TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Rika Tatsumi, Shino Suzuki & Vert Vixen Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Viva Van
2. Yuki Arai Vs Arisu Endo
3. Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
4. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
5. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The complete card for “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS” has been revealed! Pompaler are looking to strike it rich but standing in their way is the team of Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher. Is that a match that will catch the eyes of those involved with the WWE ID deals? Yuki Arai’s American debut pits her against Arisu Endo. A picture of Arai using the Sharpshooter on Endo can currently be seen on the cover of the newest issue of Weekly Pro-Wrestling. Also Vert Vixen and Viva Van join the fray for a 6-Man Tag Match alongside the remaining roster making the trip over from Japan.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs 1 Called Manders
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman
3. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko
Two new matches for “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!” have been made but this is not the full card. Oddly enough NωA Jr. will not be all teaming together on the show even though all three members will be there. Instead Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi are getting Nick Wayne as their third man. Taking them on are Gringo Loco in his return since losing the DDT Universal Title back in January, teaming up with WWE ID chancer Marcus Mathers and the journeyman Tyler Bateman.
Yukio Naya gets a really tough opponent known to everyone as 1 Called Manders. The American has been having a career breakthrough with matches that show he is tough as nails as well as some recent tournament success to back it up. Naya was in a kind of similar position not too long ago so we may find out these two could be kindred spirits in the ring.
Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion and Yuni are the remaining DDT wrestlers booked on the show currently without a match.
Buckle up, folks. There is a lot to talk about this month, next month and probably even going into the summer. Konosuke Takeshita is no longer the AEW International Champion. That was to be expected but I am pleasantly surprised he has remained on AEW TV since then and is still winning matches for The Don Callis Family. He remains being protected in the booking so it looks like AEW has something in mind for him down the line even if it’s just building him up to put someone else over. Also in news that is kind of AEW related Yuka Sakazaki is now on the lookout for more wrestling bookings. Sumie Sakai is helping her out on that end but it sounds like Sakazaki will still need AEW’s permission to go ahead with whatever offers come her way.
Next let’s talk about Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita. Once the Las Vegas shows are done Itoh will be staying in America until 11th May while Yamashita won’t be coming back to Japan until 21st July for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25”. I was taken aback by the negative response to the news that both of them will be taking another extended hiatus from Tokyo Joshi Pro to wrestle overseas again. I get the frustration in a way. People think both of them are looking for contracts from WWE or AEW. Itoh has brought up stuff like that in past English interviews but I’m not entirely sure Yamashita has the same goal in mind. There was a public talk event sometime ago where Yamashita revealed she spent a lot of money to go follow one of her favorite K-Pop bands on a US tour and she seems to enjoy when she’s not being relied upon by TJPW to be a company ace. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think the two of them keep taking these options in the search for deals that may never come their way. Of course I may also just be blind to what could possibly be some tryout matches coming up next month.
That brings us up to next month’s chaos that is Wrestlemania Week. I can’t wait for this! Too many wrestling shows going on non-stop in Las Vegas for a solid week. Now that’s my kind of holiday! DDT and TJPW don’t have full cards out for their shows yet and I have the feeling one or two more promotions will be booking the likes of MAO and Itoh before we get there. So many shows are going on during the week that I can’t help but wonder if it will just take one badly made political decision somewhere to throw half the shows into chaos.
And if that’s not enough it turns out there will be even more wrestling shows going on through the year after Wrestlemania is finished. Yeah that took me by surprise too. Anyway next month expect me to write up three separate Around The World articles. One for everything that happens before WM Week, one for the week itself and one for the rest of April after that. If the next month doesn’t burn me out something fierce than nothing will.
1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement defeated Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman when Statement pinned Butcherman with an Uppercut (?:??).
The latest chapter in the Southeast Asian rivalry between Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee was a little different this time around. Recently in Singapore Pro Wrestling Lee was stabbed in the back by Andruew Tang, or as he prefers to be called now, The Statement. Lee wanted payback and joined forces with one of Statement’s rivals Da Butcherman to get it. Statement called in Kamifuku to back him up so they can become the royal pair who will rule over SPW together with iron fists. An intense tag match resulted in the referee getting knocked out and Statement being saved by a tag team called The Midnight Bastards. The team attacked Butcherman with chairs and held him in place for Statement to knock him out with an Uppercut. Statement & Kamifuku both stood tall over their rivals holding their championships before leaving. Lee swore revenge and promised to take back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku!
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 07/03/2024 The Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lucia Lee with the Skull Kick (12:48).
Plans in EVE changed for Yamashita when her original opponent Session Moth Martina pulled out of the show due to illness. Instead Yamashita was given Lucia Lee as her new opponent. For Lee it was a chance on short notice to step up against Yamashita and prove she can go toe to toe against her. Despite the good effort, Yamashita knocked her over with the Skull Kick anyway.
RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024 Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Amale with the Skull Kick (15:16).
The next day Yamashita was in Spain to wrestle on an RCW show for the first time since October 2022. Her opponent was “The French Hope” Amale, formerly from NXT UK. She sent Yamashita crashing through the front row of chairs with a Topé Suicida and the two soon found themselves brawling around ringside. Back in the ring Amale kicked out of an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and almost scored the win with a Small Package. But when Yamashita kicked out she quickly had her opponent in her sights and hit the Skull Kick for the victory.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Anita Vaughan with the Crash Rabbit Heat (13:32).
Yamashita’s busy European weekend ended in Germany where she showed up during wXw’s final day of the annual 16 Carat Gold tournament. She didn’t take part in the 16 Carat tournament itself, instead she fought Anita Vaughan who was already eliminated from the competition by that point. Yamashita made it three wins for three but she needed to use the Crash Rabbit Heat this time to end the weekend with a clean sweep.
AEW “REVOLUTION”, 09/03/2025 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AEW International Title: Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with a Cradle (28:30). *Konosuke Takeshita fails in V9. Kenny Omega becomes the 11th AEW International Champion!
That’s the end of Takeshita’s first championship reign in AEW. With thoughts of Hajime no Ippo on their mind and also their gear, Takeshita and Kenny Omega went hell for leather in their rematch from September 2023. Omega’s ribs were violently targeted due to his recent bout with diverticulitis and Takeshita got a little help from Don Callis here and there too. But Omega overcame the odds and kept kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee. Takeshita avoided the One-Winged Angel yet when he went for the Raging Fire, Omega countered it into an Inside Cradle. Only getting a nearfall, Omega then switched to more types of cradle pins until he kept Takeshita’s shoulders down long enough for the three count.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/03/2025 Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Max Caster with the Raging Fire (1:30).
Takeshita wasted no time in getting back to work after his title loss. Max Caster held the latest in his open challenges and tried to talk Takeshita out of it when he walked down to the ring with a purpose. Caster asked if Takeshita was actually here to invite him into The Don Callis Family? When he suggested he could use that position to beat Omega, Takeshita attacked him and quickly won with the Raging Fire.
BZW “WAR AT THE CAPITAL”, 16/03/2025 Claridge, Brussels, Belgium
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II when Yoshihiko submitted Lykos & Lykos II with a Double Half Crab Hold (?:??). *V3 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
I missed when this was announced last month. MAO & Yoshihiko travelled back to Banger Zone Wrestling this month, this time to defend the BZW Tag Team Titles in Belgium. The challengers were the two troublemakers from Lykos Gym in England: Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II. They weren’t prepared for Yoshihiko to do a balcony dive onto them nor did they expect the dark spirit that sometimes follows Yoshihiko around to show up and Moonsault onto them either. Lykos II made the big mistake of yelling insults towards Yoshihiko. When he tried to Headbutt it only he felt the impact. Yoshihiko was then able to trap both members of Lykos Gym in a Double Half Crab Hold and made both of them tap out at the same time!
AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SATURDAY”, 19/03/2025 (Aired 22/03/2025) Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Mark Briscoe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Rocky Romero when Takeshita pinned Romero with the Raging Fire (11:22).
Takeshita continued to rebuild his momentum by teaming with more members of The Don Callis Family. He, Brian Cage & Lance Archer all worked over Rocky Romero until Mark Briscoe got the hot tag. Briscoe had the numbers game against him but he held his own until it was time for Powerhouse Hobbs to get the big tag. But The Don Callis Family withstood the comeback. Cage & Archer took out Romero with a Choke Slam/Power Bomb combo and held his partners at bay so Takeshita could pin Romero with the Raging Fire.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/03/2025 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mark Briscoe with the Raging Fire (11:39).
There was unfinished business between Takeshita and Briscoe from Collision so they met in a singles match the following week on Dynamite. The episode was sponsored by The Minecraft Movie so the venue they were in ended up kind of looking like a Create-An-Arena you would download from the WWE 2K games. Briscoe took a high risk by running across the barricade outside the ring to jump onto Takeshita with a Diving Elbow Drop. Takeshita hit Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee back in the ring but it got him a nearfall. Briscoe pulled out the Jay Driller that had Takeshita beat but a rope break stopped him from getting pinned for the three count. Takeshita stunned Briscoe with a Rolling Elbow before using the Raging Fire to win by the skin of his teeth.
———————————————————————–
Upcoming Appearances
MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA
1. HIMAWARI Vs Janai Kai
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
There was a report from Fightful’s Patreon account during the month saying MLW has “big plans” in mind for Shoko Nakajima and HIMAWARI and the promotion hopes to get TJPW more involved with their women’s division. I’m a bit skeptical towards what that could be because the way wrestling media reports on MLW often comes across as Court Bauer trying to get his material over and everybody just taking him for his word. Big plans could mean anything from Nakajima beating Delmi Exo for the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title or Janai Kai literally murdering HIMAWARI on behalf of CONTRA Unit and right afterward MLW announces a working relationship with Stardom (go see how CIMA was written out of the company right before MLW aired a Dragongate trailer). Or the big plans might just be TJPW talent being used to put over the regulars MLW wants to push. Which at this moment in time is Exo, Kai and maybe Tara Zep. But hey, who knows. It looks like MLW’s working relationship with CMLL is legit. I’ll be happy to be proven wrong.
NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025 Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
I recommend watching the Ace Vs Alpha video New Japan put on their Youtube channel (I included it in the video section above) because it shows Takeshita and Hiroshi Tanahashi talking about their previous match together as well as why Takeshita holds a grudge over how Tanahashi treated DDT in the past. It’s not the complete story of what happened back then because that is more HARASHIMA’s story to tell but it is suffice to build up their match happening next month.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025 Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO
2. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe
Now we hit the busiest wrestling week of the year. Damn it really is a week long this time around with WWE going full throttle with their own schedule in Las Vegas from Tuesday to Tuesday. But enough about them, among the early shows kicking off the week is Pandemonium Pro where Miu Watanabe has a match against Maya World and now MAO will be there too for what is sure to be a crazy battle against Masha Slamovich! The two of them have packed schedules of their own so they better pace themselves.
WRESTLECON “MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh
It’s a match for the ages between two fierce opponents. One is a wrestling idol with grand ambitions of becoming a popstar who has in the past been unceremoniously fired in a humiliating fashion. The other is Maki Itoh. I know people who still have nightmares from the Revolution Pro show in London two years ago where a group of fans spent literally the entire match chanting “Hardcore Country” non-stop for Mickie James. I hope for my sake those same fans won’t be at this show.
WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell
MAO’s second show on the Thursday is against Jiah Jewell at West Coast Pro. Because when you think of local rivalries, you think of Miyagi Vs Louisiana.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki
2. Nattie Neidhart Vs Miyu Yamashita
Whenever Yamashita travels to America, Natalya invites her over to her private training facility in Florida to help teach her what she knows. They’ve apparantly become close friends over time but when Josh Barnett started putting the card together for Bloodsport, Natalya (under her non-WWE moniker Nattie Neidhart) publicly asked for Yamashita to be her opponent. Yamashita jumped at the idea and Barnett was happy to make it happen. This will be the second time Yamashita faces a WWE wrestler at Bloodsport, she lost to Shayna Baszler last July. Here she has the martial arts background advantage and Neidhart’s previous attempt at doing this kind of match with NXT Underground ended in a loss. Usually comparing the legitimate fighting pedigree of two fighters would tip off who wins these things but a main roster WWE wrestler losing on a non-WWE show would be an unusual turn of events. Eh, I’ll still bet a dollar on it.
Shinya Aoki’s announced opponent for the show is NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey. I’d joke about Bloodsport turning into a WWE psy-op but to be fair Dempsey is a regular competitor on these shows and this will be his fourth fight in the series. Plus I don’t want to just write that he is William Regal’s son. From what I’ve seen he fits into this style of wrestling pretty well. Aoki should have fun tangling with him.
BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Cole Radrick & Alec Price
MAO ends his busy day with BZW hosting his third match. At least I think it’s his third show. It’s possible he’ll have a fourth somewhere but I haven’t seen anything yet. The match here is going to be changed too because of injury. MAO & Yoshihiko are supposed to defend the BZW Tag Titles against The Gahbage Daddies but unfortunately word came out a few days ago that Cole Radrick is out of action with a torn MCL and meniscus. No word yet on if Alec Price will still be in the match with a replacement tag partner or if a new team will get the title shot instead.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Only a few weeks to go but the major matches have all been set up. Mizuki Vs Yamashita is the biggest match TJPW can do for the Princess Of Princess Title but it’s been done already in Japan so I can see why it would look fresher in America. Kyoraku Kyomei have their first defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles against Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara’s new tag team OberEats. There is a rematch of the International Princess Title when Suzume clashes with Jada Stone again, this time with Stone having the home field advantage. Plus Watanabe continues getting big opponents away from the title scene when she gets in the ring with Slamovich.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
4. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko
The lineup so far is a little more creative than what we got last year and I prefer it this way. Minoru Suzuki Vs Yoshihiko sounds like something GCW would book for “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” but DDT needs something like that to stand out for themselves.
WRESTLECORE “FEAR & WRESTLECORE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Another outside booking for Itoh during Mania Week. No opponent has been confirmed by WrestleCore yet but El Phantasmo is trying to convince Itoh to team up with him so they can be The Cutest Tag Team Ever. He just so happens to be on this show too.
GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Lazarus Vs MAO
I think this is MAO’s last non-DDT related booking of the week. Unless…
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
As far as DDT and TJPW are concerned this will be the finale of their weekend. One match announced so far and it’s pretty cool looking. Takeshita & Slamovich teaming up against Aoki & Yamashita. It would be a shame if the show runs long and people start leaving during this match to head over to Wrestlemania.
GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X
I’m adding this to the lineup because odds are good someone DDT or TJPW related ends up in the annual Clusterfuck. Yoshihiko was part of it last year and made it to the final three. In fact there’s already an ex-TJPW wrestler announced to be entering the match. Sayaka Unagi is taking part and I can only imagine what kind of eye opening crazy thing she would do in Las Vegas.
HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025 NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA
1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Hey good on Mike Santana for taking a gamble on himself. The stuff he’s been doing on TNA and House Of Glory has been nothing to sneeze at so far. He now has a month to prepare for Takeshita because the two of them are set to fight with the HOG Heavyweight Title on the line.
BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025 The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Leyla Hirsch
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews
Yamashita’s opponent Leyla Hirsch is fresh out of AEW and wants to show everyone how good she is in the ring.
CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.
Daisuke Sasaki will be missing the DDT show happening in Sapporo on the same day for this match.
GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita
The 121000000 split up match is happening but not in TJPW. It’s in GCW! In the nine previous times they’ve done this match, Yamashita has won eight of them and the odd result out was a time limit draw. Itoh has never beaten Yamashita in a singles match but this 10th attempt might be her best chance yet because she’ll have the GCW fans behind her. She’ll need a good result because the next day she has a match that will be just as important.
GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Itoh was originally supposed to get a GCW World Title match against Mance Warner during GCW’s Japan tour last August but a hand injury prevented it from happening. Now nine months later she finally gets her title shot but the champion now is someone completely different. Effy’s first reign as GCW Champ has seen him defend the belt against the weird and the wonderful. Can Itoh beat him to reach her ultimate form as the Queen of the Outlaws?
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
Just have to wait and see what Takeshita does next after the Tanahashi match.
GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025 RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen
Can Yamashita get a better match out of Tony Deppen than YAMATO could?
GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
According to GCW this will be the first time ever Yamashita wrestles Billie Starkz. As long as you ignore the EVE match… and the St. Louis Anarchy match… and the SPARK match.
MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025 Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam
The Kamifuku Vs Lee rivalry now moves over to China for Middle Kingdom Wrestling’s 10th Anniversary show. Chinese wrestler Chen Wenbin and England’s Big Sam get mixed up in the action too.
SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025 Magnete, Milan, Italy
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Italy will soon become the latest country Yamashita has wrestling in. Squash A Jobber Wrestling is the name of the promotion bringing her in which might be the least Italian name I’ve ever heard for a wrestling company.
KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025 Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase
We’re reaching into the summer for the end of this month’s article. Kitsune have a doubleshot going on with both Yuna Manase and Miyu Yamashita scheduled to be there. Manase is teaming with Nagisa Nozaki in Night 1 to take on Vipress & Hudson Envy. Yamashita’s match has not been announced yet.
KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025 South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuna Manase Vs X
Manase is still currently the Kitsune World Champion so it would make sense for her to have a title defence on the second show of the doubleshot.
1. 3 Way Match: Yukio Naya defeated JJ Furno and Yuki Ishida when Naya pinned Ishida with The World’s Best Back Drop (8:48).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi, Yasu Urano & Yuni when Ilusion pinned Yuni with the Swanton Bomb (12:07).
3. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Antonio Honda with the Exploder Suplex (10:22).
4. Special Tag Match: Yuya Koroku & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku pinned Sumi with the Modified Sky Twister Press (11:50).
5. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura defeated Minoru Suzuki & Akito when Nakamura pinned Akito with the Modified Crucifix Pin (15:18).
6. MAO’s Last The 37KAMIINA Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Takeshi Masada when MAO pinned Hirata after the Oretachi no Mad Max (16:13).
The sauna is going to feel a little bit emptier after today because MAO has now left The 37KAMIINA. He teamed with the other three members for the last time and used his tag team finisher with Shunma Katsumata to win in the main event. He said he is certain there will be times he misses the unit but there is something new that he wants to do and he’ll do his best to pursue it. That may mean he will have to fight against The 37KAMIINA from now on but he wants the fans to look forward to those matches when they happen. Yuki Ueno has mixed emotions over the decision but as long as MAO will put fort 100% effort he will support him. To-y made MAO promise he will always be the same person that To-y loves and looks up to. Katsumata wants to reunite the ShunMao tag team in the future but he cannot leave the sauna with him no matter how hard he tries.
I’d say Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura are now ready to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles after how they fared against Minoru Suzuki & Akito. Suzuki bullied Nakamura around but found himself in a stalemate against Aoki’s submission work. While the two of them grappled their way into a deadlock, Nakamura used a Full Nelson to slip Akito into the Modified Crucifix Pin to get the three count out of nowhere. Backstage Suzuki was asked by reporters about his upcoming DDT Universal Title defence against Yoshihiko. Suzuki rubbished the idea because it’s just a doll and everyone in DDT is stupid for treating it like an actual wrestler. When he was done talking, Yoshihiko was actually laying on the floor behind him and tried to grab Suzuki’s leg. Suzuki ignored it and walked away.
Yuya Koroku has added a new move to his arsenal in his bid to become the KO-D Openweight Champion. He used a Sky Twister Press to win his match today, believing a big aerial attack like that is what he needs to beat Chris Brookes. He understands if the fans thinks Brookes will win but as long as Koroku has even a small chance he will throw everything he has to win the title on 6th April. Brookes finds the move familiar, like it is a Spiral or a Stardust looking thing. It looks strong but it also reminds Brookes of Tetsuya Endo which continues his criticisms of Koroku being Endo-like.
It seems Ilusion has no memory of wrestling Yasu Urano one year ago. When they faced off today Ilusion asked who the old man was? When Urano told him he’s 49 years old Ilusion encouraged the audience to chant “old man” at him. After DAMNATION T.A won their match, KANON unexpectedly ran into the ring armed with a chair. He attacked them like a house on fire until Daisuke Sasaki stopped him with a Low Blow. MJ Paul gave him a Death Valley Bomb and Sasaki then knocked him out with a chairshot. As they were leaving, KANON got back up and chased after them, resulting in a brawl to the back. When Sasaki had the chance to make a comment backstage he encouraged KANON to come attack him anywhere if he has the motivation to do it. But he should do it now because tomorrow Sasaki will have 20 security guards protecting him! He then told Ilusion to go hire 20 security guards for tomorrow. KANON said he came all the way to Nagoya todayso he could wear down Sasaki even just a little bit. He’s ready to send him to hell on 6th April!
DDT “O-HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 27/03/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Kazuma Sumi’s 22nd Birthday Match – Street Fight Scramble Pie Bunkhouse Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Makoto Oishi & Akito and Kazuma Sumi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Ilusion threw a pie at Sumi (5:16).
2. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Hangover 6-Man Tag Match For Losers Of The Preliminary Rumble: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Soma Takao, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Katsumata pinned Ishida with the Guruguru VHS (9:35).
3. Maximum Allowance Of 5,000 Yen For Bringing The Weapons Death Match: Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura defeated Yuni & Munetatsu Nakamura when Nakamura pinned Yuni with the Ueno-Style Diving Headbutt onto the Red Book (12:04).
4. Special Single Match: Yuya Koroku defeated JJ Furno with the Modified Triangle Lancer (7:45).
5. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Final: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Sasaki Daddy Daddy (16:31).
6. Special Tag Match: Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda defeated Chris Brookes & Danshoku Dieno when Honda pinned Dieno with the Diving Fist Drop (20:09).
The main event became quite the free for all given the wrestlers involved. There was brawling throughout the venue with cans of beer being knocked around everywhere. Everyone wore Hirata GO! glasses so the match switched back and forth between fighting and dancing. Danshoku Dieno missed a Moonsault so Antonio Honda took advantage by climbing the top rope. Chris Brookes tried stopping him but Honda put him in a Lip Lock to make him drop off so he can go do the Diving Fist Drop on Dieno for the victory. He joked after the match that he never thought so many thoughts, feelings and ideas could be expressed with just one kiss! He told Kazuki Hirata the next time they’re opponents he’ll tell him how he feels with his lips.
