I’m travelling over to London this weekend to see a bunch of wrestling including the “EVE X TJPW” show. Posting of results and reports may be delayed but I hope to have most of them kept up to date within a day or two.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Wakana Uehara Vs Kira Summer
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Chika Nanase
3. Mizuki & Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Runa Okubo
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Shoko Nakajima & Uta Takami
5. Miu Watanabe, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro Vs Moka Miyamoto, Kaya Toribami & Toga
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Yuki Aino Vs Zara Zakher
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Yuki Arai Vs Ryo Mizunami
The very busy weekend kicks off tomorrow with the Tokyo Princess Cup final four. Yuki Aino, Zara Zakher, Yuki Arai and Ryo Mizunami are all that’s left in the tournament fighting for a spot in the final.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “FUCKED UP FEST”, 24/08/2024 Tokyo Nakano Moonstep
1. Special Single Match: Mr. Bueno Vs To-y
2. Special Tag Team Match: Munetatsu Nakamura & Kota Ibushikoshi Vs Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Single Match: Tyrannosaurus Inoue Vs Tyrannosaurus Morozumi
4. Special Tag Team Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Chie Koishikawa Vs Thanomsak Toba & Sayaka
5. International 4 Way Dance: Mecha Mummy Vs Dr. Gore Vs Shivam Vs Jake De Leon
6. Triple Threat Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yasu Urano
7. Special Single Match: Maya Yukihi Vs Ram Kaichow
8. Hardcore 4 Way Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO Vs Chris Brookes Vs Mad Dr. Ueki
I have no idea if I’ll be able to get results of this show on the day it happens. Hopefully social media will have what I’m looking for.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW: JAPAN & UK WRESTLING UNITE!”, 24/08/2024 Conway Hall, London, England
0. Pre-Show Match: X Vs X
1. HIMAWARI Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Alex Windsor Vs Lena Kross
3. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
4. Zizi & Safire Reed Vs Aja Kong & Max The Impaler
5. EVE Title: Nina Samuels (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Should be a good time on Saturday.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 25/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. Mizuki & Haru Kazashiro Vs Mei Suruga & Uta Takami
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: X Vs X
The rest of the card for Sunday’s final will be announced at some point after tomorrow’s show.
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024”, 25/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda
2. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada Vs Makoto Oishi, Yuni & Ilusion
3. MAO, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Keigo Nakamura
4. Soma Takao 15th Anniversary ~ Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kota Ibushi, Danshoku Dieno & Akito Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Shinya Aoki
It’s a loaded show DDT is putting together for Sunday. Yuki Ueno defends the KO-D Openweight Title against Shinya Aoki while needing eyes at the back of his head for any potential Right To Challenge cash in attempts. Kota Ibushi finally returns to DDT and people will be watching to see what physical condition he is in. Soma Takao celebrates his 15th Anniversary by getting in the ring with Keisuke Ishii again, just like old times.
GANBARE☆PRO “TOKOROZAWA PARK SHOPPING BOX OFFICE”, 07/09/2024 Saitama Tokorozawa Park Town Shopping Arcade
1. Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
2. Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Yumehito Imanari Vs Mizuki Watase, Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami
3. Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuji Nagata
Ishii is only a few months away from turning 40 years old so he asked Ganbare☆Pro to get him a big name opponent to mark the end of the final summer in his 30’s. They pulled off a big one because Ishii’s opponent is Yuji Nagata from New Japan! It is a non-title match but Ishii knows he cannot lose while he is the Spirit Of Ganbare Champion. The match is happening at an outdoor show at Tokorozawa Park Town so fingers crossed there will not be any bad weather on the day.
Last weekend Yuna Manase had a rocky trip to America that ended in joy. She was scheduled for two Kitsune shows but could only make the second date due to travel issues. However it all worked out for her in the end because she won her 3 Way Match and became the new Kitsune World Champion! This should be her first match back in GanPro since winning the title.
DDT “SUMIDA DRAMATIC DREAM! ~FREE SEATING PRO WRESTLING SHOW~”, 04/11/2024 Tokyo Higashin Arena (Sumida City Gymnasium)
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X
The next scheduled KO-D Title defence after this weekend is set for Higashin Arena when DDT will hold a free show there in November. Any of the Right To Challenge Shield holders are welcome to use their cash in and be the challenger for that show as long as they still have their Shield by the time it takes place.
