Haruhi Taking Time Off, Love Phantom Full Card

April 13, 2023

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs X
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
4. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Senton Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
5. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Keisuke Ishii had some trivia for his big match like he always does. In the 15 years he’s been in wrestling he has headlined Korakuen Hall in singles matches 5 times. His goal ever since his debut was to become the main character in a big match. He wants this to be that match and thought of Mizuki Watase as the perfect opponent ever since Watase jumped from DDT to Ganbare☆Pro. Watase warns Ishii that the more they get along, the more ruthless Watase will be against him in the ring!

Everyone in the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles match is somebody Yumehito Imanari has a lot of attachment to. He spent a lot of last year feuding with Tatsuhito Takaiwa, crediting him for his growth as a wrestler. Imanari has spent the last decade filming many of Hikaru Sato’s matches. And he’s been a fan of Tyson Maeguchi ever since he got drunk at a drinking party Maeguchi hosted. Unfortunately Sato does not share the same memories with Imanari. All he remembers was that one time a senior director in DDT gave Imanari a Yakuza Kick inside the DDT office. Maeguchi remembers the drinking party but can’t recall if he already fought Imanari at all (they’ve been in several matches together). He is instead focused on showing his evolution from kickboxer to pro wrestler.

An important announcement came from Moeka Haruhi today. She will be taking a break from pro wrestling after 5th May so she can donate a kidney to her sister. Haruhi’s sister has severe renal failure and her condition got worse over the last year. The time came when she had to make a decision to either take a kidney transplant or go through dialysis. Haruhi offered to donate a kidney when she found out about it. The transplant surgery is scheduled for June and her doctor reckons it will take around 3 months until she is able to wrestle again. Although she is freelance, she is considered part of the GanPro family. Haruhi said she is not quitting pro wrestling but when she comes back she may have to change her style depending on what her physical strength and body shape is like.

The performance Riara put out for her exhibition match on 1st April was good enough to convince Ganpro to set up her pro debut. Ken Ohka told Riara this is not her goal but only the start of her journey. Her opponent will be YuuRI who has been with her for every day of practice. Riara wants to repay YuuRI for always standing by her. That means she will do her best to win even if YuuRI is her opponent!

The match order has not been fully determined yet. Only the main event and semi-main event are in their guaranteed spots.


More Of The Stuff I Missed

April 11, 2023

And here’s the second half covering everything else. Don’t know if I’ll be writing reports for the shows this weekend as soon as they happen. Might be better saving that for when I get home.

BASARA “BASARA 215 ~KOO~”, 15/04/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. KUBITO Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
2. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga Vs Daichi Kazato
3. Basara Strange Style Jacket Match: FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil’ Kraken & Yasu Urano
5. Ryuichi Sekine, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa
6. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

Even though Banana Senga is the new Union MAX Champion, he still has trials in court to prosecute.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SHIZUOKA IDOL FESTIVAL IN TSUMAGOI”, 16/04/2023
Shizuoka Tsumagoi Resort Sai no Sato Multipurpose Plaza

1. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
2. Maki Itoh & Raku Vs Vert Vixen & Hikari Noa
3. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Shino Suzuki

Tokyo Joshi Pro’s visit to the Shizuoka Idol Festival is bringing Max The Impaler and Vert Vixen along for the ride.

BASARA “BASARA 216 ~KOO~”, 18/04/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takumi Tsukamoto, Ryota Nakatsu & Yasu Urano Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
2. FUMA & KUBITO Vs Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Gouma Ryu
4. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
5. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs SAGAT

A rare non-court related wrestling match for Gouma Ryu.

GANBARE☆PRO “SHOTA DEBUT 15TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCE SHOW 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Ilusion
2. Gauntlet Mixed Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE Vs Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI Vs Kabuto Mitomi & Echika Miyabi
3. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Tyson Maeguchi
4. Shota Debut 15th Anniversary Special Single Match: Shota Vs Isami Kodaka

Ilusion is taking Yuki Ueno’s advice and looking out beyond DDT for match bookings. He makes his Ganbare☆Pro debut against Shinichiro Tominaga.

