MAO’s BOSJ Adventure

June 3, 2025

It’s been so long since a DDT wrestler last made an appearance in New Japan’s premier tournament for junior heavyweights. The Best Of The Super Jr. was historically the showcase that introduced Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega to the wider wrestling world back when they were with DDT. Daisuke Sasaki also competed in two of the tournaments and his appearance in 2012 was the last time a DDT wrestler was involved… until this year! MAO got the invite to take part in the 2025 edition of BOSJ, no doubt influenced by a certain current IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion who has been molding the division in his vision whenever he can for a while now. When MAO got to wrestle on a NJPW show in April, he gave a tease that fans would see more of him in May. The very next day he was included in the announced field for the BOSJ! His goal was to bring the DDT style into New Japan like a square block fitting into a round hole and hopefully convince some of their fans to give his home promotion a try.

B Block

1. YOH (12)
-. El Desperado (12)
-. MAO (12)
4. Nick Wayne (8)
-. Taiji Ishimori (8)
-. Robbie Eagles (8)
-. SHO (8)
-. Titán (8)
-. Kevin Knight (8)
10. Ryusuke Taguchi (6)


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 10/05/2025
Chiba YohaS Arena (Chiba Park General Gymnasium)
1,000 Fans

2. Kevin Knight, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato defeated MAO, Tiger Mask & Shoma Kato when Wato pinned Kato with the Tsutenkaku German Suplex (7:38).

MAO was placed in the B Block but his first match on the opening show of the tour was a non-tournament 6-Man Tag. He was happy with that because it lets him casually fit in with New Japan. Two of his opponents were in his block so he got to get some ring time against his first opponent Kevin Knight. Meanwhile Tiger Mask took out Ryusuke Taguchi with a Topé Suicida leaving Shoma Kato to deal with Master Wato. Kato had just returned from a leg injury and was ready to wipe the ring rust off but Wato ended up beating him with the Tsutenkaku German Suplex. Backstage Knight said this match was the first time he got to properly introduce himself to MAO. He likes his style but wants to know if MAO can match him in the ring? After getting to share the ring with Wato, MAO mentioned he would have liked to wrestle him, Hiromu Takahashi or Kosei Fujita from the A Block. But he’s looking forward to face Knight first.


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 11/05/2025
Miyagi Iwanuma City General Gymnasium (Big Arena)
1,369 Fans

5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (2) defeated Kevin Knight (0) with the Iai Kick (9:34).

24 hours later MAO started his tournament off with a win. The “Michinoku Tornado” as NJPW nicknamed him had the home town advantage because the show was held in Miyagi. He also started forming a square shape with his chest which would become a recurring spot of his for the rest of the tour. After a back and forth match, MAO scored a nearfall with the Michinoku Driver II and then finished Knight off with the Iai Kick to score his first two points. MAO spoke of his goal to win BOSJ so he could then win the IWGP Jr. Title and bring it back to DDT where he was born and raised into the strange wrestler he is today. Why would he do this? So a new good era for DDT would begin!


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 14/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,470 Fans – Super No Vacancy

5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (4) defeated Taiji Ishimori (0) with the Osaka Rinkai Upper (9:45).

Things kept rolling in the right direction because MAO then defeated Taiji Ishimori, a multiple time Jr. Heavyweight champion in both NJPW, NOAH and also the TNA X Division. Ishimori is also from the Miyagi prefecture which made the match became that little bit more meaningful. MAO had KANON in his corner but he had to stand and watch the two fight out of the ring where MAO did a stage dive onto Ishimori. Back in the ring Ishimori countered the Michinoku Driver II with a Reverse Frankensteiner but his 450° Splash missed when MAO moved out of the way. MAO pushed the ref into Ishimori’s way and then leapt over the ref to give Ishimori a Cutter. He then hit the Iai Kick but Ishimori found the power to stay on his feet. So MAO hit him with the Osaka Rinkai Upper palm strike to make the pin and get the three count. MAO said Ishimori is the first Miyagi wrestler he’s hunted down in the tournament and there are two more he is after. Ishimori has a square shape but MAO is becoming a pretty big square too. He is going to turn BOSJ into Best Of The Square Jr.!


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 15/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,365 Fans – No Vacancy

7. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: Titán (4) defeated MAO (4) with the Llave Immortal (9:20).

Any chance of MAO going three for three were put to a halt by Titán, the luchador from CMLL. MAO wanted to fight fire with fire by doing a high risk La Quebrada out of the ring as well as an upside down Llave submission. But Titán started hitting the ropes himself doing a Swan Dive Boy Press and a Topé Suicida. Their match turned into a striking battle with athletic dodges including one where Titán passed through the Hurricane Kick and trapped MAO in his Llave Immortal submission finisher. When he applied it deeper by crossing MAO’s arms over MAO had to give up. Titán paid his respect by describing MAO as one of the strongest opponents he has ever faced. MAO said that submission move is why he never wants to go to Mexico. He’s wrestled in seven different countries but he doesn’t want to make Mexico number eight because the lucha libre over there scares him.


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 17/05/2025
Tokyo National Yoyogi Stadium Gymnsium #2
1,857 Fans

10. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: El Desperado (4) defeated MAO (4) with the Pinche Loco (23:31).

When MAO realised his match with El Desperado was main eventing the show he made a promise to make it a DDT style match. Apparently Desperado felt the same way because he went along with MAO’s idea. The two fought up the aisle to the entrance while a confused Red Shoes Unno started counting them out. When he was about to reach 20, MAO gave Desperado a Cutter onto one of the security barriers. That scared the ref so much he stopped counting to go check on them. Both were physically able to continue and they went back to the ring to keep the match going. The DDT-ness only got stronger when MAO tried to use Unno as a launchpad to do the Stunner and Despy instead pushed Unno in the way to take the move! MAO got the fans to chant “It’s not MAO” while Despy wondered what could they do now without a ref? MAO decided to pull out a load of plastic boxes from beneath the ring and break one over Desperado’s head. Desperado then responded in kind and the two proceeded to do more plastic box spots, ignoring the protests of the replacement ref Marty Asami. When they got the box bumps out of their system they started wrestling to win and went for their signature moves. Desperado used the Reverse Tiger Driver and then did the Pinche Loco but MAO kicked out at two. Desperado used the pair of moves again, this time with a Vertical Drop version of the Reverse Tiger Driver. MAO tried his best to resist a second Pinche Loco but he was pinned clean in the end.

Despy suggested that next time they should do this in MAO’s promotion although he’s worried that vehicles would be involved over there. He doesn’t want to get run over like Sanshiro Takagi often does. MAO talked about this match being his way of thanking Desperado for inviting him to the “DESPE-INVITACIONAL” last year. He never liked the period when different wrestling companies were talking trash about each other. If Evangelion could finally get a happy ending then why should pro wrestling finish with a bad ending? That’s why he thinks the likes of Despy and Hiromu are different. They have the motivation that drives the wrestling world and it’s why MAO came here to help make BOSJ a true festival that spreads Japanese wrestling across the world.


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 18/05/2025
Tokyo Esforta Arena Hachioji
1,231 Fans

5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: YOH (4) defeated MAO (4) with a Dragon Suplex (8:11).

While MAO was feeling spiritually good about how his experience has been so far, he was also hitting a slump results wise. YOH, the second Miyagi wrestler he was chasing after, beat MAO make it three losses in a row. To add insult to injury that cheeky git YOH used the Somato en route to winning the match! Oh he hasn’t forgotten about that match he had with Hiroshi Tanahashi against HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka ten years ago. MAO avoided the move the first time and gave YOH a similar taste of medicine by doing the Sling Blade and the High Fly Flow. But YOH kicked out of it and used the Reverse Frankensteiner to successfully set up the Somato the second time. MAO at least kicked out of it but YOH put him away with a Dragon Suplex afterwards. MAO couldn’t believe what YOH did. He likes New Japan and doesn’t want to kick off a promotional war with DDT but that’s still crossing a line. MAO decided that YOH should attend the Toru Yano Vs Super Sasadango Machine match that’s happening on 9th June. MAO will be there and they can settle their differences together. All YOH had to say is he and MAO are not on the same level. I think I heard something like that from someone else before…


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 20/05/2025
G-Messe Gunma
842 Fans

2. YOH, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Katsuya Murashima defeated El Desperado, MAO, Shoma Kato & Masatora Yasuda when Murashima submitted Yasuda with a Crab Hold (8:48).

The schedule gave MAO a non-tournament match in the middle of the tour to let him and a few others catch their breath a little bit. Despite his slump in form at this point his block was fairly tight across the board so nobody was out of the running yet. The 8-Man Tag match even ended with the Young Lions instead of any of the BOSJ wrestlers. Katsuya Murashima submitted Masatora Yasuda while MAO and Taguchi were doing lewd spots to each other that involved the back of Taguchi’s tights being pulled down. Taguchi is well aware that MAO has Danshoku Dieno supporting him. However Taguchi is not following the Hirooki Goto Revolution nor is he fighting on behalf of New Japan or even Miyagi. He is going to fight MAO by himself. MAO said he’s not shocked by seeing a little bit of butt. He didn’t expect it but now he has a plan to combat it.


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 22/05/2025
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2 (Osaka Edion Arena)
967 Fans

5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (6) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (6) with the Iwanuma City Styles Clash (8:33).

