Ganbare☆Pro Is Going Independent

January 31, 2024

A press conference was held in Tokyo today announcing Ganbare☆Pro will be leaving CyberFight at the end of March 2024 to become its own independent wrestling company. Attending the conference were members of CyberFight staff and GanPro wrestlers to give more information along with other updates related to the news. CyberFight president Sanshiro Takagi said he had spoken with Ken Ohka about GanPro’s future after the promotion celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. The two came to an agreement that the best way for GanPro to grow bigger is to go independent. Ohka said he has been wrestling under Takagi’s management for 20 years now and he has gotten his big breaks because of him. Over the last 10 years Ohka made many new friends through GanPro and he decided going independent will allow the promotion to reach out to even more people. He feels under debt to Takagi and believes the best way to repay him will be to make GanPro successful enough to surpass DDT. Ohka’s goal for GanPro from the very beginning was to turn pro wrestling into a major sport where pro wrestlers can become more famous than other pro atheletes. That goal has not changed.

GanPro currently has shows scheduled up to up until July. Their final event under CyberFight will be on 28th March. Up until now GanPro were able to book important venues like Korakuen Hall and Ota Ward Gymnasium because of CyberFight’s management and resources. Normally Korakuen Hall does not do business with clients unless they are a registered company. GanPro intends to relaunch itself as its own company when they leave CyberFight and their current representative Michiyoshi Mishima will be positioned as the company’s director. Ohka will also become a company board member in the future. They are on track to be fully registered by early March and will update everyone as soon as details are finalized.

According to Takagi the relationship between DDT and GanPro will not change. It will be similar to the current relationship between DDT and BASARA, which is another independent promotion that originally begun as a DDT sub-brand before spinning off into independence. That should mean wrestlers from one side will be able to have matches on the other side when requested. The two companies may also continue sharing venues to run back to back shows on the same day or weekend. Takagi would like GanPro content to remain on Wrestle Universe but we will have to wait on an announcement in the future for more details. Nothing has been confirmed yet about the future of Ganbare☆Joshi but Ohka is thinking of continuing the brand on a irregular basis. The two Spirit Of Ganbare Championships belonging to GanPro will remain as they are.

The champion Shuichiro Katsumura said he was happy and grateful to work under CyberFight. They handled all of the office work so Katsumura could wrestle every month and perform in venues as large as Super Saitama Arena. By going independent Katsumura understands it will be up to GanPro to handle their own behind the scenes work from now on. He has a lot of anxiety over that but hopes all of the wrestlers can work together to get rid of those worries, enjoy the hardships and create a bright kind of pro wrestling. As the current Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion and also a senior figure on the roster, Katsumura thinks he has to be a leader for the locker room from now on.

Several changes to the roster is coming because of this news. Both Shinichiro Tominaga and Yumehito Imanari have signed on to become fully affiliated with GanPro along with their home promotions starting on 1st Feburary. Tominaga has wrestled on GanPro shows all this time as a representative of the amateur indie group Come On Wrestling Party, or CWP for short. He sent in a message saying Ohka approached him a short while ago asking if he would like to join GanPro. Tominaga felt like he would not belong here but agreed to the offer. He now feels a stronger sense of belonging to GanPro than ever before and he promises to do his best to develop the company. Imanari’s new agreement is to remain in GanPro while also representing the Ibushi Pro Wrestling Institute. He left his video staff role with CyberFight last September but remained as a GanPro wrestler ever since. He has close friendships with both Ohka and Kota Ibushi so feels obligated to take care of both of them.

Unfortunately Shota, Yoshiko Hasegawa and Riara have all decided to end their contracts with GanPro and become freelancers at the end of March. Shota feels he is at his best as a wrestler right now and is entering a new period of his life where he gets to be a bit selfish. Hasegawa sent in a message saying she is using her last matches in GanPro to reevaluate the current wrestling enviornment before thinking what to do next. It was not an easy decision for her to make but her time in GanPro is irreplaceable for her. Riara describes her decision to leave as a graduation and she is thankful for her friends im GanPro that she’s been able to train and wrestle often in her daily life. She wants to make the most of what precious time she has left in the promotion. Then she will challenge herself even more in the future. Ohka said the people who come to GanPro do so in order to become who they want to be so he sees this as wrestlers graduating from GanPro instead of quitting. It is possible that GanPro will still book them again in the future but Ohka wants to prioritise taking care of those who stay with the company.

