After a successful debut last year, Tokyo Joshi Pro ran the second installment of GRAND PRINCESS, their new biggest event of the year from a venue and importance standpoint today, with a blockbuster card featuring a little bit of everything as they ran Tokyo’s new Olympic venue for the first time.
Today’s event was held at Ariake Arena in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on WRESTLE UNIVERSE in Japanese and English. You can also watch the pre-show and the first 2 matches FOR FREE on YouTube.
The announced paid attendance was 1512. That’s not nearly as bad as it sounds because despite the easing of pandemic restrictions the venue was still limited to only 50% capacity and the layout reduced it even further. Also all but two levels of tickets sold out in advance. I did hope for more though.
Match 1: Suzume beat Arisu Endo.
Match 2: Haru Fujo & Runa Okubo Debut Match: Mahiro Kiryu, HIMAWARI, Wakana Uehara & Shino Suzuki beat Kaya Toribami, Touma, Haru Fujo & Runa Okubo. Kiryu pinned Toribami after a spinebuster. V1 for Suzuki in her young career!
Match 3: Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Ram Kaichow (666) beat Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku. Noa pinned Harajuku aftet 5G.
Match 4: Ryo Mizunami (Independent/Freelancer) beat Moka Miyamoto.
Match 5: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao beat Andre The Giant Panda & Neko Haruna. Nakajima pinned Haruna with a Northern Lights Suplex hold.
Match 6: Saki-Sama & May Saint-Michel (Saki Akai & Mei Suruga) beat Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz. May pinned Kamifuku after La Revolution.
Match 7: Aja Kong beat Yuki Arai. Anticipated but still sad.
Match 8: Rika Tatsumi beat International Princess Champion Miu Watanabe by submission to win the title. Tatsumi becomes the 10th International Princess Champion. And what is believed to be the first to win all 3 TJPW titles at some point in her career (Miyu Yamashita & Yuka Sakazaki have never held this title and Maki Itoh has never been Princess Of Princess Champion). So maybe time to put Tatsumi in TJPW G.O.A.T. discussions.
Match 9: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh beat Princess Tag Team Champions Heidi Howitzer & Max The Impaler to win the titles. Yamashita & Itoh become the 12th Princess Tag Team Champions. Itoh pinned Howitzer after Flying Big Head. Well, at least the disaster that was the foreigners winning the title from AA Eye Candy has been somewhat resolved.
Main Event: Mizuki beat Princess Of Princess Champion Yuka Sakazaki to win the title. Mizuki becomes the 12th Princess Of Princess Champion. Boooo..(there are only two TJPW wrestlers I do not like and passionately root against. Mizuki is one. The other who I will NEVER root/simp/etc for is Maki Itoh)
Among major announcements during the event were upcoming major events later this year: 7/8 at Ota City General Gym for what should be SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23 (the summer blowout event), 10/8 (not sure where) for what probably will be WRESTLE PRINCESS 3 (typically TJPW’s biggest/most important event of the year but I think GRAND PRINCESS has surpassed it), and 12/1 at Korakuen Hall for the TJPW 10th Anniversary event. Also announced before the event was Yuki Arai’s May & June participation schedule, which is subject to change-5/5 (Korakuen Hall), 5/13 (Act City Hamamatsu, Shizuoka), 5/20 (Otemachi Mitsui Hall, Tokyo), 6/11 (Korakuen), 6/24 (Kobe Art Center, Kobe), 6/25 Nishitetsu Hall, Fukuoka).
The next event is Wednesday at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo to begin the Spring 2023 house show tour. Live streaming on WRESTLE UNIVERSE will begin at 3 AM PT/6 AM ET.
