GANBARE☆PRO “FRENCH CONNECTION 2023”, 17/07/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center 81 Fans
1. Tyson Maeguchi defeated Yuki Kanzaki with the Super Tyson Splash (9:27).
2. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE defeated Yumehito Imanari & Yoshiko Hasegawa when HARUKAZE pinned Hasegawa with the Spear (13:53).
3. Shingo defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with the Wakikatame (9:57).
4. YuuRI defeated Riara with the Swanton Bomb (7:11).
5. Koji Doi & Kuma Arashi defeated Ken Ohka & Shota when Doi pinned Shota with a Lariat (16:30).
6. Shuichiro Katsumura, Soma Takao & HIROYA defeated Keisuke Ishii, Mizuki Watase & Munetatsu Nakamura when Katsumura submitted Nakamura with the Triple Three 3 Lock (12:46).
What a day it’s been for YuuRI. First of all, she wrestled on an Ice Ribbon show in Yokohama where she defeated Totoro Satsuki to become the new ICEx∞ Champion! She then got to live up to the promise she made to the fans yesterday by bringing the belt with her to Ganbare☆Pro. One new title is not enough for her though. Her next goal is to become a Double Crown Champion and she wants to bring GanPro’s main championship home in the process. That’s right, she is challenging Isami Kodaka for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title! Kodaka accepted the match for 6th August. He wants to know who is stronger, the young and vigorous new champion or the 41 year old who suffered heatstroke while wrestling in BASARA earlier today?
At the end of the show Shuichiro Katsumura said he was going to make a similar challenge for 6th August in the hopes of winning another championship to go along with the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles he holds with Takuya Wada. However when he heard about YuuRI challenging Kodaka he decided to give her his full support instead and rallied the rest of the GanPro roster to join him.
The first wave of GanPro’s defence against the invading DoiKuma ended in a painful failure. Kuma Arashi & Koji Doi dominated against Ken Ohka & Shota despite the home team’s best efforts. Ohka still wanted to fight and challenged Arashi to a singles match on 6th August. Arashi refused (he later admitted it’s because he already has a match scheduled with Ryouji Sai that day) and decided to beat Ohka up some more. Doi then decided he will accept Ohka’s challenge instead.
The GanPro debut of Shingo (Suzuki) saw the DEEP MMA champion submit Shinichiro Tominaga. Shingo showed a lot more than just MMA fighting. He did an Inverted Diving Senton from the top rope as well as a 2nd Rope Moonsault. He even did a Firebird Splash except Tominaga rolled out of the way. Despite that setback, Shingo trapped him in a Wakikatame to win. Afterwards Shingo said the GanPro ring is worth fighting for and he would like to continue wrestling here.
Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE are both feeling confident in their chances of winning the SOG Tag Titles. HARUKAZE believes their teamwork and combined power makes them the better team than Ground Absolute. Jackson said nothing will make him happier than to win the titles with HARUKAZE.
The next Ganbare☆Joshi show is also taking place on 11th August. YuuRI wants to defend the ICEx∞ Title on the show and is considering Yuna Manase’s masked sister Ami Manase as her challenger.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2023 IN AOMORI”, 15/07/2023 Aomori Hamanasu Hall
1. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuni
2. 3 Way Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Akito Vs Antonio Honda
3. Special Single Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ishida
4. Falls Count Anywhere Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
5. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi
This weekend are the last preview matches for Yuji Hino and Chris Brookes against each other before “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”.
Tomorrow will be the first time the main three wrestlers in DAMNATION T.A will be teaming with each other again since KANON came back from injury.
DDT “60TH BIRTHDAY & 20TH ANNIVERSARY ALL TOGETHER! ~ GORGEOUS NIGHT”, 16/07/2023 Fukushima Toyota Crown Arena Sub Arena
1. Kazuki Hirata & Yuni Vs Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
2. 4 Way Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Akito Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yusuke Okada, Toy Kojima & Yuya Koroku
4. BURNING Vs Harimao!: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
6. Fukushima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda
The story building up for the main event is can Gorgeous Matsuno hit the Gorgeous Star Elbow in front of his hometown audience? Clips of him doing the move have done good numbers on TikTok in the lead-up to the show.
