Ring Announcer Sayuri Shirai appeared in the ring to open the show, running through the venue rules and announcements before revealing that “Soaking Wet Hammer! TJPW Rooftop Garden Pro-Wrestling & BBQ Party” will be held on Saturday, October 10th at Shimbashi Grand Hammer. Next, she announced that legendary manga artist Go Nagai will be producing the key visual art for the upcoming October 3rd Ota Ward Gymnasium show.
The event then transitioned into the Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) music segment. Following a mini-live performance of “Sugar High!”, a “Start Kid”—chosen from a general application pool of elementary school fans as a special summer vacation project—made the opening call to officially kick off the event.
1. 15-Minute Time Limit
○ Shion Kanzaki (9:27, Waki-gatame) Momo Sato ●
Seven months after her debut, Kanzaki scores her first direct victory: “No matter how many times we fight from now on, I will definitely win!”
A singles match between two rookies who debuted this year. They started with a handshake, exchanging arm wringers before creating distance. Kanzaki threw Sato and hit a back elbow, cornering her and initiating a call-and-response with the crowd. She sent Sato flying with a dropkick, but it only netted a two-count. Sato fired back with elbows, and Kanzaki responded in kind. When Kanzaki charged, Sato caught her with a bodyslam. Sato followed up with a barrage of corner elbows and a shoulder tackle for a near fall.
Kanzaki resisted further attacks, landing a dropkick, but Sato blocked a Waki-gatame attempt with an elbow. Sato ran in for a heel kick, but after her cover was kicked out of, she locked in a Boston Crab. Kanzaki barely managed to reach the ropes for an escape. Seizing an opening, Kanzaki hit a surprise inside cradle, followed by a running back elbow, and then locked in a standing Waki-gatame. She drove Sato into the mat and wrenched the hold tight, forcing Sato to submit.
▼ Backstage Comments
Kanzaki: “I got my first win! I practice with Momo-chan all the time, and from watching her matches, I know perfectly well how incredible her natural wrestling sense is. Honestly, I didn’t go into today thinking this was a guaranteed win. That’s exactly why I’m so incredibly happy to get my first direct victory over Momo-chan like this. And no matter how many times we fight from now on, I will absolutely be the one to win, so please continue to support me. Thank you very much! (Can you return in triumph to Choshi with your chest puffed out now?) I have my hometown return coming up, so I want to stand tall with pride.”
Momo: “I fought Shion-san today and lost. If either of us won today, it was going to be our first direct victory, and losing here at Korakuen Hall is incredibly frustrating. Next time, I absolutely won’t lose. I will definitely win. (Having fought this far, did you find any personal areas to improve on?) Umm, I think I need to make my movements a little faster and hit my opponents with much, much harder elbows.”
2. 15-Minute Time Limit
○ Sakura Hattori (8:53, Kitcho Kagome) Haru Kazashiro ●
Following an exchange of reads and reversals, Kazashiro hit a dropkick, ruthlessly targeted Hattori’s arm, and delivered a corner elbow. Hattori fired back with palm strikes (shotei) and a soccer ball kick, but Kazashiro countered with a back elbow. Kazashiro chained a leg lariat into an armbar. Hattori escaped, hitting a modified fireman’s carry drop followed by a two-step kick. Kazashiro resisted an arm-triangle choke, ate a high kick, but then brilliantly reversed a second arm-triangle attempt into another armbar. Five minutes passed.
Hattori kicked her way out, but Kazashiro immediately hit a codebreaker to the arm and locked in the Izayoi. Hattori’s foot reached the ropes. Kazashiro dodged a low-altitude crossbody and hit an enzuigiri, followed by a screw kick, and then climbed to the top rope. Her flying forearm resulted in a two-count. Kazashiro clung to Hattori’s leg, tenaciously grabbing the arm before hitting a dropkick. After a fierce elbow exchange, Kazashiro successfully landed her low crossbody. However, Hattori blocked a fisherman suplex attempt, wrapped herself around Kazashiro’s neck in the style of an Indian Deathlock (the Kitcho Kagome), and held her down to snatch the three-count.
3. Enjoying Summer to the Fullest! Bon Odori Match (20-Minute Time Limit)
○ Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku (11:41, Full Nelson of Love and Fire) Hyper Misao, Mahiro Kiryu & Shino Suzuki ● (Special Rule: In addition to standard pro-wrestling rules, a pinfall will not be counted unless the covering wrestler performs a soulful Bon Odori dance prior to the pin.)
Due to strong demands from both teams, this was changed to a summer-vibes Bon Odori match. Misao confirmed the rules on the microphone, the music hit immediately, and everyone formed a circle to dance the Bon Odori. Suddenly, Misao’s team ambushed Pom to officially start the match. Kiryu hit a shoulder tackle, but her cover was nullified because she hadn’t danced. Deciding to fix that, she called for the music herself and danced, but only got a two-count. Suzuki tagged in, hit a corner elbow, and demanded the music. She went for the cover, but Pom shouted, “That wasn’t soulful at all!” and nailed her with a dropkick. The Love-Pom-Raku triangle then cued the music and executed the Goodnight Express.
