TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE NIGHT BEFORE GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 06/03/2023 Shinjuku FACE 297 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI when Nakajima submitted Uehara with the Unmanned Local Train Hold (9:42).
2. Rika Tatsumi defeated Kaya Toribami with the Sliding Hip (7:50).
3. Shino Suzuki Debut Match: Miu Watanabe & Hikari Noa defeated Raku & Shino Suzuki when Noa submitted Suzuki with the Blue Racer (11:18).
4. Toga Debut Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Toga with the Attitude Adjustment (6:28).
5. Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Yuki Aino, Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku when Kamifuku pinned Harajuku with the Famouser (10:39).
6. Yuka Sakazaki, Yuki Arai & Suzume defeated Mizuki, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo when Sakazaki pinned Miyamoto with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (15:00).
Today’s show was the last Tokyo Joshi Pro event until “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” on 18th March. It was also the last chance Yuka Sakazaki and Mizuki had to test each other out in the ring until their Princess Of Princess Title match at Ariake Coliseum. It’s a tough situation for Sakazaki because she doesn’t want to fight her tag partner. But after the match she said that when she notices Mizuki staring at her from across the ring, she has no choice but to fight her.
Suzume said it was fun to wrestle Arisu Endo again. She does not want her tag partner to surpass her. She wonders if Endo has already done that. If so then Suzume will just have to surpass her back at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. Sakazaki compared watching Daisy Monkey against each other in the ring to her old Miraclians tag team with Shoko Nakajima.
Two newcomers made their debuts today. Toga’s first match was against Miyu Yamashita and all she could do against the ace was throw Elbow Strikes and a Body Slam. She hopes to grow into a cool wrestler like Yamashita and will continue training her strikes so she can fight her again in the future.
The other new debut was Shino Suzuki, the newest member of The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling). The former bus guide kept her old career in mind for her entrance, carrying a tour guide flag down to the ring. The match was a tag bout between all four members of The Up Up Girls. Raku invited Suzuki to join in with the Oyasumi Express. But Miu Watanabe & Hikari Noa took over control and wore down Suzuki until Raku evened the odds. Suzuki tried to put Noa in a Sleeper Hold but it was countered into the Blue Racer, forcing Suzuki to give up. Noa said she remembered losing her own debut match so she used that as motivation to beat Suzuki today. Suzuki said in her old job she was afraid she would die without achieving any of her dreams. Today she achieved one of her dreams from this point on she is going to make even more come true!
It was confirmed that The Wasteland War Party Vs 121000000 at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” will now have the Princess Tag Team Titles on the line. Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer have defended the titles three times in America ever since they left Japan with the belts. Maki Itoh is currently in America right now but nowhere near the location of the champions.
A month ago I was thinking this article was going to become so much easier to handle. Shota was finished with his excursion to some of the most obscure independents in America and February was mostly built around Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki doing stuff related to AEW and ROH. It should be a piece of cake from here on out. Then the Wrestlemania Week bookings started pouring in. And if that wasn’t enough, Miyu Yamashita announced her three month stay in America with the goal to get as many bookings across the country as humanly possible. The response to that idea has been great so far and she is certainly going to create some new fans this year. So yeah, keeping track of these things will only keep me busier as the year goes on. Now let’s get some more championships added to the trophy case while they’re at it.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)
Video starts at 14:48 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Billie Starkz
Video starts at 45:10 for the match AEW “DARK”, 07/02/2023 Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs EJ Nduka
AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Video starts at 31:22 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 13/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. Vert Vixen Vs Yuka Sakazaki
Video starts at 1:18:47 for the match AEW “DARK”, (14/02/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Bronson
Video starts at 33:18 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 27/02/2023 Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Lee Johnson
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Results
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/02/2023 (Aired 06/02/2023) Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Billie Starkz with the Magical Girl Splash (5:39).
Whether the company is aware of it or not, AEW hosted a rematch of last November’s Princess Of Princess Title bout between Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz. This match was a shorter affair with Starkz relying on using Swanton Bombs only to get dropped with the Tea Time and then pinned with the Magical Girl Splash.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana) with the Zahi (10:06).
A match against a heavy hitter like Brian Cage was just what Takeshita needed to finally get a win on Dynamite. The two just threw big bomb moves at each other until Takeshita was the last man standing. It was pretty cool. Once that was done, Takeshita reappeared later in the night stopping MJF from interfering in a Bryan Danielson match. The two brawled to the back and once they were broken apart, a match between them was booked for the next week.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 08/02/2023 (Aired 13/02/2023) El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Vert Vixen with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15).
Sakazaki’s last match for this month was a win against Vert Vixen but it was the aftermath that was more important. Athena attacked Sakazaki from behind, striking her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Athena then made things worse by injuring Sakazaki’s leg with the steel steps outside the ring. Sakazaki tried to step up to her but was given a boot to the head as one last insult to injury. It remains to be seen when Sakazaki will be back to look for revenge, although a title match between the two on the ROH PPV at the end of March would be a good bet.
AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Salt Of The Earth (13:19).
Takeshita’s recent interactions with MJF led to a Title Eliminator match between the two. If Takeshita had won the match he would have been granted a AEW World Title shot in the future. Unfortunately MJF worked over his arm, using the Salt Of The Earth to such good effect that Takeshita had to tap out and concede defeat. MJF then caused more harm after the match by putting on his Dynamited Diamond Ring and punching Takeshita in the face, busting him open. Bryan Danielson ran down to chase MJF off. Takeshita returned the favour later in the night by coming to Danielson’s aid when he was attacked by Preston Vance and José The Assistant.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 23/02/2023 (Aired 27/02/2023) Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Johnson with the Zahi (6:43).
So Takeshita finds himself knocked down the ladder and back to wrestling on the Youtube shows for the time being. Beating Lee Johnson gets him off to a good start.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 25/02/2023 (Aired 02/03/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Josh Woods with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex (10:20).
It’s not the Ring Of Honor we all knew and loved but at least you can add to logo to Takeshita’s Cagematch profile now. He beat a former ROH Pure Champion in Josh Woods so that would be a fresh direction to take if he becomes a regular at ROH tapings.
DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023 NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Raychell Rose & Jada Stone when Max pinned Stone after the Master Blaster (10:30). *V1 for The Wasteland War Party.
The Princess Tag Team Titles have now been defended on American soil. Tokyo Joshi Pro are recognizing all of The Wasteland War Party’s title defences across the US indies before they return to Japan for “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. The first defence was against Raychell Rose & Jada Stone in DPW. Stone was a replacement for Hyan.
AEW “DARK”, (26/02/2023) (Aired 28/03/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Karter (w/ Lee Johnson) with the Zahi (9:23).
Cole Karter was in Lee Johnson’s corner when Takeshita beat him on Elevation a few days earlier. If he wanted to get revenge on Takeshita he probably got a knee to the face instead.
GLORY PRO “ANNIVERSARY 6”, 26/02/2023 South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Jody Threat & Blair Onyx when Howitzer pinned Threat after the Master Blaster (?:??). *V2 for The Wasteland War Party.
