Grand Princess ’25 Press Conference

February 19, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Arisu Endo
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

We are one month ahead of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s return to Ota Ward Gymnasium so a press conference was held in Shibuya yesterday to promote the three championship matches happening at the show. Rika Tatsumi talked about how her feelings for Mizuki have transcended beyond love and romance. When Mizuki is happy, Tatsumi is happy too. However she always regrets how short lived her Princess Of Princess Title reign was in 2021. She’s fought through many challenges since then and feels she has never been rewarded for them. So she must become ruthless to become the Princess Champion again even if that ends up with Mizuki hating her.

Mizuki understands just how much Tatsumi likes her and to prove it she brought along an envelope. Inside it was the first love letter Tatsumi wrote for her all those years ago. She didn’t read it out loud because it is very long but it is full of Tatsumi writing wonderful things about her. Mizuki admits she often gets worried that if she gets close to Tatsumi then Tatsumi would start to dislike her. That’s why Mizuki tends to keep her distance from her. But with the title match coming up it makes their first time singles bout against each other even more special. She too is now prepared to fight for the championship at the risk of being hated by Tatsumi. The one thing she is sure of is they will shine together in the ring and do their best.

The two members of Daisy Monkey talked about how much they wanted to have a championship match against each other. Suzume knew the match could happen down the road when she won the International Princess Title and she was really happy to see Arisu Endo want it too. She doesn’t know what will happen after the match but she wants to find that out together with Endo. They’ve had three singles matches already in their career and Suzume won all of them. She said Endo is at her best no matter who her opponent is and she enjoys watching her go all out every time. Endo says she sees Suzume as an older sister and she wants the IP Title because her “sister” has it!

The Princess Tag Team Titles have been held by Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao before but never together. Their team Kyoraku Kyomei was formed for both of them to have fun to the fullest without regrets but Nakajima admits there is resentment and bitterness building up to the title match against 121000000. Those are the feelings motivating her to beat the champions and finally win the belts with Misao by her side. Misao does not believe their team will become worthless if they never win the tag titles. But she still feels a sting in her heart when she remembers losing to 121000000 at the 2023 Max Heart Tournament final. She admits the other team were the main characters back then. That means for this title match Kyoraku Kyomei will show everyone what it’s like when the underdog becomes the new hero!

Maki Itoh spoke about how confident she is coming off of a title defence in Chile. She gets that the challengers are on a roll but she does not want them to underestimate her & Miyu Yamashita because the champs are still in really good shape. If there is resentment, envy and jealousy coming their way then Itoh will throw all of it into the depths of despair once again! Yamashita watched Kyoraku Kyomei’s run through this year’s Max Heart Tournament and described their matches as a lot of fun when seeing them from the outside. She’s happy to know that 121000000 are a driving force for Kyoraku Kyomei even when they’re away wrestling somewhere else. Her bond with Itoh is getting stronger and there’s more places where they want to travel and team together. They’re also only reaching the halfway point of their 10 defence goal.

Nakajima talked about something that bothers her about 121000000. She compares them to overpowered Pokémon that dominate the competitive scene. Yamashita is Ogerpon when it wears the Hearthflame Mask while Itoh is Dragonite. Itoh likes the comparison because she loves Dragonite but Yamashita didn’t understand the references. She got it once Sayuri Namba showed her a picture of Ogerpon and agreed it looks strong. Itoh then compared the challengers to Geodude because they are rock hard. Nakajima wasn’t happy with that because Geodude is a weak Pokémon. But they can withstand one-hit kills and launch a dangerous counter attack which Nakajima admits is her team’s plan to win.

Misao changed the subject by saying if Kyoraku Kyomei win the titles they want to defend them against teams they’ve never fought before or teams made up of people who never worked with each other. They would also welcome any challenges from teams who can beat them in terms of creating fun. She does not intend to add special rules to their title defences because they don’t want to get complaints from management. But if a match calls for it then she might come up with special rules anyway.


Iino Injured, DGC Final To Headline Korakuen, New Grand Princess Matches

February 10, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW X YAON ~SINGING AND JOSHI WRESTLING OUTDOORS IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER~”, 11/02/2025
Tokyo Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall

1. Arisu Endo Vs Chika Nanase
2. Yuki Kamifuku, Toga & Mifu Ashida Vs Haruna Neko, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaya Toribami
3. Suzume & Mahiro Kiryu Vs HIMAWARI & Kira Summer
4. Mizuki & Jada Stone Vs Shoko Nakajima & Haru Kazashiro
5. 10-Woman Tag Match: Hyper Misao, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami Vs Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino, Wakana Uehara, Pom Harajuku & Max The Impaler

This will be the first time Shoko Nakajima and Jada Stone will wrestle each other in Japan. Nakajima is the reason why Stone got to tour with Tokyo Joshi Pro in the first place after they wrestled each other in DPW last year.

GANBARE☆PRO “LADY BIRD 2025 ~ MOEKA HARUHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY DEBUT”, 11/02/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Keisuke Ishii’s 40th Birthday Commemorative Match: Ken Ohka & Shota Kawakami Vs Keisuke Ishii & Hajime Enshu
2. Takuya Wada Vs Yoshihiro Horaguchi
3. Yumehito Imanari & Shigehiro Irie Vs Tyson Maeguchi & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Shuichiro Katsumura & Rekka Vs Yasu Urano & PSYCHO
5. Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Banny Oikawa Vs Takumi Iroha, Riko Kawahata & Ai Houzan
6. Presented By Kintaro Sushi Shinobazu Branch – Moeka Haruhi Debut 20th Anniversary Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs Hanako Nakamori

Tomorrow also sees Moeka Haruhi celebrating her 20th Anniversary in wrestling. The last time she had a singles match with Hanako Nakamori was back in 2021 at a PURE-J show.

DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 4 ~LOVE SO SAUNA~”, 14/02/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. 120℃ High Temperature Sauna Match: Danshoku Dieno & Fuminori Abe Vs Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
2. Totonoi ALL OUT: Shin KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shin Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito
3. Big NeppoWER!!: Shinya Aoki Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~To-y Löyly~: To-y Vs Sauna Lover X
5. Ueno Nordic Presents ~Yuki Ueno Löyly~: Yuki Ueno Vs Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro
6. BZW Tag Team Title – NELJAS Presents ~MAO Löyly~: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

The Sauna Lover that To-y is going to fight on Valentine’s Day was revealed to be Shuji Kondo!

At yesterday’s DDT show Yuki Iino suffered a fractured orbital injury in his right eye which means he will be out of action for a while. The “ALL OUT” match will go on without him. It is now changed from a tag bout to a 3 Way Match with the remaining participants.

Yuki Ishida is still feeling unwell so he is no longer wrestling on this show. Kazuma Sumi takes his place in the opening match.

GLEAT/DDT “GLEAT VER. & – GLEAT X DDT PRO WRESTLING”, 15/02/2025
Osaka Umeda Sky Building Stella Hall

1. GLEAT & DDT Tag Battle: Takanori Ito & Soma Takao Vs Issei Onitsuka & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. GLEAT & DDT Tag Battle: Densha MICHIo & Danshoku Dieno Vs JD Lee & To-y
3. Into The G-RUSH – G-RUSH Rules: El Lindaman Vs Ilusion
4. GLEAT Vs DDT Single Battle: Junjie Vs KANON
5. GLEAT Vs DDT Single Battle: Kaito Ishida Vs Keigo Nakamura
6. GLEAT & DDT Tag Battle: T-Hawk & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Ryo Aitaka
7. GLEAT & DDT Dream 6-Man Tag Battle: HARASHIMA, CIMA & KAZMA SAKAMOTO Vs Chris Brookes, Parker Boudreaux & Yukio Naya
8. GLEAT Tag Battle: Katsuhiko Nakajima & Jay Lamrod Vs Kotaro Suzuki & Tetsuya Izuchi
9. GLEAT & DDT & AAA 6-Man Tag Battle: Takehiro Yamamura, MAO & Yuya Koroku Vs SBK, TAKUMA & Kazuma Sumi
10. GLEAT Vs DDT Premium Battle: Soma Watanabe Vs Yuki Ueno

A few changes here too because of Iino and Ishida being out of action. Keigo Nakamura moves up to become Kaito Ishida’s new opponent, Tomomitsu Matsunaga takes his place in the opener and Soma Takao replaces Iino on the other team.

