“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022” Results

November 22, 2022

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE
302 Fans

0. Dark Match: SAKI & Yasu Urano (w/ KUDO) defeated Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen & Gota Ihashi (w/ Miyako Haru) when SAKI pinned Ihashi with the Kawaiild Knee Drop (4:11).
1. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki Vs Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama Vs Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W (17:05).
1a. Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama defeated Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki when Yoneyama pinned Koishikawa with the Chinese Steamed Bun Roll (3:20).
1b. Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama defeated Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno when Yoneyama pinned Cherry with a School Boy (5:12).
1c. Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango defeated Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama when Hoshitango pinned Shiryu with a Body Press (6:35).
1d. Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W defeated Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango when Sakur pinned Natsumi with La Magistral Cradle (9:35).
1e. Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) defeated Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W when Akai pinned Sakura with the Quetzalcoatl (13:55).
1f. Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) when Miyamoto pinned Kei with the I.W.C (17:05).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Ram Kaichow defeated Sak Akai with a Cradle (c) with (7:43 pm).
*Ram Kaichow becomes the 1557th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Ram Kaichow (c) after an Elbow Drop from Yuko Miyamoto (7:45 pm).
*Ram Kaichow becomes the 1558th champion.
-. Special Match ~ Special Rules: Minoru Fujita Vs DJ Nira ended in a No Contest.
-. 3 Way Match: Minoru Fujita Vs DJ Nira Vs Daisuke Kiso did not end with a winner.
2. MAO defeated Mei Suruga with the Wedding Clutch (16:40).
3. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Antonio Honda when Irie pinned Honda with the Beast Bomber (15:03).
4. Daisuke Sekimoto defeated Masahiro Takanashi with a Modified Muffler Hold (23:09).

The 2010 Miracle Match between Masahiro Takanashi Vs Daisuke Sekimoto was revisited on today’s independently promoted show. Much like the first time, Takanashi was the big underdog but this time he was a much more crafty veteran. He targeted Sekimoto’s arms and continued to do so after Sekimoto missed a Lariat outside the ring and hit the ring post. The power difference just couldn’t be avoided though. Takanashi tried to hit the Takatonic from the top rope in a moment that flashed everyone’s minds back to 2010. Sekimoto blocked the move but before he could drop down and crush his opponent just like he did back then, Takanashi instead flipped over and Power Bombed him from the rope. The Takatonic was blocked again and every failed attempt to pin Sekimoto afterwards saw Takanashi’s chances fade away. The German Suplex that would normally end the match wasn’t hit perfectly so Sekimoto grabbed Takanashi in a Muffler Stretch and held his opponent up until Takanashi gave up. The two shook hands after the match but neither of them gave any speeches. Instead the show ended with Takanashi bowing to the audience on his knees and leaving the ring without comment.

Team Drift used Keisuke Ishii’s old theme music for their entrance. Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao also wore the same Team Dream Futures shirt while Ishii wore the shirt made for their farewell.

The special costume Mei Suruga wears for her entrance included flashing lights. During an outside the ring brawl with MAO, Suruga put the costume back on and dived from one of the nearby counters. She landed her attack and MAO complained afterwards that he could have gotten an electric shock. He then wrapped the costume around his arm and hit Suruga with an Axe Bomber. Inside the ring Suruga tried to put on the Cattle Mutilation but MAO kept countering it, eventually putting her in the Wedding Clutch for the pinfall.

A surprise match between Minoru Fujita and DJ Nira took place that went awry after Nira knocked out Daisuke Kiso with his umbrella. When Kiso woke up and was provoked by Nira again, he declared he was adding himself to the match, making it a 3 Way. The three of them locked up and the room suddenly went dark. Then there was an announcement that Kiso had seriously injured his opponents and escaped, leaving the ring completely empty. There was then an announcment that a new life was suddenly born. A spotlight then shined over to Hoshitango wearing diapers and crying like a baby. Then there was another announcement, this one saying Sekimoto quietly passed away on the morning of his match against Takanashi 12 years ago.

There was a brief exchange back and forth of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title between Saki Akai and Ram Kaichow. When their match ended, Kaichow rolled up Akai and pinned her for the belt. Akai then attacked her with the Brahman Brothers’ suitcase. Yuko Miyamoto tried to rescue Kaichow but accidentaly Elbow Dropped her instead. Akai then pinned Kaichow to win back the title.

The wrestler called Emi Sakura W in the Gauntlet Tag match is Papillon Akemi pretending to be her. The gimmick has been used in Gatoh Move before.

The UMA Corps turned on Gota Ihashi after the dark match after Miyako Haru ordered Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen to attack him. KUDO came to the rescue, scared them off and told Ihashi the Ebisuko Tavern was now protected. Ihashi told KUDO he hasn’t given up on his dream of becoming the tavern’s manager. KUDO gave Ihashi a Buzzsaw Kick in response and Ihashi apologised for trying to overthrow his boss.