Defence number two for The Wasteland War Party was against Jody Threat & Blair Onyx. Threat got a hot tag and went wild on Heidi Howitzer. That came to a sudden halt when Max The Impaler hit her with a Spear. Max tried pinning Threat but was told they were not the legal wrestler. So Max & Howitzer linked up to do the Master Blaster and that was it for Threat.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox
Holy Mary, Mother Of God this is going to be nuts. Takeshita has a chance to win a TNT Title shot. All he has to do is win a Ladder Match against a crazy lineup of opponents. Just imagining what Komander is going to do on his own in a Ladder match is wild. Is Sammy Guevara willing to destroy himself with a massive ladder bump again? Does Action Andretti or AR Fox want to do the same? Eddie Kingston is already mad he is in the match but he’s always mad. For example, he’s mad at Ortiz right now. Powerhouse Hobbs would be a great future opponent for Takeshita too.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY
Heading into this weekend GCW have not announced what Maki Itoh’s match is going to be at their show yet. They are only advertising she will be in attendance. Will she use this appearance to take her new MDK attitude up another level? I still think her interactions with Nick Gage has to be leading somewhere. It’s gotten too over for it to be nothing more than a cute post-match segment to pop the crowd.
ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Trish Adora & Jordan Blade
The Wasteland War Party are aiming to make it three successful title defences in a row before they return to TJPW. Trish Adora is forming a regular association with TJPW so winning the Princess Tag Titles would bring her over more often and get Jordan Blade one foot in the door too.
GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai
Sawyer Wreck is now the only person in this match who has not wrestled on a TJPW show yet. They should bring back Rina Yamashita now that I think of it.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
Before Yamashita begins her American expedition she is heading back to England to do the EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo that was meant to happen back in January.
EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 09/03/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase
The next night Yamashita faces Miyuki Takase in a rematch of their DPW bout from last year. EVE have said this will be the last time both wrestlers will fight each other. If Takase beats Yamashita there will be no rubber match and if Yamashita wins she will be 2-0 against Takase forever!
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn
Takeshita will be making two appearances for Northeast Wrestling in March. His first show will have him taking on JT Dunn.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The match will be the main event of the show.
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023 NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
No opponent yet for Takeshita’s second NEW show.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Nicole Matthews
Joining Yamashita and Itoh on the show is Minoru Suzuki! But enough about him. Yamashita will be facing Nicole Matthews but it hasn’t been mentioned yet if Matthews will put the NEW Women’s Title on the line. Meanwhile Itoh’s match is against another Canadian wrestler, Cat Power.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe
Prepare yourselves, everyone. We are now at Wrestlemania Week. First up is Itoh’s appearance at Pandemonium Pro where she will team with Kidd Bandit against Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe.
WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X
One of the big indie shows of Mania Week is the Wrestlecon Supershow dedicated to the late Mark Hitchcock. Every year the show is highlighted with a 10-Man Tag and this year’s edition will be presented by TJPW! Will all 10 wrestlers in the match be TJPW exclusive or will one of the Americans connected to the promotion get to join in on the fun? There may be other surprises elsewhere on the card too because you never know who shows up.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
This is not the full card yet. Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada still need to be put in a match. Them against each other is a no brainer unless there is some tag team out there they can join forces against. But I’d just go with Higuchi versus Masada.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
The main event of TJPW’s first USA show is The Magical Sugar Rabbits versus 121000000! They will also be sending over Shoko Nakajima, Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Raku, Nao Kakuta, Suzume and Arisu Endo to take part on the show. The international talent taking part are The Wasteland War Party, Billie Starkz, Trish Adora and Janai Kai.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
5. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
Yeah… Um… I wouldn’t choose this over the other DDT or TJPW shows in all honesty. But there are some positives to be found. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo is a Fire Pro match brought to life. Cole Radrick has gone deep into deathmatches over the last few years so him against Yoshihiko could turn out to be way more violent than it looks on paper. If this show is live on FITE then I’m pretty sure Bussy Vs Pheromones is going to get everyone kicked off the service.
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Aja Kong and Shigehiro Irie are also wrestling on the show. Ultimo Dragon too. That’s neat.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
I’ll keep saying it. Itoh versus Gage for the GCW World Title is the match to do.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch
Yamashita is sticking around in the States until June and is probably going to fight every female wrestler of note in the country before she is done. Allie Katch is going to be one of her tougher opponents especially in a promotion as rowdy as Wrestling REVOLVER.
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
The WPP Vs 121000000 feud extends past the Princess Tag Titles match. Howitzer and Itoh will face each other one on one.
WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023 The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA
1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The West Coast Pro Women’s Champion will either be Masha Slamovich or Sandra Moone. They will have a match to become the first champion on 4th March and Yamashita will be the first challenger one month later.
HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Hoodslam’s motto is “Fuck The Fans”. I think Itoh will fit in over there just fine.
CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023 Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Capital Championship Wrestling is a women’s promotion based out of Houston.
UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023 PA Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita
This place I have no idea about. Ultimate Wrestling Empire seems to be a new promotion and their tweet promoting this match is the only thing I can find about them. Yamashita sounds very excited to be wrestling Dani Mo.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata
Prestige continues to be treated like Yamashita’s home away from home. Her return to Portland will have Queen Aminata waiting for her.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita
The shop owned by The Lucha Brothers likes to run their own wrestling shows every now and then. Their next one has Takeshita meeting Daga for the first time. We already know Bandit is a big Itoh fan. Are they a big admirer of Yamashita too or will they want to beat her as a favour to Itoh?
MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023 2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra
Remember that outdoor show where Takeshita fought JDX last year? Been a while since we heard from the folks over at Midwest All-Star Wrestling. Yamashita is heading over to their place for a match against Sierra.
AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023 Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Yamashita’s debut for AIW has my attention more than the other bookings because I want to hear what the people in the company will say about her on The Card Is Going To Change podcast.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
At the time of writing St. Louis Anarchy is the booking closest to the end of Yamashita’s expedition. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can still add a few late dates before she heads home. I’d be shocked if there were no AEW bookings during the three months she’s in America.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Suzume Vs Arisu Endo
2. Haru & Momo Debut Match: Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru & Momo
3. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Ram Kaichow Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Ryo Mizunami Vs Moka Miyamoto
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Haruna Neko
6. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz
7. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai
8. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
At the time of writing The Wasteland War Party have successfully defended the Princess Tag Team Titles twice in America. They have at least one more defence on their schedule before they return to Japan but odds are real good they will get to defend the belts against 121000000 on this show.
It’s only fitting that the smallest person on the Tokyo Joshi Pro roster gets to team up with Andreza Giant Panda. As long as Haruna Neko does not scratch the panda everything will be ok. No wait, we can’t be trusting Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao not to come up with something dangerous for the match. After all when something that giant comes along it would attract the attention of a kaiju and a superhero.
Good to see Ryo Mizunami back. This time she gets to put Moka Miyamoto to the test.
Ram Kaichow returns to TJPW too, which makes me wonder would Triple Six have more coverage if they got Free WiFi more often? Also the trio of Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku should get a team name at this point. The three of them have been inseperable for months now.
Shove all of the rookies into the same match! Good luck to Mahiro Kiryu and Kaya Toribami for having to keep that one together. Shino Suzuki and Toga will have already debuted by then. It’s Haru & Momo who will be having their first match.
