DDT Around The World – August 2023

September 1, 2023

As always with this article I start off thinking it is going to be a lighter month than the last until it grows and grows. There are always extra bookings on the horizons whenever the boys and girls from DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro go abroad. August was dominated by two stories in my mind. Konosuke Takeshita wrestling The Golden Lovers in Wembley and Maki Itoh being all over GCW even more so than usual. Other things of note include TJPW announcing its return to America while dipping its toe into China, MAO becoming fast friends with El Desperado and Miyu Yamashita finding herself in ChocoPro territory by virtue of being EVE’s champion. Maybe next month’s article will be the one that finally slows down a little bit.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023
Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA

1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia


WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Lucha Street Fight: Gringo Loco Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Video starts at 39:54.
MDRN NMD/GATOH MOVE “CHOCO NIGHT GRAPS!”, 29/08/2023
The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England

1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Kid Lykos

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Results


AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023
Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA

1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia when Jericho pinned Garcia after a Bat Attack from Don Callis (12:21).

As I feared, Takeshita’s storyline with Don Callis was pretty much hijacked by Chris Jericho to set up his own angle with Takeshita’s manager. Takeshita & Jericho teamed up under Callis’s recommendation against two people close to Jericho, Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia. Callis knocked out Garcia with a baseball bat behind the ref’s back and Jericho made the choice to pin him for the victory.


WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Lucha Street Fight: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Gringo Loco with the Diving Senton (14:39).

Takeshita showed up in Wrestling REVOLVER as a short notice replacement for Jon Moxley. His appearance made up for Takeshita’s own cancelled booking with the promotion back in June. Here Takeshita faced Gringo Loco in a Lucha Street Fight. By coincidence one of Loco’s big moves is the Himawari Bomb that Sanshiro Takagi also uses. Takeshita kicked out of the move and then countered a top rope version into a Poison Rana. Loco kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee so Takeshita then took a page out of Moxley’s book by giving Loco the Paradigm Shift. From there Takeshita won with the Diving Senton.


DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR 2023”, 04/08/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Dreamwave Women’s Title Qualifying Scramble: Zayda Steele defeated Brittnie Brooks, Maki Itoh, B3CCA, Kaia McKenna and Shazza McKenzie when Steele pinned McKenzie after the It’s Brittnie Bitch from Brooks (8:08).

Itoh entered Dreamwave’s 6-Woman Scramble in the hopes of qualifying for their new Women’s Championship. It was first fall to a finish but the ring soon emptied when some of the women, Itoh included got thrown out. She didn’t factor into the finish but would soon find out she had another chance.


DREAMWAVE “THOSE SUMMER NIGHTS”, 05/08/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Dreamwave Women’s Title Qualifying Scramble: Brittnie Brooks defeated Maki Itoh, B3CCA, Kaia McKenna, Maggie Lee and Shelly Benson when Brookes pinned Lee with the It’s Brittnie Bitch (8:08).

The second chance didn’t work out any better for her. Another 6-Woman Scramble was held the next night with some of the same women involved. Itoh tried to submit two opponents at once by giving them a Double Half Crab but it left her vulnerable to a Super Kick. She went to recover outside the ring and couldn’t climb back in time to break the pin.


GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS”, 11/08/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Steph De Lander defeated Allie Katch, Maki Itoh and Masha Slamovich when De Lander pinned Itoh with the Fireman’s Carry Facebuster (11:53).

Okay maybe multi-person free for alls are not Itoh’s forte. This one was a bit crazy though. Masha Slamovich had Allie Katch beaten when all of a sudden Blake Christian jumped into the ring and attacked her. Itoh took exception and threw punches at Christian, opening herself up to Steph De Lander giving her an F5-like move to win.


PWG “MYSTERY VORTEX”, 13/08/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Rey Horus (?:??).
2. Evil Uno, Maki Itoh & Aramis defeated Masha Slamovich, Peter Avalon & Látigo (?:??).

Here’s something I never thought I’d write. Maki Itoh did a balcony dive at a PWG show! It’s been rare to see PWG holding shows nowadays but last month they held one of their signature events “MYSTERY VORTEX” where nothing is advertised before hand and fans only know what the matches are when they happen. Itoh was involved in a bizarre mixture of wrestlers in a 6-Person Tag Match. She teamed with Evil Uno & Aramis to beat Masha Slamovich, Peter Avalon & Látigo in a match mixing together AEW, lucha libre and women’s wrestling talent.

Takeshita was also on the show too, beating Rey Horus. I’d call him a PWG regular at this point if they ran shows more often.


KOPW “THE NEW ERA OF CHINESE PRO WRESTLING III”, 19/08/2023
Tianyue Sports City, Nanhai Foshan, Guangdong, China

1. Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (?:??).

TJPW made their first steps into China when Mizuki and Nao Kakuta were invited to take part in King Of Pro Wrestling. They faced each other in a non-title match and won over the crowd with their back and forth action.


NJPW “LEC PRESENTS ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL USA 2023”, 19/08/2023
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. El Desperado & MAO defeated Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver when Desperado pinned Oliver with the Pinche Loco (19:14).

The All Star Jr. Festival proved to be such a good idea in Japan that they brought the show over to America. MAO was invited along and got to team with El Desperado. The two of them bonded by playing Dragon Quest V on the flight to America so their team name was DQV. They fought a tag team MAO lost to earlier this year, The East West Express. Both Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver performed Stereo Springboard Cutters to their opponents but both only got a two count. MAO got rid of Wayne by spiking him onto the canvas with a Spinning Headscissors and Desperado pinned Oliver with the Pinche Loco.


GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 1”, 19/08/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh defeated Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander when Gage & Itoh pinned Cardona & De Lander each with the Kokeshi (11:57).

