DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023 Shinjuku FACE 206 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yuni & Yuki Ishida defeated Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with the Flame Palm (6:58).
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Antonio Honda by TKO when Iino used the Sleeper From A Wise Reincarnated Man on Honda (6:38).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada with the Sleepy Hollow (9:00).
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (14:14).
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Yuki Ueno defeated Kotaro Suzuki with the WR (12:59).
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Jun Akiyama defeated MAO with the Sterness Dust (10:19).
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Chris Brookes defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (12:04).
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Hideki Okatani with the Brain Claw Slam (16:04).
Former allies in Eruption crossed paths in the King Of DDT 2nd Round. Last year’s winner Kazusada Higuchi fought Hideki Okatani, the youngster who was all set to blaze through the tournament and make a name for himself. Okatani threw his best shot and did get to leave a mark on his opponent but Higuchi stood tall in the end and beat him with the Brain Claw Slam. It wasn’t all bad news for Okatani though. Shunma Katsumata approached him backstage after the main event offering him a DDT Extreme Title shot. Okatani eliminated him in Round 1 so Katsumata wants to settle that score, putting his title on the line in order to do so. Okatani accepted and Katsumata promised to come up with a stipulation that will show off more of Okatani to the fans.
Chris Brookes somehow got a hold of Mecha Mummy’s fist and brought it into his match against Sanshiro Takagi. However a misfired attack knocked out Yukinori Matsui by accident. This also happened after Brookes accidentally took out Daisuke Kiso with a missed RKO. With no more referees in sight Brookes and Takagi fought out of the ring and around the room. Takagi brought out the Dramatic Dream bike but Brookes smashed a plastic box over his head and then threw him into a castle of chairs. Back in the ring both Masahiro Takanashi and Drew Parker interfered to help Brookes out. Takagi fought on but a combination of being put through a table and having more plastic boxes smashed over his head became overwhelming. With nothing left to give, he was pinned with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Backstage Takagi said when he first met Brookes in Japan he thought he had the potential to become the top wrestler in DDT. Today he is convinced Brookes will reach that level.
One thing you should know by now is you should never count out Jun Akiyama in any competition. He reaches the final four by defeating MAO in today’s bout. It took quite a bit to get that result though. The Exploder Suplex and a bare Knee Strike wasn’t enough to put MAO away. Instead Akiyama had to pull out the old Sterness Dust to get his hand raised in the end. MAO didn’t think the match was going to be so close. He went into today with an empty head and came out of the match with a little bit of Akiyama knowledge filling it up. He’ll be going to wrestle in America again soon so he plans to push himself while still wrestling at his own pace.
In a battle of skill, Yuki Ueno came out on top against Kotaro Suzuki. The Endless Waltz couldn’t dizzy Ueno enough to keep him pinned and he also kicked out of a Tombstone. Suzuki then went for the Blue Destiny but Ueno got out of the move and twisted Suzuki into the WR to win the match. Suzuki refuses to let his time in DDT end like this and wants a rematch with Ueno to get revenge.
A lottery was held after the main event to pair off the semi-finals on 21st May. Ueno will face Higuchi and Brookes has to take on Akiyama. Ueno thinks it’s all well and good to see Higuchi shave his head and act like he has given himself a fresh start. But Ueno thinks he himself has been developing too. Higuchi is not giving the final a single thought until he beats Ueno first. Brookes knows he has to go on and win King Of DDT after both HARASHIMA and Takagi have given him their support. If he can beat those two then he can beat Akiyama! But Akiyama has been doing this for decades. Fighting Brookes in a singles match is going to be a new experience for him.
Kazuki Hirata wanted to cheer up and motivate his friend HARASHIMA during their match. He decided the two of them dancing together would be the best way to achieve that. Unfortunately their dance got cut off by the other team and Hirata wound up getting destroyed by Tetsuya Endo & Yukio Sakaguchi, losing the match for his side.
Shunma Katsumata tried to replicate Komander’s tight rope walk into a dive during his match. It ended poorly and Katsumata crotched himself on the rope.
The first appearance of Yuki Iino since his failure to win the KO-D Openweight Title showed him in a crazy state that even has Danshoku Dieno worried. This was a different kind of “Sexy” than everyone is used to seeing. First Iino ran across the entrance way wearing what can be best described as half a speedo. Then when he reappeared for the actual team entrance, Hisaya Imabayashi stopped Pheromones and convinced Dieno to get Iino back into his proper wrestling costume. The match went ahead with Dieno, Akito and Antonio Honda all trying to stop Iino from stripping naked. Honda got Iino to calm down with a lewd Gongitsune joke. In return the now relaxed and enlightened Iino sent both Akito & Honda to sleep with a Sleeper Hold to win the match. Dieno promised the fans that Iino will return to his normal “Sexy” self the next time we see him.
GANBARE☆PRO “INHERENT VICE 2023”, 06/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center 68 Fans
1. 3 Way Match: Hong Kong Domestic Policewoman defeated Hong Kong International Policeman and Itabashi Dangerous Policeman when Domestic pinned Dangerous with a Crucifix Pin (13:51).
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE defeated YuuRI & Riara when Haruhi pinned Riara with the Diving Foot Stomp (15:44).
3. AFTER THE LOVE PHANTOM 2023 Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Yumehito Imanari, Soma Takao & Munetatsu Nakamura (18:14).
3a. Ken Ohka eliminated Tatsuhito Takaiwa by Ring Out (7:32).
3b. Shinichiro Tominaga eliminated Soma Takao by Ring Out (9:48).
3c. Mizuki Watase and Munetatsu Nakamura eliminated each other by Double Ring Out (12:01).
3d. Keisuke Ishii eliminated Yumehito Imanari by Ring Out (18:14).
4. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura defeated Takuya Wada with a Hold Down Pin (16:35).
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) defeated Dan The Dad & Kody Lane when Maeguchi pinned Lane with the Buzzsaw Kick (14:29). *V1 for Hentai Punch Drunkers.
The newly crowned Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Champions went through their first defence less than 24 hours after they won the titles. The belts still have not arrived yet so Hentai Punch Drunkers had to carry around the stand-in trophies they were given yesterday. Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi were both puzzled by Dan The Dad’s behaviour, particularly Dan’s insistence to wrestle while holding a mug of coffee. Maeguchi ended up winning with the Buzzsaw Kick for the second match in a row, this time using the move on Kody Lane. After the match he said his dream now is for Ganbare☆Pro to run the Tokyo Dome and he will do his part to make it come true!
Shuichiro Katsumura was able to beat Takuya Wada by putting him in a Triangle Choke. Wada defended himself from the move but ended up having his shoulders pinned to the mat. He was annoyed by the result and left the ring without shaking Katsumura’s hand when it was offered to him. Leaving that bit of awkwardness aside, Katsumura was happy with how the match went and wants to continue fighting Wada even more.
Keisuke Ishii bounced back from yesterday’s big loss by leading his team to victory in the Elimination Tag match. Ishii told the fans after the match that is proof he isn’t depressed over his failure to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title. Instead today shows that he wants the belt even more so until the time is right for him to challenge again he will build up his momentum.
The opening match had to be changed because Yoshiko Hasegawa, Choun-Shiryu and Shota were all absent from today’s show. They were “replaced” with Hong Kong Domestic Policewoman, Hong Kong International Policeman and Itabashi Dangerous Policeman respectively. Their 3 Way match involved a lot of cops threatening each other at gunpoint.
The No. 1 Contender match between Isami Kodaka and Munetatsu Nakamura has been confirmed for 28th May. It will be on the third show of the day’s tripleshot.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2023 Shinjuku FACE 234 Fans
1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yusuke Okada by TKO with a Headbutt (9:11).
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Hideki Okatani defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Double Arm Suplex (8:50)
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Texas Clothesline (3:40).
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Chris Brookes defeated HARASHIMA with two Praying Mantis Bombs (12:08).
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Jun Akiyama defeate Tetsuya Endo with a Torture Rack Turn Back (10:12).
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: MAO defeated Takeshi Masada with the Senpukyaku (9:28).
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Kotaro Suzuki defeated KANON with an Inside Cradle 8:43).
8. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1: Yuki Ueno defeated Naruki Doi with the WR (16:19).
Some eye catching results can be found among the first round matches in this year’s King Of DDT tournament. Naruki Doi’s decision to stick around in DDT to claim more prizes hit a wall when Yuki Ueno defeated him in the main event. Ueno jumped over the Bakatare Sliding Kick and landed with a Double Knee Drop onto Doi. However he missed the BME and Doi hit his next attempt at the Sliding Kick, this time aiming for the back of the head. Doi wanted to finish him off with the Muscular Bomb but Ueno countered it into a Cradle for a nearfall and then got the WR to get the win. The result is revenge for Doi taking the DDT Universal Title from Ueno earlier this year. Ueno again told the fans he is going to carry DDT on his back and he wants the audience to give him all of the power of their support.
KANON was left stunned over how he lost to Kotaro Suzuki. He gave him the Sleepy Hollow but Suzuki immediately cradled his shoulders onto the mat and scored the three count from out of nowhere. It left KANON is dispair because he is back to the bottom with no championships again. Suzuki wanted KANON to know that just because you hit your finishing move does not mean you drop your guard in the last second. Suzuki now moves on to face Ueno tomorrow and it’s a match he’s been really looking forward to since he came to DDT
The martial arts background of Takeshi Masada inspired MAO to go barefoot for their match that consisted almost entirely of strike moves. MAO won out by using the Senpukyaku whirlwind kick to sweep away Masada’s Triangle Kick. He praised Masada afterwards, saying it is guys like him who make DDT interesting. It makes MAO make changes to his gameplan, such as to wrestle barefoot like he did here. It makes MAO enjoy himself in the ring more. Masada however is now feeling confused over where he stands compared to the other young wrestlers on the roster. Is he on the right path by having a different wrestling style than the others or has he become lazy?
The DDT Universal Champion is out in the first round but when it’s from losing to Jun Akiyama can you call it an upset? Maybe it is when it’s Tetsuya Endo who is meant to be the leader of BURNING, not Akiyama. Endo was on track to winning when he gave Akiyama the Exploder Suplex three times in a row. But when he lifted him up into the Torture Rack, Akiyama rolled him over and pinned his shoulders to the mat. Well at least he can focus on that mystery former WWE wrestler now. Akiyama now has to deal with MAO in Round 2 tomorrow.
It took two Praying Mantis Bombs to get here but Chris Brookes scored a huge win against HARASHIMA, eliminating one of DDT’s most distinguished wrestlers in the 1st Round. By beating “Mr. DDT”, Brookes is now certain he is going to win the rest of the tournament. HARASHIMA is not left wondering if he is no longer as strong enough any more. It isn’t a thought he gets that often. But since Brookes beat him, he now supports Brookes to go all the way and win King Of DDT.
After five years away from King Of DDT, Sanshiro Takagi returned to the tournament with a vengeance. He defeated Yukio Sakaguchi in under 4 minutes but that result came from both men looking to win as soon as possible. Takagi’s used of the Stunner and then bringing back the Texas Clothesline gave him the victory. He admits if the match lasted even a minute longer he would have lost. He takes on Brookes in Round 2 and now has the time to figure out what he is weakest at.
Hideki Okatani took a longer path to enter the tournament than everyone else and he wasn’t going to do all that just to get eliminated in Round 1. He pulled off an upset by pinning Shunma Katsumata clean with the Double Arm Suplex. Okatani even called Katsumata pathetic because a double champion shouldn’t be losing in Round 1!
The day kicked off with Kazusada Higuchi entering the room with a newly shaved head ready to fight Yusuke Okada. Power versus speed was the name of the game here and power won out. Okada was pretty much on his last legs when he had the idea to Headbutt his opponent for one last desperate attack. When that didn’t work Higuchi returned the favour with his own Headbutt, knocking out Okada and ending the match. Higuchi praised Okada for showing passion in the ring. But he has nothing to say about his next opponent Okatani other than he is going to crush him tomorrow.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023 Shinjuku FACE
0. Dark Match: Yuni & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Kotaro Suzuki Vs Yuki Ueno
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Jun Akiyama Vs MAO
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Chris Brookes
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Hideki Okatani
The semi-final lottery will take place after the Round 2 matches are completed.
GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 489 Fans
1. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura when Nakamura pinned Kodaka with a Hold Down Pin (12:41).
2. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI defeated Riara with a Missile Kick (7:43).
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi defeated Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE when Haruhi pinned HARUKAZE with the Diving Foot Stomp (15:21).
4. Nao Kakuta defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Shiden Kai (12:09).
5. Special Tag Match: Dan The Dad & Kody Lane defeated Shota & Soma Takao when Dan pinned Shota with the You’re Grounded (11:48).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari when Maeguchi pinned Takaiwa with a Buzzsaw Kick (18:41). *Hentai Punch Drunkers become the 1st Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Champions!
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) defeated Keisuke Ishii with the Elbow Butt (22:31). *V4 for Mizuki Watase.
Mizuki Watase was given his toughest test yet for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title, one that took his body to the limit. Keisuke Ishii spent the match trying to find the biggest ways to slam or strike Watase into defeat. He used a Tiger Suplex and the Double Arm Driver inside the ring and also used the latter move from the apron onto the floor outside. Watase countered the Kneel Kick by catching Ishii in midair and using the momentum to Back Drop him aside. However Ishii was able to hit the Kneel Kick later but he was too hurt to make the pin in time. Elbow Strikes became the key for Watase to win and when Ishii was left staggering, Watase charged in for one more big Elbow Butt to score the victory.
After the match Isami Kodaka unexpectedly entered the ring along with the other members of Sento Minzoku. He asked Watase if he would like to take on his challenge with the SOG Title on the line. However Michiyoshi Mishima stepped in and reminded Kodaka that he was pinned by Munetatsu Nakamura in the opening match so even though he is worthy of a title shot, he is in no position to ask for one right now. Watase is interested in defending the title against Kodaka in a Ganbare☆Pro Vs BASARA battle. He thinks a match like that is perfect for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” in Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July! So he came up with an idea. If Kodaka can beat Nakamura in a singles match then he will give Kodaka a title shot. But if Nakamura wins then Nakamura will get the big title match at Ota Ward instead!
The Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Title belts were not delivered to Ganpro in time for today’s show so they had to use a pair of trophies to represent the championship instead. Hentai Punch Drunkers became the first champions by beating the All-Star Junior All-Stars in the tournament final. Tyson Maeguchi showed his toughness by kicking out of Tatsuhito Takaiwa’s Death Valley Bomb. Hikaru Sato then cut off Takaiwa at the ropes allowing Maeguchi to take control of the match. He kept giving Takaiwa Penalty Kicks and Buzzsaw Kicks while Sato cut Yumehito Imanari off from making a save. The kicks were too much for Takaiwa to handle and he was eventually pinned after one more Buzzsaw Kick.
The new champions received their trophies but their celebration was interrupted by Dan The Dad & Kody Lane. The two American wrestlers want to be the first challengers for the SOG Tag Titles but there’s one small problem. They will be travelling home very soon and the only way they can do the match is if it happens on tomorrow’s Ganpro show. Sato was in the middle of telling them it won’t be able to happen when Maeguchi cut him off and agreed to do the match. Hentai Punch Drunkers will defend the belts tomorrow!
Dan & Lane could argue they earned their title shot by beating ROMANCE DAWN in the previous match. For Shota & Soma Takao the loss is another setback preventing them from becoming tag champions. Takao wants to get revenge but the problem according to Shota is they will have to follow the Americans back to St. Louis in order to get it.
It wasn’t that long ago when Yoshiko Hasegawa and Nao Kakuta were both in Actwres girl’Z together. They’ve had a few interactions in Tokyo Joshi Pro recently but their singles match today was a chance for the two to reconnect. Kakuta got Hasegawa to reach the ropes in order to break a Front Neck Lock but that just set Kakuta up to charge in for a kick and then get the win with the Shiden Kai. Kakuta said Hasegawa has changed because she no longer cries and is now showing confidence. Hasegawa said she learned everything from Kakuta because she is her senpai.
