DDT Around The World – November 2022

December 1, 2022

Boy oh boy November turned out to be an eventful month for DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro going international. Between DDT’s dealings with AEW and TJPW leaving their mark on Pro Wrestling EVE there is a lot to keep track of. Konosuke Takeshita signed his deal with AEW, Jun Akiyama made “The Last of a Dying Breed’s” dream come true, Maki Itoh is now gang affiliated and Miyu Yamashita for the second time in her career holds another country’s championship. And let’s not forget about Shota’s travels across America while CDK was out doing their thing in Singapore. Although there are signs that Shota’s excursion may be approaching its end soon he is keeping himself busy on the road and taking the time to stop and smell the roses.

I hope these posts are coming in handy and not just for following what the Japanese wrestlers are up to abroad. If you haven’t noticed yet, some of the names you see in the previous posts have been getting bookings in Japan recently. So you never know who here will show up in DDT, TJPW or Ganbare☆Pro in 2023. I have a feeling it’s only going to get crazier from there. Like maybe WWE brings back the Mae Young Classic and Mahiro Kiryu enters it. Hey, it could happen.

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Videos


Video starts at 0:00 for the match
MPW “NIGHT FALL”, 04/11/2022
Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Dustin Daniels Vs Shota


Video starts at 21:28 for the match
LEVEL UP “BLINDING LIGHTS”, 05/11/2022
Attitude Brewing Company, San Diego, California, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Hunter Freeman Vs Fabrizio Vs Shota


Video starts at 1:12:39 for an angle. Go to 1:50:07 for the match
NEW TEXAS PRO “TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 8”, 17/11/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs Rudy Garza (w/ Dan Miller)


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 18/11/2022
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Eddie Kingston & Ortiz Vs Jun Akiyama & Konosuke Takeshita


Video starts at 40:15 for the match
JCW “SERIES OF SURVIVALS”, 19/11/2022
Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Janai Kai


Video starts at 35:38 for the match
AEW “FULL GEAR ZERO HOUR”, 19/11/2022
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Eddie Kingston (w/ Ortiz) Vs Jun Akiyama


WRESTLERAVE “IN YOUR WAREHOUSE”, 19/11/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. WrestleRave Title: Aaron Mercer (c) Vs Shota


Video starts at 2:02:35 for the match
SPW “ASTRONOMICAL ANNIVERSARY – DAY 1”, 24/11/2022
Foochow Building, Singapore

1. SPW Tag Team Titles: Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi


Video starts at 1:40 for Match #1. Go to 1:59:10 for Match #2
SPW “ASTRONOMICAL ANNIVERSARY – DAY 2”, 25/11/2022
Foochow Building, Singapore

1. Chris Brookes Vs Ho Ho Lun
2. SPW Southeast Asia Title – 4 Way Match: Aiden Rex (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi Vs Andruew Tang Vs Tajiri


Video starts at 8:49 for Match #1. Go to 16:47 for Match #2
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 28/11/2022
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Emi Sakura Vs Nyla Rose & Marina Shafir (w/ Vickie Guerrero)
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ari Daivari

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Results


MPW “NIGHT FALL”, 04/11/2022
Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Dustin Daniels defeated Shota with the Torture Rack Slam (?:??).

I’m starting to think Shota is too trusting of a human being. Take his match against Dustin Daniels at Millennium Pro Wrestling for example. Everything was going nice and well until Shota fought off Daniels from the ring apron. Daniels stumbled back into the referee and used the sudden lack of authority to kick the middle rope into Shota’s groin while Shota was stepping back into the ring. The Low Blow made Shota into dead weight but Daniels was eventually able to lift him up into a Torture Rack and then slam him down to get the win.


LEVEL UP “BLINDING LIGHTS”, 05/11/2022
Attitude Brewing Company, San Diego, California, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Fabrizio defeated Hunter Freeman and Shota when Fabrizio with the I Am Prettier (?:??).

This match became a full circle moment for some of the people involved. Hunter Freeman originally trained to be a pro wrestler in Okinawa 17 years ago and Shota was involved in training him. That is not the only student and mentor relationship in the match because Freeman is the trainer of Fabrizio. The Triple Threat ended in an upset when Fabrizio pushed Freeman into Shota and then gave his trainer the Unprettier to win.


ROW “FALL FURY”, 12/11/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Shota Suzuki defeated Emilio Tovar (?:??).
2. Shota Suzuki defeated Jonathan Vega (?:??).

