DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 16/07/2022 Aichi Nippon Gaishi Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium 238 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Yuji Hino defeated Yuki Ishida with the Fuckin’ BOMB (7:26).
2. DISASTER BOX Vs Eruption!: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Okatani pinned Hirata with the Double Arm Suplex (11:22).
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Kojima pinned Koroku with the Fushigi No Kuni No Kojima ~Kojima Wonderland~ (11:58).
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated MAO & Soma Takao when Yoshimura pinned Takao with the Harai Goshi (12:57).
5. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rule: Akito defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c), Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari when Akito pinned Dieno with a Cradle (12:57). (Special Referee: Sanshiro Takagi) *Yuki “Sexy” Iino fails in V3. Akito becomes the 54th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Just Cobra Twist (19:30). *V1 for DAMNATION T.A.
Daisuke Sasaki was feeling in a better mood after the main event. DAMNATION T.A defeated the combination of CDK & The Iyasareru so he no longer has to worry about whether or not Antonio Honda deserves to fight for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Honda put up a fight and was a difficult opponent for KANON to put away, but he did so in the end. Afterwards Sasaki nominated The 37KAMIINA as the next challengers because they were recent guests on the TV show “The World Unknown To Matsuko”. Sasaki thinks Toi Kojima is getting a big head because he got to be on national TV. He then attacked him but Kojima fought him off with the Kojima Wonderland Full Nelson Buster. Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata joined in to knock both KANON & MJ Paul out of the ring. Kojima accepted the challenge to fight DAMANTION T.A for the 6-Man Tag Titles. KANON decided the match will take place on 24th July and told The 37KAMIINA you’re supposed to be quiet when you enter the sauna!
The DDT Extreme Title is back in the loving arms of Akito! He fought Pheromones in a 3 Vs 1 Handicap. Despite the numbers disadvantage Akito had two things going in his favour. He could beat any member of Pheromones to win the title and Sanshiro Takagi was the special referee. However an extra rule was added that allowed anyone wearing a referee shirt to take over if Takagi was somehow unable to do his job. Takagi is determined to destroy Pheromones so he came up with excuses not to count Yuki Iino’s pinfalls. Pheromones eventually had enough of his behavior and attacked him, causing Yukinori Matsui to run in as the substitute ref. When he only counted two for the Yoropean Clutch, Yumehito Imanari gave him a Low Blow and gave a referee shirt to Danshoku Dieno. The numbers game left Akito on the verge of defeat until Dieno suddenly held up a pin count, deciding Pheromones weren’t done “judging” him yet. Akito then suddenly put Dieno in the Figure 4 Leg Lock and he began submitting. There was no referee so Hisaya Imabayashi tried to intervene but Iino took him out to keep the match going. Imanari then returned wearing his own referee shirt. When all hope was lost, Takagi returned to the ring all patched up. He hit the Stunner to all members of Pheromones and Akito rolled Dieno over with a School Boy to win the match and become champion again!
After the match Takagi swore to destroy Pheromones once and for all on 24th July. A confused Dieno thought he was meant to destroy them today. Akito is distancing himself from that whole situation and accepts that Pheromones should be allowed to express their own style of pro wrestling however they want. Akito wants to take the Extreme highway and be so attached to this championship that the fans will call him Mr. EXTREME! Later in the day, Joey Janela found out about the result and tweeted his desire to fight for the Extreme Title when he comes over to Japan.
Naomi Yoshimura is looking ahead with big plans for himself and Kazusada Higuchi. They want to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles on 24th July so Higuchi can return to Nagoya as a double champion. Yoshimura then said that he wants to work with Kota Umeda at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August. That’s not all. He also wants Keisuke Okuda to be involved! He said if you followed DNA at the time all three of them were involved you would know why.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 804 Fans
1. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Ganpro Specialty 6-Man Tag Match Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo, YuuRI & Lingerie Muto
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
7. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 804 Fans
1. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa defeated Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie when Ishii pinned Kodaka with the Isamiashi Zan (13:42).
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger when Maeguchi pinned Tiger with the Tyson Splash (14:00).
3. Ganpro Specialty 6-Man Tag Match Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE defeated Onryo, YuuRI & Lingerie Muto when HARUKAZE pinned YuuRI with the Flame Spear (9:13).
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when Watase pinned Sakaguchi with an Elbow Butt (15:22).
5. Special Single Match: Sayaka Unagi defeated Yuna Manase with the Jomon Toppa (12:59).
6. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Shuichiro Katsumura with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (21:45).
7. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Shota & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when Shota pinned Brookes with the Gannosuke Clutch (23:09).
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) defeated Ken Ohka with the Lariat (19:25). *V1 for Yumehito Imanari.
Today Ganbare☆Pro reached Ota Ward Gymnasium to hold the biggest event in its nine year history. The two men most important to the promotion faced off in the main event. On the one side is Ganpro’s founder Ken Ohka, the man who created the company in the hopes of making his own major sports league. His opponent is the first person to stand by him during Ganpro’s creation. Yumehito Imanari was just a member of DDT’s video team who wrestled on a part time basis. Today he was headlining Ota Ward Gym as the defending Spirit Of Ganbare Champion. The two fought each other knowing it was the most important match of their lives. Ohka relied on the Flame Spear but it was Imanari’s use of the Lariat that ended the match with his arm raised in the air and a successful first title defence.
After the match Imanari said when he became a pro wrestler he embarrassed himself a lot. But it is that shame that led him to the treasure he has now. He said Ganpro is necessary in the wrestling world because there is nowhere else where you can put your life on the line in such a muddy atmosphere. If you ever have a hard time, look at Ganpro! Ohka didn’t cry when he lost. He laughed instead. He doesn’t understand why because it should be the opposite. At 45 years of age he believes he still has room to grow. He wants to work hard with the younger wrestlers and continue his work to make pro wrestling into a major sport. The attendance of 804 fans today is considered a success and is going to inspire Ganpro when they decide on their next big goal.
The other important matches on the show were built around matches where Ganpro wrestlers fought outsiders. The tag team battle between ROMANCE DAWN and CDK was Ganpro’s top tag team taking on the notorious duo found in DDT and ChocoPro. CDK did some cheating throughout the match. Early on Chris Brookes taped Soma Takao to a dolly and rolled him away from ringside, leaving Shota fighting in a 2 on 1 disadvantage. Takao was able to get freed and return to the ring. Brookes also grabbed HARUKAZE and Gorilla Pressed her out of the ring onto everyone below. Later Masahiro Takanashi pulled the referee out of the ring to break up Shota’s Frog Splash on Brookes. Shota was then hit over the head with the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt but he kicked out of the pin. ROMANCE DAWN was able to get the win out of nowhere when Shota countered the Praying Mantis Bomb into the Gannosuke Clutch, pinning Brookes for the victory. Shota said he is ready to go for a rematch while Takao was happy to win in his hometown with his friend. Brookes is making demands for a singles match. He wants to go one on one. But not against Shota, he is demanding a match against HARUKAZE! Takanashi backs up the idea and suggested they do a tag match if HARUKAZE has a tag partner.
