“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. THREE” Results

March 7, 2023

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. THREE: SECRET OF THE OOZE”, 07/03/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
50 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. WTF?! Tag Team Match: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei defeated Drew Parker & Death Worm when Kei pinned Worm with a Stake Attack To The Mouth (9:30).
2. Special Tag Team Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga defeated MAO & Chie Koishikawa when Suruga pinned Koishikawa with an Inside Cradle (12:22).
3. Special Singles Match: Chris Brookes defeated Maya Yukihi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (14:09).

The third Baka Gaijin + Friends caused a little more damage to ARENA Shimokitazawa than the previous ones. During the main event Chris Brookes and Maya Yukihi fought by the bar and treated the counter like a top turnbuckle to do diving moves off of. Brookes was pretty much too tall to do that and hit the chandelier hanging from the ceiling as he jumped off the counter. That broke the lights and caused that corner of the room to go dark! Brookes ended up recovering and beat Yukihi with the Praying Mantis Bomb after she kicked out of a Tombstone and a Tiger Driver.

Just like on the first show, Chie Koishikawa went full Chris Brookes cosplay for her tag match. MAO wore a costume too, pretending to be Baliyan Akki. This caused Masahiro Takanashi to attack both of them for being fakes. The real Akki got involved in the match to help Mei Suruga deal with MAO. Suruga then got to pin Koishikawa with an Inside Cradle for a three count.

The Brahman Brothers complained about having little room to wrestle in. They eventually found enough space to do their usual bowling ball spot. Death Worm did well to fight against them until it suddenly stopped moving. Takayuki Ueki explained it was Death Worm’s feeding time but The Brahmans stopped him from giving Worm its food. Drew Parker came to the rescue and gave Worm a sausage to eat, powering it back up. Parker grabbed a can of beer and went to hit The Brahmans with it. He missed and the can ended up hitting Worm in the mouth, making it drink enough beer to get drunk! The Brahmans then stuck a large wooden stake into Worm’s mouth and bashed it with a traffic sign. It knocked out Death Worm long enough to get pinned.

Whoever said Lingerie Muto had retired was wrong because his spot in the show was an open challenge for a fight! He looked out among the crowd for any takers, causing everyone to notice Will Ospreay sitting at the back of the room with Aussie Open. Muto then noticed Takeshi Masada next to them but Masada didn’t want to get into trouble with DDT if he accepted. Muto realised he could not wrestle anybody in the room under contract to a wrestling company so he instead randomly picked a female fan named Inoue to be his opponent. The fan overpowered Muto in a Test Of Strength. Muto climbed the bar counter wanting to do the Moonsault but had second thoughts and stepped down. Muto then got the fan on the mat and tried to apply the Figure 4 Leg Lock but Daisuke Kiso stopped him. Muto attacked Kiso and gave him a DDT but left himself vulnerable on his back. The fan pinned Muto and Kiso counted to three, declaring her the winner!

The next Baka Gaijin event will be at ARENA Shimokitazawa on 18th April.


Arai Faces Kong Early, Baka Gaijin Vol. 3, Hollywood Updates

February 7, 2023

DDT “HEAT WAVE OVER FLOWERS 2 ~THE WORLD THAT EVERYONE DOES NOT KNOW~”, 14/02/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) Vs Yuki Ishida (0)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Kazuma Sumi (0) Vs Ilusion (0)
3. Special Tag Match: Akito & Sakura Hirota Vs Tetsuya Endo & Kazuki Hirata
4. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~The World Unknown To Toi~: Toi Kojima Vs Yasu Urano
5. Anshin Oyado Presents ~The World Unknown To ShunMao~: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (Special Referee: MEN’S Teioh)
6. sauna line Presents ~The World Unknown To Yuki~: Yuki Ueno Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gabai Ji-chan
7. Final Set – Naniwa Kenko Land Yu~topia Presents ~The World Unknown To The 37KAMIINA~: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Toi Kojima

The mystery man Gorgeous Matsuno warned Yuki Ueno about has been revealed. It’s… Gabai Ji-chan? Are we sure Ueno is the one fighting against the odds in this match and not his elderly opponents?

Keigo Nakamura has a chance to take the lead in the D GENERATIONS CUP B Block. Yuki Ishida already lost his first match and cannot afford to lose another. Over in the A Block Kazuma Sumi will try to avoid ending his tournament with three defeats in a row. Ilusion’s next match is happening on 11th February so where he stands on the 14th will be very different depending if he wins or loses that match. He may be fighting for the top spot or his match with Sumi could end up becoming the wooden spoon match of their group.

A bunch of sauna related brands are sponsoring many of the matches on the show. The winners of each sponsored match will receive a prize such as free sauna passes and branded clothing.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/02/2023
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Arai Vs Aja Kong & Moka Miyamoto
2. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Janai Kai

One of the big matches taking place at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” in March is Yuki Arai against Aja Kong. Before that match takes place they will meet in a preview tag match in February. This will also be the first time Kong fights against Miyu Yamashita. Their only previous match together was as a tag team back in 2020. Moka Miyamoto teamed with Kong once before in 2021.

