There was a last minute change when Takumi Tsukamoto missed the show due to a stomach flu. The Jacket Match he was scheduled for was turned into a Handicap Match without him. He is expected to recover in a few days and will be back in time for the 11th June show.
BASARA “BASARA 193 ~THE 20TH FOX PRINCE~”, 04/06/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR ??? Fans – Withheld
1. FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Kazat=Lee defeated Kemur A, Kemur B & Kemur C when FUMA pinned Kemur C with a Genseki Otoshigatame (13:05).
2. Previous Life FUMA, Previous Life Hiroshi & Best Stretchman V3 defeated FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Kazat=Lee when Hiroshi pinned Hiroshi with the Perfect Plex (15:27).
3. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura defeated Block Lesnar & Dildo Love by Knockout when Kodaka knocked out Love with an Avalanche Brainbuster (16:47
4. Robo FUMA, Robo Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Robo Kazat=Lee defeated Uchu Kyoryu Zetton, Yasu Urano & Lil’ Kraken when Hiroshi pinned Kraken with a German Suplex (11:50).
Asian Kung Fu Revolution came up with a movie theme for their produce show called “GAME OF BASARA”. For the evening Daichi Kazato turned into Kazat=Lee and teamed with the rest of the unit to battle space monsters and past versions of themselves played by the BASARA roster. There was even a revival of the Ultimate Superstars Action brand with a new American wrestler named Block Lesnar (Masato Kamino) coming in for a match. SAGAT in particular was busy today. He played the roles of Previous Life Hiroshi, Dildo Love and Uchu Kyoryu Zetton throughout the show.
FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi challenged Speed Of Sounds to an IRON FIST Tag Titles match on 21st June.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~HAMAMATSU PERFORMANCE~”, 04/06/2022 Shizuoka Entetsu Hall 219 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Miu Watanabe defeated Kaya Toribami with the Canadian Backbreaker (8:46).
2. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko when Aino pinned Neko with the Venus DDT (9:47).
3. Nao Kakuta defeated Mahiro Kiryu with the Shiden Kai (8:40).
4. Rika Tatsumi & Suzume defeated Hikari Noa & Pom Harajuku when Tatsumi pinned Harajuku with the Twist Of Fate (12:13).
5. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Arisu Endo defeated Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Moka Miyamoto when Sakazaki pinned Miyamoto with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (12:33).
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated “The Unbreakable” Rhio with the Flying Big Head (13:22). *V4 for Maki Itoh.
Maki Itoh returned to Japan and wasted no time in answering Rhio’s challenge for the International Princess Title. Rhio hit an Avalanche Brainbuster and the Schwein but Itoh recovered to give her the middle finger. Another fight up the top rope ended with Itoh Headbutting Rhio to the canvas and then hitting the Flying Big Head for the victory. Itoh said Rhio was amazing afterwards and told her the next time they fight should be in England. She’s feeling a little tired from her busy schedule, but Itoh is happy to come back to Japan as an international superstar! Rhio said she would like to come back to Japan and stay around for longer next time because everyone in Tokyo Joshi Pro has been very kind to her.
There was also a welcome back party for Yuka Sakazaki due to her returning from AEW. She was given a golden present from Hyper Misao but Misao blinded her with spray and attacked her with the box before she could open it. Sakazaki was able to recover and win the match for her team, showing she has no worries ahead of “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. Her opponent Shoko Nakajima said she is going to brush up on what she learned today and be at her best condition on 12th June.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~HAMAMATSU PERFORMANCE~”, 04/06/2022 Shizuoka Entetsu Hall
1. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko
2. Miu Watanabe Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Rika Tatsumi & Suzume Vs Hikari Noa & Pom Harajuku
4. Nao Kakuta Vs Mahiro Kiryu
5. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Moka Miyamoto Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Arisu Endo
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs “The Unbreakable” Rhio
This is a first time appearance for Tokyo Joshi Pro at Shizuoka Entetsu Hall.
Miyu Yamashita’s American excursion had an extra appearance during the week. She made her AEW debut on Wednesday at the taping for Dark Elevation. She teamed with Skye Blue in a losing effort against Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose. The match will be on Youtube when Dark Elevation is posted on Monday. She will be heading back to Japan next week but already has more dates in America for later this year. Anyone upset that she was only used for a Dark tag match, don’t worry. Think of it as a trial run.