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Posted by JamieOD

Hartley Faces RENEGADES, Dieno’s Selfish Matches, Rookie Munetatsu, New Year’s Eve Participants

November 21, 2022

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen & Gota Ihashi (w/ Miyako Haru) Vs SAKI & Yasu Urano (w/ KUDO)
1. Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Antonio Honda Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
2. Mei Suruga Vs MAO
3. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki Vs Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama Vs Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W
4. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Masahiro Takanashi

Drew Parker had to pull out of tomorrow’s show due to an arm injury. Mizuki Watase is his replacement.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & Mahiro Kiryu
2. Suzume Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Mizuki Vs Arisu Endo
4. Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
6. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Billie Starkz

The undercard has now been filled out. Daydream are back together for a match against the Karate Tag of Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano. Also Yoshiko Hasegawa from Ganbare☆Pro returns for another appearance in Tokyo Joshi Pro. This time she’s getting a singles match against Suzume.

GANBARE☆PRO “TOKIMEKI NISHISU 2022”, 03/12/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. GanPro Vs P.P.P: Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase Vs Kentaro Hachisu & Echika Miyabi
2. Tokimeki Nishisu 2022 Special Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & Seiya Morohashi Vs Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase

This is one last chance for Watase to prove he will be some kind of threat against Hartley Jackson. The Spirit Of Ganbare Champion suddenly turned sour on the idea he could be welcomed into the Ganpro family because of Watase’s recent weak efforts against him. So this time Watase is calling in his buddy Shigehiro Irie to provide back up against the champ and Seiya Morohashi. The power of RENEGADES may be just what Watase needs.

Yuna Manase and Echika Miyabi are in another match together after the two enjoyed their first rendezvous. This time the match is attracting other members of Ganpro and P.P.P Tokyo because Yumehito Imanari and Kentaro Hachisu are getting involved too.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Extreme Title: Joey Janela (c) Vs Jun Akiyama
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Naya

The D-Ou Grand Prix final is between Yuki Ueno and Yukio Naya. Ueno lost in last year’s final and is determined not to repeat that result. Naya has already called his shot after he wins the tournament to challenge Kazusada Higuchi for the KO-D Openweight Title in Tokyo Dome City Hall at the end of the year.

Why does Eddie Kingston get to have all the fun? Joey Janela wants to fight Jun Akiyama too and is willing to put the DDT Extreme Title on the line for it to happen.

DDT “DANSHOKU DIENO 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PUBLICATION COMMEMORATION”, 21/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Selfishly For The 2nd Time In 20 Years, A Single Match That Danshoku Dieno Just Wants To See: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
2. Selfishly For The 1st Time In 20 Years, Danshoku Dieno’s Self-Satisfaction Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Muscle Sakai

A book launch to celebrate 20 years in the business is a good enough reason to give Danshoku Dieno some match making powers for the event. He is happily being selfish with the power by booking himself against his old friend Muscle Sakai. He also wants to see what Yuki Iino versus Yumehito Imanari would be like.

GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022”, 27/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Debut Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs X
2. Kouki Iwasaki Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Last Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Kouki Iwasaki
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Mizuki Watase

The new rookie Munetatsu Nakamura is a 21 year old college student from Chiba. He is 168cm tall, weighs 65kg and his athletic experience is with wrestling and Judo. Nakamura originally trained for the DDTeeeen!! project but never wrestled a match (unless he was Ilusion all along but I have no evidence to back that up). Instead he switched his training over to Ganpro earlier this year and will make his pro debut with them.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022
Tokyo Dome City Hall

1. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
2. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X

The KO-D Title shot at the end of the year is not the automatic prize for the D-Ou winner but it’s clear Ueno or Naya is going to get it.

Akito needs some powerful and influential people to help him keep Pheromones under control or else DDT is at risk of being banned from Korakuen Hall and probably all the other venues within Tokyo Dome City. Who could be more powerful and influential than politcians? Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu are here to help. Shunma Katsumata is also getting dragged into the fight.

It’s already been announced but here’s a reminder that Konosuke Takeshita and Cara Noir will be on the show. Takeshita is still part of the DDT roster along with his new affiliation with AEW.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

DDT: Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes, MAO, Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada

BJW: Hideyoshi Kamitani, Takuya Nomura, Kota Sekifuda, Yasufumi Nakanoue, Daisuke Sekimoto, Daichi Hashimoto, Yuya Aoki & Yuki Ishikawa

Year End Dream Slot: Masato Tanaka, Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka, Masashi Takeda, MUSASHI, Yuma Aoyagi, Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) & Kikutaro

The lineup for the annual New Year’s Eve trios tournament has been revealed. There will be eight teams involved each containing one DDT wrestler, one Big Japan wrestler and one “Dream” wrestler. The teams will be chosen on 24th November. There will be two non-tournament matches happening on the New Year’s Eve show as well.