DDT “SOYOKAZE PRO WRESTLING”, 17/07/2023 Tokyo Sumida Park Breeze Square
1. Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Hideki Okatani, Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. DISASTER BOX Vs Pheromones!: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Sumida Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Makoto Oishi
Shinichiro Kawamatsu is feeling really motivated for Monday’s match after he got a chance to have a video call with Hulk Hogan this week. Looking through his Twitter I think a dinner he had with Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture set it all up. Kawamatsu wasn’t there to play hide the ball, dude.
Yukio Naya will be at the show to greet the fans.
GANBARE☆PRO “UNDER THE SILVER LAKE 2023”, 06/08/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
At “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” we got both new Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Champions as well as the decision over who their first challengers will be. Ground Absolute defend the belts against big Hartley Jackson & little HARUKAZE!
Soma Takao and Shinichiro Tominaga will be on the show.
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN IZUKOGEN GRANILLUMI”, 02/09/2023 Shizuoka Izu Granpal Park
1. Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima (w/ Shunma Katsumata) Vs X, X & X
Eight years ago DDT held a wrestling show in Izu Granpal Park, an outdoor venue filled with many light-up displays of all kinds. They are finally returning to the place for a Falls Count Anywhere match that will begin in the evening as the sky gets dark. The 37KAMIINA are the first group of wrestlers confirmed to take part.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 667 Fans
1. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with the Hangover!! (8:38).
2. Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono defeated YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba when Iroha pinned YuuRI with the Running Three (16:43).
3. Sayaka Unagi defeated Riara with the Sliding U (6:08).
4. Miyuki Takase defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Diving Guillotine Drop (11:24).
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga when Ishii pinned Shota with the Kneel Kick (10:30).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Survival 4 Way Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE defeated Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura and Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki (14:57).
6a. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki when Jackson pinned Okada with the Piledriver (10:54).
6b. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura by Ring Out when HARUKAZE knocked Fujita out of the ring (12:25).
6c. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi when HARUKAZE pinned Ohka with the Fire Spear (14:57).
7. Special Single Match: El Lindaman defeated Yumehito Imanari with the German Suplex (16:33).
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada defeated Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) when Katsumura submitted Maeguchi with the Triple Three 3 Lock (19:43). *Hentai Punch Drunkers fails in V2. Ground Absolute become the 2nd Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Champions!
9. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka defeated Mizuki Watase (c) with the Isamiashi Zan (17:30). *Mizuki Watase fails in V5. Isami Kodaka becomes the 5th Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion!
For the second time Ganbare☆Pro was at Ota Ward Gymnasium to establish “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” as their premier supercard for the year. By the end of the show the promotion suffered a big defeat against Pro Wrestling BASARA when Mizuki Watase lost the Spirit Of Ganbare Title to Isami Kodaka! The result comes as a major blow to Watase who was on the run of his life both as GanPro’s champion and a leading contestant in the Fire Festival tournament in ZERO1. His fight with Kodaka came close to ending in a knockout several times with both wrestlers avoiding the 10 count. Watase’s reliable Elbow Strikes could only take him so far until he was caught with a Rabbit Punch, a Buzzsaw Kick and then the Isamiashi Zan for the title change.
After the match Kodaka called the SOG Title his passport that will let him continue wrestling in GanPro. He praised Watase for being strong and admitted there were times he reached breaking point against him. But the SOG Title is proof of who can survive the toughest of endurance contests. Now the GanPro ring belongs to Sento Minzoku! Kodaka then promoted his upcoming BASARA match against SHO from New Japan on 23rd July before leaving to celebrate with his unit. The rest of the GanPro roster came out to console Watase as he was apologising for losing. Shuichiro Katsumura said Watase showed his strength last year when he won the title and wrestled across the indies as GanPro’s champion. He has given everyone else courage so many times so they will be fine. It’s time to regroup and get the belt back. Watase promised to regain the title because Shinjiro Otani taught him to never give up!
