DDT Around The World – January 2023

February 1, 2023

The first month of 2023 felt like DDT’s international plans have jumped up a gear. Konosuke Takeshita now finds himself orbiting the current AEW World Title storyline and Yuka Sakazaki has her sights set on a Ring Of Honor championship, making a new enemy (maybe her first?) in the process. Maki Itoh is getting further entrenched into GCW while Miyu Yamashita is also out there growing her stock across America. Things are going to ramp up even further in the coming months as we approach WrestleMania weekend.

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Videos


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/01/2023
KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Bryan Danielson Vs Konosuke Takeshita


PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023
The Glass House, Pomona, California, USA

1. Kevin Blackwood Vs MAO


Video starts at 2:20:10 for the match
ROH “JAY BRISCOE TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, 25/01/2023
Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Sandra Moone

Video starts at 2:03:40 for the match
SETUP “SETUP EP.11”, 28/01/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. International Single Match: Matcha Vs Yuki Kamifuku


Video starts at 22:05 for the match. Go to 39:55 for The Dark Order segment.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 30/01/2023
Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

1. Athena & Diamante Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue (w/ Madison Rayne)


Video starts at 31:48 for Match #1. Go to 41:03 for Match #2.
AEW “DARK”, 31/01/2023
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Avery Breaux
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Angelico

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Results


GCW “56 NIGHTS”, 01/01/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz and Sawyer Wreck when Itoh pinned Sheik with the I.S.D (8:01).

I think Itoh is fitting in with GCW a little too well. During her last trip their she became firmly established as a member of Nick Gage’s gang, adopting the pizza cutter as her new weapon of choice and even entering to Gage’s theme music “For Whom The Bell Tolls” by Metallica! It’s been working out for her because she was the last woman standing in a 4 Way against Dark Sheik, Billie Starkz and Sawyer Wreck! She even got a piggy back ride from Gage back to the locker room after the match. Being MDK all day has its benefits.


PWG “BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2023 – FIRST STAGE”, 07/01/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Michael Oku with the Zahi (17:17).

Takeshita’s hectic month began with the Battle Of Los Angeles tournament in PWG. It is one of the most high profile events on the American indies even though it takes about 6 months for official videos of the event to actually surface. Takeshita only had one match on the first night but it was an intense fight against Michael Oku, who is an English wrestler you should be paying attention to. Countering the Blue Thunder Bomb with a Reverse Hurricanrana is no easy feat.


PWG “BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2023 – FINAL STAGE”, 08/01/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Round 2: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Titus Alexander with the Jumping Knee (9:38).
2. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Semi Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Komander with a Backslide Pin (5:43).
3. Battle Of Los Angeles 2023 – Final: Mike Bailey defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Flamingo Driver (27:22).

Night two was an even busier night for Takeshita. He went through three rounds to reach the BOLA final, beating the west coast’s own Titus Alexander and luchador Komander. The only man who had an even busier night in the ring was Takeshita’s opponent in the final. It was his good old friend Mike Bailey! Speedball fought four matches in one night due to a busy weekend schedule and won them all. That’s right, Bailey beat Takeshita in the final and he used the Flamingo Driver to do it. It was the very move Bailey first created to beat Takeshita in 2018.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/01/2023
KIA Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Bryan Danielson defeated Konosuke Takeshita by Referee Stoppage with the Regal Stretch (14:47).

No rest for the wicked because a few days later Takeshita stepped up to face the one and only Bryan Danielson in AEW! There was more than just a wrestling match to pay attention to because MJF entered the ring after Takeshita to run down everybody on the microphone, Takeshita included. Takeshita responded to the AEW World Champion first in Japanese and then told MJF in English to kiss his ass. Once that was out of the way Takeshita and Danielson put on one hell of a match that ended with Takeshita passing out to the Regal Stretch. Danielson had nothing but the highest of praise for Takeshita afterwards.


ROH “JAY BRISCOE TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE”, 18/01/2023 (Aired 25/01/2023)
Save Mart Center, Fresno, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sandra Moone with the Magical Magical Girl Splash (3:02)

The January tour for Sakazaki began with what you could say is her debut for Ring Of Honor. It was under sad circumstances because the taping was held in tribute for the late Jay Briscoe, who tragically lost his life in a car crash the previous day. Sakazaki beat Sandra Moone in one of the matches taped for the show and showed good sportsmanship to her opponent afterwards. Oh and there was that one guy in the crowd who was having the time of his life dancing to Sakazaki’s theme song after the match.


WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 27”, 21/01/2023
Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Zachary Wentz with the Zahi (14:21).

Takeshita was back to winning ways on the indies. His first visit to Warrior Wrestling put him in the ring with Zachary Wentz of The Rascalz. It was a back and forth match that ended with Takeshita hitting the Jumping Knee followed by the Zahi for the three count.


PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023
The Glass House, Pomona, California, USA

1. Anything Goes Match: Sonico defeated Shunma Katsumata with the BMF through the Lego covered door (16:53).
2. MAO defeated Kevin Blackwood with a Screw High Kick (13:21).
3. ROH Women’s Title: Athena (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Title Belt Attack (20:59).
*V4 for Athena.

Yamashita’s plan to become a triple crown champion had already fallen apart by the time she travelled to California for her latest Prestige appearance. Now thanks to Athena’s cheating she is also no longer undefeated in the promotion. Athena tricked the referee into thinking Yamashita had hit her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Then when the ref’s back was turned, Athena grabbed the belt and whacked it over Yamashita’s head for the three count!

MAO had the breakout performance of the show with his win against Kevin Blackwood. The one moment in particular that went viral was MAO giving Blackwood a Springboard Hurricanrana off the corner and then following up with a Swan Dive Phoenix Splash, aka the Marines Tornado Splash!

Shunma Katsumata also had a crazy match with Sonico. It had to be because he was asking fans to bring Lego and other items to the show so they could use them as weapons! The chaotic match ended with Sonico spitting Poison Mist in Katsumata’s eyes and then crashing him through a lego covered door from the top rope. The two showed respect to each other after the match.


AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 25/01/2023 (Aired 30/01/2023)
Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue (w/ Madison Rayne) defeated Athena & Diamante when Sakazaki pinned Diamante with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (7:11).

Sakazaki’s return to AEW actually began earlier in the month when she started a program with Athena. For weeks Athena has been winning matches and beating up her opponents afterwards. Sakazaki ran down to put a stop to it, sending Athena out of the ring. Sakazaki noticed the ROH Women’s Title belt and showed an interest in taking it. The following week the two women met up backstage and got into a fight, causing them to be pulled apart. That all led to the match on this show. Sakazaki teamed with her usual AEW tag partner Skye Blue while Athena struck a deal with Diamante to tag with her. Sakazaki scored the win after sending Athena out of the ring with a Hurricanrana and then pinning Diamante with the Magical Merry-Go-Round.

