BASARA “BASARA 287 ~TAKAGARI 29~” Results

August 31, 2025

BASARA “BASARA 287 ~TAKAGARI 29~”, 31/08/2025
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Takeru Inoue defeated Shota Kawakami with a Tiger Driver (6:33).
2. Isami Kodaka & Keisuke Ishii defeated Lil’ Kraken & Munetatsu Nakamura when Ishii pinned Kraken with the High-Angle Double Arm DDT (7:59).
3. 4 Way Match: SAGAT defeated Daiki Shimomura, Takato Nakano and Yasu Urano when SAGAT pinned Nakano with the Goregrind (11:01).
4. Daichi Kazato 15th Anniversary Match: Guts Ishijima defeated Daichi Kazato with the Facebuster (11:09).
5. 4 Vs 4 Elimination Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Masato Kamino, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga defeated Ryota Nakatsu, Ryuichi Sekine, FUMA & Takumi Tsukamoto (25:51).
5a. Takumi Tsukamoto eliminated Masato Kamino by Ring Out (12:44).
5b. Banana Senga eliminated Ryuichi Sekine with a Jackknife Pin (15:20).
5c. FUMA eliminated Banana Senga with a Flying Armbar (16:38).
5d. FUMA eliminated Tsutomu Oosugi by Ring Out (18:01).
5e. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi eliminated FUMA by Ring Out (18:39).
5f. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi eliminated Ryota Nakatsu by Ring Out (24:21).
5g. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi eliminated Takumi Tsukamoto with the Perfect Plex (25:51).

Even with having Speed Of Sounds and a masked Masato Kamino on his team, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi wound up in a 3-Vs-1 situation in the Elimination Tag match. But through the skin of his teeth he was able to fight against the odds and become the sole survivor of the main event. After the match he explained Kamino wrestled in a mask because he was supposed to be Body Slam Machine but WizRYU needs to give him some fine tuning. Hiroshi then said on 31st October he will be the one wearing the Union MAX Champion! Backstage Ryota Nakatsu recognized Hiroshi as the “strongest foreigner” which means as a Japanese wrestler he cannot afford to lose the title to him. Also BASARA has recently rejoined Wrestle Universe with this month’s shows being added to the service so Nakatsu hopes new fans will get hooked if they give BASARA a try.

It’s been years since Daichi Kazato and Guts Ishijima have seen each other. So long in fact that when Ishijima saw what Kazato is like now, he remarked that he is nothing like he was as a high school student. At the start of the show Kazato explained his history with Ishijima to the audience. He was a high school student doing backyard wrestling when Ishijima found him and invited him to train over the summer. One of the things Kazato learned was a Dropkick that is so dangerous he was banned from using it. So today he was going to unban the move! During the match Ishijima was confused by Kazato’s wrestling style which included several moves backfiring. But Kazato’s unusual style made Ishijima more tired than a usual wrestling match and while that did give Kazato the advantage for a while, Ishijima ended up beating him. Afterwards Kazato said the match really brought him back to his routes and he would love to team with Ishijima sometime.

The rookie Takeru Inoue earned his first victory by beating Shota Kawakami and he did it all by himself!

The next Iron Fist Tag Tournament will be held later in the year. The teams entering are Ryota Nakatsu & Daichi Kazato, Aijin Tag, Hyakusho Ikki, Daiki Shimomura & Lil’ Kraken, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Tsutomu Oosugi, Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto, Takeru Inoue & Tomoki Hatano and Naka Shuma & Kyu Mogami.


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 2” Results

August 31, 2025

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 2”, 31/08/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. D GENERATIONS Special 8-Man Tag Match: Ilusion, Yuya Koroku, Munetatsu Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi defeated To-y, Daichi Sato, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai when Koroku submitted Sato with a Jumping Armbar (6:36).
*Yuya Koroku wins Daichi Sato’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
2. ¥3,000 Match: Jun Akiyama, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito defeated KANON, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Akiyama pinned Honda with a Blockbuster (9:17).
3. Special 3-Way Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul and Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when Masada pinned Ishida with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (18:59).
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) defeated HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki when Naya pinned HARASHIMA with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:37).
*V3 for The Apex.
5. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated MAO with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (17:50).
*V4 for Minoru Suzuki.
6. Double Main Event I ~ Dramatic Dream Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Danshoku Dieno with a Crab Hold (16:29).
7. Double Main Event II ~ KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Kazusada Higuchi (c) with the WR (20:42).
*Kazusada Higuchi fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 86th KO-D Openweight Champion!
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuki Ueno (c) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (2:51).
*Yuki Ueno fails in V1. Kazuki Hirata cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover. Kazuki Hirata becomes the 87th KO-D Openweight Champion!

The second day of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” took place today in Korakuen Hall and by the end of it there was pandemonium over the KO-D Openweight Title going to the most unlikeliest wrestler in years! But first Kazusada Higuchi put the belt on the line against Yuki Ueno when just less than a day earlier he defended it against Jun Akiyama in a hard fought battle. Ueno pulled out the Sit Down Himawari Bomb for a nearfall and avoided the Claw Slam to hit Higuchi with a Dropkick to the back. Higuchi fought back using Lariats until Ueno blocked the fourth one and suddenly captured Higuchi in the WR to score the three count and become the new KO-D Champion! The two showed respect to each other after the match but then things took a wide swerve in a different direction.

Suddenly Kazuki Hirata made it down to the ring and he hesitated over whether or not he should cash in his Right To Challenge Arm Cover to get an immediate title shot against Ueno. He decided that since he held it on for so long, the audience’s expectations have grown too large. Hirata had also grown attached to the Arm Cover and didn’t want to lose it. He considered burning it in a shrine but that didn’t feel right so he’s going to use it for the title shot right away! The match began and although Ueno was tired from just wrestling Higuchi, he easily went on the offensive against Hirata. However Hirata kicked out of Ueno’s Frog Splash and suddenly rolled him up with the Miracle One Shot Cradle to win the upset of all upsets. Kazuki Hirata is now the KO-D Champion!

Hirata was just as shocked as everyone else that he won and admitted he didn’t mean to do that. Being the KO-D Champion is a heavy burden and he cannot think about what waits for him in the future but right now he is really happy. In his 15 years as a pro wrestler he’s had fun times, difficult times, injuries and a lot of other things going wrong. He persevered though and through hard work in all kind of forms he has made it to the top of DDT! He doesn’t feel any stronger though so he isn’t going to let his guard down. With that said, he promised the fans he will show them everything that is fun about the KO-D Title.

