TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 657 Fans
1. Hikari Noa defeated Runa Okubo with the Blue Racer (5:13).
2. 3 Way Match: Nao Kakuta defeated Haruna Neko and HIMAWARI when Kakuta pinned HIMAWARI with the Shiden Kai (8:04).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro when Raku pinned Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow (7:40).
4. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano defeated Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami when Nagano pinned Toribami with the Whirlwind Kick (8:58).
5. Yuki Arai & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Wakana Uehara & Toga when Arai submitted Uehara with the Sasori-Katame (10:18).
6. Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima & Suzume defeated Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Aino when Mizuki pinned Watanabe with the Cutie Special (15:31).
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Miyu Yamashita defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Skull Kick (15:57).
The tenth edition of the Tokyo Princess Cup has brought closure to one of the longest running curses in Tokyo Joshi Pro. That’s right, Miyu Yamashita has finally won the tournament! Her victory in the final ended Yuki Kamifuku’s strong run but it wasn’t without a fight. Kamifuku used the Reverse Famouser she debuted yesterday, a Superplex, the Manjigatame and also some good old Eye Pokes to her advantage. But Yamashita fought back with German Suplexes, the Return Crash and the Skull Kick. That last move would have won the match if it wasn’t for Kamifuku’s long leg reaching over to cause a rope break. Kamifuku had one last gasp that led to her missing the Famouser. Yamashita quickly capitalised with the Crash Rabbit Heat to the back followed by another from the front to win the final.
Yamashita told the fans it’s taken 10 years but she finally won the Princess Cup. However she still has big ambitions for the future and is moving straight on to the next one. She called down Mizuki to the ring and told her she wanted to win this tournament so she could challenge her for the Princess Of Princess Title with pride. Mizuki admitted she is frustrated she lost to Yamashita in the 1st Round. Her pro wrestling life is the exact opposite of Yamashita but she respects her a lot. Mizuki accepted the challenge and the title match will take place at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October. Yamashita requested a handshake afterward but Mizuki declined with a shake of her head.
Backstage Yamashita repeated her points. She has thought about winning the Princess Cup for the last ten years but the championship Mizuki has is more important to her. She also praised Kamifuku and is really glad to have fought her in the final. When a reporter pointed out that Yamashita has won both of TJPW’s annual tournaments this year, she said she can now add “Tournament Wins” to her special skills column. Kamifuku revealed that right after the match she received a LINE message from Aja Kong that said “You did your best.” Kamifuku still does not like competing in tournaments but understands she has to enter them and do her best.
Mizuki kept her skills sharp in the semi-main event by scoring the pinfall on Miu Watanabe in a 6-Woman Tag Match. Suzume took out Yuki Aino with the top rope Facebuster, Rika Tatsumi got rid of her with the Twist Of Fate and Shoko Nakajima bowled out who was left with a Topé Con Hilo. Back in the ring Mizuki unleashed the Whirling Candy on Watanabe and pinned her with the Cutie Special.
Yesterday’s fortunes were switched around for a few people in Match #5. Toga was coming in fresh off of winning a match by herself for the first time and Wakana Uehara was on the winning team with her. Yuki Arai on the other hand had to bounce back from her semi-final loss while Mahiro Kiryu is dealing with the hand she’s dealt with like always. Toga used her new Rock Bottom finisher again on Kiryu but the match came down to Uehara against Arai. A Big Boot from Arai led to her submitting Uehara with the Scorpion Deathlock.
The first time meeting between Hyper Misao and Juria Nagano saw the two facing off for a Karate duel. Misao then immediately threw away that idea and strangled Nagano with her cloak instead. Nagano had her Karate Tag partner Moka Miyamoto to count on though and together they kicked away Misao. Kaya Toribami stepped in and got a nearfall on Nagano with the 2nd Rope Twisting Senton. But Nagano hit her with a flurry of strikes, finishing her off with the Whirlwind Kick for the three count.
There was some confusion during the morning over Pom Harajuku. A couple of hours before the show began, TJPW announced she would be absent for various reasons and the card would be changed in response to that. The new card had Aino replacing Harajuku so Aino would have ended up wrestling twice. However Sayuri Namba then announced during the show opening introductions that Harajuku was here and will be wrestling her match after all, just a little later than scheduled. In the match itself Harajuku had a handle on Shino Suzuki while Raku beat Haru Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow.
The last of the summer vibes were cherished in the 3 Way Match. Nao Kakuta stood on HIMAWARI like a surfboard, tied Haruna Neko’s tail to the rope to immobilise her and then pinned HIMAWARI with the Shiden Kai.
Hikari Noa won her match by using the Blue Racer submission hold for the first time in a while. She locked the move in on Runa Okubo and pulled her away from the ropes. Stuck in the center of the ring with nowhere to go, Okubo gave up.
TJPW is heading back to America this December for a co-promoted show with Presitge Wrestling! The two promotions are putting together “COMBAT PRINCESS USA” at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles on 14th December. The names announced so far are Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Taya Valkyrie, Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly and Sandra Moone.
Maki Itoh Vs Nyla Rose was announced for “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October.
The vacant Princess Tag Team Titles will crown new champions at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”. Details will be announced at a later date.
DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – marcheur Presents Battle Royal: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs HARASHIMA Vs Naruki Doi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Diya Diamond Presents 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
3. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs KANON
4. Jemile Fran Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Sakura Hirota Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (c) Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Saki Akai, Maya Yukihi & Asuka Vs Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima
7. DDT Extreme Title – Weakness Explosion!! Activation Conditions Are Up To You! Fall & Escape = Ghost & Balloon Explosion Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
Yesterday Kazuki Hirata and Yukio Sakaguchi met with Hisaya Imabayashi to sign the contract for their DDT Extreme Title match. Hirata admitted he could not think of a match stipulation in time but promised he would come up with something that Sakaguchi would be pleased with. Sakaguchi signed the contract and Hirata suddenly burst into laughter. He actually did come up with rules and Sakaguchi cannot back out now. The match Hirata wants is a Ghost & Balloon Death Match! The match can be won and lost as normal but whenever there is a kickout or rope break either a “Ghost” or a “Balloon” will enter the ring. It turns out that Sakaguchi does not like either ghosts or balloons so Hirata figured out he can use that information to unsettle his opponent. His point was proven when he took out a pair of rubber gloves, blew them up like balloons and then popped them, causing Sakaguchi to flee the room.
Several matches on the show are being sponsored by different beauty products and salon businesses.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN – DAY 1”, 16/08/2023 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. The Scariest Event In History! Ghost Story New Numabukuro Death Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuni Vs Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuma Sumi (Ghost Story Reading Artist: Hisaya Imabayashi)
2. Blindfold Hidden Breast 4 Way Death Match: HARASHIMA Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & X Vs MAO & Pokotan
4. YOROKOBI BREWERY Infomercial Match: Yuji Hino, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio naya & Yuki Ishida
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shigehiro Irie & Jun Akiyama
The latest match added to the show has some mystery to it. Yuki Ueno’s unannounced teammate is somebody he believes can become a new rival for Pokotan. Who (or what) could it be? Another mascot?
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2023”, 27/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Saki Akai Photobook “GRACIA” Infomercial Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai Photobook “GRACIA”
2. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs MAO
3. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 3 ~ Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Saki Akai
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Yuki Ueno Vs Shigehiro Irie & Jun Akiyama
5. HARASHIMA Debut 22nd Anniversary Match: HARASHIMA, Yasu Urano & Ken Ohka Vs Daisuke Sekimoto, Sanshiro Takagi & Yukio Sakaguchi
Wrestlers close to HARASHIMA are being called together to celebrate his 22nd anniversary in wrestling. Daisuke Sekimoto is the big guest taking part in the match.
DDT wanted to do a match promoting Saki Akai’s new photobook “GRACIA”. Akai is already booked on the show so DDT decided to put together a 3 Way Match between Hirata, Antonio Honda and… the photobook. This is now going to be the second Saki Akai photobook to wrestle in DDT. The first one is a former Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion because of course it would be! It even beat The Young Bucks autobiography to win it.
BASARA “BASARA 227 ~UTAGE~”, 29/08/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Isami Kodaka & Ryuichi Sekine Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
2. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs FUMA
Over the weekend FUMA defeated SAGAT to become the new No. 1 Contender for the Union MAX Title. On a roster as small as BASARA it is one of the strongest challengers Takumi Tsukamoto is going to get.
Part-time roster member Ryuichi Sekine returns to team with Isami Kodaka again.
GANBARE☆PRO “KAMIKAZE TAXI 2023”, 02/09/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
The second challenger for Kodaka quickly made himself known over the weekend. Shinichiro Tominaga had a brief stare down with Kodaka at the Ganbare☆Pro show on Sunday afternoon and then later that evening threw out the challenge after he beat Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi in BASARA. The two wrestlers go way back to the final years of Union Pro. Tominaga came into the promotion at the beginning of 2012 as the hot new rookie with a lot of promise behind him. His run in that promotion only lasted 6 months of ring time when he fractured his forearm. Then when 2012 rolled around he declined to renew his contract and went back to the lower independents. It is a decision that has stayed on his mind ever since. Was he right or wrong to leave back then? He eventually bounced back by finding GanPro and becoming a regular part of their shows. He now thinks he is able to catch up with Kodaka. If he beats him for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title then it will prove he made the right choice all those years ago.
Soma Takao will be on the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/09/2023 Nagano Kissei Bunka Hall Middle Hall
1. Aja Kong Vs X
Not only is this show a homecoming for Rika Tatsumi but it is also where Maki Itoh will return from her latest overseas tour. Aja Kong is coming back to Tokyo Joshi Pro for another match too.
