Let’s not even pretend where the inspiration for this idea came from. The brand new Marigold joshi promotion is using a jersey number system for their roster (not a new idea from Rossy Ogawa, he used a similar gimmick for Arsion). All of a sudden Tokyo Joshi Pro has come up with new merchandise that is also based on jersey numbers. Fancy that! Almost everyone in TJPW were asked to pick a number for themselves. People noticed Yuki Arai and all of The Up Up Girls were left out. I guess that might be them being careful not to step into another idol group’s gimmick. Some of the numbers have deep meanings behind them, others are based on basic trivia about the women and some are just wordplay on their names.
Credit goes to @dweebyllo, @cmvenus_, @deesforta and @nampei1983 on Twitter for all taking the time to gather the names, numbers and explanations. I’m writing this post using all of the info they collected along with what the wrestlers tweeted out themselves.
1. Miyu Yamashita – She is the ace.
3. HIMAWARI – 3 means Sun, as in Sunflower.
04. Mahiro Kiryu – She is a FC Schalke 04 fan.
08. Suzume – 08 means Bee (8 = Hachi).
15. Rika Tatsumi – She changed her ring name to Rika Tatsumi in 2015.
25. Yuki Aino – Her birthday is 25th October.
39. Chika Nanase – Her birthday is 9th March.
46. Pom Harajuku – 46 means Pom (4 = Po, 6 = Mu).
70. Nao Kakuta – 70 means Nao (7 = Na, 0 = O).
82. Kira Summer – She hasn’t revealed her reason yet.
83. Yuki Kamifuku (Kamiyu) – Her inseam length is 83cm.
98. Arisu Endo – She was born in 1998.
110. Maki Itoh – 110 means Itoh (1 = I, 10 = To).
147. Shoko Nakajima – Her height is 147cm.
222. Haruna Neko – Nyan, Nyan, Nyan (2 = Nyan).
227. Toga – Her birthday is 27th February.
316. Mizuki – Her birthday is 16th March.
318. Moka Miyamoto – Her birthday is 18th March.
328. Haru Kazashiro – Her birthday is 28th March.
513. Wakana Uehara – Her birthday is 13th May.
615. Runa Okubo – Her birthday is 15th June.
708. Sayuri Namba – 708 means Namba (7 = Na, 0 = M, 8 = Ba).
810. Kaya Toribami – 810 means Bird (8 = Bir, 10 = Do).
1201. TJPW – The date of TJPW’s launch event was 1st December.
8183. Hyper Misao – 8183 means Hypami (8 = Ha, 1 = I, 8 = Pa, 3 = Mi).
Edit: In August TJPW released more jerseys for all of the idols who were left out of the first batch.
7. Shino Suzuki – She was born in July.
19. Miu Watanabe – Her birthday is 19th October.
42. Yuki Arai – 42 is Arai’s number from her junior high school exam.
329. Uta Takami – Her birthday is 29th March.
700. Raku – References the N700 Series Shinkansen train.
DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND”, 05/05/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni, Keigo Nakamura & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
0. Dark Match: Shunma Katsumata, Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1A: MAO Vs Poison Sawada JULIE
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1B: KANON Vs To-y
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1C: Yuki Ueno Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1D: Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1E: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1F: HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1G: Tetsuya Endo Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1H: Chris Brookes Vs Takeshi Masada
A press conference was held at yesterday’s DDT fanfest featuring 14 of the 16 entrants in this year’s King Of DDT tournament. Takeshi Masada could not be there due to university commitments but sent in a message. The message said Masada does not want to get knocked out in the first round like he did last year. He will be in the main event against his stablemate Chris Brookes. Masada has learned a lot from being in SCHADENFREUDE International and sees this match as a challenge to surpass his friend. Brookes is last year’s winner and he brought the trophy with him. He is motivated to win the tournament again and go all the way to winning back the KO-D Openweight Title. However he admits he felt a little aimless after he lost the KO-D Title last year. He’s still motivated but felt something was missing.
Elsewhere Tetsuya Endo’s match against Danshoku Dieno has more meaning to it than you would think. Endo’s recent luck in King Of DDT hasn’t been good but he feels he has gotten into shape after winning the New Year’s Eve trios tournament and raching the final of the D-Oh Grand Prix. However Dieno means so much to DDT that Endo admits he is not as good of a pro wrestler as Dieno is. He thinks Dieno does not realize that though and for that reason Endo is confident he will win. Dieno said he is only concentrating on this match and has done a lot of studying for it. His entire game plan is going to be based around Endo using the Burning Star Press. He knows how to avoid it and also how to counter it. The percentage of him succeeding is low but if Dieno can nail the timing of the Burning Star Press being used against him, he can find a way to exploit it and beat Endo.
It’s been a while since a HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa match has happened. HARASHIMA is well aware of his big and strong Ishikawa is. He is also a believer that tomorrow is when a person will reach their peak so he will be stronger too. Both of them are evolving so he does not expect the match to be identical to their previous fights against each other. Ishikawa understands it takes a lot of training at his age to keep fit and HARASHIMA is older than he is. He had seen Yuki Ueno wrestle at Korkauen Hall last month and it made him realise all of DDT’s champions right now are young. He intends to last forever though. He also feels emotional about the tournament because he missed so many of them due to his affiliation with Union Pro at the time. When he finally got to have a proper go it was as an independant wrestler in 2016 and he won it that year. His hope is he will face Poison Sawada JULIE in the final.