Hirata went back to the locker room where everyone was there in the hallway to give him applause. However Toru Owashi approached Hirata and gave him a slap across the face. He then led Hirata back out to the ring with everyone else was there waiting for him. Owashi then grabbed the title belt but it was only so he could wrap it around Hirata’s waist. The entire locker room took a group photo together and Hirata was given a pair of Hirata GO! glasses so he could do his complete dance routine uninterrupted in front of everyone. Backstage Hirata told reporters he would rather defend the KO-D Title against Hisaya Imabayashi or Daisuke Kiso instead of Higuchi or Ueno. The thought of being the defending champion at Sumo Hall on 3rd November sounds hellish to him. However it will never intentionally lose a match when a championship is on the line so he will give it his all to win every time, even if his first defence will probably be a tough one. Ueno said he has no excuses for losing to Hirata. He warned the new champ to be careful on his way home because everyone now has their eyes set on him! Higuchi said he is satisfied with how his weekend went because he gave it his all on both days. He’ll keep working hard to show his spirit with the rest of Harimao.

On paper a matchup between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Danshoku Dieno sounds like the most two opposite forces of pro wrestling colliding with each other. But look deep into the layers and you will find both men have a similar past background. Both are from the Kansai region, are nearly the same age and made their starts in wrestling by joining student pro wrestling clubs in college. It turns out this match was fate all along. Dieno couldn’t help but burst into tears when the match began. He needed all of his seconds at ringside to slap him across the face to psyche him up. As he went toe to toe against Tanahashi, he used moves from other DDT wrestlers like the nose grab from Masahiro Takanashi, the Stunner from Sanshiro Takagi, the God’s Right Knee from Yukio Sakaguchi and the Buzzsaw Kick from KUDO. He even added in the Kamigoye from Kota Ibushi for good measure. The Danshoku Driver couldn’t keep Tanahashi down so Dieno went for a Moonsault and missed it. Tanahashi went to town on Dieno with his signature moves ending with the High Fly Flow. But rather than pin Dieno, Tanahashi encouraged him to get back up so he could give him the Lip Lock! It took Dieno off his feet and when Dieno grabbed onto Tanahashi to try and pull himself back up, he instead pulled down Tanahashi’s wrestling tights to reveal he was wearing a Danshoku thong underneath this whole time! Tanahashi then tripped Dieno to the canvas and put him in the Crab Hold, forcing Dieno to tap out.

After the match Tanahashi talked to Dieno about their university routes. Their upbringings ended up being completely different but pro wrestling is what brought them together. Tanahashi really got a sense of what Dieno has achieved as a pro wrestler. So even though Tanahashi is retiring on 4th January, he encouraged Dieno to keep going because he still has a lot going for him. He then told Dieno if there’s any young wrestlers in New Japan that he likes, just let him know (his second at ringside Katsuya Murashima had a flustered look on his face when he heard that). Dieno was a little annoyed to have earned Tanahashi’s acceptance so quickly because he’ll have nothing to reach for if the top of the industry now recognizes him. This match wasn’t about winning or losing to Dieno, it was his chance to have a fun fight with Tanahashi and he wasn’t going to apologise for that if it went wrong. He will never forget what he felt today and he told Tanahashi he loves him. Backstage Tanahashi explained that passion is just the matter of where you direct it. He put his passion into training his boy while Dieno put his passion into DDT. It is all about heart and Tanahashi thinks it is good for NJPW to cooperate with companies like DDT and NOAH. With today done he believes he has settled of of his ties with DDT before his retirement. Now he has to wait and see what everyone will say to him about the Danshoku thong tomorrow.

Not even MAO’s craziness can surpass Minoru Suzuki when it comes to the DDT Universal Title. Suzuki lured MAO out of the ring so he could attack his leg using the steel post and also strike the limb with a chairshot. Suzuki then got his hands on KIMIHIRO and knocked him over with an Elbow Strike. KIMIHIRO got a little bit of revenge later in the match when MAO knocked Suzuki out of the ring and KIMIHIRO used his tie to strangle Suzuki on a chair so MAO could run over and hit a Cannonball into the champion. Back in the ring Suzuki tried to counter the Michinoku Driver II into a Front Neck Lock but MAO completed the move and also hit the Iai Kick. However Suzuki only fell down to one knee from the blow and immediately popped back up to put MAO in a Sleeper Hold. MAO got a rope break and tried fighting back with Palm Strikes until Suzuki caught him with a Dropkick, wore him down with another Sleeper Hold and pinned him with the Gotch-Style Piledriver.

Suzuki told MAO after the match that he had fun. He also found something he wants to do in DDT and that is keep the DDT Universal Title all to himself. It’s not like there’s anyone here that can take it away from him, right? Takeshi Masada felt otherwise and he got into the ring to challenge Suzuki. Unfortunately for Masada, Suzuki ignored him then threw him out of the ring when he wouldn’t get out of the way. He called Masada a brat who isn’t strong enough to deserve a title shot so he should just go home. Masada then accused Suzuki of running away. Suzuki grew furious over the comment and headbutted Masada before accepting the challenge. The title match was confirmed for the 28th September Korakuen Hall show. Masada promised that he isn’t afraid of Suzuki but Suzuki warns he is really going to kill Masada!

Unlike Higuchi there were a pair of heavyweights who survived the weekend with their championships still intact. The Apex were victorious against the pairing of HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki, meaning they achieved a successful KO-D Tag Team Titles defence for the second day in a row. Yuki Iino stuggled at first against Aoki’s grappling along with HARASHIMA targeting his back. The challengers also held the champions in stereo Cobra Twists. But when HARASHIMA went to go do the Somato on Yukio Naya, Iino cut him off with the Spear. Naya then used a Running Knee Lift on HARASHIMA before pinning him with The World’s Best Back Drop.

After the match Naya called The Apex the strongest tag team in DDT. Yuya Koroku then entered the ring wearing the Right To Challenge Arm Cover he won earlier in the show. To-y then entered from the opposite side to ambush Iino with a dive from the top rope. However he ruined the surprise by encouraging the fans to chant “T-O-Y” and Iino easily caught him. Luckily for To-y, Iino’s back was still hurt from the match so he couldn’t drive him into the turnbuckle like he did to Daisuke Sasaki yesterday. To-y said he and Koroku want to challenge for the titles. Iino refused because he is tired but he did show interest in taking the RTC Arm Cover from Koroku. Imabayashi decided a tag title match will go ahead between the two teams in Osaka on 23rd September. Iino agreed to it but said he will cancel the match if Koroku loses his Arm Cover before then.

