DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA 750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko (c) when MAO pinned Yoshihiko after the Oretachi no Mad Max (17:29). *MAO becomes the 1,567th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes defeated MAO (c) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (8:24 pm). *Chris Brookes becomes the 1,568th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Chris Brookes (c) with 3 Canadian Destroyers in a row (8:25 pm). *Yoshihiko becomes the 1,569th champion.
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa ended in a No Contest (11:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne when Higuchi pinned Everett with the Brain Claw Slam (11:33).
4. Saki Akai defeated Vert Vixen with the Quetzalcoatl (6:09).
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Joey Janela with the Burning Star Press (15:28).
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Akiyama pinned KANON with the Exploder Suplex (10:35).
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuki Ueno with the Zahi (15:16).
It was a long time coming but DDT came back to America! With some help from GCW and The Collective, they arrived in Hollywood to hold their first show in Los Angeles. The main event was between the two top wrestlers in The 3KAMIINA with Konosuke Takeshita facing his longtime friend Yuki Ueno. It was a match originally scheduled as a bonus bout for the cancelled Tokyo Joshi Pro USA event in 2020. The two threw their best moves at each other with Takeshita hitting the Jumping Knee and Ueno pulling out the WR. But Takeshita caught a Moonsault and turned it into an Implant Bomb, putting Ueno in position to take the Zahi for the finish. After the match Takeshita told Ueno and the fans “This is DDT Pro Wrestling!” Backstage he said his performance shows what he’s been doing in America for about a year now. He will always carry a little bit of DDT in him when he wrestles for AEW. He is proud that DDT got to do this show because the only Japanese promotions running overseas at the moment are New Japan, DDT and TJPW. Ueno is taking the loss positively and is motivated to expand DDT even further.
When Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston were last in the ring together they were opponents in AEW. Kingston earned Akiyama’s respect from those matches so they got to team together today. Here their battle was against Daisuke Sasaki & KANON from DAMNATION T.A. Akiyama & Kingston meshed well as a team and had their opponents rattled. DAMNATION T.A had to start cheating in response. First Sasaki used the middle rope to give Akiyama a Low Blow as he climbed into the ring then KANON gave Akiyama a DDT on the floor. The momentum switched over with Akiyama & Kingston both using the Exploder Suplex on the other two. Akiyama followed up with a Knee Strike to KANON and then pinned him with another Exploder. After the match Akiyama thanked Kingston for teaming with him and is impressed by how much Kingston knows his movements. Kingston said he can go to sleep smiling tonight because he got to share the ring with a legend. Sasaki’s plan to leave Japan for a new life in Hollywood was ruined because now he hates this city! He swore revenge on Akiyama & Kingston if he ever crosses paths with them again in Japan.
A couple of the matches also served as a preview for tomorrow’s GCW Vs DDT show. Tetsuya Endo avenged last year’s D-Ou Grand Prix loss to Joey Janela by beating him here. It also made up for him forgetting to bring the DDT Universal Title belt to America. Big moves were done at the get go from Endo doing the Sasuke Special and Poison Hurricanrana to Janela landing a Package Piledriver and Avalanche Brainbuster. In the end Janela was taken for a spin with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb. Endo then got the win with the Burning Star Press. Backstage Endo said he may not know how to fight in America like Janela does but he was always confident he was going to win. He promises not to forget his title belt the next time he goes overseas. A disgruntled Janela said backstage that GCW is his turf and tomorrow they will go to war against DDT!
Saki Akai was energized from seeing the big crowd who came to see the show. She also thought Vert Vixen gave her a good fight and showed great heart against her. Vixen got close to winning with a Stunner but Akai turned things around with the Quetzalcoatl to get the win. She said she would love to have a rematch with Vixen again. Vixen thinks if they face each other again it will be game over for Akai!
Another DDT Vs GCW tag match saw Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada beating Andrew Everett & Nick Wayne. The match was DDT’s introduction to Wayne who will be coming over for a tour in May. It also gave Wayne a chance to face off with Masada in a battle between the two young prospects. Meanwhile Everett tried to use his giant strength to overpower Higuchi’s Brain Claw. It turned out his agility was a way better skill to counter the move but Higuchi took him down with the Brain Claw Slam in the end. Masada and Wayne gestured to each other after the match that this won’t be the last time they’ll see each other.
If you want proof the LA crowd got a genuine crowd then look at the Pheromones match. It went exactly as you’d think it would go. They took care of Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa the only way they know how and I wouldn’t be able to get away with describing it in detal. It set the stage for Danshoku Dieno to perform a magic trick he came up with called Pheromones du Soleil. The payoff involved Yuki Iino getting completely naked while pinning down Nakazawa so the match had to get thrown out. It is proof that even America is not big enough to contain how Sexy Iino is!
The show kicked off with ShunMao taking on Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko. The doll spent yesterday taking a detour over to AEW for a backstage visit and came to LA with extra energy, enough to fight both MAO & Shunma Katsumata at once. However Katsumata used a Kamigoye on Yoshihiko and then set MAO up to pin it with the Oretachi no Mad Max. Since Yoshihiko was coming into the match with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title that means MAO became the new champion!
But wait! MAO was attacked by Brookes after the match and pinned with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes now claimed the belt and celebrated with Yoshihiko until he too was attacked. Yoshihiko gave Brookes the Canadian Destroyer not once, not twice but three times to become the champion once again.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
So you got a ticket for DDT’s big return to America for the first time since 2019 but you’re looking for some guidance over what to expect. Maybe you’ve only seen the gifs or read about the crazy moments online. Or maybe you got a ticket to this because you couldn’t get a ticket for Tokyo Joshi Pro the next day. Whatever the reason, DDT is coming to Hollywood to put on the craziest wrestling show of the month and make some dollars out of it while the yen is still weak. Things are a little bit different from the card they produced in New York four years ago. Last time they put together a show that resembled a “Best Of” collection of gimmicks and rematches. This time around the show will highlight the relationships DDT has been building with certain parts of the American wrestling scene over the last while. Some of the guests showing up here have toured with DDT in Japan before or will be doing so in the near future.
Where can I watch it online?
Both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “GCW VS DDT” will be streaming live and on-demand as part of the FITE+ subscription. A month long subscription costs $7.99 and a 7-day free trial is available.
When and where are the shows taking place?
“DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Thursday 30th March at 8pm pacific time.
“GCW VS DDT” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Friday 31st March at 3pm pacific time.
Will The Steiner Brothers be on either show?
No.
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1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
DDT’s top female wrestler Saki Akai is the sole member of Eruption on this show. She takes on Vert Vixen, a rising name from Texas who is about to join Tokyo Joshi Pro for a tour in Japan next month.
Saki Akai: The supermodel is celebrating 10 years as a pro wrestler this year and her focus lately has been to keep Eruption focused as a unit. She developed her Quetzalcoatl finisher after playing the role of a character with the same name on a Fate/Grand Order stage show. She can be serious in the ring with the best of them or join in with whatever goofiness that takes place in front of her. She grew up in Kyoto, they take their comedy seriously over there. Moves To Watch Out For: Quetzalcoatl (Cobra Twist flipped into a La Magistral pinning slam), Rookie Award (Double Step Face Kick), Diving Cross Body, Triangle Choke
Vert Vixen: This wrestler is currently the first and only DEFY Women’s Champion in the promotion’s history. She has also made appearances in AEW, Impact and Women Of Wrestling. Obsessed with video games, her ring gear is often inspired by something video game related. She is nicknamed Player One because Player One always wins! Moves To Watch Out For: Ki Crusher, Blue Thunder Bomb, Complete Shot
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
If there is any risk of the show getting suddenly called off midway through it will be during this match. Pheromones are DDT’s most extreme gimmick with plenty of nudity and perverted moves up their arsenal just waiting to be unleashed on the world. The gimmick has always been Danshoku Dieno’s bread and butter but he became extra “Dandy” when he formed the unit. Yuki Iino joined in and upgraded into becoming “Sexy”. Together they became a PR nightmare for DDT president and active wrestler Sanshiro Takagi. He’s been at war with them for a while now, determined to destroy Pheromones once and all. When Takagi asked AEW to send him help to fight Pheromones the last person he needed was Michael Nakazawa due to their own long lasting feud that’s taken place in the past.
Yuki “Sexy” Iino: He is going to get naked at some point. An ex-rugby player who was a bit of a goofy heavyweight for his first few years in the ring. He is going to get naked at some point. Recently discovered his Pheromones side, turned “Sexy” and drove the goofiness levels up past its maximum limit. He is going to get naked at some point. I cannot stress this enough, he is going to get naked at some point! It is inevitable and trying to stop him will be like trying to stop the tide from coming in. Moves To Watch Out For: Ketsugoye (Imagine the Kamigoye but Iino hits with his butt instead of his knee), Badonkadonk (Banzai Drop from the middle ropes), Sexy Elbow, Bubba Bomb
Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno: The heart and soul of DDT’s most perverse humour. Dieno has been around for twenty years now and he’s gone through character development that makes him more than just the extreme shock factor of kissing and groping his male opponents. It’s just that he always goes back to that sort of stuff. Last time he wrestled in America he got permission to kiss fans as long as they raised their hand to show consent. The entire crowd joined in by the end of the night. Moves To Watch Out For: Danshoku Driver (Piledriver with the victim’s head stuffed into Dieno’s tights), Lip Lock (a paralysing kiss) Danshoku Nightmare (Dieno pulls down his tights and teabags his opponent), Hell Gate (Dieno positions himself over the top turnbuckle with his rear end exposed, victims get thrown face first into it)
Sanshiro Takagi: The president of DDT and its owner CyberFight. The company’s attempts to expand internationally along with its talent growing their own reputations worldwide keeps him motivated to continue wrestling. It makes him want to show the younger wrestlers he is still crazy in the ring. His entrance song gets the crowd chanting along to “1…2…3…Fire!” Moves To Watch Out For: Sitdown Sunflower/Himawari Bomb (Electric Chair spun into a Sitdown Power Bomb), Stone Cold Stunner, Spicolli Driver (Power Slam lift into a Death Valley Driver)
Michael Nakazawa: Was with DDT until he joined Kenny Omega to work for AEW. Despite his poor win-loss record, he is considered by DDT veterans to be one of the toughest wrestlers around because he never gets injured no matter what his opponents do to him. He is also kind of a pervert due to his habit of using lotion oil as a weapon and finding ways to take off his underwear without removing his wrestling gear. Doesn’t get along with Takagi because he considers him to be a terrible boss. Moves To Watch Out For: Ultimate Venom Arm (removes his tights, wraps them around his hand and applies an Iron Claw), Tombstone Slam, Hentai Slide (drags opponent crotch first along the top rope), Lotion Oil usage
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
The current KO-D Tag Team Champions take on an Englishman and a Dutch Wife. Believe it or not it won’t be as not as lewd as it sounds. Whenever Shunma Katsumata & MAO team up they are called ShunMao. They are also both part of DDT’s biggest babyface group at the moment, The 37KAMIINA (pronounced The Sauna Kamiina because 37 in Japanese (“san-na”) kind of sounds like “sauna”). Chris Brookes has called Japan his home for around four years now and earned a following for his devotion towards the entire puro scene. Yoshihiko is the wrestling doll that answers every question ever asked about who is good enough to get a four star match against an inanimate object.