An illness prevented Kazusada Higuchi from being at the event but he had a message written out for everyone. His thought process is the same, he will take it one match at a time. His 1st Round opponent is Yukio Naya so he will be focused the most on beating him. Naya is trying to repeat his success from the D-Oh Grand Prix so he can get another shot at the KO-D Title. He believes his momentum began when he beat Higuchi at the 2022 D-Oh GP. He wants to beat him again to take his place as the center of DDT’s heavyweight division.
There is a lot going on is Daisuke Sasaki’s mind. He knows if Yuki Iino hits him with the Spear in Round 1 it will be all over for him. However Sasaki realized some of the best wrestlers in the world right now like Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns are all 38 years old. He is 38 years old so that means he is going to win! Iino has never beaten Sasaki in a singles match but is confident he can do it because of the Spear. He doesn’t know what direction it will come from but he will hit it. Also if age is a factor then Iino at 29 is the same as Shohei Ohtani and Yuzuru Hanyu. That means he is going to win, not Sasaki!
Sanshiro Takagi’s entry into the tournament has caught the attention of the wrestling press because of his age and also who he is facing in Round 1. The 54 year old is taking on the KO-D Champion Yuki Ueno! He told Ueno that when he was his age it was a year into DDT’s existence and he worked as hard as he could to keep the company from collapsing. He wants to fight Ueno like he is 28 again. In order to do that he is thinking about visiting beauty salons and saunas to build up his stamina for a possible 60 minute long match. He also wants to keep his promise to Konosuke Takeshita. The promise is Takagi wins the KO-D Title one more time, Takeshita wins a singles title in AEW and the two of them will have a champion versus champion match together. Takeshita recently showing intentions to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title has only made Takagi’s wish become stronger. Ueno’s entire reign as champion has been about him proving he is the ace of DDT. Fighting the company president continues that story and will provide a look into DDT’s future. He will be in the main event of next week’s “ALL TOGETHER” show and wants to convey the fun that DDT brings to wrestling at that event.
It is To-y’s dream to win the KO-D Title so he is all revved up to be in the King Of DDT. KANON was unusually serious when he talked about looking forward to the match. He offered a handshake but To-y didn’t trust him. That caused KANON to burst into tears and claim he was told by Hideki Okatani to win the tournament. He then flipped out and attacked To-y putting him in the Cobra Twist. To-y promised to get revenge afterward.
There is a lot of nostalgia surrounding this year’s tournament because it is the 20th anniversary of the first one. The very first winner Poison Sawada JULIE is not feeling that nostalgia. He knows just how clever and tricky MAO is to fight. He is going to be careful but is confident he will win because of his magic spells. MAO said this year’s tournament is the turning point of DDT and he is that turning point. He has a counter for Sawada’s spells and that is to point somewhere so Sawada loses attention and then punch him in the face. Sawada sees the funny side of MAO’s idea and suggested the entire match just be them casting spells at each other.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’24”, 06/05/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Toga Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer Vs Moka Miyamoto, Kaya Toribami & Uta Takami
3. Yuna Manase Vs Runa Okubo
4. Maki Itoh Vs Haru Kazashiro
5. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Yuki Arai & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mizuki & Nao Kakuta
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
Last week a contract signing ceremony was held at Abema Towers in Shibuya for the two title matches. Shoko Nakajima said the Sumo Hall show brought along big changes in Tokyo Joshi Pro for both the wrestlers and the fans. She herself had a big change of heart after Kyoraku Kyomei fought Aja Kong & Max The Impaler. She was amazed by everything about Kong from her aura capturing the audience’s attention to the experience of fighting her. It took almost a decade for TJPW to run a show by themselves in Sumo Hall so for the next ten years Nakajima’s dream is to become as great as Aja Kong. In order to become as great and strong as Kong, Nakajima will need to win more championships. As much as she thinks Miu Watanabe is amazing, she wants to win the Princess Of Princess Title from her so she can become even more amazing too.
Watanabe wanted Nakajima to be one of her challengers when she won the belt but she doesn’t want to be naïve about it. Nakajima pinning her in a recent tag match only reminds her how big of a target she has become. Watanabe thinks so highly about Nakajima that she is ranked alongside Oda Nobunaga when asked which historical figures she respects. She remembers when Nakajima won the Princess Title in 2019, the promo video before the match had Nakajima say “hard work is no match for a genius.” Those words shocked Watanabe at the time and have stuck with her ever since. She wants to grow as champion so there is no better first challenger for her than Nakajima. The talk about a new generation taking over TJPW annoys Nakajima. She doesn’t treat wrestling Watanabe as any different from fighting Miyu Yamashita or Yuka Sakazaki. In fact, Nakajima thought the person she spent the most time with in the dojo was Sakazaki but now she realizes it’s with Watanabe!
