EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW: JAPAN & UK WRESTLING UNITE!”, 24/08/2024 Conway Hall, London, England ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Triple Threat Match: Skye Smitson defeated Anita Vaughan and Kasey when Smitson pinned Vaughan with the Smitson Effect (7:49)
1. Mahiro Kiryu defeated HIMAWARI with the Spinebuster (11:15).
2. Alex Windsor defeated Lena Kross with a Sharpshooter (11:46).
3. Raku defeated Session Moth Martina with the Hurricane Turn (6:18).
4. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler defeated Zizi & Safire Reed when Kong pinned Reed with the 2nd Rope Diving Elbow Drop (11:06).
5. EVE Title: Nina Samuels (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Starstruck (19:39). *V5 for Nina Samuels.
Through her time wrestling for EVE in England over the last couple of years, Miyu Yamashita eventually came up with a dream. Her goal was to have EVE and Tokyo Joshi Pro work together for a show in England. Today that dream was became a reality as she along with a minor collective of TJPW talent arrived in London to put on a special show with the EVE roster.
Yamashita was in the main event getting a chance to become a two time EVE Champion. Her opponent Nina Samuels spent part of the match trying to talk down to her but Yamashita eventually reminded her she cannot speak English. A lot of the match had Yamashita on offence but Samuels was able to cut throat her into the ropes to cut off her momentum. There was no Skull Kick and the only attempt at the Crash Rabbit Heat was stopped before it ever got going. Instead Samuels was able to use her version of the Go To Sleep called the Starstruck to win the match and remain champion. The result did not dampen Yamashita’s mood though. She told the fans TJPW would like to come back to England again. She also made a post-show comment about coming back to EVE to try and win back the title some day.
While not necessarily representing TJPW on the show, one of the big draws for the event was Aja Kong & Max The Impaler teaming together again for the first time since “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” back in March. The team who were given the unenviable task of trying to beat them were Zizi & Safire Reed. The two tried their best but reached the point where they had enough of the beatings and tried to flee. Skye Smitson blocked them off from the exit allowing Max to bring Reed back into the ring for Kong to finish her off with the Back Drop and Diving Elbow Drop.
In a rematch from “GCW VS TJPW” back in April Raku and Session Moth Martina clashed against each other for a second time in a match filled with many literal rest holds. Raku was armed with a pillow while Martina already tired herself out by partying too much during her entrance. Also Raku started singing lullabies at her. Martina did get a little bit of alcohol into Raku though which made her get drowsy. With the fans encouraged to be quiet, Martina tried to pin Raku without waking her up but failed. Raku was able to get Martina with the Smile Train and Sling Blade before pinning her with the Hurricane Turn. The record between them now stands at one win a piece. After the match Kasey talked to Martina about the two of them now being considered among the longest serving veterans of EVE. She encouraged Martina to start thinking it’s time for a change if they have any chance of taking on the younger wrestlers. Backstage Raku said she would love to invite Martina to Japan.
The all EVE match of the show still had a TJPW connection to it. Alex Windsor is a former International Princess Champion after all. Australian wrestler Lena Kross proved to be a tough nut to crack but Windsor eventually broke her down enough to make her submit to the Sharpshooter.
The all TJPW match pitted Mahiro Kiryu against HIMAWARI to open up the show proper. Both of their gimmicks were known by the fans in the audience. HIMAWARI responded to everyone calling out her name while Kiryu was told by the fans to apologise for attacking HIMAWARI by the hair. Kiryu did so, demonstrating the dogeza apology before turning it into the Double Knee Drop. Kiryu went on to win with the Spinebuster and feels grateful that the fans know who she is.
A Triple Threat Match was put on in the pre-show where Skye Smitson defeated Anita Vaughan and Kasey. Smitson used her version of the Cross Rhodes to pin Vaughan for the victory.
As part of the show opener, fans were treated to Raku singing one of her songs. She also revealed her train of the day is the Thameslink.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW: JAPAN & UK WRESTLING UNITE!”, 24/08/2024 Conway Hall, London, England
0. Pre-Show Match: X Vs X
1. HIMAWARI Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Alex Windsor Vs Lena Kross
3. Session Moth Martina Vs Raku
4. Zizi & Safire Reed Vs Aja Kong & Max The Impaler
5. EVE Title: Nina Samuels (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The card is now complete with the EVE only matches being added. Alex Windsor, who is a former International Princess Champion will be facing Lena Kross. There is also going to be a pre-show match of some sort taking place too.
DDT “MEET & GREET & FIGHT SEPTEMBER”, 04/09/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. To-y & Kazuma Sumi Vs Keigo Nakamura & Yuya Koroku
2. 3 Way Match: Takeshi Masada Vs Yuni Vs Ilusion
3. Special Single Match: Yuki Iino Vs Kazuki Hirata
Since Makoto Oishi will be a month away from wrapping things up with DDT, there will be a one night only NωA reunion with MAO & Shunma Katsumata. They intend to sing all of their singles for what is going to be their last ever live performance together as an idol unit.
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2024”, 08/09/2024 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. Special Single Match: Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami Vs Yukio Naya
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kota Ibushi, Shuji Ishikawa & Danshoku Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Yasu Urano & Michael Nakazawa
3. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Fuminori Abe
MAO is still dealing with the disappointment of how his 10th DDT Universal Title defence ended. He has to move on though because his 11th challenger has been decided for next month. It is going to be Fuminori Abe!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS V”, 22/09/2024 Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh
A few weeks ago 121000000 made it known they wanted to get back in the hunt for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Then a few days ago Miyu Yamashita pinned Suzume in a tag match while a helpless Arisu Endo had to watch on. Yamashita put out the challenge to Daisy Monkey for a title shot afterward. The match will happen at “WRESTLE PRINCESS V” over one month away, partly because Maki Itoh needs to recover from her hand injury first.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SHOKO NAKAJIMA VERSION3 ~NIIGATA HOMECOMING EVENT~”, 18/08/2024 Niigata Dúo CEREZO 222 Fans
1. Arisu Endo defeated Chika Nanase with the Camel Clutch (6:30).
2. Moka Miyamoto defeated Kira Summer with the Rashomon (6:36).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Mizuki & Uta Takami when Raku submitted Takami with the Front Neck Lock (9:16).
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami defeated Yuki Aino, Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro when Kamifuku pinned Kazashiro with the Famouser (11:42).
5. Zara Zakher, Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI defeated Rika Tatsumi, Toga & Shino Suzuki when Zakher pinned Suzuki with the Control Z (13:05).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima 11th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Miyu Yamashita defeated Miu Watanabe & Suzume when Yamashita pinned Suzume with the Skull Kick (15:33).
Eleven years of Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima. Neither of them are stopping yet! Nakajima’s home of Niigata played host to the pair’s anniversary match as they took on two champions Miu Watanabe & Suzume. Yamashita avoided the Ring A Bell and threw away Suzume with a German Suplex. Nakajima took out Watanabe with a dive out of the ring. That left Yamashita to finish off Suzume with a High Kick followed by the Skull Kick. The finish happened right in front of Arisu Endo who was standing in Suzume’s corner at ringside. Because of that result, Yamashita wants a Princess Tag Team Titles shot for herself and Maki Itoh. Both Suzume & Endo accepted the challenge and agreed they cannot lose. It’s going to be Daisy Monkey Vs 121000000 for the tag titles at “WRESTLE PRINCESS V” on 22nd September!
Nakajima said she is happy the anniversary match was able to happen in her home region. These days she can only go home to Niigata for wrestling matches or to celebrate the new year. She still loves where she grew up and her heart always feels at peace there. She and Yamashita promise to continue working hard at promoting pro wrestling around the world and competing with each other to win championships. She warned Daisy Monkey not to underestimate Itoh’s vitality. She may be out of action with a broken hand right now but Nakajima knows better than anyone how determined Itoh is to wrestle and win. Yamashita predicted Nakajima will win the Battle Of The Best tournament in DPW that she is currently competing in.
