BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FIFTEEN: SEHNSUCHT IST SO GRAUSAM”, 02/07/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Hyper Wasabi Cream Puff Death Match: Antonio Honda Vs Mad Dr. Ueki
2. Special Single Match: Mecha Mummy Vs Mr. Bueno
3. Special Single Match: Tam Higashinakano (MAO) Vs Sayaka Unagi
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FIFTEEN: SEHNSUCHT IST SO GRAUSAM”, 02/07/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Hyper Wasabi Cream Puff Death Match: Antonio Honda Vs Mad Dr. Ueki ended in a Draw when Honda and Ueki both ate a Wasabi Cream Puff (11:02).
2. Special Single Match: Mr. Bueno defeated Mecha Mummy with a Cold Spray Assisted Cradle (11:47).
3. Special Single Match: Tam Higashinakano (MAO) defeated Sayaka Unagi with the Violet Screwdriver (9:05).
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
For the first time ever CDK took on Astronauts and the match took place inside the cramped confines of Baka Gaijin + Friends. Surprisingly given the number of people involved in the main event it was kept mostly on the mats in the middle of the room with actual tag rules kept in play. Chris Brookes and Takuya Nomura in particular got deep into the action leading to a double submission spot when Brookes put Nomura in the Octopus Hold and Fuminori Abe did the same to Masahiro Takanashi right beside him. CDK isolated Abe with double team moves but Nomura came to the rescue. Soon Takanashi and Abe were in a Figure 4 Leg Lock together with Brookes and Nomura rolling them back and forth to try and give their partners the leverage. Both teams then briefly paused to get drinks before getting back to fighting. With minutes left to go it turned into a scramble where neither team could get the win. The twenty minute time limit ran out while Astronauts held CDK in submission holds and the match ended in a draw right when Takanashi rolled Abe over for a nearfall.
Sayaka Unagi was introduced to the world of Baka Gaijin thanks to MAO. He was meant to be her opponent but Unagi was in for a shock when some familiar music from her past played instead. Instead of fighting MAO, Unagi was now going to fight Tam Higashinakano! It was MAO dressed in a full Tam Nagano costume doing all of her poses and catchphrases. Higashinakano encouraged Unagi to give everyone a fired up, passionate match. Unagi used some of her signature moves but Higashinakano got the win in the end, having enough space in the room to hit the Violet Screwdriver. Later at the end of the show Unagi became emotional because she thought she would never see “Tam” in the ring again. She suggested that they should team together some day for another cosmic encounter.
The mystery masked gentleman Mr. Bueno returned to Baka Gaijin for another match. It was explained that Bueno is not a fan of the growing trend of AI so this month he was going to fight Mecha Mummy. Bueno dodged the robot’s attacks like a matador but hadn’t the strength to move his heavy opponent. His attacks also fed into Mummy’s programming and it learned how to wrestle from Bueno’s attacks. With Ueki helping in the corner Mummy was getting the better of Bueno until Bueno pulled out cold spray to slow it down. Mummy missed the Rocket Punch and hit Ueki by mistake. Bueno then made fun of Mummy for being old tech, causing it to open up its body cavity, pull out its heart and rip it apart in sadness. Bueno had to apologize and cheered it up by talking about how expensive Mummy is. The match continued and Mummy gave Bueno a Sunset Flip. Bueno reversed the cradle and used the cold spray again, freezing Mummy so it couldn’t kick out of the pin. After the match Bueno bumped into To-y in the crowd. Tory greeted him with a NeppoWER!! pose and Bueno responded by giving him a glove slap across the face.
The show began with Antonio Honda and Mad Dr. Ueki agreeing to make their match a Hyper Wasabi Cream Puff Death Match! If there is a nearfall then the person who got pinned must one of five cream puffs, three of which contain wasabi in them. If they eat a wasabi cream puff then they lose. Ueki got the first nearfall but the cream puff Honda ate was safe. Honda tried to go high risk by climbing a stool but tripped over it and hurt his knee. He told a Gongitsune joke but Ueki blocked his sneak attack and pulled out his pistol! He pulled the trigger but Gongitsune caught the bullet and threw it back at him! Honda and Ueki then struggled to give each other a Backslide Pin, resulting in both of them pinning each other for a double two count. They both had to eat a cream puff afterward and they both chose ones that had wasabi in them! The match ended in a draw with Honda fleeing while Ueki called for help. Mecha Mummy came out with a drink for its master to wash out his mouth with.
Baka Gaijin’s next show will be “FUCKED UP FEST VOL. 1” on 24th August.
DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ FINAL!!”, 26/05/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,005 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Yuni & Keigo Nakamura defeated Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi when Nakamura pinned Sumi with the Diving Headbutt (8:51).
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA & Akito when KANON pinned Akito with the Ground Cobra Twist (7:59).
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final: MAO defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Iai Kick (11:43).
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final – No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Chris Brookes with the El Es Culero (13:48).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Hirata with a Rock Bottom (0:05).
4a. Rematch: Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi and Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Naya pinned Hirata and Oishi with the Double Choke Slam (6:42).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shuji Ishikawa, Masahiro Takanashi & Yuya Koroku defeated Poison Sawada JULIE, Tetsumamushi Endo & Yuki “Anaconda” Iino when Koroku pinned JULIE with a Moonsault Press (9:01).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Ueno pinned Matsunaga with the WR (11:45).
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Final: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the 450 Cannonball (23:45).
On the 20th Anniversary a new King Of DDT has been crowned and it is MAO! He reached all the way to the final where Daisuke Sasaki was there standing in his way. MAO wanted to win quickly and busted out the Hollywood Star Press for a nearfall. Sasaki then started targeting MAO’s knees before taking him outside to do a Super Diving Elbow Drop while MAO was sitting in the front row. MAO fought back by biting his way out of the Crossface Lock, turning Sasaki over with the Michinoku Driver I and then applying the Just Face Lock. Sasaki took a big risk to get back into the fight by giving MAO a Superplex out of the ring onto members of The 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION T.A below. He then tried using flash pins including the Hurricanrana but MAO wore him down with Palm Strikes, the Iai Kick and the Cannonball 450 to win.
