Guide To TJPW In Philadelphia

April 2, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs Billie Starkz
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs “The Unbreakable” Rhio
3. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Nao Kakuta & Zara Zakher
5. Mizuki & Vert Vixen Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

Back once again on American soil, Tokyo Joshi Pro is entering this year’s Wrestlemania Week as part of The Collective series of indie shows. This time around TJPW will be involved across two days: one show will be held on their own and the next day they have an inter-promotional event with GCW. It just goes to show how much DDT’s little sister has taken the international spotlight away from them in recent years. Looking at the Mania schedule this year, you can say that about the offerings of Japanese wrestling in general with the joshi shows getting more hype than what the other puroresu companies are sending over. These two shows will be happening only a few days after TJPW holds “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” at Sumo Hall so fans around the world will get to see the promotion take their next step coming out of such an important show. Have you seen the gifs of the Skull Kicks and Giant Swings? Are you curious to know curious to know why a foul mouthed ex-idol has so many simps or why that crazy woman in white likes to choke people so much? Would you like to see a superhero crash her bicycle? Do you write for a wrestling website and mistook this for a Stardom show? Are you wondering what ever happened to Hikari Noa? Well you won’t get an answer to that last question but for everything else, this guide is for you!

Where and when are the shows taking place?

Both shows will be held at Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium in Philadelphia. “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY” is taking place on Friday, 5th April at 11:00am Eastern time. “GCW VS TJPW” will happen on Saturday, 6th April at 2:30pm Eastern time.

Where can I watch it online?

Both shows will air live on Triller TV (or FITE as it used to be called) with English commentary through the TrillerTV+ subscription service. The on-demand versions of both shows will be available to watch on Wrestle Universe a few weeks after the live broadcast.

Is this a proper TJPW show?

Yes. On paper I would put it on the level of their B shows when it comes to the card layout just without the matches built around the younger wrestlers and rookies. This is not like last year when they put together a lineup fitting for a Korakuen Hall show. What we have here fits in more for an event at Shinjuku FACE or Ryogoku KFC Hall. That’s not to say the show quality will be low or uninteresting. It’s more that you are getting to see TJPW at its status quo. The guest wrestlers booked have all appeared in TJPW over the past few years, some on a regular basis so none of the names stick out like a sore thumb. I assure you this will be as close to a genuine TJPW experience you can get without going over to Japan.

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1. Hyper Misao Vs Billie Starkz

It’s a super hero against a Minion In Training! Hyper Misao often delights the fans with her endless crazy ideas to protect love and peace in TJPW. But the chaos she creates is the same kind of environment Billie Starkz feels most at home in. The hero and villain in this match may be more alike then they both realize.

Hyper Misao – When love and peace is under threat in TJPW, you can always rely on Hyper Misao to come to the rescue. Just don’t be surprised if her plan to save the world turns out not to be as heroic as she looks. Sometimes she will get on the microphone, greet the audience with “Hello big children!” and reveal her plans to save the day. Other times she arrives to the ring riding on the Hypami Dramatic Dream combat bike. She has the talent to win fair fights but prefers using underhanded tactics like blinding her opponents with cold spray or crashing the Hypami DD into them. Hey, the Madame Web movie showed that vehicular manslaughter is a heroic trait so it’s acceptable for Misao to do it too!
Moves To Watch Out For: Hypami Returns (Final Cut), I Am A Hero (Diving Cross Body), Crossface Chickenwing, Vanitas (Double Arm Facebuster), Cold Spray Attack

Billie Starkz – Since the last time we saw her in TJPW, “Space Jesus” has gone from indie darling to a Minion In Training that you can rely on. Ring Of Honor is where you will find Starkz on most days but she still finds the time to pop up in GCW plus a few other indies every now and then. In fact this match kind of serves as a warm up for her because hours after this show is finished she will be competing in a tournament final to crown the first ever ROH Women’s World TV Champion.
Moves To Watch Out For: Swanton Bomb, Sugoi Driver (Double Legged One-Winged Angel sometimes on the ring apron), Starkz Driver (Tombstone Piledriver), Star 10 (CRII)

2. Shoko Nakajima Vs “The Unbreakable” Rhio

No, that’s not a typo for those seeing the second name and thinking of somebody else. This match is Japan versus England when one of TJPW’s most decorated wrestlers Shoko Nakajima takes on “The Unbreakable” Rhio, a rising female star from the British scene. Because when a kaiju is on the loose you need to put something unbreakable in the way to keep the rampage under control.

Shoko Nakajima – Meet the Big Kaiju, all 147cm of her! Nakajima has pretty much done it all in TJPW as one of the promotion’s longest serving wrestlers. Usually quick and speedy, she also has the strength to put away opponents with the Northern Lights Suplex. The Diving Senton she uses is nothing to sneeze at either. When put in Hardcore Match situations her favourite weapon is a pile of kaiju toys that she slams her opponents onto. She’s a Swiss Army Knife that can adapt to any kind of situation wrestling can throw at her.
Moves To Watch Out For: Northern Lights Suplex, Diving Senton, Unmanned Local Train Hold (Yurikamome submission hold), 619, Rider Kick (One-Legged Dropkick)

“The Unbreakable” Rhio – A working relationship between TJPW and British women’s promotion EVE opened the doors for Rhio to tour in Japan. She impressed with her power built on her background in Karate and Taekwondo. Since then she has been all over the European scene and has won the Women’s Championship in companies such as Progress and ICW (the Scottish one, not the chains one). She hasn’t been back to Japan since that tour but whenever a TJPW wrestler travels over to England you can count on her to be a likely opponent for them.
Moves To Watch Out For: Dreaded End (Neck Screw Hold), Package Piledriver, Pumphandle Bomb

3. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van

Here is a battle between sweetness versus seduction, love versus desire and naps versus partying. Among the many friendships that have formed within the promotion, Yuki Aino & Raku is one that has captured a lot of the fanbase’s attention. There’s just something about a sleepy trainspotting pop singer that people just can’t deny. The team facing them have quickly become friends too. Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van were meant to be put together as opponents but admired each other’s beauty so much they got immediately got along. When Van wanted to come up with a team name for this match, Kamifuku came up with The Casual Vixens. Let’s see if that sticks.

Yuki Aino – It happened so long ago that it’s hard to remember Aino originally debuted in TJPW as a ring announcer before turning pro so she could team with her sister. Tag team wrestling remains her forte and she is one of few wrestlers in TJPW to have held tag title gold with different partners. Love and the fiery power it can bring is what drives her as you can see from the names she gives her moves below. She also adores the woman she gets to team with on the show.
Moves To Watch Out For: Venus DDT (Inverted DDT), UBV/Unlimited Burning Venus (Double Arm Side Buster), Full Nelson Of Love And Fire (Full Nelson Camel Clutch), Side Suplex

Raku – The first of two members from The Up Up Girls you will see on the show. The Up Up Girls are a pop idol group that created a pro wrestling spin off unit in TJPW. The members often perform songs at the start of the show before wrestling in matches later in the card. Raku’s entire personality can be summed down to naps and trains. She knows so much railway trivia she often has a Train Of The Day to tell the audience on every show. Will SEPTA be up to her standards? Her moveset is built around sending her opponents to sleep so she can run over them with the Oyasumi Express. Somehow this entire package has made her absolutely adored to the point where she may as well be God to some people.
Moves To Watch Out For: Doctor Yellow (Jumping Neckbreaker), Hurricane Turn (Cross-Arm Backslide Pin), Oyasumi Express (running on top of the opponent over and over), Good Night Sleeper, Poppo Chop! (Brain Chop)

Yuki Kamifuku – Also known by her nickname Kamiyu, she is “The Casual Beauty” of TJPW. She knows how to get under her opponent’s skin with harsh and catty opinions. But there is another side to her where she is loyal and sympathetic to her friends. She is also proud of her modelling background because her accomplishments in the ring is proof you do not need to be a die hard pro wrestling fan to succeed in the business. Grew up in Ohio during her junior high school years so she knows the most English out of the bunch. Also really loves Zac Efron and after watching “The Iron Claw” it is now her dream to wrestle a match with him. She is currently the Queen Of Asia Champion after winning the belt in Singapore last November.
Moves To Watch Out For: Famouser (Jumping Leg Drop), Big Boot, Yahoo 83cm (Headscissors DDT), Manjigatame, Thumb To The Eye

Viva Van – One of the more recent foreign guests in TJPW is nicknamed “The Hellbent Vixen”. This Vietnamese-American wrestler has gathered together a large amount of championships in recent times but her attempt to dethrone Kamifuku as the Queen Of Asia ended in failure. However even before that match took place the two of them got along anyway because of how good looking they both are. It’s no surprise the two of them are definitely happy they get to reunite in America. Kamifuku even suggested one time they go on the lookout for a third attractive Asian wrestler to join them so they can be a trio Charlie’s Angels style. But don’t let that kind of attitude fool you, Van has been climbing up the ranks high enough to get matches in AEW and AAA as well as New Japan’s USA shows.
Moves To Watch Out For: Hellevator (Electric Chair spun into a Power Bomb), Ocean Cyclone Suplex, Code Red, Meteora, Butterfly Suplex

4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Nao Kakuta & Zara Zakher

When it comes to tag teams in TJPW you can expect a lot of creative team names. Some of the names have elaborate reasons behind them, others not so much. Daisy Monkey is so called because Suzume is like a flower and Arisu Endo is like a monkey. That’s it. Simple enough. Out of all of the pairings in TJPW currently Daisy Monkey have perhaps the closest bond together. The two of them are pretty much inseparable. It’s that kind of friendship that led to them finally winning the Princess Tag Team Titles recently. Facing them is the first time pairing of Nao Kakuta & Zara Zakher. This match will likely be Kakuta’s last time wrestling in America while Zakher’s wrestling career is really only just beginning.