GANBARE☆PRO “THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. YuuRI Vs Ancham
2. 3 Way Match: Shota Vs Munetatsu Nakamura Vs KOJIO
3. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Sento Minzoku!: Ken Ohka & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita
4. Mizuki Watase, Yumehito Imanari & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Keisuke Ishii, Tyson Maeguchi & Takuya Wada

Ancham makes a few rare appearances for GanPro every now and then. This will be her first for this year. Maybe YuuRI can recruit her for Ganbare☆Joshi.

GANBARE☆PRO “RUN LOLA RUN 2023”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Marika Kobashi
2. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Shota & HARUKAZE Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI
3. Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Minoru Fujita & Takahiro Katori
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs The 37KAMIINA: Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka & Hartley Jackson Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi

The All-Star Junior All-Stars need to warm up before their big Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles match next month. Minoru Fujita & Takahiro Katori are joining forces to take them on.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Tomoka Inaba & HisokA
2. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Tae Honma

The next big challenge for Yoshiko Hasegawa is Tae Honma!

GanJo are getting themselves into a feud with JUST TAP OUT. Both Tomoka Inaba & HisokA are coming over to give Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI a fight.


Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino, Mega Max Bump Full Card

April 11, 2023

Not even halfway through my holiday and look at all the stuff I already missed! I’m splitting the news post in half, starting with all the DDT updates.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/04/2023
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Kazuma Sumi Vs Rukiya
1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Chris Brookes & Ilusion
2. Yuji Hino & Toru Owashi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
3. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura
4. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
5. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match ~BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!~: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
6. Falls Count Anywhere Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani

A deal was made between Pheromones and Yuji Hino in order to get Yuki Iino a KO-D Openweight Title match. Iino must seal away his “Sexy” persona from now until May. If he lives up to that promise then he will get a title match on 3rd May. However he will still have to be Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino for that match. Makoto Oishi has sworn to be at ringside for all of Iino’s matches until then to make sure he is still living up to his side of the deal.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023
Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza

1. KANON Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Chris Brookes & Kazumi Sumi
3. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Akito
4. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
7. Current Blast Bat 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima Vs Joey Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada

I think you have to go back years to find the last time Tetsuya Endo & HARASHIMA teamed together.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN FUKUOKA”, 22/04/2023
Fukuoka Kasuga General Sports Center

1. Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Takeshi Masada
2. Fukuoka Specialty Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Azul Dragon & Keigo Nakamura
3. Pheromones Vs DISASTER BOX!: Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Yusuke Okada, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuma Sumi
5. Ω Vs Harimao!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
6. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima

The visiting Rayne Leverkusen gets a few warm up matches before she goes one on one against Saki Akai.

DDT “YAMADA FISHERIES PRESENTS 4.23 SHIBUSHI FISH MEAT DECISIVE BATTLE @ UNAGI STATION”, 23/04/2023
Kagoshima Shibushi City Unagi Station

1. Yusuke Okada & Rukiya Vs Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
2. Shunma Katsumata, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata Vs Makoto Oishi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
4. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
5. Shibushi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
6. Fish Vs Meat Full-Scale Battle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask Vs Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

The reason why Iino has to seal away his Pheromones gimmick is because Hino refuses to defend the title against that version of him. Their tag match here will let Iino show just how much he wants the belt without the need for his alter ego. Or maybe he falls for temptation and the whole journey blows up in everyone’s faces before it ever reaches the Yokohama Budokan.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Rukiya
2. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida
4. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Saki Akai & Tsutenkakka Vs Toru Owashi, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
6. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

An odd looking trio of Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada are getting together to face DAMNATION T.A with a returning Minoru Fujita also included.

The new rookie Rukiya is already getting a homecoming match. It only took him 20 days to get here!

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Mari Manji Vs Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Rayne Leverkusen
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno
5. Ω Vs Pheromones!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
6. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida

The last stop before Yokohama sees Hino and Iino in the ring one more time.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Rukiya
1. Keigo Nakamura & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Kazuki Hirata Vs Hikaru Machida
4. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito Vs Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda
5. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Rayne Leverkusen
6. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
7. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON
8. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs MAO
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino

The full card for the Yokohama Budokan show is here. The main event will become invalid if Iino breaks his promise and becomes “Sexy” again. Whether that means it becomes just a non-title match or gets cancelled completely hasn’t been explained yet.