Shota returned to Reality Of Wrestling to settle the score with La Familia after they cost him a match the last time he was in the company. Shota had quite the challenge given to him on the day. He had two take part in two matches against La Familia. Against the odds, Shota ended up winning both matches against Emilio Tovar and Jonathan Vega. He won one of the matches with the Frog Splash, which meant a lot to him because a few days before the show he visited El Paso the home of Eddie Guerrero.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V – SHOW 1”, 13/11/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Tag Team Titles: Rhia O’Reilly & Skye Smitson (c) defeated Hyper Misao & Session Moth Martina when Smitson pinned Misao (10:16).
*V5 for The Uprising.
2. EVE Title No. 1 Contender Match: Miyu Yamashiya defeated Millie McKenzie with the Skull Kick (12:34).

Over to England where TJPW talent was invited over to Pro Wrestling EVE. The British women’s promotion held their fifth annual “WRESTLE QUEENDOM” supershow, split into two events over the course of the day. On the afternoon show Yamashita faced Millie McKenzie in a rematch from their first meeting the month before in Spain. Yamashita had learned from her mistakes in the first match and found a way to counter McKenzie’s Regal Plex. The counter allowed Yamashita to take control from her opponent and create an opening for a High Kick followed by the Skull Kick. The win meant Yamashita was now the No. 1 Contender for the EVE Title and her title shot was happening later that day on the evening show.

Hyper Misao became fast friends with Session Moth Martina from Ireland (home of the Spice Bag) and together they fought against The Uprising for the EVE Tag Team Titles. They came close to winning until Nightshade interfered on behalf of her allies and helped The Uprising retain their titles. Misao wanted revenge on Nightshade for costing her team their chance to win a championship and challenged her to a fight on the evening show.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V – SHOW 2”, 13/11/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Hyper Misao defeated Nightshade with the Hypami Returns onto a pile of Chairs (12:16).
2. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita defeated Alex Windsor (c) with the Crash Rabbit Heat (15:08).
*Alex Windsor fails in V1. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 20th EVE Champion!

Later that evening the second show took place and became a highlight for both of TJPW’s women. In the afternoon Alex Windsor won the EVE Title and now had to defend it against Yamashita. Both had already wrestled in hard fought matches so nobody had the advantage going into the match. Yamashita took Windsor’s big moves and made her crumble to the Skull Kick. The Crash Rabbit Heat found its target and Yamashita became the new EVE Champion! McKenzie met her in the ring after the match challenging her for the title. Her reasoning is they are now 1-1 against each other and their rivalry is one that now spans the entire world. Yamashita agreed and invited her back to TJPW to do the match there. Good thing McKenzie already had Japan in her upcoming travel plans, eh? Yamashita Vs McKenzie has since taken place in TJPW with Yamashita successfully defending the belt and going 2-1 against her English rival.

Misao got her justice by beating Nightshade in a crazy match. I don’t think the match was No DQ but it ended up having weapons and brawling involved anyway. Misao brought out her Hyper Cycle and crashed it into a tower of chairs on the stage. She tried the tactic again and successfully crashed into Nightshade at ringside. The finish came when Misao dropped Nightshade with the Hypami Returns onto a pile of chairs in the middle of the ring.


NEW TEXAS PRO “TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 8”, 17/11/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Rudy Garza (w/ Dan Miller) defeated Shota with a Dragon Sleeper Driver (?:??).

Shota had a headline spot for his return to New Texas Pro. In his second appearance of the “TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES” Shota fought Rudy Garza. Outside interference again reared its ugly head thanks to Garza’s manager Dan Miller. Shota held Garza in a Crossface Lock when Miller grabbed his wrestler’s leg and placed it on the bottom rope to break the hold. Shota got a little measure of revenge when he landed a Topé Suicida on Miller and sent him crashing through a row of ringside seats. However Miller recovered and distracted the ref so Garza could poke Shota in the eye and take his leg out with a Chop Block before hitting his finisher for the three count.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 18/11/2022
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Jun Akiyama & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Eddie Kingston & Ortiz when Akiyama pinned Ortiz with the Exploder Suplex (12:17).

