Golden Week And Then Some

April 28, 2023

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Rukiya
2. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi
3. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Saki Akai & Tsutenkakka Vs Toru Owashi, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi
6. Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

The feud between Tetsuya Endo and MAO will be headlining the remaining DDT shows until Yokohama Budokan.

This will be the first time Rukiya is wrestling in front of his hometown crowd.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRECIOUS TIME”, 29/04/2023
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

-. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1: Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haruna Neko defeated Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara by Forfeit.
1. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1A: Maki Itoh, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
2. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1B: Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Shino Suzuki
3. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1C: Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Hikari Noa Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
6. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haruna Neko
7. Sawyer Wreck Vs Moka Miyamoto
8. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Nao Kakuta will not be on tomorrow’s show because of family circumstances. Her team are forfeiting their 1st Round match in the trios tournament for this reason. Hikari Noa and Wakana Uehana will instead face each other in a non-tournament match.

GANBARE☆PRO “RUN LOLA RUN 2023”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Shota & HARUKAZE Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Marika Kobashi
3. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs The 37KAMIINA: Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
4. Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Minoru Fujita & Takahiro Katori
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka & Hartley Jackson Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi

A few days before Ganbare☆Pro make it back to Korakuen Hall, they are paying a visit to Osaka.

BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~”, 30/04/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. KUBITO Vs Masahiro Takanashi
3. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
4. FUMA Vs X
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa

It looks like FUMA’s opponent will not be revealed until the match takes place. He’s been getting into hunting lately and said as soon as he knows who the opponent is he will treat them like a game animal.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Rukiya
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Mari Manji Vs Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Rayne Leverkusen
4. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida
5. Ω Vs Pheromones!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
6. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno

This is the final chance for Makoto Oishi to judge if Yuki Iino has been acting sexy. Iino cannot slip up now right when the KO-D Openweight Title shot is about to be in his grasp.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 01/05/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Gabai Ji-chan
2. HIMAWARI Vs Toga
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
4. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Sawyer Wreck Vs Hikari Noa

Both Mizuki and Hikari Noa were guests on today’s Battle☆Men news show on Samurai TV. During their interview, Noa revealed that her death match against Sawyer Wreck is going to be a Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match! Mizuki also said she would like to face Mercedes Moné someday. I don’t think that comment is leading to anything anytime soon but hey, might as well mention it.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

0. 5 Minute Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Chie Koishikawa Vs Tokiko Kirihara
2. Special Single Match: Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi
3. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Tomoka Inaba & HisokA
4. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Tae Honma

It only just occurred to me that this Ganbare☆Joshi show is happening by itself and not beneath a GanPro show happening later in the day.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023
Yokohama Budokan

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Rukiya
1. Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Diego
3. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Kazuki Hirata Vs Hikaru Machida (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
4. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito Vs Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda
5. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Rayne Leverkusen
6. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Van Vert Jack & Takeshi Masada
7. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON
8. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs MAO
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino

MAO believes he has spoken no lies in his war of words with Endo. He gets frustrated whenever he sees Endo carrying the DDT Universal Title because he thinks he is more worthy of being the champion. Endo can see some of the points MAO has made over the last few weeks but does not understand why MAO thinks he is a better fit to be Universal Champion. He thinks the only way MAO can prove his point is if he beats him for the title.

Shunma Katsumata has already received a lot of toys from DDT fans to use in the TLC Match, including a box of Beyblades from the GM Hisaya Imabayashi.

The arrival of Rayne Leverkusen in DDT has Saki Akai feeling a little confused over what her opponent’s goal is. She understands her situation of trying to make your own path while being related to a famous celebrity but other than that she does not know what legacy Leverkusen will leave behind in DDT once she goes home. Leverkusen’s response is she is very passionate about pro wrestling and quit her job to do this tour of Japan and make a name for herself. Her wrestling career isn’t even two years old yet but she already holds three different championships. She brought up that if Akai beats her then she will have to defend one of those titles against her in a rematch.

The first two matches on the main card have been changed a little bit because of Keigo Nakamura’s injury. Yuya Koroku is moving down a match to take Nakamura’s place in the opener. Koroku’s original spot is now being taken by Diego! He is already in Japan and was invited to a recent DDT show by Katsumata. It will be his first match for DDT in almost six years!

During a press conference Chiitan used a baseball bat to destroy an 18-liter can to show its intention to beat Chris Brookes. Suddenly Brookes entered the room and attacked the mascot along with Akito. Brookes put Akito through a table with a Piledriver but Chiitan fought him off with the Shining Wizard and Tornado DDT. Akito was able to get back up and keep the two apart.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Hyper Misao, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Ryo Mizunami, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Arisu Endo
6. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
7. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck

Fingers crossed that neither Wreck or Noa get torn too much to shreds with broken glass before the Korakuen show.

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
3. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
4. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
5. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Is Mizuki Watase’s new finisher going to be the difference between winning and losing against Keisuke Ishii?