That wasn’t the end of Sakazaki’s night though. She was approached by The Dark Order later backstage with an offer to join their group. She kept telling them “Hai!” but they misunderstood and thought she was just saying hello. They left her alone, convinced they were being rejected. She made the Dark Order pose with her hand anyway. So maybe she’s in (or maybe she’s not, brother)?


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD”, 27/01/2023
Foochow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Shotgun Double Knees (?:??).
*V1 for Alexis Lee.

In travels much closer to home Yuki Kamifuku took a mini-tour of southeast Asia after her team was eliminated from the Max Heart Tournament. Her first stop was in Singapore Pro Wrestling where she challenged Alexis Lee for the Queen Of Asia Title. Lee successfully defended her title by pinning Kamifuku with the Shotgun Double Knees.


SETUP “SETUP EP.11”, 28/01/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. International Single Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Matcha with the Famouser (9:43).

The next day Kamifuku was in Thailand to take on Matcha at a SETUP show. Things got better for her here… sort of. Kamifuku pinned Matcha with the Famouser but for some reason the bell never rang and the two of them decided to continue wrestling. Kamifuku had climbed up to the second rope ready to do a flying Famouser when the bell finally rang and the referee tried to explain to a confused audience that the match had ended with Kamifuku as the winner.


AEW “DARK”, 28/01/2023 (Aired 31/01/2023, 07/02/2023 & 13/02/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Avery Breaux with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15)
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated EJ Nduka with the Zahi (4:15).
3. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Bronson with the Zahi (6:37).

The month for Takeshita and Sakazaki ends with an AEW Dark taping in Universal Studios. Sakazaki’s match with Avery Breaux has already been shown on the most recent episode as I type this. Takeshita’s matches with EJ Nduka and Bronson will be show in February. The EJ Nduka match got some attention online because it is Nduka’s first appearance in the ring since leaving MLW a few weeks earlier.

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Upcoming Appearances


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)

So now Takeshita has found himself playing a part in the MJF Vs Danielson feud. In the weeks since his Danielson match, Takeshita has called MJF an asshole in interviews and saved Danielson in the ring from an attack from MJF and Brian Cage. The next part of the story happens tonight when Takeshita faces Cage one on one.


DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023
NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Raychell Rose & Hyan

The Princess Tag Team Titles are heading over to America thanks to The Wasteland War Party. The new champions have set Deadlock Pro Wrestling as their next target and agreed to defend the titles against Raychell Rose & Hyan. It will be the first time the Princess Tag Titles will be defended outside of Japan. Rose is an established part of DPW’s roster, being the young company’s first women’s champion. Hyan is a talent from the Texas scene who is well travelled around the US indies.


GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY

Itoh will have a lot to do with GCW in March and she won’t be alone for any of it. Asuka/VENY will be travelling over to Atlantic City alongside her. They’ll be wrestling together on the second show but first, VENY is getting a GCW welcoming party from Joey Janela.


GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai

Itoh is familiar with all three of her opponents Wreck, Starkz & Janai Kai at this point. Rina Yamashita is joining in the fun and will surely make the match turn out way more violent than anticipated.


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo

Yamashita’s scheduled EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo was delayed due to the concussion Yamashita suffered in Tokyo Joshi Pro a few days earlier. She was unable to travel abroad safely because of it. The match will now take place at EVE’s next event in March.


SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi

Masahiro Takanashi is getting a title match when he returns to Thailand in March. Monomoth is the current SETUP Openweight Champion and is now counting down the days for his defence against Takanashi to happen.


NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

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

YYamashita makes her Canadian debut with Nation Extreme Wrestling. Itoh joins her and cannot wait to eat poutine again.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “NEW 12”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe

Damn it this was announced while I was in the middle of finishing this post. Itoh makes her debut for Pandemonium Pro Wrestling teaming with Kidd Bandit. Together they take on Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe! Bandit once cosplayed as Itoh and got her approval so will they be showing up in matching costumes on the night?


DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

DDT are sending 16 wrestlers over to Los Angeles for the company’s big return to America. They are Kazusada Higuchi, Jun Akiyama, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Sanshiro Takagi, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes, Saki Akai, KANON, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Michael Nakazawa, Yoshihiko and the winner of the D GENERATIONS CUP. This will be Takeshita’s only DDT match during the week.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

The report from The Wrestling Observer last November was true. TJPW is travelling along with DDT to America this March! Here’s the interesting wrinkle. The TJPW show is being held under the Wrestlecon umbrella ran by Highspots while DDT is with GCW and The Collective. Now that’s playing both sides! Somewhere between 12 and 15 members of the TJPW roster will be part of the show along with some international guest wrestlers.


DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

The first GCW Vs DDT match announced is sure to be a barn burner. MAO & Mike Bailey are back together as The Moonlight Express for the first time in three years. Their opponents are two of GCW’s most talked about prospects. Together Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne are The East West Express.

Other DDT wrestlers so far confirmed to appear are Higuchi, Akiyama and Yoshihiko. As already mentioned, Takeshita will not be part of the GCW Vs DDT show. ROH have their PPV happening around the same time so maybe he shows up there?


PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Another match that got announced right after I finished this post. You’re killing me here lads. Yamashita faces Valkyrie for the first time ever.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Here me out. The payoff to the Itoh and Gage interactions has to be the two of them in the same match together, right? They’re both MDK so Itoh & Gage teaming together makes sense. But “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” has the reputation of being one of the craziest booked shows to happen anywhere every year. Gage is the GCW World Champion so why not have him defend it against Itoh on this show! Or how about Itoh versus Kota Ibushi now that he’s been announced for the show?


LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh

Heidi Howitzer got the chance to pick any opponent she wanted for the next Lucha Libre & Laughs show in April. She wants to fight Itoh and made her challenge in words Itoh can understand: “Hey Maki, fuck you!”


WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023
The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA

1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Another promotion debut for Yamashita is happening while she is in America this Spring. West Coast Pro will be crowning their first Women’s Champion in March. Whoever it is, her first defence will be against Yamashita in April.