The injury Daisuke Sasaki suffered in yesterday’s KO-D Tag Titles match was revealed to be a fractured rib. MJ Paul replaced him as Hideki Okatani’s partner in the 3 Way Tag Match. When Okatani was held in the Schadenfreude Tower by Chris Brookes & Masada, Yuki Ishida jumped on top to pull off a Dosukoi pose. Masada encouraged all of SCHADENFREUDE International to do a train attack on Naomi Yoshimura but Yoshimura knocked everyone down with Shoulder Blocks one by one. He then grabbed Bunbun and gave him the Coconut Crush, literally knocking the puppet out of its pants! Okatani attacked other wrestlers with his bamboo stick but ended up accidentally hitting Paul with it. Paul then tried to break up Yoshimura pinning Okatani but ended up squashing his partner by mistake. The match then came down to Ishida missing the Dosukoi Splash, giving Brookes & Masada the opportunity to double team him until he was pinned with Masada’s finisher.

If only we knew during the second match what was to come. Hirata was part of a 6-Man Tag Match teaming with KANON & Antonio Honda. This was also the match where Akiyama was placed for losing in yesterday’s main event, teaming with Super Sasadango Machine & Akito. Everyone in the match was still feeling tired from yesterday’s show so Imabayashi promised the winning team would get 3,000 yen as their prize. That fired everyone up to levels above even their normal standard. When Akiyama won the match for his team, they were overjoyed to receive the 3,000 yen.

The wrestlers from D GENERATIONS were put into the opening 8-Man Tag Match. Rukiya and Kazuma Sumi started off while Ilusion would get in To-y’s way when the opportunity presented itself. Ilusion didn’t stop there because he pushed his own tag partner Munetatsu Nakamura off the top rope just so he could do the Missile Dropkick instead. In the end, Koroku used the ropes to give Daichi Sato a Tornado DDT and he then made him submit to a Jumping Armbar, winning his RTC Arm Cover in the process.

Just like yesterday, NωA Jr. members Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi kicked off the show by singing “Going my ωay!!!!! ~You Are Not Alone~” for everyone.

Sanshiro Takagi made an appearance during the show to give everyone an update on his return to the ring. He has been cleared by his doctor to have his official return match at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” on 3rd November and his opponent will be against someone he has never fought before. It will be Hinata Kasai! Takagi congratulated the rookie on debuting yesterday and explained to him that the first match on a show is the second most important bout after the main event. It will be up to them to set the stage for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025”. Kasai asked how can a promising young talent like him lose to an old man who lost his breath from simply getting to the ring? He is going to beat Takagi at Sumo Hall! Backstage Takagi said that while Kasai has the obvious connection with his father Jun Kasai, there is something else about Hinata that draws him in and makes him excited for this match to happen. Kasai meanwhile is looking forward to winning in his Ryogoku debut. Later in a brief interview with Tokyo Sports, Takagi revealed that the actual reason for his absence was because he got diagnosed with angina. However it was detected early and he eventually made a full recovery.

Akito told the reporters some behind the scenes details about this weekend’s shows. “WRESTLE PETER PAN” this year was originally planned to take place as one show in Sumo Hall but the venue was unavailable around this time period due to renovations. He also thanked New Japan for giving them miracles like Zack Sabre Jr. while he is the reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion as well as what is likely to be Tanahashi’s final match in DDT before he retires. Akito couldn’t have imagined things like that happening if it wasn’t for NJPW and President Tanahashi agreeing to it.

DDT announced Kaisei Takechi’s remaining appearances for this year as well as his first booking for 2026. He is already announced for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” on 3rd November. He will also be at the Korakuen Hall shows held on 28th September, 19th October, 21st December and 3rd January.


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1” Results

August 30, 2025

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1”, 30/08/2025
Tokyo Higashin Arena Main Arena
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Hinata Kasai Debut Match: HARASHIMA defeated Hinata Kasai with the Somato (10:24).
2. Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida defeated Soma Takao & Rukiya when Ishida pinned Rukiya with the Flame Palm (6:32).
3. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata and Antonio Honda when Dieno pinned Honda with the Danshoku Driver (9:19).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ilusion, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba defeated Akito, Naomi Yoshimura & Daichi Sato when Ilusion pinned Akito with the Swanton Bomb (12:21).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & Kumadori (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & Kazuma Sumi when MAO pinned Sumi with the Ultra Big Tone (12:11)
6. DDT Extreme Title – Earn Your Own Life!! Pro Wrestling Life Or Death Death Match!: To-y (c) defeated Yuya Koroku by TKO (9:20).
*V2 for To-y.
7. Muscle Sakai 15th Anniversary Of Retirement Match ~ Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Muscle Sakai with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (7:42).
8. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Sabre submitted Masada with the I’ve Mistakely Run To Windsor (19:49).
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani when Naya pinned Sasaki (16:01).
*V2 for The Apex.
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Jun Akiyama with the Claw Pin (17:41).
*V2 for Kazusada Higuchi.

Two days of “WRESTLE PETER PAN” has begun and with it comes the biggest challenge of Kazuzada Higuchi’s reign as KO-D Openweight Champion. There are two title defences scheduled for this weekend, the first of which saw Higuchi face Jun Akiyama in a title rematch from 2021. Akiyama was the defending champion back then and Higuchi had the chance to get revenge on the legend for that match. Akiyama took a page out of Naomi Yoshimura’s book by using the Harai-goshi to break out of the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex. Akiyama got a big blow in with the Jumping Knee Strike but Higuchi kept kicking out of the Exploder Suplex, including the Wrist-Clutch variation. When Higuchi kicked out of the Wrist-Clutch Exploder, he immediately grabbed Akiyama in the Claw and gave him the Claw Slam. Akiyama kicked out of that but Higuchi put him back in the Claw and used all his strength to pin Akiyama to the mat for the three count.

After the match Higuchi thanked Akiyama for the match. He said Akiyama is as strong and fearsome as ever no matter how old he gets. Akiyama told Higuchi not to call him old because he is a role model to everyone out there in their mid-50s. He encouraged Higuchi to do his best in tomorrow’s defence and if he wins, Akiyama will wrap the KO-D Title belt around his waist. Higuchi then called for tomorrow’s challenger Yuki Ueno to come out to the ring. Ueno apologized for being late and talked about the first time he met Higuchi ten years ago. He called Higuchi an incredible champion that DDT can be proud of. Ueno wants to carry the dreams of everyone in DDT along with everyone who loves DDT so he will go all out to win the KO-D Title tomorrow.

A rough KO-D Tag Team Titles match took its toll on one of the competitors. The Apex and DAMNATION T.A took the fight out of the ring where chairs were used as weapons. MJ Paul then brought the chairs into the ring to attack the champions with. Daisuke Sasaki pulled off one of the corner pads but that proved to be a costly mistake when Yuki Iino drove Sasaki back first into the exposed buckle. Sasaki held onto his side after impact and couldn’t get back up. So when Yukio Naya Choke Slammed Hideki Okatani and snapped his bamboo sword in half, he noticed Sasaki was injured and simply pinned him to win the match. DDT later confirmed that Sasaki suffered an injury to his side and will not be wrestling on tomorrow’s show. Paul will take his place in the 3 Way Tag Match. Meanwhile The Apex will now defend the KO-D Tag Titles again tomorrow because their match with HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki now has the belts on the line.

