It did not take Miu Watanabe long to make audiences ooh and aah.

The pink-clad powerhouse may have lacked polish during her rookie campaign in 2018, but she had the Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling crowd’s attention early on. Her power impressed. Her charm was undeniable. 

Watanabe has since become one of TJPW’s top stars. She had a memorable run with the Princess of Princess Championship. She’s delivered stellar matches against the likes of Shoko Nakajima, Miyu Yamashita, and Rika Tatsumi. She’s steadily climbed on the annual PWI Women’s 250 list, last finishing at no. 18 in 2024.

But before all that, Watanabe was a newbie. She trained as an idol/wrestler hybrid, entering TJPW in 2018 as a member of the UpUpGirls. 

Rookie Miu looked a good bit different than the bruiser we see in the spotlight today. Her gear was simpler. She still rocked pink but her outfit was simpler, with less flash, less sparkle. Her shoulders were not as wide and intimidating as they are today. Her presence was not as big.

It’s fascinating to look back at Watanabe at this stage. She’s evolved in a massive way in just seven years, but flashes of what she’d become were visible back then, when Miu was outmuscling everyone from day one.  

Miu & Hinano vs. Raku & Hikari

TJPW Tokyo Joshi Pro ‘18  (January 4)

At first, Miu Watanabe wrestled simply as “Miu” and her UpUpGirls partner HIkari Noa was known as just “Hikari.” The singing quartet faced off against each other in tag action, all debuting on TJPW’s Jan. 4 show. Their matching gear made them look like different flavors of the same soda.

Miu’s song and pep are familiar. They haven’t changed one bit. But her entrance was scaled down, minus the hand motions and pressing her face into the camera we’ve come to expect from her today.

Her first move was a tie-up and a tight headlock. She gave us impact and emphasis from the jump.

The technical wrestling on display from her was solid, but it’s her strength that really popped off the screen. The way she bearhugged Raku, easily lifting and shaking her, forced fans to take notice. She bodyslammed her foes with ease. The way she outmatched everyone physically, it looked like she took the Super Soldier serum before stepping out to the ring.

Miu capped off the match with an impressive Canadien backbreaker for the submission win.  Beyond getting the victory, she could take pride in knowing that of the four wrestlers involved, she certainly stood out. 

Miu vs. Hikari 

TJPW Let’s Go To Osaka In The Spring, Together With Your Friends! (April 15)

For much of the early part of the year, many of Miu’s matches were tag bouts with the UpUpGirls, teaming with either Hinano or Raku. In her first singles action, she couldn’t push past her opponents. She lost against Hikari, Yuu, and lastly Rika Tatsumi when they collided at a show at Yokohama’s Yokodai Station. 

Then she got another crack at Hikari in the opening bout at an Osaka event.

While she showed flashes of her future greatness, we saw a lot of her early limitations here. Miu didn’t seem fully confident when running the ropes. She didn’t deliver full impact on a lot of her moves, from not clamping down on a Boston Crab to hitting a forearm that was simply not as vicious as we are used to seeing from her today.

There was an awkward moment too where she waited for Hikari to grab her.

You expect this kind of thing. She was a teenager not even 15 matches into her career.

What you don’t expect, though, is her awesome displays of brawn. At one point, Miu deadlifted and adjusted Hikari’s body like a baker handling a bag of flour. 

Moments like this were sprinkled throughout before she earned a submission win.

Hopefully, Miu savored that singles victory. There would be not many of those in year one. 

Miu vs. Miyu Yamashita

Up Up Tokyo Joshi Upper Kick Altogether (June 27)

The powerhouse lost to Hikari in early June in a TJPW Princess Cup qualifying bout, and then found herself face to face with the company’s Ace and the reigning Princess of Princess champ. Yamashita was not yet impressed with the up-and-comer. She gave Miu a half-hearted bow before the battle began. 

Miu went right after Yamashita, punching and yelling, aflame. Then the story of the matched played out, Miu was feisty and aggressive, but Yamashita continually smacked her down.

The champ was cold, dismissive, a sharp contrast to Miu’s heart-on-the-mat style.