For a long time now Eddie Kingston has spoken highly of Jun Akiyama and named him as a dream opponent. Well working for a place like AEW can spring plenty of surprises. Not only was Takeshita having his first match back from a month long break, he was bringing Akiyama along with him! They fought Kingston along with his buddy Ortiz on the Friday leading into a PPV weekend. Kingston wasn’t able to get much time in the ring with his hero and that very well could have been one of the reasons why the DDT team won the match. There was clearly unfinished business after the match was over and a singles bout between Akiyama and Kingston was quickly put together. The match was also the debut of Takeshita’s new AEW theme song “Face-Off”.


JCW “SERIES OF SURVIVALS”, 19/11/2022
Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Janai Kai with the I.S.D (8:41).

On the week of Thanksgiving America had Maki Itoh to be thankful for when she paid a visit to the country to wrestle on a few shows. JCW was her first stop. She beat Janai Kai thanks to her hard head deflecting one of Kai’s normally dangerous kicks. The match was a little bit more newsworthy by the end when JCW’s commentary team let slip that Kai will be going to wrestle in Japan this January, most likely for TJPW.


AEW “FULL GEAR ZERO HOUR”, 19/11/2022
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Eddie Kingston (w/ Ortiz) defeated Jun Akiyama with the Uraken (10:32).

The pre-show for “FULL GEAR” was where the much anticipated Kingston Vs Akiyama singles match took place. Akiyama had a new theme song put together by Osamu Suzuki called “FINAL EXPLODER”. Kingston not only got to fight his hero one on one but he beat him too! The match built to an exchange of Exploder Suplexes. Akiyama wanted to use the Wrist-Clutch variation but Kingston countered it with a DDT. Akiyama kicked out of the Uraken but Kingston kicked out of a Running Knee Strike too. Akiyama then tried to set up the Sternness Dust α but it was countered into the Northern Lights Bomb. Kingston then hit another Uraken to score the pin. The two showed a lot of respect to each other after the match.


WRESTLERAVE “IN YOUR WAREHOUSE”, 19/11/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. WrestleRave Title: Aaron Mercer (c) defeated Shota with the Cradle Piledriver (?:??).
*V5 for Aaron Mercer.

Shota has said in a tweet that this match against Aaron Mercer is one of the most memorable not just from his excursion but his entire career. Mercer also tweeted that the match may well become one of his favorites ever too. In fact the match is getting rave reviews by just about everyone who saw it in person and tweeted about it. The Houston Premier Arena is becoming home to many good memories for Shota as time goes by.


GCW “AURA”, 20/11/2022
Fete Music Hall, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

1. Masha Slamovich defeated Maki Itoh with the Half Package Piledriver (11:56).

GCW was next on Itoh’s schedule and she went there wanting to become the centre of attention. How do you do that in GCW? You step in the ring with Nick Gage, look him right in the eyes and tell him “Where is my fucking gang at?!?” Itoh becoming MDK Gang affiliated wasn’t enough for her to beat Masha Slamovich though. She drilled Slamovich with a Top Rope DDT but a rope break stopped her from getting the three count. Instead Slamovich stunned her with a Spin Kick to the head and won with a Half Package Piledriver.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 23/11/2022 (Aired 28/11/2022)
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Nyla Rose & Marina Shafir (w/ Vickie Guerrero) defeated Maki Itoh & Emi Sakura when Rose pinned Sakura with the Beast Bomb (4:17).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ari Daivari with the Rollover German Suplex (4:45).

Takeshita’s first AEW match under his new deal was against Ari Daivari of the Trustbusters stable. Takeshita won with the German Suplex but the story coming out of the match was Don Callis walking out to ringside to watch it. The man is most known in AEW to be Kenny Omega’s manager. Could he be interested in offering his services to Takeshita?

Meanwhile Itoh made her return to AEW by teaming with Emi Sakura to take on Nyla Rose & Marina Shafir. Itoh found out the hard way that getting into a strike exchange with Shafir outside the ring is a bad idea. She was taken out by that while Rose pinned Sakura with the Beast Bomb.


SPW “ASTRONOMICAL ANNIVERSARY – DAY 1”, 24/11/2022
Foochow Building, Singapore

1. SPW Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore when Brookes pinned Gore after the Super Kick & Praying Mantis Bomb (21:03).
*CDK become the 10th SPW Tag Team Champions!

Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi collected some gold on their trip to Singapore Pro Wrestling. They beat The Horrors of Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore to win the vacant SPW Tag Team Titles in the main event of the first part of the company’s anniversary shows.