Months of fights between Maki Death Kill and Deathmatch Royalty led to a climactic battle between them finally happening. Itoh & Nick Gage were finally going to get their hands on Matt Cardona & De Lander with nothing in their way to stop them. Cardona & De Lander made a big entrance out of it, arriving at the venue in the Ecto-1 and wearing Ghostbusters outfits. For you see tonight they were the Deathmatch Busters! The joke blew up in their faces because Maki Death Kill sliced the two of them apart with pizza cutters! Cardona & De Lander tried to Pedigree Gage & Itoh onto thumbtacks but they were both Back Body Dropped onto the pile instead. Gage & Itoh then delivered stereo Kokeshi Headbutts to win the match and possibly put an end to the feud.


IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 20/08/2023
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Scramble Match: Chris Sabin defeated Kevin Knight, Frankie Kazarian, BUSHI, YOH, Rich Swann, MAO and El Desperado when Sabin pinned YOH with the Cradle Shock (8:06).

MAO was involved even further with the international Jr. Heavyweight Division action the next night. Impact and New Japan held a co-promoted event and MAO was thrown into an 8-Man Scramble match to open the show. He tried joining forces with Desperado again but the numbers game still proved to be too much for the two of them. Instead Chris Sabin ended up being the last man standing. Well, at least until BUSHI blinded him with Poison Mist after the match.


GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 2”, 20/08/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated B3CCA with the Itoh Deluxe (9:21).

In the first of two singles matches they have coming up together, Itoh beat B3CCA in GCW. Will the result be the same when they have a rematch at MLW next month?


ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 25/08/2023
Roundhouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

1. Maki Itoh defeated Charli Evans with the Itoh Deluxe (18:03).

Itoh’s next focus in GCW was their tour of Australia with the Renegades Of Wrestling promotion. On Night 1 Itoh defeated Charli Evans and revealed a new word she learned that Aussies like to call other people. I’m not going to type it out here. It’s difficult enough trying to keep this blog from getting caught in web filters.


ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 26/08/2023
Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

1. ROW Women’s Title: Aysha (c) defeated Maki Itoh with a Double Arm DDT (12:58).
*V3 for Aysha.

The second night featured Itoh challenged Aysha for the ROW Women’s Title. Itoh had the champion beat when she made her tap out to the Itoh Deluxe but Aysha’s cronies at ringside kept distracting the referee so it wouldn’t be seen. Itoh let go of the hold to chase them off but turned around into a Double Arm DDT, stealing the win for Aysha.


GATOH MOVE “CHOCOPRO”, 26/08/2023
The Yard Theatre, London, England

1. Emi Sakura & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Emersyn Jayne & Debbie Keitel (12:53).

Just including this result because Masahiro Takanashi is a DDT guy as well as a ChocoPro regular. I have more to talk about the second show of the double header.


EVE/GATOH MOVE “CHOCOPRO X EVE SUPER SHOW”, 26/08/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Emersyn Jayne with the Crash Rabbit Heat (19:39).
*V8 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. Mei Suruga & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kanji & Kid Lykos when Suruga pinned Kanji with the Maple Model (11:25).

Being the EVE Champion got Miyu Yamashita to appear on a ChocoPro branded show for the first time. She opened up the show with a title defence against Emersyn Jayne. That match was supposed to happen in July but travel problems for the challenger prevented that from happening. It finally went ahead here and the match turned out to be a violent one. Yamashita was slammed onto the front row of chairs outside the ring and Jayne ended up getting busted open. Jayne did kick out of the Skull Kick, being one of the few people to do so. But Yamashita followed it up with the Crash Rabbit Heat to remain the champion.

One of ChocoPro’s victories on the show against EVE happened when Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga defeated Kid Lykos & Kanji. It was one of the rare times men got to wrestle on an EVE show too.

The show also left with a question of what could have been because Marika Kobashi was planned to compete as an EVE representative. She is currently staying in Scotland but her flight to London was cancelled and she was unable to make it to the show. Part of her apology included regret over not being able to see Yamashita again so I wonder if she was meant to wrestle her instead of Jayne?

I was at this show by the way. Although I admit leaving during the main event in order to catch my train back to the hotel so I missed Emi Sakura’s surprise induction into EVE’s Hall Of Fame at the end.


ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 27/08/2023
Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

1. Maki Itoh defeated Allie Katch with the I.S.D. (11:03).

Itoh bounced back from her failure to win a title by taking on GCW’s own Allie Katch on the final night of the Australian tour. It was another clean victory for Itoh. She seems to have Katch’s number every time they face each other.


AEW “ALL IN LONDON”, 27/08/2023
Wembley Stadium, London, England

1. Jay White, Juice Robinson & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) defeated The Golden Elite Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Adam Page when Takeshita pinned Omega with a School Boy (20:28).

I was at this show too! Getting to see Takeshita live in front of 80,000+ people in Wembley was great especially since my first time seeing him was in front of 330 people somewhere in Saitama back in 2016. That I got to see him mix it up with The Golden Lovers was a bonus. Even the result went Takeshita’s way. He countered Kota Ibushi’s Kamigoye with a sick looking Jumping Knee Strike of his own. Then when Kenny Omega was dealing with Bullet Club Gold, Takeshita rolled him up with a School Boy to steal the win.


MDRN NMD/GATOH MOVE “CHOCO NIGHT GRAPS!”, 29/08/2023
The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England

1. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kid Lykos with the Takatonic (?:??).

ChocoPro’s trip to England ended with a collaboration show alongside Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling. Takanashi took on Lykos again, this time in a singles match and at a venue where there was no wrestling ring. It was a mat wrestling show similar to ChocoPro’s own events in Ichigaya.

