DDT “THE LAST BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING OF 2024”, 17/10/2024 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Antonio Honda
2. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Street Kickboxing 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yukimitsu Takahashi & Keigo Nakamura Vs Thanomsak Toba, Takeshi Masada & Gota Ihashi
DDT announced that Kota Ibushi will be missing the two shows they booked him for this month. That is the 17th October Beer Garden show and the 20th October Korakuen Hall show. No reason has been given other than he will be absent. Ibushi will be replaced by Keigo Nakamura on the Beer Garden show.
This news feels a bit weird. Ibushi’s conditioning since he came back hasn’t been up to scratch but this doesn’t sound like an injury situation. He’s wrestling on a GLEAT show tomorrow and there’s no sign that he’s being pulled from that. There’s gossip online over whether or not Kenny Omega has recovered from his health problems and is ready to return. Ibushi on his Instagram account also made it sound like AEW will bring them back together as The Golden Lovers. I won’t rule that out as a possibility. AEW has a TV taping on the 17th but nothing else for a week after that. It wouldn’t explain why Ibushi would miss the DDT show on the 20th. Hopefully this isn’t a situation where Ibushi and DDT had a falling out. Would be a real shame if that bridge is burned after it took so long for it to be rebuilt.
A messy edition this time around because I wrote most of this up a week ago before going on holiday. Then in the last seven days came the usual landslide of upcoming bookings and match announcements for the following month that I tried to catch up on. That is why some of the graphics below are outdated.
Anyway, this month Konosuke Takeshita is in the same position as he was last month in the whole Don Callis storyline. AEW has really taken a beating with reviews and criticism for their TV shows lately and rightfully so. Thankfully Takeshita got to have a few matches on the indies so he can do his thing more often. Maki Itoh was part of GCW’s visit to Japan so while this article is supposed to be everything DDT related that happens outside of Japan, this still finds a way to be included here. Miyu Yamashita did another group of bookings in America and Miu Watanabe got to join her for a bit. Yamashita also unintentionally made her on-screen WWE debut when she was seen sitting behind the commentary desk on an episode of NXT. May God have mercy on her for having to hear Booker T’s commentary that close in person. Closing out the month was CDK getting to torment the wrestling community in Thailand again.
AEW “DYNAMITE ANNIVERSARY”, 04/10/2023 Stockton Arena, Stockton, California, USA
1. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher (w/ Don Callis)
LLL “THE HANDS OF FATE”, 20/10/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Lilith Grimm Vs Miyu Yamashita
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 27/10/2023 Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Kyle Fletcher Vs Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 01/10/2023 Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Sammy Guevara, Will Ospreay & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi when Guevara pinned Jericho (22:10).
The month kicked off with AEW’s latest PPV being a put together as a tribute to the late Antonio Inoki. For Takeshita, his part on the show was to team up with Sammy Guevara & Will Ospreay to defeat Chris Jericho and The Golden Lovers. Takeshita hit a wall when he went face to face with Kota Ibushi and the two more or less cancelled each other out. The result instead went to Guevara who pinned Jericho after Callis struck Jericho with a baseball bat behind the referee’s back.
AEW “DYNAMITE – ANNIVERSARY”, 04/10/2023 Stockton Arena, Stockton, California, USA
1. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher (w/ Don Callis) when Omega pinned Fletcher with the One-Winged Angel (15:15).
A few days later Takeshita and Guevara were meant to team up again to fight Jericho & Kenny Omega. However Guevara was not medically cleared to compete so Takeshita teamed up with Kyle Fletcher instead. Omega got Takeshita out of the way with a Snap Dragon Suplex, leaving everything open for The Golden Jets to finish off Fletcher.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 31”, 06/10/2023 Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Storm Grayson (w/ Frank The Clown) with the Powerdrive Knee (16:09).
Takeshita was back to being a babyface when he returned to Warrior Wrestling. Anybody going against a wrestler accompanied by Frank The Clown would be a babyface no matter what. Storm Grayson needed Frank’s interference to have a chance of winning. Frank pulled the referee out of the ring, got Takeshita to chase him around the venue and grabbed Takeshita’s leg back in the ring to stop his momentum. Grayson followed up by relying an exposed turnbuckle to damage Takeshita’s groin thanks to a missed Helluva Kick and then follow up with a kick between the legs. Takeshita however blocked a second Low Blow, threw Grayson away with the Rollover German Suplex and then pin him with the Powerdrive Knee. Given the way Takeshita was selling the low blow after the match, it does make me wonder if he got an injury that kept him away from the ring for pretty much the rest of the month.
GCW “TO LIVE AND DIE IN TOKYO”, 10/10/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Maki Itoh defeated Jimmy Lloyd with the I.S.D. (9:36).
GCW returned to Japan and Itoh was along for the ride. On night one she took on Jimmy Lloyd by herself and took every big move he threw at her. She kicked out of Piledrivers and even a One-Winged Angel. She fought back violently by using a pizza cutter and also smashing a lighttube over Lloyd’s head. Itoh pulled off the upset by dropping Lloyd with the Itoh Suicide DDT.
SPARK “RISING HEAT WEST”, 11/10/2023 LA Dojo, Carson, California, USA
1. Spark Joshi World Title: Billie Starkz defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with a Title Belt Attack (15:36). *Miyu Yamashita fails in V2. Billie Starkz becomes the 2nd Spark Joshi World Champion!
Yamashita’s reign as Spark Joshi World Champion came to an end not that long after she became an international triple crown holder. Xtinguish leader Billie Starkz relied on Sumie Sakai’s interference to hit Yamashita with the title belt and become champion.
GCW “THE WRLD ON GCW”, 12/10/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Effy, Allie Katch & Maki Itoh defeated Kikutaro, Kikutaro (Abdullah Kobayashi) & Kikutaro (Jimmy Lloyd) when Effy, Katch & Itoh all pinned Kikutaro with a Triple Kokeshi Headbutt (8:20).
Night two of GCW’s Japan tour brought them right into Korakuen Hall. Itoh’s match here was a more lighthearted affair because she teamed up with Bussy to take on not one, not two but three Kikutaros! Itoh did a full Nick Gage style entrance with the crowd. She then used a bull rope with Effy to crotch all three Kikutaros with some added rope burn for extra damage. Itoh attacked the original Kikutaro with a pizza cutter until she realised she couldn’t cut through his mask. She and Bussy then unmasked the other two revealing they were Jimmy Lloyd and Abdullah Kobayashi! The original Kikutaro was then triple teamed with Effy, Allie Katch & Itoh all hitting Kokeshi Headbutts on him at the same time for the finish.
SPARK “RISING HEAT EAST”, 14/10/2023 Engelwood Neighborhood Center, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Miu Watanabe defeated KiLynn King with the Tear Drop (14:09).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Jessie with the Skull Kick (13:13).
Things went off better for the Tokyo Joshi Pro side at SPARK’s next show. Jessie tried to match Yamashita kick to kick but fell to the Skull Kick like so many others.
Miu Watanabe scored a big win over KiLynn King, spinning her powerful opponent around with the Giant Swing in the process. She just about kicked out of the King’s Curse, stunned King with the Laserbeam and pinned her with the Tear Drop.
