many matches as she’d have liked, she stayed in the main event scene. Itoh’s career path is one of the harder ones to predict, but I don’t see her popularity waning anytime soon.

15. Leon (PURE-J) – Leon dominated PURE-J in 2021, holding both the Openweight Championship and the PURE-J Tag Team Championship. At 41 years old, Leon is still a very good wrestler but doesn’t put on the high end matches anymore that many others on this list do. Still, she provided the old school promotion with stability and due to their streaming services, virtually all of her big matches were available for fans to watch.

16. ASUKA/Veny (Freelancer) – ASUKA was everywhere in 2021, as they wrestled in over a dozen promotions over the course of the year. ASUKA’s main home was SEAdLINNNG, where they won both the singles and tag team championship. A very active Freelancer that puts on high end matches wherever they go, even though in some ways this was a down year for ASUKA I am sure they will rebound next year and find even more success.

17. Nagisa Nozaki (Pro Wrestling WAVE) – Nagisa continues to lead a promotion that no one watches, due to WAVE not having a regular streaming service and most of their events only being available via PPV. Nagisa won the Regina Di WAVE Championship in August and held it for the rest of the year, however she only had one successful defense in that time. She is a very solid wrestler, not spectacular but whenever her matches do become available they are generally entertaining. I hated to have a promotion with no representation and Nagisa is the best pick from WAVE, but if you haven’t seen any of her matches from 2021 I assure you that you are not alone.

18. Tsukushi Haruka (Ice Ribbon) – Now that Suzu Suzuki is gone from Ice Ribbon, Tsukushi becomes the wrestler most likely to take the role of Ace from Tsukasa Fujimoto. She started that process by winning the ICExInfinity Championship in November – she has held many titles in Ice Ribbon before but this time it feels more serious as Tsukushi is now an adult and has started using her last name. A spunky murder machine, Tsukushi is poised for a big 2022 if she can keep up her current momentum.

19. Rika Tatsumi (Tokyo Joshi Pro) – Rika started the year hot but cooled off a bit as it came to a close. She came into 2021 the Princess of Princess Champion but lost the title in May and did not even challenge for any other titles for the rest of the year. She is only ranked at all based on her being the top title holder for the first quarter, but by the end of the year she had been passed by several other Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. Rika is going to have to re-find that magic in 2022 or she will likely drop off the list altogether.

20. Suzu Suzuki (Ice Ribbon/Prominence) – Suzu gets the final spot this year (there are a dozen wrestlers that could have a legitimate argument for being on this list that aren’t) mostly due to her love of being blown up. Suzu turned to hardcore wrestling in 2021, which apparently is her true love and she wrestled anyone she could find that didn’t mind some extra pain. Her love for deathmatches helped lead to her leaving Ice Ribbon and forming her own group, which needless to say was a major step for the young wrestler. It remains to be seen if her venture will be a success, but I respect her willingness to risk it all by giving up her comfy Ice Ribbon “future Ace” role for the less steady realm of Joshi hardcore wrestling.

The post Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2021 appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Tokyo Joshi Pro “Tokyo Princess Cup 2021”
Dates: July 22nd to August 15th, 2021
Broadcast: Streamed on Wrestle Universe

Just about every major promotion in Japan has a marquee tournament that takes place each year and Tokyo Joshi Pro is no different. Every year, generally in late Spring to Summer, the Tokyo Princess Cup takes place with the top wrestlers (or in the case of this year, almost every wrestler) in the promotion taking part. The Tokyo Princess Cup uses the “Knockout” system, meaning it is a single elimination tournament. This year is the biggest year yet, with 23 participants! As that is clearly an odd number, some wrestlers received an automatic bye into the second round if they drew a lucky number. The bracket can be found above, here are all the participants:

• Arisu Endo
• Haruna Neko
• Hikari Noa
• Hyper Misao
• Kaya Toribami
• Mahiro Kiryu
• Maki Itoh
• Marika Kobashi
• Mirai Maiumi
• Miu Watanabe
• Miyu Yamashita
• Mizuki (2019 and 2020 Winner)
• Moka Miyamoto
• Nao Kakuta
• Nodoka Tenma
• Pom Harajuku
• Raku
• Rika Tatsumi
• Shoko Nakajima (2015 Winner)
• Suzume
• Yuki Aino
• Yuki Arai
• Yuki Kamifuku

You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile on Joshi City, I will be updating their profiles as well over the next month. The only TJPW wrestlers missing are Yuka Sakazaki and Sakisama, so its a pretty complete showing. Instead of reviewing the full events that contained tournament matches, I will strictly be reviewing the tournament matches themselves and then will evaluate the tournament as a whole once it completes on August 15th. Let’s get started!

First Round

Date: July 22nd, 2021
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 142

Here are the tournament matches on this event:

• Round 1: Arisu Endo vs. Mahiro Kiryu
• Round 1: Moka Miyamoto vs. Raku
• Round 1: Mirai Maiumi vs. Pom Harajuku
• Round 1: Miyu Yamashita vs. Nao Kakuta

Arisu Endo vs. Mahiro Kiryu

They trade holds to start and trade wristlocks, they end up on the mat but quickly reach a stalemate and return to their feet. Headlock by Arisu but Mahiro Irish whips out of it, elbows by Arisu and she delivers a dropkick for two. Arisu goes for a sleeper but Mahiro elbows out of it, stomps by Mahiro and she throws Arisu into the corner. Irish whip by Mahiro and she hits a running elbow in the corner before covering Arisu for two. Stomps by Mahiro and she goes for a slam, but Arisu blocks it and hits an elbow. Mahiro delivers the scoop slam on her next attempt, sleeper by Mahiro but Arisu gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Mahiro but Arisu dropkicks her, more dropkicks by Arisu and she elbows Mahiro into the corner. Dropkick by Arisu and she drives Mahiro’s head into the mat with her knee for a two count. Arisu goes off the ropes but Mahiro avoids her kneedrop, dropkick by Mahiro and she puts Arisu in a crab hold. Arisu gets to the ropes again, Mahiro picks her up but Arisu elbows her and the two trade blows. Knee by Mahiro but Arisu boots her back and hits a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle for two. Camel Clutch by Arisu but Mahiro gets the break, kneedrop by Arisu and she covers Mahiro for a two count. Elbows by Arisu but Mahiro catches her with a backbreaker, but Arisu avoids the elbow drop attempt and puts Mahiro back in the Camel Clutch. Mahiro gets out of the hold and hits an elbow drop, Irish whip by Mahiro and she delivers a spinebuster for the three count! Mahiro Kiryu wins and advances in the tournament.

This was ok but a little clunky at times. Arisu of course I’ll give a pass for having some moves that didn’t look very crisp, she’s still new, but Mahiro two years into her career wasn’t as fluid as one may hope. She wasn’t bad (nor was Arisu), and they both seem to have the basics down, but the elbows and dropkicks didn’t have a lot of impact so it came across as a very “rookie” style match. Maybe Mahiro turns it on against higher ranking opponents, hopefully we’ll find out in the next round or two. Not a bad match but nothing memorable.

Moka Miyamoto vs. Raku

They tie-up to start before getting into a fast exchange, Raku gets Moka to the mat and steps over her a few times before sitting on her chest for a two count. Raku picks up Moka but Moka throws her into the corner and hits a series of elbows. Raku avoids her charge and hits an elbow of her own before taking her around the ring and slamming her into each turnbuckle. Snapmare by Raku and she stands on Moka near the ropes, Raku hopes on Moka’s back and cradles her for a two count cover. Irish whip attempt by Raku but Moka blocks it, she finally gets Moka going but Moka catches her with a scoop slam. Elbows by Moka and she chops Raku in the chest, she throws Raku into the corner and hits a running elbow. Scoop slam by Moka and she covers Raku for two. Moka goes for another slam but Raku slides away and delivers a Side Russian Leg Sweep for a two count. Sleeper by Raku, but Moka drives her into the corner to break up the hold. Running elbow by Moka but Raku chops her in the throat before slamming her head into the mat. Raku gets on the second turnbuckle but Moka blocks her chop and clubs her in the back of the head. Moka applies a stretch hold but Raku gets out of it, Irish whip by Moka and she delivers a dropkick for two. Moka picks up Raku but Raku pushes her off and hits a Sling Blade. Raku waits for Moka to get up and connects with the Dr. Yellow (running neckbreaker), and she picks up the three count! Raku wins and advances in the tournament.

This was wrestled as a straight match, which is good, but I can’t see a lot of long-term potential for either of these two down the road. Nothing here was awkward or messed up but a lot of little things didn’t really connect well – the dropkicks were lackluster, the strikes didn’t pop, and even Raku’s finisher didn’t look like a finisher. Moka has been wrestling for a year now but nothing about her really jumps out, I’m sure she functions well as the “fall wrestler” in a tag match but she still seems a good ways away from getting a push of her own. A step down from the last match, it wasn’t unwatchable but it was utterly skippable.

Mirai Maiumi vs. Pom Harajuku

Pom immediately rolls up Mirai for two as the bell rings, she bites Mirai’s arm before kicking her in the shin. Snapmare by Pom and she clubs on Mirai’s chest, quick cover but it gets two. Irish whip by Pom but Mirai reverses it, Pom goes into a roll into a headscissors but Mirai blocks it. Pom manages to apply the spinning headscissors anyway, kick by Pom and she hits an armdrag out of the corner. Pom goes for Mirai’s leg but Mirai quickly gets to the ropes, Pom tries to kick Mirai’s legs but Mirai climbs the turnbuckle to get away. That doesn’t work as Pom punches her anyway and flings her to the mat before applying a leg submission hold. Mirai gets to the ropes for the break, Pom picks her up but Mirai blocks the Irish whip. Scoop slam by Mirai, she picks up Pom and gets her to the mat before hitting a series of shoulderblocks.

Mirai clubs on Pom’s chest and stomps her, she throws Pom into the corner and hits a running elbow. Mirai charges Pom but Pom ducks out of the way, she goes off the ropes but Mirai levels her with a shoulderblock. Mirai picks up Pom and hits a scoop slam, another slam by Mirai and she covers Pom for two. Back up, the two trade strikes until Pom kicks Mirai in the lower leg. Leg drop to the leg by Pom, she goes off the ropes and dropkicks Mirai in the chest. Pom waits for Mirai to get up and knocks her into the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Mirai elbows her before she can jump off. Mirai grabs Pom but Pom gets away, boot by Pom but Mirai connects with a back elbow. Running lariat by Mirai and she hits a short-range one for a two count. Mirai picks up Pom but Pom wiggles away and cradles her for two. Mirai applies the Miramare (modified armlock), Pom struggles for a moment but has to submit! Mirai Maiumi is the winner and advances in the tournament.

Even though this match was pretty basic, at least it had a story and Mirai is the most impressive wrestler we have seen so far. Mirai’s offense was really simple, lots of scoop slams and shoulderblocks, but at least she looked convincing while doing them. Pom’s lower leg based offense seemed silly at first but she was so persistent with it that I have to respect it. The match felt like it ended too suddenly as Mirai hadn’t really done anything of note to weaken the arm, I’d rather the match ended on one of her strong lariats then on a submission hold that wasn’t built up to. Still, a solid match that just could have used a little more time and an ending that fit the match.  Mildly Recommended

Miyu Yamashita vs. Nao Kakuta

Nao elbows Miyu during the opening handshake and the fight is on, Nao attacks Miyu in the corner and rakes her face against the top rope. Curb stomp by Nao and she covers Miyu for a one count. Nao goes for a kick but Miyu catches her boot and kicks Nao in the leg. Knee to the ribs by Miyu and she stomps Nao, Irish whip by Miyu and she kicks Nao to the mat. Knee to the midsection by Miyu and she applies an armbar, but Nao gets to the ropes for the break. Knee by Miyu and she throws Nao into the corner, but Nao kicks her back when she charges in and applies a hanging necklock over the top rope. She lets go after a moment and tries to snap Miyu’s neck on the top rope, but Miyu knocks her onto the apron and kicks her down to the floor. Nao returns after a moment but is greeted with a kick, Nao fights back with elbows but Miyu kicks her in the chest for a two count. Irish whip by Miyu but Nao reverses it, knee by Miyu and she hits a jumping lariat for two.

Miyu charges Nao in the corner but Nao moves, she slides out to the apron and pulls Miyu’s neck on the top rope before snapping her head over it. Sliding kick by Nao and she applies the Cobra Clutch, but Miyu eventually gets into the ropes for the break. Nao delivers a running boot to Miyu and she nails a modified Complete Shot, but Miyu kicks out of the cover. Nao gets Miyu on her shoulders but Miyu knees out of it, release German by Miyu and she boots Nao into the corner. High kick by Miyu and she knees Nao in the midsection, high kick by Miyu but Nao blocks Miyu’s attempt to put Nao on her shoulders. DDT by Nao and she kicks Miyu in the back of the head, slow cover by Nao but it gets a two count. Nao gets Miyu on her shoulders but Miyu blocks the TKO and delivers a Buzzsaw Kick. Crash Rabbit Heat by Miyu, and she picks up the three count! Miyu Yamashita wins the match and advances in the tournament.

It is hard for Miyu to have a bad match as her strikes are just so much fun to watch. The knees, the kicks, everything she does is on-point and she carries herself as a dominate wrestler even though she is the same size as her opponents. Nao tried to keep up but isn’t on Miyu’s level, it just felt like a Miyu match with a little Nao sprinkled in so that it wouldn’t be a short and lopsided match (although eleven minutes is rather short anyway for a main event). Nao had some decent nearfalls but none felt likely to work, and most of her runs were quickly cut off by the TJPW champion. I enjoyed it because I enjoy Miyu, but I wouldn’t say it was one of her better matches this year as it never felt like she was in serious trouble. The right result anyway, and a decent way to end the show.  Mildly Recommended

Date: July 23rd, 2021
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 142

Here are the tournament matches on this event:

• Round 1: Kaya Toribami vs. Miu Watanabe
• Round 1: Yuki Aino vs. Yuki Arai
• Round 1: Marika Kobashi vs. Nodoka Tenma
• Round 1: Hikari Noa vs. Rika Tatsumi

Kaya Toribami vs. Miu Watanabe

Kaya and Miu trade holds to start, a battle that Kaya wins with an armdrag. Irish whip by Kaya but Miu hits a hard shoulderblock, Kaya rolls over Miu’s back and chops her in the chest. Scoop slam by Miu and she picks up Kaya, throwing her into the corner. Hard elbows by Miu to Kaya’s back, she throws Kaya to the mat and covers her for two. Miu presses Kaya’s back over her knee, Kaya returns to her feet but Miu slams her again. Miu goes off the ropes but Kaya catches her with an overhead armdrag, Kaya elbows Miu into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Irish whip by Kaya, Miu reverses it but Kaya flips over her and hits a step-up kick for two. Kaya picks up Miu and hits a fireman’s carry slam, she goes to do a springboard move but Miu grabs her and hits a gutbuster. Jumping back kick by Kaya and she hits another step-up kick, she goes to the ropes and hits a… springboard elbow drop for a two count. She goes off the ropes again and hits a springboard senton (probably what she was going for the first time) but that gets a two count as well. Irish whip by Kaya but Miu avoids the kick and chops Kaya in the chest. Giant Swing by Miu, she picks up Kaya but Kaya cradles her for two. Back kick by Kaya, she goes off the ropes but Miu slaps her in the chest. Teardrop by Miu, and she covers Kaya for the three count! Miu Watanabe wins and advances in the tournament.

Miu is a stealth beast and I love her for it, she doesn’t look imposing but she is strong and doesn’t mind tossing people around. Kaya is still a work in progress – she has some flash but isn’t crisp yet. Maybe she is a little overly ambitious but practice makes perfect and I don’t really mind wrestlers pushing the boundaries as long as they keep improving (like Saya Kamitani did). I like Miu’s offense and I appreciate Kaya’s attempts at being entertaining, the pieces aren’t all there yet for Kaya but I think Miu is the real deal and could make a big push in this tournament.

Yuki Aino vs. Yuki Arai

They tie-up to start and trade wristlocks, takedown by Aino but Arai gets away and they return to their feet. Waistlock by Aino and she spins Arai back to the mat, but Arai reverses things into an armbar. Arai breaks the hold and goes off the ropes, but Aino greets her with a hard shoulderblock. Arai gets back up and the two trade elbows, Aino elbows Arai into the corner and hits a running back elbow. Snapmare by Aino and she covers Arai for two. Aino applies a chinlock but Arai gets to the ropes for the break. Aino kicks and stomps Arai and goes for a scoop slam, but Arai blocks it and applies a flash pin for two. Aino gets up angry but Arai knocks her down with a back elbow, elbows by Arai but Aino elbows her back and kicks her in the midsection.

Scoop slam by Aino and she covers Arai for a two count. Arai fights back and knocks down Aino with a back elbow, but she collapses to the mat instead of making a cover. She gets back up but Aino hits her with a shoulderblock, running senton by Aino and she applies the full nelson. Arai makes it to the ropes to force the break, Aino gets on the second turnbuckle but Arai avoids her dive and applies a sleeper. Aino attempts to elbow out of it but Arai locks it in deeper, Aino gets to her feet however and slams Arai backwards into the corner to force the break. Full nelson slam by Arai, but Aino kicks out. Aino avoids the heel drop and hits a gutwrench suplex, she applies the full nelson and Arai has to give up! Yuki Aino wins and advances in the tournament.

This is probably the first match of the tournament I’d lean more towards calling it “bad” and not just unpolished. Which it was that as well. Arai doesn’t have a lot of matches under her belt so a competitive singles match may just be too much for her right now, and Aino wasn’t able to lead her into something good. Arai’s selling was bizarre, just randomly falling to the mat to act hurt, and the offense by both was very repetitive and not interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing what Aino can do in the next round, as this wasn’t a great showing by either.

Marika Kobashi vs. Nodoka Tenma

After a quick exchange, armdrag and dropkick by Marika but Nodoka knocks her over with a hard shoulderblock. Irish whip by Nodoka and she applies a side headlock, Marika Irish whips out of it but Nodoka shoulderblocks her again for a two count. Nodoka picks up Marika and throws her into the corner, stomps by Nodoka and she knees Marika. Irish whip by Nodoka to the other corner and she hits a back elbow, scoop slam by Nodoka and she covers Marika for two. Headscissors by Nodoka but Marika gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Nodoka, reversed, and Marika hits a neckbreaker followed by a dropkick. Elbows by Marika and she hits another dropkick, covering Nodoka for two. Leg drop by Marika, she picks up Nodoka and applies a front necklock.

Nodoka quickly gets out of it and hits a shoulderblock, she charges Marika in the corner but Marika moves and applies a sunset flip for two. Marika charges Nodoka but Nodoka catches her with a fallaway slam. Nodoka picks up Marika but Marika elbows her off and the two trade blows. Dropkick by Marika but Nodoka fires back with a shoulderblock, Nodoka goes for a submission but Marika quickly gets into the ropes before she can lock anything in. Elbows by Nodoka and she hits a backbreaker, she goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving body press for two. Nodoka puts Marika in a chicken wing submission but Marika muscles out of it, leg lariat by Marika and she hits a tornado bulldog out of the corner. Nodoka isn’t phased and hits a Samoan Drop, Marika quickly puts her in a front necklock and keeps the hold on while rolling her back to the middle of the ring. Nodoka struggles for a moment but eventually goes unconscious and the referee calls for the bell! Marika Kobashi wins and advances in the tournament.

As a casual TJPW viewer, this feels like an upset and I’m surprised they had Nodoka lose in such a convincing fashion. Nodoka controlled much of the match, and looked good in the process as she is a really solid wrestler. Marika got in her spots but right up until the end it still felt like Nodoka’s match to win until the front necklock was locked in. The placement wasn’t great as Nodoka could have easily reached the ropes, but at least Marika rolled her back to the middle of the ring. It could have used a few more minutes as it felt like they had more to give, all the tournament matches have been on the short side. I enjoyed what they did, I’m a fan of Nodoka and they kept the match entertaining from bell to bell even if I wouldn’t have minded if they gave them more time. Mildly Recommended

Hikari Noa vs. Rika Tatsumi

Rika and Hikari trade waistlocks before Rika gets Hikari to the mat, they jockey for position until Hikari knocks over Rika with a dropkick. Irish whip to the corner by Hikari, reversed, Hikari flips Rika out to the apron and gives her a hard elbow. Rika falls to the mat but Hikari goes out after her, hitting an ax handle from the apron. Hikari attacks Rika around the ring and hits a scoop slam on the floor, Hikari grabs Rika and whips her into the ring post. Hikari finally slides Rika back in the ring, cover by Hikari but it gets two. Hikari grabs Rika by the hair but Rika breaks free, dropkick to the knee by Rika and she throws Hikari into the corner. Rika keeps on the knee as she stands on it in the corner before hitting a dropkick to it. Cover by Rika, but it gets two. Kicks to the leg by Rika as she stays focused on it, putting Hikari in a submission hold. Hikari crawls to the ropes to force the break, Hikari tries to fight back but Rika kicks her in the leg and hits a kneebreaker. Rika picks up Hikari but Hikari blocks the dragon screw, she goes for a dropkick but Rika swats her away. She connects however on her second dropkick attempt, another dropkick by Hikari and she quickly hits a few more. Hikari goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Hikari but it gets two.

Hikari picks up Rika and applies a Cobra Twist, she cradles Rika to the mat but it only gets a two count. Hikari goes off the ropes but Rika avoids the dropkick, she twists Hikari’s leg in the rope and hits a dragon screw. Back in the ring, another dragon screw by Rika and she applies a figure four leglock. Hikari gets to the ropes, Rika picks her up but Hikari avoids the cutter and applies a jackknife cover for two. Rika picks up Hikari, elbow by Hikari and the two trade blows. Hikari knocks Rika to her knees and goes off the ropes, but Rika catches her with a swinging backbreaker. Sleeper by Rika but Hikari gets out of it with a suplex, Hikari puts Rika in the Blue Racer but Rika gets to the ropes for the break. Back up, Rika catches Hikari’s kick and hits a dragon screw, but Hikari grabs her legs and sneaks in a cover for two. Hip attack by Rika, she picks up Hikari and hits the Dragon Twist of Fate for a two count cover. Rika goes to the top turnbuckle but Hikari recovers and joins her, Rika pushes her off but Hikari avoids the Missile Hip. Jumping lariat by Hikari, she picks up Rika and delivers a Blizzard Suplex Hold but Rika lands in the ropes and is able to break up the pin. Superkick by Hikari and she kicks Rika again, Rika avoids the next one however and kicks Hikari in the head. Dragon Twist of Fate by Rika, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Missile Hip for the three count pinfall! Rika Tatsumi wins and advances in the tournament.

