DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 1”, 11/02/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall 195 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda when Iino submitted Honda with a Cross Buttocks Armbreaker (30:03:40).
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (4) defeated Ilusion (0) with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:11).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima (2) defeated Keigo Nakamura (2) with the Kojima In Wonderland ~KOJIMA Wonderland~ (7:58)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Takeshi Masada (2) defeated Yuki Ishida (0) with the Samurai Driver ’01 (9:34).
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Noriyuki Yoshida defeated Chris Brookes, Akito, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Endo submitted Sumi with the Yurikamome (10:08).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida defeated MAO, Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata when Machida pinned Hirata with the Iai Punch (11:26).
6. Burlesque Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Stone Cold Stunner (9:02).
7. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu defeated MJ Paul & KANON when Higuchi pinned Paul with a Lariat (10:20).
8. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when Naya pinned Oishi with the Back Drop (14:37).
1. Toi Kojima (4)
2. Keigo Nakamura (2)
-. Takeshi Masada (2)
4. Yuki Ishida (0)
The was a little bit of dissension between HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya in the main event but it was only out of competition. HARASHIMA gave Makoto Oishi a Soccer Kick early in the match. Naya then stepped in, said his kick is better and demonstrated it by giving his own Soccer Kick to Oishi. Their little back and forth was interrupted by Yuji Hino who threw them around with his power. Naya got back to fighting Oishi and won by pinning him with the Back Drop. After the match Hino said no matter who becomes the No. 1 Contender he is looking forward to defending the KO-D Openweight Title against either of them. HARASHIMA guaranteed he will be the challenger at DDT’s 26th Anniversary show. Naya said he will definitely surpass both HARASHIMA and Yukio Naya soon enough!
Members of DAMNATION T.A can rest a bit easy now that Daisuke Sasaki has reappeared in public this week. KANON & MJ Paul had a bad day anyway because they lost to Kazusada Higuchi and Harimao’s newest member Ryota Nakatsu. This was Nakatsu’s first match with the unit so he borrowed Naomi Yoshimura’s Harimao shirt for the ocassion even though it was one size too big for him.
The preview of the upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles match between Shunma Katsumata and Sanshiro Takagi took an expected direction followed by an unexpected one. The expected was weapons being brought into the ring and used by both wrestlers. It was allowed because both men agreed to fight in a Burlesque Death Match where they were allowed to do whatever they want whenever burlesque music was heard. The unexpected was the music glitched out and was suddenly replaced with Yuki “Sexy” Iino’s theme, causing Iino to run in and attack Takagi! Katsumata tried to take advantage but it backfired when Takagi threw him face first into Iino’s backside. Takagi then pinned him with the Stunner. Takagi told Katsumata that there will be proper burlesque dancers at their Tag Title match on 23rd February where Bonno Dai Shacho will become the new champions!
After winning their 6-Man Tag Match, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida agreed to continue teaming together so they can challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles. It was confirmed they will get a shot of the belts on 26th February, three days after ShunMao’s defence against Bonno Dai Shacho at the burlesque club.
Akito gave fans a demonstration of the Master Of Environment Match he will be having against Jun Akiyama on 18th February. He attached a green rope from one side of the ring across the middle to the other side. Akito rolled up Akiyama in a Cradle and placed his feet on the rope for extra leverage to get a nearfall. The rope was then removed for the rest of the match to go ahead.
The D GENERATIONS CUP is heading towards the finish line with a few contenders in both blocks still in the race. Takeshi Masada scored his first points by beating Yuki Ishida with the Samurai Driver ’01. Toi Kojima takes the leading spot in the B Block by beating Keigo Nakamura. Lastly, Yuya Koroku has now caught up to Hideki Okatani in the A Block after his win over Ilusion.
For some reason the dark match began two days ago and was already 29 hours deep when fans started entering the venue. When they got to ringside they saw Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Toru Owashi and the referee all asleep in the ring while a tired Antonio Honda was meditating. The match continued despite everyone involved being exhausted. Some of them ended up sleepwalking around ringside only to climb back in at the count of 19. Honda tripped over the rope getting into the ring, which led to him telling a Gongitsune joke for the 102nd time. He fell asleep halfway through so Iino put him in a modified Cross Armbreaker that involves the arm bending over his backside. Honda gave up and the match finally ended after 30 hours of non-stop gripping excitement.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023 IN OSAKA”, 05/02/2023 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall 216 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (2) defeated Kazuma Sumi (0) with a Triangle Lancer (6:39).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (4) defeated Ilusion (0) with the Double Arm Suplex (6:25).
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Shunma Katsumata & Maku Donaruto ended in a No Contest (10:55).
4. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima (2) defeated Yuki Ishida (0) with the Kojima In Wonderland ~KOJIMA Wonderland~ (8:58).
5. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Naruki Doi & Toru Owashi Vs MJ Paul & KANON ended in a Double Countout (2:34).
5a. Rematch: Naruki Doi & Toru Owashi defeated MJ Paul & KANON when Doi pinned Paul with the V9 Clutch (9:08).
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when Higuchi submitted Oishi with the Brain Claw (13:39).
7. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata when Endo pinned Hirata with the Swivel Torture Rack Boom (15:12)
8. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the WR (18:47).
1. Keigo Nakamura (2)
2. Toi Kojima (2)
-. Yuki Ishida (0)
-. Takeshi Masada (0)
Given that today’s show was taking place in Osaka, Yuki Ueno had a few words to say after the main event. First, he did not expect Yukio Naya to be even more fired up than he was when they fought in the D-Ou Grand Prix final. Second, he heard about Takeshi Masada, also from Osaka, was amazing for a newcomer. He now believes it after fighting him today. However Ueno thinks it will be Toi Kojima who wins the D GENERATIONS CUP and goes to Hollywood with him. Speaking of Hollywood, Ueno then promoted his singles match against Konosuke Takeshita at “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” in Los Angeles on 30th March and asked for the fans to support him. The 37KAMIINA is the unit that will make the entire world hot in 2023 but Ueno’s heart will always be in Osaka. MAO does not like Osaka however because of that one time he and Mike Bailey had travel issues there and arrived late for a show.
Yukio Sakaguchi ordered Kazuki Hirata not to wear his Hirata GO! glasses for the semi-main event because it was “not that kind of match”. Hirata tried to put them on but Sakaguchi took the glasses off him and placed them over in the other team’s corner. Hirata eventually got the glasses back and began dancing. Somehow all of his opponents then appeared in the ring wearing Hirata GO! glasses too. Jun Akiyama knocked Hirata down with a Lariat, Yusuke Okada hit a Diving Headbutt and Tetsuya Endo pinned him with the Torture Rack Bomb. HARASHIMA didn’t spend much time caring about the loss. His focus quickly switched to watching how his next big opponent Naya fared in the main event.
The Brain Claw was used by Kazusada Higuchi to counter Makoto Oishi’s Fujiyama Knee Lock. When Oishi applied the move, Higuchi grabbed his head in the Claw and overpowered him for the tapout victory.
