Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (TJPW) have announced a tag tournament, called the Max Heart tag team tournament. The tournament will take place over 3 shows.
Round 1 will take place on the 20th of February, round 2 will take place on the 21st of February. The semi-finals and finals will take place on the 6th of March; and the brackets will be shuffled after round 2.
I will break down rounds 1 and 2 and will give predictions to whom I think will win the Max Heart Tag Tournament.
Round 1
DayDream vs Pom Harajuku and Haruna Neko
DayDream (Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi) team together for the first time since the 12th of December. The former Princess Tag team champions recently faced each other at Positive Chain for Rika Tatsumi’s Princess of Princess Championship in a great match. With their bond strengthened they head into this tag tournament full of hope that they can have a deep run in this tournament.
For Pom Harajuku and Haruna Neko, they couldn’t wish for a harder first-round match. Former tag champions and the current Princess of Princess champion. Harajuku and Neko did team together at Positive Chain. They picked up a win in that match so they will have momentum coming into this but will it be enough?
The winners will face Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita in the second round.
Prediction – I can only see a DayDream win. It would be the mother of all upsets if Harajuku and Neko were able to pick up the win here.
Toyo University vs Moka Miyamoto and Arisu Endo
Toyo University (Yuki Kamifuku and Mahiro Kiryu) team together for the first time since their unsuccessful challenge for the Princess tag championships. During that time Kamiyu (Yuki Kamifuku) had been facing off against Mirai Maiumi. They had a great match for Kamiyu’s International Princess Championship at Positive Chain.
Kiryu has been filling in up and down the card in tag matches. Kiryu seems to be finding her place on the card. The team with Kamiyu seems to have given her newfound confidence.
They will be looking to be in the running to win.
Making their tag team debut are the two newest rookies in TJPW. Moka Miyamoto made her debut last summer. Miyamoto has a background in Karate. She seems to be adding some new stuff into her repertoire and is constantly improving.
Arisu Endo is the newest rookie to debut for TJPW having debuted in January of this year. Endo though lacking experience is turned some heads with how good she is already. She is still in the feeling out phase. Seeing what works and what doesn’t. It does look like TJPW have a gem on their hands.
The Winners will face Sena Shiori and Hikari Noa in the next round.
Prediction – Unfortunately for the rookies I think Toyo University will be advancing. with the International champion and their experience of tagging together. I think that will be enough to advance.
Bakuretsu Sisters vs Magical Sugar Rabbits
The Bakuretsu Sisters are the current reigning Princess tag-team champions. The team is made up of real-life sisters Yuki Aino and Nodoka Tenma. They won the championships at Wrestle Princess. Since then, they have made two defences of the championships and come into the tournament on the back of a successful defence. They will be looking to win the tournament and prove they are the strongest team in Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling.
The Magical Sugar Rabbits are no strangers to the Princess tag team championships themselves. They are the second longest-reigning champions in the belts’ history. They also have the most defences in the belts’ history at 6 defences. Both are accomplished singles wrestlers. Sakazaki is a two-time Princess of Princess champion. Mizuki is one of only two people to win the Princess cup twice and the only person to win it in back to back years.
The winners will face Hyper Misao and Shoko Nakajima in the next round.
These two teams have faced once before with the Magical Sugar Rabbits winning.
Prediction – This honestly might be the hardest match to predict. The champions vs arguably the top team in TJPW. Magical Sugar Rabbits might be the only team to be able to match the Bakuretsu Sisters chemistry. I think that the Magical Sugar Rabbits will pick up the win and this will put them in a position for a future tag team championship match.
NEO Biishiki-Gun vs Marika Kobashi and Raku
NEO Biishiki-Gun comes into this match on the back of a tough loss to Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita at Positive Chain. Before that had been unbeaten since returning to Tokyo Joshi. They will be spurred on by this. Sakisama herself is a two time Princess tag team champion only one of two people to do so (the other being Yuka Sakazaki). They will be looking to put that defeat behind them and win the tournament. They have already hinted at a possible Princess tag team championship challenge. Maybe the tournament is their way to do so.
Raku and Marika Kobashi have never teamed together before in 2 vs 2 tag team matches. Kobashi is still trying to work her way back up the card after returning in late 2020 after a year out to focus on education.
Raku picked up her first win in 2021 at Positive Chain after hitting Dr Yellow. Raku has been improving quietly and this could be the year where she starts to string together a few wins and maybe some big scalps.
