DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 999 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Maki Itoh, Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Marcus Mathers defeated Yuki Ueno, Masha Slamovich, Yuni & Ilusion when Itoh pinned Ilusion after the 450 Splash from Mathers (15:02).
2. DDT Variety Team Vs The Mothership: Allie Katch & Dark Sheik defeated Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Sheik pinned Hirata with the Diving Leg Drop (10:30).
3. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy when Sasaki pinned Jimmy after the Freedom Call (12:36).
4. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders when Endo pinned Loco with the Burning Star Press (14:47).
5. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy ended in a No Contest (9:48).
6. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata and Joey Janela when Warner pinned Katsumata with the Impaler DDT (18:26). *V8 for Mance Warner.
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Alex Zayne by Referee Stoppage (8:17). *V10 for MAO.
As part of this year’s tour of Japan, GCW teamed up with DDT to put everything together. This includes the opening night where both promotions held a joint show at Korakuen Hall mixing their two rosters together. The main event would have been MAO’s crowning moment of his DDT Universal Title reign because he reached his 10th successful defence. Unfortunately no one was happy with how it went. Alex Zayne injured his ankle during a spot outside the ring where he did a backflip off of the stage and landed on his feet. The landing seemed to have jacked in his ankle and despite making the effort to get back into the ring, Yukinori Matsui made the call to end the match and reward MAO the victory by TKO. In an update since the show ended, Zayne got an X-ray and the results showed no serious damage was done. MAO promised to give him a rematch. He is under the impression that DDT and GCW will do a show like this again next year.
Shunma Katsumata was inserted into the big fed over the GCW World Title. The champion Mance Warner and top contender Joey Janela are in the middle of several fights over the belt and the latest battle was a 3 Way Hardcore Match with Katsumata as the third wheel. Tables, ladders, chairs and toy blocks were all used in the match. Warner also used handcuffs on Katsumata before attacking him with a stapler, a wrench and a screwdriver to bust him open. Katsumata was still able to fight while handcuffed and eventually the key was found to free him. He put Janela through the table with the Totonou Splash but Warner stole the win by giving Katsumata the Impaler DDT right afterwards. Janela promised to one day beat Warner for the GCW Title and also beat Katsumata so he can be the DDT Extreme Champion again. Katsumata wants to wrestle at GCW shows in America more often and defend the Extreme Title over there. He thinks it wouldn’t be any fun if these matches only happened in Japan.
People were warned in advance about the Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy match and those expectations were met. Before the match even began the audience were told to raise their hands if they wanted to be kissed by Dieno. GCW’s ring announcer Emil Jay was among the volunteers. Effy offered Dieno a bracelet when the match began but Dieno was too shy to take it. The actual wrestling quickly turned intimate causing Hisaya Imabayashi to enter the ring and demand them to take the match seriously. The two wrestlers obliged but it didn’t take long for the mood to get sensual again. A missed Lip Lock from Dieno knocked out Matsui so Daisuke Kiso became the replacement ref. He was then taken out of action by a Lip Lock from Effy. GCW sent out their referee Dan Perch to sort things out but Dieno & Effy joined forces to give him a Doomsday Lip Lock! One of GCW’s other referees on site Scarlette Donovan then ran in hoping to be part of the fun but neither Dieno nor Effy were interested. They gave her a Double Brainbuster instead. Referee vengeance finally happened when Adam Gault avoided the attack and gave Effy a Stunner followed by a Standing Moonsault. Dieno caught him in the Lip Lock though and formed the Hell Gate with Makoto Oishi. Imabayashi had enough because they are on a live broadcast but Effy threw him into the Hell Gate. By this point Matsui had no choice but to call off the match. Dieno and Effy celebrated together anyway. They also asked DDT to turn the 4 Way Match they are both in on 15th August into a tag match so they can be partners in more ways than one.
BURNING bounced back from losing the KO-D Tag Team Titles over the weekend by winning their DDT Vs GCW match. Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders shared a similar tag team dynamic of agility and strength working together. Loco gave Tetsuya Endo a One Man Spanish Fly from the top rope. Manders followed up with a Moonsault but Endo rolled out of the way. Yuki Iino took down Manders with a Spear, leaving Endo to give Loco the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and then the Burning Star Press for the win.
