BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. EIGHT: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT”, 20/09/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Special Single Match: Yoshihiko defeated Antonio Honda after the CRII from Yoshihiko’s handler (11:45).
2. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Mecha Mummy (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) with the Somato (7:54).
3. Baliyan Akki defeated Mad Dr. Ueki with the Koryu (7:39).
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated El Hijo del Chris Brookes & El Hijo del Takanashi when Takanashi pinned Takanashi after the Hair Of The Dog with Brookes (12:37).
5. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Monomoth & Dr. Gore when Brookes pinned Monomoth with the Praying Mantis Bomb (6:55).
The crowd at ARENA Shimokitazawa were seeing double at this month’s Baka Gaijin + Friends when CDK took on… ChieDK! Their opponents MAO & Chie Koishikawa entered the room in full CDK cosplay and were announced as El Hijo del Chris Brookes & El Hijo del Takanashi respectively. MAO & Koishikawa moved around in a drunken manner similar to Takanashi while MAO wouldn’t stop vaping. The two teams fought around the room, dragging Yuki Ueno into the action. But in the end CDK defeated their doppelgangers, proving you cannot beat the originals.
That wasn’t the end though because CDK found themselves taking part in an extra match afterwards. They were feeling invincible after the main event and called for another tag team to fight them. Out came two wrestlers from Thailand and Singapore. Monomoth & Dr. Gore were here to accept the challenge. Monomoth almost scored the three count with a Bridging School Boy but Brookes kicked out and gave him the Praying Mantis Bomb. CDK ended the night with two wins back to back.
The mad doctor’s experiments aren’t working out for him this month. Mad Dr. Ueki brought Mecha Mummy back to Baka Gaijin for a big singles match against HARASHIMA. For HARASHIMA’s first time in Baka Gaijin he figured out his surroundings well. He grabbed onto the ceiling above, swung back and forth for momentum and landed a Body Press onto Mummy. Ueki got involved in the match but his teamwork with Mummy kept backfiring and leaving him harmed. HARASHIMA knocked Mummy into Ueki with a High Kick and then found room to charge in and hit the Somato to win.
Ueki blamed Mummy for losing and wanted to set an example by winning a match himself. He made an open challenge to any wrestler to fight him right now. The challenge was answered by Baliyan Akki! Ueki shit talked his opponent until Akki hit him to start the impromptu match. Akki lifted him up for a Back Drop but Ueki grabbed onto a ceiling rail and started choking Akki with a Headscissors. The move proved effective until Akki slumped down, causing Ueki to lose his grip from the ceiling and fall. Ueki did manage to take out a syringe and jab Akki with it, drawing out a sample of his DNA. Ueki then threw Mummy’s Rocket Fist but Akki ducked and the fist knocked out Daisuke Kiso instead. Mummy grabbed its fist, loaded up and fired another Rocket Punch but Akki ducked again and this time Ueki took the blast. Akki then rolled Ueki up in a School Boy and a recovered Kiso counted the pin.
Antonio Honda kicked off the show with a mighty challenge against Yoshihiko. Honda wanted to win big so he attempted to do the Tenzan Tombstone Driver. Yoshihiko avoided it an after several tries gave Honda a Piledriver. It wanted to do a big dive from the counter but Honda stopped Yoshihiko by attacking its “shadow”. The “shadow” suddenly lost his mask, revealing the face of El Phantasmo underneath! He grabbed Honda by his nipples and dropped him on the floor with the CRII before going back to handling Yoshihiko so the doll could pin Honda and win.
“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans
0. Dark Match: Dr. Gore & Yasu Urano defeated Monomoth & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru) when Urano pinned Monomoth with the Modern Times (5:30).
1. Gauntlet Tag Match: Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Minoru Fujita, Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi), Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki, Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno), and Shota & Gota Ihashi.
1a. Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) defeated Shota & Gota Ihashi when Honda pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (2:39).
1b. Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki defeated Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) when Shiryu pinned Honda with the Chinese Leg Roll Clutch (1:59).
1c. Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno defeated Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki by Ring Out when Shinno eliminated Suzuki (2:55).
1d. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno) defeated Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno when Shu pinned Koishikawa with a Cradle (2:54).
1e. Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno) when Sasaki pinned Kei with a Cradle (5:01).
1f. Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Minoru Fujita by Ring Out when Akki eliminated Fujita (7:31).
2. Saki Akai Vs DJ Nira ended in a No Contest (?:??).
3. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Mei Suruga with a European Clutch (12:19).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi, Isami Kodaka & Ken Ohka defeated MAO, Daiki Shimomura & Munetatsu Nakamura when Sakaguchi pinned Nakamura with the God’s Right Knee (15:05).
5. Chris Brookes defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (24:07).
-. Special Exhibition: KUDO (1) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (0) (5:00).
-a. KUDO (1) pinned Masahiro Takanashi (0) with the Diving Double Knee Drop (?:??).
Masahiro Takanashi gathered a bunch of his friends together to celebrate twenty years of him being a pro wrestler. The advertised main event was a singles match between the two CDK teammates Takanashi and Chris Brookes. In the end Brookes countered the Takatonic into the Implant for a nearfall and then used the Praying Mantis Bomb to get the three count. However the final match of the night took place right afterward when KUDO entered the ring in full gear to take part in a five minute long exhibition against Takanashi. It was the first time KUDO got to wrestle in any form since 2019. The five minutes went by in a sprint and KUDO scored a pinfall with the Diving Double Knee Drop right before time expired.
During the post-show interview backstage Takanashi asked KUDO how did it feel to wrestle again after such a long time? KUDO said it felt great and he appreciated the support from the fans. He would like to do it again. He has no plans to retire so he will definitely come back some day. Takanashi said next time he hopes to do a CDK Vs KUDO & Yukio Sakaguchi tag match. Brookes said he doesn’t want to fight Takanashi again anytime soon. CDK is stronger together as a team and they have plenty of dreams they want to chase. Next year will be CDK’s 5th Anniversary as a team so maybe Takanashi will put together a show to celebrate that in 2024 instead of his 21st anniversary.
Minoru Suzuki’s weird weekend was stretched out into Monday when he had to fight Mei Suruga in a singles match. He decided to fight fire with fire by using some of Suruga’s moves and poses against her! Suruga complained about the fans cheering for him because he doesn’t look cute when he acts like her. Suzuki got the win in the end, oddly enough not by choking the life out of Suruga but by using a European Clutch to pin her. Suruga kept attacking Suzuki after the match but he shrugged her off. He praised her for putting up a good fight, gave her a hug and left the ring, ignoring that she was still trying to attack him.
Saki Akai was promised a match if she showed up to the event. When she entered the ring she was immediately attacked by DJ Nira! He also attacked Daisuke Kiso before the bell rang so the match never officially started. Still, Akai tried to wrestle Nira and had him beaten with the Quetzalcoatl. Kiso was still knocked out so Akai went to revive him. Gradually the ring started to fill up with wrestlers like Antonio Honda, Hoshitango, Gota Ihashi and Thanomsak Toba all dressed in diapers. According to Nira they were all old men and it is now up to Akai to take care of them. The match was declared a Diaper Royal when suddenly the room went dark. A voice told the audience that Akai went on to build a facility for the elderly but everyone who lived there got poisoned on the opening day. Kiso was caught as the accomplice so Toba strangled him to death. That’s how the match ended.