Really enjoyed this match, Hikari has been killing it and is putting everything together nicely. They actually gave this match the time it needed and they used the time well, with Rika focusing on the leg while Hikari went for submissions and suplexes. The Blizzard Suplex Hold was a good nearfall with smart placement near the ropes to give Rika an easy way out, and her varied offense kept the match interesting. Rika is good as well, I think she was out-done by Hikari but she still did her part and her leg work was well varied (plus I love a good dragon screw). The best match of the tournament so far by a noticeable margin and a quality main event.  Recommended

Second Round

Date: July 24th, 2021
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 142

With the unusual tournament structure that saw a handful of wrestlers get a bye, we are onto the second round! Here are the tournament matches on this event:

• Round 2: Haruna Neko vs. Yuki Aino
• Round 2: Mirai Maiumi vs. Mizuki
• Round 2: Miyu Yamashita vs. Yuki Kamifuku

Yuki Aino vs. Haruna Neko

They trade hammerlocks to start, side headlock takedown by Aino but Haruna gets out of it as they trade holds on the mat. They end up back on their feet again, Haruna does the cat thing for a bit until she applies a wristlock. Aino gets out of it and hits a shoulderblock, elbows by Aino and she kicks Haruna into the corner. Back elbow by Aino and she snapmares Haruna before covering her for two. Chinlock by Aino but Haruna wiggles to the ropes to force the break, she goes for a slam but Haruna blocks it. Elbow by Aino and she hits another shoulderblock, she goes for a senton but Haruna rolls out of the way and rakes her in the eyes. Jumping neckdrop by Haruna, she throws Aino into the corner and chops her in the throat. Cat scratches follow, snapmare by Haruna and she jumps down on Aino for a two count. Irish whip by Haruna but Aino hits a jumping shoulderblock, senton by Aino and she hits a diving shoulderblock off the second turnbuckle for two. Gutwrench suplex by Aino, she picks up Haruna but Haruna spins away and schoolboys Aino for two. Handstand into a hurricanrana by Haruna, but that gets a two as well. Hard elbow by Aino but Haruna delivers a Codebreaker, front roll by Haruna but Aino kicks her back. Diving neckdrop by Haruna, but Aino kicks out of the cover. Haruna waits for Aino to get up and does a front roll into a Codebreaker attempt, but Aino catches her and slams Haruna to the mat. Bulldog by Aino, she picks up Haruna and drops her with the Venus DDT for the three count! Yuki Aino wins and advances in the tournament.

They put together a well structured match and kept the action moving, which I think is all we could have hoped for. Haruna is going to do cat things, no way around that, but most of it stayed pretty focused on the action and Haruna has a good variety of offense when she gets down to it. Both aren’t what I’d consider natural athletes, some of the movements weren’t very fluid, but overall a watchable match that didn’t do any harm.

Mirai Maiumi vs. Mizuki

Mirai gets Mizuki to the mat first but Mizuki gets better position as they go back and forth. On their feet again, wristlock by Mizuki but Mirai reverses it and applies a headlock. Mizuki drives Mirai into the corner but Mirai gets free and delivers a hard shoulderblock. Scoop slam by Mirai and she hits another one, a third scoop slam by Mirai but Mizuki bridges out of the pin and hits a dropkick. Mizuki stops on Mirai’s hand before clubbing her in the side of the head, Mizuki stomps down Mirai in the corner and mushes her with her boot. Mizuki applies a stretch hold, she releases it after a moment only to stretch Mirai’s back some more. Mirai gets to the ropes this time but Mizuki stomps on her hand, dropkick by Mizuki and Mirai falls out of the ring. Mizuki goes out to the apron and jumps off with a double footstomp. Mizuki slides Mirai back in, elbow by Mizuki but Mirai gets her back. Mizuki tries to flip away but Mirai slams her to the mat, she goes off the ropes and hits a shoulderblock. Two more shoulderblocks by Mirai, she picks up Mizuki and hits a running elbow in the corner followed by a shoulderblock for a two count.

Mirai picks up Mizuki but Mizuki blocks the suplex attempt, kick by Mirai but Mizuki swats away her dropkick and applies a crossface. Mirai gets out of it, kicks by Mizuki and she drop toeholds Mirai onto the second drop. Dropkick by Mizuki and she hits a quick footstomp, she goes to the turnbuckles but Mirai avoids the diving footstomp and drops Mizuki with a powerslam. Mirai goes for Mizuki’s arm but Mizuki quickly gets to the ropes, she picks up Mizuki and the two trade elbows. Mirai applies a modified hammerlock but Mizuki slides out of it and applies the crossface. Mirai crawls to the ropes and makes it for the break, Mizuki charges Mirai and nails the Murder Dropkick. Mizuki goes to the top turnbuckle but Mirai has recovered and elbows her, Mizuki elbows her back and goes for a diving crossbody, but Mirai moves out of the way. Miramare by Mirai but Mizuki is too close to the ropes and makes it for the break. Hard lariat by Mirai and she hits an elbow followed by a short range lariat for a two count. Mirai goes off the ropes but Mizuki catches her with a dropkick, cradle by Mizuki and she hits a footstomp for two. Mizuki grabs Mirai and hits the Cutie Special, and she picks up the three count! Mizuki wins and advances in the tournament.

I like Mirai as I enjoy hard hitting action, but two years into her career I wouldn’t mind a more varied moveset as while effective the shoulderblock isn’t the most exciting move. Love her lariats though. This felt like a real battle as between Mirai’s power and Mizuki’s speed they meshed well to put on a smart match. I actually found myself rooting for the upset, which I am not sure was the intention but Mirai fought with a lot of fire. The ending felt a little sudden as Mirai was in control shortly before the Cutie Special, but the Cutie Special is a quality move so I’ll let it slide. I wish Mirai’s power offense had a wider range and the end stretch was a little longer but an entertaining match.  Mildly Recommended

Miyu Yamashita vs. Yuki Kamifuku

They tie-up to start, Yuki works a headlock but Miyu reverses it. Yuki pushes Miyu into the ropes but gives a clean break, kicks to the chest by Miyu and she covers Yuki for two. Miyu picks up Yuki and kicks her in the midsection, leg kick by Miyu and she finishes with a spinning kick for a two count cover. Miyu applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Yuki gets to the ropes for the break, Miyu picks up Yuki but Yuki elbows her. Handstand by Yuki but Miyu blocks her move attempt and hits a double knee gutbuster. Bodyscissors by Miyu but she lets go so she can kick Yuki in the back, another cover but again it gets two. More kicks by Miyu and she clubs Yuki in the back, knee by Miyu but Yuki kicks her away and boots Miyu in the face. Yuki sits Miyu on the top turnbuckle and boots her, Yuki charges Miyu and dropkicks her off the top turnbuckle down to the floor.

Miyu slowly gets back on the apron but Yuki promptly dropkicks her back to the floor again, Miyu returns again and Yuki quickly puts her in an Octopus Hold. Miyu gets out of it and drops Yuki to the mat, Yuki slowly returns to her feet and the two trade elbows. Miyu sends Yuki to the mat with a hard kick to the chest, knee to the stomach by Miyu but Yuki kicks her in the head. Miyu regains the advantage and delivers a head kick out of the corner, she gets Yuki on her shoulders but Yuki rakes her face and puts Miyu back in the Octopus Hold. She lets go after a moment to hit the Fameasser, she goes off the ropes but Miyu avoids her kick. Chop to the chest by Yuki and she hits a dropkick for a two count. Yuki re-applies the Octopus Hold but Miyu gets to the ropes, kick combination by Miyu but Yuki chops her. Miyu sends Yuki crashing to the mat with a head kick, cover by Miyu but Yuki barely kicks out. Miyu waits for Yuki to get up and nails the Skull Kick, cover by Miyu and she picks up the three count! Miyu Yamashita advances in the tournament.

Yuki Kamifuku is a limited wrestler, but I thought they worked well within her limitations here and put on a good show. Miyu bumped like a mad woman to make Yuki’s offense look as good as possible, and of course her kicks were on point. The repeated use of the Octopus Hold was a little excessive, and Yuki’s strikes aren’t too convincing, but everything else was well put together and the match felt like it went the right amount of time considering the structure of it. Not quite as good as the last match but still solid, as Miyu showed why she is one of the best on the Joshi scene.  Mildly Recommended

Date: July 25th, 2021
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 142

The completion of the second round! Here are the tournament matches on this event:

• Round 2: Mahiro Kiryu vs. Suzume
• Round 2: Maki Itoh vs. Raku
• Round 2: Marika Kobashi vs. Shoko Nakajima
• Round 2: Hyper Misao vs. Rika Tatsumi

Mahiro Kiryu vs. Suzume

Side headlock by Mahiro but Suzume takes her to the mat, they jockey for position but end up in a stalemate. Irish whip by Suzume but Mahiro shoulderblocks her down, both wrestlers go off the ropes and Suzume delivers a dropkick. Suzume throws Mahiro into the corner and elbows her, but Mahiro switches positions with her and returns the favor. Running elbow by Mahiro in the corner and she hits a scoop slam, elbow drop by Mahiro and she covers Suzume for two. Armbar by Mahiro but Suzume gets into the ropes for the break, double knee to Suzume’s back and Mahiro covers her for a two count. Mahiro picks up Suzume but Suzume quickly schoolboys her, Mahiro goes off the ropes but Suzume connects with a running elbow. More elbows by Suzume and she hits a dropkick, Suzume throws Mahiro into the corner but Mahiro avoids her charge.

Suzume boots Mahiro back, sleeper by Suzume but Mahiro drives her into the corner to break it up. Suzume goes to the top turnbuckle but Mahiro elbows her before she can jump off, Suzume ends up hanging off the turnbuckles and Mahiro dropkicks her in the back. Crab hold by Mahiro but Suzume crawls to the ropes to force the break, Mahiro picks her up but Suzume pushes her off and hits a headscissors. Face crusher by Suzume out of the corner, she waits for Mahiro to get up but Mahiro avoids the cutter attempt and hits a sidewalk slam. Mahiro picks up Suzume but Suzume blocks the slam attempt and applies a few flash pins for two counts. Suzume pushes Mahiro to create some space and charges in, delivering the Ring a Bell (modified cutter) for the three count! Suzume wins and advances in the tournament.

These two didn’t break any new ground with this match but it will still pretty well worked with a good flow to it. I’ve mentioned match length a few times in this review but this one being short was fine – they are less experienced wrestlers still honing their craft so putting on a tight eight minute match was a smart way to go. Suzume shows a lot of potential, she is small but connects well with the crowd and has solid execution. Too basic to get excited about but a good way to kick off the tournament portion of the event.

Maki Itoh vs. Raku

Raku applies a waistlock but Itoh easily gets out of it and they trade wristlocks until Raku gets Itoh to the mat. Itoh gets out of her grasp and they return to their feet, Itoh starts acting a little crazy which confuses Raku, giving Itoh a chance to club her to the mat. Itoh throws Raku into the corner and shoulder tackles her in the back, Irish whip by Itoh and she scoop slams Raku for a two count. Itoh puts Raku in the ropes and stretches her, running elbow by Itoh and she covers Raku for another two. Chinlock by Itoh and she switches it to a single leg crab hold, but Raku gets to the ropes for the break. Itoh goes for an Irish whip but Raku blocks it, back elbow by Raku and she hits a few more before dropkicking Itoh off her feet. Raku runs over Itoh and rolls over top of her for a two count. Raku goes off the ropes but Itoh catches her with a sleeper and hits a backbreaker.

Raku elbows Itoh but Itoh elbows her back and the two trade blows. Raku wins the battle but Itoh blocks the leg sweep, face crusher by Raku and she hits a jumping neckdrop. Raku charges Itoh but Itoh moves and delivers an elevated DDT. Raku quickly applies a few flash pins but Itoh kicks out of each, sleeper by Raku but Itoh drives her back into the corner to break it up. Raku gets on the second turnbuckle and tries to chop Itoh in the head, but Itoh’s head is too hard. Raku chops Itoh in the face but Itoh headbutts her and hits a DDT for a two count. Itoh grabs Raku and puts her in the crab hold, Raku almost makes it to the ropes but Itoh pulls her back to the middle of the ring and applies the Itoh Punish (elevated crab hold). Raku struggles for a moment but submits! Maki Itoh wins and advances in the tournament.

Itoh is certainly a character. She isn’t a high-end technician but she makes up for it by being unique, although not everyone appreciates her uniqueness. I like her fine, although I can understand those that don’t as she definitely blurs the line between comedy and serious wrestling within the same match. She gets away with it as she is charismatic, but I am not sure if she’ll ever reach the top level of Tokyo Joshi Pro. Raku hung in there which is all you can hope for, and generally the match was good (although not great). The right result and a decent watch all things considered.  Mildly Recommended

Marika Kobashi vs. Shoko Nakajima

Marika dropkicks Shoko before the match starts, small packages by Marika but each gets a two count. Marika applies a grounded necklock but Shoko muscles out of it with a suplex for a two count cover. Shoko puts Marika in the ropes and hits a 619, Shoko applies a submission but Marika gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Dropkick by Shoko, she picks up Marika but Marika avoids her dropkick attempt and hits a leg lariat. Shoko recovers first but Marika elbows her, hurricanrana by Shoko but Marika reverses the cover into her own two count before quickly applying the grounded necklock. Shoko slams her into the corner to get out of it, strikes by Marika but Shoko hits a back bodydrop. Shoko goes off the ropes but Marika applies the grounded necklock once again until Shoko shakes her off. Shoko drapes Marika over the second rope and hits a DDT, Shoko puts Marika in the ropes but Marika avoids the 619 and hits a dropkick. Marika applies the…. you guessed it, grounded necklock but Shoko wiggles to the ropes and gets there for the break. Marika picks up Shoko but Shoko pushes her off, DDT by Shoko and she delivers the Northern Lights Suplex Hold for the three count! Shoko Nakajima is the winner and advances in the tournament.

I’m a big fan of Shoko but there wasn’t much to this one. While I respect that Marika obviously felt the grounded necklock was her only path to victory, as a fan I would have liked a little more variety to her offense. Something to weaken up Shoko so it wasn’t the same submission move four times in a five minute match. Shoko put away Marika pretty easily when she got back in control, which is fine, but if a match is this short I’d prefer it be more of a sprint. Perfectly watchable but nothing memorable and the match layout wasn’t my favorite.

Hyper Misao vs. Rika Tatsumi

They get right into it as they trade holds, Rika gets the early advantage but Misao evens things out and they end up back on their feet. They trade waistlocks, Rika starts on Misao’s leg, Misao returns to her feet however and hits a footstomp onto Rika’s back. DDT by Misao and she applies an elevated armbar, but Rika gets into the ropes for the break. Stomps by Misao, she throws Rika into the corner and yanks on her arm. Arm snaps by Misao and she throws Rika to the other corner, but Rika avoids her charge and drops her onto the apron. Misao snaps Rika’s arm over the top rope a few times before elbowing her in the back, she whips Rika to the mat and twists her arm before hitting a leg drop on it. Rika fights back with elbows but Misao catches her when she runs in and drops her onto her knee. Charging back elbow by Misao, and she covers Rika for two. Misao stays in control on the mat but Rika snapmares her and hits a quick hip attack. Irish whip by Rika to the corner and she hits a running hip attack, she goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving one for a two count. She goes for the figure four, Misao pushes her off but Rika levels her with a sliding hip attack.

This gives her time to apply the figure four leglock, but Misao is able to get to the ropes for the break. Rika wraps Misao’s leg in the ropes but Misao avoids her dropkick attempt, Misao charges Rika and knees her hard in the back. This sends Rika out of the ring, Misao kicks Rika through the ropes and follows with a diving crossbody off the second rope down to the floor. Misao slides Rika back in but Rika grabs her leg and hits a dragon screw through the ropes. Rika goes back to the apron with Misao but Misao blocks the Dragon Twist of Fate, they trade elbows until Misao Irish whips Rika into the ring post. Misao picks up Rika and goes back into the ring, applying a front necklock before hitting a hanging Final Cut for a two count. Misao goes to the top turnbuckle but Rika recovers and elbows her before she can jump off. Dragon Twist of Fate by Rika, she picks up Misao but Misao puts her in a headlock. Misao goes for the crossface chickenwing and gets it locked in, but Rika breaks free and applies the Dragon Sleeper. Rika rips off Misao’s mask as Misao manages to get to the ropes, she puts it back on and then blocks Rika’s kick before applying La Magistral for two. Sliding back elbow by Misao but Rika fires back with a hip attack, jumping head kick by Rika but Misao avoids the Dragon Twist of Fate. She goes for a flash pin but Rika quickly applies a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold for the three count! Rika Tatsumi wins and advances in the tournament.

I think this match was a small step below Hikari Noa vs. Rika Tatsumi, but still was damn entertaining. Misao is a stealthy really good (maybe even great) wrestler, everything she did here was on point. If anything I think her super hero gimmick holds her back a bit as its not a Champion Gimmick, but it wasn’t the focus of this match as they went right at it. Even her mask coming off didn’t come across as a big deal, she has been mask-less before, so I don’t see that as a big focal point of the match. Both had good strategies with the limb work and had a wide variety of ways to attack said limbs so it never got boring. There were some transition issues that very slightly irked me, such as Rika going right back on offense after Misao’s dive out of the ring and after her Final Cut, as I think big moves should get a little time to breath and be meaningful. And while the limb work was good I wouldn’t have minded if it impacted the ending in some way. But overall it was a fun match with solid action from bell to bell, a really good effort by both to end the second round.  Recommended

Quarter Finals

Date: July 31st, 2021
Location: Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 226

Regular tournament setup from here on out, no more byes. Onto the Quarter Finals! Here are the tournament matches on this event:

• Quarter Final: Maki Itoh vs. Suzume
• Quarter Final: Miu Watanabe vs. Yuki Aino
• Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi vs. Shoko Nakajima
• Quarter Final: Miyu Yamashita vs. Mizuki

Maki Itoh vs. Suzume

Suzume dropkicks Maki before the match starts while she is doing her singing, establishing herself as the heel in the match. Another dropkick by Suzume and she quickly covers Maki for a two count. She goes for a third but Maki avoids it, she goes for a slam but Suzume lands on her feet and dropkicks Maki out of the ring. Suzume goes out after her and clubs her in the back, Suzume rolls Maki back in but Maki kicks Suzume as she gets on the apron. Back out to the floor, ax handle by Maki and she throws Suzume into the ring post. DDT by Maki on the floor, Maki gets back in the ring with Suzume slowly following. Stomps by Maki and she covers Suzume for two. Scoop slam by Maki and she hits a second one followed by a third, cover by Maki but it gets a two count. Suzume tries to fight back but Maki puts her in a sleeper, she pulls back on Suzume’s neck but Suzume makes it to the ropes for the break. Maki picks up Suzume but Suzume blocks the Irish whip, elbows by Maki but Suzume elbows her back and hits a running back elbow. More elbows by Suzume and she covers Maki for a two count. Suzume picks up Maki and throws her into the corner, running elbow by Suzume and she goes up to the top turnbuckle. Maki avoids her diving body press however, she goes for Suzume’s legs but Suzume pushes her away and hits a headscissors.

Maki falls out of the ring, Suzume goes up top and dives out with a crossbody down to the floor. Suzume slides Maki back in, cover by Suzume but it gets two. Suzume applies a sleeper, Maki struggles but eventually makes it to the ropes for the break. Suzume charges Maki but Maki holds down the top rope, sending Suzume out to the apron. Maki immediately grabs her and drapes her legs over the second rope, delivering a DDT back into the ring. Maki throws Suzume into the corner and sits on the turnbuckles, elbow by Maki and she hits a headbutt. Maki dives off the turnbuckles but Suzume catches her with a cutter, they trade elbows as they return to their feet until Suzume gets Maki back down to the mat. Suzume picks up Maki but Maki headbutts her and snaps off a DDT. Maki goes to the top turnbuckle but Suzume avoids the diving headbutt, face crusher off the ropes by Suzume and she covers Maki for a two count. Suzume waits for Maki to get up but Maki avoids the Ring a Bell, Suzume goes for a few flash pins but each gets a two count. Dropkick by Suzume, she waits for Maki to get up but Maki blocks the Ring a Bell again. Maki rolls Suzume to the mat and puts her in the crab hold, she drags Suzume to the middle of the ring and applies the Itoh Punish. Suzume struggles for a moment but has to tap out! Maki Itoh wins and advances in the tournament.

They certainly tried to bring the drama since it was a tournament match, but at the end of the day it really had the setup of any veteran vs. young underdog match. Suzume got in most of the offense and looked good, she has quite a spark to her, but Itoh winning with a modified crab hold while doing little to set it up just made Suzume look way out of her league. Which maybe she is, but for a big Quarter Finals match I wouldn’t have minded a little more drama at the end instead of Maki Itoh getting the quick win. That being said, there was no comedy here as Itoh was focused on the win, which did make the match feel important and showed that she saw Suzume as a threat. An enjoyable match, I just wish that the ending was a little more flushed out instead of going straight to the submission win.  Mildly Recommended

Miu Watanabe vs. Yuki Aino

Miu gets Yuki to the mat early in an armbar, Yuki Irish whips out of it but Miu hits an armdrag followed by a hard shoulderblock. Elbows by Miu in the corner and she stretches Yuki over her knee, focusing her offense on the back. Yuki pushes Miu away and knocks her to the mat, she kicks Miu into the corner before hitting a running elbow. Yuki turns Miu around and delivers a running elbow to her lower back, snapmare by Yuki and she covers Miu for two. Chinlock by Yuki but Miu gets into the ropes for the break, snapmare by Yuki and she applies a stretch hold. Miu gets to the ropes again, running senton by Yuki and she covers Miu for two. Yuki picks up Miu and hits a scoop slam, elbow by Yuki but Miu picks her up and hits a backbreaker. Miu gets Yuki on her shoulder but Yuki slides away, armdrag by Miu and she hits a body avalanche in the corner. Hard shoulderblock by Miu, she goes for Yuki’s legs but Yuki flips her and hits a senton.

