Higuchi New KO-D Champ, Everett Not A Giant? Salad Or Sweetbread, Extreme Title Handicap Match

July 4, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -LET’S ALL SPEAK UP!-”, 07/07/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
3. Jun Akiyama, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Masahiro Takanashi & Shunma Katsumata Vs Asuka & Yusuke Okada
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The Iyasareru!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
6. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima

A press conference was held today for Kazusada Higuchi to address the King Of DDT aftermath. The new KO-D Openweight Champion thanked the fans for their support because he doesn’t think he won the tournament by himself. He praised both of his recent opponents Jun Akiyama and Naomi Yoshimura. He would be fine with Akiyama being one of his title challengers. He also suggested teaming with Yoshimura in a tag match because they did not interact often in DNA and it would be something new. DDT accepted his request for the tag match. They chose Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima for their opponents because Ueno was also in the semi-finals and Kojima is from after the DNA generation.

Questions have been asked about Andrew Everett’s true size ever since his DDT debut took place. He was given a surprise height measurement during today’s press conference after he was told he would face MAO in a singles match this Thursday. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to measure him but Everett kept trying to cheat. He jumped in the air, stood on a chair and then accidentally pulled the measuring tape off the wall before Choke Slamming it. Imabayashi finally got to measure him when he wasn’t looking and discovered he is really only 170cm tall! Everett has been exposed as a fraud! However his high flying abilities during yesterday’s match was so impressive that DDT still wants to book him. So his match with MAO will go ahead.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Ryo Mizunami Vs Miu Watanabe
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Unfortunately Willow Nightingale is unable to get her visa in time to travel to Japan for the show. Tokyo Joshi Pro are trying to arrange a new schedule for her to wrestle in Japan as soon as possible. Miu Watanabe’s new opponent is Ryo Mizunami making her first appearance in TJPW!

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Ganpro Specialty 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo & YuuRI (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa)
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
7. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka

An autograph session for Ken Ohka and Shota was held at the Champion shop in Suidobashi yesterday. Yumehito Imanari crashed the event and taunted Ohka by offering him a choice of chicken salad or sweetbread. Ohka chose the salad and took a bite out of it to prove he is taking his diet for the match seriously. Imanari approved and said he can see the shine in Ohka’s face returning. But then he tried to stuff the sweetbread into Ohka’s mouth. Ohka resisted and said he wouldn’t break his promise to be the best Ken Ohka he can be. Imanari backed off and again gave approval to Ohka’s serious attitude toward their match.

BASARA “BASARA 196 ~ITCHI DANKETSU~”, 10/07/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Banana Senga
2. Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
3. Daiki Shimomura Vs Yasu Urano
4. FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa
5. Isami Kodaka 20th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka

This is KUBITO’s first match under his new ring name.

“SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS BOX OFFICE ~ SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS VS PROMINENCE”, 14/07/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. DDT Offer? Match: Yuki Ueno & Sakura Hirota Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
2. Special TLC Match: DASH Chisako Vs Hideki Okatani
3. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Falls Count Anywhere Match: SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Natsumi
4. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Bring In 1 Item Hardcore Match: Elizabeth❤️Toy & Sylvania❤️Catherine Vs Risa Sera & Akane Fujite
5. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Special Hardcore Match: Carousel❤️Shun Vs Suzu Suzuki

All matches for the one-off Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence show have been decided. Carousel❤️Shun & Elizabeth❤️Toy aren’t the only members of Super Hardcore Girls, there are two more coming in. SenoSister Mao Inoue is a familiar face on Gake no Fuchi Joshi shows. Sylvania❤️Catherine is apparently related to indie wrestler Takahiro Katori.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 16/07/2022
Aichi Nippon Gaishi Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
2. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rule: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c), Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito

The match stipulations for DDT Extreme Title defences are usually decided by the champion so it is a little odd how little those rules get abused. This is one of those times. Yuki Iino is teaming with Danshoku Dieno AND Yumehito Imanari to face Akito in a 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match. However the rule may backfire because it is a one fall match and Akito will become the champion if he beats any member of Pheromones.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022”, 24/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Makoto Oishi Return Match: Makoto Oishi Vs X
2. Tetsuya Endo Return Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs X
3. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yusuke Okada

Yusuke Okada is tired sitting on the sidelines while the rest of BURNING gets to do their thing. He is finally taking initiative for himself and challenging Masahiro Takanashi for the DDT Universal Title. Takanashi is fighting to keep the title so he can bring it with him when he begins wrestling around the world after the summer.

42 days after his concussion, Tetsuya Endo will be cleared to wrestle again. He accepts the result of the DDT Vs NOAH match from “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and wants to move on with a fresh start. Whether or not he quickly returns to the title picture remains to be seen but the path to take it would begin here.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
2. International Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X

Higuchi wants to nominate Endo as his opponent for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. It will all depend on how well Endo does in his return match on 27th July. If DDT or Endo himself does not think he is up to the task then Higuchi may have to nominate someone else.

The debut match of Shinichiro Kawamatsu is going to be more political than he anticipated. One of his opponents is Osamu Nishimura! The legendary wrestler is currently a Councilor on the Bunkyo Ward Council.

Konosuke Takeshita will be on the show. He is coming back to Japan for a little while before continuing his international excursion.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2022”, 04/09/2022
Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X

It’s the return of Atsushi Onita and the Explosion Death Match to DDT!

DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022
Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center

1. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki

Takeshita will also be in his hometown to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of his debut match. He was asked to choose his opponent and he picked Daisuke Sasaki. He decided nobody else can bring out all of himself in the ring like Sasaki can. He also doesn’t know how many more times they will have singles matches against each other so now is the time to do it again.


DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!” Results

July 3, 2022

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
703 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (7:55).
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when KANON pinned Ishida with the Sleepy Hollow (6:51).
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata by TKO when Iino used the Pheromone Judgement on Akito (7:16).
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuki Ueno with the Osaka Pride (10:46).
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Jun Akiyama with the Brain Claw Slam (14:28).
4. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA when Okada pinned Takanashi with the Sudden Death (10:09).
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Andrew “The Giant” Everett defeated MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Everett pinned Katsumata with the Choke Slam Spanish Fly (14:59).
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Naomi Yoshimura with the Brain Claw Slam (18:55).
*Kazusada Higuchi becomes the 79th KO-D Openweight Champion!

There is a word that has been following around Kazusada Higuchi, particularly recently. “Kuronin” (苦労人). It’s a word that describes a person who works hard because they struggle so much in their life. For Higuchi that struggle was his failure to win the KO-D Openweight Title throughout his 8 year career. Five chances that spread across from his super rookie days in DNA up to his current standing in Eruption all ended in failure. Today he finally reached the top and claimed the belt by winning King Of DDT! The vacant KO-D Title was on the line in the final when Higuchi faced a red hot Naomi Yoshimura. The two heavyweights had an even battle of strength with Yoshimura using a Choke Slam to counter Higuchi’s Brain Claw. Lariats were thrown back and forth. Yoshimura’s key moves the Harai Goshi and Osaka Pride were both blocked so he reverted to his original finisher, the Throwaway Power Bomb. Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw once more and this time hit the Brain Claw Slam, pinning him for the victory.

Higuchi is now the champion and he needed to have his belt. Suddenly, Jun Akiyama entered the ring and volunteered to wrap the title around Higuchi’s waist. It was over a year ago when Akiyama established his authority in DDT by ordering a rebellious Higuchi to wrap the belt around his waist after beating him in a title match. To see Akiyama now present the title to Higuchi shows how much respect has been earned. Sanshiro Takagi then brought out the DDT flag that Higuchi carried to the ring at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. He told Higuchi he is now entrusting the flag to him as a symbol of DDT’s strength for him to lead the company with. Higuchi thanked the other members of Eruption as well as Akiyama for their support. He went through a lot to reach this point and is now putting a lot of thought into who he wants his first challenger to be. He wants to defend the title against Tetsuya Endo! He will wait for him at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 20th August.

Endo himself confirmed his return to the ring by announcing 24th July as his comeback date. He apologised to the fans causing worry with his absence while he recovered from his concussion. He was also sorry for showing a side at Saitama Super Arena that no champion should ever show. He received permission from his doctor to resume his in-ring training again last week and no longer feels any discomfort from moving around. He and DDT agreed to set 24th July as the target for his return. He is half excited, half anxious over it but will push himself hard over the next 3 weeks to regain any trust he lost from the fans. In his backstage comments, Endo said he lost to Katsuhiko Nakajima because he could not withstand his slap even if it was an accidental knockout. Everything that happens in the ring is reality and Endo accepts that reality. He will move on with his wrestling life on 24th July.

DDT’s latest foreign attraction has arrived but has the company been sold a bill of goods? Andrew “The Giant” Everett built hype to his DDT debut by claiming to be 223cm tall while weighing 190.5kg. When he finally showed up, people became skeptical because he looked to be around 175cm tall. Not even Chris Brookes kneeling down next to him could make “The Giant” look any taller. Everett also struggled to give MAO a Choke Slam. However as the match started speeding up, Everett’s aerial skills begun to be highlighted. A Shooting Star Press to MAO out of the ring wowed everyone. He then placed Shunma Katsumata up on the top rope and delivered the Choke Slam Spanish Fly to get the win. MAO is now a believer. He thinks Everett will become a tourist attraction in Japan once he stabs a spike onto his head and turns him into a second Sky Tree. Backstage, Everett mocked ShunMao for being small opponents and said he wants to fight the biggest guy in DDT… Yoshihiko?!?

The tricky wrestling style of Masahiro Takanashi has its benefits but the weakness is what happens once his opponents finally catch up to him. That was what happened today. Some wacky redirections from Takanashi caused Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku to bundle up together so HARASHIMA could hit a Swan Dive Body Press to the both of them. However Okada got his breath back and avoided the Takatonic. Instead he got to do the Intercept DDT and Diving Headbutt on Takanashi. Some cradle attempts were used from Takanashi but it couldn’t stop Okada’s momentum. In the end Okada got Takanashi’s shoulders on the mat for three with the Sudden Death. After the match Okada challenged him for the DDT Universal Title. He had to miss “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and King Of DDT. He also couldn’t do anything but watch the rest of BURNING to their thing during that period. It’s driving him crazy so he wants the title match. Takanashi accepted the challenge and the match will take place on 24th July. Takanashi also said he is the one about to travel the world so the Universal Title rightfully belongs to himself.

Higuchi and Yoshimura bought went through important opponents in their King Of DDT semi-final bouts. As mentioned already, Higuchi’s history with Akiyama is one with plenty of disrespect and trust issues. Even putting that aside you are always in a fight for your life against Akiyama. Higuchi was almost counted out when he was given an Exploder Suplex on the floor. He was also almost pinned with exposed Knee Strikes from Akiyama. Higuchi almost got his big win earlier in the match with an Avalanche Brain Claw Slam but he took too long to go for the pin. Akiyama also tried a rate top rope attack but his Flying Knee Strike was countered in mid-air with a Lariat. Higuchi got to apply the Brain Claw again and turned it into the Brain Claw Slam to advance to the final.