Shota & Ihashi entered the Gauntlet Tag Match dressed as Takanashi & Sakaguchi respectively. Ihashi even sported fake body tattoos.
DDT “TETSUYA ENDO LOCAL TRIUMPH! WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023 TOUR IN SHIROISHI”, 16/09/2023 Miyagi Shiroishi White Cube
1. Pheromones Final Countdown In Shiroishi: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Makoto Oishi
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
4. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Jun Akiyama Vs HARASHIMA & Rukiya
6. Shiroishi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ BURNING Vs Eruption!: Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
This may be the last month Pheromones will exist so they have already begun their farewell tour. How they behave in these matches will help Akito decide if the unit should be broken up or not. So far based on the first match that happened yesterday, Pheromones are not going to change their behavior.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/09/2023 Nagano Kissei Bunka Hall Middle Hall
1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Toga
2. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku Vs Haruna Neko Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Kaya Toribami & Haru Kazashiro
4. Maki Itoh vs HIMAWARI
5. Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
6. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Shoko Nakajima, Nao Kakuta & Moka Miyamoto
7. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Miyu Yamashita & Hyper Misao
Nagano’s local mascot Arukuma will be at the show to celebrate Rika Tatsumi’s return to her home area. It is a bear obsessed with apples who likes to walk around the area spreading charm to people who aren’t bears. Tatsumi is the kind of person who will strangle that thing to death… with love of course… Oh my God, she’s Elmyra from Tiny Toons!
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2023”, 18/09/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. Pheromones Final Countdown In Nagoya ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Akito Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada
2. Kazuma Sumi Vs Rukiya
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
5. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo Vs Shigehiro Irie, Kazusada Higuchi & Shinya Ishida
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, MAO & Antonio Honda Vs Minoru Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai
7. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki
Even though Atsushi Onita’s team beat Jun Akiyama’s team in an exploding death match over the weekend, he still accepted the challenge to make the next one an All Asia Tag Team Titles match. It will be the first time since 2014 when the titles will be defended on a DDT show. Onita felt he and Yoshitatsu needed to accept the challenge of Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki in order to increase the championship’s value. Given how much this match relates to All Japan, Onita will have the late Terry Funk on his mind going into it.
“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023 Shinjuku FACE
0. Dark Match: Monomoth & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru) Vs Dr. Gore & Yasu Urano
1. Gauntlet Tag Match: Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) Vs Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki, Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki Vs Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Isami Kodaka & Ken Ohka Vs MAO, Daiki Shimomura & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Special Exhibition: Masahiro Takanashi Vs KUDO
4. Special Single Match: Mei Suruga Vs Minoru Suzuki
5. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The “Thai Smiling Prince” Monomoth makes his Japanese pro wrestling debut on Masahiro Takanashi’s show. He is a regular with the SETUP promotion in Thailand. The dark match Monomoth is in features another SETUP wrestler named Dr. Gore teaming with Yasu Urano. Monomoth’s tag partner is Kappa Kozo from the UMA Corps which of course means Miyako Haru will be there to keep an eye on things.
Saki Akai is on the show but there is still no announcement yet as to what she will be doing there.
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023”, 24/09/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Korakuen ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Naruki Doi Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
6. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs Maki Itoh
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Saki Akai
There was only one person Chris Brookes had in mind for his next challenger. He wants to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against Akai before her retirement in November. The two of them had a double title singles match involving the DDT Extreme Title and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title inside an empty Korakuen Hall back in May 2021 because of the covid pandemic. Akai gets to challenge for the KO-D Title for the first time ever but warns she is not doing this for sentimental reasons. She wants to win and become champion so Brookes better take her seriously!
The aftermath of Yuki Ueno choosing The 37KAMIINA over Konosuke Takeshita has calmed things down a little bit. Takeshita has said at the end of the day he is still friends with everyone in the unit even if they aren’t seeing eye to eye right now. That claim will be taken to the test after MAO challenged him to a singles match. Is this MAO testing himself against Takeshita when they are at their strongest or will there be some frustations being taken out on each other?
DDT’s inter-promotional rivalry with All Japan continues with Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura coming on over to fight The 37KAMIINA. Aoyagi is excited to fight Ueno for the first time and sees MAO as a future opponent too. However when Toy Kojima heard that he got worked up at being overlooked as always. He is just as much an important member of The 37KAMIINA as the others but nobody ever names him as an opponent they want to fight. In Aoyagi’s defence, he admits he doesn’t know who Kojima is. But then he repeated he only wants to fight Ueno and MAO so whatever Kojima does to him in response is kind of deserved.
DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY & FINAL COUNT DOWN IN KYOTO!!”, 30/09/2023 Kyoto KBS Hall
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga
Brookes offering Akai a KO-D Title match wasn’t something he did for the sake of being charitable. The day after he gave out the challenge he told Eruption he would like a shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in return. He already has a team put together with Takanashi & Mei Suruga, mixing CDK and ChocoPro together. Eruption want to defend their championships as much as they can before Akai’s retirement and do not mind who their opponents are. The announcement of this match on DDT’s website only mentions the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles so it looks like the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles will not be on the line.
DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 04/10/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Pheromones Final Match: X Vs X
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Minoru Fujita & KANON (c) Vs Soma Takao & Shota
ROMANCE DAWN quickly made themselves the first challengers for the new KO-D Tag Team Champions. They approached Minoru Fujita & KANON shortly after the title change to set up the time and the place for their shot.
On this date Akito will decide the fate of Pheromones. Will he go with his head and finally split up the group or will he go with his heart and keep them together for their fanbase? He could probably go with another part of his body to come up with a third option but let’s not go into detail with that sort of fantasy booking.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023 Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
1. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs X, X, X & X
2. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose Vs Maki Itoh
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The next Princess Tag Team Champions are either going to be Toyo Mates or Free WiFi. Either result will give us a first time champion. I don’t just mean first time tag title reigns for either team but also a first championship for Mahiro Kiryu or Nao Kakuta too. Both Yuki Kamifuku and Hikari Noa have previously held the International Princess Title.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Saki Akai Retirement Match: Saki Akai Vs X
2. Special Single Match: Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
It was already announced that Hiromu Takahashi will be at Sumo Hall but the choice of opponent was going to be all up to him. Kazuki Hirata read out a heartfelt letter written for Takahashi asking him to be his opponent at the show. Hirata didn’t expect Takahashi was actually in the room at the time and certainly didn’t expect to roll him up and try to win the Iron Man Title either. Takahashi decided to make Hirata’s dream come true and they will face each other. So far no championship is on the line. Not the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title held by Takahashi nor the DDT Extreme and Iron Man Titles held by Hirata. Things may change as we get closer to the show but who knows what championships either will be hold by the time we get there.
