Tetsuya Endo’s NOAH Appearance At Budokan Hall

January 1, 2025

NOAH “THE NEW YEAR 2025”, 01/01/2025
Tokyo Nippon Budokan
5,088 Fans

2. NEW YEAR LIMIT BREAK: Go Shiozaki, Mohammed Yone, Atsushi Kotoge & Hajima Ohara defeated Kazuyuki Fujita, Shuji Ishikawa, Tetsuya Endo & Black Menso-re when Shiozaki pinned Menso-re with the Gowan Lariat (8:25).

One of the first wrestling shows of 2025 was NOAH holding a big event at Budokan Hall for New Year’s Day. Tetsuya Endo got to be on the undercard as part of the Limit Break branded match. He was part of a team made up of outsiders going against four members of TEAM NOAH. Endo got to look good by hitting a Sasuke Special onto a bunch out wrestlers outside the ring. After that he didn’t play a part in the finish where Go Shiozaki pinned Black Menso-re with his Lariat. However Endo got involved in something after the match when Atsushi Kotoge Headbutted him and then slapped him across the face! Kotoge wanted to provoke Endo into fighting him more but Endo ignored him and went back to the locker room.

Backstage Kotoge told reporters he is trying to repay a debt to Endo over their feud from last July. He thought he was lighting a fire under Endo today but if Endo wants to act cool and arrogant then Kotoge will crush him in an instant! Endo in his post-match interview said their grudge from last summer ended when he beat Kotoge and they shook each other’s hands. He thinks what Kotoge did today was just lame.


DDT At NOAH Limit Break 4 Results

October 21, 2024

NOAH “THE LEAVE PRESENTS LIMIT BREAK .4”, 20/10/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
344 Fans

2. The Leave Mask & Yuki Iino defeated Black Menso-re & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Mask pinned Menso-re with a Jackknife Pin (12:23).
3. Tetsuya Endo & Yukio Naya defeated Mohammed Yone & Kohei Kinoshita when Endo pinned Kinoshita with the Burning Star Press (14:46).
6. Akitoshi Saito LIMIT BREAK Last Match: Akitoshi Saito & Jun Akiyama defeated Satoshi Kojima & Yu Owada when Saito pinned Owada with the Sickle Death (15:56).

A couple of DDT wrestlers had more to do than just the Korakuen Hall show yesterday. Some of them popped over to NOAH afterward to wrestle on the latest “LIMIT BREAK” show. It was a special appearance for Jun Akiyama because he teamed with Akitoshi Saito for Saito’s final appearance in LIMIT BREAK on his road to retirement. Their opponents was another visitor Satoshi Kojima along with the NOAH rookie Yu Owada. The Sternness pair won the match when Akiyama gave Owada the Exploder Suplex and Saito pinned him with the Sickle Death. After the match Saito said he will never forget the first time he met Akiyama back in 2000 and he learned a lot of different wrestling styles from him. He tried to stay sharp in today’s match but couldn’t help but loosen up because he was with Akiyama again. Akiyama called Saito his best partner and the easiest wrestler to work with. Akiyama also gave Owada advice on showing more fire and emotion. He wants to see someone carry on the legacy that went from All Japan to NOAH.

Tetsuya Endo & Yukio Naya teamed up for a match against Mohammed Yone & Kohei Kinoshita. The pair was feeling in good condition despite already wrestling earlier in the day. Endo scored the win for the DDT team by pinning Kinoshita with the Burning Star Press. Endo told Kinoshita to tell a certain somebody in Seattle next month that he’s wishing him the best. Naya said in his backstage comment that he would like to have a singles match against Yone some day.

Maybe Yuki Iino can work his way into getting a sponsorship with THE LEAVE. He teamed with the company’s masked luchador The Leave Mask to defeat Black Menso-re & Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Iino asked Mask afterward if it would be ok if he can star in the company’s next commercial?


DDT At NOAH Limit Break Ex. Results

September 28, 2024

NOAH “THE LEAVE PRESENTS LIMIT BREAK EX.”, 28/09/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall
290 Fans

1. Hajime Ohara defeated Yuya Koroku with the Mui Bien (8:48).
3. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Kai Fujimura & Kohei Kinoshita when Endo pinned Fujimura with the Torture Rack Bomb (17:33).
5. Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls: Go Shiozaki, Akitoshi Saito, Mohammed Yone & Atsushi Kotoge (2) defeated Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Harutoki (1).
5a. Harutoki pinned Go Shiozaki with El Momento de Muerte (23:26).
5b. Go Shiozaki pinned Harutoki with the Strong Arm Lariat (2:10).
5c. Akitoshi Saito pinned Tomomitsu Matsunaga with the Sickle Death (9:28).

