DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN BURLESQUE TOKYO ~KO-D TAG TEAM BATTLE ON THE STREET! SHUNMAO VS BONNO DAI SHACHO!~”, 23/02/2023 Burlesque Tokyo
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe
Burlesque dancers will be performing while the match is going on. Since the match is being broadcast on PPV on the PIA LIVE STREAM service, fans watching can donate to support their favorite wrestlers too. ShunMao said the match will be so hot the club will turn into a sauna. However they are already looking past their opponents because they are also looking forward to defending the KO-D Tag Team Titles against Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida a few days later.
Meanwhile Bonno Dai Shacho have taken up pole dance training to prepare for the match! Fuminori Abe became inspired to use the surrounding environment to its fullest, wanting to use the poles on stage to create the most gruesome and erotic wrestling move he can think of. Sanshiro Takagi loved the idea but has no experience using poles so the two of them took a class at Pole & Fitness Studio Lycoris in Itabashi. There they were given a lesson by Keiko, a world pole dancing champion. Keiko suggested they should use a Headscissors while hanging from the pole and in practice it turned out to be a very powerful technique. At the end of the class both Takagi & Abe felt confident what they learned will win them the KO-D Tag Titles!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~KAMATA PERFORMANCE~”, 25/02/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Industrial Plaza PiO Small Exhibition Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Arisu Endo Vs HIMAWARI
3. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa & Haruna Neko
5. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami
6. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi, Suzume & Mahiro Kiryu
Daydream are now going to be opponents heading into “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”.
GANBARE☆PRO “ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD 2023”, 25/02/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Shota Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Yumehito Imanari & Kabuto Mitomi Vs Soma Takao & Yuki Kanzaki
3. GanJo Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Keisuke Ishii Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Hartley Jackson
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
Yesterday, Mizuki Watase had his second successful defence of the Spirit Of Ganbare Title by beating Towa Iwasaki at a BURST show. His match against Shinichiro Tominaga this weekend is now guaranteed to be a title match.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 6-Man Tag Match: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion Vs Keigo Nakamura, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Yuya Koroku Vs Takeshi Masada
3. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai & Kazuki Hirata Vs Losers Of 23/2 KO-D Tag Team Titles Match
4. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Shishamo Power Vs Jun Akiyama & Unagi Mask
6. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Naruki Doi & Makoto Oishi Vs Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida
9. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya
“The Unfinished Genius” is a new nickname that’s been given to Yukio Naya to mark his rise up the ranks in DDT. There has always been high expectations for his pro wrestling career and he was reminded of it when he threw out the challenge at Yuji Hino for the KO-D Openweight Title last month. The growing confidence makes him think he will definitely beat HARASHIMA to become the No. 1 Contender. HARASHIMA has other ideas. He needs the KO-D Title to prove he is still the centre of DDT. Due to the company’s attempts to push their younger wrestlers, HARASHIMA hasn’t had much of a chance to showcase himself lately. This upcoming match may be his only way to remain in the main event scene for the time being.
Sakaguchi & Machida are currently standing on the sidelines waiting to see which tag team they will be facing for the KO-D Tag Titles. It does not matter who they face, their match plan will be the same. But Sakaguchi does admit he would prefer to see Takagi & Abe win because they represent the old DDT. Machida would be happy to fight either MAO or Abe because he knows how strong they are from his previous meetings with them in the ring.
With a spot on the DDT USA shows on the line, the D GENERATIONS CUP final is between Yuya Koroku and Takeshi Masada. It was Masada’s desire to get onto the American shows that caused this tournament to begin with and he is now one step away from achieving his goal. All of the other wrestlers in the tournament are facing each other in a 6-Man Tag Match. Koroku wants to continue his own momentum by finishing the tournament completely unbeaten, proving he is the strongest in his generation.
BASARA “BASARA 212 ~KOO~”, 28/02/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Lil’ Kraken & Tsutomu Oosugi
2. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga Vs Antonio Honda
3. FUMA & KUBITO Vs Masato Kamino & Yasu Urano
4. Takumi Tsukamoto Vs SAGAT
5. Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Daiki Shimomura & Fuminori Abe
6. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Takato Nakano
Takato Nakano has just taken the IRON FIST TAG Titles away from Isami Kodaka. Now he’s coming for the Union MAX Title! If Kodaka can’t keep his wits about him his double championship dream he recently achieved will be completely transferred over to Nakano. The show is also happening the day before “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023”. Kodaka has already been announced as BASARA’s representative for the show but Nakano is convinced he will be a part of it too. Whoever wins this match will probably be carrying the MAX Title into Korakuen Hall 24 hours later.
Harimao is having a little bit more presence in BASARA thanks to Ryota Nakatsu now joining the unit. Kazusada Higuchi is paying back the favour by bringing their team back here.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE NIGHT BEFORE GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 06/03/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Toga Debut Match: Toga Vs X
2. Shino Debut Match: Miu Watanabe & Hikari Noa Vs Raku & Shino
Pretty soon all of the current trainees will make their debuts. Shino from The Up Up Girls got the call up over the weekend and her first wrestling match involves the rest of the idol group.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Haru Debut Match: Haru Vs X
2. Momo Debut Match: Momo Vs X
3. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz
4. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
6. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
The International Princess Title has turned Miu Watanabe into the kind of pro wrestler Rika Tatsumi wants to face against. The two tag partners are now going to be rivals at the big show with the belt on the line!
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
2. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
3. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Winner Of 26/02 Match
It’s master versus student with the DDT Extreme Title on the line. Jun Akiyama wants to put Kotaro Suzuki to the test and convinced him to take this match by putting his title on the line. As a freelancer, Suzuki winning a singles championship will raise his value across the industry. Just look at Naruki Doi and the DDT Universal Title kicking off the gold rush he is currently living through. The match itself is just going to be under normal rules. Akiyama has gone through all of the nonsense he could handle so now the title match is being done his way.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
The main event of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s USA debut will be two of the strongest tag teams clashing against each other. It’s The Magical Sugar Rabbits against 121000000!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~OSAKA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/02/2022 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. Suzume Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Kaya Toribami Vs HIMAWARI
3. Mizuki Vs Raku
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Arisu Endo
One week before the Max Heart Tournament final takes place, 121000000 and Kyoraku Kyomei will give us a preview of what to expect when they all take part in a 6-Woman Tag.
