A Few Injury Comebacks, Takagi Wants To Fight MAO, Kira’s Summer Break

June 5, 2026

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 4”, 06/06/2025
Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue

0. Surprise Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki
1. Shinjuku Takashimaya Half-Day Promotional Ambassador Time-Lag Entry Battle Royal: Junta Miyawaki Vs Yukio Naya Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pokotan
2. paleyouth Vs FANTÔMES DRAMATIC!: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs MAO, KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO)

We can now all say it out loud that Keigo Nakamura is Viento Maligno. But he decided he will continue wrestling under that gimmick in his journey to get stronger.

The Battle Royal is show a few people with Kazuma Sumi and Rukiya both having to pull out due to their injuries.

DDT “DRAMATIC STYLE 2026”, 10/06/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Yuki Ishida & Rukiya
2. HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yuni
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori
4. Junta Miyawaki Three Match Trial – Final Match: Junta Miyawaki Vs Danshoku Dieno
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Shinya Aoki & Akito
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Ilusion & Haruto Sakuraba Vs MAO, KANON, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno

The final match of Junta Miyawaki’s trial series ends with the most DDT opponent possible. He calls Danshoku Dieno a once in a lifetime opponent and does not have to wait long to get that match!

DDT “YOKOHAMA NIGHT SPLASH 2026”, 13/06/2026
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Ilusion Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Danshoku Dieno, KANON & Kazuki Hirata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs MAO, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO)
4. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Antonio Honda
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Rukiya Vs Shinya Aoki, Junta Miyawaki & Yuki Ishida
6. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y

This card has some changes made because of Sumi’s injury but Rukiya is expected to return. The main event isn’t affected because it focuses on To-y getting to fight Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA before their KO-D Tag Team Titles match.

GANBARE☆PRO “STENDHAL SYNDROME 2026”, 14/06/2026
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. YuuRI Vs Moe Hiiro
2. Shota Kawakami Vs Kouki Iwasaki
3. Shigehiro Irie & Sentaro Motoshima Vs Baliyan Akki & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Ken Ohka & Guts Ishijima Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Shuichiro Katsumura 50th Birthday Match: Shuichiro Katsumura, Yuya Susumu & Kikujiro Umezawa Vs Yumehito Imanari, Takuya Wada & Moeka Haruhi
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Tyson Maeguchi

A few guests here with Guts Ishijima, Shigehiro Irie and Kouki Iwasaki all showing up. YuuRI’s opponent Moe Hiiro is a teenage wrestler representing the Hot Shushu promotion. She has only been wrestling for one year, recently passing the first anniversary of her pro debut.

DDT “THAT’S RIGHT! LET’S GO TO BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2026”, 17/06/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
2. Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Masami Inahata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yuki Ishida, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai
4. Special Single Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Junta Miyawaki
6. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way Tag Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Akiyama Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO)

Another preview of the KO-D Tag Titles match can be found within the chaos of a 4 Way Tag Match.

DDT announced that Masami Inahata will return from his injury at this show.

DDT “LET’S GO! BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2026”, 18/06/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Jun Akiyama, Rukiya & Masami Inahata Vs Junta Miyawaki, KANON & Yuki Ishida
2. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Akito
3. Yuki Ueno Vs Hinata Kasai
4. Crocodile Death Match BEYOND: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs MAO, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO)
5. Ring Removal Death Match: HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuni

Sumi has been replaced with To-y in the Ring Removal Death Match. That is the main event while the rest of the match order is to be determined.

DDT “OWARI WARS 2026”, 21/06/2026
Aichi Chunichi Hall & Conference

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion
2. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Junta Miyawaki
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA (c) Vs Yuki Ueno & To-y

Has To-y figured out the key to beating Brookes is to annoy the hell out of him? He’s going around calling himself the Prince Of Nagoya who comes from the future where he and Yuki Ueno win the KO-D Tag Titles from Brookes & HARASHIMA. Brookes is quickly getting fed up with his wacky behavior.

There will be a post about Daisuke Sasaki and his Best Of The Super Jr. adventure next week but he is returning to DDT with a losing record in the tournament. However Ilusion has gotten him and MJ Paul a chance to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles again so DAMNATION T.A can increase their current collection of championships to ten belts.

DDT “KING OF KINGS ~TENKA DAIRAN~”, 28/06/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Junta Miyawaki & Viento Maligno Vs Akito & Miles Karu
1. The 37KAMIINA Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs KANON & Yuki Iino (w/ KIMIHIRO)
2. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
3. Soma Takao Comeback Match: Soma Takao & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Yuni & Kumadori
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama, Rukiya & Masami Inahata
6. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs MAO
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Shinya Aoki

There is just so much energy coming out of Sanshiro Takagi with his return to the ring and he wants to use it against someone he hasn’t fought in a singles match in a while. The last time Takagi fought MAO one on one was in New York back in 2019 (ignoring the Baka Gaijin + Friends universe where Takagi Sanshirobo fought Tyrannosaurus Inoue).

We have one more Minoru Suzuki appearance to wrap up the King Of DDT arc. Too bad for him he has to go team up with Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata.

The Dropkick Bar is being well represented for Soma Takao’s comeback match. He along with Naomi Yoshimura, Yukio Naya and Yuki Ishida all work there in one form or another.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 31: SUSPENDED ANIMATION”, 30/06/2026
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Miles Karu

The Japan excursion continues for Miles Karu with a stop by Baka Gaijin + Friends added to his schedule for the end of the month.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’26”, 18/07/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Aja Kong Vs Arisu Endo

It’s going to be the thumbs up from Arisu Endo battling against the Uraken fist of Aja Kong.