GANBARE☆PRO “GRINDHOUSE 2023”, 23/02/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Shota & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI
2. Ken Ohka Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Punch Drunker Vs Battle Socrates: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Yasu Urano
4. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada Vs Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga

Takuya Wada returns to Ganbare☆Pro for a second go around. His second visit is going to be very different this time because he will be in the middle of the build up for Mizuki Watase Vs Shinichiro Tominaga.

Tyson Maeguchi Vs Yasu Urano is a first time ever match.

The mixed tag match on this show mashes together the ROMANCE DAWN rivalry with the two faces of Ganbare☆Joshi’s upcoming relaunch.

GANBARE☆PRO “MOONRISE KINGDOM 2023”, 23/02/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yasu Urano
2. YuuRI Vs Rina Amikura
3. Special Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
4. Secret Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Moeka Haruhi

In the main event when you eliminate the captain you win the match. But the captain’s identity is a mystery and won’t be revealed until they are eliminated!

Perhaps some of the opponents YuuRI and Yoshiko Hasegawa will be facing in the next two months will suggest who will be on the GanJo relaunch show in April. Like Rina Amikura here.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 23/02/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. 3 Way Match: YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Hong Kong International Policeman
2. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Kentaro Hachisu & Moeka Haruhi
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Takuya Wada & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Shinichiro Tominaga, Tyson Maeguchi & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. The Return Of LariPro 2023: Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Ken Ohka & Shota

It’s going to be a busy day for Munetatsu Nakamura. He’s getting singles matches against Ken Ohka and Yasu Urano. Then after that he will be thrown into a crowded 6-Man Tag Match along with Yuki Kanzaki.

“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. THREE”, 07/03/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. WTF?! Tag Team Match: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei Vs Drew Parker & Death Worm
2. Special Singles Match: Chris Brookes Vs Maya Yukihi
3. Special Tag Team Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga Vs MAO & Chie Koishikawa

The third Baka Gaijin + Friends show has Maya Yukihi and The Brahman Brothers as the visiting guests this time. Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga will mix it up with MAO & Chie Koishikawa. Brookes takes on Yukihi one on one. Drew Parker finds himself teaming with Death Worm. Last but not least, Lingerie Muto will put on a performance of some sort.

DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023
Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match: X Vs X
2. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match: X Vs X
3. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match: X Vs X

Four of the participants who competed in the No Fee Rumble have impressed DDT enough to get booked for their outdoor show in Saitama next month. They are Great-GO-Khan, Dopyu♡McIntyre, Macho Gallows and “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid. That means the four of them are going to get paid this time!

DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

The match promised for the Tokyo Joshi Pro show in Tampa back in 2020 will now happen in Los Angeles. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno gave DDT fans a taster of what they could do in their 10 minute draw last month. Fans attending the show will get to see the whole thing!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

The Japanese talent coming over for the TJPW show are Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Maki Itoh, Mizuki, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Raku, Nao Kakuta, Suzume and Arisu Endo. International talent are still to be announced.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~” Results

December 31, 2022

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
615 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Kikutaro when MAO pinned Kikutaro after a Double Choke Slam from Naya & Kamitani (8:06).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI Vs Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
2a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rule: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI defeated Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka when Higuchi pinned Brookes with a Cradle Turnback (1:03).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) when Aoyagi pinned Kei with a School Boy (7:58).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda defeated Takeshi Masada, Takuya Nomura & Masato Tanaka when Takeda pinned Masada with the Reverse U Crash (8:31).
5. Ryuji Ito, Abdullah Kobayashi, Jaki Numazawa & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata when Ito pinned Hirata with the Biribiri Dragon Splash (14:27).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI when Aoki pinned Sekifuda with the Blue Storm (10:15).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda when Ueno pinned Ishikawa with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (11:16).
8. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Drew Parker, Cara Noir & RSP defeated Yuji Okabayashi, Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida when Takeshita pinned Yoshida with the Zahi (15:23).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto when Hashimoto pinned MAO with the Rising DDT (19:21).

Last year’s tournament being built around trios matches was kept around for this year’s edition. Each team featured one DDT wrestler, one Big Japan wrestler and one wild card all of which were random combinations. For everyone involved it was their last chance to grab some glory in the ring before the new year begins.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Big Bombers

The atmosphere of the show was set early by the team called Big Bombers. Their entrance included a video of MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto all travelling together for a road trip on motorbikes. Their opponents attempted to use a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who starts but Kikutaro misunderstood. He thought it was just a charade to jump Big Bombers while they weren’t looking so he charged them on his own and got beaten up for it. Kikutaro had even more bad luck, the worse of which involved MAO manipulating Yukio Naya & Hideyoshi Kamitani into Double Choke Slamming their own partner. MAO slipped in for the pin afterward to keep his team’s road trip going.

Team 2023 Vs Super J Cups

The only time limit draw on the show took place in the second match. The Super J Cups are called that because it is a trio of junior heavyweight champions. Supposedly. Kazusada Higuchi’s weight was announced in the venue as 99.999999kg so he was really pushing it. Higuchi spent the end of the match fighting with Daisuke Sekimoto too so nobody was complaining about getting to see that heavyweight battle. It built up to Sekimoto leading Chris Brookes & Isami Kodaka into a Triple Topé Suicida aimed at Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI. The time limit was reached right when Sekimoto gave Higuchi the German Suplex. When overtime began Sekimoto went straight for the pin but Higuchi kicked out immediately. Brookes tagged in and caught Higuchi in a Prawn Hold. However Higuchi reversed the move and rolled himself on top of Brookes to steal the 1 Count pin needed to win.