Pom laid herself out spread-eagle and challenged Suzuki: “Go ahead, try and pin me!” The crowd started a “Shino” chant. Suzuki began to dance, but Pom tripped her up. Aino and Raku hoisted Suzuki onto their shoulders while Pom played the den-den daiko (pellet drum) on her back. Suzuki was dominated for a while but eventually hit Pom with a dropkick and made the hot tag to Misao. Misao caught a kick and hit a crossbody, but her pin was invalid due to lack of dancing. Pom screamed and hit a dropkick. Five minutes passed. Misao dodged a flurry of Raku’s chops, locked in a chickenwing facelock, and when Raku escaped, hit her with a knee. Kiryu tagged in.
Sitting in seiza on Raku’s back, Kiryu called for the music, danced, and dropped an apology-style knee drop. Raku dodged the follow-up, danced on the turnbuckle, and hit a brain chop. Kiryu caught her with a running elbow. The two traded side slams and Kagayaki neckbreakers, resulting in a double down. Aino and Suzuki tagged in. The two danced together, and Misao assisted Suzuki’s roll-up with a spray attack. The trio danced around a downed Aino, and Suzuki threw a flurry of elbows, but Aino blasted right through her with a shoulder tackle. Suzuki popped right back up, hitting a dropkick into a neckbreaker drop.
Kiryu took out Pom with a side slam, Misao eliminated Raku with a Dragon Slayer, clearing the path for Suzuki. Ten minutes passed. Aino hit Suzuki with a stomach buster, a senton, and a flying shoulder block. She danced, then hit a side suplex. Aino clamped on the full nelson. Even while trapped, Suzuki managed to dance, somehow escaping into a roll-up for a near fall. Aino immediately re-applied the Full Nelson of Love and Fire, forcing the tap-out.
4. 20-Minute Time Limit
○ Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara (12:23, Pinfall) Sumire Natsu & Miho Ashida ● (Winning maneuver: Fameasser)
This marked Natsu’s first appearance in TJPW, facing off against “Ober Eats”. Kamifuku and Natsu, who are best friends outside the ring, started the match. Natsu dodged a lock-up and played to the crowd on the ropes; Kamifuku stomped on her and whipped her by her costume. Natsu kicked away Kamifuku’s foot in the corner and hit a big boot. Kamifuku read it and went for an eye poke, which Natsu dodged. They glared at each other and both tagged out. Ashida used her pom-poms to block Uehara’s vision and danced, but Uehara cartwheeled away and hit a dropkick. Ober Eats tossed the pom-poms out of the ring and double-teamed Ashida. Kamifuku hit a charging big boot, followed by an Uehara dropkick. With Natsu cheering her on using the pom-poms, Ashida escaped a banana pillow submission. Ashida blocked a brainbuster, hit a big boot, and tagged Natsu.
Natsu hit a big boot into a running neckbreaker drop. Five minutes passed. After a corner elbow, and with Ashida cheering her on, Natsu went for a bronco buster, but Uehara dodged and hit a brainbuster. Kamifuku tagged in. They traded big boots until Uehara sat Natsu on the top turnbuckle, allowing Kamifuku to hit a big boot, a space rolling elbow, and a brainbuster. Natsu countered the Fameasser into a Complete Shot and kicked Kamifuku in the side of the head. With Ashida cheering again, Natsu nailed the bronco buster for a two-count.
Ashida tagged in, hitting a big boot into a charging spin kick, followed by a front kick and a cover. Kamifuku answered Ashida’s elbows with a reverse knife-edge chop, then locked in a Manji-gatame (Octopus Hold). Ten minutes passed. Ashida countered into a Kama-gatame, but Kamifuku escaped into a bottom-position headscissors. Kamifuku hit a dropkick, an eye poke, and a reverse Fameasser, but Natsu broke the pin at two. Uehara hit Natsu with a dropkick, and Ober Eats eliminated her with a double big boot. Left alone in the ring, Ashida hit Kamifuku with a reverse chop and a Cheerful Kick. Kamifuku reversed a German suplex attempt into a standing Fameasser, followed immediately by a reverse chop. Kamifuku then hit a picture-perfect Fameasser for the three-count.
▼ Backstage Comments
Kamifuku: “I’m on my retirement road, so I asked the company a little favor and introduced them to Sumire Natsu. She has a character that truly doesn’t exist in Tokyo Joshi. We’re the same age, and she dresses so flashy, doing all that ‘too-much-sexy’ stuff, so she looks like this intense, harsh woman. But honestly, in front of me, she’s incredibly delicate, kind, and considerate. She’s a true professional, and someone I deeply respect. That’s why I wanted them to meet her. I wanted Wakana and Ashida to meet her, so they could learn about the vast possibilities of pro-wrestling—even if it’s just 0.2% of what Sumire Natsu is.”
Uehara: “Yes! The bronco (buster)!”
Kamifuku: “Right, the bronco. Be glad it was me who took it. If it was you, you would’ve been destroyed. Got anything else to say?”