This weekend is Moeka Haruhi’s last GanPro matches before she goes on to donate a kidney to her sister. Since she was teaming with Shuichiro Katsumura the occasion called for Shu Sakurai to also appear for one big reunion of THE HALFEE! Fun times aside they were still in for a fight, especially when Hartley Jackson decided to Gorilla Press Haruhi and then HARUKAZE from the ring onto Katsumura outside. Katsumura & Haruhi worked together to get rid of Jackson, leaving HARUKAZE on her own. Haruhi went on to fight HARUKAZE by herself and earned the victory with the Double Foot Stomp. Afterward Haruhi said she realized life can be so painful but it can also be so happy. Katsumura praised her for giving a lot of people energy and the hope to live.
The legendary cabaret girl Riara had her debut wrestling match after months of training and preparation. She looked to be outmatched against YuuRI from the start when it came to strikes. She tried to switch over to submissions with a Crab Hold but YuuRI easily reversed it into a Half Crab and forced the rookie to crawl for a rope break. A Backslide Pin got Riara a two count but YuuRI regained control and won with a Missile Kick. Riara was happy to have her debut be against the senpai who took care of her the most. YuuRI is happy too, not just for Riara but also because Ganbare☆Joshi has now increased their roster from five women to six!
As mentioned earlier there was a massive upset when Munetatsu Nakamura pinned Isami Kodaka in the opening 6-Man Tag! The win came when Ken Ohka hit Kodaka with the Flame Spear and Nakamura went for the cover. Kodaka kicked out at first but Nakamura kept pinning him down until he surprised everyone by getting the three count. Ohka congratulated the rookie for doing something that Ohka couldn’t do for 20 years. It made Nakamura glad because he’s been watching Kodaka wrestle since he was in primary school!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 774 Fans
1. HIMAWARI defeated Shino Suzuki with a Half Crab Hold (6:28).
2. Hyper Misao, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo defeated Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko when Misao pinned Harajuku with the I Am A Hero (10:32).
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Mahiro Kiryu & Toga when Kamifuku pinned Kiryu with the Famouser (9:40).
4. Ryo Mizunami, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami defeated Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino when Mizunami pinned Aino with the Hot Limit (12:55).
5. Miu Watanabe defeated Arisu Endo with the Tear Drop (13:26).
6. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima defeated Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh when Sakazaki pinned Arai with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (15:29).
7. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) defeated Suzume with the Missile Hip (13:28). *V3 for Rika Tatsumi.
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) defeated Sawyer Wreck with the Cutie Special (11:24). *V2 for Mizuki.
A Princess Of Princess Title defence unlike any other was the big match for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s annual Golden Week show in Korakuen Hall. The champion Mizuki faced that tall challenge of Sawyer Wreck, an American wrestler fond of having death matches. The massive height difference between the two resulted in Wreck throwing Mizuki around the ring and outside it too. A Diving Cross Body from Mizuki was caught and countered into a Power Bomb. But Mizuki found opening after opening to hit Diving Double Stomps, causing a lot of damage to the challenger. A ref bump led to Wreck bringing in several chairs but Mizuki fought her off and escaped from a Choke Slam attempt. She had the strength to throw Wreck with the Cutie Special and land one more Diving Foot Stomp before using another Cutie Special for the successful title defence.
The two hugged each other after the match and Wreck left ringside to a good ovation from the fans. Mizuki said on the microphone she was nervous to fight against a big opponent but she did it to give fans the full taste of TJPW. Suddenly Maki Itoh entered the ring to challenge Mizuki for the Princess Title! Mizuki said Itoh was late because she remembers a promise the two made years ago. They promised back then that when Mizuki became the champion she would have a title match with Itoh. She’s happy it will finally get to happen so she wants it to take place in Ota Ward Gymnasium on 8th July for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”! Itoh didn’t say anything in response. She just gave Mizuki the middle finger and left the ring. Backstage Itoh said she will be going back to America from around 19th May. She is making the decision to stay there until the Fukuoka homecoming show on 25th June in order to train for the title match. In response to this, Mizuki wants to focus on defending the Princess Tag Team Titles until Itoh returns.
Rika Tatsumi is left looking for more challengers after her third defence of the International Princess Title. Her opponent Suzume went straight for the win from the start with Cradles and roll ups until Tatsumi took her outside the ring and used her Choking attacks. She also threw Suzume’s leg against the ring post. Suzume survived the use of Dragon Sleepers and Hip Attacks to use the Ring A Bell but she was too damaged to make the pin. Suzume then applied her own Sleeper but Tatsumi broke out of it to hit another Hip Attack. Firmly in control at this point, Tatsumi used the Twist Of Fate and then the Missile Hip to finish Suzume off. Tatsumi said afterward this win was an important one and she expects to be defending the IP Title for the rest of her life. There is one person she wants to have a title match with but she wouldn’t reveal who it is. All she said is when the time comes. the fans should not miss it. Backstage Suzume was in tears. She admires Tatsumi so much but she’s upset to let down the all the fans who wanted to see her win the championship. She won’t give up chasing after Tatsumi and hopes she will continue defending “the most beautiful belt in the world” until she gets to challenge her again.
Yuki Arai celebrated two years as a pro wrestler by asking her rival idol Maki Itoh to team together for the first time. Itoh claims she agreed to do this only because Miyu Yamashita isn’t around. Their opponents were Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima, the two of them coming back together for a Miraclians reunion. Arai got to show how much she has progressed in the last two years but she still fell to Sakazaki’s Merry-Go-Round to take the loss. Arai said the last two years have gone by so quickly but she has high hopes for her next year. Sakazaki & Nakajima were happy to bring Miraclians back for the occasion. They originally came up with the team name because at the time they were two losers looking to create a miracle. Today they discovered they can still make miracles together.
The two members of Daydream and Daisy Monkey that weren’t in the IP Title match faced off against each other lower down the card. Arisu Endo tried her best to grab and stretch Miu Watanabe but the power difference was just too much for her to overcome. Watanabe powered out of the Camel Clutch and pinned Endo with the Tear Drop to win the match. With Tatsumi’s win later in the show it was a clean sweep for Daydream over Daisy Monkey.
Ryo Mizunami returned to TJPW for her fourth match in the company to team up with Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami to take on Free WiFi & Yuki Aino. At first Mizunami’s team were the ones in danger when Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta wiped out her partners and left it up to Aino to finish the job. But the UVB was countered into an STO followed by a Short-Range Lariat. Mizunami then pinned Aino with the Hot Limit to take victory from the jaws of defeat. The two of them kept going after the match was over so this may not be the end of Mizunami’s visits to TJPW.
The friendship between Yuki Kamifuku and Mahiro Kiryu allows them to be somewhat cheeky towards each other whenever they are on opposite sides of the ring. When Kiryu was doing her Kneeling Apology spot on Wakana Uehara, Kamifuku kicked her off. Kiryu then grabbed Kamifuku and threw her on top of Uehara so she could apologise to everyone for her previous apology getting interrupted. Toga got involved with her Elbow Strikes but she ended up getting pinned with Kamifuku’s Famouser.
Today is Children’s Day in Japan so Hyper Misao had to team with the two teenagers Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo. They both showed up wearing similar superhero masks and promised to play fair with their opponents. The other team didn’t believe them and were eventually proven right. Kazashiro & Okubo choked Pom Harajuku with their cloaks and caused her to throw a tantrum. She thought she should get to celebrate the holiday too because she is “3 years old”. Haruna Neko also got into the antics by blinding Misao with her own spray. Misao fought back by putting Harajuku in the Crossface Chickenwing until Raku & Neko broke the hold. Kazashiro & Okubo cleared both of them from the ring so Misao could beat Harajuku with the I Am A Hero.
HIMAWARI was able to beat Shino Suzuki in the opening match between two rookies both in their first year. Suzuki went for a Sleeper but was pushed back into the corner to let go of the hold. HIMAWARI then locked in a Half Crab Hold and held it back until her opponent gave up.