Suzume – As sharp as a wasp, Suzume is the Daisy half of Daisy Monkey. She begun her career as a fast learner, only spending seven months in training before making her pro debut. Just on the looks of her aesthetic alone it is of no surprise that speed is the name of her game. As part of the Daisy Monkey team she has held a desire over the last two years (if not longer) to win the Princess Tag Titles so the two of them could reach the same level as the previous champions they fought and admired.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ring A Bell (RKO), Mikazuki Meteor Shower (Diving Cross Body), Twinkle (Twisting School Boy), Flying Facecrusher

Arisu Endo – The Monkey half of Daisy Monkey, please welcome Aizuwakamatsu City’s most cheerful tourism ambassador. She’s always ready to give fans the thumbs up with a smile. Endo also has a habit of constantly dying her hair in new ways, using every colour in the world you can think of. She has so much pride in where she comes from that she named many of her moves after local destinations and traditions. Together with Suzume, Daisy Monkey have established themselves as TJPW’s top tag team of the new generation.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ju no Okite (Hercules Cutter), Camel Clutch, Mt. Bandai (2nd Rope Springboard Dropkick), Tsuruga Castle (Guillotine Knee Drop)

Nao Kakuta – Soon to retire from pro wrestling, Kakuta gets a chance to say goodbye to her American fans. She was previously a kindergarten teacher, a social welfare director and a camp instructor before becoming a stage actress and pro wrestler. Her wrestling career begun in the original class of Actwres girl’Z before she jumped over to TJPW, where she will stay until this July when she graduates from the industry. There are not a lot of heels in TJPW but Kakuta’s wrestling style is closer to that line than pretty much the rest of the regular roster.
Moves To Watch Out For: Shiden Kai (Fireman’s Carry into a Stunner), Kamitaka (Cross-Legged Front Neck Lock), Tarantula Headscissors, Kenka Kick

Zara Zakher – This past February a new young wrestler from California was given a week long tour of Japan to compete in TJPW. With only a year of experience under her belt at that point, Zakher was thrown straight into the fire with both matches being against former champions. Short in frame but deceptively strong, Zakher had an impressive showing despite coming out on the losing end in both matches. She left enough of a good impression that TJPW fans get to see her again here in Philly.
Moves To Watch Out For: Control Z (Screw Bomb), Lariat, Standing Moonsault

5. Mizuki & Vert Vixen Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

Another international tag but this one with a far wilder selection of wrestlers involved. Mizuki joins forces with Vert Vixen for the first time ever. The two were opponents in America once before now everyone gets to see how well they fare as a team. Going against them is one of the most unlikely but heartwarming friendships you will ever find. What happens when you put a wasteland warrior like Max The Impaler with the childlike innocence of Pom Harajuku? You get a buddy-buddy tag team the likes of which would leave Pixar producers seething with jealousy because they hadn’t thought of it first.

Mizuki – The Popping Sugar Rabbit did not start her wrestling career in TJPW but she has established herself as one of the company’s all time best with multiple championship reigns and big show main events to her name. Don’t trust that smiling face of hers, she is vicious when she wants to be which is often. Constantly goes viral for using the Whirling Candy as well as Diving Double Stomps that leave those who see the moves locked in a state of inspiration and amazement. She doesn’t understand what U3+4 means but she is the closest pro wrestling can get to ever creating a real life Lili from Tekken. Just watch out for the biting. She can take the rabbit stuff a bit too literally sometimes.
Moves To Watch Out For: Cutie Special (Bridging Fall Away Slam), Whirling Candy (Spinning Cross Body Block), Diving Foot Stomp, Face Lock

Vert Vixen – Going from what I see online you can spell the name as either VertVixen or Vert Vixen. At last year’s American shows she made her DDT debut and took her first steps into the CyberFight universe. From there she did a month long tour in Japan with TJPW and returned in the summertime to defend the DEFY Women’s Championship, a title she still holds to this day. Obsessed with video games, her ring gear is often inspired by something gaming related. She is nicknamed Player One because Player One always wins!
Moves To Watch Out For: Game Over (Ki Crusher), Blue Thunder Bomb, Rolling Stunner, Sharpshooter

Max The Impaler – Puroresu has a history of bringing over wild rampaging warriors from the western world to cause chaos in their rings. Who could have guess TJPW of all companies would join in the tradition? Whenever “The Non-Binary Nightmare” comes over to TJPW you can expect a path of chaos being left in their wake. And yet Max has ended up becoming really well liked by the roster. Sure the times they rip the building apart gets management a little worried about future bookings with those venues but Max has become a part of the family at this point. And there is one wrestler more than anyone else who Max has established a strong attachment with.
Moves To Watch Out For: Welcome To The Wasteland (Canadian Backbreaker Drop), Short-Range Lariat, Body Block

Pom Harajuku – Bright and colourful costumes, loud screaming and plenty of kicks aimed at shins. Pom Harajuku’s fighting style can be most compared to that of a three year old throwing a temper tantrum. In recent years she has become the centre of Max The Impaler’s attention. Originally opponents in matches that more resembled a monster chasing down their prey, Max & Pom gradually developed respect for each other leading to them joining forces as a team called Pompaler. That is what happens when Max takes a liking to cute things and discovers just how effective it is to throw those cute things at other people. Even without Max, Harajuku can be a lot to handle by herself. And that’s just from the screaming.
Moves To Watch Out For: Pom de Justice (Step-Up Guillotine Leg Drop), Laforet Harajuku (Satellite Headscissors), Shin Kick, Denden Taiko (beating the opponent’s chest like a drum)

6. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

Similar to last year’s show the main event pits two of TJPW’s strongest ever tag teams against each other. 121000000 (pronounced “One To Million” because together their power increases from one to a million) consists of Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh. Both of them are feature players in the company yet in the last year they seem to spend more and more time wrestling overseas. Facing them is a team that can go by two names. Their Japanese name is Hakuchumu but I prefer using the English name Daydream. Together Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe are just as accomplished as their opponents and also have the edge of being the more established tag team. The match is also happening in the aftermath of “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” that just took place in Sumo Hall. Watanabe defeated Yamashita to become the new Princess Of Princess Champion in the main event and here they are fighting each other again. The result of this match may have the consequence of setting up the next Princess Title match back in Japan.

Miyu Yamashita – The Pink Striker has been part of TJPW since they first ran events and is never far away from the Princess Title. She is such a major part of the company that her dominance has long become a big fish in a small pond scenario. The Skull Kick she uses is one of the most deadliest looking finishers around. In recent years she has taken time away from TJPW to wrestle in America and Europe just like her tag team partner. That trend continues because after this show takes place Yamashita will begin a fresh stay in America that will last from April until June.
Moves To Watch Out For: Skull Kick (Backspin High Kick to the head), Crash Rabbit Heat (Running Knee Kick), Attitude Adjustment, Return Crash (Triangle Kick off the turnbuckles)

Maki Itoh – A failed idol who won her way into the hearts of wrestling fans after she transformed into a foul mouthed psychopath with an endless appetite for fame. When she’s about to punch her opponent in the corner she always shouts “Who is the cutest in the world?” and the audience respond with “Itoh-chan!” She struggled for years to become a success in Japan only to start making it big in America wrestling for AEW and GCW. In fact, nowadays you’re more likely to see Itoh carving up opponents with a pizza cutter in GCW than you will trying to be a popstar in TJPW! She recently became the new GCW Extreme Champion. It’s only a matter of time before she takes over the whole place!
Moves To Watch Out For: Itoh Special/Deluxe/Punish (Variations of the Texas Cloverleaf), Flying Big Head (Diving Headbutt), I.S.D/Itoh Suicide DDT (Flying DDT from the top rope), The Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World

Rika Tatsumi – The White Dragon originally took her name and some of her moveset from Tatsumi Fujinami and she also developed hips as hard of diamonds thanks to some special training with Shiro Koshinaka. She is one of only two grand slam champions in TJPW, having won the Princess Title, the Princess Tag Titles and the International Princess Title. But turning into such a powerful creature eventually comes at a cost and she has gradually become a little bit crazy. When you step into the ring with Tatsumi she will find a way to strangle you. She claims it is just her way of making friends. She would also happily run her opponents over with the company tour bus if she knew how to drive it.
Moves To Watch Out For: White Dragon Sleeper, Twist Of Fate, Hip Attack, “Let’s Go!” Elbow Drop, Choking Opponents

Miu Watanabe – The second Up Up Girl appearing on the show and also the strongest. She has found the most success outside of the group by becoming the second ever grand slam champion along with headlining “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” in Sumo Hall just a few days ago. It is the first step towards an Up Up Girl’s ultimate goal of performing in the Nippon Budokan. Always full of energy, she uses big hand gestures to spell out L-O-V-E along with her theme song during her entrances. You need to see her doing the Giant Swing because she knows several ways to put opponents into the move. She’s no one hit wonder though. There are a variety of ways Watanabe gets to show off her strength in the ring. Everyone could see for years that she is TJPW’s next breakout star. It’s only just recently that the booking finally caught up to that opinion.
Moves To Watch Out For: Tear Drop (Modified Flapjack), Laserbeam (Overhand Chop to the chest), Giant Swing, Canadian Backbreaker, Swinging Backbreaker

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GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Suzume & Pom Harajuku Vs SAKI & Nao Kakuta
2. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
3. Dark Sheik Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Steph De Lander Vs Hyper Misao
5. Shazza McKenzie Vs Arisu Endo
6. Allie Katch Vs Mizuki
7. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

The next afternoon TJPW goes head to head against GCW with a show dedicated almost entirely to inter-promotion matches between the two companies. I’ve written about GCW before when DDT worked with them last year so if you don’t mind I’ll repeat my opinions of them here. GCW is a promotion I like but don’t love. I’ve gotten to attend a variety of their events before, most of them during WrestleMania week. They’re really fun to attend in person and I enjoy watching live on Triller whenever I get to chance to do so. Watching the shows on-demand a day or two later though isn’t the same because the energy never carries through the screen. 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 right into promoting their next events. It can make following them online a bit of a blur at times.

The “GCW Vs X” shows often come off feeling like the lesser event of their doubleshot weekends and I fear the same has happened here despite the admirable effort on GCW’s end to provide an all women’s lineup. It doesn’t help that this show will be on Saturday afternoon and ends only a couple of hours before the first night of WrestleMania opens its doors. I’ve been to other wrestling shows held the same day as WrestleMania in the past and the atmosphere was always poor because the majority of the crowd spends the show keeping an eye on the exits for the entire time. I’m trying to be polite here because the undercard has the potential to be atrocious. Matches #3 up to #6 could be an absolute slog to sit through if some of those style clashes don’t work out. The card was changed a little bit because Sawyer Wreck was originally part of it. A broken hand put her out of action and caused a small reshuffle which includes SAKI getting a last minute booking so she can team with Kakuta. I don’t know what how Allie Katch Vs Mizuki will turn out. That feels like a coin flip as to whether or not the match will be good.

There is something I like about the lineup and that’s the main event. Itoh being on the GCW side makes sense given how she’s been booked in both companies over the last two years. The GCW team consisting of three of their hardest pushed wrestlers against three of TJPW’s longest serving mainstays is a really good idea. And I don’t just mean GCW’s hardest pushed women. Itoh, Rina Yamashita and Masha Slamovich have been among the hardest pushed wrestlers out of the GCW roster in general. That trio is the GCW Ultraviolent Champion, the GCW Extreme Champion and the JCW Champion all joining forces together. Miyu and Masha are great in the ring together while Nakajima and Rina had some fun interactions teaming together during Saki Akai’s retirement road last year. The wild card of the match is Yuki Aino. She might just be there to eat the pin but stranger things have happened.

The penultimate tag match looks fine. I don’t have any complaints about it. I’m a little concerned that Billie Starkz & Janai Kai might be a little tired because of their busy schedules in Philadelphia that week. They both have a bunch of matches already booked and by the time this show happens Starkz will have had a crazy No Rules match with MAO on the DDT show, a possibly crazy match with Misao in TJPW and a championship match in ROH. That kind of schedule is sure to leave some bruises. But other than that they should do good against Daydream.

Last thing to note is the GCW side ran out of women so the opener is all TJPW, even before the card change was made to include SAKI. That is unless Suzume and Pom Harajuku were on the GCW side all along. Has Suzume been the third member of Los Macizos and Pom Harajuku part of the Second Gear Crew this entire time?!?