Also planned to appear on the show are Sakura Hirota and MIRAI.

Kira Summer will not be on the show because she will be spending a month back home in Australia. She will be gone from Tokyo Joshi Pro from 18th July to 16th August but will be wrestling a few times in Australia during that period.


Video – Homer Center Street Wrestling From 2016

May 2, 2026


DDT “HOME CENTER STREET WRESTLING SERIES SECOND LEG”, 17/09/2016
Toyama Super Center Shemaiah Tateyama Shop
500 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Falls Count Anywhere 5 Way Match: Ken Ohka Vs HARASHIMA Vs Sanshiro Takagi Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Kouki Iwasaki


DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~” Results

April 5, 2026

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: Rukiya defeated Yuni with the Proto Bomb (6:12).
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai when Masada pinned Kasai with a PK (8:25).
2. Variety King Decision Match: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda and Akito when Imabayashi submitted Hirata with a Sleeper Hold (13:41).
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno defeated Hideki Okatani & Ilusion when Naya pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop (8:27).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki defeated Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y when Iino pinned Ueno with the Spear (10:59).
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi defeated Makoto Oishi with the BREAK IT DOWN (9:46).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) when HARASHIMA pinned KANON with the Swan Dive Somato (12:26).
*STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION fails in V5. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC become the 89th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (w/ Kazusada Higuchi) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki when Ishida pinned Katsumata with the Flame Palm (19:56).

If it was Kazusada Higuchi he would want to wrestle a little bit longer but today he had to retire from pro wrestling, ending his eleven year career over a neck injury. Having already wrestled his last match due to doctor’s orders, Higuchi had to serve as a second for Harimao in the main event 6-Man Tag Match. The sumo themed unit agreed to split up because of Higuchi’s retirement and today would be their last match together. Their opponents were three wrestlers who Higuchi grew up with in the DDT New Attitude developmental brand that existed from 2014 to 2018. It brought back some old rivalries likes the one between Ryota Nakatsu and Kota Umeda. Higuchi did take one more chance to get physical by throwing Chops at all of the wrestlers who were brought over to him at ringside. Yuki Ishida got rid of Kouki Iwasaki with the Leg Scoop Suplex while on the other side Shunma Katsumata wiped out Naomi Yoshimura with a Topé Con Hilo. The match came down to Ishida receiving one last fighting spirit from Higuchi to hit Katsumata with the Flame Palm for the three count.

Higuchi’s retirement ceremony took place after the match. He took commemorative photos with Harimao and then the DNA wrestlers. After that the next group of people to appear were Shuji Ishikawa, Yuji Hino and KUBITO who were tied to Higuchi as tag partners, rivals or training buddies at various times. Higuchi then received an anonymous letter from his alledged trainer. This mystery person is apparantely not in Japan at the moment but he wanted to tell Higuchi he is proud of him for becoming a top class wrestler and for leaving the ring with his body still intact. More wrestlers entered the ring to gift Higuchi with bouquets including Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dino, Antonio Honda, Yuki Ueno, Tetsuya Endo and Konosuke Takeshita.

Finally Higuchi was reunited with the other Eruption members Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai. Not only that but Hideki Okatani entered the ring holding the Eruption gown that Higuchi had gifted to him when Higuchi left the unit. Okatani returned it back to him. Sanshiro Takagi was the last person to give a bouquet and everyone got together for a big group photo. Higuchi got on the microphone and said today he has run out of his strength and he’s come to the conclusion that this is the best decision he could make. He can only express is gratitude and is grateful to everyone in DDT. He also used the Wrestle Universe broadcast to tell Yoshihiro Takayama and Masahiro Takanashi that everyone here is waiting for their return. While Higuchi will no longer live in the ring, he will continue to move forward step by step in the ring of life.

FANTÔMES DRAMATIC have gotten their hands on their first proper championship by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles! Things went crazy from the get go when The Apex lifted up KIMIHIRO and threw him onto everybody grouped together outside the ring. Strange Love Connection found that their own teamwork was being evenly matched by Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA. The challengers separated KANON from MAO and focused all of their attacks on the former. KANON was able to kick out after taking a Piledriver followed by the Somato but HARASHIMA used the souped up Swan Dive version of his finisher to win the tag titles. Later backstage MAO said his goal with this title run was to help KANON loosen up and he thinks they accomplished that. They can rebound by going after any championship but for the moment he wants the both of them to aim for the Top 3 in this year’s King Of DDT tournament.

While Fandora were celebrating their title win, Ilusion got into the ring while wearing all of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Title belts over his body. He claimed to be the new leader of DAMNATION T.A and because he has more title belts than Fandora, he is using his position to challenge them for the KO-D Tag Titles. He then unveiled a banner of Daisuke Sasaki to reveal that Sasaki will be his partner for the match. HARASHIMA accepted the challenge for 1st May because so that can be Sasaki’s first match back in DDT after coming home from his North American excursion. Before that takes place, Brookes said Fandora will go win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on 15th April.

