Full Details

Title: VISUALIST Women’s Pro Wrestling Mook
Release: May 19th, 2021
Pages: 98
Size: A4
Cost: ¥1,500
Where to Buy: Amazon Japan and Third Party Vendors

For many months leading up to its release, every week in Weekly Pro Wrestling Magazine there was a featured picture of a Joshi wrestler under the “VISUALIST” heading. This led to the release of this mook (magazine + book = mook, basically its a thicker magazine), which is almost 100 pages of modeling-style pictures of some of the most popular Joshi wrestlers. Many different promotions are represented as wrestlers from Stardom, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Ice Ribbon, Actwres girl’Z, and more are featured.  The complete list of wrestlers in the mook is:

• Giulia (Stardom)
• Yuka Sakazaki (Tokyo Joshi Pro)
• Saori Anou (Freelancer)
• Maya Yukihi (Ice Ribbon)
• Tam Nakano (Stardom)
• Mizuki (Tokyo Joshi Pro)
• Nagisa Nozaki (WAVE)
• Saki Akai (DDT)
• Himeka (Stardom)
• Risa Sera (Ice Ribbon)
• Miku Aono (Actwres girl’Z)
• Yuki Kamifuku (Tokyo Joshi Pro)

For fans of the visual, as the name implies, this mook certainly delivers. Each wrestler gets one page of text, but all the other pages are purely pictures, giving fans a lot of bang for their buck. Many of the photos do veer towards the PG-13 side, but there is no nudity or implied nudity. Some of the wrestlers here are very familar with this style of photoshoot (Tam Nakano, Maya Yukihi, Yuki Kamifuku, etc.) but for others its a more rare look at a different side of them. Every wrestler has at least a couple different outfits/settings, giving the photos for each individual wrestler some variety. All in all, this is a very thorough mook and the best print media for professional modeling-style photos of Joshi wrestlers in recent memory just based on the length and variety of wrestlers. Here is a sample of pictures from the mook:

The post VISUALIST Women’s Pro Wrestling Mook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

Haruna Neko and Suzume vs. Kiryu and Sena Shiori

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

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

Hyper Misao vs. Shoko Nakajima

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Natsumi Maki vs. Sareee

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

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

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

Mizuki vs. Thunder Rosa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• April 29th, 2019 in Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling – Hamuko Hoshi vs. Pork Tamako
• May 3rd, 2019 in WRESTLE-1 – Kyoko Inoue vs. Reika Saiki
• May 7th, 2019 in JUST TAP OUT – Maika vs. Mima Shimoda
• May 26th, 2019 in K-DOJO – Ayame Sasamura vs. Rina Shingaki
• June 2nd, 2019 in DDT – Mina Shirakawa vs. Saki Akai

All the wrestlers have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Hamuko Hoshi vs. Pork Tamako
April 29th, 2019 in Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling

They start with a tie-up and some posing by Hamuko, she gets Tamako to pose too but Tamako is ashamed by her actions and Hamuko attacks her from behind. Hamuko throws Tamako into the corner and rubs her belly in her face, Hamuko bites on Tamako’s arm and then bites the referee too when he tries to get Hamuko off. Hamuko throws Tamako in the corner but Tamako kicks her and hits a diving crossbody off he second turnbuckle for two. Tamako goes for a scoop slam but Hamuko blocks it, Hamuko throws Tamako into the corner and hits a body avalanche. Butt bumps by Hamuko and she hits a bulldog for a two count. Crab hold by Hamuko but Tamako gets her pom poms and uses the extra motivation to get to the ropes. Back up, they trade elbows until Tamako gets Hamuko in the ropes and pulls back on her nose.

Hamuko returns the favor with the same move, Tamako fights back with an elbow and they exchange shots until Tamako applies an Octopus Hold. Hamuko gets to the ropes for the break, Tamako goes off the ropes and slams Hamuko’s face into the mat for a two count. Oil Check by Tamako, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for two. Tamako goes for a suplex but Hamuko blocks it and hits a few belly bumps. Shining Onaka by Hamuko, she gets Tamako on her shoulders but Tamako slides off and cradles Hamuko for a two count. A few more flash pins gets the same result, Tamako finally scoop slams Hamuko and covers her, but Hamuko gets a shoulder up. Tamako goes off the ropes but Hamuko catches her with a lariat, Hamuko gets Tamako on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop, bu Tamako kicks out. Hamuko goes up top and nails a diving body press, and she picks up the three count! Hamuko Hoshi wins!

I wouldn’t say I am a huge fan of Hamuko Hoshi as she is somewhat of a comedy/non-comedy tweener which can be annoying. This was a day off for her and she wrestled it as such, as they did the bare minimum to get by in this ten minute match. From what I could see of Tamako, she appears fundamentally sound but doesn’t show any special traits, which isn’t ideal two years into her career. But she hit her spots well and the pom pom spot was cute, so it wasn’t all bad. Fine to watch if you are just curious about a Joshi wrestler you may not have seen before but nothing beyond that to recommend.

Kyoko Inoue vs. Reika Saiki
May 3rd, 2019 in WRESTLE-1

They lock-up to start, Saiki pushes Inoue into the ropes and elbows her instead of giving a clean break. Saiki goes off the ropes but Inoue shoulderblocks her down, she tries again but gets the same result. Saiki gets Inoue’s back and schoolboys her for two, Inoue retorts with a hard lariat but Saiki continues to fight back. Lariat by Saiki but Inoue doesn’t go down, elbows by Saiki and she finally knocks Inoue off her feet. Saiki picks up Inoue and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Inoue blocks it, she goes off the ropes but Saiki hits a dropkick followed by a successful backdrop suplex. Inoue rolls out of the ring but Saiki quickly goes out after her and throws her into the chairs at ringside. She does it again on a different side of the crowd before getting on the apron, Inoue rolls back in the ring but Saiki goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two. Saiki tries to get Inoue on her shoulders but can’t get her up, she tries again but again collapses before she can finish. Saiki quickly goes up top but Inoue recovers and joins her before hitting a superplex for a two count. Inoue picks up Saiki but Saiki slides away, she goes off the ropes but Inoue catches her and hits a short-range lariat for two. Inoue waits for Saiki to get up and hits another lariat, but Saiki barely gets a shoulder up. Sit-down powerbomb by Inoue, and finally she gets the three count. Kyoko Inoue is your winner.

