Image Credit: Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling
By: Noah Leatherland
The second round of the TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup was completed in Shinjuku FACE. The field narrowed, with some huge eliminations in the headlines, including Shoko Nakajima scoring a pinfall on the reigning Princess of Princess Champion, Yuki Arai.
Having missed out on becoming Princess Tag Team Champion at TJPW Summer Sun Princess, Shoko Nakajima capitalised on her first round bye in the Tokyo Princess Cup. Arai had defeated Haru Kazashiro in the opening round, setting up her second round encounter with The Big Kaiju. The two battled hard in the main event, with Arai showing a champion’s spirit up against the much more seasoned Nakajima. However, Nakajima caught Arai slipping. As Arai went to lock in her Scorpion Deathlock, Nakajima twisted her into a pinfall, gaining the three-count and the victory.
Nakajima addressed the crowd after the match, sharing just how thrilled she was to get this win, and also be a part of TJPW:
You’re joking, right? You’re joking, right? It’s the second round of the tournament, mind you, but for me, today was my first proper match of the tournament. Let’s see… ah, I turned 35 in July. It’s just that—I suppose it’s either because I’m getting older, or because the organisation is getting more seasoned—it’s becoming harder to win. That’s both a bit sad and a bit fun. Even though my body’s a wreck today, just like this, there’s a completely different Arai-chan there compared to when I last fought, and it really made me think, ‘This is why Tokyo Joshi is so much fun.’ Right, I’d love to go home tonight and sleep like a log, but believe it or not, we’re all off to an idol festival together starting tomorrow. It’ll be scorching hot under the blazing sun, but look at me – I’m still standing even after getting beaten up like this, so don’t you all think you ought to come and see for yourselves, even in that heat? Summer’s only just begun, after all. Let’s all have a great time together. It’s a promise! Thank you so much for today!
(Quote translated via DeepL)
The eventual winner of the Tokyo Princess Cup has precedent to move on and challenge for the Princess of Princess Championship at TJPW Wrestle Princess. But, with this singles win over Arai, Nakajima certainly earned herself an opportunity at the gold.
There was another top star eliminated from the tournament in Shinjuku FACE. Miu Watanabe is the former Princess of Princess Champion, and one half of the current Princess Tag Team Champions. Having defeated Ren Konatsu in the opening round, Watanabe moved onto Shinjuku FACE ready to take on Yuki Aino. Aino stepped up to the challenge, putting her own strength and power up against Watanabe’s. The match came down to a submission, with Aino locking in the Love and Fire Full Nelson and forcing Watanabe to give up.
Another champion was also in action, with the International Princess Champion, Suzume, drawn against Pom Harajuku. Harajuku’s game plan was based around Suzume’s bee-inspired persona, coming to the ring with nets and other bug-catching tools. That tactic would prove to be her downfall, with Harajuku’s beekeeper outfit obscuring her vision, allowing Suzume to hit the Ring-a-Bell cutter for the win.
The other second round match that kicked off the day’s tournament action saw Toga taking on Mahiro Kiryu. Toga stormed her way into the quarter finals, driving Kiryu into the mat with an Absolute Zero.
After today’s results, the quarter-finals for the TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup are as locked in. They will take place on August 8th, and are as follows:
Here are the full results for the Tokyo Princess Cup, Day 3:
Date:
July 30, 2026
Category:
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