For the first time since Arisu Endo’s debut match, Daisy Monkey are fighting against each other! Can Suzume stay ahead of her partner or has Endo progressed enough to catch up to her?
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs El Unicorn & Raimu Imai
2. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
3. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada
5. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Saki Akai
7. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu
8. Special Single Match: Hikari Machida Vs Takeshi Masada
9. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Drew Parker Vs MJ Paul & KANON
10. Special Tag Match: Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Super Powerhouse Tag Team
11. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
12. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
13. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu
14. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
15. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
16. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yukio Naya
Sixteen matches in five hours. What is this, an AEW Dark taping? Yukio Naya faces his tag partner and bigger brother figure Yuji Hino for the KO-D Openweight Title. For years now so much has been expected of Naya to become a big player in pro wrestling. Has he finally put it all together to become the champion of DDT? If that is not enough, Kenta Kobashi will be at the show as a special guest commentator for the main event.
The spirit of DNA can be found in the KO-D Tag Team Titles match. ShunMao were feeling good after defending the titles twice in three days but that mood changed once their next opponents showed up. Kazuasada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu were some of their toughest rivals back in the DNA days. Higuchi won his matches against Shunma Katsumata more often than not while Nakatsu was the first person to hand MAO his first loss. While ShunMao do not like having Harimao as their next challengers, they know they must beat them in order to carry on their plans to change the landscape of pro wrestling.
A “Super Powerhouse Tag Team” is coming over to take on Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda. No other clues about the team’s identity have been found yet.
Now that Drew Parker is giving up death match wrestling maybe he will find more time to wrestle in DDT more often. Him and Chris Brookes teaming together as the Baka Gaijins will add a little freshness to the tag team division.
Both Saki Akai and Kazuki Hirata are getting matches to celebrate their pro wrestling anniversaries. Both matches feature wrestlers who have been close to Akai and Hirata respectively throughout their entire careers.
We say goodbye to the DDTeeeen!! project with Ilusion & El Unicorn both moving up to the main roster. Raimu Imai was a part of the short lived project so he gets to be in the match. Munetatsu Nakamura is a new face for the three of them to be in the ring with.
A lot to get through here. I’ll save the “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” and “JUDGEMENT 2023” for the next post just to give the pages some breathing room. There will be so much to write about between the two “Big Match” events, Wrestlemania Weekend, a whole bunch of debuting wrestlers and all of the other international bookings to keep track of. Staying up to date with the all of the news and shows in the next month is probably going to kill me.
BASARA “BASARA 212 ~KOO~”, 28/02/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Lil’ Kraken & Tsutomu Oosugi
2. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga Vs Antonio Honda
3. FUMA & KUBITO Vs Masato Kamino & Yasu Urano
4. Takumi Tsukamoto Vs SAGAT
5. Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Daiki Shimomura & Fuminori Abe
6. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Takato Nakano
The lineup for the “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023~” was revealed over the weekend and it turns out Isami Kodaka is the only BASARA representative on the show. Takato Nakano was convinced he would be on it. Maybe winning the Union MAX Title away from Kodaka tomorrow will lead to a last minute change of plan.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/03/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Aino Vs Hikari Noa Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
3. Mizuki Vs Pom Harajuku
4. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Raku
5. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima & Mahiro Kiryu
6. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko Vs Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Nao Kakuta
One more chance for Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi to test themselves against each other before the International Princess Title match.
The “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” main event are in separate singles matches. Yuka Sakazaki has to fight Raku and her dreaded pillow. Mizuki continues going through a… um… well calling it a murderer’s row of opponents isn’t accurate given how little a challenge they’ve given her so far. More like a jaywalker’s path? That’s kind of the level of crime Pom Harajuku would commit I guess.
Daisy Monkey are back teaming up to take on the rookie pairing of Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI.
Maki Itoh is missing the show because she will be in America wrestling for GCW that day.
DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 2”, 04/03/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani Vs Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Yoshihiko (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes Vs Akito Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. DISASTER BOX Vs Harimao!: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki
6. Special Single Match: MAO Vs Ryota Nakatsu
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
All aboard for the journey to DDT’s 26th Anniversary show! The top three matches in Yokohama are all building towards “JUDGEMENT 2023”. Yuji Hino and Yukio Naya have a few preview tag matches to get ready for.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is now safe and sound in the hands of Yoshihiko. The doll still has a big challenge coming up, defending the belt in a Battle Royal.
Yuki Ueno will be absent from a few DDT shows this month because he got a part in a stage show.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 05/03/2023 Nagano City Art Center Act Space
1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku
2. KANON Vs Yuki Ishida
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Gota Ihashi Vs Akito, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada
5. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya & Chris Brookes
Nagano is getting a Dragongate adjacent trio led by Yasushi Kanda taking on The 37KAMIINA.
GANBARE☆PRO “SHOOTING IN THE COLD RAIN, A GUN FOR PROMISE 2023”, 05/03/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. GanJo Special Tag Match: HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & Asahi
2. GanJo Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Miyuki Takase
3. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takuya Wada
4. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shuichiro Katsumura
5. GanPro Three Big Singles Match: Shota Vs Soma Takao
6. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Shinichiro Tominaga & Tatsuhito Takaiwa Vs Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Yumehito Imanari
Tatsuhito Takaiwa makes his first appearance in Ganbare☆Pro since November.
The ROMANCE DAWN rivalry ends here. Shota and Soma Takao want to settle their conflict once and for all before they team up to chase after the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE NIGHT BEFORE GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 06/03/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Toga Debut Match: Toga Vs X
2. Shino Suzuki Debut Match: Miu Watanabe & Hikari Noa Vs Raku & Shino Suzuki
Shino of The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) will now be known as Shino Suzuki! The former bus guide had a dream of becoming an idol that she just could not give up so she auditioned for the unit last year. Suzuki is 157cm tall and was born in Shizuoka on 15th July, 1998. Her hobby is collecting stamps and her special skill is tourist information.
DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023 Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage
1. Student Pro Wrestling Support Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Great-GO-Khan & “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid Vs Antonio Honda, Macho Gallows & Dopyu♡McIntyre
2. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match ~ Pheromone Rumble: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Toi Kojima Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Sacrifice X
4. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match ~ Bring Items Anywhere Falls Count Fair And Square Full Settlement Tag Team Match: Kazuki Hirata, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura Vs Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi
5. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match ~ Shiraishi Castle Love Song: Tetsuya Endo & Keisuke Ishii Vs Akito & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
6. Special Challenge Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Takeshi Masada
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, MAO & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
Takeshi Masada gets to face Jun Akiyama one on one as a bonus prize for winning the D GENERATIONS CUP.
The student pro wrestlers Great-GO-Khan, “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid, Macho Gallows and Dopyu♡McIntyre have all been invited back for a special 6-Man Tag Match. Joining in the fun are HARASHIMA and Antonio Honda, two wrestlers who came from the same student wrestling scene long, long ago.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
Well… Sanshiro Takagi did promise he was getting somebody from AEW to help him fight Pheromones in Los Angeles. Michael Nakazawa is an AEW wrestler so where’s the lie?
