The Unintentionally (or Intentionally) Involved Referee
A special guest referee stole the show at TJPW’s STAND ALONE card
I have some advice for you that will likely never come in handy but is still worth noting: if Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (TJPW) approaches you with a special guest appearance on a show, do not think it is an easy payday.
Case and point: at the promotion’s “STAND ALONE” card from Korakuen Hall on Saturday, SKE48 J-pop idol Shiori Aoki had her work cut out for her as a guest referee in a tag match in the middle of the card. But Aoki’s willingness to be a big part of the match (and at times the focal point of it) was what made it a stellar comedy performance.
Aoki leaned into the role of someone who has never refereed a match before. During this match, she came off at times as inexperienced and oblivious. But when peeling behind the layer of the act that was being put on, it was clear that Aoki had actually memorized and discussed numerous spots during this match. This was an intricate show that was being put on, and a lot of it relied on her, really.
Like any good comedy match, it was the unexpected twists and turns that made this match so funny. You need that unpredictability for a comedy match to work. It’s hard to laugh at something that you know the punchline to — that’s why it’s never funny when a friend tells a joke over again.
Hyper Misao, arguably one of the best if not the best comedy wrestlers in the promotion, and Shoko Nakajima had a complaint before their match with HIMAWARI and Yuki Arai started. Misao saw a video online of Aoki training with fellow idol Aino. She was suspicious that maybe Aoki wouldn’t be able to call this match down the middle due to her potential bias. Misao then argued that Aoki didn’t properly inspect their opponents before the match started.
Aoki might have been a negligent referee in this match, but she at least seemed to care about being unbiased. Since she wanted to get things right, she went to inspect Aino again, looking at every fold in her dress for potential weapons or objects not allowed in a wrestling ring. But this allowed Misao and Nakajima to get a jump on their opponents. Misao used a cold spray on HIMAWARI then earned a roll-up pin for a three count. Aoki raised their hands, and the heels got away with a dirty win… But wait. As pointed out by a more senior referee at ringside, Aoki actually never called for the bell, so the match had to restart, or, I guess start in the first place. A mistake from Aoki cost one team the match, sort of.
Playing a clumsy, first day on the job referee, Aoki had more involvement later on as well. At times, she stopped an attack from a wrestler because she was accidentally in the way of a spot. And she once tried to rip the cold spray out of Aino’s hands, but in the process sprayed it in Aino’s face for a solid five seconds.
It wasn’t all mistakes from her, though. Aoki stopped Misao from putting her legs on the rope during a pinfall at one point, and even threatened to disqualify the heel duo if their antics continued.
After all, it was the combination of Misao and Nakajima that got the win. Quite frankly, it could have gone either way: there was a roll-up pin duel from Nakajima and HIMAWARI where they both could have earned three counts, if not for Aoki’s long pauses in-between counting every pin attempt.
Nakajima scored a 619 on HIMAWARI then hit a bridged Northern Lights Suplex for a three count.
In total, the match only lasted nine minutes. However, the brief match included a surprising amount of rehearsed spots involving someone who doesn’t have pro wrestling experience. And sure, let’s not discredit Aoki, a performer in her own right, too much. She’s certainly no stranger to the spotlight in music. However, we have seen countless celebrities have some involvement in wrestling, and certainly not all of them are engaged in a match or fit into their role so well.
I have long believed that good comedy wrestlers always need new material. I’ll admit that you have to revisit tropes and ideas often to make the matches fit within a wrestling context. But alongside that you also have to keep viewers guessing and do things they don’t expect. This match exceeded expectations and had many laugh out loud moments, which means it was another hit for a promotion that has a long track record of great comedy matches.
TJPW STAND ALONE ‘23 Results
Moka Miyamoto def. Kaya Toribami (7:33)
Runa Okubo, Arisu Endo & Suzume def. Haru Kazashiro, Haruna Neko & Yuki Aino (10:15)
Maki Itoh, Toga, Wakana Uehara & Yuki Kamifuku def. Shino Suzuki, Raku, Hikari Noa & Miu Watanabe (13:22)
Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima def. HIMAWARI & Yuki Arai (9:02)
Pom Harajuku & Max The Impaler def. Mahiro Kiryu & Yuka Sakazaki (12:36)
Rika Tatsumi def. Vert Vixen (TJPW International Princess Championship) (10:55)
Mizuki def. Nao Kakuta (TJPW Princess of Princess Championship) (15:46)
Mizuki retained her TJPW Princess of Princess Championship in the main event, prevailing over Nao Kakuta in a very physical 15-minute contest. This was a real breakout performance for Kakuta, someone who rarely receives this much time in a singles match or in this high-up of a placement on a card. We know Mizuki can deliver, so the focus here is certainly on Kakuta moreso.
Rika Tatsumi defended her TJPW International Princess Championship against Vert Vixen in a 10-minute match. It was a quick, but fun one. Speaking of Vixen, my friend Joseph recently published an interview with her that is worth checking out.
Suzume challenged Tatsumi to a title shot afterward. That match will go down at the promotion’s May 5 Korakuen Hall event.
TJPW announced a one-day tournament for their April 29 PRECIOUS TIME card. The bracket will consist of eight trios teams. The teams were announced on Saturday. Some fun groups, with the most funny being Maki Itoh and two of the newest trainees.
Sawyer Wreck vs. Moka Miyamoto was announced for April 29 as well. It will be just a few days before Wreck faces Hikari Noa in a deathmatch.
The Princess Cup will run from July 15 to August 13. Seven events in total this year. The three final cards will all be at Korakuen Hall.
Hyper Misao will produce a show on May 25 titled “HYPE!”
To celebrate her two-year anniversary as a wrestler, Yuki Arai will tag with Maki Itoh to face Shoko Nakajima and Yuka Sakazaki at TJPW’s May 5 card. Some context: Arai debuted in a singles match against Itoh.
Some quick non-TJPW notes:
NJPW, AJPW and NOAH announced another “All Together” card, something they haven’t done for a long time. The event, which will take place from the Tokyo Sumo Hall on June 9, will go to a charity (the exact charity isn’t known at the moment).
Stardom had a big card this weekend that is worth catching up on. IWGP Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone did a run-in on her upcoming opponent, Mayu Iwatani.
Aussie Open defended their IWGP Tag Team Championships against the Best Friends (Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor) on Friday’s episode of AEW Rampage. I haven’t watched this match yet (I don’t catch Rampage in general), but since Aussie Open has been on a strong run I’ll likely make time for it.