1. Sparky Final Match ~Final Battle At The Place Of Formation~ Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita
As was promised by Ryota Nakatsu a few months ago, his unit Sparky is going to split up after the entire group gets together one last time. The full goodbye is happening in September due to Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa having their own schedules that conflict with BASARA’s dates. Sparky’s final match as a group is against the full force of Sento Minzoku in an Elimination Match.
Kohei Kinoshita will also be on the show, going along with Tanizaki as the second Dove Pro representative.
America had to deal with the adventures of MAO & Yoshihiko for most of July. The two of them were inseperable and causing chaos on every wrestling show they were booked for. Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita is fitting into his heel role nicely, bringing the act over from AEW to DDT and creating consequences in both companies. Since next month is AEW’s big week of doing Wembley in London and the United Center in Chicago one after the other you would think Takeshita will get an important match somewhere on either card.
With those topics out of the way that leaves us with Maki Itoh. The experience gained from touring America is doing wonders for her career but she didn’t win the Princess Of Princess Title back in Tokyo Joshi Pro like she hoped. Her storyline in GCW is coming to a head in August and she has her sights set on many more tours in the future. It can make you wonder if she will reach a stage where she might choose to say goodbye to TJPW some day. Her interviews on the subject have been contradictory depending on who she talks to. She would love to get a full time deal from a big American company but she also likes being signed to TJPW because they let her work this kind of international schedule. It’s nothing to fret over right now but the thought has crossed my mind when it became clear her future plans do not include the Princess Title.
CIRCLE 6 “LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE”, 16/07/2023 1720 Warehouse, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AJ Gray Vs MAO
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/07/2023 TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Blood & Guts: Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson & Kota Ibushi Vs Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Konosuke Takeshita & PAC
Video starts at 1:01:38 for the match. Go to 01:41:04 for Itoh’s birthday celebration. SMASH “CAN-US CLASSIC 2023”, 22/07/2023 Western Fair District, London, Ontario, Canada
1. Jody Threat Vs Maki Itoh
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Results
EVE “NMITB”, 02/07/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Eve Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Rhio with the Crash Rabbit Heat (21:21). *V6 for Miyu Yamashita.
Miyu Yamashita was scheduled to defend the EVE Title against Emersyn Jayne but the challenger couldn’t make the show due to travel problems. Yamashita instead had to put the belt on the line against “The Unbreakable” Rhio with both wrestlers having no time to prepare for each other. Rhio’s power was brought into the fore with her getting nearfalls from a Pumphandle Bomb and Death Valley Driver onto her knee. But Yamashita escaped from a Package Piledriver attempt and caught Rhio with the Skull Kick. Rhio fell next to the ropes so she used a rope break to avoid being pinned. Yamashita then wore her down with kicks until she could pin Rhio with the Crash Rabbit Heat.
WEST COAST PRO “CRUEL SUMMER 2023”, 08/07/2023 United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Bryan Keith defeated MAO with the Emerald Tiger Driver (15:55).
MAO’s trip to America began at West Coast Pro where Bryan Keith was waiting for him. Keith had warned MAO not to expect any moonlight on this ocassion while MAO thought he would be fine because he is a “fucked up wrestler with an empty head.” That was proven when Yoshihiko interfered to help him! Keith survived the surprise attack and fired himself up and threw Yoshihiko out of the ring with a Razor’s Edge to even the odds. After a back and forth, Keith pinned MAO with the Emerald Tiger Driver for the win.
JCW “BIG ASS EXTREME BIRTHDAY BASH”, 09/07/2023 Ridgefield Park Knights of Columbus, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. MAO defeated Mike Bailey with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver (14:47).
2. Bunkhouse Stampede: Manders defeated Charles Mason by Ring Out (22:13). Order Of Elimination: Jay Sawyer, Steve Off, Steve Scott, Grim Reefer, Brogan Finlay, Marcus Mathers, Kaia McKenna, Charlie Tiger, Eddy Herrera, Bam Sullivan, CPA, Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Yoshihiko, Yoya, John Wayne Murdoch, Parrow and Charles Mason.
Wherever MAO went in America, Yoshihiko followed him the entire way. It led to an awkward reunion with Mike Bailey in JCW. MAO and Speedball faced off in a battle between The Moonlight Express but things went sideways when MAO accidentally knocked out the referee with a Helluva Kick. Yoshihiko grabbed itself a ref shirt and went in as the replacement! However its officiating didn’t meet Bailey’s expectations so Yoshihiko was thrown out of the ring Razor’s Edge style deep into the crowd. The distraction might have led to Bailey’s undoing because MAO went on to beat him with a top rope Michinoku Driver with the original ref making the count.
Yoshihiko would reappear in a Bunkhouse Stampede match booked later in the show. It was a complete free for all where Yoshihiko appeared for a confrontation with Charles Mason and his backup muscle Parrow. The three of them have previous bad blood in the GCW/JCW system because Mason hates being embarrassed by the doll. Parrow tried to throw Yoshihiko out but Yoshihiko grabbed onto him and applied a Sleeper Hold. Mason lost his mind and hit Yoshihiko/Parrow with chairshot after chairshot before finally throwing the doll out of the ring to eliminate it.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 12/07/2023 (Aired 14/07/2023) SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mentallo with a Diving Senton (4:07).
Don Callis went the personal route to help Takeshita prepare for Blood & Guts. The show took place in Canada so Callis got AEW to book Kenny Omega’s longtime friend and training partner Mentallo as Takeshita’s opponent. The masked wrestler put up a good effort but Takeshita was victorious in the end, using a Diving Senton to add a new high flying move to his arsenal.
IWTV “MARCUS MATHERS ALL I WANT 2”, 13/07/2023 H20 Wrestling Center, Williamstown, New Jersey, USA
1. Yoshihiko defeated Jimmy Lloyd with the Yoshihiko Destroyer (9:56).
2. MAO defeated Brandon Kirk with the Phoenix Splash through the Plastic Cases (16:14).
The bottom ring rope snapped off during the first five minutes of the opening match and couldn’t be repaired. That should tell you the kind of night waiting ahead for MAO and Yoshihiko. But that’s the kind of fucked up wrestling MAO wants so he didn’t lose a step fighting against Brandon Kirk. A lot of chairs and plastic boxes were thrown into the mix for the two to beat each other up with.
Yoshihiko was tasked with fighting Jimmy Lloyd and both were prepared to tear the place apart. Yoshihiko did a balcony dive and landed Headbutt first onto Lloyd to break him through a wooden panel. Lloyd tried using a Steiner Screwdriver, Package Piledriver and Sleeper Suplex onto chairs but couldn’t get the three count. He went desperate by taking Yoshihiko to the top rope with chairs laid out below. Yoshihiko flipped him off with a Canadian Destroyer onto the chairs and then followed up with a second Destroyer for the finish.
GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 14/07/2023 Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Billie Starkz with the Itoh Deluxe (15:16).
2. Mike Bailey defeated Yoshihiko with the Stormbreaker (23:28).
3. GCW World Title: Blake Christian (c) defeated MAO with a Step Up Curb Stomp (14:21) *V6 for Blake Christian.
MAO had a big chance to grab some gold in his trip to GCW proper. He took on Blake Christian for the GCW World Title but things just didn’t work out for him on this night. Christian gave him a Low Blow, a Death Valley Driver and then finished him off with a Curb Stomp for a successful title defence.
There was something familiar about Bailey Vs Yoshihiko but I just can’t quite put my finger as to what it was. In a completely original match Bailey was accompanied by MAO Callis and his bodyguards. MAO was quickly ejected backstage but later returned to hand Bailey a screwdriver to attack Yoshihiko with. He then used the One-Winged Angel but Yoshihiko kicked out at one. Bailey lost his temper so he gave Yoshihiko the Tiger Driver ’91 (maybe that should be written without the apostraphe because he slammed the doll’s head into the mat around 91 times), the Hidden Blade and the Stormbreaker to win the match. It was unlike anything anyone had seen within the space of a three week period.
In a rematch from last August, Itoh defeated Billie Starkz not just in a wrestling match but in a pose-off to see who is cuter that happened midway through. After the match Itoh celebrated with Nick Gage and they then threw out a challenge to Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander. A video message from the two played over the screen in response but it turned out to be a trap! Cardona & De Lander ran into the ring through the crowd and ambushed Maki Death Kill. When they were done with the attack they accepted the challenge for a tag match.
1. Maki Itoh defeated Vanessa Kraven with the I.S.D. (14:49).
I don’t often talk much about match quality in these articles but you’re best to avoid watching this one. It wasn’t good.
CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 15/07/2023 Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. MAO Vs Bobby Beverly
I couldn’t find the result for this match on a show that had no wrestling ring. What I could find was footage of MAO giving Bobby Beverly a really nasty looking Package Piledriver onto a chair with Beverly’s head clipping off of the headrest. There was also footage of MAO singing with a band so win or lose he looked like he was having a great time.
CIRCLE 6 “LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE”, 16/07/2023 1720 Warehouse, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AJ Gray defeated MAO with a Lariat (?:??).
Yoshihiko again interfered in one of MAO’s matches to aid him, this time against AJ Gray. While Yoshihiko did not get hurled across the room into the audience, Grey overcame the 2-on-1 disadvantage to win.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/07/2023 TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Blood & Guts: Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson & Kota Ibushi defeated Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Konosuke Takeshita & PAC when Moxley gave up (23:01).
