TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’21” Results

January 4, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’21”, 04/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
683 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Arisu Endo Debut Match: Suzume defeated Arisu Endo with the Ring A Bell (6:39).
2. Yuna Manase & Moka Miyamoto defeated Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko when Manase pinned Harajuku with the Suzuki Dynamic (6:41).
3. New Year! Red And White Rope Match ~Rename In The Capsule Toy~: Hyper Misao (2) defeated Shoko Nakajima (1) when Misao grabbed the Capsule Toys (10:59).
4. Miu Watanabe, Nao Kakuta & Mirai Maiumi defeated Aja Kong, Mizuki & Raku when Watanabe pinned Raku with the Tear Drop (11:59).
5. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel defeated Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori when Saint-Michel submitted Shiori with the Saint-Michel (13:34).
6. Miyu Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh by Knockout with the Skull Kick (13:05).
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino (c) defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Tenma pinned Kiryu with the Killswitch (14:34).
*V1 for The Bakuretsu Sisters.
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi defeated Yuka Sakazaki (c) by Referee Stoppage with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (19:22).
*Yuka Sakazaki fails in V5. Rika Tatsumi becomes the 8th Princess Of Princess Champion!

The White Dragon seizes the white crown! Rika Tatsumi was the only active wrestler from year one of Tokyo Joshi Pro to have never won the Princess Of Princess Title. Today she finally became the champion by beating the dominant Yuka Sakazaki. The White Dragon Sleeper was countered into a Cradle nearfall that almost led to Tatsumi’s demise. But fortune was on her side when she rolled out of the way of the Magical Girl Niwatori Yaro. Sakazaki hurt her legs on the landing so Tatsumi used a series of Dragon Screws to set up a Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sakazaki tried to escape but ended up back in the hold and eventually fainted. Daisuke Kiso ruled the match in favour of Tatsumi, making her the new champion!

When Sakazaki recovered she shook Tatsumi’s hand and hugged her. Tatsumi got on the microphone and talked about all the times she challenged for the title and failed. There is a lot going on in the world but she hopes Tokyo Joshi can be a source of hope for everyone just like it is for her. She wants to defend the belt until the day she dies! Miu Watanabe congratulated her Daydream partner and then challenged her for the title. She grew so much from teaming with Tatsumi. This year she wants to surpass her. Tatsumi is happy that Watanabe is her first challenger and she wants the match to happen on the 11th February Korakuen Hall show. Backstage, Tatsumi repeated her goal to defend the belt until she dies. Except she can’t die because dragons are immortal. She’ll live for 100 years and even if she does end up retiring, it will be as the champion. Even then she will continue defending the belt for a century!

The Bakuretsu Sisters defeated Toyo University Tag in their first Princess Tag Team Titles defence. Yuki Aino blocked Yuki Kamifuku’s Fame Asser and held her up for Nodoka Tenma to complete the Bakuretsu Bulldog. Mahiro Kiryu tried to give Tenma the Spinebuster but it was blocked and turned into a Fall Away Slam. Tenma then hit the Killswitch for the pin. The champions were asked if it is more difficult defending the titles than it was winning them? Tenma wants to keep trying and find new ways to challenge herself. Aino said attacks are the best defence.

Coming up with a new move didn’t change a thing for Maki Itoh’s singles record against Miyu Yamashita. She locked in the Itoh Royal after countering the Crash Rabbit Heat but this time Yamashita kicked out of it. Itoh went for the Itoh Deluxe but Yamashita used Headbutts to avoid the move. Itoh Headbutted her back and got knocked down with a High Kick in return. Itoh gave Yamashita the middle finger when she stood back up so she got knocked out with the Skull Kick. Yamashita stuck out her fist to Itoh after the match. Everyone expected Itoh to stick out her middle finger again but she bumped fists instead. Yamashita said she doesn’t know what will happen this year but she would like to wrestle overseas as soon as possible if it is allowed.

To the surprise of no one, NEO Biishiki-gun continues to look down on their opponents. They had Sena Shiori beaten with the Tarte Tatin but Hikari Noa broke the pin. She tried to turn the match around until Sakisama got rid of her with an Apron PK. Mei Saint-Michel then trapped Shiori in the Saint-Michel submission hold to tap her out. Sakisama called today’s win a beautiful victory. Saint-Michel spoke about the Chinese zodiac and told her master this year is the year of the ox. Sakisama doesn’t care because the world is all about her. Saint-Michel then told her she found a restaurant that specializes in cow meat that they should try. It’s called Yoshinoya! Sakisama never heard of it but requested a reservation right away.

Raku convinced Aja Kong to join in the Goodnight Express. That’s the most important thing to know about this match. But give it up to their opponents, they all tried to step up to Kong. Watanabe attempted the Canadian Backbreaker but couldn’t get her up. Kong grabbed her metal can and hit both Watanabe & Nao Kakuta with it. Mirai Maiumi though blocked Kong’s attack and took her down with a Lariat. Mizuki got rid of Maiumi with a Diving Body Attack to the outside but no one was there to stop Watanabe pinning Raku with the Tear Drop.

One year ago, Shoko Nakajima beat Hyper Misao in a match where the loser had to change their name for one month. Revenge is sweet! In the rematch both women were supposed to be connected together with a red and white rope. That proved to be difficult so they tried to wrestle around it. 100 capsules were attached to the top ropes with 10 of them containing prizes. The first person to find two of the prizes will win. The fight degenerated into a ringside brawl, a tug of war, a kaiju toy fight and then just a scramble to find the capsule prizes. They kept finding empty capsule until they both got one a piece. Nakajima went for the 619 but Misao dodged it and tied up her opponent’s arms and legs with the rope. With Misao unable to move, Misao kept opening the remaining capsules until she finally found her second prize to win the match. Misao will announce Nakajima’s new name at the next show. Nakajima tried to protest the result because the rope kept breaking on them. The result stands. Nakajima hopes her new name will be something like Shin Shoko Nakajima instead of something ridiculous.