The GanPro roster when it goes independent currently looks like this. The fully affiliated wrestlers are Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura, Yumehito Imanari (along with the Ibushi Institute), Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tominaga (along with CWP), Mizuki Watase, Munetatsu Nakamura, HARUKAZE, Yuna Manase, YuuRI and Shu Sakurai. The wrestlers from outside GanPro who are confirmed to continue making regular appearances with the group are Takuya Wada, Tyson Maeguchi, Moeka Haruhi and Banny Oikawa.

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I woke up to this bombshell of a news story this morning and I still don’t know what to make of it. There is so much to unravel I don’t know where to start. GanPro is doing what BASARA did in 2019 and that’s leaving CyberFight to go strike it out on their own. I don’t think that was a good move back then and I worry this will not be a good move either. This kind of follows the recent trend of pro wrestlers in Japan leaving their home companies on the indies because being a freelancer is more financially viable for them. Look at the current state of the Japanese wrestling scene and ask yourself is there really room out there for another self-sufficient company right now? What I need to find out is if this is really Ohka and friends having big aspirations that made leaving CyberFight a necessity or if business decisions had to be given by other people higher up the pecking order. If this is a sign of things to come then we could be in for another whopper of a news story by the time we get past March.

As a fan, the concern I have comes from the above BASARA comparison. It is not an easy task finding BASARA coverage compared to most of the other indies. I struggle finding things in BASARA to write about outside of the match results. If GanPro loses that stuff because the website reports were all on DDT’s end then that will annoy me greatly. However if GanPro remains on Wrestle Universe then it will not be much of a problem. They have an audience there and I don’t think it would be worth losing them for another streaming service that could have a smaller reach. Whatever the new website is just keep updating it often so I can have an excuse to keep following it. This has been a really fun little promotion to write about from its very beginning and they provide connections to companies that DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro do not.

What will happen to the three people leaving seems to be all over the place. Shota’s reasoning makes the most sense because his profile is the highest it’s been for a while and he can find bookings anywhere. What Hasegawa will get up to is much harder to guess. Taking a step back to look at the big picture before deciding where to go sounds like a good idea but it’s also a vague enough excuse to cover up if she already knows where she is going next. I would like to see her in TJPW more but she is appearing in Ice Ribbon a little more often lately. But YuuRI wrestles there all the time and she is still committed to GanPro so Hasegawa would not need to leave if that was her landing point. Riara at first sounds to me like she’s leaving pro wrestling entirely but she says otherwise so I’d like to be wrong on that. Hook her up with Sumire Natsu and let them team up in the 666’s and P.P.P. Tokyo’s of the world.


GANBARE☆PRO “ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS ’23” Results

November 23, 2023

GANBARE☆PRO “ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS ’23”, 23/11/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
220 Fans – No Vacancy

1. SAKI & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeated YuuRI & Riara when SAKI submitted Riara with the Sasori-katame (9:28).
2. Yumehito Imanari defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi with a Crab Hold (11:30).
3. Dan The Dad, Tyson Maeguchi & Banny Oikawa defeated Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE when Dan pinned Tominaga with the You’re Grounded (12:51).
4. Koji Doi & Kuma Arashi defeated Ken Ohka & Mizuki Watase when Doi pinned Watase with a Lariat (14:31).
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) defeated Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura when Katsumura submitted Nakamura with the Triple Three 3 Lock (14:34).
*V3 for Ground Absolute.
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) defeated Shota with a Cradle Cutback (22:17).
*V4 for Isami Kodaka.

There seems to be no stopping Isami Kodaka’s run through the Ganbare☆Pro roster. His latest challenger for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title today was Shota. The challenger came into this match promising fans he would win the title and become the new protagonist of GanPro. In a match that saw Kodaka kick out of the Gannosuke Clutch and the Frog Splash, Shota was still finding ways to win. Kodaka landed on his back with the Diving Double Knee Drop and turned it into a Bow And Arrow Lock when Shota wriggled his way out of it and laid on top for a pin. However Kodaka rolled Shota over and pinned him down for the three count to retain the title.

Shota accepted the result. His own career feels like it has reached over 100 volumes just like One Piece but he still hasn’t become strong enough to beat Kodaka. It’s a bit unfair but Shota cannot deny that Kodaka is still the protagonist. Kodaka said that is the number one reason why people hate him. Shuichiro Katsumura entered the ring and told Kodaka it doesn’t matter who the protagonist of this story is. He is here to take the SOG Title back to GanPro! He cannot stay quiet any longer after seeing his friends lose to Kodaka one by one. He is the only one left so he wants to face Kodaka in a title match at Korakuen Hall on 27th December. Kodaka accepted, knowing that if he wins that match he is guaranteed to stick around in GanPro next year. After all, the SOG Title is his passport to remain in GanPro whether he is wanted here or not.