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 10/06/2023
Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Toru Owashi & “brother” YASSHI Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuki Hirata

The Dragon Gene flows strong in this match. Naruki Doi and “brother” YASSHI both return to DDT for a tag match also involving Toru Owashi and Kazuki Hirata. The pairings are different than usual too.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 10 ~SPARE MYSELF AND SPARE MY NAME~”, 02/07/2023
Osaka Komikyo Higashinari Civic Center

1. Magnitude Kishiwada 30th Anniversary Match ~You Guys Will Know When You See It~: Magnitude Kishiwada Vs X
2. Special Single Match WR ~Wrestling & Respect~: Yuki Ueno Vs HUB

The annual Osaka show put together by Yukinori Matsui will this time be headlined with Yuki Ueno Vs HUB. The story that ties these two together is the WR finishing move used by Ueno. It originally belonged to HUB back when he wrestled under the Super Dolphin gimmick (not Super Delphin but Delphin’s kayfabe brother). Also on the show is Magnitude Kishiwada’s 30th Anniversary match.

Also appearing on the show are Dick Togo, Shigehiro Irie, Kuishinbo Kamen, Kikutaro, No Name (Hibiscus Mii’s spooky nurse gimmick), Tsubasa, Black Buffalo, Yasu Urano and Kohei Kinoshita.


Keigo Injured Again, Nivea Bracket, Wonderland Full Card, DDT At Takashimaya

April 25, 2023

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Rukiya
2. Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida
4. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Saki Akai & Tsutenkakka Vs Toru Owashi, Rayne Leverkusen & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Naruki Doi, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
6. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Shunma Katsumata & Kazusada Higuchi
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

Keigo Nakamura aggravated his right knee injury and was diagnosed with a meniscus tear along with ligament damage. He was supposed to return to action this Saturday after a clearing a concussion scare but now will be out of action for a while longer. Makoto Oishi replaces him on the show, giving him another chance to judge Yuki Iino closely.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRECIOUS TIME”, 29/04/2023
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1A: Maki Itoh, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
2. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1B: Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI Vs Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Shino Suzuki
3. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1C: Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Round 1D: Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haruna Neko
5. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
6. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
7. Sawyer Wreck Vs Moka Miyamoto
8. Nivea Presents Shinagawa 3-Woman Festival – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

A year’s worth of Nivea Body Wash goes to the winning team of the tournament.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Rukiya
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Mari Manji Vs Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Rayne Leverkusen
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno
5. Ω Vs Pheromones!: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
6. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida

Nakamura is replaced with Rukiya for Sunday’s show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Hyper Misao, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Ryo Mizunami, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Arisu Endo
6. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
7. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck

The other members of Daydream and Daisy Monkey face off before the International Princess Title takes place. Miu Watanabe will be a big challenge for Arisu Endo one on one.

Ryo Mizunami returns to Tokyo Joshi Pro once more. See fought Moka Miyamoto last time but now they are teaming up along with Kaya Toribami.

5th May is Children’s Day in Japan. For Hyper Misao she will be spending the day teaming with the two teenagers Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 1”, 13/05/2023
Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue

1. Sanshiro Takagi, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
2. Pokotan Vs X
3. Tetsuya Endo, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima

A free outdoor DDT event is taking place at the Takashimaya department store in Shinjuku. Three matches are scheduled for throughout the day along with talk shows and other experiences for the fans to see. Takashimaya contacted DDT to put the event together as something for their customers to enjoy while they visit the store. They also mentioned that DDT has a lot of female fans so they think this is a suitable cross-promotion for both companies. Sanshiro Takagi is hoping it will be such a success that they can turn it into an annual event. He warns that the wrestlers could get so heated up during their matches that they might bring the fighting inside the building. However Takashimaya management want to avoid those kind of incidents and any accidents that could happen alongside it.

DDT/ONLY WE “ONLY WE X DDT SPECIAL! ~YUJI HINO 20TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT~”, 14/05/2023
Chiba TKP Garden City

1. The 37KAMIINA Vs Ω!: MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
3. Yuji Hino Debut 20th Anniversary Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Tetsuya Endo, HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi

The mystery man in the main event has been revealed to be Yuji Okabayashi! He has been a regular opponent for Yuji Hino around Japan for a lot of his career.


And Now I’m Almost Caught Up

April 20, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “CLIMB OVER ’23”, 22/04/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Shoko Nakajima, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara & Toga
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs HIMAWARI
3. Vert Vixen Vs Moka Miyamoto
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Yuki Aino & Yuki Arai Vs Maki Itoh, Hikari Noa & Shino Suzuki
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

A contract signing was held for the Princess Tag Team Titles a few days ago. The Magical Sugar Rabbits and Pom Harajuku arrived to the building on time but Max The Impaler was nowhere to be seen. The three of them signed the contract anyway and gave comments about the upcoming match. Yuka Sakazaki said if Max does not show up for the title match then Harajuku will be too weak to wrestle by herself. Mizuki thinks the match will have to go ahead as a 2-On-1 Handicap match, which she thinks is convenient for her & Sakazaki. Harajuku was certain that Max would eventually show up and she was proven right. Max burst into the room, took a bite out of the contract, threw the remains at MagiRabi and then grabbed Harajuku and carried her out of the room. Sayuri Namba picked up the remains of the contract and declared it to be an official signature from Max so the title match will go ahead.

The potential next challengers could be coming out of the Daydream Vs Daisy Monkey match.

The trio known as Yuki Yuki Yuki are back teaming together to wrestle in front of a crowd for the first time. I don’t think they figured out who the team captain is yet.