Mizuki has been quietly running through the entire Tokyo Joshi Pro undercard in singles matches lately. Next is Raku’s turn to try and stop her momentum.
Yoshiko Hasegawa is popping up in Tokyo Joshi Pro again.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 11/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
And here is the big finale to the tournament. Can Miyu Yamashita finally break her tournament curse? Will Maki Itoh add the Max Heart Tournament with the Tokyo Princess Cup in her trophy case? Or will Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao prove that nothing beats the combination of kaiju and superhero!
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (0) Vs Ilusion (0)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) Vs Toi Kojima (0)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Yuki Ishida (0) Vs Takeshi Masada (0)
4. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya
The KO-D Openweight Title scene has been shaken up in the aftermath of this past weekend. Yuji Hino is now the champion and has two wrestlers fighting over who should face him for the title at “JUDGEMENT 2023”. Before that gets settled those two potential challengers have to team up against Hino & Makoto Oishi.
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN BURLESQUE TOKYO ~KO-D TAG TEAM BATTLE ON THE STREET! SHUNMAO VS BONNO DAI SHACHO!~”, 23/02/2023 Burlesque Tokyo
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe
It’s like something out of Sega’s Yakuza series. The KO-D Tag Team Titles are being put on the line in a Falls Count Anywhere match because two teams of crazy wrestlers. Where is it taking place? At the glitzy and glamoruous Burlesque Tokyo club in Roppongi! The idea from Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe brings back memories of Takagi’s adventures with Munenori Sawa when they were the champions. ShunMao are up for the challenge.
GANBARE☆PRO “ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD 2023”, 25/02/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
Mizuki Watase is aiming to defend the Spirit Of Ganbare Title twice in February. His next title defence is against Towa Iwasaki in BURST on the 19th. Should he win that match then his singles bout against Shinichiro Tominaga on the 25th will also have the title on the line. Even if Watase loses the title to Iwasaki, he will be facing Tominaga on the 25th no matter what.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs X & X
4. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya
The No. 1 Contender for the KO-D Title will either be HARASHIMA or Yukio Naya. HARASHIMA wants to be the one who challenges for the championship in the main event of DDT’s 26th Anniversary show. Naya has become a stronger wrestler thanks to Hino so it will mean so much to him if he can beat Hino for the KO-D Title.
Whoever leaves Roppongi as the KO-D Tag Champions will have to defend the belts at this show three days later.
Three wrestlers who have very little in common are joining up to challenge BURNING for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The one thread that connects Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine is they all do regular radio appearances outside of wrestling. Sasadango convinced DDT to give the three of them a title shot because they can all promote it on the radio in the lead up to the show.
DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023 Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match: X Vs X
2. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match: X Vs X
3. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match: X Vs X
Some of the wrestlers will get to book their own matches at DDT’s outdoor show in Saitama next month.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
The second match announced for “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” is a real doozy. Yuki Arai gets a second shot against Aja Kong but this time she will be on her own. Their first match against each other was a tag match that took place five months into Arai’s wrestling career. It was so long ago in Arai’s mind that she will no rewatch the match because she is a different wrestler now. She thinks her head has gotten harder so she is not scared of being hit by Kong’s steel cans again.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
2. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Winner Of 26/02 Match
There is no DDT Universal Title involved anymore but the Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno match is going ahead.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 777 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Dark Match – Bonno Dai Shacho Presents No Fee Rumble: Fuminori Abe defeated Sanshiro Takagi with a School Boy (12:29). Order Of Elimination: Mori Haruomi, Tsutenkakuka, Honagi Takemoto, Tezuka awesome Ichiro, Ariji Akinori, Shinya, Shosaku Inoue, “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid, Macho Gallows, Dopyu♡McIntyre, Dick Zlater, Thick And Hard Kankuro Hoshino, BRA-VO, Kaijin Mukuro 696, Hen China, Big Bear, Crusher Inoba, ASHUKA, Tadaki Toronomi, Great-CO-Khan, Kim Yocchan, Tiger Mask V (Self-Proclaimed), Gundan Hitori, Fuck Takeda, Great-GO-Khan, Takuma Joshiba, Fat Kobashi and Sanshiro Takagi.
0. Dark Match – 4 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Akito and Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida when KANON submitted Honda with the Cobra Twist (7:11).
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (2) defeated Kazuma Sumi (0) with the Double Arm Suplex (5:22).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) defeated Takeshi Masada (0) with a Modified Crucifix Pin (7:10).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima defeated Thanomsak Toba, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida when Aoki submitted Toba with a Modified Ground Cobra Twist (8:20).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya defeated Naruki Doi, Jun Akiyama & Soma Takao when HARASHIMA pinned Takao with the Somato (10:02).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda when Endo pinned Dieno with the Burning Star Press (12:08). *V1 for BURNING.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi when Katsumata pinned Oishi after the Oretachi no Mad Max (14:59). *V1 for ShunMao.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi (c) with the Fuckin’ BOMB (26:27). *Kazusada Higuchi fails in V6. Yuji Hino becomes the 80th KO-D Openweight Champion!
1. Keigo Nakamura (2)
2. Toi Kojima (0)
-. Yuki Ishida (0)
-. Takeshi Masada (0)
For the first time in over a decade Yuji Hino is the KO-D Openweight Champion! All month long Hino and Kazusada Higuchi have been chopping each other back and forth in their matches with neither wrestler backing off. Other moves were used in this match but the chop battles continued here. It’s been claimed by DDT that 220 chops were thrown in total between them today! Someone eventually had to break and it happened to Higuchi in the end. Hino got the upper hand with one more barrage of Chops and hit the Fuckin’ BOMB to become a two time KO-D Champion! After the match Hino said he was always confident he would win the KO-D Title no matter who the champion was but winning today’s match has made him more happier than he thought he would be. That’s because Higuchi was stronger than he imagined. He wants to do the match again and the two wrestlers paid respect to each other.