Katsumura now has a chance of becoming a double champion by the end of the year. He & Takuya Wada are still the Spirit Of Ganbare Team Team Champions after the defeated Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura. The challengers were fired up, Nakamura in particular. But the youngest wrestler on the GanPro roster was too eager and he accidentally kicked Ishii in the head when he aimed for Katsumura. He then got taken down and pulled apart into submission. Later on Katsumura apologised to Wada for going ahead and challenging Kodaka because that means there will not be a SOG Tag Title match on 27th December. Wada told him not to worry because he already has an idea of what else he can do on the show and it involves a particular challenge from another promotion. More will be explained below.

Ken Ohka had two months to start growing his hair back but he was still looking to get revenge on DoiKuma. He had another brawl against the team this time with Mizuki Watase as his partner. Unfortunately it ended in defeat again with Koji Doi pinning Watase while Kuma Arashi threw Ohka into rows of chairs outside the ring. Ohka still wanted to fight Arashi after the match and challenged him to a singles bout on the 27th December Korakuen show. Arashi wasn’t interested because it would just be another easy win for him. He eventually changed his mind but only if the match is done on his terms. If Arashi wins then he gets title shots for both the SOG Title and SOG Tag Titles. Ohka instantly accepted, only just realising what he agreed to when he calmed down. Doi then promoted an independent show he and Arashi are running together on 4th December. He wants Wrestle Universe to promote it too because it is being financed with DoiKuma’s own money and they don’t want to go bankrupt if it flops.

The mixed tag match was Banny Oikawa’s entry into GanPro that’s been promised to her all year while she wrestled on Ganbare☆Joshi shows. It was also Dan The Dad’s return match in Japan. He communicated with Oikawa & Tyson Maeguchi by taking out a pen and telling them “This is a pen”. It is a common basic phrase Japanese people learn when taking English lessons. The friendly gesture took a life of its own when HARUKAZE stole the pen and soon had everyone fighting over it. When that was done with, Oikawa took out Soma Takao and Dan pinned Shinichiro Tominaga with a Backpack Stunner that is also called “You’re Grounded”.

During the opening speeches it was announced that GanPro has invited GLEAT to take part in an inter-promotional challenge on 27th December at Korakuen. When Yumehito Imanari won his match against Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, he threw his name into the hat because he has already wrestled on several GLEAT shows this year. If there is anyone who is responsible for inspiring the “GxG Collaboration” it is him! He then called out Kaz Hayashi to come to the show because he’ll be waiting for him. Later on, Takuya Wada said he wanted to take part in any GanPro Vs GLEAT match too.

Also during the show Michiyoshi Mishima announced that Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Arisu Endo will take place on 27th December. Hasegawa submitted to Endo at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” in October and hasn’t forgot about it. She said GanPro wrestlers always get back up after losing and she wants to show Endo that kind of spirit in her home promotion. She is looking to get a complete victory against Endo when they meet again.


GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO SUPER ARABIAN ’23” Results

October 22, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO SUPER ARABIAN ’23”, 22/10/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
105 Fans

1. GanJo Three Major Singles Match: Tomoka Inaba defeated Riara with the Leg Killer Hold (10:43).
2. Nanami & Miran defeated Alex Lee & Banny Oikawa when Nanami pinned Oikawa with the Northern Lights Suplex (9:11).
3. GanJo Three Major Singles Match: Suzume defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Ring A Bell (11:00).
4. GanJo Three Major Singles Match: Sumire Natsu defeated YuuRI with the Yoran (16:13).

The three women currently representing Ganbare☆Joshi were each given a challenging singles match on today’s show. In the main event YuuRI couldn’t get past Sumire Natsu’s unsportsmanlike wrestling style. Natsu spat water in YuuRI’s face, threw her into a row of chairs and attacked her with her rose whip. Daisuke Kiso got caught in the crossfire for that last one. YuuRI tried fighting back but was cut off with a Shining Wizard and Double Arm DDT before Natsu won with the Yoran.

Yoshiko Hasegawa suffered a defeat to Suzume after her attempts to ground the high flyer just wouldn’t work. With Arisu Endo watching on from her corner, Suzume overcame Hasegawa’s attacks to her legs to catch her with a Flying Facecrusher and then get use the Ring A Bell for the three count. Hasegawa was left to stare at Daisy Monkey in defeat.

The third match sadly ended in another loss for GanJo, giving the group a clean sweep of losses against the outsiders. Riara brought the fight to Tomoka Inaba outside the ring but was thrown down the entrance stage steps for her troubles. Back in the ring Riara focused on using the Ankle Lock but Inaba used her own submissions to fight back and win by tapout.

