Guide To DDT In Las Vegas

April 16, 2025

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

1. Yuni Vs Starboy Charlie
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Mizuki Watase & Shota Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman
4. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
7. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya
8. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

Bright lights, the sound of money being lost everywhere and of course there’s an impersonator nearby. DDT has come to Las Vegas for WrestleMania Week! Things really feel different with the show this year as many of DDT’s main roster are not making the trip out of Japan. Instead they are going to run more shows side by side with the group going to America. It means a lot of big names you come to expect from DDT are missing and the people brought in to fill those gaps seem a bit random at first. Some start to make sense the more you think about it but if you look at the card above it kind of looks like bits and pieces from other shows all being grouped together into something else. I still bet it will be a good time and if you want to know what’s going on with everything, you’ve come to the right place. You won’t get any gambling tips from me though. I’m already gambling my Switch 2 money to the Fortune Cup machines as you read this.

When and where is the show taking place?

The two shows will be held at the Pearl Theater found inside Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!” is taking place on Friday, 18th April at 3pm local time. “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW” is taking place on Saturday, 19th April at 2pm local time.

Where can I watch it online?

Both “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!” and “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW” will air live on Triller TV with English commentary through the TrillerTV+ subscription service. The on-demand versions of both shows will be available to watch on Wrestle Universe a few weeks after the live broadcast.

Is this a proper DDT show?

Ehhhhhhh…… There’s a lot missing. When it comes to expanding into the USA, CyberFight thinks Tokyo Joshi Pro has become the better bet. I don’t think you will get the full DDT experience compared to their shows in Japan or even their recent previous American shows. It will be entertaining and mostly looks unique compared to anything else happening this week but I can’t say this looks like a complete DDT experience. Maybe treat it as a sampler if this is your first time watching the product.

Look at it this way. I’m playing Promoter Mode on Fire Pro Wrestling and I’m trying to remake DDT. A lot of the roster I want too book isn’t unlocked yet and I spent so much money on the couple of star wrestlers I love that I have to make do with who’s available in the Freelance section to fill out the rest of the card. I might end up discovering some new wrestlers I like in the process but the whole package just never seems right. This show kind of feels like that. DDT is always open to becoming a mish-mash of different styles and philosophies which is probably why some of the matches here look like they could have been booked on some of the other prominent shows happening in Vegas.

Got any non-wrestling tips for visiting Las Vegas?

Every casino looks closer to each other than they appear so be prepared to walk a lot. Even in real life The Sphere looks like it is CGI’d into the background when you see it from a distance. I like Secret Pizza in The Cosmopolitan but would not rely on it at all for a full meal. Pin-Up Pizza on the strip is the same quality as Sbarro so only go near it if you really want the novelty of eating a gigantic slice. If you’re going to see Penn & Teller at the Rio Casino, get there early to get a close up look at an old timey magician’s stage while Penn plays jazz music with his band. You might also get to be part of an inside joke that happens during the show. Tape Face is a really fun show to loosen up at. BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon is enjoyable but a little too Medieval Times for my tastes. It is also closer to pro wrestling than some of the actual pro wrestling shows happening this week.

Will The Steiner Brothers be at the show?

No.

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1. Yuni Vs Starboy Charlie

We open up with two heartthrobs in the making being pitted against each other. Yuni is part of NωA Jr. (New Wrestling Idol Jr.), a pop idol unit that’s been given the task by DDT to go and win a Best Newcomer category at a famous music awards ceremony by the end of the year. All three members of the group will be at this show so you may get a singing performance from them. Starboy Charlie isn’t singing yet but it might be in his future if The Crush Boys project he is involved in with Chigusa Nagayo ever decides to take the musical route. These two boys might just end up being two peas in a pod.

Yuni – See this 17 year old? Yuni made his pro wrestling debut at 8 years old when he and his mom convinced Sanshiro Takagi to let him try out for DDT. How did DDT get away with this at the time? Well it turns out the mom is a retired dancer from a popular idol group in the 90’s so the family is already in show business. Yay nepotism! Now fully ingrained in the business and at an age where DDT won’t get into trouble when he takes a bump, Yuni wants to live his dream of becoming a cool wrestler with loads of high flying moves in his arsenal.
Moves To Watch Out For: Phoenix Splash, Sky Twister Press, Moonault, Spinning Headscissors

Starboy Charlie – Currently making waves on the indies as one half of The Crush Boys with Titus Alexander. Charlie is more familiar with the other side of CyberFight where he has wrestled several tours in NOAH and once challenged for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title. Yes, he still wrestles in the denim dungarees. I still remember Jim Ross joking that the kid thinks he’s like Jerry Lawler in Memphis when he pulls the straps down.
Moves To Watch Out For: Shooting Star Press, Standing Corkscrew Moonsault, Kip Up into an Overhead Kick


2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Mizuki Watase & Shota Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane

A 3 Way Tag Match like this always looks like it’s thrown together but it makes a little bit of sense here. Two of the three teams are more likely to appear in Ganbare☆Pro rather than DDT. DAMNATION T.A is the odd one out although a previous version of the group did get into a feud with GanPro in 2017 that nearly put the promotion’s entire existence in jeopardy. Mizuki Watase has travelled to Las Vegas before and has gone through the problems such a trip would give anyone. Hopefully he’s better prepared this time. Dan The Dad & Kody Lane have toured in GanPro before so this isn’t unusual territory for them. They are also already an accomplished tag team called Home Cookin’.

Daisuke Sasaki – Here is the grimiest heel you’re ever going to find in DDT. Dirty, drunk and depressed, Daisuke Sasaki is the leader of DAMNATION T.A because this way of life is a “Total Addiction”. He has the talent to reach bigger heights and has achieved success in DDT but every time there is a setback it sends him tumbling back down into despair. Despite putting himself in a self-fulfilled cycle of destruction you can never really count him out of the running.
Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (sometimes set up with La Mistica), Crossover Face Lock (Gargano Escape), Sasaki-Style Hurricanrana, Diving Elbow Drop

Ilusion – This young masked wrestler started off his career leaning as a heel but showed traces of babyface behaviour when he wanted to join SCHADENFREUDE International. It all turned out to be a ruse he planned with DAMNATION T.A to betray his new friends and leave them with broken hearts. Now Ilusion is just a prick to everyone outside of DAMNATION T.A, flipping off his opponents and cheating like hell.
Moves To Watch Out For: Swanton Bomb, RE:VISION1 (Modified Angels Wings), Missile Dropkick, Giving everyone middle fingers

Mizuki Watase – A former comedian turned pro wrestler and he is freshly back from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He speedran his rehabilitation and made it back to the ring in only 4 months which sounds absolutely crazy when you think about it. He wants to make up for lost time which is why he is putting in four times the amount of effort needed.
Moves To Watch Out For: Venetian (Wrist-Clutch Michinoku Driver), Running Elbow Butt, Back Drop, Hanori Tiger Suplex

Shota – A reliable handyman both inside and out of the ring. Shota has spent the last few years working as a freelancer to do what’s best for himself after spending so many years putting other people in the business first. He still helps out from time to time and likes to wrestling across the indies scenes in both Japan and America. I’m under suspicion that he still helps out CyberFight as a talent scout of some sort from time to time.
Moves To Watch Out For: Gannosuke Clutch, Frog Splash, Sharpshooter

Dan The Dad – Your father’s favorite wrestler. He sometimes has to wrestle the match while drinking his morning cup of joe from his World’s No. 1 Dad mug. He also isn’t afraid to dish out punishment the old fashioned way by whipping the opponent’s behind with his belt. He got involved at last year’s DDT show in Philadelphia where his open challenge was answered by the psycho mascot Chiitan.
Moves To Watch Out For: Baby On Board (Backpack Stunner), You’re Grounded (rope draping Flatliner)

Kody Lane – Wherever Dan The Dad goes, “The Southern Flamingo” is never that far behind him. Although usually they just see each other all the time in Glory Pro anyway. The two travelled together to Japan for a GanPro tour two years ago and they are familar with each other either as partners or opponents. In the ring though Lane loves nothing more than to springboard or slingshot himself off of the ropes.
Moves To Watch Out For: Diving Senton to a bent over opponent, Jay Driller, Top Rope Springboard Moonsault, Waffle Stomp (Elevated Double Stomp to a bent over opponent in the corner)


3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman

Not much to say here other than throw a few high flyers into the ring with a couple of bases and let them all do their thing. Nick Wayne is calling over from AEW to get some ring time before he heads over to New Japan for the summer. Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi are the other two members of NωA Jr. Maybe they can convince Wayne to be their fourth man. Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman are all going to try and ruin the other team’s day.

Nick Wayne – It’s been said before that Nick Wayne is a young wrestler who has the world at his feet. That’s all well and good but he really needs to get moving because maybe his father figure in AEW doesn’t have what’s best in mind for him. The son of the late Buddy Wayne toured with DDT in the past to get himself ready for his move to the big leagues. Now the next time he returns to Japan it will be for the Best Of The Super Jr tournament. There will come a day when Wayne is watching over the wrestling scene as a grizzled veteran with hundreds of matches under his belt while still only being in his mid twenties. But he needs to start making his moves sooner rather than later.
Moves To Watch Out For: Wayne’s World (Sprinboard Flying Cutter), Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex

Shunma Katsumata – Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. Don’t let his hobby or his eternally youthful looks fool you though. Katsumata can get crazy violent whenever he wants even when his weapons of choice turn out to be Lego and party poppers. That kind of behaviour took its toll and put him on the shelf for a year. So when he came back he traded in the Lego for a microphone to become part of NωA Jr.
Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)

Kazuma Sumi – Where does DDT find so many young wrestlers to train and debut quickly? Well the quiet part is they usually attract trainees who dropped out of other company dojos. Kazuma Sumi is one such example because he originally trained with Dragongate before bouncing over to DDT. One year after his debut he was taken under the wing of former DDT mainstay MIKAMI and adopted one of his most successful moves… the School Boy! There’s an alternate reality where he should be doing Swanton Bombs off of ladders instead but we don’t live in it.
Moves To Watch Out For: Lionsault, Standing Moonsault, School Boy

Gringo Loco – Do you need an opponent to be the yin to your high flyer’s yang? Then go get “The Base God”. Gringo Loco left his mark in DDT last November when he unexpectedly won the DDT Universal Title during a series of shows in Seattle. He defended the belt around North America a little bit before losing it once he actually had a title match in Japan. This match will be Loco’s return to DDT, doing what he does best.
Moves To Watch Out For: Base Bomb (Spinning Sit Down Power Bomb), Olympico Slam (Inverted Angle Slam), Gorilla Press Driver, Gringo Cutter

Marcus Mathers – It’s looking like Marcus Mathers is one of the early standouts among the WWE ID class. IWTV is also currently counting on him as their Independent World Wrestling Title. He made one previous appearance in DDT as part of GCW’s Japan tour last August. His big viral spot was crying crocodile tears with Maki Itoh during their match. That might not work here. The guy’s a pretty good spot monkey but that stuff doesn’t get over with WWE’s online fanbase unless it happens inside a WWE ring.
Moves To Watch Out For: 450 Splash, Cutter, Blue Thunder Bomb, 999 (Diamond Dust)

Tyler Bateman – Vegas is a familiar haunt for Tyler Bateman so you may see him a couple of times throughout the week, particularly in the Shooting Star Fest series of shows. He thinks pretty highly of himself and is often introduced as “The God Damn Man”. He finds his moments to strike when the opponent’s guard is down. The big move to watch out for is when he goes for Death From Above, a falling Forearm Smash he usually hits immediately after his opponent kicks out of a pin.
Moves To Watch Out For: Death From Above (Falling Forearm Smash to a grounded opponent), This Is A Kill (Tombstone Piledriver), Love Kill (Northern Lights Bomb)


4. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson

This is it! Antonio Honda’s love of classic American pop culture has brought forward the perfect opponent for him. Why is he Wanna Be Startin’ Something’ to get into a fight with a living, breathing Michael Jackson impersonator? It will be kind of like fighting The Man In The Mirror. If you think a match like this is going to be Bad then I advise you can go Beat It over to the concession stand…… Thriller.

Antonio Honda – He has almost two decades of experience under his belt while his knees behave like he’s gone through four. Antonio Honda went through several phases of an unlikely pro wrestling career, settling into this weird mix of tranquil slapstick with hints of Memphis wrestling hidden beneath. Honda is the poster child of high risk equals high failure because he injures his knee in a clumsy way in almost every match he’s in. The pain is so bad he threatens to retire every time unless he gets to tell the story of Gon The Little Fox, a child’s tale that he then turns into a filthy joke. But it’s all a ruse so he can poke people in the eyes while his hand is in the shape of Gon. Honda loves classic American pop culture too so DDT went and found him the perfect opponent for his visit to Vegas.
Moves To Watch Out For: Octopus Hold, Diving Fist Drop, Bionic Elbow, Gongitsune/Gon The Fox (makes a fox out of his hand, says a lewd joke and pokes people in either the eyes or the nipples).

Santana Jackson – How’s this for a double life? A Michael Jackson tribute act in Vegas who moonwalks moonlights as a pro wrestler with the same gimmick. Genius! Santana Jackson usually goes viral for doing Moonwalk DDTs or replicating the baby balcony spot in Hardcore Matches. Think of an MJ cliche and he’s probably done it in the ring. Honda is going to have the time of his life against this guy. Although believe it or not, Santana is not the first Michael Jackson impersonator to wrestle in DDT. Someone by the name of Michael Okamoto beat him to the punch around 17 years ago.
Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepwalk DDT, King Of Pop Elbow Drop, Rope Walk Arm Drag, Dancing like Michael Jackson


5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher

Are we sure this wasn’t meant to be booked for Bloodsport? I mean are we really, really sure? Okay then. DDT has somehow become the pro wrestling home for MMA fighter Shinya Aoki. He certainly made the most of it so far. His opponent is someone you couldn’t find in DDT at all yet is still a fitting match for him. If Timothy Thatcher is going to feel a thrill from going hold to hold against Aoki, we’re not going to see it on his face. He’s there to win or accept total defeat from trying.

