Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling just gave us its show of the year with Wrestle Princess VII.
In a banner year for the promotion, the hits just keep coming. We saw that again as TJPW traveled to the Ota City General Gymnasium with a card headlined by Yuki Arai vs. Suzume for the Princess of Princess of Championship.
We got chaos, comedy, and championships from other promotions. A seal attempted murder. Shoko Nakajima tore it up. Miyu Yamashita hit a Skull Kick for the ages.
Who shined the brightest? Who emerged as champion after four title bouts? Read on for a full breakdown of every Wrestle Princess VII contest. Match ratings are out of 10.
Uta Takami vs. Ren Konatsu
It’s always great to see Uta get a singles match on a big show. The spotlight belongs on her.
This bout began with a feeling-out process with dropkicks sprinkled into mat wrestling exchanges. In the midst of it, Takami surprisingly started focusing on Konatsu’s left knee. That strategy led to Ren limping early on, but they didn’t fully play on that element.
Takami was in control for good chunks of the match, frenzied, on the attack, trying to roll her opponent up. She eventually ground Konatsu down and got the submission win.
There weren’t a ton highlights here (aside from a pretty springboard dropkick from Konatsu), but it was a solid opener. This marks the second time Uta has bested the Fancy Sheep in singles action. I’d certainly be down for this to lead into a rivalry between the two of them.
Rating: 6.5
HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki & Mifu Ashida vs. Shion Kanzaki & Momo Sato & Chieri Sakimori
In Sakimori’s debut, she joined fellow rookies Kanzaki and Sato against a more veteran combo of Mifu Ashida and the Bumping gRitters. This was a very TJPW house show-style match where vibes are king and everyone gets their shtick in.
Most of the action was playful and fun like we saw when Suzuki, Ashida, and HIMAWARI all locked the newbies in headlocks and did Shino’s tour guide gimmick. Suzuki, though, stood out throughout the contest. Her ferocity popped against the more lighthearted air of the match.
Things most got exciting when the wrestlers started slugging it out and Shion threw some bombs. She keeps showing flashes of how good she can be, and we got another taste of it here.
Rating: 5.5
Raku & Minimo vs Pom Harajuku & Pokotan vs. Mahiro Kiryu & TAMA
I was hoping for more from this one, but it was fun enough.
When TJPW announced this three-way tag match with mascots, I was really intrigued. Pokotan has been involved in some funny moments in the past. The other big-headed characters paired with teej’s comedy acts is a recipe for hijinks.
TAMA the seal wielding a butcher knife was a standout bit. The chop battle between the three mascots had me chuckling, too. This was just not nearly as chaotic as it could have been. A few more bits, a faster pace, an added touch of creativity, and I’d be raving about this.
Rating: 5
Aja Kong & Sakura Hattori & Kumadori vs. Chris Brookes & Kira Summer & Chika Nanase
When Nakase and Hattori locked up, you could tell this was going to be solid. They started this thing with intensity, setting the tone for an entertaining midcard bout.
Kumadori and Hattori made a good team. Their aesthetics match so well. It’d be fun to see them do more together.
Honorary joshi Chris Brookes came in blasting. The height difference between him and Hattori when they were facing off was a wild visual. The action overall was pretty entertaining with each wrestler getting a little shine and highlighted by Nakase and Summer hitting a nasty facebuster on Hattori.
This was clearly meant to showcase Sakura which is a welcome sight. I’m curious where they head with her next. She’s shown big potential after the gimmick change and I don’t think we’ve seen her ceiling yet.
Rating: 7
Yuki Kamifuku & VENY vs. Wakana Uehara & Toga
The final pairing of Kamiyu and VENY. I’m not crying you’re crying.
This started with Toga and VENY trading shots before VENY just laid Toga out. We then got a decent mix of hard-hitting action and sillier spots.
VENY controlled the flow, beating on both Wakana and Toga. It was fun seeing her go off. Ober Eats partners going after each other was entertaining especially when Wakana was cranking the Banana Pillow on Kamifuku.
The energy and intensity faded over time, though. The bout never fully built on that early strike exchange.
