DDT Around The World – October 2023

November 1, 2023

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 That is why some of the graphics below are outdated.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.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


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

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Zamaya

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.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’23” Results

October 27, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’23”, 27/10/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
686 Fans

1. Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI & Runa Okubo defeated Toga, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro when HIMAWARI submitted Kazashiro with a Half Crab Hold (10:06).
2. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino defeated Maki Itoh & Kaya Toribami when Aino pinned Toribami with the Venus DDT (12:54).
3. International Princess Title Next Challenger 8-Woman Battle Royal: Shoko Nakajima defeated Raku with the Locomotion Northern Lights Suplex (17:53)
Order Of Elimination: Mahiro Kiryu, Suzume, Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe, Arisu Endo, Yuki Kamifuku and Raku.
4. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku when Sakazaki pinned Harajuku with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (10:15)
5. Saki Akai defeated Yuki Arai with the Quetzalcoatl (13:30).
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Noa pinned Nagano with the Blizzard Suplex (14:36).
*V1 for Free Wi-Fi.
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Regina with the Crash Rabbit Heat (12:40).
*V1 for Miyu Yamashita.

A new championship reign for Miyu Yamashita begun with a brand new opponent for her. Regina has spent the last couple of weeks touring with Tokyo Joshi Pro but did not have a chance to wrestle Yamashita until today’s main event. The wrestler from Finland attacked Yamashita from the start and yet her aggressive battle plan didn’t throw Yamashita off her game. That was even when Regina threw Yamashita into the front row of chairs at ringside and injured her knee. Yamashita found a chance to hit it big when she was able to carry Regina in the Attitude Adjustment position but that failed and Regina hit the Finnish. However Yamashita kicked out, gave Regina a German Suplex, knocked her down with the Skull Kick and won with the Crash Rabbit Heat. She offered a handshake after the match but Regina spat at her hand and walked off.

Backstage after the show Yamashita said Regina was a good opponent to put the Princess Of Princess Title on the line against because she is big, strong and a champion in her own country. However she didn’t like how Regina rejected her handshake. It makes Yamashita want to go visit Finland so she can kick Regina’s ass again, then visit a sauna and go meet Moomin. Regina explained her actions, saying she thought she was going to win. She admits Yamashita is good for a Japanese wrestler but not enough to deserve a handshake from her.

The other title defence on the show was also a successful V1 result for the champions. Free WiFi put the belts on the line against Shinken Kusho, the newly named team of Karate fighters. The 5G was used to take Moka Miyamoto out of the equation and Hikari Noa took on the responsibility of finishing off Juria Nagano. The Thrust Kick found its mark and Noa pinned Nagano with the Blizzard Suplex. She said there was no way they would lose today because she could feel how strong their WiFi signal was. But she and Nao Kakuta admitted they could see strong radio waves coming from Shinken Kusho. Miyamoto said she doesn’t want to end her team with Nagano here so they will get stronger to earn another title shot. Nagano said she was nervous because it was her first title match. She has regrets over the mistakes she made but understands it was good experience too.

For the first and last time ever Reiwa AA Cannon fought each other in a singles match. Yuki Arai got to put out everything she learned from teaming with Saki Akai against her in her only chance to surpass her partner. She came close to winning by hitting her own version of the Rookie Award followed by the Finally for a nearfall. Akai fought back with the authentic Rookie Award and got to win with the Qetzalcoatl. Akai thanked Arai afterwards for being her final singles opponent in Korakuen Hall. The next time she will step foot inside the building will be as a fan in the audience. She’s experienced a lot and encouraged Arai by telling her there will be many new experiences for her in the future including from people she has never met before. There will be setbacks and even times that will break Arai’s heart but Arai reminded her she has many friends who support her including herself.

After being on the shelf since the summer began Yuka Sakazaki made it back to action today, kicking off her graduation tour with Mizuki by her side. The Magical Sugar Rabbits were met with Hyper Misao and Pom Harajuku who were both dressed for a welcome back party. They gave Sakazaki a cake as a gift but it was just so they could shove it in Sakazaki’s face! The Magical Sugar Rabbits fought back by spraying silly string at their opponents. Sakazaki showed she was back in physical form by using the Magical Merry-Go-Round to pin Harajuku. She was happy with how her return went and wants to enjoy every moment of her final matches in TJPW.

A small-scale Rumble match was used to determine the No. 1 Contender for the International Princess Title. The champion Max The Impaler is currently away from Japan and has a scheduled title defence for EVE in England next month. This match here was to decide the next challenger after that. Mahiro Kiryu was the first elimination when she was the main victim of a Camel Clutch chain that involved all of the wrestlers in the match. Miu Watanabe then eliminated Suzume with the Tear Drop. Daydream fell apart when Rika Tatsumi decided to choke Watanabe. Their infighting cause them to fall over the top rope onto the apron and then both get knocked to the floor for a double elimination. Yuki Kamifuku pinned Arisu Endo with the Famouser and then everybody thought the match ended when Shoko Nakajima pinned Kamifuku with a Hurricanrana. That was until Raku got into the ring after briefly disappearing from view. She tried to pin Nakajima with a surprise attack but Nakajima fought back and pinned her with the Locomotion Northern Lights Suplex. Nakajima admitted she had enough luck to win and wants to make the most of her opportunity when she gets her title shot on 19th November.

Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino were feeling the Halloween spirit when Mizunami walked out wearing pumpkin headwear. She then made Yukinori Matsui wear it briefly. The team seems to be catching on because this time Aino scored the win by pinning Kaya Toribami with the Venus DDT. It is something Mizunami said she wants to build even further. Maki Itoh said it’s been two years since she last fought Mizunami. That happened in America when they were both in AEW. She respects Mizunami because of that history and wished she could have expressed her feelings even more to her in the ring.

A preview of the Next Generation Tournament was the first match on the show. In the end it was HIMAWARI who submitted Haru Kazashiro to win for her team. She hopes the result will move her up to the next gear just in time for the tournament to begin. Wakana Uehara pointed out she may have to fight HIMAWARI in the bracket but if they do she knows she will beat her. Runa Okubo is concerned to fight Toga because her Elbow Strikes looked stronger than everyone else’s. Shino Suzuki thinks she is feeling left behind and decided that she won’t be anymore starting right now!


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~SENDAI RE-LANDING~” Results

October 21, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~SENDAI RE-LANDING~”, 21/10/2023
Miyagi Yume Messe Miyagi West Building Hall
215 Fans

1. Suzume defeated Runa Okubo with the Ring A Bell (5:45).
2. 3 Way Match: Mahiro Kiryu defeated Raku and Shino Suzuki when Kiryu pinned Suzuki with the Spinebuster (7:43).
3. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Toga & Haru Kazashiro when Misao submitted Kazashiro with the Chickenwing Face Lock (11:59).
4. Regina defeated HIMAWARI with the Finnish (4:57).
5. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami when Kakuta pinned Toribami with the Shiden Kai (10:59).
6. Max The Impaler, Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Wakana Uehara when Max pinned Uehara with the Short-Range Lariat (12:37).
7. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku defeated Mizuki & Arisu Endo when Itoh pinned Endo with the Flying Big Head (15:15).

It’s been four years since Tokyo Joshi Pro was last in Sendai. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku closed out the show by wishing everybody “Motherfucking peace!”

Moka Miyamoto continues to struggle fighting against Free WiFi without Juria Nagano there with her. Today was the final warm up match though. Miyamoto will be reunited with Nagano for the Princess Tag Team Titles match next week. They better be ready because Nao Kakuta said her teamwork with Hikari Noa has gotten even better ever since they became the new champions.

After beating HIMAWARI in under five minutes, Regina gave some comments backstage. She said she has come to TJPW not only to show she is the best female wrestler in Europe but she is also the best in the world! She does not know what kind of match she will have against Miyu Yamashita next week but nothing is going to stop her from conquering TJPW!


Go Girl 4 Gets Nivea Sponsor, Shinken Kusho, World Omori Title Defence

October 11, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GIRL 4 ~1ST TIME IN A YEAR, LIMITED TO FEMALE FANS~”, 15/10/2023
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Suzume Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Wakana Uehara
3. Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Aino & Runa Okubo
4. Hikari Noa Vs Toga
5. Max The Impaler, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Nao Kakuta, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
6. Mizuki & Yuki Arai Vs Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo
7. Nivea Angel Skin Body Wash Presents Go Girl 4 Special Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Rika Tatsumi Vs Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku

“GO GIRL 4” is being sponsored by Nivea and everyone in the audience will receive a free sample of their products. The winning team in the main event will be given a year’s worth of Angel Skin Body Wash as their prize.

Both Miyu Yamashita and Miu Watanabe are missing the doubleshot because they will be in America wrestling for SPARK that week.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~SHINAGAWA PERFORMANCE~”, 15/10/2023
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Yuki Arai Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Maki Itoh Vs HIMAWARI
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Wakana Uehara
4. Hyper Misao & Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
5. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Moka Miyamoto & Haru Kazashiro
6. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Runa Okubo
7. Max The Impaler, Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki & Kaya Toribami

The evening show of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s doubleshot features a few matches that were meant to happen earlier this year but got cancelled for one reason or another.

BASARA “BASARA 234 ~UTAGE~”, 24/10/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 2A: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 2B: Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
3. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura

The challenge by Daiki Shimomura towards FUMA for the Union MAX Title has been accepted.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’23”, 27/10/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Saki Akai Vs Yuki Arai
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Regina

Before Yamashita travelled to America she learned who her first challenger for the Princess Of Princess Title will be at the end of this month. Regina is an 8 year veteran from Tuusula, Finland who wrestles for FCF over there. She is 166cm tall and weighs 105kg. Yamashita said she wants to be careful fighting her, especially when she found out Regina is the FCF Finnish Heavyweight Champion and has defeated larger male wrestlers in her reign. This will be their only match together on Regina’s tour of TJPW because Yamashita is in America during her other appearances. All Yamashita can do to prepare is to find videos of Regina’s matches to watch while she is away.

Free WiFi have only just won the Princess Tag Team Titles so they intend not to lose them easily. Their first challengers are Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano. The two of them now have a new team name: Shinken Kusho! In order to prepare for this match Nao Kakuta has done two things. She is starting to make meals in a rice cooker like Miyamoto often does. She also bought the latest FRIDAY magazine because Nagano is in the issue as the centerfold. Hikari Noa asked Nagano to write her new team name on her page in the magazine. Kakuta thinks Free WiFi is the cooler name.

