“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~” Results

December 31, 2023

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
778 Fans

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino defeated Takeshi Masada, Akira & Koji Iwamoto when HARASHIMA pinned Masada with the Somato (7:06).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita defeated Soma Takao, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Kinoshita pinned Hiroshi with the Blockbuster Hold (6:51).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
3a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki defeated Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka when Suzuki submitted Dieno with the Sleeper Hold (4:45).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) when Abe submitted Shu with the Manjigatame (6:03).
5. So Daimonji, Ender Kara, Leyton Buzzard & Tempesta defeated Kazumi Kikuta, Kazuki Hashimoto, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Buzzard pinned Rukiya with the Firebird Splash (8:37).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita when Sekifuda pinned Kinoshita with the Ironman (5:48).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
7a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki when Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with a Lariat (1:20).
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takuya Nomura, Abdullah Kobayashi & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Yuki Ueno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Kobayashi pinned Honda with a Modified School Boy (13:32).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino when Endo pinned Sekifuda with the Burning Star Press (13:33).

On the final day of 2023 DDT, Big Japan and a scoop of the indies all joined together at Korakuen Hall to take part in the annual New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Team Tournament. This year was the third year in a row the tournament consisted of 6-Man Tag matches. Every team taking part consisted of a DDT wrestler, a BJW wrestler and a wild card independent wrestler. But before any of the matches began, Samurai TV presented the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards for 2023. The full results for those can be found at the bottom of this report.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Lonely Hot College Students

The opening round began with HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino all joining forces to fight a team that no longer had an accurate team name. Yuya Aoki pulled out sick and had to be replaced with Akira who is not single like Takeshi Masada & Koji Iwamoto are. Although you could still argue he might have been feeling lonely anyway without being near his new friends anyway. They isolated HARASHIMA but Masada could not get the job done. Instead the tables were turned on him and HARASHIMA scored the pin with the Somato.

Team Katagi Returns Vs The Kind People

Style was the name of the game here. Team Katagi Returns all showed up wrestling in sunglasses and flashy shirts looking to boss around their opponents. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi tried to settle them down with some karaoke, buying Soma Takao & Kazumasa Yoshida some time to regroup. Hiroshi tried it again to distract Kohei Kinoshita but ended up getting pinned with the Blockbuster Hold for his troubles.

Big Bombers Kai Vs Anal Destruction Hidaka

The big draw for this year’s tournament made his appearance in the third match. Minoru Suzuki showed up with no concern that Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka were all plotting to defeat him one way or another. It didn’t matter because whatever they threw at Suzuki, he just countered it and twisted them into submission holds. The match ended in a time limit draw so it went to 1 Count sudden death rules. Hidaka was convinced to settle himself on the top turnbuckle with his tights pulled down so Dieno & Hashimoto could throw their opponents face first into his rear end. The plan worked until it was Suzuki’s turn. He simply stopped in front of Hidaka and spanked him! Hashimoto then force fed Dieno the wasabi paste but the Lip Lock aimed for Suzuki was sent to Hashimoto instead! Suzuki used the Sleeper Hold on Dieno to squeeze the wasabi out of him until he gave up.

Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

You can always count on The Brahman Brothers to come into this tournament with their partners already brainwashed into acting like them. It happened here with Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishikawa. Together their obscene fighting styles left the opponents doubled over in pain due to where the attacks were targeted. However Fuminori Abe was able to trap Brahman Shu in the Manjigatame so his team could escape to the next round with enough of their collective dignity still intact.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

There were two matches outside of the tournament. The first of which focused on PROJECT: HAVOC, the unit of wrestlers currently invading Big Japan led by So Daimonji. Facing them were the collective team of mostly young DDT and BJW wrestlers. Despite the best efforts of the combined home team, HAVOC overwhelmed them and won out in the end.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Team Katagi Returns

Over to the semi finals now where Smile Lizard King Kong continued to show their combined strength. The normally powerful Kazusada Higuchi & Yasufumi Nakanoue were instead powerless to save Kinoshita from getting flattened with Flying Body Press after Flying Body Press from their opponents, ending with Sekifuda folding him over with the Ironman pin for the 3 count.

Big Bombers Kai Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

The other semi finals treated fans to a couple of important matchups. First was a preview of Tetsuya Endo against Yukio Naya in the D-Oh Grand Prix final happening on 3rd January. The other was Suzuki and Daisuke Sekimoto getting the rare chance to fight each other! Their battle ended in a stalemate because the time ran out. When sudden death began the match scrambled into Hideyoshi Kamitani trying to pin Sekimoto only to get defeated instead with Sekimoto’s Lariat. Endo and Naya had a staredown in the middle of the ring after the match.

Non-Tournament Special 6-Man Tag Match

The second non-tournament match was a straightforward DDT Vs Big Japan 6-Man Tag. Well I say straightforward but the match involved Antonio Honda and Abdullah Kobayashi both getting rope burn between their legs, the DDT team all dancing to “What Does The Fox Say”, then the Big Japan team dancing to “Tokyo GO!” until Takuya Nomura stopped them. But that was only because he wanted to lead the dance and use that power to overpower his opponents. Kobayashi ended up using Honda’s Gongitsune against him and rolled him up with a School Boy to get Big Japan the victory.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

Sadly the show has not yet returned to running long enough that it reaches up to the clock striking midnight to bring in the new year. But the finalists were still able to take each other on without having to worry about a time limit. Sekimoto and Hino got into a big chop battle while HARASHIMA took out Abe with the Somato. Sekifuda almost pinned Endo with the Ironman but was then flipped upside down with the Tetsuya In the Sky. It was all there for Endo to take it and he finished Sekifuda off with the Burning Star Press, making Bati Bati F’N In The Sky the winners of this year’s tournament!

