Press Conference For Judgement 2025

March 18, 2025

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. 57th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions Decision Match – Kazusada Higuchi & Shunma Katsumata Double Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs JJ Furno & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Makoto Oishi, Akito & Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Keigo Nakamura
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
6. DDT Extreme Title – Loser Joins Match: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine
*Special Referee: Amon Tsurumi
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs KANON
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & To-y (c) Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
9. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Minoru Suzuki
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi

This week DDT held a press conference at Ota Ward Industrial Plaza to promote some of the top matches happening at “JUDGEMENT 2025” this Thursday. The four title matches for the show all went through public signing ceremonies. Masahiro Takanashi admitted he was feeling overwhelmed and out of place to be in the main event KO-D Openweight Title match. He has been a part of DDT for 22 years and the early days left a strong impression with him. He thinks DDT was able to grow thanks to all the hard work of the people in the company. Chris Brookes picked him to be his opponent because he wanted to fight him. He understands it was not done out of kindness and if he loses the match he will have to take some time to think about himself. On 20th March Takanashi wants to prove he is still alive in DDT. Brookes said he has watched Takanashi fought in championship matches for other promotions and wanted to fight him in a similar way. He wants to see Takanashi shine in Korakuen Hall and not be held back by his past. That is how SCHADENFREUDE International will build an even brighter future for DDT.

At first Minoru Suzuki was unusually straight to the point with his comments. He simply said he would do his best for the DDT Universal Title match. Yuki Ueno said if he can fight Suzuki to his heart’s content it will fulfill all of his desires as the champion and then some. Suzuki then spoke up and asked Ueno if he is hiding something because he doesn’t think Ueno said everything he wanted to say. They will go all out in the ring to destroy Korakuen Hall and everything in it. Suzuki expects himself to win the match and become champion but that is not why he wants to fight Ueno. He is shocked to find out just how interesting a wrestler Ueno is and wants him to show all of his crazy side. Ueno didn’t agree and started arguing with him over who is crazy.

The rules for the DDT Extreme Title match were revealed at the press conference. Danshoku Dieno thought long and hard about the rules and decided the loser must join DDT! Super Sasadango Machine’s current deal with the company is a loose affiliation that makes him more like a freelancer than a company employee. If he loses this match he must go wrestle in more matches, go on more tours and give DDT a cut of his payments from other entertainment activities! Dieno is already part of the DDT roster so he decided if he loses then his pet dog Haku must become a full time member of the roster. Other than that the match will be held under normal wrestling rules. Sasadango doesn’t like that idea either because he’ll have no chance of winning that way!

The contract signing for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match began with NωA Jr. performing their song for everybody before talking about how excited they are for the match. Kazuma Sumi & Yuni have been waiting for Shunma Katsumata to recover from his injury so the idol unit would be complete again. Sumi said he will use the best version of his School Boy to win the match, Yuni wants to win the titles on his path to ultimately becoming the KO-D Champion and Katsumata thinks the belts suit them better than they suit Harimao. However they agree they will need to work together to win. Kazusada Higuchi promised to fight to the best of his ability in order to survive, Ryota Nakatsu wants to push out as strong as he can to celebrate Higuchi’s return and Yuki Ishida said he will overwhelm the idols with his masculinity.

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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” Preview

March 15, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa & Mifu Ashida Vs HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
2. Kakeru Sekiguchi, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Ivy Steele Vs Kaya Toribami, Kira Summer, Chika Nanase & Uta Takami
3. Max The Impaler Vs Moka Miyamoto
4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Toga
5. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) Vs Raku
6. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale Vs Miu Watanabe
7. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura Vs Yuki Arai
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Arisu Endo
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Spring has arrived and with that comes the first big arena show for Tokyo Joshi Pro in 2025. This year TJPW has booked the refurbished Ota Ward Gymnasium as their residency for their three biggest shows in Japan this year: “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” this weekend, “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25” in July and “WRESTLE PRINCESS VI” in September. Let’s stick to the short term because not only is this Sunday’s show pretty important by itself, according to TJPW’s English tweets it will play a big part into deciding the championship matches for their trip to Las Vegas next month. All three TJPW championships are on the line here along with a fourth title from the outside. There’s also a few guests here and there to liven up the undercard as it all builds up to a main event that will be more “Wrestle And Romance” than anything Genichiro Tenryu ever came up with.

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa & Mifu Ashida Vs HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki

The show starts off with the two latest additions to the TJPW roster teaming together. Yoshiko Hasegawa became a regular part of the company last September, sort of filling in the spot on the card left by Nao Kakuta (but not nearly getting as many wins). Her partner here only just joined TJPW at the start of the year catching eyes with her cheerleading entrances. Mifu Ashida hasn’t looked bad in her matches so far but her goal of reaching the top of the company within a year is not going to happen. She’s already been humbled for that so the next step is to see how she will adapt from that.

At the end of last year both HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki had found themselves being overtaken by other wrestlers in their class and needing to catch up. They were both eliminated in the 1st Round of the 2024 Next Generation Tournament. This year they’ve been helping each other turn their fortunes around and it led them to the semi-finals of the Max Heart Tournament. They seem to have a good thing going on and a win here will help their momentum. Getting themselves a team name wouldn’t hurt either.

2. Kakeru Sekiguchi, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Ivy Steele Vs Kaya Toribami, Kira Summer, Chika Nanase & Uta Takami

What can I write about this match when there is not a lot to write about? Has Kakeru Sekiguchi made enough appearances by now for the TJPW roster to tell her apart from Mahiro Kiryu? Surely Haruna Neko will be able to see the difference given that she’s been teaming with Kiryu a lot lately. Ivy Steele has been fitting in and getting matches with a variety of wrestlers up and down the card. Kaya Toribami has usually been on the winning side of the multi-woman tag matches on this level lately. Kira Summer has been the opposite. Chika Nanase exists and Uta Takami added an actually pretty sick looking Cobra Clutch move that she has named the Koala Clutch. So yeah, the result here is going to be a coin flip of a match.

3. Max The Impaler Vs Moka Miyamoto

Well it’s been nice knowing Moka Miyamoto. Her two highlights of 2025 so far are teaming with Yuka Sakazaki on 4th January and getting to wrestle in Chile. The third will be the moment when she attempts the Zero Fighter Kick and bounces off of Max The Impaler like a tennis ball hitting a wall. Most of Max’s appearances in TJPW so far this year was in the Max Heart Tournament where Pompaler made it all the way to the finals before losing. Since then Max has been away from their usual partner rampaging through the company like only they can. Where Max goes from here will be up to them unless the karate skills of Miyamoto can cut The Impaler down to size.

4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Toga

Can I get away with calling Aja Kong everyone’s favorite aunt in TJPW because that’s what it feels like whenever she shows up. There are still wrestlers here who want to step up to her and end up getting quite shaken after taking a Back Drop, Diving Elbow Drop or Uraken. But there are also plenty of on the roster who have become reliable partners for her. Yuki Kamifuku is a prime example. She continues to rule over Southeast Asia with the Double Asian Crown in her possession. Every time she gets in the ring she’s the most confident she’s ever been. Wakana Uehara seems to have earned Kong’s respect too going back to their singles match from January 2024.

If the opposing team have anything to their name it’s a lot of guts. Yuki Aino is back to floating aimlessly around the card but when you give her an opportunity to be stubborn in the ring she’ll take it. Haru Kazashiro has improved dramatically over the past year and earned her victory at the Next Generation Tournament. She still has a long way to go but I’m not going to argue anyone calling her the top prospect from TJPW’s new generation. Toga is not that far behind her and there is a good chase to be had with them as both tag team partners and opponents. But they should worry about dealing with Auntie Kong first.

5. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) Vs Raku

Hands up if you ever thought we’d see the day when Raku and Pom Harajuku are booked in a genuine championship match against each other and not one for a comedy belt. Put it down, I know you’re lying. Alright, alright I take that back. This pair genuinely do have it in them to get an audience emotionally invested in a match like this. Harajuku became one of the most unlikeliest champions in TJPW history when she travelled to Thailand last November and won the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title from Matcha in a No DQ Match! With that success came the champion’s boost that saw Harajuku winning more matches in TJPW and even go on a Max Heart Tournament run that took her all the way to the final. It’s been a wonderful story to follow but it led our champion into a match she didn’t want to happen.

It took Harajuku more than one time to beat Matcha for the SETUP Women’s Title. There was a previous attempt in September 2024 when Harajuku and Matcha fought in a 3 Way Match for the title with Raku as the third person. Matcha pinned Raku to win the match and retain the title that night and the result has stayed in Raku’s thoughts ever since. So when Harajuku brought the championship to Japan and was able to keep hold of it for a few months (not just figuratively because she literally dropped the belt that one time), Raku made the challenge for a title shot. Harajuku refused until Raku explained it’s because she loves her. Let me tell you if I had a nickel for every title match on this show that is built around love, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happening twice.

6. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale Vs Miu Watanabe

It was this month last year when Miu Watanabe climbed to the top of the TJPW mountain at the 2024 edition of this show. Her run on top lasted for the rest of the year and while it is over for now, she still has some tasty looking matches on the horizon. Like this one for example. TJPW originally wanted to do a Watanabe versus Willow Nightingale match back in the summer of 2022 but visa problems on Nightingale’s end prevented her from travelling to Japan. She eventually got to go on a Japan tour with TJPW later in the year and be in the ring with Watanabe but that singles match still never occured. So what a delight it was last month to see a video from Nightingale announcing she is coming back to finally make the match happen! Smiles are guaranteed and so too will there be power spots galore.

7. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura Vs Yuki Arai

You know, it’s funny. Imagine a world where TJPW somehow exists exactly as it does now but without Miyu Yamashita ever existing. In that alternate universe we probably get Meiko Satomura looking like a ray of sunshine every time she appears because she seems to see the positives in every other wrestler in the company except for Yamashita. Satomura is just be over a month away from her pro wrestling retirement so unless we get an unexpected announcement it looks like Yuki Arai gets the honour of being her last ever opponent ever in a TJPW ring.

The match is the latest in the long line of signs that Arai has TJPW’s full backing behind her. She is also approaching the end of a career soon because she will be graduating from SKE48 at the end of March to put her full effort into pro wrestling. Just being in the ring with Satomura as part of the joshi legend’s retirement road is a vote of confidence in her favour. If she’s giving up her singing career to become the new leader of TJPW she knows she will have to shine bright against the yokozuna of joshi. Maybe she’ll level up so much that she can evolve her Finally finishing move and change it from the Heel Drop into the Scorpio Rising!

8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Arisu Endo

The fated Daisy Monkey showdown! It’s a dream match Suzume wanted to make a reality from the moment she won the International Princess Title on 4th January. But first she had to get past Jada Stone for her February title defence. Good thing that Arisu Endo thought the same way and approached Suzume right after that match asking to be the next challenger. Suzume has the experience advantage, having beaten Endo in their three previous singles matches against each other. In fact one of those matches opened up “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” two years ago. Back then Suzume was concerned that Endo had caught up with and even surpassed her. Things are a bit different this time around.