Fans were allowed to cheer which meant everyone got to shout “Kaze Ni Nare!” during Minoru Suzuki’s entrance. But when it was time for his match to begin, the cheers and chants were for Ganpro’s own Shuichiro Katsumura. The match was filled with strikes and submission holds with a little bit of chair usage from Suzuki. He broke out of the Ninja Choke and dropped Katsumura with the Gotch-Style Piledriver to win the match. In a rare act of sportsmanship, Suzuki shook Katsumura’s hand and left to ring to give his opponent the spotlight. He even later admitted to enjoying the match! Katsumura said getting the match he always wanted is no big deal and he will continue to wrestle for Ganpro.
Emotions ran high for Yuna Manase’s match against Sayaka Unagi. The two have history together that recently mutated into Unagi holding a grudge. Their only previous singles match happened early in Unagi’s career and the loss to Manase has haunted her ever since. She showed erratic behavior at a press conference for the match by biting Manase’s chest. She did the same here when the match began. The match continued to heat up with Manase throwing Lariats. But Unagi broke through her defences and got the three count after hitting the Jomon Toppa. After the match Unagi confessed that she does not hate Ganpro and she does not believe Manase is on her last run. She learned about the fun and freedom of pro wrestling from Manase so she’s not going to let her quit so easily. They also now have a 1-1 record against each other. Unagi believes she will one day become the top wrestler in Stardom and the world of pro wrestling. When she does she will look for Manase so they can have the rubber match.
Ganpro’s previous experiences with Eruption have ended with the DDT unit bullying them. Yukio Sakaguchi in particular has been a pain in the back for Mizuki Watase to deal with. It ended up causing Watase to shave his own head after he dropped the fall to Sakaguchi in a Ganpro Vs Eruption match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. Today was Watase’s shot at redemption when he teamed with Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga against the same trio of Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani. He finally got his day in the sun when he pinned Sakaguchi with an Elbow Butt to the face. Once Sakaguchi got over the shock of defeat, he gave Watase a congratulatory pat to the body and left him to celebrate with his team.
The advertised 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match turned into a 6-Man Tag Match on short notice. Munenori Sawa wasn’t around so in his place was Lingerie Muto as an active participant in the match! Ganbare Tamagawa thought he was going to get a hero’s welcome for his first Ganpro appearance in years. He even created a new move for the occassion called the Ganbare☆Pro Elbow. Instead he got booed. YuuRI on the other hand got loads of streamers thrown at her, leaving her in tears of joy because she debuted during the pandemic and never experienced an audience response like this. The ring was also filled with ecto dust whenever Onryo did something with Nobuhiro Shimatani. In the end, HARUKAZE was the one to win the match when she pinned YuuRI with the Flame Spear.
After nine months wrestling for Ganpro, Tyson Maeguchi finally gets his first direct win! The opportunity came when Tatsuhito Takaiwa accidentally hit 5th Black Tiger with a Lariat. Kouki Iwasaki then gave Tiger a Vertical Drop Brainbuster and left him for Maeguchi to finish off. Maeguchi did so with a Diving Body Press taught to him by Kota Ibushi. He now believes this is the end of Taison Maeguchi: the weak pro wrestler. From this day forth he is Taison Maeguchi: the strong pro wrestler! Next up he would like to aim for a championship. Takaiwa said this is not the end of him or his Takaiwa Army because he is still looking to understand the Ganbare Spirit.
The show opened with a barnburner between four wrestlers linked together through a time before Ganpro even existed. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie, Isami Kodaka and Shuji Ishikawa smashed each other to pieces until somebody reached their breaking point. That came when Kodaka hit Ishii with the Isamiashi Zan. Even when the match was over tempers were flaring. Kodaka said he is the top wrestler of BASARA and Ishikawa is the top wrestler of All Japan. He thinks Ishii and Ganpro haven’t grown at all in the decade that passed since Union Pro closed down. Ishikawa was in a happier mood and congratulated Kodaka on his 20th anniversary in wrestling. He explained he can’t be at Kodaka’s 20th Anniversary show because he has a booking with AJPW on the same day.
The new Ganbare☆Joshi signing is Yoshiko Hasegawa! The former Actwres girl’Z wrestler left the business at the end of last year after dealing with a neck injury. However after a year and seven months since her last match, she will re-debut for Ganpro on 13th August. She calls it her re-debut because she is starting again from scratch. Part of the reason is because Ganpro does mixed gender matches and she wants to take part in them to get stronger. She is also currently still getting treatment on her neck but assures everyone she will be ready to wrestle again on 13th August.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Ryo Mizunami Vs Miu Watanabe
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
Before travelling to Japan, Thunder Rosa sent a video message to Tokyo Joshi Pro. In the video Rosa said if Miyu Yamashita beats her she will invite Yamashita back to AEW to have a rematch for the AEW Women’s Title. You know, it sounds very similar to what happened when Chris Jericho gave Hiroshi Tanahashi the same challenge at Wrestle Kingdom in 2020. Remember that is what inadvertently created the Forbidden Door phenomenon Just something to think about.
Juria Nagano is adding to her moveset after coming to the realization that the Brazilian Kick became too predictable for her opponents to see coming. She came up with a kicking combination based on her own Karate skill mixed with techniques she learned from watching videos of K-1 fighters and kickboxers on Youtube. For the moment she is calling this move the Dosun Dosun because that is the sound it makes (thud, thud) when she hits the opponent. She also learned from watching THE MATCH between Tenshin Nasukawa and Takeru, particularly how to fight as an underdog.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Ganpro Specialty 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo & YuuRI (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa)
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
7. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka
I wanted to write up a preview for this because it is the first time Ganbare☆Pro is doing a big arena show by themselves. Couldn’t find the time to do it unfortunately.
Some old monster gimmicks will be at the shot doing photo sessions with the fans. They are Dr. Kiriko, Mr. No and Shin Mokujin Ken. Whatever happened to J-Soul Pandita III IV?
BASARA “BASARA 196 ~ITCHI DANKETSU~”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Banana Senga
2. Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
3. Daiki Shimomura Vs Yasu Urano
4. FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa
5. Isami Kodaka 20th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka
BASARA is also allowing fans to cheer at their show this weekend.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 16/07/2022 Aichi Nippon Gaishi Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium
1. Yuji Hino Vs Yuki Ishida
2. DISASTER BOX Vs Eruption!: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
5. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rule: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c), Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito (Special Referee: Sanshiro Takagi)
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs MAO & Yukio Naya
The changes caused by Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura graduating from their units and forming a tag team together is already being felt. Several matches for next week’s show have been swapped around now that Higuchi is no longer in Eruption and Yoshimura is no longer with DISASTER BOX.