Yoshimura continues to be unbeaten against Yuki Ueno in singles matches but don’t let that fool you into thinking it was an easy match. Some well timed Dropkicks kept giving Ueno an advantage but he could just not get his big moves to count when it mattered. Yoshimura blocked the BME and avoided the WR. Ueno however couldn’t stop the Throwaway Power Bomb and was done for when he was given the Osaka Pride. Ueno is obviously disappointed he lost but the experience made him excited to spread the word of how fun and strong DDT is.

Akito’s desire to regain the DDT Extreme Title is taking him through Pheromones hell. Before their match today began, Danshoku Dieno warned that he was lifting a banned torture technique that was handed down from generation to generation since the Edo Period. This was Pheromones way of judging Akito for the Extreme Title shot on 16th July. The torture move was eventually shown to be Akito getting his head sandwiched between Yuki Iino’s backside and Dieno’s crotch. Any rescue attempt from Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata was cut off by Yumehito Imanari. Akito was stuck in the hold for such a long time that the match was eventually stopped for his safety and Pheromones were declared the winners. After the match Dieno said Akito was not going to fight Iino on his own for the Extreme Title. The match will be a 3 Vs 1 Handicap match where Akito has to fight all of Pheromones by himself! Dieno reminded everyone the rule of the Extreme Title is the champion gets to pick the stipulation so Akito has to accept it.

A new referee named Yusho Nakata (son of the late NOAH executive and ring announcer Ryu Nakata) debuted on this show by working the opener and the dark match. That meant the poor guy had to deal with DAMNATION T.A. He tried to show control by warning Daisuke Sasaki over illegal usage of the ropes. But when Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya looked to be on the road to victory Nakata was pulled down and held back by MJ Paul. That gave KANON the chance to regroup and give Yuki Ishida a Modified Brainbuster that is now called the Sleepy Hollow for the win.

The dark match saw the other three members of Eruption beat the trio of Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima. There was an exchange between Saki Akai and Takao where Akai tried applying a Triangle Choke only to get slammed out of it. Kojima almost pinned Hideki Okatani with the Full Nelson Buster but Yukio Sakaguchi broke the count. Eruption took control with Sakaguchi & Akai giving Kojima a Sandwich PK. Kojima had enough strength to kick out of Okatani’s Northern Lights Suplex but the follow up Double Arm Suplex couldn’t be beaten.

Konosuke Takeshita is temporarily returning to Japan in August. He sent a video announcing he will be part of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on the 20th.

Also revealed for the show was news of Shinichiro Kawamatsu’s debut match. He will team with Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao in a 6-Man Tag Match. Their opponents are Makoto Oishi, Akito and another pro wrestling politician Osamu Nishimura! Takagi wants to answer the question of who will win a fight between Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and the Bunkyo City Council! Kawamatsu thought he wouldn’t be bringing politics into the ring for his match but he looks forward for the chance to wrestle Councilor Nishimura.

At the beginning of the show several wrestlers promoted a bunch of upcoming events. Katsumata promoted the upcoming Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence event taking place on 14th July.

Akiyama will be holding his 30th Anniversary show on 18th September. Two special guests were announced for it today. They are Yuji Nagata and Yoshinobu Kanemaru from New Japan! Akiyama has a deep history with both wrestlers so it was important for them to be involved in the show.

Ken Ohka was at the show promoting Ganbare☆Pro’s biggest show in their history “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” at Ota Ward Gym on 10th July. He was joined by Yuki Aino & Raku who both promoted Tokyo Joshi Pro’s event in the same venue, “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” on the 9th.

Last but not least, Atsushi Onita returns to DDT on 4th September for a Current Blast Death Match in Nagoya.


King Of DDT Final Tomorrow, Tatsumi Cleansed Underneath A Waterfall

July 2, 2022

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Jun Akiyama
4. Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Andrew “The Giant” Everett
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: X Vs X

New matches for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” will be revealed during tomorrow’s show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Willow Nightingale
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Rika Tatsumi went to a waterfall in Kanagawa and meditated beneath it. It was her way to pray for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” to be a successful show and also cleanse herself for the Princess Of Princess Title match. Before stepping into the waterfall, Tatsumi explained she was going back to her roots to wash away all the unnecessary things on her mind. Her goal was to last under the waterfall for the entire length of her entrance song, which she achieved. She told the reporters she will now definitely beat Shoko Nakajima in the main event to become the new champion and the show will also be a great success.


DDT Around The World – June 2022

July 1, 2022

I’ll now include the official Youtube videos of matches to these posts. Last month’s article was updated to include the videos available from May and I’ll go back to add more if they get uploaded. Konosuke Takeshita having matches across the American indies that are so good they have to be put up for free on Youtube is going to be the trend this summer. The other trend seems to be Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers unexpectedly appearing on AEW’s Youtube shows whenever they are in the country. The Forbidden Door is behind us for the time being so if there was any red tape preventing Takeshita from having a higher profile that should be gone now. Even then he’s keeping himself busy as you will see below. By the way it is incredibly satisfying to see how successful that show turned out. So many wrestling analysts and personalities last month predicted failure because let’s be honest, they personally don’t care about New Japan. It is obvious to me that a lot of them used the “casual fan” argument as a cover for their own lack of  interest or knowledge for Japanese wrestling. But the PPV being a success proves there is an audience out there that does care. I mean that’s why you’re here right now reading this post, right?