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Upcoming Appearances


GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023
Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

GCW advertised Maki Death Kill as showing up in the show but they won’t be wrestling together. Gage is facing El Hijo del Vikingo while Itoh’s match on the show has not been announced yet.


OTT “WRESTLERAMA”, 02/09/2023
The Warehouse Red Cow, Dublin, Ireland

1. Session Moth Martina & Miyu Yamashita Vs Debbie Keitel & Anita Vaughan

Yamashita is heading over to my neck of the woods in Ireland for OTT. She’s looking forward to it and I bet Itoh told her stories about what Session Moth Martina is like. Debbie Keitel & Anita Vaughan will be there to stop the party though.


MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. B3CCA Vs Maki Itoh

Funny stuff that MLW announced this match first then GCW went and did it anyway.


AEW “ALL OUT”, 03/09/2023
United Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

It was announced during the “ALL IN” post-show scrum that Omega and Takeshita will face each other this weekend in Chicago at “ALL OUT”.


GCW “CRUSHED UP”, 10/09/2023
Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Killer Kelly

Itoh’s last match of her current tour is a one on one meeting against Killer Kelly.


PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Trish Adora Vs Shoko Nakajima

When Itoh is back in Japan, Shoko Nakajima tags out to be the next one going over to America. It’s all to build up TJPW’s big plan with Prestige as you will see at the bottom of this post.


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Penta el Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix Vs Shun Skywalker, Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf

Now isn’t this quite interesting? Takeshita from DDT and Shun Skywalker from Dragongate being pitted against each other. We also have the Lucha Brothers and La Rebelion involved in the match too.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

TJPW with the help of Prestige is coming back to Los Angeles this December! Announced for the show so far are Itoh, Yamashita, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Taya Valkyrie, Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly and Sandra Moone.


DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!” Results

August 13, 2023

DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
816 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Modified Triangle Lancer (7:14).
1. Special Single Match: KANON defeated Hideki Okatani with the Vietnam Driver II (8:04).
2. Diya Diamond Presents 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Naya pinned Masada with the World’s Best Back Drop (9:19).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – marcheur Presents Battle Royal: Naruki Doi defeated Sanshiro Takagi (c), HARASHIMA, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Antonio Honda, Akito and Kazuma Sumi (14:37).
3a. Naruki Doi eliminated Sanshiro Takagi (c) with a Cradle (6:58).
*Naruki Doi becomes the 1,573rd champion.
3b. Antonio Honda eliminated Kazuma Sumi by Ring Out (11:41).
3c. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated Antonio Honda by Ring Out (11:59).
*V1 for Naruki Doi.
3d. HARASHIMA eliminated Yuki “Sexy” Iino and Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno by Double Ring Out (13:24).
3e. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (13:54).
*V2 for Naruki Doi.
3f. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated Akito with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (14:37).
*V3 for Naruki Doi.
4. Jemile Fran Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima defeated Kyusei Sakisama, Chris Saint Laurent & Martha when Ueno pinned Sakisama with a Cradle (9:58).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (c) when Oishi pinned Paul with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (11:13).
*DAMNATION T.A fails in V1. Ω becomes the 78th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
6. DDT Extreme Title – Weakness Explosion!! Activation Conditions Are Up To You! Fall & Escape = Ghost & Balloon Explosion Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle from a huge balloon explosion (14:27).
*V2 for Kazuki Hirata.
7. Nivea Body Wash Presents Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Saki Akai, Maya Yukihi & Asuka defeated Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima when Akai pinned Nakajima with the Quetzalcoatl (19:01).

It came a couple of days early but Saki Akai celebrated the 10th anniversary of her debut pro wrestling match in DDT. With her retirement coming up later this year, Akai is getting several matches dedicated to her decade in the business and today gathered together a lot of women she has attachments with. In the main event Akai teamed up with Maya Yukihi & Asuka, two women who have been her biggest opponents in DDT over the last two years. Their opponents were a trio of wrestlers who all debuted in the same year as Akai. It was the first time Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima all teamed together. Iroha & Yamashita quickly thought up a move where they gave Nakajima a Double Splash Mountain onto Akai. Asuka Moonsaulted onto Iroha & Yamashita outside the ring and Akai rolled out of the way from Nakajima’s Diving Senton. Akai then hit the Rookie Award and pinned Nakajima with the Quetzalcoatl.

Akai thanked the other wrestlers for accepting her invitation, knowing how busy all of their schedules are. She wanted to show the fans all of the wonderful friends she made outside of DDT over the years. She knows they will all continue to shine a light on pro wrestling when she’s gone so everyone should keep watching them. She isn’t sure how many more matches she has left until her retirement but she is going to hone her strength and run all the way to the end. Asuka said she wished the three of them had teamed together sooner and wonders if they could have chased after one of the KO-D championships together. Yamashita overheard that idea and told them they should do it anyway, even if it’s for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. Her advice to Akai is to be greedy from this point until the end because she isn’t finished yet. Yukihi feels lucky she got to do her rivalry with Akai in DDT because she didn’t expect Akai’s retirement announcement to come when it did. Akai described all of the women are a fun loving group of people with good hearts.

Kazuki Hirata’s bizarre ideas to even the playing field against his opponents are working for him. The DDT Extreme Champion is normally scared of having to fight Yukio Sakaguchi but this time he got to turn the tables against him. Hirata’s stipulation for the match was to add ghosts and balloons whenever there was a kickout or rope break. Sakaguchi hates the sound of balloons bursting and also fears ghosts so we got the unlikely sight of Sakaguchi being submissive to Hirata and fleeing in fear whenever a ghost chased after him! Sakaguchi tried to fight his fears and found his spots to kick the hell out of Hirata. But by this point there were three ghosts in the ring haunting him with one popping a gigantic balloon right in his face. The fright made Sakaguchi walk right into the Miracle One Shot Cradle and Hirata got the win.