Zero Hyaku Vs BraNoue In The Sky With Diamonds

If there is one thing everyone knows about The Brahman Brothers its that they like to stay clean, am I right? Tetsuya Endo & Yasufumi Nakanoue shared their concerns and carried around disinfectant spray. Oh, the two of them were also Brahman-ised and happy to take part in their cheating during the match. Yuma Aoyagi fought back by covering his arms with the metal hoses and Lariating both Brahmans but he ended up pinning Brahman Kei by mistake so the match continued. Nakanoue placed a stake up to Yuki Ueno’s butt (after disinfecting the butt first of course) and Brahman Shu hit it with a chairshot. The gameplan then fell apart due to miscommunication. Endo accidentally hit Kei over the head with a steel tray and then the suitcase thrown by Nakanoue hit Shu instead of Aoyagi. It ended up costing them the match and Zero Hyaku advanced at their expense.

Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi) Vs Team Kansai

Round 1 almost closed out with a little bit of death match flavour. Masashi Takeda brought out a pair of scissors which annoyed the referee Yukinori Matsui. When that was taken away we were left with a match on the regular level of danger. I mean Takeda and Masato Tanaka were still on opposite sides of the ring here. We also had HARASHIMA and Takuya Nomura trading kicks against each other. Takeshi Masada though ended up getting the worst of everything. He took a Swan Dive Body Press from HARASHIMA, a Double Stomp from Yuki Ishikawa and was finished off with the Takeda’s Reverse U Crash.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

DDT and Big Japan got threw some of their veterans together for an inter-promotional 8-Man Tag. Danshoku Dieno was back to his old self looking for men in the audience to kiss during his entrance. Shunma Katsumata took to taunting Ryuji Ito when the opportunity presented itself. Antonio Honda tried to tell a Gongitsune joke but Jaki Numazawa cut him off so he could tell his own jokes. Gongitsune groaned after every punchline. Kazuki Hirata put on the Hirata GO! glasses and danced until Kankuro Hoshino placed fox ears over his head. The music changed to “What Does The Fox Say” and the two danced until Hirata realised what was going on and fainted. Dieno set himself up in the Hell Gate position in the corner to charge up his teammate’s attacks. Abdullah Kobayashi then revealed he has the same ability, it only works once every four years. Kobayashi then formed his own Hell Gate. Ito placed a steel plate over his chest, used Kobayashi to charge it up and then did the Dragon Splash onto Hirata to give Big Japan the win. Ito declared Big Japan as the winners of the feud against DDT but Dieno refused to accept defeat. Ito and Dieno threw challenges at each other and both left the ring in a huff.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Super J Cups

People still didn’t believe that Higuchi is a junior heavyweight so he tried vaulting the top rope along with his tag partners. The whole thing didn’t work because Sekifuda & MUSASHI were both pulled down and Higuchi tripped. The Driver’s High team capitalised and all three hit Handspring Back Elbows to the opposition. Sekifuda recovered and keep trying to go for the win until Aoki cut him off and stole the win with the Blue Storm.

Zero Hyaku Vs Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi)

The death match flavour did show up in this match. Takeda took out his scissors again but put them away, promising to fight fair. Zero Hyaku had a lot of communication problems when Ueno tried to direct Hashimoto & Aoyagi into setting up a Triple Power Bomb properly. The match then broke down when chairs were brought into the ring. Ishikawa and even HARASHIMA threw chairshots at their opponents. Ueno took the chair and hit HARASHIMA with it. Takeda then pulled out a stapler and stapled a show poster onto Ueno’s chest! Ueno got his revenge by stapling the poster onto Ishikawa’s forehead and then pinning him with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher.

Special 8-Man Tag Match

Before the final could take place there was another non-tournament match to get through. Konosuke Takeshita led a team of foreign wrestlers against Yuji Okabayashi and his band of Strong BJ fighters. The DDT related side won this one. Everything was built up to Takeshita, Drew Parker and RSP doing stereo Swanton Bombs along with the Fable on Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida. Takeshita then pinned Yoshida with the Zahi. After the match backstage RSP said he first wrestled in Japan for Big Japan but now he considers himself part if DDT. Takeshita thinks 2023 will see the full return of wrestlers travelling everywhere around the world. Cara Noir did not say anything. Okabayashi is impressed by how much Takeshita has improved since the last time they fought. However he is also happy with the knowledge that his Chops are still effective against Takeshita. Kikuta told the DDT team not to get carried away just because they won. Kato spoke about Parker’s success since leaving Big Japan. He considers himself close to Parker because they are the same age and their birthdays are only a few days apart. Yoshida was happy to get to fight Takeshita.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Zero Hyaku

The final came down to this. The Driver’s High team came out all wearing gear matching with Miyamoto’s. Late in the match MAO & Aoki focused on Missile attacks to Hashimoto until the tables turned. Ueno caught MAO with the Dropkick, Aoyagi hit the Rockstar Buster and Hashimoto hit the Shining Wizard. MAO kicked out of both at one so Hashimoto had to drop him with the Rising DDT, crowning Zero Hyaku as the tournament winners!