I really enjoyed the structure of the match, my only complaint is I wish Saiki got one last hope spot in at the end. I loved Saiki wrestling with such urgency, normally she is the power wrestler but here she had to use her speed and relentlessness and I thought she conveyed that very well. It felt like a real struggle just to get Inoue over, which she accomplished a few times but it felt like a big moment each time it happened. I wouldn’t have minded if Saiki did finally get Inoue on her shoulders as they were building to that, and I doubt we’ll see a follow-up match anytime soon to further that story, but I appreciate them putting effort into this match instead of coasting through it. Reika Saiki is really good at everything she does, and if she stays focused on wrestling she could be a major player down the road.  Recommended

Maika vs. Mima Shimoda
May 7th, 2019 in JUST TAP OUT

Maika immediately whips Shimoda to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker, but Shimoda gets to the ropes for the break and rolls out of the ring to re-group. She returns after a moment but is immediately stomped by Maika, Maika works a side headlock but Shimoda Irish whips out of it and boots Maika in the face. Another boot by Shimoda and she tosses down Maika by the hair. Cross-legged crab hold but Maika quickly gets to the ropes, Shimoda bounces Maika off the ropes before putting her in a Camel Clutch. Shimoda lets go and stomps on Maika’s feet, Shimoda applies another crab hold but Maika gets to the ropes again. Neckbreaker by Shimoda and she puts Maika in a singe leg crab hold, but once again Maika forces the break. Shimoda stomps at Maika and hits a scoop slam, Camel Clutch by Shimoda, she picks up Maika and applies an armbar, but Maika gets a toe on the ropes. Slaps by Shimoda in the corner and she headbutts Maika, Maika tries to lariat Shimoda but Shimoda boots her arm and hits a release German. Maika gets back up and elbows Shimoda repeatedly, armdrag by Maika and she hits a monkey flip followed by a judo toss. Another toss by Maika and she overs Shimoda for two. Maika picks up Shimoda but Shimoda takes Maika to the mat and applies a stretch hold. Maika gets out of the hold however and puts Shimoda in a cross armbreaker, and Shimoda quickly submits! Maika wins in her debut match!

I like the idea of what they were trying to do but sadly this match was just very boring. JUST TAP OUT needs to have credible wrestlers and winning a debut is so rare its something fans may notice, but I am not sure if Shimoda was the right choice (unless no one else would do it). Her offense here wasn’t creative or interesting, I figured it would be basic due to Maika’s experience but it was beyond basic and I have seen veterans have far more interesting matches with rookies. The end result may still come in handy if they try to push Maika but I have to see more of her to determine if the gamble will pay off, either way this was too dull to recommend.

Ayame Sasamura vs. Rina Shingaki
May 26th, 2019 in K-DOJO

They begin slow as they trade headlocks, but neither gets a clear advantage before Rina gets Ayame to the mat with a leg submission. Ayame spins out of it as they jockey for position, but they reach a stalemate and return to their feet. Ayame works a headlock, Rina Irish whips out of it and delivers a dropkick. Ayame quickly gets back up and hits a scoop slam, but Rina blocks her attempted second one and slams Ayame’s head into the mat. Ayame throws Rina in the corner but Rina avoids her charge and dropkicks Ayame in the back. Rina kicks Ayame’s arm in the ropes and applies an arm submission, she picks up Ayame and snaps her arm over her shoulder. Rina kicks at Ayame’s arm and knocks her down in the corner before choking her with her boot. Ayame punches Rina in the stomach but Rina applies a Fujiwara Armbar, Ayame quickly wiggles to the ropes to force a break. Irish whip by Rina but Ayame boots her back and hits a hard shoulderblock. Ayame throws Rina into the ropes and jumps down on her back, dropkick by Ayame and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner for a two count. Scoop slam by Ayame and she dropkicks Rina in the head, picking up another two. Rina whips down Ayame by the arm and applies the Fujiwara Armbar, Ayame tries to roll out of it but Rina keeps it on. Ayame eventually gets a foot on the ropes, Rina goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving crossbody for two. Rina picks up Ayame but Ayame gets away, slap by Rina but Ayame catches her with a Cutie Special for two. Rina rolls Ayame to the mat and applies the SBT Lock, and Ayame has no choice but to submit! Rina Shingaki wins!

I’m a sucker for a good submission game so Rina Shingaki is my type of wrestler. She was focused on the arm throughout and then won with an arm submission, its such a basic story but it works. The only complaint there is that Ayame didn’t really do anything to show her arm was hurting, but that wasn’t Rina’s fault. Ayame never felt like she had a chance here so Rina must be getting a bigger push due to her background, this was clearly her match to win. Simple but well done by Rina, perfectly fine match for the midcard.  Mildly Recommended

Mina Shirakawa vs. Saki Akai
June 2nd, 2019 in DDT

Saki gets a headlock applied off the start, Mina gets out of it but Saki quickly re-applies it. Mina takes down Saki but Saki escapes and the wrestlers return to their feet. Irish whip by Saki but Mina dropkicks her, Mina goes for the Mexican Surfboard but Saki quickly gets to the ropes. A dropkick by Mina sends Saki out of the ring, Mina goes to the apron but Saki kicks her in the stomach as she jumps off. Saki then gets on the apron and hits a PK while Mina is on the floor, Saki rolls Mina into the ring and covers her for two. Saki stomps Mina in the corner and chokes her with her boot, snapmare by Saki and she kicks Mina in the back before covering her for two. Mina fights back with elbows but Saki returns the favor and kicks Mina in the chest. Irish whip by Saki but Mina boots her, she goes off the ropes but Saki kicks her in the chest. Saki knocks Mina over before picking her back up, Irish whip by Saki but Mina hits a jumping elbow smash.

