BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 22/08/2025 The Social House, Makati, Philippines ??? Fans
1. International Dream Match: Crystal & Robin Sane defeated Patricia Ligaia & Dr. Gore (?:??).
2. 3 Way Match: Nigel San Jose defeated Saint John Martin and Danny Zamora when San Jose pinned Martin with a Hot Dog Assisted Knee Strike (?:??).
3. Fabio Makisig defeated El Katipunero (?:??).
4. International Dream Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Jake De Leon & Isaiah Valencia when Masada pinned Valencia with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (?:??).
It was difficult finding detailed results for the show but the website SEA Wrestling came into clutch by having at least the winners and losers of each match recorded. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada (plus Bunbun too) brought along the authentic Baka Gaijin + Friends experience to Manila. In the main event they slammed the 2pc Chicken Boys of Jake De Leon & Isaiah Valencia through stacks of plastic boxes before Masada pinned Valencia with his finisher.
Apparently one of the wrestling storylines going on in the Philippines involved Yappy’s wrestling gear going missing. Patricia Ligaia showed up to her match wearing the outfit and admitted to stealing it.
DDT “DRAMATIC BEER GARDEN NEVERLAND IN UENO – DAY 1”, 14/08/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. 30th August DDT Extreme Title Match 20 Life Points For The Winner: Yuki Ueno & To-y defeated Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato when To-y pinned Koroku with the Kojima Impact (9:23). *To-y wins Yuya Koroku’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
2. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno (Yukio Naya) defeated Yukio Naya (Danshoku Dieno) with the Danshoku Driver (12:32).
3. 3 Way Match: MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Akito and Kazuki Hirata when MAO pinned Akito with a Brainbuster (8:53).
4. Blindfold Hidden Breast 4 Way Death Match: KANON defeated Yuki Iino, HARASHIMA and Kazuma Sumi when KANON stripped off Iino’s bra (13:44).
5. Captain No Drink No Tag Elimination Two Count Fall Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida (14:00).
5a. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Naomi Yoshimura with a School Boy (8:58).
5b. Ryota Nakatsu eliminated Daisuke Sasaki with a Body Press (9:22).
5c. Hideki Okatani eliminated Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu with a Double Cradle (11:12).
5d. Yuki Ishida eliminated Hideki Okatani with a Cradle (11:17).
5e. Yuki Ishida eliminated MJ Paul with a Cradle (12:47).
5f. Ilusion eliminated Yuki Ishida with an Inside Cradle (12:47).
6. Takeshi Masada’s 3rd Anniversary Match ~ 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match: Takeshi Masada defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Bunbun when Masada pinned Honda with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (18:40).
Today’s main event was supposed to be celebrating the 3rd Anniversary of Takeshi Masada’s debut match. However plans slightly changed and he had to fight the rest of SCHADENFREUDE International by himself. That’s right, Bunbun didn’t want to team with him, he wanted to fight him instead. So Bunbun sided with Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda for a 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match against Masada. It was Bunbun’s debut wrestling match but the puppet ended up storming off after three missed attacks from Brookes hit him by mistake. Honda came up with an idea to bring him back by leading the others in the Bunbun Resurrection Dance. It succeeded too well because suddenly Bunbun emerged from under the ring in a second, more human sized form! He attacked everyone using John Cena’s moveset until SCHADENFREUDE all ganged up on him and forced him out of the ring. Bunbun later returned in his normal form but injured his knee in an attempted dive. It was all so he could do a Gongitsune spot with Honda. Masada evaded the attack and ended up beating Honda with his finisher. Masada thanked the others for having such a fun match with him on this anniversary and Bunbun talked about how much fun pro wrestling is.
The stipulation of the Elimination Tag Match was that every time there was a 1 Count kickout or a rope escape, everyone got to drink a cup of beer except for the team captains Yuki Ishida and MJ Paul. So nearly everyone in Harimao and DAMNATION T.A got drunk quickly while Ishida and Paul tried to take the match seriously.
Yukio Naya knows what always happens when you wrestle Danshoku Dieno so he wanted to embrace it. However Dieno didn’t want to give him the Lip Lock because he doesn’t think Naya is cute looking. He was apologetic over it and the two ended up clashing heads with each other after HARASHIMA accidently pushed them together. Naya and Dieno ended up switching bodies and now Dieno (in Naya’s body) gathered the urge to Lip Lock Naya (in Dieno’s body). He put on the Danshoku tights, did the Lip Lock and won the match with the Danshoku Driver. He then ran around ringside chasing after the ringside attendents. Later in the show Naya (in Dieno’s body) appeared during the Blindfold Bra match wearing his wrestling outfit.
Both To-y and Yuya Koroku are currently trying to farm as many life points as they can for their DDT Extreme Title match on 30th August. Life Points are mostly earned from social media posts getting lots of views but it also turns out they can be wagered too. To-y had 10 LP going into today’s show while Koroku had 12 so the two agreed to gamble 10 points each on their match in the opener. To-y beat Koroku directly to win the match for his team so not only did he win 10 extra LP, he also won Koroku’s Right To Challenge Arm Cover! Having caught the gambling bug, To-y then challenged Koroku to a double or nothing game of Rock Paper Scissors. He won that too but then kept asking for more rematches so he could reach his goal of 100 Life Points! Unfortunately his luck ran out and Koroku finally won a game. As a result both of them have reset their LP to 0 and will go back to social media to start farming LP again.
Originally I was only going to write a little bit about GCW’s latest tour of Japan in my monthly DDT Around The World series because there was only a handful of DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro talent taking part and not even on every show. However plans changed when Masha Slamovich and Microman were both unable to travel to Japan, opening spots up for DDT and TJPW wrestlers to get booked for the shows on short notice. So since there was a lot more to write about, I had to put them in their own post.
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT SHINJUKU FACE”, 28/07/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans
1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Alec Price & Jordan Oliver (c) defeated Effy & Dark Sheik when Price pinned Sheik after a Flapjack/Facecrusher Combo (11:48). *V12 for YDNP.
2. Drew Parker defeated Shotzi Blackheart with the Swanton Bomb (6:48).
3. Jeffrey John defeated Kikutaro with the Pedigree (10:06).
4. MAO defeated Atticus Cogar after a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb Combo with Drew Parker (12:38).
5. Kazusada Higuchi defeated 1 Called Manders with the Claw Slam (14:01).
6. GCW Ultraviolent Title: Matt Tremont (c) defeated Super Crazy with the Death Valley Driver onto a Table (12:07). *V16 for Matt Tremont.
GCW put together an inter-promotional champion versus champion match. 1 Called Manders was supposed to face Slamovich for the JCW World Title but that match was cancelled. Instead Manders brought along the wXw Unified World Wrestling Title to fight Kazusada Higuchi, the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion in a non-title bout. The two made sure to beat the hell out of each other including a moment at ringside where Higuchi Suplexed Manders onto the exposed floor. The damage done prevented Manders from doing a Gutwrench move later in the match, allowing Higuchi to take over with the Doctor Bomb. But Manders got right back up, Chopped Higuchi in the stomach and pulled off the Gutwrench Suplex on the next attempt. A back and forth series of Chops and Headbutts led to Higuchi reaching out for the Claw Hold but Manders bit his hand instead. A big Lariat from Manders got a two count but Higuchi rocked him back with his own Lariat and used the Claw Slam to get the win. After the match Manders offered to hand the KO-D Title back to Higuchi as a show of respect. Higuchi decided to do the same with the wXw Title.
Opposite attitudes clashed in the ring when MAO fought Atticus Cogar one on one. MAO came into the match wearing shades and a bright orange shirt for the summer while Cogar was all business with no time for dealing with his opponent’s nonsense. When MAO wiggled his way around a Waist Lock, Cogar pulled out his bundle of skewers. The ref took the skewers off him but Cogar pulled another bundle later in the match and threatened the ref when they were taken off him again. MAO ran in to try and stop Atticus but he missed a Big Boot and accidentally knocked the ref out instead! Cogar successfully jabbed MAO in the head with the skewers and then attack him with a chair. Then he suddenly pulled out a dart and was about to stab MAO with it when Drew Parker ran into the ring and stopped him. MAO and Parker then teamed up on Cogar, giving him a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb Combo. MAO was able to pin him while the revived ref counted to three.
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT TOKYO SQUARE”, 29/07/2025 TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi ??? Fans
1. Shota defeated Jeffrey John with a School Boy (8:17).
2. Hideyoshi Kamitani defeated 1 Called Manders with a Back Drop (11:29).
3. MAO, Alec Price & Jordan Oliver defeated Miyu Yamashita, Dark Sheik & Shotzi Blackheart when Price pinned Sheik after a Double Impaler DDT (15:19).
4. Atticus Cogar defeated Drew Parker with the Headlock Driver (8:32).
5. GCW World Title: Effy (c) defeated Abdullah Kobayashi with the Diving Sack Rider (14:34). *V25 for Effy.
6. GCW Ultraviolent Title: Matt Tremont (c) defeated Masashi Takeda with the Death Valley Driver into a box of Lighttubes (12:07). *V17 for Matt Tremont.