SPOILER WARNING: The results section includes spoilers for taped AEW matches that have not aired yet.

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Videos


DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase


Video starts at 21:24 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/06/2022
The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita Vs Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Casino Battle Royale: Darby Allin Vs Tony Nese Vs Daniel Garcia Vs Lance Archer Vs Eddie Kingston Vs Ricky Starks Vs Jake Hager Vs Rey Fenix Vs Swerve Strickland Vs Keith Lee Vs John Silver Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Max Caster Vs Austin Gunn Vs Colten Gunn Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Bobby Fish Vs Kyle O’Reilly Vs Dante Martin Vs Wheeler Yuta Vs Andrade El Idolo


WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022
The State Room, South San Francisco, USA

1. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita


ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Ryan Davidson Vs Shota


Video starts at 37:43 for the match
AEW “DARK”, 14/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo)


PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Lee Moriarty Vs Konosuke Takeshita

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Results


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/06/2022 (Aired 06/06/2022)
The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose defeated Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita when Deeb submitted Blue with the Serenity Lock (7:40).

When the month began, the joshi wrestlers who were hanging around in America all went back to Japan except for Miyu Yamashita. She still had an indie date left to do but there was an unusually long gap of time until it took place. Turns out the extra time was filled up with Yamashita’s first AEW booking. She unexpectedly had her debut match with the company on Dark Elevation teaming with Skye Blue against two of AEW’s top threats in the women’s division: Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose. There were complaints from fans that you shouldn’t be just throwing Yamashita into a Youtube match like that but there’s a long game being played here. AEW are well aware of Yamashita’s status in the joshi scene and have kept an eye on her for her entire US trip last month. There’s even some hearsay that her indie bookings went through AEW as part of getting her over to the USA in the first place. They’ve been so impressed with her performances that considerations are under way to put together a future AEW Women’s Title program between her and Thunder Rosa. Those plans are separate from the Rosa Vs Yamashita match happening in TJPW later this month. I know the booking of the AEW women’s division is incredibly frustrating to follow but I assure you there is some thought being put behind what to do with Yamashita in the future.


AEW “DARK”, 03/06/2022 (Aired 14/06/2022)
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo) with the Jumping Knee Strike (6:42).

We’re getting into odd territory with the Dark tapings. Takeshita’s match against Nick Comoroto was recorded on 3rd June but was not used until the episode that aired on the 14th.


DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (15:27).

A first time meeting took place in Deadlock Pro when Yamashita took on the freelancer Miyuki Takase. The match had a little bit of everything from strike exchanges, slight comedy, big moves like an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and Takase running a lap around the building to set up the longest Clothesline spot you’ll ever see. Yamashita found her opponent’s limit with High Kicks and finished her off with the Skull Kick to win. According to the match stipulation Yamashita now has a championship shot of some sort for whenever she wants when she returns to DPW.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Casino Battle Royale: Kyle O’Reilly defeated Wheeler Yuta by Ring Out (24:59).
Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, Lance Archer, Max Caster, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn, Keith Lee, John Silver, Daniel Garcia, Eddie Kingston, Jake Hager, Konosuke Takeshita, Dante Martin, Ricky Starks, Bobby Fish, Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, Powerhouse Hobbs, Rey Fenix, Andrade El Idolo and Wheeler Yuta.

Takeshita entered the annual Casino Battle Royal where the winner would face Jon Moxley later in the night. It was all part of a long, sudden journey to crown an Interim AEW World Champion thanks to CM Punk unexpectedly going out of action with injury. Takeshita entered the match in the middle of the pack but was thrown out by both Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs. That left Takeshita tweeting about if he should find some new friends for backup should a similar situation ever repeats itself.


WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022
The State Room, South San Francisco, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mike Bailey with the German Suplex (17:50).

Well he got to reunite with one of his friends a couple of days later. The long awaited rematch with Mike Bailey delivered and then some. What are you doing reading this when you can watch it up at the top of the post above?


AEW “DARK”, 11/06/2022 (Aired 19/07/2022)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Anthony Henry with the Jumping Knee Strike (7:48).

Back to the weirdness of the tapings. Takeshita’s match against Anthony Henry hasn’t aired yet. AEW now tapes month’s worth of Dark matches in Universal Studios a couple times a year. Details results of the tapings aren’t common so for the moment we just know who won. I’ll come back to edit this post when the match does air.


ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Ryan Davidson defeated Shota with the Davidson Driver (?:??).

Hey Ganbare☆Pro can join in on the fun now. Shota finally got to travel to America after his original plans to do so went kaput two years ago because of the pandemic. He went over to Texas to perform on a Reality Of Wrestling show. That is the promotion run by none other than Booker T. Shota took on Ryan Davidson, an American wrestler who wrestled in both DDT and Ganpro back in 2018. Shota stayed in America for a few more days and went to an AEW event in St. Louis where he hung out with Takeshita and Michael Nakazawa backstage.


PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty with the Zahi (17:55).

Another very entertaining match worth watching. Lee Moriarty is such a good talent who can shine through your screen with his ring work. He’s a good opponent for Takeshita as you can see when you watch the video way up above.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 04/07/2022)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Hikaru Shida & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck when Shida pinned Reckless with the Falcon Arrow (2:53).