DDT also beat GCW when DAMNATION T.A were victorious against the unusual pairing of Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy. There was some help from MJ Paul along the way but KANON found himself in danger when the other team attacked him with chairs. Daisuke Sasaki got some momentum back by putting Lloyd in La Mistica Crossface Lock but Yamashita broke the hold. KANON returned and with Sasaki left Lloyd beaten with the Freedom Call. KANON is relieved because he didn’t want to lose his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shield or risk having it go overseas. Sasaki just hated everything about today. His post-match comments? “Fuck Jimmy! Fuck Yamashita! Fuck GCW! Fuck DDT! Fuck off everything!”
Together Allie Katch & Dark Sheik are known as The Mothership and they have experienced a lot that makes pro wrestling weird and wonderful. Even so they hadn’t met a team quite like Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata. Honda got their attention by telling his Gongitsune joke in English. Gon wants to enter the Olympics and play table tennis but when he found a place to train he found out it was “Table Penis” instead! Hirata tried to power up with the Hirata GO! glasses but The Mothership stopped him and put the glasses on themselves. All four wrestlers danced and continued fighting to the music. It ended with Sheik pinning Hirata with the Diving Leg Drop.
Normally when Maki Itoh wrestles in Japan it is for Tokyo Joshi Pro but today she was here as a GCW wrestler and leader of the NEO Itoh Respect Army. She got upset when Yuki Ueno tried to act cuter than her. It caused a chain reaction where the rest of Itoh’s team and even referee Gault sulked with her until Ueno tagged out. Yuni tagged in and tried to cheer them all up but it was all a trap so they could take control of the match. Ueno got back in and did well against both Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada but he found a tough challenge in Marcus Mathers. Itoh also spent a lot of the match fighting with Masha Slamovich. Yuni, Slamovich & Ilusion all hit dives to the outside. Itoh considered joining in but had cold feet so Brookes gave her a Military Press out of the ring onto everyone outside. Poor Ilusion then got ganged up on. He was given the Triangle Enzui from Masada, the Praying Mantis Bomb from Brookes, the I.S.D from Itoh and then the 450 Splash from Mathers. Itoh took the spoils by pinning Ilusion after all of that.
DDT “MEET & GREET & FIGHT”, 02/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Yuni Vs Ilusion Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Single Match: KANON Vs Yukio Naya
3. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA Vs Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs To-y Vs Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuya Koroku
The DDT version of Money In The Bank is back and ready to leave a trail of chaos in its wake this summer. This year there will be five Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere prizes up for grabs across three matches. Three contracts will go to the last three survivors of a Battle Royal featuring all of DDT’s mainstays. One will go to the winner of KANON Vs Yukio Naya. The final one will go to the winner of the 3 Way Match between Yuni, Ilusion and Kazuma Sumi. So by the time the five holders are determined it will be a group of wrestlers spreading all over the main event, midcard and rookie scenes.
There are also some slight changes to the rules for the prize this year. The contracts will become active from 10th August to 23rd November. They can be cashed in on any DDT related show held during that period for either a KO-D Openweight Title shot, a DDT Universal Title shot or a DDT Extreme Title shot. If a contract holder directly loses a match on a DDT show then the contract is given to whoever beats them. That is not a new rule but limiting it happening to just DDT related events is a new change.
DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Masha Slamovich, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Maki Itoh, Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Marcus Mathers
2. DDT Variety Team Vs The Mothership: Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs Allie Katch & Dark Sheik
3. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy
4. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders
5. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy
6. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Joey Janela
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Alex Zayne
The full DDT Vs GCW card is here. Some of the new tag matches added includes BURNING facing Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders as well as DAMNATION T.A having to deal with the odd couple team of Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy. Are Allie Katch & Dark Sheik prepared for the silliness of Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda? That’s not all, Masha Slamovich and Marcus Mathers find themselves dropped deep into the DDT roster for an 8-Man Tag Match. There will be more DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro involvement later on in GCW’s tour of Japan but I’ll write about it in tomorrow’s DDT Around The World article.