LLL “THE HANDS OF FATE”, 20/10/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lilith Grimm with the Skull Kick (?:??).
Yamashita didn’t have to worry about Heidi Howitzer in Lucha Libre & Laughs this time around. Her opponent instead was Lilith Grimm.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 25/10/2023 (Aired 27/10/2023) Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kyle Fletcher with the Wagamama (11:17).
From tag partners to opponents. Takeshita and Fletcher last fought each other one on one in Manchester almost four years ago. Now they fight again this time on American TV. Takeshita used the Wagamama version of his Powerdrive Knee that involves pulling down his kneepad and striking the opponent with the exposed knee. After the match Fletcher attacked Takeshita with a chair in an act of frustration but was stopped by Powerhouse Hobbs and Don Callis. Callis then convinced Fletcher to join his side.
SETUP “SETUP EP.16”, 28/10/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SPW Champion Of Singapore & Gatoh Move One And Only Title & SETUP Thailand Openweight Title Unification Match: Shivam (S/c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (T/c) and Kappa Rockstar (?:??). *???
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Brookes defeated Monomoth with the Praying Mantis Bomb (?:??).
3. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart when Brookes pinned Alonzo after the Thrust Kick & Praying Mantis Bomb with Takanashi (?:??) *THE GOOD DEAL fail in V?. CDK become the 11th IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
CDK went and caused a lot of havoc in Thailand at the end of the month. Chris Brookes defeated Monomoth in what was advertised as the main event Dramatic Dream Match but cheated to do so. He gave Monomoth a Low Blow before finishing him off with the Praying Mantis Bomb. CDK then demanded an impromptu tag title match against SETUP’s tag champions THE GOOD DEAL. They beat the champs to win the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles.
Earlier in the show Masahiro Takanashi lost his SETUP Thailand Openweight Title in a 3 Way Match. His original match against Paksa was changed on short notice to a 3 Way Match with Shivam and Kappa Rockstar. Shivam ended up winning the match and all of the championships involved in it.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Penta el Zero Miedo & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sami Callihan & Shun Skywalker when Penta pinned Skywalker with the Fear Factor onto a stack of chairs (?:??).
This match was originally meant to be Takeshita and The Lucha Brothers teaming up against Shun Skywalker and La Rebellion. Well that didn’t happen. For a variety of reasons from Rey Fenix being injured and La Rebellion recently splitting up (I think? All I heard about the NWA PPV was it included a comedy scene where a bunch of wrestlers did cocaine on camera which is both the least NWA thing ever and also the most NWA thing ever), the match was changed to Takeshita & Penta el Zero Miedo taking on Skywalker & Sami Callihan. The match featured the unexpected inclusion of actor Jason Segel when Callihan found him in the crowd, threw Penta onto his lap and then Super Kicked them. Takeshita and Penta used some good teamwork together on Skywalker, leading to Penta crashing him through a bunch of chairs with a Package Piledriver for the win.
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Iron Man Title In USA
But wait, there’s more. The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title was taken to America this month too thanks to Hiromu Takahashi. The New Japan wrestler won the belt just before his company’s return to the USA so he was obligated to bring it with him. He was targeted by Danny Limelight during the show but made it out safe and sound as champion. It wasn’t until Takahashi was back at his hotel room when he was completely defenceless. Sumie Sakai snuck into his room with a referee and they found Takahashi sleeping on his bed. However the ref noticed that Takahashi’s iPhone was lying on his chest so he treated it as a pin, counted to three and declared Yellow iPhone 14 as the new champion! Sakai immediately grabbed the phone and pinned it on the floor to win the title. Her celebration was quickly cut off when Takahashi rolled her over with a School Boy to get the belt back and send everyone out of his room. At the time of writing Takahashi is back in Japan with the title but is still getting ambushed backstage at New Japan shows by other wrestlers who want to be the Iron Man Champion.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “PLEASE, BUDDY”, 03/11/2023 Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Shazza McKenzie
This was a match originally booked by GCW back in May but was changed into a multiple woman free for all. Itoh and Shazza McKenzie have only wrestled each other in those kind of scramble matches so if plans don’t change again then there first singles match will take place here.
DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023 White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs VENY
America gets the first time ever Shoko Nakajima Vs VENY match. The two met in the ring for the first time earlier this year in DDT for one of Saki Akai’s 10th Anniversary celebration matches. Their next meeting is in somewhere very different, the new Daikaiju Pro group.
GCW “¿SI OR NO?”, 04/11/2023 Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Jordan Oliver, Davey Bang & August Matthews
The match in Japan worked out for them so Itoh is now teaming up with Effy & Allie Katch to form the unbeatable force known as… Maki Death Bussy! Their opponents is also a trio of teams mashed up together. Jordan Oliver, Davey Bang & August Matthews are going by the name Young, Dumb & Bros.
EVE “FRIDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING”, 10/11/2023 Big Penny Social, Walthamstow, London, England
1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Kasey
The relationship between TJPW and EVE extends even further with Max The Impaler’s arrival in England. EVE has been given permission to have Max defend the International Princess Title against their upcoming opponent Kasey. The winner will next have a title defence in Japan against Shoko Nakajima.
GCW “GOING AND GOING”, 17/11/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Nick Gage Vs X
Not a guarantee that Maki Death Kill are teaming up just because they get advertised together.
HOODSLAM “RED”, 18/11/2023 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh returns to Hoodslam. I hear things in their shows are getting a bit out of control over there lately.
EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM”, 19/11/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Safire Reed
Yamashita will have become a year long EVE Champion by the time her next appearance and title defence on their shows takes place. The next big challenger being built up for her is Safire Reed, the winner of this year’s SHE-1 tournament. Reed got to beat two of Yamashita’s previous EVE opponents to get here too. She has wins over Emersyn Jayne and Alex Windsor.
LLL “DEEP HURTING”, 22/11/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. 3 Way Match: Lilith Grimm Vs Maki Itoh Vs Stormi Renee
Grimm gets another crack at a TJPW talent in Lucha Libre & Laughs, this time against Itoh. It’s a Triple Threat match though with Stormi Renee also in the mix.
SPW “VIVA LA LUCHA!”, 24/11/2023 Foo Chow Building, Singapore
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
A second chance for Yuki Kamifuku. She fought Alexis Lee in Singapore Pro Wrestling for the Queen Of Asia Title back in January this year but lost. Since then Lee also successfully defended the title against Saki Akai.
GCW “WRESTLECADE WEEKEND”, 24/11/2023 Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Kenzie Paige
Now here’s something interesting. Kenzie Paige is currently the NWA World Women’s Champion. Does that play into this match against Itoh in any way shape or form? Or does GCW just ignore that and tell her that Itoh is going over, sister!
BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023 Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA
1. Rachel Armstrong Vs Maki Itoh
In another era that image above would be a King Of Trios team. Instead Itoh’s appearance in Black Label Pro is fighting against Rachel Armstrong.
GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023 Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
You know what would be a fun idea? Sayaka Unagi is booked on GCW’s other show that weekend. Put her and Itoh in a match together for old time’s sake.
DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Shazza McKenzie Vs Miyu Yamashita
A rematch from ROH earlier this year. Fingers crossed we get the same result.
DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
Well, well, well, what do we have here? Yamashita and Emi Sakura in the same ring on the same team at the same time? They were on opposite sides once before and that was on a DPW show during the summer. Now we get to see how they will fare when they on the same page. Zayda Steel & Zamaya could be in for a rough night if their opponents gel together really well.
SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023 Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA
1. Shota Vs X
Shota is heading back to America for an end of year tour. First stop for him is at Skyfire Pro Lucha Libre in San Diego.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly
Free WiFi and Pom Harajuku have been added to the show.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Vinnie Massaro Vs Shota
2. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita
Shota will also be on the same Pandemonium Pro show that’s hosting Yamashita versus Mike Bailey. He takes on indy journeyman Vinnie Massaro.
CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. MAO Vs X
Circle 6 is one of the messier deathmatch promotions going on in the scene right now but MAO likes wrestling there so he’s going back to party with them for New Year’s.
September was looking to be more of a quiet month for looking at the overseas adventures of the DDT extended family until the last week showed up like an avalanche. You can always get a lot of news to cover during tournament weekends. It’s a shame that the current state of the independent scene means those tentpole super weekend events don’t get as much coverage like they used to. Can’t blame them when WWE and AEW dominates everybody’s attention. It’s only going to get tougher when those two companies increase their schedules and reach out even further. This week’s news of WWE getting an ABEMA deal and having NOAH promote it on social media does not thrill me. I’ve seen how this story goes before. Even if some kind of big crossover does happen with WWE it is never worth it for the other company in the long run. And any pundit who says a project like NXT Japan will work as a gateway for getting WWE fans into Japanese wrestling is only fooling themselves. The appetite that audience has for non-WWE wrestling is just not there anymore.
Heading into October we have Konosuke Takeshita deep into a feud with The Golden Lovers. The lack of actual wrestling from Takeshita last month annoyed me. I get holding some wrestlers back for PPV but his standard of ring work has been missing from AEW TV recently. His storyline is also pulling in other wrestlers who are never hurting for screentime which makes me worry he is getting pushed to the side. Maki Itoh has finished up her latest North American tour, Shoko Nakajima had a quick trip to the USA and Miyu Yamashita was in the middle of wrestling in UK and Ireland when the month began. The big chunk of news that completely passed me by until it happened was Mizuki Watase going over to wXw in Germany with Shigehiro Irie. Oh and Tokyo Joshi Pro squeezed in a visit to China right at the deadline.
A few years ago the idea of Yamashita wrestling in OTT would have had me overjoyed but nowadays I don’t want to give the company much of my attention because of how people attached to them handled and disregarded Speaking Out. Her Irish wrestling debut had a slight change in plan thanks to the other team. Debbie Keitel was advertised to team with Anita Vaughan but she instead surprised everyone by bringing along Emersyn Jayne to be her partner instead.
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title No. 1 Contendership: B3CCA defeated Maki Itoh with the World Tour (7:42).
A singer showdown took place when Itoh made her first appearance in MLW. Itoh and B3CCA both love to be the centre of attention and literally fought over the microphone during their match. Itoh won that exchange and told B3CCA to “kiss my ass, bitch!” She also found a Singapore cane to beat up B3CCA with outside the ring. But Itoh made the grave mistake of missing the Flying Big Head, allowing B3CCA to give her a Death Valley Driver to the corner and then pin her with the World Tour 450 Splash.
AEW “ALL OUT”, 03/09/2023 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Kenny Omega with the Powerdrive Knee (22:30).
A few days after Takeshita pinned Kenny Omega in England, he did it again back in America this time in a singles match. The match carried history over from Omega’s time in DDT, wearing new green and yellows tights based on what he wore in the early 2010s. Don Callis got involved though and brought the dreaded screwdriver into the match for Takeshita to use. However this time the referee stopped it from being used. It turned out Takeshita wouldn’t have needed it because he went on to beat Omega anyway, pulling down his kneepad to hit a raw Powerdrive Knee for the victory. The match even got ***** from Dave Meltzer! Okay, that doesn’t mean as much as it used to but it’s still a good accomplishment to have. Also let’s face it, when the wrestlers who complain about star ratings actually do get ***** from Meltzer they all of a sudden do a 180 and become grateful for it.
MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 3”, 08/09/2023 Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
1. Emi Sakura defeated Maki Itoh with La Magistral Cradle (?:??).
This year over in Canada Evil Uno has been running a Mystery Wrestling show on his Twitch channel every couple of months. The surprise headline match for the most recent event was a first time singles bout between Itoh and Emi Sakura. Itoh played a trick to escape from Sakura’s attacks by beginning to cry and then walking out of the match back to the locker room. She then reappeared from the opposite side of the room to attack a confused Sakura from behind. Sakura’s not someone you can beat with just one trick though. She ended up rolling Itoh into La Magistral Cradle to win the match.
GCW “CRUSHED UP”, 10/09/2023 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Killer Kelly with a Tornado DDT (10:43).
Itoh’s current run with GCW ended here with a match against Killer Kelly. She’ll be back again later this year but what will be in store for her next? Her feud with Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander can be never ending but there has to be other stuff she wants to do in GCW next. Maybe she already found a new arch nemesis as you will see at the bottom of this post.
WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 21/09/2023 wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
1. Mizuki Watase defeated Danny Fray with a Diving Foot Stomp (7:23).
2. Shigehiro Irie defeated 1 Called Manders with a Roaring Elbow (8:57).
This was already announced earlier in the summer and I completely missed it. Irie & Watase reunited as RENEGADES to enter the annual World Tag Team Festival in Germany! But first the wrestlers took part in separate warmup matches the night before the tournament began. Watase’s first match ever in Germany was a win against Danny Fray. Irie also won his match by beating 1 Called Manders in a hoss fight.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 1”, 22/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2023 – Round 1: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Aigle Blanc & Senza Volto when Irie pinned Blanc with the Beast Bomber (16:41).
Irie won wXw’s other premium tournament the 16 Carat Gold back in March so he had his heart set on winning WTTF with Watase. They eliminated The Frenchadors in the opening round. Aigle Blanc & Senza Volto are former wXw World Tag Team Champions so RENEGADES could not have gotten off to a better start.
1. Shigehiro Irie defeated Arez with the Beast Bomber (9:20).
The WTTF weekend also featured shows promoted by GCW as part of their September European tour. Only Irie was on the first of two GCW shows that weekend where he beat the luchador Arez. Normally I wouldn’t include entries for Irie by himself but since he was RENEGADES affiliated for the weekend, I’m adding it here.
FREELANCE “ONCE UPON A TIME IN FREELANCE”, 22/09/2023 Avondale Music Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Diving Senton (12:19).
Nakajima did a quick trip to the United States near the end of the month. Her first stop was at Freelance where she got over big with the crowd during her win against Shazza McKenzie. Nakajima’s quickness and ability to hit the 619 from any height near the ropes were the key to victory here.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 2”, 23/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2023 – Round 2: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe when Irie pinned Abe with a Roaring Elbow (16:14).