The card for Hyper Misao’s own show “HYPE!” on 25th May will consist of three matches. One of them is a 6 Way audition to determine who will become Hyper Misao II. Also on the show Shoko Nakajima faces Yoshihiko in a first time ever match. There was also announcements for new shows taking place later in the year outside of Tokyo. Many of them will serve as homecoming events for different members of the roster. They include Nakajima’s show in Niigata on 5th August, Arai’s show in Kyoto on 10th September, Tatsumi’s show in Nagano on 16th September and Endo’s show in Aizuwakamatsu on 21st October.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Hyper Misao, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Ryo Mizunami, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Arisu Endo
6. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
7. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck
Juria Nagano will be at the show to do commentary.
GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
2. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
4. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta
5. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii
Two big title matches cap off Ganbare☆Pro’s return to Korakuen Hall.
GANBARE☆PRO “INHERENT VICE 2023”, 06/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. GanJo Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
2. Hong Kong International Policeman Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Takuya Wada
The remaining card will be announced after the Korakuen show is finished.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 1”, 13/05/2023 Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue
1. Sanshiro Takagi, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
2. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Akito Vs Pokotan Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Tetsuya Endo, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
A deadly feud between mascots has suddenly developed. Pokotan interfered in Chiitan’s match yesterday seemingly to help it out. However the two ended up butting heads and now want to fight each other to see who is the best mascot around. Akito had to figure out what match to put them in to solve this problem. He decided that he and Kazuki Hirata will also get involved to make it a tag match in front of the Shinjuku Takashimaya crowd.
BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe
2. Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs KUBITO, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
3. FUMA Vs Ryota Nakatsu
4. IRON FIST TAG Titles: IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda
5. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto
The unlikely team of Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda are the next challengers for Aijin Tag and the IRON FIST TAG Titles. It is all Daichi Kazato’s idea somehow.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 28/05/2023 Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall
1. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Toy Kojima
In a show of rebellion yesterday, Toy Kojima was fed up with Jun Akiyama treating him like a toy so he helped Shunma Katsumata win the DDT Extreme Title from him. Kojima stood up for himself, which is good. Now he has to fight Akiyama one on one as per Akiyama’s request, which is bad.
Kota Umeda will be on the show.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
Guests announced for the show so far are Konosuke Takeshita, Yoshitomo Shimohigashi, Andreza Giant Panda and a mystery former WWE wrestler who will be revealed on 21st May. Don’t know if he’s just messing around on social media but Matt Cardona is making it sound like it’s going to be him.
DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023 Yokohama Budokan 1,160 Fans
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Rukiya with the Tiger Driver (4:07).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Ilusion defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (5:21).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Yuki Ishida with the Shining Katame (4:54).
1. Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:36).
2. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Rayne Leverkusen with the Quetzalcoatl (5:51).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Diego when Sasaki submitted Diego with the Crossface Lock (11:09).
4. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Hikaru Machida defeated Kazuki Hirata by TKO with a Right Straight (R1 0:07). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
4a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata defeated Hikaru Machida with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (R4 3:32). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
5. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito defeated Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Chiitan☆ pinned Honda with the Shining Wizard (10:26).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni defeated Vent Vert Jack & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (12:03).
7. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Jun Akiyama (c) with a School Boy (17:03). *Jun Akiyama fails in V5. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 57th DDT Extreme Champion!
8. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Sakaguchi pinned Okatani with the God’s Right Knee (10:40).
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky (19:17). *V1 for Tetsuya Endo.
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:28). *V2 for Yuji Hino.
All throughout the build up for the Yokohama Budokan Golden Week show, Yuki Iino had promised to seal away his “Sexy” persona in order to get a KO-D Openweight Title shot. It led to him evolving a “Strong” persona that pleased Yuji Hino and left the champion thinking they would deliver a strong style match for the ages. Oh boy was he wrong. A referee bump led to Pheromones interfering and Makoto Oishi jumping in to try and stop them. Hino wanted nothing to do with the nonsense and ran off backstage with everyone chasing after him. Danshoku Dieno took the microphone, said he held Iino back for too long and it was time to give fans a title match only DDT can deliver! Pheromones returned with Hino all gagged up and behind them was the first appearance of Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino! Pheromones did their spots but Oishi was there once again to get in their way and revive Yukinori Matsui. From there the match went back to normal. Iino hit his new Strong Splash finisher but only got a two count. Hino came back throwing Lariats to combat Iino’s Spear. The momentum flipped all the way to the champion and he got the three count with the Fuckin’ BOMB.
Hino was presented with the KO-D Title by Kenta Kobashi after the match (apparently Kobashi did not sound the least bit amused by the main event on commentary). Hino told Iino that he is a strong wrestler when they fight each other and he should be choosing his friends more carefully. Dieno defended Iino by telling Hino he dares to be “Sexy” and chose to be that way. When times are tough everyone should look to Pheromones for inspiration. Dieno also warned that the Pheromones way of life will lead him to meet Hino in the ring again some day. Hino gave Iino credit for showing off his real ability today and reminded fans that DDT is the place where amazing wrestlers gather together to have amazing matches.
The war of words between Tetsuya Endo and MAO has come to an end for now after Endo was put down his arch rival. For weeks the two have sent harsh words to each other over who suits the DDT Universal Title more. When it came down to the match itself both tried to outdo each other with big moves. Endo kicked out of the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II and the Cannonball 450 but when Endo hit the Tetsuya In The Sky it was all over. MAO was left beaten but he said afterwards the result did not change his mind. He still intends to win the Universal Title he just has to start from scratch all over again. As long as he behaves how he thinks the Universal Champion should behave then the belt will eventually gravitate towards him by itself. Meanwhile Endo said MAO was just all talk and no better than Daisuke Sasaki’s snot! If MAO wants to get revenge and beat him, he should go home and become his town’s toursim ambassador first!
With MAO now out of the way, Endo has a new mystery challenger on the horizon. As he walked up the ramp to leave ringside, a video played with the message “I have won many titles. Next target is DDT Universal Title. On July 23, Ryogoku. I will go to steal the belt.” The video also mentioned the message was sent from a former WWE wrestler and their identity will be revealed on 21st May. Who could it be? Well maybe it’s the guy who tweeted out a similar vague message a few hours later and then posted the video itself? Endo said a WWE wrestler is the best choice for his next defence. However Endo is about to take part in the King Of DDT tournament and the winner of that will most likely get a KO-D Title match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. Endo wants to win the tournament and then win the KO-D Title while still holding the Universal Title. If he gets that opportunity then he won’t be able to do two title matches at the Sumo Hall show. It would just be too difficult for him!
A preview for the King Of DDT was on display in an 8-Man Tag Match. Given the amount of people in the match chomping at the bit to wrestle, the match went ahead with No Tag Rules. It led to some of the 1st Round pairings squaring up to each other. Sanshiro Takagi and Yukio Sakaguchi fought each other while Kotaro Suzuki and KANON went back and forth. Hideki Okatani tried cutting off his Eruption stablemate but was pinned with the God’s Right Knee for his troubles. Sakaguchi helped Okatani to the back after the match, showing there was no ill intention over the result. Everyone also gave out comments about King Of DDT. Takagi is now trying to figure out how to prepare for his 1st Round match in three days. Sakaguchi wants Takagi to put his phone away and be ready for him. Suzuki wants to win King Of DDT at all costs. Naruki Doi sees everyone as his enemy because he knows it only takes one loss to get eliminated from the bracket. HARASHIMA wanted his side to win as a team today but their teamwork wasn’t good enough. Kazusada Higuchi was reminded of how tough the competition is going to be so he will tighten his resolve for the early rounds. KANON promised to give Suzuki a nightmare he deserves. Okatani was excited by the match and wants to win no matter what it takes.
The TLC Match was all about Toys, Ladders and Chairs! The idea was put together by Shunma Katsumata to ensure Jun Akiyama would experience a true DDT Extreme Title defence. However the in the build up to the match the plan seemed to have backfired when Akiyama got the bright idea to get Toy Kojima involved because he counts as a “Toy”! The match went ahead with chaos being caused around the ring. Akiyama crashed into a castle of chairs but he also used Kojima as a weapon against Katsumata. One Exploder Suplex was not enough to get the win so Akiyama set up another. However Kojima suddenly showed he had enough of being treated like a toy and he hit Akiyama with a Leg Lariat. That caused Katsumata to roll up Akiyama from behind and get the pin to win the Extreme Title! After the match Kojima yelled at Akiyama, telling him to stop treating people like toys and how Katsumata has always treated him as a friend. His comments got Akiyama to go to management and demand a singles match with him somewhere down the line. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to take the Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles with MAO worldwide. He also wants to turn the belt strap back from white to purple but that might take some time.