Once all of the ghosts vanished, Sakaguchi calmed down and handed the Extreme Title over to Hirata. He then attacked him a little bit and walked off. Hirata got on the microphone, said he was feeling mentally exhausted and now wants to know who his next challenger is. Naruki Doi walked out carrying the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title he won earlier in the show. Doi said his title win makes him feel more absorbed into DDT and he now wants to win the Extreme Title to become fully immersed in the company. He especially wants to beat Hirata for the belt because Hirata is the DDT wrestler who best expresses what the company is all about. Hirata refused but Hisaya Imabayashi ignored him. A double title match between Hirata and Doi will take place on 9th September. If Doi loses the Iron Man Title before that date then the match will just be for the Extreme Title. Hirata then tried to pin Doi to win the Iron Man Title but only got a two count. Doi chased him back to the locker room.

The KO-D Tag Team Titles aren’t ready to settle down with a team yet. DAMNATION T.A’s reign ended in their first defence, losing the belts to Ω. The champions tried to isolate Makoto Oishi and also get KANON involved to interfere for them. Yuji Hino came in to make a difference but his attempt to Fuckin’ BOMB MJ Paul was cut off by Daisuke Sasaki. That left Oishi to deal with Paul by himself. Paul threw Lariats at him but Oishi caught him with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch for the flash pinfall and title change. Hino praised Oishi for winning the KO-D Tag Titles under his own strength, calling it a miracle. Oishi was too exhausted to respond so Hino encouraged the audience to give him a round of applause.

KANON then entered the ring demanding a title shot but not as a member of DAMNATION T.A. There is another wrestler out there he considers a mentor. Hino thought he meant TAKA Michinoku but KANON said it is actually someone else because TAKA is busy. KANON’s partner is going to be Minoru Fujita! Imabayashi granted the request and booked the title match for 9th September. KANON helped Oishi back up to his feet, shook his hand… and then gave him a Clothesline before leaving.

Before Match #4 could begin it was announced that Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi were not at the show because they were both too hungover to wrestle. Then “The Rose Of Versailles” began to play and what appeared to be NEO Biishiki-gun walked out. Martha was there but instead of Yukio Saint Laurent we got Chris Saint Laurent instead. Also Sakura Hirota was nowhere to be seen, seemingly replaced in the match by Kyusei Sakisama. Despite their appearance looking weirder than usual, they were still NEO Biishiki-gun through and through. The 37KAMIINA had to deal with the unit’s antics. “Saint Laurent” jabbed an injection needle into Yuki Ueno’s neck, Martha was a nuisance towards MAO and Toy Kojima ended up suffering a Kancho attack involving Martha’s mop. “Sakisama” used the Academy Award finisher on Ueno but her glamorous pin was reversed and Ueno posed on top of her for the three count instead. The 37KAMIINA celebrated with their sponsored prize after the match until all of NEO Biishiki-gun gave them Kancho attacks and took the prizes for themselves.

Doi won the Iron Man Title pretty early in the Battle Royal. In fact him pinning Sanshiro Takagi to become champion was the first elimination in the match. Doi then had to fight through the rest of the field to survive. He still got caught up in the Pheromones experience with Kazuma Sumi, fell for Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune joke and outsmarted HARASHIMA. All that was left for him was a battle with Akito that ended with the DOI 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick. Doi promised to raise the value of the Iron Man Title then immediately had to fight off Sumi. That was when he realised the title is defended 24/7. He will stick to his promise anyway even if there’s a risk of him losing it in another company. Rukiya then tried to pin him so Doi kicked him away.

The 2nd match was overshadowed by the appearance of Evolution from All Japan. During the week Suwama told Tokyo Sports he had tickets for this show and was going in order to confront Jun Akiyama over a grudge held going back to Akiyama’s time as AJPW president. Suwama sat in his seat along with other Evolution members Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura to see Akiyama’s team beat Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada. Then after the match Evolution approached the ring, throwing aside Yuya Koroku and Rukiya who were trying to block them. Naya then wanted to stand in Suwama’s way but Suwama said he isn’t here for him. Suwama asked “useless former president” Akiyama why he is going to do an Exploding Death Match soon when he hated the idea of Suwama doing one six years ago? He then challenged Akiyama to come to Yoyogi on 8th September when AJPW is running a show there. He can even bring along Takagi so they can do a big Evolution Vs DDT match! Akiyama called the idea crazy but agreed to do it. He then told Suwama to stop making decisions without the AJPW president’s approval! Backstage Sato told DDT to send their icons like Dieno or HARASHIMA because as a former KO-D Openweight Champion and winner of a DDT General Election himself, he thinks he should be a DDT icon too. Tamura said he wants Yusuke Okada to come over because they have unfinished business from Okada’s time in AJPW.

KANON is sticking with the Vietnam Driver II as his new finisher, using it to beat Hideki Okatani in their first singles match against each other. KANON said the match left him more tired than he expected but that’s probably because of the summer heat. Okatani didn’t like the result and warned KANON he will beat him the next time they meet.

Koroku and Rukiya probably thought their dark match was the only physicality they would both experience today. Then Evolution came along and beat them up later in the show. In the match itself Rukiya tried to win with a Running Elbow Strike but Koroku took him down into a Modified Triangle Lancer to win by submission.

Chris Brookes has been appointed as the sales manager for “DDT BIG BANG 2023” at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th September. Also announced was Mei Suruga being at the 30h September show in Kyoto KBS Hall. That show is part of Akai’s countdown towards her retirement.