DDT “YUBUN 100TH ANNIVERSARY DDT PRO WRESTLING IN IKEBUKURO FULL MOON FESTIVAL”, 10/09/2023 Tokyo Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park Outdoor Theater Global Ring Theater ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Yusuke Okada defeated Yuya Koroku with a Backslide Pin (7:02).
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Ikebukuro: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Rukiya ended in a No Contest (9:49).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (10:25).
4. Sendai Girls Offer Match: Millie McKenzie & Chihiro Hashimoto defeated Lena Cross & Yurika Oka when Hashimoto pinned Oka with a Lariat (8:06).
5. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazuki Hirata, Yuni & Ilusion when Sakaguchi submitted Ilusion with a Triangle Choke (10:45).
6. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yukio Naya defeated Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida when Naya pinned Ishida with the World’s Largest Back Drop (12:15).
7. Ikebukuro Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima when Brookes pinned Kojima with the Praying Mantis Bomb (17:50).
DDT held a free outdoor wrestling event at an open air theatre inside Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park. There was also a public press conference held before the show began. At the press conference Chris Brookes said he wanted to challenge Eruption for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in return for setting up Saki Akai for a KO-D Openweight Title shot. He already has a team in place that mixes together CDK with ChocoPro. His partners for the challenge will be Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga. The challenge was accepted by Yukio Sakaguchi and the match will take place in Akai’s hometown of Kyoto on 30th September.
The press conference also announced the next match in the DDT Vs All Japan feud. AJPW are sending over Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura to face Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima on 24th September. Aoyagi was at the conference to speak with the DDT team. He said he wanted to fight DDT wrestlers after seeing the inter-promotional match that happened in AJPW over the weekend. When he found out Ueno is one of his opponents it made him look forward to it even more. Kojima however felt insulted when Aoyagi did not acknowledge him. He is getting annoyed that when other wrestlers talk about The 37KAMIINA they only refer to Ueno and MAO. Kojima is the member of the unit who is in charge of firewood so he will be the one to heat up this match! Aoyagi upset Kojima even more when he repeated he is only interested in fighting Ueno and MAO.
DDT “DDT BIG BANG 2023”, 09/09/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,363 Fans
1. Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Ilusion defeated Yuni, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Takanashi pinned Yuni with a Rotating Crucifix Pin (8:21).
2. Pheromones Vs Subjugation Final Match! Special Single Match ~ Dissolution Contra Vice President: Akito defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) with a Yoropean Clutch (12:09).
3. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Higuchi pinned Koroku with the Doctor Bomb (10:45).
4. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – All Humans Are Equal! Kazuki Hirata Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (E/c) defeated Naruki Doi (I/c) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:28). *V3 for Kazuki Hirata. Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,576th Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion.
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles & AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c/c) defeated Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & Ram Kaichow when Sakaguchi pinned Miyamoto with the God’s Right Knee (12:04). *V3 for Eruption with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. V2 for Eruption with the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles.
6. First Time In History! Time Difference Scramble Bunkhouse Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yoshitatsu & Toy Kojima defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Yoshitatsu pinned Takagi after a Sandwich Current Blast Bat Attack with Onita (9:12).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Minoru Fujita & KANON defeated Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when KANON submitted Oishi with the Just Cobra Twist (12:54). *Ω fails in V1. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 79th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
8. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Daisuke Sasaki when Ueno pinned Sasaki with the BME (23:09).
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Shigehiro Irie with two Praying Mantis Bombs (27:36). *V1 for Chris Brookes.
The international rivalry between Chris Brookes and Shigehiro Irie begun in England, made its way to Germany and had its rubber match in Japan. The match started off quiet but notched up a level when the two took the fight outside the ring where Irie threw chairs but was then put through a table with a Piledriver. Back in the ring Irie brought out his heavy attacks like the Cannonball and Beast Bomber. He also almost knocked Brookes out with the 16 Carat Gold Elbows. However Brookes started using High Kicks to stun his opponent, following up with slaps and more kicks to the head. Irie fought back with a Headbutt and never expected Brookes to Headbutt him back. At this point Irie had already kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb so Brookes had to use the move again twice in a row to finish him off.
Brookes called Irie strong after the match and told him to please come over to DDT again anytime, anywhere. He also already decided who he wants the next challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title to be. Brookes then called Saki Akai to come down to the ring. He reminded her of the double title match they had in May 2021 that had to take place in an empty arena because of the pandemic. Since Akai will be retiring in two months time Brookes thought it would be a shame if they didn’t have a rematch. He also brought up that Akai had never challenged for the KO-D Title before. Akai told Brookes she doesn’t want to do the match just for the sake of making memories. She accepted the challenge and slapped Brookes across the face before shaking his hand. There is nothing more scarier than a person who has nothing left to fight for so she is fighting Brookes at Korakuen Hall on 24th September to become the KO-D Champion!
The last time Konosuke Takeshita was in DDT he gave Yuki Ueno an offer to follow his leadership and move on from The 37KAMIINA. His new attitude that formed in AEW won over his former enemy Daisuke Sasaki, so much so that Sasaki tried to help out with recruiting Ueno. Today Ueno gave his answer and it was to stay with his friends! Sasaki did his best to convince Ueno by manipulating moments of the match so Ueno and MAO would accidentally hit each other. But when the time came for Sasaki to hand a chair over to his opponents, Ueno refused to attack MAO with it. Together Ueno & MAO got rid of Takeshita with dives and Ueno went on to pin Sasaki with the BME.
After the match Ueno made his answer more clear. He knows he is going to fight Takeshita again some day and when it happens he will be the champion and Takeshita the challenger! He believes if he had taken Takeshita’s offer it would make him stronger but he already has friends in The 37KAMIINA who lend him their strength. MAO then called out Takeshita and demanded they have a singles match against each other. Later backstage MAO confronted Takeshita again to make the challenge. Takeshita said he is travelling back to America tomorrow but will return to DDT on 24th September. They will have their match on that date in Korakuen.
KANON promised he was going to get the last laugh on Ω and was proven right when DAMNATION T.A became the new KO-D Tag Team Champions! He had his chest beaten in by Yuji Hino’s chops but Minoru Fujita was there to rescue his tag partner. So was MJ Paul. It took both Fujita and Paul to hold Hino back at ringside from entering the ring while KANON submitted Makoto Oishi with the Just Cobra Twist for the title change. Backstage DAMANTION T.A’s celebration was interrupte by ROMANCE DAWN. Although they are usually a Ganbare☆Pro tag team, Shota & Soma Takao want to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles. They will get their shot on the 4th October Shinjuku FACE show.
For the first time ever Jun Akiyama took part in an exploding death match! The match had unusual Bunkhouse Stampede rules added to it. Akiyama and Atsushi Onita would start out wrestling each other and then after three minutes the other wrestlers of both teams would all join in the match at once. Onita quickly blinded Akiyama with Poison Mist but was caught in the Front Neck Lock by the time everyone else entered. Yusuke Okada held Onita back on a chair for Sanshiro Takagi to hit him with an exploding baseball bat. Toy Kojima placed another exploding bat on top of a barbed wire board but Okada Superplexed him onto it causing a big bang. Onita used the Poison Mist again, this time on Takagi. He and Yoshitatsu then hit Takagi with the two remaining exploding bats to win the match.