The 0-3 result left YuuRI in distress after the main event. The new generation that was supposed to protect GanJo failed to do so. Yuna Manase entered the ring and told YuuRI that she just has to win next time. It’s okay to cry but she shouldn’t be looking down on herself. You can always lose today and win tomorrow.

Manase then called Banny Oikawa down to the ring and asked her why does she want to join Ganbare☆Pro? Oikawa said she wants to have a match with the person who made her want to join pro wrestling but that person is a man. Since GanPro does intergender matches she believes joining the group will help make her dream come true. Manase called it a wonderful dream and told Oikawa she does not need to rely on Miyako Matsumoto to get booked here. GanPro has a show on 23rd November and Michiyoshi Mishima has already agreed to book Oikawa on the show. Oikawa is excited by the news and promised to have a new costume ready in time for that show.


GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO MILON’S SECRET CASTLE ’23” Results

June 17, 2023

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

1. Ancham defeated Riara with the I Still Don’t Know The Name Of The Technique I Saw That Day (8:05).
2. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Makoto defeated Tokiko Kirihara with the Renkan no Kei (12:35).
3. Miyako Matsumoto & Alex Lee defeated Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi when Lee pinned Miyabi with the Vinco Plex (13:25).
4. GanJo Vs JUST TAP OUT! Special Tag Match: Sumika Yanagawa & Misa Kagura defeated YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Kagura submitted Hasegawa with an Elevated Half Crab (11:24).

The main event of today’s Ganbare☆Joshi show was an emotional reunion for YuuRI. She is originally from JTO and her debut was on the same day as both of her opponents Sumika Yanagawa & Misa Kagura. She fought her best alongside Yoshiko Hasegawa but the GanJo team lost to the visitors. YuuRI did not like the result and refused to admit defeat. Kagura told YuuRI they all started out together but YuuRI was the one who left. Kagura & Yanagawa however stuck together and formed the tag team called 1111 referencing the date of their debuts (11th November). YuuRI said when she first heard the name she thought she could be a part of it too. Ever since then she’s been jealous of Yanagawa & Kagura’s success. She once fought Yanagawa in a singles match that went to a time limit draw but never faced Kagura one on one. It’s a match she always wanted to do so she asked her to let it happen at the next GanJo show on 16th July. Kagura accepted because she wants to go back to JTO as somebody who has beaten YuuRI.

Miyako Matsumoto has been an unwelcome surprise everytime she’s shown up at GanJo but today she had something in store that everyone would appreciate. She is in charge of a unit called Miyako Gundan and it contains about 500,000 members around the world. The unit recently added a new member and Matsumoto wants to introduce her to GanJo. It’s Banny Oikawa! The former Ice Ribbon wrestler has been on a break since last year and spent her time wondering where should she return to. Something she wants to do is mixed gender wrestling and she became jealous of the GanJo roster for getting to partake in those kind of matches. She talked to several wrestlers about it, Matsumoto included. Matsumoto told Oikawa to leave it to her and here she is showing up to today’s GanJo show. Michiyoshi Mishima was happy to see Oikawa again but had to tell her that GanJo stopped doing intergender wrestling since their restart. He suggested that Oikawa use GanJo as her return to wrestling first and then he can convince Ken Ohka to book her for mixed tag matches in Ganbare☆Pro. Oikawa liked the idea and agreed to wrestle her first match back on 16th July.

The Gatoh Move match got a bit out of control when the seconds at ringside got involved. Tokiko Kirihara had Sayaka Obihiro in her corner while Makoto as always had her manager Matsuzawa-san accompanying her. Both of the seconds got into the ring and caused some antics while Makoto and Kirihara were fighting each other.


GANBARE☆PRO “YUUSEI KARA NO BUUTAI X 2023” Results

June 3, 2023

GANBARE☆PRO “YUUSEI KARA NO BUUTAI X 2023”, 03/06/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
131 Fans

1. Ken Ohka defeated Yuki Kanzaki with the Flame Spear (7:59).
2. Hikaru Sato defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with a Wakikatame (12:07).
3. Moeka Haruhi’s Last Match Before Her Break: Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeated Rina Amikura, YuuRI & Riara when Haruhi pinned YuuRI with the Diving Foot Stomp (11:31).
3a. Emergency Decision Moeka Haruhi Send-Off Battle Royal: Moeka Haruhi defeated Riara with a Cradle (5:27).
Order Of Elimination: YuuRI, Shuichiro Katsumura, Yoshiko Hasegawa, Tyson Maeguchi, Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari, Yuki Kanzaki, Ken Ohka, Soma Takao, HARUKAZE, Mizuki Watase, Shota, Shinichiro Tominaga and Riara.
4. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Takuya Wada defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota when Wada pinned Katsumura with a Cradle (11:44).
5. Mizuki Watase, Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Ilusion when Maeguchi pinned Imanari with a Flying Knee Kick (14:54).