It looks like Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada are calling their tag team Ground Absolute. Katsumura’s been tweeting that name every time he talks about preparations for today’s match against Hentai Punch Drunkers. It’s probably going to stick because Katsumura & Wada are the new Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Champions! Wada had to handle Hikaru Sato while Katsumura fought off Tyson Maeguchi. Katsumura kicked out of the Tyson Splash and was saved by Wada after taking Buzzsaw Kicks. He recovered and caught Maeguchi in a submission, making him give up to the Triple Three 3 Lock. Wada pointed out this is the first time in pro wrestling where a champion tag team is made up of a former Shooto champion and a former Pancrase champion. Backstage Maeguchi tried to deny to Sato that he gave up but eventually admitted defeat. The Punch Drunkers agree they can win back the titles and would have their rematch tomorrow if they could.
Even though Yumehito Imanari lost to El Lindaman in a close match, he got what he wanted out of it. He now understands why Lindaman is the Strong Heart of GLEAT because a strong heart keeps you alive no matter what. Imanari thinks his own heart is weak. However Lindaman doesn’t agree. The feelings they experienced today is something only they and Shigehiro Irie (who was at ringside for the bout) will understand. It was the kind of match Lindaman always wanted and he shared a toast with Imanari backstage to celebrate it. He hopes to do a rematch on a bigger stage someday.
The new SOG Tag Champions already have their first challengers lined up. The mixed gender team of Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE made a clean sweep of the 4 Way Elimination match although it came with a bit of luck. They eliminated Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki first when Jackson pinned Kazaki with the Piledriver. Then HARUKAZE was able to knock Minoru Fujita over the top rope and out of the ring to eliminate him & Daiki Shimomura. Finally HARUKAZE pinned Ken Ohka with the Flame Spear to win the match. However the reason that happened was because Ohka was betrayed by Kuma Arashi!
Ohka & Arashi seemed to be doing well as a team and could have won the match. But when they got themselves hyped up for the finish, Arashi gave Ohka a Lariat and left him to get beaten by HARUKAZE! If that wasn’t enough, after the match Koji Doi suddenly ran into the ring and joined in on Arashi’s attack on Ohka! Arashi explained backstage that nobody wants to team with Ohka. Today is the start of DoiKuma’s revolutionary invasion of GanPro! They are going to rebuild the promotion in their image in order to make it the best wrestling company.
Team Drift defeated Young Communication in a same-generation 6-Man Tag Match. It came down to Keisuke Ishii and Shota with the Frog Splash and Tiger Suplex giving both wrestlers nearfalls. Ishii kicked out of the Gannosuke Clutch and scored the victory by striking Shota with the Kneel Kick. Shota said the match shows that their generation is the one to watch. Akito said he would like to do these matches more and more because it breaks up his trend of having to fight Pheromones over and over. He also wants to have as much ring time with Irie he can get before their careers end. Shinichiro Tominaga described pro wrestling like a lover you only get to see once or twice a month. Soma Takao said he wants to follow Irie’s lead and show that everybody in Team Drift still has a lot to do.
The early portion of the card was mostly made up of matches from the Ganbare☆Joshi division. Yoshiko Hasegawa was given a big task of taking on Miyuki Takase, losing to her in a competitive effort. She was able to kicked out of an Ace Crusher and Lariat, then scored a nearfall using the Tornado Clutch. She then made the mistake of rushing to make her next move, leading to her charging into a Power Slam. With Takase back in control, she ended up beating Hasegawa with the Diving Guillotine Drop. Although Hasegawa lost, she isn’t treating the result as a negative. It shows she has more room to grow. Takase praised her for showing determination and looks forward to the next time they face each other.
Sayaka Unagi has assessed Riara and taught her a good lesson about being a wrestler. Wrestling is painful but it is also very fun! The proof can be seen when Unagi Body Slammed Riara on the floor and Riara Body Slammed her back on the entrance stage! Back in the ring Unagi used her own version of the Sliding D called the Sliding U to pick up the win. She told Riara after the match that she should learn to enjoy wrestling more before worrying about getting her first win. Once you get to have fun in the ring then the wins and championships will follow. Unagi then called out to Yuna Manase over at the commentary table. No matter how long it takes, Unagi will wait for Manase to recover from injury so they will wrestle again! And one more thing, Unagi said Watase owes her a debt from the Fire Festival. He beat her by Knockout in their tournament match and Unagi wants revenge! She even confronted Watase after the show forcing him to promise she will be his first challenger when he regains the SOG Title!