Shinya Aoki – If you were never around for even the immediate post-glory years of Japanese MMA then you missed a magical time. Shinya Aoki played a role in it as this little asshole who would come out to the Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo theme song and then rip his opponents apart with submission holds. It was wonderful. He unexpectedly turned to DDT in 2018 and gradually made himself at home by winning several championships including DDT’s main belt, the KO-D Openweight Title. Thankfully for everybody and their arms his personality had mellowed out by then and he has found wrestlers to get along with. His skills on the mat are still unmatched to this day and his mind for fighting is his most valuable weapon. Even his biggest doubters in wrestling couldn’t help but be impressed to see him develop the humble little Full Nelson Hold into a nigh-on unbreakable pinning manoeuvre.
Moves To Watch Out For: Sleeper Hold, Full Nelson Hold, European Clutch, Topé Suicida

Timothy Thatcher – In Europe he was once the housewive’s favourite but nowadays you can find him tangling with WWE ID recruits. No nonsense to a fault, Timothy Thatcher takes to the mat like no one else and braces for his opponent’s strikes the same way a brick wall would. You may think DDT would be the most uncharacteristic place for a guy like Thatcher to wrestle in but the company has always embraced wrestlers with catch style or MMA related backgrounds. It goes all the way back to their very beginning with the late Koichiro Kimura. So there’s sort of a legacy he can fit into.
Moves To Watch Out For: Fujiwara Armbar, Butterfly Suplex, Enzuigiri, European Uppercut


6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO

Nothing is stopping the Konosuke Takeshita hype train! The man has been on a roll lately and he may not be done just yet. He has some old business to deal with back in DDT where he tests how much his former allies in The 37KAMIINA have grown without him. MAO has certainly found ways to progress up the card and make himself feel a level above what he was before. But he might be in for a rude awakening if Takeshita doesn’t budge to his antics anymore.

Konosuke Takeshita – No matter where his career in AEW and now New Japan will take him, Takeshita will always have a home in DDT. He is gradually taking over the wrestling world while holding contracts with those three companies. Once he was part of a unit of sauna loving wrestlers called The 37KAMIINA until he left to chase his biggest dreams. That journey so far has evolved him into “The Alpha” you see today. He has done everything there is to do in DDT and only comes back to fight opponents he wants to fight. So you know this match matters to him when you see who his opponent is.
Moves To Watch Out For: Raging Fire (Spinning Falcon Arrow), Powerdrive Knee/Wagamama (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), German Suplex, Blue Thunder Bomb, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)

MAO – Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” so you can’t say he’s out of place in 2025. He was scouted by DDT as a teenager when they found his Youtube videos of him doing wrestling moves at home and outdoors. Just like Takeshita, MAO was part of The 37KAMIINA but very recently decided to leave the unit to move in a fresh direction. He has been immature for his entire career but in recent times developed an unshakeable confidence in his abilities and wrestling philosophy. MAO feels at his most alive during Falls Count Anywhere style situations. Putting him in an environment like Las Vegas is just asking for trouble.
Moves To Watch Out For: Iai Kick (Powerful Thrust Kick), Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Whirlwind Kick


7. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya

All of a sudden we’ve got an extra title match on our hands! Straight from Germany the wXW Unified World Wrestling Title will be defended in Las Vegas a few times this week. If all goes to plan, 1 Called Manders will put the belt on the line against his scheduled DDT opponent Yukio Naya. Manders is having a breakthrough year, one that I can’t help but wonder if Naya could have gotten in the past if things had turned out differently for him.

1 Called Manders – Previously known for being part of The Second Gear Crew in GCW and the surrounding indies, Manders went his own way and his hard work over the last few years is now paying off. His feud on the indies with Mad Dog Connelly consisting of Dog Collar and Texas Bull Ropes matches found its audience and received great acclaim online. Then a lengthy trek to Europe this year rewarded him with more success, particularly in Germany where he won the fabled 16 Carat Gold tournament and soon after that took the vacant wXw Title. He’s your man if you like your wrestling to be hard hitting with a bit of grit.
Moves To Watch Out For: Lariat, Stampede Slam, Chops

Yukio Naya – The Heavyweight division is something DDT has been trying to boost up for the last few years. Yukio Naya is someone they’ve had high hopes for in the past due to his lineage coming from a famous family of sumo wrestlers. His grandfather was the 48th yokozuna, his father was kicked out of the sport in disgrace and his three younger brothers are all currently active up and down the divisions. Sumo was never the road that Naya wanted to take though and instead he was directed towards pro wrestling by Satoru Sayama. Development was slow but when DDT became his home he eventually started to piece things together. He is in no way a finished product but through sheer determination it may someday finally all click into place for him. Watch out if he does because he can run you over easy.
Moves To Watch Out For: The World’s Best Back Drop, Choke Slam, Knee Lift


8. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

There’s going to be a few bruised egos in Vegas this week over a sex doll getting more bookings than some of the wrestlers coming to town. I’m not even making a crass joke at someone’s expense, Yoshihiko really has a couple of non-DDT matches going on as well as possibly getting the main event of this show! It is facing the one man who isn’t playing along with the joke though. Minoru Suzuki currently holds the DDT Universal Title and wants to travel the world defending it against all comers. So a sex doll suddenly appearing nearby wherever he goes is just an unfunny prank to him that is better off ignoring. With that being said have you seen what Suzuki’s schedule for this week looks like? This genuinely will end up being one of the more entertaining matches. Yoshihiko just needs to figure out how to make its dark power have an effect on Suzuki even a little bit. It’s almost as if it’s just an inanimate object…

Minoru Suzuki – The “Pirate King” of pro wrestling recently returned to DDT when Yuki Ueno used the Universal Title as a piece of treasure to lure him into a match. Ueno’s plan backfired spectacularly and now Suzuki holds DDT’s second most important championship. Since it is an international title, Suzuki now comes to America looking for anyone brave enough to challenge him. He has seen it all in his travels across the wrestling world but even he cannot believe who was first to answer his call. He’s going to show up to the event expecting to fight somebody because he isn’t buying that he’ll be headlining a wrestling show against a Dutch Wife.
Moves To Watch Out For: Gotch-Style Piledriver, Rear Naked Choke, Heel Hook, Slaps

Yoshihiko – The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for almost two decades now. It first showed up as the brother of Muscle Sakai, constantly replacing him in matches whenever Sakai suffered gun-related injuries backstage (it’s a long story). Yoshihiko vanished after that only to reappear years later as Danshoku Dieno’s surprise tag team partner. Over time the doll’s powers have only gotten stronger. It gained the ability to transform into powerful wrestlers such as The Great Muta, The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan. You can rip it limb from limb and it will survive. You can drive over it with a car and it will survive. You can throw it off a building and it will survive. To fight Yoshihiko is almost like fighting yourself. Only then can you discover your true talent as a pro wrestler.
Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotations into a Hurricanrana), Canadian Destroyer, Yoshihiko Destroyer (multiple Canadian Destroyers in a row)

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

1. Mizuki, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Miu Watanabe, Suzume, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai & Shino Suzuki
2. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Brooke Havok & Sandra Moone
3. Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Kidd Bandit & Shota
4. 3 Way Match: MAO & Yoshihiko Vs Jimmy Lloyd & Alec Price Vs Jack Cartwheel & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Tag Match: 1 Called Manders & Maki Itoh Vs Yukio Naya & Microman
6. Special Tag Match: Mance Warner & Shunma Katsumata Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Matt Tremont
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & Dark Sheik Vs Super Crazy, Marcus Mathers & Shoko Nakajima
8. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita

I made the Fire Pro comparison earlier but holy hell does this card look like I random selected everything on my save. Now don’t get me wrong, the lineup we have so far is so nutty looking that I’m looking forward to it. This isn’t even the full line up yet. Out of all the shows happening this week this may end up being the one with the most amount of never seen before and never seen again matches ever. I can’t do a proper preview of this justice so just join me in confusion at the sight of Super Crazy and Shoko Nakajima are doing double team moves together, Manders punting Microman into the third row and Yoshihiko taking Jack Cartwheel’s WWE ID deal away from him.

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There will be other chances to see a few DDT wrestlers in action across Philadelphia that week. Mainly MAO. You are going to get a lot of MAO. Yoshihiko is in demand quite a bit too.


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

1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO

MAO is taking on the crazy schedule of wrestling 8 matches in just over 48 hours. He first match of the trip at Pandemonium Pro is already putting the pedal to the metal because his opponent is Masha Slamovich! The woman is one of the toughest people you will find in either TNA or GCW and just the kind of person who likes to match crazy with crazy.


CIRCLE 6 “MAYHEM AT THE MUSEUM”, 17/04/2025
The Punk Rock Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Bestia 666 Vs MAO

Around the same time MAO is fighting Slamovich he also has a match with Bestia 666 at a Circle 6 show. They’re only like a 10 minute drive away from each other so which will happen first?


WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell

Forget about LSU Vs Ole Miss. Louisiana Vs Osaka? Now there’s a real sports rivalry! Although I can’t find Modesto on the map of Louisiana and any cajun I ask tells me the only place I’ll find a Modesto over there would be in the craft beer aisle. Jiah Jewell is another crazy opponent for MAO to fight.


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki

Look, I’m not saying I want to see Aoki break Charlie Dempsey’s arm and flip him off afterwards. It’s just that if you’re going to call this Bloodsport then give us a bloodsport. Dempsey’s dad would understand that.


BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Marcus Mathers & Alec Price

If you haven’t heard, MAO & Yoshihiko have a side story going on where they are the tag team champions of Banger Zone Wrestling in France and Belgium. BZW are among the more obscure wrestling companies that decided to run a show in Vegas this year but at least they’re taking a good swing at it. The champs were originally meant to face The Gahbage Daddies for the belts but Cole Radrick is unfortunately out of action. Alec Price was able to get Marcus Mathers in as a substitute so wacky times are still a go-go.


PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 18/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

0. Yoshihiko’s Super Special Open Challenge: Yoshihiko Vs X
1. G-Sharpe Vs MAO

MAO is also taking in favours from the Nevada based promotions during the week. There is a heel unit in PrideStyle named The Cartel de Los Villanos who have called MAO in to deal with one of their enemies G-Sharpe. While that is going on, Yoshihiko will also be there on the pre-show looking to put out an open challenge.


GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Lazarus Vs MAO

By the looks of things MAO ends his run of Vegas shows with one of the local promotions called GrapHouse. His opponent Lazarus is being advertised as the W4TN Champion but I’m not sure if the title will be on the line. Lazarus is also nicknamed “The Cannibal Cryptid”. Sounds about right. Also I think the venue is near Fremont Street so MAO should find a way to do a Moonsault off of Vegas Vic.


GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: Yoshihiko Vs X

Almost anyone and anything could show up at GCW’s annual Clusterfuck match that usually draws the non-WWE side of the week to a close. Yoshihiko has been confirmed to take part in the match for a second year in a row. Last year it made it all the way to the final three. Former TJPW wrestler Sayaka Unagi is also being advertised to take part. Can you imagine the kind of eye opening things Unagi would do in Vegas?

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – Early April 2025

April 13, 2025

What a month it’s been already and we’re not even halfway through yet. It’s the busiest time of the year for American wrestling with WrestleMania coming up next weekend and the carnival of shows that exist around it. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro will be deep in the mix with shows held under The Collective banner along with some outside bookings scattered around the Paradise of Las Vegas. Then there is no rest for the wicked afterwards because the months leading into summertime will be very busy for the likes of Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh. The international exchange will even be seen in Japan with Deadlock Pro running a tour over there and YuuRI getting involved in a big lucha libre show. Plus one of the big rivalries happening in Southeast Asia may finally come to an end if Yuki Kamifuku defeats Alexis Lee one more time.

But I’m burying the lede here. Shoko Nakajima won a championship in MLW! She has become the latest TJPW wrestler to win a title belonging to a foreign company and we may possibly add another person to that somehow growing list at the end of the month. Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita is already turning April 2025 into a memorable period. He squashed an age old beef with one of Japan’s modern legends and has started a tournament run that will at least produce a few great matches if he doesn’t make it all the way.

Now let’s all go to Vegas.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “COLLISION”, 05/04/2025
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii (w/ Rocky Romero) Vs Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita

Video starts at 22:53 for Match #1. Go to 1:12:00 for Match #2.
MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025
Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA

1. HIMAWARI Vs Janai Kai
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima


8th match Backstage 4/11/25 | Windy City Riot 2025


AEW “COLLISION”, 12/04/2025
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Quarter Final: Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

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Results


AEW “COLLISION”, 02/04/2025 (Aired 05/04/2025)
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA

1. Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii (w/ Rocky Romero) when Fletcher pinned Ishii with the Sheer Drop Brainbuster (13:47).

Takeshita had to miss the “DYNASTY” PPV because he had other priorities with New Japan that weekend but he was able to fit in an AEW tag match right before he left. He and Kyle Fletcher are really catching on as a tag team lately and they were really put through the grinder against Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii. They tried to give Ishii a Super Bomb from the corner but Ishii countered it into a Frankensteiner on Fletcher. Takeshita came to help Fletcher give Ishii a Sheer Drop Brainbuster for a nearfall and then clashed with Hobbs. Ishii’s face was bloody at this point but he was still fired up to fight. Fletcher didn’t care though and he used a Tombstone Piledriver followed by another Brainbuster for the victory.


MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025
Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA

1. Janai Kai defeated HIMAWARI with the Tornado Kick (7:28).
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima defeated Delmi Exo (c) with the Diving Senton (9:17).
*Delmi Exofails in V2. Shoko Nakajima becomes the 5th MLW Women’s World Featherweight Champion!

Well would you look at that, MLW went all the way with Nakajima and made her their women’s champion! The 619, Double Arm DDT and Diving Senton put Delmo Exo away and now Nakajima can add the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title to her collection.

Also HIMAWARI did not in fact get abducted or murdered by CONTRA Unit. She made it back to Japan in one piece. Janai Kai still beat her pretty handily but I’d still call it a successful MLW excursion.


NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
4,674 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi with the Raging Fire (20:37).