In the final of the Hanami KING OF DRUNK competition Daisuke Sasaki and MAO were both dressed in casual clothing rather than their wrestling costumes. They had to drink tequila at regular intervals during the match. They quickly got drunk and started messing around, like handing drinks to the other wrestlers and slapping each other with flip flops. All of the other wrestlers got drunk and huddled around Sasaki to chant “Sasaki Daddy Daddy” at him. It kept going and going until Sasaki got scared and gave up. The wrestlers all carried him away from the ring while MAO celebrated becoming the KING Of Drunk for the Spring. He asked the fans what is wrong with fighting the past? He will create the future!
The wrestlers in Match #3 were each given a budget of 5,000 yen to go buy items with so they could be used as weapons. Some of the items used include balloons, kaiju figures, stuffed toys, leg stockings, piles of books and a Panda costume head. Munetatsu Nakamura also drived around the venue on a moped and crashed it into Yuni after Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura both got out of the way.
Kazuma Sumi was feeling much better and was allowed to wrestle today, which is good because today is also his birthday! To celebrate turning 22 years old the goal of the match was to make a “birthday cake” out of foam and throw it at an opponent’s face. Everyone tried to do it while carefully not dropping the plate but with other wrestlers interfering it was a very difficult task. Ilusion had the bright idea of using the folder he keeps his college diploma in as a plate to pour the foam on and he successfully pie-faced Sumi with it to win.
The contract signing for the KO-D Openweight Title match on 6th April was held at the beginning of today’s show. Yuya Koroku praised Brookes for leading DDT along with the DNA generation but he believes it is time for D GENERATIONS to step into the company’s main story. Brookes didn’t mince his words. He told Koroku that nobody believes he will win the KO-D Title. Their levels are completely different from each other. Then when it was time for the photo session Brookes told Koroku to put down the D GENERATIONS CUP trophy because it doesn’t matter now. All that is at stake is the KO-D Title.
DDT “O-HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 1”, 26/03/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Shishamo Power defeated Yuni with the Shishamo Power Driver (7:31).
2. MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Takeshi Masada & JJ Furno when Paul pinned Furno with the Reverse Splash (9:19).
3. Falls Count Anywhere Blindfold Scramble Bunkhouse Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Antonio Honda with a School Boy (35:33). Order Of Elimination: HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda.
4. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeated Takuya Nomura & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Koroku submitted Matsunaga with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:14).
5. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Preliminary Rumble: Daisuke Sasaki and MAO defeated Yuki Ishida by Ring Out (23:42). Order Of Elimination: Kazusada Higuchi, Soma Takao, Yukio Naya, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno and Yuki Ishida.
6. Special Single Match: Fuminori Abe defeated Keigo Nakamura with a School Boy (12:32).
There were a lot of kicks in the main event as Fuminori Abe and Keigo Nakamura tried to out-do each other. This included Abe doing Soccer Ball Kicks to Nakamura inside the ring. When he tried to do it outside Nakamura cut him off and he got to do the move instead. Nakamura used a Frankensteiner to try and get the flash pin but Abe kicked out. Abe then successfully pulled off a similar plan when Nakamura went for the Somato and Abe countered it into a School Boy for the three count. Nakamura wasn’t phased by the loss and told Abe to polish up his KO-D Tag Team Title belt. Abe responded that he will beat up Nakamura 126 times harder at the title match than he did today! He then tried to let Nakamura close out the show but Nakamura refused to speak and left the ring.
Everyone involved in the Hanami KING OF DRUNK competition had started drinking before the show began were already completely drunk by the time the Battle Royal began. Alongside the usual Battle Royal rules, drinks were served at regular intervals and if a wrestler could not drink their cup they were eliminated. Daisuke Sasaki and MAO ended up being the last two standing so they will face each other in the final tomorrow.
I should have seen this coming when Shishamo Power showed up again. The dreaded Seafood Vs Meat feud is back on the menu! When Shishamo won his match he was joined in the ring by the Yamada Suisan president as well as Unagi Mask and Super Unagi Mask to promote the company’s sponsored DDT show on 13th April. They were interrupted by Shunma “EL TURKEY” Katsumata who made a promise to get revenge when his team lost to the seafood side at last year’s show. He has new allies to team with him. One of them is Yuya “GIBIE” Koroku but more importantly the other is the pro wrestling world’s most amazing carnivore Aja Kong!
Kazuma Sumi was pulled from the show because he was feeling unwell. He is currently questionable if he can wrestle on tomorrow’s show. Some of the matches may get changed if he won’t be appearing.
There has been no further update on Masahiro Takanashi’s condition since yesterday. He is still undergoing medical examinations and DDT will announce the results of his diagnosis on a later date.
GANBARE☆PRO “BOAT RACE G1 TODA PRIMROSE”, 22/03/2026 Saitama Boat Race Toda
0. CWP Offer Match: Daisuke®️ & Dick Zlater Vs Doshipan & Takeshita
1. Sayaka Unagi & Banny Oikawa Vs Yuna Manase & YuuRI
2. El Gambaman Vs London Machine
3. Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Hartley Jackson & Shota Kawakami
4. Shiro Koshinaka, Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Shuichiro Katsumura & Choun-Shiryu
The wrestlers taking part in the CWP match have been decided.
DDT “NANIWA FIGHTER 2025”, 23/03/2025 Osaka City Miyakojima Community Center
1. JJ Furno Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Keigo Nakamura, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
4. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Akito
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ishida
6. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku & HARASHIMA
There was another injury coming out of yesterday’s show. To-y injured the side of his body and is taking this weekend off as a precaution.
KANON has also requested to take a short amount of time off. He isn’t booked again until 6th April.
DDT “O-HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 1”, 26/03/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuni Vs MJ Paul & Ilusion
2. Special Single Match: Shishamo Power Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada Vs JJ Furno
4. Falls Count Anywhere Blindfold Scramble Bunkhouse Match: Chris Brookes Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs HARASHIMA Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Preliminary Rumble: Yuki Ueno Vs MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs To-y Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ishida
6. Special Tag Match: Takuya Nomura & Kazuma Sumi Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
7. Special Single Match: Fuminori Abe Vs Keigo Nakamura
The arrival of Astronauts is adding some freshness to the DDT cards. Fuminori Abe is going to face Keigo Nakamura in a preview of next month’s KO-D Tag Team Titles match. Also I bet a few people out there will be excited by the idea of Takuya Nomura and Jun Akiyama crossing paths even if it’s just in a tag match.
A change of plans for the Hanami KING OF DRUNK tournament. Takanashi’s injury reduces the Battle Royal down to eight wrestlers so it is now going to be the last two men standing who will qualify for the final. Also Chris Brookes is no longer taking part in it, presumably out of respect for Takanashi. Yuki Ueno is swapping places with him on the card instead.
The masked man from the seafood sponsorship is back! Shishamo Power will be in action.
DDT “O-HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 27/03/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi Vs MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Akito & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Maximum Allowance Of 5,000 Yen For Bringing The Weapons Death Match: Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuni & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Special Single Match: Yuya Koroku Vs JJ Furno
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
5. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Hangover 6-Man Tag Match For Losers Of The Preliminary Rumble: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
6. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Final: X Vs X
Here is a big chance for JJ Furno to get some attention if he can beat the current No. 1 Contender Yuya Koroku.