Oh what drama that has been brewing in The Elite Vs Blackpool Combat Club feud in its final month. Takeshita travelled over to Mexico to assault Omega then helped BCC launch another attack on him back in America. That was when The Elite revealed their ace in the hole for Blood & Guts. The return of Kota Ibushi! In a match that was violent as promised, the BCC team fell apart when PAC took an accidental blow from Claudio Castagnoli. PAC has no loyalty to the group so he broke out of the cage and left. When The Elite got their second wind, Callis told Takeshita to leave the cage too! Takeshita did so and The Elite went on to beat BCC to end their feud.
1. Maki Itoh defeated Jody Threat with the I.S.D. (?:??).
Itoh was having a good night in Smash to begin with when she defeated Jody Threat. Then at the end of the show she was given a surprise birthday party in the ring because everyone found out it was her birthday that day! How sweet of them.
PRESTIGE “ALL RISE”, 23/07/2023 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Trish Adora defeated Maki Itoh with the Lariat Tubman (13:43).
Itoh’s return to Prestige was for a semi-main event match against Trish Adora. Oddly enough this was the first time they’ve faced each other even though Adora has become a regular opponent for TJPW wrestlers. Itoh lost on this day by running straight into Adora’s Lariat. Itoh declined to shake her hand afterwards.
DEFY “SPIRIT WC”, 28/07/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Game Over (?:??). *V7 for Vert Vixen.
The main event of DEFY’s women only show was where Itoh had her latest chance to win an American championship. Vert Vixen defeated her, making it three successful DEFY Women’s Title defences against TJPW talent.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023 Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia
It was only a matter of time until Chris Jericho would latch onto the new hot act and change the story into one about himself. He got the screen time with Callis while Takeshita was back in Japan wrestling for DDT. When Takeshita returns to America he will team with Jericho to take on Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia in the latest chapter of the Jericho Appreciation Society story. It’s going to suck if the latest direction for “ALL IN” and “ALL OUT” only pushes Takeshita into the background. Maybe there is hope for him getting an important match if Omega is not going to face Will Ospreay for a third time or if Ibushi is not being a tease about showing up at Wembley.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Gringo Loco Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Coming in hot right as I am finishing up this article is news that Takeshita will be at this Thursday’s Wrestling REVOLVER show as a last minute replacement for Jon Moxley. According to Moxley he gave REVOLVER his approval for them to book Takeshita. The original plan was for Moxley to take on Gringo Loco in a Lucha Street Fight. Instead Loco will face Takeshita but the Street Fight stipulation seems to be dropped.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR NIGHT 1”, 04/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. 6-Person Scramble: Brittnie Brooks Vs Maki Itoh Vs Zayda Steele Vs B3CCA Vs Kaia McKenna Vs Shazza McKenzie
The winner of the scramble match in DREAMWAVE earns a spot in a match on 14th October that will crown the promotion’s first Women’s Champion.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR NIGHT 2”, 05/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Most likely the results on the first show will determine what Itoh is doing on the second. DREAMWAVE says there will be a second Scramble match on this second show where the winner also qualifies for October’s championship match. So if Itoh does not win the first time then maybe she can get a second chance if she demands it.
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS”, 11/08/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Allie Katch Vs Steph De Lander Vs Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich
The four leading women in GCW right now are all set to collide in a 4 Way Match. Itoh has her grudge with De Lander but the likes of Allie Katch and Masha Slamovich could get in her way.
KOPW “THE NEW ERA OF CHINESE PRO WRESTLING III”, 19/08/2023 Tianyue Sports City, Nanhai Foshan, Guangdong, China
1. Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta
TJPW is sending Mizuki and Nao Kakuta over to China to hold an offer match at the latest King Of Pro Wrestling show. The Chinese promotion has booked joshi before such as Riho, Makoto, Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga.
NJPW “LEC PRESENTS ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL USA 2023”, 19/08/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. El Desperado & MAO Vs Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver
The first “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL” in Tokyo earlier this year was such a major success New Japan and the sponsor LEC decided to bring the concept over to America. MAO gets invited back as a result and gets to take on The East West Express again. This time however he is teaming with El Desperado, making it the first time those two will be in the same match together.
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 1”, 19/08/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander Vs Nick Gage & Maki Itoh
The big grudge match GCW has been building up since March finally takes place near the end of the summer. Maki Death Kill have been trading blows back and forth with Cardona & De Lander ever since. Is one match enough to settle the score?
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 2”, 20/08/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs B3CCA
If that is the end of the feud then what will be next for Itoh in GCW?
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 25/08/2023 Roundhouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. Charli Evans Vs Maki Itoh
The answer of course is go to Australia! GCW is touring over there with a local group called Renegades Of Wrestling. First up Itoh takes on Charli Evans.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 26/08/2023 Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1. ROW Women’s Title: Aysha (c) Vs Maki Itoh
The second Australian show gives Itoh a shot at the ROW Women’s Title held by Aysha. The promotion has only been around for a year so the championships don’t have much history behind them. I think Aysha is more of a regular with Deathmatch Downunder.
EVE/CHOCOPRO “CHOCOPRO X EVE SUPER SHOW”, 26/08/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Well, well, well, isn’t this a surprise? ChocoPro are heading over to London the same weekend as All In to hold shows with EVE. It makes sense for Masahiro Takanashi to be one of the guests because he is linked to Gatoh Move. But Yamashita appearing on the show is something I didn’t expect even though she is EVE’s main champion. There is also a solo ChocoPro event happening that day but this is the show where you will get to see Yamashita. Do you think AEW is interested in booking her again, for the next day? I hope so but the answer is probably no. Come on, she’ll become the only person to wrestle in the Tokyo Dome and Wembley the same year if they book her!
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 27/08/2023 Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. Allie Katch Vs Maki Itoh
Itoh ends the Australia tour with a match against Allie Katch. Itoh already has a singles win over her in GCW. In fact that was the match where she discovered how useful a pizza cutter is against opponents.
GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois New Jersey, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs X & X
Another tag match for Maki Death Kill? This could go anywhere from fighting The East West Express to taking on Los Macizos or anywhere in between!
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. B3CCA Vs Maki Itoh
Now Major League Wrestling has to deal with Maki Itoh. MLW has a habit of chasing after trends but not really getting much out of them. The company also has a knack of putting out whatever news stories they want and wresting sites will report it without question. Court Bauer just has the clout to say anything and always be taken at face value I guess. The curse of that though is the attention never really pays off with anything substantial. When MLW is at its best their storylines can be really creative and different to what the other promotions are doing. But if they don’t have a plan for you you’re just there to put over people they do have plans for. Even worse is how they sometimes write people out of storylines. Itoh can kayfabe be carried out of her last show inside a body bag if they want to. Or since her opponent B3CCA has a pop singer gimmick on the show they can do a vocal injury if they want to get sinister. But that’s just me fantasy booking based on what they’ve done before.
PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Trish Adora Vs Shoko Nakajima
Good to see Shoko Nakajima getting international bookings again. Prestige seems to handle that sort of stuff Stateside thanks to their working relationship with TJPW. They’re trying to get her a couple other bookings while she’s over there. A match with Trish Adora is the first one on the cards for her.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 29/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
2. Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Mizuki, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Hikari Noa, Raku, Suzume & Shino Suzuki
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Arai
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Shoko Nakajima
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Moka Miyamoto
The Tokyo Princess Cup moves over to Korakuen Hall for its remaining rounds. Next up is the Quarter Finals this Saturday.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2023”, 30/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Kazuma Sumi
1. Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Rukiya
2. Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Kotaro Suzuki & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Naruki Doi
5. Yukio Sakaguchi 50th Birthday Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Thanomsak Toba & Masahiro Takanashi
6. DDT Extreme Title – Super Fierce Battle! Hirata’s Miraculous Allies Gather! No Touch Captain’s Fall & 2 Count Hall Handicap Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (C/c), Broom, Kokeshi, Chair, Yakitori & X (w/ Other Merry Ultimate Fighters) Vs HARASHIMA (C)
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima
The final image everyone saw at the end of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” was Konosuke Takeshita and Daisuke Sasaki shaking hands in a hallway backstage. Now we see Takeshita is teaming up with DAMNATION T.A to take on The 37KAMIINA! Takeshita denies having any intention of joining DAMNATION T.A. Instead he claims The 37KAMIINA no longer needs him so he now wants to stand across the ring from them. That Takeshita is choosing to team with Sasaki & KANON in order to do this is an unusual turn of events. It’s another chance for Yuki Ueno to chase after his friend. Toy Kojima also hasn’t been happy with Takeshita’s change in behaviour. MAO is a wild card coming out of Sumo Hall with a big win behind him.
Today Kazuki Hirata announced the match stipulation for his DDT Exteme Title defence against HARASHIMA. His big idea to even the odds is to use every idea he has. So it’s a Captain’s Fall Handicap Match with no tags needed, you only need a 2 count pinfall to win and HARASHIMA is on his own while Hirata’s team is filled up with a bunch of inanimate objects.
Two injuries came out this weekend. Tetsuya Endo suffered a left hand injury and later found out his fractured a metacarpal bone. Toru Owashi had a neck injury that was then diagnosed as a cervical spine injury. Both are now out of action with no timetable yet for either to return.
BASARA “BASARA 226 ~HAKUSEKIREI NO YORU~”, 06/08/2023 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Lil’ Kraken
2. SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
4. KUBITO Return Match: KUBITO & Daichi Kazato Vs Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe
5. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
6. Union MAX Next Challenger Match: FUMA Vs Ryota Nakatsu
Both FUMA and Ryota Nakatsu wanted to be the next challenger for the Union MAX Title so we’re getting a No. 1 Contender’s match between them.
