What is going on with Hikari Noa?
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling has been on a roll, for quite some time now. Asserting themselves as a strong n°2 behind Stardom in the Joshi scene by providing some of the best wrestling and stories not only in Japan, but beyond.
Yet, in what remains a very well constructed promotion with fairly little oddities, TJPW carries in its roster quite the question mark, which used to look like full-blown certainty.
What exactly is going on with the deathmatch loving Up Up Girl and former International Princess champion, Hikari Noa?
First of all, a bit of context so everyone knows where things stand. On January 4th this year, Hikari Noa lost the International Princess championship to Maki Itoh, after a reign lasting since May 4th 2021, where she won the title off Yuki Kamifuku. A reign which saw Noa successfully defend against the now departed Marika Kobashi, Yuki Aino and fellow Up Up Girls Raku and now current champion Miu Watanabe. This reign, while not necessarily the most memorable, had greatly helped cementing Hikari Noa as part of a group of wrestlers who were seen, and still are, as the future of the promotion. Alongside that, it seemed like TJPW was enclined on putting a particular spotlight on Noa, allowing her to perform in hardcore matches against Rina Yamashita and future FREE WiFi partner Nao Kakuta, getting to share the ring with deathmatch legend Atsushi Onita in a 4 on 4 deathmatch during the Wrestle Peter Pan pre-show. She even had that one singles match with Miyu Yamashita which was a great showcase of her abilities, besides the losing effort. All of this happened in a single year, and such a stacked plate was a first for Noa.
It seemed as if 2022 would be a continuation of what had been previously done. Entering the January 4th show as International Princess champion, challenging Magical Sugar Rabbits for the Princess tag titles alongside Nao Kakuta, and even getting to face and team up with Hikaru Shida of all people.
Yet, those moments are the only bright spots when it comes to Noa’s year. There was essentially nothing else of note happening. The attention given to Noa last year, and to a lesser degree the first half of this year, seemingly is non-existent as these lines are written. Of course, that can be explained through a common trope in booking: The downward spiral a wrestler tends to go through after a successful period of time. I personally have my issues with this concept in the world of pro wrestling, but that is a topic for another day.
So, here are my questions: Why? How did we get here? Should there be any worries regarding the lack of attention given to Hikari Noa this year, compared to 2021?
Thankfully, we do have some elements to help bring answers to these questions. There has been increased focus on other people, most notably Yuki Arai ever since she started her wrestling journey. The likes of Suzume and Arisu Endo have gotten more chances to show that they have taken another step, at their respective level. Let’s not forget about TJPW being able to use foreign wrestlers again. Alex Windsor, whom Noa later challenged, dethroned Maki Itoh for the International Princess title earlier on this year, Max The Impaler came to Japan to terrorize Pom Harajuku and claim Yuki Aino has their property. Billie Starkz and Millie McKenzie very recently were involved in title matches against Yuka Sakazaki and Miyu Yamashita, respectively for the Princess of Princess and EVE championships. Trish Adora will also challenge Miu Watanabe for the International Princess title on January 4th. Speaking of Watanabe, she arguably is in the position Noa was last year as the “next rising star”.
In short, a lot of focus has shifted back to foreigners, and the promotion also continues to give their uprising wrestlers things to work with, get better and climb the ranks. The latter especially should be commended, even more so since Hikari Noa herself greatly benefitted from this last year.
While singles competition hasn’t been kind to Noa, the pairing with Nao Kakuta seemingly has also been pushed aside since their first title challenge last May. That also may raise questions, as the tag team scene in TJPW is not exactly bloated with pairings, and FREE WiFi could have benefitted from being the challenger team on January 4th. Yet, that spot was given to Max The Impaler and Heidi Howitzer. Let’s quickly emphasize on how that is not necessarily something bad. After all, Noa and Kakuta haven’t been tag partners for very long and challenging for the tag titles a second time at such a markee event may not have secured as much global interest as bringring in foreigners, one of which is already well-known by the local fanbase. Yet, it could also have served the purpose of establishing them further as a team to really count on moving forward. Potential future champions.
Adding to that, Hikari Noa has not gotten another chance to wrestle in a hardcore or deathmatch environment, since the hardcore bout with Nao Kakuta last December. It does not seem like a clear reason is known as to why, so there won’t be any rumour or speculation mentioned in this piece. However, it remains quite intriguing as well given how important that seemed to be regarding Noa’s rise in importance within TJPW.
Ultimately, it looks like Hikari Noa is stagnating, where a bunch of other Tokyo Joshi elements are moving forward and taking strides. And it comes across as an oddity. Is this part the rather common downward spiral trope or is Noa simply a victim of TJPW putting their eggs in other baskets this year? Only time will tell, but this year has not been that great of a look compared to the previous one, and it is hard to figure what to make of the future when it comes to the Up Up Girls’ deathmatch enthusiast.