Arai Faces Kong Early, Baka Gaijin Vol. 3, Hollywood Updates

February 7, 2023

DDT “HEAT WAVE OVER FLOWERS 2 ~THE WORLD THAT EVERYONE DOES NOT KNOW~”, 14/02/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) Vs Yuki Ishida (0)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Kazuma Sumi (0) Vs Ilusion (0)
3. Special Tag Match: Akito & Sakura Hirota Vs Tetsuya Endo & Kazuki Hirata
4. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~The World Unknown To Toi~: Toi Kojima Vs Yasu Urano
5. Anshin Oyado Presents ~The World Unknown To ShunMao~: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (Special Referee: MEN’S Teioh)
6. sauna line Presents ~The World Unknown To Yuki~: Yuki Ueno Vs Gorgeous Matsuno & Gabai Ji-chan
7. Final Set – Naniwa Kenko Land Yu~topia Presents ~The World Unknown To The 37KAMIINA~: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Toi Kojima

The mystery man Gorgeous Matsuno warned Yuki Ueno about has been revealed. It’s… Gabai Ji-chan? Are we sure Ueno is the one fighting against the odds in this match and not his elderly opponents?

Keigo Nakamura has a chance to take the lead in the D GENERATIONS CUP B Block. Yuki Ishida already lost his first match and cannot afford to lose another. Over in the A Block Kazuma Sumi will try to avoid ending his tournament with three defeats in a row. Ilusion’s next match is happening on 11th February so where he stands on the 14th will be very different depending if he wins or loses that match. He may be fighting for the top spot or his match with Sumi could end up becoming the wooden spoon match of their group.

A bunch of sauna related brands are sponsoring many of the matches on the show. The winners of each sponsored match will receive a prize such as free sauna passes and branded clothing.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/02/2023
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Arai Vs Aja Kong & Moka Miyamoto
2. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Janai Kai

One of the big matches taking place at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” in March is Yuki Arai against Aja Kong. Before that match takes place they will meet in a preview tag match in February. This will also be the first time Kong fights against Miyu Yamashita. Their only previous match together was as a tag team back in 2020. Moka Miyamoto teamed with Kong once before in 2021.

GANBARE☆PRO “GRINDHOUSE 2023”, 23/02/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Shota & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Soma Takao & YuuRI
2. Ken Ohka Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Punch Drunker Vs Battle Socrates: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Yasu Urano
4. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada Vs Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga

Takuya Wada returns to Ganbare☆Pro for a second go around. His second visit is going to be very different this time because he will be in the middle of the build up for Mizuki Watase Vs Shinichiro Tominaga.

Tyson Maeguchi Vs Yasu Urano is a first time ever match.

The mixed tag match on this show mashes together the ROMANCE DAWN rivalry with the two faces of Ganbare☆Joshi’s upcoming relaunch.

GANBARE☆PRO “MOONRISE KINGDOM 2023”, 23/02/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yasu Urano
2. YuuRI Vs Rina Amikura
3. Special Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
4. Secret Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Moeka Haruhi

In the main event when you eliminate the captain you win the match. But the captain’s identity is a mystery and won’t be revealed until they are eliminated!

Perhaps some of the opponents YuuRI and Yoshiko Hasegawa will be facing in the next two months will suggest who will be on the GanJo relaunch show in April. Like Rina Amikura here.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING PLAYERS ASSOCIATION PERFORMANCE”, 23/02/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. 3 Way Match: YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Hong Kong International Policeman
2. GanPro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Kentaro Hachisu & Moeka Haruhi
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Takuya Wada & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Shinichiro Tominaga, Tyson Maeguchi & Munetatsu Nakamura
4. The Return Of LariPro 2023: Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Ken Ohka & Shota

It’s going to be a busy day for Munetatsu Nakamura. He’s getting singles matches against Ken Ohka and Yasu Urano. Then after that he will be thrown into a crowded 6-Man Tag Match along with Yuki Kanzaki.

“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS VOL. THREE”, 07/03/2023
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

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

The third Baka Gaijin + Friends show has Maya Yukihi and The Brahman Brothers as the visiting guests this time. Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga will mix it up with MAO & Chie Koishikawa. Brookes takes on Yukihi one on one. Drew Parker finds himself teaming with Death Worm. Last but not least, Lingerie Muto will put on a performance of some sort.

DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023
Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match: X Vs X
2. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match: X Vs X
3. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match: X Vs X

Four of the participants who competed in the No Fee Rumble have impressed DDT enough to get booked for their outdoor show in Saitama next month. They are Great-GO-Khan, Dopyu♡McIntyre, Macho Gallows and “Mother’s Child” Mazakon Kid. That means the four of them are going to get paid this time!