MAO: Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” The high flier is at his most liveliest when he is in Falls Count Anywhere situations. Also gets his most success in tag team matches and often finds himself across the ring from Brookes in that division. As shown by his recent appearance on a Prestige show, he should be a breakout talent for the US indies just waiting to happen. Moves To Watch Out For: Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Marines Tornado Splash (Swan Dive Phoenix Splash), Tornado Kick
Shunma Katsumata: Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. So much so he runs his own sauna on the side. Despite his cute appearance he also has a death match side to him. He’ll do the violent matches no problem but his favorite weapon to use in those situations is Lego. For example he often arms himself with a Lego covered baseball bat. Drive him too far over the edge and he becomes Super Hardcore Katsumata! Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)
Chris Brookes: A wrestler who has so many fingers stuck into so many pies. When not wrestling in DDT you can find Brookes causing trouble in ChocoPro, teaming with Masahiro Takanashi across Japan or running his own group of shows called Baka Gaijin + Friends. Recently got into a fight with the mascot Chiitan. Always has some extra tricks up his sleeves if you’re not careful around him. Moves To Watch Out For: Praying Mantis Bomb (Double Arm Piledriver), Octopus Stretch, Death By Roll-Up
Yoshihiko: The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for many years now. It shows up whenever people least expect it and suddenly holding grudges with wrestlers from out of nowhere. This match here is an example of it because Yoshihiko has promised to destroy The 37KAMIINA in LA! It is also the current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and is bringing the belt over to Hollywood so don’t be surprised if we get a few title changes throughout not just the show but the entire weekend. Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotation into a Hurricanrana), Choke Slam, Canadian Destroyer
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
A giant and a supernova rookie takes on… a “giant” and another supernova rookie. Kazusada Higuchi was the man to carry the flag for DDT last year when a crisis injury left the company without a champion. Higuchi took the ball after years of not meeting his potential and did a pretty darn good job with being the KO-D Openweight Title until he dropped it to Yuji Hino this past January. Takeshi Masada is the standout of DDT’s current rookie class. He got here by having to fight tooth and nail to earn a spot on this show. Andrew Everett came to DDT last year falsely advertising himself as being 223cm tall and weighing in at 190.5kg. Despite being nothing of the sort, his in-ring skills were impressive enough for DDT management to get past the lies and keep him onboard. Nick Wayne will be soon be going to Japan to wrestle on more DDT shows so this match gives him a taste of what to expect over there.
Kazusada Higuchi: The previous KO-D Champion and leader of Harimao, Higuchi is a former sumo wrestler with a strong foundation and an iron head. Do not throw him head first into the ring post because he absorb the hit and shake it off entirely. Often a highlight of DDT shows that make fans of NOAH wish he was in their promotion instead. Doesn’t mind showing off his goofy side every now and then but wherever he shows up he is going to be a tough opponent for anybody. Moves To Watch Out For: Brain Claw Slam, Doctor Bomb, Buchikamashi (charging sumo tackle)
Takeshi Masada: The 21 year old made his pro debut only three months into his training, making him the fastest debut in DDT’s history. Has a background in Shorinji Kempo and he uses those skills to develop a kick heavy offence. He’s still only in his first year as a wrestler but showed a strong desire to get on this show. He eventually earned a spot on the card by winning the D GENERATIONS CUP, a tournament that pitted DDT’s current generation of young wrestlers against each other. Rookies have a bad habit of breaking easily but if Masada continues at the rate he’s going, DDT has a future star in their hands. Moves To Watch Out For: Samurai Driver ’01 (Cross-legged Falcon Arrow), Triangle Kick (Running Enzuigiri off the turnbuckles)
Andrew “The Giant” Everett: I don’t know if I can believe the claims that Everett is not in fact a giant. He climbs over the top rope to get in to the ring like giants do. He wears a singlet like giants do. He does Choke Slams like giants do. He does Moonsaults like… well allegedly Paul White could do that move at one point in his life so that counts. That means Everett is a giant for sure! Deadlock Pro is where you can find him nowadays. Moves To Watch Out For: 630, Shooting Star Press, Moonsault, Choke Slam
Nick Wayne: The world is this kid’s oyster and he’s not even 18 yet. A lot of excitement is following Wayne around especially after he was offered a deal with AEW last year. A dream match with Will Ospreay also bumped up his stock. The son of the late Buddy Wayne has wrestled in Japan before, not that long ago in fact. But DDT is where he’ll be going next starting with this match right here. Moves To Watch Out For: Flying Cutter, Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
A rematch from the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix tournament. Joey Janela scored an upset win over Tetsuya Endo in their A Block match that took place in November. Endo’s big main event run last summer was tragically cut short when Katsuhiko Nakajima gave him a concussion. He has bounced back from that by bulking up towards becoming a heavyweight. It paid off with him recently winning the DDT Universal Title, which is DDT’s secondary singles championship. Janela’s antics and reputation made him highly sought after by DDT and he’s becoming one of their regular guest wrestlers back in Japan.
Tetsuya Endo: The man who was supposed to take the reigns as DDT’s top wrestler suffered a major setback when he got concussed last summer. Endo recovered and has been climbing back up the mountain since. He’s not back at the top spot yet but the leader of BURNING is still doing pretty well with where he is at the moment. You’d think by gaining weight and muscle he would dial back from high flying moves but you will still see him doing Springboards, the Spanish Fly and Shooting Star Presses. If it was up to me, this is the next DDT guy AEW should be looking at. Moves To Watch Out For: Burning Star Press (Shooting Star Press), Tetsuya In The Sky (One Man Spanish Fly), Spinning Torture Rack Bomb
Joey Janela: The nutjob partly responsible for WrestleMania Week turning into what it’s become. So many of the shows that get added to the schedule are chasing the dragon that is “Joey Janela’s Spring Break”. Janela’s viral moments over the pandemic caught DDT’s attention and he quickly became a must have for them to bring over. He already has one singles win over Endo on Japanese soil. The rematch is still in DDT but maybe the American environment will provide Janela more chances to do some crazy things. Moves To Watch Out For: Package Piledriver, Avalanche Brainbuster, Super Kick
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
One man’s dream came true last year when Eddie Kingston got to wrestle Jun Akiyama at AEW. The two earned each other’s respect that day and get to meet in the ring again, this time as tag team partners. Facing them are the two strongest fighters from DAMNATION T.A, DDT’s main heel faction. Daisuke Sasaki went through a whirlpool of emotions to make it to this show because of a recent eye injury. KANON is an upstart originally from JUST TAP OUT but he came to DDT and eventually joined the dark side with Sasaki.
Jun Akiyama: A long standing veteran who spent most of his 30+ year career with All Japan and NOAH. He was bound for a guest coaching gig at WWE’s Performance Center when the global pandemic cancelled those plans. So he found himself jumping to DDT instead where he keeps an eye over the young talent being developed. Currently holds the DDT Extreme Title that puts him in unusual gimmick matches but so far he has stood tall for every defence. Moves To Watch Out For: Exploder Suplex, Front Neck Lock, Running Knee Strike
Eddie Kingston: What a week this guy has ahead of him. First he gets to team team with his hero Akiyama and a few days later will be headlining a ROH PPV. Often outspoken and always fighting with his heart in his sleeves, this match can be a rare chance for Kingston to step back and soak in the moment before things get heavy. Moves To Watch Out For: Spinning Backfist, Stretch Plum, Exploder Suplex
Daisuke Sasaki: You’re not going to find anybody in LA as drunk or depressed as Sasaki this weekend. The wrestler has the talent and success to reach bigger heights but every setback sends him tumbling down into despair. A recent eye injury had Sasaki considering retirement from pro wrestling so he could run away to Hollywood and do whatever he wants. He does not have the most creative imagination though so his idea of doing whatever he wants in Hollywood was to go work at McDonalds. But the pull of pro wrestling is never far away and once he got cleared to compete, Sasaki came back and began to build up hype towards a singles match with El Desperado later this summer. Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (includes La Mistica and Crossover variations), Sasaki Hurricanrana
KANON: When Sasaki suddenly vanished to take care of his injuries and other woes, KANON stepped up to lead DAMNATION T.A in his place. He is approaching the completion of his first year with DDT. Originally from JTO, KANON had an athletic moveset taken from his days playing volleyball but he’s grown slightly more sleazy and unhinged since joining DAMNATION T.A. Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepy Hollow (Twisting Brainbuster), Just Cobra Twist
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
This match was meant to take place in America back in 2019 as the bonus DDT match for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s USA show. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno have been friends since high school. Takeshita was the wrestling fan and his work in DDT inspired Ueno to become a wrestler too. The two are part of The 37KAMIINA and always seem to get along. But Ueno has his hopes that one day he will surpass his classmate. The two unexpectedly had a singles match against each other at the start of the year before Takeshita left for AEW. It ended in a brief 10 minute draw but gave fans a taste of what to expect when they finally face off again in Hollywood.
