DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
-. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (8) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Forfeit.
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Rukiya Vs KANON & MJ Paul
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: The Great Koji (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Open Recruitment X
3. Special Single Match: Rei Saito Vs Hideki Okatani
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) Vs Yukio Naya (6)
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) Vs Yuki Iino (2)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (6)
Yusuke Okada is out sick and will have to miss tomorrow’s show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 06/01/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Pom Harajuku Vs Kuishinbo Kamen
2. Max The Impaler & Yuki Aino Vs HIMAWARI & Toga
3. Battle Royal To Win The Right To Challenge The Princess Of Princess Champion: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Maki Itoh Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
4. Death Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Hikari Noa
By the end of the first week in January we will know what the main event of “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” is going to be. Miyu Yamashita and Masha Slamovich are fighting over the Princess Of Princess Title on the 4th. Then two days later there will be a Battle Royal between the six biggest potential challengers remaining for the title. The winner will become the No. 1 Contender and gets to face the champion at Sumo Hall on 31st March.
Life is already a circus for Pom Harajuku so it was only a matter of time before she cross paths with Kuishinbo Kamen. She kicks shins and he sells them like Trevor Berbick. It’s like a match made in heaven!
BASARA “BASARA 239 ~UTAGE~”, 07/01/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. KUBITO & Yasu Urano Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
2. Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. Takumi Tsukamoto, SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Daichi Kazato, Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
5. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
A little bit of Astronauts for you when BASARA holds their first show of 2024. Takuya Nomura is here to team with Fuminori Abe again but they also have Daichi Kazato on their side too.
News came out from DDT today about Chris Brookes visiting the hospital after feeling pain in his abdomen. Examinations discovered he has a tumour. It is not malignant but he will need to have surgery as soon as possible to remove it. He is expected to be out of action for a few weeks and has forfeited his remaining B Block match in the D-Oh Grand Prix.
DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
-. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (8) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Forfeit.
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Rukiya Vs KANON & MJ Paul
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: The Great Koji (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Open Recruitment X
3. Special Single Match: Rei Saito Vs Hideki Okatani
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) Vs Yukio Naya (6)
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) Vs Yuki Iino (2)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (6)
1. Rei Saito (8)
2. Yukio Naya (6)
-. MAO (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
Brookes forfeiting his match against Rei Saito has big consequences for the B Block. Saito is now sitting on top of the group with 8 points and will go through to the final if Yukio Naya does not beat MAO. If Naya wins that match then he will reach the final because he holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Saito. MAO however has the disadvantage with Saito and can no longer finish in 1st place even with a win over Naya. So while Naya is fighting for survival against MAO, Saito will face Hideki Okatani in a non-tournament match between an AJPW World Tag Team Champion and an All Asia Tag Team Champion.
That means the final day of the group stage is all built around the A Block. Daisuke Sasaki, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi are all still alive in the race for 1st. Here is what needs to happen for each person to reach the final.
Kazusada Higuchi: A win against Endo sends him straight to the final. If it ends in a time limit draw then Higuchi still goes through if Ueno cannot beat Iino.
Tetsuya Endo: Beating Higuchi is absolutely necessary just to have a chance of making the final. If that happens then Endo had better hope that Ueno couldn’t beat Iino while Sasaki lost to HARASHIMA.
Daisuke Sasaki: Needs to beat HARASHIMA and hope either Endo beats Higuchi or that match ends in a Double Countout/No Contest (those draws are 0 points). If he and Ueno both win their matches and Higuchi loses then a sudden death tiebreaker will happen between Sasaki and Ueno.
Yuki Ueno: Needs to beat Iino, Sasaki not to win against HARASHIMA and Higuchi not to win against Endo. He can still go through if he time limit draws with Iino, Sasaki loses to HARASHIMA and Endo Vs Higuchi ends in Double Countout/No Contest. Ueno might go through if he and Sasaki both win and Higuchi gets a time limit draw. That ends with a 3 way tie at 7 points and I think Ueno would win the tiebreaker because he beat Higuchi while Sasaki could not. There’s also a bizarre possibility of Ueno, Sasaki, Higuchi and maybe Endo all finishing in 1st at 6 points but that requires two time limit draws on the same show along with a 4 way tiebreaker I cannot figure out. Wrestling tournament booking in Japan never gets that silly anyway.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga Vs Moka Miyamoto, Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami
2. Mizuki & Runa Okubo Vs Ryo Mizunami & Haru Kazashiro
3. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
4. Riho Vs Shino Suzuki
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
7. Special Single Match: Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
8. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich
This is the complete card for the Tokyo Joshi Pro Ittenyon show, ten matches in all. Riho from AEW was the most recent big name added to the lineup. Her match against Shino Suzuki will be her first appearance in TJPW since October 2022.