The winners of this match will go on to face BeeStar (Mirai Maiumi and Suzume) in the next round.
Prediction – I think that NEO Biishiki-Gun takes the victory here. Their experience will be enough to see them into the next round.
Round 2
Based on my predictions I will go on to preview and try to predict round 2.
DayDream vs Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita
So after a tough round, one DayDream will face probably one of the favourites in the tournament in the team of Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita.
Yamashita and Itoh after a great match against each other at the January Korakuen hall show and joined forces to face NEO Bishiki-Gun at Positive Chain. They managed to beat the unbeaten Bishiki-Gun and will come into this tournament filled with hope that they can win the whole tournament.
Predictions – both of these teams are filled with upper card talent. Which makes picking a winner all that harder. DayDream have the chemistry and tag team experience here, having teamed together more.
They also have a big factor on their side. One of Yamashita’s weaknesses is the fact is she isn’t very good in tournaments.
However, I do think that it will be Yamashita and Itoh advancing. They will be fresher having not had a tournament match the previous day.
Who knows maybe this sets up Tatsumi’s next championship defence.
Toyo University vs Hikari Noa and Sena Shiori
Toyo University goes on to face the team of friends in Hikari Noa and Sena Shiori.
Noa herself had a great year last year. So far a slow start to 2021. Picking up wins here and there. But so far Noa has been in tag matches in the middle of the card. Shiori is the youngest member of the TJPW roster at just 19. Debuting January 2020. Like Noa, she has mainly been used in tag matches. They two did tag together to take on NEO Bishiki-Gun at the January 4th show but were unsuccessful.
Predictions – Shiori and Noa will be the fresher of the two teams and might slightly have the chemistry advantage. Noa also has unfinished business with Kamiyu after the two met in the finals of the international princess championship tournament which Kamiyu won.
I do think it will be Toyo University going on to the semi-finals though. Kamiyu and Kiryus great improvement was a good part of TJPW last year and I that will be enough to see them into the semi-finals.
Magical Sugar Rabbits vs Hyper Misao and Shoko Nakajima
The Magical Sugar Rabbits will go on to face TJPW’s resident hero and big Kaiju.
Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao are a very experienced team. Both have won the Princess tag team championships before. Misao with Sakisama when she was in Bishiki-Gun. Nakajima with Sakazaki as the MiraClians. Nakajima and Misao are coming off an unsuccessful Princess tag championship challenge after losing at Positive Chain. Shin Ultra Shoko has returned home and Shoko Nakajima has returned. They will be looking to win the whole tournament.
Predictions – like the last Magical Sugar Rabbits match, this is very hard to predict. Misao always as many tricks up her sleeves (or cape) and Nakajima has returned as Shoko Nakajima and not Shin Ultra Shoko. Throw in the fact that both are former tag team champions in their own right and it’s downright a 50/50 split.
However, I think the Magical Sugar Rabbits will be able to avoid Misao’s tricks and deal with the newly returned Shoko Nakajima to advance to the semi-finals.
NEO Bishiki-Gun vs BeeStar
NEO Biishiki-Gun will go on to face BeeStar in the next round.
So far in 2021 BeeStar have only teamed together once; on the January 10th show. This is because Mirai Maiumi has been going for the International Princess Championship, clashing with Yuki Kamifuku at Positive Chain only to come up short. Suzume has been floating around the card. Giving Arisu Endo her first-ever match in pro wrestling a big show of faith in Suzume. She has also competed in tag matches up and down the card as well. The young team will be looking to be the dark horses in this tournament.
Predictions – BeeStar may have the experience advantage due to teaming together longer. They may also have the strength advantage with Mirai Maiumi’s power. No doubt NEO Biishiki-Gun will have some tricks (like Mei Saint-Michel’s tray) ready to foil the youngsters.
In the end, I think that NEO Biishiki-Gun will advance here. Their tricks and Sakisama’s experience should be enough to get them through to the semi-finals.
General Predictions
At this point, the brackets will be shuffled, so I don’t know the exact matches. So I will give some general predictions.
I think the winners of the tournament will be NEO Biishiki-Gun. They will be looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh. They have been talking about a tougher challenge this was before Positive Chain, and I think they are looking at the Princess tag team championships.
As for who the beat in the finals. I think they will beat the people that beat them at Positive Chain: Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita, getting even with them and winning the Max Heart Tag Team Tournament.
And that’s it! Who do you think will win the Max Heart Tag Team Tournament? Let me know on Twitter
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