Slamovich’s absence meant Miyu Yamashita was called in to team with Dark Sheik & Shotzi Blackheart. As for their opponents, you already have Alec Price & Jordan Oliver as YDNP so add MAO to the mix and you get YDNPM (Young Dumb ‘N Price MAO)! Yamashita hit Price with the Skull Kick at one point but Price got one back on her by hitting a Rebound Lariat. MAO then took out Yamashita & Blackheart with a Quebrada outside the ring into the aisleway. YDNP then finished Sheik off with a Double Impaler DDT for the victory.
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT KORAKUEN HALL”, 30/07/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans
1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Alec Price & Jordan Oliver (c) defeated MAO & Rina Yamashita when Price pinned Yamashita after the Double Impaler DDT (?:??). *V13 for YDNP.
2. Atticus Cogar defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Headlock Driver (?:??).
3. Dark Sheik, Yoshihiko & Jeffrey John defeated Invisible Stan, Shota & Kikutaro when Sheik pinned Shota with the Diving Leg Drop (?:??).
4. Jun Akiyama defeated 1 Called Manders with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (?:??).
5. Maki Itoh defeated Shotzi Blackheart with a Crab Hold (12:29).
6. Chris Brookes defeated Drew Parker with two Praying Mantis Bombs (23:16).
7. GCW World Title: Effy (c) defeated Matt Tremont with the Diving Sack Rider onto the Chairs (21:34). *V26 for Effy.
One of the big matches of the finale in Korakuen Hall was Chris Brookes being in the ring again with Drew Parker. This was the first match together in over two years after Parker left Japan to return home. Parker was busted open early when they brawled up the aisleway and Brookes rammed a table into his face. Parker knocked Brookes onto the table then fought off Takeshi Masada who was there as a cornerman. He had Bunbun with him so Parker grabbed Bunbun, climbed the nearby entrance and did a Diving Body Press to Brookes through the table! Brookes later did a Diving Senton to Parker sending both of them crashing into a stack of plastic boxes in the ring. After a long hard fought battle Brookes started giving Parker different kinds of Piledrivers. There was a Tombstone, then a Snap Piledriver, then a top rope Praying Mantis Bomb. Parker kept kicking out though and tried to show whatever defiance he still had left in him. Brookes then gave him two more Praying Mantis Bombs and Parker was finally down for the three count. The two embraced after the match.
Maki Itoh took part in last year’s GCW tour with a hand injury so in a kind of funny turn of events she took on Shotzi Blackheart who was going through the same thing for this year’s tour. At one point during the match Itoh went into the crowd because she noticed Shoko Nakajima and Miu Watanabe sitting on the bleachers as spectators. Back in the ring there was a strike exchange with Itoh no selling strikes to the head while Blackheart no sold Low Blows. When Blackheart got the upper hand, Itoh pulled out a pizza cutter and attacked her with it. Blackheart went for a Running Knee Strike but Itoh rolled her over into a Crab Hold, increasing the pressure until Blackheart gave up.
If anyone had a hard hitting three days of wrestling it was Manders. His third and final singles match of a tour was a dream come true for him because he got to fight Jun Akiyama. Much like the Higuchi match, both men hit and slammed each other as hard as they could until one reached their limit. That happened when Akiyama gave Manders the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex. Manders gave Akiyama the horns up hand sign after the match and Akiyama replied in kind.
Throughout the tour a grudge developed between Jeffrey John and Kikutaro. It led to Kikutaro costing John a match against Shota and then brought Dark Sheik into the picture to even the playing field. Kikutaro was meant to fight Dark Sheik & Yoshihiko on this show with Microman as his partner. Plans changed so he decided to call in the big guns and invite Invisible Stan to team with him and Shota! Stan’s biggest impact in the match was to do the Korakuen balcony dive onto everyone down below! Back in the ring John landed a Plancha to Kikutaro, Yoshihiko gave Shota a Tornado DDT and Sheik then pinned him with the Diving Leg Drop.
The match Yamashita was scheduled to take part in was a singles bout with Atticus Cogar. Nowadays whenever Yamashita takes part in GCW she gets more and more into the wilder wrestling style of the company compared to TJPW. The same was seen here when she briefly stopped Cogar from using a chair by kicking it apart! The frame was still in one piece so it remained to be used as a weapon by both. Cogar pulled out the skewers but it was Yamashita who jabbed them into his head rather than the other way around! However Cogar recovered and gave her the Air Raid Crash. Yamashita kicked out of it but Cogar immediately rolled it into the Headlock Driver to win the match.
MAO and YDNP became opponents for the final show of the tour. The opening match was a GCW Tag Team Titles bout with MAO joining up with Rina Yamashita as Slamovich’s replacement to challenge the champions. They came close to winning when MAO hit a Frog Splash and Yamashita did a Diving Body Press on Price but Oliver made it in time to break the pin. MAO ran up the corner to do a Jumping Cutter but Price cut him off in midair with a Super Kick. With MAO out of the picture, YDNP were then able to beat Yamashita with the Double Impaler DDT.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “FUCKED UP FEST 2025”, 03/08/2025 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR ??? Fans
1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Kota Sekifuda with the Praying Mantis Bomb (?:??).
2. Baliyan Akki & Sayaka defeated Jonathan Johnson & Sayaka Obihiro when Sayaka pinned Obihiro with the Roll Cake (?:??).
3. Special Handicap Match: Mr. Malo & Mr. Bueno defeated Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Karate Brahman when Bueno pinned Karata with a Cradle (?:??).
4. Special Single Match: Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino with a Rolling Cradle Reversal (?:??).
5. Baka Gakusei Wars: Kota Ibushikoshi defeated Ashikoki Saiko and Megalodon Masuda when Ibushikoshi pinned Saiko with a Spinning Headscissor Driver (?:??).
6. Special Single Match: MAO defeated K4PY with the Osaka Rinkai Upper (?:??).
7. Triple Threat Match: Hagane Shinno defeated Antonio Honda and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Shinno pinned Honda with a Standing Moonsault (?:??).
8. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada defeated Gabai Ji-chan with a Crab Hold (?:??).
9. Hardcore 6-Man Tag: Chris Brookes, MAO & Ryuichi Sekine defeated Dark King Ueki, Munek & Princess Ram when MAO pinned Munek with the Package Piledriver through a Table (?:??).
Hi, it’s me from the future again. Just like with the first “FUCKED UP FEST” I got the DVD and can finally write up the results of this show two months after it happened. The main event featured interference when Ueki’s Magic Kingdom summoned Megalodon Masuda to attack the other team. MAO called upon Tyrannosaurus Morozumi to rescue them but the dinosaur ended up attacking both teams. Shunma Katsumata then saved the day by attacking both monsters with a bundle of skewers, puncturing their costumes. His thanks for saving the day was Dark King Ueki breaking a plastic box over his head. Princess Ram Power Bombed Chris Brookes through a plastic box with the help from her teammates but Ryuichi Sekine broke the pin. A table was brought out and Ueki used the magic wand to cast a spell on MAO. However Brookes stopped Ueki and snapped the wand in half. A recovered MAO was then able to put Munek through a table with a Package Piledriver to win the match.
Takeshi Masada was about to beat Gabai Ji-chan with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki but Antonio Honda yelled at him to take it easy on his opponent so the old man wouldn’t get injured. Masada did what Honda said and performed his finisher slow and gently. But that meant the move had no effect and Ji-chan quickly tried to Cradle Masada for a nearfall. He then went for a Hurricanrana but Masada blocked the move and countered it into a Crab Hold to make Ji-chan submit. Masada lost his temper and kept Ji-chan in the submission hold after the match until he calmed down and let go.
All members of the band Daisetz were present for the Triple Threat match involving the three wrestlers in their group. Antonio Honda went a little crazy using Gongitsune. After he hit Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi with the move, he missed Hagane Shinno and accidentally hit one of the band members instead. The masked member got revenge by Dropkicking Honda and giving him a Kneeling Danshoku Driver (it wasn’t Danshoku Dieno under the mask). Shinno then did a Standing Moonsault on Honda and pinned him.
MAO and K4PY kept drinking beer during their match and would constantly strike each other in the stomach until one of them spat their beer out. MAO won that battle then used his Shikaku powers to withstand K4PY’s attacks. However K4PY eventually broke through MAO’s defences and got him to spit out his beer. MAO had to do a somersault dive from the stage to put L4PY in danger and then hit a Running Palm Strike to get the win.
During Match #5 Megalodon Masuda ended up having a wardrobe malfunction revealing that it was a human wearing a shark costume this whole time. Kota Ibushikoshi then disappeared only to run back into the room wearing a T-Rex outfit to launch a surprise attack on Ashikoki Saiko. He was stripped out of the costume too but he went on to win the match anyway.
The Munetatsu Nakamura versus Tatsuhiko Yoshino match broke out into song halfway through when Nakamura decided to go onto stage and sing for everyone. Yoshino tried to take the microphone from him but couldn’t. As the match went on, both of them sneezed so hard that the back of their trunks both fell down. Yoshino tried to strip Nakamura completely but Nakamura reversed the position and succeeded in pulling Yoshino’s trunks completely down instead. Yoshino kept trying to fight while hiding his shame and even used a Rolling Cradle for a nearfall but Nakamura reversed that to get the three count.