It was a special match between teacher and student when Makoto Oishi found himself being challenged by Kaisei Takechi. It’s been lightly thrown around that Takechi would officially surpass Oishi as soon as he could beat him in the ring. But Takechi has yet to win a singles match so he couldn’t afford to take his mentor lightly. Oishi took his student to school with basic moves as well as a well times Dropkick to the knee as a counter for the Flying Forearm. Takechi took a page out of Higuchi’s book by using the Brain Claw to break his way out of Oishi’s Fujiyama Knee Lock. He then showed off his new Choke Slam/Rock Bottom finisher called the BREAK IT DOWN, pinning Oishi to get his first ever singles victory.

Takechi was then suddenly met by Danshoku Dieno after the match. Dieno was there to propose the two of them have a singles match some day. Takechi agreed, saying he has no reason to refuse a challenge. Hisaya Imabayashi then decided since the two of them are entering the King Of DDT tournament, this can be one of the 1st Round matches! Takechi and Dieno shook hands over the idea but Takechi then stopped Dieno from leaning in for a kiss. He made a promise to Dieno that he is going to exceed his expectations. Backstage Takechi was asked if his agency is worried about him wrestling Dieno. He said DDT has the rights to book that match but admits if the card has to change, it is because LDH did not want it to happen. Dino acknowledged that there is an unwritten no contact agreement in place with him and Takechi but Takechi is officially a DDT wrestler so it is inevitable that Danshoku Dieno would be unleashed on him eventually.

There was a little bit of confusion among Yuki Ueno’s team when Shinya Aoki decided to stop up him pinning Junta Miyawaki early in the 6-Man Tag Match. Ueno then had Jun Akiyama properly stopping him from pinning Yuki Iino by hitting him with the Knee Strike. To-y did a big dive onto everyone so Ueno could be left alone to fight Iino. But the WR was countered into a Short-Range Spear followed by a full fledged one to give Iino a big win over the KO-D Openweight Champion. Iino asked Ueno how it felt to lose for the fist time after so long because Iino will soon take the belt and prove he is the strongest in DDT! Ueno asked him if he has any dreams for the future but Iino answered he has no time to think about that. He is busy living every day to its fullest.

Okatani and Yukio Naya gave everyone a preview of their DDT Extreme Title match by brawling around ringside while Ilusion and Viento Maligno wrestled each other. Naya toughed it out by taking chair shots and being thrown into the front row. He then refused to budge when he put Ilusion in a Crab Hold and invited Okatani to try and physically break it up. MJ Paul interfered to finally make some progress but Maligno was able to get him out of the ring. Naya recovered and Choke Slammed Okatani to stop him from using the chair again. After that he pinned Ilusion with The World’s Best Back Drop.

A really important designation was on the line in Match #2. All of the DDT goofballs were gathered together to determine who is the king of DDT’s “Variety” wrestlers! However the show was already running on a tight schedule so Imabayashi wanted everyone to do their entrances all at once. Kazuki Hirata suggested they start wrestling before the entrances and then play everyone’s music as the match progresses. They all brawled down to the ring, taking Imabayashi down with them and continued fighting until Toru Owashi’s song played. He ran to the back to make his entrance and ring introduction. This would next happen to Super Sasadango Machine, then Akito, then Dieno, then Antonio Honda and finally Kazuki Hirata. Except the heavy usage of the music system blew out the venue’s amplifier during Hirata’s entrance. The wrestlers (including Saki Akai and Tetsu Inada) all formed a daisy chain connecting from Dieno over to the amplifier in order to charge it back up to full repair. Hirata got to do his entrance until Imabayashi suddenly put him in a Sleeper Hold and tapped him out! Imabayashi was declared the winner and he ordered everyone to get out so the show could continue.

As previously mentioned way up above, FANTÔMES DRAMATIC will soon be challenging for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. Hinata Kasai will be on the challenger team and he got to fight the champions paleyouth in today’s opening bout. He had a tough go at fighting Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato until Kazuma Sumi tagged in to even things out. Yuya Koroku found himself fighting Masami Inahata to a stalemate. paleyouth then gathered their wits about them to team up on Kasai, ultimately leading to Masada pinning Kasai with a Penalty Kick. He showed off one of the title belts to him after the match, causing Kasai to hit him with an Elbow Strike in response. Koroku then grabbed Kasai and threw him out of the ring.

After graduating from high school and becoming a college student, Yuni showed up wearing a new costume for his match against Rukiya. A big Moonsault from Yuni was blocked by Rukiya sticking his feet up. He got the win with the Proto Bomb but it took two of them to get the result after Yuni kicked out of it the first time.


Ueno’s Out For A Week, Harimao’s Last Match, Fandora’s Hunt For Gold

March 26, 2026

DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026
Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa

1. MAO & Masami Inahata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
3. Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul Vs Takeshi Masada, Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuni
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya

Some changes to Saturday’s card have been made because Yuki Ueno needs to go get laser surgery in his eye. His doctor found signs of a possible retinal tear in one of his eyes and its needs to be dealt with. He will only be out of action for a week but that means Ueno will miss the next DDT show.

DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Something With To-y & Kazuki Hirata: To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army!: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Nise Daisuke Sasaki A, Nise Daisuke Sasaki B & Deka Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA

There will be more matches happening on the show but they will not be revealed until they happen.

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki

The first week of April will now have the retirement of Kazusada Higuchi taking place. Sadly he will not have one more match to mark the end of his career. Instead the other members of Harimao will team together one last time before the group disbands. Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida will face three opponents from Higuchi’s past going all the way back to their DNA days. Shunma Katsumata recently returned to action and was an early rival of Higuchi. Both Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki rarely show up in DDT these days but such an important occasion have brought the both of them back.