Summer is here and everyone has either gone travelling or are getting their all their plans in order. Funny thing is the people usually being covered for their overseas matches spent most of July wrestling back in Japan. Konosuke Takeshita had a few AEW matches over and done with before he got ready for the G1 Climax. Then Maki Itoh was wrestling in Tokyo Joshi Pro finishing off her latest dates with them before she goes on another GCW tour. So most of the results below are filled up by Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima and CDK related matches.
It’s the rest of the summer that’s going to get busy. A lot of Itoh matches in GCW with Yamashita popping up here and there along the way. Also some TJPW appearances in Southeast Asia and the USA debut of Yuna Manase are all coming up soon. Then there is the matter of DDT and TJPW holding shows abroad with local promotions in places like London and Seattle. Grab some water and stay hydrated because it’s going to be a busy summer of wrestling everywhere.
Video starts at 2:27:50 for Match #1. Go to 2:52:58 for Match #2. IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo Vs Ultramantis Black & Dr. Gore Black (w/ Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.)
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Ultramantis Black (c) (w/ Dr. Gore Black, Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) Vs Chris Brookes (w/ Masahiro Takanashi)
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XI”, 28/07/2024 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Shayna Baszler Vs Miyu Yamashita
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Results
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 03/07/2024 (Aired 05/07/2024) Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen when Fletcher pinned Quen with the Kneeling Piledriver (10:10).
Takeshita had bigger stuff to prepare for this month but still got some ring time in AEW before heading back to Japan. He and Kyle Fletcher fought against Private Party, surviving a close call against them. Isiah Kassidy joked around to promote Shark Week and then landed the Swanton Bomb on Fletcher. Marq Quen’s 450 Splash afterwards though was blocked by Fletcher’s knees and Takeshita came in to German Suplex him away. Private Party fought back with a Top Rope Frankensteiner into the Cutter to Takeshita followed by the Silly String to Fletcher. Takeshita kicked out of Quen’s 450 Splash, took out both members with Lariats and then gave Kassidy the Blue Thunder Bomb. Fletcher then got to finish off Kassidy with the Kneeling Piledriver.
DPW “DPW LIVE 7”, 06/07/2024 NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Battle Of The Best – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima defeated Masha Slamovich with the Diving Senton (16:16).
Shoko Nakajima touched down on DPW and left North Carolina with a big victory against Masha Slamovich despite taking some heavy hits from her. Slamovich used a Sit Down Power Bomb and also countered the Unmanned Local Train Hold into a Running Air Raid Crash that landed right into a bottom turnbuckle. But Nakajima used the top ropes against Slamovich in order to use a Power Bomb of her own. Slamovich tried using the Power Bomb again but Nakajima slipped down and pulled her into the Double Arm DDT. After that it took a Diving Senton to finish her off and make Nakajima advance to the next round of Battle Of The Best.
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington with the Powerdrive Knee (13:29).
Takeshita’s last AEW appearance for the month was a noteworthy one because his opponent was Tommy Billington, the nephew of the late Dynamite Kid! The new generation Dynamite Kid gave Takeshita a good challenge but fell to the Powerdrive Knee. Don Callis then attempted to recruit Billington to The Don Callis Family by bringing up his family’s heritage. But that was just a trap for Takeshita and the rest of The Family to attack Billington from behind until FTR ran down to save him.
NORTH WRESTLING “THUNDER STRUCK 2”, 13/07/2024 Walker Dome, Newcastle, England
1. Lizzy Evo defeated Miyu Yamashita with an Inside Cradle (13:45).
This was a case of defeat being snatched from the jaws of victory here. Yamashita seemed to have a lot of the match under control until Lizzy Evo saw an opening to hit her with a Knee Strike to the face and then roll her into a Small Package for the three count out of nowhere. For Evo the result is payback for Yamashita beating her in EVE last year.
IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) and Ultramantis Black & Dr. Gore Black (w/ Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) when Alonzo pinned Gore after a Choke Slam/Power Bomb Combo through the Table (?:??). *CDK fails in V2. THE GOOD DEAL becomes the 2nd IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Ultramantis Black (c) (w/ Dr. Gore Black, Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) defeated Chris Brookes (w/ Masahiro Takanashi) with a School Boy (?:??). *V1 for Ultramantis Black.
Whenever CDK goes over to Thailand for SETUP Pro Wrestling that’s enough trouble to handle by itself. This however was not just a SETUP show. It was an event using the IWA Japan banner to celebrate 30 years of the promotion’s existance. CDK came over to defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a Hardcore 3 Way Match. They had to fight the previous champions THE GOOD DEAL as well as the UMA Corps pairing of Ultramantis Black and Dr. Gore Black. Things went crazy as everybody fought outside the ring. Mister Suchart even got on a motor scooter and crashed it into everyone at ringside! A stapler gun was brought into the ring for Brookes and Ultramantis to staple each other with. Ultramantis then took advantage of miscommunication between CDK to put Brookes through a mini ironing board with a Back Drop. Masahiro Takanashi was also taken out by Dr. Gore attacking him with a toilet seat. From that point on CDK were too hurt to do anything and THE GOOD DEAL put Gore through a table. Anont Alonzo pinned him afterwards to win the belts.
It did not end there though. Earlier in the show the brand new IWA Japan SETUP World Title was introduced to the world. However Ultramantis and the UMA Corps launched an attack to steal the belt. Brookes was so mad to lose the tag titles in the main event without being pinned that he challenged Ultramantis for a World Title match straight away! Ultramantis refused but then attacked Brookes with the belt, causing the impromptu match to begin. Brookes fought back from the disadvantage and Takanashi was still there to cut off interference from the UMA Corps. But Dr. Gore threw a chair into Brookes’ face at ringside allowing Ultramantis to roll him up and escape with his first successful title defence. The UMA Corps continued to attack CDK until THE GOOD DEAL returned to save the day.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XI”, 28/07/2024 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Shayna Baszler defeated Miyu Yamashita by TKO (8:37).
If there is any big story to talk about in this month’s article it is this one. Yamashita taking part in GCW’s Bloodsport event is notable in itself. She gave shoot boxing a go pretty early into her pro wrestling career and has the kind of martial arts cred that would get you booked for a show like this. The big news though was who they chose to be her opponent. In the main event she took on Shayna Baszler from WWE! It’s the latest move from WWE to open themselves up and show they are willing to work with other wrestling companies. It’s been noted online that the Bloodsport show featured talent from WWE/NXT, TNA, AEW/ROH, NJPW’s American arm, MLW and TJPW. Baszler ended up beating Yamashita by catching her Skull Kick, turning it into a Tombstone and then beginning to ground and pound her until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 02/08/2024 TempleLive Cleveland Masonic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs John Wayne Murdoch
August is going to be a GCW month for Maki Itoh both in America and Japan. Her next tour begins with an unexpected opponent. She’s taking on one of their most violent wrestlers John Wayne Murdoch. He won the Tournament Of Survival back in June but his win-loss record in the company since then hasn’t been great.
GCW “CAN I TRUST YOU?”, 04/08/2024 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh does not have a match announced for the show yet. This date was on her list of advertised bookings last month. The full card seems to have been shown since then and Blake Christian just so happens to have a “Pick Your Poison” style mystery opponent to be announced that day… I don’t see where else she will fit if she is still going to be there.
GCW “THE SKY IS THE LIMIT”, 13/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
1. Broski Jimmy Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. The Great Sasuke Vs Maki Itoh
Itoh is also representing GCW for their Japan tour that is going on with some help from DDT. In a matchup that only sounds more mind bending the more I think of it, Itoh is going to fight The Great Sasuke! Yamashita will be on one of the shows too facing Broski Jimmy. That’s another match that I would never expect but more for head scratchy reasons.
GCW “YOU ONLY DIE ONCE”, 14/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
1. Allie Katch & Dark Sheik Vs Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima
2. GCW World Title: Mance Warner (c) Vs Maki Itoh
I made a prediction for this year that Itoh is going to win the GCW World Title. If it ever comes true then this will be the show to do it! It won’t though because GCW are all in on Mance Warner as their top champion while Itoh already holds the GCW Extreme Title but just imagine if they did.
