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.

Since I am behind a few hundred events, I asked Twitter which event I should review next and this show won. So here we are! I am watching this event on NicoPro, a streaming service in Japan that streams wrestling events from a wide range of wrestling promotions (the show is no longer available on the service at the time of this review, since shows are only available for seven days). I have written a guide on how to sign up for NicoPro, highly recommended! Both the service and the guide. Ice Ribbon #1008 isn’t one of Ice Ribbon’s bigger events, however it does have two title matches so it is not your average house show either. Here is the full card:

• Asahi vs. Tequila Saya
• Maika Ozaki and Ram Kaicho vs. Nao Kakuta and Yappy
• Akane Fujita and Hiragi Kurumi vs. Miku Aono and Satsuki Totoro
• Ibuki Hoshi, Syuri, and Tae Honma vs. Risa Sera, Tsukasa Fujimoto, and Tsukushi
• Triangle Ribbon Championship: Matsuya Uno vs. Banny Oikawa vs. Cherry
• ICExInfinity Championship: Maya Yukihi vs. Suzu Suzuki

As this aired on NicoPro, the matches are unclipped. It also has that annoying commentary box in the corner, which I will tolerate. All the wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Asahi vs. Tequila Saya

They circle other to start before trading wristlocks, Saya kicks Asahi and works a headlock, but Asahi reverses it. Snapmare by Saya and she slams Asahi’s head into the mat before hitting a kneedrop to the face for a two count. Saya puts Asahi in the ropes and presses her boot against her face, she lets go after a moment but Asahi quickly returns the favor and does the same to her. Saya throws Asahi into the corner and hits a running back elbow, another one by Saya but Asahi knocks her back with a dropkick. Saya throws Asahi into the corner but Asahi flips out onto the apron, she comes back in with a sunset flip before slamming Saya’s head repeatedly into the mat. Short armbar by Asahi but Saya gets into the ropes, Asahi goes for a Tiger Feint Kick but Saya moves out of the way and hits a crossbody. Scoop slam by Saya, she picks up Asahi but Asahi elbows her and the two trade shots. Asahi goes off the ropes but Saya catchers her with a knee, low crossbody by Saya and she drives Asahi’s face into the mat with her knees for a two count cover. Saya gets on the top turnbuckle but Asahi avoids her dive and connects with a series of dropkicks. Scoop slam by Asahi, and she covers Saya for two. Cross armbreaker by Asahi, but Saya quickly gets to the ropes for the break. Tiger Feint Kick by Asahi and she covers Saya for two. Asahi goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but that gets a two count as well. Asahi goes off the ropes but Saya avoids the dropkick, they trade flash pins but both get two counts. Both wrestlers get up, Saya quickly applies the Gran Maestro de Tequila for the three count! Tequila Saya is the winner.

I am generally out of the loop with Ice Ribbon so I blame Ice Ribbon Twitter for me not knowing that Asahi is pretty damn solid for a 17 year old. She is in good condition so she had no issues keeping up with the slightly more veteran Saya, and she has a wide variety of moves that she does very smoothly. Since Saya is retiring they should have just had Asahi win, she doesn’t really have any big wins in the promotion and while this wouldn’t have counted as “big” it would have been something. Saya is who she is, perfectly capable but she wouldn’t blow anyone away with this match as she kept it basic. A good opener but I’d like to see Asahi in a more advanced match to see if she as good as she appeared to be here.