Some New Japan involvement is taking place on both nights of “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. The first show had Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita from TMDK coming over to face Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada from SCHADENFREUDE International. It was a chance for one pair of friends Sabre and Brookes to wrestle each other for the first time in years while the other pair of friends Masada and Fujita got to wrestle each other for the first time ever. Antonio Honda and Bunbun both got in the way when Honda climbed to the top of the Schadenfreude Tower spot while Bunbun gave Sabre a Headbutt! Sabre got revenge by turning the rubber band spot against Brookes (but only when Yukinori Matsui ordered him to let go of the band) and kicking Bunbun out of the ring! Brookes and Sabre later faced off while putting each other’s partner in Octopus Holds next to each other. Later Fujita took out Brookes with a Suicide Dive while Sabre locked Masada in the I’ve Mistakely Run To Windsor submission hold to win the match.

Brookes thanked Sabre for coming to DDT but brought up how Sabre has always been stronger than him in the 18 years they’ve known each other. Sabre mentioned the last time they had a singles match together was seven years ago in Revolution Pro and they haven’t fought one on one in Japan yet. Brookes then brought up the idea of finally doing that match at Sumo Hall for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” on 3rd November! Hisaya Imabayashi asked Sabre if New Japan would be okay with that and he assured them both the company and its president Hiroshi Tanahashi will be fine with the idea. Backstage Sabre said today was so much fun and he’s looking forward to the match featuring the best foreign wrestler in DDT against the best foreign wrestler in NJPW. Fujita said he could feel the pride that DDT wrestlers have for their company. He’d love to fight Masada again in either a New Japan or DDT ring. Masada said if Brookes is going to get a singles match with Sabre, then he would like to get a singles match with Fujita!

Before Muscle Sakai could go out and fight Minoru Suzuki, he decided first to do a PowerPoint Presentation as Super Sasadango Machine to explain why the match was taking place. Sakai originally retired in 2010 to go run the family business in Niigata and his final match was with Suzuki. But in 2012 he got the bug to wrestle again and created the Sasadango gimmick to do it on a local level. The gimmick caught on which led him to working with DDT again more and more then before he knew it, it was like he was a regular again. He heard Suzuki was upset over him breaking his retirement so this match was put together on the 15th anniversary in the hopes that he could clear the air with Suzuki. With that said, the plan to win to the match is for Sakai to hit Minoru Suzuki in the groin.

He also relied on Danshoku Dieno interfering in the match but that only made Suzuki mad. It was all part of the plan though because soon several wrestlers wearing Sasadango masks all entered the ring so Sakai could hide among them. Except they all wore different clothes and Suzuki could easily tell which one was Sakai. He put Sakai in the Sleeper Hold but intentionally stopped him from giving up. Sakai briefly turned the tables with a Low Blow and a few nearfalls but Suzuki blocked the Lehmann Shock, twisted the mask over Sakai’s head backwards to blind him and then gave him the Gotch-Style Piledriver for the win. Suzuki continued to attack him after the match, chasing him backstage with a chair. Suzuki then told reporters he accepts Sakai’s return to wrestling on the condition that Sakai fights him in 100 consecutive matches! He then mocked DDT fans for expecting MAO to beat him for the DDT Universal Title tomorrow. Sakai tried to save face by acting like he was able to push Suzuki to his breaking point today and he is the only one in DDT who was ever able to do so. He also said that since Sasadango debuted in 2012 that means he is part of Konosuke Takeshita’s generation. That generation will lead the pro wrestling industry and he will be part of it!

Life Points were the name of the game for this DDT Extreme Title defence. In the weeks leading up to the match To-y and Yuya Koroku went to social media to try and go viral. For every post they made that made at least 10,000 impressions they would receive one Life Point. Then when they wrestled today the goal was to reduce the opponent’s LP to zero. Points were lost for every pin count, rope break, giving up to a submission hold and getting thrown out of the ring. Leaving the ring also counted towards this as proven when Koroku threw money to the floor and To-y ran out to get it, losing a point. When the match began To-y had 23 LP while Koroku had 20 LP. Koroku quickly used some Cradles to whittle down To-y’s LP so To-y resorted to constantly throwing Koroku in and out of the ring from the floor to do the same. More cradles led to points getting lost until To-y won by using the Kojima Impact for a two count, removing Koroku’s two final points.

It turned out both wrestlers enjoyed the match and had fun fighting each other. To-y said he was glad he didn’t give up because he knows lots of fun still awaits for him in the future. But when he was about to praise Koroku, he was suddenly attacked from behind by Ilusion! He quickly declared himself the next challenger and To-y has no reason to turn him down. If he does decline then Ilusion will beat him up and the footage will be seen all over the world! To-y said there was no reason for Ilusion to ambush him, he could have just challenged normally and To-y would have accepted. Imabayashi confirmed the title match will happen in Sapporo on 14th September. Backstage To-y and Koroku talked about how they are always there for each other to solve their problems together so maybe the time is now for them to start teaming up? Meanwhile Ilsuion talked about how belt collecting became his recent hobby and the purple Extreme Title belt will suit him. He is going to save the title after he found out To-y went gambling with it!

Kumadori and the Strange Love Connection had big entrances for their match. Kumadori performed a dance along with the rest of O-MENZ while MAO & KANON had KIMIHIRO rap them down to the ring. The trio proved to be in sync with each other because they went on to beat Ueno, Aoki & Kazuma Sumi. Kumadori landed a Tornillo Press on Sumi while MAO followed it up with the Hollywood Star Press. Ueno broke the pin and took out KANON with a Plancha but the match returned to MAO against Sumi. MAO ended up using his AI finisher the Ultra Big Tone to pin Sumi. KANON said everyone on their team had the same vibe today because SLC became a little more street style to match with O-MENZ. Well, MAO said he was his usual self but he didn’t like wearing Calvin Klein underwear because that’s not a street brand. KANON promised to get a different brand next time. MAO also said Kumadori might start wrestling on a regular basis soon and could be appearing on DDT’s regional shows as well as the big events. Ueno told Sumi that he should start acting braver so Sumi said he is willing to fight Kumadori more and more to prove he is better and more popular than him!

DAMNATION T.A brought “The Monster” back to DDT and he was again a force to be reckoned with. Haruto Sakuraba proved to be a big challenge for Naomi Yoshimura to try and overcome. Chops and Lariats couldn’t knock Sakuraba off his feet but Yoshimura was able to throw him down with the Harai-goshi. However Ilusion did damage to Akito & Daichi Sato by giving them Low Blows and Sakuraba came back to cause more pain for the opponents. It resulted in DAMNATION T.A picking up the win with Ilusion claiming that nobody can stand a chance against Sakuraba! He’ll be back anytime he is called upon which is good because Sato wants to fight him!