DDT “OWARI WARS 2025”, 29/03/2025 Aichi Chunichi Hall & Conference
1. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Antonio Honda
2. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Akito Vs Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura
3. MAO’s Last The 37KAMIINA Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs X, X, X & X
In a move that could eventually lead to a big shake up in DDT, MAO has decided to leave The 37KAMIINA and his final match with the unit will be at the end of the month. He feels he has done everything he can do with the sauna club and has goals he knows he cannot reach if he stays where he is now. He teased having a crazy looking schedule for the next four months heading into the summer. The first piece of that story is today’s news that he is booked for a New Japan show at Korakuen Hall on 4th April along with Yuya Koroku. It is also notable that MAO is not taking part in this year’s King Of DDT tournament despite winning it last year. Could he finally be Best Of The Super Juniors bound?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SPRING FESTIVAL DEBUT IN UENO!”, 02/04/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Arisu Endo Vs Uta Takami
2. Suzume & Haruna Neko Vs Toga & Chika Nanase
3. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Kira Summer & Ivy Steele
4. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Wakana Uehara & Mifu Ashida
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Pom Harajuku
6. Special Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
7. Spring Sports Day Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls 10-Woman Special Tag Match: Mizuki, Yuki Aino, Raku, Haru Kazashiro & Shino Suzuki Vs Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao, Kaya Toribami, Yoshiko Hasegawa & HIMAWARI
There will be more detailed rules explained for the main event soon but so far it is going to be Best 2 out of 3 Falls with no time limit.
Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi remain as some of the few men to get booked on a Tokyo Joshi Pro show.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2025 ~YOUR LIE IN APRIL~”, 06/04/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Naomi Yoshimura’s Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs X, X, X & X
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Daichi Sato
4. 2 Vs 1 Special Handicap Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani Vs KANON
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuya Koroku
It is now confirmed that Chris Brookes is the defending KO-D Openweight Champion taking on Yuya Koroku. They’re going to have better chances to hype up their match in the coming weeks.
Keigo Nakamura has a very strong tag partner in Shinya Aoki but he is reaching the point where he does not want to hopelessly rely on him. Instead he wants to use his own power to beat Astronauts for the KO-D Tag Team Titles.
KANON will be returning from his brief absence ready to fight DAMNATION T.A all by himself. He has nothing left and doesn’t care if Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani trample all over him again.
Daichi Sato is officially welcomed into the DDT roster on this show. Jun Akiyama is the welcoming party.
All of Harimao will be reunited when Naomi Yoshimura comes back for his first match since November 2022.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs X
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs X & X
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs X
Zara Zakher has been added to the show.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 12 ~GIVE IT TO THE CLOUDS THE MOUNTAIN CUCKOO~”, 17/05/2025 Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Laughter Leads To Hell~: Kuishinbo Kamen, Shunma Katsumata & Ram Kaichow Vs Kikutaro, Antonio Honda & No Name
“Laughter Leads To Hell” is a pretty apt description for the first match added to Yukinori Matsui’s show.
This year’s annual King Of DDT tournament will consist of 16 wrestlers in a straight knockout playoff. Every match will have no time limit and the bracket ends at the semi final stage where a lottery will pair off who in the final four will face each other.
*Masahiro Takanashi will not be taking part due to the injury he suffered at yesterday’s show but since he was announced to enter beforehand I included him here for the sake of record.
———————————————————————–
DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1A: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1B: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1C: X Vs X
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1D: X Vs X
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1E: X Vs X
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1F: X Vs X
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1G: X Vs X
8. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1H: X Vs X
———————————————————————–
DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 2ND ROUND”, 10/05/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H
———————————————————————–
DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!”, 25/05/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: X Vs X
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. 57th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions Decision Match – Kazusada Higuchi & Shunma Katsumata Double Return Match: Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Sumi pinned Ishida with the School Boy (11:29). *NωA Jr. becomes the 57th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi defeated Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (8:40).
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated JJ Furno & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Paul pinned Matsunaga with the Reverse Splash (7:23).
4. Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Keigo Nakamura defeated Makoto Oishi, Akito & Soma Takao when Koroku submitted Takao with the Modified Triangle Lancer (11:42).
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada defeated Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato when HARASHIMA pinned Sato with the Somato (13:39).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Loser Joins Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) with the Avalanche Vertical Drop Lehman Shock (8:33). *Special Observer: Amon Tsurumi. Danshoku Dieno fails in V3. Super Sasadango Machine becomes the 62nd DDT Extreme Champion! Dieno’s pet dog Haku must now join DDT!
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated KANON with La Mistica Crossface Lock (11:34).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura defeated MAO & To-y (c) when Abe submitted To-y with the O-Manjigatame (16:17). *The 37KAMIINA fails in V2. Astronauts become the 86th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
9. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki defeated Yuki Ueno (c) with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (23:32). *Yuki Ueno fails in V1. Minoru Suzuki becomes the 18th DDT Universal Champion!
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (21:17). *V3 for Chris Brookes.
What was supposed to be a big DDT show to celebrate the 28th Anniversary of their debut show turned into a scary ending in the main event. Chris Brookes and Masahiro Takanashi wanted to give it their all for their KO-D Openweight Title match with neither holding back their efforts. A table was set up at ringside and Takanashi tried to put Brookes through it with the Takatonic. However Brookes blocked the move and countered it into an Implant through the table instead, busting Takanashi open in the process. KUDO made a surprise appearance at ringside to psyche up Takanashi and get him to continue the match. That inspired Takanashi to use KUDO’s Diving Double Knee Drop on Brookes but Brookes blocked it with his own knees. The fight went back up to the top turnbuckle where Brookes stopped Takanashi from doing the Avalanche Takatonic. Instead Brookes gave him the Avalanche Praying Mantis Bomb, causing Takanash’s head to hit off the back of the canvas. Brookes followed up with a regular version of the Praying Mantis Bomb for the three count.
Things quickly became concerning once the match was over when Takanashi was unable to move. He was still conscious and could talk to Brookes, Yukinori Matsui and the ring doctor. Brookes held the microphone to Takanashi so he could thank the fans, Brookes and DDT that he loves them all. The ending of the show was paused and everyone remained in their seats so the ambulance could arrive and the medical team could safely take Takanashi away on a stretcher. He was still conscious, was able to speak and he even raised his fist to the crowds as he was being taken away. As the show was officially brought to a close, Sanshiro Takagi told the fans on the microphone he is confident that Takanashi will definitely come back from this injury.
DDT are currently waiting to hear on his diagnosis before they announce any further details. Tokyo Sports were able to get a comment from the ring doctor. Takanashi told him his upper body was feeling numb and he couldn’t move his lower body. While the news article suggests there is a possibility of a cervical spine injury based on that description, the doctor himself cannot say what the extent of the injury is until they get the MRI results.
While Takanashi was being tended to in the ring, DDT tried to keep the show going by having Yuya Koroku approach Brookes at ringside. Brookes was holding the KO-D Title while Koroku carried out the D GENERATIONS CUP trophy. Koroku said he is not the same person he used to be. He is no longer the Koroku from BURNING and he is no longer a “Generic Endo” either. He found his confidence, won the DGC and will be facing Brookes for the KO-D Title on 6th April. Brookes understandably wasn’t in the mood to spend much time on this so he had a brief staredown with Koroku before trying to close out the show with the rest of SCHADENFREUDE International.
