TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24” Results

January 4, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,235 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga defeated Moka Miyamoto, Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami when Kamifuku pinned Toribami with the Famouser (9:34).
2. Raku, Ram Kaichow & Pom Harajuku defeated HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when Raku pinned Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow (6:43).
3. Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (8:48).
4. New Year! Make Your Dreams Come True! Daruma Match: Shoko Nakajima defeated Hyper Misao when Nakajima painted the eye on the Daruma Doll (14:07).
5. Riho defeated Shino Suzuki with the Sakura Hold (5:33).
6. Aja Kong defeated Wakana Uehara with the Back Drop (6:57).
7. Special Single Match: Rina Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Splash Mountain (16:43).
8. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai defeated Max The Impaler (c) with the Finally (10:19).
*Max The Impaler fails in V4. Yuki Arai becomes the 12th International Princess Champion!
9. Princess Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino defeated Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe and Suzume & Arisu Endo when Aino pinned Endo with the UBV (13:19).
*Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino become the 15th Princess Tag Team Champions!
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Masha Slamovich with the Crash Rabbit Heat (17:20).
*V3 for Miyu Yamashita.

The Miyu Yamashita Vs Masha Slamovich rivalry from America made its way over to Japan for this year’s Tokyo Joshi Pro Ittenyon show. It is both a matchup Yamashita wanted to show her home fans and also a risky challenger to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against. That risk was on full show when Slamovich gave her a Doctor Bomb on the ring apron, hit a dive out of the ring and also Double Stomped Yamashita in the corner. Slamovich even gave the champion a taste of her own medicine by hitting her own Skull Kick! But Yamashita avoided taking the White Knight Driver whenever her opponent tried to set it up. The Avalanche Attitude Adjustment gave Yamashita some breathing room and soon she wore down Slamovich with strikes until she finished her off with the Crash Rabbit Heat.

The two shook hands after the match and Slamovich indicated she still wants to fight Yamashita again another time. Yamashita told the fans about the previous times she won and lost against her, then said those matches are always a lot of fun. Yamashita said TJPW will continue to do their best at any time under any circumstances and they look forward to everyone’s support in 2024. She did not nominate her next challenger for the Princess Title. Instead she wants to wait for somebody to challenge her. There will a Battle Royal in two days time to determine the No. 1 Contender “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” in March. It is possible she may defend the title overseas before then but she expects the Sumo Hall challenger will be a difficult opponent no matter who it is.

The vacant Princess Tag Team Titles were up for grabs in a 3 Way Tag Match. Original challengers Daisy Monkey now had to face both Daydream as well as Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino. Mizunami has played a clutch substitute role for TJPW over the last year and today good karma came her way. She saved Aino from the double team moves from both sets of opponents and Aino paid her back by pinning Arisu Endo to win the Tag Titles! Mizunami admits they are not as good a team as Daydream or Daisy Monkey but now that they are champions they can build a lot of things together from here. Aino is so happy to win the titles again it made her cry. They now need a team name. Mizunami suggested they be called Yukiniki. Meanwhile Suzume & Endo find themselves starting from zero yet again. They won’t give up on their dream to become TJPW’s strongest tag team. As for Daydream, Rika Tatsumi told Miu Watanabe to treat today’s match as a trial for the upcoming Max Heart Tournament. They intend to win it for a second time.

On this day one year ago Max The Impaler pinned Yuki Arai in the middle of the ring to take the Princess Tag Titles away from her. They also stole Arai’s hair clip. Today Arai got her revenge by beating Max to become the new International Princess Champion! Oh, and she got her hairclip back too. It took a lot of effort to get there though. Max threw Arai around Korakuen Hall, sending her into the front row and also Body Slamming her on the floor in front of another member of SKE48. Arai reached her limit trying to fight back but when Max caught the Flying Cross Body, Arai flipped her over with an Inside Cradle, got back up and suddenly knocked Max out with the Finally! Arai then pinned Max to win the title. When Max recovered their senses, they returned to the ring and handed Arai’s hairclip back to her. Arai admitted she wanted to run away from Max so many times and she’s glad she didn’t. She thinks 2024 is going to be her best year yet and she wants to become strong enough that fans will think of her as TJPW’s top champion.

Another match from America was put on display in Japan for the first time. Over the last two years both Maki Itoh and Rina Yamashita have become integral parts of GCW. They even wrestled each other there and the rematch was taking place here. The match was supposed to be held under normal rules and Yukinori Matsui refused to let Itoh use her pizza cutter. An inadvertent low blow to the ref gave Itoh the chance to slice open Yamashita’s head with the cutter. That only fired up Yamashita though and she brought in chairs to turn the match hardcore. While Itoh’s iron head resisted the chair attacks, Yamashita was able to beat her by using a Diving Body Press, Thrust Kick and then the Splash Mountain. The two flashed MDK gang signs to each other after the match. Backstage Yamashita joked that she didn’t expect to be covered in her own blood inside a TJPW ring. She wants to continue fighting Itoh until Itoh is covered in her own blood! Itoh responded that she is always ready to get covered in blood. She didn’t make it clear if she meant her own though. She also said she wants to do her best to balance her time between America and Japan this year because she didn’t get to do much in TJPW during 2023.