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2023

MVP

1. Kazuki Hirata (DDT)
2. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato (Michinoku Pro)
3. Fuminori Abe (Freelance)
4. Chris Brookes (DDT)
5. HARUKAZE (Ganbare☆Pro)

Best Bout

1. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato Vs Hiromu Takahashi (Michinoku Pro, 15th October)
2. Fuminori Abe Vs Takuya Nomura (Kakuto Tanteidan, 12th October)
3. Yuji Okabayashi Vs Yuya Aoki (Big Japan, 4th May)
4. Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata (DDT, 12th November)
5. Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ueno (DDT, 12th November)

Best Unit

1. Astronauts (Freelance/Big Japan)
2. Pheromones (DDT)
3. Lethal Weapon (Ganbare☆Pro)
4. Eruption (DDT)
5. The 37KAMIINA (DDT)

Best Show

1. DDT @ Ryogoku Kokugikan, 12th November
2. Kakuto Tanteidan @ Shinjuku FACE, 12th October
3. Big Japan @ Yokohama Budokan, 4th May
4. Michinoku Pro @ Yahaba Townsmen Gymnasium, 15th October
5. 666 @ Korakuen Hall, 2nd, August

Best Newcomer

1. Munetatsu Nakamura (Ganbare☆Pro)
2. Kazumasa Yoshida (Big Japan)
3. Takeshi Masada (DDT)
4. Yusaki Ito (Dove Pro)
5. Yuki Kanzaki (TTT)


Akira Replacing Yuya Aoki On New Year’s Eve

December 30, 2023

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino Vs Takeshi Masada, Akira & Koji Iwamoto
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita Vs Soma Takao, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe
5. So Daimonji, Ender Kara, Leyton Buzzard & Tempesta Vs Kazumi Kikuta, Kazuki Hashimoto, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs Takuya Nomura, Abdullah Kobayashi & Kankuro Hoshino
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Bati Bati F’N In The Sky: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe
Big Bombers Kai: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki
Team Katagi Returns: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita
Anal Destruction Hidaka: Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka
The Kind People: Soma Takao, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
Lonely Hot College Students: Takeshi Masada, Akira & Koji Iwamoto
Smile Lizard King Kong: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino
Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei)

There’s been a last minute change to the card. Yuya Aoki is showing symptoms of a fever and will not be wrestling tomorrow. Taking his place in the Lonely Hot College Students team is American death match wrestler Akira! He has been touring with Big Japan for the last couple of months.

1 Count Fall Overtime rules are in effect for the tournament matches that end in a time limit draw. The final will have no time limit.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results

December 24, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
761 Fans – No Vacancy

-. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (8) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Forfeit.
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Rukiya when KANON submitted Rukiya with the Torture Cobra Twist (4:57).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: Toru Owashi defeated The Great Koji (c), Sanshiro Takagi, Kazuki Hirata, Akito, Kazuma Sumi and Poison Sawada JULIE (10:21).
2a. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Akito by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2b. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Kazuma Sumi by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2c. Sanshiro Takagi eliminated Kazuki Hirata by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2d. Poison Sawada JULIE eliminated Sanshiro Takagi by Over The Top Rope (8:25).
2e. Poison Sawada JULIE eliminated The Great Koji (c) with the Cattle Mutilation (10:08).
*Poison Sawada JULIE becomes the 1,597th champion.
2f. Toru Owashi defeated Poison Sawada JULIE (c) with a School Boy (10:21).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,598th champion.
3. Special Single Match: Rei Saito defeated Hideki Okatani with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver (4:43).
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Honda with a Rotating Cradle (10:41).
*V1 for D.O.A.
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated MAO (6) with The World’s Best Back Drop (10:58).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: HARASHIMA (4) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Somato (6:37).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Iino (4) defeated Yuki Ueno (5) with the Spear (8:14).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (6) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (6) with the Burning Star Press (20:37).
Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Christmas Tree defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a Body Press (1:39 pm).
*Christmas Tree becomes the 1,599th champion.

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (6)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
3. Yuki Ueno (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
5. Yuki Iino (4)
-. HARASHIMA (4)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (8)
-. Rei Saito (8)
3. MAO (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

Back from the brink, Tetsuya Endo has won the A Block but only just! The last day of group matches in the D-Ou Grand Prix took place at Korakuen Hall on Christmas Eve. Every remaining A Block match had somebody fighting to finish in first so they will qualify for the grand final. The other potential challengers all fell at the final hurdle leaving it all on the line in the main event between Endo and Kazusada Higuchi. Throughout the tournament Endo has been using the Rolling Chop taught to him by Kenta Kobashi. The move here was not enough to put down Higuchi so Endo came up with an even more dangerous idea from Kobashi’s moveset. He wanted to do the Torture Rack Bomb but Higuchi grabbed him with the Brain Claw. Endo resisted and turned the Torture Rack into a Sitout Burning Hammer! He was then able to do the Spinning Torture Rack Bomb but Higuchi kicked out. Endo then hit the Burning Star Press and this time Higuchi was done for, ending the A Block with Endo heading to the final!

The other two frontrunners in the A Block both collapsed, leading to Endo to overtake them. Yuki Ueno was knocked for a loop thanks to Yuki Iino’s Spear. The first one was blocked with a Dropkick but when Ueno went for the WR, Iino countered it with a short-range Spear and pinned last year’s D-Oh winner in an upset! Iino calls the result a very precious victory and he will use this momentum to keep evolving into the next year. Ueno said whether he won or lost in this tournament, he is still the KO-D Openweight Champion coming out of it. He thinks it is still up to him to carry DDT over his back.

Daisuke Sasaki saw his chances of reaching the final blow up in flames thanks to HARASHIMA. Even with MJ Paul at ringside helping him behind the ref’s back, Sasaki fell to the Somato in short order. HARASHIMA credits his battleplan for the win because you have to be careful fighting against Sasaki. He isn’t pleased with only getting 4 points in the tournament but it will spur him on to train harder for next year. Sasaki meanwhile was so upset over his failure to win the Grand Prix that he decided to retire! Then he got cold feet and convinced a nearby reporter to grant permission for him to delay the retirement for one year.

Meeting Endo in the final is Yukio Naya in the B Block. There was only one match left in that group and Naya needed to win or else Rei Saito would go to the final instead. MAO was out of the running due to circumstances out of his control but he still fought like he had a chance to qualify. But despite using the match to get his frustrations out, MAO was hit with Knee Strike after Knee Strike, including one with his kneepad pulled down. It was all over for MAO when he was given The World’s Best Back Drop. He wasn’t happy about the result and complained about Naya not showing enough spirit when he fight. It has MAO wondering if Naya really wants to win this?

So the D-Oh final comes down to Endo against Naya. The two had a standoff in the ring after Endo’s match. Naya called Endo as amazing wrestler and Naya has to surpass amazing wrestlers to make up for last year’s defeat in the final. He wants to be the best not just in DDT but also all of Japanese pro wrestling so he cannot afford to lose now. Endo said Naya is bigger than him but not as strong. On 3rd January keep your eyes on Endo because he promises to crush Naya!

