TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22” Results

September 3, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 03/09/2022
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
165 Fans

1. Yuki Aino defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Venus DDT (9:27).
2. Rika Tasumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Suzume & Haruna Neko when Tatsumi pinned Neko with the Twist Of Fate (15:10).
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo when Kiryu pinned Endo after the Enryo (13:34).
4. “Sour Sweet And Citric Acid” 2 Count Fall Match: Nao Kakuta defeated Hyper Misao with the Shiden Kai (10:03).
5. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Raku defeated Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Pom Harajuku when Raku pinned Harajuku with the Doctor Yellow (16:27).

Today’s result is the first time Raku has ever directly won a match in the main event! She was able to pin Pom Harajuku with the Doctor Yellow after 121000000 dealt with The Magical Sugar Rabbits. Raku admitted she was scared of MagiRabi but Maki Itoh told her they are all pro wrestlers. Raku told Itoh & Miyu Yamashita that she thinks of them like an express train while she likes to take it easy stopping one station at a time. Today though she feels like a special express train and will do her best to win more.

The 2 Count Fall match had an extra rule where you had to drink a glass of concentrated lemon juice after every one count or rope break. Hyper Misao came up with the idea and Nao Kakuta agreed to the stipulation because they come from the same generation of pro wrestling. They have no previous history together but both share the same bitter experiences in singles matches. Kakuta looks forward to having more crazy meetings with Misao in the future.

Toyo Mates have a new tag team finisher ready to use. The Enryo involves Mahiro Kiryu bridging out the victim for Yuki Kamifuku to hit the Famouser on. It is named after Enryo Inoue, the founder of Toyo University. They are challenging for the Princess Tag Team Titles tomorrow so Kiryu is now in Full Power Mahiro Mode! Kamifuku said she wants to win the championships tomorrow so she and Kiryu can visit Toyo University and give advice to students who are unsure about what to do with their lives after they graduate.


DDT Around The World – August 2022

September 1, 2022

The summer is over and I thought this article would be winding down and become easier to write about for a few months. After all, Konosuke Takeshita is back in Japan for a while so his AEW journey is on a little break. Instead Shota decides to go live in America and get bookings for some of the most obscure indie companies I have ever heard of. I mean some are so out of the way if you bring them up to the people who run IWTV their response would probably be “Who?” But once September and October are done and dusted Takeshita will be heading back to the US with bigger goals in mind. I think it’s too early right now to talk about whether or not he’s going to be one foot out the door with DDT for good. It’s definitely something I’ll have to write about some day, just not today.

So this series might look a little different in the coming months. Joey Janela is carrying the DDT Extreme Title around the world and has a number of defences already lined up. I’ll be keeping track of them here for as long as it goes on. The same will go for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title if that ever leaves Japan again. So yeah if you’re expecting next month’s post to be about more of Takeshita’s adventures, you’re probably going to get a face full of Shota and Janela instead. However I have a expectation you’ll still see Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita popping up in AEW every now and then to go along with their North American indie bookings. Did you see that Sakazaki is going to be in the AEW video game? Take that FTR!

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Videos


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ryan Nemeth


Video starts at 58:37 for the match
WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022
Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia

1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) (w/ Todd Eastman) Vs Shota Suzuki


AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 06/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita


MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022
Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JDX


Video starts at 43:23 for the match
JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Billie Starkz


Video starts at 15:08 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 15/08/2022
Target Cente, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cezar Bononi


Video starts at 36:45 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 22/08/2022
Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA

1. Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue Vs Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh

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Results


AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 05/08/2022 (Aired 06/08/2022)
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Ricola Bomb (19:59).
*V1 for Claudio Castagnoli.

Takeshita is now 0 for 2 in World Championship matches during his excursion. He couldn’t win the PWG World Title in July and last month couldn’t beat Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Title. It’s another tale of so close but so far for him. He’s putting up the great performances but just not getting those wins when it matters.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ryan Nemeth with the Zahi (1:41).

One good thing to happen on the taping was Takeshita’s first win on national TV. Funny thing is this was taped after the ROH Title match but aired on TV the day before. Takeshita wanted to get that one big win on TV before he went back to Japan. Ryan Nemeth isn’t that big win to be honest but hey, it’s a start.


WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022
Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia

1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) (w/ Todd Eastman) defeated Shota Suzuki with the Rope Assisted Piledriver (?:??).
*V? for Mitch Ryder.

You’ll notice that Shota will be using the name Shota Suzuki in some places. It’s to avoid people confusing him with Shota Umino. I can tell you myself whenever I tweet about Shota’s excursion I get a few responses from people thinking I’m talking about the Shota from New Japan. Anyway he had the pleasure of being Wide Bay Pro’s first international guest wrestler on their shows. He was hoping to win the Interstate Title from Mitch Ryder and use the belt as his ticket to wrestle in Australia more. Unfortunately Ryder’s manager Todd Eastman got involved and his distraction led to Shota losing to a see-saw Piledriver over the middle rope.


DPW “BELIEVE THE HYPE”, 06/08/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Emi Sakura defeated Mizuki with the Queen’s Gambit (11:02).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Andrew Everett with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (18:41).

Mixed results on the Deadlock Pro show. The main event had Takeshita beat Andrew Everett in an absolute scorcher of a match. Mizuki’s first match in America ended in a loss to Emi Sakura. The teacher versus student dynamic was on full display. Sakura even got one more dirty reminder after the match by offering a handshake just to attack Mizuki even more. However the fans responded greatly to Mizuki and were happy to hear her shout “I will be back!”


MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022
Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JDX with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (17:38).

I heard about this match happening from a few Discords but couldn’t find info on it until after it took place. Midwest All-Star Wrestling is a regular promotion for JDX (Justin D. Xavier, the D stands for Disgusting). He thought Takeshita was going to look past him because his focus was on the ROH Title match. Instead Takeshita put him through a hard fought match and had his hand raised in the end.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 10/08/2022 (Aired 15/08/2022)
Target Cente, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cezar Bononi with the Zahi (2:37).

With this win over Cezar Bononi, Takeshita has one more opponent he needs to beat for a clean sweep over The Wingmen. Where you at, Peter Avalon?


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022
O2 Academy, Sheffield, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Leon Slater with the Zahi (12:17).

Over to England now where Takeshita made his PROGRESS debut. His 17 year old opponent Leon Slater was a replacement for an injured Robbie X. Slater put up a heck of a fight but his big mistake was to try and set up a One Man Spanish Fly off the top rope. Takeshita instead used the stalled time to knock Slater off the turnbuckle with a Lariat and then pin him with the Zahi.


JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Billie Starkz defeated Maki Itoh with the Assault Driver (11:13).

Those cheeky gits at GCW advertised Maki Itoh for both nights of their Homecoming weekend but her match on the first night was with JCW instead. I think she did fan meet and greets during the GCW show so they can probably get away with avoiding accusations of false advertising. Anyway her match against Billie Starkz happened very late at night. She had a busy schedule for the following day.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022
Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Dean Allmark with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (10:05).

Takeshita’s second day in PROGRESS gave him a far more experienced opponent to deal with in the form of Dean Allmark. He had some tricks up his sleeve like a Headstand Backslide Pin but Takeshita rolled out of it to hit the Zahi for a nearfall. He then hit the Lil Sebastian’s Curse to win. I need to find out if he minds everybody still wanting to call that move the Cinnabomb.


GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik with the Flying DDT (10:54).

If there is one thing you need to know about this match it’s this. They did the Top Rope DDT spot from the Dean Malenko Vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that happened at Backlash 2000. It is also where Itoh started using the I.D.S as her new finisher. That wasn’t the end of Itoh’s night. She appeared during the main event segment where Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green renewed their wedding vows. Itoh sang “L.O.V.E.” by Frank Sinatra for the happy couple before Nick Gage came out and crashed the ceremony with a pizza cutter.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 17/08/2022 (Aired 22/08/2022)
Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA

1. Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh defeated Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue when Sakura pinned Blue with the Queen’s Gambit (7:15).

