BASARA “BASARA 223 ~KOO~”, 27/06/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – A Block Final: Daiki Shimomura Vs SAGAT
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – B Block Final: Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Roundabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Shiori Asahi Vs Banana Senga Vs Gouma Ryu
4. Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Yasu Urano Vs FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Lil’ Kraken
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Final: X Vs X
The current Union MAX Champion is now out of the running as the Chouten ~Itadaki~ reaches its final rounds. The final will feature one previous winner because Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu is one of the semi-finals. On the other end SAGAT has reached the final once before back in 2021 while this is the furthest Daiki Shimomura has ever reached.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. Vert Vixen Vs Hikari Noa
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Aja Kong & Raku Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Nyla Rose Vs Miu Watanabe
7. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
The full card for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23” was released over the weekend. Among the additions are a 3 Way Tag reuniting Kyoraku Kyomei, Aja Kong, Raku, Max The Impaler and Pom Harajuku all in one ring. Vert Vixen, Ryo Mizunami and Asuka are also all coming back in Tokyo Joshi Pro for the big event.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Riara Vs Sayaka Unagi
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
3. YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono
4. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Masahiro Takanashi
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Survival 4 Way Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki
7. Special Single Match: Yumehito Imanari Vs El Lindaman
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada
9. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
Ganbare☆Pro are looking to make “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” a breakout event that displays the determination of their roster. The final match added to the card is proof of that. Yumehito Imanari is going to face El Lindaman from GLEAT!
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIGHTING SPIRITS ’23”, 16/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Banny Oikawa Comeback Match: Banny Oikawa Vs X
2. Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Misa Kagura
A singles match three years in the making. Both YuuRI and Misa Kagura had their debut wrestling match in JTO on 11th November, 2020. Less than a year later YuuRI jumped over to GanPro without ever getting to have a singles match against her classmate. This past weekend the tag match they had in Ganbare☆Joshi brought their feelings for each other bubbling to the surface. It pushed YuuRI to finally challenge Kagura one on one. Kagura accepted so she can beat GanPro’s YuuRI while representing the company she stayed loyal to.
Also happening over the weekend was Banny Oikawa’s return to the wrestling scene. The former Ice Ribbon wrestler took a hiatus after leaving the promotion last summer. Her return brought her to GanJo thanks to some advice from Miyako Matsumoto. Oikawa has seen the GanJo wrestlers take part in intergender matches on GanPro shows and that is a big reason why she wants to wrestle again. However GanJo no longer does mixed tag matches on their own shows. An offer was made by Michiyoshi Mishima to have Oikawa’s return match take place in GanJo first while he tries convincing Ken Ohka to start booking her for GanPro afterwards.
BASARA “BASARA 222 ~OENSOGURA~”, 17/06/2023 Miyagi-no Cultural Center ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Yasu Urano defeated Lil’ Kraken with a Rear Naked Choke (10:41).
2. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT defeated FUMA & Daichi Kazato when SAGAT submitted Kazato with the Argentine Backbreaker (10:46).
3. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga defeated Daiki Shimomura & Takato Nakano when Oosugi pinned Nakano with the Tsuki no Ishi (10:46).
4. Isami Kodaka Vs MUSASHI ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Ryota Nakatsu defeated Minoru Fujita with a Back Roll Clutch Hold (12:30).
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Fuminori Abe defeated Takumi Tsukamoto with a Backslide Pin (13:36).
The Semi Finals of Chouten ~Itadaki~ on 27th June will be Daiki Shimomura Vs SAGAT and Ryota Nakatsu Vs Fuminori Abe. The final will be on the same day.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP GIRLS (PRO WRESTLING) 2ND SHOW GRAB IT! THE HIGHEST STAGE!”, 10/06/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Moka Miyamoto & Toga Vs Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Wakana Uehara & Haru Kazashiro
3. Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Raku & HIMAWARI
For the first time in four and a half years The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) are holding their own show featuring music performances as well as wrestling matches. The first show was a milestone for the unit because it was where each member revealed their pro wrestling names as well debuting their song “Upper Chop!” Shino Suzuki already has her ring name. Unless at the show she decides to change it to Susususu Suzuki?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STICK OUT ’23”, 11/06/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Toga & Runa Okubo
3. Shoko Nakajima & Moka Miyamoto Vs Suzume & Haru Kazashiro
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Kaya Toribami & Wakane Uehara Vs Yuki Arai, Raku & Shino Suzuki
5. Hyper Misao Vs Mahiro Kiryu
6. International Princess Title Next Challenger Match: Yuki Aino Vs Arisu Endo
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
Two wrestlers have stepped forward asking for a shot at the International Princess Title for different reasons. Yuki Aino wants to win the championship after seeing there are women all over the world coming to Tokyo Joshi Pro to fight for it. Arisu Endo was inspired to ask for a shot after standing in her friend Suzume’s corner during last month’s title match. The two will face off in a singles match with the winner getting to challenge Rika Tatsumi somewhere down the road.
