Welcome to Rising Destiny Digest. In this recurring column, Ryan Dilbert takes you on a journey through the joshi scene, spotlighting the wrestlers and stories that have caught his eye. Complete with a one-question mailbag and a bold prediction.
Shino Shining
The words were about the actor who played Fiyero from the Wicked movies, but all I could think of was Shino Suzuki.
In his recent review for Wicked: For Good, movie critic Sean Chandler said of Jonathan Bailey that he’s “effortlessly charming and earnest and sincere in everything that he’s doing and so he’s absolutely one of these big, breakout stars of last year.” Shino came to my mind immediately. That description is so apt for summing up Suzuki, or more specifically who she’s grown to become.
When Suzuki joined the TJPW roster two years ago as a member of the UpUpGirls, she didn’t stand out to me. She was the one in green. She was the newbie. I struggled to say much about her beyond that when doing write-ups.
In the early stages, she was still finding herself and finding her confidence. TJPW is a circus full of colorful characters, and hers was not yet developed.
As 2025 winds down, though, those statements are no longer true. Suzuki has blossomed into one of the more entertaining in-ring workers in the promotion as well as one of the more compelling personalities in a place full of them.
Shino’s match against Miyu Yamashita in the Level Up Trial series where rising stars faced established names was proof positive of that.
First off, it says a lot that Suzuki drew Yamashita for this series. It speaks to TJPW’s confidence in her potential. Yamashita, even as much as she ventures out of Japan, remains the measuring stick for TJPW’s up-and-comers. To thrive against the End Boss carries great weight.
And it sure did in mid-October when these two met at Korakuen Hall. The way Suzuki stared at Yamashita from across the ring spoke plenty about who she is now. She wasn’t some NPC; she was a major figure aiming to prove herself against the best.
During the match, she showed burning ferocity and in others, she showed believable fear. She fired off vicious forearms just as she took great blows that reshaped her body. Yamashita kneed her in the gut and looked as if Shino had died right there.
This was a huge opportunity and she nailed it. She was scrappy, a standout, a star.
We saw a glimpse of all that again when HIMAWARI and Shino challenged Wakana Uehara and Yuki Kamifuku for the TJPW tag belts at November’s All Rise event.
Shino’s mat work was tight. Her aggression palpable. She doled out explosive offense and exuded a far bigger presence than she did in her time as a rookie.
But beyond her crisper suplexes and sleeper holds, Shino most flourishes because of her heart.
She’s quickly becoming one of the most best babyfaces in peril on the roster. She makes you believe her pain. Her whole body is thrust into the moment. Her eyes roll in the back of her head. Her frame crumples. She screams from the put of her gut.
How do you not root for someone with that much passion, that much vulnerability on display? Shino’s likability has shot up in two years, as has her magnetism overall.
These shots in the spotlight will keep coming. TJPW has to see what we’re seeing. A star growing ever brighter.
Iron Princesses
TJPW has made its mark on Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship history this year.
Despite DDT and TJPW’s longstanding relationship, this wasn’t a title that crossed over into the world of teej much. The anytime-anywhere nature of the championship took it to the oddest places you could think of. Any wrestler or really any thing could win it, be it man, ladder, or curry. Still, the early reigns belonged to more men than women, to athletes from Big Japan, DDT, the freelance scene.
TJPW had some early representation when Miyu Yamashita won the belt in 2017. Mizuki and Yuu followed her lead. But they were small parts of the bigger picture, brief visitors to this title scene.
It’s been a whole different story in 2025. TJPW has been a central figure in the Ironman heavymetal weight title’s story, not merely a footnote.
Rika Tatsumi, who won the championship once in 2018, added three reigns this year.
She is far from alone. A whole host of TJPW talent has been DDT heavymetalweight champ over the last 10-plus months:
- Raku
- Miyu Yamashita (her fourth and fifth reign)
- Yoshiko Hasegawa
- Suzume
- Miu Watanabe
- Mizuki
- Haruna Neko
- Mahiro Kiryu
The belt has been a major part of Kiryu’s narrative this year. Her victory over Ram Kaicho in August gave her the first title win of her career. TJPW’s resident apologist has since won the belt seven more times. One of those reigns was interrupted by a loss to a portrait of herself of all things.
