Guide To DDT In Los Angeles

March 28, 2023

DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

So you got a ticket for DDT’s big return to America for the first time since 2019 but you’re looking for some guidance over what to expect. Maybe you’ve only seen the gifs or read about the crazy moments online. Or maybe you got a ticket to this because you couldn’t get a ticket for Tokyo Joshi Pro the next day. Whatever the reason, DDT is coming to Hollywood to put on the craziest wrestling show of the month and make some dollars out of it while the yen is still weak. Things are a little bit different from the card they produced in New York four years ago. Last time they put together a show that resembled a “Best Of” collection of gimmicks and rematches. This time around the show will highlight the relationships DDT has been building with certain parts of the American wrestling scene over the last while. Some of the guests showing up here have toured with DDT in Japan before or will be doing so in the near future.

Where can I watch it online?

Both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “GCW VS DDT” will be streaming live and on-demand as part of the FITE+ subscription. A month long subscription costs $7.99 and a 7-day free trial is available.

When and where are the shows taking place?

“DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Thursday 30th March at 8pm pacific time.

“GCW VS DDT” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Friday 31st March at 3pm pacific time.

Will The Steiner Brothers be on either show?

No.

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1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen

DDT’s top female wrestler Saki Akai is the sole member of Eruption on this show. She takes on Vert Vixen, a rising name from Texas who is about to join Tokyo Joshi Pro for a tour in Japan next month.

Saki Akai: The supermodel is celebrating 10 years as a pro wrestler this year and her focus lately has been to keep Eruption focused as a unit. She developed her Quetzalcoatl finisher after playing the role of a character with the same name on a Fate/Grand Order stage show. She can be serious in the ring with the best of them or join in with whatever goofiness that takes place in front of her. She grew up in Kyoto, they take their comedy seriously over there.
Moves To Watch Out For: Quetzalcoatl (Cobra Twist flipped into a La Magistral pinning slam), Rookie Award (Double Step Face Kick), Diving Cross Body, Triangle Choke

Vert Vixen: This wrestler is currently the first and only DEFY Women’s Champion in the promotion’s history. She has also made appearances in AEW, Impact and Women Of Wrestling. Obsessed with video games, her ring gear is often inspired by something video game related. She is nicknamed Player One because Player One always wins!
Moves To Watch Out For: Ki Crusher, Blue Thunder Bomb, Complete Shot

2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa

If there is any risk of the show getting suddenly called off midway through it will be during this match. Pheromones are DDT’s most extreme gimmick with plenty of nudity and perverted moves up their arsenal just waiting to be unleashed on the world. The gimmick has always been Danshoku Dieno’s bread and butter but he became extra “Dandy” when he formed the unit. Yuki Iino joined in and upgraded into becoming “Sexy”. Together they became a PR nightmare for DDT president and active wrestler Sanshiro Takagi. He’s been at war with them for a while now, determined to destroy Pheromones once and all. When Takagi asked AEW to send him help to fight Pheromones the last person he needed was Michael Nakazawa due to their own long lasting feud that’s taken place in the past.

Yuki “Sexy” Iino: He is going to get naked at some point. An ex-rugby player who was a bit of a goofy heavyweight for his first few years in the ring. He is going to get naked at some point. Recently discovered his Pheromones side, turned “Sexy” and drove the goofiness levels up past its maximum limit. He is going to get naked at some point. I cannot stress this enough, he is going to get naked at some point! It is inevitable and trying to stop him will be like trying to stop the tide from coming in.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ketsugoye (Imagine the Kamigoye but Iino hits with his butt instead of his knee), Badonkadonk (Banzai Drop from the middle ropes), Sexy Elbow, Bubba Bomb

Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno: The heart and soul of DDT’s most perverse humour. Dieno has been around for twenty years now and he’s gone through character development that makes him more than just the extreme shock factor of kissing and groping his male opponents. It’s just that he always goes back to that sort of stuff. Last time he wrestled in America he got permission to kiss fans as long as they raised their hand to show consent. The entire crowd joined in by the end of the night.
Moves To Watch Out For: Danshoku Driver (Piledriver with the victim’s head stuffed into Dieno’s tights), Lip Lock (a paralysing kiss) Danshoku Nightmare (Dieno pulls down his tights and teabags his opponent), Hell Gate (Dieno positions himself over the top turnbuckle with his rear end exposed, victims get thrown face first into it)

Sanshiro Takagi: The president of DDT and its owner CyberFight. The company’s attempts to expand internationally along with its talent growing their own reputations worldwide keeps him motivated to continue wrestling. It makes him want to show the younger wrestlers he is still crazy in the ring. His entrance song gets the crowd chanting along to “1…2…3…Fire!”
Moves To Watch Out For: Sitdown Sunflower/Himawari Bomb (Electric Chair spun into a Sitdown Power Bomb), Stone Cold Stunner, Spicolli Driver (Power Slam lift into a Death Valley Driver)

Michael Nakazawa: Was with DDT until he joined Kenny Omega to work for AEW. Despite his poor win-loss record, he is considered by DDT veterans to be one of the toughest wrestlers around because he never gets injured no matter what his opponents do to him. He is also kind of a pervert due to his habit of using lotion oil as a weapon and finding ways to take off his underwear without removing his wrestling gear. Doesn’t get along with Takagi because he considers him to be a terrible boss.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ultimate Venom Arm (removes his tights, wraps them around his hand and applies an Iron Claw), Tombstone Slam, Hentai Slide (drags opponent crotch first along the top rope), Lotion Oil usage

3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko

The current KO-D Tag Team Champions take on an Englishman and a Dutch Wife. Believe it or not it won’t be as not as lewd as it sounds. Whenever Shunma Katsumata & MAO team up they are called ShunMao. They are also both part of DDT’s biggest babyface group at the moment, The 37KAMIINA (pronounced The Sauna Kamiina because 37 in Japanese (“san-na”) kind of sounds like “sauna”). Chris Brookes has called Japan his home for around four years now and earned a following for his devotion towards the entire puro scene. Yoshihiko is the wrestling doll that answers every question ever asked about who is good enough to get a four star match against an inanimate object.

MAO: Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” The high flier is at his most liveliest when he is in Falls Count Anywhere situations. Also gets his most success in tag team matches and often finds himself across the ring from Brookes in that division. As shown by his recent appearance on a Prestige show, he should be a breakout talent for the US indies just waiting to happen.
Moves To Watch Out For: Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Marines Tornado Splash (Swan Dive Phoenix Splash), Tornado Kick

Shunma Katsumata: Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. So much so he runs his own sauna on the side. Despite his cute appearance he also has a death match side to him. He’ll do the violent matches no problem but his favorite weapon to use in those situations is Lego. For example he often arms himself with a Lego covered baseball bat. Drive him too far over the edge and he becomes Super Hardcore Katsumata!
Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)

Chris Brookes: A wrestler who has so many fingers stuck into so many pies. When not wrestling in DDT you can find Brookes causing trouble in ChocoPro, teaming with Masahiro Takanashi across Japan or running his own group of shows called Baka Gaijin + Friends. Recently got into a fight with the mascot Chiitan. Always has some extra tricks up his sleeves if you’re not careful around him.
Moves To Watch Out For: Praying Mantis Bomb (Double Arm Piledriver), Octopus Stretch, Death By Roll-Up

Yoshihiko: The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for many years now. It shows up whenever people least expect it and suddenly holding grudges with wrestlers from out of nowhere. This match here is an example of it because Yoshihiko has promised to destroy The 37KAMIINA in LA! It is also the current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and is bringing the belt over to Hollywood so don’t be surprised if we get a few title changes throughout not just the show but the entire weekend.
Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotation into a Hurricanrana), Choke Slam, Canadian Destroyer

4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne

A giant and a supernova rookie takes on… a “giant” and another supernova rookie. Kazusada Higuchi was the man to carry the flag for DDT last year when a crisis injury left the company without a champion. Higuchi took the ball after years of not meeting his potential and did a pretty darn good job with being the KO-D Openweight Title until he dropped it to Yuji Hino this past January. Takeshi Masada is the standout of DDT’s current rookie class. He got here by having to fight tooth and nail to earn a spot on this show. Andrew Everett came to DDT last year falsely advertising himself as being 223cm tall and weighing in at 190.5kg. Despite being nothing of the sort, his in-ring skills were impressive enough for DDT management to get past the lies and keep him onboard. Nick Wayne will be soon be going to Japan to wrestle on more DDT shows so this match gives him a taste of what to expect over there.