An eager Wakana Uehara used a Space Rolling Elbow to surprise Aja Kong before the bell rang. Kong let Uehara continue the attack until she tried to give her a Brainbuster. Not a smart move. However she got Kong onto the canvas by using a Sunset Flip to lure Kong into doing a Hip Drop and avoided that by rolling out of the way. Uehara then kept trying to use the Sleeper Hold but Kong kept getting out of it. A Sunset Flip into a Bridging pin gave Uehara a nearfall and then she went back to the Sleeper Hold. This time Kong squashed Uehara to break the hold and then hit a Lariat. Uehara kicked out to get the fans cheering for her but Kong then pinned her with the Back Drop. She lifted her finger up to Uehara’s face telling her she wants one more match and she then shoved her to the mat. Backstage Kong said Uehara’s use of the Sleeper Hold shows she is starting to be confident in herself. Today Kong has gained one more rival. Uehara said Kong is a wall too high for her to climb right now but she will definitely beat her someday.

Fresh off of an AEW PPV appearance, Riho showed up in TJPW for a match against Shino Suzuki. After using a Sleeper Hold, Suzuki ran into a Jumping Knee Strike. Riho then gave her the 619 followed by the Sakura Hold to make Suzuki give up. She noted that Suzuki does not have a lot of skill but made up for it with a lot of passion and that made her a fun opponent to fight against. Riho will now be going back to America to grow up even more before returning to Japan again. Suzuki said she is grateful to get the match and she now realizes who she is at this point of time. Riho has a similar physique as her but was overwhelmingly stronger. So now Suzuki will stop convincing herself she is weak just because of her size.

This year’s Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao match had a winner and a loser this time. A Daruma Doll was left hanging above the ring and the first person to climb the ladder and paint an eye on the doll would become the winner and get to make a wish for 2024. Misao arrived riding on her new and improved Hypami Dramatic Dream bike but she crashed it into Mahiro Kiryu. Nakajima and Misao then fought in the Korakuen lobby where Misao crashed the bike again, this time into a castle made of chairs and kaiju toys. She then crashed the bike a third time when she cycled down the aisle of chairs into both Nakajima and Kiryu. Nakajima fought back using a box of kaiju toys before wiping out Misao with a Topé Suicida. She then climbed the ladder and painted an eye on the Daruma to win. Nakajima is going to be greedy this year because she both wishes to win the Princess Tag Titles with Misao and also win the Battle Royal on 6th January to get the Princess Title shot in Sumo Hall!

Having to vacate the Princess Tag Titles on New Year’s Eve left Nao Kakuta needing to take her frustrations out on somebody so good thing Mizuki was there to meet those needs and return in kind! Mizuki ended up winning a tough fight with some Diving Foot Stomps followed by the Cutie Special. Kakuta is taking the loss in her stride because she had a lot of fun out there and felt the warmth of the fans’ support. Her goal in 2024 is to enjoy pro wrestling. She also wants to surpass Mizuki but that might take a bit longer than a year to accomplish. Mizuki described their relationship as rivals but still friends. She also thinks they might share a bond because they both had to give up the Princess Tag Titles because their partners were unable to wrestle for one reason or another.

TJPW fans got to see Raku & Ram Kaichow being a happy couple again. They joined hands together and gave a Double Diving Chop to Haru Kazashiro. The other rookie Runa Okubo got a new year’s gift from Pom Harajuku but it turned out to be getting kicked in the feet. Kaichow took out HIMAWARI with a Diving Cross Body and Raku pinned Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow. Kaichow gave her a kiss on the cheek afterward to celebrate.

Toyo Mates & Toga were victorious in the opening bout against Shinken Kusho & Kaya Toribami. Kiryu used Moka Miyamoto as her human mat for the Apology Knee Drop. Miyamoto got her own back when she & Juria Nagano kicked Kiryu away. Toga then got rid of Nagano with the Elbow Strike. The match came down to Yuki Kamifuku against Toribami and Kamifuku pinned her with the Famouser.

At the start of the show The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) debuted a new song called “Barobaro ~It’s A Battle!~”. Uta took Hikari Noa’s place in the performance.


There Is So Much Wrestling This Month!

January 3, 2024

This week already feels like the craziest January schedule of wrestling shows in years.

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. Raku, Ram Kaichow & Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta
4. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
5. Riho Vs Shino Suzuki
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 – 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich

The participants of tomorrow’s three title matches all gathered together for contract signings and a press conference earlier today. Masha Slamovich bragged about her success in 2023 that included pinning Miyu Yamashita at “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”. She thinks it is time for a new Princess Of Princess Champion to be crowned in 2024. If she becomes champion she intends to defend it around the world and have the longest reign in the title’s history. Yamashita said she visited many states in America last year and wherever she went, Slamovich was always there. After wrestling each other so much in USA, Yamashita wanted to wrestle her in Japan and asked Tetsuya Koda to bring her over to have this title match. She feels the pressure but enjoys it because she wants to take bigger risks so her fourth title reign can stand out.

