TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 24/06/2023 Kobe Art Center
1. Kaya Toribami Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Arai Vs HIMAWARI
3. Nao Kakuta Vs Toga
4. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa Vs Shino Suzuki
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu
7. Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto
This weekend sees the return of Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh from their American tours. But before their local homecoming show takes place on Sunday, first they have to go to Mizuki’s homecoming show in Kobe.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Toru Owashi & Yuni Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Special Single Match: Naruki Doi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Minoru Fujita
4. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
7. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Way Dance: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
It’s only fitting that the Survival 3 Way main event is now called the 3 Way Dance. Shunma Katsumata will be in attendance to watch over MAO, Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko all fighting for the DDT Extreme Title he had to vacate. He also had to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles as well remember but it seems he is only the “special observer” for the main event.
The full card for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” will be revealed at the end of the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) Vs Hikari Noa
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Aja Kong & Raku Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Nyla Rose Vs Miu Watanabe
7. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Earlier this week Vert Vixen sent a video to Tokyo Joshi Pro telling them she wants to put the DEFY Women’s Title on the line in her match against Hikari Noa. The match means a lot to Vixen because when she was a child her father travelled to Japan on business trips and he would come back with gifts and stories for her. She got to tour Japan with TJPW in April where she teamed with Noa twice and together they won both matches. Vixen is so confident she will beat Noa she wants their match to be a title match so she can make her father proud. She previously had a successful title defence against Miyu Yamashita during Yamashita’s US excursion. Noa was touched by Vixen’s idea and accepted the challenge. She wants to win a singles championship and go wrestle overseas again. She warns Vixen that she fought in a death match and became even stronger since the last time they were in the ring together.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIGHTING SPIRITS ’23”, 16/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Ami Manase & Marika Kobashi Vs Makoto & Asuka
2. Banny Oikawa Comeback Match: Miyako Matsumoto & Banny Oikawa Vs Cherry & Alex Lee
3. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Riara Vs Sumire Natsu
4. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs SAKI
5. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: YuuRI Vs Misa Kagura
Three important singles matches highlight the next Ganbare☆Joshi card. YuuRI’s grudge match with Misa Kagura was already announced. Yoshiko Hasegawa meets SAKI in the ring again for the first time in three years. A battle between hostesses will take place when Riara takes on Sumire Natsu.
Banny Oikawa’s return to wrestling has her teaming with Miyako Matsumoto. Her entry into GanJo is because of Matsumoto so that makes sense. Alex Lee being on the opposite side is unexpected because she’s been with Matsumoto in her previous appearances here. Cherry is part of the match because she was one of Oikawa’s trainers.
I’ve noticed that all of Ami Manase’s matches so far included Marika Kobashi. They’ve been both opponents and teammates. Their next task together is facing Makoto & Asuka. That pair often teams together as Las Fresa de Egoistas.
BASARA “BASARA 223 ~KOO~”, 27/06/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – A Block Final: Daiki Shimomura Vs SAGAT
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – B Block Final: Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Roundabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Shiori Asahi Vs Banana Senga Vs Gouma Ryu
4. Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Yasu Urano Vs FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Lil’ Kraken
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Final: X Vs X
The current Union MAX Champion is now out of the running as the Chouten ~Itadaki~ reaches its final rounds. The final will feature one previous winner because Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu is one of the semi-finals. On the other end SAGAT has reached the final once before back in 2021 while this is the furthest Daiki Shimomura has ever reached.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. Vert Vixen Vs Hikari Noa
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Aja Kong & Raku Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Nyla Rose Vs Miu Watanabe
7. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
The full card for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23” was released over the weekend. Among the additions are a 3 Way Tag reuniting Kyoraku Kyomei, Aja Kong, Raku, Max The Impaler and Pom Harajuku all in one ring. Vert Vixen, Ryo Mizunami and Asuka are also all coming back in Tokyo Joshi Pro for the big event.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Riara Vs Sayaka Unagi
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
3. YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono
4. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Masahiro Takanashi
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Survival 4 Way Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki
7. Special Single Match: Yumehito Imanari Vs El Lindaman
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada
9. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
Ganbare☆Pro are looking to make “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” a breakout event that displays the determination of their roster. The final match added to the card is proof of that. Yumehito Imanari is going to face El Lindaman from GLEAT!
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIGHTING SPIRITS ’23”, 16/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Banny Oikawa Comeback Match: Banny Oikawa Vs X
2. Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Misa Kagura
A singles match three years in the making. Both YuuRI and Misa Kagura had their debut wrestling match in JTO on 11th November, 2020. Less than a year later YuuRI jumped over to GanPro without ever getting to have a singles match against her classmate. This past weekend the tag match they had in Ganbare☆Joshi brought their feelings for each other bubbling to the surface. It pushed YuuRI to finally challenge Kagura one on one. Kagura accepted so she can beat GanPro’s YuuRI while representing the company she stayed loyal to.
Also happening over the weekend was Banny Oikawa’s return to the wrestling scene. The former Ice Ribbon wrestler took a hiatus after leaving the promotion last summer. Her return brought her to GanJo thanks to some advice from Miyako Matsumoto. Oikawa has seen the GanJo wrestlers take part in intergender matches on GanPro shows and that is a big reason why she wants to wrestle again. However GanJo no longer does mixed tag matches on their own shows. An offer was made by Michiyoshi Mishima to have Oikawa’s return match take place in GanJo first while he tries convincing Ken Ohka to start booking her for GanPro afterwards.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN ASAKUSA”, 13/06/2023 Tokyo Asakusa Hanayashi Theater
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
3. Asakusa Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Yoshihiko & Kazuki Hirata
4. Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Akito
5. Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya
6. Special Single Match: MJ Paul Vs Toy Kojima
7. Yuji Hino, HARASHIMA & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Hideki Okatani
A midweek show in Tokyo before DDT goes over to Hokkaido this weekend.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HAKODATE”, 16/06/2023 Hakodate City General Wholesale Center Distribution Hall
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
2. HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Toy Kojima & Rukiya
4. Hakodate Specialty Special Single Match: Yuki Ishida Vs Akinori Ariji
5. SILVER QUEEN Infomercial Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oitshi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
A local karate dojo will be holding a demonstration with their kid students to open the show.
GANBARE☆PRO “GHOST HUNTERS 2023”, 30/06/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaho Matsushita
2. Riara Vs Sayaka Unagi’s Recommended Wrestler
3. Special Just Before Ota Ward! Imanari-gun Vs Katsumura-gun All-Out Battle!!: X Vs X
4. Special Just Before Ota Ward! Imanari-gun Vs Katsumura-gun All-Out Battle!! Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
5. Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shota
The go home show for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” pits the new tag team of Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi against Keisuke Ishii & Shota. Ishii and Shota will be opponents at Ota Ward Gymnasium but any tension between them has to wait until then.
A mini-series between Yumehito Imanari and Shuichiro Katsumura takes up a chunk of the show. There will be a singles match and an Elimination Tag match featuring wrestlers from their teams.
A message was sent by Sayaka Unagi to Ganbare☆Pro today saying that Riara needs an appraisal from somebody else in order to get assessed by herself. Unagi will be sending a “minion” to face Riara in a match to see what the rookie is capable of.
Kaho Matsushita comes from Ice Ribbon.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. SIX: THE ART OF SELF DESTRUCTION”, 04/07/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Tag Team Match: MAO & Chie Koishikawa Vs Takayuki Ueki & Mecha Mummy
2. Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Asuka
3. Special Single Match: Minoru Fujita Vs Rina Yamashita
This will be the first Baka Gaijin + Friends show without either Chris Brookes or Drew Parker wrestling on it so it will by up to Masahiro Takanashi to keep an eye on things in their absence. Brookes is injured while Parker is taking time off to go back to the UK. Instead the regular crew are joined by Minoru Fujita and Asuka for the first time along with Rina Yamashita making her second appearance for the group.