DDT’s young portion of their roster was put on display for Match #6. Yuki Ueno teamed up with Yuni originally expecting to face some international competition. However visa issues prevented Nick Wayne from being able to travel to Japan so Takeshi Masada instead had to team with Vent Vert Jack from Yokohama’s MY WAY promotion. It was the first time Yuni and Jack were in the ring together since the end of the DDTeeeen!! project. Yuni pulled out a Firebird Splash on Masada to give Ueno a nearfall. Jack tried to keep breaking the pins but Ueno scored the win in the end by giving Masada the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. Ueno said everyone in the match was amazing and makes him wonder how good he himself will be when Wayne does finally come to DDT? His upcoming singles match with HUB is giving him an explosion of motivation and he wants to also face Wayne in a singles match. Yuni also threw his name into the hat to have a match with Wayne. Jack said he would like to come back to DDT for more matches with Yuni and Ilusion. Masada said he was able to see the difference in his career to those of Yuni and Jack. He’s older than both of them but they have far more experience than he does. He sees he has to catch up to them first before he can catch up to Ueno.
The pro wrestling debut of Chiitan saw the mascot get outclassed by its opponents at first. But Toru Owashi & Akito were there to provide backup against CDK & Antonio Honda. Chiitan got into a punch exchange with Chris Brookes until Honda paused the match to give his latest Gongitsune joke. When the match resumed Brookes set Chiitan up for the Praying Mantis Bomb when music suddenly began to play. DDT’s own oversized mascot Pokotan ran down to the ring to the rescue! It instead got attacked and had its head stomped in by Brookes. But unknown to him, Chiitan had climbed the top rope and went on to hit a Diving Cross Body onto Brookes, Honda & Masahiro Takanashi. With the ring cleared, Chiitan then hit the Shining Wizard on Honda to win the match.
The two mascots gathered together afterwards and seemed to be on the same page. Until suddenly Chiitan attacked Pokotan with a baseball bat! The two got into a brawl that Akito tried to break up. Things briefly calmed down long enough for Akito to announce Chiitan and Pokotan will have a match against each other on 13th May but that just caused the mascots to get into another fight. Backstage Akito tried to explain what was going on to the reporters. Pokotan thinks he is DDT’s No. 1 mascot while Chiitan thinks it is Japan’s No. 1 mascot. The two are now determined to end each other!
The long awaited MMA fight between Dance and Kickboxing only lasted 7 seconds when Hikaru Machida immediately knocked out Kazuki Hirata. One person in particular took more offence to the result than anyone else in the building. The round girl Sayuri Namba was furious! She didn’t put all this effort into becoming a round girl again only to see she wasn’t needed. She even handmade her own costume for the match! She took her anger out on Hirata, Machida and the ref Matsui by slapping them all to the canvas. Everyone agreed to restart the match to further avoid her wrath. Namba became a lot more cheerful now she was able to do her job.
In the 3rd Round, Hirata feared he was about to get knocked out again so he got on the microphone and read a letter he wrote about wanting to put smiles on children’s faces. He thinks Machida’s own child would have the biggest smile if Hirata and Machida danced together. In the 4th Round Machida held back his Iai Punch and tearfully told Hirata he will always be a father before a fighter. The two danced to Hirata’s music but Hirata then cradled Machida for a nearfall. Machida hit the Iai Punch but that also got a two count. Hirata then locked in the Miracle One Shot Cradle from out of nowhere to take the win. Namba raised both of their hands and the three of them all danced to close out the match. Backstage Machida said this was the first time he ever lost a fight because his opponent exploited his love for his son. He also never danced in front of so many people before. His cornerman Thanomsak Toba told him that this is pro wrestling and everything is a learning experience. Namba said she would love to do more round girl work but only if the fighters are stronger so the audience can enjoy the fight more.
Diego’s first match with DDT in six years came about when Keigo Nakamura got injured. Diego was already in Japan and had attended a DDT show as Katsumata’s guest so when a spot on this show opened up it was only natural to bring him in. Unfortunately DAMNATION T.A spoiled his return and left him with a loss on his record. Daisuke Sasaki gave him a Low Blow, Minoru Fujita followed up with the Sayonara Tombstone and Sasaki landed a Diving Elbow. Diego kicked out of the pin but was put into the Crossface Lock for the submission ending. Soma Takao & Yusuke Okada still thanked Diego for joining their team on short notice. Sasaki complained about Diego coming back and demanded to fight him one on one in Diego’s home country of Chile. The flights are expensive though so he wants Diego to pay for it.
Rayne Leverkusen’s goal to “Make It Rayne” in Japan was taken down a notch after she lost to Saki Akai. She tried using a Rolling Elbow, German Suplex and Spinebuster to win. Akai fired back with a High Kick, the Rookie Award and then the Quetzalcoatl to get her hand raised in the end. For Akai she didn’t take it for granted that she got a singles match on one of DDT’s big shows of the year. She could tell that Rayne only has a year and a half of experience. She also doesn’t know anything about Iron Maiden so she was able to treat Leverkusen as an opponent and nothing else. Leverkusen said she respects Akai and she also won’t run away whenever her opponents brings up her family’s fame. She will continue to wrestle for her family and is proud to get a big singles match in Japan today. She wants to come back and if she is still a champion when she does, she thinks she will have to give Akai a title match.
The opening match ended with Yuya Koroku cutting off Kazuma Sumi’s Lionsault and then submitting him with the Triangle Lancer. However Koroku is not satisfied with that after failing to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and failing to qualify for King Of DDT. He wants to get even stronger so he can move out of the opening match spot as soon as possible. Munetatsu Nakamura from Ganbare☆Pro was happy to be on the winning team and hopes the next time he comes to DDT he will get to team with Keigo Nakamura as was originally planned. This was the fourth time Kojima & Sumi teamed up together. Kojima figures he has to protect Sumi even more after today’s loss. Sumi meanwhile is getting frustrated because he cannot figure out how to break out of Koroku’s Triangle Lancer.
Most of Pheromones were banished to the pre-show to take part in three dark matches. They pulled out a 2-1 score against a trio of rookies in singles matches. First, Yumehito Imanari beat Rukiya by using the Lariat and then the Tiger Driver. Then there was an upset when Ilusion defeated Danshoku Dieno! Ilusion got unmasked by Dieno during the match but the other rookies had the bright idea to place Dieno’s discarded tights over his head as a replacement. Ilusion then caught Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold to get the surprise three count and even the score. The third match was the decider with Yuki Ishida facing Koju Takeda. Ishida using an Emerald Flowsion for a nearfall and went for the Flame Palm. But Takeda countered it with his Shining Katame submission to make Pheromones win the series. Dieno used the result to declare today was going to be Pheromones Day!
A few guest names were announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. First, Andreza Giant Panda will be coming back to DDT. The other was a person that nobody would have predicted, a wrestler by the name of Yoshitomo Shimohigashi. He is considered the first graduate of the Ibushi Wrestling Institute, having debuted in wrestling back in 2018. He also has an athletic background in bowling. Given his connection to Kota Ibushi, Shimohigashi is nicknamed “Golden Stardust” and he now carries on Kota Ibushi’s lineage in pro wrestling. Akito explained he has a hand in the Institute as an advisor and that even though Shimohigashi is unknown to the vast majority of wrestling fans, he is well known within the wrestling industry. Shimohigashi told the fans he wants to make an explosion inside the very ring that Ibushi created.
DDT will go to Sumo Hall for a second time this year on 12th November for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center 117 Fans
0. Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Chie Koishikawa defeated Tokiko Kirihara with a School Boy (8:54).
2. Special Single Match: Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi ended in a No Contest when Miyako Matsumoto interfered (6:48).