Nao Kakuta is not on the show due to a schedule conflict. Also the teenagers Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo were not booked in order to avoid the burden of having to wrestle in Osaka and Tokyo on back to back days.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE UNIVERSE MEMBERS ONLY SHOW – PURE TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 8”, 23/04/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Maki Itoh & Toga Vs Vert Vixen & Hikari Noa
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Max The Impaler
3. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro Vs Raku, Shino Suzuki & Runa Okubo
4. Special Rules 5 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Miu Watanabe Vs Hyper Misao Vs Arisu Endo Vs HIMAWARI
5. Special Rules Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Costume Change Match: Mizuki, Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku Vs Suzume, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko

Everybody in the main event will be wrestling in somebody else’s costume.

Max The Impaler and Vert Vixen get to be the first foreign wrestlers to participate in Tokyo Joshi Pro’s fan club shows. Unless you count all of those last minute replacement gimmicks that always show up when somebody else gets unusually sick…

BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~”, 30/04/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. KUBITO Vs Masahiro Takanashi
3. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
4. FUMA Vs X
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa

Banana Senga’s schedule is preventing him from appearing in BASARA again until May so Takumi Tsukamoto has to keep himself busy until then. Tsukamoto leads Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe to take on Sparky in an Elimination Tag Match.

A mystery opponent awaits for FUMA.

Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka are still teaming together like they promised after they failed to win the IRON FIST Tag Titles.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

0. 5 Minute Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Chie Koishikawa Vs Tokiko Kirihara
2. Special Single Match: Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi
3. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Tomoka Inaba & HisokA
4. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Tae Honma

The next Ganbare☆Joshi show sees the return of Ami Manase and Marika Kobashi for a match between the two. Ami’s sister and the GanJo GM Yuna Manase will be in attendance.

Riara is taking part in another Exhibition match against Moeka Haruhi three days before her pro debut.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
2. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck

Suzume thought it was impossible she would ever be a pro wrestler but Rika Tatsumi inspired her to do it. Now Suzume thinks it is impossible to beat Tatsumi and become the International Princess Champion. She’s done the impossible with the former so maybe she can do it again with the latter!

Yuki Arai fought against and lost to Maki Itoh in her debut match two years ago. They will now be tag partners for Arai’s 2nd Anniversary match. Their opponents are Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima doing a Miraclians reunion.

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
3. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
4. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
5. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Nao Kakuta has been announced as Yoshiko Hasegawa’s opponent!

GANBARE☆PRO “INHERENT VICE 2023”, 06/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. GanJo Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
2. Hong Kong International Policeman Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Takuya Wada

Former Shooto and Pancrase champions are facing against each other in Ganbare☆Pro! For years now Shuichiro Katsumura has been wrestling under the GanPro banner but Takuya Wada has been a recent addition to the roster.

BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

When Senga is ready to return to BASARA he will put the Union MAX Title on the line against Tsukamoto. Senga found out he gets paid more money as a champion so he wants to earn enough money to get a hair transplant in Turkey (because it’s cheaper there than in Japan). Tsukamoto wants to be the MAX Champion again so he can try to break his tied record for the most title defences.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’23” Results

April 15, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’23”, 15/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
620 Fans

1. Moka Miyamoto defeated Kaya Toribami with the Korokan (7:31).
2. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Runa Okubo defeated Yuki Aino, Haruna Neko & Haru Kazashiro when Suzume pinned Kazashiro with the Ring A Bell (10:15).
3. Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara & Toga defeated Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa, Raku & Shino Suzuki when Itoh submitted Suzuki with the Itoh Deluxe (13:22).
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Yuki Arai & HIMAWARI when Nakajima pinned HIMAWARI with the Northern Lights Suplex (9:02). (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
5. Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Yuka Sakazaki & Mahiro Kiryu when
Harajuku pinned Kiryu after the Wasteland War Justice (9:02).
6. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) defeated Vert Vixen with the Torso Choke Dragon Sleeper (10:55).
*V2 for Rika Tatsumi.
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) defeated Nao Kakuta with the Modified Face Lock (15:45).
*V1 for Mizuki.

The brand new Princess Of Princess Title run for Mizuki is off to a good start with a successful defence against Nao Kakuta. Unlike previous Princess Title matches in the past, this one featured fighting at ringside with Kakuta throwing Mizuki into the front row of chairs. Kakuta also used the Avalanche Hair Whip to thrown Mizuki back into the ring from the top rope. However Kakuta took a beating throughout the match too and was too hurt to cover Mizuki when she gave her the Shiden Kai. She went for another version of the move but Mizuki countered it and Double Stomped onto Kakuta’s shoulder when she was left sitting on the canvas empty handed. Mizuki then landed a Flying Double Stomp before taking her opponent’s arm and applying a Modified Face Lock for the submission victory.

After the match Mizuki said she was really happy that she and Kakuta got to main event a Tokyo Joshi Pro show together. She had wanted Kakuta to show new sides she has never seen before but instead the opposite happened. It’s a kind of fighting relationship she wants to continue with her. Mizuki’s next Princess Title defence is against Sawyer Wreck on 5th May but before then The Magical Sugar Rabbits have a Princess Tag Team Titles defence on 22nd April. So Mizuki’s next priority is to focus on defending the Tag Titles with Yuka Sakazaki because she only wants to concentrate on one goal at a time.

Rika Tatsumi had a brand new opponent for her second International Princess Title defence. Vert Vixen was able to withstand the attacks to her legs and fire back with powerful moves like the Stunner and Blue Thunder Bomb. She also continued using Super Kicks and Big Boots to block Tatsumi’s Hip Attack. Tatsumi switched her attack over to the Dragon Sleeper and despite some resistance at first, she was able to lock in the Body Choke and make Vixen tap out. The two bowed to each other after the match.