BASARA “BASARA 192 ~THE 19TH FOX PRINCE~”, 04/06/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. 1 Count Rules: Fuminori Abe Vs Isami Kodaka
2. Jacket Tag Match: Daichi Kazato & SAGAT Vs FUMA & Takumi Tsukamoto
3. No Tag Rules: Takato Nakano & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Lil’ Kraken
4. Give Up Only Match: Banana Senga Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
5. Ryota Nakatsu & Masato Kamino Vs Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura
The first show of tomorrow’s BASARA doubleheader is built around a team series between Ryota Nakatsu and Isami Kodaka. Every win is worth 2 points, a draw is worth 1 point and all losses are worth 0 points.
BASARA “BASARA 193 ~THE 20TH FOX PRINCE~”, 04/06/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. Asian Kung Fu Revolution Produce: X Vs X
The second show tomorrow is being entirely put together by Asian Kung Fu Revolution. They are telling fans to tremble and wait until the show to see what they have up their sleeves.
DDT/ONLY WE “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN CHIBA”, 05/06/2022 Chiba 2AW Square
1. Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
3. Kaji Tomato & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
4. MAO & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi
5. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Hiroshi Yamato
6. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
7. ONLY WE x DDT Special 6-Man Tag Match – No DQ Match: Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Quiet Storm Vs Shogun Okamoto, Akira Raijin & Hoshitango
Now that Kazusada Higuchi is finally getting along with Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama they have to make up for lost time and get one more practice match in as a team. Higuchi and Yuki Ishida are swapping places on Sunday which means Higuchi will be fighting his own partners in Eruption!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Winner Of 12/6 4 Way Match
Either Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Yuki Kamifuku or Miu Watanabe will become the No. 1 Contender for the Princess Of Princess Title at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. They get their title shot at Ota Ward Gymnasium one month later.
Aja Kong, Yuki Arai, Juria Nagano and Mei Suruga will all be on the show. It will be Kong’s first match at TJPW in 9 months.
“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”, 12/06/2022 Saitama Super Arena
0. STARTING BATTLE KICKOFF ~ DDT Provided Tag Match: Muscle Sakai & Yukio Naya Vs Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
0. STARTING BATTLE 2 ~ TJPW Provided 10-Woman Tag Match: Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko Vs Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Moka Miyamoto, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami
0. STARTING BATTLE 3 ~ DDT Vs Ganbare☆Pro Battle: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Ken Ohka, Yuna Manase & Mizuki Watase
1. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura Vs Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. TJPW Provided 6-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Juria Nagano Vs Hikari Noa, Suzume & Yuki Arai
3. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Kendo Kashin, Shinya Aoki & Yumiko Hotta
4. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision 4 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Mizuki Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
5. NOAH Provided 10-Man Tag Match: Takashi Sugiura, Kazuyuki Fujita, Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Shuhei Taniguchi Vs Michael Elgin, Rene Dupree, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Simon Gotch & X
6. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Asuka
7. NOAH Provided 6-Man Tag Match: Rob Van Dam, Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA Vs Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY
8. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Katsuhiko Nakajima, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura
9. NOAH Vs DDT Battle ~ Hardcore Match – No DQ Rules: Kenoh Vs Daisuke Sasaki
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
11. GHC Heavyweight Title: Go Shiozaki (c) Vs Satoshi Kojima
Some changes were made to two important matches on the “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” card at a press conference held during the week. First, Kenoh demanded his match against Daisuke Sasaki be turned into a Hardcore Match. Sasaki attacked Kenoh with a stun gun during last weekend’s NOAH show (and attacked him the same way during an online broadcast earlier today). Kenoh claims that CyberAgent chose him to be the PR Director for the show which gives him the power to demand the match stipulation. On the one hand Kenoh is pleased because it shows that CyberAgent recognises his importance but the role is small enough to also suggest that Sanshiro Takagi thinks he is incompetent to do anything better.