Takeshi Masada will be on the show as his main prize for winning the D GENERATIONS CUP. He is demanding a first class ticket to get there too. Kazusada Higuchi is also booked for the show so if there’s room for one more match that pairing would be a good one.
DDT “APRIL FOOL 2023”, 09/04/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Rukiya Ikeda Debut Match: Rukiya Ikeda Vs X
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs X & X
Whoever wins the KO-D Tag Team Titles match between ShunMao and Harimao at “JUDGEMENT 2023” will next defend the belts on 9th April.
The third trainee in the recent class of five is ready to make his debut. Rukiya Ikeda is from Toyonaka City, Osaka and was born on 25th February, 2001. He is 177cm tall and weighs 80kg. His athletic background is in baseball and grappling.
Naruki Doi and Kotaro Suzuki will both be on the show.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023 Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
Super Sasadango Machine had a plan to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from BURNING in order to set up a big match in his hometown against Jun Akiyama. The plan worked perfectly! Akiyama has picked Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku to be his partners for the match. It means Sasadango, Ueno & Shinya Aoki now have to face BURNING again but if they win here then they will have beaten every member of the group!
NOAH “KEIJI MUTO GRAND FINAL PRO-WRESTLING “LAST” LOVE~HOLD OUT~”, 21/02/2023 Tokyo Dome 30,096 Fans
0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Offer Match – TJPW Spark: Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Rika Tatsumi defeated Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai when Sakazaki pinned Arai with the Magical Girl Chicken Dude (11:38).
2. DDT Pro Wrestling Offer Match – Dramatic Dream Future: MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima defeated Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the WR (9:06).
Without a doubt the biggest wrestling show to take place in Japan this year took place today with Keiji Muto retiring at the Tokyo Dome. On the undercard there were matches put together by several companies including DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro. The DDT match presented The 37KAMIINA taking on Tetsuya Endo leading a team of DDT’s future stars in the making. For Endo the match gave him an opportunity to be on the big stage for the first time since the concussion incident at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” last June. His Burning Star Press was dodged by MAO but he was able to make up for it by hitting the Sasuke Special into an Overhead Kick later on. Takeshi Masada also stepped up to the plate and brought the fight to Yuki Ueno. That moment was stopped with a German Suplex followed by Ueno’s pinpoint Dropkick. Ueno then got the pin by giving Masada the WR to give The 37KAMIINA the victory.
Backstage Ueno told reporters unfamiliar with The 37KAMIINA that the group loves to have hot matches that transforms arenas into saunas. For Muto’s retirement at the Tokyo Dome they really wanted to have a match as passionate as the occasion. Because of that MAO admitted everybody in the match were feeling nervous. Even if they made the atmosphere even just a little bit more electric he hopes the match helped build the show up towards its massive main event. Toi Kojima had a Konosuke Takeshita shirt with him to represent Takeshita in spirit so in a way all five members of the unit were together at the Tokyo Dome. Shunma Katsumata told everyone to keep doing their best so some day DDT will have their own proper show in the Dome. Endo noted that his team was not a unit at all but everyone got to see how hard they work on a regular basis. Yuya Koroku said the match is a great source of inspiration for his future in wrestling. Hideki Okatani isn’t as positive because he felt he did not give his best effort out there. The experience will fuel him to get better though. Out of all of the wrestlers involved, the match may have left the most impact on Takeshi Masada. The rookie said he will never forget the sight of the ceiling he had to stare at after he lost the match.
The pre-show featured an 8-Woman Tag Match put together by TJPW. Everyone got their own moment in the spotlight in the centre of the ring. Maki Itoh demonstrated her hard head, Miu Watanabe did the Giant Swing, Rika Tatsumi threw some Dragon Screws, Mizuki landed the Whirling Candy, Miyu Yamashita used her Return Crash kick from the corner, Yuki Arai was able to do the Full Nelson Buster and Shoko Nakajima wiped out a group of wrestlers outside with a Topé Suicida. But it was Yuka Sakazaki who brought things to an end by pinning Arai with the Magical Girl Chicken Dude.
Everyone gave their comments backstage after the match. Yamashita said their time out there in the Tokyo Dome came and went in the blink of an eye. She is really happy that TJPW played a part on a day as historic as Muto’s retirement. Sakazaki wanted to thank Muto for allowing them to have the match because it made them love pro wrestling even more. Nakajima now wants TJPW to run the Tokyo Dome themselves and does not think that dream is impossible. Tatsumi agrees and because she wants all of TJPW to be here. Watanabe wants to spread the word and tell everyone how wonderful TJPW is. Mizuki thinks the company will grow even bigger and she will do her best to headline the Dome some day. Itoh was very happy to do the Cutest Knuckle Punch In The World at the Tokyo Dome. Arai was disappointed to lose the match but still called the experience a wonderful time with wonderful wrestlers.
DDT “HEAT WAVE OVER FLOWERS 2 ~THE WORLD THAT EVERYONE DOES NOT KNOW~”, 14/02/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Anshin Oyado Presents ~The World Unknown To ShunMao~ Reprinted Men’s Club! Special 4 Way Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (Special Referee: MEN’S Teioh)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Kazuma Sumi (0) Vs Ilusion (0)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) Vs Yuki Ishida (0)
4. sauna line Presents ~The World Unknown To Yuki~ A Fair And Square Special Handicap Match Where Blood Is Washed Away: Yuki Ueno Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gabai Ji-chan
5. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~The World Unknown To Toi~ Burn The Firewood! Special Singles Match: Toi Kojima Vs Yasu Urano
6. Special Tag Match: Akito & Sakura Hirota Vs Tetsuya Endo & Kazuki Hirata
7. Final Set – Naniwa Kenko Land Yu~topia Presents ~The World Unknown To The 37KAMIINA~ Beyond The Totonoi: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Toi Kojima
What kind of match the main event is going to be will not be known until it happens. Could be a 4 Way free for all, a tag match, a handicap match or something else entirely.
Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuki Ishida is the only D GENERATIONS CUP match taking place on this show that has something on the line. Nakamura needs to win to stay in the B Block race. Kazuma Sumi Vs Ilusion has nothing but pride on the line for those two.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/02/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. Hikari Noa & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino & HIMAWARI
2. 3 Way Match: Nao Kakuta Vs Haruna Neko Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Rika Tatsumi, Suzume & Arisu Endo
4. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Raku Vs Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Janai Kai
6. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Arai Vs Aja Kong & Moka Miyamoto
A few team names to learn off the undercard. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Raku are MagiRabi Express. They’ve teamed together under that name before. Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu are Toyo happy. I think that’s a new one. Rika Tatsumi, Suzume & Arisu Endo are DraDaisy Mon (short for Dragon Daisy Monkey). Somehow Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami are the only trio not with a special name attached to them. Unless Kyoraku Kyomei + Toribami counts as a name.
