Writing up this year’s WrestleMania Week report worked out sort of quicker than I expected in regards to the amount of matches to cover, yet some of them were very difficult to track down because of the lack of streaming options available to some of the indies this time around. Tokyo Joshi Pro felt their first burn from their overseas expansion with a low attendance number at Slam Fest. How much that will effect their USA plans for the rest of the year remain to be seen. The reduction of international fans travelling over to Las Vegas again could really be felt on some shows throughout the week. I’d be willing to argue that had just as much effect on the WrestleMania attendance itself rather than just the expensive ticket prices.
The only DDT presence of note in Vegas was Daisuke Sasaki wrestling a few matches. He had a particularly violent match on the New Japan/GCW joint show (that feels weird to type out) that must have left him with a few bruises afterwards. A few TJPW wrestlers spread out across the shows too but the one that sounded noteworthy hasn’t shown up online yet so I’m a little stuck trying to write about it. The week being what it is means some chance meetings happened at some shows, like Miu Watanabe finally meeting her fellow Giant Swing user Claudio Castagnoli.
One of the reasons this report is an incomplete one is thanks to our friend Mizuki Watase. He made the trip over to Las Vegas again after going through a love-hate affair with the city in previous visits for wrestling. He’s written blogs and articles of his past trips where he lost a lot of money but became smitten with the Venetian in particular, naming one of his finishing moves after the casino. This time his trip started off pretty badly with some hotel mishap but his gambling turned into a success this time and for once he left the casino with more money than he had before. Then he spent all the money on booze and got some tattoos while he was drunk. He also wrestled a few matches during the week but I have had no luck trying to find out what they are. That was until I saw a video he recorded of his entrance and it was at the one place I never thought of looking: MicroMania. He was advertised for their week long tour at The Nerd in Fremont Street and he ended up wrestling several matches there. All I could find out is he wanted to do a Spirit Of Ganbare World Title defence for one of his bookings but it was changed to a non-title tag match on short notice (excuse the pun).
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Videos
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe
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Results
PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Tag Team Match: Toga & Jazzy Yang defeated Amira & Lil Marz when Toga pinned Marz with the Absolute Zero (8:47).
The first piece of TJPW action to find that week was when Toga went to “PODERMANIA~!”. The eighth annual women’s wrestling show put together by the man known to most as “Ed In San Antonio” saw Toga teaming up with Jazzy Yang in a winning effort against Amira & Lil Marz. Toga even scored the pinfall in a match that can be best described as not the worst thing to have happened on the show.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “WHATEVER, FOREVER”, 15/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Jiah Jewell defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Gator Roll (?:??).
Sasaki’s schedule got off to an aggressive start when he went brawling with Jiah Jewell throughout the venue that Pandemonium Pro held their show in. Sasaki had the upper hand throughout a lot of the match because Jewell kept on telegraphing his finisher, the Gator Roll so Sasaki could block it. However things went wrong for Sasaki and he tried going after the ref for it, allowing Jewell to Gator Roll Sasaki for the three count and score the upset win.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA 424 Fans
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Toga & Uta Takami when Kamifuku pinned Takami with the Famouser (10:03).
2. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Alexis Lee, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki when Aino pinned Suzuki with the Venus DDT (14:36).
3. Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Mizuki and Miu Watanabe when Yamashita pinned Mizuki with the Crash Rabbit Heat (14:05).
4. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) defeated Sakura Hattori with the Ring A Bell (11:36). *V1 for Suzume.
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) defeated Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao when Lee pinned Nakajima after the IIdolizer (12:59). *V1 for The IInspiration.
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) defeated J-Rod with the Finally (11:18). *V1 for Yuki Arai.
“DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL”, 16/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. The Rigged Roulette – House Rules Hardcore Match: Joey Janela & Gringo Loco defeated Gedo & Daisuke Sasaki when Janela pinned Gedo with the Diving Foot Stomp onto a Door (18:44).
Throughout the week Sasaki has been hanging out with an incognito El Desperado but he also got to spend some time with Gedo, particularly for a violent Hardcore Match that took place on Despy’s own show. Gedo took it extreme by bringing out forks to stab Joey Janela & Gringo Loco with. The opposition fought back by putting Sasaki and Gedo through doors along with some wicked chair shots. Loco used a one man Spanish Fly to smash Sasaki through one door only for Sasaki to recover and spin him into La Mistica Crossface Lock with Gedo giving the assist with a fork attack. Janela made the save though and ended up Double Stomping Gedo into oblivion among the wreckage for the three count. Sasaki’s post-match comments were all complaints about how violent the match was. If his upcoming matches are going to continue being like this then he won’t go back to Japan and will cancel his Best Of The Super Jr. appearance instead.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Janai Kai by Knockout with the Skull Kick (5:29).
Finally a Bloodsport fight goes Miyu Yamashita’s way and right when Josh Barnett decides to end the whole thing. Janai Kai tried to submit her with the Demon Clutch but Yamashita grabbed her in a Cravate and gave her knee strikes to the head to get out of it. Kanai then switched to kicks leading to wild swinging misses from both wrestlers. Yamashita got the first big hit in with the Skull Kick that knocked Kai straight out. As a bonus for Yamashita, she ended up meeting Nattie Neidhart backstage again as well as Stone Cold Steve Austin!
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Miu Watanabe defeated Taniya with the Tear Drop (?:??).
I haven’t been able to find a result for the match yet but heard Taniya put on a great performance against Miu Watanabe. This will be updated once I do find out what happened.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Toga & Uta Takami
2. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Alexis Lee, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
3. Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe
4. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod
Thanks to some business dealings by TKO that has sort of come back to bite WWE in the backside, Tokyo Joshi Pro are running a WrestleMania Week show in Las Vegas for the second year in a row. Is there an alternate timeline where this would be happening in New Orleans instead? Probably, but money talks and Vegas is full with it. What’s noteworthy regarding this year is that TJPW is no longer working with GCW and The Collective in putting this show together. Instead they are part of a block of events called Slam Fest that also has Stardom, CMLL, House Of Glory and Maple Leaf Pro involved. Also DDT has not joined the journey over to America with TJPW. As you are reading this, they are still running shows back in Japan but it’s pretty obvious by now that CyberFight sees TJPW as the brand with the biggest potential to become successful in overseas markets like North America. For their return to Vegas they have put together a relevant card that follows up from their recent tours of Texas and Vancouver. If you need need to freshen up on the product you really only need to pay attention to those shows as well as last month’s Sumo Hall show to get all caught up on what’s happening here. So if you’re new to the world of TJPW, an existing fan wanting to read up on everything or even a commentator looking for context beyond a Wikipedia page (*cough, cough*), this guide is intended for you!
Where and when are the shows taking place?
The show will be held at the Pearl Theater found inside Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Thursday, 16th April at 11am local time.
Where can I watch it online?
It will air live on Triller TV with English commentary for $19.99 by itself. There are also bundled deals that include the show available for either $44.99 (the Thursday package of TJPW, CMLL & House Of Glory) or $59.99 (the entire two day Slam Fest package). The on-demand version of the show will be available to watch on Wrestle Universe a couple of weeks after the live broadcast.
Is this a proper TJPW show?
Yes for the most part. On paper it is not the same full blown experience that TJPW provided Las Vegas last year. However they are still providing all three championship matches that have all have build up behind them. It’s an unusual situation this year because TJPW are promoting shows outside of Japan more than ever and a lot of the title builds took place on those international shows that took place in North America. So you could take the odd path of only watching the Texas tour, the big “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” show at Sumo Hall and the recent Vancouver tour to get all caught up on the major matches for this card.
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Toga & Uta Takami
The show opens up with one of the mainstay tag teams Ober Eats facing two wrestlers from TJPW’s so-called “Next Generation”. Ober Eats are coming off of a lengthy stay at the top of the tag team division, having become the only reigning champions to win the annual Max Heart Tournament. After recently being knocked off their perch, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara agreed to start moving in separate directions but they are still going to team from time to time on shows like this one. Uta Takami is on the upswing after reaching the final of the Max Heart Tournament. She’s only teamed with Toga a handful of times though so this mismatch pairing has some work to do to beat the former tag champs.
Yuki Kamifuku – Also known by her nickname Kamiyu, she is “The Casual Beauty” of TJPW. Grew up in Ohio during her junior high school years so she is the most fluent English speaker out of the Japanese roster. She knows how to get under her opponent’s skin with harsh and catty opinions but there is another side to her where she is loyal and sympathetic to her friends. She is also proud of her modelling background because her accomplishments in the ring is proof that you don’t need to be a die hard pro wrestling fan to succeed in the business. Moves To Watch Out For: Famouser (Jumping Leg Drop to a bent over opponent), Big Boot, Yahoo 83cm (Headscissors DDT), Manjigatame, Thumb To The Eye
Wakana Uehara – The big eater entered wrestling through a reality series TJPW held for idols and was the only participant to take the path towards turning pro. Ever since she formed Ober Eats with Kamifuku, she learned to come out out of her shell and has taken on some of Kamifuku’s more confident personality traits to make them into her own. One can only imagine the victory meal she’ll have in Vegas to celebrate! Moves To Watch Out For: Banana Pillow (Triangle Lancer), Sushi Tornado (Sister Abigail variation), Space Rolling Elbow, High Speed Brainbuster
Toga – I can’t say for sure if ice runs through her veins but if you’re looking for somebody cool, calm and collective in the ring then Toga is your girl. In a place filled with colorful personalities, Toga’s way of standing out is to smash opponents in the face with an almighty Elbow Strike. The last year has seen her start to stretch out a little bit, moving on from tag team wrestling to search for success on her own. She has also taken the initiative to take part in a match somewhere else during Mania Week, as you will see at the bottom of this guide. Moves To Watch Out For: Absolute Zero (Rock Bottom), Elbow Butt, Rolling Thunder, Fall Away Slam
Uta Takami – Here is the first member of The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) to appear on the show. The Up Up Girls are a pop idol group that collaborated with TJPW to create a pro wrestling spin-off stable. TJPW’s version of the act always perform a song or two at the beginning of the shows before competing in matches later on. Takami is the troublemaker of the bunch, bringing along a bratty little sister energy into her matches with a frantic wrestling style. She is currently among the youngest wrestlers on the roster but this year her potential upside has shot through the roof with a strong tag team tournament record. If you like Mei Suruga then Uta Takami will fit into your wrestling tastes as snug as a bug. Moves To Watch Out For: Koala Clutch (Body Lock Cobra Clutch), Pendulum Dropkick, Missile Dropkick
It’s the Love Triangle taking on Bumping gRitters plus a friend from Singapore. One of the strongest bonds in TJPW is the one that connects Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku together. They are all so close to each other that Love Triangle is the most fittest name to give them. HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki make up the Bumping gRitters, a name they came up with because they want to fight gritty and shine like glitter at the same time. Alexis Lee from Singapore Pro Wrestling is the third woman on their team and has a packed schedule in Vegas ahead of her this week.
Yuki Aino – At one time Yuki Aino was simply a ring announcer for TJPW who became a pro wrestler in order to team up with her sister (the now retired Nodoka Tenma). Tag team wrestling has been her forte and Aino usually finds her way back there whenever her attempts to go solo don’t go to plan. Her love of Tokusatsu TV shows have been a key part of her finding relevance in the company this year but on this show she is back teaming with some old flames. She can be as stubborn as they come and on her best days will hit you like a firetruck fueled by love. Moves To Watch Out For: Venus DDT (Inverted DDT), UBV/Unlimited Burning Venus (Double Arm Side Buster), Full Nelson Of Love And Fire (Full Nelson Camel Clutch), Side Suplex
Raku – The second member of The Up Up Girls, Raku’s entire personality can be summed down to naps and trains. She knows so much railway trivia that on every TJPW show she will tell the audience what the Train Of The Day is. Raku’s moveset is built around sending her opponents to sleep so she can run over them with the Oyasumi Express. She is also sometimes armed with a pillow. Mix that all together and you get a total package that has made her absolutely adored by fans and the roster alike. Moves To Watch Out For: Doctor Yellow (Jumping Neckbreaker), Hurricane Turn (Cross-Arm Backslide Pin), Oyasumi/Good Night Express (running on top of the opponent over and over), Good Night Sleeper, Poppo Chop! (Brain Chop)
Pom Harajuku – Bright and colorful costumes, loud screaming and a lot of shin kicking. Pom Harajuku’s fighting style can be compared to a three year old throwing a temper tantrum. What she lacks in traditional pro wrestling strength, she makes up for with creativity and outside the box thinking. If she thinks disguising herself as a turnbuckle, hiding her opponent’s house keys inside a gacha capsule machine or constructing her own Tesla will help her win the match then she will find a way to turn those ideas into a reality. Moves To Watch Out For: Pom de Justice (Step-Up Guillotine Leg Drop), Laforet Harajuku (Satellite Headscissors), Shin Kick, Denden Taiko (beating the opponent’s chest like a drum)
Alexis Lee – The skeleton from Singapore is regularly seen as an opponent for TJPW wrestlers when they go to wrestle around Southeast Asia. She gets appear in TJPW once or twice a year and returns again as part of what I think is her debut tour in America. Just be careful around her when drinks are around. “Skelly” can drink anybody under the table. Moves To Watch Out For: No Lee Way (Running Double Knee Attack), Sister Abigail, Biting
HIMAWARI – Bright and cheerful like a sunflower but it’s the kind of sunflower that can use Vine Whip. She claims to have never gotten her long hair cut since she was born and she likes to use her braids as whips against her opponents. She has a background in musicals and stage acting which explains how she is up there as one of the most expressive of wrestlers in TJPW. She often gets to take part in overseas bookings but her win-loss record when it comes to these ventures needs some improvement. Moves To Watch Out For: Sunflower Tempest (Floatover Jackhammer), Princess Drop (Princess Carry into Pumphandle Drop style slam), Half Crab Hold, Hair Whip
Shino Suzuki – Now we’re up to member No. 3 of The Up Up Girls. Shino Suzuki is one of the newer members of the groups. She is nicknamed “She Know” because she worked as a tour guide before becoming an idol and pro wrestler. While currently low on the totem pole in TJPW, she will display gutsy performances along with her wealth of tourism knowledge. The downside to this is the competitive atmosphere often turns her into a ball of anxiety and half of her battles is trying to get past that while the match goes on. Moves To Watch Out For: Belly-To-Belly Suplex, Sleeper Hold, Backward Rolling Cradle, Swinging Neckbreaker
3. Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe
Simply put, the three strongest and most decorated wrestlers in TJPW are thrown into the ring all against each other. I could go on all day listing the combined accomplishments of Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki and Miu Watanabe along with arguments for each over who should be seen as the ace of company. It would be fair to guess that whoever wins this match would qualify for No. 1 Contendership, if only there wasn’t the Tokyo Princess Cup coming up. This is odds on favorite to be the match of the show and maybe even a highlight of the entire week.
Miyu Yamashita – “The Pink Striker” has been part of TJPW since Day 1 of the company proper and has almost done it all when it comes to championship reigns, tournament wins and headlining important venues. She is currently the “Leader” of TJPW so her focus nowadays is to fly the flag for the company across the world. The Skull Kick she uses is one of the most deadliest looking finishers around and she enjoys finding opponents who can dish it out to her just as hard as she can dish it out to them. Moves To Watch Out For: Skull Kick (Backspin High Kick to the head), Crash Rabbit Heat (Running Knee Kick), Attitude Adjustment, Return Crash (Triangle Kick off the turnbuckles)
Mizuki – Although she didn’t start her wrestling career in TJPW, Mizuki has established herself as one of the company’s all time best with multiple championship reigns and important main events to her name. One of the most photogenic wrestlers going today, she constantly goes viral on social media for using moves that leave those who see them locked in a state of awe and inspiration. She doesn’t understand what U3+4 means but she is the closest pro wrestling will ever get to creating a real life Lili from Tekken. Don’t trust that mischievous smile of hers, she is vicious when she wants to be. “The Popping Sugar Rabbit” may sound like a silly nickname but we’ll see who’s laughing when Mizuki is Double Stomping the guts out of her opponents. Moves To Watch Out For: Cutie Special (Bridging Fall Away Slam), Whirling Candy (Spinning Cross Body Block), Diving Foot Stomp, Face Lock
Miu Watanabe – Last but definitely not least, Miu Watanabe is the final member of The Up Up Girls you will see in action. There are two things she loves most in life: Idols and Pro Wrestling! Always full of energy, Watanabe uses big hand gestures to spell out L-O-V-E along with her theme song during her entrances. She also knows various ways to throw people around with the Giant Swing and cave in chests with Double Sledge style strikes. Watanabe is coming off of a main event run that was so dominant that other wrestlers accused her of fighting more like a monster than a princess! Moves To Watch Out For: Tear Drop (Modified Flapjack), Reverse Paradox (Gorilla Clutch), Laserbeam (Overhand Chop to the chest), Giant Swing, Canadian Backbreaker, Swinging Backbreaker
4. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
The first of three championship matches on the card. Suzume recently won the International Princess Title for the second time and wants to live up to the championship’s intended identity of being defended overseas. She received her first challenge via ninja scroll, which is a new one in my books. Sakura Hattori recently transformed from a masked bird to dangerous ninja and has been reaping the benefits under her new persona. She doesn’t need to hide in the shadows when they get to Vegas, her confidence is at an all time high.
Suzume – As swift as a wasp and just as sharp. She begun her career as a fast learner, only spending seven months in training before making her pro debut. Just based on her aesthetic alone it is of no surprise that speed is the name of her game. It’s served Suzume well because she became the International Princess Champion for the second time this year. It is a belt that has become her greatest treasure but she holds it at a time when a new generation of challengers are growing stronger all around her. Moves To Watch Out For: Ring A Bell (RKO), Spring Ring A Bell (Oscutter), Mikazuki Meteor Shower (Diving Cross Body), Twinkle (Twisting School Boy), Flying Facecrusher
Sakura Hattori – There was once a masked wrestler named Kaya Toribami. She was a bird and was well liked by everyone but when it came to finding success in the ring it was lacking for her. Turns out having a cassowary gimmick wasn’t the golden ticket to getting a push. So Toribami travelled to Iga City to train under a ninja master but while she was there she discovered a haunted faceguard that sent her into a trance. When she returned she announced she would be moving on from Kaya Toribami to become a ninja called Sakura Hattori. The personality change has worked out for her so far, being unbeaten in singles matches and only suffering one pinfall loss thanks to Suzume. Her moveset has become more aggressive with the change but also more performative. She really needs to learn how to do the Nine Seal hand signals quicker before hitting her moves because they noticeably slow her down. Moves To Watch Out For: Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (Kata-Gatame style Shoulder Lock), Rakkateicho (Flying Forearm Strike from the top rope set up with the Nine Hand Seals), Backflip Kick
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
TJPW’s tag division has been thrown out of whack thanks to The IInspiration. The Australian tag team struck gold by becoming the only pair in history to win tag team championships in WWE, TNA and TJPW. After knocking down Ober Eats for the belts, it has cleared the table for challengers previously beaten by Ober Eats to start making challenges again. First up is Kyoraku Kyomei, one of the longest serving TJPW teams still going with previous success together under their belts. The IInspiration have seen a lot in their careers but have they ever fought a team consisting of a superhero and kaiju before?