Maika Ozaki and Ram Kaicho vs. Nao Kakuta and Yappy

Maika and Yappy start off, Yappy gets Maika into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Yappy and Maika try to knock each other over with shoulderblocks until Maika wins the battle, cover by Maika but it gets two. Maika clubs Yappy in the back a couple times, she goes for a shoulderblock but Yappy comes off the ropes with a shoulderblock of her own. This gives her time to tag in Nao, mounted elbows by Nao and she chokes Maika while the poor referee (Mio Shirai) tries to get her to stop. She finally does, she picks up Maika but Maika drops Nao with a scoop slam and tags in Kaicho. Kaicho ducks a lariat and flips off Nao, but Nao grabs her and they struggle for control. Kaicho stomps on Nao’s hands and hits a jumping crossbody, she throws Nao into the corner and hits a running elbow. Kaicho throws Nao into the other corner but Nao jumps on the second turnbuckle, she grabs Kaicho and applies a hanging necklock. Nao snaps Kaicho’s neck on the top rope, she gets back in the ring and hits a DDT for a two count. Nao tags Yappy, Yappy picks up Kaicho and applies a swinging front necklock slam. Cover by Yappy, but it only gets two. Back up, Yappy throws Kaicho into the corner and hits a lariat, Nao returns and boots Kaicho in the face.

Yappy picks up Kaicho and sets her up in the ropes but Kaicho avoids her charge and hits a Tiger Feint Kick. Irish whip by Kaicho and she hits a double chop to the chest, she crawls to Yappy and covers her for two. Kaicho tags in Maika, and both of them take turns stomping on on Yappy. Maika picks up Kaicho and slams her onto Yappy, cover by Maika but it gets two. Maika puts Yappy in a crab hold but Yappy crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Maika picks up Yappy but Yappy elbows Maika off of her and delivers a backbreaker. Maika lands against the ropes, hip attacks by Yappy and she hits a seated senton for two. Yappy tags Nao, boot to the face by Nao and she boots her again for a two count. Yappy returns, side Russian leg sweep by Nao and Yappy hits a running leg drop. Nao goes off the ropes but Maika gets her on her shoulders, Nao slides off and applies a rolling cradle for two. Crossface by Nao, but Kaicho gets past Yappy and breaks it up. Nao tries to get Maika on her shoulders but can’t, Kaicho comes in and nails the Rainmaker on Nao. Diving senton by Maika, but Yappy barely breaks up the cover. Maika goes off the ropes and levels Nao with a lariat, but Nao barely kicks out. Maika drags up Nao and gets her on her shoulders, Argentine Buster by Maika and she picks up the three count! Maika Ozaki and Ram Kaicho win!

Another fun match. I love Kaicho so I am biased from the start, but all four here played their roles well and the time passed quickly. Not everyone in the match is a great wrestler and most (if not all) will never be main event wrestlers, but they stuck to what they knew how to do, kept the action fast enough, and kept the wrestlers fresh so no one was exposed. Another relatively simply laid out match but still a good one, so far this card is shaping up very well.

Akane Fujita and Hiragi Kurumi vs. Miku Aono and Satsuki Totoro

Kurumi and Satsuki start off, Miku immediately comes in to help but Kurumi shoulderblocks them both down. Akane comes in the ring as Kurumi gets Miku on her back, Akane jumps on her back as well as they go for a body press onto Satsuki but Satsuki moves out of the way. Satsuki puts Kurumi in a camel clutch but Akane breaks it up, footstomp by Kurumi to Satsuki and she tags in Akane. Akane puts Satsuki in the camel clutch, Kurumi returns to the ring and she dropkicks Satsuki in the face while she is still in the hold. Cover by Akane, but it gets two. Akane picks up Satsuki but Satsuki blocks the scoop slam, Kurumi holds Satsuki for Akane and she hits a running shoulderblock for two. Irish whip to the corner by Akane but Satsuki fires out of the corner with a shoulderblock and tags in Miku. Dropkicks by Miku to Akane, more kicks by Miku and she throws Akane into the corner. Miku charges at Akane but Kurumi intercepts her, Satsuki also is in the ring by now and Akane lariats her in the corner. Satsuki and Miku are stacked in the corner but Miku avoids their opponent’s charge, leading to Satsuki getting hit instead. Miku kicks Akane in the back repeatedly, cover by Miku but it gets two. Double underhook by Miku, she can’t pick up Akane up however and Akane chops her to the mat. Akane tags Kurumi, dropkick by Kurumi to Miku and she covers her for two.