Yuna Manase stepped in to replace Marika Kobashi on short notice when Kobashi tested positive for the Coronavirus and was pulled from the show on New Year’s Day. Manase was able to take charge and win the match for her and Moka Miyamoto. After her time away, Manase did notice some growth from her opponents. She understands Pom Harajuku has come up with new ways to sneak her kicks on opponents. And Haruna Neko is on the offensive more than ever. Miyamoto was happy to be on the winning side at the start of the year. She will use this as motivation to win her first match by herself.

The debut match for Arisu Endo saw her put Suzume in a Camel Clutch. Suzume used the ropes to give Endo a Facebuster and then hit the Ring A Bell for the victory. Endo said she was nervous before the match but once she stood in the ring she enjoyed being there. She repeated her goal to become energetic and strong like Reika Saiki.


DDT “NEW YEAR’S DAY GIFT SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3,000 YEN SPECIAL BOX OFFICE!! 2021” Results

January 3, 2021

DDT “NEW YEAR’S DAY GIFT SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3,000 YEN SPECIAL BOX OFFICE!! 2021”, 03/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
713 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Keigo Nakamura defeated Hideki Okatani with a Cradle (7:42).
2. Antonio Honda 43rd Birthday & 16th Anniversary Debut Match: Antonio Honda defeated Choun-Shiryu with the Diving Fist Drop (9:14).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi defeated Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Toui Kojima when Sakaguchi pinned Kojima with the PK (9:37).
4. Mad Paulie, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Paulie pinned Watase with the Reverse Splash (12:19).
5. 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Shinya Aoki, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi when Aoki pinned Takagi with a Jackknife Pin (10:00).
6. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata, Shota & Keisuke Ishii when Ueno pinned Shota with the BME (14:34).
7. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes when Endo pinned Brookes with the Shooting Star Press (17:18).

The first DDT show of 2021 was almost entirely a surprise card. The audience only knew what the matches were once they were ready to begin. For the main event HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes joined forces to fight DAMNATION. While all of DAMNATION were at ringside, Daisuke Sasaki got directly involved by grabbing Brookes by the leg. Yuji Hino brought it to both HARASHIMA & Higuchi. Soma Takao overheard Higuchi insult CIMA which spurred him on to fight through the Brain Claw. Tetsuya Endo got the win in the end by hitting Brookes with Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and finally the Shooting Star Press. Endo looked over to Jun Akiyama at the commentary table while the pin was counted.

Shouting was heard over by the entrance after the match. It was Yuki Iino calling for Hino’s attention while the rest of ALL OUT tried to hold him back. Iino pushed his teammates back, entered the ring and demanded to face Hino in an arm wrestling contest on the canvas. Hino was confused but he accepted the challenge and won. Iino got mad over losing and had to be held back again while Konosuke Takeshita introduced him to Hino. He then explained that Iino’s return match from injury will be at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” on 14th February when ALL OUT takes on DAMNATION. He then suggested that Iino and Hino have a singles match at the next big event after that. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed to book Iino Vs Hino in Nagoya on 23rd February. ALL OUT dragged Iino away while Endo took the microphone and warned Akiyama that he is always ready. Endo closed out the show by saying this year he is aiming for more than just the Tokyo Sports MVP Award. He wants to make scandalous news stories with glamourous women in the tabloids too!

Another 8-Man Tag pitted the two new units that have unexpectedly taken over DDT in the last few months. All four members of the DDT Sauna Club came out first, followed by the Young Communication Generation. The latter team then surprised everyone by bringing out Keisuke Ishii! Akito warned him about the Sauna Club’s “Heat Wave WER!!” pose but he didn’t understand it. Kazuki Hirata did a Plancha to the outside while Ishii did his work. The Sauna Club isolated Shota and piled on the top rope moves to him. Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno hit Diving Body Presses one after the other but Ueno’s pin was broken up. Shota caught Ueno in the Gannosuke Clutch but MAO was there to break that pin up. Ueno got to recover and beat Shota with the BME. Backstage Ishii said it was the first time in a long while he wrestled in DDT (not counting BOYZ) and he would like to appear more in 2021 to be with his friends in Young Communication again. Shota wants to make it a year where Ganbare☆Pro doesn’t lose to DDT. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to make 2021 the year of the Sauna Club!

One of the matches was supposed to be Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Shinya Aoki & Super Sasadango Machine. But backstage before the match Dieno, Aoki & Sasadango were all complaining about Takagi’s tweets including one that where Takagi was showing off his calves. The three of them instead decided to gang up on Takagi in a Handicap Match and purposely target his calf. Aoki put him in a Jail Hold while Dieno & Sasadango brought out a bag containing some of Takagi’s personal belongings. Sasadango found Takagi’s wallet, pulled out 29,000 yen in cash and raffled it off to three fans in the audience. Dieno eventually thought things went overboard and he felt sorry for Takagi. It is thanks to Takagi that they get to wrestle this year so the best New Year’s gift is to give Takagi his first win of 2021. Sasadango agreed and with Dieno they both attacked Aoki. Dieno is still recovering from the fire extinguisher attack to his rear but Takagi forced to go into the Hell Gate position. That lost him Sasadango’s support and Takagi was thrown face first into the Hell Gate. Aoki kicked Takagi in the calf, Sasadango did the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock and Aoki pinned him with a Jackknife. Backstage Sasadango offered to be on Aoki’s team at “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” because they should be fighting for a better goal than satisfying Takagi’s desires. They like Takagi but will not be used by him anymore!