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

1. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

The match promised for the Tokyo Joshi Pro show in Tampa back in 2020 will now happen in Los Angeles. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno gave DDT fans a taster of what they could do in their 10 minute draw last month. Fans attending the show will get to see the whole thing!

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

The Japanese talent coming over for the TJPW show are Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Maki Itoh, Mizuki, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Raku, Nao Kakuta, Suzume and Arisu Endo. International talent are still to be announced.


“BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS” Results

December 13, 2022

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “CHRIS BROOKES 15TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 13/12/2022
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
50 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Gatoh Move Tag: Masahiro Takanashi & Chie Koishikawa defeated Mei Suruga & Miya Yotsuba when Koishikawa submitted Yotsuba with the Octopus Hold (14:02).
2. Interdimensional Kaiju Vs Fucked Up Warfare: MAO defeated Death Worm with the Michinoku Driver II (9:55).
3. Double Anniversary Special: Chris Brookes Vs Drew Parker ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
4. Special Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Drew Parker & MAO when Brookes pinned MAO after the Praying Mantis Bomb & Thrust Kick Combo (6:07).

A special mat wrestling show inside a small bar was put together by Chris Brookes and Drew Parker to celebrate their wrestling anniversaries. Brookes is at his 15th anniversary while Parker reached his 10th. They faced each other in the main event and the venue was too small to take in the action. The two found themselves fighting up to the roof of the bar and brawling over the glass ceiling so the fans inside could see what was happening above outside. They made their way back into the bar and the match ended in a stalemate after 20 minutes.

MAO approached the two after the match and a conversation led to a bonus main event. Parker and MAO teamed up to take on CDK! This time there was a winner when Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi put down MAO with the Praying Mantis Bomb & Thrust Kick Combo. Brookes ended the show by saying tonight was a wonderfully stupid way for him and Parker to celebrate their anniversaries. They also announced that “BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS 2” will take place in the same bar this January.

For MAO’s match against Death Worm he came out wearing a costume suitable for the situation. He felt like a devil hunter fighting one of the UMA Corps monsters so he was dressed as Power from Chainsaw Man! MAO almost fell in love with Death Worm during the match but snapped out of his desires and pinned the creature with the Michinoku Driver II.

The Gatoh Move wrestlers found the lack of space in the venue a bit awkward. Mei Suruga and Miya Yotsuba figured out that when they lied down on the mat together they took up all of the space available. Chie Koishikawa wrestled the match in a Chris Brookes costume and even used the Octopus Stretch to win the match.

Antonio Honda gave a live singing performance for the audience before the main event.

Other wrestlers were at the show and some got involved in the fights when the action got too close to them. Takeshi Masada and Rhio are those examples. Then there was the one who apparently went incognito and kept it peaceful… El Desperado!


Video – “MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”

November 28, 2022

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE
302 Fans

0. Dark Match: Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen & Gota Ihashi (w/ Miyako Haru) Vs SAKI & Yasu Urano (w/ KUDO)
1. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki Vs Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama Vs Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W
2. Mei Suruga Vs MAO
3. Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Antonio Honda Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
4. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Masahiro Takanashi


“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022” Results

November 22, 2022

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE
302 Fans

0. Dark Match: SAKI & Yasu Urano (w/ KUDO) defeated Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen & Gota Ihashi (w/ Miyako Haru) when SAKI pinned Ihashi with the Kawaiild Knee Drop (4:11).
1. Mixed Gauntlet Tag Match: Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) Vs Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango Vs Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki Vs Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama Vs Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W (17:05).
1a. Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama defeated Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki when Yoneyama pinned Koishikawa with the Chinese Steamed Bun Roll (3:20).
1b. Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama defeated Cherry & Gorgeous Matsuno when Yoneyama pinned Cherry with a School Boy (5:12).
1c. Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango defeated Choun-Shiryu & Lee Yoneyama when Hoshitango pinned Shiryu with a Body Press (6:35).
1d. Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W defeated Mochi Natsumi & Hoshitango when Sakur pinned Natsumi with La Magistral Cradle (9:35).
1e. Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) defeated Isami Kodaka & Emi Sakura W when Akai pinned Sakura with the Quetzalcoatl (13:55).
1f. Ram Kaichow & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Saki Akai & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) when Miyamoto pinned Kei with the I.W.C (17:05).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Ram Kaichow defeated Sak Akai with a Cradle (c) with (7:43 pm).
*Ram Kaichow becomes the 1557th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Ram Kaichow (c) after an Elbow Drop from Yuko Miyamoto (7:45 pm).
*Ram Kaichow becomes the 1558th champion.
-. Special Match ~ Special Rules: Minoru Fujita Vs DJ Nira ended in a No Contest.
-. 3 Way Match: Minoru Fujita Vs DJ Nira Vs Daisuke Kiso did not end with a winner.
2. MAO defeated Mei Suruga with the Wedding Clutch (16:40).
3. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Antonio Honda when Irie pinned Honda with the Beast Bomber (15:03).
4. Daisuke Sekimoto defeated Masahiro Takanashi with a Modified Muffler Hold (23:09).