Konosuke Takeshita: It takes ten years to become an overnight success. Takeshita has done it all in DDT but given the company’s place in the landscape not a lot of people outside of Japan knew about him. Then he shows up in AEW and wins over a wide new audience of fans with his performances. A fan of pro wrestling since childhood, he grew up following Osaka Pro and still shows that influence in his moveset to this day. The list of names he’s been in the ring over the years to get to this point would fill this article by itself. Watch this show and I promise you will see him going All Out. Moves To Watch Out For: German Suplex, Zahi (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), Jumping Knee, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)
Yuki Ueno: The talent Ueno has is clear to see but a bland personality is currently holding him back. Plus his friendship with Takeshita means he risks standing permanently in his buddy’s shadow. If you ignore those problems though, you’re going to see somebody who is really, really good in the ring. Maybe experiencing America will act as a spark and be that thing to send Ueno to his next level. Moves To Watch Out For: WR (a Wrist-Clutch version of Kofi Kingston’s SOS), Best Moonsault Ever, Half Nelson Suplex, Konosaki Crunch (One Handed Bulldog)
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That’s not all DDT is up to this week. They have a second show the next day cross-promoting with GCW as part of The Collective. These two shows seem to be where all of the DDT action is happening in LA. Maybe a few names will pop up somewhere else. We’ll just have to wait and see if they surprise us.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno
GCW is a promotion I like but don’t love. I’ve gotten to attend a variety of their events before from two of the WrestleMania weeks pre-pandemic as well as their Las Vegas show the day before AEW Double Or Nothing last year. They’re really fun to attend no matter where they go and I enjoy watching the iPPVs when they are live. Watching them on-demand a day or two later though and it becomes a different story. The energy doesn’t carry through on screen when I watch on delay. It’s a promotion that does not give its viewers a lot of time to let things soak in because as soon as one show ends they go full speed straight into promoting their next events. It can make following them online a bit of a blur at times and their booking can seem random even though they do come up with storylines and give people pushes.
That leads us to the GCW Vs DDT show. Whenever GCW do doubleshot weekends outside of their regular markets they usually co-promote one of those shows with another indy and label it as a Vs show. They also often come off as the lesser show of the weekend and it feels the same way here. Obviously both companies have their own more important shows from the previous day to worry about. The lineup they came up with here is shaky but I don’t know if I could come up with something better given who is available. The people I like most in GCW are not the core members of the roster and they would be saved for when GCW are running a show by themselves.
Here’s what I like. The East West Express versus The Moonlight Express is going to hit hard. I’m not as high on Jordan Oliver as I am with Nick Wayne but his faults do not come from a lack of effort. The agility and pain threshold everybody in that match has is going to create something impressive. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko will entirely depend on what kind of sense of humour Radrick has. The two multi-man tag matches have the potential to both get crazy if everybody involved are given the go ahead to do whatever they want. Everything else I’m not as confident about.
Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno as the main event could get bogged down by the amount of big crazy spots Janela wants to do. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo sounds like a Fire Pro match on paper but I don’t think BURNING’s opponents have been up to snuff recently. Kazusada Higuchi should not be losing to Blake Christian but Christian is one of the few heels who gets heavily booed by the GCW fanbase. He is likely getting pushed for a title run sooner rather than later for that reason (barring any conflicts with his AEW/ROH deal). Dark Sheik I prefer watching in Hoodslam because over there she does spotfest tag matches in front of a crowd of people that are feeling the effects of “blueberry pancakes”. That atmosphere somehow comes off better on screen than her matches in GCW do. Bussy Vs Pheromones will be going for the shock factor but was their thunder stolen by Sexxxy Eddy earlier this month? I do not want to predict if it will reach the point where somebody somewhere will need to write out a public apology when all is said and done.
There’s a little bit of Ganbare☆Pro sprinkled in the weekend too. After Mizuki Watase is done with the GCW Vs DDT show he will be making his way over to Wrestling Pro Wrestling for his only other booking for the week. This is one of the more normal looking matches happening on the card.
Welcome to the calm before the storm. I put together this month’s article earlier than usual because there are going to be separate posts covering all of the WrestleMania shows DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are involved with next week. It’s going to be nuts, maybe not on the level of the New York shows from four years ago but still plenty to look forward to. So much will have to be talked about once the dust settles. I will be writing up preview guides for both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” so look forward to them whenever they are finished.
While Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki are getting the higher profile appearances lately thanks to AEW/ROH, the amount of bookings Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are getting in America means the focus will be more on them for the next couple of months. Yamashita in particular is going to have a crazy looking 2023 Career tab on her Cagematch profile by the time she’s done. Plus we get to add some new names to this series. Mizuki Watase is heading over to America too and Daisuke Sasaki found an excuse to go wrestling in Mexico.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox
AEW “DARK”, 07/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Jack Cartwheel
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 10/03/2023 Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant)
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn
Video starts at 2:36:23 for the match SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Ortiz, Komander, Action Andretti, Sammy Guevara, Eddie Kingston and AR Fox when Hobbs grabbed the Brass Ring (13:46).
So close and yet so far. Takeshita almost won the Ladder match after giving Komander a crazy looking Blue Thunder Bomb from a bridged ladder onto the ring canvas. He also fought off interference from Daniel Garcia who was there to help out Sammy Guevara. But as he climbed up the ladder and reached out to grab the literal brass ring, here came Powerhouse Hobbs charging into the ladder to knock Takeshita out of the ring. Hobbs then went on to grab the giant ring and win.
A few days later on Rampage, Takeshita spoke about his recent lack of success in AEW and considered it was time for him to go back to Japan. Don Callis stepped in and continued his push to become Takeshita’s manager. The argument he made is if Takeshita left all of the behind the scenes logistics to him, then Takeshita could put his entire focus just on wrestling in the ring and finally get the results his talent deserves. Ever since then Callis has continued trying to convince Takeshita to take on his services.
AEW “DARK”, 03/03/2023 (Aired 07/03/2023) Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Jack Cartwheel with the Zahi (3:56).
An impressive performance from Jack Cartwheel made this match one to watch if you’re unfamiliar with him.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. GCW Extreme Title: Joey Janela (c) defeated VENY with an Avalanche Brainbuster (16:33). *V2 for Joey Janela.
2. Maki Itoh defeated LuFisto with the I.S.D (10:44).
Itoh’s further run into GCW continued with her beating LuFisto, an inductee of The Indie Wrestling Hall Of Fame that the promotion is associated with. LuFisto wanted to give Itoh a Superplex but a bite to the face stopped her. Itoh gave her a Top Rope DDT and then got back up the ropes to do the I.S.D for the win. Itoh got to celebrate with Nick Gage after the match.
Joey Janela and VENY ended up going buck wild fighting around ringside for a lot of their match. Janela threw VENY into rows of seats, sending a lot of the GCW fans fleeing. VENY fought back with a Moonsault to the floor. Janela VENY in midair when she tried another Moonsault inside the ring and he countered it into a Tombstone. VENY went back to the Moonsault again and landed one onto Janela while he was laying on top of a door. That wasnt enough for Janela or the door so he smashed it to pieces and the two attacked each other with the remains. More big bomb moves were dropped and it took an Avalance Brainbuster for Janela to finally get the three count.
ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Trish Adora & Jordan Blade (?:??). *V3 for The Wasteland War Party.
The Wasteland War Party scored their third and what turned out to be their last successful defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles by beating Trish Adora & Jordan Blade at an Enjoy Wrestling show.
GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY defeated Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai when Yamashita pinned Kai with the Splash Mountain (18:56).
Itoh & VENY got to have some fun with Rina Yamashita by faking out their opponents on a triple dive. Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai all flinched and were left bracing for impact outside while Itoh and her team danced inside the ring. Yamashita went on to pin Kai with the Splash Mountain.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Lizzy Evo with the Skull Kick (14:42). *V3 for Miyu Yamashita.
A fully determined Lizzy Evo was ready to become the new EVE Champion on this night. But her hot streak came to an end thanks to the Skull Kick.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/03/2023 (Aired 10/03/2023) Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant) with La Espalda (7:52).
Takeshita took out a trick from the Osaka Pro book to beat Preston Vance. La Espalda is the tricky looking Twisting Backslide Pin that Billy Ken Kid likes to use a lot.
EVE “RIOT! AT THE YARD THEATRE”, 09/03/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (14:46).
Apparently this will be the last time Yamashita and Miyuki Takase will face each other one on one. If that’s true then Yamashita ends the series with a 2-0 winning record.
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Zahi (12:18).
A Rolling Elbow was used by JT Dunn to counter the Jumping Knee and the match also built up to how the Tombstone Piledriver was used. Takeshita kicked out of the move the first and and reversed a second attempt into a Reverse Implant. Takeshita held onto Dunn after that and threw him over with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex. Dunn was left in a heap after that so Takeshita got to finish him off with the Zahi.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Monomoth (c) with the Takatonic (?:??). *Monomoth fails in V?. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the ??th SETUP Thailand Openweight Champion!
Masahiro Takanashi adds another Asian championship to his collection after he took the SETUP Thailand Openweight Title from Monomoth. Takanashi didn’t do it clean either because Baliyan Akki was there to interfere on his behalf. Monomoth did what he could to fight against the 2-on-1 disadvantage, including diving onto both of them outside the ring. He had Takanashi beaten with a Northern Lights Suplex but Akki pulled the referee out of the ring to stop the pin count. Members of the SETUP roster had enough of the cheating and came to Monomoth’s aid. However Takanashi kicked out of a Tornado DDT and threw the ref towards Monomoth while the champion was standing on the top rope. Monomoth jumped over the ref but landed into a Thrust Kick, causing him to get pinned with the Takatonic.
AEW “DARK”, 24/03/2023 (Aired ??/??/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Michael Nakazawa defeated Baliyan Akki (?:??).
I don’t usually include Michael Nakazawa’s matches in AEW for these articles because he is a full time employee for them. But I bet somebody reading this will get a kick out of hearing he fought and beat Akki on Dark.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita by Referee Stoppage with a Dragon Sleeper (?:??). *V5 for Nicole Matthews.
2. Maki Itoh defeated Cat Power with the I.S.D (?:??).
Mixed fortunes for 121000000 on the first night of their North American trip. Itoh was able to beat Cat Power but Yamashita got choked out by Nicole Matthews with a Dragon Sleeper. It’s a reminder that this three month expedition is not going to be a cake walk for Yamashita.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Killer Kelly with the Skull Kick (10:14).
I didn’t expect Yamashita to show up in Impact. There’s more to talk about it below but her first match with the promotion was a win against Killer Kelly. I think it was taped for TV too.
