DDT Around The World – October 2022

November 1, 2022

October was a lighter month for DDT related matches from around the world but there is the news of DDT returning to America next year making up for it. The month has mostly been Shota continuing his excursion of the most obscure American indies I ever heard of while Joey Janela’s been defending the DDT Extreme Title and ended up getting himself his own Triple Crown of independent hardcore championships. Konosuke Takeshita is back in America but kept out of the public eye all month. Whether it’s to acclimate to his new home or just taking a well earned rest remains to be seen. Until his reemerges the monthly column will continue to focus on Shota and the Tokyo Joshi Pro talent working abroad. Oh, and Miyu Yamashita made a new friend.

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Videos


Video starts at 22:33 for the match
PWF “LIVEWIRE 19”, 01/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Shota Suzuki Vs Dante Leon


Video starts at 23:52 for the match
JCW “JCW VS THE WORLD”, 09/10/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Shota Vs Steve Scott


RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. World Cup 3 – Round 1: Sara Leon Vs Maya Yukihi


RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

2. RCW World Women’s Title – World Cup 3 – Final – 3 Way Match: Aurora Vs Maya Yukihi Vs Nightshade


RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

3. Miyu Yamashita Vs Millie McKenzie


MPX “FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS”, 22/10/2022
MPX Event Center, Bedford, Texas, USA

1. Shota Suzuki Vs Phil Shark


NEW TEXAS PRO “TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 7”, 27/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Clay Roberts Vs Shota Suzuki

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Results


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (3) defeated Axel Tischer & Eric Young (0) when Takanashi & Brookes pinned Tischer with the Hair Of The Dog (12:12).
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman (3) defeated Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie (0) when Dreissker pinned Abe with the Dreissker Bomb (15:57).

The first day of the month was a busy one. It began in Germany where wXw hosted the opening day of the World Tag Team Festival. Our boys CDK started off the group stage hot by beating SAnitY with their tricky tag team stylings. Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie found themselves with opposite fortunes, losing to Amboss in the semi-main event.


PWF “LIVEWIRE 19”, 01/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Shota Suzuki defeated Dante Leon with a Crucifix Pin (?:??).

Shota gets his first win in America! It came real close though. Dante Leon had him beaten with a Swanton Bomb onto Shota’s back while Shota was bent over. But a lackadaisical cover allowed Shota to slip Leon into a Crucifix Pin for the surprise three count. There was good sportsmanship shown with a handshake afterwards.


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 02/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie (3) defeated Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku (3) when Abe submitted Ku with the Manjigatame (15:07).
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Senza Volto & Aigle Blanc (3) defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (3) when Blanc pinned Takanashi with the Tombstone Piledriver (17:58).

Day 2 of the WTTF saw Abe & Irie more than make up for their defeat the previous day. They went to war against Violence Is Forever. Poor Kevin Ku was busted open from a massive Headbutt given to him by Abe. Irie then smashed the guy with the Beast Bomber and Abe twisted him into submission with the Manjigatame. CDK suffered a setback by losing to The Frenchadors. A Moonsault out of the ring from Senza Volto wiped out Chris Brookes. That meant nobody was there to save Masahiro Takanashi from being pinned by Aigle Blanc’s Tombstone.


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Prince Ahura & Maggot (4) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (4) ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie (6) defeated Nikita Charisma & Michael Schenkenberg (3) when Abe submitted Charisma with the Manjigatame (10:38).

The last night ended bittersweet for both teams. CDK went to a time limit draw with The Pretty Bastards while Abe & Irie beat the team known as Rot Und Flott. While those are not bad results, neither was enough for our teams to qualify for the final and fight for the wXw World Tag Team Titles.


GCW “FIGHT CLUB 2022 – NIGHT 1”, 08/10/2022
Garden Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Effy defeated Shota with the Sack Ryder (4:34).

Shota made his big debut under the bright lights of GCW during one of their biggest nights of the year. It should have been taking place at The Showboat in Atlantic City but a double booking snafu led to the show being held outdoors on the boardwalk nearby instead. Shota’s time in the ring with Effy was short and sweet with Effy getting his hand raised in victory at the end.


JCW “JCW VS THE WORLD”, 09/10/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Steve Scott defeated Shota with a Rope Assisted Fire Thunder Driver (7:23).

The next afternoon the GCW show was held inside the proper venue along with their spinoff promotion JCW. Unfortunately for him his opponent Steve Scott seemed to have an answer for everything that was thrown at him. He even took selfies while putting Shota in holds. Scott threw away Shota’s Tornado DDT then lifted him up into a Fireman’s Carry. From there Scott draped Shota’s legs over the top rope and dropped him with the Fire Thunder Driver for the win.


GCW “FIGHT CLUB 2022 – NIGHT 2”, 09/10/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. GCW Extreme Title & DDT Extreme Title: Joey Janela (DDT/c) defeated Cole Radrick (GCW/c) with a Cradle (15:42).
*V4 for Joey Janela. Cole Radrick fails in V8. Joey Janela becomes the 9th GCW Extreme Champion!

The working relationship between DDT and GCW has been growing throughout the month, hidden in plain sight while people in GCW have been constantly trolling wrestling news sites over rumours of GCW having connections to WWE. Janela is a focal point of both but let’s focus on the DDT stuff. He beat Cole Radrick in his 4th DDT Extreme Title defence and also won the GCW Extreme Title in the process. It was a wild match with chairs and doors getting broken everywhere. Radrick gave Janela a Superplex but Janela cradled him up on impact to get the three count out of nowhere.


VANGUARDIA/GCW “DEATHMATCH ELITE POR SIEMPRE PT. 2”, 14/10/2022
Deportivo 11 de Julio, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico

1. Vanguardia Extraordinario Title & DDT Extreme Title – 4 Way Match: Joey Janela (DDT/c) defeated Jimmy (V/c), Adrenalina and Calibus when Janela pinned Adrenalina with a Diving Foot Stomp through a Barb Wire Board (15:00).
*V5 for Joey Janela? Joey Janela becomes the 2nd Vanguardia Extraordinario Champion!

At the time of writing DDT has not yet acknowledged if this was an official Extreme Title defence. GCW went over to Mexico for a co-promoted show with Lucha Libre Vanguardia. During the show Janela put the Extreme Title on the line in a 4 Way Match with the Vanguardia Extraordinario Title also on the line. A barb wire board was the main weapon used in the match and Janela Double Stomped it on top of Adrenalina to win the match, taking the belt from the champion Jimmy without every beating him directly.


MSW “20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE”, 15/10/2022
Fairgrounds Indoor Building, Harrison, Arkansas, USA

1. Shota Vs Phil Shark

You never know who these wrestlers will bump into or what stories they can discover while working overseas. Take Phil Shark for example. This American wrestler is only 22 years old and he hasn’t been wrestling for long. However he spent time training in Japan for 2AW and was briefly a ringside attendant at their shows. Shota seems to like the guy after fighting him at a Mid-States Wrestling show and hopes some of the wrestling promotions in Japan will take notice of him.


RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. World Cup 3 – Round 1: Maya Yukihi defeated Sara Leon with a Jumping Knee (?:??).
2. RCW World Women’s Title – World Cup 3 – Final – 3 Way Match: Nightshade defeated Aurora and Maya Yukihi when Nightshade pinned Yukihi with the Neck Hanging Bomb (?:??).
*Nightshade becomes the 1st RCW World Women’s Champion!
3. Millie McKenzie defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Regal Plex (?:??).

I think this show was overshadowed by the story of Yamashita hanging out with Sasha Banks while they were both in Spain. Anyway, Yamashita had her first match against Millie McKenzie but came out on the losing end of it. Meanwhile Maya Yukihi was part of a tournament to crown RCW’s new women’s champion. She made it to the final but was pinned by Nightshade. So close yet so far.