The winners received their prize from Sayoko Mita. Aoyagi was happy to win because this was his first New Year’s Eve show. Hashimoto said the team went from Zero to Hyaku! Ueno admitted he never expected Hashimoto to be so mischievous and Aoyagi to be so nice. He doesn’t know what to expect in 2023 but the three of them will continue to change pro wrestling. Aoyagi wants the three of them to reunite for next year’s tournament but he was told it can only happen if the random lottery somehow pairs the three of them together again.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2022

MVP

1. Kazusada Higuchi
2. Drew Parker
3. Fujita Jr. Hayato
4. Konosuke Takeshita
5. Yumehito Imanari

Best Bout

1. MUSASHI Vs Fujita Jr. Hayato (Michinoku Pro, 1st July)
2. Jun Kasai Vs El Desperado (JUST TAP OUT, 12th September)
3. Hartley Jackson Vs Mizuki Watase (Ganbare☆Pro, th )
4. Drew Parker Vs Masashi Takeda (FREEDOMS, 16th November)
5. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo (DDT, 20th March)

Best Unit

1. Pheromones
2. The 37KAMIINA
3. Astronauts
4. CDK
5. Speed Of Sounds

Best Box Office

1. Big Japan @ Yokohama Budokan, 5th May
2. Ganbare☆Pro @ Ota Ward Gymnasium, 10th July
3. Michinoku Pro @ Korakuen Hall, 1st July
4. FREEDOMS @ Yokohama Budokan, 3rd May
5. DDT @ Ryogoku Kokugikan, 20th March

Best Newcomer

1. Daiju Wakamatsu
2. Yukio Naya
3. Takeshi Masada
4. HARUKAZE
5. Jun Masaoka


Video – “MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”

November 28, 2022

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE
302 Fans

0. Dark Match: Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen & Gota Ihashi (w/ Miyako Haru) Vs SAKI & Yasu Urano (w/ KUDO)
1. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki Vs Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama Vs Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W
2. Mei Suruga Vs MAO
3. Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Antonio Honda Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
4. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Masahiro Takanashi


“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022” Results

November 22, 2022

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE
302 Fans

0. Dark Match: SAKI & Yasu Urano (w/ KUDO) defeated Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen & Gota Ihashi (w/ Miyako Haru) when SAKI pinned Ihashi with the Kawaiild Knee Drop (4:11).
1. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki Vs Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama Vs Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W (17:05).
1a. Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama defeated Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki when Yoneyama pinned Koishikawa with the Chinese Steamed Bun Roll (3:20).
1b. Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama defeated Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno when Yoneyama pinned Cherry with a School Boy (5:12).
1c. Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango defeated Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama when Hoshitango pinned Shiryu with a Body Press (6:35).
1d. Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W defeated Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango when Sakur pinned Natsumi with La Magistral Cradle (9:35).
1e. Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) defeated Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W when Akai pinned Sakura with the Quetzalcoatl (13:55).
1f. Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) when Miyamoto pinned Kei with the I.W.C (17:05).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Ram Kaichow defeated Sak Akai with a Cradle (c) with (7:43 pm).
*Ram Kaichow becomes the 1557th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Ram Kaichow (c) after an Elbow Drop from Yuko Miyamoto (7:45 pm).
*Ram Kaichow becomes the 1558th champion.
-. Special Match ~ Special Rules: Minoru Fujita Vs DJ Nira ended in a No Contest.
-. 3 Way Match: Minoru Fujita Vs DJ Nira Vs Daisuke Kiso did not end with a winner.
2. MAO defeated Mei Suruga with the Wedding Clutch (16:40).
3. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Antonio Honda when Irie pinned Honda with the Beast Bomber (15:03).
4. Daisuke Sekimoto defeated Masahiro Takanashi with a Modified Muffler Hold (23:09).

The 2010 Miracle Match between Masahiro Takanashi Vs Daisuke Sekimoto was revisited on today’s independently promoted show. Much like the first time, Takanashi was the big underdog but this time he was a much more crafty veteran. He targeted Sekimoto’s arms and continued to do so after Sekimoto missed a Lariat outside the ring and hit the ring post. The power difference just couldn’t be avoided though. Takanashi tried to hit the Takatonic from the top rope in a moment that flashed everyone’s minds back to 2010. Sekimoto blocked the move but before he could drop down and crush his opponent just like he did back then, Takanashi instead flipped over and Power Bombed him from the rope. The Takatonic was blocked again and every failed attempt to pin Sekimoto afterwards saw Takanashi’s chances fade away. The German Suplex that would normally end the match wasn’t hit perfectly so Sekimoto grabbed Takanashi in a Muffler Stretch and held his opponent up until Takanashi gave up. The two shook hands after the match but neither of them gave any speeches. Instead the show ended with Takanashi bowing to the audience on his knees and leaving the ring without comment.

Team Drift used Keisuke Ishii’s old theme music for their entrance. Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao also wore the same Team Dream Futures shirt while Ishii wore the shirt made for their farewell.

The special costume Mei Suruga wears for her entrance included flashing lights. During an outside the ring brawl with MAO, Suruga put the costume back on and dived from one of the nearby counters. She landed her attack and MAO complained afterwards that he could have gotten an electric shock. He then wrapped the costume around his arm and hit Suruga with an Axe Bomber. Inside the ring Suruga tried to put on the Cattle Mutilation but MAO kept countering it, eventually putting her in the Wedding Clutch for the pinfall.