MAO had a lot of harsh words to say about Endo after last weekend’s show. MAO complained about Endo’s lack of effort to break out into the international scene. He only wrestled the matches in America DDT already booked for him during his recent trip there. Meanwhile MAO went out of his way to get more bookings, including a recent appearance on AEW Dark Elevation with other members of The 37KAMIINA. The point MAO is making is how can Endo call himself the DDT Universal Champion when his attitude and behaviour towards wrestling overseas has no universal appeal at all?

According to Shunma Katsumata, the DDT Extreme Title hasn’t been that extreme during Jun Akiyama’s title reign. His solution is to fight Akiyama in a TLC Match. However in this case the T in TLC stands for Toys. The Ladders and Chairs will still be there, don’t worry about that. But you know how much wrestling fans love their tables.

When Nick Wayne touches down in Japan he will be thrown into the mix with the present and future of DDT. Takeshi Masada is teaming with Wayne to take on Yuki Ueno & Yuni.

After what happened between Chiitan☆ and Chris Brookes the last time the mascot showed up here, it only makes sense they are opponents for Chiitan’s debut match.

The Dance Vs Kickboxing MMA fight between Kazuki Hirata and Hikaru Machida will be contested under 15 rounds all lasting two minutes long.

The rest of Pheromones will be in the dark match taking part in a Best of 3 singles challenge against Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Rukiya. That class of rookies are now called the D GENERATIONS Army.


DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023” Results

April 9, 2023

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
531 Fans

0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when KANON submitted Sumi with the Crucifix Cobra Twist (7:02).
1. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (7:34).
2. Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi when Kawamatsu pinned Ihashi with the Shitamatchi Rocket (8:39).
3. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (10:27).
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Yuni with the BME (9:08).
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada when Endo pinned Masada with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (12:18).
6. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi by TKO when Iino used the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass on YASSHI (9:25).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Katsumata pinned Nakamura after the Oretachi no Mad Max (20:11).
*V5 for ShunMao.

The spotlight was shining brightly on Keigo Nakamura. With HARASHIMA on his side, the young wrestler was looking to make up for his poor record in the D GENERATIONS CUP by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The champions ShunMao were fresh back from America where they got to wrestle in AEW and were ready for the challenge. Nakamura used his own version of the Somato on Shunma Katsumata but the tables turned when Katsumata caught Nakamura’s Diving Headbutt with a Stunner. ShunMao then kept HARASHIMA out of action long enough to pin Nakamura with the Oretachi no Mad Max.

Afterwards Katsumata said he expected this to be an easy defence but Nakamura has left him feeling tired. He then turned his attention to Jun Akiyama and criticised the DDT Extreme Champion for not acting extreme at all. Akiyama entered the ring in a huff but was stopped by Katsumata’s next line. He wants their Extreme Title match on 3rd May to be a TLC Match. In this case TLC stands for Toys, Ladders & Chairs! Akiyama accepted the idea. Meanwhile Tetsuya Endo confronted MAO and raised his DDT Universal Title over his next challenger’s head. This caused MAO to let loose on Endo backstage, criticising him for his recent performances in America and his lack of effort to get more bookings over there. How can Endo proudly call himself the Universal Champion when he is anything but universal?

The final of the World Hino Classic was Yuki Iino’s final step towards earning a KO-D Openweight Title shot. Pheromones needed to get past Ω with “brother” YASSHI added to the opposing side. Makoto Oishi counted on Yuji Hino’s fellow high school wrestling club partner to be the difference maker but YASSHI had never experienced anything like Pheromones before! When Danshoku Dieno & Yumehito Imanari started showing off their new “magic trick” involving Iino wearing only a bathrobe, Hino was nowhere to be seen and YASSHI was left on his own to take the humiliating defeat.