MPX “FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS”, 22/10/2022
MPX Event Center, Bedford, Texas, USA

1. Phil Shark defeated Shota Suzuki with the Deadliest Catch (9:38).

Shota’s appearance for Metroplex Wrestling had him act as a heel which was unlike his previous matches on his excursion. It gave Shark the spotlight to be the hero and he beat Shota with a Twisting Death Valley Driver.


NEW TEXAS PRO “TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 7”, 27/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Clay Roberts defeated Shota with a Small Package (?:??).

Still in Texas, Shota had a match with Clay Roberts in New Texas Pro that had both on their social media afterwards full of happiness over their performances. It’s also been receiving praise from others who saw it. Unfortunately Roberts made sure to spoil the ending by giving Shota a Low Blow while the ref’s back was turned.


GLORY PRO “THE RELENTLESS”, 30/10/2022
South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, USA

1. STL Vs The World Showcase: Benjamin Trust, ATM & Moses defeated Shota, GPA & Crash Jaxon when Moses submitted GPA with a Crab Hold (?:??).

Shota’s month ended with a trip to St. Louis for Glory Pro. He was part of a worldwide trio taking on three wrestlers representing St. Louis. He came out on the losing side.

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Upcoming Appearances


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

1. Dustin Daniels Vs Shota

Shota is pleased with his excursion so far. He’s been getting plenty of bookings to keep him active and is building up more friendships and connections around the wrestling scene. Next up for him in November is a return to Millennium Pro Wrestling for a match against Dustin Daniels.


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

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

A Triple Threat match awaits Shota when he goes to San Diego for the Level Up Pro Wrestling School. One of his opponents is Fabrizio who trained at the school. The other is “The Backwoods Brawler” Hunter Freeman. That guy has been getting attention in GCW with his death match efforts this year.


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

1. Shota Vs X

Shota will be part of the next Reality Of Wrestling TV taping.


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) Vs Hyper Misao & Session Moth
2. EVE Title No. 1 Contender Match: Millie McKenzie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Uh oh. Hyper Misao’s match at EVE is a big one because she gets to challenge for the EVE Tag Team Titles. It’s a chance for a TJPW wrestler to do one better than The Uprising and take the other promotion’s tag titles. However an even bigger wild card is thrown in the mix with Session Moth Martina as Misao’s tag partner!


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

1. Hyper Misao Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Whatever matches Yamashita and Misao will do on the second show most likely depends on what the results of the first show are. If both of them lose on the first show then don’t be surprised if they are put in the same match on the second show, maybe even against each other.


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

1. Maki Itoh Vs Janai Kai

Back to the GCW circle where Maki Itoh returns. She’s popping up at JCW too for a first time match against Janai Kai.


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

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

Can Shota win his first American wrestling championship?


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

1. Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich

It’s been a breakout year for Masha Slamovich. Breaking through Itoh’s hard head might be her toughest test yet.


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

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

CDK have some dates in Singapore coming up. Two of them is for Singapore Pro Wrestling as they are holding a two day event to celebrate their 9 year anniversary. They have a SPW Tag Team Championship match against The Horrors. I cannot tell if these are existing tag championships, new ones or if the belts are vacant.


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

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

Takanashi is in the main event 4 Way Match for the SPW Southeast Asia Title on Day 2. The champion right now is Aiden Rex but he is also defending the title on Day 1. The other challengers involved are former multi-time champion Andruew Tang and Tajiri.

Brookes is looking for an opponent and put out an open challenge for Day 2.


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

1. Shota Vs Austin Reddick

So there’s an Oriental Theater in Denver hosting a Lucha Libre & Laughs wrestling event? Quite the mixture there. Shota takes on Austin Reddick over there and the show also has Max The Impaler on it.


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

1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Takanashi will also be at Grapple MAX’s 6th anniversary show.


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

1. APAC Women’s Title Tournament – Round 1: Maki Itoh Vs X
2. APAC Women’s Title Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Kamifuku Vs X

Malaysia in December sounds nice. Itoh and Yuki Kamifuku will be heading over there to compete in a tournament held by APAC Wrestling. It will be a four woman tournament also featuring former NXT wrestler Steph De Lander and Nor “Phoenix” Diana. This will be Kamifuku’s first time wrestling outside of Japan.

APAC “RISE”, 11/12/2022
Malaysia

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

The winner of the tournament will be crowned the first APAC Women’s Champion!


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

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Athena

Now here’s a heavy hitting match! Prestige is hosting Yamashita against Athena! Yamashita is undefeated in Prestige and will look to continue her winning streak over there. January of next year looks so far away.


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

The biggest news of all in October is DDT heading back to America! They are coming to Los Angeles during WrestleMania weekend as part of The Collective. That is GCW’s collaborative series of events with other indies. It is DDT’s first show in America since their New York show in 2019.


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

If that’s not enough, there’s a show the next day pitting DDT wrestlers against GCW wrestlers. While GCW does have a regular core roster they could have anybody showing up repping their colours on the day.

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Cancelled Appearances


PW REVOLUTION/WEST COAST PRO “KING OF INDIES 2022”, 19/11/2022
United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA

1. King Of Indies 2022: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Well so much for that. Takeshita has been pulled from the big King Of Indies tournament. It’s taking place the same day as AEW’s big PPV “FULL GEAR”. Hopefully there is something being planned for him there because I was really looking forward to seeing how he would have fared in this tournament.


DDT Around The World – September 2022

October 1, 2022

The international adventures of the extended DDT family is a little bit different this month compared to our previous reports. Konosuke Takeshita was back in Japan all last month, Shota completed the first month of his US excursion, the DDT Extreme Title went over there too in Joey Janela’s luggage and there were no AEW bookings in America for the usual crew. Instead Europe was a bigger focus by the end of the month with CDK and others heading over to England. Things will ramp back up in October with Takeshita heading back to the US for almost the rest of this year while Shota continues to get bookings in the underrated Texas territory of the independents along with other places. By the time November comes along it will probably take me a solid week to get these posts ready.

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Videos


Video starts at 18:59 for the match
MPW “ENDANGERED”, 02/09/2022
Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Darwin Finch Vs J2 Mattioli Vs Shota


Video starts at 47:25 for the match
PWF “ENDANGERED”, 03/09/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. JJ Blake Vs Shota Suzuki


Video starts at 39:18 for the match
JCW “UNCENSORED”, 10/09/2022
Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title – Bodyslam Challenge Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Beastman


Video starts at 6:11 for the match
ROW “TEXAS GOLD RUSH”, 10/09/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs Ayden Cristiano


NEW “YEAR ONE ANNIVERSARY”, 16/09/2022
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. Maki Itoh Vs Gisele Shaw


Video starts at 1:54:00 for the match
FRONTLINE PRO “A NIGHT FOR TYLER V”, 24/09/2022
Bakerville Bar And Grill, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA

1. Shota Vs Ragnar The Ruthless


Video starts at 0:21 for Match #1. Go to 1:32:55 for Match #2
MDRN NMD “I SPELL F-L-Y”, 29/09/2022
The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs LK Mezinger & Splits McPins
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs Dan Moloney

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Results


EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 01/09/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade defeated Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson when O’Reilly pinned Leverkusen after a Double Elevated DDT (9:40).
2. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor (c) defeated Hikari Noa with the GTF (14:41).
*V1 for Alex Windsor.

The month started off with Hikari Noa travelling to Camden Town in London, England. She was there for an EVE show and wanted to take the International Princess Title back to Japan. That did not work out. Instead Alex Windsor was too high a wall for her to climb over and Noa had to leave England empty handed. Windsor will be back in Tokyo Joshi Pro for “WRESTLE PRINCESS III” next month.

The Uprising won their match to get a trip to Japan for TJPW. Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade promised they are coming to Japan to crush whoever is thrown their way. TJPW took their words as them challenging Reiwa AA Cannon for the Princess Tag Team Titles at “WRESTLE PRINCESS III”.


MPW “ENDANGERED”, 02/09/2022
Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: J2 Mattioli defeated Darwin Finch and Shota when Mattioli pinned Shota with an Elbow Strike (?:??).