The Brahman Brothers brought along Karate Brahman to give them the numbers advantage against Mr. Malo & Mr. Bueno. To even the odds, Bueno said he had a friend to help him out. He called over Kota Sekifuda but he isn’t the friend he was talking about. Sekifuda brought out a sack and pulled a living snake out of it! Karate Brahman decided to fight the snake and dared Sekifuda to place it in his trunks. He later had some kind of rotten paste accidentaly rubbed on his face by the other Brahmans, leading Bueno to roll him up for the win while trying to withstand the smell.
Bunbun took part in some interference for the opening match, slightly helping Chris Brookes to beat up Kota Sekifuda. However Sekifuda brought out a ladder and did a Frog Splash from the top of it. Unfortunately for him, Brookes blocked it with his knees and kept pressuring him with moves until he pinned him with the Praying Mantis Bomb. The two shared beers after the match.
Former DDT ring announcer Ken Kato worked the role for this show. He was fired from DDT in February 2024 and as far as I know had only worked a couple of wrestling related gigs since then.
The Texas tour is just a sweet memory now and it’s one that will be looked back on fondly. Unless the financial details say otherwise it has to be seen as a resounding success. One that could open some eyes around the industry. Tokyo Joshi Pro being the first ones in joshi to find a way to break into the American market even a little bit should highlight the audience that’s out there. It’s the nerd crowd, the otaku crowd, the anime crowd, whatever you want to call them. I always thought it would be a slam dunk for Bushiroad to strike up a deal with Crunchyroll to localize the weekly episodes of “We Are STARDOM!!” for their streaming service. The sudden explosion of global popularity for Uma Musume last month had me gesturing wildly thinking CyberFight should go talk to Cygames and do something. Then I was told such an idea is completely off the table, at least in regards to crossing over with that franchise in particular. I’m just saying maybe Wrestle Angels or Ring☆Dream can come back to life as a licensed product.
The rest of the summer feels like it will be a calm one for this series. Konosuke Takeshita is busy with the G1 Climax in Japan and the whispers have been unusually loud this time around suggesting that he is going to play a big role for the rest of New Japan’s year. I wonder where that’s coming from (Rocky Romero I am looking in your direction). Maki Itoh won’t be travelling back to America after all and I’m hoping there isn’t anything to worry about regarding that. The few bookings we know about happening in the next month or two mostly surround the Asian wrestling scene.
One more note, I was originally going to write about the GCW Japan tour in this post which is why the partial results are included at the end. However the shows wound up featuring a lot more DDT and TJPW talent than planned because some of the GCW wrestlers were unable to travel. So I will write a separate, more detailed post over the weekend covering those shows then linked them back here.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 02/07/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Heroes Vs Villains: Bandido, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Nicolas Jackson & Matthew Jackson
Video starts at 2:02:42 for the match JCW “BORN (ALMOST) ON THE FOURTH OF JULY”, 06/07/2025 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Billie Starkz & Miyu Yamashita Vs Lena Cross & Megan Bayne
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 09/07/2025 Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas, USA
1. Bandido & Brody King Vs Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 11/07/2025 Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. Interim ROH Women’s World TV Title – Worldwide Wild Card 4 Way: Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Persephone Vs Mina Shirakawa
2. ROH World Title: Bandido (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “ALL IN TEXAS”, 12/07/2025 Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match: Mark Briscoe Vs MJF Vs Ricochet Vs Bandido Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mistico Vs Josh Alexander Vs Anthony Bowens Vs Roderick Strong Vs Brody King Vs Juice Robinson Vs Kota Ibushi Vs Beast Mortos Vs Max Caster
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 02/07/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Heroes Vs Villains: Konosuke Takeshita, Nicolas Jackson & Matthew Jackson defeated Bandido, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly when Takeshita pinned O’Reilly with the Raging Fire (11:53).
Takeshita has done a sponsored match or two during his time in DDT so him being part of a match to promote the new Superman movie isn’t out of the ordinary for him. Having Roderick Strong use him as a Backbreaker device for Matthew Jackson though? That is out of the ordinary. His main target was Bandido so once Strong and Kyle O’Reilly were taken care of by The Young Bucks, Bandido was in a lot of trouble. He was caught by Takeshita and held in place for Nicholas Jackson to be launched into the air and then spike him down with Takeshita’s Bastard Driver. The Paragon pair came to the rescue and fought off the Bucks but O’Reilly was weakened with Super Kicks and knocked out by Takeshita’s Elbow Strike. More damage was done with an Powerdrive Knee/EVP Trigger combo and Takeshita then pinned him with the Raging Fire.
BZW “LES JEUX SONT FAITS”, 05/07/2025 Casino Barrière de Lille, Lille, France
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Danny Black & Joe Lando when MAO pinned Black with the Cannonball 450 (?:??). *V6 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
It looks like no one in Europe can stop the combined powers of MAO & Yoshihiko, not even two Close Personal Friends. Yoshihiko went into the match already bandaged up to cover a head wound and took a heavy beating late in the match when Danny Black & Joe Lando put the boots to it. The damage looked to be too much and Yoshihiko had to be carried to the back due to injury concerns. However it reappeared up in the rafters above the ring and did a huge dive onto CPF below! Yoshihiko then went crazy doing Infinite Destroyers to both Black & Lando but the challengers got a second wind and both went to the top rope for one last big chance. But Yoshihiko leapt right up to them and did a Double Hurricanrana. MAO then did the Cannonball 450 out of nowhere onto Black while Yoshihiko held back Lando during the pinfall. With that result MAO & Yoshihiko remain the BZW Tag Team Champions.
GCW “THE TOP PLAY”, 05/07/2025 The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
1. Alec Price, Jordan Oliver & Marcus Mathers defeated Miyu Yamashita, Megan Bayne & Billie Starkz when Price pinned Starkz after an Inverted Razor’s Edge from Oliver (18:54).
Miyu Yamashita’s final weekend with GCW before returning to TJPW turned into a memorable one. She was part of a barnburner of a 6-Person Tag match that was getting recommended outside of the usual accounts that GCW would retweet just because they say nice things about the show. This was actually a great match! Billie Starkz and Jordan Oliver tried pinning each other with a back and forth Sunset Flip spot with Yamashita and Alec Price standing on opposite sides to kick them into the alternating pins. They then knocked each other down with stereo High Kicks. With Starkz & Yamashita busy against YDNP, that left Marcus Mathers and Megan Bayne to fight each other. Bayne countered a Tombstone into a Tombstone Destroyer but that would be her team’s last big move. YDNP took over from there, wiping everyone out with high risk moves. It ended with Price giving Bayne the 720 DDT, Mathers hitting the 450 Splash on Yamashita and Oliver dropped Starks from the turnbuckle to the middle of the ring with an Inverted Razor’s Edge.
JCW “BORN (ALMOST) ON THE FOURTH OF JULY”, 06/07/2025 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Billie Starkz & Miyu Yamashita defeated Lena Cross & Megan Bayne when Starkz pinned Cross with the Swanton Bomb (12:37).
It’s a shame that Starkz & Yamashita never got the chance to fight for the GCW Tag Team Titles but at least they got a win as a team under their belts. Bayne was on the opposite side for this match, teaming with Lena Kross, an Australian wrestler who very recently has become a free agent to watch out for. Yamashita knocked down Kross with the Skull Kick and Starkz took out Bayne with a Hurricanrana followed by a Suicide Dive. With nowhere to go, Kross was given the Attitude Adjustment by Yamashita and was then pinned with the Swanton Bomb by Starkz.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 09/07/2025 Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas, USA
1. Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Bandido & Brody King when Takeshita pinned Bandido with the Raging Fire (13:19).
The go home match before Bandido and Takeshita’s big title fight was another successful showing for Protoshita. As usual Brody King turned out to be a troublesome opponent to deal with. That’s until he charged right into a security barrier at ringside and Kyle Fletcher then Big Booted him into the front row. Bandido used Takeshita’s momentum to do a top rope Moonsault onto Fletcher outside. However his big dive back into the ring was met with an Elbow Strike by Takeshita followed by the Raging Fire.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON NIGHT 1 PRESENTED BY NEXTSHARK & QUERI”, 10/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA 415 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Miu Watanabe defeated Wakana Uehara with the Canadian Backbreaker (7:24).
2. Yuki Arai defeated Kaylia Capri with the Scorpion Death Lock (7:35).
3. 3 Way Match: Vert Vixen defeated Yuki Kamifuku and Raku when Vixen pinned Raku with the Blue Thunder Bomb (7:08).
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki when Suzume pinned Suzuki with the Ring A Bell (8:28).
5. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Skull Kick (14:00).
6. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Mizuki & Pom Harajuku when Misao pinned Harajuku with the I Am A Hero (11:39).
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 11/07/2025 Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. Interim ROH Women’s World TV Title – Worldwide Wild Card 4 Way: Mina Shirakawa defeated Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki and Persephone when Shirakawa submitted Yamashita with the Figure 4 Leg Lock (13:47). *Mina Shirakawa becomes the Interim ROH Women’s World TV Champion!
2. ROH World Title: Bandido (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with an Inside Cradle (29:25). *V3 for Bandido.
Match of the weekend? I’d argue so. After weeks of preview tag matches it was finally time for Bandido and Takeshita to fight tooth and nail over the ROH World Title. They did not disappoint. Takeshita thought he had it by setting up the Raging Fire that he used to pin Bandido just a few days earlier but this time Bandido countered it into a Small Package to get the three count and remain champion. I’ll take those five and 3/4 stars if nobody else wants them, thank you very much!