Mizuki & Uta Takami came up with the idea to pull the shoes off their opponent’s feet, run away into the crowd with them and then throw them away. Pom Harajuku got the shoes back and even tried to attack Mizuki with one of them in hand. Mizuki grabbed the shoe away from her and wanted to use it as a weapon too but then Raku grabbed it off her. Raku then ended up submitting Takami with the Front Neck Lock.
The GCW tour of Japan continued after their joint show with DDT. They ran two more shows this week both taking place in Shinjuku FACE. The shows also had presence from DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro. The fact that DDT were promoting the cards and posted the results on their website pretty much tells us they had a hand behind the scenes too. I’m just going to focus on the matches relating to both DDT and TJPW in this post.
GCW “THE SKY IS THE LIMIT”, 13/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE 326 Fans
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Broski Jimmy by TKO with the Skull Kick (7:17).
2. GCW Extreme Title: Maki Itoh (c) defeated The Great Sasuke with a Cast Strike (11:49). *V3 for Maki Itoh.
3. Joey Janella defeated Marcus Mathers with the Package Piledriver (19:37).
4. Effy, Allie Katch & Dark Sheik defeated Aja Kong, Masashi Takeda & MAO when Sheik pinned Kong with the Diving Leg Drop (10:17).
5. Danhausen defeated Kikutaro with a Roll Up (10:43).
6. Rina Yamashita & Masha Slamovich defeated Gringo Loco & Violento Jack when Yamashita pinned Jack after the Super Power Bomb (18:39).
7. GCW World Title: Mance Warner (c) defeated 1 Called Manders with the Impaler DDT (22:47). *V9 for Mance Warner.
MAO was part of a wild trio put together to take on Thrussy. He teamed with both Masashi Takeda and Aja Kong! Thrussy needed some artillery to even the odds so Allie Katch brought out a water pistol. MAO countered that by finding two bananas and using them to point at everyone like they were guns. That plan backfired when Effy grabbed MAO and forced him to point the bananas on himself. Thrussy were able to gang up on Kong and Dark Sheik hit the Diving Leg Drop on her for the victory. It still took all three members of Thrussy to pile on top of Kong to get the pinfall.
Maki Itoh went into her match against The Great Sasuke with a hand injury, adding more danger since it was also a GCW Extreme Title defence. Sasuke wanted it to be a fair fight so he tried using his spiritual abilities to heal Itoh’s injury. He then targeted her injured hand anyway. Itoh got revenge by attacking Sasuke with a pizza cutter and then striking him with her cast after a ref bump. It dazed Sasuke long enough for the referee to recover and count Itoh’s pin on him.
It is well known by now just how deadly Miyu Yamashita’s Skull Kick is. Today she won her match by Referee Stoppage because the move knocked out Broski Jimmy!
GCW “YOU ONLY DIE ONCE”, 14/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE 375 Fans
1. JCW Title: Masha Slamovich (c) defeated Marcus Mathers with the Half Package Piledriver (15:20). *V8 for Masha Slamovich.
2. Allie Katch & Dark Sheik defeated Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami when Sheik pinned Toribami with the Welcome to Die (10:14).
3. Tetsuya Endo defeated Gringo Loco with a Tornado Clutch (14:53).
4. GCW Ultraviolent Title: Rina Yamashita (c) defeated 1 Called Manders with the Splash Mountain onto the Chair (13:23). *V19 for Rina Yamashita.
5. 6-Way Match: Andreza Giant Panda defeated Joey Janela, Broski Jimmy, Kikutaro, Danhausen and Effy when Andreza pinned Janela & Jimmy with the Andreza Press (9:29).
6. GCW World Title: Mance Warner (c) defeated Takayuki Ueki with the Avalanche Impaler DDT onto the Chair (21:03). *V10 for Mance Warner.
The third and final show of the tour had a few changes to the lineup because of injuries. The big one was Itoh being unable to finish the tour. Her hand injury involves a broken bone so she couldn’t compete in the GCW World Title Match with Mance Warner. Her spot was taken by Takayuki Ueki but Itoh still made an appearance during the match to attack both wrestlers with her pizza cutter.
MAO was thrown into a 6 Way Scramble with a colorful collection of characters. Broski Jimmy recovered from his knockout from the night before, Joey Janela and Effy both wanted to party, Danhausen and Kikutaro had unfinished business but the one who dominated the match more than anyone else was Andreza Giant Panda! Andreza crushed the opposition and pinned both Janela and Jimmy to become the winner.
Zayne was among the injuries that changed the card around. DDT sent in Tetsuya Endo to be his replacement. His match on the show was against Gringo Loco and it turned into a game of one-upmanship. Variations of the One Man Spanish Fly in particular became the point of contention between them. Endo used the Tetsuya In The Sky while Gringo pulled out a Backwards Spanish Fly from the top rope. Soon the aerial attacks were being blocked so Endo pulled out a Tornado Clutch to grab the win in a close contest.
TJPW were also represented on the show by the team of Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami. The two of them fought against The Mothership of Katch & Sheik. The speed and agility of the TJPW duo wasn’t enough to beat the GCW team. Instead Sheik pinned Toribami with the Welcome To Die.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 10/08/2024 Osaka Edion Arena #2 370 Fans
1. Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami defeated Arisu Endo & Chika Nanase when Miyamoto submitted Nanase with the Rashomon (7:40).
2. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku defeated Mahiro Kiryu and Runa Okubo when Harajuku pinned Okubo with a Roll Up (6:08).
3. Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami defeated Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara, Haru Kazashiro & Kira Summer when Raku pinned Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow (12:58).
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Masha Slamovich & Toga when Itoh submitted Toga with the Itoh Deluxe (11:35).
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Zara Zakher defeated Mizuki with the Control Z (9:46).
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Aino defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the UBV (9:07).
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Arai defeated Suzume with the Finally (11:10).
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Ryo Mizunami defeated Rika Tatsumi with the HOT LIMIT (12:33).
Bet this wasn’t the final four you had in mind when you first looked at the Tokyo Princess Cup brackets. Only one person from last year’s semi finals has made it back to the same point and two of the three new faces joining her are outsiders. Ryo Mizunami is the most experienced of them all though, by a wide margin. Rika Tatsumi tried hiding out in the audience so she could lure Mizunami into an ambush. The plan did not cause much damage though. Tatsumi then tried to tough it out and dared Mizunami to Chop her. That ended the way you’d think it would so Tatsumi had to choke her opponent and fight back with Hip Attacks. Mizunami fought her way out of the Dragon Sleeper though, using her power to give Tatsumi the HOT LIMIT for the pinfall.
Mizunami said she never expected Tatsumi to be so scary in the ring and she praised her for her tenacity. Just like the fans, Mizunami is getting addicted to Tokyo Joshi Pro one step at a time. Tatsumi was frustrated with the loss because Mizunami was even more powerful than she thought. There is a power and energy to her that is almost invisible and it really shook Tatsumi’s soul today. Her summer is over but that just means autumn and winter are coming up. She is going to have a think about what new goals she wants to make.
Yuki Arai has made it back to the semi final for the second year in a row. The International Princess Champion got here by beating Suzume, one half of the Princess Tag Team Champions. She blocked the Ring A Bell and countered it into a Full Nelson Buster. Suzume dodged the Finally to roll her up for a nearfall. But Arai got her momentum back and hit the Finally to pin her opponent. Arai asked for a handshake after the match and Suzume hugged her instead. The two have fought each other a lot but mainly in tag matches so Arai is happy to win today. She will do her best to make it to the final. Suzume may have lost but she assures everyone she hasn’t burned out yet. After all, hornets are at their most aggressive from summer to autumn.