It was an emotional battle that’s been over a decade in the making. Takeshita was not only fighting Hiroshi Tanahashi in a rematch from their DDT bout from 2014 but he was defending DDT’s honour over the disrespect Tanahashi gave to them in 2015. Due to the added importance that this will be Tanahashi’s final wrestling match in America before he retires it was made the main event of the show ahead of the IWGP World Heavyweight Title bout. The two had counters for each other’s finishers but Takeshita surprised everyone by doing his own High Fly Flow. Everyone was then in even more shock when Tanahashi kicked out at one! Takeshita nailed Tanahashi with several Wagamama knee strikes before giving a big shout to HARASHIMA by hitting the Somato. After that he used the Raging Fire to get the win.

Backstage Takeshita said he was all anger before this match but now that it is over, his revenge on Tanahashi has ended and he now for the first time respects him. There is one thing that Takeshita couldn’t do to Tanahashi and that was take away the last of his light. He wishes to see Tanahashi keep that light shining until his retirement. He was then interrupted by El Phantasmo who complained about Takeshita not showing respect until now. He still remembers their match at last year’s G1 Climax and he wants to challenge him to a rematch, this time with the NEVER Openweight Title on the line. Suddenly Phantasmo was then attacked from behind by Rocky Romero. Whatever it is that’s going on between them has nothing to do with Takeshita. At least for now.


AEW “COLLISION”, 12/04/2025
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Quarter Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) with the Powerdrive Knee (12:18).

The 4th annual Owen Hart Cup is packed this year on both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Count Takeshita among them on the men’s side. His opening round match was against Brody King from The Hounds Of Hell. Even a guy like Takeshita gets a bit worried when he hears King barking nearby. It took several Powerdrive Knee strikes to break down King and the final two needed Takeshita to pull his kneepad down for extra damage to finally put his opponent down for the count.

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WrestleMania Week Appearances


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

1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO
2. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

Let’s get crazy. The first piece of involvement in Wrestlemania Week from DDT and TJPW both take place at the same show. Miu Watanabe makes a rare outside appearance from TJPW to take on Maya World while one of her later upcoming opponents Masha Slamovich takes a trip on MAO’s wild ride. Or maybe it’s MAO going on Slamovich’s wild ride.


WRESTLECON “MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh

Who knows what else WrestleCon has in store for their big event of the week and if it applies here. They have a mystery 10-Man Tag Match on the card which was used to promote TJPW in a previous year. Itoh might meet her match in more ways than one when she faces off against Mickie James. But the worst thing James could do is go in their and underestimate Itoh.


WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell

It will be the second match of the day for both MAO and Jiah Jewell.


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki
2. Nattie Neidhart Vs Miyu Yamashita

This year’s Bloodsport went through a slight overbooking problem with some fighters but it hasn’t affected the two matches here that I care about. Bless GCW and Josh Barnett for having conflicting stories over who is actually booking the show when it was time to explain why previously announced talent were being left off the final card. Friendship aside, Nattie Neidhart doesn’t want to be used as a stepping stone by Yamashita but Yamashita doesn’t want Neidhart to take her lightly either. Are we going to get MMA Shinya Aoki or DDT Shinya Aoki when he fights Charlie Dempsey?


BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Marcus Mathers & Alec Price

Alec Price has found a replacement partner to challenge MAO & Yoshihiko for the BZW Tag Team Titles. With Cole Radrick out of action, Marcus Mathers is going to take his place.


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

1. Rika Tatsumi, Shino Suzuki & Vert Vixen Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Viva Van
2. Yuki Arai Vs Arisu Endo
3. Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
4. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
5. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

I’ll aim to have my guide for the TJPW Las Vegas show posted either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning Las Vegas time.


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

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman
2. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
4. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
5. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

Same with my guide for the DDT Las Vegas show. You’ll pretty much know I arrived safe and sound when the articles get posted.


WRESTLECORE “FEAR & WRESTLECORE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. ELP Vs Maki Itoh

Well so much for El Phantasmo and Maki Itoh joining forces as The Cutest Tag Team In The World. They’re not getting along so they’re going to fight each other instead.


PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 18/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

0. Yoshihiko’s Super Special Open Challenge: Yoshihiko Vs X
1. G-Sharpe Vs MAO

A new booking for MAO over at PrideStyle. If his opponent G-Sharpe looks a little familiar it may be because you might recognize him when he wrestles under a mask as Hyperstreak. There is a group called The Cartel de Los Villanos who have been feuding with G-Sharpe over in PrideStyle and they are the ones who hired MAO to fight him.

A bonus attraction will be happening before the show officially starts. That’s right, Yoshihiko is throwing out an open challenge! Who will dare step foot against “The Grave Digger Doll From Hell”?


GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Lazarus Vs MAO

MAO’s Friday night comes to a close with a brawl against Lazarus near Fremont Street. Someone convince MAO to Moonsault off of the Vegas Vic neon sign.


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

1. Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Kidd Bandit & Shota
2. 3 Way Match: MAO & Yoshihiko Vs Jimmy Lloyd & Alec Price Vs Jack Cartwheel & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Tag Match: Mance Warner & Shunma Katsumata Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Matt Tremont
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & Dark Sheik Vs Super Crazy, Marcus Mathers & Shoko Nakajima
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita

What the hell kind of Fire Pro random card is this?


GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: Yoshihiko Vs X

Yoshihiko is among the many, many competitors announced for the Clusterfuck so far but nobody else from DDT or TJPW has declared they will be in it. It’s likely a bunch of the talent will already be flying home by the time this show takes place.

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Upcoming Appearances After WrestleMania Week


AEW “DYNAMITE – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 16/04/2025
MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Semi Final: Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Ok this is during WrestleMania Week but isn’t actually part of it so let’s stick it here. It’s now on to the semi finals for Takeshita where is next opponent is quite a doozy. It’s the rematch against Will Ospreay!


DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 1”, 24/04/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs LaBron Kozone & Calvin Tankman
2. DPW Women’s World Title: Dani Luna (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

The hype train’s not stopping once WrestleMania is done. The schedule is going to get even more packed heading into the summer! DPW is heading back to Japan and has some familiar wrestlers taking part on their shows. Rika Tatsumi is getting a shot at the DPW Women’s World Title on the first night. The champion Dani Luna is coming out of a violent feud with Hyan over the belt which included title defences in Street Fights and Dog Collar matches. Sounds like she’ll be ready to handle Tatsumi’s madness. Meanwhile Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA are teaming up to take on two of DPW’s mainstays. LaBron Kozone is currently the DPW National Champion which just so happens to be the first DPW championship that his teammate Calvin Tankman won in the company.


DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 2”, 25/04/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Calvin Tankman & Kazuma Sumi
2. Emi Sakura, Chris Brookes, Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki Vs Miyuki Takase, Kevin Ku, Dominic Garrini & Ryo Mizunami

Then on the second night Brookes joins team ChocoPro to fight a mix of joshi and Violence Is Forever… Joshi Is Forever? Violence Is Joshi? Miyuki Takase & Ryo Mizunami Plus Two?

Tankman finds himself in the ring surrounded by DDT wrestlers. It will be a match of big man and little man teams when Tankman teams with Kazuma Sumi to fight the Harimao pair of Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida.


HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025
NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA

1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Will Takeshita bring an end to Mike Santana’s 16 month reign as House Of Glory’s champion?


BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025
The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Leyla Hirsch
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews

You know, this is one of those shows that feels like it just takes forever to get to.


MEXICO KANKO/CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Mexican Tourist Belt – The Road To Studying In Mexico 5 Way Match: Yuki Mashiro Vs Honoka Vs YuuRI Vs SONYA Vs CoCo
2. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.

I heard this show has a Street Fighter 6 product placement match. Makoto and Hikaru Shida are cosplaying as R. Mika & Yamato Nadeshiko to fight a pair of masked Zangief wrestlers. It would be funny if The Gief #1 and The Gief #2 were other members of DAMNATION T.A.

I missed that YuuRI was booked for this show a month ago. She’s taking part in a 5 Way match where the winner will be crowned the second Mexican Tourist Belt Champion. Whoever holds possession of the belt is given the right to go study in Mexico thanks to the show sponsors. YuuRI’s opposition in the match are the freelancer Yuki Mashiro, Honoka from WAVE, SONYA from the Costa Rica Wrestling Embassy (CWE) and CoCo from MY WAY.


TOP TALENT “LIVE AT MIDWAY MUSIC HALL”, 02/05/2025
Midway Music Hall, Edmonton, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita is going to be visiting Canada a few more times during this excursion. Top Talent Wrestling is the latest promotion over there to book her.


HOODSLAM “PHANTASMAGORIA”, 02/05/2025
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh is getting her ass back to Hoodslam!


GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita

Itoh believes she cannot lose to Yamashita in GCW. Anywhere but over there!


GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025
Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh

One day later she gets her chance to win the GCW World Title from Effy. Only one person missing from making it a full Maki Death Bussy reunion.


HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025
Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Just have to wait and see who House Of Glory wants to put Yamashita against. It didn’t work out so well for her there last time.


NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X

It hasn’t been made official at the time of writing but it’s looking like Takeshita will defend the NEVER Openweight Title against El Phantasmo at this show. Unless Romero does something else to ELP and changes the situation.


MAPLE LEAF PRO “NORTHERN RISING”, 10/05/2025
Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sereena Deeb

North American promoters really have a type of opponent in mind for Yamashita this time around, eh? She’ll have to deal with the wrestling expertise of Serena Deeb for her return to Maple Leaf Pro.


GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025
RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen

Yamashita’s journey through GCW continues.


GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025
Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

Once again, they meet at last.


MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025
Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China

1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam

The end of May will be a dramatic period for Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee. This match in Middle Kingdom Wrestling has now become the warmup for what happens in Singapore Pro Wrestling one week later.


SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025
Magnete, Milan, Italy

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Italy awaits for Yamashita in May.


SPW “MAYHEM”, 30/05/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

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

The stakes have been risen to the extreme. Lee is wagering her pro wrestling career to get one last chance at winning back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku. If she loses this time then she is done for!


KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025
Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase

Hey since Darkness Revolution are now down a member in Marigold maybe Nagisa Nozaki will consider replacing Bozilla with Yuna Manase.


KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025
South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuna Manase Vs X

Yamashita’s match on this show will be a singles match with an opponent yet to be determined.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025
POST, Houston, Texas, USA

Does the T in TJPW now stand for Texas? On the weekend when AEW runs “ALL IN TEXAS” TJPW will be holding three shows in the Lone Star State.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025
POST, Houston, Texas, USA

Two of the shows are going to be in Houston.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS”, 13/07/2025
The OC, Forney, Texas, USA

The third show is happening… not in Dallas but they’re calling it Dallas anyway. Is this like years ago when WWE would be in New York State and only mention on air that they’re somewhere near New York City?

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – March 2025

April 1, 2025

Buckle up, folks. There is a lot to talk about this month, next month and probably even going into the summer. Konosuke Takeshita is no longer the AEW International Champion. That was to be expected but I am pleasantly surprised he has remained on AEW TV since then and is still winning matches for The Don Callis Family. He remains being protected in the booking so it looks like AEW has something in mind for him down the line even if it’s just building him up to put someone else over. Also in news that is kind of AEW related Yuka Sakazaki is now on the lookout for more wrestling bookings. Sumie Sakai is helping her out on that end but it sounds like Sakazaki will still need AEW’s permission to go ahead with whatever offers come her way.

Next let’s talk about Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita. Once the Las Vegas shows are done Itoh will be staying in America until 11th May while Yamashita won’t be coming back to Japan until 21st July for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25”. I was taken aback by the negative response to the news that both of them will be taking another extended hiatus from Tokyo Joshi Pro to wrestle overseas again. I get the frustration in a way. People think both of them are looking for contracts from WWE or AEW. Itoh has brought up stuff like that in past English interviews but I’m not entirely sure Yamashita has the same goal in mind. There was a public talk event sometime ago where Yamashita revealed she spent a lot of money to go follow one of her favorite K-Pop bands on a US tour and she seems to enjoy when she’s not being relied upon by TJPW to be a company ace. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think the two of them keep taking these options in the search for deals that may never come their way. Of course I may also just be blind to what could possibly be some tryout matches coming up next month.

That brings us up to next month’s chaos that is Wrestlemania Week. I can’t wait for this! Too many wrestling shows going on non-stop in Las Vegas for a solid week. Now that’s my kind of holiday! DDT and TJPW don’t have full cards out for their shows yet and I have the feeling one or two more promotions will be booking the likes of MAO and Itoh before we get there. So many shows are going on during the week that I can’t help but wonder if it will just take one badly made political decision somewhere to throw half the shows into chaos.

And if that’s not enough it turns out there will be even more wrestling shows going on through the year after Wrestlemania is finished. Yeah that took me by surprise too. Anyway next month expect me to write up three separate Around The World articles. One for everything that happens before WM Week, one for the week itself and one for the rest of April after that. If the next month doesn’t burn me out something fierce than nothing will.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


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

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


RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024
Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Amale


Kenny Omega looks at history with AEW International Champ Konosuke Takeshita! | 3/8/25 AEW Collision


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/03/2025
Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Max Caster


AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SATURDAY”, 22/03/2025
Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

1. Mark Briscoe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Rocky Romero Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/03/2025
Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

1. Mark Briscoe Vs Konosuke Takeshita


ACE vs ALPHA: The story of Konosuke Takeshita vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

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Results


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

1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement defeated Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman when Statement pinned Butcherman with an Uppercut (?:??).

The latest chapter in the Southeast Asian rivalry between Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee was a little different this time around. Recently in Singapore Pro Wrestling Lee was stabbed in the back by Andruew Tang, or as he prefers to be called now, The Statement. Lee wanted payback and joined forces with one of Statement’s rivals Da Butcherman to get it. Statement called in Kamifuku to back him up so they can become the royal pair who will rule over SPW together with iron fists. An intense tag match resulted in the referee getting knocked out and Statement being saved by a tag team called The Midnight Bastards. The team attacked Butcherman with chairs and held him in place for Statement to knock him out with an Uppercut. Statement & Kamifuku both stood tall over their rivals holding their championships before leaving. Lee swore revenge and promised to take back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku!


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 07/03/2024
The Big Penny Social, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lucia Lee with the Skull Kick (12:48).

