DramaticDDT’s Predictions For 2024

December 24, 2023

Merry Christmas! I’m giving this another go despite how bad my predictions for 2023 went. What do I think is in store for DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Ganbare☆Pro, BASARA and maybe even CyberFight as a whole? It’s a tricky challenge this time because whenever I try guessing how 2024 will turn out, all I see is murkiness. There’s a weird contradiction in my thoughts about where wrestling is right now. On the one hand there is a status quo where all the companies around the world are positioned that I do not see changing anytime soon. But then there are changes within the companies themselves, some that are so unexpected that I have no idea what the entire scene will look like this time next year. Like of course WWE will be the top company on the planet but what does it turn into next as it finally moves away from Vince McMahon’s ideas and has the most fan goodwill it has probably ever had? AEW badly fell apart this year but the Continental Classic tournament is providing a nice set of building blocks to rebuild the company with. The problem is will Tony Khan want to use those blocks? It doesn’t help that the loudest podcasters in the room are constantly telling everyone that AEW should be more like WWE in the storyline department. That is my biggest pet peeve with wrestling at the moment, by the way. Whenever I hear people say every wrestling show should be a three ringed circus with something for everybody they’re really just saying “go be like WWE”. It’s the same voices that reject other companies for doing things differently.

And then there is Japan’s wrestling scene still trying to re-establish themselves post-pandemic. It’s mostly alright with some brief moments of greatness but there’s not a lot that has really caught my imagination this year compared to the 2010s. Show attendances week to week isn’t inspiring much hope in me either. It seems like homecoming shows and retirement matches can bring in crowds but outside of that a lot of companies are getting dwindling crowd numbers which has me worried. New Japan and Stardom will be fine as long as they can manage themselves properly. 2023 definitely gave Stardom a lot of lessons about show scheduling and injuries but they seem to be learning from it. All Japan discovering success again should also be a sign that there is still an audience out there in Japan that pro wrestling can appeal to. Now let’s see if this United Japan Pro Wrestling alliance is actually going to mean anything substantial.

Before I give you my predictions for 2024, here is how my 2023’s predictions went. Not very good it turns out.

DDT

✓. Mike Bailey wrestles a match in DDT again.
X. KANON outperforms Daisuke Sasaki.
X. Yuya Koroku becomes the next wrestler from DDT’s new generation (debuted 2020 onwards) to win a championship.
✓. Tetsuya Endo struggles to reclaim the top position in DDT.
X. Dramatic Dream Gate is revived.

The first one was by far the easiest prediction to make. It is basically the free spot on a bingo card. DDT going to America guaranteed that Mike Bailey would be on one of their shows. Although I do think the New Japan appearances he also made this year means he’s fully done with DDT in Japan. KANON is slowly getting pushed but I wouldn’t put his work above Daisuke Sasaki’s in 2023. Hideki Okatani was the breakout in the new generation, not Yuya Koroku like I expected. Tetsuya Endo is definitely struggling and I’ll get back to that point later. No Dramatic Dream Gate revival because DDT worked with All Japan instead of Dragongate.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

X. At least 3 women who originally came from Actwres girl’Z will appear in TJPW and at least 1 of them becomes a regular roster member.
X. An outsider wins the Princess Of Princess Title.
X. Maki Itoh gets to No. 1 on a iTunes or Spotify chart somewhere in the world.
X. A woman from Sakisama’s past comes back to haunt her.
X. Sasha Banks appears at Grand Princess ’23.

Oh so now Actwres girl’Z gets their act together and stops leaking talent left, right and centre! TJPW’s roster growth all came from training their own rookies and bringing in foreign wrestlers. An outsider did become champion but it was Max The Impaler winning the International Princess Title, not the Princess Of Princess Title. No idea how to look up music chart data but if Maki Itoh got No. 1 somewhere we would have heard about it. My Sakisama fantasy booking was inspired by the rumour of CyberFight wanting to sign Maya Yukihi. If Mercedes Moné does end up going back to WWE then the hype surrounding her for an entire year was an absolute waste of time for everyone else involved.

Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling

✓. Some of the wrestlers Shota worked with in America get booked for Ganpro.
X. Keisuke Ishii wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Title.
1/2✓. Ganpro creates a tag team championship and builds it around mixed tag wrestling.
X. Ganbare☆Joshi runs their own show in Korakuen Hall.
X. Kota Ibushi wrestles a match in Ganpro.

Shota’s American excursion got the likes of Dan The Dad and Kody Lane booked in Japan. Keisuke Ishii did get a Spirit Of Ganbare Title but lost that match to Mizuki Watase in one of Ganpro’s best matches of the year. We did get the Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles created and it does allow intergender teams. However it has not been the focal point of the title’s existence yet so I only got it half right. No standalone Ganbare☆Joshi show in Korakuen Hall yet but I think it is only a matter of time before it happens. Who on earth would have guessed Kota Ibushi’s first match back would be in GCW?

Miscellaneous

X. Gake no Fuchi Joshi crosses over with Baka Gaijin + Friends.
X. AEW will host another event in Japan with DDT & TJPW involvement.
X. CyberFight adds another promotion to their portfolio.
X. A brand new puroresu console game gets announced.
✓. BASARA does something new and different.

I’m kind of surprised Miyako Matsumoto hasn’t shown up in Baka Gaijin + Friends yet. It seems like her kind of wrestling but I can’t tell what goes through her mind on most days. AEW seems to have developed less interest in the Japanese scene while they go through something of an identity crisis heading into the fifth year of their existence. No new wrestling brand for CyberFight but there is the United Japan Pro Wrestling brand attaching the big wrestling companies together. No new puroresu game which makes me sad. AEW: Fight Forever is fine and I bet has a good base to create a better sequel. Will that happen though? The last prediction is also the best one for me. BASARA made Banana Senga their champion! That was definitely something new and different.

———————————————————————–

So yeah, let’s ignore all that and get on to next year’s predictions. I came up with 20 predictions for 2024 spread across four categories. Five for DDT, five for Tokyo Joshi Pro, five for Ganbare☆Pro and five guesses that apply to anything attached to BASARA and the CyberFight promotions. I’m also listing them in order from easy to hard, likely to unlikely, mild to spicy, etc. I came up with these predictions using booking patterns, reading tea leaves and coming up with ideas that are just as creative as they are plausible.

DDT

Prediction: Naomi Yoshimura returns from injury and gets a singles push.

