DDT Around The World – April 2023

May 1, 2023

It’s full steam ahead on several different fronts for this month’s article. Konosuke Takeshita is now part of a blood feud between two of AEW’s main stables, a few familiar faces had a cup of coffee with the company during their American stay, Miyu Yamashita is all over the US indies adjusting to no longer being a big fish in a small pond, Maki Itoh’s love affair with GCW continues and Daisuke Sasaki did a tour of Mexico before returning to Japan. The rest of the summer looks to be entirely focused on Takeshita, Yamashita and Itoh’s travels. But when has that ever stopped a surprise booking or two popping up somewhere else, eh?

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Videos


LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. LLL Women’s Title: Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Maki Itoh


DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita


IWRG “COPA HIGH POWER”, 09/04/2023
Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan de Juarez, Estado de Mexico, Mexico

1. Mexico Vs Los Internacionales: El Hijo del Canis Lupis, Hell Boy, Aster Boy, Jhon Tito, Tonalli & Maniacop 360 Vs Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Gianni Valetta, Shocko, Daisuke Sasaki & Kodai Nozaki


Video starts at 00:00 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 10/04/2023
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kip Sabian, The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Penelope Ford)


BATTLE CLUB PRO “BATTLE CLUB ICONS VOLUME 3”, 12/04/2023
Ellery Street, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai

Video starts at 1:10:23 for the match
OUTLAW WRESTLING “COLOSSAL TUSSLE”, 13/04/2023
Queens Brewery, Ridgewood, New York, USA

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Mike Bailey


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “SPRING SLAM 2023”, 15/04/2023
MJN Convention Center , Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

1. Wrestlefest Rematch: Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Rollover German Suplex (17:19).


LUCHA MEMES, 15/04/2023
Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico

1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin Vs Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki


CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023
Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA

1. CCW Title & CCW Title Match Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: KiLynn King (c) Vs Killer Kelly Vs Steph De Lander Vs Miyu Yamashita


Video starts at 00:0 for Match #1. Go to 16:01 for Match #2.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 17/04/2023
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. Ashley D’Amboise Vs Maki Itoh
2. Emi Sakura Vs Mizuki


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/04/2023
Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Konosuke Takeshita comes to the aid of The Elite.


UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/04/2023
FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida, USA

1. The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford) Vs Kenny Omega & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Arez Vs Konosuke Takeshita

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Results


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 05/04/2023 (Aired 10/04/2023 & 17/04/2023)
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. Kip Sabian, The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Penelope Ford) defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Butcher pinned Katsumata after the (7:01).
2. Maki Itoh defeated Ashley D’Amboise with the Itoh Deluxe (3:11).
3. Emi Sakura defeated Mizuki with a Cradle Cutback (3:26).

With WrestleMania week done and dusted, the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro crew were all heading back to America. But not all of them. Mizuki made her AEW debut by facing one of her mentors Emi Sakura. She got to hit the Whirling Candy but ended up losing after a back and forth of cradles led to Sakura taking the three count.

Itoh made her AEW return on the same taping by beating Ashley D’Amboise one on one. The match was built around Itoh’s attempts to hit the Kokeshi Headbutt. She kept missing the move until she ended up successfully hitting it by accident. D’Amboise Dropkicked Itoh, Itoh bounced off the ropes and landed head first onto D’Amboise’s ribs. It then took Itoh all of her might to turn her opponent over into the Itoh Deluxe but once she got it locked in, victory was hers.

Fans discovered on Takeshita’s Twitter that the other members of The 37KAMIINA on the USA trip were hanging out with him in New York. Then there was the surprise when Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata all showed up in AEW later that night to wrestle on Dark Elevation. The three of them took on Kip Sabian along with The Butcher & The Blade in a losing effort but they all looked good in the process.


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 05/04/2023 (Aired 06/04/2023)
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tony Nese with the Rollover German Suplex (w/ Mark Sterling, Josh Woods & Ari Daivari) (10:25).
2. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita by Referee Stoppage with a Crossface Lock (13:33).
*V8 for Athena.

Yamashita returned to ROH for her second crack at Athena and the ROH Women’s Title. They previously fought over that belt in Prestige back in January. The rematch was more heated with the two fighting up towards the stage late in the match where Yamashita threw the champion over with the Attitude Adjustment. However Athena got her own back by pushing Yamashita off the ramp to the floor and following up with a dive. The damage took its toll because back in the ring Athena put on a Crossface Lock and kept it held until Yamashita lost consciousness. Athena mockingly shook her hand while she was still passed out afterwards.

A problem Takeshita has found himself in the AEW landscape is having to fight off more than just his opponent in the ring. Some of his losses have come from interference and the same almost happened against Tony Nese. There was a moment where Mark Sterling grabbed Takeshita’s foot and it eventually set up Nese hitting his Pumphandle Fire Thunder Driver for a nearfall. But Takeshita recovered and used a Chaos Theory to get the win despite the numbers game being against him.


WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Allie Katch with the Skull Kick (10:13).

Yamashita bounced back a bit from her ROH loss the next day by beating Allie Katch in Wrestling REVOLVER. Katch was climbing the top rope when Yamashita stopped her with a High Kick to the rear followed by a German Suplex. Katch used a Small Package for one last chance but Yamashita kicked out and knocked her silly with the Skull Kick. Katch attacked Yamashita after the match but Jessica Havoc came to the rescue and sent Katch fleeing.


LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. LLL Women’s Title: Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Stunner (?:??).
*V1 for Heidi Howitzer.

Itoh and Heidi Howitzer were in the ring together for the first time since “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” in the main event of the latest Lucha Libre & Laughs show. Howitzer was not going to lose another title to Itoh and this time got revenge for the result back in Japan.


WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023
The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA

1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (17:27).
*V1 for Masha Slamovich.

There’s been a few regular opponents showing up for Yamashita and Masha Slamovich is one of them. This time Slamovich was putting her newly won West Coast Pro Women’s Title on the line. Yamashita showed a more violent side by laying in knee strikes to Slamovich’s head while holding her in the Attitude Adjustment. But Slamovich escaped the move, hit a Shining Wizard and got the win with a Package Piledriver. It’s her first time beating Yamashita.


HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Vipress defeated Maki Itoh with a School Boy (8:00).

Itoh ended up having to fight off two opponents for her appearance in Hoodslam. When she had Vipress all but beaten, Dark Sheik ran down to interfere. Itoh cut her off at the ropes with a DDT but Vipress rolled her up with a School Boy afterwards to steal the win.


DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Game Over (18:25).
*V3 for Vert Vixen.

A week before Vert Vixen headed over to TJPW for her first tour of Japan, she faced off with Yamashita with the DEFY Women’s Title on the line. Vixen came out on top in a match that got a great response from the fans in attendance.


IWRG “COPA HIGH POWER”, 09/04/2023
Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan de Juarez, Estado de Mexico, Mexico

1. Mexico Vs Los Internacionales: Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Gianni Valetta, Shocko, Daisuke Sasaki & Kodai Nozaki defeated El Hijo del Canis Lupis, Hell Boy, Aster Boy, Jhon Tito, Tonalli & Maniacop 360 (?:??).

Daisuke Sasaki went his own direction to spend some extra time abroad. First he went to hang out with Sam Adonis and Hernandez. Apparently they all teamed together for at least one match somewhere but I couldn’t find out where. Then he travelled to Mexico to compete on several lucha libre shows. The first one I could find was a Mexico Vs The World themed Torneo de Cibernetico over in IWRG. Sasaki was not the only Japanese wrestler on his team because Kodai Nozaki was there too. Both of them ended up getting eliminated from the match (Sasaki was Power Bombed onto one of his other partners and then pinned) but their team ended up beating Mexico anyway thanks to some shenanigans at the end that didn’t involve either of them.


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 12/04/2023 (Aired 20/04/2023)
UWM Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty (12:42).

Takeshita took his ROH record this year to 4-0 after beating Lee Moriarty with the Zahi. He also got a slightly bloody lip out of it. Moriarty worked over Takeshita’s arm which saved him from getting pinned with the German Suplex. But Takeshita thought through to hold on and turn Moriarty into a Ripcord Forearm. From there he then hit the Zahi and that was it.


BATTLE CLUB PRO “BATTLE CLUB ICONS VOLUME 3”, 12/04/2023
Ellery Street, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Janai Kai defeated Miyu Yamashita with a School Boy (9:41).

Something a little different for Yamashita’s visit to Brooklyn was getting to wrestle outdoors at night. Her Battle Club Pro match against Janai Kai ended in defeat when Kai ducked the Skull Kick and used a School Boy to escape with the win.


OUTLAW WRESTLING “COLOSSAL TUSSLE”, 13/04/2023
Queens Brewery, Ridgewood, New York, USA

1. Daisuke Sasaki defeated Mike Bailey with La Mistica Crossface Lock (?:??).

Sasaki popped back over to America to fight an old foe in the form of Mike Bailey for Outlaw Wrestling. Sasaki’s dirty tactics won out in the end. He caught Speedball with a Low Blow and then applied La Mistica Crossface Lock to make him tap out.


LUCHANDO LIBRE, 14/04/2023
Coliseo Tulancingo, Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico

1. Aero Boy & Dariux Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Josh Rios

Then Sasaki went right back to Mexico for more lucha bookings. I couldn’t find a result for this match anywhere but I did find this picture of the match on their Facebook page.


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “SPRING SLAM 2023”, 15/04/2023
MJN Convention Center , Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

1. Wrestlefest Rematch: Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Rollover German Suplex (17:19).

JT Dunn had been wanting a rematch with Takeshita after their last bout in Northeast Wrestling. He got his wish but the result was the same as last time.


CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023
Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA

1. CCW Title & CCW Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated KiLynn King (c), Killer Kelly and Steph De Lander when Yamashita pinned King with the Skull Kick (11:05).
*KiLynn King fails in V9 for the CCW Title and V2 for the CCW Network Title. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 2nd CCW Champion and the 4th CCW Network Champion!
2. CCW Title & CCW Network Title: Christina Marie defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with a Brass Knuckles Attack (1:17).
*Miyu Yamashita fails in V1 for the CCW Title and V1 for the CCW Network Title. Christina Marie becomes the 3rd CCW Champion and the 5th CCW Network Champion!

After several failed attempts to win a championship so far in her tour there was a brief moment when Yamashita added two more belts to her collection, the first title wins of her excursion. She made her debut for Capital Championship Wrestling winning both the CCW Title and the CCW Network Title from KiLynn King in a 4 Corner Survival Match. Yamashita even pinned King to win the match, cutting off any possible dispute over whether the title change was deserved. However afterwards Christina Marie confronted Yamashita in the ring and explained to her she is allowed to get a title match whenever she wanted because of a Battle Royal she won a few months ago. She was getting that title match right now and when the referee did the pre-match check on Yamashita, Marie put on brass knuckles and knocked Yamashita out with a punch to the head. The ref didn’t see the foreign object and counted the pin, bringing Yamashita’s CCW Title reign to an instant end before it ever really begun.


LUCHA MEMES, 15/04/2023
Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico

1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin defeated Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki with a Triple Pin (?:??)

Sasaki also made a trip over to Lucha Memes to team with Osiris & Garrobo Punk to take on the trio known as Los Insoportables. It ended badly for Sasaki’s team. All three of his team were pinned at the same time with Sasaki being defeated with a One-Man Spanish Fly.


DPW “DPW LIVE 2”, 16/04/2023
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Nicole Matthews with the Skull Kick (13:24).

The last time Yamashita fought Nicole Matthews she lost to her in Canada. The rematch in America for Deadlock Pro went differently and now they is a 1-1 record between them.


