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.

Comments Off on TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” Preview | Previews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

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.

Comments Off on TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Go Home Show For Grand Princess, Takeshita Vs Shunma In USA, GLEAT x DDT

March 13, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 16/03/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Uta Takami
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Kira Summer
3. Maki Itoh & Shino Suzuki Vs Moka Miyamoto & Chika Nanase
4. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & HIMAWARI
5. Wakana Uehara & Toga Vs Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
6. Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki & Shoko Nakajima Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta

This will be the last proper Tokyo Joshi Pro show before “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” at the end of the month. There’s a few small scale sideshows coming up but this is pretty much the go home show. So it’s the final chance for Miyu Yamashita and Miu Watanabe to square off in non-title action as well as Yuki Aino against Daisy Monkey.

The show also has some returns. Maki Itoh will be back from America as the brand new GCW Extreme Champion. Also Runa Okubo has her first match since the start of January.

Hyper Misao is still out of action with a lower back injury. She hasn’t been booked for either of the side TJPW shows coming up so her return will be at Sumo Hall.

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Bryan Keith & Shota
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Mike Bailey

Two more matches added to the DDT USA show. The big one is Konosuke Takeshita facing his old buddy Shunma Katsumata! Last year’s show was a chance for Takeshita to see what Yuki Ueno is like without him. Now it is Katsumata’s turn to step up to him.

A CCK reunion is on the card! Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos are back together for a match against the wild card pairing of Bryan Keith & Shota.

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2”, 17/05/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Danshoku Dieno Birthday Eve Commemorative Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs X

Two Beer Garden shows will be happening right before Danshoku Dieno’s birthday. He is getting a special match on the second show to celebrate it.

GLEAT/DDT “GLEAT VER. &”, 06/06/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

This was announced earlier today during the GLEAT show at Korakuen Hall. Their 6th June show at the same venue will be a collaboration with DDT wrestlers. I’ll wait and see how much of the show will be built around GLEAT Vs DDT matches.

Comments Off on Go Home Show For Grand Princess, Takeshita Vs Shunma In USA, GLEAT x DDT | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING” Results

March 10, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 10/03/2024
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
206 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Toga defeated Chika Nanase with the Rock Bottom (4:18).
2. Yuki Aino defeated Kira Summer with the Full Nelson Of Love And Flame (5:15).
3. Mizuki defeated Uta Takami with the Face Lock (6:00).
4. Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI defeated Nao Kakuta & Haru Kazashiro when HIMAWARI submitted Kazashiro with the Half Crab Hold (11:07).
5. Irregular Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Raku, Pom Harajuku & Shino Suzuki when Watanabe pinned Suzuki with the Tear Drop (14:57).
6. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Wakana Uehara with the Famouser (9:05).
7. Shoko Nakajima, Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Miyu Yamashita, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami when Suzume pinned Toribami with the Ring A Bell (17:09).

Daisy Monkey are feeling good after teaming with Shoko Nakajima to win today’s main event. Nakajima hit Miyu Yamashita with a Topé Suicida, Arisu Endo took out Moka Miyamoto with the Tsuruga Castle and Suzume pinned Kaya Toribami with the Ring A Bell. Nakajima joked that Daisy Monkey acts like a pair of cute juniors but she knows how strong they have both become. It’s enough to make her feel jealous of them. However she now has to put her focus on beating Aja Kong & Max The Impaler in Sumo Hall at the end of the month.

At the last minute Hyper Misao pulled out of the show because of lower back pain problems. Her removal turned Match #5 into a 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match with Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Shino Suzuki taking on Raku & Pom Harajuku. But before it began Harajuku complained about the other team having an unfair advantage because they had a much higher amount of ability combined compared to herself and Raku. Tatsumi agreed and literally threw Suzuki over to their side of the ring so the match turned into Daydream against Raku, Harajuku & Suzuki. It briefly became a 3 Vs 1 fight when they fought out of the ring and Tatsumi was locked outside of the room. Tatsumi found a way to break back into the room by moving two of the sliding walls apart. She then took care of Raku & Harajuku so Watanabe could beat Suzuki by herself.

The three new rookies were all given a singles match challenge for the early half of the show. Uta Takami, Kira Summer and Chika Nanase all lost but the matches were put together to help get them prepared for the “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” opening bout.

