DDT Around The World – September 2024

October 1, 2024

God it feels like it’s been forever since I wrote so much about AEW in this series of articles. Konosuke Takeshita is getting more screen time with the one and only Kazuchika Okada becoming his new main target. Also Yuka Sakazaki returned to the ring and had several matches surrounding the AEW Women’s World Title. It even ended with an unusual reunion with somebody she used to know from Tokyo Joshi Pro. Sakazaki’s story did not end with her achieving gold and glory. It looks like she’s able to stick around this time though. She might end up taking a back seat in AEW from here on out or maybe she’ll drop down to Ring Of Honor but fingers crossed at least we all get to see her again.

Speaking of TJPW, a good few of the women there spent a lot of time travelling this month. Maki Itoh went back to America to finish off what was left of her disrupted tour. Shoko Nakajima reminded everyone she is quite the tournament wrestler by reaching yet another final. Yuki Kamifuku is continuing to prove why she deserves to be called the Queen Of Asia Champion. Plus in a change of pace we also got Raku & Pom Harajuku going on an adventure together in Thailand. As shown above Kenoh from NOAH was there too but he’s not important.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “COLLISION”, 06/09/2024
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Continental Contenders Challenge: Konosuke Takeshita Vs The Beast Mortos


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 13/09/2024
Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Action Andretti (w/Lio Rush & Leila Grey)


MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024
Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Crystal (w/ Chairman Al)


AEW “COLLISION”, 14/09/2024
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Serena Deeb


GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024
Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Kylie Rae

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 18/09/2024
Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA


1. Yuka Sakazaki & Queen Aminata Vs Mariah May & Serena Deeb


2. Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson Vs Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher


AEW “DYNAMITE – GRAND SLAM”, 25/09/2024
Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title: Mariah May (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 27/09/2024
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Angelico


SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku

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Results


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 04/09/2024
UW Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

1. Dark Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Komander (w/ Alex Abrahantes) (?:??).

Not much to talk about Takeshita’s first match of the month. He beat Komander in a post-Dynamite dark match that followed up on the 4 Way they were both a part of the week prior. The result was pretty much the same here as it was in the 4 Way. Don Callis ordered Takeshita to give Komander another beating after the match but The Beast Mortos ran down to stop him. Takeshita and Mortos then got into a pull apart brawl.


AEW “COLLISION”, 06/09/2024
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Continental Contenders Challenge: Konosuke Takeshita defeated The Beast Mortos with the Raging Fire (12:00).

So a few days later Takeshita and Mortos faced off with a little something extra on the line. The winner would qualify for a 4 Way Match at “ALL OUT” that also includes Okada putting the AEW Continental Title on the line. Takeshita discovered it would take a lot more than just using his big Elbow Strike to knock the minotaur down and out. Mortos was hard headed enough to keep standing after taking a German Suplex that made him land on the top of his dome. The two of them also fought up to the top rope where Mortos lifted Takeshita up in a Gorilla Press and threw him down from such a high height. Things went to even more of a standstill after a Double Heabutt spot but Takeshita survived the trampling and got in a critical hit by using a Busaiku Knee Strike. After that he used the Raging Fire on Mortos and that won him the match.


F1RST “SATURDAY NIGHT NITRO”, 07/09/2024
Mall Of America, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

1. Allie Katch & Effy defeated Danhausen & Maki Itoh when Effy pinned Danhausen with a Cradle (?:??).

The famous Mall Of America was the location where Itoh met up with Danhausen again. This time they were teaming up as Very Cute, Very Evil Makihausen and that meant Itoh showed up in face paint! Their match against Bussy started off as a contest to see who was cutest between all four of them. Danhausen & Itoh both poured a jar of teeth down their opponents’ mouths and then kicked their faces. But things went wrong for them when they both tried to curse their opponents. Effy & Allie Katch both ducked the curse, leaving Danhausen & Itoh to curse each other! They started arguing leading to Danhausen giving Itoh a shove. Katch didn’t like what she was seeing and pushed Danhausen away from Itoh, unintentionally tripping him over Effy. Effy then pinned down Danhausen for the three count while Itoh got a comforting hug from Katch.


AEW “ALL OUT 2024”, 07/09/2024
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. AEW Continental Title – 4 Way Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy and Konosuke Takeshita when Okada pinned Cassidy with the Rainmaker (14:59).
*V5 for Kazuchika Okada.

Okada is as big of a target that Takeshita could ask for in all of pro wrestling let alone AEW or Japan. But he had two other bodies to contend with because Orange Cassidy and Mark Briscoe were also in the match aiming to win the Continental Title. He needed eyes in the back of his head and that was proven by the finish. Takeshita almost beat Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee but Cassidy broke the pin. Takeshita then countered the Orange Punch with an Elbow Strike and tried to set up the Raging Fire only for Okada to stop him. Okada then gave Briscoe the Rainmaker, Dropkicked Takeshita from the apron to the floor and after a small scare from Cassidy, he pinned Cassidy with the Rainmaker to remain champion. The cameras made sure to stay on Takeshita while Okada left to celebrate his victory. Things aren’t over between them yet.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 11/09/2024 (Aired 13/09/2024)
Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Action Andretti (w/Lio Rush & Leila Grey) with the Raging Fire (11:53).

Things at the PPV didn’t go Takeshita’s way so it was time to bounce back. Action Andretti turned out to be more of a challenge than the match-up suggested on paper. However Andretti missed a Springboard 450 and also jumped right into an Elbow Smash. Takeshita then used the Powerdrive Knee but held up Andretti at a 2 count. That was just so Takeshita could use the Raging Fire to end things on an even more painful looking note.


AEW “COLLISION”, 12/09/2024 (Aired 14/09/2024)
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Serena Deeb with the Magical Girl Splash (10:38).

Guess who returned after being sidelined with an injury for the last five months? Sakazaki was back and her first AEW match in a long time was going to be against Serena Deeb. That was a matchup AEW were building up to anyway before Sakazaki got hurt so it seemed like whatever was planned back then was held aside all this time until Sakazaki was ready again. But first she introduced herself to Mariah May backstage and told her she is coming after the AEW Women’s Title. May didn’t take too kindly to that idea but her violent threats were no sold by Sakazaki. Later in the show Sakazaki went on to not only beat Deeb but also fend off a post-match attack from May. Sakazaki celebrated a good night by holding up the title belt.


MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024
Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Crystal (w/ Chairman Al) (?:??).
*V3 for Yuki Kamifuku.

The reigning Queen Of Asia Champion travelled to China for her latest title defence. Kamifuku headlined a Middle Kingdom Wrestling show in Shanghai, beating Crystal to retain one of the Asian Double Crown belts. She gave a speech to the fans in both Chinese and English after the match.


GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024
Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Kylie Rae with the Stunner (9:23).

Maki Itoh’s GCW dates in August got cut short due to injury but she was able to come back this month to get through the second half of her latest tour. Nobody was happier to see her than Kylie Rae because they were meant wrestle each other on one of Itoh’s cancelled dates. It didn’t take long for the fun and games to turn into slaps and strikes though. In fact Rae started losing her cool and started pulling cheap tricks to try and win like using the ropes to leverage a pin. The ref caught her doing it though and stopped his count. Itoh’s hard head gave her the defensive advantage and she was able to beat Rae with the Stunner. Itoh forgave Rae for playing dirty and the two made up after the match.


GCW “THA G-CODE”, 15/09/2024
Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Sawyer Wreck defeated Maki Itoh, Brooke Havok and Dark Sheik when Wreck pinned Havok with a Neck Hanging Bomb (7:54).

The next night Itoh found herself in a 4 Way Match with opponents old and new. She’s been in the ring with both Sawyer Wreck and Dark Sheik a bunch of times while Brooke Havok was a new face for her to wrestle. Itoh was taken out by a Tornado Kick from Shiek, Havok dropped Sheik with a Pumphandle Drop and Wreck then pinned Sheik with a Neck Hanging Bomb. Itoh was too far away to break the pin before the three count.


DPW “CAROLINA CLASSIC”, 15/09/2024
Durham Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

1. Battle Of The Best – Round 2: Shoko Nakajima defeated Jada Stone with the Diving Senton (?:??).

The Big Kaiju returned to Deadlock Pro to compete in the next round of the Battle Of The Best tournament. However plans had to change when her scheduled opponent Trish Adora was unable to compete. Jada Stone grabbed the opportunity to fill in for Adora by winning a pre-show match held to determine Nakajima’s new opponent. She put up a good fight but in the end Nakajima booked her place in the final using the Diving Senton to win.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 18/09/2024
Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki & Queen Aminata defeated Mariah May & Serena Deeb by Disqualification when May attacked Sakazaki with the AEW Women’s World Title Belt (7:57).
2. Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson when Fletcher pinned Matt Jackson after the Coriolis (21:05).

Things are getting a little more tense with Takeshita now. He had another chance to face Okada in the ring but had to team with other members of The Don Callis Family. There’s a little “family” rivalry brewing between him and Will Ospreay so some jealous looks during tags were hard to hide from everybody. Okada also had The Young Bucks backing him up to be a pain in everyone’s sides. Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher pulled out the win in the end but the aftermath only showed there are more signs of infighting between Takeshita and Ospreay.

It was now clear that Sakazaki will be facing May for the AEW Women’s Title near the end of the month. A preview tag had Sakazaki dealing with both May and Deeb again. Her tag partner Queen Aminata had also been spending the month so far in a similar position so they became a team with common enemies. Sakazaki had was about to beat Deeb with the Magical Girl Splash again for the second time in a row when May ran into the ring with her title belt and hit Sakazaki behind the head with it. The match ended in a DQ but May continued to attack Sakazaki with the title to get her own back for what happened a week earlier.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 21/09/2024 (Aired 27/09/2024)
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Angelico with the Raging Fire (9:09).

Due to AEW’s taping schedule this match was kept in the bag for a week and didn’t air until near the end of the month. Just like with the Andretti match, Angelico made the grave mistake of going high risk and jumping his way right into an Elbow Smash to the jaw. The Blue Thunder Bomb and then the Raging Fire ended Takeshita’s month with a win.


