Fightful Joshi Journal (9/7/22): 5STAR Filled With Upsets, TJPW Continues Build To Wrestle Princess III

The latest edition of the Fightful Joshi Journal takes a look at the upsets in the STARDOM 5STAR GP and TJPW building to Wrestle Princess III.

It’s been an incredibly busy week in wrestling, to say the least, but the same can’t be said for Joshi. While STARDOM’s 5STAR Grand Prix officially entered the second half of the tournament and TJPW had a show that saw the Princess Tag Team Championship on the line, it still felt pretty quiet all things considered. The latest Fightful Joshi Journal will take a quick look at some of the action this weekend from both and give a look ahead to what is an exciting weekend (and next few months).

Upsets, upsets, and more upsets. That’s the best way to describe this past weekend of 5STAR Grand Prix action. The first and perhaps most notable in terms of an upset no one saw coming, Mai Sakurai defeated Himeka to gain two points against one of the Red Stars Block leaders. The best part of this wasn’t even the match or shock on the competitors’ faces but rather Maika and Giulia laughing as Himeka suffered the loss.

The next upset was major for more than just being an upset. Syuri lost again. That makes it four different matches in which she has been pinned, leaving her on the outside looking in if she wants a shot at winning this tournament. The one who defeated her was Maika. Not only was this redemption after their brutal battle last year in the 5STAR but an opportunity for Maika to earn herself a future shot at the World of Stardom Championship. It seems out of the four that have defeated Syuri, Maika very well may have the best case as the final two minutes were pure domination by the Donna del Mondo member over her former ally.

The other big upsets of the weekend came on Sunday’s show as Natsupoi defeated Mayu Iwatani in the semi-main event and Ami Sourei, with probably the upset of the tournament, defeated Hazuki. The Natsupoi win shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise due to her high-speed abilities but Hazuki losing her second-straight match and this time to Sourei after winning seven in a row to begin the tournament? Yeah, that’s not at all what people saw coming. The momentum Sourei has right now despite some losses might be unmatchable as wins over MIRAI, Momo Watanabe, and Hazuki showcase what has been nothing but an impressive tournament for the bodyguard of God’s Eye. Hanan may want to start counting down the days of her Future of Stardom Championship with Sourei doing this.

This upcoming Sunday will be the first live 5STAR Grand Prix show since the Yokohama Budokan as Giulia and Mayu face off, Saya Kamitani and Suzu Suzuki go one-on-one for the first time ever, and two title matches are also set for the show.

Here’s a look at the updated standings for the 5STAR Grand Prix heading into the tournament’s biggest weekend yet:

RED STARS BLOCK

10 – AZM
10 – Himeka
10 – Maika
8 – Utami Hayashishita
8 – Koguma
8 – Syuri
8 – Mai Sakurai
8 – Tam Nakano
6 – Risa Sera
6 – Saki Kashima
4 – SAKI
2 – Unagi Sayaka
2 – Momo Kohgo

BLUE STARS BLOCK

14 – Hazuki
12 – Saya Kamitani
10 – Ami Sourei
10 – MIRAI
10 – Giulia
8 – Mayu Iwatani
8 – Natsupoi
6 – Momo Watanabe
6 – Starlight Kid
4 – Mina Shirakawa
2 – Saya Iida
0 – Suzu Suzuki
0 – Hanan

TJPW has about a month to build to Wrestle Princess III and while the main event is locked in between Princess of Princess Champion Shoko Nakajima and Tokyo Princess Cup 2022 winner Yuka Sakazaki, the remainder of the card had major questions marks around it. Well, we now have another match and a No.1 contender’s match to set up a third for the show. After their successful defense against Mahiro Kiryu and Yuki Kamifuku on Sunday, the Princess Tag Team Champions Saki Akai and Yuki Arai received their next challengers in the form of The Uprising’s Rhia O’Reilly and Nightshade from Pro Wrestling EVE.

The No. 1 contender’s match that was announced comes in the form of Miu Watanabe squaring off against Suzume with a shot at Alex Windsor and the International Princess Championship on the line. The match is set for September 16.

It’s worth noting that both Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are still without matches. In our interview with Miyu Yamashita from last month, the TJPW ace noted she’d like to face AEW’s Hikaru Shida in the future so that could be a possibility. We will have to wait-and-see.

Here’s a look at the card for Wrestle Princess III so far:

Wrestle Princess III Card (10/9/22)

• Princess of Princess Championship: Shoko Nakajima (c) vs. Yuka Sakazaki
• Princess Tag Team Championship: Yuki Arai & Saki Akai (c) vs. The Uprising (Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade)
• International Princess Championship: Alex Windsor (c) vs. Miu Watanabe or Suzume

Matches Worth Checking Out (9/7/22)

• STARDOM
  • Saya Kamitani vs. Mayu Iwatani
  • Mayu Iwatani vs. Natsupoi
  • Syuri vs. Himeka
• TJPW
  • Maki Itoh vs. Arisu Endo
• DDT
  • Chris Brookes vs. ASUKA (VENY)

Other notable Joshi results from the weekend:

TJPW City Curcuit ~ Nagoya Performance ~

• Maki Itoh def. Arisu Endo
• Yuki Aino def. Haruna Neko and Nao Kakuta
• Hikari Noa def. Moka Miyamoto
• Kyoroaku Kyomei (Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima) def. Miyu Yamashita & Raku
• Hakuchumu (Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi) & Suzume def. Magical Sugar Rabbits (Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki) & Pom Harajuku
• Princess Tag Team Championship: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) def. Mahiro Kiryu & Yuki Kamifuku

Check out our latest Joshi interviews with Maki Itoh, Miyu Yamashita, and Tam Nakano.