It was a surprise to everyone when both Yuka Sakazaki and Hikaru Shida showed up to wrestle as a tag team this past Wednesday. I didn’t realize Sakazaki had left Japan for her PWG booking and it wasn’t publicly known that Shida was returning to the US either. The match against Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck will air on Dark Elevation next Monday. Hopefully for Sakazaki’s sake they edit her entrance because she tripped and fell on the ramp while running out. She got revenge on the ramp after the match by stomping on it while leaving ringside.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 01/07/2022)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Royal Rampage: Brody King defeated Darby Allin by Ring Out (22:41).
Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, John Silver, Max Caster, Penta Oscuro & Rush, Matt Hardy, Frankie Kazarian, Dante Martin, Dustin Rhodes, Konosuke Takeshita, Orange Cassidy, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, Ricky Starks, Hangman Page, The Blade, The Butcher and Darby Allin.

Tonight’s episode of Rampage has Takeshita entering the first ever Royal Rampage match. It is reportedly a Royal Rumble match involving two wrestling rings and the last wrestlers left in each ring face off in the finale. Remember earlier when I said Takeshita wants to look for backup so he won’t get eliminated by a tag team? Well it happened again when The Butcher & The Blade worked together to throw him out of the ring.

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Upcoming Appearances


RCW “MIYUMAMI”, 02/07/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Alex Windsor

Yamashita is currently in Spain ready and waiting for this weekend’s show with RCW. Her opponent is an interesting choice. Alex Windsor has been on a roll in England lately for both Revolution Pro and Pro Wrestling: EVE. She will be coming to Japan one week later to challenge for the International Princess Title too. No bigger message to send TJPW than to beat their first ace before heading over.


PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Masha Slamovich
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita has had no luck chasing after AEW championships. The PWG World Title however is so close he should be able to taste it. The champion Daniel Garcia is beaten up from doing a Blood & Guts cage match. Sakazaki gets to be added to the short list of women to have wrestled for PWG. She can make Masha Slamovich 0 for 2 against TJPW talent.


JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Radrick

This is a match with more history than meets the eye. Takeshita and Cole Radrick have gotten along on Twitter for the last year, sharing gifs of them doing each other’s moves in matches. Does that mean when they finally meet they will play mind games by swapping movesets against each other?


DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 1”, 16/07/2022
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Davey Richards

Davey Richards has taken up the indie gatekeeper role ever since he returned to active competition. Takeshita getting an opponent as established as him in a promotion as energetic as DEFY should result in magic.


TERMINUS “TERMINUS 3”, 21/07/2022
Oasis Event Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Jonathan Gresham Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The hits keep on coming! Takeshita should expect a change of pace here because TERMINUS uses an alternate ruleset that encourages more grappling and less theatrics. Jonathan Gresham flies the flag for that style (often literally) and has been pretty much unbeatable since becoming the ROH World Champion. It would be a good idea for Takeshita to remember what he learned from wrestling Shinya Aoki and fight fire with fire.


PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022
Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kevin Blackwood

The next day Takeshita returns to Prestige for his second match in the promotion. Kevin Blackwood has been gaining notoriety in the indies this year and just last week got a big win over Takeshita’s buddy Mike Bailey.


GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander

Takeshita will also be holding a seminar for Garden State Pro on the day of the show.


BLACK LABEL PRO “THE GANG CROSSES THE LINE”, 29/07/2022
Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Wayne

A teenage prodigy being hailed as the future of pro wrestling with the world at his feet. Sounds familiar. Nick Wayne is sort of where Takeshita was a decade ago. The young phenomenon is becoming a must see wrestler on the indies and supposedly has an AEW contract waiting for him once he is eligible to sign it. One future will get to see the next future first hand.


SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hoshitango Vs Bital Hasdin
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Hoshitango’s opponent Bital Hasdin is being promoted as Thailand’s super rookie.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022
O2 Academy, Sheffield, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita heads over to England in August for a tour with PROGRESS, the company that wishes it was still 2019. His first show will be in Sheffield and then he will be in Newcastle the next day.


GCW “HOMECOMING PART 1”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

GCW is not ready for Maki Itoh.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022
Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita won’t be the only DDT talent PROGRESS gets to experience this year…


GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

I repeat, they are so not ready for her.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Chris Brookes is coming back to Europe and he’s bringing Masahiro Takanashi with him!


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Take it from me, wXw tournaments in Oberhausen make for great weekend breaks if you’re with other wrestling fans. They have done tag team tournaments every Autumn for years but the World Tag Team Festival branding is only a recent creation that got interrupted by the pandemic. CDK was one of the first teams announced to enter the annual tournament. They are joined by two familiar faces, the team of Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie!


MagiRabi Skydive, Super Hardcore Girls x Prominence, Unagi Takes A Bite Out Of Manase

June 30, 2022

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Jun Akiyama
4. Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Andrew “The Giant” Everett
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: X Vs X

Another prize is on the line in the main event. The King Of DDT winner will not just get the KO-D Openweight Title but also 1,000,000 from the match sponsor BLACK OUT.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Willow Nightingale
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

The Magical Sugar Rabbits went skydiving in Tochigi as part of their preparations for the Princess Tag Team Titles match. Mizuki said afterwards she now feels invincible. Yuka Sakazaki agreed and is certain they will successfully defend the titles at Ota Ward Gymnasium next month. Sakazaki is now currently in America, appearing at AEW last night and scheduled for PWG this weekend.

Mei Suruga & Suzume have decided on what to call their tag team. Their name is MeiBee Surprise!

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Ganpro Specialty 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo & YuuRI (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa)
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
7. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka

Nine years ago Ganbare☆Pro was created by Ken Ohka. Standing next to him was Yumehito Imanari, who wasn’t even a full fledged pro wrestler at the time. Now Imanari has become a strong wrestler and also a champion. Ohka knows his friend has already surpassed him but he really, really wants to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title. Imanari says neither of them make a living from pro wrestling alone but he does not feel guilty about it. This has been his way of life for a decade and he will put everything into it at Ota Ward. He also remembers their last singles match against each other 4 years ago. There was no winner then because of outside interference so he wants the result to be clear on 10th July.