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Upcoming Appearances – WrestleMania Week
PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe
Taya Valkyrie had to pull out of the show due to a change in schedule. That this show is taking place on a Wednesday and Valkyrie recently signed a deal with AEW, it’s easy to figure out what her priority is. Replacing her is Steph De Lander who has really stepped up and increased her presence around the indies recently.
WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X
The lineup for the TJPW 10-Woman Tag is being kept secret until the show, Mystery Vortex style. Are all ten going to be from the regular TJPW roster or will a few guests be included?
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
Some of the guests being booked for the show now make more sense given recent announcements. Both Nick Wayne and Vert Vixen are heading to Japan for DDT and TJPW respectively in the next couple of months.
IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Masha Slamovich Vs Deonna Purrazzo Vs Gisele Shaw Vs Miyu Yamashita
So not only is Yamashita wrestling for Impact but she is also technically getting a New Japan appearance out of it too, which is completely bizarre seeing a TJPW wrestler under that banner instead of somebody from Stardom. Originally this 4 Way Match was supposed to include Mickie James and her Knockouts Title was going to be on the line. But just a few days ago Impact announced that James is unable to wrestle because of a rib injury. So now the 4 Way Match has Masha Slamovich added to it and whoever wins will get to face Jordynne Grace in Toronto next month with the Knockouts Title on the line. If James is cleared to wrestle she will also be in that match as the defending champion, otherwise she will have to vacate it before the match begins.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
Two of the matches are now title matches thanks to the results that happened at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” earlier this month. The main event has the Princess Tag Titles on the line when the new champions 121000000 face The Magical Sugar Rabbits. There is also now an International Princess Title match between Rika Tatsumi (embracing a new “AmeRika” personality) and Billie Starkz.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno
Nine matches on the card now. The latest addition is an 8-Man Tag Match mixing together a lot of people. DDT is relying on DAMNATION T.A to play ball with Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada. GCW are going the lucha route by letting Gringo Loco put together a squad. He chose Alec Price and Los Macizos. Prince is an up and coming name on the indies while Ciclope & Miedo Extremo are former GCW Tag Team Champions.
No idea what the match order is going to be for the GCW Vs DDT show. This might be the last of DDT’s involvement in shows for the week. Unless Takeshita shows up in ROH or Pheromones crash “Effy’s Big Gay Brunch” on Saturday.
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023”, 31/03/2023 Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
After weeks and weeks of tension building up between Athena and Yuka Sakazaki, things finally blew up and Athena sent Sakazaki back to Japan with an injury. However when Athena found out Sakazaki was able to continue wrestling no problem, it only made her even madder. The grudge is going to get settled in LA with Sakazaki getting a shot at the ROH Women’s World Title.
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Valkyrie will be in LA on the Friday evening for her Prestige match against Yamashita.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs X & X
Well Nick Gage is no longer the GCW World Champion so my idea of him against Itoh has gone up in smoke. However they are going ahead with the next best idea and that is Maki Death Kill teaming up for one night only!
Well Mizuki Watase did say he was going on an American excursion so he had to be somewhere other than a DDT show. He’s ended up going somewhere even weirder. Wrestling Pro Wrestling is a comedy promotion and is home to Cerealman, a pro wrestler with a box of cereal for a head. Would it surprise you to find out a lot of Hoodslam guys also work here? Let’s see how Watase can handle himself when he’s in the ring with Gregory Sharpe and Eli Everfly.
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Upcoming Appearances – Everywhere Else After WrestleMania
WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch
Looks like there’s going to be a week off for Yamashita to get over the WrestleMania hangover. After that it’s time to hit the road with her first stop being a match with Allie Katch at Wrestling REVOLVER.
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
One of the former Princess Tag Champions has a chance at revenge. Heidi Howitzer was already looking forward to kicking Itoh’s ass. Now there’s going to be some more hatred behind it after Itoh pinned Howitzer to cause the title change.
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: Masha Slamovich (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The last West Coast Pro show crowned their first Women’s Champion. Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moone to win the title and now gets Yamashita for her first defence.
HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Vipress
Itoh has fought Dark Sheik a bunch of times already so when she arrives in Hoodslam it will be Sheik’s current tag team partner Vipress waiting for her. Earlier this month Sheik & Vipress won the Intergalactic Tag Team Titles together.
DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen Vs Miyu Yamashita
Before Vixen travels to Japan for TJPW, she defends the DEFY Women’s Title against Yamashita. Heck of a warm up match to get ready for that tour.
CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023 Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA
1. CCW Title & CCW Title Match Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: Kilynn King (c) Vs Killer Kelly Vs Steph De Lander Vs Miyu Yamashita
What was first advertised as a 3 Way Match is now a 4 Corner Survival with Steph De Lander added to the mix. Which makes me wonder did certain people signing contracts recently lead to a situation where nobody in the 3 Way politically can take the fall and a fourth person had to be used as a solution? Kilynn King is now signed to Impact and Killer Kelly is under contract to them too. Maybe I’m overthinking it.
LUCHA MEMES “???”, 15/04/2023 Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico
1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin Vs Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki
Alright we’re getting to talk about Mexico again. About time. Daisuke Sasaki will be making his Lucha Memes debut in April. The promotion is fond of bringing in independent talent from America. As far as I could find I think Ultimo Dragon and Satoshi Kojima are the only other Japanese wrestlers to have previously worked there. Lucha Memes is also running Arena Solis in Puebla for the first time.
DPW “DPW LIVE 2”, 16/04/2023 Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Is Yamashita still owed a title match in Deadlock Pro or did I misunderstand the stipulation of her previous match there? Also did you hear that news today about DPW going to Japan to do joint shows with Gatoh Move soon?
RIW “FIGHT UNTIL WE DIED”, 16/04/2023 Gimnasio Coliseo Arena, Toluca, Mexico
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
The next day in Mexico, Sasaki is heading over to Revolution Indy Wrestling.
UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023 Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita
I was able to find more social media pages for Ultimate Wrestling Empire so it is indeed an actual show taking place.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata
Will Yamashita still be undefeated in Prestige by the time her match with Queen Aminata takes place?
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Not sure if Takeshita’s match with Daga will still happen. Daga suffered a left knee injury at a show co-promoted by NWA and AAA at the start of the month. According to Konnan the injury is a fractured fibula and a torn miniscus that will take him out of action for two months. If that’s true then the timing could make this turn out to be Daga’s return match if his recovery goes better than anticipated.
EVE “LUCKY 13”, 05/05/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
Yamashita’s international series with Millie McKenzie continues with McKenzie putting up a big challenge in the hopes of finally winning the EVE Title. Given the back and forth results the two wrestlers produce against each other, they will now face off in an Iron Woman match. Whoever scores the most falls within the 30 minute time limit will be the champion at the end.
MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023 2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra
Can’t find confirmation but it would make sense if this is a MAW Women’s Title match with Sierra putting the belt on the line.
AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023 Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Just have to wait and see what her match is going to be.
GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023 Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s next appearance for GCW after Mania week will be in Detroit.
GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023 Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh will be in Ohio too.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yamashita was bound to get a match with Starkz somewhere during the tour. This also isn’t the last show on Yamashita’s schedule anymore.
ENJOY “???”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Ray Lyn Vs Miyu Yamashita
The final booking of Yamashita’s tour seems to be her match with Rey Lyn at Enjoy Wrestling. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can squeeze in at least one more match if she wanted to.
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Corrections
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023 NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
From what I could find online Takeshita was only on the show for a meet and greet, not to wrestle a match.
DDT “KENGAN ASHURA X DDT PRO WRESTLING COLLABORATION MATCH”, 26/03/2023 Tokyo Big Sight East Exhibition Hall ADK Emotions Booth ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match I: Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Nakamura pinned Sumi with the Diving Headbutt (10:24).
2. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match II – Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku (1) Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
2a. Tetsuya Endo (1) pinned Yuki Ishida (0) with a Diving Foot Stomp (14:36).
2b. HARASHIMA (1) pinned Yuya Koroku (1) with a Falcon Arrow (16:46).
2c. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku (1) Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00)
3. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match III: Konosuke Takeshita & MAO defeated Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani when Takeshita pinned Okatani with the Zahi (12:07).
DDT held a few pro wrestling matches at the AnimeJapan convention as part of a collaboration with the Netflix anime Kengan Ashura. In the anime companies and other elements of the corporate world use an underground fighting organization to settle their disputes. To capture this mood, each match DDT held today had a theme pitting two things against each other. For example the first match was Muscles Vs Mental Strength. Keigo Nakamura got his shows mixed up and thought DDT was promoting “How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?”. That show is from the same author and takes place in the same universe as Kengan Ashura. Regardless, he wanted to prove that muscles are important and did so by pinning Kazuma Sumi with a Diving Headbutt. He then admitted it was actually his mental strength that showed him the way to victory.
The second match was built around the two teams arguing over which character is the stronger, Tokita Ohma from Kengan Ashura or Baki Hanma from Baki The Grappler? Yuya Koroku thinks it is Ohma is while Kazusada Higuchi argued Baki is better. The two teams decided to hold a Best 2 out of 3 Falls match to settle their difference. Both Tetsuya Endo and HARASHIMA picked up falls for their respective teams but the third and deciding fall ran out of time. Koroku and Higuchi agreed after the match it was time to stop fighting and they should go back to being anime fans. They will now wait for the day when Kengan Ashura and Baki The Grappler do a crossover.
The main event was the online war between Netflix and ABEMA. The ABEMA team represented by Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani complained about Kengan Ashura being exclusive to Netflix. The Netflix team of Konosuke Takeshita & MAO defeated them but agreed that the two streaming services are both great.
After the main event, Gota Ihashi suddenly entered the ring threatening to crash the whole show! He tried to attack the staff but was stopped by a Double Super Kick from Takeshita and MAO. With the threat safely discarded, Ohma’s voice actor Tatsuhisa Suzuki was invited into the ring to announce that season two of Kengan Ashura is coming this September.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023 Shinjuku FACE 191 Fans
1. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Nakamura pinned Ishida with a Modified Crucifix Pin (10:14).
2. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Opening Round~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Makoto Oishi & Bambi by TKO when Iino used the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass on Oishi (8:52).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yusuke Okada defeated Akito (c) with an Inside Cradle (6:56). *Yusuke Okada becomes the 1,564th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito defeated Yusuke Okada (c) with an Inside Cradle (7:45 pm). *Akito becomes the 1,565th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Akito (c) with a Choke Slam (7:47 pm). *Yoshihiko becomes the 1,566th champion.
