BASARA “BASARA 85 ~SHUFFLE~” Results

January 6, 2019

BASARA “BASARA 85 ~SHUFFLE~”, 06/01/2019
Kitazawa Town Hall
294 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Yasu Urano defeated Masato Kamino with a Wristlock (10:32).
2. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT defeated Takato Nakano & Tatsuhiko Yoshino when SAGAT pinned Nakano with the Goregrind (11:40).
3. Sento Minzoku Vs Best Stretchmen: Ryuichi Sekine, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita defeated Best Stretchman V3, Best Stretchman Amazon & Stretchman Man when Sekine submitted V3 with the Combine (11:40).
4. Takumi Tsukamoto & Jun Masaoka defeated FUMA & Yusuke Kubo when Tsukamoto pinned FUMA with a School Boy (12:38).
5. Isami Kodaka Returns To War: Naoki Tanizaki defeated Isami Kodaka with a Reverse Cradle (12:27).
6. NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka (c) defeated Ryota Nakatsu & Akiyori Takizara when Abe submitted Nakatsu with the O-Manjigatame (19:46).
*V3 for Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka.

Fuminori Abe sent his message loud and clear. By making Ryota Nakatsu submit he now wants a shot at the Union MAX Title! Abe admits he doesn’t know about the history of the championship or who has fought for it before him. But he thinks the two strongest wrestlers in BASARA are himself and Nakatsu. He has to beat Nakatsu to become the strongest and lead BASARA into the future! Nakatsu didn’t like hearing that because he thinks he is BASARA’s future. The title match takes place on 29th January.

The return of Isami Kodaka fro injury was spoiled by Naoki Tanizaki. When Kodaka avoided the Implant it led to a scramble of pins that Tanizaki got the best of, countering one Cradle into another for the three count. The defeat stops any immediate chance Kodaka had of getting a Union MAX Title rematch with Nakatsu. Kodaka said he feels the pain but this is pro wrestling. BASARA moved on while he was gone. It’s now his goal to catch up and overtake everyone else!

Takumi Tsukamoto held onto the back of FUMA’s pants during the School Boy to pin him. The two fought after the match and had to be pulled apart.

In Match #2 Takato Nakano went for a Swan Dive but SAGAT caught him with the Goregrind in midair for the win.


GANBARE☆WRESTLING “DO IT ON YOUR OWN HANDS 2019” Results

January 6, 2019

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “DO IT ON YOUR OWN HANDS 2019”, 06/01/2019
Kitazawa Town Hall
187 Fans

1. Ganpro Kicking Force Vs Momota Parent And Child: Mitsuo Momota & Chikara defeated Kouki Iwasaki & Shuhei Washida when Chikara submitted Washida with a Crab Hold (9:14).
2. New “Spring” Ganbare☆Joshi Fight Start!: Moeka Haruhi defeated HARUKAZE with the Diving Foot Stomp (8:55).
3. Rice-ha Vs Nan-ha After A Long Struggle, Tonight! We Decide Whether We Are Nori Or Nan! Ganpro Special Single Match!: Hiroshi Yamato defeated Baliyan Akki with a Fisherman Suplex (9:43).
4. Tsuru “Ken” Fight Club Vs Rotting Combination: Ken Ohka & Nobuhiro Tsurumaki defeated Shota & Mitomi Masayuki when Tsurumaki submitted Masayuki with a Wakigatame (11:03).
5. Elegy Of Pro Wrestling A-Class War Criminals: Minoru Fujita defeated Yumehito Imanari with the Samson Clutch (13:38).
6. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shuichiro Katsumura defeated Keisuke Ishii (c) with the Ninja Choke (23:43).
*Keisuke Ishii fails in V7. Shuichiro Katsumura becomes the 28th Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Champion!

2019 in Ganbare☆Wrestling begins with a title change! Shuichiro Katsumura was taken to his limit by Keisuke Ishii until he countered the Double Arm DDT into the Ninja Choke for the tapout victory. Katsumura thanked Ishii for giving him another shot at the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title even thought Ishii already defended the belt against him last June. Katsumura also said that he now feels like he belongs in Ganpro. He nominated Shota as his first challenger because they are tied one a piece in singles matches. The match takes place on 26th January.

Although he lost the match, Yumehito Imanari talked about how much he idolised Minoru Fujita ever since he was a high school student. Imanari thought Fujita had a Lion Heart like Chris Jericho. Fujita shook Imanari’s hand but then gave him an Implant DDT and the Tombstone Piledriver. He doesn’t care what some fucking idiot from Ganpro thinks about him! Suddenly Moeka Haruhi entered the ring demanding a match against Fujita. Fujita accepted and tried to flirt with Haruhi. She kicked him in the face.

A bunch of wrestlers gave their new year’s resolution at the beginning of the show. Imanari wants to develop his own style of wrestling. Ishii wants to grow more as a wrestler and also help Ganpro become bigger. Kouki Iwasaki wants Ganpro to be the place to see frenetic fights. Shota wants to meet the expectations of his fans after having a bad 2018. Shuhei Washida wants to make up for the time he was away because of injury and become stronger in the process. HARUKAZE wants to have a whirlwind 2019. Haruhi was inspired by Imanari’s speech at Korakuen Hall in December and wants to show everyone the direction the company will go this year. Ken Ohka wants everybody to be themselves. Some of the roster may think they are doing this already but he wants them to really think if they are doing what they want to do in Ganpro. And of course, Ohka wants Ganpro to become a major pro wrestling league!


DDT “SHIMO-KITAZAWA FIGHTING THEATER 2019” Results

January 5, 2019

DDT “SHIMO-KITAZAWA FIGHTING THEATER 2019”, 05/01/2019
Kitazawa Town Hall
210 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Akito & Kota Umeda defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Akito submitted Hirata with the Scorpion Lock (8:44).
2. 3 Way Match: Sammy Guevara defeated Antonio Honda and Gota Ihashi when Guevara pinned Ihashi with the Shooting Star Press (7:42).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Sakaguchi pinned Shimatani with the God’s Right Knee (9:33).
4. CIMA, El Lindaman, Duan Yingnan & Seiki Yoshioka defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno, Kazusada Higuchi & Mizuki Watase when Yoshioka pinned Watase with the SK (15:19).
5. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Iino when Sasaki submitted Iino with the Cross Facelock (14:48).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles & STRONGEST-K TAG Titles: Mike Bailey & MAO (K/c) defeated Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi (S/c) when MAO pinned Oishi after the Michinoku Tornado Driver (23:41).
*V2 for The Moonlight Express. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi fail in V2. The Moonlight Express becomes the 40th STRONGEST-K TAG Champions!