MAO & Chie Koishikawa think their tag team is better suited for these shows than DDT. After all where else can they fight against Takayuki Ueki & Mecha Mummy together?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Juria Nagano Vs X
2. Nyla Rose Vs X
3. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Yesterday Yuki Arai became the No. 1 Contender for the International Princess Title. She and the champion Rika Tatsumi are looking forward to showing the world a great match between them.
The return of NEO Biishiki-gun will have first time opponents Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara waiting for them. Arai thinks Sakisama kind of looks like Saki Akai. If the two of them are at similar skill level too then Arai is more prepared for the match than she thought.
Nyla Rose will be getting a new opponent now that Yuka Sakazaki has been pulled off the show. It will be announced as soon as her new opponent is decided.
It will be almost six months since Juria Nagano’s last match by the time she comes back. A broken finger kept her away from wrestling matches all year.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 27/05/2023 Kanagawa Fujisawa City Shonandai Cultural Center 361 Fans
1. Hikari Noa defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Blue Racer (4:21).
2. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku defeated Toga & Runa Okubo when Aino pinned Toga with the Venus DDT (6:32).
3. Mizuki & Raku defeated Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki when Mizuki pinned Suzuki with the Face Lock (9:54).
4. Nao Kakuta & Asuka defeated Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami when Asuka pinned Toribami with the Moonsault Press (10:51).
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI defeated Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara when Watanabe pinned Uehara with the Tear Drop (11:20).
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Kamifuku defeated Aja Kong & Mahiro Kiryu when Kamifuku pinned Kiryu with the Diving Famouser (17:17).
Yuki Kamifuku’s homecoming was a big occasion with some of the sales from the show being donated to a Fujisawa City scholarship program. The mayor of the city was in attendance and Kamfuku’s good friend Asuka was also featured on the undercard. Kamifuku teamed with Shoko Nakajima in the main event to take on Aja Kong & Mahiro Kiryu. Kong used her tin can as a weapon on her opponents but missed a vital shot that hit Kiryu instead. Kamifuku then landed the Diving Famouser on Kiryu to win the match.
After the match she thanked Kong for taking part in the show. Kong told Kamifuku that next time they should team up together and then after that they should do a singles match against each other! She suggested they can even do the singles match at the Akibadai Cultural Gymnasium nearby. Kamifuku wasn’t sure if it is possible to set up the singles match without management’s approval but Kong insisted she consider the idea. Kamifuku replied that if it ever does happen she will do her best to sell every ticket she can.
Meanwhile Kong had some words for Kiryu backstage, mainly to motivate her. She wanted to show everyone that Kiryu is not a small fry and encouraged her to show no fear when fighting to catch up with Kamifuku. This isn’t a friendly competition, it is all about getting to the top.
Not sure what this bit of news will end up being but DDT will have a “big announcement” revealed on their Youtube channel this Wednesday. What it is or if they are being honest by calling it big I do not know. The synopsis on the video’s page does not provide any clues as far as I can see. A previous kind of tease they did like this was the announcement of “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” last year so maybe this one could be related to “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” in November?
BASARA “BASARA 219 ~KOO~”, 23/05/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Ryuichi Sekine, Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano Vs FUMA, Takumi Tsukamoto & Ryota Nakatsu
2. 3 Way Match: Gouma Ryu Vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino Vs Takato Nakano
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 A Block: SAGAT Vs Lil’ Kraken
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 A Block: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Leo Isaka
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 A Block: Daiki Shimomura Vs Daichi Kazato
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 A Block: Isami Kodaka Vs Shiori Asahi
The Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 begins tomorrow.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 27/05/2023 Kanagawa Fujisawa City Shonandai Cultural Center
1. Hikari Noa Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Toga & Runa Okubo
3. Nao Kakuta & Asuka Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
4. Mizuki & Raku Vs Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Aja Kong & Mahiro Kiryu
Yuki Kamifuku’s good friend Asuka is calling by to celebrate Kamiyu’s big homecoming show.
The team of Mizuki & Raku is called Oyasumi Rabbit. The team of Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki is called Green Team.
Runa Okubo returns to action after missing a few shows due to “academic reasons”. Was she flunking class or something?
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA”, 27/05/2023 Hiroshima JMS Aster Plaza
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. MAO Vs Hideki Okatani
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yusuke Okada
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
5. Special Single Match: Kenshin Chikano Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. Hiroshima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Rey Paloma
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
The road to “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” is filled with Yuji Hino and Chris Brookes fighting each other. That means the likes of Makoto Oishi and Takeshi Masada will be getting involved too.
The card had to be changed slightly because of KANON’s injury.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 28/05/2023 Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall
1. Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Chris Brookes & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
5. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Toy Kojima
6. Kumamoto Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Kota Umeda & Takeshi Masada
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & X Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Shogun Okamoto
With KANON absent, DAMNATION T.A are bringing in Shogun Okamoto to take on the Ω team. Okamoto has fought Hino before in DDT as part of the ONLY WE shows whenever the PERON GRANDES heel unit decided to get involved. Ω still have their mystery partner as an ace up their sleeve.
DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 3”, 03/06/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Tag Match ~ Gatoh Move Vs DDT’s Comical Strongest Tag: Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi
The two King Of DDT finalists are teaming up! Kazusada Higuchi publicly congratulated Brookes at a press conference today and offered to help him in any form to prepare for Hino.
Some of the matches previously announced for this show had to be cancelled due to injuries changing DDT’s places. The new matches will be announced soon.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Extreme Title: X Vs X
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: X & X Vs X & X
The original plan was for ShunMao to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles on this show. However Shunma Katsumata injured his foot during yesterday’s DDT Extreme Title defence and has since been diagnosed with a fractured talus bone. He is going to get surgery for it and agreed to vacate both the KO-D Tag Titles and the Extreme Title. New champions for both titles will be crowned on the Korakuen Hall show instead.
Nick Wayne will be on the show, kicking off his tour of Japan with DDT.
DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED SPECIAL”, 01/07/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
Wayne’s “phantom match” teaming with Masada to take on Yuki Ueno & Yuni gets to happen after all. It’s still taking place in Yokohama too although it’s in a smaller venue this time.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Miyu Yamashita’s first match back in Tokyo after three and a half months will be against the returning Sawyer Wreck. Yamashita has hit the Skull Kick on tall opponents before so she is confident she can hit Wreck with it too.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
3. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes
In today’s press conference Brookes said all four people he beat to win the King Of DDT (HARASHIMA, Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama and Kazusada Higuchi) all mean a lot to him and are also big parts of DDT’s history. The cheers of the fans also pushed him to victory which makes him feel even happier to be with DDT. The last time he wrestled in Sumo Hall was a year ago when he and Masahiro Takanashi won the KO-D Tag Titles. His parents were there to see him wrestle and he remembers telling them the next time he has a match there it will be in the main event with the KO-D Title on the line! He knows how strong Hino is but has become confident he can beat him.
Tetsuya Endo was not pleased to find out the big ex-WWE wrestler coming to challenge him is Matt Cardona. He heard Cardona is being paid 30 million yen for the booking and he thinks that kind of money is better off being spent on someone else. Like himself for example. Cardona is also bringing along Steph De Lander to be in his corner. She’s been described as his Sensational Sherri equivalent (since WWE took away his “Miss Elizabeth“, aka Chelsea Green) and will certainly add an extra threat towards Endo’s DDT Universal Title reign.
DDT is running a competition for fans to come up with a tag team name for Chiitan & Pokotan.