Three teams are now ready to fight each other for the vacant Princess Tag Team Titles. As far as Daisy Monkey are concerned the situation has not changed for them. Suzume & Arisu Endo want to win the belts that were held by Tokyo Joshi Pro’s strongest tag teams. Daydream last held the titles in 2020 so Miu Watanabe would like to make her daydreams with Rika Tatsumi come true again. Tatsumi always thought it was strange that Daydream were not the next challengers in the first place. Yuki Aino is happy to get a chance to win the tag titles with Ryo Mizunami. Her tag partner is often called “Everyone’s Aniki” but when they win Aino wants it to change to “My Aniki”! Mizunami said 2024 is the Year Of The Dragon and she was also born in the Year Of The Dragon. So it is fate that she and Aino can leave a mark in TJPW by becoming the new tag champions!

Yuki Arai signed the International Princess Title match contract while waiting for Max The Impaler to show up. She talked about this being her second shot at the title and how she lost the Princess Tag Titles at last year’s Ittenyon show. She wants to start off her year shining and become champion for Saki Akai. Max then finally arrived at the building and marked the contract with their thumb which counts as their signature. Max then pulled out a hair band that Arai recognised. It is the hairband that Max took from her when The Wasteland War Party beat Reiwa AA Cannon for the Princess Tag Titles last year! Arai promised to win the belt and also get her hairband back!

GANBARE☆PRO “2024 GANBARE☆THE FIGHT BEGINS”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. YuuRI & Riara Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaho Matsushita
2. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Shigehiro Irie & Banny Oikawa
3. New Year Special 3 Way Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuni Vs Ilusion
4. GanPro New Year Special 6-Man Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Mizuki Watase Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Shuichiro Katsumura (c) Vs Ken Ohka

Munetatsu Nakamura must be feeling like a million bucks after winning the Best Newcomer category at the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards on New Year’s Eve.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/01/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ilusion
2. Eruption Vs D.O.A!: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
4. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. DISASTER BOX Final Match: HARASHIMA Vs Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Jun Akiyama, Yoshitatsu & Yukio Naya Vs Akito, Yuki Iino & Rukiya
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takayuki Ueki, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy

The first new addition to DDT this year is Yoshitatsu. He left All Japan a few days ago and chose DDT as his landing spot because the place reminds him of how fun pro wrestling can be. Jun Akiyama is someone in particular he wants to be in the ring with again so they get to team up in Yoshitatsu’s first match under this new arrangement.

Daisuke Sasaki approached Tetsuya Endo after today’s show and suggested they should join forces again. His argument is Endo no longer has any ties to BURNING without Akiyama involved and with that he shouldn’t have anything holding him back either. He left before Endo could respond so what will happen next?

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Rukiya
2. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs HARASHIMA & Yuni
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Iino & Toy Kojima
5. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi & Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Bodyguard, Naruki Doi & Tsutenkakka

The next day Yoshitatsu faces Kazuma Sumi.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 07/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Makoto Oishi Vs Yuni
2. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Takeshi Masada
3. Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi Vs Akito & Yuki Iino
4. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toy Kojima
7. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi

Then the day after that he takes on Takeshi Masada. The previously announce 3 Way Match Masada was in is now just Makoto Oishi against Yuni.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
2. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith

Sasaki & KANON have become the next challengers for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Sasaki is trying to rile up ROMANCE DAWN over their connection to the Young Communication generation. Shota is proud to be part of that circle of wrestlers but Sasaki thinks his connection to the group is insignificant. Soma Takao meanwhile wants revenge on DAMNATION T.A for the chairshot they gave him earlier today.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. MAO Birthday Commemorative Match: MAO Vs X
2. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi
3. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yukio Naya

The winner of the D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 is Yukio Naya which means he is now lined up for a KO-D Openweight Title shot! Yuki Ueno admits Naya proved he is the strongest wrestler in DDT but the championship belongs to only the most interesting. The battles over different visions for what DDT should be will continue to flare throughout this year.

The previous DDT Extreme Champion is back from injury and wants to win the belt again. Shunma Katsumata has been a a big supporter of Kazuki Hirata’s current title reign and is eager to find out what rules Hirata will come up with.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Tsubasa Suzuki Vs X
2. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi

The biggest match yet in the DDT Vs All Japan rivalry has been announced. Konosuke Takeshita will be representing DDT on its 27th Anniversary against Yuma Aoyagi! The former Triple Crown Champion wants to introduce his own “Dramatic Dream” to Takeshita and sees this match as a path that will lead him down to Yuki Ueno and the KO-D Title!

For the first time DDT has an intern pro wrestler. Tsubasa Suzuki is a student wrestler from Hitotsubashi University World Pro Wrestling Alliance (or HWWA for short). He was born in Shizuoka on 14th August 2002. He is 176cm tall, weighs 80kg and has a background in track and field as well as his student wrestling club. He will work several shows for DDT on an internship. After a certain amount of time DDT will decide if they want to officially hire him.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL” Results

January 3, 2024

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL”, 03/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,194 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yuki Iino & Yuni when KANON submitted Takao with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (8:15).
2. Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi defeated Yusuke Okada & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi submitted Sumi with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (7:42).
3. Special Tag Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Kojima pinned Okatani with a Modified Facebuster (9:37).
4. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Antonio Honda when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (12:05).
5. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Jun Saito & Rei Saito defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Rukiya when Rei pinned Rukiya with the Saito Iginari Smash (11:40).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Christmas Tree (c) by Pinfall (8:11 pm).
*Kuroshio TOKYO Japan becomes the 1,600th champion.
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Ikemenrana (12:31).
*V1 for Kuroshio TOKYO Japan.
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Yuki Ueno & Yuki Iino defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Jul.2 (10:28).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – Final: Yukio Naya defeated Tetsuya Endo with The World’s Best Back Drop (26:59).