As Takagi was leaving the ring after his match, he was suddenly approached at ringside by Yusuke Okada! The former All Japan wrestler introduced himself to the audience and told them he wants to experience a new world of pro wrestling now that he became freelance. He asked Takagi if he could have a match in DDT. Takagi questioned his interest in DDT after seeing the match that just happened. He then passed the request over to Imabayashi, who wasn’t expecting that. Imabayashi told Okada he will book him on next week’s Korakuen Hall show on 9th January.

DAMNATION’s good run begun earlier in the show when Mad Paulie, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato beat Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya. Paulie threw Yamato onto Watase with an X-Style Iconoclasm. Shimatani then hopped onto Paulie’s back and they jumped on top of Watase for a nearfall when Oishi & Naya broke it up. Paulie then hit Watase with a Lariat and won with the Reverse Splash.

Gota Ihashi didn’t get to wrestle in Korakuen Hall last year so he wanted to make up for lost time. This year he wants to join a unit and rampage all over DDT. There is only one unit he wants to join and that’s Eruption! He came out with his own custom entrance video wearing an Eruption coat made out of posters. He even drew his own version of the Eruption logo calling it Ihaption. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai were bemused over this but it kind of worked out in the end. Akai gave Toru Owashi a Brainbuster and Ihashi went toe to toe with Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Eruption(?) then focused their attacks on Toui Kojima. Ihashi almost lost the match when he missed the Moonsault. Akai kicked Ihashi out of frustration and Sakaguchi tagged himself in to finish Kojima off. Sakaguchi & Akai had enough of Ihashi and walked off on him backstage. However he believes he can continue teaming with Eruption and together they can all go after the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles.

Antonio Honda’s big day was almost ruined when he tripped on the ropes and hurt his knee. Choun-Shiryu knew what was coming and attacked Honda before he could tell his latest Gongitsune joke. Honda lived up to the big occasion though and hit a Topé Suicida and the Tenzan Tombstone Driver on route to victory.

The first DDT match of 2021 was Keigo Nakamura’s first ever singles victory! He defeated his generation rival Hideki Okatani by cradling his way out of the Double Arm Suplex. Nakamura currently has a 1-3 record against Okatani so he wants to reverse the numbers this year.

Some more matches were booked for “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”. Akai will be teaming with Maya Yukihi from Ice Ribbon to take on Saori Anou & Miyako Matsumoto. Yukihi said she discovered DDT more than 10 years ago so she is deeply moved to be wrestling a match for them. She thought she was going to fight against Akai but Imabayashi corrected her. Akai always wanted to team with her because she is beautiful and strong. She is also excited to face Anou again. When Imabayashi asked Akai & Yukihi about Matsumoto, they both declined to answer. They were asked again backstage and Yukihi finally had something to say. “In terms of strength, beauty and glamour, Miyako-san will never the best.”

The New Year’s Shuffle Tag Tournament winners Smile Pissari will team again at the Culttz Kawasaki show. HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi will face a team yet to be determined.

Takagi will return to the battlefield for his next DDT Extreme Title defence. He takes on Nabe Yakan from Best Body Pro Wrestling on 10th January. The match was made when earlier in the day Yakan led a bunch of soldiers armed with air guns into the locker room to steal the Extreme Title belt.


Video – Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls 8-Woman Tag

January 2, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “2020 FINAL ROUND ~I HOPE THERE ARE LOTS OF HAPPY AND FUN THINGS TO DO NEXT YEAR~”, 26/12/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls: Yuka Sakazaki, Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Miyu Yamashita Vs Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Maki Itoh


BASARA “BASARA 145 ~HATSUYUME~” Results

January 1, 2021

BASARA “BASARA 145 ~HATSUYUME~”, 01/01/2021
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
??? Fans – Withheld

1. SAGAT defeated Daichi Kazato with the Goregrind (7:39).
2. Fuminori Abe defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi with a Cross Armbreaker (11:09).
3. Ryota Nakatsu defeated Takato Nakano with the V Slider (4:14).
4. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Masato Kamino defeated Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura (20:29).
4a. Masato Kamino eliminated Isami Kodaka by Ring Out (7:07).
4b. Daiki Shimomura eliminated Banana Senga with a School Boy (10:51).
4c. Ryuichi Sekine eliminated Masato Kamino by Ring Out (15:23).
4d. Tsutomu Oosugi eliminated Ryuichi Sekine by Ring Out (16:58).
4e. Tsutomu Oosugi eliminated Daiki Shimomura with the Tsuki no Ishi (20:29).
5. FUMA & Yusuke Kubo defeated Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano when FUMA submitted Urano with the Iron Maiden (16:48).


Official TJPW Best Matches Of 2020

January 1, 2021

This was just going to be a list to tweet out but by the time they revealed the complete results I figured it would make a good blog post too. Tokyo Joshi Pro asked their Twitter followers to vote for the best TJPW matches of 2020. Each voter was allowed pick three matches in order from 1st to 3rd. 85 matches were nominated out of over 150 votes. The top listed matches will be included in the “BEST OF TJPW 2020” DVD being released later this year. A few matches were tied in the same spot with the same number of votes.