FANTÔMES DRAMATIC are on the hunt for some gold and could get plenty of it if things go their way soon. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA have become the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The timing could not be better because KANON is coming off of a failed KO-D Openweight Title challenge and may need to rely on MAO to do all the hard work if he hasn’t bounced back by then.

DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dramatic Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ilusion
1. Special Single Match: YOH Vs Antonio Honda
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
3. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yukio Naya
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yuki Iino

Ueno will definitely be ready to defend the KO-D Title against Yuki Iino no matter what. He was someone Iino learned a lot from when Iino trained to become a pro wrestler. Ueno was also a part of Iino’s debut match back in 2017.

Meanwhile Yukio Naya has gone and challenged Hideki Okatani for the DDT Extreme Title. His logic is “Extreme” means big so the title should belong to him.

Brookes & HARASHIMA could be double tag champs if Fandora wins the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from paleyouth. The wild card is Hinata Kasai. He hasn’t directly won a match yet but Antonio Honda thinks having Kasai on the challenger team will add some drama to the title match. The idea has painted a target on Kasai when Brookes threw Bunbun into the crowd after the challenge was made. Takeshi Masada blames Kasai for that and wants to get revenge!

DDT “MOTSUNABE BUSTER”, 18/04/2026
ACROS Fukuoka

1. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata

The new DDT Universal Champion is looking to surpass a wrestler he looks up to. Kazuma Sumi nominated Katsumata to be his first challenger to repay him for his support over the years. However the repayment will be completed when Sumi beats Katsumata! Same goes the other way around. Katsumata will show his appreciation for Sumi by crushing him for the championship!

Kumadori will be on the show.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Dramatic Dream Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kaisei Takechi

The next time DDT goes to Sumo Hall they will give everyone a Konosuke Takeshita versus Kaisei Takechi match! Hopefully neither of them will get a case of pink eye right before the match again.


Kazusada Higuchi Announces His Retirement

March 23, 2026

A press conference was held by DDT in Tokyo today to announce that Kazusada Higuchi will be retiring from pro wrestling on 5th April. Higuchi had been taking time off since from wrestling since the start of the year to deal with a neck injury. This comes after he previously had to take eight months off during 2024 into 2025 to recover from other injuries including a cervical hernia. This decision came about when at some point between December and January, Higuchi went through a health checkup that is regularly given out to everyone in the DDT roster. The doctor found Higuchi had subluxation of the first and second cervical vertebrae and told him that continuing to wrestle (or take part in any kind of contact sport) would be dangerous for his health. Higuchi and his doctor had discussions with DDT over him having any possibility of continuing his wrestling career but they reached the decision that it would be best for him to retire.

Unfortunately due to the current state of Higuchi’s neck, he has already wrestled his last match and his retirement at DDT’s Korakuen Hall show on 5th April will just be a ceremony without a final match preceding it. Higuchi said he is currently not feeling any symptoms over his condition but understands that his neck has reached it physical limit. He regrets not being able to wrestle again but is glad to have detected this problem early so he could exit the business on his own two feet. Although he will no longer live in the ring, he believes his life will continue for a long time.

The press conference also had comments from Sanshiro Takagi and Akito both speaking as representatives of CyberFight. Akito explained the above routine health checkups that the DDT roster goes through over the new year period. He also noted that the cervical condition Higuchi has usually gives the person symptoms of numbness or even paralysis in the limbs. Higuchi does not have those symptoms but the doctor determined that no amount of treatment would solve the problem. Surgery could be an option but it comes with the setback of restricting Higuchi’s neck movement and he wouldn’t be able to wrestle in that condition either.

Takagi told the story of the first time he was introduced to Higuchi by a friend, leading to the former sumo from Hokkaido to join DDT. He claims there were times when Higuchi’s powerful style helped DDT and he became a symbol of the company’s strength from 2022 onwards. He is surprised by the sudden news and thinks the best thing DDT can do is to give him the warmest send-off possible. By Higuchi’s request, his unit Harimao will have its final match on 5th April taking on a team of wrestlers who are also all close to him. It will be Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida against Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki. Once that match is finished, Harimao will disband. He has a message to tell the other members of the group but will say what he wants to say after the match.

———————————————————————–

This is bumming me out. It’s the news I was worried would eventually come to light when Higuchi took another injury break in January. Writing this blog for 16 years means I see a lot of wrestling careers of various sizes come and go. This is one of the most significant ones. A fascinating moment in wrestling happened in October 2014 when DDT introduced the DNA generation, a new class of seven (later eight) rookies about to turn pro at a time when many wrestling companies in Japan were struggling to find new blood. Higuchi very quickly stood out as top of the pack with his powerful stature coming from his sumo background and he was given the rookie superpush that spread into DDT itself. While he was a serious no nonsense wrestler at first, spots would come here and there that allowed Higuchi to show his silly side, allowing him to fit in more with DDT’s comedy while still being positioned as someone who is difficult for anyone to beat. An early highlight of his to seek out is the week long DNA Grand Prix tournament that was held in October 2016 where he went on an undefeated run all the was to the final in order to face Mike Bailey.