DDT “REMBRANDT HIGHWAY SERIES 2025 ICHIGO BOUT IN EBINA”, 16/02/2025
Kanagawa Rembrandt Hotel Ebina

1. Yukio Naya Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Toru Owashi & Soma Takao
3. Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato Vs Yuya Koroku & Keigo Nakamura
4. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs KANON & Ilusion
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Akito

The first three matches have been changed around due to the absences of Iino and Ishida.

DDT “NEXT GENERATION 2025 ~KISARAGI ROMAN~”, 23/02/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs To-y, Jun Akiyama, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Daichi Sato
3. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura
5. Special Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Koju Takeda Vs Super Sasadango Machine & Yumehito Imanari
6. “Brave Bang Bravern!” Collaboration 6-Man Tag Match ~ Bravern Debut Match: Bravern, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Yukio Naya, Akito & Soma Takao
7. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – Final: Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku

A press conference was held by DDT today to promote the D GENERATIONS CUP final. It was there when Takeshi Masada and Yuya Koroku were told that the final is going to main event Korakuen Hall! The surprise completely threw Masada off guard because up until now he had everything calculated and going to plan. The final being moved to the main event wasn’t part of those calculations. He tried to play it cool and still thinks he will win and move on to challenge Chris Brookes for the KO-D Openweight Title. Koroku does not care who the KO-D Champion will be if he wins the final and gets the title shot instead.

Super Sasadango Machine takes Iino’s place in the Pheromones reunion match. That means the 3 Way Match he was originally booked for is now just Kazuki Hirata against Antonio Honda.

BASARA “BASARA 272 ~TAKAGARI 27~”, 02/03/2025
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Daichi Kazato Vs Kuishinbo Kamen
2. Union MAX Title: Masato Kamino (c) Vs Ryota Nakatsu

The Union MAX Title reign is off to a good start for Masato Kamino but is he becoming to smug about it? He has really become proud of his muscular body as of late. However Ryota Nakatsu thinks that Kamino loves himself so much it’s starting to overshadow BASARA and the MAX Title.

The guests for this show are Kuishinbo Kamen, Keisuke Ishii, Ayumu Honda and Akira Jo.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 20: LIFE IS PEACHY”, 04/03/2025
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

Both Honda and Mr. Bueno will be on the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Arisu Endo
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

No need to worry about 121000000 being banned from Japan. They successfully defended the Princess Tag Team Titles in Chile and will have no trouble travelling home where Kyoraku Kyomei will be waiting for them.

Daisy Monkey are going to explode! One of the other mainstay tag teams in Tokyo Joshi Pro have an important match going on too. Suzume and Arisu Endo will be facing each other for the International Princess Title!

A match two and a half years in the making will finally happen. Willow Nightingale was supposed to face Miu Watanabe one on one back at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” but travel issues cancelled her tour. While she eventually did get to wrestle in Japan with TJPW, the singles match with Watanabe never happened. It’s been a long wait but it’s finally going to take place next month!

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Kazusada Higuchi Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs X
2. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Minoru Suzuki
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs X

The DDT Extreme Title match between Danshoku Dieno and Yuki Iino has been cancelled because of Iino’s injury.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025” Results

February 9, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
??? Fans

1. Casey defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Loaded Backpack Attack (7:43).
2. Aja Kong defeated Roma with the Uraken (8:55).
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Sara Phoenix & Pandora when Yamashita pinned Phoenix with the Skull Kick (18:19).
*V4 for 121000000.

One day after Kyoraku Kyomei won the Max Heart Tournament in Japan, 121000000 were over in Chile defending the Princess Tag Team Titles as part of a mini Tokyo Joshi Pro event held at the AEX Santiago convention. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh had gotten the message from the No. 1 Contenders that they would be banned from coming home to Japan if they lost the titles to their Chilean opponents. It was a hard fought match but the champions can rest easy knowing they will be welcomed back home because they knocked out Pandora with the Headbutt/Knee Kick combo and Yamashita then pinned Sara Phoenix with the Skull Kick. The result confirms that 121000000 will be the defending champions against Kyoraku Kyomei at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” on 16th March.

Aja Kong was one of the special guests for the wrestling show. Her opponent Roma fought from beneath for most of the match but had a big chance when she stopped Kong from doing a Diving Elbow Drop and instead Superplexed her from the second rope. However Kong threw Roma aside with a Back Drop Driver and knocked her senseless with the Uraken. The ref stopped herself from counting to three, thinking there was a kickout but Roma was down and out so the ref went back to completing the three count.

Chile did find success in one match when Casey fought against Moka Miyamoto. Too bad that Casey’s behavior meant she wasn’t the fan favorite in the match. She instead took shortcuts like stomping on Miyamoto in the corner and grabbing Miyamoto’s hair to escape the Rashomon. She also had a backpack at ringside, took something out of it and threw the item across the ring to distract the ref. The distraction worked and she hit Miyamoto over the head with the backpack. It must have been loaded because it knocked Miyamoto out long enough for her to be pinned.

The other special guest for the event was the mascot Chiitan☆ coming to interrupt Itoh’s introduction at the start of the show. Armed with an inflatable mallet, Chiitan☆ attacked Itoh and caused her to cry. Itoh got revenge by grabbing the mallet and fighting back with it. That then caused Chiitan☆ to cry. The two made up and decided to have a Cute Off contest which Itoh won.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT” Results

February 8, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 08/02/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
551 Fans

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase defeated Shino Suzuki, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer when Hasegawa submitted Suzuki with the Muffler Hold (9:38).
2. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Mifu Ashida with the Famouser (7:01).
3. Raku & Ram Kaichow defeated Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko when Raku pinned Neko after the Cake Cutting Ceremony (8:10).
4. Arisu Endo defeated Wakana Uehara with the Ju no Okite (10:32).
5. Miu Watanabe defeated Uta Takami with a Batting Hammer (7:55).
6. Yuki Aino defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Venus DDT (8:27).
7. Rika Tatsumi & Toga defeated Mizuki & HIMAWARI when Tatsumi pinned HIMAWARI with the Twist Of Fate (15:22).
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) defeated Jada Stone with the Ring A Bell (12:29).
*V1 for Suzume.
9. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku when Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Diving Senton (12:29).

It took five years for Kyoraku Kyomei to clear their quest. The last remaining team to have competed in every Max Heart Tournament to date have finally won it! The crowd in Korakuen Hall laughed when Hyper Misao told them before the match that she and Shoko Nakajima would win the final with a pure heart. Max The Impaler then attacked them before Misao could finish her promo. Misao quickly brought out the Hyper Mobile and charged into Max but Max moved out of the way and Misao crashed into Mahiro Kiryu instead. Max threw Nakajima around the room while Pom Harajuku got to reverse things by using Max as a weapon instead of the other way around. Nakajima used her surroundings to her advantage by hitting Max with a flying kick from a nearby railing. Misao then cycled the Hyper Mobile down the aisle and successfully crashed it into Max. Harajuku was left to fight Nakajima back in the ring by herself. She blocked the Locomotion Northern Lights Suplex and hit back with the Pom de Justice. But Nakajima got the better of her, getting the win with the Diving Senton while Misao got Max outside the ring with the I Am A Hero.