Onita took the time afterwards to thank Takagi for putting this match with Akiyama together. But Onita thinks his matter with Akiyama has not been settled yet. There is another exploding death match happening on 18th September with Onita & Yoshitatsu taking on Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki. Akiyama previously challenged Onita to put the All Asia Tag Team Titles on the line. After what happened today, Onita wants to go through with the idea and agreed to make it a title match. He then paid tribute to the late Terry Funk. Both Onita and Akiyama have All Japan blood running through their veins so Onita hopes Funk is doing his best up in Heaven. He also revealed he got to speak with Funk’s daughters recently and he’d like to visit Amarillo, Texas again some day.
There were two double title matches on the show. Eruption retained both the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles & AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles against a team straight out of Triple Six. Akai hit Ram Kaichow with the Rookie Award but then took a Rock Punch from Isami Kodaka. Meanwhile Yuko Miyamoto dropped Hideki Okatani with the Fire Thunder. However Yukio Sakaguchi held things together for the champions and pinned Miyamoto with the God’s Right Knee for another successful defence. Okatani said he wants to defend the titles 10 times in 2 months before Akai’s retirement. Sakaguchi doesn’t mind who the opponents will be to achieve this. Akai promised to continue refining her skills until her last match on 12th November.
The other title match had both the DDT Extreme Title and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on the line. Kazuki Hirata made it an All Humans Are Equal Death Match where Naruki Doi was limited to only do what Hirata is capable of doing. Toru Owashi and Inoue Mic sat as judges near ringside holding up signs to tell Doi when he was and was not wrestling just like Hirata does. Not only that but Hirata convinced Doi to wear the same ring gear, setting up a curatined-off area inside the ring so he could change costumes. If this was a normal match, Doi would have won easily but the constant pausing by the judges threw him off. Doi thought he finally had the match figured out when he realised the Bakatare Sliding Kick was acceptable but when he got the three count the judges immediately invalidated it because Doi had to dance before the match could end. Doi did so in full Hirata costume (he later admitted to taking secret dance lessions to learn the routine) until Hirata suddenly pinned him with the Miracle One Shot Cradle.
Hirata is now a double champion but had other business he wanted to bring up before any new challengers appeared. He took out a letter he wrote for Hiromu Takahashi and began reading it to everyone. In the letter he talked about “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023” from earlier this year and how much it meant to him to be on the show. He also brought up Takahashi’s first ever pro wrestling win was against him but it is never acknowledged anywhere, like on their Wikipedia pages for example. Takahashi will be wrestling at DDT’s Sumo Hall show on 12th November and it would be a dream come true if he chooses Hirata as his opponent. All of a sudden, Takahashi ran into the ring and tried to pin Hirata for the Iron Man Title! Hirata kicked out and was in shock to see Takahashi standing right in front of him. Takahashi thanked him for the letter and agreed to do the match because Hirata is his favorite DDT wrestler. He then tried to pin Hirata again.
A 6-Man Tag Match had Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada all trying to break down Kazusada Higuchi. Koroku was able to put Higuchi in the Triangle Lancer but Takao broke it up by wrapping his Dropkick Bar shirt over Koroku’s head and pulling him back. Higuchi & HARASHIMA both hit Swan Dive moves to Koroku before Higuchi pinned him with the Doctor Bomb.
Is this finally the end of Pheromones? This was the so-called final battle in their feud with Akito with big stakes on the line. If Yuki Iino won then Akito would give up his Vice President role in CyberFight but if Akito won then Pheromones would disband. A match this dramatic needed to finish with a winner too so the usual Pheromones antics had to be tolerated by Yukinori Matsui and the Wrestle Universe broadcast was censored. Akito used that to his advantage by stripping himself down to an O-back to fight Iino on his level. He leapfrogged over him, causing Iino to Spear Danshoku Dieno by accident. Akito then pinned Iino with the Yoropean Clutch to get the climactic victory he has waited so long for.
Except this maybe is not the end for Pheromones after all. Akito admitted that the unit has become an integral part of DDT with its own supporters. So rather than break up Pheromones, Akito wants to see if they can be purified first. Over the next month Pheromones will be put on a trial period where they have to behave themselves and make up for their past transgressions. Then on 4th October Akito will decide their fate.
Antonio Honda showed up wearing Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi’s old American flag costume for the opening match. He tried his best to avoid hurting himself but as usual but it had to happen so Gongitsune could appear. It backfired slightly but he still hit Yuni with the Bionic Elbow, giving Masahiro Takanashi the opening to roll up the teenager with a Crucifix Pin.
DDT “DDT BIG BANG 2023”, 09/09/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Ilusion Vs Yuni, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. Pheromones Vs Subjugation Final Match! Special Single Match ~ Dissolution Contra Vice President: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) Vs Akito
3. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada
4. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – All Humans Are Equal! Kazuki Hirata Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (E/c) Vs Naruki Doi (I/c)
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles & AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c/c) Vs Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & Ram Kaichow
6. First Time In History! Time Difference Scramble Bunkhouse Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yoshi Tatsu & Toy Kojima Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Minoru Fujita & KANON
8. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie
This is the match order for tomorrow’s show in Ota Ward Gymnasium.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~FIRST ATTACK ON HIROSHIMA~”, 09/09/2023 Hiroshima Industrial Hall West Exhibition Hall 2nd Exhibition Hall
1. Yuki Aino Vs HIMAWARI
2. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Toga
4. Mizuki, Wakana Uehara & Shino Suzuki Vs Yuki Arai, Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto
6. Princess Tag Team Titles 1st Qualifier ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
The first three matches are all changed around due to two wrestlers being pulled from the show on short notice. Haruna Neko is out with a knee injury and Haru Kazashiro tested positive for Covid.
BASARA “BASARA 228 ~TAKAGARI 19~”, 17/09/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Daiki Shimomura Vs Takato Nakano
2. Hardcore Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Lil’ Kraken Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT
3. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Hijo del Alebrije
4. Ajikan International Police Vs Expendables Allied Forces: FUMA, KUBITO & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Kaminold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Uranone & Jason Abeham
5. Enter Kazato The Road To The Death Game Of Anger: Daichi Kazato Vs Choun-Shiryu
There is a Hardcore Tag Match on the show that for some reason is also being called a 6-Man Tag on the BASARA site even though only four names are mentioned with no X or empty spots next to them. Normally I think it is just a mistake but this is a show being put together by Asian Kung Fu Revolution so there may be something flying over my head.
BASARA “BASARA 229 ~TAKAGARI 20~”, 18/09/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Takato Nakano Vs Yasu Urano
2. KUBITO, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Fuminori Abe
3. SAGAT Vs Masato Kamino
4. Hardcore Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs FUMA & Ryota Nakatsu
5. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
The Hardcore Tag Match on this show is definitely supposed to be 2 Vs 2. I’m certain of it.
