GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2022”, 03/05/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 380 Fans
1. Punch Drunker Vs Nobleman Of The Spirit World: Onryo defeated Tyson Maeguchi with a Cradle (9:30).
2. Ganpro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: HARUKAZE & Tsuyoshi Okada defeated Yuu Yamagata & Shinichiro Tominaga when Okada submitted Tominaga with a Cross Armbreaker (6:40).
3. Nippon Ganbare Union Vs VENYU Full-Scale Battle: Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka defeated Yuna Manase & YuuRI when Kamifuku pinned YuuRI with the Famouser (11:30).
4. Ganpro’s Famous 3 Way Battle! ROMANCE DAWN Vs ChocoPro Vs BASARA: Shota & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda and Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano when Shota pinned Honda with the Gannosuke Clutch (14:43).
5. Ganpro Special Single Match ~A Better Tomorrow~: Ken Ohka defeated Muscle Sakai with 3 Flame Spears in a row (11:09).
6. LOVE PHANTOM 2022 ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase when Ishii pinned Watase with the Kneel Kick (21:56).
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) with a Lariat (17:20). *Tatsuhito Takaiwa fails in V4. Yumehito Imanari becomes the 2nd Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Champion!
The Imanari Revolution that began four years ago has reached its climax. Yumehito Imanari is the new Spirit Of Ganbare Champion! The first champion Tatsuhito Takaiwa looked to be unbeatable especially when he used the Death Valley Bomb to put away all challengers. But today Imanari withstood the move, forcing the champion to hit an Avalanche version and tiring him out in the process. The two got into a Lariat duel until Imanari gave Takaiwa a taste of his own medicine by using his own finisher on him! Takaiwa kicked out at two but was finally down for the count after Imanari hit him with one more Lariat.
Imanari thanked Takaiwa for coming to Ganbare☆Pro and increasing the value of the title by being its first champion. Imanari defeated him today but the respect he has for him remains the same. Takaiwa told Imanari to polish the belt and make it even more valuable. He also gave out words of encouragement for the injured Shinjiro Otani. When he left, Ken Ohka came out and challenged Imanari for a title shot at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 10th July. Imanari accepted because if it wasn’t for Ohka and Ganpro, he would not be in this position today.
The pure-blooded tag team match showdown between Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki against Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase was a hard fought battle. Watase was taken to his limit by Ishii. It took two Tiger Suplexes and the Kneel Kick to finally put him away. Katsumura wants it to be known that these four all represent Ganpro and it is up to them to make Ganpro more exciting. He also welcomes adding more wrestlers to the promotion. He said this in response to the big appearance after the match.
Former All Japan wrestler Naoya Nomura entered the ring after the tag match. He called it an exciting match, one that makes him want to be involved with them. So on 14th May when Ganpro goes to Chiba he wants to wrestle a match there! Nomura is currently involved with a promotion called Capture International where he and Watase formed a team called REAL BLOOD. He asked Watase if they should bring REAL BLOOD to Ganpro!
Ken Ohka’s journey back to the top of the mountain he created led him to an emotional match with his close friend Muscle Sakai. Their match featured voices coming from their hearts, interrupting the action to tell the audience what their friendship meant to them. It also revealed their true motives. Sakai wants to beat Ohka while Ohka never wants to lose! In the end Ohka had to hit Sakai with the Fire Spear three times before he finally won. Ohka declared his challenge for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title afterwards and spoke of his joy over getting to wrestle Sakai again. Sakai spoke of discovering something thanks to this match. He found out he does his best when his opponent is trying to kill him!
The 3 Way Tag match ended with ROMANCE DAWN getting their hands raised. Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda almost had Takumi Tsukamoto beaten but Yasu Urano made the save. Honda then got into an exchange with Shota. He started winding up for a big Bionic Elbow when Shota suddenly rolled him over with the Gannosuke Clutch to score the three count. Shota said he’s been teaming with Soma Takao for half a year now and they’re getting good responses. It makes him enthusiastic to fight the best tag teams out there so he wants ROMANCE DAWN to take on CDK at Ota Ward Gym! Masahiro Takanashi questioned if Shota only wants it to be a “Special Tag Match” and not for any of their tag team championships. But he accepted the challenge to a match on 10th July.