RIW “FIGHT UNTIL WE DIED”, 16/04/2023
Gimnasio Coliseo Arena, Toluca, Mexico

1. Fight For The Revolution: Daisuke Sasaki, Impulso & Belial defeated Sol, X Devil Jr. & Astro de Plata Jr. (?:??).

Sasaki’s last appearance in Mexico before going home (that I could find ) was with Revolution Indy Wrestling in Toluca. Couldn’t find out much other than his team won the match.


UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Dani Mo with the Skull Kick (?:??).

Yamashita had said on Twitter she was really looking forward to this match with Dani Mo. The feeling was mutual and Mo tweeted afterwards how honored she was to fight her.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/04/2023
FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida, USA

1. Kenny Omega & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford) when Takeshita pinned Butcher with the Powerdrive Knee (8:45).

A lot of progress was made with Takeshita’s storyline with Don Callis this month. It’s now sent him straight into the centre of an increasingly violent feud between The Elite and The Blackpool Combat Club. Attacks from the BCC led to Callis finding Takeshita backstage and convincing him to come save The Elite from further harm. Takeshita did so, stopping Bryan Danielson from attacking Kenny Omega with a screwdriver. It was a tense moment between the two given the respect they previously had for each other as opponents in AEW. After the show ended and things calmed down a little, Takeshita was welcomed into The Elite by The Young Bucks. Omega however was a little flustered over the decision, stopping himself from saying there was someone else he always had in mind to bring into the unit…

The following week Takeshita teamed with Omega for the first time since his AEW debut two years ago. They beat The Butcher & The Blade and we found out that Takeshita’s Zahi finisher has been renamed the Powerdrive Knee. However another BCC ambush took place after the match. This time The Elite were able to rally themselves and put them in a position for Omega to attack Jon Moxley with a screwdriver. Danielson convinced Takeshita to stop Omega but that just led to The BCC to come back and wipe out The Elite. Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli both raised Takeshita’s arm, signalling their intentions to add him to The BCC. Takeshita refused so Wheeler Yuta gave him a Low Blow and Moxley spiked him in the head with the screwdriver. Takeshita was left busted open with Omega tending to him as the show went off the air.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Liiza Hall and Trish Adora when Yamashita pinned Hall with the Crash Rabbit Heat (?:??).

Yamashita’s original opponent for this show Queen Aminata had to pull out of the match “due to reasons beyond anyone’s control” according to Prestige. Yamashita instead took part in a a Triple Threat against Liiza Hall and Trish Adora. The latter brought power to the match, finding ways to lift and slam both Yamashita and Hall at the same time. She got taken out of the picture though and Hall tried to finish off Yamashita with a Piledriver. Yamashita countered the move and threw Hall off her, setting up the Crash Rabbit Heat. However there was a disputed finish because Hall kicked out right as the ref counted three.


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Kidd Bandit with the Skull Kick (?:??).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Arez with the Powerdrive Knee (?:??).

Daga did not heal from his injury in time so Takeshita took on Arez instead. Arez went the flight route with some dives but that stopped when Takeshita caught him on a Topé and dropped him onto the floor with a Brainbuster. But Arez is a smart little fecker and he found unusual ways to tie up Takeshita limb by limb. However he made the mistake of getting into strike exchanges and that’s a battle he just could not win. A Wheelbarrow Suplex was used to set up the Powerdrive Knee and that was the end for him.

Kidd Bandit went to Reddit asking for advice about how to beat Yamashita. Here is some of the advice they got. Duck, don’t get kicked and use unorthodox tactics. None of that worked.

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Upcoming Appearances


EVE “LUCKY 13 – NIGHT 1”, 05/05/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie

Could this be the countdown towards Yamashita losing the EVE Title?


EVE “LUCKY 13 – NIGHT 2”, 06/05/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Special Challenge Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

There is a chance that Yamashita and Billie Starkz could end up fighting each other for the EVE Title somewhere down the line if Yamashita retains against Millie McKenzie and Starkz wins a tournament that EVE is putting together. However the promotion doesn’t want to miss their chance to do this match in England while both are available.


NEW TEXAS PRO “SUPER TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 1”, 11/05/2023
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. New Texas Pro Women’s Title: Hyan (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Remember this place from Shota’s excursion? Now Yamashita gets to experience the Houston Premier Arena for a big New Texas Pro show. She takes on Hyan with the New Texas Pro Women’s Title on the line.


MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023
2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra

Nothing new to add here.


HOG “BEWARE THE FURY”, 19/05/2023
Amazura, Queens, New York, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Add House Of Glory to the growing list of promotions Yamashita is wrestling in this summer.


AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023
Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Still waiting to see what will happen in AIW.


GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023
Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Shazza McKenzie

Itoh returns to America for a few more GCW appearances. Her first match back is against Shazza McKenzie and once that’s done she has a storyline to sink her teeth into.


GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Steph De Lander

Itoh and Steph De Lander just keep bumping into each other whenever Itoh goes travelling. Their next meeting in GCW however ties into the Nick Gage and Matt Cardona feud. De Lander has become Cardona’s right hand woman on the indies ever since his wife Chelsea Green signed with WWE (Cardona compares it to losing his Miss Elizabeth and then gaining his own Sensational Sherri). The two tried to ruin the one night only tag match for Maki Death Kill and Cardona is still avoiding Gage’s demands for another death match. So while that problem is still bubbling on the surface, Itoh and De Lander will get to continue their little rivalry in the meantime.


GLORY PRO “GO FOR BROKE”, 21/05/2023
South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Tootie Lynn Vs Miyu Yamashita

Another new opponent for Yamashita. Tootie Lynn welcomes her to Glory Pro. I’m sensing some of Yamashita’s bookings in May is all thanks to the groundwork Shota laid out with his excursion last year.


GCW “LIFESTYLE”, 26/05/2023
Silver Nugget Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Here’s a tip for those getting an Uber away from the Silver Nugget Casino after the show based on my experience there last year. Try and get over to the cinema across the road. It is so much easier for the driver to pick you up there while avoiding the rest of the crowd all calling their own rides home at the same time.


LLL “BEST WISHES WARMEST REGARDS”, 02/06/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Heidi Howitzer Vs Miyu Yamashita

After Howitzer dealt with Itoh, she is now onto even bigger challenges in Lucha Libre & Laughs. Now she has to fight both Masha Slamovich and Miyu Yamashita at the same time! It’s another chance for Yamashita to clash with Slamovich too.


BLACK LABEL PRO “FANCY WRESTLING 2”, 03/06/2023
RDS Gym, Crown Point, Indiana, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

It’s a safe bet Yamashita will get a bigger pop for her Black Label Pro debut than Sean Ross Sapp did.


ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANT’S WOKE EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023
The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

They’ll have faced each other before already but this is still a match Starkz has been demanding to happen in St. Louis Anarchy.


SPARK “IGNITE EAST”, 11/06/2023
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

SPARK “IGNITE WEST”, 16/06/2023
East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Cultural Center, West Covina, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

A new women’s wrestling promotion is opening up in America called SPARK Joshi Puroresu. Obviously with a name like that their goal is to become a Japanese style wrestling promotion. Yamashita is the third name attached to the indie with Ram Kaichow and SAKI being the first two announcements. However Yamashita is being advertised for both of SPARK’s first two shows while the other two are only doing one each at the moment. I’m a little bit skeptical over how much legs an idea like this has especially when SPARK is trying to run both the east and west coast of USA.


ENJOY “???”, 17/06/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Ray Lyn Vs Miyu Yamashita

Still looks like this will be the last match of Yamashita’s excursion.


WRESTLING REVOLVER “RING OF DESTINY”, 17/06/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita makes his Wrestling REVOLVER debut. Interesting thing to note is this is the same date as the rumored debut event for AEW’s new weekly TV show Collision. With rumours of a soft roster split taking place in AEW to accompany the return of CM Punk, it will be of no surprise to find out Takeshita is in The Elite’s half of the company. God what a mess that entire thing is.


GCW “THANK ME LATER”, 17/06/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Meanwhile Itoh will be on the other side of the country for GCW. Imagine if she goes back to AEW and ends up in the middle of that civil war?

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – WrestleMania Week 2023

April 1, 2023

So WrestleMania Week is not over yet by a long shot. The actual shows behind the namesake haven’t even taken place by the time I am posting this. But all of the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro related wrestling shows are now finished by this point. The wrestlers will be spending the rest of the weekend as convention guests and as tourists enjoying the sights and sounds of Los Angeles.

The vacation hasn’t been entirely relaxing though. The hotel all of the DDT wrestlers were staying at had to be evacuated in the early hours of Friday morning because of a burst pipe flooding the building. It caused all of the DDT wrestlers to lose a lot of sleep before the GCW show. Funny thing is when Sanshiro Takagi explained what happened on Twitter a lot of Japanese fans didn’t believe him. It was already 1st April in Japan because of the time difference so some fans thought Takagi was pulling an April Fool’s Joke!

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Videos


Video starts at 53:28 for the match
AEW “DARK”, 28/03/2023
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Karter


IMPACT “IMPACT WRESTLING”, 30/03/2023
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Killer Kelly


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 31/03/2023
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Sammy Guevara (w/ Tay Melo) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Video starts at 21:10 for the match
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023: ZERO HOUR”, 31/03/2023
Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

0. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Willie Mack

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Results


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 29/03/2023 (Aired 30/03/2023)
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Skull Kick (4:45).

First Impact, now ROH. Is Yamashita keeps going at this rate she might show up at an MLW taping if she’s not careful. She kicked Shazza McKenzie’s head off to win her ROH debut.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe defeated Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit (?:??).

What on earth happened here? The night started off well for Maki Itoh with her getting backup dancers for her entrance. But her tag partner Kidd Bandit ended up betraying her, costing them the match against Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe. Bandit’s only explanation to Itoh after the match was “There can be only one” and then they walked out on her. Itoh’s response to that was yelling “I hate everyone!”


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/03/2023 (Aired 31/03/2023)
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Sammy Guevara (w/ Tay Melo) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the GTH (9:43).

Konosuke Takeshita’s week began with a match against one of AEW’s chosen pillars at Rampage. Victory was in his grasp until Tay Melo grabbed his leg in the corner for a distraction. That allowed Sammy Guevara to strike Takeshita from behind with a Jumping Knee and then hit the GTH to steal the win.

Yoshihiko took a detour to St. Louis on the way to LA so it could attend the AEW show. It was granted a visitor’s pass and got to enjoy catering while watching the matches. It also hung out with some of the staff like Bryce Remsburg. Since Yoshihiko brought along the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title it made sense to stay near a ref the whole time.


WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Aino defeated Rika Tatsumi, Nao Kakuta, Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa & Raku when Mizuki pinned Raku with the Diving Foot Stomp (14:21).

While Yamashita and Itoh were busy around the indies, the rest of the TJPW roster went to visit WrestleCon. 10 of them got together to put on a 10-Woman Tag match for the fans. Mizuki led a team consisting of Kyoraku Kyomei, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Aino to beat Rika Tatsumi, Nao Kakuta & The Up Up Girls.


DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko (c) when MAO pinned Yoshihiko after the Oretachi no Mad Max (17:29).
*MAO becomes the 1,567th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes defeated MAO (c) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (8:24 pm).
*Chris Brookes becomes the 1,568th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Chris Brookes (c) with 3 Canadian Destroyers in a row (8:25 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,569th champion.
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa ended in a No Contest (11:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne when Higuchi pinned Everett with the Brain Claw Slam (11:33).
4. Saki Akai defeated Vert Vixen with the Quetzalcoatl (6:09)
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Joey Janela with the Burning Star Press (15:28).
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Akiyama pinned KANON with the Exploder Suplex (10:35).
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuki Ueno with the Zahi (15:16).

A report of the show can be found here.


IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Deonna Purrazzo defeated Masha Slamovich, Gisele Shaw and Miyu Yamashita when Purrazzo pinned Shaw with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (9:20).