Tatsumi praised her challenger and told the fans she wants her title reign to bring her on an even more interesting journey. Suddenly Suzume entered the ring. She said Tatsumi is the reason she became a pro wrestler and changed her life. And it’s because of Tatsumi that it may change again because Suzume is challenging her for the title on 5th May! Tatsumi accepted, bringing up her loss to Suzume at last year’s Tokyo Princess Cup. It’s time for her to avenge the loss and get her win back. Suzume admits it is almost impossible for her to become a champion given her previous attempts to get opportunities all ended in failure. But Tatsumi inspired her to do the impossible and become a wrestler so Tatsumi can make her do the impossible again and become a champion!

The odd couple of Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku might have something going for them after all. Harajuku was understandable scared of the experience, especially when Max lifted her above their head with the intention of throwing her onto the other team. Sakazaki used the team’s lack of cohesion to run circles around them while Mahiro Kiryu focused on beating Harajuku. However Max blew away both Sakazaki & Kiryu with attacks. They then grabbed Harajuku and threw her so she landed on top of Kiryu Pom de Justice style for the surprise three count. After the match Max raised a confused Harajuku’s hand in victory and then pulled her backstage shoulder to shouler. The two are facing The Magical Sugar Rabbits for the Princess Tag Titles on 22nd April. One thing for sure is Sakazaki didn’t figured out how to beat them today.

Being a pro wrestling referee can be a tough job. Shiori Aoki found that out first hand when the SKE48 idol was tasked with officiating a tag match. One with Hyper Misao in it. Misao immediately accused Aoki of bribery because she heard she had a meal with Yuki Arai that Arai paid for a couple of days ago. Misao then ordered her to give Arai a thorough inspection for illegal objects. Aoki did so and completely missed Misao blinding HIMAWARI with a spray can. Misao cradled HIMAWARI and Aoki counted to three. However Daisuke Kiso revealed the result did not count because Aoki never called for the ring bell to start the match. The match restarted with Aoki trying to catch up with Misao’s cheating. Misao’s spray ended up in Arai’s hands. When Aoki grabbed the can and took it away, she accidentally pressed it and sprayed into Aoki’s eyes! HIMAWARI and Shoko Nakajima tried to pin each other with flash moves so for some reason Aoki did a cartwheel before counting the pin. Aoki counted to three for the Northern Lights Suplex and correctly declared Nakajima the winner. Aoki said she felt comfortable in the role and would like to come back as an even stronger referee. HIMAWARI said she will bring her own referee next time so she can win. Meanwhile Arai is trying to figure out if buying a meal for her bandmate counts as bribary then does that mean she should stop eating dinner with her? Kyoraku Kyomei thought she did a good job and she can now be their referee friend. Nakajima encouraged her to go look up footage of Shiro Abe on Youtube so she can imitate him.

An 8-Woman Tag Match put all of the active members of The Up Up Girls together. Wakana Uehara was the unlucky girl to get the full fledge Oyasumi Express attack from all four opponents. She tagged in Toga to get out there but the other rookie didn’t fare much better. Yuki Kamifuku turned things around by resisting the Giant Swing from Miu Watanabe and putting her in a Manjigatame instead. Watanabe countered that into a Front Neck Lock Giant Swing. Kamifuku got her way back into the match by giving both Hikari Noa & Raku the Famouser at the same time. However Watanabe grabbed both her & Uehara in a Double Body Slam. The match came down to Maki Itoh pressuring Shino Suzuki into fighting back against her. Itoh countered a Sleeper Hold with a Chincrusher, landed a DDT and made Suzuki submit to the Itoh Deluxe.

The two youngest rookies Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo started off Match #2 against each other. They soon switched out to Haruna Neko and Suzume respectively. Yuki Aino and Arisu Endo then had their exchanges back and forth. Kazashiro tried beating Suzume with a Low Cross Body but Suzume turned things around with a Top Rope Facebuster. She then hit the Ring A Bell for the win.

 

A missed Overhead Kick may have been what cost Kaya Toribami the match against Moka Miyamoto. It was from that point when Miyamoto took control and kept the attacks up. Toribami was able to hit the Overhead Kick on another attempt but then she missed the Rolling Senton off the second rope. Miyamoto took back the advantage and pinned Toribami with the Korokan.

Hyper Misao is producing her own one-off event called “HYPE!” in Kitazawa Town Hall on 25th May. Misao cannot guarantee that all members of the TJPW roster will be on the show but she wants to create and exciting show for everybody.

A one day trios tournament sponsored by Nivea will take place in Shinagawa on 29th April. The winning team receives a year’s worth of cream care body wash as their prize. Moka Miyamoto Vs Sawyer Wreck will also be on the show in a non-tournament bout.

The Up Up Girls will be holding a solo event in Shinjuku FACE on 10th June.

The 10th annual Tokyo Princess Cup will take place across seven shows this year. The early rounds will be at Ryogoku KFC Hall on 15th, 16th, 17th & 22nd July. The Quarter Finals are at Korakuen Hall on 29th July, the Semi Finals in Korakuen on 12th August and the Final in Korakuen on the 13th.

Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima was announced for 5th May to celebrate Arai’s 2nd anniversary of her wrestling debut.