Naruki Doi and KANON took their fight out of the ring and kept it out there long enough for the tag match to end in a Double Countout. Doi got on the microphone and said this was their last match before the DDT Universal Title bout on 18th February and he did not want it to end this way. KANON agreed so the match restarted. It almost ended in another Double Countout but they both made it back to the ring at 19. MJ Paul tagged in and KANON struck Doi in the back with a chair when the referee wasn’t looking. However things then went wrong for DAMNATION T.A and Doi pinned Paul out of nowhere with the V9 Clutch. KANON & Paul both attacked Doi after the match, leaving him beaten in the middle of the ring. Backstage Doi admitted KANON did what he is supposed to do and he wants him to do the same when the title is on the line. There will be nobody in his corner when that match happens and Doi wants to test how far KANON can go on his own.
Of course the Pheromones match with Maku Donaruto also involved ended in an obscene No Contest. There was no way the finish would be anything else. The antics caused Shunma Katsumata to turn into Shunma “Chunma” Katsumata and it was he who caused the match to get thrown out when he gave Yukinori Matsui the Lip Lock.
Three block matches in the D GENERATIONS CUP took place today. Kojima is off to a good start by beating Yuki Ishida. He dodged the Flame Palm and then used two versions of the Kojima In Wonderland to pin Ishida. He is very satisfied with the result because he could tell Ishida was giving him his “Dosukoi” best effort. His next group opponent is Keigo Nakamura and he promises to beat him up because he finds him annoying.
Hideki Okatani takes the clear lead in the A Block after winning his second match in a row. It was Ilusion’s first match in the tournament and he threw everything he had at his opponent. Okatani isn’t interested in following Ilusion’s career but he admits he is now a little more aware of the guy after the match they had today. Ilusion said he will win his remaining matches and go on to win the tournament. He also swore he will spend years and even decades chasing after Okatani so he can overtake him!
The only person who can stop Okatani in the A Block now is Yuya Koroku. His first match today ended with a win and he will have to beat Ilusion next week to catch up with Okatani. He uses a Triangle Lancer to beat Kazuma Sumi after discovering that Sumi was a more aggressive opponent than he expected. Sumi cannot reach the final now but will stay strong for his final group match. All he can do now is do his best.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~OSAKA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/02/2022 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. Suzume Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Kaya Toribami Vs HIMAWARI
3. Mizuki Vs Raku
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Arisu Endo
The first Tokyo Joshi Pro show of the month happens tomorrow. It’s been a while since they were in Osaka too.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023 IN OSAKA”, 05/02/2023 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (0) Vs Kazuma Sumi (0)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (2) Vs Ilusion (0)
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Shunma Katsumata & Maku Donaruto
4. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima (0) Vs Yuki Ishida (0)
5. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Naruki Doi & Toru Owashi Vs MJ Paul & KANON
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
7. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata
8. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
Sunday’s show has turned into a bigger test for Yukio Naya because his match is now the main event! Meanwhile Yuji Hino and Kazusada Higuchi face off again fresh off of their KO-D Openweight Title match.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 11/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
2. Wakana Uehara Vs HIMAWARI
3. Yuki Arai Vs Pom Harajuku
4. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Hikari Noa & Janai Kai
5. Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Raku, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe & Suzume
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
Yuka Sakazaki returns from her latest American tour and is back teaming with Mizuki. Is the unbreakable bond between The Magical Sugar Rabbits still solid or will cracks begin to appear as we get closer to their Princess Of Princess Title match.
The TJPW debut of Janai Kai has her teaming with Hikari Noa.
Either Wakana Uehara or HIMAWARI will get their first singles win. Unless a draw somehow happens.
Juria Nagano will not be on the show because of a left finger injury.
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Yuki Ishida (0) Vs Takeshi Masada (0)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) Vs Toi Kojima (0)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (0) Vs Ilusion (0)
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Chris Brookes, Akito, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida
6. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Sanshiro Takagi
7. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu Vs MJ Paul
8. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya
Higuchi invited an close friend of his to join Harimao and bolster up the unit while Naomi Yoshimura is out injured. Ryota Nakatsu from BASARA was Higuchi’s rival in DNA and is more than happy to give Harimao some reinforcement. He also doesn’t want people to think he is only filling in for Yoshimura because he is a fully fledged fourth member of the stable. Meanwhile DAMNATION T.A is still working out as a focused force even with Daisuke Sasaki still missing. Just like every other show that’s being advertised since his absence, the card can change if Sasaki appears at the show and is able to wrestle.
DDT “HEAT WAVE OVER FLOWERS 2 ~THE WORLD THAT EVERYONE DOES NOT KNOW~”, 14/02/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuki Ishida
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Kazuma Sumi Vs Ilusion
3. ~The World Unknown To ShunMao~: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (Special Referee: MEN’S Teioh)
4. ~The World Unknown To Toi~: Toi Kojima Vs Yasu Urano
5. ~The World Unknown To Yuki~: Yuki Ueno Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & X
6. Special Tag Match: Akito & Sakura Hirota Vs Tetsuya Endo & Kazuki Hirata
7. Final Set ~The World Unknown To The 37KAMIINA~: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno, Toi Kojima
DDT received a message from Gorgeous Matsuno earlier today about his singles match against Yuki Ueno. Matsuno warns there is another wrestler out there who wants to fight Ueno as much as he does so Matsuno is bringing him to the show. Matsuno also wants the match to turn into a 2 Vs 1 Handicap Match because of this. Ueno accepts the challenge, thinking Matsuno is so little of a threat that it may as well still be a singles match.
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2023”, 18/02/2023 Aichi Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima (0) Vs Takeshi Masada (0)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (2) Vs Yuya Koroku (0)
3. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda & Keigo Nakamura
4. Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi
5. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yukio Naya Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Shinya Ishida
6. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Yuki Ishida
7. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs KANON
8. DDT Extreme Title – Master Of Environment Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Akito
Once again Jun Akiyama is allowing his challenger to come up with the match stipulation for a DDT Extreme Title defence. This time it is Akito as the opponent and he came up with the Master Of Environment Match. All four corner turnbuckle pads will be removed and two green straps will criss cross the ring. Akiyama and Akito will fight under normal rules with the ring in this state. The green straps do not count as rope breaks. Akito was inspired by Gaia’s fight against Sikorsky in Baki The Grappler to come up with the match idea. That fight was all about how to use the environment as a weapon and Akito thinks he has a much better chance of beating Akiyama under a similar scenario. The concept might backfire though because Akiyama himself admits he does not move a lot in his matches. The restrictions caused by the extra ropes across the ring may not even matter in the end. Akito wants to return the Extreme Title belt back to purple if he wins it but accepts that it is the champion who gets to make that decision.
Proof of DAMNATION T.A still being a well oiled machine can be seen from how KANON is dealing with Naruki Doi. KANON & MJ Paul attacked Doi backstage after his match last weekend. Today at a press conference KANON approached Doi and apologised for his behaviour. Doi wanted to make sure if the DDT Universal Title defence against KANON is only going to involve those two and no one else. That means no Sasaki and no Paul in KANON’s corner while Doi will not have Kazuki Hirata in his. Doi then hesitantly shook KANON’s hand until KANON gave him a low blow! He told Doi his title reign won’t make it past its first defence in Nagoya!
Let’s see how this AEW relationship works out. Kip Sabian makes his DDT debut and Penelope Ford is by his side for extra danger. His first match here has him teaming with both Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno as an international trio. Shinno recently had his own little excursion in AEW over the winter.