Jessie McKay – Formerly known as Billie Kay in WWE but she has experience that goes back to Shimmer in the early 2010s. Eventually found success in WWE when she formed The IIconics and it followed her over to TNA for a little bit too. Yeah… I got nothing else. A lot of people thought that time she shouted “Hey, Kayla” out loud was funny, I guess. Moves To Watch Out For: The IIdolizer (Inverted Magic Killer), Pedigree, Codebreaker
Cassie Lee – The former KC Cassidy and Peyton Royce took a different path than her tag partner, travelling over to Canada so she could learn from Lance Storm. Hit a road block in WWE when she tried seperating from McKay to go into singles wrestling but things just didn’t work out for the both of them. If the team did anything interesting in TNA outside of their title wins then I don’t know about it. Moves To Watch Out For: The IIdolizer (Inverted Magic Killer), Blue Thunder Bomb, Twist Of Fate
Shoko Nakajima – Meet the Big Kaiju, all 147cm of her! Shoko Nakajima has pretty much done it all in TJPW as one of the promotion’s longest serving wrestlers. Usually relying on quick reflexes, she also has the strength to put away opponents with the Northern Lights Suplex or the Diving Senton. When put in Hardcore Match situations her favorite weapon of choice is a pile of kaiju toys that she slams her opponents onto. She’s a Swiss Army Knife that can adapt to any kind of situation wrestling can throw at her. That’s helpful when her tag team partner comes up with crazy ideas on a regular basis. Moves To Watch Out For: Northern Lights Suplex, Diving Senton, Unmanned Local Train Hold (Yurikamome submission hold), 619, Rider Kick (One-Legged Dropkick)
Hyper Misao – When love and peace is under threat in TJPW, you can always rely on Hyper Misao to come to the rescue. Just be aware that her plans to save the world are never as heroic as intended. She often gets on the microphone to greet everyone with “Hello big children” before explaining her plan to save the day. Of course by being a superhero that means she has her own Hypami Combat Bike. She likes to crash it into her opponents along with any unfortunate bystander who happens to be nearby. She also blinds opponents with her Hero Correction Spray. Deep down inside Misao is a multi-layered human being with infinite potential that if harvested correctly could turn her into a very powerful wrestler. But why go through all that baggage when you can just wear a cool mask and cheat like hell instead? Moves To Watch Out For: Hypami Returns (Final Cut), I Am A Hero (Diving Cross Body), Crossface Chickenwing, Vanitas (Double Arm Facebuster), Cold Spray Attack
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod
So TJPW has finally gone ahead and put Yuki Arai on top of the mountain when she won the Princess Of Princess Title in Sumo Hall last month. Now the hard work begins because she isn’t going to be wrestling Miu Watanabe over and over anymore. Her first challenger is a tough one. TJPW chose one of their regular American guests J-Rod to face her and she is getting the home field advantage too. J-Rod wants to make history by becoming the first American wrestler to win the Princess Title. She failed to do it once before but does she have the better odds this time against a less powerful champion who is kind of still learning on the job?
Yuki Arai – The day finally came for TJPW’s chosen one when she became the brand new Princess Champion last month. Arai was once a pop idol from the group SKE48 and when she became a pro wrestler she juggled both careers at the same time. She eventually made the decision to leave music behind so she could dedicate herself full time to pro wrestling. It paid off in spades for her as she has become the latest wrestler to achieve the TJPW Grand Slam (which is only held by two other wrestlers). With that being said, she still needs the right dance partner in some situations so it remains to be seen if this title reign requires on the job training, so to speak. She also unintentionally associates herself with France because of her blue, white and red colour scheme. She really likes include the French Tricolor in her tweets.
Moves To Watch Out For: Finally (Heel Drop axe kick), Scorpion Death Lock, Rookie Award (Pump Kick to a kneeling opponent), Full Nelson Buster
J-Rod – The “Ultimate Athlete” will soon be appearing on your screens as Supernova in the latest reboot of American Gladiators. Other than that you will usually find her wrestling in Ohio Valley Wrestling and more recently Juggalo Championship Wrestling. A powerhouse on the level that only Miu Watanabe can match in TJPW, J-Rod has done several tours with the promotion in Japan and one tour in Canada. Yet this will be her first time wrestling on an American TJPW show. It’s only fitting that her match is about whether or not she can become the first American Princess Champion. Moves To Watch Out For: Ultimate Spear, Samoan Drop, Side Slam, Fall Away Slam
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There are a few other shows where you will find TJPW wrestlers in action this year. They also have different meet and greets going on at Slam Fest and Wrestlecon but I’m just going to focus on the matches here.
PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Tag Team Match: Amira & Lil Marz Vs Toga & Jazzy Yang
The first place you can find a TJPW wrestler in action will be at the annual “PODERMANIA~!” women’s wrestling show where Toga is teaming up with Jazzy Yang, the daughter of former WCW and WWE wrestler Jimmy Yang. One of their opponents Amira just took part in TJPW’s Vancouver tour while Australian wrestler Lil Marz is finishing up a stay in Europe to take part in this show.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
Despite her martial arts background, Yamashita’s appearances in GCW’s Bloodsport spin-off have seen her on the losing end both times with high profile losses to Shayna Bazsler and Nattie Neidhart. Third time may be the charm but she has a poor singles record against Janai Kai too whenever they face each other in a more normal pro wrestling environment.
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe
Unless something else gets announced, the last TJPW related match to look forward to in Vegas is Miu Watanabe taking on Taniya at one of the PrideStyle shows. Taniya holds the promotion’s women’s title but this has not been advertised as a title match.
Only a few days left until WrestleMania Week and there’s a lot to talk about before we even get there. Konosuke Takeshita’s feud with Kazuchika Okada is making some progress but still moving at a glacial pace. Don Callis dangled a carrot in front of Okada promising him a rematch with Okada, this time with the AEW International Title on the line. But it can only happen as long as they team up to beat The Young Bucks. The way Callis sees it, Takeshita and Okada together can be compared to the relationship Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had together in the Chicago Bulls.
Last month it was Texas, this month it was Vancouver. Tokyo Joshi Pro is continuing to lay their flag in places across North America with their second tour of the year in that region finishing up in Las Vegas this week. Fingers crossed that their travels to and from everywhere go off without a hitch this time.
Our favorite troublemaker Daisuke Sasaki has been making towns during his stay in North America. Some GCW dates here, a few ROH matches there and he even found some work up in Canada. He’ll be in Vegas too for some matches and debauchery. Apparently Mizuki Watase is currently in Vegas right now too but I can’t for the life of me find any information regarding whether or not he will be wrestling there during his stay.
1. Darby Allin, Bandido & Jack Perry Vs Andrade El Ídolo, Mark Davis & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)
AEW “DYNASTY”, 12/04/2026 Rogers Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
1. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson Vs Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
GCW “LAST CALL”, 03/04/2026 FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Daisuke Sasaki defeated Marcus Mathers with La Mistica Crossface Lock (14:58).
Sasaki made it to Las Vegas a little bit early for a GCW show happening separately away from The Collective. I wouldn’t be surprised if GCW originally booked the venue on this date back when WrestleMania was still scheduled for New Orleans. Sasaki heeled it up for his match against Marcus Mathers, targeting his opponent’s knee and attacking it with a chair. The match came close to being called off at points for the sake of Mathers’s health but he toughened it out and fought back. Sasaki didn’t waver from his gameplan though until a ref bump gave him the opportunity to give Mathers a Low Blow. He got away with it and made Mathers submit afterward.
GCW “MANIAC”, 04/04/2026 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. GCW World Title: Atticus Cogar (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Brain Hemorrhage (8:04). *V14 for Atticus Cogar.
The next evening in Los Angeles, Sasaki challenged Atticus Cogar for the GCW World Title. The champion was already looking past Sasaki by walking out to the match wearing an entrance outfit that resembled Hayabusa, his scheduled title challenger for WrestleMania Week. Sasaki didn’t care and attacked Cogar with a chair from the get go. He also used the chair to block Cogar from doing a dive out of the ring. He then took a high risk by doing the Super Elbow Drop onto Cogar from the top rope to the first row, hurting his leg upon landing. Cogar fought back by digging his skewers into Sasaki’s head from the Electric Chair position and also using them to stab his way out of the Crossface Lock. He dug them in one more time before pinning Sasaki with the Brain Hemorrhage finisher.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 06/04/2026 WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
1. AR Fox defeated Daisuke Sasaki (?:??).
2. Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van (?:??).
3. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Matt Menard (?:??).
During the latest ROH tapings there were qualifying matches for their annual Survival Of The Fittest match that will be held at the next PPV. Yuka Sakazaki booked her spot in the match after beating Viva Van.
I don’t have much details about what Takeshita and Sasaki did at the ROH taping other than the results of their matches. Takeshita beat Matt Menard while Sasaki lost to AR Fox. If there is any context to add to those matches we’ll find out when they eventually air on ROH’s weekly show.
1. Andrade El Ídolo, Mark Davis & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Darby Allin, Bandido & Jack Perry when Andrade pinned Perry with the DM (11:38).
With tension between Takeshita and Okada reaching higher than ever, Don Callis wanted to prove both men can be on the same page no matter how much they disliked each other. The reputation of The Don Callis Family itself was being harmed by this situation so Callis relied on Andrade El Ídolo of all people to be the glue that would keep the group sticking together. When he wasn’t busy flirting with women in the front row, Andrade lived up to his end of the bargain while Mark Davis helped Takeshita throw around the opposition. Bandido was there as a last minute replacement for Brody King but the change did not stop the Family from getting the win. Andrade attacked Darby Allin after the match while Jack Perry was put in a vulnerable position as well. The Young Bucks ran down to save the day until Okada followed them down to stop them. However he then got into a fight with Okada and they had to be pulled apart only for more chaos to break out with Bandido and The Rascalz doing dives onto everybody.
MYSTERY WRESTLING “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
1. 4 Way Match: Nicole Matthews defeated Alexia Nicole, Amira and HIMAWARI when Matthews pinned HIMAWARI after a Stunner from Nicole (?:??).
2. All The Marbles – Mystery Wrestling World Title: London Lightning (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with The Smallest Package Ever (?:??). *V2 for London Lightning.
Another title shot came Sasaki’s way when he travelled over to Canada. He was the surprise challenger for London Lightning over at Mystery Wrestling, although 95% of the lineup is usually a surprise because that’s the promotion’s whole gimmick. Especially on this particular show because there were wrestlers from DDT, TJPW, New Japan, Dragon Gate and NOAH all appearing up and down the card. For even more silliness, Mystery Wrestling’s championship is not just represented by a title belt but also a bag of marbles. Which means every time there is a title bout, the match is also “For All The Marbles!” For some reason the referee for the title match was very lenient towards Low Blows because Sasaki kept attacking Lightning’s groin without getting punished for it. Lightning gave him a taste of his own medicine before giving him the Smallest Package Ever to win the match and remain champion.
The TJPW appearance on this show happened because they had booked the venue with Mystery Wrestling for a doubleheader. Evil Uno’s promotion took the afternoon slot and then TJPW kicked off their Vancouver tour in the evening. That led to a crossover where HIMAWARI took part in the opening 4 Way Match. The three other wrestlers Nicole Matthews, Alexia Nicole and Amira were also booked for the TJPW show anyway so the ladies all had a busy day of wrestling. Unfortunately HIMAWARI took the pinfall when she took a Stunner from Alexia Nicole. Matthews then knocked Nicole out of the ring so she could steal the victory for herself.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada 400 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Shino Suzuki with the Famouser (8:14).
2. Amira defeated Uta Takami with the Squirrel’s Strongest Slam (6:52).
3. Sakura Hattori & Toga defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Hattori pinned Harajuku with the Kitchokagome (9:44).
4. Suzume defeated Alexia Nicole with the Ring A Bell (7:11).
5. Nicole Matthews & Liiza Hall defeated Miyu Yamashita & HIMAWARI when Matthews pinned HIMAWARI with the Roll The Dice (12:51).
6. J-Rod & Miu Watanabe defeated Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara when J-Rod pinned Uehara with the Ultimate Spear (13:05).
AEW “DYNASTY”, 12/04/2026 Rogers Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
1. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson defeated Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita when Matt pinned Okada after the Meltzer Driver (20:10).
Things went haywire between Takeshita and Okada when they tried to team up against The Young Bucks. Okada didn’t take things seriously and briefly dressed up like a Young Buck himself to make fun of them. Things fell apart when Okada and Takeshita started fighting each other until Matt Jackson got between them. A PowerDrive Knee from Takeshita targeting Matt hit Okada by mistake. Then Okada stopped Takeshita from doing the Raging Fire so he could give Matt the Rainmaker instead. Unfortunately Matt ducked and Takeshita took the hit! The Bucks wore down Okada with Super Kicks and the BTE Trigger then set him up for the Meltzer Driver. Takeshita grabbed Nick Jackson from ringside but then had second thoughts about stopping him. He decided to leave Okada hanging and let the Bucks beat him with their finisher. Takeshita only got back into the ring after the match to flip off Okada. Backstage Takeshita gave Okada and Callis a sarcastic apology to rub further salt into the wound.
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WrestleMania Week Appearances
PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Tag Team Match: Amira & Lil Marz Vs Toga & Jazzy Yang
It feels like WrestleMania Week is starting off earlier than ever this year. The first place you can find a TJPW wrestler in action will be at the annual “PODERMANIA~!” women’s wrestling show where Toga is teaming up with Jazzy Yang, the daughter of former WCW and WWE wrestler Jimmy Yang.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “WHATEVER, FOREVER”, 15/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Jiah Jewell Vs Daisuke Sasaki
Around the same time Daisuke Sasaki kicks off his week in Vegas by facing Jiah Jewell over at Pandemonium Pro.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Toga & Uta Takami
2. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Alexis Lee, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
3. Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe
4. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod
A preview of the show will be posted soon.
“DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL”, 16/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. The Rigged Roulette – House Rules Hardcore Match: Gedo & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Joey Janela & Gringo Loco
Sasaki has walked up to the table at the “DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL” and placed down his chips. Standing next to him is Gedo from NJPW while over on the other side of the roulette wheel is Joey Janela & Gringo Loco. It is Hardcore rules but does the roulette theming of the name suggest something like Weapon Rumble rules being added to the equation?
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
At the moment the only GCW related match going with DDT or TJPW on is Miyu Yamashita fighting Janai Kai in a Bloodsport match. However there is always the Clusterfuck match that happens near the end of the week so you can never count out somebody here showing up over there.
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe
With that being said, the last TJPW related match to look forward to in Vegas is Miu Watanabe taking on Taniya at one of the PrideStyle shows. Taniya holds the promotion’s women’s title but this has not been advertised as a title match.
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Upcoming Appearances After WrestleMania Week
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 25/04/2026 Big Penny Social, London, England
1. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hollie Barlow
2. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Miyu Yamashita Vs Aliss Ink
3. Rhio Vs Hyper Misao
4. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Final: X Vs X
The veteran chunk of TJPW have more travelling to do at the end of the month for some co-promoted shows in Europe. TJPW has a mini tournament going on with EVE to determine the No. 1 Contender for the EVE International Title. Both Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima are entering that while Hyper Misao and Yuki Aino will be involved in non-tournament bouts. Misao’s opponent was just announced to be Rhio. A lot has changed with her since she last appeared in a TJPW ring.
SAJ/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026 Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy
1. Mirko Mori, Nico Inverardi & Adriano Vs Goro, Merak & Spencer
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Kanji
3. Session Moth Martina & Flamingo Vs Hyper Misao & El G
4. Sebastian De Witt Vs Miyu Yamashita
5. SAJ Openweight Title: Lupo (c) Vs Kouga
The next day TJPW goes to Italy where they will work with SAJ Wrestling. Misao’s match has now been announced, putting her across the ring from Session Moth Martina. The only previous time they were in the same match was as a tag team back in 2022. The way these European matches are being announced I get the feeling that nobody knows what to do with Aino until everyone else is sorted out first.
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 15/05/2026 Wicomico Youth And Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland, USA
1. ROH Women’s World Title – Survival Of The Fittest Match: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Trish Adora Vs Billie Starkz Vs Persephone Vs Maya World
The Survival Of The Fittest match is a 6-Way Elimination bout. Last one standing is the winner and will leave with the ROH Women’s World Title. All of the challengers Athena will have to face were decided at the already mentioned ROH TV taping. Not only will Sakazaki mix it up with Athena, Billie Starkz and Trish Adora again but she also gets to fight Persephone and Maya World for the first time unless things during the match get way too chaotic.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 23/05/2026 Sari Sari Makati, Makati, Philippines
1. Chris Brookes Vs X
The Baka Gaijin and their friends are going back to the Philippines. This time it is Chris Brookes and Zack Sabre Jr. being involved.
GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026 Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France
1. MAO & Yoshihiko Vs X & X
It will be a Baka Gaijin show without MAO though because he’s going on his own weekend trip to France with Yoshihiko in tow.
DXCN “DAKILA II”, 24/05/2026 Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines
1. Chris Brookes Vs X
The Manila weekend is being set up with Dexcon.
WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026 Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany
1. Ahura & Jun Akiyama Vs 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire
I like the sound of this one! Jun Akiyama’s big appearance in Germany for wXw has him teaming with the promotion’s current MVP Ahura to take on Cowboy Way. Akiyama got to fight 1 Called Manders during GCW’s Japan tour last year and Manders was the wXw Unified World Champion at that time.
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Postponed Appearances
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 1”, 09/05/2026 JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 2”, 09/05/2026 JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
This May’s planned return to Malaysia for DDT and TJPW has been postponed because of “changes in international affairs”. They can say that again. A lot of preparation needed to host the two shows have become difficult for the organizers to get together due to the current state of the world around them so the shows have been postponed for the time being. Every party is acting like they will be rescheduled when things settle down and the safety of everyone involved can be guaranteed but who knows how long that will take to happen.