Hino reappeared after the match after Pheromones demanded that Iino finally get the title match he’s been asking for on 3rd May. Hino said this entire WHC thing was Oishi’s idea. He admits that Iino is a strong wrestler but he has no interest in getting stuck into the Pheromones experience. He only wants serious challengers. Dieno spoke with Iino and they agreed to offer a deal. From now until after the title match on 3rd May, the Yuki “Sexy” Iino will be sealed so the match can go ahead without any incident to worry about. Iino started to cry and he promised Hino “I am not sexy!” After hearing this, Hino accepted the deal. However Oishi does not trust Pheromones to live up to their side of the deal so until 3rd May he will be in attendance for all of their matches to judge if Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino will stick to his promise.

Endo claimed he was only just finally getting over his jetlag today. Good timing because he lead BURNING to victory against a team of all sorts. He kicked out of Joey Janela’s Avalanche Brainbuster and went on to pin Takeshi Masada with the Torture Rack Bomb. Most of the wrestlers in the match like Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada, Naruki Doi and Chris Brookes are making preparations for the King Of DDT tournament. Endo and Akiyama are facing each other in the first round. Akiyama thinks it is a conspiracy because it’s so rare for wrestlers in the same unit to fight each other in a tournament’s opening round. Janela is not in the tournament but his focus for this tour is to defeat Atsushi Onita in an exploding death match!

The re-debut of Yuni as a high school pro wrestler saw him take on Yuki Ueno one on one. Yuni did a Moonsault to the outside, a Swan Dive Dropkick and the RKO as some of his big moves. Ueno was able to brush them aside, laid out Yuni with a Dropkick and pin him with the BME. Ueno is impressed with the new generation of wrestlers like Yuni and Ilusion. His advice to them are there’s no detours in life so he wants them to explore many places in wrestling. Yuni is happy with how the match went despite how tough and painful it was. His next match is against Kazuki Hirata and he’s looking forward to beating him.

The Eruption Vs Harimao match kicked off with Yuki Ishida attacking Hideki Okatani. The decision wasn’t a good one because Ishida ended up getting overwhelmed by the numbers game. Yukio Sakaguchi and Ryota Nakatsu pretty much cancelled each other out. Kazusada Higuchi used his power to shift the momentum in Harimao’s direction but that was stopped by Saki Akai diving onto everybody outside the ring. The match went back over to Okatani against Ishida and Okatani finished on top with the Double Arm Suplex. After the match Sakaguchi called Harimao a good team and he’s interested in fighting them again.

The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu scored his first ever victory in pro wrestling by pinning Gota Ihashi with the Shitamachi Rocket. That is his own name for the Spear. The momentum was on his side from the get go when he overpowered Toru Owashi with a Shoulder Block exchange. Kazuki Hirata wanted to try out a brand new move called the Shining Sleeper but Toy Kojima easily stopped him. Ihashi missed a Moonsault on Kawamatsu and that set up the finish. Akito congratulated the politician for his victory and told backstage reporters that Kawamatsu will continue to wrestle on a steady basis. However Kawamatsu reminded him there is an election coming up so his schedule is going to get very busy.

The debut of Rukiya showed off the rookie in an all blue attire including his hair being dyed in the same colour. He used Elbow Strikes, Body Slams, Bulldog Headlocks and a Back Drop on Yuya Koroku. But once Koroku got hold of Rukiya’s arm and twisted it into a Chicken Wing Lock, it was all over for the newcomer. Rukiya said he wants to grow into a big wrestler who can still use high flying moves, like Tetsuya Endo.

Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi tried to jump DAMNATION T.A before the bell but their plan failed big time. It led to KANON attacking Honda with one of the ring tools on the outside. A missed attack from MJ Paul led to Sumi coming in for a hot tag but a dive attack was caught by KANON and turned into a Crucifix Cobra Twist for the submission victory.