Satsuki gets in the ring to help Miku hit a vertical suplex, cover by Miku but it gets a two count. Miku goes off the ropes but Kurumi hits a body avalanche, Miku comes back with a dropkick however and makes the tag to Satsuki. Satsuki goes off the ropes and hits a running senton on Kurumi, body press by Satsuki and she gets a two count. Satsuki goes for a seated senton but Kurumi moves, Kurumi hits a seated senton of her own and holds down Satsuki for two. Kurumi picks up Satsuki and kicks her in the head, jumping crossbody by Satsuki but it only gets two. Miku comes in and hits a fisherman suplex on Kurumi, Satsuki picks up Kurumi and hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Satsuki goes up to the top turnbuckle while Miku stands in the corner, Miku tries to assist Satsuki in hitting a senton but Kurumi moves. Kurumi and Satsuki trade elbows, Satsuki goes off the ropes but Akane runs in and drops her with a shoulderblock. Cannonball by Kurumi to Satsuki, but Satsuki barely kicks out of the cover. Akane gets Satsuki on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop, footstomp by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton for two. Kurumi goes off the ropes and levels Satsuki with a lariat, but again Satsuki gets a shoulder up. Kurumi goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving body press, and she picks up the three count! Akane Fujita and Hiragi Kurumi are the winners.

Not unwatchable but a step down from the last two matches. With the wrestlers in this match one could only expect so much, Satsuki and Akane are pretty average wrestlers (although Akane can be fun in hardcore matches) and with this being Miku’s first Ice Ribbon match there was going to be some feeling things out. For a shorter match it took too long to get going, and then they went straight to Joshi Chaos which is fine but it was more fast-paced than really entertaining. Nothing really wrong with it but the definition of a match that is “just there.”

Ibuki Hoshi, Syuri, and Tae Honma vs. Risa Sera, Fujimoto, and Tsukushi

Team Tsukasa attacks before the bell rings, they stack their opponents in the corner and Tsukasa’s teammates kneel in front of them so she can catapult off their backs with a dropkick. Things calm down with Tsukasa and Ibuki staying in as the legal wrestlers, with Tsukasa putting Ibuki in a submission hold. Risa is tagged in and she takes over on Ibuki, putting her in the Rocking Horse while Tsukasa plays defense. Double kneedrop by Risa, and she covers Ibuki for two. Tsukushi is tagged next as Ibuki continues getting beat down, while Syuri finally gets free and breaks it up. Tsukasa returns, she puts Ibuki in the ropes and with Tsukushi they both dropkick her in the back. Irish whip by Tsukasa but Ibuki hits a quick crossbody, Tsukasa bridges out of the pin and kicks Ibuki to the mat. Tsukasa goes off the ropes and she elbows Ibuki in the chest, cover by Tsukasa but it gets two. Scoop slam attempt by Tsukasa but Ibuki reverses it into a slam of her own, giving her time to tag in Tae. Diving crossbody by Tae, Tsukushi and Risa come in but Tae dropkicks both of them. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Tae to Tsukasa, Tae goes for a strike but Tsukasa blocks it and applies in Octopus Hold. Tae slowly walks to the ropes and forces the break, snapmare by Tsukasa and she kicks Tae in the back. More kicks by Tsukasa, she goes for a PK but Tae blocks it and elbows Tsukasa in the knee. Tae goes off the ropes but so does Tsukasa and she cradles Tae to the mat before kicking her in the chest.

Tsukasa tags in Risa, Risa elbows Tae in the chest and the two trade blows. Tae applies a short armbar but Risa quickly rolls out of it, Irish whip by Tae to the corner and she hits a running elbow followed by a dropkick. Tae gets the short armbar re-applied, but Risa gets to the ropes for the break. Tae goes up top but she is grabbed from the apron by Tsukasa, Risa gets Tae on her shoulders while Tsukasa goes up to the top turnbuckle while Syuri runs in the ring. Tsukasa jumps off the top turnbuckle and catapults off Tae’s back to hit a diving crossbody on Syuri, Tae wiggles off Risa’s back however and puts her in a submission hold. Risa gets to the ropes for the break, Tae tags in Syuri as Tsukasa also comes in, but Syuri fights them both off. Knee by Syuri to Risa in the corner, cover by Syuri but it gets two. Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Tsukushi quickly breaks it up, Syuri stomps on Risa’s back but Risa elbows her. The two trade elbows and knees, dropkick by Risa and she drops Syuri with the Schwein for a two count. Risa quickly gets a reverse double kneedrop off the ropes, but that gets a two as well. Risa tags in Tsukushi, dropkick by Tsukushi and Tsukasa comes in to slam Tsukushi onto Syuri. Tsukushi picks up Syuri, elbows by Tsukushi and she catches Syuri with a knee. Murder Dropkick by Tsukushi while Syuri is against the ropes, Tsukushi goes off the ropes again but she is kicked from ringside.