Plans in EVE changed for Yamashita when her original opponent Session Moth Martina pulled out of the show due to illness. Instead Yamashita was given Lucia Lee as her new opponent. For Lee it was a chance on short notice to step up against Yamashita and prove she can go toe to toe against her. Despite the good effort, Yamashita knocked her over with the Skull Kick anyway.


RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024
Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Amale with the Skull Kick (15:16).

The next day Yamashita was in Spain to wrestle on an RCW show for the first time since October 2022. Her opponent was “The French Hope” Amale, formerly from NXT UK. She sent Yamashita crashing through the front row of chairs with a Topé Suicida and the two soon found themselves brawling around ringside. Back in the ring Amale kicked out of an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and almost scored the win with a Small Package. But when Yamashita kicked out she quickly had her opponent in her sights and hit the Skull Kick for the victory.


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

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Anita Vaughan with the Crash Rabbit Heat (13:32).

Yamashita’s busy European weekend ended in Germany where she showed up during wXw’s final day of the annual 16 Carat Gold tournament. She didn’t take part in the 16 Carat tournament itself, instead she fought Anita Vaughan who was already eliminated from the competition by that point. Yamashita made it three wins for three but she needed to use the Crash Rabbit Heat this time to end the weekend with a clean sweep.


AEW “REVOLUTION”, 09/03/2025
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. AEW International Title: Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with a Cradle (28:30).
*Konosuke Takeshita fails in V9. Kenny Omega becomes the 11th AEW International Champion!

That’s the end of Takeshita’s first championship reign in AEW. With thoughts of Hajime no Ippo on their mind and also their gear, Takeshita and Kenny Omega went hell for leather in their rematch from September 2023. Omega’s ribs were violently targeted due to his recent bout with diverticulitis and Takeshita got a little help from Don Callis here and there too. But Omega overcame the odds and kept kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee. Takeshita avoided the One-Winged Angel yet when he went for the Raging Fire, Omega countered it into an Inside Cradle. Only getting a nearfall, Omega then switched to more types of cradle pins until he kept Takeshita’s shoulders down long enough for the three count.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/03/2025
Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Max Caster with the Raging Fire (1:30).

Takeshita wasted no time in getting back to work after his title loss. Max Caster held the latest in his open challenges and tried to talk Takeshita out of it when he walked down to the ring with a purpose. Caster asked if Takeshita was actually here to invite him into The Don Callis Family? When he suggested he could use that position to beat Omega, Takeshita attacked him and quickly won with the Raging Fire.


BZW “WAR AT THE CAPITAL”, 16/03/2025
Claridge, Brussels, Belgium

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II when Yoshihiko submitted Lykos & Lykos II with a Double Half Crab Hold (?:??).
*V3 for MAO & Yoshihiko.

I missed when this was announced last month. MAO & Yoshihiko travelled back to Banger Zone Wrestling this month, this time to defend the BZW Tag Team Titles in Belgium. The challengers were the two troublemakers from Lykos Gym in England: Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II. They weren’t prepared for Yoshihiko to do a balcony dive onto them nor did they expect the dark spirit that sometimes follows Yoshihiko around to show up and Moonsault onto them either. Lykos II made the big mistake of yelling insults towards Yoshihiko. When he tried to Headbutt it only he felt the impact. Yoshihiko was then able to trap both members of Lykos Gym in a Double Half Crab Hold and made both of them tap out at the same time!


AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SATURDAY”, 19/03/2025 (Aired 22/03/2025)
Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Mark Briscoe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Rocky Romero when Takeshita pinned Romero with the Raging Fire (11:22).

Takeshita continued to rebuild his momentum by teaming with more members of The Don Callis Family. He, Brian Cage & Lance Archer all worked over Rocky Romero until Mark Briscoe got the hot tag. Briscoe had the numbers game against him but he held his own until it was time for Powerhouse Hobbs to get the big tag. But The Don Callis Family withstood the comeback. Cage & Archer took out Romero with a Choke Slam/Power Bomb combo and held his partners at bay so Takeshita could pin Romero with the Raging Fire.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/03/2025
Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mark Briscoe with the Raging Fire (11:39).

There was unfinished business between Takeshita and Briscoe from Collision so they met in a singles match the following week on Dynamite. The episode was sponsored by The Minecraft Movie so the venue they were in ended up kind of looking like a Create-An-Arena you would download from the WWE 2K games. Briscoe took a high risk by running across the barricade outside the ring to jump onto Takeshita with a Diving Elbow Drop. Takeshita hit Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee back in the ring but it got him a nearfall. Briscoe pulled out the Jay Driller that had Takeshita beat but a rope break stopped him from getting pinned for the three count. Takeshita stunned Briscoe with a Rolling Elbow before using the Raging Fire to win by the skin of his teeth.

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Upcoming Appearances


MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025
Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA

1. HIMAWARI Vs Janai Kai
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima

There was a report from Fightful’s Patreon account during the month saying MLW has “big plans” in mind for Shoko Nakajima and HIMAWARI and the promotion hopes to get TJPW more involved with their women’s division. I’m a bit skeptical towards what that could be because the way wrestling media reports on MLW often comes across as Court Bauer trying to get his material over and everybody just taking him for his word. Big plans could mean anything from Nakajima beating Delmi Exo for the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title or Janai Kai literally murdering HIMAWARI on behalf of CONTRA Unit and right afterward MLW announces a working relationship with Stardom (go see how CIMA was written out of the company right before MLW aired a Dragongate trailer). Or the big plans might just be TJPW talent being used to put over the regulars MLW wants to push. Which at this moment in time is Exo, Kai and maybe Tara Zep. But hey, who knows. It looks like MLW’s working relationship with CMLL is legit. I’ll be happy to be proven wrong.


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

I recommend watching the Ace Vs Alpha video New Japan put on their Youtube channel (I included it in the video section above) because it shows Takeshita and Hiroshi Tanahashi talking about their previous match together as well as why Takeshita holds a grudge over how Tanahashi treated DDT in the past. It’s not the complete story of what happened back then because that is more HARASHIMA’s story to tell but it is suffice to build up their match happening next month.


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

1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO
2. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

Now we hit the busiest wrestling week of the year. Damn it really is a week long this time around with WWE going full throttle with their own schedule in Las Vegas from Tuesday to Tuesday. But enough about them, among the early shows kicking off the week is Pandemonium Pro where Miu Watanabe has a match against Maya World and now MAO will be there too for what is sure to be a crazy battle against Masha Slamovich! The two of them have packed schedules of their own so they better pace themselves.


WRESTLECON “MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh

It’s a match for the ages between two fierce opponents. One is a wrestling idol with grand ambitions of becoming a popstar who has in the past been unceremoniously fired in a humiliating fashion. The other is Maki Itoh. I know people who still have nightmares from the Revolution Pro show in London two years ago where a group of fans spent literally the entire match chanting “Hardcore Country” non-stop for Mickie James. I hope for my sake those same fans won’t be at this show.


WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell

MAO’s second show on the Thursday is against Jiah Jewell at West Coast Pro. Because when you think of local rivalries, you think of Miyagi Vs Louisiana.


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki
2. Nattie Neidhart Vs Miyu Yamashita

Whenever Yamashita travels to America, Natalya invites her over to her private training facility in Florida to help teach her what she knows. They’ve apparantly become close friends over time but when Josh Barnett started putting the card together for Bloodsport, Natalya (under her non-WWE moniker Nattie Neidhart) publicly asked for Yamashita to be her opponent. Yamashita jumped at the idea and Barnett was happy to make it happen. This will be the second time Yamashita faces a WWE wrestler at Bloodsport, she lost to Shayna Baszler last July. Here she has the martial arts background advantage and Neidhart’s previous attempt at doing this kind of match with NXT Underground ended in a loss. Usually comparing the legitimate fighting pedigree of two fighters would tip off who wins these things but a main roster WWE wrestler losing on a non-WWE show would be an unusual turn of events. Eh, I’ll still bet a dollar on it.

Shinya Aoki’s announced opponent for the show is NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey. I’d joke about Bloodsport turning into a WWE psy-op but to be fair Dempsey is a regular competitor on these shows and this will be his fourth fight in the series. Plus I don’t want to just write that he is William Regal’s son. From what I’ve seen he fits into this style of wrestling pretty well. Aoki should have fun tangling with him.


BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Cole Radrick & Alec Price

MAO ends his busy day with BZW hosting his third match. At least I think it’s his third show. It’s possible he’ll have a fourth somewhere but I haven’t seen anything yet. The match here is going to be changed too because of injury. MAO & Yoshihiko are supposed to defend the BZW Tag Titles against The Gahbage Daddies but unfortunately word came out a few days ago that Cole Radrick is out of action with a torn MCL and meniscus. No word yet on if Alec Price will still be in the match with a replacement tag partner or if a new team will get the title shot instead.


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

1. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Only a few weeks to go but the major matches have all been set up. Mizuki Vs Yamashita is the biggest match TJPW can do for the Princess Of Princess Title but it’s been done already in Japan so I can see why it would look fresher in America. Kyoraku Kyomei have their first defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles against Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara’s new tag team OberEats. There is a rematch of the International Princess Title when Suzume clashes with Jada Stone again, this time with Stone having the home field advantage. Plus Watanabe continues getting big opponents away from the title scene when she gets in the ring with Slamovich.


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

1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
4. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

The lineup so far is a little more creative than what we got last year and I prefer it this way. Minoru Suzuki Vs Yoshihiko sounds like something GCW would book for “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” but DDT needs something like that to stand out for themselves.


WRESTLECORE “FEAR & WRESTLECORE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Another outside booking for Itoh during Mania Week. No opponent has been confirmed by WrestleCore yet but El Phantasmo is trying to convince Itoh to team up with him so they can be The Cutest Tag Team Ever. He just so happens to be on this show too.


GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Lazarus Vs MAO

I think this is MAO’s last non-DDT related booking of the week. Unless…


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

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita

As far as DDT and TJPW are concerned this will be the finale of their weekend. One match announced so far and it’s pretty cool looking. Takeshita & Slamovich teaming up against Aoki & Yamashita. It would be a shame if the show runs long and people start leaving during this match to head over to Wrestlemania.


GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X

I’m adding this to the lineup because odds are good someone DDT or TJPW related ends up in the annual Clusterfuck. Yoshihiko was part of it last year and made it to the final three. In fact there’s already an ex-TJPW wrestler announced to be entering the match. Sayaka Unagi is taking part and I can only imagine what kind of eye opening crazy thing she would do in Las Vegas.


HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025
NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA

1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Hey good on Mike Santana for taking a gamble on himself. The stuff he’s been doing on TNA and House Of Glory has been nothing to sneeze at so far. He now has a month to prepare for Takeshita because the two of them are set to fight with the HOG Heavyweight Title on the line.


BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025
The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Leyla Hirsch
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews

Yamashita’s opponent Leyla Hirsch is fresh out of AEW and wants to show everyone how good she is in the ring.


CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.

Daisuke Sasaki will be missing the DDT show happening in Sapporo on the same day for this match.


GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita

The 121000000 split up match is happening but not in TJPW. It’s in GCW! In the nine previous times they’ve done this match, Yamashita has won eight of them and the odd result out was a time limit draw. Itoh has never beaten Yamashita in a singles match but this 10th attempt might be her best chance yet because she’ll have the GCW fans behind her. She’ll need a good result because the next day she has a match that will be just as important.


GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025
Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh

Itoh was originally supposed to get a GCW World Title match against Mance Warner during GCW’s Japan tour last August but a hand injury prevented it from happening. Now nine months later she finally gets her title shot but the champion now is someone completely different. Effy’s first reign as GCW Champ has seen him defend the belt against the weird and the wonderful. Can Itoh beat him to reach her ultimate form as the Queen of the Outlaws?


NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X

Just have to wait and see what Takeshita does next after the Tanahashi match.


GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025
RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen

Can Yamashita get a better match out of Tony Deppen than YAMATO could?


GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025
Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

According to GCW this will be the first time ever Yamashita wrestles Billie Starkz. As long as you ignore the EVE match… and the St. Louis Anarchy match… and the SPARK match.


MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025
Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China

1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam

The Kamifuku Vs Lee rivalry now moves over to China for Middle Kingdom Wrestling’s 10th Anniversary show. Chinese wrestler Chen Wenbin and England’s Big Sam get mixed up in the action too.


SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025
Magnete, Milan, Italy

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Italy will soon become the latest country Yamashita has wrestling in. Squash A Jobber Wrestling is the name of the promotion bringing her in which might be the least Italian name I’ve ever heard for a wrestling company.


KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025
Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase

We’re reaching into the summer for the end of this month’s article. Kitsune have a doubleshot going on with both Yuna Manase and Miyu Yamashita scheduled to be there. Manase is teaming with Nagisa Nozaki in Night 1 to take on Vipress & Hudson Envy. Yamashita’s match has not been announced yet.


KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025
South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuna Manase Vs X

Manase is still currently the Kitsune World Champion so it would make sense for her to have a title defence on the second show of the doubleshot.

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Posted by JamieOD

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – November 2024

December 1, 2024

Oh come on, AEW didn’t put Konosuke Takeshita in the Continental Classic?!? Great, just great. So what’s there to write about this month? Well MAO and Yoshihiko had a wild weekend over in France. Takeshita spent the month feuding with Ricochet and defending the AEW International Title in companies outside of AEW. We also see that Takeshita has unfinished business in New Japan which probably explains why he’s not involved in the C2. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro had a heck of a time in Seattle. Also it is now official they are both Las Vegas bound for next April. Miyu Yamashita in particular got to do and achieve so many things this month that TJPW would not have done for her back home. Pom Harajuku also got to act out of control in Singapore and Thailand away from the usual supervision. She also… won a championship? And didn’t lose it immediately? What? That can’t be right…

The end of the year will be quiet for international bookings but Takeshita has a lot going on at home in the new year. AEW seems to have written him off their TV for December with Don Callis already cutting promos about 2025 being the year of The Don Callis Family. I’ll do a separate write-up for his New Japan match(es) at the Tokyo Dome when they happen but I wanted to include the build up to them here because AEW is connected to it. January will be business as usual for Maki Itoh too with her plan to tour with GCW again. My mind is going to be stuck on Vegas for a lot of early 2025.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 06/11/2024
SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher Vs Ricochet & Powerhouse Hobbs


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/11/2024
Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Adam Cole


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 20/11/2024
Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA

1. All Star 8-Man Tag: Will Ospreay, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricochet & Mark Davis Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer & Brian Cage


SETUP “YEAR END CLIMAX”, 30/11/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – No DQ Match: Matcha (c) Vs Pom Harajuku

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Results


BZW “FRIDAY NIGHT BANGER”, 01/11/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. MAO defeated KURO by Disqualification when Jack Sans-Nom attacked MAO (?:??).