With this victory MAO thinks he now has a spot in the main event of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. He called Yuki Ueno into the ring to tell him it could be those two fighting for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall. However Ueno told everyone that he has to beat Sanshiro Takagi first on 5th June. Takagi entered the ring to congratulate MAO and tell him that he too is fighting to achieve his dream of being in a KO-D Title match at Sumo Hall. The closest he’s been to that position was the King Of DDT 2009 final but he lost to Kota Ibushi. MAO reminded Takagi he still had the Weapon Rumble match against The Great Sasuke that year and that match captured MAO’s heart. So much so that if Takagi becomes his opponent at Sumo Hall then they should have a Weapon Rumble match! But if he faces Ueno the match will just be held under normal rules. Ueno was relieved to hear that. The three of them all agreed by sharing a toast together in the ring.
Sasaki went through a war with Chris Brookes in the semi-finals. The two agreed to have a No DQ Match over expectations that both could cheat against each other. Instead it became a full blown hardcore match with tables, plastic boxes, chairs, a ladder, a stapler and even a fork board laid against the corner with “Fuck You Sasaki” painted on it. Brookes also had backup in the form of Mecha Mummy but Sasaki used a taser to make it short circuit and play no further part in the match. Sasaki was thrown from the ladder through a table and Brookes followed up by hitting a Diving Double Knee Drop onto the remains. Sasaki kicked out and then countered the Praying Mantis Bomb into El Es Culero cradle to steal the win from out of nowhere. A bloody Brookes threw everything he could get his hands on around the ring out of anger after the match.
The other semi-final had MAO beating a previous King Of DDT winner Kazusada Higuchi. He had to use Middle Kicks and Palm Strikes to try and match Higuchi’s Chops and Headbutt. The Doctor Bomb Higuchi used was kicked out of but so was the Green Tea Plunge that MAO pulled out. The match came down to duel between the two. Higuchi charged in looking to do the Buchikamashi but MAO blocked it with a Thrust Kick, stunned Higuchi with a Palm Strike, cut off a Lariat with a Hurricane Kick and finally put his opponent down with the Iai Kick. Higuchi had no problem admitting backstage that MAO is a really, really strong wrestler.
Ueno and Takagi used their 6-Man Tag as a preview for what to expect in the KO-D Title bout by brawling with each other in the crowd with the Dramatic Dream bike involved before taking the fight up to the balcony. They had more to offer back in the ring with Ueno doing a Dropkick and Takagi firing back with the Stunner. Tomomitsu Matsunaga used the opening to hit Ueno with the Tommy Bomber for a nearfall. Ueno recovered and Dropkicked Matsunaga in the face before pinning him with the WR. After the match Takagi said he does not care if Ueno is ready or not for the title match. Takagi is now free from responsibility and will be at his most immature on 5th June! Meanwhile To-y told Shunma Katsumata they will be enemies on 21st June because he wants to win the DDT Extreme Title from him in the 5 Way Sauna match. In fact, To-y accused Katsumata of not helping him during today’s match so they may already be enemies!
Plans for Match #4 changed when before the match Poison Sawada JULIE looking for his teammates to brainwash them with his Snake Magic. While this was going on, Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino asked Yuya Koroku in a nearby locker room to go find them something to drink. Koroku found some cans labelled “Modification Drink” in the room where JULIE was just in and gave them to his BURNING partners. What happened when they drank it scared Koroku out of the room while a returning JULIE was pleased with the results. It all became clear what happened when JULIE entered the ring with Endo & Iino both brainwashed into becoming Tetsumamushi Endo & Yuki “Anaconda” Iino! Koroku now had to team with JULIE’s original partners Shuji Ishikawa & Masahiro Takanashi in order to win the antidotes that would turn Endo & Iino back to normal. It was a tough challenge but a well timed dodge from Kuroku caused Iino to Spear Endo by accident. Koroku then gave JULIE a Back Drop and pinned him with the Moonsault Press. He then quickly fed his friends the cans of antidote to free them from JULIE’s snake magic. Whenever JULIE returns to DDT he promises to get revenge on Koroku for stopping him from turning BURNING into his new Snake Magic army.
The 3 Way Tag Match ended too quickly thanks to Makoto Oishi immediately pinning Kazuki Hirata with a Rock Bottom before one of the other teams even made it to the ring. It required a restart and the same result almost happened. Yukio Naya made it in time to break it up so the match could continue. A noticable trend then happened where Takeshi Masada became left out of all of the multi-man spots. Somehow Yukinori Matsui took his place! When Masada became upset over it, Hisaya Imabayashi paused the match and ordered everyone to let Masada be more involved because he is already a lonely college student. Most of them although Danshoku Dieno wasn’t really interested. Naya instructed Masada to climb the top turnbuckle and wait for the opportunity to do a big move while Naya took care of Dieno and Toru Owashi. Oishi and Hirata tried to give Naya the Double Miracle Ecstasy but it was countered into a Double Choke Slam. Naya decided to pin the both of them while Masada was still waiting on the top turnbuckle. The match ended with them as the winners but a sad and lonely Masada took his time to leave the ring.
DAMNATION T.A halted some of Smile Squash’s momentum in the opening match. HARASHIMA & Akito were doing well against KANON & MJ Paul until KANON caught Akito in the Cobra Twist. He then grounded the move and rolled Akito over to pin his shoulders to the mat for a 3 count. KANON bragged about beating Akito with a roll up style move, something that Akito is meant to be a master of. Fans like it when teams from the past reunite but he hates it and for that reason hates Smile Squash too. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano weren’t angry over the result. They assured Akito that they now all learned KANON is capable of winning that way and they will have to be careful of it in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match.