The friendship between Yuna Manase and Yuki Kamifuku was briefly put aside when Nippon Ganbare Union took on VENYU. The heavy hits came from Manase and Asuka while YuuRI stepped up to give Kamifuku some trouble. Asuka wiped out Manase with an Asai Moonsault. YuuRI’s momentum of nearfalls got cut down when Kamifuku gave her the Famouser. The win for VENYU was a natural result according to Asuka. Manase and Kamifuku though put aside their problems and shook hands after the match.
A mixed tag match reunited HARUKAZE with Yuu Yamagata, although they were on opposite sides here. The result was determined by the men though when Tsuyoshi Okada made Shinichiro Tominaga submit to a Cross Armbreaker.
No matter how much Tyson Maeguchi is learning about pro wrestling, nothing could have prepared him for Onryo. Plenty of dusty ectoplasm flew around and covered Maeguchi inside, outside and even underneath the ring. A referee distraction caused Maeguchi to get blinded with more powder so Onryo could roll him up for the three count.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND 2022 ~SPREAD THE WINGS OF YOUR DREAMS~”, 03/05/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 695 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) defeated Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta when Mizuki pinned Noa with the Cutie Special (13:53). *V4 for The Magical Sugar Rabbits.
2. Reika Saiki Retirement – Exhibition Match: Reika Saiki Vs Arisu Endo ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Kiryu submitted Toribami with a Crab Hold (10:09).
4. Suzume defeated Juria Nagano with the Ring A Bell (5:46).
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai defeated Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Arai pinned Harajuku with the Finally (13:41).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto when Yamashita pinned Miyamoto with the Skull Kick (15:02).
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Hyper Misao with the Diving Senton (14:29). *V2 for Shoko Nakajima.
No time to rest just because the Golden Week show is over because “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” is coming up on the horizon. Shoko Nakajima defeated her partner in crime (figure of speech) Hyper Misao for her second defence of the Princess Of Princess Title. Misao wanted to prove she would fight fair to the best of her ability and placed down all of her hidden sprays before the match. She didn’t cheat but her plan was to find a way to beat Nakajima as quickly as possible. Nakajima’s gameplan was to target Misao’s arm and it paid off when Misao couldn’t use the Vanitas late in the match. Nakajima saw her moment to strike and dropped Misao with a Double Arm DDT before pinning her with the Diving Senton.
Nakajima told Misao she is amazing because she can do anything. Misao sees Nakajima as the main character but Nakajima thinks that does not mean the second best wrestler can never become champion. Both of them felt each other’s pain today and Kyoraku Kyomei will become an even better team because of it. Nakajima wants Misao to help her grab the box of toys that is Tokyo Joshi Pro and turn it upside down together. Next for the champion is to defend the belt at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” in Saitama Super Arena on 12th June. The previous women who held the Princess Title have all been great champions and Nakajima wants to surpass them all!
Hikaru Shida got to experience both sides of 121000000 for her return to TJPW. Maki Itoh attempted to hit Shida in the head with a microphone like she did in AEW a year ago. But this time Shida grabbed the mic off her and whacked her over the head with it. Itoh’s big head no sold it. A new experience for Shida was getting to fight Miyu Yamashita and they two went at it. Moka Miyamoto benefitted with her own actions in the match. Her rush of attacks had Yamashita on the defensive until she stopped her momentum with a Front Kick. The end then came when Yamashita hit the Skull Kick for the win. Yamashita has expressed interest in a singles match with Shida. The two of them also praised Miyamoto for exceeding their expectations. Itoh however found the match to be a frustrating experience. She wants to go back to America so she can get stronger!
One year into her career Yuki Arai is still shining bright. Miu Watanabe was her tag partner in her debut so it was only fitting she was by her side again along with Rika Tatsumi bringing up the rear. The three of them all put Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku in separate submission holds. Harajuku changed course and almost had Arai beat with the Pom de Justice but it was broken it up. They cleaned out the ring so Arai could pin Harajuku with the Finally Axe Kick. She is happy to show everyone how much she has grown in one year. Tatsumi joked that Arai will overtake her someday but she isn’t going to lose to her.
Juria Nagano’s third pro wrestling match pitted her against Suzume. Her standing strikes are something to fear but her weakness continues to be what happens when she is taken to the ground. Suzume got to work on some submission holds this way and cut off Nagano’s comeback with a Facebuster before winning with the Ring A Bell. Suzume credited her recent singles match with Yamashita as a sign she can overwhelm lesser experienced opponents. Nagano said she wants fight more like a pro wrestler in her next match without relying on Karate. She would like to participate in TJPW more often but she has patients to protect as a nurse so she can only wrestle once a month for the time being.