Daisy Monkey are finding themselves in a role reversal. The first time Suzume & Arisu Endo challenged for the Princess Tag Team Titles together they were the plucky rookie tag team. Now they are the champions who are about to take on another plucky rookie tag team! Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI debuted in TJPW on the same daya and traded their first wins against each other so they understand each other the best. They even established the Combined High Speed Brainbuster as their tag team move that can win them matches. Uehara is known to have a big appetite so she is going to gobble up Daisy Monkey to win the Tag Titles!
Suzume recounted the many frustrating experiences Daisy Monkey had to go through in order to finally win the Tag Titles at Sumo Hall. She wants to defend the belts with Endo forever. They cannot lose them in their first defence when there are so many strong tag teams out there to fight. She hopes she will become a champion that will encourage fans to work harder and build up the courage to take the next step towards improving themselves. Or that children will see her wrestle and grow up wanting to become a wrestler too. Endo wants to bring her title belt back to her hometown so she can take a picture of herself with it next to the bronze statue of Byakkotai. After that she wants to take the belt around all 47 prefectures in Japan and show it off at all of the famous places they find. She won’t let Uehara & HIMAWARI even take a bite from them!
DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ SUPER EVE FESTIVAL!”, 02/05/2024 Tokyo Ota Ward Industrial Plaza PiO Large Exhibition Hall 192 Fans
1. Yuya Koroku defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (6:08).
2. Ura King Of DDT Final: Yoshihiko defeated Gota Ihashi with a Moonsault Press Turnback (4:44).
3. Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao defeated Keigo Nakamura & Ilusion when Hirata pinned Ilusion with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (8:52).
4. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Yuni with the Totonou Splash (10:56).
Just a few days before King Of DDT begins, a fanfest was held featuring a few matches as well as a press conference featuring most of the tournament entries. The four matches did not contain any wrestlers who are entering King Of DDT this year.
1. 3 Way Match: YuuRI defeated Tsukasa Fujimoto and HARUKAZE when YuuRI pinned HARUKAZE (?:??).
2. Takuya Wada Vs PSYCHO ended in a Draw after a Double Pinfall (?:??).
3. Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Choun-Shiryu when Tominaga pinned Katsumura (?:??).
4. Yumehito Imanari & Yappy defeated Mizuki Watase & Banny Oikawa when Yappy pinned Oikawa (?:??).
This wasn’t officially a Ganbare☆Pro show but they did so much to help Banny Oikawa put it together it might as well could have been one. Oikawa both wrestled in the main event and officiated the opening bout. There hasn’t been any official results posted anywhere yet but I was able to piece together results from what was posted on Twitter. I’ll update the results if more info comes out.
Yuna Manase had to be pulled from the show after she caught a fever. Tsukasa Fujimoto from Ice Ribbon took her place in the opening match on short notice. She was one of Oikawa’s trainers. Munetatsu Nakamura also had to miss the show and was replaced by PSYCHO.
1. 3 Way Match: Tsukasa Fujimoto Vs HARUKAZE Vs YuuRI
2. Takuya Wada Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Choun-Shiryu Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Mizuki Watase & Banny Oikawa Vs Yumehito Imanari & Yappy
This show is happening while I write this but there was a change to the card at the last moment. Yuna Manase caught a fever and isn’t able to wrestle today. Replacing her on short notice is one of Banny Oikawa’s trainers Tsukasa Fujimoto from Ice Ribbon!
DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ SUPER EVE FESTIVAL!”, 02/05/2024 Tokyo Ota Ward Industrial Plaza PiO Large Exhibition Hall
1. Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Ura King Of DDT Final: Yoshihiko Vs Gota Ihashi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao Vs Keigo Nakamura & Ilusion
4. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuni
Tomorrow’s opening match is changed from a tag bout to a singles match because Rukiya has a neck injury. He is currently undergoing examination to see if it is serious.
BASARA “BASARA 247 ~AKATSUKA ROKKAMURA 2~”, 05/05/2024 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
1. Daichi Kazato Vs Fuminori Abe
2. 3 Way Match: FUMA Vs SAGAT Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil’ Kraken & Gaia Hox
4. Takumi Tsukamoto & Judo Master Vs Ryuichi Sekine & Chicharito Shoki
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs KUBITO & Yasu Urano
The Union MAX Title scene is a little murky at the moment. Both Daichi Kazato and Isami Kodaka are on course to fighting over the No. 1 Contendership but the match has not been booked yet. It will happen eventually but first BASARA is putting together an extra show this month to capitalise on Golden Week.
UJPW “ALL TOGETHER”, 06/05/2024 Tokyo Nippon Budokan
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Sanshiro Takagi & Naomichi Marufuji Vs EVIL, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi
2. Kenoh Vs Kosei Fujita
3. Starlight Kid & Natsupoi Vs AZM & Miyu Amasaki
4. Tomohiro Ishii & Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Jeff Cobb & Masa Kitamiya
5. El Desperado, HAYATA, Ninja Mack, MAO & Kota Minoura Vs Hiromu Takahashi, Dragon Bane, Alpha Wolf, Tetsuya Endo & YAMATO
6. Taichi & KAI Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes
7. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji Vs Jake Lee, David Finlay & Gabe Kidd
8. Shota Umino, Kaito Kiyomiya & Yuki Ueno Vs Yuya Uemura, KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Shun Skywalker
A change happened to one of the DDT related matches. SANADA has been taken off the road by New Japan due to an undisclosed injury. KAI will now be teaming with Taichi in the match against Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes.