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Posted by JamieOD

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22” Results

November 20, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 20/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE
215 Fans

1. Miu Watanabe defeated Kaya Toribami with the Canadian Backbreaker (8:10).
2. Hyper Misao defeated Pom Harajuku with the I Am A Hero (9:38).
3. Mizuki defeated Mahiro Kiryu with the Cutie Special (8:37).
4. Yuki Aino & Raku defeated Shoko Nakajima & Haruna Neko when Raku pinned Neko with the Sunrise (9:20).
5. Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta defeated Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo when Kakuta pinned Endo with the Shiden Kai (13:29).
6. Billie Starkz & Millie McKenzie defeated Yuka Sakazaki & Miyu Yamashita when McKenzie pinned Yamashita with the Arm-Clutch Saito Suplex (13:58).

The international challengers landed in Japan with a victory over the champion team. Yuka Sakazaki had Millie McKenzie beaten with the Magical Girl Splash until Billie Starkz broke the pin with a Swanton Bomb from the top rope. Starkz then took Sakazaki out with a Topé. McKenzie got her second wind against Miyu Yamashita by blocking the Skull Kick, hitting a Spear and then using an Arm-Clutch Saito Suplex to pin the EVE Champion. After the match McKenzie told the fans in English she loves Japan so much she wants to win the EVE Title in Korakuen Hall and come back here again. Yamashita swore she won’t lose to her again and will definitely beat her in the title match. Backstage, Starkz admitted she feels overwhelmed by Sakazaki’s energy but she has no doubt she can win the Princess Of Princess Title from her next week. Sakazaki said she and Yamashita need to bet on the pride of Tokyo Joshi Pro to both defend their championships.

Yuki Aino & Raku have combined both of their finishing moves into a devastating double team finisher. Sunrise is a combination of the Venus DDT and the Doctor Yellow.

Hikari Noa was pulled from the show due to being in poor condition. The 3 Way Match she was meant to be in became a regular singles match between Mizuki and Mahiro Kiryu instead. Shino took Noa’s place in the show opening Up Up Girls musical performance.

Match #2 turned into the Spider-Man pointing meme because Pom Harajuku walked out wearing a superhero mask and cloak. She interrupted Hyper Misao’s pre-match speech and introduced herself as Hyper Pom. Misao was insulted and unmasked her after an attack. Harajuku then went out of the ring and placed her mask first on Arisu Endo, then on Sayuri Namba and then on Daisuke Kiso. Misao kept falling for the trick thinking each of them was Harajuku in disguise. Harajuku tried to pin her with a Roll Up but it was kicked out of. The two then fought up to the top rope and started arguing over who should step down first. They tried to settle it with Rock-Paper-Scissors but instead Misao gave Harajuku the Avalanche Hyper Gotham Crash and then went back up the turnbuckle to hit the I Am A Hero for the win.

Namba was at a wedding earlier in the day and decided to keep the same dress on during her ring announcing duties.

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Posted by JamieOD

Konosuke Takeshita Is All Elite

November 20, 2022

I knew this day would come.

“Konosuke Takeshita has signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling. With that, he will be an active member of both the DDT and AEW roster going forward.

Please look forward to the future successes of Takeshita’s wrestling career.”

On Saturday afternoon Tony Khan tweeted an official confirmation that Konosuke Takeshita has signed a contract with AEW and is now “All Elite”. Takeshita was already down as an active member of the roster but this makes it clear he is now on a full time deal. A few minutes later Sanshiro Takagi tweeted his congratulations to Takeshita and clarified he now belongs to both AEW and DDT. So whenever Takeshita is back in Japan he will be wrestling in a DDT ring while AEW will serve as his American home. DDT have said they fully support him taking this challenge to make it in America.

Takagi is in America accompanying Takeshita and Jun Akiyama for their appearances in AEW this past week. The fact he was there should have been a tip off that a business dealing of some sort was going on. The next clue was Takeshita getting a brand new entrance song from AEW’s musical maestro Mikey Rukus (for those who haven’t heard it yet it sounds like a mix of Daisuke Sekimoto’s theme and “Gangplank Galleon” from Donkey Kong Country of all things). While Akiyama and Takeshita were doing their matches, Takagi spent his time meeting up with members of the AEW roster who he previously worked with such as Kenny Omega (who he credited for making “all the connections” in the first place), Sammy Guevara, Ethan Page, Ricky Starks and even Luther.

A little bit more news came from the “FULL GEAR” post-show media scrum. Khan was asked about the deal and if other DDT wrestlers would be brought into AEW going forward. Khan said there are people in DDT who have already the visas needed to make it work so he is open to the idea of using them for TV and PPV.