The first night of MAO’s trip to France turned nasty but it was through no fault of his opponent KURO. They wrestled their match as normal and when MAO was on the top rope getting ready to hit the finishing blow, Jack Sans-Nom ran into the ring and attacked MAO with a wet floor sign for the DQ.


BZW “ALCATRAZ”, 02/11/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko defeated Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson (c) when Yoshihiko pinned Sans-Nom with a Rainmaker (?:??).
*Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson fail in V2. MAO & Yoshihiko become the 6th BZW Tag Team Champions!

The next night MAO brought Yoshihiko with him to try and get revenge on San-Nom by winning the BZW Tag Team Titles from him and Paul Robinson. The challengers almost had the match won by pinning Robinson together but Sans-Nom pulled the referee out of the ring during the pin count. However Yoshihiko got its hands on him with MAO’s help and hit a Rainmaker. A three count later and BZW got new unexpected tag team champions!


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 06/11/2024
SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA

1. Ricochet & Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher when Ricochet pinned Takeshita with the Spear Gun (14:36).

Takeshita found out there was unfinished business between himself and Ricochet stemming from the previous month. A tag team match in AEW put Takeshita with Kyle Fletcher against Ricochet and his returning mystery partner Powerhouse Hobbs. Ricochet was the better man on this night. Takeshita tried to catch a Springboard Hurricanrana and turn it into a Power Bomb but Ricochet countered the counter and pulled off his Hurricanrana after all. He then weakened Takeshita with a Shooting Star Press for another nearfall. It took Ricochet using his new Hidden Blade inspired finisher called the Spear Gun to finally get the win over Takeshita (it’s weird how almost a decade ago I would have told people Will Ospreay tries to wrestle like Ricochet and nowadays it feels completely like the opposite). Fletcher got some revenge after the match by attacking the other team with a chair until his former tag partner Mark Davis ran down causing drama that Takeshita wasn’t involved with so I’m not going to write any more about it.


SPW “CROWNING GLORY”, 08/11/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Alexis Lee defeated Pom Harajuku (?:??).

Harajuku went to Singapore to have a lot of fun with Alexis Lee, or at least have a lot of fun at Lee’s expense. Their match made its way out of the ring but rather than cause a violent brawl, Harajuku instead encouraged Lee to go drink alcohol. They also fought their way up to the balcony to add some danger to the proceedings. I was able to see a brief clip of Lee hitting the Somato from behind to Harajuku but I do not know if that was the finish.


NJPW “FIGHTING SPIRIT UNLEASHED 2024”, 08/11/2024
Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

1. AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated TJP with the Avalanche Raging Fire (14:13).
*V2 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

Takeshita had to shake off his loss to Ricochet and get himself focused on his next International Title defence. It happened at New Japan’s latest American show with TJP as the challenger. TJP pulled a lights out trick for his entrance to surprise Takeshita with an ambush from behind. He also had his face and body painted to resemble his Aswang alter ego. At first it looked like he was in his normal form but late in the match he blinded Takeshita with the Poison Mist to try and get the advantage. He used the Hidden Blade and Mamba Splash but Takeshita kicked out of both moves. Takeshita’s power soon took over and he was able to get TJP over to the corner, lifting him up from the top rope to hit an Avalanche Falcon Arrow for the victory. After the match Takeshita told the fans he will next defend the International Title at the Tokyo Dome! He called out for anyone to challenge him and Shingo Takagi answered the call! Takagi will fight him at “WRESTLE KINGDOM”! That wasn’t the end though because Tomohiro Ishii then walked out and signaled to them he wants to fight the winner!


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
405 Fans

1. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Suzume pinned Amira with the Ring A Bell (10:21).
2. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Wakana Uehara with the Famouser (7:19).
3. Rebel Kel defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Falcon Arrow (5:45).
4. Mizuki defeated Liiza Hall with the Diving Foot Stomp (11:07).
5. Yuki Aino & Zara Zakher defeated Miu Watanabe & Shoko Nakajima when Zakher pinned Watanabe with the Control Z (16:43).
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Vert Vixen & Nicole Matthews when Yamashita pinned Matthews with the Skull Kick (24:05).
*V1 for 121000000.

The report of the show can be found here.


DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
447 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Gringo Loco defeated Yuni with the Base Bomb (10:32).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Randy Myers defeated Danshoku Dieno with a School Boy (8:26 pm).
*Randy Myers becomes the 1,691st champion.
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno defeated Randy Myers (c) with the Gaydo Clutch (8:01).
*Danshoku Dieno becomes the 1,692nd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) by Referee Stoppage with a Sleeper Hold (8:36 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,693rd champion.
3. Nick Wayne defeated Jack Cartwheel with the Wayne’s World (11:49).
4. DEFY Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Tag Match: Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas (c) defeated Bryan Keith & Shota and Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson when Rosas pinned Shota after the Combined Pop-Up Power Bomb (10:19).
*V2 for C4.
5. DEFY Women’s Title: Marina Shafir (c) defeated Danika Della Rouge with the Mother’s Milk (7:35).
*V3 for Marina Shafir.
6. Special Tag Match: Gurv Shira & Harv Shira defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Artemis Spencer when Gruv pinned Spencer after a Combined Diving Elbow Drop (15:54).
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kohei Kinoshita with an Avalanche Falcon Arrow (12:41).
8. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated MAO (c) and Mike Bailey when Yamashita pinned Bailey with the Skull Kick (21:25).
*MAO fails in V1. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 15th DDT Universal Champion!

The report of the show can be found here.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
389 Fans

1. Vert Vixen, Yuki Kamifuku & Moka Miyamoto defeated Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino & Arisu Endo when Vixen pinned Endo with a Sit Down Power Bomb (8:38).
2. Bryan Keith defeated Shota with the Diamond Dust (7:59).
3. Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher defeated Amira & Danika Della Rouge when Itoh pinned Rouge with the I.S.D (8:41).
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Kohei Kinoshita Vs Danshoku Dieno & Randy Myers ended in a No Contest (9:32).
5. Miu Watanabe & Suzume defeated Mizuki & Wakana Uehara when Watanabe pinned Uehara with the Tear Drop (10:33).
6. DEFY Women’s Title: Marina Shafir (c) defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Mother’s Milk (14:08).
*V4 for Marina Shafir.
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Yuni with the Wagamama (12:14).
8. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Gringo Loco defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) and Nick Wayne when Loco pinned Yamashita with the Base Bomb (17:08).
*Miyu Yamashita fails in V1. Gringo Loco becomes the 16th DDT Universal Champion.
9. Special Tag Match: Judas Icarus & Travis Williams defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Icarus pinned Bailey after the Sudden Silence (22:06).

The report of the show can be found here.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/11/2024
Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Adam Cole with a Dynamite Diamond Ring Assisted Punch (9:38).

Takeshita’s next AEW appearance was to act as a road block for Adam Cole. There was a storyline going on this month where Cole had to win three matches in order to get a PPV match against MJF. He was two wins in going into this night and needed to beat Takeshita to reach his goal. Cole countered the Takeshita Line with a well placed Super Kick and followed up with the Panama Sunrise. But when he went for the Boom knee strike, Takeshita rolled out of the ring to make some distance between them. He then reached under the ring and pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which belongs to MJF but was recently handed over to Don Callis. Takeshita placed the ring on his finger and punched Cole in the face without the referee seeing the ring, knocking Cole out for the pin. Roderick Strong ran down to get revenge but Takeshita gave him a Low Blow. Then Kyle O’Reilly entered the ring to chase Takeshita away. But once Takeshita was at the entrance and his guard was down, Ricochet appeared and he knocked him over with a Pump Kick.


GCW “CHAOS IN KENTUCKY”, 14/11/2024
Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Brooke Havok with the Skull Kick (17:13).

The TJPW shows at Seattle were done but Yamashita stayed behind in America for a weekend of GCW action. On the first show she put Brooke Havok through the meat grinder with kicks and stomps. Havok had some moments of hope and did well to last as long as she did. The Skull Kick put an end to any hope of an upset win though.


GCW “GATEWAY TO THE DEATH”, 15/11/2024
Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey with the Crash Rabbit Heat (17:14).

A much tougher challenge awaited Yamashita on the second GCW show. A few days after she pinned Mike Bailey to win the DDT Universal Title, the two met again one on one with nobody else going to get in their way. Bailey hit a Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Bailey tried to follow up with the Corkscrew Kick into the corner but Yamashita countered it with the Skull Kick. She was too slow to make the pin though so Bailey was able to kick out of it. Bailey took back control but made a fatal mistake when he missed the Ultima Weapon. Yamashita hit him with a Knee Strike from behind after that and scored the pinfall after finding her target once more with the Crash Rabbit Heat. The two traded a fist bump through the ropes after the match.


GCW “NICK GAGE INVITATIONAL 9”, 16/11/2024
Level 13 Event Center, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Hardcore Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Broski Jimmy with the Skull Kick (7:44).

The final night of Yamashita’s GCW tour was completely unlike the other two. Yamashita has crossed paths with Broski Jimmy in a few of her other GCW appearances this year. She knocked him out in a match on GCW’s tour of Japan. Then a few shows later in America he interfered in one of her matches so she hit him over the head with a chair. Since this show was being held in the middle of a deathmatch tournament, Yamashita and Jimmy’s grudge match promised to used Hardcore rules. The end result was the closest thing to a death match Yamashita has ever done! She may as well have called herself Rina Yamashita for the night. Chairs, doors, trash cans and even glass were used as weapons. Jimmy even gave Yamashita the Package Piledriver on top of a row of chairs but Yamashita kicked out at one! Yamashita got revenge by giving Jimmy the Attitude Adjustment through a panel of glass in the corner of the ring. She then smashed some lighttubes over Jimmy’s head before breaking the remains of one over her own. All that was left for her to do was hit the Skull Kick for the win.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 20/11/2024
Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA

1. All Star 8-Man Tag: Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer & Brian Cage defeated Will Ospreay, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricochet & Mark Davis when Takeshita pinned Davis with the Wagamama (14:33).

The current version of The Don Callis Family were brought together for a match against Ospreay, Hobbs, Ricochet & Davis in a preview for the PPV. Hobbs was taken out of action midway through the match after his knee was attacked with the ring steps but he eventually returned to the match like a house on fire. Things went crazy with everyone hitting their big moves one after another. The end came when Ospreay went for the Hidden Blade and Fletcher pulled Davis into harm’s way. Davis took the full blow and he took another one when Takeshita pulled down his knee pad and hit the Wagamama knee strike for the win.


AEW “FULL GEAR”, 23/11/2024
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) (w/ Don Callis) defeated Ricochet with the Avalanche Raging Fire (19:12).
*V3 for Konosuke Takeshita.

After this it’s safe to say Takeshita doesn’t have to worry about Ricochet anymore. Ricochet threw pretty much everything he could do at this stage at him and couldn’t win. Takeshita dodged the Spear Gun this time but couldn’t hit the Wagamama. Ricochet landed a version of the Benadryller instead but Takeshita kicked out of the pin. Then when Ricochet climbed the top rope, Takeshita got up and tripped him by the legs. He hit him with a Knee Strike, climbed up to him and dropped him to the canvas with the Avalanche Falcon Arrow, pinning him clean for a successful title defence.


SETUP “YEAR END CLIMAX”, 30/11/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – No DQ Match: Pom Harajuku defeated Matcha (c) with two Pom de Justices onto a Chair (?:??).
*Matcha fails in V4. Pom Harajuku becomes the 2nd SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion!

This does not feel real. So let me get this straight. Pom Harajuku went to Thailand, fought in a No DQ Match against Matcha because they hold a grudge from the previous time Harajuku was there and Harajuku won the championship by driving Matcha’s face into a chair with the Pom de Justice. Twice. Unbelievable! This is Harajuku’s first championship win in her career. TJPW is now collecting women’s title belts from around Southeast Asia with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title now being added to the pile. What a crazy turn of events.

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Upcoming Appearances


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

1. Special Tag Team Grudge Match: Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jack Perry

So is this path why we didn’t get Takeshita in the Continental Classic this year? Looks like it. The only stuff announced for him for the next few weeks are for New Japan events including the next one happening in America. There is still some AEW involvement though because Jack Perry is teaming with Takeshita here. Also Takeshita gets back in the ring with Yota Tsuji for the first time since the G1 Climax playoff stage. Shingo will be his main target but getting a little bit of revenge on Tsuji will please him too.


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

1. NEVER Openweight Title: Shingo Takagi (c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

Well if I’m writing about stuff happening around the world I guess I can include stuff happening in Japan outside of the DDT bubble. As mentioned earlier, Takeshita wants to defend the International Title at the Tokyo Dome and Takagi answered his challenge. Takagi is also the NEVER Openweight Champion so we are on course for a title versus title match on 4th January! There is the risk that Takeshita could lose his championship before this match happens but Takagi’s NEVER Title is guaranteed to be on the line.


“WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan

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

The winner of the Wrestle Kingdom match will face Ishii the next day at the other big Tokyo Dome show. This event is bringing New Japan, AEW, CMLL, Ring Of Honor and Stardom all together but DDT could secretly sneak in there thanks to Takeshita. If the International Title is indeed involved on 4th January then it will be on the line here too.


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

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

January sees Itoh working with GCW again for a few important shows. GCW are returning to the scene of the crime, the Hammerstein Ballroom in an attempt to redeem themselves for blowing their big shot at the infamous venue three years earlier. At the time of writing their chances of achieving that redemption are not looking good. Maybe Itoh can do her part to help things out even just a little bit.