After the main event Takuya Wada entered the ring. He said “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” next month is happening in his hometown of Ota Ward and he noticed the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles are not on the card yet. He wants to challenge Hentai Punch Drunkers for the belts and he even found a tag partner. It’s Shuichiro Katsumura! The two fighters have been regular opponents in Ganbare☆Pro but in MMA they are training buddies from different weight classes. Katsumura agreed to team with Wada because he believes they are the only team who can beat the combination of Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi. Sato already left the building after his match so only Maeguchi was around to answer the challenge. He accepted it because he hasn’t been able to beat either Katsumura or Wada yet. However Michiyoshi Mishima decided not to book the match just yet in order to let Sato give his thoughts on the idea whenever he is able to.

A big sendoff was given to Moeka Haruhi for her final appearance in GanPro before going into surgery to donate a kidney to her sister. She scored the pinfall in the Ganbare☆Joshi match and then the ring started to fill up with the GanPro roster. Mizuki Watase said all of the men wanted to be a part of her final match too so they’re doing an impromptu Battle Royal with everyone involved right now! Haruhi ended up winning the Battle Royal too. She told the fans that GanPro has passion, intensity, even betrayal but GanPro also has kindness too. It is where wrestlers can cry tears for others. She is going to step away from the ring for a while and become a tag team partner for her ill sister. Together they will win the championship that says “Healthy” on the belts and then she will come back to wrestling.

Yuna Manase appeared before the semi-main event to announce a special GanJo match for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”. She called Riara down to the ring and then introduced her to her opponent at the show… Sayaka Unagi! Manase was having a hard time being away from the ring because of her injury so Unagi reached out to her and offered to help out GanPro. She asked Riara what did she want to do when she joined GanPro? Riara said she wanted to live out a dream she’s had since she was a little girl. She also told the fans that when she started out as a trainee, Unagi was the first person to give her encouragement. Unagi warned her that having a Ganbare spirit by itself is not enough for pro wrestling. She then slapped Riara across the face. On 9th July Unagi is going to assess Riara!


GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023” Results

May 5, 2023

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
489 Fans

1. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura when Nakamura pinned Kodaka with a Hold Down Pin (12:41).
2. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI defeated Riara with a Missile Kick (7:43).
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi defeated Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE when Haruhi pinned HARUKAZE with the Diving Foot Stomp (15:21).
4. Nao Kakuta defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Shiden Kai (12:09).
5. Special Tag Match: Dan The Dad & Kody Lane defeated Shota & Soma Takao when Dan pinned Shota with the You’re Grounded (11:48).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari when Maeguchi pinned Takaiwa with a Buzzsaw Kick (18:41).
*Hentai Punch Drunkers become the 1st Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Champions!
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) defeated Keisuke Ishii with the Elbow Butt (22:31).
*V4 for Mizuki Watase.

Mizuki Watase was given his toughest test yet for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title, one that took his body to the limit. Keisuke Ishii spent the match trying to find the biggest ways to slam or strike Watase into defeat. He used a Tiger Suplex and the Double Arm Driver inside the ring and also used the latter move from the apron onto the floor outside. Watase countered the Kneel Kick by catching Ishii in midair and using the momentum to Back Drop him aside. However Ishii was able to hit the Kneel Kick later but he was too hurt to make the pin in time. Elbow Strikes became the key for Watase to win and when Ishii was left staggering, Watase charged in for one more big Elbow Butt to score the victory.

After the match Isami Kodaka unexpectedly entered the ring along with the other members of Sento Minzoku. He asked Watase if he would like to take on his challenge with the SOG Title on the line. However Michiyoshi Mishima stepped in and reminded Kodaka that he was pinned by Munetatsu Nakamura in the opening match so even though he is worthy of a title shot, he is in no position to ask for one right now. Watase is interested in defending the title against Kodaka in a Ganbare☆Pro Vs BASARA battle. He thinks a match like that is perfect for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” in Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July! So he came up with an idea. If Kodaka can beat Nakamura in a singles match then he will give Kodaka a title shot. But if Nakamura wins then Nakamura will get the big title match at Ota Ward instead!

The Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Title belts were not delivered to Ganpro in time for today’s show so they had to use a pair of trophies to represent the championship instead. Hentai Punch Drunkers became the first champions by beating the All-Star Junior All-Stars in the tournament final. Tyson Maeguchi showed his toughness by kicking out of Tatsuhito Takaiwa’s Death Valley Bomb. Hikaru Sato then cut off Takaiwa at the ropes allowing Maeguchi to take control of the match. He kept giving Takaiwa Penalty Kicks and Buzzsaw Kicks while Sato cut Yumehito Imanari off from making a save. The kicks were too much for Takaiwa to handle and he was eventually pinned after one more Buzzsaw Kick.