The American excursion for Shota kicked off in California for Millenium Pro Wrestling and he was so close to starting his stay with a win. Shota had Darwin Finch pinned with the Frog Splash when J2 Mattioli struck him in the back of the head with an Elbow Smash. That was a knockout blow and it was Shota who ended up having his shoulders pinned for the three count.


PWF “LIVEWIRE”, 03/09/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. JJ Blake defeated Shota Suzuki with the Hollywood & Vine (?:??).

The next day Shota travelled over to Houston, Texas where he will be spending a lot of time during his excursion. It was another loss for Shota as his Premier Wrestling Federation with JJ Blake ended with him getting pinned with a Rock Bottom. It was under fairer circumstances because the finish was set up by Blake catching Shota’s Diving Cross Body and rolling him into position for his finisher.


GCW “THE ART OF WAR”, 03/09/2022
Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title & 6 Pack Of PBR – 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match: Joey Janela (c) defeated Mike Bailey, Tony Deppen, Cole Radrick, Drago Kid, Gringo Loco, Dante Leon and Shane Mercer when Janela pinned Deppen with a Diving Elbow from the Ladder (18:26).
*V1 for Joey Janela.

Joey Janela has the DDT Extreme Title with him in America and he got DDT to endorse a few title defences while he is over there. The first one was a complete gamble because he put the title on the line in GCW against seven other wrestlers in a two ring ladder match. The one advantage with this is everybody destroys each other by the end so there comes a point where nobody can stop you. Janela found that moment and remained champion among all the chaos.


JCW “UNCENSORED”, 10/09/2022
Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title – Bodyslam Challenge Match: Joey Janela (c) defeated Beastman with the Body Slam through a Door (13:17).
*V2 for Joey Janela.

The following week was a lot more calmer atmosphere for Janela but still a very painful experience. He had to figure out how to Body Slam a big opponent like Beastman in JCW. Janela found his opening when the two found themselves standing on the turnbuckles. Janela struck Beastman with a large bone that Beastman brought with him to the ring. Janela then used the leverage of the turnbuckles to Body Slam his opponent through a door placed over some chairs in the middle of the ring to be declared the winner.


ROW “TEXAS GOLD RUSH”, 10/09/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Ayden Cristiano defeated Shota with a Modified Stretch (?:??).

The numbers game went against Shota for his return to ROW. Members of La Familia interfered in the match and aided Ayden Cristiano in beating Shota by submission.


NEW “YEAR ONE ANNIVERSARY”, 16/09/2022
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. Maki Itoh defeated Gisele Shaw with the I.S.D (13:23).

Canada got the full Maki Itoh experience with her first visit to the country. She got a big win over there too by beating Impact’s own Gisele Shaw.


PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Trish Adora with the Skull Kick (14:04).
2. Sandra Moone defeated Maki Itoh with the Moone’s Landing (10:26).

The next day Itoh met up with Miyu Yamashita in America for their latest Prestige appearances. Itoh was given a big spot with a semi-main event match against Sandra Moone. After a heavy back and forth fight, Moone used a Gutwrench Driver to spike Itoh onto the canvas and grab the win.

Earlier in the show Yamashita fought Trish Adora in a highly anticipated match up that’s been receiving high praise from those who have seen it. Seek it out when you can.


MISSION PRO “Welcome To The Jungle”, 17/09/2022
Salvation Army Mission Corps, San Antonio, Texas, USA

1. JP Harlow defeated Shota with the Freedom Bomb (?:??).

Shota still hasn’t gotten a win yet during his American stay. Some of it could be down to bad luck but here in Mission Pro it was because JP Harlow cheated to win.


FRONTLINE PRO “A NIGHT FOR TYLER V”, 24/09/2022
Bakerville Bar And Grill, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA

1. Ragnar The Ruthless defeated Shota with the TKO (?:??).

I couldn’t find the result for this match. I’ll update the post if I ever do.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Shigehiro Irie defeated Gene Munny with the Beast Bomber (6:18).
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II (19:15).

Home sweet home for Chris Brookes. His last match in England was over two and a half years ago. So much has happened since then. His CCK teammate Kid Lykos went and got another tag partner, turning Joe Nelson into Kid Lykos II. So PROGRESS went and booked CDK against Lykos Gym for Brookes’ big return to the promotion. Masahiro Takanashi ended up seeing a whole lot of his buddy’s past this week.

Meanwhile Shigehiro Irie is sticking around the same general area as CDK during his stay in Europe. He’s taking pretty much the same bookings as them while they are over in this part of the world. His return to PROGRESS ended with a win over Gene Munny, although I heard the allegedly prestigious Gene Munny Championship was not on the line.


PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Luke Jacobs (10:11).
2. PROGRESS Atlas Title: Big Damo (c) defeated Shigehiro Irie (8:18).
*V1 for Big Damo.
3. No DQ Match: Kid Lykos defeated Chris Brookes (17:44).

Two days later saw PROGRESS host what is being described by their fans as one of the most memorable matches in the promotion’s recent history. Brookes and Lykos faced off in a singles match that became a violent No DQ bout. Lykos ended up fighting the end to the match with his mask ripped apart and barely hanging off him but he didn’t care about fighting with his face fully exposed. It was an emotional scene when Lykos ended up winning and whatever bad blood that developed between the two was all swept away once the match was over.

Irie got a chance to win the PROGRESS Atlas Title, the promotion’s championship that is fought exclusively in the heavyweight division. He took on the new champion from Northern Ireland, Big Damo who just won the belt a few days earlier.

Takanashi had something to do too. He beat the previous Atlas Champion Luke Jacobs early in the card.


MDRN NMD “I SPELL F-L-Y”, 29/09/2022
The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated LK Mezinger & Splits McPins when Brookes pinned Mezinger after the Praying Mantis Bomb & Super Kick Combo (?:??).
2. Dan Moloney defeated Shigehiro Irie (?:??).

All of the drama and seriousness of the PROGRESS matches called for a needed change of pace for our crew. Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling was just the tonic they were looking for. CDK split apart Bowl-A-Rama but Irie suffered an upset loss against Dan Moloney.


WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 30/09/2022
wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

1. Fuminori Abe defeated Masha Slamovich with the Manjigatame (10:22).
2. Shigehiro Irie defeated Peter Tihanyi with the Beast Bomber (11:57).

This result is coming in hot, right before I finished the complete article and had it ready to post. Shigehiro Irie’s weekend in Germany began with a win against Peter Tihanyi.

According to reports on Twitter, there was a spot in the Masha Slamovich Vs Fuminori Abe match where Abe punched a wall. He has at least three more matches this weekend!

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Upcoming Appearances


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Axel Tischer & Eric Young Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

The World Tag Team Festival lineup is completed and CDK have three teams all completely different from each other to go against. The opening day sees them against a SAnitY reunion! Eric Young is heading over to Germany to team with Axel Tischer, formerly known in WWE as Alexander Wolfe. Meanwhile Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie takes on longtime wXw wrestlers “Avalanche” Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman, together known as Amboss. Irie has fought both of them in the past while Abe has been in the ring with just Dreissker.


PWF “LIVEWIRE”, 01/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Shota Suzuki Vs Dante Leon

Houston, Texas is Shota’s home away from home during his American stay. It’s a bit of a CyberFight crossover here because Dante Leon wrestled in NOAH recently.


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 02/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Senza Volto & Aigle Blanc
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku Vs Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie

Day 2 in wXw sees Abe & Irie meeting Violence Is Forever for the first time. Expect all four wrestlers to beat the hell out of each other in that one. Brookes & Takanashi will have a very different change of pace when they face The Frenchadors. The two masked wrestlers Senza Volto & Aigle Blanc could not be any more different from SAnitY.