The 2010 Miracle Match between Masahiro Takanashi Vs Daisuke Sekimoto was revisited on today’s independently promoted show. Much like the first time, Takanashi was the big underdog but this time he was a much more crafty veteran. He targeted Sekimoto’s arms and continued to do so after Sekimoto missed a Lariat outside the ring and hit the ring post. The power difference just couldn’t be avoided though. Takanashi tried to hit the Takatonic from the top rope in a moment that flashed everyone’s minds back to 2010. Sekimoto blocked the move but before he could drop down and crush his opponent just like he did back then, Takanashi instead flipped over and Power Bombed him from the rope. The Takatonic was blocked again and every failed attempt to pin Sekimoto afterwards saw Takanashi’s chances fade away. The German Suplex that would normally end the match wasn’t hit perfectly so Sekimoto grabbed Takanashi in a Muffler Stretch and held his opponent up until Takanashi gave up. The two shook hands after the match but neither of them gave any speeches. Instead the show ended with Takanashi bowing to the audience on his knees and leaving the ring without comment.

Team Drift used Keisuke Ishii’s old theme music for their entrance. Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao also wore the same Team Dream Futures shirt while Ishii wore the shirt made for their farewell.

The special costume Mei Suruga wears for her entrance included flashing lights. During an outside the ring brawl with MAO, Suruga put the costume back on and dived from one of the nearby counters. She landed her attack and MAO complained afterwards that he could have gotten an electric shock. He then wrapped the costume around his arm and hit Suruga with an Axe Bomber. Inside the ring Suruga tried to put on the Cattle Mutilation but MAO kept countering it, eventually putting her in the Wedding Clutch for the pinfall.

A surprise match between Minoru Fujita and DJ Nira took place that went awry after Nira knocked out Daisuke Kiso with his umbrella. When Kiso woke up and was provoked by Nira again, he declared he was adding himself to the match, making it a 3 Way. The three of them locked up and the room suddenly went dark. Then there was an announcement that Kiso had seriously injured his opponents and escaped, leaving the ring completely empty. There was then an announcment that a new life was suddenly born. A spotlight then shined over to Hoshitango wearing diapers and crying like a baby. Then there was another announcement, this one saying Sekimoto quietly passed away on the morning of his match against Takanashi 12 years ago.

There was a brief exchange back and forth of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title between Saki Akai and Ram Kaichow. When their match ended, Kaichow rolled up Akai and pinned her for the belt. Akai then attacked her with the Brahman Brothers’ suitcase. Yuko Miyamoto tried to rescue Kaichow but accidentaly Elbow Dropped her instead. Akai then pinned Kaichow to win back the title.

The wrestler called Emi Sakura W in the Gauntlet Tag match is Papillon Akemi pretending to be her. The gimmick has been used in Gatoh Move before.

The UMA Corps turned on Gota Ihashi after the dark match after Miyako Haru ordered Shinsetsu Gomu Ningen to attack him. KUDO came to the rescue, scared them off and told Ihashi the Ebisuko Tavern was now protected. Ihashi told KUDO he hasn’t given up on his dream of becoming the tavern’s manager. KUDO gave Ihashi a Buzzsaw Kick in response and Ihashi apologised for trying to overthrow his boss.


Arisu’s Hometown Blues, D-Ou Undercards, Takanashi’s Rival Vs Takanashi’s Other Rival

October 18, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT AUTUMN ~ARISU ENDO LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 21/10/2022
Fukushima Aizuwakamatsu City Cultural Center

1. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Haruna Neko
2. Yuki Aino Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Maki Itoh & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
4. Rika Tatsumi Vs Raku
5. Miu Watanabe & Pom Harajuku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Moka Miyamoto
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo

The hometown girl Arisu Endo is feeling the pressure lately. No matter how much effort she puts into her matches she still loses in the end. She got words of encouragement from Yuka Sakazaki to evolve more because everyone else is also changing as Tokyo Joshi Pro grows bigger. For her homecoming Endo & Suzume are back together as Daisy Monkey to take on The Magical Sugar Rabbits. It’s a rematch of the Princess Tag Team Titles bout back in April. Mizuki pinned Endo to win that one.