Uehara: “This was our first match as Ober Eats in 5 months. Thinking about your retirement makes me sad, and I almost cried during our entrance, but I still want to fight alongside you so much more. I don’t know what the cards will look like going forward, but please let me keep chasing your back.”
Kamifuku: “Even after I retire, can I call you if I make too much food at home?”
Uehara: “Call me anytime!”
Kamifuku: “I’m looking forward to watching you grow. Please keep taking good care of Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling.”
Ashida: “Natsu-san, thank you for your first TJPW match!”
Natsu: “No, no, thank you. Ashida-san’s cheering truly soaked into my soul, clearing it up like a crisp autumn sky.”
Ashida: “When I was getting stretched out, you held the pom-poms and cheered for me. I realized just how incredible the power of cheering really is. Thank you so much.”
Natsu: “Believe in the power of cheering, and cheer on all sorts of wrestlers. And I’ll be cheering for you, Ashida-san.”
Ashida: “Thank you!”
— How did it feel competing in Tokyo Joshi for the first time?
Natsu: “Honestly, uncharacteristically, I was incredibly nervous. I woke up at 2:00 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep. I even forgot my makeup pouch at home—which is more important than my own life! I was doing things that were very unlike me. But the fans were so warm, and my nerves melted away all at once. I really felt accepted by Tokyo Joshi. I came in today with the mindset of ‘I’d rather be a one-time legend than a one-season regular,’ but now I’m convinced I can be a one-season regular. To the management team: please give it your utmost consideration.”
— How was interacting with Kamifuku?
Natsu: “Even though we’re both wrestlers, this is the very first time Kamiyu and I have met in a ring like this. If anything, we never have the chance to cross paths at match venues, so we’re really just simple, same-aged friends. Out of everyone I’ve met in the pro-wrestling industry, Kamiyu is the first person I became friends with without pro-wrestling acting as the middleman. Of course, I feel sad [about her retirement], but the fact that we could face off here right before she retires—not as girlfriends, but as fellow wrestlers—is all because Kamiyu created this opportunity, and I’m incredibly grateful to her. To ensure Kamiyu’s feelings don’t go to waste… management, please, give me a one-season regular spot. This has been Sumire Natsu.”
5. 20-Minute Time Limit
HIMAWARI & ○ Toga (12:41, Modified Muffler Hold) Chika Nanase ● & Kira Summer
Kira, who had briefly returned to her home country, appeared for the first time in about two months, facing off against two competitors who narrowly lost in the Princess Cup semifinals. Kira and HIMAWARI started things off. They traded headlocks before Kira lifted HIMAWARI into a knee crusher. HIMAWARI got her back taken, swung her hair to counter, ran Kira into the ropes repeatedly, and rolled her up. Kira kicked out, hit a shoulder tackle, shouted “I’m back!”, and dropped a double elbow drop alongside Nanase. HIMAWARI quickly countered and tagged in Toga.
Toga hit rapid knee crushers and tied up Nanase’s legs. Nanase escaped and hit a running elbow, tagging Kira who followed up with a lariat. Kira hit reverse chops and a backdrop, but Toga immediately answered with a bodyslam. HIMAWARI followed up with hair-pulling strikes. Five minutes passed. Toga hit a rolling thunder, and HIMAWARI hit a facecrusher. Kira was dominated for a spell, but broke out of HIMAWARI’s single-leg crab, using a John Woo (running dropkick) assist from Nanase to hit a bodyslam. The double-team yielded a two-count. During the back-and-forth, HIMAWARI hit the Ohimesama-otoshi (Princess Drop), leading to a double tag.
Toga and Nanase stubbornly traded shoulder tackles until Toga blew her away with a vicious strike. Ten minutes passed. Nanase dodged a rolling thunder, hit a shoulder tackle, a bodyslam, and a running elbow for a two-count. Toga blocked the Inari Torii, caught a charging Nanase, and hit a fallaway slam. She hoisted Nanase up in a muffler hold, but Kira broke it up just in time. HIMAWARI took Kira out with a neckbreaker drop, and Toga signaled for Absolute Zero. Nanase resisted, but after eating a full-swing elbow, Toga re-applied the muffler hold. Dragging her back to the center of the ring, she wrenched it back, forcing Nanase to tap out.
▼ Backstage Comments
Toga: “We won!”
HIMAWARI: “Nice! That was close, really close.”
Toga: “It was a match we absolutely had to win today.”
HIMAWARI: “I mean, we both made it to the final four! Even if we didn’t make the finals.”
Toga: “We made it just one step away.”
HIMAWARI: “We can’t afford to lose. We have to be the ones being chased.”
Toga: “This was my first time fighting Kira since she got back, and she’s gotten so strong. Actually, it just felt like she got physically huge.”
HIMAWARI: “So thick! So huge! So strong! Like, I was genuinely shocked.”
Toga: “She didn’t just go home for a visit, she trained properly and gained experience.”
HIMAWARI: “With her older sister over there, yeah.”
Toga: “And Chika’s competitive spirit was incredible too.”
HIMAWARI: “Chika’s intensity just keeps rising.”