Sanshiro Takagi has made himself the Special Referee for the DDT Extreme Title match. He has no power to be an active competitor in the match because only the champion Yuki Iino could make that decision. However every match needs a referee and Takagi got permission from Hisaya Imabayashi to be that referee. This is all part of his plan to destroy Pheromones once and for all. A potential roadblock to this plan is Akito. He no longer wants to be involved with this feud and is only concerned about becoming the Extreme Champion again on his own terms. Takagi tipping the odds in Akito’s favour or even straight up handing him the victory probably won’t be tolerated by the challenger.
Daisuke Sasaki has said he will quit pro wrestling if Antonio Honda makes him laugh during the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Whether or not he lives up to this idea remains to be seen.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 18/07/2022 Nagano City Art Center Act Space
1. Akito & Saki Akai Vs Antonio Honda & Soma Takao
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
3. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Eruption!: Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
6. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
The Higuchi & Yoshimura team will be heavily focused on MAO for the time being.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022”, 24/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: MJ Paul Vs Toi Kojima
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. Makoto Oishi Return Match: Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Yuki Ishida
4. Tetsuya Endo Return Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao
5. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yusuke Okada
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Asuka (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura
And here is the reason why. The new tag team have challenged MAO & Asuka for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Yoshimura wants to strike while the iron is hot and is treating this match as their only chance to win the belts.
Masahiro Takanashi and Yusuke Okada are currently arguing over who is the more negative personality in DDT. Neither wants to admit the other is more miserable then themselves for some reason.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Vs Bunkyo Ward Assembly Member: Shinichiro Kawamatsu, Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao Vs Osamu Nishimura, Makoto Oishi & Akito
2. Special Mixed Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Asuka
3. International Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X
For the first time ever Jun Akiyama and Saki Akai are teaming together! It is also going to be Akiyama’s first time doing a Mixed Tag Match. This is Akai’s idea because she thinks teaming with Akiyama will be a great way to become a stronger wrestler. Akiyama accepts the offer because he is the coach for the entire DDT roster, not just the young wrestlers. Chris Brookes & Asuka have been chosen as their opponents.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2022”, 04/09/2022 Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall
1. Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shinya Aoki & Yukio Naya Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
Part of Konosuke Takeshita’s return to Japan after the summer is to take part in an Atsushi Onita explosion death match! He reunites with his buddies from The 37KAMIINA while Onita is joined by Shinya Aoki & Yukio Naya. Those two are becoming well familiar with explosion death matches at this point.
DDT “DDT FREE -LET’S SHOUT!-”, 07/07/2022 Shinjuku FACE 160 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. KANON defeated Yuya Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (6:55).
2. No Tag Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata by TKO after Iino did the Pheromones Judgement 2nd Season to Akito (10:07).
3. Masahiro Takanashi & Shunma Katsumata defeated Asuka & Yusuke Okada when Takanashi pinned Okada with the Uwabami (10:13).
4. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Jun Akiyama, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when HARASHIMA pinned Ishida with the Somato (13:07).
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The Iyasareru!: Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Brookes pinned Honda with the School Boy From Hell (11:03).
6. Special Single Match: MAO defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II (16:21).
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima when Higuchi pinned Kojima with the Brain Claw Slam (19:43).
A fresh wave of energy is washing across DDT because today was the first time in so long when the audience could cheer and shout for their favorites. With that fresh wave came some decisions during the show that will shake up the company’s status quo. The biggest by fan was felt after the main event. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura have formed a bond coming out of the King Of DDT final. They became interested in teaming up after fighting each other and everyone discovered they make a good duo when they beat Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima. Afterwards they were approached by Yukio Sakaguchi and HARASHIMA in the ring. They both praised Higuchi & Yoshimura for their growth but together agree its time to move on. Sakaguchi said Higuchi should leave his nest in Eruption. HARASHIMA explained to Yoshimura he is reaching a higher level, so much so that they will have more fun being singles wrestlers instead of a tag team from now on. Taking those opinions into consideration, Higuchi made the request to leave Eruption. Yoshimura also asked permission to leave DISASTER BOX. Both HARASHIMA and Sakaguchi gave their blessings and said they will continue to be high walls for them to climb over in order to make a new landscape for DDT.
So now that Higuchi & Yoshimura are leaving their units to form their own tag team. Yoshimura wasted not time and called out MAO & Asuka. He challenged them for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. MAO accepted the challenge and it will take place on 24th July. Backstage Higuchi said he is indebted to all of the members of Eruption. If they are suggesting to him its time to leave the unit then he feels he has to because it is now or never to make that decision. Yoshimura was also told by the other members of DISASTER BOX he is ready to move on. He vowed to win the Tag Titles with Higuchi on their first shot. A new wind is blowing in DDT and they want to make it stronger! However MAO & Asuka are still on their journey as a tag team. MAO will not let this new duo end it prematurely. They will just be a passing station on the express train.
The match between MAO and Andrew Everett went out of control when the lights went out halfway through the match. When they came back on, Yoshihiko was in the ring giving Everett a Choke Slam! The doll was not just there to provoke “The Giant” because it also attacked MAO. The two opponents briefly formed an alliance against Yoshihiko, dealing massive damage with a Double Choke Slam and also the Meltzer Driver. When that threat was dealt with, the match continued and MAO won with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II. Afterwards MAO admitted that Everett really is a giant. People won’t understand why until they face him in the ring. It was a match MAO would have wanted for a DDT Universal Title defence if he was still the champion so he is left feeling frustrated. He wants to continue wrestling and would be happy being the gatekeeper for foreign talent coming in from now on. He’ll even be the person picking them up at the airport if he has to. Everett praised MAO but said he is not done with Yoshihiko! He wants to come back to DDT and Choke Slam opponents night after night.
Antonio Honda was determined to prove he deserves his upcoming KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles shot. He ran into the chaos caused by DAMNATION T.A’s interference and lead KANON into accidentally strike MJ Paul with a chair. Honda then hit KANON with the chair and set Paul up to be pinned with a School Boy from Chris Brookes. Honda said it is his duty as a citizen of the world to follow the proper procedures and become a champion! Daisuke Sasaki complained that none of Honda’s jokes are funny and they won’t be funny at the title match in Nagoya on 16th July. Sasaki then said if Honda does make him laugh during the match he will admit he is funny after all and then quit pro wrestling.
When the 8-Man Tag Match was finished, Sakaguchi invited Saki Akai into the ring because she had something to say. Akai got Jun Akiyama’s attention and asked to team with him at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August! She wants to become stronger and thinks learning from Akiyama will help her do that. Akiyama agreed to her request because he is the coach for the entire DDT roster. He warned he is going to treat Akai no differently to how he treats male wrestlers and is fine if their opponents are two men for that reason. However he will accept facing a mixed tag team.