The Moonlight Express are now double tag team champions! Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi set MAO up for the Cactus Flower in the corner but Mike Bailey crushed them from above with the Ultima Weapon. From there Bailey & MAO kept Asahi aside and pinned Oishi with the Michinoku Tornado Driver. MAO said Oishi & Asahi are two wrestlers he admires so he is pleased to have beaten them for the STRONGEST-K TAG Titles.

When the former champions left the ring, Shuten-dōji came out to challenge the Express. Masahiro Takanashi said it is only fair for a team from the same generation as Oishi & Asahi be the one to beat the Express for the belts. Tetsuya Koda decided to book the Express Vs Takanashi & Yukio Sakaguchi for just the KO-D Tag Team Titles at Sumo Hall on 17th February when suddenly #STRONGHEARTS came out! CIMA wants his group to be in the title match to make it more exciting. Hisaya Imabayashi offered to make it a 3 Way Match and CIMA agreed to take part with Seiki Yoshioka on his team. Sakaguchi asked Yoshioka who he is and if he is strong? Sakaguchi will fight him anytime. El Lindaman then stepped in to make fun of Sakaguchi’s blonde hair. The only wrestlers who have proper blonde hair are El Lindaman and Stan Hansen! Sakaguchi attacked Lindaman and the two were pulled apart. Sakaguchi then challenged Lindaman to a match on 27th January.

Daisuke Sasaki is all set on facing Konosuke Takeshita next month. Takeshita is on a roll after winning the D-Ou Grand Prix and pinning CIMA. But Sasaki is always on a roll 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! Sasaki wants to feel excitement for the next month so he wants Takeshita to have some fun with him.

So yeah, #STRONGHEARTS are sticking around in DDT after all. The unit appeared before Match #4 could begin. CIMA explained that they were going to leave DDT but he received a message from the OWE office in Shanghai telling them not to come back until they defeat DDT! So CIMA gathered everyone together to crash this show. #STRONGHEARTS challenged the participants of the match they interrupted to an 8-Man Tag Match. T-Hawk decided to not to take part because he had already wrestled earlier in the day, winning the WRESTLE-1 Championship over at Korakuen Hall. Team DDT accepted but ended up losing the battle.

Daisuke Sasaki & HARASHIMA Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Shinya Aoki was announced for 27th January.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “IT’S A HAPPY STORY IN THE BEGINNING FOR WRESTLING IN THE NEW YEAR!” Results

January 5, 2019

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “IT’S A HAPPY STORY IN THE BEGINNING FOR WRESTLING IN THE NEW YEAR!”, 05/01/2019
Kitazawa Town Hall
236 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Maki Itoh defeated Raku with the Ito Special (8:44).
2. Yuna Manase defeated Himawari Unagi with the Neck Screw Hold (7:59).
3. Nodoka Tenma, Marika Kobashi & Pinano Pipipipi defeated Haruna Neko, Pom Harajuku & YUMI when Tenma pinned Neko with a 2nd Rope Diving Body Press (9:43).
4. Veda Scott defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Fisherman Suplex (5:02).
5. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Aino defeated Natsumi Maki & Hikari Noa when Yamashita pinned Noa with the Attitude Adjustment (9:18).
6. Shoko Nakajima defeated Mina Shirakawa with the Unmanned Local Train Hold (10:59).
7. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Millie McKenzie & Miu Watanabe when Mizuki pinned Watanabe with the Cutie Special (16:34).

Mizuki is relieved that the Magical Sugar Rabbits were able to win an intense tag match two days in a row. She couldn’t sleep last night because she spent all night worrying about today’s match. Tonight she will sleep well. Yuka Sakazaki was very impressed by the team of teenagers they fought, especially Millie McKenzie. Miu Watanabe was also happy to team with her. Watanabe has only been wrestling for a year but to team with a foreign wrestler and quickly discover chemistry with her this soon is encouraging. McKenzie called the match a wonderful experience.

Miyu Yamashita thinks she will have a singles match with Natsumi Maki sooner or later. It is the first time she found someone she wanted to face before they even wrestled. Maki would be happy to have the match if Yamashita puts the TOKYO Princess Title on the line.

Yuki Kamifuku took Veda Scott’s giant cat head hostage during their match. That only made Scott angry and more aggressive.

In her post-match interview, Maki Itoh apologised for her letting everyone down at Korakuen Hall yesterday. She thought she would surpass Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs Kenny Omega by becoming the new Princess Champion but failed. When the show was over, Itoh went to the dojo to figure out how Yamashita was able to escape from the Inverted Crab Hold. She practiced the move over and over until she figured out you can cross the opponent’s feet over each other to lock them together. She used this new move today and it works! The submission hold is called the Itoh Special and it does not resemble Tanahashi’s Texas Cloverleaf in any way, shape or form.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’19” Results

January 4, 2019

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’19”, 04/01/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,381 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Marika Kobashi Return Battle: Raku, Hikari Noa, Pinano Pipipipi & Miu Watanabe defeated Marika Kobashi, Mina Shirakawa, Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku when Noa submitted Harajuku with the Modified Cobra Twist (12:54).
2. The 2nd Queen Of U.S.A. Decision Battle: Veda Scott defeated Hyper Misao and Yuna Manase with the U.S.A. (6:45).
*Veda Scott becomes the 2nd Queen Of U.S.A.
3. Millie McKenzie & Natsumi Maki defeated Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino when Maki pinned Aino with a German Suplex (10:24).
4. Himawari Unagi Debut Match: Saki Akai & YUMI defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Himawari Unagi when Akai submitted Unagi with the Foot Choke (8:39).
5. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura defeated Reika Saiki with the Death Valley Bomb (14:49).
6. TOKYO Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) defeated Shoko Nakajima & Riho when Sakazaki pinned Nakajima with the Magical Magical Girl Splash (17:13).
*V3 for The Magical Sugar Rabbits.
7. TOKYO Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Crash Rabbit Heat (17:47).
*V7 for Miyu Yamashita.

Determination by itself can only get you so far. Maki Itoh went into Korakuen Hall determined to beat Miyu Yamashita no matter the skill gap. She was determined to become the TOKYO Princess Of Princess Champion against all odds. Sadly it just couldn’t happen. The Inverted Crab Hold and Flying Big Head couldn’t beat Yamashita. Then when momentum switched sides and Yamashita started hitting the big moves it was only a matter of time until Itoh fell and wouldn’t get back up. Itoh had one last chance with a Jumping DDT counter for the Crash Rabbit Heat but Yamashita recovered. The champion then overwhelmed Itoh with Kicks and the Crash Rabbit Heat to come out on top.