Kazusada Higuchi: The previous KO-D Champion and leader of Harimao, Higuchi is a former sumo wrestler with a strong foundation and an iron head. Do not throw him head first into the ring post because he absorb the hit and shake it off entirely. Often a highlight of DDT shows that make fans of NOAH wish he was in their promotion instead. Doesn’t mind showing off his goofy side every now and then but wherever he shows up he is going to be a tough opponent for anybody.
Moves To Watch Out For: Brain Claw Slam, Doctor Bomb, Buchikamashi (charging sumo tackle)

Takeshi Masada: The 21 year old made his pro debut only three months into his training, making him the fastest debut in DDT’s history. Has a background in Shorinji Kempo and he uses those skills to develop a kick heavy offence. He’s still only in his first year as a wrestler but showed a strong desire to get on this show. He eventually earned a spot on the card by winning the D GENERATIONS CUP, a tournament that pitted DDT’s current generation of young wrestlers against each other. Rookies have a bad habit of breaking easily but if Masada continues at the rate he’s going, DDT has a future star in their hands.
Moves To Watch Out For: Samurai Driver ’01 (Cross-legged Falcon Arrow), Triangle Kick (Running Enzuigiri off the turnbuckles)

Andrew “The Giant” Everett: I don’t know if I can believe the claims that Everett is not in fact a giant. He climbs over the top rope to get in to the ring like giants do. He wears a singlet like giants do. He does Choke Slams like giants do. He does Moonsaults like… well allegedly Paul White could do that move at one point in his life so that counts. That means Everett is a giant for sure! Deadlock Pro is where you can find him nowadays.
Moves To Watch Out For: 630, Shooting Star Press, Moonsault, Choke Slam

Nick Wayne: The world is this kid’s oyster and he’s not even 18 yet. A lot of excitement is following Wayne around especially after he was offered a deal with AEW last year. A dream match with Will Ospreay also bumped up his stock. The son of the late Buddy Wayne has wrestled in Japan before, not that long ago in fact. But DDT is where he’ll be going next starting with this match right here.
Moves To Watch Out For: Flying Cutter, Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex

5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela

A rematch from the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix tournament. Joey Janela scored an upset win over Tetsuya Endo in their A Block match that took place in November. Endo’s big main event run last summer was tragically cut short when Katsuhiko Nakajima gave him a concussion. He has bounced back from that by bulking up towards becoming a heavyweight. It paid off with him recently winning the DDT Universal Title, which is DDT’s secondary singles championship. Janela’s antics and reputation made him highly sought after by DDT and he’s becoming one of their regular guest wrestlers back in Japan.

Tetsuya Endo: The man who was supposed to take the reigns as DDT’s top wrestler suffered a major setback when he got concussed last summer. Endo recovered and has been climbing back up the mountain since. He’s not back at the top spot yet but the leader of BURNING is still doing pretty well with where he is at the moment. You’d think by gaining weight and muscle he would dial back from high flying moves but you will still see him doing Springboards, the Spanish Fly and Shooting Star Presses. If it was up to me, this is the next DDT guy AEW should be looking at.
Moves To Watch Out For: Burning Star Press (Shooting Star Press), Tetsuya In The Sky (One Man Spanish Fly), Spinning Torture Rack Bomb

Joey Janela: The nutjob partly responsible for WrestleMania Week turning into what it’s become. So many of the shows that get added to the schedule are chasing the dragon that is “Joey Janela’s Spring Break”. Janela’s viral moments over the pandemic caught DDT’s attention and he quickly became a must have for them to bring over. He already has one singles win over Endo on Japanese soil. The rematch is still in DDT but maybe the American environment will provide Janela more chances to do some crazy things.
Moves To Watch Out For: Package Piledriver, Avalanche Brainbuster, Super Kick

6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

One man’s dream came true last year when Eddie Kingston got to wrestle Jun Akiyama at AEW. The two earned each other’s respect that day and get to meet in the ring again, this time as tag team partners. Facing them are the two strongest fighters from DAMNATION T.A, DDT’s main heel faction. Daisuke Sasaki went through a whirlpool of emotions to make it to this show because of a recent eye injury. KANON is an upstart originally from JUST TAP OUT but he came to DDT and eventually joined the dark side with Sasaki.

Jun Akiyama: A long standing veteran who spent most of his 30+ year career with All Japan and NOAH. He was bound for a guest coaching gig at WWE’s Performance Center when the global pandemic cancelled those plans. So he found himself jumping to DDT instead where he keeps an eye over the young talent being developed. Currently holds the DDT Extreme Title that puts him in unusual gimmick matches but so far he has stood tall for every defence.
Moves To Watch Out For: Exploder Suplex, Front Neck Lock, Running Knee Strike

Eddie Kingston: What a week this guy has ahead of him. First he gets to team team with his hero Akiyama and a few days later will be headlining a ROH PPV. Often outspoken and always fighting with his heart in his sleeves, this match can be a rare chance for Kingston to step back and soak in the moment before things get heavy.
Moves To Watch Out For: Spinning Backfist, Stretch Plum, Exploder Suplex

Daisuke Sasaki: You’re not going to find anybody in LA as drunk or depressed as Sasaki this weekend. The wrestler has the talent and success to reach bigger heights but every setback sends him tumbling down into despair. A recent eye injury had Sasaki considering retirement from pro wrestling so he could run away to Hollywood and do whatever he wants. He does not have the most creative imagination though so his idea of doing whatever he wants in Hollywood was to go work at McDonalds. But the pull of pro wrestling is never far away and once he got cleared to compete, Sasaki came back and began to build up hype towards a singles match with El Desperado later this summer.
Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (includes La Mistica and Crossover variations), Sasaki Hurricanrana

KANON: When Sasaki suddenly vanished to take care of his injuries and other woes, KANON stepped up to lead DAMNATION T.A in his place. He is approaching the completion of his first year with DDT. Originally from JTO, KANON had an athletic moveset taken from his days playing volleyball but he’s grown slightly more sleazy and unhinged since joining DAMNATION T.A.
Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepy Hollow (Twisting Brainbuster), Just Cobra Twist

7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

This match was meant to take place in America back in 2019 as the bonus DDT match for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s USA show. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno have been friends since high school. Takeshita was the wrestling fan and his work in DDT inspired Ueno to become a wrestler too. The two are part of The 37KAMIINA and always seem to get along. But Ueno has his hopes that one day he will surpass his classmate. The two unexpectedly had a singles match against each other at the start of the year before Takeshita left for AEW. It ended in a brief 10 minute draw but gave fans a taste of what to expect when they finally face off again in Hollywood.

Konosuke Takeshita: It takes ten years to become an overnight success. Takeshita has done it all in DDT but given the company’s place in the landscape not a lot of people outside of Japan knew about him. Then he shows up in AEW and wins over a wide new audience of fans with his performances. A fan of pro wrestling since childhood, he grew up following Osaka Pro and still shows that influence in his moveset to this day. The list of names he’s been in the ring over the years to get to this point would fill this article by itself. Watch this show and I promise you will see him going All Out.
Moves To Watch Out For: German Suplex, Zahi (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), Jumping Knee, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)

Yuki Ueno: The talent Ueno has is clear to see but a bland personality is currently holding him back. Plus his friendship with Takeshita means he risks standing permanently in his buddy’s shadow. If you ignore those problems though, you’re going to see somebody who is really, really good in the ring. Maybe experiencing America will act as a spark and be that thing to send Ueno to his next level.
Moves To Watch Out For: WR (a Wrist-Clutch version of Kofi Kingston’s SOS), Best Moonsault Ever, Half Nelson Suplex, Konosaki Crunch (One Handed Bulldog)

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That’s not all DDT is up to this week. They have a second show the next day cross-promoting with GCW as part of The Collective. These two shows seem to be where all of the DDT action is happening in LA. Maybe a few names will pop up somewhere else. We’ll just have to wait and see if they surprise us.

DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno

GCW is a promotion I like but don’t love. I’ve gotten to attend a variety of their events before from two of the WrestleMania weeks pre-pandemic as well as their Las Vegas show the day before AEW Double Or Nothing last year. They’re really fun to attend no matter where they go and I enjoy watching the iPPVs when they are live. Watching them on-demand a day or two later though and it becomes a different story. The energy doesn’t carry through on screen when I watch on delay. It’s a promotion that does not give its viewers a lot of time to let things soak in because as soon as one show ends they go full speed straight into promoting their next events. It can make following them online a bit of a blur at times and their booking can seem random even though they do come up with storylines and give people pushes.

That leads us to the GCW Vs DDT show. Whenever GCW do doubleshot weekends outside of their regular markets they usually co-promote one of those shows with another indy and label it as a Vs show. They also often come off as the lesser show of the weekend and it feels the same way here. Obviously both companies have their own more important shows from the previous day to worry about. The lineup they came up with here is shaky but I don’t know if I could come up with something better given who is available. The people I like most in GCW are not the core members of the roster and they would be saved for when GCW are running a show by themselves.

Here’s what I like. The East West Express versus The Moonlight Express is going to hit hard. I’m not as high on Jordan Oliver as I am with Nick Wayne but his faults do not come from a lack of effort. The agility and pain threshold everybody in that match has is going to create something impressive. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko will entirely depend on what kind of sense of humour Radrick has. The two multi-man tag matches have the potential to both get crazy if everybody involved are given the go ahead to do whatever they want. Everything else I’m not as confident about.

Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno as the main event could get bogged down by the amount of big crazy spots Janela wants to do. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo sounds like a Fire Pro match on paper but I don’t think BURNING’s opponents have been up to snuff recently. Kazusada Higuchi should not be losing to Blake Christian but Christian is one of the few heels who gets heavily booed by the GCW fanbase. He is likely getting pushed for a title run sooner rather than later for that reason (barring any conflicts with his AEW/ROH deal). Dark Sheik I prefer watching in Hoodslam because over there she does spotfest tag matches in front of a crowd of people that are feeling the effects of “blueberry pancakes”. That atmosphere somehow comes off better on screen than her matches in GCW do. Bussy Vs Pheromones will be going for the shock factor but was their thunder stolen by Sexxxy Eddy earlier this month? I do not want to predict if it will reach the point where somebody somewhere will need to write out a public apology when all is said and done.