This month was a lot more tiring to write than usual for some reason. Probably it’s because I’m writing most of this after going through the DDT Anniversary show, the Tokyo Joshi Pro preview for Sumo Hall and then the Sumo Hall show itself. That’s a lot of typing for me to do lately. So I’ll keep this introduction brief. Miyu Yamashita went on a short tear in Europe this month, Konosuke Takeshita feuded with Jon Moxley over the AEW Continental Title, TJPW now runs Texas and Daisuke Sasaki has started his North American adventure. Next month is WrestleMania Week. I’m making the foolish decision to travel there mainly because I got a good deal for flights and the hotel in Vegas right around the time when WWE pulled the rug from under New Orleans. I’ll be at the TJPW show and might see Sasaki or some of the TJPW girls wrestle somewhere else.
AEW “COLLISION”, 07/03/2026 Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona, USA
1. Claudio Castagnoli Vs Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/03/2026 San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA
1. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli (w/ Marina Shafir) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero
AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SUNDAY”, 22/03/2026 Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA
1. Mistico, Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander & El Clon
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Results
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY #IWD2026”, 06/03/2026 Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
1a. Overtime: Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
The match that had everyone talking from EVE’s big weekend was Yamashita locking horns with Jamie Hayter for a twenty minute spectacle that hit harder than anyone anticipated. As they fought into the final seconds of the match Yamashita kept kicking Hayter until she was given a Backbreaker and then the Lariat before the bell rang for a draw. However protests from Hayter convinced the show producer Will Ospreay to restart the match for five more minutes. Yamashita got back into another slugfest with Hayter with neither wanting to give up. The Skull Kick led to a double down with 40 seconds to go and Yamashita wasn’t fast enough to pin Hayter in time with a Buzzsaw Kick that happened right at the finish. The two shook hands after the draw but made it clear they had unfinished business together.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Nightshade with the Crash Rabbit Heat (?:??).
With hardly any good time to rest, Yamashita made it to Spain the next night for her first match with RCW Spain in a year. She survived taking Running Cannonballs into the corner from Nightshade and avoided a Neck Hanging Bomb to knock down her opponent with the Skull Kick. While Nightshade was put to her knees and collapsing after every kick, Yamashita made sure to keep up the attacks until she finished her off with the Crash Rabbit Heat.
AEW “COLLISION”, 07/03/2026 Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Claudio Castagnoli with the Raging Fire (14:39).
With only a week left for the PPV, Takeshita was so close to his big title match with Moxley but first he had to get through Claudio Castagnoli. Moxley watched on while providing match commentary, keeping his hands clean throughout the whole thing. Castagnoli thought tried to cheat by grabbing his CMLL World Heavyweight Title belt with the intention of using it as a weapon. However Hechicero ran down to the ring to stop him, allowing Takeshita to dive onto Castagnoli and get him back into the ring. The match wasn’t won yet but Takeshita rolled his way out of the Ricola Bomb to hit Castagnoli with the Powerdrive Knee and then pin him with the Raging Fire. Things weren’t done with there because Takeshita and Moxley had a stare down after the match. Hechicero blindsided Moxley much to Takeshita’s surprise and a brawl then broke out between the Death Riders and The Don Callis Family.
EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM VIII”, 08/03/2026 Indigo At The O2, London, England
1. Sudden Death Sixteen: Alexxis Falcon defeated Jamie Hayter, Miyu Yamashita, DASH Chisako, Anita Vaughan, Lucy Sky, Nyla Rose, Aluna, Lil Marz, Emersyn Jane, Princesse Lauriana, Yuu, Molly Spartan, Nightshade, Abi Cartwright and Charlie Morgan (34:43).
The unfinished business between Yamashita and Hayter started right back up again two days later when they were the first two entrants taking part in EVE’s Sudden Death Sixteen match. Imagine the Casino Gauntlet match where it is one fall to a finish but you still get taken out of the match if you are thrown out of the ring Royal Rumble style. Sadly for Yamashita and Hayter that is what happened to them when they knocked each other out of the ring, causing yet another draw in their sudden rivalry. Surely it cannot end like that!
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/03/2026 San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA
1. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli (w/ Marina Shafir) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero when Castagnoli pinned Hechicero with an Inside Cradle (14:09).
The previous week’s scuffle set the stage for this tag match to take place as on the go home show for the PPV. Neither Takeshita or Moxley could get the upper hand to each other so it was left up to Castagnoli to break the deadlock. A near ref bump threw Hechicero off enough for him to get poke in the eye and Castagnoli then rolled him up in a Small Package to steal the win. More fighting continued when Don Callis ordered Lance Archer & Mark Davis down to the ring but Takeshita showed a change of heart when he refused to attack Moxley with a chair. The message Takeshita wanted to send is he wanted to beat Moxley at his best. However the other members of the Family didn’t share the same feelings and felt he just wasted a perfect opportunity to get the upper hand.
PPW “HARDCORE FRIDAY THE 13TH”, 13/03/2026 TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes defeated Gabriel Queen (14:11).
The Polish company PpW Ewenement Wrestling held a mini tour of Japan with two shows in Tokyo during the month. The big one had Chris Brookes involved in the opening match taking on Gabriel Queen. Despite its early placement on the card it was also made into a Hardcore bout, one that drew blood from Brookes and left him busted wide open! Queen didn’t take it seriously at first because he armed himself with a toy mallet. Brookes immediately turned it up a notch by pulling out a stapler in response. A plastic case smashing over Brookes is what cut his forehead open but he would cover up his wound. Queen would later put Brookes in the Crossface but Baliyan Akki would slide the stapler to Brookes from ringside so he could staple Queen’s hand and free himself from the hold. The violence would ramp up even more with chairs being piled up in the ring and Brookes would Superplex Queen onto them. He then got his own back using the plastic cases by slamming Queen through one with the Michinoku Driver for the victory.
AEW “REVOLUTION”, 15/03/2026 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AEW Continental Title – No Time Limit: Jon Moxley (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (23:32). *V2 for Jon Moxley.
Takeshita got the bad end to his story with Moxley but at least it was one hell of a match between them. Moxley busted Takeshita open and damaged his leg enough that it stopped him from doing the Powerdrive Knee late in the bout. Takeshita kept on fighting, kicking out of not just the regular Death Rider but a top rope version of it too! Moxley switched his plan over to using a submission hold and he fought to put him into a Rear Naked Choke. Takeshita flipped him off with a middle finger but couldn’t escape the move, losing consciousness and also the match. You know how it goes with Moxley in AEW. You bleed in the ring with him, you earn his respect. Takeshita eventually shook his hand after the match to make it so.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 1”, 17/03/2026 Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA 1,951 Fans
1. Suzume defeated Uta Takami with the Ring A Bell (6:12).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Shino Suzuki with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (8:54).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Hyper Misao & Mifu Ashida when Raku pinned Ashida with the Doctor Yellow (10:25).
4. Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo defeated Mizuki & Yuki Aino when Yamashita pinned Aino with the Skull Kick (13:53).
5. Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee defeated Shoko Nakajima & Wakana Uehara when McKay pinned Uehara after the IIdolizer (10:15).
6. Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai when Watanabe pinned Arai with the Tear Drop (15:08).
AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SUNDAY”, 18/03/2026 (Aired 22/03/2026) Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA
1. Mistico, Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander & El Clon when Mistico submits Clon with La Mistica (13:10).
Takeshita got a change of pace for his first match after the PPV by getting into some fast pace trios action with a familiar face on the other team. Always nice to see Takeshita and Mike Bailey in the same ring together. Disaster struck for the Callis Family when Josh Alexander got injured from blocking Bailey’s Standing Moonsault Knee Drop with his own knees. Takeshita & El Clon had to wrestle the rest of the match one man down. Kevin Knight had Takeshita scouted by escaping the Raging Fire and leaping onto Takeshita to give him a DDT that planted him onto the canvas. Mistico went on to tap out Clon with La Mistica.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – DALLAS”, 21/03/2026 College Park Center, Arlington, Texas, USA 1,481 Fans
1. Shino Suzuki defeated Mifu Ashida with the Modified Cobra Clutch (4:55).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Uta Takami with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (7:57).
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Endo pinned Harajuku with the Ju no Okite (11:32).
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen when Kamifuku pinned Aino with the Diving Famouser (11:55).
5. 3 Way Match: Mizuki defeated Rika Tatsumi and Hyper Misao when Mizuki pinned Misao with the Diving Foot Stomp (13:50).
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Arai defeated Miu Watanabe & Miyu Yamashita when Nakajima pinned Yamashita with the Diving Senton (16:48).
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – HOUSTON”, 22/03/2026 POST Houston, Houston, Texas, USA 415 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen defeated Suzume & Shino Suzuki when Aino pinned Suzuki with the Venus DDT (10:26).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Mifu Ashida with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (7:25).
3. Hyper Misao defeated Raku with the I Am A Hero (8:39).
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Miyu Yamashita & Kaylia Capri when Uehara submitted Capri with the Banana Pillow (12:20).
5. Yuki Arai defeated Pom Harajuku with the Modified Brainbuster (10:04).
6. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo defeated Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki & Uta Takami when Watanabe pinned Takami with the Tear Drop (16:59).
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 25/03/2026 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
0. Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Paul Virk (?:??).
I can’t find much information online but Daisuke Sasaki worked a dark match at AEW before that night’s Dynamite show. The ring had the ROH aprons so it was likely taped for their weekly show. I’ll correct the info if that turns out to be the case. Sasaki teamed up with local Minnesota wrestler Paul Virk to lose against The Gates Of Agony.
ROH/MLP “GLOBAL WARS”, 27/03/2026 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. 6 Pack Scramble: Michael Oku defeated Jake Crist, Daisuke Sasaki, Michael Allen Richard Clark, Ace Austin and Brent Banks when Oku pinned Crist with the Six Star Frog Splash (10:26).
Sasaki was advertised for the ROH joint show with Maple Leaf Pro but it wasn’t known in advance what he would get up to. It turns out he was the replacement for Barbaro Cavernario in a 6 Pack Scramble match. He was pretty much lost in the shuffle for most of the match.
MLP “UPRISING”, 28/03/2026 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Bryce Hansen with a chair assisted Diving Splash (8:12).
Sasaki had more to do on the next night’s MLP show when a backstage confrontation with Bryce Hansen forced a No DQ Match to take place between them. Don Callis was on commentary and seemed to be impressed with Sasaki’s dirty tactics. Sasaki hit Hansen below the belt with a kendo stick, Speared him twice into a table (because it didn’t break the first time) and then pinned him with a flying chair dive from the top rope onto the rubble below.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “LAST CALL”, 03/04/2026 FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Marcus Mathers
With Canada out of the way, Sasaki heads on over to America for a couple of GCW appearances. He has two trips to Las Vegas in him and the first is for a match against Marcus Mathers.
GCW “MANIAC”, 04/04/2026 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. GCW World Title: Atticus Cogar (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
Sasaki’s big hopes of becoming a triple crown champion have gone up in smoke after he lost the DDT Universal Title before leaving Japan. He can still be a double champion if he can beat Atticus Cogar for the GCW World Title and then remember he still has the O-40 Title back home.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Less than two weeks to go and not a lot announced. J-Rod is officially booked for the Vancouver shows so she might get a warm up match with Yuki Arai before they get to Las Vegas.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 2”, 12/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
What’s the hold up, Sayuri Namba?
PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Tag Team Match: Amira & Lil Marz Vs Toga & Jazzy Yang
Toga is starting things off early for WrestleMania Week.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “WHATEVER, FOREVER”, 15/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Jiah Jewell Vs Daisuke Sasaki
I heard about Jiah Jewell being this crazy wrestler last year but his match with MAO wasn’t much to write about. Maybe Sasaki will get a better fight out of him this year.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Toga & Uta Takami
2. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Alexis Lee, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
3. Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe
4. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod
This is the full card for TJPW’s return to Las Vegas. Three championship matches fill up the second half but the match that will surely be the talk of the show will be the 3 Way between Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki and Miu Watanabe.
“DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL”, 16/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
I’m not expecting Sasaki’s match on this show to be anything spectacular given the lineup so far. Maybe stick him in the ring with ISHIN for something?
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
Yamashita’s doesn’t have a good winning record against Janai Kai under regular wrestling rules. Is Bloodsport rules the ingredient needed for her to change that?
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe
There might be other TJPW related stuff happening during the week (Maple Leaf Pro’s show looks like it will be crossover heavy) but for the moment it looks like Watanabe’s appearance at PrideStyle will be the last TJPW related match on the schedule.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 25/04/2026 Big Penny Social, London, England
1. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hollie Barlow
2. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Miyu Yamashita Vs Aliss Ink
3. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Final: X Vs X
The TJPW contingent heading over to Italy at the end of April have another stop planned in England. EVE is hosting TJPW for a second combined show and this one is being built around a one night mini-tournament to crown the No. 1 Contender for the EVE International Title. Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima are taking part on the TJPW side while EVE is being represented by Hollie Barlow and Aliss Ink. Barlow is apparantly the same height as Nakajima while Ink wants to see if her strikes are at the level of Yamashita’s.
SAJ/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026 Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy
1. Mirko Mori, Nico Inverardi & Adriano Vs Goro, Merak & Spencer
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Kanji
3. Sebastian De Witt Vs Miyu Yamashita
4. SAJ Openweight Title: Lupo (c) Vs Kouga
Plans changed a little bit for the SAJ Wrestling show in Italy. Yamashita’s match against Sebastian De Witt was supposed to be for the SAJ Openweight Title but De Witt lost it at another show earlier this month. Funnily enough the NOAH wrestler now known as Kouga is getting the title shot on this show instead. Nakajima’s match on the show will be a first time meeting with Kanji. TJPW would be good to get Kanji over for a tour or two if she’s up for it.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 1”, 09/05/2026 JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
DDT and TJPW’s tour of Malaysia is back for a second year. It will take place over two days in the same venue as last time with idol performances happening alongside the wrestling matches.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 2”, 09/05/2026 JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
The Japanese wrestlers going over for the shows are Yuki Arai, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki, Uta Takami, Marika Kobashi, Shinya Aoki and Shota.
GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026 Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France
1. MAO & Yoshihiko Vs X & X
MAO & Yoshihiko are heading back to France! They still hold the BZW Tag Team Titles so who will BZW find to challenge them this time? GCW are involved so could it be a team often seen over there?
WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026 Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany
1. Jun Akiyama Vs X
Don’t mind me slipping this in, I just forgot to include it before posting the article. Jun Akiyama is going over to Germany to wrestle for wXw!
The post-summer rest is over and done with. There are two separate stories that Konosuke Takeshita is now travelling through. One in New Japan might see him become the next IWGP World Heavyweight Champion with a reign that can bring him right into the Tokyo Dome. The other is a path leading him towards Kazuchika Okada in AEW that could end with him holding the AEW Unified Title when all is said and done. At least that’s how little old optimistic me is seeing things at the moment. He spent September getting built up for a title shot with Okada and came out of it empty handed.
While that was going on, Tokyo Joshi Pro were making moves towards complete global saturation! They’ve already taken over the women’s division in MLW and have more talent coming over to America in the next couple of weeks. Then after that they move on to take over Malaysia and Thailand with some first time shows taking place in those countries later in the year.
We’re also not done with Maki Itoh yet. She broke her silence after leaving TJPW last month by declaring herself the most cutest unemployed wrestler in the world. She has another tour of America coming up so the next step is to see if she will do anything new with GCW now that she can dedicate herself more over there or if she is just going to continue playing the hits.
AEW “COLLISION”, 06/09/2025 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Mark Briscoe Vs Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “COLLISION”, 13/09/2025 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. AEW Unified Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Anthony Bowens
Video starts at 31:10 for the match MLW “FIGHTLAND”, 13/09/2025 NYTEX Sports Centre, Dallas, Texas, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 24/09/2025 Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Mark Briscoe, Hologram & Orange Cassidy Vs Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero
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Results
AEW “COLLISION”, 06/09/2025 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mark Briscoe with the Raging Fire (17:54).
First up this month was Takeshita taking on Mark Briscoe in the venue most remembered for being the ECW Arena. What came off as a no nonsense singles match ended up being spoiled when MJF unexpectedly ran in to push Briscoe off of the top rope. The appearance was unexpected because MJF was supposedly on his honeymoon at the time. Takeshita appeared not to mind because it gave him the opening to hit Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee and then pin him with the Raging Fire. However after the match he gave MJF a shove because he actually was annoyed over his interference. Don Callis stepped in before things could heat up and got Takeshita out of the ring before another fight broke out between Briscoe and MJF.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 11/09/2025 (Aired 18/09/2025) 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Pure Rules Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Janai Kai with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (4:42).
We got a Yuka Sakazaki match this month but not the one I thought it was going to be. Her appearance in the ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament hasn’t taken place yet. Instead she fought Janai Kai in a warm up match using Pure Rules so she can get the hang of them. Although outside of two rope breaks there was nothing different to a normal match. Also Sakazaki walked out to what sounded like a new remix of her entrance song.
AEW “COLLISION”, 11/09/2025 (Aired 13/09/2025) 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. AEW Unified Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Anthony Bowens with the Raging Fire (9:14).
Next up for Takeshita was his participation in a quick tournament that was put together for the AEW Unified Title match at the next AEW PPV. He fought Anthony Bowens with the winner advancing to a 3 Way title match at “ALL OUT”. Bowens badly needed a result to get himself out of a funk he is currently going through. He at a Reverse Hurricanrana from Takeshita and popped back up to give him a Leaping Famouser from behind. But he ultimately fell to the triple combo of Blue Thunder Bomb, Powerdrive Knee and Raging Fire. Takeshita would then reappear later in the episode to point at Okada and send the message that he is after his stablemate’s championship!
MLW “FIGHTLAND”, 13/09/2025 NYTEX Sports Centre, Dallas, Texas, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Locomotion Northern Lights Suplex (9:46). *V3 for Shoko Nakajima.
The working relationship between TJPW and MLW continues to look strong as the joshi side seems to be increasingly filling out the entire women’s division in MLW. It led to a little bit of an ambitious booking to help advance the Kyoraku Kyomei Vs Ober Eats storyline in TJPW. While Shoko Nakajima and Yuki Kamifuku were busy fighting each other over the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title in America, their partners Hyper Misao and Wakana Uehara were meant to have a singles match together back in Japan on the same day. Sadly an accidental injury to Uehara caused by Misao cancelled plans for the latter from happening. Back in MLW, Kamifuku couldn’t put Nakajima away with her usual signature moves so she went up to the second rope to do the Diving Famouser. Nakajima dodged it and pulled out two successive Northern Lights Suplexes to get the win and retain her championship.