Yamashita brought up on the microphone Ito’s goal of becoming the champion and bringing in a new era for Tokyo Joshi Pro. The problem is the Yamashita era is not even close to ending yet! Yamashita is the champion because she is strong. There are others in Tokyo Joshi who are getting stronger and one day she will lose the title to someone like them. Yamashita wants Itoh to be one of them. She stuck her hand out for a fist bump but Itoh gave her the middle finger in return. When Itoh left the ring Yamashita admitted she didn’t expect to face such a difficult struggle today. But she cannot afford to lose the championship now. As far as she is concerned Tokyo Joshi is not just Number 1, it’s the only one! Backstage Itoh was crying over the loss but isn’t feeling sorry for herself. She is weak now but she will be a champion! Even if it means starting all over from the beginning, she will not give up. She also thought headlining Korakuen isn’t that big of a deal. She wants Yamashita to stay as the champion so she can beat her for the belt.

The Magical Sugar Rabbits were put up against the strongest possible combination put together to beat them and they persevered. The Twin Cam Monsters of Shoko Nakajima & Riho did what they could including the Northern Lights Suplex and Somato. In the end Mizuki softened up Nakajima with the Cutie Special, leaving Yuka Sakazaki to finish her friend off with the Magical Magical Girl Splash. The Sugar Rabbits’ new goal is to keep the TOKYO Princess Tag Team Titles all the way up to the 2020 Olympic Games. They think they can qualify for the Olympic wrestling events that way.

From the start Meiko Satomura wanted to fight the power of Reika Saiki. She was able to escape from the Tower Bridge by applying a Sleeper Hold onto Saiki. A Shining Wizard to the back of the head put Satomura in danger. But Saiki was unable to hit the Jackhammer. Satomura regained control and hit the Death Valley Driver for the win. Saiki called this match the most painful one of her career. She has a strong body and a strong mind but today she discovered she doesn’t have a strong heart. It seems that her pro wrestling life starts again here. Satomura on the other hand is paying notice to her emerging competition. She wants to wrestle against women like Saiki as many times as possible.

The debuting Himawari Unagi didn’t wait to face the biggest challenge available to her. She wanted to face off with Saki Akai straight away when their tag match began. Meanwhile Yuki Kamifuku berated YUMI for wrestling instead of doing her homework. YUMI got rid of Kamifuku with a Full Nelson Buster while Akai submitted Unagi with the Foot Choke. Unagi has two goals she wants to achieve as a wrestler. One, she wants to beat every Tokyo Joshi wrestler in single matches and two, she wants to be in somebody’s best match on the roster.

With the controversy surrounding her entry into Toyko Joshi now behind her, Natsumi Maki had her first match in the promotion along with Millie McKenzie. Together they defeated The Bakuretsu Sisters. McKenzie threw Nodoka Tenma aside with the German Suplex so Maki could focus on Yuki Aino. Maki used the ropes to flip backwards over Aino from a Reverse DDT position and pinned her with her own German Suplex. Maki said that winning her first match of the year inside Korakuen Hall is a sign she is going to have a good 2019.

Hyper Misao brought back the Queen Of U.S.A. match for herself and Yuna Manase to fight over. This time Veda Scott was invited to join in the fun. The goal of the match is to wear a US flag hat and do the Shoot Dance as seen in the music video for “USA” by DA PUMP. Scott was able to do the dance after hitting the Spear to her opponents.

The opening match was a big occasion for a lot of the girls involved. It was Marika Kobashi’s first match back in almost eight months. It was also the first time the entire Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) got to team together since getting their new ring personas. The rest (Mina Shirakawa, Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku) all got to wrestle in Korakuen for the first time.

Rika Tatsumi sang her entrance theme to the audience after intermission.

The Bakuretsu Sisters get to wrestle in their hometown of Okayama on 14th October. Tokyo Joshi Pro will have a show based around Tenma & Aino’s return there.


DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI SUPER ~ NEW YEAR BALL SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2019” Results

January 3, 2019

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI SUPER ~ NEW YEAR BALL SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2019”, 03/01/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Heisei’s Last Back Comparison: Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated El Lindaman with the Reverse Strike (8:12).
2. Sake & Tears & Men & Women & Foreigners & Former Wrestlers: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai defeated Mike Bailey, Sammy Guevara, Veda Scott & Hoshitango when Sakaguchi pinned Hoshitango with the God’s Right Knee (7:49).
3. New Year’s Day! Burst Out Laughing! First Laughter Rumble: Gorgeous Matsuno defeated Kuishinbo Kamen with the Gorgeous Superstar Elbow (16:57).
Order Of Elimination: Sanshiro Takagi, Tiger Mask V (Self-Proclaimed), Atsushi Maruyama, Makoto Oishi, Hen China and Kuishinbo Kamen.
4. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 6th Match: Daichi Hashimoto defeated Kota Umeda with the Shining Wizard (11:50).
5. New Year! 3 Way Tag Ladder Match: MAO & Jun Kasai defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda and Kazusada Higuchi & Mizuki Watase when MAO grabbed the Otoshidama (12:33).
6. DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION! ~ Lucha Libre Rules: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuki Ueno & Keisuke Ishii defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Puma King when HARASHIMA pinned King with the Somato (15:13).
7. DDT Extreme Title – Boxing Glove Match: Shinya Aoki (c) defeated Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Hayato Sakurai) by TKO with a Left Hook (R3 1:14).
*V1 for Shinya Aoki.
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Yuki Iino defeated CIMA, T-Hawk & Duan Yingnan (c) when Takeshita pinned CIMA with the Fable (19:18).
*#STRONGHEARTS fails in V1. ALL OUT becomes the 37th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!

ALL OUT kicks off 2019 by winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from #STRONGHEARTS! The invading force led by CIMA has been a thorn in ALL OUT’s side for over three months. Today ALL OUT got their absolute victory over them. CIMA, T-Hawk & Duan Yingnan were a handful at first and Akito took the brunt of the champion team’s offence. That was until Yuki Iino used his power to clear the ring, leading to CIMA facing off with Konosuke Takeshita once more. CIMA hit the Thrust Kick only for Takeshita to shake it off and Lariat him. Takeshita avoided the Schwein and stuck CIMA with his knee. Then the finish happened. Takeshita used the very move he was inspired to create after losing to CIMA at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2018”. Takeshita hit the Fable and pinned CIMA to win the titles for ALL OUT!

After the match Takeshita said that after he wins the KO-D Openweight Title he can take the challenge to defend it against CIMA, T-Hawk and Yingnan. CIMA mentioned that he’s been wrestling for the same number of years that Takeshita’s been alive. He accepts defeat for the entire unit today, not just in the main event but also from the opening match. #STRONGHEARTS are going to go have a meeting to figure out where to shake things up next in 2019. CIMA said his goodbyes and it seems that for now #STRONGHEARTS’s time with DDT has come to an end.

The show ended with the confirmed matches for “JUDGEMENT 2019” at Sumo Hall on 17th February. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Konosuke Takeshita for the KO-D Title is the main event. Also Sanshiro Takagi, Chigusa Nagayo & Ryuji Ito will face Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Takumi Iroha in a Hardcore Match! Sasaki and Takeshita faced off in the ring to close out the show.