Wrestlers from JTO and Marvelous joined up with YuuRI in Match #2. YuuRI got to team with JTO’s Tomoka Inaba to take on Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono. Inaba used High Kicks on both opponents to set the table for YuuRI. Unfortunately YuuRI missed the Swanton Bomb, giving Iroha the chance to land the move on her instead. YuuRI kept in the fight though so Iroha had to use the Running Three to win the match. Momono said she enjoyed wrestling in a big venue like Ota Ward Gym and would like to come back to GanPro. Iroha noticed YuuRI crying after the match and understands how she feels. Her advice to YuuRI is to be strong and keep her Ganbare Spirit while Manase is out injured. Facing this kind of pressure regularly will only help YuuRI grow. She put it out there that she would like to wrestle YuuRI in a singles match. YuuRI said she has to improve but would like to wrestle everybody she was in the ring with again, even Inaba. She has a title match coming up in Ice Ribbon soon so her next focus is to win that.
The show began with the rookie Munetatsu Nakamura taking on Masahiro Takanashi. Nakamura hit a dive to the outside and even blocked the Takatonic. But Takanashi started catching him in different pinning holds until he got the three count with the Hangover!! Nakamura promised to work on his technique and add to his wrestling style. Takanashi wonders if today’s match is a turning point for Nakamura. He thinks it would be nice for Nakamura to come over to his wrestling place as a representative of GanPro. Now does he mean DDT or somewhere else?
Yuna Manase greeted the fans at the start of the show and thanked them for their support while she is recovering from injury.
I’ll get to the Yuka Sakazaki news in a seperate post. God damn injury bug.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 10/06/2023 Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. 2 Vs 1 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi & Rukiya
3. Yuki Ueno Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Toru Owashi & “brother” YASSHI Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuki Hirata
6. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs MAO & Toy Kojima
7. Maikon no Kohara Presents Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & HARASHIMA Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada
Yuki Ishida has been pulled from this weekend’s shows after coming up with a fever and being diagnosed with a stomach bug. The early section of the card has been changed as a result. Poor Akito really got the short end of the stick here. He was supposed to fight Pheromones in a 3 Vs 2 Handicap match on the team with the numbers advantage and now he has to fight them on his own!
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN MATSUYAMA”, 11/06/2023 Ehime Matsuyama City Comprehensive Community Center Exhibition Hall
1. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Rukiya
2. Special Tag Match: Akito & Char Vs Yusuke Okada & Tsuru Himeka
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada
4. Matsuyama Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Cutie Elly The Ehime), Imabari Taoru Mascaras & Tsutenkakka Vs HARASHIMA, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi
5. Ω Vs Eruption!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
6. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
Ishida was in a singles match with Rukiya so DDT’s solution was easy. Rukiya is moved to the opener and there is now one less match on the card.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO MILON’S SECRET CASTLE ’23”, 17/06/2023 Tokyo GEN Sports Palace
1. Miyako Matsumoto & Alex Lee Vs Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi
2. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Makoto Vs Tokiko Kirihara
2. Riara Vs Ancham
3. GanJo Vs JUST TAP OUT! Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Sumika Yanagawa & Misa Kagura
Gatoh Move are sending over former kickboxer turned pro wrestler Tokiko Kirihara to Ganbare☆Joshi for a match against Makoto.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Riara Vs Sayaka Unagi
4. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
5. YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Survival 4 Way Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
A big 4 Way Elimination Tag match will determine who gets a future shot for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles. The new addition Kuma Arashi gets to team with Ken Ohka as requested but they have to survive together against three other teams. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE have become a favorite mixed tag team on Ganbare☆Pro shows over the last few months, Sento Minzoku are a thorn in Ohka’s side thanks to his promotion’s rivalry with BASARA and there is a wild card team in the form of Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki.
The rookie Munetatsu Nakamura gets to face Masahiro Takanashi one on one.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
4. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes
The Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado match is now sponsored by a travel agency called Mexico Kanko. The company specializes in holidays to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. They are aware that both Sasaki and Desperado really love tequila so now the prize for the match is a year’s supply of Mexican tequila! After finding out about the prize, Sasaki is confident he will win and get to drink three bottles a day. Desperado admits what counts as one year’s supply for Sasaki is probably the same as a five year supply for himself.
