Tokyo Joshi Pro has announced the field for the 4th Futari-wa Princess Max Heart Tournament, the promotion’s annual tag team tournament. There will be 11 teams this year comprising the entire roster except for Maki Itoh (injured), Hikari Noa (injured/illness), Yuki Aino (current Princess Tag Team Champion and probably because no Ryo Mizunami participation as co-Champion) & Runa Okubo (on hiatus to focus on education).
The full field:
Miyu Yamashita & Toga
Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
Mizuki & Shino Suzuki
Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
Nao Kakuta & HIMAWARI
Raku & Pom Harajuku
Suzume & Arisu Endo
Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
Kaya Toribami & Haru Kazashiro
The tournament is single-elimination bracket format with 6 teams facing off in Round 1 and the other 5 going straight to the Quarterfinals. Matchups will be determined by random draw at a later date.
Unless something happens, the winning team will face Aino & Mizunami for the Princess Tag Team Championship at a later date, probably at GRAND PRINCESS ’24 on 3/31. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh won last year’s edition but won’t repeat because no Itoh (she would not have participated anyway because she was to have been in the US the rest of January). On paper Tatsumi/Watanabe are the early favorites and have won the tournament before followed by Suzume/Endo as sleepers.
The schedule is as follows:
1/20 (Club eX in Shinagawa Prince Hotel, Tokyo): Round 1 and one Quarterfinals
1/21 (Club eX): Remaining 3 Qurterfinals
1/27 (Ryogoku KFC Hall, Tokyo): Semifinals
2/10 (Korakuen Hall, Tokyo): Finals