A round system was added to the DDT Extreme Title match by Tanomusaku Toba’s request. The match could have lasted for 15 rounds of three minutes each but Shinya Aoki only needed three to knock Toba out. Apparently Hayato “Mach” Sakurai knew all of Aoki’s weak points but Toba was unable to hear his instructions during the match. HARASHIMA approached Aoki after the match to ask for a title rematch. Aoki agreed and it was decided it will take place at “JUDGEMENT 2019”. Aoki said he and HARASHIMA will show a strong side of DDT that only those two can do.

Puma King and Toru Owashi both asked for the 10-Man Tag Match between DAMNATION and DISASTER BOX to be held under Lucha Libre rules. All hell broke loose in the ring until HARASHIMA pinned King with the Somato. Sasaki wore a Shuji Ishikawa shirt for the match and placed it in the middle of the ring when it was over. He invited Ishikawa down to the ring to give everyone the sad news. Since Ishikawa has now signed a contract with All Japan, Sasaki thinks that means he will also be leaving DAMNATION. Tetsuya Endo was asked to give his favourite memories with Ishikawa but he didn’t have any. Ishikawa walked away from the ring so upset that Mad Paulie followed to console him. Sasaki switched the subject to Puma King having his last match in DDT today. It is now time for DAMNATION to rebuild. Suddenly “Matsuken Samba” played and Paulie came out dancing. Ishikawa came back out wearing a DAMNATION shirt singing about how “Shu-chan” won’t quit DAMNATION! Sasaki hit him over the head with a microphone to make him stop. If Ishikawa isn’t quitting then that means “DAMNATION, Forever!”

The new year tradition of otoshidama (an envelope filled with gift money) hung above Korakuen Hall for the 3 Way Tag Ladder match. MAO gave Jun Kasai some bananas to get on his good side but Kasai rejected them because he is tired of eating them. Kasai put Kazusada Higuchi through a table with a Flying Body Press (doesn’t count as the Pearl Harbour Splash because he wasn’t wearing his goggles). MAO used the bananas to lure Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda into a ladder trap at the corner, incapacitating them. Mizuki Watase was knocked off the ladder onto a plastic box that Kasai placed below him. That allowed MAO to grab the otoshidama and win the match. MAO opened it up to see how much was inside and found only a single 500 yen coin. However, Hisaya Imabayashi then told MAO he could also make one wish. MAO asked for a Round One entertainment centre to be built in Aoyama. He was only joking. Instead MAO wishes to create his own kind of hardcore wrestling in DDT. MAO asked Kasai to help him. Kasai will but only on a bigger stage because DDT is too cheap to give them proper prize money. Kasai then kicked MAO and ran off with the 500 yen.

Kota Umeda continues to be winless in his trial series. Match 6 of 7 was against Daichi Hashimoto in a match dominated by kicks. Hashimoto did the deal with a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. The Shining Wizard afterwards ended the match. Hashimoto said he had a lot of fun doing the the kicking duel with Umeda. With one match left in Umeda’s trial he found out who his opponent will be on 27th January. It’s Shuji Ishikawa! Umeda approached him for a handshake but instead slapped Ishikawa across the face. Ishikawa returned a slap of his own and left the ring.

DDT’s search for the next breakout comedy wrestler took place with Sanshiro Takagi and Makoto Oishi holding a Battle Royal. Hen China was the first entrant but he spent most of his time attaching glow sticks to the ring ropes death match style. Tiger Mask V (Self-Proclaimed) outwrestled Oishi with his dazzlingly flabby Tiger Mask style. Gorgeous Matsuno’s singing entrance was cut off by Kuishinbo Kamen reading his children’s picture book to the audience. The final entrant Atsushi Maruyama was annoyed that DDT booked him in this match instead of something major. Matsuno used Rocket Punches to eliminate the field until it was down to him and Kamen. The rest of the wrestlers stuck around to do comedy spots. They kept encouraging Matsuno to do the Gorgeous Superstar Elbow to Kamen over and over to make it look cool. It made Matsuno so tired that he had to crawl really slowly to cover Kamen. He still got the three count and everyone piled on top of him to celebrate his win.

Shuten-dōji were victorious over their ragtag collection of opponents in the 8-Man Tag Match. Yukio Sakaguchi pinned Hoshitango with the God’s Right Knee.

The other #STRONGHEARTS defeat today came at the hands of Nobuhiro Shimatani of all people! He pinned El Lindaman with the Reverse Strike crucifix slam. Lindaman played a good sport after the match until he gave Shimatani a Low Blow and left the ring. That won’t upset Shimatani though. He’s starting off the year with a win. Everything’s coming up Nobu!

The show began with news that DDT has formed a partnership with the English promotion Fight Club: PRO. FCP co-owner Martin Zaki joined Takagi, MAO and Mike Bailey in the ring for the announcement. Takagi wants DDT to appeal across the world in 2019 so he’s joining in with the Japanese scene’s growing ventures to the UK. Both companies will be sending wrestlers back and forth to each other throughout the year. Zaki says this is a big opportunity to bring talent rich in personality, both male and female, over to the UK. It also gives British wrestlers the opportunity to learn both the spiritual and physical elements of pro wrestling in Japan. Maybe even a new style combining British and Japanese wrestling philosophies can be discovered through this.

Yukio Naya from Real Japan will compete at “JUDGEMENT 2019”. He is the grandson of the legendary sumo wrestler Taiho Koki. Naya has only been wrestling for over a year and says he will be honored to wrestle in Sumo Hall.

Danshoku Dieno’s newest creation OsuMAN Dankon is debuting at “JUDGEMENT 2019”. I don’t know what it is. I don’t think I want to know what it is.

In Tokyo Joshi Pro news Natsumi Maki appeared on this show to confirm her debut with TJPW on tomorrow’s Korakuen show.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2018 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2018

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2018 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,242 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuki Iino defeated Ryota Hama & Antonio Honda (w/ Jaki Numazawa) when Sekimoto submitted Honda with a Scorpion Lock (6:26).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Takuya Nomura & Kazuki Hirata when Okabayashi submitted Hirata with the Argentine Backbreaker (6:57).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brahman Kei & Masahiro Takanashi (w/ Brahman Shu) when Miyamoto submitted Takanashi with a Cross Armbreaker (5:53).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey defeated Great Kojika & Sammy Guevara when Ueki pinned Kojika with a School Boy (6:44).
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuya Aoki & MAO defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Tetsuya Endo when Aoki pinned Yoshino with a Modified Backslide Pin (7:37).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yoshihisa Uto & Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Hideki Suzuki) when Hashimoto pinned Takagi with the Shining Wizard (1:22).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao when Higuchi pinned Takao with a Cradle (5:38).
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA defeated Ryuji Ito & Yuki Ueno when Takeda pinned Ueno with a One Man Conchairto (6:50).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuki Iino when Sakaguchi pinned Iino with the God’s Right Knee (9:50).
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey when Miyamoto submitted Ueki with a Heel Hold (9:21).
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuya Aoki & MAO when Sasaki submitted Aoki with the Cross Facelock (9:14).
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
12a. Sudden Death – 1 Count Fall: Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi when HARASHIMA pinned Higuchi with a Jackknife Pin (0:41).
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki when Okabayashi pinned Hashimoto with the Golem Splash (10:07).
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
14a. Sudden Death – 1 Count Fall: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA when Takeshita pinned HARASHIMA with a Rolling Leg Clutch (1:54).
15. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi when Takeshita pinned Sakaguchi with the Fable (13:10).