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Sumi with a Throwaway German Suplex (9:49).
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima when Koroku submitted Kojima with the Modified Triangle Lancer (13:36).
6. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Hino submitted Okatani with the King Kong Sleeper (10:18).
7. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Del Sol pinned Masada with the Solida Del Sol (16:20).
Konosuke Takeshita got a chance to try out some lucha libre by teaming with Samuray Del Sol. The idea was laughed at by Chris Brookes who was only happy to point out that Takeshita cannot wrestle in that style. He was proven right when Takeshita’s attempts to do a tightrope spot on Takeshi Masada failed in a big manner. Del Sol came to the rescue by giving Takeshita his own luchador mask and the two performed double dives onto the other team. Takeshita then blocked the Samurai Driver ’01 from Masada and Samuray took over to pin Masada with the Solida Del Sol. Takeshita admitted the mask felt uncomfortable but he thanked Del Sol for coming to DDT. Masada took the loss in his stride because next week he’s going to Hollywood! He wants DDT to change the show posters to advertise him as “Hollywood Superstar”.
After Yuji Hino won his tag match, an almost Yuki Iino came down to the ring to confront him. Makoto Oishi congratulated Iino for advancing past the Ω Block of the World Hino Classic and then showed a video introducing Iino’s final challenge. It’s “brother” YASSHI! The video explained that YASSHI is Hino’s senior from the same high school wrestling club. Pheromones will have to fight Hino, Oishi & YASSHI at Korakuen Hall on 9th April. If Pheromones win then Iino will get even closer towards having a KO-D Openweight Title shot.
BURNING beat The 37KAMIINA in a match that built up several programs. Tetsuya Endo will soon be defending the DDT Universal Title against MAO, Jun Akiyama is putting the DDT Extreme Title on the line against Shunma Katsumata and both Yuya Koroku and Toy Kojima are fighting for the last spot in the King Of DDT. Koroku picked up the win by tapping out Kojima. However the three wrestlers from The 37KAMIINA are still feeling confident in their chances of succeeding. MAO thinks Endo is scared of him, Katsumata is eager to fight Akiyama and Kojima thinks he can take both Koroku and Hideki Okatani to their limits in the Qualifying Battle.
Kazuma Sumi struck a deal with Kazuki Hirata before their match. If Sumi could beat DAMNATION T.A then he would be allowed to wear the Kazuki GO! glasses and dance to celebrate. Sumi ended up stealing the glasses from Hirata late in the match and was too busy dancing to notice MJ Paul walk up behind him and throw him across the ring with a German Suplex for the finish.
There were a couple of Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes setting up the belt’s journey to America next week. Yusuke Okada beat Akito in their scheduled match to become the new champion. Akito rolled him up afterwards to take the belt back. Then Yoshihiko appeared and Choke Slammed Akito for another title change. Yoshihiko then announced in English it is going to Los Angeles as the champion and will be targeting The 37KAMIINA over there!
Iino’s first challenge in the Wolrd Hino Classic was to convince Bambi that he is sexy. According to Oishi, Bambi is an expert on sexy stuff and her proof was using a whip on Pheromones during the match. But Iino & Danshoku Dieno turned the tables by using Pheromones moves on Bambi. With her taken care of, Iino then made Oishi go unconcious with a submission hold that is accruately called the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass. After the match Dieno asked Bambi is Iino proved he is sexy. She agreed! That means Iino now qualifies for the World Hino Classic final.
HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura are continuing to build momentum towards their KO-D Tag Team Titles match. HARASHIMA said today’s win is a big deal for Nakamura and makes him look forward to the title match. Nakamura pointed out he lost to Yuki Ishida in the D GENERATIONS CUP so today he got to avenge that result.
The King Of DDT 2023 entries are HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, MAO, Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya, KANON, Naruki Doi, Kotaro Suzuki, Takeshi Masada, Sanshiro Takagi and the winner of the 3 Way Qualifying Battle on 1st April.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,138 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated El Unicorn & Raimu Imai when Ilusion pinned Unicorn with the RE:VISION1 (8:15).
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (9:02).
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao defeated Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko when Ishii pinned Hirata with the Running Double Arm Driver (10:39).
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Gorgeous Matsuno and Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Oishi pinned Matsuno with a Cradle (4:54). *Makoto Oishi becomes the 4th O-40 Champion!
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada ended in a No Contest (11:21).
5. Special Tag Match: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda when Howitzer pinned Honda after the Master Blaster (7:46).
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Saki Akai defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Quetzalcoatl (9:19).
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (12:26).
8. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada defeated Hikaru Machida with the Samurai Driver ’01 (6:31).
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno when Sasaki submitted Shinno with La Mistica Crossface Lock (11:55).
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) defeated Kotaro Suzuki with a Wrist-Clutch Cradle (10:48). *V4 for Jun Akiyama.
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sanshiro Takagi by Knockout (13:17).
12. International Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Samuray Del Sol with the WR (13:28).
13. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo defeated Naruki Doi (c) with the Burning Star Press (20:49). *Naruki Doi fails in V2. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 10th DDT Universal Champion!
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu when MAO pinned Nakatsu after the Oretachi no Madmax (18:15). *V4 for ShunMao.
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yukio Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:23). *V1 for Yuji Hino.
Settle in folks because this is going to be a long one. DDT produced 16 matches across over almost 6 hours in Korakuen Hall to celebrate their 26th Anniversary. The spotlight at the end was given to Yuji Hino defending the KO-D Openweight Title against Yukio Naya. Hino had become something of a mentor to Naya over the last two years and today was a chance for the young heavyweight project to try and take the company’s top spot. With Kenta Kobashi watching from the commentary table, the two wrestlers threw heavy strikes and slam to each other. Naya eventually became flustered by the challenge, yelling this wasn’t going the way it was supposed to be while getting into another strike exchange late into the match. Hino took Naya’s best shots but the same could not be said vice versa. Naya looked to be down for the count until Hino stopped the referee and demanded his opponent to return back to his feet under his own strength. When Naya did Hino took him down with a Lariat but only got a two count out of it. He then finished off Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB to successfully defend the KO-D Title.
After the match Kobashi presented Hino with the KO-D Title and Hino shook Naya’s hand. Hisaya Imabayashi informed the champion that his next defence will be at Yokohama Budokan on 3rd May. Before Naya could comment on that they were suddenly interrupted by Pheromones! According to Danshoku Dieno, Hino’s next challenger is going to be Yuki “Sexy” Iino! Earlier in the show Pheromones made a promise to Imabayashi not to get naked during their match and in return Iino should get a KO-D Title shot. Imabayashi refused because he thinks Pheromones did not live up to their promise. Hino agreed with the GM and told Iino to come back once he starts behaving like a more serious wrestler. Dieno said Hino is a big, heavy and strong man but is missing something. DDT needs a champion who is big, heavy, strong and naughty. The only man who fulfills those requirements is Iino! Imabayashi put off making a decision since everybody is feeling tired after such a long show. Hino said DDT is the only place that can do that kind of overkill. He praised the roster for putting on amazing matches today and told the fans if you want to see amazing matches then come see DDT where he the amazing champion!
It was time for MAO to get over his negative memories of DNA and Ryota Nakatsu by finally standing up to him. ShunMao put the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line against Harimao in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Nakatsu brought out the plastic baseball bat he carried around in DNA and bullied MAO into doing a dance he used to do to make others laugh. MAO did what he was told despite Shunma Katsumata’s protests. Kazusada Higuchi then attacked Katsumata and brought him up to the balcony while Nakatsu dragged MAO over to the spot on the floor beneath it. Higuchi tried to throw Katsumata over the balcony with a Power Bomb but Katsumata escaped. So Higuchi found a nearby turnbuckle pad in the balcony and threw it at MAO down below. The brawl moved over to the lobby where Higuchi put Katsumata through a table near the staircase by jumping off a vending machine. Katsumata got one back in the aisle towards ringside by doing the Stuka Splash off of the entrance onto Higuchi. ShunMao brought out ring boards used for the canvas and bridged them over the front row barricade. They slammed Nakatsu onto the boards with the Oretachi no Madmax to get the 3 count and finally but MAO’s bad memories to bed.
ShunMao met with Imabayashi in the ring afterwards to find out where their next title defence would be. Suddenly Keigo Nakamura entered the ring, saying he and HARASHIMA should be the next challengers. Nakamura acted the same after his match earlier in the show. HARASHIMA went along with the idea because he wants to see Nakamura work hard and take advantage of his momentum. MAO isn’t interested in fighting HARASHIMA but Nakamura has caught his attention from out of nowhere. The title challenge was accepted and will take place in Korakuen on 9th April. When that was settled, all members of The 37KAMIINA got together in the ring and did their group pose.
That period of the show turned out to be a busy one for MAO. He was involved in the aftermath of the DDT Universal Title match. Tetsuya Endo won that championship for the first time by dethroning Naruki Doi. Endo’s knee was targeted and some of his high risk moves missed, like the Swan Dive Firebird Splash. But he also kicked out of the Bakatare Sliding Kick and blocked the Noshigami. Doi got stunned with an Overhead Kick and was thrown to the canvas with the Tetsuya In The Ski With Diamonds. Endo got the win when he did the Burning Star Press, taking the Universal Title away from Doi. After the match Endo apologised to Doi for calling him an enemy outsider. Doi carried DDT on his back by bringing the Universal Title with him to his matches for other companies and for that reason Endo now accepts him as one of us. Backstage Doi said he was planning on withdrawing from DDT after the loss but he cannot end his run here like this. He’ll be back to win more championships and other achievements!
MAO then entered the ring to challenge Endo to a title match. Endo got annoyed because he wants to fight challengers from around the world, not a neighbor from Miyagi! MAO brought up that he is currently one half of the KO-D Tag Champions and is also a former Universal Champion so he is qualified for a shot. Endo reluctantly agreed and brought up that MAO is probably more famous than him overseas. Endo is also still the tourism ambassador of Shiriashi City so he has the power to ban MAO from Miyagi if given the chance! The match will take place on 3rd May.
