A teary-eyed Yuki Aino bowed to the crowd and to her opponent before rolling out of the streamer-covered ring. She limped away post-battle to a soundtrack of passionate cheers.
Yes, Ryo Mizunami lifted the trophy and earned the championship match, but Aino earned her own victory that night.
She left Korakuen Hall a bigger star.
Aino’s rise was the story of the 11th annual Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling Princess Cup. Never mind that Mizunami outlasted her in the finals. Never mind that it will be Aniki taking on Miu Watanabe for the Princess of Princess Championship at Wrestle Princess. The more lasting impact of this tourney is how it changed the trajectory of Aino’s career.
The Okayhama native has always been a good wrestler but never a marquee performer.
Aino joined TJPW in 2018 and was right away a solid addition. Her strength and striking ability helped her fill out the roster. She was a rugged opponent rather than a legit challenger for much of that early stretch of her career.
She found her footing as a tag team specialist, particularly alongside Nodoka Tenma as one half of the BAKURETSU Sisters. The two sisters, not surprisingly, suited each other well, two bruisers who could bowl over their foes. The duo won the Princess Tag Team Championship in 2020 and were a prominent part of the tag division even after they lost the belts.
When Tenma departed from TJPW, Aino suddenly seemed rudderless, her role unclear. She wrestled alongside Raku several times, their partnership offering a stark juxtaposition of slugger and comic relief. But that alliance never crystalized the way Aino and Tenma had.
Later, she and Mizunami paired up. The two bulldogs won the tag belts to kick off 2024 before ultimately dropping them to Daisy Monkey in March.
Aino has progressively improved in the ring throughout this time. Her offense grew crisper. Her passion was more pronounced.
Still, when she was announced as part of the 2024 Princess Cup field, she was by no means the odd-on favorite to win. Even a newcomer/outsider like Zara Zakher seemed like a safer bet to finish on top.
But Aino made the tournament her proving ground, match after match.
It began with a first-round matchup against Runa Okubo on July 28. This was a meeting of vet versus rookie, one where Aino’s strength advantage was significant. The teenager charged in on Aino only to be met with dimissiveness and a swift trip to the ground.
Aino controlled much of the action, but helped make Okubo look formidable with her vigorous reactions. The sub-five-minute match ended with Aino delivering a Venus DDT for a three-count.
In the second round, the level of competition jumped up. Aino now faced Shoko Nakajima, the former Princess of Princess champ and one of the pillars of the company.
This was the main event of the night, and Aino sure looked comfy in that spot. She more than held her own in a mat-wrestling exchange with Nakajima. She was a convincing threat, intense, and compelling.
Shoko teetered from Aino’s offense. The powerhouse flung the former champ around. Aino’s whole repertoire was clicking: strikes, holds, power moves. This helped lead these two to one of the tournament’s best matches. The win, by way of shoulder block of all things, over Nakajima was Aino’s biggest to date in singles competition.
Next came Yuki Kamifuku.
Was this where Aino’s run would end? Kamiyu had fought her way to the finals last year. She’s been the more popular, bigger name of the two. But things have changed, and one could sense that here.
Aino entered with obvious confidence despite dealing with a knee injury. Her presence filled the screen. She looked and moved like a major player, not the supporting cast she was once.
In the slower-paced match, the foes brawled outside the ring and traded some thunderous shots. Aino hit potent, dynamic moves. Gut-wrench suplex. Full nelson. Her suplex dubbed UBV. It all sang.
Zara Zakher awaited Aino in the semi-finals. The American import had impressed during her summer TJPW run, and now faced one of the promotion’s most improved talents.
Aino seemed to take an extra moment outside the ring, looking downward, emotional, pensive. Perhaps she was savoring this opportunity, knowing she was about to march her way to the finals.
This bout was one of power versus power, bruiser against bruiser, and Aino came to play. She matched Zakher’s energy and made this her moment. Aino showed off power and a self-assured energy. She flowed on offense. She pulled us in on defense.
When she pinned Zakher, the crowd threw in some impassioned yelps amid the applause.
Now Aino had advanced further than many predicted. The perennial midcarder had fought her way to the main event. She was but one victory away from sizable glory.
In the finals, Aino had a familar face standing in her way, her once tag team partner Mizunami.
Mizunami pinned her in the turnbuckles and battered her with forearms. Aino amplified the spot with her emotion. She wore a wide-eyed, crazed look. Her expression read pain, focus, fury.
She displayed similar emotional eloquence throughout the match. Aino’s face curled in anguish. She snarled in anger. She radiated fighting spirit.
The best element of the bout, though, may have been her striking. Aino offered an onslaught of hammering blows. She fired off big, emphatic elbows. She landed jarring shots.
The message was clear with every swing of her elbow–she belonged in this spotlight.
Mizunami earned a hard-fought win in the end. Still, much of the focus after the bell was on Aino. The victor told her (as translated by the English commentators) that the door to the next level was already open and it was up her to decide whether to walk through it.
Her boots sure did a lot of walking during the Princess Cup. She’d been making steady progress in the ring, but put an exclamation point on that with bouts against Nakajima, Mizunami, and others.
There is no going back. Aino is no longer midcard fodder. She doesn’t have to settle for being a tough out. Her ceiling has shifted.
She proved herself to be an asset for TJPW, someone who could thrive in a singles role, in the heart of the spotlight.
The competition to enter Tokyo Joshi’s top tier is always fierce, but so is Aino. She’s charging toward that pinnacle with main-character energy abound.
RESURA 