Things could only go up from here but oh man did MAO have to go through some things to get there. In his final match of the “Miyagi Derby”, MAO fought Taguchi and the ever slipping back of his wrestling tights. Not only was his crack exposed but Taguchi eventually stuffed MAO’s head into his tights! That turned out to be the wrong move because MAO was somehow able to keep fighting and a roll up battle resulted in him giving Taguchi the Styles Clash with his head still stuck in the tights! Taguchi admitted defeat because a fake pervert like him could never beat a real pervert like MAO. He only plays a pervert so he will go back to his true self for the rest of the tournament. MAO said he was suffocating in there and just when he was about to lose consciousness he got a flashback to all of the times something like this happened to him in DDT. It makes him glad he was raised in a wrestling company where that sort of stuff was a daily occurrence. This match was fate because MAO was a big fan of Apollo 55. He also now has to leave the Miyagi Derby up to the winner of Taiji Ishimori against YOH.


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 24/05/2025
Hyogo Arcrea Himeji
1,136 Fans

4. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (8) defeated Robbie Eagles (6) with the Ultra Big Tone (9:26).

Can you believe that Taguchi match was exactly what MAO needed to get his mojo back? Next up for him was Robbie Eagles and he came up with his own version of the “Robbie! Robbie! Robbie!” chant. He chanted “MAO! MAO! MAO!” and got the fans to shout “Shikaku!” (“Square!”) in response. Eagles would target MAO’s knee to cut off his momentum but the match would instead make its way up to the top turnbuckle. MAO grabbed Eagles in a Dragon Sleeper and used that to set up his AI created finisher the Ultra Big Tone to get the win. MAO pointed out that he is never going to have the same kind of match no matter who he is fighting. Eagles was in shock because he thought MAO was just some fun and chill square guy and instead he tried to kill him! If MAO ever wants a rematch then Eagles wants it to happen in DDT. He’ll even put the Soul Of PWA Title on the line even though MAO has never once stepped foot in Australia.


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 25/05/2025
Aichi Port Messe Nagoya Exhibition Hall #2
1,404 Fans

5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (10) defeated Nick Wayne (8) with the Dick Killer (7:41).

MAO was building up momentum heading into the final stretch and his next opponent was a familiar one. He’s already wrestled with Nick Wayne several times before and wasted no time in continuing their rivalry. MAO tried to rally the fans behind him with “Shikaku” chants but Wayne wasn’t deterred by them. He seemed to have an answer for everything MAO threw at him but he never could has guessed what MAO would do to throw him in a loop. Wayne appeared to hit the Wayne’s World except MAO blocked it with a handstand and cartwheeled out of it! He then went and did his own version of the Wayne’s World, giving Wayne a taste of his own finisher. It only got a two count but MAO quickly applied a Crossface Lock, turning it into the Dick Killer variation to make Wayne tap out. MAO said he’s known Wayne for a long time now and the great thing about being a wrestler is you can enjoy your youth no matter how old you are. With one more match left MAO was still in the running for first place but it was necessary for him to win his last bout.


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 27/05/2025
Shizuoka Kira Messe Numazu
668 Fans

2. SHO & Yujiro Takahashi defeated MAO & Shoma Kato when Takahashi pinned Kato with the Pimp Juice (4:18).

But before that happens there was one more non-tournament match to get through. It just happened to feature MAO’s last opponent in Block B, SHO from the House Of Torture. SHO attacked him during the entrance and when Kato tried to rescue him, Yujiro Takahashi came over to fight him off. The four brawled around the room where MAO held SHO in a Piledriver position while standing on a dolly. Kato pushed the dolly around until Takahashi found a second dolly nearby. It led to Kato pushing MAO on one dolly and Takahashi pushing MAO on the other until SHO wanted to leave because he had enough. MAO & Kato ended up putting the House Of Torture on both dollies and crashed them into each other. The match finally began in an official manner when everyone returned to the ring. MAO and SHO soon went back to fighting outside the ring but that left Kato in the ring to be beaten by Takahashi’s Pimp Juice. SHO complained about people from Miyagi and he then complained about Niigata where his match with MAO would take place. MAO however promised to show SHO just what DDT is really like. Oh boy, did he…


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 29/05/2025
Niigata Region Plaza Joetsu
1,027 Fans

7. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (12) defeated SHO (8) with the Cannonball 450° (11:57).

This time MAO jumped SHO during his entrance. Well, not jumped, more like ran over with the Dramatic Dream bike! Takahashi and Ren Narita helped SHO attack MAO but KANON & Kazuma Sumi ran over to even the odds and take the fight out of the building! Not only did MAO clear House Of Torture with a dive out from the doorway but he climbed into a nearby van and knocked over SHO with it! The match hadn’t started yet so MAO was allowed wheel SHO back to the ring on a dolly and throw him into the ring. SHO somehow kicked out of a pin and had House Of Torture attack the Dramatic Dream bike. He then picked apart MAO’s arm until MAO made his comeback. Takahashi & Narita tried to interfere again but KANON & Sumi were there to keep them at bay. During the chaos the DDT wrestlers got the upper hand with Strange Love Connection even getting to hit SHOT with a Lariat/McEnroe style Total Elimination. Yoshinobu Kanemaru then suddenly appeared, spat Whiskey Mist into KANON’s face and hit MAO with the bottle. MAO kicked out of SHO’s Cross Arm Piledriver so SHO distracted the ref by bringing his NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Title belt into the ring. The ref took the belt off him but didn’t notice SHO was hiding a wrench behind his back. But when SHO went to attack MAO with it, he found out MAO was suddenly armed with Mecha Mummy’s Mecha Fist! MAO knocked the wrench out of his hands, ducked the Whiskey Mist from Kanemaru that blinded SHO instead and then MAO knocked SHO down with a Rocket Punch followed by the Iai Kick. SHO still kicked out of the pin so MAO did the Cannonball 450° from the top rope and that got him the win.

Sadly for MAO the result was not enough to reach the final. He was able to finish Block B on 12 points, enough to tie with YOH and El Desperado for first place. But by losing to both of them earlier in the tournament, the head-to-head tiebreakers were not in his favor and he had no way of reaching the final. MAO looks back on his matches with YOH and Desperado thinking what could have been if they ended differently but he is still happy they turned out to be some exciting matches they created. He gave it his all and he thinks he is the only person to have done so well in BOSJ using the DDT style. He’d like to come back to New Japan and when he does maybe he’ll become a bit more square.


NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 01/06/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
3,044 Fans

3. Shota Umino, El Phantasmo, MAO & Nick Wayne defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson & Robbie Eagles when Phantasmo pinned Jackson with the CR II (10:38).

It turns out MAO had one more appearance lined up to close out the tour. For the final night of BOSJ he got to team with Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Nick Wayne to take on TMDK in an 8-Man Tag Match. Before it began all four of them posed together as squares in front of their opponents. MAO spent most of his time in the match facing off with Ryohei Oiwa but he had some time in there with Zack Sabre Jr. too. MAO & Wayne also co-operated with each other pretty well, much to Eagles’s chagrin. They were smashed aside by Hartley Jackson though but Umino & ELP were there to put the big guy down and win the match. MAO told the others after the match he’d like to return to NJPW in a casual manner like Jackson does. If there is another Jackson or TAKA Michinoku like spot on the roster he’d like to take it. He also got to reminisce with Umino about the time they met each other in England back in 2019. Maybe the four of them can continue to be together as Team Square Hearts somewhere down the line?

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Posted by JamieOD

Charismania II Shaping Up, Kosei Fujita Coming To DDT, Arai No. 1 Contender For Princess Title

June 2, 2025

DDT “THAT’S RIGHT! LET’S GO TO BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025”, 03/06/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya
2. 1 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi
3. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 4: HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. Referee Daisuke Kiso 15th Anniversary Match ~Special 6-Man Tag Match~: MAZADA, Minoru Fujta & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yasu Urano, Akito & Shoko Nakajima
5. Lumberjack Pool Crocodile Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
6. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs The 37KAMIINA!: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y

Tomorrow sees the triumphant DDT return of MAO from the Best Of The Super Junior tournament.

Chris Brookes has made his own craft beer called “Existing Is Exhausting” and it will be on sale at the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SHINAGAWA VOL. 2”, 07/06/2025
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. 12th Tokyo Princess Cup Preliminary League – Round 1: Shino Suzuki Vs Uta Takami
2. 12th Tokyo Princess Cup Preliminary League – Round 1: HIMAWARI Vs Mifu Ashida
3. 3 Way Match: Maki Itoh Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Chika Nanase
4. Rika Tatsumi & Ren Kotatsu Vs Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro
5. Mizuki, Yoshiko Hasegawa, Toga & Ivy Steele Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Jada Stone Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto
7. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Kaya Toribami

The next couple of Tokyo Princess Cup qualifying matches are happening this weekend. Shino Suzuki, Uta Takami, HIMAWARI and Mifu Ashida are all currently two wins away from making it to the tournament proper. But one loss takes them out of the running.

DDT “CHARISMANIA II”, 18/06/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. LUCHA LIBRE WORLD WIDE: El Pantera Jr. & Sumicaras Vs Ilusion & Sangre Azteca Jr.
2. ~20 Years Of Promise~: Yasu Urano Vs Naohiro Katsumi
3. GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER: Dick Togo Vs Daisuke Sasaki

A wrestling master facing one of his proteges many years later is always a nice story to have for a match. At the first “CHARISMANIA” show held last year Daisuke Sasaki said he wanted to challenge Dick Togo to a singles match to celebrate his 20th anniversary in wrestling. The two are living up to their promise and doing the match at “CHARISMANIA II”.

This year is also the 20th anniversary of Naohiro Katsumi’s debut in SUPER CREW. He hardly ever wrestles nowadays but reappeared at the first “CHARISMANIA” to face his classmate KUBITO. He returns for the second event this time to wrestle Yasu Urano one on one.

Two second generation luchadors have been booked for the show. Both El Pantera Jr. and Sangre Azteca Jr. are currently having a long stay in Japan to wrestle for Michinoku Pro. More masked wrestlers are involved with the addition of Ilusion and… Sumicaras is back again after his last Beer Garden appearance?