BASARA “BASARA 211 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 24~”, 18/02/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
The new IRON FIST Tag Champions are going up against former champions in their first defence. Isami Kodaka is now a double BASARA champion and Daiki Shimomura wants to hold the tag titles long enough for the “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023”. That’s if he is chosen as BASARA’s representative of course. He may have jumped the gun on that. Aijin Tag lost the belts to the previous champions and had already planned to challenge them to a rematch. Now that Sento Minzoku have the titles, Aijin Tag had to change their target.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
We have our first two matches for the GCW Vs DDT show! The Moonlight Express reunite to take on The East West Express. The show will also pit GCW’s Dark Sheik against DDT’s own Saki Akai.
A partial lineup of other wrestlers have been announced. Team DDT so far consists of Kazusada Higuchi, Jun Akiyama and Yoshihiko. The first crop of GCW wrestlers showing up are Joey Janela, Blake Christian, EFFY and Allie Katch. The last two are being advertised together as Bussy (adding that to the taglist is going to be a dangerous game) so that means we have at least one other tag match happening.
The first month of 2023 felt like DDT’s international plans have jumped up a gear. Konosuke Takeshita now finds himself orbiting the current AEW World Title storyline and Yuka Sakazaki has her sights set on a Ring Of Honor championship, making a new enemy (maybe her first?) in the process. Maki Itoh is getting further entrenched into GCW while Miyu Yamashita is also out there growing her stock across America. Things are going to ramp up even further in the coming months as we approach WrestleMania weekend.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/01/2023 KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Bryan Danielson Vs Konosuke Takeshita
PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023 The Glass House, Pomona, California, USA
1. Kevin Blackwood Vs MAO
Video starts at 2:20:10 for the match ROH “JAY BRISCOE TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, 25/01/2023 Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Sandra Moone
Video starts at 2:03:40 for the match SETUP “SETUP EP.11”, 28/01/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. International Single Match: Matcha Vs Yuki Kamifuku
Video starts at 22:05 for the match. Go to 39:55 for The Dark Order segment. AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 30/01/2023 Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
1. Athena & Diamante Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue (w/ Madison Rayne)
Video starts at 31:48 for Match #1. Go to 41:03 for Match #2. AEW “DARK”, 31/01/2023 Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Avery Breaux
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Angelico
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Results
GCW “56 NIGHTS”, 01/01/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz and Sawyer Wreck when Itoh pinned Sheik with the I.S.D (8:01).
I think Itoh is fitting in with GCW a little too well. During her last trip their she became firmly established as a member of Nick Gage’s gang, adopting the pizza cutter as her new weapon of choice and even entering to Gage’s theme music “For Whom The Bell Tolls” by Metallica! It’s been working out for her because she was the last woman standing in a 4 Way against Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz and Sawyer Wreck! She even got a piggy back ride from Gage back to the locker room after the match. Being MDK all day has its benefits.
PWG “BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2023 – FIRST STAGE”, 07/01/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Michael Oku with the Zahi (17:17).
Takeshita’s hectic month began with the Battle Of Los Angeles tournament in PWG. It is one of the most high profile events on the American indies even though it takes about 6 months for official videos of the event to actually surface. Takeshita only had one match on the first night but it was an intense fight against Michael Oku, who is an English wrestler you should be paying attention to. Countering the Blue Thunder Bomb with a Reverse Hurricanrana is no easy feat.
PWG “BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2023 – FINAL STAGE”, 08/01/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Round 2: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Titus Alexander with the Jumping Knee (9:38).
2. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Semi Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Komander with a Backslide Pin (5:43).
3. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Final: Mike Bailey defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Flamingo Driver (27:22).
Night two was an even busier night for Takeshita. He went through three rounds to reach the BOLA final, beating the west coast’s own Titus Alexander and luchador Komander. The only man who had an even busier night in the ring was Takeshita’s opponent in the final. It was his good old friend Mike Bailey! Speedball fought four matches in one night due to a busy weekend schedule and won them all. That’s right, Bailey beat Takeshita in the final and he used the Flamingo Driver to do it. It was the very move Bailey first created to beat Takeshita in 2018.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/01/2023 KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Bryan Danielson defeated Konosuke Takeshita by Referee Stoppage with the Regal Stretch (14:47).
No rest for the wicked because a few days later Takeshita stepped up to face the one and only Bryan Danielson in AEW! There was more than just a wrestling match to pay attention to because MJF entered the ring after Takeshita to run down everybody on the microphone, Takeshita included. Takeshita responded to the AEW World Champion first in Japanese and then told MJF in English to kiss his ass. Once that was out of the way Takeshita and Danielson put on one hell of a match that ended with Takeshita passing out to the Regal Stretch. Danielson had nothing but the highest of praise for Takeshita afterwards.
ROH “JAY BRISCOE TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, 18/01/2023 (Aired 25/01/2023) Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sandra Moone with the Magical Magical Girl Splash (3:02)
The January tour for Sakazaki began with what you could say is her debut for Ring Of Honor. It was under sad circumstances because the taping was held in tribute for the late Jay Briscoe, who tragically lost his life in a car crash the previous day. Sakazaki beat Sandra Moone in one of the matches taped for the show and showed good sportsmanship to her opponent afterwards. Oh and there was that one guy in the crowd who was having the time of his life dancing to Sakazaki’s theme song after the match.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 27”, 21/01/2023 Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zachary Wentz with the Zahi (14:21).
Takeshita was back to winning ways on the indies. His first visit to Warrior Wrestling put him in the ring with Zachary Wentz of The Rascalz. It was a back and forth match that ended with Takeshita hitting the Jumping Knee followed by the Zahi for the three count.
PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023 The Glass House, Pomona, California, USA
1. Anything Goes Match: Sonico defeated Shunma Katsumata with the BMF through the Lego covered door (16:53).
2. MAO defeated Kevin Blackwood with a Screw High Kick (13:21).
3. ROH Women’s Title: Athena (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Title Belt Attack (20:59). *V4 for Athena.
Yamashita’s plan to become a triple crown champion had already fallen apart by the time she travelled to California for her latest Prestige appearance. Now thanks to Athena’s cheating she is also no longer undefeated in the promotion. Athena tricked the referee into thinking Yamashita had hit her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Then when the ref’s back was turned, Athena grabbed the belt and whacked it over Yamashita’s head for the three count!
MAO had the breakout performance of the show with his win against Kevin Blackwood. The one moment in particular that went viral was MAO giving Blackwood a Springboard Hurricanrana off the corner and then following up with a Swan Dive Phoenix Splash, aka the Marines Tornado Splash!
Shunma Katsumata also had a crazy match with Sonico. It had to be because he was asking fans to bring Lego and other items to the show so they could use them as weapons! The chaotic match ended with Sonico spitting Poison Mist in Katsumata’s eyes and then crashing him through a lego covered door from the top rope. The two showed respect to each other after the match.
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue (w/ Madison Rayne) defeated Athena & Diamante when Sakazaki pinned Diamante with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (7:11).