AEW “DYNAMITE – GRAND SLAM”, 25/09/2024
Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title: Mariah May (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Storm Zero (6:11).
*V2 for Mariah May.

Sadly for Sakazaki her long delayed quest to win the AEW Women’s Title ended in failure over at Arthur Ashe Stadium. May beat her clean by blocking the Magical Girl Splash with her knees and then using the Storm Zero for the three count. May wanted to continue attacking Sakazaki after the match but Willow Nightingale ran down to make the save. Then in an interesting reunion Mina Shirakawa made her entrance with the intention of protecting her close friend by evening the odds. However her “incredible live show charisma” was such a distraction that Nightingale dropped her guard allowing May strike her from behind with the title belt. May ran off to celebrate with Shirakawa, Shirakawa was confused by her actions and Sakazaki tried to chase after May before stopping in front of her old workmate.


SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) defeated Raku and Pom Harajuku when Matcha pinned Raku with the Stunner (?:??).
*V3 for Matcha.

Both Raku and Harajuku made their way over to Thailand to be part of a big SETUP show. The event also included Kenoh as one of the headline stars but I’m not here to write about him. Raku got to perform for the crowd at the start of the show and then returned later to fight for a championship. Matcha put her SETUP All Asia Women’s Title on the line against her and Harajuku in a 3 Way Match. Raku took a bried nap in the middle of the ring, forcing Matcha and Harajuku to wrestle each other over her. Raku and Harajuku went on to have some fun at Matcha’s expense until the champion reached her limit and put a stop to it all. Harajuku gave Raku the Pom de Justice but Matcha then threw Harajuku out of the ring. She then gave Raku a Stunner and went for the pin. The ref stopped himself at two thinking there was a kickout (there clearly wasn’t) so Matcha gave Raku another Stunner and this time got the three count. Afterward Matcha and Harajuku got into an argument and began to fight, forcing the ringside officials to pull them apart. You read that right, Pom Harajuku was in a pull apart brawl!

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Upcoming Appearances


DEXCON “JAM OF THE JOSHIS”, 13/10/2024
Brawl Pit Bulusan, Manila, Philippines

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) Vs Chelsea Marie

If Kamifuku can successfully defend the Double Asian Crown against Xiz Zhao in TJPW then she will next bring the Queen Of Asia Title over to the Philippines. “The Pinay Vixen” Chelsea Marie won a match at the last DEXCON show to become Kamifuku’s challenger for this joshi themed event.


DPW “SUPER BATTLE”, 13/10/2024
Grady Cole Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

1. Battle Of The Best – Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Dani Luna

A future shot for the DPW Women’s World Title is within reach for Nakajima. All she has to do is beat Dani Luna in the Battle Of The Best final.


MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 1”, 19/10/2024
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita

A familiar friend and foe will be Takeshita’s first opponent at Maple Leaf Pro’s opening weekend. It will be the first time he wrestles Mike Bailey in Bailey’s home country of Canada.


MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 2”, 20/10/2024
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Josh Alexander Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The Takeshita Vs Bailey match announcement also cleared up which night the Josh Alexander match would take place. It looks like it will be the main event of the entire weekend.


SPW “CROWNING GLORY”, 08/11/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Alexis Lee Vs Pom Harajuku

With Thailand checked off, Pom Harajuku’s next trip will be to Singapore Pro Wrestling for a match against Alexis Lee. She is going to try and avoid being bitten while Lee will try to avoid her shins getting kicked off.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TJPW BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

I bet we’ll start getting some more announcements soon. TJPW are sending over Miu Watanabe, Suzume, Arisu Endo, Yuki Kamifuku, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Yuki Aino, Moka Miyamoto and Wakana Uehara. The DEFY side will be using 6-8 local/American wrestlers and the card is expected to have 6 or 7 matches.


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

The DDT show later that day is advertising Konosuke Takeshita, Daisuke Sasaki, Dansoku Dieno, MAO, Gringo Loco, Shota, Yuni and Yoshihiko to all appear.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

The next day will bring everyone together for one big finale.


GCW “CHAOS IN KENTUCKY”, 14/11/2024
Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Once the DEFY shows are over Yamashita will be sticking around in the US for one of GCW’s big tentpole weekends of the year.


GCW “GATEWAY TO THE DEATH”, 15/11/2024
Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

There was a piece of an interview with Yamashita from a Japanese site I saw during the month. She said something like this has been the first year in her career where she hasn’t worried about the pressure of being the company ace or the headline champion for another promotion. It allowed her to learn how to just enjoy wrestling without carrying the weight of a company on her shoulders (the interview was before she won the Princess Tag Team Titles with Itoh so so much for that break). That could explain why she’s drawn to GCW. She gets to do things she wouldn’t normally do in TJPW, like smack someone over the head with a steel chair.


GCW “NICK GAGE INVITATIONAL 9”, 16/11/2024
Level 13 Event Center, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita’s not going to enter the Nick Gage Invitational tournament, is she? There’s already another Yamashita taking part in it.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Mapocho Station Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

Next February TJPW will be making its first mark in Chile. They are sending over a few wrestlers to have matches at the AEX Santiago anime convention. Yamashita and Itoh are the first names announced. The event graphics hints at least two other people from the roster will join them. Apparently Chiitan is going to be there too so 121000000 can have a reunion with the mascot.


DDT Around The World – July 2024

August 1, 2024

Summer is here and everyone has either gone travelling or are getting their all their plans in order. Funny thing is the people usually being covered for their overseas matches spent most of July wrestling back in Japan. Konosuke Takeshita had a few AEW matches over and done with before he got ready for the G1 Climax. Then Maki Itoh was wrestling in Tokyo Joshi Pro finishing off her latest dates with them before she goes on another GCW tour. So most of the results below are filled up by Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima and CDK related matches.

It’s the rest of the summer that’s going to get busy. A lot of Itoh matches in GCW with Yamashita popping up here and there along the way. Also some TJPW appearances in Southeast Asia and the USA debut of Yuna Manase are all coming up soon. Then there is the matter of DDT and TJPW holding shows abroad with local promotions in places like London and Seattle. Grab some water and stay hydrated because it’s going to be a busy summer of wrestling everywhere.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/07/2024
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher Vs Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen


AEW “COLLISION”, 13/07/2024
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tommy Billington

Video starts at 2:27:50 for Match #1. Go to 2:52:58 for Match #2.
IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo Vs Ultramantis Black & Dr. Gore Black (w/ Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.)
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Ultramantis Black (c) (w/ Dr. Gore Black, Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) Vs Chris Brookes (w/ Masahiro Takanashi)


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XI”, 28/07/2024
Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA

1. Shayna Baszler Vs Miyu Yamashita

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Results


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 03/07/2024 (Aired 05/07/2024)
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen when Fletcher pinned Quen with the Kneeling Piledriver (10:10).

Takeshita had bigger stuff to prepare for this month but still got some ring time in AEW before heading back to Japan. He and Kyle Fletcher fought against Private Party, surviving a close call against them. Isiah Kassidy joked around to promote Shark Week and then landed the Swanton Bomb on Fletcher. Marq Quen’s 450 Splash afterwards though was blocked by Fletcher’s knees and Takeshita came in to German Suplex him away. Private Party fought back with a Top Rope Frankensteiner into the Cutter to Takeshita followed by the Silly String to Fletcher. Takeshita kicked out of Quen’s 450 Splash, took out both members with Lariats and then gave Kassidy the Blue Thunder Bomb. Fletcher then got to finish off Kassidy with the Kneeling Piledriver.


DPW “DPW LIVE 7”, 06/07/2024
NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Battle Of The Best – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima defeated Masha Slamovich with the Diving Senton (16:16).

Shoko Nakajima touched down on DPW and left North Carolina with a big victory against Masha Slamovich despite taking some heavy hits from her. Slamovich used a Sit Down Power Bomb and also countered the Unmanned Local Train Hold into a Running Air Raid Crash that landed right into a bottom turnbuckle. But Nakajima used the top ropes against Slamovich in order to use a Power Bomb of her own. Slamovich tried using the Power Bomb again but Nakajima slipped down and pulled her into the Double Arm DDT. After that it took a Diving Senton to finish her off and make Nakajima advance to the next round of Battle Of The Best.


AEW “COLLISION”, 10/07/2024 (Aired 13/07/2024)
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington with the Powerdrive Knee (13:29).

Takeshita’s last AEW appearance for the month was a noteworthy one because his opponent was Tommy Billington, the nephew of the late Dynamite Kid! The new generation Dynamite Kid gave Takeshita a good challenge but fell to the Powerdrive Knee. Don Callis then attempted to recruit Billington to The Don Callis Family by bringing up his family’s heritage. But that was just a trap for Takeshita and the rest of The Family to attack Billington from behind until FTR ran down to save him.


NORTH WRESTLING “THUNDER STRUCK 2”, 13/07/2024
Walker Dome, Newcastle, England

1. Lizzy Evo defeated Miyu Yamashita with an Inside Cradle (13:45).

This was a case of defeat being snatched from the jaws of victory here. Yamashita seemed to have a lot of the match under control until Lizzy Evo saw an opening to hit her with a Knee Strike to the face and then roll her into a Small Package for the three count out of nowhere. For Evo the result is payback for Yamashita beating her in EVE last year.


IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) and Ultramantis Black & Dr. Gore Black (w/ Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) when Alonzo pinned Gore after a Choke Slam/Power Bomb Combo through the Table (?:??).
*CDK fails in V2. THE GOOD DEAL becomes the 2nd IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Ultramantis Black (c) (w/ Dr. Gore Black, Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) defeated Chris Brookes (w/ Masahiro Takanashi) with a School Boy (?:??).
*V1 for Ultramantis Black.