While the two are the best of friends, Endo admits this match will be more like a sibling rivalry kicking off. Suzume is like a big sister and Endo wants the IP Title even more because her “big sister” currently has it!

9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao

When 121000000 won the Princess Tag Team Titles for a second time they quickly agreed on their next goal as champions. If Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh cannot reach 10 successful title defences in a row then their accomplished tag team will split up. We’re now approaching the halfway point of the target. They have retained the belts four times already with successful defences in America and Chile along the way. They also have more overseas bookings coming on the horizon so there is plenty of opportunities ahead for them to reach that goal before we know it. There’s a big wall now standing in their way though. It’s a pair of wrestlers with chips on their shoulders for multiple reasons and 121000000 are partially responsible for it.

Kyoraku Kyomei have been together as a tag team for five years and spent most of that time as the bridesmaids of the tag division. It was a team put together when Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao wanted to cheer people up during the pandemic. When the pairing clicked better than expected, they started aiming for success only to fall short on every occasion. The failure that hurt them the most was in the 2023 Max Heart Tournament final when they lost to, you guessed it, 121000000. That loss in particular has stuck with Nakajima & Misao like a thorn in their hearts filling them with bitterness and resentment. So after they finally won the Max Heart Tournament this year (as the only remaining team to compete in all 5 tournaments), they could not be more fired up to get their rematch with Yamashita & Itoh. The champions welcome the challenge. They don’t even mind being compared to overpowered tournament level Pokémon (Yamashita only understood the reference once she saw that Ogerpon does kind of resemble her). Itoh in particular feeds off of that kind of loathing and jealousy towards other people.

If Kyoraku Kyomei can win the match and finally win the championship together, it could result in a massive change in direction for the Princess Tag Titles. Misao has put forward the idea of taking on brand new challengers in future title defences. She wants to fight teams that Kyoraku Kyomei have never faced before even if it means the challengers end up being pairs of wrestlers who don’t normally team with each other. Potential title matches might even get special rules attached to them because Misao has a habit of doing that for her normal matches. She promised management she won’t do that unless the situation calls for it but knowing her that may as well be every situation! Nakajima will be game for it either way.

10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

It has taken over seven years for this match to finally happen. I’d argue it is even the most protected match in TJPW history given what it means to the two people involved and their feelings towards each other. Let’s start on the surface. The Princess Of Princess Title is on the line. Mizuki is on her second reign as champion after proving that princess beat monsters and this is the first defence lined up for her. She has been the defending champion in Ota Ward before and came out on top so this is not an unusual experience for her. The challenger Rika Tatsumi is a former champion too but her sole Princess Title reign from 2021 was hobbled thanks to circumstances beyond her control. Her title matches were held in front of reduced Korakuen Hall crowds because of the pandemic and the reign met it’s inevitable end at the hands of Yamashita earlier than expected (and inside an empty venue to boot). At least Tatsumi was able to use those three months as champion to develop her personality more and get a little drunk with power like an immortal dragon should. I wouldn’t call it a wasted title run even if it doesn’t stand among the most memorable.

So what makes this matchup so important? Why did it take almost eight years for Mizuki and Tatsumi to have a singles match against each other? There’s more to this main event than just having a championship on the line. It is all about love. Back in 2018 TJPW still enforced the “Forbidden Three” rules to its in-house roster: no alcohol, no smoking and no boyfriends. Mizuki was approaching the end of her first year working with TJPW as a freelancer and in that time was already leaving strong impressions with different members of the roster. For Tatsumi those impressions were aiming straight for her heart. Spurred on by these developing feelings, Tatsumi confronted Sanshiro Takagi on a DDT edition of the ABEMA talk show “The NIGHT” and poked a pretty big hole in one of the Forbidden Three rules. She publicly admitted to having a crush on Mizuki but didn’t know if that is breaking the rule. Does no boyfriends allowed also mean no girlfriends are allowed too? Tatsumi received a lot of support from fans for calling out the outdated rules and from that point forward her crush on Mizuki became one of her biggest character quirks.

Mizuki’s opinion on the matter was usually kept to herself. It wasn’t long after this when Mizuki formed The Magical Sugar Rabbits with Yuka Sakazaki and became wrestling soulmates with her instead. Every once in a while Tatsumi would show her appreciation for Mizuki whether it was by wanting them to work together despite being on opposite teams or by winning a prize and handing it straight over to her as a gift. It was only in the recent buildup to this match that Mizuki revealed she still has posession of the first love letter Tatsumi ever gave her. It shows that she at least understands and appreciates Tatsumi’s feelings towards her. The reason she kept her distance from Tatsumi for all of these years was over concern that Tatsumi would start to dislike her if they ever did become close.

So now we go back to the Princess Title, the one object that can potentially turn this love story into a tragedy. Tatsumi still regrets how short lived her first title reign went. She has worked hard and achieved other accomplishments since then but feels the rewards were never enough for the challenges she had to get through. She thinks she will have to become ruthless like a dragon to become the Princess Champion again even if that means Mizuki will end up hating her. Mizuki is also willing to risk losing this special bond with Tatsumi if it means she will defend the Princess Title she worked so hard to reclaim. She is certain the two of them will shine in the ring together. But a story like this usually ends up with somebody getting their heart broken.

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Grand Princess ’25 Press Conference

February 19, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Arisu Endo
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

We are one month ahead of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s return to Ota Ward Gymnasium so a press conference was held in Shibuya yesterday to promote the three championship matches happening at the show. Rika Tatsumi talked about how her feelings for Mizuki have transcended beyond love and romance. When Mizuki is happy, Tatsumi is happy too. However she always regrets how short lived her Princess Of Princess Title reign was in 2021. She’s fought through many challenges since then and feels she has never been rewarded for them. So she must become ruthless to become the Princess Champion again even if that ends up with Mizuki hating her.

Mizuki understands just how much Tatsumi likes her and to prove it she brought along an envelope. Inside it was the first love letter Tatsumi wrote for her all those years ago. She didn’t read it out loud because it is very long but it is full of Tatsumi writing wonderful things about her. Mizuki admits she often gets worried that if she gets close to Tatsumi then Tatsumi would start to dislike her. That’s why Mizuki tends to keep her distance from her. But with the title match coming up it makes their first time singles bout against each other even more special. She too is now prepared to fight for the championship at the risk of being hated by Tatsumi. The one thing she is sure of is they will shine together in the ring and do their best.

The two members of Daisy Monkey talked about how much they wanted to have a championship match against each other. Suzume knew the match could happen down the road when she won the International Princess Title and she was really happy to see Arisu Endo want it too. She doesn’t know what will happen after the match but she wants to find that out together with Endo. They’ve had three singles matches already in their career and Suzume won all of them. She said Endo is at her best no matter who her opponent is and she enjoys watching her go all out every time. Endo says she sees Suzume as an older sister and she wants the IP Title because her “sister” has it!

The Princess Tag Team Titles have been held by Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao before but never together. Their team Kyoraku Kyomei was formed for both of them to have fun to the fullest without regrets but Nakajima admits there is resentment and bitterness building up to the title match against 121000000. Those are the feelings motivating her to beat the champions and finally win the belts with Misao by her side. Misao does not believe their team will become worthless if they never win the tag titles. But she still feels a sting in her heart when she remembers losing to 121000000 at the 2023 Max Heart Tournament final. She admits the other team were the main characters back then. That means for this title match Kyoraku Kyomei will show everyone what it’s like when the underdog becomes the new hero!

Maki Itoh spoke about how confident she is coming off of a title defence in Chile. She gets that the challengers are on a roll but she does not want them to underestimate her & Miyu Yamashita because the champs are still in really good shape. If there is resentment, envy and jealousy coming their way then Itoh will throw all of it into the depths of despair once again! Yamashita watched Kyoraku Kyomei’s run through this year’s Max Heart Tournament and described their matches as a lot of fun when seeing them from the outside. She’s happy to know that 121000000 are a driving force for Kyoraku Kyomei even when they’re away wrestling somewhere else. Her bond with Itoh is getting stronger and there’s more places where they want to travel and team together. They’re also only reaching the halfway point of their 10 defence goal.

Nakajima talked about something that bothers her about 121000000. She compares them to overpowered Pokémon that dominate the competitive scene. Yamashita is Ogerpon when it wears the Hearthflame Mask while Itoh is Dragonite. Itoh likes the comparison because she loves Dragonite but Yamashita didn’t understand the references. She got it once Sayuri Namba showed her a picture of Ogerpon and agreed it looks strong. Itoh then compared the challengers to Geodude because they are rock hard. Nakajima wasn’t happy with that because Geodude is a weak Pokémon. But they can withstand one-hit kills and launch a dangerous counter attack which Nakajima admits is her team’s plan to win.

Misao changed the subject by saying if Kyoraku Kyomei win the titles they want to defend them against teams they’ve never fought before or teams made up of people who never worked with each other. They would also welcome any challenges from teams who can beat them in terms of creating fun. She does not intend to add special rules to their title defences because they don’t want to get complaints from management. But if a match calls for it then she might come up with special rules anyway.

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DramaticDDT’s Questions For 2025

December 31, 2024

So instead of doing predictions for 2025 I am instead going to ask a few questions about the year ahead. What should we as fans of DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Ganbare☆Pro or BASARA be paying attention to? How is the wrestling scene in Japan going to change in the next twelve months, if there is change at all? There are even stories happening elsewhere that could eventually relate to the CyberFight bubble in big or small ways. I have eleven questions to talk about and I want you to read them!


What will a new year of Akito’s DDT look like?

DDT is always going to be Sanshiro Takagi’s baby but a search for his successor is already under way. Akito is that guy and he has stepped up to the plate this year so Takagi could take a step back for health reasons. It looks like this will continue for a while next year and there are already signs of change in the air. A lot of the events on the 2025 schedule so far are using new naming conventions. Gone are the “SWEET DREAMS!” and “INTO THE FIGHT” tour names that have been used for over a decade. There is also no sign yet of the D-Oh Grand Prix returning after it skipped this year.

If there are new event concepts happening alongside the name changes then I wonder how many ideas are coming from Akito instead of Takagi? If Takagi’s 2025 is focused on management behind the scenes then how much of Akito’s influence will get to rise to the surface? Maybe it’s already happening and it’s not much of a difference. The winter feud between SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A being built around different multi-man stipulation matches was a nice change of pace to buildup a Sumo Hall main event. Definitely different from the last couple of big match programs DDT have booked.


Who is coming back from injury next year?

I’ve lost track of who is currently out of action so let’s remind ourselves. Shunma Katsumata got a torn ACL in November. Kazusada Higuchi took time off back in June to recover from a cervical hernia among other injuries. Naomi Yoshimura hasn’t wrestled since November 2022 because of a herniated disc. Sanshiro Takagi stopped wrestling in July to deal with general health problems. Hideki Okatani tore his ACL in April. Rukiya has been out of action since May because of a cervical sprain.

TJPW and BASARA are currently injury free. Runa Okubo is on an indefinite absence from TJPW to focus on her education and it kind of sounds like she has another career in mind for her future so who knows if she will ever come back. Over in GanPro, Mizuki Watase ruptured his Achilles tendon earlier this month. Shinichiro Tominaga also ruptured an Achilles tendon in May but he recently announced his return to the ring will happen on 13th January.