Dieno & Imanari interrupted Hisaya Imabayashi’s opening news announcements wanting to know what else Pheromones will be doing on 3rd May. Akito entered the ring and told them the remaining members will be put into a Best of 3 singles match challenge against Yuki Ishida, Ilusion and Rukiya.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23” Results

April 8, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 08/04/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
223 Fans

1. Hikari Noa defeated Shinno Suzuki with a Jumping Neckbreaker Drop (6:13).
2. Arisu Endo, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo defeated Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara & Toga when Endo submitted Uehara with the Camel Clutch (8:27).
3. Suzume defeated HIMAWARI with the Ring A Bell (5:11).
4. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Haruna Neko with the Famouser (6:29).
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami when Tatsumi pinned Toribami after the Daydream Eternity (13:11).
6. Nao Kakuta & Pom Harajuku defeated Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto when Kakuta pinned Miyamoto with the Shiden Kai (13:45).

A lot of hair pulling took place between Mizuki and Nao Kakuta in the main event. Kakuta took it one step further by grabbing Mizuki’s hair when both were standing on the top turnbuckle and then she threw her to the mat with an Avalanche Snapmare. After Kakuta won the match she told the fans she feels like a mess right now but is able to win the Princess Of Princess Title no matter how messy she gets. Mizuki thinks there is nobody else in Tokyo Joshi Pro who fights like Kakuta so she will have to face that to defend her championship.

Pom Harajuku was on the winning team in the main event and is still getting over the shock of having to team with Max The Impaler soon. Harajuku said Max can become a strong ally for her so it is up to Harajuku to improve her own support power for the team to be a success. She thinks it will be just like controlling a Gundam. Harajuku later tried to steal Mizuki’s tag title belt while Mizuki was giving an interview but failed.

A lot of the undercard had to be changed around on short notice due to Raku, Hyper Misao and Yuki Aino all falling ill in the days leading up to the show.

Max The Impaler and Vert Vixen were both announced to be on the 16th April show in Shizuoka.


Yuni Aiming For Heavyweight, Max & Pom Teaming Up, KOJIO Appears

April 6, 2023

I’m about to go on holiday so if there’s not posts here for the next two weeks it’s because of that. The Tokyo Joshi Pro talent that had their flight cancelled earlier in the week eventually made it home but it sounds like they had a real frustrating experience getting their. Then there’s the news coming out of last night where The 37KAMIINA, Maki Itoh and Mizuki were on the AEW Dark Elevation taping that took place before Dynamite. Then when Dynamite was over Konosuke Takeshita and Miyu Yamashita were on the ROH taping that was held right after it. I’ll write about all of that in next month’s Around The World article.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi
1. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
2. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima
3. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuni
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada Vs Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada
6. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura

For the next step in his career, Yuni wants to wrestle in Osaka and Tokyo as much as possible. The reasons are he is from Osaka and has made a lot of friends in Tokyo too. He ultimately wants to grow into a heavyweight but still be able to do high flying just like Tetsuya Endo.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’23”, 15/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Yuki Aino, Haruna Neko & Haru Kazashiro Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Runa Okubo
3. Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara & Toga Vs Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa, Raku & Shino Suzuki
4. Yuka Sakazaki & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Arai & HIMAWARI (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
6. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Vert Vixen
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Nao Kakuta

What’s this? Max The Impaler is returning to Japan wanting to regain the Princess Tag Team Titles that they lost last month. However they are going on their own because Heidi Howitzer has other matters in the Wasteland to deal with. What can Max do? They demanded to team with one person in particular… Pom Harajuku?!? Max’s obsession with Pom has now turned them from enemies into the unlikeliest of tag teams!

All four current members of The Up Up Girls are teaming together as a foursome for the first time.

Rookies Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo will be on opposite teams for the first time ever. All of their previous matches since their debuts had them teaming together.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023
Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Current Blast Bat 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima Vs Joey Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada

The main event will consist of four baseball bats all rigged to explode at the touch of a button at ringside. The explosions are being advertised to be three times as powerful as usual.

GANBARE☆PRO “BLOODY SUNDAY 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Moeka Haruhi Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. Grappling Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takuya Wada & Tsuyoshi Okada
3. Secret Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Hartley Jackson, Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Ken Ohka, Soma Takao & YuuRI
4. Mizuki Watase & Shota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga

Mizuki Watase is also back from America and ready to face the challenge of Keisuke Ishii. I still haven’t found out what new skills Watase learned over in the US.