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs Nikita Charisma & Michael Schenkenberg
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Prince Ahura & Maggot Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

The final block matches has both teams taking on wXw regulars. CDK’s opponents Pretty Bastards are the previous winners of the WTTF held back in 2019. Prince Ahura & Maggot are accomplished singles wrestlers in their own right too with Maggot currently holding the wXw Shotgun Title. Abe & Irie’s final group match is against Rot Und Flott, the reigning wXw World Tag Team Champions. As the current title holders that makes Nikita Charisma & Michael Schenkenberg early favorites to win the tournament.


JCW “JCW VS THE WORLD”, 09/10/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Shota Vs Steve Scott

Shota makes his JCW debut. His opponent “2Hot” Steve Scott is a JCW regular with some GCW appearances scattered around here and there.


RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. World Cup 3: Maya Yukihi Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Millie McKenzie

Over in Spain, RCW are holding a women’s wrestling tournament filled with talent around the world. Maya Yukihi is an entrant representing Japan. Nightshade is taking part as the UK entry. Miyu Yamashita will also be on the show but she is scheduled for a non-tournament match. Now, right before I was about to post this article, I saw RCW’s tweet about Millie McKenzie being on the show as Yamashita’s opponent. If it’s a one-on-one match the timing of that is convenient because…


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

1. Hyper Misao Vs X
2. EVE Title No. 1 Contender Match: Millie McKenzie Vs Miyu Yamashita

The return of Millie McKenzie without restrictions to the British wrestling scene after NXT UK’s closure wasted no time in becoming newsworthy. She made an unexpected appearance at the “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT” show and after her match was finished, it was announced she will take on Miyu Yamashita in November! It was then later revealed the match will determine the No. 1 Contender for the EVE Title. EVE are splitting “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V” into two shows, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. The Millie Vs Miyu match will be on the afternoon show. Hyper Misao’s match has not been announced yet so she could be on either shows, if not both.


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

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

WrestleRave is a young promotion that’s been running out of the Houston Premier Arena for just over a year. Shota has a chance to become the promotion’s second ever champion if he can beat Aaron Mercer.


PW REVOLUTION/WEST COAST PRO “KING OF INDIES 2022”, 19/11/2022
United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA

1. King Of Indies 2022: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Konosuke Takeshita made have to run through a growing killer lineup if he wants to win the King Of Indies tournament. Katsuhiko Nakajima is the latest Japanese name entering the tournament while luchador Viento won a qualifying match to earn a spot. I’m hearing there’s been a recent groundswell in support for Titus Alexander to win too.


Iron Man And O-40 Titles Vacated, Cheering In Nagoya, KUBITO In Hospital

September 2, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 03/09/2022
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. Hyper Misao Vs Nao Kakuta
2. Yuki Aino Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. Rika Tasumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Haruna Neko
4. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Raku Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu

Hikari Noa will be coming back to Japan empty handed. She lost to Alex Windsor on last night’s EVE show preventing her from becoming a two time International Princess Champion. Windsor has some unfinished business going on in EVE so it will be a while before she can be seen in Tokyo Joshi Pro. However TJPW are continuing their relationship with EVE by sending over Miyu Yamashita and Hyper Misao to their annual “WRESTLE QUEENDOM” show in November. Yamashita’s match for that day is against Millie McKenzie. In return EVE is sending Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade, aka The Uprising to Japan sometime in the future. The two of them are expecting to get a Princess Tag Team Titles match once they come over.

GANBARE☆PRO “PUNCH DRUNK LOVE 2022”, 03/09/2022
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. GanPro Vs MAKAI: Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuki Kanzaki
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Hardcore Mixed Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Akane Fujita Vs Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE
4. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & Jun Masaoka
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Hartley Jackson

Narimasu has a packed day of wrestling ahead. Ganbare☆Pro is giving them a Spirit Of Ganbare Title match, a Hardcore Mixed Tag Match and also the first Ganpro appearances of Jun Masaoka and Yuki Kanzaki.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/09/2022
Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Aino Vs Nao Kakuta Vs Haruna Neko
2. Hikari Noa Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. Maki Itoh Vs Arisu Endo
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miyu Yamashita & Raku
5. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Pom Harajuku Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Suzume
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu

Cheering will be allowed at the show.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2022”, 04/09/2022
Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. Akito & Shinya Ishida Vs MAO & Yuki Ishida
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Yuki Ueno & Makoto Oishi
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
6. Scramble Bunkhouse Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shinya Aoki & Yukio Naya Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
7. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Asuka
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi

The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and the O-40 Title have both suddenly been vacated?!? Toru Owashi wants to prove he is taking the KO-D Tag Team Titles match seriously so he is discarding the two championships he’s been carrying around for months. Even though he’s been the O-40 Champion for almost two years, he still considers it Gorgeous Matsuno’s pride and joy. Matsuno still reminds him on the regular to keep the belt polished. Meanwhile many of Owashi’s friends have held the Iron Man Title over the years. He is willing to throw all of that away in order to become the new KO-D Tag Champion with HARASHIMA. His request was accepted by Hisaya Imabayashi (who just turned 50 yesterday) and Harimao paid respect to Owashi for his decision.

Cheering will be allowed at this show too. You probably wouldn’t hear it over the explosions anyway.

BASARA “BASARA 199 ~GLITTER~”, 06/09/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. SAGAT VS Lil’ Kraken
2. Jacket 3 Way Match: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Fuminori Abe Vs Gouma
3. Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA, Daichi Kazato & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
5. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura

KUBITO is off the show after he had a sudden bout of pancreatitis. He felt something wrong with his stomach a few nights ago and went to a clinic where he was kept overnight for treatment. He said his symptoms are mild and his hospital stay is more so he can rest and recuperate. Daichi Kazato replaces him in Match #3.

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

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

The next Iron Man Champion will be determined in the Battle Royal on this show. Oddly enough Owashi is still in the match so he could wind up exactly in the same spot he was in before by the end of next week.

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022 TOUR IS ASAKUSA”, 13/09/2022
Tokyo Asakusa Hanayashi Theater

0. Dark Match ~ Nariagari Offer Match: Tawaramachi Kid Jr. & Super Nikuyaki Machine Vs Sumo Ninja Kyu & Tadaki Toronomi
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Akito Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuji Hino & Yuya Koroku
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya
4. Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
5. Asakusa Specialty Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi & Yoshihiko
6. Harimao Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima

CCK get to test the mettle of Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada together.


DDT Around The World – August 2022

September 1, 2022

The summer is over and I thought this article would be winding down and become easier to write about for a few months. After all, Konosuke Takeshita is back in Japan for a while so his AEW journey is on a little break. Instead Shota decides to go live in America and get bookings for some of the most obscure indie companies I have ever heard of. I mean some are so out of the way if you bring them up to the people who run IWTV their response would probably be “Who?” But once September and October are done and dusted Takeshita will be heading back to the US with bigger goals in mind. I think it’s too early right now to talk about whether or not he’s going to be one foot out the door with DDT for good. It’s definitely something I’ll have to write about some day, just not today.

So this series might look a little different in the coming months. Joey Janela is carrying the DDT Extreme Title around the world and has a number of defences already lined up. I’ll be keeping track of them here for as long as it goes on. The same will go for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title if that ever leaves Japan again. So yeah if you’re expecting next month’s post to be about more of Takeshita’s adventures, you’re probably going to get a face full of Shota and Janela instead. However I have a expectation you’ll still see Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita popping up in AEW every now and then to go along with their North American indie bookings. Did you see that Sakazaki is going to be in the AEW video game? Take that FTR!

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Videos


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ryan Nemeth


Video starts at 58:37 for the match
WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022
Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia

1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) (w/ Todd Eastman) Vs Shota Suzuki


AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 06/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita


MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022
Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JDX


Video starts at 43:23 for the match
JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Billie Starkz


Video starts at 15:08 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 15/08/2022
Target Cente, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cezar Bononi


Video starts at 36:45 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 22/08/2022
Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA

1. Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue Vs Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh

———————————————————————–

Results


AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 05/08/2022 (Aired 06/08/2022)
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Ricola Bomb (19:59).
*V1 for Claudio Castagnoli.