The presentation of Higuchi being so unique in DDT included something that I’ve seen follow his entire career among the foreign fanbase. I have long lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard people online say they wish Higuchi was with NOAH instead of DDT because he looked like a better fit there. It’s easy to see why on the surface. Hard strikes, mean looks and an iron head to go with it is catnip for those who like their wrestling to not pull back its punches. Yet I just could never imagine him shining brighter anywhere else than with DDT. The formation of Eruption with Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai in 2020 was a major step forward for him. Then with DDT emerging from the pandemic the seeds were planted for his ascension to the top when he feuded with Jun Akiyama over the KO-D Openweight Title in an act of rebellion towards the legend joining the company. He lost that match but had the ultimate redemption in 2022 when he was the one chosen to rebuild DDT’s reputation over the Tetsuya Endo/Katsuhiko Nakajima incident.

The visual that should follow Higuchi’s career came when he won the 2022 King Of DDT tournament. By winning it he finally claimed the KO-D Title after eight years of trying. He had now become DDT’s literal symbol of strength, waving a giant flag of the company logo in victory and having Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist as a show of his respect. Higuchi would then spend the year being a central figure of DDT’s title scene as they tried to push a bigger focus towards heavyweights. Eruption would go away along with the careers of Sakaguchi & Akai. Higuchi would then move on to forming Harimao, building the unit more around sumo like themes. He got to hold the KO-D Title again last year but this time it was a short lived run. It’s hard to believe that only a few months later his career would end like this.

I can’t quite put my finger on why his runs on top went the ways they did. As much as Higuchi’s style appealed to the likes of us, it wasn’t really the same with DDT’s fans in Japan and business hardly picked up with him as champion. You can point to the social distancing rules at the time which resulted in low attendances for everybody but there’s just some factor missing that meant his title reign didn’t connect like I thought it would. I just look at the hot streak DDT is having with Korakuen now and wish Higuchi would have a role to play in it. Perhaps Takagi has a bigger point to make when he talks about how much Higuchi helped DDT. Maybe history will treat him as the person who patched up DDT at a time when the company needed it rather than the rising star who carried the company to greater heights.

There’s so much of Higuchi’s career I’m leaving out. He was a perfect opponent for HARASHIMA. Their matches together going back to the earliest years of Higuchi’s career were like they were made for each other. His singles matches with Konosuke Takeshita, Shuji Ishikawa and Yuji Hino are all barnburners. Those were the kind of matches that fueled the constant wishes he would move over to NOAH where he could get more attention. There are all the times he would be driven head first into the ring post just to no sell it (probably not a good idea in hindsight). When DDT had their “MAJI MANJI” weekly series, Higuchi insisted on putting somebody through a table on almost every episode he was in. When a Falls Count Anywhere match would happen outdoors, Higuchi would usually show up wearing just a mawashi. I’m pretty sure he sumo pushed a van away one time too. I’m going to miss seeing this guy wrestle.


DNA “DNA 10TH ANNIVERSARY” Results

November 28, 2024

DNA “DNA 10TH ANNIVERSARY”, 28/11/2024
Shinjuku FACE
312 Fans – No Vacancy

1. MAO & Mizuki Watase Vs Yuki Iino & Masato Kamino ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
2. Akira Jo & Yuki Ishida defeated Choun-Shiryu & Rekka when Jo pinned Shiryu with the Spinebuster (8:21).
3. Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Yuni with the German Suplex (10:55).
4. Banana Senga & Tsutomu Oosugi defeated Daiki Shimomura & Check Shimatani when Oosugi pinned Shimomura with the Pictures At An Exhibition (13:42).
5. Kota Umeda, Ryota Nakatsu & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Keigo Nakamura, To-y & Yuya Koroku when Umeda pinned Nakamura with a Right High Kick (15:00).
6. Yuki Ueno defeated Diego with the WR (16:22).

During the Autumn of 2024 DDT surprised everyone by unveiling an entire class of pro wrestling students ready to make their debuts. They were all part of a sub-brand called DNA (DDT New Attitude) and its first show was held on 24th November of that year. Some of the wrestlers came and went but many were around for DNA’s run until 2018 when the generation was ready to graduate into full time pro wrestlers for DDT or its other brands. The generation reunited here today to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of DNA’s first show. Those who are still active in wrestling wanted to show how much they have grown since then while a few of those who moved on from the ring showed up to see old friends again.

The main event was planned to be Yuki Ueno against Shunma Katsumata but an injury forced Katsumata to pull out of the match. Diego, the wrestler from Chile who wrestled on DNA shows as Guanchulo offered to step in as Katsumata’s replacement as a favor for his Los Amigos tag partner. Diego tried to win by using the Crossface Lock but Ueno fought back with Dropkicks and pinned him with the WR. Ueno said when he started his wrestling career in DNA he didn’t know what to do but Diego was there to make his life in the dorm better. He told Diego that they should have another match either in Japan or Chile. He also wants the match with Katsumata to happen in a DNA ring eventually. Ueno wonders maybe he and Diego can team together and beat up Katsumata instead! Diego will be heading back home soon and everyone here will be in his heart.

Wrestlers from the current D GENERATIONS era of DDT were also part of the show to show how DDT continues to look towards the future. The semi-main event was a 6-Man Tag pitting DNA against D GENERATIONS. Kota Umeda, Ryota Nakatsu & Kouki Iwasaki had all wrestled on the first DNA show and were a united trio against Keigo Nakamura, To-y & Yuya Koroku. The match paired off Nakatsu against To-y, Iwasaki against Koroku and came down to Umeda pinning Nakamura with a Right High Kick. Both teams showed interest in having more matches against each other. The younger fighters want to surpass their seniors while Umeda in particular still wants to prove his vision of DNA was always the right one.