How much further is the ice wall surrounding TJPW going to melt?

TJPW has isolated themselves from other joshi promotions for the vast majority of its history. There was the time during the pre-launch days when NOZOMI flew the flag on Stardom and Ice Ribbon shows. Also Mizuki and Shoko Nakajima would make rare appearances in ChocoPro once in a blue moon. But actual inter-promotional programs between TJPW and another joshi company? Barely anywhere to be seen. They’ll work with companies overseas like EVE, GCW and DEFY but domestically Tetsuya Koda does not see much value or reward from interacting with other promotions.

But this year saw a little bit of change going on. Ryo Mizunami was a super sub for the company and reaped the benefits by winning the Princess Tag Team Titles along with the Tokyo Princess Cup. Also in that tournament Zara Zakher went on a strong run after coming in as a virtual unknown beforehand. Raku and Pom Harajuku paid a visit to 666 (although that’s because of a marriage thing Raku has going on with Ram Kaichow). And of course there was the big one during the summer. Nao Kakuta produced a show that included some Stardom talent, one of whom I thought would never want to step foot into a TJPW ring ever again.

Now there were clever decisions being made behind the scenes for that show in particular. For Stardom it was a positive attention grabbing news story happening at a time when they were reorganizing themselves from the Marigold split. Their president told media he is open for more cooperation between Stardom and TJPW if there’s a big enough demand for it. Koda is way more sheepish on the idea but at least admitted it wouldn’t be impossible. It lasted for a brief moment but this year was the first sign of the ice wall surrounding TJPW beginning to melt. It’s not much so far but that it even happened at all is noteworthy.

Oh yeah and there’s that whole UJPW thing. TJPW is a part of that along with Stardom and I think DIANA. The two UJPW shows bombed bad enough that I doubt we’re going to hear about them running a third one. I think it still exists as a behind the scenes alliance to have a unified voice whenever they want to communicate with government groups. Just don’t expect it to be the thing that will ever get TJPW and Stardom working together properly.


Have we hit the peak of Konosuke Takeshita’s AEW run?

Hang on, let me check if I can make some blue tick money off of this take. *click* Okay, let’s go. What a frustrating year it’s been to follow AEW. While Konosuke Takeshita’s matches for the company have been great, there’s been too much time in between where he’s either stuck standing next to Don Callis or not on TV at all. He beat Kenny Omega which on paper should result in a rocket-strapped push up the card but it felt like there’s been no follow up to it. Then he won his first championship in the company by winning the AEW International Title from Will Ospreay but the finish of that match was all about Kyle Fletcher’s heel turn. Since then Takeshita has taken on the travelling champion role defending the belt in other companies. It’s not a bad role for watching good matches but it’s also not a good sign that he currently doesn’t really matter as a major TV character. That the International Title is booked as one of several interchangeable midcard championships in AEW doesn’t help matters either. If anything the title reign is making Takeshita look more appealing as a New Japan wrestler than an AEW one.

Now maybe I should hold my horses and think this over. Of course someone like me wants Takeshita to be part of the AEW World Title picture more than anything else on the show. It’s been two years since Takeshita got the “All Elite” graphic and he’s been associated with the company for around three. He’s been in the ring with everybody who is currently considered a main eventer in AEW. And yet when I watch how the booking plays out over time I just worry we’re going to end up with wasted potential when all is said and done. Unless that potential gets picked up by another place if the time has come to move on… But that all depends on how long he’s going to be here for.


Will Wrestle Universe add even more promotions to their service?

This was the year that Wrestle Universe cemented itself as one of the best value streaming services in pro wrestling thanks to several different groups being added to the deal. Joining the service was Michinoku Pro, Sendai Girls, the REAL ZERO1 splinter group (which I think is now turning into ZERO1 HARD CORE), Marigold in its debut year and even Deadlock Pro on a delayed schedule. There were also sporadic uploads related to AEW, Osaka Pro, TAKAYAMANIA, Kakuto Tanteidan (the “Fighting Detectives” pair) and the CMLL shows in Japan promoted by LADY’S RING. It’s a lot of stuff with some variety among them if you’re ever looking for something outside of the CyberFight promotions.

As someone with an insatiable appetite for wrestling I would love the convenience of Wrestle Universe expanding its archive by adding even more promotions. However it seems like all of the main players in Japan are currently accounted for with their own services or third party dealings. I don’t think Big Japan wants to ditch their platform anytime soon for example. This is also where I have to admit I have no idea what the deals are like and how much they financially benefit the companies. Would it be worth it for BASARA or any of the other indies on the NicoNico Pro Wrestling Channel to jump over to Wrestle Universe? It would for me!


Are celebrities the answer for DDT to draw bigger crowds?

If there is an idol out there who wants to find a new path in life, Sanshiro Takagi wants to meet them. DDT stuck box office gold this year with the pro wrestling debut of Kaisei Takechi and their Korakuen Hall attendances since then have been pretty good. Plus we just had the debuts of the muscle actor Haruto Sakuraba and dancer Kumadori too. Sakuraba’s debut in particular is going down a treat on social media with women going gaga over his looks. And don’t get me started with TJPW. Throw a dart in that locker room and odds are good you will hit somebody who already had a taste of showbiz before they stepped foot into the wrestling ring. Whether it’s for DDT or TJPW, Takagi is one heck of a talent scout when it comes to celebrities becoming pro wrestlers in Japan.

There are a few ways this plan has worked out in the past. The famous people coming in stick around and become beloved members of the workforce like Saki Akai did. They do great business for DDT in the short term like Takechi (if he doesn’t ever come back). There’s also the likes of LiLiCo who was part of a few fun storylines during her time here and Shinichiro Kawamatsu whose current political position has definitely aided DDT recently in putting some of their more ambitious events together. And at worst it’s still a neat one time thing to see, like with Ami Yumoto when she teamed with Nao Kakuta for a match. If DDT it looking for more draws from outside the wrestling sphere, then training celebrities seems to be the answer. They better hope Makoto Oishi isn’t busy if that’s the case then.

(If anyone remembers the tweet where someone posted Kurt Angle’s entrance video from TNA to explain how good DDT & TJPW are at training idols, that’s what inspired this question. I can’t find it anymore.)


Is Yuki Arai ready to take over TJPW?

We are going to find out in 2025 if Yuki Arai’s commitment to SKE48 held her back from achieving even more in TJPW. When March comes to an end she will have graduated from the idol unit after spending over a decade of her life with them. From that point on pro wrestling will be her main priority. If you thought she was pushed before, get ready to see what they’ll do now she’s going to be on almost every show! She is in the midst of a record breaking International Princess Title reign. If it ends in a few days time then she would have lasted as champ for exactly one year. So if the reign finally comes to a close, what is next for her? Whether it’s in singles or tags TJPW will be ready to make her even more of a centerpiece than she was before. But is she going to be ready for it at her current level?

She already had a big tag team run with Saki Akai in 2022. She also usually performs well with other partners in the Max Heart Tournament. The 2025 tournament is happening before her graduation though so I don’t think the timing works out for her big push to happen there. The Tokyo Princess Cup however sounds like the perfect time for her to go on a big singles run, perhaps even all the way to the Princess Of Princess Title itself. She will have to step up for this scenario to work out. A lot of her matches especially those in her title reign feel samey to me. It’s fine with the IP Title but the Princess Title is held to a higher standard. With her star power (should it not vanish after she leaves SKE48) I can easily see her become the next first time Princess Champion, even within the next 12 months. It will be up to her to evolve into a better wrestler along the way.


What is going on with NOAH’s soft brand split?

We had some changes with CyberFight behind the scenes this year. In May there was a new company structure put in place that relegated Takagi from the President managing all of CyberFight to a Vice President in charge of just DDT and TJPW. Those two promotions remained the same but NOAH in particular went in some unexpected directions. The big one is establishing a working relationship with WWE. So far the pay offs have been Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles wrestling on NOAH’s biggest shows with Omos about to get involved too. There was also a talent swap that saw the likes of Yoshiki Inamura, Josh Briggs and Tavion Heights crossing companies. Oh and it’s probably no coincidence that The Great Muta benefitted from this as well. It’s not a coincidence his WWE Hall Of Fame induction took place this year. So for the big picture, things are going well for them.

However even before the management change took place, NOAH has had something of an identity crisis this year that I think has gone under the radar a little bit. The “MONDAY MAGIC” spin off series presented by NOSAWA Rongai ran for another two seasons and provided a lot of the company’s long term storylines. Meanwhile Go Shiozaki and the old guard called TEAM NOAH ran their own series called “LIMIT BREAK” that seems to exist as far away as it can from NOSAWA’s antics. That also became the place where NOAH and DDT finally crossed over on a semi-regular basis. I thought MONDAY MAGIC would have made more sense because NOSAWA booked the 2nd season like it was DDT’s ABEMA show “MAJI MANJI” anyway but nope! Limit Break wanted Jun Akiyama and saw that DDT has other heavyweights to butt heads with so the DDT guys went over there.

The whole thing comes off like there’s been a soft brand split in NOAH whenever these shows are on the schedule. MONDAY MAGIC carries on with NOAH’s main story continuity while showcasing a variety of different wrestlers from around the world, women included. Limit Break shows have been no nonsense affairs that is closer to traditional NOAH while also interacting with DDT heavyweights and the remains of ZERO1 that Tochigi Pro does not have control over. Is everyone over in NOAH happy with the roster being divided like this or are we going to be in for a shock when contract season rolls around?


Will TJPW dive into this year’s joshi free agency?

As a football fan the January and summer transfer windows are always something to follow even when they are not all its hyped up to be. Same goes for college football whenever I look over there and wonder what the Transfer Portal is all about. Even right now WWE sees how much of a useful tool the concept is to promote interest for their brand split. For wrestling in Japan these kind of dealings get noticed in January and then calms down for the rest of the year, save for one or two names. Joshi however is way more unstable, especially coming into 2025. A couple of renowned veterans are getting ready to retire, one company in particular has hit an iceberg and the landscape is as tumultuous as ever which means some women are off looking for greener pastures.

Stardom usually gets the pick of the litter when it comes to star power. TJPW will find a few freelancers to work with but prefers to rely on their homegrown talent. Marigold hasn’t lived up to expectations of becoming the joshi version of the original NOAH exodus but they did take a big chunk out of Actwres girl’Z on its very first day of existence. As the calendar turns over though the crosshairs are this time aimed squarely at Ice Ribbon. The company is in turmoil over ownership issues leaving talent with little pay for their hard work. Several wrestlers have already announced their intentions to leave when their contracts end while the company’s top champion Yuuki Mashiro is now hanging around there as a freelancer. But how long will that last for? Marigold management is not even pretending to hide their intention to hire a few of them alongside other potential signings throughout 2025. Pro Wrestling Evolution is suddenly popping up as another new place for women to wrestle in too.

