TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” Preview

March 29, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”, 31/03/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Shino Suzuki, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer Vs Haru Kazashiro, Runa Okubo & Uta Takami
2. Nao Kakuta & Ami Yumoto Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI
3. Andreza Giant Panda & Kaya Toribami (w/ Haruna Neko) Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
5. Rika Tatsumi Vs Masha Slamovich
6. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
7. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Maki Itoh
8. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura & Chris Brookes
9. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
10. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
11. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

The third annual “GRAND PRINCESS” supershow is taking place this Sunday. It is where Tokyo Joshi Pro will return to Sumo Hall after last year’s attempt at running Ariake Coliseum. The promotion’s three championships are all represented in the late side of the card but you will find some of the matches making the most headlines are right there underneath them. We have new faces that weren’t here a year ago, a few women who will soon be saying goodbye to wrestling, somebody who already said goodbye not that long ago but came back anyway and a few guests coming over to check things out as well. The three title matches will also end up answering a question that always follows TJPW’s biggest shows. Are they finally going to push the next generation? Let’s look through the matches one by one and see what’s on offer.

1. Shino Suzuki, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer Vs Haru Kazashiro, Runa Okubo & Uta Takami

It is up to the six lowest wrestlers on the tier list to open up the show. Three of the wrestlers only have a year of experience each. The other three have only debuted in the last month and only have around five matches under their belt! Shino Suzuki was the first of the six to make her debut and has been making strides in the ring lately. “She Know” might know how to lead her rookie partners Chika Nanase & Kira Summer to victory. Nanase has a pretty strong Shoulder Block she uses as her first move to build matches around. Summer was already no stranger to wrestling before she joined TJPW because her siblings back in Australia are wrestlers too. Facing them are the three youngest wrestlers on the roster. Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo debuted together at last year’s “GRAND PRINCESS” show. As the year progressed Kazashiro ended up getting more matches because Okubo needed to improve her school work. Kazashiro only just recently won her first singles match too by beating Suzuki. The newcomer on their side is Uta Takami, the newest member of The Up Up Girls. The best way I’ve seen her described so far is she has “bratty little sister energy”. So if you’re the kind of fan who gets drawn in by Mei Suruga’s personality then Takami is going to grab your attention. In terms of wondering which side has the advantage, it might actually go to the team of teenagers because they have more ring time combined than the adults!

2. Nao Kakuta & Ami Yumoto Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI

A match that was about a new beginning for someone when it was announced and has since added the story of the end approaching for someone else. Let’s start with the new beginning. Ami Yumoto is a former idol who was a member of the famous AKB48 troupe. She was part of group from 2013 until her graduation last year. You may have seen her before in that viral clip of the most highly produced Rock Paper Scissors tournament anyone outside of Japan has ever seen. In that time Yumoto participated in the Tofu Pro Wrestling series under the gimmick name Komanechi Yumoto so she has some familiarity with wrestling already. Since leaving AKB48 Yumoto became a stage actress and worked on a play with Nao Kakuta. The two of them became friends and Kakuta encouraged Yumoto to come see TJPW for herself. The reason is when Kakuta discovered TJPW she fell in love with the place and she thinks Yumoto will do the same. The two will be teaming together for the idol’s debut match. It may be a one off but if Kakuta’s plan is correct, Yumoto might end up sticking around afterwards.

That brings us to the point I made about the end approaching. Two weeks after Yumoto’s debut was announced, Kakuta dropped the news she will be graduating from TJPW and retiring from pro wrestling in July. It sounds like she’s ready to move on from being a performer in general because she said her next career step is going to be something that will not put her in front of an audience again. It’s a shame to see her leaving soon because I was hopeful there would be a chance for her to move up a spot this year. The success she finally earned last year got wiped out due to matters outside of her power. However given how roster advancement goes in this company that same success was probably the most she was going to get and she realised that herself. No shame in calling it a career when you’ve done everything you can do and know there is nothing else possible within your means.

Those stories above mean the match will be all about those two and not their opponents. Mahiro Kiryu got her day in the sun last year when she unexpectedly became the main character of the highly praised “HYPE!” show. HIMAWARI has fitted into the TJPW undercard so perfectly you’d think she was part of the company for years already. Either of them could very likely pick up the win just by targeting Yumoto but it is also a believable result if Kakuta just clears house and wins in her final Sumo Hall appearance instead without Yumoto having to do much for the finish.

3. Andreza Giant Panda & Kaya Toribami (w/ Haruna Neko) Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku

If last year’s match was “Andreza Minus-One” then you can call this year’s match “Andreza x Kaya”. Last year Andreza Giant Panda teamed with Haruna Neko but it’s a little different this time around. The catgirl has been out of action with an injury for a long while now. She will still be at the panda’s side but won’t be able to wrestle in the match itself. That’s not a problem because you can just swap out the cat for a bird. Kaya Toribami will be Andreza’s partner here in what could be the second ever recorded interaction between a panda and a cassowary (TikTok beat them to the punch because of course TikTok would).

TJPW’s resident kaiju and superhero are busy dealing with a more demanding challenge later in the show so who gets the responsibility of containing Andreza within Ryogoku this time? It’s RakuPom that has to deal with it now. Raku makes sense the more I think of it because trains have been used to take down giant monsters before and the power of sleep can turn Andreza into a Snorlax. Pom Harajuku’s chances will depend on what happens when you kick a large inflatable thing over and over. Maybe she can kick Andreza at the right angle and cause it to burst from the shins. If none of that works Raku & Harajuku can always use the power of friendship to prevail. Or just focus on beating Toribami, that would be a lot easier.

4. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga

Another match where one of the participants will be wrestling in Sumo Hall for the final time. Juria Nagano has her finger in a lot of pies and sadly it’s reached the point where she no longer has the focus and energy to continue her pro wrestling career. This match is happening two weeks before her final bout and graduation from TJPW takes place. She said she wants to keep fighting as hard as she can until she burns out. That hard work paid off when she finally won her first singles match in February. She won’t have any championships or tournament wins under her name when she graduates but to her it was still all worth it. Teaming with Nagano is Moka Miyamoto, one of the current gen wrestlers who’s been climbing up the card and finding more opportunities along the way. As long as she keeps going the way she’s going now, I can see her getting eventually rewarded with some success in the future. It’s sad to see Shinken Kusho become such a short lived tag team because two karate girls working together like that was fun to watch.

Their opponents are two wrestlers who debuted TJPW almost a year after Nagano did and I’d say just about count as the next generation after her. Wakana Uehara has become noticeably more popular over 2023. She won the Next Generation Tournament to become the top prospect in her class, her social media numbers are going up and she has that one fan that constantly shouts “WAKANAAAAAA!” during her matches. Everything’s going up for the girl with the big appetite. Toga is getting more comfortable with herself in the ring and starting to show she has more to offer than just throwing a big Elbow Strike. Her finisher is one of the weirdest ways I’ve ever seen anyone do the Rock Bottom but it still looks like it hurts when she drives her opponent onto the mat.