D.O.A might be getting a little ahead of themselves by accepting more title challengers than they need to but right now they look like they can handle the pressure. Their first KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence was a successful one against Schadenfreude International. The match saw Jun Akiyama using his own Gongitsune to combat Antonio Honda’s version. Things were looking bad when Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada blocked Danshoku Dieno’s Wasabi Lip Lock. But Makoto Oishi maneuvered Honda to run face first into Dieno’s backside and Oishi then rolled him up for the victory. Even though the champions won, Dieno was in agony because he still had the wasabi stuck in his mouth. Their next defence will be against Bodyguard’s Osaka team on 6th January. That match also has the D.O.A name on the line!

Rei Saito went into today’s show with a forfeit win over Chris Brookes. So with no tournament match Saito instead fought Hideki Okatani in a singles match between an AJPW World Tag Team Champion and an All Asia Tag Team Champion. Okatani had some chances to win but Saito was too big to let the Quetzalcoatl be used against him. Saito used his strength to turn things around and beat Okatani with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver. Saito is still booked for 3rd January and so is his brother Jun Saito. Since the D-Oh final is no longer on the cards for Rei, The Saito Brothers are instead challenging DDT to give them a tag team to fight. Meanwhile Okatani promised to get revenge on Rei no matter if it is in DDT, All Japan or anywhere else!

The return of Toru Owashi from injury has him back in his natural role. He is and always will be the straight man in a comedy Battle Royal. The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title was on the line as The Great Koji emerged from Parts Unknown against a field of challengers including a mystery opponent. That mystery wrestler turned out to be the championship’s creator Poison Sawada JULIE! He used his Snake Magic on Sanshiro Takagi forcing him to eliminate Akito, Kazuma Sumi and Kazuki Hirata one by one until JULIE eliminated Takagi by himself. Great Koji armed himself with a sickle and resisted JULIE’s magic at first but the spell eventually overpowered him. JULIE then applied his version of the Cattle Mutilation, forcing Koji to give up. JULIE was not the Iron Man champion but Owashi quickly pinned him with a School Boy to win the belt and the match.

Afterwards Takagi attacked JULIE and they fought their way to the back. Owashi stayed in the ring so he could thank the fans for their support during his recovery. Backstage he also made a decision to disband DISASTER BOX! Over the last five months Owashi has seen Hirata grow up and learn to take care of himself. The reason why DISASTER BOX stuck around for so long was so Owashi & HARASHIMA could look after Hirata but now that is no longer needed. Hirata is now walking down a new path, Owashi feels lucky he still has time to be a pro wrestler and HARASHIMA is fighting to remain the ace of DDT so the time is right for DISASTER BOX to end. The unit may come back in the future because it has been revived before. Also the three of them can still team together in some form whenever DDT tells them to so Hirata thinks not much is going to change from this decision.

Both KANON & MJ Paul were interested in fighting Yukio Sakaguchi because he is one half of the All Asia Tag Champions. So KANON felt a bit let down when he had to beat up Rukiya instead. At least DAMNATION T.A are having a year end drinking party at Sasaki’s house to make up for that disappointment.

At the very end of the show everyone came down to the ring dressed in Santa Claus outfits to celebrate Christmas with the fans. Hirata talked about how great DDT is and how he cannot wait for 2024. He then suddenly attacked Owashi with a Christmas Tree and everybody piled on top of them to try and win the Iron Man Title! Yukinori Matsui counted the pin and then seperated the pile of bodies to figure out who won. Everyone was pulled away until the only thing left directly lying on Owashi was the tree. Which means the Christmas Tree is the new Iron Man Champion! Takagi ordered everybody not to attack the tree because it is fitting for it to become a champion on Christmas Eve. Ueno closed out the show telling fans DDT in 2024 will make dreams come true for everyone!

The team challenging for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles on 5th January have chosen the replacement for Chris Brookes. Taking his place for the title match is Takayuki Ueki. That means the team is not fighting as Schadenfreude International but instead representing Baka Gaijin + Friends!

DDT will be holding two outdoor Beer Garden shows in Tokyo Ueno Park on 21st and 26th March.


Brookes To Get Surgery, D-Oh Paths To The Final

December 21, 2023

News came out from DDT today about Chris Brookes visiting the hospital after feeling pain in his abdomen. Examinations discovered he has a tumour. It is not malignant but he will need to have surgery as soon as possible to remove it. He is expected to be out of action for a few weeks and has forfeited his remaining B Block match in the D-Oh Grand Prix.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 24/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

-. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (8) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Forfeit.
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Rukiya Vs KANON & MJ Paul
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal ~ Toru Owashi Return Match: The Great Koji (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Open Recruitment X
3. Special Single Match: Rei Saito Vs Hideki Okatani
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) Vs Yukio Naya (6)
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) Vs Yuki Iino (2)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (6)

A Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
2. Yuki Ueno (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. Tetsuya Endo (4)
5. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Rei Saito (8)
2. Yukio Naya (6)
-. MAO (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

Brookes forfeiting his match against Rei Saito has big consequences for the B Block. Saito is now sitting on top of the group with 8 points and will go through to the final if Yukio Naya does not beat MAO. If Naya wins that match then he will reach the final because he holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Saito. MAO however has the disadvantage with Saito and can no longer finish in 1st place even with a win over Naya. So while Naya is fighting for survival against MAO, Saito will face Hideki Okatani in a non-tournament match between an AJPW World Tag Team Champion and an All Asia Tag Team Champion.

That means the final day of the group stage is all built around the A Block. Daisuke Sasaki, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi are all still alive in the race for 1st. Here is what needs to happen for each person to reach the final.

Kazusada Higuchi: A win against Endo sends him straight to the final. If it ends in a time limit draw then Higuchi still goes through if Ueno cannot beat Iino.

Tetsuya Endo: Beating Higuchi is absolutely necessary just to have a chance of making the final. If that happens then Endo had better hope that Ueno couldn’t beat Iino while Sasaki lost to HARASHIMA.

Daisuke Sasaki: Needs to beat HARASHIMA and hope either Endo beats Higuchi or that match ends in a Double Countout/No Contest (those draws are 0 points). If he and Ueno both win their matches and Higuchi loses then a sudden death tiebreaker will happen between Sasaki and Ueno.