Whenever CDK goes over to Thailand for SETUP Pro Wrestling that’s enough trouble to handle by itself. This however was not just a SETUP show. It was an event using the IWA Japan banner to celebrate 30 years of the promotion’s existance. CDK came over to defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a Hardcore 3 Way Match. They had to fight the previous champions THE GOOD DEAL as well as the UMA Corps pairing of Ultramantis Black and Dr. Gore Black. Things went crazy as everybody fought outside the ring. Mister Suchart even got on a motor scooter and crashed it into everyone at ringside! A stapler gun was brought into the ring for Brookes and Ultramantis to staple each other with. Ultramantis then took advantage of miscommunication between CDK to put Brookes through a mini ironing board with a Back Drop. Masahiro Takanashi was also taken out by Dr. Gore attacking him with a toilet seat. From that point on CDK were too hurt to do anything and THE GOOD DEAL put Gore through a table. Anont Alonzo pinned him afterwards to win the belts.

It did not end there though. Earlier in the show the brand new IWA Japan SETUP World Title was introduced to the world. However Ultramantis and the UMA Corps launched an attack to steal the belt. Brookes was so mad to lose the tag titles in the main event without being pinned that he challenged Ultramantis for a World Title match straight away! Ultramantis refused but then attacked Brookes with the belt, causing the impromptu match to begin. Brookes fought back from the disadvantage and Takanashi was still there to cut off interference from the UMA Corps. But Dr. Gore threw a chair into Brookes’ face at ringside allowing Ultramantis to roll him up and escape with his first successful title defence. The UMA Corps continued to attack CDK until THE GOOD DEAL returned to save the day.


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XI”, 28/07/2024
Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA

1. Shayna Baszler defeated Miyu Yamashita by TKO (8:37).

If there is any big story to talk about in this month’s article it is this one. Yamashita taking part in GCW’s Bloodsport event is notable in itself. She gave shoot boxing a go pretty early into her pro wrestling career and has the kind of martial arts cred that would get you booked for a show like this. The big news though was who they chose to be her opponent. In the main event she took on Shayna Baszler from WWE! It’s the latest move from WWE to open themselves up and show they are willing to work with other wrestling companies. It’s been noted online that the Bloodsport show featured talent from WWE/NXT, TNA, AEW/ROH, NJPW’s American arm, MLW and TJPW. Baszler ended up beating Yamashita by catching her Skull Kick, turning it into a Tombstone and then beginning to ground and pound her until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

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Upcoming Appearances


GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 02/08/2024
TempleLive Cleveland Masonic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs John Wayne Murdoch

August is going to be a GCW month for Maki Itoh both in America and Japan. Her next tour begins with an unexpected opponent. She’s taking on one of their most violent wrestlers John Wayne Murdoch. He won the Tournament Of Survival back in June but his win-loss record in the company since then hasn’t been great.


GCW “CAN I TRUST YOU?”, 04/08/2024
House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh does not have a match announced for the show yet. This date was on her list of advertised bookings last month. The full card seems to have been shown since then and Blake Christian just so happens to have a “Pick Your Poison” style mystery opponent to be announced that day… I don’t see where else she will fit if she is still going to be there.


GCW “THE SKY IS THE LIMIT”, 13/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan

1. Broski Jimmy Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. The Great Sasuke Vs Maki Itoh

Itoh is also representing GCW for their Japan tour that is going on with some help from DDT. In a matchup that only sounds more mind bending the more I think of it, Itoh is going to fight The Great Sasuke! Yamashita will be on one of the shows too facing Broski Jimmy. That’s another match that I would never expect but more for head scratchy reasons.


GCW “YOU ONLY DIE ONCE”, 14/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan

1. Allie Katch & Dark Sheik Vs Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima
2. GCW World Title: Mance Warner (c) Vs Maki Itoh

I made a prediction for this year that Itoh is going to win the GCW World Title. If it ever comes true then this will be the show to do it! It won’t though because GCW are all in on Mance Warner as their top champion while Itoh already holds the GCW Extreme Title but just imagine if they did.

Also added is a GCW Vs TJPW tag match. The visitors (or are they the home team because it’s GCW?) Allie Katch & Dark Sheik take on Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima. I’ll probably make a separate post for the GCW Japan results since those matches are happening in Japan and DDT is involved with promoting the whole tour.


SPW “HARDCORE ISLAND 2: A FINE CITY”, 16/08/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. 3 Way Match: Alexis Lee Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Kaya Toribami

Now that Alexis Lee got to wrestle in Japan and fully integrate herself into TJPW it’s time to send more people back over to Singapore Pro Wrestling. This time Lee will be in a 3 Way Match against two TJPW wrestlers. Yamashita and Toribami are on board to go face her in her home country.


KITSUNE “LOVE MY SHOW!”, 17/08/2024
Brick X Brick, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuna Manase Vs X

I was wondering how long it was going to take until I get to write about more of the American “Joshi” promotions that are currently around. Kitsune emerged around the same time period as SPARK Joshi and Sukeban. This one though has actually been able to run a show in Japan thanks to a lot of help from Marvelous. Their next shows in California is where Yuna Manase will be making her American wrestling debut.


GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS PT. 4”, 17/08/2024
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh will be following GCW back to America after the Japan tour ends.


GCW “SAVE ME”, 18/08/2024
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

More Itoh in GCW here.


KITSUNE “YABAI!”, 18/08/2024
1110 Bates Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase Vs Megan Bayne Vs J-Rod

The original plan was for Manase to be in a 3 Way Match with Sayaka Unagi and J-Rod for the Kitsune World Title. However Unagi is unable to get her visa approved in time and won’t be able to travel to America anytime soon. Since she was the champion, Kitsune made the decision to vacate the belt. It will now go to the winner of a new 3 Way Match between Manase, J-Rod and Megan Bayne.


EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW: JAPAN & UK WRESTLING UNITE!”, 24/08/2024
Conway Hall, London, England

Finally we got a venue for the show. Yamashita, Raku, Mahiro Kiryu and HIMAWARI along with Aja Kong are the Japanese talent coming over to TJPW’s joint show with EVE. The EVE wrestlers being promoted for the show so far include Alex Windsor, Nina Samuels, Lena Cross and Session Moth Martina.


GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 1”, 24/08/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Kerry Morton

The match is in GCW but Itoh gets a little taste of NWA with Kerry Morton as her opponent here. Kerry is the son of Ricky Morton and has been spending a lot of time in NWA as part of The Southern Six. He was even on the winning team at The Crockett Cup a few months ago.


GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 2”, 25/08/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

None of her GCW matches next month have been announced as Extreme Title defences yet.


MLW “SUMMER OF THE BEASTS”, 29/08/2024
Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. Delmi Exo Vs Miyu Yamashita

MLW wrote a really long passage about this match on their Twitter page but we don’t need to go through all that. Yamashita beat Delmi Exo last December, next month is time for the rematch. The difference here is Exo now has the support of MLW’s main authority figure Cesar Duran by her side.


GCW “LIVE FAST DIE YOUNG”, 31/08/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Megan Bayne
2. Maki Itoh Vs Kylie Rae

Prepare for cute smiles everywhere when Itoh is in the ring with Kylie Rae. Things might get ugly though if Itoh ends up feeling threatened by Rae’s cheerfulness. Yamashita getting another match with Megan Bayne is something she might not want to smile about either. They wrestled each other at a DREAMWAVE show back in April. Bayne won clean and Yamashita was in a pretty bad mood about it afterwards, rejecting her post-match handshake.


INSPIRE A.D. “MAY THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN”, 01/09/2024
Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Devin Carter

One of the non-GCW bookings Itoh is taking after the summer is over at Inspire A.D. in Texas. “The Fashionista” Devin Carter is her opponent. They have only been wrestling for a couple of years, mostly around the Texas scene.


MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024
Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Crystal

Still another while until Yuki Kamifuku defends the Queen Of Asia Title against Crystal. Kamifuku has been stepping her game up over the last twelve months and it’s really been paying off for her lately.


GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024
Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

This will be the last weekend of Itoh’s current tour.


GCW “THA G-CODE”, 15/09/2024
Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

And Itoh’s last American booking as of now is here.


SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku

TJPW sent a video message to SETUP announcing the next opponents for Matcha and the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title she currently holds. Both Raku and Pom Harajuku are coming to Thailand to wrestle there for the first time!


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

A big weekend is going down in Seattle during November. TJPW is teaming up with DEFY for a show. Expect around 10-12 TJPW talent to be coming over. That was already announced a while ago…


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

What turned out to be new news about the event is DEFY will be bringing over DDT for an evening show too! DDT has not said yet how many people they are going to bring over.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

The weekend ends with DDT, TJPW and DEFY all joining forces for a triple promotion show.


DDT Around The World – June 2024

July 1, 2024

June was the most TV time Konosuke Takeshita has gotten in months for AEW. Turns out just sticking the guy in multi-man tag matches every week with other exciting wrestlers is a good idea. His entire month was spent being in the TNT Title picture getting ready for a chaotic Ladder Match against five other people. There was also the big reveal of him entering the G1 Climax later this summer, representing both AEW and DDT. It’s another step to show DDT and New Japan are getting along again. DDT has gotten El Desperado, Hiromu Takahashi and most recently Toru Yano involved in important matches at DDT shows. Takeshita in the G1 is the biggest move of a DDT wrestler doing something of note in New Japan since the days of The Golden Lovers.

The last few dates of Miyu Yamashita’s American tour took place in June. It looks like MLW might have a spot for her whenever she is goes back to America based on how her last match went there. However that’s a company that has a habit of just dropping things from taping to taping at the drop of a hat. Shunma Katsumata got to show GCW what DDT’s version of death match wrestling is like. He is willing to do some nutty things and there are plenty of GCW wrestlers there who would do the same. Maki Itoh has another long tour with them coming up soon. A few others from Tokyo Joshi Pro are lining things up for the summer. We even got a hint from Yuka Sakazaki that she is training again after getting injured back in April.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


MAW “LIFT BRIDGE BASH 4”, 08/06/2024
Lift Bridge Brewing Company, Stillwater, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Laynie Luck


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/06/2024
Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

1. Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly & Orange Cassidy Vs Kyle Fletcher, Roderick Strong & Konosuke Takeshita


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/06/2024
EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia, USA

1. Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy & Dante Martin Vs Kyle Fletcher, Roderick Strong, Konosuke Takeshita & Zack Sabre Jr.