5. Rika Tatsumi Vs Masha Slamovich

The antics of a certain “White Dragon” has been gradually getting more unhinged as time goes by. It’s one thing for Rika Tatsumi to always choke people during a wrestling match but when she’s scary enough to make Demonio Uno or Demonio Dos nervous then it’s probably time to put her in check. If only there was somebody out there with the pain tolerance to handle Tatsumi at her worst as well as being powerful enough to challenge Tatsumi at her best. Oh! Good to see you again Masha Slamovich, boy does TJPW have an opponent for you! Earlier this year Slamovich had a great performance in the main event of the annual 4th January show in Korakuen Hall. Meanwhile she is racking up Tatsumi has spent most of 2024 wrestling in the tag team division as part of Daydream. This is a good matchup for both women and I can see the result setting up a No. 1 Contender for either of the singles championships in the aftermath.

6. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao

Damn it, I should have saved the Godzilla x Kong joke for this match. Kyoraku Kyomei did such a great job handling a giant kaiju at last year’s “GRAND PRINCESS”. So much so they are now being counted on to fight the two meanest monsters TJPW can find! In a throwback to the days of Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody teaming up as the Miracle Power Combination, TJPW have decided to put Aja Kong & Max The Impaler together on the same side. The previous times the two of them have been in the ring were as opponents. The wrestlers they teamed with were more concerned about protecting the venue from getting ripped apart than they were with winning the match. What hope does Sumo Hall have now that Kong & Max are going to team together? That’s when you call on the services of Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao to save the day.

Kyoraku Kyomei are well aware of the younger wrestlers in TJPW doing their best to catch up with the veteran generation. That kind of threat was what kept them motivated until this match was announced. Nakajima is looking forward to it because it is her chance to prove the Big Kaiju is also the strongest kaiju. Misao is not as enthusiastic. She only just recently built the second generation Hypami Dramatic Dream bike thanks to a successful crowd funding campaign. The original was destroyed by Aja Kong so there is no way Misao will let her or Max lay even a finger on the new one. Misao also warns the new bike has a secret weapon that was specially built in to deal with those two monsters. Maybe even three if Nakajima accidentally gets in the way.

7. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Maki Itoh

The cutest in the world is going to fight the meanest king of pro wrestling! A recurring story for a long time now is Maki Itoh becoming more and more disconnected from the rest of TJPW. She wrestles in America for GCW more often and whenever she does come back to Japan her matches in TJPW are in the middle of the card and she feels aimless despite still winning matches. Her wrestling career is still going great, it’s just that more and more of her highlights are happening away from TJPW. The big one that happened recently was Itoh winning the GCW Extreme Title. She’ll have the title belt with her coming down to the ring on the night but her match will have nothing to do with it. It is about something even more important.

In February Itoh went to the Piledriver clothing shop in Harajuku in search of its Minoru Suzuki. When she found him she pitched an idea for the two of them to team up at Sumo Hall. They have teamed up once before in DDT and Itoh thinks the cutest wrestler in the world teaming with the meanest person on the planet would draw fans to the show. Suzuki flipped the idea on its head and told Itoh it would be even more buzzworthy if the two of them fought each other in a singles match! Itoh was left speechless by the suggestion but pulled up the courage not just to accept the match but promise she will end Suzuki’s career too! Suzuki saw the funny side of the threat and isn’t intimidated. Itoh’s wrestling career is only the size of Suzuki’s little finger in comparison to his own legendary career.

In the leadup to the match Itoh had time to think over it. She wanted to send a message to Suzuki that she has no fear so she choked out Shino Suzuki with a Sleeper Hold backstage during a show. Then she went to Twitter and posted a long message about her wrestling life from the start up until now. She is now the best she has ever been but misses the desperation her younger self had back when she started out. She needs to feel true despair again and can only find it by fighting someone who can bring it out of her. The match against Suzuki is going to be exactly that. She knows he is going to beat her to a pulp but she cannot wait to feel that desperate energy again in order to take herself to the next level. For Suzuki this will just be another match. For Itoh it is going to be the only match in the world that matters.

8. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura & Chris Brookes

Okay tell me if I got this correct. Yuka Sakazaki graduated from TJPW in December, said her 2024 plans were to relocate to America and continue her wrestling career there. The graduation happened and since then Sakazaki hasn’t wrestled anywhere, might have stayed in Japan the entire time and her first match back in almost five months is going to be in… Tokyo Joshi Pro. I’m just as confused about this as you might be. Was she prevented from re-entering America to protect all the mascots at Disney World or something? In reality it’s either just a visa situation that is delaying her plans or she isn’t travelling overseas unless she has something ready to do.

Sakazaki coming back to TJPW is good news for Mizuki. Nobody is happier to be in the ring with her again than the other half of The Magical Sugar Rabbits. When Sakazaki’s return was first announced, Mizuki was nervous there would not be a reunion because the match wasn’t revealed at the time. Imagine the relief she must have felt when she found out followed by the surprise over who they are fighting against. MagiRabi are taking on a queen they both had battles with in the past along with a very tall new opponent for them.

Here’s the funny thing. Emi Sakura and Chris Brookes will both be wrestling in TJPW for the first time ever yet their appearances are not as random as they sound. Sakura was a mentor figure for Mizuki in the early parts of her career and they’ve been in plenty of matches together. She also fought Sakazaki a bunch in AEW on their Youtube shows. Brookes meanwhile is often at the announce desk doing English commentary for TJPW’s most important shows of the year. They are a suitable pairing to take on The Magical Sugar Rabbits. All they need now is a name. You can count on Sakura to come up with one because she is calling the team TeaDK!

9. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku

The eventual takeover by the idol is moving along at a slow pace as planned. Yuki Arai won her second championship in January when she defeated the seemingly unbeatable Max The Impaler for the International Princess Title. It is only a matter of time before she moves on to chase after the biggest prize but we’ll cross that bridge whenever we get to it. Let’s stick to the present where Arai is the IP Champ and already has one successful title defence in her reign. A glamourous girl like her needs a glamourous opponent for such a big show. Luckily there is someone right here who fits the description.

Yuki Kamifuku has shown a lot more determination to win recently. Last year in the Tokyo Princess Cup she became fed up with her own excuses about never taking tournaments seriously because the younger wrestlers were using it against her whenever she lost. She proved all of them wrong by reaching the final round. While she did not win the tournament, her run of success getting there was the spark needed to figure out what she wanted to do next. She began searching for ways she could make TJPW more exciting. One of them was wrestling around Southeast Asia and winning the Queen Of Asia Title. Next on her list is challenging Arai for the IP Title because it is a match that can attract fans from their hometowns (Nagoya for Arai and Fujisawa for Kamifuku). She also thinks two beautiful women fighting over a championship sounds like an exciting way to draw in a crowd.

10. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo

There have been many great super subs in sport throughout the years. Ole Gunnar Solskjear for Manchester United, Manu Ginobili for the San Antonio Spurs, Tadashi Yamaguchi for Karasuno High School and perhaps the most greatest of them all… Ryo Mizunami for Tokyo Joshi Pro! Whenever TJPW was in need of a last minute replacement, Aniki was there to step up for them. That kind of reliability was rewarded with a Princess Tag Team Titles run with Yuki Aino as her partner. It’s been a successful pairing that is taking them all the way to an important championship match at Sumo Hall.

The championship win was also a big boost for Aino. Tag Team wrestling has always been where her better performances come from but she keeps trying to break out into singles wrestling. This new team she formed with Mizunami was built upon their individual strengths rather than their teamwork so in a way it is kind of giving Aino the best of both worlds. The vacant titles went to Yukiniki when they won a 3 Way Match at the expense of Daisy Monkey. And wouldn’t you know it, Daisy Monkey are back looking to take those titles as revenge!