The annual New Year’s tradition of a massive inter-promotional tournament in Korakuen Hall is back again. The teams all contained one Big Japan wrestler and one DDT wrestler although a few had an extra wrestler aiding them from ringside one way or another. Let’s get through this marathon.

Round 1

Muscle Wolf Vs Hama Ton
Antonio Honda was able to poke Daisuke Sekimoto in the eyes with Gongitsune but Yuki Iino was one step ahead and countered Honda with a nipple pinch when the attack was aimed at him. This is the point where Ryota Hama thinks his team lost the match. From there Sekimoto gave Honda an Atomic Drop and then submitted him with a Scorpion Deathlock. Jaki Numazawa was in Hama & Honda’s corner for the match. He blames himself for the team losing.

Bald & Blonde Vs ☆Team Nomura☆
Takuya Nomura came out dressed like Kazuki Hirata. The two were about to dance for their entrance when Yukio Sakaguchi immediately attacked Hirata. Nomura stood up to his opponents with his kicks but his momentum was purposely stopped by Hirata so he could tag in. Hirata’s knock out chop worked against Yuji Okabayashi although it took a few moments for it to take effect. Nomura & Hirata got to do their dance but unbeknownst to them, Okabayashi & Sakaguchi got up behind them also wearing Hirata Go glasses! The bald and blonde wrestlers beat up their opponents along to the music until Okabayashi submitted Hirata with the Argentine Backbreaker. Nomura said he doesn’t remember anything after he put on the glasses. He also never learned Hirata’s dance and blames that for the loss. On the bright side, Hirata thinks there are infinite possibilities for them together as a team. He hopes they work together again so he can harness that power to beat Sakaguchi!

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Toryumon Refugees
This year Yuko Miyamoto has been promoting himself as the strongest Joshi wrestler in Japan. In the opening round he was going to prove it by transforming himself into Shinobu Kandori! He entered to Kandori’s song “GET IT BACK” and wore an identical costume to hers. Maybe she would have found it funny but she was too busy losing her shit at a Brazilian She Hulk over at the RIZIN show during this time. Masahiro Takanashi and the Brahman Brothers also paid a tribute of their own to their mentor Ultimo Dragon by entering to his music. Brahman Shu was also wearing an Ultimo Dragon mask. The usual Brahmans plunder came out like their suitcase and bowling ball. Konosuke Takeshita threw the briefcase at Takanashi then handled the Brahmans while Miyamoto scrambled with Takanashi. Miyamoto rolled Takanashi into a Cross Armbreaker for the submission victory. He and Takanashi then gave the Brahmans a taste of their own medicine by doing the bowling ball spot on them. Backstage Takanashi & Brahman Kei begged Shu/Dragon for forgiveness. Kei/Dragon demanded they become Toryumon trainees againt and pay the tuition fees along with it.

Japan-US 4 Dimensional Combination Vs Team Let’s Go
Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey got along great, screaming “Let’s Go!” at everyone and each other for the entire match. Bailey was also wearing his own Ueki’s style shirt with his name on it. Sammy Guevara gave both of them the middle finger and The Great Kojika did the same later. Kojika got into a strike exchange with Bailey until Ueki snuck in a School Boy to pin him. Kojika enjoyed teaming with Guevara and wants to do it again next year. Guevara asked Kojika how old he was. Kojika said he was 60…

2nd Generation Party Boys Vs Cherry Boys On The Run
Tetsuya Endo wasn’t eager to team with Tatsuhiko Yoshino. He had to be encouraged down to the ring by Yoshino and Kota Sekifuda. During the match MAO put Endo in a Crab Hold and Endo couldn’t move. Sekifuda got into the ring and along with the audience taught Endo how to reach the ropes. Endo tried to follow the instructions but MAO dragged him back into the centre and Yoshino had to break up the hold. When Yoshino got tagged in the match became more cheeky when he pulled down the back of Yuya Aoki & MAO’s tights, exposing their backsides. Endo & Yoshino would end up having the back of their tights pulled back too. Aoki put an end to the match by backsliding Yoshino into a pin and bridging over on top of him for the pin. Endo told Yoshino he would be muting him on Twitter because of what happened.

Super Fighting Three Musketeers Vs Black Tri-Stars
This was weird. Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki came out doing a mashup act of The Three Musketeers: Daichi’s father Shinya Hashimoto, Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto. They were supposed to fight Yoshihisa Uto & Sanshiro Takagi with Hideki Suzuki in their corner but they were nowhere to be found. Instead the Black Tri-Star Gundams appeared! They circled around Korakuen Hall until they finally attacked. Sasaki grabbed their cannon and struck them with it. Hashimoto then channeled Muto and his chronic knee pain to hit the Shining Wizard and win the match. The Black Tri-Stars fled but not before attacking Mita Sayoko at the commentary table along the way.

Team Katagi Vs MudNATION
Yasufumi Nakanoue carried a wooden sword to the ring and acted like Kazusada Higuchi’s mentor for the match. Nakanoue tried to strike Soma Takao with the sword but he moved and Higuchi took the blow. Minoru Fujita grabbed the sword and tried to attack Higuchi. Higuchi also moved out of the ring and Takao got hit. That allowed Higuchi to cradle Takao for the three count. Both Fujita & Takao said they couldn’t hear each other during the match and would have needed subtitles to communicate better.

Team A Line Vs Crazy Smile
Yuki Ueno got in the death match mood by dressing up like Ryuji Ito and asking for the match to be held under Hardcore rules. On the other side, Masashi Takeda wore one of HARASHIMA’s ring jackets for his entrance and wanted to wrestle a normal match. Chairs were brought into the ring anyway and were used a lot. Ueno didn’t hesitate to hit his DISASTER BOX leader HARASHIMA with a chair but that meant HARASHIMA also would not hold back when the roles were reversed. Takeda wasn’t able to hit the Reverse U-Crash, Ueno countered it into a Cradle for a nearfall. Takeda instead placed a chair on top of Ueno’s face then hit it with another chair to keep Ueno down for the pin count. Ito & Ueno admitted they did not communicate with each other much before the show. They only shared 4 or 5 direct messages with each other. If they team up again they promise to message each other more.

