DDT “CRIME PREVENTION TRAINING PRO WRESTLING”, 16/03/2025 Ota Ward Industrial Plaza (PiO) 4th Floor Convention Hall
1. Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno & Keigo Nakamura
Tomorrow is going to be very busy. While Tokyo Joshi Pro are holding “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” over at Ota Ward Gymnasium, not far away from them is DDT putting together a fan event to promote next week’s “JUDGEMENT 2025” show. Most of the event is meet and greet stuff but there will be a Falls Count Anywhere match being put together to promote “crime prevention” in the area with the local authorities.
GANBARE☆PRO “BOAT RACE G1 TODA PRIMROSE”, 22/03/2026 Saitama Boat Race Toda
0. CWP Offer Match: X Vs X
1. Sayaka Unagi & Banny Oikawa Vs Yuna Manase & YuuRI
2. El Gambaman Vs London Machine
3. Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Hartley Jackson & Shota Kawakami
4. Shiro Koshinaka, Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Takuya Wada & Choun-Shiryu
Spend a day down at the boat races and you may see Ganbare☆Pro putting on a few matches in a wrestling ring built next to the lake. Shiro Koshinaka, Hartley Jackson and Sayaka Unagi are among the guest wrestlers taking part.
DDT “NANIWA FIGHTER 2025”, 23/03/2025 Osaka City Miyakojima Community Center
1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Keigo Nakamura, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
3. JJ Furno Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Harimao!: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama & Yukio Naya
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku, HARASHIMA & Akito
Osaka gets to see ShunMao back together for a match against Harimao. Also JJ Furno’s first singles match in DDT for this tour is now happening here.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2025 ~YOUR LIE IN APRIL~”, 06/04/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Hideki Okatani Return Match: Hideki Okatani Vs X
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuya Koroku
DDT continues the idol wars. Kumadori’s next match with the company throws him in the ring against NωA Jr. At least he’ll have MAO & Kazuki Hirata backing him up.
M&A “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT ~MATCHMAKE & AGENT~”, 09/04/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Shota Vs Mikiya Sasaki
2. Special Tag Match: Yumiko Hotta & Miku Kanae Vs Mio Shirai & Saran
3. Special Tag Match: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura Vs Hikaru Sato & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa
4. Special Single Match: Jun Kasai Vs Maki Itoh
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
It’s going to be Astronauts Vs Perverts! The next match Sanshiro Takagi has come up with for MatchMake & Agent pits Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura against Hikaru Sato & Munenori Sawa.
BASARA “BASARA 275 ~YOKOHAMA MONOGATARI 2~”, 12/04/2025 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Gouma Ryu Vs Kikutaro
2. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Ryuichi Sekine & FUMA (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura & Keisuke Ishii
3. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
After spending a few years away from Union MAX Title challenges, Isami Kodaka feels it is time for him to chase after the belt again. His plan is to win the title from Ryota Nakatsu and then defend it against all the other former members of Sento Minzoku.
DDT “U1 CLIMAX EEL LOVING WRESTLER DECISION MATCH”, 13/04/2025 “Unagi no Eki” Special Venue, Shibushi City, Kagoshima
1. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Naomichi Marufuji & Yuki Ueno
One of Chris Brookes’s dream opponents is finally going to face him in the DDT ring. Naomichi Marufuji will be teaming up with Yuki Ueno for a big tag match against Brookes & Takeshi Masada.
Aja Kong will be on the show.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
Now things are heating up for the Las Vegas show. Konosuke Takeshita is fighting one of his old friends from The 37KAMIINA again. Last year was against Shunma Katsumata. This year is against MAO!
1. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Takeru Inoue Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Kaji Tomato & Kota Sekifuda
3. Ryuichi Sekine & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs KUBITO & Lil’ Kraken
4. Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs SAGAT & Ryota Nakatsu
5. FUMA Vs Daiki Shimomura
The next few BASARA shows will have matches building up the upcoming Iron Fist Tag Team Titles match scheduled for April. Here FUMA faces Daiki Shimomura one on one.
GANBARE☆PRO “JUSTICE LEAGUE 2025”, 16/03/2025 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Shota Kawakami Vs Shota Kofuji
2. Hanako Nakamori, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Banny Oikawa
3. Shinichiro Tominaga & Rekka Vs Takuya Wada & PSYCHO
4. Ken Ohka Vs Tyson Maeguchi
5. Keisuke Ishii, Hagane Shinno & Choun-Shiryu Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Yuki Kanzaki & Munetatsu Nakamura
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Fuminori Abe
One more challenge is in Yumehito Imanari’s way before he gets to headline a Korakuen Hall show as the Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion. The man standing in his way is Fuminori Abe. Chances are somebody on the card will be the one to approach the champion at the end of the show to make the Korakuen challenge. We’re probably going to hear who Ken Ohka’s mystery opponent is going to be too.
DDT “NANIWA FIGHTER 2025”, 23/03/2025 Osaka City Miyakojima Community Center
1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. The 37KAMIINA Vs Harimao!: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
3. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku, HARASHIMA & Akito
The main event is a preview for Koroku’s KO-D Openweight Title match in April. Whether the champion is Chris Brookes or Masahiro Takanashi is nothing for him to worry about here because both of them will be on the other team.
It feels good to type up Kazusada Higuchi’s name in these updates again.
The two partners challenging for the Iron Fist Tag Titles are going to fight each other first. The only thing Daiki Shimomura and Keisuke Ishii have in common is they’re both from Saitama. They’ll get to learn more about each other by having a match in the ring.
Yuko Miyamoto from 666, Kosuke Sato from Big Japan and Shota Kofuji from Osaka Style Wrestling will both be on the show.
DDT “O-HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 1”, 26/03/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada Vs JJ Furno
2. Falls Count Anywhere Blindfold Scramble Bunkhouse Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs HARASHIMA Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Preliminary Rumble: Chris Brookes Vs MAO Vs To-y Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ishida
DDT is putting together a competition at this month’s Beer Garden shows called Hanami KING OF DRUNK. It is to determine the No. 1 heavy drinker of springtime. There will be a 9-Man Rumble on the first show where the last three men standing will move on to the final.
For the first time ever there will be a Falls Count Anywhere Blindfold Scramble Bunkhouse Match. We will quickly figure out why there was never one done before this.