Nakajima told Misao after the match that ever since Kyoraku Kyomei was formed she’s had so much fun. But it was also frustrating for all of the times they couldn’t win their big matches. They finally made it to the top but she still feels a thorn in her heart. They lost to 121000000 in the Max Heart final two years ago and she still hates that it happened. She wants to get revenge by winning the Princess Tag Team Titles from them at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”! Misao agreed and told her 121000000 will be defending the titles in Chile this weekend. Their message to the champs is if they lose the belts overseas then they are banned from returning to Japan! Harajuku told Max they weren’t able to win but thanks to this tournament Pompaler have become even closer. So in a way she already has a “Max Heart” she can cherish!

“The Spark” made her way back to Japan in the hopes of winning some gold. Jada Stone had Suzume’s moveset scouted, countering the Mikazuki Meteor Shower into a Samoan Drop and also turning the Ring-A-Bell into the Gory Special submission hold. However Suzume saw that Stone’s guard was down during the backflip that was meant to lead into the Spark Stunner so she stopped her momentum with a Dropkick to the back. From there Suzume was able to hit the Ring-A-Bell and win her first International Princess Title defence. Stone said it was a dream come true to fight in a big title match at Korakuen Hall but this is not going to be the end. She’ll be back to fight Suzume again. Stone is also still aiming to take a championship from Japan.

After the match Arisu Endo congratulated Suzume and asked her for a title shot. It just so happened that Suzume was going to nominate her Daisy Monkey partner anyway so they will have the match at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” on 16th March! Suzume told reporters the two of them have long talked about having a championship match against each other some day. Now it is no longer going to be just a dream. Endo is the only opponent she wants to face at Ota Ward Gymnasium. Endo said they know each other so well from teaming together so it will all be about how they’re going to get through that. Endo is confident she can beat Suzume and become the champ!

A preview of the “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” main event pitted Mizuki and Rika Tatsumi against each other in a tag match. Mizuki avoided shaking Tatsumi’s hand before the bell and again when they were both tagged in for the first time. HIMAWARI attacked Tatsumi by whipping her with her hair so Tatsumi fought back by pulling on HIMAWARI’s hair. Mizuki used the Cutie Special to get rid of Toga but she was then hit by Tatsumi’s Spinning Backbreaker. Tatsumi then planted HIMAWARI with the Twist Of Fate to win. She would have preferred to directly beat Mizuki today but that just means she has more time to think about how she can get that result at the Princess Of Princess Title match. Toga feels similarly because she wants to avenge her loss to HIMAWARI in the Next Generation Tournament. Mizuki thinks Tatsumi’s love for her is very warped and isn’t really love. She doesn’t want to be hated though, so she isn’t sure how to open up to Tatsumi about the matter. It’s quite the problem because she doesn’t want to look at Tatsumi but knows if she takes her eyes off of her, she is going to lose.

Several matches on the undercard pitted the established Tokyo Joshi Pro roster against the Next Generation. The results were all straightforward without any upsets shaking up the status quo. Yuki Aino defeated Haru Kazashiro. She was in trouble when Kazashiro gave her the Fisherman Suplex but Aino kept on fighting. She ended up shrugging off some Dropkicks and pinned Kazashiro with the Venus DDT. Aino hasn’t won many singles matches in Korakuen so she is very happy with today’s result. She can tell just how much Kazashiro has grown both physically and mentally since their last singles match a year and a half ago. Kazashiro knows she can do more so she can get as strong as Aino.

Two of the Up Up Girls fought each other when Miu Watanabe fought Uta Takami in a mismatch of strength and experience. Takami wanted the match to be the culmination of her first year as a pro wrestler. She was able to catch her opponent in a Cobra Clutch and hit a Pop-Up Dropkick but other than that she had no chance. After stretching her with the Canadian Backbreaker, Watanabe then clobbered Takami with a Batting Hammer to win. She said she hopes Takami will continue to get stronger and walk her own path from here. Takami said if she had never met Watanabe she never would have become a pro wrestler. She is grateful to Watanabe for always watching over her.

Endo set herself up for her later title challenge by beating Wakana Uehara on the undercard. The result is payback for Uehara making Endo submit in the 1st Round to eliminate Daisy Monkey from this year’s tournament. She used a rope break to escape the Banana Pillow and then threw Uehara over by using the Waterwheel Drop. Uehara started a comeback but Endo stopped it with a Super Kick and then won by using the Ju no Okite. The Super Kick is particular is a move Endo said she’s been saving for the right time due to how effective it can be. Uehara said she always feel the need to chase after Endo because she was her mentor from Yume Pro Wrestling as well as her tag partner from her debut match. She thought she took a step forward when she submitted Endo in the tournament. But today she realised Endo has taken another step ahead since then.

The honeymoon period isn’t over yet. The “Newlywed Tag Team” Of Raku & Ram Kaichow are still acting lovey-dovey together (well it is Valentine’s Day next week). So much so that it annoyed Haruna Neko into attacking them with Mahiro Kiryu following suit. Raku had also made Kaichow some Valentine’s chocolate but Kiryu took it off them and ate some of it with Daisuke Kiso to get a suger rush power up. She of course later apologised to Kaichow over it. Ram & Kaichow got revenge by beating Neko with the Cake Cutting Ceremony double chop from the second rope. Unfortunately there was no chocolate left after the match. Raku promised to make more for Kaichow because Valentine’s Day hasn’t happened yet.

Mifu Ashida is still new to TJPW so it was time for Yuki Kamifuku to put her to the test. Kamifuku couldn’t help but compliment her opponent for having a pretty face while she was holding her down with an Indian Death Lock. Ashida hit her with some high kicks but Kamifuku took over with a Brainbuster and hit the Famouser for the victory. She praised Ashida for being confident when she heard her goal is to become the best wrestler in TJPW within a year. However Kamifuku dislikes people who carry that much motivation with them. Her advice to Ashida is she should get to know TJPW a little better before she goes around bragging about wanting to be the best. Ashida understands she has a lot more training to do before she can overcome high walls such as Kamifuku. She wants fans to watch her get stronger and climb to the top.

Since Shino Suzuki was teaming with two foreigners today, she treated her triple team moves with Ivy Steele & Kira Summer as if she was guiding them on a tour across Japan and ending at the Tokyo Dome. Steele & Summer were able to get Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase out of the ring but Suzuki struggled to finish off Yoshiko Hasegawa. Instead Hasegawa fought her way to put Suzuki into the Muffler Hold and win the match by submission.

After Match #5 Watanabe received a video message from Willow Nightingale. The two were originally meant to have a match at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” but visa issues prevented it from ever happening. Soon Nightingale will return to TJPW so the match can finally take place! It will happen at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” on 16th March. Watanabe said she’s been waiting for over two years and cannot wait for Nightingale to finally come back.


DDT Around The World – January 2025

February 1, 2025

A new year means new adventures and a fresh sense of excitement to go exploring again. Konosuke Takeshita now has work with New Japan to deal with alongside his AEW duties. It’s opened up a whole new group of opponents to fight in America as well as Japan, especially since he has a championship in each company he wants to defend often. Yuka Sakazaki had a very big month by taking part in a special retirement match and also getting a big chance to do some things on AEW TV. But now that has come and gone I worry that she’s going to vanish from the shows again. Yuki Kamifuku is continuing her series of matches with Alexis Lee across Southeast Asia. Maki Itoh went on tour across the world with GCW but sadly lost her championship along the way.