At the end of 2022 Yukio Naya made it all the way to the D-Ou Grand Prix final but could not win the tournament. He made it his goal to do one better in the 2023 Grand Prix and right here at the start of 2024 he achieved it! Tetsuya Endo was also determined to win today’s final but he couldn’t defeat Naya even with Exploder Suplexes, Spinning Torture Rack Bombs and Burning Star Presses. The last move in particular was blocked by Naya and served him the opening to take over the match. Endo relied on Rolling Chops to try and get back into it but Naya cut him off with Knee Lifts and a Choke Slam for a nearfall. Naya then overpowered Endo with The World’s Best Back Drop to put him away and win the Grand Prix!

Naya burst into tears after the match when Kenta Kobashi presented him with the trophy and posed with him for a photo. Naya thanked everyone for supporting him from his family to everyone in DDT. This means so much to him because a few years ago nobody ever thought he could compete at this level. He still has one dream that hasn’t come true yet and that is to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He called Yuki Ueno down to the ring and challenged him for the championship so everyone will see who really is the strongest in DDT. Ueno accepted but told him the title should be held by the most interesting guy in DDT. The title match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 28th January.

As for Endo, he thought 2024 was going to start out well for him because he was on the winning team of the Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament on New Year’s Eve. But after losing to Naya today he now feels like he fell to the bottom of DDT and has to climb out of Hell. Then suddenly backstage Daisuke Sasaki approached Endo after his post-match interview with the media. Sasaki explained the reason why Endo lost today is because he did not have Jun Akiyama next to him. But that also means there is nothing tying down Endo anymore either. Sasaki suggested that Endo does not need BURNING anymore and they should go change the world together. But before Endo could respond, Sasaki told him to relax and think about what he just said because they will see each other again soon.

Ueno was meant to team with MAO in the semi-main event but MAO had fever symptoms and was pulled from the show. Parts of the card were changed around and Ueno got to team with Yuki Iino instead. Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada jumped them early but Ueno & Iino quickly rallied together. Things went pair shaped when Iino’s Lariat missed Masada and hit Ueno by mistake. Masada tried to capitalise but Ueno held on until he could counter attack and pin Masada with the Jul.2. The result left SCHADENFREUDE International feeling disappointed because Chris Brookes was in attendance for the first time since getting his surgery. Brookes suggested they disband right away but everyone else convinced him not to. Instead they figured out Masada can get revenge on Ueno beating him today by pinning him for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles in two days time!

After Danshoku Dieno made his entrance to the ring for his match, footage was shown of Kuroshio TOKYO Japan and Seigo Tachibana hanging out backstage. They opened a nearby locker and out fell the Christmas Tree that won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on Christmas Eve! Tachibana decided to pin the tree but Kuroshio stopped him and stole the pin to become the champion instead. Kuroshio then forced Tachibana to get into the ring with Dieno while he completed his long and elaborate entrance. Dieno kept Tachibana in the Lip Lock while Kuroshio pranced around the audience until his theme song looped back to the beginning. He finally attacked Dieno to start the match and they brawled through the crowd with the back of their tights all pulled down. The fight went up to the commentary table where Kenta Kobashi was seated. Dieno tried to stumble over for a kiss but Kobashi sent him away with a Chop. The match returned to the ring where Tachibana tried to get involved again. He ended up getting a water bottle shoved up his rear by Dieno that Kuroshio then had to pull out. Makoto Oishi forcibly filled Dieno’s mouth with wasabi but the Lip Lock missed Kuroshio and landed on Tachibana instead. Kuroshio then rubbed the wasabi onto his crotch and pinned Dieno with a Hurricanrana to retain the Iron Man Title. Backstage he admitted he doesn’t even know what this championship is. He likes it but wants to win a proper title as well as compete in DDT more often in 2024.

If DDT thought they were now safe from The Saito Brothers bringing them doom then they are sorely mistaken. Rei Saito had one more appearance left for them and this time he brought along his brother Jun Saito. The two of them fought Kazuasada Higuchi & Rukiya. Higuchi did a good job handling them in the ring but it was a more difficult challenge for Rukiya. In the end they just couldn’t handle so much doom. Jun used a Lariat to take out Higuchi and then The Saito Brothers together threw down Rukiya with a Double Choke Slam for the win. Rei said next time he is going to beat up Rukiya even more! Jun however showed interest in seeing Higuchi show up in All Japan some day. Apparently Higuchi and The Saito Brothers already have a history together going back to their sumo days over a decade ago.

For the final time the three main members of DISASTER BOX all teamed together and they finished the occasion with a win. Toru Owashi brought along the lucha to fight Akito while HARASHIMA suddenly had bad flashbacks when Sanshiro Takagi started using Hiroshi Tanahashi’s moves on him to celebrate the New Japan wrestler’s promotion to company president. Antonio Honda relied on Gongitsune like he always does but Kazuki Hirata’s eyes were protected by his Hirata GO! glasses. The deflected attack allowed Hirata to pin Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle.