A surprise match between Minoru Fujita and DJ Nira took place that went awry after Nira knocked out Daisuke Kiso with his umbrella. When Kiso woke up and was provoked by Nira again, he declared he was adding himself to the match, making it a 3 Way. The three of them locked up and the room suddenly went dark. Then there was an announcement that Kiso had seriously injured his opponents and escaped, leaving the ring completely empty. There was then an announcment that a new life was suddenly born. A spotlight then shined over to Hoshitango wearing diapers and crying like a baby. Then there was another announcement, this one saying Sekimoto quietly passed away on the morning of his match against Takanashi 12 years ago.

There was a brief exchange back and forth of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title between Saki Akai and Ram Kaichow. When their match ended, Kaichow rolled up Akai and pinned her for the belt. Akai then attacked her with the Brahman Brothers’ suitcase. Yuko Miyamoto tried to rescue Kaichow but accidentaly Elbow Dropped her instead. Akai then pinned Kaichow to win back the title.

The wrestler called Emi Sakura W in the Gauntlet Tag match is Papillon Akemi pretending to be her. The gimmick has been used in Gatoh Move before.

The UMA Corps turned on Gota Ihashi after the dark match after Miyako Haru ordered Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen to attack him. KUDO came to the rescue, scared them off and told Ihashi the Ebisuko Tavern was now protected. Ihashi told KUDO he hasn’t given up on his dream of becoming the tavern’s manager. KUDO gave Ihashi a Buzzsaw Kick in response and Ihashi apologised for trying to overthrow his boss.


Nightingale In Japan, Pheromones Subjugation Squad, Matsuno Returns

October 25, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -OCTOBER-”, 26/10/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Soma Takao, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani Vs Yusuke Okada, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
3. Ω Vs DISASTER BOX!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. CDK Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
5. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku

Tomorrow’s show gives some of the D-Ou Grand Prix field more chances to prepare for the tournament. There are a few previews of upcoming group stage matches to look forward to here.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE MOUNTAIN TOP 2022”, 29/10/2022
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. Miyu Yamashita & Juria Nagano Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku Vs Mizuki, Suzume & Haruna Neko
4. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Arai Vs Hikari Noa & Arisu Endo
5. Yuka Sakazaki & Willow Nightingale Vs Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku
6. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Moka Miyamoto

Willow Nightingale touches down in Japan where Yuka Sakazaki is there waiting for her. Together the two of them will take on MakiYuki Happy in Osaka. Also coming along for some fun is Yoshiko Hasegawa from Ganbare☆Pro.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 OPENING ROUND”, 01/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata (w/ Akito)
1. Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
2. Joey Janela & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
3. Jun Akiyama Produce Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Ueno
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura Vs RSP
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs KANON
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino Vs Yukio Naya
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs MAO

Now that Pheromones have won the war against Sanshiro Takagi, it is up to Akito to protect DDT from their scandalous ways. Takagi has “graduated” from the feud and selected Akito to take his place as Captain of the Pheromones Subjugation Squad. Akito feels like he’s been in that position for a while anyway but agreed to the idea. He’s not wrestling on this show but will be accompanying the opposing team to make sure Pheromones don’t fall out of line.

GANBARE☆PRO “DIRTY HERO 2022”, 03/11/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Tsuyoshi Okada Vs Yuki Kanzaki
2. Mixed Tag Match: Ken Ohka & YuuRI Vs Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE
3. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Willow Nightingale & Moeka Haruhi
4. Kouki Iwasaki Send-Off Special Singles Match: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Dirty Hero 2022 Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao Vs Mizuki Watase & Toi Kojima
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura

Nightingale won’t just be at Tokyo Joshi Pro for this tour. She’s making a GanPro appearance too!

While Shuichiro Katsumura is in the main event championship match, his buddy Tsuyoshi Okada will also be at the show wrestling against Yuki Kanzaki in the opener.

BASARA “BASARA 203 ~GLITTER~”, 08/11/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – A Block Final: FUMA Vs Fuminori Abe
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – B Block Final: Masato Kamino Vs Yasu Urano
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block

The final rounds of the Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament are all set. Either FUMA, Fuminori Abe, Masato Kamino or Yasu Urano will end up standing on top of the mountain as BASARA’s strongest wrestler when all is said and done.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN OSAKA”, 12/11/2022
Osaka Edion Arena #2

0. Dark Match: Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Produce Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Aja Kong & HARASHIMA
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi (c) Vs Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Joey Janela
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs RSP
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MAO
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Yukio Naya

The new rookie Kazumi Sumi impressed with his debut match. Jae over at Dragongate revealed in a tweet that Sumi originally came from the dojo over there but dropped out. And that is how DDT is getting some of their new trainees. They start training at other companies, leave for whatever reason and end up over in DDT. Might be a little awkward if he bumps into Naruki Doi in the locker room then.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KYOTO”, 13/11/2022
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. Joey Janela, Makoto Oishi & Yuki Ishida Vs RSP, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Pheromones Vs DISASTER BOX!: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Naruki Doi & Akito Vs Hideki Okatani, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
4. Saki Akai Produce Match: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & HARASHIMA Vs Aja Kong, Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Naomi Yoshimura
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Chris Brookes
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya Vs KANON
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino Vs MAO

Doi’s next appearance in DDT will be in Kyoto where he’s teaming with Tetsuya Endo & Akito against three of DDT’s younger wrestlers.