WPW “RUSSELL CROWE WRESTLING: RUSSEL MANIA III”, 31/03/2023
Burbank Moose Lodge, Burbank, California, USA

1. Mizuki Watase Vs Gregory Sharpe Vs Eli Everfly

There’s a little bit of Ganbare☆Pro sprinkled in the weekend too. After Mizuki Watase is done with the GCW Vs DDT show he will be making his way over to Wrestling Pro Wrestling for his only other booking for the week. This is one of the more normal looking matches happening on the card.


DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023” Results

March 24, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023
Shinjuku FACE
191 Fans

1. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Nakamura pinned Ishida with a Modified Crucifix Pin (10:14).
2. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Opening Round~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Makoto Oishi & Bambi by TKO when Iino used the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass on Oishi (8:52).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yusuke Okada defeated Akito (c) with an Inside Cradle (6:56).
*Yusuke Okada becomes the 1,564th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito defeated Yusuke Okada (c) with an Inside Cradle (7:45 pm).
*Akito becomes the 1,565th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Akito (c) with a Choke Slam (7:47 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,566th champion.
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Sumi with a Throwaway German Suplex (9:49).
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima when Koroku submitted Kojima with the Modified Triangle Lancer (13:36).
6. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Hino submitted Okatani with the King Kong Sleeper (10:18).
7. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Del Sol pinned Masada with the Solida Del Sol (16:20).

Konosuke Takeshita got a chance to try out some lucha libre by teaming with Samuray Del Sol. The idea was laughed at by Chris Brookes who was only happy to point out that Takeshita cannot wrestle in that style. He was proven right when Takeshita’s attempts to do a tightrope spot on Takeshi Masada failed in a big manner. Del Sol came to the rescue by giving Takeshita his own luchador mask and the two performed double dives onto the other team. Takeshita then blocked the Samurai Driver ’01 from Masada and Samuray took over to pin Masada with the Solida Del Sol. Takeshita admitted the mask felt uncomfortable but he thanked Del Sol for coming to DDT. Masada took the loss in his stride because next week he’s going to Hollywood! He wants DDT to change the show posters to advertise him as “Hollywood Superstar”.

After Yuji Hino won his tag match, an almost Yuki Iino came down to the ring to confront him. Makoto Oishi congratulated Iino for advancing past the Ω Block of the World Hino Classic and then showed a video introducing Iino’s final challenge. It’s “brother” YASSHI! The video explained that YASSHI is Hino’s senior from the same high school wrestling club. Pheromones will have to fight Hino, Oishi & YASSHI at Korakuen Hall on 9th April. If Pheromones win then Iino will get even closer towards having a KO-D Openweight Title shot.

BURNING beat The 37KAMIINA in a match that built up several programs. Tetsuya Endo will soon be defending the DDT Universal Title against MAO, Jun Akiyama is putting the DDT Extreme Title on the line against Shunma Katsumata and both Yuya Koroku and Toy Kojima are fighting for the last spot in the King Of DDT. Koroku picked up the win by tapping out Kojima. However the three wrestlers from The 37KAMIINA are still feeling confident in their chances of succeeding. MAO thinks Endo is scared of him, Katsumata is eager to fight Akiyama and Kojima thinks he can take both Koroku and Hideki Okatani to their limits in the Qualifying Battle.

Kazuma Sumi struck a deal with Kazuki Hirata before their match. If Sumi could beat DAMNATION T.A then he would be allowed to wear the Kazuki GO! glasses and dance to celebrate. Sumi ended up stealing the glasses from Hirata late in the match and was too busy dancing to notice MJ Paul walk up behind him and throw him across the ring with a German Suplex for the finish.

There were a couple of Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes setting up the belt’s journey to America next week. Yusuke Okada beat Akito in their scheduled match to become the new champion. Akito rolled him up afterwards to take the belt back. Then Yoshihiko appeared and Choke Slammed Akito for another title change. Yoshihiko then announced in English it is going to Los Angeles as the champion and will be targeting The 37KAMIINA over there!

Iino’s first challenge in the Wolrd Hino Classic was to convince Bambi that he is sexy. According to Oishi, Bambi is an expert on sexy stuff and her proof was using a whip on Pheromones during the match. But Iino & Danshoku Dieno turned the tables by using Pheromones moves on Bambi. With her taken care of, Iino then made Oishi go unconcious with a submission hold that is accruately called the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass. After the match Dieno asked Bambi is Iino proved he is sexy. She agreed! That means Iino now qualifies for the World Hino Classic final.

HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura are continuing to build momentum towards their KO-D Tag Team Titles match. HARASHIMA said today’s win is a big deal for Nakamura and makes him look forward to the title match. Nakamura pointed out he lost to Yuki Ishida in the D GENERATIONS CUP so today he got to avenge that result.

The King Of DDT 2023 entries are HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, MAO, Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya, KANON, Naruki Doi, Kotaro Suzuki, Takeshi Masada, Sanshiro Takagi and the winner of the 3 Way Qualifying Battle on 1st April.


World Hino Classic, El Unicorn Is Yuni Again, Super Unagi Mask, Sasaki’s Dream Match With Despy

March 23, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
2. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Opening Match~: Makoto Oishi & Bambi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito (c) Vs Yusuke Okada
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima
6. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
7. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada

Coming out of the anniversary show, Pheromones are demanding that Yuki Iino be chosen as the No. 1 Contender for the KO-D Openweight Title. It has been refused by Hisaya Imabayashi and Yuji Hino agrees with the decision. Hino knows Iino is a strong man but he wants nothing to do with that character. At first he said he will only consider giving Iino a title shot if he becomes a serious heavyweight again. Then Makoto Oishi came up with an idea called the World Hino Classic. Pheromones will go through a couple of trial matches and if they win them all then Iino gets his title match. The opening match is being called the Group Of Death because Iino & Danshoku Dieno have to fight the Ω team of Oishi and Bambi. All Pheromones need to do is win this match and they will go straight to the WHC final. What the final is will be revealed if Pheromones make it out of the Group Of Death.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 26/03/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Wakana Uehara Vs Toga
2. Raku Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Yuka Sakazaki, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
4. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Pom Harajuku & HIMAWARI
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko
6. Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu

The recently debuted Haru Kazashiro is about to graduate from junior high school so this will be her final match as a junior high student.

Both Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are missing the show to wrestle in Canada this weekend.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Rukiya Ikeda Debut Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya Ikeda
2. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuni
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura

A new tag team of HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura are next to challenge ShunMao for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. It is the addition of Nakamura to the match that excites MAO & Shunma Katsumata. The two of them have fought HARASHIMA a lot so he’s nothing new. But Nakamura is from the new generation of DDT wrestlers who are all hungry to climb up the ladder. It was Nakamura who wanted to challenge the champions. That took HARASHIMA off guard but he quickly came around on the idea when he realised it is making Nakamura want to work hard.

The elementary school wrestler Yuni finally revealed he was El Unicorn all along and has ditched the mask to start a new chapter in his career. Now in high school, Yuni wants to make a fresh start in wrestling and thinks showing his real face is the best way to go about it. He is back to using the name Yuni but it is now written in katakana instead of hiragana. He is training to grow bigger and stronger for his goal to win the KO-D Title while still in high school. He sees his match against Yuki Ueno as a huge opportunity he does not want to miss.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’23”, 15/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Arai & HIMAWARI (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Nao Kakuta

Last December Mizuki chose Nao Kakuta to be part of her 10th Anniversary match. This week Kakuta returned the favour by telling Mizuki she wants to fight her for the Princess Of Princess Title. It is a challenge Mizuki says she cannot refuse.

SKE48 idol Shiori Aoki gets to be a pro wrestling referee. There’s a conflict of interest though because Yuki Arai will be wrestling in the match. Does Aoki go on to play favorites or even go the complete opposite way and screw over her fellow idol? Even if she calls everything fair and square, having to officiate a Kyoraku Kyomei match sounds way too much for a rookie referee to handle.

DDT “YAMADA FISHERIES PRESENTS 4.23 SHIBUSHI FISH MEAT DECISIVE BATTLE @ UNAGI STATION”, 23/04/2023
Kagoshima Shibushi City Unagi Station

1. Fish Vs Meat Full-Scale Battle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida

The war between fish eaters and meat eaters went lopsided after Kazusada Higuchi betrayed Shishamo Power & Unagi Mask last month. Higuchi revealed he prefers meat over seafood so jumped over to side with Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida for the next match in the feud. The seafood team looked to be in trouble until the president of Yamada Suisan revealed the company has been developing another Unagi Mask wrestler to even the odds. According to the president, Super Unagi Mask is more well-trained than the regular Unagi Mask. He thinks the two of them would work well together in a seafood wrestling Tag League. Sanshiro Takagi likes the idea and will consider launching Yamada Suisan Pro Wrestling if the seafood team wins their battle against the meat eaters.

Shiro Koshinaka and Rayne Leverkusen will both be on the show.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan

1. Chiitan☆Debut Match: Chiitan Vs X
2. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Rayne Leverkusen
3. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs MAO
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs X

So at the moment Hino will be defending the KO-D Title at Yokohama Budokan. He just does not have an official opponent yet. It might be Iino if Pheromones win the World Hino Classic.

Things are going well again for Tetsuya Endo now he is the new DDT Universal Champion. He considers Naruki Doi a friend and wants to see him sticking around in DDT. What Endo does not like is having MAO as his first defence. However the pride of the Miyagi prefecture is on the line with Endo representing Shiroishi City and MAO representing Osaki City. This side will determine which city is the best!