Sakazaki’s return to AEW actually began earlier in the month when she started a program with Athena. For weeks Athena has been winning matches and beating up her opponents afterwards. Sakazaki ran down to put a stop to it, sending Athena out of the ring. Sakazaki noticed the ROH Women’s Title belt and showed an interest in taking it. The following week the two women met up backstage and got into a fight, causing them to be pulled apart. That all led to the match on this show. Sakazaki teamed with her usual AEW tag partner Skye Blue while Athena struck a deal with Diamante to tag with her. Sakazaki scored the win after sending Athena out of the ring with a Hurricanrana and then pinning Diamante with the Magical Merry-Go-Round.
That wasn’t the end of Sakazaki’s night though. She was approached by The Dark Order later backstage with an offer to join their group. She kept telling them “Hai!” but they misunderstood and thought she was just saying hello. They left her alone, convinced they were being rejected. She made the Dark Order pose with her hand anyway. So maybe she’s in (or maybe she’s not, brother)?
SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD”, 27/01/2023 Foochow Building, Singapore
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Shotgun Double Knees (?:??). *V1 for Alexis Lee.
In travels much closer to home Yuki Kamifuku took a mini-tour of southeast Asia after her team was eliminated from the Max Heart Tournament. Her first stop was in Singapore Pro Wrestling where she challenged Alexis Lee for the Queen Of Asia Title. Lee successfully defended her title by pinning Kamifuku with the Shotgun Double Knees.
SETUP “SETUP EP.11”, 28/01/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. International Single Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Matcha with the Famouser (9:43).
The next day Kamifuku was in Thailand to take on Matcha at a SETUP show. Things got better for her here… sort of. Kamifuku pinned Matcha with the Famouser but for some reason the bell never rang and the two of them decided to continue wrestling. Kamifuku had climbed up to the second rope ready to do a flying Famouser when the bell finally rang and the referee tried to explain to a confused audience that the match had ended with Kamifuku as the winner.
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Avery Breaux with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15)
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated EJ Nduka with the Zahi (4:15).
3. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Bronson with the Zahi (6:37).
The month for Takeshita and Sakazaki ends with an AEW Dark taping in Universal Studios. Sakazaki’s match with Avery Breaux has already been shown on the most recent episode as I type this. Takeshita’s matches with EJ Nduka and Bronson will be show in February. The EJ Nduka match got some attention online because it is Nduka’s first appearance in the ring since leaving MLW a few weeks earlier.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)
So now Takeshita has found himself playing a part in the MJF Vs Danielson feud. In the weeks since his Danielson match, Takeshita has called MJF an asshole in interviews and saved Danielson in the ring from an attack from MJF and Brian Cage. The next part of the story happens tonight when Takeshita faces Cage one on one.
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) Vs Raychell Rose & Hyan
The Princess Tag Team Titles are heading over to America thanks to The Wasteland War Party. The new champions have set Deadlock Pro Wrestling as their next target and agreed to defend the titles against Raychell Rose & Hyan. It will be the first time the Princess Tag Titles will be defended outside of Japan. Rose is an established part of DPW’s roster, being the young company’s first women’s champion. Hyan is a talent from the Texas scene who is well travelled around the US indies.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY
Itoh will have a lot to do with GCW in March and she won’t be alone for any of it. Asuka/VENY will be travelling over to Atlantic City alongside her. They’ll be wrestling together on the second show but first, VENY is getting a GCW welcoming party from Joey Janela.
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
Itoh is familiar with all three of her opponents Wreck, Starkz & Janai Kai at this point. Rina Yamashita is joining in the fun and will surely make the match turn out way more violent than anticipated.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
Yamashita’s scheduled EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo was delayed due to the concussion Yamashita suffered in Tokyo Joshi Pro a few days earlier. She was unable to travel abroad safely because of it. The match will now take place at EVE’s next event in March.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
Masahiro Takanashi is getting a title match when he returns to Thailand in March. Monomoth is the current SETUP Openweight Champion and is now counting down the days for his defence against Takanashi to happen.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
YYamashita makes her Canadian debut with Nation Extreme Wrestling. Itoh joins her and cannot wait to eat poutine again.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “NEW 12”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe
Damn it this was announced while I was in the middle of finishing this post. Itoh makes her debut for Pandemonium Pro Wrestling teaming with Kidd Bandit. Together they take on Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe! Bandit once cosplayed as Itoh and got her approval so will they be showing up in matching costumes on the night?
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
DDT are sending 16 wrestlers over to Los Angeles for the company’s big return to America. They are Kazusada Higuchi, Jun Akiyama, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Sanshiro Takagi, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes, Saki Akai, KANON, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Michael Nakazawa, Yoshihiko and the winner of the D GENERATIONS CUP. This will be Takeshita’s only DDT match during the week.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
The report from The Wrestling Observer last November was true. TJPW is travelling along with DDT to America this March! Here’s the interesting wrinkle. The TJPW show is being held under the Wrestlecon umbrella ran by Highspots while DDT is with GCW and The Collective. Now that’s playing both sides! Somewhere between 12 and 15 members of the TJPW roster will be part of the show along with some international guest wrestlers.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
The first GCW Vs DDT match announced is sure to be a barn burner. MAO & Mike Bailey are back together as The Moonlight Express for the first time in three years. Their opponents are two of GCW’s most talked about prospects. Together Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne are The East West Express.
Other DDT wrestlers so far confirmed to appear are Higuchi, Akiyama and Yoshihiko. As already mentioned, Takeshita will not be part of the GCW Vs DDT show. ROH have their PPV happening around the same time so maybe he shows up there?
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Another match that got announced right after I finished this post. You’re killing me here lads. Yamashita faces Valkyrie for the first time ever.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Here me out. The payoff to the Itoh and Gage interactions has to be the two of them in the same match together, right? They’re both MDK so Itoh & Gage teaming together makes sense. But “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” has the reputation of being one of the craziest booked shows to happen anywhere every year. Gage is the GCW World Champion so why not have him defend it against Itoh on this show! Or how about Itoh versus Kota Ibushi now that he’s been announced for the show?
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
Heidi Howitzer got the chance to pick any opponent she wanted for the next Lucha Libre & Laughs show in April. She wants to fight Itoh and made her challenge in words Itoh can understand: “Hey Maki, fuck you!”
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
Another promotion debut for Yamashita is happening while she is in America this Spring. West Coast Pro will be crowning their first Women’s Champion in March. Whoever it is, her first defence will be against Yamashita in April.
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Cancelled Appearances
EVE “EVE 100”, 07/01/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
As mentioned above, the title match was pushed back to March because of Yamashita’s concussion preventing her from travelling overseas.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 777 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Dark Match – Bonno Dai Shacho Presents No Fee Rumble: Fuminori Abe defeated Sanshiro Takagi with a School Boy (12:29). Order Of Elimination: Mori Haruomi, Tsutenkakuka, Honagi Takemoto, Tezuka awesome Ichiro, Ariji Akinori, Shinya, Shosaku Inoue, “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid, Macho Gallows, Dopyu♡McIntyre, Dick Zlater, Thick And Hard Kankuro Hoshino, BRA-VO, Kaijin Mukuro 696, Hen China, Big Bear, Crusher Inoba, ASHUKA, Tadaki Toronomi, Great-CO-Khan, Kim Yocchan, Tiger Mask V (Self-Proclaimed), Gundan Hitori, Fuck Takeda, Great-GO-Khan, Takuma Joshiba, Fat Kobashi and Sanshiro Takagi.