Match #3 had an unexpected guest at ringside. Yuna Manase appeared before the match to promote the Ganbare☆Pro show taking place later in the evening. She stayed to watch the Toyo University Tag defeat Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami. The finish came when Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu gave Toribami a Big Boot/Spinebuster combo. Kiryu then turned her over into a Crab Hold to make her submit. Kiryu exchanged some words with Manase by the commentary table after the match. The two will be facing each other in a singles match on 5th May.
Almost three years ago Reika Saiki’s pro wrestling career got sidelined when she got a broken jaw. Although she recovered, her return to the ring never came and she eventually made the decision to retire both from pro wrestling and bodybuilding. She chose Tokyo Joshi Pro to host her retirement ceremony, although there was a shoutout to her other home promotion when she wore a wristband with the WRESTLE-1 logo on it. The retirement match was only a three minute exhibition bout against Arisu Endo, a fellow member of the Cheer♡1 idol group they both came from. The match ended in a draw but it was Endo who had the upper hand in the final seconds when she applied a Camel Clutch and Saiki struggled to reach the ropes.
The ceremony had Saiki receive gifts from the roster (news reports also said Saori Anou was there to congratulate her backstage). She said it’s been two years and eight months since she last wrestled and her time here was too short. She loves pro wrestling and was happy to remember what it is like to be a wrestler for three more minutes. The Arisu Endo she briefly fought today isn’t the same person she knew from Cheer♡1 but she has turned into a good wrestler. Saiki’s wrestling career only lasted 3 and a half years and most of it was in TJPW. She will continue to love TJPW for that reason.
A sudden change in travel schedules for Yuka Sakazaki moved the Princess Tag Team Titles match to the opening spot on the show. Free WiFi relied on their plan to remove the turnbuckle pad because it’s been working for them so far. Both Mizuki and Yuka Sakazaki ended up feeling the exposed metal of the corner because of it. However The Magical Sugar Rabbits turned things around to defend the titles. Sakazaki took care of Nao Kakuta with the Magical Merry-Go-Round and after that Mizuki pinned Hikari Noa with the Cutie Special. Sakazaki was relieved with the win because it means she can go to the United States with confidence. She also admitted she could finally sense a little bit Free WiFi’s good receptions. Kakuta called the result a complete defeat but promised her team with Noa is just getting started.
DDT “AUDIENCE 2022 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 06/05/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. Children’s Day Special! DDTeeeen!! Challenge Match I: Yuki Ueno Vs Ilusion
4. Children’s Day Special! DDTeeeen!! Challenge Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs El Unicorn
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Akito, Hikaru Machida & Thanomsak Toba
7. CDK Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
KANON is the mystery man for DAMNATION T.A with a new look to boot. He’s on their team for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament.
The day after Children’s Day sees the two wrestlers from DDTeeeen!! in big singles matches. El Unicorn faces Tetsuya Endo one on one while Ilusion has to take on Yuki Ueno.
DDT “AUDIENCE 2022 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA”, 15/05/2022 Hiroshima Industrial Hall East Exhibition Hall
1. Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. 4 Way Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Rey Paloma Vs Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Toui Kojima Vs Hiroshi Yamato & Kenshin Chikano
6. Hiroshima Specialty Special Single Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yuki Ueno
7. BURNING Vs Eruption!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
The hometown hero Danshoku Dieno gets a special single match against Yuki Ueno.
DDT “AUDIENCE 2022”, 22/05/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya, Ilusion & El Unicorn
2. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence Full-Scale Battle ~ Special Hardcore Match: Carousel❤️Shun & Elizabeth❤️Toy Vs Suzu Suzuki & Akane Fujita
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs MAO & Asuka
A double championship conflict is forming between MAO and CDK. MAO is teaming up with Asuka to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. However it was only granted when Masahiro Takanashi got a DDT Universal Title shot in return. MAO originally considered Toui Kojima to be his partner to keep his plans within The 37KAMIINA. But he sees a lot of momentum coming out of the pairing between himself and Asuka. If he wants to get proper results he understands he should not ignore that momentum. If they can win the KO-D Tag Titles then that means three people from Miyagi will be champions in DDT (Tetsuya Endo would be the third)!