One of the regular tag teams put together in DNA was Gran MilliMeters so it was an emotional reunion for Daiki Shimomura & Check Shimatani. They lost to Speed Of Sounds in a competitive match but they didn’t let that result ruin their night. Shimatani is currently busy wrestling in Mexico these days but he did not want to miss this anniversary and felt many emotions when he got the invitation to take part. SOS felt like they deserved some attention too because this year is their 20th Anniversary in wrestling.

Yuni from DDT and Munetatsu Nakamura from Ganbare☆Pro battled each other in another segment of the show dedicated to the new generation, the DDTeeeen!! project in particular. Nakamura got the upper hand by doing the Michinoku Driver II and won when he pinned Yuni with a German Suplex. Nakamura is happy to win but said he has never fought the coach who taught them. He wants to meet and beat that guy to finally get closure from DDTeeeen!! Yuni thought there was no way he could lose to Nakamura but was proven wrong. He wants to wrestle him again as well as Ilusion.

DNA was only around for a few years but it was long enough for a heel unit to pop up and cause trouble. The Naomi Kingdom was led by Naomi Yoshimura back when he was a young punk with a chip on his shoulder. He couldn’t wrestle today because he is still rehabilitating from his neck injury but he still came here to watch one of his stablemates Akira Jo wrestle. Jo’s tag partner Yuki Ishida is connected to Yoshimura through Harimao. Ishida believes if he was around for DNA he would have been a Naomi Kingdom member too. The opposing team were frustrated after losing the match. Rekka wants to fight Yoshimura anytime he is able to wrestle again. The veteran Choun-Shiryu didn’t like how he was treated because of his age and promised to fight again at the 15th Anniversary when he will be 51 years old.

A time limit draw was the result of the opening tag match featuring four of the most established wrestlers from DNA who are currently still active. MAO & Mizuki Watase were the tenacious pairing while Yuki Iino & Masato Kamino fought them as the team of muscleheads. When time was running out the wrestlers yelled that they weren’t going to lose to each other. Both teams were reaching their limit when the 15 minute time limit ran out and the match was ruled a draw. Watase said they can have a rematch anywhere if the others want to.

There was an entrance ceremony before the first match for all of the wrestlers taking part. Also Katsumata was joined by Kazusada Higuchi and Suguru Miyatake to greet the audience at the start of the show.


GANBARE☆PRO “WHERE EAGLES DARE 2024” Results

November 17, 2024

GANBARE☆PRO “WHERE EAGLES DARE 2024”, 17/11/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
186 Fans

1. Tyson Maeguchi defeated Shota Kawakami with a High Kick (6:58).
2. PSYCHO & Moeka Haruhi defeated Black Menso-re & HARUKAZE when Haruhi submitted HARUKAZE with the 79.5MHz 2.0 (12:28).
3. Yuna Manase & Nanami defeated YuuRI & Soy when Manase pinned Soy with the Lariat (10:17).
4. Yuya Susumu defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with the Front Crash (11:27).
5. Kouki Iwasaki 10th Anniversary Match: Kouki Iwasaki, Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Yumehito Imanari & Rekka when Iwasaki pinned Rekka with the Back Drop Hold (18:57).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (c) defeated Ken Ohka & Shuji Ishikawa when Watase pinned Ohka with a Headbutt (20:47).
*V3 for Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase.
7. Emergency Decision ~ Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: Yumehito Imanari defeated Shuichiro Katsumura with the Lou Thesz Press (8:04).

At the end of the show Keisuke Ishii was given the microphone to give out a closing speech. Yumehito Imanari interrupted him and challenged Ishii for the Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title on 27th December. Shuichiro Katsumura then got involved because he wants to be the next contender instead of Imanari. Michiyoshi Mishima was put on the spot to make a decision and after listening to the calls from fans as well as all the wrestlers he booked an impromptu No. 1 Contender match to take place immediately!

Imanari dodged a Moonsault from Katsumura and pinned him with the Lou Thesz Press to win the match and get the next title shot. He thanked Katsumura after the match for his behind the scenes work with Ganbare☆Pro especially when he is surrounded by people like himself who make unreasonable demands. He loves Ishii but has been beaten down by him so many times. In order to prove everything he has built in GanPro he needs to beat Ishii and take the title from him! He also identified Ishii’s father in the audience. Ishii’s father is a fan of Imanari and always cheers for him. So even though they get along, Imanari warns him that he will win the championship from his son!

Ken Ohka missed another chance to get a big championship win in his own company. He came close to pinning Mizuki Watase with the Flame Spear but Watase kicked out at the 2.99 count. He also ended up getting injured by dislocating his elbow during the match. Then when Shuji Ishikawa was busy fighting Shigehiro Irie outside the ring, Watase took over and pinned Ohka after a big Headbutt. Watase said afterward that Ohka cannot shine without having Danshoku Dieno & Muscle Sakai there to back him up. He wants Ohka to continue leading GanPro but he also wishes Ohka would have more trust in the rest of the GanPro family. Meanwhile Irie is worried he won’t be defending the Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles again for the rest of the year because nobody came out to challenge them. Watase wants to spread the word out that they will defend the titles against anybody no matter what kind of wrestling they represent.

