TJPW Homecoming And USA Matches, Watase Vs Ishii: The Korakuen Rematch

March 31, 2026

DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Something With To-y & Kazuki Hirata: To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army!: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Nise Daisuke Sasaki A, Nise Daisuke Sasaki B & Deka Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA

Nothing about tomorrow’s show can be revealed until April Fools Day in Japan has ended. What we do know is there will be more matches happening than what is announced above.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “HOME CHEER HOME ~MIFU ASHIDA HOMECOMING SHOW~”, 04/04/2026
Kyoto Fukuchiyama City Sandanike Park General Gymnasium

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

The big homecoming show for Mifu Ashida is also Yuki Arai’s first appearance as the new Princess Of Princess Champion. The Kyoto Tag will be fighting this year’s Max Heart Tournament finalists Mizuki & Uta Takami in the main event.

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki

For Harimao’s last match, the rapper BIG MOOLA will be at the show performing their entrance song live.

GANBARE☆PRO “NEON DEMON 2026”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Yuki Mashiro & Konomi Hori
2. Ken Ohka, Guts Ishijima & Banana Senga Vs Yumehito Imanari, Fuminori Abe & Shota Kawakami
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Sentaro Motoshima Vs Takuya Wada & Ryuma Sekimo
4. Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Tyson Maeguchi
5. Mizuki Watase & X Vs Keisuke Ishii & X

Champion and challenger for the next Spirit Of Ganbare World Title will get to choose tag partners for a preview match coming up first.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2026 ~NEXT DOOR~ IN FUKUOKA”, 05/04/2026
Acros Fukuoka Event Hall

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

For Miyu Yamashita’s homecoming show she will be teaming up with Shoko Nakajima, which is a rare occurrence between the two in the last few years. Arai & Toga will be their opponents for this special team up.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “POKAPOKA SPRING PRO WRESTLING IN UENO”, 08/04/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. International Princess Title Next Challenger Determination 5 Way Match: HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki Vs Haru Kazashiro Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Uta Takami

The next International Princess Title match will take place in America but the next contender for after that will be determined before Tokyo Joshi Pro heads off to Las Vegas. A 5 Way Match is going to pit HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki, Haru Kazashiro, Mifu Ashida and Uta Takami all against each other with a big spot on the Golden Week show on the line.

DDT “O HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2026 ~BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING BEGINS AGAIN THIS YEAR~”, 09/04/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Jun Akiyama, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Masami Inahata Vs Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida & Hinata Kasai
2. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
3. 4 Way Match ~ Junta Miyawaki’s First Beer Garden Pro Wrestling: MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Antonio Honda Vs Junta Miyawaki V To-y
4. Special Tag Match ~ Yuni University Entrance Commemorative Match: Shunma Katsumata & Yuni Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku
6. KING OF DRUNK 2026 Opening Round: Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs KANON Vs Yuki Iino Vs Rukiya

Beer Garden not only brings back the King Of Drunk tournament for another year but there is also a Nautilus reunion happening on the show too! Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura will be properly teaming up for the first time since 2020. There’s been a multi-man match or two when they’ve been on the same side but an honest to God Nautilus match you’ll have to go back five and a half year or so to find the last one.

They grow up so fast. Yuni is becoming a college student but is still too young to legally drink so it’s a bit mean of DDT to have this match happen at a Beer Garden show. At least Junta Miyawaki is allowed to take part in the fun for his first Beer Garden show. Masami Inahata too, I think.

BASARA “BASARA 305 ~OSAKA HARUNO-JIN SUMINOE~”, 12/04/2026
Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Takeru Inoue Vs Daichi Kazato
2. FUMA, Ryuichi Sekine & Kohei Kinoshita Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Daiki Shimomura & Banana Senga
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Gouma Ryu & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano
4. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Isami Kodaka
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken

It was only back in January when SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken challenged for the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles. They lost the match and had a crisis of confidence but quickly patched themselves up. When Aijin Tag won the titles, the Super Family pair jumped at the chance to ask for another shot. They’re being rewarded for being so bold but it may just be that Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino see them as an easy first defence.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod

All three new champions coming out of Sumo Hall will be making their first defences at the Las Vegas show. It was already announced that J-Rod would get the Princess Title shot but instead of getting a rematch with Miu Watanabe, it will now be a first time singles match against Yuki Arai. J-Rod sent a message saying pro wrestling is not a fairy tale and she is ready to become the first American Princess Of Princess Champion on her own home soil. There is a chance that Arai and J-Rod will get a preliminary tag match against each other at one of the Vancouver shows but Tetsuya Koda has not made his decision yet.

Kyoraku Kyomei will be The IInspiration’s first challengers for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Both Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao like to gamble big whenever they visit Vegas. They also took it upon themselves to get the brand new tag title belts back in TJPW’s hands. Unfortunately Misao cannot confirm if there will be Dramatic Hypami bike in Las Vegas after the one in Texas fell apart. Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee showed concern for the roster after hearing the wrestlers had a troublesome trip back home to Japan from the Texas tour. However, they claim they were able to win the titles on just three hours sleep so how will Kyoraku Kyomei fare against them when they have the full eight hours in America?