A lot more destinations are coming up in the Springtime. Chile gets to experience Tokyo Joshi Pro on their own soil, Takeshita gets a very big tag match in Australia, Miyu Yamashita gets to wrestle in Germany for the first time and all roads will be leading us towards the bright lights of Las Vegas. I know I got the tickets I want for Wrestlemania Week.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Jonathan Johnson

AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA


1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Queen Aminata Vs Deonna Purazzo Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Serena Deeb


2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Katsuyori Shibata


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki

———————————————————————–

Results


NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
24,107 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c) defeated Shingo Takagi (N/c) with the Raging Fire (11:42).
*V5 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Shingo Takagi fails in V2. Becomes the 47th/11th Champion!

I already wrote about Takeshita’s big weekend at the Tokyo Dome. You can read it here.


NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
16,300 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Raging Fire (13:30).
*V1 for NEVER Openweight Title. V6 for AEW International Title.

Same as above.


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 3”, 10/01/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Alexis Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
V6 for Yuki Kamifuku.

As far as I know it was just the Queen Of Asia Title that was on the line for Kamifuku’s latest appearance at Singapore Pro Wrestling. Her rivalry with Alexis Lee may have turned friendly but Lee still wants to win that title back. Kamifuku was able to beat her again for another title defence. It also won’t be the last time this year they fight each other in SPW. More on that later.


NJPW “BATTLE IN THE VALLEY”, 11/01/2025
San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA

1. Sumie Sakai Retirement Match – Tornado Tag Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sumi Sakai, EVIL & SHO when Takahashi pinned Sakai with the TIME BOMB (14:42).
2. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated KUSHIDA with the Raging Fire (15:08).
*V2 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

With a new path forged in New Japan, Takeshita went to fight for the company over in America. California was the place where his next NEVER Openweight Title defence was scheduled. KUSHIDA was his challenger in his latest attempt to take on the heavyweights. His gameplan was to start with breaking down Takeshita’s arm before switching to his legs with sweeping Leg Kicks. The plan worked in that it did weaken Takeshita’s moveset and made the match more competitive than first it looked on paper. But Takeshita was able to stand tall in the end and put away KUSHIDA. Takeshita then went ahead and called his shot. When Hiroshi Tanahashi has his final match in America before he retires, Takeshita wants to be his opponent!

If you want to watch a feel good wrestling match to get you out of the new year dumps, go seek out Sumie Sakai’s retirement bout. She teamed up with House Of Torture members EVIL & SHO because of their connections back in their American excursions days. Sakazaki was one of the many people who wanted to be a part of the match as a thank you to Sakai. She got chosen among the lucky trio that included Hiromu Takahashi from NJPW & Mayu Iwatani from Stardom. There was also a female Kamaitachi hanging around at ringside who nobody has been able to identify since (I’ve seen a few guesses it was Iyo Sky because she was in attendance and I appreciate the cheekiness of it if true). Sakazaki whacked SHO over the head with a foreign object and gave him the Tea Time. Sakai ended up fighting on her own and kept kicking out for as long as she could. Takahashi eventually kept her down for the count with the TIME BOMB.


IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Jonathan Johnson defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Swanton Bomb (?:??).

This month saw SETUP become the new bearers of the International Wrestling Association brand by launching the debut IWA Thailand show. Masahiro Takanashi went over to take part in a tournament to determine the No. 1 Contender for the IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title. He had no problem being the bad guy against Jonathan Johnson and even got some ringside help from Shota getting in Johnson’s way whenever it was convenient. However Johnson fought off the numbers disadvantage and made Shota Super Kick Takanashi by mistake. Johnson then countered the Takatonic into an Implant for a nearfall and then hit the Swanton Bomb to get the upset win, knocking Takanashi out of the tournament in the 1st Round.


GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. GCW Ultraviolent Title & GCW Extreme Title – Doors, Ladders & Chairs Unification Match: Matt Tremont defeated Maki Itoh (E/c), John Wayne Murdoch, Drew Parker, Rina Yamashita, Brandon Kirk, Dr. Redacted and Matthew Justice when Tremont grabbed the titles (15:55).
*Maki Itoh fails in V5. Matt Tremont becomes the 10th GCW Ultraviolent Champion and 11th GCW Extreme Champion!

Maki Itoh took a big gamble and it did not pay off. She wanted to double her title collection in GCW by joining the Doors, Ladders & Chairs match where the vacant GCW Ultraviolent Title was on the line. To do that she agreed to put the GCW Extreme Title up for grabs too so both championships would end up being unified together. John Wayne Murdoch complained about her inclusion at the start of the match, causing Itoh to fake cry so everyone else would attack him in her defence. Itoh also did the ladder spin spot, hitting whoever was in her way until Matthew Justice smashed her with a chair. Her last big spot of the match was diving off a ladder onto everyone else outside the ring. She ended up getting taken out of the match when Drew Parker did the Swanton Bomb from the ladder onto herself and Murdoch through some tables at ringside. Matt Tremont ended up being the last one left to climb the ladder and pull down both belts.


BZW/GCW “ENTER THE ZONE”, 25/01/2025
Espace Isabelle De Hainaut, Rue De Saint-Quentin, France

1. BZW Title: Joseph Fenech Jr. (c) defeated Maki Itoh by Disqualification when Itoh was caught with Brass Knuckles (?:??).
*V7 for Joseph Fenech Jr.

One week later Itoh travelled to Europe with GCW for a weekend of shows in France and England. For a brief moment it looked like Itoh was the new champion of Banger Zone Wrestling when she defeated Joseph Fenech Jr. for the BZW Title. However during the match Fenech placed a pair of brass knuckles into Itoh’s gear so when he lost the match, he complained to the ref and accused Itoh of cheating. The ref inspected Itoh, found the brass knucks “hidden” in her costume and decided to reverse the decision.


AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Queen Aminata, Deonna Purazzo and Serena Deeb when Sakazaki pinned Purazzo with a Modified Crucifix Pin (9:28).
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Katsuyori Shibata with the Raging Fire (13:29).
*V7 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Back in AEW, Takeshita called out an unexpected opponent to be his next challenger for the AEW International Title. He wanted a piece of Katsuyori Shibata after seeing him winning matches in ROH! It was a match that just as much existed to show everyone that Shibata can still take bumps because Takeshita Suplexed him around quite a bit. Shibata though was able to withstand the attacks and push back, fighting his way towards a possible title change. However Don Callis in a panic left the commentary booth to grab Shibata’s leg from ringside as a distraction. Takeshita then grabbed Shibata for the Blue Thunder Bomb. Shibata kicked out of that with a 1 Count so Takeshita put him away with the Raging Fire.

Sakazaki’s AEW direction for this month centered around the TBS Championship. She was thrown into the mix of a 4 Way Match to determine the No. 1 Contender. Her chances improved when Queen Aminata and Serena Deeb fought their way out of the ring and away from ringside. She also benefitted from Deonna Purrazzo getting distracted by Taya Valkyrie being attacked by Harley Cameron. With Purazzo’s guard now down, Sakazaki cradled her into a Crucifix Pin to score the three count and earn herself a title match.


GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025
Electric Ballroom, London, England

1. Maki Itoh defeated Man Like DeReiss with a Mouse Trap (11:56).

What Itoh lacked in size against Man Like DeReiss she more than made up for it with ego and personality. She quickly reacted to DeReiss’s big entrance by telling him she’s “not scared, you pussy!” DeReiss still took her lightly, making quips on the microphone while Body Slamming her. But Itoh started a comeback while the Pokémon theme song played over the speakers. However DeReiss took a page out of Itoh’s playbook by crying crocodile tears so Itoh would go easy on him. His plan almost worked until Itoh countered a Power Slam into the Mouse Trap cradle to get the pin out of nowhere.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Money Maker (13:40).
*V13 for Mercedes Moné.

