Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling stormed into Houston, Texas, and it gave Space City a taste of all its charm and chaos.
The Post hosted two TJPW shows, marking the promotion’s first visit to Texas. And what a fruitful visit it was. The stars triumphed. The bouts delivered. Memorable moments begged to be recorded, photographed, remembered.
The venue is an oft-visited building that is a transformed old post office. It now houses a diverse food court and a musical venue. TJPW set up camp right under a staircase that formed a massive X, its ring below a balcony and rugged industrial surroundings.
As a longtime Houston resident, I was shocked and ecstatic to hear that TJPW decided to travel to my city. We get our share of big events here, but the two coasts have gotten a lot more joshi wrestling come their way. So, as much as I was rooting for my favorites on the two shows, I was rooting even harder for the events themselves to be a success.
And well, Texas showed itself to be a worthy host while TJPW again hit a homerun on one of its excursions outside of Japan.
Night 1
The crowd started hot and stayed hot. Fitting for a place as sweltering as Houston.
It was clear the crowd was psyched for TJPW coming to town. Fans lined up early. They bought many an 8×10 for the meet and greet session after the show. They were loud and passionate about every wrestler.
The show sure helped stoke this fire.
Man, did the night fly by. The matches maintained the momentum that began when Sayuri Namba hyped up the fans packed into the place. Every contest was efficient. Nothing overstayed its welcome.
The card gave us the right mix of comedy and action. We got high-speed style stuff from Daisy Monkey, slugfest wrestling from the likes of Miu Watanabe and Wakana Uehara, and the absolute chaos from Hyper Misao and Raku. TJPW treated fans to a Miyu Yamashita vs. Maki Itoh singles match and spotlighted the tag champs.
No wonder, as Shoko Nakajima pointed out in the post-match comments, the fans responded with big energy.
One of the more interesting off-camera elements of the show was the reaction from passersby. The way the event was set up, people walking by the ring set up could poke their heads in and watch from over a security barricade. These were clearly confused people wondering what the hell was happening outside the food court.
They all seemed to begin curious and then became captivated. Many were blown away by the violence and the slapstick unfolding in front of them. Mouths slide open as Yamashita sprinted and kicked Itoh in the chest or when Hyper Misao began wielding her trusty can of cold spray.
Who knows how many of these folks went home and looked up TJPW afterward, but the promotion got some extra exposure with these moments. You have to believe that at least a few people caught the joshi bug on this night.
Best Moments:
Who would have predicated that a cartoon beaver would be one of the central figures of the night?
The bucktoothed mascot from Buc-ee’s, a Texas gas station chain, showed up in two matches, as the TJPW wrestlers clearly embraced the little guy. In Raku’s case, literally. She came to the ring with a stuffed Buc-ee instead of her trademark pillow.
He then found himself in the nexus of chaos as an unofficial participant in the three-way bout between Raku, Yuki Kamifuku and VertVixen. As much as Raku tried to protect him, he fell victim to heavy shots from a merciless VertVixen.
Buc-ee acted as a means to create sympathy, a a prop, a symbol of Texas, and the crowd ate all of it up.
The beaver in the red cap showed up again in the main event when Pom Harajuku disguised herself as Buc-ee to fool Hyper Misao. This led to some of the biggest laughs of the night including when Pom was unmasked as Buc-ee.
Honorable mention to both Raku and Pom getting streamers. Fans showed out for the two comedy wrestlers and showed their love. That was awesome to see.
Best Matches:
There was not a bad match on the card, but it was the top two contests that won the night.
Miyu Yamashita vs. Maki Itoh, the semi-main event, was so damn good. This was a showcase of two high-level performers masterfully working the crowd. TJPW fans and newbies alike had plenty to sink their teeth into as the old rivals went to battle.
Their history and chemistry elevated the match. There was so much emotion behind all the hard hits and staredowns. The killer and the rebel played off each other super well, as usual, as well. Yamashita at one point kicked Itoh so hard in the head that she started to bawl like a baby in the center of the ring. Miyu looked on, confused, annoyed. That sums up the dynamic between the former idol and The Pink Striker.
After a rousing, intense match, the two wrestlers offered us one last striking image, Yamashita holding her fist in Maki’s face as Itoh-chan stuck her middle finger right between Yamashita’s eyes. This remains one of TJPW’s best rivalries even if it doesn’t get revisited as often as we’d like.
To close the night, Pom Harajuku and Mizuki took on Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao. While not as good move-for-move as Miyu vs. Maki, it was the most over the top and fun thing on the docket.
Misao rode her Hyper Cycle into her opponents. They brawled in the crowd. Nakajima got slammed onto a whole mess of gacha balls. Pom, dressed as Buc-ee the beaver, was in peak menace mode.