Miyu Yamashita is wrestling in Spain this weekend for RCW so she is missing this show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE MOUNTAIN TOP 2022”, 29/10/2022
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Moka Miyamoto

One example of evolution in TJPW is Moka Miyamoto. She now has a new finishing move and gathered together the confidence to be Miu Watanabe’s first challenger for the International Princess Title.

Yuki Arai, Juria Nagano and Willow Nightingale will all be on the show. It will be Nagano’s first time wrestling in Osaka. Nightingale’s delayed tour of TJPW finally begins here.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 OPENING ROUND”, 01/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata
1. Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
2. Joey Janela & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
3. Jun Akiyama Produce Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Ueno
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura Vs RSP
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs KANON
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino Vs Yukio Naya
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs MAO

What an unlikely tag team Joey Janela & Yukio Sakaguchi is. Janela is currently on the indie run of his life defending the DDT Extreme Title around America and Mexico in Title Vs Title matches. He’s now a triple crown champion sharing a DDT championship with belts from GCW and Lucha Libre Vanguardia. However it sounds like he got a disgusting arm injury in a recent GCW and Zona 23 crossover show. No word yet on if it will effect his DDT bookings.

Once the trainee Kazuma Sumi has his debut match on 23rd October, he will move on to a few tag matches on the undercard of some D-Ou Grand Prix shows.

If Pheromones are forced to split up on 23rd October then the undercard matches may be changed.

GANBARE☆PRO “DIRTY HERO 2022”, 03/11/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Dirty Hero 2022 Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao Vs Mizuki Watase & Toi Kojima
2. Kouki Iwasaki Send-Off Special Singles Match: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura

Kouki Iwasaki has three shows left with Ganbare☆Pro before he has his farewell match at the end of the year. Shinichiro Tominaga is going to be one of his last opponents.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 1”, 03/11/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Soma Takao, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs RSP, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
3. HARASHIMA Produce Match ~ Blindfold Breastfold Tag Death Match: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda & Shunma Katsumata
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Joey Janela
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Daisuke Sasaki
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino Vs KANON
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: MAO Vs Yukio Naya

DDT gets to see RSP team up with CDK when they all take on Harimao.

DDT “DDT FREE -NOVEMBER- D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 05/11/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
2. Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Akito & Makoto Oishi Vs Hideki Okatani, Toi Kojima, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs RSP
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Joey Janela
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: MAO Vs KANON

DDT’s new generation lines up to face a team of veterans.

Again the undercard could be changed if Pheromones are forced to split up.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 2”, 05/11/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada
2. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
3. Yukio Sakaguchi Produce Match ~ 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Pokotan & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Kazuki Hirata
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs RSP
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuji Hino
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs KANON

Harimao and DAMNATION T.A are back to fighting each other in a tag match again.

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE – BOKUTACHI 4 HANJUKU 4 I LOVE YOU! 2022”, 22/11/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Mei Suruga Vs MAO
2. Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Masahiro Takanashi

A battle between two of Masahiro Takanashi’s rivals has been added to his show. He started treating MAO as a rival after their DDT Universal Title match happened in June. He also thinks of Mei Suruga as a rival whenever he watches her matches but kept that opinion secret from everybody until now.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22” Results

September 16, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 16/09/2022
Shinjuku FACE
206 Fans

1. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami defeated Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Noa pinned Harajuku with the Blizzard Suplex (10:50).
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao defeated Yuki Kamifuku and Haruna Neko when Misao pinned Neko with the Hypami Returns (7:45).
3. Rika Tatsumi defeated Mahiro Kiryu with the Twist Of Fate (9:57).
4. Mei Suruga defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Gateau Invisible (10:27).
5. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo when Sakazaki pinned Endo with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (12:46).
6. International Princess Title Next Challenger Match: Miu Watanabe defeated Suzume with the Tear Drop (13:09).

A No. 1 Contender for the International Princess Title has been decided. Miu Watanabe and Suzume were the two wrestlers chosen to be in the match due to their strong performances in this year’s Tokyo Princess Cup. Watanabe’s strength beat out Suzume’s speed and now she has a title shot to look forward too. It was announced earlier in the show that Alex Windsor returns to Japan next month for “WRESTLE PRINCESS III” so the title match will happen there on 9th October. Watanabe said this past summer was unforgettable for her. She does not want to stop her momentum as she climbs closer towards her seniors but needs to gain more experience and success to get there. Winning the IP Title from Windsor is something she wants to do.