Before Suzume can make it to Golden Week, she must survive fighting the ninja Sakura Hattori under the bright lights of Vegas! Hattori handed Suzume a scroll at Sumo Hall to tell her she wanted a title shot. Another scroll has since been sent telling Suzume to be prepared because Hattori is targeting her and can take the IP Title away in an instant! As we get towards the match, Hattori is sprinting through a singles match winning streak that’s been going on ever since her gimmick switch.

GANBARE☆PRO “HATAAGE 13TH ANNIVERSARY – MAD MAX 2026”, 29/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. PSYCHO & Yuya Susumu Vs Shota Kawakami & Sentaro Motoshima
2. Moeka Haruhi Vs Ram Kaichow
3. YuuRI Vs Utami Hayashihita
4. Ken Ohka 25th Anniversary Match: Ken Ohka & Guts Ishijima Vs Masaaki Mochizuki & Ryota Nakatsu
5. Minoru Suzuki & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Hideki “Shrek” Sekine & Akira Shoji
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga (c) Vs Takuya Wada & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

All of a sudden Ganbare☆Pro has a Korakuen Hall main event rematch that is three years in the making. Back in Mizuki Watase’s first reign as Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion he defeated Keisuke Ishii that was highly praised by those who took the time to watch it. Ishii won a No. 1 Contender tournament to set up the rematch and Watase wants it to be an even better fight than the first one!

Both Takuya Wada & Tyson Maeguchi have held the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles in the past. In fact, Maeguchi was one of the first champions and Wada was one of the second champions. Together they might be the team that can beat Touchable for the belts. That would mean a lot to Maeguchi in particular because the physical championship belts did not exist when he was supposed to hold them.

I get how Minoru Suzuki & Shuichiro Katsumura against Hideki “Shrek” Sekine & Akira Shoji is meant to be the shooter match but I feel like this is going to be a coin flip over if it will be good or not.

All of these comedy matches Moeka Haruhi has been doing lately has lead her to this. She now has to face the Triple Six queen herself Ram Kaichow!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’26”, 04/05/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Winner Of 5 Way Match

Suzume is noticing that many wrestlers in TJPW have been growing stronger lately, many of whom she hasn’t defend the title against before. She thinks there will definitely be plenty of first time matchups happening during this title reign.


Uesaka Declares War On Antonio, Max Title Match Under The Sakura Blossoms

March 26, 2026

BASARA “BASARA 303 ~UTAGE~”, 27/03/2026
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takeru Inoue Vs Kaji Tomato
2. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Ayato Yoshida Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs FUMA & Judomaster
4. Daichi Kazato, Tsutomu Oosugi & Shuji Ishikawa Vs SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Minoru Fujita
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino

Before the busy weekend begins, there’s a BASARA show to get through first.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”, 29/03/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Uta Takami Vs Shion Kanzaki
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Antonio Honda (c) Vs Sumire Uesaka Vs Rika Tatsumi/Great Wakabayashi-kun Vs Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Kira Summer Vs Chika Nanase Vs Sakura Hattori Vs Matcha Vs Momo Sato Vs Minimo (w/ Mari Yaguchi)
3. HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Toga & Ren Konatsu
4. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro (w/ Ninja Red, Geki Red & Go-On Red) Vs Aja Kong, Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
5. Mizuki Vs Andreza Giant Panda
6. Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo Vs Sareee & Takumi Iroha
7. Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Hyper Misao & Super Sasadango Machine
8. International Princess Title: MIRAI (c) Vs Suzume
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara (c) Vs Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Yuki Arai

It’s looking like Antonio Honda will be the defending Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion in the Battle Royal. His inclusion in the match has gotten Sumire Uesaka’s attention, enough for her to declare war on him just because his name is Antonio! Honda’s told Tokyo Sports that if Uesaka attacks him, his response will be to target her arm. That way if she gets injured it will just be to her arm and she’ll still be able to do her voice acting job.

I’m aiming to get the “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” preview posted by Saturday.

BASARA “BASARA 304 ~TAKAGARI 34~”, 04/04/2026
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Takeru Inoue Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
2. Daichi Kazato Vs Masato Kamino
3. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Ryuma Sekimo
4. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Banana Senga
5. Survival 4 Way Match: FUMA & Seiya Morohashi Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Ayumu Honda Vs SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Takato Nakano & Ayato Yoshida

An Elimination 4 Way Tag Match is something fresh for the main event of a BASARA show.

GANBARE☆PRO “NEON DEMON 2026”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Yuki Mashiro & Konomi Hori
2. Ken Ohka, Guts Ishijima & Banana Senga Vs Yumehito Imanari, Fuminori Abe & Shota Kawakami

The Ganbare☆Joshi wrestlers will welcome Rose into the fold. Rose is the name of ZERO1’s new women’s division that looks to be built around Yuki Mashiro. There are other members too like her tag team partner here. Konomi Hori is a rookie who only just debuted last month.

“GAISEN SAKURA PRO WRESTLING”, 11/04/2026
Okayama Shinjo Village

1. Union MAX Title: Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs Ryuichi Sekine

One of the three BASARA matches happening at the show is Ryuichi Sekine challenging Shuji Ishikawa for the Union MAX Title. According to BASARA it will be the first time a championship pro wrestling match will be held in Shinjo Village. Sekine will be the hometown hero of the day if he can win the belt in front of his friends and family. By the way, Sekine & Nodoka Tenma are expecting their second child in the summer if you haven’t heard already. Tenma revealed that news on her Twitter like a month ago.