It’s been over a year since Naomi Yoshimura last wrestled a match. What’s promising though is his regular appearances seconding the other wrestlers in Harimao. There’s also glimpses on his social media of him training in the DDT dojo again. It at least suggests he will be back in the ring sooner or later. When Yoshimura took time off to recover from a herniated disc he said he wanted to reclaim the KO-D Tag Team Titles for Harimao when he returns. I think too much time has past for that to be his only goal. He should instead focus on catching up with Yuki Ueno. My fingers are crossed he is able to come back, stay healthy and win some accomplishments by himself.

Prediction: Kento Miyahara will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”.

At no point this year did I expect DDT and All Japan to be doing inter-promotional matches with each other. What a great thing that turned out to be though. Adding a few DDT Vs AJPW matches on shows here and there spiced up the midcard for both companies. It had history to play off of because of Jun Akiyama’s involvement. It is helping Yukio Naya develop into the heavyweight DDT wants him to be thanks to the feud with The Saito Brothers that will likely continue in AJPW. Eruption got to start their new chapter without Saki Akai by winning the All Asia Tag Team Titles and giving Yukio Sakaguchi an achievement he can now share with his father. Eruption also entered the Real World Tag League which gave Hideki Okatani some valuable experience. I want this working relationship to continue in 2024 and I know the best place where it can reach its climax. DDT will likely have a big guest for their Sumo Hall show in July. Bring on over AJPW’s biggest star Kento Miyahara to liven up the place! He would be a great singles match opponent for somebody like Yuki Ueno or Kazusada Higuchi. He’s definitely someone who Ueno should learn from about how to be a showman in the ring.

Prediction: Sanshiro Takagi fights Hiroshi Tanahashi in a battle of the presidents!

This week New Japan announced Hiroshi Tanahashi has become the new president of the company. Now he has a lot more in common with Sanshiro Takagi. Now Tanahashi has an awkward history with DDT but that was years ago and I’m sure it’s all water under the bridge. But just in case there’s still some bad blood there is always the wrestling ring right there for them to settle their differences. Two presidents of different wrestling companies having a match against each other is the kind of idea Takagi would jump on and I think Tanahashi would be game for it. United Japan Pro Wrestling is going to need something a little bit novel to put on their Budokan Hall card in the summer. Why not this in the midcard?

Prediction: Somebody (or something) from WWE wins the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.

WWE looking to carve out their place in Japan is a topic that gets brought up a lot online. This year finally saw the company make their move when they signed a broadcasting deal with ABEMA and also got increased presence in Shukan Puroresu magazine. There were also points throughout the year when Shinsuke Nakamura would pop up. He headlined a big show for NOAH as the final opponent for The Great Muta. He also filmed a special message for Saki Akai that was shown to her during her retirement ceremony. If that’s not enough, on the day I am writing this paragraph All Japan are teasing that the mystery challenger for a Triple Crown title match on 3rd January could be coming from NXT. So if WWE in Japan really is happening, we might as well have some fun with it before everything gets ruined again. DDT will be in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania week and that usually means the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title will be going along for the ride. It’s only a matter of time before somebody in the WWE gets to win the championship for even the briefest of moments. Now I’m not expecting Cody Rhodes to win it in front of 50,000 people to finish the story. But somebody involved with the company hanging out at WrestleCon and taking their chance to win a 24/7 title just to amuse themselves? That sounds more likely. This prediction also applies to any item, prop or official piece of merchandise tied to WWE. If a Jey Uso “Yeet” shirt becomes champion then it counts!

Prediction: Tetsuya Endo should go on an overseas excursion.

This is not so much of a prediction but more a piece of advice. After thinking of ways for Tetsuya Endo to get out of the current position he is in, the best idea I can come up with is for him to go wrestle overseas for a while. Whether that is a several month stay in America or going on weekend trips to Europe every couple of months, he badly needs a change of pace in a new surrounding. Get him in there with Gringo Loco in GCW, have Shigehiro Irie show him the (lack of) sights in Oberhausen during a wXw tournament weekend, book him on ROH so he can travel around with the AEW crew, seat him in the front row behind the commentary table at an NXT taping. He should go broaden his horizons because the direction DDT put him in as Kenta Kobashi’s protégé is not working.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Prediction: Somebody from the 2023 Class scores a pinfall on a TJPW veteran.

We got six rookies in 2023 and they have all been fun to watch as they learn on the job and figure out who they want to be. Wakana Uehara winning the New Generation Tournament shows that TJPW have faith in her becoming an important part of the roster if she sticks with them. HIMAWARI had her character down flat from day one and her match against Uehara in the final is a great example of how to create a dramatic match with limited movesets. Toga is capturing everyone’s hearts one big Elbow Smash at a time (although really you should thank Hikari Noa for selling that move like a champ), Shino Suzuki has the bonus advantage of being in The Up Up Girls and we might end up with a future generational rivalry between Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo as they learn different wrestling styles separate from each other. Talent development for TJPW needs to be coming quick and fast if there is a need to replace the likes of Yuka Sakazaki. Young blood needs to be beating veterans eventually and it is more likely to happen than you think. Remember, TJPW holds a couple of one day tournaments throughout the year with matches that end in 2 Count pinfalls. That’s where you can see Uehara suddenly beat Mahiro Kiryu or Toga only needing to roll up Kaya Toribami for two seconds to get her hand raised. I don’t expect it to be on the level of Arisu Endo pinning Shoko Nakajima out of nowhere but somebody from the 2023 class is going to get a moment in the spotlight her senpai’s expense in 2024.

Prediction: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi finally happens… in the Tokyo Princess Cup.

When Mizuki’s reign as the Princess Champion ended there was one thing that left me completely baffled. Why was there never a title defence against Rika Tatsumi? One of the longest running pieces of character lore in TJPW is Tatsumi’s crush on Mizuki going all the way back to 2018 when Tatsumi wanted to banish the Forbidden Three rules the in-house roster had to follow because nobody was sure if “No Boyfriends” also meant “No Girlfriends”. Fast forward to 2023 and we got a very good 2-Vs-1 Handicap Match between Daydream and Mizuki where Tatsumi battled those feelings in order to beat her crush. Nothing ever came out of it and to be fair it never intended to be more than an emergency replacement match due to Sakazaki getting injured. TJPW also has an odd thing where some of their big singles matches only ever happen in the Tokyo Princess Cup, either as a 1st Round match to eliminate a top contender early or as a random drawing in the final stages of the tournament. So I think if we ever do get Mizuki Vs Tatsumi, it will be at the Princess Cup instead of a big singles title bout.