A few weeks ago Hyper Misao made Mahiro Kiryu the hero of her own story at the “HYPE!” event. Now they have to be opponents. Misao didn’t see this match coming but understands she will have to beat her friend, even if it ends Kiryu’s momentum coming out of “HYPE!”
Yuki Arai is cleared to return to wrestling on this show. Her return match is also the first time she will be teaming with Raku & Shino Suzuki. That fact is making her look forward to returning even more.
English commentary for the show will be provided by Chris Brookes, Drew Parker and Baliyan Akki.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HAKODATE”, 16/06/2023 Hakodate City General Wholesale Center Distribution Hall
1. SILVER QUEEN Infomercial Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
DDT is bringing back the Infomercial Match. It is a wrestling match purposefully put together to promote a local sponsor. For example the sponsor for this show is SILVER QUEEN, a restaurant marketed towards fans of the singer Eikichi Yazawa (the inspiration for Antonio Honda’s alter ego A.YAZAWA).
BASARA “BASARA 222 ~OENSOGURA~”, 17/06/2023 Miyagi-no Cultural Center
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano
2. FUMA & Daichi Kazato Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT
3. Daiki Shimomura & Takato Nakano Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Isami Kodaka Vs MUSASHI
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Minoru Fujita
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe
Three of the four remaining wrestlers in the B Block are former Chouten ~Itadaki~ winners. Takumi Tsukamoto has never won the tournament but he is the current Union MAX Champion. Meanwhile Ryota Nakatsu is a two time winner while Minoru Fujita and Fuminori Abe are the two most recent tournament champions.
Isami Kodaka being knocked out of the tournament early frees him up for a first time singles match against MUSASHI from Michinoku Pro.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
3. DDT Extreme Title: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
This past weekend saw Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul attack Toy Kojima with chairs before throwing their names in for the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles match. DAMNATION T.A are entering the match thinking the championship is as good as theirs. Kojima has Yuki Ueno backing him up and will be fighting to bring the belts back to The 37KAMIINA on Shunma Katsumata’s behalf.
MAO has threatened to kick Kazuki Hirata to death in order to win the vacant DDT Extreme Title. However Hirata is always ready and expecting to be kicked to death in his matches so MAO will have to think about doing something else!
BASARA “BASARA 223 ~KOO~”, 27/06/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – A Block Final: Daiki Shimomura Vs SAGAT
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – B Block Final: X Vs X
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Final: X Vs X
Daiki Shimomura joins SAGAT in the semi-finals. Shimomura had to beat Kodaka to get hear while SAGAT had a much more peaceful route thanks to a bye sending him past the previous round without him having to wrestle.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Riara Vs Sayaka Unagi
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
3. YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono
4. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
Friends, training partners, wrestling rivals and now a tag team. That describes the relationship between Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada. They’ve never been able to fight each other in MMA due to being in different weight classes and also different companies. But they are joining forces believing they are the only two fighters who can defeat Hentai Punch Drunkers for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles. Their challenge was accepted by Tyson Maeguchi before Hikaru Sato could give his thoughts on the matter.
It will soon be time for Riara to get assessed by Sayaka Unagi. Apparently that’s a thing a lot of joshi has to go through these days. Unagi offered to wrestle on Ganbare☆Pro’s biggest show of the year again as a favour to her friend Yuna Manase. Since Manase is currently injured, Riara was chosen to be Unagi’s opponent. The two already knew each other while Riara was training to be a pro wrestler. Unagi’s lesson for her is it takes more than just having the “ganbare” spirit to succeed in wrestling.
The 6-Man Tag Match is a reunion on both sides. Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga represent the Young Communication Generation while Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao are back together as Team Drift.