Masahiro Takanashi got his own back on Yusuke Okada by getting the flash pin on him in their tag match. He doesn’t take well to Okada thinking he is the only negative person in DDT. If there is anyone in this company who has a negative personality it is Takanashi! He made his intention clear to beat Okada in their Universal Title match on 24th July before Okada chased him out of the ring.
One of the acts that really egged on the fans to cheer and chant were Pheromones. They got the crowd to chant “Sexy” for Yuki Iino. He & Danshoku Dieno had the match all but won when they put Akito in the Pheromones Judgement. Kazuki Hirata was going to break the hold when Dieno gave him an ultimatum. Would he rather rescue Akito or dance to “Tokyo GO!”? Hirata chose to dance while Akito lost consciousness and lost the match. Sanshiro Takagi immediately ran into the ring to stop everyone with Stunners. Dieno told Takagi that the decision to make the DDT Extreme Title match on 16th July a 3 Vs 1 Handicap match cannot be changed into a different stipulation. Takagi agreed but said the match still needs a referee. He will be the referee and got Hisaya Imabayashi to approve of it! Akito was disappointed to hear that after he regained consciousness because he took it upon himself to fight Pheromones on his own for the Extreme Title. He no longer wants to be part of Takagi’s plot to destroy the unit.
At the beginning of the show Takagi publicly admitted that only 497 tickets for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” at Ota Ward Gymnasium have been sold so far. He does not think this is good enough because he wants DDT’s attendance numbers to return to what they were before 2020. In order to motivate the roster into selling more tickets for Ota Ward, the quality of DDT’s company lunch boxes will be determined by how many tickets are sold for that show. Anything under 775 tickets get them only rice balls. 775 to 1,000 tickets gets a nori bento worth 600 yen. 1,000 to 1,300 gets a makunouchi bento worth 1,000 yen. Over 1,300 gets a sukiyaki bento worth 2,000 yen. Finally a complete sell out gets a yakiniku bento from a high class restaurant worth 4,000 yen. The top ticket seller will also get dessert as a bonus.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 703 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (7:55).
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when KANON pinned Ishida with the Sleepy Hollow (6:51).
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata by TKO when Iino used the Pheromone Judgement on Akito (7:16).
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuki Ueno with the Osaka Pride (10:46).
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Jun Akiyama with the Brain Claw Slam (14:28).
4. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA when Okada pinned Takanashi with the Sudden Death (10:09).
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Andrew “The Giant” Everett defeated MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Everett pinned Katsumata with the Choke Slam Spanish Fly (14:59).
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Naomi Yoshimura with the Brain Claw Slam (18:55). *Kazusada Higuchi becomes the 79th KO-D Openweight Champion!
There is a word that has been following around Kazusada Higuchi, particularly recently. “Kuronin” (苦労人). It’s a word that describes a person who works hard because they struggle so much in their life. For Higuchi that struggle was his failure to win the KO-D Openweight Title throughout his 8 year career. Five chances that spread across from his super rookie days in DNA up to his current standing in Eruption all ended in failure. Today he finally reached the top and claimed the belt by winning King Of DDT! The vacant KO-D Title was on the line in the final when Higuchi faced a red hot Naomi Yoshimura. The two heavyweights had an even battle of strength with Yoshimura using a Choke Slam to counter Higuchi’s Brain Claw. Lariats were thrown back and forth. Yoshimura’s key moves the Harai Goshi and Osaka Pride were both blocked so he reverted to his original finisher, the Throwaway Power Bomb. Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw once more and this time hit the Brain Claw Slam, pinning him for the victory.
Higuchi is now the champion and he needed to have his belt. Suddenly, Jun Akiyama entered the ring and volunteered to wrap the title around Higuchi’s waist. It was over a year ago when Akiyama established his authority in DDT by ordering a rebellious Higuchi to wrap the belt around his waist after beating him in a title match. To see Akiyama now present the title to Higuchi shows how much respect has been earned. Sanshiro Takagi then brought out the DDT flag that Higuchi carried to the ring at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. He told Higuchi he is now entrusting the flag to him as a symbol of DDT’s strength for him to lead the company with. Higuchi thanked the other members of Eruption as well as Akiyama for their support. He went through a lot to reach this point and is now putting a lot of thought into who he wants his first challenger to be. He wants to defend the title against Tetsuya Endo! He will wait for him at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 20th August.
Endo himself confirmed his return to the ring by announcing 24th July as his comeback date. He apologised to the fans causing worry with his absence while he recovered from his concussion. He was also sorry for showing a side at Saitama Super Arena that no champion should ever show. He received permission from his doctor to resume his in-ring training again last week and no longer feels any discomfort from moving around. He and DDT agreed to set 24th July as the target for his return. He is half excited, half anxious over it but will push himself hard over the next 3 weeks to regain any trust he lost from the fans. In his backstage comments, Endo said he lost to Katsuhiko Nakajima because he could not withstand his slap even if it was an accidental knockout. Everything that happens in the ring is reality and Endo accepts that reality. He will move on with his wrestling life on 24th July.
DDT’s latest foreign attraction has arrived but has the company been sold a bill of goods? Andrew “The Giant” Everett built hype to his DDT debut by claiming to be 223cm tall while weighing 190.5kg. When he finally showed up, people became skeptical because he looked to be around 175cm tall. Not even Chris Brookes kneeling down next to him could make “The Giant” look any taller. Everett also struggled to give MAO a Choke Slam. However as the match started speeding up, Everett’s aerial skills begun to be highlighted. A Shooting Star Press to MAO out of the ring wowed everyone. He then placed Shunma Katsumata up on the top rope and delivered the Choke Slam Spanish Fly to get the win. MAO is now a believer. He thinks Everett will become a tourist attraction in Japan once he stabs a spike onto his head and turns him into a second Sky Tree. Backstage, Everett mocked ShunMao for being small opponents and said he wants to fight the biggest guy in DDT… Yoshihiko?!?
The tricky wrestling style of Masahiro Takanashi has its benefits but the weakness is what happens once his opponents finally catch up to him. That was what happened today. Some wacky redirections from Takanashi caused Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku to bundle up together so HARASHIMA could hit a Swan Dive Body Press to the both of them. However Okada got his breath back and avoided the Takatonic. Instead he got to do the Intercept DDT and Diving Headbutt on Takanashi. Some cradle attempts were used from Takanashi but it couldn’t stop Okada’s momentum. In the end Okada got Takanashi’s shoulders on the mat for three with the Sudden Death. After the match Okada challenged him for the DDT Universal Title. He had to miss “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and King Of DDT. He also couldn’t do anything but watch the rest of BURNING to their thing during that period. It’s driving him crazy so he wants the title match. Takanashi accepted the challenge and the match will take place on 24th July. Takanashi also said he is the one about to travel the world so the Universal Title rightfully belongs to himself.
