Miyu Yamashita and more than a dozen other Japanese female wrestlers will perform in North Texas for the first time on July 13.
DALLAS — One of the largest women’s wrestling promotions in Japan is coming to the metroplex for the very first time next month, and they aim to bring the authentic Japanese wrestling experience to North Texas.
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling will hold its first show in Dallas at 12:30 p.m. on July 13 at The OC, 680 Innovation Blvd. in Forney. This is a packed weekend for pro wrestling with shows all over the metroplex, including at Globe Life Field, but this is the only show you’ll see from a wrestling promotion based in Japan. This will be TJPW’s third show of the week, as it’s also running two nights in Houston on July 10 and July 11.
TJPW blends the hard-hitting action of Japanese pro wrestling with the pop and pageantry of idol performances. Idols in Japan are often singers who have other performance skills like dancing or modeling. Fans experiencing TJPW for the first time can expect not just intense action, but elaborate entrances with musical performances from some of the wrestlers. Many of TJPW’s wrestlers have idol backgrounds or incorporate an idol image into their character.
That’s not the case for TJPW’s ace, though. Miyu Yamashita has trained in karate since she was 9 and has the kicks to prove it. Her hard-hitting striking offense has set her apart from much of the roster and has helped her to hold TJPW’s top title on four separate occasions, the Princess of Princess Championship.
(Editor’s note: The following quotes were originally said in Japanese and translated through an interpreter during the interview.)
“What fans should expect is the pure undiluted version of TJPW as we do it in Japan,” Yamashita said. “I know that Texas is a pro wrestling-friendly state. I’ve always felt the heat of the fans and the state in general.”
Yamashita has been making a name for herself in the U.S. recently, working all over the country this year. Recently, she’s even wrestled for All Elite Wrestling on their flagship show on TNT, AEW Dynamite, where she challenged AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm for her title.
“A Japanese fan observes as if they are studying the show, whereas American fans, they get more festive, they cheer and share the excitement,” Yamashita said about the differences between Japanese and American wrestling shows. “I share my excitement, too, when I’m doing this in the U.S.”
Yamashita has wrestled in Texas a few times before this, in Austin and in Houston. She said she usually doesn’t have time to explore much of the Texas staples, like Whataburger, but said she is a fan of Buc-ee’s.
“I’m expecting people to tell me where I should go and what I should see and eat,” she said.
For more information on the shows TJPW is running in Texas and to buy tickets, click here.