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There’s at least one other chance to see Maki Itoh during the week. Here is another show at The Collective she will be wrestling on.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 8”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Danhausen & Ram Kaichow

While Itoh went back to Japan to wrestle for TJPW again, Gage went and teamed with Danhausen to challenge for the GCW Tag Team Titles. They lost and Danhausen blamed the result on Gage. That caused Gage to come up with a challenge. He and Itoh will fight Danhausen and a partner of his choice at some point during The Collective. All signs pointed towards the annual Spring Break show as the destination for the match. Then Joey Janela broke the news that Danhausen chose Ram Kaichow to be his teammate! Itoh and Kaichow have never crossed paths in the ring before because Kaichow’s TJPW appearances are often contained within the Rakuverse


GCW “JJSB: CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER!”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X

I’m including this because there are apparently going to be 88 contestants entering this year’s annual Clusterfuck Match so maybe a few TJPW entries could show up in it? Perhaps Itoh will have an Extreme Title defence on the card too.

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Posted by JamieOD

Guide To DDT In Philadelphia

April 2, 2024

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Bryan Keith & Shota
3. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Mike Bailey
7. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz

So you have tickets for DDT’s show in Philadelphia this week but you’re out of the loop on the current product. Maybe you only have surface level knowledge of DDT or just know it as that wacky wrestling company from Japan. Need a hand in knowing what to expect? Then here you go! It is the craziest week on the pro wrestling calander and DDT wouldn’t miss it for the world. They have a show going on in conjunction with The Collective mixing together their own talent with a few international guests who have worked with them before. Tiny bits and pieces of DDT can be found in Philadelphia’s history of independent wrestling. They have played parts in Chikara’s massive tag tournaments back when they were a yearly highlight of the East Coast indies. Things are a very, very different nowadays and DDT find themselves among a loaded week of shows going on. They even face competition from their own sister promotion Tokyo Joshi Pro. So what do they have to offer this time around? Let’s have a look.

When and where is the show taking place?

This week “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!” will be held at Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium in Philadelphia on 4th April. The show is scheduled to begin at 8:00pm Eastern time.

Where can I watch it online?

The show will air live on Triller TV (you know, FITE) with English commentary through the TrillerTV+ subscription service. The on-demand version of the show will be available to watch on Wrestle Universe sometime after the live broadcast.

Is this a proper DDT show?

It’s missing some of the big veteran players in order to highlight wrestlers from the modern generation but I think it’s a decent lineup. Sort of similar to what was offered last year where half the card focuses on DDT Vs The World. The mistake made last year was all of the wacky stuff being frontloaded to the first third of the show. The rest of the show wasn’t bad but doing so many regular matches in a row did not stand out the way people expect a DDT show would. So assuming this is the confirmed match order they made the right move to make sure the craziest match on paper is happening near the end. Two of the straight forward singles matches have the potential to be highlights of the week and also be suitable for those with a distaste for comedy wrestling.

Will The Steiner Brothers be at the show?

No.

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1. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada

DDT’s resident heel group opens up the show by getting into a fight with some young wrestlers who have high expectations to live up to based on their future potential. Daisuke Sasaki has been DDT’s main heel wrestler for years now but it’s been a while since he was put in main event level programs. His tag partner KANON has been getting more focus lately and might find himself getting placed into bigger spots on the card in the years to come. Nick Wayne is currently a heel in AEW but still gets to show off on the indies. Takeshi Masada fought Wayne on last year’s DDT USA show but they have gotten along since then and get to team with each other here.

Daisuke Sasaki – Is there any other heel out there as dirty and depressed as this guy? Sasaki is the leader of DAMNATION T.A and can never be counted out of the running no matter what he himself will tell people. He has the talent and success to reach bigger heights but every time there is a setback it sends him tumbling back down into despair. Maybe he will be in a better mood by the time this show takes place. He will be spending a week in Mexico beforehand looking for lucha libre shows to wrestle in. That’s one of the few experiences he has left nowadays that cheers him up.
Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (includes La Mistica and Crossover variations), Sasaki Hurricanrana, Diving Elbow Drop

KANON – Another heel wrestler with a habit of getting into some wild mood swings. KANON has been learning the DAMNATION ways under Sasaki’s wing for almost two years now. He started out in JTO and was trained by TAKA Michinoku. What could have been a promising young wrestler with a volleyball background has turned into a sadistic little creep. His main talent in the ring is how he uses the Cobra Twist to win his matches. He knows several ways to apply that hold and can adapt it to pin opponents as well as submit them.
Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepy Hollow (Twisting Brainbuster), Just Cobra Twist, Vietnam Driver II (Inverted Michinoku Driver)

Nick Wayne – At 18 years old he is one of the youngest wrestlers on the AEW roster but don’t worry, he has a father figure and family support behind him over there. The son of the late Buddy Wayne toured with DDT last year to get himself ready for his move to AEW. It just so happens that DDT has a bunch of young wrestlers too so Wayne has plenty of people from his generation to work with. There will come the day when Wayne is treated by the scene like a grizzled veteran with hundreds of matches under his belt while still being in his mid twenties. It’s a bright future that will only shine brighter once he flicks the switch and puts all the pieces together to become his own wrestler.
Moves To Watch Out For: Wayne’s World (Sprinboard Flying Cutter), Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex

Takeshi Masada – The 22 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. Motivated to a fault, Masada likes to take on challenges that go beyond his current standing in the company. Even if he’s not ready to for that kind of stuff, his kind of outside the box attitude made him a natural fit for SCHADENFREUDE International when that group was formed last November. Rookies have a bad habit of breaking easily but if Masada continues at the rate he’s going, DDT has themselves a diamond in the rough.
Moves To Watch Out For: Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (Cross-legged Falcon Arrow), Triangle Kick (Running Enzuigiri off the turnbuckles)

2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Bryan Keith & Shota

Fans of CCK will be delighted to hear the team is back together for one night only. Chris Brookes has been embracing his SCHADENFREUDE attitude again by putting together a DDT version of the group so teaming with Kid Lykos again must be like putting on an old comfy pair of slippers. Facing them is a mishmash team of two well travelled indie wrestlers from opposite corners of the world. Bryan Keith did well in his DDT appearances earlier this year. The match will also be Shota’s first bout since becoming a freelancer again. He’ll be looking to make a good impression to get his name out there. Too bad he’s going against a team that likes to take the piss out of their opponents.

Chris Brookes – An English wrestler who has carved out his own niche over in Japan by sticking his finger in a whole lot of pies. When not wrestling in DDT you can find Brookes causing trouble in ChocoPro, teaming with Masahiro Takanashi across southeast Asia or running his own group of crazy shows called Baka Gaijin + Friends that is held in a small Tokyo bar once a month. His love for a certain brand of Japanese wrestling gradually turned him into an essential figure in DDT, at one point even standing at the very top of the mountain. All of that takes a lot of work and effort though so lately he is taking a different direction and doing whatever he wants with his pro wrestling friends in SCHADENFREUDE International. But long before all of that happened, Brookes was once best known for being in a tag team with a shitty little wolf.
Moves To Watch Out For: Praying Mantis Bomb (Double Arm Piledriver), Octopus Stretch, Death By Roll-Up

Kid Lykos – That shitty little wolf has grown up a little bit. The British wrestling scene was in a dire state coming out of the pandemic but one key figure who stuck with it through thick and thin was Kid Lykos. Along the way he found another Kid Lykos to team with, got to fight Brookes in a dramatic match between friends and lose his mask on the way to finally obtaining singles glory by becoming the Progress World Champion. He got a brief tour with DDT in Japan during 2022 and that was the last time CCK teamed together. Until now that is.
Moves To Watch Out For: Captain Midnight’s Revenge (Swanton Bomb), Brainbuster, Casanova (Somato), Triple Back Drop

Bryan Keith – This bounty hunter has been making some waves lately. It’s an intimidating sight seeing the man wearing the Black Halo come to town looking to collect. That kind of mercenary life has taken Keith from Texas to all points of America before sending him over to Japan. A stay in DDT at the start of the year allowed him to sharpen his skills further before moving on to AEW where he currently resides. The bounty hunter aesthetic hides a clear love for Japanese pro wrestling. His moveset along with where in the ring he likes to attack are dead giveaways to what his in-ring influences are.
Moves To Watch Out For: Emerald Tiger Driver, Exploder Suplex (sometimes into the turnbuckles), Power Bomb, Knee Strike

Shota – He is a long time journeyman of the Japanese indies and for many years wrestled for Ganbare☆Pro, a spin-off promotion from DDT that until now was also under the CyberFight banner. But big changes have come for him this year. GanPro has gone independent from CyberFight and Shota decided he too will live the independent life once more. One of his first big moves as a freelancer is take some American dates starting with this one. In his previous American excursions he wrestlers for some of the most obscure indies I’ve ever heard of. “Mr. Showtime” is a savvy veteran who thinks one step ahead to outsmart his opponents.
Moves To Watch Out For: Gannosuke Clutch, Frog Splash, Sharpshooter

3. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko

You’re getting classic DDT right here! Kazuki Hirata is a cult favourite for both his comedy act as well as his underdog performances against much stronger opponents. In a way they don’t come much stronger than Yoshihiko. The battle doll is one of DDT’s most infamous gimmicks known worldwide. You ever hear in interviews when a pro wrestler is described as being so good they can have a four star match against a paper bag? Yoshihiko is that theory put into practice. And trust me, Hirata understands how to wrestle against Yoshihiko more than almost anyone else.

Kazuki Hirata – You know when a parody outlives the source material and probably becomes more well known to modern audiences than the original? I think that applies to Hirata. Puro fans might remember one of Dragongate’s early stars was Magnum TOKYO. A key part of Magnum’s presentation was him dancing to his entrance song “Tokyo GO!”. His career in the Toryumon system lasted around a decade. Long after Magnum disappeared from the wrestling industry the DG dojo dropout Hirata took over the gimmick as a spoof in DDT. He’s been doing it since 2014 and I think he has now danced to “Tokyo GO!” for longer than Magnum has! Hirata has been around almost 15 years but remains one of the weakest fighters in DDT. But what he lacks in physical talent he makes up for with a crafty and creative mind. Also he carries around a pair of Hirata GO! glasses that when worn automatically plays “Tokyo GO!” in the room and drives the wearer to dance along to it. It rarely helps Hirata win a match but it’s always a crowd pleaser. What often does work for Hirata is the Miracle One Shot Cradle, a Small Package with a strong success rate especially when Hirata is at his most desperate.
Moves To Watch Out For: Miracle One Shot Cradle (Small Package), Egoist Driver (Pumphandle Michinoku Driver), Sliding Kick, Tegatana (a deadly martial arts chop to the neck)

Yoshihiko – The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for almost two decades now. It first showed up as the brother of Muscle Sakai and kept on replacing him in matches because Sakai was constantly getting injured from gun violence backstage (it’s a long story). Yoshihiko vanished after that storyline ended and would reappear years later as Danshoku Dieno’s surprise tag team partner. Over time the doll’s powers have only gotten stronger and it has the ability to transform into powerful wrestlers like The Great Muta, The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan. You can rip it limb from limb and it will survive. You can drive over it in a car and it will survive. You can throw it off a building and it will survive. To fight Yoshihiko is almost like fighting yourself. Only then can you discover your true talent as a pro wrestler.
Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotations into a Hurricanrana), Canadian Destroyer, Yoshihiko Destroyer (multiple Canadian Destroyers in a row)

4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett

A battle of the high flyers that has the potential to turn into a game of one-upmanship. Tetsuya Endo is far away from being the top guy in DDT like he was a few years ago. Instead he is finding success in the tag team division at the moment. He is somebody who has needed a change of scenery for a while now so hopefully a match like this in America can be a fresh breath of air. His opponent Andrew Everett hasn’t gotten to wrestle in Japan again since his DDT tour in 2022 when they discovered he might not actually be a giant. That’s what you get for lying about your height! But if he really is a giant then he will assert his dominance over Endo no problem. If not then we get to see Endo turn into a giant slayer instead.