One of the non-tournament matches will feature Joey Janela against Rickey Shane Page on opposite sides. Not sure if there’s still bad blood between the two over the GCW Vs 44OH! feud from not so long ago but they don’t even need that excuse to do something crazy together. They’ll be facing each other in the D-Ou GP a few days later anyway so plenty of chances for them to wreck each other.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ishida
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yuki Ueno
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela Vs RSP
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Naomi Yoshimura
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino

Last we heard from Gorgeous Matsuno he was in the early stages of preparations donating a kidney to his partner Junko Tashiro. He gave an update during the week that the kidney transplant has been delayed until next Spring. He explained in an interview that Tashiro’s recent blood tests showed she is in good health and her doctors suggested it might not be a good idea to get a transplant right away while her own kidneys are still functioning. The operation will have to happen eventually but right now Matsuno has been given extra time to go back to his different entertainment activities, including pro wrestling.

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki
2. Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Antonio Honda Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
3. Mei Suruga Vs MAO
4. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Masahiro Takanashi

A Team Drift reunion is on the cards over at Masahiro Takanashi’s show. He’s also added a bunch of teams to the Mixed Tag Gauntlet match. Takanashi has already apologised to Saki Akai for sticking her with the Brahman Brothers.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022
Tokyo Dome City Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X

It’s very likely that the D-Ou winner will challenge Kazusada Higuchi for the KO-D Openweight Title at the end of the year. Or if Higuchi wins the tournament then he will likely nominate his challenger.

Two outsiders have come to challenge Reiwa AA Cannon. The duo of Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata both have histories with Saki Akai but they are completely brand new opponents for Yuki Arai.


Kakuta Replacing Takase At Ganpro, Takeshita 10th Anniversary Full Card

August 18, 2022

I didn’t think I would have time this week to write up a preview for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. Turns out I did after all so it will be posted in a few hours time. I was going to hold out until tomorrow morning if there are any last minute changes but I can go back and edit it if that happens. The preview should be posted in the next hour or so.

GANBARE☆PRO “SANGERIA 2022”, 21/08/2022
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Sangeria 2022 Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Shota
2. Australia Vs Toyama Full-Scale Battle: Hartley Jackson Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
3. GanPro Specialty Special Mixed Tag Match: Onryo & YuuRI Vs MAO & HARUKAZE
4. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & Moeka Haruhi Vs Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa
5. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Soma Takao Vs Kouki Iwasaki, Mizuki Watase & Nobuihiro Shimatani

The main event now has Ken Ohka added to it as the replacement for the injured Yumehito Imanari. A contract signing for the upcoming Spirit Of Ganbare Title defence will still go ahead before the show with Hartley Jackson in attendance.

Miyuki Takase tested positive for covid and is off the show. Nao Kakuta hops over from Tokyo Joshi Pro to take her place. MAO is also added to Match #3 to take the spot Ohka left open.

DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022
Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center

1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
2. Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & X
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entre Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Korku Vs Akito Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Ilusion Vs El Unicorn
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Brahmin Brothers: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sanshiro
5. Tokyo Joshi Pro 3 Way Tag Offer Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo
6. Nobuyuki Onizawa’s Ochakan Radio Presents Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino
8. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki

The 10th Anniversary celebration for Konosuke Takeshita is bringing in a large 6-Man Tag Match of the heavyweight variety, a bonus match from TJPW, a Battle Royal for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and the return of the Brahman Brothers with a new member… Brahman Sanshiro?


GANBARE☆PRO “NEW YEAR SPECIAL! GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION” Results

January 10, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “NEW YEAR SPECIAL! GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION”, 10/01/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
110 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Hong Kong International Women’s Police Man defeated Hong Kong International Police Man with the Policewoman Dynamic (4:48).
2. New Year Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Keisuke Ishii & Taison Maeguchi when Shimatani pinned Maeguchi with a School Boy (8:52).
3. New Year’s Gift Battle Royal: HARUKAZE defeated Mizuki Watase by Ring Out (11:36).
Order Of Elimination: Yuna Manase, Kouki Iwasaki, Shuichiro Katsumura, Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga, Shota & Soma Takao, Moeka Haruhi, Mizuki Watase.
4. “Lion King” Ken Ohka 44 Year Old Commemorative Match ~44 Year Old Lions~: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei defeated Ken Ohka & Minoru Fujita when Kei pinned Ohka after Fujita hit Ohka with a suitcase (12:00).

He wasn’t able to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title earlier today but Ken Ohka was still in the party mood for the big match of this show. He wanted to celebrate being 44 years old with other wrestlers his age like Minoru Fujita and The Brahman Brothers went pear-shaped when Ohka and Fujita fought over who should use the Brahman’s suitcase as a weapon. Fujita got fed up and threw the suitcase right in Ohka’s face! The Brahmans pinned Ohka and Fujita stormed off with them. Ohka wasn’t upset though. He is still loving life at age 44. When told the fans when he turns 45 he wants to invite John Cena or Brock Lesnar over to Itabashi for a singles match!