Welcome back 2019 TJPW it’s like you never left. There’s always something convoluted going on with a championship in Tony Khan’s universe. This time it surrounds the ROH Women’s World TV Title. The champion Red Velvet was not cleared to wrestle at the PPV so Khan decided to book a Worldwide 4 Way Match to crown an interim champion. And by worldwide he means three Japanese women and Persephone from Texas. Oh and those three Japanese women happen to be Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa who all have history with each other from TJPW. I even had to go back and check if Persephone appeared on a “TJPW INSPIRATION” show in the past (she hasn’t). It all turned out to be Shirakawa’s big night in the end. She gave Yamashita a rare submission loss by making her tap out to the Figure 4 Leg Lock. She’s now the Interim ROH Women’s TV Champion and will no doubt have a unification match with Red Velvet down the line. Ok, maybe there’s some doubt. These things are often an avoidable mess that are somehow made unavoidable.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON NIGHT 2 PRESENTED BY NEXTSHARK & QUERI”, 11/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA 415 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Wakana Uehara defeated Shino Suzuki with the Banana Pillow (6:44).
2. Arisu Endo defeated Kaylia Capri with the Ju no Okite (7:35).
3. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Pom Harajuku with the Famouser (5:31).
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Miu Watanabe & Vert Vixen when Nakajima pinned Watanabe with the Locomotion Northern Lights Suplex (11:39).
5. Maki Itoh defeated Raku with the Itoh Deluxe (8:23).
6. Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto defeated Mizuki & Suzume when Miyamoto pinned Suzume with the Korokan (14:03).
AEW “ALL IN TEXAS”, 12/07/2025 Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match: MJF defeated Roderick Strong after the Jay Driller from Mark Briscoe (34:52). Order Of Entries: Mark Briscoe, MJF, Ricochet, Bandido, Konosuke Takeshita, Mistico, Josh Alexander, Anthony Bowens, Roderick Strong, Brody King, Juice Robinson, Kota Ibushi, Beast Mortos and Max Caster
The last AEW thing Takeshita did before travelling off to the G1 was appear in the Casino Gauntlet match at “ALL IN TEXAS”. He entered right after Bandido so they continued where they left off from the night before. Then when Josh Alexander entered the match he and Takeshita pretty much annihilated Ricochet with a Doomsday Knee Strike. Kota Ibushi also showed up as a late entry which was nice of him. Neither he nor Takeshita were part of the finish though so they both left the match empty handed.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS PRESENTED BY NEXTSHARK & QUERI”, 13/07/2025 The OC, Forney, Texas, USA 2,540 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara when Suzume pinned Uehara with the Ring A Bell (10:24).
2. Moka Miyamoto defeated Alejandra Quintanilla with the Korokan (5:52).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki when Raku pinned Suzuki with the Doctor Yellow (10:43).
4. Yuki Arai defeated Maya World with the Finally (7:04).
5. Miu Watanabe defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Tear Drop (16:12).
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Billie Starkz defeated Miyu Yamashita & Vert Vixen when Sakazaki pinned Vixen with an Oklahoma Roll (20:36).
7. Special Single Match: Mizuki defeated Maki Itoh with the Cutie Special (17:13).
SETUP “UNDER PRESSURE”, 26/07/2025 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Title – 3 Way Match: Jonathan Johnson (c) defeated Chris Brookes and Andruew Tang when Johnson pinned Tang with the Swanton Bomb (?:??). *V1 for Jonathan Johnson.
There’s some new alliances being made over in Thailand. Chris Brookes went over to take part in a 3 Way Match for the IWA Japan SETUP World Title. However he failed to win the match and was left out in the cold while Jonathan Johnson pinned Andruew Tang to retain his championship. It was the aftermath that became newsworthy when Tang’s group Real Global Threat arrived to attack the SETUP roster (Ram Kaichow included among them)! Together Brookes and RGT beat Johnson to a bloody pulp and ended the show threatening to take over the company.
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT SHINJUKU FACE”, 28/07/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. MAO defeated Atticus Cogar after a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb Combo with Drew Parker (12:38).
2. Kazusada Higuchi defeated 1 Called Manders with the Claw Slam (14:01).
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT KORAKUEN HALL”, 30/07/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Alec Price & Jordan Oliver (c) defeated MAO & Rina Yamashita when Price pinned Yamashita after the Double Impaler DDT (?:??). *V13 for YDNP.
2. Atticus Cogar defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Headlock Driver (?:??).
3. Dark Sheik, Yoshihiko & Jeffrey John defeated Invisible Stan, Shota & Kikutaro when Sheik pinned Shota with the Diving Leg Drop (?:??).
4. Jun Akiyama defeated 1 Called Manders with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (?:??).
5. Maki Itoh defeated Shotzi Blackheart with a Crab Hold (12:29).
6. Chris Brookes defeated Drew Parker with two Praying Mantis Bombs (23:16).
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 22/08/2025 The Social House, Makati, Philippines
1. Fabio Makisig Vs El Katipunero
2. 3 Way Match: Nigel San Jose Vs Saint John Martin Vs Danny Zamora
3. International Dream Match: Crystal & Robin Sane Vs Patricia Ligaia & Dr. Gore
4. International Dream Match: Jake De Leon & Isaiah Valencia Vs Chris Bookes & Takeshi Masada
The full Baka Gaijin + Friends card for their show in the Philippines squeezes itself in here just in time.
DXCN “PEKSMAN”, 24/08/2025 Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines
1. Kiss Of Death Match: Jake De Leon Vs Takeshi Masada
2. International Dream Match: Robin Sane Vs Chris Brookes
There is a meet and greet event happening on the second day of Dexcon’s tripleheader weekend with matches scheduled to take place on them but I haven’t seen any that will involve Chris Brookes or Takeshi Masada yet.
APAC “SLAMFEST 2025”, 30/08/2025 Stadium Juara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1. APAC Women’s Title No. 1 Contender Fatal 4 Way: Crystal Vs Kira Summer Vs Tarlee Vs Mio Shirai
Here we go, Kira Summer gets to wrestle outside of Japan as a TJPW fighter for the first time! She’s heading to APAC in Malaysia to compete for a shot at their Women’s Championship. However she’s not the only Australian taking part because Tarlee is one of other wrestlers involved. Mio Shirai is travelling over from Japan too as one of the competitors. Crystal is a former APAC Women’s Champion and I think the only one of the four who has previously wrestled in the promotion.
MLW “FIGHTLAND”, 13/09/2025 Nytex Sports Centre, Dallas, Texas, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs X
The next time Shoko Nakajima rampages her way back to MLW will be in September. No mention yet on if she will be defending the MLW Women’s Featherweight Title but given how things are going over there Shotzi Blackheart will eventually be built up as a challenger unless her arm injury delays things.
VGM “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING CHINA TOUR”, 18/10/2025 Nanxiatang Cultural and Creative Park, Liangxi, Wuxi, China
1. HIMAWARI Vs X
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs X
For the third year in a row TJPW is working with a group called Fight VGM Fight to bring their talent over to China. All of the previous times TJPW sponsored matches have taken place in the country were done thanks to this relationship. Rika Tatsumi and HIMAWARI will be the next pair of wrestlers to go wrestle over there.
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Cancelled Appearances
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 1”, 23/08/2025 Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 2”, 24/08/2025 Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
So Maki Itoh’s next tour of America has been cancelled with no reason given for why. I bet TJPW wished they would have known that in hindsight so they could have factored her into their plans for the Tokyo Princess Cup this year but those are the breaks I guess. The only bookings I found for this go around were the two GCW shows happening the same weekend as the Princess Cup final. She still wrestled on their Japan tour and GCW quietly deal with cancelled bookings all the time so there’s no trouble happening there. Could this have been visa related?
“SHINJUKU FACE 20TH ANNIVERSARY ~MILESTONE~”, 31/07/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Makoto Oishi when Sasaki submitted Hirata with the Crossface Lock (0:07).
1a. Rematch: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Makoto Oishi when Ilusion pinned Oishi with the Swanton Bomb (7:01).
2. Minoru Suzuki & Chinsuke Nakamura defeated Jun Akiyama & Fat Kobashi when Suzuki submitted Kobashi with an Achilles Tendon Hold (13:15).
3. Mayumi Ozaki, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Shin Sakura Hirota, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) when Ozaki pinned Hirota with the Ozaki Kick (16:30).
4. MAO defeated Kuroshio TOKYO Japan with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (18:26).
5. Hiromu Takahashi & Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ueno & Atsuki Aoyagi ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
To celebrate 20 years of Shinjuku FACE a special show was put together featuring wrestlers from six different promotions. Really it was a DDT show with guests from New Japan, All Japan, OZ Academy, Up Town and West Gate Wrestling Federation involved. Hiromu Takahashi teamed with Chris Brookes while Atsuki Aoyagi teamed with Yuki Ueno in the main event tag match that lasted the full 20 minutes. Ueno felt the match was short but as long as Shinjuku FACE continues to exist there will always be more to come. Brookes was more upset that the bar was now closed because the show is about to end. Aoyagi said he would have liked to have done a singles match but he’s too tired right now. Takahashi said he hasn’t wrestled in this venue a lot but he has a fond memory of a New Japan show he did here back in May 2011. He beat a young lion making his debut named Takaaki Watanabe. Takahashi doesn’t know what ever happened to him but believes he would have become a superstar had he stuck around…
MAO and Kuroshio TOKYO Japan ended up chasing each other around the room with the Dramatic Dream bike involved. When they went back to the ring Kuroshio demanded a strike exchange to determine who is more popular. It turned into a series of roll ups that eventually ended with MAO scoring the three count.