Shoko Nakajima was on the losing side against Yuka Sakazaki today, showing she still has work to do to get ready for “WRESTLE PRINCESS III”. She thinks once she has completed polishing the skills she has now, she will be able to defend the Princess Of Princess Title successfully. Sakazaki lost her voice during the match. She and Mizuki made Little Mermaid jokes about it afterwards.

Match #4 was originally supposed to be Moka Miyamoto Vs Abadon but visa problems cancelled Abadon’s trip to Japan. Mei Suruga took her place and she decided to bite Miyamoto a bunch during the match. She did it to prove she is a more unpredictable opponent than Abadon and also so Miyamoto will remember her if the match with Abadon ever happens in the future. Suruga also prays that Miyamoto won’t lose against Abadon.

The trio of Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami went by the team name Free Chicken. That’s what you get when you mix Free WiFi with a cassowary apparently.


TGS Exhibition Matches, Abadon Off TJPW Show, This Is Not Meant To Be An AEW Blog I Swear

September 15, 2022

AEW “TOKYO GAME SHOW 2022 EXHIBITION MATCH”, 16/09/2022
Chiba Makuhari Messe Hall

1. AEW: Fight Forever Exhibition Match: Christopher Daniels Vs Chris Brookes
2. AEW: Fight Forever Exhibition Match: Ryo Mizunami Vs Hikari Noa
3. AEW: Fight Forever Exhibition Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Winner Of Match #1

There’s the confirmation over what I was talking about from yesterday’s post. AEW are holding exhibition matches at the Tokyo Game Show with DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro also involved. There will be matches held over three days with a variety of wrestlers from the promotions already mentioned plus a few more names in store. On Day 1 the first two matches will be held at 1:00 pm. Match #3 will be at 3:00 pm.

Other names advertised to appear during the weekend are Riho, Michael Nakazawa, Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh, Hagane Shinno and Yuki Ueno. Itoh I’m surprised by because she has a match in Canada on Friday and a match in America on Saturday. Does the time difference work out for her to make it back on Sunday? There are also a few big name omissions given who is also in the country this weekend. Earlier today Hikaru Shida starred in the latest Makai performance and Emi Sakura was running a Gatoh Move event. And of course there is all the talk surrounding Kenny Omega. He is currently suspended from AEW related business due to investigations over the incident that is now referred to online as “Brawl Out”.

The latest gossip is Omega will not be involved with the promotion for AEW’s video game at TGS. News has since come out that both Nakazawa and Christopher Daniels have been cleared of any wrongdoing so their suspensions have been lifted and they can go ahead with their duties. Omega however is over in Japan on his own volition working on personal projects with Sega and Capcom. He visited Sega’s office and posted pictures of himself getting scanned, presumably to become a character for one of the upcoming Yakuza/Like A Dragon games in production. The Capcom connection is an upcoming panel appearance to talk about Street Fighter 6. Oh yeah and he reunited with Kota Ibushi too. As much as that tugs on my heartstrings I won’t go any further with that unless The Golden Lovers reunion makes its way over to DDT. Don’t hold your breath with that one.

Once every match from all three days is completed I will gather them all together for a results post along with video links should they be filmed on any of THQ Nordic’s social channels. Normally I would save AEW results for my Around The World posts but this is all happening in Japan with more direct involvement from DDT and TJPW than usual. So I may as well give the results their own post.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW AUTUMN TOUR ’22”, 16/09/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Haruna Neko
2. Moka Miyamoto Vs Mei Suruga
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Mahiro Kiryu
4. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
6. International Princess Title Next Challenger Match: Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume

Sadly Abadon could not get a visa ready in time to travel and cannot be in Japan this weekend. Their appearance at tomorrow’s TJPW show has been cancelled and Mei Suruga is being called in to be Moka Miyamoto’s new opponent. Abadon was meant to be at TGS first and foremost. The TJPW booking was made after the fact but visa troubles with the “event organiser” happened shortly afterwards. Attempts were made to solve the problem but the booking was cancelled in the end. This is not a problem exclusive to AEW contracted wrestlers (see Timothy Thatcher and NOAH last month) but I’m worried this happening so close to Willow Nightingale’s cancelled booking is revealing a trend.

DDT “STERNNESS 30TH ANNIVERSARY ~JUN AKIYAMA 30TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 18/09/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani & Soma Takao & Yukio Naya
4. Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida, Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima Vs Cara Noir, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
6. Naomi Yoshimura Vs Takeshi Masada
7. Jun Akiyama Debut 30th Anniversary Match – Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yoshinobu Kanemaru Vs Yuji Nagata, Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata

Jun Akiyama gave a few comments on the card for DDT’s website. He made some DDT to All Japan comparisons, saying Sanshiro Takagi is DDT’s Giant Baba. He also named Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi and Naomi Yoshimura as DDT’s Four Pillars. Because Takagi is like Baba, Akiyama describes Takagi’s tag match against Pheromones as something like the Family Gundan Vs Akuyaku Shokai comedy bouts that AJPW held throughout the 90s. Does that make Antonio Honda this generation’s Rusher Kimura?