Higuchi left ringside while Hino told Hisaya Imabayashi he does not care who his first challenger will be on 21st March as long. His only preference is he wants the opponent to be a big guy because if it’s a small guy Hino is worried he would kill him. Yukio Naya entered the ring and said his wrestling life did a 180 since meeting Hino. He wants to beat Hino for the championship and become the strongest wrestler in DDT! However HARASHIMA then entered the ring and said he wants to fight for the KO-D Title on 21st March because it is DDT’s 26th anniversary. He’s not a big guy like Hino wants but he will prove he is still the centre of DDT! Hino couldn’t decide who to choose so Imabayashi booked Naya against HARASHIMA in a No. 1 Contender’s match on 26th February. Hino accepted the conditions and said if DDT can bolster their heavyweight division and mix it in with everything else that they do, it can become the number one wrestling promotion in Japan!
It was a show of two halves for Ω. Hino was able to win the KO-D Title but Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi couldn’t live up to their task of winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Instead the masters lost out to their students. They did the Cactus Flower to Shunma Katsumata but MAO broke the pin. Oishi & Asahi then tried to do an Avalance Cactus Flower but MAO cut them off again and later hit the Cannonball 450 on Oishi. The champions followed up by giving Oishi the Oretachi no Mad Max for the victory. After the match Oishi & Asahi congratulated ShunMao and wrapped the tag belts around their waists.
Imabayashi then told ShunMao their next title defence will be at Korakuen Hall on 26th February. Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe came out and challenged them for the belts. But before Imabayashi confirmed the match, Takagi told him it won’t be taking place in Korakuen on the 26th. Instead it will be a Falls Count Anywhere match happening three days earlier inside a Roppongi burlesque club! ShunMao Vs Bonno Dai Shacho for the tag titles will be at Burlesque Tokyo on 23rd February! Whichever team wins the match will have to defend the titles in Korakuen three days later.
The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match briefly turned into a Handicap Match thanks to some Pheromones trickery. They wanted Tetsuya Endo to join their side and Danshoku Dieno used the Lip Lock to convince him. Endo turned into Tetsuya “Hercules” Endo and he turned on Yusuke Okada, throwing his poor partner into the usual Pheromones attacks. Kotaro Suzuki tried to snap Endo back to normal and had to do something desperate. He gave him the Lip Lock! Endo recovered, realised he wasn’t wrestling in his tights anymore and pinned Dieno with the Burning Star Press.
A video message was shown to BURNING after the match. It was from Super Sasadango Machine and he has put together an impromptu unit to challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. The unit is himself, Shinya Aoki and Yuki Ueno! He explains that even though it looks like the three of them have nothing in common, they are all radio personalities outside of wrestling. Therefore they can use their upcoming radio appearances to promote the title match on 26th February. Back in the arena Ueno & Aoki entered the ring and asked BURNING for the title shot face to face. Endo was more concerned about trying to cover himself with the title belts so he accepted.
Future opponents HARASHIMA and Yukio Naya were on the same team earlier in the show. They along with Chris Brookes beat the trio of Naruki Doi, Jun Akiyama & Soma Takao. What happened backstage afterwards was a little more noteworthy. Doi was hyping up his DDT Universal Title defence against KANON on 18th February when KANON & MJ Paul ambushed him! Kazuki Hirata came to the rescue only to also get beaten up by DAMNATION T.A. KANON threatened to win the title and take it with him to Hollywood. He & Paul then ran off when Toru Owashi arrived on the scene.
A potential new team could be in the making coming out of Match #3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida worked well together against Aoki. It should have put their team on track towards winning the match but Aoki caught Thanomsak Toba in a Cobra Twist and rolled him onto his shoulders to escape with a win. Backstage Machida said he and Sakaguchi both come from martial arts so he wants to learn from him while he is still being taught how to wrestle by Toba. Sakaguchi is gets the idea but believes Machida has a long way to go before they can become a tag team together. Meanwhile Aoki asked Toi Kojima if his monthly salary has gone up since they last met. Kojima said it hasn’t but thinks it will double when he wins the D GENERATIONS CUP. Aoki joked that if you double zero you still get zero.
Speaking of the D GENERATIONS CUP it began today with two block matches. Keigo Nakamura gets an early lead in the B Block by beating Takeshi Masada. He kicked out of a Perfect Driver, dodged a Triangle Kick and caught Masada in a Crucifix Pin for the three count. Masada thought this would be a fresh start for him but he just lost his opening group match due to underestimating Nakamura. Meanwhile Nakamura is ecstatic!
The A Block opening match had Hideki Okatani going off to a strong start. He withstood Kazuma Sumi’s quick attacks, cut him off with a Running Neckbreaker and pinned him with the Double Arm Suplex. Okatani is letting his ring work do the talking because all he told reporters afterwards is to keep watching him. Sumi admitted he felt the gap in ability and experience with the most experienced young wrestler in the tournament.
The pre show matches probably had more people involved than the entire main card put together! DAMNATION T.A won a 4 Way Tag Match. Hirata took a beating when he got caught between Yuya Koroku and Yuki Ishida but he eventually knocked both of them out with Tegatana strikes to their necks. Akito’s leg work led to a ring of Leg Holds forming around Antonio Honda in the middle of the ring. KANON wanted nothing to do with the Gongitsune joke and he made Honda submit to the Cobra Twist.
Then there was the No Fee Rumble. Oh boy this was something. Takagi and Abe invited accepted a whole bunch of amateur pro wrestlers to enter a Royal Rumble style match. Due to safety reasons entrants would be eliminated if they were knocked out of the ring no matter if it was over the top rope or not. Among the competitors were tribute acts for Asuka, Tiger Mask, Great-O-Khan and Kenta Kobashi. There was also a child, a Super Sentai and 2AW wrestler Takuma Joshiba. Takagi and Abe complained about his entry because Joshiba is an actual pro wrestler. A bunch of participants were all eliminated at the same time when a group attempt to skin the cat failed in spectacular fashion. Abe was the last man standing after he pinned Takagi with a roll up. Takagi liked Great-CO-Khan in particular and thinks he can become the next Chinsuke Nakamura.