Toga: “The power in her eyes got so intense.”
HIMAWARI: “As her visual presentation gets better, her confidence rises with it, and her matches get better too. It’s crazy. Seriously.”
Toga: “I have huge expectations for Chika, especially since we both use elbows.”
HIMAWARI: “Wait, did you even use one today?”
Toga: “I didn’t, did I.”
HIMAWARI: “Why not?! She’s like this, I swear!”
Toga: “It might sound condescending coming from a fellow elbow-user, but I wanted to show Chika that she needs to keep working hard, and that you can win a match even if you only throw one big shot.”
HIMAWARI: “You’re riding high! I love it!”
Toga: “Our juniors are getting stronger; we can’t let our guard down.”
HIMAWARI: “But hey, we’ve got all the momentum right now! We’re feeling ourselves!”
Toga: “It’s been a while since we teamed up.”
HIMAWARI: “Yeah! A really long time! Have we only tagged like once before?”
Toga: “Once or twice? From my perspective, I get paired with a lot of different people, but HIMAWARI-san feels like an existence I hadn’t truly encountered yet as a partner. Fighting against you teaches me a lot, but teaming with you teaches me even more. I’d love to team up again.”
HIMAWARI: “Oh, I like that! Let’s do it!”
Toga: “Let’s team up again while we’re both riding this wave!”
HIMAWARI: “Let’s do it! I want to! I want to!”
Toga: “We’re usually fighting on opposite sides.”
HIMAWARI: “That’s true. Usually opponents. If we get the chance, I definitely want to tag again! Ah man, thank you! That was fun!”
Toga: “It was fun!”
— Will you continue as a tag team?
HIMAWARI: “Well, I do have a regular partner, so…”
Toga: “And mine is just on leave…”
HIMAWARI: “It’s more of a ‘hey, it’s fun doing this together too’ kind of vibe.”
Toga: “If the opportunity arises, I’d like to team up.”
HIMAWARI: “As comrades growing together.”
Toga: “You’re the one person I’ve tagged with the least. It’d be great if that increased from now on.”
HIMAWARI: “Sounds good. Our moves are surprisingly similar. Lots of spinning. It’s fun. So yeah, that’s the vibe. It’s just beginning, so look forward to it!”
Toga: “There might be plenty more to come.”
HIMAWARI: “Let’s open up…”
Toga: “…A whole new world.”
6. 20-Minute Time Limit
○ Mizuki, Mei Suruga & Shio Takami (12:59, Cutie Special) Miu Watanabe, Arisu Endo & Ren Konatsu ●
Mizuki’s team went for a sneak attack off the handshake, but Watanabe’s trio cut it off. Takami and Endo engaged in a high-speed exchange, with Endo hitting a dropkick and tagging Konatsu. During the scramble, Takami hit “Kidnapping the Sheep”, drawing loud boos from the crowd. Konatsu got revenge by stomping on Takami’s arm. Mizuki pulled Konatsu’s leg from the outside, allowing Suruga to hit a foot stomp, and Takami followed with a dropkick. Suruga tagged in. She tied Konatsu up in the ropes, crushed her, and hit a dropkick to the back. Mizuki hit a top-rope crossbody, and Takami relentlessly targeted the legs. Konatsu vaulted out of the corner into a roll-up, hit a dropkick, and made the hot tag to Watanabe.
Watanabe threw Takami into Mizuki and scoop-slammed them both simultaneously. Suruga pulled Takami’s leg to stop a Giant Swing. Five minutes passed. Takami hit Watanabe with a headscissors whip, followed by a springboard missile kick, and tagged Suruga. Suruga hit her own headscissors whip on Watanabe, inverted herself in the corner, and hit a crossbody. She mocked Watanabe by pantomiming tying her hair before going for a dial hold, but Watanabe blocked it, looking for the Giant Swing. Suruga violently resisted, locking in Cattle Mutilation, but Watanabe powered out directly into a blooming Giant Swing.
Watanabe hit a Canadian Backbreaker into a double axe handle and tagged Endo. Suruga bridged out of a strike and hit the Tsurugajo; Suruga immediately jumped onto the ropes to land a foot stomp. Mizuki tagged in, but Endo caught her attempting the Bandaisan and hit a Complete Shot. Endo reversed the Cutie Special into a waterwheel drop. Konatsu tagged in. Mizuki dodged the Aries Comet, but Konatsu immediately followed up with the Konatsu Crush. Ten minutes passed. Mizuki squashed a Shoulder Bite attempt and locked in a facelock, transitioning into a Southern Cross hold, but Konatsu reached the ropes.
Konatsu dodged a diving foot stomp and hit an avalanche hold. Endo hit the Bandaisan, and Konatsu successfully landed the Aries Comet for a two-count. As Watanabe rushed in to break up a pin, Mizuki hit her with the Whirling Candy. Takami hit Konatsu with a pendulum dropkick. Finally, Mizuki locked in the Cutie Special to secure the three-count.