Yamashita got off to a good start in Impact last week when she beat Killer Kelly in her debut. Her next challenge saw her get caught in the race for the future of the Knockouts World Title. If she had won the 4 Way match she would have qualified for a title match at Impact’s next PPV in April. Instead she was left out of the result because Deonna Purrazzo pinned Gisele Shaw to win that opportunity.


WPW “RUSSELL CROWE WRESTLING: RUSSEL MANIA III”, 30/03/2023
Burbank Moose Lodge, Burbank, California, USA

1. Mizuki Watase defeated Gregory Sharpe and Eli Everfly (?:??).

I can’t find much info about this match other than Mizuki Watase won using a new move. This is all according to Watase himself. He also had the Spirit Of Ganbare Title with him. Doesn’t sound like it was defended though.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
665 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Suzume & Arisu Endo when Noa pinned Endo after the 5G (11:38).
2. Janai Kai defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Tornado Kick (4:57).
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora defeated Yuki Aino & Raku when Misao pinned Raku with the I Am A Hero (9:03).
4. Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe when Max pinned Nakajima after the Master Blaster (11:56).
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) defeated Billie Starkz with the Missile Hip (8:56).
*V1 for Rika Tatsumi.
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) when Mizuki pinned Itoh with the Diving Foot Stomp (15:51).
*121000000 fails in V1. The Magical Sugar Rabbits becomes the 13th Princess Tag Team Champions!

A report of the show can be found here.


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

1. Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers, Dyln McKay & Jack Cartwheel defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada when Cartwheel pinned Masada with the Jack Arrow (10:42).
2. Dark Sheik defeated Saki Akai with a Wrist-Clutch Inside Cradle (7:20).
3. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Oliver pinned Bailey after the Combined Springboard Cutter (16:18).
4. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Starboy Charlie with the Brain Claw Slam (11:40).
5. Yuki Ueno defeated Joey Janela with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (10:21).
6. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Homicide & Tony Deppen when Endo pinned Deppen with the Burning Star Press (12:18).
7. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders defeated Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase when Warner pinned Katsumata with a DDT (15:19).
8. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno ended in a No Contest (13:37).
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Cole Radrick defeated Yoshihiko (c) with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse onto a Chair (14:49).
*Cole Radrick becomes the 1,570th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Cole Radrick with a Cradle (5:47 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,571st champion.

A report of the show can be found here.


ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023”, 31/03/2023
Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

0. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Willie Mack with the Zahi (9:36).
1. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the O-Face (11:38).
*V7 for Athena.

Before she headed over to the ROH PPV, Yuka Sakazaki regained the Princess Tag Team Titles at the TJPW show. Her hopes of ending the night as a double champion by also winning the ROH Women’s World Title did not come to fruition. Athena kicked out of the Magical Girl Splash and the Magical Merry-Go-Round. She then relied on her mean streak to push the referee into Sakazaki’s way when she climbed the ropes for another Splash. The distraction gave Athena time to climb up the turnbuckles beside Sakazaki and then catch her in the O-Face to retain her title. It was announced later in the night that Athena’s next defence will be against Miyu Yamashita on next week’s ROH show.

Takeshita showed up on Zero Hour for a bonus pre-show match against Willie Mack. Not to take anything away from it but news was broken by Fightful during the day that Takeshita had a different match planned for the PPV itself. His opponent? It was going to be Will Ospreay… Yep. We could have gotten Takeshita Vs Ospreay if it wasn’t for the latter’s injury… God damn it. Well at least now that is out in the open it could still happen down the road somewhere.


PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Road To Valhalla (7:34).

It’s rare to see a day where Yamashita loses twice in a row but there’s going to be times in this tour where we all have to remember she isn’t the big fish in a small pond over here. Taya Valkyrie is on a hot run too that might be approaching its peak with her AEW appearances so the result shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Effy & Allie Katch when Itoh pinned Effy with the I.S.D (16:07).

The one and only time Maki Death Kill were teaming up was as chaotic as it sounds. Itoh & Nick Gage each had a pizza cutter and used them against Bussy, leaving Effy & Allie Katch both bleeding. Steel chairs were also brought into the match and Gage threw one in Effy’s face. Itoh then pinned Effy with the Flying DDT while Gage also pinned Katch with a One-Winged Angel. Their celebration was short lived when Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander ambushed them with chairs after the match. They did that because they had no match booked on the show. The segment then morphed into De Lander getting an impromptu GCW World Title match against Masha Slamovich.

Yoshihiko made an unexpected appearance during the show accompanied by a masked handler and even cut a promo. Or at least it nodded when asked if it wants to stick around in GCW. Suddenly Charles Mason and his bodyguard Parrow attacked Yoshihiko because Mason is sick of this kind of nonsense going on. Mason even pulled out a knife and threatened to slash Yoshihiko’s throat open! The handler came to Yoshihiko’s rescue but was overwhelmed and unmasked to reveal he was Jimmy Lloyd. Mason held LLoyd down so Parrow could finish the job until Yoshihiko fought back and slammed Parrow with a German Suplex! Mason had to flee the ring out of fear.


GCW “EMO FIGHT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & Mike Bailey defeated Miedo Extremo & Ciclope and Dyln McKay & Marcus Mathers when MAO & Bailey pinned McKay with the Michinoku Tornado Driver (13:47).

Moonlight Express must have been feeling depressed over losing the match after all because they showed up for the main event of GCW’s emo themed show. They fought Los Macizos (where the hell were they earlier?) and Wasted Youth in the early hours of the morning. There was also a bit of a sing song during the match. It might have been done to see if Los Macizos really were emo.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT” Results

April 1, 2023

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

1. Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers, Dyln McKay & Jack Cartwheel defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada when Cartwheel pinned Masada with the Jack Arrow (10:42).
2. Dark Sheik defeated Saki Akai with a Wrist-Clutch Inside Cradle (7:20).
3. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Oliver pinned Bailey after the Combined Springboard Cutter (16:18).
4. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Starboy Charlie with the Brain Claw Slam (11:40).
5. Yuki Ueno defeated Joey Janela with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (10:21).
6. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Homicide & Tony Deppen when Endo pinned Deppen with the Burning Star Press (12:18).
7. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders defeated Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase when Warner pinned Katsumata with a DDT (15:19).
8. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno ended in a No Contest (13:37).
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Cole Radrick defeated Yoshihiko (c) with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse onto a Chair (14:49).
*Cole Radrick becomes the 1,570th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Cole Radrick with a Cradle (5:47 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,571st champion.

An unlikely main event of the GCW Vs DDT show had Cole Radrick winning the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Yoshihiko in a brawl that went all around ringside. Radrick’s hard earned win was then rendered meaningless when Yoshihiko kicked him between the legs after the match. Yoshihiko then rolled Radrick up in a Small Package to reclaim the championship.

Counting through the match results, GCW ended the show with more wins than DDT. But if you ask Effy, everyone was a winner today! Why? Because Pheromones got to show that they are the sexiest and now they can also be part of Bussy too! The proof of that could be seen in their match. It had to be called off when Danshoku Dieno, Allie Katch and Yuki Iino caught the referee in a human centipede over in the corner of the ring.

The trio of Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase were all ready to fight The Second Gear Crew in a brawl. Katsumata appeared in his Super Hardcore Katsumata form while Watase psyched himself up by bringing the Spirit Of Ganbare Title belt with him to the ring. That Ganbare spirit allowed him to absorb chairshots to the head for a while. Lego, plastic boxes, staplers, doors and more were used as weapons. The ring was left in a mess by the time 1 Called Manders threw his own partner Matthew Justice onto everyone outside the ring. That allowed Mance Warner to pin Katsumata with the DDT for the victory.

Jun Akiyama enjoyed his weekend with GCW and said he would work with them again if given the chance. Homicide showed him a similar amount of respect as Eddie Kingston did previously. Tetsuya Endo used the Burning Star Press to pin Tony Deppen and thinks he has proved he is good enough to take on the world.

Both of Joey Janela’s matches on the DDT shows this week were rematches from the D-Ou Grand Prix. Both of them ended in defeat. Yuki Ueno beat him for the second time in a row using his new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. It makes Ueno want to spread DDT’s name as well as his own even further than Konosuke Takeshita did.

The card had a few changes for reasons that were not disclosed. Kazusada Higuchi was meant to face Blake Christian but instead got Starboy Charlie and his dungarees. Higuchi won the new match and was impressed with Charlie’s performance. It made Higuchi feel like he received the spirit of a young American and he will now carry it along with his own Yamato Spirit.

The Moonlight Express reunion was spoiled by The East West Express. It was a banner day for the young GCW team because Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne later went on to win the GCW Tag Team Titles later in the night. MAO & Mike Bailey still had fun teaming together for the first time in 3 years. Speedball must have been exhausted from his schedule by this point.

For many years the Quetzalcoatl has been a reliable move for Saki Akai. But today the move was countered by Dark Sheik in a way Akai has never seen before. When Akai was in position to pull off her finisher, Sheik dropped down while grabbing Akai’s wrist, slid through her legs to get behind her and then rolled her up in a Cradle for the flash three count. Akai took the loss but doesn’t want to it end like that. She hopes Sheik will come over to Japan so they can continue their fight.

Another changes to the card happened for the opening match. The GCW team led by Gringo Loco replaced Alec Price and Los Macizos with Jack Cartwheel and the tag team called Wasted Youth. They all gave Takeshi Masada a beating with big high flying moves until he was pinned with Cartwheel’s Jack Arrow finisher. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON blamed both Masada & Sanshiro Takagi backstage for having DDT lose to GCW. When they left the room Takagi then blamed Masada for taking the fall after all of this build up for him finally earning a spot on the Hollywood shows.

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DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” Results

March 31, 2023

DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko (c) when MAO pinned Yoshihiko after the Oretachi no Mad Max (17:29).
*MAO becomes the 1,567th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes defeated MAO (c) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (8:24 pm).
*Chris Brookes becomes the 1,568th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Chris Brookes (c) with 3 Canadian Destroyers in a row (8:25 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,569th champion.
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa ended in a No Contest (11:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne when Higuchi pinned Everett with the Brain Claw Slam (11:33).
4. Saki Akai defeated Vert Vixen with the Quetzalcoatl (6:09).
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Joey Janela with the Burning Star Press (15:28).
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Akiyama pinned KANON with the Exploder Suplex (10:35).
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuki Ueno with the Zahi (15:16).

It was a long time coming but DDT came back to America! With some help from GCW and The Collective, they arrived in Hollywood to hold their first show in Los Angeles. The main event was between the two top wrestlers in The 3KAMIINA with Konosuke Takeshita facing his longtime friend Yuki Ueno. It was a match originally scheduled as a bonus bout for the cancelled Tokyo Joshi Pro USA event in 2020. The two threw their best moves at each other with Takeshita hitting the Jumping Knee and Ueno pulling out the WR. But Takeshita caught a Moonsault and turned it into an Implant Bomb, putting Ueno in position to take the Zahi for the finish. After the match Takeshita told Ueno and the fans “This is DDT Pro Wrestling!” Backstage he said his performance shows what he’s been doing in America for about a year now. He will always carry a little bit of DDT in him when he wrestles for AEW. He is proud that DDT got to do this show because the only Japanese promotions running overseas at the moment are New Japan, DDT and TJPW. Ueno is taking the loss positively and is motivated to expand DDT even further.

When Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston were last in the ring together they were opponents in AEW. Kingston earned Akiyama’s respect from those matches so they got to team together today. Here their battle was against Daisuke Sasaki & KANON from DAMNATION T.A. Akiyama & Kingston meshed well as a team and had their opponents rattled. DAMNATION T.A had to start cheating in response. First Sasaki used the middle rope to give Akiyama a Low Blow as he climbed into the ring then KANON gave Akiyama a DDT on the floor. The momentum switched over with Akiyama & Kingston both using the Exploder Suplex on the other two. Akiyama followed up with a Knee Strike to KANON and then pinned him with another Exploder. After the match Akiyama thanked Kingston for teaming with him and is impressed by how much Kingston knows his movements. Kingston said he can go to sleep smiling tonight because he got to share the ring with a legend. Sasaki’s plan to leave Japan for a new life in Hollywood was ruined because now he hates this city! He swore revenge on Akiyama & Kingston if he ever crosses paths with them again in Japan.