Itoh’s latest stay in America ended with another visit to AEW. She teamed with Emi Sakura to beat Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue. Itoh claims Emi Sakura is the newest member of the Itoh Respect Army but Sakura denies this. At least her singing impressed Matt Menard on commentary.

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Upcoming Appearances


EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 01/09/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson Vs Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade
2. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor (c) Vs Hikari Noa

Later tonight Hikari Noa will challenge Alex Windsor for the International Princess Title in EVE. Noa arrived in London safe and sound during the week and EVE’s Twitter account shows her enjoying the vibrant sights of Camden. This may be TJPW’s only chance to bring the IP Title back home any time soon though. Windsor tweeted her frustrations over how difficult it’s been to get even an appointment with the Japanese embassy so she can travel back to Japan.

The tag match I included here has implications to pay attention to. The winners will get to wrestle for TJPW in Japan sometime in the future. Nightshade has been in TJPW back in 2019. In EVE she sides with Rhia O’Reilly as part of The Uprising stable. O’Reilly is also an accomplished wrestler across the British women’s scene. Their opponents Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson I don’t know much about. Hudson’s biggest profile appearances seem to be with ICW in Scotland and TNT Extreme in Liverpool. Leverkusen I can’t find much info about other than a few recent EVE matches and Youtube videos of other matches across assorted indies.


MPW “ENDANGERED”, 02/09/2022
Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Darwin Finch Vs J2 Vs Shota

Shota’s new American life begins with Millenium Pro Wrestling in California. The promotion has been in existence since 2001. If Shota can beat Darwin Finch and J2 in a Triple Threat match then he will qualifiy for a Scramble match on 9th September that MPW is putting together to celebrate their anniversary.


PWF “ENDANGERED”, 03/09/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. JJ Blake Vs Shota Suzuki

The next day Shota travels over to Texas for Premier Wrestling Federation. His opponent here JJ Blake recently accomplished the Triple Crown feat in New Texas Pro Wrestling. That has Shota excited to know he is getting a strong opponent for sure.


GCW “THE ART OF WAR”, 03/09/2022
Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title & 6 Pack Of PBR – 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Mike Bailey Vs Tony Deppen Vs Cole Radrick Vs Drago Kid Vs Gringo Loco Vs Dante Leon Vs Shane Mercer

Yeah this is nuts. Janela’s first Extreme Title defence in America will be in one of GCW’s craziest match stipulations. GCW loves Scramble matches. They are also doing their own Wargames match this weekend so will have two rings set up beside each other. Add in ladders along with a Pabst Blue Ribbon sponsorship and you got yourselves a 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match! That’s not all, Janela is putting himself up against an entire deck full of wild cards. Mike Bailey needs no introduction, Tony Deppen can be unpredictable at times, Cole Radrick is becoming more of a deathmatch wrestler as the months go by, Drago Kid blew everyone’s minds in his previous GCW appearances, Gringo Loco has built up the reputation of being one of the best bases currently on the indies, Dante Leon is the kind of guy who benefits from that and Shane Mercer is an absolute powerhouse who leaves destruction in his wake.


JCW “UNCENSORED”, 10/09/2022
Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title – Bodyslam Challenge: Joey Janela (c) Vs Beastman

If Janela can somehow crawl out of the chaos mentioned above, he will put the title on the line next against Beastman on a JCW show. The stipulation here is a lot more basic. First wrestler to Body Slam their opponent wins. Beastman has the size advantage in this one.


ROW “TEXAS GOLD RUSH”, 10/09/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs Ayden Cristiano

Shota’s heading back over to Reality Of Wrestling. This time around his opponent is “The Madman From Madrid” Ayden Cristiano.


NEW “YEAR ONE ANNIVERSARY”, 16/09/2022
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. Maki Itoh Vs Gisele Shaw

Canada prepare yourselves for Maki Itoh. She will wrestle for the first time on Canadian soil for Nation Extreme Wrestling. Her opponent is Gisele Shaw who is coming in as a replacement for Chelsea Green due to scheduling conflicts with the latter. Shaw wrestle twice for TJPW in 2019 including the match to crown the first ever IP Champion. This will be her first in-ring meeting with Itoh.


PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Sandra Moone
2. Trish Adora Vs Miyu Yamashita

I said it last month that Miyu Yamashita against somebody like Trish Adora would be an attention grabber. There you go.


MISSION PRO “Welcome To The Jungle”, 17/09/2022
Salvation Army Mission Corps, San Antonio, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs JP Harlow

Mission Pro is Thunder Rosa’s promotion, right? Shota’s just ticking off all of the Texas companies from the get go. If he wasn’t going to bump into JP Harlow at ROW it was only a matter of time he would find him here I guess.


FRONTLINE PRO “A NIGHT FOR TYLER V”, 24/09/2022
Bakerville Bar And Grill, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA

1. Shota Vs Ragnar The Ruthless

One week later Shota heads to Wisconsin for Frontline Pro. For fuck sake lads I have to trawl through Facebook to find out what this is and where Ragnar The Ruthless comes from.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs X

Shigehiro Irie will be at Progress the same weekend CDK are there.


PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Let’s include Irie here too.


MDRN NMD “I SPELL F-L-Y”, 29/09/2022
The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St. , Manchester, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs LK Mezinger & Splits McPins
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs Dan Moloney

Before the entire UK scene fell apart there was a little series of shows called Tuesday Night Graps put together by a group of wrestlers including Chris Brookes. After the pandemic the shows came back under a new group called Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling and this time there’s no need to run shows every Tuesday. Is Masahiro Takanashi into bowling because CDK takes on Bowl-A-Rama in tag team action. Irie gets to take on Dan Moloney in a superfight.


WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 30/09/2022
wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

1. Masha Slamovich Vs Fuminori Abe

The day before the World Tag Team Festival tournament begins, wXw will be holding a smaller scale show inside their wrestling school. They are always a good appetizer to start their big international weekends with some unique matches put together. Like this one here, Fuminori Abe being thrown into the ring against Masha Slamovich!


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

We just have to wait and see how both CDK and Abe & Irie will do in the tournament.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V”, 13/11/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Hyper Misao Vs X

Yeah so this was announced back in July and I completely forgot about it until now. Whoops. Hyper Misao’s going to England!


PW REVOLUTION/WEST COAST PRO “KING OF INDIES 2022”, 19/11/2022
United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA

1. King Of Indies 2022: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

There is a tournament in the American independents that holds almost a mythical reputation even if it does not attract the attention of wrestling fans the same way Battle Of Los Angeles, Tournament Of Death or King Of Trios all used to. The King Of Indies tournament originated in the early 2000s with All Pro Wrestling as the hosts. The 2001 edition is well known as being an inspiration towards the creation of Ring Of Honor. The tournament was revived in 2018 with Pro Wrestling Revolution taking the reigns and this year Takeshita gets to add his name to the tournament’s history book. He won’t be the only Japanese participant because Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH will be there along with SB Kento and La Estrella from DRAGONGATE.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GIRL 3 ~WOMEN ONLY BOX OFFICE~” Results

August 28, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GIRL 3 ~WOMEN ONLY BOX OFFICE~”, 28/08/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
500 Fans

1. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko when Suzume pinned Neko with the Ring A Bell (10:58).
2. Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Kakuta pinned Miyamoto with the Shiden Kai.
3. 「Go Girl」 4 Major Singles Match: Hyper Misao defeated Raku with the Hypami Returns (7:30).
4. 「Go Girl」 4 Major Singles Match: Maki Itoh defeated Yuki Aino with the I.S.D (ITOH SUICIDE DDT) (11:48).
5. 「Go Girl」 4 Major Singles Match: Saki Akai defeated Hikari Noa with the Arm Triangle Choke (8:18).
6. 「Go Girl」 4 Major Singles Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Yuki Arai with the Famouser (9:41).
7. TJPW THE BEST Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Miyu Yamashita when Nakajima pinned Mizuki with the Diving Senton (22:08).