Dieno has a very important match against Tanahashi coming up tomorrow so the last thing DDT needs was for him to get hurt somehow. Imabayashi told the participants of the 3 Way Match to take things likely in order to ensure Dieno will be 100% for tomorrow’s match. He even told Dieno he didn’t have to do anything and should just let the other two fight each other as if it was a singles bout. Dieno wanted to take part in the match but Imabayashi kept trying to stop him. He eventually got fed up and grabbed the microphone to say even if he got injured right now and the Tanahashi match got cancelled, he would not regret it because he lives for today! Imabayashi understood and allowed the match to continue as a 3 Way. He stayed involved anyway and gave Kazuki Hirata a Stunner. Honda used Dieno’s Hell Gate to charge up Gongitsune and poked Imabayashi in the eyes with it. But Dieno blocked the Shining Gongitsune and gave Honda the Danshoku Driver for the win. Afterwards Dieno said that unless he has an accident while taking his pet dog Haku out on a walk, his match with Tanahashi will absolutely happen tomorrow. This will be his last chance to beat Tanahashi before Tanahashi retires and he is going to grab the opportunity!

In Match #2 Shinichiro Kawamatsu got to hit Soma Takao with the Axe Bomber that was passed down to him by the late Hulk Hogan. After that Yuki Ishida hit Rukiya with the Flame Palm to win the match for his team.

The first match of the show was Hinata Kasai’s debut match. He is the son of Jun Kasai and was pitted against HARASHIMA for his first bout. Kasai got off the blocks early with an Arm Lock, Chops and a Missile Dropkick. HARASHIMA took control with Middle Kicks and the Falcon Arrow but Kasai caught one of the kicks and knocked HARASHIMA back with a punch. HARASHIMA held him down with a Crab Hold after that and then pinned him with the Somato. Backstage Kasai said there were times he considered quitting during his training but he is glad he didn’t. The thoughts of his first win, his first championship or when he achieves his dreams all excite him so he wants to continue being a pro wrestler. HARASHIMA said one of the things that makes him happy to have wrestled for so long is he gets to have matches with people he has known since they were a child. He noticed Kasai does not have much skill but he does have passion so he looks forward to seeing what he does in the future.

The show began with two members of NωA Jr. performing a song for everyone. Shunma Katsumata and Kazuma Sumi went out there to sing “Going my ωay!!!!! ~You Are Not Alone~” to welcome the fans to the big weekend of shows.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “HOLY LIGHT RANBU ~KYOTO GLASS CHAPTER~” Results

August 30, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “HOLY LIGHT RANBU ~KYOTO GLASS CHAPTER~”, 30/08/2025
Kyoto KBS Hall
281 Fans

1. Yuki Aino defeated Ren Konatsu with the Full Nelson Of Love And Fire (7:00).
2. Hyper Misao defeated Raku with the Hypami Returns (10:34).
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Suzume pinned Kiryu with the Ring A Bell (7:39).
4. Rika Tatsumi defeated Chika Nanase with the Sliding Hip Lock (9:31).
5. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Shoko Nakajima & Uta Takami when Uehara pinned Takami with a Modified Facebuster (10:38).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami defeated Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida when Yamashita pinned Ashida with the Attitude Adjustment (12:53).
7. Mizuki, Haru Kazashiro & Toga defeated Miu Watanabe, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki when Mizuki pinned Suzuki with the Cutie Special (13:16).

First blood goes to Mizuki. Her team beat Miu Watanabe’s team in a warm up match for “WRESTLE PRINCESS VI” happening next month. Mizuki said she couldn’t have won the match by herself and thanked her partners for teaming with her today. Both Haru Kazashiro & Toga were really happy because they got to wrestle in KBS Hall for the first time today after their previous opportunities went by the wayside for one reason or another. They said Mizuki really was like a princess today but Mizuki pointed out that she herself noticed how much more princess-like Watanabe was today. She’ll leave it up to others to decide if Watanabe is a monster or not. Backstage Watanabe encouraged HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki by telling them everyone in Tokyo Joshi Pro is a princess, she just happens to be the No. 1 princess of the summer.

A homecoming for the Kyoto Tag pair of Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida didn’t go according to plan. Kaya Toribami got rid of Arai with a Rolling Senton from the second rope while Miyu Yamashita pinned Ashida with the Attitude Adjustment. Arai said it’s been two years since Tokyo Joshi Pro was last in Kyoto and in the meantime she found a new friend in Ashida. She takes the blame for not being there to stop the pin. Ashida told her she wants to get really strong so they will have an even better triumphant return next time.

Wakana Uehara used a new Modified Facebuster move to win the match for Ober Eats. She was asked by Yuki Kamifuku if the move has a name yet? Uehara told her she’s thinking really hard to come up with one. Kamifuku also can’t get over how young Uta Takami is. She was born in 2007, the same year the first iPhone came out! Shoko Nakajima sees potential in Takami and is considering transforming her into TJPW’s ultimate weapon!

When Raku made her entrance to the ring carrying a futon, Hyper Misao hatched a plan. She cannot be sent to sleep by Raku’s lullaby if she is already sleeping! So she stuffed a pillow into her cape and used it to take a nap in the ring, putting Raku in the position she usually leaves her opponent in. Misao rolled her up when Raku dropped her guard but she was able to kick out. Raku then wrapped Misao up in the futon and taped it closed before bringing her out of the ring over to the stained glass window. She sang Misao to sleep and returned back to the ring hoping for a countout ring but Shoko Nakajima sprayed Misao in the face to wake her up and Misao got back to the ring in time.


Wrestle Peter Pan 2025 Press Conference

August 29, 2025

I don’t have the time to write up full previews for this weekend’s “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” shows but there was a press conference held during the week where several wrestlers talked about their matches.

The current Right To Challenge Arm Cover holders going into the weekend are Kazuki Hirata (Yellow), Daichi Sato (Green), Hideki Okatani (Blue) and Soma Takao (Red).

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1”, 30/08/2025
Tokyo Higashin Arena Main Arena

1. Hinata Kasai Debut Match: HARASHIMA Vs Hinata Kasai
2. Soma Takao & Rukiya Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida
3. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ilusion, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba Vs Akito, Naomi Yoshimura & Daichi Sato
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & Kazuma Sumi Vs MAO, KANON & Kumadori (w/ KIMIHIRO)
6. DDT Extreme Title – Earn Your Own Life!! Pro Wrestling Life Or Death Death Match!: To-y (c) Vs Yuya Koroku
7. Muscle Sakai 15th Anniversary Of Retirement Match ~ Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Muscle Sakai
8. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Jun Akiyama

There are two KO-D Openweight Title matches guaranteed to happen this weekend with the first day going to Kazusada Higuchi defending the belt against Jun Akiyama. The challenger said it’s been four years since he last attended a press conference for a big event in this position and he’s excited to be competing at the highest level again. He aims to win the title without getting injured so he can have a good match with Yuki Ueno the next day. He would have wanted to be Higuchi’s first challenger but HARASHIMA beat him to the punch. When Akiyama saw how hard HARASHIMA worked in the match it motivated him to get next in line for a title shot before anyone else.