DDT “KING OF KINGS ~ARASHI’S JUNE SHOWDOWN~”, 29/06/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Special Tag Match: Mansoor & Mason Madden Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
2. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Kumadori Vs MJ Paul & Ilusion
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi

For his third ever pro wrestling match Kumadori is going to team with HARASHIMA. That’s a good partner to rely on when you have to fight MJ Paul & Ilusion from DAMNATION T.A.

DDT “YOKOHAMA NIGHT SPLASH”, 05/07/2025
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada

The next team to challenge DAMNATION T.A for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles is SCHADENFREUDE International. It came about when Takeshi Masada wanted a title shot. Ilusion refused because Masada hadn’t won anything to deserve one but then Ilusion was reminded that he was pinned by Antonio Honda recently. Sasaki has been letting Ilusion speak on behalf of the heel group recently along with making decisions so Ilusion walked into giving SCHADENFREUDE the next title shot. Not sure if Hideki Okatani would have done the same or if he even cares.

DDT “ROCK IN RING 2025 ~PLAY THE STRIKES, SHOUT THE CHEERS”, 13/07/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Kosei Fujita & Takeshi Masada Vs To-y & Yuya Koroku
2. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Shinya Aoki

The winner of this year’s Best Of The Super Junior tournament is coming to DDT! The first appearance of Kosei Fujita in the company is so he can team up with one of his friends in the business, Takeshi Masada. It’s also taking place on the day before his birthday. DDT are putting together To-y & Yuya Koroku to be their opponents for the match.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25”, 21/07/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Yuki Arai

Is the time coming soon for Yuki Arai to get her ultimate crowning moment in Tokyo Joshi Pro? She is now the No. 1 Contender for the Princess Of Princess Title and beating Mizuki for the belt at Ota Ward Gymnasium will make her the promotion’s third ever grand slam champion.

Max The Impaler will be on the show.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – May 2025

June 1, 2025

Can’t say this month has been a quiet one. Konosuke Takeshita had a lot of TV time with AEW and we even got the lovely announcement that he’s married to Yuka Sakazaki. All of Takeshita’s work this month revolves around The Don Callis Family, yes even the American New Japan appearance. The group in its current form is nailing it at the moment with good tag matches week to week and the presence of Don Callis himself is not as overwhelming as it was before. I bet over the coming months Takeshita’s schedule will gradually switch from AEW over to New Japan as we walk through the Forbidden Door and approach the G1 season.

May saw Maki Itoh finish up her remaining dates in America before she travelled back home to rejoin Tokyo Joshi Pro. She has another tour lined up during the Tokyo Princess Cup so the Americans won’t be missing her for long. Miyu Yamashita is entering the second half of her excursion and her schedule is definitely keeping her busy. She’s bouncing back and forth from America to Canada and even found time to visit Italy. Her matches in the Upcoming Appearances section below are not all of the bookings she has left. She included a few unlabeled dates in her schedule on Twitter and it’s pretty easy to find online that they are for GCW’s sister promotion JCW. However JCW themselves haven’t announced her for anything yet so I left them off this post. As you’ll see at the very end, there is always a possible booking cancellation that could happen at any time.

TJPW’s grip on the Southeast Asian scene took something of a hit because Yuki Kamifuku and Raku both lost all of the SEA championships this month. It’s likely not the end of TJPW working with companies from Thailand and Singapore but for now the focus looks to be moving towards the new relationship with Major League Wrestling in America. MLW is currently going through a roster shuffle too with a good amount of contracts not being renewed and some new talent coming in to fill those emptying spots. TJPW may just be used as a temporary solution to fill in the gap but they’ll benefit from it for as long as it lasts.

The thing to watch for in the next month or two is how often Sakazaki will get to wrestle, whether it’s on the indies or if she can get booked in AEW/ROH again. I hear rumours every now and then that there’s an injury clearance issue going on with her. But it wouldn’t make sense if AEW uses that as a reason to keep her on the shelf only to let her go wrestle somewhere else. They haven’t like it in the past when their wrestlers got injured on another promotion’s show.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “COLLISION”, 08/05/2025
Masonic Temple Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander (w/ Don Callis)


HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025
Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. HOG Women’s Title: Indi Hartwell Vs Miyu Yamashita


AEW “DYNAMITE – BEACH BREAK”, 14/05/2025
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Will Ospreay & Hangman Page Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander


AEW “COLLISION”, 22/05/2025
Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero (w/ Lance Archer) Vs Bandido, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd


AEW “COLLISION”, 31/05/2025
El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero Vs Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii

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Results


TOP TALENT “LIVE AT MIDWAY MUSIC HALL”, 02/05/2025
Midway Music Hall, Edmonton, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Ava Lawless (?:??).

We start off over in Canada where Yamashita headlined a Top Talent Wrestling show against Ava Lawless. The Canadian knew it was going to be a big test for her and she embraced it but Yamashita came out on top.


HOODSLAM “PHANTASMAGORIA”, 02/05/2025
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. GLAMpionship: MacDaddy MYLO (c) (w/KEiTA) defeated Maki Itoh with a School Boy (?:??).
*V6 for MacDaddy MYLO.

On the same night one country away, Itoh was main eventing a show of her own with her return to Hoodslam. She was getting a shot at the GLAMpionship, a title that was originally created for the promotion’s sub-brand GLAM but made its way over to the regular shows. MacDaddy MYLO attacked her before she could finish her entrance but made the mistake of slamming her head into the turnbuckles which had no effect. Itoh’s momentum was cut off when MYLO pulled the ref into her way and then jumped in to do a Cutter. Itoh made another comeback only for KEiTA to interfere on the champion’s behalf. Itoh fought them both off and put MYLO in the Itoh Deluxe but KEiTA distracted the ref so she wouldn’t see MYLO tap out. Itoh got rid of KEiTA again but MYLO rolled her up in a School Boy to steal the win.


GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Skull Kick (13:23).

The day after that Yamashita and Itoh’s paths crossed over in GCW. The two of them were heading into a big weekend where they both had title matches to prepare for. But before any of that could happen the two would meet in the ring against each other! Did anyone on GCW commentary know about their history together as 121000000 beyond just them being tag champions a few times? Fucking of course not! At least the fans were super into it. The was the first time Yamashita would face Itoh in a place where Itoh has the home field advantage and while she didn’t go into MDK mode, she was able to put up her biggest fight against Yamashita yet. Even Yamashita seemed to be aware of it because when he knocked down Itoh with the Skull Kick, she ordered the ref to check her for a knockout. The ref dropped Itoh’s arm three times but on the third Itoh kept her hand up and raised a middle finger to the air! She got a second wind and almost scored the victory she waited so long for by countering the Attitude Adjustment into a Small Package. But Yamashita kicked out and nailed another Skull Kick to increase her singles match record with Itoh to 10-0. There was no hard feelings over the result and 121000000 shook hands afterwards.


GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025
Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. JCW World Title: Masha Slamovich (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (10:13).
*V36 for Masha Slamovich.
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) defeated Maki Itoh with a Spinning Tombstone Piledriver (12:08).
*V16 for Effy.

Well if plan of having iron sharpen iron was to result in championship wins it didn’t work out here. Itoh finished up her latest excursion by getting a shot at the GCW World Title held by Effy before she went home. Effy lightened the mood by singing “Mandy” on the microphone but changed the lyrics to be about Maki. She didn’t like it and told him to stop but that made Effy start to cry. It was all a trap to for Effy to get the one up on Itoh but she quickly escaped and turned the tables. She did a Diving Cross Body from the top rope to Effy outside the ring. Effy brought in chairs and ended up getting Choke Slammed onto one by Itoh! She also kicked out of a Spear at one and sliced Effy’s forehead open with her pizza cutter. Despite all that Effy countered the I.S.D by catching her in mid-air. He then spun it around into a Tombstone Piledriver to get the win.

Also on the show Yamashita challenged Masha Slamovich for the JCW Title in a continuation of their international rivalry. It was an even matchup but just like in Las Vegas last month, Slamovich got Yamashita in the White Knight Driver for the three count. Yamashita slapped away the champion’s hand after the match but immediately offered a handshake of her own, which Slamovich accepted.


AEW “COLLISION”, 08/05/2025
Masonic Temple Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander (w/ Don Callis) defeated Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds when Alexander pinned Reynolds with the C4 Spike (2:30).

Even though Takeshita was already eliminated from the Owen Hart Cup last month, this month he was still in orbit of the tournament. His new tag team with Josh Alexander in The Don Callis Family were set up for a match against the two wrestlers who reached the final. So for a warm up match they went and destroyed two members of The Dark Order in quick fashion on Collision. Alexander picked up Evil Uno and with Takeshita did a Doomsday Jumping Knee to the masked man. Then they smashed Alex Reynolds with a Double Elbow Strike to the head before Alexander pinned him with the C4 Spike.


HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025
Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. HOG Women’s Title: Indi Hartwell defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Full Nelson Facebuster (12:13).
*Indi Hartwell becomes the 8th HOG Women’s Champion!

The stakes were raised for Yamashita’s return to House Of Glory. Right before her match with Indi Hartwell began the HOG commissioner Jason Solomon walked out and announced that the HOG Women’s Title held by Megan Bayne had been vacated. He then announced that this match would determine the new champ! Yamashita had the end of the match under control until Hartwell ducked the Skull Kick and planted her with a Full Nelson Facebuster to win the match out of nowhere and become champion.


NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) (w/ Rocky Romero) defeated El Phantasmo with the Raging Fire (17:48).
*V6 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

Rocky Romero’s involvement with Takeshita in the NJPW USA shows have become a little more clearer now that Romero is part of The Don Callis Family. He accompanied Takeshita for his NEVER Openweight Title defence against El Phantasmo. It couldn’t reach the heights of last year’s G1 match but ELP still did a massive Thunderkiss ’86 dive to Takeshita into the front row, landed a Cutthroat Driver for a nearfall and also gave Takeshita a Piledriver on the ring apron. ELP had the win in his grasp when Romero pulled the referee out of the ring during a pinfall. ELP got some measure of revenge on Romero by Power Bombing him through a table but that gave Takeshita time to recover and pin ELP with the Raging Fire. There is growing respect between the two because they shook hands after the match.


MAPLE LEAF PRO “NORTHERN RISING”, 10/05/2025
Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Canada

1. Serena Deeb defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Detox (12:55).

Yamashita travelled back up to Canada for another appearance in Maple Leaf Pro. There she faced Serena Deeb who was making her third appearance in a row for the promotion. Yamashita hit the Skull Kick but Deeb made sure to topple out of the ring to avoid getting pinned. When she was put back in the ring, Deeb pushed Yamashita into the ref and then hit her from behind with a Chop Block. She then pinned her with the Detox, which is Deeb’s arm trapped Styles Clash kind of finisher.


MLW “AZTECA LUCHA”, 10/05/2025
Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Delmi Exo (?:??).
*V1 for Shoko Nakajima.

Right, here’s the funny thing about MLW. Their shows nowadays are one half live iPPV and the other half TV tapings for the upcoming month. That’s not unusual for wrestling but barely anyone who goes to MLW shows cares about spoiling the tapings part. Shoko Nakajima’s appearance on the live PPV was just to be seen sitting in the front row to hype up her next MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title defence. That match is a rematch with Delmi Exo that will air on MLW’s TV show in June. I couldn’t find any result or talk of the rematch online anywhere and the only reason we know Nakajima is still the champion is because she brought the belt back to Japan with her. Once the match airs I’ll come back and write this with any necessary corrections included. Like I don’t know, maybe they went to a 60 minute draw. I can’t prove they did but you can’t prove they didn’t either.


AEW “DYNAMITE – BEACH BREAK”, 14/05/2025
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Will Ospreay & Hangman Page defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander (w/ Don Callis) when Page pinned Alexander after the Buckshot Hidden Blade (18:34).

The two Owen Hart Cup finalists Will Ospreay & Hangman Page had to team up before their big PPV match. They needed to be on the same page because Takeshita & Alexander were coming after them like a well oiled machine. There was some communication between them to set things up but it still led to moments where Page almost hit Ospreay with the Buckshot Lariat and Ospreay almost hit Page with the Hidden Blade. But something eventually clicked between the two and they combined their finishers Kinnikuman style on Alexander to get the victory.


GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025
RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Marcus Mathers with the Crash Rabbit Heat (21:02).

Plans changed for Yamashita’s next match in GCW. She was supposed to face Tony Deppen but instead her opponent was Marcus Mathers. The match featured quite a bit of mat work with Mathers looking for spots to take Yamashita into an Ankle Lock. Yamashita also found herself getting thrown around more often than she would back in TJPW. Mathers press dropped her onto the ring apron and tried to do a Power Bomb but it was countered into a Sunset Flip. When Mathers went more high risk he paid for it by springboarding into a glancing Skull Kick for a nearfall. By that point Yamashita knew she had Mathers where she wanted him and wore him down with kicks before pinning him with the Crash Rabbit Heat.


GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025
Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Billie Starkz defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Victory Roll Reversal (10:34).

Yamashita’s final GCW appearance for the month (probably because it was also the last GCW show of the month) was also the fourth singles meeting with Billie Starkz. It turns out Starkz has become a very slippery opponent for Yamashita to beat nowadays because this match was her third defeat in a row to her. Yamashita got a nearfall with an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and continued the pressure after that but Starkz ended up reversing a Victory Roll to get the three count out of nowhere.


AEW “COLLISION”, 21/05/2025 (Aired 22/05/2025)
Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero (w/ Lance Archer) defeated Bandido, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd when Takeshita pinned Floyd with the Bastard Driver (9:35).

More shuffling going around within The Don Callis Family yet things look so similar. Trent Beretta is back from injury and has reunited with Rocky Romero. Their Roppongi Vice team in New Japan is now conveniently renamed RPG Vice in AEW. They and Takeshita were put together for a trios match against the wild combination of Bandido and The Outrunners. During the madness Takeshita used a well timed Jumping Knee Strike to make Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd clash into each other. Then at ringside Lance Archer wiped out Bandido so the rest of The Family had the coast clear to finish things off.


MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025
Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China

1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin defeated Alexis Lee & Big Sam when Kamifuku pinned Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??).

Now let’s head over to Asia to see what some of the other TJPW wrestlers have been up to. Middle Kingdom Wrestling in China brought in Yuki Kamifuku for a mixed tag match with Alexis Lee on the other team, making it a preview for their big title match happening in Singapore one week later. Kamifuku was teaming up with Chinese wrestler Chen Wenbin while Lee had a big British brute named Big Sam as her tag partner. Sam was too strong to a fault because he ended up missing Wenbin and Clotheslining Lee off the ring apron by mistake. Kamifuku by herself couldn’t hurt Big Sam but Wenbin was there to help her out when needed. Things also went wrong for Sam when his manager messed up a pin break and stomped on him, allowing the other team to charge in and Double Big Boot Sam out of the ring. Lee tried to get her hands on Kamifuku afterwards but Kamifuku got the better of her, winning the match with the Diving Famouser.


SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025
Via Dante 72, Sporting Cesate, Milan, Italy

1. 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Irene and Session Moth Martina (?:??).

Yamashita can now scratch Italy off her growing list of countries she’s wrestled in. SAJ Wrestling brought her in for a 3 Way Match against Italy’s own Irene and the Irish wrestler Session Moth Martina. The latter was really looking forward to this because she was meant to face Yamashita at EVE earlier in the year but she had to cancel it due to illness. Yamashita also tweeted that her first time in Italy was an incredible experience.


AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 25/05/2025
Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher & Josh Alexander defeated Adam Cole, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly when Fletcher pinned O’Reilly with (12:48).

Takeshita and co. were put in the unenviable position of following the annual Anarchy In The Arena match. They all did alright given the circumstances. Takeshita has crossed paths with Adam Cole, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly before but not when all three have been together as Paragon. In fact the previous times Takeshita has been in the ring with Strong was as tag partners. The Don Callis Family ended up isolating O’Reilly and left it to Kyle Fletcher to finish him off. The Family continued the attack after the match until an unlikely trio of wrestlers came to the rescue. Hiroshi Tanahashi made a suprise appearance leading Tomohiro Ishii & Brody King to the ring to chase off The Family. It’s all to set up the next “FORBIDDEN DOOR” that will be held in England this year. It’s since been confirmed that the show will feature Tanahashi’s final wrestling match in the UK before he retires. Could Takeshita become a part of it just like he was for Tanahashi’s last USA match?


AEW “COLLISION”, 28/05/2025 (Aired 31/05/2025)
El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero defeated Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii when Takeshita pinned Ishii with the Raging Fire (10:18).

Chaos broke out from the get go when The Don Callis Family attacked their opponents from behind only for Paragon & Ishii to bring the fight to them outside the ring. Don Callis also briefly got away from the commentary table to deliver a cheap shot. Takeshita and Ishii threw bombs at each other until Takeshita pushed Ishii into the ref. That allowed Romero to Low Blow Ishii from behind so Takeshita could pin him with the Raging Fire.


SPW “MAYHEM”, 30/05/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee defeated Yuki Kamifuku (c) (?:??).
*Yuki Kamifuku fails in V7. Alexis Lee becomes the 6th Queen Of Asia Champion!

The Queen Of Asia has been defeated. Long live the new Queen Of Asian Champion! Lee wanted one more shot at Kamifuku’s title in SPW and was willing to put up the biggest gamble of her life to do it. She promised to put her career on the line and retire from wrestling if she couldn’t take the title from Kamifuku! The bet paid off because Lee was able to get the win and become a two time Queen Of Asia Champion. Thing along with Kamifuku losing the VPW Women’s Title in TJPW earlier in the month brings her Southeast Asian dominance to an end, maybe just for the time being.


SETUP “THE FALLEN KINGDOM”, 31/05/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha defeated Raku (c) with the Stunner (?:??).
*Raku fails in V2. Matcha becomes the 4th SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion!

The good folks at SETUP have kept me up to date on Raku’s return to Thailand this month which I appreciate greatly. Matcha wanted a chance to win back the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title she lost to TJPW and would get it with Raku coming over to defend it. But Raku had a devious plan put in place to give her the advantage. When Matcha was in Japan for a TJPW tour, Raku purposely sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to her her backstage to send her to sleep. Raku then sent a recording of the song over to the SETUP dojo, making everyone over there who played it fall asleep on the spot. SETUP staff also told me that Raku played the same prank on a delivery driver on Matcha’s birthday so her birthday cake would never arrive! So Matcha tried to fight fire with fire by bringing along a certain kind of pillow and mat used in Thailand for Raku to lie on. Raku almost fell asleep but had the awareness to roll up Matcha when she tried to pin her. The two proceeded to wrestle the match using the mat as a weapon on each other, mostly by one bundling up the other in the mat to try and immobilize them. When it came down to the final moments of the match, Matcha countered Raku’s Doctor Yellow into the Last Rights. After that she hit the Stunner to win and regain her championship! Raku was upset to lose the title but Matcha made it up to her after the match by giving her the pillow to bring home as a keepsake. Raku may have also got to sing Zack Sabre Jr. to sleep at the merch table as the main photo at the top of the article suggests.

