Photo c/o TJPW
By: Jeff Brown
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling visits the Globe Theater for a joint show with Prestige Wrestling under the banner Combat Princess USA. Both companies have had a working relationship that began in 2022, with talent visiting each other’s shows. This is the TJPW’s second visit to America this year, as they continue to have a presence across the world. Miyu Yamashita teams up with Maki Itoh in the main event to take on Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich. Miu Watanabe faces off against Hyan in singles action; Princess Tag Champions Free WiFi go against Janai Kai and Shazza McKenzie; and POMPALER invade America as they are pitted against Rika Tatsumi and Amira.
【生配信スタート】#wrestleUNIVERSE でロサンゼルス大会のPPV生配信が始まりました！
配信チケットは3,000円。もちろん今から購入して視聴できます。https://t.co/K2BycmzX6l
Don't go anywhere – #CombatPrincessUSA starts right now!
離れてても一緒、頑張れって応援お願いします！#tjpw pic.twitter.com/LLWuKFpotA
— TJPW 東京女子プロレス (@tjpw2013) December 15, 2023
It’s a perfect start to the show as Pom and Max are crowd favorites and Rika is teaming with Amira, so it’s not a standard promotion versus promotion match to kick things off. Following the usual POMPALER formula, Pom is scared and runs off into the crowd, and Max is an absolute force of nature against Rika.
Amira has a very strong presence and has a lot of strong moves in her arsenal, living up to the nickname Tower of Power. Pom gets some of her signature moves in, such as the shin kick and being tossed like a weapon via Max. Pom’s main strength in these matches is enduring a beating, allowing Max to run wild with the hot tag. Pom gets back in and hits a Max-assisted elevated guillotine leg drop for the victory in her US debut.
Miyamoto is having her first match in the United States and is facing Trish Adora, who had a really good run in TJPW early this year, which included the Los Angeles show in March. This was a showcase for the larger Adora, but Miyamoto had the fire that she’s been exhibiting more frequently.
Adora mostly dominated and hit the incredibly named “Lariat Tubman” to pick up the win. Even in a mostly one-sided match, Miyamoto absolutely delivered a strong performance, and her fighting spirit is a calling card in her matches.
The Sugar Rabbit is coming off an emotional sendoff from her good friend and tag partner, Yuka Sakazaki, but she is all smiles and happy as ever. Sandra Moone has done a run in Marvelous this year and really works well in the Japanese style. Moone takes the match to the floor and lands a vicious backdrop on the apron.
Mizuki fights back and does a cross-body to the floor. This is Mizuki in big match mode, and she is pulling out all the stops, and Moone is definitely up to the challenge. There are lots of near falls and flashy moves that end when Mizuki hits the Cutie Special for the win. Highly recommended and sets the pace for the rest of the card three matches in.
[4 days to go]
TJPW wrestlers that will be at #CombatPrincessUSA have recorded a message to the fans in English!
Today we have Miu Watanabe @uug_p_miu !
Dec. 14th, 2023
Los Angeles, CA
Vermont HollywoodGet your tickets here:https://t.co/vfeacW5iml#tjpw pic.twitter.com/HqqnibjP1N
— TJPW 東京女子プロレス (@tjpw2013) December 10, 2023
Miu has made a few visits to America this calendar year with a recent stop for Spark Joshi in October. Hyan is a veteran of the US independants but is also a world traveler showing up in Pro Wrestling WAVE and Marvelous in Japan and over in the UK for RevPro. The two start with a test of the strength and that sets the tone of the match. Each try to out muscle each other with a war of shoulder blocks and big powermoves. Watanabe is a bit smaller so Hyan often gets the advantage but she eventually tightens up her hair and puts Hyan in the Giant Swing. Watanabe hoists Hyan up for the Tear Drop for the pin. A very simple formula but another good match and a continued serious edge to the TJPW roster.
𝕯𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖓 𝕳𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖘 😈💔 @tjpw2013 @WrestlePrestige #CombatPrincessUSA pic.twitter.com/AjAqxvv2nk
— Shazza McKenzie (@Shazza_McKenzie) December 15, 2023
This is the third defense for Free WiFi, and they have a dangerous duo in Janai Kai and Shazza McKenzie. Kai has been a part of TJPW, so her kicks are a known commodity, while McKenzie has been a part of a lot of west coast promotions as well as time in Shimmer. Demon Hearts just unloaded with viscous strikes and kept Noa down for a while. Kakuta gets in and returns the favor with her flurry of kicks. Free WiFi keeps isolating and double teaming to gain the advantage; they nail a serious number of wicked superkicks, and Noa hits the Blizzard Suplex to retain their championships. Demon Hearts are a team that would be a welcome addition to future TJPW cards.
The Big Kaiju takes on the seasoned veteran Taya Valkyrie in the proverbial David vs. Goliath matchup. Valkyrie starts things out slow and has the charisma to work the crowd as she toys with the smaller Nakajima. Eventually Nakajima gets some of her lucha-style offense going and hits a big suicida to the floor. The Kaiju hits her 619 and tries to get the power advantage, but even her giant heart is not enough as Valkyrie puts her away with the Road to Valhalla. The recurring theme has been the smaller TJPW roster fighting from underneath and being just tossed around by the Prestige contingent. It’s a really good formula that was executed perfectly here, and this is another recommended match.
This match serves as a bit of a preview, as Masha is challenging for the Princess of Princess title at Korakuen Hall on January 4th. MK Ultra are the Knockouts Tag Team champions in TNA, but the belts are not on the line tonight. Killer Kelly and Itoh start off with lots of fun counters that eventually lead to Itoh hitting her falling headbutt. As is the theme throughout the show, Kelly takes over and dominates with some mean offense. Itoh is just beaten for a good portion of this match, as both Kelly and Masha have the strength to overwhelm. Yamashita enters and shines when she and Itoh hit their signature tandem moves.
She faces Masha, and this is a nice preview of the one-on-one showdown that will happen at Korakuen Hall. Again, MK Ultra gets the advantage, causing Itoh to headbutt Yamashita to power up, reminiscent of Savage and Hogan during their Mega Powers tag matches. Yamashita goes for the Skull Kick but Masha counters with her own and follows up with a piledriver to pin Yamashita. Post-match, Masha gloats and says she will do this again in January and take the Princess of Princess of Title. Itoh grabs the microphone and calls out the entire locker room as they bow and thank everyone.
This was the first joint show for the two companies, and while the live feed had a lot of technical issues, the effort of the wrestlers shined through. The crowd was hot and really hyped to see many of the Joshi for the first time on US soil. The pairing against the much larger Prestige wrestlers was a great idea and made for a really fun show. The fun TJPW was still here in Pom, and some of the Free WiFi shenanigans were there, but for the most part, it was straight-ahead hard hitting and quick high-flying wrestling. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling continues to make inroads all over the world, and 2024 is looking bright for the company as they start taking some steps forward with a younger roster.
POMPALER def. Rika Tatsumi & Amira
Trish Adora def. Moka Miyamoto
Mizuki def. Sandra Moone
Miu Watanabe def. Hyan
Princess Tag Team Championships: Free WiFi (Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta) def. Demon Hearts (Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie)
Taya Valkyrie def. Shoko Nakajima
MK Ultra (Killer Kelly & Masha Slamovich) def. 121000000 (Maki Itoh & Miyu Yamashita)
Date:
December 15, 2023
Category:
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