Remember back when Mercedes Moné would put out photos and videos on social media of her training at the TJPW dojo and hanging out with the roster? Well after all that time we finally got to see her wrestle a match against someone TJPW related. Moné and Sakazaki got the main event slot on Dynamite for their TBS Title match. Sakazaki got out of the Statement Maker by cradling it into a nearfall. She thought she had Moné where she wanted her by doing a Snap German Suplex. But Moné blocked the Magical Girl Splash with her knees and eventually pinned her with the Moné Maker.


JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 1”, 31/01/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van (?:??).
2. AEW International Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington (?:??).

Both Takeshita and Sakazaki were a part of Chris Jericho’s annual Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager At Sea cruise. There were four days of shows but from what I could find Sakazaki only wrestled on the first day, beating Viva Van. Takeshita beat the new “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington on his first match of the cruise. It has since been promoted in AEW canon as an AEW International Title eliminator match for Ring Of Honor TV. I’ll go through the rest of Takeshita’s matches in next month’s article.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Casey
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Pandora & Sara Phoenix

The AEX Santiago convention welcomes Tokyo Joshi Pro to Chile in February. The Princess Tag Team Titles will be defended over there too, possibly changing the course of “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” if 121000000 lose the belts over there. Fans over there will also get to see Aja Kong and Moka Miyamoto in action.


AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia

1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher

There’s a lot of logistical confusion going around AEW’s Australia debut but it’s still working out better than that time Takeshita was booked by Sub-Zero Pro back in 2019. He’ll be teaming with Australia’s own Kyle Fletcher as the two members of the Don Callis Family face the combined wrath of Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega!


SPW “UNCHAINED”, 07/03/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman

Kamifuku and Lee’s rivalry remains in Singapore for the time being. This time Kamifuku will get involved in a mixed tag match for the first time in SPW. She teams with The Statement (aka Andruew Tang) while Lee will team with Da Butcherman.


WXW “16 CARAT GOLD – NIGHT 3”, 09/03/2025
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Some of the best wrestling weekends I’ve ever had were in Germany for the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Yamashita’s debut for wXw is only going to be for the third night though. That’s a shame because if she did the entire weekend there would have been a whole list of interesting new matches for her to do.


NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

America gets a rematch over a decade in the making. In the 2nd year Anniversary of Takeshita’s debut match, he got to fight Tanahashi in his prime at DDT’s Sumo Hall show. He had respect for him for years afterward until 2015 when Tanahashi embarrassed DDT in the same venue. When Takeshita competed in the G1 Climax last year he brought up that situation as a reason for him to chase after Tanahashi in New Japan. Now that Tanahashi is getting ready to retire next year, there’s not a lot of time left to make this match happen. So Takeshita made the demand to be the opponent for Tanahashi’s last match in America (unless AEW gets the itch to book him on super short notice later in the year).


PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025
Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

DDT and TJPW’s schedule for Wrestlemania Week is focused on the Friday and Saturday. However Miu Watanabe’s schedule unexpectedly starts a little bit earlier. On the Thursday she will be competing in Pandemonium Pro against the promising wrestler from Texas, Maya World.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The sixteen women TJPW are planning to bring over to Las Vegas are Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Suzume, Yuki Kamifuku, Pom Harajuku, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Wakana Uehara and Shino Suzuki. There will be a few more international wrestlers taking part too.


DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The first group of DDT wrestlers coming over for the show are MAO, Shinya Aoki, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda, Ilusion, Yuni and Kazuma Sumi. A lot of the regular talent have already been advertised for DDT’s shows back in Japan the same weekend so this might be your lot outside of the guests.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Tickets for all three shows are on sale now.


Upcoming Title Matches, Banny Replaces HARUKAZE On Haruhi’s Show

January 24, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 25/01/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. 3 Way Match: Miu Watanabe Vs Raku Vs Haruna Neko
2. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Uta Takami Vs Yuki Arai, Haru Kazashiro & Toga
3. Yuki Aino, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer Vs Moka Miyamoto, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaya Toribami
4. Miyu Yamashita & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Rika Tatsumi & Chika Nanase
5. Mizuki Vs Mifu Ashida
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

The show will be airing live on Tokyo Joshi Pro’s Youtube channel as well as Wrestle Universe. However for Youtube it is only the live broadcast. It will not be saved on the channel for later viewing.

DDT “NEW YEAR, NEW HERO. 2025 ~A NEW STORY BEGINS~”, 26/01/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Soma Takao & Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Iino & Daichi Sato
2. MAO & Toru Owashi Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
3. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. DDT Extreme Title – Life’s Sparkle Rules: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Gorgeous Matsuno
5. Road To D GENERATIONS CUP 2025! Special 8-Man Tag Match: Takeshi Masada, Keigo Nakamura, Ilusion & Yuki Ishida Vs To-y, Yuya Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
6. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa

It’s just the KO-D Openweight Title being defended by itself on Sunday. The BK-G Openweight Title is not involved. Chris Brookes only just defended that in ChocoPro a few days ago.

GANBARE☆PRO “LADY BIRD 2025 ~ MOEKA HARUHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY DEBUT”, 11/02/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Keisuke Ishii’s 40th Birthday Commemorative Match: Ken Ohka & Shota Kawakami Vs Keisuke Ishii & Hajime Enshu
2. Takuya Wada Vs Yoshihiro Horaguchi
3. Yumehito Imanari & Shigehiro Irie Vs Tyson Maeguchi & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Shuichiro Katsumura & Rekka Vs Yasu Urano & PSYCHO
5. Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Banny Oikawa Vs Takumi Iroha, Riko Kawahata & Ai Houzan
6. Presented By Kintaro Sushi Shinobazu Branch – Moeka Haruhi Debut 20th Anniversary Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs Hanako Nakamori

Due to another scheduling conflict HARUKAZE will not be able to be at this show. Banny Oikawa will take her place.

DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 4 ~LOVE SO SAUNA~”, 14/02/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Tag Match: X & X Vs Akito & Yuki Iino
2. Special Single Match: To-y Vs Sauna Lover X
3. Special 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro
4. BZW Tag Team Title: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

What surprises do The 37KAMIINA have in store on Valentine’s Day? MAO & Yoshihiko are going to defend the BZW Tag Team Titles in Japan again, this time against CDK. The next chapter in the eternal rivalry between Kuishinbo Kamen and Kikutaro has Yuki Ueno being thrown in between them. The bottom half of the card has a bunch of mystery wrestlers showing up. To-y is going to fight somebody who might love saunas more than he does. Maybe the tag team facing Akito & Yuki Iino will have to go ALL OUT to beat them.

BASARA “BASARA 271 ~HIEN~”, 21/02/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs Ryuichi Sekine & FUMA

With Ryuichi Sekine fitting back into a regular schedule with BASARA he has been bonding with FUMA over their farming experiences outside of wrestling. Together they are going to fight Astronauts for the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles.

Also scheduled for the show are Ayato Yoshida & Ayumu Honda from 2AW, Yuki Ishida from DDT and Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Kawakami from Ganbare☆Pro.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Winners Of Max Heart Tournament
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

It was confirmed right at the start of the Max Heart Tournament that this year’s winners will get a Princess Tag Team Titles match at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”. The champions right now are 121000000 but they have a title defence coming up in Chile next month. If Zatara & Sara Phoenix beat them on 9th February then it will be the Chile team who will be defending the belts at Ota Ward Gymnasium.

Both Aja Kong and Max The Impaler will be at the show along with Yuki Arai.


Another Busy Weekend, Princess Tag Title Defence In Chile

January 17, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 18/01/2025
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Rika Tatsumi, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Moka Miyamoto
2. Miyu Yamashita & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yuki Arai & Shino Suzuki
3. Mizuki & HIMAWARI Vs Jada Stone & Kaya Toribami
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1D: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Mifu Ashida & Chika Nanase
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1C: Haru Kazashiro & Toga Vs Ivy Steele & Kira Summer
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo

The weekend kicks off with the start of the Max Heart Tournament.