Yuki Ueno: Needs to beat Iino, Sasaki not to win against HARASHIMA and Higuchi not to win against Endo. He can still go through if he time limit draws with Iino, Sasaki loses to HARASHIMA and Endo Vs Higuchi ends in Double Countout/No Contest. Ueno might go through if he and Sasaki both win and Higuchi gets a time limit draw. That ends with a 3 way tie at 7 points and I think Ueno would win the tiebreaker because he beat Higuchi while Sasaki could not. There’s also a bizarre possibility of Ueno, Sasaki, Higuchi and maybe Endo all finishing in 1st at 6 points but that requires two time limit draws on the same show along with a 4 way tiebreaker I cannot figure out. Wrestling tournament booking in Japan never gets that silly anyway.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KUMAMOTO” Results

December 17, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KUMAMOTO”, 17/12/2023
Kumamoto Sakurajuji Hall Yatsushiro Multipurpose Hall
282 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani submitted Sumi with a Dragon Sleeper (10:43).
2. Chris Brookes, Akito & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata when Masada pinned Oishi with the Triangle Kick (10:47).
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Endo pinned Rukiya with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (14:19).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) defeated Yuki Iino (2) with a Modified Crucific Pin (11:53).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (6) defeated KANON (4) with the Just Face Lock (13:17).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs Harimao!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Higuchi pinned Kojima with the Brain Claw Slam (22:08).

A Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
2. Yuki Ueno (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. Tetsuya Endo (4)
5. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
-. MAO (6)
-. Rei Saito (6)
4. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

Only two D-Oh Grand Prix matches today but they both help set the table for the final group matches taking place on Christmas Eve. MAO now finds himself at the top of the B Block but space is tight up there. He beat KANON and used TAKA Michinoku’s Just Face Lock submission for the win to rub it in. The result is payback for KANON beating him with the Cobra Twist during last year’s Grand Prix. With that debt repaid, MAO now thinks KANON is somebody who might be standing on the same level as him in the near future. KANON has now completed all of his group matches and he’s upset because all he got out of it is a pair of Hirata GO! glasses.

The only A Block match had Daisuke Sasaki playing mind games with Yuki Iino. Sasaki claimed Iino still has a trace of “Sexy” inside him and he was going to bring it out of him! Sasaki did poses to remind Iino of Pheromones and make him lose his temper. While this sent Iino on a rampage chasing after Sasaki, it also led to him making mistakes. The big one was Iino missing a Spear and hitting the exposed corner post after Sasaki had removed the turnbuckle pad. The damage did not immediately cost Iino the match but it didn’t take Sasaki long to pin him with a Crucifix afterwards. Sasaki then added insult to injury by saying Iino was never sexy at all! While Iino no longer has a chance to reach the final, he still promises fans will see him show everything with full power at DDT’s last Korakuen Hall show of the year.

The show today did not have a big focus on the D-Oh because it was also Yuki Ishida’s triumphant return to his hometown Yatsushiro, Kumamoto. The 37KAMIINA wanted to spoil Harimao’s party, particularly when Ishida responded to Toy Kojima’s “NeppoWER” pose with an enthusiastic “Dosukoi” shout. It was Kazusada Higuchi who scored the win by pinning Kojima but Ishida did his part by keeping Yuki Ueno away from the finish. After the match Ishida told the fans he’s really happy to see so many people from Yatsushiro come to watch DDT wrestling. It’s always been his goal to perform here for DDT and next time he wants DDT to book him in a title match here!

Today was Jun Akiyama’s last time teaming with other wrestler in BURNING before he leaves the unit at the end of the year. Tetsuya Endo said the unit will now consist of just himself, Yusuke Okada and the currently injured Yuya Koroku. He thanked Akiyama for everything he taught them over the last two years. Endo also thinks the best way to repay Akiyama is for BURNING to grow bigger without him, even if that means they go and win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from Akiyama’s other team D.O.A! Akiyama joked that when he quits BURNING he will go back to being a normal old man. He also pointed out BURNING has to wait for Koroku to come back before they can get in line for a title shot. That is unless they find a new member of course. However it happens, D.O.A have to go through their current schedule of title defences in order to make a title match against BURNING happen in the future.

Growing with confidence thanks to some recent success, Takeshi Masada claims he is no longer scared of Danshoku Dieno and and his backside. Makoto Oishi threatened to feed Dieno wasabi paste but Hisaya Imabayashi stopped him, just like he did yesterday. Instead Imabayashi invited Yuki Ishida’s father into the ring to hand them a piece of Karashi Renkon, which is a local dish in Kumamoto. During the match Oishi stuck the food in Dieno’s backside and tried forcing Masada to eat it. Masada instead turned it around and shoved it into Oishi’s mouth. Masada then pinned him with the Triangle Kick. He thought about thanking Ishida’s father for helping him win but decided it was because of the Karashi Renkon instead. Schadenfreude International then vowed o win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles from D.O.A on Christmas Eve.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA” Results

December 16, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA”, 16/12/2023
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
355 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match – Kyushu Sangyo University Pro Wrestling Research Department Offer Match: Ionazun Shirai & Tiger Nishiya Mask defeated Great Tamu & Occult Daimao when Nishiya pinned Daimao with the Mad Splash (12:33).
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada when Takao pinned Okada with an Inside Cradle (7:58).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Toy Kojima & Van Vert Jack defeated Azul Dragon, Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Kojima pinned Sumi with the Kojima In Wonderland ~KOJIMA Wonderland~ (9:33).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata (2) defeated Chris Brookes (2) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:46).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (6) defeated KANON (4) with the Body Splash (11:43).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Ishida with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (10:22).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (6) defeated Yuki Iino (3) with the Brain Claw Press (12:03).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (5) defeated HARASHIMA (2) with the WR (14:21).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (3) defeated Tetsuya Endo (4) with the Foot Trapped Crossface Lock (22:53).

A Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
2. Yuki Ueno (5)
3. Tetsuya Endo (4)
4. Daisuke Sasaki (3)
5. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
-. Rei Saito (6)
3. MAO (4)
-. KANON (4)
5. Kazuki Hirata (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)

This weekend starts the deep end of the D-Oh Grand Prix with plenty of must win situations for the wrestlers involved. Daisuke Sasaki got his first victory in this year’s tournament by beating Tetsuya Endo in a rematch from “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”. Sasaki targeted Endo’s left knee early but switched to spiking his neck onto the canvas with the Implant as well as a Tombstone Destroyer. The left knee then came back into play when Sasaki trapped the limb while applying the Crossface Lock to make Endo submit. Sasaki said what happened in the past between him and Endo as well as what will happen in the future does not matter. He just wants to soak in today’s victory.