Welcome to the calm before the storm. I put together this month’s article earlier than usual because there are going to be separate posts covering all of the WrestleMania shows DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are involved with next week. It’s going to be nuts, maybe not on the level of the New York shows from four years ago but still plenty to look forward to. So much will have to be talked about once the dust settles. I will be writing up preview guides for both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” so look forward to them whenever they are finished.
While Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki are getting the higher profile appearances lately thanks to AEW/ROH, the amount of bookings Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are getting in America means the focus will be more on them for the next couple of months. Yamashita in particular is going to have a crazy looking 2023 Career tab on her Cagematch profile by the time she’s done. Plus we get to add some new names to this series. Mizuki Watase is heading over to America too and Daisuke Sasaki found an excuse to go wrestling in Mexico.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox
AEW “DARK”, 07/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Jack Cartwheel
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 10/03/2023 Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant)
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn
Video starts at 2:36:23 for the match SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Ortiz, Komander, Action Andretti, Sammy Guevara, Eddie Kingston and AR Fox when Hobbs grabbed the Brass Ring (13:46).
So close and yet so far. Takeshita almost won the Ladder match after giving Komander a crazy looking Blue Thunder Bomb from a bridged ladder onto the ring canvas. He also fought off interference from Daniel Garcia who was there to help out Sammy Guevara. But as he climbed up the ladder and reached out to grab the literal brass ring, here came Powerhouse Hobbs charging into the ladder to knock Takeshita out of the ring. Hobbs then went on to grab the giant ring and win.
A few days later on Rampage, Takeshita spoke about his recent lack of success in AEW and considered it was time for him to go back to Japan. Don Callis stepped in and continued his push to become Takeshita’s manager. The argument he made is if Takeshita left all of the behind the scenes logistics to him, then Takeshita could put his entire focus just on wrestling in the ring and finally get the results his talent deserves. Ever since then Callis has continued trying to convince Takeshita to take on his services.
AEW “DARK”, 03/03/2023 (Aired 07/03/2023) Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Jack Cartwheel with the Zahi (3:56).
An impressive performance from Jack Cartwheel made this match one to watch if you’re unfamiliar with him.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. GCW Extreme Title: Joey Janela (c) defeated VENY with an Avalanche Brainbuster (16:33). *V2 for Joey Janela.
2. Maki Itoh defeated LuFisto with the I.S.D (10:44).
Itoh’s further run into GCW continued with her beating LuFisto, an inductee of The Indie Wrestling Hall Of Fame that the promotion is associated with. LuFisto wanted to give Itoh a Superplex but a bite to the face stopped her. Itoh gave her a Top Rope DDT and then got back up the ropes to do the I.S.D for the win. Itoh got to celebrate with Nick Gage after the match.
Joey Janela and VENY ended up going buck wild fighting around ringside for a lot of their match. Janela threw VENY into rows of seats, sending a lot of the GCW fans fleeing. VENY fought back with a Moonsault to the floor. Janela VENY in midair when she tried another Moonsault inside the ring and he countered it into a Tombstone. VENY went back to the Moonsault again and landed one onto Janela while he was laying on top of a door. That wasnt enough for Janela or the door so he smashed it to pieces and the two attacked each other with the remains. More big bomb moves were dropped and it took an Avalance Brainbuster for Janela to finally get the three count.
ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Trish Adora & Jordan Blade (?:??). *V3 for The Wasteland War Party.
The Wasteland War Party scored their third and what turned out to be their last successful defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles by beating Trish Adora & Jordan Blade at an Enjoy Wrestling show.
GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY defeated Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai when Yamashita pinned Kai with the Splash Mountain (18:56).
Itoh & VENY got to have some fun with Rina Yamashita by faking out their opponents on a triple dive. Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai all flinched and were left bracing for impact outside while Itoh and her team danced inside the ring. Yamashita went on to pin Kai with the Splash Mountain.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Lizzy Evo with the Skull Kick (14:42). *V3 for Miyu Yamashita.
A fully determined Lizzy Evo was ready to become the new EVE Champion on this night. But her hot streak came to an end thanks to the Skull Kick.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/03/2023 (Aired 10/03/2023) Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant) with La Espalda (7:52).
Takeshita took out a trick from the Osaka Pro book to beat Preston Vance. La Espalda is the tricky looking Twisting Backslide Pin that Billy Ken Kid likes to use a lot.
EVE “RIOT! AT THE YARD THEATRE”, 09/03/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (14:46).
Apparently this will be the last time Yamashita and Miyuki Takase will face each other one on one. If that’s true then Yamashita ends the series with a 2-0 winning record.
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Zahi (12:18).
A Rolling Elbow was used by JT Dunn to counter the Jumping Knee and the match also built up to how the Tombstone Piledriver was used. Takeshita kicked out of the move the first and and reversed a second attempt into a Reverse Implant. Takeshita held onto Dunn after that and threw him over with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex. Dunn was left in a heap after that so Takeshita got to finish him off with the Zahi.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Monomoth (c) with the Takatonic (?:??). *Monomoth fails in V?. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the ??th SETUP Thailand Openweight Champion!
Masahiro Takanashi adds another Asian championship to his collection after he took the SETUP Thailand Openweight Title from Monomoth. Takanashi didn’t do it clean either because Baliyan Akki was there to interfere on his behalf. Monomoth did what he could to fight against the 2-on-1 disadvantage, including diving onto both of them outside the ring. He had Takanashi beaten with a Northern Lights Suplex but Akki pulled the referee out of the ring to stop the pin count. Members of the SETUP roster had enough of the cheating and came to Monomoth’s aid. However Takanashi kicked out of a Tornado DDT and threw the ref towards Monomoth while the champion was standing on the top rope. Monomoth jumped over the ref but landed into a Thrust Kick, causing him to get pinned with the Takatonic.
AEW “DARK”, 24/03/2023 (Aired ??/??/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Michael Nakazawa defeated Baliyan Akki (?:??).
I don’t usually include Michael Nakazawa’s matches in AEW for these articles because he is a full time employee for them. But I bet somebody reading this will get a kick out of hearing he fought and beat Akki on Dark.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita by Referee Stoppage with a Dragon Sleeper (?:??). *V5 for Nicole Matthews.
2. Maki Itoh defeated Cat Power with the I.S.D (?:??).
Mixed fortunes for 121000000 on the first night of their North American trip. Itoh was able to beat Cat Power but Yamashita got choked out by Nicole Matthews with a Dragon Sleeper. It’s a reminder that this three month expedition is not going to be a cake walk for Yamashita.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Killer Kelly with the Skull Kick (10:14).
I didn’t expect Yamashita to show up in Impact. There’s more to talk about it below but her first match with the promotion was a win against Killer Kelly. I think it was taped for TV too.
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Upcoming Appearances – WrestleMania Week
PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe
Taya Valkyrie had to pull out of the show due to a change in schedule. That this show is taking place on a Wednesday and Valkyrie recently signed a deal with AEW, it’s easy to figure out what her priority is. Replacing her is Steph De Lander who has really stepped up and increased her presence around the indies recently.
WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X
The lineup for the TJPW 10-Woman Tag is being kept secret until the show, Mystery Vortex style. Are all ten going to be from the regular TJPW roster or will a few guests be included?
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
Some of the guests being booked for the show now make more sense given recent announcements. Both Nick Wayne and Vert Vixen are heading to Japan for DDT and TJPW respectively in the next couple of months.
IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Masha Slamovich Vs Deonna Purrazzo Vs Gisele Shaw Vs Miyu Yamashita
So not only is Yamashita wrestling for Impact but she is also technically getting a New Japan appearance out of it too, which is completely bizarre seeing a TJPW wrestler under that banner instead of somebody from Stardom. Originally this 4 Way Match was supposed to include Mickie James and her Knockouts Title was going to be on the line. But just a few days ago Impact announced that James is unable to wrestle because of a rib injury. So now the 4 Way Match has Masha Slamovich added to it and whoever wins will get to face Jordynne Grace in Toronto next month with the Knockouts Title on the line. If James is cleared to wrestle she will also be in that match as the defending champion, otherwise she will have to vacate it before the match begins.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
Two of the matches are now title matches thanks to the results that happened at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” earlier this month. The main event has the Princess Tag Titles on the line when the new champions 121000000 face The Magical Sugar Rabbits. There is also now an International Princess Title match between Rika Tatsumi (embracing a new “AmeRika” personality) and Billie Starkz.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno
Nine matches on the card now. The latest addition is an 8-Man Tag Match mixing together a lot of people. DDT is relying on DAMNATION T.A to play ball with Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada. GCW are going the lucha route by letting Gringo Loco put together a squad. He chose Alec Price and Los Macizos. Prince is an up and coming name on the indies while Ciclope & Miedo Extremo are former GCW Tag Team Champions.
No idea what the match order is going to be for the GCW Vs DDT show. This might be the last of DDT’s involvement in shows for the week. Unless Takeshita shows up in ROH or Pheromones crash “Effy’s Big Gay Brunch” on Saturday.
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023”, 31/03/2023 Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
After weeks and weeks of tension building up between Athena and Yuka Sakazaki, things finally blew up and Athena sent Sakazaki back to Japan with an injury. However when Athena found out Sakazaki was able to continue wrestling no problem, it only made her even madder. The grudge is going to get settled in LA with Sakazaki getting a shot at the ROH Women’s World Title.
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Valkyrie will be in LA on the Friday evening for her Prestige match against Yamashita.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs X & X
Well Nick Gage is no longer the GCW World Champion so my idea of him against Itoh has gone up in smoke. However they are going ahead with the next best idea and that is Maki Death Kill teaming up for one night only!
Well Mizuki Watase did say he was going on an American excursion so he had to be somewhere other than a DDT show. He’s ended up going somewhere even weirder. Wrestling Pro Wrestling is a comedy promotion and is home to Cerealman, a pro wrestler with a box of cereal for a head. Would it surprise you to find out a lot of Hoodslam guys also work here? Let’s see how Watase can handle himself when he’s in the ring with Gregory Sharpe and Eli Everfly.
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Upcoming Appearances – Everywhere Else After WrestleMania
WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch
Looks like there’s going to be a week off for Yamashita to get over the WrestleMania hangover. After that it’s time to hit the road with her first stop being a match with Allie Katch at Wrestling REVOLVER.
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
One of the former Princess Tag Champions has a chance at revenge. Heidi Howitzer was already looking forward to kicking Itoh’s ass. Now there’s going to be some more hatred behind it after Itoh pinned Howitzer to cause the title change.
WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023 The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA
1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The last West Coast Pro show crowned their first Women’s Champion. Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moone to win the title and now gets Yamashita for her first defence.
HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Vipress
Itoh has fought Dark Sheik a bunch of times already so when she arrives in Hoodslam it will be Sheik’s current tag team partner Vipress waiting for her. Earlier this month Sheik & Vipress won the Intergalactic Tag Team Titles together.
DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen Vs Miyu Yamashita
Before Vixen travels to Japan for TJPW, she defends the DEFY Women’s Title against Yamashita. Heck of a warm up match to get ready for that tour.
CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023 Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA
1. CCW Title & CCW Title Match Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: Kilynn King (c) Vs Killer Kelly Vs Steph De Lander Vs Miyu Yamashita
What was first advertised as a 3 Way Match is now a 4 Corner Survival with Steph De Lander added to the mix. Which makes me wonder did certain people signing contracts recently lead to a situation where nobody in the 3 Way politically can take the fall and a fourth person had to be used as a solution? Kilynn King is now signed to Impact and Killer Kelly is under contract to them too. Maybe I’m overthinking it.
LUCHA MEMES “???”, 15/04/2023 Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico
1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin Vs Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki
Alright we’re getting to talk about Mexico again. About time. Daisuke Sasaki will be making his Lucha Memes debut in April. The promotion is fond of bringing in independent talent from America. As far as I could find I think Ultimo Dragon and Satoshi Kojima are the only other Japanese wrestlers to have previously worked there. Lucha Memes is also running Arena Solis in Puebla for the first time.
DPW “DPW LIVE 2”, 16/04/2023 Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Is Yamashita still owed a title match in Deadlock Pro or did I misunderstand the stipulation of her previous match there? Also did you hear that news today about DPW going to Japan to do joint shows with Gatoh Move soon?
RIW “FIGHT UNTIL WE DIED”, 16/04/2023 Gimnasio Coliseo Arena, Toluca, Mexico
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
The next day in Mexico, Sasaki is heading over to Revolution Indy Wrestling.
UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023 Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita
I was able to find more social media pages for Ultimate Wrestling Empire so it is indeed an actual show taking place.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata
Will Yamashita still be undefeated in Prestige by the time her match with Queen Aminata takes place?
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Not sure if Takeshita’s match with Daga will still happen. Daga suffered a left knee injury at a show co-promoted by NWA and AAA at the start of the month. According to Konnan the injury is a fractured fibula and a torn miniscus that will take him out of action for two months. If that’s true then the timing could make this turn out to be Daga’s return match if his recovery goes better than anticipated.
EVE “LUCKY 13”, 05/05/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
Yamashita’s international series with Millie McKenzie continues with McKenzie putting up a big challenge in the hopes of finally winning the EVE Title. Given the back and forth results the two wrestlers produce against each other, they will now face off in an Iron Woman match. Whoever scores the most falls within the 30 minute time limit will be the champion at the end.
MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023 2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra
Can’t find confirmation but it would make sense if this is a MAW Women’s Title match with Sierra putting the belt on the line.
AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023 Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Just have to wait and see what her match is going to be.
GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023 Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s next appearance for GCW after Mania week will be in Detroit.
GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023 Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh will be in Ohio too.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yamashita was bound to get a match with Starkz somewhere during the tour. This also isn’t the last show on Yamashita’s schedule anymore.
ENJOY “???”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Ray Lyn Vs Miyu Yamashita
The final booking of Yamashita’s tour seems to be her match with Rey Lyn at Enjoy Wrestling. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can squeeze in at least one more match if she wanted to.
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Corrections
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023 NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
From what I could find online Takeshita was only on the show for a meet and greet, not to wrestle a match.
Hey, I got to be a podcast guest for the first time in a while. The Must See Matches Project asked its followers to list, well, the must see matches in pro wrestling. DDT found its way into the project thanks to the IPPON Lighttube Death Match between Akito Vs Asuka getting enough votes to qualify. Many thanks to Mark Buckeldee & Kieran Lefort for inviting me on. I had plenty of fun recording the episode with them.
Jamie from DramaticDDT joins Mark and Kieran on a very special episode, for reasons we get into, to cover the ASUKA vs. Akito IPPON Lighttube Death Match from DDT’s Wrestle Peter Pan 2019 on July 15, 2019; the ONLY singles match these two have ever had! PLUS: The politics of covering Japanese wrestling, blow-up dolls, a dip into ancient DDT history, the comedy genius of Yukinori Matsui, Sugi/Yoshitsune/El Blazer, and much more!
Follow the Must See Matches Project @MustSeeMatches
Of course, here’s the match itself if you haven’t seen it yet.