Takeshita is now 0 for 2 in World Championship matches during his excursion. He couldn’t win the PWG World Title in July and last month couldn’t beat Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Title. It’s another tale of so close but so far for him. He’s putting up the great performances but just not getting those wins when it matters.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ryan Nemeth with the Zahi (1:41).

One good thing to happen on the taping was Takeshita’s first win on national TV. Funny thing is this was taped after the ROH Title match but aired on TV the day before. Takeshita wanted to get that one big win on TV before he went back to Japan. Ryan Nemeth isn’t that big win to be honest but hey, it’s a start.


WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022
Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia

1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) (w/ Todd Eastman) defeated Shota Suzuki with the Rope Assisted Piledriver (?:??).
*V? for Mitch Ryder.

You’ll notice that Shota will be using the name Shota Suzuki in some places. It’s to avoid people confusing him with Shota Umino. I can tell you myself whenever I tweet about Shota’s excursion I get a few responses from people thinking I’m talking about the Shota from New Japan. Anyway he had the pleasure of being Wide Bay Pro’s first international guest wrestler on their shows. He was hoping to win the Interstate Title from Mitch Ryder and use the belt as his ticket to wrestle in Australia more. Unfortunately Ryder’s manager Todd Eastman got involved and his distraction led to Shota losing to a see-saw Piledriver over the middle rope.


DPW “BELIEVE THE HYPE”, 06/08/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Emi Sakura defeated Mizuki with the Queen’s Gambit (11:02).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Andrew Everett with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (18:41).

Mixed results on the Deadlock Pro show. The main event had Takeshita beat Andrew Everett in an absolute scorcher of a match. Mizuki’s first match in America ended in a loss to Emi Sakura. The teacher versus student dynamic was on full display. Sakura even got one more dirty reminder after the match by offering a handshake just to attack Mizuki even more. However the fans responded greatly to Mizuki and were happy to hear her shout “I will be back!”


MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022
Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JDX with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (17:38).

I heard about this match happening from a few Discords but couldn’t find info on it until after it took place. Midwest All-Star Wrestling is a regular promotion for JDX (Justin D. Xavier, the D stands for Disgusting). He thought Takeshita was going to look past him because his focus was on the ROH Title match. Instead Takeshita put him through a hard fought match and had his hand raised in the end.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 10/08/2022 (Aired 15/08/2022)
Target Cente, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cezar Bononi with the Zahi (2:37).

With this win over Cezar Bononi, Takeshita has one more opponent he needs to beat for a clean sweep over The Wingmen. Where you at, Peter Avalon?


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022
O2 Academy, Sheffield, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Leon Slater with the Zahi (12:17).

Over to England now where Takeshita made his PROGRESS debut. His 17 year old opponent Leon Slater was a replacement for an injured Robbie X. Slater put up a heck of a fight but his big mistake was to try and set up a One Man Spanish Fly off the top rope. Takeshita instead used the stalled time to knock Slater off the turnbuckle with a Lariat and then pin him with the Zahi.


JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Billie Starkz defeated Maki Itoh with the Assault Driver (11:13).

Those cheeky gits at GCW advertised Maki Itoh for both nights of their Homecoming weekend but her match on the first night was with JCW instead. I think she did fan meet and greets during the GCW show so they can probably get away with avoiding accusations of false advertising. Anyway her match against Billie Starkz happened very late at night. She had a busy schedule for the following day.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022
Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Dean Allmark with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (10:05).

Takeshita’s second day in PROGRESS gave him a far more experienced opponent to deal with in the form of Dean Allmark. He had some tricks up his sleeve like a Headstand Backslide Pin but Takeshita rolled out of it to hit the Zahi for a nearfall. He then hit the Lil Sebastian’s Curse to win. I need to find out if he minds everybody still wanting to call that move the Cinnabomb.


GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik with the Flying DDT (10:54).

If there is one thing you need to know about this match it’s this. They did the Top Rope DDT spot from the Dean Malenko Vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that happened at Backlash 2000. It is also where Itoh started using the I.D.S as her new finisher. That wasn’t the end of Itoh’s night. She appeared during the main event segment where Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green renewed their wedding vows. Itoh sang “L.O.V.E.” by Frank Sinatra for the happy couple before Nick Gage came out and crashed the ceremony with a pizza cutter.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 17/08/2022 (Aired 22/08/2022)
Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA

1. Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh defeated Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue when Sakura pinned Blue with the Queen’s Gambit (7:15).

Itoh’s latest stay in America ended with another visit to AEW. She teamed with Emi Sakura to beat Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue. Itoh claims Emi Sakura is the newest member of the Itoh Respect Army but Sakura denies this. At least her singing impressed Matt Menard on commentary.

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Upcoming Appearances


EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 01/09/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson Vs Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade
2. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor (c) Vs Hikari Noa

Later tonight Hikari Noa will challenge Alex Windsor for the International Princess Title in EVE. Noa arrived in London safe and sound during the week and EVE’s Twitter account shows her enjoying the vibrant sights of Camden. This may be TJPW’s only chance to bring the IP Title back home any time soon though. Windsor tweeted her frustrations over how difficult it’s been to get even an appointment with the Japanese embassy so she can travel back to Japan.

The tag match I included here has implications to pay attention to. The winners will get to wrestle for TJPW in Japan sometime in the future. Nightshade has been in TJPW back in 2019. In EVE she sides with Rhia O’Reilly as part of The Uprising stable. O’Reilly is also an accomplished wrestler across the British women’s scene. Their opponents Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson I don’t know much about. Hudson’s biggest profile appearances seem to be with ICW in Scotland and TNT Extreme in Liverpool. Leverkusen I can’t find much info about other than a few recent EVE matches and Youtube videos of other matches across assorted indies.


MPW “ENDANGERED”, 02/09/2022
Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Darwin Finch Vs J2 Vs Shota

Shota’s new American life begins with Millenium Pro Wrestling in California. The promotion has been in existence since 2001. If Shota can beat Darwin Finch and J2 in a Triple Threat match then he will qualifiy for a Scramble match on 9th September that MPW is putting together to celebrate their anniversary.


PWF “ENDANGERED”, 03/09/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. JJ Blake Vs Shota Suzuki

The next day Shota travels over to Texas for Premier Wrestling Federation. His opponent here JJ Blake recently accomplished the Triple Crown feat in New Texas Pro Wrestling. That has Shota excited to know he is getting a strong opponent for sure.


GCW “THE ART OF WAR”, 03/09/2022
Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title & 6 Pack Of PBR – 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Mike Bailey Vs Tony Deppen Vs Cole Radrick Vs Drago Kid Vs Gringo Loco Vs Dante Leon Vs Shane Mercer

Yeah this is nuts. Janela’s first Extreme Title defence in America will be in one of GCW’s craziest match stipulations. GCW loves Scramble matches. They are also doing their own Wargames match this weekend so will have two rings set up beside each other. Add in ladders along with a Pabst Blue Ribbon sponsorship and you got yourselves a 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match! That’s not all, Janela is putting himself up against an entire deck full of wild cards. Mike Bailey needs no introduction, Tony Deppen can be unpredictable at times, Cole Radrick is becoming more of a deathmatch wrestler as the months go by, Drago Kid blew everyone’s minds in his previous GCW appearances, Gringo Loco has built up the reputation of being one of the best bases currently on the indies, Dante Leon is the kind of guy who benefits from that and Shane Mercer is an absolute powerhouse who leaves destruction in his wake.


JCW “UNCENSORED”, 10/09/2022
Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title – Bodyslam Challenge: Joey Janela (c) Vs Beastman

If Janela can somehow crawl out of the chaos mentioned above, he will put the title on the line next against Beastman on a JCW show. The stipulation here is a lot more basic. First wrestler to Body Slam their opponent wins. Beastman has the size advantage in this one.


ROW “TEXAS GOLD RUSH”, 10/09/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs Ayden Cristiano

Shota’s heading back over to Reality Of Wrestling. This time around his opponent is “The Madman From Madrid” Ayden Cristiano.