Naomichi Marufuji has been pulled from the show because the condition of his knees has worsen and he will be unable to wrestle. Katsuhiko Nakajima showed up at the press conference and said he will take Marufuji’s place in the DDT Vs NOAH 6-Man Tag Match. He said the “bandit”, “sumo” and “old man” are all going to wrestle circles around Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura so they will need his help despite NOAH and Kongo being enemies. He got into a confrontation with Kotoge that ended with the two slapping each other in the face very hard. Nakajima then grabbed a piece of paper with the DDT logo and ripped it apart. He will do so much to DDT that they will never want to go near NOAH again!
Freshly back from America, Yuka Sakazaki is ready to take on Shoko Nakajima for the Princess Of Princess Title. She wants to have a fight with Nakajima that their juniors who grew up watching them have longed to see. Sakazaki also hopes the match will be one that a cheering crowd will be proud of. Nakajima calls Sakazaki one of the best TJPW wrestlers in the world who is improving with a lot of new experience from her matches in America. Even though Nakajima is the champion, her opponent is so strong it feels like she is the challenger again. Nakajima said she will be setting off the biggest fireworks in Saitama Super Arena and show she is more than just a strong wrestler.
Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku are joining forces for the young battle between DDT and NOAH. Koroku said everything he’s learned in BURNING will make him absolutely unbeatable and prove that DDT is better than NOAH. Kojima was injured at last year’s “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL” and was left frustrated by the amount of time he missed because of it. This match will be his chance to make up for it and put that negative part of his career to bed. Kai Fujimura promises to show he has the responsibility, confidence and pride to be a NOAH wrestler. Kinya Okada however is disappointed to still be in the opening match for the second year in a row against similar opponents he beat last time. Kojima and Okada then began arguing over which company has better training. When the NOAH team left, Kojima was visibly angry over the argument.
Juria Nagano has been appointed the Chairwoman of the CyberFight Festival 2022 TikTok Committee. She will supervise the TikTok accounts belonging to DDT and NOAH to reach out to a larger audience and create buzz for the show.
A new theme song for TJPW will debut at the show as part of a collaboration with Square Enix. The song is called “Princess March” and is composed by Masayoshi Soken, the sound director of Final Fantasy XIV. The first play of the song will be as entrance music for Hikari Noa, Suzume & Yuki Arai in Match #2. Soken describes the song as a gorgeous orchestral style that expresses the unity of everyone clapping their hands together. He is also producing a new theme song for Yoshiki Inamura that will debut at the show too.
Tweets made by Saki Akai about her pre-match skincare routine was seen by Nivea management and opened the door to Nivea sponsoring the show! Fans attending the show can get samples of Nivea products. The winners of the TJPW 6-Woman Tag Match will also receive a sponsored prize. Several wrestlers have been egging on Nivea to give them free stuff since the news was announced.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 1ST ROUND”, 16/06/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 1A: Hideki Okatani Vs HARASHIMA
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 1B: Chris Brookes Vs Naomi Yoshimura
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 1C: Yuki Ueno Vs KANON
4. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 1D: Yuji Hino Vs Daisuke Sasaki
5. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 1E: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs MAO
6. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 1F: Jun Akiyama Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
7. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 1G: Yukio Naya Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 1H: Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The bracket is out for King Of DDT 2022 and there are some tasty matchups in the first round. The big match is Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi because it pits the KO-D Openweight Champion against the new DDT Universal Champion! That’s not the only champion versus champion match because Yuki Iino is set to face MAO in a battle between the DDT Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles. Elsewhere Yukio Naya and Kazusada Higuchi are against each other in a heavyweight clash, Jun Akiyama and Yukio Sakaguchi have a first time singles match with each other, former DAMNATION allies collide when Yuji Hino faces Daisuke Sasaki, newcomer KANON has made Yuki Ueno his target in the tournament, Chris Brookes will already be back from injury to take on Naomi Yoshimura and Hideki Okatani maybe has the toughest opponent of the lot in the form of HARASHIMA.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 2ND ROUND”, 19/06/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H
The brackets last until the semi-finals. The final four will be jumbled together by a lottery to determine who faces who. That lottery will take place when Round 2 ends.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Final: X Vs X
The winner will be recognized as the strongest wrestler in DDT!
I think the plan to do these posts once a month works best. The only part I’m missing now are the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers getting bookings in other companies around Japan. Stuff like Kazusada Higuchi in NOAH and Suzume in Gatoh Move both happening last weekend for example. I figure the international skew of this blog means I’m better off doing DDT Around The World posts instead of DDT Around Japan. Not enough time in the day for me to dig up where some of the Ganbare☆Pro roster goes to with their outside bookings.