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Posted by JamieOD

GANBARE☆PRO “GUNHED 2022” Results

November 19, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “GUNHED 2022”, 19/11/2022
Chiba 2AW Square
84 Fans

1. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Moeka Haruhi defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the 79.5MHz (8:59).
2. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: YuuRI defeared HARUKAZE with a Locomotion School Boy (8:53).
3. Soma Takao & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga when Takao pinned Tominaga with a Cradle (11:10).
4. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Yuna Manase defeated Echika Miyabi with the Lariat (7:47).
5. Original GanPro Tag Vs Last Teacher-Student Tag: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari when Ishii pinned Imanari with the Double Arm Driver TURBO (18:34).
6. Gunhed 2022 Special Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & Seiya Morohashi defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Mizuki Watase when Jackson pinned Watase with the Jumping Piledriver (16:41).

It could not be any more obvious how much of an underdog Mizuki Watase is going against Hartley Jackson. The size and power difference is bad enough but Watase also had to fight against Seiya Morohashi and his cheating ways. Tatsuhito Takaiwa did what he could to even the odds but when it came down to Watase versus Jackson, Jackson won. After the match Jackson asked Watase if he still wants to fight him for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title? Jackson has beaten him in two tag matches now and can do it a third time. Instead Jackson wants to defend the belt against the boss of Ganbare☆Pro if there is one. He thought he wanted to be part of the Ganpro family but fuck that! He now realises he is better off being on his own. Watase blamed himself for losing not because of skill or size but because he isn’t carrying the Ganpro spirit.

Yuna Manase feels the need to take the lead of the Ganbare☆Joshi division in order to make it more active. She described Echika Miyabi as being talented and wants to make more new friends like Miyabi to liven up Ganpro even more. Miyabi said she wants to compete here and get stronger so is hoping to get invited back.

A can of Chuhai was placed in the middle of the ring for Match #3 for everyone to fight over. Late in the match Shinichiro Tominaga stepped on the can and slipped, causing Soma Takao to roll him up for the pinfall.

YuuRI scored her first victory in Ganpro today due to HARUKAZE being over eager. HARUKAZE targeted YuuRI’s arm and was determined to beat her with a Cross Armbreaker. YuuRI found a way to counter the move by rolling HARUKAZE over locomotion style until she finally got to pin her shoulders to the mat for a three count. YuuRI said the win comes close to her entering the third year of her wrestling career. It was frustrating to lose so much but that time in her life helped her gain self-confidence. Winning for the first time today is not YuuRI’s end goal so it is still only the beginning of her journey.

A new trainee will be making his debut for Ganpro soon. Munetatsu Nakamura is a 21 year old college student from Chiba with a background in both Wrestling and Judo. He is 168cm tall and weighs 65kg. In 2021 he was part of the DDT Teenage Project (now called DDTeeeen!!) and has spent the last year and a half training. This year he began training with Ganpro and will make his pro debut under their banner on 27th December.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results

November 18, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
450 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:45).
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno when Iino pinned Honda after the Sexy Lock Up (8:28).
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (5:57).
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Doi pinned Kojima with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (11:38).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4) ended in a Double Countout (11:36).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (5) with the Harai Goshi (7:05).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (16:53).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (4) defeated Yuji Hino (7) with a Modified Samson Clutch (12:10).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (7) with the Back Drop (19:05).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (6)
2. Tetsuya Endo (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. RSP (4)
-. Joey Janela (4)
-. Naomi Yoshimura (4)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (8)
2. Yuji Hino (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
4. Chris Brookes (4)
5. KANON (2)
-. MAO (2)

The race to the final is complete and two men are left to fight over who will win the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix. The Block was decided by what is possibly the biggest upset in the entire tournament this year when Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi! The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion was one of two unbeaten wrestlers left in the group and when the path opened up for him to remain the only one at the finish, but Naya decided it would go differently. The Headbutt was the key move in a Higuchi match yet again. The twist however was the move came from Naya to get the advantage. Some Knee Lifts were used afterwards to soften up Higuchi for the Back Drop for the surprise result. Naya’s win means he vaults over the two top heavyweights to reach the final!

So how did it all go wrong for Yuji Hino, the other undefeated wrestler in B Block? Blame CDK for that. Chris Brookes relied on Masahiro Takanashi to help him get a win. The referee was taken out after being used as a shield then Takanashi gave Hino a Low Blow right when he was about to hit the Fuckin’ BOMB on Brookes. Makoto Oishi came to the rescue by grabbing the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt off of Takanashi. However Brookes then pushed Oishi right into Hino, knocking the big guy loopy when he head first came into contact with the title belt. He was still able to kick out of the pin but was too dazed to kick out of a Samson Clutch afterwards. Brookes isn’t happy with this year being the fourth in a row he failed to win the final. If things don’t improve for him in the next 12 months he does not see a point in him being in the next D-Ou GP. Hino isn’t mad because he doesn’t feel like he lost. All he knows is his head and crotch both hurt so he just wants to go home and get into his bed.