Do you know who is burning bright? Yuki Aino! She eliminated last year’s finalist Yuki Kamifuku to book her place in the final four. The Shoulder Blocks were scouted in advance but so too was the Famouser. Kamifuku kept going for the move but ended up getting caught in the Venus DDT. Aino then finished her off with the UBV. She couldn’t be happier or more excited to beat Kamifuku and reach the Princess Cup semi final for the first time ever. She knows it is going to be tough but she wants to make it to the final so she can headline Korakuen Hall! Kamifuku admitted she may have let her guard down because up until recently Aino was more concerned about having fun. But she’s gotten to know herself better. It turns out Kamifuku actually wants to win tournaments even though she hates competing in them.
Perhaps the Cinderella of the tournament isn’t Aino but in fact Zara Zakher? After taking out Miu Watanabe in Round 2 she has now eliminated Mizuki from the tournament in the Quarter Final! Even after Mizuki did her big dive out of the ring, used an Avalanche Cutie Special and also held onto the Face Lock for as long as she could it just wasn’t in the cards for her today. Zakher knocked her down with Lariats and pinned her with the Control Z. Mizuki took the loss in good grace though and gave Zakher a hug afterwards. With that, we have our final four.
After the show was over the four semi-finalists went through the draw to determine who will face who in the next round. We’re getting Yuki Arai Vs Ryo Mizunami and Yuki Aino Vs Zara Zakher on 23rd August. Mizunami thinks Arai is a gutsy fighter and it will make Mizunami’s summer to beat her. Arai has fought Mizunami before and was overwhelmed by her. She is going to go at her own pace and used everything she has learned up until now so she can become number one. Zakher wants to show everyone just how powerful she can get. Aino remembers teaming with her in America back in April. She is also studying her wins against Watanabe and Mizuki to learn how to beat her. She isn’t going to get eaten by this dark horse. Aino is going her eat her instead!
Masha Slamovich returned to TJPW to get back in the ring with both Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh. She had Toga teaming with her for it too. The teamwork of 121000000 was too much though. They caught Slamovich & Toga in the High Knee/Headbutt Sandwich and Itoh then made Toga submit to the Itoh Deluxe. After the match backstage Yamashita wanted to talk about her experiences with wrestling Slamovich but Itoh interrupted her to announce 121000000 want to become Princess Tag Champions again! They have spent time away from each other even when they are both in America. Yet whenever they have teamed up this year they win their tag matches. They even beat Daydream in America during Wrestlemania Week. Itoh would have wanted to get a title shot right after that happened but she thinks now is the perfect time for 121000000 to challenge Daisy Monkey for the belts.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 10/08/2024 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Runa Okubo
2. Arisu Endo & Chika Nanase Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami Vs Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara, Haru Kazashiro & Kira Summer
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Toga
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Suzume Vs Yuki Arai
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Mizuki Vs Zara Zakher
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Ryo Mizunami
Eight women remain in the Tokyo Princess Cup. From this point onwards the bracket will get shuffled up so no one who wins will immediately know who they will face in the semi finals. Usually the lottery will happen at the end of the show.
Maki Itoh’s latest tour with GCW brings her going from Japan to America back to Japan and then to America once more. Masha Slamovich is on the Japan tour too and she is teaming with Toga to take on 121000000.
This will be the first time all four current members of The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) are teaming together for an 8-Woman Tag Match.
HIMAWARI won’t be at the show because she is making a stage appearance somewhere else that day. Whatever the performance is about involves a lot of swordplay.
BASARA “BASARA 254 ~HIEN~”, 13/08/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Masato Kamino Vs Kuma Arashi
2. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Daisuke Sekimoto
3. Takato Nakano Vs Kota Sekifuda
4. Isami Kodaka & Lil’ Kraken Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Takeru Inoue
5. Ryuichi Sekine & FUMA Vs Kengo Mashimo & Fuminori Abe
The new schedule for BASARA splitting their “UTAGE” show between red and blue brandings begins here. “HIEN” shows promise to contain Hard Mode level matches. The appearances of Kengo Mashimo, Kota Sekifuda, Daisuke Sekimoto and Kuma Arashi going against the BASARA roster is a good way to start things off.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2024 IN SHINJUKU – DAY 1”, 15/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Toru Owashi, To-y & Keigo Nakamura
2. Special 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya
3. Blindfold Hidden Breast 4 Way Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. Drunk Match: HARASHIMA Vs Masahiro Takanashi
5. International Special 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Joey Janela Vs Effy Vs Takeshi Masada
6. International Special Single Match: Danhausen Vs Kazuki Hirata
What is more powerful than Kazuki Hirata dancing to “Tokyo GO!”? Maybe Danhausen dancing to “Tequila”? It is a Beer Garden show after all.
During the week Joey Janela revealed he has been suffering from gallstone pancreatitis. It sounded like he was going to be out of action for a while but instead he went ahead and wrestled in GCW as scheduled. He is also determined to be in Japan for the tour and DDT on their end has not said anything that suggests otherwise.
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 17/08/2024 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Shunma Katsumata & Kazuki Hirata Vs Makoto Oishi & Yuni
2. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Antonio Honda & Ilusion
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami, KANON & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
4. Special Tag Match: MAO & Jun Akiyama Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Michael Nakazawa
6. Yukio Naya’s Birthday Celebration Match ~ Special Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Iino
7. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Shinya Aoki & Akito
Before the KO-D Openweight Title match between Yuki Ueno and Shinya Aoki takes place on 25th August, they will have one prelim tag match against each other on the 17th.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW: JAPAN & UK WRESTLING UNITE!”, 24/08/2024
Conway Hall, London, England
1. Aja Kong & Max The Impaler Vs Safire Reed & Zizi
2. EVE Title: Nina Samuels (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Over the weekend EVE announced the first two matches of the “EVE X TJPW” show. Miyu Yamashita gets a chance to become a two time EVE Champion when she takes on the defending champion Nina Samuels. Also Max The Impaler is coming over as an extra guest star to team with Aja Kong. Good luck to Safire Reed & Zizi because they are going to need it!
Summer is here and everyone has either gone travelling or are getting their all their plans in order. Funny thing is the people usually being covered for their overseas matches spent most of July wrestling back in Japan. Konosuke Takeshita had a few AEW matches over and done with before he got ready for the G1 Climax. Then Maki Itoh was wrestling in Tokyo Joshi Pro finishing off her latest dates with them before she goes on another GCW tour. So most of the results below are filled up by Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima and CDK related matches.
It’s the rest of the summer that’s going to get busy. A lot of Itoh matches in GCW with Yamashita popping up here and there along the way. Also some TJPW appearances in Southeast Asia and the USA debut of Yuna Manase are all coming up soon. Then there is the matter of DDT and TJPW holding shows abroad with local promotions in places like London and Seattle. Grab some water and stay hydrated because it’s going to be a busy summer of wrestling everywhere.
Video starts at 2:27:50 for Match #1. Go to 2:52:58 for Match #2. IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo Vs Ultramantis Black & Dr. Gore Black (w/ Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.)
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Ultramantis Black (c) (w/ Dr. Gore Black, Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) Vs Chris Brookes (w/ Masahiro Takanashi)
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XI”, 28/07/2024 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Shayna Baszler Vs Miyu Yamashita
———————————————————————–
Results
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 03/07/2024 (Aired 05/07/2024) Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen when Fletcher pinned Quen with the Kneeling Piledriver (10:10).
Takeshita had bigger stuff to prepare for this month but still got some ring time in AEW before heading back to Japan. He and Kyle Fletcher fought against Private Party, surviving a close call against them. Isiah Kassidy joked around to promote Shark Week and then landed the Swanton Bomb on Fletcher. Marq Quen’s 450 Splash afterwards though was blocked by Fletcher’s knees and Takeshita came in to German Suplex him away. Private Party fought back with a Top Rope Frankensteiner into the Cutter to Takeshita followed by the Silly String to Fletcher. Takeshita kicked out of Quen’s 450 Splash, took out both members with Lariats and then gave Kassidy the Blue Thunder Bomb. Fletcher then got to finish off Kassidy with the Kneeling Piledriver.