SPW “ASTRONOMICAL ANNIVERSARY – DAY 2”, 25/11/2022
Foochow Building, Singapore

1. Chris Brookes defeated Ho Ho Lun (10:33).
2. SPW Southeast Asia Title – 4 Way Match: Aiden Rex (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Andruew Tang and Tajiri (12:11).
*V4 for Aiden Rex.

On Day 2 Takanashi had an opportunity to win another championship when he took part in a 4 Way Match with Tajiri and Andruew Tang also among the challengers. Aiden Rex came out on top and remained the SPW Southeast Asia Champion.

Brookes sent out an open challenge for his match and it was answered by Ho Ho Lun!


LLL “POD SIX WAS JERKS!”, 25/11/2022
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Austin Reddick defeated Shota (?:??).

Denver was the next stop for Shota where he found himself wrestling in a new environment. The Lucha Libre & Laughs show was held inside a theatre and the ring was located right on the stage. Shota and Austin Reddick had their match while comedians cracked jokes on the live commentary.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 30/11/2022 (Aired 06/12/2022)
Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Aaron Solo with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex (3:15).

Callis was again at ringside to watch Takeshita in action. This time Takeshita beat Aaron Solo from The Factory.


ROW “SHOWCASE”, 30/11/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs Bryan Keith

Shota’s last match of the month was at an untelevised ROW show against one of Booker T’s brightest proteges Bryan Keith.

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Upcoming Appearances


PWL “PRO WRESTLING LEGACY”, 02/12/2022
Toma Gallery, El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Cosmo Orion Vs Shota

As mentioned earlier, Shota got to visit El Paso already during his excursion but it isn’t until December when he will get to wrestle there. His El Paso debut for Pro Wrestling Legacy will be for a match against Cosmo Orion.


GRAPPLE MAX “GOLD STANDARD”, 03/12/2022
GymKraft, Tampines Street, Singapore

1. Hotshot Wilson Vs Masahiro Takanashi

Takanashi last faced his opponent Hotshot Wilson three years ago when Hotshot was just a rookie. He has grown up while Takanashi was away so what kind of trouble can he cause him the next time they meet?


PWF “PREMIER RUMBLE”, 03/12/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Caine Carter Vs Shota

Perhaps Shota’s final visit to Premier Wrestling Federation sees him against Caine Carter. The show also has a Royal Rumble match taking place. Shota is not advertised to compete in it yet but if there’s a spot open, he’ll be sure to take it.


NEW TEXAS PRO “TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 9”, 08/12/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Mysterious Q Vs Shota

Shota’s match against Mysterious Q is being advertised as his final match in Houston.


APAC “RISE”, 10/12/2022
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

1. APAC Women’s Title Tournament – Round 1: Steph De Lander Vs Maki Itoh
2. APAC Women’s Title Tournament – Round 1: Nor “Phoenix” Diana Vs Yuki Kamifuku

The playoff matches for the APAC Women’s Title Tournament have been made. Itoh and Yuki Kamifuku are on separate sides of the bracket. Itoh meets Steph De Lander in Round 1 while Kamifuku has to get past Nor Diana.


DFW ALL PRO “SEASONS BEATINGS”, 10/12/2022
Trinity Leadership Public School, Cedar Hills, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs X

Shota has a few more things to do in Texas like this DFW All Pro show.


DPW “1ST ANNIVERSARY”, 10/12/2022
Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Colby Corino

“Let’s fucking go!” Deadlock Pro Wrestling is bringing Takeshita back for their 1st Anniversary show. They wanted him in a crazy match so here comes Colby Corino as his opponent!


APAC “RISE”, 11/12/2022
Malaysia

1. APAC Women’s Title Tournament – Final: X Vs X

Can Itoh and Kamifuku both make it to the final?

GCW “TIL INFINITY 2022”, 31/12/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

GCW “56 NIGHTS”, 01/01/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh is spending the last night of 2022 and the first day of 2023 in New Jersey for GCW.


EVE “EVE 100”, 07/01/2023
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Title?: Miyu Yamashita (c?) Vs Rhio (?)

The EVE Title scene suddenly got a bit crowded due to Yamashita winning the belt. After her successful defence against McKenzie in TJPW, EVE announced that Yamashita will return to London on 7th January as part of their 100th show celebration. “The Unbreakable” Rhio already made it clear that she wants the next title shot sooner rather than later. At the time of writing she will be going to Japan in a few weeks time and is getting the title match against Yamashita in Shizuoka on 10th December. Here’s an interesting wrinkle added to the situation. EVE announced that if Rhio becomes the champion there, Yamashita will get a rematch back in London.


PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Shunma Katsumata Vs Sonico
2. Kevin Blackwood Vs MAO
3. Miyu Yamashita Vs Athena

Shunma Katsumata & MAO make their debuts for Prestige Wrestling next year. MAO takes on Kevin Blackwood and Katsumata has a match against Sonico.


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

Right now there is a story developing in DDT where Takeshi Masada wants to wrestle on the shows in Hollywood. He has to beat Sanshiro Takagi in an upcoming match to convince the boss he is already ready to wrestle overseas.


DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

Any chance we can do Gage Vs Itoh here?

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Cancelled Appearances


MAGNUM “BATTLE ROYALE CUP”, 26/11/2022
Stocks n Bonds, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

1. Battle Royale Cup – Round 1: Shota Vs Kit Sackett

Shota was meant to be part of a one night tournament in Magnum Wrestling, taking one of their champions Kit Sackett in the first round. Unfortunately the show was cancelled on a few days notice and the promotion is ceasing operations due to the owner going through health issues. This would have been Shota’s first time wrestling in Omeha, Nebraska.

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Akiyama’s 1st TLC Match, Kotaro BURNS Again, Rhio Challenges Yamashita For EVE Title

November 30, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 03/12/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Mizuki Vs Haruna Neko
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Millie McKenzie Vs Shoko Nakajima & Suzume
4. Miu Watanabe Vs Mahiro Kiryu
5. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami
6. Yuka Sakazaki, Hikari Noa & Arisu Endo Vs Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto

The long road to Ittenyon has begun. Yuka Sakazaki and Miyu Yamashita have plenty of time and matches with each other to prepare for the Princess Of Princess Title match on 4th January.

Raku has recovered from covid and is cleared to wrestle again. She missed out on the Princess Tag Team Titles match but her team with Yuki Aino continues.

Before Millie McKenzie goes back to England she is getting another match in Tokyo Joshi Pro.

Nao Kakuta is absent again because she is back doing her stage play.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
2. Soma Takao, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida Vs Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
3. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & RSP Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON
6. DDT Extreme Title – TLC Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Jun Akiyama
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Naya

For the first time in his illustrious career Jun Akiyama is doing a TLC Match! Joey Janela chose the stipulation on purpose for that reason. He also thinks beating Akiyama in a TLC Match will benefit GCW and their expansion into Japan. Akiyama is not familiar with the match type even after his recent appearances in America for AEW. All he knows is it sounds like the kind of match Shunma Katsumata likes to do. Akiyama agreed to do the match and promises to do it with his own style. He hears that Janela has respect for him but he does not believe it.

During the week Akiyama held an interview with Kotaro Suzuki on his Youtube channel. Suzuki revealed his contract with NOAH had just expired and he is now a free agent. Akiyama suggested he come wrestle a match for DDT. He would set everything up for him to do it. Suzuki was a member of a previous version of BURNING so it only makes sense for him to be part of their team in the match against The 37KAMIINA. The sauna boys add Toi Kojima to even the numbers.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT AUTUMN ~HAMAMATSU PERFORMANCE~”, 10/12/2022
Shizuoka Entetsu Hall

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Rhio

Here is “The Unbreakable” Rhio making her second tour of TJPW. On the same show that Yamashita won the EVE Title at, Rhio had already thrown her name out as the next challenger for the championship. McKenzie ended up leapfrogging her for to be Yamashita’s first challenger and there won’t be another EVE show taking place until January so Rhio is taking matters into her own hands. She is going back to Japan with the goal of winning the EVE Title and bringing it back home. EVE announced that should Rhio beat Yamashita and become the new champion, Yamashita will get a rematch in London on 7th January. I assume she’ll be doing that date with or without the title anyway.

BASARA “BASARA 206 ~RYU TOKOTO~”, 11/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT
2. Daiki Shimomura Vs Atsuki Aoyagi
3. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano
4. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Fuminori Abe

Yasu Urano is having a career resurgance on the indies. He made it to the final of the Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament and currently holds the main championship in JUST TAP OUT. He can add more glory by teaming with Takumi Tsukamoto and winning the IRON FIST Tag Titles from Aijin Tag. The tournament is the connecting point for everyone in the match. Masato Kamino eliminated Tsukamoto in the first round and then beat his own partner Takato Nakano in the next. Urano beat Kamino in the semi final.

