DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026 Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa
1. MAO & Masami Inahata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
3. Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul Vs Takeshi Masada, Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuni
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya
Some changes to Saturday’s card have been made because Yuki Ueno needs to go get laser surgery in his eye. His doctor found signs of a possible retinal tear in one of his eyes and its needs to be dealt with. He will only be out of action for a week but that means Ueno will miss the next DDT show.
DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Something With To-y & Kazuki Hirata: To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army!: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Nise Daisuke Sasaki A, Nise Daisuke Sasaki B & Deka Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
There will be more matches happening on the show but they will not be revealed until they happen.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki
The first week of April will now have the retirement of Kazusada Higuchi taking place. Sadly he will not have one more match to mark the end of his career. Instead the other members of Harimao will team together one last time before the group disbands. Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida will face three opponents from Higuchi’s past going all the way back to their DNA days. Shunma Katsumata recently returned to action and was an early rival of Higuchi. Both Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki rarely show up in DDT these days but such an important occasion have brought the both of them back.
FANTÔMES DRAMATIC are on the hunt for some gold and could get plenty of it if things go their way soon. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA have become the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The timing could not be better because KANON is coming off of a failed KO-D Openweight Title challenge and may need to rely on MAO to do all the hard work if he hasn’t bounced back by then.
DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dramatic Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ilusion
1. Special Single Match: YOH Vs Antonio Honda
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
3. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yukio Naya
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yuki Iino
Ueno will definitely be ready to defend the KO-D Title against Yuki Iino no matter what. He was someone Iino learned a lot from when Iino trained to become a pro wrestler. Ueno was also a part of Iino’s debut match back in 2017.
Meanwhile Yukio Naya has gone and challenged Hideki Okatani for the DDT Extreme Title. His logic is “Extreme” means big so the title should belong to him.
Brookes & HARASHIMA could be double tag champs if Fandora wins the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from paleyouth. The wild card is Hinata Kasai. He hasn’t directly won a match yet but Antonio Honda thinks having Kasai on the challenger team will add some drama to the title match. The idea has painted a target on Kasai when Brookes threw Bunbun into the crowd after the challenge was made. Takeshi Masada blames Kasai for that and wants to get revenge!
DDT “MOTSUNABE BUSTER”, 18/04/2026 ACROS Fukuoka
1. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
The new DDT Universal Champion is looking to surpass a wrestler he looks up to. Kazuma Sumi nominated Katsumata to be his first challenger to repay him for his support over the years. However the repayment will be completed when Sumi beats Katsumata! Same goes the other way around. Katsumata will show his appreciation for Sumi by crushing him for the championship!
Kumadori will be on the show.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Dramatic Dream Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kaisei Takechi
The next time DDT goes to Sumo Hall they will give everyone a Konosuke Takeshita versus Kaisei Takechi match! Hopefully neither of them will get a case of pink eye right before the match again.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Yuni defeated Hinata Kasai with the Jorge Clutch (7:26).
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase defeated Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki when Kazashiro pinned Kanzaki with the Fisherman Suplex (9:53).
1. Jun Akiyama defeated Rukiya with the Exploder Suplex (6:20).
2. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Evil Uno & Akito when Iino pinned Akito with the Spear (11:12).
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Viento Maligno & Kumadori defeated MJ Paul & Ilusion and Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata when Maligno pinned Ilusion with the Driver Maligno (8:25).
4. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with a Running Palm Strike (12:04).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki when HARASHIMA pinned Miyawaki with the Somato (12:33).
6. DDT Extreme Title – No Hitting With The Bamboo Sword! If You Want To Use It Make Them Laugh! Staring Contest Punishment Bamboo Sword Deathmatch!!!!!: Hideki Okatani defeated To-y (c) with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (12:20). *To-y fails in V8. Hideki Okatani becomes the 64th DDT Extreme Champion!
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda, Hisaya Imabayashi & Glasses defeated Minoru Suzuki (c) when Glasses pinned Suzuki (11:51). *Glasses becomes the 1,812nd champion.
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Masada pinned Ishida with the Manburi (14:17) *V1 for paleyouth.
9. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with a Big Boot (0:07).
9a. Rematch: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with an Elbow Butt (0:10).
9b. World’s 20 Vs Adachi Ward’s 2! Let’s Have A Great Death Match!: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:02).
10. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) with the School Boy (16:48). *Daisuke Sasaki fails in V1. Kazuma Sumi becomes the 21st DDT Universal Champion!
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated KANON with the WR (25:12). *V6 for Yuki Ueno.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Glasses (c) by Destruction (18:47). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,813rd champion.
The 29th Anniversary of DDT was also the first attempt by KANON to try and win the KO-D Openweight Title. For the weeks leading up to this match, KANON had been winning matches with the Lariat so Yuki Ueno tried to weaken it by hitting KANON’s hand off the corner post early on. KANON would still use the Lariat as an equalizer but then tried using his other moves to win. The Cobra Twist, Sleepy Hollow and LONELY DEZIRES wouldn’t work so he went back to the Lariat. However Ueno’s well time Dropkick to the face helped him to set up the Blackout Sleeper to squeeze the life out of KANON. While he was eventually able to get out of it, KANON was then given the WR to put him down and out.
Ueno told KANON after the match that he’s been thinking about him a lot. He thinks KANON is strong, handsome, kind and also weird. If he wants to make it to the top of DDT he cannot stay the way he is now. KANON needs to show more. Still, Ueno had fun and reminded KANON he’s been part of the DDT family even going back to when he was part of DAMNATION T.A. When he was done, Yuki Iino got into the ring feeling moved by Ueno’s speech. Iino asked for a title match because Ueno was his senior who taught him everything about pro wrestling back when Iino was a trainee. Ueno was also Iino’s first ever opponent. Ueno said he would accept the challenge on the condition that Iino would not immediately attack him after they shake hands. Iino agreed and they shook hands without incident. Ueno then told the fans he will carry the hopes of everybody as DDT moves into its 30th year.
After several failed attempts, Kazuma Sumi solved the puzzle and got to pin Daisuke Sasaki with the School Boy to win the DDT Universal Title! Sasaki targeted his leg from the get-go, including attacking the limb with a chair. A ref bump also led to the other members of DAMNATION T.A interfering on Sasaki’s behalf. Sumi fought against the odds but almost paid big by missing the Reverse 450 Splash. His luck then turned around when DAMNATION T.A interfered again only to backfire on Sasaki when Ilusion accidentally hit him with the chair. From there Sumi tried to pin Sasaki with the School Boy several times. Sasaki caught him in the Crossface Lock only for Sumi to counter it into another School Boy, this time pinning Sasaki down for the three count! Sasaki complained backstage that his “visa” for travelling the world was now taken from him and he’s trying to figure out does this mean he is being banished from the country? He only remembers being hit by a chair so that means Sumi cheated to win! Sasaki will accept his fate for now. He will go abroad, fall in love, get dumped and then come back home.
When Sumi celebrated with the title he said he is so glad he never gave up. He was able to keep going because of everyone’s support. He was then asked to nominated his first challenger for a title defence in Fukuoka on 18th April. Sumi chose Shunma Katsumata because he wants to repay him for all of his kindness ever since he debuted. However Sumi’s way of repaying Katsumata is to surpass him so he is not taking him lightly by putting this title match together. Katsumata agreed to the match and said he is going to treat Sumi as his equal. His way of repaying Sumi will be to crush him and win the Universal Title!
Kazuki Hirata was given the biggest entrance possible by having John Robinson sing him down to the ring with a live performance of “TOKYO GO!” Then after all of that hype, Konosuke Takeshita pinned Hirata in seconds after a Big Boot. A rematch immediately took place but Takeshita won again this time with an Elbow Butt that knocked Hirata out. Hirata begged for another rematch and Takeshita accepted. He even allowed Hirata to only need a 2 Count pin to beat him while Takeshita would need to pin Hirata for a 20 Count! The match began again with those conditions. This time Robinson got involved by stopping Takeshita from attacking Hirata with a chair. He also offered a pair of Hirata GO! glasses but Takeshita destroyed them. Robinson got on the mic to sing “TOKYO GO!” again in order to revive Hirata’s chances. This time Takeshita put on the glasses and started dancing only for Robinson to sneak in and Low Blow Takeshita! Hirata then got in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but Takeshita kicked out at one. Hirata’s comeback was cut off with the Wagamama knee strike but he somehow kicked out at 19! Another Miracle One Shot Cradle was done as a counter for the Raging Fire but Takeshita kicked out at one again. Possibly knowing how close of a call that was, Takeshita flipped Hirata over into the Walls Of Takeshita to win the match by submission instead of pinfall.