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Cancelled Appearances


EVE “EVE 100”, 07/01/2023
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo

As mentioned above, the title match was pushed back to March because of Yamashita’s concussion preventing her from travelling overseas.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~OKAYAMA PERFORMANCE~” Results

January 8, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~OKAYAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 08/01/2023
Okayama Convention Center
284 Fans

1. Moka Miyamoto defeated HIMAWARI with the Rashomon (5:33).
2. Mizuki defeated Kaya Toribami with the Diving Foot Stomp (6:39).
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Noa pinned Raku with the Blizzard Suplex (10:30).
4. Trish Adora defeated Hyper Misao with a Short-Range Lariat (6:50).
5. Miu Watanabe & Suzume defeated Maki Itoh & Mahiro Kiryu when Watanabe pinned Kiryu with the Tear Drop (13:38).
6. Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Yuka Sakazaki & Arisu Endo when Max pinned Endo after the Master Blaster (9:46).
7. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino defeated Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Kamifuku when Aino pinned Kamifuku with the Venus DDT (14:03).

Yuki Aino’s home of Okayama was the next stop for Tokyo Joshi Pro this weekend. She was the big winner of the show, scoring the pinfall in the main event. After the match Aino spoke about how much she loves her family and TJPW is just as important to her. Shoko Nakajima said that Aino is the strongest, her sister Nodoka Tenma (who was in attendance) is the strongest farmer in the mountains and TJPW is the strongest too. Altogether that makes them the strongest family. Their opponents Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Kamifuku weren’t as kind with their post-match comments. They blame losing today on not being able to eat Tenma’s rice before the match. They threatened to burn her rice field in retaliation next time they come to Okayama.

The Wasteland War Party are taking the Princess Tag Team Titles with them away from Japan. Heidi Howitzer even said she & Max The Impaler are looking forward to defending them overseas before they come back. Howitzer called Yuka Sakazaki strong but not as strong as The Wasteland War Party. Sakazaki’s impromptu team with Arisu Endo couldn’t beat them today but she is confident there is a team in TJPW that can bring the Tag Titles back.

Maki Itoh may have caught a cold because her voice was raspy today. She still shouted out her catchphrases during her match though.

In an unusual start to her match Hyper Misao shook Trish Adora’s hand, promised to fight fair and did not attack her with any cheap shots. She kept to the promise until it was clear that Adora was a stronger wrestler than her in every way. That was when she finally pulled out her spray can and sprayed it in Adora’s face. Adora countered the Vanitas though and pinned Misao with a Short-Range Lariat to win her final match on this tour. According to Misao they made peace backstage after the match and exchanged T-shirts.

According to Nao Kakuta, Okayama is a hotspot for Free WiFi! This was the same place where they won their 1st Round match in last year’s Max Heart Tournament. They won their match today as well with Hikari Noa pinning Raku to avenge yesterday’s loss to her.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~” Results

January 7, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~”, 07/01/2023
Kobe Art Center
237 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Nao Kakuta defeated HIMAWARI with the Shiden Kai (7:05).
2. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Kaya Toribami with the Famouser (6:15).
3. Yuki Aino & Raku defeated Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa when Raku pinned Noa with the Doctor Yellow (11:30).
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Yuka Sakazaki & Mahiro Kiryu when Nakajima pinned Kiryu with the Northern Lights Suplex (10:42).
5. Max The Impaler, Heidi Howitzer & Trish Adora defeated Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Pom Harajuku when Max pinned Harajuku after the Master Blaster (13:59).
6. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto when Suzume pinned Miyamoto with the Ring A Bell (13:40).

The latest homecoming for Mizuki was spoiled by Daisy Monkey. In the main event Suzume scored the win for her team by pinning Moka Miyamoto. She was happy to see so many people turn up for the show. Arisu Endo said she was able to do her very best because of the fans cheering. Suzume later said her courage boosts up to 200% whenever she teams with Endo. With the Max Heart Tournament coming around the corner, Daisy Monkey have their eyes on the prize. According to them, 2023 won’t be the year of the rabbit. It’s going to be the year of Daisy Monkey! Miyamoto was upset over the result and blamed the loss on herself. Mizuki encouraged her, saying she is tough enough to rely on whenever the match comes down to her.

Today was a nightmare for Pom Harajuku. She had to face her fears once more and be in the ring with Max The Impaler. When the match began she kept trying to escape until Daydream physically put her back into the ring. The match finish had Heidi Howitzer & Trish Adora hold back Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe while Max destroyed Harajuku. After the match Max picked up Harajuku’s prone body and carried her away. Backstage Howitzer told Max to let her go because The Wasteland War Party are here to win matches, not kidnap people.

Hyper Misao gave Mahiro Kiryu some treats before their match as a new year’s gift. When Kiryu said she did not have any gifts to give back, Misao attacked her. The incident forced Kiryu to apologize while kneeling on top of both Misao & Shoko Nakajima. Meanwhile Yuka Sakazaki stood in the corner eating all of the treats by herself. She ended up choking on them which briefly took her out of the match. Nakajima took some of the treats back after winning the match so as far as she’s concerned everyone is even. Misao decided that winning the match today is Kyoraku Kyomei’s gift for the new year.

Raku missing the Princess Tag Team Titles match last month due to illness is still on her mind. She & Yuki Aino ended up getting the win on today’s show when the pair beat Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa in an upset. Raku hopes that by itself will make Aino happy going into tomorrow’s show in Aino’s home region of Okayama. Aino reminded her that their 1st Round opponents in the Max Heart Tournament are Reiwa AA Cannon, the team they were supposed to fight for the Tag Titles.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’23” Results

January 4, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’23”, 04/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,111 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. HIMAWARI Debut Match: Yuki Aino defeated HIMAWARI with the Venus DDT (6:05).
2. Wakana Uehara Debut Match: Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano defeated Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara when Miyamoto submitted Uehara with the Rashomon (9:15).
3. Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami defeated Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko when Kakuta pinned Neko with the Shiden Kai (8:36).
4. New Year Special Match: Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao both win when they grabbed the “Hit” (14:53).
5. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision Battle Royal: Mizuki defeated Rika Tatsumi, Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa and Suzume (16:58).
5a. Yuki Kamifuku eliminated Hikari Noa by Ring Out (4:52).
5b. Maki Itoh eliminated Yuki Kamifuku by Ring Out (6:20).
5c. Mizuki eliminated Rika Tatsumi with an Assisted School Boy (8:02).
5d. Maki Itoh eliminated Suzume with the Itoh Punish (10:40).
5e. Mizuki eliminated Maki Itoh with the Cutie Special (16:58).
6. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) defeated Trish Adora with the Tear Drop (10:34).
*V2 for Miu Watanabe.
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) when Max pinned Arai after the Master Blaster (11:29).
*Reiwa AA Cannon fails in V4. The Wasteland War Party becomes the 11th Princess Tag Team Champions!
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Magical Girl Chicken Dude (16:08).
*V2 for Yuka Sakazaki.