DPW “DPW LIVE 7”, 06/07/2024 NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Battle Of The Best – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima defeated Masha Slamovich with the Diving Senton (16:16).
Shoko Nakajima touched down on DPW and left North Carolina with a big victory against Masha Slamovich despite taking some heavy hits from her. Slamovich used a Sit Down Power Bomb and also countered the Unmanned Local Train Hold into a Running Air Raid Crash that landed right into a bottom turnbuckle. But Nakajima used the top ropes against Slamovich in order to use a Power Bomb of her own. Slamovich tried using the Power Bomb again but Nakajima slipped down and pulled her into the Double Arm DDT. After that it took a Diving Senton to finish her off and make Nakajima advance to the next round of Battle Of The Best.
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington with the Powerdrive Knee (13:29).
Takeshita’s last AEW appearance for the month was a noteworthy one because his opponent was Tommy Billington, the nephew of the late Dynamite Kid! The new generation Dynamite Kid gave Takeshita a good challenge but fell to the Powerdrive Knee. Don Callis then attempted to recruit Billington to The Don Callis Family by bringing up his family’s heritage. But that was just a trap for Takeshita and the rest of The Family to attack Billington from behind until FTR ran down to save him.
NORTH WRESTLING “THUNDER STRUCK 2”, 13/07/2024 Walker Dome, Newcastle, England
1. Lizzy Evo defeated Miyu Yamashita with an Inside Cradle (13:45).
This was a case of defeat being snatched from the jaws of victory here. Yamashita seemed to have a lot of the match under control until Lizzy Evo saw an opening to hit her with a Knee Strike to the face and then roll her into a Small Package for the three count out of nowhere. For Evo the result is payback for Yamashita beating her in EVE last year.
IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) and Ultramantis Black & Dr. Gore Black (w/ Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) when Alonzo pinned Gore after a Choke Slam/Power Bomb Combo through the Table (?:??). *CDK fails in V2. THE GOOD DEAL becomes the 2nd IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Ultramantis Black (c) (w/ Dr. Gore Black, Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) defeated Chris Brookes (w/ Masahiro Takanashi) with a School Boy (?:??). *V1 for Ultramantis Black.
Whenever CDK goes over to Thailand for SETUP Pro Wrestling that’s enough trouble to handle by itself. This however was not just a SETUP show. It was an event using the IWA Japan banner to celebrate 30 years of the promotion’s existance. CDK came over to defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a Hardcore 3 Way Match. They had to fight the previous champions THE GOOD DEAL as well as the UMA Corps pairing of Ultramantis Black and Dr. Gore Black. Things went crazy as everybody fought outside the ring. Mister Suchart even got on a motor scooter and crashed it into everyone at ringside! A stapler gun was brought into the ring for Brookes and Ultramantis to staple each other with. Ultramantis then took advantage of miscommunication between CDK to put Brookes through a mini ironing board with a Back Drop. Masahiro Takanashi was also taken out by Dr. Gore attacking him with a toilet seat. From that point on CDK were too hurt to do anything and THE GOOD DEAL put Gore through a table. Anont Alonzo pinned him afterwards to win the belts.
It did not end there though. Earlier in the show the brand new IWA Japan SETUP World Title was introduced to the world. However Ultramantis and the UMA Corps launched an attack to steal the belt. Brookes was so mad to lose the tag titles in the main event without being pinned that he challenged Ultramantis for a World Title match straight away! Ultramantis refused but then attacked Brookes with the belt, causing the impromptu match to begin. Brookes fought back from the disadvantage and Takanashi was still there to cut off interference from the UMA Corps. But Dr. Gore threw a chair into Brookes’ face at ringside allowing Ultramantis to roll him up and escape with his first successful title defence. The UMA Corps continued to attack CDK until THE GOOD DEAL returned to save the day.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XI”, 28/07/2024 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Shayna Baszler defeated Miyu Yamashita by TKO (8:37).
If there is any big story to talk about in this month’s article it is this one. Yamashita taking part in GCW’s Bloodsport event is notable in itself. She gave shoot boxing a go pretty early into her pro wrestling career and has the kind of martial arts cred that would get you booked for a show like this. The big news though was who they chose to be her opponent. In the main event she took on Shayna Baszler from WWE! It’s the latest move from WWE to open themselves up and show they are willing to work with other wrestling companies. It’s been noted online that the Bloodsport show featured talent from WWE/NXT, TNA, AEW/ROH, NJPW’s American arm, MLW and TJPW. Baszler ended up beating Yamashita by catching her Skull Kick, turning it into a Tombstone and then beginning to ground and pound her until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 02/08/2024 TempleLive Cleveland Masonic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs John Wayne Murdoch
August is going to be a GCW month for Maki Itoh both in America and Japan. Her next tour begins with an unexpected opponent. She’s taking on one of their most violent wrestlers John Wayne Murdoch. He won the Tournament Of Survival back in June but his win-loss record in the company since then hasn’t been great.
GCW “CAN I TRUST YOU?”, 04/08/2024 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh does not have a match announced for the show yet. This date was on her list of advertised bookings last month. The full card seems to have been shown since then and Blake Christian just so happens to have a “Pick Your Poison” style mystery opponent to be announced that day… I don’t see where else she will fit if she is still going to be there.
GCW “THE SKY IS THE LIMIT”, 13/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
1. Broski Jimmy Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. The Great Sasuke Vs Maki Itoh
Itoh is also representing GCW for their Japan tour that is going on with some help from DDT. In a matchup that only sounds more mind bending the more I think of it, Itoh is going to fight The Great Sasuke! Yamashita will be on one of the shows too facing Broski Jimmy. That’s another match that I would never expect but more for head scratchy reasons.
GCW “YOU ONLY DIE ONCE”, 14/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
1. Allie Katch & Dark Sheik Vs Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima
2. GCW World Title: Mance Warner (c) Vs Maki Itoh
I made a prediction for this year that Itoh is going to win the GCW World Title. If it ever comes true then this will be the show to do it! It won’t though because GCW are all in on Mance Warner as their top champion while Itoh already holds the GCW Extreme Title but just imagine if they did.
Also added is a GCW Vs TJPW tag match. The visitors (or are they the home team because it’s GCW?) Allie Katch & Dark Sheik take on Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima. I’ll probably make a separate post for the GCW Japan results since those matches are happening in Japan and DDT is involved with promoting the whole tour.
SPW “HARDCORE ISLAND 2: A FINE CITY”, 16/08/2024 Foo Chow Building, Singapore
1. 3 Way Match: Alexis Lee Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Kaya Toribami
Now that Alexis Lee got to wrestle in Japan and fully integrate herself into TJPW it’s time to send more people back over to Singapore Pro Wrestling. This time Lee will be in a 3 Way Match against two TJPW wrestlers. Yamashita and Toribami are on board to go face her in her home country.
KITSUNE “LOVE MY SHOW!”, 17/08/2024 Brick X Brick, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuna Manase Vs X
I was wondering how long it was going to take until I get to write about more of the American “Joshi” promotions that are currently around. Kitsune emerged around the same time period as SPARK Joshi and Sukeban. This one though has actually been able to run a show in Japan thanks to a lot of help from Marvelous. Their next shows in California is where Yuna Manase will be making her American wrestling debut.
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS PT. 4”, 17/08/2024 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh will be following GCW back to America after the Japan tour ends.
GCW “SAVE ME”, 18/08/2024 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
More Itoh in GCW here.