0. Dark Match – 4 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda & Akito and Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida when KANON submitted Honda with the Cobra Twist (7:11).
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani (2) defeated Kazuma Sumi (0) with the Double Arm Suplex (5:22).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) defeated Takeshi Masada (0) with a Modified Crucifix Pin (7:10).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima defeated Thanomsak Toba, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida when Aoki submitted Toba with a Modified Ground Cobra Twist (8:20).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya defeated Naruki Doi, Jun Akiyama & Soma Takao when HARASHIMA pinned Takao with the Somato (10:02).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda when Endo pinned Dieno with the Burning Star Press (12:08). *V1 for BURNING.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi when Katsumata pinned Oishi after the Oretachi no Mad Max (14:59). *V1 for ShunMao.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi (c) with the Fuckin’ BOMB (26:27). *Kazusada Higuchi fails in V6. Yuji Hino becomes the 80th KO-D Openweight Champion!
1. Keigo Nakamura (2)
2. Toi Kojima (0)
-. Yuki Ishida (0)
-. Takeshi Masada (0)
For the first time in over a decade Yuji Hino is the KO-D Openweight Champion! All month long Hino and Kazusada Higuchi have been chopping each other back and forth in their matches with neither wrestler backing off. Other moves were used in this match but the chop battles continued here. It’s been claimed by DDT that 220 chops were thrown in total between them today! Someone eventually had to break and it happened to Higuchi in the end. Hino got the upper hand with one more barrage of Chops and hit the Fuckin’ BOMB to become a two time KO-D Champion! After the match Hino said he was always confident he would win the KO-D Title no matter who the champion was but winning today’s match has made him more happier than he thought he would be. That’s because Higuchi was stronger than he imagined. He wants to do the match again and the two wrestlers paid respect to each other.
Higuchi left ringside while Hino told Hisaya Imabayashi he does not care who his first challenger will be on 21st March as long. His only preference is he wants the opponent to be a big guy because if it’s a small guy Hino is worried he would kill him. Yukio Naya entered the ring and said his wrestling life did a 180 since meeting Hino. He wants to beat Hino for the championship and become the strongest wrestler in DDT! However HARASHIMA then entered the ring and said he wants to fight for the KO-D Title on 21st March because it is DDT’s 26th anniversary. He’s not a big guy like Hino wants but he will prove he is still the centre of DDT! Hino couldn’t decide who to choose so Imabayashi booked Naya against HARASHIMA in a No. 1 Contender’s match on 26th February. Hino accepted the conditions and said if DDT can bolster their heavyweight division and mix it in with everything else that they do, it can become the number one wrestling promotion in Japan!
It was a show of two halves for Ω. Hino was able to win the KO-D Title but Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi couldn’t live up to their task of winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Instead the masters lost out to their students. They did the Cactus Flower to Shunma Katsumata but MAO broke the pin. Oishi & Asahi then tried to do an Avalance Cactus Flower but MAO cut them off again and later hit the Cannonball 450 on Oishi. The champions followed up by giving Oishi the Oretachi no Mad Max for the victory. After the match Oishi & Asahi congratulated ShunMao and wrapped the tag belts around their waists.
Imabayashi then told ShunMao their next title defence will be at Korakuen Hall on 26th February. Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe came out and challenged them for the belts. But before Imabayashi confirmed the match, Takagi told him it won’t be taking place in Korakuen on the 26th. Instead it will be a Falls Count Anywhere match happening three days earlier inside a Roppongi burlesque club! ShunMao Vs Bonno Dai Shacho for the tag titles will be at Burlesque Tokyo on 23rd February! Whichever team wins the match will have to defend the titles in Korakuen three days later.
The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match briefly turned into a Handicap Match thanks to some Pheromones trickery. They wanted Tetsuya Endo to join their side and Danshoku Dieno used the Lip Lock to convince him. Endo turned into Tetsuya “Hercules” Endo and he turned on Yusuke Okada, throwing his poor partner into the usual Pheromones attacks. Kotaro Suzuki tried to snap Endo back to normal and had to do something desperate. He gave him the Lip Lock! Endo recovered, realised he wasn’t wrestling in his tights anymore and pinned Dieno with the Burning Star Press.
A video message was shown to BURNING after the match. It was from Super Sasadango Machine and he has put together an impromptu unit to challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. The unit is himself, Shinya Aoki and Yuki Ueno! He explains that even though it looks like the three of them have nothing in common, they are all radio personalities outside of wrestling. Therefore they can use their upcoming radio appearances to promote the title match on 26th February. Back in the arena Ueno & Aoki entered the ring and asked BURNING for the title shot face to face. Endo was more concerned about trying to cover himself with the title belts so he accepted.
Future opponents HARASHIMA and Yukio Naya were on the same team earlier in the show. They along with Chris Brookes beat the trio of Naruki Doi, Jun Akiyama & Soma Takao. What happened backstage afterwards was a little more noteworthy. Doi was hyping up his DDT Universal Title defence against KANON on 18th February when KANON & MJ Paul ambushed him! Kazuki Hirata came to the rescue only to also get beaten up by DAMNATION T.A. KANON threatened to win the title and take it with him to Hollywood. He & Paul then ran off when Toru Owashi arrived on the scene.
A potential new team could be in the making coming out of Match #3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida worked well together against Aoki. It should have put their team on track towards winning the match but Aoki caught Thanomsak Toba in a Cobra Twist and rolled him onto his shoulders to escape with a win. Backstage Machida said he and Sakaguchi both come from martial arts so he wants to learn from him while he is still being taught how to wrestle by Toba. Sakaguchi is gets the idea but believes Machida has a long way to go before they can become a tag team together. Meanwhile Aoki asked Toi Kojima if his monthly salary has gone up since they last met. Kojima said it hasn’t but thinks it will double when he wins the D GENERATIONS CUP. Aoki joked that if you double zero you still get zero.
Speaking of the D GENERATIONS CUP it began today with two block matches. Keigo Nakamura gets an early lead in the B Block by beating Takeshi Masada. He kicked out of a Perfect Driver, dodged a Triangle Kick and caught Masada in a Crucifix Pin for the three count. Masada thought this would be a fresh start for him but he just lost his opening group match due to underestimating Nakamura. Meanwhile Nakamura is ecstatic!
The A Block opening match had Hideki Okatani going off to a strong start. He withstood Kazuma Sumi’s quick attacks, cut him off with a Running Neckbreaker and pinned him with the Double Arm Suplex. Okatani is letting his ring work do the talking because all he told reporters afterwards is to keep watching him. Sumi admitted he felt the gap in ability and experience with the most experienced young wrestler in the tournament.
The pre show matches probably had more people involved than the entire main card put together! DAMNATION T.A won a 4 Way Tag Match. Hirata took a beating when he got caught between Yuya Koroku and Yuki Ishida but he eventually knocked both of them out with Tegatana strikes to their necks. Akito’s leg work led to a ring of Leg Holds forming around Antonio Honda in the middle of the ring. KANON wanted nothing to do with the Gongitsune joke and he made Honda submit to the Cobra Twist.