KUBITO returns for his first match since April. He’s been out of action ever since dealing with health problems involving his pancreas.
Shinichiro Tominaga comes over to pay BASARA a visit. Although he is a regular with Ganbare☆Pro his actual home promotion is with a small indy in Tokyo called Come On Wrestling Party.
1. Special Single Match: Mecha Mummy (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Ram Kaichow
3. Special Single Match: Hagane Shinno Vs Maya Yukihi
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Yoshihiko
The next Baka Gaijin + Friends show is also a big birthday party for Chris Brookes! Among the invited guests are Yoshihiko, Hagane Shinno, Maya Yukihi, Antonio Honda, Ram Kaichow, Mecha Mummy and Takeshi Masada.
Looks like Takayuki Ueki is fully adopting a mad doctor gimmick for these shows.
BASARA “BASARA 227 ~UTAGE~”, 29/08/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Winner Of 06/08 Match
The winner of FUMA Vs Nakatsu will face Takumi Tsukamoto for the MAX Title. Tsukamoto wanted to wait until the 29th August show for his next title defence because that show is when BASARA will be going back to serving all you can drink beers at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.
Sento Minzoku are now the undisputed IRON FIST Tag Team Champions but they have former two time champions Speed Of Sounds as their next challengers.
DDT “DDT BIG BANG 2023”, 09/09/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Pheromones Vs Subjugation Final Match! Special Single Match ~ Dissolution Contra Vice President: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) Vs Akito
2. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie
Sunday was a dream come true for Brookes after he won the KO-D Openweight Title. He now has a big challenge in the form of Shigehiro Irie to prepare for this September. Irie coming out to challenge him was a surprise because Brookes expected somebody like Ueno to do that first. The two know each other from wrestling in Europe and they currently have a 1-1 singles record together. Irie has world domination on his mind so he intends to win the KO-D Title and bring it with him on his upcoming overseas tours (because that worked out sooooo well last time).
Akito has called out Pheromones and wants to put an end to their feud once and for all. For real this time. No seriously. He means it. He will face Yuki Iino in a match that will not be prematurely stopped or called off for any reason. If Akito wins then Pheromones must disband. However Danshoku Dieno complained that the match was put together without Akito putting anything at risk. After having a public meeting with Dieno today, Akito agreed to put his Vice President position on the line!
“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Single Match: Mei Suruga Vs Minoru Suzuki
2. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi
For the first time ever Mei Suruga takes on Minoru Suzuki in what will surely become a bloodbath! What caused Masahiro Takanashi to come up with such a sadistic idea for a match?
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023”, 24/09/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander) (c) Vs Maki Itoh
The next DDT Universal Title match brings one of the big feuds in GCW over to Japan. Matt Cardona is still soaking in the glory of his title win and now calls the belt the DMK (Death Match King) Universal Championship. Meanwhile Steph De Lander is wondering if she would go on a date with the injured Tetsuya Endo as long as he pays for every single thing she wants. Maki Itoh was so annoyed to see Cardona win the title she immediately sent a video to DDT demanding a title shot. She is certain she is the right person to bring the belt back to DDT and restore its prestige.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 3,465 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Takeshi Masada defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (6:48).
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya when Kawamatsu pinned Rukiya with the Shitamachi Rocket (8:30).
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Vietnam Driver II (11:45).
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (w/ Kachikire Hisaya) defeated Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi (w/ Buchigire Ujihara) when Iino pinned Akito after the Sexy Cannon (9:42).
5. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan defeated Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine when Chiitan☆ pinned Sasadango after the ChiiPoko☆Trigger (11:50).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (9:27). *Harimao fails in V1. Eruption becomes the 52nd KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. Special Single Match: MAO defeated TAKA Michinoku with the Phoenix Splash (13:11).
8. Special Tag Match ~ Yukio Naya Return Match: Jun Akiyama & Shigehiro Irie defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya when Irie pinned Naya with the Beast Bomber (13:25).
9. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Yuki Ueno with the Brainbuster onto the corner turnbuckle (12:53).
10. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander) defeated Tetsuya Endo (c) with the Radio Silence (15:43). *Tetsuya Endo fails in V2. Matt Cardona becomes the 11th DDT Universal Champion!
11. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: El Desperado defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Numero Dos (20:32).
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Hino (c) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (21:04). *Yuji Hino fails in V3. Chris Brookes becomes the 81st KO-D Openweight Champion!
In 2019 Chris Brookes came over from the British indepedents to DDT, taking to Japan’s wrestling scene like a duck to water. As his stay laster longer and longer he ticked off the most hardcore of bucket lists you can come up with in wrestling. He wasn’t just here to step inside Korakuen Hall, grab a Ribera jacket and have an excuse to start writing his name in Japanese for merchandise reasons. He ingrained himself into different pockets of all sizes in the wrestling industry. All the desire and hard work paid off with different accomplishments being added to his name over the years. The biggest one happened today when Brookes headlined “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” in Sumo Hall and became the new KO-D Openweight Champion! His challenge against the champion Yuji Hino was a big one but Brookes had a secret weapon ready for the ocassion.
The pre-match hype video revealed Brookes had spent time training with KUDO in order to add the High Kick to his moveset. KUDO won his first KO-D Title in Sumo Hall in 2011 and that inspired Brookes to get in touch and learn from him. Not only did he take the High Kick from training, he also used KUDO’s Diving Double Knee Drop on Hino. However Hino took that move as well as the Praying Mantis Bomb and shook off the attack. He fought back with a Lariat and Exploder Suplex. Then Hino made a mistake of putting his hands behind his back and daring Brookes to strike him. Brookes hit a few Flying Knee Strikes that Hino brushed off but it was the High Kick that rocked the champion. Then Brookes pulled out another secret weapon, hitting HARASHIMA’s finisher the Somato! Brookes then dropped Hino with a second Praying Mantis Bomb to become the new champion.
After the match Brookes was given the KO-D Title by special guest Kenta Kobashi. Brookes said Hino was really strong and he thanked him for the match today. He then wasted no time and asked if there was somebody out there to be his first challenger. Shigehiro Irie walked down to the ring. He congratulated Brookes and the two of them talked about the times they wrestled together in Europe. Irie also pointed out that he too has gone to foreign countries and won championships there. They haven’t had a match against each other in Japan yet so Irie wants to challenge Brookes for the belt. It was accepted and will take place at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th September. Irie warned that he’s come to take the KO-D Title and he’s the one who will bring it over to Europe. After he left, Brookes called out the DDT roster and paid his thanks to every one of them for their support. He reminded everyone that DDT stands for Dramatic Dream Team and everyone here is part of a team. He also went into the crowd to celebrate with the fans.
According to El Desperado, he is one of Daisuke Sasaki’s few friends and he offered him a bouquet of roses before their match as proof. Sasaki repaid Desperado by attacking him with the bouquet while they brawled outside. Sasaki also laid out Desperado on the front row of chairs and hit a Diving Elbow Drop from the top rope into him. Back in the ring Sasaki pulled off a Destroyer counter for Desperado’s Tombstone Piledriver. But La Mistica Crossface Lock was countered and Desperado stuck up his middle finger to Sasaki before trapping him in the Numero Dos to make him submit.
Desperado called the match fun but he now has a year’s worth of tequila that he won’t be able to drink all by himself. Sasaki confessed he is now feeling emotional about the match they just had and might start crying. Maybe they can have a rematch someday but this time in New Japan? Desperado joked that he has a spare key for the NJPW office so he might be able to sneak Sasaki in for something down the line. Backstage he told reporters he is going to split the tequila prize in half with Sasaki. Also if the sponsor allows it he wants to autograph the empty bottles with Sasaki and sell them with all of the proceeds going towards Yoshihiro Takayama and Shinjiro Otani.
The second of three title changes took place in Match #10 when Tetsuya Endo lost the DDT Universal Title to Matt Cardona thanks to the interference of Steph De Lander. Cardona & De Lander entered the ring carrying all of their championships, including Cardona wearing a replica of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title that currently belongs to his wife Chelsea Green. De Lander’s constant interference backfired at one point when Cardona’s belt shot aimed for Endo hit her instead. Endo took control and had Cardona all set up for the Burning Star Press when De Lander recovered and distracted him again. This time she started flirting with Endo and gave him a bunch of kisses! Meanwhile Cardona turned the ref’s back to them so De Lander could kick Endo below the belt. Cardona then pinned Endo with the Radio Silence to add a new championship to his collection.
Cardona & De Lander’s celebration was quickly interrupted by the video screen. A live message from Maki Itoh started playing where she challenged Cardona for the Universal Title! She promised to take the championship and leave her GCW enemy covered in blood! The title match was later approved for the 24th September Korakuen Hall show. Backstage Cardona bragged about his title win and said he came here to conquer the world. It’s his first time in DDT and he already made the company and Endo his bitch. He’s not going back to WWE or AEW but when he leaves DDT he will be bringing the Universal Title with him!
Can the version of Konosuke Takeshita that showed up in Sumo Hall today be called new and improved? He was different than the Takeshita of old from before his AEW run that’s for sure. Yuki Ueno found that out up front during the latest match in their rivalry. Takeshita removed his own elbow pad to deliver raw Elbow Strikes and later dropped Ueno with an Implant Driver on the entrance ramp. Ueno fought back but his BME attempt was blocked with him getting kicked in midair. Takeshita then hit the Zahi into the corner and deadlifted Ueno up into a top rope Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle! Ueno had no answer for that and took the fall, losing again to his friend. Or is that now former friend?