More elbows by Mina and she hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, running elbow by Mina and she sits down on Saki in the corner. Mina drags Saki out and puts her in the Mexican Surfboard, she lets go after a moment and applies a double leg submission, but Saki makes it into the ropes for the break. Mina picks up Saki but Saki ducks her lariat and applies a sleeper. Mina snapmares out of it but Saki kicks her in the chest, cover by Saki but Mina kicks out. Saki charges Mina but Mina boots her back, she does it again but Saki blocks the third attempt and hits an elbow. Running boot by Saki, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Mina avoids the diving crossbody. Dropkick to the head by Mina and she hits a spinning backfist, she goes for a DDT but Saki blocks it and hits a vertical suplex. Mina recovers and goes for a few flash pins, but each one only gets a two. Mina goes off the ropes but Saki catches her with a high kick, but Mina barely gets a shoulder up. Saki picks up Mina and delivers the Quetzalcoatl for the three count pinfall! Saki Akai is the winner!

While I hoped this gravure model vs. photo model match would be full of great wrestling, sadly it was not. Saki is a great personality but a limited wrestler, and Mina is early enough in her career I am not writing her off yet but nothing here gave me a lot of hope that wrestling will be a long term job for her. Some real clunky parts, no real cohesive story, it felt like just a house show midcard match with no effort to make it special. Which is ok but if you are going to go basic, at least make the basic action smooth and this was not. Very skippable.

That’s all I have for now, in a few months I’ll check back in with more random Joshi matches to review!

The post Joshi Match Reviews from DDT, RDPW, WRESTLE-1, and more! appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

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

Hikari vs. Miu

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

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

Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuna Manase

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

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

Hyper Misao vs. Saki-sama

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

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

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

Maki Itoh vs. Miyu Yamashita

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

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

Reika Saiki vs. Yuu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Azusa Christie vs. Rika Tatsumi

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

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

Mizuki vs. Yuka Sakazaki

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hikari vs. Yuka Sakazaki

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

Miyu Yamashita vs. Nodoka-oneesan

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

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

Hyper Misao vs. Yuu

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

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

Rika Tatsumi vs. Shoko Nakajima

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuu

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

Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuka Sakazaki

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

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

Yuka Sakazaki vs. Yuu
Tokyo Princess Cup Final

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

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

Since I am hellbent on Joshi City not becoming Stardom City, lets watch something else from 2018 – SEAdLINNNG! This was a big event for SEAdLINNNG, as not only is it at Korakuen Hall but the event aired on Samurai TV. Nanae Takahashi was not able to wrestle on the show due to an injury sustained at WAVE the week prior, and Sareee is gone, but they still have enough talent available to them from other promotions to put on a full show. SEAdLINNNG’s events are more “inter-promotional” than anything else since their roster has exactly two active wrestlers, as this event features four Ice Ribbon wrestlers, three Marvelous wrestlers, and six WAVE wrestlers. Anyway, here is the card:

• Rin Kadokura vs. Satsuki Totoro
• ASUKA vs. Mika Iida vs. SUGI
• Captain’s Fall Tag Match: Mio Momono, Akane Fujita, Nagahama, and Ryo Mizunami vs. Saki Akai, Kurumi, Takumi Iroha, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Misaki Ohata
• Ayako Hamada vs. Yoshiko

All the Joshi wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. I think all the matches are shown in full even though its on Samurai TV, but if any are too clipped I’ll make a note in the review.

Rin Kadokura vs. Satsuki Totoro

Satsuki immediately goes after Rin and hits a shoulderblock, but Rin gets back up and the two trade elbows. Dropkick by Rin and she hits two more, Satsuki ends up against the ropes and Rin dropkicks her two more times. Scoop slam by Rin, and she covers Satsuki for two. Rin goes up top but Satsuki recovers and elbows her, headbutt by Rin and she connects with the missile dropkick. Rin jumps on Satsuki’s back but Satsuki shakes her off, Rin flings Satsuki to the mat and covers her for two. Hurricanrana by Rin, but that gets a two as well. Satsuki knocks down Rin with a lariat, sentons by Satsuki and she covers Rin for a two count. Satsuki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, she then goes all the way up top but Rin jumps up and elbows her before she can jump off. Rin throws Satsuki to the mat and the two trade flash pins with neither getting the three. Sloppy La Magistral of sorts by Rin, and she gets the three count! Rin Kadokura is the winner.

My opinion of Satsuki remains unchanged. Just a really rough match, lots of mistakes, and a botched ending. Since Rin is generally pretty solid, I’ll assume most of the blame goes to Satsuki, this felt like a match with two debuting wrestlers which both are past by now. Sub-par way to start the show.

ASUKA vs. Mika Iida vs. SUGI

ASUKA boots Taiyo before the match even starts for reasons unknown while SUGI and Mika go at it, ASUKA comes over but SUGI flips away from both of them. Mika gets the better of things and puts ASUKA in a figure four, SUGI tries to break it up but he misses, leading to Mika putting him in a facelock while still maintaining the figure four. She lets go after a moment, SUGI and ASUKA both attack Mika and drop her with a double vertical suplex. ASUKA hits a body press on Mika, both she and SUGI bounce off the ropes until SUGI hits a swandive hurricanrana. ASUKA lands on out of the ring, SUGI goes off the ropes but does a fake dive instead of sailing out of the ring. Mika and ASUKA trade elbows on the floor, Mika gets on the apron and snaps SUGI’s arm over the top rope. ASUKA goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, dropkick by ASUKA and she chokes SUGI in the corner. SUGI throws ASUKA into the other corner but ASUKA springboards out of it with a moonsault, Space Rolling Elbow by ASUKA but Mika returns and knocks her to the mat. SUGI puts a submission on Mika over the top rope but ASUKA boots him, Mikai dropkicks ASUKA while she is against the ropes and she trade elbows with SUGI. SUGI wins the battle but Mika breaks up the cover, drop toehold by Mika and she dropkicks SUGI in the head. SUGI kips up but Mika hits him with a running uppercut, SUGI kips up again and he superkicks Mika in the head. SUGI goes off the ropes but Mika rolls him up for two, another cradle by Mika but SUGI reverses it and they go back and forth. ASUKA gets back in and dropkicks Mika, but Mika drops her and SUGI with a DDT/reverse STO combination. Octopus Hold by Mika but ASUKA breaks it up with a missile dropkick, ASUKA picks them up and goes for a double chokeslam, but they push her off. ASUKA superkicks SUGI before hitting a gutwrench suplex, she goes off the ropes but Taiyo trips her. Cradle by Mika to ASUKA but that gets two as well, victory roll by Mika to ASUKA and she gets the three count! Mika Iida wins!