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Upcoming Appearances


NEW TEXAS PRO “BAT CITY”, 01/06/2025
Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA

1. Charity King & AQA Vs VertVixen & Yuka Sakazaki

There was only one previous time when VertVixen & Yuka Sakazaki were in the ring together and it was for an AEW Dark match. They meet again for Sakazaki’s return to the American indies, this time teaming together over at New Texas Pro. Someone in this match who is also getting attention is AQA. She was seen as an exciting prospect on the indies a few years ago and even signed a deal with AEW (she got the graphic and everything) but unexpectedly quit the business only a few months later. All of a sudden New Texas Pro announced her return and this is going to be her first match back in three years. Charity King will be there to lend her a helping hand for the comeback.


KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025
Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Zara Zakher
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase

Not long to go now until Yuna Manase returns for the next weekend of Kitsune shows. Yamashita will be there too.


KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025
South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase (c) Vs Tae Honma

Manase has a Kitsune World Title defence against Tae Honma lined up while Yamashita won’t know who she faces until the day of the show.


LLL “BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE – NIGHT 1”, 13/06/2025
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita’s first opponent for her weekend at Lucha Libre & Laughs has not been announced yet.


LLL “BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE – NIGHT 2”, 14/06/2025
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Dark Sheik Vs Miyu Yamashita

But her opponent on the second night is already known. It’s Dark Sheik!


GCW “BANGIN’ IN LITTLE ROCK”, 20/06/2025
The Hall, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

It won’t be until them middle of the month when Yamashita jumps back into GCW. There will be a couple of both new and familiar faces showing up by then, giving Yamashita a few potentially fresh opponents.


GCW “TAKE A PICTURE”, 22/06/2025
The Truman, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Jordan Oliver & Alec Price (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Billie Starkz

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Yamashita and Starkz are teaming up for a crack at the GCW Tag Team Titles currently held by Jordan Oliver & Alec Price. This could be Yamashita’s last chance on this tour to win some gold.


MLW “SUMMER OF THE BEASTS”, 26/06/2025
Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Kamifuku

The relationship between TJPW and Major League Wrestling will continue with more TJPW wrestlers crossing over to the world that never stops! While Nakajima is defending MLW’s Women’s Title in Japan, TJPW will be sending over Yuki Kamifuku and Wakana Uehara to compete against each other in the MLW ring. Cesar Duran says this is part of a new era for MLW’s women’s division being helmed by Salina de la Renta.


REAPER “REAPER RISING – A KING’S CORONATION”, 27/06/2025
The Pit, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai

This is one of those times when the wrestling promotion in question is so far out of my reach I half consider if it’s someone’s eFed because the info is so sparse. However I can confirm Reaper Wrestling is a real company in Canada. Yamashita will get to face Janai Kai again and she sent a video warning Kai that nothing has changed since the last time they fought each other.


METALMANIA “2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY”, 28/06/2025
Stage 722, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

And the award for the most unlikely place to book Yamashita during her excursion goes to METALMANIA! It’s where you go in Portland to see lucha mix with death metal music. Never would have thought Yamashita to be a headbanger.


SPARK “IGNITE TEXAS”, 29/06/2025
Baytown Community Center, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuka Sakazaki Vs X

When was the last time Yamashita and Sakazaki were on the same show together? It wasn’t when Sakazaki graduated from TJPW a year and a half ago, was it? As you can see in the pic above, there’s also some Stardom talent appearing on the show. If SPARK has the pull to put together the tag match I’m thinking of then good job to them.


BZW “LES JEUX SONT FAITS”, 05/07/2025
Casino Barrière de Lille, Lille, France

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Danny Black & Joe Lando

It’s back to France for a quick summer break. Or maybe not because MAO & Yoshihiko have some business to attend to for their return to Banger Zone Wrestling. British wrestlers Danny Black & Joe Lando have challenged them for the BZW Tag Team Titles. The pair from the CPF (Close Personal Friends) stable held the titles before and are getting this match at the same venue where they lost them.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025
POST, Houston, Texas, USA

The current lineup “confirmed” for the Texas tour is Maki Itoh, Miyu Yamashita, Miu Watanabe, Suzume, Yuki Arai, Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima, Pom Harajuku, Moka Miyamoto, Arisu Endo, Raku, Shino Suzuki and Yuki Kamifuku.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025
POST, Houston, Texas, USA

The only one not “confirmed” yet but still included in the promotional material is Hyper Misao. That might depend on if she recovers from her elbow injury in time.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS”, 13/07/2025
The OC, Forney, Texas, USA

The only other thing known about the show lineups right now is each night will have different matches.

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Cancelled Appearances


MPX “METROPLEX WRESTLING”, 31/05/2025
Harwood Road, Bedford, Texas, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Maya World

A cancelled flight prevented Yamashita from travelling to Texas for her first appearance at Metroplex Wrestling. She was meant to fight Maya World at the show and called in a favour to Athena to be her replacement.


PRESTIGE “UNIT3D”, 01/06/2025
Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Not much to say about this other than I’m including it just for the sake of record. When Yamashita first posted her list of USA bookings she included one for Prestige on 1st June. She later had an update saying the booking was cancelled and she was available for other dates on the weekend. Nothing was said on Prestige’s end but that’s also because they hadn’t at any point promoted she would appear on the show.

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Posted by JamieOD

TJPW Injury Updates, Ren Konatsu, GanPro Ultimate Rules, MxM Collection Coming To DDT

May 29, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN NERIMA”, 31/05/2025
Tokyo Nerima Coconeri Hall

1. 12th Tokyo Princess Cup Preliminary League – Round 1: Mahiro Kiryu Vs Moka Miyamoto
2. Miu Watanabe, Wakana Uehara & Ivy Steele Vs Pom Harajuku, HIMAWARI & Haru Kazashiro
3. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida
4. Shoko Nakajima, Arisu Endo & Chika Nanase Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga & Shino Suzuki
5. Mizuki & Jada Stone Vs Maki Itoh & Uta Takami
6. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa

An injury report was given out by Tokyo Joshi Pro today for three of their wrestlers. Hyper Misao’s arm injury has been revealed to be ligament damage in her right elbow and she will remain out of action until late June. Haruna Neko picked up another knee injury and will miss this weekend’s shows. She is currently having it examined so TJPW will give an update once her diagnosis is known.

Kira Summer has a thigh injury and will be resting for another 4 weeks. Her Tokyo Princess Cup qualifier match with Wakana Uehara that was meant to happen on Saturday is postponed until she returns. However if she is still not cleared to wrestle by late June she may have to forfeit the match.

Parts of the undercard for Saturday’s show has been changed because of Neko and Summer’s injuries. There is now one less match and Uehara takes Neko’s place in Match #2.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN NAGOYA”, 01/06/2025
Aichi Chunichi Hall

1. Ren Konatsu Debut Match: Suzume Vs Ren Konatsu
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa & Moka Miyamoto Vs Toga & Chika Nanase
3. Rika Tatsumi, Wakana Uehara & Mifu Ashida Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Shino Suzuki & Ivy Steele
4. Shoko Nakajima & Haru Kazashiro Vs Kaya Toribami & HIMAWARI
5. Mizuki Vs Uta Takami
6. Last One Standing 8-Woman Tag Team Elimination Match: Maki Itoh, Yuki Arai, Pom Harajuku & Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Yuki Aino & Jada Stone

The teams for the Last One Standing Elimination Match have been decided. The next Princess Of Princess Title challenger will be decided here.

Match #2 & #3 are mixed around to fill in the gaps Neko and Summer opened up. Ivy Steele is bumped up the card a little while Moka Miyamoto swaps sides.

The trainee Konatsu will now go by the name Ren Konatsu for her debut. She was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka on 26th May 2001 and is 153cm tall. She was originally an SKE48 fan and started watching TJPW to follow Yuki Arai. However it was Suzume who inspired Konatsu to try wrestling out for herself so Suzume gets to be her very first opponent.

GANBARE☆PRO “GRAND BLEU 2025”, 01/06/2025
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Shota Kawakami Vs Keisuke Goto
2. Ken Ohka, PSYCHO & Moeka Haruhi Vs Shinichiro Tominaga, Daisuke® & Banny Oikawa
3. YuuRI & Nanami Hatano Vs Yuna Manase & Mio Shirai
4. GanPro Ultimate Rules: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada Vs Tyson Maeguchi & Thanomsak Toba
5. Yumehito Imanari, Mizuki Watase & Shigehiro Irie Vs Keisuke Ishii, Toru Sugiura & Munetatsu Nakamura

A shootfight style ruleset is being tried out by Ganbare☆Pro for Match #4. The GanPro Ultimate Rules can be won by knockout, submission or referee stoppage. There are no rope breaks and moves involving use of the ropes or corners are prohibited. Also double team moves and tag partners breaking up the opponent’s holds are not allowed. Should a grounded fighter position himself onto the ring apron the referee will shout “Don’t Move” and the match will pause for the wrestlers to reposition themselves over to the centre of the ring. Intentional fouls are an immediate disqualification while non-serious fouls result in a warning. Two warnings will result in a disqualification. Given the fighting styles of Shuichiro Katsumura, Takuya Wada, Tyson Maeguchi and Thanomsak Toba they should all adapt to the rules no problem.

DDT “THAT’S RIGHT! LET’S GO TO BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025”, 03/06/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. 1 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi
2. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 4: HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya
4. Lumberjack Pool Crocodile Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
5. Referee Daisuke Kiso 15th Anniversary Match ~Special 6-Man Tag Match~: MAZADA, Minoru Fujta & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yasu Urano, Akito & Shoko Nakajima
6. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs The 37KAMIINA!: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y

Today was MAO’s final block match in the Best Of The Super Juniors tournament. He was able to beat SHO using everything he learned in DDT throughout his career and finished tied for first in his block with 12 points. However due to head-to-head tiebreakers he did not qualify for the final. I will write a full report for his tour with New Japan next week. Next week he comes back home to rejoin KANON and fight some old friends.

