#Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling

[jasvvy]

hikari's bridges are absolutely insane.

[playingthesaint7823]

[makiitoh]

[wrestlingrandomness]

My favorite married couple 🥺

[indirectcomedian]

safe to say masha enjoyed GCWvsTJPW

[ink-pocket]

the fired idol with the iron head

[elitehanitje]

Miu Watanabe chopped & swung a fan

[scarskelly]

L-O-V-E, LOVE WAKANAAA

[wrestlingwiththoughts]

Miu Watanabe vs. Miyu Yamashita, TJPW Grand Princess ‘24, March 31, 2024

The catch up tour of '24 takes us now to Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling so we can catch the ascension of Miu Watanabe, the highlighted performer among TJPW's idol group/wrestling stable, the Up Up Girls, and the newest Princess of Princess champion.

If the major puro companies are highlighted by their youth movements (witness the increased focus on Shota Umino in NJPW, Kaito Kiyomiya in NOAH, Yuma Anzai in AJPW, Dragon Dia in Dragongate, and Maika in Stardom), then we can see the trend continue even in TJPW, which saw Watanabe finally beat the ace of TJPW, the four time Princess of Princess Champion, and the measuring stick by which TJPW’s other wrestlers are measured, Miyu Yamashita.

Let’s put aside the notion that this is a contender to break my match of the year list; its sudden ending keeps it from the upper echelon. Nonetheless, it’s a very solid match with an easy story to understand: Watanabe hasn’t been able to beat Yamashita, and Yamashita wants Watanabe to push herself to the fullest in the challenge. Yamashita doesn’t get disrespectful, like Ospreay did at times against Alexander in their second match, but Yamashita is insistent that Watanabe’s best cannot defeat her. Their aggressive exchanges of side headlocks at the start lay the groundwork for the story, and their offensive exchanges build on that foundation.

Watanabe sticks to her winning formula: she worked Yamashita’a back to blunt her offense (hard to throw a killer kick if you can’t stand or twist your body) and to set up the Tear Drop. Yamashita punishes Watanabe with kicks to the body and the head, hunting for a knockout.

The intensity and escalation are very engaging, though I’m of two minds about Yamashita’a one count kick out. On the one hand, it hammers home that Yamashita is undeniable; her evil grin and offensive sprint from the one count make the point that Watanabe will have to elevate her game to beat her. Watanabe takes some tremendous kicks to the head that had me sweating. On the other hand, the conclusion comes so quickly that it doesn’t feel like Watanabe really earned it. I didn’t get the sense that she conquered or even outlasted Yamashita; it wasn’t quite fluky, but it wasn’t far.

Still, Watanabe and Yamashita were a lot of fun to watch, and the match was a breezy experience. I’m looking forward to seeing Watanabe’s other highly praised work this year in this catch up tour of ‘24.

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

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[jasvvy]

[questintheskies]

[playingthesaint7823]

Two titles always look great on her

[makiitoh]

drop pop whirling candy 🍭

[elcaminodelsanto]

Sakisama