Yuki gets on the second rope and hits a reverse splash, but Miu kicks out of the cover. Yuki picks up Miu but Miu blocks a suplex attempt, Yuki gets the Full Nelson locked in but Miu gets into the ropes for the break. Miu gets away from Yuki and throws her into the corner, but Yuki elbows her when she charges in. Yuki gets on the second turnbuckle but Miu grabs her, bringing her back into the ring and giving her the Giant Swing. Miu picks up Yuki and hits a backbreaker over her shoulder, cover by Miu but Yuki barely kicks out. Miu grabs Yuki but Yuki applies a headlock before dropping Miu with a bulldog. Yuki pulls Miu out to the apron and nails a reverse DDT, she pulls Miu back into the ring and goes for another one but Miu snapmares out of it. Gutwrench suplex by Yuki, she picks up Miu but Miu blocks the double underhook. Hard shoulderblock by Yuki but Miu hits a series of hammer blows, Tear Drop by Miu and she covers Yuki for the three count! Miu Watanabe wins and advances in the tournament.

My thoughts on the match may be a little biased as Miu is the type of wrestler I tend to naturally like, but this was a quality match. Miu is a mini-hoss, she isn’t very tall but she has a lot of power and uses it to implement a wide variety of back-focused offense. Yuki did her part as well, even if it felt like Miu stayed in control and Yuki was just doing her best to keep up. The reverse DDT on the apron probably wasn’t necessary as Miu recovered pretty quickly, but it did give the fans a moment to think maybe Yuki could pick up the upset. The ending felt a little sudden as Yuki had finally strung a few moves together, but Miu had done enough offense up to that point that it wasn’t completely out of thin air. Pretty entertaining and I am glad to see Miu continue in the tournament.  Recommended

Rika Tatsumi vs. Shoko Nakajima

Tie-up to start, they trade holds until Shoko gets Rika to the mat but Rika gets away and both wrestlers return to their feet. Side headlock by Shoko but Rika reverses it, Irish whip by Shoko but Rika hits a hard shoulderblock. Both wrestlers go off the ropes until Shoko hits an armdrag followed by a dropkick. Shoko throws Rika into the corner but Rika reverses the Irish whip, Rika trips up Shoko in the corner and starts working on the leg. Shoko gets into the ropes to get a break, Rika picks her up and throws her back into the corner. Rika twists Shoko’s leg in the middle rope but after she lets go, Shoko switches positions with her and hits a series of elbows. Shoko charges Rika but Rika moves and immediately goes back to Shoko’s leg. Rika pulls Shoko’s leg around the post and slams her knee into it, she then gets on the apron and dropkicks Shoko’s leg into the ring post. Rika slides Shoko back in but Shoko dropkicks her as she enters and sails out onto Rika with a tope suicida. Shoko slides Rika back into the ring and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Rika recovers and elbows her. Dragon screw by Rika while Shoko is sitting on the top turnbuckle, she then grabs Shoko’s leg and twists it again before applying the figure four leglock.

Shoko quickly gets to the ropes to force the break, but Rika stays on Shoko and gets the hold re-applied. Shoko manages to reverse the hold so Rika grabs the rope to break it up, 619 by Shoko but Rika elbows her and the two trade blows. Rika charges Shoko but Shoko hits a dropkick, bulldog by Shoko but Rika puts her on the top turnbuckle and applies a Dragon Sleeper. She lets go after a moment and hits a hanging reverse Dragon Twist of Fate, she goes for a regular Dragon Twist of Fate but Shoko blocks it and applies a Northern Lights Suplex Hold for two. Shoko flips Rika into the ropes and hits the 619 again, she goes for another suplex but Rika blocks it and hits a backbreaker. Sleeper by Rika but Shoko blocks it when she goes for the Dragon Sleeper and hits a neckbreaker. Shoko sits Rika on the top turnbuckle and joins her, but Rika pushes her back and hits a diving hip attack. Rika goes back up top but Shoko avoids the Missile Hip and schoolboys Rika for two. Hurricanrana by Shoko but Rika nails her with a hip attack, jumping head kick by Rika and she applies the sleeper. Dragon Sleeper by Rika but Shoko rolls out of it and hits a suplex. Double arm DDT by Shoko, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Diving Senton for the three count! Shoko Nakajima is the winner and advances in the tournament!

One common theme during this tournament is the wrestler having limb work done on them makes no effort whatsoever to acknowledge it at any point. I don’t know if its a Tokyo Joshi Pro thing or due to the time constraints in the tournament, but they really take it to the next level. Generally I am pretty forgiving about such things, I don’t expect wrestlers to sell every move for the rest of the match, but here it was the focus of Rika’s offense. Even after dropkicking Shoko’s leg into the ring post, which is a pretty notable move, literally ten seconds later Shoko was running around the ring to hit a tope suicida and at no point after did she sell her leg unless it was actively in a move. Just an unforced error that is easily fixed with an occasional leg shake or leg holding. Anyway, if I put that rant aside, this was a pretty good match otherwise. Both wrestlers have fun offense and everything felt like it was done with a purpose as there was no wasted effort. The action was smooth and Shoko looked great as always when in control (not as great with limb selling), maybe she will win this tournament and finally get her rematch. A solid match that was just hurt by Rika’s leg work not being more respected.  Mildly Recommended

Miyu Yamashita vs. Mizuki

Snapmare by Miyu to start but Mizuki hits one of her own, she goes for a quick cradle but Miyu kicks out. Dropkick by Mizuki and Miyu rolls out of the ring, Mizuki goes to the top turnbuckle but Miyu jumps up to the apron and grabs Mizuki. Mizuki slides away but Miyu throws her into the ring post, sending Mizuki down to the floor. Jumping knee by Miyu off the apron to the floor, she gets back in the ring with Mizuki slowly following. Double knee gutbuster by Miyu and she applies a bodyscissors, she switches it to a sleeper but lets go so she can knee Mizuki in the stomach. Mizuki gets back to her feet but Miyu knocks her back to the mat and hits a tornado kneedrop for two. Mizuki goes off the ropes but Miyu drops her with a gutbuster, but Mizuki bridges out of the pin and hits a missile dropkick. Miyu ends up against the ropes so Mizuki nails the Murder Dropkick, Mizuki goes to the top turnbuckle but Miyu avoids her crossbody attempt. Corner springboard kick by Miyu out of the corner, but her cover gets two. Miyu picks up Mizuki and hits a neckbreaker, she puts Mizuki in the Anaconda Vice but Mizuki gets out of it and applies a crossface. Miyu struggles back to her feet but Mizuki gets her back down, Miyu inches to the ropes and eventually makes it to force the break.

Mizuki goes to the top turnbuckle but Miyu kicks her before she can jump off, Miyu joins Mizuki and tries to get her on her shoulders but Mizuki blocks it and elbows Miyu into the Tree of Woe. Miyu gets back up but Mizuki elbows her down again and delivers a diving footstomp to her chest. Miyu ends up on the apron but Mizuki grabs her from inside the ring and hits a crossbody through the ropes, sending Miyu to the floor. Mizuki then gets on the top turnbuckle and nails a diving footstomp down to the floor, Mizuki slides Miyu back in and covers her for two. Mizuki picks up Miyu but Miyu delivers a head kick, more kicks by Miyu but Mizuki elbows her back as they trade blows. Miyu goes off the ropes but Mizuki elbows her, Mizuki goes for a cradle but Miyu blocks it and hits a German suplex hold for two. Head kick by Miyu, she goes to get a running start but Mizuki grabs her leg to stop her. Miyu kicks her off and boots her into the corner, jumping knee by Miyu and she delivers an Attitude Adjustment for two. Miyu goes for a head kick but Mizuki ducks it, cradle by Mizuki and she hits a footstomp for two. Suplex by Mizuki, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving footstomp. Cutie Special by Mizuki, and she holds down Miyu for the three count! Mizuki wins and advances in the tournament!

One benefit of the styles of these two is we didn’t have to worry about ignored limb work as Miyu is all about kicks and gutbusters while Mizuki enjoys suplexes and footstomps. Much easier to manage. This match was enjoyable but it felt like they needed a few more minutes, as it was still a pretty back-and-forth match when it ended and it didn’t have a hot ending segment that you’d expect from the main event between wrestlers of their skill levels. The action was really solid though, Miyu is great and Mizuki rises to the occasion when needed. Her offense is more “soft” than Miyu but the diving footstomp is hurt-y no matter who is doing it, so I was glad she stepped it up a bit so she didn’t seem out-gunned. The champion going out this early is a surprise but that’s what happens when you run into Mizuki early, with Mizuki’s past success it looks like she is destined for at the least the Finals. Overall an enjoyable and hard hitting match, only thing holding it back was just the fact it felt a little incomplete for a match of this caliber.  Recommended

Semi Finals

Date: August 14th, 2021
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 437

Time for the Semi Finals! Here are the tournament matches on this event:

• Semi Final: Miu Watanabe vs. Shoko Nakajima
• Semi Final: Maki Itoh vs. Mizuki

Miu Watanabe vs. Shoko Nakajima

Shoko works a headlock to start but Miu Irish whips out of it, they go through a fast exchange until Miu drops Shoko with a hard shoulderblock. Miu puts Shoko in the corner and elbows her repeatedly in the back, backbreaker by Miu and she presses Shoko down over her knee. Miu applies a waistlock but Shoko jumps through the ropes to get out of the hold and snaps Miu over the second rope. Shoko clubs Miu and puts her in a headscissors before slamming Miu’s head into the mat. Miu gets into the ropes for the break, Shoko throws Miu into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Shoko catapults Miu up into the bottom rope, cover by Shoko but it gets a two count. Shoko knees Miu in the back of the head a few times before applying a stretch hold, but Miu muscles out of it. Miu picks up Shoko but Shoko elbows away and hits a quick suplex, she re-applies the hold as she twists up Miu. Miu gets into the ropes again for the break, she goes for the Northern Lights Suplex but Miu blocks it and slams Shoko to the mat. Hard shoulderblock by Miu and she hits a body avalanche in the corner, which she follows with another shoulderblock. Miu goes to pick up Shoko but Shoko kicks her back, Shoko grabs Miu but Miu elbows her off.

Shoko returns fire as the two trade blows, dropkick by Shoko but Miu doesn’t go down and hits a powerslam. Miu picks up Shoko and gets her on her shoulder, but Shoko slides away and hits a Northern Lights Suplex. Shoko goes to the top turnbuckle but Miu avoids the diving senton attempt, she goes for a hurricanrana but Miu catches her. Shoko applies a front guillotine but Miu gets out of it and swings Shoko around in the Giant Swing. Miu picks up Shoko but Shoko pushes her off and drops Miu on the second rope. She goes for the 619 but Miu moves and clubs Shoko in the chest, she then muscles Shoko up and hits a single shoulder backbreaker for a two count. Miu gets Shoko back up again in a backbreaker, Shoko flips out of it but Miu clubs her in the chest for a two count. Miu picks up Shoko but Shoko hits a back bodydrop, Miu clubs Shoko but Shoko snaps off a hurricanrana. Locomotion-Style Northern Light Suplex Hold by Shoko, and she picks up the three count! Shoko Nakajima wins and advances to the Finals.

Even though I never doubted the winner here, I still came out of it impressed by Miu. I wouldn’t say this was the most cohesive match as at times it came across as random offense with iffy transitions, but Miu’s work on Shoko’s back was solid and she has a nice variety of offense. It really felt more like a Miu match than a Shoko match, as her offense and comeback spots were more interesting (and that’s coming from someone that likes Shoko as well). The action was very smooth through with no miscommunications, and they kept it interesting from bell to bell. I wouldn’t have minded if Shoko had a bit more of a clear game plan but still an enjoyable and easy watch.  Mildly Recommended

Maki Itoh vs. Mizuki

They tie-up to start, Maki pushes Mizuki into the ropes and elbows her instead of giving a clean break. Mizuki returns the favor and the two trade blows, Maki grabs Mizuki and tosses her out of the ring. Maki goes out after her and shoulder tackles her into the apron, she then removes part of the mat on the floor. She goes to slam Mizuki on the exposed floor but Mizuki blocks it, so Maki throws her into the guardrail instead. Maki slides Mizuki back into the ring, cover by Maki but it gets a two count. Maki twists up Mizuki in the ropes and elbows her in the back, cover by Maki but Mizuki bridges out of it and hits a footstomp to her back. Mizuki applies a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment but Maki drops her with a face crusher. Maki goes to the second turnbuckle but Mizuki avoids her diving headbutt, which hurt Maki even more than usual as she came into the match with a previously broken face. Mizuki comes out after Maki and slides her back in, cover by Mizuki but it gets a two count. Mizuki picks up Maki and throws her face-first into the corner, running boot by Mizuki and she dropkicks Maki in the back. Diving footstomp by Mizuki, and she covers Maki for a two count. Mizuki stands up Maki on the apron, she then gets a running start in the ring and hits a crossbody between the ropes. Mizuki goes for a diving footstomp off the apron but Maki moves, they both trade slam attempts until Maki successfully slams Mizuki on the previously exposed floor.

Maki slides Mizuki back in, Mizuki pushes Maki into the corner but Maki grabs her and delivers a Tornado DDT. Cover by Maki, but it gets a two count. Maki goes to pick up Mizuki but Mizuki cradles her, Mizuki goes for a few more flash pins but Maki won’t stay down. Murder Dropkick by Mizuki, Maki lands outside the ring, Mizuki goes to the top turnbuckle but Maki recovers and gets back on the apron. Maki grabs Mizuki and DDTs her onto the apron, Maki puts Mizuki in the crab hold but Mizuki gets to the ropes for the break. Maki goes to the top turnbuckle but Mizuki joins her, hitting a superplex to the mat. Cover by Mizuki, but it gets a two count. Mizuki puts Maki across the ropes in the corner and hits a double footstomp, she goes back to the top turnbuckle but Maki avoids the diving footstomp. Tornado DDT by Maki, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Diving Kokeshi to Mizuki’s back. Cover by Maki, but Mizuki gets a shoulder up. Maki grabs Mizuki and puts her in the Itoh Punish, but Mizuki makes it to the ropes for the break. Maki grabs Mizuki by the wrist and elbows her in the face, but Mizuki fights back and the two trade elbows. Maki headbutts one of Mizuki’s elbow strikes, but Mizuki quickly hits a Cutie Special for a two count. Mizuki picks up Maki but Maki headbutts her, Maki puts Mizuki in the Itoh Deluxe and Mizuki has no choice but to submit! Maki Itoh wins and advances to the Finals!

I think I am finally starting to understand Maki Itoh. Sometimes you have to watch a wrestler within a well told story to get what they are all about, and this tournament has helped me appreciate Itoh and what she brings to the table. She isn’t the best in-ring wrestler, nor has the most “potential,” nor shows off the flashiest moves, but her determination to win just jumps off the screen and she has the ability to pull you into her matches. Sure, maybe her matches in AEW weren’t able to show that off but those were spot matches, they weren’t really telling her story. Here, she came in with a face that was already (legitimately) injured, she is against a wrestler unbeatable in tournaments, and she gave every ounce of what she had to pull off the win. She sold her face extremely well so each time she used it anyway as a weapon, it resonated with the viewer how much she wanted to win. The focus on the back was well done and then led directly to the ending, with one of the most painful looking submissions I’ve ever seen. Mizuki did her part as well, she’s talented and is entertaining, but this match was all about Itoh’s story and it was perfectly told. A gripping and intense match, and easily the best we’ve seen in the tournament thus far. A must-see for Joshi fans or for anyone that doesn’t understand why Maki Itoh has legions of fans around the world.  Highly Recommended

Finals

Date: August 15th, 2021
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 567

Time for the Finals! Naturally, only one tournament match on this event:

• Final: Maki Itoh vs. Shoko Nakajima

Maki Itoh vs. Shoko Nakajima

They tie-up to start before trading holds, Maki gets Shoko in a headlock but Shoko reverses it. They end up back on their feet as they lock knuckles, Maki gets the better of it and she applies a stretch hold. Shoko gets out of it and hits a side headlock takedown, Maki struggles back up and Irish whips out of it but Shoko hits a springboard armdrag followed by a dropkick. Maki throws Shoko into the corner but Shoko flips herself out to the apron, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Maki elbows her before she can jump off. Maki goes out to the apron and hits a hanging DDT on Shoko, scoop slam by Maki on the floor and she drives Shoko back-first into the guard rail. Maki slides Shoko back into the ring and goes in after her, but Shoko dropkicks her as she gets on the apron. Shoko gets a running start in the ring and sails out onto Maki with a tope suicida, Shoko snaps Maki’s neck on the second rope and hits a 619 to Maki’s back. Cover by Shoko, but it gets a two count. Shoko throws Maki into the corner and hits a dropkick, neckbreaker by Shoko and she gets another two. Shoko picks up Maki and elbows her in the back of the head, stomps by Shoko and she starts working on Maki’s leg.

Maki gets into the ropes to force the break, but Shoko catapults Maki neck-first into the bottom rope. She does it a second time before dragging Maki back into the ring for a two count. Elbows to the back of the head by Shoko and she knees Maki a few times in the throat before applying a reverse chinlock. Snapmare by Shoko and she hits a running neckbreaker, but Maki kicks out of the cover. Shoko puts Maki in a submission hold but Maki gets out of it, elbows by Maki and she hits a DDT. Maki gets Shoko up but gets too close to the ropes, allowing Shoko to get away and apply a submission in the ropes. She lets go and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Maki catches her as she dives off and applies a crab hold. Shoko gets to the ropes for the break, running elbow by Maki in the corner and she hits a face crusher. Maki picks up Shoko but Shoko throws her into the corner, she charges Maki but Maki kicks her back and hits a Tornado DDT for a two count. Maki goes for the Ito Punish but Shoko slides away and bulldogs Maki into the turnbuckles. Shoko goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Shoko but it gets a two count. Shoko gets the Mujin Zairaisen applied but Maki wiggles to the ropes and makes it for the break.

Shoko picks up Maki and slams her head-first into the mat, she goes for the Northern Lights Suplex but Maki blocks it and hits a Tornado DDT off the ropes. Maki puts Shoko in a crab hold but Shoko kicks her off and hits a hurricanrana for two. Northern Lights Suplex by Shoko, but her cover gets another two count. Shoko goes up to the top turnbuckle but Maki avoids the diving senton, jumping DDT by Maki and she goes to the top turnbuckle. Shoko recovers and she joins her, delivering a Frankensteiner back down to the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get to their knees as they trade elbows, Maki delivers a series of elbows but Shoko elbows her down to the mat. Headbutt by Maki and she hits a DDT, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Shoko avoids the Diving Kokeshi. Double Arm DDT by Shoko, and she hits a Northern Suplex Hold on Maki for a two count. Shoko drags up Maki but Maki flips her off, hard elbow by Shoko but Maki blocks the Northern Lights Suplex and puts Shoko in the Itoh Punish. Shoko crawls to the ropes and makes it for the break, quick hurricanrana by Shoko but Maki catches her 619 attempt and puts Shoko in the Itoh Deluxe. Shoko struggles for a moment but has no choice but to tap out! Maki Itoh wins the match and the Princess Cup!

While I don’t think it reached the emotional high of Maki Itoh’s last match, this was still pretty damn good. Shoko works better when she isn’t supposed to be selling a body part in particular, as we’ve seen in the tournament, so the random carnage that both were bringing fit in well with her strengths. There wasn’t a ton of structure, besides Maki’s usual back work, but they were throwing big moves and hard strikes at each other pretty consistently for over twenty minutes. Maki didn’t hit a many of her big moves but she made the ones she did hit count, and her bag of tricks ended up being deep enough to win as no one is getting out of the Itoh Deluxe. Since it was so back-and-forth, the match ending on a move counter leading to the finish fit in well with everything that came before it. Well paced and entertaining throughout, a fitting Finale for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s premiere annual tournament.  Recommended

The post Tokyo Joshi Pro “Tokyo Princess Cup 2021” Review appeared first on Joshi City.

• Championships and Tournaments Won: This includes any championship won during 2019, or any championship that was held when 2019 began. The prestige of the championship or tournament will be taken into account.
• Match Quality: The most subjective criteria, extra consideration is given to wrestlers that had high quality matches throughout the year, especially if it was with a variety of opponents.
• Wrestler Popularity: Being able to connect with the crowd is important in wrestling, wrestlers that have success interacting with the crowd and getting reactions will get credit for that.
• Wrestler Status in a Promotion: Generally speaking, the Ace of one promotion will be ahead of the #3 wrestler in another promotion, since wrestling on top means bigger matches, longer matches, and more opportunities. There isn’t a direct correlation, but leading a promotion or being the ‘face’ of a promotion can help a wrestler’s rank as it increases the wrestler’s visibility and match importance.
• Match Frequency/Availability: How often a wrestler wrestled is taken into consideration. A wrestler with 100 matches is more likely to be on the list than a wrestler with 10 matches. Also, it is harder to ‘rate’ a wrestler if their matches rarely were distributed via TV or an online streaming service, so visibility is a factor.

One criteria I am not using is ‘drawing power.’ In the current wrestling landscape there are very few wrestlers that by themselves are draws (I could probably count them on one hand), usually it is more the benefit of a good storyline or a hot region that impacts the size of the crowd. While the larger Joshi promotions may have more wrestlers on the list due to the other criteria (visibility being a major one), the size of the crowds will not be taken in consideration. Also, it should be noted that this ranking is based only on a wrestler’s matches/participation in Japan. This is not a list of my personal favorite wrestlers or fun rookies that I enjoy watching, but rather my version of what a “real” ranking of Joshi wrestlers would look like based on their success and status in 2019.