Yuki Ueno remains in the race for first place and eliminated HARASHIMA from contention to get there. HARASHIMA hit the Somato but Ueno pulled out one of his own to give his opponent a taste of his own medicine. A big Dropkick to the face followed by the WR ended the match with Ueno’s arm raised. He said being raised by DISASTER BOX is what helped him become a champion and he is now good enough to win against his former senpai.

The two big boys of the A Block clashed. Yuki Iino hit hard but Kazusada Higuchi fought back even harder. He also showed some agility by doing the splits in order to dodge Iino’s Low Altitude Spear. Higuchi hit some moves of his own but it was still all even between the two. Iino applied a Bearhug but it was countered with the Brain Claw. Higuchi kept hold of Iino’s head and slammed him to the canvas, pressing him down for the pinfall. Higuchi said Iino has always been a monster in the ring but he has blossomed during the Grand Prix. Higuchi now wants to rest so he can be ready for a vital match against Endo. Iino however might have his recent past come back to haunt him. His next opponent Sasaki claims Iino is hiding something “Sexy” and it will be exposed to everyone when they fight!

KANON’s results are playing a vital role in how the B Block is turning out. His win against Yukio Naya most of the field still in the running. Now his loss against Rei Saito today could be the turning point in improving Saito’s chances of reaching the final. Saito believes the size difference was why he won today. KANON could not break him down like he did to Naya one week ago.

There is now no chance for Chris Brookes to reach the final. Also he might end up having the worst win-loss record in the Grand Prix by the end of it. But worst of all he has the misfortune of being the only person in the tournament to lose to Kazuki Hirata! That’s right, Hirata won his last block match to avoid finishing with zero points! He came up with a plan to disguise himself as a cameraman at ringside so he could roll up Brookes immediately. Brookes kicked out though and instantly turned the tables against him. Hirata perservered though and pulled off the upset thanks to the Miracle One Shot Cradle! He thanked his fans for their support and called this a win they all achieved together. Despite only winning once he is still proud of his performance because it took 13 years of his life to get here and he gave it his all.

The bottle of wasabi Makoto Oishi carries around with him was confiscated by Hisaya Imabayashi before D.O.A’s match began and replaced with a pack of spicy cod roe. Danshoku Dieno didn’t think it was a good substitute but Oishi still force fed him it to power up the Lip Lock. The move worked on Yuki Ishida, leaving him vulnerable to be pinned with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA” Results

December 9, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
245 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi pinned Sumi with the Death Penalty (9:35).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Yuki Iino & Tsutenkakka by Disqualification when Iino attacked the referee (9:38).
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated MAO, Toy Kojima & Ilusion when Masada pinned Ilusion with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (13:00).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Rei Saito (4) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with the Diving Body Press (12:49).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: KANON (4) defeated Yukio Naya (6) by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Cobra Twist (13:47).
6. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Okatani pinned Okada with the Quetzalcoatl (16:57).
*V1 for Eruption.
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (4) defeated HARASHIMA (2) with the Brain Claw Slam (13:14).
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (4) defeated Yuki Ueno (3) with the Forest Bridge (21:18).

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (4)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (4)
3. Yuki Ueno (3)
4. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)
6. Daisuke Sasaki (1)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
2. Rei Saito (4)
-. MAO (4)
-. KANON (4)
5. Chris Brookes (2)
6. Kazuki Hirata (0)

The KO-D Openweight Champion has hit a rocky patch in his D-Oh Grand Prix block. Yuki Ueno’s next match after his time limit draw did not go the way he wanted it to. Tetsuya Endo beat him after a back and forth battle, catching Ueno with a roll up. There was an exchange of signature moves from the two and when Ueno got the upper hand and ran the ropes, Endo caught him in a Headlock Takeover and hooked the leg to pin him for the victory. Endo is keeping the move in his arsenal, naming it the Forest Bridge. He said there is not much time left in 2023 but when he comes back to Osaka in January he will do so as the D-Oh winner! Ueno knows a title match against Endo might be on the cards in the future because of this result. But if Endo does challenge him in the future, he’s never going to give the KO-D Title over to him.

Joining Endo in first place is Kazusada Higuchi after the big man defeated HARASHIMA. He caught the Somato and turned it into a Power Bomb. However HARASHIMA was able to hit the move after another try to cause a double down situation. Higuchi got the advantage from that point and pinned HARASHIMA with the Brain Claw Slam. Higuchi said he can’t take a second to relax in his matches but he still persevered. HARASHIMA praised Higuchi for always being a great opponent to fight.

B Block is still alive with a big upset. KANON not only beat Yukio Naya but sapped the life out of him to win by TKO! The way KANON fought was enough to take Naya down to an even level where they were both close to getting counted out via Double Knockout. But at the 8 count they got back up and kept fighting. When KANON got to put Naya in the Cobra Twist he squeezed as hard as he could. Naya ended up losing conciousness and the match had to be stopped. Backstage Naya admitted he underestimated KANON but there is now a debt between them that will be repayed some day. This result might end up blowing B Block wide open right when it looked like Naya had it all locked up.

Well, the only one who doesn’t have a chance in B Block now is Kazuki Hirata. He continues to be at zero points with another loss. Today’s result was already over before the match even begun because Rei Saito carried a beaten up Hirata down to the ring during the entrances. When asked what happened, Saito said Hirata attacked him backstage so he just returned the favour. Hirata was checked on and he was still breathing so the match went ahead. Saito thought he would get an easy win but Hirata refused to lose. He then distracted Saito by giving him fried rice to eat and then tried attacking him from behind. That only made Saito mad because he hates it when people get in the way of his meal. He got the last laugh by putting on the Hirata GO! glasses and then crushing Hirata with the Diving Body Press, all while music was playing. He wonders if what happened was really pro wrestling but a win is a win.

The big match outside of the Grand Prix bouts was Eruption against BURNING with the All Asia Tag Team Titles at stake. What was planned to be Yusuke Okada teaming with Yuya Koroku was changed to a team with Jun Akiyama instead due to Koroku being injured. Eruption had just come back from wrestling in All Japan for a month as part of the Real World Tag League. A big development in that tournament for Hideki Okatani in particular was him adopting Saki Akai’s finisher the Quetzalcoatl as his own match winning move. He used it here to pin Okada and defend the titles.