Ueno’s Out For A Week, Harimao’s Last Match, Fandora’s Hunt For Gold

March 26, 2026

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026
Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa

1. MAO & Masami Inahata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
3. Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul Vs Takeshi Masada, Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuni
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya

Some changes to Saturday’s card have been made because Yuki Ueno needs to go get laser surgery in his eye. His doctor found signs of a possible retinal tear in one of his eyes and its needs to be dealt with. He will only be out of action for a week but that means Ueno will miss the next DDT show.

DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Something With To-y & Kazuki Hirata: To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army!: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Nise Daisuke Sasaki A, Nise Daisuke Sasaki B & Deka Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA

There will be more matches happening on the show but they will not be revealed until they happen.

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki

The first week of April will now have the retirement of Kazusada Higuchi taking place. Sadly he will not have one more match to mark the end of his career. Instead the other members of Harimao will team together one last time before the group disbands. Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida will face three opponents from Higuchi’s past going all the way back to their DNA days. Shunma Katsumata recently returned to action and was an early rival of Higuchi. Both Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki rarely show up in DDT these days but such an important occasion have brought the both of them back.

FANTÔMES DRAMATIC are on the hunt for some gold and could get plenty of it if things go their way soon. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA have become the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The timing could not be better because KANON is coming off of a failed KO-D Openweight Title challenge and may need to rely on MAO to do all the hard work if he hasn’t bounced back by then.

DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dramatic Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ilusion
1. Special Single Match: YOH Vs Antonio Honda
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
3. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yukio Naya
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yuki Iino

Ueno will definitely be ready to defend the KO-D Title against Yuki Iino no matter what. He was someone Iino learned a lot from when Iino trained to become a pro wrestler. Ueno was also a part of Iino’s debut match back in 2017.

Meanwhile Yukio Naya has gone and challenged Hideki Okatani for the DDT Extreme Title. His logic is “Extreme” means big so the title should belong to him.

Brookes & HARASHIMA could be double tag champs if Fandora wins the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from paleyouth. The wild card is Hinata Kasai. He hasn’t directly won a match yet but Antonio Honda thinks having Kasai on the challenger team will add some drama to the title match. The idea has painted a target on Kasai when Brookes threw Bunbun into the crowd after the challenge was made. Takeshi Masada blames Kasai for that and wants to get revenge!

DDT “MOTSUNABE BUSTER”, 18/04/2026
ACROS Fukuoka

1. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata

The new DDT Universal Champion is looking to surpass a wrestler he looks up to. Kazuma Sumi nominated Katsumata to be his first challenger to repay him for his support over the years. However the repayment will be completed when Sumi beats Katsumata! Same goes the other way around. Katsumata will show his appreciation for Sumi by crushing him for the championship!

Kumadori will be on the show.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Dramatic Dream Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kaisei Takechi

The next time DDT goes to Sumo Hall they will give everyone a Konosuke Takeshita versus Kaisei Takechi match! Hopefully neither of them will get a case of pink eye right before the match again.


Kazusada Higuchi Announces His Retirement

March 23, 2026

A press conference was held by DDT in Tokyo today to announce that Kazusada Higuchi will be retiring from pro wrestling on 5th April. Higuchi had been taking time off since from wrestling since the start of the year to deal with a neck injury. This comes after he previously had to take eight months off during 2024 into 2025 to recover from other injuries including a cervical hernia. This decision came about when at some point between December and January, Higuchi went through a health checkup that is regularly given out to everyone in the DDT roster. The doctor found Higuchi had subluxation of the first and second cervical vertebrae and told him that continuing to wrestle (or take part in any kind of contact sport) would be dangerous for his health. Higuchi and his doctor had discussions with DDT over him having any possibility of continuing his wrestling career but they reached the decision that it would be best for him to retire.

Unfortunately due to the current state of Higuchi’s neck, he has already wrestled his last match and his retirement at DDT’s Korakuen Hall show on 5th April will just be a ceremony without a final match preceding it. Higuchi said he is currently not feeling any symptoms over his condition but understands that his neck has reached it physical limit. He regrets not being able to wrestle again but is glad to have detected this problem early so he could exit the business on his own two feet. Although he will no longer live in the ring, he believes his life will continue for a long time.

The press conference also had comments from Sanshiro Takagi and Akito both speaking as representatives of CyberFight. Akito explained the above routine health checkups that the DDT roster goes through over the new year period. He also noted that the cervical condition Higuchi has usually gives the person symptoms of numbness or even paralysis in the limbs. Higuchi does not have those symptoms but the doctor determined that no amount of treatment would solve the problem. Surgery could be an option but it comes with the setback of restricting Higuchi’s neck movement and he wouldn’t be able to wrestle in that condition either.

Takagi told the story of the first time he was introduced to Higuchi by a friend, leading to the former sumo from Hokkaido to join DDT. He claims there were times when Higuchi’s powerful style helped DDT and he became a symbol of the company’s strength from 2022 onwards. He is surprised by the sudden news and thinks the best thing DDT can do is to give him the warmest send-off possible. By Higuchi’s request, his unit Harimao will have its final match on 5th April taking on a team of wrestlers who are also all close to him. It will be Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida against Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki. Once that match is finished, Harimao will disband. He has a message to tell the other members of the group but will say what he wants to say after the match.