2a. Remtach: Ami Manase & Marika Kobashi defeated Miyako Matsumoto & Alex Lee when Manase pinned Matsumoto with the Suzuki Dynamic (12:33).
3. Special Single Match: Tae Honma defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Tae Lock (13:44).
4. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI defeated Tomoka Inaba & HisokA when YuuRI pinned HisokA with the Swanton Bomb (18:09).
It’s still early in the Ganbare☆Joshi restart but YuuRI is already taking charge and finding outside targets to surpass. The target she has in mind is JUST TAP OUT and Tomoka Inaba in particular. Inaba was YuuRI’s senpai in JTO and last month she successfully defended the Queen Of JTO Title against her. But today YuuRI picked up the win by pinning HisokA with the Swanton Bomb.
This show is Moeka Haruhi’s last appearance in GanJo for the time being. She will be taking time off soon to donate her kidney to her sister. She was happy to end her last GanJo match with a win and promised she’ll be back to wrestle with everyone again.
Both Yoshiko Hasegawa and Tae Honma were happy to wrestle each other again. Their match was something Hasegawa had wanted to do from the moment she joined Ganbare☆Pro. Honma said she would love to come back to GanJo especially when Yuna Manase is able to wrestle again.
For the second time Miyako Matsumoto crashed the show and did so in the middle of the Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi match, attacking both women. She asked Michiyoshi Mishima again to be booked for GanJo and turn the match into a 3 Way. He did his best to politely turn her down. Matsumoto would not take no for an answer and revealed she brought along Bosnian wrestler Alex Lee to be her tag team partner so they could fight Manase & Kobashi in a tag match instead. The two had no choice and went ahead with the match. Manase ended up using her sister’s finishing move the Suzuki Dynamic to pin Matsumoto. However Matsumoto said she didn’t even use 1/100th of her ability. She told Mishima to book her on the next GanJo show on 17th June. If he doesn’t then she will break into his house. She already knows where he lives because they used to work together in Ice Ribbon.
Riara got to have another five minute exhibition with Haruhi before her pro debut takes place later this week. This time Riara was able to last the entire five minutes without giving up to the Half Crab Hold. Afterwards Haruhi asked if Riara showed her full strength in those five minutes. Her life is only now just beginning and she may only get one shot to win her debut match. She wants Riara to give it her all on 5th May.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 01/05/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 234 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. HIMAWARI defeated Toga with a Half Crab Hold (7:03).
2. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami when Suzume pinned Toribami with the Ring A Bell (13:11).
3. Gabai Ji-chan defeated Mahiro Kiryu with an Inside Cradle (9:11).
4. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Sawyer Wreck defeated Hikari Noa with the Choke Slam onto Lighttubes (11:01).
Thanks to the existence of the “TJPW INSPIRATION” shows, Hikari Noa gets to live her dream of doing deathmatches. She did one already once before but her second go raised the level by a lot because it contained lighttubes! It is an environment that her opponent Sawyer Wreck is more used to and it showed with her throwing Noa into the lighttubes attached to the ropes. Noa’s back got cut up from being slammed but she got to smash a few lighttubes over Wreck in return. Wreck won in the end by Choke Slamming Noa onto a bundle. Noa admitted the pain turned out to be more than she imagined but she still had fun because she got to do what she loved in front of everyone she cares about. She wants to another death match and next time she wants it to involve barbed wire!
Mahiro Kiryu found herself in an awkward position because her opponent was Gabai Ji-chan. Every time she attacked her opponent she got booed by the fans because she was beating up the elderly. It didn’t help that Ji-chan stepped into the gap between the entrance ramp and wrestling ring during his entrance, needing more help to get in. Everyone also discovered that Ji-chan’s slow movements come from his walking stick. When Kiryu held onto it, her body suddenly changed to that of a senior citizen. The same happened to Daisuke Kiso which resulted in him giving the slowest count when Kiryu pinned Ji-chan. It was long enough for Ji-chan to kick out and when he caught Kiryu in an Inside Cradle, Kiso gave a fast three count. Backstage Ji-chan approached Kiryu and suggested they go fight for a championship together. She didn’t understand what he meant so she went home instead.
Daisy Monkey were victorious against Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami in a tag team match. Toribami put Suzume in the Bird Cage submission but it was countered into a Modified Neck Lock that Miyamoto had to break it up. Arisu Endo took out Miyamoto with the Waterwheel Drop and Suzume ended up pinning Toribami with the Ring A Bell.
A rookie showcase between HIMAWARI and Toga opened up the show. Toga tried to work her opponent’s leg but it was HIMAWARI who locked on a Half Crab Hold to make her submit.
The opening speech took place with Sayuri Namba joined by Shino Suzuki. The two of them ran down each of the matches then Namba tried to get Suzuki to sing for everyone because there was no Up Up Girls performance booked.
It’s full steam ahead on several different fronts for this month’s article. Konosuke Takeshita is now part of a blood feud between two of AEW’s main stables, a few familiar faces had a cup of coffee with the company during their American stay, Miyu Yamashita is all over the US indies adjusting to no longer being a big fish in a small pond, Maki Itoh’s love affair with GCW continues and Daisuke Sasaki did a tour of Mexico before returning to Japan. The rest of the summer looks to be entirely focused on Takeshita, Yamashita and Itoh’s travels. But when has that ever stopped a surprise booking or two popping up somewhere else, eh?
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Videos
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. LLL Women’s Title: Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Maki Itoh
DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
IWRG “COPA HIGH POWER”, 09/04/2023 Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan de Juarez, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
1. Mexico Vs Los Internacionales: El Hijo del Canis Lupis, Hell Boy, Aster Boy, Jhon Tito, Tonalli & Maniacop 360 Vs Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Gianni Valetta, Shocko, Daisuke Sasaki & Kodai Nozaki
Video starts at 00:00 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 10/04/2023 UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA
1. Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kip Sabian, The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Penelope Ford)
BATTLE CLUB PRO “BATTLE CLUB ICONS VOLUME 3”, 12/04/2023 Ellery Street, Brooklyn, New York, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
Video starts at 1:10:23 for the match OUTLAW WRESTLING “COLOSSAL TUSSLE”, 13/04/2023 Queens Brewery, Ridgewood, New York, USA
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Mike Bailey
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “SPRING SLAM 2023”, 15/04/2023 MJN Convention Center , Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
1. Wrestlefest Rematch: Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Rollover German Suplex (17:19).
1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin Vs Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki
CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023 Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA
1. CCW Title & CCW Title Match Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: KiLynn King (c) Vs Killer Kelly Vs Steph De Lander Vs Miyu Yamashita
Video starts at 00:0 for Match #1. Go to 16:01 for Match #2. AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 17/04/2023 UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA
1. Ashley D’Amboise Vs Maki Itoh
2. Emi Sakura Vs Mizuki
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/04/2023 Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Konosuke Takeshita comes to the aid of The Elite.
UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023 Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/04/2023 FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida, USA
1. The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford) Vs Kenny Omega & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Arez Vs Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 05/04/2023 (Aired 10/04/2023 & 17/04/2023) UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA
1. Kip Sabian, The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Penelope Ford) defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Butcher pinned Katsumata after the (7:01).
2. Maki Itoh defeated Ashley D’Amboise with the Itoh Deluxe (3:11).
3. Emi Sakura defeated Mizuki with a Cradle Cutback (3:26).
With WrestleMania week done and dusted, the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro crew were all heading back to America. But not all of them. Mizuki made her AEW debut by facing one of her mentors Emi Sakura. She got to hit the Whirling Candy but ended up losing after a back and forth of cradles led to Sakura taking the three count.
Itoh made her AEW return on the same taping by beating Ashley D’Amboise one on one. The match was built around Itoh’s attempts to hit the Kokeshi Headbutt. She kept missing the move until she ended up successfully hitting it by accident. D’Amboise Dropkicked Itoh, Itoh bounced off the ropes and landed head first onto D’Amboise’s ribs. It then took Itoh all of her might to turn her opponent over into the Itoh Deluxe but once she got it locked in, victory was hers.