The Grappling Tag Match can only be won by submission or ref stoppage. Strikes are prohibited and rope breaks will not count towards breaking up holds.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “CLIMB OVER ’23”, 22/04/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

Max & Pom are getting a Princess Tag Titles shot! The two of them are going to be The Magical Sugar Rabbits’ first challengers.

GANBARE☆PRO “SHOTA DEBUT 15TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCE SHOW 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Gauntlet Mixed Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE Vs Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI Vs Kabuto Mitomi & Echika Miyabi
2. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Tyson Maeguchi
3. Shota Debut 15th Anniversary Special Single Match: Shota Vs Isami Kodaka

Something new for Ganbare☆Pro is a Gauntlet Tag Match. Shota has invited a lot of wrestlers close to him to take part in it.

GANBARE☆PRO “THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. 3 Way Match: Shota Vs Munetatsu Nakamura Vs KOJIO
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Sento Minzoku!: Ken Ohka & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita
3. Mizuki Watase, Yumehito Imanari & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Keisuke Ishii, Tyson Maeguchi & Takuya Wada

The last GanPro show before they go to Korakuen Hall features a Sento Minzoku invasion. Isami Kodaka is already involved thanks to Shota inviting him over but Minoru Fujita is tagging along with him.

A monster wrestler from the UMA Corps named KOJIO is making its GanPro debut. It very recently emerged in ChocoPro but has also been sighted in wrestling rings across America, Singapore and Thailand over the last year.

GANBARE☆PRO “RUN LOLA RUN 2023”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Marika Kobashi
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs The 37KAMIINA: Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka & Hartley Jackson Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi

The 37KAMIINA are sending Yuki Ueno & MAO over to visit GanPro. Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura will be waiting for them.

The working relationship with P.P.P. Tokyo brings Marika Kobashi back to GanPro for another appearance.

Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Soma Takao will both be on the show.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GARAFES ~ SPRING IDOL LUNCH MEETING” Results

April 6, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GARAFES ~ SPRING IDOL LUNCH MEETING”, 02/04/2023
Tokyo GOTANDA G6/G7

1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Haruna Neko & Moka Miyamoto defeated Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI when Miyamoto submitted Neko with the Rashomon (?:??).

It was a mat wrestling match that was held on the stage. Shino Suzuki was also involved as an assistant match announcer.


Hot Shirt Coming Through, Janela’s Violent Vacation, BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA All Month

April 4, 2023

A few things I want to mention before going into the updates. First, I was a guest on Alan4L’s ProWres Paradise over at PWTorch this week. The show is behind their VIP subscription and it is the latest episode in Alan’s “30 4L 30” series that is dedicated to talking about significant wrestling careers over the last 30 years. What if I told you our subject was the life and times of Kota Ibushi? We cover everything from his DDT days right up to his comeback in GCW last weekend with some extra trivia in between. I even try to clear up some misconceptions about his life that people have wondered about the last few years (mainly I really doubt he comes from a rich family). So for any PWTorch subscribers reading this, you can go listen to the episode here.

(Also fun little note, while we were recording this the news of WWE’s business merger with UFC broke online. However we did not find out about it until after we finished recording. Talking about Ibushi for 150 minutes needed the absolute focus he deserves, you know.)

Second, I will be going on holiday to Canada soon and will be away for two weeks. There will be a news post on Thursday before I go. I’m bringing my laptop so if I comfortably have the time to posts results, news and other stuff I will do so. Otherwise things might be kept to the Twitter account while I’m busy going on a loop around all the different Toronto sports teams. I have tickets for the the Impact PPV happening there too so I get to add Canada to the list of countries I’ve seen wrestling in.

And lastly, speaking of travelling. It looks like most of the DDT wrestlers have returned safely to Japan. Daisuke Sasaki took a detour to Texas though where he wrestled and hung out with Sam Adonis & Hernandez. I’ll find out more for the next DDT Around The World article. The Tokyo Joshi Pro roster though had their flight cancelled and their tweets suggest they are waiting a long time at the airport for the next plane ride home.