Let’s get back to TJPW. As already mentioned they’ve become a regular stop for the likes of Aja Kong, Mizunami, SAKI and Kaichow (who is now married into the family of course). With Nao Kakuta leaving wrestling, Yoshiko Hasegawa was brought in to take her place in the midcard. TJPW also opened their doors for Kakeru Sekiguchi this year too (although it may be because everybody keeps mistaking her for Mahiro Kiryu). They’re not hurting for numbers in the locker room at the minute and there’s at least one debut on the horizon with Kana from The Up Up Girls still undergoing training. Still, I can’t help but get excited at the thought of seeing who will jump where and if TJPW will benefit from it. I should include Ganbare☆Joshi a lot more into this conversation too because of how much Yuna Manase and YuuRI have been booked by Ice Ribbon over the last three years. Hopefully Ice Ribbon won’t fall apart completely so that working relationship can continue.


Are visa problems going to rear their ugly head again when it comes to American bookings?

Oh dear, America voted Donald Trump to be their president again. If his second term is going to be as much of a shit show as his first then it’s going to effect everything, pro wrestling included. If you remember the US government shutdown back in 2019, New Japan was one of the companies affected by it because their Japanese roster was unable to get visas to wrestle in America. Dragongate also had visa disputes for some of their roster that year which cancelled a big planned appearance at WrestleCon. What’s also largely forgotten about was when OWE’s alliance with the newly launched AEW didn’t turn out the way they envisioned because the Chinese wrestlers couldn’t get their visas approved either. That’s why OWE’s only presence in AEW was from #STRONGHEARTS going over in their place.

DDT and TJPW have been doing well with holding international shows in America two or three times a year. Their plans for WrestleCon in Las Vegas in April are going to be their biggest shows yet if all things work out for them. Since their rosters have already been travelling to America on the regular they should be ok but who knows what is going to happen once Trump takes office again. Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita in particular better have everything already in place to continue travelling safely because those US excursions are regular money makers they won’t want to lose out on.


Does Hikari Noa come back to wrestling?

By the time this is posted it will be over a full year since Hikari Noa wrestled her last match in TJPW and vacated the Princess Tag Titles over “poor health”. Her absence at the time continued under “personal reasons” until she graduated from TJPW and The Up Up Girls in May. Those “personal reasons” were allegedly Noa becoming friends with a superfan and letting her in on private information as well as industry secrets. The two then had a falling out which resulted in the fan airing their dirty laundry on social media. Since then there’s been no sign of Noa in the wrestling world. Whether or not she will ever return is a question I’m wondering about because of how her situation went down.

The announcement of her graduation happened around the 6 month mark of her absence. With a full year now gone by could there have been a no-compete clause of some sort that’s ready to run out? It’s wishful thinking to hope at some point in 2025 the woman formerly known as Hikari Noa returns to wrestle again. Doesn’t matter for who. If not though then this is probably the last time I’m ever going to write about her as a topical person on this blog.

———————————————————————–

Questions Submitted From Twitter

I wanted to write more than the ten topics above but ran out of ideas. So I went to Twitter asking if anyone out there had questions of their own. I only meant for questions to be about the CyberFight groups I cover but this article is already an excuse for me to ramble about AEW, NOAH and the joshi scene at large. So let’s take the chance to spread out the topics further. I also wrote most of these answers before Christmas so the first answer is not just me jumping on a bandwagon after it already left the station.

With the surge of younger stars in recent years, who do you think has the most upside coming into 2025?
– meepmeepmooper

It’s a two horse race between Keigo Nakamura and To-y. I’m giving To-y the lead only because of Nakamura’s injury history. Nakamura is more skillful than To-y in the ring but I worry that him getting two serious knee injuries within four years has reduced how long his career is actually going to be. To-y is just as likeable, benefits from being part of DDT’s top babyface unit, is coming off of a high profile Sumo Hall match and has the extra local hometown hero factor. Now if Hideki Okatani comes back from injury soon and still has an Eruption sized chip on his shoulder I’m going to change my pick.

Related to above, given a more active presence in South East Asia, which SEA stars do you think have a good chance of making an impression on DDT / Cyberfight?
– meepmeepmooper

We’re already seeing Alexis Lee and Matcha fitting in with TJPW during their brief tours in Japan even if it’s just going to be for a handful of appearances a year. Monomoth and Dr. Gore got a few bookings in Japan this year but haven’t surfaced above the level of Baka Gaijin + Friends and ChocoPro yet. Monomoth in particular was getting hyped up in the first half of the year but I haven’t heard the name as much in the second half. Andruew Tang is someone I’d like to see coming in as a DDT Universal Title challenger. If he doesn’t have the status for that then getting a shot in a place like GanPro or BASARA would be good enough. Might depend on if Masahiro Takanashi would be guiding him with the bookings. If I can include Taiwanese wrestlers in the answer then Gaia Hox’s stock on the indies is going to rise the longer he wrestles in Japan. That is somebody who would fit in with NOAH but probably not with the rest of F-SWAG.

Was Takeshita a loss for DDT in terms of business, and will he bring any value with his infrequent returns to DDT?
– Monkey_Buckles

You know I’m actually not sure because DDT’s Korakuen numbers rebounded pretty well this year without him. If anything, ever since the G1 happened Takeshita became more valuable to New Japan than to AEW or DDT. He will always be a good addition to any Korakuen or big arena show DDT puts on but what can DDT do with him at this point? His status means they won’t make him put over one of their own so he’s kind of in his own bubble whenever he shows up. But the special one-off matches he got against outsiders in 2024 were all really good so I won’t complain if DDT continues to book him that way. Unless this is the year his DDT contract finally ends and he decides to leave for good. That’ll make me sad.

Do DDT ever pull the trigger on MAO, or is his a permanent midcarder?
– Monkey_Buckles

He’s never getting the Yuki Ueno push, that’s for sure. A short lived KO-D Openweight Title run is always going to be on the table because DDT usually gives every main player in a generation their turn with the belt. I think he got his big chance with the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” main event and his performance wasn’t good enough to convince DDT he is the answer to their problems. The Universal Title scene was perfect for him. His long title run helped mature him as a performer and he had the most confidence I’ve ever seen from him as a result. Problem now is he’s been there and done that. The thing with MAO as a singles act is he’s probably just best off being a small room wrestler rather than a company’s main eventer. You can always rely on him as a tag team wrestler though.

Who will be the future of njpw, and will Zack Sabre Jr and David Finlay carry the company until they create more stars?
– Cleop4tr4hla

Here’s the problem that I think is currently haunting the “Reiwa Musketeers” era of NJPW. This generation has not gotten enough big wins over veteran stars yet. Shota Umino is about to main event the Tokyo Dome but what are the tentpole victories that got him here? Zack Sabre Jr. at the G1 before Sabre became the champ and a lukewarm SANADA after that? Yota Tsuji at least got to win the New Japan Cup and he beat Hirooki Goto to do it. But that was before Goto caught on fire as the sentimental favourite of the fans for being a family guy. The timing of that meant David Finlay got more out of beating Goto than Tsuji did. Ren Narita to me still feels out of place as a House Of Torture heel. At least he has something that makes him more of an individual than being a Katsuyori Shibata clone but I enjoyed watching him more when he was the Shibata clone.

Sabre is in a good position and I’d like to see him stay there for a while. His wrestling style stands out in New Japan and that makes the times he shows up in other companies more appealing. Finlay is winning people over but as long as the Gedo heel finish follows him around it’s going to handicap him. I’m sorry but that stuff continues to come off like New Japan just copy and pasted the Jay White playbook into him. Gabe Kidd I think is a year or two away from jumping to one of the big American companies. The injury to Jake Lee happened at a bad time because his Mad Bastards team with Kidd was going to get over in the World Tag League. I like Ryohei Oiwa but don’t see him leap frogging over the “Musketeers” anytime soon. Young Blood might be fun for the tag division once they return but that part of New Japan relies too much on hot potato booking to get anyone ready for a singles push.

There is a wild card in the form of Oleg Boltin. He had a good G1 debut and he’s been booked strong in the Tag League with Toru Yano of all people as his tag partner. He is a unique homegrown wrestler that I think will stay under the radar from WWE or AEW for another while. But until he’s ready I can’t confidently pick who the next ace is. Hiroshi Tanahashi going on a year long journey to retirement might be what carries the company throughout 2025.

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Posted by JamieOD

I’m No Good At This Predictions Thing

December 31, 2024

That’s it. The crystal ball is going in the bin! I’m doing things a bit different this year because I’ve run out of unique predictions for this article. The only things I could think of were the usual ideas. Things like X wins a championship, Y jumps to another promotion, Z takes part in an angle and so on. But before I post my look into 2025 let’s get this out of the way.

DDT

X. Naomi Yoshimura returns from injury and gets a singles push.
X. Kento Miyahara will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”.
X. Sanshiro Takagi fights Hiroshi Tanahashi in a battle of the presidents!
X. Somebody (or something) from WWE wins the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.
X. Tetsuya Endo should go on an overseas excursion.

We did get to see Naomi Yoshimura hanging around DDT shows quite a bit this year but he’s still not ready to wrestle matches again. Hopefully next year we’ll hear how he is progressing with his rehab training. The DDT Vs All Japan rivalry disappeared after Springtime, right around the time DDT wrestlers started appearing at the NOAH “LIMIT BREAK” shows. So no Kento Miyahara appearance which I think is a missed opportunity. Sanshiro Takagi and Hiroshi Tanahashi teamed up instead of fighting with each other for “ALL TOGETHER”. The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title didn’t go near the WWE at all unless the “Strange Foreigner” that attacked Sayaka Unagi before her MLW appearance turns out to be somebody who was under a WWE deal. Tetsuya Endo’s only match in America this year was in DDT anyway.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

✓. Somebody from the 2023 Class scores a pinfall on a TJPW veteran.
X. Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi finally happens… in the Tokyo Princess Cup.
X. Maki Itoh wins the GCW World Heavyweight Championship.
X. Aja Kong takes on a regular role in TJPW.
✓. Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh remain with TJPW for the year.

Take a bow Shino Suzuki for scoring a pinfall on Shoko Nakajima just days before the year ends. It was a 2 Count pinfall but I included that when I predicted it. I could also try to be cheeky and say Zara Zakher getting a few big wins counts as somebody from the 2023 Class beating a veteran but that would go against the spirit of the prediction. I just meant Tokyo Joshi Pro trained wrestlers, not anybody who started wrestling in 2023. No Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi match is a booking decision that still confuses me. Maki Itoh won the GCW Extreme Title instead of their World Title, so I was close with that one. Aja Kong still makes TJPW appearances here and there but not enough that I would call her a regular part of the company. The one thing I got right all year is Miyu Yamashita and Itoh staying with TJPW. I don’t think the timing is there for either of them to leave the company yet.

Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling

X. Ken Ohka Wins The Spirit Of Ganbare Title From Isami Kodaka.
X. The Ganbare☆Climax returns.
1/2✓. Yuna Manase returns from injury and feuds with YuuRI.
X. A mixed gender tag team wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles.
X. A Stardom wrestler appears on a Ganbare☆Joshi show.

The Spirit Of Ganbare Title went from Isami Kodaka to Shuichiro Katsumura, not Ken Ohka. There was no return of the Ganbare☆Climax tournament. I don’t think Ganbare☆Pro has the ability in their current position to pull off something like that unless it was on a smaller scale. Yuna Manase did return from injury but teamed up with YuuRI instead of feuding against her. The two of them also challenged for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles together but failed to win them. The Ganbare☆Joshi branding hasn’t been used a lot lately so there was no chance of anyone from Stardom showing up. Kind of happened with TJPW though.