DDT “O-HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 27/03/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Maximum Allowance Of 5,000 Yen For Bringing The Weapons Death Match: Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuni & Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Hangover 6-Man Tag Match For Losers Of The Preliminary Rumble: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
3. Hanami KING OF DRUNK Final: X Vs X Vs X
The six wrestlers who don’t qualify for the KING OF DRUNK final will be put into a 6-Man Tag so they can all nurse their hangovers together.
There will be a Wrestlers Bring The Weapons Death Match on the undercard. However each wrestler in the match is given a 5,000 yen budget and they cannot spend past it for their weapon of choice.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2025 ~YOUR LIE IN APRIL~”, 06/04/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Hideki Okatani Return Match: Hideki Okatani Vs X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuya Koroku
The masked dancer Kumadori is coming back to DDT this April. He made his pro wrestling debut during “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024” at the end of last year with the rest of O-MENZ by his side. Will they all be there with him again?
BASARA “BASARA 275 ~YOKOHAMA MONOGATARI 2~”, 12/04/2025 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Ryuichi Sekine & FUMA (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura & Keisuke Ishii
Will Shimomura & Ishii become a well oiled tag team in time to challenge Ryuichi Sekine & FUMA for the belts? Ishii has never held the Iron Fist Tag Titles. FUMA has never directly beaten Ishii so that is why he is giving him this chance at winning the belts.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs X
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs X & X
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs X
The first match is made official for the Las Vegas Tokyo Joshi Pro show. Miu Watanabe is getting another big name foreign opponent by facing Masha Slamovich! I think this match being put together has blown open the possibilities for who will get the title matches on the same show. Whenever Slamovich is booked by TJPW she usually hovers around the champions but here she is getting Watanabe in a big first time matchup. That means Watanabe is also off the table for being in any of the title matches.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
Two new names are added to the lineup. Konosuke Takeshita will be there and so too will Shunma Katsumata. No mention yet if either will be on the next day’s “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW” show. Katsumata will likely be added but I doubt Takeshita will be there.
Are you sure that everybody wans Mina Shirakawa? Because this month it sure looked like everybody wanted Konosuke Takeshita! He had a big month in AEW, he has big matches coming up in New Japan soon, he wrestled a bunch of times on a cruise and right when it looked like he would have a break, CMLL came calling out for him. If you’re the type who keeps track of any Wrestler Of The Year contenders, Takeshita’s work in February should put him up near the top as an early frontrunner.
He’ll have more to do over the coming months but March will see the Tokyo Joshi Pro side of things take more of the spotlight. Miyu Yamashita has a packed weekend in Europe coming up and Yuki Kamifuku will continue to gift with Southeast Asia her presence. Then in April it’s the big one. Wrestlemania Week! I’ll need to find the time to write a big piece about what DDT and TJPW will be doing during that period.
I don’t have much to write about for Takeshita’s remaining matches that happened during the Jericho Cruise. But hey some of these sound really good on paper, right? At least this match here gave attendees a taste of what Will Ospreay and Takeshita’s tag match in Australia happening later in the month would be like. Lance Archer probably bounced Komander around like a basketball too.
JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 3”, 02/02/2025 Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal (?:??).
Like this one for example. It would be great if footage of this shows up somewhere. Takeshita, Archer & Brian Cage all teaming up together against Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal is the kind of match on paper that would have carried Night 3 of a packed indies weekend we used to get a decade ago.
JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 4”, 03/02/2025 Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Bandido, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd (?:??).
The last day of the Jericho Cruise had The Don Callis Family still together against the weird mix of Bandido & The Outrunners. I don’t know how much Takeshita would be into the retro 80s American vibe that The Outrunners bring with them. That’s more up Antonio Honda’s alley.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 05/02/2025 Gateway Center Arena, College Park, Georgia, USA
1. International All-Star Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Brody King & Buddy Matthews when Fletcher pinned King after an Assisted Brainbuster (14:15).
There was one last warmup match for Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher before they headed off to Australia. Here they took on the newly renamed Hounds Of Hell. They are the former House Of Black now without Malakai Black involved because he finally made his exit from the company. The challenge in this match was how much it took to put away the immovable force that is Brody King. Takeshita & Fletcher were able to get rid of Buddy Matthews no problem but when it came to King they had to throw everything at him but he wouldn’t stay down. Takeshita had to assist Fletcher with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster to keep the big guy down for the pinfall.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025 Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile ??? Fans
1. Casey defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Loaded Backpack Attack (7:43).
2. Aja Kong defeated Roma with the Uraken (8:55).
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Sara Phoenix & Pandora when Yamashita pinned Phoenix with the Skull Kick (18:19). *V4 for 121000000.
AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher when Omega pinned Takeshita after the Hidden Blade/One-Winged Angel Combination (21:20).
Talk about a match that delivered! The big tag match in Australia went ahead and ended with something we haven’t seen in a while: Takeshita taking a pinfall loss. It took a combination of the Hidden Blade and One-Winged Angel being mashed together like a Doomsday Device for it to happen which should wind up becoming one of the most memorable match finishes of the year. The aftermath confirmed there is more to come. Ospreay and Fletcher have their own feud moving ahead while Kenny Omega announced his intentions to go after Takeshita’s AEW International Title.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/02/2025 Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Orange Cassidy with the Raging Fire (12:30). *V8 for Konosuke Takeshita.
But first AEW had to go the long route to set up the match. Before Takeshita goes to a big title match with Omega he first had to beat Orange Cassidy in a with the belt on the line. Takeshita took a table bump when Cassidy dropped him on top of the announce desk with the Beach Break. He was still in danger after getting hit with the Orange Punch and also a Flying DDT outside the ring. But Cassidy made the big mistake of climbing the top turnbuckle. And whenever Takeshita’s opponent jumps off the top turnbuckle there is an Elbow Strike waiting right for them upon landing. There were still some very close calls to come but Takeshita caught the Orange Punch and countered it into the Raging Fire for the win. Don Callis then rubbed salt on the wound by putting Cassidy’s sunglasses onto Takeshita after the match.
CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 28/02/2025 Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
1. NEVER Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Ángel de Oro with the Raging Fire (?:??). *V4 for Konosuke Takeshita.