Round 2

Muscle Wolf Vs Bald & Blonde
Big lads collided a bunch to kick off the second round. In the dying seconds of the match Sakaguchi hit Iino with the God’s Right Knee to get the win. Iino thinks he pulled a muscle in his leg after doing the Spear. However he says he learned a lot teaming with Sekimoto and will use it to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in DDT on 3rd January. Iino and Sekimoto also promised to keep in touch through DMs.

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Team Let’s Go
Ueki came up with the perfect plan to counter Miyamoto’s Shinobu Kandori tribute. He came out dressed as Aja Kong! Bailey also joined in by having his face painted like Kong’s. The Kandori Vs Kong match up was historically accurate until Ueki lost his temper and pulled out his gun. Ueki then crotched himself on the top rope and Miyamoto submitted him with a Heel Hold. Ueki admitted that Miyamoto really is the world’s strongest male Joshi wrestler.

Cherry Boys On The Run Vs Super Fighting Three Musketeers
Hashimoto continued the Muto tribute by putting Aoki in the Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sasaki was put in danger after MAO dove onto him. However Sasaki avoided Aoki’s Tiger Suplex and trapped him in the Cross Facelock. Aoki fought to reach the ropes but Sasaki rolled him back into the centre and made him tap out. MAO felt regretful because their elimination from the tournament means the Cherry Boys’ youth has come to an end and they now have to become adults. Maybe it’s not all bad though. MAO heard that a 23 year old’s sex drive is bigger than an 18 year old’s. So maybe he can still work hard when he reaches the ripe old age of 23…

Team Katagi Vs Crazy Smile
The first time limit draw of the show happened here. This time HARASHIMA got into Takeda’s state of mind by wearing Takeda’s entrance gear to the ring. He held Higuchi in place for Takeda to stick a bundle of bamboo skewers into his head. Higuchi then got revenge by sticking skewers in HARASHIMA’s head. They scrambled for a pin but the 10 minute time limit was reached. The match restarted with One Count Pinfall rules to determine the winners. Higuchi went for the Doctor Bomb but HARASHIMA countered it into a Jackknife for the one count victory. Backstage Higuchi took responsibility for the “scandal” of his team losing. He is blessed to have a “big brother” like Nakanoue looking over him. Nakanoue then told him the team was disbanded and he walked out of the room, leaving Higuchi all alone.

Semi Finals

Bald & Blonde Vs Super Fighting Three Musketeers
The semi final lottery paired Okabayashi & Sakaguchi against Hashimoto & Sasaki. Things kicked off literally with Sakaguchi and Hashimoto laying into each other with kicks. Okabayashi blasted Sasaki with a Lariat then added another Lariat with the God’s Right Knee to combo Hashimoto. Sakaguchi kicked Sasaki away while Okabayashi pinned Hashimoto with the Golem Splash. Sasaki blamed Hashimoto for drawing a Muto Kitty on his shirt instead of the Muto Bear. He then came up with an idea to go drink at Seiji Sakaguchi’s house. Hashimoto tried to follow him but he still had Muto’s knee pain to deal with.

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Crazy Smile
Miyamoto ditched the Shinobu Kandori jokes and wrestled as his normal self for the rest of the show. Takeshita also wore custom made Yankee gear to match with his tag partner. Another time limit draw happened this time with 15 minutes not being enough to get a result. Sudden death did not immediately begin because the draw happened minutes before 2018 ended and 2019 would begin. The locker room emptied out for the countdown and everyone celebrate the New Year! Overtime then began and HARASHIMA went for the Somato on Takeshita. Takeshita moved and HARASHIMA crashed into the corner. Miyamoto then hit a Somato to HARASHIMA from behind and Takeshita used a Rolling Leg Clutch to pin HARASHIMA for the one count! Takeda & HARASHIMA both had fun teaming together. Takeda was praised for the big success he is currently achieving. HARASHIMA hopes to reach a similar level in 2019. Takeda also talked about Abdullah Kobayashi who was originally supposed to team with HARASHIMA on this show before suffering a shoulder injury.

Sumo Hall Announcements

The first big news of 2019 is DDT and Big Japan announcing a Sumo Hall double header happening this November. DDT runs Sumo Hall on 3rd November and Big Japan has their show on the 4th. Both Sanshiro Takagi and Eiji Kosaka acted like they didn’t expect the other to make their announcement. Yukinori Matsui went ahead with setting up the ticket sales for both shows anyway. Both companies see the situation as friendly competition. They would like to make hundreds of millions of yen this year but may need something like a donation from Floyd Mayweather to make that happen.

Final

Bald & Blonde Vs Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man
Is this definitely the first pro wrestling match of 2019 around the world? Let’s go with that until somebody says otherwise. With no time limit, a winner must be decided definitively. Takeshita got rid of Okabayashi with a German Suplex followed by a Somato from Miyamoto. Sakaguchi aimed the God’s Right Knee at Takeshita but it was blocked and turned into a Reverse Implant Driver. Takeshita ended the night by hitting the Fable on Sakaguchi to win the tournament! Takeshita thanked Miyamoto for helping him reach the final for the 4th year in a row. Miyamoto promised to get his own custom Takeshita gear to return the favour for Takeshita’s costume. Takeshita ended the show by saying both DDT and Big Japan will do their best not to lose against the larger pro wrestling companies this year. The Sumo Hall double header in November will show that.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards

There was a break after the 2nd Round for the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards ceremony to be held. Masashi Takeda dominated the contest by winning the MVP award and being featured FOUR times in the Best Match category! He hopes to become a triple champion in 2019. Isami Kodaka wants to win Best Bout again in 2019 but this time as the match winner. El Lindaman accepted the Best Unit Award on behalf of #STRONGHEARTS. He said 2019 will be an important year not just for the unit but also OWE. He personally also wants to win another championship so he can be a double champion. Best Newcomer Syuuou Fujiwara couldn’t be at the show but he was able to send in a video message. In the message Fujiwara said he is upset that Mita Sayoko is being physically given the award instead of him. He threatened to come down to Samurai! TV studio to take it back. When Eiji Kosaka accepted the Best Show Award for BJW’s Sumo Hall show, he promised to protect Mita from Fujiwara because she is his favourite Mita.