After the match HARASHIMA told the others DISASTER BOX is going away but it will always feel like the unit is still around whenever they are together. They all left the ring together when Shunma Katsumata suddenly ran out and dragged Hirata back into the ring. Without taking any breaths Katsumata challenged Hirata for the DDT Extreme Title. He was the previous champion who had to vacate the title due to injury but admitted Hirata has become the kind of Extreme Champion he always wanted to be. They agreed to have the title match on 28th January.

Katsumata’s challenge came shorty after his return match from injury. He teamed with Toy Kojima to take on Eruption. He made sure to start off the match against Hideki Okatani and even thanked him for waiting all this time for him to return. But it was Kojima who stole the spotlight by using a new Spinning Flapjack move to pin Okatani for the 3 count. After a brief staredown with Yukio Sakaguchi, Kojima told Eruption this will be the same when they fight in the exploding death match on 14th January! Katsumata said now that he’s back, The 37KAMIINA will make DDT more hotter than ever!

Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi gave Kazuma Sumi a tough night in the ring. Yusuke Okada was there to help out until he missed a Diving Headbutt aimed for Akiyama. Sumi found his second wind and used Oishi as a footstep to Dropkick Akiyama off the ring apron. However Oishi dodged the Mickey Boomerang and planed Sumi with the Miracle Ecstasy. That would have been the end but Akiyama pushed Oishi away during the pin and gave Sumi an Exploder Suplex as payback for the Dropkick. Oishi then made Sumi tap out to the Fujiyama Knee Lock.

DAMNATION T.A now find themselves in the midst of a KO-D Tag Team Titles shot after they won the opening match. Sasaki took out Yuni with a Spear and then tricked the referee into distracting Shota because he was holding a chair. While that was going on Sasaki hit Soma Takao with another chair and KANON applied the Cobra Twist 2.0 for the submission win. Afterwards KANON wished ROMANCE DAWN to have a miserable new year and declared himself and Sasaki as their next challengers. The two sides agreed to have the match on 21st January. Sasaki insulted Shota for claiming he is a part of the Young Communication generation. According to Sasaki, Shota was only a supporting role and that name should only be used for the likes of Shigehiro Irie and Keisuke Ishii!

The first DDT show of the year means a lot of big announcements to get through along with other major news stories. First, the DDT Vs All Japan rivalry will continue throughout 2024. Ryuki Honda and Yuma Anzai will be at the 7th February DDT show in Shinjuku. Then on 17th March at DDT’s 27th Anniversary show Konosuke Takeshita will face Yuma Aoyagi one on one! Aoyagi was in attendance to greet the fans after the announcement. He hoped Takeshita would be here too but he has to wait until 17th March to show Takeshita his own Dramatic Dream. Later backstage Aoyagi told reporters he would also like to face Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Title too!

Kaisei Takechi sent in a video to promote his pro wrestling debut on 25th February. The celebrity who is part of THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE told fans he worked with DDT wrestlers during the filming of Fukumen D and felt indebted to them. He is very happy to repay them by doing this match. This is just his first step into the pro wrestling world and he is honored to do it on such a wonderful stage.

Student pro wrestler Tsubasa Suzuki has applied to DDT as an intern wrestler. He will debut on the 27th Anniversary show on 17th March. Suzuki comes from Hitotsubashi University World Pro Wrestling Alliance and previously appeared on DDT shows a year ago under the ring name “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid. The point of an internship is so students can get work experience before starting their careers so he will wrestle on DDT shows for a certain amount of time. At the end DDT will talk with Suzuki and decide if he can join the company. Suzuki told the fans he is the world’s first intern wrestler and promises to do his best to become a beloved member of DDT. He likes high flying wrestling and has a lot of respect for Kota Ibushi and Naomichi Marufuji (bad timing to bring those two names up) so he thinks it will be great if he could become like them (hopefully not in their present forms).

Miu Watanabe appeared in the ring to promote tomorrow’s annual Ittenyon show for Tokyo Joshi Pro. She will be part of the 3 Way Tag Match to determine the new Princess Tag Team Champions.

During the show’s opening ceremony Yoshitatsu appeared and announced he will become a regular part of DDT shows starting on 5th January. The wrestler had just left All Japan over the new year. He said when he fought in DDT a couple of times in 2023 it reminded him of the fun side of pro wrestling that he had forgotten. One match he had with Jun Akiyama in particular stood out for him and he would like to have more tough battles against him. Also DDT working with Chris Jericho and Matt Cardona who he both knew from WWE made it an appealing place for him to look for an opportunity.

Chris Brookes told the fans he would like to come back from his surgery as soon as possible. He feels fine physically but does not know when he can return to wrestling again yet.

The last piece of news came after the show had ended. Sanshiro Takagi announced to reporters he will be taking an indefinite break as a pro wrestler after DDT’s Sumo Hall show on 21st July. He is doing this for several reasons from taking care of his health to concentrating more on managing Cyberfight. He also said he will soon need to begin the process of finding his successor because he believes current management across Japan’s pro wrestling industry is aging out. This is not intended to be him retiring from the ring because he will start wrestling again when his health improves. However he does not know when that will happen which is why he saved this announcement for the media after the show. He may go into more details later this week.


Official TJPW Best Matches Of 2023

January 2, 2024

Fans of Tokyo Joshi Pro were invited to submit their votes for TJPW’s best matches of 2023. This year there were votes from over 380 fans worldwide and over 120 matches received votes.