BASARA “BASARA 220 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 25~”, 03/06/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura defeated Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken when Shimomura pinned Kazato with a School Boy (7:02).
2. 3 Way Match: Ryuichi Sekine (Ishiguro) defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi and SAGAT when Sekine ascended (7:16)?
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 B Block: Minoru Fujita defeated Takato Nakano with the Modified Samson Clutch (11:30).
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 B Block: Ryota Nakatsu defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino with the Crescent Moon (9:53).
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 B Block: Fuminori Abe defeated FUMA with a Crushed Cross Armbreaker (11:26).
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 1 B Block: Takumi Tsukamoto defeated Yasu Urano with a Crooked Headscissors (14:32).
Round 1 of the Chouten ~Itadaki~ is now finished. The Round 2 matches will be Isami Kodaka Vs Daiki Shimomura (happening on the evening show later tonight), Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe and Ryota Nakatsu Vs Minoru Fujita. The latter two matches will take place on 17th June. SAGAT has already advanced to the semi-finals on a bye.
Bad weather delayed Ryuichi Sekine from reaching the venue in time for the show. The 3 Way Match went on without him. They covered for Sekine’s absence by having his spirit possess the body of the referee Ishiguro. The end result was Ishiguro winning the match on Sekine’s behalf.
The 8th annual Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament is going to be the main focus for BASARA during the summer. This year uses the familiar format of a 16-man single eliminaion bracket. Every match will have a 30 minute time limit except for the final, which has no time limit. A draw of any kind will eliminate both wrestlers from the tournament. An odd bit of scheduling this year is half of the 2nd Round will take place on the same day the 2nd Half of Round 1 is completed. The complete 2nd Round schedule has not been finalized yet for this reason. It will have to be sorted out depending on which wrestlers are available to wrestle on 3rd June and which are available for 17th June. This year’s contestants are:
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “CLIMB OVER ’23”, 22/04/2023 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. Shoko Nakajima, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara & Toga
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs HIMAWARI
3. Vert Vixen Vs Moka Miyamoto
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Yuki Aino & Yuki Arai Vs Maki Itoh, Hikari Noa & Shino Suzuki
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
A contract signing was held for the Princess Tag Team Titles a few days ago. The Magical Sugar Rabbits and Pom Harajuku arrived to the building on time but Max The Impaler was nowhere to be seen. The three of them signed the contract anyway and gave comments about the upcoming match. Yuka Sakazaki said if Max does not show up for the title match then Harajuku will be too weak to wrestle by herself. Mizuki thinks the match will have to go ahead as a 2-On-1 Handicap match, which she thinks is convenient for her & Sakazaki. Harajuku was certain that Max would eventually show up and she was proven right. Max burst into the room, took a bite out of the contract, threw the remains at MagiRabi and then grabbed Harajuku and carried her out of the room. Sayuri Namba picked up the remains of the contract and declared it to be an official signature from Max so the title match will go ahead.
The potential next challengers could be coming out of the Daydream Vs Daisy Monkey match.
The trio known as Yuki Yuki Yuki are back teaming together to wrestle in front of a crowd for the first time. I don’t think they figured out who the team captain is yet.
Nao Kakuta is not on the show due to a schedule conflict. Also the teenagers Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo were not booked in order to avoid the burden of having to wrestle in Osaka and Tokyo on back to back days.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE UNIVERSE MEMBERS ONLY SHOW – PURE TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 8”, 23/04/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Maki Itoh & Toga Vs Vert Vixen & Hikari Noa
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Max The Impaler
3. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro Vs Raku, Shino Suzuki & Runa Okubo
4. Special Rules 5 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Miu Watanabe Vs Hyper Misao Vs Arisu Endo Vs HIMAWARI
5. Special Rules Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Costume Change Match: Mizuki, Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku Vs Suzume, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
Everybody in the main event will be wrestling in somebody else’s costume.
Max The Impaler and Vert Vixen get to be the first foreign wrestlers to participate in Tokyo Joshi Pro’s fan club shows. Unless you count all of those last minute replacement gimmicks that always show up when somebody else gets unusually sick…
BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~”, 30/04/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. KUBITO Vs Masahiro Takanashi
3. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
4. FUMA Vs X
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa
Banana Senga’s schedule is preventing him from appearing in BASARA again until May so Takumi Tsukamoto has to keep himself busy until then. Tsukamoto leads Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe to take on Sparky in an Elimination Tag Match.