The rules for the Lumberjack Pool Crocodile Match have not been explained yet. Not even those in charge of DDT knows what it’s going to be.

The next match in Toru Owashi’s 20th Anniversary series is a partial reunion of DISASTER BOX! He will be in the same match as HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno and Kazuki Hirata. Sadly Naomi Yoshimura will not be in attendance to complete the reunion.

Now that Danshoku Dieno is done with being a Strong Style wrestler, he’ll have to find his strength somewhere else to fight four opponents at once.

BASARA “BASARA 280 ~TAKAGARI 28~”, 07/06/2025
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. 3 Way Match: Daichi Kazato Vs Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Banana Senga Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Fuminori Abe
4. SAGAT & Isami Kodaka Vs Lil’ Kraken & Akira Jo
5. Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Ryuichi Sekine, FUMA & Ayumu Honda

Right now in BASARA the field is wide open for future title challengers to emerge. Maybe one of them will be Akira Jo!!!

DDT “MY LOVE LETTER 2025”, 07/06/2025
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
2. HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki Vs Soma Takao & Daichi Sato
3. Special 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Jun Akiyama & Danshoku Dieno Vs Yuki Ueno & To-y
4. Thank You Toru Owashi ~ Toru Owashi 20th Anniversary Of DDT Participation Series Vol. 5: Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs Harimao!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
6. Antonio Honda 20th Anniversary Match ~ Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Antonio Honda
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs Akito & Yuya Koroku

Owashi’s just never going to be able to get away from Hirata, is he?

M&A “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT ~MATCHMAKE & AGENT~”, 25/06/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Tag Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Momoka Hanazono Vs Ippanjin Munenori Sawa & Mio Shirai
2. Special Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
3. Special Single Match: Fuminori Abe Vs Shota
4. Special Single Match: Suwama Vs Muscle Sakai
5. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata Vs Ken Ohka
6. Special Single Match: Momo Kohgo Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa

Two weeks before Yoshiko Hasegawa retires from pro wrestling she gets to be in the ring with Momo Kohgo one last time. The two wrestlers both debuted in Actwrez Girl’z back in 2019 so this it will be the perfect time for the two classmates to reunite and face each other. It is also Sanshiro Takagi’s way of getting to book the rare Stardom Vs TJPW match on his show.

One of the last additions to the card is the Pro Wrestling Up Town pair of Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Momoka Hanazono taking on the once retired but not really anymore duo of Munenori Sawa & Mio Shirai.

DDT “KING OF KINGS ~ARASHI’S JUNE SHOWDOWN~”, 29/06/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Special Tag Match: Mansoor & Mason Madden Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi

Here comes the latest American tag team to make their DDT debuts. Straight from the lands of AEW and ROH it’s MxM Collection! Both Mansoor & Mason Madden sent a video where they said DDT should get ready to touch their tips. When Takagi heard that he immediately knew which two wrestlers should face them at Korakuen Hall. It’s the gatekeeper team of Dieno & Hirata!

BASARA “BASARA 285 ~CONTINUATION IS POWER~”, 03/08/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs X

There is currently no one worthy to challenge Ryota Nakatsu for the Union MAX Title. Normally at this time of year it would be the winner of Chouten ~Itadaki~ but that just so happens to be Nakatsu this time around. It’s not possible for him to fight himself so he is going to spend the summer wrestling on BASARA shows to decide for himself who should be the No. 1 Contender. He will not defend the title before then.

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BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 22: THE BEGINNING IS THE END IS THE BEGINNING” Results

May 27, 2025

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 22: THE BEGINNING IS THE END IS THE BEGINNING”, 27/05/2025
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
??? Fans

1. Special Tag Team Match: Chris Brookes & Shikaku SAYA (w/ Bunbun) defeated Chie Brookes & Kota Ibushikoshi (w/ Fukafuka) when SAYA pinned Kota Ibushikoshi with the Roll Cake (?:??).
2. Special Single Match: Fuminori Abe defeated Mr. Bueno with the O-Manjigatame (?:??).
3. BK-G Openweight Title: Mr. Malo (c) defeated Antonio Honda with the Unprettier (?:??).
*V1 for Mr. Malo.
4. Special Tag Team Match: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Karate Brahman) defeated Great King Ueki & Munek when Shu & Kei pinned Munek with the Gotai Fumanzoku (?:??).

This is what happens when somebody wants the most complete Brahman Brothers experience. Fans in ARENA Shimokitazawa were warned in advance to cover themselves with ponchos and protect their valuables for the main event because Baka Gaijin + Friends could not promise to protect them from The Brahmans in any way, shape or form. Great King Ueki & Munek weren’t intimidated by the warnings because they were more concerned over their plan to kidnap another princess. They got a woman in the crowd to step into their magical chamber (i.e stand behind the bar) and become their prisoner. This turn of events meant The Brahman Brothers were in fact the unlikely heroes coming to save the day! They were even accompanied by Karate Brahman in a rare public appearance.

The rescue attempt devolved into mayhem in quick fashion. Munek summoned an invisible wall to block his opponents but The Brahmans found a way to spray water passed it. They then proceeded to drench the venue with bottles and buckets of water while brawling with the other team. They opened up space in the room to do their bowling ball into the suitcase spot but Munek did his own magical version in return. That was when Karate Brahman unleashed his secret weapon. He stuck some fireworks up his nose, stripped down to his underwear and started singing while the other Brahmans lit up the fireworks! Ueki then sprayed him with a fire extinguisher which somehow caused Karate to join his side. Ueki stole the black ink from The Brahmans and used it to spit Poison Mist but he missed his target and blinded Karate by accident. The Brahmans then filled a plate with pizza sauce and threw it at Ueki, missing him and hitting Karate in the butt with it instead. Ueki pulled out more fireworks but Munek got pulled in the way of the blast. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei then rolled up Munek in their Crucifix/Jackknife Pin combo to get the win. Karate Brahman tried to profess his love to the princess that was rescued but he was rejected.

In a much more tame affair, Mr. Malo defended the BK-G Openweight Title against Antonio Honda. The challenger was outmatched by Malo’s holds and had to grab random fans by the head to initiate rope breaks. Once Honda found his groove Malo resorted to cheating. However Honda had him scouted and blocked a Low Blow to keep control of the match. Malo turned things around my deflecting Gongitsune into hitting Daisuke Kiso. He grabbed a beer bottle but Honda took it from him. A recovered Kiso stopped Honda from using it as a weapon, accidentally making him drop it to the ground where it was smashed into pieces! Malo took advantage by giving Honda a Low Blow when Kiso couldn’t see it and he then won by doing the Unprettier onto the broken pieces of the bottle.

Mr. Bueno thought he was ready for a martial arts fight with Fuminori Abe but he was quickly kicked to the floor when the match began. Then as they fought back and forth Bueno wanted to know more about his opponent and asked for his name. When Abe answered him, Bueno confused him for Hiroshi Abe which made Fuminori mad. Bueno then kept confusing him for other famous Abe’s but when he introduced himself, Abe kept thinking his name was Ueno. Later Abe trapped Bueno in the Manjigatame and demanded he say his name right. Bueno fought out of it but when he wound up in the move again he tapped out.

The opening contest was designed to be one team of Chris Brookes & MAO taking on another team of Chris Brookes & MAO. Except the actual MAO was nowhere to be seen. Brookes instead teamed with Sakaya who tried her best to fill the square shaped hole that MAO left behind. The two were also accompanied by Bunbun. Facing them were Chie Koishikawa who was acting like Brookes and Kota Ibushikoshi who was acting like MAO. The two of them were joined by by Fukafuka, a hammerhead shark toy who looked identical to Chie’s usual shark toy Hanma-san. Both Bunbun and Fukufuka were tied to the rubber band for that spot and slingshotted into the wrestlers. The two MAO lookalikes tried to replicate the real thing but needed help to do so. Brookes had to lift up Sayaka and flip her around to make it look like she was doing a Moonsault for example. Also thanks to a slap from the real Brookes, Sayaka was able to roll up Ibushikoshi in the Cake Roll to get the win.

After a lengthy clean up the show ended with an announcement by Shin Suzuki. He will be producing his own show at TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi on 13th September called “STEEL HEART RUN” to celebrate the “10th (+1) Anniversary” of his debut. The +1 is because he’s one year off from when he actually debuted. He originally wanted to face Masahiro Takanashi in the main event but that is not currently possible so Brookes volunteered to be Suzuki’s opponent instead. Suzuki agreed to i and just to prove he won’t take it lightly, he grabbed Brookes by the nose and knocked him off his feet!

The next Baka Gaijin + Friends show will take place on 1st July. Brookes also announced that “FUCKED UP FEST 2” will take place at Tokyo BASEMENT MONSTAR later this year.

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Video – MAO Vs Hikaru Machida For The DDT Universal Title From 2024

May 6, 2025


DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,600 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

6. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Hikaru Machida

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DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND” Results

May 6, 2025

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match – 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Ilusion pinned Sumi with a Rope-Assisted School Boy (5:31).
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama & Danshoku Dieno defeated MAO & Kazuki Hirata (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Dieno submitted Hirata with a Strong Chicken Wing Sleeper Hold (8:25).
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Yuki Ueno defeated Antonio Honda with the Blackout Sleeper (15:05).
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Akito with the Crossover Face Lock (4:44).
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (9:16).
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Yukio Naya defeated Daichi Sato with The World’s Best Back Drop (12:33).
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Hideki Okatani defeated To-y with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (11:58).
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: HARASHIMA defeated Chris Brookes with the Somato (0:22).
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Takeshi Masada defeated Yuya Koroku with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:10).
8. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Shinya Aoki with the Claw (15:34).