The month ended with Takeshita’s first time in the hallowed grounds of lucha libre known as Arena Mexico. CMLL made it a big deal that he was coming over to wrestle on their famed Friday night show on short notice and offered up Ángel de Oro as a challenger for the NEVER Openweight Title. So this was put together more through CMLL’s relationship with NJPW rather than AEW. Or maybe it’s both at this point because Rocky Romero is the connection point and his backstage connections run pretty deep nowadays. The match itself unintentionally ended up becoming bloody after de Oro suffered a hand injury of some sort. With only one fall needed to win rather than the traditional two, Takeshita came out on top after the two went back and forth with big moves until the Raging Fire brought things to an end.
Backstage Takeshita was asked by reporters who else in CMLL he would like to wrestle? He told a story about the first wrestling show he ever attended when he was a child. It was an Osaka Pro show and the merchandise he bought at the show was a Blue Panther mask. That is his first ever wrestling memory in general so perhaps one day he will cross paths with Blue Panther or a member of his family in the ring.
1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman
An alliance seems to have formed between Yuki Kamifuku and The Statement over in Singapore Pro Wrestling. Maybe the two champions believe it is in their best interests to be on the same side when some familiar rivals are marching forth towards them again. The Statment and Da Butcherman have fought each other plenty of times before. So too have Kamifuku and Alexis Lee. So now the next step is to throw them all in the ring at the same time.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 07/03/2024 The Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Session Moth Martina Vs Miyu Yamashita
A busy weekend in Europe sees Miyu Yamashita wrestling in three countries. First up she is heading back to EVE in England where she will present herself as a big challenge for Session Moth Martina to overcome.
RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024 Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Amale
Then on the Saturday Yamashita returns to Spain for her first appearance in RCW since October 2022. Her opponent will be French wrestler and former NXT UK performer Amale.
Yamashita finishes off the weekend with an appearance at wXw on the last day of the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Unless wXw announces her match beforehand it is a complete roll of the dice who she gets to face at the show.
AEW “REVOLUTION”, 09/03/2025 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Kenny Omega
It took 18 months to get here but we’re finally back on track to having another Takeshita Vs Omega match. I’m not going to sugar coat it. I think the title reign ends here and Takeshita’s priorities are about to switch over to New Japan for the spring and summer months.
MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 The Commerce, California, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
I think we know what to expect here. MLW brings in a Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestler, in this case Shoko Nakajima, and they lose to their women’s champion, in this case Delmi Exo. Although that was done a lot when Janai Kai was the champ so who knows? Maybe Nakajima takes the title from Exo and ends her second reign before it can properly take off.
NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025 Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
I know Hiroshi Tanahashi is getting an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot at New Japan’s anniversary show in March. And NJPW have announced there will be IWGP Title matches taking place in their next two shows in America. Hmmm…. Alright, alright, that’s just wishful thinking on my part. Although I can see the NEVER Title being on the line when Tanahashi and Takeshita clash in Chicago.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025 Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe
At the moment it doesn’t seem like there will be any other DDT or TJPW talent appearing on the show. So it’s just going to be Miu Watanabe having a match here by the looks of it.
WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell
Later in the afternoon MAO will be at the West Coast Pro show and the promotion are promising the opponent is just as crazy as he is! Jiah Jewell has made it his goal to “Gator Roll The World” and that sounds like the fucked up wrestling MAO likes to fight for.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Shinya Aoki Vs X
No surprise to see Shinya Aoki getting added to the show. The funny thing is the match he’s having on the DDT show would have made much more sense to happen on the Bloodsport show!
Yamashita also returns to Bloodsport for a second go around.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs X
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs X & X
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs X
The card will begin to take shape right after “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” is over and done with. What we do know for now is there will be championship matches for the Princess Of Princess Title, the Princess Tag Team Titles and the International Princess Title.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
Like I said above, doesn’t Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher sound more like a Bloodsport match than a DDT match? Now Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson, that’s a match you’re absolutely not going to see anywhere else.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
I really don’t know what the vibe and turnout for this show will be when it happens right slap bang in between the big NXT show and the first night of WrestleMania.
BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025 The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews
Very cute, very evil and back teaming up again. Danhausen & Maki Itoh reunite as Makihausen for a tag match against Bang And Matthews over at Black Label Pro.
CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.
So this is happening in Japan but since it is a one off lucha libre show that is disconnected from everything else going on I decided to include it in this series. This is the Sumo Hall show that made headlines for announcing the debut of a new Hayabusa. One of the lucha matches originally booked for the show was a 3 Way Match between Octagon, El Hijo del Octagon and Pantera Jr. However Daisuke Sasaki crashed one of the press conferences demanding to be part of the show because of his lucha skills. The promoters decided to let him in so he gets to team with Pantera Jr. against the two (kayfabe?) generations of Octagon.
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
Probably another New Japan title defence for Takeshita when he goes to California in May. Hopefully it’s with the IWGP Ti-okay, okay, I’ll give it a break.
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 4 ~LOVE SO SAUNA~”, 14/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Big NeppoWER!!: Shinya Aoki defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Camel Clutch Full Nelson Hold (10:55).
2. 120℃ High Temperature Sauna Match: Sauna Oyakata & Sauna Kobun defeated Naya Tonttu & Kazuma Sumi when Kobun submitted Sumi with the O-Manjigatame (8:02).
3. Totonoi ALL OUT: Shin KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Shin Shunma Katsumata and Akito when Shin TAKESHITA pinned Shin Katsumata with the Raging Fire (10:42).
4. Ueno Nordic Presents ~Yuki Ueno Löyly~: Takeshi Masada defeated Kuishinbo Kamen and Kikutaro when Masada pinned both Kamen and Kikutaro (11:23).
5. BZW Tag Team Title – NELJAS Presents ~MAO Löyly~: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when Yoshihiko pinned Takanashi after the Double Rainmaker (18:59). *V2 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
6. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~To-y Löyly~: Shuji Kondo defeated To-y with the King Kong Lariat (19:20).
All four members of The 37KAMIINA gathered everyone over to Shinjuku FACE for a wrestling show that is supposed to spread the feeling you get being in a sauna. Only two members of the group were actually able to wrestle because of injuries and health scares for the other two. To-y was one of them, fighting against another sauna lover Shuji Kondo in the main event. To-y did his best and even landed the Kojima Wonderland but some well timed Lariats from Kondo put the match in his favour. Kondo received a free bathing ticket from the match sponser for winning the match. Kondo said he heard rumours about how good To-y is and he was impressed with him today. If this show happens again next year he would like to have a rematch. To-y said he had a dream where he fought Kondo and lost. He also lost the real match today. That means the next time they fight will be the third match and it will be third time’s the charm for To-y to beat Kondo!