The A Block was a much tighter race with five of the six contestants still in the running one way or another. When the dust settled it was Yuki Ueno who was left standing above everyone else in first place uncontested. He took a beating to get there because Daisuke Sasaki attacked him with plenty of chairs in their match. But Ueno had enough with that kind of stuff and stopped Sasaki with a Dropkick. He hit the BME but Sasaki only kicked out at one. He also blocked the Crossface Lock when Sasaki tried to convert it into the Crossover Facelock. However the BME only got a one count so Ueno had to pull out his new finisher, the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher to clear past Sasaki and book his place in the final. Sasaki is so upset over the loss he says 2022 has ended for himself and DAMNATION T.A as well as the first half of 2023. You’ll have to wait until the second half of 2023 to see them get their revenge!

Tetsuya Endo fell at the final hurdle thanks to Naomi Yoshimura. Endo was fighting for first place going into this show and would have made the final had he won, now that we know how Ueno Vs Sasaki went. Instead the Harai Goshi pinned Endo out of nowhere and dashed his chances of advancing. It’s been one of the few bright spots of Yoshimura’s tournament this year and he is currently not in the mood to talk about it. Meanwhile Endo is already thinking of any lessons he learned, figuring out that he has not grown since their last singles match while Yoshimura clearly has.

The two American wrestlers both left their mark in the A Block as wild cards disrupting everyone else’s chances. Both Joey Janela and RSP had slim chances of staying in the Grand Prix but they also had their sights set on each other during the entire tour due to their history together on the American indies. It led to a match where the two tried to destroy each other with the biggest moves they could think of. The biggest came when RSP gave Janela a Death Valley Bomb from the ring apron onto the floor outside. The move took out both men and the match ended in a Double Countout. Due to the new scoring rules implemented this year, a Double Counout means neither wrestlers received any points. Janela takes some enjoyment that the result stopped RSP from getting anywhere near the final. He also now wants to move on to his next target, Jun Akiyama! He thought he would get to fight Akiyama until he found out DDT added an age limit to this year’s D-Ou GP. If that’s not enough, while Janela is here in Japan Akiyama is in America wrestling Eddie Kingston in Janela’s previous workplace AEW! Janela wants Akiyama to come face him when he returns to Japan.

The D-Ou GP final is now set. The A Block winner Yuki Ueno faces the B Block winner Yukio Naya on 4th December. Ueno is in the final for the second year in a row and did not expect to be seeing Naya with him here. Naya’s a big guy but Ueno wants to live up to his promise to carry DDT on his own back. Naya said he is ready to do that too. He just beat Higuchi and now he has to beat Ueno. Should he do that then Naya will make it clear he wants to challenge Higuchi for the KO-D Title inside Tokyo Dome City Hall at the end of December!

Even without the tournament there is a lot of news coming out of this show. Naruki Doi made his next appearance for DDT, forming a team with DISASTER BOX that was nicknamed Disaster Muscle. Doi felt like he was being pranked with DISASTER BOX, The 37KAMIINA and even Takeshi Masada all getting him involved in wacky spots. Toru Owashi did his lucha while Kazuki Hirata tried to mimic MAO’s Koppojutsu but was easily brushed aside. He also tried to wear the Hirata GO! glasses but the music immediately caused Doi to kick him. Toi Kojima was the one to step up to Doi but was cut down with the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick. After the match HARASHIMA welcomed Doi to DDT and congratulated him on winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, one of the few championships that HARASHIMA has never held. Doi asked the fans if they would like to see him face HARASHIMA some day? He then said he will be back in DDT on the 21st and 29th December. If anyone wants to fight Doi, Owashi & Hirata for the titles then Doi will accept any challengers… except for Shunma Katsumata.

KANON had a poor run in the tournament but that is all behind him now. He rejoined MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita to get a win against Eruption & Yuya Koroku. It was a close match with Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani keeping DAMNATION T.A on their toes. Koroku then took the lead against KANON but a reversal of fortunes saw KANON pin him with the Sleepy Hollow.

There were also two matches on the pre-show. Danshoku Dieno was absent with a fever so it was up to the rest of Pheromones to keep it up with their obscene antics. This is bad news for Akito because their behaviour is getting so bad that Korakuen Hall management may consider stepping in and banning DDT from doing further shows in the building. Yuki Iino & Koju Takeda may have found a kindred spirit because Gorgeous Matsuno was more than ready to compare his fit body with theirs. Antonio Honda used Iino’s backside to charge up Gongitsune but some bad targeting led to both Akito & Takanashi getting knocked out. Yumehito Imanari saw the opening and got his partners to lock up with each other. Doing so had them essentially teabag all of their opponents over and over into submission. Akito was mad with the result because he bungled the numbers advantage and now DDT is at risk of being kicked out of Korakuen. Pheromones need to be subjugated so Akito will bring in the political tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu for the big 29th December show at Tokyo Dome City Hall!

