Tokyo Joshi Pro - Tokyo Joshi Pro '21 (1/4/2021)

1. Suzume vs. Arisu Endo

Arisu looked better than I expected in her debut match. She doesn’t seem very athletic judging from the quality of her strikes and dropkick, but she didn’t struggle to keep up with Suzume’s pace and I think she has potential. Suzume looked like a professional in the way she carried the match.

6.  Maki Itoh vs. Miyu Yamashita

I was feeling a bit of deja vu during this match because some sequences were almost spot-for-spot repeats from their Nagoya match, except this time it was taking place in Korakuen Hall. There was surprising physicality and violence. The headbutt from Miyu was gruesome and signified that this was a more serious fight than we’ve seen in the past between these two. I think this was one of their best singles matches yet.

***1/4

8. Tokyo Princess of Princess Championship: Yuka Sakazaki (c) vs. Rika Tatsumi

A great match with an easy to understand story. Tatsumi was sometimes sloppy in receiving moves, sometimes timing her bumps too late or too early, but overall her performance was excellent. She showed a lot of emotion and urgency, which added to the drama of the finishing sequence. Yuka was of course great too, with her generalship on the ground always being one of my favorite things to watch in her matches.

****