Haruhi Taking Time Off, Love Phantom Full Card

April 13, 2023

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs X
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
4. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Senton Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
5. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Keisuke Ishii had some trivia for his big match like he always does. In the 15 years he’s been in wrestling he has headlined Korakuen Hall in singles matches 5 times. His goal ever since his debut was to become the main character in a big match. He wants this to be that match and thought of Mizuki Watase as the perfect opponent ever since Watase jumped from DDT to Ganbare☆Pro. Watase warns Ishii that the more they get along, the more ruthless Watase will be against him in the ring!

Everyone in the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles match is somebody Yumehito Imanari has a lot of attachment to. He spent a lot of last year feuding with Tatsuhito Takaiwa, crediting him for his growth as a wrestler. Imanari has spent the last decade filming many of Hikaru Sato’s matches. And he’s been a fan of Tyson Maeguchi ever since he got drunk at a drinking party Maeguchi hosted. Unfortunately Sato does not share the same memories with Imanari. All he remembers was that one time a senior director in DDT gave Imanari a Yakuza Kick inside the DDT office. Maeguchi remembers the drinking party but can’t recall if he already fought Imanari at all (they’ve been in several matches together). He is instead focused on showing his evolution from kickboxer to pro wrestler.

An important announcement came from Moeka Haruhi today. She will be taking a break from pro wrestling after 5th May so she can donate a kidney to her sister. Haruhi’s sister has severe renal failure and her condition got worse over the last year. The time came when she had to make a decision to either take a kidney transplant or go through dialysis. Haruhi offered to donate a kidney when she found out about it. The transplant surgery is scheduled for June and her doctor reckons it will take around 3 months until she is able to wrestle again. Although she is freelance, she is considered part of the GanPro family. Haruhi said she is not quitting pro wrestling but when she comes back she may have to change her style depending on what her physical strength and body shape is like.

The performance Riara put out for her exhibition match on 1st April was good enough to convince Ganpro to set up her pro debut. Ken Ohka told Riara this is not her goal but only the start of her journey. Her opponent will be YuuRI who has been with her for every day of practice. Riara wants to repay YuuRI for always standing by her. That means she will do her best to win even if YuuRI is her opponent!

The match order has not been fully determined yet. Only the main event and semi-main event are in their guaranteed spots.


DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023” Results

April 9, 2023

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
531 Fans

0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi when KANON submitted Sumi with the Crucifix Cobra Twist (7:02).
1. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (7:34).
2. Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi when Kawamatsu pinned Ihashi with the Shitamatchi Rocket (8:39).
3. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (10:27).
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Yuni with the BME (9:08).
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada when Endo pinned Masada with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (12:18).
6. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi by TKO when Iino used the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass on YASSHI (9:25).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Katsumata pinned Nakamura after the Oretachi no Mad Max (20:11).
*V5 for ShunMao.

The spotlight was shining brightly on Keigo Nakamura. With HARASHIMA on his side, the young wrestler was looking to make up for his poor record in the D GENERATIONS CUP by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The champions ShunMao were fresh back from America where they got to wrestle in AEW and were ready for the challenge. Nakamura used his own version of the Somato on Shunma Katsumata but the tables turned when Katsumata caught Nakamura’s Diving Headbutt with a Stunner. ShunMao then kept HARASHIMA out of action long enough to pin Nakamura with the Oretachi no Mad Max.

Afterwards Katsumata said he expected this to be an easy defence but Nakamura has left him feeling tired. He then turned his attention to Jun Akiyama and criticised the DDT Extreme Champion for not acting extreme at all. Akiyama entered the ring in a huff but was stopped by Katsumata’s next line. He wants their Extreme Title match on 3rd May to be a TLC Match. In this case TLC stands for Toys, Ladders & Chairs! Akiyama accepted the idea. Meanwhile Tetsuya Endo confronted MAO and raised his DDT Universal Title over his next challenger’s head. This caused MAO to let loose on Endo backstage, criticising him for his recent performances in America and his lack of effort to get more bookings over there. How can Endo proudly call himself the Universal Champion when he is anything but universal?

The final of the World Hino Classic was Yuki Iino’s final step towards earning a KO-D Openweight Title shot. Pheromones needed to get past Ω with “brother” YASSHI added to the opposing side. Makoto Oishi counted on Yuji Hino’s fellow high school wrestling club partner to be the difference maker but YASSHI had never experienced anything like Pheromones before! When Danshoku Dieno & Yumehito Imanari started showing off their new “magic trick” involving Iino wearing only a bathrobe, Hino was nowhere to be seen and YASSHI was left on his own to take the humiliating defeat.

Hino reappeared after the match after Pheromones demanded that Iino finally get the title match he’s been asking for on 3rd May. Hino said this entire WHC thing was Oishi’s idea. He admits that Iino is a strong wrestler but he has no interest in getting stuck into the Pheromones experience. He only wants serious challengers. Dieno spoke with Iino and they agreed to offer a deal. From now until after the title match on 3rd May, the Yuki “Sexy” Iino will be sealed so the match can go ahead without any incident to worry about. Iino started to cry and he promised Hino “I am not sexy!” After hearing this, Hino accepted the deal. However Oishi does not trust Pheromones to live up to their side of the deal so until 3rd May he will be in attendance for all of their matches to judge if Yuki “Not Sexy” Iino will stick to his promise.