Kiryu and Tatsumi have collided several times over this borrowed title, given both wrestlers something substantial to do in between big shows.
It makes so much sense for a promotion so marked by silliness to embrace and involve itself with a championship built around shenanigans. It’s been a way to deepen the drama of the promotion. While the top stars are out fighting for the Princess of Princess Championship, other folks are allowed to play in the sandbox that is the title scene most famous for crowning inanimate objects.
Teej talent like Pom Harajuku or Raku are never going to seriously compete for the promotion’s top prize. Being invited into the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship hunt is far more fitting. And fun!
5-Count: Yuu’s Best TJPW Matches
Five-time Sendai Girls tag champ. Queen of JTO champ. One half of Team 200kg as well as Beast Friend.
This is the latest joshi wrestler we’ll have to say goodbye to this year as Yuu is to retire at the end of December. The tag team stalwart and Senjo star may be remembered more for her battles alongside Chihiro Hashimoto, but it all began for her in TJPW.
5. Yuu, Marika, Kobashi & Nodoka-Oneesan vs. Hyper Misao, Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Kamifuku, Tokyo Joshi Pro ‘18 (Jan. 4, 2018)
Man, is it fun seeing Yuu fling Misao around the ring. She plays the “straight man” in a match with a good bit of comedy. The action gets wild toward the end and the bout is at its’s best when Yuu is cleaning house. Not enough of her here, though, in my opinion.
4. Yuu vs. Reika Saiki, TJPW At This Time, Get Excited in Nerima! (March 12, 2017)
A battle for the Princess of Princess Championship between two powerhouses. You get some thunderous strikes and relentless submissions as you’d expect from Yuu. Underrated banger.
3. Yuu vs. Nonoko, TJPW Yokahama De Bakon (Sept. 16. 2017)
Two fiery women fiery hitting each other hard as hell. Good stuff. This is a straightforward slugfest that doesn’t get enough recognition when talking up TJPW’s early days.
Its short match time might lower the score for some, but it makes everything so taut.
2. Yuu vs. Shoko Nakajima, Tokyo Joshi Pro ‘17 (Jan. 4, 2017)
A match I appreciate the more times I watch it.
A dominant Yuu tests Shoko’s big underdog heart. Slow, gritty, dramatic. One of TJPW’s first epics.
1. Yuu vs. Miyu Yamashita, TJPW Brand New Wrestling 2 (Aug. 25. 2018)
Intense grappling to open and things build toward more strike-focused action. One of Miyu’s first great matches, and one that boosted her career. Yuu was presented as an equal to Miyu here, and it’s a compelling meeting of TJPW’s titans that remains one of my favorites from the promotion.
Mini Mailbag:
What are your thoughts on the current TJPW tag team scene?
-Anonymous
It’s a mixed bag.
Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao had my full attention during their title run. They combine comedy and action well, and they have long felt like a cohesive, complementary unit. That’s quite the combo.
I’m intrigued by Ober Eats even if they aren’t my favorite squad. Wakana Uehara and Yuki Kamifuku offer charisma to the division, but they aren’t going to tear down the house with their matches.
Miyu Yamashita and Kaya Toribami is such a downgrade from 121000000. No offense, Toribami. It’s tough going from a duo rich with back history, featuring two of the biggest names on the whole roster, to a pairing that feels forced with a low-mid carder hanging out with the Ace.
HIMAWARI and Shino Suzuki (Bumping gRitters) could morph into a valuable part of the scene. There’s potential there. See my waxing poetic about Shino above. But it will take some time for them to establish themselves.
Yuki Aino and Haru Kazashiro have been tagging of late, and to be honest, I don’t have a whole lot to say about it. They haven’t made much of an impression yet.
That all combined does not make the strongest division.
To improve it, some partnerships have to tap into their potential and some new teams have to form. The tag picture is in transition; we’ll see what the new year brings as TJPW will be kicking off the Max Heart tourney in January.
The Prediction Plex:
Uta Takami will win a title in 2026. TJPW has embraced the new generation, and she belongs at the forefront of this burgeoning era. I think we’re getting a decent push for her next year.
Look out Wakana and Kamiyu, Takami (and Mei Suruga?) promises to come at you with a lust for gold in her heart.
Send any questions for the mini-mailbag to @resuramag on Twitter via post or DM.
RESURA 