The match between Rina Yamashita and Maki Itoh does not have any violent stipulation attached to it yet. However Itoh warns that if her opponent uses a weapon then she will too. That is why she always brings her pizza cutter everywhere she goes.
Ryo Mizunami’s match sees her placed in the ring with Mizuki and the two youngest rookies Runa Okubo and Haru Kazashiro. Okubo has been developing a more power-based moveset so Mizunami is going to be a valuable opponent for her to learn from.
BASARA “BASARA 239 ~UTAGE~”, 07/01/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
When BASARA returns in the new year FUMA will put the Union MAX Title on the line against Minoru Fujita. The title challenge comes from Fujita wanting to turn around Sento Minzoku’s fortunes in 2024. The match also shows the opposite family lives between champion and challenger. FUMA got married this year and life as a whole has been fulfilling for him lately while Fujita is a divorced man with only pro wrestling to rely on. A man with nothing to lose is always a dangerous foe.
DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT BLAST! 2024”, 14/01/2024 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
1. Special 4 Way Match: MAO Vs Mecha Mummy Vs Mecha Pandita Vs Demonio Uno
2. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Death Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima
For some reason the Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market has become home to a number of pro wrestling’s most bizarre creations. Demonio Uno (or Demonio Dos) always pops up when TJPW runs shows there only to find out it is not the scariest monster in the area by a long shot. Mecha Mummy is going to show up after spending a year getting its improvements worked on over at Baka Gaijin + Friends. Then there is Mecha Pandita who as far as I know has not been seen since the short lived Bakuha Koshien promotion that ran during the pandemic. Filling out this 4 Way is MAO who is either the only normal part of the match or the most crazy out of everyone depending on your own point of view.
DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: KANON Vs Yuni
2. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Ilusion
3. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
5. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
6. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota
Six up and comers take on some of DDT’s mainstays in separate singles matches.
Yuki Ishida has opted to take time off in order to concentrate on treating a herniated lumbar disc. He had this injury back in August but returned in November. Unfortunately the injury is still bothering him so he is back out of action for the time being.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TEN: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY”, 12/12/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. Special Single Match: Shigehiro Irie Vs Mad Dr. Ueki
3. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Ram Kaichow
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
1. Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT defeated Yasu Urano & Masahiro Takanashi when SAGAT pinned Urano with the Goregrind (12:44).
2. 3 Way Match: A.YAZAWA defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi and Gouma Ryu when YAZAWA pinned Hiroshi with a Backslide Pin (9:36).
3. FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato defeated Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga when FUMA pinned Kraken with the Heavy Metal Anthem (10:56).
4. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Munetatsu Nakamura when Fujita pinned Nakamura with the Modified Samson Clutch (15:19).
5. Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino when Nakatsu pinned Nakano with the V Slider (17:27).
The last BASARA show of the year ended with Harimao holding a toast inside the ring. The main event was non-title but Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi are open to giving Aijin Tag a shot at the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles as long as Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino do their best. Harimao are just glad they get to end 2023 in BASARA on a happy note.
Isami Kodaka held the Spirit Of Ganbare Title belt above Shuichiro Katsumura to taunt him after their tag match. Minoru Fujita said the win was an overwhelming victory against Ganbare☆Pro and he looks forward to seeing Kodaka defend the title over there on 27th December. Fujita then decided to challenge FUMA for the Union MAX Title! He thinks everything fell apart for Sento Minzoku this year so in 2024 he will revitalize the group by beating FUMA for the championship. However FUMA said he does not have a good enough recent track record to deserve a shot. Fujita talked about FUMA recently getting married and having a fulfilling personal life while he has nothing but just pro wrestling to rely on. FUMA understood what he meant and accepted the challenge for 7th January.
The 3 Way Match was supposed to be A.YAZAWA’s specialty, the Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match. It is where everyone has to dance whenever rock music plays over the speakers. However the sound system malfunctioned during the match and started playing drinking songs instead, causing the wrestlers to drink alcohol instead of dance.
BASARA “BASARA 238 ~UTAGE~”, 19/12/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs Yasu Urano & Masahiro Takanashi
2. 3 Way Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Gouma Ryu Vs A.YAZAWA
3. FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Munetatsu Nakamura
5. Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
Harimao Vs Aijin Tag headlines the last BASARA show of the year.
DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: The Great Koji (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida Va Kazuma Sumi Vs Rukiya Vs Open Recruitment X
2. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs KANON & MJ Paul
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) Vs Yuki Iino (2)
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (6)
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) Vs Rei Saito (6)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) Vs Yukio Naya (6)
Christmas Eve is the last day of the D-Oh Grand Prix group stage and it is still all to play for in both blocks. The A Block will go to either Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi or Daisuke Sasaki depending on how all the results will go. B Block is a 3 way tie between Rei Saito, MAO and Yukio Naya. I’ll go work out their paths to the final in a separate post later this week.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SE-NO, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2023”, 24/12/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Mizuki, HIMAWARI & Runa Okubo Vs Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku
3. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Wakana Uehara & Shino Suzuki
4. Hikari Noa & Toga Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Arai & Kaya Toribami Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe, Raku & Moka Miyamoto
Christmas Eve is also the day of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s last show of 2023. It’s only five matches but the main event is an 8-Woman Tag.
GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2023”, 27/12/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yuko Miyamoto Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Sumire Natsu, YuuRI & Riara Vs HARUKAZE, Makoto & Banny Oikawa
3. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Arisu Endo
4. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka Vs Kuma Arashi
5. GanPro Vs GLEAT All Out Battle ~ GanPro’s Famous Elimination 10-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Takuya Wada, Mizuki Watase, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Kaz Hayashi, Minoru Tanaka, Takanori Ito, Check Shimatani & Jun Tonsho
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Shota & Soma Takao (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura
Earlier today Shuichiro Katsumura went to the Reversal Gym in Yokohama for a special training session with MMA fighters Seiichiro Ito and Hideo Tokoro. After some sparring Katsumura talked over tactics with them for his Spirit Of Ganbare Title match against Isami Kodaka. They agreed he needed more than just the Ninja Choke to win so Katsumura was taught how to use a series of transtioning submission holds to the arm. The transitions went from Arm Lock to Clothespin to Side Triangle Choke to Cross Armbreaker. Tokoro gave him encouragement for the title match. He also showed support for Ito who will be competing for the Interim King Of Pancrase Flyweight Title on 24th December.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
4. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich
Another title match added to TJPW’s Ittenyon show. Free WiFi are defending the Princess Tag Team Titles against Daisy Monkey. All of the previous challengers for Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta were makeshift teams but Suzume & Arisu Endo have been an established pair for a good while now. Daisy Monkey has had one previous shot at the belts back in April 2022 when they lost to The Magical Sugar Rabbits. Both Suzume & Endo associate the championship with MagiRabi the most because they were TJPW’s strongest ever team. Now that Yuka Sakazaki is gone from TJPW it makes Daisy Monkey want to win the titles even more to carry on that legacy.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~KASUKABE PERFORMANCE~”, 17/12/2023 Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube 210 Fans
1. Arisu Endo defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Camel Clutch (5:28).
2. Suzume defeated HIMAWARI with the Ring A Bell (6:43).
3. Shoko Nakajima defeated Toga with the Unmanned Local Train Hold (5:36).
4. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Shino Suzuki and Runa Okubo when Kamifuku submitted Okubo with the Manjigatame (5:56).
5. Raku Vs Juria Nagano ended in a Time Limit Draw (7:00).
6. Love Is The Mystery Rules: Hyper Misao defeated Kaya Toribami when Misao correctly answered the quiz question (5:51).
7. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Wakana Uehara ended in a Time Limit Draw (7:00).
8. Yuki Aino defeated Pom Harajuku with the Venus DDT (5:05).
9. Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa ended in a Time Limit Draw (7:00).
10. Miu Watanabe defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Tear Drop (6:13).
All of the matches on today’s show were previously put together by a fan lottery. Every bout was also given a seven minute time limit. The main event was a rematch of an International Princess Title defence from October 2022 with Miu Watanabe defeating Moka Miyamoto. Watanabe said when she found out about the match she thought 7 minutes would not be enough between them so she was happy to beat Miyamoto in under that time. Miyamoto hoped she could win because she has grown so much since their previous singles match. She found out the hard way that Watanabe has grown too. She would like another rematch some day.
Maki Itoh’s latest return from America has her ready and waiting for the match against Rina Yamashita on 4th January. First she had to get past Hikari Noa but the match reached the time limit right after Noa did the Blizzard Suplex. Backstage Itoh was asked if her match against Yamashita will be held under normal rules? She said if her opponent uses a weapon then she will too. She always keeps a pizza cutter in her suitcase for that very reason.
The match between Yuki Aino and Pom Harajuku was all about Raku. Surprise, surprise. Harajuku wore a paper mask of Raku’s face when the match begun and Aino wanted to take it for herself. Harajuku then grabbed one of Raku’s photos at the merch table to distract Aino. It worked for a bit but Aino regained control and pinned Harajuku with the Venus DDT. The actual Raku gave the paper mask of her face to Aino as her prize for winning.