Then there was the No Fee Rumble. Oh boy this was something. Takagi and Abe invited accepted a whole bunch of amateur pro wrestlers to enter a Royal Rumble style match. Due to safety reasons entrants would be eliminated if they were knocked out of the ring no matter if it was over the top rope or not. Among the competitors were tribute acts for Asuka, Tiger Mask, Great-O-Khan and Kenta Kobashi. There was also a child, a Super Sentai and 2AW wrestler Takuma Joshiba. Takagi and Abe complained about his entry because Joshiba is an actual pro wrestler. A bunch of participants were all eliminated at the same time when a group attempt to skin the cat failed in spectacular fashion. Abe was the last man standing after he pinned Takagi with a roll up. Takagi liked Great-CO-Khan in particular and thinks he can become the next Chinsuke Nakamura.
Yuki Ueno will get to face Samuray Del Sol at “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st March after all. The match was announced during the show.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 2”, 05/11/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall 280 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
2. Yukio Sakaguchi Produce Match ~ 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Pokotan & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Kazuki Hirata
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (0) Vs KANON (2)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (3) Vs Joey Janela (2)
5. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (2) Vs RSP (4)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs Yuji Hino (4)
“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. TWO”, 24/01/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Singles Match: Fuminori Abe Vs Death Worm
2. Thai Boxing Vs Death Match: Thanomsak Toba Vs Drew Parker
3. Special Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Onryo Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
Tomorrow’s Baka Gaijin + Friends show will be airing live on Gatoh Move/ChocoPro’s Youtube channel like the first one. Hopefully this time the recording does not get blocked for copyright reasons.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 29/01/2023 Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube
1. Mizuki Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Mahiro Kiryu Vs HIMAWARI
3. Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Yuki Arai, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
Next up for Wakana Uehara is a singles match against Mizuki. There’s high hopes for her with all of the big name opponents she’s been getting so far.
Yuki Kamifuku will be missing the last set of Tokyo Joshi Pro shows in January because she will be touring southeast Asia that week. She has a match at SPW in Singapore on the 27th and another match at SET-UP in Thailand on the 28th.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “BEYOND THE ORIGIN, TO THE FUTURE”, 30/01/2023 TwinBox AKIHABARA
1. Princess Of The Decade: X Vs X
A one night tournament is taking place in the venue where TJPW held their very first event. TwinBox AKIHABARA was where Miyu Yamashita, KANNA and Chikage Kiba had their first exhibition matches on 30th January, 2013. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of that event, TJPW is holding the Princess Of The Decade tournament on PPV featuring 19 wrestlers from the roster taking part. It will be an empty arena show with all of the matches being held on mats instead of a wrestling ring. The winner of the tournament will receive a luxurious prize. Yuka Sakazaki, Yuki Kamifuku and Wakana Uehara will not be on the show. Sakazaki and Kamifuku are both wrestling overseas while Uehara has a scheduling conflict.
BASARA “BASARA 209 ~GLITTER~”, 31/01/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Takato Nakano Vs Lil’ Kraken
2. Jacket 3 Way Match: FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Gouma Ryu
3. KUBITO & Daichi Kazato Vs Masato Kamino & Fuminori Abe
4. SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
5. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Kazusada Higuchi
6. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano (c) Vs Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura
Isami Kodaka has his eyes set on becoming the first wrestler to hold both BASARA championships at the same time. The current Union MAX Champion beat Yasu Urano over the weekend in a successful title defence. Now that he has a win over one half of the IRON FIST Tag Champions, Kodaka is calling upon Daiki Shimomura to help him achieve his goal while Urano & Takumi Tsukamoto are up for a challenging first defence.
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2023”, 18/02/2023 Aichi Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima Vs Takeshi Masada
3. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Akito
4. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs KANON
The next challenger for Jun Akiyama is another wrestler who has a deep bond with the DDT Extreme Title. It’s Akito! He considers the Extreme Title to be the most important championship he has ever held and is not too thrilled to see the belt strap be changed from purple to white. The match will be happening in Nagoya too which is Akito’s home region.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 21/01/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall 175 Fans – No Vacancy
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (7:33).
2. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match I: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Yusuke Okada with a School Boy (3:31).
3. Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi defeated Yuki Ueno, Toi Kojima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Akito pinned Kojima with a Stepover Toe Hold (9:30).
4. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match II: Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Tetsuya Endo by Disqualification when Endo stripped off Iino’s costume (9:23).
5. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada when HARASHIMA pinned Nakamura with the Somato (10:17).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Monoboke Death Match: Jun Akiyama (c) (3) defeated Antonio Honda (1) (13:22).
6a. Jun Akiyama (1) pinned Antonio Honda (0) with a Cradle (0:17).
6b. Jun Akiyama (2) pinned Antonio Honda (0) with the Exploder Suplex (7:56).
6c. Antonio Honda (1) made Jun Akiyama (2) laugh (12:12).
6d. Jun Akiyama (3) submitted Antonio Honda (1) with the Front Neck Lock (13:22). *V2 for Jun Akiyama.
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani when Higuchi pinned Okatani with the Brain Claw Slam (18:10).
The final preliminary tag match between Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino ended with Higuchi getting his hand raised as the winner. Earlier in the show both wrestlers participated in a contract signing ceremony and gave their comments for the KO-D Openweight Title match on 29th January. Hino said he wants the match to show off the greatness of DDT’s heavyweight division. Higuchi said it will be a match only the two of them will do and it there will be a clear winner coming out of it. After the main event Higuchi told Hino he is protecting the KO-D Title with his entire body and soul.
When Jun Akiyama holds the DDT Extreme Title, the championship is no laughing matter. The belt was on the line in a first to three falls Monoboke Death Match. Every time Antonio Honda kicked out of a pin or caused a rope break he was given a chance to make Akiyama laugh. Do it three times and he will win the match. Akiyama had to beat Honda by regular means three times in order to win, which was easy because he immediately pinned Honda with a Small Package when the match began. Honda brought along a box filled with costumes to do impressions with. He was pinned again with an Exploder Suplex but finally made Akiyama laugh after telling a joke about nipples. That was the only joy he got because Akiyama put him straight into a Front Neck Lock and made Honda submit for the last fall to give Akiyama the win.
After the match Akito challenged Akiyama to a title match. He pointed out that Akiyama has been defending the title against previous champions so Akito wants to be next in line. He even offered to come up with the match stipulation himself. Akito also wants to return the belt back to the purple strap if he can win it. Akiyama accepted and the match will go ahead in Nagoya on 18th February.
BURNING and Pheromones had a couple of matches against each other today in the build up to their KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match at the end of the month. The matches became heated when Yuki Iino discovered at the start of the show that Tetsuya Endo had stolen his O-back! It had an effect on their matches because Yusuke Okada and Danshoku Dieno fought each other with no care over their fight being called off by the referee. Dieno ended up winning when Iino flashed Okada for a distraction, allowing Dieno to give Okada a Low Blow and then a School Boy. Endo got revenge after the match by stripping Iino completely naked!