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 17/08/2024 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Michael Nakazawa
2. Yukio Naya’s Birthday Celebration Match ~ Special Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Iino
On the day Yukio Naya turns 30 years old he will celebrate it by fighting Yuki Iino in a big heavyweight match.
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024”, 25/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Soma Takao 15th Anniversary ~ Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Shinya Aoki
A fitting opponent for Soma Takao. When he debuted in DDT 15 years ago one of his teammates was Keisuke Ishii. The two then went on to grow up in wrestling together with the rest of the Young Communication generation and then joined forces with Shigehiro Irie to create Team Drift. This match as added importance because Ishii is the current Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion.
September was looking to be more of a quiet month for looking at the overseas adventures of the DDT extended family until the last week showed up like an avalanche. You can always get a lot of news to cover during tournament weekends. It’s a shame that the current state of the independent scene means those tentpole super weekend events don’t get as much coverage like they used to. Can’t blame them when WWE and AEW dominates everybody’s attention. It’s only going to get tougher when those two companies increase their schedules and reach out even further. This week’s news of WWE getting an ABEMA deal and having NOAH promote it on social media does not thrill me. I’ve seen how this story goes before. Even if some kind of big crossover does happen with WWE it is never worth it for the other company in the long run. And any pundit who says a project like NXT Japan will work as a gateway for getting WWE fans into Japanese wrestling is only fooling themselves. The appetite that audience has for non-WWE wrestling is just not there anymore.
Heading into October we have Konosuke Takeshita deep into a feud with The Golden Lovers. The lack of actual wrestling from Takeshita last month annoyed me. I get holding some wrestlers back for PPV but his standard of ring work has been missing from AEW TV recently. His storyline is also pulling in other wrestlers who are never hurting for screentime which makes me worry he is getting pushed to the side. Maki Itoh has finished up her latest North American tour, Shoko Nakajima had a quick trip to the USA and Miyu Yamashita was in the middle of wrestling in UK and Ireland when the month began. The big chunk of news that completely passed me by until it happened was Mizuki Watase going over to wXw in Germany with Shigehiro Irie. Oh and Tokyo Joshi Pro squeezed in a visit to China right at the deadline.
A few years ago the idea of Yamashita wrestling in OTT would have had me overjoyed but nowadays I don’t want to give the company much of my attention because of how people attached to them handled and disregarded Speaking Out. Her Irish wrestling debut had a slight change in plan thanks to the other team. Debbie Keitel was advertised to team with Anita Vaughan but she instead surprised everyone by bringing along Emersyn Jayne to be her partner instead.
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title No. 1 Contendership: B3CCA defeated Maki Itoh with the World Tour (7:42).
A singer showdown took place when Itoh made her first appearance in MLW. Itoh and B3CCA both love to be the centre of attention and literally fought over the microphone during their match. Itoh won that exchange and told B3CCA to “kiss my ass, bitch!” She also found a Singapore cane to beat up B3CCA with outside the ring. But Itoh made the grave mistake of missing the Flying Big Head, allowing B3CCA to give her a Death Valley Driver to the corner and then pin her with the World Tour 450 Splash.
AEW “ALL OUT”, 03/09/2023 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Kenny Omega with the Powerdrive Knee (22:30).
A few days after Takeshita pinned Kenny Omega in England, he did it again back in America this time in a singles match. The match carried history over from Omega’s time in DDT, wearing new green and yellows tights based on what he wore in the early 2010s. Don Callis got involved though and brought the dreaded screwdriver into the match for Takeshita to use. However this time the referee stopped it from being used. It turned out Takeshita wouldn’t have needed it because he went on to beat Omega anyway, pulling down his kneepad to hit a raw Powerdrive Knee for the victory. The match even got ***** from Dave Meltzer! Okay, that doesn’t mean as much as it used to but it’s still a good accomplishment to have. Also let’s face it, when the wrestlers who complain about star ratings actually do get ***** from Meltzer they all of a sudden do a 180 and become grateful for it.
MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 3”, 08/09/2023 Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
1. Emi Sakura defeated Maki Itoh with La Magistral Cradle (?:??).
This year over in Canada Evil Uno has been running a Mystery Wrestling show on his Twitch channel every couple of months. The surprise headline match for the most recent event was a first time singles bout between Itoh and Emi Sakura. Itoh played a trick to escape from Sakura’s attacks by beginning to cry and then walking out of the match back to the locker room. She then reappeared from the opposite side of the room to attack a confused Sakura from behind. Sakura’s not someone you can beat with just one trick though. She ended up rolling Itoh into La Magistral Cradle to win the match.
GCW “CRUSHED UP”, 10/09/2023 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Killer Kelly with a Tornado DDT (10:43).
Itoh’s current run with GCW ended here with a match against Killer Kelly. She’ll be back again later this year but what will be in store for her next? Her feud with Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander can be never ending but there has to be other stuff she wants to do in GCW next. Maybe she already found a new arch nemesis as you will see at the bottom of this post.
WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 21/09/2023 wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
1. Mizuki Watase defeated Danny Fray with a Diving Foot Stomp (7:23).
2. Shigehiro Irie defeated 1 Called Manders with a Roaring Elbow (8:57).
This was already announced earlier in the summer and I completely missed it. Irie & Watase reunited as RENEGADES to enter the annual World Tag Team Festival in Germany! But first the wrestlers took part in separate warmup matches the night before the tournament began. Watase’s first match ever in Germany was a win against Danny Fray. Irie also won his match by beating 1 Called Manders in a hoss fight.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 1”, 22/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2023 – Round 1: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Aigle Blanc & Senza Volto when Irie pinned Blanc with the Beast Bomber (16:41).
Irie won wXw’s other premium tournament the 16 Carat Gold back in March so he had his heart set on winning WTTF with Watase. They eliminated The Frenchadors in the opening round. Aigle Blanc & Senza Volto are former wXw World Tag Team Champions so RENEGADES could not have gotten off to a better start.
1. Shigehiro Irie defeated Arez with the Beast Bomber (9:20).
The WTTF weekend also featured shows promoted by GCW as part of their September European tour. Only Irie was on the first of two GCW shows that weekend where he beat the luchador Arez. Normally I wouldn’t include entries for Irie by himself but since he was RENEGADES affiliated for the weekend, I’m adding it here.
FREELANCE “ONCE UPON A TIME IN FREELANCE”, 22/09/2023 Avondale Music Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Diving Senton (12:19).
Nakajima did a quick trip to the United States near the end of the month. Her first stop was at Freelance where she got over big with the crowd during her win against Shazza McKenzie. Nakajima’s quickness and ability to hit the 619 from any height near the ropes were the key to victory here.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 2”, 23/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2023 – Round 2: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe when Irie pinned Abe with a Roaring Elbow (16:14).
RENEGADES weren’t the only Japanese team taking part in WTTF weekend. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe from Astronauts were there too! The two team crossed paths in Night 2 where the winners would advance to Sunday’s final.
GCW “GCW VS THE WORLD”, 23/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. Scramble Match: Gringo Loco defeated Mizuki Watase, The Rotation, Arez, Jimmy Lloyd and Aigle Blanc when Loco pinned Blanc with the Base Bomb (11:46).
2. Joey Janela defeated Shigehiro Irie with the Diving Foot Stomp (17:19).
Irie was in GCW again for their other show in Germany, losing to Joey Janela in the main event. Watase also showed up by taking part in one of GCW’s staples, the Scramble Match. Watase hit a big dive and also the Coast To Coast Dropkick but otherwise got lost in the action and did not factor into the finish.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 3”, 24/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. wXw World Tag Team Titles – World Tag Team Festival 2023 Final 3 Way Match: Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig defeated Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman (c) and Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (23:13). *Amboss fails in V1. Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig become the 64th wXw World Tag Team Champions!
RENEGADES made it all the way to the final. Had Irie & Watase won the match and the tournament they would have become the new wXw Tag Champions. Sadly for them they couldn’t pull it off. Instead Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig were the winners, taking the titles away from the defending champions Amboss.
PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Trish Adora defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Lariat Tubman (9:51).
Nakajima’s other US booking this month was with Prestige at the Globe Theatre, the same location TJPW will return to this December. Trish Adora was a tougher opponent for her and kicked out of the Northern Lights Suplex. Just when Nakajima thought he had another shot, she was caught off guard and pinned with the Lariat Tubman.
JFC “JINGWU TAN JFC EXOTIC FIGHTING EXHIBITION 2”, 30/09/2023 Rucker Park, Chaoyang, Shanghai, China
1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Maki Itoh defeated Yuki Aino with the Itoh Deluxe (?:??).
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (?:??).
TJPW sent four of their wrestlers over to China for a martial arts expo taking place in Shanghai. They would be presenting two women’s pro wrestling matches to go along with a bunch of other martial art bouts provided by other groups. It is not the first time joshi wrestling has been part of the event. The same organizers had Sareee and Nanae Takahashi wrestle for them during the first expo in the summer. After a lot of searching through Chinese social media I was able to find a clip of Mizuki beating Nao Kakuta and Itoh locking in the Itoh Deluxe on Yuki Aino.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 01/10/2023 Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi Vs Sammy Guevara, Will Ospreay & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)
Takeshita has spent the rest of the month either standing to the side Don Callis or wrestling back in Japan for DDT. Oh and he also invaded Kota Ibushi’s gym, attacking him with a kettlebell (and also getting Yumehito Imanari caught in the crossfire) because Callis understands how much Ibushi means to Omega. The big payoff it is leading to will happen later today when The Golden Lovers & Chris Jericho join forces to get revenge on The Don Callis Family. Takeshita is part of that family teaming with Sammy Guevara (newest member) and Will Ospreay (not a member). It is annoying to see what looked like a big push for Takeshita turn into him getting pushed aside so Jericho, Guevara and Ospreay can all squeeze into the spotlight instead.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 31”, 06/10/2023 Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Storm Grayson (w/ Frank The Clown)
One of the few American indies Takeshita wrestles for when he’s not busy with AEW is Warrior Wrestling. The next time he shows up there he takes on one of Frank The Clown’s clients, Storm Grayson.
SPARK “RISING HEAT WEST”, 11/10/2023 LA Dojo, Carson, California, USA
1. Spark Joshi World Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Billie Starkz
A familiar opponent challenges Yamashita for the Spark Joshi Title. She has a 1-1 singles record against Billi Starkz so this championship bout can also end up becoming a rubber match between the two.
SPARK “RISING HEAT EAST”, 14/10/2023 Engelwood Neighborhood Center, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Miu Watanabe Vs KiLynn King
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Jessie
A few days later Yamashita takes on Jessie, the former Jessi Kamea from NXT. That’s an interesting matchup because since leaving WWE, Jessie wound up doing a tour in Stardom. So we have a TJPW Vs Stardom match on a Spark show.
But Yamashita won’t be the only Tokyo Joshi there. Miu Watanabe is along for the ride too! She is getting to fight KiLynn King from Impact in what is sure to be a hoss fight. Or a hossette fight? Whatever, two strong women are going to fight each other. What more do you want?
LLL “THE HANDS OF FATE”, 20/10/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Lilith Grimm Vs Miyu Yamashita
Are there Lucha Libra & Laughs to be found when Yamashita pays another visit to Denver? Her opponent Lilith Grimm is nicknamed “The War Hammer” and does an entrance where she sets off sparks with a grinder.
SETUP “SETUP EP.16”, 28/10/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Gatoh Move One And Only Title & SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Paksa (G/c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi (S/c)
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Brookes Vs Monomoth
Whenever CDK goes over to Thailand and shows up in SETUP they tend to take over the place. One of the local faces Monomoth tries his best to defend his home but Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi find ways to get the better of him. Monomoth now gets to fight Brookes in a big singles match the next time Brookes heads over.