Hyper Misao wanted to learn more about Kaya Toribami while they fought each other so they agreed to have a Love Is The Mystery Rules match. After every 2 count pin the wrestler would be asked a quiz question about their opponent. Get it right and they win the match. Get it wrong and then music will begin playing for a short period of time. During that time the opponent only needs to pin you for a 1 count to get a quiz question and their chance to win. Misao scored every fall but answered wrong for questions about what item Toribami never lost and which side of Japan was she born in? Misao finally got a question right when she correctly guessed the name of the elementary school Toribami went to.
At the start of the show it was announced that Free WiFi will defend the Princess Tag Team Titles against Daisy Monkey on 4th January. Suzume said she always wanted to win the championship that has belonged to the strongest tag team in Tokyo Joshi Pro. She thought that one day it will belong to her and Arisu Endo. It’s no longer going to be some day, it is going to be now! Noa said she and Nao Kakuta have defended the titles against three teams all different from each other. But Daisy Monkey are the first team they will face that have been around for a while.
DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KUMAMOTO”, 17/12/2023 Kumamoto Sakurajuji Hall Yatsushiro Multipurpose Hall 282 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani submitted Sumi with a Dragon Sleeper (10:43).
2. Chris Brookes, Akito & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata when Masada pinned Oishi with the Triangle Kick (10:47).
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Endo pinned Rukiya with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (14:19).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) defeated Yuki Iino (2) with a Modified Crucific Pin (11:53).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) defeated KANON (4) with the Just Face Lock (13:17).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs Harimao!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Higuchi pinned Kojima with the Brain Claw Slam (22:08).
1. Yukio Naya (6)
-. MAO (6)
-. Rei Saito (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
Only two D-Oh Grand Prix matches today but they both help set the table for the final group matches taking place on Christmas Eve. MAO now finds himself at the top of the B Block but space is tight up there. He beat KANON and used TAKA Michinoku’s Just Face Lock submission for the win to rub it in. The result is payback for KANON beating him with the Cobra Twist during last year’s Grand Prix. With that debt repaid, MAO now thinks KANON is somebody who might be standing on the same level as him in the near future. KANON has now completed all of his group matches and he’s upset because all he got out of it is a pair of Hirata GO! glasses.
The only A Block match had Daisuke Sasaki playing mind games with Yuki Iino. Sasaki claimed Iino still has a trace of “Sexy” inside him and he was going to bring it out of him! Sasaki did poses to remind Iino of Pheromones and make him lose his temper. While this sent Iino on a rampage chasing after Sasaki, it also led to him making mistakes. The big one was Iino missing a Spear and hitting the exposed corner post after Sasaki had removed the turnbuckle pad. The damage did not immediately cost Iino the match but it didn’t take Sasaki long to pin him with a Crucifix afterwards. Sasaki then added insult to injury by saying Iino was never sexy at all! While Iino no longer has a chance to reach the final, he still promises fans will see him show everything with full power at DDT’s last Korakuen Hall show of the year.
The show today did not have a big focus on the D-Oh because it was also Yuki Ishida’s triumphant return to his hometown Yatsushiro, Kumamoto. The 37KAMIINA wanted to spoil Harimao’s party, particularly when Ishida responded to Toy Kojima’s “NeppoWER” pose with an enthusiastic “Dosukoi” shout. It was Kazusada Higuchi who scored the win by pinning Kojima but Ishida did his part by keeping Yuki Ueno away from the finish. After the match Ishida told the fans he’s really happy to see so many people from Yatsushiro come to watch DDT wrestling. It’s always been his goal to perform here for DDT and next time he wants DDT to book him in a title match here!
Today was Jun Akiyama’s last time teaming with other wrestler in BURNING before he leaves the unit at the end of the year. Tetsuya Endo said the unit will now consist of just himself, Yusuke Okada and the currently injured Yuya Koroku. He thanked Akiyama for everything he taught them over the last two years. Endo also thinks the best way to repay Akiyama is for BURNING to grow bigger without him, even if that means they go and win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from Akiyama’s other team D.O.A! Akiyama joked that when he quits BURNING he will go back to being a normal old man. He also pointed out BURNING has to wait for Koroku to come back before they can get in line for a title shot. That is unless they find a new member of course. However it happens, D.O.A have to go through their current schedule of title defences in order to make a title match against BURNING happen in the future.