A mystery opponent awaits for FUMA.
Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka are still teaming together like they promised after they failed to win the IRON FIST Tag Titles.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
0. 5 Minute Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Chie Koishikawa Vs Tokiko Kirihara
2. Special Single Match: Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi
3. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Tomoka Inaba & HisokA
4. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Tae Honma
The next Ganbare☆Joshi show sees the return of Ami Manase and Marika Kobashi for a match between the two. Ami’s sister and the GanJo GM Yuna Manase will be in attendance.
Riara is taking part in another Exhibition match against Moeka Haruhi three days before her pro debut.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
2. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck
Suzume thought it was impossible she would ever be a pro wrestler but Rika Tatsumi inspired her to do it. Now Suzume thinks it is impossible to beat Tatsumi and become the International Princess Champion. She’s done the impossible with the former so maybe she can do it again with the latter!
Yuki Arai fought against and lost to Maki Itoh in her debut match two years ago. They will now be tag partners for Arai’s 2nd Anniversary match. Their opponents are Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima doing a Miraclians reunion.
GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
3. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
4. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
5. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii
Nao Kakuta has been announced as Yoshiko Hasegawa’s opponent!
GANBARE☆PRO “INHERENT VICE 2023”, 06/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. GanJo Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
2. Hong Kong International Policeman Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Takuya Wada
Former Shooto and Pancrase champions are facing against each other in Ganbare☆Pro! For years now Shuichiro Katsumura has been wrestling under the GanPro banner but Takuya Wada has been a recent addition to the roster.
BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto
When Senga is ready to return to BASARA he will put the Union MAX Title on the line against Tsukamoto. Senga found out he gets paid more money as a champion so he wants to earn enough money to get a hair transplant in Turkey (because it’s cheaper there than in Japan). Tsukamoto wants to be the MAX Champion again so he can try to break his tied record for the most title defences.
“LEC PRESENTS JUNIOR DREAM FESTIVAL ~ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023~”, 01/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,381 Fans – Super No Vacancy
0. Special Gift Match: YOH, Soma Watanabe & Kazuma Sumi defeated Fuminori Abe, Akira Jumonji & Ryo Hoshino when YOH pinned Jumonji with the DIRECT DRIVE (10:35).
1. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato, AMAKUSA & Hiromu Takahashi defeated YAMATO, HAYATA & Kazuki Hashimoto when Hayato submitted Hashimoto with the K.I.D (8:52).
2. Isami Kodaka & MAO defeated Onryo & SHO when SHO was Disqualified for assaulting the referee (9:43).
3. Ganbare! Shinjiro Otani 10-Man Tag Match: Tatsuhito Takaiwa, TAKA Michinoku, Minoru Tanaka, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Jun Kasai defeated MUSASHI, LEONA, Kota Sekifuda, Shoki Kitamura & Chicharito Shoki when Takaiwa pinned Shoki with the Death Valley Bomb (10:28).
4. Hikaru Sato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yumehito Imanari defeated The Great Sasuke, Tigers Mask & Batten×Blabla when Sato submitted Blabla with a Cross Armbreaker (7:29).
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Volador Jr. & El Desperado defeated Yuki Ueno & El Lindaman and HANAOKA & DOUKI when Desperado pinned HANAOKA with the Pinche Loco (10:34).
6. Mistico, Gurukun Mask, Billy Ken Kid & Alejandro defeated Dragon Kid, BUSHI, Black Menso~re & Atlantis Jr. when Mistico submitted Menso~re with La Mistica (11:29).
7. Surprise Match: CIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Meteor (7:16).
8. 5 Way Match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Shun Skywalker, Ninja Mack, YO-HEY and Soberano Jr. when Ishimori pinned YO-HEY with the Bloody Cross (9:38).
9. Master Wato defeated Atsuki Aoyagi with the Recientemente II (14:24).
I’m only covering the matches relating to DDT, BASARA and Ganbare☆Pro but the entire event is worth watching. One of the highlights was the unexpected appearance of Kazuki Hirata for a surprise match with CIMA! Given CIMA’s history with people previously associated with the “Tokyo GO!” song, he was in no mood to dance along with Hirata. CIMA grabbed the Hirata GO! glasses to prevent the song from coming back and got boos from the crowd, causing him to sulk. Later in the match Hirata got his glasses back and convinced CIMA to put on his own pair so the two could finally dance together. They shook hands afterwards and CIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato. Backstage CIMA praised the show for bringing the entire Junior Heavyweight wrestling scene together. If there are still barriers keeping these companies apart, he thinks we should get rid of them. Hirata asked if he is invited for this kind of show again then please do not put him in the unadvertised surprise spot.