MVP
1. Masashi Takeda
2. Hideki Suzuki
3. Syuuou Fujiwara
4. Masahiro Takanashi
5. Minoru Fujita

Best Bout
1. Masashi Takeda Vs Isami Kodaka (Big Japan, 20th June)
2. Hideki Suzuki Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan, 11th November)
3. Masashi Takeda Vs Violent Jack (FREEDOMS, 2nd May)
4. Masashi Takeda Vs Jun Kasai (Jun Kasai Produce, 28th August)
5. Masashi Takeda Vs Masaya Takahashi (Big Japan, 11th November)

Best Unit
1. #STRONGHEARTS
2. Kobayashi-gun
3. Arrival
4. DAMNATION
5. 3rd Generation Bloody Brothers

Best Box Office
1. Big Japan at Sumo Hall, 11th November
2. DDT at Sumo Hall, 21st October
3. Jun Kasai Produce at Korakuen Hall, 28th August
4. Masahiro Takanashi Produce at Ryogoku KFC Hall, 8th July
5. Guts World at Shinjuku FACE, 15th April

Best Newcomer
1. Syuuou Fujiwara
2. Yuya Aoki
3. Koju Takeda
4. Yoshihisa Uto
5. Ayame Sasamura


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP GIRLS (PRO WRESTLING) PRO WRESTLING WOMEN’S FESTIVAL” Results

December 31, 2018

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP GIRLS (PRO WRESTLING) PRO WRESTLING WOMEN’S FESTIVAL”, 31/12/2018
Tokyo Shibuya GARRET
??? Fans

1. Makoto Oishi & Hyper Misao defeated Pipipipi Pinano & Raku when Oishi pinned Raku with an Inside Cradle (?:??).
2. Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima defeated Hikari Noa & Miu Watanabe when Yamashita pinned Noa with a Backspin Kick (?:??).

The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) took the next step in their pro wrestling careers by getting new ring names and new looks to go with them. Their reintroduction event in Shibuya GARRET began with the unit in their old costumes performing their “Upper Kick!” song with rock and rap variations mixed into the performance. When that was done it was on to the mat wrestling matches.

First up was Hinano & Raku against the Up Up Girls (Fake) duo of Makoto Oishi & Hyper Misao. Hinano is now called Pinano Pipipipi and she wears a multicoloured outfit with tassels. She is aware that her new name is a lot more sillier than the others. Pinano also has a new move called the Pipipipi Punch. Raku is keeping her name but it is now written in hiragana (らく) when before it was written in katakana (ラク). She’s also keeping the colour yellow for her new costume and still uses the Good Night Express. Unfortunately Oishi blocked Raku’s Brainstorm Chop, spat at her as a distraction and rolled her into a Cradle for the three count. Oishi wanted to attack his opponents after the match but Misao stood in his way to defend them. Misao told Pinano & Raku that their new costumes are cool then asked them to continue shining as wrestling idols. She’d like them to be ready for the next time the two rival groups face each other.

The other match was Hikari & Miu against Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima. Hikari is now Hikari Noa and Miu is now Miu Watanabe. They launched a surprise attack on their opponents to begin the match but the tables quickly turned against them. Noa’s power came into play and along with Watanabe they put Nakajima & Yamashita in a Canadian Backbreaker and a Cobra Twist respectfully. Noa then stood on a chair to give Yamashita a Missile Kick. Yamashita recovered though and pinned Noa with a Backspin Kick.

The show ended with the Up Up Girls performing “Upper Kick!” again and then debuting their new song “Upper Chop!”


GANBARE☆WRESTLING “IT IS THE LAST OF THE HEISEI!” Results

December 31, 2018

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “IT IS THE LAST OF THE HEISEI!”, 31/12/2018
Saitama Super Arena – Community Arena
??? Fans

1. Shivering Armlocker Vs Temporary Manager Of DAMNATION: Takeshi Okada defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani with an Armlock (3:50).
2. GANBARE NEW ATTITUDE: Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Kota Umeda & Mizuki Watase when Katsumura submitted Watase with a Jumping Cross Armbreaker (11:46).
3. “I’m Determined To Do My Best, Do No Forget Your Talent” Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shuhei Washida Vs Yumehito Imanari, Shota & Mitomi Masayuki ended in a Double Countout (3:30).
3a. Replay: Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shuhei Washida defeated Yumehito Imanari, Shota & Mitomi Masayuki when Ohka pinned Shota with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (3:30).

The main event quickly ended in a double countout when both teams brawled out to the crowd. They were able to restart the match but almost got a double countout again. When Ken Ohka won the match he pointed towards the main hub of Saitama Super Arena and told everyone he really wants to go beyond that wall. He also said Ganbare☆Wrestling is not just an organisation but also a concept. He talked about working with Tenshin Nasukawa earlier in the year so if Nasukawa beats Floyd Mayweather on New Year’s Eve then that means Ganpro also beats Mayweather!

After the show Ohka and some of the other wrestlers found a place inside the arena to speak to the fans. Ohka revealed that the person from RIZIN who invited them to perform today used to be the general manager of Hustle. According to Yumehito Imanari, Ganpro has inherited the soul of Hustle. The wrestlers then showed their support for Nasukawa and gave him the nickname Ganbare☆Tenshin.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 THE FINAL!!” Results

December 30, 2018

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 THE FINAL!!”, 30/12/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,018 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Under Match: Mizuki Watase Vs Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
1. Mike Bailey, MAO, HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani when MAO pinned Shimatani with the Cannonball 450° (11:40).
2. Muscle Offer Match ~ M-Ou GRAND PRIX 2018 Total Victory Decision Battle Royal: Antonio Honda defeated Choun-Shiryu with a School Boy (7:10).
Order Of Elimination: Yasu Urano and Makoto Oishi, Pedro Takaishi, Super Sasadango Machine, Choun-Shiryu.
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Meiko Satomura when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (9:49).
4. Shinya Aoki & Keisuke Okuda (w/ Hideki Suzuki) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Hayato Sakurai) ended in a No Contest (5:08).
5. CIMA, El Lindaman & Seiki Yoshioka defeated Akito, Yuki Iino & Kota Umeda when CIMA pinned Iino with the Meteora (13:06).
6. Daisuke Sasaki & Puma King defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Sammy Guevara by TKO when Sasaki knocked out Yoshimura with the Pedigree (13:02).
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – Final: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Go Shiozaki with the German Suplex (23:07).
*V? for Konosuke Takeshita.

Konosuke Takeshita has booked his ticket for Sumo Hall next February because he is the 2019 D-Ou Grand Prix winner! There was an uncomfortable vibe inside Korakuen Hall before the main event because of what happened to Naomi Yoshimura in the previous match (more on that below). Takeshita encouraged everyone to cheer for Yoshimura while he was on his way to the hospital. When they were done he then told Go Shiozaki not to hesitate fighting him at full force because of what happened earlier. Shiozaki didn’t hold back with his Chops and Lariats, leaving their mark on his opponent. Takeshita kicked out of the Go Flasher and did what he could to combat the Strong Arm Lariat. Takeshita successfully used the Fable then followed with a German Suplex to win the match and the Grand Prix. Since he is also the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion that also means a successful defence but that’s kind of a low priority from the list of accomplishments today. Takeshita now gets a KO-D Openweight Title shot at “JUDGEMENT 2019” on 17th February.