On this date three years ago, Yuka Sakazaki successfully defended the Princess Of Princess Title against Miyu Yamashita at the annual 4th January Korakuen Hall show. Three years later and the result repeated itself. Sakazaki had to pull out her most dangerous moves to beat her most dangerous opponent and expect the same to be given to her. She did a Brainbuster outside the ring only for Yamashita to fire back with a German Suplex on the floor. Yamashita also did the Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and hit the Skull Kick clean. Sakazaki kicked out though and also survived the Crash Rabbit Heat aimed at the back of her head. She fought back using the Magical Merry-Go-Round. A strike exchange caused Yamashita’s kick and Sakazaki’s elbow strike to clash with each other. Sakazaki got the upper hand by using a Rolling Elbow, keeping Yamashita down long enough for the Magical Girl Chicken Dude to find its target and end the match.

While Yamashita was being taken out of the ring with Maki Itoh’s help, Sakazaki said she can do the match again. Yamashita responded by bowing and sticking her fist out with a scream before leaving. Sakazaki then thanked everyone for coming to see the show on a busy 4th January. She now has to talk to her next challenger. It’s the other Magical Sugar Rabbit and her closest friend Mizuki! It’s a match that Sakazaki admits she does not want to do. Mizuki said she felt like she was being left behind while watching Sakazaki get stronger. But she spent the last year working hard and gaining confidence in herself. She is emotional about the match but wants to surpass Sakazaki and be the one who wins the Princess Championship from her. Sakazaki accepts her challenge and wants the match to happen at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” in Ariake Coliseum on 18th March!

A monster team have defeated Reiwa AA Cannon and taken the Princess Tag Team Titles for themselves! Max The Impaler left a big impact when they invaded Tokyo Joshi Pro last year. Their returning presence is now further strengthened with Heidi Howitzer joining along and together The Wasteland War Party can call themselves champions in Japan! The champions found their usual attacks ineffective with Saki Akai’s Triangle Choke not being strong enough along with the Double Rookie Award not being enough to put down the challengers. The most dread filled moment came when Yuki Arai’s Finally kick was caught by Max and the SKE48 idol was blown away with a Lariat. The end came when the War Party joined up and hit a combined body press called the Master Blaster to get the pinfall. There is still hope left for Reiwa AA Cannon. Akai said shen she looked into Arai’s eyes after the match she could see the fire was not gone from her. Arai said she wants to do her best with Akai in the Max Heart Tournament so they can challenge for the titles again. Backstage Howitzer said the result went exactly how she expected. She also thinks the pink belts look good on her & Max. They will look forward to seeing who TJPW throws their way to try and get their championship back.

Things went better for Miu Watanabe in her title defence. She was able to beat Trish Adora to retain the International Princess Title. Adora twisted the champion several ways including with a Cattle Mutilation. But Watanabe powered out of it and found a way to use the Giant Swing. Adora caught a second wind until it was knocked out of her with a Double Sledgehammer strike and the Laserbeam. The Tear Drop came afterwards and Watanabe achieved her second title defence. She was happy to win against a foreign opponent who is unlike anyone she has fought before. As long as she has the championship, she thinks it will be her ticket towards wrestling in America. Now she just has to learn English. Adora praised Watanabe for being a wonderful champion and the better fighter today. She is confident she will return to TJPW someday.

Mizuki earned her No. 1 Contendership by beating five opponents in a mini Rumble. Hikari Noa and Maki Itoh started off slow until Yuki Kamifuku entered the ring. The three of them stopped fighting each other and all ganged up on Rika Tatsumi after she joined the match. That alliance ended when Noa climbed the top rope and was Dropkicked out of the ring by Kamifuku for the first elimination. Tatsumi finally got some help when Mizuki made her way into the fight but again it was a short lived pairing. Kamifuku then turned on Itoh but made the mistake of charging her near the ropes. Itoh made sure that Kamifuku went over the top rope to the floor to knock her out of the match. Suzume was the last entrant and she helped Mizuki and Itoh pin Tatsumi by piling on top of them. Itoh dodged the Ring A Bell from Suzume and trapped her in the Itoh Punish for the next elimination. That left Itoh and Mizuki as the final two. They went back and forth until Mizuki hit Itoh with a Spinning Back Elbow. That allowed her to do the Cutie Special, pinning Itoh and making Mizuki the next in line for a Princess Title shot.

The annual Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao match is always an oddity but this time it may have gotten its oddest finish yet. Three toy rabbits were left hanging above the ring with a piece of paper included in each of them. Only one of them was the correct rabbit and grabbing that would win the match. The other two included stipulations that would come into effect if either wrestler grabbed them. Nakajima placed a ladder on top of Misao and climbed up to grab a rabbit. She picked the wrong one and the match turned into Rabbit Lumberjack Rules. Several wrestlers came down to the ring wearing rabbit ears and armed with hammers to attack anyone who left the ring. Both Nakajima and Misao felt their wrath. Misao then climbed the ladder but the rabbit she grabbed turned the match into Hardcore rules where dangerous weapons are now allowed. Nakajima brought in a box of kaiju toys and emptied it in the ring. She later paid the price when Misao slammed her on top of the pile of toys. Misao also crashed her Hyper Bike into her outside the ring. Both of them climbed back up the ladder and grabbed the one rabbit left at the same time. Yukinori Matsui couldn’t decide who won the match so instead of calling it a tie he declared both of them the winners! Misao couldn’t understand if that was possible until Nakajima explained they got three cute rabbit toys out of it. Both of them are happy to win their first match of the year before the Max Heart Tournament begins. Too bad they spent the rest of the day being chased after by the Rabbit Lumberjacks.

Raku began her new year leading Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko in the Goodnight Express on their opponents. Harajuku tried to continue that momentum by hitting Mahiro Kiryu 108 times only to lose count, allowing Kiryu to escape. Raku & Harajuku cleared the ring of Kiryu & Kaya Toribami. It was all up to Haruna Neko but victory slipped away from her paws. Nao Kakuta got the win for her team after pinning Neko with the Shiden Kai.

Two wrestlers made their pro debuts on the show. Idol Wakana Uehara had already wrestled before on the Yume Pro Wrestling show last year. She decided to go pro and teamed with Arisu Endo on the 2nd anniversary of Endo’s debut. Uehara used Body Slams, Sleeper Holds and Dropkicks during her time in the ring. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano used double team kicks to get rid of Endo. Miyamoto then put Uehara in the Rashomon to make the rookie give up. Miyamoto praised both of her opponents for their growth while Nagano said Uehara showed great guts. Uehara said she admires Shoko Nakajima the most and hopes to have a high flying battle against her someday.