1. BEST OF THE SUPER arena Grand Final: Moeka Haruhi Vs Yumehito Imanari
2. Yumehito Poison Rumble: Mizuki Watase Vs Soma Takao Vs Tyson Maeguchi Vs Yuki Kanzaki Vs HARUKAZE Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Riara
3. Shin Rogai-gun Vs Shin Jidai-gun: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Yumehito Imanari’s GanPro 10th Anniversary Match: Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Ken Ohka & Keisuke Ishii
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 28/05/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 82 Fans
1. Mixed Tag Match: Shota & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE
2. Special Single Match: Hong Kong International Policeman (Choun-Shiryu) Vs Hong Kong International Women’s Policeman (Moeka Haruhi)
3. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Soma Takao & Yumehito Imanari Vs Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shuichiro Katsumura
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title Next Challenger: Isami Kodaka Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
1. BEST OF THE SUPER arena Grand Final: Moeka Haruhi Vs Yumehito Imanari ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
2. Yumehito Poison Rumble: HARUKAZE defeated Soma Takao and Yuki Kanzaki with a Double Pinfall (5:49). Order Of Elimination: Tyson Maeguchi, Mizuki Watase, Yoshiko Hasegawa, Riara, Soma Takao & Yuki Kanzaki.
3. Shin Rogai-gun Vs Shin Jidai-gun: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota defeated Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura when Shota pinned Nakamura with an Inside Cradle (11:26).
4. Yumehito Imanari’s GanPro 10th Anniversary Match: Ken Ohka & Keisuke Ishii defeated Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga when Ishii pinned Imanari with the Running Double Arm Driver (14:46).
There are two people who have been with Ganbare☆Pro from the very beginning, Ken Ohka and Yumehito Imanari. The latter was given the chance to celebrate his decade with the promotion today with his own produced show. He has run his own GanPro shows before but took a break for a long time. But when GanPro asked if he wanted to do another one, he felt like he should give it another try.
The main event was teaming with Shinichiro Tominaga to take on Ohka & Keisuke Ishii, all wrestlers who are the most close to him. Imanari did his best in the match but ultimately lost to Ishii. Afterwards Ishii told the fans he wants people to think it is okay to live like him and be dreamers. It’s hard work but he can dream about anything and feel fulfilled with what he does. In his 11th year with GanPro, he will continue to pursue his dream as a pro wrestler.
To show how much of a new age team Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura are, they entered to “New Genesis” by Ado and filmed some of their match on Instagram Live. Their opponents Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota entered to “Proof Of Courage” by Saburo Tokito and asked why the other team wasn’t using mixi or Livedoor? The two teams continued making different pop culture references from their generations as they fought each other.
The Battle Royal had every entrant using “POISON ~In This World Where I Can’t Say What I Want To Say~” by Takashi Sorimachi for their music. Everybody also imitated Imanari in some form. HARUKAZE was able to win by a fluke after she took Lariats in the corner from Soma Takao and Yuki Kanzaki. She staggered around afterwards and fell on top of both of them after they did a Rolling Cradle spot, scoring a double pinfall to win the match.
Imanari has always lived by the idea that if there is no one left to do anything, he will do it himself. So when YuuRI pulled out of today’s shows out of sickness, Imanari volunteered to take her place in the match against Moeka Haruhi. The whole appeal of the match was meant to be YuuRI and Haruhi wrestling each other in swimsuits that wouldn’t look out of place in All Japan Women’s matches of old. Imanari obliged to do the same in YuuRI’s place and fought Haruhi to a 10 minute draw in a swimsuit. Imanari thanked Haruhi for doing his selfish idea of a match and even though the match was a draw, Haruhi is unanimously the winner.
GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 489 Fans
1. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura when Nakamura pinned Kodaka with a Hold Down Pin (12:41).
2. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI defeated Riara with a Missile Kick (7:43).
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi defeated Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE when Haruhi pinned HARUKAZE with the Diving Foot Stomp (15:21).