RENEGADES weren’t the only Japanese team taking part in WTTF weekend. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe from Astronauts were there too! The two team crossed paths in Night 2 where the winners would advance to Sunday’s final.
GCW “GCW VS THE WORLD”, 23/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. Scramble Match: Gringo Loco defeated Mizuki Watase, The Rotation, Arez, Jimmy Lloyd and Aigle Blanc when Loco pinned Blanc with the Base Bomb (11:46).
2. Joey Janela defeated Shigehiro Irie with the Diving Foot Stomp (17:19).
Irie was in GCW again for their other show in Germany, losing to Joey Janela in the main event. Watase also showed up by taking part in one of GCW’s staples, the Scramble Match. Watase hit a big dive and also the Coast To Coast Dropkick but otherwise got lost in the action and did not factor into the finish.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 3”, 24/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. wXw World Tag Team Titles – World Tag Team Festival 2023 Final 3 Way Match: Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig defeated Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman (c) and Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (23:13). *Amboss fails in V1. Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig become the 64th wXw World Tag Team Champions!
RENEGADES made it all the way to the final. Had Irie & Watase won the match and the tournament they would have become the new wXw Tag Champions. Sadly for them they couldn’t pull it off. Instead Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig were the winners, taking the titles away from the defending champions Amboss.
PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Trish Adora defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Lariat Tubman (9:51).
Nakajima’s other US booking this month was with Prestige at the Globe Theatre, the same location TJPW will return to this December. Trish Adora was a tougher opponent for her and kicked out of the Northern Lights Suplex. Just when Nakajima thought he had another shot, she was caught off guard and pinned with the Lariat Tubman.
JFC “JINGWU TAN JFC EXOTIC FIGHTING EXHIBITION 2”, 30/09/2023 Rucker Park, Chaoyang, Shanghai, China
1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Maki Itoh defeated Yuki Aino with the Itoh Deluxe (?:??).
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (?:??).
TJPW sent four of their wrestlers over to China for a martial arts expo taking place in Shanghai. They would be presenting two women’s pro wrestling matches to go along with a bunch of other martial art bouts provided by other groups. It is not the first time joshi wrestling has been part of the event. The same organizers had Sareee and Nanae Takahashi wrestle for them during the first expo in the summer. After a lot of searching through Chinese social media I was able to find a clip of Mizuki beating Nao Kakuta and Itoh locking in the Itoh Deluxe on Yuki Aino.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 01/10/2023 Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi Vs Sammy Guevara, Will Ospreay & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)
Takeshita has spent the rest of the month either standing to the side Don Callis or wrestling back in Japan for DDT. Oh and he also invaded Kota Ibushi’s gym, attacking him with a kettlebell (and also getting Yumehito Imanari caught in the crossfire) because Callis understands how much Ibushi means to Omega. The big payoff it is leading to will happen later today when The Golden Lovers & Chris Jericho join forces to get revenge on The Don Callis Family. Takeshita is part of that family teaming with Sammy Guevara (newest member) and Will Ospreay (not a member). It is annoying to see what looked like a big push for Takeshita turn into him getting pushed aside so Jericho, Guevara and Ospreay can all squeeze into the spotlight instead.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 31”, 06/10/2023 Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Storm Grayson (w/ Frank The Clown)
One of the few American indies Takeshita wrestles for when he’s not busy with AEW is Warrior Wrestling. The next time he shows up there he takes on one of Frank The Clown’s clients, Storm Grayson.
SPARK “RISING HEAT WEST”, 11/10/2023 LA Dojo, Carson, California, USA
1. Spark Joshi World Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Billie Starkz
A familiar opponent challenges Yamashita for the Spark Joshi Title. She has a 1-1 singles record against Billi Starkz so this championship bout can also end up becoming a rubber match between the two.
SPARK “RISING HEAT EAST”, 14/10/2023 Engelwood Neighborhood Center, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Miu Watanabe Vs KiLynn King
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Jessie
A few days later Yamashita takes on Jessie, the former Jessi Kamea from NXT. That’s an interesting matchup because since leaving WWE, Jessie wound up doing a tour in Stardom. So we have a TJPW Vs Stardom match on a Spark show.
But Yamashita won’t be the only Tokyo Joshi there. Miu Watanabe is along for the ride too! She is getting to fight KiLynn King from Impact in what is sure to be a hoss fight. Or a hossette fight? Whatever, two strong women are going to fight each other. What more do you want?
LLL “THE HANDS OF FATE”, 20/10/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Lilith Grimm Vs Miyu Yamashita
Are there Lucha Libra & Laughs to be found when Yamashita pays another visit to Denver? Her opponent Lilith Grimm is nicknamed “The War Hammer” and does an entrance where she sets off sparks with a grinder.
SETUP “SETUP EP.16”, 28/10/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Gatoh Move One And Only Title & SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Paksa (G/c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi (S/c)
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Brookes Vs Monomoth
Whenever CDK goes over to Thailand and shows up in SETUP they tend to take over the place. One of the local faces Monomoth tries his best to defend his home but Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi find ways to get the better of him. Monomoth now gets to fight Brookes in a big singles match the next time Brookes heads over.
Meanwhile Takanashi has been ruling the roost in SETUP as the SETUP Openweight Champion. He can increase his domination when he has a double title match against Paksa. Takanashi puts his SETUP Title on the line while Paksa is defending a Gatoh Move branded championship called the One And Only Title.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Penta el Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix Vs Shun Skywalker, Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that nobody in The Lucha Brothers gets injured, company politics do not keep Takeshita and Shun Skywalker away from each other and Vampiro does not show up with La Rebelion.
DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023 White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs X
Something new and monstrous is coming out of Massachusetts. Daikaiju Pro is holding their debut show and seems to have deep ties with SETUP and also the UMA Corps. The new promotion is promising a mixture of talent coming in to mix around with monsters and other strange creatures. A show like these requires a Big Kaiju so Nakajima will be there.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
Miu Watanabe has been added to the lineup.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yeah this do quite nicely. Pandemonium Pro is doing Yamashita against Mike Bailey in a first time ever matchup.
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Other Appearances
GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
Itoh did not wrestle on the first GCW show of the month. Instead she showed up to attack Frank The Clown with a pizza cutter much to everyone’s delight.
As always with this article I start off thinking it is going to be a lighter month than the last until it grows and grows. There are always extra bookings on the horizons whenever the boys and girls from DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro go abroad. August was dominated by two stories in my mind. Konosuke Takeshita wrestling The Golden Lovers in Wembley and Maki Itoh being all over GCW even more so than usual. Other things of note include TJPW announcing its return to America while dipping its toe into China, MAO becoming fast friends with El Desperado and Miyu Yamashita finding herself in ChocoPro territory by virtue of being EVE’s champion. Maybe next month’s article will be the one that finally slows down a little bit.
AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023 Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia
WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Lucha Street Fight: Gringo Loco Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Video starts at 39:54. MDRN NMD/GATOH MOVE “CHOCO NIGHT GRAPS!”, 29/08/2023 The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England
1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Kid Lykos
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023 Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia when Jericho pinned Garcia after a Bat Attack from Don Callis (12:21).
As I feared, Takeshita’s storyline with Don Callis was pretty much hijacked by Chris Jericho to set up his own angle with Takeshita’s manager. Takeshita & Jericho teamed up under Callis’s recommendation against two people close to Jericho, Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia. Callis knocked out Garcia with a baseball bat behind the ref’s back and Jericho made the choice to pin him for the victory.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Lucha Street Fight: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Gringo Loco with the Diving Senton (14:39).
Takeshita showed up in Wrestling REVOLVER as a short notice replacement for Jon Moxley. His appearance made up for Takeshita’s own cancelled booking with the promotion back in June. Here Takeshita faced Gringo Loco in a Lucha Street Fight. By coincidence one of Loco’s big moves is the Himawari Bomb that Sanshiro Takagi also uses. Takeshita kicked out of the move and then countered a top rope version into a Poison Rana. Loco kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee so Takeshita then took a page out of Moxley’s book by giving Loco the Paradigm Shift. From there Takeshita won with the Diving Senton.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR 2023”, 04/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Dreamwave Women’s Title Qualifying Scramble: Zayda Steele defeated Brittnie Brooks, Maki Itoh, B3CCA, Kaia McKenna and Shazza McKenzie when Steele pinned McKenzie after the It’s Brittnie Bitch from Brooks (8:08).
Itoh entered Dreamwave’s 6-Woman Scramble in the hopes of qualifying for their new Women’s Championship. It was first fall to a finish but the ring soon emptied when some of the women, Itoh included got thrown out. She didn’t factor into the finish but would soon find out she had another chance.
DREAMWAVE “THOSE SUMMER NIGHTS”, 05/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Dreamwave Women’s Title Qualifying Scramble: Brittnie Brooks defeated Maki Itoh, B3CCA, Kaia McKenna, Maggie Lee and Shelly Benson when Brookes pinned Lee with the It’s Brittnie Bitch (8:08).
The second chance didn’t work out any better for her. Another 6-Woman Scramble was held the next night with some of the same women involved. Itoh tried to submit two opponents at once by giving them a Double Half Crab but it left her vulnerable to a Super Kick. She went to recover outside the ring and couldn’t climb back in time to break the pin.
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS”, 11/08/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Steph De Lander defeated Allie Katch, Maki Itoh and Masha Slamovich when De Lander pinned Itoh with the Fireman’s Carry Facebuster (11:53).
Okay maybe multi-person free for alls are not Itoh’s forte. This one was a bit crazy though. Masha Slamovich had Allie Katch beaten when all of a sudden Blake Christian jumped into the ring and attacked her. Itoh took exception and threw punches at Christian, opening herself up to Steph De Lander giving her an F5-like move to win.
PWG “MYSTERY VORTEX”, 13/08/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
Here’s something I never thought I’d write. Maki Itoh did a balcony dive at a PWG show! It’s been rare to see PWG holding shows nowadays but last month they held one of their signature events “MYSTERY VORTEX” where nothing is advertised before hand and fans only know what the matches are when they happen. Itoh was involved in a bizarre mixture of wrestlers in a 6-Person Tag Match. She teamed with Evil Uno & Aramis to beat Masha Slamovich, Peter Avalon & Látigo in a match mixing together AEW, lucha libre and women’s wrestling talent.
Takeshita was also on the show too, beating Rey Horus. I’d call him a PWG regular at this point if they ran shows more often.
KOPW “THE NEW ERA OF CHINESE PRO WRESTLING III”, 19/08/2023 Tianyue Sports City, Nanhai Foshan, Guangdong, China
1. Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (?:??).
TJPW made their first steps into China when Mizuki and Nao Kakuta were invited to take part in King Of Pro Wrestling. They faced each other in a non-title match and won over the crowd with their back and forth action.
NJPW “LEC PRESENTS ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL USA 2023”, 19/08/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. El Desperado & MAO defeated Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver when Desperado pinned Oliver with the Pinche Loco (19:14).
The All Star Jr. Festival proved to be such a good idea in Japan that they brought the show over to America. MAO was invited along and got to team with El Desperado. The two of them bonded by playing Dragon Quest V on the flight to America so their team name was DQV. They fought a tag team MAO lost to earlier this year, The East West Express. Both Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver performed Stereo Springboard Cutters to their opponents but both only got a two count. MAO got rid of Wayne by spiking him onto the canvas with a Spinning Headscissors and Desperado pinned Oliver with the Pinche Loco.
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 1”, 19/08/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh defeated Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander when Gage & Itoh pinned Cardona & De Lander each with the Kokeshi (11:57).
Months of fights between Maki Death Kill and Deathmatch Royalty led to a climactic battle between them finally happening. Itoh & Nick Gage were finally going to get their hands on Matt Cardona & De Lander with nothing in their way to stop them. Cardona & De Lander made a big entrance out of it, arriving at the venue in the Ecto-1 and wearing Ghostbusters outfits. For you see tonight they were the Deathmatch Busters! The joke blew up in their faces because Maki Death Kill sliced the two of them apart with pizza cutters! Cardona & De Lander tried to Pedigree Gage & Itoh onto thumbtacks but they were both Back Body Dropped onto the pile instead. Gage & Itoh then delivered stereo Kokeshi Headbutts to win the match and possibly put an end to the feud.
IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 20/08/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Scramble Match: Chris Sabin defeated Kevin Knight, Frankie Kazarian, BUSHI, YOH, Rich Swann, MAO and El Desperado when Sabin pinned YOH with the Cradle Shock (8:06).
MAO was involved even further with the international Jr. Heavyweight Division action the next night. Impact and New Japan held a co-promoted event and MAO was thrown into an 8-Man Scramble match to open the show. He tried joining forces with Desperado again but the numbers game still proved to be too much for the two of them. Instead Chris Sabin ended up being the last man standing. Well, at least until BUSHI blinded him with Poison Mist after the match.
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 2”, 20/08/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated B3CCA with the Itoh Deluxe (9:21).
In the first of two singles matches they have coming up together, Itoh beat B3CCA in GCW. Will the result be the same when they have a rematch at MLW next month?
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 25/08/2023 Roundhouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. Maki Itoh defeated Charli Evans with the Itoh Deluxe (18:03).
Itoh’s next focus in GCW was their tour of Australia with the Renegades Of Wrestling promotion. On Night 1 Itoh defeated Charli Evans and revealed a new word she learned that Aussies like to call other people. I’m not going to type it out here. It’s difficult enough trying to keep this blog from getting caught in web filters.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 26/08/2023
Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1. ROW Women’s Title: Aysha (c) defeated Maki Itoh with a Double Arm DDT (12:58). *V3 for Aysha.
The second night featured Itoh challenged Aysha for the ROW Women’s Title. Itoh had the champion beat when she made her tap out to the Itoh Deluxe but Aysha’s cronies at ringside kept distracting the referee so it wouldn’t be seen. Itoh let go of the hold to chase them off but turned around into a Double Arm DDT, stealing the win for Aysha.
