Of course the bigger one wins. Yeah, but that's not it! — A report on watching Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’26

Watching Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling at Korakuen Hall has become a regular event before I knew it. My seat this time was in row K on the south side.

It was easy to see the whole ring and follow the wrestlers' movements and the structure of the matches. On the other hand, it didn't convey their expressions or breathing as well as a closer seat would. The pain of bodies hitting the mat also felt a bit distant.

In a close seat, you look at one person's body.
In a distant seat, you look at the relationships arranged across the entire event.

The July 18th "SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’26" was an event viewed from that kind of distance.

Someone's first chapter and someone's final chapter

I once thought that Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling events were like the old Toei Manga Matsuri double features.

There are comical matches, and there are matches where they fiercely fight for belts. Stories with different atmospheres are screened one after another in the same ring.

This time, that feeling was strengthened once again.

For Momo Sato, it was her debut match. For Yuki Kamifuku, it was the beginning of the road toward her retirement. There were first-time matchups, rematches, first-time title challenges, and title matches between rivals that have continued from the past.

Someone's first chapter and someone's final chapter.
New works, sequels, and final chapters were lined up in the same ring.

The three title matches each had a major story that served as the pillar of the event. Even so, what I kept thinking back on this time were the cards where the advantage and disadvantage were visible even before the matches began.

Before the win or loss, the difference was visible

Momo Sato was defeated by Shizuku Takami's Koala Clutch in a tag team match that served as her debut.

A wrestler having her debut match in this event versus a wrestler who has already gained experience in the ring. Between them, there is a huge difference in experience, even before discussing who is strong or weak.

What I was watching in the match was not just current strength. I think I was watching the beginning of what Momo Sato would show in her first match and what kind of pro-wrestler she would become from here on out.

Between Arisu Endo and Aja Kong, there was a huge difference that included not only physique but also experience, achievements, name recognition, and even intimidation.

Endo unleashed dropkicks many times, trying to move Aja's massive body. The result was a victory for Aja via a diving elbow drop.

Even so, after the match, Aja told Endo that if she won the tournament and captured the belt, she would come to challenge her.

The defeat did not end right there on the spot.

The fact that she couldn't reach her goal this time has now become homework for the next time she faces it.

As long as you keep standing in the ring, the battle continues.

There was a size difference between Mizuki and Chris Brookes that was obvious at a glance.

Chris is a man and has a large physique. It was clear that he had the advantage in a direct collision. Even so, every time Mizuki landed a counterattack, I found myself hoping for one more hit, one more step.

I don't think there's any need to romanticize the situation by saying the difference between the two didn't really exist.

Precisely because the difference is visible, I'm curious to see how far Mizuki can reach. Even if she loses as expected, the image of the one who challenged the odds remains in memory, not just the winner.

What I wanted to see wasn't just an upset.

What will the wrestler who appears to be at a disadvantage return with? What will they leave behind? Will that defeat connect to the next moment?

There was a question there that was separate from the win or loss.

Yuki Arai, who finally made it reach

And in the main event, I saw someone turn a disadvantageous situation into an actual victory.

The champion was Yuki Arai. However, her opponent was Miyu Yamashita, the leader of Tokyo Joshi Pro and the person who has been mentoring Arai since she started professional wrestling.

Taking Yamashita's kicks, Arai's body looked like it was on the verge of stopping many times.

Even so, her will to win never stopped.

In the end, she connected a Rookie Award, a Full Nelson Buster, and Finally to secure a three-count over Yamashita.

I think that is what you call grit and determination.

Of course, there is no way to beat Yamashita-senshu with guts alone. She built up her technique and reached the point where victory was possible. On top of that, what allowed her to unleash her final move was her sheer determination.

That is exactly why it was amazing.

There were wrestlers who couldn't reach it.
There were wrestlers who finally made it reach.

Being at a disadvantage does not mean defeat. However, it is not a heartwarming story where facing a disadvantage guarantees a win.

Both of those things were present in one tournament.

Standing in the same ring while keeping their differences

While I was thinking about the imbalances I saw at the tournament, I read an article by Kazuhiro Tamura, the representative of Pro-Wrestling HEAT-UP.

In HEAT-UP, when elementary school wrestlers have matches against adults, the adults' strikes and suplexes are restricted. Under the same conditions, the adults would have an overwhelming advantage. Therefore, they limit the moves that can be used and think of ways to make the match work.

Of course, this is a different situation and purpose from the matches between adult wrestlers I saw at Summer Sun.

Even so, I strongly sympathized with the philosophy of thinking about a format to stand in the same ring without using differences as a reason for exclusion.

Pro-wrestling does not always involve erasing all differences in conditions before facing each other.

You can stand in the ring with different bodies, different experiences, and different backgrounds, and make the match include those differences.

However, I don't want to keep watching the same relationship forever just because 'there is value even in defeat'.

That is why it is significant that the 'next' for Arisu-senshu and Aja-senshu was shown, that Mizuki-senshu vowed to get a 3-count from Chris-senshu, and that Arai-senshu finally reached Yamashita-senshu, whom she had set as her goal.

Even if you start from a place where there is a gap, that relationship is not fixed.

It doesn't end with just the difference

In the distant seats, the wrestlers' pain feels a little further away.

Perhaps that makes it easier to forget the cruelty of myself, who finds the imbalanced matchups interesting as a story.

Even so, there were things I could see by looking at the entire ring from afar.

Wrestlers just starting out. Wrestlers heading toward the end. Wrestlers facing past opponents once again. Wrestlers challenging a massive gap. And, a wrestler who finally reached the opponent she had long aimed for.

Each of them, with their different bodies, backgrounds, and timelines, was creating the same event.

The ring that day did not hide the differences.

While showing those differences, it didn't let those differences alone define the meaning of the match or the future of the wrestlers.

Even if you can see who is going to win, I think that is the reason to watch the ring.

Of course, always dreaming of a miraculous upset.

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