NEW “YEAR ONE ANNIVERSARY”, 16/09/2022
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. Maki Itoh Vs Gisele Shaw

Canada prepare yourselves for Maki Itoh. She will wrestle for the first time on Canadian soil for Nation Extreme Wrestling. Her opponent is Gisele Shaw who is coming in as a replacement for Chelsea Green due to scheduling conflicts with the latter. Shaw wrestle twice for TJPW in 2019 including the match to crown the first ever IP Champion. This will be her first in-ring meeting with Itoh.


PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Sandra Moone
2. Trish Adora Vs Miyu Yamashita

I said it last month that Miyu Yamashita against somebody like Trish Adora would be an attention grabber. There you go.


MISSION PRO “Welcome To The Jungle”, 17/09/2022
Salvation Army Mission Corps, San Antonio, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs JP Harlow

Mission Pro is Thunder Rosa’s promotion, right? Shota’s just ticking off all of the Texas companies from the get go. If he wasn’t going to bump into JP Harlow at ROW it was only a matter of time he would find him here I guess.


FRONTLINE PRO “A NIGHT FOR TYLER V”, 24/09/2022
Bakerville Bar And Grill, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA

1. Shota Vs Ragnar The Ruthless

One week later Shota heads to Wisconsin for Frontline Pro. For fuck sake lads I have to trawl through Facebook to find out what this is and where Ragnar The Ruthless comes from.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs X

Shigehiro Irie will be at Progress the same weekend CDK are there.


PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Let’s include Irie here too.


MDRN NMD “I SPELL F-L-Y”, 29/09/2022
The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St. , Manchester, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs LK Mezinger & Splits McPins
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs Dan Moloney

Before the entire UK scene fell apart there was a little series of shows called Tuesday Night Graps put together by a group of wrestlers including Chris Brookes. After the pandemic the shows came back under a new group called Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling and this time there’s no need to run shows every Tuesday. Is Masahiro Takanashi into bowling because CDK takes on Bowl-A-Rama in tag team action. Irie gets to take on Dan Moloney in a superfight.


WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 30/09/2022
wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

1. Masha Slamovich Vs Fuminori Abe

The day before the World Tag Team Festival tournament begins, wXw will be holding a smaller scale show inside their wrestling school. They are always a good appetizer to start their big international weekends with some unique matches put together. Like this one here, Fuminori Abe being thrown into the ring against Masha Slamovich!


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

We just have to wait and see how both CDK and Abe & Irie will do in the tournament.


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

1. Hyper Misao Vs X

Yeah so this was announced back in July and I completely forgot about it until now. Whoops. Hyper Misao’s going to England!


PW REVOLUTION/WEST COAST PRO “KING OF INDIES 2022”, 19/11/2022
United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA

1. King Of Indies 2022: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

There is a tournament in the American independents that holds almost a mythical reputation even if it does not attract the attention of wrestling fans the same way Battle Of Los Angeles, Tournament Of Death or King Of Trios all used to. The King Of Indies tournament originated in the early 2000s with All Pro Wrestling as the hosts. The 2001 edition is well known as being an inspiration towards the creation of Ring Of Honor. The tournament was revived in 2018 with Pro Wrestling Revolution taking the reigns and this year Takeshita gets to add his name to the tournament’s history book. He won’t be the only Japanese participant because Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH will be there along with SB Kento and La Estrella from DRAGONGATE.


SOS Vs Aijin Tag Again, Legislator Tag Team, Men’s Club Revival

August 29, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 03/09/2022
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. Hyper Misao Vs Nao Kakuta
2. Yuki Aino Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. Rika Tasumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Haruna Neko
4. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Raku Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu

Hikari Noa won’t be around this week because she will be in England trying to win back the International Princess Title from Alex Windsor at an EVE show.

BASARA “BASARA 199 ~GLITTER~”, 06/09/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
2. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura

Last week Isami Kodaka defended the Union MAX Title against Gunso at the annual BASARA/Dove Pro summer meet. With that out of the way, Kodaka accepted Daiki Shimomura’s challenge for the next title shot.

Speed Of Sounds already defended the IRON FIST Tag Titles against Aijin Tag back in April. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino are nothing if not persistent though. They keep wanting as many chances to beat SOS as they can to finally win the belts. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga admire their determination and do like wrestling them so another title match is going ahead.

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2022”, 25/09/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Akito & Yukio Naya
2. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Cara Noir
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

We’re getting a legislator tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu! Ota Ward was host to Kawamatsu’s debut match so it’s only fair for he and Nishimura to step into the ring again over at Nishimura’s home of Bunkyo Ward. That means they’re heading to Korakuen Hall together. Akito & Yukio Naya were chosen to be their opponents.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2022”, 12/10/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki Ishida 1st Anniversary Match ~ Playfulness Series Act 4: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Makoto Oishi 20th Anniversary Match ~ Men’s Club Vs The 37KAMIINA: Makoto Oishi, MEN’S Teoih & Shiori Asahi Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata

Makoto Oishi’s 20th Anniversary is a great time to revive Men’s Club! He’s bringing in MEN’S Teioh & Shiori Asahi to take on the new generation represented by The 37KAMIINA.

Yuki Ishida is not getting a similar amount of pomp and circumstance for his one year anniversary. He’s getting a first time singles match against Danshoku Dieno.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PERFECTION” Results

August 21, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PERFECTION”, 21/08/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
180 Fans

1. Rika Tatsumi defeated Kaya Toribami with the Twist Of Fate (9:14).
2. Hyper Misao defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Hypami Returns (10:20).
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Suzume & Haruna Neko when Noa pinned Neko with the Blizzard Suplex (8:10).
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeatee Yuki Aino & Raku when Yamashita pinned Raku with the Attitude Adjustment (13:20).
5. Miu Watanabe defeated Pom Harajuku with the Tear Drop (10:30).
6. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Arisu Endo when Nakajima pinned Endo with the Northern Lights Suplex (11:28).

Shoko Nakajima used today to bounce back from her disappointing performance at the Tokyo Princess Cup by getting the fall in the main event. From now until October, Nakajima wants to keep winning matches to show everyone she is a growing champion. Toyo Mates are aiming to follow a similar momentum for their Princess Tag Team Titles match on 4th September. For some reason Mahiro Kiryu led Nakajima and Yuki Kamifuku in a group apology to close out the show.

Miu Watanabe was in for a fright when Pom Harajuku had the room lights turned off and got haunted music to play over the speakers. Harajuku then used a wig and a torchlight to scare Watanabe in the dark until the lights were switched back on. She then hovered a piece of konnyaku hanging from a string over Watanabe’s face to put her off even further. Watanabe would win the match but didn’t expect to fall for Harajuku’s pranks like she did. Harajuku described her last few months as a summer full of trials to overcome. She hopes next year she will get to be a trial for someone else.

Hyper Misao pretended to act like Moka Miyamoto and was introduced as the “Yamato Nadeshiko Hero Who Protects Love And Peace In Tokyo Joshi Pro“. She promised to fight a graceful match against her opponent because she claims they were alike. That didn’t last and she was eventually doing her usual dirty tactics to win.

Since the International Princess Title is currently in England with Alex Windsor, it is now up to TJPW to send challengers after her in the hopes of bringing the belt back to Japan. Hikari Noa will be going on her first overseas booking to challenge Windsor for the title next month. The match will be held at an EVE show in London on 1st September. Noa said she is nervous because it will be her first time going abroad but she’ll try and bring the IP Title back in time for the 4th September TJPW show in Nagoya.

Max The Impaler returns to TJPW on 9th October for “WRESTLE PRINCESS III”.