Yuki Ueno was thrown into a lucha flavored 3 Way Tag Match teaming with El Lindaman. He was in the ring from the start squaring off against both Volador Jr. and DOUKI. But as the match went on Ueno & Lindaman started bickering a little bit while trying to fight off both DOUKI & HANAOKA. Then El Desperado got a few of his opponents out of the ring for Volador to dive onto all of them. HANAOKA stopped Desperado from doing his own dive but ended up taking the Pinche Loco from him instead for the finish. Backstage Lindaman said he does not hate DDT or Ueno, he just got worked up because he wants to beat everybody. Ueno said he had fun both wrestling in this match and from watching all of the others. He believes the strongest pro wrestlers are those who enjoy wrestling and he hopes there will be a second “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL” in the future.
Yumehito Imanari showed off his more pervy side by wearing a “Virgin Killer” sweater along with Hikaru Sato & Ryusuke Taguchi in their match. Because their costumes were at risk of becoming too revealing, their opponents were careful with how they fought to avoid shocking the audience. Batten×Blabla convinced Imanari to continue the match without the costume while Taguchi and Tigers Mask did some actual wrestling in between. Sato went on to tap out Blabla with a Cross Armbreaker. Afterwards Sato called his team the pinnacle of Japan’s Jr. division! If there are three wrestlers better than Sato, Taguchi & Imanari then send them their way. Sato has had enough of every pro wrestler trying to look cool. They should instead bare it all for the fans!
MAO wants fucked up pro wrestling for a fucked up world. Isami Kodaka wishes “Peace & Fuck” on the world. But the two of them combined still wasn’t as unusual as the combination of SHO & Onryo. SHO ended up using Onryo as a weapon by slamming him on top of MAO. Onryo got his own back by throwing his ectoplasm powder in SHO’s face. Then in an even weirder turn of events, Ram Kaichow got on the top turnbuckle and hit a Diving Cross Body on SHO. The match lost control when SHO got out of the ring, pulled the referee out with him and then started attacking him for the DQ. Kodaka got on the microphone and told SHO if he wants to use weapons so bad they should do a death match against each other! SHO refused and left ringside in a huff. Backstage Kaichow complained about the show only inviting male wrestlers. If another “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL” happens she wants to wrestle on it!
A bonus pre-show match gave Kazuma Sumi a spot on the card and a chance to share the ring with YOH & Soma Watanabe. Sumi’s main confrontation was with Akira Jumonji but he had interactions with Fuminori Abe & Ryo Hoshino too. He ended up on the winning side thanks to YOH pinned Jumonji with the DIRECT DRIVE. Sumi thanked the organisers for inviting him and said Jr. Heavyweight wrestling is the best!
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 680 Fans – Super No Vacancy
0. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Just Cobra Twist (5:08).
0. 2 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Fuminori Abe, Toru Owashi, Gota Ihashi, Saki Akai & Kazuki Hirata ended in a No Contest (8:52).
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 6-Man Tag Match: Keigo Nakamura, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion when Nakamura pinned Ilusion with a Diving Headbutt (7:54).
2. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Shishamo Power defeated Jun Akiyama & Unagi Mask when Power pinned Mask with a Cradle Cutback (7:47).
3. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno defeated Yuji Hino, Naruki Doi & Makoto Oishi when Sabian pinned Oishi with the Deathly Hallows (10:13).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kip Sabian defeated Penelope Ford (c) with a School Boy (12:19 pm). *Kip Sabian becomes the 1,558th champion.
4. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Takeshi Masada defeated Yuya Koroku with the Samurai Driver ’01 (8:26).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) when Aoki pinned Okada with a High Angle Rotating Cradle (13:08). *BURNING fails in V2. Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine become the 50th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Kip Sabian (c) with a Sleeper Hold (13:03 pm). *Kip Sabian becomes the 1,559th champion.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida when MAO pinned Machida after the Oretachi no Mad Max (14:22). *V3 for ShunMao.
7. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA with the Back Drop (17:55).