That 3 Way Match in January put Daisy Monkey in a disadvantage from the get-go. The original match was Suzume & Arisu Endo challenging the champions Free WiFi. That plan was thrown out the window because of Hikari Noa suddenly going on hiatus, causing WiFi to be stripped of the belts. While that match ended up being a big setback for Daisy Monkey, they were ready to start climbing from the bottom once again. In February they fought tooth and nail to win the annual Max Heart Tournament and become recognised as TJPW’s strongest tag team. They immediately called their shot and challenged Yukiniki for the titles. It is the one thing Suzume & Endo want more than anything else because becoming the champions will put them on the same level as all of the tag teams from TJPW’s history that they admire.

11. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

Memories of the 2022 Tokyo Princess Cup remain fresh in my mind. That was the year Miu Watanabe scored the upset semi-final win against Miyu Yamashita that planted the seeds to this weekend’s main event. The story today is similar to what it was back then. Watanabe believes she is ready to beat the veteran generation and surpass them to become the best wrestler in TJPW. The person who stands in her way though is the ace who has been on top of the company since day one. It’s Yamashita. It is always Yamashita. Watanabe got a reminder of that when she was pinned with the Skull Kick for the finish of the 10th Anniversary main event last December.

Yamashita’s 4th Princess Of Princess Title reign has so far been built around defences against foreign wrestlers. Regina, Delmi Exo (happened in MLW) and Masha Slamovich have all failed to dethrone her. She is also going on another tour of America this year that will last from April to June. If Yamashita wins at Sumo Hall she intends to bring the belt with her for more title defences overseas. It’s a situation all too familiar for TJPW fans. Yamashita has done it all on top and has become an even bigger fish in the small pond.

Watanabe’s talents make her the natural choice for a brand new champion yet TJPW always relies on the original generation to carry the top belt. The Princess Title lineage has been running through the same cycle of Yamashita, Sakazaki, Nakajima, Tatsumi and Mizuki since 2018. While it might be prestigious to book a championship lineage around an exclusive club, TJPW is long past the point of giving the ball to somebody new so they can run with it. The concern is they might miss the window and wait too long to crown the next ace. Do we really need another wrestling company that delays their coronation of a new star for a year again?

Tetsuya Koda’s management philosophy follows that of the idol industry. Over there the senior generation of idols graduate and open up new spots for the junior idols to take their place. That is how the business evolves. TJPW’s roster progression feels similar but moves at a much more glacial pace, perhaps surprisingly so. Not to jynx anything but it always amazes me the amount of wrestlers TJPW produced in its history that have stuck around for the long haul. Does it take losing main eventers like Sakazaki for the younger wrestlers to finally move up the ladder? Does that mean there is a permanent bottleneck on top for as long as Yamashita remains in TJPW competing at the level she always does? If she ever does leave would TJPW just resort to relying on the remaining former Princess Champions to carry the title scene again? Those are the questions on my mind if Yamashita beats Watanabe this Sunday. If Watanabe wins and becomes the champion instead then buckle up because TJPW will be stepping into fresh territory for the first time in a long time.


DGC Final, Fish Vs Seafood, Shunma 10th Anniversary Match, Matsui Books Takeshita Vs Suzuki

March 27, 2024

GANBARE☆PRO “TONIGHT ON THE HILL WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE MOON 2024”, 28/03/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Yuna Manase & Banny Oikawa Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara
2. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Choun-Shiryu & YuuRI
3. Ueno Special 6-Man Tag Festival: Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
4. GanPro’s Famous Survival 8-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura, Takuya Wada & Mizuki Watase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari, Tyson Maeguchi & Kouki Iwasaki

Tomorrow will be the final Ganbare☆Pro show held under CyberFight management. They will be going independent in April.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. No Gamble FINAL!: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Toru Owashi Vs X
2. Yuni & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA, Yoshitatsu & Takeshi Masada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: To-y Vs Rukiya
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
7. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hi69
8. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes

Both To-y and Rukiya have commented on reaching the D GENERATIONS CUP final. To-y said competing in this year’s tournament made him feel more anxious than last year because he needed to get stronger in order to catch up to Hideki Okatani and Takeshi Masada. He had to ask himself what is his dream? It is to win the KO-D Openweight Title. In order to make that dream closer to coming true he needs to win this tournament for a spot in King Of DDT. Rukiya is only focused on winning the D GENERATIONS CUP. He has the least amount of experience out of all of the participants and understands that nobody expected him to win any of his matches. He regrets debuting too late to take part in last year’s tournament and is using those feelings to motivate him.

DDT “YAMADA SUISAN CO., LTD. PRESENTS – 4.14 SHIBUSHI MEAT AND FISH BATTLE @ UNAGI STATION”, 14/04/2024
Kagoshima Shibushi City “Unagi Station” Special Venue

1. Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya
3. Jun Akiyama & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
5. Yamada Suisan Fish Army Vs Maruto Poultry Chicken Army Final Showdown! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask Vs Makoto “Mr. CHICKEN” Oishi, Chris “THE FALCON” Brookes & Shunma “EL TURKEY” Katsumata

The seafood versus meat feud is entering into its third year and has taken another turn. Makoto Oishi has not only brought Chris Brookes and Shunma Katsumata onto the meat eater team but they also now have a sponsor! Maruto Poultry Shokuhin believe they make the best chicken meat in the world. The wrestlers on their team have taken on nicknames and now wear chicken masks to show their loyalty to the new sponsor. It is up to Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask to defend Yamada Suisan against this new rival on the market!

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN SAPPORO – DAY 2”, 29/04/2024
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza Kanaeda

1. Shunma Katsumata 10th Anniversary Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO

Katsumata wanted a special match to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his debut. He decided it should be a singles match against MAO! They usually team together as ShunMao but never turn down the chance to fight each other.

Tomoya and Noriyuki Yoshida will both be on the show.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 11 ~ YUKINORI MATSUI REFEREE 30TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE ~ MAKING THE SQUARE WORLD INTERESTING”, 19/05/2024
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center

1. Triple Main Event – Special Single Match Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro & Yukinori Matsui, Everyone’s 30th Anniversary, Add Them To Get 90th Anniversary(!) Commemorative Match ~Laughing Fukuraimon~: Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro
2. Triple Main Event – Special Tag Match ~DDT PRIDE~: Yuki Ueno & Kazusada Higuchi Vs MAO & Tetsuya Endo
3. Triple Main Event – From All Over The World, Arriving In Osaka. Special Singles Match ~THE ALPHA Vs King Of Pro Wrestling~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Minoru Suzuki

The annual Osaka show booked by Yukinori Matsui will this year celebrate his 30th anniversary in the wrestling business. He has put together three main events for the show. Top of the card is a big singles match between Konosuke Takeshita and Minoru Suzuki! Then there is a tag match featuring four of DDT’s main stars Yuki Ueno, Kazusada Higuchi, MAO and Tetsuya Endo. Last but not least Kikutaro and Kuishinbo Kamen will also be celebrating their 30th anniversaries this year. Add both of their anniversaries together with Matsui’s and you will get a 90th anniversary to celebrate!