Great job, Yuki Ueno. You used the DDT Universal Title as bait to get a match with Minoru Suzuki and he just came over, beat the crap out of you and won the championship. This definitely didn’t go the way he thought it would. The “Pirate King” overwhelmed Ueno with his power and took the fight out to the bleachers. Ueno was able to fight back and even use a chair as a weapon against Suzuki. He seemed to find some joy in the fight and even used Takagi’s finisher the Sit Down Himawari Bomb for a nearfall. But Suzuki kicked out of the BME and eventually got Ueno to crack by putting him in the Sleeper Hold. The Dropkick to the face that usually works out so well for Ueno couldn’t take Suzuki off his feet. Instead Suzuki dropped Ueno with the Gotch-Style Piledriver to win his first ever DDT championship.
Suzuki could see that Ueno was in pain and agony after the match but he couldn’t help but tell him he had fun today. Suzuki will happily “play” with him again anytime. Ueno left the ring in frustration while Suzuki could hear a voice coming from the championship telling him to bring it to the outside world. Suzuki is travelling to Las Vegas next month so if anybody wants to aim for him and the Universal Title, he welcomes them to come forward and challenge him. There are no borders for him and he won’t discriminate against class or gender. Wherever there is pro wrestling Suzuki can defend the championship there as long as he can find an opponent who is undoubtedly strong. Meanwhile Ueno is coming to terms with just how big of a mistake he made by doing this match.
The Astronauts have successfully landed in DDT by beating MAO & To-y to become the new KO-D Tag Team Champions! The Bati-Bati style of the “Fighting Detectives” is just what was needed to match MAO’s fucked up wrestling along with To-y’s fiery attitude. Fuminori Abe was almost beaten when he took the Whirlwind Kick from MAO followed by the Kojima Wonderland but Takuya Nomura broke the pin. MAO attacked Nomura with a Quebrada leaving Abe and To-y left in the ring to fight each other. Abe countered the Kojima Wonderland into the Manjigatame and then forced To-y down onto the mat with a grounded version of the hold to make him give up.
Astronauts were quickly met by one of their first challengers when Keigo Nakamura got into the ring. Nakamura wants to challenge them with Shinya Aoki as his tag partner. Abe said they would be happy to do the match and it was confirmed for the 6th April Korakuen Hall show. Nakamura said backstage he’s been relying on Aoki so much that he wants to win the tag belts under his own power. Astronauts told reporters they want to use the KO-D Tag Titles to help them investigate not just DDT but the wider pro wrestling scene to prove they are the best tag team in the world!
As for the former tag champs, MAO dropped a big announcement by telling reporters he will now leave The 37KAMIINA! He believes he has done everything he can do with the group and has nothing more to teach To-y. In fact now is the time he expects To-y to try and beat him. There are many more things away from The 37KAMIINA that MAO wants to do including things he admits he should have already done by now. He already made his mind up to leave once he lost the KO-D Tag Titles with To-y so that means today is the day. DDT is going to completely change because of this decision and MAO wants to bet on that happening. He said he’s not quitting DDT but his schedule for the next four months is going to make people a bit dizzy when they see it.
KANON Vs Daisuke Sasaki was advertised as a singles match but it may as well have been a Handicap Match given how much DAMNATIONA T.A got involved. KANON took a bamboo stick beating from Hideki Okatani, had Ilusion all over his back and just when he though the coast was clear MJ Paul was there to cause more trouble. In the end another stick strike from Okatani set KANON up for La Mistica Crossface Lock so Sasaki could win. After the match Sasaki called KANON weak but took back the claim he is an unwanted child. He is in fact needed to serve as a sacrifice for Okatani’s return match on 6th April. Sasaki decided the match at that show will be Sasaki & Okatani against KANON in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match! Hell is still to come for KANON and Okatani told him not to run away. KANON was in an emotional mess backstage but accepted the match because he has nothing left to lose.
The DDT Extreme Title match is meant to be Super Sasadango Machine’s last time fighting for the belt so he, Danshoku Dieno and Amon Tsurumi wanted to make it as dramatic as possible. Dieno chose a stipulation that would force Sasadango to join DDT full time if Dieno won the match. But if Sasadango won the match then Dieno’s beloved pet dog Haku would join the DDT roster instead. It became the topic of Sasadango’s pre-match PowerPoint presentation where he talked about labour regulations and the risks of forced labour. Tsurumi argued Sasadango’s point by reminding him he retired from wrestling once before and came back anyway. To make the match even more dramatic it slowed down and paused at points so the audience could listen in to the thoughts and feelings of those at ringside. Yukinori Matsui wondered when to step in and ask if the wrestlers would give up, the cameraman was complaining about how difficult it is to film Dieno without getting into trouble and Dieno wanted to convince Sasadango just how fun pro wrestling can be. The audience even heard the thoughts of the celebrity guest commentator Leyla Ikeda from the comedy duo Kanjuku Fresh. She was completely bored out of her mind by the match and was waiting for the handsome wrestlers to show up. Tsurumi however was thinking the complete opposite and was moved by the match his friends were putting on. Dieno called his shot to finish the match with three Moonsaults in a row but Sasadango caught up to him and hit the Lehman Shock from the top rope to win the match and the Extreme Title!
Tsurumi complained about the finish and told Sasadango he couldn’t do a top rope move in slow motion. Sasadango admitted it didn’t turn out the way he expected. He apologised to everyone including Stardom and their company president Taro Okada for some reason. Haku was brought down to the ring by Makoto Oishi to give a comment about becoming DDT’s newest roster member but all he did was sniff the microphone. Sasadango later said he wanted to do his best for Yuki Iino because Iino’s injury made him miss out on an Extreme Title shot. Sasadango also announced he has an event coming up in Tokyo on 9th June and advised fans to keep their schedule free for that day. Dieno admitted he is a bad owner and bad father for letting Haku join such a barbaric wrestling company. However he knows Haku has guts and they will do their best together side by side. He also needs to negotiate what percentage of Haku’s merchandise they’re going to get from the company once DDT starts selling it.
In just a few weeks time Daichi Sato will become DDT’s newest roster member (getting beaten to the punch by Haku is DDT in a nutshell) so he was given a big tag match teaming with Jun Akiyama to take on HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada. Sato wasted little time going toe to toe with HARASHIMA and linked together well with Akiyama when it came to fighting against Masada. But HARASHIMA won out in the end by pinning Sato with the Somato. Akiyama was pleased with Sato’s performance and challenged him to a singles match on 6th April as Sato’s first official match as a DDT wrestler. Akiyama encouraged Sato to hunt the old man down!
Part of Koroku’s preparation for his KO-D Title match was to show up in new wrestling gear for his match today. However Akito had new gear too so that spoiled things a little bit. He had Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura teaming with him but went at it alone with Soma Takao for the final stretch. Koroku was able to counter Takao’s Gin And Tonic into the Triangle Lancer and held onto the move to make Takao give up.
DAMNATION T.A also ruined JJ Furno’s DDT debut. Ilusion didn’t know who he was and made fun of his hair. He seemed to care more about his brand new college diploma, until he used that to hit Tomomitsu Matsunaga over the head with. MJ Paul then went on to pin Matsunaga with the Reverse Splash.