It’s been a while since I wrote about the “LIMIT BREAK” shows over at NOAH. The last one took place back in July and I skipped over it. The only DDT related matches on it were Jun Akiyama and Tomomitsu Matsunaga in the opening two bouts so there wasn’t much to write about. Today though was different because those two along with Yukio Naya were in a big main event against TEAM NOAH. The three of them along with Harutoki fought TEAM NOAH in a Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls match. The first two falls were both decided by Go Shiozaki and Harutoki. The visiting team unexpectedly won the first fall when Harutoki blocked Shiozaki’s Lariat with a High Kick and then used a Cross-Arm Falcon Arrow to get the pinfall. The second fall didn’t last long because Harutoki went for the quick win only to get cut down by Shiozaki’s Lariat for the three count. The final fall began with Atsushi Kotoge facing off against Naya before switching over to Akitoshi Saito against Akiyama. Matsunaga tagged in but got caught by the teamwork of Saito & Mohammed Yone. That led to Saito pinning Matsunaga with the Sickle Death to end the match. Later Saito said he would like to team up with Akiyama once last time before he retires.

BURNING fared better in their match against Kai Fujimura & Kohei Kinoshita. Late in the match Tetsuya Endo went after Fujimura with Swan Dive attacks and Yuki Iino took out Kinoshita with the Spear. Endo then caught Fujimura with the Tetsuya In The Sky before pinning him with the Torture Rack Bomb. Endo & Iino promised to keep on burning while the other team wants to have more matches against them.

Well, most of BURNING fared better. Yuya Koroku was in the opening match and lost to Hajime Ohara. He targeted Ohara’s left arm but his plan didn’t work out. Instead Ohara trapped him in the Muy Bien submission and made him tap out. Ohara would later become the newest member of TEAM NOAH at the end of the show.


Takeshita’s G1 Adventure

August 18, 2024

The hottest and most grueling pro wrestling tournament of the year has just finished and Konosuke Takeshita was a featured part of it. His entry into this year’s G1 Climax was done as representation for both AEW and DDT. It makes him the second wrestler with a DDT contract to compete in the tournament after Kota Ibushi in 2013 and 2015. With nine other wrestlers to compete against in his block and a couple extra non-tournament matches to deal with in between, Takeshita did not waste any opportunity to get his name out there in a New Japan ring. This was a tour where he got to experience so much of NJPW’s current form and he left plenty of options open if he ever gets to come back and wrestle for the company more often. His performances definitely had wrestling fans look at him and wonder why AEW hasn’t been treating him the same way. Let’s take a look at how things went for him.

Block B

1. David Finlay (12)
2. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (10)
-. Yota Tsuji (10)
-. Ren Narita (10)
-. Jeff Cobb (10)
6. HENARE (8)
7. Yuya Uemura (8)
8. Hirooki Goto (8)
9. Oleg Boltin (8)
10. El Phantasmo (6)


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 20/07/2024
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (Osaka EDION Arena)
4,177 Fans

9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (2) defeated Yota Tsuji (0) with the Raging Fire (17:16).

Takeshita jumped off to a great start on day one by beating this year’s New Japan Cup winner Yota Tsuji. The lead up to the match had both wrestlers talking about how it was up to them to take lead of the current generation of wrestling in Japan. Takeshita used the Jumping Knee as a counter block for Tsuji’s Gene Blaster finisher. After hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb he then used the Spinning Falcon Arrow to get the win. He has renamed that move the Raging Fire and you are going to see it often from here. Takeshita warned the rest of the block that he sees the wrestling world differently from the rest of them.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 23/07/2024
Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
1,972 Fans

4. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) defeated Jeff Cobb (2) with the Raging Fire (10:28).

Takeshita’s second match was delayed by a day because he had to go fight Masato Tanaka in DDT. Turns out that match was just the warm up he needed to take on Jeff Cobb, the reigning NJPW WORLD TV Champion. The strength and size of Cobb made it more difficult for Takeshita to use the Raging Fire on. But one good Elbow Smash weakened Cobb enough for Takeshita to nail the move and win his second match. Takeshita used the same Elbow Smash to beat Tanaka one day earlier so he declared his right elbow will take over the world!


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 25/07/2024
Sun Messe Kagawa
1,219 Fans

9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Yuya Uemura (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) with the Kannuki Suplex (23:11).