Both ShunMao wrestlers have a chance of becoming double champions at the same time. Shunma Katsumata challenges Jun Akiyama for the DDT Extreme Title. It will be back to the crazy stuff for Akiyama after having such a nice, normal and relaxing match with Kotaro Suzuki.

Rayne Leverkusen is debuting for DDT in April but her only match announced so far is a singles bout against Saki Akai in May.

The insane mascot Chiitan makes its pro wrestling debut. Its presence has already driven Chris Brookes into a murderous rage so he’ll probably be involved in the match. Maybe Pokotan can be a part of it too.

Nick Wayne will be on the show making his first appearance in Japan for DDT.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado

Turns out Daisuke Sasaki kept himself busy while he was out from injury. Instead of staying around in bed he went out, did the work and signed up a dream match for himself against El Desperado from New Japan! Desperado is an interesting figure, constantly referring to the wider pro wrestling scene in Japan on his social media. At times it looked like that was the only interactions with other wrestlers that the public would get to see. But as the scene opens up more in order to get fans back into the arenas Desperado is at the forefront of getting into matches with wrestlers outside of NJPW. In a past life he’s had a little bit of involvement in DDT related shows. He’s been part of a few Monthly Young Communication shows that happened back in 2011. Only recently Sasaki and Desperado fought each other in a tag match that ended in a DQ so there is some bad blood between the two going into this dream bout.


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~” Results

March 21, 2023

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,138 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated El Unicorn & Raimu Imai when Ilusion pinned Unicorn with the RE:VISION1 (8:15).
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (9:02).
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao defeated Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko when Ishii pinned Hirata with the Running Double Arm Driver (10:39).
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Gorgeous Matsuno and Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Oishi pinned Matsuno with a Cradle (4:54).
*Makoto Oishi becomes the 4th O-40 Champion!
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada ended in a No Contest (11:21).
5. Special Tag Match: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda when Howitzer pinned Honda after the Master Blaster (7:46).
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Saki Akai defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Quetzalcoatl (9:19).
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (12:26).
8. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada defeated Hikaru Machida with the Samurai Driver ’01 (6:31).
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno when Sasaki submitted Shinno with La Mistica Crossface Lock (11:55).
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) defeated Kotaro Suzuki with a Wrist-Clutch Cradle (10:48).
*V4 for Jun Akiyama.
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sanshiro Takagi by Knockout (13:17).
12. International Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Samuray Del Sol with the WR (13:28).
13. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo defeated Naruki Doi (c) with the Burning Star Press (20:49).
*Naruki Doi fails in V2. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 10th DDT Universal Champion!
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu when MAO pinned Nakatsu after the Oretachi no Madmax (18:15).
*V4 for ShunMao.
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yukio Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:23).
*V1 for Yuji Hino.

Settle in folks because this is going to be a long one. DDT produced 16 matches across over almost 6 hours in Korakuen Hall to celebrate their 26th Anniversary. The spotlight at the end was given to Yuji Hino defending the KO-D Openweight Title against Yukio Naya. Hino had become something of a mentor to Naya over the last two years and today was a chance for the young heavyweight project to try and take the company’s top spot. With Kenta Kobashi watching from the commentary table, the two wrestlers threw heavy strikes and slam to each other. Naya eventually became flustered by the challenge, yelling this wasn’t going the way it was supposed to be while getting into another strike exchange late into the match. Hino took Naya’s best shots but the same could not be said vice versa. Naya looked to be down for the count until Hino stopped the referee and demanded his opponent to return back to his feet under his own strength. When Naya did Hino took him down with a Lariat but only got a two count out of it. He then finished off Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB to successfully defend the KO-D Title.

After the match Kobashi presented Hino with the KO-D Title and Hino shook Naya’s hand. Hisaya Imabayashi informed the champion that his next defence will be at Yokohama Budokan on 3rd May. Before Naya could comment on that they were suddenly interrupted by Pheromones! According to Danshoku Dieno, Hino’s next challenger is going to be Yuki “Sexy” Iino! Earlier in the show Pheromones made a promise to Imabayashi not to get naked during their match and in return Iino should get a KO-D Title shot. Imabayashi refused because he thinks Pheromones did not live up to their promise. Hino agreed with the GM and told Iino to come back once he starts behaving like a more serious wrestler. Dieno said Hino is a big, heavy and strong man but is missing something. DDT needs a champion who is big, heavy, strong and naughty. The only man who fulfills those requirements is Iino! Imabayashi put off making a decision since everybody is feeling tired after such a long show. Hino said DDT is the only place that can do that kind of overkill. He praised the roster for putting on amazing matches today and told the fans if you want to see amazing matches then come see DDT where he the amazing champion!

It was time for MAO to get over his negative memories of DNA and Ryota Nakatsu by finally standing up to him. ShunMao put the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line against Harimao in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Nakatsu brought out the plastic baseball bat he carried around in DNA and bullied MAO into doing a dance he used to do to make others laugh. MAO did what he was told despite Shunma Katsumata’s protests. Kazusada Higuchi then attacked Katsumata and brought him up to the balcony while Nakatsu dragged MAO over to the spot on the floor beneath it. Higuchi tried to throw Katsumata over the balcony with a Power Bomb but Katsumata escaped. So Higuchi found a nearby turnbuckle pad in the balcony and threw it at MAO down below. The brawl moved over to the lobby where Higuchi put Katsumata through a table near the staircase by jumping off a vending machine. Katsumata got one back in the aisle towards ringside by doing the Stuka Splash off of the entrance onto Higuchi. ShunMao brought out ring boards used for the canvas and bridged them over the front row barricade. They slammed Nakatsu onto the boards with the Oretachi no Madmax to get the 3 count and finally but MAO’s bad memories to bed.

ShunMao met with Imabayashi in the ring afterwards to find out where their next title defence would be. Suddenly Keigo Nakamura entered the ring, saying he and HARASHIMA should be the next challengers. Nakamura acted the same after his match earlier in the show. HARASHIMA went along with the idea because he wants to see Nakamura work hard and take advantage of his momentum. MAO isn’t interested in fighting HARASHIMA but Nakamura has caught his attention from out of nowhere. The title challenge was accepted and will take place in Korakuen on 9th April. When that was settled, all members of The 37KAMIINA got together in the ring and did their group pose.

That period of the show turned out to be a busy one for MAO. He was involved in the aftermath of the DDT Universal Title match. Tetsuya Endo won that championship for the first time by dethroning Naruki Doi. Endo’s knee was targeted and some of his high risk moves missed, like the Swan Dive Firebird Splash. But he also kicked out of the Bakatare Sliding Kick and blocked the Noshigami. Doi got stunned with an Overhead Kick and was thrown to the canvas with the Tetsuya In The Ski With Diamonds. Endo got the win when he did the Burning Star Press, taking the Universal Title away from Doi. After the match Endo apologised to Doi for calling him an enemy outsider. Doi carried DDT on his back by bringing the Universal Title with him to his matches for other companies and for that reason Endo now accepts him as one of us. Backstage Doi said he was planning on withdrawing from DDT after the loss but he cannot end his run here like this. He’ll be back to win more championships and other achievements!

MAO then entered the ring to challenge Endo to a title match. Endo got annoyed because he wants to fight challengers from around the world, not a neighbor from Miyagi! MAO brought up that he is currently one half of the KO-D Tag Champions and is also a former Universal Champion so he is qualified for a shot. Endo reluctantly agreed and brought up that MAO is probably more famous than him overseas. Endo is also still the tourism ambassador of Shiriashi City so he has the power to ban MAO from Miyagi if given the chance! The match will take place on 3rd May.

An international showdown saw Yuki Ueno defeat the visiting Samuray Del Sol. The match had dives back and forth from both as they tried to out-do each other. Ueno avoided the Soledo Del Sol but got caught with a Reverse Frankensteiner that’s called the Rising Sun for a nearfall. Ueno got his bearings back though and picked up the win once he put Del Sol in the WR. Backstage Del Sol said Ueno’s name sounds like “bueno” and it was a great honour to fight a great wrestler like him. Ueno said he is still carrying DDT on his back even though he no longer has the Universal Title. Even without the championship he wants to let the world know about DDT.

The relationship between Sanshiro Takagi and Konosuke Takeshita is similar to one between a father and son. Takeshita has grown up in DDT to become the wrestler he is today. It means a lot to Tagaki, so much so that preview video of the match revealed Takagi’s original dream plan for the company’s 25th Anniversary show. His dream was to hold that show in the Tokyo Dome and headline it with Takeshita Vs Kota Ibushi. Takeshita also means so much to Takagi that he felt if there was ever going to be a singles match between them it would be Takagi’s retirement match. Today the match finally happened and Takagi put everything he had into it. He did Avalanche Brainbusters only for Takeshita to return with his own, including one that went through a table outside the ring. Takagi had to rely on using the Stunner and he gave the move to Takeshita over and over and over. Takeshita was tough enough to take those Stunners and fire back with the Zahi twice. A beaten Takagi told Takeshita to finish him off with one more Zahi. Tears came down Takeshita’s face but he did the move one more time. Takagi suddenly popped back up to give Takeshita one more Stunner but that was it. Takeshita got back to his feet while Takagi couldn’t, ending the match with a knockout. Afterwards Takeshita told everyone he will win a singles championship in AEW as a DDT wrestler no matter what it takes. In exchange for this, he wants to see Takagi win the KO-D Title one more time before he decides to retire! He doesn’t care how long it takes because one day both Takeshita and Takagi will both fulfill this promise and then they can face each other one more time.