The current AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Champion is coming to BASARA. In a first time meeting Daiki Shimomura is defending home turf against Atsuki Aoyagi!

DDT “DANSHOKU DIENO 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOOK PUBLICATION COMMEMORATION”, 21/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Selfishly For The 2nd Time In 20 Years, A Single Match That Danshoku Dieno Just Wants To See: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
2. Selfishly For The 1st Time In 20 Years, Danshoku Dieno’s Self-Satisfaction Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Muscle Sakai

Danshoku Dieno’s pet dog Haku will be a special guest on the show. He is an 11 month old shelter dog Dieno adopted back in September. Haku will do a meet & greet and will have his own merchandise on sale too.

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

1. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
3. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X

Shinya Aoki wants his match against Chihiro Hashimoto to be held under Ganryujima Rules, which means the ropes will be removed from the ring. Hashimoto is unsure to accept the condition because she has never wrestled in that kind of environment before. What she is sure about is to beat Aoki by using her German Suplex finisher, the Albright.

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TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22” Results

November 27, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
657 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Suzume defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Ring A Bell (8:13).
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Nakajima pinned Neko with the Northern Lights Suplex (9:17).
3. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Tatsumi submitted Nagano with the Dragon Sleeper (13:01).
4. Mizuki defeated Arisu Endo with the Cutie Special (9:55).
5. Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta defeated Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa when Kakuta pinned Noa with the Shiden Kai (13:22).
6. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Millie McKenzie with the Crash Rabbit Heat (13:52).
*V1 for Miyu Yamashita.
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) defeated Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku when Arai pinned Harajuku with the Finally (14:45).
*V3 for Reiwa AA Cannon.
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) defeated Billie Starkz with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (14:50).
*V1 for Yuka Sakazaki.

Tokyo Joshi Pro’s final visit to Korakuen Hall for this year was headlined with Yuka Sakazaki’s successful first defence of the Princess Of Princess Title. Her opponent was Billie Starkz, a high school pro wrestler from America on her first tour of Japan. Starkz left a big impression with her high impact moveset, particularly the Sugoi Driver and Swanton Bomb that were both landed onto Sakazaki on the ring apron. Sakazaki had her own rough streak by doing a Brainbuster on the floor and adding a more vertical drop to the Tea Time. She later blocked another Swanton Bomb with her knees and pinned Starkz with the Magical Merry-Go-Round to win.

Sakazaki praised her challenger after the match and called her the best future star in the American scene because she gets to wrestle both men and women over in there. Her mood changed when Miyu Yamashita walked out and entered the ring. She tried ignoring Yamashita until she was challenged to a Princess Title match on the 4th January Korakuen show. Sakazaki immediately refused. Fans in the audience started calling for Yamashita to promise a treat for Sakazaki in order to get the title match because that is what she did for their previous Ittenyon match in 2020. Yamashita listed off all the different sweet food she could buy and Sakazaki turned each one down until she was offered cream puffs. That led to a little more deliberation and Sakazaki finally agreed to do the match as long as Yamashita gifts her double custard cream puffs tomorrow. Yamashita forcibly shook her hand and made her take a commemorative photo of the challenge to seal the deal.

Sadly Raku was at home sick with covid but she was still at Korakuen in spirit to support Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku challenging for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Aino & Harajuku did the Goodnight Express together on Saki Akai for the early advantage. Harajuku in particular had the spotlight shining over her for the dramatic moments of the match. She fought with Yuki Arai and hit the Pom de Justice but Akai broke the count. Arai fought back with a Big Boot, leading the Reiwa AA Cannon to join up and hit the Double Rookie Award. Arai then finished Harajuku off with the Finally to score the team’s third successful title defence. Backstage Arai & Harajuku agreed that they want to challenge for the belts again and this time do it with Raku on their team.

Reiwa AA Cannon’s victory speech was interrupted when the room went dark and a video began playing on the screen behind them. The video showed Max The Impaler along with their tag team partner on the indies Heidi Howitzer. Together they are The Wasteland War Party and they are coming to TJPW on 4th January to fight the Princess Tag Team Champions! The message was in English but Akai & Arai were able to figure out the challenge was aimed at them. Akai said a champion has to overcome many difficulties such as this to make the title belts shine brighter. Arai understood and is ready to end her year on a happy note by getting ready for her first match of 2023.