DDT “UTAN FESTA 2023”, 29/10/2023
Tokyo JR Omori Station East Exit Plaza

1. World Omori Title: Soma Takao (c) Vs X

Last year saw the return of DDT’s annual outdoor show at the JR Omori Station. Not only did that show return but so too did the yearly Omori World Title match. Soma Takao defeated Chikara to become the new champion last time but he currently does not have any challenger lined up for this year’s defence. Normally DDT does a Battle Royal on the same show to determine the No. 1 Contender a year in advance but that did not happen last time.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. 5 Way Tag Match: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
5. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. Special Single Match: Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
8. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
9. Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
10. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

The TJPW Offer Match for this show was revealed over the weekend. Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto, Shino Suzuki, Suzume, Arisu Endo and Wakana Uehara were all chosen to take part.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2023 IN OSAKA”, 19/11/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Special Hardcore 6-Man Tag Match: Atsushi Onita, HARASHIMA & Toy Kojima Vs Jun Akiyama, Bodyguard & Makoto Oishi

We’re not done with the Atsushi Onita Vs Jun Akiyama feud just yet. They clash again in a Hardcore 6-Man Tag Match in November with Bodyguard joining in as a special guest.

Tsutenkakka will be on the show.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” Results

October 9, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023
Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
868 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Runa Okubo defeated Haru Kazashiro with a Half Crab Hold (5:16).
2. Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami & HIMAWARI defeated HARUKAZE, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara when Endo submitted Hasegawa with the Camel Clutch (12:07).
3. Moka Miyamoto defeated Juria Nagano with the Korokan (6:28).
4. Aja Kong, Raku & Shino Suzuki defeated Hyper Misao, Wakana Uehara & Toga when Kong pinned Uehara with a Back Drop (11:04).
5. Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai defeated Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino when Arai pinned Aino with the Finally (13:10).
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent defeated Shoko Nakajima, Suzume, Pom Harajuku & Antonio Honda when Sakisama pinned Harajuku with the Academy Award (14:45).
7. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose defeated Maki Itoh with the Beast Bomb (12:20).
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Kakuta pinned Kiryu with the Shiden Kai (13:37).
*Free WiFi becomes the 14th Princess Tag Team Champions!
9. International Princess Title & NWA World Women’s Television Title: Max The Impaler (N/c) defeated Rika Tatsumi (I/c) with the Short-Range Lariat (15:19).
*V3 for Max The Impaler. Rika Tatsumi fails in V5. Max The Impaler becomes the 11th International Princess Champion!
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita defeated Mizuki (c) with the Crash Rabbit Heat (21:24).
*Mizuki fails in V4. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 13th Princess Of Princess Champion!

For the fourth time Miyu Yamashita has become the Princess Of Princess Champion! She was able to toughen out Mizuki’s Face Lock, Cutie Special and also the Whirling Candy as well as several Diving Foot Stomps. Mizuki also showed her determination by kicking out of the Skull Kick. Yamashita kept focus and landed a High Kick before finishing Mizuki off with the Crash Rabbit Heat. Yamashita wanted to shake Mizuki’s hand after the match but Mizuki hugged her instead. The title win makes Yamashita a worldwide triple crown champion! She now holds singles championships from Japan, Britain (EVE) and America (SPARK). Yamashita got on the microphone and said the belt still feels as extremely heavy as it did the previous times she won it. The reason she’s been able to have this success for the last decade is because she is strong but Mizuki is why the belt shines as bright as it does right now. She closed out the show by telling the fans not to set their own limits.

Backstage she repeated her praise for Mizuki, saying this match was the motivation that kept Yamashita going while she was wrestling in America for three months. She wants to defend the Princess Title overseas but also anticipates defending against wrestlers from around the world within Tokyo Joshi Pro. Mizuki said she couldn’t help but feel scared when she lost the match but so many fans in the audience and wrestlers backstage showed their support for her when it was over. It was another reminder of how blessed she is and it gives her another reason to become stronger. If she gets a chance she wants to win the title back but she realises there are more things she can do than just win belts. She’ll continue to be herself because she wants to become everyone’s princess forever.

A double championship match was in the semi-main event position, marking the first time in 8 and a half years an NWA championship was defended in Japan. Max The Impaler defeated Rika Tatsumi not only to retain the NWA Women’s TV Title but win the International Princess Title too! Max threw Tatsumi around the ring a lot early so Tatsumi came up with a plan. When they were both outside the ring Tatsumi threw some of the other wrestlers at Max! Miu Watanabe was easily knocked aside, Pom Harajuku was safely stopped in her place and Wakana Uehara was thrown right back at Tatsumi. Back in the ring Tatsumi changed tactics to target Max’s knee. It seemed to have paid off when Max favoured the knee after giving her opponent a Backbreaker. Tatsumi wore down Max and applied the Dragon Sleeper but it was power countered into a Fire Thunder Driver. Max then fired Lariats at Tatsumi until they got the 3 count. Max showed enough respect to shake Tatsumi’s hand after the match. Tatsumi is speechless by the result because she will now have to start her defence road all over again. She wants Max to hold onto the title so she can get revenge by winning it back from them.