GATOH MOVE “CHOCOPRO”, 26/08/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
Just including this result because Masahiro Takanashi is a DDT guy as well as a ChocoPro regular. I have more to talk about the second show of the double header.
EVE/GATOH MOVE “CHOCOPRO X EVE SUPER SHOW”, 26/08/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Emersyn Jayne with the Crash Rabbit Heat (19:39). *V8 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. Mei Suruga & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kanji & Kid Lykos when Suruga pinned Kanji with the Maple Model (11:25).
Being the EVE Champion got Miyu Yamashita to appear on a ChocoPro branded show for the first time. She opened up the show with a title defence against Emersyn Jayne. That match was supposed to happen in July but travel problems for the challenger prevented that from happening. It finally went ahead here and the match turned out to be a violent one. Yamashita was slammed onto the front row of chairs outside the ring and Jayne ended up getting busted open. Jayne did kick out of the Skull Kick, being one of the few people to do so. But Yamashita followed it up with the Crash Rabbit Heat to remain the champion.
One of ChocoPro’s victories on the show against EVE happened when Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga defeated Kid Lykos & Kanji. It was one of the rare times men got to wrestle on an EVE show too.
The show also left with a question of what could have been because Marika Kobashi was planned to compete as an EVE representative. She is currently staying in Scotland but her flight to London was cancelled and she was unable to make it to the show. Part of her apology included regret over not being able to see Yamashita again so I wonder if she was meant to wrestle her instead of Jayne?
I was at this show by the way. Although I admit leaving during the main event in order to catch my train back to the hotel so I missed Emi Sakura’s surprise induction into EVE’s Hall Of Fame at the end.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 27/08/2023 Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. Maki Itoh defeated Allie Katch with the I.S.D. (11:03).
Itoh bounced back from her failure to win a title by taking on GCW’s own Allie Katch on the final night of the Australian tour. It was another clean victory for Itoh. She seems to have Katch’s number every time they face each other.
AEW “ALL IN LONDON”, 27/08/2023 Wembley Stadium, London, England
1. Jay White, Juice Robinson & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) defeated The Golden Elite Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Adam Page when Takeshita pinned Omega with a School Boy (20:28).
I was at this show too! Getting to see Takeshita live in front of 80,000+ people in Wembley was great especially since my first time seeing him was in front of 330 people somewhere in Saitama back in 2016. That I got to see him mix it up with The Golden Lovers was a bonus. Even the result went Takeshita’s way. He countered Kota Ibushi’s Kamigoye with a sick looking Jumping Knee Strike of his own. Then when Kenny Omega was dealing with Bullet Club Gold, Takeshita rolled him up with a School Boy to steal the win.
MDRN NMD/GATOH MOVE “CHOCO NIGHT GRAPS!”, 29/08/2023 The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England
1. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kid Lykos with the Takatonic (?:??).
ChocoPro’s trip to England ended with a collaboration show alongside Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling. Takanashi took on Lykos again, this time in a singles match and at a venue where there was no wrestling ring. It was a mat wrestling show similar to ChocoPro’s own events in Ichigaya.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
GCW advertised Maki Death Kill as showing up in the show but they won’t be wrestling together. Gage is facing El Hijo del Vikingo while Itoh’s match on the show has not been announced yet.
OTT “WRESTLERAMA”, 02/09/2023 The Warehouse Red Cow, Dublin, Ireland
1. Session Moth Martina & Miyu Yamashita Vs Debbie Keitel & Anita Vaughan
Yamashita is heading over to my neck of the woods in Ireland for OTT. She’s looking forward to it and I bet Itoh told her stories about what Session Moth Martina is like. Debbie Keitel & Anita Vaughan will be there to stop the party though.
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. B3CCA Vs Maki Itoh
Funny stuff that MLW announced this match first then GCW went and did it anyway.
AEW “ALL OUT”, 03/09/2023 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)
It was announced during the “ALL IN” post-show scrum that Omega and Takeshita will face each other this weekend in Chicago at “ALL OUT”.
GCW “CRUSHED UP”, 10/09/2023 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Killer Kelly
Itoh’s last match of her current tour is a one on one meeting against Killer Kelly.
PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Trish Adora Vs Shoko Nakajima
When Itoh is back in Japan, Shoko Nakajima tags out to be the next one going over to America. It’s all to build up TJPW’s big plan with Prestige as you will see at the bottom of this post.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Penta el Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix Vs Shun Skywalker, Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf
Now isn’t this quite interesting? Takeshita from DDT and Shun Skywalker from Dragongate being pitted against each other. We also have the Lucha Brothers and La Rebelion involved in the match too.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
TJPW with the help of Prestige is coming back to Los Angeles this December! Announced for the show so far are Itoh, Yamashita, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Taya Valkyrie, Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly and Sandra Moone.
DDT “DDT DRAMATIC GENERAL ELECTION 2014 ~LAST ELECTION DAY~”, 28/09/2014 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Maokoto Oishi & Shunma Katsumata Vs MIKAMI & Gorgeous Matsuno
2. KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Saki Akai Vs Gota Ihashi, Michael Nakazawa, Tomomitsu Matsnaga & Hoshitango
3. Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki
4. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano Vs Super Sasadango Machine & DJ Nira
5. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dino (c) Vs Akito
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Konosuke Takeshita
A lot of pressure is on Tetsuya Endo & Konosuke Takeshita for the main event. Kenny Omega was able to beat them handily last week and that was with Daisuke Sasaki instead of Kota Ibushi. Omega has been relentless with his insults, calling Endo a D-Rank virgin and Takeshita a G-Rank brat. He thinks they have no chance of winning. Ibushi feels the same because a week is not enough time to prepare for the Golden Lovers. He thinks the challengers have less than 1% chance of winning and even then they need to be lucky. Takeshita believes it is not impossible to beat the Golden Lovers and this match will be his and Endo’s rebirth.
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “~CHAPTER 2 2ND SEASON~ VOL. 6”, 28/09/2014 West Chofu Martial Arts Arena
1. Power Of Dreams Vs Union Part 1: Yumehito Imanari Vs Tomoya Kawamura
2. Power Of Dreams Vs Union Part 2: Chikara Vs Mitomi Masayuki
3. Special Single Match: GENTARO Vs Tiger Bed Scene
4. Special Single Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Madoka
5. Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Osamu Namiguchi Vs Yuji Kito & Yoshihiro Horaguchi
Ken Ohka decided to bring in Madoka for a match against Shinichiro Tominaga. Ohka notes that Tominaga has a background in Track & Field and wants to see if he can catch up with someone like Madoka.
DDT “ALL NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT – PART 1”, 29/03/2014 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 532 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Dark Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Shun Miyatake with a Small Package (1:31).
1. Soma Takao defeated Gota Ihashi with a Diving Foot Stomp (5:13).
2. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo defeated Michael Nakazawa & DJ Nira when Takeshita pinned Nira with the Touchdown (10:27).
3. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano defeated MIKAMI & Hoshitango when Urano pinned Hoshitango with a Backslide Pin (9:36).