Also added is a GCW Vs TJPW tag match. The visitors (or are they the home team because it’s GCW?) Allie Katch & Dark Sheik take on Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima. I’ll probably make a separate post for the GCW Japan results since those matches are happening in Japan and DDT is involved with promoting the whole tour.
SPW “HARDCORE ISLAND 2: A FINE CITY”, 16/08/2024 Foo Chow Building, Singapore
1. 3 Way Match: Alexis Lee Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Kaya Toribami
Now that Alexis Lee got to wrestle in Japan and fully integrate herself into TJPW it’s time to send more people back over to Singapore Pro Wrestling. This time Lee will be in a 3 Way Match against two TJPW wrestlers. Yamashita and Toribami are on board to go face her in her home country.
KITSUNE “LOVE MY SHOW!”, 17/08/2024 Brick X Brick, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuna Manase Vs X
I was wondering how long it was going to take until I get to write about more of the American “Joshi” promotions that are currently around. Kitsune emerged around the same time period as SPARK Joshi and Sukeban. This one though has actually been able to run a show in Japan thanks to a lot of help from Marvelous. Their next shows in California is where Yuna Manase will be making her American wrestling debut.
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS PT. 4”, 17/08/2024 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh will be following GCW back to America after the Japan tour ends.
GCW “SAVE ME”, 18/08/2024 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
More Itoh in GCW here.
KITSUNE “YABAI!”, 18/08/2024 1110 Bates Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase Vs Megan Bayne Vs J-Rod
The original plan was for Manase to be in a 3 Way Match with Sayaka Unagi and J-Rod for the Kitsune World Title. However Unagi is unable to get her visa approved in time and won’t be able to travel to America anytime soon. Since she was the champion, Kitsune made the decision to vacate the belt. It will now go to the winner of a new 3 Way Match between Manase, J-Rod and Megan Bayne.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW: JAPAN & UK WRESTLING UNITE!”, 24/08/2024
Conway Hall, London, England
Finally we got a venue for the show. Yamashita, Raku, Mahiro Kiryu and HIMAWARI along with Aja Kong are the Japanese talent coming over to TJPW’s joint show with EVE. The EVE wrestlers being promoted for the show so far include Alex Windsor, Nina Samuels, Lena Cross and Session Moth Martina.
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 1”, 24/08/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Kerry Morton
The match is in GCW but Itoh gets a little taste of NWA with Kerry Morton as her opponent here. Kerry is the son of Ricky Morton and has been spending a lot of time in NWA as part of The Southern Six. He was even on the winning team at The Crockett Cup a few months ago.
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 2”, 25/08/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
None of her GCW matches next month have been announced as Extreme Title defences yet.
MLW “SUMMER OF THE BEASTS”, 29/08/2024 Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Delmi Exo Vs Miyu Yamashita
MLW wrote a really long passage about this match on their Twitter page but we don’t need to go through all that. Yamashita beat Delmi Exo last December, next month is time for the rematch. The difference here is Exo now has the support of MLW’s main authority figure Cesar Duran by her side.
GCW “LIVE FAST DIE YOUNG”, 31/08/2024 Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Megan Bayne
2. Maki Itoh Vs Kylie Rae
Prepare for cute smiles everywhere when Itoh is in the ring with Kylie Rae. Things might get ugly though if Itoh ends up feeling threatened by Rae’s cheerfulness. Yamashita getting another match with Megan Bayne is something she might not want to smile about either. They wrestled each other at a DREAMWAVE show back in April. Bayne won clean and Yamashita was in a pretty bad mood about it afterwards, rejecting her post-match handshake.
INSPIRE A.D. “MAY THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN”, 01/09/2024 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Devin Carter
One of the non-GCW bookings Itoh is taking after the summer is over at Inspire A.D. in Texas. “The Fashionista” Devin Carter is her opponent. They have only been wrestling for a couple of years, mostly around the Texas scene.
MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024 Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Crystal
Still another while until Yuki Kamifuku defends the Queen Of Asia Title against Crystal. Kamifuku has been stepping her game up over the last twelve months and it’s really been paying off for her lately.
GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024 Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
This will be the last weekend of Itoh’s current tour.
GCW “THA G-CODE”, 15/09/2024 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
And Itoh’s last American booking as of now is here.
SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku
TJPW sent a video message to SETUP announcing the next opponents for Matcha and the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title she currently holds. Both Raku and Pom Harajuku are coming to Thailand to wrestle there for the first time!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
A big weekend is going down in Seattle during November. TJPW is teaming up with DEFY for a show. Expect around 10-12 TJPW talent to be coming over. That was already announced a while ago…
DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
What turned out to be new news about the event is DEFY will be bringing over DDT for an evening show too! DDT has not said yet how many people they are going to bring over.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
The weekend ends with DDT, TJPW and DEFY all joining forces for a triple promotion show.
GANBARE☆PRO “EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE 2024”, 18/05/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 218 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Shota Kawakami Debut Match: Ken Ohka defeated Shota Kawakami with a Crab Hold (6:16).
2. Hartley Jackson, Choun-Shiryu & Yuna Manase defeated Ken Ohka, Banny Oikawa & Gabai Ji-chan when Manase pinned Oikawa with the Suzuki Dynamic (13:16).
3. Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Ken Ohka & Baliyan Akki when Watase pinned Ohka with a Diving Foot Stomp (17:24).
4. Yumehito Imanari defeated Tyson Maeguchi with a Power Bomb (7:07).
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) defeated Shinichiro Tominaga & Daisuke®️ when Katsumura submitted Tominaga with the Triple Three 3 Lock (9:32). *V6 for GROUND ABSOLUTE.
6. Kitsune World Title: Sayaka Unagi (c) defeated YuuRI with the Dai Gi Deatta (12:19). *V2 for Sayaka Unagi.
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) defeated Kouki Iwasaki with a Jumping High Kick (18:24). *V1 for Keisuke Ishii.
One defence in and Keisuke Ishii is already feeling the pain of being a champion. Kouki Iwasaki was such a tough challenge for him to overcome that he did not want to name the next challenger for the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title afterwards. That caused a line of wrestlers to enter the ring one by one, each making the case for a title shot. Yuna Manase, Ken Ohka, Choun-Shiryu, Baliyan Akki, Daisuke®️ and even Gabai Ji-chan were all there. A decision was made to have a Battle Royal on 2nd June to determine the No. 1 Contender. Ishii considers Akki as the favorite to win but admits the winner could be anyone.
Yesterday Sayaka Unagi got to wrestle Arisa Nakajima in Shin-Kiba 1st RING. It made her realize that in pro wrestling you can never know when the end will come. Under that logic her match with YuuRI today in the same venue could be the last time they ever face each other. There was also a heavy atmosphere in the venue because of an injury that happened in the match before it (more on that later). Unagi praised YuuRI for getting the crowd back into the show with their match and it proves she has grown as a pro wrestler. Unagi used to have multiple championships but now she only has the Kitsune World Title so she wants to keep it no matter what. YuuRI called the match a good experience and she learned there are wrestlers she cannot beat even when she gives it her all. She is devoting all of her free time to wrestling and wants to beat Unagi some day.
Apparently Shinichiro Tominaga got injured during the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles match and went to hospital afterwards to get checked up on. That is according to Shuichiro Katsumura’s post-match comments. Tominaga was there for the entire match and dropped the fall by submitting to Katsumura. Daisuke®️ had moments to shine by himself and landed a No Touch Topé con Hilo onto Tominaga & Takuya Wada out of the ring. After the match GROUND ABSOLUTE asked if there was any team out there stronger than they are? Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase entered the ring and stared down the champions.
Due to a bunch of different circumstances Ken Ohka had to wrestle in the first three matches of the show. He beat the rookie Shota Kawakami in Kawakami’s debut match, took a Double Brainbuster from Hartley Jackson & Manase in Match #2 and was pinned by Watase with a Double Stomp in Match #3.
Kawakami had a goal for his debut match. He wanted to put up a good enough fight that Ohka would need to use the Flame Spear to beat him. That did not happen, Ohka instead tapped him out with a Crab Hold. Kawakami still hopes he can get to that point in the future and told fans to keep an eye on him. Ohka said Kawakami should instead put his focus on winning but praised the rookie for showing more passion than anyone else in the world.