In the dark match Yuni hit Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi with a top rope Moonsault out of the ring. He then gave Sumi a Spinning DDT in the ring and Keigo Nakamura followed up with the John Woo Dropkick for a nearfall. Nakamura didn’t waste anytime and landed the Diving Headbutt to get the win.
A new singles match was announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”. Konosuke Takeshita will face Masato Tanaka in a rematch from March 2020!
There was an announcement during the show that DDT and GCW will be co-promoting a show together in Korakuen Hall on 12th August as part of GCW’s next tour of Japan. The show is called “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER” and Effy sent in a video message to promote it. GCW talent currently announced for the show include Joey Janela, Effy, Allie Katch, Masha Slamovich, Mance Warner, Jordan Oliver, Dark Sheik, Alex Zayne and Rina Yamashita.
Before any of the matches began there was a special presentation held by Saki Akai. One of her first projects with DDT since retiring from pro wrestling last year was to set up a crowdfunding campaign to buy new training equipment for the company. The campaign succeeded and today Akai donated the new equipment to Takagi and DDT.
DDT will be launching a new photobook with Leslie Kee on 21st July. They previously worked together for a photobook called “Super DDT” back in 2013.
Even with WrestleMania Week out of the way there is so much to talk about what happened in April. It’s probably going to be a month Yuka Sakazaki will want to forget. She finally returned to TV screens only to possibly find her way back to the injury list. It only happened two weeks ago so there’s been no update to her condition. All she has tweeted since the match happened is a zombie emoji. She was being set up for a match with Serena Deeb in AEW but that seems to have gone to the wayside because Deeb is already moving ahead in the AEW Women’s Title picture. Just have to wait and see if it was just a knock to the knee or something worse.
In more uplifting news, Konosuke Takeshita is showing interest in taking the IWGP World Heavyweight Title from Jon Moxley. This is going to be facinating watching a DDT affiliated wrestler in an AEW storyline built around New Japan’s top championship. Does he have any realistic chance of becoming champion? Not unless Moxley gets legit knocked out during the match again. New Japan have clearly set their own story over Moxley’s IWGP Title reign. Their roster led by “The Reiwa Musketeers” are all showing frustration over their company playing second fiddle to AEW. Whether it is Moxley not taking part in the Japan tours or handing title matches out to undeserving challengers in America, the story New Japan is telling does not have Takeshita fitting in anywhere as an important player and I do not expect AEW to make booking decisions that will interfere with it. Still though, Takeshita versus Moxley has been good before and the addition of the IWGP Title is a novelty that got me more interested in the rematch.
Wrapping up the month is the Tokyo Joshi Pro portion of appearances. Maki Itoh finished up her latest American tour and got to defend the GCW Extreme Title. Not sure when she is due back in GCW other than we certainly won’t be waiting long to find out. Miyu Yamashita returned to a bunch of familiar promotions from last year’s excursion. The big one was a visit to TNA where she main evented their TV taping. Most important of all, Kaya Toribami stepped in for an injured Hyper Misao to help save the world from a kappa invasion. That’s a good bird.
Oh and there was also the crazy happenings that went on when Kazusada Higuchi and Mecha Mummy went to West Coast Pro. Let’s get to that.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 20/04/2024 Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Emi Sakura
PRESTIGE/PRIDESTYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Trish Adora
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Results
WEST COAST PRO “CHRIS HERO’S PRO WRES MIXTAPE”, 14/04/2024 Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Chris Hero Vs Kazusada Higuchi ended in a No Contest (12:23).
2. Tornado Tag Team Match: Chris Hero & Bryan Keith defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Mecha Mummy when Keith pinned Mummy with the Emerald Tiger Driver (13:45).
This was not how I thought things were going to go between Higuchi and Chris Hero. I mean the first ten minutes, sure. They hit each other hard and Higuchi no sold hitting the ring post head first. That was all well and good. He even used his own head to block one of Hero’s Elbow Strikes. Unfortunately as they kept fighting in the corner the referee stepped in one too many times and got knocked out with a Lariat. Higuchi kept attacking Hero until Bryan Keith made his entrance and started squaring off with him. Hero & Keith joined forces so Higuchi now found himself needing help. Suddenly Mecha Mummy appeared!
There were plans for a Keith Vs Mummy match to happen on the show but now the fans got a Tornado Tag match between the four fighters instead! Mummy gave Keith an Atomic Drop onto the Mecha Fist but Keith returned fire by giving Mummy a Drop Toe Hold, destroying the fist on impact. Keith then challenged Mummy to a duel but it ended with them giving each other and the referee Low Blows. The ref also got impaled with the Mecha Drill by accident. Hero then fought Mummy all the way up to the balcony where Higuchi followed. Mummy fired the repaired Mecha Fist at Keith from the balcony and raced down to pin him for a nearfall. Hero returned with bottles of water but Higuchi stopped him from pouring it over Mummy. Keith however took a big drink of the bottle and spat it all over Mummy to make it go haywire. He then gave it the Emerald Tiger Driver to win a crazy match.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 8”, 14/04/2024 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Kylie Rae with the Skull Kick (15:30).
Yamashita’s good run in Prestige continued when she beat Kylie Rae in a hard fought match. Hitting the Return Crash seemed to fire up Yamashita in particular. With that boost she broke out of Rae’s Crippler Crossface and kicked out of a Super Kick at one. She then rolled Rae into a Buzzsaw Kick for a nearfall before putting her down for the count with the Skull Kick.
ROH “ROH ON HONOR CLUB”, 17/04/2024 (Aired 25/04/2024) Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Leila Grey with the Magical Girl Splash (4:44).