TAKESHITA Sides With Sasaki? Next Union MAX Challenger, Akito Vs Pheromones One Last Time, Itoh Brings GCW Feud To DDT

July 25, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 29/07/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
2. Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Mizuki, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Hikari Noa, Raku, Suzume & Shino Suzuki
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Arai
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Shoko Nakajima
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Moka Miyamoto

The Tokyo Princess Cup moves over to Korakuen Hall for its remaining rounds. Next up is the Quarter Finals this Saturday.

DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2023”, 30/07/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Kazuma Sumi
1. Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Rukiya
2. Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Kotaro Suzuki & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Naruki Doi
5. Yukio Sakaguchi 50th Birthday Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Thanomsak Toba & Masahiro Takanashi
6. DDT Extreme Title – Super Fierce Battle! Hirata’s Miraculous Allies Gather! No Touch Captain’s Fall & 2 Count Hall Handicap Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (C/c), Broom, Kokeshi, Chair, Yakitori & X (w/ Other Merry Ultimate Fighters) Vs HARASHIMA (C)
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima

The final image everyone saw at the end of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” was Konosuke Takeshita and Daisuke Sasaki shaking hands in a hallway backstage. Now we see Takeshita is teaming up with DAMNATION T.A to take on The 37KAMIINA! Takeshita denies having any intention of joining DAMNATION T.A. Instead he claims The 37KAMIINA no longer needs him so he now wants to stand across the ring from them. That Takeshita is choosing to team with Sasaki & KANON in order to do this is an unusual turn of events. It’s another chance for Yuki Ueno to chase after his friend. Toy Kojima also hasn’t been happy with Takeshita’s change in behaviour. MAO is a wild card coming out of Sumo Hall with a big win behind him.

Today Kazuki Hirata announced the match stipulation for his DDT Exteme Title defence against HARASHIMA. His big idea to even the odds is to use every idea he has. So it’s a Captain’s Fall Handicap Match with no tags needed, you only need a 2 count pinfall to win and HARASHIMA is on his own while Hirata’s team is filled up with a bunch of inanimate objects.

Two injuries came out this weekend. Tetsuya Endo suffered a left hand injury and later found out his fractured a metacarpal bone. Toru Owashi had a neck injury that was then diagnosed as a cervical spine injury. Both are now out of action with no timetable yet for either to return.

BASARA “BASARA 226 ~HAKUSEKIREI NO YORU~”, 06/08/2023
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Lil’ Kraken
2. SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
4. KUBITO Return Match: KUBITO & Daichi Kazato Vs Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe
5. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
6. Union MAX Next Challenger Match: FUMA Vs Ryota Nakatsu

Both FUMA and Ryota Nakatsu wanted to be the next challenger for the Union MAX Title so we’re getting a No. 1 Contender’s match between them.

KUBITO returns for his first match since April. He’s been out of action ever since dealing with health problems involving his pancreas.

Shinichiro Tominaga comes over to pay BASARA a visit. Although he is a regular with Ganbare☆Pro his actual home promotion is with a small indy in Tokyo called Come On Wrestling Party.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. SEVEN: CHRISSY B’S BIRTHDAY BASH”, 24/08/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Special Single Match: Mecha Mummy (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Ram Kaichow
3. Special Single Match: Hagane Shinno Vs Maya Yukihi
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Yoshihiko

The next Baka Gaijin + Friends show is also a big birthday party for Chris Brookes! Among the invited guests are Yoshihiko, Hagane Shinno, Maya Yukihi, Antonio Honda, Ram Kaichow, Mecha Mummy and Takeshi Masada.

Looks like Takayuki Ueki is fully adopting a mad doctor gimmick for these shows.

BASARA “BASARA 227 ~UTAGE~”, 29/08/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Winner Of 06/08 Match

The winner of FUMA Vs Nakatsu will face Takumi Tsukamoto for the MAX Title. Tsukamoto wanted to wait until the 29th August show for his next title defence because that show is when BASARA will be going back to serving all you can drink beers at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.

Sento Minzoku are now the undisputed IRON FIST Tag Team Champions but they have former two time champions Speed Of Sounds as their next challengers.

DDT “DDT BIG BANG 2023”, 09/09/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Pheromones Vs Subjugation Final Match! Special Single Match ~ Dissolution Contra Vice President: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) Vs Akito
2. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

Sunday was a dream come true for Brookes after he won the KO-D Openweight Title. He now has a big challenge in the form of Shigehiro Irie to prepare for this September. Irie coming out to challenge him was a surprise because Brookes expected somebody like Ueno to do that first. The two know each other from wrestling in Europe and they currently have a 1-1 singles record together. Irie has world domination on his mind so he intends to win the KO-D Title and bring it with him on his upcoming overseas tours (because that worked out sooooo well last time).

Akito has called out Pheromones and wants to put an end to their feud once and for all. For real this time. No seriously. He means it. He will face Yuki Iino in a match that will not be prematurely stopped or called off for any reason. If Akito wins then Pheromones must disband. However Danshoku Dieno complained that the match was put together without Akito putting anything at risk. After having a public meeting with Dieno today, Akito agreed to put his Vice President position on the line!

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Mei Suruga Vs Minoru Suzuki
2. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi

For the first time ever Mei Suruga takes on Minoru Suzuki in what will surely become a bloodbath! What caused Masahiro Takanashi to come up with such a sadistic idea for a match?

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023”, 24/09/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander) (c) Vs Maki Itoh

The next DDT Universal Title match brings one of the big feuds in GCW over to Japan. Matt Cardona is still soaking in the glory of his title win and now calls the belt the DMK (Death Match King) Universal Championship. Meanwhile Steph De Lander is wondering if she would go on a date with the injured Tetsuya Endo as long as he pays for every single thing she wants. Maki Itoh was so annoyed to see Cardona win the title she immediately sent a video to DDT demanding a title shot. She is certain she is the right person to bring the belt back to DDT and restore its prestige.


DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 3” Results

June 3, 2023

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 3”, 03/06/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall
189 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Yuya Koroku defeated Kazuma Sumi with a Running Elbow Butt (6:20).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Antonio Honda & Rukiya when Iino submitted Honda with the Cross Ass Sexy Lock Ass (8:56).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Yusuke Okada & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (9:21).
4. Sanshiro Takagi & Akito defeated Yuki Ueno & Yuni when Takashi submitted Yuni with a Texas Cloverleaf (9:05).
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Mei Suruga defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Suruga pinned Hirata after the Houkiboshi (11:49).
6. Toy Kojima defeated Daisuke Sasaki (w/ MJ Paul) by Disqualification when Sasaki attacked Kojima with a Chair (8:25).
7. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated HARASHIMA & Soma Takao when Endo pinned Takao with the Burning Star Press (11:03).
8. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada when Hino submitted Masada with the King Kong Sleeper (14:20).

The show began with Chris Brookes greeting the fans and announcing his dislocate shoulder turned out not to be a serious injury. His recovery is on track and he will return to action on 7th July. However Masahiro Takanashi pulled out of the show at the last minute with a fever. In the main event Yuji Hino submitted Takanashi’s replacement Takeshi Masada and then blamed Brookes for having to get chopped by Kazusada Higuchi today! Hino also admitted he hurt his own back last week so they should agree to give each other time to recover. He is really looking forward to their KO-D Openweight Title match so he wants himself and Brookes to be healthy for it. Brookes said he is frustrated he couldn’t wrestle today and currently has no confidence until he returns on 7th July.

Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul kept attacking Toy Kojima with chairs, causing Sasaki to get Disqualified. After arguing with the referee over the result, Sasaki then declared that he & Paul will be the other team facing Kojima & Yuki Ueno for the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles on 25th June. In fact, Sasaki thinks it is guaranteed DAMNATION T.A will win the titles so 25th June will be more like a title presentation ceremony. Kojima stood up to Sasaki and told him he is prepared to fight for Shunma Katsumata. No amount of cheating will stop Kojima from beating Sasaki for the belts! Backstage Sasaki warned that when DAMNATION T.A win the titles they will turn the belts even more red by dying them with human blood!

Upcoming DDT Extreme Title opponents MAO and Kazuki Hirata faced off in a preview tag match with Mei Suruga and Toru Owashi also involved. MAO & Suruga’s trickery along with Owashi’s insistence to side with them against Hirata made the match feel more like a 3 Vs 1 Handicap bout. Suruga countered the Hirata GO! glasses with her own pair of apple shaped glasses and then used the Houkiboshi double pin with MAO to beat Hirata. After the match MAO & Suruga admitted it was probably a mistake to bring their tag team to DDT but at least they now have a good win rate here. MAO also threatened to kick Hirata to death in order to win the Extreme Title. However Hirata said he is always ready to be kicked to death!

Sanshiro Takagi & Akito were both impressed with Yuni’s performance in their tag match. If Yuni keeps showing the kind of toughness and fearlessness he had today then they think he will be successful. Meanwhile Yuni said he now wants to have a singles match against Takagi.


Brookes Is Indeed Injured, GanJo Gets Marvelous, Sasadango In TJPW

May 31, 2023

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 3”, 03/06/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda, Yuya Koroku & Rukiya
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuki Ishida
4. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
5. Daisuke Sasaki (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Toy Kojima
6. Sanshiro Takagi & Akito Vs Yuki Ueno & Yuni
7. Special Tag Match: MAO & Mei Suruga Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
8. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Masahiro Takanshi

DDT confirmed that Chris Brookes dislocated his right shoulder yesterday. He will be resting for three weeks but no date has been given yet for when he can return to wrestling. This weekend’s shows have been changed around to make up for Brookes’ absence. Kazusada Higuchi is living up to his promise to help Brookes prepare for the KO-D Openweight Title match as much as he can and still intends to put Yuji Hino’s to the test this weekend.

The Yokohama show is changed a lot because of Brookes’ injury. Masahiro Takanashi replaces him in the main event, MAO now has to team with Mei Suruga again, Yuni will be teaming with Yuki Ueno to fight their bosses Sanshiro Takagi & Akito plus more changes were made down the card.

DDT “JAPAN PARA-WRESTLING FEDERATION CHARITY SHOW ~ WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN ODAWARA”, 04/06/2023
Kanagawa Odawara Arena Sub Arena

1. Takeshi Masada Vs Rukiya
2. Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuki Hirata & Toy Kojima
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs BURNING!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Akito
6. Odawara Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Makoto Oishi
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, MAO & Yuki Ishida

The Kanagawa show the next day does not have as many changes. MAO replaces Brookes in the main event, turning Harimao into HariMAO! Also Soma Takao is now getting booked to take MAO’s original spot in the Yoshiaki Yatsu match.

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
2. YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

The friendly rivalry that’s been brewing between YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba is leading to them teaming together. Their opponents come from Marvelous as that promotion is sending Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono over to Ganbare☆Pro!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~SHOKO NAKAJIMA LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 05/08/2023
Niigata Dúo CEREZO

This show is a long way out but I’m including it for the list of talent announced so far: Yuki Arai, Aja Kong and… Super Sasadango Machine? Well the event it taking place in his hometown after all. Last time he was in Tokyo Joshi Pro it was to help Hyper Misao reveal she got married.