A couple of the matches also served as a preview for tomorrow’s GCW Vs DDT show. Tetsuya Endo avenged last year’s D-Ou Grand Prix loss to Joey Janela by beating him here. It also made up for him forgetting to bring the DDT Universal Title belt to America. Big moves were done at the get go from Endo doing the Sasuke Special and Poison Hurricanrana to Janela landing a Package Piledriver and Avalanche Brainbuster. In the end Janela was taken for a spin with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb. Endo then got the win with the Burning Star Press. Backstage Endo said he may not know how to fight in America like Janela does but he was always confident he was going to win. He promises not to forget his title belt the next time he goes overseas. A disgruntled Janela said backstage that GCW is his turf and tomorrow they will go to war against DDT!

Saki Akai was energized from seeing the big crowd who came to see the show. She also thought Vert Vixen gave her a good fight and showed great heart against her. Vixen got close to winning with a Stunner but Akai turned things around with the Quetzalcoatl to get the win. She said she would love to have a rematch with Vixen again. Vixen thinks if they face each other again it will be game over for Akai!

Another DDT Vs GCW tag match saw Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada beating Andrew Everett & Nick Wayne. The match was DDT’s introduction to Wayne who will be coming over for a tour in May. It also gave Wayne a chance to face off with Masada in a battle between the two young prospects. Meanwhile Everett tried to use his giant strength to overpower Higuchi’s Brain Claw. It turned out his agility was a way better skill to counter the move but Higuchi took him down with the Brain Claw Slam in the end. Masada and Wayne gestured to each other after the match that this won’t be the last time they’ll see each other.

If you want proof the LA crowd got a genuine crowd then look at the Pheromones match. It went exactly as you’d think it would go. They took care of Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa the only way they know how and I wouldn’t be able to get away with describing it in detal. It set the stage for Danshoku Dieno to perform a magic trick he came up with called Pheromones du Soleil. The payoff involved Yuki Iino getting completely naked while pinning down Nakazawa so the match had to get thrown out. It is proof that even America is not big enough to contain how Sexy Iino is!

The show kicked off with ShunMao taking on Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko. The doll spent yesterday taking a detour over to AEW for a backstage visit and came to LA with extra energy, enough to fight both MAO & Shunma Katsumata at once. However Katsumata used a Kamigoye on Yoshihiko and then set MAO up to pin it with the Oretachi no Mad Max. Since Yoshihiko was coming into the match with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title that means MAO became the new champion!

But wait! MAO was attacked by Brookes after the match and pinned with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes now claimed the belt and celebrated with Yoshihiko until he too was attacked. Yoshihiko gave Brookes the Canadian Destroyer not once, not twice but three times to become the champion once again.

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Guide To DDT In Los Angeles

March 28, 2023

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

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

So you got a ticket for DDT’s big return to America for the first time since 2019 but you’re looking for some guidance over what to expect. Maybe you’ve only seen the gifs or read about the crazy moments online. Or maybe you got a ticket to this because you couldn’t get a ticket for Tokyo Joshi Pro the next day. Whatever the reason, DDT is coming to Hollywood to put on the craziest wrestling show of the month and make some dollars out of it while the yen is still weak. Things are a little bit different from the card they produced in New York four years ago. Last time they put together a show that resembled a “Best Of” collection of gimmicks and rematches. This time around the show will highlight the relationships DDT has been building with certain parts of the American wrestling scene over the last while. Some of the guests showing up here have toured with DDT in Japan before or will be doing so in the near future.

Where can I watch it online?

Both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “GCW VS DDT” will be streaming live and on-demand as part of the FITE+ subscription. A month long subscription costs $7.99 and a 7-day free trial is available.

When and where are the shows taking place?

“DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Thursday 30th March at 8pm pacific time.

“GCW VS DDT” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Friday 31st March at 3pm pacific time.

Will The Steiner Brothers be on either show?

No.

———————————————————————–

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen

DDT’s top female wrestler Saki Akai is the sole member of Eruption on this show. She takes on Vert Vixen, a rising name from Texas who is about to join Tokyo Joshi Pro for a tour in Japan next month.

Saki Akai: The supermodel is celebrating 10 years as a pro wrestler this year and her focus lately has been to keep Eruption focused as a unit. She developed her Quetzalcoatl finisher after playing the role of a character with the same name on a Fate/Grand Order stage show. She can be serious in the ring with the best of them or join in with whatever goofiness that takes place in front of her. She grew up in Kyoto, they take their comedy seriously over there.
Moves To Watch Out For: Quetzalcoatl (Cobra Twist flipped into a La Magistral pinning slam), Rookie Award (Double Step Face Kick), Diving Cross Body, Triangle Choke

Vert Vixen: This wrestler is currently the first and only DEFY Women’s Champion in the promotion’s history. She has also made appearances in AEW, Impact and Women Of Wrestling. Obsessed with video games, her ring gear is often inspired by something video game related. She is nicknamed Player One because Player One always wins!
Moves To Watch Out For: Ki Crusher, Blue Thunder Bomb, Complete Shot

2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa

If there is any risk of the show getting suddenly called off midway through it will be during this match. Pheromones are DDT’s most extreme gimmick with plenty of nudity and perverted moves up their arsenal just waiting to be unleashed on the world. The gimmick has always been Danshoku Dieno’s bread and butter but he became extra “Dandy” when he formed the unit. Yuki Iino joined in and upgraded into becoming “Sexy”. Together they became a PR nightmare for DDT president and active wrestler Sanshiro Takagi. He’s been at war with them for a while now, determined to destroy Pheromones once and all. When Takagi asked AEW to send him help to fight Pheromones the last person he needed was Michael Nakazawa due to their own long lasting feud that’s taken place in the past.

Yuki “Sexy” Iino: He is going to get naked at some point. An ex-rugby player who was a bit of a goofy heavyweight for his first few years in the ring. He is going to get naked at some point. Recently discovered his Pheromones side, turned “Sexy” and drove the goofiness levels up past its maximum limit. He is going to get naked at some point. I cannot stress this enough, he is going to get naked at some point! It is inevitable and trying to stop him will be like trying to stop the tide from coming in.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ketsugoye (Imagine the Kamigoye but Iino hits with his butt instead of his knee), Badonkadonk (Banzai Drop from the middle ropes), Sexy Elbow, Bubba Bomb

Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno: The heart and soul of DDT’s most perverse humour. Dieno has been around for twenty years now and he’s gone through character development that makes him more than just the extreme shock factor of kissing and groping his male opponents. It’s just that he always goes back to that sort of stuff. Last time he wrestled in America he got permission to kiss fans as long as they raised their hand to show consent. The entire crowd joined in by the end of the night.
Moves To Watch Out For: Danshoku Driver (Piledriver with the victim’s head stuffed into Dieno’s tights), Lip Lock (a paralysing kiss) Danshoku Nightmare (Dieno pulls down his tights and teabags his opponent), Hell Gate (Dieno positions himself over the top turnbuckle with his rear end exposed, victims get thrown face first into it)

Sanshiro Takagi: The president of DDT and its owner CyberFight. The company’s attempts to expand internationally along with its talent growing their own reputations worldwide keeps him motivated to continue wrestling. It makes him want to show the younger wrestlers he is still crazy in the ring. His entrance song gets the crowd chanting along to “1…2…3…Fire!”
Moves To Watch Out For: Sitdown Sunflower/Himawari Bomb (Electric Chair spun into a Sitdown Power Bomb), Stone Cold Stunner, Spicolli Driver (Power Slam lift into a Death Valley Driver)

Michael Nakazawa: Was with DDT until he joined Kenny Omega to work for AEW. Despite his poor win-loss record, he is considered by DDT veterans to be one of the toughest wrestlers around because he never gets injured no matter what his opponents do to him. He is also kind of a pervert due to his habit of using lotion oil as a weapon and finding ways to take off his underwear without removing his wrestling gear. Doesn’t get along with Takagi because he considers him to be a terrible boss.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ultimate Venom Arm (removes his tights, wraps them around his hand and applies an Iron Claw), Tombstone Slam, Hentai Slide (drags opponent crotch first along the top rope), Lotion Oil usage

3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko

The current KO-D Tag Team Champions take on an Englishman and a Dutch Wife. Believe it or not it won’t be as not as lewd as it sounds. Whenever Shunma Katsumata & MAO team up they are called ShunMao. They are also both part of DDT’s biggest babyface group at the moment, The 37KAMIINA (pronounced The Sauna Kamiina because 37 in Japanese (“san-na”) kind of sounds like “sauna”). Chris Brookes has called Japan his home for around four years now and earned a following for his devotion towards the entire puro scene. Yoshihiko is the wrestling doll that answers every question ever asked about who is good enough to get a four star match against an inanimate object.

MAO: Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” The high flier is at his most liveliest when he is in Falls Count Anywhere situations. Also gets his most success in tag team matches and often finds himself across the ring from Brookes in that division. As shown by his recent appearance on a Prestige show, he should be a breakout talent for the US indies just waiting to happen.
Moves To Watch Out For: Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Marines Tornado Splash (Swan Dive Phoenix Splash), Tornado Kick

Shunma Katsumata: Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. So much so he runs his own sauna on the side. Despite his cute appearance he also has a death match side to him. He’ll do the violent matches no problem but his favorite weapon to use in those situations is Lego. For example he often arms himself with a Lego covered baseball bat. Drive him too far over the edge and he becomes Super Hardcore Katsumata!
Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)

Chris Brookes: A wrestler who has so many fingers stuck into so many pies. When not wrestling in DDT you can find Brookes causing trouble in ChocoPro, teaming with Masahiro Takanashi across Japan or running his own group of shows called Baka Gaijin + Friends. Recently got into a fight with the mascot Chiitan. Always has some extra tricks up his sleeves if you’re not careful around him.
Moves To Watch Out For: Praying Mantis Bomb (Double Arm Piledriver), Octopus Stretch, Death By Roll-Up

Yoshihiko: The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for many years now. It shows up whenever people least expect it and suddenly holding grudges with wrestlers from out of nowhere. This match here is an example of it because Yoshihiko has promised to destroy The 37KAMIINA in LA! It is also the current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and is bringing the belt over to Hollywood so don’t be surprised if we get a few title changes throughout not just the show but the entire weekend.
Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotation into a Hurricanrana), Choke Slam, Canadian Destroyer

4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne

A giant and a supernova rookie takes on… a “giant” and another supernova rookie. Kazusada Higuchi was the man to carry the flag for DDT last year when a crisis injury left the company without a champion. Higuchi took the ball after years of not meeting his potential and did a pretty darn good job with being the KO-D Openweight Title until he dropped it to Yuji Hino this past January. Takeshi Masada is the standout of DDT’s current rookie class. He got here by having to fight tooth and nail to earn a spot on this show. Andrew Everett came to DDT last year falsely advertising himself as being 223cm tall and weighing in at 190.5kg. Despite being nothing of the sort, his in-ring skills were impressive enough for DDT management to get past the lies and keep him onboard. Nick Wayne will be soon be going to Japan to wrestle on more DDT shows so this match gives him a taste of what to expect over there.