Yamashita’s main focus of the show was to defend the EVE Championship against Millie McKenzie. The two have developed a rivalry recently in Europe splitting singles matches against each other in Spain and English. Today Japan was hosting the rubber match. Yamashita was in danger early on taking a German Suplex on the floor as well as a Topé Suicida, the Spear and a Sleeper Hold. She regained her ground using High Kicks and a close range Crash Rabbit Heat. McKenzie kicked out but was bombarded with the Skull Kick, Buzzsaw Kick and a full range Crash Rabbit Heat to take the fall. Today is meant to be the final match of their rivalry but Yamashita wants to continue fighting her in more countries around the world. McKenzie said she was disappointed over the loss because she let EVE down. However if she had to lose to anybody, she believe’s there is no better opponent than Yamashita.

Previously when Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta teamed together they were called Uma x3 as a reference to horse racing. Kamifuku showed some horseplay by getting Maki Itoh to drop her guard for a selfie and then poking her in the eyes. Later, Itoh & Hikari Noa were gathered together for Kamifuku to both give them the Famouser together. Nao Kakuta finished the sweep by pinning Noa with the Shiden Kai.

Arisu Endo was given brand new entrance music starting today called “My Way Is The Rainbow”. What hasn’t changed is she still can’t win a singles match. Mizuki left her beaten after an exchange that went from her Crossface Lock to Endo’s Camel Clutch. Mizuki fought out of the Waterwheel Drop and stunned Endo with a Spinning Back Elbow. That gave her the opening to hit the Cutie Special and win the match.

Daydream were put against a tag team of Karate wrestlers. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano did their best to put their skills together to good use but the experience gap was too large to overcome. Rika Tatsumi had Nagano trapped into the Dragon Sleeper to make her give up.

Match #2 was officially a 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match. Kyoraku Kyomei weren’t going to stand for that so they dragged the TJPW GM Tetsuya Koda into the ring and encouraged him to take part in the match! Koda was convinced after the crowd chanted his name and then he got beaten up by the other team. If that wasn’t bad enough, Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao decided to join in and all five women stomped him before throwing him out. They went on with the match as normal without him. Misao took out Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami with the I Am A Hero, leaving the ring clear for Nakajima to pin Haruna Neko with the Northern Lights Suplex.

Today is Suzume’s birthday and she got to celebrate by beating the guest Yoshiko Hasegawa in the opener. The Ganbare☆Pro wrestler did a Flying Cross Body of her own to match Suzume’s. She went into a flurry of Elbow Strikes until Suzume cut her off with a Facebuster and won with the Ring A Bell.

There were a few announcements to kick off the show. Miu Watanabe learned she will be defending the International Princess Title on 4th January against Trish Adora from America. Watanabe said she is nervous to defend the title against foreign wrestlers but wants to kick off her 2023 by successfully defending the belt.

Mizuki is celebrating her 10th Anniversary in wrestling next month and got to book her own commemorative match on 15th December. She is teaming with her longtime admirer Rika Tatsumi to take on Yuka Sakazaki & Nao Kakuta. Sakazaki is there because it is the rare time when The Magical Sugar Rabbits are pitted against each other. Kakuta is involved because she began her wrestling career outside of TJPW like Mizuki did. Tatsumi was chosen to be Mizuki’s tag patner because Tatsumi represents Mizuki’s fans.

When the Yume Pro Wrestling -dream on the ring- series ended it was left up to the three contestants to decide if they wanted to continue on the path to pro wrestling. One of them is doing just that. Wakana Uehara announced her plans to stay in the business and wrestle for TJPW when she is ready. She did not know a thing about pro wrestling when she agreed to take part in the series and over time grew to love it along with developing an admiration for TJPW. She will train to wrestle while continuing her career as an actress and TV personality. Her first goal is to develop her skills high enough that she gets to wrestle against Shoko Nakajima.

Since Raku was absent, Shino was again in her place performing with the rest of The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) as the show opening act.

