Tokyo Joshi Pro
Tokyo Princess Cup Final
July 7, 2019
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Princess Cup 2019 Semi-Finals
Yuna Manase def. Yuka Sakazaki

We start off with some mat grappling, I really like how this is becoming TJPW’s signature style, it really sets them apart from other promotions and despite all the talk about it being a goofy character promotion, it gives the matches a foundation in realism.

Yuka then adds some magic with a rolling leg hold that has Yuna turning 360 around the ring. A vicious clothesline follows and then a tarantula style rope hold. Yuka hits a Thesz press off the top and grimaces as she lands awkwardly on her leg. Yuna starts working on the leg. Yuka tries a suplex but the leg gives out and she’s working noticeably slower here. Yuna puts her in a high angle crab and then a single leg which Yuka eventually reverses into an armbar. Back on their feet, Yuka goes for the discus forearm, but Yuna catches her with a forearm of her own; Yuka fires back but it’s not enough and Yuna eventually picks up the win with an inverted powerbomb.

I honestly couldn’t tell if Yuka was genuinely injured here or not. Either way, this was a great match and the storytelling was well laid out. Yuna looked strong and motivated and deserved the win here. ***

Tokyo Princess Cup 2019 Semi-Finals
Mizuki def. Natsumi Maki

Natsumi really lucked out on her theme music; it’s really epic sounding and seems to hint at greatness in the future. This match starts at a blistering pace and an opening sequence of mirroring ends with a double crossbody knockdown. Then it gets vicious with some hair twists and throws. Maki isn’t technically a heel, but she works in a confident, aggressive style that gives her a maturity that puts her above much of the roster. Mizuki fires back with a great high dropkick. Match ends with a Mizuki pinning combination on Natsumi. These two worked really well together, a pity the match was so short. **3/4

Tokyo Princess Cup 2019 Finals
Mizuki def. Yuna Manase

This is a great final because either way, we’re going to have a new winner and someone who’s never really had a high profile title shot. Yuna bends Mizuki like a pretzel and kicks her to the outside for some brawling. Mizuki keeps trying her signature moves like the bow and arrow and the diving crossbody but gets thwarted by Yuna’s power each time. Finally, Mizuki regains momentum with a cross body from the top to the floor and it’s time for Yuna to be put in peril. Yuna returns with a facelock and then weakens Mizuki even more with a Greco-roman breast smother that everyone in the building is selling as a super-serious move.

Yuna plays babyface again as she tries to escape a Mizuki crossface and then powers out of it. The crowd starts to get loud as Mizuki reverses a German suplex into a bulldog and then Yuna hits a clothesline and the nearfalls start. Mizuki hits a move that I can only describe as being somewhere between a Sunset flip and a Canadian destroyer, and I still don’t know if It looks good or not. Then we get some cinematic brilliance as she climbs the ropes for a diving stomp and two silhouettes are projected onto the wall behind. Yuna claws back and hits a piledriver. Mizuki fires back with a diving stomp for two and finally hits the cutie special for the win.

Great match and they told a good story; Yuna was the senior and took a dominant role, but also had her own chance to show valor and spirit too. Mizuki again was part of a great match and surely has to be TJPW’s MVP this year. This was a much-deserved win and hopefully is the start of Mizuki moving out from the shadow of her tag team partners to become an elite singles star in her own right. ****

After the match, Shoko comes out and makes the title match official. Shoko vs Mizuki will be in September in Osaka. Strangely, there is a Korakuen Hall show booked the week before, which makes me wonder what they are planning for that. Shoko vs Su Yung?