The Battle Royal came down to HARUKAZE and Mizuki Watase fighting each other over the ropes and ring apron. Both of them fell down to the floor but HARUKAZE went through the middle ropes and was therefore never eliminated. That resulted in her winning the match and the cash prize of 100,000 yen! The rest of the participants chased her out of the ring all wanting the money for themselves.

Yuna Manase wasn’t there for the opening match and was replaced by the similar looking Hong Kong International Women’s Police Man. She arrested Hong Kong International Police Man after beating him and led him out of the ring in handcuffs.


“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIKOSHI! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2021

“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIKOSHI! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
655 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka Vs Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & Minoru Fujita ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
1a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rule: Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & Minoru Fujita defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka when Fujita pinned Ito with the Modified Samson Clutch (0:52).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo defeated Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa when Hashimoto submitted Aoki with the STF (9:06).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Sekifuda & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) when Takeshita pinned Kei with a Cradle (5:17).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie defeated Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Kasai when MAO pinned Akito with the Cannonball 450 (8:50).
5. MUSASHI, Daisuke Kanehira, Takafumi & Tatsuya Hanami defeated Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida when MUSASHI submitted Ishida with the Modified Sasorikatame (13:40).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo defeated Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & Minoru Fujita when Mashimo pinned Fujita with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (11:41).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen Vs MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
7a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rule: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen defeated MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie when Kamen pinned MAO with a Crushed La Magistral Cradle (0:44).
8. 3 Way Tag Match: Stan Kobayashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Jaki Numazawa & Antonio Honda Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kankuro Hoshino when Kobayashi pinned Hona with the Bakachinga Anal Elbow (14:21).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen when HARASHIMA pinned Kamen with the Somato (16:19).

The annual New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Tournament switched over to a trios format for the end of 2021. Each team consisted of a DDT wrestler, a Big Japan wrestler and a “Dream Slot” wrestler from another company or batch of freelancers.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

I’ll Do It!! Vs Three Brothers Kawaii

Fans didn’t have to wait long for the reveal of Chris Brookes & Takuya Nomura’s mystery partner. It was Minoru Fujita! Their combined cuteness went to a 10 minute stalemate against the rugged trio of Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka. In the final seconds Fujita hit Ito with the SAYONARA but time ran out before the pin. Sudden death overtime meant One Count Fall rules to win. Koshinaka misfired the Hip Attack and hit Ito by accident, allowing Fujita to get the 1 Count to win.

Ikemen’s Vs LEFTOVERS

Next up the team of Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa all walked out dressed and posing like Masahiro Chono. They continued the Chono tribute by locking in a Triple STF to HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo. They got a taste of their own medicine at the end when Hashimoto locked Aoki into his own version of the STF to win. He then encouraged his own team to do Chono’s pose.

Deadlifters Vs I Dream Of Twins, Lizards And Naomi

Things got weirder because next up was The Brahman Brothers entering the ring with Naomi Yoshimura & Kota Sekifuda behind them carrying stuffed toy lizards. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuji Okabayashi brought out chairs looking ready for a fight until they had powder thrown in their faces. Kuishinbo Kamen tried to help but couldn’t do much. Takeshita was given a Low Blow but found a way in his doubled over state to block a Sunset Flip and press down to get the three count.

Ugo Association Vs Team Saiyuki

Before this match began Shigehiro Irie and MAO shook hands to show that their problems are in the past and they can work together. Jun Kasai announced he created a new move and it is punching MAO a lot. MAO took a beating from Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Kasai but toughed it out so Yasufumi Nakanoue & Irie could come for the rescue. Akito then got singled out and fell to the trademark moves of his opponents.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

The buffer match after Round 1 brought together a mixture of wrestlers from across the indies. DDT & Big Japan were represented by their young generation of Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida. Their opponents were MUSASHI from Michinoku Pro, Daisuke Kanehira from HEAT-UP, Takafumi from ZERO1 & Tatsuya Hanami from 2AW. In the end MUSASHI picked up the win by making Ishida submit.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Three Brothers Kawaii Vs LEFTOVERS

The semi-finals had a tense start when Hashimoto and HARASHIMA declined to shake the other team’s hands. Fujita and Mashimo had a back and forth that ended with Fujita asking for a handshake only to get attacked. HARAHSIMA and Nomura got into a spirited kick-off and Fujita almost pinned Mashimo with the SAYONARA. The tables were turned when Fujita was hit with a Triple Super Kick and Mashimo pinned him with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster.

Deadlifters Vs Ugo Association

Kamen was targeted as the weak link in this match. While Takeshita & Okabayashi cancelled out Nakanoue & Irie the dying moments of the match fell down to Kamen and MAO. Kamen was caught in the Clothespin submission but held out for the last 30 seconds so the match could end in a draw. When Sudden Death began Kamen was quickly given more big blows but when MAO attempted La Magistral Cradle, Kamen blocked it and stole the win with the 1 Count fall.