King Of DDT Final 4, Onwards To Ota Ward, Janela Coming To DDT

June 21, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~”, 25/06/2022
Kobe Art Center

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

Full steam ahead towards the big summer shows at Ota Ward Gymnasium! First up it’s preparation time for Shoko Nakajima and Rika Tatsumi. They have time to see what the other has got in the lead up to the Princess Of Princess Title match.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 25/06/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao
2. Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuya Koroku
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs The The Iyasareru!: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
5. BURNING Vs Eruption!: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Shinya Aoki

There’s now some time to take a breather from King Of DDT. One of the semi-finals is involved in the BURNING Vs Eruption tag in Yokohama.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~FUKUOKA PERFORMANCE~”, 26/06/2022
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

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

For the first time in 3 years, 121000000 are teaming together in their hometown of Fukuoka!

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
1. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Jun Akiyama
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki Vs Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya
4. Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & X
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: X Vs X

The King Of DDT final four are Kazusada Higuchi, Jun Akiyama, Yuki Ueno and Naomi Yoshimura. The semi-finals divide them into two existing rivalries. Higuchi and Akiyama put aside their past differences to work as a functional tag team at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” but the premature ending to that match left that loose thread up in the air. Both have promised to become the KO-D Openweight Champion on behalf of Tetsuya Endo and carry on in his place while he is injured. Ueno and Yoshimura have become rivals since their tag team Nautilus split up. Yoshimura has beaten Ueno in all of their previous singles matches.

A mystery wrestler is teaming up with Chris Brookes to take on MAO & Shunma Katsumata? Who could it be? Maybe it’s a certain Welshman who Brookes and The 37KAMIINA have been in the ring with before. No, not CdawgVA!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Willow Nightingale
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

The complete card for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” was revealed today. The Magical Sugar Rabbits have been challenged by Reiwa AA Cannon for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Special guests from AEW feature up and down the show with the big match being Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita in a first time meeting. Riho pops up to team with Arisu Endo against Mei Suruga & Suzume. Previous opponents Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa are now on the same team as they take on the newly renamed Toyo Mates. There is going to be so much joy and power on show when Miu Watanabe and Willow Nightingale are in the same ring together. Aja Kong has her first match back in Tokyo Joshi Pro since October. Karate meets Karate when Moka Miyamoto faces Juria Nagano.

A challenger has been found for Maki Itoh. Over in England this past weekend, Alex Windsor won the SHE-1 tournament in Pro Wrestling: EVE. During her victory speech, she called out Itoh and demanded a shot at the International Princess Title! Itoh received the message and accepted the challenge so Windsor will soon be on her way to Japan.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”, 20/08/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Shinichiro Kawamatsu Debut Match: Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs X
2. International Special Hardcore Match: Joey Janela Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X
4. KO-D Openweight Title: KO-D Champion (c) Vs X

The tycoon of America’s indie scene finally arrives in DDT! Joey Janela has long been sought after by Sanshiro Takagi going back to the Social Distancing match GCW held very early into the pandemic. He will be arriving in Japan a week earlier but his first confirmed match is taking place at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. He takes on Katsumata in a Hardcore Match. Since Janela is nicknamed “The Bad Boy”, Katsumata is now calling himself “The Happy Boy”.

Shinichiro Kawamatsu is returning to DDT to have a proper debut pro wrestling match. The politician wasn’t satisfied with his previous wrestling match relying on his bodyguard only to get beaten into submission once he had to fight for himself. So he is finding time during his political duties to train for a proper match. He actively trains in Jiu Jitsu so he already has some martial arts experience to lean on.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR ’22” Results

May 15, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR ’22”, 15/05/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
164 Fans

1. Maki Itoh defeate Kaya Toribami with the Itoh Punish (8:11).
2. Yuki Aino & Miu Watanabe defeated Suzume & Haruna Neko when Watanabe pinned Neko with the Tear Drop (11:36).
3. 3 Way Match: Raku defeated Hikari Noa and Mahiro Kiryu when Raku pinned Kiryu with the Hurricane Turn (6:29).
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta defeated Miyu Yamashita & Pom Harajuku when Kamifuku pinned Harajuku with the Famouser (9:29).
5. Rika Tatsumi defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Twist Of Fate (10:02).
6. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Mizuki & Arisu Endo when Misao pinned Endo with the Hypami Returns (13:42).

Today was a new chapter for Kyoraku Kyomei. It was their first time teaming together in three months and since then Shoko Nakajima defended the Princess Of Princess Title against Hyper Misao. They showed they are still on the same page by beating Mizuki & Arisu Endo in the main event. Misao said this new and improved version of Kyoraku Kyomei feels comfortable and she is convinced they are the best tag team in Tokyo Joshi Pro history! So without consulting Nakajima, Misao asked for a Princess Tag Team Titles match against the Magical Sugar Rabbits. Even though Yuka Sakazaki was absent, Mizuki accepted the challenged (Sakazaki watched the show live from America and her tweets quickly went from “Refuse!” to “I’ll do it!”). Nakajima asked for the match to take place at Korakuen Hall on 19th June, a week after “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. She promised to become TJPW’s first Double Crown Princess Champion!

Both Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh commented on their upcoming trip to America for Prestige Wrestling at the end of the month. Itoh will be defending the International Princess Title against Mia Yim on the 28th May show in Portland, Oregon. She said she wants to crush the former NXT wrestler to increase the value of her championship. The belt has been waiting for her so Itoh promises to do her best so she can come back to Japan with her heart held high. Yamashita’s opponent on the 28th is Masha Slamovich. Yamashita describes her as a ferocious opponent from Impact Wrestling so she wants to kick her ass. Yamashita and Itoh will face each other on the second Prestige show taking place the next night.

English wrestler “The Unbreakable” Rhio will begin her first tour of TJPW on 29th May as part of the company’s relationship with Pro Wrestling EVE. Rhio is 25 years old, born in Lancashire and been wrestling for seven years. She is 163cm tall, weighs 70kg and has a background in both Karate and Taekwondo. She will be the first foreign wrestler to enter TJPW in two and a half years.


DDT Around The World – Spring 2022

May 10, 2022

There are more and more announcements coming out involving DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers getting bookings outside of Japan. I haven’t been posting about them here, just retweeting the news from the official accounts as they happen. I figured I should gather them together for posts every once in a while. So if this keeps up there will be catch up posts maybe once a month.

A lot of this is going to be about Konosuke Takeshita in AEW along with his US indie appearances. However we’re already seeing some TJPW related bookings in America and Europe happening too. Hopefully it won’t get repetitive.

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Videos


Video starts at 15:32 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 25/04/2022
Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brandon Cutler


Video starts at 9:12 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 02/05/2022
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Rhett Titus


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/05/2022
Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament – Qualifier: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Riho


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/05/2022
Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, USA

2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Jay Lethal

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Results

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 20/04/2022 (Aired 25/04/2022)
Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brandon Cutler with the Jumping Knee Strike (4:57).

Takeshita’s US excursion began with a win over Brandon Cutler on the higher tier of AEW’s two Youtube wrestling shows. Notable moments include a nasty looking Elbow Strike from Takeshita, Cutler’ overly animated elbow drop and the commentary team of Paul Wight & Mark Henry heaping piles of praise towards the newcomer.

EVE “GLOBAL WOMEN STRIKE 3”, 23/04/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Shoko Nakajima defeated Alex Windsor with the Diving Senton (14:17).

Over to England where Shoko Nakajima began her long goal to wrestle in 100 countries other than Japan. England brings her current number to three (along with USA and Mexico) and she left with a victory against Alex Windsor. The match had a 15 minute time limit so the Diving Senton in the final minute was what made the difference.

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 27/04/2022 (Aired 02/05/2022)
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Rhett Titus with the Jumping Knee Strike (4:40).

Back in AEW Takeshita’s second week saw him defeat Rhett Titus, the former ROH TV Champion. The Jumping Knee Strike was the key to victory again although this time it was more of a sudden flash win rather than a decisive knockout. Jun Akiyama requested to Tony Khan on Twitter for commentary to correctly call it the Jumping Knee instead of the Flying Knee.

PWG “DELIVERING THE GOODS”, 01/05/2022
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Aramis by Pinfall (10:02).