TJPW Best Bouts 2020


1. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
7th November @ Tokyo Dome City Hall
275 pts


2. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Maki Itoh, Raku & Pom Harajuku
11th February @ Kitazawa Town Hall
71 pts


3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
7th November @ Tokyo Dome City Hall
56 pts


4. Hyper Misao Retirement Match: Hyper Misao Vs Rika Tatsumi
20th November @ Shinjuku FACE
36 pts


5. International Princess Title: Maki Ito (c) Vs Hikari Noa
4th January @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
34 pts


5. Hyper Misao Vs Super Sasadango Machine
20th November @ Shinjuku FACE
34 pts
(The match never actually took place but it received so many votes because of what happened afterwards that it had to be included)


7. Natsumi Maki Return Match: Natsumi Maki Vs Sareee
4th January @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
27 pts


8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
4th January @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
24 pts


8. International Princess Title Tournament – Semi Final: Hikari Noa Vs Mirai Maiumi
7th November @ Tokyo Dome City Hall
24 pts


10. Hyper Misao Return Match – Loser Renamed For 1 Month: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
4th January @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
22 pts


10. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Mizuki
29th August @ Shinjuku FACE
22 pts

12. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Yuki Aino
23rd July @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
19 pts

12. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Miyu Yamashita
29th August @ Shinjuku FACE
19 pts

14. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Hyper Misao
10th August @ Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall
16 pts

14. Princess Tag Team Titles Next Challenger Decision Battle: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu
3rd October @ Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
16 pts

16. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
23rd July @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
15 pts

16. Miyu Yamashita & Aja Kong Vs Maki Itoh & Sareee
7th November @ Tokyo Dome City Hall
15 pts

18. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Miu Watanabe Vs Mirai Maiumi
9th August @ Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall
13 pts

19. Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima Vs Mizuki & Maki Itoh
21st September @ Tokyo Shinagawa The Grand Hall
11 pts

20. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Miyu Yamashita Vs Hikari Noa
10th August @ Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall
9 pts

Honorable Mentions

These two matches just missed out on making the Top 20.

-. Natsumi Maki Vs Hikari Noa
21st September @ Tokyo Shinagawa The Grand Hall

-. International Princess Title Tournament – Final: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa
7th November @ Tokyo Dome City Hall


“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2020 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2020

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2020 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
520 Fans

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Yuya Aoki & Yukio Naya when Okabayashi submitted Naya with the Argentine Backbreaker (8:53).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Akira Hyodo & Makoto Oishi Vs Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
2a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Akira Hyodo & Makoto Oishi when Nomura pinned Hyodo with a Rollover Inverted Cross Armbreaker (2:32).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno defeated Drew Parker & Danshoku Dieno when Ueno pinned Dieno with a School Boy (7:35).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo defeated Hideyoshi Kamitani & Chris Brookes when Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with the German Suplex (7:04).
5. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Ryuji Ito defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Dragon Splash (11:01).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA Vs Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
6a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita when HARASHIMA pinned Takeshita with a Jackknife Pin (0:26).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo when Nakanoue pinned Sekimoto with the Lariat (8:10).
8. New Year’s Wrestling 2020 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazuki Hashimoto, Daichi Hashimoto & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Takuho Kato, Yuki Ishikawa, Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani when Hashimoto pinned Okatani with the Falcon Arrow (13:35).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno when Okabayashi pinned Nakanoue with the Golem Splash (17:50).

The annual New Year’s Eve show was a much smaller affair in 2020. Safety precautions meant the show took place earlier in the day and would not roll over into the end of year countdown. The Shuffle Tag Tournament between DDT and Big Japan was also reduced to 8 teams instead of the usual 16.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1

Smile Pissari Vs HOT Real JAPAN

Two super heavyweights collided when Yuji Okabayashi and Yukio Naya stood face to face from each other. HARASHIMA kept Yuya Aoki away so Naya spent most of the match in the ring. He got some good shots in with Knee Strikes but Okabayashi cut him off with a Lariat and made him submit to the Argentine Backbreaker. Naya said he wants to fight Okabayashi again. Aoki was apologetic for not getting to help his tag partner more.

170cm Vs Nomutake

It only took until the second match for overtime sudden death rules to kick in. Konosuke Takeshita and Makoto Oishi were scrambling over each other in the dying seconds of the match. When time expired, One Count Fall rules came into play for the restart. Takuya Nomura put Akira Hyodo in a Cross Armbreaker and rolled him onto his shoulders to get the pin. At least Hyodo thought he and Oishi worked well as a team given their age difference.

Nakanoueno Vs Sodomy & Scars

Things got cheeky in Match #3. Danshoku Dieno accidentally put Drew Parker in the Lip Lock. Parker later accidentally pulled down Dieno’s tights to reveal he was wearing a diaper underneath because he still has not recovered from the CO2 attack to his rear end last week. Still he went into the Hell Gate position but Yuki Ueno Dropkicked him in the butt. Yasufumi Nakanoue rushed over to give Parker the Lip Lock while Ueno pinned Dieno with a School Boy. Dieno said afterward there are two kinds of butts in the world. Those that are for entertainment and those that are not.

Daisuke In The Sky Vs LINE Tomodachi

Round 1 ended with Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo defeating Hideyoshi Kamitani & Chris Brookes. It went back and forth until Endo gave Brookes the Tetsuya In The Sky and Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with the German Suplex. Brookes threatened to remove Kamitani from their LINE group backstage but Kamitani convinced him to give him one more chance.

Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match

The first of two non-tournament matches was the long awaited lighttube death match between Ryuji Ito and Shunma Katsumata. Lighttubes, thumbtacks, Lego, a barbed wire bat and even sauna stones were used as weapons. Ito came out on top in the end but he praised Katsumata for keeping up with death matches, especially this week’s schedule. He doesn’t likes saunas though because they are too hot. Katsumata tells him everyone says that at first but they always end up liking it.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Smile Pissari Vs Nomutake

The semi finals began and one of them went into extra time. Okabayashi came out wearing a similar entrance robe as HARASHIMA. Nomura wanted to get into a kick battle with HARASHIMA so that is what he got. In the final minutes, Okabayashi and Takeshita both went down from a Lariat but only Okabayashi got to tag out. HARASHIMA went for the Somato and Takeshita avoided it before the bell rang for a time limit draw. At the restart, HARASHIMA kicked Takeshita’s injured arm, followed with a Thrust Kick to the face and pinned him for the one count with a Jackknife. Nomura would like to team with Takeshita again but he doesn’t know if his regular tag partner Fuminori Abe would approve of it. Takeshita then suggested he could fight against Nomura & Abe.