The new champions received their trophies but their celebration was interrupted by Dan The Dad & Kody Lane. The two American wrestlers want to be the first challengers for the SOG Tag Titles but there’s one small problem. They will be travelling home very soon and the only way they can do the match is if it happens on tomorrow’s Ganpro show. Sato was in the middle of telling them it won’t be able to happen when Maeguchi cut him off and agreed to do the match. Hentai Punch Drunkers will defend the belts tomorrow!

Dan & Lane could argue they earned their title shot by beating ROMANCE DAWN in the previous match. For Shota & Soma Takao the loss is another setback preventing them from becoming tag champions. Takao wants to get revenge but the problem according to Shota is they will have to follow the Americans back to St. Louis in order to get it.

It wasn’t that long ago when Yoshiko Hasegawa and Nao Kakuta were both in Actwres girl’Z together. They’ve had a few interactions in Tokyo Joshi Pro recently but their singles match today was a chance for the two to reconnect. Kakuta got Hasegawa to reach the ropes in order to break a Front Neck Lock but that just set Kakuta up to charge in for a kick and then get the win with the Shiden Kai. Kakuta said Hasegawa has changed because she no longer cries and is now showing confidence. Hasegawa said she learned everything from Kakuta because she is her senpai.

This weekend is Moeka Haruhi’s last GanPro matches before she goes on to donate a kidney to her sister. Since she was teaming with Shuichiro Katsumura the occasion called for Shu Sakurai to also appear for one big reunion of THE HALFEE! Fun times aside they were still in for a fight, especially when Hartley Jackson decided to Gorilla Press Haruhi and then HARUKAZE from the ring onto Katsumura outside. Katsumura & Haruhi worked together to get rid of Jackson, leaving HARUKAZE on her own. Haruhi went on to fight HARUKAZE by herself and earned the victory with the Double Foot Stomp. Afterward Haruhi said she realized life can be so painful but it can also be so happy. Katsumura praised her for giving a lot of people energy and the hope to live.

The legendary cabaret girl Riara had her debut wrestling match after months of training and preparation. She looked to be outmatched against YuuRI from the start when it came to strikes. She tried to switch over to submissions with a Crab Hold but YuuRI easily reversed it into a Half Crab and forced the rookie to crawl for a rope break. A Backslide Pin got Riara a two count but YuuRI regained control and won with a Missile Kick. Riara was happy to have her debut be against the senpai who took care of her the most. YuuRI is happy too, not just for Riara but also because Ganbare☆Joshi has now increased their roster from five women to six!

As mentioned earlier there was a massive upset when Munetatsu Nakamura pinned Isami Kodaka in the opening 6-Man Tag! The win came when Ken Ohka hit Kodaka with the Flame Spear and Nakamura went for the cover. Kodaka kicked out at first but Nakamura kept pinning him down until he surprised everyone by getting the three count. Ohka congratulated the rookie for doing something that Ohka couldn’t do for 20 years. It made Nakamura glad because he’s been watching Kodaka wrestle since he was in primary school!


GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23” Results

May 2, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
117 Fans

0. Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Chie Koishikawa defeated Tokiko Kirihara with a School Boy (8:54).
2. Special Single Match: Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi ended in a No Contest when Miyako Matsumoto interfered (6:48).
2a. Remtach: Ami Manase & Marika Kobashi defeated Miyako Matsumoto & Alex Lee when Manase pinned Matsumoto with the Suzuki Dynamic (12:33).
3. Special Single Match: Tae Honma defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Tae Lock (13:44).
4. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI defeated Tomoka Inaba & HisokA when YuuRI pinned HisokA with the Swanton Bomb (18:09).

It’s still early in the Ganbare☆Joshi restart but YuuRI is already taking charge and finding outside targets to surpass. The target she has in mind is JUST TAP OUT and Tomoka Inaba in particular. Inaba was YuuRI’s senpai in JTO and last month she successfully defended the Queen Of JTO Title against her. But today YuuRI picked up the win by pinning HisokA with the Swanton Bomb.

This show is Moeka Haruhi’s last appearance in GanJo for the time being. She will be taking time off soon to donate her kidney to her sister. She was happy to end her last GanJo match with a win and promised she’ll be back to wrestle with everyone again.

