Come for the celebrating of 10 years of Mizuki in the ring, stay for Shoko vs. Juria.
The Popping Sugar Rabbit was the centerpiece of a lighthearted show in Shinjuku FACE, complete with a randomized card and a battle royal where everyone dressed like Mizuki. You’d expect this show to be all heart and vibes, but there’s surprisingly some meat on the bone in the ring. At least in the opener.
Let’s go bout by bout and see what this tribute to Mizuki had to offer.
Shoko Nakajima vs. Juria Nagano
A solid grapplefest match that’s intriguing in large part because it felt so different. Most of the action is on the mat and most of it sees Shoko dominating Nagano. Normally the underdog, Nakajima is instead a relentless beast cranking and smothering her less experienced foe here.
There’s an MMA feel to all of it, which is a smart of use of Juria’s moveset and a fun way to let Shoko do her thing.
Juria needs a rematch. She got her ass handed to her. The story to tell is her stepping back in there with The Biggest Kaiju with her eyes set on redemption.
Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko vs. Hikari Noa, Raku, Kaya Toribami
Not a noteworthy match. Midcard filler with everyone doing their bits as expected.
I don’t have a ton of thoughts beyond 1) Kaya Toribami still sometimes looks she’s moving in slow-motion, too hesitant to push the gear shift out of first and 2) Kamiyu is the coolest.
Mizuki All Around Battle Royal
All the Mizukis you can handle, bro!
What a fun and very TJPW-style battle royal. Pom, Miyu, Miu, Yuki Aino. Suzume, and Hyper Misao all battled decked out in Mizuki gear. This had lots of silly, entertaining moments, the best of which was a mid-match pose-like-Mizuki contest.
I laughed. I cried. It moved me, Bob.
Yuki Arai and Moka Miyamoto vs. RHIO and Maki Itoh
Maki and RHIO just went up in there and beat they ass.
A dominant, bulldozing performance from the odd couple tag team. The match never hits a high gear, but there’s some good violence to enjoy along the way.
While most a slugfest built around the foreign powerhouse, there were silly moments, too. RHIO doing Maki’s “Who’s the cutest in the world?” routine, for one. That sure was not on my 2022 bingo card.
Mizuki and Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuka Sakazaki and Nao Kakuta
You know you are true tag team partners when you get put on opposing teams and still join forces. Mizuki and Yuka couldn’t resist the pull of their alliance and started beating up Nao Kakuta together despite her being on Sakazaki’s team. That’s real friendship, y’all.
This was no standout match, just a light bit of fun with Mizuki at the center.
Overall, the show was a solid salute to Mizuki. It’s also a good microcosm of what TJPW is with its unabashed goofiness, bonds between the wrestlers, and some hard-hitting action mixed in there. That’s what Mizuki is all about, too. The more I think about it, the more I think she’s the ideal figurehead. So if they are going with a Mizuki-conquers-Yuka story in 2023, I am here for it.
Ryan Dilbert is a columnist for Wrestle Inn, the host
of Flight of 5, co-host of the Ocean Cyclone Show, and a below-average social media user. You can find links to his work on his linktr.ee.