After the match Takeshita told Hirata his style of wrestling is one of a kind and it is time for him to become No. 1 in DDT again! He wants Hirata to show him the ultimate Dramatic Dream. Then they can have another rematch where this time Takeshita will need to pin Hirata for a 30 count! After they left the ring, DDT announced that Takeshita will return at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” in Sumo Hall on 11th August for a single match against Kaisei Takechi!
paleyouth got their first KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence in the bag after beating Harimao today. The challengers were accompanied by Kazusada Higuchi but he stood by and did not get involved. Daichi Sato stood toe to toe with Naomi Yoshimura while Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku threw both Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida away with German Suplexes. The match came down to Masada dodging Ishida’s Ensho and then hitting him with two Manburi kicks for the victory.
The champions were then greeted by FANTÔMES DRAMATIC after the match. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda were there to get the next title shot until Honda talked about how dramatic it would be for a team with Hinata Kasai in it to win the titles from paleyouth. Masada asked if Kasai had even won a match yet? Kasai said he hasn’t but that doesn’t mean he cannot get his first win against them! He thinks the best way to celebrate his first win would be to hold championships with the rest of Fandora. All of a sudden, Brookes grabbed Bunbun and threw him into the audience! He went to retrieve him afterwards only to throw him to another part of the room! Masada swore revenge by declaring he will take all of his anger out on Kasai!
As part of the plan to get the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Minoru Suzuki, the opposing team in the Handicap Match took part in Gongitsune training before the match. Their logic is Suzuki’s biggest weakness is his eyeballs so it will be up to Honda to poke them. Hisaya Imabayashi bravely started the match with Suzuki but was left to fight by himself and was almost choked out with the Sleeper Hold. Sanshiro Takagi got into a Chop Battle with Suzuki while Danshoku Dieno stopped him with a Lip Lock. When Honda’s attempts at Gongitsune kept on failing, Suzuki got on the microphone to ask everyone how long is DDT going to keep doing this kind of pro wrestling? This is the kind of pro wrestling that makes New Japan wrestlers look down on them! He called Takagi the root of all evil but then admitted to having good memories with everyone in the ring with him. Honda finally poked him in the eye with Gongitsune during the speech but Suzuki didn’t react. He revealed he had trained his eyeballs in anticipation for this match! Honda charged up Gongitsune by using Dieno’s Hell Gate but Suzuki blocked it by stealing Imabayashi’s glasses and putting them on to act as a shield. Suzuki then fought off Toru Owashi & Super Sasadango Machine but was caught with the Stunner by Takagi. Suzuki resisted the impact at first but soon ran out of energy and collapsed to the match. Everyone piled on top of him to get the pinfall but Daisuke Kiso declared afterward that it was Imabayashi’s glasses that pinned Suzuki which means the Glasses are now the Iron Man Champion! Later at the end of the show Honda found the glasses over at the timekeeper’s table and destroyed them to be declared the new champion.
The rule for the DDT Extreme Title match was Yukinori Matsui had to wear a helmet with a button attached to it on his head. If To-y or Hideki Okatani pressed the button, they would then need to make Matsui laugh during a staring contest. Succeeding in that would allow them to use a bamboo sword as a legal weapon for one minute. To-y was eager to follow those rules while Okatani was not in the humour to mess around like that. When he kept ignoring the rule, Matsui told Okatani he wants him to make him laugh. Okatani finally obliged and made a funny face to make Matsui collapse in laughter. Okatani then whacked To-y over the head with the bamboo stick and pinned him with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to become the new Extreme Champion.
After the match KIMIHIRO appeared at the entrance to make an introduction for Yukio Naya. When Naya got into the ring he told Okatani that “extreme” means big so he’s going to use his size to take the Extreme Title from him! Okatani called Naya arrogant but accepted his challenge for 15th April. According to him, just because Naya is big doesn’t mean he can beat Okatani to win the title. Meanwhile To-y accepted defeat and praised Okatani for being the star of the match even though he expected Okatani would remain as a supporting character.
Fandora have another championship match to look forward to soon. Brookes & HARASHIMA teamed up against Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki to determine the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Miyawaki almost had HARASHIMA beat with the Sunshine Clutch but Brookes broke up the pin. HARASHIMA fired himself back up to put Miyawaki on the defensive and used the Somato on Aoki to knock him off the ring apron. Meanwhile Brookes gave Miyawaki a Piledriver, rolling him into position for another Somato to give Fandora the win. Backstage HARASHIMA said they knew their opponents had moves that could beat them regardless of how much stamina they had so it was up to their own teamwork to get past any close calls and win.
It was 29th June, 2025 when Shunma Katsumata last wrestled a proper match. Now after spending the last nine months rehabilitating from a torn ACL he was back in action and wrestling his good friend MAO. They wasted no time in setting their pace and MAO even broke a few plastic boxes in the process. Katsumata went for the Totonou Splash but MAO blocked it with his knees. Katsumata tried to fire himself back up after taking the Michinoku Driver II but he was put away with a Running Palm Strike afterward. Katsumata spoke about how happy he is to be back in the ring after 265 days. As long as he gets to wrestle like this he will never complain. He might get injured again but he’ll recover and return again no matter how many times it happens! MAO said he hopes this is the last time Katsumata has a comeback match. He and Katsumata will also make sure they will never put themselves in a position where they have to forfeit a championship again.
The 3 Way Tag Match featured the DDT debut of Masami Inahata. He got to start off the match against Kumadori until Ilusion got involved trying to form alliances. When that didn’t work, MJ Paul went on the attack by targeting Makoto Oishi. Inahata got his moment by giving Paul a Brainbuster but Ilusion ruined it by giving Inahata a Low Blow afterward. In the end it was the teamwork of Viento Maligno & Kumadori that won out. Kumadori did a Fosbury Flop onto everyone outside the ring while Maligno pinned Ilusion with his finisher to win. Kumadori liked teaming with Maligno but wishes they could communicate better because Maligno doesn’t seem to understand Japanese. Oishi told Inahata that today is a new beginning for him and he will become even bigger in DDT.
Evil Uno was welcomed back into DDT for a tag match against The Apex. Uno teamed with Akito but the pair of them were overwhelmed by the power of Iino & Naya. One big Spear from Iino to Akito was all it took to end the match. Iino hasn’t been wrestling that much lately but he reminded everyone he is still training hard. Uno said he should be unhappy over the result but the last time he was in DDT he had to kiss Dieno’s butt so today was a much better experience for him.
Jun Akiyama stood before Rukiya as his big challenge in the opening contest. Rukiya tried to deal some damage outside the ring only for Akiyama to do that to him instead. Rukiya was able to rope break his way out of a Crab Hold and he also kicked out of the Exploder Suplex. Akiyama waited patiently to hit him with a Knee Strike before using another Exploder to beat him.
One of the dark matches was put together by Tokyo Joshi Pro to promote “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” taking place at Sumo Hall on 29th March. HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase went on to beat Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki. Kazashiro scored the win for her team and got to advertise the show for her post match victory speech.
The other dark match was Yuni taking on Hinata Kasai. As already mentioned earlier, Kasai still has not won a match by himself yet. He tried to submit Yuni with the STF but Yuni got out of it and used the Jorge Clutch out of an Arm Drag to pin him.
The participants for King Of DDT 2026 were revealed during the show. The entries are HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno, MAO, Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada, Hideki Okatani, To-y, Shinya Aoki, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Kaisei Takechi, Junta Miyawaki, Kazuma Sumi and Minoru Suzuki.