———————————————————————–

This is bumming me out. It’s the news I was worried would eventually come to light when Higuchi took another injury break in January. Writing this blog for 16 years means I see a lot of wrestling careers of various sizes come and go. This is one of the most significant ones. A fascinating moment in wrestling happened in October 2014 when DDT introduced the DNA generation, a new class of seven (later eight) rookies about to turn pro at a time when many wrestling companies in Japan were struggling to find new blood. Higuchi very quickly stood out as top of the pack with his powerful stature coming from his sumo background and he was given the rookie superpush that spread into DDT itself. While he was a serious no nonsense wrestler at first, spots would come here and there that allowed Higuchi to show his silly side, allowing him to fit in more with DDT’s comedy while still being positioned as someone who is difficult for anyone to beat. An early highlight of his to seek out is the week long DNA Grand Prix tournament that was held in October 2016 where he went on an undefeated run all the was to the final in order to face Mike Bailey.

The presentation of Higuchi being so unique in DDT included something that I’ve seen follow his entire career among the foreign fanbase. I have long lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard people online say they wish Higuchi was with NOAH instead of DDT because he looked like a better fit there. It’s easy to see why on the surface. Hard strikes, mean looks and an iron head to go with it is catnip for those who like their wrestling to not pull back its punches. Yet I just could never imagine him shining brighter anywhere else than with DDT. The formation of Eruption with Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai in 2020 was a major step forward for him. Then with DDT emerging from the pandemic the seeds were planted for his ascension to the top when he feuded with Jun Akiyama over the KO-D Openweight Title in an act of rebellion towards the legend joining the company. He lost that match but had the ultimate redemption in 2022 when he was the one chosen to rebuild DDT’s reputation over the Tetsuya Endo/Katsuhiko Nakajima incident.

The visual that should follow Higuchi’s career came when he won the 2022 King Of DDT tournament. By winning it he finally claimed the KO-D Title after eight years of trying. He had now become DDT’s literal symbol of strength, waving a giant flag of the company logo in victory and having Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist as a show of his respect. Higuchi would then spend the year being a central figure of DDT’s title scene as they tried to push a bigger focus towards heavyweights. Eruption would go away along with the careers of Sakaguchi & Akai. Higuchi would then move on to forming Harimao, building the unit more around sumo like themes. He got to hold the KO-D Title again last year but this time it was a short lived run. It’s hard to believe that only a few months later his career would end like this.

I can’t quite put my finger on why his runs on top went the ways they did. As much as Higuchi’s style appealed to the likes of us, it wasn’t really the same with DDT’s fans in Japan and business hardly picked up with him as champion. You can point to the social distancing rules at the time which resulted in low attendances for everybody but there’s just some factor missing that meant his title reign didn’t connect like I thought it would. I just look at the hot streak DDT is having with Korakuen now and wish Higuchi would have a role to play in it. Perhaps Takagi has a bigger point to make when he talks about how much Higuchi helped DDT. Maybe history will treat him as the person who patched up DDT at a time when the company needed it rather than the rising star who carried the company to greater heights.

There’s so much of Higuchi’s career I’m leaving out. He was a perfect opponent for HARASHIMA. Their matches together going back to the earliest years of Higuchi’s career were like they were made for each other. His singles matches with Konosuke Takeshita, Shuji Ishikawa and Yuji Hino are all barnburners. Those were the kind of matches that fueled the constant wishes he would move over to NOAH where he could get more attention. There are all the times he would be driven head first into the ring post just to no sell it (probably not a good idea in hindsight). When DDT had their “MAJI MANJI” weekly series, Higuchi insisted on putting somebody through a table on almost every episode he was in. When a Falls Count Anywhere match would happen outdoors, Higuchi would usually show up wearing just a mawashi. I’m pretty sure he sumo pushed a van away one time too. I’m going to miss seeing this guy wrestle.


Judgement 2026 Press Conference

March 20, 2026

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Hinata Kasai
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki
1. Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
2. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Evil Uno & Akito
3. 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata Vs Viento Maligno & Kumadori
4. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
6. DDT Extreme Title – No Hitting With The Bamboo Sword! If You Want To Use It Make Them Laugh! Staring Contest Punishment Bamboo Sword Deathmatch!!!!!: To-y (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda & Hisaya Imabayashi
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
9. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson)
10. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Kazuma Sumi
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs KANON

A press conference was held in Tokyo earlier today highlighting several of the big matches taking place on the Anniversary show this Sunday. Yuki Ueno has thought a lot about his match with KANON ever since it was announced and came to the conclusion that he should enjoy the day as much as he can. He wants to lead DDT into their 30th year as the KO-D Openweight Champion with the Tokyo Dome as their ultimate destination. KANON knows he will win the title someday but hasn’t thought about what will happen next if he wins on Sunday. Right now his only focus is on winning the title. He’s been with DDT for four years so he is going to put all of those four years into the match on Sunday.