In an attempt to attract more female fans to their shows, Tokyo Joshi Pro held their third “GO GIRL 3” event today which took place in front of an exclusively female audience. The first two shows held last year took place in Itabashi Green Hall. Today’s show took place in a bigger and more important venue, Korakuen Hall.

A new logo was unveiled for TJPW, replacing the pink crown that was used since its creation over 10 years ago. TJPW’s brand is “The Happiest Pro Wrestling” and the new logo was created to convey that. The design includes the TJPW abbreviation to equally appeal towards both Japanese and overseas fans. The letters rising from left to right represents momentum and a sporty atmosphere while the W at the end is shaped like a tiara.

Six of TJPW’s best were put together in the main event. It built around the “WRESTLE PRINCESS III” main event of Shoko Nakajima versus Yuka Sakazaki, placed Nakajima on the same team with Daydream and allowed The Magical Sugar Rabbits to join forces with Miyu Yamashita. All six brought out their strongest effort but it was Nakajima who stood tall in the end, pinning Mizuki with the Diving Senton.

She said she felt energetic today because she knew there were people in the audience watching their first wrestling show today along with fans who have always supported TJPW. Rika Tatsumi called the show a great success and hopes many more will happen. Miu Watanabe was happy to hear fresh voices among the cheers and thinks it would be great if they come back again. Yamashita was also happy to do a show like this in Korakuen and her feelings over it made up for her losing today. Mizuki also wanted to win but understands how strong all of her opponents are today. She wants everyone to do their best so a “GO GIRL” show can take place in front of a sold out venue. Sakazaki went further and encouraged everyone in the audience to become trainees!

Four singles matches were put together as attraction matches for the show. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Yuki Arai in the semi-main event in a match that was originally meant to take place last summer. Kamifuku did not make the mistake of thinking Arai is still the rookie she was last year. After all Arai is a champion now. Instead Kamifuku thinks TJPW have been too reliant on the idol’s promotional power and wanted to get herself out there to attract new fans. By beating Arai today, she is setting the table for Toyo Meyiu’s match against Reiwa AA Cannon for the Princess Tag Team Titles on 4th September. Arai is left feeling regret over not getting to look cool in front of the audience watching her for the first time.

Arai’s tag partner Saki Akai had no such trouble. Hikari Noa got a cheap shot in by Dropkicking Akai from behind after a pre-match handshake. Akai returned fire with Big Boots and focused on getting her opponent in a Triangle Choke. Noa kept herself in the match with Thrust Kicks until Akai would finally capture her in the submission hold, making her opponent give up. Akai thinks being an idol and doing pro wrestling has become relatively normal. She noticed there were some children in the audience so she would like to be the kind of wrestler who will inspire those kids to become pro wrestlers too. Noa was disappointed to lose right before she goes to England to try and win back the International Princess Title.

Doesn’t matter what gender the audience is. They all still agree that Maki Itoh is the cutest in the world! She expected that of course. She also has a name for her Flying DDT that she’s started to win matches with. The I.S.D stands for ITOH SUICIDE DDT. Yuki Aino had her own big move to try out. She gave Itoh a second rope Side Suplex over the ropes but it wasn’t enough for her to win the match. She still enjoyed wrestling in this environment and it makes her want to fight more.

Hyper Misao knew she was going up against Raku and her sleepy tactics so she drank a caffeinated energy drink before the match. It didn’t work and Raku was able to make her drowsy with a Sleeper Hold. Misao used her cooling spray on herself to wake up and took another gulp of the energy drink. This time it worked and she was able to beat Raku in the end. She thanked the audience crediting their cheers for keeping her awake.

This was the third time Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano teamed up together. They enjoy being in the same matches and feel more motivated to win together. Mahiro Kiryu was happy to win and believes it was through the power of the audience. Nao Kakuta thinks it will be great if they can get even more women in the audience.

Daisy Monkey kicked off the show with a win over Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko. The cute and colorful atmosphere got Suzume & Arisu Endo excited. Even Harajuku, who swears she takes pro wrestling seriously admits she got a little carried away because of the crowd.

Over the Summer TJPW has been uploading episodes of Yume Pro Wrestling -dream on the ring- onto their Youtube channel. It follows a group of idols training to become a pro wrestler with one of them ultimately getting a debut match. The remaining idols are Wakana Uehara, Himari Manaka and Risako. The 4th contestant Ema pulled out late in the series because she was unable to give 100% effort alongside her other commitments. Yume Pro Wrestling will hold a one off show in Shinjuku FACE on 14th October featuring their idols in an exhibition match. It will be the final challenge in the competition to decide who will make their dream come true. Uehara and Manaka were in attendance and spoke of their enthusiasm for their final test.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YUKI KAMIFUKU LOCAL TRIUMPH ~KEWLEST TOWN IN SHONANDAI!~” Results

August 7, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YUKI KAMIFUKU LOCAL TRIUMPH ~KEWLEST TOWN IN SHONANDAI!~”, 07/08/2022
Kanagawa Fujisawa City Shonandai Cultural Center Citizen’s Theater
335 Fans

1. Hikari Noa defeated Haruna Neko with the Blizzard Suplex (5:48).
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao defeated Pom Harajuku and Mahiro Kiryu when Misao pinned Harajuku with La Magistral Cradle (8:28).
3. Yuna Manase defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Lariat (6:50).
4. Yuka Sakazaki & Raku defeated Suzume & Kaya Toribami when Sakazaki pinned Toribami with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (10:39).
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo when Watanabe pinned Endo with the Tear Drop (13:37).
6. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku defeated Miyu Yamashita & Nao Kakuta when Kamifuku pinned Kakuta with the Diving Famouser (11:54).

Today’s show was a homecoming for Yuki Kamifuku in Fujisawa City. When the show began she presented the mayor of Fujisawa City with a donation made out of a portion of the event’s earnings. The donation will go towards local scholarships. The main event itself was Kamifuku forming the MakiYuki Happy team with Maki Itoh to take on Miyu Yamashita & Nao Kakuta. Kamifuku welcomed her opponents to her town and when she gave them Eye Pokes she told them it was “The Fujisawa Way”. MakiYuki Happy ended up shining brightly in the end. Kamifuku got rid of Yamashita with the Famouser and then pinned Kakuta with the Diving Famouser.

She thanked the audience for coming to see Tokyo Joshi Pro because she loves the company as much as she loves her hometown. When she was a student she had difficulty finding a hobby to be passionate about. When she joined TJPW she found her dreams and one by one made them come true. This show was the biggest one and she is happy to come back here with her friends and colleagues from Tokyo.

Upcoming Tokyo Princess Cup opponents Yuka Sakazaki and Suzume faced off in a tag match on the undercard. After the match Sakazaki said in her backstage interview that she is not feeling any danger when she wrestles against Suzume. She is looking forward to their semi final match but right now she doesn’t feel threatened at all.

The 3 Way Match was summer themed. Hyper Misao and Pom Harajuku came out wearing straw hats, swimming goggles and playing with a beach ball. The referee even wore a tie dye shirt over his regular uniform. Only Mahiro Kiryu showed up looking normal and got mad over being left out.