Kenta Kobashi will be a special guest commentator on the show. He was Akiyama’s debut opponent.

GANBARE☆PRO “NERAWARETA GAKUEN 2022”, 02/10/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. England x Makai x GanJo! Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Nightshade, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Ram Kaichow, YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Hartley Jackson (c) Vs Yuna Manase

A big shift in Ganbare☆Pro’s main event scene was made after Hartley Jackson won the Spirit Of Ganbare Title from Yumehito Imanari. The first person to challenge him for the belt is Yuna Manase! The two have been in the ring together before over at ZERO1. Manase thinks Jackson does not know the meaning of Ganbare so she won’t let him extinguish its flame.

Nightshade won’t just be working with TJPW when she returns to Japan next month. She will be at Ganpro for the first time in 3 years too. Her match is a chaotic mix of joshi talent including the Ganpro debut of Ram Kaichow!

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

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

The midcard is filled up with four significant singles matches. Yukio Sakaguchi is the latest veteran to put the super rookie Takeshi Masada to the test, Toru Owashi and Kazuki Hirata are finally facing each other in a regular one on one match, Koju Takeda has his first singles bout in DDT since joining Pheromones and Yuki Ishida celebrates his 1 year anniversary.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP” Results

August 13, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 13/08/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
444 Fans

1. Shoko Nakajima defeated Kaya Toribami with the Northern Lights Suplex (9:23).
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Yuki Aino & Raku when Kakuta pinned Raku with the Shiden Kai (9:15).
3. Mei Suruga defeated Arisu Endo with the Gateau Invisible (12:09).
4. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi defeated Mizuki and Hyper Misao when Tatsumi pinned Misao with the Twist Of Fate (10:08).
5. Max The Impaler defeated Pom Harajuku with a Short Range Lariat (4:39).
6. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko defeated Saki Akai, Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto when Kiryu pinned Arai with the Spinebuster (12:35).
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Suzume with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (11:56).
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Miu Watanabe defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Tear Drop (18:23).

This year’s Tokyo Princess Cup is being built around the young generation wanting to surpass their seniors. Miu Watanabe has been leading the charge and it has taken her all the way to the final! She defeated Miyu Yamashita in a year where it looked like the Tokyo Joshi Pro ace had finally figured out how to win the tournament. Watanabe showed great toughness by taking a German Suplex and a High Kick only to duck the Skull Kick and drop Yamashita with the Tear Drop for the three count. Rika Tatsumi rushed over to Watanabe after the match to congratulate her and Yamashita shook her hand. Backstage Yamashita said when she looked into Watanabe’s eyes she realized how intense the last four years they spent working together was. She was overwhelmed by both her own strength as well as Watanabe’s. She is extremely disappointed to lose but also sees how passionate the younger wrestlers are becoming. That there is now a generational battle going on in TJPW means the promotion has built up a lot of history and that shows how much it has grown.

The other semi final saw Yuka Sakazaki eliminate Suzume, ending the younger wrestler’s Cinderella run in the tournament. Suzume’s plan was to go for quick covers and high flying moves. But the big momentum shift of the match happened when Sakazaki gave her the Tea Time. From there she hit an impactful Sliding Lariat before pinning her with the Magical Merry-Go-Round. Suzume heard Sakazaki’s previous comments about her not being a threat. But Suzume thinks she was a dangerous opponent for Sakazaki after all. When they were in the ring, Suzume forgot about the tournament because she couldn’t stand losing to the person in front of her.

Tomorrow’s final has come down to Watanabe against Sakazaki. Watanabe told Sakazaki she wants to surpass her and win the tournament. Sakazaki said she cannot lose because she’s been competing in the Princess Cup longer than Watanabe has wrestled and never won it. She will see her tomorrow and the two gave each other a fist bump. It took Watanabe four years to finally catch up to Yamashita and if she wins tomorrow it means she has beaten TJPW’s top three wrestlers in the same tournament (Sakazaki, Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima). Sakazaki has called this year’s Princess Cup a grueling competition because the younger wrestlers are showing a lot of guts. She hopes it will turn the Tokyo Princess Cup into the can’t miss tournament of the summer!