Phew! Finally made it through the month with a lot more clearer pictures to look at. Konosuke Takeshita has moved on from the Kazuchika Okada feud to become a focal point in the rivalry between The Don Callis Family and the Death Riders. Takeshita against Jon Moxley is the destination while bringing in a variety of wrestlers for some good trios bouts in the process. I’ve been happy watching this feud so far because the matches have been constantly good and highlighting some of the AEW wrestlers I really like. However Okada is still making moves in the background because he might have just stolen Takeshita’s tag partner! He only just formed ProtOkada with Kyle Fletcher this past week which should eventually add another layer to Takeshita’s story with The Family.
Next up we go to Tokyo Joshi Pro and their ever increasing international schedule. After a lot of hullabaloo that had driven me crazy, the return to Las Vegas was finally confirmed to be real. That can be added to the Texas tour, the Vancouver tour and also a show in Italy all coming up in the next couple of months (and maybe more). With that being said, the ticket sales for the Texas tour so far look dismal from what people can find online and the savvy marketing work done by Tokyo Story USA is almost nowhere to be seen this time around. We may be due some harsh lessons this time around, like how maybe last year’s success really did just come from holding the shows next to a big destination wrestling event.
Elsewhere this month some of the TJPW wrestlers have lost their championships. Shoko Nakajima and K!SS// went on their travels and came back home missing their titles. Things fared better for the DDT wrestlers when it comes to gaining or keeping their gold. Now heading into March we have Miyu Yamashita embarking on another excursion, WrestleMania Week all of a sudden getting stuffed with TJPW appearances to look forward to and Daisuke Sasaki is off to North America for a while.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 04/02/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Jon Moxley, PAC & Daniel Garcia (w/ Marina Shafir) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander & El Clon
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/02/2026 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander & Mark Davis Vs Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & PAC (w/ Marina Shafir)
AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 14/02/2026 Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. AEW Continental Title: Jon Moxley (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
SETUP “REAL GLOBAL IMPACT”, 21/02/2026 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami (c) Vs Monomoth & Matcha
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Shivam (c) Vs Chris Brookes
AEW “COLLISION”, 21/02/2026 Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Davis & El Clon Vs Jon Moxley, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (w/ Marina Shafir)
NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 27/02/2026 CURE Insurance Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, USA 2,605 Fans
1. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita can’t wait until AEW Revolution! | AEW Collision, 2/28/26
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 04/02/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander & El Clon defeated Jon Moxley, PAC & Daniel Garcia (w/ Marina Shafir) when Takeshita pinned Garcia with the Raging Fire (13:18).
The current storyline Takeshita is in is a stable war going on between The Don Callis Family and the Death Riders that’s become the backbone of AEW’s mid-card on TV. He and Moxley had plenty of battles against each other this month in 6-Man Tags. Takeshita scored first blood when he teamed with Josh Alexander & El Clon (the evil doppelganger of Hologram) to beat Moxley, PAC & Daniel Garcia. Things could have gone the other way when Garcia put Takeshita in the Dragon Tamer (Sharpshooter) submission hold and Moxley then Curb Stomped him. But Alexander broke the pin and Takeshita got his wind back to slam Garcia. Tandem trios moves from The Family couldn’t keep Garcia down until Takeshita dropped him with the Raging Fire.
MLW “LUCHA APOCALYPTO”, 07/02/2026 Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shotzi Blackheart defeated Shoko Nakajima (c) (?:??). *Shoko Nakajima fails in V7. Shotzi Blackheart becomes the 6th MLW Women’s World Featherweight Champion!
By the time this is posted, all I know about this MLW taping is Shoko Nakajima lost the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title to Shotzi Blackheart. Since then there hasn’t been a word about when the match will air. MLW are really taking their time putting their next batch of episodes together.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/02/2026 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & PAC (w/ Marina Shafir) defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander & Mark Davis when Moxley pinned Alexander with the Death Rider (15:05).
The next trios match had Claudio Castagnoli replacing Garcia and Mark Davis switching in for El Clon. This time Moxley was in danger of losing the match to the teamwork of The Family until PAC came to the rescue. Castagnoli cut off Takeshita with a European Uppercut, giving Moxley the opening to catch Alexander in a Read Naked Choke, wearing him down enough to give him the Death Rider for the victory.
AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 14/02/2026 Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. AEW Continental Title: Jon Moxley (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00). *V1 for Jon Moxley.
When it was finally time for Moxley and Takeshita to settle their differences one on one in Australia, time wound up running out for them. With the AEW Continental Title on the line, rules were strictly in place to make sure no interference would be allowed. It ended up going to a stalemate. Moxley giving Takeshita a Curb Stomp onto the apron didn’t keep him out of the ring long enough to get counted out. Neither the Powerdrive Knee or the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex was enough to pin Moxley for a three count. Takeshita kicked out of the Death Rider and the two continued throwing bombs at each other until the bell rang. Takeshita was seconds away from performing the Raging Fire so he went ahead and did it anyway after the match was over.
AEW “HOUSE RULES AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2026 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall, Queensland, Australia
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Dalton Castle with the Powerdrive Knee (10:47).
Brisbane had extra action for Takeshita during his stay there. AEW ran a rare house show the next day and Takeshita was on it wrestling Dalton Castle for the first time ever. Before the match began Don Callis had Castle’s buddies The Outrunners sent away from ringside because they did not have a manager’s license recognized by the state of Australia. Callis got some cheap shots in on Castle at ringside while the crowds chanted bald jokes at him. Castle fought his way back to give Takeshita the Bangarang for a nearfall but a well timed Elbow Strike gave Takeshita the momentum needed to eventually win the match.
SETUP “REAL GLOBAL IMPACT”, 21/02/2026 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Monomoth & Matcha defeated Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami (c) when Matcha pinned Toribami with the Saito Suplex (12:41). *K!SS// fails in V2. Monomoth & Matcha become the 6th IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Shivam (c) Vs Chris Brookes ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00). *V2 for Shivam.
There were two big title matches to follow over in Thailand for SETUP this month. Chris Brookes challenged Shivam for the IWA Japan SETUP World Title despite both men belonging to the same group, Real Global Threat. In a result that became something of a trend for a lot of title matches I’m writing about in this article, the match latest the full twenty minute time limit and went to a draw. Brookes demanded a restart and called Pumi Boonyatud into the ring to make it happen. But it was all a trap so Brookes could knock out Pumi with a slap! Shivam then got on the microphone to praise Brookes for caring about pro wrestlers like him before attacking Pumi some more until Monomoth ran them out of the ring.
Meanwhile Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami’s reign as IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions has come to an end. K!SS// went to Thailand for a big title defence against SETUP’s other two singles champions Monomoth & Matcha. Both teams fought their hardest over the titles until it came down to Toribami against Matcha in the ring. Yamashita dealt with Monomoth by Skull Kicking him off the ring apron but Toribami’s attempt at the Sento Choryu was blocked by Matcha’s knees. Matcha then fought to give Toribami the Saito Suplex, pinning her while a dazed Monomoth held onto Yamashita long enough to prevent her from breaking the count. K!SS// accepted defeat and shook hands with the new champions after the match.
AEW “COLLISION”, 21/02/2026 Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Davis & El Clon defeated Jon Moxley, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (w/ Marina Shafir) when Takeshita pinned Yuta with the Raging Fire (14:33).
Since nothing was solved in Australia, the feud between The Family and the Death Riders continued with more 6-Man Tag Matches. Wheeler Yuta was now brought into the fold wrestling in a beanie hat because he recently lost his hair in a wager match. Also Marina Shafir was now getting into the thick of things. She’s been at ringside for most of the matches in this feud and got physically involved this time to stop Davis from using a chair. Yuta was enthusiastic to try and get the win on Takeshita until he was hit with a Pump Kick followed by the Elbow Strike. El Clon wiped out the rest of the Death Riders, allowing Takeshita to pin Yuta with the Raging Fire. Moxley confronted him after the match and thanks to others trying to get in the way, he caught Takeshita off guard and gave him the Paradigm Shift.
PPW/BZW “FRIDAY NIGHT BANGER”, 27/02/2026 PPW Training Facility, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Liam Slater & HMD (?:??). *V7 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
It’s been so long since I last heard about the BZW Tag Team Titles that I wasn’t sure if MAO & Yoshihiko were still the champions. Turns out they are and they travelled all the way to England for their latest defence. MAO was over there to take part in training seminars and brought Yoshihiko over so they could wrestle on a show co-promoted by BZW and Pursuit Pro Wrestling. They defeated Liam Slater & HMD to retain the gold.
NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 27/02/2026 CURE Insurance Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, USA 2,605 Fans
1. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (w/ Rocky Romero) ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
1a. Overtime: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated El Phantasmo (c) with the Raging Fire (2:43). *El Phantasmo fails in V7. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA becomes the 10th NJPW World TV Champion!
Another title match and another time limit draw for Takeshita. Although this time he got a chance to make up for it. New Japan returned to America with a fresh attempt at running a big show in the country. Having El Phantasmo and Takeshita go at it with the NJPW World TV Title again was one of the big bouts of the show. They pretty much played the hits until ELP gave Takeshita a taste of his own medicine by using the Raging Fire on him! However the bell rang right afterwards to announce the match ended in a tie. ELP got on the microphone and talked about how much time limit draws suck and demanded the match to restart for another five minutes. Takeshita considered walking out with Rocky Romero next to him but turned around and got the match going again. This time Takeshita gave ELP the CR II, using the champion’s own finisher against him. ELP kicked out and snuck in a Crucifix Pin for a nearfall but Takeshita hit back and won the match with the Raging Fire. Now a champion in NJPW again, Takeshita thinks the company wants him to raise the value of the NJPW World TV Title.
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Upcoming Appearances
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY #IWD2026”, 06/03/2026 Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita
We’re at the time of year where Yamashita goes travelling everywhere. Europe is the next up for her with EVE as an important destination. Her first of two EVE bookings for March has her facing Jamie Hayter in a much anticipated singles match.
Yamashita then goes over to Spain the next day for a return to RCW Spain. Her opponent Nightshade has done tours with TJPW in the past but this will be the first time these two will be in a match together.
EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM VIII”, 08/03/2026 Indigo At The O2, London, England
1. Sudden Death Sixteen: Alexxis Falcon Vs DASH Chisako Vs Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Amale Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X
Then the day after that Yamashita goes back to London for EVE’s most important show they’ve probably ever put on. She is entering a Sudden Death Sixteen match which seems to be the next step in promoters trying to make their own Royal Rumble. It’s the Casino Gauntlet match where the first fall crowns the winner outright but you can still be eliminated before then by going over the top rope to the floor. The winner gets to challenge for any of EVE’s championships.
PPW “HARDCORE FRIDAY THE 13TH”, 13/03/2026 TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
1. Chris Brookes Vs Gabriel Queen
Given all of the international work Brookes has been involved with lately, he is seeing the world like a wrestling buffet. Coming up soon on the menu is Gabriel Queen.
AEW “REVOLUTION”, 15/03/2026 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AEW Continental Title – No Time Limit: Jon Moxley (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Not long to wait until Moxley and Takeshita go at it again. This time there will be no time limit in place so a winner should be guaranteed… unless we get a double countout or double knockout…
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 1”, 17/03/2026 Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA
The wrestlers announced to appear on this tour are Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Raku, Yuki Aino, Suzume, Pom Harajuku, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Kaya Toribami, Shino Suzuki, Mifu Ashida and Uta Takami.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 2”, 18/03/2026 Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA
The American and any other international talent for the tour have not been announced yet.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – DALLAS”, 21/03/2026 College Park Center, Arlington, Texas, USA
They better start announcing stuff soon because the ticket seat map for this show is currently looking grim.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – HOUSTON”, 22/03/2026 POST Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
It took a while but Tokyo Story USA confirmed the date and location of the Houston show. TJPW will be back at the POST Houston on 22nd March.
ROH/MLP “GLOBAL WARS”, 27/03/2026 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
There is a good chance Daisuke Sasaki will be bringing the DDT Universal Title with him to North America. We have to wait and see if he can defend it at DDT’s Anniversary show first before we find out what plans he has for this trip.
MLP “UPRISING”, 28/03/2026 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
I haven’t really thought about what Maple Leaf Pro going to do with Sasaki for the ROH weekend.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
The wrestlers announced to appear on the Canada tour are Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Kaya Toribami, HIMAWARI, Toga, Shino Suzuki and Uta Takami.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 2”, 12/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Like with the Texas tour above, they best start announcing matches soon because tickets haven’t been flying off the shelves for either tour. I hope Sayuri Namba isn’t betting the house on this.
PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Tag Team Match: Amira & Lil Marz Vs Toga & Jazzy Yang
The big clue this month that TJPW was going to Vegas came from Toga unexpectedly got booked for the eighth annual “PODER~!” show that is put together by Edward Loredo, aka “Ed In San Antonio” of F4W Board infamy. Toga is going to team with Jazzy Yang, the daughter of Jimmy Wang Yang. Together they will take on Amira from America and Lil Marz from Australia for an international tag showcase.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Ta-da! It was happening all along! TJPW adds even more to their growing international schedule by going back to Las Vegas for Mania Weekend. This time instead of working with The Collective, they have joined a new collection of shows called Slam Fest that is being put together by the Paragon Talent Agency. The move keeps the show at Palms Casino and now has TJPW siding with Stardom, CMLL, House Of Glory and MLP for the week. I doubt we’re going to see any significant crossovers but you never know when it comes to events like this.
The Japanese talent coming to Vegas are Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Hyper Misao, Raku, Yuki Aino, Suzume, Pom Harajuku, Yuki Arai, Kaya Toribami, Shino Suzuki, HIMAWARI, Toga and Uta Takami.
“DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL”, 16/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
This is the show I’m personally most looking forward to at Mania Week. El Desperado is hosting another “Invitacional” show, continuing the death match theme of the previous one and also bringing it to America for the first time. The first couple of wrestlers announced are from Japan, the latest of whom being Daisuke Sasaki! There’s also been a hint from Mizuki Watase that he might be on the card too because he recently said he will be travelling to USA in April to wrestle in a death match.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
So far Yamashita is the only woman announced for Bloodsport and I’m not expecting an intergender fight to happen.
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe
The week gives Miu Watanabe another chance to spread her wings a little and wrestle on an American indie show. This time she’s popping over to PrideStyle where she faces Taniya, the current holder of the PrideStyle New Wave World Title. So far it hasn’t been said if the championship will be on the line.
SAJ “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026 Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy
More details have emerged for TJPW’s trip to Italy to join up with friends from SAJ Wrestling. The Japanese contingent will include Miyu Yamashita, Hyper Misao, Shoko Nakajima and Yuki Aino. There will be wrestlers not just from Italy but also across Europe taking part too.
DDT “STERNNESS 30TH ANNIVERSARY ~JUN AKIYAMA 30TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 18/09/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 715 Fans – Super No Vacancy
7. Jun Akiyama Debut 30th Anniversary Match – Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yoshinobu Kanemaru Vs Yuji Nagata, Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 5 ~THE ONLY SAUNA IN THE WORLD~”, 14/02/2026 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Young Boy Akito Nishigaki Shinjuku FACE Debut Match: Rukiya Vs Young Boy Akito Nishigaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
1a. Overtime: Rukiya defeated Young Boy Akito Nishigaki with a Cradle (1:59).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shin KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Shunma KatsuMAO & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Koju Takeda when TAKESHITA pinned Hirata with the Wagamama (15:33).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sasaki defeated Yuya Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Sasaki pinned Yuni after the Gotai Fumanzoku (12:23).
4. SeaSaunaShack Presents: Shinya Aoki defeated Hinata Kasai with the Aoki Clutch (10:35).
5. Ueno Nordic Presents Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Pokotan (w/ Chris Bathooks, Naya Tonttu & Sauna Stones・Den) with the Frog Splash (15:03).
6. Naniwa Health Land Utopia Presents Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated To-y with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (14:51).
7. Bonus Track Exhibition Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Shunma Katsumata ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).
A surprise attack from To-y led to him and Minoru Suzuki brawling around ringside during the main event. Suzuki got the advantage by Heel Hooking To-y over near the entrances. To-y tried fighting back with Chops as well as the Kojima Wonderland. But Suzuki got back in control, fired himself up in a To-y like manner and won with the Gotch-Style Piledriver. After the match Suzuki had something to say to To-y and the rest of The 37KAMIINA. He likes saunas too! When Suzuki left the ring, To-y admitted to everyone he was scared of fighting him but also discovered it was exciting too. He wants to go crazy but couldn’t because something else crazy was about to happen in the surprise bonus main event!