Jun Akiyama fought his favourite disciple Kotaro Suzuki in the fourth defence of his DDT Extreme Title reign. In a change of pace for the championship, there were no special rules attached to the match. It was a regular pro wrestling match between two of the best to do it. Suzuki got a nearfall with the Tiger Driver and held his ground to stop Akiyama from doing the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex. But Akiyama kept his grip on Suzuki’s wrist and rolled him over into a cradle to get the win. Suzuki was happy with how the match went despite losing. He sees the result as a kick up the pants for him to continue fighting for his goals.

Akiyama appreciated the subdued nature of the match compared to the rest of the card. He was sent crashing back into the DDT world afterwards though when his next challenger appeared. Shunma Katsumata quickly got into the ring, asked for a title match and left so he could prepare for the KO-D Tag Title bout. Akiyama told Imabayashi he accepts the challenge and the match will take place on 3rd May. He also wants a message to be sent back to Katsumata telling him he has no chance of winning.

DAMNATION T.A were back to good strength with Daisuke Sasaki’s return to the ring after recovering from a left eye injury. There was a little bit of rustiness, particularly the part where Sasaki’s chair attacks hit MJ Paul & KANON by accident. That gave Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno to take control of the match. However Sasaki used a ref bump to give Shinno a Low Blow. He then got him in La Mistica Crossface Lock for the submission win.

Sasaki got on the microphone after the match. First he told Parker they should do a singles match sometime. Then he called Imabayashi incompetent because Sasaki got up to something while he was gone. Sasaki didn’t spend the last two months away from the ring by lying around in a hospital. He went on day trips to get a deal done for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” that Imabayashi did not know about. Sasaki has put himself in a big match for Sumo Hall on 23rd July. The video screen then revealed Sasaki’s opponent will be El Desperado! The two wrestlers have been angling for a match for a long time now. Sasaki’s message to Desperado is the DDT ring will be where he will beat him up first! Until then, Sasaki might decide to disappear again until the match takes place.

Takeshi Masada scored a big win by beating Hikaru Machida in a strike heavy battle. Machida had Tanomusaku Toba in his corner giving the kickboxer advice. Masada found himself taking big shots from Machida but once the rookie got to do the Samurai Driver ’01, it was all over. Machida admitted it was a complete defeat and he has to start over if he wants to survive in pro wrestling. Masada is happy with the result but is also concerned over how beat up he is getting in these matchups, even when he wins. He knows he has to continue working hard to make up for that difference.

HARASHIMA & Nakamura’s path to the KO-D Tag Title shot came from them beating Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani. HARASHIMA scored the fall but it was Nakamura who suddenly got on the microphone and declared the two of them will use this momentum to get a title shot. The comments got a good response from the fans so HARASHIMA told him they would talk about it backstage. As mentioned above, they came back out after the KO-D Tag Title match and made their challenge official. Meanwhile Okatani said he now won’t be in good shape going into the 3 Way Qualifying Battle for the King Of DDT taking place on 1st April. Sakaguchi told him he will have to fight through the pain.

Saki Akai kicked off her 10th anniversary celebration with a massive win over Masahiro Takanashi, the man she teamed with for her debut match a decade ago. The special ocassion was almost spoiled thanks to interference from Chris Brookes. He gave Akai a Diving Senton outside the ring, taking out Okatani with a Dropkick in the process. That got all of Eruption more involved in reaction to this with Sakaguchi giving Brookes a PK and sticking around to stop Takanashi from cheating again. Akai got her second wind by wiping all of those people out with a Cross Body outside the ring. She caught up to Takanashi by stunning him with the Rookie Award and then hit the Quetzalcoatl to score the upset win. Akai said she was able to win by showing everyone she has learned a lot more than just what Takanashi had taught her.

PowerPoint Presentations are not going to stop The Wasteland War Party from doing what they want. Super Sasadango Machine made one to show how he and Antonio Honda would beat their opponents today. He reckoned Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer were not on the same page after losing the Princess Tag Team Titles in Tokyo Joshi Pro a few days ago. So the plan was to act friendly towards Max so they will fall out with Howitzer and split the team apart. Then they can coax Max over to their side by promising gifts like food and Mad Max DVDs. It looked to be working at first. Max accepted the food and began eating it while Howitzer complained. But Sasadango & Honda couldn’t capitalize and soon the War Party became a reunited force. Max & Howitzer solved their problems and went on to win the match. Sasadango & Honda called it a scary experience. However Sasadango also ended up taking a liking to Howitzer and wonders if maybe something nice could happen between them under different circumstances. He also noticed Max looks like they enjoy being in Japan. It makes him hope more foreign wrestlers will visit and fall in love with the country. He knows foreign wrestlers like the hard hitting power fighters like Kenta Kobashi and Kensuke Sasaki but he hopes today’s match will let those people know there are wrestlers like Sasadango & Honda in Japan too.

I mentioned earlier that Pheromones made a promise to Imabayashi as part of their plan to get Iino a KO-D Title shot. That promise was they would keep their clothes on for their match and if they broke that rule they would be disqualified. Toru Owashi taunted Iino by claiming to be sexier than he is. Iino submitted to his urges and tried to strip out of his costume anyway. When Imabayashi got on the microphone to warn Iino, all of Pheromones gave Yukinori Matsui a Low Blow. Imabayashi then had to be rescued by the other wrestlers causing Akito, Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada to all get knocked out by very lewd moves. By the time Pheromones got their hands on Imanari and did their thing, Matsui recovered and threw the match out. Dieno claimed his side kept their promise because the match ended in a No Contest instead of a DQ.

Makoto Oishi used his tricky wrestling style to tangle up both of his opponents to win the vacant O-40 Title. He had a small alliance with Gorgeous Matsuno that broke down when Matsuno saw his chance to win. Matsuno got Shinichiro Kawamatsu with the Gorgeous Star Elbow only for Oishi to pounce on top of him to steal the three count and win the belt. Oishi said the title is seen as a comedy championship but he wants it to be something for every wrestler around the world over the age of 40 will want to fight him for. Matsuno swears he will get revenge and take back what belongs to him. Kawamatsu has heard stories about wrestlers backstabbing each other so he wasn’t surprise to find out that happened with his two opponents.

Kazuki Hirata got to celebrate 13 years in the business by teaming with Yoshihiko. He warned Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao not to treat Yoshihiko like a doll then proceeded to use Yoshihiko as a weapon against both of them. Takao got Yosihiko trapped in the Official Endless Waltz but he wasn’t able to get a three count out of it. Hirata threw some Clotheslines that he called the 13th Anniversary Bomber. Yoshihiko gave Takao the Reincarnation but Ishii broke the pin. Takao used the Gin And Tonic on Yoshihiko to take the doll out of the match so Ishii could beat Hirata with the Running Double Arm Driver. It’s been a while since Hirata fought Ishii. He has nothing but good things to say about Ishii, calling him the same old monster with the great wrestling mind. Ishii said Hirata was a very good wrestler when he began 13 years ago and he was even better than that today.

The opening match of the main show saw Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeating Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi. Koroku blocked a Moonsault from Sumi with his knees and then submitted him with the Modified Triangle Lancer. He has unfinished business with Kojima along with Okatani going into the King Of DDT 3 Way Qualifying Battle on 1st April. Koroku has beaten both Kojima and Okatani in singles matches before so he is confident he will do that again in back to back falls.

The pre-show match was a graduation for the DDTeeeen!! wrestlers. Ilusion and El Unicorn have both grown out of their positions as teenager pro wrestlers and are moving on up to the proper DDT roster. The match also included Raimu Imai who has been on the sub-brand previously and Munetatsu Nakamura who wasn’t. Ilusion scored the win by pinning Unicorn with his Modified Pedigree. That version of the move he uses is now called the RE:VISION1.

After the match Takagi congratulated both Ilusion and Unicorn on their graduation. He explained that the two of them had to wrestle in masks the entire time because they were underage. Today they can choose if they want to keep the masks or remove them and reveal their identities. Unicorn said he has recently graduated from middle school as well as DDTeeeen!! and will about to enter high school. For that reason he will unmask. He took the mask off and revealed he is Yuni, the young pro wrestler who’s been with DDT since 2016 when he started training at 8 years old. Ilusion teased taking off his mask but decided against it. He said he has more work to do as Ilusion and wants to keep the mask on for the time being.

A variety of different names and faces will be coming to DDT over in the not too distant future. The most bizarre of which is Chiitan, the infamous mascot who often goes viral on Twitter for doing crazy stunts. The “otter fairy” mascot has dabbled with pro wrestling and will have its official debut match on 3rd May. Chiitan’s announcement was interrupted by Chris Brookes, who attacked Chiitan in the ring while it was greeting the fans. Brookes threatened to kill Chiitan there and then with a Diving Double Stomp but Imabayashi stopped him from doing it. Chiitan then got some measure of revenge by Dropkicking Brookes out of the ring.

British wrestler Rayne Leverkusen will be coming to DDT in April. She often wrestles for EVE and is also the niece of the late Clive Burr from Iron Maiden. Her big match on the tour will be a singles bout against Saki Akai on 3rd May.

Last but certainly not least, American wrestler Nick Wayne will bet at the Yokohama Budokan show on 3rd May. The youngster has been called a supernova on the US indies and gained attention for signing a deal with AEW at the age of 16. Takeshita recommended DDT to bring him over to Japan for a tour.


DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023” Results

March 13, 2023

DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023
Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage
312 Fans

1. Student Pro Wrestling Support Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Great-GO-Khan & “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid defeated Antonio Honda, Macho Gallows & Dopyu♡McIntyre when Khan pinned McIntyre with the Divine Punishment (10:06).
2. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when Paul pinned Koroku with the Death Valley Bomb (9:43).
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match ~ Pheromone Rumble: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Over The Sexy Dose (19:19).
Order Of Elimination: Yusuke Okada, Pokotan, Chris Brookes, Kazuma Sumi and Shunma Katsumata.
4. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match ~ Bring Items Anywhere Falls Count Fair And Square Full Settlement Tag Team Match: Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Kazuki Hirata, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (13:09).
5. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match ~ Shiraishi Castle Love Song: Tetsuya Endo & Keisuke Ishii defeated Akito & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Endo pinned Hiroshi with the Burning Star Press (11:40).
6. Special Challenge Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Takeshi Masada with the Exploder Suplex (11:46).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, MAO & Makoto Oishi defeated Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (15:34).

The final preview matches for “JUDGEMENT 2023” saw the champion team beat their challengers in a trios match. Both Yuji Hino & MAO took the time to rub the result in the faces of Yukio Naya & Kazusada Higuchi respectively. Naya told Hino they will show the best of DDT and heavyweight wrestling when their KO-D Openweight Title match takes place. Hino is looking forward to it but warns Naya that he will beat him. Meanwhile MAO & Higuchi agreed to make their KO-D Tag Team Title match Falls Count Anywhere!

“The Amazing Newcomer” Takeshi Masada was given a singles match against Jun Akiyama as one of his prizes for winning the D GENERATIONS CUP. He tried to use the Samurai Driver ’01 but Akiyama blocked the move and countered it into the Nagata Lock II. Masada reached the ropes to break the hold but was drilled with Knee Strikes until Akiyama finished him off with the Exploder Suplex. After the match Masada said he will be going back to university this spring so he will be travelling between Osaka and Tokyo a lot. However his DDT schedule will not be effected.

Tetsuya Endo’s produce match was a rematch from his debut 12 years ago. Afterwards he asked Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi to do a singles match with him in the future because Endo has never beaten him one on one. Hiroshi agreed but wonders if the match won’t be happening for another 12 years.

Some of the weapons used in Match #4 include a sasumata, a water pistol, balloons, a Singapore cane, tape and the World Omori Title that Soma Takao is currently the champion of. Yukio Sakaguchi taped Keigo Nakamura against the ring post, Gota Ihashi was sent rolling down a nearby hill and Takao got drunk so Kazuki Hirata was left to fight on his own. He got Sakaguchi to strike Toru Owashi with the cane by mistake and tried blocking the cane with his own hand. But Sakaguchi overpowered Hirata and pinned him on the stage with a Penalty Kick.

Wrestlers in the Pheromones Rumble were eliminated when they got their face shoved into Yuki Iino’s backside for five seconds.


Akiyama Trains The Student Club Wrestlers

March 10, 2023

DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023
Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage

1. Student Pro Wrestling Support Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Great-GO-Khan & “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid Vs Antonio Honda, Macho Gallows & Dopyu♡McIntyre
2. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match ~ Pheromone Rumble: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Sacrifice X
4. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match ~ Bring Items Anywhere Falls Count Fair And Square Full Settlement Tag Team Match: Kazuki Hirata, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura Vs Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi
5. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match ~ Shiraishi Castle Love Song: Tetsuya Endo & Keisuke Ishii Vs Akito & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
6. Special Challenge Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Takeshi Masada
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, MAO & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

Earlier this week Sanshiro Takagi asked Jun Akiyama to give the four student club wrestlers a training session at DDT’s dojo. Takagi remembered the story of MEN’S Teioh from his student pro wrestling days getting guidance from Giant Baba. This happened because Baba did not want to see Teioh get injured in the ring from having no proper training at the time. Since Akiyama is a disciple of Baba he was the perfect choice to teach Great-GO-Khan, Mazakon Kid, Macho Gallows and Dopyu♡McIntyre the basics of pro wrestling from lock ups to submission holds to rope work. Afterwards Akiyama told the media on site that if there are more student wrestlers who want to join DDT he will be there to welcome them.

Toi Kojima has picked up a fever and will not be able to appear on the show this Sunday. He’s been removed from the Pheromones Rumble.

BASARA “BASARA 213 ~TAKAGARI 15~”, 18/03/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Lil’ Kraken & Fuminori Abe
2. Daiki Shimomura Vs Koju Takeda
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT
4. Isami Kodaka Vs Antonio Honda
5. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs FUMA & KUBITO

The BASARA debut of Koju Takeda puts him in the ring against Daiki Shimomura.

GANBARE☆PRO “HERO NEVER DIE 2023”, 25/03/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Soma Takao Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Moeka Haruhi Vs YuuRI
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Hartley Jackson, Takuya Wada & Yumehito Imanari
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi

The rookie Munetatsu Nakamura has challenged Soma Takao to a match.

GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE PRODUCE 2023”, 25/03/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. DDT Foods 3 Army Battle ~Ebisuko Tavern Vs Drop Kick Vs Swan Dive~: Ken Ohka Vs Soma Takao Vs YuuRI
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Hartley Jackson Vs HARUKAZE
4. Special Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi

Whether you know them as either THE HALFEE or Harukatsu Shoot, it’s a tag team reunion for Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi!

Three employees from DDT’s different restaurant businesses will collide in a 3 Way Match.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 25/03/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Moeka Haruhi & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Rina Amikura & YuuRI
2. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Daiki Shimomura
3. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Shinichiro Tominaga & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shota & Soma Takao

Looking at the schedule I think this is Mizuki Watase’s last match in Japan before he goes on his American excursion.


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 TOUR IN NAGANO” Results

March 5, 2023

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 05/03/2023
Nagano City Art Center Act Space
179 Fans

1. KANON defeated Yuki Ishida with the Just Cobra Twist (7:13).
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi when Iino submitted Sumi with the TRUE LOVE (10:20).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku when Sakaguchi pinned Koroku with the God’s Right Knee (9:38).
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada when Endo submitted Masada with the Yurikamome (12:39).
5. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Gota Ihashi when Hirata pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (13:13).
6. Special Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when Naya pinned Oishi with the Back Drop (16:47).

Yukio Naya scores one tag team win back from Yuji Hino as the two continue trying to build momentum for “JUDGEMENT 2023”. Naya says whenever he wrestles Hino he has so much fun he loses track of the time. Hino however said he is already tired of losing and only wants to win from now on.

Toi Kojima was not in good enough condition to wrestle today and was pulled from the show. Gota Ihashi took his place and tried to fit in with The 37KAMIINA by being all dressed up for a sauna at the start of the show. He was in his normal gear for the match but lost by missing a Moonsault and then getting pinned by Kazuki Hirata. Hirata got to celebrate by convincing Toru Owashi & Yasushi Kanda to dance with him after the match. Kanda thought today’s match was supposed to be serious but he admitted to having a lot of fun out there.

One week from now Takeshi Masada will have a singles match against Jun Akiyama. He hopes that his performances this weekend would catch Akiyama’s attention but he feels like he failed to do that. The BURNING trio he fought today seem to agree. Akiyama said Masada needs to do more when they fight each other next week. Tetsuya Endo thinks Masada has to come at them with the intention of breaking them. Akiyama agrees and suggested if Masada can make Yusuke Okada’s face look three times uglier than it is now then he will have succeeded.

Pheromones were left to fight two against three after Ihashi was moved up the card and out of their match. Akito & Keigo Nakamura caught Yuki Iino underneath the ring and stripped him out of his costume. Iino had to crawl out from under the ring naked and leave Danshoku Dieno on his own. But Iino returned with barely a little bit of clothing on which was enough to keep the match going. He used a submission version of the Kamigoye to beat Kazuma Sumi.


DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 2” Results

March 4, 2023

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 2”, 04/03/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall
173 Fans

1. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Sumi with a Running Body Press (7:51).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Akito defeated Yoshihiko (c), Shunma Katsumata, Makoto Oishi, Chris Brookes, Akito, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai, Yuki “Sexy” Iino and Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (19:07).
2a. Makoto Oishi eliminated Saki Akai by Ring Out (14:35).
2b. Antonio Honda eliminated Makoto Oishi by Ring Out (14:39).
2c. Yuki “Sexy” Iino eliminated Antonio Honda with the Ketsugoye (15:27).
2d. Shunma Katsumata eliminated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno by Ring Out (16:16).
2e. Shunma Katsumata eliminated Yuki “Sexy” Iino by Ring Out (16:50).
2f. Yoshihiko (c) eliminated Shunma Katsumata with the Reincarnation (17:10).
2g. Yoshihiko (c) eliminated Chris Brookes with a School Boy (17:20).
2h. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Yoshihiko (c) with the World Liner (18:44).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,562nd champion.
2i. Akito eliminated Kazuki Hirata (c) with an Ankle Lock (19:07).
*Akito becomes the 1,563rd champion.
3. DISASTER BOX Vs Harimao!: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when HARASHIMA pinned Ishida with the Somato (8:58).
4. Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani defeated Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (9:16).
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Suzuki pinned Okada with the Tiger Driver (11:31).
6. Special Single Match: Ryota Nakatsu defeated MAO with the V Slider (12:52).
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Hino pinned Masada with the Fuckin’ BOMB (13:13).