Yuki Ueno will get to face Samuray Del Sol at “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st March after all. The match was announced during the show.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match – Bonno Dai Shacho Presents No Fee Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Fuminori Abe Vs ASHUKA Vs Ariji Akinori Vs Shosaku Inoue Vs Kaijin Mukuro 696 Vs Kim Yocchan Vs Crusher Inoba Vs Great-CO-Khan Vs Great-GO-Khan Vs Gundan Hitori Vs Shinya Vs Tsutenkakuka Vs Dick Zlater Vs Tezuka awesome Ichiro Vs Dopyu♡McIntyre Vs Tadaki Toronomi Vs “Great Mother” Mazakon Kid Vs Big Bear Vs Fuck Takeda Vs Thick And Hard Kankuro Hoshino Vs BRA-VO Vs Hen China Vs Macho Gallows Vs Mori Haruomi Vs X
0. Dark Match – 4 Way Tag Match: Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MJ Paul & KANON Vs Antonio Honda & Akito Vs Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Takeshi Masada
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Thanomsak Toba, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Jun Akiyama & Soma Takao Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuji Hino
The D GENERATIONS CUP begins on Sunday. All eight participants took part in a press conference during the week to give their views on the tournament. Hideki Okatani is confident he will win because he has the most in-ring experience out of everyone involved. Yuya Koroku thinks he has grown both physically and skillfully over the last year. He’s been waiting for a tournament like this to happen so he can show off his growth. Kazuma Sumi says with only three months of pro experience he has nothing to lose. Ilusion wants to leave an impression on fans who only know him from DDTeeeen!! and see what he can do beyond that brand. Keigo Nakamura has spent his preparation drinking raw eggs, eating bugs and breaking roof tiles all for his Twitter account. He also tried drinking an entire bottle of cola without burping but failed. Toi Kojima wants to level up and grab the opportunity to go to Hollywood. Yuki Ishida promised to do his best to take everybody down. Takeshi Masada thinks he let everyone down after he failed to beat Sanshiro Takagi and couldn’t earn his place on the USA shows. He is not concerned with the tournament’s goal of finding the strongest young wrestler in DDT. He is only focused on making it to Hollywood.
My hands feel so grimy writing out all of the names entering the No Fee Rumble. Some might sound familiar if you remember DDT’s past ventures with the wrestling club scene. Some are as recent as the time Sanshiro Takagi defended the DDT Extreme Title against a bunch of amateurs in a field. Others were around for the “ALL DOIN” experiment from 2018. Then there are names like Gundan Hitori who I remember seeing in DDT all the way back in 2010! Then there are the parody names on the list. ASHUKA is an Asuka tribute, there’s one person named after Drew McIntyre and another named after Dick Slater. If that’s not enough there are somehow also two wrestlers named after Great-O-Khan entering the match and I think only one of them is meant to be a parody!
GANBARE☆PRO “GRINDHOUSE 2023”, 23/02/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Ken Ohka Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
Time for Munetatsu Nakamura to take on the head honcho Ken Ohka for the first time.
GANBARE☆PRO “MOONRISE KINGDOM 2023”, 23/02/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Special Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
Shota and Soma Takao are on opposite sides of a tag match once more, continuing the growing rivalry between the two former ROMANCE DAWN partners.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 23/02/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. The Return Of LariPro 2023: Keisuke Ishii Vs X
We’ve had Lariat Pro, Knee Pro, there was a Chop Pro in there somewhere. Keisuke Ishii is determined to make the latest rendition of his Lariat Pro match the best one yet!
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs X, X & X
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs X & X
Appearing on the show will be Naruki Doi, Shinya Aoki, Kotaro Suzuki, Fuminori Abe and Hikaru Machida.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
16 wrestlers representing DDT will be in Los Angeles for the company’s big return to America. They are Kazusada Higuchi, Jun Akiyama, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Sanshiro Takagi, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes, Saki Akai, KANON, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Michael Nakazawa, Yoshihiko and the winner of the D GENERATIONS CUP.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
No talent announcements yet for the Tokyo Joshi Pro show but expect it to be a similar number to DDT.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Takeshita will not be on this show. ROH appearance maybe?
“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. TWO”, 24/01/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa 50 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Special Singles Match: Fuminori Abe Vs Death Worm
2. Thai Boxing Vs Death Match: Thanomsak Toba Vs Drew Parker
3. Special Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Onryo Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TWO: THE DREAM WARRIORS”, 24/01/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa 50 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Special Singles Match: Fuminori Abe defeated Death Worm with the Modified Manjigatame (8:33).
2. Thai Boxing Vs Death Match: Drew Parker defeated Thanomsak Toba with a Ladder Crush (7:07).
3. Special Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Onryo defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when Onryo pinned Takanashi with the Onryo Clutch (18:41).
The first Baka Gaijin + Friends was such a big success that a second one was never going to be far behind. This time around the headline match was CDK taking on the 666 pairing of Onryo & Ram Kaichow. This was the first time Chris Brookes would confront the ghostly tag team since last year’s King Of Street Wrestling tournament. Once again the match found its way up to the windowed roof of ARENA Shimokitazawa. Kaichow sprayed Brookes with ectoplasm up there before returning back downstairs. She then took out Brookes with a Satellite DDT and ducked a punch from Masahiro Taknashi. Onryo threw ghostly powder into Takanashi’s eyes, Kaichow gave him a Rainmaker and Onryo then pinned him with the Onryo Clutch for the win. After the match Drew Parker announced there was going to be one more match but Brookes chopped him down. The show was over but Brookes revealed there will be a third one taking place on 7th March.