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

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Then a week later Itoh will be wrestling for GCW in London at the Electric Ballroom. That venue has been the home of PROGRESS for most of its existence and they’re helping GCW put this show together.


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

No updates yet on who will be joining Yamashita and Itoh at the anime convention or if anyone in Chile wants to challenge them.


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

And we’re off! Next year’s WrestleMania Week in Las Vegas is now confirmed to have DDT and TJPW coming over. Both promotions will be holding shows on the same day at The Collective. TJPW is up first with an 11am start on the Friday morning. They are promising it will be TJPW’s biggest show in America to date!


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

Then at 3pm that afternoon DDT will have their show. Friday is going to be a warzone of wrestling shows clashing with each other. DDT & TJPW are among the first companies to get their announcements out there. I’ll be there for both but now I have to worry about what’s going to be happening at the same time!


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

Now here’s something a little bit interesting. DDT and TJPW have just held a triple partner show with DEFY so it makes sense to do one with GCW as well. But this show is happening on Saturday, the same day as Night 1 of “WRESTLEMANIA”. So right now there is no start time announced for the event. Remember, this is happening on the West Coast where WrestleMania will be opening its doors in the afternoon. Is this show going to take place in the morning before everyone rushes over to the stadium? Or will they take a risk and hold this show at night, slap bang in the middle between the two WM shows?

Comments Off on DDT Around The World – November 2024 | Around The World | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – October 2024

November 1, 2024

Pop the champagne bottles because this month Konosuke Takeshita won his first AEW championship! The first of many I hope. After he finally achieved his crowning glory he… didn’t wrestle again in AEW for the rest of the month. Typical, eh? But he did wrestle elsewhere, up north in fact. And those were some pretty good matches too. His performances this month was enough to have Dave Meltzer call him one of the best wrestlers in the world. Other than that it was kind of a quiet month for everyone else I cover for this article. Yuka Sakazaki had a match in ROH then fantasized about murdering RJ City for Halloween, Shoko Nakajima was in DPW for a tournament final, Yuki Kamifuku continues being the Queen of Asia and Miyu Yamashita went to Canada.

Things are going to pick up in November though. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are having their shows with DEFY in Seattle, MAO and Yoshihiko are going on another European adventure together, Takeshita has stuff lined up with New Japan for the promotion’s next couple of USA shows, Yamashita will be paying GCW another visit and Pom Harajuku is going to be let loose in Southeast Asia. If that’s not enough we even have a peak at what to look forward to in 2025.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


After turning on Ospreay, the Don Callis Family hold a press conference! | 10/16/24, AEW Dynamite

MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 1”, 19/10/2024
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada


1. Gisele Shaw Vs Miyu Yamashita


2. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita

MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 2”, 20/10/2024
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada


1. Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kylie Rae


2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Josh Alexander


Yuka Has Fun! | Hey! (EW) 10/27/24

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Results


ROH “ROH ON HONOR CLUB”, 08/10/2024 (Aired 17/10/2024)
Spokane Arena, Spokane, Washington, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van with the Magical Girl Splash (5:44).

Sakazaki’s move over to ROH this month involved a tricky challenge against Viva Van. She was kept on her toes by Van bridging out of a pin and making Sakazaki flinch with a fakeout attack from the ropes. Sakazaki got her own back by also bridging out of a pin and doing her own Sliding Lariat, no fake out needed. She went on to win by using the Magical Merry-Go-Round as well as the Magical Girl Splash.


AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 12/10/2024
Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Will Ospreay (c) and Ricochet when Takeshita pinned Ospreay with the Powerdrive Knee (20:42).
*V3 for Will Ospreay fails in V3. Konosuke Takeshita becomes the 10th AEW International Champion!

What a wonderful sight this was. Takeshita was part of a great match with Will Ospreay and Ricochet where everyone went balls to the wall. Takeshita took Ricochet out of the match by putting him through a table at ringside with the Reverse Implant. He also kicked out of Ospreay’s Hidden Blade but looked to be finished when Ospreay hit him with another one. That was when Don Callis pulled the referee out of the ring mid-count. Ospreay got his hands on Callis but just when he was about to give him the Tiger Driver ’91, Kyle Fletcher ran in and hit him over the head with a screwdriver. Takeshita then hit Ospreay with the Powerdrive Knee to win the AEW International Title. Even with the dirty finish the match got a *****1/2 rating from Meltzer.


DEXCON “JAM OF THE JOSHIS”, 13/10/2024
Brawl Pit Bulusan, Manila, Philippines

1. Queen Of Asia Title & VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) defeated Chelsea Marie with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
*V4 for the Queen Of Asia Title. V2 for the VPW Women’s Title.

The Philippines is where Yuki Kamifuku had her next defence of the Asian Double Crown. She had a close match against Chelsea Marie in what was just as much a battle of beauty as it was wits and skill. Marie almost won by putting Kamifuku in the Code Of Silence submission hold but the champ’s leg was long enough to reach over for a rope break. Marie climbed the ropes but was left vulnerable after Kamifuku reached out and poked her in the eye. Kamifuku Dropkicked her opponent off the turnbuckles then climbed up the same corner to hit the Diving Famouser and win the match.


DPW “SUPER BATTLE”, 13/10/2024
Grady Cole Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

1. Battle Of The Best – Final: Dani Luna defeated Shoko Nakajima with a Fireman’s Carry Bomb (13:17).

The winner of the Battle Of The Best tournament would be given a shot at the DPW Women’s World Title so Nakajima was on the cusp of getting that title shot. It wasn’t meant to be unfortunately. Dani Luna kicked out of the Northern Lights Suplex and prevented Nakajima from doing the Diving Senton by kicking her off the top rope. Nakajima didn’t expect Luna to then grab her on the apron from the ropes and throw her back into the ring with a Slingshot German Suplex. It was stunning enough for Luna to pin Nakajima with a Fireman’s Carry Bomb to win the tournament.


MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 1”, 19/10/2024
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Gisele Shaw defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Denoument (12:36).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mike Bailey with the Raging Fire (24:39).

The debut weekend of Maple Leaf Pro had both Takeshita and Yamashita taking part in featured matches. The main event of Night 1 was Takeshita and Mike Bailey showing North America what they were missing when Speedball spent most of his time in Japan for DDT. It was already a cross-promotional match between AEW and TNA that became an even bigger deal because it was also the AEW International Champion against the X Division Champion! Bailey kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee but was put away with the Raging Fire. It was another match of Takeshita’s that Meltzer gave the ***** to this month.

History will look back on Miyu Yamashita Vs Gisele Shaw as the buffer match that was placed in between one of the best matches of the year and one of the worst. I admit that’s an unfair way to look at things so seek this out because it was a pretty good match. Had Yamashita won she would have been added to the ROH Women’s World Title match on Night 2. But Shaw wasn’t going to let her get in the way and won this match with her own Running Knee Strike.


MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 2”, 20/10/2024
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita & Kylie Rae defeated Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron when Yamashita pinned Luck with the Skull Kick (9:26).
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Josh Alexander with the Raging Fire (29:31).
*V1 for Konosuke Takeshita.

The last time Takeshita fought Josh Alexander one on one it ended in a time limit draw. For the rematch he was putting the AEW International Title on the line. Just like the night before, Takeshita almost won with the Powerdrive Knee and had to use the Raging Fire to put away his opponent. But after the match he and Don Callis decided to continue the attack on Alexander until Ricochet made a surprise appearance to fight Takeshita. The two of them would butt heads again in AEW later in the month so this looks to be Takeshita’s AEW program for November.

On Night 1 Kylie Rae was attacked by Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron so Yamashita’s role here was to even the odds for a tag match. While Rae took care of Cameron outside the ring, Yamashita pinned Luck with the Skull Kick inside the ring.

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Upcoming Appearances


BZW “FRIDAY NIGHT BANGER”, 01/11/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. MAO Vs KURO

Once the calendar flips over to November MAO will be travelling around the world once more with the DDT Universal Title back in his possession. First destination is in France for a weekend of Banger Zone Wrestling events. KURO will be his opponent on Night 1.


BZW “ALCATRAZ”, 02/11/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson (c) Vs MAO & Yoshihiko

On Night 2, MAO will be joined by Yoshihiko to cause more international trouble. One of MAO’s goals for his overseas tour this time is to win a foreign company’s championship so the two of them will face Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson for the BZW Tag Team Titles.


SPW “CROWNING GLORY”, 08/11/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Alexis Lee Vs Pom Harajuku

Pom Harajuku is travelling to Singapore by herself without supervision! Is she going to be a sitting duck for Alexis Lee to tear apart limb from limb?


NJPW “FIGHTING SPIRIT UNLEASHED 2024”, 08/11/2024
Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X

What is going to be in store for Takeshita when he goes back to New Japan next month for their next American show? Maybe Ricochet will show up looking for a fight again.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TJPW BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Rika Tatsumi & Amira Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Wakana Uehara
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Rebel Kel
4. Mizuki Vs Liiza Hall
5. Miu Watanabe & Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuki Aino & Zara Zakher
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Vert Vixen & Nicole Matthews

All shows from the DDT/TJPW/DEFY weekend will be airing on Triller via the TrillerTV+ subscription.


DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas Vs Bryan Keith & Shota Vs Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Randy Myers
3. Gringo Loco Vs Yuni
4. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Artemis Spencer Vs Gurv Shira & Harv Shira
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kohei Kinoshita
6. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: MAO (c) Vs Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita

More news for this show has been announced while I’ve been writing this with more still to come. Marina Shafir and Nick Wayne will both be there to wrestle.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Special Single Match: Gringo Loco Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & Mike Bailey Vs Judas Icarus & Travis Williams
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuni

I think some of the remaining card will not be decided until the other shows have taken place first.


GCW “CHAOS IN KENTUCKY”, 14/11/2024
Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Brooke Havok

Three GCW matches for Yamashita coming up in November. She faces Brooke Havok in a first time ever meeting between the two.


GCW “GATEWAY TO THE DEATH”, 15/11/2024
Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Mike Bailey

If this match is anything like their Pandemonium Pro bout from last December then the GCW fans will be in for a treat. Just make sure to use a better camera angle for the finish this time…


GCW “NICK GAGE INVITATIONAL 9”, 16/11/2024
Level 13 Event Center, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Is GCW going to keep that tournament name even though they’re currently on the outs with Nick Gage? Does that mean Maki Itoh has to drop the Maki Death Kill stuff the next time she goes back there or can she take over the gimmick like Kazuki Hirata did with Magnum TOKYO?


SETUP “YEAR END CLIMAX”, 30/11/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – No DQ Match: Matcha (c) Vs Pom Harajuku

When Harajuku was in a 3 Way Match against Matcha and Raku a month earlier, Matcha was the winner but she pinned Raku and Harajuku was left as the odd one out. Matcha and Harajuku then got into a fight and had to be kept apart. This unexpected grudge is coming to a head in November because SETUP is booking the two of them in a No DQ Match with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title on the line!


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

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X

Takeshita will also be at NJPW USA’s December show. With two dates here for the rest of 2024 one of them would surely be a good place to defend the AEW International Title.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 08-09/02/2025
Mapocho Station Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

Both Yamashita and Itoh have filmed videos promoting their matches at the AEX convention. It sounds like there might be matches featuring local wrestlers as well as whoever else TJPW sends over. At least Yamashita and Itoh said they would like to fight whoever Chile can throw at them.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE COLLECTIVE 2025”, 17-19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The actual shows haven’t been officially announced yet but The Collective tagged DDT and TJPW in their tweet announcing next year’s edition of Wrestlemania Week in Las Vegas. I’ll be there for sure!

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – February 2024

March 1, 2024

I can feel it in the air, the road towards Wrestlemania Week has begun. There’s not too much to talk about what happened in February but the announcements for what’s going down in Philadelphia this April are beginning to drip out. Konosuke Takeshita is getting set to be the welcoming party for AEW’s newest big signing, Miyu Yamashita has another American tour on the way and Maki Itoh is back in action with a return to GCW coming very soon. That’s not all, Mizuki Watase is going to be in Philly that week and is currently looking for bookings. I hope he gets some because the few matches he was able to do last year I thought got him over in the venues. His problem seems to be a lack of international coverage for his body of work in Japan. You have to see him in action to get him.

The other story of the month is MAO and Yoshihiko’s European tour. They kept it short and sweet with only two bookings in a weekend but it seems to have done wonders for MAO. He’s been booming with confidence ever since and it shows with his recent DDT performances. I can’t put my finger on what exactly made him improve lately but he has put it all together in a complete package that makes him stand out. He is his own wrestler that is able to make his style adapt to his opponent and the environment they are in. He did good with the American indies last year and I would love to see him break out even higher on the scene in 2024.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Chris Jericho Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

Video starts at 2:55:30 for the angle. Match begins at 2:59:27.
WEST COAST PRO “UNDER THE BRIDGE”, 18/02/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero, Konosuke Takeshita & Titus Alexander Vs Adrian Quest, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee


AEW “COLLISION”, 24/02/2024
Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri, USA

1. Bryan Danielson Vs Jun Akiyama

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Results


BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. MAO & Yoshihiko defeated MBM & Ultima Sombra (?:??).

The European trip started out in France where MAO & Yoshihiko defeated Rivality in BZW. I think the promotion was originally called BodyZoi Wrestling but then changed their name to Banger Zone Wrestling. Anyway Yoshihiko ended up needing a neck brace after it was put through a table. It got its own back by giving both MBM & Ultima Sombra a Double Low Blow and a Double Choke Slam.


TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Fatal 4 Way: Yoshihiko defeated Jordan Oliver, Leon Slater and MAO (?:??).

The next night MAO and Yoshihiko made it to England for a TNT Extreme show. They weren’t teaming together this time. Instead they were opponents along with Jordan Oliver and Leon Slater in a Fatal 4 Way match. Neither of them escaped the match unscathed. Yoshihiko was thrown from the ring into the balcony only to dive out of there onto everyone back in the ring! It ended up winning the match but still needed medical help over concerns it suffered a concussion. MAO got a medical check-up too but he was fine as long as he got some beer.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Chris Jericho with the Walls Of Takeshita (13:51).