Shu Sakurai appeared during the show with some important announcements. He has gotten married this year and the happy couple are expecting their first child! For the time being Sakurai has decided to fully leave Ganbare☆Pro but that does not mean he has retired from pro wrestling.
There is an update on Munetatsu Nakamura. He has been cleared by his doctor to resume training and is planning to return depending on GanPro’s decision.
1. 3 Way Match: Tsukasa Fujimoto Vs HARUKAZE Vs YuuRI
2. Takuya Wada Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Choun-Shiryu Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Mizuki Watase & Banny Oikawa Vs Yumehito Imanari & Yappy
This show is happening while I write this but there was a change to the card at the last moment. Yuna Manase caught a fever and isn’t able to wrestle today. Replacing her on short notice is one of Banny Oikawa’s trainers Tsukasa Fujimoto from Ice Ribbon!
DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ SUPER EVE FESTIVAL!”, 02/05/2024 Tokyo Ota Ward Industrial Plaza PiO Large Exhibition Hall
1. Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Ura King Of DDT Final: Yoshihiko Vs Gota Ihashi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao Vs Keigo Nakamura & Ilusion
4. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuni
Tomorrow’s opening match is changed from a tag bout to a singles match because Rukiya has a neck injury. He is currently undergoing examination to see if it is serious.
BASARA “BASARA 247 ~AKATSUKA ROKKAMURA 2~”, 05/05/2024 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
1. Daichi Kazato Vs Fuminori Abe
2. 3 Way Match: FUMA Vs SAGAT Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil’ Kraken & Gaia Hox
4. Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster Vs Ryuichi Sekine & Chicharito Shoki
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs KUBITO & Yasu Urano
The Union MAX Title scene is a little murky at the moment. Both Daichi Kazato and Isami Kodaka are on course to fighting over the No. 1 Contendership but the match has not been booked yet. It will happen eventually but first BASARA is putting together an extra show this month to capitalise on Golden Week.
UJPW “ALL TOGETHER”, 06/05/2024 Tokyo Nippon Budokan
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Sanshiro Takagi & Naomichi Marufuji Vs EVIL, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi
2. Kenoh Vs Kosei Fujita
3. Starlight Kid & Natsupoi Vs AZM & Miyu Amasaki
4. Tomohiro Ishii & Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Jeff Cobb & Masa Kitamiya
5. El Desperado, HAYATA, Ninja Mack, MAO & Kota Minoura Vs Hiromu Takahashi, Dragon Bane, Alpha Wolf, Tetsuya Endo & YAMATO
6. Taichi & KAI Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes
7. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji Vs Jake Lee, David Finlay & Gabe Kidd
8. Shota Umino, Kaito Kiyomiya & Yuki Ueno Vs Yuya Uemura, KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Shun Skywalker
A change happened to one of the DDT related matches. SANADA has been taken off the road by New Japan due to an undisclosed injury. KAI will now be teaming with Taichi in the match against Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes.
GANBARE☆PRO “EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE 2024”, 18/05/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Shota Kawakami Debut Match: Ken Ohka Vs Shota Kawakami
2. Kitsune World Title: Sayaka Unagi (c) Vs YuuRI
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & CWP X
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Kouki Iwasaki
The new Spirit Of Ganbare Champion wasted no time in picking his first challenger. Keisuke Ishii thinks Kouki Iwasaki is a suitable opponent to defend the title against first. The two are good friends and are certain to bring the best out of each other for the championship.
Shuichiro Katsumura is down one championship but still holds the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles with Takuya Wada. Now that might be under threat with Shinichiro Tominaga demanding a title shot. The only problem is when Tominaga went looking for a tag partner he found nobody in Ganbare☆Pro wanting to team with him. He is now searching deep into the student pro wrestling scene and promised to find somebody in CWP who will agree to join him in the fight against GROUND ABSOLUTE.
A championship from America is going to be defended in GanPro for the first time because YuuRI wants to break into the international scene. She thinks the quickest way to do that is to win the Kitsune World Title from Sayaka Unagi. The Kitsune promotion is still young but Unagi has brought their title belt everywhere with her ever since she won it, making sure plenty of people see it. She doesn’t think YuuRI will be as dedicated as she is should she win the title off her.