Oh yikes this was bad. There was an awkwardly timed replay segment too right before the finish which only makes me wonder what was cut out because what was left in is the kind of stuff those anti-AEW Twitter accounts would salivate over if people gave a shit about ROH. There was an Elbow Strike exchange that looked like both didn’t want to sell and then Sakazaki tried to do a rope-assisted German Suplex that did not work at all. She was able to beat Leila Grey with the Magical Merry-Go-Round followed by the Magical Girl Splash but that match was one to forget. Or at least it would be if she hadn’t gotten injured in her next match during the month.
UPRISING “UPRISING: WOMEN ATHLETES 2”, 19/04/2024 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Black Swan with the I.S.D. (9:22).
2. Hyan defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Glam Slam (11:27).
It looks like Hyan is one of the few opponents who seems to have Yamashita’s number whenever Yamashita goes over to America. This was their second singles match and there is a tag match to come later this summer. Hyan has beaten Yamashita both times now but it’s been no easy feat. This time Hyan was overwhelmed by Yamashita’s kicks but found ways to avoid the Attitude Adjustment. The last counter led to Hyan giving Yamashita the Glam Slam to win the match.
Itoh was given an opponent who is just as much of a dramatic attention seeker as she is in the form of Black Swan. They spent part of the match fighting outside where Swan threw Itoh into the barricade and then Itoh Body Slammed Swan onto the floor. After going back and forth in the ring, Itoh dropped Swan with a DDT and then got the win by hitting the I.S.D. off the top rope.
DREAMWAVE “ANNIVERSARY IX”, 20/04/2024 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Megan Bayne defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Tombstone Piledriver (9:52).
The next night Uprising’s main promotion DREAMWAVE put together the surprise matchup of Yamashita against Megan Bayne. She is one of the stronger booked wrestlers on the independents right now and her momentum continued here with a clean win over Yamashita. The result seemed to have put Yamashita in a bad mood afterward because she refused to shake Bayne’s hand after the match and left the ring with a sour look on her face.
AEW “COLLISION”, 20/04/2024 Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA
1. Bunkhouse Brawl: Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita when Danielson submitted Fletcher with the Chain Assisted LaBell Lock (16:03).
Add the Bunkhouse Brawl to the list of violent matches Takeshita is finding himself in over at AEW. He was all dressed up for the occasion too as one should be for a stipulation like this. Chairs and chains were used by everyone and things got even more chaotic with interference from Powerhouse Hobbs and Moxley. The presence of Hobbs tipped things in favour for The Don Callis Family even when Moxley came down to get rid of him. Things then went south when Bryan Danielson countered Takeshita’s top rope Power Bomb with a Hurricanrana onto a chair set up in the middle of the ring. Claudio Castagnoli then covered his arm with the chain and hit Takeshita with a Charging European Uppercut. Danielson won the match by hitting Kyle Fletcher with the Busaiku Knee followed by putting him in the LaBell Lock for the submission.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 20/04/2024 Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Emi Sakura with a Sliding German Suplex (9:31).
And here’s where Sakazaki’s return hit a big bump on the road. During her match with Emi Sakura, Sakazaki tried to do a cartwheel from the top rope onto the ring apron to avoid an attack. She missed landing on the apron and crashed onto the floor outside, hurting her knee in the process. Sakura bought some time with some improvised heel work ringside while Sakazaki tried to walk it off. They were able to continue the match but Sakazaki was still clearly shaken up and using the Sliding German Suplex for the finish was definitely not the original plan. Credit to her for gutting through it and still being able to do most of her moves but she couldn’t hide the upset look on her face after the match.
GCW “HOW HIGH”, 20/04/2024 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. GCW Extreme Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated Sandra Moone with the I.S.D. (8:55). *V1 for Maki Itoh.
GCW is keeping us on our toes when it comes to Itoh defending the GCW Extreme Title. It wasn’t until the show took place when they announced her match with Sandra Moone would have the title on the line. No worries! Itoh beat Moone in her first defence and they left the ring together shoulder to shoulder.
TNA “IMPACT!”, 21/04/2024 (Aired 02/05/2024) Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Knockouts World Title: Jordynne Grace (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Juggernaught Driver (?:??). *V7 for Jordynne Grace.
Last year Yamashita got to wrestle in Impact for the first time. Now it’s a year later and Impact has gone back to being called TNA. No matter what name it’s under now, she was back to fight Jordynne Grace. The stakes were then made higher when TNA decided to make the match for the Knockouts World Title. Yamashita tried something a little bit new in the match when she hit the Skull Kick to the back of Grace’s head buzzsaw style but Grace recovered and used the Grace Driver to retain her title.
PRESTIGE/PRIDESTYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Trish Adora with the Skull Kick (10:33).
Yamashita’s next Prestige match was at an event co-promoted with PrideStyle Inclusive Pro in Las Vegas. She defeated Trish Adora in a match I haven’t seen the VOD of yet.
DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 2 – KAPPAS COUNTERATTACK”, 27/04/2024 White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. Kaya Toribami defeated Ultramantis Black with the Sento Choryu (?:??).
This was originally supposed to be Hyper Misao coming back to America to protect the land from UltraMantis Black and his kappa army. Unfortunately an ankle injury forced a change of plans. Depending on who you ask she either got injured during her match against Steph de Lander at the “GCW VS TJPW” show or she was the victim of an ambush attack put together by the devious UltraMantis. Either way she sent Kaya Toribami to Daikaiju Pro in her place because they still needed a hero to fight for them. During the match Mantis called upon his kappa army for help but Toribami had backup from all of the other babyfaces to even the odds. In the end good prevailed over evil and Toribami successfully hit the Sento Choryu on Mantis to get the victory.
INSPIRE A.D. “THE EVIL WE DO”, 28/04/2024 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Maya World (?:??).