4. Nao Kakuta defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Shiden Kai (12:09).
5. Special Tag Match: Dan The Dad & Kody Lane defeated Shota & Soma Takao when Dan pinned Shota with the You’re Grounded (11:48).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari when Maeguchi pinned Takaiwa with a Buzzsaw Kick (18:41). *Hentai Punch Drunkers become the 1st Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Champions!
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) defeated Keisuke Ishii with the Elbow Butt (22:31). *V4 for Mizuki Watase.
Mizuki Watase was given his toughest test yet for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title, one that took his body to the limit. Keisuke Ishii spent the match trying to find the biggest ways to slam or strike Watase into defeat. He used a Tiger Suplex and the Double Arm Driver inside the ring and also used the latter move from the apron onto the floor outside. Watase countered the Kneel Kick by catching Ishii in midair and using the momentum to Back Drop him aside. However Ishii was able to hit the Kneel Kick later but he was too hurt to make the pin in time. Elbow Strikes became the key for Watase to win and when Ishii was left staggering, Watase charged in for one more big Elbow Butt to score the victory.
After the match Isami Kodaka unexpectedly entered the ring along with the other members of Sento Minzoku. He asked Watase if he would like to take on his challenge with the SOG Title on the line. However Michiyoshi Mishima stepped in and reminded Kodaka that he was pinned by Munetatsu Nakamura in the opening match so even though he is worthy of a title shot, he is in no position to ask for one right now. Watase is interested in defending the title against Kodaka in a Ganbare☆Pro Vs BASARA battle. He thinks a match like that is perfect for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” in Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July! So he came up with an idea. If Kodaka can beat Nakamura in a singles match then he will give Kodaka a title shot. But if Nakamura wins then Nakamura will get the big title match at Ota Ward instead!
The Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Title belts were not delivered to Ganpro in time for today’s show so they had to use a pair of trophies to represent the championship instead. Hentai Punch Drunkers became the first champions by beating the All-Star Junior All-Stars in the tournament final. Tyson Maeguchi showed his toughness by kicking out of Tatsuhito Takaiwa’s Death Valley Bomb. Hikaru Sato then cut off Takaiwa at the ropes allowing Maeguchi to take control of the match. He kept giving Takaiwa Penalty Kicks and Buzzsaw Kicks while Sato cut Yumehito Imanari off from making a save. The kicks were too much for Takaiwa to handle and he was eventually pinned after one more Buzzsaw Kick.
The new champions received their trophies but their celebration was interrupted by Dan The Dad & Kody Lane. The two American wrestlers want to be the first challengers for the SOG Tag Titles but there’s one small problem. They will be travelling home very soon and the only way they can do the match is if it happens on tomorrow’s Ganpro show. Sato was in the middle of telling them it won’t be able to happen when Maeguchi cut him off and agreed to do the match. Hentai Punch Drunkers will defend the belts tomorrow!
Dan & Lane could argue they earned their title shot by beating ROMANCE DAWN in the previous match. For Shota & Soma Takao the loss is another setback preventing them from becoming tag champions. Takao wants to get revenge but the problem according to Shota is they will have to follow the Americans back to St. Louis in order to get it.
It wasn’t that long ago when Yoshiko Hasegawa and Nao Kakuta were both in Actwres girl’Z together. They’ve had a few interactions in Tokyo Joshi Pro recently but their singles match today was a chance for the two to reconnect. Kakuta got Hasegawa to reach the ropes in order to break a Front Neck Lock but that just set Kakuta up to charge in for a kick and then get the win with the Shiden Kai. Kakuta said Hasegawa has changed because she no longer cries and is now showing confidence. Hasegawa said she learned everything from Kakuta because she is her senpai.
This weekend is Moeka Haruhi’s last GanPro matches before she goes on to donate a kidney to her sister. Since she was teaming with Shuichiro Katsumura the occasion called for Shu Sakurai to also appear for one big reunion of THE HALFEE! Fun times aside they were still in for a fight, especially when Hartley Jackson decided to Gorilla Press Haruhi and then HARUKAZE from the ring onto Katsumura outside. Katsumura & Haruhi worked together to get rid of Jackson, leaving HARUKAZE on her own. Haruhi went on to fight HARUKAZE by herself and earned the victory with the Double Foot Stomp. Afterward Haruhi said she realized life can be so painful but it can also be so happy. Katsumura praised her for giving a lot of people energy and the hope to live.