The main event of DDT’s 26th Anniversary show is going to be two friends and tag team partners fighting each other for the company’s biggest prize. Today Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA in the main event to set up the biggest match of his career against Yuji Hino with the KO-D Openweight Title on the line. He survived HARASHIMA’s battleplan of targeting the legs by being too tough. Despite all of the attacks to Naya’s legs, he used them to block HARASHIMA’s Swan Dive Somato. HARASHIMA then tried to use a Cross Knee Lock, striking at the knee for extra damage but that did not work either. Naya got a nearfall with a Choke Slam then tried to hit the Back Drop. HARASHIMA blocked the move only for Naya to switch over to a German Suplex. Naya finally got the win by using the Back Drop with no chance of it being countered.
After the match Naya called HARASHIMA the ace of DDT and said to leave the 26th Anniversary main event to him. Yuji Hino entered the ring and Naya talked to him about how much his pro wrestling life changed since the two met each other. He asked Hino to accept his challenge so they can fight for the best of DDT! Hino accepted and said he enjoyed watching the main event because it made him feel like a fan. He cannot promise the match will be as great as a certain retirement that happened recently but he will do his best to have a match that will live on in everyone’s hearts. They shook hands and Naya told the fans they will see a heavyweight battle that no other company can match! Backstage Naya said there was no way he would lose to HARASHIMA with so many fans cheering for him. HARASHIMA admitted he could feel Naya’s strength and desire to win. He is disappointed to lose but will continue to train and push even harder for everyone who supports him.
Two well earned KO-D Tag Team Title defences in three days for ShunMao. After coming out of Burlesque Tokyo with the titles still around their waists, they faced a new and completely different challenge today. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida rushed in with submissions and strikes to break down the champions. MAO tried to fight back against Machida’s punches by using Palm Strikes. He struggled to match the kickboxer blow for blow, needing Shunma Katsumata to break the pin after MAO took the God’s Right Knee and Iai Punch. But MAO recovered and lured Machida into a Michinoku Driver. Katsumata took out Sakaguchi with a dive out of the ring and then ShunMao regrouped to pin Machida with the Oretachi no Mad Max.
The two teams praised each other after the match until ShunMao’s next opponents made themselves known. Both Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu from Harimao entered the ring to declare their challenge. MAO said he used to be afraid of Nakatsu back when they wrestled in DNA because his first singles loss was to him. Nakatsu pointed out at least he wasn’t as serious as Kota Umeda. MAO agreed. MAO is also afraid of turning down the challenge so he accepted it. ShunMao won’t be able to create a new pro wrestling landscape if they cannot get over their DNA past. MAO and Nakatsu shook hands and so did Katsumata and Higuchi. The match will take place on 21st March.
A big upset happened in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles when BURNING lost the titles! They were unexpectedly beaten by Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine thanks to some unusual tactics. Aoki took Yusuke Okada’s yellow entrance jacket and wore it in the ring to distract him. Okada got it back after he Dropkicked Aoki from behind. Kotaro Suzuki and Yuki Ueno fought to a stalemate with neither getting the upper hand. Tetsuya Endo did some Keiji Muto tribute moves on Sasadango but Sasadango then blocked the Burning Star Press with his knees. Sasadango then unmasked himself, placed the mask over Okada and hit him with a Lariat. Okada tried to scramble back but ended up being pinned by Aoki in the end for the title change.
Sasadango said the probabilities of his team winning today was at 0%. There was a reason why he put this plan together to win the KO-D 6-Man Titles from BURNING and now is the time to reveal it. He wants to face Jun Akiyama again! He called Akiyama down to the ring and said he just beat three of BURNING’s strongest wrestlers. On 16th April DDT will have a show in Sasadango’s hometown of Niigata. He wants to defend the 6-Man Titles against Akiyama on that show to make the event as important as possible. Akiyama agreed and later said his tag partners for the match will be Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku.
It took a long detour to get here but Takeshi Masada is finally bound for Hollywood! He defeated Yuya Koroku in the final of the D GENERATIONS CUP, countering Koroku’s arm submissions with High Kicks. A Triangle Kick got Masada a two count so he followed up with a Buzzsaw Kick and then the Samurai Driver ’01 to win. Not only is Masada now going to America for the DDT shows in Los Angeles, he got a bonus prize for winning the tournament. On 12th March Masada will go one on one against Akiyama! Masada celebrated by demanding a first class ticket for his flight to America. Backstage Masada said he was able to win the tournament because his feelings were just a little bit stronger than the rest of the field. He also wants to leave a lasting impression on Akiyama with their match. Meanwhile Koroku swore revenge on Masada, promising he will make him give up the next time he traps his arm in a submission!