A month ago I was thinking this article was going to become so much easier to handle. Shota was finished with his excursion to some of the most obscure independents in America and February was mostly built around Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki doing stuff related to AEW and ROH. It should be a piece of cake from here on out. Then the Wrestlemania Week bookings started pouring in. And if that wasn’t enough, Miyu Yamashita announced her three month stay in America with the goal to get as many bookings across the country as humanly possible. The response to that idea has been great so far and she is certainly going to create some new fans this year. So yeah, keeping track of these things will only keep me busier as the year goes on. Now let’s get some more championships added to the trophy case while they’re at it.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)
Video starts at 14:48 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Billie Starkz
Video starts at 45:10 for the match AEW “DARK”, 07/02/2023 Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs EJ Nduka
AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Video starts at 31:22 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 13/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. Vert Vixen Vs Yuka Sakazaki
Video starts at 1:18:47 for the match AEW “DARK”, (14/02/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Bronson
Video starts at 33:18 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 27/02/2023 Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Lee Johnson
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Results
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/02/2023 (Aired 06/02/2023) Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Billie Starkz with the Magical Girl Splash (5:39).
Whether the company is aware of it or not, AEW hosted a rematch of last November’s Princess Of Princess Title bout between Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz. This match was a shorter affair with Starkz relying on using Swanton Bombs only to get dropped with the Tea Time and then pinned with the Magical Girl Splash.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana) with the Zahi (10:06).
A match against a heavy hitter like Brian Cage was just what Takeshita needed to finally get a win on Dynamite. The two just threw big bomb moves at each other until Takeshita was the last man standing. It was pretty cool. Once that was done, Takeshita reappeared later in the night stopping MJF from interfering in a Bryan Danielson match. The two brawled to the back and once they were broken apart, a match between them was booked for the next week.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 08/02/2023 (Aired 13/02/2023) El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Vert Vixen with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15).
Sakazaki’s last match for this month was a win against Vert Vixen but it was the aftermath that was more important. Athena attacked Sakazaki from behind, striking her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Athena then made things worse by injuring Sakazaki’s leg with the steel steps outside the ring. Sakazaki tried to step up to her but was given a boot to the head as one last insult to injury. It remains to be seen when Sakazaki will be back to look for revenge, although a title match between the two on the ROH PPV at the end of March would be a good bet.
AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Salt Of The Earth (13:19).
Takeshita’s recent interactions with MJF led to a Title Eliminator match between the two. If Takeshita had won the match he would have been granted a AEW World Title shot in the future. Unfortunately MJF worked over his arm, using the Salt Of The Earth to such good effect that Takeshita had to tap out and concede defeat. MJF then caused more harm after the match by putting on his Dynamited Diamond Ring and punching Takeshita in the face, busting him open. Bryan Danielson ran down to chase MJF off. Takeshita returned the favour later in the night by coming to Danielson’s aid when he was attacked by Preston Vance and José The Assistant.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 23/02/2023 (Aired 27/02/2023) Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Johnson with the Zahi (6:43).
So Takeshita finds himself knocked down the ladder and back to wrestling on the Youtube shows for the time being. Beating Lee Johnson gets him off to a good start.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 25/02/2023 (Aired 02/03/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Josh Woods with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex (10:20).
It’s not the Ring Of Honor we all knew and loved but at least you can add to logo to Takeshita’s Cagematch profile now. He beat a former ROH Pure Champion in Josh Woods so that would be a fresh direction to take if he becomes a regular at ROH tapings.
DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023 NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Raychell Rose & Jada Stone when Max pinned Stone after the Master Blaster (10:30). *V1 for The Wasteland War Party.
The Princess Tag Team Titles have now been defended on American soil. Tokyo Joshi Pro are recognizing all of The Wasteland War Party’s title defences across the US indies before they return to Japan for “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. The first defence was against Raychell Rose & Jada Stone in DPW. Stone was a replacement for Hyan.
AEW “DARK”, (26/02/2023) (Aired 28/03/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Karter (w/ Lee Johnson) with the Zahi (9:23).
Cole Karter was in Lee Johnson’s corner when Takeshita beat him on Elevation a few days earlier. If he wanted to get revenge on Takeshita he probably got a knee to the face instead.
GLORY PRO “ANNIVERSARY 6”, 26/02/2023 South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Jody Threat & Blair Onyx when Howitzer pinned Threat after the Master Blaster (?:??). *V2 for The Wasteland War Party.
Defence number two for The Wasteland War Party was against Jody Threat & Blair Onyx. Threat got a hot tag and went wild on Heidi Howitzer. That came to a sudden halt when Max The Impaler hit her with a Spear. Max tried pinning Threat but was told they were not the legal wrestler. So Max & Howitzer linked up to do the Master Blaster and that was it for Threat.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox
Holy Mary, Mother Of God this is going to be nuts. Takeshita has a chance to win a TNT Title shot. All he has to do is win a Ladder Match against a crazy lineup of opponents. Just imagining what Komander is going to do on his own in a Ladder match is wild. Is Sammy Guevara willing to destroy himself with a massive ladder bump again? Does Action Andretti or AR Fox want to do the same? Eddie Kingston is already mad he is in the match but he’s always mad. For example, he’s mad at Ortiz right now. Powerhouse Hobbs would be a great future opponent for Takeshita too.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY
Heading into this weekend GCW have not announced what Maki Itoh’s match is going to be at their show yet. They are only advertising she will be in attendance. Will she use this appearance to take her new MDK attitude up another level? I still think her interactions with Nick Gage has to be leading somewhere. It’s gotten too over for it to be nothing more than a cute post-match segment to pop the crowd.
ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Trish Adora & Jordan Blade
The Wasteland War Party are aiming to make it three successful title defences in a row before they return to TJPW. Trish Adora is forming a regular association with TJPW so winning the Princess Tag Titles would bring her over more often and get Jordan Blade one foot in the door too.
GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai
Sawyer Wreck is now the only person in this match who has not wrestled on a TJPW show yet. They should bring back Rina Yamashita now that I think of it.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
Before Yamashita begins her American expedition she is heading back to England to do the EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo that was meant to happen back in January.
EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 09/03/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase
The next night Yamashita faces Miyuki Takase in a rematch of their DPW bout from last year. EVE have said this will be the last time both wrestlers will fight each other. If Takase beats Yamashita there will be no rubber match and if Yamashita wins she will be 2-0 against Takase forever!
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn
Takeshita will be making two appearances for Northeast Wrestling in March. His first show will have him taking on JT Dunn.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The match will be the main event of the show.
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023 NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
No opponent yet for Takeshita’s second NEW show.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Nicole Matthews
Joining Yamashita and Itoh on the show is Minoru Suzuki! But enough about him. Yamashita will be facing Nicole Matthews but it hasn’t been mentioned yet if Matthews will put the NEW Women’s Title on the line. Meanwhile Itoh’s match is against another Canadian wrestler, Cat Power.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe
Prepare yourselves, everyone. We are now at Wrestlemania Week. First up is Itoh’s appearance at Pandemonium Pro where she will team with Kidd Bandit against Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe.
WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X
One of the big indie shows of Mania Week is the Wrestlecon Supershow dedicated to the late Mark Hitchcock. Every year the show is highlighted with a 10-Man Tag and this year’s edition will be presented by TJPW! Will all 10 wrestlers in the match be TJPW exclusive or will one of the Americans connected to the promotion get to join in on the fun? There may be other surprises elsewhere on the card too because you never know who shows up.