Tetsuya Endo – Once the top wrestler in DDT, a disastrous concussion caused by a shoot slap from Katsuhiko Nakajima resulted in a major setback for Endo’s career. While he has yet to become the No. 1 guy in the company again he has regained some success by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Yuki Iino. Endo is currently the leader of BURNING, which is DDT’s attempt at making a current day version of the unit that has roots going back to NOAH and All Japan. He often has Kenta Kobashi’s blessing to represent that legacy and often meets with him to discuss ways to progress his career. With a greay physique and a lot of athleticism, Endo on paper has all of the tools to be a big star. It just never worked out for him that way, especially when you see where his rival is now. But that is not who he has to worry about here.
Moves To Watch Out For: Burning Star Press (Shooting Star Press), Tetsuya In The Sky (One Man Spanish Fly), Spinning Torture Rack Bomb

Andrew “The Giant” Everett – Can you believe there are rumours out there that Everett is not a giant? I know, right! He climbs into the ring by stepping over the top rope like giants do. He does Choke Slams his opponents like giants do. He wears a singlet like giants do. He does Moonsaults like Paul White allegedly did. That means Everett is a giant! Deadlock Pro is where you can find him nowadays. He’s wrestled in DDT before but perhaps his biggest accomplishment in Japan is from NewLegacyInc when his abuse of the Loser Leaves Town rule accidentally resulted in multiple clones of himself and Jun Akiyama being created.
Moves To Watch Out For: 630 Senton, Shooting Star Press, Moonsault, Choke Slam, Pelé Kick

5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shunma Katsumata

The top babyface group in DDT right now is The 37KAMIINA (“The Sauna Kamiina” because 37 in Japanese sounds similar to sauna and Kamiina is what the stoves are called) and Konosuke Takeshita was originally a member until he turned heel in AEW. Over time he has fought against his friends in separate singles matches and now the time has come for Shunma Katsumata to fight him. Is he up to the task against someone who is approaching best in the world territory?

Konosuke Takeshita – No matter where his career in AEW will take him, Takeshita will always have a home in DDT. He’s kind of living a double life because in AEW he is a heel under the increasingly questionable management of Don Callis. That is why DDT now writes his name in English with all upper case letters. Whenever he comes back to Japan he gets to be more like himself, a good boy who can German Suplex anything. He was part of The 37KAMIINA for a long time but left the group to follow his new career path in America. That means he gets to fight against his buddies but it is ultimately being done with good intentions. Matches like these are done so he can push his friends into improving themselves. If is takes smashing them in the face with his knees and elbows to get that message across then so be it.
Moves To Watch Out For: Spinning Falcon Arrow, Powerdrive Knee/Wagamama (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), German Suplex, Blue Thunder Bomb, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)

Shunma Katsumata – Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. Don’t let his hobby or his eternally youthful looks fool you though. Katsumata can get crazy violent whenever he wants. He is currently the DDT Extreme Champion, a belt that allows the holder to come up with whatever stipulation they want for their title defences. Just to give an example his most recent defence was called the Painful Jungle Death Match and it was DDT’s bloodiest bout in a long, long time. Yet there are also times when his weapons of choice are Lego and party poppers. The odd strain in Takeshita’s relationship with The 37KAMIINA has ended up with Katsumata being next to fight him. The situation is probably not violent enough for Super Hardcore Katsumata to appear. How he handles this match will depend on how much he will want to take it seriously.
Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)

6. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Mike Bailey

At the time of writing this match is a non-title bout yet I’m sure these two are going to have a match like it is one. We don’t get to see much of Mike Bailey in DDT anymore. Speedball has one of the more demanding looking schedules going in wrestling right now. He was around while Yuki Ueno was still in the early years of his career and Ueno is a far more developed wrestler now. When it comes to personality I don’t have much to say about Ueno unfortunately. As a wrestler though he is walking the walk as the current KO-D Openweight Champion. These two against each other can tear the house down if they don’t hold back.

Yuki Ueno – The current KO-D Champion which makes him the man to beat in DDT. Ueno has known Takeshita since they were high school classmates together. It was Takeshita’s journey into pro wrestling that convinced Ueno to follow him and give it a go. For most of his career that meant Ueno was stuck standing in his friend’s shadow. However Takeshita leaving DDT for AEW could not have been any more of a benefit for Ueno. Driven to become the ace of DDT, Ueno climbed the ladder and won the KO-D Title at Sumo Hall last November. Since then he has purposely defended the championship against wrestlers who are closely connected to DDT whether they are past aces, beloved personalities or even important management behind the scenes. He does this in order to prove that he is the best person to carry the company forward.
Moves To Watch Out For: BME (Best Moonsault Ever), WR (Rolling Wrist-Clutch Blockbuster), Jul.2 (Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher), Half Nelson Suplex, Dropkick to the Face

Mike Bailey – There’s been a couple of talented Canadian wrestlers who became big deals in DDT. You can count Speedball among that elite group. Nowadays he is signed to TNA but you never have to look far throughout the North American indies to find him wrestling on the card. Go look up his schedule for the weekend, he has like half a dozen bookings and four of them are on the same day! Bailey has been in the ring with Ueno a bunch of times but never in a singles match together. How this guy hasn’t destroyed his knees yet from the apron bumps in every match I will never know.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ultima Weapon (Shooting Star Double Knee Drop), Flamingo Driver (Cross-Legged One-Winged Angel), Green Tea Plunge (Standing Moonsault Fall Away Slam), Machine Gun Kicks

7. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz

The only title match on the show is going to be off the wall. The DDT Universal Title is a secondary championships that was intentionally created to be defended overseas in order to promote the company abroad. The current holder MAO is eager to go that direction at a time when he as a performer has never been better. When he set his sights on having a title match in Philadelphia, DDT thought outside the box and picked Billie Starkz as his challenger. If her tempo matches with MAO’s then the whole building is going to be left in a mess by the time the show is over.

MAO – Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” The high flier feels at his most alive when he is in Falls Count Anywhere situations. He is still immature but in the past year has figured out his own vision for pro wrestling. With that also comes a newly found confidence in his abilities. The result is him becoming a multiple time Universal Champion with a desire to spread DDT and defend the belt around the world. Putting him in the city where extreme wrestling flourished is just asking for trouble. This is a guy who likes wrestling in Circle 6 shows for God’s sake!
Moves To Watch Out For: Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Marines Tornado Splash (Swan Dive Phoenix Splash), Tornado Kick

Billie Starkz – A busy WrestleMania Week scheduled? Why not add a championship match held under no rules to the diary? From what I’ve seen of Billie Starkz over the years a match like this is a chance for her to blow off some steam and just go out there doing some nutty stuff for fun. Just don’t let Athena know what she’s getting up to while she’s on her own. You can’t replace Minions In Training that easily. Starkz has wrestled for TJPW before but this will be her first time stepping into a DDT ring. I’m sure she’ll feel right at home.
Moves To Watch Out For: Swanton Bomb, Sugoi Driver (Double Legged One-Winged Angel sometimes on the ring apron), Starkz Driver (Tombstone Piledriver), Star 10 (CRII)

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There will be other chances to see a few DDT wrestlers in action across Philadelphia that week. Mainly MAO. You are going to get a lot of MAO.


CIRCLE 6 “NEW FEAR CITY”, 03/04/2024
The Fire, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Chris Brookes Vs X
2. MAO Vs X

Let’s get started with Wrestlemania Week! Out of all the DDT wrestlers heading to Philadelphia it will be MAO who has the lion’s share of bookings. On the Wednesday night he and Chris Brookes are both going to a No Ring show held at a nightclub by Circle 6. It’s a dangerous way to begin one of the most schedule intense weeks of the wrestling calander.


DEFY “CAN’T DENY IT”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Thursday is even nuttier. MAO has four bookings in one day! It begins with a DEFY show where MAO and Mike Bailey reunite as Moonlight Express to face CCK.


SHP/LOL “EUPHORIA”, 04/04/2024
Attic Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Matt Makowski Vs MAO

When the DEFY match is done with MAO then goes over to another venue where he will wrestle Matt Makowski. On paper that sounds like a straight forward match but some really wacky things have happened at Sean Henderson Presents shows in the past. Don’t let your guard down, MAO.


GCW/JCW “GCW/JCW VS THE WORLD”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Shota Vs X
2. 4 Way Tag Match: Ciclope & Miedo Extremo Vs Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman Vs Man Like DeReiss & Leon Slater Vs MAO & Yoshihiko

The final show of the day if you go by the starting time being in the very last minute (yeah right like it won’t be delayed). GCW and its sister promotion JCW have invited the world to take them on. MAO & Yoshihiko will be joining forces to enter a 4 Way Tag Match against GCW’s top team from Mexico Los Macizos, the wXw duo from Germany Amboss and Britain’s own Boisterous Behaviour from NORTH Wrestling.

Also on the show is Shota taking his first independent booking since going freelance from GanPro. His match has not been announced yet. Since this is a GCW show it will probably be a Scramble Match since there are a bunch of other wrestlers also advertised with no match yet.


GCW “JJSB: CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER!”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X

I’m including this because there are apparently going to be 88 contestants entering this year’s annual Clusterfuck Match. Surely that means the odds are good for a few DDT wrestlers showing up somewhere on the show?

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Posted by JamieOD

A Painful Lottery, Bonno Dai Shacho Reunion, A Peak Into GanPro’s Future

April 2, 2024

Preview guides for this week’s American shows are coming right up. I will be travelling to America myself while the shows are going on but I’m not going to Philadelphia for my holiday. Results and any other updates will still be posted when I get the chance. It’s going to be an odd experience looking up highlights while I’m in the middle of a Knicks or Yankees game.

GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Suzume & Pom Harajuku Vs SAKI & Nao Kakuta
2. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
3. Dark Sheik Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Steph De Lander Vs Hyper Misao
5. Shazza McKenzie Vs Arisu Endo
6. Allie Katch Vs Mizuki
7. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

A broken hand prevents Sawyer Wreck from wrestling on the “GCW VS TJPW” show later this week. One small reshuffle later and we are now getting an Allie Katch Vs Mizuki match along with Nao Kakuta getting to team with SAKI so many years after they were last in the ring together over at Actwres girl’Z.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. No Gamble FINAL!: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Toru Owashi Vs X
2. Yuni & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA, Yoshitatsu & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: To-y Vs Rukiya
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
7. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes
8. DDT Extreme Title – Good Luck!! Survival Deadly Weapon Omikuji Great Battle That Causes Pain: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hi69

The DDT Extreme Title match will feature weapons placed in each corner of the ring determined by a lottery. It’s been hinted that the weapons are items that both Shunma Katsumata and Hi69 like to use. The match can only be won by pinfall or submission. Katsumata came up with the rules because he believes he has luck on his side. Hi69 intends to bring the Extreme Title back with him to NOAH if he wins it.