Shunma Katsumata then got into the ring. He had spent the entire show playing multiple roles from event producer to ring announcer. Now after eight months since his last match, he was going to wrestle again! The surprise match was a three minute exhibition between Katsumata and Yuki Ueno. It ended in a tie and Katsumata told everyone today has been the most tiring day of his life. However he is now in great condition and will have his official return match from injury on 22nd March!
Ueno earlier found himself in what was pretty much a 1 Vs 4 match. His opponent was Pokotan but the mascot was accompanied with three DDT wrestlers taking up their own sauna gimmicks: Chris Bathooks (Chris Brookes), Naya Tonttu (Yukio Naya) & Sauna Stones・Den (Yuki Ishida). Pokotan lost its head during the match and one of the other wrestlers would put it on to take its place in the match. Ueno took everyone’s moves until the original Pokotan got its head back. Ueno wiped out the others with a Plancha and then hit a Frog Splash onto Pokotan while using its head for extra impact to get the win.
Hinata Kasai got to go ten minutes with Shinya Aoki. Whether or not that can be seen as valuable experience or an excuse to get stretched apart is for him to figure out. While Kasai got to get some offence in, Aoki was firmly in control for much of the match and he got Kasai with the Aoki Clutch to get the three count. Aoki said Kasai gave it his all and that was the reason why Aoki couldn’t end the match as soon as he wanted to. He’s happy with Kasai’s performance and looks forward to what’s to come for the rookie. Kasai called himself weak and said his entire body is in pain but he was able to resist the pain in order to fight Aoki with all that he’s got. He will treasure this match and will definitely beat Aoki some day, even if it takes a few years to get there.
Something Katsumata wasn’t able to do today was perform with NωA Jr. so Daichi Sato was supposed to take his place. Sato is out injured so Yuya Koroku ended up filling his spot instead. Meanwhile The Brahman Brothers had a new ally in the blue form of Brahman Sasaki. He joined in their shenanigans of throwing buckets of water at everyone and spewing mysterious goo out of his mouth. However NωA Jr. ended up doing something similar by drooling what was described as melted chocolate from their mouths onto the Brahmans. Things ended up backfiring for Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi with missed attacks that ended with powder being thrown into their faces. From there the Brahmans trapped Yuni in the Gotai Fumanzoku double pin for the victory. It took until after the match for Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei to figure out that NωA Jr. used melted chocolate because today is Valentine’s Day.
While the real Konosuke Takeshita is busy wrestling over in Australia, Shin Konosuke Takeshita made their big return a year after their previous appearance on this series. Kazuki Hirata was impressed with Shin Takeshita’s world class ability. Danshoku Dieno was fixated on fighting ShunMAO Katsumata and Koju Takeda joined in on his lewd spots. Shin Takeshita hit the Takeshita Line but couldn’t get over the ropes to do a Topé. Instead ShunMAO & Takeshi Masada used a spinning chair to help Shin Takeshita give Hirata the Raging Fire. Hirata kicked out much to everyone’s surprise but was then thrown into the Double Hell Gate that was Dieno & Takeda’s rear ends. ShunMAO then did the Totonou Splash onto Hirata and Shin Takeshita finished him off with the Wagamama.
Akito rolled back the clock and wrestled his match as a “Young Boy”, wearing the plain black trunks and using a more basic moveset. His match with Rukiya only lasted five minutes because that was the time limit allowed but Katsumata decided to give them a restart in order to determine a winner. Rukiya got the best of Akito here after a series of countered cradles ended with Rukiya getting the pin.
Before the show began, a press conference was held for the upcoming D GENERATIONS CUP final between Kazuma Sumi and Takeshi Masada. Sumi has thought about this match a lot but his thoughts are just him surpassing Masada to win the tournament. He thinks Masada is amazing but he is just as amazing too. Masada (accompanied by Bunbun) appreciated being called an amazing wrestler and competed in this year’s DGC tournament to get more fans to watch it. He wants as much support he can get to win and get the DDT Universal Title shot against Daisuke Sasaki. The two were asked what were their favorite matches in the tournament? Sumi’s answer was his match against Daichi Sato because they punched and kicked each other as hard as they could. Masada chose his two matches with Koroku because they left a lasting impression on him he will never forget. They were then asked about getting a Universal Title match. Sumi said he would like to challenge for that title for the first time and his goal is to become a top Junior Heavyweight wrestler. Masada feels uneasy because he had two previous title shots that both ended in failure. But if he wins it he wants to express what it’s like to be the Universal Champion in his own way.
New year, new expansion plans. Let’s cut straight to the chase. Tokyo Joshi Pro is putting together quite an international schedule for this Spring. They already have the Texas tour set up, they just announced a weekend doubleheader in Vancouver and right on the buzzer last night it was announced there is an interpromotional show happening in Italy soon too with rumours that another show of that type could be happening elsewhere in Europe around that time period (my money’s on EVE). If that’s not enough there is a “will they, won’t they” story about Las Vegas this year that I’m trying to pinpoint just what exactly is going on. Miyu Yamashita going on her yearly overseas excursion will help things move along nicely.
What else is there? Konosuke Takeshita is still in The Don Callis Family story loop with Kazuchika Okada trolling him at every opportunity. Daisuke Sasaki will be heading over to North America for a month this April. Despite being unmasked and revealed as Tokio last month, Keigo Nakamura is staying in Mexico until he decides the time is right for him to go home. Shoko Nakajima will be back in MLW soon now that Shotzi Blackheart is looking for a title shot. WrestleMania Week is sounding like a more quiet one for DDT coverage this year but I’m certain I’ll find something about it to write about come April. But yeah the story to follow right now is TJPW pushing further into international expansion for 2026.
Oh, and since Maki Itoh is now signed full time to Stardom I decided that’s the end of me writing about her international bookings going forward. I know she and Sayaka Unagi are building up a match together for one of Unagi’s self-produced shows so maybe I’ll write about that given that it’s two ex-TJPW wrestlers facing each other after finding greener pastures. Hang on that match was today?
1. Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Billy Gunn & Austin Gunn when Takeshita pinned Austin with the Raging Fire (10:20).
I think this is the only January match I have to talk about for this month’s article. Weather problems led to AEW changing around their schedule and an episode of Collision had to be taped on the same night as Dynamite. That also caused some unexpected matches to happen like ProtoShita taking on Austin Gunn and his dad, the 201st best wrestler in the world Billy Gunn. Takeshita knocked Billy out of the ring with an Elbow Strike that sounded like a gunshot and Kyle Fletcher gave his own lethal strike to Austin before throwing him over to Takeshita for the Raging Fire. After the match Okada walked out to steal everyone’s attention while Fletcher and Don Callis had to calm Takeshita down inside the ring.
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Upcoming Appearances
SETUP “REAL GLOBAL IMPACT”, 21/02/2026 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Chris Brookes Vs X
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami (c) Vs Monomoth & Matcha
This month Miyu Yamashita and Kaya Toribami further established their tag team by naming themselves K!SS// (Kick Slash). Next on their list is to defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles again. They’re going back to Thailand to do it and SETUP are throwing their other two champions at them to try and get the belts back! Monomoth is the current SETUP Thailand Openweight Champion and Matcha is the current SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion. Together they will face the might of K!SS// in the main event!
SETUP also have to deal with Chris Brookes coming back to cause more trouble. He is part of the REAL GLOBAL THREAT stable over there.
NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 27/02/2026 CURE Insurance Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, USA
1. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
Now that the IWGP Heavyweight Title can be seen in the rear view mirror, Takeshita is back in familiar ground for New Japan’s next show in America. He will face El Phantasmo once more with the NJPW World TV Title on the line again. They last fought over the championship in May and that match ended in a time limit draw. Since then they went 1-1 in other singles matches, Takeshita retaining the NEVER Openweight Title over ELP and then ELP beating Takeshita in the G1 Climax.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY #IWD2026”, 06/03/2026 Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita
Well this an unexpected little switch around. The match Jamie Hayter wants with Miyu Yamashita was originally made for “WRESTLE QUEENDOM VIII” but Yamashita claims to have something else planned for the show. So EVE are doing the Hayter Vs Yamashita match a few days earlier at their monthly London event instead.