The alleged curses that’s been following Free WiFi have now been extinguished because they are the new Princess Tag Team Champions! The vacant titles were on the line when Free WiFi took on Toyo Mates with both sides fighting to win the belts for the first time. Mahiro Kiryu tried to apologise for “disconnecting” Free WiFi but her opponents cut her off. Hikari Noa avoided the Famouser from Yuki Kamifuku and got rid of her with the Blizzard Suplex. Free WiFi then gave Kiryu the 5G and Nao Kakuta tried to use the Shiden Kai. Kiryu struggled to break out but Kakuta eventually hit the move for the victory. The title win means Kakuta can finally get rid of her “Uncrowned Queen” nickname while Noa is rewarded for being in a tag team that has not split up over time. Kamifuku said she hates that Toyo Mates have not been able to get good results despite being together for so long. She thinks if they take seperate paths she will be able to beat Aja Kong while Kiryu can go on to beat Miyu Yamashita. They can then reunite and use their massively increased salary to fund different improvements for Toyo University.

A little bit of AEW action was in the undercard when Maki Itoh faced off against Nyla Rose. Itoh was in trouble after taking a Power Bomb but she dodged Rose’s Diving Guillotine Knee Drop and stunned her with the Kokeshi Headbutt. Itoh caused more damage with a Swinging DDT but made the mistake of missing the Flying Big Head. Rose quickly took advantage and used the Beast Bomb to put Itoh away. Rose said Itoh has a hard head and thinks the expression “hard-headed” came from her. She sees similarities between herself and Itoh but admits Itoh is cuter. Itoh said she will do her best to beat Rose next time and this is to be continued.

Speculation over NEO Biishiki-gun’s future in TJPW spread across the fanbase leading into the show. The main four figureheads of the group gathered together once more to battle a ragtag bunch of misfits led by Shoko Nakajima. One of those misfits was Antonio Honda and he took the weirdest punishment by taking an injection in the backside from Yukio Saint Laurent. That injection turned out to be an unintentional energy boost, sending NEO Biishiki-gun packing until he tripped on the ropes before a dive. NEO Biishiki-gun regrouped to one by one take out the opposition. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel gave Nakajima the Tarte Tatin, Martha used her mop to stretch out Suzume and Saint Laurent tortured Honda some more. All that was left to do was for Sakisama to pin Pom Harajuku with the Academy Award.

After the match Sakisama spoke about NEO Biishiki-gun’s victory. She said she is done shining a light in TJPW and it is time for her to shine the light somewhere else. She is always travelling around the world but this time she is bringing the rest of NEO Biishiki-gun along with her. She told the audience that whenever they see a red rose, she wants them to think of her. All four members bowed and left the ring, perhaps for the final time.

Yuki Arai’s pro wrestling career has now introduced her to Ryo Mizunami. The two of them started off their tag match against each other with Arai taking the full brunt of the veteran’s attacks. Miu Watanabe kept things level by matching her power with Mizunami’s. That meant Arai now had to focus on Yuki Aino who has become a regular opponent of her’s. The Venus DDT only got Aino a 2 count and Arai slipped out of the UBV. She hit Aino from behind with the Finally to the back of the head. Arai then hit another Finally from the front to win the match. Watanabe praised her tag partner’s performance, describing her like a flower blooming from another flower. Mizunami also recognised the passion coming from Arai just for taking her Chops alone.

Hyper Misao has not forgotten about Aja Kong destroying the Hyper Cycle back at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23” in July. She declared she would get revenge today by defeating Kong directly. Although Misao was able to blind Kong with spray at the beginning, she wasn’t able to achieve her goal. Instead Kong performed the Oyasumi Express with Raku on top of poor Toga and then turn her attention to Wakana Uehara. Misao had brought up Uehara’s harsh experience of training with Kong on the Yume Pro Wrestling show last year. Today was Uehara’s chance to show her worth. She wore down Kong with the Sleeper Hold and avoided the Vertical Drop Brainbuster but Kong grabbed her in the Back Drop and that was all she needed to win. She then encouraged Uehara to slap her across the face after the match. Uehara did so and Kong pushed her back down.

In a match between two karate fighters, Moka Miyamoto came out on top against Juria Nagano. During the match Nagano got to show off a little bit of submission work by countering the Rashomon into an Arm Lock. When it came to strikes though, Miyamoto got the winning exchange by dodging the Hurricane Kick and hitting the Zero-Sen Kick in return. She then pinned Nagano with the Korokan. Miyamoto said she thinks she knows Nagano the best and could sense how much she has grown. For that reason she wants to continue teaming with Nagano and together fight for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Nagano likes the idea and agreed to go that direction next. Free WiFi accepted the challenge when they found out about it.

The last time TJPW fought against Ganbare☆Joshi in a multi-woman tag match was at “GRAND PRINCESS ’22” where they lost to the visiting team. This time however the TJPW team were victorious. Riara dealt the first blow by putting Arisu Endo in the Paradise Lock and getting the rest of the team to pose a toast over her. HIMAWARI reversed fortunes and Kaya Toribami did a number on Riara until HARUKAZE came in with the Spear Of Fire. Yoshiko Hasegawa tried her best to finish off Endo but Endo turned the tables and made Hasegawa submit to the Camel Clutch.