Tension could be felt after the match when Ueno refused to shake Takeshita’s hand after the match. Then Toy Kojima decided to step in between them and push Takeshita away! Backstage Takeshita’s message towards Ueno was a blunt one. If Ueno ever wants to win the KO-D Title he should keep quiet and follow Takeshita! Elsewhere, Ueno said he needs to get stronger and increasing DDT’s audience is a way to do that. But after losing again today he doesn’t know what he should do next.
Yukio Naya went straight into the thick of things with his return match from injury. He started off the match with Shigehiro Irie and was just as eager to face off with Jun Akiyama. HARASHIMA was happy to fight Irie for the first time in a while although his opinion might have changed after Irie gave him a Piledriver on top of Naya. The Beat Bomber was blocked with a Knee Strike by Naya but Akiyama came in and threw Naya with the Exploder Suplex. Irie got a nearfall with a Running Cannonball into the corner and then got the three count after he hit the Beast Bomber. Both Akiyama & Irie spoke of their surprise by how powerful Naya was in his first match back. But Irie is on a mission to take everything in the world that he can, as shown by his appearance at the end of the show.
Start paying attention because MAO is back on track with a massive victory over TAKA Michinoku! MAO used his own versions of his influence’s moveset, using the Alien Plancha with an added midair twist and then two versions of the Michinoku Driver including one from the top rope. He then finished TAKA off with a Phoenix Splash. MAO said he was really happy to have this match because he’s been losing confidence in himself as a singles wrestler lately. He always admires TAKA so to beat him inside Sumo Hall using his own techniques means so much to him. However TAKA said in beating him in this day and age is not worth even a medal. MAO should be beating him and he should also be aiming for the top!
Just because Saki Akai is retiring later this year doesn’t mean she’s done winning championships. She achieved her goal of winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Eruption one more time! Eruption defeated Harimao, the team led by their former “brother” Kazusada Higuchi to claim the belts. Akai herself went head to head with Higuchi and took his best shot. She held her ground and performed the Quetzalcoatl with some help from Yukio Sakaguchi hitting Higuchi with the God’s Right Knee. Akai then dived onto Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu outside the ring, leaving Hideki Okatani to face off with Yuki Ishida. Okatani kicked out of the Dosukoi Hold and pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex to cause the title change. Both teams shook hands after the match to show there is no bad blood between them.
Afterwards Akai said her retirement match will be at Sumo Hall later this year so she’s going at full speed for her remaining months as a pro wrestler. She wanted to win the titles with Sakaguchi & Okatani in this building and is glad to have done so. She is especially happy for Okatani because this is his first championship win. Okatani then revealed Eruption’s next big plan. If they have the power to challenge anybody then they want to go to All Japan and win the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles! They are even willing to put the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles on the line in a double championship match to get what they want. Akai is already booked for AJPW’s show in Nagoya on 27th August and she heard that their trios champions put out an open challenge regardless of company or gender. So she’s bringing the rest of Eruption with her!
There was a reason why Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine were given the tag team name Food Chain. Sasadango wrestled the match wrapped together in giant bamboo leaves, just like a real sasadango. The reason why was shown when Andreza started to deflate with hunger. Sasadango made himself bait to be sacrificed to the panda! The venue went dark and in the darkness Andreza swallowed Sasadango whole, leaving only his mask behind for a horrified Yukinori Matsui to discover. Now fully fed and powered up, Andreza went on a rampage of Headbutts against the ChiiPoko☆Ultra Cute Alliance. However Chiitan pulled out a samurai sword and stabbed Andreza in the stomach with it. The venue went dark again sparing the audience from seeing a giant panda throw up. The lights came back on and Sasadango was back in the ring in one piece, covered in bits of vomit. Pokotan took advantage by giving Sasadango the Swanton Bomb. Then the two mascots joined forces and did the ChiiPoko☆Trigger together on Sasadango to score the win. Backstage Sasadango explained what it was like being eaten by Andreza. He said Andreza’s stomach was bigger than he thought and would make for a comfortable living space in Tokyo.
The comedian Buchigire Ujihara was given the full Pheromones experience, something that the former Hisaya Imabayashi was happy to see because it wasn’t him getting humiliated for once. However he overstepped his bounds when he tried to interfere and attack Akito with a chair. Akito dodged it and the chair hit both Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno instead. Yumehito Imanari then caused a mess using a fire extinguisher on Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi. Dieno then launched Iino across the ring with a hip thrust, causing Iino to pin Akito with the Spear.
A victorious Hisaya celebrated Pheromones winning the match but didn’t expect them to turn on him. Imanari suddenly grabbed him and gave him a DDT inbetween Iino & Dieno’s backsides, leaving him vertically jammed upside down in the gap! Ujihara gave them a nod of approval, coming around to understand what Pheromones is like. Backstage Akito approached Pheromones asking for one more match. If Akito wins then Pheromones will disband but if Pheromones win then Akito will stop trying to destroy them. Dieno demanded that Akito crawl between Iino’s legs and then press his own face into Iino’s backside to prove he is being sincere. Akito did so and said he wanted the match to happen on 9th September at Ota Ward Gym.
DAMNATION T.A won the 3 Way Trios match against BURNING and the Dragon Gene team. KANON pulled out the Vietnam Driver II, a move previously used by Daisuke Sasaki to beat Yuya Koroku for the finish. KANON was of mixed emotions backstage afterwards. He was so happy that Minoru Fujita made it to the show on time and also that MJ Paul did his best. But then he got mad that the three of them were thrown into a nothing 3 Way Tag Match! Fujita had to calm him down. The BURNING team took the loss in good grace. Kotaro Suzuki was happy to wrestle in DDT again while Yusuke Okada was thankful to wrestle inside Sumo Hall again. Koroku said he will take the loss as another learning experience. Neither Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi or Kazuki Hirata gave any comments after the match.
Being born and raised in Ryogoku was enough motivation for Shinichiro Kawamatsu to go out there and win. With Sanshiro Takagi & Yuni on his team the three of them were able to beat Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya. Takagi stacked Takanashi and Kojima on top of him to deliver a Double Samoan Drop. Yuni followed up with a Moonsault out of the ring. Kawamatsu then targeted Rukiya’s mid-section with the Shitamachi Rocket Spear to get the three count. Yuni called it a memorable experience because it is the first time he won a match inside Sumo Hall. His effort didn’t go unnoticed by Kojima because Kojima blames Yuni for his team losing! Takagi told Kawamatsu DDT will be back here in November so he’ll find a great opponent for him if he wants to wrestle then.
The opening match of the show saw Takeshi Masada use the Samurai Driver ’01 to beat Kazuma Sumi. However here the move was called the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki. It’s been almost a year since Masada debuted and he feels like he has regressed since the end of the D GENERATIONS CUP. Today’s win against his classmate Sumi is a good step forward towards DDT’s next major shows in Ota Ward and Sumo Hall happening later this year. Sumi is frustrated to lose but he promises to do his best until he can win, no matter how many more times he loses.
When the show finally ended and all the wrestlers left ringside, the credits began to roll. And then it stopped for a sudden post-credits sequence. A fallen Sasaki was seen sitting on a hallway floor when he is approached by Takeshita. The scene ends with Takeshita offering his hand and Sasaki shaking it! To add more to the confusing scene, it was reported that Takeshita’s post-show meet and greet took place at the DAMNATION T.A merch table. What made things even more confusing is Takeshita afterwards said he has no intention of joining DAMNATION T.A. Instead he is doing this to position himself against The 37KAMIINA because he thinks the unit no longer needs him.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,222 Fans
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Endo submitted Nagano with the Camel Clutch (11:43).
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki defeated Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when HIMAWARI submitted Kazashiro with a Half Crab Hold (11:07).
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka when Kakuta pinned Kamifuku with the Shiden Kai (10:11).
4. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) defeated Hikari Noa with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (9:42). *V6 for Vert Vixen.
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Aja Kong & Raku and Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku when Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Diving Senton (9:32).
6. Nyla Rose defeated Miu Watanabe with the Beast Bomb (8:01).
7. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Sawyer Wreck with the Skull Kick (11:51). *V7 for Miyu Yamashita.
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel defeated Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara when Sakisama pinned Uehara with the Academy Award (12:24).
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) defeated Yuki Arai with the Missile Hip (15:11). *V4 for Rika Tatsumi.
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Cutie Special (24:29). *V3 for Mizuki.
The history between Mizuki and Maki Itoh that begun under the original Itoh Respect Army seven years ago reached its dramatic peak in Ota Ward Gymnasium today. Mizuki successfully defended the Princess Of Princess Title in the main event, stopping Itoh from winning the title in her fourth attempt. The champion had the injured Yuka Sakazaki in her corner while Itoh came out singing “Brooklyn The Hole” in English. Itoh’s focus was to use variations of the DDT both inside and out of the ring. Mizuki did her own big moves outside the ring including the Cutie Special and a Flying Cross Body. Submission holds couldn’t finish the job either with both the Itoh Deluxe and Crossface Lock proving fruitless. Mizuki dealt a big blow by landing the Diving Double Stomp onto Itoh’s back. Itoh clung onto Mizuki and was able to deliver one last Headbutt in resistance but Mizuki fired back with a Spinning Back Elbow and pinned her with the Cutie Special.