Prominence are chasing after Shunma Katsumata to get revenge for him eliminating Suzu Suzuki from the King Of Street Tournament. Katsumata wants nothing to do with them and refused to give her any rematch. However Katsumata’s relative Carousel❤️Shun has suddenly appeared wanting to fight Suzuki in his place. She claims she has spent the entire pandemic wrestling in America. She also has a friend named Elizabeth❤️Toy who is allegedly Toui Kojima’s relative. Kojima denies this, sees through “Shun’s” plan and wants nothing to do with it. Too bad for him though because the Super Hardcore Girls Shun & Toy are going to fight Suzuki & Akane Fujita in a Hardcore Tag Match!
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 29/05/2022 Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall
1. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
The previous plan for Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi to form an all women tag team is put on hold so they can have one more match against each other. Yukihi cannot help but think what would happen if they had a rematch of their bout at Sumo Hall so she convinced Akai to go ahead with it. Akai is adamant however this will be the only rematch.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022”, 01/06/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Extreme Title: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c) Vs AKIRA
2. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
There have been times in recent years when Takanashi has been away from DDT. That means he has not wrestled MAO as much as he would have liked. When he returned, Takanashi was worried he was falling out of love with DDT. But thanks to CDK he is having more fun here than ever before! He hopes the Universal Title match will make people think DDT is good.
The DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi won his feud with Pheromones but before he considers the matter closed there is one more thing involving them he wants to do. He would like to see AKIRA become a champion one more time so AKIRA is going to fight Yuki Iino for the DDT Extreme Title!
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs X
Right now this is the next confirmed date for a KO-D Openweight Title defence. Tetsuya Endo has not heard anything about what he is doing at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” yet. He prefers his next challenger to be someone who can confidently say they can represent DDT. However he will defend the title against anyone if he has to even if it’s against a NOAH wrestler at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL”. He has been reserved over making comments about other companies on purpose for that reason. If a challenger shows up he will give them the title match, simple as that.
Dick Togo will return to DDT for the first time since May 2019. The way he is being promoted sounds like it is not the House Of Torture version of him either.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND 2022 ~SPREAD THE WINGS OF YOUR DREAMS~”, 03/05/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
2. Exhibition Match: Reika Saiki Vs Arisu Endo
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
4. Suzume Vs Juria Nagano
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Hyper Misao
The Princess Tag Team Titles match has been moved to the opening spot of the card. Yuka Sakazaki is pretty much leaving Japan for trip to America as soon as her match is done. As I write this post, AEW has not advertised her for any of their shows yet. Their much maligned habit of only booking one women’s match per TV show suggests she may not be on Dynamite or Rampage this week because both episodes are already advertising a women’s match each. It all depends on how long she will be in America for because flying her over on short notice just for an appearance on Dark or Elevation will be weird. It’s not like Hikaru Shida is going back with her either because she has a full schedule in Japan all week this week.
GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2022”, 03/05/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Punch Drunker Vs Nobleman Of The Spirit World: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Onryo
2. Ganpro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Yuu Yamagata & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs HARUKAZE & Tsuyoshi Okada
3. Nippon Ganbare Union Vs VENYU Full-Scale Battle: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. Ganpro’s Famous 3 Way Battle! ROMANCE DAWN Vs ChocoPro Vs BASARA: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano
5. Ganpro Special Single Match ~A Better Tomorrow~: Ken Ohka Vs Muscle Sakai
6. LOVE PHANTOM 2022 ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Yumehito Imanari
1. GanJo Super Fight In Chiba: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Ann Cham
2. Yuna Manase Triumphant Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Kaji Tomato & Yuna Manase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Ayame Sasamura
The Ganbare☆Joshi division gets another visit from Ann Cham. Also Moeka Haruhi is expected to be back from illness to take part in the match.
“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”, 12/06/2022 Saitama Super Arena
1. NOAH Vs DDT Battle ~ Special Single Match: Kenoh Vs Daisuke Sasaki
2. GHC Heavyweight Title: Go Shiozaki (c) Vs Satoshi Kojima
The NOAH side of CyberFight announced their headline match for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. The GHC Heavyweight Title will be on the line when the new champion Go Shiozaki defends against… Satoshi Kojima from New Japan? Kojima’s surprise appearance in NOAH over the weekend had some fans talking about him potentially jumping ship. His presence here is a little bit similar to Jun Akiyama working with DDT while still under contract to All Japan. The two companies made a deal at the time allowing Akiyama to work with DDT but he ended up staying there until his contract with All Japan ended. Then a few weeks later Akiyama was all clear to sign with DDT. Maybe something similar is happening here because at the moment Kojima is reportedly still under contract to New Japan. He is being coy over it. He wore a NOAH shirt for his appearance and made vague comments on social media about why he is doing this now. The other big story driving this match is Kojima’s attempt to achieve a grand slam of wrestling championships with him already being a former IWGP, NWA and Triple Crown Champion.