Kazuma Sumi is feeling confused going into his DDT Universal Title match because he cannot figure out how he can beat Daisuke Sasaki. All of the warm up matches leading up to this has had Sasaki counter the School Boy and then beat Sumi with little trouble. However Sumi is not afraid of losing or being embarrassed in front of everyone so he will not give up. He found out that at 22 years of age he can become the youngest person to ever win the Universal Title. He wants to set that record and then break the record for most defences. Sasaki had way more harsh things to say, telling Sumi he has zero chance of winning. He will lose immediately and be forced to take the introductory test all over again, which he will fail! Sasaki recently found out he will be getting a GCW World Title shot when he wrestles in GCW during his American tour next month. He wants to bring the Universal Title with him to make it a Title Vs Title match! He later admitted on Twitter he forgot he also has the O-40 Title, so he corrected himself and said it can become a triple crown title match.

The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles are up for grabs. Ryota Nakatsu hasn’t fought two of paleyouth’s members much but he has fought Takeshi Masada many times. Yuki Ishida is well used to fighting all three opponents and thinks they are all lacking in substance. Meanwhile Harimao are all strong and they also have Kazusada Higuchi in their corner. Naomi Yoshimura brought up that it’s been one year since he returned from injury. He always wanted to win the 6-Man Titles with Harimao but due to that injury he’s never found the courage to make the challenge until now. He thinks he is in perfect condition now and has no worries of getting hurt. Daichi Sato is still basking in paleyouth winning the titles and despite the team recently losing a warm up match, he is certain their best performance is yet to come. Yuya Koroku brought up that it is the DNA generation that is currently leading the way for DDT. He wants D GENERATIONS to be ones who lead DDT towards the Tokyo Dome. Masada said everybody in the match are all now on the same channel and he hopes everyone else will tune into the came channel to witness a wonderful future coming from this match.

The stipulation chosen for the DDT Extreme Title is a mouthful to say and is also built around Hideki Okatani’s bamboo sword. The weapon will be allowed to use legally under certain circumstances. A button will be placed on the referee’s head and whoever presses it will get a chance to make the ref laugh. If he succeeds then they will be allowed to use the bamboo sword as a weapon for one minute. Other than that, the usual ways of winning wrestling matches applies. Okatani understands the reasoning for the rule, that sometimes you need to sacrifice something to succeed. But he noticed To-y isn’t sacrificing anything for this stipulation. To-y agreed and said he doesn’t need to do that because he is a strong Extreme Champion. He thinks Okatani used to be extreme like him until he joined DAMNATION T.A. Okatani walked away only to come and attack To-y with the bamboo sword. He told To-y he will teach him what real extreme is!

More chaos broke out over the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match, the result of which has changed the 1 Vs 6 Handicap bout a little bit. Toru Owashi and Super Sasadango Machine couldn’t attend the press conference so both sent messages to be read out loud. Owashi’s message was just an advertisement for the miso he sells while Sasadango demanded that Hisaya Imabayashi should immediately relinquish the title in order to be a good role model for his son who recently got accepted into Keio University. Those who were in attendance all threatened Imabayashi in their own ways. Antonio Honda wants revenge for being hit in the head with the belt, Danshoku Dieno knows that Imabayashi still holds a grudge against him over Pheromones and Sanshiro Takagi complained that the company went through all the trouble of making a new belt to increase its value but it’s now meaningless because Imabayashi is wearing it. Minoru Suzuki was the odd one out because he doesn’t care about this match and wants to go fight Ueno for the KO-D Title instead. Imabayashi said he won the title in order to protect it from being taken by New Japan. He then accused Akito of corporate harassment for forcing him into defending the belt in a 1 V 6 Handicap Match. However he will find a way to remain champion so he can go defend it in Sumo Hall one week later at the Tokyo Joshi Pro show. When it was time for the group photo, Suzuki changed his tune and suddenly put Imabayashi in a Sleeper Hold to win the title! The other wrestlers all warned him they will rip the belt away from him on Sunday but he suggested he might not be the champion by then because he could lose it at the Shawn Capture show he’s wrestling on tomorrow! DDT later officially swapped the positions of Imabayashi and Suzuki so it is now Suzuki on his own against the other six opponents. However the company cannot guarantee the title will make it to TJPW’s Sumo Hall show if the scenario Suzuki came up with comes true.


Aijin Tag Being Scouted, J-Rod Gets Vegas Title Shot, Puroresu Nylon

March 20, 2026

BASARA “BASARA 302 ~TAKAGARI 33~”, 21/03/2026
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Takeru Inoue Vs SAGAT
2. FUMA & Seiya Morohashi Vs Daichi Kazato & Ayato Yoshida
3. Isami Kodaka & Takato Nakano Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Tatsuya Hanami
4. Daiki Shimomura Vs Masato Kamino
5. Battle Royal: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Ryuichi Sekine Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano Vs Shuji Ishikawa

Let’s start up today with a rumour concerning Aijin Tag. Earlier this week, the Super J-Cast Patreon put out a report about New Japan looking into several pro wrestlers on the indies to bring onto their roster, particularly for the Junior Heavyweight division. Two of the names among them are Takato Nakano and Masato Kamino. There isn’t much extra info to that other than out of all the names the J-Cast heard about, the two BASARA wrestlers are the curveballs on the list. It’s something to keep in mind as we approach Best Of The Super Juniors season. Kamino in particular is a funny one because he is still being billed at weighing around 90kg but he’s looked larger than that for a while now.