DDT Around The World – July 2022

August 2, 2022

The summer is winding down and it’s been a whirlwind of international appearances for Konosuke Takeshita and Miyu Yamashita in particular. Things might calm down a little going into the Autumn when Takeshita returns home to Japan for DDT. His plan is to go back for just under two months before continuing his excursion. He is definitely falling in love with America and wants to make the country his second home. But as you will see in the upcoming appearances section below there is a whole wide world out there to explore.

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Videos


RCW “MIYUMAMI”, 02/07/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Alex Windsor


Video starts at 20:34 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 04/07/2022
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Hikaru Shida & Yuka Sakazaki Vs Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/07/2022
Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Eddie Kingston Vs Konosuke Takeshita


Video starts at 2:46:15 for the match
JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Radrick


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/07/2022
Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA

1. Interim AEW World Title Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley Vs Konosuke Takeshita


PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022
Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kevin Blackwood

GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA


1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai


2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander


Video starts at 47:53 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 25/07/2022
Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JD Drake


AEW “DYNAMITE ~ FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN”, 27/07/2022
DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title: Thunder Rosa (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita


Video starts at 54:10 for Match #1. Go to 1:45:55 for Match #2
SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hoshitango Vs Bital Hasdin
2. Asia Dream Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Terry Diesel & Monomoth

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Results

RCW “MIYUMAMI”, 02/07/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Alex Windsor with the Skull Kick (15:28).

We start off in Spain where Yamashita travelled over to wrestle for RCW. She was the big draw of the show with the event’s name being a combination of her and the album “Motomami” by Rosalía. She took on Alex Windsor a week before Windsor went on to win the International Princess Title over in Japan.

PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Masha Slamovich (9:22).
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (23:19).
*V1 for Daniel Garcia.

July turned out to be a rocky patch for Takeshita in the win-loss department. He got to fight for the PWG World Title against Daniel Garcia but couldn’t win the belt from him. Yuka Sakazaki had a better night, winning the first women’s match held in PWG in over a decade against Masha Slamovich. She left quite the impression on everyone for sure.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/07/2022 (Aired 08/07/2022)
Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Eddie Kingston defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Spinning Backfist (11:56).

Eddie Kingston made it no secret his dream is to wrestle Jun Akiyama some day. Akiyama passed down the Jumping Knee Strike to Takeshita so this match brought Kingston one little step forward toward that goal. The two smashed each other to bits and both were practically done by the time the match was over. It could have ended in a double knockout had Kingston not fallen on top of Takeshita to get the pin.

JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Radrick with the Zahi (15:19).

Takeshita and Cole Radrick finally wrestling each other is like when two pen pals meet in person for the first time. To think it all started when Takeshita used Radrick’s move the Lil Sebastian’s Curse 3 years ago.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/07/2022
Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA

1. Interim AEW World Title Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Bulldog Choke (13:13).

Takeshita’s biggest match in America so far took place in AEW when he took on one of their biggest stars Jon Moxley! It was a non-title match but a win would have catapulted Takeshita into an automatic shot for the Interim AEW World Title. Unfortunately despite another heavily praised performance, Takeshita ended up submitting to the Bully Choke. It was at this point when Takeshita realised he has not won an AEW match on Dynamite or Rampage yet. He made it his next goal to get “one big win” on TV.

DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 1”, 16/07/2022
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Davey Richards (12:33).

Next stop was Seattle for a DEFY doubleshot. In the main event of Night 1 Takeshita beat the veteran journeyman of the indies Davey Richards.

DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 2”, 17/07/2022
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Schaff (10:34).

Then on the second night Takeshita beat Schaff. I’m really low on details about what happened on the DEFY shows at the moment so let’s move on.

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 20/07/2022 (Aired 25/07/2022)
Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JD Drake with the Jumping Knee Strike (3:40).

Takeshita has no problem picking up wins on AEW’s Youtube shows. He beat JD Drake in the main event of an episode of Dark Elevation.

TERMINUS “TERMINUS 3”, 21/07/2022
Oasis Event Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Jonathan Gresham defeated Konosuke Takeshita by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Octopus Hold (14:55).

Takeshita paid a visit to TERMINUS, the promotion that Jonathan Gresham had been championing while Ring Of Honor was in limbo. The match almost lasted the full 15 minute time limit but the last minute and a half consisted of Gresham locking Takeshita in an Octopus Hold and then finding more ways to torture him. The referee finally called for the bell in the last few seconds, giving Gresham the win. But Takeshita never gave up and even threw an Elbow Strike while in a dazed state right after Gresham let him go. This would not be the last time they were in the ring together this month.

PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022
Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kevin Blackwood with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (16:55).

Here is where Takeshita started to develop something different. Kevin Blackwood is a pretty tough dude and showed his guts by taking everything Takeshita could throw at him and still kick out of his pins. Takeshita ended up using Radrick’s move the Lil Sebastian’s Curse to finally get the win. Fans want Takeshita to name his version of the move Cinnabomb but he likes the name that Radrick originally gave it.

GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Billie Starkz and Janai Kai when Yamashita pinned Starkz with the Skull Kick (6:53).
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).

Takeshita did end up getting into a time limit draw against Josh Alexander. It was a non-title match but he left holding his head up high over going the distance against the Impact World Champion. Yamashita was thrown into a hectic 3 Way Match against Billie Starkz and Janai Kai. Those young wrestlers have become two of the more familiar names in women’s wrestling on the American indies. The chaos worked out in Yamashita’s favour when Starkz unintentionally knocked Kai out of the ring, leaving her open for the deadly Skull Kick.

AEW “DYNAMITE ~ FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN”, 27/07/2022
DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title: Thunder Rosa (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Fire Thunder Driver (10:02).
*V5 for Thunder Rosa.

The big reason for Yamashita’s return to America was for this. A shot at the AEW Women’s World Title she earned from beating Thunder Rosa in Tokyo Joshi Pro earlier in the month. The late part of the rematch almost became a mirror of the TJPW bout with the Attitude Adjustment being countered into a Cradle only to get reversed into another one. This time however Rosa kicked out and caught Yamashita with her own High Kick. Rosa then hit her version of the Fire Thunder Driver to avenge the loss and successfully defend the title. Unfortunately it wasn’t a great match. They weren’t on the same page in the first half and although they got back in track with Yamashita’s German Suplex spot, the rest of the match was pretty much a repeat of what they did in TJPW.

BLACK LABEL PRO “THE GANG CROSSES THE LINE”, 29/07/2022
Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Nick Wayne with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (12:40).

Takeshita ended his month over at the Starrcast convention for two matches. The first took place in Black Label Pro against the highly regarded youngster Nick Wayne. Even though Takeshita won, he was so impressed by Wayne that he passed down his nickname of “The Future” to him!

SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hoshitango defeated Bital Hasdin with the Midnight Buenos Aires (8:34).
2. Asia Dream Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Terry Diesel & Monomoth when Brookes pinned Monomoth after the Super Kick & Praying Mantis Bomb (23:40).
*V4 for CDK.

Time to go a completely different direction over to Thailand where CDK went off on an adventure. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi were part of a Gatoh Move related group of wrestlers taking part in a SETUP show. CDK successfully defended the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles against two of SETUP’s best in Terry Diesel & Monomoth. Also taking part was Hoshitango. He gave the local super rookie Bital Hasdin his first loss in pro wrestling. There was even a DJ Nira sighting at some point during the show.

JCP “RIC FLAIR’S LAST MATCH”, 31/07/2022
Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. PROGRESS World Title #1 Contender – 4 Way Match: Jonathan Gresham defeated Alan Angels, Nick Wayne and Konosuke Takeshita when Gresham pinned Angels with an O’Connor Roll (5:40).