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING” Results

March 16, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 16/03/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall
277 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Kaya Toribami defeated Kira Summer with the Bird Cage (6:41).
2. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi defeated Mahiro Kiryu and Uta Takami when Tatsumi submitted Takami with the Dragon Sleeper (10:42).
3. Wakana Uehara & Toga defeated Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when Uehara submitted Okubo with the Sleeper Hold (10:25).
4. Maki Itoh & Shino Suzuki defeated Moka Miyamoto & Chika Nanase when Itoh submitted Nanase with the Itoh Punish (8:30).
5. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Suzume, Arisu Endo & HIMAWARI when Aino pinned Suzume with the UBV (13:43).
6. Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki & Shoko Nakajima defeated Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta when Yamashita pinned Kakuta with the Skull Kick (15:42).

Today was the last preview matches for some of the upcoming title matches at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” on 31st March. Miyu Yamashita picked up the win for her team in the main event. She hyped up the big show with Mizuki & Shoko Nakajima afterward. Mizuki said she is really, really happy to team up with Yuka Sakazaki again. She always knew to be careful around Emi Sakura but now she has to be careful of Chris Brookes too. Nakajima said working with large monsters like Aja Kong & Max The Impaler is a dream for a special effects otaku like her. Backstage Yamashita said Miu Watanabe is very strong but she isn’t going to lose to her. She and Nakajima also wished Mizuki a happy birthday. Mizuki and Nakajima then wished Yamashita a happy birthday because that is happening tomorrow.

The way the main event ended made it finally hit home for Nao Kakuta that she will be retiring soon. It is her first match since that announcement and she took the losing fall. All that did though was fire her up for her final months in wrestling. Yuki Kamifuku said she’s had a long morning because her father gave her a lift to the station, made a mistake while driving and got stopped. It reminded Kamifuku that even the slightest mistake can be fatal so she should live her life with the utmost care. Watanabe is familiar with the power of Yamashita’s kicks by now but she knows there is more to her opponent than just that. The way things stand now, Yamashita can see everything Watanabe has to offer but not vice versa.

There was an interview that Ryo Mizunami had on Shukan Puroresu’s website this week about her time in Tokyo Joshi Pro so far. One of the things she brought up is how her and Yuki Aino’s recent tag team success comes from their individual strength rather than their teamwork. An example was on show here when Aino was able to beat Suzume by herself. She had Raku & Pom Harajuku here today for support but when Sumo Hall comes around Yukiniki will be in perfect condition against Daisy Monkey! But things have changed for Daisy Monkey too. Arisu Endo said in the past a lost like this would probably make them cry but they aren’t crying anymore. HIMAWARI is also keeping herself motivated because she wants to do her best for Ami Yumoto’s debut match.

Maki Itoh returned to Japan carrying her newly won GCW Extreme Title with her. She will be fighting Minoru Suzuki at Sumo Hall but today she was teaming with Shino Suzuki. The two are not related and Itoh was disappointed with how plain Shino’s post-match comments were backstage compared to Minoru’s. So Itoh sent a message to Minoru by putting Shino in the Sleeper Hold! She promised she is going to be a woman Minoru Suzuki will never forget!

Now that Runa Okubo is back from her high school entrance exams, she got to see first hand how much all of her wrestling classmates have progressed while she was gone. She is getting a little anxious over seeing how much Haru Kazashiro is getting better than her. But even though she was gone for two months, Kazashiro thinks Okubo is as strong as ever. The two agreed to graduate from junior high and work hard together at Sumo Hall.


Ken Kato Fired, Sumi Injured, Itoh Vs Suzuki

February 21, 2024

Yesterday DDT announced they terminated the contract of their ring announcer Ken Kato. Their reasoning was Kato made inappropriate comments on social media and showed no remorse over them when was given a stern warning. DDT then fired him because his behaviour was seen as a breach of contract. The weird thing about this story is very few people online seem to know what it was Kato did to get into trouble. His profile is already scrubbed from the DDT site and his Twitter account is gone. There is a streaming site he also has an account with but nobody outside the company has been able to find out what he did or where it happened. Whatever it was, DDT does not condone it and are putting changes in place for their wrestlers and staff to avoid this from happening again.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 23/02/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Kazusada Higuchu & Makoto Oishi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs MAO & Kazuki Hirata
3. Danshoku Dieno Vs Rukiya
4. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Soma Takao
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) Vs Maya Yukihi, Ram Kaichow, Rina Yamashita, Sanshiro Takagi & Akito

Kazuma Sumi suffered a left knee injury during the week and has been taken off this weekend’s shows as a precaution. Makoto Oishi replaces him on Friday’s show in Yokohama.

DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Iino, Yuni & Ilusion
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Akito & Soma Takao
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Yoshitatsu Vs Yukio Naya & Rukiya
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs To-y
6. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Hikaru Machida
7. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Kaisei Takechi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada

Then on Sunday’s show Ilusion is filling in for Sumi.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”, 31/03/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
2. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Maki Itoh
3. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

Today Maki Itoh visited the Piledriver clothing shop in Harajuku hoping to see Minoru Suzuki. The reason for this was so Itoh could ask Suzuki to team up with her at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”. Her selling point was the cutest person in the world joining forces with the worst personality in the world again. They have been on the same team once before in DDT back in December 2022. It created buzz back then and still gets attention today so Itoh wanted to team with Suzuki again. However Suzuki came up with an even more buzzworthy idea. He and Itoh should fight each other on the show in a singles match! Itoh was left speechless by the suggestion but regained her composure and accepted the challenge. She promised to end Suzuki’s legendary career in Sumo Hall! Suzuki shrugged her off, telling Itoh her wrestling career is the size of his little finger by comparison.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~” Results

December 31, 2023

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
778 Fans

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino defeated Takeshi Masada, Akira & Koji Iwamoto when HARASHIMA pinned Masada with the Somato (7:06).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita defeated Soma Takao, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Kinoshita pinned Hiroshi with the Blockbuster Hold (6:51).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
3a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki defeated Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka when Suzuki submitted Dieno with the Sleeper Hold (4:45).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) when Abe submitted Shu with the Manjigatame (6:03).
5. So Daimonji, Ender Kara, Leyton Buzzard & Tempesta defeated Kazumi Kikuta, Kazuki Hashimoto, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Buzzard pinned Rukiya with the Firebird Splash (8:37).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita when Sekifuda pinned Kinoshita with the Ironman (5:48).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
7a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki when Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with a Lariat (1:20).
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takuya Nomura, Abdullah Kobayashi & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Yuki Ueno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Kobayashi pinned Honda with a Modified School Boy (13:32).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino when Endo pinned Sekifuda with the Burning Star Press (13:33).

On the final day of 2023 DDT, Big Japan and a scoop of the indies all joined together at Korakuen Hall to take part in the annual New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Team Tournament. This year was the third year in a row the tournament consisted of 6-Man Tag matches. Every team taking part consisted of a DDT wrestler, a BJW wrestler and a wild card independent wrestler. But before any of the matches began, Samurai TV presented the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards for 2023. The full results for those can be found at the bottom of this report.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Lonely Hot College Students

The opening round began with HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino all joining forces to fight a team that no longer had an accurate team name. Yuya Aoki pulled out sick and had to be replaced with Akira who is not single like Takeshi Masada & Koji Iwamoto are. Although you could still argue he might have been feeling lonely anyway without being near his new friends anyway. They isolated HARASHIMA but Masada could not get the job done. Instead the tables were turned on him and HARASHIMA scored the pin with the Somato.