“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Isami Kodaka & Ken Ohka Vs MAO, Daiki Shimomura & Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Special Exhibition: Masahiro Takanashi Vs KUDO
3. Gauntlet Tag Match: Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) Vs Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki, Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki Vs Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno
4. Special Single Match: Mei Suruga Vs Minoru Suzuki
5. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi
A Gauntlet tag match is added to the show which includes the reappearance of Shogo “Jet” Takagi! He showed up at one of the Toryumon tribute shows Dragongate put together last year but other than that he’s been away from the spotlight for a long while now. He is entering the Gauntlet teaming with Antonio Honda with the injured Toru Owashi standing in their corner.
Yasu Urano and Saki Akai will also be on the show.
1. Sparky Final Match ~Final Battle At The Place Of Formation~ Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita
2. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Eisa8
BASARA got word from Eisa8 that he is accepting FUMA’s challenge for the Union MAX Title.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/09/2023 Nagano Kissei Bunka Hall Middle Hall
1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Toga
2. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku Vs Haruna Neko Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Kaya Toribami & Haru Kazashiro
4. Maki Itoh vs HIMAWARI
5. Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
6. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Shoko Nakajima, Nao Kakuta & Moka Miyamoto
7. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Miyu Yamashita & Hyper Misao
The return of Maki Itoh to Tokyo Joshi Pro from her latest American adventure sees her take on HIMAWARI first and foremost. Aja Kong is also back to say hello to everyone by bashing a steel can over their heads.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO MINEL VATON SAGA ’23”, 17/09/2023 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
1. Ice Ribbon Offer Match: Ibuki Hoshi Vs Arisa Shinose
2. Alex Lee Vs Echika Miyabi
3. Sumire Natsu & Riara Vs Miyako Matsumoto & Kaho Kobayashi
4. Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Tomoka Inaba & Azusa Inaba
5. YuuRI Vs Haruka Umesaki
The next Ganbare☆Joshi features a tag team of sisters for the first time. Tomoka Inaba & Azusa Inaba from JTO are sisters and they get to team together on a GanJo event before Yuna Manase & Ami Manase can.
There were a few times around five years ago when Kaho Kobayashi wrestled on Ganbare☆Pro shows. This will be her first time in GanJo.
Ibuki Hoshi shows up in GanJo for the first time since winning the ICEx∞ Title from YuuRI. Hopefully there’s no hard feelings between them.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. EIGHT: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT”, 20/09/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Single Match: Yoshihiko Vs Antonio Honda
2. Special Single Match: Mecha Mummy (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs HARASHIMA
3. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Chie Koishikawa
The high energy tag team of MAO & Chie Koishikawa faces their biggest challenge yet. What ideas can they think of against CDK?
Mad Dr. Ueki is busy reprogramming Mecha Mummy to take on the mighty force that is HARASHIMA. No amount of feeding VHS tapes to Mummy will make up for all of the training HARASHIMA does to keep himself in top condition.
After getting thrown out of a window by Chris Brookes on the last show, Yoshihiko gets a less violent opponent on this show. Although I do remember that time Antonio Honda burst Yoshihiko’s head open with a basic Knee Drop.
GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2023”, 01/10/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Loser Haircut Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Shota Vs Koji Doi & Kuma Arashi
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Yumehito Imanari
Former champions Hentai Punch Drunkers get a rematch with Ground Absolute for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles. If Punch Drunkers ever become the champions again they will get to hold the physical title belts that never existed during their first reign.
As always with this article I start off thinking it is going to be a lighter month than the last until it grows and grows. There are always extra bookings on the horizons whenever the boys and girls from DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro go abroad. August was dominated by two stories in my mind. Konosuke Takeshita wrestling The Golden Lovers in Wembley and Maki Itoh being all over GCW even more so than usual. Other things of note include TJPW announcing its return to America while dipping its toe into China, MAO becoming fast friends with El Desperado and Miyu Yamashita finding herself in ChocoPro territory by virtue of being EVE’s champion. Maybe next month’s article will be the one that finally slows down a little bit.
AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023 Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia
WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Lucha Street Fight: Gringo Loco Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Video starts at 39:54. MDRN NMD/GATOH MOVE “CHOCO NIGHT GRAPS!”, 29/08/2023 The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England
1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Kid Lykos
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023 Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia when Jericho pinned Garcia after a Bat Attack from Don Callis (12:21).
As I feared, Takeshita’s storyline with Don Callis was pretty much hijacked by Chris Jericho to set up his own angle with Takeshita’s manager. Takeshita & Jericho teamed up under Callis’s recommendation against two people close to Jericho, Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia. Callis knocked out Garcia with a baseball bat behind the ref’s back and Jericho made the choice to pin him for the victory.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Lucha Street Fight: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Gringo Loco with the Diving Senton (14:39).
Takeshita showed up in Wrestling REVOLVER as a short notice replacement for Jon Moxley. His appearance made up for Takeshita’s own cancelled booking with the promotion back in June. Here Takeshita faced Gringo Loco in a Lucha Street Fight. By coincidence one of Loco’s big moves is the Himawari Bomb that Sanshiro Takagi also uses. Takeshita kicked out of the move and then countered a top rope version into a Poison Rana. Loco kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee so Takeshita then took a page out of Moxley’s book by giving Loco the Paradigm Shift. From there Takeshita won with the Diving Senton.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR 2023”, 04/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Dreamwave Women’s Title Qualifying Scramble: Zayda Steele defeated Brittnie Brooks, Maki Itoh, B3CCA, Kaia McKenna and Shazza McKenzie when Steele pinned McKenzie after the It’s Brittnie Bitch from Brooks (8:08).
Itoh entered Dreamwave’s 6-Woman Scramble in the hopes of qualifying for their new Women’s Championship. It was first fall to a finish but the ring soon emptied when some of the women, Itoh included got thrown out. She didn’t factor into the finish but would soon find out she had another chance.
DREAMWAVE “THOSE SUMMER NIGHTS”, 05/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Dreamwave Women’s Title Qualifying Scramble: Brittnie Brooks defeated Maki Itoh, B3CCA, Kaia McKenna, Maggie Lee and Shelly Benson when Brookes pinned Lee with the It’s Brittnie Bitch (8:08).
The second chance didn’t work out any better for her. Another 6-Woman Scramble was held the next night with some of the same women involved. Itoh tried to submit two opponents at once by giving them a Double Half Crab but it left her vulnerable to a Super Kick. She went to recover outside the ring and couldn’t climb back in time to break the pin.
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS”, 11/08/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Steph De Lander defeated Allie Katch, Maki Itoh and Masha Slamovich when De Lander pinned Itoh with the Fireman’s Carry Facebuster (11:53).
Okay maybe multi-person free for alls are not Itoh’s forte. This one was a bit crazy though. Masha Slamovich had Allie Katch beaten when all of a sudden Blake Christian jumped into the ring and attacked her. Itoh took exception and threw punches at Christian, opening herself up to Steph De Lander giving her an F5-like move to win.