Prediction: Maki Itoh wins the GCW World Heavyweight Championship.

I think odds are really good for Maki Itoh to win one of GCW’s championships next year given she is one of the bigger attractions for the group nowadays. Her winning the tag team titles with Nick Gage is an obvious direction to go. But I want to go all in for this prediction. GCW has Blake Christian as their long term heel world champion and groundwork has been laid down for a Blake Vs Gage title match down the road. But we’ve been there, done that with Gage as the top babyface champion for GCW. This is a company that doesn’t mind doing wacky novelty booking with their titles. So how about Itoh unexpectedly gets a title match with Blake, maybe Money In The Bank style and she shockingly beats him for the GCW Title? It would be the peak of her run with the company, that’s for sure.

Prediction: Aja Kong takes on a regular role in TJPW.

Just like how Jun Akiyama became a coach in DDT, I’d like to see Aja Kong do something similar in TJPW. She has been a guest for so many shows at this point it’s not like she would be a stranger to everyone there. Whether it is coaching the youngsters, becoming a matchmaker or just keeping a stern eye on Tetsuya Koda so he won’t lose focus Kong would have a wealth of knowledge to offer the company. And maybe then we get a payoff for her rivalry with Max The Impaler.

Prediction: Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh remain with TJPW for the year.

I’m testing fate with this one, aren’t I? Miyu Yamashita has done almost everything there is to do in TJPW and Maki Itoh spends so much time in America she’s currently divorced from what’s going on in her home promotion. And yet I just don’t believe both of them are ready to graduate from TJPW like Yuka Sakazaki did. At least not in the next 12 months. Yamashita and Itoh will definitely have plenty of American bookings for everyone to look forward to in 2024. But leaving TJPW to focus on that entirely? I don’t think so. They will still have TJPW as their home base.

Ganbare☆Pro

Prediction: Ken Ohka Wins The Spirit Of Ganbare Title From Isami Kodaka

The ways that Ken Ohka and Isami Kodaka have been booked in GanPro this year makes this in my opinion the likeliest prediction to come true. Kodaka is cleaving through the roster with title defence after title defence while Ohka, the main guy behind all of GanPro, has been kept away from the title picture for over a year and a half. Ohka is always fighting from the bottom as the underdog so him never winning the Spirit Of Ganbare Title would fit how he books himself. However that’s not how pro wrestling works and there is bound to be a day when he finally gets his hands on his own promotion’s championship.

Prediction: The Ganbare☆Climax returns.

The last time GanPro held a tournament called the Ganbare☆Climax was in 2021 and that was to crown their first SOG Champion. It would be nice to see it come back to determine a No. 1 Contender during the year. GanPro held tournaments for the Young Ganbare Cup and the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles this year but they both felt like one-offs. That clears up the schedule for a single elimination tournament to happen whenever they want.

Prediction: Yuna Manase returns from injury and feuds with YuuRI.

One of the key additions to GanPro this year was the relaunch of the Ganbare☆Joshi division built around YuuRI, Yoshiko Hasegawa and Riara. Sadly Yuna Manase was relegated to a GM role while she recovers from her ACL injury. YuuRI in particular put in the work to become the face of the GanJo division in her absence. So let’s say that Manase is able to wrestle again in 2024. Would she be willing to play second fiddle to YuuRI? Or will history continue to be a circle and Manase now finds herself as the veteran unwilling to let the new generation surpass her? Wouldn’t that be interesting given Manase’s feud with Yuu Yamagata a few years ago was over the same idea? YuuRI still has a lot to prove and the dynamic could make Hasegawa and Riara choose sides until the matter is resolved. Build it up to one big singles match and it could end up being a lot of fun to follow.

Prediction: A mixed gender tag team wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles.

I admit this is just a repackaged prediction I made last year about the SOG Tag Titles being built around intergender wrestling. There’s only been one title defence so far featuring a mixed gender team and that was when Lethal Weapon (Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE) were the challengers. I like seeing them team together but I fear that match in August was their only chance, at least while Ground Absolute hold the belts/trophies. There are always other people in GanPro for HARUKAZE to team with and also Banny Oikawa is now with GanPro mostly to do mixed tags. I bet it is only a matter of time before it happens.

Prediction: A Stardom wrestler appears on a Ganbare☆Joshi show.

Another factor of GanJo’s return this year was seeing that roster interact with wrestlers from TJPW, Ice Ribbon, Marvelous, Diana and more. YuuRI even brought over Ice Ribbon’s main championship for a title defence on a GanJo show. Now let’s add Stardom to the list through the UJNW connection. Stardom and TJPW will probably stay being icy towards each other but Yuna Manase and YuuRI both got to wrestle on a Stardom show in 2022. I see talk online about how cool it would be if all the joshi companies get together in 2024 for a major arena show to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of “BIG EGG UNIVERSE”. Something like that was kind of done in 2022 to celebrate 60 years of Korakuen Hall and even then that had some bruised egos coming out of it when Shukan Puroresu only put Starlight Kid on the front cover at the expense of everyone else involved who were not associated with Stardom. Also TJPW stayed away from the show too which again, some icy relationships are probably going on there. So let’s keep this prediction on a much smaller level and just say a Stardom wrestler shows up at a GanJo event.

Miscellaneous

Prediction: A DDT wrestler makes a full time jump over to BASARA.

Appearances from Kazusada Higuchi during the last quarter of 2023 helped freshen up BASARA a little bit. They’re not a company I expect much change from going forward but they could do with adding another full timer to their roster. Even though they are independent there is history with a DDT wrestler deciding they are better off jumping over to BASARA (or Union Pro before that) so they can play a bigger role at shows. It could be a veteran who already wrestles in BASARA and no longer seeing themselves being relevant in DDT (*cough*Soma Takao*cough*) or maybe one of the younger, less experienced wrestlers are looking for a change of pace. Ilusion for example seems to get along with that group well. Someone from that age group would turn into a rival for Munetatsu Nakamura too if that were to happen.

Prediction: Konosuke Takeshita wrestles in the main event of an AEW PPV.