DDT “THE FORTUNE BATTLE 2025”, 18/01/2025
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs HARASHIMA, Akito, Yuki Iino & Daichi Sato
2. Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Ishida Vs Toru Owashi & Soma Takao
3. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Antonio Honda
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & To-y (c) Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Jun Akiyama

There will be contract signings for the upcoming KO-D Openweight Title and DDT Extreme Title matches taking place before the show. However Danshoku Dieno’s next Extreme Title challenger Gorgeous Matsuno will not be in attendance for it.

DDT “DDT NEW YEAR’S FAN APPRECIATION DAY! 2025”, 19/01/2025
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuni
2. Danshoku Dieno, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Akito, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya
3. New Year Six Great Singles Match: HARASHIMA Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. New Year Six Great Singles Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuki Ishida
5. New Year Six Great Singles Match: MAO Vs Keigo Nakamura
6. New Year Six Great Singles Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Yuya Koroku
7. New Year Six Great Singles Match: Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada
8. New Year Six Great Singles Match: Chris Brookes Vs To-y

We’re already two weeks past the new year already. Let’s get on with it.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Casey
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Pandora & Sara Phoenix

It’s been decided that 121000000 will be defending the Princess Tag Team Titles when Tokyo Joshi Pro heads over to Chile next month. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh and Moka Miyamoto will be missing the 8th February and 11th February shows back in Japan because of it.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’25” Results

January 4, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’25”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,483 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Toga & Chika Nanase defeated HIMAWARI & Mifu Ashida when Toga pinned Ashida with the Rock Bottom (10:42).
2. Ryo Mizunami, Kaya Toribami & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeated Matcha, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer when Mizunami pinned Steele with the Spear (8:25).
3. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Aja Kong, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko when Aino pinned Neko with the Venus DDT (10:25).
4. New Year! Lumbersnake Death Match: Hyper Misao defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Hypami Returns (12:00).
*Special Referee: Poison Sawada JULIE
5. Yuka Sakazaki & Moka Miyamoto defeated Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki when Sakazaki pinned Suzuki with the Magical Girl Splash (10:25).
6. Yuki Kamifuku & Lei Ying Lee defeated Rika Tatsumi & Wakana Uehara when Lee pinned Uehara with the Thunder Strike (12:07).
7. International Princess Title: Suzume defeated Yuki Arai (c) with the Modified Ring A Bell (13:20).
*Yuki Arai fails in V7. Suzume becomes the 13th International Princess Champion!
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Masha Slamovich & Zara Zakher when Yamashita pinned Zakher with the Crash Rabbit Heat (12:05).
*V3 for 121000000.
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki defeated Miu Watanabe (c) with the Cutie Special (18:40).
*Miu Watanabe fails in V6. Mizuki becomes the 15th Princess Of Princess Champion!

Looks like Mizuki was right. She is the princess and Miu Watanabe is the monster she defeated today to become the new Princess Of Princess Champion! Watanabe relied on her great strength to swing Mizuki around but Mizuki hit the Cutie Special into the corner to turn things around. Watanabe was able to do a Reverse Tear Drop but Mizuki hit back with the Whirling Candy. Then with the champion feeling stunned, Mizuki ran up and did a Pop Up Double Stomp to flatten her before using another Cutie Special to win the match.

Mizuki said the match was hard and Watanabe was indeed a monster. But she also saw Watanabe shining like a princess first hand. She wanted to be the champion again and put so much pressure on herself she became worried over what to do if she lost. But hearing everyone’s cheers were what pushed Mizuki to do what she wanted to do and win. She is happy to see so many people come to see the show and told everyone 2025 is only just beginning for Tokyo Joshi Pro! When she exited the ring she saw Yuka Sakazaki watching from behind the entrance curtain and went to go join her. Backstage Watanabe said she feels lonely without the championship but she’ll keep doing her best.

The goal of reaching 10 defences is still on for 121000000. In Defence #3 Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh put the Princess Tag Team Titles on the line against the foreign pairing of Masha Slamovich & Zara Zakher. The champs also debuted new gear as well as a new intro song made by Itoh. Zakher dodged the Skull Kick and used a cartwheel to give Yamashita an RKO but Itoh broke the pin. The champs then gave Zakher a Stunner into a German Suplex. Itoh held Slamovich in a Crab Hold while Yamashita cut down Zakher with a Buzzsaw Kick before finishing her off with the Crash Rabbit Heat. Backstage Yamashita called it a tough match that woke her up from her new year slump. She then tried to get Itoh to apologize for eliminating her from the Princess Rumble. Itoh ignored her and headed back to the locker room. Slamovich told reporters she would like to defend the TNA Knockouts World Title the next time she comes back to Japan. Zakher also wants to keep coming back to TJPW until she wins a championship here.

The year long International Princess Title reign has come to an end! Yuki Arai was defeated by Suzume in her seventh attempted defence. Suzume was able to block the Rookie Award only for Arai to hit it from behind. She hit it again from the front but only got a two count for it. Suzume then countered the Full Nelson Buster into a Facebuster and went for the Ring A Bell. Arai blocked it and pushed Suzume to the ropes where Suzume did a springboard off the middle rope to launch herself into hitting the Ring A Bell for the victory! Suzume said from the first time they met she thought Arai’s presence was so powerful it was intimidating. But Suzume’s desire to win the title is stronger and everyone was cheering her, Arisu Endo included. She wants to fight wrestlers from around the world and break Arai’s title defence record. Arai doesn’t feel as upset as she thought she would be because she gave it her all. She now wants to become a pro wrestler who can take on many challenges and fight for other championships as well as the IP Title.

The team up of Yuki Kamifuku & Lei Ying Lee worked out well enough for them to win. As Kamifuku described it afterwards: yesterday’s enemy is tomorrow’s friend. She took out Rika Tatsumi with a Reverse Famouser while Lee ended up pinning Wakana Uehara with a Modified Hercules Cutter followed by the Thunder Strike. Lee said she had a great time in TJPW and would also like a rematch with Kamifuku for her championships. Kamifuku told her she’ll ask the company if they’re interested. Tatsumi said her new year fortune warned her that a storm-like disaster will occur and all of a sudden it happened here today! She also said Lee has an aura around her that nobody in TJPW has. Tatsumi also got mad when she heard Uehara say she would like to team up with Kamifuku next.

The return of Sakazaki to TJPW was slightly changed due to Haru Kazashiro falling ill. Her and Moka Miyamoto were still teaming up and Shino Suzuki was moved up the card to team with Endo in Kazahsiro’s place. Suzuki took her chance by putting Sakazaki in the Sleeper Hold but she was shaken off and dropped with the Tea Time. Endo tried to help her out but got brushed aside so Sakazaki & Miyamoto could finish Suzuki off. Sakazaki described Suzuki in her current state as a soft shelled turtle. She has a lot of guts and will grow into becoming a good wrestler. Sakazaki also noticed Endo has become calmer and more reliable than the last time they fought each other. She told Miyamoto to take care of TJPW so she can watch with peace of mind when everyone is doing their best. She would like to come back again even just to watch from the sidelines but is unsure of what her future schedule will be like.

2025 is the Year Of The Snake so that explains why Poison Sawada JULIE has suddenly returned to TJPW! He was called upon to be the special referee for the annual Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao match that was being held this year as a Lumber Snake Death Match. Sawada got up to his tricks before it even begun when Nakajima found an “energy drink” backstage, drank it and then fainted. The drink was actually Sawada’s potion that transformed her into a Snake Person! It turned out Sawada tricked several wrestlers into becoming Snake People and he led them out dancing to the song “Nikumikirenai Rokudenashi” by Kenji Sawada. He then announced he will transform TJPW into Hebikai Joshi Pro Wrestling! If Misao wants to bring everyone back to normal she will have to win and take the antidote from Sawada. Otherwise Misao will be forced to drink the potion too and become Viper Misao!