Takeshita was added to the undercard of Ric Flair’s dedicated attempt at turning the final scene of “The Wrestler” into reality. He took part in a 4 Way with previous opponents Gresham and Wayne along with former AEW wrestler Alan Angels.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances

AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 05/08/2022 (Airing 06/08/2022)
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

He couldn’t win the PWG Title so let’s go after the ROH World Title! Takeshita takes on Claudio Castagnoli himself in an absolute whopper of a match on paper. As mentioned above, Takeshita wants his first AEW win on TV to be a big one and this would fit the bill.

WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022
Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia

1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) Vs Shota

Here’s an unexpected addition. Shota is gearing up for an American excursion in a few month’s time but this month he is heading over to Australia for a one-off appearance in Wide Bay Pro. He is going to challenge one of their champions Mitch Ryder (not the American one who died two years ago).

DPW “BELIEVE THE HYPE”, 06/08/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Andrew Everett

Back over to the maniac matchmaking of Deadlock Pro. On one of their recent shows Andrew Everett called out Takeshita for a match! If that isn’t enough to tickle your fancy, DPW somehow put together the rare matchup of Mizuki against Emi Sakura! It will be Mizuki’s first ever appearance in America and also Sakura’s first US booking outside of AEW ever since she worked with the company.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022
O2 Academy, Sheffield, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Robbie X

Robbie X is a journeyman of the British wrestling scene who seems to be finally breaking through and climbing up the ladder. He is Takeshita’s first opponent when he travels over to England.

GCW “HOMECOMING PART 1”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

That Itoh’s first GCW match hasn’t been announced yet makes me think she’ll be added to a Scramble 6 Way. She’ll have a busy day nonetheless.

JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Billie Starkz

GCW’s sister promotion JCW will be running a show in the same venue afterwards. Itoh is taking part by having a match against Starkz. She got along well with Yamashita. If Itoh takes a liking to her too then maybe a tour of Japan is in Starkz’s future. It will do her a world of good if she ever wants to develop as a pro wrestler.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022
Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Dean Allmark

Dean Allmark is another longtime British wrestler going beyond the indie scene. He’s been through the infamous schedule of wrestling at summer camps across the country.

GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Dark Sheik

Now here is someone with an attitude that Itoh will appreciate. “Fuck The Fans” is a motto that Dark Sheik lives by even though she is pretty cool towards her fanbase. Hoodslam is her home but she’s gotten comfy wrestling in GCW lately too.

PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

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

Yamashita & Itoh are heading back over to Prestige in September. Itoh has an opponent announced in the form of Sandra Moone. Yamashita is still waiting to hear who she will be against. Taya Valkyrie and Trish Adora are both advertised for the show. Either of them facing Yamashita would be an attention grabber. Just saying.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

There’s some extra slightly DDT related news for this show. Shigehiro Irie is being booked for it.

PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

CDK have another PROGRESS show to go to. The naming of it seems to match Brookes’ interests too.

WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

A couple more teams have been added to the World Tag Team Festival but nothing related to what I’m doing here. Probably going to stay that way until the tournament takes place.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP” Results

July 23, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/07/2022
Shinjuku FACE
202 Fans

-. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Shoko Nakajima defeated Mizuki by Forfeit.
1. Moka Miyamoto defeated Arisu Endo with the Rashomon (9:39).
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami when Kakuta pinned Toribami with the Shiden Kai (8:22).
3. Mahiro Kiryu defeated Haruna Neko with the Spinebuster (6:42).
4. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku defeated Yuki Aino & Raku when Itoh submitted Raku with the Itoh Deluxe (9:55).
5. Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe when Nakajima pinned Watanabe with the Northern Lights Suplex (19:23).
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Suzume defeated Pom Harajuku with the Ring A Bell (9:29).

Unexpected changes can sometimes lead to new opportunities opening up. The main event of the show was supposed to be Shoko Nakajima Vs Mizuki but a fever took Mizuki off the show and out of the Tokyo Princess Cup. Her PCR test has since come back negative but she is still feeling ill and unable to wrestle. However that match getting scratched meant Suzume and Pom Harajuku was bumped up to the main event so it was up to them to step up to the challenge.

Harajuku teased Suzume early in the match by attacking her with a butterfly net outside the ring. Suzume tried fighting back and was cut off with the Pom de Justice over the second rope onto the ring apron. Suzume made another comeback by hitting the Mikazuki Meteor Shower (Diving Cross Body) but Harajuku stopped her momentum again. This time Harajuku climbed the ropes until Suzume dropped her to the canvas with a Facebuster. She then quickly hit the Ring A Bell to get the win and advance in the tournament. After the match Suzume declared this will be the summer when she surpasses Rika Tatsumi! And guess what? Those two will face each other in the Quarter Final!

Nakajima was given an automatic bye into the Quarter Final because of Mizuki’s withdrawal from the tournament. She takes on Miu Watanabe in the next round. To give everyone a preview, today’s replacement for the cancelled match was Miraclians Vs Daydream! All four women involved are in the Quarter Finals so nobody wanted to give up a fall. Nakajima fired the big warning shot by pinning Watanabe with the Northern Lights Suplex. She said afterwards that Mizuki is probably more disappointed over their match being cancelled than she is. Nakajima thinks she has to beat Mizuki if she wants to call herself the best wrestler in Tokyo Joshi Pro. Watanabe’s goal of surpassing her seniors this summer has already taken a blow. She wants to do her best to beat Nakajima and hopes the other wrestlers from her generation or younger will work just as hard.

Yesterday was Maki Itoh’s birthday so Raku sang “Happy Birthday” to her at the start of their match. It was actually a trap so Raku could send Itoh to sleep with al lullaby. Itoh got payback thanks to some help from Yuki Kamifuku. They gave Raku a double team DDT & Headscissor combo then Itoh submitted her with the Itoh Deluxe. It’s a tag team combo that might come in handy for MakiYuki Happy in the future.

Moka Miyamoto celebrated the 2nd Anniversary of her debut match by beating Arisu Endo in the opener.

The complete Tokyo Princess Cup Quarter Finals on 31st July are Miu Watanabe Vs Shoko Nakajima, Nao Kakuta Vs Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki Vs Hikari Noa and Rika Tatsumi Vs Suzume.


Whoever Wears The Referee Shirt Gets The Power!

July 15, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 16/07/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Shoko Nakajima Vs Haruna Neko
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyper Misao
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1E: Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Arai
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1G: Pom Harajuku Vs Moka Miyamoto

Non-tournament matches will be announced on the day of the show. All 20 wrestlers entering the Tokyo Princess Cup along with Maki Itoh will be wrestling on the three Tokyo Joshi Pro shows this weekend.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 16/07/2022
Aichi Nippon Gaishi Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium

1. Yuji Hino Vs Yuki Ishida
2. DISASTER BOX Vs Eruption!: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs MAO & Soma Takao
5. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rule: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c), Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito (Special Referee: Sanshiro Takagi)
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda

Not only has Antonio Honda proved he deserves to be in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match, it is now the main event too!

An extra rule is added to the DDT Extreme Title match after Danshoku Dieno warned that something bad could happen to the special referee Sanshiro Takagi and prevent him from doing his job. Akito and Hisaya Imabayashi are taking the threat seriously and came up with a backup plan. If Takagi cannot do his refereeing duties during the match for any reason then anyone who puts on the referee shirt will get to act as one! Imabayashi also announced the show will not air live on Wrestle Universe because of this match. If the match gets too out of control it will be cut from the VOD! Another thing to note about this match is where the inspiration for the match came from. According to the DDT website, the 3 Vs 1 Handicap stipulation is a call back to Antonio Inoki Vs Rusher Kimura, Animal Hamaguchi & Isamu Teranishi series from 1982 and 1983.