Higuchi talked about challenging Akiyama for the title four years ago and losing. It remains the most frustrating time of his wrestling career but time has passed long enough for him to develop respect for Akiyama. It is with that respect that he will beat him this time. He also hasn’t put any thought towards any Right To Challenge title shots getting cashed in on him. What motivates Higuchi right now is to make it to Sumo Hall on 3rd November as the KO-D Champion because he never got to have a title defence there during his previous reign.

When Muscle Sakai originally retired after wrestling Minoru Suzuki 15 years ago, Suzuki thought Sakai completely disappeared from the industry. So when he discovered that Sakai quietly returned to the business as Super Sasadango Machine, he decided he will make him pay for going back on his decision to retire! If you get Minoru Suzuki as your final opponent you should never take your decision to retire lightly.

The result of the KO-D Tag Team Titles match on Day 1 will have an effect on Day 2’s card. If The Apex successfully defend the tag titles against DAMNATION T.A then their match against HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki the next day will also be a title match. But if Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani win the titles then they will defend the belts on Day 2 in the 3 Way Tag Match. Sasaki said all that Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya are good for is being big. They aren’t funny, the tag belts don’t suit them and they’re both too ugly. Iino said he can’t tell if Sasaki is ugly or not because he covers 80% of his face with his sunglasses.

At the time when the press conference took place To-y had 15 life points and Yuya Koroku had 14 for their DDT Extreme Title match. Social media numbers are what determine how many Life Points they can get before the match starts. Life Points will be lost in the match after every One Count in a pin, every time someone gives up, every rope break and every time someone is thrown out of the ring. First wrestler to reduce their opponent’s Life Points to zero will be the winner. To-y admits he needed help in his previous title matches and has no shame in admitting he will continue to rely on the help of others from now on. If he can get 100 Life Points before the match begins then he thinks he will can win easily. One of the things Koroku did to prepare for this match is meet up with Animal Hamaguchi at the gym he trained at before going to DDT. The rules of the actual wrestling isn’t any different from a normal match so Koroku thinks he just has to avoid getting pinned while he whittles down To-y’s LP to zero.

The debuting Hinata Kasai wasn’t at the press conference but did an interview online to talk more about himself. His favorite wrestlers are CM Punk and Ric Flair because he loves American wrestling of all shapes and sizes. He wants to be the kind of wrestler who leaves an impact that people will never forget once they see him. It was Sanshiro Takagi’s idea to debut Kasai while he is still a college student because a debut match in a big building like Higashin Arena would draw a lot of attention. Kasai admits he currently does not have a lot of skill and is more of a clumsy type but what sets him apart from others is his mentality. He wants his debut match to stir the audience’s emotions with all of the passion and feelings he has held for pro wrestling ever since he was a child. He would like it if his goal was to win the KO-D Title but he thinks he should win support from the fans and trust from the company first to build himself up to that goal.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 2”, 31/08/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. D GENERATIONS Special 8-Man Tag Match: To-y, Daichi Sato, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai Vs Ilusion, Yuya Koroku, Munetatsu Nakamura & Yuki Ishida
2. Loser Of 30/08 KO-D Title Match, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito Vs KANON, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda (w/ KIMIHIRO)
3. Special 3-Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
5. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs MAO
6. Double Main Event I ~ Dramatic Dream Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs Danshoku Dieno
7. Double Main Event II ~ KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) or Jun Akiyama Vs Yuki Ueno

Ueno cannot predict who he will be facing for the KO-D Title on Day 2. He thinks he has made progress during his time without the championship and he’s been watching Konosuke Takeshita win the G1 Climax. If Ueno becomes champion again he does not want to compare himself to others. He would rather focus on raising DDT and one way to do that is to wrestle Takeshita when both are at the height of their powers! He’ll have to beat either Higuchi or Akiyama to move that plan forward. He knows he’ll have the stamina advantage going into the match because his opponent won’t even have 24 hours to rest after Day 1’s main event ends.

It took Minoru Suzuki becoming the DDT Universal Champion to make MAO feel it is time for him to win the title back for a fourth time. He cannot help but get excited over the thought of beating Suzuki for the belt in front of a packed Korakuen Hall. It’s all he can see in his mind right now. He even said it doesn’t matter if the win is clean or dirty, he will beat Suzuki doing whatever it takes! Suzuki is also looking forward to the match because he’s been wanting to fight MAO ever since they first met. With that being said he’s not here to play around. He’s going to kill MAO!

Matches #3 and #4 may swap places on the card depending on who wins the KO-D Tag Titles on Day 1. The tag title match will be placed as the 4th match. Iino approves of the idea because he wants The Apex to rack up title defences. Sasaki complained he will be too busy celebrating the title victory on Day 1 to defend it on Day 2.


Video – Akiyama Vs Higuchi For The KO-D Title From 2021

August 29, 2025


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2021 ~DDT 24TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 28/03/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
669 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

7. KO-D Openweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi


IP Title Vacated, New Champ To Be Crowned At Wrestle Princess VI

August 28, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “HOLY LIGHT RANBU ~KYOTO GLASS CHAPTER~”, 30/08/2025
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. Yuki Aino Vs Ren Konatsu
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Chika Nanase
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu
4. Hyper Misao Vs Raku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Uta Takami Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
6. Mizuki, Haru Kazashiro & Toga Vs Miu Watanabe, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
7. Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida

On the undercard Daisy Monkey are back together for a tag match.

Kira Summer won’t be at the show because she will be wrestling in Malaysia that day.

DDT “DDT ASAKUSA-KAI PRESENTS EDO NO NAKAMISE FIGHTING”, 02/09/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

0. Dark Match – Nariagari Offer Match: X Vs X
1. Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs Rukiya & Hinata Kasai
2. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
3. Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Akito Vs Jun Akiyama, Soma Takao & Daichi Sato
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
5. Yuki Ueno’s Birthday Celebration Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kazuma Sumi Vs MAO, KANON & Yoshihiko (w/ KIMIHIRO)
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Satoshi Kojima, Antonio Honda & Yuya Koroku

It wasn’t hyped up this way when the match was announced but this show is happening on the day after Yuki Ueno’s birthday. So let’s turn his match into a celebration!