Meanwhile Takanashi has been ruling the roost in SETUP as the SETUP Openweight Champion. He can increase his domination when he has a double title match against Paksa. Takanashi puts his SETUP Title on the line while Paksa is defending a Gatoh Move branded championship called the One And Only Title.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Penta el Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix Vs Shun Skywalker, Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that nobody in The Lucha Brothers gets injured, company politics do not keep Takeshita and Shun Skywalker away from each other and Vampiro does not show up with La Rebelion.
DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023 White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs X
Something new and monstrous is coming out of Massachusetts. Daikaiju Pro is holding their debut show and seems to have deep ties with SETUP and also the UMA Corps. The new promotion is promising a mixture of talent coming in to mix around with monsters and other strange creatures. A show like these requires a Big Kaiju so Nakajima will be there.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
Miu Watanabe has been added to the lineup.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yeah this do quite nicely. Pandemonium Pro is doing Yamashita against Mike Bailey in a first time ever matchup.
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Other Appearances
GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
Itoh did not wrestle on the first GCW show of the month. Instead she showed up to attack Frank The Clown with a pizza cutter much to everyone’s delight.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA 551 Fans
1. Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers, Dyln McKay & Jack Cartwheel defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada when Cartwheel pinned Masada with the Jack Arrow (10:42).
2. Dark Sheik defeated Saki Akai with a Wrist-Clutch Inside Cradle (7:20).
3. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Oliver pinned Bailey after the Combined Springboard Cutter (16:18).
4. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Starboy Charlie with the Brain Claw Slam (11:40).
5. Yuki Ueno defeated Joey Janela with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (10:21).
6. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Homicide & Tony Deppen when Endo pinned Deppen with the Burning Star Press (12:18).
7. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders defeated Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase when Warner pinned Katsumata with a DDT (15:19).
8. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno ended in a No Contest (13:37).
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Cole Radrick defeated Yoshihiko (c) with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse onto a Chair (14:49). *Cole Radrick becomes the 1,570th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Cole Radrick with a Cradle (5:47 pm). *Yoshihiko becomes the 1,571st champion.
An unlikely main event of the GCW Vs DDT show had Cole Radrick winning the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Yoshihiko in a brawl that went all around ringside. Radrick’s hard earned win was then rendered meaningless when Yoshihiko kicked him between the legs after the match. Yoshihiko then rolled Radrick up in a Small Package to reclaim the championship.
Counting through the match results, GCW ended the show with more wins than DDT. But if you ask Effy, everyone was a winner today! Why? Because Pheromones got to show that they are the sexiest and now they can also be part of Bussy too! The proof of that could be seen in their match. It had to be called off when Danshoku Dieno, Allie Katch and Yuki Iino caught the referee in a human centipede over in the corner of the ring.
The trio of Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase were all ready to fight The Second Gear Crew in a brawl. Katsumata appeared in his Super Hardcore Katsumata form while Watase psyched himself up by bringing the Spirit Of Ganbare Title belt with him to the ring. That Ganbare spirit allowed him to absorb chairshots to the head for a while. Lego, plastic boxes, staplers, doors and more were used as weapons. The ring was left in a mess by the time 1 Called Manders threw his own partner Matthew Justice onto everyone outside the ring. That allowed Mance Warner to pin Katsumata with the DDT for the victory.
Jun Akiyama enjoyed his weekend with GCW and said he would work with them again if given the chance. Homicide showed him a similar amount of respect as Eddie Kingston did previously. Tetsuya Endo used the Burning Star Press to pin Tony Deppen and thinks he has proved he is good enough to take on the world.
Both of Joey Janela’s matches on the DDT shows this week were rematches from the D-Ou Grand Prix. Both of them ended in defeat. Yuki Ueno beat him for the second time in a row using his new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. It makes Ueno want to spread DDT’s name as well as his own even further than Konosuke Takeshita did.
The card had a few changes for reasons that were not disclosed. Kazusada Higuchi was meant to face Blake Christian but instead got Starboy Charlie and his dungarees. Higuchi won the new match and was impressed with Charlie’s performance. It made Higuchi feel like he received the spirit of a young American and he will now carry it along with his own Yamato Spirit.
