TJPW Live In Las Vegas
Date: April 18, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Nick Knowledge

So here we have Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, another Japanese women’s promotion coming to America. I’ve seen this promotion before and it’s a bit more over the top and goofy compared to Stardom. It makes for something interesting and fun, which is exactly what you want. On occasion. Let’s get to it

Note that I do not follow the promotion so I apologize in advance for any character or plot points I miss.

As usual in TJPW, we open with a mini concert, this time from the Up Up Girls. It’s certainly energetic and that’s a good way to start things off. They go around ringside and while some fans seem to be very happy, some are also looking a bit confused. Then they go in the ring for a singing/dancing routine and this just kind of keeps going. With the song over, the women say something in Japanese, plus thanking the fans. Now get ready for the show.

Yuki Arai vs. Arisu Endo

They both seem popular. Arai works on a wristlock to start but gets reversed into a headlock. Back up and Endo kicks her into the corner, only to get knocked right back down. They go to the mat with Arai working on the leg for a bit, followed by a quick dropkick. Endo is back up with a running forearm in the corner and a running crotch attack against the ropes.

A hard kick to the face drops Endo again and the camera moves around a bit, showing graphics with the wrestlers’ names included. That’s a very smart move as it might be a case where you don’t know who you’re watching. Simple, yet beneficial. Arai’s Sharpshooter is broken up and Endo pulls her into a camel clutch, which you don’t see that often these days. That’s broken up as well and Arai kicks her in the head again for two. Endo snaps off a suplex, only for Arai to come back with a full nelson slam. An ax kick to the back of the head gives Arai the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. This was a mostly to the point match and Arai’s kicks looked good, especially the one at the end. That’s a good way to start things off and the fans seemed to like both of them well enough. It helps that they’re both in bright and colorful gear so the energy is certainly high to start and that’s a nice feeling to have.

Ram Kaicho/Viva Van/Yuki Aino vs. Rika Tatsumi/Shino Suzuki/Vert Vixen

It’s a big brawl to start and they fight to the floor/into the back. Commentary calls it a special look at the casino until Kaicho and Tatsumi come in. Tatsumi blocks a shot to the face and it’s off to Suzuki, who takes too long to send her into the corner. Instead Kaicho kicks her down, allowing for the stomping in the corner. Van comes in and teases a basement clothesline, which has Suzuki covering up.

That has Van pausing, but then she chops Suzuki down for daring to move her hands. Suzuki gets sent into the corner for a string of splashes and Aino hits a springboard spinning splash for two. A missed charge allows Suzuki to get over for the tag to Vixen for the power game. Vixen gets a sitout powerbomb for two on Kaicho but it’s off to Van for a spinwheel kick. Vixen fights back and hands it off to Tatsumi for a running elbow in the corner. A dropkick to the knee has Van in more trouble and the Figure Four goes on.

That’s broken up and Van hits her in the chest to take over. Aino comes back in to backdrop Suzuki but gets caught with a running neckbreaker. A belly to belly puts Aino down and Suzuki grabs a sleeper. Aino rams her into the corner for the break but Tatsumi is in with a hip attack. Vixen is in with a brainbuster but walks into a gutbuster. Kaicho is back in with a Venus (reverse) DDT for the pin on Suzuki at 13:45.

Rating: B. This was a wild enough match with a story that you could follow well enough. One of the best things about this place so far is that it seems easy to tell the good vs. the evil so it isn’t difficult to jump into a match. The action was solid enough here too, with everyone getting in some time to shine.

Maki Itoh/Zara Zakher vs. Max The Impaler/Raku

As usual, Itoh sings her way to the ring. Raku has a pillow with her, because that’s a necessary item. Zakher and Raku start things off…and Raku stops for a nap. The arena gets quiet (not wanting to be rude) and Zakher goes for a cover, only to get small packaged for two. Max comes in to throw the pillow outside, earning a dropkick from Zakher. Raku gets taken into the corner for the tag off to Itoh and the fans are rather pleased.

A facewash in the corner sets up a weird half crab, sending Raku over to the ropes. Raku hits her in the head and hurts her own hand so she switched to chops to the chest. Itoh gets taken down with a faceplant, allowing Max to come in and run Zakher over. Max hits a double shoulder for a double knockdown, followed by a double belly to back suplex.