Miscellaneous

X. A DDT wrestler makes a full time jump over to BASARA.
X. Konosuke Takeshita wrestles in the main event of an AEW PPV.
X. Yuka Sakazaki becomes the first ROH Women’s TV Champion.
X. Baka Gaijin + Friends runs a show at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.
1/2✓. The 2024 New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Tournament lasts past midnight again.

Nobody made a full jump from DDT to BASARA. There were a couple of times Kazusada Higuchi and Masahiro Takanashi appeared but not enough to count as a regular. Konosuke Takeshita had a few AEW PPV appearances this year but none of them closed out the show. Yuka Sakazaki wasn’t part of the tournament to crown the first ROH Women’s TV Title. The only time Baka Gaijin + Friends went outside of ARENA Shimokitazawa was for “FUCKED UP FEST” and that was not at Shin-Kiba 1st RING. Last but not least, there was a show at Korakuen Hall on New Year’s Eve that went past midnight but it was not the Shuffle Tag Tournament. Big Japan instead did their own thing to take them into the new year. Screw it I’m giving myself half a point for that. Right, onto something new for 2025.

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DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024” Preview

December 26, 2024

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024”, 28/12/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Demus & Ilusion Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Shuji Ishikawa, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida
3. Special Tag Match ~ O-MENZ Kumadori Debut Match: Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori Vs Makoto Oishi & Akito
4. TJPW Vs DDT Full-Scale 6-Man Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku Vs Toru Owashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Haruto Sakuraba Debut Match: KANON, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Iino & Soma Takao
6. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Yukio Naya
7. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura Vs Kenoh & Yu Owada
8. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno (w/ Tetsu Inada) Vs Invisible Man (w/ Kentaro Kumagai)
9. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Takeshi Masada
10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & To-y Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

The final DDT show of 2024 is winding up somewhere bigger than usual. In past years DDT ends their calendar in Korakuen Hall but this time they are heading straight over to Sumo Hall. The “ULTIMATE PARTY” name is used when DDT brings in a little bit of everything in CyberFight’s orbit. We have guests from New Japan (edit: not anymore!), NOAH and Tokyo Joshi Pro coming over but none of their matches against DDT wrestlers can be described as friendly. If that doesn’t catch your attention then maybe the debut matches of two celebrities will tickle your fancy. Celebrity usage has been a success story for DDT this year. The one they caught lightning in a bottle with isn’t here though so let’s see if the formula can be repeated with other performers.

The upper end of the card has two official championship matches and would have had a third title taking place without DDT’s authorization. I’ll explain that one when we get to it. The main event is not something I saw coming when this show was announced back in July. However it’s also between two wrestlers who DDT can always rely on. The penultimate match of the evening also shines the spotlight on two of DDT’s fresh faces who have been locking horns with each other for weeks leading up to this. It’s a well balanced card the company was able to put together.

Before we begin here’s a little piece of trivia. Did you know the announcement for this show was almost leaked by Rossy Ogawa? During an interview he did back in July he talked about having a plan to book Marigold’s second Sumo Hall show on 28th December to compete against a Stardom show he knew would be happening in the same venue the next day (Stardom’s show also wasn’t announced yet at the time). However another company, which we now know is DDT, beat him to the punch and already had the date booked. So DDT unintentionally prevented a Sumo Hall joshi war from happening this weekend! I know some of you out there would have preferred the joshi war but you’re stuck with us until 3rd January.


1. Demus & Ilusion Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi

The spotlight is shining on the youngsters for more than just a wrestling match here. Yuni & Kazuma Sumi are also going to make their idol singing debuts as part of NωA Jr. with Shunma Katsumata. The original NωA (New Wrestling Aidoru/Idol) was an idol unit that Katsumata was a part of from 2016 to 2018. The time has come for him to lead a new generation and the two young wrestlers were handpicked to join him. Yuni has that kind of performance in his blood because his mother was a dancer for Osaka Performance Doll in the 1990s*. Sumi however does not have much of a musical bone in his body. He did recently get an acting gig for the TV adaptation of the MMA manga Red Blue though.

The debut performance could be ruined by DAMNATION T.A if the heels get their way. Demus is a challenge that Yuni and Sumi both have trouble trying to beat. Sumi in particular has been beaten by Demus and his finishing move La Valagueza a lot. I’d almost call it an exclusive finish between the two if it wasn’t for Yuni recently getting pinned with the move too. Ilusion has also elevated himself after a nasty heel turn where he tricked SCHADENFREUDE International into accepting him as their newest member only for him to stab them all in the back and defect to DAMNATION T.A. He has a grudge with SCHADENFREUDE that’s only going to get worse. But when he’s away from that he just wants to go ruin other people’s plans.

*Yeah so long story short, the reason why DDT got away with signing Yuni to a pro wrestling contract at eight years old is because of nepotism. The story of him and his mom approaching Sanshiro Takagi asking for a tryout makes a lot more sense when you find out the mom has been in showbiz before.


2. Shuji Ishikawa, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida

It’s an undercard trios match with nothing going into it but perhaps something it will light a match for somebody’s 2025. Shuji Ishikawa had an eventful 2024. At the start of the year he ended his deal with All Japan to wrestle as a freelancer and also take on a general manager role within Evolution Joshi. That group will soon upgrade into a bigger company called Pro Wrestling Evolution in the new year so the timing of Ishikawa working with DDT again sure is interesting. Tomomitsu Matsunaga unexpectedly got a day in the sun when Jun Akiyama asked him to be his tag partner for a KO-D Tag Team Titles shot in April as a show of appreciation for his work ethic over the years. That opened up the doors for him to get some NOAH bookings at their “LIMIT BREAK” shows too. The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu continues to wrestle every once in a while for DDT. He told everyone that Hulk Hogan passed down the Axe Bomber to him and proved it was true with a video of them hanging out together! Does that mean he’s to blame for Hogan getting into the US political scene with Donald Trump? Kawamatsu also played a part in getting Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo to appear at DDT’s “TODEN PRO WRESTLING” match during her election campaign. Her appearance turned the match into controversy because it came off like DDT was being used to endorse a political figure (Sanshiro Takagi denies the claim and remains defensive over the matter).

The other team also seemed to be thrown together just for the sake of it. Masahiro Takanashi has been splitting his time between SCHADENFREUDE International and ChocoPro. It’s probably good he doesn’t have a heavy load to worry about on this day if he’s needed to be at ringside for the main event. Daichi Sato is a kid to keep an eye on. The 16 year old from HEAT-UP has appeared in DDT in the past under the short lived DDTeeeen!! sub-brand. He’s a big boy with a billed weight of 120kg and DDT recently started booking him again. Since young heavyweight wrestlers are few and far between in Japan nowadays he’ll be getting chances as long as he keeps up his end of the deal. A good showing here will raise his stock. Yuki Ishida took a different career route this year. He reduced his pro wrestling schedule so he could move to Osaka to  work for a sumo entertainment company. Whatever happened over there did not work out so he returned to DDT and is back wrestling full time with them again.


3. Special Tag Match ~ O-MENZ Kumadori Debut Match: Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori Vs Makoto Oishi & Akito

Brining in a celebrity heartthrob worked wonders for DDT’s business this year so they are going to try the idea a few more times. Two performers in the world of entertainment will be making their pro wrestling debuts at this show. The first one is Kumadori, a member of the flashy masked dance group called O-MENZ. They are described as a “Dance Terrorist Group” and Kumadori is considered to be their most muscular member. He met Sanshiro Takagi through an acquaintance and told him he wanted to give pro wrestling a go by using his breakdancing skills. Not long after the deal was made, Kumadori confronted Kazuki Hirata at a DDT show and demanded a dance battle between them. Hirata easily lost but offered to become Kumadori’s tag partner, knowing he’s probably not going to beat him in a wrestling match either. The rest of O-MENZ will also be in their corner because the group will provide a dance performance as part of Kumadori’s ring entrance.

Two of DDT’s most reliable hands will be on the opposing team. Makoto Oishi finished up his contract with DDT in October because his family relocated to Miyagi and he also wants to spend more time with them. He continues to take DDT bookings as a freelancer but everyone in the company briefly acted like he was retiring. Oishi also found the time to get a taxi driver license so he’s trying to become the personal driver for The Saito Brothers over in All Japan. Oishi is quite the wrestling trainer behind the scenes and played a big part in getting Kaisei Takechi ready for his matches. So he is the perfect kind of first opponent for Kumadori. Akito is no slouch either but he is trying to balance his matches along with his growing responsibilities as Sanshiro Takagi’s eventual successor in DDT management. While Takagi has moved further behind the scenes while he rehabs his injuries, Akito has taken his place this year as the person taking any post-show interviews about the state of the company.


4. TJPW Vs DDT Full-Scale 6-Man Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku Vs Toru Owashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda

The first inter-promotional match of the show pits DDT against its sister Tokyo Joshi Pro. There wasn’t anything to the match when it was first put together other than a few connecting threads to the past. Antonio Honda and Rika Tatsumi were once part of a band called DPG. That was how Tatsumi got into wrestling and started training with TJPW. Super Sasadango Machine helped set up Hyper Misao’s memorable “retirement match” that turned out to be the surprise announcement of her engagement and marriage. Tatsumi was part of that match too. As far as I know, Toru Owashi and Pom Harajuku have absolutely nothing in common. Although if this was a sitcom Owashi is the kind of guy who gets forced to babysit a three year old for an episode.

That changed when Sasadango visited a recent TJPW show with gifts for his upcoming opponents. As a proud citizen of Niigata, he supported local business by buying some luxury chocolate for Misao. They were all hers if she would agree to call off the match because Sasadango believes nobody in Sumo Hall wants to watch the DDT team violently destroy the TJPW team. While Misao was being tempted by the bribe, Tatsumi got into the ring and started strangling Sasadango, which in this case is her way of saying no. Misao joined in once she realized that bribery in public is a violation of the company rules (they kept the chocolate anyway). Sasadango got a measure of revenge by attacking TJPW GM Tetsuya Koda for not taking responsibility of his locker room’s actions. That turned this match from a friendly little intergender tag match to a company versus company battle!

Before we move on let’s quickly put the spotlight on Harajuku for a big weekend she’s going to have. She recently won the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title in Thailand (in a No DQ Match to boot) and will be having her first title defence in TJPW the day after this show. As much as it’s joked about her acting like an eternal three year old she has levelled up as a wrestler this year. The title reign is made even more special because she considers Thailand her second home because her parents used to work there and she often visited the country to see them. In fact the first time she watched wrestling was in Thailand when Michinoku Pro held some matches at an expo held over there. When she went back to Japan she started following DDT and TJPW, eventually signing up with them to become a wrestler herself. What a lovely story. One that Honda will definitely ruin once he starts telling a dirty joke via Gongitsune.