AEW “ALL OUT TORONTO”, 20/09/2025 Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1. AEW Unified Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita and Mascara Dorada when Okada pinned Dorada with the Rainmaker (20:55). *V3 for Kazuchika Okada.
Hey this was a treat! Okada and Takeshita trying to wrestle each other but you throw the new Mascara Dorada from CMLL in there as a wild card to constantly get in the way and you got yourself a heck of a match there. If anything Dorada had something of a breakout performance that stole the spotlight away from the other two. Okada ended up getting away with it in the free for all. Takeshita gave Dorada the Raging Fire but then got hit by Okada’s trademark Dropkick. That sent Takeshita tumbling out of the ring leaving Okada to pick up the pieces and used the Rainmaker on Dorada for the victory.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 24/09/2025 Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Mark Briscoe, Hologram & Orange Cassidy defeated Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero when Hologram pinned Hechicero with the Portal Bomb (10:36).
More cracks were surfacing within The Don Callis Family thanks to the uneasy alliance between Okada and Takeshita. Callis tried to blow it over by revealing his latest work of art to everyone but that was hijacked by the return of Orange Cassidy! Some teamwork from Cassidy & Hologram on Hechicero led to their team getting the win while we end our time this month wondering what is next for this story going on between Okada and Takeshita.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 24/09/2025 (Aired 02/10/2025) Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Pure Rules Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Zoey Lynn with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (4:23).
This one slipped past me. Sakazaki got in another Pure Rules match at the end of the month, this time beating Zoey Lynn. Sakazaki had her back worked over and it still looks like like Pure Rules style doesn’t make a difference in how her matches are laid out. But Sakazaki Super Kicked Lynn’s head off and pinned her with the Magical Merry-Go-Round.
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Upcoming Appearances
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, ??/10/2025 ???, USA
1. ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament – Round 1: Serena Deeb Vs Yuka Sakazaki
We had to wait a month for this match to happen? What’s the freaking holdup? Now that I notice it, Sakazaki wrestled this month but Serena Deeb didn’t.
MLW “SLAUGHTERHOUSE”, 04/10/2025 Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs HIMAWARI
TJPW’s takeover of the MLW women’s division moves even further with Nakajima’s next defence. HIMAWARI is coming back for another MLW appearance and is immediately given a title shot. I think the endgame for Nakajima is to face Shotzi Blackheart but MLW are in no rush to get there.
VIP “SETTING THE BAR 11”, 10/10/2025 The Haltom Theater, Haltom City, Texas, USA
1. VIP Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Maya World (c) Vs Vert Vixen Vs Kaya Toribami
The Texas tour has left a big mark in TJPW’s future plans for America. They see it as a good hub to hunker down in for a potential overseas expansion. They even see the benefit of creating Texas Joshi Pro Wrestling just because they could still call it TJPW. But this is looking way out into the future so for now they’re just going to plant a seed here and there to test things out. First up is Kaya Toribami heading over to compete on a VIP Wrestling show. She gets to be part of a 3 Way Match with Maya World and Vert Vixen with the VIP Women’s Title on the line.
VGM “FIGHT VGM FIGHT WRESTLING STARS MEET AND GREET & PRO WRESTLING MATCH”, 18/10/2025 Full House, Liangxi, Wuxi, China
1. Rika Tatsumi Vs HIMAWARI
China gets another taste of TJPW when Rika Tatsumi and HIMAWARI face off at the Fight VGM Fight show.
CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 24/10/2025 Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
1. Grand Prix de Amazonas: Persephone, La Catalina, Olympia, Skadi, Reyna Isis, Zeuxis, India Sioux, Lluvia & La Jarochita Vs Kanji, Diamante, Shoko Nakajima, Hazuki, Koguma, Mina Shirakawa, Skye Blue, Julia Hart & Thekla
Back in 2019 Nakajima got to go on a tour of Mexico with CMLL with stops at Arena Mexico, Arena Coliseo and Arena Puebla. There was even a rare DVD of her lucha matches that TJPW and LADY’S RING put out that is in my collection somewhere. Now six years later she gets to go again but as a representative of MLW rather than TJPW. CMLL are holding the fifth annual Grand Prix de Amazonas torneo cibernetico for their women’s division that pits Mexico against the world. The international team has plenty of Japanese talent on it this year. Nakajima will be joined by Mina Shirakawa plus the FWC pair of Hazuki & Koguma. It would be goofy if politics between Stardom and TJPW somehow came into play here. In reality I think it’s just a coincidence that Nakajima is labelled an MLW wrestler instead of a TJPW one because she has been MLW’s long term champion for this year.
GCW “YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND”, 07/11/2025 The Webster, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
The Cutest Unemployed Tour begins! Itoh’s first new booking announcements since leaving TJPW are all gathered around GCW in the month of November.
GCW “MASSACRE IN MAINE”, 08/11/2025 Yarmouth Amvets, Yarmouth, Maine USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
She’s going to Connecticut and Maine and Vermont to put them all on the map!
GCW “GREEN MOUNTAINS AND ME”, 09/11/2025 Barre Elks Lodge, Barre, Vermont, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Got confused for a moment and thought this was the Elks Lodge in New York that ECW used to book.
SETUP/IWA THAILAND “A NEW DAWN”, 14/11/2025 TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Bangkok Death Match: Matcha (c) Vs Ram Kaichow Vs Pom Harajuku
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Andruew Tang & Jake De Leon (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami Vs Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.
3. Double Main Event I – Ace Vs Ace: Shivam Vs HARASHIMA
Big plans are going ahead for SETUP’s first ever show in Japan. They have a double main event planned and HARASHIMA’s in one of them. He is facing Shivam, the leader of Real Global Threat who feels he has ran through all of his competition in Southeast Asia. So now he wants to face the best that Japan has to offer, which is where HARASHIMA steps in.
RGT currently hold the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles and will defend them against two very different tag teams. The monster team of Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr. are returning to their IWA Japan roots while TJPW is sending Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami over to claim some gold as part of their upcoming visit to Thailand.
TJPW is also betting on Pom Harajuku to win back the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title. She’s beaten Matcha for that belt before in a No DQ Match, a result that Matcha would love to correct. Matcha also got her title back from beating Raku which made Raku’s “husband” Ram Kaichow feeling pretty mad when she found out about it. SETUP decided to let these three collide and to make things even more dangerous it is going to be a Bangkok Death Match!
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE”, 15/11/2025 JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Both DDT and TJPW are putting together a show in Malaysia alongside the local idol group KLP48. So far the DDT talent announced are Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes and Shinichiro Kawamatsu. Also Shota is there as a freelancer. The TJPW side are sending over Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki and Yuki Kamifuku.
HOG “SUPERCLASH”, 15/11/2025 Suffolk Credit Union Arena, Brentwood, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
GCW isn’t the only place you’ll see Itoh in November. She makes her House Of Glory debut as well.
I haven’t paid much attention to wXw lately so your guess is as good as mine in regards to who Yamashita can wrestle over there.
GCW “DREAM ON”, 22/11/2025 American Dream, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Zayda Steel
What looks to be Itoh’s last GCW appearance for the month has her going toe to toe against Zayda Steel.
WPE/QPW “EPISODE 2”, 28/11/2025 Salle Albert Marquet, La Frette-sur-Seine, France
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Nothing new announced for Yamashita’s match in France.
SAJ “FINAL BOUT 4”, 29/11/2025 Magnete, Via Adriando, Milan, Italy
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Maki Itoh Vs X
Could a brief 121000000 reunion be on the cards or are Yamashita and Itoh staying separated from each other?
PROGRESS “VENDETTA 3”, 30/11/2025 Electric Ballroom, Camden, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
A new place in England for Yamashita to wrestle in. She makes her Progress debut at the end of November.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN BANGKOK”, 13/12/2025 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
It’s been long enough, after so many guest appearances over the last few years, now is the time for TJPW to bring the whole thing over to Thailand! They’re working with SETUP to bring a dozen wrestlers over to work alongside several women’s wrestlers from across the Southeast Asian scene.
The twelve TJPW members going over are Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Arisu Endo, Shoko Nakajima, Miyu Yamashita, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume, Yuki Arai, Kaya Toribami, Shino Suzuki and Uta Takami. Also part of the show will be Alexis Lee and Matcha from the SEA side.
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Other Appearances
ASW “MUCHA LUCHA”, 06/09/2025 Stephen’s Cocktail Corner Bar, Langley, British Columbia, Canada
ASW “THE COBRA STRIKES BACK”, 13/09/2025 Evergreen Hall, Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
ASW “SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT”, 20/09/2025 Maritime Labour Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
So it looks like Sayuri Namba has found a place to do some ring announcing while she is living in Canada. She worked at least three shows for All Star Wrestling in British Columbia from what I could find online.
Okay where do we start when it comes to July? Do we go with Konosuke Takeshita’s adventures in Mexico, Miyu Yamashita falling foul to the Missouri athletic commission or Maki Itoh voicing a character in Punch Punch Forever? Or how about Tokyo Joshi Pro being used to prop up Major League Wrestling’s shrinking women’s division? Yuka Sakazaki is starting to get more than one booking a month so more of that would be appreciated. Also is Takeshita’s team with Kyle Fletcher only called Protoshita because it makes everyone smirk when they say it out loud?
Oh, and we’re finally starting to find out what sort of deal Yamashita is on over in America. On the surface she’s going around the country like a freelancer and some media back in Japan highlights that is what makes her US work different from the joshi who work full time with WWE or AEW. Except we’re now seeing Yamashita pop up in Ring Of Honor again and her being pulled from one of TJPW’s Texas shows just so happens to line up with the ROH PPV taking place that same day.
Speaking of the Texas tour, that will be the big story for next month. TJPW’s decisions when it comes to the American market are going to pay off well by the sounds of it. Two of the Texas shows have sold out and according to the promoters the third will become the promotion’s highest selling USA show in their history. If the Wrestle Universe live streams go off without a hitch then even more American tours will be planned for the future so TJPW can make some dollars while the fans back in Japan still get to watch it on a reliable service. Given how much the scene suddenly exploded with joshi influenced companies over the last few years, nothing beats the real thing in the end.
MLW “WAR CHAMBER”, 07/06/2025 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Delmi Exo
AEW “COLLISION – SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER”, 11/06/2025 Theater Of The Clouds At Moda Center, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Daniel Garcia Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander, Lance Archer & Hechicero
Video starts at 1:20:06 for the match JCW “REC.SPORTS.PRO.WRESTLING”, 12/06/2025 The Hall, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Jordan Blade
LLL “BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE – NIGHT 1”, 13/06/2025 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Stormi Renee
CMLL “MARTES POPULARES – CMLL Vs AEW Y ROH”, 17/06/2025 Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
1. Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, Averno & Euforia Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Rocky Romero & Hechicero
AEW “DYNAMITE – GRAND SLAM MEXICO”, 18/06/2025 Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
1. Bandido, Templario, Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Adam Cole, Brody King & Daniel Garcia Vs Volador Jr., Hechicero, Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander, Lance Archer & Dax Harwood
AEW “COLLISION”, 21/06/2025 accesso ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington, USA
1. Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Daniel Garcia & Bandido Vs Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 25/06/2025 accesso ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington, USA
1. 4 Way For The #1 Spot In The Casino Gauntlet At All In Texas: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mark Briscoe Vs Roderick Strong Vs Bandido
Video starts at 28:22 for the match MLW “SUMMER OF THE BEASTS”, 26/06/2025 Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Kamifuku
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Results
NEW TEXAS PRO “BAT CITY”, 01/06/2025 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. VertVixen & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Charity King & AQA when Sakazaki pinned King with the Magical Girl Splash (16:55).
It’s been around four months since Sakazaki last wrestled and even then it was on a cruise ship. It wasn’t until this month she was back wrestling on land. She showed up to New Texas Pro wearing an all new black outfit to to team up with VertVixen. She needed to shake off the ring rust fast because she started the match fighting against the much larger Charity King. But King quickly learned that Sakazaki is no weakling. AQA, who was returning to wrestling after a three and a half year absence helped King wear down Vixen until Sakazaki hot tagged herself in to even the odds. AQA stopped her momentum in a sort of unintentional way when she jumped up for a Hurricanrana and Sakazaki collapsed beneath her. The match broke down to where Vixen gave AQA the Blue Thunder Bomb and Sakazaki went on to pin King with the Magical Girl Splash.
1. Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero defeated Bandido, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd when Fletcher pinned Magnum with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (14:16).
The lucha flavour was strong in AEW this month even before they made it over to Mexico. Don Callis has had it up to here with both Bandido and The Outrunners so he challenged them to fight The Don Callis Family but with a twist. Protoshita would be involved but so too would the Family’s newest member, the CMLL luchador Hechicero! Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd tried to play mind games by coming out wearing their own pink luchador masks and being introduced as Los Outrunners. The plan didn’t work and Protoshita dealt them the killing blows to win the match.
KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025 Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Zara Zakher with the Skull Kick (10:39).
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy defeated Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase when Envy pinned Manased with a Rolling Koppo Kick (18:07).
If Yuna Manase was expecting a warm welcome back to Kitsune by everybody there she was in for a rude surprise. Vipress & Hudson Envy have gold in their sights and saw Manase as a target to get into the promotion’s title picture. Also it turned out Nagisa Nozaki wasn’t exactly on Manase’s side either because she attack her with a chair during the main event! However she also attacked Vipress with the same chair and seemingly only wanted to join forces with Envy. Dark Sheik ran in to chase after Nozaki while Tae Honma wanted to help Manase out. However her Missile Dropkick missed Envy and hit Manase instead. Envy then hit Manase with the Rolling Koppo Kick to get the win for her team. Honma checked on Manase afterwards and handed her over the Kitsune World Title. There’s still trust between the two but they have a title match coming up the next day.
Yamashita was also involved for both of Kitsune’s shows that weekend. Zara Zakher wanted to out-strike her late in their match but Yamashita shrugged off her chops and knocked her down with an Elbow Strike. Zakher got a second wind using a German Suplex and a Clothesline. She even backflipped out of the way from the Skull Kick to give her a Stunner for the nearfall. Yamashita got her back with a Knee Strike to the back of the head and put her down for the count with the Skull Kick. Yamashita pulled back her handshake to Zakher after the match, telling her instead she wants another singles match with her.
KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025 South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Kidd Bandit with the Skull Kick (16:31).
2. Kitsune World Title – Triple Threat Match: Yuna Manase (c) defeated Tae Honma and Hudson Envy when Manase pinned Honma with the Suzuki Dynamic (17:07). *V1 for Yuna Manase.
The next night’s main event was thrown for a loop when Envy added herself into the Manase Vs Honma match midway through it! Earlier in the show Envy won a Nine Tails Rumble which granted her a Kitsune Title shot whenever she wanted. So she pulled out the ref while he was counting Manase pinning Honma and cashed in to try and steal the title for herself. However Honma kicked out of her pin to keep the now Triple Threat going. Manase survived to the end and used the Suzuki Dynamic to pin Honma for a successful title defence. She purposely used that move to win as her way of contributing to Honma’s retirement from pro wrestling happening later this year.
Yamashita ended her Kitsune weekend going two for two. She seemed to enjoy picking Kidd Bandit apart but didn’t expect to be hit with a Leaf Hurricane Kick. Just like with Zakher the day before, Bandit wanted to get into a striking duel with Yamashita but it led to her doom when she missed a second Leaf Hurricane and was blown away with the Skull Kick.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 11/06/2025 (Aired 19/06/2025) Adrian Phillips Theater At Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Brooke Havoc with the Skull Kick (3:33).
Now it’s starting to become clearer. Yamashita made an unexpected return to ROH for a quick victory over Brooke Havoc. Her opponent got cocky with a Dropkick and wasn’t aware that Yamashita stood back up behind her to deliver some kicks. Havoc got some chances back with a Superman Elbow Strike as well as a Sunset Flip counter to the Attitude Adjustment. But Yamashita caught her handstand, kicked her down and pinned her with the Skull Kick.
AEW “COLLISION – SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER”, 11/06/2025 Theater Of The Clouds At Moda Center, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander, Lance Archer & Hechicero defeated Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Daniel Garcia when Alexander pinned Strong with a German Suplex (11:56).
Bloody hell it’s like The Don Callis Family is gaining new members every week! They had an 8-Man Tag Match against Paragon & Daniel Garcia but RPG Vice were hanging around at ringside to make it more like 6 Vs 4. Things broke down as they tend to do with Paragon & Garcia all locking in submission holds. Lance Archer powered out of Kyle O’Reilly’s Guillotine Choke by charging him into Garcia’s Sharpshooter on Josh Alexander and then stomping on Adam Cole to break Takeshita free from a Figure 4 Leg Lock. Takeshita also got a cheap shot in by hitting Roderick Strong with an Elbow Strike, allowing Alexander to pin him with a German Suplex.
JCW “REC.SPORTS.PRO.WRESTLING”, 12/06/2025 The Hall, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Jordan Blade with the Skull Kick (11:13).
A fired up Jordan Blade offered Yamashita something different from her previous opponents this month. Blade is a grappler with a focused ground game that put Yamashita on defence a lot more than usual. She also had some impact with using a Saito Suplex and also countering a Front Neck Lock into a Fisherman Suplex. But the temptation to get into a strike battle got into Blade’s head and led to Yamashita turning the tables on her. Blade got her head straight and went back to using grounded submissions. By this point it became a fight of endurance with both wrestlers getting groggy and throwing sloppy strikes. Blade tried to hit a Spinning Back Fist but she got hit back with the Skull Kick for the finish.
LLL “BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE – NIGHT 1”, 13/06/2025 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Abadon defeated Maki Itoh (11:00).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Stormi Renee with the Crash Rabbit Heat (?:??).
Oh hey we got a match finish that wasn’t the Skull Kick. Yamashita instead used the Crash Rabbit Heat to put away Stormi Renee.
Fans at Lucha Libre & Laughs got some bonus TJPW representation when Maki Itoh showed up unannounced for the weekend! She lost to Abadon on the first night but things went better on Night 2.
LLL “BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE – NIGHT 2”, 14/06/2025 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Mo Magee with the Itoh Deluxe (?:??).
2. Dark Sheik defeated Miyu Yamashita (?:??).
The next night Dark Sheik powered herself up by fighting Yamashita while dressed as Vertigo from the X-Men. Turns out that wasn’t a bad plan because she got to beat Yamashita. Itoh meanwhile made sure she would leave Denver as a winner when she beat Mo Magee.
CMLL “MARTES POPULARES – CMLL Vs AEW Y ROH”, 17/06/2025 Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
1. Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, Averno & Euforia defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Rocky Romero & Hechicero when Gran pinned Romero with an Avalanche Landslide (17:11).