Hideki Okatani will be taking time off for injury after this show. He’s been wrestling while having a torn ACL in his left knee and needs reconstructive surgery for it. No timetable has been made for his return yet. His only message about the news is he will come back stronger.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN FUKUOKA”, 13/04/2024
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Naya & To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao
3. Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku Vs Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
5. O-40 Title: Makoto Oishi Vs Azul Dragon
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, HARASHIMA & Kota Umeda

This will be the last preview match for Yuki Ueno and Akito before their KO-D Openweight Title match takes place.

The opening 3 Way Match is now a tag team bout with the addition of Sanshiro Takagi to the mix.

BASARA “BASARA 245 ~YOKOHAMA STORY~”, 20/04/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita

Both of The Brahman Brothers will be on the show. I mean, it would be weird at this point if only one of them got booked.

DDT “SPOILER FREE SHOW VOL. 1”, 21/04/2024
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Kazuma Sumi & Yuni
2. 4 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya Vs MJ Paul Vs Gota Ihashi
3. Different Martial Arts Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs Akito Nishigaki & Hayabucha
4. 1 Vs 2 Special Handicap Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Takeshi Masda Vs Danshoku Dieno & Rukiya
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Fuminori Abe & Chris Brookes

It’s a Bonno Dai Shacho reunion! Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe are together again. What will they get up to with Chris Brookes on their side? We won’t know until hours after the show ends because no spoilers are allowed!

GANBARE☆PRO “SPRING BREAKERS 2024”, 27/04/2024
Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall

It won’t be until the end of the month when Ganbare☆Pro holds their first show as an independent promotion. They have a new website up and one thing I like about it is they promote all of the different shows their wrestlers are booked for across the scene. I won’t be writing about most of them but at least it’s evidence that everyone will be keeping themselves busy inbetween shows.

As for the new freelancers they are making plans too. Shota is heading over to America and has bookings waiting for him when he comes back. Yoshiko Hasegawa and Riara announced they are putting together their own indie show at Takashimadaira Kumin Center on 11th May. They will put out more details later this week and if it features plenty of GanPro or CyberFight wrestlers I might have to go cover it. Same with Banny Oikawa’s 5th Anniversary show taking place on 1st May. HARUKAZE, Yuna Manase and YuuRI are being booked for that along with Moeka Haruhi as a special guest ring announcer.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – March 2024

April 1, 2024

It’s time! The floodgates are open and there is loads of international wrestling to talk about in regards to our buddies in DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro. March was the busiest month Konosuke Takeshita had in ages with some big matches that can be added to his Best Of collection. Maki Itoh made up for lost time in GCW and hit it big by winning one of their championships. CDK went to wrestle in the Phillipines for the first time together. Daisuke Sasaki fitted in a late weekend trip to Mexico before he moves on to the DDT USA show. If that’s not enough, the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title even saw some action in America.

So next up comes the avalanche of wrestling that is Wrestlemania week. Both DDT and TJPW have shows going on in Philadelphia in the upcoming days. Full intro guides for their shows will be posted on this site tomorrow. A few wrestlers will be popping up here and there throughout the week. When that’s done there is even more stuff to follow. Kazusada Higuchi has a US booking coming up. Miyu Yamashita, now without a championship, will begin a two month tour of America. Itoh will always have trips with GCW to look forward to. Plus other joshi like Mizuki, Yuki Kamifuku and Hyper Misao have their own plans lined up as we head towards the summertime.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 13/03/2024 (Aired 15/03/2024)
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Komander (w/ Alex Abrahantes)


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 20/03/2024
Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Rocky Romero


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 27/03/2024
Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana)

Video starts at 1:24:45
MÁS LUCHA “NACCÍ PERRO, NACÍ PARA SER ELEGIDO”, 31/03/2024
Arena Azteca Budokan, Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico

1. Cirujano Jr. Vs Panic Clown Vs Halloween Jr. Vs Kundra Vs El Fiscal Vs Daisuke Sasaki

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Results


GCW “PROJECT GCW”, 01/03/2024
Pop’s NightClub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh defeated Ciclope & Miedo Extremo when Gage pinned Ciclope with a Top Rope Piledriver through a Door (9:55).

Maki Death Kill wasted no time at the start of the month. They fought Los Macizos in a chaotic match. Miedo Extremo gave Itoh a slap across the face early that made her start crying but it was only a trap so Itoh could hit him back. Ciclope also riled up Itoh by mimicking her poses. Los Macizos thought they were one step ahead by using forks to counter MDK’s pizza cutters but Nick Gage & Itoh were able to cut them up anyway. Gage was later able to give Ciclope a Piledriver off the top rope through a door for the win.


GCW “KEEP IN TOUCH”, 02/03/2024
Marriott East, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh defeated John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley when Itoh pinned Bentley with the I.S.D. (14:07).

MDK then moved on to fight The Rejects on the next show. Again Itoh faked crying to get the jump on her opponent. This time it was John Wayne Murdoch who fell for it. Itoh ended up arming herself with a stapler and used it to great effect on both Murdoch and Reed Bentley. Murdoch got some revenge by hitting Itoh with a trash can over and over. Gage got rid of Bentley by using the Chokebreaker and then he tackled Murdoch through a table. That set up Itoh to hit Murdoch with the I.S.D. to win the match.


AEW “REVOLUTION”, 03/03/2024
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

1. Will Ospreay defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Hidden Blade (21:57).

Did The Don Callis Family implode? Not really. Callis is feeling so good about his group wiping out all of their targets that he decided it was time for his two best wrestlers to fight each other on PPV just to rub it in. It was also going to be Will Ospreay’s first AEW match under his full time deal with the company. What followed was a classic match between him and Takeshita, surely one of the best of the year. Even though Takeshita lost he wasn’t out of the title chase yet. Ospreay has other plans on his mind for now and the performance gave Takeshita another path towards fighting for the No. 1 Contendership.


GCW “ASHES TO ASHES”, 09/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. GCW Extreme Title – Scramble Match: Maki Itoh defeated Joey Janela (c), Jack Cartwheel, Alex Zayne, Marcus Mathers and Broski Jimmy when Itoh pinned Mathers with a Spinning DDT (7:32).
*Joey Janela fails in V7. Maki Itoh becomes the 10th GCW Extreme Champion!

Itoh’s next GCW appearance was revealed to be in a 6 Way Scramble match with Joey Janela putting his GCW Extreme Title on the line. The finishing stretch saw Marcus Mathers crushing Janela with a 450 Splash only for Itoh to run in and drop him with a Spinning DDT to get the pin out of nowhere and become the new champion!


GCW “SO MUCH FUN”, 10/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Nick Gage, Matt Tremont & Maki Itoh Vs Effy, Allie Katch & Dark Sheik ended in a No Contest when Mance Warner interfered (17:08).

The day after Itoh won her championship she teamed up with Gage & Matt Tremont to form Maki Death Kill Club. Their match against Thrussy ended up getting thrown out when Mance Warner interfered and attacked members of both teams. He is currently in a bloody feud with Effy so that storyline took precedence and Itoh had no involvement with the finish.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 13/03/2024 (Aired 15/03/2024)
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Komander (w/ Alex Abrahantes) with the Modified Falcon Arrow (9:39).

The next two weeks had Takeshita wrestling on Rampage to build up his win-loss record. First he defeated Komander, using a Spinning Falcon Arrow to win the match. It also looked like he shook the fallen luchador’s hand after the match. Was it a show of good sportsmanship at a time when Takeshita shies away from that sort of thing under his manager’s watch?


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 20/03/2024
Coca-Cola Coliseum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Rocky Romero with the Modified Falcon Arrow (8:54).

The next week Takeshita defeated Rocky Romero, again using the Spinning Falcon Arrow. It’s a bit funny that Takeshita finally got to wrestle a few people connected to New Japan this month. Romero was with the company in 2016 perhaps he has some info on what actually happened between NJPW and DDT back then? Ha ha ha…


DEXCON “WRESTLE STORM”, 24/03/2024
Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Jake De Leon & Ravena when Takanashi pinned Ravena after the Thrust Kick & Praying Mantis Bomb Combo (?:??).
*V1 for CDK.

A new month means a new place in Asia for Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi to wrestle in. They went over to the Philippines for a wrestling promotion called Dexcon. CDK put the SETUP World Tag Team Titles against the team known as Oro Plata Mata. CDK scored the win and successful defence so they were free to celebrate with some drinks after the show.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 27/03/2024
Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

1. Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) with the Big Pressure (19:39).

No. 1 Contendership for the AEW World Title was up for grabs when Takeshita fought the highly fancied Swerve Strickland. It was another great match between two fantastic wrestlers. Takeshita almost had an answer for all of Swerve’s attacks. He even kicked out of the Swerve Stomp. However Strickland landed another Double Stomp when Takeshita tried to pop him up into the air. At a time when Takeshita adopted several of Naruki Doi’s moves to use in America, how ironic is it that he lost to Strickland’s version of the Muscular Bomb?


HAKUNA MATATA LUCHAS “HOMENAJE A REY BALSAS”, 30/03/2024
Unidad Habitacional de Fovissste, Puebla, Mexico

1. Karma I & Karma II (2) defeated Kurama & Daisuke Sasaki (1).

Just a few days before DDT reaches America, Daisuke Sasaki decided to travel a week early. He went to Mexico and got himself a couple of lucha libre bookings. I thought it would be impossible to find his first match at Hakuna Matata Luchas but it turns out I should have had no worries because a video of it appeared on Facebook. Sasaki an his tag partner Kurama beat Karma I & Karma II in the first fall with a Diving Body Press and Diving Elbow Drop. Then Karma II (I checked to make sure Karma I wore the golden boots and Karma II wore the silver) used a Llave Crucifix Hold to pin Sasaki for the second fall. The final fall went to the tecnicos when I vaulted II into Kurama & Sasaki like a cannonball into the corner. That resulted in Karma I & II pinning both of them for the victory.


MÁS LUCHA “NACCÍ PERRO, NACÍ PARA SER ELEGIDO”, 31/03/2024
Arena Azteca Budokan, Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico

1. Perros del Mal Light Heavyweight Title: Panic Clown defeated Cirujano Jr. , Halloween Jr., Kundra, El Fiscal and Daisuke Sasaki when Clown submitted Sasaki with a Modified Cross Hammerlock (?:??).
*Panic Clown becomes the new Perros del Mal Light Heavyweight Champion!

Sasaki also took part in a show hosted by Más Lucha. He was put into a 6 Way match with the vacant Perros del Mal Light Heavyweight. The Luchawiki has 2016 as the last time the title was active but I’m not sure even The Cubs Fan himself believes if that is accurate. In a wild match with plenty of dives and some violence involving chairs, Sasaki ended up on the losing end. He did a Diving Cross Body onto Panic Clown but Clown rolled over on top of him and put Sasaki in a Cross Hammerlock kind of submission hold to make him tap out.