Even by High Speed standards, this was pretty lackluster. It didn’t have the charm that most of the High Speed matches have, no real “sprint” moments and Taiyo was less a part of it than she usually is. While I enjoy seeing SUGI again, a disappointing match.

(c) Mio Momono, Akane Fujita, Nagahama, and Ryo Mizunami vs. (c) Saki Akai, Kurumi, Takumi Iroha, and Fujimoto
Captain’s Fall Match

Mio and Saki start the match but Mio immediately bails out of the ring and Saki is triple teamed by the rest of her team instead. After getting dropkicked repeatedly, Mio is brought back into the ring and Ryo throws Mio onto Saki for a two count cover. Mio goes off the ropes but Saki catches her with The Claw, Mio breaks free however and delivers a dropkick. Mio tries for multiple covers with no luck, Kurumi runs in and decks her, giving Fujimoto time to drag Saki to her corner so she can tag in. Hiroe also is tagged in and she dropkicks Fujimoto, another dropkick by Hiroe and she hits two more for a quick cover. A Northern Lights Suplex but Hiroe also gets a two, she goes for a backdrop suplex but Fujimoto lands on her feet and rolls up Hiroe before kicking her in the chest. Fujimoto goes up top but Hiroe avoids the diving body press, scoop slam by Hiroe and she tags in Akane. Akane hits a scoop slam as well, Ryo is then tagged in and she does the same. Mio tries a slam as well but Fujimoto cradles her for a two count, Mio is collected by her team as Ryo returns as the legal wrestler and chops Fujimoto into the corner. Fujimoto switches positions with her and hits chops of her own but Ryo takes back over, jumping elbow by Ryo in the corner and she hits a lariat. Cover by Ryo, but Fujimoto kicks out. Ryo tags in Hiroe, snap verticals by Hiroe and her team runs in to help, but Fujimoto dropkicks all of them and tags in Kurumi.

Shoulderblocks by Kurumi to Mio’s team but she can’t knock over Ryo as the two go back and forth with shoulderblock attempts. Kurumi wins the battle, body avalanche by Kurumi and she hits the somersault senton for a two count. Kurumi tries to pick up Ryo but Ryo slides away, hard elbow by Ryo but Kurumi catches her with a swinging side slam. Kurumi tags in Takumi, Saki comes in too and they both kick Ryo. Release German by Takumi but Ryo ducks the superkick and hits a series of elbows. Irish whip by Ryo but Takumi connects with a spinning heel kick, Takumi goes up top but Ryo joins her and hits an avalanche powerslam. Ryo picks up Takumi but Takumi elbows her off, kick by Takumi but Ryo hits an overhead suplex followed by a lariat. Uranage by Ryo and she tags in Akane, chops by Akane against the ropes and she tosses Takumi to the mat. Hiroe and Mio come in to help, elbow drop by Akane and she covers Takumi for two. Takumi delivers a kick combination, Fujimoto comes in and they double team Akane. Ryo tags in Saki and Saki boots Akane in the corner, the rest of her team also comes in to attack Akane in the corner before Saki kicks Akane in the head. Akane ducks the next kick attempt and hits a modified Samoan Drop, Akane picks her back up and hits an over-the-shoulder powerslam for two.

Akane puts Saki in a choke but Takumi breaks it up, things break down as both teams are in the ring trading blows. Takumi and Kurumi both go up top and hit body presses, Fujimoto dropkicks Mio in the corner but Mio takes down both Fujimoto and Saki. Mio is tagged in, she cradles Saki but it gets two. Mio goes off the ropes but Takumi grabs her from the apron, Saki goes for a boot but Mio moves out of the way. Mio goes up top but Kurumi grabs her from the apron, Hiroe tosses down Saki and helps Mio hit a senton for two. Knee by Mio but Takumi superkicks her when she goes for the Code Red, everyone jumps on Kurumi’s back as she hits a body press onto Mio, cover by Saki but Mio gets a shoulder up. Saki picks up Mio and hits a strike combination, she goes off the ropes but Akane runs in and chops her. Lariat by Ryo, Mio covers Saki but it gets broken up. Fujimoto goes up top but she dropkicks Saki by accident, roll-ups by Mio but Saki keeps kicking out. Mio goes off the ropes but Saki boots her in the face, pump kick by Saki as Mio gets up and she covers her for the three count! Team Saki Akai are the winners!

So I am not too sure what the point was of having this as a “Captain’s Fall” match since the first person pinned was a captain, but wrestling is weird sometimes. This match was a bit hit and miss but it had more highs than lows, as overall the story was well told. The action was constant with lots of interference, which I have no issue with in a match like this, as both teams were constantly helping when necessary. A bit chaotic but it kept things interesting. Kurumi and Takumi both looked great, the match would have been tighter if it was 3 vs. 3 as not everyone was really necessary but everyone still got a bit of a chance to shine. As a somewhat lighthearted midcard match, I enjoyed it, although in the grand scheme of things not something that will stick in your brain for very long.  Mildly Recommended

Arisa Nakajima vs. Misaki Ohata

They feel each other out to start, Arisa gets Misaki to the mat first but Misaki switches positions with her as they jockey for position. They trade wristlocks until they end up on the mat again, they trade headlocks but reach a stalemate as they return to their feet. After trading elbows, Sling Blade by Arisa but Misaki shoves her to the mat and knees Arisa in the midsection before flinging her down by the hair. She does it again, stretch hold by Misaki and she delivers a curb stomp. Another curb stomp by Misaki, she kicks at Arisa as she returns to her feet and elbows her into the corner, Misaki knocks Arisa out to the apron but Arisa knocks her back and slingshots back into the ring. Dropkick by Arisa and she boots Misaki in the head, dropkick by Arisa and she goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick. Cover by Arisa, but it gets a two count. Arisa knees Misaki but Misaki rolls her up for two, elbow by Misaki and she hits a low crossbody while Arisa is against the ropes. Misaki gets on the top turnbuckle but Arisa hits her before she can jump off and joins her, elbows by Arisa but Misaki elbows her back and crossbodies her down to the mat. German suplex hold by Misaki, she rolls Arisa up and hits two more, but Arisa gets a shoulder up on the last one.