It is really annoying to see Konosuke Takeshita being wasted in The Don Callis Family storyline. It is also annoying that the next step of the angle is the group using Freebird rules that will obviously set up Sammy Guevara’s return to TV rather than giving more focus to Takeshita or Powerhouse Hobbs for that matter. So what is it that has me thinking Takeshita can be in a PPV main event next year? Just the numbers game, really. AEW are adding more PPVs to their schedule so that should be more opportunities for new title challengers. Also if this storyline continues without Kenny Omega and just becomes the Family feuding with Chris Jericho there is can be something like a new Anarchy In The Arena happening to close out one of the PPVs.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki becomes the first ROH Women’s TV Champion.

Sakazaki is getting ready for the next chapter in her pro wrestling life. Given how AEW presents their women’s division, she is probably going to get more time in ROH instead. She already had her shot at Athena and the regular ROH Women’s Title but the group now has something new to fight for. A brand new ROH Women’s TV Title was recently revealed and Sakazaki would make a great choice to be its first champion.

Prediction: Baka Gaijin + Friends runs a show at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.

When I wrote a preview for the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” main event I compared the Baka Gaijin + Friends shows to DDT’s Beer Garden shows. There’s a warm vibe and fun atmosphere to these matches that take place in such a small venue. I think the series has become popular enough that Chris Brookes can go from 50 fans in ARENA Shimokitazawa to a triple digit attendance in Shin-Kiba 1st RING, the place where DDT hosted Beer Garden for many years. See it like Gatoh Move running ChocoPro in Ichigaya on the regular and then every once in a while they move up to a place where a full scale wrestling ring can be set up. As long as the drinks still flow the crowd will be with them all the way.

Prediction: The 2024 New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Tournament lasts past midnight again.

It used to be that the final show of the year in Korakuen Hall goes beyond midnight into the early hours of the new year. It hasn’t been that way for a while because of restrictions coming out of the pandemic. Unfortunately I think a reason why this year’s edition still has an early evening start is because the show is not much of a draw anymore. But I want to be proven wrong so Korakuen fans get to count down the new year in the middle of a semi-final tag team match again.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki gets arrested for assaulting Mickey Mouse at Disney World.

She’s your problem now, Tony!


Video – Ohka Vs Imanari From Ganbare☆Climax 2017

May 6, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2017 1ST ROUND”, 11/08/2017
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
141 Fans – No Vacancy

Ganbare☆Climax – Round 1: Ken Ohka Vs Yumehito Imanari


Video – Ganpro’s Best Matches Of 2021

February 27, 2022

A fan vote was held by Ganbare☆Pro in January to decide promotion’s best matches of 2021. The top 3 matches would be uploaded to Ganpro’s Youtube channel. Two matches finished tied in 3rd place so four matches in total were uploaded.

1. Yuna Manase Vs Yuu Yamagata (19/12/2021)
2. Keisuke Ishii Vs Shigehiro Irie (25/09/2021)
3. Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs Yumehito Imanari (23/11/2021)
-. Ken Ohka & Isami Kodaka Vs HARASHIMA & Kengo Mashimo (25/09/2021)

GANBARE☆JOSHI “PROTECT YOU AND LOVE YOU 2021”, 19/12/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
168 Fans – No Vacancy

Ganjo Three Special Singles Match: Yuna Manase Vs Yuu Yamagata

GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION -ULTRA PLEASURE STYLE 2021”, 25/09/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
396 Fans

Ganpro Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Shigehiro Irie

GANBARE☆PRO “LEC CLEANPA! PRESENTS GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 FINAL ROUND”, 23/11/2021
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
141 Fans

Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title – Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs Yumehito Imanari

GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION -ULTRA PLEASURE STYLE 2021”, 25/09/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
396 Fans

Ken Ohka 20th Anniversary Special Tag Match ~Roar Of The Lion King~: Ken Ohka & Isami Kodaka Vs HARASHIMA & Kengo Mashimo


Video – Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs Mizuki Watase From Ganbare☆Climax 2021

December 15, 2021

GANBARE☆PRO “LEC CLEANPA! PRESENTS GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 2ND ROUND”, 07/11/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
121 Fans

Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2: Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs Mizuki Watase


GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 FINAL ROUND” Results

November 23, 2021

GANBARE☆PRO “LEC CLEANPA! PRESENTS GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 FINAL ROUND”, 23/11/2021
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
141 Fans

1. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Semi-Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Shuichiro Katsumura with the Death Valley Bomb (13:36).
2. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Semi-Final: Yumehito Imanari defeated Tetsuhiro Kuroda with the Lou Thesz Press (10:57).
3. Ganpro Special Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Baliyan Akki defeated Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Haruhi pinned YuuRI with the Diving Foot Stomp (12:23).
4. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Taison Maeguchi defeated Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga when Ohka pinned Tominaga with the Flame Spear (9:42).
5. Wakadori Vs DNA! Ganpro Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao defeated Kouki Iwasaki Vs Mizuki Watase when Shota pinned Watase with the Frog Splash (16:12).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title – LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Yumehito Imanari with the Avalanche Death Valley Bomb (12:37).
*Tatsuhito Takaiwa becomes the 1st Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Champion!

History has been made as Ganbare☆Pro has crowned its own champion! Tatsuhito Takaiwa is the last man left standing to win Ganbare☆Climax 2021 after he beat Yumehito Imanari in the final. Imanari put up a brave fight but a barrage of Takaiwa’s signature moves could not be stopped. The Death Valley Bomb, the Takaiwa Driller and another Death Valley Bomb this time from the top rope made Takaiwa the tournament winner. His reward is the brand new Spirit Of Ganbare Championship! He said he did his best as a 49 year old. His goal as champion is to raise the belt to the same level as the IWGP and GHC championships. He’ll be happy to support Ganpro as champion as long as they bring him a variety of challengers.

Imanari is left to think over how he did in the tournament. His way of life is indie wrestling with the spirit of FMW in his heart but today he experienced the powerful “Lion’s Mark” that stands on top of the wrestling world. Just like how the “Lion’s Mark” have people who sweat in their dojo to reach to the top, Imanari will get to the same destination from a muddier path.