In between the EVE shows in England, Yamashita has found the time to visit Barcelona again for another appearance in RCW Spain.
EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM VIII”, 08/03/2026 Indigo At The O2, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
As already mentioned above, Yamashita apparently has a match already planned for this show. What will it be?
PPW “HARDCORE FRIDAY THE 13TH”, 13/03/2026 TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
1. Chris Brookes Vs Gabriel Queen
Polish pro wrestling in Japan? Sure, why not.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 1”, 17/03/2026 Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA
TJPW are sending over Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Raku, Yuki Aino, Suzume, Pom Harajuku, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Kaya Toribami, Shino Suzuki, Mifu Ashida and Uta Takami for the Texas tour.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 2”, 18/03/2026 Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA
The list of non-Japanese wrestlers taking part in the tour will be revealed soon.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – DALLAS”, 21/03/2026 College Park Center, Arlington, Texas, USA
The Dallas show was advertised at AEW’s Collision taping last night.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – HOUSTON”, ??/03/2026 Houston, Texas, USA
Just have to wait for the date and location for the Houston show to be announced. I wonder what the hold up is there.
ROH/MLP “GLOBAL WARS”, 27/03/2026 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
Okay the booking makes a slight bit more sense now that Daisuke Sasaki has won the DDT Universal Title but it was still unexpected news to see him listed for Ring Of Honor and Maple Leaf shows happening in Canada next month.
MLP “UPRISING”, 28/03/2026 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
This will be part of a month long overseas excursion for Sasaki. He usually ends up in Mexico the majority of the time when he does these things but I’ve been told he is or at least was available for Las Vegas in April.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
You can thank Sayuri Namba for this. Once the Texas tour is out of the way, TJPW will be expanding into Canada for a double shot in Vancouver! Details are still to come before the tickets go on sale this week but there is some info to keep an eye on. Day 1 is happening on the same date and in the same venue as a Mystery Wrestling show put together by Evil Uno. Yamashita has wrestled there once before and you never know who else will show up. Will the mystery 4 Way match have everyone in druid clothing disrobe to reveal it’s an Up Up Girls concert instead?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 2”, 12/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
One thing I know for certain is Yuki Aino will not be part of the Canada shows. She is already scheduled to appear at the Gaisen Sakura Pro Wrestling show in Okayama that weekend instead.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
What is Yamashita’s record in Bloodsport so far? 0-2? I get that her previous opponents were Shayna Baszler and Nattie Neidhart but she really needs to bring it and get at least one win at these shows. Oh and to avoid hitting the corner post head first this time but that was such a badly done finish that part didn’t even register with almost everybody.
SAJ “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026 Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy
Announced right at the end during the final hours of the month, SAJ Wrestling in Italy announced on their show that they will be holding a event with TJPW in April. And that might not be the only trip TJPW is doing during that period. What a busy month they are going to have.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 6TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 25/01/2026 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall 347 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Kira Summer & Chika Nanase defeated Toga & Shion Kanzaki when Nanase submitted Kanzaki with the Inari Torii Aratame (9:58).
2. Hyper Misao, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki defeated Mahiro Kiryu, Raku & Ren Konatsu when Misao pinned Konatsu with the Hypami Returns (10:47).
3. Shoko Nakajima defeated Sara Phoenix with the Northern Lights Suplex (8:45).
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2: Mizuki & Uta Takami defeated Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro when Takami pinned Kazashiro after the Foot Stomp from Mizuki (13:46).
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2: Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami when Endo pinned Toribami with the Ju no Okite (12:20).
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2: Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi when Max pinned Tatsumi with the Reverse Splash (15:20).
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida when Uehara submitted Ashida with the Banana Pillow (12:05).
With Round 2 out of the way now every team in this year’s Max Heart Tournament have had a match. Ober Eats are currently the team to be since they are the reigning Princess Tag Team Champions. They also knocked out the team featuring one half of the upcoming Sumo Hall main event. Kyoto Tag had their moment of taunting Wakana Uehara with some cheerleading but Yuki Kamifuku and her Big Boots were there to keep things in favour of the champions. While Yuki Arai was able to get rid of her with a Brainbuster, Mifu Ashida wasn’t able to capitalise. Instead Uehara trapped her in the Banana Pillow to get the win and advance Ober Eats into the semi finals. Uehara really wants to win the Max Heart trophies and she’s noticing that Kamifuku is becoming hungry for success too even though she’s not showing it. Ashida said if Kyoto Tag would have won today, they would have revealed their official tag team name. Unfortunately it’s going to be kept secret for a while longer. Ashida even thought up lyrics for a new entrance song. The only line she would reveal is “I love you, Arai♪ Let’s try harder♪” and it took up a lot of her brain power to come up with it.
The other half of the Sumo Hall main event was also knocked out of the tournament today despite her best efforts with her tag partner. Daydream walked out armed with their sasumata poles in an attempt to trap Pompaler with them. The poles worked on Pom Harajuku but Max The Impaler was able to power their way out of the trap. Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi did what they could to slow Max down, even by using Harajuku as a weapon against them. But Max did the same to Daydream before pinning Tatsumi with the Reverse Splash for the victory. Daydream are both relieved they are still alive after the match but are disappointed to be knocked out so early. Both of them want to achieve a lot together this year whether if it is Daydream winning Best Tag Team Awards or Tatsumi becoming the Dragon God of everything. Pompaler now face Ober Eats in the semi final and the champions are not looking forward to that.
Only one team of former winners remain in the final four and that’s Daisy Monkey. They had to go through the kick heavy team of K!SS// to get here. Arisu Endo was able to block Kaya Toribami from going for the Sento Choryu while Suzume took out Miyu Yamashita with the Ring A Bell. Toribami tried to kick her way out of trouble but Endo stunned her with a Super Kick before getting the win using her Ju no Okite finisher. Daisy Monkey are feeling confident together now they are reunited and they really want to win this tournament again. They also now wonder if they can challenge K!SS// for the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles? Would they have to go to Thailand to make it happen? K!SS// already have a title defence lined up over there happening next month though.
In something of an upset, the makeshift team of Mizuki & Uta Takami have eliminated Shunrai Rekka!! Prism Greed in the 2nd Round! Mizuki’s craftiness won out in the end when she saw an opening to do a Double Stomp onto Haru Kazashiro while she was trying to bridge a pin on top of Takami. Kazashiro didn’t notice that Takami rolled out of the way and definitely didn’t expect Mizuki to come in and stomp her flat. Takami immediately jumped on top for the pin and got the three count. Yuki Aino apologised for not being there to stop the pin but Kazashiro told her neither of them are to blame for losing. Mizuki said that since the team has made it this far, they should make a miracle happen and go even further. They have to beat Daisy Monkey in the semi final if they want to make that miracle a reality.
Super Sasadango Machine was in attendance for the show to help promote “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” happening at Sumo Hall on 29th March. He is the PR Ambassador for the show but wants everybody in Tokyo Joshi Pro to do their part in promoting the big event. That includes Tetsuya Koda who received a big request from Sasadango. Koda was told to go find an important special guest from outside of wrestling to come to the show and have a debut match! The guest needs to be such a big name that her appearance by itself can fill up Sumo Hall. Koda agreed to take the request and will find someone famous to compete in their pro wrestling debut.
Sasadango was brought back out later in the show because he was part of another important announcement. Hyper Misao declared that she is going to take on Yuka Sakazaki & Konosuke Takeshita at “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” and Sasadango will be her tag team partner! Sasadango was confused because he thought the newly married couple of Shingo Takagi & Natsupoi were going to be the mystery team facing Sakazaki & Takeshita. Misao told him to shut up and explained the better opponents for them would be the most incomprehensible tag team the wrestling world can come up with, which is Misao & Sasadango. Misao also wanted to fire up Sasadango because his efforts to promote “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” lately haven’t been up to his usual standards. Even if Sasadango’s appearance on the show only sells one ticket, how can he expect to sell out Sumo Hall if he can’t even take care of the one precious fan who bought that ticket? She also explained that the PR in TJPW PR Ambassador means Pro Wrestling Ring, not Public Relations. That means Sasadango has no choice but to accept this match! Misao also has another goal she wants to achieve out of this. She wants to beat Sakazaki & Takeshita so she can earn four contracts across DDT, TJPW, AEW and New Japan all at the same time! Sasadango is thinking even bigger and wants to get contracts with every wrestling company out there.
DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~”, 25/01/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Junta Miyawaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
2. Ryuma Tsukamoto, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai when Sato pinned Masada with the PL (6:10).
3. Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori defeated Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Yoshimura pinned Paul with the Harai-goshi (7:59).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Yoshihiko Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Dieno pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (0:06).
4a. Rematch: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Suzuki submitted Sasadango with an Arm Lock (0:05).
4b. Rematch: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation (5:23).
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama defeated HARASHIMA & To-y when Takeshita pinned To-y with the Wagamama (12:40).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when KANON pinned Iino with the GURU-GURU Driver (15:35). *V3 for STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION.
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title – Irregular 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c/c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes
7a. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno (c) and Chris Brookes when Sasaki submitted Brookes with the Crossface Lock (16:14). *Yuki Ueno fails in V2. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 20th DDT Universal Champion!
7b. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki and Chris Brookes when Ueno pinned Sasaki with the WR (10:05). *V5 for Yuki Ueno.
Double the danger, double the fun. Yuki Ueno had two potential challengers gunning him down for his championships so he decided to put the DDT Universal Title and the KO-D Openweight Title on the line one at a time in an unusual main event. It was a 3 Way Match consisting of two falls. The first had Ueno defending the Universal Title. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to form an alliance with Chris Brookes but it was short lived. Ueno was still at a disadvantage because his injured left leg was targeted by both challengers. Sasaki also had DAMNATION T.A in his corner and despite the other’s attempts to wipe them all out, they became a key factor for how the first fall ended. Sasaki got Brookes trapped in the Crossface Lock and DAMNATION T.A all grabbed onto Ueno to stop him from breaking the hold. Brookes had no choice but to tap out and Sasaki became the new Universal Champion!
Sasaki wasted no time when the second fall began and the KO-D Title became up for grabs. He immediately Speared Ueno through the ropes to the floor then returned to the ring to put Brookes back into the Crossface Lock. Brookes was able to escape and wound up double teaming Ueno with Sasaki by giving the KO-D Champ the Doomsday Device/Double Impact. Ueno got Brookes into the Blackout Sleeper but Ilusion distracted the ref so Sasaki could break the hold with a chair. Ueno got his own back when he turned Sasaki’s standing Crossface attempt on Brookes into the WR that flipped over both men. Ueno’s leg injury almost cost him the KO-D Title because he slipped while climbing the top turnbuckle. Brookes tried to pin Sasaki but both then got squashed by a Frog Splash from Ueno. Brookes was thrown out of the ring and Ueno had no one to stop him from pinning Sasaki with the WR to win the fall and remain KO-D Champion.
Ueno placed the Universal Title in front of Sasaki after the match and admitted he was disappointed overall because he lost one of his championships. He is now even more determined to keep defending the KO-D Title to make up for it. His next defence will be at DDT’s 29th Anniversary show on 22nd March. KIMIHIRO walked out to interrupt Ueno but it was just so he could introduce the man who wants to take DDT’s top spot, KANON! After he entered the ring, KANON explained he’s been with DDT for four years now and every day his love for the company grows. He understands Ueno is feeling a little heartbroken at the moment but he wants to be his next challenger. Ueno accepted the challenge because KANON still sees him as the pinnacle of DDT. However Ueno still remembers everything KANON did to him when he was a member of DAMNATION T.A so he expects KANON to bring everything he’s learned over the last four years into the match. They shook hands until KANON suddenly Clotheslined Ueno! His final message today is he is just that little bit stronger than Ueno. Backstage KANON explained to reporters that the first opponent to beat him after he joined DDT was Ueno so this challenge is going to be his revenge for what happened four years ago!
The show turned out to be a significant one for Strange Love Connection as a whole. They were able to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against The Apex and then absorbed the team into their group! Yuki Iino’s recent obsession over MAO couldn’t give him the extra edge in the end. He was able to Spear MAO after seeing Yukio Naya take the Michinoku Driver II but KANON knocked him down with a Lariat and then pinned him with the GURU-GURU Driver. KIMIHIRO and Yuzuki Hoshimoto were both there to congratulate the champs for a job well done after the match.
After the match, KANON told everyone that both teams have been acting like idiots for the last month in order to try and out-do each other. What he learned from this is that idiots are strong people and for that The Apex have earned his respect. Iino called that the ultimate compliment and even though he lost the match, he has now grown to love MAO & KANON! He then asked Naya if they could join SLC? MAO instantly agreed and started to wonder if Iino & Naya should now be called The Apex from STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION (just like THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE)? Even if they just remain as The Apex, SLC has now upgraded into becoming a unit and they now all want it to become the strongest not only in DDT but the entire pro wrestling world! That’s not all, MAO revealed backstage that he was already planning on introducing a new SLC member next month. He didn’t expect to add two new members today but now SLC is going to become a 5-Man unit! The fifth man will be revealed on 22nd February.
Plans had to change when Kaisei Takechi got a case of pink eye and was unable to wrestle on this show. His role in the big tag match now had to be filled by To-y. He took on the challenge with gusto, bringing the fight to both Konosuke Takeshita & Jun Akiyama while having HARASHIMA help out as his tag partner. Takeshita & Akiyama didn’t shy away from giving him a bashing but that led to To-y finding his inner fire and fighting back, scoring a nearfall on Takeshita with the Kojima Impact. Takeshita put a stop to that with the Last Ride counter of the Kojima In Wonderland followed by a Double Knee Strike with Akiyama. To-y kicked out of that along with the big Elbow Strike afterwards so Takeshita had to hit him with the Wagamama to put To-y away. Later To-y said he wants to keep on fighting even if he may never get another chance to face Takeshita again. But if it does happen he knows he can beat him! Takeshita told him that meeting Akiyama played a role in his current success and he wouldn’t be where he is today without him. So he understands how important it was for To-y to fight him today. He believes To-y will one day inherit his strength just like how he inherited Akiyama’s.
I regret to inform everyone that the “Suzuki Incident” of 2021 was repeated today. While Minoru Suzuki was making his entrance for his match, Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata jumped the gun and began to wrestle. Dieno then immediately pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch to end the match before Suzuki could even make it to the ring apron. Hisaya Imabayashi was understandably mad because the fans couldn’t sing along to “Kaze Ni Nare”. Suzuki was also annoyed because his entrance was going to take up 80% of the match anyway. The match restarted so Suzuki could do his entrance but this time Super Sasadango Machine tried to jump him. Suzuki immediately pulled him into an Arm Lock to make Sasadango tap out. Now Imabayashi was upset the match ended before Yoshihiko could make it to the ring. He even dared to get into an argument with Suzuki over it without backing down! Another restart took place so Yoshihiko could make an entrance and it even stopped Suzuki from immediately beating Antonio Honda. The match then continued with Dieno and Honda’s usual comedy until Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation. Suzuki then dragged Yoshihiko along the floor as he left ringside. He remembers beating this thing half to death in Las Vegas almost a year ago. Dieno explained that Suzuki and Yoshihiko are linked together because they understand each other so well. Suzuki doesn’t believe him.
Meanwhile Imabayashi wanted Hirata to stay behind in the ring because he had an announcement to make. Hirata is going to have a singles match with Takeshita on 22nd March! Hirata was not happy with the announcement but talked himself into taking the match. If Takeshita the worldwide star wants to wrestle him then Hirata from Adachi Ward will be ready! He is sure Takeshita will beat him many times over but he promises he will make it hard for Takeshita to do so.
Although Kumadori has settled his feud with Ilusion, he is back in DDT to wrestle DAMNATION T.A some more. Ilusion was still there to give Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul a helping hand. Okatani also attacked Naomi Yoshimura with his bamboo stick until Kumadori came to save the day. With the coast clear, Yoshimura recovered to throw Paul over with the Harai-goshi to put the cheaters back in their place.