Misaki picks up Arisa but Arisa delivers the Cutie Special, knees by Arisa but Misaki slides her to the mat and goes for a cross armbreaker. Arisa gets out of it, sunset flip by Arisa but Ohata reverses it. Arisa puts Misaki in a submission but lets go after a moment, running boot by Arisa and she connects with the double underhook facebuster. Arisa goes up top and nails a diving footstomp, cover by Arisa but it gets a two count. Arisa goes back up top and goes for a moonsault, but Misaki gets her feet up. Both wrestlers slowly get up and begin trading elbows, Package German by Nakajima but it gets two. Arisa goes for a full nelson suplex but Misaki blocks it and hits a full nelson suplex of her own, they get up and trade elbows again, Arisa goes off the ropes but Misaki catches her with a spinning backfist. Fisherman Buster by Misaki, but Arisa barely gets a shoulder up. Misaki picks up Arisa but Arisa slides away, Misaki cradles Arisa but Arisa kicks out. Misaki goes for a backfist but Arisa comes back with elbows, kick to the head by Arisa and she delivers he full nelson suplex for a two count. Arisa goes for the DxD but Misaki blocks it and hits the Schwein, she picks up Arisa but Arisa rolls away and kicks Misaki in the head. Release dragon suplex by Arisa and she nails the DxD Suplex for the three count! Arisa Nakajima wins the match!

The only real knock on this match is that I wish it was longer, as these are two great wrestlers with lots of chemistry. The match started a bit slow, as you’d expect if it was a much longer match, but once they got into it everything was nonstop. Every strike and suplex was so crisp, and they did a good job mixing it up so it always felt fresh. The last few minutes in particular were hot as both had convincing nearfalls leading to the conclusive ending. Misaki Ohata has flown under the radar due to the fact WAVE doesn’t make air very often, but she is one of the better Joshi wrestlers and deserves more attention. Entertaining match.  Recommended

Ayako Hamada vs. Yoshiko

Yoshiko acts like she is going to shake Hamada’s hand but pulls her down to the mat instead, Hamada gets back up and they go into a Test of Strength. Hamada gets the better of it and applies a leg submission into a STF, but Yoshiko gets into the ropes. Irish whip by Hamada but Yoshiko springboards out of the corner with a lariat, she charges Hamada but Hamada moves and Yoshiko tumbles out of the ring. Hamada goes out after her and tosses Yoshiko into the crowd as they make a tour around the ringside area. Hamada takes Yoshiko up onto the stage but Yoshiko blocks the suplex attempt and hits a vertical suplex of her own. They eventually both make it back to the ring and trade elbows, kick by Hamada and both go for shoulderblocks with no success. Yoshiko finally knocks over Hamada with a shoulderblock, bootscrapes by Yoshiko and she boots Hamada in the face. Kick by Yoshiko and she hits a running senton, she picks up Hamada but Hamada applies a standing armbar. Yoshiko gets out of it and applies an abdominal stretch, but Hamada reverses the hold. Hamada reverts it to an Octopus Hold and rolls Yoshiko to the mat as she also applies a headscissors, Yoshiko gets out of the hold, Hamada goes off the ropes but Yoshiko catches her with a Samoan Drop. Running senton by Yoshiko, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Hamada avoids the diving senton. Kick by Hamada, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a moonsault. She then goes all the way up but Yoshiko recovers and tries to powerbomb her, but Hamada reverses it into a hurricanrana for two.

High kick by Hamada, Yoshiko falls out of the ring and Hamada goes up top, but Yoshiko pulls her down onto the apron. Hamada drops Yoshiko face-first onto the apron, she goes up top again but Yoshiko rolls back into the ring and joins her. Yoshiko gets Hamada on her shoulders and hits an Avalanche Samoan Drop, she quickly gets on the second turnbuckle but Hamada shakes the ropes so she doesn’t jump off. Hamada joins Yoshiko but Yoshiko headbutts her and flips over her before dropping Hamada with a powerbomb. Lariat by Yoshiko, she goes off the ropes and hits a sliding lariat, but Hamada kicks out of the cover. Yoshiko goes of the ropes but Hamada catches her with a heel kick, leaving both wrestlers down on the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up, high kick by Hamada and she delivers a lariat for a two count. Hamada picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko levels her with a lariat of her own, she picks up Hamada but Hamada catches her with a Liger Bomb for two. Hamada quickly drags up Yoshiko and hits another powerbomb, but Yoshiko again kicks out. Hamada drags Yoshiko to her feet but Yoshiko hits a chokebomb, lariat by Yoshiko but Hamada kicks out at one. Yoshiko drives Hamada to the mat with a fireman’s carry slam, she goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, but Hamada doesn’t go down. High kick by Hamada and she hits two more, with a final heel kick sending Yoshiko to the mat. Another jumping kick by Hamada and she nails the AP Cross for the three count! Ayako Hamada wins!

My main issue with matches like this, and perhaps it is because I watch too much wrestling, is it followed a predictable pattern. The brawling segment around the crowd wasn’t needed as it had nothing to do with the story – as soon as both got into the ring it was as if nothing happened and they continued on as usual. Both wrestlers were at fault of at times recovering way too quickly, whether it be from a long submission hold or power move, and it felt like they were just going back and forth with little story. That being said, the action itself was solid and both were putting in maximum effort, with lots of hard strikes and exciting moments. The end stretch felt a bit too stretched but was probably necessary to make sure Yoshiko looked strong even in defeat. Certainly not a bad match, but not as entertaining as the last few matches, as it felt like they were trying to put on an epic match that never fully clicked.