Fans discovered on Takeshita’s Twitter that the other members of The 37KAMIINA on the USA trip were hanging out with him in New York. Then there was the surprise when Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata all showed up in AEW later that night to wrestle on Dark Elevation. The three of them took on Kip Sabian along with The Butcher & The Blade in a losing effort but they all looked good in the process.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 05/04/2023 (Aired 06/04/2023) UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tony Nese with the Rollover German Suplex (w/ Mark Sterling, Josh Woods & Ari Daivari) (10:25).
2. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita by Referee Stoppage with a Crossface Lock (13:33). *V8 for Athena.
Yamashita returned to ROH for her second crack at Athena and the ROH Women’s Title. They previously fought over that belt in Prestige back in January. The rematch was more heated with the two fighting up towards the stage late in the match where Yamashita threw the champion over with the Attitude Adjustment. However Athena got her own back by pushing Yamashita off the ramp to the floor and following up with a dive. The damage took its toll because back in the ring Athena put on a Crossface Lock and kept it held until Yamashita lost consciousness. Athena mockingly shook her hand while she was still passed out afterwards.
A problem Takeshita has found himself in the AEW landscape is having to fight off more than just his opponent in the ring. Some of his losses have come from interference and the same almost happened against Tony Nese. There was a moment where Mark Sterling grabbed Takeshita’s foot and it eventually set up Nese hitting his Pumphandle Fire Thunder Driver for a nearfall. But Takeshita recovered and used a Chaos Theory to get the win despite the numbers game being against him.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Allie Katch with the Skull Kick (10:13).
Yamashita bounced back a bit from her ROH loss the next day by beating Allie Katch in Wrestling REVOLVER. Katch was climbing the top rope when Yamashita stopped her with a High Kick to the rear followed by a German Suplex. Katch used a Small Package for one last chance but Yamashita kicked out and knocked her silly with the Skull Kick. Katch attacked Yamashita after the match but Jessica Havoc came to the rescue and sent Katch fleeing.
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. LLL Women’s Title: Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Stunner (?:??). *V1 for Heidi Howitzer.
Itoh and Heidi Howitzer were in the ring together for the first time since “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” in the main event of the latest Lucha Libre & Laughs show. Howitzer was not going to lose another title to Itoh and this time got revenge for the result back in Japan.
WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023 The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA
1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (17:27). *V1 for Masha Slamovich.
There’s been a few regular opponents showing up for Yamashita and Masha Slamovich is one of them. This time Slamovich was putting her newly won West Coast Pro Women’s Title on the line. Yamashita showed a more violent side by laying in knee strikes to Slamovich’s head while holding her in the Attitude Adjustment. But Slamovich escaped the move, hit a Shining Wizard and got the win with a Package Piledriver. It’s her first time beating Yamashita.
HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Vipress defeated Maki Itoh with a School Boy (8:00).
Itoh ended up having to fight off two opponents for her appearance in Hoodslam. When she had Vipress all but beaten, Dark Sheik ran down to interfere. Itoh cut her off at the ropes with a DDT but Vipress rolled her up with a School Boy afterwards to steal the win.
DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Game Over (18:25). *V3 for Vert Vixen.
A week before Vert Vixen headed over to TJPW for her first tour of Japan, she faced off with Yamashita with the DEFY Women’s Title on the line. Vixen came out on top in a match that got a great response from the fans in attendance.
IWRG “COPA HIGH POWER”, 09/04/2023 Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan de Juarez, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
1. Mexico Vs Los Internacionales: Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Gianni Valetta, Shocko, Daisuke Sasaki & Kodai Nozaki defeated El Hijo del Canis Lupis, Hell Boy, Aster Boy, Jhon Tito, Tonalli & Maniacop 360 (?:??).
Daisuke Sasaki went his own direction to spend some extra time abroad. First he went to hang out with Sam Adonis and Hernandez. Apparently they all teamed together for at least one match somewhere but I couldn’t find out where. Then he travelled to Mexico to compete on several lucha libre shows. The first one I could find was a Mexico Vs The World themed Torneo de Cibernetico over in IWRG. Sasaki was not the only Japanese wrestler on his team because Kodai Nozaki was there too. Both of them ended up getting eliminated from the match (Sasaki was Power Bombed onto one of his other partners and then pinned) but their team ended up beating Mexico anyway thanks to some shenanigans at the end that didn’t involve either of them.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 12/04/2023 (Aired 20/04/2023) UWM Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty (12:42).
Takeshita took his ROH record this year to 4-0 after beating Lee Moriarty with the Zahi. He also got a slightly bloody lip out of it. Moriarty worked over Takeshita’s arm which saved him from getting pinned with the German Suplex. But Takeshita thought through to hold on and turn Moriarty into a Ripcord Forearm. From there he then hit the Zahi and that was it.
BATTLE CLUB PRO “BATTLE CLUB ICONS VOLUME 3”, 12/04/2023 Ellery Street, Brooklyn, New York, USA
1. Janai Kai defeated Miyu Yamashita with a School Boy (9:41).
Something a little different for Yamashita’s visit to Brooklyn was getting to wrestle outdoors at night. Her Battle Club Pro match against Janai Kai ended in defeat when Kai ducked the Skull Kick and used a School Boy to escape with the win.
OUTLAW WRESTLING “COLOSSAL TUSSLE”, 13/04/2023 Queens Brewery, Ridgewood, New York, USA
1. Daisuke Sasaki defeated Mike Bailey with La Mistica Crossface Lock (?:??).
Sasaki popped back over to America to fight an old foe in the form of Mike Bailey for Outlaw Wrestling. Sasaki’s dirty tactics won out in the end. He caught Speedball with a Low Blow and then applied La Mistica Crossface Lock to make him tap out.
1. Aero Boy & Dariux Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Josh Rios
Then Sasaki went right back to Mexico for more lucha bookings. I couldn’t find a result for this match anywhere but I did find this picture of the match on their Facebook page.
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “SPRING SLAM 2023”, 15/04/2023 MJN Convention Center , Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
1. Wrestlefest Rematch: Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Rollover German Suplex (17:19).
JT Dunn had been wanting a rematch with Takeshita after their last bout in Northeast Wrestling. He got his wish but the result was the same as last time.
CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023 Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA
1. CCW Title & CCW Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated KiLynn King (c), Killer Kelly and Steph De Lander when Yamashita pinned King with the Skull Kick (11:05). *KiLynn King fails in V9 for the CCW Title and V2 for the CCW Network Title. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 2nd CCW Champion and the 4th CCW Network Champion!
2. CCW Title & CCW Network Title: Christina Marie defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with a Brass Knuckles Attack (1:17). *Miyu Yamashita fails in V1 for the CCW Title and V1 for the CCW Network Title. Christina Marie becomes the 3rd CCW Champion and the 5th CCW Network Champion!
After several failed attempts to win a championship so far in her tour there was a brief moment when Yamashita added two more belts to her collection, the first title wins of her excursion. She made her debut for Capital Championship Wrestling winning both the CCW Title and the CCW Network Title from KiLynn King in a 4 Corner Survival Match. Yamashita even pinned King to win the match, cutting off any possible dispute over whether the title change was deserved. However afterwards Christina Marie confronted Yamashita in the ring and explained to her she is allowed to get a title match whenever she wanted because of a Battle Royal she won a few months ago. She was getting that title match right now and when the referee did the pre-match check on Yamashita, Marie put on brass knuckles and knocked Yamashita out with a punch to the head. The ref didn’t see the foreign object and counted the pin, bringing Yamashita’s CCW Title reign to an instant end before it ever really begun.
1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin defeated Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki with a Triple Pin (?:??)
Sasaki also made a trip over to Lucha Memes to team with Osiris & Garrobo Punk to take on the trio known as Los Insoportables. It ended badly for Sasaki’s team. All three of his team were pinned at the same time with Sasaki being defeated with a One-Man Spanish Fly.
DPW “DPW LIVE 2”, 16/04/2023 Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Nicole Matthews with the Skull Kick (13:24).
The last time Yamashita fought Nicole Matthews she lost to her in Canada. The rematch in America for Deadlock Pro went differently and now they is a 1-1 record between them.