5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Haruto Sakuraba Debut Match: KANON, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Iino & Soma Takao

Here is hot celebrity making his debut #2 and he’s even bigger than the first guy! Haruto Sakuraba has been called “The Muscular Actor” for being cast in stage adaptations for Haikyu!!, Tokyo Revengers, Grappler Baki, Final Fantasy Brave and more. The Final Fantasy show in particular is how he got here because Saki Akai was also part of the cast and she introduced him to Sanshiro Takagi. As I said earlier, new heavyweights are in short supply so when Takagi saw that Sakuraba is a 187cm tall weightlifter it was love at first sight. Sakuraba is giving wrestling a go because he is a big fan of The Rock and wants to become his Japanese equivalent. To do that he’s done his homework because what worked for The Rock is a heel turn so he too will turn heel for his debut match!

Sakuraba was given an offer by DAMNATION T.A to join their side because they see he has potential to be a villain. Sakuraba knew what they were putting down and accepted the offer. He doesn’t just want to be the Japanese version of The Rock, he wants to surpass his role model! Now nicknamed “MONSTER”, Sakuraba will be teaming with KANON & MJ Paul to take on a team of DDT faces. I don’t need to write much about HARASHIMA to tell you how important he’s been for DDT throughout most of the company’s history. Soma Takao on the other hand… well he’s more known for managing the Dropkick Bar whenever he isn’t wrestling on the DDT undercard. He doesn’t really have anything else going for himself nowadays. Not even ROMANCE DAWN is a thing anymore.

Yuki Iino is the man for Sakuraba to watch out for most of all. Iino has now fully moved on from his Pheromones gimmick, instead embracing everything that makes him a member of BURNING. He held the KO-D Tag Team Titles for around six months and also won the DDT Universal Title this year too. Sakuraba isn’t impressed though. Not when Iino is smaller in person than he thought. The two had a brief fight where Sakuraba claimed Iino is so weak it makes his own muscles cry! Iino recently fought Tomohiro Ishii and even though he lost, it should be enough preparation for Iino to fight a “MONSTER” like Sakuraba.


6. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Yukio Naya

2024 could have been the year Yukio Naya finally showed his potential to become a big player for DDT. He won the D-Ou Grand Prix in January, got a KO-D Openweight Title shot less than a month later and that was kind of it for him getting any new career defining highlights. He got knocked out in the first round of the King Of DDT and then had the kind of feud with Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami where he kept getting the short end of the stick until he won in the end. Not sure what went wrong for him this year other than DDT deciding to move their main event scene away from the heavyweights.

If there is a way for him to make up for any progress he lost in the last year then beating Jun Akiyama in a singles match should do it. Akiyama’s main event years in DDT are now behind him but he is still accomplishing a lot in the ring. He won the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles as part of D.O.A, made appearances in NOAH, New Japan and AEW again and joins in with DDT’s sillier matches whenever he is in the mood to do so. Maybe fighting Naya one on one will light a fire beneath him to climb back up the mountain again one more time. Naya left a mark on him after one match by Choke Slamming him through a table. All Akiyama wants from him is to fight as strong as he can when they meet inside Sumo Hall.


7. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura Vs Kenoh & Yu Owada

Thanks to the “LIMIT BREAK” shows we finally got some DDT Vs NOAH interactions this year. However this match has absolutely nothing to do with that. Instead it is about an unlikely MMA fighter who made DDT his pro wrestling home. DDT has been good to Shinya Aoki whenever he wrestles for them and it was not made any clearer this year than when he won the KO-D Title! His title reign saw him transform the humble Full Nelson Hold into a nigh on unbreakable pinning maneuver. He has since been rewarded for his skill by winning the Best Technique category in this year’s Tokyo Sports Awards. It’s a prize he compares to receiving a black belt because he now feels he has been accepted into the pro wrestling world. Except somebody in NOAH isn’t willing to do that yet. Okay Kenoh what’s your problem this time? He likes Aoki as an MMA fighter, but as a pro wrestler? No way! Not when he’s alligned with DDT.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. If Kenoh is Frank Grimes then DDT is his Homer Simpson. He never liked that NOAH became associated with DDT because of the CyberFight takeover and only fights DDT wrestlers when there is a grudge involved. He would have been happy to never step foot inside a DDT ring again if it wasn’t for Aoki consantly trying to get his attention. You see, Aoki has this bad habit of telling media his upcoming plans in wrestling. The problem is he reveals these plans before any other party supposedly involved is aware of them. For example he keeps trying to challenge Katsuhiko Nakajima to a UWF Rules fight in GLEAT. After repeatedly getting no response over there, Aoki changed his plan and decided he will fight Kenoh at NOAH’s Budokan Hall show on New Year’s Day. Again, nobody in NOAH let alone Kenoh has any expectation of Aoki being booked for the show (Kenoh will be fighting KENTA on that show instead).

Kenoh had to take matters in his own hands by crashing a DDT show along with NOAH rookie Yu Owada. He told Aoki to his face there will not be a match happening between them at Budokan Hall. Unfazed, Aoki then suggested they have a match at Sumo Hall for DDT instead. Kenoh ordered Owada to fight Aoki in a match then and there but Aoki pinned him in seconds with the Full Nelson Hold. Then one of DDT’s bright and baldest youngsters Keigo Nakamura stood up to defend his company in front of the NOAH pair. The four of them got into a fight and once they were kept apart, the match was made! Aoki & Nakamura are defending home turf, Kenoh is pissed he has to show up in DDT again and Owada is mad at being treated like a third wheel in this situation.


8. “Unofficial” DDT Extreme Title ~ A Dramatic Fight Where People Fight With Their Hearts: Danshoku Dieno (c) (w/ Tetsu Inada) Vs Great-O-Khan (w/ Kentaro Kumagai)
*No title change or successful defence will be recognized.

You want pro wrestling for sickos? You’re getting pro wrestling for sickos. No take backsies. In one corner we have Danshoku Dieno. He is currently the DDT Extreme Champion and he is also the reason 90% of the time I see people who try out DDT decide to never come back. In the other corner is Great-O-Khan. He is New Japan’s King Of Pro Wrestling for 2024 and also a waifu loving pervert with a heart of gold (let me quote Sayaka Unagi who once asked him “Could you truly love a three-dimensional woman?”). Both men in their own bizarre ways have become pro wrestling savants who are able to come up with outside the box ideas for the industry they love so much. Whoever came up with this idea might be trying to get DDT banned from Sumo Hall. Both Dieno and O-Khan are aiming to have a match that will guarantee it.

At first it looked like the match will only have pride on the line. Dieno does not want this to be seen as a DDT Vs New Japan affair. It is about far more than that. Instead he decided to defend his Extreme Title against the man who won the New Japan equivalent this year. Unfortunately this match is enough of a political nightmare to begin with that DDT refuses to authorize it as a title match. Dieno does not care though and will still put the belt on the line in an unofficial manner. Whether that means he will vacate the title if he loses or O-Khan wins possession of the physical belt remains to be seen.

An extra factor coming into the match are the two special guests who will be at ringside. Two voice actors have found themselves becoming important parts of the story. When preparing for the match O-Khan discovered that the voice actor Kentaro Kumagai was once given the Lip Lock by Dieno and has wanted payback ever since. O-Khan made Kumagai pledge loyalty to the United Empire and in return will bring him to Sumo Hall to get his revenge. Luckily for Dieno there is another voice actor who is looking out for him. Tetsu Inada is a die hard DDT fan who has provided voice work for the company many times over the years from narrating videos to providing match commentary. He thinks the lewd pranks he suffered at the hands of Pheromones were way worse than what Kumagai went through. That means he isn’t going to stand by and let Dieno fight this battle by himself! Both Inada and Kumagai will be at ringside for the match. Knowing what the wrestlers involved are both capable of, the most disgusting things that take place in the ring will probably happen to the voice actors!


8. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno (w/ Tetsu Inada) Vs Invisible Man (w/ Kentaro Kumagai)

So pretty much everything I wrote in the last three paragraphs can be thrown away. Except for the last part. The voice actors are still going to get violated somehow. O-Khan suffered a lower back injury during his most recent NJPW match so he’s been pulled from the show. He has an important IWGP Tag Team Titles match going on at the Tokyo Dome soon so New Japan wants to make sure he’ll have enough recovery time to do it. DDT scrambled for a replacement and came up with an old foe of Dieno’s… The Invisible Man! As far as I can tell the Extreme Title aspect of the match has been binned. It will be up to Dieno and the voice actors to craft a story worthy to be told at Sumo Hall.


9. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Takeshi Masada

The year that Yukio Naya could have had instead went to Yuki Ueno. He spent the first half of 2024 as DDT’s ace champion, even getting in a successful KO-D Title defence inside Sumo Hall. The second half of his year slowed down after he lost the title to Shinya Aoki but it seems that DDT finally found a place for him as the company’s prince. His final match of the year is against the supposed star of the new generation who is still finding his feet while dealing with the high expectations. It’s a match that kind of came out of nowhere and there might have been a reason for that. Did plans fall through when Kota Ibushi took offence to the “Golden Star Syndrome” promos The 37KAMIINA cut about him and he decided to stop working with DDT?

Ueno is not taking his opponent lightly. As a recent former champion he knows how much of a big deal it will be if he loses to Takeshi Masada. He sees how well Masada fits into SCHADENFREUDE International but maybe that could be a bad thing. Masada is so comfortable with his current lot in life that he might have abandoned his goals as a result. Masada telling him that his goal is to make the fans go home happy kind of proves his point. That kind of attitude might be why Masada only held the KO-D Tag Titles for a month earlier this year and lost them in his first defence. There also won’t be any rematch or follow up for Masada if Ueno beats him here. Just like with Akiyama versus Naya, Ueno wants to know if Masada is going to take his best shot at him.


10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & To-y Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku

This should have been the next title defence for ShunMao’s second run as champions. But sadly just like their first run it was cut off thanks to an injury suffered by Shunma Katsumata. There is a bright side we can look at though and that is what DDT went with for Plan B. The original match was meant to ShunMao against Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku from BURNING. MAO, Endo and Koroku are still part of the match, this time to crown new champions. Replacing Katsumata is To-y, the pluckiest member of The 37KAMIINA. And boy is he fired up for this opportunity!

Once To-y entered the picture he immediately made a statement by pinning Koroku clean with his Kojima Impact finisher. He then added insult to injury by claiming he has more of a reason to fight for the KO-D Tag Titles than Koroku does. Even Endo agreed with him, pointing out that To-y was able to clearly explain he wants this match for himself just as much as as he does for Katsumata while Koroku struggles to get his own points across on the microphone. Since then To-y was able to rack up several pinfall wins over Koroku, leaving the latter scratching his head trying to figure out what he’s doing wrong. It was only just recently he figured out he hasn’t been acting selfish enough. He reached that breakthrough by beating To-y via referee stoppage through the use of the Chickenwing Arm Lock. Now that he knows what to do, he is willing to break To-y’s arm for the championships if he has to!

Let’s not forget MAO and Endo in this match. MAO found his calling for most of the year as the DDT Universal Champion and also the King Of DDT winner. It provided a lot of fresh matches with different finishes that showed how much MAO has matured as a wrestler in his own way. Endo seems to have fitted into this roster best by changing his focus to tag team wrestling. It paid off with him and Yuki Iino getting a KO-D Tag Titles reign that rehabilitated both of their positions in the company. He also got probably the most closure he is ever going to get from the Nakajima slap incident with the KO-D Title match he had with Shinya Aoki in September. The story is focused on To-y Vs Koroku but watch out if MAO or Endo decide they want to steal the show.