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Pom’s Tears For Her Tag Title Match, Spirit Of EVE Ruleset, Katsumura Returning Home Empty Handed

November 26, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Suzume Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Haruna Neko, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
3. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
4. Mizuki Vs Arisu Endo
5. Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta
6. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Billie Starkz

The match contract for the Princess Tag Team Titles match was signed earlier this week. Everyone involved gave comments on the match too. Saki Akai has been watching Yuki Aino’s matches ever since she debuted but she doesn’t sense any of the burning passion that Aino always talks about. She does not feel threatened by the challenging team for that reason. Yuki Arai does not feel used to defending her championship and is still nervous over these matches. Aino was meant to go into this match with Raku and will still be motivated to fight for her while she is absent with covid. Pom Harajuku broke down into tears because she wanted to see her friends challenge for the championship and now Raku cannot do it. Aino encouraged her to fight together and suggested they can divide the Tag Titles into thirds if they win. This match is happening around the same time as Harajuku’s 4th anniversary so she thinks it might be God/Raku telling her it’s time to show everyone she is an adult pro wrestler. Oddly enough, Akai thought the sight of Harajuku crying was kind of scary…

The EVE Title match will be held under the “Spirit Of EVE” ruleset used by the British promotion. The match has a 30 minute time limit, no countouts and the referee can end the match if one of wrestlers no longer shows the spirit to continue fighting. Really, it’s the no countout rule that is the only real difference here. Tokyo Joshi Pro’s title matches also have 30 minute time limits and there’s been referee stoppages over here in the past for knockouts and submissions.

There will be three people greeting the audiences during Sayuri Namba’s opening announcements before the show begins. It could be anything from some of the trainees learning about their pro debuts, outsiders visiting to promote an upcoming match with the company, members of the roster having news to tell everyone and so on.

DDT “UTAN FESTA 2022”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo JR Omori Station East Exit Square

1. Sanshiro Takagi, Yusuke Okada & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Toru Owashi, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Joey Janela, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
4. World Omori Title: Chikara (c) Vs Soma Takao
5. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
6. Omori Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & RSP Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata

Here is the match order for tomorrow’s outdoor show.

GANBARE☆PRO “TOKIMEKI NISHISU 2022”, 03/12/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. GanJo Special Single Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs YuuRI
2. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE Vs Yuki Kanzaki & Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match In YOKOHAMA: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Tsuyoshi Okada Vs Keisuke Ishii, Soma Takao & Tyson Maeguchi
4. GanPro Vs P.P.P: Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase Vs Kentaro Hachisu & Echika Miyabi
5. Tokimeki Nishisu 2022 Special Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & Seiya Morohashi Vs Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase

Shuichiro Katsumura returns to his hometown of Yokohama for the first time in Ganbare☆Pro since his failed attempt to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title in the venue.

Fresh off of her first ever win, YuuRI dials up the difficulty level and takes on Moeka Haruhi.

DDT “NEXTBODY PRESENTS STERNNESS 30TH ANNIVERSARY VOL. 2 IN OSAKA ~JUN AKIYAMA DEBUT 30TH ANNIVERSARY ROUND 2~”, 10/12/2022
Osaka Izumi City Plaza Yayoi no Kaze Hall

1. Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku Vs Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
3. Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Soma Takao Vs Toru Owashi, Chris Brookes & Toi Kojima
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON
6. Special Single Match: Tigers Mask Vs Yusuke Okada
7. NEXTBODY presents Jun Akiyama Debut 30th Anniversary Match In Osaka ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Zeus, Bodyguard & Ryouji Sai

The injured Naomi Yoshimura is being replaced by Sanshiro Takagi on this show.

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Yamashita Wins EVE Title!

November 14, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Billie Starkz

Yesterday in England, EVE held two shows called “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V” with Miyu Yamashita and Hyper Misao among the talent involved*. Yamashita came out of the shows as one of the big winners of the weekend. She beat Millie McKenzie in a No. 1 Contender match on the first show, then on the second show beat Alex Windsor to become the new EVE Champion! McKenzie challenged Yamashita for the title afterwards, reminding everyone she beat her in Spain last month and they now have a 1-1 record against each other. Yamashita agreed and since McKenzie is already going to wrestle in Japan next week, it will be the perfect time to do the rubber match over there!

The team of Yuki Aino & Raku are the newest challengers for Reiwa AA Cannon. The two of them being paired together recently has raised Raku’s confidence and she would like nothing more but to win the Princess Tag Team Titles and give her belt the perfect window seat on her train journeys.

*I’ll write a more detailed report in my Around The World post at the start of next month.

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