Double underhook suplex by Syuri, Tae dropkicks Tsukushi and Syuri connects with a kick to the chest for two. Syuri tags in Ibuki, Ibuki and Tsukushi trade elbows until Tsukushi knocks down Ibuki for a two count. Tsukushi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Ibuki avoids the diving footstomp, Tae runs in and drops Tsukushi with a DDT. Running knee by Syuri, Ibuki slams Tsukushi to the mat but her cover is broken up by both Tsukasa and Risa. Ibuki goes up top but Tsukushi avoids the diving body press, Tsukasa nails Ibuki with a missile dropkick and Risa hits a double knee strike in the corner. Tsukushi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she covers Ibuki but Syuri breaks it up. Tsukasa and Tsukushi both dropkick Syuri and then Tae out of the ring, Tsukushi knees Ibuki repeatedly in the head before stomping her. Tsukushi goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving footstomp, cover by Tsukushi but Ibuki barely bridges out of the cover. Tsukushi picks up Ibuki but Tae gets out of the double underhook, cradle by Tsukushi but Ibuki reverses it and the two trade flash pins. Jumping footstomp by Tsukushi and she goes for the Harukaze, but Ibuki rolls through it and holds down Tsukushi for the three count! Ibuki Hoshi, Syuri, and Tae Honma are the winners.

They took the easy way out by having Ibuki be the focus of the match, but this was still pretty damn good. Tsukasa is probably the best Joshi wrestler that Western fans don’t talk about much, she is fantastic at everything she does and all her segments were quality. Tsukushi has so much anger and fierceness, you’d have thought her opponents owed her money the way she fights, and she was fun to watch as well. Everyone else kind of blended in together, Syuri and Risa Sera both looked fine but mostly just came in for a few spots, same with Tae Honma. A match designed to have a rookie/child beatdown doesn’t need six wrestlers, but it did keep the action fast paced and everything was crisp. Even though I would have changed the format a bit, Tsukasa and Tsukushi alone made this match worth watching.  Recommended

(c) Matsuya Uno vs. Banny Oikawa vs. Cherry
Triangle Ribbon Championship

All three lock knuckles to start, they do a wristlock chain until the Ice Ribbon wrestlers stop to double team Cherry. It doesn’t work as Cherry fights them both off, Cherry and Matsuya have a chat until Cherry chokes Matsuya into the corner. Banny dropkicks Cherry and then Matsuya, another dropkick by Banny but Cherry covers her for two. Banny and Cherry argue, Matsuya breaks that up and they run through a sequence ending with Matsuya dropkicking both of her opponents. Matsuya puts both opponents in the ropes and takes turns chopping them, she picks up Banny and slams her head-first into the mat. She then puts Cherry on top of her and applies a submission to both, she lets go after a moment and stacks both in the corner. Matsuya charges in but Cherry moves, she still hits Banny but Cherry grabs her from behind and hits a monkey flip followed by mounted elbow strikes. Cherry goes for a scoop slam but Matsuya blocks it and hits one of her own, Cherry quickly goes for a Triangle Choke but Banny breaks it up. Banny dropkicks Cherry and Matsuya in different corners, she stacks them in one corner and hits a final dropkick.