The BZW Tag Team Titles were defended in Japan for a second time when MAO & Yoshihiko put them on the line against a determined CDK. The tag champs were put in mortal danger when Chris Brookes choked both of them with the rubber strap and hung both of them from the ropes over the ring apron. He also did the stretch band attack with Yoshihiko still attached, launching the doll into MAO. But Yoshihiko landed on Brookes with a dive and gave Masahiro Takanashi a Canadian Destroyer. Takanashi kicked out of the Somato so MAO & Yoshihiko combined their powers to give him the Double Rainmaker for the victory. MAO said the team is ready to defend the belts in BZW again and will be going to Belgium next motnh. He heard BZW is running a show in Las Vegas during WrestleMania week so he & Yoshihiko can be there too. Takanashi was disappointed he didn’t win the title because he wants to go to France. That made Brookes wonder wouldn’t it be better if they won the titles in France instead of Japan?
It is in the bucket list of every Osaka wrestler to take part in a Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro match with Yukinori Matsui as the referee. Sadly for Takeshi Masada none of them wanted him to be part of it. Whenever he tried to take part in their spots they either ignored him or shoved him aside. Masada had to fight them properly but ended up getting a DDT from Matsui. That caused Kamen and Kikutaro to figure out it is much more fun to fight Matsui so they attacked him. Matsui fought them off, knocked them down with a Double Lariat and gave Masada a Facebuster on top of them. Masada was left on top of the pile so Matsui counted the pin, making Matsui the winner.
Plans for an ALL OUT reunion fell apart for one reason or another but a Konosuke Takeshita did show up as advertised. Shin Konosuke Takeshita made a grand entrance along with Shin Don Callis, ready to take part in a 3 Way Match against Shin Shunma Katsumata (who looks an awful lot like Yuni) and Akito (who actually really was just Akito). Callis disappeared midway through the match which is exactly when Shin Yuki Iino did a run in spot. He stayed around to help Shin Takeshita pull off her big moves like the German Suplex and the Raging Fire.
A bunch of people booked for Match #2 pulled out of the show for various reasons. Danshoku Dieno was busy minding his pet dog Haku and didn’t want to leave him, Fuminori Abe needed to exorcise his demons at a waterfall and Yukio Naya was recently banned from saunas for having bad manners. So Kazuma Sumi was put in the ring with the sauna fairy Naya Tonttu to fight Sauna Oyakata (Dieno) & Sauna Kobun (Abe). However Tonttu felt the room was too cold so he abandoned Sumi early in the match. He eventually returned when Sumi called for his help it was not enough for them to win the match.
Shinya Aoki put Keigo Nakamura to the test with a challenging singles match. Nakamura got some moments by moving Aoki from a European Clutch into a Gedo Clutch but once he tried to target Aoki’s foot, Aoki reversed course and worked over Nakamura’s leg. Nakamura then put him in the Full Nelson and repositioned it into a Camel Clutch to make Nakamura submit.
At the end of the show MAO encouraged To-y by telling him they will continue to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles as many times as they can. He called for any team to come out and challenge them. Suddenly Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura walked down to the ring. MAO thought they were hear to challenge him & Yoshihiko for the BZW Tag Titles. Nope, Astronauts are answering the call for a KO-D Tag Titles match! Abe also revealed that there is only one Toy in wrestling who they answer to and it is Yuki Ishikawa (because his real first name is Toyohiko). MAO wants to be in top condition for the match so everyone agreed it will take place at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show on 20th March.
Also at the end of the show Shunma Katsumata had an announcement to make. MAO kept guessing it was Katsumata’s retirement. Thankfully it is not. Katsumata will be returning to the ring on 20th March! He’s been out of action since November with a torn ACL in his left knee.
At the start of the show Yuki Ueno greeted the audience and told them he is currently feeling fine. He is unable to wrestle this weekend after being examined for hematuria symptoms.
Yesterday two of DDT’s biggest exports were both involved in title matches for different companies. Let’s see how they got on.
NOAH “STAR NAVIGATION PREMIUM ~NOAH JR. TAG LEAGUE 2025~”, 11/02/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,560 Fans – Super No Vacancy
5. GHC National Title: Manabu Soya defeated Tetsuya Endo (c) with the Dando (12:20). *Tetsuya Endo fails in V1. Manabu Soya becomes the 15th GHC National Champion!
Well that puts a dampener of Tetsuya Endo’s heel turn. Not long after he won the GHC National Title and joined TEAM 2000X he loses it back to Manabu Soya in the rematch. In the preview matches coming up to this bout, Endo taunted Soya by telling him the result would be the same and his family would get so fed up by Soya’s failure they would abandon him! However Soya was determined to reclaim his championship even if he had to overcome a damaged elbow to do so. He also got help from the RATEL’S unit to fend off interference from TEAM 2000X. With the fight now evened out, Soya went on to beat Endo and win back the National Title.
Endo blamed the loss on the referee’s pin count but will not dwell on it for long. He is already missing the sweet voice of a NOAH championship and does not intend to return to DDT empty handed. He has long stay in NOAH ahead of him and when the time comes for him to go back home, he will bring a souvenir for DDT back with him.
NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA”, 11/02/2025 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (Osaka Edion Arena) 5,502 Fans – Super No Vacancy
6. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated Oleg Boltin with the Raging Fire (11:33). *V3 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.
Fortunes fared better for Konosuke Takeshita over in New Japan. He put the NEVER Openweight Title on the line against Oleg Boltin in a rematch from last year’s G1 Climax. This time Takeshita was able to survive the Kamikaze Drop and use a Front Neck Lock to sap the life out of his opponent. Boltin was unable to kick out of the Raging Fire after that. Backstage Takeshita said he was thankful to Boltin ever since the G1 match because losing to him only made Takeshita stronger. He looks forward to a third and final showdown to happen some day.
Takeshita quickly found out who is next to face him for the title. Ryohei Oiwa approached him after the match. He said it would be interesting to see Takeshita’s worldwide wrestling style line up against Oiwa’s Japanese only style (Oiwa famously never went on the traditional overseas excursion every young lion goes through). Takeshita warned him that a world class wrestler like himself is very strong.