GANBARE☆PRO “EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE 2024”, 18/05/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Shota Kawakami Debut Match: Ken Ohka Vs Shota Kawakami
2. Kitsune World Title: Sayaka Unagi (c) Vs YuuRI
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & CWP X
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Kouki Iwasaki
The new Spirit Of Ganbare Champion wasted no time in picking his first challenger. Keisuke Ishii thinks Kouki Iwasaki is a suitable opponent to defend the title against first. The two are good friends and are certain to bring the best out of each other for the championship.
Shuichiro Katsumura is down one championship but still holds the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles with Takuya Wada. Now that might be under threat with Shinichiro Tominaga demanding a title shot. The only problem is when Tominaga went looking for a tag partner he found nobody in Ganbare☆Pro wanting to team with him. He is now searching deep into the student pro wrestling scene and promised to find somebody in CWP who will agree to join him in the fight against GROUND ABSOLUTE.
A championship from America is going to be defended in GanPro for the first time because YuuRI wants to break into the international scene. She thinks the quickest way to do that is to win the Kitsune World Title from Sayaka Unagi. The Kitsune promotion is still young but Unagi has brought their title belt everywhere with her ever since she won it, making sure plenty of people see it. She doesn’t think YuuRI will be as dedicated as she is should she win the title off her.
Please welcome GanPro’s first rookie under their new management system, Shota Kawakami! He was born in Ichikawa, Chiba on 21st July, 2001. He is 177cm tall and weighs 80kg. His sports background is in baseball up until middle school and then tennis in high school.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 11 ~ YUKINORI MATSUI REFEREE 30TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE ~ MAKING THE SQUARE WORLD INTERESTING”, 19/05/2024 Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center
1. Future Is Here!: Yuni & Rukiya Vs Kazuma Sumi & Ilusion
2. Staggered Entry Tag Battle Royal “Surprise! Tag Rumble”: Keisuke Ishii & Akito Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs KANON & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Iino & Yuki Ishida Vs Toru Owashi & Black Menso-re Vs X & X
3. An Absolutely Outrageous Tag Match Between The Four Heavenly Kings Of The Variety Team: Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. ACF & Koyo Daiichi Consultants Co., Ltd. Presents Single Match: Bushimasa Vs Thanomsak Toba
5. THE Non-Stop Action Battle! ~Three High Speed Crows Vs Naniwa Pro Wrestling Three Musketeers~: Naruki Doi, Shunma Katsumata & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuto Kikuchi, Harutoki & Kohei Kinoshita
6. Battle Between Generations! Legends Vs Next Generation Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Jinsei Shinzaki & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada, To-y & Yuya Korku
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match – “20 Years Ago THE OSAKA”: Magnitude Kishiwada, HUB & Kengo Takai Vs Tsubasa, Billy Ken Kid & Shoichi Uchida
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Everyone Is Superhuman!~: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Shigehiro Irie & Yukio Naya
9. Special Tag Match Wrestling Masters Vs Let’s Go 40’s ~With The Bolivian Wind~: Dick Togo & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda
10. Triple Main Event – Special Single Match Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro & Yukinori Matsui, Everyone’s 30th Anniversary, Add Them To Get 90th Anniversary(!) Commemorative Match ~Laughing Fukuraimon~: Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro
11. Triple Main Event – Special Tag Match ~DDT PRIDE~: Yuki Ueno & Kazusada Higuchi Vs MAO & Tetsuya Endo
12. Triple Main Event – From All Over The World, Arriving In Osaka. Special Singles Match ~THE ALPHA Vs King Of Pro Wrestling~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Minoru Suzuki
The last couple of matches have been added to a gargantuan lineup. The Tag Rumble match doesn’t even have all of the teams announced yet! There is one mystery team showing up on the day.
Kyohei Wada will be on the show as a special guest referee for some of the matches.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FOURTEEN: NONE OF THEM KNEW THEY WERE ROBOTS”, 21/05/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Mr. BUENO
2. Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Ram Kaichow
3. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs The Invisible Man
4. Special Single Match: Mecha MAO (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs Takagi Sanshirobo (w/ Mad Dr. Hige)
Turning MAO into a dinosaur isn’t enough to defeat Takagi Sanshirobo so he has to take one step deeper into the madness. With the help of Mad Dr. Ueki it is time for Mecha MAO to return! But Sanshirobo has its own mad doctor by its side. The sinister science on display could end up destroying the entire building if they are not careful!
The rest of the card looks just as wacky. Chris Brookes will fight The Invisible Man in the ultimate test of public performance. Masahiro Takanashi faces Ram Kaichow one on one in what looks like the only normal match of the show. Who is Mr. BUENO? We are going to find out at the same time when Antonio Honda does.
GANBARE☆PRO “DISASTER ARTIST 2024”, 15/07/2024 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Moeka Haruhi Comeback Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs X
After taking a year away from wrestling in order to donate a kidney to her sister, Moeka Haruhi is getting ready to return this summer!