Kenoh crashed the party at “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022” yesterday, complaining about DDT like he usually does whenever he has to show up here. He wanted another fight with Sanshiro Takagi but instead drew the attention of Daisuke Sasaki. The challenge for this one is if Kenoh is looking to fight the best wrestler in DDT then Sasaki is standing right here. Kenoh is disgusted to see Sasaki of all people stand up for DDT so the match between them is going ahead.
NOAH announced that Rob Van Dam will be on the show. Look I can’t complain here and act like DDT is above this. Remember when they booked Sabu back in 2018?
DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022 Yokohama Budokan 835 Fans
0. Dark Match: KANON defeated Yuya Koroku with the Just Cobra Twist (7:22).
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida when Yoshimura pinned Ishida with a Harai Goshi (9:33).
1. Shinya Aoki defeated Toui Kojima with a Leg Lock (5:04).
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi when JULIE submitted Hirata with the Cattle Mutilation (8:45). *V1 for Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba.
3. Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata defeated Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani with the Totonou Splash (10:28).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari when Imabayashi pinned Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (16:55).
5. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao when Sasaki submitted Takao with the Crossface Lock (10:43).
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato when Higuchi pinned HARASHIMA with the Brain Claw (14:25).
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Asuka with the Cannonball 450° (13:56). *V2 for MAO.
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Kitai Jisho Group K.O. GYM Presents: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Takanashi pinned Okada with a Cradle (21:09). *V2 for CDK.
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated Yuki Ueno with the Burning Star Press (31:17). *V1 for Tetsuya Endo.
Golden Week continued with DDT’s big offering for the holidays held inside Yokohama Budokan. It was Yuki Ueno’s chance to take the top spot and be the one to lead DDT into a new direction. Tetsuya Endo though just claimed the headline role for himself and isn’t going to be giving it up anytime soon. Some vital rope breaks kept the match alive for Endo after Ueno had him beaten, first with the WR and then with a Sleeper Hold. Ueno attempted to set up his Wrist Clutch variation the WR Unlimited but Endo blocked the move. Instead Endo launched the comeback hitting an Exploder Suplex, a Modified One-Winged Angel and then the Burning Star Press to put his opponent away. While Ueno was carried out of the ring by his teammates, Endo said he will deal with him again when Ueno learns how to turn today’s regrets into having fun with his beliefs. Kenta Kobashi then entered the ring to present the KO-D Openweight Title to Endo.
With the KO-D Title successfully defended inside a new venue, Endo said today he engraved his name on a new page of DDT history. He believes the company has potential can grow bigger from here and he is the only one who can make that happen. However he does admit that he cannot achieve this by himself. He made a decision not to choose his next challenger. He does not care who it will be as long as they have confidence and he thinks they are a suitable representative for DDT. Sanshiro Takagi praised the main event and wonders if the sight of young wrestlers doing their best can get the audience emotionally drawn into their matches. He also likes Yokohama Budokan as a venue and hopes to continue running shows there.
Nobody can stop CDK from using the referee as a weapon when they want to! They were able to physically manipulate Yukinori Matsui into Power Bombing Yusuke Okada for an unfair advantage. Jun Akiyama, who has been the strongest critic of this kind of dirty tactics, was quick to respond by giving Chris Brookes the Exploder Suplex. Okada took over from there focusing his attacks on Masahiro Takanashi. But victory slipped out of his fingers when Takanashi countered the Sudden Death into an Inside Cradle for a flash three count. Later backstage Brookes said he respects Akiyama but will not change his wrestling style for him, because his style is the DDT style.
CDK’s future plans were set in stone afterward when MAO & Asuka entered the ring. The two of them decided to team up and challenge CDK for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Takanashi told MAO he will accept the challenge but only if MAO agrees to give him a DDT Universal Title shot. Asuka interrupted MAO and accepted the deal on his behalf. The KO-D Tag Title match will take place on 22nd May and the DDT Universal Title match will happen on 1st June.