The last time Yamashita was at Inspire A.D. she took a surprise upset loss to Killa Kate. That wasn’t going to happen again when she fought Maya World in her return to the promotion.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “RATHER YOU THAN ME”, 03/05/2024 Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Joey Janela
She got a taste of GCW earlier this month with the “GCW VS TJPW” show and is coming back for a proper go this time around. Yamashita is getting thrown into the deep end for her proper GCW debut. Joey Janela is chomping at the bit to break her into pieces so he can rub it in the faces of joshi fans afterwards.
Will Yuki Kamifuku beat Alexis Lee for the VPW Women’s Title so it can go along with her Queen Of Asia Title?
MLW “AZTECA LUCHA”, 11/05/2024 Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title – 4 Way Match: Janai Kai (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Zayda Vs Delmi Exo
Well Yamashita wasn’t able to win the Knockouts Title in TNA but she has another title match to look forward to in May. She returns to MLW where Janai Kai is defending the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title in a 4 Way Match. The other challengers are Zayda Steele and Delmi Exo but Kai’s previous title defences have mostly been against joshi wrestlers and TJPW wrestlers in particular. She’s beaten Yamashita before outside of MLW. Can she do it again when her MLW Title is on the line and she needs to have eyes on the back of her head?
DPW “LIMIT BREAK”, 19/05/2024 Durham Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Lady Frost Vs Hyan & Vert Vixen
It’s back to Deadlock Pro! Yamashita’s first time in the ring with Lady Frost is as a team together and they are both familiar with their opponents. Hyan is now a regular presence in Yamashita’s US tours and Yamashita teamed with Vert Vixen the last time she was in DPW.
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT ONE”, 24/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Abadon Vs Miyu Yamashita
This isn’t the first time Yamashita will be fighting a zombie. She used to do that all the time when Maho Kurone was still wrestling. Abadon though is a bit more intense when it comes to that sort of stuff.
LLL “HIGH STRANGENESS – NIGHT TWO”, 25/05/2024 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
What else is Lucha Libre & Laughs going to throw at Yamashita?
SETUP “CLASH OF THE TITANS”, 25/05/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Matcha (c) Vs Monomoth Vs Mizuki
How possible is is that Mizuki wins the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title and then brings it along for her Queen Of Asia Title shot that is due anytime soon? Add the VPW Women’s Title then we end up with an Asian Triple Crown of women’s championships.
GCW “TOURNAMENT OF SURVIVAL 9”, 01/06/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Tournament Of Survival 9: Shunma Katsumata Vs X
One of the big death match tournaments of the year is held by GCW over in America. The 9th annual Tournament Of Survival will have Shunma Katsumata as one of the Japanese entrants along with Big Japan wrestlers Hideyoshi Kamitani and Yuki Ishikawa.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL7: HIT THE LIGHTS”, 01/06/2024 The Temple, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
The first two seasons of Lucha Underground was a magical time. Season three was good too but the show suffered from taking a massive break mid-season but that’s a conversation for somewhere else. The warehouse that was used to house The Temple for the show tapings is going to host a wrestling show for the first time in seven years. I don’t expect it to look anything like it did in the old days because a lot of that setup was just a TV set but Takeshita getting to wrestle there is pretty neat nonetheless.
This is still for now the last date on Yamashita’s schedule before she goes back to Japan.
IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs X & X
This year is the 30th anniversary of IWA Japan’s launch. What a weird existence this promotion has had. To celebrate there will be a memorial show held by SETUP taking place in Thailand using the IWA branding. CDK will be there to defend the SETUP Tag Team Titles since those belts are also affiliated with IWA Japan. Will Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi have to defend the belts against a pair of kaiju or will they be fighting more normal looking opponents?
DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024 Tokyo Higashin Arena (Sumida City Gymnasium) 687 Fans
0. Dark Match – 3 Way Match: Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni and Ilusion when Sumi pinned Yuni with a School Boy (7:39).
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Cannonball 450 (13:26). *V8 for MAO.
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku defeated Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Higuchi submitted Rukiya with the Canadian Backbreaker (11:41).
3. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) defeated Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Masada pinned Matsunaga with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (7:44). *V2 for SCHADENFREUDE International & Mecha Mummy.
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Unagi defeated Sayaka Unagi (c) with the Stunner (7:46). *Sanshiro Unagi becomes the 1,626th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sayaka Unagi defeated Sanshiro Unagi (c) with a School Boy (6:23 pm). *Sayaka Unagi becomes the 1,627th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Unagi defeated Sayaka Unagi (c) with a School Boy (6:25 pm). *Sanshiro Unagi becomes the 1,628th champion.
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Endo pinned To-y with the Burning Star Press (11:16).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Zeestar defeated Sanshiro Unagi (c) with a Body Press (7:03 pm). *Zeestar becomes the 1,629th champion.
6. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ Adachi Tamasuke) with the Somato (12:17).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) when Sasaki submitted Oishi with the Crossface Lock (15:28). *D.O.A fails in V5. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 54th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Akito with the WR (28:42). *V4 for Yuki Ueno.
It was a long shot from the beginning over Akito’s chances of winning the KO-D Openweight Title. His plan over time was to wear down Yuki Ueno both physically and then mentally in the prelim matches building up to this bout. Ultimately the plan did not work out but Ueno had to work hard for half an hour to retain his championship. By targeting the knee Akito was able to avoid the WR several times. He also unexpectedly adopted some of Danshoku Dieno’s signature moves to try and win. But Ueno was finally able to land his finisher and get the victory. He was full of praise for Akito after the match and he wants to share his dream of bringing DDT all the way to the Tokyo Dome! Akito thanked Ueno by directly presenting him with the winner’s prize for the main event, since he is also the company vice president.