TJPW Best Bouts 2023

1. 10th Anniversary Special 10-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo
1st December @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
228 pts

2. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
18th March @ Ariake Coliseum
194 pts

3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
9th October @ Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
179 pts

4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
8th July @ Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
145 pts

5. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
18th March @ Ariake Coliseum
121 pts

6. Miracle Heart Catch Shuffle Tag Tournament Final: Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu
25th May @ Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
109 pts

7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
9th October @ Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
91 pts

8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Kamifuku
13th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
86 pts

9. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Arai
12th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
64 pts

10. Saki Akai Vs Yuki Arai
27th October @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
54 pts

11. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
11th February @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
53 pts

12. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku
12th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
51 pts

13. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai
18th March @ Ariake Coliseum
46 pts

14. Yuka Sakazaki Graduation Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuka Sakazaki
6th December @ Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
39 pts

14. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Final: Wakana Uehara Vs HIMAWARI
1st December @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
39 pts

16. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Nao Kakuta
15th April @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
32 pts

17. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
11th February @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
29 pts

17. Debut 10th Anniversary Memorial Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima
17th August @ Shin-Kiba 1st RING
29 pts

19. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Hikari Noa Vs Sawyer Wreck
1st May @ Shin-Kiba 1st RING
26pts

20. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Rika Tatsumi
29th July @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
25 pts

20. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
1st December @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
25 pts

Honorable Mentions

These five matches just missed out on making the Top 20.

22. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai
9th October @ Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe

23. Special Single Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Yoshihiko
25th May @ Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall

24. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
4th January @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

25. 1 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
11th June @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

25. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Arai Vs Arisu Endo
29th July @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall


DDT Around The World – December 2023

January 1, 2024

Happy new year! December featured plenty of CyberFight related appearances in North America. Tokyo Joshi Pro held its second show in USA. They also had two seperate championship matches happening within minutes from each other in two different countries. Konosuke Takeshita remains stuck in AEW limbo, Maki Itoh wrapped up the latest leg of her US bookings, Shota paid a visit to California and MAO partied hard as the end of 2023 counted down to midnight.

So what is there new to expect in 2024 when it comes to international stuff for DDT and its family? I think the focus will be what Yuka Sakazaki will get up to. I will continue following her career using these articles. If she sticks within AEW/ROH then it won’t be much work to see what she gets up to every month. But I want to see her spread out to some of the indies. At least go to Deadlock Pro every now and then. She owes them a match anyway.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


Video starts at 11:02.
MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins Vs Shota & J2 Mattioli


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/12/2023
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal Vs Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita


DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee


SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm Vs Shota


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
400 Fans – Super No Vacancy

7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly


Video starts at 16:20.
MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Shota Vs Jr Mattioli


PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita


CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023
Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Nate Webb

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Results


BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023
Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Rachel Armstrong with the Itoh Deluxe (11:22).

Let’s begin with a show that has become an annual event for Black Label Pro. Six months ago Rachel Armstrong had a match here against Miyu Yamashita so now it was Itoh’s turn to see what the fuss is all about. A naïve Armstrong fell for Itoh’s crocodile tears act but took control using her speed and agility. A Northern Lights Suplex in particular came very close to getting her the win. But Itoh had control for most of the match, trapping Armstrong in the Itoh Special and then building her way up to the Itoh Deluxe to make her tap out.


GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023
Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Mike Bailey with a Cradle (16:14).

Is this the upset of the year? Mike Bailey learned the hard way not to kick Itoh in the head because it is as hard as iron! When the shock of that wore out, Bailey took her seriously, even pulling out the Flamingo Driver that Itoh kicked out of. His frustration led to his undoing because when he grabbed Itoh’s legs to do a Boston Crab, Itoh twisted over and cradled Bailey for the flash pin! Itoh had to console Bailey after the match because he burst into tears over the result.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/12/2023 (Aired 08/12/2023)
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal when Hobbs pinned Daniels with The World’s Most Dangerous Slam (8:38).

What was looking to be Takeshita’s only match of the month was teaming up with Powerhouse Hobbs to beat Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal after the latter tried standing up to The Don Callis Family. During the month Don Callis announced that his unit will now be using “Family Rules” for their tag team matches against Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega going forward, which is just their name for Freebird Rules. The storyline they’re doing is falling apart though because Omega is now out of action indefinitely with diverticulitis.


MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 5”, 07/12/2023
Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) defeated Jody Threat (?:??).
*V3 for Max The Impaler.

There was a surprise International Princess Title match for the fans at this month’s Mystery Wrestling show. Evil Uno runs these events every couple of months, airs them live on his Twitch channel and keeps the VOD on his Patreon. Max The Impaler was brought in for a match against Jody Threat and agreed to put the championship on the line. TJPW gave their authorization and recognizes the result as an official title defence.


MLW “ONE-SHOT”, 07/12/2023
Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Delmi Exo with the Skull Kick (9:13).
*V2 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) (w/ Salina de la Renta & Jesus Rodriguez) defeated Maki Itoh with the Modified Dragon Sleeper (7:27).
*V2 for Janai Kai.