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Iron Man Title In USA


WEST COAST PRO “MARVELOUS COAST”, 23/03/2024
United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sayaka Unagi (c) defeated Hyan with the Dai Fuhen Mono Ki (9:55).
1a. Sparky Ballard defeated Sayaka Unagi (c) with a School Boy.
*Sparky Ballard becomes the 1,616th champion.
1b. Ref Gil defeated Sparky Ballard (c) with a School Boy.
*Ref Gil becomes the 1,617th champion.
1c. Hyan defeated Ref Gil (c) with the Spear.
*Hyan becomes the 1,618th champion.
1d. Sayaka Unagi defeated Hyan (c) with the Dai Fuhen Mono Ki (9:55).
*Sayaka Unagi becomes the 1,619th champion.

For the first time this year the Iron Man Title made its way over to America. It is one of the many championships currently being held by Sayaka Unagi and West Coast Pro decided Hyan would be a good challenger for her. Unagi struggled to beat Hyan and the growing frustration caused her to shove the referee Sparky Ballard after a disputed nearfall. In the heat of the moment Ballard decided to take things in his own hands so when Unagi turned her back on him he gave her a School Boy and counted to three. He was now the new Iron Man Champion! Then things went nutty when another official affectionately known as Ref Gil got into the ring with a third referee and he pinned Ballard with a School Boy to take the title off of him! Gil’s reign did not last long because Hyan gave him the Spear and pinned him to win the title. Her match with Unagi continued from there and Unagi won to ensure the championship went back to her. She continued to wrestle in America that week and did not lose any matches so there were no further title changes in America. At least none that DDT knows of. She lost a match to Janai Kai in MLW a few days ago but that company gets away with a lot of stuff because nobody likes paying attention to them. That forced Unagi and DDT to come up with a story that she lost the Iron Man Title to a “Strange Foreigner” before the match happened. She then allegedly found the “Strange Foreigner” some time after the match to win it back.

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Upcoming Appearances


CIRCLE 6 “NEW FEAR CITY”, 03/04/2024
The Fire, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Chris Brookes Vs X
2. MAO Vs X

Let’s get started with Wrestlemania Week! Out of all the DDT wrestlers heading to Philadelphia it will be MAO who has the lion’s share of bookings. On the Wednesday night he and Chris Brookes are both going to a No Ring show held at a nightclub by Circle 6. It’s a dangerous way to begin one of the most schedule intense weeks of the wrestling calander.


DEFY “CAN’T DENY IT”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Thursday is even nuttier. MAO has four bookings in one day! It begins with a DEFY show where MAO and Mike Bailey reunite as Moonlight Express to face another team getting back together. Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos get to wrestle together as CDK for the first time in a long while. A lot of things have changed since. Lykos now wrestles unmasked and he is currently the Progress World Champion.


SHP/LOL “EUPHORIA”, 04/04/2024
Attic Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Matt Makowski Vs MAO

When the DEFY match is done with MAO then goes over to another venue where he will wrestle Matt Makowski. On paper that sounds like a straight forward match but some really wacky things have happened at Sean Henderson Presents shows in the past. Don’t let your guard down.


DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Bryan Keith & Shota
3. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Mike Bailey
7. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz

As soon as the preview for this show is posted you can find it by clicking here.


GCW/JCW “GCW/JCW VS THE WORLD”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Shota Vs X
2. 4 Way Tag Match: Ciclope & Miedo Extremo Vs Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman Vs Man Like DeReiss & Leon Slater Vs MAO & Yoshihiko

The final show of the day if you go by the starting time being in the very last minute (yeah right like it won’t be delayed). GCW and its sister promotion JCW have invited the world to take them on. MAO & Yoshihiko will be joining forces to enter a 4 Way Tag Match against GCW’s top team from Mexico Los Macizos, the wXw duo from Germany Amboss and Britain’s own Boisterous Behaviour from NORTH Wrestling.

Also on the show is Shota taking his first independent booking since going freelance from Ganbare☆Pro. His match has not been announced yet. Since this is a GCW show it will probably be a Scramble Match since there are a bunch of other wrestlers also advertised with no match yet.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs Billie Starkz
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Rhio
3. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Nao Kakuta & Zara Zakher
5. Mizuki & Vert Vixen Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

As soon as the preview for this show is posted you can find it by clicking here.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 8”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Danhausen & Ram Kaichow

While Itoh went back to Japan to wrestle for TJPW again, Gage went and teamed with Danhausen to challenge for the GCW Tag Team Titles. They lost and Danhausen blamed the result on Gage. That caused Gage to come up with a challenge. He and Itoh will fight Danhausen and a partner of his choice at some point during The Collective. All signs pointed towards the annual Spring Break show as the destination for the match. Then Joey Janela broke the news that Danhausen chose Ram Kaichow to be his teammate! Itoh and Kaichow have never crossed paths in the ring before because Kaichow’s TJPW appearances are often contained within the Rakuverse.


GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Suzume Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
3. Dark Sheik Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Steph De Lander Vs Hyper Misao
5. Shazza McKenzie Vs Arisu Endo
6. Sawyer Wreck & Allie Katch Vs Mizuki & Nao Kakuta
7. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

As soon as the preview for this show is posted you can find it by clicking here. Expect a partial change to one of the matches because Sawyer Wreck broke her hand last weekend and won’t be able to wrestle.


GCW “JJSB: CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER!”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X

I’m including this because there are apparently going to be 88 contestants entering this year’s annual Clusterfuck Match. Surely that means the odds are good for some DDT or TJPW entries showing up in it. Or maybe Itoh will have an Extreme Title defence? Either way this will probably be it for their involvement at WrestleMania Week.


WEST COAST PRO “CHRIS HERO’S PRO WRES MIXTAPE”, 14/04/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs X

West Coast Pro cards have been put together by Chris Hero for a while now but I wouldn’t call any of them vanity shows. I can with this one because it has his name on it right there.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 8”, 14/04/2024
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Kylie Rae Vs Miyu Yamashita

After Mania Week is done and everyone in TJPW head back home to Japan, Yamashita will be staying behind. Her latest tour of America will last until June. The first match announced for her stay is a first time match against Kylie Rae. For Rae it will be a big match for her since she only just recently returned to pro wrestling.


UPRISING “UPRISING: WOMEN ATHLETES 2”, 19/04/2024
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyan

Can Yamashita get her win back from Hyan?


DREAMWAVE “ANNIVERSARY IX”, 20/04/2024
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita will be at DREAMWAVE the next night. Her opponent will be somebody out of the Uprising lineup to be determined after that show takes place.


GCW “HOW HIGH”, 20/04/2024
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh will be bouncing back and forth between Japan and America again as Spring heads into Summer.


PRESTIGE/PRIDE STYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

The announcements for Yamashita’s matches in America are coming thick and fast.


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 2 – KAPPAS COUNTERATTACK”, 27/04/2024
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs Ultramantis Black

The first Daikaiju Pro event featured Shoko Nakajima so it only makes sense for the second show to feature her Kyoraku Kyomei tag partner Hyper Misao! She was teased as being “Project M” being brought in to deal with the calamity that is seemingly going on over there. Her impending arrival has caused the great and devious Ultramantis Black to step forward and dare to meet her face to face on the battlefield!


VPW “SAIGON SLAM”, 04/05/2024
VAIB Studios, Vietnam

1. VPW Women’s Title: Alexis Lee Vs Yuki Kamifuku

Yuki Kamifuku will be heading over to Vietnam Pro Wrestling in a bid to become the company’s first Women’s Champion. Her opponent is somebody she’s become familiar with. She and Alexis Lee have fought each other for the Queen Of Asia Title a couple of times and in their last match Kamifuku beat Lee to become the champion. Will she do the same here or can Lee take this new title as revenge for losing the other one?


SETUP “CLASH OF THE TITANS”, 25/05/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha (c) Vs Monomoth Vs Mizuki

Over in Thailand Mizuki has a chance to win a championship over there. She is part of a 3 Way Match with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title on the line. Matcha is the defending champion and Monomoth is the other challenger.


MAW “LIFT BRIDGE BASH 4”, 08/06/2024
Lift Bridge Brewing Company, Stillwater, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Laynie Luck

Yamashita’s first match back in Japan will be on 15th June. So at the moment her match against Laynie Luck at Midwest All-Star Wrestling looks like it will be her last booking for the tour.

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Posted by JamieOD

Good Friday? Eh, It’s Been Alright

March 29, 2024

The “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” preview will be posted this afternoon. Then on Monday I will post this month’s Around The World round up. After that I will also be posting guides for the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro shows in America next Tuesday. Holy crap I wrote so much about this stuff for the last two weeks!

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 30/03/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito Vs Yukio Naya, Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku
3. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs KANON
4. Special Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & Ilusion Vs Hi69 & Yasu Urano
5. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Yuni Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada

There will be a signing ceremony tomorrow for the DDT Extreme Title match. Both Shunma Katsumata and Hi69 will be there.

GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Suzume Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
3. Dark Sheik Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Steph De Lander Vs Hyper Misao
5. Shazza McKenzie Vs Arisu Endo
6. Sawyer Wreck & Allie Katch Vs Mizuki & Nao Kakuta
7. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

Match #6 is going to get changed. Sawyer Wreck broke her hand last weekend and won’t be able to wrestle on the show. Nothing’s been announced yet so I’m unsure if GCW will find a replacement, turn the tag match into a 3 Way or scrap it for something entirely different.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Unpaid Rumble FINAL!: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Toru Owashi Vs X
2. Yuni & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA, Yoshitatsu & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: To-y Vs Rukiya
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
7. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hi69
8. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes

According to DDT they have received applications from approximately 70 people for the Unpaid Rumble match. They will contact the approved applicants next week.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN SAPPORO – DAY 1”, 28/04/2024
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza Kanaeda

1. Yuki Iino & Tomoya Vs Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
2. Sapporo Specialty Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Noriyuki Yoshida
3. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Danshoku Dieno

We should have all saw this match coming. It was inevitable from the day Yoshitatsu stepped foot into a DDT ring. He will, nay he must fight Danshoku Dieno by himself!

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN SAPPORO – DAY 2”, 29/04/2024
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza Kanaeda

1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Noriyuki Yoshida & Kazuki Hirata
2. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Shunma Katsumata 10th Anniversary Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO

Later this year Sanshiro Takagi will be taking a break from wrestling matches to focus on managing CyberFight. This will be his last match in Sapporo before that happens.

Tomoya will be on the show.

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Posted by JamieOD

Hi69 Coming Back To DDT, GCW Vs TJPW Card, “No Spoiler” Matches

March 23, 2024

DDT “SPRING BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2”, 26/03/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
2. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. D GENERATIONS CUP Tag Match: Yuni & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Tsubasa Suzuki
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Semi Final: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Rukiya
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Semi Final: To-y Vs Ilusion
6. Tetsuya Endo & Toru Owashi (w/ Furitsuke Kamen) Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno

The D GENERATIONS CUP semi finals are To-y Vs Ilusion and Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Rukiya. The winners of those matches will meet in the final on 7th April.