NOAH “THE LEAVE PRESENTS LIMIT BREAK EX.”, 27/04/2024 Yokohama Radiant Hall 314 Fans
2. Atsushi Kotoge & Black Menso-re defeated Jun Akiyama & Rukiya when Kotoge pinned Rukiya with the Killswitch (14:32).
3. Tetsuya Endo defeated Hi69 with the Burning Star Press (15:24).
4. Go Shiozaki, Kazuyuki Fujita & Mohammed Yone Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
4a. Emergency Decision Match: Go Shiozaki, Kazuyuki Fujita & Mohammed Yone defeated Shuji Ishikawa, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when Shiozaki pinned Iino with the Strong Arm Lariat (4:41).
Forgot to write about this last when it happened last week. I have to do a better job keeping track of DDT’s entry into NOAH. The second “LIMIT BREAK” show had more inter-promotional matches between the two companies. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya found themselves teaming with Shuji Ishikawa for a match against TEAM NOAH that lasted the entire 20 minute time limit. The visiting team still wanted to fight and convinced the NOAH wrestlers to restart the match. The home side won the rematch thanks to Go Shiozaki hitting Iino with the Strong Arm Lariat. Even though the end result wasn’t what the DDT wrestlers wanted, they and Ishikawa took a moral victory by getting a time limit draw and restart in the first place. Iino even blamed NOAH for changing the rules even though his team asked for the restart. The three of them said they want to wrestle the NOAH side even more. In fact, Naya thinks DDT is stronger than NOAH and will prove it to Mohammed Yone if he ever comes over to DDT.
Tetsuya Endo had a singles match against Hi69 and beat him with the Burning Star Press. The two did not shake hands afterwards but according to Endo it was not out of spite. He respects Hi69 and didn’t shake his hand because he thinks there is still more in the fight between them. But Endo also has a bigger reason for showing up in NOAH. He wants to beat Go Shiozaki and demands a singles match between them take place as soon as possible!
DDT lost the other tag match on the show when Jun Akiyama & Rukiya were beaten by Atsushi Kotoge & Black Menso-re. After the match Kotoge called out Akiyama for hiding behind younger wrestlers and challenged him to a singles match. Akiyama took offence to the comments and accepted the challenge for the next “LIMIT BREAK” show. He also took his anger out on Rukiya for taking the fall. He ordered Rukiya not to talk because in NOAH you don’t get to make any comments when you lose. Akiyama would have done the same if Kotoge hadn’t challenged him to a match.
Even with WrestleMania Week out of the way there is so much to talk about what happened in April. It’s probably going to be a month Yuka Sakazaki will want to forget. She finally returned to TV screens only to possibly find her way back to the injury list. It only happened two weeks ago so there’s been no update to her condition. All she has tweeted since the match happened is a zombie emoji. She was being set up for a match with Serena Deeb in AEW but that seems to have gone to the wayside because Deeb is already moving ahead in the AEW Women’s Title picture. Just have to wait and see if it was just a knock to the knee or something worse.
In more uplifting news, Konosuke Takeshita is showing interest in taking the IWGP World Heavyweight Title from Jon Moxley. This is going to be facinating watching a DDT affiliated wrestler in an AEW storyline built around New Japan’s top championship. Does he have any realistic chance of becoming champion? Not unless Moxley gets legit knocked out during the match again. New Japan have clearly set their own story over Moxley’s IWGP Title reign. Their roster led by “The Reiwa Musketeers” are all showing frustration over their company playing second fiddle to AEW. Whether it is Moxley not taking part in the Japan tours or handing title matches out to undeserving challengers in America, the story New Japan is telling does not have Takeshita fitting in anywhere as an important player and I do not expect AEW to make booking decisions that will interfere with it. Still though, Takeshita versus Moxley has been good before and the addition of the IWGP Title is a novelty that got me more interested in the rematch.
Wrapping up the month is the Tokyo Joshi Pro portion of appearances. Maki Itoh finished up her latest American tour and got to defend the GCW Extreme Title. Not sure when she is due back in GCW other than we certainly won’t be waiting long to find out. Miyu Yamashita returned to a bunch of familiar promotions from last year’s excursion. The big one was a visit to TNA where she main evented their TV taping. Most important of all, Kaya Toribami stepped in for an injured Hyper Misao to help save the world from a kappa invasion. That’s a good bird.
Oh and there was also the crazy happenings that went on when Kazusada Higuchi and Mecha Mummy went to West Coast Pro. Let’s get to that.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 20/04/2024 Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Emi Sakura
PRESTIGE/PRIDESTYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Trish Adora
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Results
WEST COAST PRO “CHRIS HERO’S PRO WRES MIXTAPE”, 14/04/2024 Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Chris Hero Vs Kazusada Higuchi ended in a No Contest (12:23).
2. Tornado Tag Team Match: Chris Hero & Bryan Keith defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Mecha Mummy when Keith pinned Mummy with the Emerald Tiger Driver (13:45).
