The power. The splendor. The joy.  What a match Miyu Yamashita vs. Miu Watanabe was.

Even watching thousands of miles away from Sumo Hall, the main event of Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling’s Grand Princess is a visceral experience. It is a bout that sears into your skin, that strikes through the screen like a surge of errant electricity coursing through some unlucky arm.

Following Watanabe’s big title win, I scribbled a mess of notes on notebook paper. I paced in my hallway. I let the memories of that match bounce around inside me.

I kept thinking about what made this so special, trying to pinpoint its power.

Of course, a lot of the magic Yamashita vs. Watanabe comes from the result itself. TJPW fans have long waited for a new face to grace the championship tier from a company that so heavily relies on the familiar and the established. Many of those folks pining for freshness have been pulling for Watanabe.

She’s super likable, awesome in the ring, fun as hell to watch. And she is tailor-made for what TJPW does. She can deliver the drama and violence that’s required of the main event scene. She can flourish on the funnier side of things. She’s an idol, a powerhouse, a spectacle, and a conqueror.

An absolute multitude of things. All perfectly fitting the TJPW vibe.

But there’s more to it than who ended up in the win column.

The Princess of Princess Championship clash will end up competing for Joshi Match of the Year because of story. It gave fans a story rich in emotion, a story told through the face, through body language, through a pair of exposed thumping hearts.

That began with neither wrestler having a clear advantage. Miu and Miyu exchanged holds, displaying tight, tense mat wrestling for the Sumo Hall crowd.

Their expressions spoke to the intensity brewing in front of us. Yamashita was cold, a killer, staring down her challenger with a predatory focus.

Watanabe was focused, too, but her face read differently. You could see hope in her eyes, confidence tinged with uncertainty. The kind of unsettled feeling one gets facing an end boss.

As they applied snug headlocks, grunting, snarling, both foes were clearly wary of each other. They were two fencers looking for an opening. They respected each other, knowing full well the power the other wields.

Watanabe zeroed in on the champion’s back by way of backbreaker and knees to the spine. This strategy had Yamashita less stable, a tank with its tread coming loose.

Miyu responded with plenty of kick-based offense. She controlled Watanabe at times like a footballer commands a ball at their feet.

Both wrestlers hit their signature moves with crisp precision. And their reaction to all of it amped up the drama. Their eyes rolled in their head. Their bodies bent in pain.

When the usual haymakers weren’t enough, Watanabe had to elevate her attack. She spun Yamashita with an inverted giant swing and landed an avalanche Tear Drop from the top rope.

All this punishment paid off when Yamashita’s back started to give in. At one point, she dropped Miu, clutching at her side. Then we saw sliver of doubt in the champion’s face. She was determined as ever, but it was clear the hunter knew this hunt would be more arduous.

In one of the most memorable moments of the whole thing, Watanabe hit her finisher, slamming Miyu’s face down on the mat. In a blink, Yamashita shot up, standing tall and menacing over Watanabe like a horror monster.

When it was the champ’s turn to land her signature move, we got another striking image. Yamashita cracked Watanabe with a straight up nasty skull kick. Even after the surprising kickout from that move, Watanabe’s face quivered and her eyes rolled back.

She was punch-drunk and vulnerable but managed to push on. Her fight, her spirit shone in that ring. This warrior energy is a part of why she’s been so captivating, a woman who thrives as the protagonist in pursuit of glory.

Watanabe gave everything of herself to beat down TJPW’s longtime monarch. Another Tear Drop left Yamashita stunned and Miu crawled atop her with what little energy she had left.

The ref counted to three but there was more story to tell.

Watanabe and Yamashita shared an embrace rich with respect and emotion. They seemed proud of each other, impressed by how far they were able to push each other. Amid that feel-good moment, though, there was still a layer of animosity.

Miyu was never able to fully shut down her killer instinct. She grabbed Watanabe’s hair as they hug. She looked ready to leap back into fighting mode.

Meanwhile, it was Watanabe’s turn to stand under the spotlight with the Princess of Princess Championship atop her shoulder. It’s the biggest accomplishment in her career to date. It’s the most precious crown she’s ever worn.

The pure joy emitted from her was obvious and contagious. This was real elation in her face, the spoils of long-desired victory, surely mirroring the feeling of many watching in the building or at home.

Watanabe would still be primed for a great title reign if the match hadn’t been quite as great, but now, walking out of such a compelling, indelible outing, she bears a mass of momentum.

This was a performance worth celebrating from both women, a match that ranks among the best this company has seen. And for Watanabe, it is proof positive that TJPW made the right choice in putting her in this spot.

Now the next journey begins, a new champion set to tell the rest of her story. Having met with triumph, Watanabe looks to make the TJPW realm hers in full. Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki all loom.

We now wait for the powerful, pink-clad Miu to battle all those challengers to her throne, to see what other works of theater her muscles and passion can produce.