The first match of the day was between the two youngest members of TJPW’s active roster, both only six months into their wrestling careers. Runa Okubo scored the first win in her career by making Haru Kazashiro submit to a Half Crab Hold. Okubo said she doesn’t want anybody looking down on her. It will make her happy if she wins and make people think she is strong. Although Kazashiro was upset to lose she is still happy she got to wrestle Okubo in a singles match today because they train together. She has no choice but to look ahead and do her best so she can beat Okubo some day.

The first couple of big events for 2024 were announced during the show. The 9th annual Ittenyon is at Korakuen Hall on 4th January. The “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament begins in January and the final is taking place at Korakuen on 10th February. “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” will be held in Sumo Hall on 31st March. It will be the second time the event takes place there.

“The Nordic Monster” Regina will make her TJPW debut later this month. Regina is from Fight Club Finland and is currently the FCF Finnish Heavyweight Champion over there. She is wrestling in Aizuwakamatsu on the 20th, Sendai on the 21st and Korakuen on the 27th.

Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara is the TJPW Offer Match booked for DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” at Sumo Hall on 12th November.


WP4 Title Conference, Akai Nominates Next Challengers

October 5, 2023

The Sumo Hall card was announced earlier today. I’ll have that written up in a separate post later.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023
Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe

1. Haru Kazashiro Vs Runa Okubo
2. Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami & HIMAWARI Vs HARUKAZE, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
4. Aja Kong, Raku & Shino Suzuki Vs Hyper Misao, Wakane Uehara & Toga
5. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs Shoko Nakajima, Suzume, Pom Harajuku & Antonio Honda
7. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose Vs Maki Itoh
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
9. International Princess Title & NWA World Women’s Television Title: Rika Tatsumi (I/c) Vs Max The Impaler (N/c)
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

A press conference for the title matches was held during the week. Miyu Yamashita said from the moment Mizuki became the Princess Of Princess Champion she wanted to challenge her. The timing of it was important so she waited until after she finished her American excursion and won the Tokyo Princess Cup to set up her path to becoming a 4-time Princess Champion. Mizuki said her pro wrestling life is completely different to Yamashita’s. She doesn’t like fighting her but has learned over the years how predictable Yamashita’s offence is. Mizuki loves Yamashita and knows Yamashita loves her back so this match is going to be Mizuki repaying that love many times over.

Two teams who always struggled to reach the top will face off for the vacant Princess Tag Team Titles. It is being made clear by Nao Kakuta that she wants to get rid of her nickname “The Uncrowned Queen”. She’s been wrestling for 9 years now and has lost every championship match she’s been in. She also brought up Hikari Noa’s “curse” of always losing tag team partners. For that reason Free WiFi are fighting for the Princess Tag Titles not with heat or passion but with determination and tenacity. Nao feels blessed to team with somebody as hard working as Kakuta so she wants to help capture her dreams too. As Tokyo Joshi Pro grows bigger the opportunities to become a champion will only get more difficult. Yuki Kamifuku is getting tired of doing her best all year only to fall at the last hurdle. Mahiro Kiryu is always there to support her and vice versa. Kiryu said Free WiFi are in perfect harmony with each other but Toyo Mates have gotten a lot stronger too. She is just as determined as Kakuta to win her first championship.

Max The Impaler was not present for the press conference so Rika Tatsumi came up with an idea to get Max’s attention. After signing the contract for the double title match, Tatsumi brought out a frying pan and tabletop cooker to make some popcorn. Tatsumi explained she has a talent of making popcorn so if she made a fresh batch here it would attract Max into the room. She took a Q&A session while waiting until she discoverd the popcorn wasn’t cooking properly. She then admitted she’s only done this twice. Eventually Max did indeed enter the room and threw the uncooked popcorn away when Tatsumi offered it to them. Max then used their finger to rub some facepaint onto the contract which counts as a signature.

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 1”, 14/10/2023
Hokkaido Sapporo ii-one Stadium

1. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Tomoya & Yusuke Okada
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Rukiya
5. Sapporo Specialty Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima

Eruption and two of their next challengers have a warmup match the day before the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles bout.

In the aftermath of Pheromones splitting up Yuki Iino is absent for “rehabilitation” and Yumehito Imanari is gone from CyberFight so Danshoku Dieno is now by himself. How will he treat Akito any differently?

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 2”, 15/10/2023
Hokkaido Sapporo ii-one Stadium

1. 3 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Yusuke Okada
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
3. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Rukiya Vs Kouki Iwasaki & MAO
4. Sapporo Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Tomoya, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi

Saki Akai nominated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi as the next challengers for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. She wanted to wrestle against Takagi & Akito because they are the two people most responsible for making DDT what it is day to day. She also wants to have a title match with Oishi because he has been a mentor figure for her throughout her entire wrestling career.

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023”, 22/10/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao & Yuni Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
1. Yukio Naya Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Tetsuya Endo, Toy Kojima & Rukiya
3. Special Single Match: MIKAMI Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Makoto Oishi & Akito
5. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 4 ~ Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Saki Akai & Chihiro Hashimoto
6. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata (E/c) Vs Takeshi Masada (I/c)
7. Road To Ultimate Party 2023! Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO

Another preview for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” sets up the next Korakuen Hall card. Chris Brookes and Yuki Ueno clash in a big tag match also involving HARASHIMA and MAO.