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 4 ~LOVE SO SAUNA~”, 14/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. 120℃ High Temperature Sauna Match: Danshoku Dieno & Fuminori Abe Vs Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
2. Totonoi ALL OUT: Shin KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Shin Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito & Yuki Iino
3. Big NeppoWER!!: Shinya Aoki Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~To-y Löyly~: To-y Vs Sauna Lover X
5. Ueno Nordic Presents ~Yuki Ueno Löyly~: Yuki Ueno Vs Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro
6. BZW Tag Team Title – NELJAS Presents ~MAO Löyly~: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
The next sauna themed show from The 37KAMIINA has its full card with a bunch of sponsorships also applied. The ALL OUT match is going to be as advertised. Akito & Yuki Iino will face new (and improved?) versions of Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata. If it turns out to be Sakura Hirota portraying both gimmicks at once then that’s wrestler of the year for 2025 already wrapped up.
Shinya Aoki has thrown his support behind Keigo Nakamura for the D GENERATIONS CUP. Nakamura might have made it to the final by the time they face off against each other on this show.
As for the 120℃ Temperature match, that sounds like something IWA Japan did for a video tape many, many years ago.
DDT “NEXT GENERATION 2025 ~KISARAGI ROMAN~”, 23/02/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. “Brave Bang Bravern!” Collaboration 6-Man Tag Match ~ Bravern Debut Match: Bravern, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Yukio Naya, Akito & Soma Takao
3. Special Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Koju Takeda Vs Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block
How big is the mech Bravern going to be when it stands face to face with Yukio Naya? Could Akito or Soma Takao find ways to trip it down or will they be handled by Yuki Ueno & MAO?
Tetsu Inada will return to DDT as a commentator for this match. The current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion is a cast member on the anime and has been spending his time proudly showing off the title belt to other voice actors from across the industry. There’s been a couple of title changes in that time that I’ll have to look up when I have the time. Inada is as of this writing the 1,711st champion.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 20”, 04/03/2025 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
The next Baka Gaijin + Friends show sees CDK taking on ROMANCE DAWN. It will be a rematch of their “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” bout from Ganbare☆Pro back in 2022. ROMANCE DAWN won that one. Can CDK get some revenge on their own home turf?
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Kazusada Higuchi Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs X
2. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Yuki Iino
3. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Minoru Suzuki
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs X
It’s been confirmed straight from the devil’s mouth. Minoru Suzuki will challenge Yuki Ueno for the DDT Universal Title! The championship itself does not have any particular special value to Suzuki but the fact that Ueno dared call him out for the match has him interested.
M&A “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT ~MATCHMAKE & AGENT~”, 09/04/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
The concept for Sanshiro Takagi’s recent 30th Anniversary show worked out so well that he wants to continue doing it, once again without the need for DDT contracted talent to be involved. Thus the creation of MatchMake & Agent Pro Wrestling which Takagi is planning to hold a show once every two months at least up to the summer. He definitely has the vast amount of connections to keep the cards fresh. The first match though is coming out of the anniversary show. Yuji Nagata & Kuroshio TOKYO Japan are teaming together as a pair of “Ikemen” to take on The Brahman Brothers!
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
The first match for DDT’s trip to Las Vegas has been revealed and it sure has left me speechless. Santana Jackson is a Michael Jackson gimmick who regularly goes viral for incorporating Michael’s spots into his wrestling matches. Apparently whenever Japanese fans find footage of him it’s DDT who get the requests to bring him over. Antonio Honda must be looking forward to the match too given how much he loves classic American pop culture.
A new year means new adventures and a fresh sense of excitement to go exploring again. Konosuke Takeshita now has work with New Japan to deal with alongside his AEW duties. It’s opened up a whole new group of opponents to fight in America as well as Japan, especially since he has a championship in each company he wants to defend often. Yuka Sakazaki had a very big month by taking part in a special retirement match and also getting a big chance to do some things on AEW TV. But now that has come and gone I worry that she’s going to vanish from the shows again. Yuki Kamifuku is continuing her series of matches with Alexis Lee across Southeast Asia. Maki Itoh went on tour across the world with GCW but sadly lost her championship along the way.
A lot more destinations are coming up in the Springtime. Chile gets to experience Tokyo Joshi Pro on their own soil, Takeshita gets a very big tag match in Australia, Miyu Yamashita gets to wrestle in Germany for the first time and all roads will be leading us towards the bright lights of Las Vegas. I know I got the tickets I want for Wrestlemania Week.
IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Jonathan Johnson
AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025 Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Queen Aminata Vs Deonna Purazzo Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Serena Deeb
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Katsuyori Shibata
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025 Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
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Results
NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan 24,107 Fans
1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c) defeated Shingo Takagi (N/c) with the Raging Fire (11:42). *V5 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Shingo Takagi fails in V2. Becomes the 47th/11th Champion!
I already wrote about Takeshita’s big weekend at the Tokyo Dome. You can read it here.
NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan 16,300 Fans
1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Raging Fire (13:30). *V1 for NEVER Openweight Title. V6 for AEW International Title.
SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 3”, 10/01/2025 Foo Chow Building, Singapore
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Alexis Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??). V6 for Yuki Kamifuku.
As far as I know it was just the Queen Of Asia Title that was on the line for Kamifuku’s latest appearance at Singapore Pro Wrestling. Her rivalry with Alexis Lee may have turned friendly but Lee still wants to win that title back. Kamifuku was able to beat her again for another title defence. It also won’t be the last time this year they fight each other in SPW. More on that later.
NJPW “BATTLE IN THE VALLEY”, 11/01/2025 San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA
1. Sumie Sakai Retirement Match – Tornado Tag Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sumi Sakai, EVIL & SHO when Takahashi pinned Sakai with the TIME BOMB (14:42).
2. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated KUSHIDA with the Raging Fire (15:08). *V2 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.
With a new path forged in New Japan, Takeshita went to fight for the company over in America. California was the place where his next NEVER Openweight Title defence was scheduled. KUSHIDA was his challenger in his latest attempt to take on the heavyweights. His gameplan was to start with breaking down Takeshita’s arm before switching to his legs with sweeping Leg Kicks. The plan worked in that it did weaken Takeshita’s moveset and made the match more competitive than first it looked on paper. But Takeshita was able to stand tall in the end and put away KUSHIDA. Takeshita then went ahead and called his shot. When Hiroshi Tanahashi has his final match in America before he retires, Takeshita wants to be his opponent!