Comments Off on TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING” Results

March 3, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 03/03/2024
Shinjuku FACE
370 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Kira Summer Debut Match: Arisu Endo & Chika Nanase defeated Nao Kakuta & Kira Summer when Endo submitted Summer with the Camel Clutch (8:07).
2. Uta Takami Debut Match: Raku & Shino Suzuki defeated Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami when Raku submitted Takami with the Front Neck Lock (9:21).
3. 3 Way Match: Suzume defeated Mahiro Kiryu and Kaya Toribami when Suzume pinned Toribami with the Ring A Bell (8:49).
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku when Misao pinned Harajuku with the Hypami Returns (12:04).
5. Rika Tatsumi defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Twist Of Fate (8:53).
6. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto defeated Wakana Uehara & Toga when Yamashita pinned Toga with the Attitude Adjustment (12:08).
7. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino defeated Mizuki & HIMAWARI when Aino pinned HIMAWARI with the Venus DDT (15:58).

The main event was a chance for Yukiniki to deliver their sharpest performance as a tag team so far. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino came up with a lot of team work to win. They used a Double STO to get rid of Mizuki and then focused on isolating HIMAWARI. It ended with Aino pinning her with the Venus DDT. Afterwards Mizunami said today was their last warm up match as a team before they defend the Princess Tag Team Titles at Sumo Hall on 31st March. Another reason for her excitement is because today is Hinamatsuri Day! Aino said they are going to keep on burning all the way to Sumo Hall.

This week is the one year anniversary of Toga’s debut match against Miyu Yamashita so they were opponents again for a tag match today. She was able to rope break out of the Modified Cobra Clutch and knock down Yamashita with the Elbow Butt. But Yamashita stunned her with a High Kick and won with the Attitude Adjustment. Even though she lost and took the fall, Toga thinks she showed a little bit of growth against Yamashita compared to her debut.

Haru Kazashiro is also approaching the first anniversary of her own debut. She was given a first time singles match against Rika Tatsumi and understood the importance of getting to fight a former champion one on one. She fought off a Figure 4 Leg Lock attempt and used the Rolling Leg Clutch to get a nearfall. Tatsumi cut off her momentum with the Hip Attack followed by the Twist Of Fate for the win. Backstage she said it was weird that the fans were chanting “Haru” instead of “Rika”. She hopes fans will chant “Rika” next time.

One of the big matches at Sumo Hall is Kyoraku Kyomei taking on Aja Kong & Max The Impaler. As part of their preparations for the match, Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao wanted Pom Harajuku to reveal to them Max’s weaknesses. She promised to whisper it into their ears so nobody else could here it. Instead she screeched as loud as she could into their ears.

There were two debuts on today’s show. Uta Takami from The Up Up Girls was one of them. Her match was a tag bout involving the other currently active members of the group. She showed a little bit of agility trying to avoid Raku but was eventually caught in the Front Neck Lock, leading to her giving up. Raku said the match was also an important one for Shino Suzuki because it was a chance for her to show how strong she has become too. Miu Watanabe congratulated Takami for a successful debut. When asked what kind of wrestler she wants to be, Takami said she doesn’t know because there is not a lot she can do right now. But she will do her best and give it her all so she can eventually do everything!

The other debut was for TJPW’s first ever foreign wrestler coming out of their training system. Kira Summer is from Australia. She showed power by giving Chika Nanase a Body Slam that Nanase later claimed felt like all her internal organs were about to burst out of her body. However Summer found herself in danger against Arisu Endo with no help for her thanks to Nanase Shoulder Blocking Nao Kakuta out of the way. Endo picked up the win after making Summer submit to the Camel Clutch. Summer thought she was ready but admits her opponents were surprisingly difficult. She’ll need to practice more to face them properly.

At the start of the show it was announced that Yuka Sakazaki will make a special one-off appearance at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”! I’m just as puzzled at this news as you are. She is being advertised on the show as an AEW wrestler but the weird thing is she hasn’t appeared in AEW, ROH or anywhere else since graduating from Tokyo Joshi Pro last December. When Mizuki heard the news she said she is looking forward to reuniting The Magical Sugar Rabbits again. However she was then told by a reporter that Sakazaki’s match has not been announced yet. Mizuki told the reporter not to say scary things like that. She is now anxiously awaiting for the full card announcement to find out if she and Sakazaki will be together in the ring again.

The former AKB48 idol Ami Yumoto introduced herself to the fans at the beginning of the show. She will have her debut match at Sumo Hall but today is in fact the first time she’s attending a TJPW show. It was also the first time she got to see her upcoming tag partner Nao Kakuta wrestle in person.

Yuki Kamifuku is getting a homecoming show at Shonandai Cultural Center in Fujisawa City on 25th May.

Runa Okubo was at the show. She announced she had passed her high school entrance exams and was accepted into her first choice of school. She will return to wrestle in TJPW again starting from 16th March. Her first priority is to catch up to Haru Kazashiro’s level.