This was not how I thought things were going to go between Higuchi and Chris Hero. I mean the first ten minutes, sure. They hit each other hard and Higuchi no sold hitting the ring post head first. That was all well and good. He even used his own head to block one of Hero’s Elbow Strikes. Unfortunately as they kept fighting in the corner the referee stepped in one too many times and got knocked out with a Lariat. Higuchi kept attacking Hero until Bryan Keith made his entrance and started squaring off with him. Hero & Keith joined forces so Higuchi now found himself needing help. Suddenly Mecha Mummy appeared!
There were plans for a Keith Vs Mummy match to happen on the show but now the fans got a Tornado Tag match between the four fighters instead! Mummy gave Keith an Atomic Drop onto the Mecha Fist but Keith returned fire by giving Mummy a Drop Toe Hold, destroying the fist on impact. Keith then challenged Mummy to a duel but it ended with them giving each other and the referee Low Blows. The ref also got impaled with the Mecha Drill by accident. Hero then fought Mummy all the way up to the balcony where Higuchi followed. Mummy fired the repaired Mecha Fist at Keith from the balcony and raced down to pin him for a nearfall. Hero returned with bottles of water but Higuchi stopped him from pouring it over Mummy. Keith however took a big drink of the bottle and spat it all over Mummy to make it go haywire. He then gave it the Emerald Tiger Driver to win a crazy match.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 8”, 14/04/2024 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Kylie Rae with the Skull Kick (15:30).
Yamashita’s good run in Prestige continued when she beat Kylie Rae in a hard fought match. Hitting the Return Crash seemed to fire up Yamashita in particular. With that boost she broke out of Rae’s Crippler Crossface and kicked out of a Super Kick at one. She then rolled Rae into a Buzzsaw Kick for a nearfall before putting her down for the count with the Skull Kick.
ROH “ROH ON HONOR CLUB”, 17/04/2024 (Aired 25/04/2024) Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Leila Grey with the Magical Girl Splash (4:44).
Oh yikes this was bad. There was an awkwardly timed replay segment too right before the finish which only makes me wonder what was cut out because what was left in is the kind of stuff those anti-AEW Twitter accounts would salivate over if people gave a shit about ROH. There was an Elbow Strike exchange that looked like both didn’t want to sell and then Sakazaki tried to do a rope-assisted German Suplex that did not work at all. She was able to beat Leila Grey with the Magical Merry-Go-Round followed by the Magical Girl Splash but that match was one to forget. Or at least it would be if she hadn’t gotten injured in her next match during the month.
UPRISING “UPRISING: WOMEN ATHLETES 2”, 19/04/2024 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Black Swan with the I.S.D. (9:22).
2. Hyan defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Glam Slam (11:27).
It looks like Hyan is one of the few opponents who seems to have Yamashita’s number whenever Yamashita goes over to America. This was their second singles match and there is a tag match to come later this summer. Hyan has beaten Yamashita both times now but it’s been no easy feat. This time Hyan was overwhelmed by Yamashita’s kicks but found ways to avoid the Attitude Adjustment. The last counter led to Hyan giving Yamashita the Glam Slam to win the match.
Itoh was given an opponent who is just as much of a dramatic attention seeker as she is in the form of Black Swan. They spent part of the match fighting outside where Swan threw Itoh into the barricade and then Itoh Body Slammed Swan onto the floor. After going back and forth in the ring, Itoh dropped Swan with a DDT and then got the win by hitting the I.S.D. off the top rope.
DREAMWAVE “ANNIVERSARY IX”, 20/04/2024 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Megan Bayne defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Tombstone Piledriver (9:52).
The next night Uprising’s main promotion DREAMWAVE put together the surprise matchup of Yamashita against Megan Bayne. She is one of the stronger booked wrestlers on the independents right now and her momentum continued here with a clean win over Yamashita. The result seemed to have put Yamashita in a bad mood afterward because she refused to shake Bayne’s hand after the match and left the ring with a sour look on her face.
AEW “COLLISION”, 20/04/2024 Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA
1. Bunkhouse Brawl: Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita when Danielson submitted Fletcher with the Chain Assisted LaBell Lock (16:03).
Add the Bunkhouse Brawl to the list of violent matches Takeshita is finding himself in over at AEW. He was all dressed up for the occasion too as one should be for a stipulation like this. Chairs and chains were used by everyone and things got even more chaotic with interference from Powerhouse Hobbs and Moxley. The presence of Hobbs tipped things in favour for The Don Callis Family even when Moxley came down to get rid of him. Things then went south when Bryan Danielson countered Takeshita’s top rope Power Bomb with a Hurricanrana onto a chair set up in the middle of the ring. Claudio Castagnoli then covered his arm with the chain and hit Takeshita with a Charging European Uppercut. Danielson won the match by hitting Kyle Fletcher with the Busaiku Knee followed by putting him in the LaBell Lock for the submission.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 20/04/2024 Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Emi Sakura with a Sliding German Suplex (9:31).
And here’s where Sakazaki’s return hit a big bump on the road. During her match with Emi Sakura, Sakazaki tried to do a cartwheel from the top rope onto the ring apron to avoid an attack. She missed landing on the apron and crashed onto the floor outside, hurting her knee in the process. Sakura bought some time with some improvised heel work ringside while Sakazaki tried to walk it off. They were able to continue the match but Sakazaki was still clearly shaken up and using the Sliding German Suplex for the finish was definitely not the original plan. Credit to her for gutting through it and still being able to do most of her moves but she couldn’t hide the upset look on her face after the match.