The first road block to stop Takeshita in his tracks was Yuya Uemura. The two were both unbeaten going into the main event and had seen each other at points in America during their excursions. They gave fans a wild back and forth match. No matter what Takeshita did, Uemura took it and kept on fighting. He got the win over Takeshita by using the Kannuki Suplex, a move that trapped Takeshita’s shoulders down into the mat for the three count. An angry Takeshita told reporters he wants to see Uemura reach the end of the tournament so he can repay this loss to him.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 27/07/2024
Dejima Messe Nagasaki
1,616 Fans

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & HENARE defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato when TAKESHITA pinned Murashima with an Elbow Butt (6:53).

This was the first non-tournament match Takeshita got to take part in during the tour. New Japan decided to have him team with United Empire wrestlers starting with his next block opponent HENARE. Together they took on and handily defeated two young lion wrestlers Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato. Things were tense between Takeshita & HENARE for the entire match and they continued glaring at each other afterwards. HENARE complained to reporters that as the NEVER Openweight Champion he should not be put in the opening match with rookies and an outsider. He doesn’t like Takeshita acting like he is better than New Japan. If Takeshita actually likes NJPW then why did he go to AEW instead of here? Kato had nicer things to say about Takeshita because they are both from Osaka. If they ever fight each other again, he will remember everything Takeshita did to him today.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 28/07/2024
Fukuoka International Center
1,780 Fans

7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) defeated HENARE (4) with the Raging Fire (13:19).

The next day Takeshita and HENARE had their battle, tearing lumps out of each other. Whenever one took the lead, the other had an answer to it. Takeshita hit the Jumping Knee only for HENARE to fire back with a Jumping Headbutt. HENARE went for the Streets Of Rage but Takeshita countered it into a Fisherman Buster. Takeshita continued on with the attack and kept HENARE down for the count with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster followed by the Raging Fire. The two fist bumped each other after the match, showing everyone they had earned each other’s respect. Takeshita said HENARE has unwavering strength but still is not as strong as “The Alpha”. He then dropped a major hint that he’s been learning from a special mentor over in America. This mentor has entrusted him with the “Strong Style” NJPW is famous for. Who is this mentor? Takeshita won’t say anything about him other than “YeaOh!”


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 29/07/2024
Fukuoka International Center
1,757 Fans

5. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Francisco Akira defeated David Finlay & Gedo when Akira pinned Gedo with the Fireball (7:14).

The next chapter of Takeshita’s tournament had him interact with the Bullet Club WAR DOGS for the first time. By this point Takeshita seemed to be getting along with the United Empire and had no trouble teaming with Francisco Akira. The two of them won their match when Takeshita Clotheslined David Finlay out of the ring and Akira pinned Gedo with the Fireball, which is very much like the Somato except the move is done from behind aiming at the opponent’s back and shoulders. Finlay tried to provoke Takeshita after the match by holding up the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. He then made accusations backstage that Takeshita has no loyalty towards anybody. Is he with DDT, AEW or New Japan? He should ask his friends in AEW just how dangerous Finlay is because Finlay is about to destroy another one of Tony Khan’s favorite toys!


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 31/07/2024
Yamaguchi KDDI Ishin Hall
1,021 Fans

9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: David Finlay (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) with the Overkill (18:23).

The good old Bullet Club style of cheating that everybody knows and absolutely loves took its toll on Takeshita here. Gedo distracted the referee a lot and pulled him out of the ring during a moment when Takeshita had the match won. Finlay hit Takeshita with a shillelagh but that wasn’t enough to beat him. Takeshita finally got rid of Gedo but his Raging Fire was countered into Finlay’s finisher the Overkill. Finlay got the three count with it while Takeshita kicked out a second too late. Finlay bragged about AEW being the place where the wrestlers who are not as good as him go and listed the former NJPW talent one by one. Takeshita said he will not accept the result. Being the Global Champion means Finlay will one day be standing at the center of the world. The next time they meet should be there so they can fight to see who is at the top.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 03/08/2024
Osaka Yamato University Yamato Arena
1,711 Fans

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Francisco Akira defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma, Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima when Akira pinned Murashima with the Fireball (8:18).

Another day of non-tournament action gave Takeshita a chance to scout his next opponent Hirooki Goto. He was teaming with the familiar faces from United Empire again while Goto was with Tomoaki Honma and the two young lions. Plus the match was in Osaka, Takeshita’s home. He got into a few exchanges with Goto but the finish came down to Akira pinning Murashima. Takeshita admitted Goto is the one wrestler he is looking forward to fighting most. He will be ditching his nicknames and go into the match only as himself so the fans will see who is stronger, Goto or Takeshita?


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 04/08/2024
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium (Dolphins Arena)
3,205 Fans

7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Hirooki Goto (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) with the GTR (14:20).