After the match Mizuki said she never believed Itoh when she said she wanted to forget their history together and that the Itoh Mizuki knew is dead. They walked the same path together and Mizuki always looked up to Itoh as her rival. Itoh however said Mizuki doesn’t understand how Itoh feels. She doesn’t like to talk about the past because when they were together, Itoh saw Mizuki become stronger and win championships with someone else. It made Itoh jealous and she looks back on their time together a a black piece of history. It is only right now in the middle of Ota Ward that Itoh now believes she is on the same level as Mizuki. For that reason Mizuki now has her respect and she wants to continue fighting with her. The two shook hands and gave each other a hug. Itoh left the ring so Mizuki could close out the show.
The burning momentum of Yuki Aino wasn’t enough to take the International Princess Title from Rika Tatsumi. She showed a lot of power by using the Side Suplex outside the ring as well as one over the ropes from the ring apron! Tatsumi tried to smother her out with the Dragon Sleeper but Aino powered out of it with a slam. Tatsumi found a way to put her into another Dragon Sleeper but Aino reached the ropes. Aino withstood a Hip Attack and caught Tatsumi in the middle of a second one but Tatsumi wriggled her way into hitting the Twist Of Fate. She then got the win by hitting the Missile Hip. Tatsumi gave her opponent credit for shining as brightly as she did. She hopes the fans will look forward to more matches between them in the future. Aino said the result proves she is not ready to hold a title belt yet. But she had fun in the match because she was able to burn every last bit of energy she has.
NEO Biishiki-gun were back to give their opponents a hard time. That was shown when Mei Saint-Michel danced in the ring to distract the referee while Sakisama attacked Wakana Uehara on the outside. Saint-Michel later dropped her metal tray over Uehara’s head to break up a Sleeper Hold. Yuki Arai pulled out a surprise by using Saki Akai’s finisher the Rookie Award on Sakisama. NEO Biishiki-gun regained their composure and Sakisama hit the similar looking Academy Award to pin Uehara and win the match. Sakisama did not like hearing reporters compare the two moves during her post-match interview because she is one of a kind. In Arai’s interview, she explained that Akai taught her the move but she never got the chance to use it when they teamed together. She felt today was as good a time as any to start using the move because she thinks Sakisama bares a resemblance to Akai. She intends to keep using it more often.
Perhaps Miyu Yamashita didn’t realize just what she was getting into when she decided to put her EVE Title on the line against Sawyer Wreck. The Spirit Of EVE ruleset used for the title match allowed the fight to be taken outside the ring because there are no countouts. The rules also permitted the wrestlers to use weapons under certain circumstances, which Wreck gladly took advantage of. She attacked Yamashita with chairs and slammed her through a pile of them with a Death Valley Driver over by the stage entrance. Back in the ring Yamashita did her best to deflect the chair with kicks. Wreck was able to defend herself from one Skull Kick but a second one reached its target and gave Yamashita her seventh successful EVE Title defence.
The originally planned match for Nyla Rose didn’t take place because of Sakazaki’s injury. So when Rose found out her new opponent was Miu Watanabe she steadily gained weight to make it more difficult for Watanabe to lift her! As soon as the AEW wrestler arrived in Japan she loaded up on pork cutlet curry and sashimi at the nearest Cocoichi curry house. The plan just about worked. Watanabe was able to give her the Giant Swing but only for one rotation. She also wasn’t strong enough to deliver the Tear Drop. Rose took advantage and landed the Beast Bomb to win. Watanabe did leave a positive impression on Rose though. Rose said that even though Watanabe lost, she definitely has something that could open the door into a new world for her.
No Tag Rules were a last minute addition to the 3 Way Tag match. The time for Aja Kong and Max The Impaler to meet again was just about to begin when Hyper Misao got on the microphone to big up Kyoraku Kyomei’s chances of winning. Both Kong and Max ignored her so she sprayed both of them in the face. Kyoraku Kyomei then stole Kong’s steel can as well as Raku’s pillow but Kong attacked them to reclaim the items. Kong even hit Shoko Nakajima with the pillow while Raku hit Pom Harajuku with the can! Kong and Max were on an even level whenever they got the chance to fight each other. They briefly joined forces against Kyoraku Kyomei only to turn on each other. Misao brought out the Hyper Mobile to crash into everyone outside the ring while Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Diving Senton to win. Kong took her anger out after the match by attacking the Hyper Mobile, damaging it to the point where it is now unusable! Kyoraku Kyomei are thinking about crowdfunding a new one or at least convince CyberFight to get a bicycle sponsorship. Kong & Raku said they’d rather crowdfund a new steel can and pillow for themselves.
It was a clean sweep of successful title defences throughout the whole show. Vert Vixen was the first one on the board by defending the DEFY Women’s Title against Hikari Noa. The challenger used the Running Neckbreaker Drop that’s been winning matches for her recently but it didn’t get her the result this time. The Last Supper cradle didn’t work either. Instead Vixen pinned Noa with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. She said the match was like a war but she was able to fight and defend her championship. Noa said she was very happy to be chosen by Vixen for a title match. They’ve teamed together during Vixen’s previous visit to Japan and Noa always wanted to have a title match with somebody she considers to be a tag team partner.
Flashy entrances were provided by both teams in Match #3. VENYU were accompanied by two dancers leading them down to the ring while Nao Kakuta looked dressed to party with Ryo Mizunami. The match started with a bang when Asuka Moonsaulted onto everyone outside the ring. Yuki Kamifuku then put on Mizunami’s entrance gear to taunt her but was reduced to apologising once Mizunami got her hands on her. VENYU gave Kakuta the Magic Killer but Kakuta kicked out at two. She then dodged a Double Big Boot leading VENYU to collide with each other and then get wiped out with a Double Spear from Mizunami. Kakuta then scored the win by pinning Kamifuku with the Shiden Kai.
Five of the eight wrestlers in the 8-Woman Tag Match all only just debuted this year. The match was also Haruna Neko’s return match from a knee injury. Her scratching the wrestlers from the other team led to Mahiro Kiryu apologising to everyone for it. Shino Suzuki and Haru Kazashiro started off before Kiryu and Kaya Toribami took over. Toga cut off HIMAWARI’s momentum with what is fast becoming her signature Elbow Strike. Runa Okubo joined in with her classmate for a Double Dropkick. But HIMAWARI turned the tables and locked Kazashiro in a Half Crab hold for the submission victory.
Juria Nagano was back in action after being gone for six months with a broken finger. The decision was made to have Nagano team with Moka Miyamoto because they were opponents on last year’s show. Nagano went back to using her Karate offence while relying on Miyamoto to make up for the holes in her game. Suzume used her speedy mobility to run circles around her opponents, keeping them in position for Arisu Endo to hit a Missile Dropkick on Miyamoto. Endo then put Nagano in the Camel Clutch, submitting her to give Daisy Monkey the win. Nagano said she’s been trying to build up her stamina to get ready for the match. Her goal is to win a match by herself again as soon as possible.
The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) performed their new song “Rxck it Now” at the beginning of the show. Their new 5th member Uta was also introduced to the audience. her thing on the microphone is to review a different ice cream every show. Today’s recommendation is chocolate coffee flavour.
At the beginning of the show Sayuri Namba found out that voice actress Rica Matsumoto was doing special guest commentary today. Namba was so excited to find out the voice of Ash/Satoshi from Pokémon was here that she wore the character’s signature cap during the show opening announcements.
Aja Kong Vs Super Sasadango Machine was announced for the Niigata show on 5th August.
A team series challenge was recorded at an outdoor amusement park recently. It will air on PPV through Wrestle Universe on 27th July.
DDT “DDT TANABATA SPECIAL 2023 IN SHINJUKU”, 07/07/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuma Sumi
2. DISASTER BOX Vs BURNING!: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
4. KANON Debut 4th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: TAKA Michinoku & KANON Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
5. International Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Nick Wayne
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Toy Kojima
7. Road To PETER PAN 2023! Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
Tomorrow sees the return of Chris Brookes to the ring, fully recovered from his injury. Yuji Hino has been taunting him by either comparing this match to Brookes having his debut match or having his retirement match!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) Vs Hikari Noa
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Aja Kong & Raku Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Nyla Rose Vs Miu Watanabe
7. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
A press conference took place in Shibuya yesterday featuring wrestlers from some of the major matches on the show. Maki Itoh said the only result that can happen in the main event is her winning the Princess Of Princess Title and ending her story with Mizuki that has lasted for so long. Mizuki know she and Itoh are exact opposites to the point where it feels like they are in different worlds. Itoh pointed out she’s never been hit with the Whirling Candy and is not going to let her guard down. Mizuki knows how powerful the Itoh Deluxe is so she thinks she should target Itoh’s hips. However she believes the winner is whoever has the most heart.
For the International Princess Title match, Yuki Aino explained she feels happiest when she is fighting so she wants to win the title and fight even more. She is excited to have a hot fight with Rika Tatsumi that will burst Ota Ward Gymnasium into flames! Tatsumi is taking things in a more calm and cool manner because she does not want to risk burning out before the match begins. The two are close friends in private but that means they know each other’s weaknesses. Tatsumi even said she could take advantage of Aino’s kindness in the ring.
Miyu Yamashita’s request to put the EVE Title on the line against Sawyer Wreck has been agreed to by all parties involved. The contract signing will be held once Wreck is in Japan. The match will be held under Spirit Of EVE Rules which means it will have a 30 minute time limit, there will be no countouts and the referee can end the match if he thinks one of the wrestlers is not showing the will to fight. Sayuri Namba explained those rules and asked Yamashita if she is worried about Wreck taking the match outside the ring where she is most violent? Yamashita does not think that will give Wreck the advantage. She is confident she take fight directly against Wreck’s strong points and take her down with the Skull Kick.