The 3 Way Match was filled with the nonsense you’d expect from the people involved. Kazuki Hirata was ignored and felt left out. Then he got mad when Antonio Honda and Toru Owashi decided to act like a tag team against him. He powered up with the Hirata GO! glasses but was stopped when Honda tripped over the ropes and summoned Gongitsune. Honda and Owashi fought each other but it slowly turned into something more romantic with Honda forming Owashi’s hands into a heart sign. Just when they were about to kiss, Hirata interrupted the moment so he could get a kiss from Matsui. However Owashi rolled up Hirata in a School Boy so the match continued. Honda hit Hirata with the Shining Gongitsune but Owashi then rolled up Honda with La Magistral Cradle to get the win.
New KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions were guaranteed in the opening match. It was also the return bouts for both Kazusada Higuchi and Shunma Katsumata so one of them was becoming a champion in their first match back from injury. Kazuma Sumi & Yuni did stereo Moonsaults out of the ring while Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida doubled up with sumo slaps to the opponents. It all came down to Sumi catching Ishida by surprise with a School Boy to make NωA Jr. the new champions at Harimao’s expense. Sumi said it was speed and quickness that defeated power and strength today. Katsumata said no matter how many times he falls he always crawls and gets back up. He wants to show his true colors and show everyone bigger dreams with NωA Jr.
There is more good news for Harimao coming up though. Naomi Yoshimura gave everyone an update on his health since he took time off from wrestling in November 2022 to rehab his neck injury. He will soon return to the ring and have his first match back on 6th April! He promised to repay all of the kindness he received during his absence and will show his wrestling to new fans who haven’t seen him before. He is not going to return to a full time schedule at first but whenever DDT wants to book him he will be available. Yoshimura’s first match back will be an 8-Man Tag featuring all of Harimao teaming together.
The field for King Of DDT 2025 was revealed. The 16 participants announced for this year’s tournament are Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada, Masahiro Takanashi, Shunma Katsumata, Akito, Hideki Okatani, To-y, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato and Shinya Aoki. Obviously with Takanashi’s injury he will no longer be taking part.
Things are going to be different for DDT’s usual biggest show of the year this time round. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” will be held over a two day weekend. Day 1 will be held at Higashin Arena in Sumida on 30th August and Day 2 will be in Korakuen Hall on 31st August.
1. Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion defeated Yuni & Yuki Ishida when Ilusion pinned Yuni with the Swanton Bomb (8:11).
2. Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya defeated MAO, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Naya pinned Hirata with a Slap To The Back (0:28).
2a. Rematch: Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya defeated MAO, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Rakao pinned Hirata with a Running Elbow Butt (9:57).
3. Special Single Match: KANON defeated MJ Paul by Disqualification when Hideki Okatani interfered (9:06).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yuya Koroku defeated Shinya Aoki, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (10:44).
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y defeated Minoru Suzuki & Akito when Ueno submitted Akito with the Blackout Sleeper (16:38).
6. Road To Judgement 2025! Special Tag Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Takanashi pinned Brookes with the Bracchus (19:55).
Not long to go now until it’s time for “JUDGEMENT 2025”. Today was the last day for preliminary tag matches involving some of the upcoming title bouts happening at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show. SCHADENFREUDE International was split into two for the main event. Chris Brookes teamed with Takeshi Masada while his next challenger Masahiro Takanashi teamed up with Antonio Honda. Takanashi was on the receiving end of CDK style tag team moves this time. Brookes & Masada gave him the Thrust Kick/Piledriver combo that CDK likes to do. However Takanashi kicked out of the pin and all of a sudden trapped Brookes in the Bracchus to score a win over the KO-D Openweight Champion! The message is clear. No matter what Brookes does to Takanashi, Takanashi will take the KO-D Title from him in the end! Takanashi even said after the match that those three seconds are worth more than the six years they’ve been together!
The other prelim match of note is the only time Yuki Ueno and Minoru Suzuki were facing each other before their DDT Universal Title match. At first Suzuki overwhelmed Ueno with submission holds as well as attacks outside of the ring. To-y suffered the same when Suzume brushed off his Chops and knocked To-y down with only one of his own. However To-y rescued Ueno from the Gotch-Style Piledriver, giving Ueno the space to put Akito in the Blackout Sleeper and win by submission. Suzuki told Ueno after the match he isn’t going to give him the usual B-Grade warnings to hype up their title match. Instead he encouraged him to give the fans a more fun and intense match at Korakuen Hall. One that will destroy Korakuen with the combined force of all their might! Ueno admitted today was a painful match but he hasn’t had enough fun yet to give up the belt now.
KANON is now living a life where he has to fight by himself. His match with MJ Paul immediately went sideways because the rest of DAMNATION T.A would attack him at ringside. Part of the attack included Hideki Okatani hitting KANON with a bamboo stick. Ilusion then interfered when KANON put Paul in the Cobra Twist. KANON fought him off and went to finish Paul off when Okatani returned with another bamboo stick attack. He then hit the referee with it causing the match to end in disqualification. Daisuke Sasaki told KANON he is going to teach him a lesson and end him on 20th March. He then broke a chair over his head. Okatani told KANON a powerless guy like him has no choice but to be controlled by DAMNATION T.A. Backstage KANON said he knows better than anyone what they do because he was with the unit for three years. He promised to get revenge on them and kill Sasaki at Korakuen!
Something was off about Hisaya Imabayashi today. When Match #2 ended in seconds like a Kazuki Hirata match usually does, the GM didn’t react to it. Instead he jusy looked depressed. This made the wrestlers all concerned for him so he explained lately he has lost his passion for wrestling. Everyone agreed to have an immediate rematch and make it so exciting that Imabayashi would care enough to get angry again when they eventually ruin it. It took some effort but they eventually helped Imabayashi find his passion again and enter the match to stop their nonsense. He was then quickly incapacitated by Danshoku Dieno’s Hell Gate.
Before NωA Jr. started their musical performance Yuni tried to roll up Shunma Katsumata in a failed attempt to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. Katsumata kicked out and after an awkward moment or two the group sang their song like nothing had happened.
Are you sure that everybody wans Mina Shirakawa? Because this month it sure looked like everybody wanted Konosuke Takeshita! He had a big month in AEW, he has big matches coming up in New Japan soon, he wrestled a bunch of times on a cruise and right when it looked like he would have a break, CMLL came calling out for him. If you’re the type who keeps track of any Wrestler Of The Year contenders, Takeshita’s work in February should put him up near the top as an early frontrunner.
He’ll have more to do over the coming months but March will see the Tokyo Joshi Pro side of things take more of the spotlight. Miyu Yamashita has a packed weekend in Europe coming up and Yuki Kamifuku will continue to gift with Southeast Asia her presence. Then in April it’s the big one. Wrestlemania Week! I’ll need to find the time to write a big piece about what DDT and TJPW will be doing during that period.
I don’t have much to write about for Takeshita’s remaining matches that happened during the Jericho Cruise. But hey some of these sound really good on paper, right? At least this match here gave attendees a taste of what Will Ospreay and Takeshita’s tag match in Australia happening later in the month would be like. Lance Archer probably bounced Komander around like a basketball too.
JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 3”, 02/02/2025 Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal (?:??).
Like this one for example. It would be great if footage of this shows up somewhere. Takeshita, Archer & Brian Cage all teaming up together against Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal is the kind of match on paper that would have carried Night 3 of a packed indies weekend we used to get a decade ago.
JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 4”, 03/02/2025 Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Bandido, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd (?:??).