The other debut was HIMAWARI who took on Yuki Aino in the opener. HIMAWARI repeatedly tried to knock down her opponent with Shoulder Blocks. Her momentum was stopped with a Side Suplex and Aino then finished her off with the Venus DDT. Aino hadn’t seen HIMAWARI train before this match so did not know what to expect from her. But she saw HIMAWARI has passion and enjoyed doing the back and forth Shoulder Blocks with her. HIMAWARI said her debut felt special because it happened at the start of TJPW’s 10th year. She wants to help the company grow from here on out by being a wrestler who makes fans laugh and feel moved.

Five announcements were given out by Sayuri Namba at the beginning of the show. The biggest one is that TJPW will be going to America this Spring! “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” will take place at the Globe Theater in LA on 31st March as part of the WrestleCon end of the week’s festivities. Around 12 to 15 women from the roster along with foreign talent will be taking part on the show. TJPW was originally meant to have their US debut in Florida back in 2020 but the trip was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic.

The second biggest announcement was the introduction of a new trainee. Toga is a 19 year old from Kanagawa. She promised to do her best and make her debut in a TJPW ring.

All four members of The Up Up Girls performed a musical number together before the opening match. They announced the unit will be holding another audition for new members this year.

The other two announcements were merchandise related. Miu Watanabe and Suzume are the next two wrestlers to collaborate with Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. Watanabe’s costume will be given to Aya Kirino and Suzume’s costume will be given to Aki Yamato. The other merch announcement is the publication of a TJPW fan book releasing nationwide in Japan on 30th March. Early copies will be available to buy at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”.


Official TJPW Best Matches Of 2022

January 1, 2023

The annual vote for the best matches in Tokyo Joshi Pro was completed over the holidays and the results were announced today. This year TJPW received over 350 votes on Twitter including an increase of responses from fans overseas. Only matches held on TJPW shows and “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” were eligible for votes. In the end more than 110 matches received votes and two tied for 20th place.

TJPW Best Bouts 2022


1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Miu Watanabe
13th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
195 pts


2. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
9th October @ Tokyo Dome City Hall
162 pts


3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9th July @ Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
153 pts


4. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
9th July @ Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
143 pts


5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Miu Watanabe
14th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
119 pts


6. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Mizuki
4th January @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
111 pts


7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
19th March @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
105 pts


8. Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler
13th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
88 pts


9. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
19th March @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
86 pts


10. Mizuki Vs Arisu Endo
27th November @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
62 pts

11. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
4th September @ Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall
52 pts

12. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Miu Watanabe
31st August @ Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall
50 pts

13. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Suzume
31st August @ Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall
47 pts

14. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Hyper Misao Vs Sanshiro Takagi
19th March @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
44 pts

15. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
27th November @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
38 pts

16. Nodoka Tenma Vs Yuki Aino
19th March @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
35 pts

17. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs Marika Kobashi, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow
19th March @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
pts

18. Falls Count Anywhere 5 Way Tag Match – Special Rules: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Hyper Misao & Nodoka Tenma Vs Marika Kobashi & Raku Vs Hikari Noa & Yuki Arai
28th February @ WRESTLE UNIVERSE
31 pts

19. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku
27th November @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
30 pts

20. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Arai
19th March @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
22 pts

20. Suzume Vs Ryo Mizunami
9th October @ Tokyo Dome City Hall
22 pts

Honorable Mentions

These four matches just missed out on making the Top 20.

22. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
11th February @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

23. Suzume Vs Yuki Arai
11th February @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

23. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
3rd May @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

23. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor (c) Vs Miu Watanabe
9th October @ Tokyo Dome City Hall


Don’t Shoot Me Santa Claus

December 23, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SE-NO, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2022”, 24/12/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Haruna Neko Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Pom Harajuku Vs Arisu Endo
3. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu
4. Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Aino
5. 3 Way Match: Miu Watanabe Vs Raku Vs Juria Nagano
6. TJPW Year End Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima & Suzume Vs Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Hyper Misao & Moka Miyamoto

The card has been changed because of two absences. Nao Kakuta tested positive for covid and Rika Tatsumi caught a stomach bug. Both of their matches are cancelled and their opponents will now face each other. By coincidence the new match is Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu, the battle of the Toyo Mates!

GANBARE☆PRO “GIRI GIRI CHOP! 2022”, 27/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Debut Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. GanJo x TJPW Special Tag Match: Suzume & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & YuuRI
3. Shota Triumphant Return Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Soma Takao & Shigehiro Irie
4. GanPro Vs Pheromones: Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
5. GanJo Vs Ice Ribbon: Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Nao Ishikawa, Yuki Mashiro & Kaho Matsushita
6. Kouki Iwasaki Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Last Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Kouki Iwasaki
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Mizuki Watase

A press conference was held during the week featuring the participants of the Ganbare☆Joshi Vs Ice Ribbon match. The visiters all spoke of their happiness to wrestle in GanJo. Yuki Mashiro in particular is excited to be part of a hot inter-promotional match before she retires on New Year’s Eve. Nao Ishikawa spoke of how her previous matches against Yuna Manase in Ice Ribbon left her frustrated. Kaho Matsushita feels proud she gets to represent her company and hopes the match will attract Ganbare☆Pro’s audience to Ice Ribbon. HARUKAZE said the Ganjo team are united by their passionate bonds and wants to deliver a great match that they will win. Moeka Haruhi described why winters have short daytimes and said their burning desire comes from the Earth being closest to the sun at this time of year. Manase is grateful to Ice Ribbon for getting to wrestle there and wonders what it would be like if she could combine the “Happy” pro wrestling of Ice Ribbon with the “Burning” pro wrestling of Ganpro.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022
Tokyo Dome City Hall

0. Dark Match: Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
0. Dark Match: Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Soma Takao & Antonio Honda
1. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
3. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces ~ Dissolution & Pet Dogs Contra One Day Experience: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
5. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP
6. International 4 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes Vs MAO Vs Cara Noir
7. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada
9. DDT Extreme Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

The KO-D Openweight Champion is taking things one match at a time going into the new year. Kazusada Higuchi is not thinking too far into the future until he beats Yuki Ueno next week. This will be the first time the KO-D Title will be defended in a match between former DNA wrestlers. Higuchi is deeply moved by how far he and Ueno have come from that sub-brand.

Jun Akiyama is still set on changing the DDT Extreme Title belt from purple straps to white straps. The purple colour reminds him of bitter memories. Changing it to white will remind people of the GHC Hardcore Title. He originally created that belt in 2004 to provoke Kenta Kobashi, who held the GHC Heavyweight Title at the time. It was made white to represent the idea that the title would be dyed in the champion’s colours and white is Akiyama’s colour.