In the semi-finals Takaiwa braced himself for what Shuichiro Katsumura could do to him on the mat. Katsumura needed a gameplan and figured out taking his opponent to the ground would be his best bet. Takaiwa toughed it out and got to use the Takaiwa Driller, Lariat and Death Valley Bomb to make his way to the final. Katsumura knew he had the right idea. He just wishes he could have gotten a few more holds in, then he would have won. The other semi-final saw Imanari survive 12 Lariats in a row from Tetsuhiro Kuroda. He struck back with his own Lariat that knocked Kuroda off-balance. Seeing his opportunity, Imanari switched over to Elbow Strikes including a Rolling Elbow. Kuroda’s guard was taken down and he got pinned with the Lou Thesz Press. Today happens to also be Kuroda’s 50th birthday. He would have loved to have won the Spirit Of Ganbare Title to celebrate it.

The new team of Shota & Soma Takao came out wearing matching gear to show their commitment towards this new union. After they won their match they announced their team name is ROMANCE DAWN. They are starting a new adventure together to turn the pro wrestling world in over its head! This tag team wants to go cross-promotional so they can be in both Ganpro and DDT.

At the end of the show Mizuki Watase approached Ken Ohka and Shinjiro Otani thanking them for booking him today. He likes being at the shows and wrestling for the Ganpro fans. He then asked if he can transfer from DDT to Ganpro! He hasn’t told DDT management yet but he wants to fight in the Ganpro ring from now on. Ohka wants to accept Watase’s request but he has to negotiate with DDT first.


Ganbare☆Climax Finals Tomorrow, BASARA Anniversaries, D-Ou Final Is Set

November 22, 2021

GANBARE☆PRO “LEC CLEANPA! PRESENTS GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 FINAL ROUND”, 23/11/2021
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Semi-Final: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa
2. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Semi-Final: Yumehito Imanari Vs Tetsuhiro Kuroda
3. Ganpro Special Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Baliyan Akki
4. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Taison Maeguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Wakadori Vs DNA! Ganpro Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Kouki Iwasaki Vs Mizuki Watase
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title – LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Final: X Vs X

We already saw what Shuichiro Katsumura and Yumehito Imanari have been doing to prepare for the Ganbare☆Climax finals. This week the outsiders Tetsuhiro Kuroda and Tatsuhito Takaiwa were interviewed about their thoughts over the tournament. Kuroda was so impressed by Ken Ohka taking so many Lariats in their match that he wants him to be his first challenger if he becomes the first Spirit Of Ganbare Champion. He understands that Imanari is growing stronger but Kuroda has been wrestling for 29 years now. He wants to win because he can.

Takaiwa has mixed opinions on his tournament matches so far. Taison Maeguchi is a complete novice in pro wrestling so Takaiwa only cared about bringing out his feelings in the ring. The match against Mizuki Watase however felt more like pro wrestling. Both matches warmed Takaiwa’s heart in some way. He will be cautious against Katsumura but believes he has the heart to win the tournament. If he wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Title then he will have a Triple Crown of indie titles made up of that, the UWA World Jr. Title and the WEW Jr. Title. Takaiwa was also the first ever IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champion with Shinjiro Otani. Since Otani has a relationship with Ganbare☆Pro that means Takaiwa has no choice but to become the first Spirit Of Ganbare Champion!

BASARA “BASARA 175 ~THE 15TH FOX PRINCE~”, 27/11/2021
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Daiki Shimomura Vs Lil Kraken
2. Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT Vs Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato
3. Give Up Only Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Masahiro Takanashi
4. Gouma 16th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto & Fuminori Abe Vs FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
5. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino

Two anniversaries are being celebrated by BASARA later this week. Gouma has his 16th anniversary in wrestling. However he will not be at the show that is celebrating his career. What is this, Survivor Series?

BASARA “BASARA 176 ~THE 16TH FOX PRINCE~”, 27/11/2021
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Isami Kodaka Vs Lil Kraken
2. 3 Way Match: FUMA Vs Daiki Shimomura Vs Yasu Urano
3. Yusuke Kubo Vs Masato Kamino
4. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
5. Ryota Nakatsu 7th Anniversary Match: Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Fuminori Abe & Takato Nakano

Thankfully Ryota Nakatsu will be at the show to celebrate his 7th year as a pro wrestler.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II THE FINAL”, 05/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Mizuki Watase
1. Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito, Saki Akai & Toui Kojima
2. Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II Special 10-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo, Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Bodyguard Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, MAO & Yuji Okabayashi
5. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Soma Takao
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The final is all about The 37KAMIINA. High school classmates Yuki Ueno and Konosuke Takeshita both won their blocks and have a big clash set for Korakuen Hall. Takeshita is unbeaten in this tournament while holding the KO-D Openweight Title. Ueno has climbed tooth and nail past a very difficult cast of opponents to meet his friend up at the top.

Daisuke Sasaki revealed that around ten years ago, Soma Takao made him eat dog food. He didn’t give much detail as to why it happened but the humiliation never left him. All this time they were together in DAMNATION and Sasaki let his anger over it linger. Apparently this was all part of a very long term plan. Sasaki brought Takao into DAMNATION just so he could eventually attack him from behind and make him eat dog food!

All of the D-Ou Grand Prix participants who failed to make the final are in a big 10-Man Tag Match. It’s the A Block Vs the B Block!

Two weeks before their Current Blast Death Match, Pheromones get Sanshiro Takagi all to themselves in a Handicap Match. Takagi has to have a trick up his sleeve otherwise why would he end up in a situation like this?

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 12/12/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. DDT Extreme Title – No Seconds Rule: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari

The DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi has accused Yumehito Imanari as being the root of all evil behind the existence of Pheromones. He is calling in Shinya Aoki to deal with Imanari and get rid of him. Aoki also decided to put the DDT Extreme Title on the line and used his power as champion to ban all ringside attendants. That means Pheromones cannot be in Imanari’s corner. Imanari promised the match will still be indecent and he can’t wait for Aoki to experience it.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2021”, 18/12/2021
Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Hyper Misao
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Susumu Yokosuka, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Akito
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Death Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) Vs Atsushi Onita, Sanshiro Takagi & Kuro-chan

Hyper Misao felt left out when Shunma Katsumata didn’t include her in yesterday’s Hardcore Dark Match. She also wants revenge for The 37KAMIINA humiliating her at the Tokyo Dome last month. The solution is to challenge Katsumata to a Hardcore Match!

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021
Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium

0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Vent Vert Jack
1. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs X

Two birthday gifts were given to Kazuki Hirata for next month’s big show in Nagoya. He is confused about both. He doesn’t understand why he is getting a match against Shuji Kondo because they never wrestled before despite being connected via DRAGONGATE. Hirata also doesn’t know why bringing in Maku Donaruto is a present for him.