3 Way Tag Match

The other non-tournament match brought the show back to weird territory. Danshoku Dieno jumped into the Hell Gate position, Kazuki Hirata started dancing, Kankuro Hoshino vanished to be replaced by Kenshiro Hoshino, then Abdullah Kobayashi disappeared and Stan Kobayashi took his place. To cap it all off, Jaki Numazawa left and returned as RoboCop! Antonio Honda was ready to finish the match but tripped and injured his knee. Kobayashi ended up using Dieno’s backside to charge up his Lariat arm and pin Honda with the Bakachinga Elbow.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

LEFTOVERS Vs Deadlifters

Poor old Kuishinbo Kamen has never won a tournament in his career. His run of luck in these things is so bad that back in Osaka Pro it was a known flaw that he would get eliminated early in their annual tournaments. By making it to the final, today could have finally been his day. Sadly it just wasn’t to be. He brought out some fun antics at the beginning but was there to win with his partners as the match heated up. Okabayashi floored HARASHIMA with a Lariat and Takeshita wiped out Hashimoto & Mashimo with a Topé. But HARASHIMA regained control of the match against Kamen and pinned him with the Somato to win the final.

The tournament winners celebrated and HARASHIMA said he felt good fortunes with his team this year. They were all the last people picked in the lottery draft which is why they called themselves LEFTOVERS in the first place. Hashimoto agreed and thinks it is a sign that the new year will be good to them. He’d like LEFTOVERS to team together for next year’s Shuffle Tag show but doesn’t know if that will happen. Mashimo credited all of the wrestlers involved for making today and exciting tournament and he invited all of them out for a group photo to end the show.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2021

MVP

1. Konosuke Takeshita
2. Takuya Nomura
3. Drew Parker
4. Takumi Tsukamoto
5. Jun Kasai

Best Bout

1. Takuya Nomura Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan, 18th October)
2. The Great Sasuke Vs Jinsei Shinzaki (Michinoku Pro, 4th June)
3. Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita (DDT, 21st August)
4. HARASHIMA Vs Yuji Okabayashi (DDT, 21st November)
5. Tetsu Inada Vs Shota Okamura (Hiragana Muscle, 1st September)

Best Unit

1. Pheromones
2. Astronauts
3. Speed Of Sounds
4. The 37KAMIINA
5. E.R.E

Best Box Office

1. Hiragana Muscle @ Korakuen Hall, 1st September
2. DDT @ Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki, 21st August
3. CyberFight Festival @ Saitama Super Arena, 6th June
4. Big Japan @ Sapporo Chateraise Gateaux Kingdom, 20th September
5. Masahiro Takanashi Produce @ Shinjuku FACE, 1st August

Best Newcomer

1. Drew Parker
2. Tomoya Hirata
3. Yumehito Imanari
4. Tetsu Inada
5. Kosuke Sato


New Year’s Eve Trios Teams

November 16, 2021

“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
2. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
3. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
4. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
5. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
6. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
7. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Team Saiyuki – Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Kasai
Ikemen’s – Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa
I Dream Of Twins, Lizards And Naomi – Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Sekifuda & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu)
Three Brothers Kawaii – Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & X
I’ll Do It!! – Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka
Deadlifters – Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen
Ugo Association – MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie
LEFTOVERS – HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo

A draw was held to determine the eight teams competing in the trios tournament. Each trio also came up with team names for themselves. The most notable team is Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen. They are calling themselves Deadlifters because they claim that is what they all have in common. Takeshita can deadlift 250kg, Okabayashi can lift 300kg and Kamen they guess can probably lift 50kg. Also Takeshita and Okabayashi are currently neck and neck fighting for a spot in the D-Ou Grand Prix final. Kamen is counting on his partners to win the matches without him getting involved.

There are some powerful teams put together. Maybe the strongest was formed entirely out of luck. HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo were all the last ones left in their pools so they came up with LEFTOVERS as their team name. Mashimo is happy with who he ended up with so he doesn’t care about being picked last.

Akito feels indebted to Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Kasai because early in his career he worked with Big Japan (he was trained by BJW wrestler Hakaru Imai) and they were his seniors.

The annual NTV new year’s comedy show has been cancelled so Shuji Ishikawa now has time to concentrate on the tournament. Soma Takao is looking forward to teaming with him again. Yuya Aoki thinks all three of them have nothing in common. He believes they can have something in common by becoming tournament winners together.

One team is a reunion of sorts. Naomi Yoshimura and Brahman Kei were on the same team for the 2019 tournament but Brahman Shu was absent with the flu. Now the three of them are together with Kota Sekifuda as the missing piece of the puzzle. They used the song “I Dream Of Naomi” for their entrance in 2019 and Kei wants to reference that again. That is why their team is called I Dream Of Twins, Lizards And Naomi.

Chris Brookes and Takuya Nomura were opponents at the tournament two years ago. There is no heat between them, instead they both think they are cute. The third member of their team is the mystery wrestler and they are sure that wrestler is cute too. Therefore they are Three Brothers Kawaii!

Having the legendary Shiro Koshinaka on their team will encourage Kazusada Higuchi & Ryuji Ito to Hip Attack their way to victory. Higuchi is honoured to team with the two veterans. Ito thinks the team has other specialties but they should win the tournament with the Hip Attack.

There is another team with nothing in common and even worse, none of the members can find anything positive about that. MAO and Shigehiro Irie never got along. MAO describes their relationship as a Cold War that Yasufumi Nakanoue is now in the middle in as a neutral party. He hopes nothing gets bad enough for Nakanoue to press the nuclear button. All Nakanoue can promise is that the team will make things work.

There will be two non-tournament matches also happening on the show.