Both Yoshiko Hasegawa and Tae Honma were happy to wrestle each other again. Their match was something Hasegawa had wanted to do from the moment she joined Ganbare☆Pro. Honma said she would love to come back to GanJo especially when Yuna Manase is able to wrestle again.

For the second time Miyako Matsumoto crashed the show and did so in the middle of the Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi match, attacking both women. She asked Michiyoshi Mishima again to be booked for GanJo and turn the match into a 3 Way. He did his best to politely turn her down. Matsumoto would not take no for an answer and revealed she brought along Bosnian wrestler Alex Lee to be her tag team partner so they could fight Manase & Kobashi in a tag match instead. The two had no choice and went ahead with the match. Manase ended up using her sister’s finishing move the Suzuki Dynamic to pin Matsumoto. However Matsumoto said she didn’t even use 1/100th of her ability. She told Mishima to book her on the next GanJo show on 17th June. If he doesn’t then she will break into his house. She already knows where he lives because they used to work together in Ice Ribbon.

Riara got to have another five minute exhibition with Haruhi before her pro debut takes place later this week. This time Riara was able to last the entire five minutes without giving up to the Half Crab Hold. Afterwards Haruhi asked if Riara showed her full strength in those five minutes. Her life is only now just beginning and she may only get one shot to win her debut match. She wants Riara to give it her all on 5th May.


GANBARE☆PRO “THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 2023” Results

April 22, 2023

GANBARE☆PRO “THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 2023”, 22/04/2023
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
81 Fans

1. 3 Way Match: KOJIO defeated Shota and Munetatsu Nakamura when KOJIO pinned Nakamura with the World Breaker (8:26).
2. Ancham defeated YuuRI with the I Still Don’t Know The Name Of The Technique I Saw That Day (13:11).
3. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Sento Minzoku!: Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita defeated Ken Ohka & Shinichiro Tominaga when Fujita pinned Tominaga with the Modified Samson Clutch (14:11).
4. Mizuki Watase, Yumehito Imanari & Shuichiro Katsumura defeated Keisuke Ishii, Tyson Maeguchi & Takuya Wada when Imanari pinned Maeguchi with the Lariat (18:12).

The final show of today’s tripleshot built towards the 5th May Korakuen Hall show. It was the last prelim bout between Mizuki Watase and Keisuke Ishii as well as a preview for Shuichiro Katsumura versus Takuya Wada on 6th May. The result saw Yumehito Imanari pin Tyson Maeguchi with the Lariat, a possible prediction for which team will win the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles at Korakuen. The Lariat knocked Maeguchi so loopy he thought the title match will be happening at the Tokyo Dome! Ishii’s side lost the match but he still thinks he gained some momentum back from Watase.

The show began with Ken Ohka declaring war on Sento Minzoku! He had Shinichiro Tominaga on his team and today’s match had a special meaning for his partner. It was Tominaga’s last match as a 35 year old so he was determined to win! Unfortunately Minoru Fujita tangled him up in the Samson Clutch, giving the invading team the victory. The result left Ohka frustrated because he can never beat Isami Kodaka! He’s going to keep trying though even if it takes him into his 50s and 60s. Meanwhile Kodaka thanked Ganbare☆Pro for the warm welcome today. He genuinely thinks the promotion wants him to join them. Fujita also thinks GanPro now is very different than the GanPro he wrestled for 8 years ago.

Ancham’s submission finisher is called the I Still Don’t Know The Name Of The Technique I Saw That Day, or just simply That Technique for short. It is something she claims she came up on the spur of the moment.

The monster KOJIO was dominant in his GanPro debut, easily dismantling both Shota and Munetatsu Nakamura in the 3 Way Match.

Miyako Matsumoto entered the ring at the end of the show demanding to be added to the 2nd May Ganbare☆Joshi event. Her demand was rejected by Michiyoshi Mishima because nobody on the roster is interested in fighting her.


GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO RESTART ’23” Results

April 1, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO RESTART ’23”, 01/04/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall
154 Fans

0. Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Sayaka Obihiro defeated Chie Koishikawa with the Verse (10:10).
2. Special Tag Match: Ami Manase & Moeka Haruhi defeated Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi when Manase pinned Miyabi with the Diving Senton (17:27).
3. Special Single Match: YuuRI defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Swanton Bomb (11:42).

The restart of Ganbare☆Joshi took place today with YuuRI and Yoshiko Hasegawa both stepping up to give the brand a new lease of life. YuuRI’s slight edge in experience was the deciding factor and she defeated Hasegawa in the main event. YuuRI admitted after the match that she injured her ankle during training yesterday and took painkillers in order to go through the match today. The win gives her a big confident boost which she will need when she goes over to JUST TAP OUT on 9th April. On that day YuuRI is facing Tomoka Inaba with the Queen Of JTO Title on the line. Inaba then made a surprise appearance!