Higuchi and Yoshimura bought went through important opponents in their King Of DDT semi-final bouts. As mentioned already, Higuchi’s history with Akiyama is one with plenty of disrespect and trust issues. Even putting that aside you are always in a fight for your life against Akiyama. Higuchi was almost counted out when he was given an Exploder Suplex on the floor. He was also almost pinned with exposed Knee Strikes from Akiyama. Higuchi almost got his big win earlier in the match with an Avalanche Brain Claw Slam but he took too long to go for the pin. Akiyama also tried a rate top rope attack but his Flying Knee Strike was countered in mid-air with a Lariat. Higuchi got to apply the Brain Claw again and turned it into the Brain Claw Slam to advance to the final.
Yoshimura continues to be unbeaten against Yuki Ueno in singles matches but don’t let that fool you into thinking it was an easy match. Some well timed Dropkicks kept giving Ueno an advantage but he could just not get his big moves to count when it mattered. Yoshimura blocked the BME and avoided the WR. Ueno however couldn’t stop the Throwaway Power Bomb and was done for when he was given the Osaka Pride. Ueno is obviously disappointed he lost but the experience made him excited to spread the word of how fun and strong DDT is.
Akito’s desire to regain the DDT Extreme Title is taking him through Pheromones hell. Before their match today began, Danshoku Dieno warned that he was lifting a banned torture technique that was handed down from generation to generation since the Edo Period. This was Pheromones way of judging Akito for the Extreme Title shot on 16th July. The torture move was eventually shown to be Akito getting his head sandwiched between Yuki Iino’s backside and Dieno’s crotch. Any rescue attempt from Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata was cut off by Yumehito Imanari. Akito was stuck in the hold for such a long time that the match was eventually stopped for his safety and Pheromones were declared the winners. After the match Dieno said Akito was not going to fight Iino on his own for the Extreme Title. The match will be a 3 Vs 1 Handicap match where Akito has to fight all of Pheromones by himself! Dieno reminded everyone the rule of the Extreme Title is the champion gets to pick the stipulation so Akito has to accept it.
A new referee named Yusho Nakata (son of the late NOAH executive and ring announcer Ryu Nakata) debuted on this show by working the opener and the dark match. That meant the poor guy had to deal with DAMNATION T.A. He tried to show control by warning Daisuke Sasaki over illegal usage of the ropes. But when Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya looked to be on the road to victory Nakata was pulled down and held back by MJ Paul. That gave KANON the chance to regroup and give Yuki Ishida a Modified Brainbuster that is now called the Sleepy Hollow for the win.
The dark match saw the other three members of Eruption beat the trio of Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima. There was an exchange between Saki Akai and Takao where Akai tried applying a Triangle Choke only to get slammed out of it. Kojima almost pinned Hideki Okatani with the Full Nelson Buster but Yukio Sakaguchi broke the count. Eruption took control with Sakaguchi & Akai giving Kojima a Sandwich PK. Kojima had enough strength to kick out of Okatani’s Northern Lights Suplex but the follow up Double Arm Suplex couldn’t be beaten.
Konosuke Takeshita is temporarily returning to Japan in August. He sent a video announcing he will be part of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on the 20th.
Also revealed for the show was news of Shinichiro Kawamatsu’s debut match. He will team with Sanshiro Takagi & Soma Takao in a 6-Man Tag Match. Their opponents are Makoto Oishi, Akito and another pro wrestling politician Osamu Nishimura! Takagi wants to answer the question of who will win a fight between Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and the Bunkyo City Council! Kawamatsu thought he wouldn’t be bringing politics into the ring for his match but he looks forward for the chance to wrestle Councilor Nishimura.
At the beginning of the show several wrestlers promoted a bunch of upcoming events. Katsumata promoted the upcoming Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence event taking place on 14th July.
Akiyama will be holding his 30th Anniversary show on 18th September. Two special guests were announced for it today. They are Yuji Nagata and Yoshinobu Kanemaru from New Japan! Akiyama has a deep history with both wrestlers so it was important for them to be involved in the show.
Ken Ohka was at the show promoting Ganbare☆Pro’s biggest show in their history “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” at Ota Ward Gym on 10th July. He was joined by Yuki Aino & Raku who both promoted Tokyo Joshi Pro’s event in the same venue, “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” on the 9th.
Last but not least, Atsushi Onita returns to DDT on 4th September for a Current Blast Death Match in Nagoya.
I’ll now include the official Youtube videos of matches to these posts. Last month’s article was updated to include the videos available from May and I’ll go back to add more if they get uploaded. Konosuke Takeshita having matches across the American indies that are so good they have to be put up for free on Youtube is going to be the trend this summer. The other trend seems to be Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers unexpectedly appearing on AEW’s Youtube shows whenever they are in the country. The Forbidden Door is behind us for the time being so if there was any red tape preventing Takeshita from having a higher profile that should be gone now. Even then he’s keeping himself busy as you will see below. By the way it is incredibly satisfying to see how successful that show turned out. So many wrestling analysts and personalities last month predicted failure because let’s be honest, they personally don’t care about New Japan. It is obvious to me that a lot of them used the “casual fan” argument as a cover for their own lack of interest or knowledge for Japanese wrestling. But the PPV being a success proves there is an audience out there that does care. I mean that’s why you’re here right now reading this post, right?
SPOILER WARNING: The results section includes spoilers for taped AEW matches that have not aired yet.
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Videos
DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase
Video starts at 21:24 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/06/2022 The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita Vs Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Casino Battle Royale: Darby Allin Vs Tony Nese Vs Daniel Garcia Vs Lance Archer Vs Eddie Kingston Vs Ricky Starks Vs Jake Hager Vs Rey Fenix Vs Swerve Strickland Vs Keith Lee Vs John Silver Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Max Caster Vs Austin Gunn Vs Colten Gunn Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Bobby Fish Vs Kyle O’Reilly Vs Dante Martin Vs Wheeler Yuta Vs Andrade El Idolo
WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022 The State Room, South San Francisco, USA
1. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita
ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022 Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA
1. Ryan Davidson Vs Shota
Video starts at 37:43 for the match AEW “DARK”, 14/06/2022 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo)
PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022 The Glass House, Pomona, USA
1. Lee Moriarty Vs Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/06/2022 (Aired 06/06/2022) The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose defeated Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita when Deeb submitted Blue with the Serenity Lock (7:40).