7. 20-Minute Time Limit
○ Yuki Arai & Miyu Yamashita (15:51, Scorpion Deathlock) Hiroyo Matsumoto & Shoko Nakajima ●
Arai and Nakajima started things off. After a technical exchange, Arai hit an arm drag, backed Nakajima into her corner, and tagged Yamashita. Yamashita hit a snapmare into a soccer ball kick, and Arai nailed Matsumoto on the apron with a big boot. They attempted a double-team on Nakajima, but an infuriated Matsumoto broke it up. Nakajima tossed both Arai and Yamashita outside and hit a Tope Suicida. However, Arai and Yamashita caught her mid-air, setting up for a double brainbuster. Nakajima desperately held on. Seeing this, Matsumoto grabbed Nakajima from inside the ring and aggressively hurled her own partner out onto Arai and Yamashita in a wild spot. Matsumoto tagged in, cornered Arai, and crushed her with a body attack. She followed with hair whips, but Arai fired back with elbows.
Matsumoto dropped Arai with a single reverse chop and a side slam. When Nakajima asked for a double-team, Matsumoto surprisingly lifted Nakajima up in powerbomb position—but Nakajima used the momentum to hit a Frankensteiner, launching herself directly onto Arai. Five minutes passed. Following a scramble over throws, Arai hit a bodyslam and tagged Yamashita. Yamashita unloaded middle kicks and a lariat. Nakajima dodged a corner attack, jumped from the second rope for a tijeras, hit a Rider Kick, and tagged Matsumoto. Matsumoto hit Yamashita with a lariat, sparking an intense strike exchange. Yamashita stubbornly threw middle kicks while Matsumoto traded back with heavy elbows.
Matsumoto dodged a Skull Kick and hit a headbutt; Yamashita countered with a high kick. Using delayed rope work, Yamashita locked in a sleeper hold, followed by a high kick from behind, ending in a double down after a return crash. Arai tagged in, hitting a running big boot, but Matsumoto fought off a Scorpion Deathlock attempt. Matsumoto absorbed a flurry of big boots and hit a spinning brainbuster. She locked in a facelock. Ten minutes passed. Arai barely managed to escape.
Arai desperately fought off a piledriver attempt, and Yamashita assisted with a high kick. Arai leveled Matsumoto with a big boot and followed up with a modified brainbuster. Matsumoto kept her arm clutched and hit a lariat anyway, tagging Nakajima. Arai fought off a top-rope Frankensteiner and hit a modified brainbuster off the turnbuckle. Yamashita ran interference while Arai went for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Nakajima reversed it. Nakajima hit a Hurricanrana for a two, which Arai kicked out of directly into a big boot. Nakajima’s Northern Lights Suplex got a two-count. Nakajima hit a Double Arm DDT and went up for a diving senton, but Yamashita cut her off with a high kick before she could fly.
Matsumoto charged in and racked Yamashita in an Argentine Backbreaker, which Nakajima used as a springboard to hit a tijeras on Arai. Fifteen minutes passed. Arai dodged the 619, planted her with a Full Nelson Buster, and securely locked in the Scorpion Deathlock. With Yamashita cutting off Matsumoto, Nakajima had no choice but to submit.
▼ Backstage Comments
Yamashita: “We won!”
Arai: “We did it!”
Yamashita: “I’ve just entered my 14th year in wrestling. Today, along with Nakajima. And on this memorable day, I faced Hiroyo Matsumoto for the very first time. Of course, she was incredibly strong, and eating every single one of those shots hurt like hell, but it really felt like a true fight. It was painful, but it felt amazing. And today, thanks to Arai’s strength, we won. I’m so happy we got to fight together. Also, my next match with Matsumoto will be teaming up with her at Takayama-san’s show, TAKAYAMANIA (Sept 7, Korakuen Hall). I want to draw plenty of stimulation from that unique setup, but even in a tag match, I want to fight in a way where I don’t lose to anyone. I am genuinely so happy we got to fight today.”
Arai: “Arai took massive damage from Nakajima-san at the end, but Arai got the win! I lost to Nakajima-san earlier this summer in the tournament and couldn’t advance, so I was thrilled to fight her again on a big stage like Korakuen. It was also my first time facing Matsumoto-san. I’ve teamed with her twice before, and standing next to her is fun, but a part of me was always a little jealous of her opponents, and I really wanted to throw everything I had at her. Today, I left it all out there—there was nothing where I felt ‘Ah, I wish I had done that.’ I don’t know what the current Matsumoto-san thought of it, but I feel like I showed everything Arai is capable of. Yamashita-san is a senior who has watched me since my very beginning, and it’s been a while since we tagged together, so I worked my hardest hoping she’d think I’ve become at least a somewhat reliable partner.”
Yamashita: “I did think that. I really, really did. It gave me a lot of strength, too.”
Arai: “Yay! I’m going to sleep so well tonight! Today made me want to work even harder for what’s next! Thank you very much!”
— Would you eventually like a singles match with Matsumoto?
Arai: “Ah, it’s scary, it’s scary, but pro-wrestling truly holds infinite possibilities. There are so many matches I haven’t had and people I haven’t fought. I would be absolutely thrilled to share a match with Matsumoto-san again in any form! I want to fight her over and over, and I want to grow until Arai can beat her!”