Video – “BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. FIVE”

May 26, 2023

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FIVE: THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL”, 23/05/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
??? Fans

1. Special Single Match: Hyper Misao Vs Chris Brookes
2. Special Single Match: Takayuki Ueki Vs Mecha Mummy
3. Special Tag Team Match: MAO & Mei Suruga Vs Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno
4. Special Single Match: Drew Parker Vs Masahiro Takanashi


BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FIVE: THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL” Results

May 23, 2023

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FIVE: THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL”, 23/05/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
??? Fans

1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Hyper Misao with a Death Valley Driver through a Plastic Box (12:10).
2. Special Single Match: Takayuki Ueki defeated Mecha Mummy with a Falling Headbutt (4:58).
3. Special Tag Team Match: MAO & Mei Suruga defeated Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno when MAO & Mei Suruga pinned Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno after the Hair Of The Dog (12:13).
4. Special Single Match: Drew Parker defeated Masahiro Takanashi with a Somato (16:28).

Drew Parker and Masahiro Takanashi had their first ever singles match together to main event the latest Baka Gaijin + Friends show. Unlike previous main events from the group, this one stayed almost entirely inside the tiny little mat in the centre of the room. Other than a moment when Parker Dropkicked Takanashi into a fan it was a match of oneupmanship rather than a crazy brawl. Parker did a Swanton Bomb from a stepstool but Takanashi kicked out so he hit a Somato to get the win.

The silliness was more on show in the tag team match. MAO & Mei Suruga joined forces to fight Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno, the pairing also known as Egg Tart. Both Suruga and Koishikawa were put in uncomfortable positions after getting trapped in different objects. Koishikawa got tangled up inbetween stepstool legs. Shinno then came up with an idea to put Suruga sitting through the frame of an upside down stool and then placing her on top of Koishikawa. That way MAO and Shinno could fight each other without the women getting in the way. Koishikawa remained trapped in her stepstool until MAO put her in an Ankle Lock. She slipped out of the stool and freed herself from MAO’s submission. The match then split apart into two fights in opposite sides of the room. They all met back in the middle and kept the match going until MAO & Suruga used a combined cradle combination to pin both members of Egg Tart at the same time.

Mecha Mummy made a rare appearance for its first pro wrestling match in years. It looked a little shorter than the last time we saw him but it could still frantically shake its fists at everything. Takayuki Ueki’s solution to fighting Mummy and its rocket fist was to pull out his gun and pull the trigger. However the bullet ricocheted off of Mummy’s chest plate and hit Daisuke Kiso instead! Mummy readied its fist and was about to deliver a finishing blow to Ueki when suddenly Hyper Misao ran out to rescue him! Misao shot Mummy with an electrified bow and arrow, causing Mummy to short circuit. Ueki Heabutted it to the ground, then placed the Rocket Fist over his head to drop another Falling Headbutt. A wounded Kiso slowly counted the pin to give Ueki the victory. Mummy’s system rebooted and it took out an antidote to heal Kiso’s bullet wound. Kiso lost briefly lost consciousness but jumped back to his feet to give this story a happy ending.

Misao’s match with Chris Brookes unexpectedly opened the show and the two of them almost tore the place apart with their fighting. Misao stapled advertising posters of her self-produced show “HYPE!” on Brookes’ arm and chest. Brookes got his own back by stapling a poster onto Misao’s head. He then took out some plastic boxes and tried to Suplex Misao onto them from the bar counter. But Misao backed him off and hit a Diving Cross Body, making Brookes land onto the boxes. Misao then brought out chairs and placed them out sideways. He sprayed Misao in the face and then Body Slammed him onto the chairs! Getting desperate, Misao took out a plastic toy mallet with firecrackers attached to it. She put a flame to the firecrackers and set them off but Brookes dodged her attack and smashed a plastic box over her head. He then got Kiso to put the firecrackers onto another box and set them alight while he put Misao through it with a Death Valley Driver for the three count.

Antonio Honda sung a few songs for the fans before the main event. He had musicians playing a guitar and a saxophone accompanying him.


Arai Injured, GanPro In May, Suruga Popping Up In DDT, Giant Peter Pan Tag Match

May 17, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 20/05/2023
Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall

1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Toga
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs HIMAWARI
3. Hyper Misao Vs Shino Suzuki
4. Shoko Nakajima, Kaya Toribami & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro
5. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara
6. Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

Yesterday Yuki Arai suffered a leg injury during rehearsals for a SKE48 concert and is currently out of action. She will still appear at this weekend’s Tokyo Joshi Pro show but will not be wrestling. Hyper Misao will now bw Shino Suzuki’s opponent and Yoshiko Hasegawa is coming in to take Misao’s spot in Match #4.

GANBARE☆PRO “I WILL BE A BUTTERFLY FOR YOU 2023”, 28/05/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. GanJo Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & Riara
2. GanPro Vs Australia: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao Vs Hartley Jackson & Mitch Ryder
3. GanPro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka & Shota Vs Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
4. Mizuki Watase, Shuichiro Katsumura & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Yumehito Imanari, Tyson Maeguchi & Shinichiro Tominaga

Members of Sento Minzoku will be involved on some of the day’s shows to continue the BASARA unit’s feud with Ganbare☆Pro. On the first show Ken Ohka & Shota will defend their turf against Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura.

Australian wrestler Mitch Ryder is coming over to GanPro to team with his fellow countryman Hartley Jackson.

Moeka Haruhi’s surgery to donate one of her kidneys has been scheduled for late June so she is able to continue wrestling for a few more weeks. That means she gets to show up at GanPro again after already saying goodbye and have a few extra matches there.