Endo claimed he was only just finally getting over his jetlag today. Good timing because he lead BURNING to victory against a team of all sorts. He kicked out of Joey Janela’s Avalanche Brainbuster and went on to pin Takeshi Masada with the Torture Rack Bomb. Most of the wrestlers in the match like Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada, Naruki Doi and Chris Brookes are making preparations for the King Of DDT tournament. Endo and Akiyama are facing each other in the first round. Akiyama thinks it is a conspiracy because it’s so rare for wrestlers in the same unit to fight each other in a tournament’s opening round. Janela is not in the tournament but his focus for this tour is to defeat Atsushi Onita in an exploding death match!

The re-debut of Yuni as a high school pro wrestler saw him take on Yuki Ueno one on one. Yuni did a Moonsault to the outside, a Swan Dive Dropkick and the RKO as some of his big moves. Ueno was able to brush them aside, laid out Yuni with a Dropkick and pin him with the BME. Ueno is impressed with the new generation of wrestlers like Yuni and Ilusion. His advice to them are there’s no detours in life so he wants them to explore many places in wrestling. Yuni is happy with how the match went despite how tough and painful it was. His next match is against Kazuki Hirata and he’s looking forward to beating him.

The Eruption Vs Harimao match kicked off with Yuki Ishida attacking Hideki Okatani. The decision wasn’t a good one because Ishida ended up getting overwhelmed by the numbers game. Yukio Sakaguchi and Ryota Nakatsu pretty much cancelled each other out. Kazusada Higuchi used his power to shift the momentum in Harimao’s direction but that was stopped by Saki Akai diving onto everybody outside the ring. The match went back over to Okatani against Ishida and Okatani finished on top with the Double Arm Suplex. After the match Sakaguchi called Harimao a good team and he’s interested in fighting them again.

The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu scored his first ever victory in pro wrestling by pinning Gota Ihashi with the Shitamachi Rocket. That is his own name for the Spear. The momentum was on his side from the get go when he overpowered Toru Owashi with a Shoulder Block exchange. Kazuki Hirata wanted to try out a brand new move called the Shining Sleeper but Toy Kojima easily stopped him. Ihashi missed a Moonsault on Kawamatsu and that set up the finish. Akito congratulated the politician for his victory and told backstage reporters that Kawamatsu will continue to wrestle on a steady basis. However Kawamatsu reminded him there is an election coming up so his schedule is going to get very busy.

The debut of Rukiya showed off the rookie in an all blue attire including his hair being dyed in the same colour. He used Elbow Strikes, Body Slams, Bulldog Headlocks and a Back Drop on Yuya Koroku. But once Koroku got hold of Rukiya’s arm and twisted it into a Chicken Wing Lock, it was all over for the newcomer. Rukiya said he wants to grow into a big wrestler who can still use high flying moves, like Tetsuya Endo.

Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi tried to jump DAMNATION T.A before the bell but their plan failed big time. It led to KANON attacking Honda with one of the ring tools on the outside. A missed attack from MJ Paul led to Sumi coming in for a hot tag but a dive attack was caught by KANON and turned into a Crucifix Cobra Twist for the submission victory.

Dieno & Imanari interrupted Hisaya Imabayashi’s opening news announcements wanting to know what else Pheromones will be doing on 3rd May. Akito entered the ring and told them the remaining members will be put into a Best of 3 singles match challenge against Yuki Ishida, Ilusion and Rukiya.


Yuni Aiming For Heavyweight, Max & Pom Teaming Up, KOJIO Appears

April 6, 2023

I’m about to go on holiday so if there’s not posts here for the next two weeks it’s because of that. The Tokyo Joshi Pro talent that had their flight cancelled earlier in the week eventually made it home but it sounds like they had a real frustrating experience getting their. Then there’s the news coming out of last night where The 37KAMIINA, Maki Itoh and Mizuki were on the AEW Dark Elevation taping that took place before Dynamite. Then when Dynamite was over Konosuke Takeshita and Miyu Yamashita were on the ROH taping that was held right after it. I’ll write about all of that in next month’s Around The World article.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & KANON Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi
1. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
2. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima
3. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuni
5. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada Vs Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada
6. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura

For the next step in his career, Yuni wants to wrestle in Osaka and Tokyo as much as possible. The reasons are he is from Osaka and has made a lot of friends in Tokyo too. He ultimately wants to grow into a heavyweight but still be able to do high flying just like Tetsuya Endo.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’23”, 15/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Yuki Aino, Haruna Neko & Haru Kazashiro Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Runa Okubo
3. Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara & Toga Vs Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa, Raku & Shino Suzuki
4. Yuka Sakazaki & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Arai & HIMAWARI (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
6. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Vert Vixen
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Nao Kakuta

What’s this? Max The Impaler is returning to Japan wanting to regain the Princess Tag Team Titles that they lost last month. However they are going on their own because Heidi Howitzer has other matters in the Wasteland to deal with. What can Max do? They demanded to team with one person in particular… Pom Harajuku?!? Max’s obsession with Pom has now turned them from enemies into the unlikeliest of tag teams!

All four current members of The Up Up Girls are teaming together as a foursome for the first time.

Rookies Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo will be on opposite teams for the first time ever. All of their previous matches since their debuts had them teaming together.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023
Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Current Blast Bat 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima Vs Joey Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada

The main event will consist of four baseball bats all rigged to explode at the touch of a button at ringside. The explosions are being advertised to be three times as powerful as usual.