The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles now belong to DAMNATION T.A again and they don’t want to defend it against anybody! KANON in particular had to go through so much to win the belts. He has been the target of Dieno’s affections lately and that continued with Dieno chasing him all the way up to the balcony seats. KANON got some revenge back in the ring when he was thrown towards Dieno’s Hell Gate and he blocked it with a Volleyball Spike to the rear. Jun Akiyama then found himself getting a face full of the Hell Gate. That left Makoto Oishi alone to fight off both Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul but he couldn’t survive. Sasaki put him in the Crossface Lock and he tapped out. Originally D.O.A said they were going to disband as soon as they lost the titles but plans have now changed. Oishi is annoyed that neither Dieno or Akiyama came to save him but he’s not going to break up the unit just yet. He forced the three of them to shake each other’s hands backstage and continue to do their best as Dead Or Alive!
Kazuki Hirata brought out an unknown person to the ring for his match and introduced him as his disciple Adachi Tamasuke. He was allowed by HARASHIMA to stick around at ringside to learn about the business. Whenever HARASHIMA was about to beat Hirata with the Somato, Tamasuke would interrupt the match to ask HARASHIMA questions. That allowed Hirata to recover and try to fight back. HARASHIMA soon lost his temper and slammed him out of frustration. As Tamasuke drifted into unconsciousness he told Hirata all he ever wanted was to see his master do his famous Rainmaker move. Hirata had to tell Tamasuke he confused him for someone else. So instead Tamasuke wished for Hirata and HARASHIMA to dance together. They did but it was all a trap for Tamasuke to grab HARASHIMA and hold him in place. The trap failed and Hirata accidentally knocked out his disciple. He still rolled up HARASHIMA in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but he kicked out and beat Hirata with the Somato. Hirata admitted he hired Tamasuke to become his disciple and he might not have the money to continue training him.
In a non-title match BURNING defeated The 37KAMIINA in a regular tag bout. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino were happy to win their match at the Higashin Arena but both admit they have no emotional connection to the place. They are now turning their attention to the King Of DDT tournament and think they may wind up fighting each other in the final. No matter who wins they want to show the tournament will be about BURNING! It was To-y who took the fall in the match and he is angry over it. He knows it is a single elimination tournament so he cannot afford to lose after working so hard to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and qualify for this. Shunma Katsumata won’t be in the tournament but hearing To-y’s words gave him motivation for the next DDT Extreme Title defence.
Whenever you fight Sanshiro Takagi you can never know what idea he will come up with. You may even find yourself fighting… yourself! Sayaka Unagi was in for a shock when Takagi entered the ring dressed and painted head to toe just like her. He had become Sanshiro Unagi! They fought each other Hardcore style with fire extinguishers, plastic cases and even a castle of chairs getting knocked over outside the ring. Sanshiro kicked out of the Sliding U and suffered a slight wardrobe malfunction when Sayaka accidentally pulled his wig off. The awkward moment left a big enough pause for Sanshiro to give her a Stunner and win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! He explained after the match that Unagi has become a great wrestler who is also famous among people who are not wrestling fans. Takagi dressing up like her today is proof of that! Unagi said she always thought Dramatic Dream Team was a genius idea for a name and she will continue to work hard so she can one day surpass Takagi. She offered a handshake and then surprised Takagi with a roll up to win back the Iron Man Title! Takagi gave her credit and said since they are both from Toyonaka City they should team up as the Unagi Warriors. They left the ring together but then Takagi rolled up Unagi at the entrance to win the Iron Man Title again!
There was another Iron Man Title change later in the show. After Match #5 had finished, DDT and the Zeekstar Tokyo handball team held a few challenges in the venue. First the mascot Zeestar beat Pokotan in a sumo contest. Then Takagi, still in his Unagi costume was encouraged to play in goal for a game of handball where he was obliterated by shots from the Zeekstar team. He was left beaten and laying on the ground so Zeestar decided to pin him and win the title!
The wacky history of the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles can now finally say that a champion team had more than one title defence. SCHADENFREUDE International successfully retained the titles against Toro Owashi and his merry men (he claims there is a secret bond between sumo and parliament which explains his team choices). Mecha Mummy felt left out at some points because it was too heavy to get involved with the tag team moves but it made a big impact using the Mecha Drill on all five opponents. The challengers tried fighting back with Tomomitsu Matsunaga hitting Tommy Bombers and Shinichiro Kawamatsu using the Shitamachi Rocket finisher but Takeshi Masada won the match for his team. Chris Brookes said he loves the 10-Man Tag Titles and wants to defend them in other places like Baka Gaijin + Friends. He will also be fighting Masada in the King Of DDT 1st Round. Both Antonio Honda & Masahiro Takanashi are staying neutral for the match.
More King Of DDT preparation was shown on the undercard with Kazusada Higuchi and Yukio Naya facing off in a tag match. Yuya Koroku and Rukiya were there to be thrown around by the heavyweights. Higuchi got the last hit in on Naya by knocking him off the ring apron with a Lariat. He then made Rukiya submit to the Canadian Backbreaker. Higuchi thinks Naya has gotten stronger since their last singles match against each other but he will not lose to him again. Naya said he wants to prove he is better than Higuchi.
The return of Keigo Nakamura from injury had bigger stakes attached to it when MAO agreed to defend the DDT Universal Title against him. Nakamura wrestled in a new costume and showed some HARASHIMA influence by hitting a Reverse Frankensteiner followed by the Somato. A missed Diving Headbutt stopped his momentum and MAO took over, eventually winning with the Cannonball 450. MAO congratulated Nakamura on his return and told it takes more than just winning to become a strong pro wrestler. You get strong by wrestling a hundred matches a year without getting injured. He encouraged Nakamura to continue wrestling so he can grow stronger.
In the pre-show Kazuma Sumi won in a 3 Way Match. Yuni had things in control when he gave Ilusion a Swinging DDT. He then missed the Phoenix Splash aimed for Sumi and Sumi pinned him with a MIKAMI style School Boy.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. THIRTEEN: SPEED OF LIFE”, 09/04/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Special Single Match: Takagi Sanshirobo defeated Tyrannosaurus Inoue by Referee Stoppage (27:11).