KITSUNE “YABAI!”, 18/08/2024 1110 Bates Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase Vs Megan Bayne Vs J-Rod
The original plan was for Manase to be in a 3 Way Match with Sayaka Unagi and J-Rod for the Kitsune World Title. However Unagi is unable to get her visa approved in time and won’t be able to travel to America anytime soon. Since she was the champion, Kitsune made the decision to vacate the belt. It will now go to the winner of a new 3 Way Match between Manase, J-Rod and Megan Bayne.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW: JAPAN & UK WRESTLING UNITE!”, 24/08/2024
Conway Hall, London, England
Finally we got a venue for the show. Yamashita, Raku, Mahiro Kiryu and HIMAWARI along with Aja Kong are the Japanese talent coming over to TJPW’s joint show with EVE. The EVE wrestlers being promoted for the show so far include Alex Windsor, Nina Samuels, Lena Cross and Session Moth Martina.
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 1”, 24/08/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Kerry Morton
The match is in GCW but Itoh gets a little taste of NWA with Kerry Morton as her opponent here. Kerry is the son of Ricky Morton and has been spending a lot of time in NWA as part of The Southern Six. He was even on the winning team at The Crockett Cup a few months ago.
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 2”, 25/08/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
None of her GCW matches next month have been announced as Extreme Title defences yet.
MLW “SUMMER OF THE BEASTS”, 29/08/2024 Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Delmi Exo Vs Miyu Yamashita
MLW wrote a really long passage about this match on their Twitter page but we don’t need to go through all that. Yamashita beat Delmi Exo last December, next month is time for the rematch. The difference here is Exo now has the support of MLW’s main authority figure Cesar Duran by her side.
GCW “LIVE FAST DIE YOUNG”, 31/08/2024 Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Megan Bayne
2. Maki Itoh Vs Kylie Rae
Prepare for cute smiles everywhere when Itoh is in the ring with Kylie Rae. Things might get ugly though if Itoh ends up feeling threatened by Rae’s cheerfulness. Yamashita getting another match with Megan Bayne is something she might not want to smile about either. They wrestled each other at a DREAMWAVE show back in April. Bayne won clean and Yamashita was in a pretty bad mood about it afterwards, rejecting her post-match handshake.
INSPIRE A.D. “MAY THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN”, 01/09/2024 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Devin Carter
One of the non-GCW bookings Itoh is taking after the summer is over at Inspire A.D. in Texas. “The Fashionista” Devin Carter is her opponent. They have only been wrestling for a couple of years, mostly around the Texas scene.
MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024 Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Crystal
Still another while until Yuki Kamifuku defends the Queen Of Asia Title against Crystal. Kamifuku has been stepping her game up over the last twelve months and it’s really been paying off for her lately.
GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024 Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
This will be the last weekend of Itoh’s current tour.
GCW “THA G-CODE”, 15/09/2024 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
And Itoh’s last American booking as of now is here.
SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku
TJPW sent a video message to SETUP announcing the next opponents for Matcha and the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title she currently holds. Both Raku and Pom Harajuku are coming to Thailand to wrestle there for the first time!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
A big weekend is going down in Seattle during November. TJPW is teaming up with DEFY for a show. Expect around 10-12 TJPW talent to be coming over. That was already announced a while ago…
DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
What turned out to be new news about the event is DEFY will be bringing over DDT for an evening show too! DDT has not said yet how many people they are going to bring over.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
The weekend ends with DDT, TJPW and DEFY all joining forces for a triple promotion show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “NAO KAKUTA GRADUATION COMMEMORATION ~KIMITACHIHA ISSHOUNO TAKARAMONO~”, 25/07/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. 3 Way Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs HIMAWARI Vs Uta Takami
2. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki Vs Wakana Uehara, Toga & Chika Nanase
3. Miu Watanabe, Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro Vs Moka Miyamoto, Kaya Toribami & Kira Summer
4. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Nao Kakuta Graduation Match: Nao Kakuta Vs Mizuki
Just about getting this in around bell time. Nao Kakuta graduates from Tokyo Joshi Pro and retires from pro wrestling later today.
GANBARE☆JOSHI/666 “DOKI! ALL WOMEN PRO WRESTLING BOX OFFICE ~THE VIRGIN SUICIDES~”, 27/07/2024 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Rina Yamashita & Sumire Natsu Vs Rina Yamada & Banny Oikawa
2. Yuna Manase & Maika Ozaki Vs HARUKAZE & Droog-K
3. Ram Kaichow, Maya Yukihi & YuuRI Vs Maya Yukipe, Mayumi Ozawa & X
The women of Ganbare☆Joshi and 666 will be taking on what looks to be a team of gender swapped parodies of Maya Yukihi and Mayumi Ozaki. Also on the undercard Taro Yamada is pretending to be Rina Yamashita.
Moeka Haruhi tested positive for covid and will not be at the show. She was meant to be in the main event but will be replaced by a mystery X wrestler.
Droog-K is the former KANNA from TJPW. She returned to wrestling earlier this year as part of P.P.P. Tokyo.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 28/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Maki Itoh Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Shoko Nakajima, Raku, HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Uta Takami Vs Zara Zakher, Wakana Uehara, Toga, Kira Summer & Chika Nanase
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2E: Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Kamifuku
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Mizuki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Yuki Arai Vs Kaya Toribami
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe
The Tokyo Princess Cup begins this weekend. I don’t think that’s the actual match order. If it is then that’s weird for a tournament to begin with the second round before the first.
BASARA “BASARA 253 ~UTAGE~”, 30/07/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Gouma Ryu Vs Judomaster
2. SAGAT Vs Yasu Urano
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu & Masato Kamino
4. Takato Nakano, Daiju Wakamatsu & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato
It is Sento Minzoku Vs Asian Kung Fu Revolution in an Elimination Tag main event.
Daiju Wakamatsu is coming over from 2AW.
BASARA “BASARA 254 ~ICHIMIDOUSHIN~”, 04/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Takeru Inoue Debut Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Takeru Inoue
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Ryuichi Sekine, Takumi Tsukamoto & Ryota Nakatsu Vs FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT
4. Special Single Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Yuki Ishikawa
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs KUBITO & Daisuke Sasaki
6. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Yasu Urano
The Iron Fist Tag Team Titles are on the line when Astronauts face KUBITO & Daisuke Sasaki in their first defence. KUBITO made the request for Sasaki to team up with him because they grew up wrestling together as proteges of Dick Togo.
Isami Kodaka is working double duty on the show. He is taking on Yuki Ishikawa in one of Ishikawa’s last matches before his retirement. Also Kodaka will be Takeru Inoue’s opponent for his debut match.
GANBARE☆PRO “UNCUT DIAMONDS 2024”, 16/08/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Shuichiro Katsumura, PSYCHO & Moeka Haruhi Vs Masamune, Daisuke®️ & HARUKAZE
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Ken Ohka & Shuji Ishikawa
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Takuya Wada
A 6-Man Tag featuring PSYCHO and Masamune as guests has been added to the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SHOKO NAKAJIMA VERSION3 ~NIIGATA HOMECOMING EVENT~”, 18/08/2024 Niigata Dúo CEREZO
1. Special Tag Match ~ Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima 11th Anniversary Debut: Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima
The next time TJPW is heading over to Shoko Nakajima’s neck of the woods will be for a special occasion. It will be to celebrate the 11th Anniversary of her and Miyu Yamashita’s debut match! Miu Watanabe & Suzume are going to be their opponents.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 4,131 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Keigo Nakamura, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion when Nakamura pinned Yuni with the Running Diving Headbutt (7:37).
2. 6-Man Tag Match Featuring People Connected To Sanshiro Takagi: Toru Owashi, Hisamaru Tajima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated Makoto Oishi, Soma Takao & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa when Kawamatsu pinned Oishi with the Axe Bomber (6:28).
3. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kazuki Hirata with a School Boy (11:53).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Minoru Suzuki, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato when Naya pinned Sato with the Wrist-Clutch Back Drop (12:18).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road FINAL ~ Weapon Rumble: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (20:54). *V? for Danshoku Dieno.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Survival 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c), Aja Kong, Shunma Katsumata & To-y and Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada (17:30).
6a. HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) eliminated Aja Kong, Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Akito pinned Katsumata with a Step Over Toe Hold (8:40).
6b. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul eliminated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) when KANON pinned Akito after the Freedom Call (15:28).
6c. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul eliminated Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Paul Sasaki submitted Masada with La Mistica Crossface Lock (17:30). *Smile Squash fails in V1. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 56th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Masato Tanaka with an Elbow Butt (14:42).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge when Endo pinned Kotoge with the Burning Star Press (20:37). *V3 for BURNING.
9. Dramatic Dream Match – No DQ Match: El Desperado defeated Chris Brookes with the Pinche Loco on the Barbed Wire Board (22:12).
10. KO-D Openweight Title – Goodcom Assets Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated MAO with the WR (29:44). *V6 for Yuki Ueno.
The story of MAO running away from The 37KAMIINA has come to an end. He wasn’t able to win the KO-D Openweight Title from Yuki Ueno after all but it still became a happy ending for everyone involved with the group. The two went all out against each other both inside and out of the ring. Over on the ramp Ueno gave MAO the Canadian Destroyer only for MAO to fire back with the same move. Ueno rolled off the ramp afterwards so MAO reached out and helped him back to the ring so the match wouldn’t end by countout. Ueno dodged the Phoenix Splash and used the Jul.2 for a nearfall. Then there was a trade off between Ueno’s Blackout Sleeper and MAO’s Just Face Lock. There was then a battle of Dropkicks with both wrestlers using the move on each other again and again. MAO used the Iai Kick but only got a two count. Instead Ueno got him in the WR to pin him and retain the championship.
After the match Ueno gave MAO a hug. He said that whenever he feels exhausted or loses his confidence, he will look at MAO to become an even better man. He is sure MAO feels the same way about him. Today he is glad he put his life on the line in Sumo Hall to fight MAO for DDT’s greatest championship. However MAO declined to shake Ueno’s hand and he left the ring. Ueno still praised him for being a free spirit and if he can beat somebody like him then he can beat anybody. Ueno then called Shinya Aoki to the ring and nominated him as his next challenger for the KO-D Title. Aoki said that ever since his fight against Kazushi Sakuraba in 2015, the next opponent and place he wanted to get the most is Yuki Ueno in DDT. Hisaya Imabayashi endorsed the challenge and announced the title match will take place on 25th August.
Ueno closed out the day by telling the fans he and DDT will continue to show everyone their dreams in the ring. Ueno left the ring and walked up the ramp where he was suddenly greeted by MAO again. MAO has decided he is no longer running away from home and has returned to The 37KAMIINA! Shunma Katsumata and To-y also appeared alongside them and the four went backstage together. In the hallway they found Konosuke Takeshita waiting for them. He simply gave them a thumbs up and walked away.
Yesterday at a public press conference Chris Brookes and El Desperado agreed that their match today should be held under No DQ Rules. The ring was already armed with a barbed wire board, a fork board and a bunch of plastic cases lying around waiting for the chaos to start. It began with Desperado bringing out two bouquets of flowers and handing one over to Brookes. They then both attacked each other with the bouquets. As the fighting got more intense Desperado busted open Brookes and in return Brookes took out a pair of scissors to cut up his opponent’s mask. Desperado then decided to pull it off and wrestle the rest of the match fully unmasked! A stapler gun was brought in and the two of them stapled each other back and forth all over their bodies. The envelope used for the “DESPE-INVITACIONAL” was also stapled onto them. SCHADENFREUDE International interfered in the match to gang up on Desperado but he fought them off by spraying them with a fire extinguisher. Brookes did the Praying Mantis Bomb but only got a two count while Desperado hit the Mad Splash on top of the barbed wire board for a nearfall. The end came when Desperado gave Brookes the Lip Lock and then dropped him on top of the barbed wire with the Pinche Loco. Brookes said he is frustrated over losing but also happy because he feels so alive after the match. Desperado said he got a great taste of DDT. He does not know if he will ever get another taste but he hopes to do it again some day. However not long after the show New Japan announced that Desperado is taking a leave of absence to recover from injuries. Desperado made it clear on social media that Brookes and the match they had are not at fault for it.
The last few months have seen Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino from BURNING feud with Go Shiozaki across DDT and NOAH. It was all building up to the KO-D Tag Team Titles defence here with Shiozaki teaming with Atsushi Kotoge. Since both Endo & Iino were focused on solely beating Shiozaki, Kotoge became frustrated at being ignored. It was on full show here because Kotoge busted himself open from Headbutting Endo too much! Shiozaki was taken out by Iino’s Lariat leaving Endo to fight Kotoge. Endo gave him a Headbutt of his own before doing the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb for a nearfall. He then finished him off with the Burning Star Press for the victory. Iino said he knew how good Shiozaki’s Chops are with those big arms of his but that doesn’t matter because BURNING won in the end. Endo said they won today because of the support from their fans. He is now considering how interesting it would be if BURNING and TEAM NOAH would team up in the future. Iino wants to fight more opponents from more companies to increase the value of the KO-D Tag Titles.
The busy summer Takeshita is taking part in has gone off to a hot start. Yesterday he beat Yota Tsuji in the opening day of the G1 Climax and today he defeated Masato Tanaka in a battle of the Elbow Smashes. It was a rematch of their KO-D Title bout from March 2020 and this time it was Takeshita who was left standing tall. After duelling Elbow Smashes, Takeshita’s ones were the more powerful. He ended up using the move to break down Tanaka and pin him for the three count. With this result Takeshita will now bring this power with him for the rest of the G1. He wants DDT fans to follow him in the tournament with pride and confidence. Tanaka admitted that Takeshita now has the best elbow strikes in the world but he will take that title back from him soon!
After Smile Squash went through all the effort of rescuing the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from DAMNATION T.A, they’ve only gone and lost the belts back to them! The belts were on the line in a Survival 4 Way Match with other teams of three looking to win the titles for themselves. The 37KAMIINA & Aja Kong beat up Yasu Urano but were the first eliminated thanks to Akito dodging their attacks and pinning To-y with a Stepover Toe Hold. The champions Smile Squash were then surprisingly next to go. HARASHIMA had MJ Paul pinned with the Somato when KANON pulled the referee out of the ring mid-count. Daisuke Sasaki then attacked everyone with a chair then used the Freedom Call with KANON to pin Akito. Antonio Honda had his working boots on today because he successfully performed a Suicide Dive onto everyone out of the ring. He & Masahiro Takanashi also aided Takeshi Masada until he had to go it alone against Sasaki. Paul gave Masada a German Suplex so Sasaki could pin him for a nearfall. Sasaki then used La Mistica Crossface Lock to make Masada give up.
While DAMNATION T.A were celebrating in the ring, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami appeared at ringside and climbed in to meet them. He had already caused trouble backstage earlier in the day by attacking Yukio Naya after his match. But Kawakami got into the ring to give Sasaki a hug because he is now joining forces with DAMNATION T.A! Kawakami is ready to bring “FIRE DAMNATION” to DDT and Naya is his first target. Sasaki thinks “FIRE DAMNATION” sounds a little lame but he’s happy to have Kawakami on his side.