It’s time to get creative, so Max picks Raku up and throws her at Itoh and Zakher. That lets Raku hit a double splash for two but misses….it looked like a ballerina spin into the corner. Itoh grabs a half crab so Max picks her up for the easy save. Raku accidentally chops Max and Itoh grabs a tornado DDT. Itoh’s running Death Valley Driver to Raku sets up the Itoh Deluxe (a Liontamer Texas Cloverleaf) for the tap at 9:46.

Rating: B-. This was a wacky enough tag match with Raku doing the sleep thing and Max in there as the monster. Itoh is a weird star in her own right and Zakher was there as enough of a straight woman for the others to bounce off most of the time. The sleep stuff was a bit out there but it seems like a regular deal for her and at least it was quick.

Max drags Raku away, apparently due to a bad case of sleep.

International Princess Title: Suzume vs. Jada Stone

Stone is challenging. They stare at each other to start and Stone hits a rather sudden running dropkick. Suzume’s crossbody is countered into a slam but she avoids the standing moonsault. Stone rolls outside and that means a slingshot dive to take her out again. Back in and Suzume rolls into a rollup for two, followed by a basement dropkick. Suzume starts in on the leg before grabbing a crucifix hold in the ropes. Stone is back up with a cartwheel into a kick down, setting up the split legged moonsault for two.

The surfboard goes on, with Suzume rolling out to the floor for a breather. Said breather seems to work as she’s back in with a high crossbody for two, followed by a jumping cutter for the same. Stone is right back up with a Last Chancery, but has to stop to adjust her top. With nothing else working, Stone hits a corkscrew moonsault for two so she goes up again. This time Suzume bulldogs her back down, setting up another jumping cutter to retain at 12:35.

Rating: B-. Stone was getting to show off here as she is quite the athlete. She was flying around here and showcasing just how good she is in the ring, which is always nice to see. Suzume was good as well and more than held her own, making for a nice match here. They were going back and forth here and a title change felt possible, so they definitely pulled me in.

Respect is shown post match.

Princess Tag Team Titles: Kyoraku Kyomei vs. Wakana Uehara/Yuki Kamifuku

Kyomei (Hyper Misao/Shoko Nakajima) are defending. Before the match, Misao (a superhero) introduces herself and Nakajima, who is apparently a giant monster. We start with Misao sending Yuki into the corner for some heroic choking. Misao whips out some spray to blind Yuki, with commentary wondering how that could be legal. Nakajima and Uehara come in for a test of strength until Uehara switches to a dropkick.

They go to the floor where Nakajima hammers away to take over and it’s back inside for a ram into Misao’s boot. A rocking horse sends Uehara’s head into Nakajima’s boot but Uehara manages an elbow to the face. Yuki comes back in with a dropkick and a running boot in the corner (makes sense as she has some long legs). Misao gets in a knee to the face and it’s already back to Nakajima. House is quickly cleaned and Misao comes back in for a rollup, even with feet on the ropes, for two.

Yuki is fine enough to hit another big boot to Misao so Uehara comes back in to work on Nakajima’s arm. Nakajima powers up and manages a double arm DDT and goes up, only to be superplexed down by Yuki. The challengers get stereo holds but they’re both broken up, one through a rope and the other with it just being released. Misao hits a high crossbody but Uehara dropkicks Nakajima. The middle rope Fameasser gives Uehara two but Misao plants her down. Nakajima’s top rope backsplash retains the titles at 13:14.

Rating: C+. Misao is about as over the top of a character as I can remember in this promotion but she’s also one of the few people who stand out around here. I remembered her name the second I heard it again and that’s a good sign for what she’s doing. The match was only fairly good, with Yuki’s long legs making her stand out more than just about anyone else. It was a bit more goofy though, which can be annoying for a title match.

TNA Knockouts Title: Miu Watanabe vs. Masha Slamovich

Slamovich is defending. They fight over arm control to start until Watanabe gets a headscissors for two, with Slamovich backing away in a hurry. Watanabe runs her over with a shoulder and a backbreaker gets two. Slamovich is back up with some big kicks for two and we’re off to a seated abdominal stretch. A whip is blocked though and Watanabe runs her over (with the size differential being mostly ignored), only for Slamovich to fire off some hard clotheslines.