During this year’s G1, Goto turned into the sentimental favorite of the fans thanks to him delivering high level performances while being the oldest contestant in the tournament. His match with Takeshita here is considered one of the highlights. Takeshita was able to kick out of the Shoten Kai but ran into a Headbutt and was put away with the GTR. Goto said he got a sense of Takeshita’s spirit and came up with an idea. If Takeshita wants to continue wrestling in New Japan then he should join CHAOS! Goto will welcome him into the unit that might just so happen to have a deep connection with Takeshita’s mysterious mentor. Takeshita doesn’t sound too keen on the idea. After all he wants to bring in a new era of pro wrestling and it’s coming just around the corner. When that era arrives he will stand in front of Goto once more.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 06/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,503 Fans – Super No Vacancy

2. Jeff Cobb, KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, HENARE & Francisco Akira defeated Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano, El Phantasmo & Jado when HENARE submitted Jado with the Ultima (3:51).

It was back to hanging out with the United Empire for another non-tournament bout. Two of his opponents from the other team were people he hadn’t faced in his block yet. There was also Toru Yano & Jado there but El Phantasmo and Oleg Boltin became the targets of Takeshita’s focus. ELP still remembers Takeshita putting him through a table in violent fashion at “FORBIDDEN DOOR” a few months ago. He threatened to pull one out from under the ring so he could settle the score. Takeshita promised to destroy ELP again and warned Boltin he will soon fight against an Olympic level athlete.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 07/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,504 Fans

5. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (8) defeated El Phantasmo (4) with the Raging Fire (17:22).

Depending on who you hear from, this is being considered one of the best matches of the tournament. It even got the ol’ five star treatment from Dave Meltzer. ELP was on the brink of elimination so he threw everything he had against Takeshita and Takeshita responded in kind. Just like at “FORBIDDEN DOOR” Takeshita put ELP through a table, this time by using the Inhuman Driver. ELP narrowly avoided being counted out but collapsed during an Elbow Strike exchange. He had enough fight in him to keep kicking out of Takeshita’s signature moves but he was finally defeated with the Raging Fire. Takeshita has been friends on a first name basis with ELP for a while and always wanted to wrestle him one on one. People like the two of them want to move the audience and get them excited. Takeshita then made some comments to the media about Hiroshi Tanahashi. He remembers the trouble he caused in DDT when he wrestled on their shows back in 2015. Once the G1 is over Takeshita warns Tanahashi not to run away from him!


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 08/08/2024
Yokohama Budokan
2,906 Fans – No Vacancy

2. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & HENARE defeated Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru when HENARE submitted Kanemaru with the Ultima (4:41).

As we head towards the closing stretch, Takeshita now had to experience the other side of Bullet Club, the House Of Torture stable. With HENARE on his side again the two of them defeated Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Narita was an upcoming opponent for both Takeshita and HENARE so the two of them made sure to get his attention and show what they have in store for him. However Takeshita also admitted that he is still feeling sore from his match with ELP. This is the challenge everyone in the G1 faces as they reach closer to the end. What kind of injuries do they build up match by match and can they tough it out until the end?


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 10/08/2024
Miyagi Xebio Arena Sendai
2,631 Fans

4. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Oleg Boltin (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (8) with the Kamikaze (12:07).

What an upset! By this point Boltin was already considered out of the running but that didn’t stop him from scoring a massive victory that also put Takeshita’s hopes of reaching the playoff at risk. Boltin used his own German Suplex to go against Takeshita’s, then dropped him with the Verdict followed by the Kamikaze for the victory. Takeshita was impressed and said when he reaches the top he will add Boltin’s name to the list of the strongest wrestlers ever. He wants to see Boltin do his best so they can fight again some day.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 12/08/2024
Aore Nagaoka
3,022 Fans

3. Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Francisco Akira when Kanemaru pinned Akira with a Jackknife Pin (8:48).

The final days were leaving Takeshita in a dire situation. He was back in the ring for another non-tournament tag against the House Of Torture. This time Narita had a plan and attacked Takeshita’s increasingly injured leg. By the end of the match it was clear Takeshita was not going into his final block match in good condition. Narita rubbed it in by telling him not to let his guard down otherwise he will only get hurt.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 14/08/2024
Shizuoka Hamamatsu Arena
1,607 Fans

7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (10) defeated Ren Narita (10) with the Elbow Butt (16:47).