Death Match defeated Muay Thai in the second match of the show. Thanomsak Toba had the early advantage because of his striking game so Parker brought out his own pair of boxing gloves to even the odds. It didn’t work so he ditched the gloves and took out skewers instead. That backfired too when Toba dug the skewers into Parker’s head and tried to make them stick by punching them. Parker smashed a plastic box over Toba’s head then brought out a small ladder. He wanted to do a Swanton off of it but Toba got up and punched him in the jaw. It was a knockout blow but Parker fell on top of Toba and ended up pinning him for the three count!
The return of Death Worm was a terrifying challenge for Fuminori Abe. It’s hard shell acted as armour towards Abe’s strikes. Takayuki Ueki was there as a bystander who found himself getting involved after one of Death Worm’s attacks missed Abe and hit him instead. Ueki threw a punch at Death Worm but also missed. However instead of hitting Abe, Ueki hugged him instead. Abe then accidentally hugged Death Worm which made Ueki jealous. The two teamed up using the power of love (provided by Antonio Honda singing on the microphone) and Abe submitted Death Worm with the Manjigatame.
Ueki performed stand up comedy before the main event. He originally wanted to do a manzai routine with MAO but MAO is currently in America. He introduced himself as a “propolice” which is a combination of pro wrestler and policeman. His main story was about a talk he once had with Daisuke Sekimoto. He impersonated Sekimoto to give both sides of the conversation.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 19/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hikari Noa Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Nao Kakuta & HIMAWARI
3. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2D: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2A: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2C: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
Round 2 of the Max Heart Tournament has already begun but the majority of the matches will take place here. Kyoraku Kyomei takes on Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami, Karate Tag faces Daisy Monkey and Reiwa AA Cannon meets Daydream in the main event.
Wakana Uehara gets another big singles match this time against Hikari Noa. Uehara will have new ring gear.
BASARA “BASARA 208 ~HATAAGE ANNIVERSARY~”, 21/01/2023 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. SAGAT 10th Anniversary Match: SAGAT Vs Hideyoshi Kamitani
4. Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs Ryota Nakatasu & Fuminori Abe
5. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Yasu Urano
To celebrate his 10th anniversary in wrestling, SAGAT takes on Hideyoshi Kamitani from Big Japan. They’ve only been in the same match together once for an Elimination Tag held on a BJW show last July. SAGAT enjoyed the experience of fighting Kamitani so much he’s been wanting a singles match against him ever since. BASARA was able to put it together for his special occasion.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 21/01/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. KANON & MJ Paul Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki Ueno, Toi Kojima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi
3. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
5. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match I: Yusuke Okada Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
6. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
7. DDT Extreme Title – Monoboke Death Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Antonio Honda
The goal of the Monoboke Death Match is for Antonio Honda to make Jun Akiyama laugh. Every time Honda kicks out of a pin or uses a rope break to escape a submission, he gets to make a joke. If he can get Akiyama to laugh three times he will win the match. Akiyama on the other hand needs to beat Honda by pinfall or submission three times in order to successfully defend the DDT Extreme Title.
If Daisuke Sasaki ends his self-imposed exile and shows up he will be booked for a match. The undercard will be changed around as a result.
MAO & Shunma Katsumata will not be at the show because they will be wrestling in California for Prestige that same day.
GANBARE☆PRO “TRANSPORTER 2023”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari (2) Vs Kentaro Hachisu (2)
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Yuki Kanzaki (0) Vs Munetatsu Nakamura (0)
3. Yuna Manase Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. GanPro Specialty! Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Shota & YuuRI Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE
5. Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Ken Ohka & Thanomsak Toba
Soma Takao is feeling a little lost in DDT lately but in Ganbare☆Pro he has Shota on his mind. The former ROMANCE DAWN partners are on opposite sides for another tag match.
GANBARE☆PRO “SHUICHIRO KATSUMURA PRODUCE”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. GanPro Specialty! Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Maori Kawashima & YuuRI Vs Yumehito Imanari, Shinichiro Tominaga & Moeka Haruhi
2. Special Single Match ~Baptism Of GanPro~: Takuya Wada Vs X
3. 3-Man Grappling Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Munetatsu Nakamura, HARUKAZE & X
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura, Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi Vs HARASHIMA, Mizuki Watase & Keisuke Ishii
Former Pancrase fighter Takuya Wada makes his Ganpro debut on a show that is being booked by a former Shooto fighter. Speaking of Shuichiro Katsumura, he is bringing in one of his pro wrestling buddies Maori Kawashima for a match too.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari (2) Vs Yuki Kanzaki (0)
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Kentaro Hachisu (2) Vs Munetatsu Nakamura (0)
3. Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & Itsuki Aoki
4. Oji Specialty GanPro Style Survival 8-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota, Shinichiro Tominaga & Hartley Jackson
Itsuki Aoki is coming over for a Ganbare☆Joshi tag match.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Takeshi Masada
3. No Fee Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe Vs X & X
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuji Hino
Bonno Dai Shacho are taking a page out of their predecessor’s playbook. They want to break barriers and fight against opponents from all over the Japanese wrestling scene from the indies right down to the most obscure corners of the industry. In order to do that Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe are looking for teams to enter the No Fee Rumble. It will not cost teams anything to apply for entry. However they will not get paid for taking part either unless they happen to win.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 29/01/2023 Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 2A Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 2C Vs Winners Of Match 2D
The winners of Karate Tag versus Daisy Monkey will face 121000000 in the semi-final.
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2023”, 18/02/2023 Aichi Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima Vs Takeshi Masada
3. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs X
4. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs KANON
Sasaki has gone missing because Naruki Doi won the DDT Universal Title from Yuki Ueno instead of him. KANON stepped forward as the first challenger expecting his leader to be the new champion. He committed to challenge Doi anyway because he now thinks winning the title from him will cheer Sasaki up and bring him out of hiding.
Kotaro Suzuki, Kip Sabian, Penelope Ford and Shinya Ishida will all be on the show.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU ~FIRE!~”, 13/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE 241 Fans
1. Keigo Nakamura Comeback Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura when Endo submitted Nakamura with the Modified Yurikamome (10:57).
2. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (5:22).
3. Shunma Katsumata Pheromones One Day Experience Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Shunma “Chunma” Katsumata defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Yuya Koroku when Katsumata pinned Hirata after the Assisted Bubba Bomb from Iino (7:58).