They go to the mat with Slamovich grabbing a weird double arm crank, sending Watanabe to the ropes for a quick break. With the holds not working, they strike it out with Watanabe getting dropped again. Watanabe is right back up with a giant swing for two, followed by a kind of side powerbomb for the same. Another slam drops Slamovich but seems to fire her up, as tends to be the case in wrestling. A spinning kick to the chest knocks Watanabe silly and something close to a package piledriver retains the title at 10:45.

Rating: B-. Slamovich was working hard here in a big spot against a prominent name in Watanabe. It made for a nice showdown and it’s fun to see the Knockouts Title included on an important stage. Slamovich has come a long way and has become quite the star in TNA and elsewhere, which is a great sign for her future. The ending came a bit out of nowhere, but at least Slamovich won clean.

Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki vs. Miyu Yamashita

Mizuki is defending and this is the company’s top title. Yamashita works on the arm to start but Mizuki comes back with a dropkick. Mizuki heads up top but gets caught by the leg and kicked in the head. They go up to the stage, where Yamashita misses a running kick and gets taken down with a running double stomp. Yamashita is back with an AA onto the stage and it’s time to head back to the ring.

Some kicks to the chest give Yamashita two and Mizuki is back with a running dropkick against the ropes. Yamashita is knocked outside for a big dive but she’s able to block a suplex back inside. Something close to an Anaconda Vice sends Mizuki over to the ropes, where Yamashita kicks her in the head again. A desperation sleeper only gives Mizuki a quick breather but she’s back with a double stomp.

Yamashita is back up with a fireman’s carry for some knees to the head, setting up an AA for the big crash. They forearm it out until Yamashita hits a German suplex. Mizuki gets a crucifix driver for two but gets kicked in the head to leave them both down. Some kicks to the head cut Mizuki off but she’s back with a suplex. A running double stomp gives Mizuki two and a tabletop suplex retains the title at 17:37.

Rating: B-. It felt like a showdown with Mizuki overcoming the bigger and stronger challenger to retain. That’s a story that will always work and it certainly did here, with both of them working hard to make it work well. Mizuki is a smaller star and had to fight from underneath, which she made into a good story here. Yamashita did her thing as well and made for a solid challenger.

Post match Mizuki asks if you’re happy but says she can’t really speak English. Yamashita says she isn’t happy and shoves Mizuki away. Mizuki calls the locker room out to thank the fans to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I’ve seen this promotion a few times now and I really can’t get into the whole princess/overly cute stuff. That is far from the only thing going on in the promotion, but it’s the focal point of a lot of what they do and that makes for a bit of a weird setup. What we got here was good enough and the action was fine, but it’s really just not my style.

Results
Yuki Arai b. Arisu Endo – Ax kick
Ram Kaicho/Viva Van/Yuki Aino b. Rika Tatsumi/Shino Suzuki/Vert Vixen – Venus DDT to Suzuki
Maki Itoh/Zara Zakher b. Max The Impaler/Raku – Itoh Deluxe to Raku
Suzume b. Jada Stone – Jumping cutter
Kyoraku Kyomei b. Wakana Uehara/Yuki Kamifuku – Top rope backsplash to Uehara
Masha Slamovich b. Miu Watanabe – Package piledriver
Mizuki b. Miyu Yamashita – Tabletop suplex

 

 

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American Dream In Sin City
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Silverton Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dan Barry, Trevin Adams

This is from Stardom, with the promotion running a pair of shows over Wrestlemania Weekend. We should be in for some of the best women’s wrestling in all of Japan and that should make for a fun show. Last year’s edition in Philadelphia was entertaining enough and hopefully they can do even better this time. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow Stardom so I apologize in advance for missing any storyline or character points.

Opening sequence, featuring something like opening credits for a nice idea.

We seem to have something go wrong to start (Barry: “Live television everybody.”) as it seems the wrong music/graphic played.

AZM/Ram Kaicho vs. Mazzerati/Starlight Kid

AZM and Kid, apparently rivals, get things going. They run the ropes to start and AZM hits a basement dropkick before tying Kid’s arms in the ropes. Kaicho gets in a shot of her own in the ropes and a stomp gives AZM a cocky near fall. It’s off to Kaicho for a chinlock, with Kid getting straight over to the ropes. Kid fights up and hits a Standing moonsault, allowing the tag off to Mazzerati to pick up the pace. It’s already back to Kid, who gets small packaged for a quick two.