So it came down to this. The way Block B worked out on its last night meant that victory for either Takeshita or Narita would send them through to the playoff rounds. A draw would be good enough for Narita too but for Takeshita it was win or go home. House Of Torture made sure he had to fight through hell because EVIL and Dick Togo attacked Takeshita during his entrance. They would also interfere during the match but Takeshita heroically fought all of them off before dealing Nartia with a knock out blow to get the three count. Takeshita knows the fans don’t want to see hi G1 end yet so he invited them to all dream together with him because he will make to the final at Sumo Hall no matter what!


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 15/08/2024
Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall #9
1,111 Fans

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block Playoff: Yota Tsuji defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA with the Gene Blaster (21:30).

Yeah about that. Yota Tsuji had other ideas. The two of them made it to the first part of the B Block playoff. Now they had to face each other again in a rematch from Night 1. Sadly for Takeshita his G1 ended here. The Gene Blaster from Tsuji was the difference maker and Takeshita kicked out of it one second too late. Tsuji complimented Takeshita by telling him he is a better wrestler in New Japan than he is in AEW. Takeshita said he entered the tournament carrying expectations from both AEW and DDT. Then as it progressed he also ended up carrying expectations from New Japan fans and the Japanese wrestling world at large. He hoped to go to the finals so he could tell all of DDT’s wrestlers that there is nothing wrong with their style of wrestling. He will now go back to America and stand in an AEW ring again but there are many people in New Japan he will want to face somewhere in the future.


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 17/08/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
5,340 Fans

3. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman defeated Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Jado when TAKESHITA pinned Jado with the Elbow Butt (8:33).

It’s not quite the end of Takeshita’s tour yet. He has a couple of bonus matches to go through on the final nights at Sumo Hall. He got to be in the ring with Shota Umino and Callum Newman for the first time in this tour because the two of them were busy over in the A Block until now. ELP and Jado were having teamwork problems which left Jado as easy pickings for Takeshita and his mighty Elbow Strike. With his time at NJPW coming to an end, Takeshita is starting to think about what to do if he ever comes back. CHAOS and United Empire are both showing interest in letting him join their units. But what if he decides to come back and bring The Don Callis Family with him instead?


NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 18/08/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
8,056 Fans

3. Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Francesco Akira when Eagles pinned Akira with the Hyperion (9:32).

Here is where we end things. Takeshita ended his tour by teaming with Akira one final time. Their opponents were Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles from TMDK and that team’s victory helped set the tone for their front man Zack Sabre Jr. to win the tournament at the end of the night. Takeshita said this was the end of his tour with New Japan and he has no reason to look down on anything that happened to him during it. He leaves New Japan with his head held high knowing that their fans will continue watching over him. He will repay them by becoming a champion over in America.


DDT And TJPW Results From The GCW Japan Tour

August 14, 2024

The GCW tour of Japan continued after their joint show with DDT. They ran two more shows this week both taking place in Shinjuku FACE. The shows also had presence from DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro. The fact that DDT were promoting the cards and posted the results on their website pretty much tells us they had a hand behind the scenes too. I’m just going to focus on the matches relating to both DDT and TJPW in this post.

GCW “THE SKY IS THE LIMIT”, 13/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE
326 Fans

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Broski Jimmy by TKO with the Skull Kick (7:17).
2. GCW Extreme Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated The Great Sasuke with a Cast Strike (11:49).
*V3 for Maki Itoh.
3. Joey Janella defeated Marcus Mathers with the Package Piledriver (19:37).
4. Effy, Allie Katch & Dark Sheik defeated Aja Kong, Masashi Takeda & MAO when Sheik pinned Kong with the Diving Leg Drop (10:17).
5. Danhausen defeated Kikutaro with a Roll Up (10:43).
6. Rina Yamashita & Masha Slamovich defeated Gringo Loco & Violento Jack when Yamashita pinned Jack after the Super Power Bomb (18:39).
7. GCW World Title: Mance Warner (c) defeated 1 Called Manders with the Impaler DDT (22:47).
*V9 for Mance Warner.

MAO was part of a wild trio put together to take on Thrussy. He teamed with both Masashi Takeda and Aja Kong! Thrussy needed some artillery to even the odds so Allie Katch brought out a water pistol. MAO countered that by finding two bananas and using them to point at everyone like they were guns. That plan backfired when Effy grabbed MAO and forced him to point the bananas on himself. Thrussy were able to gang up on Kong and Dark Sheik hit the Diving Leg Drop on her for the victory. It still took all three members of Thrussy to pile on top of Kong to get the pinfall.

Maki Itoh went into her match against The Great Sasuke with a hand injury, adding more danger since it was also a GCW Extreme Title defence. Sasuke wanted it to be a fair fight so he tried using his spiritual abilities to heal Itoh’s injury. He then targeted her injured hand anyway. Itoh got revenge by attacking Sasuke with a pizza cutter and then striking him with her cast after a ref bump. It dazed Sasuke long enough for the referee to recover and count Itoh’s pin on him.