(Nakajima and Matsumoto)
Nakajima: “I messed up…”
Matsumoto: “The Little Kaiju got beat, huh.”
Nakajima: “I beat Arai recently, so I was really hoping that winning today might give me a shot at something…”
Matsumoto: “Gotta get her back for this.”
Nakajima: “But, Matsumoto-san, I view you as the pioneer of female Kaiju wrestlers in Japan. You’re Lady Godzilla. Anguirus is my absolute favorite Kaiju, so getting to be your Lady Anguirus partner today made me incredibly happy.”
Matsumoto: “We had great chemistry, didn’t we.”
Nakajima: “Yes! But it’s so frustrating that I ended up losing like a sacrificial lamb, just like Anguirus in the movies.”
Matsumoto: “Sorry, I don’t know much about Anguirus. I’ll study up.”
Nakajima: “Thank you.”
Matsumoto: “Regarding facing Arai… I couldn’t believe we were actually going to stand across from each other as pro-wrestlers, but honestly, she was more than I imagined. The paths Arai and I have walked are so different, and if I’m being completely honest, there was a part of me that underestimated her. But standing in the ring, all those preconceptions were blown away. I fought her as Yuki Arai, the pro-wrestler, and amidst that, I truly felt the journey she has walked as a pro-wrestler. I didn’t think I’d be able to feel that. Honestly, I’m happy I did.”
— How do you feel about teaming with Yamashita next time?
Matsumoto: “Right. Coincidentally, next week at TAKAYAMANIA, I’m teaming with Yamashita. It’s almost weird, Yamashita’s had a long career too, right?”
Nakajima: “Same as mine.”
Matsumoto: “Right, right. In all those years, our paths never crossed once until our first match today. And next is our first tag. The timelines are crazy. Having fought her today, I know exactly how dangerous that girl is. Knowing that, our opponents are Hashimoto and Mizunami. We are going to show the absolute pinnacle of Joshi pro-wrestling. Watch closely, pro-wrestling world! We’re gonna bring it.”
8. The 13th Tokyo Princess Cup Final (No Time Limit)
○ Suzume (20:46, Pinfall) Rika Tatsumi ● (Winning maneuver: Spring Ring-a-Bell. Suzume wins her first championship.)
Suzume secures a challenge against Arai at the October 3 Ota Ward show: “Tokyo Joshi taught me that it doesn’t matter how old you are when you find a dream, or how many dreams you have.”
They shared a firm handshake before the start. Both remained motionless for a while after the bell. Tatsumi, avoiding the lock-up, swept the leg and went on the offensive on the ground. Suzume escaped a knee crusher follow-up with a roll-up. Tatsumi forced Suzume into the ropes repeatedly, but Suzume responded with a throw into a dropkick. Tatsumi escaped a double wrist-lock, but Suzume sent her outside with a headscissors whip and set up for a plancha. Tatsumi scrambled up to the apron and choked her to stop the dive. Tatsumi pulled streamers from under the ring, wrapped Suzume up completely, and hurled her into the audience seating. She then sat Suzume in a chair, hit a sliding hip attack, and applied a Figure Four Leglock using the ring post on the apron. She continued the leg assault with a low-altitude dropkick.
Five minutes passed. Back in the ring, Tatsumi hit a knee crusher, followed by a “Yossha Ikuzo!” Elbow right to the knee. Suzume was tied up in the ropes but barely managed to dodge and hit the Honeycomb Eight-Knot. Tatsumi forcefully reversed it, utilizing the top rope for another Figure Four Leglock. She then hung Suzume upside down in the corner and hit a hip attack to the knee for a two-count. Suzume resisted a Dragon Screw, hit a facecrusher, unloaded a flurry of elbows, and landed a running corner elbow. She landed on her feet out of a backbreaker, hit a dropkick, and this time successfully hit the plancha on Tatsumi on the outside.
Back in the ring, Tatsumi rained elbows in the corner, but Suzume dodged a running hip attack and hit the Mikazuki Ryuseigun (Crescent Moon Meteor Shower). Tatsumi flipped the cover over and immediately hit a hip attack. Ten minutes passed. A diving hip drop got a two-count. Tatsumi transitioned from a Dragon Backbreaker into a sleeper hold. Suzume escaped and went for a running elbow, but Tatsumi caught her right back in the sleeper. Suzume broke free again, but struggled to get to her feet as the crowd roared in support. Tatsumi hung her in the corner in a sleeper, but Suzume cut off a Missile Hip attempt with a kick from below. They traded elbows on the apron, and Suzume hit a running dropkick. Tatsumi somehow lifted Suzume while still choking her. Suzume slipped out and used the ring post as a springboard to hit a facecrusher on the floor.