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 Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
This is not the full card yet. Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada still need to be put in a match. Them against each other is a no brainer unless there is some tag team out there they can join forces against. But I’d just go with Higuchi versus Masada.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
The main event of TJPW’s first USA show is The Magical Sugar Rabbits versus 121000000! They will also be sending over Shoko Nakajima, Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Raku, Nao Kakuta, Suzume and Arisu Endo to take part on the show. The international talent taking part are The Wasteland War Party, Billie Starkz, Trish Adora and Janai Kai.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
5. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
Yeah… Um… I wouldn’t choose this over the other DDT or TJPW shows in all honesty. But there are some positives to be found. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo is a Fire Pro match brought to life. Cole Radrick has gone deep into deathmatches over the last few years so him against Yoshihiko could turn out to be way more violent than it looks on paper. If this show is live on FITE then I’m pretty sure Bussy Vs Pheromones is going to get everyone kicked off the service.
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Aja Kong and Shigehiro Irie are also wrestling on the show. Ultimo Dragon too. That’s neat.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
I’ll keep saying it. Itoh versus Gage for the GCW World Title is the match to do.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch
Yamashita is sticking around in the States until June and is probably going to fight every female wrestler of note in the country before she is done. Allie Katch is going to be one of her tougher opponents especially in a promotion as rowdy as Wrestling REVOLVER.
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
The WPP Vs 121000000 feud extends past the Princess Tag Titles match. Howitzer and Itoh will face each other one on one.
WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023 The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA
1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The West Coast Pro Women’s Champion will either be Masha Slamovich or Sandra Moone. They will have a match to become the first champion on 4th March and Yamashita will be the first challenger one month later.
HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Hoodslam’s motto is “Fuck The Fans”. I think Itoh will fit in over there just fine.
CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023 Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Capital Championship Wrestling is a women’s promotion based out of Houston.
UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023 PA Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita
This place I have no idea about. Ultimate Wrestling Empire seems to be a new promotion and their tweet promoting this match is the only thing I can find about them. Yamashita sounds very excited to be wrestling Dani Mo.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata
Prestige continues to be treated like Yamashita’s home away from home. Her return to Portland will have Queen Aminata waiting for her.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita
The shop owned by The Lucha Brothers likes to run their own wrestling shows every now and then. Their next one has Takeshita meeting Daga for the first time. We already know Bandit is a big Itoh fan. Are they a big admirer of Yamashita too or will they want to beat her as a favour to Itoh?
MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023 2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra
Remember that outdoor show where Takeshita fought JDX last year? Been a while since we heard from the folks over at Midwest All-Star Wrestling. Yamashita is heading over to their place for a match against Sierra.
AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023 Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Yamashita’s debut for AIW has my attention more than the other bookings because I want to hear what the people in the company will say about her on The Card Is Going To Change podcast.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
At the time of writing St. Louis Anarchy is the booking closest to the end of Yamashita’s expedition. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can still add a few late dates before she heads home. I’d be shocked if there were no AEW bookings during the three months she’s in America.
The first month of 2023 felt like DDT’s international plans have jumped up a gear. Konosuke Takeshita now finds himself orbiting the current AEW World Title storyline and Yuka Sakazaki has her sights set on a Ring Of Honor championship, making a new enemy (maybe her first?) in the process. Maki Itoh is getting further entrenched into GCW while Miyu Yamashita is also out there growing her stock across America. Things are going to ramp up even further in the coming months as we approach WrestleMania weekend.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/01/2023 KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Bryan Danielson Vs Konosuke Takeshita
PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023 The Glass House, Pomona, California, USA
1. Kevin Blackwood Vs MAO
Video starts at 2:20:10 for the match ROH “JAY BRISCOE TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, 25/01/2023 Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Sandra Moone
Video starts at 2:03:40 for the match SETUP “SETUP EP.11”, 28/01/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. International Single Match: Matcha Vs Yuki Kamifuku
Video starts at 22:05 for the match. Go to 39:55 for The Dark Order segment. AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 30/01/2023 Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
1. Athena & Diamante Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue (w/ Madison Rayne)
Video starts at 31:48 for Match #1. Go to 41:03 for Match #2. AEW “DARK”, 31/01/2023 Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Avery Breaux
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Angelico
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Results
GCW “56 NIGHTS”, 01/01/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz and Sawyer Wreck when Itoh pinned Sheik with the I.S.D (8:01).
I think Itoh is fitting in with GCW a little too well. During her last trip their she became firmly established as a member of Nick Gage’s gang, adopting the pizza cutter as her new weapon of choice and even entering to Gage’s theme music “For Whom The Bell Tolls” by Metallica! It’s been working out for her because she was the last woman standing in a 4 Way against Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz and Sawyer Wreck! She even got a piggy back ride from Gage back to the locker room after the match. Being MDK all day has its benefits.
PWG “BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2023 – FIRST STAGE”, 07/01/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Michael Oku with the Zahi (17:17).
Takeshita’s hectic month began with the Battle Of Los Angeles tournament in PWG. It is one of the most high profile events on the American indies even though it takes about 6 months for official videos of the event to actually surface. Takeshita only had one match on the first night but it was an intense fight against Michael Oku, who is an English wrestler you should be paying attention to. Countering the Blue Thunder Bomb with a Reverse Hurricanrana is no easy feat.
PWG “BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2023 – FINAL STAGE”, 08/01/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Round 2: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Titus Alexander with the Jumping Knee (9:38).
2. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Semi Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Komander with a Backslide Pin (5:43).
3. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Final: Mike Bailey defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Flamingo Driver (27:22).
Night two was an even busier night for Takeshita. He went through three rounds to reach the BOLA final, beating the west coast’s own Titus Alexander and luchador Komander. The only man who had an even busier night in the ring was Takeshita’s opponent in the final. It was his good old friend Mike Bailey! Speedball fought four matches in one night due to a busy weekend schedule and won them all. That’s right, Bailey beat Takeshita in the final and he used the Flamingo Driver to do it. It was the very move Bailey first created to beat Takeshita in 2018.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/01/2023 KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Bryan Danielson defeated Konosuke Takeshita by Referee Stoppage with the Regal Stretch (14:47).
No rest for the wicked because a few days later Takeshita stepped up to face the one and only Bryan Danielson in AEW! There was more than just a wrestling match to pay attention to because MJF entered the ring after Takeshita to run down everybody on the microphone, Takeshita included. Takeshita responded to the AEW World Champion first in Japanese and then told MJF in English to kiss his ass. Once that was out of the way Takeshita and Danielson put on one hell of a match that ended with Takeshita passing out to the Regal Stretch. Danielson had nothing but the highest of praise for Takeshita afterwards.
ROH “JAY BRISCOE TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, 18/01/2023 (Aired 25/01/2023) Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sandra Moone with the Magical Magical Girl Splash (3:02)
The January tour for Sakazaki began with what you could say is her debut for Ring Of Honor. It was under sad circumstances because the taping was held in tribute for the late Jay Briscoe, who tragically lost his life in a car crash the previous day. Sakazaki beat Sandra Moone in one of the matches taped for the show and showed good sportsmanship to her opponent afterwards. Oh and there was that one guy in the crowd who was having the time of his life dancing to Sakazaki’s theme song after the match.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 27”, 21/01/2023 Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zachary Wentz with the Zahi (14:21).
Takeshita was back to winning ways on the indies. His first visit to Warrior Wrestling put him in the ring with Zachary Wentz of The Rascalz. It was a back and forth match that ended with Takeshita hitting the Jumping Knee followed by the Zahi for the three count.
PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023 The Glass House, Pomona, California, USA
1. Anything Goes Match: Sonico defeated Shunma Katsumata with the BMF through the Lego covered door (16:53).
2. MAO defeated Kevin Blackwood with a Screw High Kick (13:21).
3. ROH Women’s Title: Athena (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Title Belt Attack (20:59). *V4 for Athena.