Video starts at 1:27:05
MLW “ANNIVERSARY ’24”, 22/06/2024
Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Jazzy Yang Vs Dani Jordyn


AEW “COLLISION”, 29/06/2024
KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York, USA

1. Mark Briscoe, Lio Rush & Dante Martin Vs Jack Perry, Konosuke Takeshita & El Phantasmo

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Results


GCW “TOURNAMENT OF SURVIVAL 9”, 01/06/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Tournament Of Survival 9 – Round 1 – DDT Death Match: Brandon Kirk defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Psycho Driver onto Lighttubes and Chairs (12:45).

A big opportunity in the death match world opened up for Katsumata when he was invited to take part in GCW’s annual Tournament Of Survival. In the first round he crossed paths with the underdog fan favorite Brandon Kirk in a fight that was branded a DDT Death Match. That meant plenty of plastic cases and Lego were used in violent ways along with lighttubes. Katsumata thought he had things won when he hit the Totonou Splash but Kirk kicked out at one! From that point on no matter what Katsumata threw at Kirk he couldn’t pin him with it. Instead Kirk got the win by dropping Katsumata onto a row of folded out steel chairs with the Psycho Driver.


MLW “ANNIVERSARY ’24”, 01/06/2024 (Aired 22/06/2024)
Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Jazzy Yang and Dani Jordyn when Yamashita pinned Jordyn with the Attitude Adjustment (4:17).

After failing to win the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title last month, Miyu Yamashita stuck around in MLW for another taping to take on some new opponents. She was put in a 3 Way Match against Jazzy Yang and Dani Jordyn. Yang is the daughter of Jimmy Yang while Jordyn you might remember seeing on AEW Dark on a regular basis during the pandemic days. Compared to the title match Yamashita had an easier time this time around. Jordyn countered Yang’s Black Hole Slam into a Flatliner to roll her out of the ring and then Cradled Yamashita for a nearfall. Yamashita then gave Jordyn a High Kick and pinned her with the Attitude Adjustment, holding her up for an extra couple of seconds for emphasis.


BLACK LABEL PRO “FAMILY REUNION”, 07/06/2024
Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. BLP Title: Kevin Ku (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Fisherman Buster (18:03).
*V5 for Kevin Ku.

Yamashita’s last shot at winning a championship during her American tour was at a Black Label Pro show. There she found an opponent that hits as hard as she does, Kevin Ku. The two had a war of attrition over the BLP Title going strike for strike against each other. Yamashita used a well timed Leg Sweep to trip Ku onto his knees so she could give him the Skull Kick but Ku kept staying on his feet. Yamashita hit the normal Skull Kick but that only sent Ku falling out of the ring. He was dead weight to lift back into the ring and when he finally got back in, he fell again, dodging another Skull Kick in the process. But it was all a ploy to lure Yamashita into a trap. Yamashita went to pin Ku and Ku cradled her back into a Fisherman Buster that he held onto in order to pin her for the three count. The two paid respect to each other after the match.


MAW “LIFT BRIDGE BASH 4”, 08/06/2024
Lift Bridge Brewing Company, Stillwater, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Laynie Luck with the Skull Kick (?:??).

The next day was Yamashita’s last match of her tour and took place outdoors on a nice, sunny afternoon. She defeated Laynie Luck in the main event of a Midwest All-Star Wrestling show, overcoming some interference in the process.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/06/2024
Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

1. Kyle Fletcher, Roderick Strong & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly & Orange Cassidy when Fletcher pinned Briscoe with a Kneeling Piledriver (13:03).

Last month Takeshita’s road to the IWGP World Heavyweight Title was cut off, at least for now. So in May he took a detour into the TNT Championship picture where he qualified for a big multi-man Ladder Match over the vacated title. It resulted in the most TV match time he’s had in ages as some of the wrestlers involved in the match were put into preview multi-man tags on AEW’s weekly programming. Although in the first tag match it was just Takeshita and Mark Briscoe connected to each other. Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, Kyle Fletcher and Roderick Strong all have other things going on.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/06/2024
EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia, USA

1. All Star 8-Man Tag Match: Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy & Dante Martin defeated Kyle Fletcher, Roderick Strong, Konosuke Takeshita & Zack Sabre Jr. when Cassidy pinned Strong with the Orange Punch (16:41).

Then a week later there was a rematch with Dante Martin and Zack Sabre Jr. joining in on the fun. Martin would become an entrant in the Ladder match too.


AEW “COLLISION”, 26/06/2024 (Aired 29/06/2024)
KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York, USA

1. Jack Perry, Konosuke Takeshita & El Phantasmo defeated Mark Briscoe, Lio Rush & Dante Martin when Takeshita pinned Martin with the Powerdrive Knee (10:52).

The go home show for “FORBIDDEN DOOR” would pit all six wrestlers in the Ladder Match in a final warm up 6-Man Tag. So at this point everyone knew Takeshita would be competing against Briscoe, Martin, Jack Perry, Lio Rush and one of his upcoming G1 opponents El Phantasmo. The G1 weren’t on their minds here though since Takeshita and ELP were able to tag along without any problems. Takeshita even scored the pinfall for his team. But once the match was over all hell broke loose. Perry attacked Takeshita from behind with the TNT Title belt and then one by one everyone started fighting each other, ending with Briscoe climbing a ladder inside the ring and diving onto everyone brawling at ringside below!


AEW/NJPW “FORBIDDEN DOOR 2024”, 30/06/2024
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. TNT Title – Ladder Match: Jack Perry defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Briscoe, Dante Martin, Lio Rush and El Phantasmo when Perry grabbed the title (16:56).
*Jack Perry becomes the 24th TNT Champion!

Takeshita came close to winning the Ladder Match but there was always someone in the way. Mark Briscoe, mainly. Takeshita gave Dante a Deadlift Brainbuster onto a Ladder placed on its side. But then Briscoe sandwiched Takeshita between a chair and table at ringside then hit a Rolling Senton out of the ring through them! Takeshita later put ELP through a table at ringside with the Blue Thunder Bomb from the ring apron. But then Briscoe got in the way again and put Takeshita through a ladder with the Jay Driller. That was the end of Takeshita’s presence in the match since Perry went ahead and won the title.

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Upcoming Appearances


DPW “DPW LIVE 7”, 06/07/2024
NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Battle Of The Best – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima Vs Masha Slamovich

The next TJPW talent to show up at Deadlock Pro is Shoko Nakajima! She is one of the first entrants in their new tournament called Battle Of The Best. Her first round opponent is a familiar face. However Nakajima and Masha Slamovich have only fought each other once before and that was only just recently. They were on opposite sides of the “GCW VS TJPW” main event back in April.


NORTH WRESTLING “THUNDER STRUCK 2”, 13/07/2024
Walker Dome, Newcastle, England

1. Lizzy Evo Vs Miyu Yamashita

Lizzy Evo was one of the many women who failed to take the EVE Title from Yamashita during her big reign over there. They get to have a rematch over at NORTH Wrestling when Yamashita travels back over to England this month.


IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo Vs Ultramantis Black & X

Not one but two teams are going to challenge CDK for the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles. The first challengers are former champions THE GOOD DEAL looking to regain the straps from the team that beat them for it. The other team is a wild card. The UMA Corps are sending over Ultramantis Black and a mystery partner! Is it going to be someone from the Kappa World Order or do they have another monster waiting in the wings?


GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 02/08/2024
TempleLive Cleveland Masonic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

So begins Itoh’s next big tour of GCW. All of her dates for August have been announced but none of the matches yet.


GCW “CAN I TRUST YOU?”, 04/08/2024
House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

I might have to spam the above poster for the rest of the page.


GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS PT. 4”, 17/08/2024
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Who will Itoh step up to in LA?


GCW “SAVE ME”, 18/08/2024
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

This will be a few days after GCW’s tour of Japan, which Itoh will be a part of.


EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 24/08/2024
London, England

No location announced as of the time of writing but we do know that Yamashita, Raku, Mahiro Kiryu and HIMAWARI will be heading over representing TJPW. Also Aja Kong will be part of the show too.


GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 1”, 24/08/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Time to start spamming.


GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 2”, 25/08/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Actually, the “HOMECOMING” shows are usually one of GCW’s big weekends of the year so maybe Itoh defends the GCW Extreme Title on one of the nights if she still has it by then.


GCW “LIVE FAST DIE YOUNG”, 31/08/2024
Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Maki Itoh Vs X

Yamashita will make her return to GCW during Itoh’s tour too.


MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024
Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Crystal

The next Queen Of Asia Title defence is going to be held in China for Middle Kingdom Wrestling. Over there Yuki Kamifuku will put the belt on the line against Philippines wrestler Crystal in a first time meeting between the two.


GCW “TBA”, 14/09/2024
Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Spamming again.


GCW “TBA”, 15/09/2024
Rochester, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Spammy, spammy, spam.

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Cancelled Appearances


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL7: HIT THE LIGHTS”, 01/06/2024
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mike Bailey

Card Subject To Change reared its ugly head. Takeshita did not wrestle on the show and I can’t find a reason why anywhere. Mike Bailey ended up facing Arez Strange instead.


DDT Around The World – April 2024

May 1, 2024

Even with WrestleMania Week out of the way there is so much to talk about what happened in April. It’s probably going to be a month Yuka Sakazaki will want to forget. She finally returned to TV screens only to possibly find her way back to the injury list. It only happened two weeks ago so there’s been no update to her condition. All she has tweeted since the match happened is a zombie emoji. She was being set up for a match with Serena Deeb in AEW but that seems to have gone to the wayside because Deeb is already moving ahead in the AEW Women’s Title picture. Just have to wait and see if it was just a knock to the knee or something worse.