Before we get into it, a couple very established veterans that normally would make this kind of list I wasn’t able to justify including this year – Tsukasa Fujimoto and Meiko Satomura. I realize this opens the list to easy criticism but keep in mind this list isn’t a “best wrestler” list and isn’t influenced by past success – it is based solely on what happened in 2019. Both Fujimoto and Satomura largely took a back seat in their respective promotions last year, allowing the younger wrestlers to take the lead. Which is great! But it makes it harder to rank them with only twenty spots available. So before anyone asks, I didn’t forget them, they just didn’t have enough in regards to in-ring accomplishments or visibility in Japan during the year to make the Top 20. So save any vitriol for a more worthwhile cause.

Without further ado and procrastinating, onto the Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2019!

1. Sareee (Diana)

Championships Held: Diana World Championship (233 days) and the Sendai Girls’ World Championship (127 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Chihiro Hashimoto on 1/6, vs. Aja Kong on 2/11, vs. Meiko Satomura on 4/16, vs. Aja Kong on 5/12, vs. Chihiro Hashimoto on 6/18, vs. DASH Chisako on 7/7, and vs. Chihiro Hashimoto on 10/13
Best Match: vs. Chihiro Hashimoto in Sendai Girls’ on June 8th, 2019

To say it is difficult to be the top Joshi wrestler of the year when your home promotion literally had zero events available to watch would be an understatement, but Sareee managed to pull it off. What set Sareee apart from others wasn’t just her title success in Sendai Girls’, but the high quality of her matches throughout the year in a variety of promotions. Her matches against Meiko Satomura and against Chihiro Hashimoto (in June) were two of the best Joshi matches of the year, as she went from relative unknown to many newer Joshi fans to one of the most popular wrestlers on the scene. Depending on where her career goes in 2020 she may just be a “one year wonder” in regards to being this high on fans’ Wrestler of the Year list, but what a year it was.

2. Maya Yukihi (Ice Ribbon)

Championships Held: ICExInfinity Championship (322 days), International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (161 days), OZ Academy Tag Team Championship (105 days), and the Triangle Ribbon Championship (52 days)
Biggest Matches: with Risa Sera vs. Kyuri and Ozaki on 3/17, vs. Tsukushi on 3/31, with Saori Anou vs. Beast Friend on 5/12, vs. Giulia on 5/25, vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto on 8/3, vs. Risa Sera on 9/14, and with Risa Sera vs. Giulia and Tequila Saya on 9/23
Best Match: vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto in Ice Ribbon on August 3rd, 2019

It is hard not to respect a wrestler with as many title wins in one year as Maya Yukihi had, as it just shows an enormous amount of faith that the promotion has in her. Few wrestlers dominated their promotion in 2019 as Maya did, not just with her success with the ICExInfinity Championship but with her constant main event presence in some capacity. The focus remained so strongly on her that it was difficult for any other Ice Ribbon wrestlers to really get noticed in 2019. She also continued to have success in OZ Academy as well with her more ‘evil’ side, as she changed her personality depending on which promotion she was in. While consistent match quality wouldn’t land her in the Top 5 for the year, her success just can’t be ignored as she seems poised to be the Ice Ribbon Ace for the foreseeable future.

3. Arisa Hoshiki (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship (229 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Konami on 4/29, vs. Tam Nakano on 6/16, vs. Hazuki on 7/24, vs. Jungle Kyona on 8/10, vs. Kagetsu on 10/14, with Tam Nakano vs. Bea Priestley and Jamie Hayter on 11/15, and vs. Konami on 12/24
Best Match: vs. Tam Nakano in Stardom on June 16th, 2019

Sometimes, the number of titles a wrestler held doesn’t tell the whole story. 2019 in Stardom was all about Arisa Hoshiki’s rise from “surprise return wrestler” to being one of the top wrestlers in the promotion. She won the Cinderella Tournament in April and went on to win the Wonder of Stardom Championship. She held the title for the rest of the year with eight defenses, making her one of the most active champions on the Joshi scene. She also was involved in one of the more memorable Joshi storylines of 2019, as she slowly converted her enemy Tam Nakano into her friend over a seven month period, ending in a touching scene after they won the Stardom Goddesses of Tag League together. On top of that, her in-ring quality greatly improved as the year progressed as by the end she was putting together some high end matches. Arisa will have some stiff competition from Mayu in 2020, so we’ll see if she can keep up her momentum.

4. Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls’)

Championships Held: Sendai Girls’ World Championship (229 days), Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship (146 days), and the KO-D Six Man Tag Team Championship (95 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Sareee on 1/6, with Mika Iwata vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Sareee on 2/3, vs. Sareee on 6/8, vs. Yoshiko on 7/7, and vs. Sareee on 10/13
Best Match: vs. Sareee in Sendai Girls’ on June 8th, 2019

For the third straight year, Chihiro Hashimoto was the main force in Sendai Girls’, as their smaller roster doesn’t give them a lot of options. Just four years into her career she is already on her fifth title reign, as Meiko Satomura takes a lesser role and no other younger wrestler is ready to step up. She had a great series of matches against Sareee in 2019, and just for variety sake also had success in DDT as well. Combined with her tag title run, its hard to deny that Chihiro had a great year and further cemented her place as one of the best young wrestlers on the Joshi scene, but hopefully Sendai Girls’ can find a way to mix it up a bit in 2020.

5. Takumi Iroha (Marvelous)

Championships Held: SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship (112 days) and the Regina Di WAVE Championship (167 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Nanae Takahashi on 5/29, vs. Nagisa Nozaki vs. Ryo Mizunami on 7/15, vs. Arisa Nakajima on 9/18, vs. Ryo Mizunami on 10/5, vs. Chigusa Nagayo on 12/8, and vs. Nagisa Nozaki on 12/29
Best Match: vs. Nanae Takahashi in SEAdLINNNG on May 29th, 2019

Another solid year by the young Ace of Marvelous – Takumi Iroha. Even though Marvelous doesn’t really have its own titles, Takumi still won two titles anyway in 2019 as she visited other promotions. She won the SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Championship from Nanae Takahashi in May and won the Regina Di WAVE Championship against Nagisa Nozaki and Ryo Mizunami in July. She capped off her year by defeating Chigusa Nagayo in a singles match, the first time she has faced off against her mentor in a one vs. one match. Takumi’s future is hard to determine due to her situation in Marvelous, but she will continue to be their Ace as well as traveling to other promotions to take their belts.

6. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom)

Championships Held: ROH Women of Honor Word Championship (55 days), Artist of Stardom Championship, (162 days) and the World of Stardom Championship (57 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Konami on 2/24, with Saki Kashima and Tam Nakano vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami on 6/23, vs. Tam Nakano on 9/7, vs. Momo Watanabe on 9/22, vs. Bea Priestley on 11/4, and vs. Kagetsu on 12/24
Best Match: vs. Kagetsu in Stardom on December 24th, 2019

Mayu Iwatani won the Tokyo Sports Award Women’s Award in 2019, which was well deserved but that doesn’t mean she had the best year. This ranking is influenced by my own personal biases, not Joshi politics. Still, she did have a great year. She started the year as part of the Artist of Stardom Championship, a title she held for almost half the year total. Even though technically I am not considering matches outside of Japan, I still have to mention that she had a title match at Madison Square Garden, a massive achievement in any wrestler’s career. She ended the year hot, as she won the World of Stardom Championship in November and still held the belt as the year concluded. When considering how she closed the year and the number of high end matches she had, Mayu is easily a Top 10 wrestler for the year, and judging from how it ended I imagine she will be even higher next year.

7. Arisa Nakajima (SEAdLINNNG)

Championships Held: SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship (104 days) and the SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Tag Team Championship (115 days)
Biggest Matches: with Sae vs. Himeka Arita and Miyuki Takase on 3/20, vs. Nanae Takahashi on 4/28, vs. Takumi Iroha on 9/18, and vs. Nanae Takahashi on 11/2
Best Match: vs. Nanae Takahashi in SEAdLINNNG on November 2nd, 2019

After a quiet 2018, Arisa Nakajima came back with a bang in 2019 as she took over SEAdLINNNG. Arisa had two tag title reigns during the year, although both were short, and won the Beyond The Sea Championship in September before holding it for the rest of the year. She also had one of the best Joshi matches of 2019 against Nanae Takahashi in November 2nd. Arisa only had 45 matches in 2019 which hurt her a bit, otherwise she would have been higher, but she is still one of the best in-ring competitors in Japan. If she wrestles more outside of SEAdLINNNG in 2020, she could easily be a Top 5 wrestler next year.

8. Hiroyo Matsumoto (Freelancer)

Championships Held: Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship (79 days), SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Tag Team Championship (186 days), OZ Tag Team Championship (131 days), and the Blast Queen Championship (7 days)
Biggest Matches: with Kaori Yoneyama vs. Maya Yukihi and Saori Anou on 5/12, with Yoshiko vs. Himeka Arita and Miyuki Takase on 6/28, vs. Nanae Takahashi on 8/18, vs. Mayumi Ozaki on 8/25, vs. Hanako Nakamori on 9/29, and with DASH Chisako vs. Charli Evans and Millie McKenzie on 10/13
Best Match: vs. Mayumi Ozaki in OZ Academy on August 25th, 2019

Like Arisa Nakajima, Hiroyo Matsumoto didn’t have a great 2018 but had a much better year in 2019. She found her most success in the tag team division, as she ended the year holding two tag team championships. She was very active with 120 matches in twelve different Japanese promotions, so even though she didn’t get any long runs at the top of a promotion this year she stayed visible. Hiroyo didn’t have any noted MOTYC type matches but was very consistent in-ring, and considering she is a Freelancer it was a very solid year overall.

9. Momo Watanabe (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship (135 days), Goddesses of Stardom Championship (195 days), and the Artist of Stardom Championship (38 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Tam Nakano on 1/14, vs. Jungle Kyona on 3/3, vs. Arisa Hoshiki on 5/16, with Utami Hayashishita vs. Jungle Kyona and Konami on 7/15, vs. Tam Nakano on 9/1, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 9/22, and with AZM and Utami Hayashishita vs. Andras Miyagi, Kagetsu, and Natsu Sumire on 11/23
Best Match: vs. Jungle Kyona in Stardom on March 3rd, 2019

Momo did the opposite of Arisa and Mayu in 2019, which always impacts one’s impression of a wrestler – she started the year hot but disappeared for the last half of the year as she faded more into the second tier. As 2019 began she held both the Wonder of Stardom and Goddesses of Stardom Championship, but both titles were gone by the summer. She didn’t win any tournaments but did win the Artist of Stardom Championship in November so at least she didn’t end the year with no titles at all. That being said, in the first half of the year she had some great title defenses, and even though she wasn’t always winning she had some really quality matches in the fall as well so her in-ring performances stayed at a high level. Momo may have been passed by both Arisa and Mayu in 2019, with with wrestlers like Utami, Hana Kimura, and Giulia in the wings she may have trouble climbing back to the top.

10. Miyu Yamashita (Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling)

Championships Held: Tokyo Princess of Princess Championship (122 days) and the SHINE Championship (31 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Maki Itoh on 1/4, vs. Yuka Sakazaki on 3/31, vs. Shoko Nakajima on 5/3, vs. Allysin Kay on 5/6, and with Miu Watanabe vs. Misao and Sakisama on 8/25
Best Match: vs. Shoko Nakajima in Tokyo Joshi Pro on May 3rd, 2019

Tokyo Joshi Pro didn’t have one dominate wrestler in 2019 as their main title was divided between three wrestlers through the year, but Miyu Yamashita still felt like their superstar. She entered the year the Princess of Princess Champion and kept it until May, oddly enough she did not get a rematch for the rest of the year and even lost in the first round of the Tokyo Princess Cup. She did get one tag title shot, but her team lost. Still, she did hold the title for 25% of the year with three successful defenses and continued putting on high quality matches as she always does which helped her sneak into the Top 10 and over her fellow Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers.

   11. Saori Anou (Actwres girl’Z) – The undisputed Ace of Actwres girl’Z in 2019, Saori also saw title success outside the promotion for the first time as she held the OZ Academy Tag Team Championship for over 100 days. She lost the AgZ Championship and OZ Academy Tag Team Championship in August however and was more under the radar the rest of the year, as her future went into limbo as she announced she was leaving AgZ in December. As of the time of this review, we still don’t know what her future holds, and that will be the determining factor on where she is on this list next year. If she is on it at all.

12. Hanako Nakamori (PURE-J) – Like last year, Hanako took control of being the Ace of the seldom seen PURE-J promotion. More of her matches seemed to “make tape” in 2019 than 2018 however, her main issue this year is that due to the retirement of Command Bolshoi she wasn’t really the focus the first quarter of the year. Once she won the PURE-J Openweight Championship in April she held it to the conclusion of 2019, with five successful defenses. Hopefully more PURE-J is available to watch in 2020.

13. Mayumi Ozaki (OZ Academy) – Even though I find Mayumi Ozaki’s match style to be predictable and not overly entertaining, I can’t deny her success in 2019 as she led OZ Academy. She held the OZ Academy Openweight Championship from April until the end of the year, and won the Blast Queen Championship as well. She wasn’t as active as most wrestlers on this list with only 46 matches however, which isn’t a surprise considering her age, and none of her matches were highly ranked. She deserves being on the list just due the stranglehold she held on OZ Academy, but hopefully in 2020 a younger wrestler with a different wrestling style will take over.

14. Riho (Gatoh Move/Stardom) – Riho found a good deal of success in AEW in 2019, but even beyond that she had a good year in Japan. She was the Ace of Gatoh Move for the first half of the year, holding both the Super Asia Championship and the Asia Dream Tag Team Championship. After joining AEW in late summer, Riho still wrestled in Japan and won the High Speed Championship in Stardom. Riho may be focusing more on AEW in 2020, but for 2019 she still did enough in Japan to make the top 20 Joshi wrestlers of the year.

15. Kagetsu (Stardom) – In her final full year as a professional wrestler, Kagetsu continued to put out great matches in 2019. She opened the year as World of Stardom Champion, holding the title for four months. From then on her championship success was more limited, with just a short Artist of Stardom run, but she was constantly involved in the title scene and had great matches with Hazuki, Toni Storm, Konami, Jungle Kyona, Arisa Hoshiki, and Mayu Iwatani. In a promotion where it is easy to fade in the background, Kagetsu never did and stayed a visible and popular wrestler for the entire year.

16. Shoko Nakajima (Tokyo Joshi Pro) – Shoko had the longest Princess of Princess title reign of 2019, holding the title for over 180 days. She didn’t have the same level of matches as Miyu Yamashita, and was also often overshadowed by other fan favorites like Maki Itoh and Yuka Sakazaki. Still, she did have four successful defenses and stayed in bigger matches even outside her title reign, so even though she was sometimes overlooked she still had a really solid year for the promotion.

17. ASUKA (Freelancer) – ASUKA had an interesting year, as even though she did not win any major titles she was a force to be reckoned with wrestling in the male-dominated promotions DDT and ZERO1. She took part in the Fire Festival in 2019, and even though she didn’t do great in the tournament she did have a big win over Masato Tanaka. She also battled Akito in DDT for the DDT Extreme Championship, considered by many to be a stealth MOTYC candidate. ASUKA set her own path in 2019, one not many Joshi wrestlers have attempted, and came away with a very memorable year. As a Freelancer, its always hard to predict her future, but being a regular in DDT made her in 2019 one of the most visible Joshi wrestlers in Japan and the quality of her matches proved that she belongs in the big leagues.

18. Utami Hayashishita (Stardom) – Utami dealt with some injury issues in 2019 but still collected titles like few others can. She held five championships during the year, four in Stardom and one from EVE, and for the year she had a total of 21 title matches. She ended the year still holding three belts, as she seems poised to move up the ladder further if she can stay healthy.

19. Risa Sera (Ice Ribbon) – I really didn’t want to only have one Ice Ribbon wrestler on the list, and Risa Sera seemed like the most deserving to also be included. Risa had two tag title reigns in 2019, plus she held the Blast Queen Championship for the first month and a half of the year. She had one shot at the ICExInfinity Championship, but lost, and ended the year with no titles. Her match quality continued to be high however, making it easier to justify placing her on this list.

20. Hikaru Shida (Freelancer) – Hikaru Shida held the OZ Academy Openweight Championship until April of 2019, but did not win any other titles the rest of the year. To many she was still considered one of the best in-ring wrestlers in Japan, however, and she had over 90 matches in Japan for the year even though she left in October to join AEW. Hikaru may not be eligible for this list for awhile if things go well in AEW, but she earned her spot this year with her versatility in the ring and general popularity.

The post Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2019 appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: TJPW Tokyo Joshi Pro 2020
Date: January 4th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,467

Starting the year with something new – Tokyo Joshi Pro! Not a new promotion of course, but one that I didn’t watch much (if at all) in 2019 as their general style doesn’t always line up with my interests. This is one of their biggest shows of the year however, and the card is really stacked with four title matches and a special singles match between Natsumi Maki and Sareee. Here is the full card:

• Haruna Neko and Suzume vs. Mahiro Kiryu and Sena Shiori
• Rename In The Pinata Loser Name Change Match: Hyper Misao vs. Shoko Nakajima
• DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship: Saki Akai vs. Yuki Kamifuku
• Aja Kong, Pom Harajuku, and Raku vs. Mina Shirakawa, Mirai Maiumi, and Yuna Manase
• Natsumi Maki vs. Sareee
• Mizuki vs. Thunder Rosa
• International Princess Championship: Maki Itoh vs. Hikari Noa
• Princess Tag Team Championship: Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi vs. Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino
• Princess Of Princess Championship: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Miyu Yamashita

As Tokyo Joshi Pro is not a promotion I watch very often, I may miss some of the smaller nuances on what is going on but I’ll do my best. All wrestlers have profiles on the site, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Haruna Neko and Suzume vs. Kiryu and Sena Shiori

Suzume and Sena start, they trade holds on their feet before Suzume takes Sena down to the mat. Sena switches positions and applies a leglock but it gets quickly reversed, they jockey for position but end up in a stalemate. Back up, Suzume backs into her corner to tag in Haruna, while Mahiro is also tagged in. Haruna gets the first strike on Mahiro and tries to knock her over, but Mahiro stays up and applies a side headlock. Haruna Irish whips out of it but Mahiro hits a hard shoulderblock, she applies a front necklock as she tags in Sena. Sena tries to throw Haruna into the corner but it gets reversed, seated senton by Haruna to Sena and she covers her for two. Haruna tags in Suzume, Sena is thrown into the corner and she eats running strikes from both her opponents. Cover by Suzume, but it gets two. Suzume picks up Sena but Sena elbows her and the two trade blows, Sena tags in Suzume but Mahiro catches her with a scoop slam. Mahiro slams Suzume into the corner but Suzume connects with a dropkick and tags Haruna. Haruna goes for a slam but it gets blocked, Mahiro goes for a slam but Haruna gets out of it and hits a lariat. Cover by Haruna, but it gets a two count. Haruna tags Suzume, Suzume goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody for two. Suzume elbows Mahiro in the chest but Mahiro connects with a hard elbow and tags in Sena. Dropkick by Sena and she applies a single leg crab hold, but Haruna breaks it up. Mahiro throws Haruna out of the ring, Irish whip by Sena to Suzume but Suzume reverses it. Sena avoids Suzume’s dropkick and re-applies the crab hold, but Suzume wiggles to the ropes and gets the break. Elbows by Sena but Suzume elbows her back, schoolboy attempt by Suzume but Sena rolls through it. Dropkick by Suzume and she puts Sena in a sleeper hold, Sena struggles to escape but taps out! Haruna Neko and Suzume are the winners.

Even for a rookie/young wrestler match, the ending here was pretty sudden as there wasn’t really any foreshadowing that a sleeper finisher was in play. I was really impressed by Mahiro, her poise and mannerisms are great for a rookie and I could see her becoming a force down the line. I was less impressed by Haruna and Suzume, however I concede this was a really small sample size. Sena looked fine for a debut, seemed to be confident and didn’t mess up anything. Not a bad way to start, although a slightly longer end stretch would have been nice.

Hyper Misao vs. Shoko Nakajima

For their respective weapons, Shoko brought with her a giant bag of kaiju action figures while Misao will use…. Tokyo Joshi Pro producer Tetsuya Koda, who is in no way a wrestler. But he does distract Shoko off the start which allows Misao to attack her from behind, Rocking Cradle by Misao while Koda puts a sheet down on the mat. They roll up Shoko in the sheet, Misao gets the ladder and starts climbing up, but the still-cocooned Shoko knocks it over. Koda and Misao grab the ladder but Shoko dropkicks it away from them and gets the sheet off, she puts the ladder on her shoulders and spins it into Misao. Misao falls out of the ring but Shoko dives out onto her, she goes back in the ring to get some of her action figures and starts throwing them at Misao. Misao crawls under the ring to get away, Shoko goes out to try to find her but Misao sneaks up from behind and sprays her from a spray can. Back in the ring, Irish whip by Misao and she hits a crossbody, she sets up the ladder but Shoko pulls her off. They fight over the ladder until Misao smashes Shoko’s hands between the rungs and then throws the ladder at Shoko. Shoko recovers and hits a bulldog into the turnbuckle, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick.

Shoko charges Misao but Misao hiptosses her onto the ladder, Misao sets up the ladder but Shoko takes it back down and drives Misao into the corner with it. Shoko puts the ladder across the ropes in the corner, trapping Misao in, and sets up her toys in the middle of the ring. Misao gets free and charges her, Shoko puts Misao on the top turnbuckle and joins her, hitting a Frankensteiner. Shoko gathers the toys again into a pile, Shoko scoop slams Misao onto the toys before going up top, but Koda runs in and protects Misao. Shoko dives off with a senton attempt but Koda helps Misao get out of the way (maybe?), Misao sets up the ladder and climbs it, but Shoko pulls her off. They trade punches until Misao back bodydrops Shoko onto the toys, but Shoko spins away from her and they both start to climb the ladder. They elbow each other at the top of it, Shoko knocks Misao off the ladder and breaks open the pinata, pulling out the banner! Misao runs up and tries to get it from her but its too late, as Shoko puts it on. Shoko Nakajima is the winner!