The international trio won their second match in a row, continuing what’s been a dream tour for Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford. The match saw Ford interfere again, this time doing a Flying Hurricanrana to Naruki Doi. Later Chris Brookes took out Doi with a Cutter while Hagane Shinno knocked Yuji Hino out of the ring with a Swan Dive Missile Dropkick. Shinno then took out both Hino & Doi with a Moonsault out of the ring. That left Sabian in the ring to pin Makoto Oishi with the Deathly Hallows. Backstage Shinno called the trio the World Good Looking Guys.
That wasn’t the end of Sabian & Ford’s adventure though. Sabian surprised his wife after the match by pinning her with a School Boy to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! Backstage an upset Ford tried to get an explanation from Sabian then walked off in a huff. Sabian shrugged it off because he was happy being the champion. Then suddenly Yoshihiko burst out of a nearby locker and grabbed Sabian in a Sleeper Hold! Sabian had no choice but to tap out, losing the belt to Yoshihiko and getting left in the locker room all alone.
The masked seafood wrestlers Shishamo Power and Unagi Mask made their return to promote DDT’s sponsorship with the Yamada Suisan company. The match itself went by without incident with Shishamo pinning Unagi. But afterwards Higuchi suddenly turned on Shishamo and attacked both wrestlers with a Brain Claw Slam and a Stunner! Why did Higuchi do this? Because he is a meat eater! Shishamo was shocked. He couldn’t believe that Higuchi eats meat instead of fish. He demanded a match between meat eaters and fish eaters to take place on 23rd April.
The six wrestlers who couldn’t reach the D GENERATIONS CUP final were put into a 6-Man Tag Match. Keigo Nakamura had his hand raised in the end after he pinned Ilusion with a Diving Headbutt. Even though the tournament has ended today, Nakamura has unfinished business with a lot of people in his generation. For one, he wants a rematch with Toi Kojima. Then there is Kojima wanting to fight everyone who was in the A Block like Hideki Okatani. While all of this is going on, Kazuma Sumi wants to use his disappointing results as a springboard for his growth.
One of the dark matches was changed when Sanshiro Takagi attacked Pheromones before it began. It was supposed to be a 4 Way Tag Match but it was changed into a 6 Vs 2 Handicap Match instead. Takagi got the other teams to agree by promising them a spot on the America shows if they could beat Pheromones. That was easier said than done. Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno fought off Takagi & Fuminori Abe. Then they fought off Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata. By the time they got to Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi the numbers game became too much and Pheromones looked to be done for. Then suddenly Ihashi paused the match to declare his love for Akai and how they will travel to America together. The delay allowed Pheromones to recover and set up a bare butt tower over the turnbuckles with Ihashi in the middle. Yumehito Imanari threw different wrestlers into them including Akai. The attacks got so lewd that the match had to be stopped. Dieno protested backstage, saying Pheromones aren’t trying to destory DDT anymore but to make it change. Meanwhile Takagi is worried about how Pheromones will act in America. He has contacted AEW asking for a superstar to team up with against Pheromones on the 30th March show.
The other dark match had MJ Paul & KANON beat Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda. Paul blocked Honda’s Bionic Elbow with a Lariat and KANON made him submit to the Just Cobra Twist.
During the show Ilusion and El Unicorn gave everyone an update about their futures. Both wrestlers are graduating from the DDTeeeen!! project on 21st March to become full time members of the DDT roster! Ilusions recently turned 20 years old so he is no longer a teenager. El Unicorn is still a teen but was recently accepted into his choice of high school. His goal is now to win the KO-D Title and wrestle in America while he is a high school student. Ilusion said there won’t be any changes from him just because he is graduating from DDTeeeen!! He still wants to wrestle against opponents like Vent Vert Jack and Raimu Imai more often.
Saki Akai announced her plans this year to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of her pro wrestling debut. First she will have a singles match against Masahiro Takanashi on 21st March. Takanashi was a part of Akai’s debut match in 2013. Then she will be getting two anniversary shows later in the year, one in Korakuen Hall on 13th August and another in Kyoto KBS Hall on 30th September where she promises there will be beautiful pro wrestling in front of the beautiful stained glass windows.