Takeshita got his win back from Chris Jericho in a rematch from DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” last November. This time Takeshita had counters for a lot of Jericho’s moves. He avoided the Walls Of Jericho and after some struggle repositioned himself to Wheelbarrow Suplex his opponent. He stopped Jericho from doing the Lionsault, grabbing him from the ropes to do a Blue Thunder Bomb instead. He also avoided a top rope Frankensteiner to do a Super Blue Thunder Bomb too! Jericho finally caught Takeshita in the Walls Of Jericho but that was when Don Callis came into play. He slid a chair into the ring to distract the ref and then hit Jericho in the head with a screwdriver. Takeshita took advantage by putting Jericho in the Walls Of Takeshita, dragging him into the middle of the ring to make him tap out!


WEST COAST PRO “UNDER THE BRIDGE”, 18/02/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero, Konosuke Takeshita & Titus Alexander defeated Adrian Quest, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee (20:56).

A match between Chris Hero and Adrian Quest over at West Coast Pro ended in a No Contest when Danny Rose & Ricky Gee interfered and attacked Hero. Titus Alexander came to Hero’s aid but the numbers game by Quest and Los Suavecitos eventually overwhelmed them. Who would come out to the rescue but Konosuke Takeshita! After he cleared the ring with Elbow Strikes an impromptu 6-Man Tag Match broke out. After the match Hero told a story back from around 2007 about him going to see an Osaka Pro show during a tour with NOAH. He wanted to take a tour of the venue but wasn’t allowed do it by himself. So a 10 year old Takeshita had to chaperone him around the building!


AEW “COLLISION”, 24/02/2024
Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri, USA

1. Bryan Danielson defeated Jun Akiyama with the Busaiku Knee Kick (15:59).

AEW’s booking method for Bryan Danielson lately is to book him against a who’s who of the wrestling landscape. He’s been in the ring with the likes of Yuji Nagata, luchadors from CMLL and the latest one was Jun Akiyama. This match had extra spice to it because Eddie Kingston was at ringside and he admires Akiyama greatly. So of course Danielson would have some fun getting to beat up Kingston’s hero right in front of him. However Akiyama put up a big fight, clashing Knee Strike to Knee Strike. It couldn’t last though and Danielson ultimately got his hand raised in the end. He shook Akiyama’s hand after the match only to give him a Low Blow. An angry Kingston attacked Danielson which brought out Claudio Castagnoli and then FTR for a little brawl before things calmed down.

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Upcoming Appearances


GCW “PROJECT GCW”, 01/03/2024
Pop’s NightClub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Ciclope & Miedo Extremo

Itoh returns to America and making up for lost time. She is going to spend most of the month wrestling with Nick Gage so there is going to be a lot of Maki Death Kill for everybody! First up the duo takes on Los Macizos. Itoh’s streak of doing death matches without having to take any actual bumps through glass will be at risk here.


GCW “KEEP IN TOUCH”, 02/03/2024
Marriott East, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley

Then the next night Maki Death Kill face The Rejects.


AEW “REVOLUTION”, 03/03/2024
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

1. Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Yeah this is going to be awesome. Don Callis has become so satisfied with how things are turning out for himself and the Don Callis Family in AEW that he is now going to make his own wrestlers fight each other because there is no one else on their level. Takeshita is going to be Will Ospreay’s first opponent now that Ospreay is signed full time to AEW. Expectations are going to be high, high, high for this one.


GCW “ASHES TO ASHES”, 09/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Nothing announced yet for Itoh’s third GCW appearance of the month. Gage is busy fighting Ryuji Ito at that show.


GCW “SO MUCH FUN”, 10/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Nick Gage, Matt Tremont & Maki Itoh Vs Effy, Allie Katch & Dark Sheik

But for the fourth appearance she gets to team with Matt Tremont for the first time. Mix together Maki Death Kill with the H8 Club and you get Maki Death Kill Club! Her friendships with Thrussy goes out the window here.


SHP/LOL “EUPHORIA”, 04/04/2024
Attic Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Matt Makowski Vs MAO

The first place you will find a DDT wrestler during WrestleMania week is at a Sean Henderson Presents show. MAO is looking for a lot of bookings in Philadelphia, particularly all on the same day. Three of them have been announced already beginning with this match against Matt Makowski.


DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko

DDT’s first match announcement for their USA show is a doozy. Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko bring their dramatic dream match to America!

The other DDT wrestlers announced for the USA show are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON and Takeshi Masada. Also coming in are Mike Bailey, Andrew Everett, Kid Lykos, Nick Wayne, Bryan Keith and Billie Starkz.


GCW/JCW “GCW/JCW VS THE WORLD”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. Shota Vs X
3. MAO Vs X

One minute before the clock strikes midnight, GCW and JCW will start taking on the world. MAO, Yoshihiko and a newly freelance Shota will all be there for the action.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Announced so far for TJPW’s USA show are Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Aino, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume and Arisu Endo. Joining them are Vert Vixen, Billie Starkz, “The Unbreakable” Rhio, Viva Van, Max The Impaler and Zara Zakher.

Yamashita begins her latest American tour with this show. She will be staying in America for two months, heading back to Japan during the middle of June.


GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The non-TJPW lineup for this show will not feature most if not any of the women who are booked for the day before. Instead it will all be GCW relevant wrestlers taking mixing it up with the TJPW roster.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 8”, 14/04/2024
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Kylie Rae Vs Miyu Yamashita

Prestige has always been a good place for Yamashita to visit during her American tours. Her next appearance will be for a match against Kylie Rae, who has recently returned to wrestling.


UPRISING “UPRISING: WOMEN ATHLETES 2”, 19/04/2024
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyan

Back in December DREAMWAVE announced they were spinning off their women’s wrestling shows into its own promotion. Thus Uprising: Women Athletes was born. Yamashita will be showing up for Uprising’s second event to take on Hyan in a rematch from last year’s American summer tour. Yamashita lost to Hyan in New Texas Pro back in May. Now almost a year later they will square off again.


PRESTIGE/PRIDE STYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Who else will Prestige have for her Yamashita in April?


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 2 – KAPPAS COUNTERATTACK”, 27/04/2024
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs X

The debut of Daikaiku Pro featured Shoko Nakajima in the main event. For their second show they promotion said they are going to unleash “Project M”. It turns out Project M is Hyper Misao!

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – January 2024

February 1, 2024

Don’t worry everyone, Konosuke Takeshita got to wrestle a bit last month! His time spent in AEW during January was matches involving Darby Allin but by the time the month ended, he is back to targeting Chris Jericho for an upcoming rematch of their “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” bout. Tokyo Joshi Pro had some more involvement with Major League Wrestling. Another noteworthy thing is Yukio Sakaguchi on the verge of retirement having his last wrestling match in Taiwan. We also got updates on DDT and TJPW for their shows during Wrestlemania Week coming up in April.

Other schedules went pear-shaped last month due to injuries and illnesses. Maki Itoh had to cancel her American dates in order to take time off for recovery reasons. The good news is she will be back wrestling again near the end of February and will return to the American indies in March. Chris Brookes getting surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen prevented him from travelling around Southeast Asia with Masahiro Takanashi. It’s a more quiet month than usual because of Itoh and Brookes being absent. Only going to make things busier when they get back to normal.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 03/01/2024
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Darby Allin Vs Konosuke Takeshita


Video starts at 44:10
MLW “RELOAD”, 06/01/2024
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Nao Kakuta Vs Moka Miyamoto


AEW “DYNAMITE – HOMECOMING”, 10/01/2024
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. Tornado Tag Match: Darby Allin & Sting Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs (w/ Don Callis)


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 26/01/2024
Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA

1. Christopher Daniels Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

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Results


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 03/01/2024
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Darby Allin with the Powerdrive Knee (12:50).

Takeshita throwing Allin around the ring was so much fun he got to do it even more this month. Allin got his licks in too with a top rope Stunner and a few dives. But Takeshita blocked the Coffin Drop with his knees, fought off a dead leg to German Suplex Allin across the ring. He then turned him inside out with a Lariat, kicked his face off with a Helluva Kick and then German Suplex him off the top rope. Takeshita finished him off with the Powerdrive Knee. More of this please!


MLW “KINGS OF COLOSSEUM”, 06/01/2024
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Nao Kakuta defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Shiden Kai (6:23).
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) (w/ Salina de la Renta & Jesus Rodriguez) defeated Hyper Misao with the Demon Clutch (7:15).
*V3 for Janai Kai.

Several TJPW wrestlers went to New York to compete at MLW’s latest supershow. Hyper Misao got a shot at the MLW World Featherweight Title, becoming the second TJPW wrestler in a row to challenge Janai Kai for the belt. She brought along the Combat Bike and cycled around the outside of the ring to hit Kai with a Lariat. Salina de la Renta stood on the apron to distract Misao but got sprayed in the face for her troubles. The distraction still worked though because Misao turned around into the Tornado Kick from Kai and she then gave up to the Demon Clutch Dragon Sleeper.

TJPW also provided an exhibition match between Nao Kakuta and Moka Miyamoto. Kakuta won the match but afterwards Miyamoto was approached in the ring by Love Doug. He wanted to ask her out for dinner and she said yes.


AEW “DYNAMITE – HOMECOMING”, 10/01/2024
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. Tornado Tag Match: Darby Allin & Sting (w/ Ric Flair) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs (w/ Don Callis) when Sting pinned Hobbs with the Scorpion Death Drop through a Table (9:53).

And we did get more of this! Takeshita’s AEW debut took place in Daily’s Place during the pandemic so it meant a lot to him to be in a Dynamite main event there. It was a wild Tornado Tag match that also dragged Don Callis and Ric Flair into the ring. The fighting went over to the entrance where Allin hit a Coffin Drop from a bleacher onto Takeshita, taking the two of them out of action. Powerhouse Hobbs carried Sting over to a stage with the intention of putting him through a table. But Sting reversed it and gave Hobbs the Scorpion Death Drop off the stage through the table instead.


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 2”, 19/01/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia No. 1 Contender Match: Mizuki defeated Alexis Lee (?:??).
2. SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles: Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore defeated HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi (c) (?:??).
*The Horrors become the 11th SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Champions!

CDK’s plans for the month were changed because of Brookes’ health issues. Takanashi had to find some replacement tag partners for his matches in Singapore and Thailand. Over in Singapore Pro Wrestling Takanashi still had to defend the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles without Brookes. The good news was HARASHIMA agreed to join him as a substitute so the match against The Horrors could go ahead. The makeshift team couldn’t pull it off though. CDK’s long reign with the titles were ended by Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore.

Also on the show was a No. 1 Contenders match for the Queen Of Asia Title. The championship currently belongs to Yuki Kamifuku and is being kept with her in TJPW. The former champion Alexis Lee needed to beat Mizuki in order to get a rematch. However Mizuki was too much for her to handle and it will instead be Mizuki who is getting the next shot. It’s possible that match will happen at a TJPW show in Japan rather than in Singapore for SPW but we’ll have to wait and see what gets announced.


NTW “THE GOD’S RIGHT KNEE RETURNS”, 20/01/2024
Xingren Road, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

1. Special Single Match: THE JOKER defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (8:00).

During Sakaguchi’s announcement about his retirement plans he mentioned one of his remaining matches was taking place in Taiwan. It was for New Taiwan Entertainment Wrestling and was put together when Sakaguchi was challenged by THE JOKER in December. THE JOKER is someone who Sakaguchi fought years previously and he holds Sakaguchi is high esteem. The match meant even more for him because Sakaguchi gave him his ring robe as a gift afterwards.


SETUP “BANGKOK SHOWDOWN”, 20/01/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Kevin Weng & Pondhub defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Rubber Man and Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart (?:??).

Takanashi needed to find another partner over in Thailand for the SETUP show. Oddly enough Sanshiro Takagi was in the area visiting for business reasons but he wasn’t available to take part. Instead Takanashi had to team up with Rubber Man, one of the many monsters that comes from the UMA Corps.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 24/01/2024 (Aired 26/01/2024)
Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Christopher Daniels with the Powerdrive Knee (3:06).

A little rest to recover from the Tornado Tag match put Takeshita back on track. His next match was a win against Christopher Daniels, an opponent he previously faced on a AEW branded ring in Japan. He countered the Angel’s Wings into the Implant and then turned that into a German Suplex. All that was left to do was hit the Powerdrive Knee for the victory.

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Upcoming Appearances


BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. MBM & Ultima Sombra Vs MAO & Yoshihiko

Travel buddies MAO and Yoshihiko begin their European weekend with Banger Zone Wrestling in France. Their opponents are Rivality, the team of MBM & Ultima Sombra.


TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Fatal 4 Way: Jordan Oliver Vs Leon Slater Vs Yoshihiko Vs MAO

One day later the pair travel to England for TNT Extreme. Even though this booking has been known since December, Yoshihiko still got in trouble with DDT when they booked the doll for their Nagoya show on the same day only to find out it already has this tour organized. DDT warned Yoshihiko not to let this happen again.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Chris Jericho Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

The time has come for the rematch! Chris Jericho defeated Takeshita in DDT last November and Takeshita’s been biding his time to even the score. Go get that win back!


DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Announced so far for DDT’s USA show are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Kazuki Hirata, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON, Takeshi Masada and Yoshihiko.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

TJPW are sending over 14 women to Philadelphia for Wrestlemania week. They are Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Aino, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume and Arisu Endo.


GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

When GCW put out a blurred image teasing the complete schedule for The Collective I joked the blurred part looked like it said “GCW VS TJPW”. Turns out that’s what it actually is! All 14 TJPW wrestlers above will be part of the crossover show pitting their side against GCW’s female contingent.

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Cancelled Appearances


GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Matt Cardona, Steph de Lander & Broski Jimmy

Itoh taking time off for recuperation led to a few cancelled appearances this month. She wasn’t able to team up with Bussy against Deathmatch Royalty for example.


GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Tony Deppen

The world will have to wait another day to see what Itoh wrestling Tony Deppen would be like.


F1RST “WRESTLEPALOOZA – NIGHT 2”, 14/01/2024
First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh hopes she will get to be at a F1RST show somewhere in the future.