An international showdown saw Yuki Ueno defeat the visiting Samuray Del Sol. The match had dives back and forth from both as they tried to out-do each other. Ueno avoided the Soledo Del Sol but got caught with a Reverse Frankensteiner that’s called the Rising Sun for a nearfall. Ueno got his bearings back though and picked up the win once he put Del Sol in the WR. Backstage Del Sol said Ueno’s name sounds like “bueno” and it was a great honour to fight a great wrestler like him. Ueno said he is still carrying DDT on his back even though he no longer has the Universal Title. Even without the championship he wants to let the world know about DDT.
The relationship between Sanshiro Takagi and Konosuke Takeshita is similar to one between a father and son. Takeshita has grown up in DDT to become the wrestler he is today. It means a lot to Tagaki, so much so that preview video of the match revealed Takagi’s original dream plan for the company’s 25th Anniversary show. His dream was to hold that show in the Tokyo Dome and headline it with Takeshita Vs Kota Ibushi. Takeshita also means so much to Takagi that he felt if there was ever going to be a singles match between them it would be Takagi’s retirement match. Today the match finally happened and Takagi put everything he had into it. He did Avalanche Brainbusters only for Takeshita to return with his own, including one that went through a table outside the ring. Takagi had to rely on using the Stunner and he gave the move to Takeshita over and over and over. Takeshita was tough enough to take those Stunners and fire back with the Zahi twice. A beaten Takagi told Takeshita to finish him off with one more Zahi. Tears came down Takeshita’s face but he did the move one more time. Takagi suddenly popped back up to give Takeshita one more Stunner but that was it. Takeshita got back to his feet while Takagi couldn’t, ending the match with a knockout. Afterwards Takeshita told everyone he will win a singles championship in AEW as a DDT wrestler no matter what it takes. In exchange for this, he wants to see Takagi win the KO-D Title one more time before he decides to retire! He doesn’t care how long it takes because one day both Takeshita and Takagi will both fulfill this promise and then they can face each other one more time.
Jun Akiyama fought his favourite disciple Kotaro Suzuki in the fourth defence of his DDT Extreme Title reign. In a change of pace for the championship, there were no special rules attached to the match. It was a regular pro wrestling match between two of the best to do it. Suzuki got a nearfall with the Tiger Driver and held his ground to stop Akiyama from doing the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex. But Akiyama kept his grip on Suzuki’s wrist and rolled him over into a cradle to get the win. Suzuki was happy with how the match went despite losing. He sees the result as a kick up the pants for him to continue fighting for his goals.
Akiyama appreciated the subdued nature of the match compared to the rest of the card. He was sent crashing back into the DDT world afterwards though when his next challenger appeared. Shunma Katsumata quickly got into the ring, asked for a title match and left so he could prepare for the KO-D Tag Title bout. Akiyama told Imabayashi he accepts the challenge and the match will take place on 3rd May. He also wants a message to be sent back to Katsumata telling him he has no chance of winning.
DAMNATION T.A were back to good strength with Daisuke Sasaki’s return to the ring after recovering from a left eye injury. There was a little bit of rustiness, particularly the part where Sasaki’s chair attacks hit MJ Paul & KANON by accident. That gave Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno to take control of the match. However Sasaki used a ref bump to give Shinno a Low Blow. He then got him in La Mistica Crossface Lock for the submission win.
Sasaki got on the microphone after the match. First he told Parker they should do a singles match sometime. Then he called Imabayashi incompetent because Sasaki got up to something while he was gone. Sasaki didn’t spend the last two months away from the ring by lying around in a hospital. He went on day trips to get a deal done for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” that Imabayashi did not know about. Sasaki has put himself in a big match for Sumo Hall on 23rd July. The video screen then revealed Sasaki’s opponent will be El Desperado! The two wrestlers have been angling for a match for a long time now. Sasaki’s message to Desperado is the DDT ring will be where he will beat him up first! Until then, Sasaki might decide to disappear again until the match takes place.
Takeshi Masada scored a big win by beating Hikaru Machida in a strike heavy battle. Machida had Tanomusaku Toba in his corner giving the kickboxer advice. Masada found himself taking big shots from Machida but once the rookie got to do the Samurai Driver ’01, it was all over. Machida admitted it was a complete defeat and he has to start over if he wants to survive in pro wrestling. Masada is happy with the result but is also concerned over how beat up he is getting in these matchups, even when he wins. He knows he has to continue working hard to make up for that difference.
HARASHIMA & Nakamura’s path to the KO-D Tag Title shot came from them beating Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani. HARASHIMA scored the fall but it was Nakamura who suddenly got on the microphone and declared the two of them will use this momentum to get a title shot. The comments got a good response from the fans so HARASHIMA told him they would talk about it backstage. As mentioned above, they came back out after the KO-D Tag Title match and made their challenge official. Meanwhile Okatani said he now won’t be in good shape going into the 3 Way Qualifying Battle for the King Of DDT taking place on 1st April. Sakaguchi told him he will have to fight through the pain.
Saki Akai kicked off her 10th anniversary celebration with a massive win over Masahiro Takanashi, the man she teamed with for her debut match a decade ago. The special ocassion was almost spoiled thanks to interference from Chris Brookes. He gave Akai a Diving Senton outside the ring, taking out Okatani with a Dropkick in the process. That got all of Eruption more involved in reaction to this with Sakaguchi giving Brookes a PK and sticking around to stop Takanashi from cheating again. Akai got her second wind by wiping all of those people out with a Cross Body outside the ring. She caught up to Takanashi by stunning him with the Rookie Award and then hit the Quetzalcoatl to score the upset win. Akai said she was able to win by showing everyone she has learned a lot more than just what Takanashi had taught her.
PowerPoint Presentations are not going to stop The Wasteland War Party from doing what they want. Super Sasadango Machine made one to show how he and Antonio Honda would beat their opponents today. He reckoned Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer were not on the same page after losing the Princess Tag Team Titles in Tokyo Joshi Pro a few days ago. So the plan was to act friendly towards Max so they will fall out with Howitzer and split the team apart. Then they can coax Max over to their side by promising gifts like food and Mad Max DVDs. It looked to be working at first. Max accepted the food and began eating it while Howitzer complained. But Sasadango & Honda couldn’t capitalize and soon the War Party became a reunited force. Max & Howitzer solved their problems and went on to win the match. Sasadango & Honda called it a scary experience. However Sasadango also ended up taking a liking to Howitzer and wonders if maybe something nice could happen between them under different circumstances. He also noticed Max looks like they enjoy being in Japan. It makes him hope more foreign wrestlers will visit and fall in love with the country. He knows foreign wrestlers like the hard hitting power fighters like Kenta Kobashi and Kensuke Sasaki but he hopes today’s match will let those people know there are wrestlers like Sasadango & Honda in Japan too.
I mentioned earlier that Pheromones made a promise to Imabayashi as part of their plan to get Iino a KO-D Title shot. That promise was they would keep their clothes on for their match and if they broke that rule they would be disqualified. Toru Owashi taunted Iino by claiming to be sexier than he is. Iino submitted to his urges and tried to strip out of his costume anyway. When Imabayashi got on the microphone to warn Iino, all of Pheromones gave Yukinori Matsui a Low Blow. Imabayashi then had to be rescued by the other wrestlers causing Akito, Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada to all get knocked out by very lewd moves. By the time Pheromones got their hands on Imanari and did their thing, Matsui recovered and threw the match out. Dieno claimed his side kept their promise because the match ended in a No Contest instead of a DQ.
Makoto Oishi used his tricky wrestling style to tangle up both of his opponents to win the vacant O-40 Title. He had a small alliance with Gorgeous Matsuno that broke down when Matsuno saw his chance to win. Matsuno got Shinichiro Kawamatsu with the Gorgeous Star Elbow only for Oishi to pounce on top of him to steal the three count and win the belt. Oishi said the title is seen as a comedy championship but he wants it to be something for every wrestler around the world over the age of 40 will want to fight him for. Matsuno swears he will get revenge and take back what belongs to him. Kawamatsu has heard stories about wrestlers backstabbing each other so he wasn’t surprise to find out that happened with his two opponents.
Kazuki Hirata got to celebrate 13 years in the business by teaming with Yoshihiko. He warned Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao not to treat Yoshihiko like a doll then proceeded to use Yoshihiko as a weapon against both of them. Takao got Yosihiko trapped in the Official Endless Waltz but he wasn’t able to get a three count out of it. Hirata threw some Clotheslines that he called the 13th Anniversary Bomber. Yoshihiko gave Takao the Reincarnation but Ishii broke the pin. Takao used the Gin And Tonic on Yoshihiko to take the doll out of the match so Ishii could beat Hirata with the Running Double Arm Driver. It’s been a while since Hirata fought Ishii. He has nothing but good things to say about Ishii, calling him the same old monster with the great wrestling mind. Ishii said Hirata was a very good wrestler when he began 13 years ago and he was even better than that today.
The opening match of the main show saw Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeating Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi. Koroku blocked a Moonsault from Sumi with his knees and then submitted him with the Modified Triangle Lancer. He has unfinished business with Kojima along with Okatani going into the King Of DDT 3 Way Qualifying Battle on 1st April. Koroku has beaten both Kojima and Okatani in singles matches before so he is confident he will do that again in back to back falls.
The pre-show match was a graduation for the DDTeeeen!! wrestlers. Ilusion and El Unicorn have both grown out of their positions as teenager pro wrestlers and are moving on up to the proper DDT roster. The match also included Raimu Imai who has been on the sub-brand previously and Munetatsu Nakamura who wasn’t. Ilusion scored the win by pinning Unicorn with his Modified Pedigree. That version of the move he uses is now called the RE:VISION1.
After the match Takagi congratulated both Ilusion and Unicorn on their graduation. He explained that the two of them had to wrestle in masks the entire time because they were underage. Today they can choose if they want to keep the masks or remove them and reveal their identities. Unicorn said he has recently graduated from middle school as well as DDTeeeen!! and will about to enter high school. For that reason he will unmask. He took the mask off and revealed he is Yuni, the young pro wrestler who’s been with DDT since 2016 when he started training at 8 years old. Ilusion teased taking off his mask but decided against it. He said he has more work to do as Ilusion and wants to keep the mask on for the time being.