Nakanoueno Vs Daisuke In The Sky

The tag synergy continued with Sekimoto & Endo wearing each other’s entrance robes. After a Double Torture Rack spot, Endo encouraged Sekimoto to German Suplex him and Ueno together. Ueno slipped out and landed on his feet while Endo took the full brunt of the move. Ueno hit Sekimoto with a Frog Splash and Nakanoue won with a big Lariat. Sekimoto apologised to Endo over and over backstage. He admits his wife tells him he is too careless all the time. Endo promised to improve his fingertip strength so his clutch will get stronger.

New Year’s Wrestling 2020 Special 8-Man Tag Match

The young boys were fed to the grizzly old veterans but they didn’t go down without a fight. Yuki Ishikawa stepped in as a last minute replacement for Kosuke Sato because of injury. Takuho Kato set Keigo Nakamura up to do the Exquisite Moonsault on Kazuki Hashimoto. A nearfall then came when Hideki Okatani gave Kazuki the Northern Lights Suplex. Eruption cut them off and Daichi Hashimoto took over. He resisted Okatani’s chops and pinned him with the Falcon Arrow.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final

Smile Pissari Vs Nakanoueno

The final turned out to be a preview of Big Japan’s 2nd January main event with Okabayashi and Nakanoue squaring off. The match started off with them and ended with them. Ueno wiped out HARASHIMA with a Tornillo leading to the Big Japan pair to take it home. Nakanoue hit the Diving Elbow but HARASHIMA broke the pin and hit a Somato into the corner. Okabayashi got a nearfall with a Power Bomb. He then had to use the Golem Splash to get the three count and win the tournament with HARASHIMA! He thanked HARASHIMA for teaming with him and also for the entrance robe. HARASHIMA hopes to keep up with Okabayashi in 2021. Nakanoue & Ueno were happy with their performances considering they never teamed together before today. Maybe they have Osaka Power of love and friendship.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2020

MVP
1. Minoru Fujita
2. Tetsuya Endo
3. Toru Sugiura
4. Fuminori Abe
5. Daichi Hashimoto

Best Bout
1. Tetsuya Endo Vs Daisuke Sasaki (DDT, 3rd November)
2. Ryuji Ito Vs Minoru Fujita (Big Japan, 29th August)
3. Yuji Okabayashi Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan, 23rd November)
4. Onryo Vs Yuko Miyamoto (666, 27th June)
5. Masashi Takeda Vs Daisuke Masaoka (FREEDOMS, 10th November)

Best Unit
1. Astronauts
2. Eruption
3. unchain
4. DAMNATION
5. Wataridori Rengo

Best Box Office
1. Big Japan at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium, 29th August
2. Hiragana Muscle at Tokyo Korakuen Hall, 9th November
3. DDT at Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium, 3rd November
4. Big Japan at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium, 30th August
5. Hiragan Muscle at Tokyo Shinagawa The Grand Hall, 21st September

Best Newcomer
1. Rina Yamashita
2. Shunma Katsumata
3. Jun Akiyama
4. Yuki Ishikawa
5. Hideki Okatani


Video – Yuji Hino’s 1st Match In DAMNATION

December 30, 2020

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura


Last News Dump For 2020

December 29, 2020

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1A: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yuya Aoki & Yukio Naya
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Akira Hyodo & Makoto Oishi Vs Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Drew Parker & Danshoku Dieno Vs Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1D: Hideyoshi Kamitani & Chris Brookes Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo
5. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Ryuji Ito Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. New Year’s Wrestling 2020 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazuki Hashimoto, Daichi Hashimoto & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X

An earlier start time and smaller card means the show will not cross over into the early hours of 2021. They’re aiming to have the show last only two and a half hours this time around. The Japan Indies Awards 2020 presented by Samurai TV will be handed out in the pre-show.

DDT “NEW YEAR’S DAY GIFT SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3,000 YEN SPECIAL BOX OFFICE!! 2021”, 03/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Antonio Honda 43rd Birthday & 16th Anniversary Debut Match: Antonio Honda Vs Choun-Shiryu

One day after his birthday and one day before the anniversary of his debut match. A perfectly balanced celebration for Antonio Honda. The rest of the card will be announced on the day of the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’21”, 04/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Arisu Endo Debut Match: Suzume Vs Arisu Endo
2. Marika Kobashi & Moka Miyamoto Vs Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
4. Aja Kong, Mizuki & Raku Vs Miu Watanabe, Nao Kakuta & Mirai Maiumi
5. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori
6. Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Arisu Endo was born in Fukushima on 27th April, 1998. She is 150cm tall and her blood type is A. Endo is also a member of the idol group Cheer♡1 and looks up to former unit member Reika Saiki.

DDT “GO TO DDT! VOL. 1”, 09/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Keigo Nakamura Vs Toi Kojima
2. Chris Brookes & Shunma Katsumura Vs Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino
3. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Konosuke Takeshita & MAO
4. Written By Hajime Takahashi & Masaki Inoue “Does Momotaro’s Kibidango Recognize As An Expense?” Infomercial Match: Akito, Kazuki Hirata, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, Toru Owashi & Saki Akai
5. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
7. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Shota

Shota is having a late career resurgence, winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title in short succession. He believes that is why Yuki Ueno accepted his challenge for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title. Shota wants to become a leader of the independent scene in 2021 and travel around the world for wrestling. He thinks winning the UNIVERSAL Title will get him overseas bookings. Ueno didn’t want to end 2020 with him getting pinned by Shota so his new year resolution is to avenge that loss as soon as possible. He should respect Shota more and not look down on that result but as the UNIVERSAL Champion he has a standard to live up to. He must not let the title go to someone who can’t decide if he is indie or major.

Unless he shows up on 3rd January, this is Daisuke Sasaki’s return match from injury.