AEW’s stay in Arena Mexico started a day early when Takeshita was among the AEW wrestlers booked for CMLL’s Tuesday show at the venue. You know maybe this was all meant to be. Even though this was Takeshita’s CMLL debut, he had a very thin attachment to the company already because he had held the KO-D Tag Team Titles multiple times back when it was also a certified CMLL championship. Does that actually mean anything? No but it’s nice to find even the slightest of reasons to connect things. The Don Callis Family fitted in nicely as the rudos for the match while Team CMLL the tecnicos by default even though Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, Averno & Euforia usually all tend to be on the rudo side. The match was also only set for one fall instead of CMLL’s traditional Best 2 Out Of 3 rules. So there were a lot more pinfall breakups than you would expect in a CMLL match, although everyone still figured out how to pace it like the latter. Takeshita landed face first from Ultimo Guerrero’s Super Gourdbuster and Gran Guerrero used his own top rope move to pin Rocky Romero.
AEW “DYNAMITE – GRAND SLAM MEXICO”, 18/06/2025 Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
1. Bandido, Templario, Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Adam Cole, Brody King & Daniel Garcia defeated Volador Jr., Hechicero, Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander, Lance Archer & Dax Harwood (w/ Stokely) when Atlantis pinned Harwood with an Inside Cradle (15:47).
Things got even crazier the next night when AEW hosted “DYNAMITE” in Arena Mexico. A planned 12-Man Tag Match was changed into a 14-Man Tag Match mixing CMLL and AEW wrestlers all together. Plus the world got to learn just how much the hardcore CMLL fans do not like Atlantis Jr., which gets his father Atlantis caught in the crossfire too. Takeshita was taken out by a Templario dive late in the match, Bandido did the same to wipe out Volador Jr. and Brody King saved the biggest dive of them all for the end which Takeshita took alongside Hechicero. The match then came down to Atlantis fighting Dax Harwood and taking the victory with an Inside Cradle, much to the annoyance of the hardcores in attendance.
GCW “BANGIN’ IN LITTLE ROCK”, 20/06/2025 The Hall, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Blake Christian with the Skull Kick (15:04).
I wonder if this was another sign that Yamashita has an AEW/ROH deal under wraps. Blake Christian is a regular over in that circle and while he’s not protected over there, he is placed on a high pedestal over in GCW. Plus Yamashita likes to do new things over in that company. Like pull out a door from under the ring and have Christian dive into it, crushing her beneath it! Christian then threw everything he had at her including a Springboard 450 and also a Handspring Ace Crusher. However Yamashita stumbled back up and took a lucky swing, knocking her opponent out with the Skull Kick. Christian crumbled to the mat and Yamashita rolled on top of him for the pin. Yamashita offered a handshake afterwards but Christian gave her the middle finger and walked out. However he reconsidered and went back into the ring to shake her hand after all.
AEW “COLLISION”, 21/06/2025 accesso ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington, USA
1. Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Stokely) defeated Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Daniel Garcia & Bandido when Harwood pinned Strong after the Shatter Machine (11:52).
The aftermath of Arena Mexico brought Protoshita back in the sights of Paragon, Garcia & Bandido. At least this time they had both members of FTR fighting alongside them. FTR scored the win for the team and everyone decided to beat down the faces afterwards until The Outrunners arrived to chase them off.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 25/06/2025 accesso ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington, USA
1. 4 Way For The #1 Spot In The Casino Gauntlet At All In Texas: Mark Briscoe defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Roderick Strong and Bandido when Briscoe pinned Strong with the Froggy Bow (11:05).
Now that the road towards “ALL IN TEXAS” is getting clearer, Takeshita starting making his plans to enter the much lauded Casino Gauntlet Match. Mark Briscoe was now added to the mix as four men battled to become the No. 1 entrant in the match. The Casino Gauntlet is an Aztec Warfare/Thunderbastard style match that only lasts for one fall so entering early gives you the advantage to win rather than entering late because you get the chance to win before many of the other participants show up. The danger of having a one fall match was shown here when Bandido threw away Takeshita with the 21 Plex, Strong gave Bandido the End Of Heartache and Briscoe surprised Strong from the top rope with the Froggy Bow to get the win.
MLW “SUMMER OF THE BEASTS”, 26/06/2025 Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Wakana Uehara with an Inverted Famouser (7:24).
TJPW’s working relationship with MLW grew with the American group hosting “The Battle Of The Idols” between Yuki Kamifuku and Wakana Uehara. The two Ober Eats partners had a standard match with each other. The only unusual thing was Kamifuku winning the match with an Inverted version of the Famouser instead of the regular one, possibly because Uehara couldn’t get herself in the right position. Kamifuku’s win was enough to get the attention of Shotzi Blackheart who walked to the ring after the match for her first appearance in the promotion. The two women even threw out the idea of them having a match together somewhere down the road.
REAPER “REAPER RISING – A KING’S CORONATION”, 27/06/2025 The Pit, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
1. Janai Kai defeated Miyu Yamashita by Pinfall (?:??).
How’s this for a match finish over at Reaper Wrestling. Yamashita and Janai Kai keep kicking the hell out of each other, Kai hits the Hurricane Kick, Yamashita hits back with the Skull Kick and Kai falls on top of her to get the pin.
METALMANIA “2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY”, 28/06/2025 Stage 722, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
Yamashita and Kai faced each other again the next night at METALMANIA. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find the result of the match. The only thing I could see online is a clip of the two kicking each other. They didn’t just do the same match from the day before again, did they?
SPARK “IGNITE TEXAS”, 29/06/2025 Baytown Community Center, Houston, Texas, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Raychell Rose defeated SAKI & Kaia McKenna when Sakazaki pinned McKenna with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (11:25).
2. SPARK Joshi Pacific Title – 3 Way Match: Airica Demia defeated VertVixen (c) and Miyu Yamashita when Demia pinned Vixen after the Skull Kick from Yamashita (13:37) *VertVixen fails in V1. Airica Demina becomes the 3rd SPARK Joshi Pacific Champion!
We finally get to the end of the month with SPARK Joshi holding its latest show in Texas. I haven’t seen the show yet so I don’t have much info on the matches other than how they finished. Yamashita came close to winning the SPARK Joshi Pacific Title when she used the Skull Kick on the champion Vert Vixen. However the third person in the match Airica Demina took Yamashita out of the way to steal the pin and win the championship instead.
Elsewhere on the card Sakazaki had her second match of the month by teaming with Raychell Rose to beat SAKI & Kaia McKenna. Sakazaki even scored the pin on McKenna by doing the Magical Merry-Go-Round on her.
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Upcoming Appearances
BZW “LES JEUX SONT FAITS”, 05/07/2025 Casino Barrière de Lille, Lille, France
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Danny Black & Joe Lando
Texas will be the main point of interest next month but first we have something going on in France to pay attention to. MAO & Yoshihiko are heading back to Banger Zone Wrestling to defence the BZW Tag Team Titles. The CPF team of Danny Black & Joe Lando are their latest challengers.
GCW “THE TOP PLAY”, 05/07/2025 The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
1. Alec Price, Jordan Oliver & Marcus Mathers Vs Miyu Yamashita, Megan Bayne & Billie Starkz
The GCW Tag Team Titles match didn’t go ahead this month for reasons I will cover at the end of this article. However Yamashita & Billie Starkz will get their hands on YDNP next month for an intergender trios match. Megan Bayne adds firepower to their team while Marcus Mathers comes to the aid of the champions.
This weekend looks to be the end of Yamashita’s latest tour. Her tweet schedule also mentions a booked in New Jersey on 6th July. JCW will be holding a show there on that date but they haven’t promoted Yamashita for it yet and I don’t see where she can fit on such a packed card that’s currently being advertised. I also haven’t been able to find any other shows taking place in the area that day so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Raku Vs Vert Vixen
2. Yuki Arai Vs Kaylia Capri
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Wakana Uehara
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki
5. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
6. Mizuki & Pom Harajuku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
The word coming from TJPW and their American promotors is this Texas tour will be a big success.
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 11/07/2025 Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. ROH World Title: Bandido (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
I have high hopes this will be one of the matches of the weekend. Don’t even have to call it a sleeper. The last month of matches where Bandido went to battle with The Don Callis Family has all led to Takeshita challenging him for the ROH World Title! Can Takeshita become the second Japanese wrestler after Takeshi Morishima to hold the belt?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
1. Wakana Uehara Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Arisu Endo Vs Kaylia Capri
3. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pom Harajuku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miu Watanabe & Vert Vixen
5. Maki Itoh Vs Raku
6. Mizuki & Suzume Vs Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto
The first two shows in Houston have both sold out.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS PRESENTED BY NEXTSHARK & QUERI”, 13/07/2025 The OC, Forney, Texas, USA
1. Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
2. Moka Miyamoto Vs Alejandra Quintanilla
3. Yuki Arai Vs Maya World
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
5. Shoko Nakajima Vs Miu Watanabe
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita & Vert Vixen
7. Special Single Match: Mizuki Vs Maki Itoh
And the “Dallas” show is apparently going to end up becoming TJPW’s biggest drawing show in America ever!
SETUP “UNDER PRESSURE”, 26/07/2025 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Chris Brookes Vs X
Some late summer travelling for Chris Brookes. First he’ll be going back to Thailand for a SETUP show. Ram Kaichow will be there too.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. MNL”, 22/08/2025 The Social House, Makati, Philippines
1. Takeshi Masada Vs X
2. Chris Brookes Vs X
Then a month later Brookes is going over to the Philippines and he’s bringing Takeshi Masada with him. Dexcon will be holding a weekend tripleshot of shows, the first of which will be Baka Gaijin + Friends!
DXCN “???”, 23/08/2025 Philippines
1. Takeshi Masada Vs X
2. Chris Brookes Vs X
I can’t find any info on what the second Dexcon show of the weekend will be other than Brookes and Masada should both be on it.
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 1”, 23/08/2025 Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh returns to GCW in August for a doubleshot weekend.
DXCN “PEKSMAN”, 24/08/2025 Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines
1. Takeshi Masada Vs X
2. Chris Brookes Vs X
The third Dexcon show will be built around local wrestlers taking on the international guests.
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 2”, 24/08/2025 Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
There will likely be a lot more GCW bookings coming for Itoh as usual.
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Cancelled Appearances
WAFFLE HOUSE “GOOD FOOD FAST”, 15/06/2025 Waffle House, Colorado, USA
While Itoh was in Colorado for Lucha Libre & Laughs, she went to a Waffle House fully expecting the place to live up to its online reputation. Unfortunately for her no fights or other bad doings took place while she was there. Instead she got to experience the kind of Waffle House that the late Anthony Bourdain once waxed lyrically about.
GCW “TAKE A PICTURE”, 22/06/2025 The Truman, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Jordan Oliver & Alec Price (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Billie Starkz
Yamashita found herself in the centre of controversy during the month when GCW were running a show in Missouri. The state’s athletic commission refused to give Yamashita a license to wrestle on the show because she has no social security number. GCW argued that she has all of the required documents as well as a valid working visa needed to qualify for a license. They also pointed out that Yamashita has wrestled in Missouri several times previously without any trouble. I can back up that claim because this very series of articles has records of her wrestling in St. Louis, Missouri twice in 2023: once for ROH in March and then for Glory Pro in May. Unfortunately this couldn’t change the commission’s mind and Yamashita wasn’t allowed to wrestle that evening.
Can’t say this month has been a quiet one. Konosuke Takeshita had a lot of TV time with AEW and we even got the lovely announcement that he’s married to Yuka Sakazaki. All of Takeshita’s work this month revolves around The Don Callis Family, yes even the American New Japan appearance. The group in its current form is nailing it at the moment with good tag matches week to week and the presence of Don Callis himself is not as overwhelming as it was before. I bet over the coming months Takeshita’s schedule will gradually switch from AEW over to New Japan as we walk through the Forbidden Door and approach the G1 season.
May saw Maki Itoh finish up her remaining dates in America before she travelled back home to rejoin Tokyo Joshi Pro. She has another tour lined up during the Tokyo Princess Cup so the Americans won’t be missing her for long. Miyu Yamashita is entering the second half of her excursion and her schedule is definitely keeping her busy. She’s bouncing back and forth from America to Canada and even found time to visit Italy. Her matches in the Upcoming Appearances section below are not all of the bookings she has left. She included a few unlabeled dates in her schedule on Twitter and it’s pretty easy to find online that they are for GCW’s sister promotion JCW. However JCW themselves haven’t announced her for anything yet so I left them off this post. As you’ll see at the very end, there is always a possible booking cancellation that could happen at any time.
TJPW’s grip on the Southeast Asian scene took something of a hit because Yuki Kamifuku and Raku both lost all of the SEA championships this month. It’s likely not the end of TJPW working with companies from Thailand and Singapore but for now the focus looks to be moving towards the new relationship with Major League Wrestling in America. MLW is currently going through a roster shuffle too with a good amount of contracts not being renewed and some new talent coming in to fill those emptying spots. TJPW may just be used as a temporary solution to fill in the gap but they’ll benefit from it for as long as it lasts.
The thing to watch for in the next month or two is how often Sakazaki will get to wrestle, whether it’s on the indies or if she can get booked in AEW/ROH again. I hear rumours every now and then that there’s an injury clearance issue going on with her. But it wouldn’t make sense if AEW uses that as a reason to keep her on the shelf only to let her go wrestle somewhere else. They haven’t like it in the past when their wrestlers got injured on another promotion’s show.
TOP TALENT “LIVE AT MIDWAY MUSIC HALL”, 02/05/2025 Midway Music Hall, Edmonton, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Ava Lawless (?:??).
We start off over in Canada where Yamashita headlined a Top Talent Wrestling show against Ava Lawless. The Canadian knew it was going to be a big test for her and she embraced it but Yamashita came out on top.
HOODSLAM “PHANTASMAGORIA”, 02/05/2025 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. GLAMpionship: MacDaddy MYLO (c) (w/KEiTA) defeated Maki Itoh with a School Boy (?:??). *V6 for MacDaddy MYLO.
On the same night one country away, Itoh was main eventing a show of her own with her return to Hoodslam. She was getting a shot at the GLAMpionship, a title that was originally created for the promotion’s sub-brand GLAM but made its way over to the regular shows. MacDaddy MYLO attacked her before she could finish her entrance but made the mistake of slamming her head into the turnbuckles which had no effect. Itoh’s momentum was cut off when MYLO pulled the ref into her way and then jumped in to do a Cutter. Itoh made another comeback only for KEiTA to interfere on the champion’s behalf. Itoh fought them both off and put MYLO in the Itoh Deluxe but KEiTA distracted the ref so she wouldn’t see MYLO tap out. Itoh got rid of KEiTA again but MYLO rolled her up in a School Boy to steal the win.
GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Skull Kick (13:23).
The day after that Yamashita and Itoh’s paths crossed over in GCW. The two of them were heading into a big weekend where they both had title matches to prepare for. But before any of that could happen the two would meet in the ring against each other! Did anyone on GCW commentary know about their history together as 121000000 beyond just them being tag champions a few times? Fucking of course not! At least the fans were super into it. The was the first time Yamashita would face Itoh in a place where Itoh has the home field advantage and while she didn’t go into MDK mode, she was able to put up her biggest fight against Yamashita yet. Even Yamashita seemed to be aware of it because when he knocked down Itoh with the Skull Kick, she ordered the ref to check her for a knockout. The ref dropped Itoh’s arm three times but on the third Itoh kept her hand up and raised a middle finger to the air! She got a second wind and almost scored the victory she waited so long for by countering the Attitude Adjustment into a Small Package. But Yamashita kicked out and nailed another Skull Kick to increase her singles match record with Itoh to 10-0. There was no hard feelings over the result and 121000000 shook hands afterwards.
GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. JCW World Title: Masha Slamovich (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (10:13). *V36 for Masha Slamovich.
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) defeated Maki Itoh with a Spinning Tombstone Piledriver (12:08). *V16 for Effy.
Well if plan of having iron sharpen iron was to result in championship wins it didn’t work out here. Itoh finished up her latest excursion by getting a shot at the GCW World Title held by Effy before she went home. Effy lightened the mood by singing “Mandy” on the microphone but changed the lyrics to be about Maki. She didn’t like it and told him to stop but that made Effy start to cry. It was all a trap to for Effy to get the one up on Itoh but she quickly escaped and turned the tables. She did a Diving Cross Body from the top rope to Effy outside the ring. Effy brought in chairs and ended up getting Choke Slammed onto one by Itoh! She also kicked out of a Spear at one and sliced Effy’s forehead open with her pizza cutter. Despite all that Effy countered the I.S.D by catching her in mid-air. He then spun it around into a Tombstone Piledriver to get the win.
Also on the show Yamashita challenged Masha Slamovich for the JCW Title in a continuation of their international rivalry. It was an even matchup but just like in Las Vegas last month, Slamovich got Yamashita in the White Knight Driver for the three count. Yamashita slapped away the champion’s hand after the match but immediately offered a handshake of her own, which Slamovich accepted.
AEW “COLLISION”, 08/05/2025 Masonic Temple Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander (w/ Don Callis) defeated Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds when Alexander pinned Reynolds with the C4 Spike (2:30).
Even though Takeshita was already eliminated from the Owen Hart Cup last month, this month he was still in orbit of the tournament. His new tag team with Josh Alexander in The Don Callis Family were set up for a match against the two wrestlers who reached the final. So for a warm up match they went and destroyed two members of The Dark Order in quick fashion on Collision. Alexander picked up Evil Uno and with Takeshita did a Doomsday Jumping Knee to the masked man. Then they smashed Alex Reynolds with a Double Elbow Strike to the head before Alexander pinned him with the C4 Spike.
HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025 Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. HOG Women’s Title: Indi Hartwell defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Full Nelson Facebuster (12:13). *Indi Hartwell becomes the 8th HOG Women’s Champion!
The stakes were raised for Yamashita’s return to House Of Glory. Right before her match with Indi Hartwell began the HOG commissioner Jason Solomon walked out and announced that the HOG Women’s Title held by Megan Bayne had been vacated. He then announced that this match would determine the new champ! Yamashita had the end of the match under control until Hartwell ducked the Skull Kick and planted her with a Full Nelson Facebuster to win the match out of nowhere and become champion.
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) (w/ Rocky Romero) defeated El Phantasmo with the Raging Fire (17:48). *V6 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.