It is well known by now just how deadly Miyu Yamashita’s Skull Kick is. Today she won her match by Referee Stoppage because the move knocked out Broski Jimmy!

GCW “YOU ONLY DIE ONCE”, 14/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE
375 Fans

1. JCW Title: Masha Slamovich (c) defeated Marcus Mathers with the Half Package Piledriver (15:20).
*V8 for Masha Slamovich.
2. Allie Katch & Dark Sheik defeated Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami when Sheik pinned Toribami with the Welcome to Die (10:14).
3. Tetsuya Endo defeated Gringo Loco with a Tornado Clutch (14:53).
4. GCW Ultraviolent Title: Rina Yamashita (c) defeated 1 Called Manders with the Splash Mountain onto the Chair (13:23).
*V19 for Rina Yamashita.
5. 6-Way Match: Andreza Giant Panda defeated Joey Janela, Broski Jimmy, Kikutaro, Danhausen and Effy when Andreza pinned Janela & Jimmy with the Andreza Press (9:29).
6. GCW World Title: Mance Warner (c) defeated Takayuki Ueki with the Avalanche Impaler DDT onto the Chair (21:03).
*V10 for Mance Warner.

The third and final show of the tour had a few changes to the lineup because of injuries. The big one was Itoh being unable to finish the tour. Her hand injury involves a broken bone so she couldn’t compete in the GCW World Title Match with Mance Warner. Her spot was taken by Takayuki Ueki but Itoh still made an appearance during the match to attack both wrestlers with her pizza cutter.

MAO was thrown into a 6 Way Scramble with a colorful collection of characters. Broski Jimmy recovered from his knockout from the night before, Joey Janela and Effy both wanted to party, Danhausen and Kikutaro had unfinished business but the one who dominated the match more than anyone else was Andreza Giant Panda! Andreza crushed the opposition and pinned both Janela and Jimmy to become the winner.

Zayne was among the injuries that changed the card around. DDT sent in Tetsuya Endo to be his replacement. His match on the show was against Gringo Loco and it turned into a game of one-upmanship. Variations of the One Man Spanish Fly in particular became the point of contention between them. Endo used the Tetsuya In The Sky while Gringo pulled out a Backwards Spanish Fly from the top rope. Soon the aerial attacks were being blocked so Endo pulled out a Tornado Clutch to grab the win in a close contest.

TJPW were also represented on the show by the team of Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami. The two of them fought against The Mothership of Katch & Sheik. The speed and agility of the TJPW duo wasn’t enough to beat the GCW team. Instead Sheik pinned Toribami with the Welcome To Die.


DDT At GLEAT Ver.12 Results

July 2, 2024

GLEAT “GLEAT VER.12”, 01/07/2024
Tokyo Dome City Hall
1,511 Fans

2. MONDAY NIGHT FEVER: Minoru Tanaka & Kazuki Hirata defeated Yusuke Kodama & Issei Onitsuka when Tanaka pinned Onitsuka with the B”D”F (3:59).
7. G-REX Title: Hayato Tamura (c) defeated Yuki Iino with a Lariat (14:56).
*V6 for Hayato Tamura.

A month ago when GLEAT and DDT held a show together, Yuki Iino scored a pinfall win over Hayato Tamura. The result made him No. 1 Contender for the G-REX Title and he got his shot yesterday at Tokyo Dome City Hall. The two had a stubborn heavyweight match with plenty of collisions. Iino was able to hit the Spear but it wasn’t enough to win this time. Tamura cut him off with a German Suplex and Back Drop before getting the three count with a Lariat. He said he was energized today thanks to Iino beating him at Korakuen Hall last month. He does not know what to think of him personally but in the ring they are truly rivals who can fight each other for decades to come. Iino agreed and wants to fight Tamura again anytime, any place and in any match.

It’s an eventful week for Minoru Tanaka’s family so he was given a match to let out some steam. He was well into dancing with Kazuki Hirata from the get go. Their opponents Yusuke Kodama & Issei Onitsuka, not so much. Hirata briefly paused the action to get a drink of water but when he returned he sportingly allowed Onitsuka to put him back in a Sleeper Hold. Tanaka got tagged in and didn’t take long to win the match. All four of them danced with each other after the match. Tanaka said it was the first time a “mixed martial arts” match between a dancer and a ramen shop owner ever took place. He was impressed by how strong the dancer was. Onitsuka warned that he will get payback on Hirata.