DDT “HATSUYUME 2023”, 03/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
2. Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Hideki Okatani & Toi Kojima
3. New Year Special 8-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Shinshun Pokotan, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Kazuma Sumi
4. Special 10-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, HARASHIMA, RSP, Soma Takao & Yuki Ishida Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir Vs MJ Paul & KANON
6. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Takeshi Masada
7. DDT Universal Title Next Challenger Decision Battle: Naruki Doi Vs Daisuke Sasaki
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata

The man who was once called “The Future” is taking on the next DDT wrestler who is being described with that label. Takeshi Masada still has a long way to go and can learn plenty wrestling against Konosuke Takeshita.

Former opponents Yuki Ueno & Cara Noir now get to be tag partners.

With the addition of Kotaro Suzuki to the unit, all five members of BURNING are teaming together in one match for the first time.

The undercard matches may change if Pheromones are forced to disband on 29th December.

DDT “ALL SEATS ARE 3,000 YEN! DDT NEW YEAR PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL!”, 05/01/2023
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada
3. Yuki Ueno & Yuya Koroku Vs Makoto Oishi & Ilusion
4. MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
5. New Year Special Challenge Match I: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani
6. New Year Special Challenge Match II: Chris Brookes Vs Takeshi Masada
7. New Year Special Challenge Match III: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ishida

Current DDT against future DDT is the theme used again a few days later. Harimao collides when Higuchi takes on Yuki Ishida. Higuchi has put it upon himself to raise Ishida on his own while Naomi Yoshimura is injured. Masada faces his pro wrestling “dad” Chris Brookes and Tetsuya Endo puts Hideki Okatani through his paces. If that’s not enough, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi test their mettle against ShunMao.

There will be an autograph session at the show with Takeshita and Jun Akiyama among the guests.

Again, Pheromones splitting up may change around the card a little bit.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~KOBE PERFORMANCE~”, 07/01/2023
Kobe Art Center

1. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler, Heidi Howitzer & Trish Adora

Japan versus The World, Daydream versus The Wasteland War Party and most important of all Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler once again!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~OKAYAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 08/01/2023
Okayama Convention Center

1. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino Vs Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Kamifuku

This is Yuki Aino’s homecoming show.

The Wasteland War Party and Trish Adora will also be on this show.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2023 TOUR IN SENDAI”, 14/01/2023
Sendai City Miyagino Ward Bunka Center

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi Vs Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
3. Special Challenge Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku

BURNING has some friendly competition taking place within it. Yuya Koroku has challenged Endo to a match!

Once more, the card can change if Pheromones splits up.


Mizuki’s 10th Anniversary Match, Masada Wants To Go To Hollywood, Ittenyon Title Matches

November 28, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ANGEL AND RABBIT”, 15/12/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Mizuki Debut 10th Anniversary Match: Mizuki & Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Nao Kakuta

Oh so that’s why the show is named what it is. Mizuki is celebrating 10 years in wrestling next month and got to put together her own match to celebrate. She decided to team with Rika Tatsumi in a regular tag match for the first time because Tatsumi is the one person in Tokyo Joshi Pro who best represent’s Mizuki’s fanbase. Their opponents are going to be Yuka Sakazaki & Nao Kakuta. Sakazaki is Mizuki’s long time tag partner who regularly dominate the tag division as The Magical Sugar Rabbits. Kakuta is similar to Mizuki because the two started their wrestling careers outside of TJPW and eventually made the place their home.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2022”, 29/12/2022
Tokyo Dome City Hall

1. Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Pheromones Vs “Miyako & Ward” Pheromones Subjugation Allied Forces: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
3. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs X

From out of left field we are getting Shinya Aoki versus Chihiro Hashimoto at the end of the year. In other words this is Shinya/Hashimoto. This is a match Aoki has been wanting to do after seeing Hashimoto wrestle in GLEAT earlier this year.

Takeshi Masada is hoping to be part of DDT’s trip to Los Angeles next year so he can get to wrestle in Hollywood. Sanshiro Takagi is fired up over the show too but isn’t convinced Masada is ready to be part of the big shows. If Masada can beat Takagi in a singles match, he can then be allowed to convince Takagi he deserves to go.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’23”, 04/01/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Trish Adora
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

At the end of yesterday’s show Miyu Yamashita approached Sakazaki and asked her to put the Princess Of Princess Title on the line against her at the annual 4th January show in Korakuen Hall. Sakazaki didn’t want to but would change her mind if Yamashita promised to buy her some high quality cream puffs. Well Yamashita spent today asking for recommendations, went to buy the treats and has since gifted them to Sakazaki. That means the title match is going ahead!

Reiwa AA Cannon has done a good job defending the Princess Tag Team Titles so far. Now comes their biggest and toughest challenge yet. Max The Impaler is coming back to TJPW and is bringing The Wasteland War Party with them! Max is teaming with Heidi Howitzer to challenge the champions. They both think the pink title belts will look good on them.

Miu Watanabe defeated a foreign wrestler to win the International Princess Title and is now going to defend against a foreign wrestler for the first time. Trish Adora has been one of the standouts of the American indy scene over the last few years. She recently had a hard fought match with Yamashita, which leads to her coming to TJPW at the start of 2023.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22” Results

November 27, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’22”, 27/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
657 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Suzume defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Ring A Bell (8:13).
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami when Nakajima pinned Neko with the Northern Lights Suplex (9:17).
3. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Tatsumi submitted Nagano with the Dragon Sleeper (13:01).
4. Mizuki defeated Arisu Endo with the Cutie Special (9:55).
5. Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta defeated Maki Itoh & Hikari Noa when Kakuta pinned Noa with the Shiden Kai (13:22).
6. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Millie McKenzie with the Crash Rabbit Heat (13:52).
*V1 for Miyu Yamashita.
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Saki Akai & Yuki Arai (c) defeated Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku when Arai pinned Harajuku with the Finally (14:45).
*V3 for Reiwa AA Cannon.
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) defeated Billie Starkz with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (14:50).
*V1 for Yuka Sakazaki.

Tokyo Joshi Pro’s final visit to Korakuen Hall for this year was headlined with Yuka Sakazaki’s successful first defence of the Princess Of Princess Title. Her opponent was Billie Starkz, a high school pro wrestler from America on her first tour of Japan. Starkz left a big impression with her high impact moveset, particularly the Sugoi Driver and Swanton Bomb that were both landed onto Sakazaki on the ring apron. Sakazaki had her own rough streak by doing a Brainbuster on the floor and adding a more vertical drop to the Tea Time. She later blocked another Swanton Bomb with her knees and pinned Starkz with the Magical Merry-Go-Round to win.

