Watch: Wrestle Universe

JULY 16

NON TOURNAMENT MATCHES

• Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino, Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa & Raku def. Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Ito, Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Arisu Endo (12:29)
• 3 Way Match: Mizuki def. Suzume & Kaya Toribami (7:57)

TOKYO PRINCESS CUP ROUND 1
POM HARAJUKU DEF. MOKA MIYAMOTO (6:48)

Moka tried to take control with her strikes, but Pom was able to use her technical and flying skills to neutralize things. Pom took most of this match but Moka got a brief flurry of offense in the end before Pom pinned her with the Pom De Justice. This was fine but was nothing special.

Pom will face Suzume in the second round. **¾

Pom de Justice! @harajuku_tjpw #tjpw #TPC9 #wrestleUNIVERSE

➡️ https://t.co/C2kQgmTjvU pic.twitter.com/ojMcrXG98i

— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) July 16, 2022

TOKYO PRINCESS CUP ROUND 1
YUKI ARAI DEF. MAHIRO KIRYU (8:00)

This was a simple match with back-and-forth action. Kiryu has a ways to go in developing though I think there is potential there. Arai continues to slowly but surely progress. They managed to keep a constant flow of motion so while everything didn’t look the smoothest, there was little downtime. Arai got the pin with the Finally.

I think Arai actually has a decent shot of going further in this tournament than people think. She will face Hikari Noa in the next round. ***

Full Nelson Buster from @araiyuki57! #tjpw #TPC9 #wrestleUNIVERSE

➡️ https://t.co/C2kQgmTjvU pic.twitter.com/ChHFOjjflO

— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) July 16, 2022

TOKYO PRINCESS CUP ROUND 1
SHOKO NAKAJIMA DEF. HARUNA NEKO (11:15)

Shoko dominated in the early going. Neko would get in some offense, but never for very long as Shoko would soon go back on the attack. The work here was solid enough but at 11 minutes, Shoko being this dominant was unnecessary unless Neko was going to end up pulling out some sort of shocking upset. Shoko got the submission win with the Unmanned Local Train Hold.

Shoko will face Mizuki in the next round which will be a big match. ***

.@nk147cm will not be denied! #tjpw #TPC9 #wrestleUNIVERSE

➡️ https://t.co/C2kQgmTjvU pic.twitter.com/HXX0eOGvjV

— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) July 16, 2022

TOKYO PRINCESS CUP ROUND 1
MIYU YAMASHITA DEF. HYPER MISAO (15:47)

Misao wasted no time in bending the rules and used her cape to choke Miyu very early on. She then tied the cape around Miyu’s legs and used some tape too as well as the mats on the outside to try to get a countout victory. Very dastardly. Miyu managed to get up and was hopping around with her legs still tied together, but then Misao brought out the spray can.

Miyu managed to duck some stuff from Misao and managed to get a Cobra Clutch locked in all while her legs were tied. This was a lot of fun and very impressive.

Once Miyu got out of her predicament, she dominated the match until the closing minutes when Misao got some roll ups and then some big moves in. But Miyu persevered and got the pin after the Crash Rabbit Heat.

This was a fun combination of comedy early on that turned into a pretty good match. Misao looked like she might actually pull this off for a moment towards the end.

Miyu will face Raku in the second round. ***½

Return Crush! @miyu_tjp #tjpw #TPC9 #wrestleUNIVERSE

➡️ https://t.co/C2kQgmTjvU pic.twitter.com/eAn1TnUYG8

— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) July 16, 2022

JULY 17

NON TOURNAMENT MATCHES

• Suzume, Raku & Hikari Noa def. Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto (10:33)
• 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku def. Haruna Neko & Maki Itoh (6:18)
• Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao def. Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu (11:09)

TOKYO PRINCESS CUP ROUND 1
MIU WATANABE DEF. ARISU ENDO (11:14)

Miu went almost immediately to working over Arisu’s back. Arisu kept going back to the Camel Clutch but couldn’t keep it locked on for long. Miu did a Giant Swing from the front facelock position. Arisu managed to get in a burst of offense towards the end including an Air Raid Crash, but Miu hit the Tear Drop out of nowhere for the pinfall.

This was pretty simple but still fun. Miu will face the winner of Mizuki vs. Shoko Nakajima in the quarter-finals. ***¼

This is one of @uug_p_miu‘s coolest giant swing variations yet! #tjpw #TPC9 #wrestleUNIVERSE

➡️ https://t.co/C2kQgnaUUu pic.twitter.com/oBRu2LN4G4

— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) July 17, 2022

TOKYO PRINCESS CUP ROUND 1
YUKA SAKAZAKI DEF. KAYA TORIBAMI (10:05)

Yuka tried to ground Kaya through the use of holds and worked over her left arm. Kaya finally got in some high flying offense. Yuka tried to go back to the arm but Kaya took over again. As it looked like Kaya had a ton of momentum, Yuka hit the Magical Merry-Go-Round out of nowhere for the victory. The finish felt a little flat given the lack of build to it.

Yuka will face the winner of Yuki Arai vs. Hikari Noa in the quarter-finals. ***

Everything is coming up @YukaSakazaki! #tjpw #TPC9 #wrestleUNIVERSE

➡️ https://t.co/C2kQgnaUUu pic.twitter.com/U39apFbRZL

— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) July 17, 2022

TOKYO PRINCESS CUP ROUND 1
NAO KAKUTA DEF. YUKI AINO (10:39)

This had some good back-and-forth action. Aino was aggressive but Kakuta managed to fight back and hit counters at key moments. Aino had a strong run of offense in the closing stretch but Kakuta fought back and hit Shiden Kai for the victory.

This was pretty good. Kakuta will face the winner of Raku vs. Miyu Yamashita in the quarter-finals. ***¼

.@kakuta_nao has shown so much resilience against Aino! #tjpw #TPC9 #wrestleUNIVERSE

➡️ https://t.co/C2kQgnaUUu pic.twitter.com/O6AFmp22ac

— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) July 17, 2022

TOKYO PRINCESS CUP ROUND 1
RIKA TATSUMI DEF. YUKI KAMIFUKU (12:57)

Rika went after Kamafuku’s right leg, but Kamifuku was competitive here and still managed to fight back with her kicks and a few holds.

There were some great near falls down the stretch. Kamifuku escaped from a Dragon Sleeper attempt and got a cradle for a 2.9 count. Rika blocked a Fameasser, hit the Twist of Fate and landed the top rope Hip Attack for the win.

This was great. Rika is a tremendous wrestler, but Kamifuku deserves some respect here too. She doesn’t always land, but she looked good here, and has looked a lot better in recent months. Rika will face the winner of Suzume vs. Pom Harajuku in the quarter-finals. ***¾

.@zacyuki cranks up the intensity even higher! #tjpw #TPC9 #wrestleUNIVERSE

➡️ https://t.co/C2kQgnaUUu pic.twitter.com/FfbekSI33B

— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) July 17, 2022

FINAL THOUGHTS

These two shows were a fun and easy watch. There were no major upsets on these shows, but I think some will be coming. I’ve got the Raku vs. Miyu Yamashita match circled as a possible one given that Miyu is expected back in AEW to challenge Thunder Rosa for the women’s title soon.

As of right now, my money is on Mizuki to win it all. I think they are heading in the direction of her winning the tournament for the third time and then finally winning the Princess of Princess title.