These types of matches always annoy me, as just based on skill they could have had a pretty fun ten minute ladder match but in the end it was just about the silly gimmick tied to it. There were a few really nice/painful bumps hidden in here, and when they just got a chance to wrestle this was fine, but when it was about the Hello! Project concert and Koda and toys everything came to a halt. I am sure this match is for someone out there in the world, just not really for me. I want to see destruction in ladder matches, not sub-par comedy.

(c) Saki Akai vs. Yuki Kamifuku
DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship

Saki starts with a side headlock, Yuki reverses it and takes Saki to the mat but it only lasts a moment as they return to their feet. Yuki stomps on Saki’s feet and trips her, Saki is thrown into the corner and Yuki elbows her. Saki switches positions with her but Yuki avoids the boot, Yuki charges Saki but Saki kicks her in the stomach. Saki stomps Yuki and chokes her in the corner, kick to the back by Saki and she covers Yuki for two. Saki picks up Yuki and hits a drop toehold into a headscissors, Yuki inches to the ropes and makes it there for the break. Saki goes off the ropes and boots Yuki in the head, cover by Saki but it gets another two. Yuki returns to her feet but Saki kicks her back down again, Saki throws Yuki into the corner and delivers a big boot. Saki goes for a suplex but Yuki lands on her feet and hits a handstand face crusher.

Yuki tosses Saki into the corner and slams her into the turnbuckle repeatedly, boot by Yuki and she covers Saki for two. Yuki picks up Saki but Saki kicks her arm away and the two trade blows, with Saki finally knocking down Yuki with a big boot but Yuki quickly gets up and delivers a “dropkick.” Yuki throws Saki into the corner but Saki knocks her back, head kick by Saki and she goes to the top turnbuckle, but Yuki dropkicks her as she jumps off. Scissors Kick by Yuki, but Saki is too close to the ropes and using them to break up the count. Yuki goes after Saki, Saki quickly puts her in a Triangle Choke but Yuki gets to the ropes. Schoolboy by Yuki, but it gets two. Yuki goes for a dropkick but Saki swats it away and hits a PK for a two count. Saki goes up top again and this time hits a diving crossbody, but Yuki kicks out of the cover. Kick to the chest by Saki and she hits the Pendulum Knee Strike, Quetzalcoatl by Saki and she picks up the three count! Saki Akai wins and is still the champion.

I hate to go back on what I said about nine minutes ago, but this match really needed some comedy elements. Or something. No one has ever accused Saki of being a super worker (I assume, if they have they are wrong), but she can work a good match if put in the right situation. Going up against someone of the same type of wrestler, but worse, was not the right situation. This was awkward, uncoordinated, and poorly laid out. I am not sure why they would do this to Saki and Yuki. Make it a wacky tag match or a five way match or something, give them some protection. The rookies in the opening match put on a better performance, including Sena. Skip this one.

Aja Kong, Harajuku, and Raku vs. Shirakawa, Maiumi, and Manase

Mirai and Pom kick things off and trade wristlocks, they end up on the mat but Mirai locks in a side headlock as they get back up. Mirai drives Pom back and tags in Yuna, while Kong tags in as well. They lock up, Kong pushes Yuna into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Yuna elbows Kong and goes off the ropes, but she fails in her attempts to shoulderblock Kong over. Kong slaps Yuna against the ropes, Irish whip by Yuna and she hits a double chop to the chest. Kong goes for the elbow drop but Yuna moves and kicks Kong in the back, she quickly tags in Mina and Mina goes for the Romero Special, but Kong ignores her and rolls over to break it up. Kong kicks Mina in the leg and tags Raku, Raku runs over Mina’s midsection but Mina moves when she tries to sit down on her. Pom comes in to help get Mina back to the mat, they invite Kong in but she stays on the apron. Raku tries to sit on Mina again but once again she moves, Mina is knocked down and finally Kong agrees to come in. All three take turns running over Mina’s midsection with Kong sitting on Mina to end the spot, cover by Raku but it gets a two count. Mina scoop slams Raku and puts her in the Romero Special, she lets go after a moment and tags in Mirai. Scoop slam by Mirai and she elbows Raku in the corner, Yuna is tagged back in but Raku greets her with elbows to the chest. Yuna avoids Raku’s lariat and hits a hard shoulderblock, she goes for a kick but Raku catches it and hits a face crusher. She makes the tag to Pom, swinging headscissors by Pom to Yuna and she rolls over Yuna for a two count.

Pom kicks Yuna in the leg but Yuna delivers a big boot in the corner, shoulderblock by Yuna and she tags Mina. Diving double chops by Mina but Pom trips her and delivers a dropkick for two. Pom picks up Mina but Mina blocks the scoop slam, Lou Thesz Press by Mina and she covers Pom for two. Pom ducks the backfist and kicks Mina in the shin, giving her time to tag Kong while Mirai is also tagged in. Mirai tries to knock over Kong with no luck, Mirai goes for a scoop slam but Kong doesn’t budge. Scoop slam by Kong, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Mirai pulls her off from behind. Kong quickly comes back with a punch to the face, Mina runs in to try to help and she hits a backfist on Kong. Yuna also gets in the ring and shoulderblocks Kong over, lariat by Mirai to Kong but Kong kicks out at two. Mirai picks up Kong and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Kong blocks it. Elbows by Mirai and she goes off the ropes, but Pom catches her with a forearm. Mina runs in and DDTs Pom, but Raku hits a diving chop to Mina. Yuna boots Raku, she goes to Kong and tries to help Mirai hit a double vertical suplex, but it gets reversed. Kong waits for Mirai to get up and hits a hard lariat, cover by Kong but Mirai bridges out of the pin. Kong looks annoyed, she picks up Mirai and plants her with a backdrop suplex, but the cover is broken up. Kong positions Mirai and gets on the second turnbuckle, falling back elbow drop by Kong and she picks up the three count! Aja Kong, Raku, and Pom Harajuku are the winners.

Post match, they try to trick Aja Kong and pin her to win the DDT Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship, but Kong is too smart and bails.

For a midcard match, this was perfectly fine. Not everyone here is a great wrestler so hiding them in a six wrestler tag was a good idea, as it was really about Aja Kong either playing along with some silliness or the younger wrestlers trying to knock her over. Not an original theme but an effective one that I can appreciate. I thought Mirai looked good here, showed a lot of fire and the offense she did connected pretty well which I can’t say for everyone involved. Not critical viewing but decent enough for what it was going for.

Natsumi Maki vs. Sareee

Natsumi dropkicks Sareee right as the match starts, another dropkick by Natsumi but Sareee blocks the crossbody and slams Natsumi. Natsumi bridges out of the pin, armdrag by Natsumi but Sareee armdrags her back and they reach a stalemate after a few trips. Tie-up, Natsumi gets Sareee into the ropes and slaps her as she gives the break. Sareee slaps her back, she throws Natsumi into the corner and tosses her down by the hair. Natsumi returns the favor but Sareee whips her down again, elbows by Natsumi but Sareee elbows her hard to the mat. Stomps by Sareee and she hits a scoop slam, modified Muta Lock by Sareee but she lets go after a moment to kick Natsumi in the leg. Crab hold by Sareee but Natsumi inches to the ropes and makes it there for the break. Sareee jumps down on Natsumi’s back, Irish whip by Sareee but Natsumi connects with a dropkick for two. Natsumi quickly goes for the cross armbreaker and gets it locked in, but Sareee wiggles to the ropes to force the break. Dropkicks by Natsumi before Sareee can get back up, Natsumi goes off the ropes and dropkicks Sareee in the face. Sareee falls out of the ring, Natsumi goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto Sareee with a plancha suicida.

Natsumi slides Sareee back in, she goes up top again and hits a diving crossbody for two. Natsumi applies a waistlock but Sareee reverses it and hits a wheelbarrow German suplex. Sareee picks up Natsumi, Natsumi elbows her but Sareee elbows her right back, sending Natsumi off her feet. They trade elbows back and forth with Sareee generally getting the better of it, dropkick by Natsumi but Sareee dropkicks her back. Running dropkick by Sareee, she picks up Natsumi and hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Sareee goes for the uranage but Natsumi blocks it, Irish whip by Sareee but Natsumi ducks the lariat and schoolboys Sareee for two. Natsumi goes off the ropes, Sareee goes for a uranage but Natsumi blocks it and cradles Sareee for two. Natsumi picks up Sareee, kick to the head by Natsumi and she goes off the ropes, hitting the Backlash for a two count. Back up, Sareee blocks the suplex attempt and drops Natsumi with a German suplex hold, but Natsumi gets a shoulder up. Sareee goes towards the turnbuckles but Natsumi grabs her leg, Natsumi slaps Sareee but Sareee elbows her and kicks her in the jaw with a back kick. Uranage by Sareee, and she covers Natsumi for the three count! Sareee is the winner!

Even though Natsumi (in experience) isn’t on Sareee’s level, she sure did try to match her move for move. Sareee tried submissions, Natsumi did too, Sareee threw elbows, Natsuki returned fire, almost as if she was trying to prove she could do anything Sareee can. But in the end that was her undoing – her elbows weren’t as hard, her dropkicks weren’t as on point, and her submissions weren’t as effective. It wasn’t a complex story but it was a smart one, realistically Natsumi wasn’t winning this but she wanted to show the fans that she wasn’t intimidated or backing down to The Sun God. Sareee has gotten so good in the last few years, she doesn’t look intimidating but she hits harder than anyone and her suplexes are beautifully executed. While I wish they had gotten more time, they were able to tell the story they wanted to, and overall I really enjoyed it and look forward to where Natsumi goes from here in Tokyo Joshi Pro.  Recommended

Mizuki vs. Thunder Rosa

Mizuki offers her hand to start the match, Thunder Rosa goes to shake it but Mizuki tries to kick her. Thunder Rosa catches the kick and throws Mizuki to the mat. Mizuki is up quickly and hits a tilt-a-whirl armdrag, dropkick by Mizuki but Thunder Rosa throws her into the corner. Mizuki kicks Thunder Rosa back when she charges and goes for a diving crossbody, but Thunder Rosa catches her and hits a backbreaker. Front slam by Thunder Rosa and she covers Mizuki for a two count. Stomps by Thunder Rosa, she picks up Mizuki and slams her again. Thunder Rosa puts Mizuki in the Tree of Woe and dropkicks her in the leg, she picks up Mizuki and hits a scoop slam for two. Single leg crab hold by Thunder Rosa into the rocking cradle, she picks up Mizuki and chops her against the ropes. Mizuki goes for a quick cradle but Thunder Rosa kicks out and boots her in the head, she rakes at Mizuki’s face before slamming her into the mat. Thunder Rosa puts Mizuki in the ropes and chops her in the chest, Irish whip by Thunder Rosa but Mizuki ducks the lariat and connects with a dropkick. Mizuki charges Thunder Rosa and hits a crossbody, sending Thunder Rosa off the apron to the floor.

Mizuki goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out of the ring with a plancha suicida, she slides Thunder Rosa back into the ring and goes up top again, hitting a diving crossbody for two. Mizuki picks up Thunder Rosa but Thunder Rosa knees her in the head, she picks up Mizuki but Mizuki slides down her back and delivers a Backstabber. Armtrap crossface by Mizuki but Thunder Rosa muscles out of it, she gets Mizuki on her shoulders and drives her into the turnbuckles before hitting a Death Valley Bomb. Cover by Thunder Rosa, but Mizuki barely bridges out. Stomps by Thunder Rosa, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Mizuki recovers and joins her. Superplex by Mizuki and both wrestlers are down, they slowly get to their feet as they trade strikes. Chops by Thunder Rosa but Mizuki goes off the ropes and hits a tilt-a-whirl crossbody for two. Mizuki charges Thunder Rosa, Thunder Rosa tries to kick her back but Mizuki slides her legs onto the second ropes and hits a reverse double kneedrop. Mizuki goes up top but Thunder Rosa avoids her dive, running kick by Thunder Rosa and she drops Mizuki with the Thunder Driver for the three count! Thunder Rosa wins!

I guess the best way to describe this match would be fundamentally sound. It was pretty basic but solid, the two worked together pretty well and they kept it short enough that it never felt like it was pushing its time. The beginning was a bit clunky as I didn’t buy Mizuki has being able to out-strike Thunder Rosa, but once she got more to her high flying moves everything they were doing started to sync up. One of the better matches on the show so far, which I mostly credit to the veteran Thunder Rosa, but Mizuki held her own once they got to the meat of the match. Not a bad showing by either.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Maki Itoh vs. Hikari Noa
International Princess Championship

They circle each other to start, Hikari trips Maki and goes for her ankle, Maki reverses it and the two go back and forth. Maki applies a side headlock and takes Hikari down, but Hikari quickly gets out of it and dropkicks Maki out of the ring. Hikari goes out after her and they trade blows, scoop slam attempt by Maki on the floor but Hikari blocks it. Maki drags Hikari around the ring and this time manages to hit the scoop slam, she tells the crowd to move and she hits Hikari down in a chair. Maki stands over Hikari but Hikari slides between her legs and hits her in the back with a chair, she slams Maki into the ring apron and then into the ring post. Back in the ring, cover by Hikari but it gets a two count. Elbows by Hikari and she Irish whips Maki, but Maki reverses it and hits a scoop slam. Maki picks up Hikari but Hikari throws her into the corner, Maki avoids Hikari’s charge and smacks her in the midsection. Maki stands over Hikari in the corner and delivers rapid fire punches, she tosses Hikari back to the middle of the ring but Hikari quickly cradles her for two. Maki goes for a strike, Hikari bridges down to avoid it but Maki hits a falling headbutt. She goes for a submission but Hikari quickly gets out of it, rolling cradle by Hikari and she holds down Maki for two.

Hikari gets on the top turnbuckle but Maki recovers and joins her, headbutt by Maki and she tosses Hikari back to the middle of the ring. Itoh Special by Maki to Hikari, but Hikari crawls to the ropes and makes it for the break. Maki stomps at Hikari, Irish whip by Maki but Hikari blocks it and applies a grounded cobra twist. Hikari drags up Maki and hits a short-range lariat, cover by Hikari but it gets a two count. Hikari tries a few more quick pins with no luck, she goes for a lariat but Maki blocks it. Maki goes for a DDT but Hikari pushes her off and hits a dropkick, but Maki kicks out of the cover. Hikari goes for a suplex but Maki blocks it, she goes off the ropes but Maki plants her with a DDT. Maki goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving headbutt, but Hikari barely gets a shoulder up. Maki picks up Hikari but Hikari avoids the headbutt and suplexes Maki to the mat. Hikari elbows Maki as they start to get up, but Maki elbows her back. They trade blows as they get up, dropkick by Hikari but Maki isn’t phased and she goes after Hikari’s injured leg as she puts her in the Itoh Deluxe (Elevated Texas Cloverleaf). Hikari struggles for a moment but is forced to submit! Maki Itoh wins the match and retains the championship.

While the ending felt a bit sudden, I still enjoyed this one. Maki has gotten better since the last time I saw her, I still wouldn’t call her a high-end wrestler but she connects well with the crowd and her offense was both smart and effective. Hikari still wrestles a simple style but it works at this level, my main complaint is that Maki did great work on Hikari’s leg but she never really showed any signs it was hurting her until the very end with the dropkick. I appreciate some quality limb work, but a little limp can go a long way. Still a pretty well structured and executed match, Maki could have just done a bit more to foreshadow the end with the submissions finally wearing her down to the point of having to submit. Mildly Recommended

(c) Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi vs. Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino
Princess Tag Team Championship

Miu and Yuki start the match, they both try to shoulderblock each other over until Yuki sends Miu to the mat. Nodoka tags in as does Rika, Rika takes Nodoka to the mat but Nodoka reverses positions with her and the two trade holds. Rika goes off the ropes but Nodoka knocks her down with a shoulderblock, she tags Yuki back in and they double team Rika. Yuki picks up Rika and throws her into the corner but Rika kicks her back when she charges in and tags Miu. Miu elbows Yuki in the corner, elbows to the back by Miu and she hits a running elbow. Miu puts Yuki in a bear hug before throwing her in the corner, she tags Rika and they double team Yuki. Rika puts Yuki in a waistlock but Yuki gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Rika picks up Yuki but Yuki elbows her back, she knocks over Rika and makes the tag to Nodoka. Shoulderblocks by Nodoka to both her opponents and she hits a scoop slam on Rika, crossbody by Nodoka and she gets a two count. Rika throws Nodoka into the corner, she puts her leg over the second rope and dropkicks her in the leg. Rika slams Nodoka’s leg into the ring post a couple times before dropkicking it into the post, cover by Rika but it gets two. Rika hits a dragon screw on Nodoka and follows with a hip attack, Nodoka gets Rika around the waist and picks her up, but her knee gives out.

She tries again and this time hits a Samoan Drop, She crawls to her corner but Rika tags in Miu and Miu cuts off Nodoka, body avalanche by Miu in the corner and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Giant Swing by Miu, she picks up Nodoka but Nodoka slides away and applies a side headlock. Nodoka picks up Miu and hits a fallaway slam, she gets to her corner and tags in Yuki. Yuki boots Miu and Nodoka jumps off her back with a crossbody. Cover by Yuki, but it gets two. Yuki elbows Miu and hits a running elbow in the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Miu avoids her dive. Bulldog by Yuki but Rika comes in and rescues her, Nodoka also comes in however and Rika eats a double shoulderblock. Yuki gets on her shoulders as Nodoka goes up to to give her the Bakuretsu Bulldog, but Miu gets away and Rika hip attacks Nodoka off the top turnbuckle. Miu and Rika drop Yuki with an assisted Dragon Twist of Fate, cover by Miu but Nodoka breaks up the pin. Nodoka goes for the Unprettier on Rika but Rika blocks it and hip attacks Nodoka out of the ring, Miu picks up Yuki and she hits a shoulder backbreaker for two. Miu goes for a punch but Yuki ducks it and hits a gutwrench suplex, Yuki applies a full nelson but Miu snapmares out of it. Punch by Miu, she picks up Yuki and nails the Tear Drop for the three count! Daydream win and retain the tag team championship.

Another solid match. From an outsider’s perspective, the Bakuretsu Sisters appear to be done as threats, as if after two years together all you have are three failed title challenges, maybe its time to move on to something else. Miu and Nodoka were my favorite two here, both of their segments on offense were entertaining and they have a variety of ways to hurt people. The leg work was quickly forgotten but it wasn’t enough of a focus to hurt the match, and the end stretch was really good. Rika and Aino didn’t do anything wrong in the match but it just felt like they were kinda ‘present’ rather than doing anything overly memorable, but Tokyo Joshi Pro is full of wrestlers without a lot of experience and not all wrestlers are going to make a difference in every match. Pretty short for a semi-main title match, but an ease to watch with good pacing and a satisfying ending.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Yuka Sakazaki vs. Miyu Yamashita
Princess of Princess Championship

They begin trading wristlocks and headlocks but reach an early stalemate, Yuka sends Miyu to the mat but Miyu reverses positions with her as they jockey for control. Yuka bails out of the ring to regroup but Miyu goes after her, Yuka strikes Miyu as she leaves the ring and kicks her from the apron. Yuka clubs on Miyu’s back and takes her up into the bleachers before throwing her into a wall. Yuka takes Miyu up further into the crowd and scoop slams her on the floor, she gets a table and gets it ready at the top of the stairs to use as a sled. Yuka sits Miyu on the table and pushes her down the stairs, but security is in the way so she only gets about halfway down. Yuka runs down and pushes her the rest of the way, sending Miyu crashing down to the floor at the bottom. They make their way back to ringside and Yuka throws Miyu into the ring post, Yuka props a table up against the post but Miyu fights back with elbows. Yuka elbows her back and scoop slams Miyu into the table (which obviously doesn’t break), Yuka picks Miyu up and slams her into the table again (it kinda breaks this time, Yuka seems satisfied). Yuka brings Miyu up onto the apron but Miyu gets Yuka on her shoulders and slams her onto the apron.

Miyu throws Yuka back into the ring finally, cover by Miyu but it gets a two count. Snapmare by Miyu and she kicks Yuka in the back, Yuka returns to her feet but Miyu knocks her to the mat again. Running knee by Miyu and she hits a gutbuster, kick combination by Miyu and she puts Yuka in a chinlock, but Yuka gets out of it and pushes Miyu out of the ring. Miyu kicks Yuka from the apron as she returns but Yuka catches her with a diving double chop. Running hurricanrana by Yuka and she hits a jumping forearm, missile dropkick by Yuka but Miyu avoids the Sliding D. Yuka connects on her second try, cover by Yuka but it gets two. High kick by Miyu and she nails a rebound high kick out of the corner, running kick by Miyu and Yuka collapses to the mat. Yuka recovers but Miyu kicks her in the back of the head, cover by Miyu but it gets two. Yuka gets back up and elbows Miyu, Miyu elbows her back but Yuka catches her with a vertical suplex. Rolling vertical suplexes by Yuka, she goes up top but Miyu recovers and joins her.

Yuka pushes Miyu off the top turnbuckle to the floor, she gets on the apron and hits a diving hurricanrana. Yuka puts Miyu up on the apron with her head hanging over and goes to the top turnbuckle, delivering a diving body press. Yuka rolls Miyu back in, cover by Yuka but it gets a two count. Swandive body press attempt by Yuka, but Miyu gets her knees up. Kicks to the chest by Miyu but Yuka slaps on a leg submission hold, Miyu inches to the ropes and makes it for the break. Yuka puts Miyu on the top turnbuckle and joins her, hitting a reverse STO down to the mat. Yuka goes out to the apron and gets on the ropes, but Miyu kicks her in the head before she can jump off. Another head kick by Miyu, she goes out to the apron and dives off the ropes with an elbow to Yuka. Cover by Miyu, but it gets two. More kicks by Miyu but Yuka ducks one and cradles Miyu for two. Rolling elbow by Miyu but Miyu gets her back and hits a German suplex hold for two. Miyu kicks Yuka in the head some more, she goes off the ropes but Yuka catches her with a hammerlock suplex. Miyu goes out to the apron and nails the Magical Magical Girl Splash, cover by Yuka and she picks up the three count! Yuka Sakazaki wins and retains the championship.