GANBARE☆PRO “CONAN THE GREAT 2021”, 10/01/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. THE HALFEE Vs Pochajo Full Scale Competition: Moeka Haruhi & Shu Sakurai Vs Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase
2. Ganjo Special Single Match: HARUKAZE Vs Asuka
3. Ganpro Vs Chiba Full Scale Competition: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Yasu Urano, Shinichiro Tominaga & Yuma 24
4. A Special Single Match To Determine Whether “Age Is Just A Number”: Ikuto Hidaka Vs Keisuke Ishii
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title – Street Fight Style Special Hardcore Match: Shota (c) Vs Miss Mongol

The day after Shota main events Korakuen Hall for DDT, he gets to defend the World Jr. Indie Title in Ganbare☆Pro against an FMW original. Miss Mongol is annoyed that Ganpro hasn’t booked her in months so she got bold and challenged Shota to a title match. She also wants it to be a Street Fight because of the championship’s origins with FMW.

Ikuto Hidaka’s appearances in Ganpro this year was to show he still has a lot left in the tank despite his age. Keisuke Ishii wants to see it for himself after he beat Hidaka in a tag match a few days ago.

DDT “ISN’T IT DRAMATIC! 2021”, 11/01/2021
Nagoya City Biwajima Sports Center

1. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura
3. Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
4. Young Communication Generation Vs DDT Legend Army!: Akito & Shota Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno
5. Nagoya Specialty! Doerya Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino
6. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase

The buildup to “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” is filled with DAMNATION Vs Junretsu matches. We also see the temporary formation of the DDT Legend Army as they prepare for their KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles shot.

Yuji Hino is quickly making friends in DAMNATION, particularly with Mad Paulie.

DDT “REPRINT YOUNG COMMUNICATION SPECIAL ISSUE”, 16/01/2021
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. Gota Ihashi & Rion Mizuki Vs Michio Kageyama & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
2. Soma Takao & Shota Vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Daichi Kazato
3. Akito Vs Toru Sugiura
4. Main Event 6-Man Tag Match: Yukihiro Abe, Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie, Ryuichi Sekine, Kazuki Hirata, FUMA

The Young Communication gang is all back together. Akito and Toru Sugiura are both from the Aichi prefecture so they’re getting paired against each other.

GANBARE☆PRO “BATTLE RUNNER 2021”, 17/01/2021
Osaka Hirano Kumin Hall

1. Ganpro East-West Battle 2021!: Shinichiro Tominaga & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Kota Umeda
2. Woman In Osaka Castle ~Ganjo Special Tag Match~: HARUKAZE & Momoka Hanazono Vs SAKI & Haruka Aikawa
3. Battle Without Honor ~Father Of 2 Children At Home Vs Father Of 2 Children With Child Support~: Ken Ohka Vs Shoichi Uchida
4. Ganpro Osaka Winter Team! THE HALFEE Vs Pocchari Joshi East-West Allied Forces Full Scale Battle!: Katsuzaki Shunosuke, Moehiko Harumisawa & Shu Sakurai Vs Kuuga, Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase
5. Ganpro Sanada Maru! Team Drift Vs Team MAKAI Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Shota & Asuka

Shota and Asuka are still on good terms after Shota won the World Jr. Indie Title from her. At least they better be when Team Drift returns to Ganpro.

No comment on the title of Match #3.

DDT “WRESTLING TONKOTSU 2021 ~MOTSUNABE~”, 17/01/2021
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. Akito & Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao & Azul Dragon
2. Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yukio Naya
3. Hakata Specialty! Seimonbarai Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Chris Brookes Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO

Haven’t seen Azul Dragon in a while. Wonder what he’s been up to. DDT is doing both an afternoon and evening show in Nishitetsu Hall.

DDT “WRESTLING TONKOTSU 2021 ~MIZUTAKI~”, 17/01/2021
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & MAO
2. Yuji Hino Vs Hideki Okatani
3. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase
4. Only Because It Is! Hakata Specialty Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda

Yuto Aijima will be on the evening show.

BASARA “BASARA 146 ~5TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Dragon Contra Dragon: Gouma Ryu Vs Trans-Am ★ Ryuji
2. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura
3. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs FUMA

Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura have won the IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT, granting them a shot at Speed Of Sounds.

The loser of the Gouma Ryu Vs Trans-Am ★ Ryuji match will no longer be allowed to use “Ryu” in their name.

DDT “DRAMATIC EVERYONE’S DREAM HAS COME TRUE! 2021”, 23/01/2021
Osaka City Minato Ward Citizens Center

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Danshoku Dieno
2. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino
3. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi

I have to say, Hino taking on HARASHIMA and the Eruption lads has me excited.

DDT “DRAMATIC 2021 JANUARY SPECIAL”, 28/01/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Keigo Nakamura
2. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Yuji Hino Vs Yukio Naya

However, Hino taking on Yukio Naya does not.

DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABA SERIES 2021”, 31/01/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno
2. DAMNATION VS Junretsu!: Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani

This is DDT’s go home show for “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”. The two matches announced so far preview the two title matches advertised for Culttz Kawasaki.

GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “GAKEPPUCHI INFINITE TRAIN 2021”, 05/02/2021
Saitama Wrestle Arena

1. Gake no Fuchi Joshi Vs Pocchari Joshi Full-Scale Competition: Miyako Matsumoto & Chris Brookes Vs Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase

After taking half a year off, Gake no Fuchi Joshi will be back in action. Miyako Matsumoto is currently looking for joshi trainees of all shapes and sizes so they can help her make the world a little bit more interesting. In August Matsumoto & Chris Brookes lost to the Pocchari Joshi team of Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase at a Bakuha Koshien show. The rematch under Gake no Fuchi Joshi rules promises to be a lot more crazier.