The Moonlight Express reunion was spoiled by The East West Express. It was a banner day for the young GCW team because Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne later went on to win the GCW Tag Team Titles later in the night. MAO & Mike Bailey still had fun teaming together for the first time in 3 years. Speedball must have been exhausted from his schedule by this point.
For many years the Quetzalcoatl has been a reliable move for Saki Akai. But today the move was countered by Dark Sheik in a way Akai has never seen before. When Akai was in position to pull off her finisher, Sheik dropped down while grabbing Akai’s wrist, slid through her legs to get behind her and then rolled her up in a Cradle for the flash three count. Akai took the loss but doesn’t want to it end like that. She hopes Sheik will come over to Japan so they can continue their fight.
Another changes to the card happened for the opening match. The GCW team led by Gringo Loco replaced Alec Price and Los Macizos with Jack Cartwheel and the tag team called Wasted Youth. They all gave Takeshi Masada a beating with big high flying moves until he was pinned with Cartwheel’s Jack Arrow finisher. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON blamed both Masada & Sanshiro Takagi backstage for having DDT lose to GCW. When they left the room Takagi then blamed Masada for taking the fall after all of this build up for him finally earning a spot on the Hollywood shows.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs El Unicorn & Raimu Imai
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada
5. Special Tag Match: Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Super Powerhouse Tag Team
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Saki Akai
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
8. Special Single Match: Hikaru Machida Vs Takeshi Masada
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
12. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
13. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yukio Naya
A chance to win the DDT Universal Title something Tetsuya Endo thinks is a fresh change in direction for him. While he will always want to fight for the KO-D Openweight Title, Endo has felt the need to go after the other singles championships in DDT. Plus if he beats Naruki Doi then that means he is also beating the AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Champion! Endo likes the idea of defending the Universal Title in America, the same country where he won the KO-D Title for the first time.
A meeting yesterday between Shinichiro Kawamatsu and House of Councilors member Eriko Imai (who is also the mother of pro wrestler Raimu Imai) was suddenly interrupted by Gorgeous Matsuno when he overheard them talking about the O-40 Title match. Kawamatsu was telling Imai about his plan to wrestle both Makoto Oishi and Matsuno in a 3 Way Match. When he brought up that Matsuno is about to turn 62 years old next month, Matsuno burst into the room and threatened him! Matsuno said the O-40 Title is not for a kid like Kawamatsu and then he got dragged out of the room by the politician’s aide. When everything settled down Imai gave Kawamatsu her support.
DDT “KENGAN ASHURA X DDT PRO WRESTLING COLLABORATION MATCH”, 26/03/2023 Tokyo Big Sight East Exhibition Hall ADK Emotions Booth
1. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match I: Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match II: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
3. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match III: Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
DDT will be at the AnimeJapan 2023 convention in Tokyo Big Sight for a collaboration with the Kengan Ashura anime on Netflix. The series is all about corporations using an underground fighting tournament to settle their problems. The artists behind the manga have done merchandise artwork with Big Japan before and have referenced pro wrestling in their work, including this series. Kengan Ashura has an in-universe pro wrestling company in it called Super Japan Pro Wrestling. Coincidence or not that name also just happens to be a rejected suggestion to call DDT back when that company was launched in 1997. So in a weird way this is sort of a full circle moment.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
The Hollywood card is complete and now we now what Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada will be getting up to. They’re not opponents but tag team partners instead! Higuchi’s size will be tested because one of their opponents is Andrew Everett, who is making his return to DDT. The other opponent will feel like a kindred spirit to Masada. The super rookie gets to be in the ring with the young supernova Nick Wayne!
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
7. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
8. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno
Rounding out the GCW Vs DDT card is what’s certain to be a car crash of a trios match. The Second Gear Crew are the people to count on in GCW if you want to watch room sprawling brawls with plenty of plunder getting broken. Chris Brookes & Shunma Katsumata have found themselves as unlikely tag partners to take on these guys. They’re getting unexpected help from Mizuki Watase too, kicking off Watase’s planned excursion to America.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 