PWG “MYSTERY VORTEX”, 13/08/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
Here’s something I never thought I’d write. Maki Itoh did a balcony dive at a PWG show! It’s been rare to see PWG holding shows nowadays but last month they held one of their signature events “MYSTERY VORTEX” where nothing is advertised before hand and fans only know what the matches are when they happen. Itoh was involved in a bizarre mixture of wrestlers in a 6-Person Tag Match. She teamed with Evil Uno & Aramis to beat Masha Slamovich, Peter Avalon & Látigo in a match mixing together AEW, lucha libre and women’s wrestling talent.
Takeshita was also on the show too, beating Rey Horus. I’d call him a PWG regular at this point if they ran shows more often.
KOPW “THE NEW ERA OF CHINESE PRO WRESTLING III”, 19/08/2023 Tianyue Sports City, Nanhai Foshan, Guangdong, China
1. Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (?:??).
TJPW made their first steps into China when Mizuki and Nao Kakuta were invited to take part in King Of Pro Wrestling. They faced each other in a non-title match and won over the crowd with their back and forth action.
NJPW “LEC PRESENTS ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL USA 2023”, 19/08/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. El Desperado & MAO defeated Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver when Desperado pinned Oliver with the Pinche Loco (19:14).
The All Star Jr. Festival proved to be such a good idea in Japan that they brought the show over to America. MAO was invited along and got to team with El Desperado. The two of them bonded by playing Dragon Quest V on the flight to America so their team name was DQV. They fought a tag team MAO lost to earlier this year, The East West Express. Both Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver performed Stereo Springboard Cutters to their opponents but both only got a two count. MAO got rid of Wayne by spiking him onto the canvas with a Spinning Headscissors and Desperado pinned Oliver with the Pinche Loco.
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 1”, 19/08/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh defeated Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander when Gage & Itoh pinned Cardona & De Lander each with the Kokeshi (11:57).
Months of fights between Maki Death Kill and Deathmatch Royalty led to a climactic battle between them finally happening. Itoh & Nick Gage were finally going to get their hands on Matt Cardona & De Lander with nothing in their way to stop them. Cardona & De Lander made a big entrance out of it, arriving at the venue in the Ecto-1 and wearing Ghostbusters outfits. For you see tonight they were the Deathmatch Busters! The joke blew up in their faces because Maki Death Kill sliced the two of them apart with pizza cutters! Cardona & De Lander tried to Pedigree Gage & Itoh onto thumbtacks but they were both Back Body Dropped onto the pile instead. Gage & Itoh then delivered stereo Kokeshi Headbutts to win the match and possibly put an end to the feud.
IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 20/08/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Scramble Match: Chris Sabin defeated Kevin Knight, Frankie Kazarian, BUSHI, YOH, Rich Swann, MAO and El Desperado when Sabin pinned YOH with the Cradle Shock (8:06).
MAO was involved even further with the international Jr. Heavyweight Division action the next night. Impact and New Japan held a co-promoted event and MAO was thrown into an 8-Man Scramble match to open the show. He tried joining forces with Desperado again but the numbers game still proved to be too much for the two of them. Instead Chris Sabin ended up being the last man standing. Well, at least until BUSHI blinded him with Poison Mist after the match.
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 2”, 20/08/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated B3CCA with the Itoh Deluxe (9:21).
In the first of two singles matches they have coming up together, Itoh beat B3CCA in GCW. Will the result be the same when they have a rematch at MLW next month?
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 25/08/2023 Roundhouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. Maki Itoh defeated Charli Evans with the Itoh Deluxe (18:03).
Itoh’s next focus in GCW was their tour of Australia with the Renegades Of Wrestling promotion. On Night 1 Itoh defeated Charli Evans and revealed a new word she learned that Aussies like to call other people. I’m not going to type it out here. It’s difficult enough trying to keep this blog from getting caught in web filters.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 26/08/2023
Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1. ROW Women’s Title: Aysha (c) defeated Maki Itoh with a Double Arm DDT (12:58). *V3 for Aysha.
The second night featured Itoh challenged Aysha for the ROW Women’s Title. Itoh had the champion beat when she made her tap out to the Itoh Deluxe but Aysha’s cronies at ringside kept distracting the referee so it wouldn’t be seen. Itoh let go of the hold to chase them off but turned around into a Double Arm DDT, stealing the win for Aysha.
GATOH MOVE “CHOCOPRO”, 26/08/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
Just including this result because Masahiro Takanashi is a DDT guy as well as a ChocoPro regular. I have more to talk about the second show of the double header.
EVE/GATOH MOVE “CHOCOPRO X EVE SUPER SHOW”, 26/08/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Emersyn Jayne with the Crash Rabbit Heat (19:39). *V8 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. Mei Suruga & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kanji & Kid Lykos when Suruga pinned Kanji with the Maple Model (11:25).
Being the EVE Champion got Miyu Yamashita to appear on a ChocoPro branded show for the first time. She opened up the show with a title defence against Emersyn Jayne. That match was supposed to happen in July but travel problems for the challenger prevented that from happening. It finally went ahead here and the match turned out to be a violent one. Yamashita was slammed onto the front row of chairs outside the ring and Jayne ended up getting busted open. Jayne did kick out of the Skull Kick, being one of the few people to do so. But Yamashita followed it up with the Crash Rabbit Heat to remain the champion.
One of ChocoPro’s victories on the show against EVE happened when Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga defeated Kid Lykos & Kanji. It was one of the rare times men got to wrestle on an EVE show too.
The show also left with a question of what could have been because Marika Kobashi was planned to compete as an EVE representative. She is currently staying in Scotland but her flight to London was cancelled and she was unable to make it to the show. Part of her apology included regret over not being able to see Yamashita again so I wonder if she was meant to wrestle her instead of Jayne?
I was at this show by the way. Although I admit leaving during the main event in order to catch my train back to the hotel so I missed Emi Sakura’s surprise induction into EVE’s Hall Of Fame at the end.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 27/08/2023 Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. Maki Itoh defeated Allie Katch with the I.S.D. (11:03).
Itoh bounced back from her failure to win a title by taking on GCW’s own Allie Katch on the final night of the Australian tour. It was another clean victory for Itoh. She seems to have Katch’s number every time they face each other.
AEW “ALL IN LONDON”, 27/08/2023 Wembley Stadium, London, England
1. Jay White, Juice Robinson & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) defeated The Golden Elite Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Adam Page when Takeshita pinned Omega with a School Boy (20:28).
I was at this show too! Getting to see Takeshita live in front of 80,000+ people in Wembley was great especially since my first time seeing him was in front of 330 people somewhere in Saitama back in 2016. That I got to see him mix it up with The Golden Lovers was a bonus. Even the result went Takeshita’s way. He countered Kota Ibushi’s Kamigoye with a sick looking Jumping Knee Strike of his own. Then when Kenny Omega was dealing with Bullet Club Gold, Takeshita rolled him up with a School Boy to steal the win.