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

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

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

Nodoka-oneesan vs. Syoko Nakajima

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

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

Mil Clown and Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuu and Miyu Yamashita

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

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

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

Akane Miura vs. Maho Kurone

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

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

Saki-nami and Martha vs. Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko

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

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

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

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

The post Tokyo Joshi Pro “Girls Fight Out #3” on 2/18/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I am going back a bit further than I wanted, but this will be the final January review. I just really wanted to watch this show as I adore some of the wrestlers in Joshi Tokyo Pro, and this is their biggest event of the year. It is a full seven match card, and has several special wrestler appearances including Candice LeRae and Laura James. In the main event, Yuu defends her championship against Syoko Nakajima! Here is the full card:

• Cherry vs. Nodoka-oneesan
• Hyper Misao vs. Maho Kurone vs. Rika Tatsumi
• Ai Shimizu and Laura James vs. Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko
• Itoh Maki vs. Reika Saiki
• Candice LeRae vs. Mil Clown
• Saki Akai vs. Miyu Yamashita
• TOKYO Princess Of Princess Championship: Yuu vs. Syoko Nakajima

What a show! I need to add a lot more wrestler profiles but if I have one on the site, you can click on their name above to go to it. Please note that I don’t follow Tokyo Joshi Pro on a week to week basis, so I am not fully up to speed on their storylines. I’ll do my best but there may be some nuances that I miss.

Cherry vs. Nodoka-oneesan

They trade holds on the mat to start with neither getting a clear advantage, elbows by Nodoka and she goes back and forth on the ropes until Cherry trips her. Cherry picks up Nodoka and hits a scoop slam, footstomp by Cherry and she yanks on Nodoka’s arm. Mounted elbows by Cherry and she goes for an armbreaker, but Nodoka makes it into the ropes. Cherry picks up Nodoka but Nodoka elbows her and they trade shots, scoop slam by Nodoka and she hits a crossbody for two. Cherry goes for the cross armbreaker again but gets the seated armbar instead, but Nodoka gets a toe on the ropes for a break. Cherry picks up Nodoka and hits a double wrist armsault, but it gets two. Back up, they trade elbows until Nodoka hits a Samoan Drop, she goes off the ropes but Cherry knees her in the head before going back to the round. Spring Night Love by Cherry, and Nodoka has to submit! Cherry wins the match.

Not a bad way to start off the show, although a bit one-sided. We knew that Cherry was winning of course but I wouldn’t have minded if Nodoka got a nearfall or two, she has been wrestling for a year so it wouldn’t have been too out of the realm of normal if she had a bit more offense than she got. On the plus side, Nodoka didn’t seem awkward or out of place, which is always nice to see in younger wrestlers. A lower end mentor vs. apprentice match, but not poorly worked.

Hyper Misao vs. Maho Kurone vs. Rika Tatsumi

Hyper Misao sends Maho with her knees with garlic and a cross, but she uses the garlic on Rika too which gives Maho time to recover. Minami is still in the ring but hides in the corner, just as Maho gets to her she is rescued by Rika. Misao returns as well and they double team Maho, diving hip attack by Rika and Misao goes for the cover, but Rika breaks it up. Rika goes after Misao and puts her in a kneelock, Flashing Elbow by Rika but Maho breaks up the cover. Maho pounds on Misao, Misao is knocked out of the ring as Rika returns and she puts Maho in a figure four leglock. Maho gets into the ropes, Rika picks her up but Maho puts her in a sleeper. Maho bites Rika’s neck and hits a swinging neckbreaker, but Misao breaks up the pin. Maho puts Misao in a crab hold but Minami helps her get into the ropes, Maho knocks Minami into the ring but Rika comes in also, Misao comes in and tries to hit Maho but she hits Rika by accident. Maho goes back to Minami but Minami hits a neckbreaker drop, Misao goes up top and delivers the diving crossbody, but Maho rolls through it. Rika knocks Misao out of the ring before hitting a backbreaker onto Maho, she puts Maho in a sleeper before changing it to a Dragon Sleeper. Even vampires have to breath, so Maho submits! Rika Tatsumi is the winner.

This was interesting. It was fun in a whimsical kind of way, which is what they were going for, I don’t think any of them are bad wrestlers but there was no way to tell from this match. Since Tokyo Joshi Pro is a brand of DDT there is going to be some matches that are comedy based, that is just part of the package. I would have liked to see more of what the wrestlers could do skill-wise, harmless fun but nothing more than that.

Ai Shimizu and Laura James vs. Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko

While Ryan is kissing his wife, Azusa and Nonoko attack their opponents, with Azusa staying in the ring with Shimizu. She knocks her over but Ryan isn’t paying any attention so he doesn’t count the cover. He finally does but counts really slow, giving Shimizu plenty of time to bridge out. Nonoko and Laura are tagged in, Nonoko distracts Ryan which makes Laura mad, but Nonoko shoulderblocks Laura over. Nonoko puts Laura in an abdominal stretch while distracting Ryan at the same time before tagging in Shimizu. Shimizu and Nonoko elbow Laura to the mat, but again Ryan does a slow count. Laura elbows Azusa and attacks her in the corner, giving her time to tag in Shimizu. Shimizu grabs Azusa’s arm and walks the ropes before hitting an armdrag, leg drop by Shimizu and she covers Azusa for two. Surfboard by Shimizu, she releases it after a moment and tags Laura back in. Scoop slam by Laura and she puts Azusa in a stretch hold, she goes for a Northern Lights Suplex but Azusa blocks it.

Codebreaker by Azusa, and she makes the hot tag to Nonoko. Body blocks by Nonoko, she picks up Laura and hits a body avalanche in the corner before rubbing her chest in Laura’s face. I was trying to be PG but some things just have to be stated. Cover by Nonoko, but Ryan does a slow count which gives Laura time to kick out. Nonoko goes for the Boinmaker but Laura ducks it, Nonoko goes off the ropes but Laura connects with a hip attack. Nonoko and Laura both crawl to their corners and tags in, Shimizu elbows Azusa in the corner and hits a rolling fireman’s carry for a two count. Azusa regains control and pushes Ryan, she gets her Zexy Magazine but Shimizu ducks the attempt to use it. Nonoko comes in the ring but Shimizu’s husband runs in to protect her from being hit from the magazine, Ryan jumps in front of them but Laura then jumps in front of Ryan. Azusa goes to hit all of them with the magazine but they move, so she accidentally whacks Nonoko in the head. Laura puts a lollipop into Azusa’s mouth and kicks Azusa in the face, Fishergirl Suplex by Shimizu and she picks up the three count! Ai Shimizu and Laura James are your winners.