A dark match is being presented by the Nariagari amateur group. Danshoku Dieno is still involved with them and recently introduced Narigari Dream Championships into the promotion. The first champions won’t be crowned until 23rd September but maybe some of the wrestlers taking part in the DDT show will end up becoming the first title holders.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GIRL 6 ~FEMALE FANS ONLY~”, 07/09/2025
Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Miu Watanabe Vs Ren Konatsu
3. Mizuki Vs Uta Takami
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Kira Summer & Chika Nanase
5. Hyper Misao, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida
7. Shoko Nakajima & Haru Kazashiro Vs Miyu Yamashita & Toga

The Tokyo Joshi Pro double header in Kitazawa begins with the next “GO GIRL” show. With Maki Itoh now gone from TJPW, Miyu Yamashita is spending this month teaming with multiple different tag partners. Also Ober Eats take on the Kyoto Tag to prepare themselves for their upcoming Princess Tag Team Titles shot.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN VICTORY IN KITAZAWA”, 07/09/2025
Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
2. Yuna Manase & Toga Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kira Summer

Yuna Manase enjoyed wrestling Toga so much last weekend that she now wants to team up with her. Also in this match Toga will now face Yamashita after teaming up with her earlier in the day. Kira Summer will be on Yamashita’s side this time.

It’s a champions versus challengers preview of “WRESTLE PRINCESS VI”! The champs Mizuki & Kyoraku Kyomei take on their challengers Miu Watanabe & Ober Eats.

There will be a total of 7 matches happening on this show.

DDT “KIRANAH BBQ ROJO PRO WRESTLING 2025 ~ MEAT! BEER! HARVEST FESTIVAL!~”, 17/09/2025
Tokyo Kiranah Garden Toyosu

1. Falls Count Anywhere 5 Way Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Ueno & Kazuma Sumi

Five teams are getting smushed together for a BBQ. At the time of writing two of the wrestlers involved, Kazuki Hirata and Daichi Sato, are holding a Right To Challenger Arm Cover.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS VI”, 20/09/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. International Princess Title Match: Arisu Endo Vs Jada Stone
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) V Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

Unfortunately Moka Miyamoto will continue to be absent from wrestling for a while so today she made the decision to vacate the International Princess Title. A new champion will be crowned at “WRESTLE PRINCESS VI” when Arisu Endo faces Jada Stone in a decision match. Endo is coming off of fighting in the Tokyo Princess Cup final while Stone has twice fought for the IP Title this year, both times against Endo’s partner Suzume when she was the champion.


Video – DDT “EMERGENCY ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN NARAHA TOWN SUMMER FESTIVAL 2025”

August 28, 2025


DDT “EMERGENCY ROJO PRO WRESTLING FOR THE NARAHA TOWN IMMIGRATION AMBASSADOR IN NARAHA TOWN SUMMER FESTIVAL 2025”, 26/07/2025
Fukushima Naraha Town Tenjinmisaki Sports Park
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Takeshi Masada, Yuki Ishida & Yoshihiko (w/ Yuzutaro)


Maki Itoh’s Contract With TJPW Expires

August 26, 2025

It was announced today that Maki Itoh’s contract with Tokyo Joshi Pro had expired on 23rd August and after much discussions between the two sides, her contract was not renewed. Therefore the match she had on Saturday was her last appearance in TJPW. Itoh wrote two comments about the news, one in Japanese and one in English. Her Japanese comment includes mention of the first time she gave Sanshiro Takagi a headbutt during an Idol Lumberjack Death Match in DDT back in 2013 that started this entire journey. Below is the comment she wrote in English.

“With the Korakuen Hall show on August 23, 2025, my contract with TJPW has come to and end.

Back when I was struggling as an idol, it was Takagi who discovered me.

I wasn’t good at singing or dancing, and I was never that popular – but the one thing I was ever praised for was pro wrestling.

Thanks to TJPW, I was able to spend 8 years and 7 months growing and living alongside this company.

It’s all because of TJPW and everyone I’ve met along the way.

I’ll continue wrestling, so I’m sure we’ll meet again somewhere down the road!

I’ll never forget the gratitude I feel toward everyone who has supported me, and I’ll keep treasuring the experience and knowledge I gainsed here as I move forward.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you fuck you all!”

———————————————————————–

I should have known something was up after Itoh’s match on Saturday when she lost clean to Yuki Arai in what was only their second ever singles match together. In TJPW it is uncommon for a kohai to beat their senpai in their second attempt but given how hard Arai is pushed I figured this was an exception to the rule. That made me ignore all of the other red flags that were raised. Miyu Yamashita looked upset while she helped Itoh walk to the back. Then Itoh’s post-match comments backstage was very brief. All she said was she gave it her all and everyone should be able to think for themselves. That kind of short but ominous promo after a big loss is usually the act of somebody who is about to leave the territory. The other big sign that completely went over my head was the pinky swear Itoh gave Arai instead of the middle finger. I didn’t realise this until I came across this tweet. When was the last time Itoh offered a pinky swear to someone? To Natsumi Maki after one of Maki’s final TJPW matches before she left to become Natsupoi in Stardom.

As for the actual news, it is an end that fans have been expecting for quite some time. Like for the last two or three years Itoh would spend good chunks of the year wrestling in North America and Europe instead of Japan. It meant whenever she was back in Japan she was mostly directionless wrestling in TJPW. Other than setting up 121000000 with Yamashita to take over the tag team division for a while, she never reached the same heights of 2021. Which brings me to explain something that Itoh’s biggest supporters never wanted to hear. Itoh “finished her story” in TJPW when she won the 2021 Tokyo Princess Cup. That was the end of her character arc. Even in the company canon that tournament victory was presented as the happy ending for her wrestling career because she finally found success under her own abilities. Everything afterwards is her either living “Happily Ever After” in Japan or adapting the Rated R remake of her gimmick in America. So for those who wished and waited for the day Itoh would win the Princess Of Princess Title, it was never going to happen barring any emergency decisions over injuries.

And it’s her success in America that probably led to this news becoming a reality. She has never kept it secret in English language interviews that she would love to sign a deal with one of the major American wrestling companies. It is also assumed by everyone by this point that the money she made overseas is more than what she makes with TJPW in Japan even if it’s just because of the Yen becoming weak against other currencies. According to TJPW’s side of the story they couldn’t come to terms with Itoh over a new deal and decided to part ways with her. In the immediate aftermath we’re seeing a lot of people like Takagi and the TJPW roster publicly wishing her the best and saying how much they will miss her. So at least on the surface this split doesn’t seem to have created any bad blood between the two sides. Time will tell that story.