4. Special Single Match: Kotaro Suzuki defeated Soma Takao with the Endless Waltz (8:51).
5. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated MAO & Toi Kojima when Kojima pinned MAO with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (8:48).
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Abe submitted Masada with the Manjigatame (9:31).
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (10:01).
8. DDT Universal Title – Survival 3 Way Match: Naruki Doi defeated Yuki Ueno (c) and Daisuke Sasaki (20:59).
8a. Yuki Ueno eliminated Daisuke Sasaki with a Sasaki Hurricanrana Return (17:49).
8b. Naruki Doi eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Muscular Bomb (20:59). *Yuki Ueno fails in V3. Naruki Doi becomes the 9th DDT Universal Champion!
A bomb of muscular proportions was dropped on DDT after Naruki Doi became the new DDT Universal Champion! The result of today’s main event completely changes the blueprint Yuki Ueno had planned for the rest of the Spring. He had a schedule that would take him all the way to America with the belt but that’s been ripped to shreds by Doi. Daisuke Sasaki was the first elimination in the Survival 3 Way Match. He gave Ueno the Hurricanrana but Ueno maneuvered himself into rolling over on top of Sasaki to pin him out of nowhere. Ueno then tried to land the WR on Doi but it was blocked and Doi instead pinned Ueno with the Muscular Bomb for the title change. In just three months Doi has already won two of DDT’s championships. He called Ueno a wrestler who symbolizes the present and future of DDT. Doi’s role is to interfere with it. Now he wants to be the one to defend the Universal Title in Hollywood this March! Hisaya Imabayashi is not so eager on the idea. He is hoping that Doi’s freelance status will allow him to bring the Universal Title to other promotions in Japan and raise the belt’s prestige. Doi accepted the proposal.
KANON then entered the ring and said he was waiting for Sasaki to win the title so he could challenge him for a shot. Doi ruined those plans too but KANON is demanding a title match anyway. Doi Vs KANON with the belt on the line will happen in Nagoya on 18th February. Backstage after the show Sasaki approached KANON and told him he will be disappearing for a while because today’s result has left him in despair. Sasaki also said he is leaving DAMNATION T.A to KANON while he is gone. KANON could not tell if this was just Sasaki’s usual behaviour whenever he loses. He is now determined to win the Universal Title from Doi so Sasaki can find his smile again. Meanwhile Ueno said he has no regrets over what led to this result happening. He had wanted to wrestle both Doi and Sasaki at the same time and got it. He does not know if Samuray Del Sol still wants to wrestle him when he appears in DDT this March because Ueno is no longer the Universal Champion. However Ueno is keeping his chin up and promises to carry DDT on his back in 2023.
Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino left their marks on each other with another big Chop-off during their tag match. Yuki Ishida also showed some progress by pulling off some power moves on the much bigger Yukio Naya. Hino cut him down to size though and used a Hanging Dragon Sleeper called the King Kong Sleeper to win by submission. Hino was happy with how fun the match was and told Higuchi they have a lot more prelim matches with each other before the KO-D Openweight Title bout on 29th January.
The debut of Bonno Dai Shacho met some resistance but can be qualified as a success. Birthday boy Sanshiro Takagi had to deal with Takeshi Masada again but this time the rookie had Chris Brookes backing him up. Fuminori Abe was the difference maker and got Masada to submit to the Manjigatame. After the match Takagi told Abe it is up to them to change the wrestling world which is why they are throwing out a challenge to the entire Japanese wrestling scene! Bonno Dai Shacho will break down the barriers by hosting a No Fee Rumble match on 29th January. They want teams from the indies, local federations, amateur groups and even college clubs to come forward and face their challenge. It will cost participants nothing to enter but they also will not be paid anything if they lose. Anyone is welcome except for actual fighters because Abe fears those will be too strong. Further details on how to apply will be announced soon.
MAO learned first hand just how dangerous of a team Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi are. The two of them immediately gave MAO the Cactus Flower at the start of their match and Toi Kojima (in new gear) had to break the pinfall. Kojima came to MAO’s rescue again by stopping a second attempt of the Cactus Flower. MAO got a little bit of revenge by using the Miracle Ecstasy on Oishi for a nearfall. Oishi got the last laugh by catching MAO in the Jikiden Tornado Clutch for the win. Asahi asked MAO after the match if this brought back any memories for him? Backstage MAO said Oishi on his own is not difficult to deal with but Oishi & Asahi together is a much stronger enemy. The Asahi of today is also not the Asahi he remembers fighting years ago. MAO wants Shunma Katsumata to break Oishi’s nose tomorrow.
You can’t beat the original. Soma Takao had wanted to beat Kotaro Suzuki with the Endless Waltz but the opposite happened instead. Suzuki countered the move with his own, cradling Takao over and over until he got the three count. He had fun wrestling Takao despite the match being short and explained he gave permission let Takao use the move all those years ago (which is why it is called the Official Endless Waltz when Takao uses it). He’ll be glad to wrestle Takao again someday but not anytime soon. Suzuki will be busy showing Pheromones just how sexy he is! Takao finds himself in limbo with DDT at the moment but today he decided his next goal is to beat Suzuki and also team up with him.
Today was when Katsumata had to spend all of 24 hours experiencing life as a member of Pheromones. The unit nicknamed him “Chunma” like Yuki Iino always does and introduced him as Tokyo Sexy Land’s newest attraction. He spent the match acting like a dog and being treated as one. Following the rules, Katsumata was obedient the entire time and joined in on the usual Pheromones spots. He even scored the pin on Kazuki Hirata thanks to an assisted Bubba Bomb from Iino. After the match Danshoku Dieno told Katsumata he fits in pretty well so would he be interested in officially joining Pheromones? Suddenly Toi Kojima got into the ring and tried to convince Katsumata not to by doing the NeppoWER pose. When Katsumata started to snap out of his current state, Dieno ordered him to ignore Kojima and perform a ritual of licking Iino’s backside to be accepted into Pheromones. Katsumata instead Super Kicked both Iino and Dieno to show he returned back to normal. He also Super Kicked Akito because it was Akito’s fault he got into this mess in the first place. Katsumata said it wasn’t bad being a member of Pheromones for a day but he’s just not meant to be with them. They will go their seperate ways but maybe one day “Chunma” will mingle with them again. Dieno then reminded him that the stipulation is still active for the rest of the day so he has to be “Chunma” for the meet and greet after the show.