Iino later returned in his usual wrestling gear for the revenge match against Endo. Dieno had warned everyone that because Endo still had possession of the O-back, Iino was going commando! This time Okada interfered in the match causing a ref bump to Yukinori Matsui. Iino was stripped naked again but Dieno grabbed the O-back and gave it back to him. Endo knocked Iino face down onto the canvas and climbed the turnbuckle to set up the Burning Star Press. Dieno then handed the O-back to Endo and Matsui regained consciousness. He saw Iino was completely naked with Endo holding his costume and disqualified Endo thinking he stripped his opponent! Dieno then got Endo in a Lip Lock and Stunner for good measure. A Pheromones made their exit, Dieno told everyone “This is the way of Kotaro Suzuki!” They spent the backstage interview blaming everything that happened today on Suzuki and he will pay for it on 29th January.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 19/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hikari Noa Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Nao Kakuta & HIMAWARI
3. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2D: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2A: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2C: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
Round 2 of the Max Heart Tournament has already begun but the majority of the matches will take place here. Kyoraku Kyomei takes on Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami, Karate Tag faces Daisy Monkey and Reiwa AA Cannon meets Daydream in the main event.
Wakana Uehara gets another big singles match this time against Hikari Noa. Uehara will have new ring gear.
BASARA “BASARA 208 ~HATAAGE ANNIVERSARY~”, 21/01/2023 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. SAGAT 10th Anniversary Match: SAGAT Vs Hideyoshi Kamitani
4. Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs Ryota Nakatasu & Fuminori Abe
5. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Yasu Urano
To celebrate his 10th anniversary in wrestling, SAGAT takes on Hideyoshi Kamitani from Big Japan. They’ve only been in the same match together once for an Elimination Tag held on a BJW show last July. SAGAT enjoyed the experience of fighting Kamitani so much he’s been wanting a singles match against him ever since. BASARA was able to put it together for his special occasion.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 21/01/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. KANON & MJ Paul Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki Ueno, Toi Kojima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi
3. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
5. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match I: Yusuke Okada Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
6. Yokohama Two Major Singles Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
7. DDT Extreme Title – Monoboke Death Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Antonio Honda
The goal of the Monoboke Death Match is for Antonio Honda to make Jun Akiyama laugh. Every time Honda kicks out of a pin or uses a rope break to escape a submission, he gets to make a joke. If he can get Akiyama to laugh three times he will win the match. Akiyama on the other hand needs to beat Honda by pinfall or submission three times in order to successfully defend the DDT Extreme Title.
If Daisuke Sasaki ends his self-imposed exile and shows up he will be booked for a match. The undercard will be changed around as a result.
MAO & Shunma Katsumata will not be at the show because they will be wrestling in California for Prestige that same day.
GANBARE☆PRO “TRANSPORTER 2023”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari (2) Vs Kentaro Hachisu (2)
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Yuki Kanzaki (0) Vs Munetatsu Nakamura (0)
3. Yuna Manase Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. GanPro Specialty! Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Shota & YuuRI Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE
5. Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Ken Ohka & Thanomsak Toba
Soma Takao is feeling a little lost in DDT lately but in Ganbare☆Pro he has Shota on his mind. The former ROMANCE DAWN partners are on opposite sides for another tag match.
GANBARE☆PRO “SHUICHIRO KATSUMURA PRODUCE”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. GanPro Specialty! Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Maori Kawashima & YuuRI Vs Yumehito Imanari, Shinichiro Tominaga & Moeka Haruhi
2. Special Single Match ~Baptism Of GanPro~: Takuya Wada Vs X
3. 3-Man Grappling Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Munetatsu Nakamura, HARUKAZE & X
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura, Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi Vs HARASHIMA, Mizuki Watase & Keisuke Ishii
Former Pancrase fighter Takuya Wada makes his Ganpro debut on a show that is being booked by a former Shooto fighter. Speaking of Shuichiro Katsumura, he is bringing in one of his pro wrestling buddies Maori Kawashima for a match too.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 28/01/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Young Ganbare Cup: Yumehito Imanari (2) Vs Yuki Kanzaki (0)
2. Young Ganbare Cup: Kentaro Hachisu (2) Vs Munetatsu Nakamura (0)
3. Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & Itsuki Aoki
4. Oji Specialty GanPro Style Survival 8-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota, Shinichiro Tominaga & Hartley Jackson
Itsuki Aoki is coming over for a Ganbare☆Joshi tag match.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023”, 29/01/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Takeshi Masada
3. No Fee Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe Vs X & X
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuji Hino
Bonno Dai Shacho are taking a page out of their predecessor’s playbook. They want to break barriers and fight against opponents from all over the Japanese wrestling scene from the indies right down to the most obscure corners of the industry. In order to do that Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe are looking for teams to enter the No Fee Rumble. It will not cost teams anything to apply for entry. However they will not get paid for taking part either unless they happen to win.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 29/01/2023 Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 2A Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 2C Vs Winners Of Match 2D
The winners of Karate Tag versus Daisy Monkey will face 121000000 in the semi-final.
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2023”, 18/02/2023 Aichi Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Toi Kojima Vs Takeshi Masada
3. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs X
4. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs KANON
Sasaki has gone missing because Naruki Doi won the DDT Universal Title from Yuki Ueno instead of him. KANON stepped forward as the first challenger expecting his leader to be the new champion. He committed to challenge Doi anyway because he now thinks winning the title from him will cheer Sasaki up and bring him out of hiding.
Kotaro Suzuki, Kip Sabian, Penelope Ford and Shinya Ishida will all be on the show.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU ~FIRE!~”, 13/01/2023 Shinjuku FACE 241 Fans
1. Keigo Nakamura Comeback Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Keigo Nakamura when Endo submitted Nakamura with the Modified Yurikamome (10:57).
2. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (5:22).
3. Shunma Katsumata Pheromones One Day Experience Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Shunma “Chunma” Katsumata defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Yuya Koroku when Katsumata pinned Hirata after the Assisted Bubba Bomb from Iino (7:58).
4. Special Single Match: Kotaro Suzuki defeated Soma Takao with the Endless Waltz (8:51).
5. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi defeated MAO & Toi Kojima when Kojima pinned MAO with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (8:48).
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Abe submitted Masada with the Manjigatame (9:31).
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (10:01).
8. DDT Universal Title – Survival 3 Way Match: Naruki Doi defeated Yuki Ueno (c) and Daisuke Sasaki (20:59).
8a. Yuki Ueno eliminated Daisuke Sasaki with a Sasaki Hurricanrana Return (17:49).
8b. Naruki Doi eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Muscular Bomb (20:59). *Yuki Ueno fails in V3. Naruki Doi becomes the 9th DDT Universal Champion!
A bomb of muscular proportions was dropped on DDT after Naruki Doi became the new DDT Universal Champion! The result of today’s main event completely changes the blueprint Yuki Ueno had planned for the rest of the Spring. He had a schedule that would take him all the way to America with the belt but that’s been ripped to shreds by Doi. Daisuke Sasaki was the first elimination in the Survival 3 Way Match. He gave Ueno the Hurricanrana but Ueno maneuvered himself into rolling over on top of Sasaki to pin him out of nowhere. Ueno then tried to land the WR on Doi but it was blocked and Doi instead pinned Ueno with the Muscular Bomb for the title change. In just three months Doi has already won two of DDT’s championships. He called Ueno a wrestler who symbolizes the present and future of DDT. Doi’s role is to interfere with it. Now he wants to be the one to defend the Universal Title in Hollywood this March! Hisaya Imabayashi is not so eager on the idea. He is hoping that Doi’s freelance status will allow him to bring the Universal Title to other promotions in Japan and raise the belt’s prestige. Doi accepted the proposal.