4. Kikutaro defeated Guanchulo with the Shining Kikuzard (14:31).
5. Lucha Libre Rules: Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Sasaki pinned Hirata after the PK Mind. *Daisuke Sasaki wins Kazuki Hirata’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
6. Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie defeated Antonio Honda & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Ishii pinned Honda with the High Angle Double Arm DDT (10:40).
7. KUDO, Masa Takanashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Akito when KUDO pinned Oishi with the Buzzsaw Kick (13:55).
After scoring the pin in the main event, KUDO called out for any of the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract holders to come out and challenge him. When none of them came out he then turned his attention to his next confirmed challenger Akito and talked about their upcoming match KO-D Openweight Title match. Akito told him it was going to be a war and he is the future of DDT.
Keisuke Ishii is utterly focused on getting an All Asia Tag Team Title shot. He yelled out “Akiyama!” before he delivered an Exploder Suplex to Tomomitsu Matsunaga in their tag match. He and Shigehiro Irie also have a new double team move called the Go 2 Irie Sleep. It involves Ishii lifting up his opponent in the Go 2 Sleep position while Irie kneels down beside them. Ishii then throws the victim face first into Irie’s head. After the match Ishii showed a video of himself confronting Jun Akiyama and Yoshinobu Kanemaru demanding a title shot. Both of them rejected the challenge and walked off. The video then showed Ishii approaching Akiyama in a public toilet only for Akiyama to yell at him “I’m pissing, go away!” Back in the building Ishii said he will got to Akiyama’s dojo to ask again and he will record the meeting to show at next week’s show in Kawasaki.
With the Monster Army disbanded both Daisuke Sasaki and Antonio Honda decided it was time for a fresh start. Sasaki asked if he could team with the Golden Lovers (but not with Gota Ihashi). Both Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega said he could but they were then interrupted by Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata. Takagi challenged them to a Lucha Libre 6-Man Tag match. Sasaki worked well with the Golden Lovers, he even pulled off the PK Mind with Omega to win the match. Amon Tsurumi granted the new trio a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title shot for the 12th April Kasukabe Hall show. Omega said he was reluctant to have Sasaki on his team instead of Ihashi but admitted they were a powerful team regardless.
Guanchulo cashed in his Right To Face Your Favourite Wrestler Contract to get a match with Kikutaro before he returns to Chile on 28th May. Kikutaro used his tricks to get Yukinori Matsui involved in the match and they proved to be the deciding factor. Afterwards Kikutaro thanked Guanchulo for choosing him to be his opponent. Danshoku Dino announced the return of Danshoku Ranch Classic will happen on 20th May and it will be a farewell show for Guanchulo. He will also put his DDT Extreme Title on the line against Guanchulo in Kasukabe Hall on 12th April.
The DDT trainees Shunma Katsumata and Shun Miyatake pleaded with Amon Tsurumi to let them have another exhibition match. They were both unhappy that their bout at “JUDGEMENT 2014” ended in a draw. Miyatake also wants to prove he is ready to debut properly. Tsurumi allowed the match to happen with the stipulation that Miyatake will earn his debut match if he wins. Miyatake wasn’t able to capitalise on his oppotunity and lost to Katsumata in 91 seconds.
HARASHIMA and Yasu Urano will continue to team together under the name UraShima. They are willing to team with other wrestlers but have no plans to recruit a third member.
DDT “ALL NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT – PART 2”, 29/03/2014 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 532 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 1: Michael Nakazawa defeated Yukio Sakaguchi.
2. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 1: Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Akito.
3. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita defeated KUDO.
4. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 1: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Kenny Omega.
5. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA defeated Shigehiro Irie.
6. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 1: Kota Ibushi defeated Soma Takao.
7. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 1: Hoshitango defeated Tetsuya Endo.
8. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 1: Antonio Honda defeated Keisuke Ishii.
9. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 2: Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Michael Nakazawa.
10. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 2: Konosuke Takehsita defeates Sanshiro Takagi.
11. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 2: Kota Ibushi defeated HARASHIMA.
12. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Round 2: Hoshitango defeated Antonio Honda.
13. Makoto Oishi, MIKAMI, DJ Nira, Kazuki Hirata & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Toru Owashi, Masa Takanashi, Yasu Urano, Gota Ihashi & Guanchulo when Hirata pinned Takanashi with a School Boy (4:00). *Kazuki Hirata won Masa Takanashi’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
14. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Semi Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga.
15. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Semi Final: Kota Ibushi defeated Hoshitango.
16. GO-1 CLIMAX 2014 Arm Wrestling Tournament – Final: Kota Ibushi defeated Konosuke Takeshita.
DDT held two late night shows in Shin-Kiba 1st RING. The second show was dedicated to a one night arm wrestling tournament called the GO-1 CLIMAX. The winner would get a ¥50,000 cash prize. The final turned out to be a preview for the 13th April main event as Kota Ibushi and Konosuke Takeshita took each other on, with Ibushi winning. Takeshita told Ibushi he beat his right arm but his left arm is stronger.
After losing his Right To Challenge Contract earlier in the night, Kazuki Hirata quickly replaced it with Masa Takanashi’s contract after he pinned him in a 10-Man Tag match. Hirata spent the night wearing a Magnum TOKYO mask in between his matches.
The night ended with a performance of Hulk Hogan Gymnastics by Antonio Honda.
DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2013”, 17/11/2013 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,851 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title Contender Match: Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Aja Kong defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Kong pinned Hirata with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (9:53).
2. Battle Royal: Guanhculo defeated Hikaru Sato by Ring Out (12:05). Other Competitors: MIKAMI, Masa Takanashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Michael Nakazawa, Hoshitango, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi, DJ Nira and Daisuke Sasaki.
3. KUDO & Yasu Urano defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo when KUDO pinned Endo with the Diving Double Knee Drop (11:50).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Akito defeated Shigehiro Irie & Keisuke Ishii by Referee Stoppage when Sakaguchi knocked out Irie with a Knee To The Face (11:33).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Blindfold Hidden Breasts Match: HARASHIMA (c) defeated Antonio Honda when HARASHIMA stripped Honda’s bra with the Somato (12:03). *V1 for HARASHIMA.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto (c) defeated Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega when Kodaka pinned Omega with the Rasengan (20:57). *V3 for Yankii Ni Cho Kenju.
Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto made it clear they are the very best tag team in DDT right now after defeating the Golden Lovers to retain the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Their next defence will be in Hakata on 15th December. The champions pointed out that two wrestlers from Union and 666 now currently dominate both the DDT and Big Japan tag team divisions and they should not be treated like fools because they come from “smelly indies”. Kodaka even asked for the title match to take place in the streets or the local shopping mall. Backstage, Kenny Omega said being defeated was the worst and both he and Kota Ibushi wrestled with injuries. He wants a Falls Count Anywhere rematch in DDT next year and even Ibushi said he wants revenge.