Shuichiro Katsumura met face to face with Minoru Suzuki for the first time since their brawl earlier this month. Since then Katsumura changed his attitude over the match. At first he was excited to finally wrestle Suzuki but after meeting him he is now determined to beat him. He’s been studying Suzuki trying to find any weaknesses he can take advantage of. Suzuki accused Katsumura of holding onto past glories from his MMA career which makes him want to smash Katsumura to pieces! He also told Katsumura not to disappoint him.

The war of words between Yuna Manase and Sayaka Unagi took a bizarre turn during the press conference. Manase talked about having no regrets in her career that brought her from Stardom to Actwres girl’Z to Tokyo Joshi Pro to Ganpro. So she knows Unagi but is unsure if her behavior now is out of confidence or insecurity. However she will not underestimate her opponent because she wants to prove Ganpro is amazing. Unagi said her problem is when she lost the singles match against Manase in 2019 she lost to a woman who is in the late stages of her wrestling career. Unagi needs to get her win back so she can move on to working her way up in Stardom and collect all of their championships. The bizarre moment was when the two stood next to each other for the photo op. Unagi suddenly attacked Manase and bit her on the chest! Unagi told her she is sick of seeing Manase acting so kind hearted. She wants to see Manase fighting for her life and go crazy in the ring!

“SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS BOX OFFICE ~ SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS VS PROMINENCE”, 14/07/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Special Hardcore Match: Carousel❤️Shun Vs Suzu Suzuki

The grudge between Shunma Katsumata and Suzu Suzuki from Prominence isn’t over yet. Katsumata’s little idea of introducing Super Hardcore Girls to the feud has taken a life of its own. Now we’re getting a stand alone show pitting the two sides against each other! Carousel❤️Shun returns to the ring by taking on Suzuki in a Hardcore Match. Shun’s BFF Elizabeth❤️Toy is expected to return too while more members of Prominence are yet to be announced. Katsumata & Toi Kojima are selling tickets to the show on behalf of Super Hardcore Girls.

BASARA “ISAMI KODAKA 20TH ANNIVERSARY”, 18/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Raimu Imai
2. 3 Way Jacket Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Gouma Vs Shiori Asahi
3. Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Kengo Mashimo Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato
4. Daiki Shimomura, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Masahiro Takanashi
5. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Fuminori Abe, Takuya Nomura, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Daichi Hashimoto
6. Isami Kodaka Vs Yuko Miyamoto

Kosuke Sato is out of action for a month to recover from injury. Daichi Hashimoto takes his place in the Elimination Tag Match.


GANBARE☆PRO “KINDERGARTEN COP 2022” Results

June 29, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “KINDERGARTEN COP 2022”, 29/06/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
112 Fans

1. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Dotonbori Pro Wrestling: Kouki Iwasaki defeated Ryuya Matsufusa with a Texas Cloverleaf (10:15).
2. Ganpro Special Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE defeated Shuichiro Katsumura, Yuna Manase & YuuRI when Haruhi submitted YuuRI with the 19.5MHz (11:47).
3. Spirit World Drunkers Vs Dragon Beast Bombers: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Shigehiro Irie defeated Onryo & Tyson Maeguchi when Takaiwa pinned Maeguchi with the Death Valley Bomb (11:34).
4. Ishii-gun Vs Pro Wrestling BASARA: Keisuke Ishii & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura when Ishii pinned Shimomura with the Kneel Kick (16:52).
5. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes defeated Yumehito Imanari, Shota & Soma Takao when Ohka pinned Imanari with the Flame Spear (20:32).

The third and final preview match for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” saw Ken Ohka finally pick up a win against Yumehito Imanari. The same match also had CDK leave ROMANCE DAWN frazzled with their tag team moves. However Ohka credited himself for winning the match because he was able to beat such a strong opponent. He not only wants to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title but also make sure the biggest show in Ganbare☆Pro history will be a success. He gathered round the Ganpro roster after the show and gave a motivating speech promoting the Ota Ward Gymnasium show on 10th July.

Later backstage Ohka said in an interview he has caused unthinkable miracles throughout his life. He has wrestled Jushin Liger, won a tag team match against Hiroshi Tanahashi, very briefly became the KO-D Openweight Champion. Meanwhile Imanari has in the last couple of years won matches against Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa. On 10th July there will be another miracle no matter who wins the main event!

Another preview of Ota Ward had Keisuke Ishii on the winning team against Isami Kodaka. An attack from Ishii early in the match resulted in Kodaka getting his forehead busted open. Ishii pinned Daiki Shimomura to win the match but continued brawling with Kodaka after the match was over. Later Ishii talked about memories good and bad from his short time wrestling in Union Pro with Kodaka and Shuji Ishikawa. He expects to have a great match when he & Shigehiro Irie face Kodaka & Ishikawa. Kodaka promises to give it his all in the match despite also having another important match in BASARA that same day.

Some of the other Ganpro wrestlers are now ready and waiting for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” to begin. Yuna Manase wrestles to be happy and wants Sayaka Unagi to be honest with her in the ring when their match takes place. Shuichiro Katsumura is feeling in good condition from all of the matches he’s done lately and has confidence he can beat Minoru Suzuki. He is ready to fight him in any style whether it is brawling, ground work or trading submission holds. Moeka Haruhi sees how aggressive Mizuki Watase has become and promises to stand with him against Eruption. She will improve her skills and cherish every minute before then.


