Yuki Arai Retains Against Miyu Yamashita at TJPW Summer Sun Princess, Heads into Tokyo Princess Cup as Champion

By Noah Leatherland

TJPW packed out Korakuen Hall once again for this year’s Summer Sun Princess event. In the main event, Yuki Arai overcame her toughest challenge yet, defeating Miyu Yamashita to retain the Princess of Princess Championship.

Arai showed a lot of heart in her fourth defence of TJPW’s top prize, withstanding a lot of punishment from one of the most dangerous strikers in pro wrestling today in Miyu Yamashita. Even Yamashita’s deadly Skull Kick wasn’t enough to put Arai down. It was Arai’s own precise kick that would end up being the final blow. Just before the bout reached the twenty minute mark, Arai connected with the Finally axe kick to put Yamashita down for the pin.

Filled with emotions having overcome the toughest opponent of her title reign yet, Arai addressed the crowd on the microphone:

Yuki Arai has defeated Yamashita-san to become the Princess of Princesses Champion… This summer, the person leading Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling as champion will be… me, Yuki Arai! Yamashita-san is a beloved senior who trained with me even before I started pro-wrestling; she’s the strong, cool senior I’ve always, always aspired to be like. So the fact that I was able to have this title match today, and that I managed to win, has given me a huge boost of confidence. It’s made me feel that, from now on, as champion, I simply cannot afford to lose to anyone. At Summer Sun Princess ’26, so many of you gathered in this sweltering heat – I think this might just have become the hottest place in the world. Summer is still in full swing, and the Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling singles tournament begins the day after tomorrow. Let’s all work together with Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling to make this summer even hotter and more exciting. Thank you all so much for coming today!’

Speaking with the press in her post-match comments, Arai was asked about her participation in the upcoming TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup:

Of course, I want to reach the top whilst holding the belt—that’s an absolute must. I’ve never actually won a tournament before, so I’d like to aim for that as well.

Yamashita vented her frustrations in her post-match comments. But, this defeat seems to have only fueled her desire to win the TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup:

I lost! It’s frustrating, but this is what fighting’s all about—both the frustration of defeat and the joy of victory come from having an opponent. And above all, it’s because I’m fighting myself. Losing is incredibly frustrating, of course, but I’ve always turned these defeats into strength… Do you really think it’ll end like this? My fans know better than anyone just how strong I am. It’s not over yet. But today, Arai got the better of me. Yeah, it’s frustrating, and I don’t really want to say this sort of thing… but Arai, that was fun. Still, I’m going to come after you too. And it’s not just Arai. Is it this week? Tuesday, Monday? It’s the tournament! There’s no time to stop now. Next up is [Uta Takami]—I’ll kick her to the ground. I’m definitely going to win this tournament. I’m not stopping.

Arai was not the only champion to keep hold of their gold at TJPW Summer Sun Princess. Suzume put her International Princess Title on the line against the biggest eater in TJPW, Wakana Uehara. Suzume was able to hold off Uehara’s challenge, putting her down for the three count with the Ring-a-Bell cutter.

Speaking afterwards, Suzume proclaimed her goal to keep the International belt around her waist:

I’ve successfully defended my title! I defended it against Wakana Uehara. I was well aware of Wakana’s ability—both in her usual form and during the preliminary bouts—and today, too, I nearly got swept away by the anticipation in the arena. Even so, I think I’ve managed to prove just how significant this belt is. And for me, SUMMER SUN marked a major turning point. When I first won this belt, I lost it to a younger rival who had both the ability and high expectations placed upon her. That’s precisely why, when facing a younger rival at the same time, carrying similar expectations, I was, to be honest, absolutely terrified. But now that I’ve been able to kick off this summer, I intend to keep defending this belt for a long time to come.

Much like Yamashita, Uehara seems to be taking this loss and turning it into motivation for the TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup:

Suzume, that was incredibly spicy. I’m really not good with spicy food at all. You look so sweet, don’t you, Suzume? I wasn’t letting my guard down at all, but the more I ate, the more my mouth and my whole body started to burn. I was absolutely determined to finish it all. I couldn’t manage to finish it this time, but I’m going to stop being picky and keep challenging myself with super-spicy food. The tournament is starting soon, so I’m going to swallow everything I don’t like whole and I’m absolutely determined to win the tournament.

(Quotes translated via DeepL)

The Princess Tag Team Championships were also up for grabs at TJPW Summer Sun Princess, with Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi making their second defence against Hyper Misao and Shoko Nakajima. Despite all the hijinks that comes with a match involving Misao and Nakajima, Watanabe and Tatsumi managed to power their way to victory, connecting with the Daydream Believer for the win.

There were other highlights on the undercard. TJPW rookie Momo Sato made her official debut. She teamed with Shion Kanzaki in a losing effort to Uta Takami and Ren Konatsu. Sato will make her singles debut in the upcoming TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup.

Another marquee singles match saw DDT’s Chris Brookes make a rare TJPW appearance, stepping in for AEW’s Willow Nightingale after she experience travel issues. Brookes went one-on-one with Mizuki. Despite Mizuki’s best efforts against her much bigger opponent, Brookes came out the victor in the bout.

Here are the full results for TJPW Summer Sun Princess, courtesy of purolove.com:

• Uta Takami & Ren Konatsu def. Shion Kanzaki & Momo Sato (9:43)
• Shin Hirota Katsushika Sakura, HIMAWARI & Mifu Ashida def. Raku, Pom Harajuku & Chika Nanase (11:53)
• Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro def. MIRAI & Toga (12:17)
• Aja Kong def. Arisu Endo (9:25)
• Yuki Kamifuku, Kumadori & Sakura Hattori def. Sanshiro Takagi, Yumehito Imanari & Mahiro Kiryu (12:06)
• Chris Brookes def. Mizuki (10:47)
• International Princess Title: Suzume (c) def. Wakana Uehara (12:40)
• Princess Tag Team Title: Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi (c) def. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (17:50)
• Princess of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) def. Miyu Yamashita (19:16)