A double title match is being advertised between Kazuki Hirata and Takeshi Masada. The match is guaranteed to happen with the DDT Extreme Title on the line but as always the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is at risk of belonging to someone else by the time the match takes place. DDT has pleaded with Masada not to lose the belt to a New Japan wrestler next week!

This appears to be Akai’s final match in Korakuen Hall, at least for DDT. She gets to team with Chihiro Hashimoto for a showdown against Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani! I wouldn’t call it a fully complete Eruption match because Kazusada Higuchi is somewhere else on the card. But Akai teaming up with Hashimoto more than makes up for that.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~” Results

September 23, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 23/09/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall
270 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Kaya Toribami defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Bird Cage (8:10).
2. Yuki Aino defeated Runa Okubo with the Full Nelson Of Love And Fire (5:04).
3. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao defeated Pom Harajuku and HIMAWARI when Misao pinned HIMAWARI with a Gedo Clutch (5:38).
4. Raku, Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto, Wakana Uehara & Toga when Suzume pinned Toga with the Ring A Bell (10:33).
5. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel defeated Miu Watanabe & Shino Suzuki when Sakisama pinned Suzuki with the Academy Award (12:34).
6. Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Noa pinned Kiryu with the Blizzard Suplex (19:41).

“WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” is on the minds of everybody in Tokyo Joshi Pro as the big show is approaching closer. A mixture of wrestlers preparing for the event faced off in today’s main event, combining a few of the championship matchups. Free WiFi was the reason for their team winning against the Toyo Mates. They gave Mahiro Kiryu the 5G and would have won then if it wasn’t for Maki Itoh breaking the pin. Hikari Noa kept her nerve and pinned Kiryu with the Blizzard Suplex for the finish.

Mizuki told the audience afterwards nobody here wants to lose. Rika Tatsumi agreed and hoped Max The Impaler was watching on Wrestle Universe. Mizuki later admitted she was disappointed with her performance in the match because she cannot relax when she’s against Miyu Yamashita and her kick heavy offence. Nao Kakuta shared her frustration backstage, she believes she was the most useless person on her team today even though the team won. Noa assured her that their “curse” will end at Tama Mirai Messe. When Kakuta heard that she said she is ready to throw away her nickname of “Uncrowned Queen”. Over in the Toyo Mates camp Yuki Kamifuku said just trying hard is not enough these days. It reminds her of an audition she once took for a fashion show. The fashion designer rejected her because she lacked an overwhelming aura. She figured out she was missing something like a championship belt to display her power. She now wants to win the Princess Tag Team Titles with Kiryu to make that designer regret ever turning her down! Kiryu gained motivation when she heard that story.

Sakisama told the audience the next time they will see her and Mei Saint-Michel in the ring will be along with Yukio Saint Laurent & Martha at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”. She didn’t have any much of an opinion on Shino Suzuki. She did notice a fiery look in her eyes but she’ll probably forget it by tomorrow. Saint-Michel thinks “the pink muscular one” Miu Watanabe is so cool. Sakisama told her NEO Biishiki-gun doesn’t need a person like Watanabe in the group nowadays.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~” Results

September 18, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/09/2023
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
681 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Suzume defeated Shino Suzuki with the Ring A Bell (6:56).
2. Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro defeated Kaya Toribami & Runa Okubo when Endo submitted Okubo with the Camel Clutch (8:50).
3. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI defeated Hyper Misao, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Tatsumi submitted Harajuku with the Dragon Sleeper (11:08). (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga defeated Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara when Kamifuku pinned Uehara with the Famouser (12:25).
5. Mizuki & Shoko Nakajima defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Mizuki pinned Yamashita with the Aquamarine (17:35).
6. Saki Akai & Yuki Arai defeated Yuki Aino & Moka Miyamoto when Akai pinned Miyamoto after the Double Rookie Award (16:10).

For the final time Reiwa AA Cannon teamed up together but today will not be the last time Saki Akai & Yuki Arai will be in the same ring together. After they won their last match as a tag team in the main event, Akai said she looked after Arai as if she was her little sister but now is the time for Arai to step forward on her own and lead Tokyo Joshi Pro into the future. Arai said she loved the time spent with Akai and it went by in a daze. She now has one last selfish request, she wants a singles match with Akai before her retirement! It will be the first, last and only time Akai and Arai will face each other one on one. Akai approved of Arai’s fearlessness in asking her and promised it will happen the next time she shows up in TJPW. It was later confirmed the match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 27th October.

In a preview of the “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” main event, Mizuki scored a direct pinfall over Miyu Yamashita by avoiding the Skull Kick and using the Aquamarine to roll her into a three count. She isn’t looking forward to wrestling her in further skirmishes until the big show but is confident she can beat her every step of the way.

Another “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” preview was a 6-Woman Tag match featuring Toyo Mates and Free WiFi against each other. Yuki Kamifuku won the match for her team but got into a small fight with Nao Kakuta afterwards. It led to Kamifuku making a weird promise to not use WiFi until she beats Kakuta. If that means she has to pay for giga internet in the meantime then so be it. Mahiro Kiryu used that point to remind fans to be careful of suspicious WiFi otherwise your personal information could be at risk.