Kouki Iwasaki received more than just a bouquet for his 10th Anniversary Match. Katsumura also gave him a gift of diapers to celebrate the recent birth of Iwasaki’s second child. Iwasaki thanked everyone involved in the match as well as GanPro’s fans and management. He’s going to work harder than ever for his family and will look forward to his 15th and 20th anniversaries. He also said backstage that simply wrestling in GanPro is meaningless so if he comes back here next year he wants to fight for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title.

The FREEDOMS rivalry between F-SWAG and Munetatsu Nakamura led to Yuya Susumu coming over today for a match with Nakamura. The reigning King Of FREEDOM World Junior Heavyweight Champion won the match and flaunted his belt in front of Katsumura afterwards. He also tried to shake Nakamura’s hand after the match but was rejected. Nakamura has made it his goal to win that title from Susumu whether it happens in GanPro or in FREEDOMS.


DDT/DEFY Full Card, Hirata Getting A Birthday Bashing, People Resurface For DNA Anniversary

November 7, 2024

BASARA “BASARA 261 ~SOUEN~”, 08/11/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Takeru Inoue
2. Basara Jacket 4 Way Match: KUBITO Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga Vs Daisuke Sekimoto
3. SAGAT & Antonio Honda Vs Yasu Urano & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Daichi Kazato & Ayato Yoshida

The Basara Jacket world rankings has KUBITO at 12th, Gouma Ryu at 3rd and Banana Senga being no longer ranked. Daisuke Sekimoto is also unranked but that’s because he hasn’t done a match like this yet.

DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Marina Shafir Vs X
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Randy Myers
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas Vs Bryan Keith & Shota Vs Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson
4. Gringo Loco Vs Yuni
5. Nick Wayne Vs Jack Cartwheel
6. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Artemis Spencer Vs Gurv Shira & Harv Shira
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kohei Kinoshita
8. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: MAO (c) Vs Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita

The card is now pretty much complete. Nick Wayne is getting a match against Jack Cartwheel while Marina Shafir is only being advertised as “in action”. So it’s possible she might show just up to beat the crap out of somebody and then leave.

Right now Yuni is the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion so odds are good the title will be brought over to Seattle for the weekend.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2024”, 23/11/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Demus & Ilusion Vs To-y & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kazuki Hirata 37th Birthday Special 1 Vs 7 Handicap Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Ueno, Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Soma Takao, Yuki Iino, Diego & Yuki Ishida
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Akito 15th Anniversary Debut Special Single Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Akito
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
7. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (E/c) Vs Yuni (I/c)

Speaking of the Iron Man Title, Yuni is expected to have it with him when he faces Danshoku Dieno for the DDT Extreme Title match, which means it should be a double championship match.

Kazuki Hirata will have turned 37 a few days before this show. DDT is celebrating it by making him fight seven wrestlers at the same time.

DDT “GORGEOUS NIGHT”, 24/11/2024
Fukushima Toyota Crown Arena (Fukushima National Athletic Meet Memorial Gymnasium) Sub-Arena

1. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Demus
2. Fukushima Specialty 6-Man Tag Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Kazuma Sumi

A special night for Gorgeous Matsuno has him teaming up with Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA.

The SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A feud continues with CDK facing Daisuke Sasaki and his latest amigo Demus.

Makoto Oishi and Moeka Haruhi will both be on the show.

DNA “DNA 10TH ANNIVERSARY”, 28/11/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kota Umeda, Ryota Nakatsu & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Keigo Nakamura, To-y & Yuya Koroku
2. Banana Senga & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Daiki Shimomura & Check Shimatani
3. Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki Ueno

The DNA reunion is shaping up. Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki Ueno is put together because those two wrestlers were a vital part of what was considered DNA’s second chapter.

The reunion also sees the return of Gran MilliMeters teaming up against their own rivals Speed Of Sounds. Gran Millimeters were Daiki Shimomura & Nobuhiro Shimatani but these days Nobuhiro is going by the name Check Shimatani.

The post-DNA generation are part of the show to test themselves against DDT’s previous developmental project. Kota Umeda, Ryota Nakatsu & Kouki Iwasaki are representing DNA while Keigo Nakamura, To-y & Yuya Koroku represent D GENERATIONS.

Suguru Miyatake will be in attendance. His three year wrestling career was plagued with injuries and he eventually retired years after it was clear he wouldn’t be able to return to the ring.


A Baka Gaijin Halloween, SOG Champs Comment On Upcoming Defences

October 28, 2024

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 17: HALLOWEEN II:”, 29/10/2024
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Ram Kaichow, Mr. Bueno & Mr. Malo Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Chie Koishikawa

No other matches have been announced for the show yet so who knows who (or what) else will appear in ARENA Shimokitazawa tomorrow night.

BASARA “BASARA 260 ~KOO~”, 30/10/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Isami Kodaka & Ryuichi Sekine Vs Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita
2. Daichi Kazato Vs Gouma Ryu
3. KUBITO & SAGAT Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Yasu Urano
4. Masato Kamino Vs Daisuke Sekimoto
5. Takumi Tsukamoto, FUMA & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Takato Nakano, Lil’ Kraken & Takeru Inoue
6. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga

This is the match order for Wednesday’s BASARA show.