The other dark match saw Yusuke Okada take all that Yuki Ishida could throw at him. Ishida fought out of a Crab Hold and kicked out of a long distance Diving Headbutt. It was a good effort but Okada beat him with the Sudden Death in the end.

Katsumata feels like there is not enough excitement going around so he came up with an idea to do an Explosion Death Match in the new year. So one will take place in Tsurumi on 7th January where Katsumata will aim to surpass Atsushi Onita and become the Reiwa era’s version of “Evil Ways”. He promised that show will not end until he blows up Onita!

An update was given in regards to LiLiCo’s request to take part in the Anal Explosion opening ceremony for the 29h December show in TDC Hall. Hisaya Imabayashi took part in a show with LiLiCo’s husband Ryohei Odai during the week so he recorded a video discussing the situation with him. Odai does not like the idea but is under the impression that all couples have a rule where they do not need to be concerned for what their partners do with their anuses. So he is ok with LiLiCo and DDT going ahead with the ceremony.

DDT has a Korakuen show on 21st December to celebrate the launch of Dieno’s new book about his views on pro wrestling. Dieno will have a match against Muscle Sakai on the show. There will also be a match between Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari just because Dieno wants to see it happen.

Matsuno gave everyone a news update about his planned kidney transplant operation for his partner Junko Tashiro. It was previously announced that the operation was delayed until next Spring because Tashiro is in stable health and has no need to get a transplant right away. The operation is now scheduled for April but may be delayed again if Tashiro remains in good health. It is inevitable that the transplant will need to happen some day and when it does, Matsuno made a vow to return to the ring after it is completed.

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Posted by JamieOD

D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 Paths To The Final

November 17, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (5) Vs Naomi Yoshimura (2)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs Yuki Ueno (4)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) Vs Yuji Hino (7)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (7) Vs Yukio Naya (6)

Tomorrow sees which two wrestlers will advance to the D-Ou Grand Prix final. There are no clear single leader in either block and there’s room for an outside competitor to leapfrog over those tied in first place when all is said and done. So it’s time to work out who has to do what to make it to the final. The Head To Head rule is in effect for any tiebreakers, which means whoever won their match against their deadlocked opponent in the block stage moves up on top. If that tiebreaker was a draw then an extra playoff match will have to go ahead somewhere during tomorrow’s show. Remember there are two types of ways points are awarded for matches that end in a draw. A Time Limit Draw or a Double KO results in 1 point given to each wrestler. But a Double DQ/No Contest or a Double Countout means nobody gets any points. There are some crazy scenarios that can happen if there are a mixture of ties happening tomorrow but some are so farfetched I won’t go into those details. These tournaments rarely go the chaos route where multiple claims for first place all get tangled up together at the end. You’ll have to go far back to the 2009 Fire Festival to see something like that.

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (5)

Goes to the final by beating Yoshimura and if Sasaki cannot win his match. Will end up tied with Sasaki if both win, leading to a playoff match between the two. Endo goes through with a draw if Sasaki loses and Janela does not win. If Endo and Sasaki both draw their matches, that scenario can turn into a 3 way tie with the winner of Janela Vs RSP.

1. Daisuke Sasaki (5)

Reaches the final by beating Ueno and if Endo cannot win his match. Will end up tied with Endo if both win, leading to a playoff match between the two. Sasaki goes through with a draw if Endo loses and RSP does not win. If Endo and Sasaki both draw their matches, that scenario can turn into a 3 way tie with the winner of Janela Vs RSP.

3. Yuki Ueno (4)

Ueno needs to beat Sasaki and hope that Endo loses. That means he wins the tiebreaker over either Janela or RSP and finishes first. Anything else ends his run.

3. RSP (4)

It gets tricky from here on out. RSP’s route is to beat Janela, see Endo lose and Sasaki Vs Ueno go to a draw in order to get a tiebreaker in his favour.

3. Joey Janela (4)

Janela cannot win the group directly but can reach two playoff scenarios. He needs to beat RSP first of all. Then he can tie on points with either Endo and Sasaki if both draw or Endo and Ueno if Endo draws and Ueno wins. Either scenario results in a 3 Way playoff match.

6. Naomi Yoshimura (2)

No chance of reaching the final. All he can do is play spoiler. Can prevent Endo from finishing in 1st by beating him or possibly tying with him. Most likely to finish dead last unless he wins and Ueno loses.

B Block

1. Yuji Hino (7)

Hino beating Brookes and Higuchi failing to win sends Hino to the final. Hino and Higuchi both winning or drawing to finish with the same amount of points results in a playoff match between the two.