MDRN NMD/GATOH MOVE “CHOCO NIGHT GRAPS!”, 29/08/2023 The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England
1. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kid Lykos with the Takatonic (?:??).
ChocoPro’s trip to England ended with a collaboration show alongside Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling. Takanashi took on Lykos again, this time in a singles match and at a venue where there was no wrestling ring. It was a mat wrestling show similar to ChocoPro’s own events in Ichigaya.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
GCW advertised Maki Death Kill as showing up in the show but they won’t be wrestling together. Gage is facing El Hijo del Vikingo while Itoh’s match on the show has not been announced yet.
OTT “WRESTLERAMA”, 02/09/2023 The Warehouse Red Cow, Dublin, Ireland
1. Session Moth Martina & Miyu Yamashita Vs Debbie Keitel & Anita Vaughan
Yamashita is heading over to my neck of the woods in Ireland for OTT. She’s looking forward to it and I bet Itoh told her stories about what Session Moth Martina is like. Debbie Keitel & Anita Vaughan will be there to stop the party though.
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. B3CCA Vs Maki Itoh
Funny stuff that MLW announced this match first then GCW went and did it anyway.
AEW “ALL OUT”, 03/09/2023 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)
It was announced during the “ALL IN” post-show scrum that Omega and Takeshita will face each other this weekend in Chicago at “ALL OUT”.
GCW “CRUSHED UP”, 10/09/2023 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Killer Kelly
Itoh’s last match of her current tour is a one on one meeting against Killer Kelly.
PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Trish Adora Vs Shoko Nakajima
When Itoh is back in Japan, Shoko Nakajima tags out to be the next one going over to America. It’s all to build up TJPW’s big plan with Prestige as you will see at the bottom of this post.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Penta el Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix Vs Shun Skywalker, Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf
Now isn’t this quite interesting? Takeshita from DDT and Shun Skywalker from Dragongate being pitted against each other. We also have the Lucha Brothers and La Rebelion involved in the match too.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
TJPW with the help of Prestige is coming back to Los Angeles this December! Announced for the show so far are Itoh, Yamashita, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Taya Valkyrie, Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly and Sandra Moone.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN – DAY 1”, 16/08/2023 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage 471 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada defeated Rukiya with a Crab Hold (7:49).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Toy Kojima, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when KANON submitted Masada with the Just Cobra Twist (12:31).
3. Blindfold Hidden Breast 4 Way Death Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda and Yuki “Sexy” Iino when Hirats stipped off Honda and Iino’s bras (12:12).
4. Special Tag Match: Manpuku Hirutaro & Yuki Ueno defeated MAO & Pokotan when Hirutaro pinned Pokotan with the Warm Hold (14:09).
5. The Scariest Event In History! Ghost Story New Numabukuro Death Match: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Saki Akai, Yuni, Hideki Okatani, Kazuma Sumi and Yuji Gomi with the It’s You (10:40).
6. YOROKOBI BREWERY Infomercial Match: Yuji Hino, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio naya & Yuki Ishida when Hino submitted Ishida with the King Kong Sleeper (13:51).
7. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Jun Akiyama defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when Irie pinned Takanashi with the Beast Bomber (11:27).
The annual “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN” is back to serving alcohol this year after Japan lifted its covid limitations over the matter. In the main event of Day 1, Shigehiro Irie & Jun Akiyama defeated CDK in a preview for the next KO-D Openweight Title match. Irie pinned Masahiro Takanashi with the Beast Bomber while Akiyama held Chris Brookes back outside the ring. Irie said afterwards he is now convinced he will win the KO-D Title from Brookes on 9th September. He’s also excited to continue teaming with Akiyama in the lead up, so much so that he thinks they can win the KO-D Tag Team Titles together. Akiyama cooled him off, first by telling him to focus on winning the KO-D Title and then by pouring a drink over his head. Irie saw the funny side and poured another bottle over his head by himself.
Yuki Ueno’s choice of partner for his match was puzzling at first. Manpuku Hirutaro was taking naps and generally being lazy around the ring. But once he tagged in, Hirutato did Diving Body Attacks and Choke Slams to his opponents. MAO did a stage dive onto both of them outside the ring and Pokotan did a rope walk. But in the end Ueno landed the BME onto Pokotan and Hirutaro laid on top for the pin. Afterwards Ueno told Hirutaro he has what it takes to become the best mascot wrestler in the world and he should face Pokotan in a singles match. Hirutaro responded by making a big “NO!” gesture with his arms.
DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 816 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Modified Triangle Lancer (7:14).
1. Special Single Match: KANON defeated Hideki Okatani with the Vietnam Driver II (8:04).
2. Diya Diamond Presents 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Naya pinned Masada with the World’s Best Back Drop (9:19).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – marcheur Presents Battle Royal: Naruki Doi defeated Sanshiro Takagi (c), HARASHIMA, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Antonio Honda, Akito and Kazuma Sumi (14:37).
3a. Naruki Doi eliminated Sanshiro Takagi (c) with a Cradle (6:58). *Naruki Doi becomes the 1,573rd champion.
3b. Antonio Honda eliminated Kazuma Sumi by Ring Out (11:41).
3c. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated Antonio Honda by Ring Out (11:59). *V1 for Naruki Doi.
3d. HARASHIMA eliminated Yuki “Sexy” Iino and Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno by Double Ring Out (13:24).
3e. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (13:54). *V2 for Naruki Doi.
3f. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated Akito with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (14:37). *V3 for Naruki Doi.
4. Jemile Fran Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima defeated Kyusei Sakisama, Chris Saint Laurent & Martha when Ueno pinned Sakisama with a Cradle (9:58).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (c) when Oishi pinned Paul with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (11:13). *DAMNATION T.A fails in V1. Ω becomes the 78th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
6. DDT Extreme Title – Weakness Explosion!! Activation Conditions Are Up To You! Fall & Escape = Ghost & Balloon Explosion Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle from a huge balloon explosion (14:27). *V2 for Kazuki Hirata.
7. Nivea Body Wash Presents Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Saki Akai, Maya Yukihi & Asuka defeated Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima when Akai pinned Nakajima with the Quetzalcoatl (19:01).
It came a couple of days early but Saki Akai celebrated the 10th anniversary of her debut pro wrestling match in DDT. With her retirement coming up later this year, Akai is getting several matches dedicated to her decade in the business and today gathered together a lot of women she has attachments with. In the main event Akai teamed up with Maya Yukihi & Asuka, two women who have been her biggest opponents in DDT over the last two years. Their opponents were a trio of wrestlers who all debuted in the same year as Akai. It was the first time Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima all teamed together. Iroha & Yamashita quickly thought up a move where they gave Nakajima a Double Splash Mountain onto Akai. Asuka Moonsaulted onto Iroha & Yamashita outside the ring and Akai rolled out of the way from Nakajima’s Diving Senton. Akai then hit the Rookie Award and pinned Nakajima with the Quetzalcoatl.