Misao now had to fight off an entire snake powered joshi company invasion by herself. It was made even tougher when Sawada stepped in to use his Snake Magic against her. She was able to block some of it by using her cape as a shield but Nakajima tucked the cape away to make it useless. Misao was attacked by the lumberjacks outside the ring so she ran off to get on the Hyper Mobile but Sawada’s magic steered her towards crashing into Mahiro Kiryu instead of his warriors. Misao fought back in the ring but when she was close to victory, Sawada pulled the ref out of the ring. Misao fought to get her cape back and when Nakajima used Snake Magic on her, Misao deflected it into Sawada to knock him out. She then gave Nakjima the Hypami Returns to win the match.

She quickly gave antidotes to the wrestlers after the match only to find out one was missing for Nakajima. Sawada revealed he purposely did not have enough antidotes for everyone so Nakajima would remain under his control! However Nakajima restrained herself from following his orders because she is determined to win the tag titles with Misao this year. Sawada could see Nakajima still has a human side to her so he revealed he actually does have one more antidote left and gave it to her. However as long as there is darkness in someone’s heart, he will return. Sawada also told Misao before leaving that she is too good to be a hero. TJPW then announced the annual Kyoraku Kyomei match will happen again at next year’s Ittenyon show.

Aja Kong was given the full Love Triangle experience and in return she gave them the full Aja Kong experience. Before the match began Kiryu was excluded from the other five wrestlers who all agreed to give her the Oyasumi Express. Kiryu lost her temper and Body Slammed all three opponents while Kong & Haruna Neko agreed to team with her as scheduled. She then demanded Kong apologize to her not once but twice because she felt the first one was not heartfelt. Kong told her she doesn’t know how to apologize so Kiryu demonstrated one by doing the Dogeza Knee Drop to Pom Harajuku. Kong was then asked by Harajuku for a New Year’s Gift so she hit Harajuku over the head with the steel can. Raku armed herself with her pillow to fight against Kong and her can. She hit Kong over the head with the pillow but got a Lariat in return. Yuki Aino came to the rescue and won the match for her team after giving Neko the Venus DDT. Kong blamed Kiryu for the loss because if she just accepted the 5-On-1 fight in the first place then Neko wouldn’t have lost! Kong also has bad knees so Kiryu shouldn’t have ordered her to apologize because it only would have made her knees worse!

The trio of Matcha, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer were excited to be in Japan for the holidays and wished everyone a happy new year while stretching Yoshiko Hasegawa in the middle of the ring. Hasegawa got some help from Kaya Toribami and together the two of them knocked Matcha & Summer out of the ring. That left Steele having to fight Ryo Mizunami by herself and she was beaten with a Spear. Mizunami said she was super happy to start the year with TJPW in front of a packed crowd. Despite losing, Matcha still thinks she was part of a good team and looks forward to seeing what will happen next.

The opening match was the TJPW debut of their newest signing, Mifu Ashida. She made a cheerleader type of entrance and used her agility to run circles around Toga & Chika Nanase. Toga cut her off with the Elbow Smash and hit a Rolling Thunder. She only got a two count because HIMAWARI broke the pin. Ashida tried fighting back but Toga hit her with another Elbow Smash and pinned her with the Rock Bottom. Toga said she sees Ashida as her rival because they debuted in the same year. She can tell she has a competitive side and would like to have a singles match against her. HIMAWARI called Ashida an immediate asset because she has a body with flexibility she has never seen before. Ashida herself is confident she can become a top wrestlers in TJPW within a year.

TJPW will soon be taking a ride on the bullet train! Sanshiro Takagi announced he will produce another wrestling match inside a travelling bullet train and this time it will involve TJPW. “SHINKANSEN JOSHI PRO WRESTLING” will be held on 15th February on the Nozomi line from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. It will be an 8-Woman Falls Count Anywhere Match between Miu Watanabe, Mizuki, Raku & Aja Kong against Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Yuki Arai & Max The Impaler!

At the start of the show The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) debuted a new song called “Stand Up! Proof Of Love”. They were down a member because Uta Takami was out sick. When they finished the performance it was revealed that the lyrics were written by Hyper Misao!


Official TJPW Best Matches Of 2024

January 1, 2025

Fans of Tokyo Joshi Pro were invited to submit their votes for TJPW’s best matches of 2024. This year there were votes from over 360 fans worldwide and over 115 matches received votes. The winning match this year received the highest amount of votes ever in the history of this poll.

TJPW Best Bouts 2024


1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
06/05/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
312 pts


2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe
31/03/2024 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
233 pts


3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
22/09/2024 @ Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall
170 pts


4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Ryo Mizunami
22/09/2024 @ Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall
118 pts


5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
31/03/2024 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
108 pts


6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
10/02/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
86 pts


7. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
04/01/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
72 pts


8. Nao Kakuta Graduation Match: Nao Kakuta Vs Mizuki
25/07/2024 @ Shin-Kiba 1st RING
61 pts


9. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Arisu Endo
08/09/2024 @ Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
60 pts


10. Next Generation Tournament ’24 – Final: Toga Vs Haru Kazashiro
22/11/2024 @ Shinjuku FACE
59 pts

11. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) Vs Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto
20/07/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
53 pts

12. Toga Vs Shino Suzuki
06/05/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
40 pts

13. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Yuki Aino Vs Ryo Mizunami
25/08/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
39 pts

14. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) Vs Matcha
29/12/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
37 pts

15. Shoko Nakajima Vs Emi Sakura
22/09/2024 @ Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall
36 pts

16. Aja Kong Vs Raku
19/04/2024 @ Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
33 pts

17. Special Tag Match: Miu Watanabe & Miyu Yamashita Vs Meiko Satomura & Shoko Nakajima
06/10/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
31 pts

18. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
20/07/2024 @Tokyo Korakuen Hall
30 pts

19. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich
04/01/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
29 pts

19. Nikichan Water Lumberjack Death Match: Miu Watanabe, Arisu Endo & HIMAWARI Vs Mizuki, Raku & Pom Harajuku
07/07/2024 @ Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
29 pts

Honorable Mentions

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

21. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura & Chris Brookes
31/03/2024 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

21. Mei Suruga Vs Uta Takami
20/07/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

23. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
31/03/2024 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

23. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
06/05/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

23. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Haru Kazashiro & Toga
01/12/2024 @ Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

26. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Ryo Mizunami Vs Haru Kazashiro
03/08/2024 @ Shinjuku FACE

26. Next Generation Tournament ’24 – Semi Final: Haru Kazashiro Vs Wakana Uehara
16/11/2024 @ Osaka Edion Arena #2


DDT Around The World – December 2024

January 1, 2025

Let’s make this a quick one because the end of this year felt like a safe landing after a long flight. Konosuke Takeshita was building up two separate challengers, one in AEW and one in New Japan. The DDT Universal Title was spotted over in Canada. January sees the international schedules heating up again with matches going on in North America, Southeast Asia and Europe. Then in February South America gets to join in the fun. That’s enough of the introductions, here is what happened in December.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “RAMPAGE – WINTER IS COMING”, 13/12/2024
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1. Mark Davis & Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Lance Archer


DEMAND LUCHA “A VERY MERRY LUCHA CHRISTMAS SHOW”, 19/12/2024
Parkdale Hall, Toronto, Canada

1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) Vs Sidney Akeem


AEW “RAMPAGE – HOLIDAY BASH”, 20/12/2024
Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Mark Davis Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage

———————————————————————–

Results


AEW “RAMPAGE – WINTER IS COMING”, 11/12/2024 (Aired 13/12/2024)
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1. Mark Davis & Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Lance Archer when Hobbs pinned Archer with the Spinebuster (12:00).