Growing with confidence thanks to some recent success, Takeshi Masada claims he is no longer scared of Danshoku Dieno and and his backside. Makoto Oishi threatened to feed Dieno wasabi paste but Hisaya Imabayashi stopped him, just like he did yesterday. Instead Imabayashi invited Yuki Ishida’s father into the ring to hand them a piece of Karashi Renkon, which is a local dish in Kumamoto. During the match Oishi stuck the food in Dieno’s backside and tried forcing Masada to eat it. Masada instead turned it around and shoved it into Oishi’s mouth. Masada then pinned him with the Triangle Kick. He thought about thanking Ishida’s father for helping him win but decided it was because of the Karashi Renkon instead. Schadenfreude International then vowed o win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles from D.O.A on Christmas Eve.
DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA”, 16/12/2023 Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall 355 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match – Kyushu Sangyo University Pro Wrestling Research Department Offer Match: Ionazun Shirai & Tiger Nishiya Mask defeated Great Tamu & Occult Daimao when Nishiya pinned Daimao with the Mad Splash (12:33).
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada when Takao pinned Okada with an Inside Cradle (7:58).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Toy Kojima & Van Vert Jack defeated Azul Dragon, Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Kojima pinned Sumi with the Kojima In Wonderland ~KOJIMA Wonderland~ (9:33).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata (2) defeated Chris Brookes (2) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:46).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (6) defeated KANON (4) with the Body Splash (11:43).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Ishida with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (10:22).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (6) defeated Yuki Iino (3) with the Brain Claw Press (12:03).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) defeated HARASHIMA (2) with the WR (14:21).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (3) defeated Tetsuya Endo (4) with the Foot Trapped Crossface Lock (22:53).
1. Yukio Naya (6)
-. Rei Saito (6)
3. MAO (4)
-. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
This weekend starts the deep end of the D-Oh Grand Prix with plenty of must win situations for the wrestlers involved. Daisuke Sasaki got his first victory in this year’s tournament by beating Tetsuya Endo in a rematch from “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”. Sasaki targeted Endo’s left knee early but switched to spiking his neck onto the canvas with the Implant as well as a Tombstone Destroyer. The left knee then came back into play when Sasaki trapped the limb while applying the Crossface Lock to make Endo submit. Sasaki said what happened in the past between him and Endo as well as what will happen in the future does not matter. He just wants to soak in today’s victory.
Yuki Ueno remains in the race for first place and eliminated HARASHIMA from contention to get there. HARASHIMA hit the Somato but Ueno pulled out one of his own to give his opponent a taste of his own medicine. A big Dropkick to the face followed by the WR ended the match with Ueno’s arm raised. He said being raised by DISASTER BOX is what helped him become a champion and he is now good enough to win against his former senpai.
The two big boys of the A Block clashed. Yuki Iino hit hard but Kazusada Higuchi fought back even harder. He also showed some agility by doing the splits in order to dodge Iino’s Low Altitude Spear. Higuchi hit some moves of his own but it was still all even between the two. Iino applied a Bearhug but it was countered with the Brain Claw. Higuchi kept hold of Iino’s head and slammed him to the canvas, pressing him down for the pinfall. Higuchi said Iino has always been a monster in the ring but he has blossomed during the Grand Prix. Higuchi now wants to rest so he can be ready for a vital match against Endo. Iino however might have his recent past come back to haunt him. His next opponent Sasaki claims Iino is hiding something “Sexy” and it will be exposed to everyone when they fight!
KANON’s results are playing a vital role in how the B Block is turning out. His win against Yukio Naya most of the field still in the running. Now his loss against Rei Saito today could be the turning point in improving Saito’s chances of reaching the final. Saito believes the size difference was why he won today. KANON could not break him down like he did to Naya one week ago.
There is now no chance for Chris Brookes to reach the final. Also he might end up having the worst win-loss record in the Grand Prix by the end of it. But worst of all he has the misfortune of being the only person in the tournament to lose to Kazuki Hirata! That’s right, Hirata won his last block match to avoid finishing with zero points! He came up with a plan to disguise himself as a cameraman at ringside so he could roll up Brookes immediately. Brookes kicked out though and instantly turned the tables against him. Hirata perservered though and pulled off the upset thanks to the Miracle One Shot Cradle! He thanked his fans for their support and called this a win they all achieved together. Despite only winning once he is still proud of his performance because it took 13 years of his life to get here and he gave it his all.
The bottle of wasabi Makoto Oishi carries around with him was confiscated by Hisaya Imabayashi before D.O.A’s match began and replaced with a pack of spicy cod roe. Danshoku Dieno didn’t think it was a good substitute but Oishi still force fed him it to power up the Lip Lock. The move worked on Yuki Ishida, leaving him vulnerable to be pinned with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 