If you want to watch a feel good wrestling match to get you out of the new year dumps, go seek out Sumie Sakai’s retirement bout. She teamed up with House Of Torture members EVIL & SHO because of their connections back in their American excursions days. Sakazaki was one of the many people who wanted to be a part of the match as a thank you to Sakai. She got chosen among the lucky trio that included Hiromu Takahashi from NJPW & Mayu Iwatani from Stardom. There was also a female Kamaitachi hanging around at ringside who nobody has been able to identify since (I’ve seen a few guesses it was Iyo Sky because she was in attendance and I appreciate the cheekiness of it if true). Sakazaki whacked SHO over the head with a foreign object and gave him the Tea Time. Sakai ended up fighting on her own and kept kicking out for as long as she could. Takahashi eventually kept her down for the count with the TIME BOMB.
IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Jonathan Johnson defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Swanton Bomb (?:??).
This month saw SETUP become the new bearers of the International Wrestling Association brand by launching the debut IWA Thailand show. Masahiro Takanashi went over to take part in a tournament to determine the No. 1 Contender for the IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title. He had no problem being the bad guy against Jonathan Johnson and even got some ringside help from Shota getting in Johnson’s way whenever it was convenient. However Johnson fought off the numbers disadvantage and made Shota Super Kick Takanashi by mistake. Johnson then countered the Takatonic into an Implant for a nearfall and then hit the Swanton Bomb to get the upset win, knocking Takanashi out of the tournament in the 1st Round.
GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. GCW Ultraviolent Title & GCW Extreme Title – Doors, Ladders & Chairs Unification Match: Matt Tremont defeated Maki Itoh (E/c), John Wayne Murdoch, Drew Parker, Rina Yamashita, Brandon Kirk, Dr. Redacted and Matthew Justice when Tremont grabbed the titles (15:55). *Maki Itoh fails in V5. Matt Tremont becomes the 10th GCW Ultraviolent Champion and 11th GCW Extreme Champion!
Maki Itoh took a big gamble and it did not pay off. She wanted to double her title collection in GCW by joining the Doors, Ladders & Chairs match where the vacant GCW Ultraviolent Title was on the line. To do that she agreed to put the GCW Extreme Title up for grabs too so both championships would end up being unified together. John Wayne Murdoch complained about her inclusion at the start of the match, causing Itoh to fake cry so everyone else would attack him in her defence. Itoh also did the ladder spin spot, hitting whoever was in her way until Matthew Justice smashed her with a chair. Her last big spot of the match was diving off a ladder onto everyone else outside the ring. She ended up getting taken out of the match when Drew Parker did the Swanton Bomb from the ladder onto herself and Murdoch through some tables at ringside. Matt Tremont ended up being the last one left to climb the ladder and pull down both belts.
BZW/GCW “ENTER THE ZONE”, 25/01/2025 Espace Isabelle De Hainaut, Rue De Saint-Quentin, France
1. BZW Title: Joseph Fenech Jr. (c) defeated Maki Itoh by Disqualification when Itoh was caught with Brass Knuckles (?:??). *V7 for Joseph Fenech Jr.
One week later Itoh travelled to Europe with GCW for a weekend of shows in France and England. For a brief moment it looked like Itoh was the new champion of Banger Zone Wrestling when she defeated Joseph Fenech Jr. for the BZW Title. However during the match Fenech placed a pair of brass knuckles into Itoh’s gear so when he lost the match, he complained to the ref and accused Itoh of cheating. The ref inspected Itoh, found the brass knucks “hidden” in her costume and decided to reverse the decision.
AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025 Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Queen Aminata, Deonna Purazzo and Serena Deeb when Sakazaki pinned Purazzo with a Modified Crucifix Pin (9:28).
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Katsuyori Shibata with the Raging Fire (13:29). *V7 for Konosuke Takeshita.
Back in AEW, Takeshita called out an unexpected opponent to be his next challenger for the AEW International Title. He wanted a piece of Katsuyori Shibata after seeing him winning matches in ROH! It was a match that just as much existed to show everyone that Shibata can still take bumps because Takeshita Suplexed him around quite a bit. Shibata though was able to withstand the attacks and push back, fighting his way towards a possible title change. However Don Callis in a panic left the commentary booth to grab Shibata’s leg from ringside as a distraction. Takeshita then grabbed Shibata for the Blue Thunder Bomb. Shibata kicked out of that with a 1 Count so Takeshita put him away with the Raging Fire.
Sakazaki’s AEW direction for this month centered around the TBS Championship. She was thrown into the mix of a 4 Way Match to determine the No. 1 Contender. Her chances improved when Queen Aminata and Serena Deeb fought their way out of the ring and away from ringside. She also benefitted from Deonna Purrazzo getting distracted by Taya Valkyrie being attacked by Harley Cameron. With Purazzo’s guard now down, Sakazaki cradled her into a Crucifix Pin to score the three count and earn herself a title match.
GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025 Electric Ballroom, London, England
1. Maki Itoh defeated Man Like DeReiss with a Mouse Trap (11:56).
What Itoh lacked in size against Man Like DeReiss she more than made up for it with ego and personality. She quickly reacted to DeReiss’s big entrance by telling him she’s “not scared, you pussy!” DeReiss still took her lightly, making quips on the microphone while Body Slamming her. But Itoh started a comeback while the Pokémon theme song played over the speakers. However DeReiss took a page out of Itoh’s playbook by crying crocodile tears so Itoh would go easy on him. His plan almost worked until Itoh countered a Power Slam into the Mouse Trap cradle to get the pin out of nowhere.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Money Maker (13:40). *V13 for Mercedes Moné.
Remember back when Mercedes Moné would put out photos and videos on social media of her training at the TJPW dojo and hanging out with the roster? Well after all that time we finally got to see her wrestle a match against someone TJPW related. Moné and Sakazaki got the main event slot on Dynamite for their TBS Title match. Sakazaki got out of the Statement Maker by cradling it into a nearfall. She thought she had Moné where she wanted her by doing a Snap German Suplex. But Moné blocked the Magical Girl Splash with her knees and eventually pinned her with the Moné Maker.
JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 1”, 31/01/2025 Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van (?:??).