I had heard going in that this match was sloppy, and while there were one or two moves that didn’t hit well I wouldn’t consider that overly unusual in a 20 minute match. Maybe the type of thing that keeps a match from being a true MOTYC, but nothing that impacted my overall enjoyment of the match. My main complaint is the ‘outside the ring’ portion felt too long and wasn’t completely satisfying since the sled spot didn’t appear to go as planned, so it felt more like wasting time than contributing to the match. Once they got back into the ring though, business really picked up and both wrestlers are so much fun to watch. Miyu’s kicks are killer, and she can hit them from anywhere as she can deliver a kick to someone that is well over her own head (which she did several times). A classic flyer vs. strikes match, I wouldn’t have minded if the end stretch was longer so Yuka could get in some more offense, but still a fitting main event as they both went all out. I appreciate the effort and desire to create something amazing and memorable even if not everything landed as smooth as they had planned, hopefully next time things will sync better and they will create a true epic.  Recommended

The post TJPW Tokyo Joshi Pro 2020 on 1/4/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

  

• Championships and Tournaments Won: This includes any championship won during 2018, or any championship that was held when 2018 began. The prestige of the championship or tournament will be taken into account.
• Match Quality: The most subjective criteria, extra consideration is given to wrestlers that had high quality matches throughout the year, especially if it was with a variety of opponents.
• Wrestler Popularity: Being able to connect with the crowd is important in wrestling, wrestlers that have success interacting with the crowd and getting reactions will get credit for that.
• Wrestler Status in a Promotion: Generally speaking, the Ace of one promotion will be ahead of the #3 wrestler in another promotion, since wrestling on top means bigger matches, longer matches, and more opportunities. There isn’t a direct correlation, but leading a promotion or being the ‘face’ of a promotion can help a wrestler’s rank as it increases the wrestler’s visibility and importance.
• Match Frequency/Availability: How often a wrestler wrestled is taken into consideration. A wrestler with 100 matches is more likely to be on the list than a wrestler with 10 matches. Also, it is harder to ‘rate’ a wrestler if their matches rarely were distributed via TV or an online streaming service, so visibility is a factor.

One criteria I am not using, because I disagree with it, is ‘drawing power.’ In the current wrestling landscape there are very few wrestlers that by themselves are draws (I could probably count them on one hand), usually it is more the benefit of a good storyline or a hot region that impacts the size of the crowd. While the larger Joshi promotions may have more wrestlers on the list due to the other criteria (visibility being a major one), the size of the crowds will not be taken in consideration. Also, it should be noted that this ranking is based on a wrestler’s matches/participation in Japan.

1. Momo Watanabe (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship and the Goddesses of Stardom Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Io Shirai on 5/23, vs. Jungle Kyona on 6/26, vs. Kagetsu on 9/30, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 10/30, with Utami vs. Kyona and Tora on 11/23
Best Match: vs. Io Shirai on 5/23 in Stardom

2018 was a unique year, as there wasn’t a clear-cut #1 wrestler as we have sometimes seen in the past. Deciding on the top wrestler wasn’t easy, but I went with Momo Watanabe for a number of reasons. She had a fistful of matches in the ****+ range, with her matches against Jungle Kyona and Io Shirai topping the list. She excelled in both singles and tag competition, winning major titles in both divisions and winning a tournament as both a singles and tag wrestler as well (Cinderella and Goddess of Stardom Tag League, respectively). At only 18 years old (she started the year only 17) she is poised to be the Ace of Stardom for years to come, as long as she can fend off her tag team partner Utami Hayashishita.

2. Misaki Ohata (Pro Wrestling WAVE)

Championships Held: Regina Di WAVE Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Yumi Ohka on 1/20, vs. Arisa Nakajima on 2/12, vs. Rina Yamashita on 6/3, with Mizunami vs. BORDERLESS on 11/1, vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto on 12/9, vs. Ryo Mizunami on 12/29
Best Match: vs. Arisa Nakajima on 2/12 in Pro Wrestling WAVE

The “retirement” bump in rankings strikes again as it tends to, and while Misaki’s retirement did contribute to her great year it was not the only factor. From a title standpoint, Misaki held the top title in WAVE for about half of the year, with wins over Arisa Nakajima and Rina Yamashita along the way. Even though she did not hold any tag titles, she continued to team with Ryo Mizunami and took their entertaining act to many different promotions as a farewell tour, including Diana, Ice Ribbon, Michinoku Pro, YMZ, DDT, and SEAdLINNNG. In regards to just pure match quality, it can be argued that no wrestler surpassed Ohata as she had multiple ****+ matches, including against Arisa Nakajima (twice), Yumi Ohka, and Takumi Iroha. From an emotional and output standpoint, Ohata had a hell of a run for her last year as a professional wrestler.

3. Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)

Championships Held: Ice Ribbon ICExInfinity Championship and the Ice Ribbon Triangle Ribbon Championship
Biggest Matches: with Nakajima vs. Yamashita and Yoshiko on 5/16, vs. Hamuko Hoshi on 6/16, vs. Maya Yukihi on 8/26, vs. Risa Sera on 12/2, vs. Misaki Ohata on 12/9, vs. Yukihi on 12/31
Best Match: vs. Maya Yukihi on 8/26 in Ice Ribbon

Tsukasa Fujimoto won the Tokyo Sports Award for top women’s wrestler, and well deserved. Tsukasa’s year started a bit slow but once it got into swing in the summer, she was one of the best in Japan for the rest of the way. Tsukasa had two great matches with Maya Yukihi during the year, in August and in December, and she showed her versatility as she also wrestled in a Blast Queen (exploding bat) match as well. She teamed with her best friend Arisa Nakajima off and on all year, and even though they didn’t win any titles, their match quality was still top notch and they did reach the finals of the SEAdLINNNG tournament to crown their first tag champions. Overall, from her controlling Ice Ribbon for half the year to putting on a variety of entertaining matches, it was a banner year for the 35 year old veteran.

4. Kagetsu (Stardom)

Championships Held: World of Stardom Championship and the Goddesses of Stardom Championship
Biggest Matches: with Natsu Sumire vs. Nakano and Shirai on 4/1, vs. Toni Storm on 6/9, with Hazuki vs. Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani on 6/17, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 8/12, vs. Hana Kimura on 10/23
Best Match: with Hazuki vs. DASH Chisako and Chihiro Hashimoto on 11/16 in Sendai Girls’

What a year for the Oedo Tai leader. As Stardom’s roster continued to change, Kagetsu took full advantage as she won her first singles championship in the promotion when she defeated Toni Storm for the World of Stardom Championship. She also stood atop the tag division for half of the year, and had a memorable feud with former member Hana Kimura for the last few months of 2018. Kagetsu also took part in one of the most unique matches in Stardom history, a Current Blast Exploding Death Match. Kagetsu was frequently overshadowed by Momo Watanabe as she did not have much success on the tournament scene, but overall she was one of the most consistent wrestlers and focuses of the promotion and looks to continue that in 2019 as she still holds the World of Stardom Championship.

5. Miyu Yamashita (Tokyo Joshi Pro)

Championships Held: TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Reika Saiki on 1/4, with Maki Itoh and Mizuki vs. Azusa Christie, Sakisama, and Yoshiko-sama, vs. Rika Tatsumi on 5/3, vs. Yuu on 8/25
Best Match: vs. Rika Tatsumi in Tokyo Joshi Pro

The undisputed Ace of Tokyo Joshi Pro, Miyu Yamashita dominated singles action in the promotion in 2018. Miyu won the Princess of Princess Championship at the start of the year and ended the year with it as well, with a total of six successful defenses. Miyu had less luck in tournaments (losing in the second round of the Tokyo Princess Cup) and tag division (one unsuccessful attempt to win the tag champion) which hurt her year a bit, but her year-long run with the top title of the promotion can’t be ignored. She also had several matches highly regarded, with her singles matches against Rika and Yuu in particularly getting high marks. As Miyu entered 2019 still the champion, she will look to build on her successes in a new year.

6. Yoshiko (SEAdLINNNG)

Championships Held: SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Championship, OZ Academy Tag Team Championship, Blast Queen Championship, and the OZ Academy Openweight Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Mayumi Ozaki on 3/17, vs. Hikaru Shida on 6/3, with Yamashita vs. Takahashi and Fujimoto on 7/25, with Yamashita vs. Yukihi and Ozaki on 9/17, with Yamashita vs. Matsumoto and Yoneyama on 12/2
Best Match: vs. Hikaru Shida on 6/3 in OZ Academy

Yoshiko continued her return to relevance after a great 2017 with an even better 2018, as she was a force to be reckoned with in several promotions. In her home promotion of SEAdLINNNG, she became the first holder of the Beyond the Sea Tag Team Championship (along with partner Rina Yamashita) as they held the titles for 141 days before losing them late in the year. She also held the OZ Academy tag titles with Rina as well, as the two were one of the top tag teams in Japan. In singles action, she held the Oz Academy Openweight Championship for the first half of the year before losing it to Hikaru Shida, and was also the Blast Queen Champion for six months. Overall, Yoshiko had 13 title matches in 2018 as she stayed very active. Yoshiko dipped her toe in DDT as well, as she was one of the most-traveled women in Japan with appearances in seven different Japanese promotions.

7. Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls’)

Championships Held: Sendai Girls’ World Championship and the Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Ayako Hamada on 4/19, vs. DASH Chisako on 6/24, with Iwata vs. Miyagi and Katrina, with Chisako vs. Kagetsu and Hazuki on 11/16, vs. Meiko Satomura on 11/17
Best Match: with Chisako vs. Kagetsu and Hazuki on 11/16 in Sendai Girls’

Chihiro Hashimoto cemented her place as Ace of Sendai Girls’ on 2018, as she made her mark in both the singles and tag team division. She held the Sendai Girls’ World Championship for 10 of the 12 months of the year, and also won the tag team championship with Mika Iwata in September which they held through the end of the year. The only thing holding Chihiro back is a variety of challengers, as since Sendai Girls’ has a smaller roster she is running out of new wrestlers to beat. Sendai Girls’ online streaming service being a flop in 2018 didn’t help, as she had less matches that “made TV” in 2018 than most of the wrestlers around her on this list. Still, Chihiro continued to improve in the ring and put on some quality hoss matches during the year, hopefully she’ll get more of a chance to show her skills to a wider audience in 2019.

8. Hikaru Shida (Freelancer)

Championships Held: OZ Academy Openweight Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Rina Yamashita on 3/17, vs. Yoshiko on 6/3, vs. Aja Kong on 9/17, vs. Risa Sera on 12/31
Best Match: vs. Aja Kong on 9/17 in OZ Academy

The top Freelancer on the list, Hikaru Shida seemed to be everywhere in 2018. Freelancers are known for having very up and down years, disappearing from this list at a whim, as their successes are so reliant on promotions they are not affiliated with giving them an opportunity. OZ Academy was Shida’s main home for the year, where she won the OZ Academy Openweight Championship against Yoshiko. She also had what is considered by many the top Joshi match of 2018 in OZ Academy against Aja Kong on September 17th in a defense of the title. Beyond OZ Academy, she also had high end matches in Ice Ribbon (including a hardcore match) and Sendai Girls’. Between her great matches and success in OZ Academy, Shida is easily one of the top ten wrestlers of the year.

9. Rina Yamashita (Pro Wrestling WAVE)

Championships Held: OZ Academy Tag Team Championship and the SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Tag Team Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Misaki Ohata on 6/3, with Yoshiko vs. Takahashi and Fujimoto on 7/25, with Yoshiko vs. Yukihi and Ozaki on 9/17, vs. Arisa Nakajima on 10/3
Best Match: vs. Misaki Ohata on 6/3 in Pro Wrestling WAVE

2018 was an interesting year for Rina Yamashita. She had no singles titles and only had one challenge, however she (along with Yoshiko) had a lot of success in the tag division. Yamashita held tag titles in two different promotions and had a number of memorable matches in the process, including a great match against Avid Rival. Even though she didn’t win a championship as a singles wrestler, she had great singles matches against Arisa Nakajima and Misaki Ohata and also won the Catch the WAVE Tournament. Yamashita goes into 2019 becoming a Freelancer with no belts, so she’ll have an upward battle to maintain a Top 10 ranking.

10. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom)

Championships Held: Goddesses of Stardom Championship and the Artist of Stardom Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Toni Storm on 4/1, with Kashima vs. Oedo Tai on 6/3, vs. Kagetsu on 8/12, vs. Utami Hayashishita on 9/24, with Kashima and Nakano vs. JAN on 9/30, vs. Momo Watanabe on 10/23
Best Match: vs. Utami Hayashishita on 9/24 in Stardom

Even though Mayu Iwatani has been officially skipped over to becoming the Ace of Stardom, she still had a really solid year. She held both the tag titles and trio titles in Stardom, and most importantly she also won the 5STAR Grand Prix. The Finals of the tournament is considered by some as one of the top Joshi matches of the year, as she defeated rookie phenom Utami Hayashishita. Her feud with Oedo Tai and Kagetsu continued and kept her in the spotlight, however she did go 0-3 in singles title matches. Mayu will always be a fan favorite and will continue to put on great matches, but she may be eternally in the upper mid-card role going forward.

12. Arisa Nakajima (SEAdLINNNG) – Nakajima only held one title in 2018, and she didn’t win it until December, but in regards to match quality she was among the best. She had really well regarded singles matches throughout the year against a variety of opponents, including against Misaki Ohata, Rina Yamashita, Mio Momono, Command Bolshoi, and Nanae Takahashi. She also continued wrestling with Tsukasa Fujimoto as Best Friends, one of the most talented tag teams in the world. While Nakajima doesn’t seem to be overly concerned with winning titles, as she ended the year with one hopefully that success will continue.

13. Maya Yukihi (Ice Ribbon) – Maya Yukihi slowly is making her case to become the true Ace of Ice Ribbon. Yukihi has two personalities – in Ice Ribbon she is the fan favorite while in OZ Academy she is part of the evil Ozaki Army and wields a whip. She has success as both versions of herself which is a big plus, and even though she isn’t regularly putting on high end matches she makes a point to shine at least a few times a year. Yukihi won the ICExInfinity Championship on the last day of 2018, as she goes into 2019 the top wrestler in the promotion.

14. ASUKA (Pro Wrestling WAVE) – ASUKA made history in 2018, becoming the first openly transgender wrestler to win the top title in a Joshi promotion. She won the Regina Di WAVE Championship from Takumi Iroha in June and held it until December, with two successful defenses between. She also teamed with Hana Kimura in WRESTLE-1, and overall participated in 10 different Japanese promotions over the course of the year. ASUKA became a Freelancer in 2019, opening up her options and she will have plenty of opportunities to grow in new environments as her career continues to move forward.

15. Takumi Iroha (Marvelous) – My personal bias may be coming through a bit, but I really love Takumi Iroha’s wrestling style as she always feels fresh in whatever promotion she is participating in. She did hold two Joshi titles during the year, including the top singles championship in Pro Wrestling WAVE. She was also the top wrestler in her home promotion of Marvelous, which thanks to their streaming service is an easy promotion to watch. I’m not sure what Iroha’s ceiling is with her current situation, but since Chigusa Nagayo has a good relationship with most promotions I am sure we will be seeing much more of her next year.

17. Risa Sera (Ice Ribbon) – Risa Sera fell from her throne of Ice Ribbon Ace, but what really set her apart in 2018 was her willingness and ability to go outside the box. Whether it be in a death match or a hardcore match, Risa Sera always kept things interesting and put on matches that you were going to remember. She had some title success as well as part of Azure Revolution with Maya Yukihi and ended the year as the Blast Queen, but the main factor that got her on this list was that she brings something different to the table. She may never become the consistent Ace of Ice Ribbon but she will always put on a entertaining show.

18. Meiko Satomura (Sendai Girls’) – Aside from a brief run as the DDT KO-D Openweight Champion, Meiko Satomura was mostly quiet in Japan in 2018 as she took her talents outside of the country for a good percentage of the year. She still was on Sendai Girls’ events as well, but she mostly took a back seat to Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata. Satomura is still one of the top wrestlers in Japan skill-wise, however with her limited number of televised singles matches in Japan (six) she didn’t have as much of a chance to shine. Satomura will continue to be one of the best wrestlers in Joshi for years to come, but at 39 years old her time as the top wrestler in a promotion are likely over.

19. Utami Hayashishita (Stardom) – I will get some flack for putting a rookie with four months experience on this list, but I can handle it. Utami took the Joshi world by storm after her debut on August 12th, and just a month into her career had one of the best matches of the year against Mayu Iwatani. She didn’t miss a beat after the loss as she joined up with Momo Watanabe to win the Goddesses of Stardom League and then the belts themselves in November. Joshi hasn’t seen a wrestler like Utami in a long time, and at just 20 years old her potential is limitless. Barring an injury, I fully expect Utami to be in the Top 5 next year.

20. Maki Itoh (Tokyo Joshi Pro) – Maki Itoh is still developing in-ring and isn’t known for her technical abilities, but it is hard to deny the impact that she has had on fans just with her personality and charisma. She did win the DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Championship so she wasn’t title-less for the year, however she made a couple attempts at the Tokyo Princess Tag Team Championship with no success. Still, it is her presence that draws people to her, and if she can improve her wrestling skills (and doesn’t retire) she may move up this ranking next year.

The post Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2018 appeared first on Joshi City.

The final spot in the tournament will be determined in a qualifying match between Hikari and Miu on June 3rd. The winner of the tournament will receive a title shot at a later event. If you are new to Tokyo Joshi Pro I highly recommend you check out Heerokun’s Introduction to Tokyo Joshi Pro guide as it does a far better job of explaining things than I’d ever be able to. Let’s get straight to the first show on June 3rd!

Event: Tokyo Joshi Pro “Tokyo Princess Cup 2018” Day 1
Dates: June 3rd, 2018
Location: Shinjuku Village Studio C 106 in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 384

We have five matches on the first night, with the qualifying match for the 16th spot as well as half of the 1st Round matches taking place. Here are tonight’s matches:

• Tokyo Princess Cup – Take A Chance: Hikari vs. Miu
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuna Manase
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Hyper Misao vs. Saki-sama
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Maki Itoh vs. Miyu Yamashita
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Reika Saiki vs. Yuu

All wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it. As this event aired on DDT Universe, all matches are unclipped.

Hikari vs. Miu

They grapple to start, shoulderblock by Miu but Hikari returns the favor and starts on Miu’s leg. Hikari throws Miu in the corner and hits a jumping elbow, cover by Hikari but it gets two. Back up they trade elbows until Miu clubs Hikari in the chest and puts Hikari in a crab hold, but Hikari gets into the ropes. Backbreaker by Miu, she picks up Hikari and throws her into the corner before hitting a body avalanche. Miu tosses Hikari to the mat, cover by Miu but it gets a two. Hikari fire back with a dropkick, Miu goes off the ropes and muscles Hikari up onto her shoulder but Hikari slides away and hits a dropkick. Hikari picks up Miu but Miu hits a scoop slam, Hikari slides away again however and puts Miu in an Cobra Twist. Cradle by Hikari, but Miu gets a shoulder up. Miu clubs Hikari in the chest with a Polish Hammer, she picks up Hikari and gets her onto her shoulder, but Hikari breaks the hold and cradles Miu for two. Hikari dropkicks Miu from behind, Leg Roll Clutch by Hikari and she gets the three count! Hikari wins and is now in the Tokyo Princess Cup!

While it is clear these two are still rookies based on their skill level, they still made an attempt to tell a story. Even with no real knowledge going in, it was clear that Miu kept going for the same move that would have gotten her the victory, but Hikari kept avoiding it and eventually was able to defeat Miu as she had a bigger bag of tricks. Basic but fine enough, I don’t know if either will have a long career in wrestling but for this style of match I have no real complaints.

Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuna Manase

They begin the match trading wristlocks until Nodoka slaps on a headlock, Yuna gets out of it but Nodoka drops her with a shoulderblock. Nodoka goes off the ropes but Yuna returns the favor with her own shoulderblock, Yuna slams Nodoka’s knee into the mat before flinging her down by the hair. Irish whip by Yuna out of the corner but Nodoka reverses it and hits a running elbow, body press by Nodoka but it only gets a two count. Nodoka goes off the ropes but Yuna plants her with a big boot, snapmare by Yuna and she kicks Nodoka in the back before hitting a seated senton for two. Mounted elbows by Yuna and she puts Nodoka in a headlock, but Nodoka gets a foot on the ropes to force the break. Scoop slam by Yuna, she picks up Nodoka but Nodoka elbows her off and hits a scoop slam. Nodoka tries to get Yuna on her shoulders but Yuna blocks it, body block by Yuna and she hits an over-the-shoulder slam. Running chest bump by Yuna, she covers Nodoka but Nodoka barely gets a shoulder up. Yuna goes for a kick but Nodoka avoids it, diving bulldog by Nodoka but Yuna floors her again with a big boot. Nodoka dropkicks Yuna into the corner but Nodoka quickly hits a Back Flip (Samoan Driver) for a quick three count cover! Nodoka continues in the tournament.

Nodoka is fiery, I like her quite a bit, but Yuna still doesn’t do a lot for me. There is a reason that Yuna has bounced around so much early in her career, she does the fundamentals well but doesn’t really bring anything special to the table. She did a good enough job as just being a foil for Nodoka but for two wrestlers that know each other well the chemistry wasn’t really there with some of the transitions. The match also felt like it ended really quickly as Yuna didn’t feel worn down at all and the Back Flip isn’t a killer move. A decent enough mid-card match but nothing more than that.