BASARA “BASARA 210 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 23~”, 18/02/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Masato Kamino
2. 1 Count Rules: Banana Senga, Isami Kodaka & FUMA Vs Tsutomu Oosugi, SAGAT & Takumi Tsukamoto
3. Give Up Only Match: Ryuichi Sekine Vs KUBITO
4. Horror! Jusenkyo Tag Match: Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken Vs Ryota Nakatsu & Fuminori Abe
5. Daiki Shimomura Vs Takato Nakano
Aijin Tag Army: Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino, Takumi Tsukamoto, KUBITO, SAGAT, Ryota Nakatsu, Fuminori Abe and Tsutomu Oosugi
Next Saturday’s BASARA doubleshot is being built around the Sento Minzoku Vs Aijin Tag match. The two teams picked wrestlers from the BASARA roster to represent them on the undercard with most of the matches being determined via lottery.
BASARA “BASARA 211 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 24~”, 18/02/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. Horror! Jusenkyo Single Match: Daichi Kazato Vs KUBITO
2. Basara Strange Style Jacket Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Takumi Tsukamoto
3. 2 Count Rules: Ryuichi Sekine, FUMA & Lil’ Kraken Vs Fuminori Abe, Masahiro Takanashi & SAGAT
4. Chicharito Shoki Vs Ryota Nakatsu
5. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
Aijin Tag Army: Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino, Takumi Tsukamoto, KUBITO, SAGAT, Ryota Nakatsu, Fuminori Abe and Masahiro Takanashi
The IRON FIST Tag Titles match was the only bout already announced before the team challenge was put together. Chicharito Shoki and Masahiro Takanashi fill in for Speed Of Sounds in the evening show.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 6-Man Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block
3. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai & Kazuki Hirata Vs Losers Of 23/2 KO-D Tag Team Titles Match
4. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Shishamo Power Vs Jun Akiyama & Unagi Mask
6. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Naruki Doi & Makoto Oishi Vs Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida
9. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya
Whoever comes out of Burlesque Tokyo as the KO-D Tag Team Champions will only have a few days to recover from their hangover before the belts are put on the line again. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida are the next team stepping up to challenge for the titles.
The teams for the D GENERATIONS CUP 6-Man Tag Match will be announced at a later date so it may not automatically be all the wrestlers in A Block against all the wrestlers in B Block.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Haru Debut Match: Haru Vs X
2. Momo Debut Match: Momo Vs X
3. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz
4. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
The winners of this year’s Max Heart Tournament are calling their shot. 121000000 wants to fight The Wasteland War Party inside Ariake Coliseum! Later this month Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer will be defending the Princess Tag Team Titles in Deadlock Pro Wrestling. Should they remain the champions coming out of that show then this will be their next scheduled title defence. Even if they lose the titles, they are guaranteed to face Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”.
Billie Starkz returns to Tokyo Joshi Pro. What will the likes of NEO Biishiki-gun think of her?
The two junior high school trainees Haru and Momo will both make their debuts on the show.
Andreza Giant Panda will also be on the show.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
3. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
4. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
Saki Akai is looking forward to having two singles matches back to back when DDT goes to America. She faces Vert Vixen on the Thursday show.
After being seen in public again last week, Daisuke Sasaki’s request to appear at the Los Angeles show has been granted by DDT. Has he really retired from pro wrestling to live the Hollywood dream? That dream being to work part time at a McDonalds.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
Billie Starkz is the first “international” talent being added to the TJPW USA show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 11/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 657 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Wakana Uehara defeated HIMAWARI with a Sleeper Hold (6:26).
2. Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Raku, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Kamifuku pinned Toribami with the Famouser (11:32).
3. Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Camel Clutch (9:27).
4. Yuki Arai defeated Pom Harajuku with the Finally (6:40).
5. Hikari Noa & Janai Kai defeated Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino when Kai pinned Aino with the Tornado Kick (12:30).
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Miu Watanabe & Suzume when Sakazaki pinned Suzume after the Toy Story 4 (12:58).
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao when Itoh submitted Nakajima with the Itoh Deluxe (25:35).
The result of this Max Heart Tournament final is historic for two reasons. First, Maki Itoh is now the first woman to win both the Max Heart Tournament and Tokyo Princess Cup. And second, Miyu Yamashita has finally won a tournament after almost ten years of trying! 121000000 had to fight their biggest challenge in the end, Kyoraku Kyomei. Before the match began Hyper Misao got on the microphone and said she is happy these were the two teams in the final. Of course it was to set up a sneak attack and 121000000 saw it coming. They blocked the ambush and took control of the opening minutes. Misao briefly had her mask fall off during the match but she ignored it to hit Yamashita’s leg against the ring post. She put the mask back on and continued targeting the leg. Itoh tagged in but her momentum was cut off by Shoko Nakajima. Kyoraku Kyomei kept trying to isolate Itoh until Yamashita came to the rescue leading to all four wrestlers being falling down on the canvas. 121000000 got up first and fired each other up by headbutting each other. Yamashita countered the Hypami Returns with the Skull Kick to get rid of Misao. Nakajima was then given a Flying DDT/Wheelbarrow German Suplex combo. Itoh followed up by locking in the Itoh Deluxe, making Nakajima tap out!
Nakajima gave Itoh a nod of respect after the match before being helped to the back by Misao. 121000000 were then presented with the trophies and gave out a victory speech. Itoh said after seeing the look on Nakajima’s face, she understands how she feels. It makes her want to do her best for Nakajima and everyone else in Tokyo Joshi Pro. That leads to their next challenge. It is now up to 121000000 to take the Princess Tag Team Titles from The Wasteland War Party and it’s going to happen at Ariake Coliseum on 18th March! Yamashita said it was frustrating that her team with Itoh wasn’t able to produce good results for this long because they are so great together. It’s fun to work with Itoh and fight with Itoh so they are perfect business partners. No matter how long Yamashita lives for, Itoh will always be her partner business or otherwise. They then tried to close out the show by saying “One To…” “…Million!” expecting the fans to chant along. It didn’t really catch on so they spent their post-match interview backstage workshopping it in front of the reporters. The professional media did not join in.
Fresh off of her American expedition, Yuka Sakazaki reunited with Mizuki and you wouldn’t tell there is any tension between them as we get closer towards “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. They were just as happy to be teaming together as The Magical Sugar Rabbits as they always are. Their teamwork was on par and led to them beating Miu Watanabe & Suzume with the Toy Story 4. Backstage Mizuki said she watched Sakazaki’s matches in America and saw how different they are compared to over here. The deal meant Mizuki was able to wrestle a lot of singles matches too so she is preparing for their Princess Of Princess Title match on 18th March. Sakazaki said she can tell TJPW is even better than before because everyone cherishes each and every match they take part in. She also wants MagiRabi to be the next wrestlers collaborating with Idolmaster Cinderella Girls because they just beat the current girls involved with the marketing campaign. Speaking of that franchise, Watanabe & Suzume were hoping to get a lot of Idolmaster fans supporting them today because there was an Idolmaster concert going on next door in the Tokyo Dome.
Welcome to TJPW, Janai Kai! Not everyone gave Kai a happy hello in her first match with the promotion. Rika Tatsumi pretty quickly tried to strangle her. Kai did get along with her tag partner Hikari Noa. Tatsumi missed a Hip Attack and hit Yuki Aino by mistake. Noa & Kai did their trademark moves alongside each other and Kai pinned Aino with the Tornado Kick. Backstage Kai said she’s been studying Watanabe’s matches and is ready to fight her for the International Princess Title on 18th February. Tatsumi now thinks she is friends with Kai. Aino didn’t believe her because she doesn’t choke people she wants to be friends with. Tatsumi explained her attempt to strangle Kai was just a baptism ceremony in order to establish friendship.