DDT “OSAKA BAY BLUES SPECIAL 2023”, 20/08/2023 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yoshitatsu & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Soma Takao
While Yukio Sakaguchi waits for his All Asia Tag Team Titles shot to be granted he faces the champions Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu in a Current Blast Death Match! Sakaguchi has his Eruption stablemate Hideki Okatani as well as Soma Takao on his team. Onita & Yoshitatsu will be teaming with Toy Kojima for the match.
One year into writing these articles and I knew it was going to be a good idea to keep track of everything. A busy idea every time the end of the month comes but a good one nonetheless. Summer is still going on but the focus on international travels is swapping some of the cast we’re following. Miyu Yamashita ended her Kick Rampage Tour with a long list of matches and companies worked for under her belt. Maki Itoh is also back in Japan gearing up for possibly the biggest match of her career before she goes touring again. The mystery of why Yuka Sakazaki went to America and not wrestle at all has been cleared up. Well, sort of. There’s a few things out there I’m asking around to clarify knowing full well I won’t be getting any answers. We even got a little bit of Mizuki in there too. Now MAO gets to be a featured part of this series going into the rest of the summer. He’s the latest wrestler to get the travel bug and take in some bookings around America.
Oh, one more thing. I put together two Youtube playlists related to this series. The first is following Takeshita’s AEW run using all of the highlight videos AEW posts on their channels. I avoided adding the episodes of Dark because of the episode lengths. One thing I noticed looking back on everything it’s cool to see how many of Takeshita’s opponents on Dynamite and Rampage early in his run have all circled together as part of feud between The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club. Intentional or not, Takeshita’s year with the company ended up being something that connected a lot of pieces together.
The other playlist is a collection of Yamashita’s matches from her Rampage Kick Tour. All of the videos I included were posted by either the promotions themselves or the wrestlers she faced against. I avoided fancams and highlight videos unless they were official or endorsed. If there’s anything I missed then send the Youtube links my way. If there’s interest in more I’ll see if I can put a playlist together for Itoh or maybe the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro rosters in general.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/06/2023 Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Damon Ace
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANT’S WOKE EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
Video starts at 3:21. ENJOY “SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Ray Lyn
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 30 – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS”, 30/06/2023 Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA
1. Warhorse Vs Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
LLL “BEST WISHES WARMEST REGARDS”, 02/06/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. LLL Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Masha Slamovich and Miyu Yamashita when Howitzer pinned Yamashita with the Stunner (15:04). *V? for Heidi Howitzer.
Earlier this year Yamashita was able to win the Princess Tag Team Titles from The Wasteland War Party in TJPW. Now it was time for her to enter one of Heidi Howitzer’s haunts Lucha Libre & Laughs to try and win another championship from her. Another of Yamashita’s regular opponents Masha Slamovich was also there to make it a 3 Way Match. Yamashita rocked Slamovich with the Skull Kick but just when she thought the match was won, Howitzer came in and gave her a Stunner for the three count and a successful title defence.
BLACK LABEL PRO “FANCY WRESTLING 2”, 03/06/2023 RDS Gym, Crown Point, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Rachel Armstrong with the Skull Kick (11:13).
The gap of experience between Yamashita and Rachel Armstrong put Yamashita firmly in the bullying veteran role for the match. She goaded her opponent into a strike exchange that she shrugged off. Armstrong caught Yamashita off guard by criss-crossing the ropes and landing a Running Elbow Smash that knocked Yamashita out of the ring to set up a dive. But back in the ring Yamashita pushed Armstrong away from doing a Shiranui and lifted her high into the air for the Attitude Adjustment. Once she hit the Skull Kick Yamashita applied a dominant pin on top of Armstrong to win the match.
GCW “CAGE OF SURVIVAL 2”, 04/06/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Janai Kai with the I.S.D. (5:43).
Itoh kicked off GCW’s second annual “CAGE OF SURVIVAL” event by beating Janai Kai but her celebration was cut off by Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander. The two of them were coming out for a tag match against Brandon Kirk & Casey Kirk but first took the time demanding Itoh to keep her nose out of their business. Itoh swore at them and told Cardona to “suck my dick!” Cardona & De Lander went on to beat the Kirks and continued to attack them after the match. Itoh then returned to the ring this time with Nick Gage alongside her. Together Maki Death Kill and The Kirks fought back and Itoh got to smash a bundle of lighttubes over Cardona’s head! If that wasn’t enough she also smeared some of Cardona’s blood she found on the mat over her face afterwards!
INSPIRE A.D. “KIDS OF THE BLACKHOLE”, 04/06/2023 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Killa Kate defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Cradle (?:??).
This is possibly the biggest upset defeat Yamashita suffered in her entire excursion. Killa Kate is nicknamed “The Submission Musician” and lived up to it by going for different holds targeting Yamashita’s arm. Yamashita put all of her focus into fighting off the submissions that Kate ended up switching a Cross Armbreaker into a Rolling Cradle to score the pin from out of nowhere.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 07/06/2023 (Aired ??/06/2023) Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
I’m seeing conflicting reports on whether or not this match was taped for ROH. On the night everyone at the show who tweeted about it said it was taped and images show the ROH set up in the arena. However AEW’s Japanese Twitter account made it sound like it was just a dark match only for those in attendance to see. That’s a shame if it doesn’t get shown because Itoh and Willow Nightingale together sounds like a fun pairing, Emi Sakura’s work is consistently enjoyable and Megan Bayne was building up a hot streak on the indies before getting injured last year.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/06/2023 Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Damon Ace with the PowerDrive Knee (1:29).
Over in AEW we get to see Konosuke Takeshita with a new attitude under the guidance of Don Callis. He gave Damon Ace a quick beating while video footage of Callis betraying Kenny Omega looped over and over on the arena screens.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANT’S WOKE EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Victory Roll Reversal (14:04).
By this point Yamashita and Billie Starkz have faced each other several times already. But this meeting in St. Louis Anarchy was one that Starkz has been looking forward to for a while. Her persistence paid off because she finally scored her first singles win over Yamashita! The finish came when she tried to use the Sugoi Driver but Yamashita countered it into a Victory Roll. Starkz reversed the hold and rolled herself back on top of Yamashita to get the three count.
SPARK “IGNITE EAST”, 11/06/2023 The Heart Ballroom, Newark, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Brittany Blake with the Itoh Deluxe (9:17).
2. Spark Joshi World Title: Miyu Yamashita defeated Rachael Ellering with the Crash Rabbit Heat (16:20). *Miyu Yamashita becomes the 1st Spark Joshi World Champion!
The debut show for Spark Joshi Puroresu was a good one for Yamashita and Itoh. In the main event Yamashita defeated Rachael Ellering to become the first Spark Joshi World Champion. However Yamashita may need to watch her back for future shows because Starkz threw her name into the hat for a future title shot. She also formed an alliance with Ellering called Xtinguish. On the undercard Itoh beat Brittany Blake.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 14/06/2023 Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C., USA
You know, this would have been a nice match to put on video somewhere. Riho, Itoh & Abadon is a King Of Trios kind of team if I ever saw one. So are Nyla Rose, Marina Shafir & Emi Sakura as a potential Team AEW Dark. Damn it, I miss King Of Trios. Can Tony Khan go do a little bit of grave robbing and grab what’s left of Chikara? Or is that going to unleash a new kind of curse on the world that nobody wants?
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 14/06/2023 (Aired 16/06/2023) Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C., USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Bandido with the PowerDrive Knee (15:11).
Now this is the good stuff! Big Lariats from Takeshita, big Hurricanranas from Bandido, big bombs everywhere else. Takeshita eventually came out on top against Bandido by hitting the Jumping Knee, an Elbow Strike to the back of the head and then the PowerDrive Knee.
SPARK “IGNITE WEST”, 16/06/2023 East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Cultural Center, West Covina, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Zeda Zhang with the I.S.D. (9:55).
2. Spark Joshi World Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Delilah Doom with the Skull Kick (19:06). *V1 for Miyu Yamashita.
The second Spark show was full of victories again for Yamashita and Itoh. Yamashita earned her first Spark Joshi Title defence by beating Delilah Doom while Itoh was victorious against Zeda Zhang. After the match Sumie Sakai entered the ring, helped Zhang to her feet and held up the Xtinguish banner with her. Itoh told both of them to “Fuck off.”
ENJOY “SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Ray Lyn with the Skull Kick (18:06).
The final weekend of Yamashita’s tour took her to Enjoy Wrestling where she beat Ray Lyn.
GCW “THANK ME LATER”, 17/06/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Rina Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Splash Mountain onto a Chair (17:37).
Well the death match stuff was going to catch up with Itoh sooner or later. When she faced Rina Yamashita in GCW she had to fight someone armed with chairs and even a loose door. Itoh had her trusty pizza cutter though and was able to slice her opponent’s head open. However Yamashita put Itoh through the door with an Air Raid Crash, attacked her over and over with the chairs and pinned her with the Splash Mountain onto a chair.
DPW “TAG FESTIVAL 2023”, 18/06/2023 Durham Armory, Durham, North Carolina, USA
1. Emi Sakura & Mizuki (w/ Yuka Sakazaki) defeated Miyu Yamashita & Vert Vixen when Sakura pinned Vixen with La Magistral Cradle (11:37).