GANBARE☆PRO “BLOODY SUNDAY 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Moeka Haruhi Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. Grappling Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takuya Wada & Tsuyoshi Okada
3. Secret Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Hartley Jackson, Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Ken Ohka, Soma Takao & YuuRI
4. Mizuki Watase & Shota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga

Mizuki Watase is also back from America and ready to face the challenge of Keisuke Ishii. I still haven’t found out what new skills Watase learned over in the US.

The Grappling Tag Match can only be won by submission or ref stoppage. Strikes are prohibited and rope breaks will not count towards breaking up holds.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “CLIMB OVER ’23”, 22/04/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

Max & Pom are getting a Princess Tag Titles shot! The two of them are going to be The Magical Sugar Rabbits’ first challengers.

GANBARE☆PRO “SHOTA DEBUT 15TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCE SHOW 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Gauntlet Mixed Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE Vs Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI Vs Kabuto Mitomi & Echika Miyabi
2. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Tyson Maeguchi
3. Shota Debut 15th Anniversary Special Single Match: Shota Vs Isami Kodaka

Something new for Ganbare☆Pro is a Gauntlet Tag Match. Shota has invited a lot of wrestlers close to him to take part in it.

GANBARE☆PRO “THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. 3 Way Match: Shota Vs Munetatsu Nakamura Vs KOJIO
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Sento Minzoku!: Ken Ohka & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita
3. Mizuki Watase, Yumehito Imanari & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Keisuke Ishii, Tyson Maeguchi & Takuya Wada

The last GanPro show before they go to Korakuen Hall features a Sento Minzoku invasion. Isami Kodaka is already involved thanks to Shota inviting him over but Minoru Fujita is tagging along with him.

A monster wrestler from the UMA Corps named KOJIO is making its GanPro debut. It very recently emerged in ChocoPro but has also been sighted in wrestling rings across America, Singapore and Thailand over the last year.

GANBARE☆PRO “RUN LOLA RUN 2023”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Marika Kobashi
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs The 37KAMIINA: Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Ken Ohka & Hartley Jackson Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tyson Maeguchi

The 37KAMIINA are sending Yuki Ueno & MAO over to visit GanPro. Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura will be waiting for them.

The working relationship with P.P.P. Tokyo brings Marika Kobashi back to GanPro for another appearance.

Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Soma Takao will both be on the show.


Hot Shirt Coming Through, Janela’s Violent Vacation, BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA All Month

April 4, 2023

A few things I want to mention before going into the updates. First, I was a guest on Alan4L’s ProWres Paradise over at PWTorch this week. The show is behind their VIP subscription and it is the latest episode in Alan’s “30 4L 30” series that is dedicated to talking about significant wrestling careers over the last 30 years. What if I told you our subject was the life and times of Kota Ibushi? We cover everything from his DDT days right up to his comeback in GCW last weekend with some extra trivia in between. I even try to clear up some misconceptions about his life that people have wondered about the last few years (mainly I really doubt he comes from a rich family). So for any PWTorch subscribers reading this, you can go listen to the episode here.

(Also fun little note, while we were recording this the news of WWE’s business merger with UFC broke online. However we did not find out about it until after we finished recording. Talking about Ibushi for 150 minutes needed the absolute focus he deserves, you know.)

Second, I will be going on holiday to Canada soon and will be away for two weeks. There will be a news post on Thursday before I go. I’m bringing my laptop so if I comfortably have the time to posts results, news and other stuff I will do so. Otherwise things might be kept to the Twitter account while I’m busy going on a loop around all the different Toronto sports teams. I have tickets for the the Impact PPV happening there too so I get to add Canada to the list of countries I’ve seen wrestling in.

And lastly, speaking of travelling. It looks like most of the DDT wrestlers have returned safely to Japan. Daisuke Sasaki took a detour to Texas though where he wrestled and hung out with Sam Adonis & Hernandez. I’ll find out more for the next DDT Around The World article. The Tokyo Joshi Pro roster though had their flight cancelled and their tweets suggest they are waiting a long time at the airport for the next plane ride home.

Now onto the news.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuma Sumi
2. Rukiya Debut Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
3. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Toy Kojima
4. Harimao Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuni
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada Vs Naruki Doi, Chris Brookes, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada
7. WORLD HINO CLASSIC ~Finals~: Yuji Hino, “brother” YASSHI & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura

An unusual training practice was held by HARASHIMA for Keigo Nakamura during the week. A pot of boiling water was in the room and HARASHIMA left a shirt to soak inside it. He instructed Nakamura to put the boiling hot shirt on as fast as he can. If he succeeded then he will be prepared to handle ShunMao’s sauna heat. Nakamura understood and was able to put the shirt on despite scalding himself. He then told HARASHIMA it was his turn to do it next but HARASHIMA said he came here to train, not put on a shirt! They went on to complete their practice session as normal.

Gota Ihashi replaces the injured Yukio Naya in Match #3. If I were DISASTER BOX I’d be asking if there’s another replacement available.

The trainee Rukiya Ikeda has decided on his official ring name. He will officially be simply known as Rukiya when he has his debut match.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 15/04/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
2. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
3. Falls Count Anywhere Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani

A busy weekend awaits for Joey Janela when he comes back to Japan. His first match back in the country for DDT will be a Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight. The match is happening to prepare Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada for the Current Blast Death Match they are having against Atsushi Onita the following day. Since the first match is going to be a Street Fight, every wrestler has been told to go find an outfit different from their wrestling gear to fight in.

A lot of BURNING versus The 37KAMIINA matches to look forward to this month. It kicks off with a big Elimination Tag Match between the two groups.