Yamashita’s plan to become a triple crown champion had already fallen apart by the time she travelled to California for her latest Prestige appearance. Now thanks to Athena’s cheating she is also no longer undefeated in the promotion. Athena tricked the referee into thinking Yamashita had hit her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Then when the ref’s back was turned, Athena grabbed the belt and whacked it over Yamashita’s head for the three count!
MAO had the breakout performance of the show with his win against Kevin Blackwood. The one moment in particular that went viral was MAO giving Blackwood a Springboard Hurricanrana off the corner and then following up with a Swan Dive Phoenix Splash, aka the Marines Tornado Splash!
Shunma Katsumata also had a crazy match with Sonico. It had to be because he was asking fans to bring Lego and other items to the show so they could use them as weapons! The chaotic match ended with Sonico spitting Poison Mist in Katsumata’s eyes and then crashing him through a lego covered door from the top rope. The two showed respect to each other after the match.
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue (w/ Madison Rayne) defeated Athena & Diamante when Sakazaki pinned Diamante with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (7:11).
Sakazaki’s return to AEW actually began earlier in the month when she started a program with Athena. For weeks Athena has been winning matches and beating up her opponents afterwards. Sakazaki ran down to put a stop to it, sending Athena out of the ring. Sakazaki noticed the ROH Women’s Title belt and showed an interest in taking it. The following week the two women met up backstage and got into a fight, causing them to be pulled apart. That all led to the match on this show. Sakazaki teamed with her usual AEW tag partner Skye Blue while Athena struck a deal with Diamante to tag with her. Sakazaki scored the win after sending Athena out of the ring with a Hurricanrana and then pinning Diamante with the Magical Merry-Go-Round.
That wasn’t the end of Sakazaki’s night though. She was approached by The Dark Order later backstage with an offer to join their group. She kept telling them “Hai!” but they misunderstood and thought she was just saying hello. They left her alone, convinced they were being rejected. She made the Dark Order pose with her hand anyway. So maybe she’s in (or maybe she’s not, brother)?
SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD”, 27/01/2023 Foochow Building, Singapore
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Shotgun Double Knees (?:??). *V1 for Alexis Lee.
In travels much closer to home Yuki Kamifuku took a mini-tour of southeast Asia after her team was eliminated from the Max Heart Tournament. Her first stop was in Singapore Pro Wrestling where she challenged Alexis Lee for the Queen Of Asia Title. Lee successfully defended her title by pinning Kamifuku with the Shotgun Double Knees.
SETUP “SETUP EP.11”, 28/01/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. International Single Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Matcha with the Famouser (9:43).
The next day Kamifuku was in Thailand to take on Matcha at a SETUP show. Things got better for her here… sort of. Kamifuku pinned Matcha with the Famouser but for some reason the bell never rang and the two of them decided to continue wrestling. Kamifuku had climbed up to the second rope ready to do a flying Famouser when the bell finally rang and the referee tried to explain to a confused audience that the match had ended with Kamifuku as the winner.
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Avery Breaux with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15)
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated EJ Nduka with the Zahi (4:15).
3. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Bronson with the Zahi (6:37).
The month for Takeshita and Sakazaki ends with an AEW Dark taping in Universal Studios. Sakazaki’s match with Avery Breaux has already been shown on the most recent episode as I type this. Takeshita’s matches with EJ Nduka and Bronson will be show in February. The EJ Nduka match got some attention online because it is Nduka’s first appearance in the ring since leaving MLW a few weeks earlier.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)
So now Takeshita has found himself playing a part in the MJF Vs Danielson feud. In the weeks since his Danielson match, Takeshita has called MJF an asshole in interviews and saved Danielson in the ring from an attack from MJF and Brian Cage. The next part of the story happens tonight when Takeshita faces Cage one on one.
DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023 NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Raychell Rose & Hyan
The Princess Tag Team Titles are heading over to America thanks to The Wasteland War Party. The new champions have set Deadlock Pro Wrestling as their next target and agreed to defend the titles against Raychell Rose & Hyan. It will be the first time the Princess Tag Titles will be defended outside of Japan. Rose is an established part of DPW’s roster, being the young company’s first women’s champion. Hyan is a talent from the Texas scene who is well travelled around the US indies.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY
Itoh will have a lot to do with GCW in March and she won’t be alone for any of it. Asuka/VENY will be travelling over to Atlantic City alongside her. They’ll be wrestling together on the second show but first, VENY is getting a GCW welcoming party from Joey Janela.
GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai
Itoh is familiar with all three of her opponents Wreck, Starkz & Janai Kai at this point. Rina Yamashita is joining in the fun and will surely make the match turn out way more violent than anticipated.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
Yamashita’s scheduled EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo was delayed due to the concussion Yamashita suffered in Tokyo Joshi Pro a few days earlier. She was unable to travel abroad safely because of it. The match will now take place at EVE’s next event in March.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
Masahiro Takanashi is getting a title match when he returns to Thailand in March. Monomoth is the current SETUP Openweight Champion and is now counting down the days for his defence against Takanashi to happen.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
YYamashita makes her Canadian debut with Nation Extreme Wrestling. Itoh joins her and cannot wait to eat poutine again.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “NEW 12”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe
Damn it this was announced while I was in the middle of finishing this post. Itoh makes her debut for Pandemonium Pro Wrestling teaming with Kidd Bandit. Together they take on Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe! Bandit once cosplayed as Itoh and got her approval so will they be showing up in matching costumes on the night?
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
DDT are sending 16 wrestlers over to Los Angeles for the company’s big return to America. They are Kazusada Higuchi, Jun Akiyama, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Sanshiro Takagi, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes, Saki Akai, KANON, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Michael Nakazawa, Yoshihiko and the winner of the D GENERATIONS CUP. This will be Takeshita’s only DDT match during the week.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
The report from The Wrestling Observer last November was true. TJPW is travelling along with DDT to America this March! Here’s the interesting wrinkle. The TJPW show is being held under the Wrestlecon umbrella ran by Highspots while DDT is with GCW and The Collective. Now that’s playing both sides! Somewhere between 12 and 15 members of the TJPW roster will be part of the show along with some international guest wrestlers.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
The first GCW Vs DDT match announced is sure to be a barn burner. MAO & Mike Bailey are back together as The Moonlight Express for the first time in three years. Their opponents are two of GCW’s most talked about prospects. Together Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne are The East West Express.
Other DDT wrestlers so far confirmed to appear are Higuchi, Akiyama and Yoshihiko. As already mentioned, Takeshita will not be part of the GCW Vs DDT show. ROH have their PPV happening around the same time so maybe he shows up there?
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Another match that got announced right after I finished this post. You’re killing me here lads. Yamashita faces Valkyrie for the first time ever.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Here me out. The payoff to the Itoh and Gage interactions has to be the two of them in the same match together, right? They’re both MDK so Itoh & Gage teaming together makes sense. But “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” has the reputation of being one of the craziest booked shows to happen anywhere every year. Gage is the GCW World Champion so why not have him defend it against Itoh on this show! Or how about Itoh versus Kota Ibushi now that he’s been announced for the show?
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
Heidi Howitzer got the chance to pick any opponent she wanted for the next Lucha Libre & Laughs show in April. She wants to fight Itoh and made her challenge in words Itoh can understand: “Hey Maki, fuck you!”
WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023 The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA
1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Another promotion debut for Yamashita is happening while she is in America this Spring. West Coast Pro will be crowning their first Women’s Champion in March. Whoever it is, her first defence will be against Yamashita in April.
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Cancelled Appearances
EVE “EVE 100”, 07/01/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
As mentioned above, the title match was pushed back to March because of Yamashita’s concussion preventing her from travelling overseas.