DDT “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”, 14/02/2021
Culttz Kawasaki

1. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, X, X & X Vs Shinya Aoki, X, X & X
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Super Delfin, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh Vs MAO, Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Jun Akiyama

The D-Ou Grand Prix is over for another year and the winner Jun Akiyama gets the KO-D Openweight Title shot against Tetsuya Endo in February. Akiyama put over Endo and the KO-D Title huge by including Endo with Tetsuya Naito and Go Shiozaki as the only three champions that matter to him. Endo did beat Akiyama in their D-Ou group match so Akiyama needs to fight his heart out if he wants to win. Endo watched the final between Akiyama and Konosuke Takeshita, leaving him with some strong opinions. He can tell the difference between the two wrestlers. According to Endo, Takeshita only thinks about himself while Akiyama is thinking about the entire wrestling industry. Endo likes the praise of his title reign he is getting from Akiyama and it makes him proud of increasing the KO-D Title’s value. So when Endo beats Akiyama again in Culttz Kawasaki, he will call the KO-D Title the number one championship in Japan and himself the number one wrestler in Japan!

DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2021”, 23/02/2021
Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno

The Young Communication Generation want to defend the 6-Man Tag Titles against the top wrestlers in DDT. To them that means the top names from the generation before them.

The #STRONGHEARTS contingent of CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie will be on the show. Although I don’t know if Irie will be associated with the group when it comes to the match making.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!” Results

December 27, 2020

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

1. Toui Kojima Debut Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Toui Kojima with a Crab Hold (5:59).
2. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi and Nobuhiro Shimatani when Honda pinned Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop (8:15).
3. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno defeated Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine when Takagi pinned Nayagi with the Stone Cold Stunner (7:40).
4. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Higuchi submitted Watase with the Brain Claw (7:35).
5. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Hino pinned Nakamura with the Diving Body Press (12:56).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno when Shota pinned Ueno with the Gannosuke Clutch (12:53).
*V1 for Young Communicaton Generation.
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Jun Akiyama defeated Konosuke Takeshita by TKO with a Modified Armlock (23:29).

You can now add a former Champion Carnival winner to the short list of D-Ou Grand Prix champions. Jun Akiyama overcame an injured leg to defeat his foe Konosuke Takeshita in the final. The leg injury came when Takeshita caught a Stomp and gave Akiyama a Dragon Screw. From there Takeshita targeted the leg with attacks against the ring post as well as wrestling holds to that limb. What evened the score was Takeshita going into the match with an injured arm that Akiyama could focus on. German and Exploder Suplexes were exchanged and Akiyama Headbutted his way out of a Cross-Arm German Suplex. Seeing his chance, Akiyama applied a Chickenwing Armlock and rolled Takeshita into the centre of the ring. Takeshita struggled to move and soon became lifeless. That caused Yukinori Matsui to end the match and award Akiyama the tournament!

Akiyama received his trophy and praised the field of wrestlers who competed in the Grand Prix this year. He faced a lot of great DDT wrestlers. In fact he lost to two of them in the tournament. But he is the one standing on top in the end. There are only three singles champions in Japan he recognises today: Tetsuya Naito with the IWGP Heavyweight Title, Go Shiozaki with the GHC Heavyweight Title and Tetsuya Endo with the KO-D Openweight Title. (Akiyama later explained he only recognises those championships because Naito, Shiozaki and Endo all won Tokyo Sports Awards this year. All Japan was shut out of the awards so he unfortunately no longer sees the Triple Crown as a major championship. If AJPW can win over the community and the pro wrestling media in 2021, then he will change his tune.) Akiyama now gets to face Endo in a rematch on 14th February in Culttz Kawasaki, this time for the KO-D Title. Akiyama thanked Sanshiro Takagi for inviting him to coach in DDT back in May. He also thanked the wrestlers, staff and fans for accepting him. Lastly, he thanked the All Japan fans too.

From the get go, the DDT Sauna Club did their “Heat Wave WER!!” pose to the Young Communication Generation. In response, Kazuki Hirata & Shota did the post back to their opponents while Akito looked on embarrassed by the situation. Shunma Katsumata hit the Stuka Splash on Hirata. MAO & Yuki Ueno then both leapt across the ring with Frog Splashes on Shota & Hirata. Ueno tried to hit Shota with the WR but Shota maneuvered his way into the Gannosuke Clutch to steal the win. The two teams were satisfied with their match and Akito now understands the power of the sauna.

Shota then turned his attention to Ueno and challenged him for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title. Shota wants to become a leader of the independent scene in 2021 and he is already on his way with two championshps. That’s not enough, he wants a third title that can let him travel around the world. Ueno accepted and the match will happen on 9th January as the Korakuen Hall main event! Akito then asked if his team can next defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in his hometown of Nagoya when DDT goes there on 23rd February. He wants to defend the belts against DDT’s top wrestlers: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno! Young Communication want to beat the guys they looked up to when they were young. Then in 2021 they will all become main eventers of the indie world!

DAMNATION are looking unstoppable with the addition of Yuji Hino to their ranks. The heavyweight freelancer crushed Keigo Nakamura with a Diving Body Press to win the 8-Man Tag. He also overpowered HARASHIMA in a Chop Battle. Endo went through a few exchanges with Chris Brookes that ultimately ended with Endo hitting the Sasuke Special onto Brookes and a bunch of other wrestlers outside the ring. Shinya Aoki was the one who posed a big threat when he took down Soma Takao but DAMNATION all ganged up on him. Still, Aoki kicked out after taking a string of diving moves Endo and Takao did off of Mad Paulie’s back. After the match Daisuke Sasaki reintroduced Hino to the DDT fans. He said DAMNATION will mess up DDT’s ring in 2021! Hino told him he would like to go wild and have fun with his new friends. Backstage he also said he would like to win the KO-D Title because he thinks he held it before (he did). Endo doesn’t seem too enthused about that.