Kazusada Higuchi: The previous KO-D Champion and leader of Harimao, Higuchi is a former sumo wrestler with a strong foundation and an iron head. Do not throw him head first into the ring post because he absorb the hit and shake it off entirely. Often a highlight of DDT shows that make fans of NOAH wish he was in their promotion instead. Doesn’t mind showing off his goofy side every now and then but wherever he shows up he is going to be a tough opponent for anybody.
Moves To Watch Out For: Brain Claw Slam, Doctor Bomb, Buchikamashi (charging sumo tackle)

Takeshi Masada: The 21 year old made his pro debut only three months into his training, making him the fastest debut in DDT’s history. Has a background in Shorinji Kempo and he uses those skills to develop a kick heavy offence. He’s still only in his first year as a wrestler but showed a strong desire to get on this show. He eventually earned a spot on the card by winning the D GENERATIONS CUP, a tournament that pitted DDT’s current generation of young wrestlers against each other. Rookies have a bad habit of breaking easily but if Masada continues at the rate he’s going, DDT has a future star in their hands.
Moves To Watch Out For: Samurai Driver ’01 (Cross-legged Falcon Arrow), Triangle Kick (Running Enzuigiri off the turnbuckles)

Andrew “The Giant” Everett: I don’t know if I can believe the claims that Everett is not in fact a giant. He climbs over the top rope to get in to the ring like giants do. He wears a singlet like giants do. He does Choke Slams like giants do. He does Moonsaults like… well allegedly Paul White could do that move at one point in his life so that counts. That means Everett is a giant for sure! Deadlock Pro is where you can find him nowadays.
Moves To Watch Out For: 630, Shooting Star Press, Moonsault, Choke Slam

Nick Wayne: The world is this kid’s oyster and he’s not even 18 yet. A lot of excitement is following Wayne around especially after he was offered a deal with AEW last year. A dream match with Will Ospreay also bumped up his stock. The son of the late Buddy Wayne has wrestled in Japan before, not that long ago in fact. But DDT is where he’ll be going next starting with this match right here.
Moves To Watch Out For: Flying Cutter, Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex

5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela

A rematch from the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix tournament. Joey Janela scored an upset win over Tetsuya Endo in their A Block match that took place in November. Endo’s big main event run last summer was tragically cut short when Katsuhiko Nakajima gave him a concussion. He has bounced back from that by bulking up towards becoming a heavyweight. It paid off with him recently winning the DDT Universal Title, which is DDT’s secondary singles championship. Janela’s antics and reputation made him highly sought after by DDT and he’s becoming one of their regular guest wrestlers back in Japan.

Tetsuya Endo: The man who was supposed to take the reigns as DDT’s top wrestler suffered a major setback when he got concussed last summer. Endo recovered and has been climbing back up the mountain since. He’s not back at the top spot yet but the leader of BURNING is still doing pretty well with where he is at the moment. You’d think by gaining weight and muscle he would dial back from high flying moves but you will still see him doing Springboards, the Spanish Fly and Shooting Star Presses. If it was up to me, this is the next DDT guy AEW should be looking at.
Moves To Watch Out For: Burning Star Press (Shooting Star Press), Tetsuya In The Sky (One Man Spanish Fly), Spinning Torture Rack Bomb

Joey Janela: The nutjob partly responsible for WrestleMania Week turning into what it’s become. So many of the shows that get added to the schedule are chasing the dragon that is “Joey Janela’s Spring Break”. Janela’s viral moments over the pandemic caught DDT’s attention and he quickly became a must have for them to bring over. He already has one singles win over Endo on Japanese soil. The rematch is still in DDT but maybe the American environment will provide Janela more chances to do some crazy things.
Moves To Watch Out For: Package Piledriver, Avalanche Brainbuster, Super Kick

6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

One man’s dream came true last year when Eddie Kingston got to wrestle Jun Akiyama at AEW. The two earned each other’s respect that day and get to meet in the ring again, this time as tag team partners. Facing them are the two strongest fighters from DAMNATION T.A, DDT’s main heel faction. Daisuke Sasaki went through a whirlpool of emotions to make it to this show because of a recent eye injury. KANON is an upstart originally from JUST TAP OUT but he came to DDT and eventually joined the dark side with Sasaki.

Jun Akiyama: A long standing veteran who spent most of his 30+ year career with All Japan and NOAH. He was bound for a guest coaching gig at WWE’s Performance Center when the global pandemic cancelled those plans. So he found himself jumping to DDT instead where he keeps an eye over the young talent being developed. Currently holds the DDT Extreme Title that puts him in unusual gimmick matches but so far he has stood tall for every defence.
Moves To Watch Out For: Exploder Suplex, Front Neck Lock, Running Knee Strike

Eddie Kingston: What a week this guy has ahead of him. First he gets to team team with his hero Akiyama and a few days later will be headlining a ROH PPV. Often outspoken and always fighting with his heart in his sleeves, this match can be a rare chance for Kingston to step back and soak in the moment before things get heavy.
Moves To Watch Out For: Spinning Backfist, Stretch Plum, Exploder Suplex

Daisuke Sasaki: You’re not going to find anybody in LA as drunk or depressed as Sasaki this weekend. The wrestler has the talent and success to reach bigger heights but every setback sends him tumbling down into despair. A recent eye injury had Sasaki considering retirement from pro wrestling so he could run away to Hollywood and do whatever he wants. He does not have the most creative imagination though so his idea of doing whatever he wants in Hollywood was to go work at McDonalds. But the pull of pro wrestling is never far away and once he got cleared to compete, Sasaki came back and began to build up hype towards a singles match with El Desperado later this summer.
Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (includes La Mistica and Crossover variations), Sasaki Hurricanrana

KANON: When Sasaki suddenly vanished to take care of his injuries and other woes, KANON stepped up to lead DAMNATION T.A in his place. He is approaching the completion of his first year with DDT. Originally from JTO, KANON had an athletic moveset taken from his days playing volleyball but he’s grown slightly more sleazy and unhinged since joining DAMNATION T.A.
Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepy Hollow (Twisting Brainbuster), Just Cobra Twist

7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

This match was meant to take place in America back in 2019 as the bonus DDT match for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s USA show. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno have been friends since high school. Takeshita was the wrestling fan and his work in DDT inspired Ueno to become a wrestler too. The two are part of The 37KAMIINA and always seem to get along. But Ueno has his hopes that one day he will surpass his classmate. The two unexpectedly had a singles match against each other at the start of the year before Takeshita left for AEW. It ended in a brief 10 minute draw but gave fans a taste of what to expect when they finally face off again in Hollywood.

Konosuke Takeshita: It takes ten years to become an overnight success. Takeshita has done it all in DDT but given the company’s place in the landscape not a lot of people outside of Japan knew about him. Then he shows up in AEW and wins over a wide new audience of fans with his performances. A fan of pro wrestling since childhood, he grew up following Osaka Pro and still shows that influence in his moveset to this day. The list of names he’s been in the ring over the years to get to this point would fill this article by itself. Watch this show and I promise you will see him going All Out.
Moves To Watch Out For: German Suplex, Zahi (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), Jumping Knee, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)

Yuki Ueno: The talent Ueno has is clear to see but a bland personality is currently holding him back. Plus his friendship with Takeshita means he risks standing permanently in his buddy’s shadow. If you ignore those problems though, you’re going to see somebody who is really, really good in the ring. Maybe experiencing America will act as a spark and be that thing to send Ueno to his next level.
Moves To Watch Out For: WR (a Wrist-Clutch version of Kofi Kingston’s SOS), Best Moonsault Ever, Half Nelson Suplex, Konosaki Crunch (One Handed Bulldog)

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That’s not all DDT is up to this week. They have a second show the next day cross-promoting with GCW as part of The Collective. These two shows seem to be where all of the DDT action is happening in LA. Maybe a few names will pop up somewhere else. We’ll just have to wait and see if they surprise us.

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

1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno

GCW is a promotion I like but don’t love. I’ve gotten to attend a variety of their events before from two of the WrestleMania weeks pre-pandemic as well as their Las Vegas show the day before AEW Double Or Nothing last year. They’re really fun to attend no matter where they go and I enjoy watching the iPPVs when they are live. Watching them on-demand a day or two later though and it becomes a different story. The energy doesn’t carry through on screen when I watch on delay. It’s a promotion that does not give its viewers a lot of time to let things soak in because as soon as one show ends they go full speed straight into promoting their next events. It can make following them online a bit of a blur at times and their booking can seem random even though they do come up with storylines and give people pushes.

That leads us to the GCW Vs DDT show. Whenever GCW do doubleshot weekends outside of their regular markets they usually co-promote one of those shows with another indy and label it as a Vs show. They also often come off as the lesser show of the weekend and it feels the same way here. Obviously both companies have their own more important shows from the previous day to worry about. The lineup they came up with here is shaky but I don’t know if I could come up with something better given who is available. The people I like most in GCW are not the core members of the roster and they would be saved for when GCW are running a show by themselves.

Here’s what I like. The East West Express versus The Moonlight Express is going to hit hard. I’m not as high on Jordan Oliver as I am with Nick Wayne but his faults do not come from a lack of effort. The agility and pain threshold everybody in that match has is going to create something impressive. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko will entirely depend on what kind of sense of humour Radrick has. The two multi-man tag matches have the potential to both get crazy if everybody involved are given the go ahead to do whatever they want. Everything else I’m not as confident about.

Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno as the main event could get bogged down by the amount of big crazy spots Janela wants to do. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo sounds like a Fire Pro match on paper but I don’t think BURNING’s opponents have been up to snuff recently. Kazusada Higuchi should not be losing to Blake Christian but Christian is one of the few heels who gets heavily booed by the GCW fanbase. He is likely getting pushed for a title run sooner rather than later for that reason (barring any conflicts with his AEW/ROH deal). Dark Sheik I prefer watching in Hoodslam because over there she does spotfest tag matches in front of a crowd of people that are feeling the effects of “blueberry pancakes”. That atmosphere somehow comes off better on screen than her matches in GCW do. Bussy Vs Pheromones will be going for the shock factor but was their thunder stolen by Sexxxy Eddy earlier this month? I do not want to predict if it will reach the point where somebody somewhere will need to write out a public apology when all is said and done.

WPW “RUSSELL CROWE WRESTLING: RUSSEL MANIA III”, 31/03/2023
Burbank Moose Lodge, Burbank, California, USA

1. Mizuki Watase Vs Gregory Sharpe Vs Eli Everfly

There’s a little bit of Ganbare☆Pro sprinkled in the weekend too. After Mizuki Watase is done with the GCW Vs DDT show he will be making his way over to Wrestling Pro Wrestling for his only other booking for the week. This is one of the more normal looking matches happening on the card.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – March 2023

March 26, 2023

Welcome to the calm before the storm. I put together this month’s article earlier than usual because there are going to be separate posts covering all of the WrestleMania shows DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are involved with next week. It’s going to be nuts, maybe not on the level of the New York shows from four years ago but still plenty to look forward to. So much will have to be talked about once the dust settles. I will be writing up preview guides for both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” so look forward to them whenever they are finished.

While Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki are getting the higher profile appearances lately thanks to AEW/ROH, the amount of bookings Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are getting in America means the focus will be more on them for the next couple of months. Yamashita in particular is going to have a crazy looking 2023 Career tab on her Cagematch profile by the time she’s done. Plus we get to add some new names to this series. Mizuki Watase is heading over to America too and Daisuke Sasaki found an excuse to go wrestling in Mexico.

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Videos


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox


AEW “DARK”, 07/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Jack Cartwheel


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 10/03/2023
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant)


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023
Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn

Video starts at 2:36:23 for the match
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi

NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada


1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita


2. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power

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Results


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Ortiz, Komander, Action Andretti, Sammy Guevara, Eddie Kingston and AR Fox when Hobbs grabbed the Brass Ring (13:46).