MAO and Asuka had just finished fighting each other for the Universal Title before their reappearance later in the show. Even though MAO previously refused Asuka’s request to do a Hardcore Match, he still pulled out a plastic box to use as a weapon. Asuka ended up Choke Slamming him through the box. MAO got the upper hand and almost won with the Michinoku Driver II, a move Asuka had previously pinned him with. That didn’t work here but MAO did get the win once he hit the Cannonball 450°. The two shook hands after the match, setting up their return for later. MAO said he wants to defend the Universal Title against a wide range of different challengers and unknown foreigners.
Hikaru Sato returned to DDT and Yukio Sakaguchi was right there waiting for him. Their early exchanges had them giving each other Snapmares followed by a Football Kick to the back. HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi carried the second half of the match. Higuchi countered the Somato with a Power Bomb. HARASHIMA tried to block the Brain Claw Slam but Higuchi persisted and used the Brain Claw to pin his rival for the three count. Sakaguchi said the match felt like he went back in time to nine years ago. Higuchi has confidence to become more aggressive because there were three former KO-D Champions involved but he was the one who got the win.
After weeks of teases and threats of betrayal, it was time for DAMNATION T.A to reveal their newest member. It’s KANON! In the time between his dark match and the DAMNATION T.A match, KANON dyed his hair and changed into a new costume to fit in with his new alignment. The injured Minoru Fujita was also at ringside grabbing Yukio Naya’s leg to give his team the advantage. The other side still had Yuji Hino though so it was still a tough match. Daisuke Sasaki had to distract the referee so KANON could hit Soma Takao with a chair. Sasaki then applied the Crossface Lock on Takao to make him submit. He later said KANON is not in DDT to play games. DAMNATION T.A wants to reach the top in the shortest possible time which is why they recruited KANON. Then when Fujita is cleared to wrestle again their momentum will be unstoppable!
Everyone got a big surprise after that match was over and the ring emptied. Kenoh from NOAH walked out! He got on the microphone and said DDT fans have been watching fake wrestlers but now a real wrestler has arrived. He called DDT an arts and crafts show filled with a pampered roster of people. He blames Sanshiro Takagi for this and demands he leave the pro wrestling business! But first he wants to fight Takagi at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” on 12th June. Suddenly Sasaki got back into the ring and faced off with Kenoh. He said if Kenoh wants a match then he should fight the best wrestler in DDT instead of a third rate wrestler like Takagi. Kenoh said Takagi is not even a fifth rate wrestler. He also thought Sasaki was the only sane person in DDT but it is clear he isn’t if he is standing up for them. Kenoh accepted Sasaki’s challenge for a singles match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.
Hisaya Imabayashi was put into the fight of his life. His feud with Pheromones reached its climax right here with his children in attendance to see it. The skill gap was still gigantic but the DDT GM fought to his limit while AKIRA and Muscle Sakai did their best to keep their team in the match. Pheromones were up to their usual tricks like Yumehito Imanari spraying his opponents with a fire extinguisher in a lewd manner. Danshoku Dieno put Imabayashi in a Knee Cross that looked to be the finish until Imabayashi’s kids approached ringside cheering for their dad to keep fighting until he reached the ropes. Dieno lifted him up to do a Danshoku Driver in front of the children but AKIRA cut him off and Imabayashi rolled Dieno over into a Jackknife Pin for the upset victory!
Imabayashi thanked his two sons for their help and then told Pheromones this was the end of their conflict. However he has one request. He would like to see AKIRA hold a championship again so he wants him to challenge Yuki Iino for the DDT Extreme Title! AKIRA is happy to take that request and agreed with Iino to have the match on 1st June.
In mixed tag action Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata beat the Eruption duo of Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani. The match briefly brought back the rivalry between Akai and Yukihi since they have been on good terms since their match at “JUDGEMENT 2022”. Yukihi politely interrupted Akai’s post match interview backstage. The match they just had made Yukihi wonder what will happen if they have another singles bout against each other. Akai thought she wanted them to form the only two woman tag team in DDT but Yukihi convinced her to have one more singles match before they do that.
There was another big story coming out of that tag match. Prominence came out after the match and attacked Katsumata! Suzu Suzuki wants to get revenge for him beating her in the King Of Street Wrestling. Every day since then she has only gotten angrier at Katsumata because she lost to him. She will never forgive him until they have a rematch. Katsumata said he already beat Suzuki so he will never fight her again!