Maybe KANON has what it takes to be in control of DAMNATION T.A while Sasaki gone missing. MJ Paul likes teaming with him and the two of them beat Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi pretty handily.
Keigo Nakamura is back in the ring after being absent for a long time due to injury. The date of today’s match means a lot to him too because 13th January last year was when he had surgery for a torn ACL. He started off the match with Yusuke Okada but got to spend time in the ring with Tetsuya Endo and Jun Akiyama as well. Naturally he took the fall by submitting to Endo’s Yurikamome hold. Endo congratulated Keigo “Darkness” Nakamura on his return and joked about how the “Darkness” version of him sank into the Hokkaido sea. Akiyama encouraged him to get fired up for the D GENERATIONS CUP so he can reach the same level of his competition. Backstage HARASHIMA said he worked with Nakamura during the recovery phase to help him prepare for his return today. Hideki Okatani reminded Nakamura that while he is happy to see him come back, they are now going to be opposition in the D GENERATIONS CUP.
There were contract signings for two championships matches at the start of the show. The DDT Extreme Title match on 21st January needed a stipulation. The champion Akiyama suggested PWF Rules but Honda complained the result would be so obvious it will kill the entire wrestling business. He instead suggested a Monoboke Death Match. Every time Akiyama kicks out of a pin or escapes a submission hold he gets to tell a joke. If he can make Akiyama laugh three times then Honda wins the match! On the other side, Akiyama will have to pin or submit Honda three times to be declared the winner. Akiyama accepted the rule once he figured out he can just beat the hell out of Honda a bunch to win.
The KO-D Tag Team Titles match also had its contract signed by all participants. Asahi said this will be his third chance to win the belt. He does not often get that many opportunities to fight for another company’s championship. Oishi said a high percentage of ShunMao is made up of Oishi DNA. The belts they hold should belong to him. MAO said he knows a lot about Asahi from the times The Moonlight Express fought him as well as by watching his DVD collection of Men’s Club matches. Katsumata joked that ever since he was a trainee people have said he looks like Asahi so the title match will prove who the real Shiori Asahi is! He also wants to see the glitzy Oishi from his old days.
After the contract signing ended, Katsumata stuck around for one more announcement. “DRAMATIC DREAM ONITA” is going ahea in Tsurumi on 19th March! The show will have an explosion death match with both HARASHIMA and Kazuki Hirata confirmed to take part. Katsumata promised he is going to blow up Hirata. Pheromones then came out and captured Katsumata so he could be turned into “Chunma” for later in the show.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU ~FIRE!~”, 13/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Keigo Nakamura Comeback Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura
2. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi
3. Shunma Katsumata Pheromones One Day Experience Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Single Match: Kotaro Suzuki Vs Soma Takao
5. MAO & Toi Kojima Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
8. DDT Universal Title – Survival 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki
The three wrestlers taking part in the DDT Universal Title match all met for a press conference held yesterday. Naruki Doi said he is ready to continue his fight with Daisuke Sasaki after the two went to a 30 minute draw over a week ago. He expects to settle his score with Sasaki first, then beat Yuki Ueno to win the title. Sasaki (who was drinking) said the match does not need Ueno and he accused him of devaluing the Universal Title after Ueno lost to Kazusada Higuchi at “NEVER MIND 2022”. Sasaki thinks it is now up to him and Doi to make the belt be worth more than the KO-D Openweight Title. Ueno calmly ignored Sasaki’s insults and spoke about his upcoming plans with the title. After he defends it tomorrow, he will put the belt on the line against Samuray Del Sol on 21st March and then he will bring it with him to America. It is his dream to defend the Universal Title in the USA so everything from here on out will be a journey towards that destination.
Before tomorrow’s show begins there will be a contract signing for both the DDT Extreme Title Match for 21st January and the KO-D Tag Team Titles Match for 29th January.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 15/01/2023 Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs Wakana Uehara
2. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Hyper Misao Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2B: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
The Max Heart Tournament begins and I have to rewrite the tournament layout because 121000000 Vs Free WiFi is put down as part of the 2nd Round even though it will be both team’s first match.
Wakana Uehara gets her wish and will face Shoko Nakajima. The way it plays out in her head is it will be a high flying battle in the skies. It’s probably not going to turn out that way.
BASARA “BASARA 208 ~HATAAGE ANNIVERSARY~”, 21/01/2023 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Yasu Urano
The last few months of 2022 saw a bit of a career revival for Yasu Urano thanks to successes in both BASARA and JUST TAP OUT. It’s up to Isami Kodaka to make sure the freelancer does not spoil BASARA’s 7th anniversary by defending the Union MAX Title against him.
Fuminori Abe will have his first match in BASARA since going freelance on this show.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 21/01/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Yuki Ueno, Toi Kojima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
3. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match I: Yusuke Okada Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
5. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Antonio Honda
Higuchi and Yuji Hino return to the venue where their 30 minute draw took place. The 6-Man Tag here will be their last meeting before the KO-D Title bout on the 29th.
If Shinichiro Kawamatsu wrestles in a suit does that mean he wears one in the sauna too? That is my first thought after finding out he will team with The 37KAMIINA.
GANBARE☆PRO “TRANSPORTER 2023”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari (2) Vs Kentaro Hachisu (2)
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Yuki Kanzaki (0) Vs Munetatsu Nakamura (0)
3. Yuna Manase Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Ken Ohka & Thanomsak Toba
What a start to the year Mizuki Watase and Tyson Maeguchi had. The two had a great match for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title and now they are teaming up together for a clash against Ken Ohka & Thanomsak Toba.
Yuna Manase versus Yoshiko Hasegawa is a first time singles match between the two.
