By: Jeff Brown

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling did a two-shot at Kitazawa Town Hall with both Go Girl 5 and the Night Before Grand Princess. Go Girl, being a unique event with only women being able to attend to encourage a sampling, tickets were sold at a reduced price. Helping to make wrestling more inclusive and women more comfortable to attend is always welcome and needs to be commended.

The company has a few more stops on their way to Grand Princess, including a show later in the evening. Here are some thoughts from that entire day in Kitazawa.

The Up Up Girls performed Babyface.

Yuki Aino vs. Kira Summer

This match had good basic wrestling and mean striking between the two. They were able to get a lot out of a bodyslam, focusing on the fundamentals and building slowly from there. Each was able to showcase their power and strength; Yuki got the pin after hitting the Venus DDT on Kira.

HIMAWARI, Kaya Toribami & Yoshiko Hasegawa vs. Chika Nanase, Haruna Neko & Mahiro Kiryu

HIMAWARI successfully confused Chika with her multiple log roll attempts. A very fun spot early with Mariho using HIMAWARI’s hair to encourage Neko like you would a cat to play with a toy. Chika is more confident and seems to be finding her place on this roster as a stoic power fighter amidst the calamity.

Yoppy and Chika were really laying into each other with forearms; Yoppy was able to overcome the strength of Chika and got a standing Stretch Muffler for the tap-out win.

Arisu Endo & Moka Miyamoto vs. Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami

Miu and Uta are a good team, with a teacher and student dynamic. Endo quickly began working on Uta’s arm; once Miu got in the match, she got caught in the Giant Swing. Uta excels at being the little sister character that her opponents set their sights on.

Moka stretches Uta for the tap-out victory.

Ivy Steele, Raku & Rika Tatsumi vs. Mifu Ashida, Wakana Uehara & Yuki Kamifuku

Raku uses a pillow to combat the finger poke attacks of Kamiyu; Ivy does become the victim of the dreaded finger poke. Rika got tagged in and was firing on all cylinders on her way to the big title match at Grand Princess. Wakana had some well-timed saves on Ashida that put off the inevitable as Rika hit the Twist of Fate on Ashida and got the pin.

Pom Harajuku & Shino Suzuki vs. Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima (Kyoraku Kyomei) 

Shino is a great comedic foil for Misao; Kyoraku Kyomei tapped Pom and Shino together for a near countout. Shino got blasted with the cold spray and stumbled into a Northern Lights suplex, and Shoko picked up the win.

Miyu Yamashita vs. Haru Kazashiro

Yamashita was not holding back with wicked penalty kicks that elicited a response from the crowd. This was a match where Haru just needed to continue to show fire and resilience. Haru’s performance was outstanding and needs to be seen to fully appreciate. A nasty head kick from Yamashita put an end to the one-sided fight or test of Haru, and Yamashita was victorious.

You can gain a lot from getting beaten up for the majority of a match, and this did a lot for Haru.

Mizuki & Suzume vs. Maki Itoh & Toga

A really good tag, Itoh played to the audience and felt like one of the biggest stars in joshi with her new microphone stand for her entrance.

Suzume and Mizuki continue to be great representatives of the singles titles and can always be counted on to bring it. Toga got a lot from teaming with Itoh and shined when she got the upper hand on Mizuki. Cuty Special from Mizuki on Toga to get the three-count.

A strong recommendation for this match.

The Night Before Grand Princess 25

The Up Up Girls performed Upper Kick.

Pom Harajuku vs. Uta Takami

Pom terrorized Uta in a fun opener, being a smaller and younger roster member, instantly getting sympathy for Uta. A good point to exploit from Pom, and it got the crowd to boo her. It was a loud match as both used their volume as weapons.

Pom got the pin in a very short but entertaining match.

Wakana Uehara & Yuki Kamifuku vs. Chika Nanase & Kira Summer

Kamiyu with the eye attacks again, Wakana incorporating a flashy style (almost lucha) into her moves. Kira was the brunt of Kamiyu’s veteran mean streak while Chika was fantastic because she was aggressive and not a wilting flower against the more seasoned roster members. Kamiyu catches Chika in a grounded octopus hold for the tap out.

Miu Watanabe vs. Ivy Steele

A pretty big singles match for Ivy, Miu continues to feel like a top star even after losing the title.

They have a test of strength into a nice sequence of chain wrestling. Miu was visibly enjoying the challenge of muscling Ivy around. Ivy comes back with some power moves and submissions, but Miu hits a series of shoulder blocks to regain control. Miu gets the Giant Swing on Ivy for a big count along with the rotations from the crowd.

Ivy nailed Miu with an Enziguri, and this was a good spotlight of what she is capable of. Miu locks on the Reverse Paradox for the tap-out victory. 

HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki & Suzume vs. Mifu Ashida, Moka Miyamoto & Yoshiko Hasegawa

HIMAWARI, in her own way, is a terror in these multi-tag situations. Moka began isolating Shino and focusing on her arm. Ashida, like Wakana, is adding extra flair to her moves, like her use of the splits. Ashida hung in there against Suzume, but the International Princess champion put her down with the Ring a Bell to get the win.

Arisu Endo & Mizuki vs. Haru Kazashiro & Toga

Endo’s hair stayed the same color. Mizuki and Endo were being bullies against Toga and Kazashiro. Mizuki taunted Toga before exacting some revenge with her power moves on Mizuki. Kazashiro’s submissions help her stand out, and she is beginning to feel like a threat to the top of the roster.

Endo embodies TJPW; the brightly colored versatility of the entire promotion is on display when she wrestles. Endo pinned Kazashiro after hitting the Ju no Okite.

A very good match and back-to-back great performances from Kazashiro.

Hyper Misao vs. Haruna Neko, Mahiro Kiryu, Raku, Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino

Misao celebrated her 10th anniversary the only way she knew how, and that was bad news for the other five participants.

Misao said it was actually the auditions for her Hypedesz Project, with 2 count pins followed by a test by Misao. This match was never on the rails, and that’s why everyone loves Hyper Misao. Rika got fed up, and Misao was forced into a 5-on-1 handicap match. The cold spray was used, but she was piled on by all 5 after trying I Am a Hero. Afterwards, Hype 3 was announced, and the imaginations of fans began to stir. Another piece of great performance art from the master herself, Hyper Misao.

Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima vs. Maki Itoh & Miyu Yamashita (121000000)

Shoko and Yamashita right out the gate with their top-level athleticism. Itoh was getting some good submissions, but Toribami had answers for the tag champions. Shoko was being held outside the ring, and after a valiant effort, Itoh finally tapped out Toribami. A big match to close out the day in Kitazawa.

A lot of great entertainment and, with Go Girl, a chance for fresh eyes to see the roster perform. There was some build for Grand Princess while Kazashiro made the most of her two matches.