Trainee Rukiya Ikeda will make his debut on 9th April. He is from the same class of trainees as Takeshi Masada and Kazuma Sumi. Ikeda wants to surpass the both of them.
More matches were announced for the 26th Anniversary show on 21st March. The five hour show will include Kazuki Hirata’s 13th Anniversary Match where he will team with Yoshihiko against Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao. Also on the card Sasadango & Honda will take on a mystery “Super Powerhouse Tag Team”. Finally, Kenta Kobashi will be at the show to see the KO-D Title main event.
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 102 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe when Katsumata pinned Takagi with the Totonou Splash from the stage through a Table (30:04). *V2 for ShunMao.
Many years ago Sanshiro Takagi had an eventful KO-D Tag Team Titles reign with Munenori Sawa where the two wrestlers defended the belts in bizarre and unlikely locations away from the wrestling ring. In a bid to relive that past glory Takagi teamed up with Sawa’s protege Fuminori Abe to challenge ShunMao for the same titles inside a Roppongi burlesque club. The stage was set with six members of the Burlesque Tokyo troupe perfoming on the stage while the two teams made their entrances.
When the match began Takagi and Shunma Katsumata quickly started brawling into the audience while MAO and Abe fought each other on the stage. Takagi and Katsumata paused briefly when they found a bottle of champagne and shared a toast together before getting back to fighting each other.
Meanwhile on the stage a fan handed MAO a Great Muta hood for him to wear. MAO put it on and used some Muta moves on Abe before climbing a nearby railing and Moonsaulting off of it onto both members of Bonno Dai Shacho.
On the stage Katsumata challenged Takagi to show off the pole dancing skills he learned from taking a class earlier this week. Takagi tried and quickly failed, falling down easily. Abe did much better and remembered what his tutor Keiko taught him. The world champion pole dancer told Abe that the Headscissors is the most dangerous move to use from the pole. He successfully pulled off the move, catching both MAO & Katsumata with his legs at the same time! Takagi & Abe then climbed the stage and threatened to do the Golden Shower but they were blocked and brought back down to the floor.
The fight went over to a revolving circle stage in the middle of the room. Takagi put Katsumata in a Cobra Twist while Abe tangled up MAO in the Manjigatame. The stage rotated around for the entire audience to see while this was happening. Takagi then called in the six dancers because it was time to party!
Bonno Dai Shacho danced with the girls while ShunMao looked on in amazement. It reached the point where Takagi & Abe got chairs and sat down on the stage wearing blindfolds expecting to get lapdances. Instead ShunMao replaced the dancers and Super Kicked their opponents once the blindfolds were removed.
The tables were turning and the challengers were losing focus. Abe threw an Irabu Punch but missed and hit a pole by accident. Katsumata wanted to climb the pole but couldn’t so he called back the dancers to be their reinforcements this time. The stage began to rise while ShunMao sang and danced with the girls. When the stage reached its highest point, the champions both hit dives onto their opponents below.
Things got more violent when a bunch of chairs were brought onto the stage. MAO tried to slam Abe onto them but Abe instead flipped MAO into the pile with a Frakensteiner. Abe then purposely applied a Figure 4 Leg Lock as a tribute to Keiji Muto. He then attached himself to a crane that raised him up off the ground, somehow applying even more damage to MAO who was still stuck in the Figure 4. Unfortunately the crane lifted Abe up too high and he was left alone hanging in midair calling for help!
Takagi heard Abe’s call and made a big return to the stage dressed like Kenshiro from Fist Of The North Star! He made a big comeback but the numbers game soon overwhelmed him. Katsumata hit him over the head with a chair and placed him on a table. Katsumata then hit the Totonou Splash from the highest point of the stage onto Takagi, putting him through the table for the three count!
After the match Katsumata told Abe he will only let him down if he apologised. Abe at first refused but eventually said he was sorry. MAO said he had fun and that Burlesque Tokyo is only the beginning for ShunMao’s title reign. They will now defend the belts against Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida in three days time. That team has come out of nowhere and are threatening to kill ShunMao. The champions have a message for them. You cannot kill MAO & Shunma Katsumata!
Takagi later said all of the burlesque dancers showed so much potential today. It is inspiring him to consider launching a burlesque pro wrestling promotion!
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 