Rocky Romero’s involvement with Takeshita in the NJPW USA shows have become a little more clearer now that Romero is part of The Don Callis Family. He accompanied Takeshita for his NEVER Openweight Title defence against El Phantasmo. It couldn’t reach the heights of last year’s G1 match but ELP still did a massive Thunderkiss ’86 dive to Takeshita into the front row, landed a Cutthroat Driver for a nearfall and also gave Takeshita a Piledriver on the ring apron. ELP had the win in his grasp when Romero pulled the referee out of the ring during a pinfall. ELP got some measure of revenge on Romero by Power Bombing him through a table but that gave Takeshita time to recover and pin ELP with the Raging Fire. There is growing respect between the two because they shook hands after the match.
MAPLE LEAF PRO “NORTHERN RISING”, 10/05/2025 Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Canada
1. Serena Deeb defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Detox (12:55).
Yamashita travelled back up to Canada for another appearance in Maple Leaf Pro. There she faced Serena Deeb who was making her third appearance in a row for the promotion. Yamashita hit the Skull Kick but Deeb made sure to topple out of the ring to avoid getting pinned. When she was put back in the ring, Deeb pushed Yamashita into the ref and then hit her from behind with a Chop Block. She then pinned her with the Detox, which is Deeb’s arm trapped Styles Clash kind of finisher.
MLW “AZTECA LUCHA”, 10/05/2025 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Delmi Exo (?:??). *V1 for Shoko Nakajima.
Right, here’s the funny thing about MLW. Their shows nowadays are one half live iPPV and the other half TV tapings for the upcoming month. That’s not unusual for wrestling but barely anyone who goes to MLW shows cares about spoiling the tapings part. Shoko Nakajima’s appearance on the live PPV was just to be seen sitting in the front row to hype up her next MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title defence. That match is a rematch with Delmi Exo that will air on MLW’s TV show in June. I couldn’t find any result or talk of the rematch online anywhere and the only reason we know Nakajima is still the champion is because she brought the belt back to Japan with her. Once the match airs I’ll come back and write this with any necessary corrections included. Like I don’t know, maybe they went to a 60 minute draw. I can’t prove they did but you can’t prove they didn’t either.
AEW “DYNAMITE – BEACH BREAK”, 14/05/2025 NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. Will Ospreay & Hangman Page defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander (w/ Don Callis) when Page pinned Alexander after the Buckshot Hidden Blade (18:34).
The two Owen Hart Cup finalists Will Ospreay & Hangman Page had to team up before their big PPV match. They needed to be on the same page because Takeshita & Alexander were coming after them like a well oiled machine. There was some communication between them to set things up but it still led to moments where Page almost hit Ospreay with the Buckshot Lariat and Ospreay almost hit Page with the Hidden Blade. But something eventually clicked between the two and they combined their finishers Kinnikuman style on Alexander to get the victory.
GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025 RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Marcus Mathers with the Crash Rabbit Heat (21:02).
Plans changed for Yamashita’s next match in GCW. She was supposed to face Tony Deppen but instead her opponent was Marcus Mathers. The match featured quite a bit of mat work with Mathers looking for spots to take Yamashita into an Ankle Lock. Yamashita also found herself getting thrown around more often than she would back in TJPW. Mathers press dropped her onto the ring apron and tried to do a Power Bomb but it was countered into a Sunset Flip. When Mathers went more high risk he paid for it by springboarding into a glancing Skull Kick for a nearfall. By that point Yamashita knew she had Mathers where she wanted him and wore him down with kicks before pinning him with the Crash Rabbit Heat.
GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Billie Starkz defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Victory Roll Reversal (10:34).
Yamashita’s final GCW appearance for the month (probably because it was also the last GCW show of the month) was also the fourth singles meeting with Billie Starkz. It turns out Starkz has become a very slippery opponent for Yamashita to beat nowadays because this match was her third defeat in a row to her. Yamashita got a nearfall with an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and continued the pressure after that but Starkz ended up reversing a Victory Roll to get the three count out of nowhere.
AEW “COLLISION”, 21/05/2025 (Aired 22/05/2025) Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero (w/ Lance Archer) defeated Bandido, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd when Takeshita pinned Floyd with the Bastard Driver (9:35).
More shuffling going around within The Don Callis Family yet things look so similar. Trent Beretta is back from injury and has reunited with Rocky Romero. Their Roppongi Vice team in New Japan is now conveniently renamed RPG Vice in AEW. They and Takeshita were put together for a trios match against the wild combination of Bandido and The Outrunners. During the madness Takeshita used a well timed Jumping Knee Strike to make Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd clash into each other. Then at ringside Lance Archer wiped out Bandido so the rest of The Family had the coast clear to finish things off.
MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025 Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin defeated Alexis Lee & Big Sam when Kamifuku pinned Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
Now let’s head over to Asia to see what some of the other TJPW wrestlers have been up to. Middle Kingdom Wrestling in China brought in Yuki Kamifuku for a mixed tag match with Alexis Lee on the other team, making it a preview for their big title match happening in Singapore one week later. Kamifuku was teaming up with Chinese wrestler Chen Wenbin while Lee had a big British brute named Big Sam as her tag partner. Sam was too strong to a fault because he ended up missing Wenbin and Clotheslining Lee off the ring apron by mistake. Kamifuku by herself couldn’t hurt Big Sam but Wenbin was there to help her out when needed. Things also went wrong for Sam when his manager messed up a pin break and stomped on him, allowing the other team to charge in and Double Big Boot Sam out of the ring. Lee tried to get her hands on Kamifuku afterwards but Kamifuku got the better of her, winning the match with the Diving Famouser.
SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025 Via Dante 72, Sporting Cesate, Milan, Italy
1. 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Irene and Session Moth Martina (?:??).
Yamashita can now scratch Italy off her growing list of countries she’s wrestled in. SAJ Wrestling brought her in for a 3 Way Match against Italy’s own Irene and the Irish wrestler Session Moth Martina. The latter was really looking forward to this because she was meant to face Yamashita at EVE earlier in the year but she had to cancel it due to illness. Yamashita also tweeted that her first time in Italy was an incredible experience.
AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 25/05/2025 Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher & Josh Alexander defeated Adam Cole, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly when Fletcher pinned O’Reilly with (12:48).
Takeshita and co. were put in the unenviable position of following the annual Anarchy In The Arena match. They all did alright given the circumstances. Takeshita has crossed paths with Adam Cole, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly before but not when all three have been together as Paragon. In fact the previous times Takeshita has been in the ring with Strong was as tag partners. The Don Callis Family ended up isolating O’Reilly and left it to Kyle Fletcher to finish him off. The Family continued the attack after the match until an unlikely trio of wrestlers came to the rescue. Hiroshi Tanahashi made a suprise appearance leading Tomohiro Ishii & Brody King to the ring to chase off The Family. It’s all to set up the next “FORBIDDEN DOOR” that will be held in England this year. It’s since been confirmed that the show will feature Tanahashi’s final wrestling match in the UK before he retires. Could Takeshita become a part of it just like he was for Tanahashi’s last USA match?
AEW “COLLISION”, 28/05/2025 (Aired 31/05/2025) El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero defeated Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii when Takeshita pinned Ishii with the Raging Fire (10:18).
Chaos broke out from the get go when The Don Callis Family attacked their opponents from behind only for Paragon & Ishii to bring the fight to them outside the ring. Don Callis also briefly got away from the commentary table to deliver a cheap shot. Takeshita and Ishii threw bombs at each other until Takeshita pushed Ishii into the ref. That allowed Romero to Low Blow Ishii from behind so Takeshita could pin him with the Raging Fire.
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee defeated Yuki Kamifuku (c) (?:??). *Yuki Kamifuku fails in V7. Alexis Lee becomes the 6th Queen Of Asia Champion!
The Queen Of Asia has been defeated. Long live the new Queen Of Asian Champion! Lee wanted one more shot at Kamifuku’s title in SPW and was willing to put up the biggest gamble of her life to do it. She promised to put her career on the line and retire from wrestling if she couldn’t take the title from Kamifuku! The bet paid off because Lee was able to get the win and become a two time Queen Of Asia Champion. Thing along with Kamifuku losing the VPW Women’s Title in TJPW earlier in the month brings her Southeast Asian dominance to an end, maybe just for the time being.
SETUP “THE FALLEN KINGDOM”, 31/05/2025 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha defeated Raku (c) with the Stunner (?:??). *Raku fails in V2. Matcha becomes the 4th SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion!
The good folks at SETUP have kept me up to date on Raku’s return to Thailand this month which I appreciate greatly. Matcha wanted a chance to win back the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title she lost to TJPW and would get it with Raku coming over to defend it. But Raku had a devious plan put in place to give her the advantage. When Matcha was in Japan for a TJPW tour, Raku purposely sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to her her backstage to send her to sleep. Raku then sent a recording of the song over to the SETUP dojo, making everyone over there who played it fall asleep on the spot. SETUP staff also told me that Raku played the same prank on a delivery driver on Matcha’s birthday so her birthday cake would never arrive! So Matcha tried to fight fire with fire by bringing along a certain kind of pillow and mat used in Thailand for Raku to lie on. Raku almost fell asleep but had the awareness to roll up Matcha when she tried to pin her. The two proceeded to wrestle the match using the mat as a weapon on each other, mostly by one bundling up the other in the mat to try and immobilize them. When it came down to the final moments of the match, Matcha countered Raku’s Doctor Yellow into the Last Rights. After that she hit the Stunner to win and regain her championship! Raku was upset to lose the title but Matcha made it up to her after the match by giving her the pillow to bring home as a keepsake. Raku may have also got to sing Zack Sabre Jr. to sleep at the merch table as the main photo at the top of the article suggests.
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Upcoming Appearances
NEW TEXAS PRO “BAT CITY”, 01/06/2025 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Charity King & AQA Vs VertVixen & Yuka Sakazaki
There was only one previous time when VertVixen & Yuka Sakazaki were in the ring together and it was for an AEW Dark match. They meet again for Sakazaki’s return to the American indies, this time teaming together over at New Texas Pro. Someone in this match who is also getting attention is AQA. She was seen as an exciting prospect on the indies a few years ago and even signed a deal with AEW (she got the graphic and everything) but unexpectedly quit the business only a few months later. All of a sudden New Texas Pro announced her return and this is going to be her first match back in three years. Charity King will be there to lend her a helping hand for the comeback.
KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025 Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Zara Zakher
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase
Not long to go now until Yuna Manase returns for the next weekend of Kitsune shows. Yamashita will be there too.
KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025 South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase (c) Vs Tae Honma
Manase has a Kitsune World Title defence against Tae Honma lined up while Yamashita won’t know who she faces until the day of the show.
LLL “BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE – NIGHT 1”, 13/06/2025 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Yamashita’s first opponent for her weekend at Lucha Libre & Laughs has not been announced yet.
LLL “BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE – NIGHT 2”, 14/06/2025 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Dark Sheik Vs Miyu Yamashita
But her opponent on the second night is already known. It’s Dark Sheik!
GCW “BANGIN’ IN LITTLE ROCK”, 20/06/2025 The Hall, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
It won’t be until them middle of the month when Yamashita jumps back into GCW. There will be a couple of both new and familiar faces showing up by then, giving Yamashita a few potentially fresh opponents.
GCW “TAKE A PICTURE”, 22/06/2025 The Truman, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Jordan Oliver & Alec Price (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Billie Starkz
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Yamashita and Starkz are teaming up for a crack at the GCW Tag Team Titles currently held by Jordan Oliver & Alec Price. This could be Yamashita’s last chance on this tour to win some gold.
MLW “SUMMER OF THE BEASTS”, 26/06/2025 Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Kamifuku
The relationship between TJPW and Major League Wrestling will continue with more TJPW wrestlers crossing over to the world that never stops! While Nakajima is defending MLW’s Women’s Title in Japan, TJPW will be sending over Yuki Kamifuku and Wakana Uehara to compete against each other in the MLW ring. Cesar Duran says this is part of a new era for MLW’s women’s division being helmed by Salina de la Renta.
REAPER “REAPER RISING – A KING’S CORONATION”, 27/06/2025 The Pit, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
This is one of those times when the wrestling promotion in question is so far out of my reach I half consider if it’s someone’s eFed because the info is so sparse. However I can confirm Reaper Wrestling is a real company in Canada. Yamashita will get to face Janai Kai again and she sent a video warning Kai that nothing has changed since the last time they fought each other.
METALMANIA “2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY”, 28/06/2025 Stage 722, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
And the award for the most unlikely place to book Yamashita during her excursion goes to METALMANIA! It’s where you go in Portland to see lucha mix with death metal music. Never would have thought Yamashita to be a headbanger.
SPARK “IGNITE TEXAS”, 29/06/2025 Baytown Community Center, Houston, Texas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuka Sakazaki Vs X
When was the last time Yamashita and Sakazaki were on the same show together? It wasn’t when Sakazaki graduated from TJPW a year and a half ago, was it? As you can see in the pic above, there’s also some Stardom talent appearing on the show. If SPARK has the pull to put together the tag match I’m thinking of then good job to them.
BZW “LES JEUX SONT FAITS”, 05/07/2025 Casino Barrière de Lille, Lille, France
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Danny Black & Joe Lando
It’s back to France for a quick summer break. Or maybe not because MAO & Yoshihiko have some business to attend to for their return to Banger Zone Wrestling. British wrestlers Danny Black & Joe Lando have challenged them for the BZW Tag Team Titles. The pair from the CPF (Close Personal Friends) stable held the titles before and are getting this match at the same venue where they lost them.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
The current lineup “confirmed” for the Texas tour is Maki Itoh, Miyu Yamashita, Miu Watanabe, Suzume, Yuki Arai, Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima, Pom Harajuku, Moka Miyamoto, Arisu Endo, Raku, Shino Suzuki and Yuki Kamifuku.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
The only one not “confirmed” yet but still included in the promotional material is Hyper Misao. That might depend on if she recovers from her elbow injury in time.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS”, 13/07/2025 The OC, Forney, Texas, USA
The only other thing known about the show lineups right now is each night will have different matches.
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Cancelled Appearances
MPX “METROPLEX WRESTLING”, 31/05/2025 Harwood Road, Bedford, Texas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Maya World
A cancelled flight prevented Yamashita from travelling to Texas for her first appearance at Metroplex Wrestling. She was meant to fight Maya World at the show and called in a favour to Athena to be her replacement.
PRESTIGE “UNIT3D”, 01/06/2025 Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Not much to say about this other than I’m including it just for the sake of record. When Yamashita first posted her list of USA bookings she included one for Prestige on 1st June. She later had an update saying the booking was cancelled and she was available for other dates on the weekend. Nothing was said on Prestige’s end but that’s also because they hadn’t at any point promoted she would appear on the show.
What a month it’s been already and we’re not even halfway through yet. It’s the busiest time of the year for American wrestling with WrestleMania coming up next weekend and the carnival of shows that exist around it. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro will be deep in the mix with shows held under The Collective banner along with some outside bookings scattered around the Paradise of Las Vegas. Then there is no rest for the wicked afterwards because the months leading into summertime will be very busy for the likes of Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh. The international exchange will even be seen in Japan with Deadlock Pro running a tour over there and YuuRI getting involved in a big lucha libre show. Plus one of the big rivalries happening in Southeast Asia may finally come to an end if Yuki Kamifuku defeats Alexis Lee one more time.
But I’m burying the lede here. Shoko Nakajima won a championship in MLW! She has become the latest TJPW wrestler to win a title belonging to a foreign company and we may possibly add another person to that somehow growing list at the end of the month. Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita is already turning April 2025 into a memorable period. He squashed an age old beef with one of Japan’s modern legends and has started a tournament run that will at least produce a few great matches if he doesn’t make it all the way.
Video starts at 22:53 for Match #1. Go to 1:12:00 for Match #2. MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA
1. HIMAWARI Vs Janai Kai
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
8th match Backstage 4/11/25 | Windy City Riot 2025
AEW “COLLISION”, 12/04/2025 MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Quarter Final: Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
AEW “COLLISION”, 02/04/2025 (Aired 05/04/2025) Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA
1. Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii (w/ Rocky Romero) when Fletcher pinned Ishii with the Sheer Drop Brainbuster (13:47).
Takeshita had to miss the “DYNASTY” PPV because he had other priorities with New Japan that weekend but he was able to fit in an AEW tag match right before he left. He and Kyle Fletcher are really catching on as a tag team lately and they were really put through the grinder against Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii. They tried to give Ishii a Super Bomb from the corner but Ishii countered it into a Frankensteiner on Fletcher. Takeshita came to help Fletcher give Ishii a Sheer Drop Brainbuster for a nearfall and then clashed with Hobbs. Ishii’s face was bloody at this point but he was still fired up to fight. Fletcher didn’t care though and he used a Tombstone Piledriver followed by another Brainbuster for the victory.
MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA
1. Janai Kai defeated HIMAWARI with the Tornado Kick (7:28).
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima defeated Delmi Exo (c) with the Diving Senton (9:17). *Delmi Exofails in V2. Shoko Nakajima becomes the 5th MLW Women’s World Featherweight Champion!
Well would you look at that, MLW went all the way with Nakajima and made her their women’s champion! The 619, Double Arm DDT and Diving Senton put Delmo Exo away and now Nakajima can add the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title to her collection.
Also HIMAWARI did not in fact get abducted or murdered by CONTRA Unit. She made it back to Japan in one piece. Janai Kai still beat her pretty handily but I’d still call it a successful MLW excursion.
NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
4,674 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi with the Raging Fire (20:37).
It was an emotional battle that’s been over a decade in the making. Takeshita was not only fighting Hiroshi Tanahashi in a rematch from their DDT bout from 2014 but he was defending DDT’s honour over the disrespect Tanahashi gave to them in 2015. Due to the added importance that this will be Tanahashi’s final wrestling match in America before he retires it was made the main event of the show ahead of the IWGP World Heavyweight Title bout. The two had counters for each other’s finishers but Takeshita surprised everyone by doing his own High Fly Flow. Everyone was then in even more shock when Tanahashi kicked out at one! Takeshita nailed Tanahashi with several Wagamama knee strikes before giving a big shout to HARASHIMA by hitting the Somato. After that he used the Raging Fire to get the win.
Backstage Takeshita said he was all anger before this match but now that it is over, his revenge on Tanahashi has ended and he now for the first time respects him. There is one thing that Takeshita couldn’t do to Tanahashi and that was take away the last of his light. He wishes to see Tanahashi keep that light shining until his retirement. He was then interrupted by El Phantasmo who complained about Takeshita not showing respect until now. He still remembers their match at last year’s G1 Climax and he wants to challenge him to a rematch, this time with the NEVER Openweight Title on the line. Suddenly Phantasmo was then attacked from behind by Rocky Romero. Whatever it is that’s going on between them has nothing to do with Takeshita. At least for now.