After the match Takeshita said he never imagined he would ever wrestle against Shiozaki. But today near the end of Heisei era, Takeshita got to fight a member of the strongest class of pro wrestlers. He has never felt such pain or suffering before but he wants to go through it again. Takeshita’s pecs will always be ready to take Shiozaki’s Chops. The show ended with the people who made the most impact in DDT this year talking about their summaries of 2018. MAO said he did a lot of weird things this year and wants to do more next year. Meiko Satomura talked about winning the KO-D Title. HARASHIMA said 2018 was a good year because he is still smiling at the end of it. Takeshita gave the last word. He promises to bring fun and exciting pro wrestling with all of DDT in 2019!

The semi-main event was stopped after Naomi Yoshimura spiked his head against the canvas from Daisuke Sasaki’s Pedigree. Yoshimura was knocked out from the move and Yukinori Matsui called off the match so he could get stretchered out. Sasaki got on the microphone, called Yoshimura a waste of scrap that should be sent back home and left the ring. Hisaya Imabayashi later gave everyone the update that Yoshimura could move his legs and was regaining his grip strength. Hours after the show was over it was announced that Yoshimura was diagnosed with a cervical sprain. There is no timetable yet for his return. The KO-D Title match scheduled for 3rd January has been cancelled and will be replaced with a DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION 10-Man Tag Match. Sasaki is annoyed because he was thought he now had free time to take a vacation to Hawaii.

#STRONGHEARTS have the upper hand over ALL OUT with today’s win. Yuki Iino was cut off by El Lindaman’s German Suplex. That allowed CIMA to hit the Schwein and the Meteora for the three count. Outside the ring Kota Umeda and Seiki Yoshioka had a face off after the match. CIMA noticed this and said that the difference between Umeda and Yoshioka is the same as the difference between Shunjuku and Ikebukuro. CIMA talked about the upcoming KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles defence on 3rd January. He has now beaten Takeshita and Iino. All that’s left for him to beat is Akito! Although he thinks T-Hawk can do that for him. Or maybe Duan Yingnan can leave his mark in DDT history by beating Takeshita?

When #STRONGHEARTS left the ring one by one, El Lindaman was the last to move until he was suddenly attacked by Nobuhiro Shimatani! They faced off then stood back to back in a height measuring contest. Both men declared themselves the winner.

Shinya Aoki & Keisuke Okuda brought along Hideki Suzuki to be their cornerman to even the odds against Keisuke Ishii & Tanomusaku Toba with Hayato “Mach” Sakurai by their side. This led to chaos when Okuda provoked Sakurai leading to a fight with his own partner Aoki! Okuda, Aoki and Suzuki fought each other among the audience until they found their way back into the ring. Things calmed down and Hisaya Imabayashi asked Aoki to pick the stipulation for his DDT Extreme Title match against Toba on 3rd January. Aoki told Okuda to pick for him and another fight broke out. When that brawl ended Aoki told Toba that they will have a Boxing Gloves Match!

It was an exciting day for Kazuki Hirata because he had a brand new pair of Hirata Go! glasses to show off to everyone. Yukio Sakaguchi didn’t care and tried to break the glasses by placing them on a chair and asking the other wrestlers to sit on it. They survived Saki Akai sitting on them but were crushed underneath Gota Ihashi. Hirata was devastated because if the glasses break then so too does his music. Hirata broke down into tears until Toru Owashi & Meiko Satomura put on their own pairs of glasses and sang “TOKYO GO” to him. Hirata danced along to it until Sakaguchi kicked him to oblivion. Sakaguchi then placed a fresh pair of glasses on Hirata’s body and imitated a line from the Hazuki Glasses commercial.

The D-Ou Grand Prix wasn’t the only big event on the show today. The return of Muscle to promote the sub-brand’s Sumo Hall show on 16th February led to a Battle Royal to determine who gets to be in the main event. The goal of the match is for a wrestler to phone the opponent they wish to face while pinning another wrestler. The winner would get that match as well as up to 1,000,000 yen to book that wrestler and 30% of that to be taken in as a booking fee. Antonio Honda wanted to book his father Tetsu Watanabe, Choun-Shiryu wanted to book Jackie Chan “of the Hong Kong International Police Department”, Pedro Takaishi wanted to book Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Yasu Urano wanted to book the comedian Kuro-chan. We didn’t hear who Makoto Oishi wanted because when he said he was going to book someone from K-DOJO he was cut off by the return of Amon Tsurumi! Tsurumi said he’s been gone for so long because he was busy producing movies. While doing this he discovered that ultra low budget movies can make good profits due to word of mouth. That means you don’t need to blow out your budget getting a big name in order to create a big success. He cancelled the Battle Royal and announced the start of the M-Ou Grand Prix round robin tournament! Urano complained that they don’t have time to do that. Everyone agreed on doing a normal Battle Royal after Tsurumi poked everyone in the eyes. Honda ended up winning the match. His prize was a briefcase representing his right to main event the Muscle show in February. Honda noticed it was heavy so he opened it up. Inside was a pile of unsold tickets for the show! Tsurumi said because Honda is main eventing the show it is now his responsibility to sell the remaining tickets. Only 780 tickets have been sold so far!

The Moonlight Express now have the perfect momentum for their Double Titles match on 5th January. They along with HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi were victorious over DAMNATION in the opener. The Express want to be the best tag team of 2019 so they are already planning appearances inside and outside of DDT. They will be at Fight Club: PRO’s Japan debut on 7th January and also K-DOJO’s next Korakuen show on the 13th no matter the result of the Double Titles match.

Ten minutes wasn’t enough to determine a winner between Yuki Ueno and Mizuki Watase in the pre-show bout.

The big summer show in Ota Ward Gymnasium on 15th July will be called “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. DDT is asking fans to choose the Twitter hashtag for the show. The options are either #PeterPanDDT, #DDTPeterPan, #DDTWPP or #WrestlePeterPan.

Shuten-dōji’s self-produced show that they won from the Dramatic Election will be held in Shinjuku FACE on 17th April. They will bring in a lot of wrestlers associated with the unit and promise to deliver a ridiculous show. KUDO wasn’t there for the announcement so Shota took his place dressed just like Masahiro Takanashi. It was enough to make Sakaguchi laugh.

Shunma Katsumata is planning to return from his orbital injury this February. He had successful eye surgery on 11th December.

Jason “The Gift” Kincaid returns to DDT on 13th January. Space Monkey makes his debut on the 27th.