GCW “LOOK AT ME”, 26/01/2024
Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Allie Katch Vs Maki Itoh Vs Dark Sheik Vs Lindsay Snow

Itoh was replaced by Masha Slamovich on the show and Slamovich ended up winning the match.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – December 2023

January 1, 2024

Happy new year! December featured plenty of CyberFight related appearances in North America. Tokyo Joshi Pro held its second show in USA. They also had two seperate championship matches happening within minutes from each other in two different countries. Konosuke Takeshita remains stuck in AEW limbo, Maki Itoh wrapped up the latest leg of her US bookings, Shota paid a visit to California and MAO partied hard as the end of 2023 counted down to midnight.

So what is there new to expect in 2024 when it comes to international stuff for DDT and its family? I think the focus will be what Yuka Sakazaki will get up to. I will continue following her career using these articles. If she sticks within AEW/ROH then it won’t be much work to see what she gets up to every month. But I want to see her spread out to some of the indies. At least go to Deadlock Pro every now and then. She owes them a match anyway.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


Video starts at 11:02.
MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins Vs Shota & J2 Mattioli


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/12/2023
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal Vs Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita


DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee


SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm Vs Shota


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
400 Fans – Super No Vacancy

7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly


Video starts at 16:20.
MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Shota Vs Jr Mattioli


PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita


CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023
Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Nate Webb

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Results


BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023
Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Rachel Armstrong with the Itoh Deluxe (11:22).

Let’s begin with a show that has become an annual event for Black Label Pro. Six months ago Rachel Armstrong had a match here against Miyu Yamashita so now it was Itoh’s turn to see what the fuss is all about. A naïve Armstrong fell for Itoh’s crocodile tears act but took control using her speed and agility. A Northern Lights Suplex in particular came very close to getting her the win. But Itoh had control for most of the match, trapping Armstrong in the Itoh Special and then building her way up to the Itoh Deluxe to make her tap out.


GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023
Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Mike Bailey with a Cradle (16:14).

Is this the upset of the year? Mike Bailey learned the hard way not to kick Itoh in the head because it is as hard as iron! When the shock of that wore out, Bailey took her seriously, even pulling out the Flamingo Driver that Itoh kicked out of. His frustration led to his undoing because when he grabbed Itoh’s legs to do a Boston Crab, Itoh twisted over and cradled Bailey for the flash pin! Itoh had to console Bailey after the match because he burst into tears over the result.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/12/2023 (Aired 08/12/2023)
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal when Hobbs pinned Daniels with The World’s Most Dangerous Slam (8:38).

What was looking to be Takeshita’s only match of the month was teaming up with Powerhouse Hobbs to beat Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal after the latter tried standing up to The Don Callis Family. During the month Don Callis announced that his unit will now be using “Family Rules” for their tag team matches against Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega going forward, which is just their name for Freebird Rules. The storyline they’re doing is falling apart though because Omega is now out of action indefinitely with diverticulitis.


MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 5”, 07/12/2023
Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) defeated Jody Threat (?:??).
*V3 for Max The Impaler.

There was a surprise International Princess Title match for the fans at this month’s Mystery Wrestling show. Evil Uno runs these events every couple of months, airs them live on his Twitch channel and keeps the VOD on his Patreon. Max The Impaler was brought in for a match against Jody Threat and agreed to put the championship on the line. TJPW gave their authorization and recognizes the result as an official title defence.


MLW “ONE-SHOT”, 07/12/2023
Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Delmi Exo with the Skull Kick (9:13).
*V2 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) (w/ Salina de la Renta & Jesus Rodriguez) defeated Maki Itoh with the Modified Dragon Sleeper (7:27).
*V2 for Janai Kai.

Both Itoh and Yamashita were at MLW’s final show of the year, each in a championship match. Itoh was given a big title match against Janai Kai for the MLW World Featherweight Title. She had an unfair disadvantage though because Kai had both Salina de la Renta and Jesus Rodriguez (the former Ricardo Rodriguez from WWE) in her corner to interfere when needed. There was also an unexpected run-in from the masked wrestler Ichiban that distracted Itoh long enough for her to miss a Diving Headbutt. If that wasn’t bad enough, Matt Striker on commentary completely did not understand Itoh’s gimmick. Maybe he had good intentions by trying to put Itoh over as a fighter to be taken seriously but he’s been so bad as a colour commentator for so long he should not get the benefit of the doubt.

Yamashita was at the show to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo. Her opponent is a former MLW Featherweight Champion and brought her best fight to the match. Yamashita kicked out of the Ocean Cyclone Suplex and got Exo up to the top rope for an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment. Yamashita kept the pressure up and Exo was helpless by the time she was beaten with the Skull Kick. The result helps establish Yamashita’s current title reign being about taking on opponents from around the world. Her next challenger will be back in TJPW on 4th January against Masha Slamovich.


DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Skull Kick (10:59).

Over to DREAMWAVE where Yamashita appeared on a weekend of shows for them. The first one was an all women’s event where Yamashita beat Shazza McKenzie in a rematch from their ROH bout from earlier this year. DREAMWAVE later announced they will be spinning off a new all women’s wrestling promotion called Uprising: Women’s Athletes so don’t be surprised to see Yamashita show up there in 2024.


MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins defeated Shota & J2 Mattioli when Rose & Hopkins pinned Mattioli with a Sunset Flip & Body Press (?:??).

Shota spent the month of December travelling over to America again for a short tour. Just like last year, Shota found went to the obscure end of the US indies including Millennium Pro Wrestling who welcomed him back with open arms. Shota teamed with one of his opponents from the last excursion, J2 Mattioli to take on a team called 24K. Sadly the team lost when Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins used a double team Sunset Flip to pin Mattioli. Afterwards Mattioli apologised to Shota for losing and then challenged him to a singles match for the following week. Shota accepted and shook his hand.


DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura defeated Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee when Sakura pinned Steel with the Double Arm Backbreaker (8:02).

There was a small change to the match when one of the original opponents Zamaya was bumped up to the semi-main event for the DREAMWAVE Women’s Title. So Yamashita & Emi Sakura instead found themselves teaming up against Zayda Steel and Zamaya’s replacement Maggie Lee. A lot of the match was Steel & Lee working on Yamashita so Sakura can get the hot tag. Still it’s not everyday you get to see Sakura & Yamashita teaming together. They won when Sakura gave Steel the Double Arm Backbreaker and Yamashita gave Lee the Attitude Adjustment, leading to a double pin.


EWF “PRO WRESTLING LUCHA LIBRE”, 09/12/2023
VFW Post 8737, San Bernardino, California, USA

1. EWF Vs The World: Kid Noah defeated Shota (?:??).

An outdoor show held in December doesn’t sound that pleasant even if it’s in California. Shota wrestled twice outdoors during the tour. The first one was at Empire Wrestling Federation where he lost to Kid Noah.


GCW “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM 2”, 09/12/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie defeated Nick Gage & Maki Itoh (17:42).

Itoh’s last GCW appearance of the year had Maki Death Kill back together to take on the husband and wife team of Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie. The match went from a normal two vs two tag into a brawl with chairs and doors being used as weapons. Valkyrie put Nick Gage through one of the doors and then tried giving Itoh the Road To Valhalla. Itoh countered it into a Roll Up but Valkyrie then blocked the counter and grabbed onto Itoh’s tights to pin her for the three count. Itoh demanded a singles match against Valkyrie afterwards.


SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm defeated Shota with the Thunderstruck (?:??).

Shota’s second outdoor match of the month was for Skyfire Pro Lucha Libre. He tried his best to outwrestle his opponent but Rebel Storm stopped him in his tracks with a Headbutt followed by the Twist Of Fate that he calls Thunderstruck.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
400 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Harajuku pinned Amira after the Wasteland War Justice with Max (10:20).
2. Trish Adora defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Lariat (8:42).
3. Mizuki defeated Sandra Moone with the Cutie Special (10:21).
4. Miu Watanabe defeated Hyan with the Tear Drop (8:33).
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) defeated Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie when Noa pinned McKenzie with the Blizzard Suplex (9:42).
*V3 for Free WiFi.
6. Taya Valkyrie defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Road To Valhalla (10:47).
7. Special Tag Match: Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Slamovich pinned Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (18:00).

The show report can be found here.


MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. J2 Mattioli defeated Shota with the Playmaker Lariat (?:??).

The match between Shota and Mattioli was a mostly friendly back and forth match between the two. Mattioli ended up using his Playmaker Lariat to win, capping off a year he was really happy with.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Keita defeated Shota (?:??).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey with the Skull Kick (?:??).

Okay so this month we found out that Bailey’s weakness is Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. He lost to Itoh in GCW and here in Pandemonium Pro he lost clean to Yamashita! There were no tears in this one, instead these two tried to kick the tar out of each other!

Shota completed his USA tour by making Pandemonium Pro his final stop. Originally he was going to face Vinnie Massaro but that guy is busy living it up on a NOAH tour right now. So Shota was given the newcomer Keita as a replacement opponent. Keita made the most of this opportunity and beat the more experienced Shota.


AEW “WORLDS END”, 30/12/2023
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, USA

1. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Sting & Darby Allin defeated Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita when Guevara pinned Starks with a Shooting Star Press (15:42).

What a mess this storyline has turned out to be. Omega falling ill meant that he and Jericho couldn’t go ahead with challenging Ricky Starks & Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Titles so they had to throw in The Don Callis Family, Sting, Darby Allin and the return of Sammy Guevara to make it an 8-Man Tag Match. Takeshita was not part of the lineup when the match was made but then a day later AEW swapped him into the match and took Kyle Fletcher out. Then on the day of the show allegations of Jericho’s past behavior resurfaced online from Nick Hausman as part of Jericho’s online spat with a lawyer with a that could not have been handled any more uglier than it did. Almost everybody except the alleged victim is coming out of it as a bunch of massive scumbags. So come to the part of the show when the match happened and there was an uncomfortable atmosphere that could be felt through the screen as the match went on. I wish I could instead focus on Takeshita getting to wrestle Sting and throw Allin around like he’s Yoshihiko but everyone watching was in a bad mood over what emerged throughout the day.


CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. King Of The Deathmatches – Round 1 – Ultraviolent Baptism: Bobby Beverly defeated MAO with the Fisherman DDT (?:??).

How about taking part in a deathmatch tournament to bring out the end of the year? MAO entered the King Of The Deathmatches that was being held by Circle 6 and faced Bobby Beverly in the 1st Round. MAO brought along chairs and plastic boxes but soon smashed lighttubes over his opponent. He also put Beverly through a bunch of chairs with a Double Arm Piledriver and used high flying moves but couldn’t get the win. A triple Low Blow spot that also included the referee brought the match back to an even fight. Wooden skewers were stabbed into each other’s heads and Beverly smashed MAO with lighttubes before pinning him with the Fisherman DDT.


CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023
Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Nate Webb with the Diving Radio Silence from the Bar Counter (?:??).
*V3 for MAO.

MAO stuck around in Circle 6 on New Year’s Eve so he could defend the DDT Universal Title against Spyder Nate Webb. The match went outside to Santa Monica Blvd so they could fight on the street as traffic drove by.

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Upcoming Appearances


MLW “KINGS OF COLOSSEUM”, 06/01/2024
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Nao Kakuta
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) Vs Hyper Misao

TJPW’s working relationship with MLW continues into the new year. Hyper Misao has been selected to be Kai’s next challenger for the MLW Featherweight Title.

Also happening on the show is a TJPW offer match between Moka Miyamoto and Nao Kakuta. Miyamoto is only just now starting to wrestle abroad while Kakuta has already done it a few times in 2023. The two matches here are a little glimpse of what TJPW in Philadelphia will look like next April.


GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Matt Cardona, Steph de Lander & Broski Jimmy

Itoh and Bussy all share grudges with Matt Cardona & Steph de Lander so it was inevitable that Maki Death Bussy would join forces to take on Deathmatch Royalty. The latest development in the story is Cardona forced Jimmy Lloyd to become his new disciple in GCW, turning Lloyd into Broski Jimmy.


GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Tony Deppen

The day after that Itoh will take on Tony Deppen in a first time match. GCW at times have promoted Deppen as their gatekeeper. A win for Itoh here could be a sign of things to come for her in GCW.


F1RST “WRESTLEPALOOZA – NIGHT 2”, 14/01/2024
First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

No match announced yet for Itoh’s appearance at F1RST.


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 2”, 19/01/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Mizuki Vs Alexis Lee
2. SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore

In November 2022 CDK defeated The Horrors to win the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles. Now after more than a year later comes the rematch. Dr. Gore got to wrestle in Japan for a little while and gain some experience while Da Butcherman kept himself busy in Singapore. There is a chance the match might not go ahead because Chris Brookes had surgery this month to remove a tumor from his abdomen. At the time of writing there is no decision made yet on when he can start wrestling again. But even if he can’t make the trip, Masahiro Takanashi still will.

SPW’s own Alexis Lee continues to be the opponent of choice for joshi coming into Singapore. She lost the Queen Of Asia Title to Yuki Kamifuku last month but is looking to bounce right back with a win against Mizuki.


SETUP “BANGKOK SHOWDOWN”, 20/01/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Kevin Weng & Pondhub Vs Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart

If CDK can go ahead with travelling together in January then they have a tough challenge waiting for them in Thailand. SETUP is making them defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a 3 Way Match against St. John Innocent College and THE GOOD DEAL. CDK won the titles from THE GOOD DEAL in an impromptu match bck in October. But even though the former champions are getting a rematch, they have to share it with St. John Innocent College. That kind of multi-man chaos is an environment that CDK benefits from.


GCW “LOOK AT ME”, 26/01/2024
Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

What will await Itoh in Florida next month?


BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. MAO Vs X

MAO is coming to France and he’s brining Yoshihiko with him! Also Minoru Suzuki and KUSHIDA are booked for the show too. Banger Zone Wrestling won’t know what hit them.


TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Yoshihiko Vs X

Yoshihiko heads over to Liverpool the next day for TNT Extreme. Surely not by itself though.


DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

DDT won’t be the only CyberFight presence in Philly that week…


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

… because TJPW is going there too! They will also be part of The Collective which is interesting to note because last time TJPW were with WrestleCon.

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Posted by JamieOD

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