The first pro wrestling match to be held in Shinjuku FACE 20 years ago featured Mayumi Ozaki so it was fitting she would get to take part in today’s show. That wasn’t the only special thing about Match #3. Sanshiro Takagi announced a surprise for everyone and called out Konosuke Takeshita! Then Shin Sakura Hirota wearing her complete Takeshita costume. After Ozaki won the match she told the fans she looks forward to their continued support for OZ Academy, herself and also DDT.
Minoru Suzuki got stuck with the parody wrestlers from West Gate Wrestling Federation. He enjoyed beating them up though.
In the opening match Kazuki Hirata made the mistake of launching an attack on DAMNATION T.A by himself. They easily took care of him and Daisuke Sasaki tapped him out before Hirata’s partners could even do anything. Staff forced the match to restart and this time DAMNATION T.A won in a more regular manner.
At the end of the show all of the wrestlers gathered in the ring alongside some of the venue’s staff. Everyone was introduced to Yuka Ogawa who was responsible for organizing today’s event. She said she is truly happy to have travelled this path of pro wrestling for 20 years. This show was a source of pride for her and her staff. She promised fans that they will continue to do their best to fill Shinjuku FACE with the same joy and excitement that everyone felt today.
DDT “SANKO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. OME PRESENTS HARASHIMA RETURNS HOME! ~WE’RE HOLDING A SHOW IN OME! WHY? BECAUSE IT’S MY HOMETOWN!~”, 27/07/2025 Sumitomo Metal Mine Arena Ome Sports Hall 1 ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Team Ome Presents: Kazuma Sumi defeated Ilusion with the School Boy (5:41).
2. Cockpit Ome Co., Ltd. Presents: Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao defeated Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Yoshimura pinned Oishi with the Hara-goshi (6:27).
3. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (8:12).
4. Ome Shinkin Bank Presents: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul defeated Antonio Honda, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuya Koroku when Sasaki submitted Matsunaga with the Crossface Lock (10:51).
5. Enoki Kougyou Presents Harimao Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when MAO pinned Ishida with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (10:25).
6. JA Nishitokyo Presents Falls Count Anywhere Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when To-y pinned Brookes with the To-y Who Travels Through Time (15:50).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Seiwa Shoji Co., Ltd. Presents: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato when Naya pins Sato with The World’s Best Back Drop (19:27). *V1 for The Apex.
8. Toyota S&D Nishitokyo Co., Ltd. Presents HARASHIMA Debut 24th Anniversary Match – Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Togi Makabe & Yasu Urano defeated Shinya Aoki, Shuji Ishikawa & Akito when HARASHIMA pinned Akito with the Swan Dive Somato (17:41).
It was a glorious homecoming for HARASHIMA as DDT held a show in his home city of Ome in Tokyo. He invited his old buddy Togi Makabe from the Teikyo University Pro Wrestling Club to team with him and Yasu Urano in the main event. HARASHIMA started the match off with Shinya Aoki while Makabe traded Lariats with Shuji Ishikawa. Urano took a beating from the other team but HARASHIMA avoided taking the Splash Mountain from Ishikawa. Makabe Clotheslined him out of the ring to allow HARASHIMA to pin Akito with the Swan Dive Somato. HARASHIMA thanked Makabe after the match for making memories with him. Backstage Makabe said he is overwhelmed with emotion because he sees how hard HARASHIMA is working to promote DDT. HARASHIMA talked about the times they trained together in the wrestling club 30 years ago and now here they are standing in the same ring together as pro wrestlers. He always wanted to wrestle in his hometown and it took everyone’s help to finally make it happen.
The Apex got past Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato for their first defence of the KO-D Tag Team Titles but the next pair of challengers quickly revealed themselves. Akiyama & Sato came close to winning the belts when Akiyama gave Yukio Naya a Superplex and Sato followed up with the Mad Splash. But Yuki Iino broke the count and Naya regained his footing by hitting Sato with Knee Lifts before finishing him off with The World’s Best Back Drop. As soon as Iino tried to speak on the microphone, Ilusion came out and distracted The Apex so Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani could attack them from behind with chairs and Low Blows. They then said DAMNATION T.A are the next challengers because they want the belts and The Apex do not deserve them. The champions accepted the challenge and will do the match on 30th August. Backstage Iino & Naya praised Sato for his performance and look forward to fighting him even more in the future. Akiyama also told Sato they can keep challenging the champions as many times as it will take to beat them. Then even later Iino confronted DAMNATION T.A demanding a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles shot. Sasaki refused because The Apex don’t have a third man to team with. Iino quickly found Kazuma Sumi nearby and told him he’s the perfect “heavyweight” to team with him and Naya. That title match will happen on 9th August.
The tag match between The 37KAMIINA and SCHADENFREUDE International was turned into a Falls Count Anywhere Match on a few days notice but everyone involved took to the idea like a duck to water. There was a lot of action that took place outside the ring, a castle of chairs that everyone crashed into and a lot of dives that happened over by the entrance stage. Takeshi Masada Power Bombed To-y into a stack of chairs and he tried to pin To-y on top of them but Yuki Ueno broke the count by diving into them. Chris Brookes then added extra damage to everyone by doing a Senton onto the pile of bodies. Even Bunbun got caught up in the carnage when Ueno gave him a Backbreaker and threw his mangled body high into the air for SCHADENFREUDE International to catch. Ueno then followed with a dive onto them. After that he placed Masada onto a table for To-y to do a Diving Body Press from the stage to get the three count.
The Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata bout was the only match on the card that did not have any sponsorship attached to it. For that reason Hisaya Imabayashi ordered Hirata to stop Dieno from doing anything vulgar so DDT can run a show in Ome again next year. The GM also did his part by staying at ringside to block Dieno from approaching any fans. It became too difficult for them to stop Dieno from being, well, Dieno so Imabayashi brought in a chair to attack him with. However Hirata stopped him and gave a speech about how a pro wrestler is as good as dead if they ever lose their individuality. Imabayashi didn’t agree and tried to attack Hirata with the chair. Hirata deflected him right into Dieno’s Hell Gate, knocking Imabayashi out. Hirata hugged Dieno but then tried to hit him with an Axe Bomber. Dieno dodged it, put Hirata in the Lip Lock and then pinned him with the Gaydo Clutch.
Shinichiro Kawamatsu wanted to win his match with the Axe Bomber he inherited from the late Hulk Hogan and even hit the move on Soma Takao. However Naomi Yoshimura knocked him out of the ring afterwards and pinned Makoto Oishi with the Hara-goshi. Kawamatsu revealed backstage he had tried several times in the past to set up a Hogan appearance for DDT but was never able to make it happen. He promised to continue working hard while thinking about what Hogan would want to tell the Japanese fans.
BASARA “BASARA 284 ~UTAGE~”, 23/07/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Takeru Inoue
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daichi Kazato & Yasu Urano Vs Daiki Shimomura & Masato Kamino Vs Gouma Ryu & Tsutomu Oosugi
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Banana Senga Vs SAGAT & Minoru Fujita
4. Isami Kodaka Vs Takato Nakano
5. Ryuichi Sekine, FUMA & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Kengo Mashimo & Ayumu Honda
This is the match order for the BASARA show tomorrow.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 27/07/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. 3 Way Match: Maki Itoh Vs Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Kaya Toribami, Toga, Shino Suzuki & Ren Konatsu Vs Kira Summer, Chika Nanase, Uta Takami & Ivy Steele
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao, Yuki Arai & Haru Kazashiro Vs Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Kamifuku, Aridu Endo & HIMAWARI
4. 12th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1G: Suzume Vs Wakana Uehara
5. 12th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1E: Mizuki Vs Yuki Aino
6. 12th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Moka Miyamoto Vs Miyu Yamashita
7. 12th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Raku Vs Miu Watanabe
Later this week Tokyo Joshi Pro begins the annual Tokyo Princess Cup. This year they are nicknaming the tournament “The TJPW Version Of Koshien”.
Mifu Ashida will not be at the show due to a schedule conflict.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “FUCKED UP FEST 2025”, 03/08/2025 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. Special Single Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino
2. Special Single Match: MAO Vs K4PY
3. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada Vs Gabai Ji-chan
4. Special Tag Team Match: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei Vs Mr. Malo & Mr. Bueno
5. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Kota Sekifuda
6. Hardcore 6-Man Tag: Dark King Ueki, Munek & Princess Ram Vs Chris Brookes, MAO & Ryuichi Sekine
Some Hardcore wrestling has been added to “FUCKED UP FEST”. Even though Chris Brookes and MAO already have matches booked they will be back to team up with Ryuichi Sekine as Baka Gaijin Sekine-gun. The three of them are creating a united front against the dark forces now known as Ueki’s Magic Kingdom.