In more uplifting news, Konosuke Takeshita is showing interest in taking the IWGP World Heavyweight Title from Jon Moxley. This is going to be facinating watching a DDT affiliated wrestler in an AEW storyline built around New Japan’s top championship. Does he have any realistic chance of becoming champion? Not unless Moxley gets legit knocked out during the match again. New Japan have clearly set their own story over Moxley’s IWGP Title reign. Their roster led by “The Reiwa Musketeers” are all showing frustration over their company playing second fiddle to AEW. Whether it is Moxley not taking part in the Japan tours or handing title matches out to undeserving challengers in America, the story New Japan is telling does not have Takeshita fitting in anywhere as an important player and I do not expect AEW to make booking decisions that will interfere with it. Still though, Takeshita versus Moxley has been good before and the addition of the IWGP Title is a novelty that got me more interested in the rematch.

Wrapping up the month is the Tokyo Joshi Pro portion of appearances. Maki Itoh finished up her latest American tour and got to defend the GCW Extreme Title. Not sure when she is due back in GCW other than we certainly won’t be waiting long to find out. Miyu Yamashita returned to a bunch of familiar promotions from last year’s excursion. The big one was a visit to TNA where she main evented their TV taping. Most important of all, Kaya Toribami stepped in for an injured Hyper Misao to help save the world from a kappa invasion. That’s a good bird.

Oh and there was also the crazy happenings that went on when Kazusada Higuchi and Mecha Mummy went to West Coast Pro. Let’s get to that.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

Video starts at 2:58:38
WEST COAST PRO “CHRIS HERO’S PRO WRES MIXTAPE”, 14/04/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero Vs Kazusada Higuchi
2. Tornado Tag Team Match: Chris Hero & Bryan Keith Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Mecha Mummy


AEW “COLLISION”, 20/04/2024
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA

1. Bunkhouse Brawl: Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli Vs Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 20/04/2024
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Emi Sakura


PRESTIGE/PRIDESTYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Trish Adora

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Results


WEST COAST PRO “CHRIS HERO’S PRO WRES MIXTAPE”, 14/04/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero Vs Kazusada Higuchi ended in a No Contest (12:23).
2. Tornado Tag Team Match: Chris Hero & Bryan Keith defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Mecha Mummy when Keith pinned Mummy with the Emerald Tiger Driver (13:45).

This was not how I thought things were going to go between Higuchi and Chris Hero. I mean the first ten minutes, sure. They hit each other hard and Higuchi no sold hitting the ring post head first. That was all well and good. He even used his own head to block one of Hero’s Elbow Strikes. Unfortunately as they kept fighting in the corner the referee stepped in one too many times and got knocked out with a Lariat. Higuchi kept attacking Hero until Bryan Keith made his entrance and started squaring off with him. Hero & Keith joined forces so Higuchi now found himself needing help. Suddenly Mecha Mummy appeared!

There were plans for a Keith Vs Mummy match to happen on the show but now the fans got a Tornado Tag match between the four fighters instead! Mummy gave Keith an Atomic Drop onto the Mecha Fist but Keith returned fire by giving Mummy a Drop Toe Hold, destroying the fist on impact. Keith then challenged Mummy to a duel but it ended with them giving each other and the referee Low Blows. The ref also got impaled with the Mecha Drill by accident. Hero then fought Mummy all the way up to the balcony where Higuchi followed. Mummy fired the repaired Mecha Fist at Keith from the balcony and raced down to pin him for a nearfall. Hero returned with bottles of water but Higuchi stopped him from pouring it over Mummy. Keith however took a big drink of the bottle and spat it all over Mummy to make it go haywire. He then gave it the Emerald Tiger Driver to win a crazy match.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 8”, 14/04/2024
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Kylie Rae with the Skull Kick (15:30).

Yamashita’s good run in Prestige continued when she beat Kylie Rae in a hard fought match. Hitting the Return Crash seemed to fire up Yamashita in particular. With that boost she broke out of Rae’s Crippler Crossface and kicked out of a Super Kick at one. She then rolled Rae into a Buzzsaw Kick for a nearfall before putting her down for the count with the Skull Kick.


ROH “ROH ON HONOR CLUB”, 17/04/2024 (Aired 25/04/2024)
Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Leila Grey with the Magical Girl Splash (4:44).

Oh yikes this was bad. There was an awkwardly timed replay segment too right before the finish which only makes me wonder what was cut out because what was left in is the kind of stuff those anti-AEW Twitter accounts would salivate over if people gave a shit about ROH. There was an Elbow Strike exchange that looked like both didn’t want to sell and then Sakazaki tried to do a rope-assisted German Suplex that did not work at all. She was able to beat Leila Grey with the Magical Merry-Go-Round followed by the Magical Girl Splash but that match was one to forget. Or at least it would be if she hadn’t gotten injured in her next match during the month.


UPRISING “UPRISING: WOMEN ATHLETES 2”, 19/04/2024
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Black Swan with the I.S.D. (9:22).
2. Hyan defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Glam Slam (11:27).

It looks like Hyan is one of the few opponents who seems to have Yamashita’s number whenever Yamashita goes over to America. This was their second singles match and there is a tag match to come later this summer. Hyan has beaten Yamashita both times now but it’s been no easy feat. This time Hyan was overwhelmed by Yamashita’s kicks but found ways to avoid the Attitude Adjustment. The last counter led to Hyan giving Yamashita the Glam Slam to win the match.

Itoh was given an opponent who is just as much of a dramatic attention seeker as she is in the form of Black Swan. They spent part of the match fighting outside where Swan threw Itoh into the barricade and then Itoh Body Slammed Swan onto the floor. After going back and forth in the ring, Itoh dropped Swan with a DDT and then got the win by hitting the I.S.D. off the top rope.


DREAMWAVE “ANNIVERSARY IX”, 20/04/2024
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Megan Bayne defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Tombstone Piledriver (9:52).

The next night Uprising’s main promotion DREAMWAVE put together the surprise matchup of Yamashita against Megan Bayne. She is one of the stronger booked wrestlers on the independents right now and her momentum continued here with a clean win over Yamashita. The result seemed to have put Yamashita in a bad mood afterward because she refused to shake Bayne’s hand after the match and left the ring with a sour look on her face.


AEW “COLLISION”, 20/04/2024
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA

1. Bunkhouse Brawl: Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita when Danielson submitted Fletcher with the Chain Assisted LaBell Lock (16:03).

Add the Bunkhouse Brawl to the list of violent matches Takeshita is finding himself in over at AEW. He was all dressed up for the occasion too as one should be for a stipulation like this. Chairs and chains were used by everyone and things got even more chaotic with interference from Powerhouse Hobbs and Moxley. The presence of Hobbs tipped things in favour for The Don Callis Family even when Moxley came down to get rid of him. Things then went south when Bryan Danielson countered Takeshita’s top rope Power Bomb with a Hurricanrana onto a chair set up in the middle of the ring. Claudio Castagnoli then covered his arm with the chain and hit Takeshita with a Charging European Uppercut. Danielson won the match by hitting Kyle Fletcher with the Busaiku Knee followed by putting him in the LaBell Lock for the submission.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 20/04/2024
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Emi Sakura with a Sliding German Suplex (9:31).

And here’s where Sakazaki’s return hit a big bump on the road. During her match with Emi Sakura, Sakazaki tried to do a cartwheel from the top rope onto the ring apron to avoid an attack. She missed landing on the apron and crashed onto the floor outside, hurting her knee in the process. Sakura bought some time with some improvised heel work ringside while Sakazaki tried to walk it off. They were able to continue the match but Sakazaki was still clearly shaken up and using the Sliding German Suplex for the finish was definitely not the original plan. Credit to her for gutting through it and still being able to do most of her moves but she couldn’t hide the upset look on her face after the match.


GCW “HOW HIGH”, 20/04/2024
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. GCW Extreme Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated Sandra Moone with the I.S.D. (8:55).
*V1 for Maki Itoh.

GCW is keeping us on our toes when it comes to Itoh defending the GCW Extreme Title. It wasn’t until the show took place when they announced her match with Sandra Moone would have the title on the line. No worries! Itoh beat Moone in her first defence and they left the ring together shoulder to shoulder.


TNA “IMPACT!”, 21/04/2024 (Aired 02/05/2024)
Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Knockouts World Title: Jordynne Grace (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Juggernaught Driver (?:??).
*V7 for Jordynne Grace.

Last year Yamashita got to wrestle in Impact for the first time. Now it’s a year later and Impact has gone back to being called TNA. No matter what name it’s under now, she was back to fight Jordynne Grace. The stakes were then made higher when TNA decided to make the match for the Knockouts World Title. Yamashita tried something a little bit new in the match when she hit the Skull Kick to the back of Grace’s head buzzsaw style but Grace recovered and used the Grace Driver to retain her title.


PRESTIGE/PRIDESTYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Trish Adora with the Skull Kick (10:33).

Yamashita’s next Prestige match was at an event co-promoted with PrideStyle Inclusive Pro in Las Vegas. She defeated Trish Adora in a match I haven’t seen the VOD of yet.


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 2 – KAPPAS COUNTERATTACK”, 27/04/2024
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Kaya Toribami defeated Ultramantis Black with the Sento Choryu (?:??).

This was originally supposed to be Hyper Misao coming back to America to protect the land from UltraMantis Black and his kappa army. Unfortunately an ankle injury forced a change of plans. Depending on who you ask she either got injured during her match against Steph de Lander at the “GCW VS TJPW” show or she was the victim of an ambush attack put together by the devious UltraMantis. Either way she sent Kaya Toribami to Daikaiju Pro in her place because they still needed a hero to fight for them. During the match Mantis called upon his kappa army for help but Toribami had backup from all of the other babyfaces to even the odds. In the end good prevailed over evil and Toribami successfully hit the Sento Choryu on Mantis to get the victory.


INSPIRE A.D. “THE EVIL WE DO”, 28/04/2024
Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Maya World (?:??).

The last time Yamashita was at Inspire A.D. she took a surprise upset loss to Killa Kate. That wasn’t going to happen again when she fought Maya World in her return to the promotion.

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Upcoming Appearances


GCW “RATHER YOU THAN ME”, 03/05/2024
Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Joey Janela

She got a taste of GCW earlier this month with the “GCW VS TJPW” show and is coming back for a proper go this time around. Yamashita is getting thrown into the deep end for her proper GCW debut. Joey Janela is chomping at the bit to break her into pieces so he can rub it in the faces of joshi fans afterwards.