2. AEW International Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington (?:??).
Both Takeshita and Sakazaki were a part of Chris Jericho’s annual Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager At Sea cruise. There were four days of shows but from what I could find Sakazaki only wrestled on the first day, beating Viva Van. Takeshita beat the new “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington on his first match of the cruise. It has since been promoted in AEW canon as an AEW International Title eliminator match for Ring Of Honor TV. I’ll go through the rest of Takeshita’s matches in next month’s article.
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Upcoming Appearances
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025 Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Casey
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Pandora & Sara Phoenix
The AEX Santiago convention welcomes Tokyo Joshi Pro to Chile in February. The Princess Tag Team Titles will be defended over there too, possibly changing the course of “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” if 121000000 lose the belts over there. Fans over there will also get to see Aja Kong and Moka Miyamoto in action.
AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher
There’s a lot of logistical confusion going around AEW’s Australia debut but it’s still working out better than that time Takeshita was booked by Sub-Zero Pro back in 2019. He’ll be teaming with Australia’s own Kyle Fletcher as the two members of the Don Callis Family face the combined wrath of Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega!
1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman
Kamifuku and Lee’s rivalry remains in Singapore for the time being. This time Kamifuku will get involved in a mixed tag match for the first time in SPW. She teams with The Statement (aka Andruew Tang) while Lee will team with Da Butcherman.
Some of the best wrestling weekends I’ve ever had were in Germany for the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Yamashita’s debut for wXw is only going to be for the third night though. That’s a shame because if she did the entire weekend there would have been a whole list of interesting new matches for her to do.
NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025 Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
America gets a rematch over a decade in the making. In the 2nd year Anniversary of Takeshita’s debut match, he got to fight Tanahashi in his prime at DDT’s Sumo Hall show. He had respect for him for years afterward until 2015 when Tanahashi embarrassed DDT in the same venue. When Takeshita competed in the G1 Climax last year he brought up that situation as a reason for him to chase after Tanahashi in New Japan. Now that Tanahashi is getting ready to retire next year, there’s not a lot of time left to make this match happen. So Takeshita made the demand to be the opponent for Tanahashi’s last match in America (unless AEW gets the itch to book him on super short notice later in the year).
PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025 Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe
DDT and TJPW’s schedule for Wrestlemania Week is focused on the Friday and Saturday. However Miu Watanabe’s schedule unexpectedly starts a little bit earlier. On the Thursday she will be competing in Pandemonium Pro against the promising wrestler from Texas, Maya World.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
The sixteen women TJPW are planning to bring over to Las Vegas are Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Suzume, Yuki Kamifuku, Pom Harajuku, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Wakana Uehara and Shino Suzuki. There will be a few more international wrestlers taking part too.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
The first group of DDT wrestlers coming over for the show are MAO, Shinya Aoki, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda, Ilusion, Yuni and Kazuma Sumi. A lot of the regular talent have already been advertised for DDT’s shows back in Japan the same weekend so this might be your lot outside of the guests.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
What a newsworthy weekend Konosuke Takeshita has had! He went into the Tokyo Dome for New Japan’s biggest show of the year ready to defend his AEW International Title. He came out of it still with the belt, gaining another championship and making a pretty important announcement about where his future belongs to.
NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan 24,107 Fans
1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c) defeated Shingo Takagi (N/c) with the Raging Fire (11:42). *V5 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Shingo Takagi fails in V2. Becomes the 47th/11th Champion!
On the Saturday Takeshita went into a double title match putting his AEW title on the line against Shingo Takagi and his NEVER Openweight Title. The winner would not only have two championships but would also face Tomohiro Ishii in the Dome the next day. So Ishii made it a priority to sit at ringside to watch this match up close. Takeshita tried to weaken the arm Takagi prefers to use the Pumping Bomber with but he never expected Takagi to pull out a Reverse Frankensteiner. However Takeshita was too tough to put down and he won by using the Raging Fire. He held both belts up high while staring down Ishii after the match.
Backstage Takeshita said he always thought Takagi was strong but he was able to beat him on the biggest stage. When he fights Ishii he will show him the pride of AEW as well as give him the fight of a NEVER Champion. He will attack Ishii with 120% of his strength! Takagi said he couldn’t remember what happened in the match other than he lost to Takeshita in under 15 minutes. Ishii meanwhile dared Takeshita to throw all of his strikes at him tomorrow.
NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan 16,300 Fans
1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Raging Fire (13:30). *V1 for NEVER Openweight Title. V6 for AEW International Title.
The next day Takeshita defended both of his championships against Ishii at the Dome. Ishii provoked Takeshita into hitting him with Elbow Strikes then fought back by throwing Chops towards the throat. Then the two started hitting big bombs on each other resulting in a double down. Ishii switched to throwing Headbutts while Takeshita fought back by using Brainbusters and a Reverse Frankensteiner. He was able to hit the Raging Fire and that was enough to put Ishii away for a successful double title defence.
After the match backstage Takeshita had good news to tell the wrestling media. Right now he is currently affiliated with DDT and AEW. Well now he made a deal with New Japan to work for all three companies at the same time! His goal is to unify the pro wrestling world and he will do that by walking a path nobody else has taken before. He then said his upcoming plans are to defend the International Title in AEW again while defending the NEVER Title at New Japan’s USA shows. He singled out KUSHIDA as somebody he would like to defend the NEVER Title against because he is another wrestler who is well-travelled. However when he finished his interview Oleg Boltin walked in and gave him a stare down.
According to Takaaki Kidani through quotes taken from a Tokyo Sports article, Takeshita might have signed a one year contract with New Japan while continuing his current deals with DDT and AEW. Kidani said AEW’s light match schedule makes it possible for Takeshita to wrestle in New Japan more often so if he wants to become a mainstay for the company it can happen. Dave Meltzer on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio explained that AEW is still his priority whenever they want to use him. He also expects AEW and NJPW will keep in touch with each other to avoid any scheduling conflicts. I see DDT as the third wheel in this deal but Takeshita’s appearances for the company have dwindled down to single digits per year so it shouldn’t be too hard to get him for the important shows.
DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2025 ~ANSWERS WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~”, 03/01/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans
1. To-y, Akito & Soma Takao defeated Toru Owashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when To-y pinned Matsunaga with the Kojima Impact (6:45).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion defeated Yuni, Kazuma Sumi, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida when Ilusion pinned Ishida with the Swanton Bomb (9:21).
3. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Yoshihiko submitted Hirata with the Arc de Triomphe Hold (11:54). *V1 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Hikaru Sato defeated Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura when Brookes submitted Nakamura with the Ground Octopus Stretch (13:39).