As part of today’s SKE48 performance, Shiori Aoki was invited back to officiate a match again. It was her second time as a wrestling referee and she successfully detected Hyper Misao hiding several foreign objects hidden in her outfit. Misao got her revenge when she redirected Rika Tatsumi into choking Aoki unconscious in the corner. Tatsumi revived her and went to pin Pom Harajuku with a Hip Attack. Aoki showed she was still in good condition by doing a cartwheel before counting the pin. The delay meant she couldn’t count to three in time so Tatsumi switched Harajuku over into the Dragon Sleeper so she could win by submission. Aoki said she would like to be the referee again and was given advice from Daisuke Kiso before today’s match. She enjoyed the challenge of having more wrestlers to keep an eye on this time.

Miu Watanabe was spotted cheering along to the SKE48 mini concert like she always does whenever TJPW brings in idols for a musical performance.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~” Results

September 16, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/09/2023
Nagano Kissei Bunka Hall Middle Hall
196 Fans

1. Suzume defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Ring A Bell (6:06).
2. Arisu Endo defeated Kaya Toribami with the Camel Clutch (6:15).
3. Hikari Noa defeated Pom Harajuku with the Blizzard Suplex (8:37).
4. Ryo Mizunami defeated Toga with a Spear (9:56).
5. Maki Itoh defeated Shino Suzuki with the Itoh Punish (10:12).
6. Aja Kong & Yuki Aino defeated Shoko Nakajima & Moka Miyamoto when Kong pinned Miyamoto with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (12:44).
7. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Miyu Yamashita & Hyper Misao when Tatsumi pinned Misao with the Missile Hip (14:56).

For the first time Tokyo Joshi Pro went to visit Nagano for Rika Tatsumi’s homecoming show. Daydream won in the main event after they got rid of Miyu Yamashita with the Daydream Eternity. Tatsumi then got to pin Hyper Misao with the Missile Hip. After the match Tatsumi said her pro wrestling career will soon be 10 years old. She also told the audience her mother came to see her wrestle for the first time. Tatsumi didn’t know what her mother thought about the match and her mom in the crowd shouted it was great! Backstage Miu Watanabe said she loves how gorgeous Nagano is. Tatsumi said she would like to become a goodwill ambassador for Nagano as well as the mascot for her favorite restaurant here.

The show began with the announcement that Tatsumi will be facing Max The Impaler at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October in a double championship match! Tatsumi will put the International Princess Title on the line against Max’s NWA World Women’s Television Title. Max is somebody Tatsumi wanted to face one on one but she never expected it to happen until now.

There were a lot of names absent from the show because of an illness going through the roster. Raku is one of them. Both Aja Kong & Yuki Aino performed the Oyasumi Express together in their match as a shoutout to her. They did their best and won their match but even then they felt like they needed their leader Raku with them. Kong also praised the TJPW roster for doing their best to run the show with so many people missing.

Maki Itoh revealed that while she was in America for her most recent tour, she took a taxi and got in a traffic accident when another vehicle hit the taxi from behind. Today for her first match back in Japan she beat Shino Suzuki. Itoh claims she didn’t even use 10% of her power to win because Suzuki is just a rookie. She was also honest and thought the fan reaction to her return was only so-so. She wants to get stronger and go her own way even if she doesn’t get full fan support.

Ryo Mizunami called Toga a young fighter with a lot of potential and a promising future. Toga got to hit her with the big Elbow Strike in their match. Mizunami said the strike really affected her body and even touched her heart. She knows Toga felt the same feeling and wants her to keep it while she does her best from now on. She would like to fight her again when Toga becomes stronger.

There was one more cancelled appearance a few hours before the show due to illness. Wakana Uehara was pulled from the event because she was showing symptoms of a fever last night and hadn’t recovered. Pom Harajuku was Hikari Noa’s opponent instead.


Loading Up Korakuen, DDT Vs AJPW, Monomoth’s Japanese Debut

September 11, 2023

DDT “TETSUYA ENDO LOCAL TRIUMPH! WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023 TOUR IN SHIROISHI”, 16/09/2023
Miyagi Shiroishi White Cube

1. Pheromones Final Countdown In Shiroishi: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Makoto Oishi
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
4. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Jun Akiyama Vs HARASHIMA & Rukiya
6. Shiroishi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ BURNING Vs Eruption!: Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani

This may be the last month Pheromones will exist so they have already begun their farewell tour. How they behave in these matches will help Akito decide if the unit should be broken up or not. So far based on the first match that happened yesterday, Pheromones are not going to change their behavior.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/09/2023
Nagano Kissei Bunka Hall Middle Hall

1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Toga
2. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku Vs Haruna Neko Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Kaya Toribami & Haru Kazashiro
4. Maki Itoh vs HIMAWARI
5. Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
6. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Shoko Nakajima, Nao Kakuta & Moka Miyamoto
7. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Miyu Yamashita & Hyper Misao

Nagano’s local mascot Arukuma will be at the show to celebrate Rika Tatsumi’s return to her home area. It is a bear obsessed with apples who likes to walk around the area spreading charm to people who aren’t bears. Tatsumi is the kind of person who will strangle that thing to death… with love of course… Oh my God, she’s Elmyra from Tiny Toons!