After the match Toy Kojima entered the ring. He congratulated Eruption for winning and then announced today is his 24th birthday! To celebrate it he challenged Eruption to a title match and his tag partner is going to be Atsushi Onita! His challenge was turned down by Yukio Sakaguchi who said while Kojima has spent the last three weeks in the sauna, Eruption were busy fighting heavyweight tag teams in AJPW. Kojima wouldn’t give up and figured he just needed to promise something passionate for Eruption to convince them. Okatani was interested and told Kojima to come up with whatever match he wants because Eruption will beat them no matter what. Kojima decided the match can also be a Current Blast Death Match! The idea has been sent to the PWF committee and DDT will have to hear back from them for the date and location of the match if it gets approved.

Rukiya was absent from the show over being in poor health so he was replaced with Tsutenkakka as Yuki Iino’s tag partner. During the match itself Daisuke Sasaki attacked Iino with a chair. He then grabbed Iino’s tights and tried to pull them down! Iino lost his temper and attacked Sasaki. When the referee stepped in to stop him, Iino then attacked the ref causing himself to get disqualified.

Before the opening match took place Kazuma Sumi told Akito he is scared of the Wasabi Lip Lock that Danshoku Dieno now uses. Akito explained that Dieno hates the move too but promised to stop Makoto Oishi from feeding Dieno with the wasabi. The plan did not work and the Lip Lock happened when Oishi squeezed the wasabi into Dieno’s mouth. He then gave Dieno a Stunner that bounced him lips first into Sumi. After that Oishi used the Death Penalty Inverted DDT on Sumi for the win.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 2” Results

December 3, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 2”, 03/12/2023
Shinjuku FACE
266 Fans

1. Special Tag Match: KANON & Demus defeated MIKAMI & Kazuma Sumi when Demus pinned Sumi with La Valagueza (10:36).
2. HARASHIMA, Akito, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya when Masada pinned Rukiya with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (8:58).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:39).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Yuki Iino (0) with the Burning Star Press (13:36).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (3) Vs Daisuke Sasaki (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
6. DDT Universal Title – D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (c) (4) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Countout (21:34).
*V2 for MAO.

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (3)
2. HARASHIMA (2)
-. Tetsuya Endo (2)
-. Yuki Iino (2)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (2)
6. Daisuke Sasaki (1)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (6)
2. MAO (4)
3. Rei Saito (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
-. KANON (2)
6. Kazuki Hirata (0)

In an unusual turn of events MAO came out before any of the D-Oh Grand Prix matches began and demanded his bout with Chris Brookes be for the DDT Universal Title and also be moved to the main event. What prompted this was the announcement of American independent wrestler Bryan Keith coming to DDT in January. Hisaya Imabayashi was confused by MAO’s actions but when Brookes agreed to it he went through the proper channels to make it happen. The main event itself played off of last year’s D-Oh match between MAO and Brookes where they both purposely fought to win by countout. They took the action all over the room. Brookes used tape to stick MAO flat onto a table but Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima lifted him back to the ring. SCHADENFREUDE International then interfered after a ref bump and had to be fought off by The 37KAMIINA. Outside the ring Brookes gave MAO the Praying Mantis Bomb onto a counter but couldn’t crawl back to the ring in time because his legs were all taped together. MAO however recovered and jumped off the counter across the aisle onto the ring apron to beat the 20 count and win! It is a successful title defence and MAO now wants to have a Universal Title match against Keith when he shows up next month.

Yuki Ueno now leads the B Block in the early going but only just. He scraped a point by going to a 30 minute draw against Daisuke Sasaki. The match was a struggle for Ueno to get going because MJ Paul was there to help Sasaki when needed. He could have won when he hit the Jul.2 but Paul pulled away the ref during the pin. Sasaki got his second wind to go back and forth with Ueno. By the time Sasaki took him down with a Spear, the bell rang and the match ended without a winner. Ueno said whenever he has momentum, Sasaki is always there to get in his way and today’s result is not good enough. He wonders if the next time he fights him will the KO-D Openweight Title be on the line? Sasaki’s hopes of winning the tournament have gone the complete opposite from yesterday. He thinks if he can’t beat Tetsuya Endo in the next match it will be all over for him. So therefore Sasaki claims if he loses to Endo then that will be his retirement match! Nobody believes him so he made sure the reporters wrote that down.

It was time to see how the new and improved Yuki Iino could fare against Endo. He was fired up from the start but Endo used that eagerness against him. Iino charged around ringside but kept missing his target, instead running over Yusuke Okada or crashing into a row of seats. Back inside the ring the smaller space meant Iino was able to hit Endo with Spears and other tackles until Endo caught him with the Tetsuya In The Sky. Iino withstood the attacks for as long as he could but he was pinned with the Burning Star Press to end the match. The two shook hands afterwards. Endo credited the win to Iino’s lack of stamina being his weak point. He is sympathetic to him because they were both part of units that were forced to split up. Where the reborn Iino will end up is anyone’s guess.

The B Block is currently being ruled by Yukio Naya. With three wins out of three matches last year’s runner up must be having a good time out there. He got to party during today’s match because his opponent was Kazuki Hirata and that meant Hirata GO! glasses being used to set up a dance battle! The two danced together then started fighting along to the music. It ended with Naya pulling off his glasses and giving Hirata The World’s Best Back Drop to win. Naya said he loves this part of DDT and knew what to expect. He was one step ahead of Hirata the entire time. Hirata’s next match is with Rei Saito and he is not looking forward to that. He asks Saito to please be considerate towards him. Hirata also believes it would be impossible for him to dance in All Japan because the heels there will crush him if he makes any mistake.


DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 1” Results

December 2, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 1”, 02/12/2023
Shinjuku FACE
334 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yuki Iino, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya defeated Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi when Okada pinned Sumi with the Sudden Death (9:57).
2. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) defeated KANON (2) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (9:27).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (2) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with the Hurricane Kick (10:06).
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) defeated Toru Sugiura & Akito when Shota pinned Akito with the Gannosuke Clutch (10:46).
*V2 for ROMANCE DAWN.
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (0) with the Brain Claw (13:55).
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (4) defeated Rei Saito (2) with The World’s Best Back Drop (15:10).
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: HARASHIMA (2) defeated Tetsuya Endo (0) with the Tsurube Otoshi (17:13).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (2)
-. Yuki Iino (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (2)
5. Tetsuya Endo (0)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (0)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (4)
2. Rei Saito (2)
-. MAO (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
-. KANON (2)
6. Kazuki Hirata (0)

HARASHIMA is making sure his run in this year’s D-Oh Grand Prix is going to be better than the last time he was in the tournament. He didn’t win a single match in the 2021 (Part 2) edition of the Grand Prix. By beating Tetsuya Endo today he is already guaranteed to finish better off this year. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds though. HARASHIMA had to pull out the rare Tsurube Otoshi head drop finish to pin Endo for the three count when the Somato couldn’t get the job done. It was only Endo’s first match in the block but the pressure is getting to him. With Jun Akiyama leaving BURNING soon and Yuya Koroku recently getting injured, it’s more important now than ever for Endo to do his best and get results.

Is that it? Did Yukio Naya win his feud against The Saito Brothers already? The interactions between the two sides built up to Naya taking on Rei Saito in the tournament and Naya beat him clean. He also kicked out of the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver while Saito couldn’t survive taking The World’s Best Back Drop. But according to Naya the fighting isn’t done yet. He wants more matches against the Saitos and knows there are other wrestlers from All Japan who won’t stay silent as the growing rivalry between DDT and AJPW continues. While Naya waits for their response he is going to focus on winning the Grand Prix. Saito accepted defeat and told Naya to come over to All Japan next year where there are plenty of other monsters looking to fight him.

Kazusada Higuchi bounced back from losing his first match by beating Daisuke Sasaki with the overpowered Brain Claw. Sasaki tried to wear down Higuchi’s limbs while taking short cuts outside the ring in the hopes that Higuchi would get weaker and weaker. When that didn’t work MJ Paul distracted the referee so Sasaki could Low Blow Higuchi. He then used La Mistica to set up the Crossover Face Lock but Higuchi broke out of it by grabbing Sasaki’s head with the Brain Claw. Higuchi then gave Sasaki a Headbutt before reapplying the Brain Claw to make him give up. Higuchi has no tournament match tomorrow. Instead he will be at BASARA defending the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles with Ryota Nakatsu. Sasaki pointed out that wrestlers who often lose their first match in a tournament go on to reach the finals and win so he is not worried over today’s result.

An early exchange between MAO and Kazuki Hirata ended with Yukinori Matsui taking strikes from both of them, rendering him unconscious. They kept fighting while music played over the speakers. They spent the match trying to hit each other with a killing blow and MAO seemed to have found when he used the Hurricane Kick. Hirata tried to endure the blow but collapsed to the mat, leaving him to get pinned. MAO came up with a theory that if Shunma Katsumata never had to vacate the DDT Extreme Title then Hirata would never have become champion and get chosen to enter the Grand Prix. That means this match was fate all along. However MAO does not know where fate will bring him next in this tournament. He knows he is facing Chris Brookes tomorrow and sent out an advance warning he wants to beat him by countout just like last year!

Brookes is in a comfortable place to think about that stuff tomorrow because he beat KANON on this show. KANON tried ambushing him from the start but Brookes came out of that exchange the better man by giving KANON a ring apron assisted Twisting Neckbreaker onto the floor. It was a reminder that when it comes to fighting dirty, Brookes has more up his sleeve than KANON does. He sees potential from KANON though and wants him to get in touch if he ever gets bored of being with DAMNATION T.A.

Akito’s hopes of becoming champions with a dear friend and creating a strong bond with them were dashed by ROMANCE DAWN. Akito has grown jealous of Shota & Soma Takao’s friendship leading them to new heights while he is left behind so he brought along Toru Sugiura to fight them for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Things were looking good for the challengers until Shota used the Gannosuke Clutch on Akito for the flash pinfall. Akito blamed Sugiura for the loss however and left the ring without shaking his hand. They did make up backstage though. Takao was relieved the lighttubes Sugiura brought to the ring with him were never used. Shota told the fans he wants to defend the KO-D Tag Titles against another team from their generation and it will be in Korakuen Hall at the end of the year. He is talking about ROMANCE DAWN’s upcoming match against Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie at Ganbare☆Pro on 27th December.

Akiyama said he and Yusuke Okada need to improve as a team even more because Eruption have been busy working hard in the Real World Tag League. Okada describes his relationship with Akiyama as an inseparable bond even though they have done nothing as a tag team. He wants them to win the All Asia Tag Team Titles as equals instead of teacher and student.

There was a notable guest in the audience for today’s show. Politician Ayaka Shiomura recently got a lot of attention when she used pro wrestling as a negative comparison to spreading false rumours to make news stories sound more entertaining. She took back the comments and apologized but still received criticism from Bushiroad through New Japan and Stardom. Jun Akiyama however had a friendlier (and more politically savvy) solution and invited Shiomura to this show so she could see for herself what pro wrestling is like live. She accepted and tweeted positive comments about her experience at the show. She also apologised to him in person for her comments.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “10TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ~WE ARE TJPW~” Results

December 1, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 10TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ~WE ARE TJPW~”, 01/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
714 Fans

1. Kaya Toribami, Toga & Runa Okubo defeated Juria Nagano, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro when Toga pinned Kazashiro with the Rock Bottom (9:12).
2. Random Official Weapon Rules: Yuki Aino & Raku defeated Hyper Misao & Mahiro Kiryu when Aino pinned Kiryu with the Venus DDT (10:58).
3. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Final: Wakana Uehara defeated HIMAWARI with the Modified Sleeper Hold (12:08).
4. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Viva Van with the Famouser (10:43).
*V1 for Yuki Kamifuku.
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku when Kakuta pinned Harajuku with the Shiden Kai (12:13).
*V2 for Free Wi-Fi.
6. 10th Anniversary Special 10-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki (2) defeated Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo (1).
6a. Arisu Endo (1) pinned Shoko Nakajima (0) with a School Boy (7:20).
6b. Yuka Sakazaki (1) pinned Moka Miyamoto (1) with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (13:16).
6c. Miyu Yamashita (2) pinned Miu Watanabe (1) with the Skull Kick (10:07).

On this day ten years ago Tokyo Joshi Pro held their “Flag Raising” launch show at Kitazawa Town Hall. Today the promotion was in Korakuen Hall to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that event. The headline bout was a celebration of TJPW’s current leaders and the next class that’s been chasing after them. It was a Best 2-Out-Of-3 Falls 10-Woman Tag Match with the Senior class (who all held the Princess Of Princess Title at some point) on one side against the Junior class on the other. Each participant got a moment in the spotlight by getting to do their ring entrances by themselves.