SUPER JAPAN “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT ~SUPER JAPAN PRO WRESTLING HATAAGE-SEN”, 19/08/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Special Single Match: Yasu Urano Vs Mikiya Sasaki (w/ Shota)
2. Special Single Match: Naruki Doi Vs Mac Matsushita
3. Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku Vs MIKAMI
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Brahman Yuji, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei Vs Fuminori Abe, Takuya Nomura & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa
The debuting Mac Matsushita is getting a “Dragon Gene Showdown” against Naruki Doi.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 22/08/2025 The Social House, Makati, Philippines
1. International Dream Match: Crystal & Robin Sane Vs Patricia Ligaia & Dr. Gore
2. International Dream Match: Jake De Leon & Isaiah Valencia Vs Chris Bookes & Takeshi Masada
Only Dr. Gore knows what it’s like to be on a Baka Gaijin + Friends show. He can lead the way for Crystal, Robin Sane and Patricia Ligaia to experience it.
GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE 10TH ANNIVERSARY – IT’S A SUMMER FILM 2025”, 26/08/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Masaaki Mochizuki
2. Mizuki Watase 10th Anniversary Match – Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Mizuki Watase Vs Jun Kasai
A bit more Dragongate to talk about here because Masaaki Mochizuki has challenged Yumehito Imanari for the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title! He was asked if he would go defend the title in Dragongate should he become champion and he said he would like to.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25”, 21/07/2025 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,384 Fans
1. HIMAWARI & Ren Konatsu defeated Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami when HIMAWARI pinned Takami with the Sunflower Tempest (10:06).
2. Andreza Giant Panda & Raku defeated Kyoko Inoue & Pom Harajuku when Andreza pinned Harajuku with the Andreza Press (9:41).
3. Wakana Uehara, Toga, Mifu Ashida & Kira Summer defeated Yuna Manase, Mahiro Kiryu, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase when Uehara submitted Nanase with the Banana Pillow (11:27).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro defeated Yuki Kamifuku & VENY and Arisu Endo & Jada Stone when Aino pinned Endo with the UBV (12:09).
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Emi Sakura defeated El Desperado & Maki Itoh when Sakura pinned Itoh with the Queen’s Gambit (12:36).
6. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Billie Starkz with the Crash Rabbit Heat (15:45).
7. International Princess Title: Moka Miyamoto defeated Suzume (c) with the Korokan (12:55). *Suzume fails in V6. Moka Miyamoto becomes the 14th International Princess Champion!
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe when Nakajima pinned Watanabe with the Diving Senton (25:32). *V3 for Kyoraku Kyomei.
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) defeated Yuki Arai with the Cutie Special (21:35). *V3 for Mizuki.
If Mizuki gets to have her way then the entire summer is going to belong to her. She got one step closer to achieving that goal by successfully defending the Princess Of Princess Title today and cutting down the rising star Yuki Arai in the process. Arai relied heavily on Big Boots and similar attacks while Mizuki fired back in kind with Diving Stomps and heavy Dropkicks that resemble those kinds of stomps. Arai switched to putting Mizuki in the Scorpion Death Lock and even tried catching Mizuki’s arm to stop her from reaching the ropes. But Mizuki would rope break out of it and block the Finally to hit a Run-Up Double Stomp. From there Mizuki did the Whirling Candy for a two count. Arai was spent but kept trying to fight back until Mizuki caught her with the Cutie Special, hit her with a Missile Dropkick and drop her with another Cutie Special to win the match.
After the match Mizuki stuck her hand out to help Arai get back up and the two hugged. Arai left the ring and Mizuki thanked the fans for coming to the show as well as the fans who watched the stream from home. She said Arai is tough like Superman and by fighting her she could feel how amazing she is. The baton was passed through everyone in Tokyo Joshi Pro today from the very first match to the main event and Mizuki was happy to run with it at the end. If Arai is Superman, Mizuki is the Princess Of Princesses and she next wants to go win the Tokyo Princess Cup as the reigning Princess Champion! Arai admitted she kind of knew Mizuki was too high of a hurdle for her today. As much as she wanted to win the Princess Title her first time challenging for the belt made her realize she still can’t reach it yet. She also knows this wasn’t a once in a lifetime chance and she has time to become someone good enough to wear the belt around her waist someday. When that day comes she will challenge with confidence and would be happy if it’s Mizuki she has to beat to become champion.
Turns out it’s going to take more than just sasumata poles to take the Princess Tag Team Titles away from Kyoraku Kyomei! For the last month Daydream have been using sasumatas to torture the champions and get into their heads. Hyper Misao’s first counter measure was to promise she wouldn’t use her Hero Spray in the match and place it down on the mat. She then pulled out a second can and immediately sprayed Daydream with it. When the fight went around ringside Miu Watanabe used the sasumata to hook onto Shoko Nakajima and carry her up high before throwing her down to the floor. She and Rika Tatsumi also used the poles to swing and spin their opponents around in the ring. Misao then had to bring out her second counter measure, the Hyper Mobile! She ended up crashing it into Mahiro Kiryu but then Kyoraku Kyomei and Daydream charged into each other like it was a joust! Both teams wiped each other out so it was all even when the action moved back into the ring. Daydream tried to both do top rope moves on seperate corners but Kyoraku Kyomei countered it with their own Avalanche moves. Daydream did the Daydream Eternity on Nakajima by Misao broke the count at two. Nakajima then countered Watanabe’s Tear Drop into a Hurricanrana and did the Northern Lights Suplex only for Tatsumi to break the pin. The champions then got the upper hand when Nakajima gave Watanabe the Double Arm DDT while Misao used Vanitas on Tatsumi. That left the coast clear for Nakajima to climb the top turnbuckle and hit the Diving Senton on Watanabe for the win. Nakajima was worried the match would end in a time limit draw but she thinks her strength was the difference maker that pushed Kyoraku Kyomei towards victory. Tatsumi is disappointed that Daydream couldn’t win but she at least thinks her and Watanabe showed how good they would look as models advertising the sasumata poles.
There was one title change on the show and it came when Moka Miyamoto defeated Suzume for the International Princess Championship! Suzume added a rope walk Flying Facecrusher to her moveset and followed it up with the low range Ring A Bell. But when she jumped from the ropes to do the Spring Ring A Bell, Miyamoto dodged it and connected with the Zero Fighter Kick. Suzume was helpless from there and got pinned with the Korokan afterward for the title change. Miyamoto happily cried over winning her first championship especially because it happened two days before the 5th anniversary of her debut match. She is also pleased that the move she originally created for her first title challenge was what won her the match today. She is now looking forward to defending the title against foreign challengers so she can show them Japanese pro wrestling. Suzume is sad to see her title reign stop here when she feels like she is at her strongest. But having the title expanded her world and the reason she won it is because everyone believed in her. She knows she will bounce back from this and not miss out on the hot summer ahead.
The return of Billie Starkz to Japan also meant the return of the big move heavy style of wrestling you’d see on the American indies. Miyu Yamashita was happy to fight that way too even if she ends up getting a bit of a headache from it afterwards. At one point Starkz lifted her up at ringside and did a running Alabama Slam into the ring apron that saw Yamashita almost smack her head off of the edge. Yamashita returned the favour by giving Starkz the Attitude Adjustment from the ring apron to the floor. Back in the ring Starkz started getting frustrated when a Swanton Bomb and Tombstone Piledriver would not put Yamashita away. She then tried lifting her up for the Sugoi Driver but Yamashita slipped off behind her and applied a Sleeper Hold. Starkz used the Alabama Slam again to throw Yamashita into the corner and went for another Sugoi Driver but it was countered into a Victory Roll that led to Yamashita German Suplexing Starkz into the turnbuckles! Yamashita then hit the Crash Rabbit Heat in the middle of the ring to pin Starkz for the three count. Backstage Yamashita said today was the first time in three months she’s been in a TJPW ring and in that time she spent a lot of her tour with Starkz. She’s amazed at what Starkz has accomplished while only being 20 years old and enjoys fighting her, even when she does some crazy unexpected things. She wants Starkz to wrestle in TJPW again and suggested they even team up here. Starkz calls Yamashita one of her best opponents. Also as much as she was happy to wrestle on TJPW’s Dallas show, she said nothing can replace the feeling of wrestling on a TJPW show in Japan.
A lot of effort went into the entrances for the intergender tag match. TeaDK walked out dressed like royalty and being accompanied by servants. Meanwhile Maki Itoh made sure El Desperado got the full NEO Itoh Respect Army experience when the two of them danced to “Setsunairo”! Things went badly for TeaDK from the start. Desperado caught a Big Boot from Chris Brookes and threw his foot right into Emi Sakura’s face, causing her to get a nose bleed. Then Desperado and Brookes fought all the way up to the second floor to do the stretched rubber band spot on Itoh back in the ring. Brookes then introduced Itoh to Bunbun and the puppet gave her the middle finger. Itoh grabbed Bunbun and threw him out of the ring in response. Sakura was able to put Desperado in the Romero Special but Brookes used a Piledriver to get rid of him. Sakura then beat down Itoh with a Double Arm Backbreaker and Short-Range Lariat. Itoh showed resistance by sticking up her middle finger but Sakura then finished her off with the Queen’s Gambit to pin her. Backstage Sakura said the NEO Itoh Respect Army put 100% into their entrance but when the bell rang they didn’t give it their all. She also said Brookes didn’t do his share of the work either so this win was all entirely thanks to herself! Itoh praised Despy for the entrance and called him a great idol along with being a great IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. She is now thinking of uniting all of the NEO Itoh Respect Army together so they can release a debut CD together.