Needless to stay, this wasn’t a particularly serious match either. It was amusing though, I will give it that. Love or hate Joey Ryan, he is very good at the character as he has all the mannerisms down pat, if the match is going to be silly it may as well go over the top and have Ryan doing his thing. Like the last match, I wish I could have seen them wrestle more as I still have no idea how good Laura James is, but for the type of match they were going for I think it was well done.  Mildly Recommended

Itoh Maki vs. Reika Saiki

Reika pushes Itoh into the ropes as the match begins but gives a clean break, they enter into a Test of Strength which Reika easily wins. Wristlock by Reika into a side headlock, but Itoh reverses it. Reika Irish whips out of it but Itoh hits a shoulderblock, running elbow by Reika in the corner and she kicks Itoh in the back and chest. Kick to the chest by Reika, she puts Itoh into the corner and kicks her repeatedly in the back. Reika picks up Itoh but Itoh puts her in a headlock, scoop slam by Itoh and she covers Reika for two. Itoh applies a crab hold but Reika crawls to the ropes to force the break, Itoh picks up Reika but Reika clubs her in the chest. Reika and Itoh trade shots, Reika wins the battle and she covers Itoh for a two count. Kicks to the chest by Reika but Itoh catches one and delivers a headbutt. Itoh goes off the ropes and dropkicks Reika, another dropkick by Itoh and she gets a count cover. Itoh goes off the ropes but Reika catches her with her own dropkick, vertical suplex by Reika and she gets a two count. Reika picks up Itoh and puts her in the Tower Bridge, and Itoh has no choice but to submit! The winner is Reika Saiki.

A match like this is the type that should be the opener, but Tokyo Joshi Pro in general is a very young promotion so sometimes rookie matches appear a bit higher up on the card. This was fine but very basic, when a scoop slam or a vertical suplex is a nearfall you know they aren’t doing anything too complicated. I think Reika has a solid base to become a good wrestler, it is just a bit too early to tell. Technically fine but nothing exciting.

Candice LeRae vs. Mil Clown

After trading holds to kick things off, Candice grabs Mil Clown by her tongue but lets go and apologizes. Wristlock by Candice but Mil Clown eventually kips out of it and springboards off the ropes before armdragging Candice. A heel kick by Mil Clown sends Candice out of the ring, Mil Clown goes to the ropes and hits a headscissors through them down to the floor. Mil Clown stomps on Candice at ringside and tries to slide Candice back in the ring, but Candice kicks her in the head. Candice sits Mil Clown down in a seat and kicks her in the chest, they return to the ring and Candice covers her for two. Mounted elbows by Candice and she yanks on Mil Clown’s arm before putting her in a choke submission, but Mil Clown gets to the ropes for the break. Back up, Mil Clown goes for a dropkick by Candice avoids it, Irish whip by Candice from the corner but Mil Clown boots her when she charges in and gets up on the turnbuckle. She cartwheels off when Candice charges in and connects with a dropkick, cover by Mil Clown but it gets a two count.

Mil Clown applies a unique stretch hold but Candice gets out of it, she rolls Candice to the mat and applies an armbar. Mil Clown picks up Candice and elbows her in the corner, she goes for an Irish whip by Candice sends her back into the same corner before hitting a running elbow. She hits another one, swinging neckbreaker by Candice but Mil Clown kicks out of the cover. Candice goes for the Balls-Plex but Mil Clown blocks it and pokes her in the eyes, she then pushes the referee into Candice, and the blinded Candice thinks it is Mil Clown. She realizes her mistake but Mil Clown catches her with a jumping kick, scoop slam by Mil Clown and she goes for the swandive moonsault but Candice rolls out of the way. Candice goes for the Balls-Plex again but Mil Clown reverses it and slams Candice to the mat. She goes for the swandive moonsault again but Candice pushes the referee into her, Candice finally hits the Balls-Plex but Mil Clown barely kicks out of the pin. Irish whip by Candice but Mil Clown hits a hammerlock slam, Candice goes for a quick pin but Mil Clown reverses it. Mil Clutch α by Mil Clown, and she picks up the three count! Mil Clown wins!

Hooray Mil Clown! It is hard to really describe Mil Clown. Her mannerisms are just fantastic, the head tilts and the way she walks, she is completely embracing the character and it comes across as both authentic and hilarious. She is a good wrestler too, at times it felt like she had to slow down a bit for Candice and Candice is no slouch either. This was mostly the Mil Clown show for me but it was a solid match, it was too short to be a classic but they used the time well. And more importantly, Mil Clown avenged her sister’s defeat so all is right with the world.  Recommended

Saki Akai vs. Miyu Yamashita

Miyu anxiously charges at Saki to start and gets her into the ropes, but Saki switches positions with her before giving a mostly clean break. Miyu goes to run off the ropes but Saki pulls her down by the hair, Miyu gets Saki down in the corner however and chokes her with her boot. Saki returns with kicks of her own, but Miyu knees her in the stomach and hits a dropkick to the back. She goes off the ropes but Martha trips her from the apron, Miyu goes out to confront Martha but Saki kicks Miyu from the apron. Saki throws Miyu into the ring post, kick to the chest by Saki and she rolls Miyu back in. Irish whip by Saki and she elbows Miyu in the chest, kneedrop by Saki and she covers Miyu for two. Saki picks up Miyu but Miyu elbows her off, STO by Saki but Miyu kicks out of the pin. PK by Saki and she puts Miyu in a submission hold, but Miyu gets to the ropes for the break.

Big boot by Saki in the corner but Miyu avoids the next one, she goes off the ropes but Saki kicks her in the stomach. Saki goes off the ropes but Miyu catches her with a lariat, leg sweep by Miyu and she hits a backbreaker for two. Sleeper by Miyu but Saki gets a foot on the bottom rope, they trade elbows and knees, kick to the head by Saki but Miyu fires back with a release German. Back fist by Saki but Miyu avoids the scissors kick and nails a heel kick of her own, picking up a two count. Miyu picks up Saki but Saki catches her kick, Miyu slides under her legs and she applies a chinlock, but Martha distracts the referee. Miyu goes to confront Martha, Saki comes over but she boots Martha in the face by accident. Jumping knee by Miyu in the corner, she hits a fireman’s carry slam but it gets a two count. Buzzsaw Kick by Miyu, she goes off the ropes but Saki avoids her charge and kicks her twice in the back of the head. High kicks by Saki, she nails the Two Step Face Kick and she gets the three count! Saki Akai is the winner.