AEW “COLLISION”, 12/04/2025 MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Quarter Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) with the Powerdrive Knee (12:18).
The 4th annual Owen Hart Cup is packed this year on both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Count Takeshita among them on the men’s side. His opening round match was against Brody King from The Hounds Of Hell. Even a guy like Takeshita gets a bit worried when he hears King barking nearby. It took several Powerdrive Knee strikes to break down King and the final two needed Takeshita to pull his kneepad down for extra damage to finally put his opponent down for the count.
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WrestleMania Week Appearances
PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025 Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO
2. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe
Let’s get crazy. The first piece of involvement in Wrestlemania Week from DDT and TJPW both take place at the same show. Miu Watanabe makes a rare outside appearance from TJPW to take on Maya World while one of her later upcoming opponents Masha Slamovich takes a trip on MAO’s wild ride. Or maybe it’s MAO going on Slamovich’s wild ride.
WRESTLECON “MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh
Who knows what else WrestleCon has in store for their big event of the week and if it applies here. They have a mystery 10-Man Tag Match on the card which was used to promote TJPW in a previous year. Itoh might meet her match in more ways than one when she faces off against Mickie James. But the worst thing James could do is go in their and underestimate Itoh.
WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell
It will be the second match of the day for both MAO and Jiah Jewell.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki
2. Nattie Neidhart Vs Miyu Yamashita
This year’s Bloodsport went through a slight overbooking problem with some fighters but it hasn’t affected the two matches here that I care about. Bless GCW and Josh Barnett for having conflicting stories over who is actually booking the show when it was time to explain why previously announced talent were being left off the final card. Friendship aside, Nattie Neidhart doesn’t want to be used as a stepping stone by Yamashita but Yamashita doesn’t want Neidhart to take her lightly either. Are we going to get MMA Shinya Aoki or DDT Shinya Aoki when he fights Charlie Dempsey?
BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Marcus Mathers & Alec Price
Alec Price has found a replacement partner to challenge MAO & Yoshihiko for the BZW Tag Team Titles. With Cole Radrick out of action, Marcus Mathers is going to take his place.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Rika Tatsumi, Shino Suzuki & Vert Vixen Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Viva Van
2. Yuki Arai Vs Arisu Endo
3. Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
4. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
5. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
I’ll aim to have my guide for the TJPW Las Vegas show posted either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning Las Vegas time.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman
2. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
4. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
5. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko
Same with my guide for the DDT Las Vegas show. You’ll pretty much know I arrived safe and sound when the articles get posted.
WRESTLECORE “FEAR & WRESTLECORE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. ELP Vs Maki Itoh
Well so much for El Phantasmo and Maki Itoh joining forces as The Cutest Tag Team In The World. They’re not getting along so they’re going to fight each other instead.
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 18/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
0. Yoshihiko’s Super Special Open Challenge: Yoshihiko Vs X
1. G-Sharpe Vs MAO
A new booking for MAO over at PrideStyle. If his opponent G-Sharpe looks a little familiar it may be because you might recognize him when he wrestles under a mask as Hyperstreak. There is a group called The Cartel de Los Villanos who have been feuding with G-Sharpe over in PrideStyle and they are the ones who hired MAO to fight him.
A bonus attraction will be happening before the show officially starts. That’s right, Yoshihiko is throwing out an open challenge! Who will dare step foot against “The Grave Digger Doll From Hell”?
GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Lazarus Vs MAO
MAO’s Friday night comes to a close with a brawl against Lazarus near Fremont Street. Someone convince MAO to Moonsault off of the Vegas Vic neon sign.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Kidd Bandit & Shota
2. 3 Way Match: MAO & Yoshihiko Vs Jimmy Lloyd & Alec Price Vs Jack Cartwheel & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Tag Match: Mance Warner & Shunma Katsumata Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Matt Tremont
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & Dark Sheik Vs Super Crazy, Marcus Mathers & Shoko Nakajima
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita
What the hell kind of Fire Pro random card is this?
GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Clusterfuck Match: Yoshihiko Vs X
Yoshihiko is among the many, many competitors announced for the Clusterfuck so far but nobody else from DDT or TJPW has declared they will be in it. It’s likely a bunch of the talent will already be flying home by the time this show takes place.
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Upcoming Appearances After WrestleMania Week
AEW “DYNAMITE – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 16/04/2025 MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Semi Final: Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Ok this is during WrestleMania Week but isn’t actually part of it so let’s stick it here. It’s now on to the semi finals for Takeshita where is next opponent is quite a doozy. It’s the rematch against Will Ospreay!
DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 1”, 24/04/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs LaBron Kozone & Calvin Tankman
2. DPW Women’s World Title: Dani Luna (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
The hype train’s not stopping once WrestleMania is done. The schedule is going to get even more packed heading into the summer! DPW is heading back to Japan and has some familiar wrestlers taking part on their shows. Rika Tatsumi is getting a shot at the DPW Women’s World Title on the first night. The champion Dani Luna is coming out of a violent feud with Hyan over the belt which included title defences in Street Fights and Dog Collar matches. Sounds like she’ll be ready to handle Tatsumi’s madness. Meanwhile Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA are teaming up to take on two of DPW’s mainstays. LaBron Kozone is currently the DPW National Champion which just so happens to be the first DPW championship that his teammate Calvin Tankman won in the company.
DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 2”, 25/04/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Calvin Tankman & Kazuma Sumi
2. Emi Sakura, Chris Brookes, Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki Vs Miyuki Takase, Kevin Ku, Dominic Garrini & Ryo Mizunami
Then on the second night Brookes joins team ChocoPro to fight a mix of joshi and Violence Is Forever… Joshi Is Forever? Violence Is Joshi? Miyuki Takase & Ryo Mizunami Plus Two?
Tankman finds himself in the ring surrounded by DDT wrestlers. It will be a match of big man and little man teams when Tankman teams with Kazuma Sumi to fight the Harimao pair of Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida.
HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025 NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA
1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Will Takeshita bring an end to Mike Santana’s 16 month reign as House Of Glory’s champion?
BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025 The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Leyla Hirsch
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews
You know, this is one of those shows that feels like it just takes forever to get to.
MEXICO KANKO/CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Mexican Tourist Belt – The Road To Studying In Mexico 5 Way Match: Yuki Mashiro Vs Honoka Vs YuuRI Vs SONYA Vs CoCo
2. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.
I heard this show has a Street Fighter 6 product placement match. Makoto and Hikaru Shida are cosplaying as R. Mika & Yamato Nadeshiko to fight a pair of masked Zangief wrestlers. It would be funny if The Gief #1 and The Gief #2 were other members of DAMNATION T.A.
I missed that YuuRI was booked for this show a month ago. She’s taking part in a 5 Way match where the winner will be crowned the second Mexican Tourist Belt Champion. Whoever holds possession of the belt is given the right to go study in Mexico thanks to the show sponsors. YuuRI’s opposition in the match are the freelancer Yuki Mashiro, Honoka from WAVE, SONYA from the Costa Rica Wrestling Embassy (CWE) and CoCo from MY WAY.
TOP TALENT “LIVE AT MIDWAY MUSIC HALL”, 02/05/2025 Midway Music Hall, Edmonton, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Yamashita is going to be visiting Canada a few more times during this excursion. Top Talent Wrestling is the latest promotion over there to book her.
HOODSLAM “PHANTASMAGORIA”, 02/05/2025 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh is getting her ass back to Hoodslam!
GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita
Itoh believes she cannot lose to Yamashita in GCW. Anywhere but over there!
GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh
One day later she gets her chance to win the GCW World Title from Effy. Only one person missing from making it a full Maki Death Bussy reunion.
HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025 Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Just have to wait and see who House Of Glory wants to put Yamashita against. It didn’t work out so well for her there last time.
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
It hasn’t been made official at the time of writing but it’s looking like Takeshita will defend the NEVER Openweight Title against El Phantasmo at this show. Unless Romero does something else to ELP and changes the situation.
MAPLE LEAF PRO “NORTHERN RISING”, 10/05/2025 Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sereena Deeb
North American promoters really have a type of opponent in mind for Yamashita this time around, eh? She’ll have to deal with the wrestling expertise of Serena Deeb for her return to Maple Leaf Pro.
GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025 RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen
Yamashita’s journey through GCW continues.
GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
Once again, they meet at last.
MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025 Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam
The end of May will be a dramatic period for Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee. This match in Middle Kingdom Wrestling has now become the warmup for what happens in Singapore Pro Wrestling one week later.
SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025 Magnete, Milan, Italy
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Alexis Lee
The stakes have been risen to the extreme. Lee is wagering her pro wrestling career to get one last chance at winning back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku. If she loses this time then she is done for!
KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025 Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase
Hey since Darkness Revolution are now down a member in Marigold maybe Nagisa Nozaki will consider replacing Bozilla with Yuna Manase.
KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025 South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuna Manase Vs X
Yamashita’s match on this show will be a singles match with an opponent yet to be determined.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
Does the T in TJPW now stand for Texas? On the weekend when AEW runs “ALL IN TEXAS” TJPW will be holding three shows in the Lone Star State.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA
Two of the shows are going to be in Houston.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS”, 13/07/2025 The OC, Forney, Texas, USA
The third show is happening… not in Dallas but they’re calling it Dallas anyway. Is this like years ago when WWE would be in New York State and only mention on air that they’re somewhere near New York City?
Buckle up, folks. There is a lot to talk about this month, next month and probably even going into the summer. Konosuke Takeshita is no longer the AEW International Champion. That was to be expected but I am pleasantly surprised he has remained on AEW TV since then and is still winning matches for The Don Callis Family. He remains being protected in the booking so it looks like AEW has something in mind for him down the line even if it’s just building him up to put someone else over. Also in news that is kind of AEW related Yuka Sakazaki is now on the lookout for more wrestling bookings. Sumie Sakai is helping her out on that end but it sounds like Sakazaki will still need AEW’s permission to go ahead with whatever offers come her way.
Next let’s talk about Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita. Once the Las Vegas shows are done Itoh will be staying in America until 11th May while Yamashita won’t be coming back to Japan until 21st July for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25”. I was taken aback by the negative response to the news that both of them will be taking another extended hiatus from Tokyo Joshi Pro to wrestle overseas again. I get the frustration in a way. People think both of them are looking for contracts from WWE or AEW. Itoh has brought up stuff like that in past English interviews but I’m not entirely sure Yamashita has the same goal in mind. There was a public talk event sometime ago where Yamashita revealed she spent a lot of money to go follow one of her favorite K-Pop bands on a US tour and she seems to enjoy when she’s not being relied upon by TJPW to be a company ace. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think the two of them keep taking these options in the search for deals that may never come their way. Of course I may also just be blind to what could possibly be some tryout matches coming up next month.
That brings us up to next month’s chaos that is Wrestlemania Week. I can’t wait for this! Too many wrestling shows going on non-stop in Las Vegas for a solid week. Now that’s my kind of holiday! DDT and TJPW don’t have full cards out for their shows yet and I have the feeling one or two more promotions will be booking the likes of MAO and Itoh before we get there. So many shows are going on during the week that I can’t help but wonder if it will just take one badly made political decision somewhere to throw half the shows into chaos.
And if that’s not enough it turns out there will be even more wrestling shows going on through the year after Wrestlemania is finished. Yeah that took me by surprise too. Anyway next month expect me to write up three separate Around The World articles. One for everything that happens before WM Week, one for the week itself and one for the rest of April after that. If the next month doesn’t burn me out something fierce than nothing will.
1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement defeated Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman when Statement pinned Butcherman with an Uppercut (?:??).
The latest chapter in the Southeast Asian rivalry between Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee was a little different this time around. Recently in Singapore Pro Wrestling Lee was stabbed in the back by Andruew Tang, or as he prefers to be called now, The Statement. Lee wanted payback and joined forces with one of Statement’s rivals Da Butcherman to get it. Statement called in Kamifuku to back him up so they can become the royal pair who will rule over SPW together with iron fists. An intense tag match resulted in the referee getting knocked out and Statement being saved by a tag team called The Midnight Bastards. The team attacked Butcherman with chairs and held him in place for Statement to knock him out with an Uppercut. Statement & Kamifuku both stood tall over their rivals holding their championships before leaving. Lee swore revenge and promised to take back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku!
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 07/03/2024 The Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lucia Lee with the Skull Kick (12:48).
Plans in EVE changed for Yamashita when her original opponent Session Moth Martina pulled out of the show due to illness. Instead Yamashita was given Lucia Lee as her new opponent. For Lee it was a chance on short notice to step up against Yamashita and prove she can go toe to toe against her. Despite the good effort, Yamashita knocked her over with the Skull Kick anyway.
RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024 Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Amale with the Skull Kick (15:16).
The next day Yamashita was in Spain to wrestle on an RCW show for the first time since October 2022. Her opponent was “The French Hope” Amale, formerly from NXT UK. She sent Yamashita crashing through the front row of chairs with a Topé Suicida and the two soon found themselves brawling around ringside. Back in the ring Amale kicked out of an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and almost scored the win with a Small Package. But when Yamashita kicked out she quickly had her opponent in her sights and hit the Skull Kick for the victory.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Anita Vaughan with the Crash Rabbit Heat (13:32).
Yamashita’s busy European weekend ended in Germany where she showed up during wXw’s final day of the annual 16 Carat Gold tournament. She didn’t take part in the 16 Carat tournament itself, instead she fought Anita Vaughan who was already eliminated from the competition by that point. Yamashita made it three wins for three but she needed to use the Crash Rabbit Heat this time to end the weekend with a clean sweep.
AEW “REVOLUTION”, 09/03/2025 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AEW International Title: Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with a Cradle (28:30). *Konosuke Takeshita fails in V9. Kenny Omega becomes the 11th AEW International Champion!
That’s the end of Takeshita’s first championship reign in AEW. With thoughts of Hajime no Ippo on their mind and also their gear, Takeshita and Kenny Omega went hell for leather in their rematch from September 2023. Omega’s ribs were violently targeted due to his recent bout with diverticulitis and Takeshita got a little help from Don Callis here and there too. But Omega overcame the odds and kept kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee. Takeshita avoided the One-Winged Angel yet when he went for the Raging Fire, Omega countered it into an Inside Cradle. Only getting a nearfall, Omega then switched to more types of cradle pins until he kept Takeshita’s shoulders down long enough for the three count.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/03/2025 Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Max Caster with the Raging Fire (1:30).
Takeshita wasted no time in getting back to work after his title loss. Max Caster held the latest in his open challenges and tried to talk Takeshita out of it when he walked down to the ring with a purpose. Caster asked if Takeshita was actually here to invite him into The Don Callis Family? When he suggested he could use that position to beat Omega, Takeshita attacked him and quickly won with the Raging Fire.
BZW “WAR AT THE CAPITAL”, 16/03/2025 Claridge, Brussels, Belgium
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II when Yoshihiko submitted Lykos & Lykos II with a Double Half Crab Hold (?:??). *V3 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
I missed when this was announced last month. MAO & Yoshihiko travelled back to Banger Zone Wrestling this month, this time to defend the BZW Tag Team Titles in Belgium. The challengers were the two troublemakers from Lykos Gym in England: Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II. They weren’t prepared for Yoshihiko to do a balcony dive onto them nor did they expect the dark spirit that sometimes follows Yoshihiko around to show up and Moonsault onto them either. Lykos II made the big mistake of yelling insults towards Yoshihiko. When he tried to Headbutt it only he felt the impact. Yoshihiko was then able to trap both members of Lykos Gym in a Double Half Crab Hold and made both of them tap out at the same time!
AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SATURDAY”, 19/03/2025 (Aired 22/03/2025) Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Mark Briscoe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Rocky Romero when Takeshita pinned Romero with the Raging Fire (11:22).
Takeshita continued to rebuild his momentum by teaming with more members of The Don Callis Family. He, Brian Cage & Lance Archer all worked over Rocky Romero until Mark Briscoe got the hot tag. Briscoe had the numbers game against him but he held his own until it was time for Powerhouse Hobbs to get the big tag. But The Don Callis Family withstood the comeback. Cage & Archer took out Romero with a Choke Slam/Power Bomb combo and held his partners at bay so Takeshita could pin Romero with the Raging Fire.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/03/2025 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mark Briscoe with the Raging Fire (11:39).
There was unfinished business between Takeshita and Briscoe from Collision so they met in a singles match the following week on Dynamite. The episode was sponsored by The Minecraft Movie so the venue they were in ended up kind of looking like a Create-An-Arena you would download from the WWE 2K games. Briscoe took a high risk by running across the barricade outside the ring to jump onto Takeshita with a Diving Elbow Drop. Takeshita hit Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee back in the ring but it got him a nearfall. Briscoe pulled out the Jay Driller that had Takeshita beat but a rope break stopped him from getting pinned for the three count. Takeshita stunned Briscoe with a Rolling Elbow before using the Raging Fire to win by the skin of his teeth.
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Upcoming Appearances
MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA
1. HIMAWARI Vs Janai Kai
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
There was a report from Fightful’s Patreon account during the month saying MLW has “big plans” in mind for Shoko Nakajima and HIMAWARI and the promotion hopes to get TJPW more involved with their women’s division. I’m a bit skeptical towards what that could be because the way wrestling media reports on MLW often comes across as Court Bauer trying to get his material over and everybody just taking him for his word. Big plans could mean anything from Nakajima beating Delmi Exo for the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title or Janai Kai literally murdering HIMAWARI on behalf of CONTRA Unit and right afterward MLW announces a working relationship with Stardom (go see how CIMA was written out of the company right before MLW aired a Dragongate trailer). Or the big plans might just be TJPW talent being used to put over the regulars MLW wants to push. Which at this moment in time is Exo, Kai and maybe Tara Zep. But hey, who knows. It looks like MLW’s working relationship with CMLL is legit. I’ll be happy to be proven wrong.
NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025 Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
I recommend watching the Ace Vs Alpha video New Japan put on their Youtube channel (I included it in the video section above) because it shows Takeshita and Hiroshi Tanahashi talking about their previous match together as well as why Takeshita holds a grudge over how Tanahashi treated DDT in the past. It’s not the complete story of what happened back then because that is more HARASHIMA’s story to tell but it is suffice to build up their match happening next month.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025 Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO
2. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe
Now we hit the busiest wrestling week of the year. Damn it really is a week long this time around with WWE going full throttle with their own schedule in Las Vegas from Tuesday to Tuesday. But enough about them, among the early shows kicking off the week is Pandemonium Pro where Miu Watanabe has a match against Maya World and now MAO will be there too for what is sure to be a crazy battle against Masha Slamovich! The two of them have packed schedules of their own so they better pace themselves.