Now onto the news.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi
2. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
3. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima
4. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuni
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada Vs Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada
7. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura

An unusual training practice was held by HARASHIMA for Keigo Nakamura during the week. A pot of boiling water was in the room and HARASHIMA left a shirt to soak inside it. He instructed Nakamura to put the boiling hot shirt on as fast as he can. If he succeeded then he will be prepared to handle ShunMao’s sauna heat. Nakamura understood and was able to put the shirt on despite scalding himself. He then told HARASHIMA it was his turn to do it next but HARASHIMA said he came here to train, not put on a shirt! They went on to complete their practice session as normal.

Gota Ihashi replaces the injured Yukio Naya in Match #3. If I were DISASTER BOX I’d be asking if there’s another replacement available.

The trainee Rukiya Ikeda has decided on his official ring name. He will officially be simply known as Rukiya when he has his debut match.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/04/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
2. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
3. Falls Count Anywhere Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani

A busy weekend awaits for Joey Janela when he comes back to Japan. His first match back in the country for DDT will be a Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight. The match is happening to prepare Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada for the Current Blast Death Match they are having against Atsushi Onita the following day. Since the first match is going to be a Street Fight, every wrestler has been told to go find an outfit different from their wrestling gear to fight in.

A lot of BURNING versus The 37KAMIINA matches to look forward to this month. It kicks off with a big Elimination Tag Match between the two groups.

Yuni’s wrestling career hasn’t been around for long but in the days before he became El Unicorn he already developed a rivalry with Kazuki Hirata. That rivalry is now being brought back for the next chapter of Yuni’s career.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN FUKUOKA”, 22/04/2023
Fukuoka Kasuga General Sports Center

1. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima

More clashes between the two units. These are being done to promote the upcoming DDT Universal and DDT Extreme Title matches. Yuki Ueno will be missing this show due to the stage show he’s a part of.

Azul Dragon and Rayne Leverkusen will both be on the show.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

Dragon and Leverkusen will also be on this show along with Naruki Doi and an Osaka masked wrestler called Tsutenkakka. He is named after the local Tsutenkaku Tower and is apparantely authorised by the tower’s management to fight on behalf of the landmark. He was part of the No Fee Rumble DDT held back in February.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida

Leverkusen will be on the show along with Mari Manji from Yanagase Pro Wrestling. She was originally from PURE-J.


TJPW Heading Back To Japan, BASARA Title Matches, Akiyama Enters Fish Vs Meat Feud

April 2, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 08/04/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara & Toga Vs Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
2. Hikari Noa Vs Shinno Suzuki
3. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs HIMAWARI
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami
6. Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto Vs Nao Kakuta & Pom Harajuku

This will be the show where mostly everyone comes back from America. We already know that Miyu Yamashita is now on her excursion and Maki Itoh still has a few more bookings to do over there. Yuka Sakazaki is also missing this show due to overseas commitments. So that means she’s probably showing up at the AEW Rampage & Battle Of The Belts taping on Friday.

Haru Kazashiro recently turned 15 so this will be her first match as a high school student.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’23”, 15/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Arai & HIMAWARI (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
2. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Vert Vixen
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Nao Kakuta

Vert Vixen’s tour with Tokyo Joshi Pro will be highlighted with an International Princess Title match against Rika Tatsumi.

BASARA “BASARA 215 ~KOO~”, 15/04/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Basara Strange Style Jacket Match: FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
2. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

A surprise Union MAX Title change last week has thrown BASARA for a loop. Isami Kodaka wants to get his title back as soon as possible but he isn’t getting an automatic rematch. Takumi Tsukamoto also lost his CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title on the same show so he doesn’t have a claim for the No. 1 Contendership. The two agreed to fight each other and the winner will get a future title shot.

Both FUMA and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi are claiming to be the No. 1 ranked fighter in the Basara Strange Style Jacket matches. They will face each other to decide who really is No. 1.

Minoru Fujita will be on the show having his first match in BASARA since December.