Everyone had to watch their backs for the 3 Way Tag Match. Arisu Endo and Haru Kazashiro started off the match exchanging chain holds until Yuki Kamifuku eye raked the both of them. She then called VENY in so VENYU could work over Kazashiro until Endo & Jada Stone took control. Kazashiro continued taking the brunt of the attacks until she could tag in Yuki Aino. VENY got time in the ring with Stone and Kazashiro that ended with a triple down and tags to their partners. The two members of the Tokyo Joshi Tokusatsu Club then turned it up a notch with Aino giving Stone & Endo a Double Side Suplex. Things broke down with VENY doing a Moonsault onto Stone outside the ring while Kamifuku tried to finish off whoever she could find. But Kazashiro came in to give her the Fisherman Suplex. That left Aino in the ring with Endo. Aino countered the Ju no Okite into a Running Bulldog and then used the UBV on Endo to pin her. Kazashiro said this was her first 3 Way Tag match and she didn’t know what to do during the chaos. Aino praised the other teams for being strong and admitted some luck went their way. But they’re going to use this positive power to do more. VENYU were annoyed because they thought this was going to be an easy win. VENY is also noticing the last few times she’s been teaming with Kamifuku they’ve been losing. She doesn’t get invited to TJPW much so when she does she wants to get a belt! Kamifuku told her they can go to Ginza if she wants to look for a new belt.
Some new looks were on display for the 8-Woman Tag Match. Kaya Toribami and Chika Nanase had new costumes while Toga wore a fancy pair of sunglasses that look similar to the ones Kira Summer wears. Yuna Manase showed up with a new title belt to go along with the Kitsune World Title. Yesterday she won the Daily Sports Tag Team Title over at a PURE-J show. She accidentally dropped that belt to the floor during her ring entrance. Mahiro Kiryu’s once per match apology was her saying sorry for bringing a hot woman like Manase here when it’s already so hot every day. The match came down to Nanase lifting up Wakana Uehara into the Inari Torii Kai only for Mifu Ashida to kick her from behind. Uehara later jumped onto Nanase and rolled her into the Bannana Pillow to make her give up. Toga said her team had a good mix of power and flexibility to win. The wrestlers with power made up for those who didn’t have any and it went the other way with flexibility. Toga & Uehara were also happy to wrestle Manase who had already graduated from TJPW years before they debuted. They were able to show her some of TJPW’s new faces that have popped up while she was gone. Manase thought she had gotten stronger after winning another championship yesterday but she wasn’t able to help her teammates today. She learned she will still have to become even stronger.
Pom Harajuku showed up with her face painted to match Kyoko Inoue’s design but when it was time for their tag match to begin, their opponents decided to take a nap in the ring. Harajuku convinced Inoue they should go straight for the pin but Raku rolled the both of them on top of Andreza Giant Panda for a nearfall. Raku & Andreza then piled themselves on top of them for another nearfall. Inoue was then put to sleep by the power of Raku’s eyemask and lullaby but Harajuku woke her up by screaming. Inoue tried attacking Andreza with Mongolion Chops but Andreza knocked her back with his own version of the move as well as a Spinning Back Fist. Andreza also swatted Harajuku away at points but she was able to knock him down with a Missile Dropkick to the back. Raku gave Inoue a Russian Leg Sweep with an assist from Andreza pushing them over. Andreza then knocked out Harajuku with a Headbutt and pinned her with the Andreza Press. Raku said her team spent most of the day sleeping which is why they were able to win. Andreza’s handler Ossan Tiger agreed because Andreza slept for more than 10 hours, the perfect amount. Harajuku was upset not because she lost but because Inoue wasn’t looking when she was doing her best. Next time she will show Inoue just how cool she is.
The rookie Ren Konatsu got to be on the winning side of a tag team match for the first time. She has HIMAWARI to thank for that. Konatsu was taken out by Shino Suzuki late in the match leaving HIMAWARI to fight Uta Takami. She broke out of the Koala Clutch to give Takami the Princess Drop. Then after that she pinned Takami with the Sunflower Tempest. HIMAWARI was happy to be in the opening match at Ota Ward Gymnasium again because she wanted to make up for losing the opening match at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” back in March. She also wanted to lead Konatsu for her first big event match of her career. Konatsu only just debuted but she said she has a strong desire to liven things up. Takami is disappointed she lost but appreciates getting to experience all kinds of emotions like happiness, frustration and fun! She hopes some day she will go on a bus tour across Japan with Suzuki for a wrestling trip together.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25”, 21/07/2025 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. HIMAWARI & Ren Konatsu Vs Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami
2. Andreza Giant Panda & Raku Vs Kyoko Inoue & Pom Harajuku
3. Yuna Manase, Mahiro Kiryu, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase Vs Wakana Uehara, Toga, Mifu Ashida & Kira Summer
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Kamifuku & VENY Vs Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro Vs Arisu Endo & Jada Stone
5. Special Tag Match: El Desperado & Maki Itoh Vs Chris Brookes & Emi Sakura
6. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Billie Starkz
7. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Moka Miyamoto
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Yuki Arai
Welcome to the middle point of the year and the second of three visits to Ota Ward Gymnasium in 2025. As we enter part two in this trilogy of big venue events for Tokyo Joshi Pro this year I’m trying to figure out if a three act story can be pieced together in regards to the company’s top champion. It’s either going to be that or the inauguration of their next ace. A successful tour of Texas earlier this month has provided a gust of momentum for TJPW going into the show and perhaps even a fresh group of eyes looking towards the event, at least internationally. On the undercard a lot of the wrestlers are focusing on the upcoming Tokyo Princess Cup. Even a few of the champions have set up goals to win the tournament while holding their titles. That’s if they make it out of Ota Ward with the belt still in their hands of course. Then once the Cup is done with the road will take TJPW back here for “WRESTLE PRINCESS VI” in September. Now let’s see if this really is going to be Act II of a year long story.
I don’t know what it is about the new rookie but whenever I look into Ren Konatsu’s eyes I see the crazy vibes of MAO hiding deep in there somewhere. This is way, way down the line by the way because she hasn’t even entered her third month as a pro wrestler yet. All I’m saying is it only takes the little sheep toy clipped to her belt to start whispering ideas into her head and next thing you know she’s using her opponents to smash plastic boxes into pieces. If the sheep suddenly gets replaced with a Labubu then we’re really going to see some trouble down the line.
I thought TJPW had something going on for HIMAWARI and Shino Suzuki by making them team up every now and then going back to the previous Ota Ward show. Instead they are going to be opponents here. HIMAWARI is teaming with Konatsu and is the only one in this match who qualified for the Princess Cup. Suzuki’s failure to get past the prelimary rounds may become a pivotal point in her career because she is now seeing how little progress she’s been making in her three years as a wrestler. Uta Takami meanwhile has her whole future ahead of her and had a big role on this year’s “HYPE!” show. Maybe she’s the one I should be worried about possibly turning crazy instead of Konatsu.
2. Andreza Giant Panda & Raku Vs Kyoko Inoue & Pom Harajuku
A potential monster bout ended up changing its plans but in doing so brings in a brand new joshi legend into the TJPW ring for the first time. Max The Impaler was supposed to return to Japan so they could team up with Pom Harajuku again. Unfortunately according to TJPW Max has health issues preventing them from being able to travel for the show so that put a stop to Pompaler getting back together for now. Harajuku’s new tag partner is the fearsome and face painted Kyoko Inoue! I wonder if United Japan Pro Wrestling is the reason why we’re getting this appearance? Inoue is the founder and current president of World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana based in Kanagawa. The joshi group recently joined UJPW as a supporting member and TJPW is already a member so the connection is there to be made.
There might be a jealous Up Up Girl in the locker room once Inoue is in the ring because one of the highlights of her classic matches was always the Giant Swing. Will she be the one to do it to Andreza Giant Panda? The last time Andreza showed up in TJPW he went viral for getting bonked over the head with a Pico Pico Hammer. This place is starting to get too dangerous for him. For Raku though she’s been living a dream ever since her last visit to Ota Ward. Back in March she beat Harajuku to win the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title, her first proper championship reign. While she no longer holds the belt things are just going swimmingly for her lately. This match is just going to be another trip inside her sleepy wonderland. Maybe she’ll bring the Buc-ee toy she bought in Texas with her for Andreza to play with.
3. Yuna Manase, Mahiro Kiryu, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase Vs Wakana Uehara, Toga, Mifu Ashida & Kira Summer
Time to throw a mixture of women into the ring, shake it back and forth and see who comes out of it the last ones standing. Yuna Manase pays another visit to TJPW. While she’s been rocking the Ganbare☆Joshi division over in Ganbare☆Pro in Japan, she’s also been flying the flag for Kitsune over in America as their top champion. Mahiro Kiryu was settling into a new tag team with Haruna Neko until Neko got injured yet again so she’s sort of just been floating around at the moment. Kaya Toribami finally had something of a level up by getting to challenge for the MLW Women’s Featherweight Title last month and putting in a pretty good performance. She also has a new costume ready to debut for this show so maybe things are looking up for the bird. Chika Nanase is starting to move up into the next phase of her young career. Where she goes from here is anyone’s guess.
