Tokyo Joshi Pro recap: High Score

Tokyo Joshi Pro’s High Score show included a recent debut’s first win, more development for the Up Up Girls, and the return of the Muscle Strikers in the main event. You can watch this show on DDT Universe, where it streamed on Jan. 16 after being recorded on Jan. 13.

After announcements by Sayuri Nanba and a performance of “Upper Chop” by the Up Up Girls, the first match saw Himawari Unagi pick up her first win against Pom Harajuku. Both these women are fairly new to wrestling and this match didn’t make it look otherwise. However, Unagi showed more personality and incorporated some of her synchronized swimmer past into her wrestling, which was fun to watch.

The second match also showcased some newer talent when Yuna Manase, Pinano Pipipipi, and Raku defeated Marika Kobashi, Miu Watanabe, and Yumi. The Up Up Girls continue to develop their characters with Watanabe being sportsy, Pipipipi being a trickster, and Raku being the cutesiest one with a nap-based moveset.

Kobashi stands out in this match as the most hard-hitting of this group, but it’s Manase who picks up the win with a neck screw hold to Yumi.

One of the event’s better matches is a triple threat between Shoko Nakajima, Maki Itoh, and Veda Scott. Scott and Itoh bring their comedy chops while Nakajima plays it straight; showcasing her technical skills. The match gets muddled near the end, but nonetheless, Nakajima gets the clean victory with a 619 and Northern Lights Suplex on Itoh.

Next up is a non-title match piting the glamorous team of Yuki Kamifuku and Mina Shirakawa against Tokyo Princess Tag Team Champions Yuka Sakazaki and Mizuku. For most of the match, the champs dominated Kamifuku.

Their double team moves – which includes stomping and hair pulling – overwhelm Kamifuku until she and Shirakawa make a decidedly pissed off comeback after getting beat up for about ten minutes. Suddenly, both teams are evenly matched, but Mizuki ends up tapping out Kamifuku with a crossface.

That match is followed by Nastumi Maki vs. Hikari Noa, which gets more interesting and entertaining as it goes on. Noa continues to set herself apart as the heavy metal Up Up Girl, but Maki has the slightly terrifying intensity of everyone who’s really good at baton twirling.

After they shake hands, Noa dropkicks her from behind right before the bell, prompting Maki to retaliate with extra aggression. Noa escalates the match further when she makes her comeback, but Maki just outclasses her in the end with a win. Both wrestlers come out of this match looking good.

The show’s main event puts four of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s hardest hitting wrestlers in the ring when the Muscle Strikers (Miyu Yamashita and Reika Saiki) face off against the Bakaretsu Sisters (Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino) and it doesn’t disappoint.

Aino and Yamashita start the match by going hold for hold. Things pick up when Saiki and Tenma tag in for mat wrestling. After a card with lots of comedy moments, these women are not messing around, as shown when Saiki and Yamashita make quick tags in and out to mess up Tenma with mid kicks.

The match continues to speed up and heat up. While Tenma continues to have Yamashita’s number as they fight to keep each other from breaking pins, Saiki and Aino desperately try to put each other away.

Tenma spikes Yamashita with a DDT and rolls her out of the ring, but the clear field ends up helping the Ace’s partner rather than hers and a fired-up Saiki is able to pin Aino with a Jackhammer after a Shining Wizard.

Overall, this was a light and fun show for Tokyo Joshi Pro, with some moments of intensity that mixed things up and let the wrestlers show their more serious strengths.