YuuRI Wins ICE×∞ Title In Ice Ribbon

June 24, 2024

ICE RIBBON “AFTER THE RAIN, RIBBON 2024”, 23/06/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,088 Fans – No Vacancy

2. Ancham, Tsukina Umino & Nanae Furukawa defeated Totoro Satsuki, Yuna Manase & Asuka Fujitaki when Umino pinned Satsuki with a Hurricanrana (16:31).
6. ICE×∞ Title Decision Match: YuuRI defeated Hamuko Hoshi with the Swanton Bomb (21:53).
*YuuRI becomes the 38th ICE×∞ Champion!

One of the places you will often find YuuRI wrestle in away from Ganbare☆Pro is Ice Ribbon. She’s been doing pretty well there too, going as far as to win the ICE×∞ Title last summer. Earlier this year the ICE×∞ Title had to be vacated when the champion Ibuki Hoshi, the person who won the belt from YuuRI, announced she was pregnant. Ice Ribbon held a league tournament to determine a new champion and the final came down to YuuRI versus Hamuko Hoshi (who just so happens to be Ibuki’s mother). YuuRI broke Hoshi down with Thrust Kicks and Buzzsaw Kicks until she could hit the Swanton Bomb. One wasn’t enough so YuuRI had to hit it again to win the tournament and become champion again. In her victory speech she declared herself the superhero of Ice Ribbon! GanPro will always be her home but she considers Ice Ribbon her second home and does not want to be considered an outsider champion this time round.

Yuna Manase also likes to spend time wrestling in Ice Ribbon. She has a tag team here with Totoro Satsuki called BIG★DEKAI!!! and they are currently the International Ribbon Tag Team Champions (YuuRI held the title last year too). They have yet to have a title defence, instead they wrestled on this show with Asuka Fujitaki losing a 6-Woman Tag Match against Ancham, Tsukina Umino & Nanae Furukawa.


DDT At NOAH Limit Break 3 Results

June 19, 2024

NOAH “THE LEAVE PRESENTS LIMIT BREAK. 3 GO! ~GO SHIOZAKI 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOURNAMENT~”, 19/06/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,220 Fans

4. Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku defeated Atsushi Kotoge, Black Menso-re & Yuto Kikuchi when Endo pinned Menso-re with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (11:49).
5. Beast Vs Harimao: Kazuyuki Fujita defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Kick To The Face (9:13).
7. Go Shiozaki 20th Anniversary Match -DEPARTURE 2024-: Go Shiozaki & Jun Akiyama Vs Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).

Some of the DDT related storylines over at the NOAH “LIMIT BREAK” shows came to an end today while one in particular is continuing on up until DDT’s next Sumo Hall show. The main event was Go Shiozaki’s 20th anniversary match and he picked Jun Akiyama as one of the other particpants. Akiyama was in Shiozaki’s debut match and the two have been an integral part of each other’s careers since then. Together they faced Naomichi Marufuji & Takashi Sugiura while special guest Kenta Kobashi watched from the commentary booth. The match lasted the entire thirty minute time limit without a winner. Akiyama said he was glad to be invited to Shiozaki’s big day and he’ll see him again somewhere down the line.

The battle between two hard headed brutes from NOAH and DDT was built up on previous Limit Break shows. Today Kazusada Higuchi finally got to fight Kazuyuki Fujita one on one. When the dust settled it was Fujita who hit harder. He countered the Buchikamashi sumo charge with a Lariat and then kicked Higuchi in the face twice for the pinfall. Fujita said the match was not about winning or losing. It was about himself and Higuchi hitting each other with all of their might. Higuchi admitted he was completely defeated today. He will have to start from scratch build himself back up from here.

Shiozaki will be teaming with Atsushi Kotoge at DDT’s Sumo Hall show next month to challenge BURNING for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. On today’s show Kotoge got a preview of what to expect from the champions in the form of a 6-Man Tag Match against them. He & Yuto Kikuchi had Tetsuya Endo on the ropes and left it up to Black Menso-re to finish him off. Endo turned the tables using the Tetsuya In The Sky and pinned Menso-re with the Torture Rack Bomb. Endo asked Kotoge if this match has fired him up. It might not matter because Endo thinks at this rate the title match has already been decided. He likes Kikuchi though and wouldn’t mind coming over to Dotonbori Pro sometime to wrestle him again. Yuki Iino swears Shiozaki’s Chops won’t hurt him when they fight each other again. Yuya Koroku was happy to be booked on the show and would like to take part in more Limit Break events in the future.


Takeshita Is Entering The G1 Climax!