Before Yuki Arai gets to fight Aja Kong in Ariake she had to deal with another dangerous monster today… Pom Harajuku! Arai’s opponent today came out dressed in SKE48 merchandise and looked like she wanted to enjoy a concert rather than wrestle. Harajuku asked Arai to perform SKE48’s new single instead of doing the match. Arai agreed when the audience began clapping along so she danced to the song until Harajuku rolled her up for a nearfall. Harajuku targeted Arai’s shins but her tactics didn’t work. Arai was able to hit her with the Finally and get the win. She has two matches with Kong coming up and wants to make sure Kong sees how good she has become.
It was a day of firsts across the board. Yamashita won her first tournament, Kai had her first match in Japan, SKE48 had their new song played in the Kanto region for the first time and Arisu Endo earned her first ever singles win! She was able to beat Moka Miyamoto by trapping her in the Camel Clutch and keeping the pressure up until Miyamoto submitted. She said it was a big deal she was able to get her first win by herself. She wants to get stronger and win more often. She also promised to send an update about her big achievement over to Reika Saiki when she gets the chance. She inherited the Camel Clutch from Saiki which is why she is always so determined to win with it.
If you forgot that Yuki Kamifuku is a dog person she made it clear by stomping on Haruna Neko a lot. Neko recovered after Mahiro Kiryu’s Apology Knee Drop to tag in Raku. Neko returned later to take out both Kiryu & Nao Kakuta with a Double Neckbreaker Drop. She was stopped with a Big Boot from Kamifuku who then went on to give Kaya Toribami a Brainbuster. She then won with the Famouser.
Wakana Uehara gets her first ever wrestling win too! She caught HIMAWARI in a Sleeper Hold and kept it on to drag her opponent down into submission. The result makes Uehara really happy because whenever she trains with her seniors she feels like she is not ready yet. Today’s result makes her want to work even harder so she can compete against more of the TJPW roster. HIMAWARI said this loss is more frustrating than the others but she will treat it as a lesson she has to learn. She will now go train her mind to become so strong she will never give up to a Sleeper Hold again!
There were several announcements throughout the show, many of them related to “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. One of them is the return of NEO Biishiki-gun! The team of Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel will go against Yuki Kamifuku & Billie Starkz on the show.
Juria Nagano gave everyone an update on her finger injury. She fractured her left index finger during her most recent match on 29th January. There wasn’t a date given for her return but she promised the fans she is definitely coming back to the TJPW ring.
Watanabe & Suzume promoted their crossover merch with Idolmaster Cinderella Girls at the start of the show. They were then surprised with the unexpected appearance of Andreza Giant Panda! After the panda struggled to get into the ring it was then announced Andreza will be part of “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”.
Three trainees will make their pro wrestling debuts in March. Toga will have her first match in Shinjuku on 6th March. Haru and Momo will both make their debuts at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”.
Last but not least a few new shows were added to the schedule, each of them being a homecoming show for a TJPW wrestler. Kamifuku is getting a show in Kanagawa on 27th May. Yamashita & Itoh are getting a show in Fukuoka on 25th June.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~OSAKA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/02/2022 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall 166 Fans
1. Kaya Toribami defeated HIMAWARI with the Bird Cage (6:43).
2. Suzume defeated Wakana Uehara with the Ring A Bell (7:06).
3. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko when Kakuta pinned Neko with the Shiden Kai (11:26).
4. Mizuki defeated Raku with the Cutie Special (9:19).
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku when Tatsumi pinned Harajuku after the Daydream Eternity (13:03).
6. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Arisu Endo ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
The main event preview of the Max Heart Tournament final went to a time limit draw. Kyoraku Kyomei started the match asking for a serious fight only to attack 121000000 before they could respond. Arisu Endo was took out a roll of tape with a aim of wrapping it around her opponents but couldn’t find the line on the tape to pull from. She had to ask Yukinori Matsui to find it for her. Shoko Nakajima got the tape and wrapped Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh together outside the ring. Yamashita & Itoh were able to get back into the ring together and somehow do a few of their signature moves while still being stuck to each other. The tape was eventually broken and the two were freed. Endo turned her attention to Moka Miyamoto while the two tag teams still battled each other. After 20 minutes no winner could be determined.
After the match Yamashita said she is happy to face Kyoraku Kyomei at the final on 11th February. Itoh acted like she was closing out the show and asked the audience who the cutest in the world is? Hyper Misao stopped her because her team didn’t win the match. Nakajima agreed and said it doesn’t matter who the cutest in the world is because she is the biggest in the world! Misao claimed she didn’t get to show even half of her ability today and Kyoraku Kyomei will win the Max Heart Tournament. Endo then said she will go and beat Miyamoto on the same show.
Raku was able to counter Mizuki’s Cutie Special with a Front Neck Lock. However Mizuki pulled out her own counter by turning that hold back into the Cutie Special for the win.
Kaya Toribami now has a finisher! The Bird Cage is a Double Chickenwing submission hold.
The first month of 2023 felt like DDT’s international plans have jumped up a gear. Konosuke Takeshita now finds himself orbiting the current AEW World Title storyline and Yuka Sakazaki has her sights set on a Ring Of Honor championship, making a new enemy (maybe her first?) in the process. Maki Itoh is getting further entrenched into GCW while Miyu Yamashita is also out there growing her stock across America. Things are going to ramp up even further in the coming months as we approach WrestleMania weekend.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/01/2023 KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Bryan Danielson Vs Konosuke Takeshita
PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023 The Glass House, Pomona, California, USA
1. Kevin Blackwood Vs MAO
Video starts at 2:20:10 for the match ROH “JAY BRISCOE TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, 25/01/2023 Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Sandra Moone
Video starts at 2:03:40 for the match SETUP “SETUP EP.11”, 28/01/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. International Single Match: Matcha Vs Yuki Kamifuku
Video starts at 22:05 for the match. Go to 39:55 for The Dark Order segment. AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 30/01/2023 Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
1. Athena & Diamante Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue (w/ Madison Rayne)
Video starts at 31:48 for Match #1. Go to 41:03 for Match #2. AEW “DARK”, 31/01/2023 Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Avery Breaux
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Angelico
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Results
GCW “56 NIGHTS”, 01/01/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz and Sawyer Wreck when Itoh pinned Sheik with the I.S.D (8:01).
I think Itoh is fitting in with GCW a little too well. During her last trip their she became firmly established as a member of Nick Gage’s gang, adopting the pizza cutter as her new weapon of choice and even entering to Gage’s theme music “For Whom The Bell Tolls” by Metallica! It’s been working out for her because she was the last woman standing in a 4 Way against Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz and Sawyer Wreck! She even got a piggy back ride from Gage back to the locker room after the match. Being MDK all day has its benefits.
PWG “BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2023 – FIRST STAGE”, 07/01/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Michael Oku with the Zahi (17:17).