Team Katagi Returns Vs The Kind People

Style was the name of the game here. Team Katagi Returns all showed up wrestling in sunglasses and flashy shirts looking to boss around their opponents. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi tried to settle them down with some karaoke, buying Soma Takao & Kazumasa Yoshida some time to regroup. Hiroshi tried it again to distract Kohei Kinoshita but ended up getting pinned with the Blockbuster Hold for his troubles.

Big Bombers Kai Vs Anal Destruction Hidaka

The big draw for this year’s tournament made his appearance in the third match. Minoru Suzuki showed up with no concern that Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka were all plotting to defeat him one way or another. It didn’t matter because whatever they threw at Suzuki, he just countered it and twisted them into submission holds. The match ended in a time limit draw so it went to 1 Count sudden death rules. Hidaka was convinced to settle himself on the top turnbuckle with his tights pulled down so Dieno & Hashimoto could throw their opponents face first into his rear end. The plan worked until it was Suzuki’s turn. He simply stopped in front of Hidaka and spanked him! Hashimoto then force fed Dieno the wasabi paste but the Lip Lock aimed for Suzuki was sent to Hashimoto instead! Suzuki used the Sleeper Hold on Dieno to squeeze the wasabi out of him until he gave up.

Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

You can always count on The Brahman Brothers to come into this tournament with their partners already brainwashed into acting like them. It happened here with Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishikawa. Together their obscene fighting styles left the opponents doubled over in pain due to where the attacks were targeted. However Fuminori Abe was able to trap Brahman Shu in the Manjigatame so his team could escape to the next round with enough of their collective dignity still intact.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

There were two matches outside of the tournament. The first of which focused on PROJECT: HAVOC, the unit of wrestlers currently invading Big Japan led by So Daimonji. Facing them were the collective team of mostly young DDT and BJW wrestlers. Despite the best efforts of the combined home team, HAVOC overwhelmed them and won out in the end.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Team Katagi Returns

Over to the semi finals now where Smile Lizard King Kong continued to show their combined strength. The normally powerful Kazusada Higuchi & Yasufumi Nakanoue were instead powerless to save Kinoshita from getting flattened with Flying Body Press after Flying Body Press from their opponents, ending with Sekifuda folding him over with the Ironman pin for the 3 count.

Big Bombers Kai Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

The other semi finals treated fans to a couple of important matchups. First was a preview of Tetsuya Endo against Yukio Naya in the D-Oh Grand Prix final happening on 3rd January. The other was Suzuki and Daisuke Sekimoto getting the rare chance to fight each other! Their battle ended in a stalemate because the time ran out. When sudden death began the match scrambled into Hideyoshi Kamitani trying to pin Sekimoto only to get defeated instead with Sekimoto’s Lariat. Endo and Naya had a staredown in the middle of the ring after the match.

Non-Tournament Special 6-Man Tag Match

The second non-tournament match was a straightforward DDT Vs Big Japan 6-Man Tag. Well I say straightforward but the match involved Antonio Honda and Abdullah Kobayashi both getting rope burn between their legs, the DDT team all dancing to “What Does The Fox Say”, then the Big Japan team dancing to “Tokyo GO!” until Takuya Nomura stopped them. But that was only because he wanted to lead the dance and use that power to overpower his opponents. Kobayashi ended up using Honda’s Gongitsune against him and rolled him up with a School Boy to get Big Japan the victory.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

Sadly the show has not yet returned to running long enough that it reaches up to the clock striking midnight to bring in the new year. But the finalists were still able to take each other on without having to worry about a time limit. Sekimoto and Hino got into a big chop battle while HARASHIMA took out Abe with the Somato. Sekifuda almost pinned Endo with the Ironman but was then flipped upside down with the Tetsuya In the Sky. It was all there for Endo to take it and he finished Sekifuda off with the Burning Star Press, making Bati Bati F’N In The Sky the winners of this year’s tournament!

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2023

MVP

1. Kazuki Hirata (DDT)
2. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato (Michinoku Pro)
3. Fuminori Abe (Freelance)
4. Chris Brookes (DDT)
5. HARUKAZE (Ganbare☆Pro)

Best Bout

1. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato Vs Hiromu Takahashi (Michinoku Pro, 15th October)
2. Fuminori Abe Vs Takuya Nomura (Kakuto Tanteidan, 12th October)
3. Yuji Okabayashi Vs Yuya Aoki (Big Japan, 4th May)
4. Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata (DDT, 12th November)
5. Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ueno (DDT, 12th November)

Best Unit

1. Astronauts (Freelance/Big Japan)
2. Pheromones (DDT)
3. Lethal Weapon (Ganbare☆Pro)
4. Eruption (DDT)
5. The 37KAMIINA (DDT)

Best Show

1. DDT @ Ryogoku Kokugikan, 12th November
2. Kakuto Tanteidan @ Shinjuku FACE, 12th October
3. Big Japan @ Yokohama Budokan, 4th May
4. Michinoku Pro @ Yahaba Townsmen Gymnasium, 15th October
5. 666 @ Korakuen Hall, 2nd, August

Best Newcomer

1. Munetatsu Nakamura (Ganbare☆Pro)
2. Kazumasa Yoshida (Big Japan)
3. Takeshi Masada (DDT)
4. Yusaki Ito (Dove Pro)
5. Yuki Kanzaki (TTT)


New Year’s Eve Trios Give Their Comments

November 15, 2023

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
5. X Vs X
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. X Vs X
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Bati Bati F’N In The Sky: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe
Big Bombers Kai: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki
Team Katagi Returns: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita
Anal Destruction Hidaka: Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka
The Kind People: Chris Brookes, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
Lonely Hot College Students: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Aoki & Koji Iwamoto
Smile Lizard King Kong: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino
Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei)

Most of the wrestlers taking part in this year’s Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament got together for the lottery to determine who will team with who. Every trio in the tournament is made up of a DDT wrestler, a Big Japan wrestler and a “Dream Slot” wrestler from a group made up of freelancers and people from other promotions. The wrestlers in attendance all gave comments about the teams they ended up in along with their chances to do well.

Tetsuya Endo remembers teaming up with Daisuke Sekimoto in 2020 but they were eliminated in the semi final. He thinks with Fuminori Abe joining them they have no choice but to win this time. Abe told them he’ll do his best not to hold them back. Their team name is Bati Bati F’N In The Sky.

The big attraction this year is Minoru Suzuki competing in the New Year’s Eve tournament for the first time. He is in the same team as Yukio Naya & Hideyoshi Kamitani who teamed together last year as part of a trio called Big Bombers. So they are all called Big Bombers Kai this time around. Suzuki said if he wins three matches in one night then that means he gets paid for three matches so even thought he is here to have fun, he still wants to win.

In 2018 Kazusada Higuchi & Yasufumi Nakanoue were Team Katagi so for their reunion they get to be Team Katagi Returns! The third member Kohei Kinoshita was not here today so they will see him at the show.

Suzuki already has a target on his back. Or more like lower down below his back. Ikuto Hidaka is taking the Anal power of Danshoku Dieno with the Destructive power of Daichi Hashimoto and merging them together with him in the middle in order to defeat Suzuki’s team! Suzuki however threatened to destroy Hidaka’s anus first. Hashimoto has been on the tournament winning team for the last two years so he wants to make it three in a row.

A more calm energy is flowing through the next trio taking part. Kazumasa Yoshida is happy to be teaming with a bunch of kind people so it only makes sense to call themselves The Kind People. He hopes they can win without being rude. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi is aiming to prove flexibility can defeat toughness. Chris Brookes is happy he doesn’t have to team with Kota Sekifuda.