Over in the Young Ganbare Cup either Yumehito Imanari or Kentaro Hachisu can get one win closer to winning the tournament outright if one can beat the other. Meanwhile when Yuki Kanzaki and Munetatsu Nakamura face each other one of them can get their first win in Ganbare☆Pro.
GANBARE☆PRO “SHUICHIRO KATSUMURA PRODUCE”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. 3-Man Grappling Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Munetatsu Nakamura, HARUKAZE & X
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura, Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi Vs HARASHIMA, Mizuki Watase & Keisuke Ishii
Shuichiro Katsumura is keeping himself busy for his show during the tripleshot. Not only is he doing the main event but he is running the gauntlet by taking part in three grappling rules bouts with no striking allowed. Each bout will have a five minute time limit and victory can be achieved by submission or referee stoppage. If a bout goes to a time limit draw then whoever made the least rope breaks will win. If both wrestlers have the same amount then it will remain a tie.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari (2) Vs Yuki Kanzaki (0)
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Kentaro Hachisu (2) Vs Munetatsu Nakamura (0)
3. Oji Specialty GanPro Style Survival 8-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota, Shinichiro Tominaga & Hartley Jackson
One of the other shows for the tripleshot brings back the Ganpro Survival Tag Match.
If nobody in the Young Ganbare Cup has won all three of their matches then the wrestlers who finish in the top two will face off in a final match to determine the tournament champion.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023 IN OSAKA”, 05/02/2023 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Ilusion
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima Vs Yuki Ishida
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
Ueno and Yukio Naya face each other for the first time since the D-Ou Grand Prix final.
Naruki Doi will be on the show.
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2023”, 18/02/2023 Aichi Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima Vs Takeshi Masada
3. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs X
4. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X
Kotaro Suzuki and Shinya Ishida will both be on the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
The Wasteland War Party are confirmed to be part of the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~”, 07/01/2023 Kobe Art Center
1. Nao Kakuta Vs HIMAWARI
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Yuka Sakazaki & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
6. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler, Heidi Howitzer & Trish Adora
Some injury news heading into the weekend shows. Miyu Yamashita was diagnosed with a mild concussion coming out of the Ittenyon main event. She was meant to wrestle in London for EVE tomorrow but that trip is now cancelled for safety concerns. EVE will announce their decision on her next appearance as soon as possible. It sounds like she is at least going to remain the EVE Champion for now.
Haruna Neko has a shoulder injury and will be out of action until 19th January.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Wakana Uehara will not have her next wrestling match until after 15th January. However she in the process of adjusting her schedule to become a regular on Tokyo Joshi Pro shows from that point onwards.
DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT EXPLOSION!”, 07/01/2023 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
1. Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Saori Anou & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi
4. Chain Death Match: Chris Brookes Vs Demonio Uno
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
6. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. “Current Blast” Trademark Rights & Position Battle ~ Legend Resurrected! New Year Aerial Time Bomb & Current Blast Bat Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Soma Takao
Here I was thinking the biggest corporate story in wrestling this week would be either DDT taking the trademark for exploding death matches from Atsushi Onita or Toi Kojima unseating Sanshiro Takagi as the president of CyberFight. It all sounds so quiet and peaceful compared to what’s happening in WWE the last 24 hours.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~OKAYAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 08/01/2023 Okayama Convention Center
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs HIMAWARI
2. Mizuki Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Hyper Misao Vs Trish Adora
4. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Maki Itoh & Mahiro Kiryu
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Arisu Endo Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
7. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino Vs Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Kamifuku
The Wasteland War Party are now the team to beat in TJPW. Yuka Sakazaki & Arisu Endo have the unenviable task of being the first opponents for the new Princess Tag Team Champions. Other teams like Kyoraku Kyomei, Free WiFi, Daisy Monkey and Yuki Aino/Raku have warm up matches to take them through the weekend.
Hyper Misao is celebrating her “23rd” birthday by having a match against Trish Adora.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU ~FIRE!~”, 13/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Keigo Nakamura Comeback Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura
2. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi
3. MAO & Toi Kojima Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
4. Shunma Katsumata Pheromones One Day Experience Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
7. Special Single Match: Kotaro Suzuki Vs Soma Takao
8. DDT Universal Title – Survival 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki
A time limit draw has resulted in Naruki Doi and Daisuke Sasaki both getting a DDT Universal Title match against Yuki Ueno. The three of them agreed to do a Survival 3 Way Match, meaning it is elimination rules. Everyone in the match is convinced they can beat the other two in under 60 minutes.
We’re getting a preview for Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino with their buddies Yuki Ishida and Yukio Naya coming along for the ride.
A decade ago Sanshiro Takagi teamed with Munenori Sawa as Hentai Dai Shacho. Now he is forming a new team with Sawa’s protege Fuminori Abe called Bonno Dai Shacho. It’s another path Takagi is taking in 2023 to bring himself back to his peak pro wrestling form.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SENDAI”, 14/01/2023 Sendai City Miyagino Ward Bunka Center
1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Yusuke Okada & Keigo Nakamura
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
3. Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Challenge Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku
5. Sendai Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani
6. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuji Hino & Akito
Being back in the main event must feel like a breath of fresh air for Akito after the last few months he’s had.
The upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles match is getting a warm up too with Shunma Katsumata and Makoto Oishi facing off in a singles match.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuji Hino
In some ways ShunMao both look up to Oishi & Shiori Asahi. In other ways they just see them as a grandpa tag team. The two wrestlers from Ω are looking to win the KO-D Tag Titles on the same show where Hino wins the KO-D Openweight Title from Higuchi.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
Will Mizuki win the Princess Of Princess Title during the year of the rabbit? The main event of TJPW’s biggest show ever will be The Magical Sugar Rabbits against each other for the first time since November 2020.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X
When Konosuke Takeshita returns to DDT in March it will be for a first time singles match he’s always wanted. He will fight his own boss Sanshiro Takagi!
Samuray Del Sol will be on the show. The luchador formerly known as Kalisto in WWE does not have a match booked yet but showed interest in fighting Yuki Ueno for the Universal Title.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 