Yukio Naya is out of action with a fever and is off this weekend’s shows. Soma Takao replaces him on tomorrow’s card.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 17/07/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1D: Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Aino
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1F: Kaya Toribami Vs Yuka Sakazaki
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1H: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Rika Tatsumi

The winners of these opening round matches get some breathing room because they will skip Round 2 and advance straight into the Quarter Finals. It’s a wacky bracket that way.

GANBARE☆PRO “BAKURETSU TOSHI BURST CITY 2022”, 17/07/2022
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. GanPro Summer Festival! MakoHaruka Vs YuriMoeka Full-Scale Battle: Makoto & HARUKAZE Vs Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI
2. GanPro Summer Festival! Lari Pro Army Vs Knee Pro Army Full-Scale Battle: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shota
3. GanPro Summer Festival! GanPro Survival 8-Man Tag Match ~Ohka Army Vs Imanari Army Full-Scale Battle~: Ken Ohka, Kouki Iwasaki, Mizuki Watase & Sayaka Obihiro Vs Yumehito Imanari, Soma Takao, Tyson Maguchi & Sayaka

Yuna Manase suffered a right leg injury wrestling on a SEAdLINNNG show during the week. She said it is not a severe injury but she will take a rest and is unable to wrestle this weekend. Sayaka from Gatoh Move takes her place in the Survival Tag Match.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 18/07/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2B: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Raku
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Hikari Noa

The winner of Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyper Misao will face Raku in Round 2. The winner of Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Arai will face Hikari Noa.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 18/07/2022
Nagano City Art Center Act Space

1. 3 Way Match: Akito Vs Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuji Hino, Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku
3. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Eruption!: Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
6. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata

Takao also replaces Naya on Monday’s show. The opening tag match Takao was originally booked for is now a 3 Way with the remaining wrestlers.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” Results

July 9, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1,130 Fans

1. Moka Miyamoto defeated Juria Nagano with the Rashomon (4:58).
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Aino pinned Toribami with the Venus DDT (12:28).
3. Ryo Mizunami defeated Miu Watanabe with the Hot Limit (11:53).
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Shida pinned Kiryu with the Arawashi Driver (13:32).
5. Mei Suruga & Suzume defeated Riho & Arisu Endo when Suzume pinned Endo with the Ring A Bell (14:21).
6. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor defeated Maki Itoh (c) with the GTF (13:22).
*Maki Itoh fails in V5. Alex Windsor becomes the 8th International Princess Champion!
7. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Thunder Rosa with a Cradle (13:39).
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai defeated Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) when Akai pinned Mizuki after the Double Rookie Awards (24:28).
*The Magical Sugar Rabbits fail in V6. Reiwa AA Cannon become the 10th Princess Tag Team Champions!
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi with the Diving Senton (19:23).
*V4 for Shoko Nakajima.

Not even a White Dragon going crazy can stop the Big Kaiju right now. In front of over a thousand fans allowed to cheer, Shoko Nakajima defeated Rika Tatsumi to defend the Princess Of Princess Title. Tatsumi promised to be more determined than ever to win and proved it by doing the Missile Hip from the top rope to Nakajima outside the ring. However her attempt to lean back with the Dragon Sleeper for leverage backfired when Nakajima rolled out to free herself from the move. The champion turned the tables from there, used a Double Arm DDT and pinned Tatsumi with the Diving Senton. She called her opponent strong after the match and looks forward to meeting her down the road again. Nakajima then thanked the fans for their cheers because it gives the wrestlers more energy than we think. She praised the roster for being great and wants Tokyo Joshi Pro to grow even more. While Tatsumi is upset over losing, she feels strange because it hasn’t broken her heart. Instead it made her love pro wrestling again.

The supernova rise of Yuki Arai continues with the “genius girl” winning her first championship in TJPW! Her team with Saki Akai was the force that finally broke The Magical Sugar Rabbits and ended their Princess Tag Team Titles reign. At first Arai looked to be out of her depth against the champions but once she got to show off her teamwork with Akai it turned out they had MagiRabi well scouted. Together they blocked one of the Toy Story double team attacks and Arai threw Mizuki off the top rope with the Full Nelson Buster. Akai was also too tall for Yuka Sakazaki to give the Magical Merry-Go-Round to. Mizuki tried to intervene until she was struck in the back of the head with Arai’s Finally kick. Arai went for the move a second time and Sakazaki took the bullet after pushing Mizuki out of harm’s way. Reiwa AA Cannon then took inspiration from the one achievement they both share by performing a Double Rookie Award to Mizuki. Akai then pinned Mizuki for the title change while Arai held Sakazaki back.

Akai admits that they wouldn’t have been able to beat MagiRabi 99 times out of 100. It was Arai’s luck that made today the 1 time they were going to win. Akai thought she was going to be leading the team but her tag partner supported her more than she realised. Now they have the Princess Tag Titles there will be many teams chasing after them. Akai tells Arai this is the hard part because they now have to run further ahead of everyone else. Arai said she feels the weight of carrying the title belt because she is also carrying the history of the previous champions. She wants to be somebody who won’t be ashamed of holding this title. She also can’t wait to show the belt to all the fans of SKE48.

In the days leading up to the show, Thunder Rosa sent a message to TJPW saying if Miyu Yamashita could beat her today then she will give her a AEW Women’s Title shot back in America. The new stakes added more to Rosa’s anticipated return to TJPW for the first time in two and a half years. Yamashita hit the Skull Kick but she couldn’t get the three count with a rope break. She then went for the Attitude Adjustment but Rosa countered it into a Cradle. Yamashita suddenly reversed the Cradle and got a three count out of nowhere to win the match! Rosa said she now knows what to do because she isn’t going to let the AEW Women’s Title be taken away from her like the International Princess Title was. Whenever Yamashita is back in America, she knows where to find Rosa to get her title match. Yamashita said having the home field advantage was why she won today. She would like to have the rematch against Rosa in America but wants to fight that match for herself, not as a representative for TJPW.

England’s Alex Windsor had some bad luck travelling to Japan because she lost her gear and luggage on the way over. However she must be all smiles after today because she beat Maki Itoh to become the new International Princess Champion! Itoh fought big by using an Avalanche DDT but missed the Flying Big Head. Windsor fought back with her own big moves by using a Liger Bomb and another Power Bomb as a counter. She then put Itoh away with a Modified Fisherman Buster called the GTF to win the title. Windsor says she is taking over the world and will take the IP Title where ever she wants to. Meanwhile a sad Itoh is left asking herself why is she always so weak? She has an overseas tour coming up in August so she knows she has to fight more different wrestlers from around the world. She is also upset she couldn’t live up to the expectations of the fans who could now cheer for her today.

The first match for MeiBee Surprise was a success for Mei Suruga & Suzume. They were paired against two opponents who are very close to them. Suruga and Riho have a lot of history together while Suzume regularly teams with Arisu Endo as Daisy Monkey. The match came down to Suzume against Endo. Suzume came out on top after hitting the Ring A Bell on her friend. Riho said she was excited to have the match because it was her first time wrestling in Japan for 9 months. Suzume described the match as a red string getting all tangled up because she has attachments to everyone involved. She also said she will continue fighting to surpass Suruga. You’d think Suruga would see that as a threat but she just laughed it off.

Previous opponents Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa were now teaming together on today’s show. Together they brushed off Toyo Mates even when they attempted to fight fire with fire. Mahiro Kiryu stopped Noa from using a chair but then tried using the same chair on Shida. That was blocked and Shida pinned her with the Arawashi Driver. Yuki Kamifuku gave encouragement to Kiryu afterwards, telling her life goes by fast and can be over in the blink of an eye. They can become strong people who can take a beating together. Noa said she had a lot of time to think about her previous match with Shida. She enjoyed today’s match more than anything and was happy to use weapons with Shida again. Shida thinks she made a good start in her quest to wreck havoc in TJPW with her appearances so far. She doesn’t know who she will face next but is looking forward to coming back here.