GANBARE☆PRO “HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER 2024”, 03/11/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Harutoki
2. Moeka Haruhi & Yuna Manase Vs HARUKAZE & YuuRI
3. Ken Ohka, Yumehito Imanari & Tsuyoshi Okada Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Shota Kawakami & Hiroaki Moriya
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Naoki Tanizaki & Kohei Kinoshita
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Hartley Jackson

Keisuke Ishii has mindset of a challenger going into next weekend’s show even though he is the defending Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion. All of his favorite wrestlers growing up beat strong foreign opponents so he would like to do the same. However Hartley Jackson’s stock in Japan has been rising lately with appearances in New Japan, All Japan and GLEAT. If Ishii can beat him then he will tie the record for most SOG Title defences.

Things are a little different for Mizuki Watase. He sees Ishii as a fortress that protects Ganbare☆Pro. Watase & Shigehire Irie however see themselves as an attacking force that invades other fortresses. That’s why he is excited for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles defence against the Osaka team of Naoki Tanizaki & Kohei Kinoshita. It will be in a GanPro ring but it will also be in Osaka so who truly has the homefield advantage?

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOOKING AROUND THE WORLD, ISN’T JAPAN AMAZING AFTER ALL!?”, 10/11/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X Vs X
2. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X Vs X
3. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X Vs X
4. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X Vs X
5. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X & X Vs X & X
6. Rakuhan Vs Pom-chan Army: X & X Vs X & X

Rakuhan: Raku, Yuki Arai, HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki, Haru Kazashiro, Chika Nanase, Ryo Mizunami and Ram Kaichow

Pom-chan Army: Pom Harajuku, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, Kaya Toribami, Toga, Kira Summer, Uta Takami and Yoshiko Hasegawa

The team challenge between Rakuhan and Pom-chan Army is now sponsored by Yamada Suisan so the winning team will receive 10kg of Yamada Unagi as their luxurious prize.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE MOUNTAIN TOP 2024”, 16/11/2024
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Next Generation Tournament ’24 – Semi Final: Toga Vs Kira Summer
2. Next Generation Tournament ’24 – Semi Final: Haru Kazashiro Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Zara Zakher

The winner of Wakana Uehara Vs Chika Nanase next week will meet Haru Kazashiro in the Next Generation Tournament semi-finals.

GANBARE☆PRO “WHERE EAGLES DARE 2024”, 17/11/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuya Susumu
2. Kouki Iwasaki 10th Anniversary Match: Kouki Iwasaki, Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Yumehito Imanari & Rekka

It wasn’t that long ago when GanPro was Kouki Iwasaki’s home promotion. He left in 2022 but returned this year for a couple of appearances. So in the run up to DNA’s 10th Anniversary, GanPro will be throwing a celebratory match for Iwasaki with Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Rekka among the invited guests.


Kakuta Gets To Team With SAKI One Last Time

May 22, 2024

GANBARE☆PRO “BOAT RACE G1 TODA PRIMROSE”, 01/06/2024
Saitama Boat Race Toda

0. CWP Offer Match: Sasaki Complete Jr. & Baraki Ueno Vs Daisuke®️ & TERU Oshima
1. Gabai Ji-chan & HARUKAZE Vs Yuna Manase & YuuRI
2. Choun-Shiryu & Shota Kawakami Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Ken Ohka & Rekka Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari
4. Aja Kong, Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Keisuke Ishii, Mizuki Watase & Tsuyoshi Okada

With Shinchiro Tominaga out of action with a ruptured Achilles tendon the main event of the Saitama Boat Race show has to be changed. Mizuki Watase and Kouki Iwasaki are swapping sides and Tsuyoshi Okada is coming in to even things out.

The Ganbare☆Pro debut of Daisuke®️ went off well so the promotion is giving CWP a dark match to show off more of their roster. Sasaki Complete Jr. is nicknamed the “Killing Machine” and has won multiple different CWP championships. Baraki Ueno is an esports athlete who likes to use the techniques he learns from fighting games. TERU Oshima looks up to Tominaga and followed his steps into joining CWP.

GANBARE☆PRO “WILD GAMBLE 2024”, 02/06/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Hartley Jackson Vs Shota Kawakami
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title Next Challenger Time Staggered Battle Royal: Ken Ohka Vs Yuna Manase Vs Choun-Shiryu Vs Gabai Ji-chan Vs Baliyan Akki Vs Daisuke®️
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase

The rookie Shota Kawakami is getting thrown into the ring with a real heavyweight in the form of Hartley Jackson.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/06/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
4. Daisuke Kiso Referee 14th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs To-y & Yuni
5. CDK 5th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi

A rematch of last month’s KO-D Tag Team Titles bout has been added to the show. BURNING will face Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga again but this time the titles are not on the line.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PRISM ’24”, 09/06/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Nao Kakuta & SAKI Vs X & X
2. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs LA Taylor
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Vert Vixen

Last month in America Nao Kakuta and SAKI were meant to team up together on the “GCW VS TJPW” show. Plans changed when Kakuta fell ill and was unable to travel to the shows. Tokyo Joshi Pro wanted to make sure she gets to team with SAKI one more time before she retires so it will happen at Korakuen Hall next month. Their opponents will be announced soon.

GANBARE☆PRO “THE☆BAZAAR”, 16/06/2024
Saitama Musashino Bank Shin-Tokorozawa Branch Parking Lot

1. Ken Ohka, Mizuki Watase & Shota Kawakami Vs Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Rekka

An outdoor event in Shin-Tokorozawa has sponsored GanPro to put on a wrestling match for them. It will be free to watch for guests but may get cancelled if there is rainy weather on the day.