So what now for Itoh’s future? She will continue to wrestle and since her departure is over a contract expiration, the word “graduation” was never used to describe what’s going on. More international bookings is the obvious answer. Her last tour was cancelled but the only bookings announced were two GCW shows that took place the same weekend that her contract expired. The timing of that explains why it got cancelled in order to give Itoh some kind of farewell match in TJPW. She has a booking in Italy happening this November and Yamashita will be there too. The promoters SAJ Wrestling are advertising that it will be her only European appearance but didn’t specify for what period of time.

Something that also caught my eye while digging into this story is Itoh has a booking with Kyushu Pro happening on 19th October in her hometown of Ogori City, Fukuoka. This was announced on 14th August and she was listed as a TJPW wrestler in the show’s marketing. This might just be a coincidence given how close the event is happening to Itoh’s home. But as former TJPW talent like Yuu, Sayaka Unagi and Marika Kobashi have shown there is a massive collection of indies out there in Japan to get bookings for even if they get way more obscure the further you move away from Tokyo.

But what if Itoh has eyes on getting to stages bigger than TJPW? Does she have a route that can lead her to Stardom, Marigold or some of the other known joshi promotions? AEW has ignored her for years now but if they eventually saw the light to sign Yamashita to a some kind of deal then there might always be that chance Itoh gets the call, even if it’s just for a one night ROH appearance. As for WWE they keep going back and forth over what kind of talent scouting they want to prioritize. They would get brownie points online for signing Itoh to even just a WWE ID deal but what is that worth really? A bunch of blue tick accounts pretending to know Itoh’s career highlights along with a new entrance song being produced by Def Rebel? Come on, she’s worth more than that.

One thing I want to end on is another story of timing. The same day Itoh has her last TJPW match was when we found out about Yamashita’s new leadership role that supposedly makes her now fully committed to the company. Yamashita is another person who it has been argued has grown out of TJPW and could go off to do other things. But while Itoh is now out of the company, Yamashita has taken the opposite path and will become even more entrenched, maybe even planting seeds to one day take on bigger management roles behind the scenes just like how Akito did it in DDT. I can’t help but wonder if such an opportunity could have ever been on the table for Itoh given her own seniority with the promotion. That probably isn’t her style though. Making money is what she wants and if TJPW couldn’t give that to her, that’s their problem. And it might be a bit alarming if it is their problem.


GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE 10TH ANNIVERSARY – IT’S A SUMMER FILM 2025” Results

August 26, 2025

GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE 10TH ANNIVERSARY – IT’S A SUMMER FILM 2025”, 26/08/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
707 Fans

1. Sentaro Motoshima Debut Match: Rukiya, Kazumasa Yoshida & Takeru Inoue defeated Munetatsu Nakamura, Shota Kawakami & Sentaro Motoshima when Yoshida submitted Motoshima with a Crab Hold (11:29).
2. Yuna Manase & YuuRI defeated Moeka Haruhi & Hanako Nakamori when YuuRI pinned Haruhi with the Swanton Bomb (7:48).
3. GanPro Vs FREEDOMS: Takashi Sasaki, Toru Sugiura & Dragon Libre defeated Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga when Sugiura pinne Tominaga with the Swift Driver (8:26).
4. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Takuya Wada defeated Fuminori Abe, MAO & Tyson Maeguchi when Ishii pinned Maeguchi with the High-Angle Double Arm DDT (9:12).
5. Double Main Event I ~ Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Masaaki Mochizuki defeated Yumehito Imanari (c) with a Dragon Suplex (12:49).
*Yumehito Imanari fails in V6. Masaaki Mochizuki becomes the 9th Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Champion!
6. Double Main Event II ~ Mizuki Watase 10th Anniversary Match – Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Jun Kasai defeated Mizuki Watase with the Cross-Arm Stimulation (19:24).

To celebrate ten years of being a pro wrestler Mizuki Watase dared to challenge Jun Kasai to a Lighttube Death Match. The reason for this was in 2016 Watase challenged Kasai to a Hardcore match at a DNA show and in the aftermath Watase wanted to challenge Kasai to a rematch with death match rules! The two lived up to their promise and Kasai quipped about how these matches aren’t easy while he was cutting up Watase with the lighttubes. He also dug some skewers into Watase’s head then sat down on a chair asking Watase to give the fans something exciting to watch. Watase then dug a bunch of skewers into Kasai’s head. Watase kicked out of the Pearl Harbor Splash as well as a Headbutt through lighttubes and also the Reverse Tiger Driver. Kasai had to pull out the Cross-Arm Stimulation Piledriver to finally get the three count on Watase.

After the match Kasai told fans the story about their DNA match. At the time he turned down the rematch because he didn’t want to see a young wrestler like Watase rush through his life. But Kasai is 50 now and is hitting his ceiling. He completely forgot about the death match request until Watase approached him to remind him of it. It impressed Kasai that Watase remembered it in a world where there are people who easily break promises to others. Since 23rd August is the anniversary of Watase’s pro wrestling debut, Kasai declared that 26th August will become the anniversary of Watase’s death match debut! When Watase heard that he quickly came up with a request to wrestle at the FREEDOMS show in Korakuen Hall happening in two days time. His request was accepted so Watase then called over to Michiyoshi Mishima and asked him to get Ganbare☆Pro four dates at Korakuen for next year instead of just three. Watase closed the show telling everyone that so many people had helped him in his first ten years. With the start of his eleventh year it is now his turn to help others.

Yumehito Imanari’s reign as Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion has come to an end at the hands of Masaaki Mochizuki. Everything that worked for Imanari in his recent matches from Lariats to Tiger Drivers to Lou Thesz Presses couldn’t put the Dragongate wrestler away. He was able to kick out of the Twister at one but and also block the Triangle Kick with a Lariat but a missed charge led to Mochizuki pinning Imanari with a Dragon Suplex. Mochizuki said he expected to win more easily but he understands how carrying the weight of a promotion on your shoulders makes you stronger. He then said as the new champion he is open to any challenge but he already has a first opponent in mind, Shuichiro Katsumura! However when Katsumura accepted the challenge, Ken Ohka entered the ring pleading to challenge Mochizuki first. Mochizuki called him stupid because he already beat Ohka back in April. He then said out loud that Ohka would at least need to beat Katsumura first to be considered for a title shot. Ohka took that statement to heart and said he will fight Katsumura and the winner will become Mochizuki’s first challenger!

The GanPro and FREEDOMS teams kept brawling with each other after Match #3 ended. That included Yuna Manase who was at ringside as GanPro’s flag bearer.

The debuting rookie Sentaro Motoshima is feeling nothing but regret over how his first match went. He knew he had a high wall to climb but he wanted to win and instead he tapped out to a Crab Hold. But he has an image of what kind of pro wrestler he wants to be. Since Munetatsu Nakamura and Shota Kawakami use flashy moves, Motoshima wants to go the opposite direction and wrestle a strong style similar to Riki Choshu or Genichiro Tenryu.