It doesn’t matter if her opponent was changed on short notice. Somebody was going to get a Giant Swing from Miu Watanabe! That somebody happened to be Ryo Mizunami. Watanabe had to work hard for it though because her veteran opponent put her through the wringer with Chops, slams and Lariats. Mizunami gained the upper hand with a Spear and never let go of the momentum, finishing off Watanabe with the Hot Limit. She praised Watanabe, saying she was blown away by her opponent’s power. It doesn’t matter if she is an idol with less experience in the ring, when Watanabe enters through those ropes she is a pro wrestler! Mizunami also appreciated the warm reception she got from the TJPW fans. Watanabe also gave credit to the fans for pushing her on. Even when she was hurt, the fans calling her name made her want to do her best. She achieved her goal to give Mizunami the Giant Swing. Her ultimate goal is to do that to Aja Kong!

Speaking of Kong, she was happy to be back in TJPW. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku in particular were surprised to see Kong give Raku a big hug during their entrance all together. Hyper Misao also welcomed Kong back and was nice to her. But that was because Misao wanted to swap teams and be on Kong’s side instead of being her opponent. Misao later sprayed Kong’s face but its effects didn’t last long. Kong wiped out Nao Kakuta & Haruna Neko with a Double Lariat, giving Aino the space to beat Kaya Toribami with the Venus DDT. Misao later said she would like to fight Kong again. Her tag partners are not as enthusiastic over the idea.

The opening match was special for Moka Miyamoto and Juria Nagano because it was the first time they got to experience wrestling in front of a cheering crowd. Nagano used a new combination of kicks but still went back to the Brazilian Kick late in the match. Miyamoto eventually got her in the Rashomon to earn the submission victory. She was glad to win because she knows she would lose to Nagano in a Karate bout. But this is pro wrestling and Miyamoto is more experienced than her here.

There will be a collaboration between TJPW and Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. Two of the characters in the game Akane Hino & Yuko Hori will receive costumes based on the ring gear Yuki Arai and Maki Itoh wore for their IP Title match from “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”. In return, Arai and Itoh will soon receive real life costumes based on Hino & Hori to wear for portraits and other related merchandise.

“GO GIRL 3” will be held at Korakuen Hall on 28th August. It is a show for only women in the audience and admission will be free. There will also be a brand new logo for Tokyo Joshi Pro unveiled at the show.

“The Non-Binary Nightmare” Max The Impaler will make their TJPW debut on the 13th & 14th August Korakuen Hall shows. If there is anything you need to know about Max it this. They hate idols!


DDT Around The World – June 2022

July 1, 2022

I’ll now include the official Youtube videos of matches to these posts. Last month’s article was updated to include the videos available from May and I’ll go back to add more if they get uploaded. Konosuke Takeshita having matches across the American indies that are so good they have to be put up for free on Youtube is going to be the trend this summer. The other trend seems to be Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers unexpectedly appearing on AEW’s Youtube shows whenever they are in the country. The Forbidden Door is behind us for the time being so if there was any red tape preventing Takeshita from having a higher profile that should be gone now. Even then he’s keeping himself busy as you will see below. By the way it is incredibly satisfying to see how successful that show turned out. So many wrestling analysts and personalities last month predicted failure because let’s be honest, they personally don’t care about New Japan. It is obvious to me that a lot of them used the “casual fan” argument as a cover for their own lack of  interest or knowledge for Japanese wrestling. But the PPV being a success proves there is an audience out there that does care. I mean that’s why you’re here right now reading this post, right?

SPOILER WARNING: The results section includes spoilers for taped AEW matches that have not aired yet.

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Videos


DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase


Video starts at 21:24 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/06/2022
The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita Vs Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Casino Battle Royale: Darby Allin Vs Tony Nese Vs Daniel Garcia Vs Lance Archer Vs Eddie Kingston Vs Ricky Starks Vs Jake Hager Vs Rey Fenix Vs Swerve Strickland Vs Keith Lee Vs John Silver Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Max Caster Vs Austin Gunn Vs Colten Gunn Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Bobby Fish Vs Kyle O’Reilly Vs Dante Martin Vs Wheeler Yuta Vs Andrade El Idolo


WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022
The State Room, South San Francisco, USA

1. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita


ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Ryan Davidson Vs Shota


Video starts at 37:43 for the match
AEW “DARK”, 14/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo)


PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Lee Moriarty Vs Konosuke Takeshita

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Results


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/06/2022 (Aired 06/06/2022)
The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose defeated Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita when Deeb submitted Blue with the Serenity Lock (7:40).

When the month began, the joshi wrestlers who were hanging around in America all went back to Japan except for Miyu Yamashita. She still had an indie date left to do but there was an unusually long gap of time until it took place. Turns out the extra time was filled up with Yamashita’s first AEW booking. She unexpectedly had her debut match with the company on Dark Elevation teaming with Skye Blue against two of AEW’s top threats in the women’s division: Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose. There were complaints from fans that you shouldn’t be just throwing Yamashita into a Youtube match like that but there’s a long game being played here. AEW are well aware of Yamashita’s status in the joshi scene and have kept an eye on her for her entire US trip last month. There’s even some hearsay that her indie bookings went through AEW as part of getting her over to the USA in the first place. They’ve been so impressed with her performances that considerations are under way to put together a future AEW Women’s Title program between her and Thunder Rosa. Those plans are separate from the Rosa Vs Yamashita match happening in TJPW later this month. I know the booking of the AEW women’s division is incredibly frustrating to follow but I assure you there is some thought being put behind what to do with Yamashita in the future.


AEW “DARK”, 03/06/2022 (Aired 14/06/2022)
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo) with the Jumping Knee Strike (6:42).

We’re getting into odd territory with the Dark tapings. Takeshita’s match against Nick Comoroto was recorded on 3rd June but was not used until the episode that aired on the 14th.


DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (15:27).

A first time meeting took place in Deadlock Pro when Yamashita took on the freelancer Miyuki Takase. The match had a little bit of everything from strike exchanges, slight comedy, big moves like an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and Takase running a lap around the building to set up the longest Clothesline spot you’ll ever see. Yamashita found her opponent’s limit with High Kicks and finished her off with the Skull Kick to win. According to the match stipulation Yamashita now has a championship shot of some sort for whenever she wants when she returns to DPW.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Casino Battle Royale: Kyle O’Reilly defeated Wheeler Yuta by Ring Out (24:59).
Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, Lance Archer, Max Caster, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn, Keith Lee, John Silver, Daniel Garcia, Eddie Kingston, Jake Hager, Konosuke Takeshita, Dante Martin, Ricky Starks, Bobby Fish, Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, Powerhouse Hobbs, Rey Fenix, Andrade El Idolo and Wheeler Yuta.

Takeshita entered the annual Casino Battle Royal where the winner would face Jon Moxley later in the night. It was all part of a long, sudden journey to crown an Interim AEW World Champion thanks to CM Punk unexpectedly going out of action with injury. Takeshita entered the match in the middle of the pack but was thrown out by both Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs. That left Takeshita tweeting about if he should find some new friends for backup should a similar situation ever repeats itself.


WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022
The State Room, South San Francisco, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mike Bailey with the German Suplex (17:50).

Well he got to reunite with one of his friends a couple of days later. The long awaited rematch with Mike Bailey delivered and then some. What are you doing reading this when you can watch it up at the top of the post above?


AEW “DARK”, 11/06/2022 (Aired 19/07/2022)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Anthony Henry with the Jumping Knee Strike (7:48).

Back to the weirdness of the tapings. Takeshita’s match against Anthony Henry hasn’t aired yet. AEW now tapes month’s worth of Dark matches in Universal Studios a couple times a year. Details results of the tapings aren’t common so for the moment we just know who won. I’ll come back to edit this post when the match does air.


ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Ryan Davidson defeated Shota with the Davidson Driver (?:??).

Hey Ganbare☆Pro can join in on the fun now. Shota finally got to travel to America after his original plans to do so went kaput two years ago because of the pandemic. He went over to Texas to perform on a Reality Of Wrestling show. That is the promotion run by none other than Booker T. Shota took on Ryan Davidson, an American wrestler who wrestled in both DDT and Ganpro back in 2018. Shota stayed in America for a few more days and went to an AEW event in St. Louis where he hung out with Takeshita and Michael Nakazawa backstage.


PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty with the Zahi (17:55).

Another very entertaining match worth watching. Lee Moriarty is such a good talent who can shine through your screen with his ring work. He’s a good opponent for Takeshita as you can see when you watch the video way up above.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 04/07/2022)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Hikaru Shida & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck when Shida pinned Reckless with the Falcon Arrow (2:53).

It was a surprise to everyone when both Yuka Sakazaki and Hikaru Shida showed up to wrestle as a tag team this past Wednesday. I didn’t realize Sakazaki had left Japan for her PWG booking and it wasn’t publicly known that Shida was returning to the US either. The match against Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck will air on Dark Elevation next Monday. Hopefully for Sakazaki’s sake they edit her entrance because she tripped and fell on the ramp while running out. She got revenge on the ramp after the match by stomping on it while leaving ringside.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 01/07/2022)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Royal Rampage: Brody King defeated Darby Allin by Ring Out (22:41).
Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, John Silver, Max Caster, Penta Oscuro & Rush, Matt Hardy, Frankie Kazarian, Dante Martin, Dustin Rhodes, Konosuke Takeshita, Orange Cassidy, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, Ricky Starks, Hangman Page, The Blade, The Butcher and Darby Allin.

Tonight’s episode of Rampage has Takeshita entering the first ever Royal Rampage match. It is reportedly a Royal Rumble match involving two wrestling rings and the last wrestlers left in each ring face off in the finale. Remember earlier when I said Takeshita wants to look for backup so he won’t get eliminated by a tag team? Well it happened again when The Butcher & The Blade worked together to throw him out of the ring.

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Upcoming Appearances


RCW “MIYUMAMI”, 02/07/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Alex Windsor

Yamashita is currently in Spain ready and waiting for this weekend’s show with RCW. Her opponent is an interesting choice. Alex Windsor has been on a roll in England lately for both Revolution Pro and Pro Wrestling: EVE. She will be coming to Japan one week later to challenge for the International Princess Title too. No bigger message to send TJPW than to beat their first ace before heading over.


PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Masha Slamovich
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita has had no luck chasing after AEW championships. The PWG World Title however is so close he should be able to taste it. The champion Daniel Garcia is beaten up from doing a Blood & Guts cage match. Sakazaki gets to be added to the short list of women to have wrestled for PWG. She can make Masha Slamovich 0 for 2 against TJPW talent.


JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Radrick

This is a match with more history than meets the eye. Takeshita and Cole Radrick have gotten along on Twitter for the last year, sharing gifs of them doing each other’s moves in matches. Does that mean when they finally meet they will play mind games by swapping movesets against each other?


DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 1”, 16/07/2022
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Davey Richards

Davey Richards has taken up the indie gatekeeper role ever since he returned to active competition. Takeshita getting an opponent as established as him in a promotion as energetic as DEFY should result in magic.


TERMINUS “TERMINUS 3”, 21/07/2022
Oasis Event Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Jonathan Gresham Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The hits keep on coming! Takeshita should expect a change of pace here because TERMINUS uses an alternate ruleset that encourages more grappling and less theatrics. Jonathan Gresham flies the flag for that style (often literally) and has been pretty much unbeatable since becoming the ROH World Champion. It would be a good idea for Takeshita to remember what he learned from wrestling Shinya Aoki and fight fire with fire.


PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022
Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kevin Blackwood

The next day Takeshita returns to Prestige for his second match in the promotion. Kevin Blackwood has been gaining notoriety in the indies this year and just last week got a big win over Takeshita’s buddy Mike Bailey.


GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander

Takeshita will also be holding a seminar for Garden State Pro on the day of the show.


BLACK LABEL PRO “THE GANG CROSSES THE LINE”, 29/07/2022
Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Wayne

A teenage prodigy being hailed as the future of pro wrestling with the world at his feet. Sounds familiar. Nick Wayne is sort of where Takeshita was a decade ago. The young phenomenon is becoming a must see wrestler on the indies and supposedly has an AEW contract waiting for him once he is eligible to sign it. One future will get to see the next future first hand.


SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hoshitango Vs Bital Hasdin
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Hoshitango’s opponent Bital Hasdin is being promoted as Thailand’s super rookie.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022
O2 Academy, Sheffield, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita heads over to England in August for a tour with PROGRESS, the company that wishes it was still 2019. His first show will be in Sheffield and then he will be in Newcastle the next day.


GCW “HOMECOMING PART 1”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

GCW is not ready for Maki Itoh.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022
Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita won’t be the only DDT talent PROGRESS gets to experience this year…


GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

I repeat, they are so not ready for her.


PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Chris Brookes is coming back to Europe and he’s bringing Masahiro Takanashi with him!


WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Take it from me, wXw tournaments in Oberhausen make for great weekend breaks if you’re with other wrestling fans. They have done tag team tournaments every Autumn for years but the World Tag Team Festival branding is only a recent creation that got interrupted by the pandemic. CDK was one of the first teams announced to enter the annual tournament. They are joined by two familiar faces, the team of Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie!


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~FUKUOKA PERFORMANCE~” Results

June 26, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~FUKUOKA PERFORMANCE~”, 26/06/2022
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
270 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Moka Miyamoto defeated Kaya Toribami with the Rashomon (6:13).
2. One Spray OK Rule Match: Hyper Misao defeated Arisu Endo with the Hypami Returns (8:02).
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Suzume & Haruna Neko when Noa pinned Neko with the Blizzard Suplex (9:35).
4. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi defeated Yuki Kamifuku and Raku when Tatsumi pinned Taku with the Missile Hip (7:20).
5. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Miu Watanabe, Pom Harajuku & Yuki Arai when Sakazaki pinned Harajuku with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (13:13).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino when Yamashita pinned Aino with the Skull Kick (16:35).

121000000 were the hometown heroes in Fukuoka today. The last time Tokyo Joshi Pro were in the area was March 2019 so Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh were both at their most motivated to do their best. They linked up to hit their big High Kick/Headbutt Sandwich to both Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino. Yamashita then finished Aino off with the Skull Kick. Itoh told the fans they were able to win because of Fukuoka power. Yamashita now believes she & Itoh have no limits as a tag team. Backstage Itoh suggested the next time TJPW comes to Fukuoka, 121000000 should get a Princess Tag Team Titles match.

Speaking of the Tag Titles, The Magical Sugar Rabbits got a little preview match against one of their next challengers Yuki Arai. This was the second day in a row Yuka Sakazaki fought her. She praised Arai for showing guts and a competitive spirit this weekend. It makes Sakazaki wonder what the matches would have been like if Saki Akai was there too. Mizuki is determined to beat Reiwa no AA Cannon so she can go one step closer towards achieving her dream to defend the Tag Titles in outer space! Arai later revealed she has relatives living in Fukuoka and they got to see her wrestle.

Hyper Misao and Arisu Endo agreed to a rule change for their match. They were both allowed one spray attack each without penalty. Misao did it first but Endo returned the attack later in the match. A ref bump gave Misao an opportunity to spray Endo a second time. Endo kept fighting and escaped from the Chickenwing Face Lock but Misao ended up beating her anyway with the Hypami Returns.