Ganbare☆Climax Training, Atsumare Entetsu no Mori, All Rise

November 19, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “IT’S TIME TO GO”, 20/11/2021
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Yuki Aino Vs Moka Miyamoto
2. Hyper Misao Vs Arisu Endo
3. 3 Way Match: Marika Kobashi Vs Moka Miyamoto Vs Mahiro Kiryu
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Mizuki Vs Suzume & Haruna Neko
5. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Nodoka Tenma, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, Hikari Noa, Shoko Nakajima & Rika Tatsumi

Earlier today Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh signed the contract for their Princess Tag Team Titles match on 25th November. Yuka Sakazaki was absent from the press conference so Mizuki signed the contract under her name on her behalf. 121000000 were unhappy that Mizuki was allowed to do that but the contract is deemed valid anyway.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 21/11/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Akito & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura, Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
0. Dark Match Shunma Katsumata Produce – My First Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yuji Hino, MAO & Yukio Naya
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama (4) Vs Bodyguard (4)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA (0) Vs Yuji Okabayashi (7)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita (7) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (4)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (6) Vs Yuki Ueno (4)

On an interview with Yahoo Japan today, Tetsuya Endo talked about the potential D-Ou Grand Prix final. He is confident he will beat Yuki Ueno because Ueno has already fought all of the biggest opponents in their block and is damaged coming into this match. However Endo is not going to let his guard down and is aiming for the win. He can qualify for the final with a draw but Endo wants to win. He doesn’t like either Konosuke Takeshita or Yuji Okabayashi but would rather face Takeshita in the final to make it clear he is better than him.

Endo wants to end 2021 on a high note because he has a big plan for 2022. He wants to launch his own unit! Endo has been part of Happy Motels and DAMNATION but has never been a true leader of his own stable. He had a one off trial run with Pheromones at the Tokyo Dome but it wasn’t for him (he was happy showing off his butt though). Instead, Endo has his own ideas. He is temporarily naming this unit Atsumare Entetsu no Mori and as an insect lover he wants the logo to look like a beetle. The potential unit will have three ironclad rules: 1) Do not gamble or play pachinko. 2) Do not drink every day. 3) Aim to get married. Endo already lives by these rules and think they give him a fulfilling lifestyle. He has begun looking for candidates to join his new group.

GANBARE☆PRO “LEC CLEANPA! PRESENTS GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 FINAL ROUND”, 23/11/2021
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. Wakadori Vs DNA! Ganpro Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Kouki Iwasaki Vs Mizuki Watase
2. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Taison Maeguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Ganpro Special Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Baliyan Akki
4. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Semi-Final: Yumehito Imanari Vs Tetsuhiro Kuroda
5. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Semi-Final: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title – LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Final: X Vs X

The Ganbare☆Pro regulars still left in the Ganbare☆Climax have been hard at training for the final rounds. Shuichiro Katsumura held a practice session with Ken Ohka and Minoru Fujita to work out how to beat Tatsuhito Takaiwa. He figured Fujita knows him well and would be a good instructor. Unfortunately Fujita came to practice in a bad mood because he spilled coffee over his hoodie on the train ride over. Also Ohka isn’t able to copy Takaiwa’s moveset so Katsumura easily countering all of his attacks doesn’t mean much. An angry Fujita told Katsumura that Takaiwa won’t be that easy and he cannot take him lightly. Katsumura left the training disappointed that he didn’t come out of it with a proper gameplan.

Meanwhile Yumehito Imanari spent his training learning how to resist the Lariat. Tetsuhiro Kuroda used that move loads of times to beat Ohka in the previous round. He called up Miss Mongol with the logic that learning from an FMW wrestler will help him beat another FMW wrestler. Mongol’s husband Akinaga Toyomoto attended the training as an observer. Imanari endured dozens of Lariats until Toyomoto pointed out that Mongol was using her right arm. The training might not be very helpful because Kuroda Lariats with his left arm. Mongol said it doesn’t matter because Imanari is being infused with the souls of FMW. If Imanari makes it to the final, he promises to fight even if his stamina is gone. He is determined to become the first Spirit Of Ganbare Champion!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’21”, 25/11/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

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

121000000 understand the big task ahead of them. The Magical Sugar Rabbits have been champions twice and hold the record for most title defences. Yamashita thinks her bond with Itoh is strong enough to help them win. Itoh is skeptical and made Yamashita declare her love for her to prove she really wants to win the tag titles. Yamashita also wants to avenge her loss to Mizuki at the Tokyo Princess Cup and is hoping the match comes down to them against each other one on one. Mizuki likes her because it is the easiest to fight with. She also knows full well how strong Itoh has become. But she thinks their flippant bond isn’t enough to beat her and Sakazaki.

Although they trained and debuted together at the same time, Hikari Noa and Miu Watanabe came from different roads. Before they became wrestlers Noa always loved pro wrestling while Watanabe didn’t know a thing about it. Watanabe says it is because of Noa that she worked hard and earned success in Tokyo Joshi Pro. Little by little she is turning her efforts into confidence. Noa said they are aiming for the same place but following their own paths. She will achieve the record for most International Princess Title defences if she wins.

Yuki Arai has her first singles match in a long time which makes her nervous (she’s only had three singles bouts so far). She wants to show her growth against a strong senior like Rika Tatsumi. It’s a big deal, even Tatsumi will tell you that. She believes pro wrestling is a projection of her life and she has changed a lot of people’s lives. Her examples include preventing Hyper Misao from retiring and inspiring Suzume to become a wrestler. She wants this match to be a big bang that will change Arai’s life! How Arai will change is up to her. Tatsumi is just the spark in this situation.

DDT “YUTO AIJIMA RETIREMENT SHOW ~YUTO FINAL ROAD~”, 08/12/2021
Fukuoka Omuta City 2nd Civic Gymnasium

1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yusuka Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata & Akito & Saki Akai
3. Special Tag Match: Kazushi Miyamoto & Yuji Hino Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Hideki Okatani
4. Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya
5. Yuto Aijima Retirement Match ~Yuto FINAL ROAD~: Yuto Aijima, Sanshiro Takagi, Mitsuya Nagai & Tetsuya Endo Vs Jun Akiyama, Akitoshi Saito, Muhammad Yone & HARASHIMA

Kazushi Miyamoto is one of the guests coming in to see Yuto Aijima’s retirement.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 TOUR IN MAEBASHI”, 11/12/2021
Gunma YAMADA Green Dome Maebashi Sub-Event Area

1. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Tetsuya Endo & Akito Vs Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
3. Maebashi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes

Will Akito be the first person to join Atsumare Entetsu no Mori? Could it by Yoshiaki Yatsu!?!