2. 3 Way Dance: Baliyan Akki defeated Munetatsu Nakamura and Gaia Hox when Akki pinned Nakamura with a Backslide Pin (12:17).
3. Special Single Match: Maya Yukihi defeated Antonio Honda with the Snow Crystal (14:40).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Miyuki Takase with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:38).
The latest guest to join in the Baka Gaijin + Friends fun is Miyuki Takase. She is one of the top joshi freelancers going at the moment which makes her a kind of opponent Chris Brookes is always looking for. At the start he showed her respect until he begun making fun of the height difference between them. Takase found a way to make that problem go away by standing on some stools to reach his height. That plan failed when she leaned over to far and Brookes let her fall to the floor. Takase then figured out how to cut her opponent down to her own level. It allowed her to exchange strikes back and forth with Brookes and even hit some big moves. It caused Brookes to change tactics and bring out plastic boxes. Takase used her agility to bust one of the boxes over Brookes’ head but in return he slammed her onto the boxes afterwords. The small room they fought in was somehow big enough for Takase to do the Jackhammer in. Brookes also just had the space needed to do a small Diving Knee Drop from the bar counter. He followed that move with the Praying Mantis Bomb for the three count.
Maya Yukihi came back for her third appearance in Baka Gaijin and finally won a match here for the first time. She took on Antonio Honda. She immediately gave him Leg Kicks which made him call for timeout after each one because they were so painful to take. When he finally got into the swing of things, Yukihi switched her strikes from kicks to slaps causing him to call more timeouts until he could blindside her. Honda took control of the match and focused on pulling Yukihi’s hair while slapping the parts of her body that wasn’t covered by her gear. Yukihi fought back and put Honda in an Anaconda Vice. That was broken up when Honda reached out to a fan and grabbed their hand as if it was a rope break. He got the better of her in a battle of the Bionic Elbows but all momentum stopped when he stepped onto a stool and slipped off. It was to set up the Gongitsune joke and its follow up attack. The attack missed and hit Daisuke Kiso instead. Later the Shining Gongitsune attack also missed and took out Kiso again. Honda went for it one more time but Yukihi deflected it back into his own eyes. She then gave him the Snow Crystal Michinoku Driver to pin him for the victory.
The 3 Way Match had to take place in an odd spot of the show because the opening bout had not even finished yet. But Baliyan Akki, Munetatsu Nakamura and Gaia Hox went out there and gave it their all in a match where everyone needed to have eyes in the back of their heads. It reached the point where each wrestler tried out ways to pin both of their opponents at the same time! With so many trial and errors leading to nearfalls, Akki ended up being the one to outsmart the other two. He was able to pin Nakamura with a Backslide while pressing Hox up against the wall with his feet so the pin wouldn’t be broken.
The show began with a mad doctor entering the room but it was not Mad Dr. Ueki. Instead it was the scientist from the Mummy Research Institute who created Mecha Mummy back in 2005! He heard another doctor was misusing his creation in Baka Gaijin so he came here to show off his newest creation… Takagi Sanshirobo! Fighting the new mecha was a dinosaur on the rampage called Tyrannosaurus Inoue! It was a battle too big for ARENA Shimokitazawa and the two combatants took their fight out to the streets of Tokyo. They took too long to come back so the 3 Way Match had to go ahead. When the 3 Way ended, Sanshirobo Vs Inoue returned to the venue after spending time fighting in a nearby arcade, a fashion store and also a comedy show. Inoue hurt his knees and took a timeout to tell a dirty joke like Antonio Honda would. Meanwhile the scientist fitted Sanshirobo with a new Mecha Hand weapon that sprayed a mystery subtance. It caused Inoue to falter and fall weak as if it was deflating. Sanshirobo gave him multiple Stunners until Inoue collapsed. Kiso checked his arm three times and they dropped each time, resulting in a KO win for Sanshirobo!
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TWELVE: TEEN AGE RIOT”, 27/02/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Antonio Honda Vs Mikan Cassidy
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Mad Dr. Ueki & Mecha Mummy
3. SWS Hardcore Title: Kota Ibushikoshi (c) Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TWELVE: TEEN AGE RIOT”, 27/02/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Mikan Cassidy defeated Antonio Honda with the Mikan Punch (15:14).
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Mad Dr. Ueki & Mecha Mummy when Takanashi pinned Mummy with a School Boy (12:54).
3. SWS Hardcore Title: Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Kota Ibushikoshi (c) with the Michinoku Driver II (9:51). *Munetatsu Nakamura becomes the 173rd SWS Hardcore Champion!
4. Bonus Track: Chris Brookes & El Amigo defeated MAO & Mecha Mummy when Amigo pinned Mummy to prevent a Suicide Bombing (20:10).
No matches were advertised in advance of this month’s hangout with the Baka Gaijin + Friends. The Youtube feed only featured three matches with the third being announced as the main event. However after the feed cut off there turned out to be a bonus match featuring a new face. Or we can only assume it was a fresh face because it was obscured with a makeshift mask. A mysterious wrestler by the name of El Amigo showed up to team with Chris Brookes for a tag team free for all against MAO & Mecha Mummy. Amigo and MAO took the fight outside up above the glass roof of ARENA Shimokitazawa. They returned to the room and Amigo covered the place in fog with a fire extinguisher. The room was then at risk when Mummy looked like it was about to explode. Amigo grabbed Mummy with a hug and pinned it to the floor to get the three count. There were guesses online as to who El Amigo really is? El Desperado came out and revealed he is related to El Amigo. But he would like it if people do not tag him in pictures of his relative.
The match that was officially the main event was used as a spotlight for the future. Student pro wrestler Kota Ibushikoshi was back and he had the SWS Hardcore Title with him, ready to defend it in Baka Gaijin again. The challenger was Munetatsu Nakamura. In what could be the start of a new generational rivalry, Nakamura used the Michinoku Driver II to pin Ibushikoshi and win the SWS Hardcore Title! He was a little paranoid that other wrestlers would try to take the belt away from him during what seemed to be the show closing speech.