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE YUMEHITO FACTORY 2023”, 28/05/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Yumehito Poison Rumble: Mizuki Watase Vs Soma Takao Vs Tyson Maeguchi Vs Yuki Kanzaki Vs HARUKAZE Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Riara
2. BEST OF THE SUPER arena Grand Final: Moeka Haruhi Vs YuuRI
3. Shin Rogai-gun Vs Shin Jidai-gun: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Yumehito Imanari’s GanPro 10th Anniversary Match: Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Ken Ohka & Keisuke Ishii

The second show of GanPro’s May tripleshot is all being put together by Yumehito Imanari. The main event celebrates his 10th anniversary with the promotion. He also decided to do a tag team match between the old generation and the new generation. The joshi match will have both Haruhi and YuuRI wrestling in “arena” branded swimsuits. The opening match will be a Rumble where everyone will enter to Imanari’s theme song “POISON ~In This World Where I Can’t Say What I Want To Say~” by Takashi Sorimachi. Every participant will also have to represent Imanari in some way so I think there is going to be several impersonations of his different gimmicks during the match.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 28/05/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Mixed Tag Match: Shota & YuuRI Vs Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE
2. Special Single Match: Choun-Shiryu Vs Moeka Haruhi
3. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Soma Takao & Yumehito Imanari Vs Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shuichiro Katsumura
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title Next Challenger: Isami Kodaka Vs Munetatsu Nakamura

The other Sento Minzoku appearance of course is the big Isami Kodaka Vs Munetatsu Nakamura match to determine who faces Mizuki Watase at “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”.

DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 3”, 03/06/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya
2. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Yuki Ueno & Soma Takao
3. Special Tag Match ~ Gatoh Move Vs DDT’s Comical Strongest Tag: Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata

A week after Mei Suruga celebrates her 5th anniversary in wrestling she is coming over to DDT to team with Masahiro Takanashi on behalf of Gatoh Move. DDT are pitting the two of them against their strongest tag team when it comes to comedy, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO MILON’S SECRET CASTLE ’23”, 17/06/2023
Tokyo GEN Sports Palace

1. Miyako Matsumoto & Alex Lee Vs Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi
2. Riara Vs Ancham
3. GanJo Vs JUST TAP OUT! Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Sumika Yanagawa & Misa Kagura

It’s only a little bit relevant here but JUST TAP OUT is going to changed their name in July to celebrate their 4th anniversary, shortening it down to their initials JTO. They’re keeping the logo the same though.

Riara is getting some more valuable in-ring experience, this time getting a match against Ancham.

The women of Ganbare☆Joshi do not want to deal with Miyako Matsumoto and her new partner in crime Alex Lee so a team from P.P.P. Tokyo will face them instead. PPP are fresh off of their first time in Korakuen Hall so Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi must both be feeling extra motivated to represent their company.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado

The mascots are being given the toughest competition DDT could find… Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine.


Video – “BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. THREE”

March 7, 2023

“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. THREE”, 07/03/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
50 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. WTF?! Tag Team Match: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei Vs Drew Parker & Death Worm
2. Special Tag Team Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga Vs MAO & Chie Koishikawa
3. Special Singles Match: Chris Brookes Vs Maya Yukihi


“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. THREE” Results

March 7, 2023

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. THREE: SECRET OF THE OOZE”, 07/03/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
50 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. WTF?! Tag Team Match: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei defeated Drew Parker & Death Worm when Kei pinned Worm with a Stake Attack To The Mouth (9:30).
2. Special Tag Team Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga defeated MAO & Chie Koishikawa when Suruga pinned Koishikawa with an Inside Cradle (12:22).
3. Special Singles Match: Chris Brookes defeated Maya Yukihi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (14:09).

The third Baka Gaijin + Friends caused a little more damage to ARENA Shimokitazawa than the previous ones. During the main event Chris Brookes and Maya Yukihi fought by the bar and treated the counter like a top turnbuckle to do diving moves off of. Brookes was pretty much too tall to do that and hit the chandelier hanging from the ceiling as he jumped off the counter. That broke the lights and caused that corner of the room to go dark! Brookes ended up recovering and beat Yukihi with the Praying Mantis Bomb after she kicked out of a Tombstone and a Tiger Driver.

Just like on the first show, Chie Koishikawa went full Chris Brookes cosplay for her tag match. MAO wore a costume too, pretending to be Baliyan Akki. This caused Masahiro Takanashi to attack both of them for being fakes. The real Akki got involved in the match to help Mei Suruga deal with MAO. Suruga then got to pin Koishikawa with an Inside Cradle for a three count.

The Brahman Brothers complained about having little room to wrestle in. They eventually found enough space to do their usual bowling ball spot. Death Worm did well to fight against them until it suddenly stopped moving. Takayuki Ueki explained it was Death Worm’s feeding time but The Brahmans stopped him from giving Worm its food. Drew Parker came to the rescue and gave Worm a sausage to eat, powering it back up. Parker grabbed a can of beer and went to hit The Brahmans with it. He missed and the can ended up hitting Worm in the mouth, making it drink enough beer to get drunk! The Brahmans then stuck a large wooden stake into Worm’s mouth and bashed it with a traffic sign. It knocked out Death Worm long enough to get pinned.

Whoever said Lingerie Muto had retired was wrong because his spot in the show was an open challenge for a fight! He looked out among the crowd for any takers, causing everyone to notice Will Ospreay sitting at the back of the room with Aussie Open. Muto then noticed Takeshi Masada next to them but Masada didn’t want to get into trouble with DDT if he accepted. Muto realised he could not wrestle anybody in the room under contract to a wrestling company so he instead randomly picked a female fan named Inoue to be his opponent. The fan overpowered Muto in a Test Of Strength. Muto climbed the bar counter wanting to do the Moonsault but had second thoughts and stepped down. Muto then got the fan on the mat and tried to apply the Figure 4 Leg Lock but Daisuke Kiso stopped him. Muto attacked Kiso and gave him a DDT but left himself vulnerable on his back. The fan pinned Muto and Kiso counted to three, declaring her the winner!

The next Baka Gaijin event will be at ARENA Shimokitazawa on 18th April.