Inaba said she was here to see how YuuRI was doing since leaving JTO a year and a half ago. She is impressed to see how much YuuRI has grown but Inaba has grown a lot too. She is warning her challenger that the match will be under JTO rules and YuuRI will get hurt if she goes into it half-heartedly. YuuRI was left angry by those words. She promised to take the title away from Inaba and bring it over to GanJo!

The GanJo debut of Yuna Manase’s masked sister Ami Manase went off very well for her. Wearing her sister’s ring gear, Ami teamed with Moeka Haruhi to beat the P.P.P. Tokyo team of Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi. Ami herself got the pin and was excited to find out her sister was in the room to see it happen. Haruhi wants to send a message to Manase’s mother and that message is “Thank you for giving birth to Ami Manase!” Haruhi also said the spirits of Yuna Manase and HARUKAZE are both contained inside Ami. She wants to be by Ami’s side so they can conquer the world with GanJo together! Backstage, Ami told the reporters you won’t see her around much outside of GanJo because she is still in high school.

Sayaka Obihiro took a timeout from chopping Chie Koishikawa so she could congratulate GanJo on their restart.

The trainee from the cabaret world Riara went through an exhibition match with Haruhi before the show began. The match had a 5 minute time limit but Haruhi made Riara tap out with a minute left. However the purpose of this exhibition was to give Riara ring time so the two agreed to ignore the result and continue wrestling for the time left remaining. Riara tried fighting back with Elbow Strikes and a Dropkick but was put into another Crab Hold until the time ran out. Michiyoshi Mishima told Riara he will have a discussion with Ken Ohka to determine if she passed or failed the test. If she ends up passing then her pro debut will be happening sooner rather than later.

Yuna Manase attended the show but needed a crutch and a knee brace to move around with her injury. She announced that she was appointed the GM of GanJo. In this place GM stands for Ganbare Manager! Her role is to do her best to guide the joshi here just like her mentor Fuka did for her.


GanJo Restart Update

March 8, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO RESTART ’23”, 01/04/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

0. Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Sayaka Obihiro Vs Chie Koishikawa
2. Special Tag Match: Ami Manase & Moeka Haruhi Vs Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi
3. Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa

A press conference was held by Ganbare☆Joshi in Shibuya yesterday to announce the card for the brand’s restart on 1st April. The decision was made for YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa to be the main event. Both women strongly appealed to be given the ball and carry GanJo in Yuna Manase’s absence so it is fitting for the two of them to face each other in the headline match. Hasegawa said GanJo welcomed her back into pro wrestling when she returned from injury and had no place to call home. She is aware that the wrestlers who carried GanJo in the past all had to overcome difficulties and smash through the walls built in front of them. YuuRI is Hasegawa’s first wall in her goal to make the brand exciting. YuuRI meanwhile realised she became overconfident after she earned her first win last October. So now she has to get over that and build up momentum by winning the first main event of the relaunch. The two of them are still working together to build the brand, no matter who wins. GanJo has several shows now scheduled for the rest of the year and they will be all women matches.

Manase sent in a video message because she was advised by her doctor to stay at home while she is recovering from her knee surgery. In the video Manase said she is sending somebody from her family to wrestle at the show on her behalf. The person is Ami Manase, Yuna’s younger sister who is a more energetic, powerful and happier woman than she is. A masked woman then entered the room and introduced herself as Ami. Michiyoshi Mishima looked at her and asked if she is really Rina Amikura because he recognises her voice and figure. Ami denied it and repeated she is Yuna’s sister who wants to wrestle on her behalf. Moeka Haruhi never knew Manase had a sister but she is more than happy to welcome her into GanJo. Ami explained she is wearing a mask because she still wants to keep some privacy. She had been secretly training and learned how to do the Lariat from her sister. She would also like to be called Amin, which just so happens to be Amikura’s nickname.

The GanJo trainee Riara is still training towards her eventual debut match. She praised the other wrestlers for always looking out for her during practice. One particular thing that kept Riara’s spirits up was when Haruhi sent a message telling her to look up instead of forward. Riara getting a five minute exhibition match against Haruhi has motivated her to fight with all of her strength even though she feels like she will be crushed under pressure. Haruhi told her she does not need to feel pressure. All she has to do is show what she has practiced, keep the sparkle in her eyes, convey her feelings in the ring and hit her with everything she has. With that said, Haruhi said the exhibition will show whether or not Riara will be ready to make her pro debut soon. If the trainee passes this test then 5th May at Korakuen Hall will likely be where she turns pro.