The DDT Legend team hold on to the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. Their first title defence was against a collection of undercard DDT wrestlers along with special guest and former champion Yoshiaki Yatsu. There was a moment when Kazuki Hirata almost overpowered Poison Sawada JULIE with his own magic power. JULIE stopped him and made him give up to the Cattle Mutilation. Now DDT has a scheduling problem with the reigning champions. Takashi Sasaki said he doesn’t feel like coming back to DDT unless they bring in big competition. His logic is if the complete team (including Naomi Susan) cannot get together for a title defence then they will be champions forever! However MIKAMI said he can adjust his schedule for future title defences. GENTARO is the same because he’s happy to get the work.
Toui Kojima tried using the Triangle Choke to beat Shinya Aoki but didn’t have the experience to make it work. Aoki stayed patience and found his spot to put Kojima in a Leg Lock, making the young wrestler tap. Backstage Aoki asked if Kojima wants DDT to become the No. 1 wrestling company. Kojima said he does so he can become stronger. Aoki joked they will have to beat the competition one by one so their first target is Stardom.
There were two dark matches before the show. The heavyweight team of Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura were victorious against Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida. Owashi and Honda teased kissing each other. Yoshimura used the Harai Goshi throw from Judo to pin Ishida.
KANON’s earlier appearance with his previous look was when he won against Yuya Koroku. KANON talked about Koroku potentially becoming a rival. As a hint of what was to come later, KANON said he would never have left JTO if he was just going to stop at this level. He told the fans to keep an eye on him.
It was announced that Dick Togo will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND 2022 ~SPREAD THE WINGS OF YOUR DREAMS~”, 03/05/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Exhibition Match: Reika Saiki Vs Arisu Endo
2. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Suzume Vs Julia Nagano
4. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Hyper Misao
The contracts for the two title matches were signed at the beginning of today’s show. Shoko Nakajima was coming in with tremendous confidence after wrestling in England this past week but Hyper Misao would later put a damper on her with today’s result. Misao does not know what the qualifications of a champion are other that they believe in themselves. She’s been believing in herself lately so maybe that is proof Hyper Misao is ready to become the Princess Of Princess Champion. Misao also said Nakajima’s strength is having “hero power” like a shonen manga protagonist. No matter how much adversity she faces, she turns it into power to fight back. Nakajima though admits her weakness is leaving her guard down so she has to be careful if Misao pulls out any tricks.
Free WiFi claim they have a lot of respect for The Magical Sugar Rabbits because they are the dominant tag team in Tokyo Joshi Pro. This will be the third time Hikari Noa is challenging for the Princess Tag Team Titles. She thinks she has to win it here because it took her three tries to win the International Princess Title. Her tag partner Nao Kakuta admits Free WiFi have not teamed for very long but they will still fight to become TJPW’s top tag team. Mizuki called them out for behaving like good girls here when in the ring they are not good girls at all. Yuka Sakazaki does not think the challengers have a single advantage over them.
One more match for Reika Saiki as part of her retirement from pro wrestling and it is a special one. She is getting three minutes in the ring with Arisu Endo. Both women are former members of the Cheer♡1 idol group and they were cast under the same role in the unit. It was Saiki’s work as a wrestler that inspired Endo to become one herself so it is a dream come true for Endo to wrestle her right at the end of Saiki’s career.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GO DO IT”, 05/05/2022 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. Yuna Manase Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Miyu Yamashita & Miu Watanabe Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Kamifuku
3. Osaka Special 8-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo Vs Maki Itoh, Princess Of Princess Champion & Princess Tag Team Champions
TJPW announced that earlier this week AEW contacted them asking for Yuka Sakazaki to wrestle a match in America next week. After discussions over scheduling and travel, an agreement was made on short notice. Sakazaki will still be at the 3rd May show in Korakuen Hall but will not be part of their aftershow promotional event taking place later in the evening. She also will no longer be on the 5th May show in Osaka. Right now the date for her return is publicly unknown. May is a light schedule for TJPW. Their next show after the 5th is on the 15th and the only other one after that is on the 29th. So I say there’s no rush for her to get back to Japan immediately. The likely move is to put her in a qualification match for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and see where she goes from there. Or maybe she’s the one MJF hired to take down Wardlow, I dunno.