The card has been changed around a little bit to add Tomomitsu Matsunaga into the same match as Jun Akiyama since the two of them will be challenging for the KO-D Tag Team Titles soon. One half of the champs Yuki Iino gets to test them out as a team first.

The opening match is also changed from a 6-Man Tag to a 3 Way Tag. Chris Brookes wasn’t booked on the show yet so he gets added here while MJ Paul is relegated from being in the match to standing at ringside for DAMNATION T.A. That’s a bit weird but okay.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 30/03/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito Vs Yukio Naya, Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku
3. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
4. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs KANON
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Yuni Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada
6. Special Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & Ilusion Vs Hi69 & Yasu Urano

The Hardcore Match for the DDT Extreme Title gets previewed here when Shunma Katsumata and Hi69 collide in tag team action. Hi69 is bringing along Yasu Urano to form a team straight out of the old K-DOJO days. Katsumata will be teaming with Ilusion. The masked wrestler is gradually getting booked more by DDT which is good to see. This will be a good challenge for him.

The fighting between Hideki Okatani and KANON during the first night of Beer Garden did not stop after their match was over. When they were finally pulled apart Okatani demanded KANON to fight him in a singles match. When the match was confirmed to go ahead, Okatani then went on Twitter and challenged KANON to put his King Of DDT spot on the line. If Okatani wins he takes KANON’s place in the tournament. In return Okatani has an idea for a punishment in mind for himself should he lose. He hasn’t said what it is yet but KANON is intrigued enough to risk gambling his tournament spot away.

GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Suzume Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
3. Dark Sheik Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Steph De Lander Vs Hyper Misao
5. Shazza McKenzie Vs Arisu Endo
6. Sawyer Wreck & Allie Katch Vs Mizuki & Nao Kakuta
7. Billie Starkz & Janai Kai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

The GCW Vs Tokyo Joshi Pro full match lineup is here and… uh… yeah… There is an audience out there that’s into this card. I’m not part of it outside of the main event. Maybe the other two top matches as well if everybody involved all click together on the day. I’ll have a preview for the show written up along with one for “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY” a little after next week. I’ve already written most of it already because so much is happening at the end of March and the start of April.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. No Gamble FINAL!: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Toru Owashi Vs X
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: X Vs X
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
4. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hi69
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes

The reason why Matsunaga was chosen by Akiyama to be his partner is because of his work ethic behind the scenes. Matsunaga only wrestles part-time in DDT nowadays, usually as a substitute for someone who can’t be at the show for whatever reason. However he keeps himself in shape and is always ring ready when he does get called up as a replacement. Akiyama appreciates that and wants to see if that work ethic can be converted into a championship win for them.

DDT “SPOILER FREE SHOW VOL. 1”, 21/04/2024
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. Different Martial Arts Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs Akito Nishigaki & Hayabucha
2. 1 Vs 2 Special Handicap Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
3. Special Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Rukiya Vs Yuki Iino & Takeshi Masada

The gimmick for this show is that no information about what happens is allowed to be posted online until after midnight. That won’t be much of a problem for me because where I am I just have to wait until after 4pm local time to start looking up the results. That’s not out of the ordinary for me with the regular show results and reports.

A forbidden in-ring reunion for Danshoku Dieno and Yuki Iino. The two former members of Pheromones will face each other for the first time since the unit’s split back in October of last year.

DDT’s top wrestler of the moment Yuki Ueno has to fight both Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda by himself. Is that really much of a challenge for him though?

Four different athletic backgrounds clash in a “martial arts” tag match. Tetsuya Endo represents rhythmic gymnastics, Yuya Koroku is junior high amateur wrestling, Akito is high school amateur wrestling and HARASHIMA goes back to his college club student pro wrestling roots by becoming Hayabucha again. At least I assume it’s going to be HARASHIMA under the mask here.

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They Forgot About Sasadango, It’s A Battle Show, TJPW USA Card Revealed

March 11, 2024

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. “Intern Wrestler” Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Soma Takao Vs Tsubasa Suzuki
2. Yuya Koroku Return Match: To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya Vs Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
3. Toru Owashi & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu
6. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Akito
7. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ken Ohka
8. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi
9. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Belt Contra Dissolution: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki
10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
11. DDT Extreme Title – Painful Jungle Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
12. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Takeshi Masada
13. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs HARASHIMA

Over the weekend Super Sasadango Machine noticed something. He is on the poster for this show but hasn’t been booked for a match yet. He thought he was going to be on the show anyway because DDT is celebrating its 27th anniversary so he kept his busy schedule free for that day. Akito used his vice president duties to look into it and apologized when he found out that DDT did indeed forget to book Sasadango for the show. To make up for it one more match has been added to the 5 hour show and Akito himself will be Sasadango’s opponent. Now Keisuke Ishii is also getting booked in order to take Akito’s original spot in Match #3. Sasadango has since showed his appreciation to Akito for owning up o the mistake and apologized for giving him extra work to do. So for the first time ever we’re getting a wrestling match where the buildup involves both wrestlers constantly apologizing to each other.

BASARA “BASARA 244 ~UTAGE~”, 19/03/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Isami Kosaka Vs Kazusada Higuchi
2. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Masato Kamino

At the last BASARA show the top two members of Sento Minzoku challenged Harimao for the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles. The match cannot happen just yet because Minoru Fujita is already scheduled to defend the Union MAX Title and he does not want to take part in another championship bout on the same show. So instead Isami Kodaka will face one-half of the champions Kazusada Higuchi in a singles match to give fans a preview of the full course.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “BALLO BALLO ~ IT’S A BATTLE SHOW~”, 20/03/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami Vs HIMAWARI & Haru Kazashiro
2. Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
3. Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima & Wakana Uehara

The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) are holding their own event that is a mixture of both wrestling matches and a concert. All currently active members will be involved. The management group behind the unit has already said Hikari Noa will not be at the show. She is gradually being mentioned or shown on promotional material again so to me that is a small but positive sign towards her eventually coming back. I think her future will be more clear next month after “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” and the American shows are out of the way. We’re more likely to see her in public again before Kate Middleton that’s for sure.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GANBARE☆JOSHI “SHUFFLE DATE 2024”, 22/03/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Mahiro Kiryu & Haru Kazashiro Vs Toga & Chika Nanase
2. Rika Tatsumi, Runa Okubo & Uta Takami Vs Moka Miyamoto, Wakana Uehara & Kira Summer
3. HARUKAZE & Kaya Toribami Vs Raku & Shino Suzuki
4. Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI Vs HIMAWARI & Riara
5. Yuna Manase & Nao Kakuta Vs Shoko Nakajima & Yoshiko Hasegawa

All of the Ganbare☆Joshi wrestlers have been booked already so the remaining card is filled with just Tokyo Joshi Pro girls.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs Billie Starkz
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Rhio
3. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Nao Kakuta & Zara Zakher
5. Mizuki & Vert Vixen Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

This is the complete TJPW card you’re going to get in Philadelphia. Hmmm… I’m not that hot on it to be honest. If last year’s USA show was comparable to a Korakuen Hall show this one is more Ryogoku KFC Hall. I guess they’re a bit more conservative this time around because they have the second show with GCW the day after.

Speaking of GCW, Maki Itoh won the GCW Extreme Title in a 6 Way Scramble match on Saturday night! I’ll write more about it in the next DDT Around The World article at the end of the month.

BASARA “BASARA 245 ~YOKOHAMA STORY~”, 20/04/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita

We’ll have to wait until the latter half of April for the IRON FIST Tag Title match to happen.

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Uta Takami, Naya And Rukiya Both Sick, GCW Side For TJPW Show Revealed

March 2, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 03/03/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. 3 Way Match: Suzume Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Uta Takami Debut Match: Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami Vs Raku & Shino Suzuki
3. Kira Summer Debut Match: Nao Kakuta & Kira Summer Vs Arisu Endo & Chika Nanase
4. Rika Tatsumi Vs Haru Kazashiro
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
7. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Mizuki & HIMAWARI

Uta the trainee member of The Up Up Girls can be called Uta Takami from now on. She is from Ishikawa, was born on 29th March, 2007 and is 150cm tall.

Ami Yumoto will be at the show tomorrow to greet the fans. Sayuri Namba also has her announcement segment that takes place before any of the matches begins. One of them will be new names announced to appear at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”.

DDT “NARAHA TOWN RESIDENT WRESTLER TOY KOJIMA THANKSGIVING DAY – NARAHA TOWN COME ON!”, 03/03/2024
Fukushima Naraha Sky Arena

1. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Kazuki Hirata & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Akito & Ilusion
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Soma Takao Vs HARASHIMA & Jun Akiyama
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani

Both Yukio Naya and Rukiya are showing fever symptoms and will not be on tomorrow’s show as a precaution. Hideki Okatani moves up the card to take Naya’s spot in the main event, Soma Takao replaces Rukiya in Match #4 and Tomomitsu Matsunaga has been added to the opener.

GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The GCW side has been revealed. Their lineup is Masha Slamovich, Rina Yamashita, Steph De Lander, Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz, Sawyer Wreck, Janai Kai, Allie Katch, Shazza McKenzie and Session Moth Martina. All of these women have either wrestled in Tokyo Joshi Pro before or have often been in the ring with Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh during their tours abroad.

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DDT Around The World – February 2024

March 1, 2024

I can feel it in the air, the road towards Wrestlemania Week has begun. There’s not too much to talk about what happened in February but the announcements for what’s going down in Philadelphia this April are beginning to drip out. Konosuke Takeshita is getting set to be the welcoming party for AEW’s newest big signing, Miyu Yamashita has another American tour on the way and Maki Itoh is back in action with a return to GCW coming very soon. That’s not all, Mizuki Watase is going to be in Philly that week and is currently looking for bookings. I hope he gets some because the few matches he was able to do last year I thought got him over in the venues. His problem seems to be a lack of international coverage for his body of work in Japan. You have to see him in action to get him.

The other story of the month is MAO and Yoshihiko’s European tour. They kept it short and sweet with only two bookings in a weekend but it seems to have done wonders for MAO. He’s been booming with confidence ever since and it shows with his recent DDT performances. I can’t put my finger on what exactly made him improve lately but he has put it all together in a complete package that makes him stand out. He is his own wrestler that is able to make his style adapt to his opponent and the environment they are in. He did good with the American indies last year and I would love to see him break out even higher on the scene in 2024.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Chris Jericho Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

Video starts at 2:55:30 for the angle. Match begins at 2:59:27.
WEST COAST PRO “UNDER THE BRIDGE”, 18/02/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero, Konosuke Takeshita & Titus Alexander Vs Adrian Quest, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee


AEW “COLLISION”, 24/02/2024
Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri, USA

1. Bryan Danielson Vs Jun Akiyama

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Results


BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. MAO & Yoshihiko defeated MBM & Ultima Sombra (?:??).

The European trip started out in France where MAO & Yoshihiko defeated Rivality in BZW. I think the promotion was originally called BodyZoi Wrestling but then changed their name to Banger Zone Wrestling. Anyway Yoshihiko ended up needing a neck brace after it was put through a table. It got its own back by giving both MBM & Ultima Sombra a Double Low Blow and a Double Choke Slam.


TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Fatal 4 Way: Yoshihiko defeated Jordan Oliver, Leon Slater and MAO (?:??).

The next night MAO and Yoshihiko made it to England for a TNT Extreme show. They weren’t teaming together this time. Instead they were opponents along with Jordan Oliver and Leon Slater in a Fatal 4 Way match. Neither of them escaped the match unscathed. Yoshihiko was thrown from the ring into the balcony only to dive out of there onto everyone back in the ring! It ended up winning the match but still needed medical help over concerns it suffered a concussion. MAO got a medical check-up too but he was fine as long as he got some beer.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Chris Jericho with the Walls Of Takeshita (13:51).

Takeshita got his win back from Chris Jericho in a rematch from DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” last November. This time Takeshita had counters for a lot of Jericho’s moves. He avoided the Walls Of Jericho and after some struggle repositioned himself to Wheelbarrow Suplex his opponent. He stopped Jericho from doing the Lionsault, grabbing him from the ropes to do a Blue Thunder Bomb instead. He also avoided a top rope Frankensteiner to do a Super Blue Thunder Bomb too! Jericho finally caught Takeshita in the Walls Of Jericho but that was when Don Callis came into play. He slid a chair into the ring to distract the ref and then hit Jericho in the head with a screwdriver. Takeshita took advantage by putting Jericho in the Walls Of Takeshita, dragging him into the middle of the ring to make him tap out!


WEST COAST PRO “UNDER THE BRIDGE”, 18/02/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero, Konosuke Takeshita & Titus Alexander defeated Adrian Quest, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee (20:56).

A match between Chris Hero and Adrian Quest over at West Coast Pro ended in a No Contest when Danny Rose & Ricky Gee interfered and attacked Hero. Titus Alexander came to Hero’s aid but the numbers game by Quest and Los Suavecitos eventually overwhelmed them. Who would come out to the rescue but Konosuke Takeshita! After he cleared the ring with Elbow Strikes an impromptu 6-Man Tag Match broke out. After the match Hero told a story back from around 2007 about him going to see an Osaka Pro show during a tour with NOAH. He wanted to take a tour of the venue but wasn’t allowed do it by himself. So a 10 year old Takeshita had to chaperone him around the building!


AEW “COLLISION”, 24/02/2024
Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri, USA

1. Bryan Danielson defeated Jun Akiyama with the Busaiku Knee Kick (15:59).

AEW’s booking method for Bryan Danielson lately is to book him against a who’s who of the wrestling landscape. He’s been in the ring with the likes of Yuji Nagata, luchadors from CMLL and the latest one was Jun Akiyama. This match had extra spice to it because Eddie Kingston was at ringside and he admires Akiyama greatly. So of course Danielson would have some fun getting to beat up Kingston’s hero right in front of him. However Akiyama put up a big fight, clashing Knee Strike to Knee Strike. It couldn’t last though and Danielson ultimately got his hand raised in the end. He shook Akiyama’s hand after the match only to give him a Low Blow. An angry Kingston attacked Danielson which brought out Claudio Castagnoli and then FTR for a little brawl before things calmed down.

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Upcoming Appearances


GCW “PROJECT GCW”, 01/03/2024
Pop’s NightClub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Ciclope & Miedo Extremo

Itoh returns to America and making up for lost time. She is going to spend most of the month wrestling with Nick Gage so there is going to be a lot of Maki Death Kill for everybody! First up the duo takes on Los Macizos. Itoh’s streak of doing death matches without having to take any actual bumps through glass will be at risk here.


GCW “KEEP IN TOUCH”, 02/03/2024
Marriott East, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley

Then the next night Maki Death Kill face The Rejects.


AEW “REVOLUTION”, 03/03/2024
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

1. Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Yeah this is going to be awesome. Don Callis has become so satisfied with how things are turning out for himself and the Don Callis Family in AEW that he is now going to make his own wrestlers fight each other because there is no one else on their level. Takeshita is going to be Will Ospreay’s first opponent now that Ospreay is signed full time to AEW. Expectations are going to be high, high, high for this one.


GCW “ASHES TO ASHES”, 09/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Nothing announced yet for Itoh’s third GCW appearance of the month. Gage is busy fighting Ryuji Ito at that show.


GCW “SO MUCH FUN”, 10/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Nick Gage, Matt Tremont & Maki Itoh Vs Effy, Allie Katch & Dark Sheik

But for the fourth appearance she gets to team with Matt Tremont for the first time. Mix together Maki Death Kill with the H8 Club and you get Maki Death Kill Club! Her friendships with Thrussy goes out the window here.


SHP/LOL “EUPHORIA”, 04/04/2024
Attic Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Matt Makowski Vs MAO

The first place you will find a DDT wrestler during WrestleMania week is at a Sean Henderson Presents show. MAO is looking for a lot of bookings in Philadelphia, particularly all on the same day. Three of them have been announced already beginning with this match against Matt Makowski.


DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko

DDT’s first match announcement for their USA show is a doozy. Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko bring their dramatic dream match to America!

The other DDT wrestlers announced for the USA show are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON and Takeshi Masada. Also coming in are Mike Bailey, Andrew Everett, Kid Lykos, Nick Wayne, Bryan Keith and Billie Starkz.


GCW/JCW “GCW/JCW VS THE WORLD”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. Shota Vs X
3. MAO Vs X

One minute before the clock strikes midnight, GCW and JCW will start taking on the world. MAO, Yoshihiko and a newly freelance Shota will all be there for the action.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Announced so far for TJPW’s USA show are Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Aino, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume and Arisu Endo. Joining them are Vert Vixen, Billie Starkz, “The Unbreakable” Rhio, Viva Van, Max The Impaler and Zara Zakher.

Yamashita begins her latest American tour with this show. She will be staying in America for two months, heading back to Japan during the middle of June.


GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The non-TJPW lineup for this show will not feature most if not any of the women who are booked for the day before. Instead it will all be GCW relevant wrestlers taking mixing it up with the TJPW roster.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 8”, 14/04/2024
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Kylie Rae Vs Miyu Yamashita

Prestige has always been a good place for Yamashita to visit during her American tours. Her next appearance will be for a match against Kylie Rae, who has recently returned to wrestling.


UPRISING “UPRISING: WOMEN ATHLETES 2”, 19/04/2024
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyan

Back in December DREAMWAVE announced they were spinning off their women’s wrestling shows into its own promotion. Thus Uprising: Women Athletes was born. Yamashita will be showing up for Uprising’s second event to take on Hyan in a rematch from last year’s American summer tour. Yamashita lost to Hyan in New Texas Pro back in May. Now almost a year later they will square off again.


PRESTIGE/PRIDE STYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Who else will Prestige have for her Yamashita in April?


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 2 – KAPPAS COUNTERATTACK”, 27/04/2024
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs X

The debut of Daikaiku Pro featured Shoko Nakajima in the main event. For their second show they promotion said they are going to unleash “Project M”. It turns out Project M is Hyper Misao!

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Posted by JamieOD

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION” Results

January 6, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 06/01/2024
Shinjuku FACE
374 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Aino defeated HIMAWARI & Toga when Yamashita pinned HIMAWARI with the Attitude Adjustment (11:36).
2. Pom Harajuku defeated Kuishinbo Kamen with a School Boy (6:22).
3. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Max The Impaler ended in a No Contest (10:28).
4. Battle Royal To Win The Right To Challenge The Princess Of Princess Champion: Miu Watanabe defeated Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima and Yuki Kamifuku (24:00).
4a. Mizuki eliminated Shoko Nakajima by Over The Top Rope (14:02).
4b. Rika Tatsumi eliminated Mizuki by Over The Top Rope (14:26).
4c. Yuki Kamifuku eliminated Rika Tatsumi with a Kintaro Clutch (20:32).
4d. Miu Watanabe eliminated Yuki Kamifuku with the Tear Drop (24:00).

The challenger for “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” at Sumo Hall has been determined. Miu Watanabe won the Battle Royal to become the No. 1 Contender for the Princess Of Princess Title! The match went on with the champion Miyu Yamashita watching on nearby. Mizuki eliminated Shoko Nakajima by using the Cutie Special on the apron to bounce her out of the ring. Mizuki then didn’t last much longer because when she climbed the turnbuckles, Rika Tatsumi knocked her to the floor with a Hip Attack. Tatsumi and Watanabe then fought each other in a Daydream battle until Yuki Kamifuku slipped in and pinned Tatsumi with a Kintaro Clutch out of nowhere. Kamifuku then tried to give Watanabe the Famouser but she was caught on her opponent’s shoulders. A Victory Roll attempt was then blocked and Watanabe spun Kamifuku around with a Giant Swing. The finish came after that when Watanabe pinned her with the Tear Drop.

So now the stage is set for 31st March. Watanabe will face Yamashita for the Princess Title at Ryogoku! Watanabe said she loves Tokyo Joshi Pro so she will do whatever it takes to win the title and make the show a success. She feels the weight of the challenge because it is happening on the 10th year of TJPW. Yamashita said backstage she is not planning to travel for the next three months so she intends to wrestle all of her matches in Japan during this period. She will never lose so she asks Watanabe to come and beat her at Sumo Hall with all of her might.

There was no longer any death matches scheduled for the show after Hikari Noa was pulled but Masha Slamovich Vs Max The Impaler ended up going out of control anyway. They fought out of the ring and threw each other into rows of chairs. Max brought a chair into the ring and the referee stopped them from using it. When Max shoved the ref away, Slamovich then grabbed a chair and hit Max with it. The ref then shouted warnings at her and got shoved aside. The match had to be called off while Max and Slamovich were still fighting out of the ring towards the lobby. Later backstage when things calmed down Slamovich was able to comment on the match. She said a No Contest means there is still work to be done between her and Max. They can do it at Sumo Hall, in Philadelphia or anywhere else! Wherever a rematch takes place, Slamovich promises to have a surprise in store for Max.

Pom Harajuku is so much like Kuishinbo Kamen. Perhaps a little too much even. She entered the ring wearing her own Kamen mask as well as a lei made out of packs of candy. The two wrestled a comedy match that dragged the referee into it. The ref ended up kicking Kamen and Harajuku rolled him up with a School Boy to win. Harajuku said Kamen is awesome and they are so similar even she couldn’t tell who was who. Kamen said at the time Harajuku debut he thought her gimmick overlapped with his. He was glad to have a match with her and doesn’t want today to be the only time it happens. The two agreed to team up next time and decided to dance their way home together.

The show opened up with Yamashita teaming up with Yuki Aino so the two champions could take on HIMAWARI & Toga. The match was put together to celebrate the first anniversary of HIMAWARI’s TJPW debut. Aino dropped Toga with the Venus DDT and Yamashita pinned HIMAWARI with the Attitude Adjustment.

Haru Kazashiro joined Sayuri Namba for the show opening announcements. Namba asked Kazashiro to predict the main event. Kazashiro couldn’t pick a winner because she originally thought it was going to be Maki Itoh, who was pulled from the show on short notice due to injury.

There is going to be another TJPW show in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania Week. The second show will also include the women from GCW working with them. “GCW Vs TJPW” will be held in Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium on 6th April.

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Posted by JamieOD

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