GCW “HOW HIGH”, 20/04/2024 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. GCW Extreme Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated Sandra Moone with the I.S.D. (8:55). *V1 for Maki Itoh.
GCW is keeping us on our toes when it comes to Itoh defending the GCW Extreme Title. It wasn’t until the show took place when they announced her match with Sandra Moone would have the title on the line. No worries! Itoh beat Moone in her first defence and they left the ring together shoulder to shoulder.
TNA “IMPACT!”, 21/04/2024 (Aired 02/05/2024) Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Knockouts World Title: Jordynne Grace (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Juggernaught Driver (?:??). *V7 for Jordynne Grace.
Last year Yamashita got to wrestle in Impact for the first time. Now it’s a year later and Impact has gone back to being called TNA. No matter what name it’s under now, she was back to fight Jordynne Grace. The stakes were then made higher when TNA decided to make the match for the Knockouts World Title. Yamashita tried something a little bit new in the match when she hit the Skull Kick to the back of Grace’s head buzzsaw style but Grace recovered and used the Grace Driver to retain her title.
PRESTIGE/PRIDESTYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Trish Adora with the Skull Kick (10:33).
Yamashita’s next Prestige match was at an event co-promoted with PrideStyle Inclusive Pro in Las Vegas. She defeated Trish Adora in a match I haven’t seen the VOD of yet.
DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 2 – KAPPAS COUNTERATTACK”, 27/04/2024 White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. Kaya Toribami defeated Ultramantis Black with the Sento Choryu (?:??).
This was originally supposed to be Hyper Misao coming back to America to protect the land from UltraMantis Black and his kappa army. Unfortunately an ankle injury forced a change of plans. Depending on who you ask she either got injured during her match against Steph de Lander at the “GCW VS TJPW” show or she was the victim of an ambush attack put together by the devious UltraMantis. Either way she sent Kaya Toribami to Daikaiju Pro in her place because they still needed a hero to fight for them. During the match Mantis called upon his kappa army for help but Toribami had backup from all of the other babyfaces to even the odds. In the end good prevailed over evil and Toribami successfully hit the Sento Choryu on Mantis to get the victory.
INSPIRE A.D. “THE EVIL WE DO”, 28/04/2024 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Maya World (?:??).
The last time Yamashita was at Inspire A.D. she took a surprise upset loss to Killa Kate. That wasn’t going to happen again when she fought Maya World in her return to the promotion.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “RATHER YOU THAN ME”, 03/05/2024 Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Joey Janela
She got a taste of GCW earlier this month with the “GCW VS TJPW” show and is coming back for a proper go this time around. Yamashita is getting thrown into the deep end for her proper GCW debut. Joey Janela is chomping at the bit to break her into pieces so he can rub it in the faces of joshi fans afterwards.
Will Yuki Kamifuku beat Alexis Lee for the VPW Women’s Title so it can go along with her Queen Of Asia Title?
MLW “AZTECA LUCHA”, 11/05/2024 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title – 4 Way Match: Janai Kai (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Zayda Vs Delmi Exo
Well Yamashita wasn’t able to win the Knockouts Title in TNA but she has another title match to look forward to in May. She returns to MLW where Janai Kai is defending the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title in a 4 Way Match. The other challengers are Zayda Steele and Delmi Exo but Kai’s previous title defences have mostly been against joshi wrestlers and TJPW wrestlers in particular. She’s beaten Yamashita before outside of MLW. Can she do it again when her MLW Title is on the line and she needs to have eyes on the back of her head?
DPW “LIMIT BREAK”, 19/05/2024 Durham Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Lady Frost Vs Hyan & Vert Vixen
It’s back to Deadlock Pro! Yamashita’s first time in the ring with Lady Frost is as a team together and they are both familiar with their opponents. Hyan is now a regular presence in Yamashita’s US tours and Yamashita teamed with Vert Vixen the last time she was in DPW.
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT ONE”, 24/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Abadon Vs Miyu Yamashita
This isn’t the first time Yamashita will be fighting a zombie. She used to do that all the time when Maho Kurone was still wrestling. Abadon though is a bit more intense when it comes to that sort of stuff.
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT TWO”, 25/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
What else is Lucha Libre & Laughs going to throw at Yamashita?
SETUP “CLASH OF THE TITANS”, 25/05/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha (c) Vs Monomoth Vs Mizuki
How possible is is that Mizuki wins the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title and then brings it along for her Queen Of Asia Title shot that is due anytime soon? Add the VPW Women’s Title then we end up with an Asian Triple Crown of women’s championships.
GCW “TOURNAMENT OF SURVIVAL 9”, 01/06/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Tournament Of Survival 9: Shunma Katsumata Vs X
One of the big death match tournaments of the year is held by GCW over in America. The 9th annual Tournament Of Survival will have Shunma Katsumata as one of the Japanese entrants along with Big Japan wrestlers Hideyoshi Kamitani and Yuki Ishikawa.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL7: HIT THE LIGHTS”, 01/06/2024 The Temple, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
The first two seasons of Lucha Underground was a magical time. Season three was good too but the show suffered from taking a massive break mid-season but that’s a conversation for somewhere else. The warehouse that was used to house The Temple for the show tapings is going to host a wrestling show for the first time in seven years. I don’t expect it to look anything like it did in the old days because a lot of that setup was just a TV set but Takeshita getting to wrestle there is pretty neat nonetheless.