A variety of different names and faces will be coming to DDT over in the not too distant future. The most bizarre of which is Chiitan, the infamous mascot who often goes viral on Twitter for doing crazy stunts. The “otter fairy” mascot has dabbled with pro wrestling and will have its official debut match on 3rd May. Chiitan’s announcement was interrupted by Chris Brookes, who attacked Chiitan in the ring while it was greeting the fans. Brookes threatened to kill Chiitan there and then with a Diving Double Stomp but Imabayashi stopped him from doing it. Chiitan then got some measure of revenge by Dropkicking Brookes out of the ring.
British wrestler Rayne Leverkusen will be coming to DDT in April. She often wrestles for EVE and is also the niece of the late Clive Burr from Iron Maiden. Her big match on the tour will be a singles bout against Saki Akai on 3rd May.
Last but certainly not least, American wrestler Nick Wayne will bet at the Yokohama Budokan show on 3rd May. The youngster has been called a supernova on the US indies and gained attention for signing a deal with AEW at the age of 16. Takeshita recommended DDT to bring him over to Japan for a tour.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs El Unicorn & Raimu Imai
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada
5. Special Tag Match: Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Saki Akai
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
8. Special Single Match: Hikaru Machida Vs Takeshi Masada
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
12. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
13. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yukio Naya
A press conference was held in Shinjuku today for some of the matches on the show. Yuki Ueno said he feels honored that an international superstar has come to Japan wanting to fight him. Samuray Del Sol said the one place he has not conquered is Japan. He first learned of DDT by seeing footage of El Generico wrestling Kota Ibushi there. He’s been watching and studying Ueno’s matches so is excited to be wrestling the best.
Konosuke Takeshita reminded everyone that he’s been with DDT for over ten years and the only person he hasn’t wrestled one on one is his boss Sanshiro Takagi. They have no choice but to finally do this match now. He has gratitude for Takagi and sees this as a match between a parent and their child. Takagi’s been a great father figure but the time has come to surpass him. Takagi said he wants to be in the best shape he can for the match. Some injuries have gotten in his way but he isn’t letting that be any excuse. He won’t let Takeshita move past him so easily and will do his best to crush him! Takeshita also said his experience in AEW has given him a hunger he couldn’t get in Japan because spots on their shows are so limited.
The “Super Powerhouse Tag Team” made themselves known while Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda were being interviewed. The two men thought they were going to get Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima until they worked out that TenKoji’s schedule wouldn’t make it possible. Instead they are getting The Wasteland War Party! Both Sasadango & Honda were terrified by the appearance of Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer. The War Party left them laying on the floor with Headbutts. When Honda regained consciousness he began to cry. He thought he was getting a dream match but instead it’s going to be a nightmare!
Away from the press conference in a separate interview, Saki Akai talked about her upcoming match against Masahiro Takanashi. They had one previous singles match together in the 1st Round of the King Of DDT 2018. Takanashi won that match but for the rematch Akai warns there is a part of her that he does not know about. If she can tap into it tomorrow she can find a way to beat him. Then when that match is done Akai wants to focus on Eruption winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in order to push Hideki Okatani up to the next level. She has other plans to celebrate her 10 year anniversary later in the year. Yukio Sakaguchi taught her how to fight in the ring so she would like to face him in a match. She hopes Yoshiko will come back from her break some day for another match. Danshoku Dieno is another past opponent she wants to do a big match with again. She also suggested Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita and Sumire Natsu as potential future opponents for her in a DDT ring.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 22/03/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Suzume Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI Vs Arisu Endo, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
4. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Raku Vs Yuya Koroku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
5. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
6. Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Haruna Neko Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
We have come out of “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” with brand new champions holding all of the titles in Tokyo Joshi Pro. We also have some wrestlers refreshing their looks while the new generation of debuts have landed and taken their first steps. Where we go from here is towards Los Angeles.
It wouldn’t be right if The Wasteland War Party went home without getting a chance to say goodbye to Pom Harajuku. I’m sure she appreciates it.
Shino Suzuki is having her first ever singles match. Suzume is her opponent.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito (c) Vs Yusuke Okada
3. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
It’s rare to see promotion for an Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title singles match in advance. Akito Vs Yusuke Okada will go ahead even if Akito loses the belt before it happens.
The lineup for the King Of DDT 2023 will be revealed during this show.
BASARA “BASARA 214 ~KOO~”, 28/03/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Leo Isaka
2. Basara Strange Style Jacket Match: Gouma Ryu Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs FUMA & KUBITO
4. Takato Nakao, Masato Kamino & Yasu Urano Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
5. CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs SAGAT
6. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Banana Senga
The super obscure CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title held by Takumi Tsukamoto is being defended again in BASARA. Tsukamoto brought the belt into the company at the end of 2021. He’s defended it twice here but usually saves his title matches for other indies. SAGAT is his next challenger.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
Some of the new champions making their first defences on the USA show. 121000000 Vs The Magical Sugar Rabbits in the main event now has the Princess Tag Team Titles on the line. Yuka Sakazaki wants to show everyone how much MagiRabi has powered up from fighting each other. Mizuki has the least experience wrestling overseas of the four but now she is the Princess Of Princess Champion she is not scared of any challenge. She’s also excited by the possibility of becoming the only person in TJPW to hold two Princess Titles at the same time. Miyu Yamashita believes the timing is right for 121000000 to beat MagiRabi on TJPW’s first USA show. Maki Itoh wants her American simps to know they are getting to see her TJPW form instead of the usual version they see from her previous appearances in the country.
Billie Starkz claims she was going to challenge the International Princess Champion no matter who it was coming out “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. That it happens to be her already scheduled opponent Rika Tatsumi made it a lot easier for her to get the title shot. With the match happening in America, Starkz will get to fight for the championship in front of her friends and family. The new champion Tatsumi has already begun changing her look to be more America-like (or “AmeRika”) in order to truly act like an international champion. She went to this press conference wearing sunglasses and drinking a cola. She isn’t worried about fighting Starkz in her home country because it is still happening on a TJPW show. That means Tatsumi still has the home field advantage.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023 Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Joey Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada
According to Atsushi Onita he paid 400,000 yen to trademark the Current Blast Death Match. Rather than trying to buy it off him, Sanshiro Takagi would rather take it by force. He still wants DDT to take ownership of the trademark and is joining forces with Joey Janela to do it. Janela has made it his number one goal during his latest tour of Japan to destroy his hero Onita in an exploding death match. Takagi also picked Takeshi Masada to be their tag partner, thinking this kind of dangerous atmosphere is just what the super rookie has been missing. Onita has his DDO allies Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima backing him up. If their winning ways continue then Onita has promised to create a new Current Blast 6-Man Tag Team Championhip as something new for them to fight for!
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FOUR: WHEN GOOD DOGS DO BAD THINGS”, 18/04/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Single Match: Masashi Takeda Vs Death Worm
2. Special Tag Team Match: Sayaka & Baliyan Akki Vs MAO & Chie Koishikawa
3. Special Tag Team Match: Rina Yamashita & Drew Parker Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
Rina Yamashita and Masashi Takeda are the next guests to join in the Baka Gaijin party. Also Baliyan Akki & Sayaka will together wrestle their first match on one of these shows. It’s about time Akki wrestled on one of them. Maybe Chris Brookes & Drew Parker will do the camera work and commentary for his match.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM ONITA ~DDO HATAAGE BATTLE~”, 19/03/2023 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market 282 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Sudden Death (6:51).
2. Sumi Only 2 Count Falls Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Iino submitted Sumi after the Pheromones Stamp Rally (9:50).
3. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Paul pinned Kawamatsu with a Running Body Press (7:16).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Chie Koishikawa when Akai submitted Koishikawa with the Extreme Arm Triangle Choke (12:05).
5. Road To Judgement 2023! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Hikaru Machida defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Takeshita pinned Masada with an Inside Cradle (14:31).
6. Harimao Vs BURNING!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Nakatsu submitted Koroku with an Upide Down Cross Armbreaker (11:49).
7. Jado Alert Issued! Current Blast Jado Missile 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata when Katsumata pinned Hirata with a Current Blast Bat Full Swing (13:55).
Both HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata got to experience an exploding death match for the first time in their careers. They along with Soma Takao represented DDT against Atsushi Onita’s new splinter group Dramatic Dream Onita featuring Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima. The big weapon of this match was the Jado Missile. When pressed, the wrestlers had 30 seconds to prepare themselves for the impact of a missile launched straight into the ring. All six took the explosion but were still able to continue fighting. HARASHIMA hit the Firebird Splash onto Onita, bringing back memories of Hayabusa. Katsumata broke the pin and Onita came back by spitting Poison Mist at HARASHIMA’s face. Hirata then appeared with his Hirata GO! glasses and an exploding barbwire bat. Onita wore his own glasses to counter Hirata and set him up for an exploding bat swing from Katsumata to end the match.
After the match Sanshiro Takagi entered the ring and told Onita he hasn’t given up his quest to take the explosion death match trademark from him. Joey Janela will be coming back to DDT next month and he’s demanding to face Onita in an exloding death match. So Takagi is joining forces with both Janela & Takeshi Masada to challenge Onita, Katsumata & Kojima for the trademark! Onita threw a bucket of water at Masada and accepted the challenge for 16th April in Niigata. Later after the show Onita also said if his team wins then he will create new 6-Man Tag Team Titles to be defended in exploding death matches.
Harimao used today’s show as preparation for their Falls Count Anywhere match on Tuesday. Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu purposely fought with Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku outside the ring and around the venue. Nakatsu almost took it too far when he brought in a motorbike but at the last second declinded to use it because he didn’t want to damage it. After Harimao beat BURNING, Nakatsu feels confident about winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles because this match showed they can act unpredictable.
Fresh off of his latest AEW appearances, Konosuke Takeshita touched down back in Japan for his return to DDT. His focus for this stay is his upcoming match with Sanshiro Takagi. Maybe it was the jetlag from arriving the night before or maybe it’s from the difference in experience but Takagi came off looking like he has Takeshita’s number. He got Takeshita with the Stunner and Masada tried to capitilise by doing the Samurai Driver ’01. However Takeshita countered it into a Small Package to escape with a win out of nowhere. Although Masada took the fall, his upcoming opponent Hikaru Machida still got on the microphone after the match to talk about how much he is looking forward to fighting him on 21st March. Meanwhile Takagi declined to shake hands with Takeshita, giving him the middle fingers instead. Backstage Takeshita said he thinks Takagi is ready for their singles match. He wants to put everything he’s done in the last 10 years into that match as a show of gratitude towards Takagi.