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2023”, 18/09/2023
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. Pheromones Final Countdown In Nagoya ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Akito Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada
2. Kazuma Sumi Vs Rukiya
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
5. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo Vs Shigehiro Irie, Kazusada Higuchi & Shinya Ishida
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, MAO & Antonio Honda Vs Minoru Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai
7. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki

Even though Atsushi Onita’s team beat Jun Akiyama’s team in an exploding death match over the weekend, he still accepted the challenge to make the next one an All Asia Tag Team Titles match. It will be the first time since 2014 when the titles will be defended on a DDT show. Onita felt he and Yoshitatsu needed to accept the challenge of Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki in order to increase the championship’s value. Given how much this match relates to All Japan, Onita will have the late Terry Funk on his mind going into it.

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Monomoth & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru) Vs Dr. Gore & Yasu Urano
1. Gauntlet Tag Match: Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) Vs Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki, Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki Vs Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Isami Kodaka & Ken Ohka Vs MAO, Daiki Shimomura & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Special Exhibition: Masahiro Takanashi Vs KUDO
4. Special Single Match: Mei Suruga Vs Minoru Suzuki
5. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi

The “Thai Smiling Prince” Monomoth makes his Japanese pro wrestling debut on Masahiro Takanashi’s show. He is a regular with the SETUP promotion in Thailand. The dark match Monomoth is in features another SETUP wrestler named Dr. Gore teaming with Yasu Urano. Monomoth’s tag partner is Kappa Kozo from the UMA Corps which of course means Miyako Haru will be there to keep an eye on things.

Saki Akai is on the show but there is still no announcement yet as to what she will be doing there.

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023”, 24/09/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Korakuen ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Naruki Doi Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
6. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs Maki Itoh
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Saki Akai

There was only one person Chris Brookes had in mind for his next challenger. He wants to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against Akai before her retirement in November. The two of them had a double title singles match involving the DDT Extreme Title and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title inside an empty Korakuen Hall back in May 2021 because of the covid pandemic. Akai gets to challenge for the KO-D Title for the first time ever but warns she is not doing this for sentimental reasons. She wants to win and become champion so Brookes better take her seriously!

The aftermath of Yuki Ueno choosing The 37KAMIINA over Konosuke Takeshita has calmed things down a little bit. Takeshita has said at the end of the day he is still friends with everyone in the unit even if they aren’t seeing eye to eye right now. That claim will be taken to the test after MAO challenged him to a singles match. Is this MAO testing himself against Takeshita when they are at their strongest or will there be some frustations being taken out on each other?

DDT’s inter-promotional rivalry with All Japan continues with Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura coming on over to fight The 37KAMIINA. Aoyagi is excited to fight Ueno for the first time and sees MAO as a future opponent too. However when Toy Kojima heard that he got worked up at being overlooked as always. He is just as much an important member of The 37KAMIINA as the others but nobody ever names him as an opponent they want to fight. In Aoyagi’s defence, he admits he doesn’t know who Kojima is. But then he repeated he only wants to fight Ueno and MAO so whatever Kojima does to him in response is kind of deserved.

DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY & FINAL COUNT DOWN IN KYOTO!!”, 30/09/2023
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga

Brookes offering Akai a KO-D Title match wasn’t something he did for the sake of being charitable. The day after he gave out the challenge he told Eruption he would like a shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in return. He already has a team put together with Takanashi & Mei Suruga, mixing CDK and ChocoPro together. Eruption want to defend their championships as much as they can before Akai’s retirement and do not mind who their opponents are. The announcement of this match on DDT’s website only mentions the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles so it looks like the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles will not be on the line.

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 04/10/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Pheromones Final Match: X Vs X
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Minoru Fujita & KANON (c) Vs Soma Takao & Shota

ROMANCE DAWN quickly made themselves the first challengers for the new KO-D Tag Team Champions. They approached Minoru Fujita & KANON shortly after the title change to set up the time and the place for their shot.

On this date Akito will decide the fate of Pheromones. Will he go with his head and finally split up the group or will he go with his heart and keep them together for their fanbase? He could probably go with another part of his body to come up with a third option but let’s not go into detail with that sort of fantasy booking.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023
Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe

1. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs X, X, X & X
2. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose Vs Maki Itoh
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The next Princess Tag Team Champions are either going to be Toyo Mates or Free WiFi. Either result will give us a first time champion. I don’t just mean first time tag title reigns for either team but also a first championship for Mahiro Kiryu or Nao Kakuta too. Both Yuki Kamifuku and Hikari Noa have previously held the International Princess Title.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Saki Akai Retirement Match: Saki Akai Vs X
2. Special Single Match: Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata

It was already announced that Hiromu Takahashi will be at Sumo Hall but the choice of opponent was going to be all up to him. Kazuki Hirata read out a heartfelt letter written for Takahashi asking him to be his opponent at the show. Hirata didn’t expect Takahashi was actually in the room at the time and certainly didn’t expect to roll him up and try to win the Iron Man Title either. Takahashi decided to make Hirata’s dream come true and they will face each other. So far no championship is on the line. Not the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title held by Takahashi nor the DDT Extreme and Iron Man Titles held by Hirata. Things may change as we get closer to the show but who knows what championships either will be hold by the time we get there.