VPW “SAIGON SLAM”, 04/05/2024
VAIB Studios, Vietnam

1. VPW Women’s Title: Alexis Lee Vs Yuki Kamifuku

Will Yuki Kamifuku beat Alexis Lee for the VPW Women’s Title so it can go along with her Queen Of Asia Title?


MLW “AZTECA LUCHA”, 11/05/2024
Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title – 4 Way Match: Janai Kai (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Zayda Vs Delmi Exo

Well Yamashita wasn’t able to win the Knockouts Title in TNA but she has another title match to look forward to in May. She returns to MLW where Janai Kai is defending the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title in a 4 Way Match. The other challengers are Zayda Steele and Delmi Exo but Kai’s previous title defences have mostly been against joshi wrestlers and TJPW wrestlers in particular. She’s beaten Yamashita before outside of MLW. Can she do it again when her MLW Title is on the line and she needs to have eyes on the back of her head?


DPW “LIMIT BREAK”, 19/05/2024
Durham Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Lady Frost Vs Hyan & Vert Vixen

It’s back to Deadlock Pro! Yamashita’s first time in the ring with Lady Frost is as a team together and they are both familiar with their opponents. Hyan is now a regular presence in Yamashita’s US tours and Yamashita teamed with Vert Vixen the last time she was in DPW.


LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT ONE”, 24/05/2024
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Abadon Vs Miyu Yamashita

This isn’t the first time Yamashita will be fighting a zombie. She used to do that all the time when Maho Kurone was still wrestling. Abadon though is a bit more intense when it comes to that sort of stuff.


LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT TWO”, 25/05/2024
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

What else is Lucha Libre & Laughs going to throw at Yamashita?


SETUP “CLASH OF THE TITANS”, 25/05/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha (c) Vs Monomoth Vs Mizuki

How possible is is that Mizuki wins the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title and then brings it along for her Queen Of Asia Title shot that is due anytime soon? Add the VPW Women’s Title then we end up with an Asian Triple Crown of women’s championships.


GCW “TOURNAMENT OF SURVIVAL 9”, 01/06/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Tournament Of Survival 9: Shunma Katsumata Vs X

One of the big death match tournaments of the year is held by GCW over in America. The 9th annual Tournament Of Survival will have Shunma Katsumata as one of the Japanese entrants along with Big Japan wrestlers Hideyoshi Kamitani and Yuki Ishikawa.


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL7: HIT THE LIGHTS”, 01/06/2024
The Temple, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

The first two seasons of Lucha Underground was a magical time. Season three was good too but the show suffered from taking a massive break mid-season but that’s a conversation for somewhere else. The warehouse that was used to house The Temple for the show tapings is going to host a wrestling show for the first time in seven years. I don’t expect it to look anything like it did in the old days because a lot of that setup was just a TV set but Takeshita getting to wrestle there is pretty neat nonetheless.


MAW “LIFT BRIDGE BASH 4”, 08/06/2024
Lift Bridge Brewing Company, Stillwater, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Laynie Luck

This is still for now the last date on Yamashita’s schedule before she goes back to Japan.


IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X & X

This year is the 30th anniversary of IWA Japan’s launch. What a weird existence this promotion has had. To celebrate there will be a memorial show held by SETUP taking place in Thailand using the IWA branding. CDK will be there to defend the SETUP Tag Team Titles since those belts are also affiliated with IWA Japan. Will Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi have to defend the belts against a pair of kaiju or will they be fighting more normal looking opponents?


DDT Around The World – November 2023

December 1, 2023

Okay so where did things stand during November? Konosuke Takeshita’s work in America was still as a background player in the Don Callis storyline. The rivalry between him and Chris Jericho was mostly focused in Japan for DDT. But with that said there was still the rest of the month for AEW to give him stuff to do and there was nothing to show for it. Shoko Nakajima got to stomp her way to America briefly but just like every American monster movie it was only for a little while. Maki Itoh seems to be booked stronger and stronger in GCW as the months go by. She won all of her matches in America this month! I think there’s going to be some gold on her way in the future. Speaking of gold there is plenty of championship news to talk about for this month.

Sadly for Miyu Yamashita she lost some of her gold after her latest appearance in England. The global triple crown she held a few months back is now long gone and she’s back to just being a champion in Japan. The International Princess Title got to be defended overseas and even made a cameo on NWA programming. The belt was also handled by James Mitchell a lot which makes me hope it got a deep clean before it was transported back to Japan. Yuki Kamifuku has always behaved like a queen and now she gets to be called one thanks to the title she won in Singapore.

So with all of this now out of the way let’s hope December ends the year with a few high notes. Tokyo Joshi Pro has their show with Prestige coming up, Shota is doing a winter excursion and MAO is spending New Year’s with the dodgy bunch of friends you’d wish your kid wouldn’t hang out with.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Shoko Nakajima Vs VENY


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 15/11/2023
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Like A Dragon Street Fight: Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Paul Wight Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 2”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Safire Reed


SPW “VIVA LA LUCHA!”, 24/11/2023
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku

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Results


GCW “PLEASE, BUDDY”, 03/11/2023
Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Itoh Deluxe (8:37).

Itoh can sing, she can dance, she can even carve open human skulls with a pizza cutter. But she cannot do the splits like Shazza McKenzie. The Australian used the splits as a defensive maneuver and then challenged Itoh to match it. Itoh struggled but it didn’t matter because McKenzie then kicked her aside and took control of the match. Itoh recovered and locked in the Itoh Deluxe to make her opponent tap out.


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. VENY defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Moonsault Press onto the pile of Kaiju Toys (12:04).

When you have a promotion called Daikaiju Pro who else is more fitting to headline their first show than the girl nicknamed Big Kaiju? Nakajima brought out a bag filled with kaiju toys that she wanted to use in her match against VENY but the referee wouldn’t allow her to use them. At least he was polite enough to stand up one of the toys on the apron. VENY wasn’t there to play games either. She spat water in Nakajima’s face while beating her down and later hit a big Moonsault onto her outside the ring. A second Moonsault missed its target allowing Nakajima to get her second wind. Things went haywire after VENY accidentally knocked out the ref with a slap. Nakajima had her beaten with the Northern Lights Suplex but no ref was there to count it. Nakajima took advantage by bringing in the bag of kaiju toys and throwing VENY onto them with a Top Rope Hurricanrana. The ref recovered but VENY kicked out of the pin. Nakajima then got a taste of her own medicine by being slammed onto the pile of toys with a Hurricane Driver. She kicked out of a Michinoku Driver but VENY finished her off with the Moonsault Press on top of the toys.


GCW “¿SI OR NO?”, 04/11/2023
Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch defeated Jordan Oliver, Davey Bang & August Matthews when Itoh, Effy & Katch all pinned Matthews with a Triple Kokeshi Headbutt (11:29).

The trio known as Maki Death Bussy won again in their second outing as a team. Their opponents Young, Dumb & Bros tried to used fast paced team moves to their advantage until Allie Katch cleared house with her power. Effy then tagged in Itoh so the three of them could hit a Kokeshi Headbutt all at the same time for the win.


EVE “FRIDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING”, 10/11/2023
Big Penny Social, Walthamstow, London, England

1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) defeated Kasey (10:36).
*V1 for Max The Impaler.

The International Princess Title was defended in England for the first time in over a year when Max The Impaler stepped foot into EVE once more. EVE got permission from TJPW to have Max put the title on the line against the “Monster Of Chaos” Kasey. It was a risk to do this title defence when there was already one scheduled for Max when they returned to Japan. But it turned out not to be a problem for the champion and they left EVE with the title still over their shoulder.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 15/11/2023
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Like A Dragon Street Fight: Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Paul Wight defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage when Omega pinned Cage with the One-Winged Angel (21:01).

Takeshita went full Goro Majima for AEW’s sponsorship with Sega and the new Lika A Dragon game. All that was missing was him calling Kenny Omega “Kenny-chan” while stalking him from every nook and cranny inside the building. The Street Fight was a full tribute to the street fights you get in the game including attacks involving bicycles, people getting slammed onto cars and shop signs getting smashed to bits. This was the kind of natural environments The Golden Lovers developed in and is a recommended throwback to the crazy Falls Count Anywhere Matches they used to get up to in DDT. Kota Ibushi cycling around ringside hitting people with a pipe until Brian Cage decapitated him with a Lariat is something wrestling will always need. Also Powerhouse Hobbs seemed to have killed Paul Wight in the parking lot and it didn’t matter towards the result. AEW really needs to fix that kind of story telling. Anyway, Omega dropped Kyle Fletcher with the One-Winged Angel to deliver a happy ending for this substory.


GCW “GOING AND GOING”, 17/11/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Nicole Matthews with the I.S.D. (9:19).

A first time meeting between Itoh and Nicole Matthews meant it was time for Matthews to discover first hand just how hard Itoh’s head is. She based her attacks around Cravates and Knee Strikes to the head. When that didn’t work she pushed the referee into the ropes to knock Itoh off balance from the top turnbuckle. However Itoh kicked out of a Northern Lights Suplex and lured Matthews back over to the corner. She gave her a Draping DDT onto the ring apron, a Tornado DDT on the floor outside the ring and then the I.S.D back in the ring for the victory.


HOODSLAM “RED”, 18/11/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Sawyer Wreck & Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik & Vipress when Itoh pinned Sheik with the I.S.D. (17:02).

When Itoh was last in Hoodslam she lost a match to Vipress thanks to interference from Dark Sheik. Itoh got her revenge this month by bringing along Sawyer Wreck so they could beat the two of them together. The match transformed into a chicken fight with Itoh sitting on Wreck’s shoulders and Vipress sitting on Sheik’s. Itoh toppled down the opposing tower with her Headbutts. Communication between Sheik & Vipress broke down and the two turned on each other. From that point they were easily picked off with Itoh hitting Sheik with the I.S.D. and Wreck Choke Slamming Vipress for the double pin.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 1”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Chantal Jordan with the Skull Kick (12:27).