Hyper Misao vs. Saki-sama

Even before the match starts, Misao is already being shady as she tells Saki she has stolen some of her stuff and unless she forfeits the match, she won’t get it back. Saki has none of this and boots Misao hard in the face, cover by Saki but Misao kicks out and bails out of the ring. Saki goes out after her but Misao knocks her down and runs away, she disguises someone at ringside in her attire and hides before Saki recovers. Saki sees the impostor but realizes it is not the real Misao, Saki finds her but Misao bails again and runs up the stairwell near ringside. Saki follows her but Misao throws the curtain at her, she then busts out some tape and tapes Saki’s hand to the guardrail. Misao runs back into the ring as the referee’s count continues, but Saki slips out of her glove to get loose and makes it back before the 20 count. Running elbow by Misao and she rams Saki’s head into her knee, Misao exits the ring and comes back with a chair, but the referee stops her from using it. By now Saki has recovered and she boots Misao in the chest, Saki whips at Misao before kicking her in the back of the head for a two count. Saki applies a headscissors but Misao makes it to the ropes, Saki goes off the ropes and she boots Misao out of the ring. Saki gets on the apron and goes to kick Misao, but Misao throws a chair at her leg.

Misao tapes up Saki’s legs and tries to return to the ring but Saki grabs her, and Saki returns the favor by taping up Misao’s legs. They both roll back into the ring, taped up legs and all, and Misao gets her chair. Misao hops over to Saki but the referee tries to take the chair from her, he fails however and goes flying backwards and out of the ring. Misao hops again over to Saki but Saki knocks her back, roll-up by Misao but the referee isn’t around to count it. Saki and Misao both free their legs, Misao goes to find the referee but Saki kicks her from behind. Saki applies a figure four headlock but lets go since there is no referee still, she goes and collects the referee but Misao promptly accidentally elbows him in the corner. Big boot by Saki in the corner but Misao comes back with a crossbody, she crawls to the corner and gets the tape again, but Azusa Christie runs down to help Saki. Azusa frees Saki with scissors, Misao comes back with some type of spray and sprays it into both Saki and Azusa’s eyes. Misao tosses the bottle to Saki as she goes to wake up the referee, and then takes off her own mask and puts it into Saki’s hands as well. As the referee finally recovers, Misao tells him that Saki cheated and stole her mask, and the referee disqualifies Saki! Hyper Misao wins and advances in the tournament.

While I can see that this shtick may get old if it happens repeatedly, to me it is still fresh so I liked it. The lengths of which Misao went through to win was truly impressive, she wasn’t trying the same thing over and over but had a big bag of tricks. Not all worked but the effort was there. Also for comedy-type matches I tend to listen to the crowd more and they really enjoyed it, so clearly they know their audience. An amusing match, I don’t know how Misao is as a traditional wrestler but her gimmickry is on-point.  Mildly Recommended

Maki Itoh vs. Miyu Yamashita

The match starts with wristlocks, headlock by Miyu but Maki elbows out of it. Miyu charges Maki but Maki moves, Maki goes for mounted punches in the corner but Miyu slides away and hits Maki from behind. Miyu goes off the ropes but Maki greets her with a hard elbow, shoulder tackles by Maki in the corner and she finally hits her mounted punches. Maki goes off the ropes but Miyu avoids her attack, stomps by Miyu and she kicks Maki in the back for a two count. Miyu clubs Maki in the back and applies a headscissors, but Maki wiggles to the ropes to force a break. Miyu goes off the ropes and dropkicks Maki in the back, Irish whip by Miyu which is reversed by Maki, but Maki misses a dropkick. Back up they trade strikes, Miyu goes off the ropes but Maki catches her with a dropkick. Scoop slam by Maki and she covers Miyu for a two count. Elbows by Maki but Miyu knees her in the stomach, battering ram by Maki and she hits a falling headbutt for two. Maki headbutts Miyu but Miyu gets her back, elbows by Maki but Miyu returns fire. Miyu goes for a high kick but Maki catches it, headbutts by Maki and she finally knocks Miyu to the mat. Maki puts Miyu in a crab hold but Miyu inches to the ropes for a break. Maki gets on the second turnbuckle but Miyu avoids her body press, now Miyu goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for two. Miyu picks up Maki but Maki slides away, knee by Miyu but Maki elbows her back. High kick by Miyu, she picks up Maki but again Miyu slides off and hits a DDT. Miyu puts Maki in a deep clutch Boston Crab but Miyu is able to make it to the ropes, Maki picks up Miyu and she hits a long series of headbutts. Maki goes off the ropes but Miyu catches her with a pair of high kicks, Attitude Adjustment by Miyu and she picks up the three count! Miyu Yamashita wins and advances in the tournament.

I can see the appeal with Maki, but I wouldn’t say this match ever really went beyond just the ‘good’ level. Course, this is an early round non-main event match so there are some limitations outside of their control, but it all just felt a bit rushed. Maki had a good run at the end to try to put down the clearly more powerful Miyu, but Miyu seemed to shrug it all off a bit too easily to go straight into her home stretch. With a few extra minutes they probably could have wrapped things up a bit better. Miyu’s strikes were on point as always and she has always been one of my favorites in Tokyo Joshi Pro, so I am looking forward to her having longer and more even matches as the tournament progresses.  Mildly Recommended

Reika Saiki vs. Yuu

The match begins with a test of strength, naturally, which Yuu initially wins but Reika gets in top position. Yuu gets back in control but Reika gets into the ropes for the break, headlock by Yuu but Reika gets out of it and they collide with neither wrestler going down. Reika gets Yuu to the mat and kicks her in the back, she picks up Yuu and dropkicks her before hitting a hip toss for a two count. Reika throws Yuu into the corner but Yuu elbows her, Reika returns with an elbow of her own and she puts Yuu in a camel clutch. Yuu gets to the ropes for the break, Reika goes off the ropes but Yuu catches her with a spinning side slam. Reika quickly comes back with a backdrop suplex, Reika picks up Yuu and goes for the Tower Bridge, but Yuu slides away and hits the Oklahoma Stampede. Yuu picks up Reika, Reika goes for a leapfrog but Yuu catches her and slams Yuu to the mat. Senton by Yuu, but Reika kicks out of the cover.

Back up they trade strikes until Yuu chops Reika to the mat, Yuu picks up Reika but Reika knocks her back and the battle continues. Irish whip by Yuu and she chops Reika to the mat again, cover by Yuu but it gets a two count. Yuu picks up Reika, Reika goes off the ropes but Yuu drops her with a judo throw. Yuu applies a cobra clutch but Reika quickly gets into the ropes, Yuu charges Reika but Reika leapfrogs over her and dropkicks Yuu into the corner. Reika grabs Yuu and puts her in the Tower Bridge, but quickly tosses her back down and stomps on Yuu’s back. Missile dropkick by Reika, she waits for Yuu to get up but Yuu ducks her kick and re-applies the Cobra Clutch. Reika gets out of the hold and goes for the Shining Wizard, but Yuu catches her and hits a buckle bomb. Last Ride attempt by Yuu but Reika slides away and hits a Shining Wizard to the back of Yuu’s head. Head kick by Reika, she picks up Yuu and goes for the Jackhammer, but Yuu blocks it and hits a hard elbows. John Woo by Yuu, she drags up Reika and she nails a Last Ride for the three count pinfall! Yuu picks up the win and advances in the tournament.

It took a few minutes to get going, but once it did I got the hoss battle that I was hoping for. The only thing holding back Yuu is she isn’t very charismatic so she has to work a bit harder to get the crowd into what she is doing. But she has the skill which is a big component of that, if she sticks with it and improves some in crowd engagement she could be a big star. I really enjoyed when they were trading bombs in the match as that is both wrestler’s style, a few of the spots were repeated and the strike battle may have been a bit too long in a shorter match, but its hard to get mad at two strong wrestlers tossing each other around. For a main event it didn’t seem quite as ‘special’ as one would hope but they packed a lot of content into it, an entertaining match even though it had its flaws.  Mildly Recommended

Event: Tokyo Joshi Pro “Tokyo Princess Cup 2018” Day 2
Dates: June 9th, 2018
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 302

On paper, the second night of the first round should have had four matches, but sadly that turned out not to be the case. Marika Kobashi was forced out of the tournament due to a poorly timed injury, and Maho Kurone forfeited her match as at the time she was taking a leave of absence from TJPW (sadly, since that time it has been announced that she is not returning). So instead of four matches, we get two matches, as a couple wrestlers get automatic byes. Here is the line-up for the event as we conclude the 1st Round:

• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Hikari vs. Marika Kobashi (Hikari advances via forfeit)
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima vs. Maho Kurone (Shoko Nakajima advances via forfeit)
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Azusa Christie vs. Rika Tatsumi
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Mizuki vs. Yuka Sakazaki

All wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it. As this event aired on DDT Universe, all matches are unclipped.

Azusa Christie vs. Rika Tatsumi

They jockey for position in the ropes as the match begins, Irish whip by Rika but she can’t shoulderblock Azusa over. Azusa throws down Rika by the hair and into the corner, kicks by Azusa and she knocks Rika out of the ring. Azusa goes out after her and rams Rika into the apron, Azusa whacks Rika with a weapon before rolling her back into the ring. Rika greets Azusa with boots and hits a face crusher, hip attack by Rika and she hits an elbow drop for a two count. Rika kicks Azusa in the leg and applies a cross kneelock, she picks her up after a moment and drops Azusa with a dragon screw leg whip. Kneebreaker by Rika, but Azusa kicks out of the cover. Irish whip by Rika but it is reversed, Azusa knocks Rika to the mat but Rika recovers and the two trade strikes until Azusa applies a crucifix into a cover for two. Azusa keeps hold of her arms and applies a double armbar, she lets go and picks up Rika, but Rika gets Azusa in the corner and dropkicks her in the leg. Dragon screw by Rika and she quickly puts Azusa in the figure four, but Azusa makes it to the ropes for the break. Rika picks up Azusa but Azusa blocks the cutter and hits a Codebreaker, running forearm by Azusa but her cover gets two. Azusa and Rika trade elbows, hip attack by Rika and she twists on Azusa’s leg before hitting another quick hip attack for two. Cutter by Rika, she goes up top but Azusa avoids the diving hip attack and hits a running facecrusher. Azusa kicks Rika twice in the chest but Rika hits a backbreaker, sleeper by Rika and she reverts it into a Dragon Sleeper. Azusa struggles for a moment but eventually has to tap out! Rika Tatsumi wins and advances in the tournament.

Not an overly exciting match but pretty well executed. Rika has a lot of fire and I like her offense, but her offense doesn’t really fit together as she was focusing on different parts of Azusa throughout the match. The potential is there, she just needs to tie it all together. Azusa was a bit clunkier, but the bigger issue is that I never really saw her as winning the match. Even without any backstories, just as a casual viewer it always felt like it was Rika’s match to win. Decent enough but it still feels like everyone is holding back a bit for the later rounds of the tournament.

Mizuki vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Mizuki quickly goes for flash pins but Yuka kicks out of each one, she returns the favor with a few flash pins of her own but she can’t get the three count either. Eventually both wrestlers roll out of the ring exhausted from the flash pin sequence, but they return after a moment with Yuka taking control. Yuka works over Mizuki on the mat and then in the corner, elbows by Yuka and she covers Mizuki for a two count. Yuka’s methodical offense on Mizuki continues until Mizuki flings Yuka out of the ring, Mizuki goes up top but Yuka quickly rolls back in and twists Mizuki’s leg in the top rope. Snapmare by Yuka down to the mat and she covers Mizuki for two. Yuka picks up Mizuki and throws her into the corner, running elbow by Yuka and she delivers a high kick for another two count. Yuka knocks Mizuki into the corner again but this time Mizuki scores with five straight dropkicks, hard elbow by Mizuki and she connects with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors which sends Yuka out of the ring. Mizuki goes up top and dives out onto Yuka with a crossbody, she gets Yuka back into the ring and puts her in a leg submission. Stretch hold by Mizuki, she lets go after a moment and hits a cartwheel into a body press for two. A leg scissors roll-up also gets two, she goes for a wheelbarrow but Yuka catches her and slams Mizuki to the mat. Yuka gets on the second turnbuckle but Mizuki dropkicks her as she jumps off, Mizuki throws Yuka into the corner but Yuka elbows her as she charges in and hits a dropkick of her own.

Mizuki falls out of the ring, Yuka charges the ropes and dives out onto her with a springboard plancha. Yuka slides Mizuki back in, Yuka slams Mizuki and puts her in an armbar, but Mizuki rolls to the ropes for the break. Rolling snapmare by Yuka and she delivers a sliding lariat, Yuka goes up top but Mizuki gets her knees up on the diving body press attempt. Both wrestlers are slow to get up and they trade elbows as they do so, running elbow by Yuka and she kicks Mizuki in the stomach, but Mizuki drop toeholds her into the ropes and dropkicks Yuka in the back. Mizuki gets on the second rope and hits a diving footstomp, cover by Mizuki but it gets two. Crossface by Mizuki but Yuka quickly counters it, ankle hold by Yuka but Mizuki crawls to the ropes for the break. Yuka rolls Mizuki to the mat but Mizuki catches her sliding lariat attempt and applies a crossface, she lets go after a moment and applies a stretch hold but Yuka gets into the ropes. Back up, enzuigiri by Yuka and she goes off the ropes, but Mizuki catches her with the Cutie Special. Mizuki goes up top and delivers the diving footstomp, but Yuka kicks out of the cover. Elbows by Mizuki and she cradles Yuka, but Yuka reverses it for her own two count. Discus elbow by Yuka and she delivers the Merry Go Round, she goes out to the apron and nails the Magical Magical Girl Splash for the three count! Yuka Sakazaki wins and advances!

Even with a bit of time-stretching, I enjoyed this match quite a bit. Mizuki was very spunky, while I think everyone assumed that Yuka Sakazaki was winning they made it a pretty even affair with Mizuki getting plenty of chances to shine. Yuka is so smooth in the ring and she has grown a lot in the last few years from being mostly just cool spots to putting together a full offensive game. It never really reached that next level but it was a well-executed and entertaining match.  Recommended

Event: Tokyo Joshi Pro “Tokyo Princess Cup 2018” Day 3
Dates: June 17th, 2018
Location: Narimasu Act Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 326

And we are onto the second round! All the second round matches take place on the same day and everyone survived the first round healthy so no issue with forfeits. The Tokyo Princess Cup matches were the last four matches on the event, here are the pairings:

• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Hikari vs. Yuka Sakazaki
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Miyu Yamashita vs. Nodoka-oneesan
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Hyper Misao vs. Yuu
• Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Rika Tatsumi vs. Shoko Nakajima

All wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it. As this event aired on DDT Universe, all matches are unclipped. Since I already gave a brief summary for the wrestlers before their first round matches, from now on we will just get straight to the matches.

Hikari vs. Yuka Sakazaki

I love Yuka Sakazaki but there wasn’t much to this one. Hikari is too green to really hang with Yuka and so it was a very toned down more mat-based match. They gave Hikari a few hope spots, which was polite but none were particularly convincing and then the match suddenly ended with a slow developing submission hold. Definitely the most skippable match of the tournament thus far, course Hikari advancing in the first place likely wasn’t the plan so they had to do the best they could with the cards they were dealt.

Miyu Yamashita vs. Nodoka-oneesan

Nodoka gets on the second turnbuckle but Miyu gets her knees up when she jumps off, push kick by Miyu and she hits a second one, kick combination by Miyu but Nodoka catches one and elbows Miyu in the leg. Miyu comes right back with a hard high kick, she knocks Nodoka into the corner and delivers a jumping knee. Miyu picks up Nodoka but Nodoka gets away and hits a shoulderblock, Nodoka picks up Miyu and she hits a scoop slam. Nodoka gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving body press, she applies the WAR Special but Miyu gets out of it and hits a lariat. Back up, elbows by Nodoka but Miyu kicks her in the back of the head. Another kick by Miyu, she goes off the ropes and she kicks Nodoka in the head. Miyu picks up Nodoka and nails the Attitude Adjustment, but Nodoka gets a shoulder up at two. Miyu goes up top but Nodoka recovers and joins her, she gets Miyu on her shoulders and delivers an Avalanche Back Flip. Cover by Nodoka, but Miyu barely kicks out. Miyu is up first, she picks up Nodoka but Nodoka elbows her. Miyu returns with a kick, another head kick by Miyu but when she goes off the ropes she eats a hard Nodoka elbow. Backflip by Nodoka, and she picks up the three count! Nodoka wins the match and advances in the tournament.

This is by far the biggest upset in the tournament up to this point, as Miyu Yamashita is one of the top wrestlers in Tokyo Joshi Pro while Nodoka is popular but didn’t have a big singles win yet in her career. Even though I still am not impressed with the Back Flip as a finisher, at least she also hit an avalanche version in this match so it didn’t feel like Miyu went down too easy. Miyu’s kicks in this match were crazy, I’m not sure how Nodoka was even still standing at times, she really is one of the top Joshi strikers in the business. Not a long match but an action packed one, my favorite of the tournament so far.  Recommended

Hyper Misao vs. Yuu

Yuu elbows Misao in the corner, Irish whip attempt by Yuu but Misao reverses it and “accidentally” throws Yuu into the referee. While the referee is out, Misao sprays Yuu in the eyes with cold air spray before taking off her own mask and handing it to Yuu. The referee recovers, but Misao forgot to give Yuu the cold air spray so she still has it in her hand. She tries to play it off by spraying herself but the referee isn’t having it, as he appears to finally be getting wise to Misao’s tricks. Misao gets her mask back on, Misao shakes Yuu’s hand again but Yuu catches her kick and hits a double chop. More chops by Yuu, Irish whip and she hits a spinning sidewalk slam for two. Yuu grabs Misao, Misao slides away but Yuu scoops her up and goes for the Oklahoma Stampede. Misao blocks it and applies a chickenwing, but Yuu gets to the ropes. Misao goes for the Final Cut but Yuu blocks it, Misao goes off the ropes but Yuu catches her with a powerslam. Misao avoids Yuu’s senton and applies La Magistral, but Yuu kicks out. Misao rams Yuu’s head into his knee, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving crossbody for two. Misao knocks Yuu into the corner but Yuu catches her with a Judo Toss when she charges in. Yuu grabs Misao and puts her in a One Wing Twist, and Misao taps out! Yuu wins and advances in the tournament.

This was a pretty good contrast to the last Misao match, as here her schemes just didn’t work and she was forced to wrestle Yuu. What was interesting is when she was concentrating on wrestling, she almost was able to go toe to toe with Yuu and got in some notable offense. Maybe there is an underlying story here of Misao not really needing the tricks to win as even though she lost, after her last trick failed it was a pretty even match until Yuu just overpowered her. I enjoyed it, Misao offers something different and its a nice change of pace.  Mildly Recommended

Rika Tatsumi vs. Shoko Nakajima

Dropkick to the leg by Rika and she hits a couple hip attacks, elbow drop by Rika and she covers Shoko for two. Rika picks up Shoko but Shoko rolls it into a grounded headlock, cradle by Shoko but Rika blocks it and applies the figure four leglock. Shoko gets to the ropes for the break, Rika picks up Shoko but Shoko cradles her for two. Hurricanrana by Shoko, but that gets a two as well as does the Northern Lights Suplex. Shoko elbows Rika but Rika elbows her back as they trade blows, hip attack by Rika but Shoko comes back with a dropkick. Rika ducks the first Tiger Feint Kick attempt but Shoko hits it over the bottom rope instead, she goes up top but Rika avoids the diving senton. Rika picks up Shoko and hits a modified cutter, she hip attacks Shoko in the head and covers her for two. Rika goes up top but Shoko elbows her before she jumps off, Shoko joins her and hits a Frankensteiner but is too hurt to make a cover. She finally gets an arm on Rika, but Rika gets a shoulder up. Shoko picks up Rika and delivers the double arm DDT, she goes for another Northern Lights Suplex but Rika blocks it and hits a cutter. Rika puts Shoko in the sleeper, she tries to revert it into a Dragon Sleeper but Shoko rolls her up for two. Shoko goes off the ropes but Rika catches her with a backbreaker, she gets the sleeper applied again and this time successfully switches it to the Dragon Sleeper. Shoko struggles but Rika grapevines her and Shoko has to tap out! Rika Tatsumi wins and advances!

Another quality match, Day 3 easily eclipsed the first two events of the tournament. I love Shoko, her offense feels fresh and since it was her first match of the tournament it gave us something different to watch. I still don’t really understand Rika’s leg-based offense being a lead-in for the Dragon Sleeper, I have nothing against limb work but the hip attacks would seem to be a better setup for her finisher. Still, the match had a little bit of everything (submissions, strikes, high risk moves) and was an enjoyable 15 minutes. A fitting main event and probably my new favorite match we have seen thus far.  Recommended

Event: Tokyo Joshi Pro “Tokyo Princess Cup 2018” Final
Dates: July 8th, 2018
Location: KFC Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 404

Tonight the tournament will conclude, as both the Semi Finals and Finals will take place on the same event. The show opens with the two Semi Final matches and finishes with the Finals, here are the tournament matches on the card:

• Tokyo Princess Cup Semi Final: Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuu
• Tokyo Princess Cup Semi Final: Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuka Sakazaki
• Tokyo Princess Cup Final: Winner of Match #1 vs. Winner of Match #2

Per usual, all wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it. As this event aired on DDT Universe, all matches are unclipped.

Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuu

A little on the short side but a fun match. Nodoka is the ultimate underdog, as she is undersized but had the crowd behind her as she tried to take down the stronger and more experienced Yuu. And Nodoka certainly got in her spots, including hitting the Back Flip, but she isn’t ready yet to overcome someone of Yuu’s stature. A solid start to the final night of the tournament.  Mildly Recommended

Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Yuka springs up to the top turnbuckle and hits the missile dropkick, but Rika rolls out of the ring. Yuka goes off the ropes and springboards down onto Rika, Yuka gets Rika into the ring and covers her for a two count. Yuka slams Rika into the mat and goes for a submission, but Rika quickly grabs the ropes. Sliding lariat by Yuka, she goes up top but Rika recovers and hits a dragon screw off the top turnbuckle to the mat. Grounded dragons crew by Rika and she hits the short-range hip attack for two. Figure Four by Rika, but Yuka inches to the ropes and forces the break. Back up they trade elbows, running elbow by Yuka but Rika hits a hip attack. Yuka returns with a kick of her own and both wrestlers fall to the mat, they trade elbows as they get back up, with Yuka winning the battle with a discus elbow smash. Yuka goes to do a springboard move but Rika stops her and hits a cutter, Rika goes up top and nails a diving hip attack for a two count. Rika puts Yuka in a Dragon Sleeper but Yuka pushes Rika’s shoulders to the mat so she has to break the hold. Rika goes for a backdrop suplex but Yuka lands on her feet and hits an enzuigiri, Yuka picks up Rika and nails the Merry Go Round. Yuka goes to the apron and delivers the Magical Magical Girl Splash, and she picks up the three count! Yuka Sakazaki wins and advances to the Finals!