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Yuya Koroku with an Exploder Suplex (13:50).
6. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when TAKESHITA pinned Iino with the Raging Fire (18:46).
7. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger 4 Way Match: Shuji Ishikawa defeated Danshoku Dieno, HARASHIMA and KANON when Ishikawa pinned KANON with the Splash Mountain (13:20).
A new year brings new challenges. The main event for DDT’s first show of 2025 was a 4 Way Match to determine the No. 1 Contender for the KO-D Openweight Title. The four competitors all have never faced Chris Brookes for the title before so whoever wins would be a brand new challenger for the champion. Danshoku Dieno was extra grabby than usual given the amount of people in the match and Shuji Ishikawa became everyone’s target for being the biggest threat. HARASHIMA almost beat him with the Somato and same went for Dieno using the Gaydo Clutch on him. KANON attacked Dieno in the corner and left him knocked over in the Hell Gate position. That came back to haunt KANON because Ishikawa lifted him up and drove him head first into Dieno’s backside. KANON got revenge by giving Ishikawa the Sleepy Hollow but he only got a two count out of it. Ishikawa returned the attack by giving KANON the Fire Thunder on top of Dieno’s butt. Ishikawa later cut off Dieno with a Knee Lift and pinned KANON with the Splash Mountain to win the match.
Ishikawa told Brookes after the match that he’s wanted a real singles match with him after they wrestled each other in Osaka last May. He knows Brookes is at his strongest whenever he fights for the KO-D Title. So Ishikawa will face him head to head and beat him at his strongest to become the new champion! Brookes told Ishikawa this will be the most interesting title defence. Ishikawa is a little scary but he will be looking forward to fighting him. Ishikawa then promised when he beats Brookes to a pulp on 26th January he will take the belt and sing karaoke in the ring once more to celebrate!
Konosuke Takeshita started a busy weekend by returning to DDT once more with Don Callis joining him. Waiting for him were two heavyweights each hungry to surpass him. Takeshita teamed with Jun Akiyama for the match but it felt more like a 2-Vs-1 Handicap match because Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya were both determined to beat Takeshita directly. They worked together to try and break down Takeshita. Iino hit the Burning Elbow but Takeshita hit him back with the Knee Strike. Naya Choke Slammed Takeshita but Akiyama got in and threw him with the Exploder Suplex. That left Iino to fight Takeshita by himself. He hit two Spears but Takeshita blocked a third one and used the Raging Fire to pin him straight away. Takeshita’s message to his opponents is to never forget how they feel today. The big wrestlers need to train and work 100 times harder than the smaller wrestlers. It’s up to them to make that their weakness or their weapon. Takeshita also gave his support to Tetsuya Endo for his excursion to NOAH. His message to him is putting your life on the line is life changing and he looks forward to seeing him rise up from here. Iino said he is having a great time fighting tough heavyweights like Takeshita and Tomohiro Ishii. Naya promised to avenge this loss to Takeshita when DDT goes back to America in April!
This week is the last we will see Tetsuya Endo in DDT for a while. He made the decision to go wrestle in NOAH for the foreseeable future (he will still be DDT affiliated when he does). His last DDT match will be on 5th January but before that happened he fought Yuya Koroku today. Iino was at ringside for the match so the three final members of BURNING were together. Koroku targeted Endo’s arm and even went high flying with a Moonsault. But Endo had him done for with the Torture Rack Bomb and Burning Star Press. Rather than pin him with that move, Endo got Koroku back up, told him to do his best while he’s gone and then gave him an Exploder Suplex to win the match.
After the match Endo told Koroku he will be find after the breakup of BURNING. He was able to stand with spirit at the end of the match and if he can keep that up he can do it alone from now on. BURNING is gone but Endo will never forget the three years he spent with Iino & Koroku. Endo will now be wrestling in NOAH but that doesn’t mean he is leaving DDT. Once he takes the top spot in NOAH he will come back to take the top sport in DDT! He told Iino and Koroku to get stronger because the next time they fight it will be when the KO-D title on the line!
Match #4 had a pair of unusual appearances in it. First Hikaru Sato came in on short notice to replace Takeshi Masada who was out with a suspected fever. Also Bryce Remsburg from AEW served as the referee for the bout. Sato got involved with CDK’s prank team work while Remsburg was tricked by the other team into taking part in the reversal. Shinya Aoki got to tussle with Sato and also hit a Topé Suicida to everyone outside. Keigo Nakamura missed a Diving Headbutt aimed for Brookes but kicked out of a Piledriver. Brookes then put him in the Octopus Stretch and increased the pressure until Nakamura gave up.
Some French flavour was added to the proceedings with a BZW Tag Team Titles defence. MAO & Yoshihiko came into the match as champions ready to fight the just as wacky pairing of Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda. Yoshihiko interrupted Honda’s Gongitsune spot by using AI to come up with its own folk tale to tell everybody. Yoshihiko also grabbed the legs of both opponents and held them in a Double Achilles Tendon Hold called the Arc de Triomphe Hold. The challengers couldn’t withstand the pain and gave up. MAO wants to defend the titles even more and called out teams from any country to come challenge them.
DAMNATION T.A took out a team of youngsters early in the card. Daichi Sato wanted to go toe-to-toe against the similarly sized MJ Paul. The two ended up fighting towards the commentary table where voice actress Hana Hishikawa was sitting as a special guest. She is a notable fan of Paul so he was happy to take a quick time out to go shake her hand before continuing his fight with Sato. Kazuma Sumi and Demus continued their little rivalry with quick exchanges in the ring. Daisuke Sasaki led a train attack on Yuki Ishida and despite a small comeback from Ishida, Ilusion ended up pinning him with the Swanton Bomb.
For the opening match Akito asked Sanshiro Takagi to come down to the ring and come up with a theme for the match. Takagi decided the winner would receive a New Year’s Gift from him taken from his own pocket. The promise of a rich prize was just the encouragement everyone needed to do their best. Toru Owashi and To-y got into a Chop Battle, Super Sasadango Machine and Soma Takao did whatever they could to win and Tomomitsu Matsunaga threw Lariats at whoever was near him friend of foe. In the end To-y pinned Matsunaga with the Kojima Impact and received 10,000 yen from Takagi as his prize. Everyone then tried to attack Takagi for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title until he ran off.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 