Back in the ring, Suzume covered for a two. Tatsumi cut off a rope-walk facecrusher with a dropkick, hit a Dragon Screw, and seamlessly locked in a Figure Four Leglock. Suzume was trapped for a grueling stretch, but eventually dragged herself to the ropes. Fifteen minutes passed. Tatsumi slapped Suzume as she clung to her to stop a follow-up, and hit a sliding hip attack for a two-count. Suzume reversed the Twist of Fate into a Noshigami, and successfully hit the rope-walk facecrusher. Tatsumi caught the Ring-a-Bell attempt and hit the Twist of Fate; Suzume instantly retaliated with a Ring-a-Bell of her own, causing a double down.
Both rose at the count of nine and unloaded a frantic barrage of elbows. A dropkick and a hip attack collided mid-air, leading to a Suzume roll-up. When Tatsumi kicked out, Suzume immediately hit a low-altitude Ring-a-Bell, but when she went for a second, Tatsumi caught her in a Dragon Sleeper. Dragged back to the center of the ring, Suzume miraculously rotated out of the hold. Suzume then began choking Tatsumi; Tatsumi choked her right back and roared. Suzume hit a standing dropkick. Twenty minutes passed. Tatsumi countered the Twinkle with a sleeper. Suzume desperately broke free, immediately hit the Spring Ring-a-Bell, and kept her down for the three-count.
Suzume received the trophy and took the microphone.
Suzume: “Rika-san… I’ve become strong! I’ve always admired you, admired how you live with everything you’ve got. To be able to clash with you at full power, and knowing you threw everything you had right back at me, makes me so happy. I will never let go of the title ‘natural enemy’ you gave me! I will always be your natural enemy, so you better be ready!”
(Tatsumi playfully shoved Suzume, hugged her, raised her hand in victory, and exited the ring first.)
Suzume: “Like a true hornet, I flew around more than anyone else this summer! I conquered this hot summer… but I have no intention of stopping here! Yuki-chan, were you watching? Are you here?” (Speaking to Arai as she approached the ring) “There you are! I won!”
Arai: “Suzume-san, congratulations on your victory.”
Suzume: “Thank you. I’ve always thought that you, holding that belt, are like Tokyo Joshi’s brightest shining star. But right here, right in this moment, even though I’m battered and bruised, I have the confidence that I’m shining brighter than anyone else. I will continue to run forward as the International Princess Champion. But… I can’t give up on my dream of the Princess of Princess Championship either. So, please, put that belt on the line and have a title match with me, the winner of this tournament.”
Arai: “This summer, I watched every single moment of you, Suzume-san, shining brighter and brighter as you ran around the ring. I saw you take all of your love for Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, hold it tight, and race to the top of this tournament. Arai wants to fight that Suzume-san. My love for Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling and this ring won’t lose to yours, and I want to crash those feelings against you in this ring. Right now, I want to clash with you, Suzume-san. So, let’s fight at our next big show, the October 3 Ota Ward General Gymnasium event. I look forward to the match!”
(They shook hands and posed for photos before Arai left the ring.)
Suzume: “The Ota Ward match is official! On a personal note, the day after tomorrow marks my 7th anniversary. Seven years ago, well, a little before that—before I discovered pro-wrestling—I used to think that a dream was something you had to hold onto from the time you were a little kid. I honestly thought I’d never find one. But finding Tokyo Joshi taught me that it doesn’t matter how old you are when you find a dream, or how many dreams you have. From here on out, I plan to be greedy and chase after everything I want and everything I want to do. This Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling ring is overflowing with the dreams of every single wrestler here. And today, I want to support the dreams of everyone who came here, and everyone watching on the stream, too. So please, continue chasing your dreams together with all of us in Tokyo Joshi! Thank you so much for today!”
Tatsumi’s “Things I Want To Say” Explodes: “It’s messed up to work this hard and not get rewarded! Raise our pay! Give us more special bonuses!”
▼ Backstage Comments
Suzume: “I survived this summer and won! I admired Rika-san, and that’s why I came to Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling. Having never challenged myself to do anything, I wanted to try living life with everything I had, so I came to Tokyo Joshi to fight. Today, being able to clash with everything I had… it was so painful, so grueling, so tough… But being this happy made me realize all over again just how insane pro-wrestling is. The fact that I was able to dive into such an insane place is entirely thanks to Rika-san. I plan on being persistent, continuing to stay right here as Rika-san’s natural enemy forever. All of this relentless chasing is her fault anyway, so please forgive me. (Laughs)
And, there was something I decided I would do if I won this summer tournament: Challenge for Yuki-chan’s Princess of Princess Championship. I will continue to defend my own belt, and I will keep making my dreams come true. But I absolutely refuse to give up on chasing Yuki-chan’s belt, either. So, I’m going to be greedy and make all my dreams come true. I’ll keep sprinting straight through the Ota Ward General Gymnasium show, so please keep supporting me.