Matsuno’s Absence, Andrew Everett Debut, Akito’s Beloved Extreme Title

June 28, 2022

It was announced today that Gorgeous Matsuno is currently on a leave of absence from pro wrestling. His partner Junko Tashiro is under treatment for glomerulonephritis that has been rapidly developing since last January. She is scheduled to get a kidney transplant in August and Matsuno is the donor. Matsuno is staying away from wrestling for a while to prepare for the transplant along with the post-operation procedures. He was originally planning to hold his annual “GORGEOUS NIGHT” show with DDT on 19th September but that is now postponed. Matsuno said he is like a phoenix and will always come back to the wrestling ring. He promised the “GORGEOUS NIGHT” show will happen when he is ready to do it.

GANBARE☆PRO “KINDERGARTEN COP 2022”, 29/06/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Dotonbori Pro Wrestling: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Ryuya Matsufusa
2. Ganpro Special Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura, Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
3. Spirit World Drunkers Vs Dragon Beast Bombers: Onryo & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Shigehiro Irie
4. Ishii-gun Vs Pro Wrestling BASARA: Keisuke Ishii & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura
5. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Shota & Soma Takao Vs Ken Ohka, Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes

Tomorrow is Ganbare☆Pro’s go home show for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”!

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
1. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Jun Akiyama
3. Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Andrew “The Giant” Everett
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: X Vs X

It’s the DDT debut of Andrew “The Giant” Everett! The North Carolina native last wrestled in Japan in 2018 for NOAH. Since then Everett had a self-proclaimed transformation over the years. If you believe what he says, the high flyer grew in size from 175cm and 97kg to 223cm and 190.5kg! Everett says Japan has not seen a wrestler like him since Monster Roussimoff! He threatens to stomp over everyone who gets in his way, drop them with the Choke Slam and crush them with the Shooting Star Press!

There are a few small changes to the card after the situation where Akito left Pheromones. He will now be wrestling against them in the trios match by replacing Yukio Naya on the other team. Yumehito Imanari ensures Pheromones are still at full strength by taking Akito’s original spot. Naya gets bumped down to the dark match as a result but at least he is back teaming with familiar partners.

Tetsuya Endo will be at the show. It will be his first public appearance since he suffered the concussion at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. He will give the fans an update on his status during the show.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 16/07/2022
Aichi Nippon Gaishi Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium

1. DDT Extreme Title: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c) Vs Akito
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda

Whether he intended to or not, Akito is now seen as a betrayer by Pheromones. He stepped up to challenge Yuki Iino for the DDT Extreme Title because it is the most important championship to him in DDT. Danshoku Dieno refused because Pheromones will not allow themselves to fight each other. So Akito decided to ditch his new “Cochin” persona and leave the group so he could do the match as himself. The challenge was accepted but Pheromones turned on him over the decision and beat him into an embarrassing state. Akito can get his revenge by winning his beloved title in his home region.


Cheers, Paper Tape And Banners Allowed At Ota Ward Shows

June 28, 2022

This week it was announced that the “big match” events CyberFight are holding at Ota Ward Gymnasium this summer will be lifting several restrictions related to the covid pandemic. Fans attending “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” and “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” will be allowed to cheer while wearing masks, throw streamers into the ring and hang banners around the venue. The decision was made after CyberFight management held discussions with the venue in response to fan demand to lift the restrictions. Each show will still be set up for 50% capacity for social distancing and mask wearing will be mandatory. There is a chance the rules about cheering could change if new safety measures to prevent the spread of covid are announced before the shows take place.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Willow Nightingale
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Tokyo Joshi Pro GM Tetsuya Koda said there were a lot of opinions between the three promotions over what to do. He wanted all three to use the same rules so there would be no confusion between the shows over what is allowed or not. He also said the decision to use 50% capacity was done in accordance to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government guidelines over indoor events. Koda noted that several wrestlers like Moka Miyamoto, Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami, Juria Nagano and Yuki Arai all debuted during the pandemic and have never gotten cheers from fans or streamers thrown at them. Miu Watanabe said as a pro wrestling idol she gets a lot of strength from getting cheers.

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Ganpro Specialty 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo & YuuRI (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa)
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
7. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka

Naturally, Ken Ohka was the most excited and emotional over the news. On his own he is not strong but the cheers of the fans helps him become strong.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match: Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs X
2. International Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X
4. KO-D Openweight Title: KO-D Champion (c) Vs X

HARASHIMA is happy to find out cheers will return for DDT’s big show of the summer. He admits he didn’t know how to take in clap crowds at first but figured out how to listen to the audience’s hearts. When he hears cheering again he will become several times stronger. In response to this, Ohka said cheers will make himself a hundred or even a thousand times stronger!


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~FUKUOKA PERFORMANCE~” Results

June 26, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~FUKUOKA PERFORMANCE~”, 26/06/2022
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
270 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Moka Miyamoto defeated Kaya Toribami with the Rashomon (6:13).
2. One Spray OK Rule Match: Hyper Misao defeated Arisu Endo with the Hypami Returns (8:02).
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Suzume & Haruna Neko when Noa pinned Neko with the Blizzard Suplex (9:35).
4. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi defeated Yuki Kamifuku and Raku when Tatsumi pinned Taku with the Missile Hip (7:20).
5. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Miu Watanabe, Pom Harajuku & Yuki Arai when Sakazaki pinned Harajuku with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (13:13).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino when Yamashita pinned Aino with the Skull Kick (16:35).