11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

It’s a story that goes from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. This time last year Chris Brookes had gone through surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen. Thankfully the tumor was not malignant and he recovered to wrestle in top shape again. Once year later and he finds himself as the two time KO-D Champion back on top of DDT. Who can hate a feel good story like that? Oh right, Daisuke Sasaki can. Brookes had only just gotten the title back when Sasaki came out to complain about love, romance and dreams. Wrestling doesn’t need any of that stuff! DDT should always be a dirty mess and Sasaki is the only person who can make that happen on the biggest stage DDT can get.

With the Sumo Hall main event set, DDT spent the winter indulging in several different stipulation tag matches between SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A. There was already bad blood between the two groups when Ilusion went undercover for DAMNATION T.A by joining SCHADENFREUDE and betraying them during a heated KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles match in October (it was an illusion!). The two sides went to battle in many multi-man matches including a Best Of 5 Singles Series, a 10-Man Elimination Tag and a Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match. Sasaki got Brookes to submit to the Crossover Face Lock but a few weeks later Brookes was able to pin Sasaki with the Praying Mantis Bomb. With no clear lead coming up to what could be the end of the feud the only thing to be sure of is the match on a stage as big as this is sure to become violent.

There’s even a risk this match might end up becoming loser leaves town one way or the other. Sasaki keeps saying he is going to beat Brookes so bad he’ll pack his bags and go home to England. Sasaki can feel how much the KO-D Title wants to come back to him. If he wins the championship then he will turn every DDT show at Korakuen Hall next year into a “CHARISMANIA” show! Brookes knows how much Sasaki likes punk music so he says he’ll get a one way plane ticket back to England but it will be under Sasaki’s name! That way he can go visit all of the famous punk music spots England is known for. Then once Sasaki has been dealt with, Brookes promises to defend the KO-D Title regularly at his monthly Baka Gaijin + Friends shows, even if DDT won’t give him their permission.

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Ittenyon Press Conference

December 17, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’25”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
2. Yuka Sakazaki & Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro
3. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Suzume
4. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Masha Slamovich & Zara Zakher
5. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Mizuki

A press conference was held yesterday for the contract signings of two of the title matches happening in Korakuen Hall on 4th January. Miu Watanabe and Mizuki’s battle over the Princess Of Princess Title is centered around their argument over who is the princess and who is the monster? Mizuki hasn’t held the Princess Title since 2023 so she is carrying a lot of different feelings going into the match. She has always been a true princess since the day she was born. Watanabe can call herself a princess but she is also a monster. The feeling is mutual because Watanabe is now saying Mizuki is the monster, not her!

Watanabe let everyone know that when she signed the contract for her Princess Title Match against Miyu Yamashita earlier this year her hand was shaking with nerves. Today however she signed the contract with confidence which shows how much she has grown as the champion. She knows how creating buzz leads to more exposure so she wants this to be a match that will catch everyone’s attention, which is why she gave Mizuki the Giant Swing on the ring apron over the weekend. She always wanted to be a princess because they have strong hearts. A princess is not a supporting character, she is meant to be the main character. That’s why she is trying to become the strongest princess.

Mizuki also said it is reassuring to have Yuka Sakazaki at the show. She feels Sakazaki really wants to keep an eye on Tokyo Joshi Pro while working hard on her own. It encourages Mizuki to shine a light just as bright as Sakazaki and Watanabe. She also explained she originally called Watanabe a monster as a compliment to her abilities but now Watanabe really is acting like a scary monster like in Beauty & The Beast! Watanabe then argued she is not the Beast, she is Belle! By the time Mizuki started accusing her of “princess harrassment” their section of the press conference came to an end.

Suzume is the latest wrestler from the 1998 Class to challenge Yuki Arai for the International Princess Title. She thinks the defences Arai had against Arisu Endo and Moka Miyamoto were amazing matches that made her feel left out. So when she got to wrestle in Seattle last month she took in the entire experience to broaden her perspective. It reminded her there are people from all over the world who support TJPW and it makes her want to spread the love even further. The best way to do that is win the IP Title. Arai has had a fulfilling title reign but the one thing missing from it is she hasn’t gotten to wrestle outside of Japan yet. She feels that she cannot lose the title to Suzume, not when she has her SKE48 graduation coming up at the en of March.

They both think of each other as rivals. Suzume joked about Arai being her senpai because Arai originally got into wrestling before her. However Arai thinks Suzume is the senpai because her way of wrestling is very straightforward, which Arai is envious of. She’s an opponent that can get Arai really fired up to fight. Suzume has been cultivating the skills over time to fight against bigger opponents so she is not worried about having a size disadvantage. She’s grown physically and mentally since their last singles match from the Tokyo Princess Cup. Arai is confident she will earn another successful title defence in her record breaking reign but she knows she will have to be careful to get it done.

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Wrestle Princess V Contract Signings

September 18, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS V”, 22/09/2024
Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall

1. Runa Okubo Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa, Kaya Toribami & HIMAWARI Vs Kira Summer, Chika Nanase & Uta Takami
3. Kakeru Sekiguchi & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
4. Ram Kaichow Vs Raku
5. Aja Kong, Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku Vs Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino & Shino Suzuki
*Special Referee: Shiori Aoki.
6. Xia Zhao & Mizuki Vs Yuki Kamifuku & VENY
7. Emi Sakura Vs Shoko Nakajima
8. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Moka Miyamoto
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Ryo Mizunami

A contract signing ceremony was held in Tokyo today for the three of the matches taking place at “WRESTLE PRINCESS V” this Sunday. It was a last chance for the wrestlers in these matches to express their enthusiasm for the matches to the press. Ryo Mizunami talked how the first time she went to Tokyo Joshi Pro two years ago it was “the pink girl” who made the biggest impression on her. Miu Watanabe was her first opponent in TJPW so it is fitting that they meet again this time in the main event with the Princess Of Princess Title on the line. Her motivation is at an all time high after winning the Tokyo Princess Cup and she will be even more motivated knowing just how much stronger Watanabe will be on the day. Mizunami intends to win the Princess Title and rewrite a new page in the TJPW history books. If she becomes the champion then her next goal is to defend it against every single wrestler in TJPW.

Watanabe says she still has goals and dreams she wants to accomplish as the champion. One of them is to have a big match in a big venue like Makuhari Messe so she will get to check that off her list. When they fought each other two years ago Watanabe felt everything about Mizunami was overwhelming. That momentum has only grown since then so Watanabe admits to being a little bit scared. But she is not the same person from two years ago either. She named each of the previous challengers she defended the title against to show she has the confidence to continue carrying the title. From here on out she’s ready for more title defences, to achieve more dreams and to lead TJPW. She would have liked to have had a warm up tag match against Mizunami because that kind of preparation helps her relax. Mizunami however prefers that none took place for that very reason.

The contract signing for the Princess Tag Team Titles match showed what both teams are currently like. Maki Itoh only just returned to Japan yesterday and talked about dealing with her injury as well as her crazy schedule in America. It bothered her a lot that she could not compete in any prelim matches. When this title match was announced she was worried she would not heal in time and would not have wanted to fight while she is still recovering. She got depressed, considered quitting pro wrestling and even looked into getting a telemarketing job. But then she thought about Miyu Yamashita and wondered if that meant someone else would be teaming with Yamashita instead of her? Itoh then got fired up and realized that with Yamashita by her side she can become as strong as she wants. She is aware the TJPW fans want to see Daisy Monkey beat 121000000 but she doesn’t care about that. She cares about winning the tag titles with Yamashita again to make up for everything they couldn’t do the first time around. Yamashita admitted she didn’t stay in contact while Itoh was in America. But she did give her advice to start eating dried sardines to help with her recovery.

Yamashita feels like time has stood still for her and Itoh ever since 121000000 lost the titles in their first defence. She said they need to win the belts back and achieve 10 successful defences otherwise they should break up the team! Itoh was shocked to hear that idea and told Yamashita they haven’t even won back the titles yet. Suzume said after two successful defences she understands the weight of being the tag champion even more. She also has more respect for all of the previous champion teams who held it before her. Even though Daisy Monkey are the current champions, Suzume still does not feel like they are the strongest so they need to beat a team like 121000000 to continue that journey. Arisu Endo thinks if this match happened sooner she would be feeling scared but now she’s not scared at all. Daisy Monkey respect 121000000 for everything they’ve done overseas to spread TJPW across the world. They want to do their bit to spread TJPW too by bringing the tag titles across all of Japan and then to every other country afterward!

The reveal that Raku and Ram Kaichow were booked in a match against each other was a surprise to everybody, especially to the happy couple. During the press conference Kaichow looked around the room searching for Tetsuya Koda. When she found him he was leaning on a wall nearby on the verge of falling asleep. Kaichow was already mad at him for booking the match and now here he was taking a nap in front of them! Raku calmed her down by saying she is looking forward to the match and they should treat it like a date. Raku told Kaichow the ring in Makuhari Messe will be all nice and warm enough for the two of them to take a nap in. A reporter then asked them what does winning or losing the date mean to them? Raku said winning or losing is having Kaichow love her forever. She wants to bring take Kaichow into her dreams. Kaichow called that a 100 out of 100 answer and wherever they go together will be a date, even if it’s in a wrestling ring. She then disparged the entire wrestling scene for not being romantic enough and they should all follow Raku’s example.

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Tokyo Princess Cup 2024 Brackets

July 25, 2024

The bracket drawing for the Tokyo Princess Cup was held in Shibuya during the week with the majority of the entrants in attendance. Those who could not be there for various reasons included Ryo Mizunami, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Pom Harajuku, Runa Okubo and Zara Zakher. Everyone who did attend all gave comments about their first matches and tournament goals.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 28/07/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Yuki Arai Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Mizuki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2E: Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Kamifuku

Yuki Arai and Kaya Toribami debuted in the same year just a month away from each other and are of similar age. They’ve never had a singles match against each other until now and Toribami wants to give it her all so she can win.

Miu Watanabe pointed out she can achieve the Grand Slam of all Tokyo Joshi Pro accomplishments if she can win the Princess Cup. That means winning every TJPW championship and tournament. Arisu Endo is having a lot of tag team success lately but wants to focus on winning a singles tournament by herself this summer.

It’s been a frustrating time for Yuki Aino because she feels there are wresters in TJPW who become so amazing that she is not good enough to fight them. However she knows how many people support her and have high expectations for her. She wants to spend her hot summer smashing through the competition.

Shino Suzuki has had a couple of singles matches against Suzume a few times already but has never beaten her. She will do her best to beat her for the first time.

The two time winner Mizuki says she is aiming to reach the top yet again. However she admits it gets lonely up there so she wants everyone to support her. Moka Miyamoto doesn’t want to let her do that though. She wants to prove she is the best just like Mizuki does.

