Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling will be kicking off 2021 on January 4th with their first big show of the new year which will be airing live on WrestleUniverse including, for the first time ever, full English commentary provided by DDT’s Chris Brookes, Mark Pickering and Stewart Fulton in an effort to reach a global audience.
As anticipated, the card looks great with two of the three Tokyo Joshi Pro titles being on the line, that being the Princess of Princess Championship and the Princess Tag Team Championship.
Suzume v Arisu Endo
Announced during the 12.12 show, trainee Arisu Endo makes her debut in Tokyo Joshi Pro during this show by taking on Suzume. With the debut of the rookie Endo, this is going to be a win for Suzume though it will definitely be enjoyable since it’s not often that Suzume is featured in singles matches due to her still being quite early on in her career herself but being trusted with a debuting wrestler is a sign of how good her abilities in the ring are. Endo has been mentored by fellow wrestler and bodybuilder Reika Saiki recently so it’ll be interesting to see what she’s picked up from her advice.
Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku v Moka Miyamoto & Yuna Manase
Just days before the match, Miyamoto’s original partner Marika Kobashi unfortunately had her PCR test come back positive which for the safety of everyone else on the show meant that she was taken off the card. However this leaves the door open for ex-TJPW wrestler Yuna Manase. Yuna only left TJPW a couple of months back but has been having impressive matches under Ganbare Pro where she’s faced Takumi Iroha as well as making a return to STARDOM where she teamed with Natsu Sumire in a losing effort to Riho and Saya Iida. Yuna being added to this match adds some well needed veteran experience as all three other women have a combined four years of experience to her six. This pair takes on the fun team of Haruna Neko and Pom Harajuku, which is bound to have all the silly antics you expect from a clown and a cat teaming up. Haruna as of late has been doing fantastic character work, which is a big focus of Tokyo Joshi Pro, by using her cat claws to temporarily blind her opponent. This is a match that could go either way but will mainly be used to help improve the other women in the match.
Aja Kong, Raku & Mizuki v Nao Kakuta, Miu Watanabe & Mirai Maiumi
Joshi Legend Aja Kong makes her return to TJPW in this match, unsurprisingly since her last appearance at the WrestlePrincess show in November, she put on a great match alongside Miyu Yamashita defeating Sareee and Maki Ito although similar to that match we will more than likely see Raku and Mizuki taking the lead for the team which isn’t a bad thing in the slightest as Mizuki recently had a Match of the Year contender against Yuka Sakazaki while Raku has been having great trios matches alongside her Up Up Girls teammates, one of whom just so happens to be across the ring from her in this match. The team of UUG’s Miu Watanabe, Nao Kakuta and Mirai Maiumi isn’t one to underestimate. Maiumi faced off against Aja Kong at the beginning of 2020 and their next face-off has been highly anticipated between fans due to the powerhouse that Maiumi is. With such a stacked card in terms of tag matches this may fly under the radar so it’s not one to be missed.
Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel v Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori
Mei Saint-Michel (Mei Suruga) has recently joined Sakisama (Saki Akai) in Neo-Biishiki Gun and then pair are showing great chemistry as a team. With Sakisama making more appearances in TJPW lately it seems like they’re going to make a run for the Princess Tag Titles soon. Taking on the team of UUG’s Hikari Noa and Sena Shiori who have also been teaming up more often and make a good team to fill the division out a little should make for a great match with a decent mix of the less serious spots that TJPW is known for and good wrestling skill. Noa has been picking up a lot of momentum since her run in the International Princess Championship Tournament where she lost in the finals and seems to be really finding her footing as of late. This match will also mark the one year anniversary for Shiori which is a big achievement so this will be a good opportunity to show off her skills and get a good start to the year.
Shoko Nakajima v Hyper Misao
So… Hyper Misao said she was going to retire today then revealed she is getting married and is postponing her retirement so she can continue to wrestle as a married woman. #tjpw
— Dramatic DDT (@DramaticDDT) November 20, 2020
Those new to TJPW may recognise Shoko Nakajima from her few appearances on AEW. Any singles match she has on the card is going to be exciting and facing someone as unpredictable as Hyper Misao will definitely be a fun watch. Hyper Misao recently announced that she was going to retire due to her getting engaged and even had a retirement ceremony before changing her mind at the last moment which prompted this match. With Hyper Misao there’s bound to be some foolish shenanigans to start with but once the ball gets rolling this will be an exciting matchup for them both and in terms of who will come out the winner is almost as unpredictable as Hyper Misao herself.
Miyu Yamashita v Maki Ito
Maki and Miyu have been going back and forth at each other in tag matches and we finally get the pay off in a singles match between the two. Miyu being the solid worker she is will definitely help with lifting Maki up to that next level, especially as Maki’s outlandish personality has been gaining the attention of international fans which makes this match on this show perfect for her. They’ve both proven in tag matches, whether as partners or opponents, that they have brilliant chemistry together and that’s amplified by the few interactions the fans get to see of them outside of the ring as well such as the recent press conference for the show. While it’s hard to call a winner for this it’s absolutely going to have its great moments and may even be the match of the card.
Princess Tag Title Match: “BAKURETSU Sisters” Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino(c) v Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
It’s V1 for the real-life sisters Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino as they take on International Princess Champion Yuki Kamifuku and Mahiro Kiryu. It’s interesting that Kamifuku is put into a tag title match since she is currently a singles champion and actually defended her title against her partner Mahiro at the start of December but the two have proved they can rack up wins together including beating a team that included Yuki Aino. As this is the first defence for the BAKURETSU Sisters they will be putting all of their effort into keeping their titles in this match so expect a lot of heart coming from them but is that enough to stop Kamifuku from becoming a double champion in the company, this match will set the precedent for tag wrestling in the company for the coming year. Overall the sisters should come out with the victory for their first title defence.
Princess of Princess Title Match: Yuka Sakazaki(c) v Rika Tatsumi
This is the 5th defence for Yuka Sakazaki and her Princess of Princess Championship, after a successful defence against Mizuki at WrestlePrincess a lot of fans have been wondering who can possibly topple the ace of TJPW and put an end to her 400+ day reign. That’s where the White Dragon Rika Tatsumi steps up on Jan 4th. Though Rika has yet to hold a singles title in the promotion she has been nothing short of impressive throughout her career and this match against Sakazaki will be the ultimate test to see if she’s ready to hit the main event scene. Both of these women are worthy of the main event spot on an important show such as this and will deliver on everything that people want to see from Tokyo Joshi Pro as a promotion. This may already be a Match of the Year contender to kick things off for them so this is a main event that you don’t want to miss at all. Into the new year it is likely that we will be seeing a brand new Princess of Princess champion in Rika Tatsumi.
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