Sakazaki praised her challenger after the match and called her the best future star in the American scene because she gets to wrestle both men and women over in there. Her mood changed when Miyu Yamashita walked out and entered the ring. She tried ignoring Yamashita until she was challenged to a Princess Title match on the 4th January Korakuen show. Sakazaki immediately refused. Fans in the audience started calling for Yamashita to promise a treat for Sakazaki in order to get the title match because that is what she did for their previous Ittenyon match in 2020. Yamashita listed off all the different sweet food she could buy and Sakazaki turned each one down until she was offered cream puffs. That led to a little more deliberation and Sakazaki finally agreed to do the match as long as Yamashita gifts her double custard cream puffs tomorrow. Yamashita forcibly shook her hand and made her take a commemorative photo of the challenge to seal the deal.

Sadly Raku was at home sick with covid but she was still at Korakuen in spirit to support Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku challenging for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Aino & Harajuku did the Goodnight Express together on Saki Akai for the early advantage. Harajuku in particular had the spotlight shining over her for the dramatic moments of the match. She fought with Yuki Arai and hit the Pom de Justice but Akai broke the count. Arai fought back with a Big Boot, leading the Reiwa AA Cannon to join up and hit the Double Rookie Award. Arai then finished Harajuku off with the Finally to score the team’s third successful title defence. Backstage Arai & Harajuku agreed that they want to challenge for the belts again and this time do it with Raku on their team.

Reiwa AA Cannon’s victory speech was interrupted when the room went dark and a video began playing on the screen behind them. The video showed Max The Impaler along with their tag team partner on the indies Heidi Howitzer. Together they are The Wasteland War Party and they are coming to TJPW on 4th January to fight the Princess Tag Team Champions! The message was in English but Akai & Arai were able to figure out the challenge was aimed at them. Akai said a champion has to overcome many difficulties such as this to make the title belts shine brighter. Arai understood and is ready to end her year on a happy note by getting ready for her first match of 2023.

Yamashita’s main focus of the show was to defend the EVE Championship against Millie McKenzie. The two have developed a rivalry recently in Europe splitting singles matches against each other in Spain and English. Today Japan was hosting the rubber match. Yamashita was in danger early on taking a German Suplex on the floor as well as a Topé Suicida, the Spear and a Sleeper Hold. She regained her ground using High Kicks and a close range Crash Rabbit Heat. McKenzie kicked out but was bombarded with the Skull Kick, Buzzsaw Kick and a full range Crash Rabbit Heat to take the fall. Today is meant to be the final match of their rivalry but Yamashita wants to continue fighting her in more countries around the world. McKenzie said she was disappointed over the loss because she let EVE down. However if she had to lose to anybody, she believe’s there is no better opponent than Yamashita.

Previously when Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta teamed together they were called Uma x3 as a reference to horse racing. Kamifuku showed some horseplay by getting Maki Itoh to drop her guard for a selfie and then poking her in the eyes. Later, Itoh & Hikari Noa were gathered together for Kamifuku to both give them the Famouser together. Nao Kakuta finished the sweep by pinning Noa with the Shiden Kai.

Arisu Endo was given brand new entrance music starting today called “My Way Is The Rainbow”. What hasn’t changed is she still can’t win a singles match. Mizuki left her beaten after an exchange that went from her Crossface Lock to Endo’s Camel Clutch. Mizuki fought out of the Waterwheel Drop and stunned Endo with a Spinning Back Elbow. That gave her the opening to hit the Cutie Special and win the match.

Daydream were put against a tag team of Karate wrestlers. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano did their best to put their skills together to good use but the experience gap was too large to overcome. Rika Tatsumi had Nagano trapped into the Dragon Sleeper to make her give up.

Match #2 was officially a 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match. Kyoraku Kyomei weren’t going to stand for that so they dragged the TJPW GM Tetsuya Koda into the ring and encouraged him to take part in the match! Koda was convinced after the crowd chanted his name and then he got beaten up by the other team. If that wasn’t bad enough, Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao decided to join in and all five women stomped him before throwing him out. They went on with the match as normal without him. Misao took out Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami with the I Am A Hero, leaving the ring clear for Nakajima to pin Haruna Neko with the Northern Lights Suplex.

Today is Suzume’s birthday and she got to celebrate by beating the guest Yoshiko Hasegawa in the opener. The Ganbare☆Pro wrestler did a Flying Cross Body of her own to match Suzume’s. She went into a flurry of Elbow Strikes until Suzume cut her off with a Facebuster and won with the Ring A Bell.

There were a few announcements to kick off the show. Miu Watanabe learned she will be defending the International Princess Title on 4th January against Trish Adora from America. Watanabe said she is nervous to defend the title against foreign wrestlers but wants to kick off her 2023 by successfully defending the belt.

Mizuki is celebrating her 10th Anniversary in wrestling next month and got to book her own commemorative match on 15th December. She is teaming with her longtime admirer Rika Tatsumi to take on Yuka Sakazaki & Nao Kakuta. Sakazaki is there because it is the rare time when The Magical Sugar Rabbits are pitted against each other. Kakuta is involved because she began her wrestling career outside of TJPW like Mizuki did. Tatsumi was chosen to be Mizuki’s tag patner because Tatsumi represents Mizuki’s fans.

When the Yume Pro Wrestling -dream on the ring- series ended it was left up to the three contestants to decide if they wanted to continue on the path to pro wrestling. One of them is doing just that. Wakana Uehara announced her plans to stay in the business and wrestle for TJPW when she is ready. She did not know a thing about pro wrestling when she agreed to take part in the series and over time grew to love it along with developing an admiration for TJPW. She will train to wrestle while continuing her career as an actress and TV personality. Her first goal is to develop her skills high enough that she gets to wrestle against Shoko Nakajima.

Since Raku was absent, Shino was again in her place performing with the rest of The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) as the show opening act.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YUME PRO WRESTLING -DREAM ON THE RING-” Results

October 14, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YUME PRO WRESTLING -DREAM ON THE RING-”, 14/10/2022
Shinjuku FACE
307 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Nao Kakuta defeated Kaya Toribami with the Shiden Kai (6:10).
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao defeated Raku and Mahiro Kiryu when Misao pinned Kiryu with La Magsitral Cradle (6:56).
3. Yume Pro Wrestling Last Mission: Rika Tatsumi defeated Risako with the Dragon Sleeper (7:08).
4. Yume Pro Wrestling Last Mission: Miyu Yamashita defeated Himari Manaka with a Right High Kick (5:23).
5. Yume Pro Wrestling Last Mission: Shoko Nakajima defeated Wakana Uehara with a Haneorigatame (6:58).
6. Max The Impaler & Yuki Kamifuku defeated Mizuki & Pom Harajuku when Kamifuku pinned Harajuku with the Famouser (9:26).
7. Yuki Aino & Moka Miyamoto defeated Miu Watanabe & Suzume when Moyamoto pinned Suzume with the Korokan (15:11).
8. Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh & Haruna Neko defeated Rhia O’Reilly, Hikari Noa & Arisu Endo when Sakazaki pinned Endo with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (14:15).