Anyway the AEW excursions for Yuka Sakazaki and Maki Itoh have ended. Both have since tweeted about arriving back in Japan safe and sound. Although Itoh had trouble after losing her phone and credit card. Miyu Yamashita is still in America this week to finish off her schedule. Konosuke Takeshita is gaining more fans every week and has also fallen in love with Cinnabon food, joining in the current craze of wrestlers tweeting about their eating habits while working overseas.
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Videos
DPW “FIRE VOL. 3”, 15/05/2022 Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Adam Brooks
Video starts at 11:32 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 16/05/2022 USB Arena, Elmont, New York, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Anna Jay Vs Nyla Rose & Emi Sakura (w/ Vickie Guerrero)
AEW “DYNAMITE ~ WILD CARD WEDNESDAY”, 18/05/2022 Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas, USA
1. Hangman Page Vs Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “DYNAMITE ~ WILD CARD WEDNESDAY”, 18/05/2022 Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas, USA
2. Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament – Round 1: Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D (w/ Jamie Hayter & Rebel) Vs Maki Itoh
Video starts at 28:10 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 23/05/2022 Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas, USA
1. Skye Blue & Yuka Sakazaki Vs Nyla Rose & Emi Sakura (w/ Vickie Guerrero)
Video starts at 16:08 for the match AEW “DARK”, 28/05/2022 Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Riho, Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue Vs Nyla Rose, Diamanté & Emi Sakura (w/ Vickie Guerrero)
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 3 – NIGHT 1”, 28/05/2022 Roseland Theater, Portland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Masha Slamovich
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 3 – NIGHT 2”, 29/05/2022 Roseland Theater, Portland, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita
Video starts at 0:10 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 30/05/2022 Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ryan Nemeth
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Results
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 11/05/2022 (Aired 16/05/2022) USB Arena, Elmont, New York, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Anna Jay defeated Nyla Rose & Emi Sakura (w/ Vickie Guerrero) when Sakazaki pinned Sakura with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (3:32).
Sakazaki’s position in AEW during May was taking part in a series of tag matches against Nyla Rose & Emi Sakura on the Dark portions of the tapings. In their first meeting, Sakazaki teamed with Anna Jay and got the win by pinning Sakura. However Rose took the loss badly and attacked Sakazaki after the bell.
DPW “FIRE VOL. 3”, 15/05/2022 Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Adam Brooks with the Zahi (8:40).
Takeshita’s visit to Deadlock Pro Wrestling led to an exciting match against the Australian wrestler Adam Brooks. There was one moment in particular when he fired up the crowd and the commentary team by yelling “Let’s fucking go!” He is also taking the time to sharpen his Jumping Knee Strike, using it as a big counter to a Springboard move from Brookes before putting him away with the Zahi.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 18/05/2022 (Aired 23/05/2022) Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas, USA
1. Nyla Rose & Emi Sakura (w/ Vickie Guerrero) defeated Skye Blue & Yuka Sakazaki when Rose pinned Blue with the Beast Bomb (6:17).
There was a little bit of a DDT/TJPW takeover on this taping. Sakazaki’s rivalry with Rose & Sakura continued. Skye Blue was her tag partner this time. Unfortunately Blue’s big moment of hitting a Hurricanrana to Rose was ruined when Rose held on, lifted her up and dropped her down with the Beast Bomb to win the match.
AEW “DYNAMITE ~ WILD CARD WEDNESDAY”, 18/05/2022 Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas, USA
1. Hangman Page defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Go 2 Sleep (12:14).
2. Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament – Round 1: Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D (w/ Jamie Hayter & Rebel) defeated Maki Itoh with the LockJaw (6:44).
Onto Dynamite itself where Takeshita was given his biggest spotlight in AEW so far. He faced Hangman Adam Page, the AEW World Champion in a non-title bout while CM Punk watched on over at the commentary booth. Takeshita lost the match when Page used Punk’s Go 2 Sleep to send his upcoming challenger a message but Takeshita’s performance that night had a lot of people talking highly of him across the board.