The legendary cabaret girl Riara had her debut wrestling match after months of training and preparation. She looked to be outmatched against YuuRI from the start when it came to strikes. She tried to switch over to submissions with a Crab Hold but YuuRI easily reversed it into a Half Crab and forced the rookie to crawl for a rope break. A Backslide Pin got Riara a two count but YuuRI regained control and won with a Missile Kick. Riara was happy to have her debut be against the senpai who took care of her the most. YuuRI is happy too, not just for Riara but also because Ganbare☆Joshi has now increased their roster from five women to six!
As mentioned earlier there was a massive upset when Munetatsu Nakamura pinned Isami Kodaka in the opening 6-Man Tag! The win came when Ken Ohka hit Kodaka with the Flame Spear and Nakamura went for the cover. Kodaka kicked out at first but Nakamura kept pinning him down until he surprised everyone by getting the three count. Ohka congratulated the rookie for doing something that Ohka couldn’t do for 20 years. It made Nakamura glad because he’s been watching Kodaka wrestle since he was in primary school!
1. Moeka Haruhi Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. Grappling Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takuya Wada & Tsuyoshi Okada
3. Secret Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Hartley Jackson, Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Ken Ohka, Soma Takao & YuuRI
4. Mizuki Watase & Shota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga
GANBARE☆PRO “SHOTA DEBUT 15TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCE SHOW 2023”, 22/04/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 65 Fans
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Tyson Maeguchi
2. Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Ilusion
3. Gauntlet Mixed Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE Vs Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI Vs Kabuto Mitomi & Echika Miyabi
4. Shota Debut 15th Anniversary Special Single Match: Shota Vs Isami Kodaka
GANBARE☆PRO “THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 2023”, 22/04/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 81 Fans
1. 3 Way Match: Shota Vs Munetatsu Nakamura Vs KOJIO
2. YuuRI Vs Ancham
3. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Sento Minzoku!: Ken Ohka & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita
4. Mizuki Watase, Yumehito Imanari & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Keisuke Ishii, Tyson Maeguchi & Takuya Wada
GANBARE☆PRO “HERO NEVER DIE 2023”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 70 Fans
1. Soma Takao Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Moeka Haruhi Vs YuuRI
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Hartley Jackson, Takuya Wada & Yumehito Imanari
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE PRODUCE 2023”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 79 Fans
1. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura
2. DDT Foods 3 Army Battle ~Ebisuko Tavern Vs Drop Kick Vs Swan Dive~: Ken Ohka Vs Soma Takao Vs YuuRI
3. Hartley Jackson Vs HARUKAZE
4. Special Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 81 Fans
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Daiki Shimomura
2. Moeka Haruhi & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Rina Amikura & YuuRI
3. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Shinichiro Tominaga & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shota & Soma Takao
GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE PRODUCE 2023”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 79 Fans
1. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi defeated Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura when Katsumura submitted Nakamura with an Inverted Cross Armbreaker (13:29).
2. DDT Foods 3 Army Battle ~Ebisuko Tavern Vs Drop Kick Vs Swan Dive~: Soma Takao defeated Ken Ohka and YuuRI when Takao pinned YuuRI with a Jackknife Pin (8:24).
3. Hartley Jackson defeated HARUKAZE with the Jumping Piledriver (11:25).
4. Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Mizuki Watase & Yukio Sakaguchi when Ishii pinned Watase with the High Angle Double Arm DDT (13:06).
The second of three Ganbare☆Pro shows today was all put together by Mizuki Watase. Despite getting to team with Yukio Sakaguchi, he was pinned by Keisuke Ishii in the main event. Watase was still proud of the performance though. He teamed with Sakaguchi before but today felt different. Today’s match means more to him than wrestling in Budokan Hall or Tokyo Dome ever could.
Watase was also impressed by how HARUKAZE’s David Vs Goliath battle with Hartley Jackson went. He was in the locker room as the match was going on but could hear the fans cheering for HARUKAZE from there. It made him glad he made the match.