After spending so many decades fighting for DDT inside and out of the ring, Sanshiro Takagi is finally ready to take an indefinite break so he can focus on his management duties within CyberFight while taking better care of his health. But first he had one more battle with Danshoku Dieno to get through. During the week he pinned Dieno to take the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title away from him but Dieno won it not too long afterwards. Their match here was a Weapon Rumble. One by one weapons selected by the two wrestlers would be brought down to the ring. Takagi’s first weapon was product placement for Yanekabe Shokunin Goods. Dieno countered that with Yoshihiko along with Muscle Sakai as its handler. Takagi then brought out the Dramatic Dream bike. Dieno shocked Takagi by setting up a retirement ceremony for him. Saki Akai came down to the ring and presented him with gifts as well as a heartfelt speech. Takagi was so touched by the gesture he considered to go ahead with retirement but interrupted the ten bell salute so the match would continue. MIKAMI and Poison Sawada JULIE then ran down to be Takagi’s latest weapons. Dieno had allies of his own in the form of Tokyo Joshi Pro! The group of Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Mizuki and Yuki Kamifuku all attacked Takagi with some of their signature moves. But when TJPW GM Tetsuya Koda wanted to get his digs in, Hisaya Imabayashi got mad and attacked him! With them out of the way Takagi brought out his golden ace up his sleeve. He brought in a big star from AEW… Michael Nakazawa! He came out with his body painted completely gold. Who could Dieno have picked in response to this? It was the actual “Golden Star”, the return of Kota Ibushi to DDT! Ibushi gave Takagi the Kamigoye and Dieno waited for Takagi to get back up so he could finish him off with the Lip Lock and Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver.
After the match Dieno told Takagi that it does not matter if he takes a permanent break or is able to come back and wrestle again. DDT will be fine because Dieno will always be here. Takagi thanked Dieno because without him this dramatic situation would have never taken place today. He thought he would never meet Ibushi inside a DDT ring ever again! DDT went through some tough times after Ibushi left them in 2016 but Ibushi was able to rise higher and higher. Takagi believes if he can still get chances to be in the ring with Ibushi then he will never retire! His wish is to fight Ibushi in a singles match again. Ibushi has a request too. Can he come back to DDT some day? Takagi and Dieno both burst into tears and told him yes because he is family. Backstage Takagi told reporters he really wants Kenny Omega to get recover from his health problems too so he can call him again too.
As mentioned above, Naya’s day at Sumo Hall was ruined by a backstage attack by Kawakami after his match. Before that happened things were going great for Naya. He teamed with Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga to beat the big name outsider trio of Minoru Suzuki, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato. Naya also got the pinfall after he gave Sato the Wrist-Clutch Back Drop. The backstage attack happened during the post-match interview. Naya’s partners had already left the room and he was in the middle of talking about how it is up to him to carry DDT’s heavyweight division due to a number of injuries on the roster. That was when Kawakami burst out from behind the interview curtain and attacked Naya with a chair. He demanded to be booked for more DDT shows or else he will blow more people up!
With so much happening up and down the card, Kazuki Hirata and Super Sasadango Machine were determined to make their match stand out and become the most newsworthy. Sasadango used his PowerPoint presentation to tell everyone about how much social media coverage his recent tag match with Hirata, Takagi and Dieno got because so many shocking incidents took place during it. So he begged the audience to retweet everything that happened here and even made a competition where one lucky fan will win a sirloin steak, shrimp and red snow crab that he all bought with his own money! There were many “shocking incidents” that happened during the match. First there was a Thumb War that was won by Sasadango. Then there was a new finishing move that Hirata created called the Ryogoku Bomber except he couldn’t do it right because of a lack of practice. Sasadango also decided to give away Edameme he brought from Niigata because he wants everyone to know how delicious it is. After that, Hirata tried to turn heel and adopt Masahiro Chono’s theme song as his own. However he didn’t have the heart to attack Sasadango with a barbed wire bat along with some unknown masked lackeys so he went back to being a babyface. Sasadango then suggested they both turn heel together and form an nWo style faction. He pulled off his mask to reveal he had already shaved his head and painted on a beard plus forehead scars to look like Keiji Muto! He went to do the Shining Wizard but Hirata dodged it and pinned Sasadango with a School Boy. Backstage Hirata said he wants to continue doing things in pro wrestling that are unprecedented. Sasadango was angry over Hirata “betraying” him but admitted it felt so good to have a packed Sumo Hall chanting Muto’s name at him. He also credited Minoru Suzuki for giving him the haircut before the match.
During the same week where Hulk Hogan made a show of himself in America’s political landscape, his presence was also felt on a smaller scale in Japan thanks to Shinichiro Kawamatsu. The Japanese politician had the Axe Bomber passed down to him by Hogan earlier this year and today he used the move to win his match. Toru Owashi claimed this was the power of the impromptu tag team of himself, Kawamatsu and Hisamaru Tajima. It may not look like it but there is actually a deep bound between the three of them according to Owashi. He was Tajima’s opponent for Tajima’s debut match back in Toryumon. He has also spent a lot of his life living in Sumida Ward which is also the district Kawamatsu is elected in. The point of the match though is that they along with Makoto Oishi, Soma Takao & Munenori Sawa are all connected to Sanshiro Takagi.
The show kicked off with most of the D GENERATIONS class pitted against each other in a 6-Man Tag Match. It came down to Yuni almost beating Keigo Nakamura with a Moonsault. Nakamura recovered to hit Yuni with a German Suplex, John Woo Dropkick and then the Running Diving Headbutt to win the match for his team. Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi both felt that they did their best to make the show start off on the right foot. Nakamura was also happy to win a match by himself in Sumo Hall for the first time. Yuya Koroku feels the need to start aiming higher since it is almost six months since he returned from injury. Ilusion thinks they should all be showing more energy because they are the future of DDT. Yuni said he wants to main event Sumo Hall one day so he will work hard to achieve that.
DDT returns to Sumo Hall on 28th December for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024”. In previous years DDT’s last supershow on the calendar would take place in November. However the company wants to take a shot at holding a big arena show at the end of the year.
It was announced that Kaisei Takechi will be returning to DDT for his second pro wrestling match on 29th September. The star from THE RAMPAGE made his debut to much fanfare back in February. He sent a video message explaining his decision to compete in another match is because he believes he has the ability to do more in the ring the second time round. He would also like to continue participating more in wrestling after this match takes place.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’24”, 20/07/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 873 Fans
1. Wakana Uehara, Toga & Runa Okubo defeated HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro when Toga pinned Suzuki with the Rock Bottom (13:59).
2. Kira Summer defeated Chika Nanase with a Samoan Drop (5:50).
3. Mei Suruga defeated Uta Takami with the Gateau Invisible (7:19).
4. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi & Kaya Toribami when Aino pinned Toribami with the Venus DDT (9:02).
5. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Kakeru Sekiguchi with the Famouser (8:09).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Mizuki & Emi Sakura when Yamashita pinned Mizuki with the Skull Kick (16:16).
7. Special Single Match: Aja Kong defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Diving Elbow Drop (9:01).
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) defeated Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto when Endo submitted Miyamoto with the Camel Clutch (16:09). *V2 for Daisy Monkey.
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi with the Tear Drop (20:19). *V3 for Miu Watanabe.
The biggest show of the summer for Tokyo Joshi Pro was headlined with a Daydream clash for the Princess Of Princess Title. After weeks of mind games from Rika Tatsumi towards her tag partner Miu Watanabe the two finally got to see who is more deserving of being the champion. The match was taken outside a couple of times including one moment where they fought up to the stands. Tatsumi placed Watanabe onto a cart in the aisle and then ran the length of the aisle to hit her with a Sliding Hip Attack. She then kicked Watanabe down the stairs back to the ring. Watanabe got her own back by catching a Hip Attack from the apron and then giving Tatsumi a Reverse Giant Swing at ringside. Back in the ring Tatsumi tried to strangle her opponent but Watanabe powered out of it. Watanabe also kicked out of the Twist Of Fate and blocked the Missile Hip by striking Tatsumi with a Double Hammer Swing. She reversed the Dragon Sleeper into one of her own. Tatsumi reversed the reversal to take her move back but Watanabe got a rope break. Watanabe then went on to hit the Tear Drop and win the match.