Takeshita’s American road trip next took him over to Southern California to wrestle on the big show when it comes to the US indies. He watched a lot of PWG growing up so now it’s time to wrestle there! Takeshita impressed the hardcore crowd with his win against the luchador Aramis. The two wrestlers had money thrown at them by fans afterwards for a job well done. That was not the end of his night. During the show’s conclusion the new PWG World Champion and fellow AEW wrestler Daniel Garcia called him out. Garcia decided he will defend the PWG Title against Takeshita at their next show, which does not have a date announced yet.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 04/05/2022 (Aired 06/05/2022)
Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament – Qualifier: Riho defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Gannosuke Clutch (9:18).
2. Jay Lethal (w/ Satnam Singh & Sonjay Dutt) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Lethal Injection (9:38).

Then it was back to AEW for Takeshita’s first appearance on national TV. In the week leading up to the match Jay Lethal showed jealousy towards all the welcoming attention Takeshita received so he challenged him to a match. Takeshita came close to winning but Sonjay Dutt distracted the referee so the pin count was delayed long enough for Lethal to kick out. Lethal regained his positioning to hit the Lethal Injection and hand Takeshita his first singles loss in AEW. On the bright side at least Akiyama was happy to hear his move called correctly on commentary.

Yuka Sakazaki’s sudden invite back to AEW was for a qualifying match in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament. Her match was against Riho who was also returning to AEW after taking time off with an injury. Sakazaki was building up a head of steam when Riho suddenly caught her in the Gannosuke Clutch for the three count out of nowhere. It is currently unknown when Sakazaki will return to Japan but don’t be surprised if she sticks around AEW for another week to wrestle on Elevation before going home.

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Upcoming Appearances

DPW “FIRE VOL. 3”, 15/05/2022
Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, Raleigh, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Adam Brooks

The boys are back in town! North Carolina’s Deadlock Pro Wrestling is Takeshita’s next date on the indies. He takes on Australia’s Adam Brooks, a man who kept himself busy in his home country during the pandemic and is chomping at the bit to have his breakout moment overseas.

PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 3 – NIGHT 1”, 28/05/2022
Roseland Theater, Portland, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Masha Slamovich
2. Interational Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Mia Yim

TJPW’s new partnership with Prestige Wrestling begins with Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh heading over to Portland. Their matches have now become TJPW Vs Impact bouts even if that wasn’t the case when they were first put together. Yamashita’s opponent on night one is against Masha Slamovich in what promises to be hard hitting from bell to bell. Itoh gets a big challenge against Impact’s newest signing Mia Yim.

EDIT: A few hours after I posted this, Prestige announced on Twitter that Itoh Vs Yim is now for the International Princess Title. The championship is finally being used for its original purpose!

PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 3 – NIGHT 2”, 29/05/2022
Roseland Theater, Portland, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita

Night two of Prestige pits Yamashita and Itoh against each other.

WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022
The State Room, South San Francisco, USA

1. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita and Mike Bailey together again! Oh I think I’m going to cry, it’s been so long. West Coast Pro has been running shows since 2018 and has some sort of partnership with Prestige if their co-promoted doubleheader from March is anything to go by.

PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Lee Moriarty Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita makes his Prestige debut although this show is in California instead of Oregon. His match is keeping it AEW with the talented Lee Moriarty and his “TAIGASTYLE” standing across the ring from him.

RCW “MIYUMAMI”, 02/07/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita returns to Europe for the first time since 2019 when she goes to Spain for RCW. She is the only announced wrestler for the show so far.

GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander

The debut show of Garden State Pro Wrestling in New Jersey features both Takeshita and Yamashita. Takeshita is already reaching the point where his indie bookings are more exciting than his AEW bookings because he is taking on the Impact World Champion himself Josh Alexander!

Yamashita finds herself in a 3 Way Match against two of the most recognizable fresh faces in the scene since the US indies came out of the pandemic. Billie Starkz and Janai Kai are two women who would benefit greatly by touring Japan someday so maybe this match will open some opportunities in the future.


Getting Ready For Golden Week, KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles Tournament

April 25, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “POCCHARI JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 3 ~WAIST SPOOFING SIDE STORY~”, 26/04/2022
Saitama Wrestle Butokan

1. Special Poccha Libre Match ~Fighting Illustrator Vs American Drag Queen From The Philippines~: Yappy Vs Beauty Suzuki (w/ 643 Mangaritsutsua)
2. PocchaJo New Chapter ~Fighting Weather Reporter Vs Former Weightlifting Women’s Triple Crown Champion~: Moeka Haruhi Vs Maika Ozaki
3. PocchaJo 3rd Anniversary Match: Yumehito Imanari Vs Yuna Manase

The third year and supposed third chapter of Pocchari Joshi is celebrated tomorrow.

BASARA “BASARA 189 ~GLITTER~”, 28/04/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takato Nakano Vs Lil’ Kraken
2. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga Vs SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Masato Kamino
4. Takumi Tsukamoto, Fuminori Abe & Yasu Urano (w/ Gouma) Vs FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
5. Union MAX Title – GRACE GROUP Presents: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura

Isami Kodaka is back in action after taking time off for jaw surgery.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR ’22”, 29/04/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

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

The Golden Week series of shows begins with a Tokyo Joshi Pro doubleheader in Ryogoku KFC Hall. The main event of day one is MagiRabi Express taking on Makiyuki Toyo.

This weekend Shoko Nakajima returns from her excursion to England. She defeated Alex Windsor at the EVE show over the weekend.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR ’22”, 30/04/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

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

Day two is headlined with Magirabians Vs Hyper WiFi! There is also a Momoiro Sparkling reunion against Toyo University Tag in the semi-main event. This is the go home show for Korakuen Hall three days later.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022
Yokohama Budokan

0. Dark Match: KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida
1. Shinya Aoki Vs Toui Kojima
2. Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & X Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gorgeous Matsuno
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Kitai Jisho Group K.O. GYM Presents: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
8. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Asuka
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

The KO-D Tag Team Titles match now has a sponsor, the Kitai Jisho Group from Yokohama.

DDT “AUDIENCE 2022 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 06/05/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & X Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Akito, Hikaru Machida & Thanomsak Toba

Four teams are entering a single elimination tournament for the vacant KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. They are DAMNATION T.A (with the mystery partner they have been teasing for weeks), DISASTER BOX, Eruption and a kickboxing team led by Akito. He invited Hikaru Machida to continue pro wrestling after his performances in the King Of Street Wrestling tournament. Thanomsak Toba was Machida’s “cornerman” for those matches and is inspired to pass on his knowledge over to his new wrestling protégé.

DDT “YAMADA FISHERIES PRESENTS FRIED YAMADA FESTIVAL IS IT FRIED!”, 08/05/2022
Kagoshima Shibushi City Unagi Station

1. Kazuki Hirata Vs Hideki Okatani
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Shunma Katsumata
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi Vs Chris Brookes & Saki Akai
4. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ueno Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. Kagoshima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Shiro Koshinaka, MAO & Tou Kojima
6. FRIED Yamada Festival Deep Fried Food! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Power & HARASHIMA Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Akito

Shishamo Power finally reaches the promise land. The gimmick was created to promote this show back in January but it was delayed until May. During this time his few appearances have been to feud with Yukio Naya & Akito. They hold a grudge because they want the population of Japan to become meat eaters instead of following Shishamo’s lead of having a seafood diet. Shishamo is receiving unexpected help from local Shibushi wrestler Unagi Mask to even the numbers. Now to make their match even bigger HARASHIMA and Yuji Hino are being brought into the battle.

Other guests are on the card. Shiro Koshinaka’s previous match in DDT took place last August. Tetsuya Endo was one of his opponents for his 40th Anniversary match back in 2019 so there’s a little bit of history there between them to relive. Shinya Aoki is also on the show.

DDT “AUDIENCE 2022”, 22/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

New champions will be crowned here.