121000000 were the hometown heroes in Fukuoka today. The last time Tokyo Joshi Pro were in the area was March 2019 so Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh were both at their most motivated to do their best. They linked up to hit their big High Kick/Headbutt Sandwich to both Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino. Yamashita then finished Aino off with the Skull Kick. Itoh told the fans they were able to win because of Fukuoka power. Yamashita now believes she & Itoh have no limits as a tag team. Backstage Itoh suggested the next time TJPW comes to Fukuoka, 121000000 should get a Princess Tag Team Titles match.

Speaking of the Tag Titles, The Magical Sugar Rabbits got a little preview match against one of their next challengers Yuki Arai. This was the second day in a row Yuka Sakazaki fought her. She praised Arai for showing guts and a competitive spirit this weekend. It makes Sakazaki wonder what the matches would have been like if Saki Akai was there too. Mizuki is determined to beat Reiwa no AA Cannon so she can go one step closer towards achieving her dream to defend the Tag Titles in outer space! Arai later revealed she has relatives living in Fukuoka and they got to see her wrestle.

Hyper Misao and Arisu Endo agreed to a rule change for their match. They were both allowed one spray attack each without penalty. Misao did it first but Endo returned the attack later in the match. A ref bump gave Misao an opportunity to spray Endo a second time. Endo kept fighting and escaped from the Chickenwing Face Lock but Misao ended up beating her anyway with the Hypami Returns.


DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN YOKOHAMA” Results

June 25, 2022

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 25/06/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall
190 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani when Naya pinned Okatani with the Back Drop (10:02).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao when Iino submitted Hirata after the Pheromones Chokoku-No-Mori (12:51).
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs The Iyasareru!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Medusa (13:18).
4. Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuya Koroku with the Harai Goshi (9:21).
5. BURNING Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Higuchi pinned Okada with the Brain Claw Slam (10:17).
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Shinya Aoki defeated Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) when Kojima submitted Toba with the Modified Triangle Choke (19:38).
*Legend-gun fails in V2. The 37KAMIINA & Shinya Aoki become the 8th KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions!

The allied forces of Shinya Aoki & The 37KAMIINA have defeated Legend-gun to becomes the new KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions! It was a big day for Toi Kojima most of all because he was the one to pick up the win. It was a close match all around but the final minutes came down to Kojima and Thanomsak Toba. Kojima had a recent bad experience with kickboxing at Korakuen Hall and things looked like it would be the same here. But Kojima knocked Toba to the mat and locked him into a Triangle Choke for the submission victory. Kojima said he was finally able to take the next step forward and win for The 37KAMIINA. He told Yuki Ueno to use this momentum for the King Of DDT final rounds next month.

Poison Sawada JULIE said he was caught off guard because nobody had ever used towels to counter his magic spells before. He doesn’t care about regaining the 10-Man Tag Titles. Instead he wants a singles match with his long time enemy Sanshiro Takagi! Some of the other members of Legend-gun were more positive over the experience. Takashi Sasaki accepts that their opponents represent the current era of DDT. He wants to get more of a taste of what current DDT is like. MIKAMI congratulates the new champions but if they ever act disgracefully he warns Legend-gun will come back to put them in their place!

King Of DDT semi finalists Kazusada Higuchi and Jun Akiyama faced off in a tag team bout. Higuchi came out on top although it was over Yusuke Okada instead of Akiyama. Higuchi said he knew he would win today. He will beat Akiyama again in the semi finals. He thinks he cannot afford to lose after Akiyama beat Yukio Sakaguchi in Round 1.

Naomi Yoshimura thanked Yuya Koroku for their match but said Koroku is not at the level to beat him yet. He is still too lukewarm. After eliminating HARASHIMA in Round 2, Yoshimura is absolutely confident he will go on to win King Of DDT and become the new KO-D Openweight Champion.

Daisuke Sasaki demanded The Iyasareru/CDK to cancel their challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles because he thinks Antonio Honda is too boring to qualify for a title shot. Sasaki later said the titles aren’t worth much to begin with but even then Honda does not deserve a shot. Honda defended himself and said he only lost today’s match because of a mistake. KANON made him submit to the Medusa, which is the new name of his Just Cobra Twist finisher. Honda promises the title match in Nagoya will be so great it will make everyone in the audience suffer nosebleeds from the excitement.

Before the Pheromones match began, Hisaya Imabayashi wanted to know if Yuki Iino has decided on his next challenger for the DDT Extreme Title. Instead Danshoku Dieno said they would use this match to determine a suitable candidate. After the match Dieno claimed there was nobody worthy of facing Iino for the belt. Suddenly Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki raised his hand and volunteered for the match! The rest of Pheromones were in disbelief and told him he cannot challenge another member while he is in the group. He decided he can then leave Pheromones challenge as just Akito because he loves the Extreme Title the most out of any championship in DDT. Iino accepted the deal and did a pinky swear with Akito before attacking him with the rest of Pheromones joining in. They stripped Akito of his gear and left him beaten in the ring. The title match will happen in Nagoya on 16th July. Backstage Akito said he doesn’t care about Pheromones anymore and instead wants the Extreme Title back to express the pro wrestling that he wants to do.

The mystery foreign wrestler entering DDT next month is Andrew “The Giant” Everett! He is the 175cm tall (although he claims he is 223cm tall) high flying giant of the American indies. He will team with Chris Brookes on 3rd July and will also wrestle on the 7th. Everett was scouted by Konosuke Takeshita recently and received his full endorsement. That is what brings him over to DDT.