HARASHIMA defended the DDT Extreme Title in a Blindfold Hidden Breasts Match against Antonio Honda. The rule were both men had to wear blindfolds and bras. The first man to find and strip his opponent’s bra would win. Yukinori Matsui got caught in the crossfire a few times and narrowly avoided the Somato from the champion. HARASHIMA was able to knock down Honda with a High Kick and then flattened him with the Somato, pulling off Honda’s bra afterwards to win. HARASHIMA complimented Honda for coming up with a great match idea which taught him some valuable experience.
DJ Nira suddenly appeared with Daisuke Kiso by his side. He told HARASHIMA it would be either him or Kiso who will be the next challenger. He then gave Kiso the Rocket Punch and said he was the next challenger. The match is booked for the 23rd November show in Yokohama However, Guanchulo earlier won a Battle Royal that granted him a shot at HARASHIMA’s Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. It was agreed that he will face HARASHIMA in Sendai on the 24th. Kazuki Hirata snuck into the ring and attacked HARASHIMA. He rolled over HARASHIMA for a pin but only got a two count. He then fled the ring. If that wasn’t enough, Amon Tsurumi announced that HARASHIMA will defend his KO-D Openweight Title against Yukio Sakaguchi at the 23rd December Korakuen Hall show. HARASHIMA offered a handshake to Sakaguchi but he gave him a fist bump instead.
Speaking of Sakaguchi, he knocked out Shigehiro Irie with a Knee Strike to the face during their tag team match. Irie actually kicked out of the pin but was too groggy to stand up so the referee called for the match to end. A stretcher was brought out but Irie was helped out to the locker room by Keisuke Ishii and Soma Takao instead. Irie had no idea what happened and didn’t know the match was over.
Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi have found the perfect partner to go after the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. That wrestler is Aja Kong! The trio earned a title shot by beating two thirds of the champs and Kazuki Hirata. Dino said they are all ready to bukkake on the grand champion Akebono.
Saki Akai will return for her third wrestling match at the 23/12 Korakuen show.
Masa Takanashi will be holding a special 10th Anniversary show in Edogawa on 17th December. Shuji Ishikawa, Kazuhiro Tamura, Emi Sakura and the UMA Corps will all appear on the show.
DDT “DIAMOND DUST IN NAGOYA 2013” Results, 20/01/2013 Nagoya Telepia Hall 387 – Super No Vacancy
1. 3 Way Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Michael Nakazawa and Hiroshi Fukuda when Endo pinned both Nakazawa and Fukuda with a Moonsault (5:26).
2. Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Gota Ihashi with a Face Kick (4:27).
3. Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki & Hoshitango defeated Makoto Oishi, Hikaru Sato & DJ Nira when Hoshitango pinned Nira with the Imachi Drop (10:24).
4. Gabaiji-chan defeated Danshoku Dino with the Swanton Bomb (9:08).
5. Sanshiro Takagi & Kengo Takai defeated Akito & Shigehiro Irie when Takai pinned Akito with the Dera HOF Bomb (12:29).
6. Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma defeated MIKAMI & Masa Takanashi when Soma pinned Takanashi with the Boma Ye (8:09).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano (c) defeated Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega when HARASHIMA pinned Omega with the Somato (20:02). *V1 for Ura-Shima.
Looks like Kenny Omega’s chance to become a DDT Triple Crown holder is not going to happen anytime soon. The KO-D Openweight Champion was pinned by HARASHIMA which will certainly give him a KO-D Title shot in the future. Yasu Urano admitted he was terribly worried about defending the KO-D Tag Team Titles against the Golden Lovers but with this win he can confidently say he and HARASHIMA are the strongest team ever in DDT! HARASHIMA said they will defend the belt many more times.
UNION “NEW YEAR UNION 2013”, 14/01/2013 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Goro Jr. & El Hijo del Goro Vs Daichi Kazato & SAGAT
2. Union Non-Certified US Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Fukuda (c) (w/ Rumi Kazama & Mame Endo) Vs Jun Kasai
3. Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match: A.YAZAWA Vs Seiya Morohashi Vs Ryuichi Sekine Vs Menso~re Oyaji
4. Cherry & Masako Takanashi Vs Mio Shirai & Yuko Miyamoto
5. Hiro Tsumaki Vs Kengo Ohka
6. Shigehiro Irie & Takao Soma Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Ken Ohka
7. DDT Extreme Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
The Union Vs Drift feud got more heated in Yokohama yesterday with Isami Kodaka pinning Keisuke Ishii only to get laid out by the DDT Extreem Champion afterwards. They’ll meet again in Osaka on 12/1 when Union and Drift fight each other in the KO-D 6 Person Tag Team Title Tournament and then two days later Kodaka finally battles Ishii for the Extreme Title with Ishii still to decide what match it will be. The feud continues down the card with the new BJW Death Match Champion, Shuji Ishikawa teaming with Ken Ohka to face Drift’s Shigehiro Irie & Takao Soma.
It is bad enough for Hiroshi Fukuda that he has to go one on one with Jun Kasai. Now he has to put the Union Non-Certified US Heavyweight Title on the line. At least things are beginning to look up for the guy when it comes to having managers. The last couple of months has seen Fukuda trying to win back Rumi Kazama’s trust while trying to handle the unwanted attention of Mame Endo. Fukuda’s profile has begun to rise and he is starting to turn him into a hot commodity in wrestling. So both Kazama and Endo have agreed to manage Fukuda together and both will accompany him for his match against Kasai.
DDT “DIAMOND DUST IN NAGOYA 2013”, 20/01/2013 Nagoya Telepia Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Michael Nakazawa Vs Tetsuya Endo Vs Hiroshi Fukuda
2. Antonio Honda, Daisuke Sasaki & Hoshitango Vs Makoto Oishi, Hikaru Sato & DJ Nira
3. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Gota Ihashi
4. Keisuke Ishii & Takao Soma Vs MIKAMI & Masa Takanashi
5. Akito & Shigehiro Irie Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Kengo Takai
6. Danshoku Dino Vs Gabaiji-chan
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano (c) Vs Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega
HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano are two of the most accomplished tag team wrestlers in DDT. With 11 KO-D Tag Team Title reigns between them (6 for HARASHIMA, 5 for Urano), there are very few teams that can match up to them. The Golden Lovers may be one of those teams. Despite holding the KO-D Tag Team Titles only once together, Kota Ibushi and the current KO-D Openweight ChampionKenny Omega are one of the most popular tag teams to ever appear in DDT. So who better to get the first shot at the new champions?
No, not the Brahman Brothers!
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2013”, 27/01/2013 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Sanshiro Takagi & Yuzuki Aikawa Vs Danshoku Dino & Yoshiko
2. Kota Ibushi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
3. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Extreme Title: Kenny Omega (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii (c)
It’s possible that by the time this match comes around, Omega could be aiming to complete the KO-D Triple Crown by adding the DDT Extreme Title to both KO-D Championships.
The joshi queen of bouncy-bouncy, Yuzuki Aikawa has her final match in DDT teaming with one of her biggest supporters Sanshiro Takagi. Yoshiko comes along for the ride but will be disappointed she will not team with her beloved Kota Ibushi. Instead she gets to be with Danshoku Dino. I don’t think Dino is happy with the idea either.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 