Both Itoh and Yamashita were at MLW’s final show of the year, each in a championship match. Itoh was given a big title match against Janai Kai for the MLW World Featherweight Title. She had an unfair disadvantage though because Kai had both Salina de la Renta and Jesus Rodriguez (the former Ricardo Rodriguez from WWE) in her corner to interfere when needed. There was also an unexpected run-in from the masked wrestler Ichiban that distracted Itoh long enough for her to miss a Diving Headbutt. If that wasn’t bad enough, Matt Striker on commentary completely did not understand Itoh’s gimmick. Maybe he had good intentions by trying to put Itoh over as a fighter to be taken seriously but he’s been so bad as a colour commentator for so long he should not get the benefit of the doubt.

Yamashita was at the show to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo. Her opponent is a former MLW Featherweight Champion and brought her best fight to the match. Yamashita kicked out of the Ocean Cyclone Suplex and got Exo up to the top rope for an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment. Yamashita kept the pressure up and Exo was helpless by the time she was beaten with the Skull Kick. The result helps establish Yamashita’s current title reign being about taking on opponents from around the world. Her next challenger will be back in TJPW on 4th January against Masha Slamovich.


DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Skull Kick (10:59).

Over to DREAMWAVE where Yamashita appeared on a weekend of shows for them. The first one was an all women’s event where Yamashita beat Shazza McKenzie in a rematch from their ROH bout from earlier this year. DREAMWAVE later announced they will be spinning off a new all women’s wrestling promotion called Uprising: Women’s Athletes so don’t be surprised to see Yamashita show up there in 2024.


MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins defeated Shota & J2 Mattioli when Rose & Hopkins pinned Mattioli with a Sunset Flip & Body Press (?:??).

Shota spent the month of December travelling over to America again for a short tour. Just like last year, Shota found went to the obscure end of the US indies including Millennium Pro Wrestling who welcomed him back with open arms. Shota teamed with one of his opponents from the last excursion, J2 Mattioli to take on a team called 24K. Sadly the team lost when Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins used a double team Sunset Flip to pin Mattioli. Afterwards Mattioli apologised to Shota for losing and then challenged him to a singles match for the following week. Shota accepted and shook his hand.


DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura defeated Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee when Sakura pinned Steel with the Double Arm Backbreaker (8:02).

There was a small change to the match when one of the original opponents Zamaya was bumped up to the semi-main event for the DREAMWAVE Women’s Title. So Yamashita & Emi Sakura instead found themselves teaming up against Zayda Steel and Zamaya’s replacement Maggie Lee. A lot of the match was Steel & Lee working on Yamashita so Sakura can get the hot tag. Still it’s not everyday you get to see Sakura & Yamashita teaming together. They won when Sakura gave Steel the Double Arm Backbreaker and Yamashita gave Lee the Attitude Adjustment, leading to a double pin.


EWF “PRO WRESTLING LUCHA LIBRE”, 09/12/2023
VFW Post 8737, San Bernardino, California, USA

1. EWF Vs The World: Kid Noah defeated Shota (?:??).

An outdoor show held in December doesn’t sound that pleasant even if it’s in California. Shota wrestled twice outdoors during the tour. The first one was at Empire Wrestling Federation where he lost to Kid Noah.


GCW “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM 2”, 09/12/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie defeated Nick Gage & Maki Itoh (17:42).

Itoh’s last GCW appearance of the year had Maki Death Kill back together to take on the husband and wife team of Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie. The match went from a normal two vs two tag into a brawl with chairs and doors being used as weapons. Valkyrie put Nick Gage through one of the doors and then tried giving Itoh the Road To Valhalla. Itoh countered it into a Roll Up but Valkyrie then blocked the counter and grabbed onto Itoh’s tights to pin her for the three count. Itoh demanded a singles match against Valkyrie afterwards.


SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm defeated Shota with the Thunderstruck (?:??).

Shota’s second outdoor match of the month was for Skyfire Pro Lucha Libre. He tried his best to outwrestle his opponent but Rebel Storm stopped him in his tracks with a Headbutt followed by the Twist Of Fate that he calls Thunderstruck.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
400 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Harajuku pinned Amira after the Wasteland War Justice with Max (10:20).
2. Trish Adora defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Lariat (8:42).
3. Mizuki defeated Sandra Moone with the Cutie Special (10:21).
4. Miu Watanabe defeated Hyan with the Tear Drop (8:33).
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) defeated Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie when Noa pinned McKenzie with the Blizzard Suplex (9:42).
*V3 for Free WiFi.
6. Taya Valkyrie defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Road To Valhalla (10:47).
7. Special Tag Match: Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Slamovich pinned Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (18:00).

The show report can be found here.


MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. J2 Mattioli defeated Shota with the Playmaker Lariat (?:??).

The match between Shota and Mattioli was a mostly friendly back and forth match between the two. Mattioli ended up using his Playmaker Lariat to win, capping off a year he was really happy with.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Keita defeated Shota (?:??).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey with the Skull Kick (?:??).

Okay so this month we found out that Bailey’s weakness is Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. He lost to Itoh in GCW and here in Pandemonium Pro he lost clean to Yamashita! There were no tears in this one, instead these two tried to kick the tar out of each other!

Shota completed his USA tour by making Pandemonium Pro his final stop. Originally he was going to face Vinnie Massaro but that guy is busy living it up on a NOAH tour right now. So Shota was given the newcomer Keita as a replacement opponent. Keita made the most of this opportunity and beat the more experienced Shota.