Banny picks up Matsuya and kicks her in the chest a few times, jumping back kick by Banny but Cherry grabs her from the apron. Matsuya tries to dropkick Banny but Banny moves, cradle attempts by Banny but Matsuya kicks out of each. Banny goes up top as Cherry gets back in the ring, she eventually just falls off while Cherry beats down Matsuya. Cherry drop toeholds Banny onto Matsuya, Cherry covers her but it gets a two count. Cherry cradles Matsuya and hits mounted punches, but Banny picks her up from behind and they trade waistlocks. A double schoolboy attempt by Matsuya gets a two count, dropkick by Matsuya to Banny but Banny blocks the F Crash so Matsuya rolls her up instead for another two. Banny puts Matsuya in a crossface, she lets go and attempts a few flash pins, but Cherry breaks it up. Cherry tries to pin both Banny and Matsuya but can’t get the three count, she slams Banny in front of the corner and then slams Matsuya next to her. Cherry goes up top but both avoids the Swanton Bomb, Cherry is sent out of the ring and Banny schoolboys Matsuya for two. Matsuya quickly puts Banny in a cradle of her own, and she gets the three count! Matsuya Uno wins and retains the championship.

Since this title has been around forever there is clearly an audience for this style of match, but I am not the audience. I’m not a huge fan of triple threats and I’m not a huge fan of the vast majority of comedy matches, so if you combine those two together its not really my cup of tea. No one really got a chance to show off as the match was relatively short, although there weren’t any noticeable issues which is a plus. The match was exactly what I expected, if you enjoy these types of matches you’ll like it as there was nothing wrong with the action but skippable for me.

(c) Maya Yukihi vs. Suzu Suzuki
ICExInfinity Championship

Suzu dropkicks Maya right out of the gate but Maya dropkicks her back, running knee by Maya in the corner and she knees Suzu in the back. Backbreaker by Maya and she hits a few more knees before covering Suzu for two. Maya stretches Suzu for a moment, back up Suzu goes for a slam but Maya blocks it. Chops to the chest by Maya, Suzu goes for a dropkick but Maya sidesteps her. Maya picks up Suzu but Suzu reverses the scoop slam into one of her own, Suzu goes off the ropes and she hits a series of dropkicks. Irish whip by Suzu and she hits another dropkick, she charges Maya in the corner and hits a shoulder tackle. Suzu goes for a swandive move but Maya hits her before she can jump off, she grabs Suzu while she is still on the apron and brings her into the ring with a backbreaker. Maya knees Suzu while she is against the ropes and charges her, but Suzu moves out of the way and dropkicks Maya from the apron. Cover by Suzu, but it gets two. Suzu goes up top but Maya hits her before she can jump off, she tosses Suzu back in the ring but Suzu rolls to her feet and goes for a spear. Maya blocks it but Suzu slides behind her back and the two trade elbows. Suzu bridges to avoid an elbow and hits a spear, cover by Suzu but it gets a two count.

Suzu picks up Maya and goes for a suplex, but Maya blocks it and applies a Cobra Twist. Maya slams Suzu to the mat to end the hold before putting her in a Scorpion Deathlock, but Suzu crawls to the ropes for the break. Maya charges Suzu while she is against the ropes and nails a running knee, Maya goes up top but Suzu avoids the missile dropkick and hits a modified reverse STO. Suzu goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, cover by Suzu but it gets two. She goes out to the apron and delivers a swandive dropkick, cover by Suzu but it gets another two count. Suzu goes for the German Suplex but Maya grabs the ropes to block it, elbows by Suzu but Maya kicks Suzu in the chest. Suzu recovers and goes for a few flash pins, but Maya kicks out of each. Kicks to the chest by Maya and she hits a vertical suplex, Scorpion Deathlock by Maya, but Suzu makes it to the ropes. Maya picks up Suzu but Suzu slides away and she plants Maya with a release German Suplex. Suzu picks up Maya and nails the German Suplex Hold, but Maya gets a shoulder up. Strike combination by Maya, Suzu tries a cradle but Maya rolls through it and kicks Suzu in the head. Crystal of Snow by Maya, but Suzu gets a shoulder up on the cover. Maya picks up Suzu and delivers the Tiger Driver, and she picks up the three count! Maya Yukihi wins and retains the championship.