There was a conflict of interests in Match #2 because it was a tag match featuring all wrestlers who are currently attached to the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. The tag match was CDK taking on Mad Dr. Ueki & Mecha Mummy. However Mummy thought it was teaming with CDK and had to be convinced by Ueki to stand by his side. Brookes struggled to fight against Mummy’s steel armour and heavy weight. But when Ueki missed a Falling Headbutt from a stool, Masahiro Takanashi came to his partner’s aid. His fight with Ueki then took a pause so they could sit and drink beer together inbetween throwing strikes at each other. Ueki ended up getting drunk and stripping out of his scientist costume to reveal he was wearing his police themed wrestling singlet underneath. He then pulled out a gun and held everyone in the room hostage. Mummy stopped him with a Rocket Punch, knocking him back to sobriety. It then attacked Takanashi with the Rocket Drill. Ueki order Mummy to hold Takanashi in place so he can throw the Rocket Fist at him. The plan backfired because Takanashi ducked, the fist hit Mummy and CDK rolled Mummy up with a School Boy to win the match. Ueki blamed Mummy for the loss and it sadly walked away carrying the drill in its hands.
Antonio Honda had an unexpected opponent in the opening bout. MAO walked out wearing a tye dye denim jacket and was introduced as Mikan Cassidy! His relaxed and lazy behaviour frustrated Honda as he just couldn’t figure his opponent out. Particularly how to pull his hands out of his pockets. Mikan proceeded to wrestled almost the entire match like that, only pulling his hands out to use his own version of Gongitsune against Honda’s. The tempo changed when Honda began singing while Mikan clicked his fingers to the beat. He then dodged the Bionic Elbow and hit Honda with the Mikan Punch to win the match.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 23/02/2024 Yokohama Radiant Hall 281 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated MAO & Kazuki Hirata when KANON submitted Hirata with the Cobra Twist (9:13).
2. Danshoku Dieno defeated Rukiya with the Oyashirazu (5:54).
3. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu defeated Soma Takao with the This Is My WWE (9:51).
4. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Kazusada Higuchu & Makoto Oishi when Iino pinned Oishi with the Spear (13:05).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani with a Foot Stomp (17:06).
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) defeated Maya Yukihi, Ram Kaichow, Rina Yamashita, Sanshiro Takagi & Akito when Honda pinned Akito with a Japanese Leg Lock Clutch (23:45). *V1 for SCHADENFREUDE International & Mecha Mummy.
The business alliance of DDT’s management and RebelxEnemy was not powerful enough to dethrone SCHADENFREUDE International. With the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles on the line, the champions retained thanks to Antonio Honda in the end. It came down to Honda after Sanshiro Takagi got rid of Takeshi Masada with the Sling Blade and Stunner. Also Mecha Mummy’s drill failed against the toughness of Rina Yamashita. The bright spot for SCHADENFREUDE came when Chris Brookes Military Pressed Ram Kaichow out of the ring onto everyone on the floor below. Honda had to fight with Akito and came out the better of a back and forth exchange by pinning Akito with a Japanese Leg Lock Clutch. Honda thanked his team and told them they are all good men (or mecha in Mecha Mummy’s case). He admits he keeps losing and the thing he is losing most lately is the flow of time. He is 46 and that scares him. But he is able to win today’s match because of his friends. He doesn’t just mean SCHADENFREUDE International but also everyone who came to see the show today, especially those who bought merchandise! Backstage they all celebrated with drinks and splashed bottles of water over Honda. Some of it splashed onto Mummy though and it short circuited.
Meanwhile the RebelxEnemy wrestlers were mad at Takagi & Akito for losing the match. Maya Yukihi really wanted to win the titles and is so upset about losing it makes her want to cry. Kaichow put all of the blame on those two and even fired them! She doesn’t know what she is firing them from but they’re fired. Takagi pleaded with Kaichow to change her mind and offered her a new business partnership. Kaichow considered it depending on how much they will be paid for it. Takagi told her to discuss that with Akito and left him alone to deal with the negotiations. Akito didn’t know what to do so he told RebelxEnemy he will call them and then ran off. Kaichow told the others it’s no wonder why DDT only consists of men nowadays.
Two of the upcoming title matches were showcased in the semi-main event. It showed The 37KAMIINA are in good shape going against their challengers. HARASHIMA landed the Somato on Yuki Ueno but Ueno kicked out of the pin and fired back with a one legged Dropkick. Shunma Katsumata won the match in the end by catching Hideki Okatani with a standing Double Stomp to get the pinfall. Katsumata bragged about how well he’s been doing since returning from injury and he will keep the momentum going until he defends the DDT Extreme Title against Okatani. He wants Okatani to know that he can still wrestle without the need for weapons or death matches. HARASHIMA believes he is in great shape too even if the match result doesn’t reflect it.
Danshoku Dieno had a toothache going into his match against Rukiya and it bothered him throughout. Rukiya took advantage by using Headlocks and Elbow Strikes aimed at Dieno’s jaw. However Dieno countered one of the Headlocks into a Modified Armbar and Rukiya gave up. Dieno held onto the move after the match because the toothache was getting to him. Makoto Oishi had to get into the ring and get him to stop.
The new unit led by Kazuki Hirata now has a name. He is calling the group Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor! It combines a little bit of everything from the three members. Hirata is the Zuncha (rhythm of the beat), Naruki Doi is the Muscle and Shinya Aoki is the Survivor. He believes as long as the focus is on the two strong members Doi & Aoki, they won’t lose.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. ELEVEN: STRANGE BUT NOT A STRANGER”, 17/01/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Antonio Honda Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Opanchu Ihashi
3. SWS Hardcore Title: Kota Ibushikoshi (c) Vs MAO
4. 2-On-1 Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Mad Dr. Ueki & Mecha Mummy