AZM comes back in for a springboard armdrag into a quickly broken Rings Of Saturn. A bridging suplex gives Kid two and it’s back to Mazzerati, who is suplexed as well. Stereo basement dropkicks get two on AZM but Kaicho is back in with a high crossbody. Mazzerati has to get out of a Fujiwara armbar and AZM misses a top rope double stomp. A rollup gets two on AZM but Mazzerati misses a clothesline and gets rolled up (possibly with trunks) to give AZM the pin at 12:06.

Rating: B-. Good way to start the show with AZM and Kid, who seem to be some of the bigger names around here, getting in the ring to make the show feel important. The action was good and Mazzerati taking the fall isn’t exactly a shock as she hasn’t been much of a big deal when she has been around in AEW. Solid enough opener here with a fast paced tag match often being a good way to go.

Post match Kid and AZM, both of whom have titles, seem to be ready for a match at some point in the future.

Jody Threat/Suzu Suzuki vs. Airica/Unagi Sayaka

Airica is brand new and looks a bit cheerleaderish. Sayaka and Suzuki fight over a lockup to start so it’s quickly off to Threat, with Sayaka hitting a double Codebreaker. Airica comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner for a running clothesline. It’s already back to Sayaka, who manages a running elbow in the corner. A facebuster into a legdrop gets two and it’s back to Threat for a Jackhammer.’

Suzuki hits a running hip attack in the corner (because every women’s match must have a running hip attack) but Suzuki is back with a running cutter. It’s back to Airica with a dragon suplex and Sayaka superplexes Suzuki. An assisted Gory Bomb plants Suzuki for two but Threat is back with a spinning faceplant. Threat and Suzuki hit stereo German suplexes and Suzuki hits what Tatum Paxley calls the Psycho Trap for the pin on Airica at 9:15.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match, with Airica’s look making her stand out in a good way. She was wearing bright green (including her hair) and it got my attention as soon as she came into the arena. The action wasn’t quite as good as the opener but this show is feeling like it’s about getting more people in the ring, which is not a bad way to go for a high profile show like this one.

Stars vs. Hazuki/Kelsey Heather

The Stars are Hanan/Saya Iida. Heather and Iida start things off with Heather getting rather athletic by taking her down for a Hennig necksnap. Hanan comes in to slam Heather and grab the chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s off to Hazuki, who dropkicks both Stars down without much effort.

Hanan comes back in and forearms away at Hazuki, who brings Heather in for a double basement dropkick. Something close to a hiptoss takes Heather down and Hanan hits a Fameasser for two. Everything breaks down and Heather hits an enziguri for two on Iida. An assisted swinging neckbreaker gets two on Heather but Hanan’s tabletop suplex finishes at 9:55.

Rating: C+. This was the weakest of the three tag matches but it was still a perfectly good match. You had the Stars feeling like a more polished and experienced team who came together and beat the new pairing. It wasn’t bad at all, with the Stars looking like a rather good team who could work well against a better set of opponents.

Intermission, with commentary talking about how great the show has been and how great it will be. This goes on for ten minutes and there is only so much to talk about so far.

We also look at the merch tables, which can be a lot of fun.

Empress Nexus Venus vs. Hate

This would be Hanako/Mina Shirakawa vs. Momo Watanabe/Natsuko Tora and I’ll let you guess which team is evil. Shirakawa dances at the much bigger Tora to start and then dances some more, with Tora kicking her in the back. A low bridge sends Shirakawa outside and it’s time to brawl on the floor. Back in and Tora clotheslines Shirakawa for two and a suplex puts her down again.

Watanabe comes in and slowly kicks away at Shirakawa, who fights over and brings in Hanako. A Samoan drop hits Watanabe, who is right back with a kick to the chest for two. It’s back to Shirakawa, who ties up Tora’s legs and DDTs Watanabe at the same time. Shirakawa gets in the Figure Four but has to let go for a clothesline on Tora instead.