Two matches in one day awaited Yamashita for EVE’s last major event of the year. The afternoon match was pretty rudimentary. She beat Chantal Jordan with the Skull Kick, no questions asked.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 2”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title: Safire Reed defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with a Rolling Cradle (15:35).
*Miyu Yamashita fails in V9. Safire Reed becomes the 21st EVE Champion!

The second show at night however brought an end to Yamashita’s year long reign as EVE Champion. The up and comer Safire Reed beat her in a big upset to win the title! Yamashita’s title run ends as the fifth longest in EVE’s history and also has the most successful title defences on record in a single reign. I can’t imagine this will be the last time we’ll see her in EVE too so what she and maybe more from TJPW will do with them in the future is something to watch out for.


LLL “DEEP HURTING”, 22/11/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Maki Itoh defeated Lilith Grimm and Stormi Renee (?:??).

Itoh was back in Lucha Libre & Laughs, beating Lilith Grimm and Stormi Renee in a 3 Way Match.


SPW “VIVA LA LUCHA!”, 24/11/2023
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Alexis Lee (c) with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
*Alexis Lee fails in V5. Yuki Kamifuku becomes the 5th Queen Of Asia Champion!

In a rematch from January of this year, Kamifuku had a second chance of taking the Queen Of Asia Title from Alexis Lee. This time she succeeded and has brought the title championship back to Japan! The belt is managed by Singapore Pro Wrestling so they will need to sign off on any title defences Kamifuku will want to do in TJPW.


GCW “WRESTLECADE WEEKEND”, 24/11/2023
Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Kylie Alexa with the I.S.D. (5:08).

There was no Kenzie Paige on the show. Instead Itoh had to take on Paige’s sister Kylie Alexa. No matter. Itoh beat her anyway.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/11/2023 (Aired 01/12/2023)
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Jah-C. Kit Sackett & Renny D (?:??).

Takeshita ended his month winning a squash match with the rest of The Don Callis Family.

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Upcoming Appearances


BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023
Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA

1. Rachel Armstrong Vs Maki Itoh

Itoh will still be in America while TJPW celebrates their 10th anniversary. December for her begins with Itoh taking on Rachel Armstrong in Black Label Pro.


GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023
Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Mike Bailey

Here’s a matchup so nutty it has to be done a week sooner! GCW originally booked a match between Itoh and Mike Bailey for their show in LA on 9th December. It had to be cancelled because Bailey had a scheduling conflict. So rather than wait until next year to do the match it’s been pushed forward to the Brooklyn show on the 3rd instead.


MLW “ONE-SHOT”, 07/12/2023
Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Delmi Exo
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) Vs Maki Itoh

When Yamashita was announced for MLW a war of words broke out online between her and Delmi Exo. This year Exo held the women’s titles from both MLW and wXw at the same time. She no longer has either so she now has her sights set on the Princess Of Princess Title. Yamashita appreciated the challenge but turned it down because she already has her next defence scheduled for 4th January. Exo wasn’t happy with the response and sent insulting messages to Yamashita until the champion decided to accept the challenge and put Exo in her place. It all sounds well and good for a storyline but I’m a little worried MLW will pull off some bullshit when nobody is looking. They’ve done a phantom title change before with one of the AAA championships during the pandemic and tried to play it off as a misunderstanding over wires getting crossed. Call me skeptical but you should only ever trust Court Bauer as far as you can throw him.

In September Itoh lost a No. 1 Contender match to B3CCA so you may be wondering why she is still getting an MLW World Featherweight Title shot against Janai Kai? It’s because B3CCA has since gotten a knee injury and will be on the shelf for a few months. Can Itoh make the most of this unexpected opportunity?


DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Shazza McKenzie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Please don’t let Sean Ross Sapp interfere in this match.


MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins Vs Shota & J2

Shota is adding dates for his winter tour of America. The earliest match scheduled for him now is at Millenium Pro Wrestling. He will team with a former opponent from last year’s excursion, J2 Mattioli. Their opponents are a team called 24K.


DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Zamaya

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Yamashita and Emi Sakura in the same ring on the same team at the same time? They were on opposite sides once before and that was on a DPW show during the summer. Now we get to see how they will fare when they on the same page. Zayda Steel & Zamaya could be in for a rough night if their opponents gel together really well.


EWF “PRO WRESTLING LUCHA LIBRE”, 09/12/2023
VFW Post 8737, San Bernardino, California, USA

1. EWF Vs The World: Shota Vs Noah

Just like last year Shota’s trip to America has him showing up in some real obscure places on the independents. Empire Wrestling Federation is one of them and they have a wrestler called Noah ready to fight him.


GCW “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM 2”, 09/12/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie

GCW has gone full blown wacky over what they’re replacing Itoh Vs Bailey in LA with. That show is now getting Maki Death Kill against Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie!


SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm Vs Shota

Shota’s opponent when he comes over to Skyfire Pro is Rebel Storm.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Rika Tatsumi & Amira Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Trish Adora
4. Mizuki Vs Sandra Moone
5. Shoko Nakajima Vs Taya Valkyrie
6. Miu Watanabe Vs Hyan
7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly

The full card for “COMBAT PRINCESS USA” is here. Prestige have gathered together Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly, Hyan, Taya Valkyrie, Sandra Moone, Trish Adora, Janai Kai, Shazza McKenzie (replacing an injured Johnnie Robbie) and Amira to represent their side in a bunch of inter-promotional matches against TJPW.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Vinnie Massaro Vs Shota
2. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita

It’s neat to see Vinnine Massaro get to wrestle in NOAH earlier this week. I bet that was a big thrill for him.


CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. MAO Vs X

I’m not sure if MAO is entering the actual King Of The Deathmatch tournament or if he’s there in a separate attraction match.


GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh has her first 2024 dates with GCW ready to go.


GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

So far Itoh has Maki Death Kill and Maki Death Bussy under her list of alliances in GCW. Where does she go next?


DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

DDT returns to America next year as part of The Collective in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania week. Sanshiro Takagi said on Twitter he would also like to do a Falls Count Anywhere match at the Philadelphia Museum Of Arts stairway from the Rocky movie if he is part of the crew travelling over.


DDT Around The World – October 2023

November 1, 2023

A messy edition this time around because I wrote most of this up a week ago before going on holiday. Then in the last seven days came the usual landslide of upcoming bookings and match announcements for the following month that I tried to catch up on. That is why some of the graphics below are outdated.

Anyway, this month Konosuke Takeshita is in the same position as he was last month in the whole Don Callis storyline. AEW has really taken a beating with reviews and criticism for their TV shows lately and rightfully so. Thankfully Takeshita got to have a few matches on the indies so he can do his thing more often. Maki Itoh was part of GCW’s visit to Japan so while this article is supposed to be everything DDT related that happens outside of Japan, this still finds a way to be included here. Miyu Yamashita did another group of bookings in America and Miu Watanabe got to join her for a bit. Yamashita also unintentionally made her on-screen WWE debut when she was seen sitting behind the commentary desk on an episode of NXT. May God have mercy on her for having to hear Booker T’s commentary that close in person. Closing out the month was CDK getting to torment the wrestling community in Thailand again.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE ANNIVERSARY”, 04/10/2023
Stockton Arena, Stockton, California, USA

1. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher (w/ Don Callis)


LLL “THE HANDS OF FATE”, 20/10/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Lilith Grimm Vs Miyu Yamashita


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 27/10/2023
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Kyle Fletcher Vs Konosuke Takeshita

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Results


AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 01/10/2023
Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Sammy Guevara, Will Ospreay & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi when Guevara pinned Jericho (22:10).

The month kicked off with AEW’s latest PPV being a put together as a tribute to the late Antonio Inoki. For Takeshita, his part on the show was to team up with Sammy Guevara & Will Ospreay to defeat Chris Jericho and The Golden Lovers. Takeshita hit a wall when he went face to face with Kota Ibushi and the two more or less cancelled each other out. The result instead went to Guevara who pinned Jericho after Callis struck Jericho with a baseball bat behind the referee’s back.


AEW “DYNAMITE – ANNIVERSARY”, 04/10/2023
Stockton Arena, Stockton, California, USA

1. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher (w/ Don Callis) when Omega pinned Fletcher with the One-Winged Angel (15:15).

A few days later Takeshita and Guevara were meant to team up again to fight Jericho & Kenny Omega. However Guevara was not medically cleared to compete so Takeshita teamed up with Kyle Fletcher instead. Omega got Takeshita out of the way with a Snap Dragon Suplex, leaving everything open for The Golden Jets to finish off Fletcher.


WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 31”, 06/10/2023
Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Storm Grayson (w/ Frank The Clown) with the Powerdrive Knee (16:09).

Takeshita was back to being a babyface when he returned to Warrior Wrestling. Anybody going against a wrestler accompanied by Frank The Clown would be a babyface no matter what. Storm Grayson needed Frank’s interference to have a chance of winning. Frank pulled the referee out of the ring, got Takeshita to chase him around the venue and grabbed Takeshita’s leg back in the ring to stop his momentum. Grayson followed up by relying an exposed turnbuckle to damage Takeshita’s groin thanks to a missed Helluva Kick and then follow up with a kick between the legs. Takeshita however blocked a second Low Blow, threw Grayson away with the Rollover German Suplex and then pin him with the Powerdrive Knee. Given the way Takeshita was selling the low blow after the match, it does make me wonder if he got an injury that kept him away from the ring for pretty much the rest of the month.


GCW “TO LIVE AND DIE IN TOKYO”, 10/10/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Maki Itoh defeated Jimmy Lloyd with the I.S.D. (9:36).

GCW returned to Japan and Itoh was along for the ride. On night one she took on Jimmy Lloyd by herself and took every big move he threw at her. She kicked out of Piledrivers and even a One-Winged Angel. She fought back violently by using a pizza cutter and also smashing a lighttube over Lloyd’s head. Itoh pulled off the upset by dropping Lloyd with the Itoh Suicide DDT.