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022”, 25/09/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 701 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima defeated Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (6:37).
1. MAO, Asuka & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Akai pinned Honda with the Rookie Award (6:44).
2. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Shunma Katsumata and Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) when Aoki pinned Katsumata with the European Clutch (6:58).
3. Special Tag Match: Akito & Yukio Naya defeated Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Naya submitted Kawamatsu with the Torture Cobra Twist (11:41).
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when Sasaki submitted Oishi with the Crossface Lock (11:21).
5. Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Takeshi Masada when Sakaguchi pinned Okada with the God’s Right Knee (11:18).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Cara Noir with the WR (13:01). *V1 for Yuki Ueno.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Buchikamashi (18:57). *V2 for Kazusada Higuchi.
A hard headed effort from Kazusada Higuchi withstood the challenge of Konosuke Takeshita, preventing the KO-D Openweight Title from leaving Japan once Takeshita goes back to America. Higuchi’s iron toughness was on show when Takeshita pulled him by the arms, driving him head first into the steel ring post. Higuchi took a second long pause to register what happened and calmly fired back with a Headbutt that drew some blood from Takeshita’s forehead. Higuchi later attempted a big Choke Slam from the top rope but it was countered into a Frankensteiner followed by the Zahi. Higuhci kicked out of that and also the German Suplex before catching the Jumping Knee. More big bombs were thrown between the two and Takeshita finally hit the Jumping Knee. What he didn’t see coming was Higuchi standing firm and then charging in with the Buchikamashi sumo tackle. That put Takeshita down for the three count and Higuchi remains the champion.
After the match Takeshita gave his approval to Higuchi for being the champion and told him to do his best. He will be in America for around two and a half months before coming back for a DDT booking at the end of the year. Shinya Aoki then came down to ringside but rather than tease cashing in his title shot, he reached through the ropes to give Higuchi a fist bump instead and left. Yukio Sakaguchi then came out during Higuchi’s victory speech. He said Higuchi understands why he came out and he still does not understand true fear the likes of which Sakaguchi is capable of. Higuchi accepted his challenge and the two former “brothers” will fight for the KO-D Title on 23rd October.
You ever hear when wrestling commentators joke about how “it ain’t ballet”? Isn’t that in reality an insult backfire when you think about it? I’ve watched footage of ballet training and that stuff looks like hell on Earth even when compared to pro wrestling drills. Okay, okay, I’m getting distracted because I don’t want to make the usual theatre puns when writing about Cara Noir. The English wrestler performed his big entrance for the fans and then jumped Yuki Ueno with a John Woo Dropkick. Ueno was able to defend himself and escape from the Blackout Sleeper. He then returned with a Dropkick of his own, hitting Noir right in his face. The WR afterwards got Ueno the win and a successful DDT Universal Title defence under his belt.
There is a language barrier between the two but Ueno thanked Noir for coming to Japan after their match. It is a difficult time for Ueno to do what he wants and defend the Universal Title abroad, so he appreciates foreign opponents coming to DDT to challenge him. The three main members of Pheromones then entered the ring. Yuki Iino stepped over to Ueno and then turned around, revealing Ueno’s iPhone sticking out of his butt. Ueno pulled out his phone and found out he got a message from Koju Takeda. He read the message containing accusations that he does not have enough Pheromones. Takeda wants to measure their hormone levels together and so challenges Ueno for the Universal Title on 23rd October. Ueno accepts and wants to see how much Takeda has changed since their days in DNA together.
Sakaguchi cemented his claim for a KO-D Title shot by grabbing the win in Match #5. He was part of a DDT all veteran team against three members of BURNING along with the rookie Takeshi Masada. For some reason Sanshiro Takagi was a target for the opposing team. Tetsuya Endo got some ring time with HARASHIMA but Masada in particular wanted to beat Takagi. Jun Akiyama explained to the reporters backstage it’s because pro wrestling is the only place where it is acceptable to beat up the company president. It’s also acceptable to kick the heck out of Yusuke Okada like Sakaguchi did to win the match. Soma Takao was just kind of there. Even he noticed that he isn’t in any of the match pictures on DDT’s website.
DAMNATION T.A gave some of their next KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles opponents a taste of what’s to come. Minoru Fujita & KANON had their hands full with Naomi Yoshimura & Yuji Hino until MJ Paul got into a brawl with Hino out of the ring and up towards the balcony. Daisuke Sasaki had Makoto Oishi right where he wanted him from there. DAMNATION T.A benefited from the numbers game and Sasaki ended up tapping out Oishi with the Crossface Lock. Sasaki mocked Oishi for being so weak and wanted to injure him with a chair. Suddenly Shiori Asahi’s music began playing and he ran out to rescue his friend, fighting off Sasaki with a skateboard. Together, Oishi & Asahi then gave KANON the Cactus Flower. Asahi said it’s been a long time since he showed up as X on DDT shows. Hino said Ω is getting closer to a complete recovery. They will show DAMNATION T.A what real evil looks like when they take the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles from them!
The politician tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu were back at it again, this time wrestling against Akito & Yukio Naya. Two two are becoming more cohesive by doing double team moves together. However Naya was able to break them apart and submit Kawamatsu with the Cobra Twist. Nishimura gave advice to Kawamatsu by comparing a wrestling career to an election. Elections are the accumulation of everything politicians do day by day. Kawamatsu admits that every time he steps into the ring to wrestle his head goes blank and everything happens at a blink of an eye. Akito thinks this won’t be the last we see of Kawamatsu. Naya meanwhile has more important matters to get ready for.
Aoki had no choice but to put his Right To Challenge NFT on the line against Shunma Katsumata and Yuki Iino in a 3 Way Match. Katsumata dealt with Iino by sticking party poppers into his backside and setting them off. What he couldn’t have anticipated was Aoki turning into a Pheromones gimmick! He reappeared wearing very little and pinned Katsumata with the European Clutch. He still hasn’t publicly told people when he wants to cash in the NFT for a KO-D Title shot. The only hint he gives is it will happen soon.
Romance was unexpectedly in the air during the opening bout. Toru Owashi and Antonio Honda’s grappling gradually turned into them slowly embracing each other for a kiss. That was interrupted by the others but soon some unintentional hugging led to Saki Akai wanting to kiss Asuka and MAO wanting to kiss Kazuki Hirata. Before they could almost all of them snapped back to normal and Akai pinned Honda with the Rookie Award. Asuka was left in a frozen state with her eyes closed, still waiting for Akai to kiss her. Yukinori Matsui woke her up causing Asuka to scream at the sight of him and leave.
The dark match saw Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima beat Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida in a tag battle between the young generation. Ishida kicked out of Okatani’s Northern Lights Suplex so Okatani had to pull out the Double Arm Suplex for the win.
19 year old trainee Kazuma Sumi will make his debut against Kazuki Hirata on 23rd October. He spoke to the crowd and called Hirata a very talented person so he will do his best. Sumi has a background in karate and gymnastics. He is the second of the trainee class introduced in May to make his debut, the first being Takeshi Masada.
Danshoku Dieno has written a book to celebrate his 20th Anniversary in pro wrestling. He said he lied to the publisher about making a self-help book to convince them to sell it. However he will be covering topics about the pro wrestling business from his point of view based on his two decades of experience. It will be available in December and Dieno is hosting a special event at Korakuen Hall on the 21st to commemorate the release. Attendees will receive a copy of the book but the cost of it will be added on top of the ticket price.
The D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 lineup was revealed. The A Block consists of Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura, Joey Janela, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki and Rickey Shane Page. The B Block consists of Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, MAO, Yuji Hino, KANON and Yukio Naya.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 