Kojima Joins The 37KAMIINA, Ganbare☆Climax Finals, Final Ganjo Show Of 2021

November 8, 2021

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN OSAKA”, 14/11/2021
Osaka 176BOX

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yuya Koroku
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Bodyguard
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuji Okabayashi
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs MAO

The 6-Man Tag has been changed into a 3 Way Tag Match. Toui Kojima is now part of The 37KAMIINA so he has to be on the same team with Shunma Katsumata. Rather than just switch one wrestler each, DDT still wants the existing teams sticking together for the match so they decided to make it a 3 Way instead.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 21/11/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Akito & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura, Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yuji Hino, MAO & Yukio Naya
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase
4. Shunma Katsumata Produce Match – My First Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Bodyguard
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA Vs Yuji Okabayashi

Kojima and Yuya Koroku swap teams in the Hardcore Match.

GANBARE☆PRO “LEC CLEANPA! PRESENTS GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 FINAL ROUND”, 23/11/2021
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. Wakadori Vs DNA! Ganpro Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Kouki Iwasaki Vs Mizuki Watase
2. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Taison Maeguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Ganpro Special Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Baliyan Akki
4. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Semi-Final: Yumehito Imanari Vs Tetsuhiro Kuroda
5. LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Semi-Final: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title – LEC Cleanpa! Presents Ganbare☆Climax 2021 Final: X Vs X

It all comes down to this. The first Spirit Of Ganbare Champion will be crowned when Yumehito Imanari, Tetsuhiro Kuroda, Shuichiro Katsumura and Tatsuhito Takaiwa all battle it out in the final rounds of the Ganbare☆Climax.

A new tag team in search of romantic wrestling has been formed. Shota & Soma Takao are from the Monthly Young Communication era but took different paths when they moved on with their careers. It’s only just recently they reconnected and formed this team.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “PROTECT YOU AND LOVE YOU 2021”, 19/12/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ganjo Three Special Singles Match – YuuRI “Glamorous Valkyrie” Trial Single Match Round 3: YuuRi Vs SAKI
2. Ganjo Three Special Singles Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs HARUKAZE
3. Ganjo Three Special Singles Match: Yuu Yamagata Vs Yuna Manase

Three big singles matches are made for the final Ganbare☆Joshi show of the year. Yuna Manase gets her one on one rematch with Yuu Yamagata that’s been 8 months in the making. The duo nicknamed Haru HARU face off against each other when Moeka Haruhi faces HARUKAZE. Then there is the continuing trial series for YuuRI. Her third opponent is SAKI from Actwres girl’Z.


GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 2ND ROUND” Results

November 7, 2021

GANBARE☆PRO “LEC CLEANPA! PRESENTS GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 2ND ROUND”, 07/11/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
121 Fans

1. Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2: Tetsuhiro Kuroda defeated Ken Ohka with the Lariat (14:21).
2. Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2: Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Mizuki Watase with a Lariat (9:38).
3. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE defeated Yuna Manase & YuuRI when HARUKAZE pinned YuuRI with the Flame Spear (12:29).
4. Ganpro Special Single Match: Kenichiro Arai defeated Tyson Maeguchi with a DDT (9:39).
5. Ganpro Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao defeated Keisuke Ishii & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Takao pinned Shimatani with a Mad Splash (13:47).
6. Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2: Shuichiro Katsumura defeated Kouki Iwasaki by TKO with the Ninja Choke (18:51).
7. Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2: Yumehito Imanari defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with an Elbow Butt (19:06).

Round 2 of the Ganbare☆Climax has concluded and there are now four wrestlers left. The main event was an emotional meeting between Yumehito Imanari and Shinichiro Tominaga. It all came down to an Elbow Butt from Imanari to put Tominaga away. Imanari wants to be a pro wrestler who uses his words as a weapon. But he also wants to convey his message with his right elbow, like he did today.

Shuichiro Katsumura went through a tough battle with Kouki Iwasaki to reach the semi-final. Iwasaki got caught in the Ninja Choke and lost consciousness leading to his defeat. Katsumura was amazed at how strong his opponent was and he is not sure he could beat today’s version of his again if they had a rematch.

The other two semi-finalists are outsiders to Ganbare☆Pro. From the get-go Tatsuhito Takaiwa meant business. He gave Mizuki Watase the Takaiwa Driller very quickly into the match. Watase fought back but the match was over when the Death Valley Bomb was pulled out. Takaiwa’s Lariat afterward was just a formality at that point.

Tetsuhiro Kuroda hit Ken Ohka with eight Lariats in a row yet Ohka was determined to stay standing. Kuroda had to charge up and hit one more to finally beat his admirer. Kuroda kind of remembers teaming with Ohka in a 6-Man Tag once before and found out how much he wanted to win today.

The Ganbare☆Climax semi-finals on 23rd November are Tetsuhiro Kuroda Vs Yumehito Imanari and Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa. Kuroda fought Imanari before and doesn’t want to take him lightly. Imanari says he owes a lot to Kuroda and will repay him the most. Katsumura thinks the value of the Spirit Of Ganbare Title will go up if he beats Takaiwa and Kuroda to become the first champion.

Shota & Soma Takao enjoyed teaming together and both want to do it again in the future. They crossed paths a couple of times in their careers so to finally team together after so long is kind of romantic in their eyes. Shota says they will continue to work as a tag team in pursuit of romance.

The former kickboxer Tyson Maeguchi was given another hard lesson in wrestling, this time against Kenichiro Arai with Shinjiro Otani watching at ringside. Maeguchi is frustrated by his lack of time practicing his wrestling skills so all he can do is learn in the ring little by little. Arai got annoyed with Otani for being in Maeguchi’s corner because he had nobody in his own. He also seems mad he wasn’t invited to compete in the Ganbare☆Climax.