KANON then entered the ring and said he was waiting for Sasaki to win the title so he could challenge him for a shot. Doi ruined those plans too but KANON is demanding a title match anyway. Doi Vs KANON with the belt on the line will happen in Nagoya on 18th February. Backstage after the show Sasaki approached KANON and told him he will be disappearing for a while because today’s result has left him in despair. Sasaki also said he is leaving DAMNATION T.A to KANON while he is gone. KANON could not tell if this was just Sasaki’s usual behaviour whenever he loses. He is now determined to win the Universal Title from Doi so Sasaki can find his smile again. Meanwhile Ueno said he has no regrets over what led to this result happening. He had wanted to wrestle both Doi and Sasaki at the same time and got it. He does not know if Samuray Del Sol still wants to wrestle him when he appears in DDT this March because Ueno is no longer the Universal Champion. However Ueno is keeping his chin up and promises to carry DDT on his back in 2023.
Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino left their marks on each other with another big Chop-off during their tag match. Yuki Ishida also showed some progress by pulling off some power moves on the much bigger Yukio Naya. Hino cut him down to size though and used a Hanging Dragon Sleeper called the King Kong Sleeper to win by submission. Hino was happy with how fun the match was and told Higuchi they have a lot more prelim matches with each other before the KO-D Openweight Title bout on 29th January.
The debut of Bonno Dai Shacho met some resistance but can be qualified as a success. Birthday boy Sanshiro Takagi had to deal with Takeshi Masada again but this time the rookie had Chris Brookes backing him up. Fuminori Abe was the difference maker and got Masada to submit to the Manjigatame. After the match Takagi told Abe it is up to them to change the wrestling world which is why they are throwing out a challenge to the entire Japanese wrestling scene! Bonno Dai Shacho will break down the barriers by hosting a No Fee Rumble match on 29th January. They want teams from the indies, local federations, amateur groups and even college clubs to come forward and face their challenge. It will cost participants nothing to enter but they also will not be paid anything if they lose. Anyone is welcome except for actual fighters because Abe fears those will be too strong. Further details on how to apply will be announced soon.
MAO learned first hand just how dangerous of a team Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi are. The two of them immediately gave MAO the Cactus Flower at the start of their match and Toi Kojima (in new gear) had to break the pinfall. Kojima came to MAO’s rescue again by stopping a second attempt of the Cactus Flower. MAO got a little bit of revenge by using the Miracle Ecstasy on Oishi for a nearfall. Oishi got the last laugh by catching MAO in the Jikiden Tornado Clutch for the win. Asahi asked MAO after the match if this brought back any memories for him? Backstage MAO said Oishi on his own is not difficult to deal with but Oishi & Asahi together is a much stronger enemy. The Asahi of today is also not the Asahi he remembers fighting years ago. MAO wants Shunma Katsumata to break Oishi’s nose tomorrow.
You can’t beat the original. Soma Takao had wanted to beat Kotaro Suzuki with the Endless Waltz but the opposite happened instead. Suzuki countered the move with his own, cradling Takao over and over until he got the three count. He had fun wrestling Takao despite the match being short and explained he gave permission let Takao use the move all those years ago (which is why it is called the Official Endless Waltz when Takao uses it). He’ll be glad to wrestle Takao again someday but not anytime soon. Suzuki will be busy showing Pheromones just how sexy he is! Takao finds himself in limbo with DDT at the moment but today he decided his next goal is to beat Suzuki and also team up with him.
Today was when Katsumata had to spend all of 24 hours experiencing life as a member of Pheromones. The unit nicknamed him “Chunma” like Yuki Iino always does and introduced him as Tokyo Sexy Land’s newest attraction. He spent the match acting like a dog and being treated as one. Following the rules, Katsumata was obedient the entire time and joined in on the usual Pheromones spots. He even scored the pin on Kazuki Hirata thanks to an assisted Bubba Bomb from Iino. After the match Danshoku Dieno told Katsumata he fits in pretty well so would he be interested in officially joining Pheromones? Suddenly Toi Kojima got into the ring and tried to convince Katsumata not to by doing the NeppoWER pose. When Katsumata started to snap out of his current state, Dieno ordered him to ignore Kojima and perform a ritual of licking Iino’s backside to be accepted into Pheromones. Katsumata instead Super Kicked both Iino and Dieno to show he returned back to normal. He also Super Kicked Akito because it was Akito’s fault he got into this mess in the first place. Katsumata said it wasn’t bad being a member of Pheromones for a day but he’s just not meant to be with them. They will go their seperate ways but maybe one day “Chunma” will mingle with them again. Dieno then reminded him that the stipulation is still active for the rest of the day so he has to be “Chunma” for the meet and greet after the show.
Maybe KANON has what it takes to be in control of DAMNATION T.A while Sasaki gone missing. MJ Paul likes teaming with him and the two of them beat Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi pretty handily.
Keigo Nakamura is back in the ring after being absent for a long time due to injury. The date of today’s match means a lot to him too because 13th January last year was when he had surgery for a torn ACL. He started off the match with Yusuke Okada but got to spend time in the ring with Tetsuya Endo and Jun Akiyama as well. Naturally he took the fall by submitting to Endo’s Yurikamome hold. Endo congratulated Keigo “Darkness” Nakamura on his return and joked about how the “Darkness” version of him sank into the Hokkaido sea. Akiyama encouraged him to get fired up for the D GENERATIONS CUP so he can reach the same level of his competition. Backstage HARASHIMA said he worked with Nakamura during the recovery phase to help him prepare for his return today. Hideki Okatani reminded Nakamura that while he is happy to see him come back, they are now going to be opposition in the D GENERATIONS CUP.
There were contract signings for two championships matches at the start of the show. The DDT Extreme Title match on 21st January needed a stipulation. The champion Akiyama suggested PWF Rules but Honda complained the result would be so obvious it will kill the entire wrestling business. He instead suggested a Monoboke Death Match. Every time Akiyama kicks out of a pin or escapes a submission hold he gets to tell a joke. If he can make Akiyama laugh three times then Honda wins the match! On the other side, Akiyama will have to pin or submit Honda three times to be declared the winner. Akiyama accepted the rule once he figured out he can just beat the hell out of Honda a bunch to win.
The KO-D Tag Team Titles match also had its contract signed by all participants. Asahi said this will be his third chance to win the belt. He does not often get that many opportunities to fight for another company’s championship. Oishi said a high percentage of ShunMao is made up of Oishi DNA. The belts they hold should belong to him. MAO said he knows a lot about Asahi from the times The Moonlight Express fought him as well as by watching his DVD collection of Men’s Club matches. Katsumata joked that ever since he was a trainee people have said he looks like Asahi so the title match will prove who the real Shiori Asahi is! He also wants to see the glitzy Oishi from his old days.
After the contract signing ended, Katsumata stuck around for one more announcement. “DRAMATIC DREAM ONITA” is going ahea in Tsurumi on 19th March! The show will have an explosion death match with both HARASHIMA and Kazuki Hirata confirmed to take part. Katsumata promised he is going to blow up Hirata. Pheromones then came out and captured Katsumata so he could be turned into “Chunma” for later in the show.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 