Who could have guessed that Chie Koishikawa all people would show no fear fighting against Eruption? She wasn’t even intimidated to face off with Yukio Sakaguchi! Her antics roped in Toru Owashi to get the upper hand on Hideki Okatani while Yukio Naya had a more traditional back and forth with Sakaguchi. Eruption regrouped and took out Owashi with a Sandwich PK. Saki Akai then got a hold of Koishikawa and trapped her in a Modified Triangle Choke to get the win.
Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu got along as a team in their failed attempt to beat DAMNATION T.A. But that alliance fell apart backstage after the match. Oishi said he was going to fight Kawamatsu fair and square for the O-40 Title but then took offence and stormed off after Kawamatsu cracked a joke about him. Kawamatsu has now made both of his opponents in the 3-Way Match angry at him but he still thinks he can win the O-40 Title.
Akito found himself back in a never ending war with Pheromones and told Kazuma Sumi they could not win by strength alone. Sumi slapped him for having no confidence and revealed he came up with an idea. He wants their match against Pheromones to include a special rule where only Sumi can win with a 2 Count. Akito liked the idea and used his Vice President powers to make it happen. The plan didn’t work because Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno ended up teabagging Sumi into submission.
Yusuke Okada and Keigo Nakamura kept shouting “Thank you” at each other in a game of one-upmanship during their match. Okada got the better of Nakamura in the end, pinning him with the Sudden Death.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Suzume Vs Arisu Endo
2. Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Debut Match: Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Ram Kaichow Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuk
4. Ryo Mizunami Vs Moka Miyamoto
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Haruna Neko
6. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz
7. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai
8. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
The Wasteland War Party have completed three successful Princess Tag Team Titles defences in America over the last few weeks. Tokyo Joshi Pro has recognised all three of them. Nobody over there has been able to take the belts from the champs so when they come back to Japan their match against 121000000 will now be a title bout. It was always going to be like this but it’s only been made official a couple of days ago. Those are the kind of semantics a wrestling company has to deal with when they have a travelling champion. The Wasteland War Party will be at the 22nd March show too.
The two teenage trainees have announced their official ring names. Haru is now Haru Kazashiro. She is 158cm tall and was born in Tokyo on 28th March, 2008. She became a fan of TJPW after watching Maki Itoh matches. She is also a fan of The Bakuretsu Sisters and decided to become a pro wrestler after watching Nodoka Tenma’s graduation match. Her debut match is happening one day before her junior high school graduation ceremony.
Momo is now Runa Okubo. She is 155cm tall and was born in Saitama on 15th June, 2008 making her the youngest wrestler in TJPW. She became a pro wrestling fan through her parents and her goal is to reach the level of Yuki Kamifuku.
BASARA “BASARA 213 ~TAKAGARI 15~”, 18/03/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Isami Kodaka Vs Antonio Honda
2. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs FUMA & KUBITO
The new IRON FIST Tag Champions quickly hit a bump in the road after winning the belts. Takato Nakano couldn’t win the Union MAX Title and Masato Kamino dropped a fall to KUBITO. Feeling the need to prove their strength, Aijin Tag had no choice but to nominate FUMA & KUBITO as the No. 1 Contenders for the tag titles.
Hideyoshi Kamitani from Big Japan and Koju Takeda from 666 will both be on the show. Takeda will not be in his Pheromones gimmick but his regular self is still at risk of acting inappropriate in the ring.
1. Yusuke Okada Ve Keigo Nakamura
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Chie Koishikawa
4. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
5. Harimao Vs BURNING!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
6. Road To Judgement 2023! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Hikaru Machida
7. Jado Alert Issued! Current Blast Jado Missile 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
Both teams in the main event have sent demands for more weapons to be included. So not only is there going to be a missile fired at the ring, there will also be exploding blast bats and barbed wire boards placed around the ring.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs El Unicorn & Raimu Imai
2. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
3. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada
5. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Saki Akai
7. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu
8. Special Single Match: Hikaru Machida Vs Takeshi Masada
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno
10. Special Tag Match: Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Super Powerhouse Tag Team
11. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
12. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
13. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu
14. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
15. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
16. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yukio Naya
Daisuke Sasaki claims to have a few more matches in him before he disappears to America or Mexico or whatever country it is that he wants to live the rest of his life in. He is added onto the 26th Anniversary show reuniting most of DAMNATION T.A. Their opponents Chris Brookes & Drew Parker are adding Hagane Shinno to their ranks to even the odds.
A special training session was made for Hikaru Machida when he went to visit Yukio Sakaguchi’s gym today. Sakaguchi thinks Machida has been lacking something in his switch from MMA to pro wrestling. The solution was to bring in Minowaman to train him! The fighter, now going by the name Minowaman Z told Machida to follow him outside to a nearby park where they would train together. He wanted Machida to learn that you can work out anywhere no matter where you go.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
A first time team up for Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol! Brookes & Takeshi Masada have fought together a few times now but how much of an advantage could that give them?
GANBARE☆PRO “HERO NEVER DIE 2023”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Moeka Haruhi Vs YuuRI
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
The Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles Tournament begins.
GANBARE☆PRO “MIZUKI WATASE PRODUCE 2023”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Hartley Jackson Vs HARUKAZE
2. Special Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Tyson Maeguchi
Mizuki Watase gets to put together his own show. He’s wanted to team with Yukio Sakaguchi for a long time. He also came up with the wild idea to put Hartley Jackson against HARUKAZE!
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 25/03/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Moeka Haruhi & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Rina Amikura & YuuRI
2. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Daiki Shimomura
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shota & Soma Takao
A young battle between Ganbare☆Pro and BASARA takes place when Munetatsu Nakamura goes against Daiki Shimomura.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Billie Starkz
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
4. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
The full card for the Los Angeles show is here. The Magical Sugar Rabbits Vs 121000000 and Free WiFi Vs Daisy Monkey are the two all Japanese matches. The Wasteland War Party, Trish Adora, Billie Starkz and Janai Kai are included as the international guests.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno
A seventh match added to the GCW Vs DDT card with Joey Janela taking on Yuki Ueno. Janela will be following DDT back to Japan because he has several bookings with them in April.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GARAFES ~ SPRING IDOL LUNCH MEETING”, 02/04/2023 Tokyo GOTANDA G6/G7
1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Haruna Neko & Moka Miyamoto Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI
A festival of idol concerts will include a small TJPW performance. TJPW will be holding a mat wrestling match at the venue that day.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SHIZUOKA IDOL FESTIVAL IN TSUMAGOI”, 16/04/2023 Shizuoka Tsumagoi Resort Sainosato Multipurpose Plaza
1. X Vs X
2. X Vs X
3. X Vs X
TJPW will also be at the Shizuoka Idol Festival with a ring set up for three wrestling matches. It’s an outdoor show so there is a risk that stormy weather will cancel the matches.
GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X
Not only will the first SOG Tag Champions be crowned but two wrestlers from Glory Pro in America will be making their Ganpro debuts. Dan The Dad and Kody Lane will be wrestling on both the 5th May and 6th May Ganpro shows.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/03/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Aino Vs Hikari Noa Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
3. Mizuki Vs Pom Harajuku
4. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Raku
5. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima & Mahiro Kiryu
6. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko Vs Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Nao Kakuta
Two shows in Yokohama Radiant Hall tomorrow kicks off a busy weekend. Tokyo Joshi Pro has the lunchtime show.
DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 2”, 04/03/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Yoshihiko (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes Vs Akito Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. DISASTER BOX Vs Harimao!: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
4. Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani Vs Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki
6. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Ryota Nakatsu
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
Then DDT takes over in the evening.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 05/03/2023 Nagano City Art Center Act Space
1. KANON Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada
5. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya & Chris Brookes
Then DDT heads over to Nagano City Art Center on Sunday.
GANBARE☆PRO “SHOOTING IN THE COLD RAIN, A GUN FOR PROMISE 2023”, 05/03/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takuya Wada
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & Asahi
3. GanJo Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Miyuki Takase
4. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Tyson Maeguchi
5. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Shota Vs Soma Takao
6. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Shuichiro Katsumura & Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Yumehito Imanari
Shinichiro Tominaga needs to bounce back after his failure to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title. He has the experience edge over Tyson Maeguchi but is he going into the match with a glass chin?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE NIGHT BEFORE GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 06/03/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Rika Tatsumi Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Aino, Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku
3. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
4. Yuka Sakazaki, Yuki Arai & Suzume Vs Mizuki, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo
5. Toga Debut Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Toga
6. Shino Suzuki Debut Match: Miu Watanabe & Hikari Noa Vs Raku & Shino Suzuki
Two debuts are in the top two matches of this show. The Up Up Girls get the entire main event to themselves for Shino Suzuki’s first match. Toga is in the match before taking on Miyu Yamashita.
Toga is sticking with the name for her debut, switching the spelling from Hiragana (とうが) to Kanji (凍雅). It is similar to what Raku did with her name when she turned pro. Toga has been a pro wrestling fan since elementary school and was inspired to become a wrestler after seeing Saki Akai. She was born in Kanagawa on 27th February, 2003. She is 168cm tall.
1. Yusuke Okada Ve Keigo Nakamura
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Chie Koishikawa
4. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
5. Harimao Vs BURNING!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
6. Road To Judgement 2023! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Hikaru Machida
7. Jado Alert Issued! Current Blast Jado Missile 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
Konosuke Takeshita will be back in Japan a little bit earlier than expected. His next match in DDT is on this show a few days before “JUDGEMENT 2023”. He’ll be across the ring from Sanshiro Takagi so fans will get to see a preview of their singles match.
Coming over from ChocoPro it’s the DDT debut of Chie Koishikawa! Put her in there with Yukio Sakaguchi. I bet she can handle him easily.
BASARA “BASARA 214 ~KOO~”, 28/03/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Banana Senga
Recently Tsutomu Oosugi won the TTT Indie Unified Openweight Title, his very first singles championship. It may be the inspiration for Banana Senga’s sudden decision to challenge Isami Kodaka for the Union MAX Title. The weird thing is Senga currently holds the TTT Indie Unified 6-Man Tag Team Titles with two other wrestlers so it’s not as if he’s had no success away from Speed Of Sounds.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 