RIW “FIGHT UNTIL WE DIED”, 16/04/2023 Gimnasio Coliseo Arena, Toluca, Mexico
1. Fight For The Revolution: Daisuke Sasaki, Impulso & Belial defeated Sol, X Devil Jr. & Astro de Plata Jr. (?:??).
Sasaki’s last appearance in Mexico before going home (that I could find ) was with Revolution Indy Wrestling in Toluca. Couldn’t find out much other than his team won the match.
UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023 Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Dani Mo with the Skull Kick (?:??).
Yamashita had said on Twitter she was really looking forward to this match with Dani Mo. The feeling was mutual and Mo tweeted afterwards how honored she was to fight her.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/04/2023 FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida, USA
1. Kenny Omega & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford) when Takeshita pinned Butcher with the Powerdrive Knee (8:45).
A lot of progress was made with Takeshita’s storyline with Don Callis this month. It’s now sent him straight into the centre of an increasingly violent feud between The Elite and The Blackpool Combat Club. Attacks from the BCC led to Callis finding Takeshita backstage and convincing him to come save The Elite from further harm. Takeshita did so, stopping Bryan Danielson from attacking Kenny Omega with a screwdriver. It was a tense moment between the two given the respect they previously had for each other as opponents in AEW. After the show ended and things calmed down a little, Takeshita was welcomed into The Elite by The Young Bucks. Omega however was a little flustered over the decision, stopping himself from saying there was someone else he always had in mind to bring into the unit…
The following week Takeshita teamed with Omega for the first time since his AEW debut two years ago. They beat The Butcher & The Blade and we found out that Takeshita’s Zahi finisher has been renamed the Powerdrive Knee. However another BCC ambush took place after the match. This time The Elite were able to rally themselves and put them in a position for Omega to attack Jon Moxley with a screwdriver. Danielson convinced Takeshita to stop Omega but that just led to The BCC to come back and wipe out The Elite. Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli both raised Takeshita’s arm, signalling their intentions to add him to The BCC. Takeshita refused so Wheeler Yuta gave him a Low Blow and Moxley spiked him in the head with the screwdriver. Takeshita was left busted open with Omega tending to him as the show went off the air.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Triple Threat Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Liiza Hall and Trish Adora when Yamashita pinned Hall with the Crash Rabbit Heat (?:??).
Yamashita’s original opponent for this show Queen Aminata had to pull out of the match “due to reasons beyond anyone’s control” according to Prestige. Yamashita instead took part in a a Triple Threat against Liiza Hall and Trish Adora. The latter brought power to the match, finding ways to lift and slam both Yamashita and Hall at the same time. She got taken out of the picture though and Hall tried to finish off Yamashita with a Piledriver. Yamashita countered the move and threw Hall off her, setting up the Crash Rabbit Heat. However there was a disputed finish because Hall kicked out right as the ref counted three.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Kidd Bandit with the Skull Kick (?:??).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Arez with the Powerdrive Knee (?:??).
Daga did not heal from his injury in time so Takeshita took on Arez instead. Arez went the flight route with some dives but that stopped when Takeshita caught him on a Topé and dropped him onto the floor with a Brainbuster. But Arez is a smart little fecker and he found unusual ways to tie up Takeshita limb by limb. However he made the mistake of getting into strike exchanges and that’s a battle he just could not win. A Wheelbarrow Suplex was used to set up the Powerdrive Knee and that was the end for him.
Kidd Bandit went to Reddit asking for advice about how to beat Yamashita. Here is some of the advice they got. Duck, don’t get kicked and use unorthodox tactics. None of that worked.
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Upcoming Appearances
EVE “LUCKY 13 – NIGHT 1”, 05/05/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
Could this be the countdown towards Yamashita losing the EVE Title?
EVE “LUCKY 13 – NIGHT 2”, 06/05/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Special Challenge Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
There is a chance that Yamashita and Billie Starkz could end up fighting each other for the EVE Title somewhere down the line if Yamashita retains against Millie McKenzie and Starkz wins a tournament that EVE is putting together. However the promotion doesn’t want to miss their chance to do this match in England while both are available.
NEW TEXAS PRO “SUPER TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 1”, 11/05/2023 Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA
1. New Texas Pro Women’s Title: Hyan (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Remember this place from Shota’s excursion? Now Yamashita gets to experience the Houston Premier Arena for a big New Texas Pro show. She takes on Hyan with the New Texas Pro Women’s Title on the line.
MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023 2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra
Nothing new to add here.
HOG “BEWARE THE FURY”, 19/05/2023 Amazura, Queens, New York, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Add House Of Glory to the growing list of promotions Yamashita is wrestling in this summer.
AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023 Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Still waiting to see what will happen in AIW.
GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023
Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Shazza McKenzie
Itoh returns to America for a few more GCW appearances. Her first match back is against Shazza McKenzie and once that’s done she has a storyline to sink her teeth into.
GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023 Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Steph De Lander
Itoh and Steph De Lander just keep bumping into each other whenever Itoh goes travelling. Their next meeting in GCW however ties into the Nick Gage and Matt Cardona feud. De Lander has become Cardona’s right hand woman on the indies ever since his wife Chelsea Green signed with WWE (Cardona compares it to losing his Miss Elizabeth and then gaining his own Sensational Sherri). The two tried to ruin the one night only tag match for Maki Death Kill and Cardona is still avoiding Gage’s demands for another death match. So while that problem is still bubbling on the surface, Itoh and De Lander will get to continue their little rivalry in the meantime.
GLORY PRO “GO FOR BROKE”, 21/05/2023 South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
1. Tootie Lynn Vs Miyu Yamashita
Another new opponent for Yamashita. Tootie Lynn welcomes her to Glory Pro. I’m sensing some of Yamashita’s bookings in May is all thanks to the groundwork Shota laid out with his excursion last year.
GCW “LIFESTYLE”, 26/05/2023 Silver Nugget Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Here’s a tip for those getting an Uber away from the Silver Nugget Casino after the show based on my experience there last year. Try and get over to the cinema across the road. It is so much easier for the driver to pick you up there while avoiding the rest of the crowd all calling their own rides home at the same time.
LLL “BEST WISHES WARMEST REGARDS”, 02/06/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. 3 Way Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Heidi Howitzer Vs Miyu Yamashita
After Howitzer dealt with Itoh, she is now onto even bigger challenges in Lucha Libre & Laughs. Now she has to fight both Masha Slamovich and Miyu Yamashita at the same time! It’s another chance for Yamashita to clash with Slamovich too.
BLACK LABEL PRO “FANCY WRESTLING 2”, 03/06/2023 RDS Gym, Crown Point, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
It’s a safe bet Yamashita will get a bigger pop for her Black Label Pro debut than Sean Ross Sapp did.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANT’S WOKE EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
They’ll have faced each other before already but this is still a match Starkz has been demanding to happen in St. Louis Anarchy.
SPARK “IGNITE EAST”, 11/06/2023 The Heart Ballroom, Newark, New Jersey, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
SPARK “IGNITE WEST”, 16/06/2023 East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Cultural Center, West Covina, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
A new women’s wrestling promotion is opening up in America called SPARK Joshi Puroresu. Obviously with a name like that their goal is to become a Japanese style wrestling promotion. Yamashita is the third name attached to the indie with Ram Kaichow and SAKI being the first two announcements. However Yamashita is being advertised for both of SPARK’s first two shows while the other two are only doing one each at the moment. I’m a little bit skeptical over how much legs an idea like this has especially when SPARK is trying to run both the east and west coast of USA.
ENJOY “???”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Ray Lyn Vs Miyu Yamashita
Still looks like this will be the last match of Yamashita’s excursion.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “RING OF DESTINY”, 17/06/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
Takeshita makes his Wrestling REVOLVER debut. Interesting thing to note is this is the same date as the rumored debut event for AEW’s new weekly TV show Collision. With rumours of a soft roster split taking place in AEW to accompany the return of CM Punk, it will be of no surprise to find out Takeshita is in The Elite’s half of the company. God what a mess that entire thing is.
GCW “THANK ME LATER”, 17/06/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Meanwhile Itoh will be on the other side of the country for GCW. Imagine if she goes back to AEW and ends up in the middle of that civil war?
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 