SPARK “RISING HEAT WEST”, 11/10/2023
LA Dojo, Carson, California, USA

1. Spark Joshi World Title: Billie Starkz defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with a Title Belt Attack (15:36).
*Miyu Yamashita fails in V2. Billie Starkz becomes the 2nd Spark Joshi World Champion!

Yamashita’s reign as Spark Joshi World Champion came to an end not that long after she became an international triple crown holder. Xtinguish leader Billie Starkz relied on Sumie Sakai’s interference to hit Yamashita with the title belt and become champion.


GCW “THE WRLD ON GCW”, 12/10/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Effy, Allie Katch & Maki Itoh defeated Kikutaro, Kikutaro (Abdullah Kobayashi) & Kikutaro (Jimmy Lloyd) when Effy, Katch & Itoh all pinned Kikutaro with a Triple Kokeshi Headbutt (8:20).

Night two of GCW’s Japan tour brought them right into Korakuen Hall. Itoh’s match here was a more lighthearted affair because she teamed up with Bussy to take on not one, not two but three Kikutaros! Itoh did a full Nick Gage style entrance with the crowd. She then used a bull rope with Effy to crotch all three Kikutaros with some added rope burn for extra damage. Itoh attacked the original Kikutaro with a pizza cutter until she realised she couldn’t cut through his mask. She and Bussy then unmasked the other two revealing they were Jimmy Lloyd and Abdullah Kobayashi! The original Kikutaro was then triple teamed with Effy, Allie Katch & Itoh all hitting Kokeshi Headbutts on him at the same time for the finish.


SPARK “RISING HEAT EAST”, 14/10/2023
Engelwood Neighborhood Center, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Miu Watanabe defeated KiLynn King with the Tear Drop (14:09).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Jessie with the Skull Kick (13:13).

Things went off better for the Tokyo Joshi Pro side at SPARK’s next show. Jessie tried to match Yamashita kick to kick but fell to the Skull Kick like so many others.

Miu Watanabe scored a big win over KiLynn King, spinning her powerful opponent around with the Giant Swing in the process. She just about kicked out of the King’s Curse, stunned King with the Laserbeam and pinned her with the Tear Drop.


LLL “THE HANDS OF FATE”, 20/10/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lilith Grimm with the Skull Kick (?:??).

Yamashita didn’t have to worry about Heidi Howitzer in Lucha Libre & Laughs this time around. Her opponent instead was Lilith Grimm.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 25/10/2023 (Aired 27/10/2023)
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kyle Fletcher with the Wagamama (11:17).

From tag partners to opponents. Takeshita and Fletcher last fought each other one on one in Manchester almost four years ago. Now they fight again this time on American TV. Takeshita used the Wagamama version of his Powerdrive Knee that involves pulling down his kneepad and striking the opponent with the exposed knee. After the match Fletcher attacked Takeshita with a chair in an act of frustration but was stopped by Powerhouse Hobbs and Don Callis. Callis then convinced Fletcher to join his side.


SETUP “SETUP EP.16”, 28/10/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SPW Champion Of Singapore & Gatoh Move One And Only Title & SETUP Thailand Openweight Title Unification Match: Shivam (S/c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (T/c) and Kappa Rockstar (?:??).
*???
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Brookes defeated Monomoth with the Praying Mantis Bomb (?:??).
3. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart when Brookes pinned Alonzo after the Thrust Kick & Praying Mantis Bomb with Takanashi (?:??)
*THE GOOD DEAL fail in V?. CDK become the 11th IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!

CDK went and caused a lot of havoc in Thailand at the end of the month. Chris Brookes defeated Monomoth in what was advertised as the main event Dramatic Dream Match but cheated to do so. He gave Monomoth a Low Blow before finishing him off with the Praying Mantis Bomb. CDK then demanded an impromptu tag title match against SETUP’s tag champions THE GOOD DEAL. They beat the champs to win the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles.

Earlier in the show Masahiro Takanashi lost his SETUP Thailand Openweight Title in a 3 Way Match. His original match against Paksa was changed on short notice to a 3 Way Match with Shivam and Kappa Rockstar. Shivam ended up winning the match and all of the championships involved in it.


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Penta el Zero Miedo & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sami Callihan & Shun Skywalker when Penta pinned Skywalker with the Fear Factor onto a stack of chairs (?:??).

This match was originally meant to be Takeshita and The Lucha Brothers teaming up against Shun Skywalker and La Rebellion. Well that didn’t happen. For a variety of reasons from Rey Fenix being injured and La Rebellion recently splitting up (I think? All I heard about the NWA PPV was it included a comedy scene where a bunch of wrestlers did cocaine on camera which is both the least NWA thing ever and also the most NWA thing ever), the match was changed to Takeshita & Penta el Zero Miedo taking on Skywalker & Sami Callihan. The match featured the unexpected inclusion of actor Jason Segel when Callihan found him in the crowd, threw Penta onto his lap and then Super Kicked them. Takeshita and Penta used some good teamwork together on Skywalker, leading to Penta crashing him through a bunch of chairs with a Package Piledriver for the win.

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Iron Man Title In USA


But wait, there’s more. The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title was taken to America this month too thanks to Hiromu Takahashi. The New Japan wrestler won the belt just before his company’s return to the USA so he was obligated to bring it with him. He was targeted by Danny Limelight during the show but made it out safe and sound as champion. It wasn’t until Takahashi was back at his hotel room when he was completely defenceless. Sumie Sakai snuck into his room with a referee and they found Takahashi sleeping on his bed. However the ref noticed that Takahashi’s iPhone was lying on his chest so he treated it as a pin, counted to three and declared Yellow iPhone 14 as the new champion! Sakai immediately grabbed the phone and pinned it on the floor to win the title. Her celebration was quickly cut off when Takahashi rolled her over with a School Boy to get the belt back and send everyone out of his room. At the time of writing Takahashi is back in Japan with the title but is still getting ambushed backstage at New Japan shows by other wrestlers who want to be the Iron Man Champion.

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Upcoming Appearances


GCW “PLEASE, BUDDY”, 03/11/2023
Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Shazza McKenzie

This was a match originally booked by GCW back in May but was changed into a multiple woman free for all. Itoh and Shazza McKenzie have only wrestled each other in those kind of scramble matches so if plans don’t change again then there first singles match will take place here.


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Shoko Nakajima Vs VENY

America gets the first time ever Shoko Nakajima Vs VENY match. The two met in the ring for the first time earlier this year in DDT for one of Saki Akai’s 10th Anniversary celebration matches. Their next meeting is in somewhere very different, the new Daikaiju Pro group.


GCW “¿SI OR NO?”, 04/11/2023
Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Jordan Oliver, Davey Bang & August Matthews

The match in Japan worked out for them so Itoh is now teaming up with Effy & Allie Katch to form the unbeatable force known as… Maki Death Bussy! Their opponents is also a trio of teams mashed up together. Jordan Oliver, Davey Bang & August Matthews are going by the name Young, Dumb & Bros.


EVE “FRIDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING”, 10/11/2023
Big Penny Social, Walthamstow, London, England

1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Kasey

The relationship between TJPW and EVE extends even further with Max The Impaler’s arrival in England. EVE has been given permission to have Max defend the International Princess Title against their upcoming opponent Kasey. The winner will next have a title defence in Japan against Shoko Nakajima.


GCW “GOING AND GOING”, 17/11/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Nick Gage Vs X

Not a guarantee that Maki Death Kill are teaming up just because they get advertised together.


HOODSLAM “RED”, 18/11/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh returns to Hoodslam. I hear things in their shows are getting a bit out of control over there lately.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Safire Reed

Yamashita will have become a year long EVE Champion by the time her next appearance and title defence on their shows takes place. The next big challenger being built up for her is Safire Reed, the winner of this year’s SHE-1 tournament. Reed got to beat two of Yamashita’s previous EVE opponents to get here too. She has wins over Emersyn Jayne and Alex Windsor.


LLL “DEEP HURTING”, 22/11/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Lilith Grimm Vs Maki Itoh Vs Stormi Renee

Grimm gets another crack at a TJPW talent in Lucha Libre & Laughs, this time against Itoh. It’s a Triple Threat match though with Stormi Renee also in the mix.


SPW “VIVA LA LUCHA!”, 24/11/2023
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku

A second chance for Yuki Kamifuku. She fought Alexis Lee in Singapore Pro Wrestling for the Queen Of Asia Title back in January this year but lost. Since then Lee also successfully defended the title against Saki Akai.


GCW “WRESTLECADE WEEKEND”, 24/11/2023
Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Kenzie Paige

Now here’s something interesting. Kenzie Paige is currently the NWA World Women’s Champion. Does that play into this match against Itoh in any way shape or form? Or does GCW just ignore that and tell her that Itoh is going over, sister!


BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023
Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA

1. Rachel Armstrong Vs Maki Itoh

In another era that image above would be a King Of Trios team. Instead Itoh’s appearance in Black Label Pro is fighting against Rachel Armstrong.


GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023
Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

You know what would be a fun idea? Sayaka Unagi is booked on GCW’s other show that weekend. Put her and Itoh in a match together for old time’s sake.


DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Shazza McKenzie Vs Miyu Yamashita

A rematch from ROH earlier this year. Fingers crossed we get the same result.


DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Zamaya

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Yamashita and Emi Sakura in the same ring on the same team at the same time? They were on opposite sides once before and that was on a DPW show during the summer. Now we get to see how they will fare when they on the same page. Zayda Steel & Zamaya could be in for a rough night if their opponents gel together really well.


SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Shota Vs X

Shota is heading back to America for an end of year tour. First stop for him is at Skyfire Pro Lucha Libre in San Diego.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly

Free WiFi and Pom Harajuku have been added to the show.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Vinnie Massaro Vs Shota
2. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita

Shota will also be on the same Pandemonium Pro show that’s hosting Yamashita versus Mike Bailey. He takes on indy journeyman Vinnie Massaro.


CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. MAO Vs X

Circle 6 is one of the messier deathmatch promotions going on in the scene right now but MAO likes wrestling there so he’s going back to party with them for New Year’s.