Every year Yuki Kamifuku tells people she hates competing in tournaments. But recently especially after she reached the final last year fans have encouraged her to do her best. Even her mother scolds her for being so negative about it. So this year Kamifuku is taking a more cheerful approach to being in the tournament.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 03/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2B: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2D: Winner Of Match 1B Vs Zara Zakher
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2F: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Shoko Nakajima
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2G: Rika Tatsumi Vs Toga
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2H: Haru Kazashiro Vs Ryo Mizunami

Whoever wins between Arai and Toribami, either will be a first time opponent for Wakana Uehara. She is determined to win no matter who she faces.

Zakher’s first match in the tournament will be against either Watanabe or Endo.

She feels bad for saying this but Shoko Nakajima wants Aino to beat Okubo so she can face her in Round 2. After the match she had against Aja Kong, Nakajima feels the need to evolve in order to survive in TJPW. For this tournament she wants to grab a hold of something new and break out of her shell. Even then it won’t mean anything unless she wins the tournament again.

For Rika Tatsumi the Princess Cup is the fastest way for her to get another shot at regaining the Princess Of Princess Title. Whether she fights against rookies or veterans she is going to destroy them all this summer! Toga knows just how crazy Tatsumi gets in her matches. She will try to surpass that craziness to advance to the next round.

Due to scheduling, Ryo Mizunami’s bracket spot was automatically placed in Round 2 in the beginning before any other drawing was picked. Haru Kazashiro is a little scared to be her opponent because of the difference in strength but also thinks she is lucky to get such a big opponent in her first tournament appearance.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 10/08/2024
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 2A Vs Winner Of Match 2B
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 2C Vs Winner Of Match 2D
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 2E Vs Winner Of Match 2F
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 2G Vs Winner Of Match 2H

The Princess Cup will hold a round in Osaka for the first time ever.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: X Vs X

The Semi Final bracket will be determined by a lottery held after the Quarter Finals.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 25/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: X Vs X

The winner of the 11th Princess Cup tournament will be crowned here.

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The 51 Types Of Tickets Available For Takagi Vs Sasadango

May 19, 2024

DDT “SANSHIRO TAKAGI VS SUPER SASADANGO MACHINE ONE MATCH EVENT”, 26/06/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Super Sasadango Machine

Behold the most bizarre set of seating purchases a pro wrestling show has ever put together. This June DDT are holding a one match show between Sanshiro Takagi and Super Sasadango Machine. There will be 51 different kinds of tickets available to purchase with prices ranging from 1,000 yen to 999,999 yen. Oh and since this is being held in Shinjuku FACE there is also the mandatory 500 yen admission tax that will get you drink tokens.

Tickets That Include Souvenirs

1. Luxury Watch Ticket – 999,999 yen
You will receive one of Sanshiro Takagi’s favorite high-end watches.

2. Cheap Watch Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will receive one of Super Sasadango Machine’s favorite cheap Casio watches.

3. Black Tights Ticket – 20,000 yen
You will receive the black wrestling tights and underwear worn by Sanshiro Takagi.

4. Green Mask Ticket – 20,000 yen
You will receive the Sasadango mask worn by Super Sasadango Machine.

5. Backpack Ticket – 18,000 yen
You will receive one of Sanshiro Takagi’s favorite COACH backpacks.

6. Precision Plastic Mold Ticket – 20,000 yen + Additional Offer
You will receive a special plastic mold made by Muscle Sakai’s factory. You can also make an offer to buy and take over Sakai’s company so you can have your own mold manufacturing or metal processing business.

7. Sakidori Lucky Bag Ticket – 15,000 yen
You will receive goodies that will be included in the lucky bags being sold at the next New Year’s Day sales.

8. Getting Rid Of Inventory R Ticket – 10,000 yen
I assume this is DDT selling off their stock of old and unwanted merchandise.

9. Getting Rid Of Inventory SR Ticket – 10,000 yen
Ditto but more?

10. Getting Rid Of Inventory SSR Ticket – 10,000 yen
Ditto again but even more?

11. Static Electricity Removal Ticket – 4,000 yen
You will receive an item that protects you from static electricity.

Tickets Where You Will Be Asked To Help With Work

12. Pinspot Experience Ticket – 8,000 yen
With guidance from Keigo Nakamura, you will be allowed to use the pinspot light to follow the wrestlers during the match when needed.

13. Red Corner Second Experience Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will be a second at ringside for Sanshiro Takagi.

14. Blue Corner Second Experience Ticket – 7,000 yen
You will be a second at ringside for Super Sasadango Machine.

15. Ringside Photo Ticket – 12,000 yen
You will be allowed to take photographs of the match at ringside just like a professional photographer. DDT will also have permission to use your photographs for their content.

16. 5 Bell Ringing Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will sit next to the ring announcer and ring the bell for the customary 5 times both at the start of the show and also at the end of intermission.

17. Pre-Show Experience Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will get to sit through the traditional pre-show ceremony that takes place before DDT events. GM Hisaya Imabayashi will read through all of the usual announcements using the script from a previous show.

18. Surprise Experience Ticket – 8,000 yen
Near the end of the match you will be allowed to make a surprise appearance and interfere in the match. By doing so you will have some influence on the match’s outcome. Even if you have no knowledge of pro wrestling you are welcome to buy this ticket.

19. Instax Photographer Red Ticket – 6,000 yen
You can be the photographer for Sanshiro Takagi’s cheki shoots that will be held after the match.

20. Instax Photographer Blue Ticket – 4,000 yen
You can be the photographer for Super Sasadango Machine’s cheki shoots that will be held after the match.

21. SSM Replacement Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will get to briefly participate in the match as a substitute for Super Sasadango Machine in order to reduce his busy work schedule. Applicants must be at least 180cm tall and be available to take part in a remote meeting held one hour before the match begins. You also must return the Sasadango mask that will be given to you when you are done with it.

22. Winner’s Award Presentation Ticket – 10,000 yen
You will get to present the winner of the match with your favorite item as their reward. Only available to participants who can bring or prepare their own items by themselves.

23. Pretend To Be A Reporter Ticket – 12,000 yen
You can relax and watch the match from the press box while pretending to be a reporter. You can also participate in the post-match events. (The “Yu Manabe Option” is also available for an additional fee)

24. Small Tanimatchi Experience Ticket – 10,000 yen
The wrestlers will go out of their way to sneak up to your seat and look at you during their entrance. They will also brawl near your seat when they go fighting outside the ring. You and your companions can also get your picture taken with the wrestlers during the brawl.

25. Catering Experience Ticket – 10,000 yen
During the match you can serve food that you brought with you to the wrestlers so they can regain their strength (Note: Super Sasadango Machine loves shrimp). These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

26. Weapon Carry Ticket – 10,00 yen
During the match you can hand over weapons that you brought with you to the wrestlers.

Tickets That DDT Does Not Know Will Actually Be Bought

27. Proposal Ticket – 15,000 yen (paired seat)
During the show you will be able to talk to your partner using the ring microphone and make a dramatic proposal to them. If it is a marriage proposal and the partner says yes, both Sanshiro Takagi and Super Sasadando Machine can sign the marriage registration as guarantors.

28. Don’t Laugh Ticket – 10,000 yen
Every time you laugh during the match you will be punished by getting hit in the butt by one of the wrestlers at ringside.

29. Retirement Ceremony Ticket – 10,000 yen
You will be given a 10 bell salute if you want to retire from something.

30. DDT Beginners Ticket – 3,000 yen
Available for new fans, you will be given a reasonably placed seat next to a “DDT Master” who can explain everything that is going on. If the DDT Master tickets are not sold then DDT’s staff will step in for assistance.

31. DDT Masters Ticket – 3,000 yen
You are allowed to explain DDT to the person sitting in the DDT Beginner seat next to you in a low voice.

32. Matching Ticket – 6,000 yen
Available to fans looking for a wonderful encounter at a pro wrestling show. Produced by Makoto Oishi.

33. Blindfold & Concealed Breast Ticket – 3,000 yen
You will watch the match while blindfolded and wearing a bra over your top from start to finish.

34. Limited To Professional Wrestlers Ticket – 2,500 yen
This ticket is only available for pro wrestlers. You may be asked to participate in the match to keep it from getting boring. This ticket is recommended for wrestlers who want to thank or fight Sanshiro Takagi before he takes a break from wrestling but don’t have the confidence to confront him in a singles match.

35. Limited To Celebrities Ticket – 4,000 yen
Sanshiro Takagi is always happy to have celebrities come to see his matches. Why not take photos of yourself with the wrestlers during the match or backstage after the show and post it to social media? You may bring along a companion.

36. Side Job Introduction Ticket – 4,000 yen
This ticket is exclusive to companies that would like to have Sanshiro Takagi help them in any way. Those who buy a ticket are free to discuss the terms and conditions with Takagi on an individual basis.

37. Birthday Celebration Ticket – 12,000 yen
If you are celebrating a birthday from 20th June to 30th June, a surprise party may be waiting for you at the show! (extra fee of 6,000 yen for the accompanying guest)

Tickets Being Sold Normally

38. Normal Front Row Ticket – 8,500 yen
For those who want a front row seat for an intense and exciting battle.

39. Normal Last Row Ticket – 4,000 yen
For those who prefer watching wrestling with a bird’s eye view of the entire venue.

40. Backstage View Ticket – 3,000 yen
Pretend you are at a sold out show by sitting in one of the backstage seats normally saved for when an event is held at full capacity.

41. Pipe Chair Ticket – 15,000 yen
Bring home the pipe chair you sit on, just like at the world’s biggest wrestling events every year.

42. Ebisuko Tavern Matsu Bento Ticket – 12,000 yen
Receive a special main course bento box from the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho, made and served by the tavern’s head chef Gota Ihashi. These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

43. Ebisuko Tavern Otake Bento Ticket – 11,000 yen
Receive a special bento box from the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho, made and served by Ken Ohka. These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

44. Ebisuko Tavern Plum Bento Ticket – 10,000 yen
Receive a special bento box from the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho, made and served by Rukiya. These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

45. Ebisuko Tavern Soup Bento Ticket – 9,000 yen
Receive a special bento box from the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho, made and served by Kazuma Sumi. These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

46. Watch At Ebisuko Tavern Ticket – 1,000 yen
Watch a live broadcast of the show at the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho. You will be charged separately for drinks and the meal. (You cannot enter Shinjuku FACE with this ticket)

47. Support From Niigata Ticket – 1,000 yen
The show is taking place on a weekday so many of Super Sasadango Machine’s fans from his hometown in Niigata are unable to travel to the show. Buy this ticket to support Sasadango while you watch the match on Wrestle Universe. (You cannot enter Shinjuku FACE with this ticket)

48. Sasadango Shokai Ticket – 15,000 yen
You will receive original merchandise from Super Sasadango Machine’s webstore.

49. Normal Spectator Ticket – 6,000 yen
For those who just want to buy a regular ticket for a regular seat at the show.

50. Big Guest Invitation Ticket – 10,000 yen
Depending on the sales, DDT will invite major guests to the show using money spent on this ticket.

Tickets Being Sold For The Bonus Talk Event

51. Takagi’s Worn Shoes – 20,000 yen
You will receive the shoes Sanshiro Takagi wore when he walked through the streets near the Tokyo Dome.

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