2020 ends on a strong note for Eruption. The finish to their match saw Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai run opposite ways on the apron to do Penalty Kicks to Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Akai then dove on top of them while Kazusada Higuchi applied a Lifted Brain Claw to Mizuki Watase for the victory.

Let’s be frank, Yukio Naya doesn’t know how to be Sanshiro Takagi. He needed Super Sasadango Machine to teach him when to do the “FIRE!” pose in time with the entrance music. The real Takagi demanded Danshoku Dieno to go into the Hell Gate position but he declined. Sasadango had to explain that Dieno’s backside was burned after he was sprayed with a CO2 fire extinguisher during this week’s Street Wrestling match. Takagi eventually made Dieno climb the turnbuckle and bend over, no matter how much it hurt him. Sasadango revealed he is now a shareholder of CyberAgent and attacked Takagi with his stock certificate to prove it. Sasadango’s mask slipped up when he took an Atomic Drop and he fell face first into Dieno’s backside. Takagi then stuck his fingers into Dieno’s butt, stuck them up to Naya’s nose and gave him the Stunner for the win.

The 3 Way Match briefly became two on one with Antonio Honda & Nobuhiro Shimatani joining forces to fight Toru Owashi. Gongitusune was turned into a heart shape that attracted Honda and Owashi to each other. Shimatani kept them apart but then found himself moving towards Yukinori Matsui for a possible tender embrace. Owashi & Honda both gave Shimatani a School Boy but no count happened because Matsui had his eye closed waiting to be kissed. Matsui was brought back down to Earth and Honda pinned Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop.

The debuting Toui Kojima was put to the test against Hideki Okatani. Kojima used a Diving Body Attack from the middle rope and also a Running Double Chop. His big move of the match was a Full Nelson Buster for a 2 count. Okatani hit back with a Vertical Chop and the Northern Lights Suplex. Kojima kicked out but was put in a Crab Hold to make him submit. In his post-match interview Kojima said he wants to be a cool wrestler just by standing, like Randy Orton. He was also nervous about today’s debut. Last night he received a message of encouragement from Satoshi Kojima which only made him even more nervous. Satoshi supports him because he always likes seeing another Kojima in wrestling.

Honda’s 16th Anniversary match will be against Choun-Shiryu on 3rd January. The rest of the card for that Korakuen show will be kept secret until the show starts.


GANBARE☆PRO “THE WORLD 2020” Results

December 26, 2020

GANBARE☆PRO “THE WORLD 2020”, 26/12/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

1. Special Single Match ~Wrestle And Bromance~: Yumehito Imanari defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with a Body Strangle Otoshikatame (8:40).
2. Yuna Manase & Rina Amikura defeated Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE when Manase pinned HARUKAZE with the Suzuki Dynamic (9:55).
3. Pinch Hitter Nakamura, A Fateful Mischief Reunites!: Kouki Iwasaki & Kota Umeda defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Keigo Nakamura when Umeda pinned Nakamura with the Umeda Driver (13:31).
4. A Special Tag Match To Verify Whether “Age Is Just A Number”: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie defeated Ikuto Hidaka & Ken Ohka when Ishii pinned Ohka with the Kneel Kick (12:30).
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shota defeated Asuka (c) with the Gannosuke Clutch (17:04).
*Asuka fails in V3. Shota becomes the 32nd Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Champion!

2020 for Ganbare☆Pro ends with a new Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Champion! The upset title change saw Shota catch Asuka with the Gannosuke Clutch. He admitted that Asuka would be beat him nine times out of ten but today is the one time he got the better of her. His brain was still shook so he didn’t know what else to tell Asuka other than he loves her. Asuka left him alone in the ring.

Shota said at the start of the show his goal for 2021 is to become a leader of the independent scene. Well he has the chance to do that because there are already challengers lining up. First, Arata from JUST TAP OUT came out and asked Shota to defend the title on JTO’s 15th January Korakuen Hall show. He brought up the title’s history with TAKA Michinoku as a reason to do this. Shota said he watches JTO on NicoPro and knows they use a ranking system. Arata is currently ranked #5 while TAKA is #1. Shota said if Arata can beat TAKA then he will deserve a title shot. Maybe Shota will go wrestle a singles match in JTO anyway and when he wins he will nominate TAKA himself!

When Shin was finished, Shota was then confronted by Miss Mongol. She joked about never being booked by Ganbare☆Pro after she lost the GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles in September. She’s seeing everyone else doing their best so she is going to be bold and demand a shot at the title that came from her original promotion FMW! Shota accepted the challenge and wanted the match to happen on 24th January. Mongol convinced him to do the match on 10th January instead. Also since this is an FMW championship, the match should be a Street Fight Hardcore Match! Imanari agreed and promised Shin he will make it to the JTO show as the champion.

The pair of Ikuto Hidaka & Ken Ohka have a message to spread across the world. Age is just a number! That message was put on blast by Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie. Their teamwork left Hidaka & Ohka battered and beaten in the end. Ishii likes both of them and is also a fan of numbers. He asked Hidaka to prove his claim about age by facing him one on one. Hidaka said he couldn’t prove it today because his team lost. But he has no reason to decline Ishii’s challenge and will enjoy taking on Ishii’s original pro wrestling style.

Shuichiro Katsumura and Kouki Iwasaki got into a brief scuffle after their match. When they were pulled apart, Iwasaki got to talk about yesterday’s engagement news to the fans. He thanked them for their support and will do his best with pride as a pro wrestler.

Yumehito Imanari was proudly showing off his newly won NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Title belt during the show. He and Shinjiro Otani became the new champions in ZERO1 by winning the Furinkazan Tag Tournament on Christmas Day.

Ganpro’s next Korakuen Hall show will take place on 7th April, 2021.