1. Kazusada Higuchi (7)

Higuchi winning against Naya while Hino fails to win sends Higuchi through. Higuchi and Hino both winning or drawing to finish with the same amount of points results in a playoff match between the two.

3. Yukio Naya (6)

Needs to beat Higuchi and Hino to lose in order to leapfrog over both into the final.

4. Chris Brookes (2)

Eliminated but can ruin Hino’s tournament by preventing him from winning their match. Losing puts him in a 3 Way tie for last place with KANON and MAO.

4. KANON (2)

Eliminated with no more matches left. Potentially finishes above MAO because of the Head To Head win.

4. MAO (2)

Eliminated with no more matches left. Potentially finishes below KANON because of the Head To Head loss.

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D-Ou Heading Into Final Stages, TJPW’s Global Week, Last ONLY WE Show Of 2022

November 16, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (5) Vs Naomi Yoshimura (2)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs Yuki Ueno (4)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) Vs Yuji Hino (7)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (7) Vs Yukio Naya (6)

I’ll dig into the different paths to the final in another post tomorrow but long story short, the A Block is wide open for everyone except Naomi Yoshimura while the B Block is coming down to Kazusada Higuchi, Yuji Hino and Yukio Naya. The matches will be overseen by Kenta Kobashi who will be in attendnace.

Danshoku Dieno is off the show with a fever. The Pheromones match on the pre-show will now be a 3 Vs 4 Handicap match with Akito’s team having the one man advantage.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 20/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Hikari Noa Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Hyper Misao Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo
4. Miu Watanabe Vs Kaya Toribami
5. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Haruna Neko
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Miyu Yamashita Vs Millie McKenzie & Billie Starkz

Miyu Yamashita has come back to Japan with a new White Belt over her shoulder but her international adventure continues much closer to home. She and Yuka Sakazaki both have foreign opponents at Korakuen Hall next weekend so all four will face off in a big preview tag match. Sakazaki has Billie Starkz to worry about in a first time meeting. Yamashita meanwhile gets right back to business as her global rivalry with Millie McKenzie reaches its third country.

Also back from England is Hyper Misao. Did she bring back anything nice for Pom Harajuku? She’s been on her best behaviour while Misao was abroad.

Maki Itoh is wrestling in America for GCW and JCW this weekend. She’s already in the company so who knows, maybe she shows up somewhere at AEW tonight?

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen & Gota Ihashi (w/ Miyako Haru) Vs SAKI & Yasu Urano (w/ KUDO)
1. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki Vs Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama Vs Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W
2. Mei Suruga Vs MAO
3. Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Antonio Honda Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
4. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Masahiro Takanashi

The dark match has some news surrounding it. Yuna Mizumori is out of action with a knee injury so SAKI will take her place. That’s not all, the UMA Corps creature known as Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen entered the Ebisuko Tavern during the week and attacked KUDO with its long arms! Gota Ihashi didn’t do anything to stop it because hey, he’s teaming with that monster and KUDO is supporting the other side. Screw him.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Billie Starkz

Juria Nagano and Yoshiko Hasegawa will both be on the show.

DDT/ONLY WE “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN CHIBA”, 03/12/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Hiroshi Yamato
2. ONLY WE x DDT Special Tag Match ~ DAMNATION T.A Vs PERON GRANDES!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Shogun Okamoto Vs Akira Raijin
3. ONLY WE x DDT Special Tag Match ~ Harimao Vs Ω!: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi

For the last time this year DDT and ONLY WE have a co-promoted show together. Although the ONLY WE stuff has kind of been hijacked by the Ω revival that took place on these shows. The D-Ou Grand Prix will be over at this point but I bet Higuchi and Hino will have unsettled business after their block match ended in a stalemate. Yoshimura wants to put the whole tournament behind him at this point and you can never count out Makoto Oishi in these situations.

Some of the earlier ONLY WE shows had DAMNATION T.A and PERON GRANDES alliance going on but that seems to be out the window now.

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Yamashita Wins EVE Title!

November 14, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Billie Starkz

Yesterday in England, EVE held two shows called “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V” with Miyu Yamashita and Hyper Misao among the talent involved*. Yamashita came out of the shows as one of the big winners of the weekend. She beat Millie McKenzie in a No. 1 Contender match on the first show, then on the second show beat Alex Windsor to become the new EVE Champion! McKenzie challenged Yamashita for the title afterwards, reminding everyone she beat her in Spain last month and they now have a 1-1 record against each other. Yamashita agreed and since McKenzie is already going to wrestle in Japan next week, it will be the perfect time to do the rubber match over there!

The team of Yuki Aino & Raku are the newest challengers for Reiwa AA Cannon. The two of them being paired together recently has raised Raku’s confidence and she would like nothing more but to win the Princess Tag Team Titles and give her belt the perfect window seat on her train journeys.