AEW “WORLDS END”, 30/12/2023
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, USA

1. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Sting & Darby Allin defeated Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita when Guevara pinned Starks with a Shooting Star Press (15:42).

What a mess this storyline has turned out to be. Omega falling ill meant that he and Jericho couldn’t go ahead with challenging Ricky Starks & Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Titles so they had to throw in The Don Callis Family, Sting, Darby Allin and the return of Sammy Guevara to make it an 8-Man Tag Match. Takeshita was not part of the lineup when the match was made but then a day later AEW swapped him into the match and took Kyle Fletcher out. Then on the day of the show allegations of Jericho’s past behavior resurfaced online from Nick Hausman as part of Jericho’s online spat with a lawyer with a that could not have been handled any more uglier than it did. Almost everybody except the alleged victim is coming out of it as a bunch of massive scumbags. So come to the part of the show when the match happened and there was an uncomfortable atmosphere that could be felt through the screen as the match went on. I wish I could instead focus on Takeshita getting to wrestle Sting and throw Allin around like he’s Yoshihiko but everyone watching was in a bad mood over what emerged throughout the day.


CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. King Of The Deathmatches – Round 1 – Ultraviolent Baptism: Bobby Beverly defeated MAO with the Fisherman DDT (?:??).

How about taking part in a deathmatch tournament to bring out the end of the year? MAO entered the King Of The Deathmatches that was being held by Circle 6 and faced Bobby Beverly in the 1st Round. MAO brought along chairs and plastic boxes but soon smashed lighttubes over his opponent. He also put Beverly through a bunch of chairs with a Double Arm Piledriver and used high flying moves but couldn’t get the win. A triple Low Blow spot that also included the referee brought the match back to an even fight. Wooden skewers were stabbed into each other’s heads and Beverly smashed MAO with lighttubes before pinning him with the Fisherman DDT.


CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023
Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Nate Webb with the Diving Radio Silence from the Bar Counter (?:??).
*V3 for MAO.

MAO stuck around in Circle 6 on New Year’s Eve so he could defend the DDT Universal Title against Spyder Nate Webb. The match went outside to Santa Monica Blvd so they could fight on the street as traffic drove by.

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Upcoming Appearances


MLW “KINGS OF COLOSSEUM”, 06/01/2024
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Nao Kakuta
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) Vs Hyper Misao

TJPW’s working relationship with MLW continues into the new year. Hyper Misao has been selected to be Kai’s next challenger for the MLW Featherweight Title.

Also happening on the show is a TJPW offer match between Moka Miyamoto and Nao Kakuta. Miyamoto is only just now starting to wrestle abroad while Kakuta has already done it a few times in 2023. The two matches here are a little glimpse of what TJPW in Philadelphia will look like next April.


GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Matt Cardona, Steph de Lander & Broski Jimmy

Itoh and Bussy all share grudges with Matt Cardona & Steph de Lander so it was inevitable that Maki Death Bussy would join forces to take on Deathmatch Royalty. The latest development in the story is Cardona forced Jimmy Lloyd to become his new disciple in GCW, turning Lloyd into Broski Jimmy.


GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Tony Deppen

The day after that Itoh will take on Tony Deppen in a first time match. GCW at times have promoted Deppen as their gatekeeper. A win for Itoh here could be a sign of things to come for her in GCW.


F1RST “WRESTLEPALOOZA – NIGHT 2”, 14/01/2024
First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

No match announced yet for Itoh’s appearance at F1RST.


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 2”, 19/01/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Mizuki Vs Alexis Lee
2. SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore

In November 2022 CDK defeated The Horrors to win the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles. Now after more than a year later comes the rematch. Dr. Gore got to wrestle in Japan for a little while and gain some experience while Da Butcherman kept himself busy in Singapore. There is a chance the match might not go ahead because Chris Brookes had surgery this month to remove a tumor from his abdomen. At the time of writing there is no decision made yet on when he can start wrestling again. But even if he can’t make the trip, Masahiro Takanashi still will.

SPW’s own Alexis Lee continues to be the opponent of choice for joshi coming into Singapore. She lost the Queen Of Asia Title to Yuki Kamifuku last month but is looking to bounce right back with a win against Mizuki.


SETUP “BANGKOK SHOWDOWN”, 20/01/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Kevin Weng & Pondhub Vs Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart

If CDK can go ahead with travelling together in January then they have a tough challenge waiting for them in Thailand. SETUP is making them defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a 3 Way Match against St. John Innocent College and THE GOOD DEAL. CDK won the titles from THE GOOD DEAL in an impromptu match bck in October. But even though the former champions are getting a rematch, they have to share it with St. John Innocent College. That kind of multi-man chaos is an environment that CDK benefits from.


GCW “LOOK AT ME”, 26/01/2024
Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

What will await Itoh in Florida next month?


BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. MAO Vs X

MAO is coming to France and he’s brining Yoshihiko with him! Also Minoru Suzuki and KUSHIDA are booked for the show too. Banger Zone Wrestling won’t know what hit them.


TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Yoshihiko Vs X

Yoshihiko heads over to Liverpool the next day for TNT Extreme. Surely not by itself though.


DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

DDT won’t be the only CyberFight presence in Philly that week…


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

… because TJPW is going there too! They will also be part of The Collective which is interesting to note because last time TJPW were with WrestleCon.