Someone that follows TJPW is going to get mad at me for calling out Rika for doing great limb work but winning with Dragon Sleepers, the issue here though is the lengths at which Yuka went to blow off all said leg work. Its not that all leg work has to be sold forever but Rika did such a good job with it that it was disappointing that it just got immediately forgotten in the last few minutes of the match. Aside from that issue I enjoyed it but I do wish Yuka would hit the Magical Magical Girl Splash with a bit more urgency as she forces her opponents to not move for a long time. Rika showed me a lot here and I am leaving this review as a big fan of hers, if she just can tie together better the two halves of her offense she’d really be the total package. An entertaining match due to the general action and pacing but not without its flaws.  Recommended

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Yuu
Tokyo Princess Cup Final

A more condensed match than one would hope for as a tournament final (under ten minutes), but at least what they did was decent. My main issue is that Yuka never felt like she was about to win, both times she went to the apron Yuu was up before Yuka could even think about doing a move, and Yuu was constantly cutting her off each time it looked like Yuka was getting the upper-hand. If the idea here was to make Yuu look really strong, they did that, but for the long journey I just went on it didn’t feel like that big climax that I was hoping for. It felt more like two quality wrestlers having a fun midcard match than the finals of a promotion’s biggest tournament of the year. Not a bad watch but overall disappointing since it was the finals and not on the level I was expecting.

The post Tokyo Joshi Pro “Tokyo Princess Cup 2018” Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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This is the first ever photobook release from Joshi promotion Tokyo Joshi Pro. TJP is under the DDT umbrella, so some fans may recognize the wrestlers as they also take part on the bigger DDT events. For their first photobook, TJP focused on four wrestlers: Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, and Yuka Sakazaki.

As far as photobooks go, this offering by TJP is one of the higher quality ones I have seen. It is 108 pages, full sized, and is strictly photos with no text. It has a lot of weight to it as the pages are of high quality stock, and was very professionally created. Each of the four wrestlers has pictures in each setting and most settings also have group pictures with multiple wrestlers as well. The settings are as follows: beach attire, formal attire, topless (still tastefully done of course), and casual attire. Miyu Yamashita is focused on the most, however all four wrestlers get a fair representation. Below is a sample of the pictures included:

The post Tokyo Joshi Pro Photobook はじけちゃえ！ Review appeared first on Joshi City.

It has been awhile since we visited Tokyo Joshi Pro, but I had to watch my favorite underground indie wrestler Yuka Sakazaki. Tokyo Joshi Pro is a brand of DDT, and as the name implies it is their Joshi brand with mostly very young wrestlers that don’t venture outside of the DDT umbrella. So they don’t get a ton of exposure, but they have a handful of quality wrestlers. This is a small event for the promotion, however it was shown on DDT’s streaming service DDTUniverse.com. Here is the full card:

• Marika Kobashi vs. Syoko Nakajima
• 3 Way Match: Azusa Takigawa vs. Maho Kurone vs. Mizuki
• Rika Tatsumi and Nonoko vs. Yuu and Yuna Manase
• Miyu Yamashita and Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuka Sakazaki and Reika Saiki

You can click on the names above to go to the wrestler’s profile on Joshi City. A really short show with no really big matches, but Yuka and Reika teaming in the main event should be fun.

Marika Kobashi vs. Syoko Nakajima

They circle each other to start before locking up, Syoko pushes Marika to the mat and locks knuckles with her, but Marika reverses the hold. They end up at a stalemate, waistlock by Marika but Syoko drives her back into the corner. Marika leaps over Syoko and hits an elbow, chops by Marika but Syoko clubs her to the mat. Punches by Syoko and she starts working on Marika’s arm, Syoko puts Marika into the Tarantula before covering her for two. Kicks by Syoko in the corner and she goes back to the arm, but Marika gets into the ropes for the break. Marika slides away from Syoko and hits a dropkick, scoop slam by Marika and she puts Syoko in a single leg crab hold. Syoko gets to the ropes to get out of the hold, Marika goes up top but Syoko punches her in the stomach as she jumps down. Running elbow by Syoko in the corner, she goes for a Tiger Feint Kick but Marika ducks it and rolls her up for two. Marika tries a few more flash pins with no luck, neck drop by Marika and she hits a diving ax handle. Syoko comes back with a dropkick and drives Marika’s face into the mat, Northern Lights Suplex by Syoko and she gets the three count! Syoko Nakajima is the winner.

A really simply laid out and executed match, but probably necessary since Marika is only 16 and just returned to wrestling. Nothing was actively bad about it, just basic and not particularly memorable. Not unwatchable but nothing much to it.

Azusa Takigawa vs. Maho Kurone vs. Mizuki

Maho chases after Mizuki as the match starts, trying to eat her, but Mizuki hides behind Azusa. Maho only wants Mizuki and pays Azusa no mind, Mizuki and Azusa shakes hands before both going after Maho. They both take turns attacking Maho in the corner until Azusa quickly schoolboys Mizuki for a two count. Azusa stands on Mizuki’s hair and continues the beatdown while Maho is still MIA, she comes back just as Mizuki gets an advantage but Azusa tosses Mizuki out of the ring again. Azusa puts on her veil while standing on the second turnbuckle, but Mizuki hits her before she can jump down and throws her to the mat. Crab hold by Mizuki but Azusa gets the microphone slid to her and talks a bit while struggling to get to the ropes. Mizuki lets go, Azusa then goes out to the apron and continues cutting a promo mid-match. She finally stops talking and gets back into the ring, Maho returns too and scoop slams Azusa for a two count. Maho and Mizuki take turns trying to pin Azusa, Mizuki goes off the ropes but Maho puts her in a sleeper. She tries to bite her neck but Mizuki blocks it. Maho and Mizuki trade blows until Mizuki sneaks in a backslide for two, dropkick by Mizuki and she hits a diving footstomp on Maho from the second turnbuckle. Elbows by Mizuki but Maho grabs her and bites her neck, swinging neckbreaker by Maho but Azusa schoolboys her from behind for two. Azusa pulls down the ropes when Maho charges her, sending Maho out of the ring, before hitting Mizuki with a Codebreaker. Azusa gets on the second turnbuckle but Mizuki blocks her dive and applies a backslide for two. Cutie Special by Mizuki, and she picks up the three count! Mizuki is your winner.

This is the type of match that makes me not want to watch smaller indie shows. Maho is a fun gimmick but she isn’t a very good wrestler, making a lot of her sections look a bit awkward. Azusa is pure gimmick, and probably is more funny if I understood Japanese (which I don’t), while Mizuki is a solid wrestler but not one that can pull other wrestlers up. So mostly a clunky ‘take turns’ type three way match and not particularly entertaining.

Rika Tatsumi and Nonoko vs. Yuu and Yuna Manase

Rika and Yuna start the match, Rika gets Yuna to the mat but Yuna gets out of it and they trade wristlocks. Rika tags in Nonoko so Yuna tags Yuu, Nonoko pulls out a magazine and gives it to Yuu but Yuu throws it to the ground and stomps on Nonoko. Armbar by Yuu and she tags in Yuna, Yuna knocks Nonoko into the corner but Nonoko shoulderblocks Yuna and puts her in a stretch hold. Nonoko tags Rika, Rika starts working on Yuna’s leg before dropping her with a face crusher. Rika hits a running elbow drop but it only gets a two count cover so she tags Nonoko back in. Elbows by Nonoko to Yuna and she hits a double arm DDT into her chest, but Yuna delivers a mid kick and makes the tag to Yuu. Yuu shoulderblocks both Nonoko and Rika, double chop to the chest by Yuu and she covers Nonoko for two. Yuu works on Nonoko’s arm before chopping her to the mat, but Nonoko rams her head into her chest and delivers a Lou Thesz Press. Nonoko tags in Rika, Rika jumps at Yuu but Yuu catches her and slams Rika to the mat. Powerslam by Yuu, she throws Rika into the corner but Rika reverses her Irish whip and dropkicks Yuu in the leg. Dragon screw by Rika and she hits a couple hip attacks for two.

Rika goes for a cutter but Yuu pushes her off and hits a judo throw, giving her time to tag in Yuna. Yuna jumps down onto Rika and kicks her in the back, running boot by Yuna and she covers Rika for two. Yuna goes off the ropes but Rika catches her with a hip attack, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the diving hip attack for a two count cover. Backbreaker by Rika and she applies the dragon sleeper, but Yuu breaks it up. Rika tags Nonoko, they both throw Yuna into the corner and deliver running strikes. Nonoko picks up Yuna and nails the Boinmaker, she puts her magazine in her shirt before hitting a body press but Yuna kicks out of the cover. Nonoko gives Yuna the magazine to read, Yuna tries to put it on the mat so that Nonoko would trip over it, but Nonoko notices and slams on the breaks. Yuu pushes Nonoko from the apron and Nonoko slips on it anyway, but Rika breaks up Yuna’s cover. Yuu takes care of Rika, Yuna delivers the Kakato Drop (heel drop) to Nonoko and she picks up the three count! Yuu and Yuna Manase win!

The primary issue here is, again, general wrestler quality. TJP does have some really good wrestlers, but they were too spread out here. Yuna is on her third promotion in her short career probably for a reason – she’s a sub-par wrestler. Rika and Yuu are both good, but didn’t do much here to stand out. Nonoko is mostly gimmick, its a quality gimmick but she isn’t going to wow you with in-ring skills (nor is she trying to). So what you end up with is a pretty average match, it had some good sections but it was just inconsistent as Nonoko and Yuna wanted to do their comedy bits while Yuu and Rika were generally more serious. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but it was nothing anyone needs to go find to watch.

Miyu Yamashita and Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuka Sakazaki and Reika Saiki

Nodoka and Reika start the match for their teams, they trade headlocks and headscissors but end up back on their feet. Reika puts Nodoka in a front headlock and tags in Yuka, but Nodoka gets away and tags in Miyu. Miyu and Yuka go back and forth until Yuka hits a dropkick, but Miyu gets back up and stomps Yuka to the mat. Miyu tags Nodoka, Nodoka puts Yuka in a headlock before elbowing her in the back of the head. Miyu tags back in, snapmare by Miyu and she puts Yuka in a chinlock. Yuka gets to the ropes to force the break, kick by Miyu and she tags in Nodoka. Irish whip by Nodoka to the corner and she hits an elbow, stretch hold by Nodoka but Yuka gets to the ropes. Miyu returns and dropkicks Yuka in the back, cover by Miyu but it gets two. Miyu goes for a backbreaker but Yuka gets away, knee to the stomach by Miyu but Yuka hits a running elbow. She makes the hot tag to Reika, shoulderblock by Reika and she hits an armdrag. Kicks by Reika but Miyu catches one and kicks her back, giving her time to tag Nodoka. Shoulderblock by Nodoka and she hits a crossbody for two. Big kick by Reika and she hits the PK, she picks up Nodoka and bodyslams her to the mat.

Nodoka gets back up and they trade strikes until Reika hits a dropkick, she tags in Yuka and Yuka comes in the ring with a swandive stomp for a two count. Jumping elbow by Yuka in the corner but Nodoka hits a scoop slam and tags Miyu. Kick to the chest by Miyu, she waits for Yuka to get up and delivers a strike combination. Miyu charges Yuka but Yuka avoids the knee, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the diving hurricanrana. Enzuigiri by Yuka and she delivers a sliding lariat for a two count. Elbows by Yuka but Miyu ducks one and hits a lariat, she lands near her corner and tags Nodoka. Yuka takes Nodoka to the mat and applies a STF, Reika runs in to cut off Miyu but Nodoka makes it to the ropes. Neckbreaker by Yuka, she goes out to the apron and hits the swandive body press, but Miyu breaks up the cover. Reika picks up Miyu and holds her, Yuka walks the ropes and hits a dropkick to Miyu. Yuka goes back to Nodoka but Nodoka hits a quick Samoan Drop for a two count. She hits a second one for another two as Reika breaks it up, Irish whip by Nodoka to the corner but Yuka reverses it and hits a roaring elbow. Reverse STO by Yuka, she goes to the apron and nails the Magical Girl Splash for the three count! Yuka Sakazaki and Reika Saiki win the match.

While a more subdued main event than I would like, it was still pretty solid. Miyu and Yuka are so much fun to watch since they have such unique offenses, and Nodoka was mostly able to keep up with just a few small issues. Reika is capable of more but she didn’t get much of a chance to shine, which is generally an issue with matches that don’t get a lot of time. I did laugh when Yuka accidentally dropkicked Reika in the face when she was holding up Nodoka, she drilled her, but that and the finish were probably the only two really memorable spots in the match. Generally enjoyable but I know they are capable of a lot more.  Mildly Recommended

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Even though this is a small event, I want to represent a variety of promotions on the website, plus I may possibly have a crush on Mil Clown. This is one of their ‘house show’ events (as most of their shows are, they are a small promotion), however all of their stars are here and Saki Akai has stopped by as well. Here is the full card:

• Nodoka-oneesan vs. Syoko Nakajima
• Mil Clown and Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuu and Miyu Yamashita
• Akane Miura vs. Maho Kurone
• Saki-nami and Martha vs. Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko

You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile if I have one for them on the website. Short show, let’s hop to it.

Nodoka-oneesan vs. Syoko Nakajima

Nodoka and Syoko trade holds to start, Syoko goes for shoulderblocks but Nodoka knocks her to the mat first. Syoko gets back up and kicks Nodoka, elbow by Syoko in the corner and she snapmares Nodoka to the mat. Syoko puts Nodoka in a headscissors and rams her head into the mat, she picks her back up and elbows Nodoka in the neck. Flipping neckbreaker by Syoko, and she covers Nodoka for two. More strikes by Syoko and she hits another neckbreaker, Nodoka gets away and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Running elbow by Nodoka and she scoop slams Syoko for a two count cover. Nodoka works a headlock, she lets go and goes off the ropes, but Syoko rams her head-first into the turnbuckles. Missile kick by Syoko, she picks up Nodoka and snapmares her face-first into the mat. She goes for a double arm DDT but Nodoka gets out of it with a back bodydrop, crossbody by Nodoka and she gets a two count. Nodoka picks up Syoko but Syoko gets away and drags her to the mat with a double arm grounded necklock. Nodoka gets out of it and hits a shoulderblock, she puts Syoko on her shoulders but Syoko gets away and hits a dropkick. Tiger Feint Kick by Syoko, she picks up Nodoka and hits the Northern Lights Suplex for the three count! Syoko Nakajima is the winner.

For a rookie-style opening match, they got enough time and Nodoka got in a few moves so it wasn’t too one-sided. Syoko has a lot of fun and unique offense, I enjoy watching her, it was a bit limited here of course but she was still impressive. Nodoka mostly does power-type offense and has the strength for it, she may have a future in wrestling but its too early to tell. Decent opener to the show.

Mil Clown and Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuu and Miyu Yamashita

Yuu and Rika start the match, Yuu gets Rika to the mat first before pulling Rika to her corner so she can tag in Miyu. Miyu works a headlock but Rika rolls out of it and reverses the hold, kick to the back by Rika and she tags in Mil Clown. Mil Clown flips Miyu to the mat and runs on her back for awhile, she pokes Miyu in the head before punching her into the corner. Hard shoulderblock by Mil Clown but Miyu hits an armdrag, Mil Clown returns the favor and they trade armdrags until Mil Clown hits a drop toehold. Mil Clown starts in Miyu’s leg and tags in Rika, Rika elbows Miyu and she hits an elbow drop for a two count. Mil Clown is tagged back in and she throws Miyu into the corner before bouncing her off the ropes. Mil Clown tags Rika, Rika elbows Miyu in the chest and twists her arm in the ropes. Mil Clown comes back in, Miyu tosses Mil Clown to the apron but Mil Clown goes up top and cartwheels back in the ring before hitting a dropkick. Mil Clown goes off the ropes but Miyu hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and makes the hot tag to Yuu. Shoulderblock by Yuu and she hits the Oklahoma Stampede on Mil Clown for a two count.

Chops by Yuu but Mil Clown kicks her and tags in Rika. Mil Clown stays in and helps Rika with Yuu, cover by Rika but it gets a two count. Rika goes for a hip attack but Yuu catches her and spins Rika to the mat. Yuu tags in Miyu, leg sweep by Miyu and she covers Rika for two. Knee by Miyu and she dropkicks Rika in the back. Rika elbows Miyu but Miyu knees her and hiptosses her to the mat. Anaconda Vice by Miyu, Mil Clown tries to break it up but Yuu intercepts her. Miyu switches it to a short armbar but Rika gets to the ropes for the break. Miyu goes for a kick but Rika catches it and hits a dragon screw, Rika goes for a Dragon Sleeper but Miyu gets out of it and kicks Rika in the back. Miyu throws Rika into the corner but she hits a hip attack, she goes off the ropes but Yuu runs in and hits a judo throw. Mil Clown headscissors Yuu and then hits an enzuigiri onto Miyu, Rika elbows Miyu but Miyu elbows her back and they trade shots. Kick to the chest by Miyu, she picks up Rika and nails a high kick in the corner. Another high kick by Miyu, she picks up Rika and hits the Attitude Adjustment for the three count! Miyu Yamashita and Yuu win!

This one started slow but it picked up by the end and turned out pretty enjoyable. Unlike some other matches in Tokyo Joshi Pro, really no comedy here as it was a pretty straight wrestling match. Mil Clown and Miyu are high end wrestlers/entertainers, both are a lot of fun to watch and work together well. Yuu is solid, I’m not completely sold on her but she is only a year into her career and does her power moves well. A good match with a quality home stretch, even though some of the beginning felt uninspired.  Mildly Recommended

Akane Miura vs. Maho Kurone

Akane won’t shake Maho’s hand, Maho chases after Akane but Akane knocks her down with a pair of shoulderblocks. Full nelson by Akane, she throws Maho in the corner and hits a running elbow followed by a lariat. Body press by Akane, and she covers Maho for two. Maho fights back and clubs on Akane, she puts her in a single leg crab hold but Akane makes it to the ropes. Maho throws Akane into the corner and hits a running elbow, she goes off the ropes but Akane hits a powerslam. Side slam by Akane, and she covers Maho for two. Akane elbows Maho a few times but Maho elbows her back, neckbreaker by Maho but Akane pushes her away and hits a shoulderblock. Powerslam by Akane, she nails a lariat and she covers Maho for the three count! Akane Miura wins the match.

Its hard to get excited about a match that goes under five minutes, especially when the dominating wrestler is leaving in a month anyway. Akane’s offense is fine, Maho generally doesn’t show a whole lot so I assume skill-wise she is still a bit behind many of the other wrestlers in the promotion. Nothing wrong with it, just short and not very memorable.

Saki-nami and Martha vs. Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko

Azusa and Martha start off and trade holds, Martha pushes Azusa to the mat so she tags in Nonoko. Nonoko makes Martha uncomfortable so she tags in Akai, Nonoko pulls her into her chest but Akai gets out of it. Akai pulls down Nonoko by the hair, Azusa gets on the microphone and taunts her, allowing Nonoko to attack Akai from behind. Nonoko tags in Azusa while she is still on the microphone, double elbow to Akai and Azusa covers her for two. Azusa stomps down Akai in the corner but Akai kicks her and chokes Azusa in the corner. Back elbow by Akai and she drops a knee onto Azusa for a two count. Akai tags in Martha, Martha elbows Azusa in the back of the head and stomps her. Scoop slam by Martha, Akai returns and Azusa plays the Face in Peril for several minutes (even though she isn’t a “face” I don’t think), she finally hits a Codebreaker on Akai and makes the hot tag to Nonoko. Nonoko chest bumps both Akai and Martha, double arm DDT of sorts by Nonoko and she hits a body press for two. Nonoko goes for the Boinmaker but Akai gets out of it, she goes off the ropes but Nonoko hits a Lou Thesz Press. She tags Azusa, Azusa gets on the second turnbuckle and puts on a wedding veil before hitting an ax handle for two.

She picks up Akai and kicks her but Akai catches her with a STO. She tags in Martha, Azusa rolls up Martha but it gets a two count. Face buster by Azusa but Akai breaks up the cover, Nonoko comes in too and she catapults Azusa into Akai. They try to do the same with Martha but Martha catches Azusa, Akai kicks Azusa in the chest and Martha covers her for two. Akai goes off the ropes but Azusa avoids her kick, Akai drives Azusa back into the corner and goes for an elbow, but she hits the referee by accident. Martha gets her mop but Nonoko takes it from her, lariat by Martha to Nonoko and she gets the mop again, but the recovered referee takes it from her. Martha attacks the referee and goes back to the mop, but Rika Tatsumi comes in to help. Azusa rolls up Akai, and Rika makes the count, but Akai kicks out at two. Big boot by Akai to Azusa, she picks up Azusa and Martha holds her from the apron, but Akai boots Martha in the face by accident. Superkick by Azusa to Akai, cover by Azusa and Rika makes the three count! Azusa and Nonoko win?

Well no they don’t win, as Rika is not an authorized referee. The referee recovers and returns to the ring, Akai boots Azusa in the face but Azusa hits another superkick for a two count. Azusa charges Akai but Akai grabs her and takes her to the mat. After struggling for a bit, Akai locks Azusa in a Foot Choke, and Azusa quickly submits! Saki-nami and Martha are the winners!

While storyline-wise it did a good job, this match was desperately missing someone that the in-ring skills to tie everything together. All four of these wrestlers are more style than substance so the match going over 15 minutes was a bit problematic. There were spurts of solid action, but overall there just wasn’t a lot of interesting stuff going on. From the character side of things it was fine, but the action itself for the bulk of the match was a bit lackluster.

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