The next challengers for the Princess Tag Team Titles have been decided after Mahiro Kiryu pinned Yuki Arai in a 6-Woman Tag Match. Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko dealt with Saki Akai & Moka Miyamoto so Kiryu could pin Arai with the Spinebuster. She politely asked Reiwa AA Cannon for a title shot even though she lost to them before and also lost to Arai in the Princess Cup. Akai accepted the challenge. Kiryu then apologized to Kamifuku for not getting her permission to ask for the title match. Kamifuku admitted she is surprised by Kiryu’s actions but hoped this day would come because she wants Kiryu to be more assertive. Kiryu later revealed she dyed her hair “iron blue” today to match the Toyo University colours. It shows how much she wants Toyo Mates to succeed.

Nobody was more terrified of Max The Impaler than Pom Harajuku. She had the unfortunate task of being Max’s first opponent in Japan and Max did not even wait for the bell to ring to get started. Harajuku was able to leave the ring and tried to run away but she was persuaded by Yuki Aino and Raku to continue the match. Her Shin Kicks worked a little bit but Max ended up winning with a Short Range Lariat, shouting “bye bye” to Harajuku before hitting the move.

The 3 Way Match tried to play up a potential love triangle between the trio involved. Hyper Misao brought out a picture of Tatsumi and admitted she has feelings for her. Tatsumi rejected her with a kick because she wanted to be with Mizuki instead. Mizuki stood by Tatsumi’s side but only so she had the numbers advantage. She betrayed Tatsumi when the opportunity presented itself. Misao brought out a spray can to blind her opponents. Tatsumi grabbed it but accidentally sprayed both Mizuki and the referee by mistake. But since the ref was temporarily blinded, Tatsumi hit Misao with the can without penalty and then pinned her with the Twist Of Fate.

Mei Suruga’s return to TJPW pitted her against a familiar opponent. She and Arisu Endo previously fought each other at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” last month. Suruga won the match here by making Endo submit to the Gateau Invisible. Endo hesitated to shake her hand after the match so Suruga gave her a heavy pat on the head.

A stretcher was used during Match #2 when Free WiFi tried to carry Raku with it out of the arena. However Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta couldn’t decide on which direction to go so they dropped Raku onto the floor instead. They got back on the same page when Noa stopped Raku from doing the Doctor Yellow to Kakuta. Then Kakuta pinned Raku with the Shiden Kai.

The reigning Princess Of Princess Champion found herself wrestling in the opening match after getting eliminated midway through the Princess Cup. She took on Kaya Toribami, who she’s been friends with since before Toribami became a pro wrestler. A lot of the match was kept on the mat with submission holds but picked up the pace until Nakajima hit the 619 and then the Northern Lights Suplex for the victory.


Fujita Replaces Hibernating Paul, Princess Cup Final 4, Max The Impaler, MagiRabi Fights Mascots, TJPW Vs CMLL

August 1, 2022

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 06/08/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Toi Kojima
2. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi Vs Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
3. Akito, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & KANON Vs MAO, Shunma Katsumata & El Unicorn
5. Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ueno & Soma Takao
6. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
7. Harimao Vs BURNING!: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada

MJ Paul is in the middle of summer hibernation so Minoru Fujita returns to the fold for DAMNATION T.A.

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN MIYAGI”, 07/08/2022
Miyagi Tagajo City Cultural Center Small Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda Vs Yukio Naya Vs Hideki Okatani
2. HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Chris Brookes Vs Akito, Yuji Hino & Yuya Koroku
3. Pheromones Vs DISASER BOX!: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
5. Miyagi Specialty Special Single Match: MAO Vs Makoto Oishi
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada

If the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles weren’t on the line before, they definitely won’t be now.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 13/08/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga
2. Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Miu Watanabe
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Suzume

We’re down to the final four. The Tokyo Princess Cup is going to a first time winner this year. It will be either Miyu Yamashita, Miu Watanabe, Yuka Sakazaki or Suzume.

The debuting Max The Impaler hates idols, which makes Tokyo Joshi Pro ripe for an invasion! Their first match in the company is against Pom Harajuku. Not sure if shin kicks work against wasteland warriors but we’re gonna find out!

Nice to see Mei Suruga hanging around TJPW a little bit more often. She takes on Arisu Endo at Korakuen Hall.

Saki Akai & Yuki Arai will be on the show.