Kazusada Higuchi sent a message loud and clear in the opening round of this year’s King Of DDT tournament. He has reached a complete recovery! The final match of the 1st Round pitted Higuchi against Shinya Aoki over two and a half years after their KO-D Openweight Title bout against each other. The rematch featured grappling from Aoki, Higuchi no selling his head hitting off the corner post, the Aoki Clutch being kicked out of and a costly mistake from Aoki after that. He gave Higuchi a Headbutt that only hurt himself, giving Higuchi the opening to clamp on the Claw and make Aoki tap out! Higuchi said he only focused on fighting Aoki and hasn’t thought about anything beyond that. He described Aoki as being frighteningly strong. Aoki admitted he felt relieved after the match because Higuchi is refreshingly strong. It is the strength of somebody regaining the ground he lost. A reporter pointed out this is the first time in a while Aoki has lost to the same fighter twice in a row. Aoki knew who the reporter is talking about and compared Higuchi to Hayato Sakurai. Aoki is also now looking to the future as an unemployed man because he is no longer under contract to ONE FC. He might follow Sayaka Unagi’s example and put together his own independent event.

Meeting Higuchi in the next round will be Takeshi Masada. He avenged the D GENERATIONS CUP final loss to Yuya Koroku thanks to his perfect calculations of how it would go this time. Koroku targeted the arm so Masada focused on leg based attacks including Dropkicking a chair into his opponent at ringside. He was also able to break out of the Modified Triangle Lancer and caught Koroku with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to get the win. Masada said it is one of the new formulas he came up with since the DGC so he has Koroku to thank for that. He said Higuchi has a great Japanese spirit but so does he and he will bring it out to show everyone in DDT for the next round. Koroku is really disappointed his tournament is over already but he knows he’s been through lower lows than this. He will go on as he is now.

A record was broken on today’s show. HARASHIMA defeated Chris Brookes in just 22 seconds, the fastest time ever in King Of DDT history! Brookes got the jump on HARASHIMA with a Dropkick during the entrances and quickly went for the Praying Mantis Bomb. But HARASHIMA popped out of the move and fired a short range Somato at Brookes before hitting the full on version for the shock three count! HARASHIMA said he responded calmly to the ambush and just went with his gut resulting in a perfect victory against the KO-D Champion. He hasn’t given up on winning the title again and every fan who came to the show today all know it is possible.

To-y’s hopes of finally getting to face Brookes one on one were already extinguished at this point because he was already eliminated by Hideki Okatani. There was a little bit of help from MJ Paul and Ilusion but To-y fought against the odds and almost won with the Kojima In Wonderland. Okatani hit back with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster and that was enough for him to advance to Round 2. Afterwards he said To-y is as hot headed and annoying as ever. Okatani will next face HARASHIMA. He said HARASHIMA is not an ace but a corpse fighting against the times.

There are not a lot of heavyweights in the tournament this year and now even less so when one knocked out another in the 1st Round. Yukio Naya put Daichi Sato through his paces, beating him down while withstanding the young wrestler’s return strikes. Sato kept it up though and soon Naya was breaking down. A High Kick followed by a Rolling Elbow and a Brainbuster gave Sato a nearfall. Naya turned things around with Knee Butts and Elbow Strikes before putting his opponent away with The World’s Best Back Drop. Naya said Sato will grow in DDT just like he did and the next time they fight, Sato should try to surprise him even more. Sato was thankful to compete in the tournament so soon after joining the company. His goal is to become the face of DDT’s heavyweight division but he’ll need to surpass Naya first.

One of the first round matches was a little bit awkward because it pitted MAO’s current tag partner against his ex-tag partner. KANON looked to have gotten the better of Shunma Katsumata when he put him in the Cobra Twist 2.0. Katsumata wouldn’t submit though despite having no way to escape. It led to a situation on the ring apron where Kazuma Sumi wanted to throw in the towel but Yuni wouldn’t let him. They had a tug of war over the towel until they lost their grips and accidentally threw it into the ring. This happened right when Katsumata tapped out anyway so it was still a valid win for KANON. Katsumata gave his approval to KANON afterwards because he thinks he is now on the right path. KANON said he has a lot of respect for ShunMao which is why Strange Love Connection will do things differently from MAO’s other team. He also called himself the “Yukio Naya Killer” because he has never lost to Naya in singles matches. They just so happen to be facing each other in the next round.

Akito wanted to make quick work of Daisuke Sasaki and grabbed him by the leg as he entered the ring. That advantage was ruined when Ilusion got into the ring to distract Akito by flipping him off. Akito turned back and continued going for Sasaki’s legs but a counter attack led to Sasaki trapping him in the Crossover Face Lock for the submission victory. Akito admitted he was arrogant when he said this year’s tournament might be his last chance to win King Of DDT and the KO-D Title. He has a lot to think about but he wants to be involved in the main storyline of DDT within the next year. Sasaki originally said he wanted this to be a Hair Vs Hair match but in honor of Akito’s effort he decided not to go through with the stipulation. His Round 2 match though? He wants is to be Hair Vs Hair because he gets joy in life by making his next opponent miserable.

That next opponent is Yuki Ueno. He was taking on a sentimental favorite in this year’s competition because Antonio Honda was competing on behalf of the injured Masahiro Takanashi. While Honda did pull out the Shining Gongitsune, he also used his serious techniques to try and win including the Octopus Hold, the Tenzan Tombstone Driver and the Diving Fist Drop. Unfortunately Honda ran out of steam after Ueno hit him with a Dropkick followed by the WR. He was almost counted out for a KO but got back to his feet at nine. Ueno ended up putting him in the Blackout Sleeper to choke him out for the win. Ueno promised to carry Honda’s feelings with him for the rest of the tournament as he begins his path to win back the KO-D Title and make DDT even more fun and interesting. He noticed that even though DAMNATION T.A is usually a gloomy group, Sasaki has been having more fun lately…

There were two non-tournament dark matches in the pre-show. One of them was to continue showing how Danshoku Dieno is taking pro wrestling seriously for his upcoming match with Minoru Suzuki. He proved this by trying to stop Kazuki Hirata from dancing. MAO tried to get Jun Akiyama to dance by offering him the Hirata GO! glasses but Akiyama gave him the Exploder Suplex instead. He then heard the fans chanting for him to put the glasses on so he did so. But just when he started to dance, Dieno made Hirata tap out to a Crossface Chicken Wing and the match ended.

The other dark match was meant to include Soma Takao but he was feeling unwell and was replaced by Tomomitsu Matsunaga. He and Toru Owashi worked together as best as they could in the 3 Way Tag Match but in the end DAMNATION T.A got the win over NωA Jr when Ilusion used the ropes for a leveraged pin on Sumi after Low Blowing him.

Yet again NωA Jr.’s show opening performance was hijacked by KIMIHIRO and the Strange Love Connection. This time Sumi tried to fight back by challenging KIMIHIRO to a rap battle but he quickly lost his flow and ran out of the ring feeling really embarrassed.

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DDT “SENDAI NEW LEGEND 2025 ~SASA KAMABOKO~” Results

May 4, 2025

DDT “SENDAI NEW LEGEND 2025 ~SASA KAMABOKO~”, 04/05/2025
Miyagi Yume Messe Miyagi
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Hideki Okatani defeted Kazuma Sumi with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (6:43).
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi defeated Danshoku Dieno and Yuni when Owashi pinned Yuni with La Magistral Cradle (7:45).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Makoto Oishi, Akito & Yukio Naya when Sasaki submitted Oishi with the Crossface Lock (10:36).
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku defeated Jun Akiyama & Kazuki Hirata when Higuchi submitted Hirata with the Claw (10:41).
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Honda with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (14:41).
6. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated HARASHIMA & Daichi Sato when MAO pinned Sato after the Alien Love Call (14:27).

The King Of DDT 2025 is beginning in two days time so this show was the last chance for everyone to get ready for the tournament. KANON felt the need to act as a shield for MAO against the barrage of kicks from HARASHIMA & Daichi Sato. Once he collapsed he was filled with regret he wasn’t able to protect MAO more. But Strange Love Connection rebounded and used their new tag finisher called the Alien Love Call to win. The move is KANON’s Modified Facebuster but with MAO joining in to add more rotation to the victim taking it. After the match MAO told the Miyagi fans he will be back as soon as next week because the Best Of The Super Jr. tour will be stopping by and he’ll be competing on it. He wants DDT fans to come see the show to make his match more of a rivalry against New Japan.

Tension is building up between Yuki Ueno and Antonio Honda for their 1st Round match. During their faceoff in Match #5 Honda gave Ueno the Tenzan Tombstone Driver and tried to pin him with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch. However Ueno reversed the move and used it to pin Honda instead. Earlier in the match SCHADENFREUDE International brought in a kid from the crowd to take part in their tower spot on To-y. The other members of The 37KAMIINA felt the need to join in too.

For the second day in a row the Strange Love Connection interrupted NωA Jr.’s opening performance and took it over so KIMIHIRO could rap for the audience.