Yuni’s wrestling career hasn’t been around for long but in the days before he became El Unicorn he already developed a rivalry with Kazuki Hirata. That rivalry is now being brought back for the next chapter of Yuni’s career.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN FUKUOKA”, 22/04/2023
Fukuoka Kasuga General Sports Center

1. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima

More clashes between the two units. These are being done to promote the upcoming DDT Universal and DDT Extreme Title matches. Yuki Ueno will be missing this show due to the stage show he’s a part of.

Azul Dragon and Rayne Leverkusen will both be on the show.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 29/04/2023
Osaka 176BOX

1. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno

Dragon and Leverkusen will also be on this show along with Naruki Doi and an Osaka masked wrestler called Tsutenkakka. He is named after the local Tsutenkaku Tower and is apparantely authorised by the tower’s management to fight on behalf of the landmark. He was part of the No Fee Rumble DDT held back in February.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2023 TOUR IN HAMAMATSU”, 30/04/2023
Shizuoka Create Hamamatsu Hall

1. Hamamatsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hiroshi Yamato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida

Leverkusen will be on the show along with Mari Manji from Yanagase Pro Wrestling. She was originally from PURE-J.


TJPW Heading Back To Japan, BASARA Title Matches, Akiyama Enters Fish Vs Meat Feud

April 2, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 08/04/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara & Toga Vs Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
2. Hikari Noa Vs Shinno Suzuki
3. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs HIMAWARI
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami
6. Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto Vs Nao Kakuta & Pom Harajuku

This will be the show where mostly everyone comes back from America. We already know that Miyu Yamashita is now on her excursion and Maki Itoh still has a few more bookings to do over there. Yuka Sakazaki is also missing this show due to overseas commitments. So that means she’s probably showing up at the AEW Rampage & Battle Of The Belts taping on Friday.

Haru Kazashiro recently turned 15 so this will be her first match as a high school student.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STAND ALONE ’23”, 15/04/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Arai & HIMAWARI (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
2. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Vert Vixen
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Nao Kakuta

Vert Vixen’s tour with Tokyo Joshi Pro will be highlighted with an International Princess Title match against Rika Tatsumi.

BASARA “BASARA 215 ~KOO~”, 15/04/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Basara Strange Style Jacket Match: FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
2. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

A surprise Union MAX Title change last week has thrown BASARA for a loop. Isami Kodaka wants to get his title back as soon as possible but he isn’t getting an automatic rematch. Takumi Tsukamoto also lost his CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title on the same show so he doesn’t have a claim for the No. 1 Contendership. The two agreed to fight each other and the winner will get a future title shot.

Both FUMA and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi are claiming to be the No. 1 ranked fighter in the Basara Strange Style Jacket matches. They will face each other to decide who really is No. 1.

Minoru Fujita will be on the show having his first match in BASARA since December.

BASARA “BASARA 216 ~KOO~”, 18/04/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
2. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs SAGAT

The person who is facing Banana Senga for the MAX Title is SAGAT! Both men won singles championships last week, Senga getting the MAX Title and SAGAT getting the CCW Title. Only the MAX Title is on the line here.

Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka decided to team with each other because they are both wrestlers from Tochigi. They are immediately facing Aijin Tag for the IRON FIST Tag Titles.

DDT “YAMADA FISHERIES PRESENTS 4.23 SHIBUSHI FISH MEAT DECISIVE BATTLE @ UNAGI STATION”, 23/04/2023
Kagoshima Shibushi City Unagi Station

1. Shibushi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shiro Koshinaka, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
2. Fish Vs Meat Full-Scale Battle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask Vs Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

Jun Akiyama replaces the injured Yukio Naya in the Fish Vs Meat tag match.

Yuki Ueno will not be at the show because he has a role in a stage play that day.


King Of DDT 2023

March 30, 2023

This May will be spent determining the next King Of DDT. The annual single elimination tournament will feature 16 participants this year. Every match will have no time limit and a bracket will be followed until the semi-finals. The final four will then go through a lottery to determine who faces who. The 16 participants are:

HARASHIMA (14th Appearance, 2010 & 2013 Winner)
Yukio Sakaguchi (11th Appearance, 2015 Winner)
Kazusada Higuchi (9th Appearance, 2022 Winner)
Tetsuya Endo (7th Appearance, 2017 & 2020 Winner)
Yuki Ueno (6th Appearance)
Shunma Katsumata (7th Appearance)
Sanshiro Takagi (5th Appearance)
MAO (5th Appearance)
Chris Brookes (4th Appearance)
Jun Akiyama (3rd Appearance)
KANON (2nd Appearance)
Naruki Doi (1st Appearance)
Kotaro Suzuki (1st Appearance)
Yusuke Okada (1st Appearance)
Takeshi Masada (1st Appearance)
Winner of 1st April Qualifying Battle (either Hideki Okatani, Toy Kojima or Yuya Koroku)

Originally Yukio Naya was supposed to enter but he is out of action with a fractured ankle. Yusuke Okada was chosen to take his place.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1A: Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1B: Shunma Katsumata Vs Winner of 1st April Qualifying Battle
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1C: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1D: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1E: Jun Akiyama Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1F: MAO Vs Takeshi Masada
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1G: Kotaro Suzuki Vs KANON
8. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 1H: Yuki Ueno Vs Naruki Doi

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!”, 21/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. King Of DDT 2023 – Final: X Vs X