Yuna Manase returns to take on Mahiro Kiryu. The two were on opposite sides at Sumo Hall back in March for the TJPW Vs Ganbare☆Pro tag match.
The remaining card will not be decided on until after the 3rd May show takes place. If The Magical Sugar Rabbits are still the Princess Tag Team Champions going into Osaka then Sakazaki’s spot in the main event will be replaced by someone else.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR ’22”, 30/04/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall 155 Fans
1. Suzume defeated Kaya Toribami with the Ring A Bell (9:50).
2. Yuki Aino defeated Arisu Endo with the Full Nelson Of Love And Fire (8:48).
3. 3 Way Match: Raku defeated Rika Tatsumi and Haruna Neko when Raku pinned Neko with the Doctor Yellow (7:43).
4. Maki Itoh defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Itoh Punish (8:46).
5. Miyu Yamashita & Miu Watanabe defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Watanabe pinned Kiryu after the Kick de Bakoon! (12:56).
6. Hyper Misao, Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki when Misao pinned Nakajima with the Vanitas (11:20).
Hyper Misao pins Shoko Nakajima just three days before their Princess Of Princess Title match! She wanted to prove she can beat the champion fair and square so Misao placed all of her spray cans in the middle of the ring before the match began. Oddly enough, for once the shenanigans during the match did not come from Misao. Instead Free WiFi again removed a turnbuckle pad to use against The Magical Sugar Rabbits. This time however MagiRabi blocked the attack and used the turnbuckle against their challengers instead. The two tag teams cancelled each other out, leaving Misao to avoid the Northern Lights Suplex and then pin Nakajima with the Vanitas. Misao afterwards said she wants to win the Princess Title from Nakajima to prove she is the main character of Kyoraku Kyomei! Nakajima promised to react on 3rd May with her actions instead of with her attitude. Free WiFi also gave their statement that they will win the Princess Tag Team Titles and do so with a good reception.
Momoiro Sparkling used a new double team move to win their match. The Kick de Bakoon! starts with Miu Watanabe putting the victim in a Canadian Backbreaker and then Miyu Yamashita jumps off the top rope with a Diving Knee Drop on top of them.
DDT “JUST BEFORE YOKOHAMA BUDOKAN! ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN I-CANAL STREET”, 29/04/2022 Yokohama i-Canal Street ??? Fans
1. Falls Count Anywhere 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani and Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Katsumata pinned Ishida with a Diving Body Press from the Telephone Pole through Table (29:08).
A rainy afternoon in Yokohama’s i-Canal Street didn’t dampen the spirits of DDT. They went ahead with the latest street wrestling Falls Count Anywhere match and were motivated by having a crowd of people watching the action. Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida brought ladders with them while Eruption were armed with canes. Shunmao were the only ones not to walk into the match with any weapons. Some of the early exchanges were playful and all six wrestlers ended up forming a chain of Arm Wringers down the street.
Things broke down from there. Everyone kept bumping on the pavement. Ishida threw Shunma Katsumata into a pole. Kazusada Higuchi and Naya almost fought their way into a nearby shop and had to be stopped from going in there. Hideki Okatani kicked Katsumata down a stairway. MAO then gave his own tag partner a Back Body Drop onto everyone else. Then at the end of the street there were competing submission holds all held for the audience to take pictures of.
The fighting continued with MAO climbing up a nearby shop sign and Moonsaulting onto both Eruption wrestlers. Katsumata kept scooping up puddle water to splash over Ishida’s face. Higuchi tried to German Suplex Katsumata but it was blocked. What followed was each wrestler trying to pin each other in the rain with European Clutches. Naya went into a nearby shop and walked out wearing boxing gloves to punch everyone with! Ishida used his sumo ability to throw down anyone who was thrown into him. Okatani stopped him with cane shots.
MAO set up some chairs and tried to Cross-Arm Power Bomb Okatani onto them. Instead Okatani blocked it and slammed MAO onto the chairs with a Double Arm Suplex. Naya Body Slammed some cornermen onto the chairs and then Choke Slammed Okatani on top of them. He went for the pin but MAO broke it up with a Rolling Senton off of a chair. Shunmao set up a table and ladder. They put Ishida on the table and Katsumata climbed up a nearby phone pole. He jumped off and put Ishida through the table with a Diving Body Press for the three count! The wrestlers all got together at the end and thanked the crowd for watching.