This was an exhibit of what TJPW is all about. If a curious fan wanted to try out the promotion, this wild, silly contest would be an excellent place to start. A good choice to end the night with this.
Night 2
TJPW completed the Houston two-step with another sold-out show at POST.
A packed house watched the same (mostly) cast of characters clash in a whole new set of matches. This time out, Miyu Yamashita missed the event as she was booked for Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor in Arlington. H-town, however, still got to see The Cutest in the World-Maki Itoh, a whole host of menaces (Hyper Misao, Pom Harajuku, Raku), as well as the two top champs teaming up with Mizuki (Princess of Princess Championship) and Suzume (International Princess Championship) taking on their challengers at Summer Sun Princess, Yuki Arai and Moka Miyamoto.
NIGHT 2 also welcomed freelancer Kaylia Capri to the card once again. The All Caribbean Women’s titleholder showed out in a bout against Arisu Endo, making her mark with swagger, speed, and a flamboyant moveset.
Judging by some of the reactions around me, it seems like there was a larger percentage of new-to-TJPW fans in attendance on this night. There was audible surprise at Hyper Misao’s blatant disregard for the rules, at Shoko Nakajima’s acrobatic offense, at Miu Watanabe’s eye-popping power.
Great. While not quite as good in-ring wise as the first show, this was an excellent showcase of TJPW. The night was filled with laughter, hooting, hollering, a potent and collective joy. This is why folks love this promotion, and chances are, it made some new fans by the end of the evening.
Best Moments:
Pom Harajuku knew she was outmatched against the taller, stronger Yuki Kamifuku. So, the cerebral warrior that she is, Pom brought in some help. She wheeled in a gatcha ball machine and pulled out some inflatable Minecraft weapons to help even the odds.
A silly battle ensued with balloon weapons flailing about the ring.
For the second consecutive night, Pom’s goofiness was one of the standout elements of the show, with the crowd fully embracing her antics. Hats off to TJPW’s class clown.
Raku, meanwhile, entertained in her own way in a singles clash with Maki Itoh.
After coming down to the ring wearing a Buc-ee’s neck pillow, the train enthusiast took a quick pre-match nap. Itoh urged the crowd to get quiet, so she could sneak a pin attempt on her sleeping opponent. The Houston fans played along to aid Maki and a hush washed over the whole place. Smiles stretched on many a face.
The match itself was quite fun and was the best singles outing from Raku that I’ve seen to date.
Best Matches:
The most thrilling bout of night two gave us humor, hard hits, and electricity aplenty. Kyoraku Kyomei (Hyper Misao and Shoko Nakajima) once again shined bright, this time against the duo of VertVixen and Miu Watanabe.
This match gave us a healthy of dose classic Misaoisms: cold spray in the eyes, a quick appearance of the Misao Mobile, a kick to the gut during a handshake. VertVixen brought big intensity and hard hits. Nakajima injected excitement into the action with her springboard offense. It all blended together beautifully, a variety show of a match.
Vixen fits so well into the TJPW landscape. She brings it in the ring while also delivering the teej’s signature jubilant vibe.
Plus, the bout featured Watanabe bodyslamming both the tag champs at once. And that kind of show of strength from her never grows old.
The main event was the runner-up for best bout of the night for me. Moka Miyamoto and Yuki Arai vs. Mizuki and Suzume had a similar blend of shenanigans and drama with the benefit of this showdown leading up to two big title matches at Summer Sun Princess.
We got some of the hardest hits of the night here, especially coming from Arai’s boots. She kicked her foes’ faces like she was wailing on a piñata. Her emotion also stood out, her facial expressions captivating when she was in pain or trying to psycho herself up.
Mizuki added a touch of mischief to the proceedings, pulling the rope away from her opponents in submission or sneaking in a cheap shot.
The heart of the match, though, was the intensity between Yuki Arai and Mizuki, a precursor to their Princess of Princess Championship contest. Their animosity crackled.
Moka Miyamoto got the win for her team in an upset. That adds momentum to their upcoming International Princess Championship title tilt.
Smart, simple booking. Give the fans something juicy in the moment. Keep the story moving forward.
And after Arai and Moka addressed the crowd, the Houston two-fer was done.
Kudos to TJPW and all of its kooky characters. The promotion gave this big city a spectacle to remember. Next stop was Dallas where they pulled in a record audience of 2,540 fans. Hot damn.
Hopefully, TJPW’s exploration beyond Japanese borders continues. Whether it’s been Los Angeles, Vegas, or now Houston, these new frontiers bring out the company’s best.
RESURA 