Akai thanked the other wrestlers for accepting her invitation, knowing how busy all of their schedules are. She wanted to show the fans all of the wonderful friends she made outside of DDT over the years. She knows they will all continue to shine a light on pro wrestling when she’s gone so everyone should keep watching them. She isn’t sure how many more matches she has left until her retirement but she is going to hone her strength and run all the way to the end. Asuka said she wished the three of them had teamed together sooner and wonders if they could have chased after one of the KO-D championships together. Yamashita overheard that idea and told them they should do it anyway, even if it’s for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. Her advice to Akai is to be greedy from this point until the end because she isn’t finished yet. Yukihi feels lucky she got to do her rivalry with Akai in DDT because she didn’t expect Akai’s retirement announcement to come when it did. Akai described all of the women are a fun loving group of people with good hearts.
Kazuki Hirata’s bizarre ideas to even the playing field against his opponents are working for him. The DDT Extreme Champion is normally scared of having to fight Yukio Sakaguchi but this time he got to turn the tables against him. Hirata’s stipulation for the match was to add ghosts and balloons whenever there was a kickout or rope break. Sakaguchi hates the sound of balloons bursting and also fears ghosts so we got the unlikely sight of Sakaguchi being submissive to Hirata and fleeing in fear whenever a ghost chased after him! Sakaguchi tried to fight his fears and found his spots to kick the hell out of Hirata. But by this point there were three ghosts in the ring haunting him with one popping a gigantic balloon right in his face. The fright made Sakaguchi walk right into the Miracle One Shot Cradle and Hirata got the win.
Once all of the ghosts vanished, Sakaguchi calmed down and handed the Extreme Title over to Hirata. He then attacked him a little bit and walked off. Hirata got on the microphone, said he was feeling mentally exhausted and now wants to know who his next challenger is. Naruki Doi walked out carrying the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title he won earlier in the show. Doi said his title win makes him feel more absorbed into DDT and he now wants to win the Extreme Title to become fully immersed in the company. He especially wants to beat Hirata for the belt because Hirata is the DDT wrestler who best expresses what the company is all about. Hirata refused but Hisaya Imabayashi ignored him. A double title match between Hirata and Doi will take place on 9th September. If Doi loses the Iron Man Title before that date then the match will just be for the Extreme Title. Hirata then tried to pin Doi to win the Iron Man Title but only got a two count. Doi chased him back to the locker room.
The KO-D Tag Team Titles aren’t ready to settle down with a team yet. DAMNATION T.A’s reign ended in their first defence, losing the belts to Ω. The champions tried to isolate Makoto Oishi and also get KANON involved to interfere for them. Yuji Hino came in to make a difference but his attempt to Fuckin’ BOMB MJ Paul was cut off by Daisuke Sasaki. That left Oishi to deal with Paul by himself. Paul threw Lariats at him but Oishi caught him with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch for the flash pinfall and title change. Hino praised Oishi for winning the KO-D Tag Titles under his own strength, calling it a miracle. Oishi was too exhausted to respond so Hino encouraged the audience to give him a round of applause.
KANON then entered the ring demanding a title shot but not as a member of DAMNATION T.A. There is another wrestler out there he considers a mentor. Hino thought he meant TAKA Michinoku but KANON said it is actually someone else because TAKA is busy. KANON’s partner is going to be Minoru Fujita! Imabayashi granted the request and booked the title match for 9th September. KANON helped Oishi back up to his feet, shook his hand… and then gave him a Clothesline before leaving.
Before Match #4 could begin it was announced that Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi were not at the show because they were both too hungover to wrestle. Then “The Rose Of Versailles” began to play and what appeared to be NEO Biishiki-gun walked out. Martha was there but instead of Yukio Saint Laurent we got Chris Saint Laurent instead. Also Sakura Hirota was nowhere to be seen, seemingly replaced in the match by Kyusei Sakisama. Despite their appearance looking weirder than usual, they were still NEO Biishiki-gun through and through. The 37KAMIINA had to deal with the unit’s antics. “Saint Laurent” jabbed an injection needle into Yuki Ueno’s neck, Martha was a nuisance towards MAO and Toy Kojima ended up suffering a Kancho attack involving Martha’s mop. “Sakisama” used the Academy Award finisher on Ueno but her glamorous pin was reversed and Ueno posed on top of her for the three count instead. The 37KAMIINA celebrated with their sponsored prize after the match until all of NEO Biishiki-gun gave them Kancho attacks and took the prizes for themselves.
Doi won the Iron Man Title pretty early in the Battle Royal. In fact him pinning Sanshiro Takagi to become champion was the first elimination in the match. Doi then had to fight through the rest of the field to survive. He still got caught up in the Pheromones experience with Kazuma Sumi, fell for Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune joke and outsmarted HARASHIMA. All that was left for him was a battle with Akito that ended with the DOI 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick. Doi promised to raise the value of the Iron Man Title then immediately had to fight off Sumi. That was when he realised the title is defended 24/7. He will stick to his promise anyway even if there’s a risk of him losing it in another company. Rukiya then tried to pin him so Doi kicked him away.
The 2nd match was overshadowed by the appearance of Evolution from All Japan. During the week Suwama told Tokyo Sports he had tickets for this show and was going in order to confront Jun Akiyama over a grudge held going back to Akiyama’s time as AJPW president. Suwama sat in his seat along with other Evolution members Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura to see Akiyama’s team beat Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada. Then after the match Evolution approached the ring, throwing aside Yuya Koroku and Rukiya who were trying to block them. Naya then wanted to stand in Suwama’s way but Suwama said he isn’t here for him. Suwama asked “useless former president” Akiyama why he is going to do an Exploding Death Match soon when he hated the idea of Suwama doing one six years ago? He then challenged Akiyama to come to Yoyogi on 8th September when AJPW is running a show there. He can even bring along Takagi so they can do a big Evolution Vs DDT match! Akiyama called the idea crazy but agreed to do it. He then told Suwama to stop making decisions without the AJPW president’s approval! Backstage Sato told DDT to send their icons like Dieno or HARASHIMA because as a former KO-D Openweight Champion and winner of a DDT General Election himself, he thinks he should be a DDT icon too. Tamura said he wants Yusuke Okada to come over because they have unfinished business from Okada’s time in AJPW.
KANON is sticking with the Vietnam Driver II as his new finisher, using it to beat Hideki Okatani in their first singles match against each other. KANON said the match left him more tired than he expected but that’s probably because of the summer heat. Okatani didn’t like the result and warned KANON he will beat him the next time they meet.
Koroku and Rukiya probably thought their dark match was the only physicality they would both experience today. Then Evolution came along and beat them up later in the show. In the match itself Rukiya tried to win with a Running Elbow Strike but Koroku took him down into a Modified Triangle Lancer to win by submission.
Chris Brookes has been appointed as the sales manager for “DDT BIG BANG 2023” at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th September. Also announced was Mei Suruga being at the 30h September show in Kyoto KBS Hall. That show is part of Akai’s countdown towards her retirement.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 