I guess Lonely Hot College Students is an accurate name because Yuya Aoki was the only person on that team to show up today. He assured everyone he will hold a strategy meeting with Takeshi Masada & Koji Iwamoto to work out how they will win the tournament.

HARASHIMA & Sekifuda originally decided on calling their team Smile Lizard Gorilla. However when the absent Yuji Hino found out about it he asked them to change it to Smile Lizard King Kong. Sekifuda feels confident the three of them will develop a chemical reaction that will bring them to success.

The final team is made up of the remaining wrestlers who were not picked. That is not always a bad place to be because in 2021 a team called LEFTOVERS made up of the last picked wrestlers ended up winning the whole thing. Will it work out that way for Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & The Brahman Brothers? Maybe not. Brahman Shu admitted he has no hopes or dreams over their chances. Ishikawa however wants to behave as wild as he can because it is his first time being with Okatani and the Brahmans.


Danshoku Fantasy, Banny Makes It to GanPro, BASARA At Korakuen, New Year’s Eve Guests

November 8, 2023

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Rukiya
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Takeshi Masada
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
8. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Nivea Cream Care Body Wash Presents ~ Dramatic Dream Round “Let’s Have Fun!!” What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
9. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
10. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
11. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
12. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

Danshoku Dieno’s team has been spending time together in preparation for their match against Sanshiro Takagi’s squad. The latest meeting had Dieno, Yoshitatsu & Yoshihiko go visit MMA fighter Hideo Tokoro’s gym to learn some new techniques. Yoshitatsu has been friends with Tokoro since childhood and Tokoro also got along with Dieno when he found out they are all 46 years old. Tokoro tried to teach them submission holds by using Yoshihiko as a training dummy. He then showed Dieno a way to apply multiple submissions at once by demonstrating a Cobra Twist and Muffler Hold combination. Dieno failed to apply the combination to Yoshitatsu and was scolded for not taking the training seriously.

Suddenly Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi barged into the gym. They heard from the media about this session going on and told Dieno that training with Tokoro for just a few minutes isn’t going to work. Dieno disagreed but Akito reminded him he is currently in a slump. Oishi said he will make sure Dieno won’t even make it to Sumo Hall and he suddenly attacked him. However all of a sudden Dieno outwrestled Oishi and successfully applied the submission combination he tried earlier while also reaching over to touch Oishi’s groin. This caused Oishi to submit while in great pain. Takagi, Akito & Oishi then fled from the scene. Dieno announced he is naming his new submission move the Danshoku Fantasy. Tokoro was surprised at how quickly Dieno learned the move. Dieno explained that people tend to get stronger when they are backed into a corner. He is in a slump and adversity was the key for him to break out of it.

Dieno then invited Tokoro to give pro wrestling a try. Tokoro declined, saying he would have to start off as a trainee. Dieno pointed out that DDT is unlike other wrestling companies. As long as you are willing to put your life on the line then you can step into the DDT ring. He told Tokoro the possibility will always be there if he is interested.

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN NARAHA TOWN”, 18/11/2023
Fukushima Tenjin Misaki Sports Park

1. Falls Count Anywhere 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi (Special Referee: Shunma Katsumata)

Wrestling in his hometown is not the only advantage Toy Kojima might have for this Falls Count Anywhere match. Shunma Katsumata is the special guest referee so he might play favorites with The 37KAMIINA team.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE MOUNTAIN TOP 2023”, 19/11/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Semi-Final: Shino Suzuki Vs HIMAWARI
2. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Semi-Final: Wakana Uehara Vs Toga
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Runa Okubo
4. Hyper Misao, Mahiro Kiryu & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Yuki Arai, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto, Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
7. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima

The main event is subject to change if Max The Impaler loses the International Princess Title to Kasey in EVE later this week.

It’s been over a year since Juria Nagano has wrestled in Osaka so Tokyo Joshi Pro is putting her in the same match as Yuki Arai to make it a bigger deal. The two of them have only been in the same match once before and that was at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.

Miyu Yamashita is not at the show because she will in wrestling at EVE in England that same day.

BASARA “BASARA 236 ~TAKAGARI 21~”, 23/11/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. SAGAT Vs Akiyori Takizawa
2. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Lil’ Kraken Vs KUBITO & Ryuichi Sekine
4. Ryota Nakatsu, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Yasu Urano
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA & Hagane Shinno

As we get closer to the last Union MAX Title match of the year FUMA and Isami Kodaka are both bringing in reinforcements. Kodaka is staying within Sento Minzoku and has Minoru Fujita on his side. FUMA is calling in an old ally of his from BASARA’s early years. Hagane Shinno will be teaming with him.

This weekend Masato Kamino will be challenging T-Hawk for the G-REX Title in GLEAT. Will he be their new champion by the time BASARA’s next show takes place?

This is Akiyori Takizawa’s first appearance in BASARA since Sparky disbanded.

GANBARE☆PRO “ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS ’23”, 23/11/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. YuuRI & Riara Vs SAKI & Yoshiko Hasegawa
2. Dan The Dad, Tyson Maeguchi & Banny Oikawa Vs Soma Takao, Shinichiro Tominaga & HARUKAZE
3. Yumehito Imanari Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. Ken Ohka & Mizuki Watase Vs Koji Doi & Kuma Arashi
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Shota

Kind of cheeky for Ken Ohka to lose a hair match and then take a month off from running main Ganbare☆Pro shows so it would have grown back a little bit when the next one takes place. He has wrestled on other indies since then so it’s not like he’s been avoiding attention. Anyway he still wants revenge on DoiKuma and gets another tag match against them. This time Mizuki Watase is teaming with him.

Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi pays a visit from BASARA to face Yumehito Imanari.

After months of preparation on Ganbare☆Joshi shows Banny Oikawa finally gets her wish to wrestle on a main GanPro show. She’s taking part in an intergender tag match too which is the style she came back to wrestling for. What a weird world we live in when we get a match that has both her and Dan The Dad involved.

BASARA “BASARA 237 ~GRIND AN AXE TO MAKE A NEEDLE~”, 03/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Takato Nakano Vs Yuko Miyamoto
2. Lil’ Kraken Vs The Great Sasuke
3. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

Kodaka has the slight edge over FUMA after he pinned him with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch yesterday. A flash pin from moves like that or the Samson Clutch is a danger that FUMA needs to watch out for.

The IRON FIST Tag Team are now shared between a BASARA wrestler and a DDT wrestler. Kazusada Higuchi for now has to bounce back and forth between the two promotions while representing the Harimao stable with Ryota Nakatsu. Their first title defence is against Speed Of Sounds and will be held on the same day as a DDT show. However Higuchi made sure that none of his D-Ou Grand Prix matches are taking place that day so he can concentrate on defending the belts without having to worry about his tournament run at the same time.

Two of BASARA’s younger wrestlers have each been given challenging opponents in an effort to make them step up and progress further. Lil’ Kraken grew up watching videos of The Great Sasuke and would love nothing more than to surpass the legend. Takato Nakano steps into the ring to fight Yuko Miyamoto. The match seems to be held under normal rules but if Miyamoto wants to make it hardcore, who is going to tell him no? Nakano would take on that challenge if he had to.