2 Comments | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – February 2024

March 1, 2024

I can feel it in the air, the road towards Wrestlemania Week has begun. There’s not too much to talk about what happened in February but the announcements for what’s going down in Philadelphia this April are beginning to drip out. Konosuke Takeshita is getting set to be the welcoming party for AEW’s newest big signing, Miyu Yamashita has another American tour on the way and Maki Itoh is back in action with a return to GCW coming very soon. That’s not all, Mizuki Watase is going to be in Philly that week and is currently looking for bookings. I hope he gets some because the few matches he was able to do last year I thought got him over in the venues. His problem seems to be a lack of international coverage for his body of work in Japan. You have to see him in action to get him.

The other story of the month is MAO and Yoshihiko’s European tour. They kept it short and sweet with only two bookings in a weekend but it seems to have done wonders for MAO. He’s been booming with confidence ever since and it shows with his recent DDT performances. I can’t put my finger on what exactly made him improve lately but he has put it all together in a complete package that makes him stand out. He is his own wrestler that is able to make his style adapt to his opponent and the environment they are in. He did good with the American indies last year and I would love to see him break out even higher on the scene in 2024.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Chris Jericho Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

Video starts at 2:55:30 for the angle. Match begins at 2:59:27.
WEST COAST PRO “UNDER THE BRIDGE”, 18/02/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero, Konosuke Takeshita & Titus Alexander Vs Adrian Quest, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee


AEW “COLLISION”, 24/02/2024
Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri, USA

1. Bryan Danielson Vs Jun Akiyama

———————————————————————–

Results


BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. MAO & Yoshihiko defeated MBM & Ultima Sombra (?:??).

The European trip started out in France where MAO & Yoshihiko defeated Rivality in BZW. I think the promotion was originally called BodyZoi Wrestling but then changed their name to Banger Zone Wrestling. Anyway Yoshihiko ended up needing a neck brace after it was put through a table. It got its own back by giving both MBM & Ultima Sombra a Double Low Blow and a Double Choke Slam.


TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Fatal 4 Way: Yoshihiko defeated Jordan Oliver, Leon Slater and MAO (?:??).

The next night MAO and Yoshihiko made it to England for a TNT Extreme show. They weren’t teaming together this time. Instead they were opponents along with Jordan Oliver and Leon Slater in a Fatal 4 Way match. Neither of them escaped the match unscathed. Yoshihiko was thrown from the ring into the balcony only to dive out of there onto everyone back in the ring! It ended up winning the match but still needed medical help over concerns it suffered a concussion. MAO got a medical check-up too but he was fine as long as he got some beer.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Chris Jericho with the Walls Of Takeshita (13:51).

Takeshita got his win back from Chris Jericho in a rematch from DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” last November. This time Takeshita had counters for a lot of Jericho’s moves. He avoided the Walls Of Jericho and after some struggle repositioned himself to Wheelbarrow Suplex his opponent. He stopped Jericho from doing the Lionsault, grabbing him from the ropes to do a Blue Thunder Bomb instead. He also avoided a top rope Frankensteiner to do a Super Blue Thunder Bomb too! Jericho finally caught Takeshita in the Walls Of Jericho but that was when Don Callis came into play. He slid a chair into the ring to distract the ref and then hit Jericho in the head with a screwdriver. Takeshita took advantage by putting Jericho in the Walls Of Takeshita, dragging him into the middle of the ring to make him tap out!


WEST COAST PRO “UNDER THE BRIDGE”, 18/02/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero, Konosuke Takeshita & Titus Alexander defeated Adrian Quest, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee (20:56).

A match between Chris Hero and Adrian Quest over at West Coast Pro ended in a No Contest when Danny Rose & Ricky Gee interfered and attacked Hero. Titus Alexander came to Hero’s aid but the numbers game by Quest and Los Suavecitos eventually overwhelmed them. Who would come out to the rescue but Konosuke Takeshita! After he cleared the ring with Elbow Strikes an impromptu 6-Man Tag Match broke out. After the match Hero told a story back from around 2007 about him going to see an Osaka Pro show during a tour with NOAH. He wanted to take a tour of the venue but wasn’t allowed do it by himself. So a 10 year old Takeshita had to chaperone him around the building!