Please welcome GanPro’s first rookie under their new management system, Shota Kawakami! He was born in Ichikawa, Chiba on 21st July, 2001. He is 177cm tall and weighs 80kg. His sports background is in baseball up until middle school and then tennis in high school.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 11 ~ YUKINORI MATSUI REFEREE 30TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE ~ MAKING THE SQUARE WORLD INTERESTING”, 19/05/2024 Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center
1. Future Is Here!: Yuni & Rukiya Vs Kazuma Sumi & Ilusion
2. Staggered Entry Tag Battle Royal “Surprise! Tag Rumble”: Keisuke Ishii & Akito Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao & Shota Vs KANON & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Iino & Yuki Ishida Vs Toru Owashi & Black Menso-re Vs X & X
3. An Absolutely Outrageous Tag Match Between The Four Heavenly Kings Of The Variety Team: Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. ACF & Koyo Daiichi Consultants Co., Ltd. Presents Single Match: Bushimasa Vs Thanomsak Toba
5. THE Non-Stop Action Battle! ~Three High Speed Crows Vs Naniwa Pro Wrestling Three Musketeers~: Naruki Doi, Shunma Katsumata & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuto Kikuchi, Harutoki & Kohei Kinoshita
6. Battle Between Generations! Legends Vs Next Generation Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Jinsei Shinzaki & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada, To-y & Yuya Korku
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match – “20 Years Ago THE OSAKA”: Magnitude Kishiwada, HUB & Kengo Takai Vs Tsubasa, Billy Ken Kid & Shoichi Uchida
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Everyone Is Superhuman!~: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Shigehiro Irie & Yukio Naya
9. Special Tag Match Wrestling Masters Vs Let’s Go 40’s ~With The Bolivian Wind~: Dick Togo & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda
10. Triple Main Event – Special Single Match Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro & Yukinori Matsui, Everyone’s 30th Anniversary, Add Them To Get 90th Anniversary(!) Commemorative Match ~Laughing Fukuraimon~: Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro
11. Triple Main Event – Special Tag Match ~DDT PRIDE~: Yuki Ueno & Kazusada Higuchi Vs MAO & Tetsuya Endo
12. Triple Main Event – From All Over The World, Arriving In Osaka. Special Singles Match ~THE ALPHA Vs King Of Pro Wrestling~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Minoru Suzuki
The last couple of matches have been added to a gargantuan lineup. The Tag Rumble match doesn’t even have all of the teams announced yet! There is one mystery team showing up on the day.
Kyohei Wada will be on the show as a special guest referee for some of the matches.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FOURTEEN: NONE OF THEM KNEW THEY WERE ROBOTS”, 21/05/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Mr. BUENO
2. Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Ram Kaichow
3. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs The Invisible Man
4. Special Single Match: Mecha MAO (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs Takagi Sanshirobo (w/ Mad Dr. Hige)
Turning MAO into a dinosaur isn’t enough to defeat Takagi Sanshirobo so he has to take one step deeper into the madness. With the help of Mad Dr. Ueki it is time for Mecha MAO to return! But Sanshirobo has its own mad doctor by its side. The sinister science on display could end up destroying the entire building if they are not careful!
The rest of the card looks just as wacky. Chris Brookes will fight The Invisible Man in the ultimate test of public performance. Masahiro Takanashi faces Ram Kaichow one on one in what looks like the only normal match of the show. Who is Mr. BUENO? We are going to find out at the same time when Antonio Honda does.
GANBARE☆PRO “DISASTER ARTIST 2024”, 15/07/2024 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Moeka Haruhi Comeback Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs X
After taking a year away from wrestling in order to donate a kidney to her sister, Moeka Haruhi is getting ready to return this summer!
GANBARE☆PRO “SPRING BREAKERS 2024”, 27/04/2024 Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall 294 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Mizuki Watase & Rekka defeated Tyson Maeguchi & Tsuyoshi Okada when Watase pinned Okada with the Venetian (13:38).