So close and yet so far. Takeshita almost won the Ladder match after giving Komander a crazy looking Blue Thunder Bomb from a bridged ladder onto the ring canvas. He also fought off interference from Daniel Garcia who was there to help out Sammy Guevara. But as he climbed up the ladder and reached out to grab the literal brass ring, here came Powerhouse Hobbs charging into the ladder to knock Takeshita out of the ring. Hobbs then went on to grab the giant ring and win.

A few days later on Rampage, Takeshita spoke about his recent lack of success in AEW and considered it was time for him to go back to Japan. Don Callis stepped in and continued his push to become Takeshita’s manager. The argument he made is if Takeshita left all of the behind the scenes logistics to him, then Takeshita could put his entire focus just on wrestling in the ring and finally get the results his talent deserves. Ever since then Callis has continued trying to convince Takeshita to take on his services.


AEW “DARK”, 03/03/2023 (Aired 07/03/2023)
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Jack Cartwheel with the Zahi (3:56).

An impressive performance from Jack Cartwheel made this match one to watch if you’re unfamiliar with him.


GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. GCW Extreme Title: Joey Janela (c) defeated VENY with an Avalanche Brainbuster (16:33).
*V2 for Joey Janela.
2. Maki Itoh defeated LuFisto with the I.S.D (10:44).

Itoh’s further run into GCW continued with her beating LuFisto, an inductee of The Indie Wrestling Hall Of Fame that the promotion is associated with. LuFisto wanted to give Itoh a Superplex but a bite to the face stopped her. Itoh gave her a Top Rope DDT and then got back up the ropes to do the I.S.D for the win. Itoh got to celebrate with Nick Gage after the match.

Joey Janela and VENY ended up going buck wild fighting around ringside for a lot of their match. Janela threw VENY into rows of seats, sending a lot of the GCW fans fleeing. VENY fought back with a Moonsault to the floor. Janela VENY in midair when she tried another Moonsault inside the ring and he countered it into a Tombstone. VENY went back to the Moonsault again and landed one onto Janela while he was laying on top of a door. That wasnt enough for Janela or the door so he smashed it to pieces and the two attacked each other with the remains. More big bomb moves were dropped and it took an Avalance Brainbuster for Janela to finally get the three count.


ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Trish Adora & Jordan Blade (?:??).
*V3 for The Wasteland War Party.

The Wasteland War Party scored their third and what turned out to be their last successful defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles by beating Trish Adora & Jordan Blade at an Enjoy Wrestling show.


GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY defeated Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai when Yamashita pinned Kai with the Splash Mountain (18:56).

Itoh & VENY got to have some fun with Rina Yamashita by faking out their opponents on a triple dive. Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai all flinched and were left bracing for impact outside while Itoh and her team danced inside the ring. Yamashita went on to pin Kai with the Splash Mountain.


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Lizzy Evo with the Skull Kick (14:42).
*V3 for Miyu Yamashita.

A fully determined Lizzy Evo was ready to become the new EVE Champion on this night. But her hot streak came to an end thanks to the Skull Kick.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/03/2023 (Aired 10/03/2023)
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant) with La Espalda (7:52).

Takeshita took out a trick from the Osaka Pro book to beat Preston Vance. La Espalda is the tricky looking Twisting Backslide Pin that Billy Ken Kid likes to use a lot.


EVE “RIOT! AT THE YARD THEATRE”, 09/03/2023
The Yard Theatre, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (14:46).

Apparently this will be the last time Yamashita and Miyuki Takase will face each other one on one. If that’s true then Yamashita ends the series with a 2-0 winning record.


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023
Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Zahi (12:18).

A Rolling Elbow was used by JT Dunn to counter the Jumping Knee and the match also built up to how the Tombstone Piledriver was used. Takeshita kicked out of the move the first and and reversed a second attempt into a Reverse Implant. Takeshita held onto Dunn after that and threw him over with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex. Dunn was left in a heap after that so Takeshita got to finish him off with the Zahi.


SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Monomoth (c) with the Takatonic (?:??).
*Monomoth fails in V?. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the ??th SETUP Thailand Openweight Champion!

Masahiro Takanashi adds another Asian championship to his collection after he took the SETUP Thailand Openweight Title from Monomoth. Takanashi didn’t do it clean either because Baliyan Akki was there to interfere on his behalf. Monomoth did what he could to fight against the 2-on-1 disadvantage, including diving onto both of them outside the ring. He had Takanashi beaten with a Northern Lights Suplex but Akki pulled the referee out of the ring to stop the pin count. Members of the SETUP roster had enough of the cheating and came to Monomoth’s aid. However Takanashi kicked out of a Tornado DDT and threw the ref towards Monomoth while the champion was standing on the top rope. Monomoth jumped over the ref but landed into a Thrust Kick, causing him to get pinned with the Takatonic.


AEW “DARK”, 24/03/2023 (Aired ??/??/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Michael Nakazawa defeated Baliyan Akki (?:??).

I don’t usually include Michael Nakazawa’s matches in AEW for these articles because he is a full time employee for them. But I bet somebody reading this will get a kick out of hearing he fought and beat Akki on Dark.


NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita by Referee Stoppage with a Dragon Sleeper (?:??).
*V5 for Nicole Matthews.
2. Maki Itoh defeated Cat Power with the I.S.D (?:??).

Mixed fortunes for 121000000 on the first night of their North American trip. Itoh was able to beat Cat Power but Yamashita got choked out by Nicole Matthews with a Dragon Sleeper. It’s a reminder that this three month expedition is not going to be a cake walk for Yamashita.


IMPACT “SACRIFICE FALLOUT”, 25/03/2023 (Aired 30/03/2023)
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Killer Kelly with the Skull Kick (10:14).

I didn’t expect Yamashita to show up in Impact. There’s more to talk about it below but her first match with the promotion was a win against Killer Kelly. I think it was taped for TV too.

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Upcoming Appearances – WrestleMania Week


PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe

Taya Valkyrie had to pull out of the show due to a change in schedule. That this show is taking place on a Wednesday and Valkyrie recently signed a deal with AEW, it’s easy to figure out what her priority is. Replacing her is Steph De Lander who has really stepped up and increased her presence around the indies recently.


WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X

The lineup for the TJPW 10-Woman Tag is being kept secret until the show, Mystery Vortex style. Are all ten going to be from the regular TJPW roster or will a few guests be included?


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

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

Some of the guests being booked for the show now make more sense given recent announcements. Both Nick Wayne and Vert Vixen are heading to Japan for DDT and TJPW respectively in the next couple of months.


IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Masha Slamovich Vs Deonna Purrazzo Vs Gisele Shaw Vs Miyu Yamashita

So not only is Yamashita wrestling for Impact but she is also technically getting a New Japan appearance out of it too, which is completely bizarre seeing a TJPW wrestler under that banner instead of somebody from Stardom. Originally this 4 Way Match was supposed to include Mickie James and her Knockouts Title was going to be on the line. But just a few days ago Impact announced that James is unable to wrestle because of a rib injury. So now the 4 Way Match has Masha Slamovich added to it and whoever wins will get to face Jordynne Grace in Toronto next month with the Knockouts Title on the line. If James is cleared to wrestle she will also be in that match as the defending champion, otherwise she will have to vacate it before the match begins.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki

Two of the matches are now title matches thanks to the results that happened at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” earlier this month. The main event has the Princess Tag Titles on the line when the new champions 121000000 face The Magical Sugar Rabbits. There is also now an International Princess Title match between Rika Tatsumi (embracing a new “AmeRika” personality) and Billie Starkz.


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

1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno

Nine matches on the card now. The latest addition is an 8-Man Tag Match mixing together a lot of people. DDT is relying on DAMNATION T.A to play ball with Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada. GCW are going the lucha route by letting Gringo Loco put together a squad. He chose Alec Price and Los Macizos. Prince is an up and coming name on the indies while Ciclope & Miedo Extremo are former GCW Tag Team Champions.

No idea what the match order is going to be for the GCW Vs DDT show. This might be the last of DDT’s involvement in shows for the week. Unless Takeshita shows up in ROH or Pheromones crash “Effy’s Big Gay Brunch” on Saturday.


ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023”, 31/03/2023
Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki

After weeks and weeks of tension building up between Athena and Yuka Sakazaki, things finally blew up and Athena sent Sakazaki back to Japan with an injury. However when Athena found out Sakazaki was able to continue wrestling no problem, it only made her even madder. The grudge is going to get settled in LA with Sakazaki getting a shot at the ROH Women’s World Title.


PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Valkyrie will be in LA on the Friday evening for her Prestige match against Yamashita.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs X & X

Well Nick Gage is no longer the GCW World Champion so my idea of him against Itoh has gone up in smoke. However they are going ahead with the next best idea and that is Maki Death Kill teaming up for one night only!


WPW “RUSSELL CROWE WRESTLING: RUSSEL MANIA III”, 31/03/2023
Burbank Moose Lodge, Burbank, California, USA

1. Mizuki Watase Vs Gregory Sharpe Vs Eli Everfly

Well Mizuki Watase did say he was going on an American excursion so he had to be somewhere other than a DDT show. He’s ended up going somewhere even weirder. Wrestling Pro Wrestling is a comedy promotion and is home to Cerealman, a pro wrestler with a box of cereal for a head. Would it surprise you to find out a lot of Hoodslam guys also work here? Let’s see how Watase can handle himself when he’s in the ring with Gregory Sharpe and Eli Everfly.

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Upcoming Appearances – Everywhere Else After WrestleMania


WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch

Looks like there’s going to be a week off for Yamashita to get over the WrestleMania hangover. After that it’s time to hit the road with her first stop being a match with Allie Katch at Wrestling REVOLVER.


LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh

One of the former Princess Tag Champions has a chance at revenge. Heidi Howitzer was already looking forward to kicking Itoh’s ass. Now there’s going to be some more hatred behind it after Itoh pinned Howitzer to cause the title change.


WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023
The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA

1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The last West Coast Pro show crowned their first Women’s Champion. Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moone to win the title and now gets Yamashita for her first defence.


HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Vipress

Itoh has fought Dark Sheik a bunch of times already so when she arrives in Hoodslam it will be Sheik’s current tag team partner Vipress waiting for her. Earlier this month Sheik & Vipress won the Intergalactic Tag Team Titles together.


DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen Vs Miyu Yamashita

Before Vixen travels to Japan for TJPW, she defends the DEFY Women’s Title against Yamashita. Heck of a warm up match to get ready for that tour.


CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023
Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA

1. CCW Title & CCW Title Match Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: Kilynn King (c) Vs Killer Kelly Vs Steph De Lander Vs Miyu Yamashita

What was first advertised as a 3 Way Match is now a 4 Corner Survival with Steph De Lander added to the mix. Which makes me wonder did certain people signing contracts recently lead to a situation where nobody in the 3 Way politically can take the fall and a fourth person had to be used as a solution? Kilynn King is now signed to Impact and Killer Kelly is under contract to them too. Maybe I’m overthinking it.


LUCHA MEMES “???”, 15/04/2023
Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico

1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin Vs Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki

Alright we’re getting to talk about Mexico again. About time. Daisuke Sasaki will be making his Lucha Memes debut in April. The promotion is fond of bringing in independent talent from America. As far as I could find I think Ultimo Dragon and Satoshi Kojima are the only other Japanese wrestlers to have previously worked there. Lucha Memes is also running Arena Solis in Puebla for the first time.


DPW “DPW LIVE 2”, 16/04/2023
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Is Yamashita still owed a title match in Deadlock Pro or did I misunderstand the stipulation of her previous match there? Also did you hear that news today about DPW going to Japan to do joint shows with Gatoh Move soon?


RIW “FIGHT UNTIL WE DIED”, 16/04/2023
Gimnasio Coliseo Arena, Toluca, Mexico

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X

The next day in Mexico, Sasaki is heading over to Revolution Indy Wrestling.


UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita

I was able to find more social media pages for Ultimate Wrestling Empire so it is indeed an actual show taking place.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata

Will Yamashita still be undefeated in Prestige by the time her match with Queen Aminata takes place?