GANBARE☆PRO “THERE WILL BE BLOOD 2026”, 28/03/2026
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title Next Challenger Determination – Round 1: Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuya Susumu
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title Next Challenger Determination – Round 1: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs PSYCHO
3. 3 Way Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs Taiwan Ramen Man Vs Hora-chan
4. Mizuki Watase & Shigehiro Irie Vs Shota Kawakami & Sentaro Motojima
5. Rin Vs YuuRI
6. Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Akira Shoji Vs Yumehito Imanari, Takuya Wada & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title Next Challenger Determination – Final: X Vs X

The masked wrestler Taiwan Ramen Man is coming over from the Team DERA promotion in Nagoya. Now Moeka Haruhi has to deal with him along with returning opponent Hora-chan.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara (c) Vs X & X
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs J-Rod

The winner of the Princess Of Princess Title match at “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” will go on to Las Vegas where they will defend the title against J-Rod. The returning American powerhouse has a lot going on lately. She is part of the series reboot of American Gladiators and the first episode will be released the day after this show takes place. Her Gladiator name hasn’t been revealed yet. She already fought Miu Watanabe for the Princess Title back in November but Yuki Arai could be a brand new opponent for her.

It was also announced that The IInspiration will be on this show. So it will be either them or Ober Eats who will be defending the Princess Tag Team Titles next month.

In regards to the previously announced International Princess Title match planned for the show, Tokyo Joshi Pro can no longer confirm that it will happen. They had intended to book MIRAI for the show but are unable to do so because of scheduling conflicts with Michinoku Pro. So for now there will just be two title matches happening in Las Vegas instead of three. That could change if Suzume beats MIRAI to win the IP Title but this news sure does feel like TJPW painted themselves into a corner and have to spoil the result of that match to get out of there.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “LOVE FIGHTER – NYLON JAPAN 22ND ANNIVERSARY PARTY”, 24/04/2026
Shinjuku ZEROTOKYO

1. Chris Brookes, MAO & Sayaka Vs Mr. Bueno, Mr. Malo & Ram Kaichow

A new opportunity has opened up for Baka Gaijin + Friends. The fashion magazine NYLON JAPAN is celebrating its 22nd Anniversary this year and will be throwing a party inside a nightclub at the Kabukicho Tower. Baka Gaijin gets to be part of the festivities with a one-off match taking place. Pro wrestling is familiar ground for NYLON because they have printed wrestling themed issues and photoshoots in the past under the label PURORESU NYLON.


Sakura Hattori Revealed, MOP Tag Title Contestants, Title Matches In Vegas

March 16, 2026

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 1”, 17/03/2026
Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA

1. Suzume Vs Uta Takami
2. Sakura Hattori Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Hyper Misao & Mifu Ashida Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo Vs Mizuki & Yuki Aino
5. Shoko Nakajima & Wakana Uehara Vs Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee
6. Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai

The Texas Stampede tour kicks off tomorrow and the new look Sakura Hattori has been revealed. Her profile page on the Tokyo Joshi Pro website has been updated along with the gimmick refresh. What we know from the profile is all of her signature move names begin with Shinden Fudo Ryu, which is a style of Jujutsu martial arts. Also the name of her new theme song is “The Demon Stood Silently”.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Hinata Kasai
1. Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
2. 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata Vs Viento Maligno & Kumadori
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Evil Uno & Akito
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson)
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Hisaya Imabayashi (c) Vs Minoru Suzuki, Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
9. DDT Extreme Title: To-y (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
10. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Kazuma Sumi
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs KANON

The DDT 29th Anniversary show is now sold out!

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026
Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa

1. MAO & Masami Inahata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
3. paleyouth Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato Vs Hideki Okatani & Ilusion
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, To-y, Shunma Katsumata & Yuni Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya

The two teams who will fight to become the first MOP Tag Team Champions have been chosen. KANON & Viento Maligno will be there representing Strange Love Connection. Their opponents are the unexpected pairing of Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya. The two of them haven’t quite seen each other eye to eye when Miyawaki came into DDT at the start of the year. If the team doesn’t work out at least they can say they gave it a shot.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. International Princess Title: MIRAI (c) Vs X
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara (c) Vs X & X
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs X

The results of “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” will have a big effect on the card TJPW will put together for their return to Las Vegas in April. They have at least confirmed there will be title matches for each of their three championships. That’s an interesting announcement in regards to the International Princess Title because MIRAI has not been announced for the show, nor has she taken any American bookings for around the same time. At least not yet anyway. It could just be that if she successfully defends the title at Sumo Hall it will then be confirmed she’ll be flying over. Otherwise this news might end up being a spoiler. There are “international talent” yet to be announced for the show. That detail could also describe The IInspiration if they end up winning the Princess Tag Team Titles at Sumo Hall.


Two Go-Home Shows, MOP Tag Titles, The Three Unagi Siblings

March 14, 2026

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’26: FATE IN RYOGOKU”, 15/03/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

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

This will be Japan’s go-home show for “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”. After this Tokyo Joshi Pro will go on their Texas Stampede tour and once that is down, it is onwards to Sumo Hall!

All of the new championship belts will be put on display at the venue for fans to see tomorrow.

DDT “SENDAI NEW LEGEND 2026 ~HARAKO MESHI~”, 15/03/2026
Miyagi Yume Messe

1. Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Hinata Kasai
2. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
3. Jun Akiyama, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Kazuma Sumi, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Akito & Junta Miyawaki
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO)

Speaking of go-home shows, this will be the DDT one before their 29th Anniversary show next weekend.