BASARA “BASARA 216 ~KOO~”, 18/04/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
2. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs SAGAT

The person who is facing Banana Senga for the MAX Title is SAGAT! Both men won singles championships last week, Senga getting the MAX Title and SAGAT getting the CCW Title. Only the MAX Title is on the line here.

Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka decided to team with each other because they are both wrestlers from Tochigi. They are immediately facing Aijin Tag for the IRON FIST Tag Titles.

DDT “YAMADA FISHERIES PRESENTS 4.23 SHIBUSHI FISH MEAT DECISIVE BATTLE @ UNAGI STATION”, 23/04/2023
Kagoshima Shibushi City Unagi Station

1. Shibushi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
2. Fish Vs Meat Full-Scale Battle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask Vs Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

Jun Akiyama replaces the injured Yukio Naya in the Fish Vs Meat tag match.

Yuki Ueno will not be at the show because he has a role in a stage play that day.


DDT “DDT GOES YOKOHAMA! ~BLOW UP HOLLYWOOD!!~” Results

April 1, 2023

DDT “DDT GOES YOKOHAMA! ~BLOW UP HOLLYWOOD!!~”, 01/04/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall
196 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuma Sumi when Okada submitted Sumi with a Crab Hold (6:14).
2. O-40 Title: Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Antonio Honda with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (8:44).
*V1 for Makoto Oishi.
3. Kotaro Suzuki & Soma Takao defeated Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida when Takao pinned Ishida with the Official Endless Waltz (11:24).
4. Special Single Match I: Invisible Man defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Dragonrana (12:02).
5. Special Single Match II ~ Hardcore Match: Masashi Takeda defeated MJ Paul with the Reverse U-Crash Kai (12:15).
6. Special Single Match III: Yuji Hino defeated Akito with the King Kong Sleeper (10:04).
7. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi when HARASHIMA pinned Takanashi with the Somato (14:15).
8. King Of DDT 2023 Qualifying Battle: Hideki Okatani defeated Toy Kojima and Yuya Koroku.
8a. Hideki Okatani defeated Toy Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (10:09).
8b. Hideki Okatani defeated Yuya Koroku with the Double Arm Suplex (12:00).

While half of the DDT roster was enjoying their visit to Los Angeles, the other half ran a show by themselves in Yokohama. The main event was a Qualifiying Battle for the final spot in the King Of DDT tournament. Hideki Okatani, Toy Kojima and Yuya Koroku would face each other in alternating singles matches until one of them won two falls in a row. A lottery at the start of the show determined Okatani and Kojima as the first match. Okatani ended up achieving a clean sweep by beating Kojima and then Koroku, both with the Double Arm Suplex. For Okatani he still feels like he is at the starting point with everyone else in the tournament. He promised Kojima and Koroku that he will carry their feelings on his back going into King Of DDT where he will crush everyone in his way!

The semi-main event was put together to be a nostalgic tag match. For one night only Shuten-dōji were reunited. Yukio Sakaguchi teamed up with Masahiro Takanashi and they had KUDO standing in their corner. HARASHIMA brought Hikaru Sato back to DDT so they could team up against them. All of them celebrated with drinks in the ring after the match.

The Hardcore match between Masashi Takeda and MJ Paul featured chairs, tables, a chain, a ladder, skewers and also a pair of scissors. Yukinori Matsui stopped Takeda from using the scissors and Takeda wouldn’t stop complaining about it afterward.

With so much newsworthy things happening around the wrestling world this weekend, Kazuki Hirata tried to get attention by wrestling The Invisible Man. In a hard fought fight Hirata kicked out of the Rainmaker but was pinned with a Dragonrana. Hirata described The Invisible Man moving like a Heavyweight but he is pretty sure he is really a Junior Heavyweight.

The last time Kotaro Suzuki and Soma Takao teamed together was at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2017” but that was in a 4 Way Tag. Takao enjoyed getting to tag with Suzuki for a regular tag team match because he is such a big influence to him.

Makoto Oishi is determined to make the O-40 Title a belt that every wrestler over the age of 40 around the world will want to fight for. He was nervous going into his first defence against Antonio Honda but isn’t going to lose the title that easily.