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Not sure if Takeshita’s match with Daga will still happen. Daga suffered a left knee injury at a show co-promoted by NWA and AAA at the start of the month. According to Konnan the injury is a fractured fibula and a torn miniscus that will take him out of action for two months. If that’s true then the timing could make this turn out to be Daga’s return match if his recovery goes better than anticipated.


EVE “LUCKY 13”, 05/05/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie

Yamashita’s international series with Millie McKenzie continues with McKenzie putting up a big challenge in the hopes of finally winning the EVE Title. Given the back and forth results the two wrestlers produce against each other, they will now face off in an Iron Woman match. Whoever scores the most falls within the 30 minute time limit will be the champion at the end.


MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023
2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra

Can’t find confirmation but it would make sense if this is a MAW Women’s Title match with Sierra putting the belt on the line.


AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023
Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Just have to wait and see what her match is going to be.


GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023
Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh’s next appearance for GCW after Mania week will be in Detroit.


GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh will be in Ohio too.


ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023
The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita was bound to get a match with Starkz somewhere during the tour. This also isn’t the last show on Yamashita’s schedule anymore.


ENJOY “???”, 17/06/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Ray Lyn Vs Miyu Yamashita

The final booking of Yamashita’s tour seems to be her match with Rey Lyn at Enjoy Wrestling. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can squeeze in at least one more match if she wanted to.

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Corrections


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023
NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

From what I could find online Takeshita was only on the show for a meet and greet, not to wrestle a match.

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Posted by JamieOD

Matsuno Attacks His Political Opponent, Kengan Ashura Crossover, Hollywood Card Complete

March 16, 2023

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs El Unicorn & Raimu Imai
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada
5. Special Tag Match: Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Super Powerhouse Tag Team
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Saki Akai
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
8. Special Single Match: Hikaru Machida Vs Takeshi Masada
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
12. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
13. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yukio Naya

A chance to win the DDT Universal Title something Tetsuya Endo thinks is a fresh change in direction for him. While he will always want to fight for the KO-D Openweight Title, Endo has felt the need to go after the other singles championships in DDT. Plus if he beats Naruki Doi then that means he is also beating the AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Champion! Endo likes the idea of defending the Universal Title in America, the same country where he won the KO-D Title for the first time.

A meeting yesterday between Shinichiro Kawamatsu and House of Councilors member Eriko Imai (who is also the mother of pro wrestler Raimu Imai) was suddenly interrupted by Gorgeous Matsuno when he overheard them talking about the O-40 Title match. Kawamatsu was telling Imai about his plan to wrestle both Makoto Oishi and Matsuno in a 3 Way Match. When he brought up that Matsuno is about to turn 62 years old next month, Matsuno burst into the room and threatened him! Matsuno said the O-40 Title is not for a kid like Kawamatsu and then he got dragged out of the room by the politician’s aide. When everything settled down Imai gave Kawamatsu her support.

DDT “KENGAN ASHURA X DDT PRO WRESTLING COLLABORATION MATCH”, 26/03/2023
Tokyo Big Sight East Exhibition Hall ADK Emotions Booth

1. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match I: Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match II: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
3. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match III: Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani

DDT will be at the AnimeJapan 2023 convention in Tokyo Big Sight for a collaboration with the Kengan Ashura anime on Netflix. The series is all about corporations using an underground fighting tournament to settle their problems. The artists behind the manga have done merchandise artwork with Big Japan before and have referenced pro wrestling in their work, including this series. Kengan Ashura has an in-universe pro wrestling company in it called Super Japan Pro Wrestling. Coincidence or not that name also just happens to be a rejected suggestion to call DDT back when that company was launched in 1997. So in a weird way this is sort of a full circle moment.

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

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

The Hollywood card is complete and now we now what Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada will be getting up to. They’re not opponents but tag team partners instead! Higuchi’s size will be tested because one of their opponents is Andrew Everett, who is making his return to DDT. The other opponent will feel like a kindred spirit to Masada. The super rookie gets to be in the ring with the young supernova Nick Wayne!

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

1. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
7. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
8. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno

Rounding out the GCW Vs DDT card is what’s certain to be a car crash of a trios match. The Second Gear Crew are the people to count on in GCW if you want to watch room sprawling brawls with plenty of plunder getting broken. Chris Brookes & Shunma Katsumata have found themselves as unlikely tag partners to take on these guys. They’re getting unexpected help from Mizuki Watase too, kicking off Watase’s planned excursion to America.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – February 2023

March 1, 2023

A month ago I was thinking this article was going to become so much easier to handle. Shota was finished with his excursion to some of the most obscure independents in America and February was mostly built around Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki doing stuff related to AEW and ROH. It should be a piece of cake from here on out. Then the Wrestlemania Week bookings started pouring in. And if that wasn’t enough, Miyu Yamashita announced her three month stay in America with the goal to get as many bookings across the country as humanly possible. The response to that idea has been great so far and she is certainly going to create some new fans this year. So yeah, keeping track of these things will only keep me busier as the year goes on. Now let’s get some more championships added to the trophy case while they’re at it.

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Videos


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)


Video starts at 14:48 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Billie Starkz


Video starts at 45:10 for the match
AEW “DARK”, 07/02/2023
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs EJ Nduka


AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF Vs Konosuke Takeshita


Video starts at 31:22 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 13/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Vert Vixen Vs Yuka Sakazaki


Video starts at 1:18:47 for the match
AEW “DARK”, (14/02/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Bronson


Video starts at 33:18 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 27/02/2023
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Lee Johnson

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Results


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/02/2023 (Aired 06/02/2023)
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Billie Starkz with the Magical Girl Splash (5:39).

Whether the company is aware of it or not, AEW hosted a rematch of last November’s Princess Of Princess Title bout between Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz. This match was a shorter affair with Starkz relying on using Swanton Bombs only to get dropped with the Tea Time and then pinned with the Magical Girl Splash.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana) with the Zahi (10:06).

A match against a heavy hitter like Brian Cage was just what Takeshita needed to finally get a win on Dynamite. The two just threw big bomb moves at each other until Takeshita was the last man standing. It was pretty cool. Once that was done, Takeshita reappeared later in the night stopping MJF from interfering in a Bryan Danielson match. The two brawled to the back and once they were broken apart, a match between them was booked for the next week.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 08/02/2023 (Aired 13/02/2023)
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Vert Vixen with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15).

Sakazaki’s last match for this month was a win against Vert Vixen but it was the aftermath that was more important. Athena attacked Sakazaki from behind, striking her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Athena then made things worse by injuring Sakazaki’s leg with the steel steps outside the ring. Sakazaki tried to step up to her but was given a boot to the head as one last insult to injury. It remains to be seen when Sakazaki will be back to look for revenge, although a title match between the two on the ROH PPV at the end of March would be a good bet.


AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Salt Of The Earth (13:19).

Takeshita’s recent interactions with MJF led to a Title Eliminator match between the two. If Takeshita had won the match he would have been granted a AEW World Title shot in the future. Unfortunately MJF worked over his arm, using the Salt Of The Earth to such good effect that Takeshita had to tap out and concede defeat. MJF then caused more harm after the match by putting on his Dynamited Diamond Ring and punching Takeshita in the face, busting him open. Bryan Danielson ran down to chase MJF off. Takeshita returned the favour later in the night by coming to Danielson’s aid when he was attacked by Preston Vance and José The Assistant.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 23/02/2023 (Aired 27/02/2023)
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Johnson with the Zahi (6:43).

So Takeshita finds himself knocked down the ladder and back to wrestling on the Youtube shows for the time being. Beating Lee Johnson gets him off to a good start.


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 25/02/2023 (Aired 02/03/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Josh Woods with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex (10:20).

It’s not the Ring Of Honor we all knew and loved but at least you can add to logo to Takeshita’s Cagematch profile now. He beat a former ROH Pure Champion in Josh Woods so that would be a fresh direction to take if he becomes a regular at ROH tapings.


DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023
NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Raychell Rose & Jada Stone when Max pinned Stone after the Master Blaster (10:30).
*V1 for The Wasteland War Party.

The Princess Tag Team Titles have now been defended on American soil. Tokyo Joshi Pro are recognizing all of The Wasteland War Party’s title defences across the US indies before they return to Japan for “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. The first defence was against Raychell Rose & Jada Stone in DPW. Stone was a replacement for Hyan.


AEW “DARK”, (26/02/2023) (Aired 28/03/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Karter (w/ Lee Johnson) with the Zahi (9:23).

Cole Karter was in Lee Johnson’s corner when Takeshita beat him on Elevation a few days earlier. If he wanted to get revenge on Takeshita he probably got a knee to the face instead.


GLORY PRO “ANNIVERSARY 6”, 26/02/2023
South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Jody Threat & Blair Onyx when Howitzer pinned Threat after the Master Blaster (?:??).
*V2 for The Wasteland War Party.

Defence number two for The Wasteland War Party was against Jody Threat & Blair Onyx. Threat got a hot tag and went wild on Heidi Howitzer. That came to a sudden halt when Max The Impaler hit her with a Spear. Max tried pinning Threat but was told they were not the legal wrestler. So Max & Howitzer linked up to do the Master Blaster and that was it for Threat.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox

Holy Mary, Mother Of God this is going to be nuts. Takeshita has a chance to win a TNT Title shot. All he has to do is win a Ladder Match against a crazy lineup of opponents. Just imagining what Komander is going to do on his own in a Ladder match is wild. Is Sammy Guevara willing to destroy himself with a massive ladder bump again? Does Action Andretti or AR Fox want to do the same? Eddie Kingston is already mad he is in the match but he’s always mad. For example, he’s mad at Ortiz right now. Powerhouse Hobbs would be a great future opponent for Takeshita too.


GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY

Heading into this weekend GCW have not announced what Maki Itoh’s match is going to be at their show yet. They are only advertising she will be in attendance. Will she use this appearance to take her new MDK attitude up another level? I still think her interactions with Nick Gage has to be leading somewhere. It’s gotten too over for it to be nothing more than a cute post-match segment to pop the crowd.


ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Trish Adora & Jordan Blade

The Wasteland War Party are aiming to make it three successful title defences in a row before they return to TJPW. Trish Adora is forming a regular association with TJPW so winning the Princess Tag Titles would bring her over more often and get Jordan Blade one foot in the door too.


GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai

Sawyer Wreck is now the only person in this match who has not wrestled on a TJPW show yet. They should bring back Rina Yamashita now that I think of it.


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo

Before Yamashita begins her American expedition she is heading back to England to do the EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo that was meant to happen back in January.


EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 09/03/2023
The Yard Theatre, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase

The next night Yamashita faces Miyuki Takase in a rematch of their DPW bout from last year. EVE have said this will be the last time both wrestlers will fight each other. If Takase beats Yamashita there will be no rubber match and if Yamashita wins she will be 2-0 against Takase forever!


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023
Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn

Takeshita will be making two appearances for Northeast Wrestling in March. His first show will have him taking on JT Dunn.


SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi

The match will be the main event of the show.


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023
NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

No opponent yet for Takeshita’s second NEW show.


NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Nicole Matthews

Joining Yamashita and Itoh on the show is Minoru Suzuki! But enough about him. Yamashita will be facing Nicole Matthews but it hasn’t been mentioned yet if Matthews will put the NEW Women’s Title on the line. Meanwhile Itoh’s match is against another Canadian wrestler, Cat Power.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe

Prepare yourselves, everyone. We are now at Wrestlemania Week. First up is Itoh’s appearance at Pandemonium Pro where she will team with Kidd Bandit against Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe.


WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X

One of the big indie shows of Mania Week is the Wrestlecon Supershow dedicated to the late Mark Hitchcock. Every year the show is highlighted with a 10-Man Tag and this year’s edition will be presented by TJPW! Will all 10 wrestlers in the match be TJPW exclusive or will one of the Americans connected to the promotion get to join in on the fun? There may be other surprises elsewhere on the card too because you never know who shows up.


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

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

This is not the full card yet. Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada still need to be put in a match. Them against each other is a no brainer unless there is some tag team out there they can join forces against. But I’d just go with Higuchi versus Masada.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh

The main event of TJPW’s first USA show is The Magical Sugar Rabbits versus 121000000! They will also be sending over Shoko Nakajima, Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Raku, Nao Kakuta, Suzume and Arisu Endo to take part on the show. The international talent taking part are The Wasteland War Party, Billie Starkz, Trish Adora and Janai Kai.


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

1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
5. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Yeah… Um… I wouldn’t choose this over the other DDT or TJPW shows in all honesty. But there are some positives to be found. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo is a Fire Pro match brought to life. Cole Radrick has gone deep into deathmatches over the last few years so him against Yoshihiko could turn out to be way more violent than it looks on paper. If this show is live on FITE then I’m pretty sure Bussy Vs Pheromones is going to get everyone kicked off the service.


PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Aja Kong and Shigehiro Irie are also wrestling on the show. Ultimo Dragon too. That’s neat.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

I’ll keep saying it. Itoh versus Gage for the GCW World Title is the match to do.


WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch

Yamashita is sticking around in the States until June and is probably going to fight every female wrestler of note in the country before she is done. Allie Katch is going to be one of her tougher opponents especially in a promotion as rowdy as Wrestling REVOLVER.


LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh

The WPP Vs 121000000 feud extends past the Princess Tag Titles match. Howitzer and Itoh will face each other one on one.


WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023
The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA

1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The West Coast Pro Women’s Champion will either be Masha Slamovich or Sandra Moone. They will have a match to become the first champion on 4th March and Yamashita will be the first challenger one month later.


HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Hoodslam’s motto is “Fuck The Fans”. I think Itoh will fit in over there just fine.


CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023
Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Capital Championship Wrestling is a women’s promotion based out of Houston.


UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
PA Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita

This place I have no idea about. Ultimate Wrestling Empire seems to be a new promotion and their tweet promoting this match is the only thing I can find about them. Yamashita sounds very excited to be wrestling Dani Mo.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata

Prestige continues to be treated like Yamashita’s home away from home. Her return to Portland will have Queen Aminata waiting for her.


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The shop owned by The Lucha Brothers likes to run their own wrestling shows every now and then. Their next one has Takeshita meeting Daga for the first time. We already know Bandit is a big Itoh fan. Are they a big admirer of Yamashita too or will they want to beat her as a favour to Itoh?


MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023
2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra

Remember that outdoor show where Takeshita fought JDX last year? Been a while since we heard from the folks over at Midwest All-Star Wrestling. Yamashita is heading over to their place for a match against Sierra.


AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023
Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita’s debut for AIW has my attention more than the other bookings because I want to hear what the people in the company will say about her on The Card Is Going To Change podcast.


ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023
The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

At the time of writing St. Louis Anarchy is the booking closest to the end of Yamashita’s expedition. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can still add a few late dates before she heads home. I’d be shocked if there were no AEW bookings during the three months she’s in America.

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Posted by JamieOD

Miu Vs Janai Tomorrow, Endo Misses This Weekend, Kingston & Akiyama Team Up In LA

February 17, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/02/2023
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. Hikari Noa & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino & HIMAWARI
2. 3 Way Match: Nao Kakuta Vs Haruna Neko Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Rika Tatsumi, Suzume & Arisu Endo
4. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Raku Vs Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Janai Kai
6. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Arai Vs Aja Kong & Moka Miyamoto

A press conference held earlier today had Miu Watanabe and Janai Kai meeting each other face to face. Watanabe said the more she defends the International Princess Title, the more new sights she will get to see. Her target is to defend the belt next month both at Ariake Coliseum and in America. She can still feel her potential to grow as champion so she cannot lose it tomorrow. Kai said it took her five years to finally wrestle in Japan and winning the IP Title tomorrow is part of her dream. She is friends with Watanabe’s previous challenger Trish Adora and has already gotten advice from her on how to deal with Watanabe’s power. Kai also warned the champion that she is wearing black today because this press conference is also a funeral for Watanabe’s title reign! Watanabe tried to respond in English, telling Kai “No!” and “Not!” over and over. She also tried to say tomorrow but kept stuttering. Mr. HAKU figured out Watanabe was actually saying “to-tomorrow” as in the day after tomorrow.

DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2023”, 18/02/2023
Aichi Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima (4) Vs Takeshi Masada (2)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (4) Vs Yuya Koroku (4)
3. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura
4. Kotaro Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi
5. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Yuki Ishida
6. DDT Extreme Title – Master Of Environment Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Akito
7. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Shinya Ishida
8. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs KANON

Tetsuya Endo will be off of this weekend’s shows due to illness. He tested negative for covid though so he will be back and ready in time for Keiji Muto’s retirement show on Tuesday. Yukio Sakaguchi moves up from the 4 Way Tag to replace Endo in Match #4. Gota Ihashi now takes up the empty slot in the 4 Way, with some teams mixed around to fit him in.

The last two block matches in the D GENERATIONS CUP are must-wins for everyone involved. Whoever wins their match goes through to the final. Toi Kojima has a little extra wriggle room because a draw against Takeshi Masada will also send him through. No such tiebreaker is there for Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku though.

DDT “HAMAMATSU TRAIN PRO WRESTLING”, 19/02/2023
Shizuoka Tenryu Hamanako Railway

1. Hiroshi Yamato Vs X

The illness means Endo has to miss the train wrestling match on Sunday.

NOAH “KEIJI MUTO GRAND FINAL PRO-WRESTLING “LAST” LOVE~HOLD OUT~”, 21/02/2023
Tokyo Dome

0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Offer Match – TJPW Spark: Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Rika Tatsumi Vs Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai
2. DDT Pro Wrestling Offer Match – Dramatic Dream Future: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada

I thought I blogged about this already but I didn’t. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are getting a match each on Keiji Muto’s retirement show at the Tokyo Dome next week. It will no doubt be the biggest wrestling event taking place in Japan this year. DDT’s match pits The 37KAMIINA against Endo and the three young wrestlers who best represents DDT’s future. TJPW are grouping together their four pillars to take on the generation tier that are right below them.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 2”, 04/03/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Saki Akai (c) Vs X
2. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs 26/2 Main Event Winner & D GENERATIONS CUP Winner

By the time February is over either HARASHIMA or Yukio Naya will be the No. 1 Contender for the KO-D Openweight Title. Once March begins the No. 1 Contender will begin facing off with Yuji Hino to build up their title match on the 21st. Whoever wins the D GENERATIONS CUP will also get bumped up the card too with a chance to fight both Hino & Sakaguchi in this tag match.

Saki Akai has been doing a good job keeping the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title in her grasp. She hasn’t been pinned or submitted since winning the title back in November.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 05/03/2023
Nagano City Art Center Act Space

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
2. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima

The Dragon Gene Trio of Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata will go to battle against The 37KAMIINA for the first time when DDT returns to Nagano.

Ihashi joins forces with Pheromones. No one will be safe from that image!

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

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
3. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
4. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

The respect Eddie Kingston earned from Jun Akiyama is paying off in spades. The two will now team up for the first time ever! Daisuke Sasaki is now going to show up in LA too so he & KANON are going to be their opponents.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

We’re probably going to get a Princess Tag Team Titles match on the show because The Wasteland War Party of Max the Impaler & Heidi Howitzer have been added to the lineup.

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

1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
5. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Akiyama will be teaming with Endo the next day. They are representing DDT while GCW are pairing together Homicide & Tony Deppen to face them.

Pheromones Vs BUSSY… Oh dear…

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Seafood Gimmicks Return, New GanJo Matches, Jado Alert Issued!

February 10, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 11/02/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Wakana Uehara Vs HIMAWARI
2. Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Raku, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
4. Yuki Arai Vs Pom Harajuku
5. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Hikari Noa & Janai Kai
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe & Suzume
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao

Yuka Sakazaki is back in Japan after her latest AEW tour and Janai Kai is in the country as well. Julia Nagano will also be at the show despite being unable to wrestle because of her finger injury.

There will be three announcements happening before the show begins. We know there are still a few trainees that have not debuted yet (Shino, Haru, Momo and Toga). Also The Up Up Girls social media has been teasing new music involving the Pro Wrestling arm of the unit.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 1”, 11/02/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (2) 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. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Chris Brookes, Akito, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida
6. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Sanshiro Takagi
7. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu Vs MJ Paul & KANON
8. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya

Noriyuki Yoshida usually only appears in DDT shows whenever they are in Sapporo. Getting the opportunity to team with BURNING is enough to make him travel to Yokohama.

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

Match #4 sounds like a nice, friendly kickabout on a Saturday night.

Does the name Kabuto Mitomi sound familiar? He used to appear regularly in Ganbare☆Pro and other places as Masayuki Mitomi. In 2019 he formed P.P.P Tokyo and changed his ring name to Kabuto Mitomi two years ago. His appearance here with Yumehito Imanari continues the growing relationship between GanPro and P.P.P.

The “Young Ganbare” wrestler takes on a member of the “Monthly Young Communication” generation when Munetatsu Nakamura faces Shota.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. D GENERATIONS CUP 6-Man Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block
3. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Naruki Doi & Makoto Oishi Vs Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Shishamo Power Vs Jun Akiyama & Unagi Mask
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs X & X
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine
7. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya

DDT is being sponsored by the Yamada Suisan seafood company again which means the return of the masked wrestlers Shishamo Power and Unagi Mask. The two of them were on the same team last time but now will be opponents the next time they step into the ring together. DDT will be doing a wrestling show with Yamada Suisan in April so don’t be surprised if some meat eating tough guys appear and provoke our seafood loving grapplers.

The international trio of Kip Sabian, Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno have another trios match together but this time they have the two big singles champions opposing them along with Makoto Oishi!

Everybody in the D GENERATIONS CUP who do not qualify for the final will take part in a 6-Man Tag Match.

GANBARE☆PRO “SHOOTING IN THE COLD RAIN, A GUN FOR PROMISE 2023”, 05/03/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takuya Wada
2. GanJo Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Miyuki Takase
3. GanJo Special Tag Match: HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & Asahi

More preparation going into the Ganbare☆Joshi restart in April. Asahi and Miyuki Takase are here to take on the home team joshi. Also, what does Moeka Haruhi make of all of this? She remains freelance and can sit on the fence while YuuRI and Yoshiko Hasegawa try to figure out how to relaunch a division.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM ONITA ~DDO HATAAGE BATTLE~”, 19/03/2023
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. Jado Alert Issued! Current Blast Jado Missile 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata

Warning! Warning! Jado alert! I’d be saying that if it referred to the pro wrestler but in this case Jado stands for “Japan-Danger-Onita”. It is an emergency system that will be installed into the wrestling ring for this exploding death match. When the system’s button is pressed, a countdown will begin warning the residents of Tsurumi that a missile is about to be launched into the ring! When the missile hits its target there will be a massive explosion.

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

1. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
2. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
3. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

Two new matches added to the card. First is ShunMao taking on the odd pairing of Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko. After that is a rematch from the D-Ou Grand Prix now set for Los Angeles. Joey Janela beat Tetsuya Endo in an upset last November.

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

1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
3. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Freshly announced while I was typing this up is the next GCW Vs DDT match. Kazusada Higuchi takes on a man currently without any friends on the GCW side. Blake Christian has been undefeated in GCW singles matches so far this year. Beating Higuchi will be a big accomplishment to add to his momentum.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan

1. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs X

There will be both a KO-D Openweight Title match and a DDT Universal Title match at the big Yokohama Budokan show.

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