The last day of the Jericho Cruise had The Don Callis Family still together against the weird mix of Bandido & The Outrunners. I don’t know how much Takeshita would be into the retro 80s American vibe that The Outrunners bring with them. That’s more up Antonio Honda’s alley.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 05/02/2025 Gateway Center Arena, College Park, Georgia, USA
1. International All-Star Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Brody King & Buddy Matthews when Fletcher pinned King after an Assisted Brainbuster (14:15).
There was one last warmup match for Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher before they headed off to Australia. Here they took on the newly renamed Hounds Of Hell. They are the former House Of Black now without Malakai Black involved because he finally made his exit from the company. The challenge in this match was how much it took to put away the immovable force that is Brody King. Takeshita & Fletcher were able to get rid of Buddy Matthews no problem but when it came to King they had to throw everything at him but he wouldn’t stay down. Takeshita had to assist Fletcher with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster to keep the big guy down for the pinfall.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025 Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile ??? Fans
1. Casey defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Loaded Backpack Attack (7:43).
2. Aja Kong defeated Roma with the Uraken (8:55).
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Sara Phoenix & Pandora when Yamashita pinned Phoenix with the Skull Kick (18:19). *V4 for 121000000.
AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher when Omega pinned Takeshita after the Hidden Blade/One-Winged Angel Combination (21:20).
Talk about a match that delivered! The big tag match in Australia went ahead and ended with something we haven’t seen in a while: Takeshita taking a pinfall loss. It took a combination of the Hidden Blade and One-Winged Angel being mashed together like a Doomsday Device for it to happen which should wind up becoming one of the most memorable match finishes of the year. The aftermath confirmed there is more to come. Ospreay and Fletcher have their own feud moving ahead while Kenny Omega announced his intentions to go after Takeshita’s AEW International Title.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/02/2025 Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Orange Cassidy with the Raging Fire (12:30). *V8 for Konosuke Takeshita.
But first AEW had to go the long route to set up the match. Before Takeshita goes to a big title match with Omega he first had to beat Orange Cassidy in a with the belt on the line. Takeshita took a table bump when Cassidy dropped him on top of the announce desk with the Beach Break. He was still in danger after getting hit with the Orange Punch and also a Flying DDT outside the ring. But Cassidy made the big mistake of climbing the top turnbuckle. And whenever Takeshita’s opponent jumps off the top turnbuckle there is an Elbow Strike waiting right for them upon landing. There were still some very close calls to come but Takeshita caught the Orange Punch and countered it into the Raging Fire for the win. Don Callis then rubbed salt on the wound by putting Cassidy’s sunglasses onto Takeshita after the match.
CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 28/02/2025 Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
1. NEVER Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Ángel de Oro with the Raging Fire (?:??). *V4 for Konosuke Takeshita.
The month ended with Takeshita’s first time in the hallowed grounds of lucha libre known as Arena Mexico. CMLL made it a big deal that he was coming over to wrestle on their famed Friday night show on short notice and offered up Ángel de Oro as a challenger for the NEVER Openweight Title. So this was put together more through CMLL’s relationship with NJPW rather than AEW. Or maybe it’s both at this point because Rocky Romero is the connection point and his backstage connections run pretty deep nowadays. The match itself unintentionally ended up becoming bloody after de Oro suffered a hand injury of some sort. With only one fall needed to win rather than the traditional two, Takeshita came out on top after the two went back and forth with big moves until the Raging Fire brought things to an end.
Backstage Takeshita was asked by reporters who else in CMLL he would like to wrestle? He told a story about the first wrestling show he ever attended when he was a child. It was an Osaka Pro show and the merchandise he bought at the show was a Blue Panther mask. That is his first ever wrestling memory in general so perhaps one day he will cross paths with Blue Panther or a member of his family in the ring.
1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman
An alliance seems to have formed between Yuki Kamifuku and The Statement over in Singapore Pro Wrestling. Maybe the two champions believe it is in their best interests to be on the same side when some familiar rivals are marching forth towards them again. The Statment and Da Butcherman have fought each other plenty of times before. So too have Kamifuku and Alexis Lee. So now the next step is to throw them all in the ring at the same time.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 07/03/2024 The Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Session Moth Martina Vs Miyu Yamashita
A busy weekend in Europe sees Miyu Yamashita wrestling in three countries. First up she is heading back to EVE in England where she will present herself as a big challenge for Session Moth Martina to overcome.
RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024 Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Amale
Then on the Saturday Yamashita returns to Spain for her first appearance in RCW since October 2022. Her opponent will be French wrestler and former NXT UK performer Amale.
Yamashita finishes off the weekend with an appearance at wXw on the last day of the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Unless wXw announces her match beforehand it is a complete roll of the dice who she gets to face at the show.
AEW “REVOLUTION”, 09/03/2025 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Kenny Omega
It took 18 months to get here but we’re finally back on track to having another Takeshita Vs Omega match. I’m not going to sugar coat it. I think the title reign ends here and Takeshita’s priorities are about to switch over to New Japan for the spring and summer months.
MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 The Commerce, California, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
I think we know what to expect here. MLW brings in a Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestler, in this case Shoko Nakajima, and they lose to their women’s champion, in this case Delmi Exo. Although that was done a lot when Janai Kai was the champ so who knows? Maybe Nakajima takes the title from Exo and ends her second reign before it can properly take off.
NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025 Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
I know Hiroshi Tanahashi is getting an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot at New Japan’s anniversary show in March. And NJPW have announced there will be IWGP Title matches taking place in their next two shows in America. Hmmm…. Alright, alright, that’s just wishful thinking on my part. Although I can see the NEVER Title being on the line when Tanahashi and Takeshita clash in Chicago.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025 Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe
At the moment it doesn’t seem like there will be any other DDT or TJPW talent appearing on the show. So it’s just going to be Miu Watanabe having a match here by the looks of it.
WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell
Later in the afternoon MAO will be at the West Coast Pro show and the promotion are promising the opponent is just as crazy as he is! Jiah Jewell has made it his goal to “Gator Roll The World” and that sounds like the fucked up wrestling MAO likes to fight for.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Shinya Aoki Vs X
No surprise to see Shinya Aoki getting added to the show. The funny thing is the match he’s having on the DDT show would have made much more sense to happen on the Bloodsport show!
Yamashita also returns to Bloodsport for a second go around.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs X
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs X & X
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs X
The card will begin to take shape right after “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” is over and done with. What we do know for now is there will be championship matches for the Princess Of Princess Title, the Princess Tag Team Titles and the International Princess Title.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
Like I said above, doesn’t Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher sound more like a Bloodsport match than a DDT match? Now Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson, that’s a match you’re absolutely not going to see anywhere else.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
I really don’t know what the vibe and turnout for this show will be when it happens right slap bang in between the big NXT show and the first night of WrestleMania.
BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025 The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews
Very cute, very evil and back teaming up again. Danhausen & Maki Itoh reunite as Makihausen for a tag match against Bang And Matthews over at Black Label Pro.
CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.
So this is happening in Japan but since it is a one off lucha libre show that is disconnected from everything else going on I decided to include it in this series. This is the Sumo Hall show that made headlines for announcing the debut of a new Hayabusa. One of the lucha matches originally booked for the show was a 3 Way Match between Octagon, El Hijo del Octagon and Pantera Jr. However Daisuke Sasaki crashed one of the press conferences demanding to be part of the show because of his lucha skills. The promoters decided to let him in so he gets to team with Pantera Jr. against the two (kayfabe?) generations of Octagon.
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
Probably another New Japan title defence for Takeshita when he goes to California in May. Hopefully it’s with the IWGP Ti-okay, okay, I’ll give it a break.