(If you win the belt at Ota Ward, you’ll be a double champion, correct?) That’s true. But I have things I want to achieve with each specific belt. I want to expand the world of the International belt, and expand the world of the Princess of Princess belt. I’m thinking about them separately. (So rather than being a ‘Double Champion,’ you view it as holding two separate paths?) Exactly. I don’t want to unify them; I want to fulfill my dreams for both. Being able to be that selfish is a privilege I earned by winning the tournament. (How does the view look now that you’ve won?) I thought it would be a view I’d never seen before, but it was just as warm and passionate as always. It was the view of the Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling that I love so much. (There was a moment where you were strangling Tatsumi?) I thought I couldn’t move anymore… but because it was Rika-san standing in front of me, my body just moved on its own. (Laughs) (The word ‘dream’ came up a lot in your promo.) Yes. I’ve always had strong feelings about the word ‘dream,’ just like I mentioned on the mic. Furthermore, I absolutely love Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling’s newly established slogan: ‘Kawaii × Dream × Strong.’ I truly believe those words apply to every single person in Tokyo Joshi. I love Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling because we fight with our own unique cuteness, our own unique dreams, and our own unique strength. That’s exactly why so many words just poured out of me.”
Tatsumi: “Ahhh… my summer… is entirely over! Man, this tournament period has just been a long, bitter, bitter, bitter, grueling time. Right now, I feel a sense of relief, but also the sting of being completely beaten. Man, but, yeah… Suzume has gotten truly strong. What a massive pain of a natural enemy. Does this mean I have to beat her all over again? Well, whatever, that doesn’t matter now. I grew to love this summer even more. But I can’t just let it end like this. I still have things I want to say. It’s messed up to work this hard and not get rewarded! Isn’t that messed up?! People who work hard should be rewarded! Raise our pay! Give us more special bonuses! I worked so damn hard this summer. It’s ridiculous! If the people putting in the effort don’t get rewarded, the whole thing is messed up! Right, everyone?! That’s why I’m going to embody it even more! Everyone is commendable just for being alive! I am going to embody that! I’m going to survive, and survive, and embody it, and I am going to get my reward! That is all!”
Arai: “Suzume-san fought her way up and won the tournament. As someone who also entered the tournament holding a championship belt, seeing Suzume-san’s brilliance and how she carried herself this summer gave me a lot to think about. I watched every single match, seeing her sparkle brighter and brighter. Seeing her in front of my own eyes, shining her absolute brightest as the champion, made me think, ‘I want to fight that Suzume-san.’ That’s why I asked for Ota Ward. Plus, Suzume-san and I had completely different journeys to get to the Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling ring. Our lives were never meant to intersect, yet we found each other in this ring. I feel a deep sense of destiny in that. I don’t believe my love for this ring is any less than hers, so at Ota Ward, I want to let my love for Tokyo Joshi explode against Suzume-san. We’ve fought many times before, but to face the best version of Suzume-san, I know the best, strongest version of Arai has to be there. I’m going to spend the time leading up to October thinking hard in my own way, and I plan to successfully defend my title. Everyone, please come watch.
(Is putting the International belt on the line an option?) Ah, that’s true. Hmm… Right now, holding this [Princess of Princess] belt, advancing forward as the champion… I’m completely fulfilled just by this belt right now. There are so many things I want to accomplish while holding it. Right now, I want to stake absolutely everything on this belt.”
Translator’s Notes
- Go Nagai (永井豪): Mentioned in the opening announcements, Go Nagai is one of Japan’s most legendary manga artists, famous for pioneering the mecha and magical girl genres with works like Mazinger Z, Devilman, and Cutie Honey. Having him design a wrestling show’s promotional art is a massive crossover deal for the promotion.
- Bon Odori (盆踊り): A traditional Japanese dance performed during the summer Obon festival to honor the spirits of ancestors. In Match 3, the comedy stipulation required wrestlers to capture the “soulful” essence of this summer festival dance to legally score a pin.
- One-season regular (ワンクールのレギュラー): Sumire Natsu uses the industry term one-cour (ワンクール), referring to a standard 13-week Japanese television broadcasting season. She plays on the phrase “I’d rather be a one-time legend than a one-season regular,” indicating her initial plan to make a massive impact in a single appearance, but admits the crowd won her over into wanting a recurring role.
- Lady Godzilla & Anguirus: Shoko Nakajima’s long-standing gimmick is the “Big Kaiju.” Teaming with the powerhouse Hiroyo Matsumoto, who carries the moniker “Lady Godzilla,” Nakajima likens herself to Anguirus—a spiked dinosaur Kaiju from the Godzilla film franchise who often serves as Godzilla’s scrappy underdog ally (and frequent punching bag).
- Kidnapping the Sheep (羊を誘拐): A poetic move name used in Match 6. This likely refers to an intricate submission hold that visually targets/traps the opponent. TJPW and Gatoh Move (Mei Suruga’s home promotion) heavily feature whimsical, story-driven move names (e.g., Whirling Candy, Konatsu Crush, Aries Comet).
- Cutie Special (キューティースペシャル): Mizuki’s finishing maneuver. The name pays homage to Joshi legend Cutie Suzuki, who popularized similar bridging suplexes in the 80s and 90s.
- Noshigami (熨斗紙): Rika Tatsumi’s signature gourdbuster/facebuster. The term traditionally refers to a ceremonial wrapping paper used for gifts in Japan, metaphorically suggesting she is neatly “packaging up” her opponent for a finish.