Rating: 6
Mizuki vs. Hyper Misao
Jushin Thunder Liger oversaw this circus as the special guest referee,
Misao went into Misao mode right away, taking a cheap shot during a handshake and choking Mizuki with her cape. Liger struggled to maintain order as Mizuki brought her trusty hammer to the battle and Misao brought all the shenanigans.
The action itself was serviceable, but the strength of this was all the big spots: Misao knocking over Mahiro Kiryu and Liger with her bike, Mizuki nailing Liger with her mallet, Liger putting the Romero Special on Misao. A very memeable match. One of Misao’s better singles performances in a while
Rating: 7.5
Shoko Nakajima vs. Zara Zakher (SETUP-Certified All-Asia Women’s Championship)
Booking this right after Misao vs. Mizuki is a smart move. Right after all the comedy, we get the workrate match.
This had a little of everything with Zakher and Nakajima pushing each other to great heights. The mat work was tight. There was a palpable intensity throughout. It had creative offense, a steady and pace and an explosive exchange where the two wrestlers started one-upping each other with suicide dives.
Nakajima came out on top, notching victory no. 1 as SETUP champ.
What an entertaining match. This was a reminder of how good Shoko is and it took me back to the days of the WCW cruiserweight battles in the ‘90s. Rematch when?
Rating: 8.5
Miyu Yamashita vs. Arisu Endo (EVE-Certified International Championship)
Yamashita and Endo jumped right into it here. They were throwing bombs and hitting their signature moves early, each wrestler going for knockout blows to end things in a hurry.
The bout had some great highlights from Endo driving Yamashita’s head into the floor with her knee to Yamashita’s absolute killer of a Skull Kick. Endo’s frenzied energy had me locked in.
Not quite as emotional as some of their previous battles, but a banger nonetheless. This ended up being one of the shortest matches of the night which gave the wrestlers less space to work with.
Win or lose, it’s great seeing Endo get a big match like this. I’ve been worried TJPW would neglect her after her loss to Yuki Arai, but she’s faced Aja Kong and Yamashita at the two major shows following that defeat. Keep that energy going, teej!
Rating: 8/10
Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe vs. Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro (Princess Tag Team Championship)
Only Miu Watanabe can make a front facelock look that painful. Damn.
She and Rika defended the tag titles against Prism Greed in a good-not-great match. The pacing was solid throughout. It featured some flashes of ferocity but didn’t maintain it. I did enjoy when things got more chaotic on the outside.
Aino and Haru knocked off Daydream to become the new champs with a submission no less. While this may feel like a surprise result, TJPW has quietly been building Aino and Kazashiro up. They have been piling up wins over the summer.
This gives Haru a shot to really blossom and Watanabe a chance to return to the Princess of Princess title scene if they want to go that route.
Rating: 7.25
Yuki Arai vs. Suzume (Princess of Princess Championship)
Suzume brings such joy to her wrestling, springing around the ring, a grin on her face, her heart on display.
Her big title bout against the top champ was a good blend of slow, grinding sequences and flashes of athleticism. Arai’s size and power advantage paired well with Suzume’s speed and agility. It did feel at times, though, that they were drawing things out for making this a more “epic” match.
Overall, the drama worked. Suzume fought hard. Arai stomped her out in the end. The journey there was a hell of a ride. Kudos to both champ and challenger.
Rating: 8.75
Final Thoughts
Wrestle Princess VII thrilled up and down the card. Nakajima vs. Zahker looks like the match I’m going to come back to the most. Wrestling comfort food there.
We also got a nice look at some of the company’s young talent. Uta getting a singles win on this big of a stage warms my heart. I’m also happy to see Hattori be the star of her bout. Where TJPW goes with those wrestlers along with Arisu Endo is going to be interesting as the year comes to a close.
The story coming out of the show, however, is Suzume. Again.
Suzume has been TJPW’s MVP this year, a spot usually reserved for the PoP champion. She’s upped her game in a huge way and has been both compelling and creative. She’s become too big for the International Princess Championship. She’s looking like a marquee star and needs to be treated as such.
Her heartbreaks in title matches so far are prime fuel for a storyline that ends with her winning the big one next year. Come on, TJPW. You know what to do.