Then there was the surprise appearance of Maki Itoh in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament as the mystery Joker entrant. Everyone was happy to see her, especially Britt Baker who thought Itoh would just lay down for her. Instead Itoh gave her a fight but the result still ended in Baker’s favour. The possibility of Itoh showing up in AEW was tipped off when TJPW tweeted about her having to miss an autograph session a few days earlier (it is not always 100% the reason these things happen but whenever I get to tweet about it there may as well be a massive “HINT HINT” sign pointing at it).
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 25/05/2022 (Aired 30/05/2022) Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ryan Nemeth (w/ Peter Avalon) with the Jumping Knee Strike (5:31).
Hey I was here for this Dynamite show! The opening match of AEW’s week long celebration for their three years in existence was Takeshita beating Ryan Nemeth. Takeshita’s not fully there with the crowd yet. They didn’t recognise his entrance song but once his name showed up on the screen he got a big response. Still with all the praise going his way lately his future in the company can be really bright. It all depends on what plans Tony Khan already has in place. If you’re paying attention you’ll see this past week has shown he often sticks with his plans. But we all know how much of a massive wrestling fan he is. He must have the Masato Tanaka in ECW playbook lying around somewhere next to his Fulham summer transfer plans.
AEW “SPECIAL DARK”, 27/05/2022 (Aired 28/05/2022) Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Riho, Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue defeated Nyla Rose, Diamanté & Emi Sakura (w/ Vickie Guerrero) when Riho pinned Diamanté with the Somato (6:11).
A few days later at the Rampage taping Sakazaki finished off her current run with AEW. She also ended her series against Rose & Sakura with a win thanks to Riho pinning Diamanté. The women’s tag matches on Dark that feature Sakura in them have often been a highlight of the Youtube shows so I recommend watching them.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 3 – NIGHT 1”, 28/05/2022 Roseland Theater, Portland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Masha Slamovich with the Skull Kick (10:33)
2. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated Mia Yim with the Flying Big Head (15:55). *V3 for Maki Itoh.
While AEW was busy partying in Las Vegas all weekend, Yamashita & Itoh blew the roof off of the Roseland Theater with their matches in Prestige Wrestling. Yamashita defeated Masha Slamovich in a bout where the two smashed each other to bits. Then Itoh got something of an upset victory over Mia Yim in the main event to defend the International Princess Title.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 3 – NIGHT 2”, 29/05/2022 Roseland Theater, Portland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Skull Kick (15:47).
The next night Itoh was headlining the show again and this time Yamashita was across the ring from her. It was a non-title match and Yamashita increased her winning record against her friend with the Skull Kick. At first it looked like the move may have been deflected off of Itoh’s big head but the damage was there. Itoh fell like a tree and got pinned.
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Upcoming Appearances
DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyuki Takase Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yamashita is still in America for one more booking this weekend. Deadlock Pro is bringing her in for a big match against joshi freelancer Miyuki Takase. That’s the beautiful thing about Japanese wrestlers going on overseas excursions. You can get people who will never get the chance to fight each other in Japan due to industry politics get booked against each other in other countries miles away from all that stuff. The winner of the match will get a future shot at a DPW championship.
WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022 The State Room, South San Francisco, USA
1. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Congratulations to Mike Bailey and Veda Scott for getting married in Vegas!
PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022 The Glass House, Pomona, USA
1. Lee Moriarty Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Takeshita will get to feel the love from the Prestige crowd that Itoh & Yamashita got.
No new info yet. RCW on Twitter said they’ve just started selling tickets and more announcements will come soon.
PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Masha Slamovich
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
It was already known that Takeshita will face Daniel Garcia for the PWG World Title. But the big surprise announced for this show is Yuka Sakazaki. That’s right, Sakazaki is so good she got PWG to finally book a women’s match for the first time in over a decade! Alright, alright, Slamovich deserves some of the praise too. If she ends up becoming a preferred opponent for TJPW wrestlers in America then that’s fine by me.
JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022 Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
GCW’s sister promotion Jersey Championship Wrestling is the next landing spot for Takeshita. There are a few other unlikely names announced for the show like Negro Casas, Volador Jr. and Delirious. All suitably crazy opponents for Takeshita in their own way.
GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022 The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA
1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander
No new info but what more needs to be said about these matches?
SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Hoshitango Vs X
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
CDK and Hoshitango will be heading over to SETUP Thailand Pro Wrestling next month.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022”, 01/06/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 490 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
1. Road To CyberFight Festival 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida when Akito submitted Takagi with a Chickenwing Arm Lock (7:23).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Toru Owashi defeated Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) (w/ Nobutatsu Suzuki), Thanomsak Toba, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata and Pokotan (9:22).
2a. Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) eliminated Pokotan after the Fist Thrust from Suzuki (2:54).
2b. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Thanomsak Toba by Ring Out (4:16).
2c. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) with a Crab Hold (8:01). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,549th champion.
2d. Kazuki Hirata (c) and Antonio Honda eliminate each other by Double Pinfall (9:22). *Toru Owashi becomes the 1,550th champion.
3. Asuka, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Maya Yukihi defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Hiroshi Yamato when Naya pinned Okatani with the Back Drop (12:46).
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima when Sasaki submitted Kojima with the Crossface Lock (14:04).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Sexy Movie Star Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c) defeated AKIRA with a Cradle (12:46). *V2 for Yuki Iino.
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao when Higuchi pinned Takao with the Brain Claw Slam (16:08).
7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated MAO (c) with the Takatonic (20:48). *MAO fails in V3. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 7th DDT Universal Champion!
In a career full of miracles another came to light when Masahiro Takanashi became the new DDT Universal Champion! Using a mixture of tricks, skill and heart Takanashi defeated MAO in the main event. He tricked MAO into Backsliding Yukinori Matsui for a fake pin then did his own Cradle for a nearfall. MAO had his own plans and used the Ultima Weapon and Michinoku Driver II both for two counts. Takanashi had another surprise by using La Mistica and then scrambling into position to hit the Takatonic to win the title.
After the match Takanashi was joined in the ring by Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura. The four of them will be teaming together at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” for a DDT 8-Man Tag Match. HARASHIMA told them to show everyone the best of DDT. All Takanashi said to the fans was “Thank you!” to close out the show. But he said more backstage. It’s been many years since he held a singles title in DDT and even then he lost so many title matches in his career. Today feels like he won his first championship because it’s been so long. He wants to defend his title against the DNA generation of wrestlers no matter where they are now. That means fighting the likes of Yoshimura and even giving MAO a reamtch. MAO said he has no regrets over his title reign because he lost it to Takanashi. Anyone else beating him would have been a disappointment. He will be on the other team at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” so he will continue to proudly be at the forefront of DDT.
The show was filled with DDT wrestlers preparing for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. Over the last couple of weeks Kazusada Higuchi has refused to be on the same page as Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama for their inter-promotional match against NOAH, believing he can do it by himself. Today the three were given a chance to team up and test the waters against HARASHIMA, Yoshimura & Soma Takao. Higuchi kept his distance from his partners and had to be inadvertently tagged out to get the others involved in the match. When he got back in he continued fighting by himself so Endo & Akiyama had to come to the rescue. They cut off HARASHIMA & Yoshimura so Higuchi could beat Takao.
After the match Akiyama confronted Higuchi and asked him for a handshake to show he can trust him. Higuchi refused until Yukio Sakaguchi spoke to him. After a few words from someone he respects, Higuchi finally agreed and shook the hands of both Akiyama and Endo. Akiyama then thanked Sakaguchi while Endo said they are ready to beat NOAH at Saitama Super Arena on 12th June. Each member of a team has their target. Akiyama wants Atsushi Kotoge to charge him, Endo wants Naomichi Marufuji in perfect condition and Higuchi wants to avenge his recent time limit draw against Yoshiki Inamura.
The Hollywood spotlight was shining over the DDT Extreme Title because it was defended under Sexy Movie Star Rules. Director MacToba (Thanomsak Toba) ordered Yuki Iino and AKIRA to reinact famous movie scenes and the match could not end until he got his perfect shots. While they wrestled, MacToba ordered them to do scenes from Titanic, ET, The Exorcist, Rocky and Snow White. The Snow White scene in particular required AKIRA to kiss Iino. He reluctantly did so before pinning Iino with the Musasabi Press. However MacToba felt the kiss was not deep enough and ordered a reshoot. AKIRA gave Iino a deeper kiss but this time Iino rolled him up for the three count and is was good enough to wrap up production. Hisaya Imabayashi apologised to AKIRA for not fully understanding the match rules when he made the decision to approve it. AKIRA didn’t mind because he found it entertaining.