GANBARE☆PRO “ULTRA SOUL 2022”, 13/08/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. ROMANCE DAWN for the new world: Shota Vs Soma Takao
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Re-Debut Match: Yuna Manase & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI
3. HARUKAZE 5th Anniversary Match: HARUKAZE Vs Makoto
4. Tatsuhito Takaiwa 30th Anniversary Match: Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kouki Iwasaki & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Black Ships Attack! Non-Standard Tag Vs Tenori Drunkers: Hartley Jackson & Max The Impaler Vs Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

Max’s invasion of Japan is not just aimed at TJPW. They are targeting Ganbere☆Pro too! ZERO1 regular Hartley Jackson is joining Max’s conquest while Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi are teaming up to defend the promotion against these invaders.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 11/09/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Arisu Endo
2. Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Shoko Nakajima & Moka Miyamoto Vs Dalys & Stephanie Vaquer
4. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Pokotan & Demonio Uno

During their Princess Tag Team Titles reign, the Magical Sugar Rabbits regularly brought up ideas to defend the belts against mascots, Yuru-chara creations and other such novelties. They no longer are the champs but their wish will finally come through. Sakazaki & Mizuki are getting a match against DDT’s mascot Pokotan and Tsurumi’s gatekeeper from Hell Demonio Uno.

Two luchadoras from CMLL are currently touring Japan and will make a stop in TJPW. Dalys has wrestled here before a few times before the pandemic. Stephanie Vaquer however is making her first appearance in the promotion.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP” Results

July 31, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 31/07/2022
Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall
284 Fans

1. Maki Itoh & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Itoh submitted Nagano with the Itoh Punish (10:26).
2. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Mizuki and Haruna Neko when Kamifuku pinned Neko with a Cradle (8:53).
3. Yuki Arai, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Hyper Misao, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami when Arai pinned Toribami with the Finally (13:08).
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Suzume defeated Rika Tatsumi with a Crucifix Pin (11:10).
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Miyu Yamashita defeated Nao Kakuta with the Skull Kick (9:21).
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Hikari Noa with the Magical Girl Splash (12:55).
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Miu Watanabe defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Tear Drop (16:34).

The Quarter Finals is where Shoko Nakajima’s run in the Tokyo Princess Cup ends this time around. Miu Watanabe has the achievement of eliminating the current Princess Of Princess Champion from the tournament! She avoided the Locomotion Northern Lights Suplex and blocked a Hurricanrana to pin Nakajima with the Tear Drop. Watanabe said before that she wants to defeat her seniors in Tokyo Joshi Pro and she got to do it today. She said there are still many difficult roads to travel but she will do her best to keep winning.

It was so close and yet still so far for Hikari Noa. She wasn’t able to beat Yuka Sakazaki despite putting out her best effort. She hit the Blizzard Suplex twice, the first one happening from the top rope. But both times she couldn’t pin Sakazaki quickly enough to get a three count. That cost her because Sakazaki got a second wind, did the Magical Merry-Go-Round and hit the Magical Girl Splash for the victory. Sakazaki said she feels a lot of pressure to win the tournament this year so did not want to lose here. She’s pretending to be ok but cannot deny that Noa is getting stronger.

Miyu Yamashita made up for her recent AEW defeat by beating Nao Kakuta to qualify for the Princess Cup semi final. Kakuta made it difficult by attacking Yamashita during her entrance. She quickly tried to set up the Shiden Kai but Yamashita fought out of it. She escaped the move a second time and hit her own signatures to advance to the final four. Yamashita believes this is the year she will finally win the tournament. She also said her time in AEW was a very good experience.

Perhaps the big upset of the round goes to Suzume for eliminating Rika Tatsumi! Tatsumi had control for most of the match and took her opponent to the limit. Suzume looked like she was out of it when she collapsed in the Dragon Sleeper. But she countered the Twist Of Fate and rolled Tatsumi into a Crucfix Pin to get the three count! The two hugged after the match and shook hands. Suzume made it her goal to surpass Tatsumi and this result is the breakthrough she needs. Her run through this tournament is earning her the title of “Rising Star” within the company. Tatsumi on the other hand accepts the result and has no excuse for losing. She is done with the tournament and wants to enjoy the rest of her summer by taking vacations and going to festivals.

The draw for the semi finals took place a couple of hours after the show. On 13th August Yuka Sakazaki takes on Suzume while Miyu Yamashita will fight against Miu Watanabe. The final takes place the next day on the 14th.

A couple of future match announcements were made at the start of the show. Max The Impaler’s first match in Tokyo Joshi Pro on 13th August will be against Pom Harajuku. There is one thing you need to know about Max. THEY. HATE. IDOLS! Also on the show is Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga.

The “TJPW INSPIRATION” show will return on 11th September. One of the matches taking place is The Magical Sugar Rabbits against the team of Pokotan and Demonio Uno. Two foreign wrestlers will also appear. Dalys from CMLL makes her return for the first time since 2020 while Stephanie Vaquer from Chile makes her TJPW debut.