The first fall was an upset with the junior team getting one over on the seniors. Rika Tatsumi got jealous of seeing Mizuki doing teamwork with Yuka Sakazaki instead of herself. She purposely got in the way of their moves so Mizuki could do double team stuff with her instead. Shoko Nakajima took centre stage and targeted Arisu Endo but missed a 619 and was shockingly pinned by Endo with a School Boy! The crowd reacted loudly to the unexpected result while the rest of the Juniors piled on Endo to congratulate her.

The second fall had Daisy Monkey fight tooth and nail against The Magical Sugar Rabbits while Tatsumi fought Miu Watanabe in a Daydream showdown. It came down to Moka Miyamoto doing her best against Sakazaki. She gave her the Korokan but missed a Falling Chop onto the canvas. Sakazaki took advantage and pinned Miyamoto with the Magical Merry-Go-Round to even the score.

The third and final fall had both teams go all out. Yuki Arai tried to finish off Nakajima with the Rookie Award but Sakazaki cut her off and together The Miraclians gave her a Double 619. The fall was decided in the battle between Miyu Yamashita and Miu Watanabe. Yamashita was about to finish her off when Suzume rained down with the Mikazuki Meteor Shower. Nakajima got rid of her with a Topé Suicida and MagiRabi did more damage to the Juniors by doing the Toy Story 4 dives onto everyone. Watanabe kept fighting and hit Yamashita with one Double Sledgehammer Strike after another. But one too many sent Yamashita into the ropes and she rebounded with the Skull Kick to knock Watanabe down and out for the winning pinfall.

The winning team celebrated after the match. Nakajima said this might be the last time all five of them will be together but it was the best. Tatsumi told her not to say it’s the end. She’s happy she got to team up against some truly amazing people to celebrate TJPW’s 10th Anniversary. Mizuki said she is glad to have met everyone and thanked Sakazaki most of all for being here. Yamashita then invited the entire roster into the ring to join them. She said everyone who came here today loves TJPW and in its 11th year there will be more debuts and more excitement for the fans. Sakazaki then thanked the fans for supporting TJPW and the entire group closed out the show together.

Free WiFi had to defend the Princess Tag Team Titles against an unstoppable monster. And also Max The Impaler. A game of chase broke out early in the match with Pom Harajuku trying to outrun the champions. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta caught up and cut her off from both sides before taking her back down to the ring. Max evened the odds by throwing Harajuku onto Free WiFi. Harajuku then returned the favour by doing a Spinning Headscissors on her own partner to send Max slamming into Kakuta with a Cannonball onto the turnbuckle. But Pompaler missed the Wasteland War Justice, opening up a counter attack by the champs. It ended with Kakuta pinning Harajuku with the Shiden Kai for a successful title defence. Both members of Free WiFi praised each other for getting themselves through the match against such a scary opponent. They meant Max that time, not Pom. Next they want to promote themselves in America and would like to do a title defence over there if they can.

The reign of the new Queen Of Asia Champion is off to a good start. Yuki Kamifuku put the title on the line against Viva Van after taking a liking to her when they recently teamed together. While the two get along over how good looking they are, the focus soon turned to fighting as both had their eyes on the championship. Kamifuku pulled off a Superplex and applied the Manjigatame but Van powered out of it and slammed her into the turnbuckle. Kamifuku recovered though and landed the Famouser to remain champion. Van was impressed and said she couldn’t have asked for a better match to have for her first time in Korakuen Hall. Kamifuku said if there is ever an Asian 6-Woman Tag Team Title she would like to join forces with Van and one other person Charlie’s Angels style to fight for it. As for the Queen Of Asia Title, she wants to defend it in places like Thailand and the Phillipines.

The winner of the Next Generation Tournament is Wakana Uehara! She defeated HIMAWARI in dramatic fashion to win the rookie playoff. The match was built around HIMAWARI’s used of the Half Crab against Uehara’s Sleeper Hold. There were times when both women had to fight long and hard to reach for rope breaks. Uehara won out in the end when she grabbed the arm HIMAWARI reached out with and pulled it back to apply more pressure to the Sleeper Hold. It was too tight for HIMAWARI to escape from and she had to tap out. Uehara said the winner’s medal she received is now her precious treasure because this was her first tournament. She next wants to have a singles match with Shoko Nakajima because she admires her the most. HIMAWARI was upset over losing, feeling she didn’t try hard enough. She promised to do her best and avenge this loss.

TJPW decided to do their own version of a Scramble Bunkhouse Death Match. Hyper Misao, Mahiro Kiryu, Yuki Aino and Raku all had to stand in opposite ends of the venue and after a countdown they ran down to the ring. Inside the ring were four mystery boxes, each one containing an item related to one of the wrestlers. Whichever item the wrestler got, they were allowed to use it as a weapon. However they were barred from using the other weapons even though they were items that originally belonged to them. Kiryu pulled out a pillow, Misao pulled out a plastic fan with Raku’s face on it, Aino pulled out Misao’s spray can and Raku had a paper bag with a box of yokan inside. The end result was chaos after Yukinori Matsui got blinded with the spray. He then landed on the pillow and fell asleep. Raku fed Matsui the yokan to wake him up and he was all fired up to do his job! Aino won the match for her team by pinning Kiryu with the Venus DDT.

Kaya Toribami and Juria Nagano led teams of the rest of the 2023 class in the opening bout. Toga & Runa Okubo both brought power to the match with Elbow Strikes and Shoulder Blocks respectively. Shino Suzuki tried to break things up but was taken out for her troubles. Haru Kazashiro went to the well once too often with her Low Altitude Cross Body and took Toga’s big Elbow Strike to the head. Toga then dropped her with the Rock Bottom for the win.

There were newsworthy announcements spread across the show. One was the announcement that Maki Itoh will face Rina Yamashita at the Ittenyon Korakuen show on 4th January. They have fought each other before in America for GCW and this will be the first time the match takes place in Japan.

The next TJPW PPV broadcasting on Wrestle Universe will be released on 10th December. It is the first ever Aquarium Pro Wrestling match! The event was taped at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama.

TJPW will be joining DDT at The Collective in Philadelphia next year for Wrestlemania Week! “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY” takes place at Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium on 5th April, 2024.