Deadlock Pro held the final match of Yamashita’s tour along with Itoh’s last match before she went back to Japan too. A lot of changes happened in the leadup. First the match was supposed to by Yamashita & Hyan against The Magical Sugar Rabbits but Hyan had to pull out because of a schedule conflict. Vert Vixen was brought in to be Yamashita’s new partner. Then Sakazaki got her injury diagnosis and was unable to do the match. DPW decided Mizuki would now team with Emi Sakura, who just so happens to be the DPW Women’s Champion. Sakazaki was still able to attend the show and be at ringside to support Mizuki. Together the three of them became The MagiRabi Queens. Sakazaki even got involved a few times pulling some antics at ringside. Stuff like moving around the ringside railings for wrestlers to get thrown into. She even got in the way and almost had her head kicked off when Yamashita tried to do a running Penalty Kick on the apron. Yamashita stopped herself at the last second while Sakazaki froze in fear, possibly having her life flash before her eyes.
AEW/NJPW “FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023”, 25/06/2023 Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1. Hangman Page, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Eddie Kingston & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Konosuke Takeshita & Shota Umino when Ishii pinned Yuta with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (21:29).
Hey this just about counts as DDT being part of the Forbidden Door. Takeshita through his new manager formed an alliance with the Blackpool Combat Club in the leadup to the big show. Together they all challenged The Elite along with Eddie Kingston and his choice of partner Tomohiro Ishii. Takeshita put up a big performance on the night highlighted with the incredibly rare sight of him knocking out Ishii with an Elbow Strike! Ishii recovered and went on to score the pinfall for his team but the story is ready to move on to its next chapter.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 30 – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS”, 30/06/2023 Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Warhorse with the PowerDrive Knee (18:06).
Takeshita’s return to Warrior Wrestling was a reminder that no matter what happens to him, there will always be that DDT DNA inside of him. Warhorse went into the match with the intentions of not just beating Takeshita but sending him to the injured list. With an entire football field at their disposal they fought everywhere they could reach. They brawled along the track where Takeshita jumped hurdles on the way to kicking Warhorse with a Big Boot. Warhorse turned the tables near the field goal by inviting Takeshita to kick a football and then doing the old Charlie Brown trick to make him fall over. Warhorse then Body Slammed a few nearby people onto Takeshita for good measure! Takeshita fought back by doing a Brainbuster on the field, leaving both feeling hurt enough to take the match back into the ring. A war of attrition took place from there ending with Takeshita pinning Warhorse with the PowerDrive Knee.
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Upcoming Appearances
EVE “NMITB”, 02/07/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Eve Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Emersyn Jayne
Yamashita’s tour is over but she isn’t finished with travelling by a long shot. Last month Emersyn Jayne defeated Rhio to become the No. 1 Contender for the EVE Title. She is arguably the most accomplished wrestler yet to challenge face Yamashita for the championship.
WEST COAST PRO “CRUEL SUMMER 2023”, 08/07/2023 United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Bryan Keith Vs MAO
MAO has his own US trip for the summer planned. First up he meets Bryan Keith in the ring for the first time over in West Coast Pro.
IWTV “MARCUS MATHERS ALL I WANT 2”, 13/07/2023 H20 Wrestling Center, Williamstown, New Jersey, USA
1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. MAO Vs Brandon Kirk
Then MAO heads over to New Jersey to be part of a show being put together by Marcus Mathers. MAO’s opponent will be against death match wrestler Brandon Kirk. He won’t be going there alone though. Yoshihiko will be at the show too but it currently does not have a match announced.
GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 14/07/2023 Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Mike Bailey Vs Yoshihiko
3. GCW World Title: Blake Christian (c) Vs MAO
Some big matches await our crew in GCW the next day. MAO gets a shot at the GCW World Title facing the increasingly unpopular Blake Christian. Yoshihiko faces a great test of its abilities against Mike Bailey in a first time ever singles match. They’ve been opponents in a trios match once before but other than that Bailey didn’t interact with Yoshihiko that much while he was in DDT.
Vanessa Kraven is a long time veteran wrestler who recently returned to the scene after stepping away for a few years. She’s the size of a giant next to Itoh.
CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 15/07/2023 Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. MAO Vs Bobby Beverly
A new place for MAO to experience. If you thought GCW is home to a few misfit toys with nowhere else to go then oh boy you haven’t seen Circle 6 yet! The first show is a no ring show taking place inside a bar in Santa Monica where MAO will fight Bobby Beverly, no holds barred.
CIRCLE 6 “LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE”, 16/07/2023 1720 Warehouse, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AJ Gray Vs MAO
Then the next day MAO takes on AJ Gray. Yeah let’s move on.
No update yet on who Itoh faces when she goes to Smash Wrestling.
PRESTIGE “ALL RISE”, 23/07/2023 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Trish Adora
It will be around 10 months since the last time Itoh was on a Prestige show. When she returns Trish Adora will be there to fight her.
DEFY “SPIRIT WC”, 28/07/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh heads over to DEFY for the launch of their new women’s wrestling brand called Spirit WC.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR NIGHT 1”, 04/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR NIGHT 2”, 05/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh has two nights at DREAMWAVE coming up in August. Something interesting to note is Mickie James is being advertised to appear at the second show. They’d probably get along if they met, right? Maybe get Itoh to sing “Hardcore Country” and James to sing “Brooklyn The Hole”?
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS”, 11/08/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s been with GCW for so long at this point she should get her own vanity show for the next Wrestlemania weekend.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 25/08/2023 Roundhouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 26/08/2023 Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 27/08/2023 Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s heading over to Australia for the first time as part of GCW’s tour with Renegades Of Wrestling. Australians, do her a favor and teach her only the most foulest of the local swear words while she’s over there.
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Cancelled Appearances
WRESTLING REVOLVER “RING OF DESTINY”, 17/06/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. JT Dunn (w/ Allie Katch) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Takeshita wasn’t able to make the Wrestling REVOLVER show due to travel issues. JT Dunn instead threw out an open challenge and wrestled Sami Callihan to continue their feud in the company.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 25/06/2023 Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall 437 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Suzume defeated Shino Suzuki with the Ring A Bell (5:44).
2. Moka Miyamoto defeated Toga with the Rashomon (5:29).
3. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao defeated Arisu Endo and HIMAWARI when Misao pinned HIMAWARI with a Jackknife Pin (6:55).
4. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Yuki Arai & Haru Kazashiro when Noa pinned Kazashiro with the Running Neckbreaker Drop (9:54).
5. Mizuki defeated Mahiro Kiryu with the Diving Foot Stomp (10:47).
6. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Kaya Toribami when Aino pinned Toribami with the Venus DDT (13:33).
7. Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima Vs Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
The hometown heroes Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh were on opposite sides of the main event. Yamashita teamed up with Shoko Nakajima while Itoh was paired with Yuki Kamifuku. The match lasted the full 20 minutes with no winner by the end. In the final moments Itoh gave Yamashita a Tornado DDT and Kamifuku stopped Nakajima from coming for the save by giving her the Famouser. The bell rang before Itoh could do anything to get the finish she wanted.
Both Yamashita and Itoh wanted the match to continue but their tag partners declined, preferring both teams to have a temporary truce. Itoh said she will never team with Yamashita again but changed her mind when Yamashita said business is business. Itoh then said she wants Tokyo Joshi Pro to run the bigger Fukuoka Convention Center the next time they come here. They can even do Yamashita Vs Itoh as the main event!
Yuki Aino was fired up to bring the fight to Rika Tatsumi. The two went back and forth during their time in the ring with Arai coming out on top. She countered the Twist Of Fate by freeing herself behind Tatsumi, lifting her up into an Electric Chair position and then dropping her forward onto the canvas. Arai then went on to pin Kaya Toribami with the Venus DDT. Aino said the matches between Tatsumi and herself are heating up. She thinks when the time comes for their International Princess Title bout to happen the two of them will burn each other into ashes!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 24/06/2023 Kobe Art Center 316 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Kaya Toribami defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Bird Cage (5:43).
2. Nao Kakuta defeated Toga with the Homare (5:36).
3. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Hikari Noa and Shino Suzuki when Kamifuku pinned Suzuki with the Famouser (5:42).
4. Yuki Arai defeated HIMAWARI with the Sasori Katame (8:18).
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Northern Lights Suplex (11:32).
6. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu when Tatsumi pinned Kiryu after the Daydream Eternity (12:27).
7. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto defeated Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo when Itoh submitted Endo with the Itoh Deluxe (14:39).
The return of Maki Itoh from her American tour means her program with Mizuki finally gets back on track. Today’s show was in Mizuki’s hometown of Kobe and she rallied the fans to be behind her instead of Itoh and Miyu Yamashita. As Itoh would go on to tell everybody after the match, the booing pissed her off and flicked the switch inside her. She fired up and submitted Arisu Endo to win for her team.
Backstage Yamashita told reporters her three month stay in America has made her more open minded because she discovered how much anything goes in American wrestling. Itoh said she got tougher in America because she was able to wrestle around 10 matches in the space of a month. Moka Miyamoto told the two of them she felt lonely while they were gone but she also got tremendously stronger too. Mizuki is now left figuring out what is missing from her game that prevented her from winning today’s match.
Match #5 was a preview of the 3 Way Tag Match happening at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”. Future opponents Raku and Pom Harajuku had to team up against Kyoraku Kyomei. Next month Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao will face both of them again but this time Raku will be with Aja Kong and Harajuku will have Max The Impaler with her!
Yuki Arai got to have a singles match against a lesser experienced opponent for the first time when she took on HIMAWARI. She doesn’t know if she looked like a veteran out in the ring but she was able to win with a Scorpion Deathlock.
The next “TJPW INSPIRATION” will be held on 17th August. The first match announced for the show is Mizuki Vs Aiger.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 