June 17, 2024

Well holy crap will you look at that! Konosuke Takeshita is entering this year’s G1 Climax on behalf of both AEW and DDT. He will be the second DDT affiliated wrestler to take part in New Japan’s famous tournament after Kota Ibushi. It’s a fascinating announcement after Takeshita recently fought Jon Moxley in AEW just for the chance to get an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot. He swears to enter the G1 as the eye of the storm because he wants to win it so badly. It hasn’t been announced yet if he will be booked for any non-tournament matches during the tour.

Every block match has a 30 minute time limit. 2 Points for a win, 1 Point for a draw and 0 points for losing or having a No Contest. Head-to-head results are used to determine any tiebreakers. The extra wrinkle added to this year’s tournament is the top three of both blocks enter the knockout rounds. Those who finish 2nd and 3rd in their block will face each other and the winner moves on to face the person who finished in 1st to determine who wins the block. The A Block winner and B Block winner then meet in the grand final.

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 20/07/2024
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (Osaka EDION Arena)

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Yota Tsuji Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 23/07/2024
Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Jeff Cobb Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

This round of B Block matches are actually taking place on 21st July but Takeshita is already booked for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” at Sumo Hall on the same day. So his match against Jeff Cobb is happening two days on what was supposed to be the A Block only show.

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 25/07/2024
Sun Messe Kagawa

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Yuya Uemura Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 28/07/2024
Fukuoka International Center

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Henare Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 31/07/2024
Yamaguchi KDDI Ishin Hall

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs David Finlay

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 04/08/2024
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium (Dolphins Arena)

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Hirooki Goto Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 07/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: El Phantasmo Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 10/07/2024
Miyagi Xebio Arena Sendai

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs B Block Play-In Winner

The B Block Play-In wrestler will be the winner of a mini-tournament happening in July between Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Oleg Boltin, Taichi, Satoshi Kojima and TJP.

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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 14/07/2024
Shizuoka Hamamatsu Arena

1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Ren Narita


DDT At “ALL TOGETHER IN SAPPORO” Results

June 15, 2024

UJPW “ALL TOGETHER IN SAPPORO”, 15/06/2024
Sapporo Hokkai Kitayell
2,156 Fans

0. Dark Match: Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma defeated Tomoya & Andreza Giant Panda when Yano pinned Tomoya with a School Boy (6:26).
1. Zack Sabre Jr., Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita defeated Ulka Sasaki, HAYATA & Yu Owada when Sabre submitted Owada with an Arm Bar (8:37).
2. AZM Vs Starlight Kid ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
3. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Daichi Hashimoto when Goto pinned Hashimoto after the Lights Out (10:24).
4. Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Oleg Boltin, Ryohei Oiwa & Tetsuya Endo when Cobb pinned Oiwa with the Tour Of The Islands (9:53).
5. SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Naomichi Marufuji & Kento Miyahara when SANADA pinned Tanahashi with an O’Connor Bridge (13:25).
6. Masa Kitamiya defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Saito Suplex (13:42).
7. Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI & Titan defeated Jack Morris, Anthony Greene, LJ Cleary, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney when Tsuji pinned Cleary with the Gene Blaster (10:30).
8. Gabe Kidd, David Finley & YO-HEY defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Kenoh & Alejandro by Referee Stoppage when Kidd knocked out Kiyomiya the Leg Trap Piledriver (12:16).
9. Tetsuya Naito defeated Jake Lee with the Destino (26:32).

Not much to talk about this show in regards to DDT’s involvement with it. The show was also a bigger drawing disappointment than the first one so who knows if UJPW will hold another event like this anytime soon? Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi were in the same match representing DDT on both teams. Endo & Ryohei Oiwa were originally meant to team with Shota Umino but Umino pulled out of the show after injuring his back during practice earlier in the day. New Japan replaced him with Oleg Boltin. Higuchi was on the same team as United Empire members Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan. While the DDT wrestlers did get to mix with the NJPW guys, the result came down to Cobb pinning Oiwa. Endo regretted missing the previous “ALL TOGETHER” show because of injury and went into the match hoping to make up for it. He is sorry he still couldn’t win with that kind of extra motivation.

I’ll talk about the dark match too because one team in it should be familiar to the regular readers here. Tomoya & Andreza Giant Panda were the local wrestlers competing in the dark match against New Japan’s Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma. None of Yano’s usual tactics could work against Andreza so he grabbed some bamboo and gave it to Honma so he could get Andreza’s attention. The distraction worked and Yano gave Andreza a Low Blow. Honma followed up with a Kokeshi Rocket, almost knocking the panda out. Andreza just about answered the 10 count by standing back up at 9. However a mistimed Headbutt hit Tomoya by accident and Yano gave him a Low Blow followed by a School Boy to steal the win.