Yuji Hino is enjoying the warm up matches against Yukio Naya. He thinks tomorrow’s one is going to be hotter than today’s and the temperature will keep on rising until “JUDGEMENT 2023” when the KO-D Openweight Title match will be the hottest of all. Naya agrees that the matches are only going to get more intense from here and he has to work harder in every one.

Bad memories clouded MAO’s mind as he wrestled Ryota Nakatsu. He never liked wrestling him back in DNA and was reminded of those experiences by Nakatsu’s kicks. Whenever MAO was on the offensive, he apologised to his opponent in between his attacks. Nakatsu kicked out of the Michinoku Driver II and pinned MAO with the V Slider. After the match Nakatsu told MAO he is an amazing Jr. Heavyweight but he is still unable to beat his senpai after all this time. If MAO is so scared of him then maybe Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi should take the KO-D Tag Team Titles away from him. MAO has come up with an idea though. If he avoids making eye contact with Nakatsu he does not feel so scared of him.

Has the time finally come for Kotaro Suzuki to surpass Jun Akiyama? He got the upper hand today, knocking him away with the Running Elbow before pinning Yusuke Okada with the Tiger Driver. Backstage Suzuki even said facing Akiyama would have been more of a challenge for him a decade ago. Tetsuya Endo is not picking sides despite being on Suzuki’s team today. He wants to see the match purely as a neutral.

Halfway through the show Daisuke Sasaki made an unexpected appearance, showing up at a wrestling show for the first time in almost two months. He had a beer in hand and thought he was at the “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023” event that is scheduled for next week. He then complained that nobody was chanting his name (chants were prohibited for today’s show). Hisaya Imabayashi tried to talk sense into him while KANON & MJ Paul entered the ring. Sasaki ended up revealing that his eye injury has recovered enough that he is allowed to wrestle again earlier than expected. He was supposed to have his first match back at “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” but Imabayashi allowed him to return to the ring at “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st Match instead. Sasaki said he hasn’t paid attention to what DAMNATION T.A was doing while he was gone, or almost anything else for that matter. All he knows is Keiji Muto retired. He also plans to go to Mexico and do whatever he wants after the DDT USA shows.

Akito believes that holding the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is the last chance any DDT wrestler has of being added to the Los Angeles trip at the end of the month. The belt makes him a champion for now and champions should be part of the LA shows!


DDT Around The World – February 2023

March 1, 2023

A month ago I was thinking this article was going to become so much easier to handle. Shota was finished with his excursion to some of the most obscure independents in America and February was mostly built around Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki doing stuff related to AEW and ROH. It should be a piece of cake from here on out. Then the Wrestlemania Week bookings started pouring in. And if that wasn’t enough, Miyu Yamashita announced her three month stay in America with the goal to get as many bookings across the country as humanly possible. The response to that idea has been great so far and she is certainly going to create some new fans this year. So yeah, keeping track of these things will only keep me busier as the year goes on. Now let’s get some more championships added to the trophy case while they’re at it.

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Videos


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)


Video starts at 14:48 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Billie Starkz


Video starts at 45:10 for the match
AEW “DARK”, 07/02/2023
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs EJ Nduka


AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF Vs Konosuke Takeshita


Video starts at 31:22 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 13/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Vert Vixen Vs Yuka Sakazaki


Video starts at 1:18:47 for the match
AEW “DARK”, (14/02/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Bronson


Video starts at 33:18 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 27/02/2023
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Lee Johnson

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Results


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/02/2023 (Aired 06/02/2023)
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Billie Starkz with the Magical Girl Splash (5:39).

Whether the company is aware of it or not, AEW hosted a rematch of last November’s Princess Of Princess Title bout between Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz. This match was a shorter affair with Starkz relying on using Swanton Bombs only to get dropped with the Tea Time and then pinned with the Magical Girl Splash.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana) with the Zahi (10:06).

A match against a heavy hitter like Brian Cage was just what Takeshita needed to finally get a win on Dynamite. The two just threw big bomb moves at each other until Takeshita was the last man standing. It was pretty cool. Once that was done, Takeshita reappeared later in the night stopping MJF from interfering in a Bryan Danielson match. The two brawled to the back and once they were broken apart, a match between them was booked for the next week.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 08/02/2023 (Aired 13/02/2023)
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Vert Vixen with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15).

Sakazaki’s last match for this month was a win against Vert Vixen but it was the aftermath that was more important. Athena attacked Sakazaki from behind, striking her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Athena then made things worse by injuring Sakazaki’s leg with the steel steps outside the ring. Sakazaki tried to step up to her but was given a boot to the head as one last insult to injury. It remains to be seen when Sakazaki will be back to look for revenge, although a title match between the two on the ROH PPV at the end of March would be a good bet.


AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Salt Of The Earth (13:19).

Takeshita’s recent interactions with MJF led to a Title Eliminator match between the two. If Takeshita had won the match he would have been granted a AEW World Title shot in the future. Unfortunately MJF worked over his arm, using the Salt Of The Earth to such good effect that Takeshita had to tap out and concede defeat. MJF then caused more harm after the match by putting on his Dynamited Diamond Ring and punching Takeshita in the face, busting him open. Bryan Danielson ran down to chase MJF off. Takeshita returned the favour later in the night by coming to Danielson’s aid when he was attacked by Preston Vance and José The Assistant.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 23/02/2023 (Aired 27/02/2023)
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Johnson with the Zahi (6:43).

So Takeshita finds himself knocked down the ladder and back to wrestling on the Youtube shows for the time being. Beating Lee Johnson gets him off to a good start.


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 25/02/2023 (Aired 02/03/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Josh Woods with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex (10:20).

It’s not the Ring Of Honor we all knew and loved but at least you can add to logo to Takeshita’s Cagematch profile now. He beat a former ROH Pure Champion in Josh Woods so that would be a fresh direction to take if he becomes a regular at ROH tapings.


DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023
NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Raychell Rose & Jada Stone when Max pinned Stone after the Master Blaster (10:30).
*V1 for The Wasteland War Party.

The Princess Tag Team Titles have now been defended on American soil. Tokyo Joshi Pro are recognizing all of The Wasteland War Party’s title defences across the US indies before they return to Japan for “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. The first defence was against Raychell Rose & Jada Stone in DPW. Stone was a replacement for Hyan.


AEW “DARK”, (26/02/2023) (Aired 28/03/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Karter (w/ Lee Johnson) with the Zahi (9:23).

Cole Karter was in Lee Johnson’s corner when Takeshita beat him on Elevation a few days earlier. If he wanted to get revenge on Takeshita he probably got a knee to the face instead.


GLORY PRO “ANNIVERSARY 6”, 26/02/2023
South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Jody Threat & Blair Onyx when Howitzer pinned Threat after the Master Blaster (?:??).
*V2 for The Wasteland War Party.

Defence number two for The Wasteland War Party was against Jody Threat & Blair Onyx. Threat got a hot tag and went wild on Heidi Howitzer. That came to a sudden halt when Max The Impaler hit her with a Spear. Max tried pinning Threat but was told they were not the legal wrestler. So Max & Howitzer linked up to do the Master Blaster and that was it for Threat.

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Upcoming Appearances


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox

Holy Mary, Mother Of God this is going to be nuts. Takeshita has a chance to win a TNT Title shot. All he has to do is win a Ladder Match against a crazy lineup of opponents. Just imagining what Komander is going to do on his own in a Ladder match is wild. Is Sammy Guevara willing to destroy himself with a massive ladder bump again? Does Action Andretti or AR Fox want to do the same? Eddie Kingston is already mad he is in the match but he’s always mad. For example, he’s mad at Ortiz right now. Powerhouse Hobbs would be a great future opponent for Takeshita too.


GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY

Heading into this weekend GCW have not announced what Maki Itoh’s match is going to be at their show yet. They are only advertising she will be in attendance. Will she use this appearance to take her new MDK attitude up another level? I still think her interactions with Nick Gage has to be leading somewhere. It’s gotten too over for it to be nothing more than a cute post-match segment to pop the crowd.


ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Trish Adora & Jordan Blade

The Wasteland War Party are aiming to make it three successful title defences in a row before they return to TJPW. Trish Adora is forming a regular association with TJPW so winning the Princess Tag Titles would bring her over more often and get Jordan Blade one foot in the door too.


GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai

Sawyer Wreck is now the only person in this match who has not wrestled on a TJPW show yet. They should bring back Rina Yamashita now that I think of it.


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo

Before Yamashita begins her American expedition she is heading back to England to do the EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo that was meant to happen back in January.


EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 09/03/2023
The Yard Theatre, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase

The next night Yamashita faces Miyuki Takase in a rematch of their DPW bout from last year. EVE have said this will be the last time both wrestlers will fight each other. If Takase beats Yamashita there will be no rubber match and if Yamashita wins she will be 2-0 against Takase forever!


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023
Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn

Takeshita will be making two appearances for Northeast Wrestling in March. His first show will have him taking on JT Dunn.


SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi

The match will be the main event of the show.


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023
NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

No opponent yet for Takeshita’s second NEW show.


NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Nicole Matthews

Joining Yamashita and Itoh on the show is Minoru Suzuki! But enough about him. Yamashita will be facing Nicole Matthews but it hasn’t been mentioned yet if Matthews will put the NEW Women’s Title on the line. Meanwhile Itoh’s match is against another Canadian wrestler, Cat Power.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe

Prepare yourselves, everyone. We are now at Wrestlemania Week. First up is Itoh’s appearance at Pandemonium Pro where she will team with Kidd Bandit against Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe.


WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X

One of the big indie shows of Mania Week is the Wrestlecon Supershow dedicated to the late Mark Hitchcock. Every year the show is highlighted with a 10-Man Tag and this year’s edition will be presented by TJPW! Will all 10 wrestlers in the match be TJPW exclusive or will one of the Americans connected to the promotion get to join in on the fun? There may be other surprises elsewhere on the card too because you never know who shows up.


DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

This is not the full card yet. Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada still need to be put in a match. Them against each other is a no brainer unless there is some tag team out there they can join forces against. But I’d just go with Higuchi versus Masada.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh

The main event of TJPW’s first USA show is The Magical Sugar Rabbits versus 121000000! They will also be sending over Shoko Nakajima, Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Raku, Nao Kakuta, Suzume and Arisu Endo to take part on the show. The international talent taking part are The Wasteland War Party, Billie Starkz, Trish Adora and Janai Kai.


DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
5. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Yeah… Um… I wouldn’t choose this over the other DDT or TJPW shows in all honesty. But there are some positives to be found. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo is a Fire Pro match brought to life. Cole Radrick has gone deep into deathmatches over the last few years so him against Yoshihiko could turn out to be way more violent than it looks on paper. If this show is live on FITE then I’m pretty sure Bussy Vs Pheromones is going to get everyone kicked off the service.


PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Aja Kong and Shigehiro Irie are also wrestling on the show. Ultimo Dragon too. That’s neat.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

I’ll keep saying it. Itoh versus Gage for the GCW World Title is the match to do.


WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch

Yamashita is sticking around in the States until June and is probably going to fight every female wrestler of note in the country before she is done. Allie Katch is going to be one of her tougher opponents especially in a promotion as rowdy as Wrestling REVOLVER.


LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh

The WPP Vs 121000000 feud extends past the Princess Tag Titles match. Howitzer and Itoh will face each other one on one.


WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023
The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA

1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The West Coast Pro Women’s Champion will either be Masha Slamovich or Sandra Moone. They will have a match to become the first champion on 4th March and Yamashita will be the first challenger one month later.


HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Hoodslam’s motto is “Fuck The Fans”. I think Itoh will fit in over there just fine.


CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023
Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Capital Championship Wrestling is a women’s promotion based out of Houston.


UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
PA Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita

This place I have no idea about. Ultimate Wrestling Empire seems to be a new promotion and their tweet promoting this match is the only thing I can find about them. Yamashita sounds very excited to be wrestling Dani Mo.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata

Prestige continues to be treated like Yamashita’s home away from home. Her return to Portland will have Queen Aminata waiting for her.


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The shop owned by The Lucha Brothers likes to run their own wrestling shows every now and then. Their next one has Takeshita meeting Daga for the first time. We already know Bandit is a big Itoh fan. Are they a big admirer of Yamashita too or will they want to beat her as a favour to Itoh?


MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023
2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra

Remember that outdoor show where Takeshita fought JDX last year? Been a while since we heard from the folks over at Midwest All-Star Wrestling. Yamashita is heading over to their place for a match against Sierra.


AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023
Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita’s debut for AIW has my attention more than the other bookings because I want to hear what the people in the company will say about her on The Card Is Going To Change podcast.


ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023
The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

At the time of writing St. Louis Anarchy is the booking closest to the end of Yamashita’s expedition. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can still add a few late dates before she heads home. I’d be shocked if there were no AEW bookings during the three months she’s in America.


Everything Other Than The Big Show Lineups, Shino Suzuki Debut

February 27, 2023

A lot to get through here. I’ll save the “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” and “JUDGEMENT 2023” for the next post just to give the pages some breathing room. There will be so much to write about between the two “Big Match” events, Wrestlemania Weekend, a whole bunch of debuting wrestlers and all of the other international bookings to keep track of. Staying up to date with the all of the news and shows in the next month is probably going to kill me.

BASARA “BASARA 212 ~KOO~”, 28/02/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Lil’ Kraken & Tsutomu Oosugi
2. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga Vs Antonio Honda
3. FUMA & KUBITO Vs Masato Kamino & Yasu Urano
4. Takumi Tsukamoto Vs SAGAT
5. Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Daiki Shimomura & Fuminori Abe
6. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Takato Nakano

The lineup for the “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023~” was revealed over the weekend and it turns out Isami Kodaka is the only BASARA representative on the show. Takato Nakano was convinced he would be on it. Maybe winning the Union MAX Title away from Kodaka tomorrow will lead to a last minute change of plan.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/03/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Aino Vs Hikari Noa Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
3. Mizuki Vs Pom Harajuku
4. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Raku
5. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima & Mahiro Kiryu
6. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko Vs Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Nao Kakuta

One more chance for Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi to test themselves against each other before the International Princess Title match.

The “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” main event are in separate singles matches. Yuka Sakazaki has to fight Raku and her dreaded pillow. Mizuki continues going through a… um… well calling it a murderer’s row of opponents isn’t accurate given how little a challenge they’ve given her so far. More like a jaywalker’s path? That’s kind of the level of crime Pom Harajuku would commit I guess.

Daisy Monkey are back teaming up to take on the rookie pairing of Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI.

Maki Itoh is missing the show because she will be in America wrestling for GCW that day.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 2”, 04/03/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani Vs Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Yoshihiko (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes Vs Akito Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. DISASTER BOX Vs Harimao!: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki
6. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Ryota Nakatsu
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada

All aboard for the journey to DDT’s 26th Anniversary show! The top three matches in Yokohama are all building towards “JUDGEMENT 2023”. Yuji Hino and Yukio Naya have a few preview tag matches to get ready for.

The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is now safe and sound in the hands of Yoshihiko. The doll still has a big challenge coming up, defending the belt in a Battle Royal.

Yuki Ueno will be absent from a few DDT shows this month because he got a part in a stage show.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 05/03/2023
Nagano City Art Center Act Space

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku
2. KANON Vs Yuki Ishida
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada
5. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya & Chris Brookes

Nagano is getting a Dragongate adjacent trio led by Yasushi Kanda taking on The 37KAMIINA.

GANBARE☆PRO “SHOOTING IN THE COLD RAIN, A GUN FOR PROMISE 2023”, 05/03/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. GanJo Special Tag Match: HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & Asahi
2. GanJo Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Miyuki Takase
3. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takuya Wada
4. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shuichiro Katsumura
5. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Shota Vs Soma Takao
6. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Yumehito Imanari

Tatsuhito Takaiwa makes his first appearance in Ganbare☆Pro since November.

The ROMANCE DAWN rivalry ends here. Shota and Soma Takao want to settle their conflict once and for all before they team up to chase after the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE NIGHT BEFORE GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 06/03/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Toga Debut Match: Toga Vs X
2. Shino Suzuki Debut Match: Miu Watanabe & Hikari Noa Vs Raku & Shino Suzuki

Shino of The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) will now be known as Shino Suzuki! The former bus guide had a dream of becoming an idol that she just could not give up so she auditioned for the unit last year. Suzuki is 157cm tall and was born in Shizuoka on 15th July, 1998. Her hobby is collecting stamps and her special skill is tourist information.

DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023
Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage

1. Student Pro Wrestling Support Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Great-GO-Khan & “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid Vs Antonio Honda, Macho Gallows & Dopyu♡McIntyre
2. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match ~ Pheromone Rumble: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Toi Kojima Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Sacrifice X
4. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match ~ Bring Items Anywhere Falls Count Fair And Square Full Settlement Tag Team Match: Kazuki Hirata, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura Vs Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi
5. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match ~ Shiraishi Castle Love Song: Tetsuya Endo & Keisuke Ishii Vs Akito & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
6. Special Challenge Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Takeshi Masada
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, MAO & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

Takeshi Masada gets to face Jun Akiyama one on one as a bonus prize for winning the D GENERATIONS CUP.

The student pro wrestlers Great-GO-Khan, “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid, Macho Gallows and Dopyu♡McIntyre have all been invited back for a special 6-Man Tag Match. Joining in the fun are HARASHIMA and Antonio Honda, two wrestlers who came from the same student wrestling scene long, long ago.

DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

Well… Sanshiro Takagi did promise he was getting somebody from AEW to help him fight Pheromones in Los Angeles. Michael Nakazawa is an AEW wrestler so where’s the lie?

Takeshi Masada will be on the show as his main prize for winning the D GENERATIONS CUP. He is demanding a first class ticket to get there too. Kazusada Higuchi is also booked for the show so if there’s room for one more match that pairing would be a good one.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Rukiya Ikeda Debut Match: Rukiya Ikeda Vs X
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs X & X

Whoever wins the KO-D Tag Team Titles match between ShunMao and Harimao at “JUDGEMENT 2023” will next defend the belts on 9th April.

The third trainee in the recent class of five is ready to make his debut. Rukiya Ikeda is from Toyonaka City, Osaka and was born on 25th February, 2001. He is 177cm tall and weighs 80kg. His athletic background is in baseball and grappling.

Naruki Doi and Kotaro Suzuki will both be on the show.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023
Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku

Super Sasadango Machine had a plan to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from BURNING in order to set up a big match in his hometown against Jun Akiyama. The plan worked perfectly! Akiyama has picked Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku to be his partners for the match. It means Sasadango, Ueno & Shinya Aoki now have to face BURNING again but if they win here then they will have beaten every member of the group!