When the month began, the joshi wrestlers who were hanging around in America all went back to Japan except for Miyu Yamashita. She still had an indie date left to do but there was an unusually long gap of time until it took place. Turns out the extra time was filled up with Yamashita’s first AEW booking. She unexpectedly had her debut match with the company on Dark Elevation teaming with Skye Blue against two of AEW’s top threats in the women’s division: Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose. There were complaints from fans that you shouldn’t be just throwing Yamashita into a Youtube match like that but there’s a long game being played here. AEW are well aware of Yamashita’s status in the joshi scene and have kept an eye on her for her entire US trip last month. There’s even some hearsay that her indie bookings went through AEW as part of getting her over to the USA in the first place. They’ve been so impressed with her performances that considerations are under way to put together a future AEW Women’s Title program between her and Thunder Rosa. Those plans are separate from the Rosa Vs Yamashita match happening in TJPW later this month. I know the booking of the AEW women’s division is incredibly frustrating to follow but I assure you there is some thought being put behind what to do with Yamashita in the future.
AEW “DARK”, 03/06/2022 (Aired 14/06/2022) Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo) with the Jumping Knee Strike (6:42).
We’re getting into odd territory with the Dark tapings. Takeshita’s match against Nick Comoroto was recorded on 3rd June but was not used until the episode that aired on the 14th.
DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (15:27).
A first time meeting took place in Deadlock Pro when Yamashita took on the freelancer Miyuki Takase. The match had a little bit of everything from strike exchanges, slight comedy, big moves like an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and Takase running a lap around the building to set up the longest Clothesline spot you’ll ever see. Yamashita found her opponent’s limit with High Kicks and finished her off with the Skull Kick to win. According to the match stipulation Yamashita now has a championship shot of some sort for whenever she wants when she returns to DPW.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Casino Battle Royale: Kyle O’Reilly defeated Wheeler Yuta by Ring Out (24:59). Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, Lance Archer, Max Caster, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn, Keith Lee, John Silver, Daniel Garcia, Eddie Kingston, Jake Hager, Konosuke Takeshita, Dante Martin, Ricky Starks, Bobby Fish, Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, Powerhouse Hobbs, Rey Fenix, Andrade El Idolo and Wheeler Yuta.
Takeshita entered the annual Casino Battle Royal where the winner would face Jon Moxley later in the night. It was all part of a long, sudden journey to crown an Interim AEW World Champion thanks to CM Punk unexpectedly going out of action with injury. Takeshita entered the match in the middle of the pack but was thrown out by both Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs. That left Takeshita tweeting about if he should find some new friends for backup should a similar situation ever repeats itself.
WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022 The State Room, South San Francisco, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mike Bailey with the German Suplex (17:50).
Well he got to reunite with one of his friends a couple of days later. The long awaited rematch with Mike Bailey delivered and then some. What are you doing reading this when you can watch it up at the top of the post above?
AEW “DARK”, 11/06/2022 (Aired 19/07/2022)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Anthony Henry with the Jumping Knee Strike (7:48).
Back to the weirdness of the tapings. Takeshita’s match against Anthony Henry hasn’t aired yet. AEW now tapes month’s worth of Dark matches in Universal Studios a couple times a year. Details results of the tapings aren’t common so for the moment we just know who won. I’ll come back to edit this post when the match does air.
ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022 Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA
1. Ryan Davidson defeated Shota with the Davidson Driver (?:??).
Hey Ganbare☆Pro can join in on the fun now. Shota finally got to travel to America after his original plans to do so went kaput two years ago because of the pandemic. He went over to Texas to perform on a Reality Of Wrestling show. That is the promotion run by none other than Booker T. Shota took on Ryan Davidson, an American wrestler who wrestled in both DDT and Ganpro back in 2018. Shota stayed in America for a few more days and went to an AEW event in St. Louis where he hung out with Takeshita and Michael Nakazawa backstage.
PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022 The Glass House, Pomona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty with the Zahi (17:55).
Another very entertaining match worth watching. Lee Moriarty is such a good talent who can shine through your screen with his ring work. He’s a good opponent for Takeshita as you can see when you watch the video way up above.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 04/07/2022) Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Hikaru Shida & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck when Shida pinned Reckless with the Falcon Arrow (2:53).
It was a surprise to everyone when both Yuka Sakazaki and Hikaru Shida showed up to wrestle as a tag team this past Wednesday. I didn’t realize Sakazaki had left Japan for her PWG booking and it wasn’t publicly known that Shida was returning to the US either. The match against Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck will air on Dark Elevation next Monday. Hopefully for Sakazaki’s sake they edit her entrance because she tripped and fell on the ramp while running out. She got revenge on the ramp after the match by stomping on it while leaving ringside.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 01/07/2022) Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Royal Rampage: Brody King defeated Darby Allin by Ring Out (22:41). Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, John Silver, Max Caster, Penta Oscuro & Rush, Matt Hardy, Frankie Kazarian, Dante Martin, Dustin Rhodes, Konosuke Takeshita, Orange Cassidy, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, Ricky Starks, Hangman Page, The Blade, The Butcher and Darby Allin.
Tonight’s episode of Rampage has Takeshita entering the first ever Royal Rampage match. It is reportedly a Royal Rumble match involving two wrestling rings and the last wrestlers left in each ring face off in the finale. Remember earlier when I said Takeshita wants to look for backup so he won’t get eliminated by a tag team? Well it happened again when The Butcher & The Blade worked together to throw him out of the ring.
Yamashita is currently in Spain ready and waiting for this weekend’s show with RCW. Her opponent is an interesting choice. Alex Windsor has been on a roll in England lately for both Revolution Pro and Pro Wrestling: EVE. She will be coming to Japan one week later to challenge for the International Princess Title too. No bigger message to send TJPW than to beat their first ace before heading over.
PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Masha Slamovich
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Takeshita has had no luck chasing after AEW championships. The PWG World Title however is so close he should be able to taste it. The champion Daniel Garcia is beaten up from doing a Blood & Guts cage match. Sakazaki gets to be added to the short list of women to have wrestled for PWG. She can make Masha Slamovich 0 for 2 against TJPW talent.
JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022 Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Radrick
This is a match with more history than meets the eye. Takeshita and Cole Radrick have gotten along on Twitter for the last year, sharing gifs of them doing each other’s moves in matches. Does that mean when they finally meet they will play mind games by swapping movesets against each other?
DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 1”, 16/07/2022 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Davey Richards
Davey Richards has taken up the indie gatekeeper role ever since he returned to active competition. Takeshita getting an opponent as established as him in a promotion as energetic as DEFY should result in magic.
TERMINUS “TERMINUS 3”, 21/07/2022 Oasis Event Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
1. Jonathan Gresham Vs Konosuke Takeshita
The hits keep on coming! Takeshita should expect a change of pace here because TERMINUS uses an alternate ruleset that encourages more grappling and less theatrics. Jonathan Gresham flies the flag for that style (often literally) and has been pretty much unbeatable since becoming the ROH World Champion. It would be a good idea for Takeshita to remember what he learned from wrestling Shinya Aoki and fight fire with fire.
PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022 Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kevin Blackwood
The next day Takeshita returns to Prestige for his second match in the promotion. Kevin Blackwood has been gaining notoriety in the indies this year and just last week got a big win over Takeshita’s buddy Mike Bailey.
GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022 The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA
1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander
Takeshita will also be holding a seminar for Garden State Pro on the day of the show.
BLACK LABEL PRO “THE GANG CROSSES THE LINE”, 29/07/2022 Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Wayne
A teenage prodigy being hailed as the future of pro wrestling with the world at his feet. Sounds familiar. Nick Wayne is sort of where Takeshita was a decade ago. The young phenomenon is becoming a must see wrestler on the indies and supposedly has an AEW contract waiting for him once he is eligible to sign it. One future will get to see the next future first hand.
SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Hoshitango Vs Bital Hasdin
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
Hoshitango’s opponent Bital Hasdin is being promoted as Thailand’s super rookie.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022 O2 Academy, Sheffield, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
Takeshita heads over to England in August for a tour with PROGRESS, the company that wishes it was still 2019. His first show will be in Sheffield and then he will be in Newcastle the next day.
GCW “HOMECOMING PART 1”, 13/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
GCW is not ready for Maki Itoh.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022 Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
Takeshita won’t be the only DDT talent PROGRESS gets to experience this year…
GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
I repeat, they are so not ready for her.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022 O2 Academy, Birmingham, England
1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
Chris Brookes is coming back to Europe and he’s bringing Masahiro Takanashi with him!
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022 Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
Take it from me, wXw tournaments in Oberhausen make for great weekend breaks if you’re with other wrestling fans. They have done tag team tournaments every Autumn for years but the World Tag Team Festival branding is only a recent creation that got interrupted by the pandemic. CDK was one of the first teams announced to enter the annual tournament. They are joined by two familiar faces, the team of Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie!
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 25/06/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall 190 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani when Naya pinned Okatani with the Back Drop (10:02).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao when Iino submitted Hirata after the Pheromones Chokoku-No-Mori (12:51).
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs The Iyasareru!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Medusa (13:18).
4. Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuya Koroku with the Harai Goshi (9:21).
5. BURNING Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Higuchi pinned Okada with the Brain Claw Slam (10:17).
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Shinya Aoki defeated Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) when Kojima submitted Toba with the Modified Triangle Choke (19:38). *Legend-gun fails in V2. The 37KAMIINA & Shinya Aoki become the 8th KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions!
The allied forces of Shinya Aoki & The 37KAMIINA have defeated Legend-gun to becomes the new KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions! It was a big day for Toi Kojima most of all because he was the one to pick up the win. It was a close match all around but the final minutes came down to Kojima and Thanomsak Toba. Kojima had a recent bad experience with kickboxing at Korakuen Hall and things looked like it would be the same here. But Kojima knocked Toba to the mat and locked him into a Triangle Choke for the submission victory. Kojima said he was finally able to take the next step forward and win for The 37KAMIINA. He told Yuki Ueno to use this momentum for the King Of DDT final rounds next month.
Poison Sawada JULIE said he was caught off guard because nobody had ever used towels to counter his magic spells before. He doesn’t care about regaining the 10-Man Tag Titles. Instead he wants a singles match with his long time enemy Sanshiro Takagi! Some of the other members of Legend-gun were more positive over the experience. Takashi Sasaki accepts that their opponents represent the current era of DDT. He wants to get more of a taste of what current DDT is like. MIKAMI congratulates the new champions but if they ever act disgracefully he warns Legend-gun will come back to put them in their place!
King Of DDT semi finalists Kazusada Higuchi and Jun Akiyama faced off in a tag team bout. Higuchi came out on top although it was over Yusuke Okada instead of Akiyama. Higuchi said he knew he would win today. He will beat Akiyama again in the semi finals. He thinks he cannot afford to lose after Akiyama beat Yukio Sakaguchi in Round 1.
Naomi Yoshimura thanked Yuya Koroku for their match but said Koroku is not at the level to beat him yet. He is still too lukewarm. After eliminating HARASHIMA in Round 2, Yoshimura is absolutely confident he will go on to win King Of DDT and become the new KO-D Openweight Champion.
Daisuke Sasaki demanded The Iyasareru/CDK to cancel their challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles because he thinks Antonio Honda is too boring to qualify for a title shot. Sasaki later said the titles aren’t worth much to begin with but even then Honda does not deserve a shot. Honda defended himself and said he only lost today’s match because of a mistake. KANON made him submit to the Medusa, which is the new name of his Just Cobra Twist finisher. Honda promises the title match in Nagoya will be so great it will make everyone in the audience suffer nosebleeds from the excitement.
Before the Pheromones match began, Hisaya Imabayashi wanted to know if Yuki Iino has decided on his next challenger for the DDT Extreme Title. Instead Danshoku Dieno said they would use this match to determine a suitable candidate. After the match Dieno claimed there was nobody worthy of facing Iino for the belt. Suddenly Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki raised his hand and volunteered for the match! The rest of Pheromones were in disbelief and told him he cannot challenge another member while he is in the group. He decided he can then leave Pheromones challenge as just Akito because he loves the Extreme Title the most out of any championship in DDT. Iino accepted the deal and did a pinky swear with Akito before attacking him with the rest of Pheromones joining in. They stripped Akito of his gear and left him beaten in the ring. The title match will happen in Nagoya on 16th July. Backstage Akito said he doesn’t care about Pheromones anymore and instead wants the Extreme Title back to express the pro wrestling that he wants to do.
The mystery foreign wrestler entering DDT next month is Andrew “The Giant” Everett! He is the 175cm tall (although he claims he is 223cm tall) high flying giant of the American indies. He will team with Chris Brookes on 3rd July and will also wrestle on the 7th. Everett was scouted by Konosuke Takeshita recently and received his full endorsement. That is what brings him over to DDT.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~”, 25/06/2022 Kobe Art Center
1. Hikari Noa Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Haruna Neko Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Yuka Sakazaki, Raku & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai
4. Maki Itoh Vs Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Mizuki & Nao Kakuta
6. Shoko Nakajima & Suzume Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
Tokyo Joshi Pro visits Kobe Art Center for the second time this year.
Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai have all noticed what they have in common. Their team is called Yukichans!