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DDT “MENKOI DAY SMASH” Results

April 27, 2025

DDT “MENKOI DAY SMASH”, 27/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Yuni defeated Ilusion with the Messiah DDT (9:16).
2. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – Second Round!! ~ Sapporo Marathon Style Death Match: Akito (8) defeated Kazuki Hirata (7) (10:00).
2a. Akito (5) submitted Kazuki Hirata (4) with an Ankle Hold (0:30).
2b. Akito (6) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (1:32).
2c. Akito (7) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (1:51).
2d. Akito (8) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (5:02).
2e. Akito (9) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (5:25).
2f. Akito (10) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by Countout (6:45).
2g. Akito (11) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (7:20).
2h. Akito (12) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (7:30).
2i. Kazuki Hirata (4) defeated Akito (10) by Disqualification after a Low Blow (8:18).
2j. Kazuki Hirata (4) defeated Akito (8) by Disqualification after a Chair Attack (8:51).
2k. Kazuki Hirata (9) defeated Akito (8) by completing the TOKYO GO! Dance (9:48).
2l. Akito (8) defeated Kazuki Hirata (7) by Disqualification after a Chair Attack (9:56).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Noriyuki Yoshida defeated Danshoku Dieno, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when HARASHIMA pinned Sumi with the Somato (10:24).
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Masada pinned Paul with a School Boy (9:35).
5. Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato when Ueno submitted Sato with the Blackout Sleeper (16:20).
6. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs Harimao!: MAO & KANON defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when MAO pinned Ishida with the Iai Kick (17:28).

KIMIHIRO cannot get to DDT quickly enough because Strange Love Connection do not know how to close out the shows without him. When MAO & KANON won in the main event they struggled to put together a good babyface promo for their victory speech. KANON tried putting over the local food in Hokkaido and asked MAO if they should talk about hearts or something. Shunma Katsumata had to interrupt them to get the promo back on track so the show could end and everyone could go home. MAO & KANON still couldn’t figure out what to say so Katsumata ended the speech for them.

Tomoya is currently a city council member of a nearby municipality in Hokkaido so was allowed to make a ruling for his match. There is a wrestler in the match who is known for exposing his backside in public and Tomoya would not tolerate it. Therefore he prohibited the wrestlers from exposing their butts during the match. That didn’t stop Danshoku Dieno from getting his costume pulled down and forcing the other wrestlers to get thrown face first into his backside anyway.

The second half of the Sapporo Marathon Death Match took place with Akito and Kazuki Hirata starting off tied at 4 points each. Hirata thought things were going to turn out differently today but Akito scored 8 uninterrupted points in a row by either beating Hirata with submission moves or by putting on the Hirata GO! Glasses. Hirata was also counted out at one point and had to be guided back into the ring by HARASHIMA. Hirata then came up with a plan to trick the ref into thinking Akito was cheating so points would be deducted from his score. The plan worked with Yukinori Matsui tricked into thinking Akito was doing Low Blows and attacking Hirata with a chair. Hirata also completed his dance to score 5 points and take the lead for the first time this weekend. However during a ref bump Akito placed a chair over his head, tricking Matsui into thinking Hirata cheated right before the match ended. The DQ meant Akito won by a single point once the total scores were counted up. Akito thinks the stipulation was a fun idea and would like each region to have their own unique match rules. Hirata thought it was stupid so Akito told him to come up with his own ideas for when DDT returns to Sapporo this September. He’d rather leave Match #2 on the card to the Hirata’s of the world anyway.

Yuni got a little bit of payback on Ilusion for losing the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles to him yesterday. Today in a singles match Yuni overcame Ilusion’s cheating by using one of the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belts as a shield to block a Low Blow. Yuni then went on to win with a Swinging DDT. He challenged Ilusion to a rematch between NωA Jr. and DAMNATION T.A for the 6-Man Tag Titles but Ilusion said it is way too early to do that. Ilusion also claimed that Yuni’s win today is tainted because he had to cheat to beat him. Those fake idols don’t have any Rock ‘N’ Roll in them! The situation is only going to get more confusing because Shunma Katsumata is already trying to get The 37KAMIINA the next title shot even though he is also with NωA Jr.

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Catching Up On The DDT News

April 25, 2025

DDT “SAPPORO NIGHT CRUSH”, 26/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion
2. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – First Round!! ~ Sapporo Marathon Style Death Match: Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Noriyuki Yoshida & Daichi Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Tomoya & Yuki Ishida
4. MAO & KANON Vs Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno
6. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & To-y

Now that the American shows are nothing more than a distant memory it’s back to having matches in Japan for everybody.

A special points system will be put in place for the two Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata matches happening this weekend. There is a ten minute time limit for each match. You gets 2 Points for every 3 count pin or submission victory. You also get 1 Point if the opponent gets counted out of the ring for 20 seconds. Wrestlers are deducted 2 points if they are caught cheating or committing a foul. Akito thinks he has too much of an advantage with these rules so he allows Hirata to score 1 Point every time he puts on Hirata GO! Glasses and 5 Points if he can complete his dance during the match. The scores from both matches will be combined and whoever has the higher score is the winner.

DDT “MENKOI DAY SMASH”, 27/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. Yuni Vs Ilusion
2. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – Second Round!! ~ Sapporo Marathon Style Death Match: Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Danshoku Dieno, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul
5. Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato
6. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs Harimao!: MAO & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

There is a new member of the Strange Love Connection but he is not available just yet. KIMIHIRO will only be accompanying MAO & KANON whenever they can afford him to travel and the airfare to Sapporo is not cheap. So KIMIHIRO won’t be joining them until next month when the travel will be a little easier on the wallet.

The Sapporo Marathon Match between Akito and Hirata gets decided here.

DDT “HELLO☆DRAMATIC DREAM 2025”, 03/05/2025
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Special Single Match: MJ Paul Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON Vs Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
3. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao

Another preview tag for Chris Brookes and HARASHIMA before they face each other at the King Of DDT 1st Round.

DDT “SENDAI NEW LEGEND 2025 ~SASA KAMABOKO~”, 04/05/2025
Miyagi Yume Messe Miyagi

1. Yuni & Kazuma Sumi Vs Toru Owashi & Danshoku Dieno
2. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON Vs HARASHIMA & Daichi Sato

And right before King Of DDT begins, DDT heads over to MAO’s home region of Miyagi.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match – 4 Way Tag Match: Yuni & Kazuma Sumi Vs MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida Vs Soma Takao & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama & Danshoku Dieno Vs MAO & Kazuki Hirata (w/ KIMIHIRO)
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1A: Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Ueno
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1B: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Akito
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1C: KANON Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1D: Yukio Naya Vs Daichi Sato
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1E: Hideki Okatani Vs To-y
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1F: Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1G: Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku
8. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1H: Shinya Aoki Vs Kazusada Higuchi

Two dark matches get added to the King Of DDT opening round. It will be KIMIHIRO’s first appearance since joining Strange Love Connection.

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 1”, 13/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match ~ Woof Woof Paradise: Danshoku Dieno (w/ Haku) Vs Shunma Katsumata (w/ Ponta & Komachi) Vs Yuki Kamifuku (w/ Zac) Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa (w/ Qoo)

Here is how DDT is getting use out of Danshoku Dieno’s pet dog Haku. Dieno is booking a 4 Way Match with himself and three other devoted dog owners. So joining Dieno and his shiba inu is Shunma Katsumata with his two pugs, Yuki Kamifuku with her chihuahua Zac and Yoshiko Hasegawa with her Pomeranian.

DDT “D GENERATIONS 2 ~THERE’S NO LIMIT TO GROWING PAINS~”, 14/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Yuni Vs Ali Najima
2. Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami
3. Special Single Match: Ryoma Tsukamoto Vs To-y
4. Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuki Ishida
6. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Shota Vs Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku

The rivalry between Young Communication and D GENERATIONS moves on into a Best Of Three singles match series. Meanwhile the two young troublemakers from DAMNATION T.A take on Ganbare☆Pro’s two childhood friends Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami.

To-y was originally supposed to face Daichi Sato on the show but Sato has high school exams happening around the same time and will not be available to wrestle. To-y’s new opponent is Ryoma Tsukamoto from JTO.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 12 ~GIVE IT TO THE CLOUDS THE MOUNTAIN CUCKOO~”, 17/05/2025
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Laughter Leads To Hell~: Kuishinbo Kamen, Shunma Katsumata & Ram Kaichow Vs Kikutaro, Antonio Honda & No Name
2. Naomi Yoshimura’s Osaka Return Match ~REGGAE TOWN is back in OSAKA!~: Ryota Nakatsu & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yasu Urano & Akito
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Heavyweight Super Carnival~: Jun Akiyama, KANON & Daichi Sato Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Single Match ~Break Through The Top Of DDT! From Osaka To The World, A Terrifying Challenge For The Real Life Crowd!~: Chris Brookes Vs Kohei Kinoshita
5. Special Tag Match ~Head-To-Head Battle! One-Hit, Soul-Filled Attack!! Frontal Breakthrough!!!~: HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Shuji Kondo & Shigehiro Irie
6. Special Tag Match ~Sakuyakonohana Dramatic Dreams Vs Superhuman Teacher & Student Wrestling Masters~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Yuki Ueno Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Dick Togo

God damn look at the card Yukinori Matsui has put together so far! Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno reunited to fight Daisuke Sasaki & Dick Togo. A heavyweight tag clash featuring HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Shuji Kondo and Shigehiro Irie. The return of Naomi Yoshimura to Osaka as well. Plenty to look forward to here. Naruki Doi will be at the show too.

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 21/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Takeshi Masada Produce Match – Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y

Uh oh. DDT let Takeshi Masada put together a match and the idea he came up with is a Hardcore Tag bout with Brookes, Katsumata & To-y? That’s just asking for trouble.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!”, 25/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: X Vs X

After coming out of Las Vegas with the DDT Universal Title and most of his dignity still intact, Minoru Suzuki’s match with Danshoku Dieno is now confirmed to be a title match. Can Dieno make it through another month without using his Danshoku moveset?

DDT “KIRANAH BBQ STREET PRO WRESTLING 2025 ~MEAT! BEER! FESTIVAL!~”, 28/05/2025
Tokyo Kiranah Garden Toyosu

1. Falls Count Anywhere 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata

Speaking of asking for trouble. A BBQ Street Fight involving SCHADENFREUDE International (with Mecha Mummy), The 37KAMIINA and a DDT all star trio? Are they trying to burn the place down?!?

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