Over on the other team Wakana Uehara is progressing at a nice pace. She has a named tag team as part of Ober Eats, got to challenge for a championship and at this point is pretty much guaranteed to be part of the crew for every USA tour. As long as she keeps her appetite, I see good things coming for her in the future. The times Toga has mostly been standing out lately is from whenever she gets to play an ikemen role of some sort. In regular matches though she’s had a few setbacks lately. Mifu Ashida’s win-loss record since coming here hasn’t been great either. She’s been a bit busy doing other things lately but a time like now is always a good place to start turning things around. Kira Summer has been seeing the growth of women’s wrestling in Asia and Australia this year. It is motivating her to join in and play her part in helping it grow even more.
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Kamifuku & VENY Vs Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro Vs Arisu Endo & Jada Stone
Ober Eats is one of the new teams to appear on the scene this year but Yuki Kamifuku is going back to one of her favorite choices in her wardrobe. She is bringing VENY back so VENYU can team up together again! VENY has spent the year ruling over SEAdLINNNG with a five month reign as Beyond The Sea Champion. Once that title run came to an end she’s been going from place to place in the joshi scene with TJPW becoming her next brief stop. Yuki Aino is fresh off of coming out as the main character of this year’s “HYPE!” show. The lesson she learned coming out of it is she will never be alone in TJPW and that might finally be what leads her out of the maze she’s been stuck in ever since her sister Nodoka Tenma graduated. I’m probably going to be writing that opinion again and again until the end of time.
Aino will be teaming with Haru Kazashiro who continues to grow into a future high card player for the promotion. Once she gets her final year of high school out of the way, the sky’s the limit for how far she will go in the ring. She is already developing the ring smarts to gradually figure out how to perfect the Fisherman Suplex but a 3 Way Tag Match like this is probably too chaotic an environment to show that off. The third team is a fitting mixture of pep and spark. Arisu Endo has been taking a back seat for her Daisy Monkey’s partners success. She hasn’t been letting that dampen her spirits. Jada Stone is now well accustomed to TJPW but it looks like she has a new place to call home. She was recently offered a contract by TNA so I’m not sure if she will continue to do tours here. If this is close to the end then she’s certainly made good use of her time in TJPW.
5. Special Tag Match: El Desperado & Maki Itoh Vs Chris Brookes & Emi Sakura
Are there as many wrestlers out there who are currently living out their dreams like El Desperado has? He gets to fulfill his most violent desires by having several deathmatches with Jun Kasai, pals around with the likes of MAO and Chris Brookes especially when it comes to the more sleazy indies style of wrestling. There’s nobody else in New Japan who is quite as in sync with the current wrestling scene than good ol’ Despy. Now he gets to tick off another line in his bucket list by getting to team with Maki Itoh! The two got to know each other in America two years ago when they were both booked on the same GCW show. The idea was thrown around for them to team up. Now that it’s happening it finally occurred to Despy that he has to learn Itoh’s song and dance in order to be accepted into the Itoh Respect Army. Rehersals so far have not been promising. Brookes was at least able to pull the dance off so the current IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion has no excuse. Come on man you used to carry a guitar around. Surely you can carry a tune too?
TJPW brought Despy & Itoh together because they needed a poison pairing that could match the same level as TeaDK. Brookes & Emi Sakura teamed up in TJPW last March for “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” and it didn’t go according to plan for them. They lost to The Magical Sugar Rabbits and blamed each other over the result. Time healed those wounds so they are teaming up again to give TJPW another go. Sakura has had several matches with Sakura over the years, most of them in an AEW ring. Thankfully they haven’t needed to staple each other over and over like Brookes and Despy do whenever they fight. Oh God, don’t let Itoh arm herself with a stapler!
6. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Billie Starkz
One of Miyu Yamashita’s toughest rivals on her excursions to America is Billie Starkz. When it comes to their previous matches Starkz has beaten Yamashita more than the other way around. It’s a friendly rivalry though and the two of them even had something of a good tag team going on during Yamashita’s recent stay in GCW. So when Yamashita heard that Starkz would love nothing more than to wrestle in Japan again she got TJPW to set this match up.
So yeah, that’s pretty much it. Not a lot of story to set this up and it remains to be seen if this is just a one off attraction match to have for the big show. Yamashita only has one championship left to win in TJPW to have achieved every single accomplishment available to her. If anything her winning this match would be done to establish her as the favorite for the Princess Cup. A win for Starkz here though should be followed up on. A younger wrestler beating Yamashita in her home promotion is worth a title shot of some sort down the line. We don’t really need to worry about locker room politics either because it’s become pretty clear recently that Yamashita has some sort of deal in place with AEW/ROH.
7. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Moka Miyamoto
Now we get into the big three matches of the show. The three championships are all currently on a reliable group of wrestlers so where the belts go from here is a good question to think about. If Suzume was to lose the International Princess Title here she would have left a good mark as champion. Her reign has been a little bit different than the others thanks to a pair of defences against Jada Stone, one in Japan and the rematch in America. It’s unusual for someone to defend a Princess Title against the same challenger twice in one reign. It’s also not that common for the IP Champion to defend the belt overseas when that’s meant to be the whole bloody point of it! When it’s all said and done, Suzume will have a good argument towards having one of the more defining runs as IP Champion. She’s already said she feels like she has evolved from a bee into a hornet because of this title. Her ultimate goal is to become queen bee of TJPW!
Her challenger Moka Miyamoto has also become attached to the belt but it’s becoming for a pretty bad reason. This is going to be her third time challenging for the IP Title after failing to win it twice before. It is the title she wants most because she believes having an international championship is the best way for her to spread Japanese culture across the world. Part of that culture is Japan’s technology and Miyamoto thinks there has to be some kind of Japanese technology out there that is good for getting rid of hornets! The two traded wins with each other during the Texas tour so it’s all even going into Ota Ward.
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
Okay where do sasumata poles stand on the police brutality scale because they’re going to be mentioned a lot in this part of the preview and the girls have already used them to literally crucify Tetsuya Koda. The existence of these things have been the blight of Kyoraku Kyomei’s last couple of weeks. Other than that things are going great for the Princess Tag Team Champions. The big kaiju Shoko Nakajima was let loose in MLW and she quickly acquired the MLW Women’s Title. Meanwhile Hyper Misao lived through the stress of putting together the third annual “HYPE!” show and came out of it in one piece. They were looking forward to their next crazy adventure with the Princess Tag Titles but weren’t ready for how it would be set up.
One year ago the headline match of “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24” was the battle of Daydream between Rika Tatsumi and Miu Watanabe. In the aftermath the two appeared to have gone their separate ways and they went almost a year without teaming up again. That was until a month ago when Daydream reunited and ambushed Kyoraku Kyomei with sasumata poles, demanding a title shot. The champions agreed to the match because Daydream are the kind of strong team they’re looking to beat. Ever since then Tatsumi & Watanabe have been attacking Nakajima & Misao with sasumata poles in their preview matches. Kyoraku Kyomei reached their breaking point over it and stole the sasumatas away from their challengers. They then tried to properly recycle them under the watchful eye of GM Koda until Daydream appeared to try and take their weapons back by force. That led to Nakajima & Misao taping the poles to Koda like a crucifix but Daydream were able to take him back too. Now that the weapons are back in the challengers’ hands they have the advantage going into the title match. Will the champs decided to fight fire with fire or will they have something else under their sleeves to foil Daydream’s plan?
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Yuki Arai
This is going one of two ways. Either we are firmly in Mizuki’s era as the dominant Princess Of Princess Champion where she will headline all of the Ota Ward shows or TJPW decides now is the time to crown Yuki Arai as their new top draw. Mizuki has already toppled Watanabe (to win the belt), Tatsumi and Yamashita (the two defences) in this title reign. If she beats Arai here I see her holding onto the belt for a long time to come so she can have her definitive main event run in the promotion. Arai meanwhile made the choice to go all in on having pro wrestling be her career so while she has all the time in the world to achieve the final piece of the TJPW Grand Slam, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the company strike now while the iron is hot.
History doesn’t paint a clear picture for how this is going to go. Arai won the Princess Tag Titles on her first try and Mizuki was one of the champions back then. Arai was involved with the finish but it was Saki Akai who pinned Mizuki for the victory. When it comes to the International Princess Title however Arai failed to win it twice before becoming champion on her third attempt (hey, that’s a good sign for Miyamoto). This main event is her first time fighting for the Princess Of Princess Title. Only a select few have held the title and none were ever able to beat the champion on their first try. But that’s just the kind of record a wrestler booked like Arai would go on to break, right? After all, this is the idol who only needed one Finally Axe Kick to beat the unstoppable Max The Impaler and earned an endorsement from Meiko Satomura. She’s been groomed since day one to become the promotion’s next ace and her quick success is evidence of it.
Arai is not taking this moment for granted. It’s her first big match since graduating from SKE48. When she juggled her idol career with her wrestling career she felt like she wasn’t as good as everyone else in TJPW. But now that she’s fully focused on just wrestling she is eager to go challenge all of her seniors and eventually take the lead of the promotion. Mizuki has a goal in mind to win the Princess Cup while she holds the Princess Title. She has already proved that princesses are stronger than monsters. But are they stronger than successful pop singers?
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 