Before the bell, Rika Tatsumi stands in the corner with her eyes closed. She nods. Perhaps she is praying or meditating or pumping herself up. Whatever the case, it’s clear she’s propping up the weight of the moment, finding a way. Her pensive expression is an embodiment of the kind of details that make the finals of the Tokyo Princess Cup feel so rich, so layered.
Tatsumi’s battle with Suzume in the culminating match of the Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling tournament is one that begs to be rewatched so that one may truly absorb the emotion, the energy, the elegance these two created inside Korakuen Hall.
Suzume vs. Tatsumi is a narrative triumph, one of TJPW’s best works of theater this year. It’s a continuation of Suzume’s standout 2026. It’s further proof of Tatsumi being one of the promotion’s enduring foundations. It’s a match that typifies the kind of storytelling TJPW does best.
Suzume has long been a wrestler fans have rooted for. She’s likeable and charming, the quintessential babyface. Before she and Arisu Endo won the tag titles, a very vocal segment of the fanbase was pushing for Daisy Monkey to win gold. Now as Suzume fought her way through the Princess Cup field, outlasting HIMAWARI and Shoko Nakajima to get here, that kind of energy followed her once more. Suzume taking home the tournament trophy was the story many wanted to see play out.
In order to position herself as the next Princess of Princess Championship contender, she would have to go through the woman who inspired this journey in the first place. As the commentators explained in the early parts of the bout, Suzume was drawn to TJPW and wrestling after seeing a photo of Rika.
It was only a month into her rookie year when Suzume had to face Tatsumi, getting beat down in just seven minutes at KFC Hall. Suzume struggled against her senior until they met in the 2022 Cup quarterfinals when The Bee bested the veteran. Tatsumi has remained perched on a higher tier than Suzume all these years, but during this tournament run it felt like something was shifting.
A new generation is taking over. Miyu Yamashita and Mizuki have slid out of the spotlight somewhat. Arisu Endo, Miu Watanabe, and Suzume, meanwhile, have become more and more prominently featured.
Now, entering the Princess Cup finals with the International Princess Championship on her shoulder, Suzume could take that a step further. She could be a tournament winner. The no. 1 contender. On the doorstep of true stardom.
You feel the heft of the match’s stakes as Tatsumi and Suzume grappled on the canvas in the early going. There was a palpable pressure on each woman. Each wrestler trying to become a double champ. Each trying to win the Cup for the first time.
Tatsumi swatted Suzume’s arm away while she wrenched on her leg. Suzume sat on Rika’s arm as she tried to pin her. They buzzed around each other, two birds clawing at each other in mid-flight.
At first, Tatsumi took clear control. She worked over Suzume’s leg. She caught her longtime rival in the ropes and choked her. Rika, knowing how much of a warrior her opponent was, turned to new techniques in addition to these tried-and-true ones.
The White Dragon wrapped Suzume up in streamers and flung her into the stands.
It was moments like that spoke to how much this meant to Tatsumi. A massive opportunity at her fingertips. Who knows when she’d be within reach of something like this again? Her generation was in the midst of stepping aside for the younger faces.
In pursuit of greatness, Tatsumi turned the aggression up. She dropkicked Suzume’s knee into the ring post and hung her upside down. She stayed focused and vicious, a tactician on a mission.
The spunky Suzume fought back with the kind of heart that’s become her trademark.
There was great drama as the two wrestlers battled on the ring apron, then as each wrestler ramped up their attacks. Suzume nailed Tatsumi with a facebuster to the floor; Rika dragon screwed Suzume from the top rope.
A mean and disdainful slap from Tatsumi signaled a shift in the intensity. Both wrestlers hit a higher gear. The action picked up in speed and ferocity. They knew that the end was coming and wanted so desperately to be the last one standing when that deciding moment came.
Tatsumi and Suzume traded counters in a blur of smooth, deft offense. Rika, for example, stopped Suzume’s first Ring a Bell attempt and morphed it into a Twist of Fate.
They hit each other with their best shots, firing them off in succession until both Rika and Suzume lie prone on the mat to recover. They barely made it back to their feet before 10. They were spent. They were staggered. But they only had to fought on for a touch longer.
Suzume channelled Tatsumi’s ways and choked the white-clad warrior. She’d have to bring a bit of nastiness to finish off a foe of this quality.
In a stirring final sequence, a sagging Suzume had to yank herself free from a sleeper hold before she sprung off the ring ropes for a Ring a Bell. The move Tatsumi had countered and withstood before had too much force this time. Suzume’s signature move sealed it.
And so ended a well-crafted, fluid match that was befitting of its marquee spot. It showcased Tatsumi’s tenacity, reminding us how dangerous she is, while also further launching Suzume into the stratosphere.
No longer are we talking about Suzume in terms of potential and what might be. We have to talk about her as a tournament winner and legit contender. And we had to wait only seconds before that status came into play.
Yuki Arai walked out post-match and Suzume laid out a challenge for the Princess of Princess Championship. The commentators translated her speech, one where she said, “I can shine just like you” to Arai.
And she will get her chance in just two months. The title match is set for Wrestle Princess in October.
We can count on that fight being one filled with creativity and vigor as they are Suzume’s specialties. We can count on emotions being high, on this feeling grand. That’s been the hallmark of Suzume’s championship contests all year.
The question is whether we will also witness a coronation. A bee becoming queen.
*”To Vanquish Other Blooms” from The Bee by Emily Dickinson*
RESURA 