*I’ll write a more detailed report in my Around The World post at the start of next month.

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KYOTO” Results

November 13, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KYOTO”, 13/11/2022
Kyoto KBS Hall
285 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. RSP, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Joey Janela, Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (4:59).
2. Pheromones Vs DISASTER BOX!: Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno by Disqualification when Iino attacked the referee (9:32).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) defeated KANON (2) with the Back Drop (8:21).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino (7) defeated MAO (2) with the Fuckin’ BOMB (10:15).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Naruki Doi & Akito defeated Hideki Okatani, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Doi pinned Kojima with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (12:26).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) defeated Naomi Yoshimura (2) with the Sasaki Hurricanrana (9:10).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (7) defeated Chris Brookes (2) with a Headbutt (14:12).
8. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Saki Akai Produce Match: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & HARASHIMA defeated Aja Kong, Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata (c) when Sakaguchi pinned Katsumata with the God’s Right Knee (16:18).
*Yukio Sakaguchi becomes the 1,555th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (c) with a School Boy (7:59 pm).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,556th champion.

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
3. Yuki Ueno (4)
-. RSP (4)
-. Joey Janela (4)
6. Naomi Yoshimura (2)

B Block

1. Yuji Hino (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
3. Yukio Naya (6)
4. Chris Brookes (2)
-. KANON (2)
-. MAO (2)

The day belonged to Saki Akai but we’ll start off with the D-Ou Grand Prix matches first. The B Block has become a close race between three wrestlers. Kazusada Higuchi is possibly one win away from reaching the final after he beat Chris Brookes. It may have come at a cost of his right hand though because Brookes attacked it with a metal fitting. The damage was enough to prevent Higuchi from using the Brain Claw but he pulled out a big Headbutt to put Brookes down for the three count. Higuchi felt his opponent’s passion in the match and felt he couldn’t lose to him. Brookes accepts he is out of the running but will do his best to beat Yuji Hino in his final block match.

Over in the A Block Daisuke Sasaki used a lot of foul play against Naomi Yoshimura by attacking his legs with chairs and getting MJ Paul to interfere. If that wasn’t enough, Sasaki used the Pedigree late in the match. That was the move Sasaki used to give Yoshimura a cervical sprain back in 2019. Thankfully the move did not end the same way today but Sasaki was able to pin Yoshimura with the Hurricanrana afterwards. The defeat ends any hope Yoshimura has of catching up with the field and he now cannot reach the final. Sasaki however is now neck and neck in first place with a former ally.

Hino finds himself tied with Higuchi in first place of the B Block. MAO tried to throw everything he could at him but couldn’t win. Not even the Alien Plancha and Michinoku Driver II could put the big man away. Hino still praised him for being an interesting wrestler. He said MAO’s Plancha was a higher jump than TAKA Michinoku’s and MAO’s version of the Michinoku Driver was more effective. For those reasons Hino is looking forward to fighting him again.

While Hino and Higuchi are fighting over the top spot, Yukio Naya is catching up with them. His win against KANON brings him only one point behind the leaders and a golden chance to leapfrog over them into the final. KANON ends his tournament run with only one win but still enjoyed being able to do whatever he wanted on his own.

With the Grand Prix out of the way, let’s get to the headline match. The show was Akai’s homecoming in Kyoto and she got to team with Yukio Sakaguchi & HARASHIMA against Aja Kong & The 37KAMIINA. The match was special for Shunma Katsumata too because of his longtime association with Kong going back to when he as a child got to meet and take pictures with her. Kong gave Akai a beating but Akai still fought back, hitting a big dive onto Yuki Ueno & Katsumata. Kong tried to attack Sakaguchi with a steel can but his Katsumata by accident. Sakaguchi then hit Katsumata with the God’s Right Knee, pinning him to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.

Sakaguchi couldn’t even catch his breath when Akai rolled him up with a School Boy after the match to win the Iron Man Title from him! Before Sakaguchi could complain, Akai said he once told her not to show any openings to be attacked in the ring at any time. She is really happy she got to do a show in Kyoto again and be able to win a championship there too. After she finished her speech to close out the show, Hideki Okatani rolled her over with a School Boy but she kicked out at two, remaining as champion. She later said her goal with the belt is to achieve the most title defences with it.

Naruki Doi made his second DDT appearance today, winning a trios match with Tetsuya Endo & Akito on his team. He was impressed by the opposing team made up of young wrestlers but next he would like to have matches against both Endo and Akito!

Since Kyoto is home to game masters Nintendo, Danshoku Dieno declared he & Yuki Iino were going to become Pheromones Masters today. The result of this was Iino stripping out of his wrestling gear and “evolving” while Pokémon game music played over the speakers. This plan backfired when he ran the ropes in as little clothing as possible and ran into Yukinori Matsui, crotch to face. That was enough to get Iino disqualified.

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