For a match with an obvious conclusion, still a pretty solid defense for Maya. As expected, Maya spent the bulk of the match on offense and focused on Suzu’s back, which was done well as she has a good variety of offense to stay on task. Suzu’s hope spots were few but solid, and when she finally hit the German Suplex Hold it was almost a believable nearfall. Sadly that was the climax for Suzu as she went down soon after, with Maya finishing her off without too much of an issue at that point. Both wrestlers are fun to watch and Maya looked good as she always does, it didn’t really feel like a championship match but it was enjoyable nonetheless and was probably a fitting main event for a smaller show.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1008 on 11/23/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: Princess Tag Team Championship
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• April 27th, 2018 vs. Yuigani Mask (title challenge)
• April 17th, 2021 vs. Yuki Kamifuku  (title challenge)
• October 9th, 2023 with Hikari Noa vs. Mahiro Kiryu & Yuki Kamifuku  (title win)

Signature Moves:

• Crossface Lock
• Russian Leg Sweep
• Shiden Kai (Backpack Stunner)
• Tarantula

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

• January 14th, 2017 – Natsumi Maki vs. Nao Kakuta in W-1 ACE
• November 23rd, 2019 – Maika Ozaki and Ram Kaicho vs. Nao Kakuta and Yappy in Ice Ribbon

In Action:

Crossface Lock

Shiden Kai

Back to Retired Wrestlers

The post Nao Kakuta appeared first on Joshi City.

 

• January 9th – Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukushi vs. Tequila Saya and Tsukasa Fujimoto in All Japan Pro Wrestling
• January 14th – Natsumi Maki vs. Nao Kakuta in W-1 ACE
• January 29th – Bambi vs. ERINA in K-DOJO

I have profiles for all the wrestlers except for ERINA, you can click on their names above to go straight to them. Let’s see if there are any hidden gems this month.

Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukushi vs. Tequila Saya and Tsukasa Fujimoto
All Japan Pro Wrestling Yokohama Twilight Blues Volume 3 on 1/9/17

Maruko and Tsukushi attack before the match starts but they both eat a dropkick, they regain the advantage with their own dropkicks before isolating Saya in the ring. Tsukushi stays in the ring with Saya and puts her in a stretch hold, she tags in Maruko who hits a few snapmares. Scoop slam by Maruko and she hits a handstand moonsault, covering Saya for two. Tsukushi returns and puts Saya in the ropes, dropkick by Tsukushi and she covers Saya for two. She tags Maruko back in, dropkick by Maruko but Saya hits a crossbody out of the corner and makes the hot tag to Fujimoto. Fujimoto dropkicks Maruko in the chest, Tsukushi comes in but Fujimoto dropkicks both of them. Kicks by Fujimoto and she trades flash pins with Maruko, but both only get two counts. Maruko flips out to the apron, Tsukushi hits a Stunner on Fujimoto and Maruko follows with a missile dropkick for a two count. Maruko picks up Fujimoto but Fujimoto rolls her to the mat and hits a footstomp, she goes off the ropes but Maruko hits a high speed schoolboy. She tags in Tsukushi, diving crossbody by Tsukushi but Saya grabs her when she goes back up. Fujimoto joins Tsukushi but Tsukushi gets on Fujimoto’s back and applies a stretch hold. Tsukushi slides off and goes for a powerbomb, but Fujimoto blocks it and sits on Tsukushi.

Kicks by Fujimoto but Tsukushi catches one and applies an ankle hold. Fujimoto reverses it but Tsukushi hits a spinning headscissors, Victory Roll by Tsukushi but it gets a two. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Fujimoto rolls out of the wheelbarrow and tags in Saya. Crossbodies by Saya and she puts Tsukushi in a stretch hold, which Maruko breaks up. Tsukushi and Saya trade elbows, but Fujimoto runs in and dropkicks Tsukushi. Saya goes up top and hits a crossbody on Tsukushi, but Tsukushi kicks out. Saya goes up top again but Maruko grabs her from the apron, Tsukushi flings Saya off and Maruko dropkicks Saya. Another dropkick by Tsukushi, she goes up top but Saya avoids the missile dropkick. Gran Maestro de Tequila by Saya, but Maruko breaks up the pin. Saya picks up Tsukushi and goes off the ropes, but Tsukushi rolls up Saya and hits a footstomp. Dropkick by Tsukushi, she goes up top and drops Saya with a missile dropkick. She picks up Saya and hits the Unprettier, but Saya bridges out of the pin. She goes up top again and nails the diving footstomp, and she picks up the three count! Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukushi win!