2. Shinichiro Tominaga defeated Takuya Wada with the Modified Schwein (9:11).
3. PSYCHO, Yuna Manase & YuuRI defeated Minoru Fujita, Sayaka Unagi & HARUKAZE when YuuRI pinned HARUKAZE with the Swanton Bomb (15:47).
4. Yumehito Imanari & Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Ken Ohka & Fuminori Abe when Imanari pinned Ohka with the Lariat (16:46).
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii defeated Shuichiro Katsumura (c) with the Locomotion High Angle Double Arm DDT (19:59). *Shuichiro Katsumura fails in V3. Keisuke Ishii becomes the 7th Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Champion!
A new chapter begins with a new champion! Keisuke Ishii is now the leading man for Ganbare☆Pro after he defeated Shuichiro Katsumura for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title. He was able to counter the Triple Three 3 Lock into a cradle to get Katsumura to let go of the hold. Ishii then hit the High Angle Double Arm DDT three times in a row to secure the title change. He wanted to speak after the match but Shinichiro Tominaga quickly grabbed the microphone off him. Tominaga said he wants to win the SOG Title and Ishii is a worthy champion. But it is a wrestler’s golden rule to take down their rival when they are weak. So that means Tominaga wants a shot at… the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles!
He noticed Katsumura was still recovering from the main event so he called out his tag team partner Takuya Wada, who he had defeated earlier in the show. Wada blamed Banny Oikawa for the result (she was the referee for their match) and asked Tominaga who is partner will be? Tominaga quietly admitted he asked everyone in the GanPro locker room but nobody stepped forward to accept his offer. However he still has friends in the student pro wrestling scene particularly in CWP who will do whatever he asks. Also today is Tominaga’s birthday so Wada cannot deny his wish. GROUND ABSOLUTE will accept his challenge and the match will take place on 18th May.
After that was all sorted out the new champion Ishii finally got to speak. He said today was the perfect moment for him to win the title and he feels lucky it went that way. GanPro is now under a new system which means he too is under a new system. Under this new system he will become the ace of GanPro! After the show had finished, Ishii announced to reporters that his first defence will be against Kouki Iwasaki on 18th May. Iwasaki had given him encouragement before today’s main event and he is also the kind of tough challenge Ishii wants to face.
Ken Ohka is feeling good despite losing his first GanPro match under the new management. He said GanPro will face a lot of hardships but it is something the group all built together. It does not need a parent company and will overcome any trouble that can get in their way. His attitude along with Yumehito Imanari has spread over to Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Fuminori Abe. Both of them admitted they did their best today because they got motivated from watching Ohka and Imanari.
There were a few changes to the undercard because Munetatsu Nakamura became unwell during the week and could not wrestle today. PSYCHO was added to Match #3. The match result was YuuRI pinning HARUKAZE and afterward she challenged Sayaka Unagi for the Kitsune World Title! YuuRI explained she wants to take GanPro worldwide and she can take a shortcut by winning Unagi’s championship from America. Unagi said she cannot see YuuRI going worldwide like she does but she wants to beat her in GanPro along with other people. She accepted the challenge and will assess YuuRI for the title on 18th May.
As already mentioned, Banny Oikawa was the referee for the Tominaga Vs Wada match. She almost became a target of some intentional crossfire moments which is why Wada blamed her for losing the match. However Tominaga did in fact beat him clean.
Rekka was moved to Match #1 as the replacement for Nakamura.
Moeka Haruhi announced she will return to wrestling and her first match back is happening on 15th July. She has been out of action since last summer after taking part in a kidney transplant operation for her sister. She said she may be small but she fights to leave a big impact with people. She hopes her return will move people’s hearts in a big way.
A new trainee was introduced to everyone. Shota Kawakami is a childhood friend of Munetatsu Nakamura and he will make his debut on 18th May. He said he wants to do his best to become the ace of pro wrestling inside a fiercely competitive ring.
At the start of the show Imanari revealed that he kept in contact with Shinjiro Otani during GanPro’s transition to their new system. Otani was originally an on-site manager for the promotion before his injury. He told Imanari he has no intention of giving up the role despite being unable to attend shows in his current condition. So it’s now publicly confirmed that Otani is continuing his role and Imanari will work as passionately as he does!