Takeshita’s hectic month began with the Battle Of Los Angeles tournament in PWG. It is one of the most high profile events on the American indies even though it takes about 6 months for official videos of the event to actually surface. Takeshita only had one match on the first night but it was an intense fight against Michael Oku, who is an English wrestler you should be paying attention to. Countering the Blue Thunder Bomb with a Reverse Hurricanrana is no easy feat.
PWG “BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2023 – FINAL STAGE”, 08/01/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Round 2: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Titus Alexander with the Jumping Knee (9:38).
2. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Semi Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Komander with a Backslide Pin (5:43).
3. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Final: Mike Bailey defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Flamingo Driver (27:22).
Night two was an even busier night for Takeshita. He went through three rounds to reach the BOLA final, beating the west coast’s own Titus Alexander and luchador Komander. The only man who had an even busier night in the ring was Takeshita’s opponent in the final. It was his good old friend Mike Bailey! Speedball fought four matches in one night due to a busy weekend schedule and won them all. That’s right, Bailey beat Takeshita in the final and he used the Flamingo Driver to do it. It was the very move Bailey first created to beat Takeshita in 2018.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/01/2023 KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Bryan Danielson defeated Konosuke Takeshita by Referee Stoppage with the Regal Stretch (14:47).
No rest for the wicked because a few days later Takeshita stepped up to face the one and only Bryan Danielson in AEW! There was more than just a wrestling match to pay attention to because MJF entered the ring after Takeshita to run down everybody on the microphone, Takeshita included. Takeshita responded to the AEW World Champion first in Japanese and then told MJF in English to kiss his ass. Once that was out of the way Takeshita and Danielson put on one hell of a match that ended with Takeshita passing out to the Regal Stretch. Danielson had nothing but the highest of praise for Takeshita afterwards.
ROH “JAY BRISCOE TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, 18/01/2023 (Aired 25/01/2023) Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sandra Moone with the Magical Magical Girl Splash (3:02)
The January tour for Sakazaki began with what you could say is her debut for Ring Of Honor. It was under sad circumstances because the taping was held in tribute for the late Jay Briscoe, who tragically lost his life in a car crash the previous day. Sakazaki beat Sandra Moone in one of the matches taped for the show and showed good sportsmanship to her opponent afterwards. Oh and there was that one guy in the crowd who was having the time of his life dancing to Sakazaki’s theme song after the match.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 27”, 21/01/2023 Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zachary Wentz with the Zahi (14:21).
Takeshita was back to winning ways on the indies. His first visit to Warrior Wrestling put him in the ring with Zachary Wentz of The Rascalz. It was a back and forth match that ended with Takeshita hitting the Jumping Knee followed by the Zahi for the three count.
PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023 The Glass House, Pomona, California, USA
1. Anything Goes Match: Sonico defeated Shunma Katsumata with the BMF through the Lego covered door (16:53).
2. MAO defeated Kevin Blackwood with a Screw High Kick (13:21).
3. ROH Women’s Title: Athena (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Title Belt Attack (20:59). *V4 for Athena.
Yamashita’s plan to become a triple crown champion had already fallen apart by the time she travelled to California for her latest Prestige appearance. Now thanks to Athena’s cheating she is also no longer undefeated in the promotion. Athena tricked the referee into thinking Yamashita had hit her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Then when the ref’s back was turned, Athena grabbed the belt and whacked it over Yamashita’s head for the three count!
MAO had the breakout performance of the show with his win against Kevin Blackwood. The one moment in particular that went viral was MAO giving Blackwood a Springboard Hurricanrana off the corner and then following up with a Swan Dive Phoenix Splash, aka the Marines Tornado Splash!
Shunma Katsumata also had a crazy match with Sonico. It had to be because he was asking fans to bring Lego and other items to the show so they could use them as weapons! The chaotic match ended with Sonico spitting Poison Mist in Katsumata’s eyes and then crashing him through a lego covered door from the top rope. The two showed respect to each other after the match.
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue (w/ Madison Rayne) defeated Athena & Diamante when Sakazaki pinned Diamante with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (7:11).
Sakazaki’s return to AEW actually began earlier in the month when she started a program with Athena. For weeks Athena has been winning matches and beating up her opponents afterwards. Sakazaki ran down to put a stop to it, sending Athena out of the ring. Sakazaki noticed the ROH Women’s Title belt and showed an interest in taking it. The following week the two women met up backstage and got into a fight, causing them to be pulled apart. That all led to the match on this show. Sakazaki teamed with her usual AEW tag partner Skye Blue while Athena struck a deal with Diamante to tag with her. Sakazaki scored the win after sending Athena out of the ring with a Hurricanrana and then pinning Diamante with the Magical Merry-Go-Round.
That wasn’t the end of Sakazaki’s night though. She was approached by The Dark Order later backstage with an offer to join their group. She kept telling them “Hai!” but they misunderstood and thought she was just saying hello. They left her alone, convinced they were being rejected. She made the Dark Order pose with her hand anyway. So maybe she’s in (or maybe she’s not, brother)?
SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD”, 27/01/2023 Foochow Building, Singapore
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Shotgun Double Knees (?:??). *V1 for Alexis Lee.
In travels much closer to home Yuki Kamifuku took a mini-tour of southeast Asia after her team was eliminated from the Max Heart Tournament. Her first stop was in Singapore Pro Wrestling where she challenged Alexis Lee for the Queen Of Asia Title. Lee successfully defended her title by pinning Kamifuku with the Shotgun Double Knees.
SETUP “SETUP EP.11”, 28/01/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. International Single Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Matcha with the Famouser (9:43).
The next day Kamifuku was in Thailand to take on Matcha at a SETUP show. Things got better for her here… sort of. Kamifuku pinned Matcha with the Famouser but for some reason the bell never rang and the two of them decided to continue wrestling. Kamifuku had climbed up to the second rope ready to do a flying Famouser when the bell finally rang and the referee tried to explain to a confused audience that the match had ended with Kamifuku as the winner.
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Avery Breaux with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15)
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated EJ Nduka with the Zahi (4:15).
3. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Bronson with the Zahi (6:37).
The month for Takeshita and Sakazaki ends with an AEW Dark taping in Universal Studios. Sakazaki’s match with Avery Breaux has already been shown on the most recent episode as I type this. Takeshita’s matches with EJ Nduka and Bronson will be show in February. The EJ Nduka match got some attention online because it is Nduka’s first appearance in the ring since leaving MLW a few weeks earlier.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)
So now Takeshita has found himself playing a part in the MJF Vs Danielson feud. In the weeks since his Danielson match, Takeshita has called MJF an asshole in interviews and saved Danielson in the ring from an attack from MJF and Brian Cage. The next part of the story happens tonight when Takeshita faces Cage one on one.
DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023 NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Raychell Rose & Hyan
The Princess Tag Team Titles are heading over to America thanks to The Wasteland War Party. The new champions have set Deadlock Pro Wrestling as their next target and agreed to defend the titles against Raychell Rose & Hyan. It will be the first time the Princess Tag Titles will be defended outside of Japan. Rose is an established part of DPW’s roster, being the young company’s first women’s champion. Hyan is a talent from the Texas scene who is well travelled around the US indies.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY
Itoh will have a lot to do with GCW in March and she won’t be alone for any of it. Asuka/VENY will be travelling over to Atlantic City alongside her. They’ll be wrestling together on the second show but first, VENY is getting a GCW welcoming party from Joey Janela.
GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai
Itoh is familiar with all three of her opponents Wreck, Starkz & Janai Kai at this point. Rina Yamashita is joining in the fun and will surely make the match turn out way more violent than anticipated.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
Yamashita’s scheduled EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo was delayed due to the concussion Yamashita suffered in Tokyo Joshi Pro a few days earlier. She was unable to travel abroad safely because of it. The match will now take place at EVE’s next event in March.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
Masahiro Takanashi is getting a title match when he returns to Thailand in March. Monomoth is the current SETUP Openweight Champion and is now counting down the days for his defence against Takanashi to happen.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
YYamashita makes her Canadian debut with Nation Extreme Wrestling. Itoh joins her and cannot wait to eat poutine again.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “NEW 12”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe
Damn it this was announced while I was in the middle of finishing this post. Itoh makes her debut for Pandemonium Pro Wrestling teaming with Kidd Bandit. Together they take on Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe! Bandit once cosplayed as Itoh and got her approval so will they be showing up in matching costumes on the night?
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
DDT are sending 16 wrestlers over to Los Angeles for the company’s big return to America. They are Kazusada Higuchi, Jun Akiyama, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Sanshiro Takagi, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes, Saki Akai, KANON, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Michael Nakazawa, Yoshihiko and the winner of the D GENERATIONS CUP. This will be Takeshita’s only DDT match during the week.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
The report from The Wrestling Observer last November was true. TJPW is travelling along with DDT to America this March! Here’s the interesting wrinkle. The TJPW show is being held under the Wrestlecon umbrella ran by Highspots while DDT is with GCW and The Collective. Now that’s playing both sides! Somewhere between 12 and 15 members of the TJPW roster will be part of the show along with some international guest wrestlers.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
The first GCW Vs DDT match announced is sure to be a barn burner. MAO & Mike Bailey are back together as The Moonlight Express for the first time in three years. Their opponents are two of GCW’s most talked about prospects. Together Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne are The East West Express.
Other DDT wrestlers so far confirmed to appear are Higuchi, Akiyama and Yoshihiko. As already mentioned, Takeshita will not be part of the GCW Vs DDT show. ROH have their PPV happening around the same time so maybe he shows up there?
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Another match that got announced right after I finished this post. You’re killing me here lads. Yamashita faces Valkyrie for the first time ever.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Here me out. The payoff to the Itoh and Gage interactions has to be the two of them in the same match together, right? They’re both MDK so Itoh & Gage teaming together makes sense. But “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” has the reputation of being one of the craziest booked shows to happen anywhere every year. Gage is the GCW World Champion so why not have him defend it against Itoh on this show! Or how about Itoh versus Kota Ibushi now that he’s been announced for the show?
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
Heidi Howitzer got the chance to pick any opponent she wanted for the next Lucha Libre & Laughs show in April. She wants to fight Itoh and made her challenge in words Itoh can understand: “Hey Maki, fuck you!”
WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023 The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA
1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Another promotion debut for Yamashita is happening while she is in America this Spring. West Coast Pro will be crowning their first Women’s Champion in March. Whoever it is, her first defence will be against Yamashita in April.
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Cancelled Appearances
EVE “EVE 100”, 07/01/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
As mentioned above, the title match was pushed back to March because of Yamashita’s concussion preventing her from travelling overseas.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~OSAKA PERFORMANCE~”, 04/02/2022 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. Suzume Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Kaya Toribami Vs HIMAWARI
3. Mizuki Vs Raku
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Arisu Endo
One week before the Max Heart Tournament final takes place, 121000000 and Kyoraku Kyomei will give us a preview of what to expect when they all take part in a 6-Woman Tag.
Mizuki has been quietly running through the entire Tokyo Joshi Pro undercard in singles matches lately. Next is Raku’s turn to try and stop her momentum.
Yoshiko Hasegawa is popping up in Tokyo Joshi Pro again.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 11/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
And here is the big finale to the tournament. Can Miyu Yamashita finally break her tournament curse? Will Maki Itoh add the Max Heart Tournament with the Tokyo Princess Cup in her trophy case? Or will Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao prove that nothing beats the combination of kaiju and superhero!
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (0) Vs Ilusion (0)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) Vs Toi Kojima (0)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Yuki Ishida (0) Vs Takeshi Masada (0)
4. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya
The KO-D Openweight Title scene has been shaken up in the aftermath of this past weekend. Yuji Hino is now the champion and has two wrestlers fighting over who should face him for the title at “JUDGEMENT 2023”. Before that gets settled those two potential challengers have to team up against Hino & Makoto Oishi.
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN BURLESQUE TOKYO ~KO-D TAG TEAM BATTLE ON THE STREET! SHUNMAO VS BONNO DAI SHACHO!~”, 23/02/2023 Burlesque Tokyo
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe
It’s like something out of Sega’s Yakuza series. The KO-D Tag Team Titles are being put on the line in a Falls Count Anywhere match because two teams of crazy wrestlers. Where is it taking place? At the glitzy and glamoruous Burlesque Tokyo club in Roppongi! The idea from Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe brings back memories of Takagi’s adventures with Munenori Sawa when they were the champions. ShunMao are up for the challenge.
GANBARE☆PRO “ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD 2023”, 25/02/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
Mizuki Watase is aiming to defend the Spirit Of Ganbare Title twice in February. His next title defence is against Towa Iwasaki in BURST on the 19th. Should he win that match then his singles bout against Shinichiro Tominaga on the 25th will also have the title on the line. Even if Watase loses the title to Iwasaki, he will be facing Tominaga on the 25th no matter what.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs X & X
4. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya
The No. 1 Contender for the KO-D Title will either be HARASHIMA or Yukio Naya. HARASHIMA wants to be the one who challenges for the championship in the main event of DDT’s 26th Anniversary show. Naya has become a stronger wrestler thanks to Hino so it will mean so much to him if he can beat Hino for the KO-D Title.
Whoever leaves Roppongi as the KO-D Tag Champions will have to defend the belts at this show three days later.
Three wrestlers who have very little in common are joining up to challenge BURNING for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The one thread that connects Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine is they all do regular radio appearances outside of wrestling. Sasadango convinced DDT to give the three of them a title shot because they can all promote it on the radio in the lead up to the show.
DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023 Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match: X Vs X
2. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match: X Vs X
3. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match: X Vs X
Some of the wrestlers will get to book their own matches at DDT’s outdoor show in Saitama next month.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”, 18/03/2023 Ariake Coliseum
1. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
The second match announced for “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” is a real doozy. Yuki Arai gets a second shot against Aja Kong but this time she will be on her own. Their first match against each other was a tag match that took place five months into Arai’s wrestling career. It was so long ago in Arai’s mind that she will no rewatch the match because she is a different wrestler now. She thinks her head has gotten harder so she is not scared of being hit by Kong’s steel cans again.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
2. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Winner Of 26/02 Match
There is no DDT Universal Title involved anymore but the Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno match is going ahead.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 