DAMNATION T.A have been going after NOAH in their own scuzzy way. They won their match at the NOAH show during the weekend and Daisuke Sasaki shocked Kenoh with a stun gun afterwards! Sasaki had the same stun gun with him today but thankfully he didn’t use it in the match against The 37KAMIINA. Still Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON were victorious. Sasaki used his win to call out Kenoh, expecting him to show up today. Since he didn’t, Sasaki thinks Kenoh is scared and crying at home. Meanwhile KANON has set his sights on Yuki Ueno. He thinks he will surely beat him to death the next time they fight. Ueno said his focus is on “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” for now because Sasaki cannot carry DDT by himself. Shunma Katsumata promised Saitama Super Arena will be turned into a sauna!
A non-stop 8-Man Tag kept everyone on their toes. Yuji Hino proved to be tough to keep off his feet. He also had the speed of Maya Yukihi there to back him up. Hiroshi Yamato stopped Yukio Naya with the Sliding X then called upon Eruption to finish the job. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai hit him with a Double PK and Hideki Okatani followed up with the Diving Knee Drop. The pin was broken and Asuka wiped out everyone with a Moonsault out of the ring. Naya got his second wind and pinned Okatani with the Back Drop.
The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu returned to DDT in order to defend the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. He was accompanied by his bodyguard, former MMA fighter Nobutatsu Suzuki to watch over his back. Kazuki Hirata showed support for Kawamatsu and allowed Suzuki to take care of the rest of the competition. Suzuki knocked out Pokotan so Kawamatsu could pin him. However his fight with Toba kept him busy so Hirata was free to go after the champion without consequence. Antonio Honda blinded Kawamatsu & Suzuki with Gongitsune. Hirata capitalized by putting Kawamatsu in a Crab Hold. The politician reached the ropes but was pulled away and had to give up, making Hirata the new champion. Toru Owashi climbed the top rope but Hirata knocked him out with the Tegatana Chop, leaving him lying over the top rope. Hirata and Honda put each other into a Backslide Pin situation and both of them were counted out. Owashi was the last man left in the match despite being unconscious so he was declared the winner and new champion! Afterwards Kawamatsu said he is full of gratitude towards DDT for letting him experience what it is like to be a pro wrestler.
What are you doing Akito? It turns out his plan to join Pheromones as a sleeper agent has turned into a desire to join the unit for real! While Danshoku Dieno & Yumehito Imanari were busy doing their usual thing to Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida, they also targeted Sanshiro Takagi’s dodgy shoulder. Akito hesitated to attack Takagi Pheromones style until he decided to give him the Stunner instead, then go after the injured shoulder for the submission win! Akito verbally blasted Takagi afterwards for tricking him into thinking he could become the next CyberFight president in order to do his bidding. Akito decided he’s going to join Pheromones not because he was told to but because he wants to!
But first Akito needed to take Pheromones right of passage and do the Excalibur Challenge. He has to pull the sword Sexcalibur out of Sexy Hill (Yuki Iino’s backside) to prove he is worthy of joining the unit. Akito tried several times already and this was to be his final attempt. However Kendo Kashin and a person wearing a Dieno mask (DDT website thinks it might have been Yumiko Hotta but evidence on social media suggests it was actually Hideki Suzuki) suddenly ran out and attacked Pheromones! Takagi thanked Kashin for rescuing him but Kashin started complaining about this being the build up to “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. He decided they were going to do their own Excalibur Challenge by shoving Sexcaliur into Hisaya Imabayashi’s mouth for five seconds. When they left, Dieno called Akito back into the ring and accepted him into Pheromones. He decided Akito’s Pheromones name will be Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki! Together they will crush Takagi’s terrorist team in Saitama Super Arena!
The dark match ended in a rare time limit draw when Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku lasted the full ten minutes. Okada almost won in the final seconds with a Diving Headbutt but Koroku kicked out as the time expired. After the match Okada asked Koroku if that is all he’s got because he was chosen over him for one of the inter-promotional matches against NOAH. He told Koroku to put his feelings into his match at Saitama Super Arena and win. A little while later during the show opening segment, Koroku was joined by Toi Kojima. They shook hands and agreed to join forces to beat NOAH.