WRESTLECON “MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh
It’s a match for the ages between two fierce opponents. One is a wrestling idol with grand ambitions of becoming a popstar who has in the past been unceremoniously fired in a humiliating fashion. The other is Maki Itoh. I know people who still have nightmares from the Revolution Pro show in London two years ago where a group of fans spent literally the entire match chanting “Hardcore Country” non-stop for Mickie James. I hope for my sake those same fans won’t be at this show.
WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell
MAO’s second show on the Thursday is against Jiah Jewell at West Coast Pro. Because when you think of local rivalries, you think of Miyagi Vs Louisiana.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki
2. Nattie Neidhart Vs Miyu Yamashita
Whenever Yamashita travels to America, Natalya invites her over to her private training facility in Florida to help teach her what she knows. They’ve apparantly become close friends over time but when Josh Barnett started putting the card together for Bloodsport, Natalya (under her non-WWE moniker Nattie Neidhart) publicly asked for Yamashita to be her opponent. Yamashita jumped at the idea and Barnett was happy to make it happen. This will be the second time Yamashita faces a WWE wrestler at Bloodsport, she lost to Shayna Baszler last July. Here she has the martial arts background advantage and Neidhart’s previous attempt at doing this kind of match with NXT Underground ended in a loss. Usually comparing the legitimate fighting pedigree of two fighters would tip off who wins these things but a main roster WWE wrestler losing on a non-WWE show would be an unusual turn of events. Eh, I’ll still bet a dollar on it.
Shinya Aoki’s announced opponent for the show is NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey. I’d joke about Bloodsport turning into a WWE psy-op but to be fair Dempsey is a regular competitor on these shows and this will be his fourth fight in the series. Plus I don’t want to just write that he is William Regal’s son. From what I’ve seen he fits into this style of wrestling pretty well. Aoki should have fun tangling with him.
BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Cole Radrick & Alec Price
MAO ends his busy day with BZW hosting his third match. At least I think it’s his third show. It’s possible he’ll have a fourth somewhere but I haven’t seen anything yet. The match here is going to be changed too because of injury. MAO & Yoshihiko are supposed to defend the BZW Tag Titles against The Gahbage Daddies but unfortunately word came out a few days ago that Cole Radrick is out of action with a torn MCL and meniscus. No word yet on if Alec Price will still be in the match with a replacement tag partner or if a new team will get the title shot instead.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Only a few weeks to go but the major matches have all been set up. Mizuki Vs Yamashita is the biggest match TJPW can do for the Princess Of Princess Title but it’s been done already in Japan so I can see why it would look fresher in America. Kyoraku Kyomei have their first defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles against Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara’s new tag team OberEats. There is a rematch of the International Princess Title when Suzume clashes with Jada Stone again, this time with Stone having the home field advantage. Plus Watanabe continues getting big opponents away from the title scene when she gets in the ring with Slamovich.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
4. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko
The lineup so far is a little more creative than what we got last year and I prefer it this way. Minoru Suzuki Vs Yoshihiko sounds like something GCW would book for “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” but DDT needs something like that to stand out for themselves.
WRESTLECORE “FEAR & WRESTLECORE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Another outside booking for Itoh during Mania Week. No opponent has been confirmed by WrestleCore yet but El Phantasmo is trying to convince Itoh to team up with him so they can be The Cutest Tag Team Ever. He just so happens to be on this show too.
GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Lazarus Vs MAO
I think this is MAO’s last non-DDT related booking of the week. Unless…
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
As far as DDT and TJPW are concerned this will be the finale of their weekend. One match announced so far and it’s pretty cool looking. Takeshita & Slamovich teaming up against Aoki & Yamashita. It would be a shame if the show runs long and people start leaving during this match to head over to Wrestlemania.
GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X
I’m adding this to the lineup because odds are good someone DDT or TJPW related ends up in the annual Clusterfuck. Yoshihiko was part of it last year and made it to the final three. In fact there’s already an ex-TJPW wrestler announced to be entering the match. Sayaka Unagi is taking part and I can only imagine what kind of eye opening crazy thing she would do in Las Vegas.
HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025 NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA
1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Hey good on Mike Santana for taking a gamble on himself. The stuff he’s been doing on TNA and House Of Glory has been nothing to sneeze at so far. He now has a month to prepare for Takeshita because the two of them are set to fight with the HOG Heavyweight Title on the line.
BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025 The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Leyla Hirsch
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews
Yamashita’s opponent Leyla Hirsch is fresh out of AEW and wants to show everyone how good she is in the ring.
CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.
Daisuke Sasaki will be missing the DDT show happening in Sapporo on the same day for this match.
GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita
The 121000000 split up match is happening but not in TJPW. It’s in GCW! In the nine previous times they’ve done this match, Yamashita has won eight of them and the odd result out was a time limit draw. Itoh has never beaten Yamashita in a singles match but this 10th attempt might be her best chance yet because she’ll have the GCW fans behind her. She’ll need a good result because the next day she has a match that will be just as important.
GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Itoh was originally supposed to get a GCW World Title match against Mance Warner during GCW’s Japan tour last August but a hand injury prevented it from happening. Now nine months later she finally gets her title shot but the champion now is someone completely different. Effy’s first reign as GCW Champ has seen him defend the belt against the weird and the wonderful. Can Itoh beat him to reach her ultimate form as the Queen of the Outlaws?
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
Just have to wait and see what Takeshita does next after the Tanahashi match.
GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025 RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen
Can Yamashita get a better match out of Tony Deppen than YAMATO could?
GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
According to GCW this will be the first time ever Yamashita wrestles Billie Starkz. As long as you ignore the EVE match… and the St. Louis Anarchy match… and the SPARK match.
MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025 Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam
The Kamifuku Vs Lee rivalry now moves over to China for Middle Kingdom Wrestling’s 10th Anniversary show. Chinese wrestler Chen Wenbin and England’s Big Sam get mixed up in the action too.
SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025 Magnete, Milan, Italy
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Italy will soon become the latest country Yamashita has wrestling in. Squash A Jobber Wrestling is the name of the promotion bringing her in which might be the least Italian name I’ve ever heard for a wrestling company.
KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025 Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase
We’re reaching into the summer for the end of this month’s article. Kitsune have a doubleshot going on with both Yuna Manase and Miyu Yamashita scheduled to be there. Manase is teaming with Nagisa Nozaki in Night 1 to take on Vipress & Hudson Envy. Yamashita’s match has not been announced yet.
KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025 South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuna Manase Vs X
Manase is still currently the Kitsune World Champion so it would make sense for her to have a title defence on the second show of the doubleshot.
Most of May was spent going through what Miyu Yamashita got up to in America (plus a little stopover in Canada). She was quite busy away from shows too because a lot of social media activity revealed she’s been training with Mercedes Moné for her first match back from injury, working out in Ace Steel’s wrestling school and also sharpening her skills in the Dungeon 2.0 with Natalya from WWE. Away from the ring there was even whispers from a blog allegedly written by Kairi Sane that Yamashita and Yuka Sakazaki were guests at a surprise birthday party for Iyo Sky. Isn’t that a nice little thing to hear?
Things went kind of wacky for Konosuke Takeshita in AEW. He was built up for Jon Moxley as an important PPV opponent but things hit a rough patch over whether or not he is really allowed to go anywhere near the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. That situation along with a cartoonish attempt to stack the odds against Jon Moxley casted a shadow that spoiled what could have been an exciting match between the two and left Takeshita looking foolish. A kayfabe interview he did for DDT explaining the problems he is currently going through while adjusting to life as an AEW wrestler has not helped matters either.
Some interesting things are happening around in Asia for a few Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. Yuki Kamifuku is now a double crown champion, Mizuki unexpectedly ended up fighting some kappa monsters in Thailand and Nao Kakuta got to wrestle in China for one last time. News is not going to stop there because we are hours away from Shunma Katsumata entering a death match tournament, Yamashita is finishing up her US tour, Takeshita has sights on a new championship and TJPW is heading over to England soon.
TNA “IMPACT!”, 02/05/2024 Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Knockouts World Title: Jordynne Grace (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Video starts at 50:05 MLW “FURY ROAD”, 11/05/2024 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title – 4 Way Match: Janai Kai (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Zayda Vs Delmi Exo
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 22/05/2024 Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Matt Sydal
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT ONE”, 24/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Abadon Vs Miyu Yamashita
SETUP “CLASH OF THE TITANS”, 25/05/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha (c) Vs Mizuki
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT TWO”, 25/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Dulce Tormenta Vs Miyu Yamashita
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 31/05/2024 The Kia Forum, Inglewood, California, USA
1. TNT Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Penta El Zero Miedo
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Results
GCW “RATHER YOU THAN ME”, 03/05/2024 Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Joey Janela defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Package Piledriver (15:30).
The knee being targeted is what ultimately led to Yamashita losing to Joey Janela. He dealt big damage early on by picking Yamashita up at ringside and dropping her knees first into a chair in the front row. The attack paid off later when Yamashita’s leg gave out in the middle of her charging into Janela. She also took a Death Valley Driver onto the ring apron but kept on fighting. Janela though blocked the Skull Kick, hit her with a Palm Strike and attacked the knee again with a Dragon Screw. Yamashita’s last action was to give Janela the middle finger before he gave her a Thrust Kick followed by the Package Piledriver to win the match.
1. VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Alexis Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??). *Yuki Kamifuku becomes the 1st VPW Women’s Champion!
A new Asian Double Crown Championship has been formed thanks to Kamifuku! The reigning Queen Of Asia Champion has now also become the first ever Women’s Champion for Vietnam Pro Wrestling. Kamifuku even defeated Alexis Lee to win the belt just like she did with the QOA Title. Later in the month Kamifuku defeated Lee again back in Japan at a TJPW show to retain both titles.
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 11/05/2024 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title – 4 Way Match: Janai Kai (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita, Zayda and Delmi Exo when Kai submitted Zayda with the Demon Clutch(6:45). *V5 for Janai Kai.
Next stop for Yamashita was an international 4 Way Match over in MLW for the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title. She represented Japan, Delmi Exo represented Mexico, Zayda represented Morocco and Janai Kai disregarded her nationality to fly the CONTRA Unit flag instead. Yamashita thought she picked the right spot when she hit Exo with the Skull Kick in the middle of Exo giving Zayda the Package Piledriver. But Kai knocked down Yamashita with the Tornado Kick and applied the Demon Clutch to her as well as Zayda. Yamashita wasn’t going to quit and had the awareness to grab Zayda’s hand so she wouldn’t tap out either. However Zayda couldn’t hold on for any longer and had to tap out to Kai.
MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 8”, 12/05/2024 Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
1. Jordynne Grace defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Juggernaught Driver (?:??).
Yamashita made an unexpected trip up to Canada for a surprise rematch against Jordynne Grace over at the latest Mystery Wrestling show put together by Evil Uno. The result was not any different though. Grace scored the win again and went on to make more newsworthy headlines elsewhere later in the month.
SHINE “SHINE 78”, 18/05/2024 OCC Road House, Clearwater, Florida, USA
1. SHINE Title: Ivelisse Velez (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Cradle (13:47). *V8 for Ivelisse Velez.
The SHINE Championship is a belt that Yamashita has held once before back in 2019. It was her first championship she won outside of Japan so how nice would it be to win it again almost five year later? It almost happened too. She got the three count on Ivelisse Velez by hitting the Skull Kick but Velez had her foot on the ropes during the pinfall. The match restarted and Velez was able to Cradle Yamashita for the successful defence. Yamashita took the result in her stride and the two bowed to each other afterwards.
DPW “LIMIT BREAK”, 19/05/2024 Durham Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Lady Frost defeated Hyan & Vert Vixen when Frost pinned Hyan with the Temperature Drop (13:31).
A new face has appeared on Yamashita’s travels. Her return to Deadlock Pro was also the first time she got to be in the ring with Lady Frost. They make a pretty good team together as shown in their match against Yamashita’s regular rivals Hyan & Vert Vixen. Yamashita hit Vixen with two Skull Kicks and Frost hit her version of the Spiral Tap on Hyan for the victory.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 22/05/2024 Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Matt Sydal with an Elbow Butt (1:58).
Takeshita made quick work of Matt Sydal. The only thing that went wrong for him was Sydal countering the Blue Thunder Bomb into a Hurricanrana but Takeshita got him with the move on the second try. Don Callis then instructed Takeshita to knock out Sydal with an Elbow Strike, allowing Takeshita to pin him with only one hand on the chest. Takeshita then mocked Sydal by giving him a handshake after the match before turning him over with a German Suplex. Moxley then came down to the ring from the crowd looking to say something on the microphone. Instead he clocked Takeshita in the head with it and said he will see him at “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”.
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT ONE”, 24/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Abadon defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Cemetary Drive (?:??).
It was mixed fortunes for Yamashita for her weekend at Lucha Libre & Laughs in Denver. She lost to Abadon on the first show in a match that featured some out of the ring brawling.
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT TWO”, 25/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Dulce Tormenta with the Skull Kick (?:??).
The next night though Yamashita was victorious against the masked luchadora Dulce Tormenta.
SETUP “CLASH OF THE TITANS”, 25/05/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha (c) Vs Mizuki ended in a No Contest (?:??). *V2 for Matcha?
The match was originally meant to be a 3 Way Match with Monomoth also involved. It was changed to just a singles between Matcha and Mizuki with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title still on the line. Mizuki looked to be moments away from becoming the new champion when she climbed the top rope to deliver the Diving Foot Stomp. However the monsters from the Kappa World Order interfered in the match to attack both wrestlers. Poor Mizuki was even hit over the head with a chair which is something that usually never happens to her. Matcha and Mizuki were able to fight them off with Matcha giving one Kappa a Back Drop while Mizuki took out the other one with the Whirling Candy. The match had no winner but the two signaled to each other they can do it again sometime.
AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 26/05/2024 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. IWGP World Heavyweight Title Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) with the Death Rider (17:24).
Well this turned into a bit of a mess. The day before this show on Collision Takeshita attacked Moxley and Pilmanized his arm with a chair. So now we had the scenario in place where Takeshita could beat a weakened Moxley to earn a shot at the IWGP Title. That didn’t happen. The finish had Takeshita listen to Callis and go bring chairs into the ring to cause even more damage. Moxely then took the opportunity to Curb Stomp Takeshita while his guard was down and then pin him with the Death Rider. So now there is no IWGP Title match in Takeshita’s future. Look, New Japan wasn’t going to let a DDT guy take part in an IWGP Title match of any sort this way. And it’s possible DDT would have wanted a say in the matter too. Wrestling politics can be weird in that way. I get the criticism of how overbooked the story became when you could have just done a straightforward non-title match but I think that argument is a little bit overblown too. Title Eliminator matches in AEW is just their way of calling it a non-title match because the phrase “Non-Title Match” means absolutely nothing to fans these days. You can then complain why do the match in the first place but I’ll argue the match is still worth doing for a big PPV.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/05/2024 (Aired 31/05/2024) The Kia Forum, Inglewood, California, USA
1. TNT Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Penta El Zero Miedo with the Power Drive Knee (13:09).
So where to next for Takeshita? Time to take the path towards the vacant TNT Title perhaps? Adam Copeland was stripped of the championship due to injury so now the belt will be put on the line in a multi-man Ladder Match. Takeshita is the first person to qualify after he beat Penta El Zero Miedo. He even got under Penta’s skin a little bit by trying to unmask him midway through the match.
INFIN “PRO WRESTLING”, 31/05/2024 Shanghai, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Nao Kakuta with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
Right at the end of the month we go to China where TJPW sent over two wrestlers to an event held by INFIN and the Hong Kong group HKWF. The match was Kakuta’s last time wrestling outside of Japan before she retires. She couldn’t get the win here against Kamifuku. When she attempted to lift her up for the Shiden Kai, Kamifuku dropped back down and gave her the Famouser. Kamifuku then climbed the ropes and hit the Diving Famouser for the three count.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “TOURNAMENT OF SURVIVAL 9”, 01/06/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Tournament Of Survival 9 – Round 1: Brandon Kirk Vs Shunma Katsumata
We are hours away from Katsumata entering GCW’s annual Tournament Of Survival. He drew Brandon Kirk as his opening round opponent but his real battle seems to be against the airline he flew to America with because they lost his luggage along the way!
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL7: HIT THE LIGHTS”, 01/06/2024 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mike Bailey
The original plan was for Republic Of Lucha to hold this show inside the same building that was used as The Temple in Lucha Underground. They got permits to use the building at first but midway during the month those permits were pulled because the building was declared to be unusable. So now the show is taking place in the Ukrainian Cultural Center which is where GCW normally holds their shows in LA. When that was sorted out ROL announced Takeshita’s opponent on the show will be his old buddy Mike Bailey.
BLACK LABEL PRO “FAMILY REUNION”, 07/06/2024 Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. BLP Title: Kevin Ku (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Before Yamashita heads home she has a chance to win Black Label Pro’s main championship from Kevin Ku. Her opponent has a Karate background just like she does so fire will fight against fire.
I still can’t find anymore Yamashita matches taking place after this so it looks like her American tour ends here.
AEW/NJPW “FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023”, 30/06/2024 UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA
1. TNT Title – Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
The early story setting up this match is The Young Bucks wanted to just give the TNT Title to Jack Perry. So expect Perry to be one of the entrants for the match and perhaps even the favorite to win it.
NORTH WRESTLING “THUNDER STRUCK 2”, 13/07/2024 Walker Dome, Newcastle, England
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Newcastle gets to experience Yamashita for the first time when she debuts for NORTH Wrestling.
IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X & X
Still weird to me seeing IWA Japan being revived over in Thailand.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 24/08/2024 London, England
One day before AEW returns to Wembley there will be a few TJPW wrestlers heading over to London for a special joint show with EVE. The EVE promoters are currently finalizing the time and venue for the event because they might try to avoid clashing with Revolution Pro’s big show taking place on the same day. The other thing to take note is this show takes place slap bang inbetween the final two shows of the Tokyo Princess Cup. They won’t be able to announce right away which TJPW wrestlers are coming over because of that tournament. Also I cannot confirm this but I heard Maki Itoh won’t be among the talent going over because she will be in America that month.
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Cancelled Appearances
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 01/05/2024 Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs London Lightning
The dreaded curse of live TV production came for Takeshita at the start of the month. AEW aired Dynamite and Rampage back to back on the same night due to clashing schedules with the NBA. On Dynamite there was a match graphic promoting Takeshita against London Lightning for Rampage. Then Rampage came and went without the match ever happening. Some previous segments overran and Takeshita’s match was cancelled, apparently at the last minute if Takeshita’s interview on the DDT site is entirely honest.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 