BASARA “BASARA 303 ~UTAGE~”, 27/03/2026
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Ayato Yoshida Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga
2. Takeru Inoue Vs Kaji Tomato
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs FUMA & Judomaster
4. Daichi Kazato, Tsutomu Oosugi & Shuji Ishikawa Vs SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Minoru Fujita
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino

Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi doesn’t appear to be available for the show. That means Judomaster gets called up for the first time in a while. Kaji Tomato is on the show too.

For the first time in 2026 BASARA will go back to the courtroom for a Turnabout Pro Wrestling trial. Ayato Yoshida will be stepping into stand as the defendant while Gouma Ryu and Banana Senga will argue their cases over him. What Yoshida is on trial for hasn’t been revealed yet.

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026
Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa

1. MOP Tag Team Titles: X & X Vs X & X

A new business deal has been put together this year for DDT to hold wrestling shows at different Mitsui Outlet Park shopping centers. As part of this deal a new championship has been created to be exclusively defended at these shows. The inaugural MOP Tag Team Champions will be crowned at the first show being held at the end of the month. There will be at least two other shows as part of the tour happening in April.

DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dramatic Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ilusion
1. Special Single Match: YOH Vs Antonio Honda
2. DDT Extreme Title: To-y (c) Vs X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X

One of the memorable interactions that happened at last year’s Toru Yano Vs Super Sasadango Machine one match show was Antonio Honda and YOH bonding over a Gongitsune joke. YOH has a hatred of foxes going back to when he was bitten by one as a child but Honda got him to join in with telling the joke. Now almost one year later they will meet in the ring again, this time one on one against each other in a wrestling match!

DDT “YAMADA SUISAN CO., LTD. PRESENTS GATHERING! THE THREE UNAGI SIBLINGS! ~IN ONE POND~”, 19/04/2026
Kagoshima Shibushi City “Unagi Station” Special Venue

1. Gathering! The Three Unagi Siblings! ~In One Pond~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Unagi Mask, Super Unagi Mask & Unagi Mask Woman Vs Aja Kong, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda

DDT also has their sponsorship with Yamada Suisan going on for another year. The seafood wrestling storyline has taken a turn with the appearance of Unagi Mask Woman. She was said to be just a Yamada Suisan employee who wanted to become a pro wrestler but the real story is that she, Unagi Mask and Super Unagi Mask are all siblings who spent their lives near each other without ever knowing about it! The family needs to be a united force because Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda have formed an alliance with Aja Kong to wipe out the sea food loving wrestlers!


Texas Stampede Full Tour Lineups

March 14, 2026

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 1”, 17/03/2026
Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA

1. Suzume Vs Uta Takami
2. Sakura Hattori Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Hyper Misao & Mifu Ashida Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo Vs Mizuki & Yuki Aino
5. Shoko Nakajima & Wakana Uehara Vs Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee
6. Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai

The Austin lineups for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s Texas tour were already revealed previously. Day 1 has preview matches for Sumo Hall including The IInspiration showing up as well as Sakura Hattori’s first match in her new gimmick. You’re getting Sayuri Namba for all four shows too!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 2”, 18/03/2026
Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA

1. Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida Vs Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki
2. Hyper Misao Vs Sakura Hattori
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Aino
5. Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajuma
6. Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Mizuki & Uta Takami

Day 2 in Austin is more aimed at throwing some big matchups together. Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima and Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Aino don’t just happen on your typical Shinjuku FACE or Ryogoku KFC Hall shows unless there is a special occasion going on.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – DALLAS”, 21/03/2026
College Park Center, Arlington, Texas, USA

1. Shino Suzuki Vs Mifu Ashida
2. Sakura Hattori Vs Uta Takami
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Jada Stone
4. Mizuki Vs Hyper Misao
5. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen
7. Miu Watanabe & Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Arai

The latter half of the tour adds some familiar names. Vert Vixen is back for the Dallas and Houston shows. There’s also the return of somebody we haven’t seen for a while. Jada Stone made several appearances in TJPW throughout 2025 but a knee injury in September cancelled her tour of Japan. That was the last we heard of her in regards to TJPW. But she’s still been wrestling around America and has appeared on some TNA tapings lately. Next she will get to step back into the TJPW ring while they are in Texas.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – HOUSTON”, 22/03/2026
POST Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs Raku
2. Sakura Hattori Vs Mifu Ashida
3. Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen Vs Suzume & Shino Suzuki
4. Yuki Arai Vs Pom Harajuku
5. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kaylia Capri
6. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo Vs Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki & Uta Takami

Kaylia Capri was a part of last year’s Texas tour. She will only be a part of the tour finale this time around. Texas is getting so much Ober Eats for the week.


Full Card For Judgement 2026, Lei Ying Lee Out, Takumi Iroha In, Iron Man Title Chaos

March 13, 2026

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Hinata Kasai
1. Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
2. 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata Vs Viento Maligno & Kumadori
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Evil Uno & Akito
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson)
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Hisaya Imabayashi (c) Vs Minoru Suzuki, Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
9. DDT Extreme Title: To-y (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
10. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Kazuma Sumi
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs KANON

Thirteen matches in total will fill up five hours at Korakuen Hall later this month. DDT is celebrating the 29th Anniversary of its creation and hopes are growing high that something big will be in store for their 30th. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves with that one. Almost every one of DDT’s championships will be defended (the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are being left out in the cold), future challengers for some of the belts will be set up and there is also the debut of Masami Inahata to look forward to.