The King Of DDT 2022 brackets were revealed. The Round 1 matches are Hideki Okatani Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Yuki Ueno Vs KANON, Yuji Hino Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs MAO, Jun Akiyama Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Yukio Naya Vs Kazusada Higuchi and Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi.
Today’s show was already happening while I was typing this up. Results will be posted later but I wanted to get this done first.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022”, 01/06/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
1. Road To CyberFight Festival 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) (w/ Nobutatsu Suzuki) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Thanomsak Toba Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Pokotan
3. Asuka, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Maya Yukihi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Hiroshi Yamato
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
5. DDT Extreme Title – Sexy Movie Star Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c) Vs AKIRA
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The DDT Extreme Title match will be held under Sexy Movie Star Rules because Yuki Iino is a sexy star and AKIRA is a movie star. The match will involve Director MacToba (Thanomsak Toba) directing both wrestlers to complete certain scenarios before they can win the match by pinfall or submission. All scenarios must be completed and approved by Toba or else the match result will not count.
During the week Akito had another attempt at the Excalibur Challenge so he could join Pheromones. His task was to pull the sword Sexcalibur out of Sexy Hill, aka Yuki Iino’s butt. Akito failed to succeed so he tried again this time with the aid of a massage gun but still could not pull out the sword. He pleaded to have one more go but Danshoku Dieno told him to wait until Korakuen Hall for his final chance. If he does not succeed then Pheromones will have to find another partner for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.
Chris Brookes has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle and has not been cleared to wrestle on the show. He is expected to return at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” on 12th June. Hiroshi Yamato takes his place on this show.
Gota Ihashi will also be absent due to enteritis. Pokotan replaces him in the Battle Royal.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~HAMAMATSU PERFORMANCE~”, 04/06/2022 Shizuoka Entetsu Hall
1. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko
2. Miu Watanabe Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Rika Tatsumi & Suzume Vs Hikari Noa & Pom Harajuku
4. Nao Kakuta Vs Mahiro Kiryu
5. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Moka Miyamoto Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Arisu Endo
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs “The Unbreakable” Rhio
Over in America, Maki Itoh achieved her 3rd International Princess Title defence by beating Mia Yim at a Prestige Wrestling show. That same day back in Japan, Rhio made her Tokyo Joshi Pro debut and made herself the next contender for the championship. Itoh’s return to Japan will be to defend the title against Rhio.
Yuka Sakazaki also returns from her AEW excursion to get the ball rolling on her Princess Of Princess Title match against Shoko Nakajima.
Miyu Yamashita is still on her American excursion this week so won’t be at the show. She’ll be back in time for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.
DDT/ONLY WE “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN CHIBA”, 05/06/2022 Chiba 2AW Square
1. Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
3. MAO & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuki Ishida Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
5. Kaji Tomato & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Hiroshi Yamato
7. ONLY WE x DDT Special 6-Man Tag Match – No DQ Match: Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Quiet Storm Vs Shogun Okamoto, Akira Raijin & Hoshitango
Brookes is replaced by his CDK partner Masahiro Takanashi.
GANBARE☆PRO “PUMPING IRON 2022”, 07/06/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. GanJo Special Tag Match: HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Riko Kawahata & Maria
2. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Horrible Arm Locker: Soma Takao Vs Tsuyoshi Okada
3. Special Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shigehiro Irie Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Road To SEKIGAHARA ~ ROMANCE DAWN Vs CDK Special Single Match: Shota Vs Masahiro Takanashi
5. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Keisuke Ishii & Yuna Manase Vs Ken Ohka, Mizuki Watase & Moeka Haruhi
Soma Takao was originally meant to face Chris Brookes on this show to continue the ROMANCE DAWN Vs CDK feud. With Brookes out injured, Takao was challenged by Tsuyoshi Okada to a singles match instead.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
2. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka
A face from Yuna Manase’s past has come to Ganbare☆Pro in search of a match against her. Sayaka Unagi previously had a singles match against Manase in TJPW back in 2019. Sayaka not only wants to avenge that loss but also show that the moves she made since leaving TJPW for Stardom have made her far stronger than Manase. In Sayaka’s mind, you need more than just doing your best to succeed in pro wrestling.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 