This is still for now the last date on Yamashita’s schedule before she goes back to Japan.
IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X & X
This year is the 30th anniversary of IWA Japan’s launch. What a weird existence this promotion has had. To celebrate there will be a memorial show held by SETUP taking place in Thailand using the IWA branding. CDK will be there to defend the SETUP Tag Team Titles since those belts are also affiliated with IWA Japan. Will Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi have to defend the belts against a pair of kaiju or will they be fighting more normal looking opponents?
1. Yasu Urano & Yuki Ishikawa defeated Ryuichi Sekine & Masato Kamino when Urano pinned Sekine with a School Boy (12:24).
2. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga defeated SAGAT & Gouma Ryu when Senga pinned Ryu after the Goregrind from SAGAT (10:40).
3. FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato defeated Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Gaia Hox when Kazato pinned Nakano with a Rocket Punch (12:28).
4. Ryota Nakatsu & Fuminori Abe defeated Takumi Tsukamoto & Judo Master when Nakatsu pinned Master with the V Slider (12:09).
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) defeated Lil’ Kraken with the Mechakucha-katame (17:23). *V3 for Minoru Fujita.
Just like what happened at the last BASARA show, pulling off Lil’ Kraken’s mask comes with a big risk. Minoru Fujita unmasked him during the main event and Kraken blinded him with Poison Mist out of self defence. Kraken continued to wrestle unmasked for the rest of the match but was caught in a modified Gokuraku-gatame and had to give up. Fujita was still blinded after the match and had to give his victory speech while being unable to see anything. Daichi Kazato then entered the ring and excitedly challenged Fujita for the Union MAX Title. However Isami Kodaka demanded Kazato face him in a singles match first. Kodaka has his own plans in mind but he will only reveal what it is after he beats Kazato.
The No. 1 Contenders for the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles hit a speed bump on the road to their title shot. One-half of the champions Ryota Nakatsu was able to beat Takumi Tsukamoto & Judo Master while teaming with Fuminori Abe insteado of Kazusada Higuchi. Master seems to remember what the rules of pro wrestling are but now the problem with him is his mask. Nakatsu kept pulling at his mask to block his sight and it eventually paid off with the win.
In Match #2 SAGAT hit Banana Senga with the Goregrind but they landed on top of Gouma Ryu. Since Ryu’s shoulders were pinned to the mat, the referee counted Senga pinning him instead of SAGAT pinning Senga.
The Yuki Ishikawa that fought in the opener is the Big Japan wrestler, not the shoot style fighter. Today was his first match with BASARA.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN SAPPORO – DAY 2”, 29/04/2024 Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza Kanaeda 341 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Dieno pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (0:04).
1a. Rematch: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata when Takagi submitted Hirata with a School Boy (7:56).
2. Tomoya & To-y defeated Makoto Oishi & Yoshitatsu when To-y pinned Oishi with the Kojima Impact (10:02).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Noriyuki Yoshida & Rukiya when KANON pinned Rukiya with the Michikonu Driver II (8:47).
4. Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi when Matsunaga submitted Sumi with a Crab Hold (9:40).
5. Yuki Ueno defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Senko Dokuga (13:46).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when Higuchi pinned Koroku with the Claw Slam (12:09).
7. Shunma Katsumata 10th Anniversary Match ~ Are You Happy? Death Match: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata when Katsumata was Not Happy after doing the Sauna Trance Splash from the Giga Ladder (19:44).
The rules of the Are You Happy? Death Match involved Yukinori Matsui asking MAO or Shunma Katsumata “Are you happy?” whenever they had taken a dangerous move. If a wrestler could no longer answer by saying “Happy!” then they would lose the match. The match had Lego, chairs, plastic boxes and a Giga Ladder used as a weapon. Katumsata stacked boxes filled with Lego on top of MAO, climbed the Giga Ladder and then hit the Sauna Trance Splash onto MAO. The crash left both of them in pain and MAO said he was “Happy!” to continue. Katsumata though couldn’t do anything but scream in pain. Matsui came to the conclusion that Katsumata wasn’t happy anymore and rewarded the victory to MAO. While Katsumata wanted a match against MAO to celebrate his 10th anniversary of his debut, he is ready to put the focus back on their ShunMao tag team. He thinks the strength of The 37KAMIINA is that they all stand together wanting to make DDT more exciting. They’ve become close friends over time for that reason.
Yuki Ueno used his version of the Shining Wizard he adopted from HUB to beat Keigo Nakamura. He thinks the most important thing a pro wrestler should have is confidence and he praises Nakamura for keeping his head held high through the difficult times. If Nakamura works hard then Ueno believes he will one day become the KO-D Openweight Champion. Nakamura said it was frustrating to lose today’s match but he will use that frustration as motivation to become the center of DDT!
The teams in Match #1 were switched around due to the requests of everyone involved.
Posted by JamieOD 