To-y being bumped up to the Special Tag Match meant the 10-Man tag was slightly changed. Ryoma Tsukamoto took his place to keep it within the D GENERATIONS scope. The match also featured Irish referee Niall Fox as the official for the match. What’s he doing over there? Anyway the match had NωA Jr. members Kazuma Sumi and Yuni face off against each other, Yuki Ishida pushing others around with his sumo moves, Rukiya trying to give Ilusion the Protobomb, Ilusion attacking Hinata Kasai with a chair and Yuya Koroku then knocking out Ilusion with an Elbow Strike. The match came down to Takeshi Masada and Daichi Sato where Sato caught Masada with the Fire Thunder and then pin him out of nowhere with a Penalty Kick. Backstage Tsukamoto predicted Sato will go on to win the D GENERATIONS CUP completely undefeated.
Not only did Junta Miyawaki got to wrestle his idol Shinya Aoki but he went the distance against him too. They fought to a 15 minute draw in the opening match that was built around joint locks and pinning attempts. After a few close calls, Miyawaki hit a dive out of the ring and got to counter a Sleeper Hold into a Modified Sunshine Driver. Aoki turned the pinfall over though to continue the back and forth action until he was put in a Crab Hold and had to fight to reach the ropes. The two then fought over the Aoki Clutch for the final moments of the match before the bell rang. Miyawaki said he was able to absorb a lot from Aoki today and he still looks up to him despite slapping away Aoki’s handshake in frustration after the match. Aoki praised him for having incredible spirit and determination. He wonders why wrestlers as good as they are were put in the opener? They need to aim higher because he thinks they’re not the kind of wrestlers to be curtain jerking.
The first BASARA show of the year has a few preview matches for their upcoming title bouts. Also Ryuma Sekimo from Big Japan will be taking part in the opener against BASARA’s rookie Takeru Inoue.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 6TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 17/01/2026 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & Sara Phoenix Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara & Toga
2. Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Shion Kanzaki
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1D: HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1C: Raku & Ren Konatsu Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Kira Summer & Chika Nanase Vs Mizuki & Uta Takami
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami
The Max Heart Tournament kicks off later this week. Also during this period, Sara Phoenix from Chile will be touring with Tokyo Joshi Pro up until the end of February.
BASARA “BASARA 298 ~10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW~”, 31/01/2026 Shinjuku FACE
1. Daichi Kazato Vs X
2. GRACE PROJECT Offer Match: Tomoya Hirata, Captain Grace & Violento Jack Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Ryuichi Sekine, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
4. Isami Kodaka & Takeru Inoue Vs Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken
6. Union MAX Title: Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs FUMA
The Union MAX Title is throwing itself back to its origins now that Shuji Ishikawa is the new champion. His first challenger is FUMA who has held the title both in Union Pro and in BASARA. Ishikawa joked they should bring back an old Union gimmick and have this be a 1,000 Roses Death Match for old time’s sake. He’s taking things a bit more seriously after FUMA said he hunts down boars that are heavier than Ishikawa.
When it comes to dominant factions in BASARA, the Super Family has not been one of them. But they’ve become tenacious enough to earn SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken a shot at the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles. The new champs Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura don’t want to lose the belts to anybody and they especially don’t want to lose to the Super Family!
As he promised a while back, Isami Kodaka returns from his absence in time for BASARA’s anniversary.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 6TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 14/02/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Mahiro Kiryu (c) Vs Aja Kong
2. International Princess Title: MIRAI (c) Vs Toga
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X
The prodigal daughter of TJPW MIRAI has come back to win the International Princess Title that was beyond her grasp in the past. Now she’s looking to the future where she sees an opponent with a similar smash heavy style as hers waiting to challenge her. Toga wants to show everyone she can get the job done without needing help from Yuna Manase or anyone else so she was the first one to ask MIRAI for a title shot.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title just can’t get away from Mahiro Kiryu. Every time she loses the belt, fate makes sure she finds a way to win it back. She now has a pinfall over Aja Kong because of this but that means Kong now wants to fight Kiryu one on one! She knows she can easily take the belt from her whenever she wants but she has enough pride to do it in the ring with a proper wrestling match. The bout will still go ahead if Kiryu loses the title to someone else beforehand.
The two title matches booked for this show are why Toga and Kiryu are not competing in this year’s Max Heart Tournament.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”, 29/03/2026 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X & X
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Yuki Arai
Second time’s the charm for Yuki Arai. She avenged her squash to Miyu Yamashita in the recent 6-Woman Elimination match and will now get to face Miu Watanabe for the Princess Of Princess Title. She couldn’t win the belt at Ota Ward Gymnasium last year but can she do it in Sumo Hall this year?
There are so many ways the Special Tag Match can go. It will be Konosuke Takeshita’s first time wrestling in TJPW (he was meant to be part of their US debut in 2020 but that show was cancelled due to covid) and he will be teaming up with his wife Yuka Sakazaki to make it a bigger deal. Their opponents have not been announced yet. The recent news of Shingo Takagi & Natsupoi led to some jokes about them being the other team in a battle of the happy couples. I think enough time has passed that the issue Sakazaki had with Natsupoi leaving TJPW years ago is now water under the bridge. The opponents are likely another mixed pair tag team though, one that doesn’t have to be romantically attached to each other.
The current list of guests who will wrestle on the show are Sareee, Lei Ying Lee, Aja Kong, Andreza Giant Panda and Minimo-chan with Mari Yaguchi accompanying it. Also Max The Impaler will be at the show.
I’m mostly back on track with everything. A show report here and there still needs to be written about. The big lesson I’ve learned from my Japan trip is not to go on holiday if I come back needing to catch up on fifteen different shows.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAMAGAWA IN BOAT RACE TAMAGAWA”, 15/01/2026 Tokyo BOAT RACE Tamagawa
1. Sanshiro Takagi & Junta Miyawaki Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai
2. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno, Akito & Pokotan
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Offer Match: Aja Kong & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Chika Nanase
4. MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Kazuma Sumi Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Takeshi Masada & Yuki Ishida
5. Jun Akiyama, To-y & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Rukiya
Pro wrestling is really getting into boat racing lately, huh? DDT (with a little bit of Tokyo Joshi Pro) is the latest promotion to spend a day at a lake holding wrestling matches and throwing in some other activities to keep the crowd occupied in between the races.
DDT “SATURDAY CHINATOWN”, 17/01/2026 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata, Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: Daichi Sato (2) Vs Ilusion (0)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: To-y (2) Vs Yuki Ishida (2)
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryoma Tsukamoto, Kazuma Sumi & Hinata Kasai
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Junta Miyawaki Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
6. DAMNATION T.A Vs FANTÔMES DRAMATIC!: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
Some of the upcoming DDT shows have to change their lineups a little bit because Yuki Ueno has a calf injury and cannot wrestle. He is still appearing at the events but isn’t allowed to do much physically. He should be good to go for Korakuen Hall at the end of the month but DDT aren’t going to take any chances on him right now.
DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~”, 25/01/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2006 Special 10-Man Tag Match: To-y, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi Vs Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Yoshihiko Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama Vs HARASHIMA & Kaisei Takechi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title – Irregular 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c/c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes
Big plans are in store for Kaisei Takechi’s next couple of matches in DDT. First up he and HARASHIMA will be teaming up to face the mighty team of Konosuke Takeshita & Jun Akiyama! This is the strongest pair of wrestlers DDT could find for Takechi and he appreciates being given such a tough challenge.
The newcomer Junta Miyawaki is quickly getting the kind of matches he’s been looking for in DDT. Someone he always wanted to wrestle is Shinya Aoki after being a fan of his since his middle school days. He has studied many of Aoki’s fighting techniques and just making the challenge has impressed Aoki with his ambition.
After a four month absence to deal with injuries, Yoshihiko returns to the ring hopefully feeling refreshed and having a new lease on life. Good thing it will be teaming with Minoru Suzuki and not against him.
DDT “HYBRID PERFORMER 2026 ~KAISEI TAKECHI 2ND ANNIVERSARY~”, 22/02/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – Final: Winner Of Block A Vs Winner Of Block B
2. Kaisei Takechi 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kaisei Takechi
Takechi’s other big match coming up will celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of his debut. He wants to wrestle Yuki Ueno and gets that wish in February.
Posted by JamieOD 