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 25/06/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs The Iyasareru!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
4. Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuya Koroku
5. BURNING Vs Eruption!: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Shinya Aoki
The identity of Chris Brookes’ tag partner on 3rd July will be revealed during tomorrow’s show. The clues so far are it is a foreign wrestler but, to my surprise, it is not somebody Brookes is already an acquaintance with. So that means it is not Drew Parker or a Kid Lykos or like 90% of the British wrestling scene for that matter. Brookes himself is trying to find out before the show takes place and is badgering Sanshiro Takagi online to at least send him a LINE message about it. Takagi has also said it is not Joey Janela making an early appearance, meaning it is a sign there are more foreign wrestlers coming to DDT this year.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~FUKUOKA PERFORMANCE~”, 26/06/2022 Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Kaya Toribami
2. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Raku
3. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Miu Watanabe, Pom Harajuku & Yuki Arai
4. Hyper Misao Vs Arisu Endo
5. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Haruna Neko
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
On Sunday TJPW returns to Hakata for the first time in three years.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
1. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Jun Akiyama
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki Vs Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya
4. Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & X
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: X Vs X
The four remaining wrestlers in King Of DDT gave their thoughts going into the final rounds. Yuki Ueno wants to use his skills to spread DDT across the world and this tournament is his chance to do that. Naomi Yoshimura credits his size advantage for getting through the first two rounds. He is also letting those results speak for themselves rather than fighting on behalf of the people he has defeated like the others. Kazusada Higuchi wants to win the vacant KO-D Openweight Title and become DDT’s symbol of strength while he waits for Tetsuya Endo to return. Jun Akiyama just said now is the time for DDT to show their strength and he will lead the charge.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Willow Nightingale
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
Rika Tatsumi is excited for her main event match because she gets to fight on the stage of her dreams. She wants to make Shoko Nakajima feel the same way and have a crazy match for the Princess Of Princess Title. Tatsumi is hoping to discover a side of herself she has never seen before. Nakajima senses TJPW is getting momentum and she wants to stay at the forefront of it. She can tell Tatsumi wants to be in the same position so she is really looking forward to the match.
A fresh new challenge has appeared for The Magical Sugar Rabbits, even if there is something vaguely familiar with it. I don’t know, I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen this scenario develop three times already… Yuka Sakazaki thinks the Princess Tag Team Titles are characterized by a wide variety of matches and Mizuki wants to make them even more valuable. Reiwa AA Cannon are fitting opponents for those reasons because it is two high profile women teaming together. Yuki Arai feels blessed to be surrounded by wonderful senpais and wants to make the most out of her opportunities. Winning the Tag Titles is not her ultimate goal in wrestling but is part of the process. Saki Akai thinks she needs to get to know Arai better because this will only be their third time teaming together. Their opponents have been strongly bonded together by friendship for years!
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Ganpro Specialty 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo & YuuRI (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa)
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takiawa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
4. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
7. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka
An unusual opening match has been added to the card. On paper it was 3 Vs 2 with Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE on one side against Onryo & YuuRI. However Onryo & YuuRI will be joined by a third person. Munenori Sawa will be in their corner. He’s been officially retired from pro wrestling for years now but he’ll find some excuse to get physically involved in the match without breaking his commitment to stay retired.
BASARA “BASARA 196 ~ITCHI DANKETSU~”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Isami Kodaka 20th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka
Just a little over a week before Isami Kodaka holds his 20th Anniversary show, he is having a special tag match with Ikuto Hidaka involved.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 16/07/2022 Aichi Nippon Gaishi Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
Now that DAMNATION T.A’s run as KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles has gone past their little detour, it’s time for their first title defence. A merger of CDK & The Iyasareru makes up the team of challengers.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~”, 25/06/2022 Kobe Art Center
1. Hikari Noa Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Haruna Neko Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Yuka Sakazaki, Raku & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai
4. Maki Itoh Vs Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Mizuki & Nao Kakuta
6. Shoko Nakajima & Suzume Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
Full steam ahead towards the big summer shows at Ota Ward Gymnasium! First up it’s preparation time for Shoko Nakajima and Rika Tatsumi. They have time to see what the other has got in the lead up to the Princess Of Princess Title match.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 25/06/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao
2. Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuya Koroku
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs The The Iyasareru!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
5. BURNING Vs Eruption!: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Shinya Aoki
There’s now some time to take a breather from King Of DDT. One of the semi-finals is involved in the BURNING Vs Eruption tag in Yokohama.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~FUKUOKA PERFORMANCE~”, 26/06/2022 Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Kaya Toribami
2. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Raku
3. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Miu Watanabe, Pom Harajuku & Yuki Arai
4. Hyper Misao Vs Arisu Endo
5. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Haruna Neko
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
For the first time in 3 years, 121000000 are teaming together in their hometown of Fukuoka!
DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
1. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Jun Akiyama
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki Vs Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya
4. Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & X
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: X Vs X
The King Of DDT final four are Kazusada Higuchi, Jun Akiyama, Yuki Ueno and Naomi Yoshimura. The semi-finals divide them into two existing rivalries. Higuchi and Akiyama put aside their past differences to work as a functional tag team at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” but the premature ending to that match left that loose thread up in the air. Both have promised to become the KO-D Openweight Champion on behalf of Tetsuya Endo and carry on in his place while he is injured. Ueno and Yoshimura have become rivals since their tag team Nautilus split up. Yoshimura has beaten Ueno in all of their previous singles matches.
A mystery wrestler is teaming up with Chris Brookes to take on MAO & Shunma Katsumata? Who could it be? Maybe it’s a certain Welshman who Brookes and The 37KAMIINA have been in the ring with before. No, not CdawgVA!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Willow Nightingale
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
The complete card for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” was revealed today. The Magical Sugar Rabbits have been challenged by Reiwa AA Cannon for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Special guests from AEW feature up and down the show with the big match being Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita in a first time meeting. Riho pops up to team with Arisu Endo against Mei Suruga & Suzume. Previous opponents Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa are now on the same team as they take on the newly renamed Toyo Mates. There is going to be so much joy and power on show when Miu Watanabe and Willow Nightingale are in the same ring together. Aja Kong has her first match back in Tokyo Joshi Pro since October. Karate meets Karate when Moka Miyamoto faces Juria Nagano.
A challenger has been found for Maki Itoh. Over in England this past weekend, Alex Windsor won the SHE-1 tournament in Pro Wrestling: EVE. During her victory speech, she called out Itoh and demanded a shot at the International Princess Title! Itoh received the message and accepted the challenge so Windsor will soon be on her way to Japan.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match: Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs X
2. International Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X
4. KO-D Openweight Title: KO-D Champion (c) Vs X
The tycoon of America’s indie scene finally arrives in DDT! Joey Janela has long been sought after by Sanshiro Takagi going back to the Social Distancing match GCW held very early into the pandemic. He will be arriving in Japan a week earlier but his first confirmed match is taking place at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. He takes on Katsumata in a Hardcore Match. Since Janela is nicknamed “The Bad Boy”, Katsumata is now calling himself “The Happy Boy”.
Shinichiro Kawamatsu is returning to DDT to have a proper debut pro wrestling match. The politician wasn’t satisfied with his previous wrestling match relying on his bodyguard only to get beaten into submission once he had to fight for himself. So he is finding time during his political duties to train for a proper match. He actively trains in Jiu Jitsu so he already has some martial arts experience to lean on.
Posted by JamieOD 