The two bowed to each other and shook hands after the match. Tatsumi then left the ring and Watanabe described her freedom and strength as a style that only Tatsumi can have. She wants to fight with Tatsumi more and more. That includes Daydream continuing to team and go after championships together. Watanabe will do her best to make this summer a hot one for everybody and that will happen during the Tokyo Princess Cup starting soon. She wants to become the first reigning Princess Champion to win the tournament. However, Tatsumi’s comments backstage about Daydream’s future were different. She said she realises that Watanabe has been fine without her for a long time now so today Daydream has come to an end! When Watanabe heard that backstage she couldn’t believe it and told reporters she does not want to break up with Tatsumi. We’ll have to see if this gets cleared up in the near future.
Some new looks for both members of Daisy Monkey kicked off the Princess Tag Team Titles match against Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto. The tag team experience of Suzume & Arisu Endo turned out to be the deciding factor too. Every time Arai or Miyamoto looked like they were going to win the match, Daisy Monkey were there to get each other out of trouble. When Arai was about to hit Endo with the Finally, Suzume jumped in to Dropkick her out of the way. Arai was then taken out with a Power Slam/Facebuster combo. Miyamoto had more chances to beat Endo until she was flipped over with a Waterwheel Drop and then placed in the Camel Clutch. Endo then rolled Miyamoto into the middle of the ring with the move, giving Miyamoto no choice but to give up. Endo credited the win on her team’s spirit rather than just relying on skill. Suzume admitted it took a lot of spirit though. Miyamoto said from the moment the match ended, her first thought was she wants to challenge Daisy Monkey again. Arai told her she wants the two of them to keep teaming together. She also loved the experience of being a challenger in a championship match again. That kind of aggressive attitude is something Arai wants to keep for her next International Princess Title defence.
The Big Kaiju went to war against one of the most legendary monsters in pro wrestling. Shoko Nakajima wasted no time in attacking Aja Kong from the start but a quick dive out of the ring was blocked by Kong’s steel can. Kong followed up with chair attacks at ringside and then some painful looking Back Drops in the ring. Nakajima launched a counter attack by hitting a 619 while Kong was climbing the turnbuckles. She landed the Diving Senton while Kong was on the ring apron, knocking her out of the ring long enough for a 19 count. When Kong climbed back into the ring, Nakajima quickly gave her a Double Arm DDT but when she climbed the corner, Kong was already back standing up ready to throw a Uraken strike to the body. Nakajima kicked out of the Veritcal Drop Brainbuster and also did her best to keep standing when she took another Uraken. But Kong knocked her down with another big slap and then hit the backwards Diving Elbow Drop for the three count. Kong praised Nakajima but her words weren’t taken as such by her. Nakajima thinks Kong is treating her like a baby and that annoys her. Kong doesn’t feel that way. She told reporters than had the match gone on for longer, she would not have had the stamina to beat Nakajima. She has a bad back and Nakajima did the right thing as a “monster” to target it. Her mistake was not continuing to target that weakness for the rest of the match. Being a monster is not just about size, it is also about being in battles of wits. Kong’s advice for Nakajima is to use her brain outside the ring as well as inside.
TJPW had the pleasure of having Mizuki & Emi Sakura teaming up in their ring for the first time ever. The student and mentor pairing joined forces to take on 121000000. The match turned into a fight from the get go but Mizuki & Sakura found their spots to mock their opponents with a tea time gesture. Sakura also called herself the cutest in the world while giving Maki Itoh a DDT. They then used double team moves like Assisted Double Stomp and Rolling Sentons onto Miyu Yamashita. However Itoh misdirected Mizuki and threw her into Sakura’s Tilt-O-Whirl Backbreaker before giving Sakura the Stunner. 121000000 then used a Flying DDT/Wheelbarrow German Suplex combo on Mizuki. Sakura was helpless to stop Yamashita from pinning Mizuki with the Skull Kick. She gave Mizuki another Backbreaker after the match, this time on purpose as her punishment for losing. Backstage Yamashita figured out that Mizuki & Sakura are the type of wrestlers who like to confuse their opponents. So Yamashita & Itoh being able to keep communication with each other throughout the match was a key for their victory, along with some luck. 121000000 are happy with the win because it fits into their future plans. They aren’t saying what that is yet. Sakura said she was going to name her team The Whirling Candy Sisters except she never wants to team with Mizuki ever again!
Unfortunately Nao Kakuta’s match with Yuki Kamifuku had to be cancelled because of Kakuta’s back injury. Kamifuku was given a match against Kakeru Sekiguchi instead with Kakuta watching at ringside. Mahiro Kiryu also missed the show due to illness so Kamifuku gave her an unintentional shoutout by accidentally calling Sekiguchi “Mahiro” during the match. Kamifuku was able to win by using a Reverse Famouser, a Big Boot against the ropes and then the standard version of the Famouser for the three count. She told Kakuta after the match not to cry because even though her retirement road has not gone to plan, she should have no regrets over it. Kakuta said she can feel so much warmth and kindness from everyone that she will do her best until the end. She also joked that she hopes Sekiguchi and Kiryu will meet each other some day because they do look similar to each other.
Kiryu’s absence from the show brought in the return of Moeka Haruhi to TJPW as her replacement in Match #4. Together with Yuna Manase & Kaya Toribami the trio went by the name of Ganbare☆Torippi. They were asked before the match if they wanted it to be fought under Summer Vacation rules. Ganbare☆Torippi refused but Love Triangle entered the ring wearing summer costumes and carrying summer related props anyway. Raku got rid of Manase & Haruhi with a Double Facecrusher while Pom Harajuku gave Toribami the Pom de Justice. Yuki Aino then finished her off with the Venus DDT. Ganbare☆Torippi complained about Love Triangle not following the rules even when they were told the match stipulation was not accepted. However Manase hasn’t been able to do a lot of summer activities this year so getting to do some of it in the ring today wasn’t too bad. Aino said she notices more fighting spirit than usual coming from Toribami. If she got that from teaming with the visitors then Aino hopes it encourages her to keep trying harder.
The match between Mei Suruga and Uta Takami was like seeing two long lost sisters meeting each other. Suruga definitely feels that way because she kept calling herself Takami’s first big sister after the match! She likes how cute and friendly Takami is while also having a cheeky side, just like her. Perhaps next time they will team up as The Super Cute Sisters! Takami said when the match was first announced she kept thinking about it. Then before she knew it she was wearing red things with apples on them. Today feels like a turning point to her and she is already sad to see her “big sister” leave.
Kira Summer scored her first singles win as a TJPW wrestler by beating Chika Nanase. She used a Samoan Drop to get the victory. She is so happy about it she thanks all of the fans who went to the show and those who watched from home for giving her their support. Next she would like to team with Nanase and win a match together. Nanase still wants to face her in singles match so she can try and beat her. She promises not to lose next time.
In the opening match Toga was able to win for her team by pinning Shino Suzuki with the Rock Bottom. The result almost turned out differently because Suzuki used the same Backwards Rolling Cradle she used to beat Toga before. Toga had backup to break the pin this time. So today’s result makes Toga feel like she got revenge on that loss to Suzuki. Runa Okubo noticed Haru Kazashiro is using new moves and getting stronger. She does not want to lose to her while they continue growing side by side. Wakana Uehara is also seeing how much everyone is growing, particularly everyone in the 23 Year Olds group. She is looking forward to even more matches between that group in the future. HIMAWARI said the result was a close call for the winners. She wants to train even harder to overtake everyone.
Two new TJPW dates for Korakuen Hall were announced. First they will close out the year on 29th December for “TJPW YEAR-END PARTY 2024”. Then on 4th January it will be the tenth annual Ittenyon show at Korakuen.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 