A fun match and a solid exhibition for the All Japan crowd. They kept the pace up to keep everyone engaged, and everything was hit really smooth. Tsukushi is just so good for someone so young, she is tiny but feisty. Maruko was better here than the last time I saw her, and everyone came out of the match looking good. Not a ton of substance as it was a shorter match in a different promotion, but fun nonetheless.  Mildly Recommended

Natsumi Maki vs. Nao Kakuta
WRESTLE-1 ACE Vol. 2 on 1/14/17

Nao gets Natsumi to the mat first with a leglock, but reverses it as they jockey for position. Kicks to the leg by Nao and she twists Natsumi’s leg in the ropes before tossing Natsumi around by her hair. Scoop slam by Nao and she puts Natsumi in a crab hold, but Natsumi gets to the ropes for a break. Nao stomps down Natsumi in the corner, she gets on the turnbuckle and applies a hanging necklock over the top rope. Irish whip by Nao but Natsumi hits a crossbody, cartwheel by Natsumi and she dropkicks Nao in the leg. Another dropkick by Natsumi and she hits a Tiger Feint Kick, cover by Natsumi but it gets two. Natsumi picks up Nao but Nao pushes her off and hits a Side Russian Leg Sweep. Nao picks up Natsumi and they trade elbows, dropkicks by Natsumi and she goes up top, hitting a diving crossbody for two. Natsumi picks up Nao and delivers the Neck Screw, and she picks up the three count! Natsumi Maki is your winner.

A step down from the last match we saw, mostly due to the time and general structure. While the last one was a sprint, this one was more methodical… but it was too short of a match to take advantage of it. Nao controlled the action and did some limb work, but Natsumi got the win after just a couple moves. What they did was fine, just not long enough to tell the story that they were going for.

Bambi vs. ERINA
K-DOJO Club-K Super In Blue Field ~ BO-SO Golden Tag League 2017 Finals on 1/29/17

Bambi and ERINA charge each other to start, Bambi gets ERINA into the ropes but gives a clean break. ERINA gets Bambi into the ropes the next time but she slaps Bambi before backing off, Bambi charges her but ERINA ducks her attack and applies a waistlock. Bambi gets to the ropes to block the suplex attempt, elbows by ERINA and she hits a jumping crossbody for two. ERINA goes for a slam but Bambi blocks it and hits one of her own, Bambi goes off the ropes but ERINA trips her. Bambi trips her back and stands on ERINA’s back, mounted punches by Bambi and she covers ERINA for two. Bambi chops ERINA in the corner and hits a running hip attack, another cover but ERINA kicks out. Sleeper by Bambi and she then applies a camel clutch, but ERINA gets into the ropes for the break. Back up they trade elbows, ERINA goes off the ropes but Bambi catches the crossbody. DDT by ERINA and she elbows Bambi in the corner, Irish whip by ERINA and she delivers a tornado DDT. ERINA gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, picking up a two count. Dropkick by ERINA, she goes for a slam but Bambi blocks it. ERINA goes for a roll-up but Bambi blocks it, she sits down on ERINA but it gets a two count. Shining Wizard by Bambi, and she picks up the three count! Bambi wins.

Simple, but pretty effective. Bambi gave ERINA quite a bit of offense, they wrestle each other a lot so there isn’t any reason to having them all be one-sided. Since they know each other so well they’d have no excuse to have a bad match, clearly they have chemistry built up and can put on a well structured match. Too short to get excited about, but a solid effort by both.

The post Misc. Match Reviews for Jan. 2017 – All Japan, W-1, & K-DOJO appeared first on Joshi City.