I enjoyed this match too. Saki is more persona than in-ring ability, but she does have some solid kicks so can hold her own in most situations. Miyu was on fire here, she was really feeling it throughout the match and everything she did was on point. I liked that Martha didn’t play into the end of the match, I don’t mind some ringside shenanigans but prefer that the ending stay relatively clean, so no issues there. I would love to see Miyu against some other wrestlers as skill wise I think she is the best in Tokyo Joshi Pro, she has the fire and strikes that you want to see in a young wrestler. Miyu really brought up the match while Saki was just along for the ride, really solid even if the wrestler I wanted to win was defeated.  Recommended

(c) Yuu vs. Syoko Nakajima
TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship

Yuu gets Syoko to the mat first, she goes for Syoko’s arm but Syoko spins out of it. Yuu keeps Syoko down for several minutes but Syoko eventually gets top position. Yuu quickly regains the advantage, she puts Syoko in a grounded necklock but Syoko gets out of the hold and applies a headlock. Syoko trips Yuu and bridges back up, armdrag by Syoko and she avoids Yuu’s charge in the corner. Syoko slides out to the apron and snaps her neck over the second rope, she slides back in and puts Yuu in a figure four necklock. Syoko slides Yuu to the apron and slams her head onto the mat, Yuu gets back on the apron but Syoko kicks her as she does. Neckbreaker by Syoko, and she covers Yuu for two. Syoko goes off the ropes and hits a flipping neckbreaker, she picks up Yuu and trips her before driving Syoko into the mat head-first. Syoko applies a necklock but Yuu drives her into the corner to get out of it, Syoko goes for a headscissors but Yuu catches her and slams her to the mat. Running elbow by Yuu and she hangs Syoko in the corner, running elbow by Yuu and she covers Syoko for a two count. Sidewalk slam by Yuu, she picks up Syoko but Syoko slides away, she goes off the ropes but Yuu catches her and hits the Oklahoma Slam for two. Syoko goes off the ropes but Yuu swats away her dropkick, Yuu goes off the ropes but Syoko connects on her second try. Yuu falls out of the ring but Syoko dives out after her with a tope suicida.

Syoko slides Yuu back in and elbows her in the corner, she bulldogs Yuu into the turnbuckles before going up top and hitting a missile dropkick for two. Syoko picks up Yuu and drives her face into the mat, double arm takedown by Syoko and she keeps it locked in for a submission. Yuu gets to the ropes for the break so Syoko puts her in a tarantula, she goes up top but Yuu chops her before she could jump off and judo throws her to the mat. Syoko goes for an elbow in the corner but Yuu catches her and spins Syoko down, John Woo by Yuu and she chops Syoko in the chest. Syoko elbows her back and they trade blows, Syoko goes for a dropkick but Yuu doesn’t budge. Yuu chops Syoko in the corner and flips Syoko to the mat before goes for the cross armbreaker. Syoko blocks it and hits a hurricanrana, Northern Lights Suplex by Syoko but it gets a two count. Syoko goes for a double arm DDT but Yuu back bodydrops out of it, she picks up Syoko but Syoko spins her to the mat and holds her down for two. Dropkick by Syoko and she goes for a Tiger Feint Kick, Yuu ducks it so she hits one under the second rope instead. Double arm DDT by Syoko, she picks up Yuu but Yuu hip tosses her to the mat and applies the cross armbreaker. Syoko gets a toe on the ropes to get the break, Yuu picks up Syoko and applies a Cobra Clutch. Yuu picks up Syoko and nails a Last Ride Powerbomb, and she gets the three count! Yuu is still the champion.

I love Syoko, still not completely sold on Yuu. Now that may sound like a mean thing to say about a rookie, but she is the promotion’s champion so even one year into her career she is held to a higher standard. She seems solid, I love some of her throws, but nothing about her really pops or excites. Syoko has some fun and unique offense that helped keep the match entertaining, and she sells like a demon. It was a little longer than it needed to be, they may not have the experience yet to have 20+ min long matches, but the last five minutes or so were well done. An enjoyable match but not without its faults.  Mildly Recommended

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Championships Held: TJPW Princess Tag Team Championship and the KO-D Six Man Tag Team Championship
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: Rookie of the Year (Tokyo Sports Awards, 2014)

Notable Matches:

• December 23rd, 2014 vs. Yoshiko  (title challenge)
• February 3rd, 2018 with Azusa Christie vs. Shoko Nakajima and Yuka Sakazaki  (title win)
• June 8th, 2019 with Misao vs. Mizuki and Yuka Sakazaki  (title win)
• August 25th, 2019 with Misao vs. Miu Watanabe and Miyu Yamashita  (title defense)
• June 20th, 2020 with Kazusada Higuchi and Yukio Sakaguchi vs. El Lindaman, T-Hawk, and Endo  (title win)
• April 17th, 2021 with Mei Saint-Michel vs. Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino  (title win)
• June 26th, 2021 vs. Miyu Yamashita  (title challenge)

Signature Moves:

• Big Boot
• Diving Body Press
• Quetzalcoatl
• Rookie Award (Curb Stomp)
• Running Knee
• Versailles-Style Foot Choke

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

• January 3rd, 2016 – Saki Akai and Cherry vs. Makoto Oishi and Shunma Katsumata in DDT
• January 4th, 2017 – Saki Akai vs. Miyu Yamashita in Tokyo Joshi Pro
• February 18th, 2017 – Sakisama and Martha vs. Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko in Tokyo Joshi Pro
• January 14th, 2018 – Momono, Fujita, Nagahama, and Mizunami vs. Akai, Kurumi, Iroha, and Fujimoto in SEAdLINNNG
• June 3rd, 2018 – Hyper Misao vs. Sakisama in Tokyo Joshi Pro
• June 2nd, 2019 – Mina Shirakawa vs. Saki Akai in DDT
• January 4th, 2020 – Saki Akai vs. Yuki Kamifuku in Tokyo Joshi Pro

In Action:

Quetzalcoatl

Versailles-Style Foot Choke

Back to Retired Wrestlers

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