It’s all going easy for paleyouth. I only took them a few days to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles after the unit was created. They also don’t have to wait long for their first defence. Harimao are stepping up to the plate with Kazusada Higuchi standing by to support his buddies.

The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is currently in quite the predicament. Antonio Honda won the title only to lose it to Hisaya Imabayashi because the DDT GM does not trust Honda enough to beat YOH on 15th April. That match made Imabayashi paranoid that the belt would end up in New Japan’s hands and DDT cannot afford to ever let that happen again. However now he has to defend the title against six opponents and it won’t be in a Battle Royal. It is going to be a Handicap Match instead! The only hope he has is if the opposing team cannot get along and end up falling apart because of it. That could happen if Minoru Suzuki is in a particularly sour mood that day. Sanshiro Takagi does not often inspire a lot of loyalty among his wrestlers either, as a teammate or a boss.

A growing tag team between Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki that is built out of respect and admiration could soon see them get rewarded for their efforts. If they can beat Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA then they will become the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Otherwise it will be the FANTÔMES DRAMATIC pair who will get the next shot.

The good news for Evil Uno is this appearance on a DDT show in Korakuen Hall cannot be as humiliating for him as the first one. The bad news is he will likely end up with more bruises because The Apex will be his opponents.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”, 29/03/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Uta Takami Vs Shion Kanzaki
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Hisaya Imabayashi (c) Vs Sumire Uesaka Vs Rika Tatsumi/Great Wakabayashi-kun Vs Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Kira Summer Vs Chika Nanase Vs Sakura Hattori Vs Matcha Vs Momo Sato Vs Minimo (w/ Mari Yaguchi)
3. HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Toga & Ren Konatsu
4. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro (w/ Ninja Red, Geki Red & Go-On Red) Vs Aja Kong, Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
5. Mizuki Vs Andreza Giant Panda
6. Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo Vs Sareee & Takumi Iroha
7. Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Hyper Misao & Super Sasadango Machine
8. International Princess Title: MIRAI (c) Vs Suzume
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara (c) Vs Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Yuki Arai

Close-up images of the new Princess Championship belts have been revealed by Tokyo Joshi Pro. They will be on display at Sunday’s TJPW show but will not be given out to the champions until the Sumo Hall show.

In an unfortunate turn of events, TNA have told Tokyo Joshi Pro that Lei Ying Lee is unable to take part at their Sumo Hall show and her scheduled trip to Japan has been cancelled. Despite having the booking placed well in advance, TJPW were unable to convince TNA to change their decision. Instead, TNA provided TJPW with a statement that claims neither TJPW nor Lee are to blame over the situation. As best as I can tell, TNA have their “SACRIFICE” special as well as a TV taping happening in New Orleans during the same weekend as “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”. So if Lee is needed for the TV taping on the Saturday then she definitely can’t make it to Tokyo in time for TJPW on the Sunday. The time difference probably makes it too difficult for her to start travelling on the Friday night too. Plus there’s also the general travel risks from going in and out of America that’s currently happening right now that could be playing a part in this situation.

TJPW were quick to announce Lee’s replacement after they put that news out. They put out an offer to Marvelous to secure the TJPW debut of Takumi Iroha! She will be teaming up with Sareee which means their tag team Spark Rush is coming to TJPW! Miyu Yamashita was already excited to fight Sareee again but now she is salivating over the chance to fight Iroha too. Arisu Endo doesn’t want to be left out of the action and says she will shine the brightest out of anyone in the match!

The recent Iron Man Title changes have an effect on this card too. Rika Tatsumi is no longer the champion but she is still in the match. The deal with this Battle Royal is whoever holds the Iron Man Title must take part in the match, which means the DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi could potentially defend the belt in Sumo Hall on a TJPW show! He never gets to beat Tetsuya Koda in the ring but a moral victory like this would be huge in their professional rivalry.

Another thing with the Battle Royal is TJPW have asked fans not to throw streamers for the entrances due to the nature of the match. However Minimo-chan has made requests for streamers from the fans to celebrate the mascot’s debut wrestling match. After a couple of discussions, TJPW decided that Minimo-chan will enter the match first and will be the only participant allowed to get streamers during the entrance.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Remember how Koda was told to go find a big star for the show but couldn’t do it? Well luck sort of fell on his lap. He accompanied Shion Kanzaki for her day of street performances in Shinjuku to promote the show. All of a sudden Koda was ambushed by the Sumire Uesaka, a voice actress and singer who once performed a solo concert at Sumo Hall ten years ago! She was armed with a saber and assaulted Koda with it in a way that reminded Tokyo Sports of Tiger Jeet Singh attacking Antonio Inoki in the same city back in 1973! Uehara appeared to be in a rage because she once held the Iron Man Title for a brief time last year and wants to be part of the Battle Royal to win it back! After Kanzaki stopped the incident and Uehara calmed down, she explained to Tokyo Sports that she was meant to grab her umbrella as she was leaving her home but grabbed the mysterious saber instead. She felt a sudden urge of fighting spirit overcome her but does not remember anything that happened after that.