In December Takeshita was getting ready to deal with upcoming challengers from two fronts. In AEW it was starting to look like Powerhouse Hobbs was going to be the next person he would defend the AEW International Title again. They met in a tag match but Takeshita was taken out of the ring by Mark Davis. Hobbs instead switched his attention over to Lance Archer and he pinned him with the Spinebuster. Takeshita tried to attack Hobbs after the match but he too was given the Spinebuster and Hobbs then posed with his title.


NJPW “STRONG STYLE EVOLVED”, 15/12/2024
Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California, USA

1. Special Tag Team Grudge Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jack Perry defeated Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji when Perry pinned Tsuji with the Glass Jaw (17:44).

Takeshita had to change his focus over to another challenger over in New Japan because Shingo Takagi also has him in his sights. They clashed in a tag match that also mixed in Yota Tsuji as Takagi’s partner and Jack Perry as Takeshita’s. That caused most of the focus to be on Tsuji Vs Perry which led to a ref bump. Perry gave Tsuji a Low Blow and then hit the Glass Jaw knee strike to get the victory for his team.


AEW “RAMPAGE – HOLIDAY BASH”, 18/12/2024 (Aired 20/12/2024)
Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage defeated Powerhouse Hobbs & Mark Davis when Takeshita pinned Davis with the Raging Fire (12:27).

This here is Takeshita’s final match on “RAMPAGE” because that show is now coming to an end. He faced off against Hobbs & Davis again but this time had Brian Cage as his tag partner. Cage was able to keep Hobbs at bay so Takeshita could beat Davis with the Powerdrive Knee followed by the Raging Fire. That was it for the warm up matches. The next time Takeshita and Hobbs would meet was on PPV for the title match!


DEMAND LUCHA “A VERY MERRY LUCHA CHRISTMAS SHOW”, 19/12/2024
Parkdale Hall, Toronto, Canada

1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) defeated Sidney Akeem with an Avalanche Inverted Angle Slam (?:??).
*V1 for Gringo Loco.

For the last month the DDT Universal Title has been following around Gringo Loco. He’s brought it with him to many of his different bookings but DDT only gave him permission for one title defence. It happened in Canada for Demand Lucha and Loco’s opponent was Sidney Akeem, the former WWE wrestler who has been doing pretty good on the indies lately particularly with GCW. Given who was involved there were plenty of big moves hit throughout the match. Akeem did a 360 Twirling Double Knee Drop from the top rope as well as multiple cartwheels that led into a Cutter. Loco would have lost to that if he hadn’t reached his arm out for a rope break. The two fought there way up to the top rope once more where Loco gave Akeem an Inverted Olympic Slam to the canvas to get the three count.


AEW “WORLDS END”, 28/12/2024
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Powerhouse Hobbs with the Raging Fire (16:30).
*V4 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Takeshita’s final match of the year saw him defeat Hobbs to remain as the International Champion. The match got plenty of “Meat!” chants and also a “Please Be Careful” chant when the two fell off the top rope for a botched Superplex spot. Hobbs used the Spinebuster to counter the Powerdrive Knee for a nearfall. But damage accumulated to his knee over time slowed Hobbs down and he had to pause himself in order to take off his knee brace. Takeshita capitalized on the injury and take over the match. He kept up the attack until he pinned Hobbs with the Raging Fire. And with that done it is now onto the Tokyo Dome for Takeshita!


GCW “TAKE CARE”, 28/12/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) defeated Rich Swann with the Avalanche Base Bomb (14:20).
*V2 for Gringo Loco.

Loco squeezed in a second Universal Title defence before the end of the year although nobody at the time seemed to be aware of it. His match against Rich Swann at GCW was never announced in the venue or on commentary as a title match (although GCW commentary not being aware of what’s going on half the time is a bad habit of theirs) and DDT has only said Loco has two successful defences under his belt without saying which matches they are (which is why I do these reports to keep track of everything myself). I had to go the title history page on Shukan Puroresu’s site to find out that this match is the one considered to be Loco’s second title defence.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances


NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: Shingo Takagi (N/c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c)

The inter-promotional match between Takagi and Takeshita is now confirmed to be for both the NEVER Openweight Title and the AEW International Title! They only showed a small amount of what they are capable of at Walter Pyramid so what are they going to pull off in the Tokyo Dome?


NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: Shingo Takagi or KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) Vs Tomohiro Ishii

There will be no rest for the wicked because the winner of the double title match returns the next day to defend both championships against Tomohiro Ishii. And who knows, maybe Takeshita will show up at “NEW YEAR’S DASH” the day after that!


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 3”, 10/01/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Alexis Lee

It was back in November 2023 when Yuki Kamifuku won the Queen Of Asia Title from Alexis Lee. Then in May of this year Kamifuku successfully defended the title against Lee in TJPW. Since then Lee has been winning matches in Singapore Pro Wrestling and built herself back up for another title shot. This time it will happen on home ground. No word yet on if the VPW Women’s Title will also be defended. The two of them battled over that belt when it was created earlier this year too.


NJPW “BATTLE IN THE VALLEY”, 11/01/2025
San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
2. Sumie Sakai Retirement Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki Vs Sumi Sakai, EVIL & SHO

What in the fever dream is this match? Sumie Sakai has played a vital role for many Japanese wrestlers who stayed in America for their excursions over the years. She often took wrestlers in to live and travel with her while she sorted out their bookings across the country. So when she announced her retirement many people requested to take part in it. First was Hiromu Takahashi so once he got involved Sakai came up with an idea to have both teams feature one man and two women for the match. Mayu Iwatani quickly asked to be involved and so too did Yuka Sakazaki. So we have Hiromu, Mayu and Yuka all teaming together for the first time ever which is wild as hell to think about. Sakai had a couple of ideas for who she wants to team with. There were other people higher up on the list but in the end she wanted EVIL & SHO from The House Of Torture to be on her team. They too were under her watch on their American excursions lifetimes ago and she would love nothing more than to make one last previous memory with them. If that doesn’t interest you then Sakazaki & Iwatani being in the same match together should.

Win, lose or draw at the Tokyo Dome, Takeshita is guaranteed to be making more appearances for New Japan this year.


IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

So IWA Japan has now officially closed down after the passing of its president Tatsukuni Asano in November. In its place SETUP has launched IWA Thailand to continue the brand’s lineage. Masahiro Takanashi will be part of the “debut” show in January.


GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Be careful out there when you’re parking near the Hammerstein Ballroom. I left two tickets for this show in my car. Somebody broke in and left four more.


BZW/GCW “ENTER THE ZONE”, 25/01/2025
Espace Isabelle De Hainaut, Rue De Saint-Quentin, France

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Maki Itoh’s GCW adventures are going to bring her over to Europe later this month. Banger Zone Wrestling is sure to give her a warm welcome to France.


GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025
Electric Ballroom, London, England

1. Maki Itoh Vs Man Like DeReiss

Then the next day Itoh will be in London when GCW visits PROGRESS’s home venue. Man Like DeReiss has kind of made intergender matches his thing in 2024. His GCW win-loss record also hasn’t been great. But give him a microphone and he will leave you with a lasting impression. Itoh might not like getting shown up like that.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Pandora
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Zatara & Sara Phoenix

The Tokyo Joshi Pro show at the anime convention will be all made of up Japan Vs Chile matches. 121000000 will be facing Zatara & Sara Phoenix in the main event, Aja Kong will become one of the biggest opponents Roma has ever faced and Moka Miyamoto tests her skills against Pandora.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Hopefully we will get more details on the show very soon.


DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Same goes for this one.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

It’s entirely possible I will be spending the whole week following the shows that book DDT and TJPW talent instead of everything else happening in Vegas.