Bumper News Update For November

November 5, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2021 AUTUMN ~KACHO GETSURO~”, 06/11/2021
Yokohama Radiant Hall

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

A busy weekend kicks off with Tokyo Joshi Pro tomorrow.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN YOKOHAMA”, 06/11/2021
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Yusuke Okada Vs Akito, Antonio Honda & Yukio Naya
2. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno Vs Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuki Ishida
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs MAO (0)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA (0) Vs Chris Brookes (0)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura (0) Vs Bodyguard (0)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama (0) Vs Yuji Hino (0)

Keigo Nakamura will be taking a leave of absence to treat an ongoing right knee injury. There is no timetable for his return yet. Some of the matches he was booked for this month will get replacements like with Yuki Ishida here.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “HIKARI NO ROCK 2021”, 07/11/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. YuuRI “Glamorous Valkyrie” Trial Single Match Round 2: YuuRI Vs Maya Yukihi
2. Japan-China Full Scale Battle Special Single Match: Cherry Vs Choun-Shiryu
3. Japan-US-India Full Scale Battle Special 3 Way Match: Yumehito Imanari Vs Shota Vs Baliyan Akki
4. Ganjo Special Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Seiya Morohashi & Moeka Haruhi Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tominaga & Rina Amikura
5. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & Saki Akai Vs Yuu Yamagata & HARUKAZE

The additions of Saki Akai and Maya Yukihi to Ganbare☆Joshi will look to heat up the show even more.

GANBARE☆PRO “LEC CLEANPA! PRESENTS GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2021 2ND ROUND”, 07/11/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2A: Tetsuhiro Kuroda Vs Ken Ohka
2. Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2D: Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs Mizuki Watase
3. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
4. Ganpro Special Single Match: Kenichiro Arai Vs Taison Maeguchi
5. Ganpro Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii & Nobuhiro Shimatani
6. Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2C: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shuichiro Katsumura
7. Ganbare☆Climax 2021 – Round 2B: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yumehito Imanari

The main event placement seems to suggest a Cinderella run for Shinichiro Tominaga. However Yumehito Imanari is the most recent Ganbare☆Climax winner and is on a strong run in both DDT and Ganbare☆Pro. Meanwhile Kouki Iwasaki faces the indomitable Shuichiro Katsumura, longtime veteran Tatsuhito Takaiwa meets Mizuki Watase and Ken Ohka crosses his hero Tetsuhiro Kuroda.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN NIIGATA”, 07/11/2021
Niigata Bandaijima Multipurpose Plaza Large Kama

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Antonio Honda & Toui Kojima
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ueno Vs Yuji Hino & Yuya Koroku
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Naomi Yoshimura
5. Niigata Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Super Sasadango Machine
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: MAO Vs Yuji Okabayashi
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes

Toui Kojima replaces Nakamura here.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN SHINJUKU”, 10/11/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs Akito, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Toui Kojima & Yuki Ishida
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Tetsuya Endo
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuji Hino Vs Bodyguard
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs MAO
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Okabayashi

Nakamura gets replaced with his generational rival Hideki Okatani.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING, JORAKU!”, 13/11/2021
Kyoto KBS Hall

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

The master and her pupil are teaming together once again for Yuki Arai’s homecoming. It’s also one step closer to the day Arai will face Miyu Yamashita one on one.

BASARA “BASARA 174 ~TAKAGARI 6~”, 13/11/2021
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Yusuke Kubo Vs Lil Kraken
2. FUMA & Daichi Kazato Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Takato Nakano
4. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Masato Kamino
5. Ryota Nakatsu & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs SAGAT & Fuminori Abe

Due to recent government decisions made in Japan over the pandemic, BASARA is considering to allow cheering at their shows again. They tried it once during the summer thinking it was safe but very quickly backtracked from it. So we’ll see what happens this time.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN OSAKA”, 14/11/2021
Osaka 176BOX

1. Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Toui Kojima Vs Toru Owashi, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yuya Koroku
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Bodyguard
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuji Okabayashi
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs MAO

Yuya Koroku gets moved up a match to take Nakamura’s place.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 21/11/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Akito & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura, Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yuji Hino, MAO & Yukio Naya
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase
4. Shunma Katsumata Produce Match – My First Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata & Yuya Koroku Vs Hideki Okatani & Toui Kojima
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Bodyguard
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA Vs Yuji Okabayashi

Soma Takao is continuing to hunt down DAMNATION T.A and get an explanation as to why Daisuke Sasaki betrayed him. Sasaki is acting dumb and trying to ignore his former friend no matter how many times Takao attacks him.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’21”, 25/11/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

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

Two more singles matches added to the undercard that may hint towards future title challengers. Any winners out of Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku and Shoko Nakajima Vs Nodoka Tenma would be in with a shot for either singles championship as things stand right now.

DDT “HIROSHI YAMATO TRIUMPHANT RETURN! NORI NORI NORI TRIUMPHANT TOUR IN KIMITSU 2021”, 28/11/2021
Chiba Kimitsu AQUASTUDIO

1. Kuishinbo Kamen & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Akito & Hideki Okatani
3. Kimitsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Chris Brookes Vs Hiroshi Yamato, HARASHIMA & Yuji Hino

A big 6-Man Tag match is made to celebrate Hiroshi Yamato’s homecoming. Also Kuishinbo Kamen gets to play with the DDT Variety Team.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2021”, 18/12/2021
Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Sanshiro Takagi & Kuro-chan Vs X, X & X

The feud between Atsushi Onita and Kuro-chan ended with the comedian earning Onita’s respect. Now they are teaming together along with Sanshiro Takagi for a Current Blast Death Match! Together Onita & Kuro-chan are known as The Kuronita Army!

Yuji Okabayashi and Bodyguard will be on the show.

“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
2. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
3. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
4. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
5. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
6. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
7. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

DDT Side: Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, Naomi Yoshimura, MAO, Soma Takao and Akito

BJW Side: Takuya Nomura, Yuji Okabayashi, Daisuke Sekimoto, Ryuji Ito, Yasufumi Nakanoue, Daichi Hashimoto, Yuya Aoki and Kota Sekifuda

Year End Dream Slot: Shiro Koshinaka, Jun Kasai, Shuji Ishikawa, Shigehiro Irie, Kengo Mashimo, Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu), Kuishinbo Kamen and X

Almost the entire field for the Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament is full. Both DDT and Big Japan have added their participants. Shuji Ishikawa and Shigehiro Irie were revealed as the final two spots in the wild card roster. However Yuko Miyamoto has since pulled out of the show after fracturing his ankle. That leaves one more wild card spot to fill.