In one moment in particular, we see a taste of Miu’s future greatness. Yamashita had her in a neck hold, and the rookie howled, her face determined, passion searing off her. Smoothness of wrestling moves comes with confidence; this kind of trait is not guaranteed.   

Miu gave Yamashita a hell of a fight, but an Attitude Adjustment did her in. While it would be four years until she’d beat The Pink Striker, this effort made sure the champ knew who she was.

Miu vs. Yuna Manase

5th Anniversary Shin-Kiba Tour (October 27) 

Next came an eventful stretch. 

In July, Miu scored two straight wins against Raku. She (teaming with Reika Saiki) made it to the semi-finals of the Yeah! Metcha Tag Team Tournament. She took on Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, and Yuu in singles competition. The victories went coming in droves yet, but TJPW was giving her opportunities. 

Miu then took on the much more experienced Munase at a show celebrating Azusa Takigawa’s retirement. The Chiba native had beaten Watanabe twice in tag action that May. Perhaps the woman in pink could get some payback.

Her entrance didn’t have the same big energy we’re used to, but when she lifted her head up and smiled, it filled the whole arena with light.

Miu’s wrestling was serviceable but tentative at times. She lacked crispness at this point. But damn did she have power.

The crowd was audibly impressed as Miu hit Manase with a scoop slam, as she generally moved the bigger foe with ease. Manase led the match as the veteran, but the “it” factor edge went to the young Miu.

A slow, methodical match ended with Manase slamming Miu down and scoring the three-count. 

Miu & Hikari vs. Mizuki &Yuka Sakazaki 

5th Anniversary Shin-Kiba Tour (November 17)

TJPW clearly recognized the talent they had in Miu. Even this early on. She wasn’t getting booked to win a lot, but she did get a spot in a No. 1 contender’s Battle Royal and before her rookie campaign ended, she and Hikari were challenging for the TOKYO Tag Team Championship (now Princess Tag Team Championship) against Mizuki and Yuka Sakazaki in a main event in Shin-Kiba 1st RING.

The challengers attacked the champs before the bell. Watanabe soon punished Mizuki with kicks to the torso, and she spun The Magical Super Rabbit. Miu was making sure this would be a statement bout regardless of the result. 

Hikari took a lot of the damage and Miu had to stay poised in her corner, ready to pounce when called upon. When it was finally the powerhouse’s turn, she made the most of it. Miu overpowered Yuka and Mizuki, nailing them with shoulder blocks before swinging Sakazaki around like a doll before cracking her on her knee.  

Not surprisingly, it wasn’t yet the UpUpGirls’ time. The champions knocked down their foes and Yuka pinned Hikari to wrap things up.

After the bell, Miu bent over, awash in emotion. The loss gutted her. The best thing she had going to this point was her power, but in this powerful moment she showed off her passion, her acting, her ability to connect. 

Miu vs. Hyper Misao

TJPW Well, Merry Christmas (December 22)

As the year closed, Miu got a Christmas gift in the form of a one-on-one opportunity with TJPW’s resident menace. It was a chance for her to show what she could do in a sillier showdown while also trying to nab a win before 2018 was done.

Misao, dressed as a Christmas tree, used all manner of underhanded tactics to make sure that didn’t happen. She tapped up Miu’s hands and led her out of the building. She disguised Mahiro Kiryu as her while she hid out under the ring.

In all this chaos, Miu looked right at home.

She doled out big, powerful forearms. She hammed it up. She gelled well with Misao.

And in a spot that could have been a botch, Miu flexed those awesome muscles once again. Her masked opponent slipped out of her grip and nearly fell to the mat, but Miu lifted her back up, awkward positioning be damned, and hit the move as planned. That’s impressive.

Miu’s strength was not enough on this day, however, as Misao rolled her up for a flash pin..

Wins come in different forms in wrestling, though, and her thriving in a comedy match was one of many victories to Miu’s name in 2018.

As a teenage Watanabe battled through her first year, she gave fans plenty of reason to latch onto her. During her battles with and against Hikari Noa, as well as her clashes with TJPW’s elite, she gave us glimpses of the dynamo she’d become.

Be sure to also check out YEAR ONE: Mayu Iwatani