Back up and Tora’s Samoan drop gets two on Shirakawa, followed by a backsplash for the same. Hanako is back in for the save and Shirakawa comes in off the top with a Sling Blade. It’s back to the Figure Four with Watanabe making a save. Tora knocks Shirakawa silly for two and a top rope splash gets the same. Watanabe brings in a baseball bat but hits Toro by mistake, allowing Shirakawa to grab a rollup for the pin at 12:15.

Rating: B. Occasionally you will see a match where one person just takes the whole thing over and outshines the rest of the people involved. That’s what we had here, as Shirakawa’s charisma is just on another level and there’s nothing anyone is going to be able to do to overcome her. Even Watanabe, who is an all time Stardom name, was only able to do so much here. Shirakawa is a star and she knows it, with the fans being right there with her.

Post match Shirakawa thanks the fans for coming to the show and talks about how much has changed in one year. She loves the fans so stay tuned and see what is next.

Syuri/Vipress vs. Hate

In this case, Hate is Kalientita/Konami. Syuri and Konami go to the mat to start and it’s quickly off to Vipress for a hip check. Kalientita comes in and gets suplexed for two and it’s already time for everyone to go outside. Back in and Hate takes over but Vipress strikes and suplexes her way out of trouble. A faceplant gets two on Konami, with Kalientita making the save.

It’s back to Syuri, who strikes it out with Konami as they trade hard kicks to the chest. Konami kicks her down for two and everything breaks down, with Hate getting caught in stereo submissions. With that broken up, Kalientita hits a Codebreaker for two on Syuri and a forward DDT gets the same. Syuri fights up with kicks of her own, including a big one for two on Kalientita, followed by a powerslam for the pin at 11:58.

Rating: B-. It’s another good match but I’m getting tired of the tag matches as they’re not exactly standing out. One thing that really does help is that you have Hate, who are about as straight up evil as you can get. That gives you a basic setup for the match and identifies the heroes involved. Syuri is rather talented, but I could go for something a bit different this far into the show.

Maika vs. Thekla

Thekla is also part of Hate and goes to the top rope to jump in front of Maika. That’s fine with Maika, who hammers away but gets caught with a headscissors. Cue more of Hate to go after Maika and Thekla plants her on the ramp. Maika gets posted and commentary points out that the STEEL post is in fact the hardest part of the ring. Back in and Thekla grabs a Muta Lock before choking away in the corner.

Thekla grabs an Upside Down in the ropes, followed by a basement superkick for two. Maika fights up and hammers away in the corner with a clothesline getting two. Thekla shrugs that off and grabs an octopus hold before hitting some running shots to the face. The cross armbreaker is blocked and Maika grabs a suplex for two. Thekla spears her down for two but takes too long going up top and gets superplexed back down.

They both get up and slug it out from their knees with Maika forearming away to take over. Something like an Octopus on the mat has Maika in more trouble but she gets her feet over to the ropes. A quick powerbomb gives Maika two so she grabs a Michinoku Driver for the pin at 17:26.

Rating: B. Easily the best match of the show, with an easier to follow story. Again, having one of the people involved being in a group called HATE certainly helps things along and makes it that much easier to understand. I liked the match well enough, even if I don’t know much about either of them. That’s the sign of a good match and it worked well here.

Post match Maika yells at Thekla, who says they used to be cool but now Maika is lame as s***. Now though, Mina Shirakawa is leaving Maika and Thekla gives her a fairly aggressive hug. Maika thanks the fans and the rest of Empress Nexus Venus comes out to celebrate with her to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Much like last year in Philadelphia, this didn’t feel like a show that was designed to be a big step forward for Stardom but rather “hey, here are the Stardom wrestlers”. That’s not a bad idea at all as it makes the fans want to see what is going on in the promotion and maybe want to see it later. That’s not a bad way to go and the show did give you an idea of what you might see in the promotion. Good show, though not exactly must see.

Results
AZM/Ram Kaicho b. Mazzerati/Starlight Kid – Rollup to Mazzerati
Jody Threat/Suzu Suzuki b. Airica/Unagi Sayaka – Psycho Trap to Airica
Stars b. Hazuki/Kelsey Heather – Tabletop suplex to Heather
Empress Nexus Venus b. Hate – Rollup to Tora
Syuri/Vipress b. Hate – Powerslam to Kalientita
Maika b. Thekla – Falcon Arrow

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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