Today’s show was built around the Yume Pro Wrestling -dream on the ring- show Tokyo Joshi Pro put together to train women from the entertainment industry (idols, actresses, models, etc.) into pro wrestlers. Three idols have been training since May to have their first matches today. Each have a dream they want to make true by winning the competition but there can be only one in the ring. Missions took place throughout the series with points awarded to those who succeeded. Today was where the final mission was being held.

Each contestant would wrestle an Exhibition match against one of TJPW’s best. First up was Risako (currently on 13 points) taking on Rika Tatsumi. Risako did Body Slams, Shoulder Blocks and a Crab Hold. But Tatsumi dragged her down with a Sleeper Hold and switched to the Dragon Sleeper for the submission victory.

Himari Manaka (also on 13 points) was next with the tough task of fighting Miyu Yamashita. The skill mismatch was on show here with Yamashita constantly wearing down Manaka with strikes and demanding her to fight back. Manaka finally found an opening and struck with a Big Boot to the face. Her comeback was short lived though and Yamashita pinned her with a Right High Kick.

The third and final match saw Wakana Uehara (leading with 20 points) facing Shoko Nakajima. This match was kept on the ground at first until the two fired Dropkicks and Body Slams to each other back and forth. Nakajima ended up trapping Uehara in a Butterfly Lock, making the idol submit in the end.

The three contestants commented on their matches backstage. Risako didn’t know anything about wrestling but wanted to jump into something brand new and unknown to her. She did her best and is glad with her time spent in Yume Pro Wrestling. Manaka said her match was the culmination of the last six months of training. She called Yamashita a strong and frustrating opponent to fight. Uehara said she had a lot of regrets while training but has now regrets now she has wrestled a match. She is disappointed she lost but is sure she gave it everything she has. The final score will be determined by several factors. The voting was open towards fans, wrestlers, staff and also Aja Kong who was part of the competition as a special guest trainer and judge. The final results will be announced on the next episode of Yume Pro Wrestling airing on TJPW’s Youtube channel on 28th October.

Yuka Sakazaki gave Arisu Endo some words of encouragement after the main event. She told her everyone in TJPW is changing more and more. Sakazaki told Endo to go for it too. Endo is taking the advice to heart because her homecoming show in Fukushima is coming up on 21st October. Rhia O’Reilly also got to tell everyone how much fun she had on this tour, particularly with Haruna Neko because she likes cats. She definitely wants to come back some day and win next time. The likes of Hikari Noa and Maki Itoh want to fight her again.

An upset took place in the semi-main event tag match when Moka Miyamoto pinned Suzume with a Suplex Neckbreaker move called the Korokan. She named it that because the Korokan residence is where you go towards after you pass the Rashomon gate. With this new move proving to be successful, Miyamoto challenged Miu Watanabe for the International Princess Title. Watanabe never expected Miyamoto to be her first challenger but is happy it is her because they always train hard together.

Once again Pom Harajuku was entrusted with making sure Max The Impaler does not wreck the place while fighting. She learned during the match that her loud screams causes Max to hold their ears in pain so Harajuku has at least something to defend herself with. It didn’t matter though because after the tag match, Max grabbed Harajuku and knocked her out with a Lariat. At least Yuki Kamifuku and Mizuki did the polite thing and carried Harajuku back to the locker room. Mizuki thinks Harajuku is doing a good job at keeping Max distracted so she should keep doing it. That is the last thing Harajuku wants to hear right now!

Willow Nightingale will finally make her Tokyo Joshi Pro debut on 29th October and will also be on the 6th November show. She was originally meant to do a tour in July but it was postponed until now because of visa problems.


Higuchi’s Injured Hand, Dream On The Ring Last Mission

October 11, 2022

DDT “GET ALIVE 2022”, 12/10/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. 4 Way Tag Match: Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
2. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match!: Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match! Yuki Ishida 1st Anniversary Match ~ Playfulness Series Act 4: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yuki Ishida
4. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match!: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Takeshi Masada
5. Makoto Oishi 20th Anniversary Match ~ Men’s Club Vs The 37KAMIINA: Makoto Oishi, MEN’S Teioh & Shiori Asahi Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata
6. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match!: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Toi Kojima
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

Kazusada Higuchi is going into tomorrow’s show with his injured hand in an even worse state thanks to Daisuke Sasaki hitting it with a chair in the hallway after yesterday’s show. Defending the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Naomi Yoshimura against Sasaki & KANON isn’t all Higuchi has to worry about. Shinya Aoki has promised to show up with the Right To Challenge NFT as well.

There will be an announcement of a tag team making their way to DDT for the first time for the 29th December show. Who the team is will be revealed tomorrow.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YUME PRO WRESTLING -DREAM ON THE RING-”, 14/10/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Last Mission: Risako Vs Rika Tatsumi
2. Last Mission: Himari Manaka Vs Miyu Yamashita
3. Last Mission: Wakana Uehara Vs Shoko Nakajima
4. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu
5. Mizuki & Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler & Yuki Kamifuky
6. Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Yuki Aino & Moka Miyamoto
7. Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh & Haruna Neko Vs Rhia O’Reilly, Hikari Noa & Arisu Endo

The time has come to decide who will be the winner of Yume Pro Wrestling -dream on the ring-. When all three exhibition matches are completed an audience vote will determine which one out of Risako, Wakana Uehara and Himari Manaka will go on to make her professional wrestling debut. The three idols already have ring gear made for the show and one of them even created their own entrance music. Uehara made a song called “Keep my heart burning” to be used as her theme.

Rhia O’Reilly isn’t done with Tokyo Joshi Pro yet. She is put into the mix with some of TJPW’s top players before she goes home.

What has Pom Harajuku done to keep getting put in the ring with Max The Impaler? It won’t help that Max is possibly angry over having to team with Yuki Kamifuku instead of Yuki Aino. That’s not the Yuki they like!

BASARA “BASARA 202 ~TAKAGARI 13~”, 22/10/2022
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 2 A Block: FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 2 A Block: Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Fuminori Abe
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 2 B Block: Masato Kamino Vs Takato Nakano
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 2 B Block: Isami Kodaka Vs Yasu Urano

Onto the next round for the Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament. The rest of the matches in this competition will be held under normal rules.