No matches announced yet for Abdullah Kobayashi and Hideyoshi Kamitani. They were already announced for the show along with Leo Isaka.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
5. X Vs X
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. X Vs X
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

DDT: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno, Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya, Hideki Okatani and Takeshi Masada

Big Japan: Yuki Ishikawa, Yuya Aoki, Daisuke Sekimoto, Yasufumi Nakanoue, Daichi Hashimoto, Hideyoshi Kamitani, Kota Sekifuda and Kazumasa Yoshida

New Year Dream Slot: Minoru Suzuki, Yuji Hino, Ikuto Hidaka, Koji Iwamoto, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Kohei Kinoshita, Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) and Fuminori Abe

The New Year’s Eve tradition continues with Minoru Suzuki, Yuji Hino, Ikuto Hidaka, Koji Iwamoto and Kohei Kinoshita as some of the special guests. There will also be around two non-tournament matches booked on the show.

The lottery to determine all of the teams entering this year’s Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament will be held on 15th November.


“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW” Results

September 19, 2023

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

0. Dark Match: Dr. Gore & Yasu Urano defeated Monomoth & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru) when Urano pinned Monomoth with the Modern Times (5:30).
1. Gauntlet Tag Match: Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Minoru Fujita, Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi), Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki, Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno), and Shota & Gota Ihashi.
1a. Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) defeated Shota & Gota Ihashi when Honda pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (2:39).
1b. Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki defeated Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) when Shiryu pinned Honda with the Chinese Leg Roll Clutch (1:59).
1c. Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno defeated Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki by Ring Out when Shinno eliminated Suzuki (2:55).
1d. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno) defeated Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno when Shu pinned Koishikawa with a Cradle (2:54).
1e. Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno) when Sasaki pinned Kei with a Cradle (5:01).
1f. Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Minoru Fujita by Ring Out when Akki eliminated Fujita (7:31).
2. Saki Akai Vs DJ Nira ended in a No Contest (?:??).
3. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Mei Suruga with a European Clutch (12:19).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi, Isami Kodaka & Ken Ohka defeated MAO, Daiki Shimomura & Munetatsu Nakamura when Sakaguchi pinned Nakamura with the God’s Right Knee (15:05).
5. Chris Brookes defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (24:07).
-. Special Exhibition: KUDO (1) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (0) (5:00).
-a. KUDO (1) pinned Masahiro Takanashi (0) with the Diving Double Knee Drop (?:??).

Masahiro Takanashi gathered a bunch of his friends together to celebrate twenty years of him being a pro wrestler. The advertised main event was a singles match between the two CDK teammates Takanashi and Chris Brookes. In the end Brookes countered the Takatonic into the Implant for a nearfall and then used the Praying Mantis Bomb to get the three count. However the final match of the night took place right afterward when KUDO entered the ring in full gear to take part in a five minute long exhibition against Takanashi. It was the first time KUDO got to wrestle in any form since 2019. The five minutes went by in a sprint and KUDO scored a pinfall with the Diving Double Knee Drop right before time expired.

During the post-show interview backstage Takanashi asked KUDO how did it feel to wrestle again after such a long time? KUDO said it felt great and he appreciated the support from the fans. He would like to do it again. He has no plans to retire so he will definitely come back some day. Takanashi said next time he hopes to do a CDK Vs KUDO & Yukio Sakaguchi tag match. Brookes said he doesn’t want to fight Takanashi again anytime soon. CDK is stronger together as a team and they have plenty of dreams they want to chase. Next year will be CDK’s 5th Anniversary as a team so maybe Takanashi will put together a show to celebrate that in 2024 instead of his 21st anniversary.

Minoru Suzuki’s weird weekend was stretched out into Monday when he had to fight Mei Suruga in a singles match. He decided to fight fire with fire by using some of Suruga’s moves and poses against her! Suruga complained about the fans cheering for him because he doesn’t look cute when he acts like her. Suzuki got the win in the end, oddly enough not by choking the life out of Suruga but by using a European Clutch to pin her. Suruga kept attacking Suzuki after the match but he shrugged her off. He praised her for putting up a good fight, gave her a hug and left the ring, ignoring that she was still trying to attack him.

Saki Akai was promised a match if she showed up to the event. When she entered the ring she was immediately attacked by DJ Nira! He also attacked Daisuke Kiso before the bell rang so the match never officially started. Still, Akai tried to wrestle Nira and had him beaten with the Quetzalcoatl. Kiso was still knocked out so Akai went to revive him. Gradually the ring started to fill up with wrestlers like Antonio Honda, Hoshitango, Gota Ihashi and Thanomsak Toba all dressed in diapers. According to Nira they were all old men and it is now up to Akai to take care of them. The match was declared a Diaper Royal when suddenly the room went dark. A voice told the audience that Akai went on to build a facility for the elderly but everyone who lived there got poisoned on the opening day. Kiso was caught as the accomplice so Toba strangled him to death. That’s how the match ended.

Shota & Ihashi entered the Gauntlet Tag Match dressed as Takanashi & Sakaguchi respectively. Ihashi even sported fake body tattoos.


DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2023” Results

September 18, 2023

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2023”, 18/09/2023
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
531 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Kazuma Sumi defeated Rukiya with a High Angle Rolling Cradle (5:59).
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Nagoya ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata & Akito and Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada by Referee Stoppage when Dieno used the Lip Lock on Masada (6:40).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Hideki Okatani, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when KANON submitted Koroku with the Cobra Twist (9:26).
4. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie, Kazusada Higuchi & Shinya Ishida defeated Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo when Irie pinned Oishi with the Beast Bomber (14:03).
5. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Bat & Board Tag Death Match: Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki defeated Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu (c) when Akiyama pinned Yoshitatsu after the Sandwich Current Blast Bat Swing with Suzuki (8:17).
*Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu fail in V6. BURNING become the 120th All Asia Tag Team Champions!
6. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Naya pinned Kojima with The World’s Largest Back Drop (15:18).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes, MAO & Antonio Honda when Akai pinned Honda with the Quetzalcoatl (17:12).

A couple of hours after Minoru Suzuki wrestled Sanshiro Takagi on the bullet train travelling from Tokyo to Nagoya, Suzuki was wrestling in DDT again this time in the main event. He gave Eruption, in particular Saki Akai, a helping hand against Chris Brookes and his team of jokers. Suzuki was not in the mood for comedy and kicked away Antonio Honda whenever Honda tried to set up a Gongitsune joke. His behaviour changed though when Honda instead wanted to talk about One Piece. Honda almost angered him when he started making lewd jokes about Tony Tony Chopper but Yukio Sakaguchi convinced him to listen for the punchline. Honda then attacked Suzuki with Gongitsune and gave Akai a Tenzan Tombstone Driver. Akai kicked out at two and gave Hona the Quetzalcoatl, pinning him while Suzuki held MAO back from breaking the count.

After the match Suzuki said he heard about Akai’s plans to retire and that she is challenging Brookes for the KO-D Openweight Title soon. If she is looking for strength then she shouldn’t stop for anything. She shouldn’t be crying either because he thinks she looks really ugly when she cries. Akai didn’t respond to that and instead turned her attention to the audience. She said her body is hurting a lot but hearing everybody cheering for her made her want to stand back up whenever she got knocked down. She is a pro wrestler so she will be fine. There is also one last thing she wanted to say to Suzuki. “Who are you calling ugly?” In a flash she kicked Suzuki in the face with a big boot, sending him scrambling out of the ring and grabbing a chair nearby. The seconds at ringside restrained him from getting back into the ring while Akai said when she becomes the champion, Suzuki can challenge her anytime!

For the first time in nine years the All Asia Tag Team Titles changed hands on a DDT show! Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki on behalf of BURNING have won the belts from Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu in an Exploding Death Match. Suzuki perhaps took the worst damage. He was blinded with Onita’s Poison Mist and took an exploding baseball bat swing from Yoshitatsu. Akiyama came to the rescue by throwing Onita onto a barbed wire board that was rigged to explode but did not because nobody pressed the button to trigger it beforehand. He also ducked the Mist from Onita causing Yoshitatsu to get blinded instead. Akiyama & Suzuki both grabbed an exploding baseball bat and hit Yoshitatsu with them sandwich style before Akiyama pinned him for the victory.

Onita accepted defeat and shook Akiyama’s hand after the match. Akiyama said the All Asia Tag Titles are now no longer about explosions so it’s time for them to be defended in serious pro wrestling matches again. Backstage he wanted to make his point clear that the titles are now being held by a DDT wrestler and a freelancer, not anyone from All Japan. Yoshitatsu overheard him and protested, telling him the belts belong to AJPW. He wants to fight for the belts again in a normal match and this time his tag team partner will be Takao Omori! Akiyama accepted the challenge and the title match will take place on 7th October. Meanwhile Onita promised to continue doing exploding death matches in the hopes that the younger generation will someday take over the gimmick. That means he will continue Dramatic Dream Onita with Shunma Katsumata and Toy Kojima somewhere down the line.

After Match #4, Yuji Hino announced to everyone that he will soon end his regular appearances with DDT. He has wrestled on DDT shows often for the last three years first as part of DAMNATION and then as part of the Ω revival. There are good wrestlers in DDT but after all this time only one thing has been clear. In the end, Hino is the strongest! His final match as a regular in DDT will be on 24th September. He is not retiring from wrestling. He is just taking an easier schedule to avoid injury so he can do volunteer work back in Chiba as well as take care of his five children. He can always show up in DDT again if the company calls him or if Makoto Oishi wants to win a championship.


DDT “SHINKANSEN PRO WRESTLING” Results

September 18, 2023

DDT “SHINKANSEN PRO WRESTLING”, 18/09/2023
Nozomi No. 371 From Tokyo Station
75 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (37:29).

All aboard the bullet train! DDT had a show taking place in Nagoya today so the company decided to rent out one of the cars on the Shinkansen for a pro wrestling match between Sanshiro Takagi and Minoru Suzuki along the way. It is the latest of unusual Falls Count Anywhere matches between the two wrestlers, this one taking place five years after their empty stadium match that took place inside the Tokyo Dome. DDT promised not to do anything that would damage the train otherwise they would have to pay for the repairs.

The train departed from Tokyo on 1:09pm. It arrived at Shinagawa Station at 1:16pm where Sanshiro Takagi stepped on board. Everybody waited for Suzuki to appear but it turned out he was not there. Instead he was waiting at the next stop in Shin-Yokohama. Takagi used his spare time to go to the bathroom.

The train reached Shin-Yokohama Station on 1:28pm where Suzuki did in fact appear once the train started moving again, entrance music included. He explained his delay was because a staff member at the station saw him in his wrestling gear and scolded him for wearing that in public. At 1:32pm the match finally began.

Both wrestlers were given restrictions on what moves they were allowed to use inside a moving bullet train. The rules hardly limited Suzuki because most of his moveset is suitable for any location. Takagi however was robbed of a lot of his power moves that involve slamming the opponent. Suzuki also had a theory he wanted to test out. He calculated that if he throws a punch at 115km/h while the train moves at 285km/h then he will hit Takagi at 400km/h!

Overwhelmed by Suzuki’s physics lesson, Takagi called for help. Suddenly Takeshi Masada entered the car, fully dressed to wrestle. He came to Takagi’s aid and together they double teamed Suzuki down the aisleway. That was when Suzuki called his own help, his No. 1 Capsule Monster Hikaru Sato! Sato showed up wearing a virgin killer sweater and targeted Takagi for being an enemy of Suwama. However the four wrestlers fighting each other caused the train to shake so Takagi warned everyone to take it down a notch.

Suzuki refused Takagi’s warning and tried to give him the Gotch-Style Piledriver. The referee Yukinori Matsui tried to stop him by saying that kind of move is illegal inside the train. Suzuki told him he doesn’t care because it will be CyberFight getting blamed for the damage and not him! Takagi escaped and put Suzuki in a Sleeper Hold when suddenly Danshoku Dieno entered wearing an apron and offering the wrestlers some ice cream. Suzuki agreed to take a quick break so he could enjoy the treat.

However the ice cream served on the Shinkansen has a reputation of being rock hard to eat. That gave the wrestlers an idea to use the ice cream as a weapon but Matsui stopped them. It eventually became soft enough to eat but Dieno then started complaining to Takagi about Pheromones being forced to break up. He wanted to take his anger out by giving Suzuki the Lip Lock but Masada stopped him. Dieno then attacked Masada and kept punching him in the backside.

The next wrestler to show up was Jun Akiyama. He hit the Jumping Knee on Suzuki and Takagi jumped on top for a pin, only getting a two count. Akiyama then held on to Suzuki while Takagi brought out the Mecha Mummy rocket fist! He threw a 500km/h Rocket Punch at Suzuki but he ducked and Akiyama got hit instead. Akiyama got mad at Takagi and left in a huff. Takagi and Suzuki proceeded to fight each other back and forth using the rocket fist.

The fight was getting noisy enough to attract attention from the next car over. Kazunari Murakami stormed into the car to complain about it! He saw it was caused by Takagi and Suzuki fighting each other so he took his anger out on Masada and Matsui instead. Takagi paused the match so he and Suzuki could wipe the sweat off of themselves with a cloth so as to not get the train dirty. He then attacked Suzuki from behind and choked him with the cloth. Suzuki freed himself when he saw one of the passengers had a bento lunch box. He took the box for himself and started eating the food inside.

The match was then interrupted by the arrival of the ticket inspector. As he checked everybody’s tickets one by one, the people on the train began to realize it was Kenta Kobashi! Takagi and Suzuki did not notice him because they were too busy Chopping each other. It was only when they bumped into Kobashi and knocked his hat off that they found out who he was. Kobashi’s music played over the speakers and he chopped Suzuki across the chest after Suzuki complained about him taking the bento box away.

As the match went past the 35 minute mark, Takagi went for one of the few wrestling moves in his arsenal that he is allowed to use. He charged down the aisle and threw a Lariat only for Suzuki to duck under and apply the Sleeper Hold from behind. Suzuki then delivered the Gotch-Style Piledriver, pinning Takagi for the three count!

After the match Takagi thanked all of the fans and the media for coming to see the event. Today is the happiest Takagi has ever been in his pro wrestling career. He fought Suzuki at the Nippon Budokan in 2012, the Tokyo Dome in 2017 and the bullet train in 2023. There is now no better time for him to call it a day and announce his retirement from pro wrestling! A ten bell salute went ahead but at the seventh gong, Takagi suddenly admitted he was lying and then gave Suzuki the Stunner! He’s not going to retire yet not before he finally beats Suzuki. Whether it is on a deserted island, in outer space or on the moon Sanshiro Takagi will one day defeat Minoru Suzuki! He then ran off with Suzuki chasing after him.