AEW “COLLISION”, 24/02/2024
Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri, USA

1. Bryan Danielson defeated Jun Akiyama with the Busaiku Knee Kick (15:59).

AEW’s booking method for Bryan Danielson lately is to book him against a who’s who of the wrestling landscape. He’s been in the ring with the likes of Yuji Nagata, luchadors from CMLL and the latest one was Jun Akiyama. This match had extra spice to it because Eddie Kingston was at ringside and he admires Akiyama greatly. So of course Danielson would have some fun getting to beat up Kingston’s hero right in front of him. However Akiyama put up a big fight, clashing Knee Strike to Knee Strike. It couldn’t last though and Danielson ultimately got his hand raised in the end. He shook Akiyama’s hand after the match only to give him a Low Blow. An angry Kingston attacked Danielson which brought out Claudio Castagnoli and then FTR for a little brawl before things calmed down.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances


GCW “PROJECT GCW”, 01/03/2024
Pop’s NightClub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Ciclope & Miedo Extremo

Itoh returns to America and making up for lost time. She is going to spend most of the month wrestling with Nick Gage so there is going to be a lot of Maki Death Kill for everybody! First up the duo takes on Los Macizos. Itoh’s streak of doing death matches without having to take any actual bumps through glass will be at risk here.


GCW “KEEP IN TOUCH”, 02/03/2024
Marriott East, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley

Then the next night Maki Death Kill face The Rejects.


AEW “REVOLUTION”, 03/03/2024
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

1. Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Yeah this is going to be awesome. Don Callis has become so satisfied with how things are turning out for himself and the Don Callis Family in AEW that he is now going to make his own wrestlers fight each other because there is no one else on their level. Takeshita is going to be Will Ospreay’s first opponent now that Ospreay is signed full time to AEW. Expectations are going to be high, high, high for this one.


GCW “ASHES TO ASHES”, 09/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Nothing announced yet for Itoh’s third GCW appearance of the month. Gage is busy fighting Ryuji Ito at that show.


GCW “SO MUCH FUN”, 10/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Nick Gage, Matt Tremont & Maki Itoh Vs Effy, Allie Katch & Dark Sheik

But for the fourth appearance she gets to team with Matt Tremont for the first time. Mix together Maki Death Kill with the H8 Club and you get Maki Death Kill Club! Her friendships with Thrussy goes out the window here.


SHP/LOL “EUPHORIA”, 04/04/2024
Attic Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Matt Makowski Vs MAO

The first place you will find a DDT wrestler during WrestleMania week is at a Sean Henderson Presents show. MAO is looking for a lot of bookings in Philadelphia, particularly all on the same day. Three of them have been announced already beginning with this match against Matt Makowski.


DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko

DDT’s first match announcement for their USA show is a doozy. Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko bring their dramatic dream match to America!

The other DDT wrestlers announced for the USA show are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON and Takeshi Masada. Also coming in are Mike Bailey, Andrew Everett, Kid Lykos, Nick Wayne, Bryan Keith and Billie Starkz.


GCW/JCW “GCW/JCW VS THE WORLD”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. Shota Vs X
3. MAO Vs X

One minute before the clock strikes midnight, GCW and JCW will start taking on the world. MAO, Yoshihiko and a newly freelance Shota will all be there for the action.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Announced so far for TJPW’s USA show are Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Aino, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume and Arisu Endo. Joining them are Vert Vixen, Billie Starkz, “The Unbreakable” Rhio, Viva Van, Max The Impaler and Zara Zakher.

Yamashita begins her latest American tour with this show. She will be staying in America for two months, heading back to Japan during the middle of June.


GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The non-TJPW lineup for this show will not feature most if not any of the women who are booked for the day before. Instead it will all be GCW relevant wrestlers taking mixing it up with the TJPW roster.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 8”, 14/04/2024
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Kylie Rae Vs Miyu Yamashita

Prestige has always been a good place for Yamashita to visit during her American tours. Her next appearance will be for a match against Kylie Rae, who has recently returned to wrestling.


UPRISING “UPRISING: WOMEN ATHLETES 2”, 19/04/2024
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyan

Back in December DREAMWAVE announced they were spinning off their women’s wrestling shows into its own promotion. Thus Uprising: Women Athletes was born. Yamashita will be showing up for Uprising’s second event to take on Hyan in a rematch from last year’s American summer tour. Yamashita lost to Hyan in New Texas Pro back in May. Now almost a year later they will square off again.


PRESTIGE/PRIDE STYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Who else will Prestige have for her Yamashita in April?


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 2 – KAPPAS COUNTERATTACK”, 27/04/2024
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs X

The debut of Daikaiku Pro featured Shoko Nakajima in the main event. For their second show they promotion said they are going to unleash “Project M”. It turns out Project M is Hyper Misao!

Comments Off on DDT Around The World – February 2024 | Around The World | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Debuts And Anniversaries Coming Up, Judgement 2024 Complete Card, Zack Sabre Jr In DDT

February 26, 2024

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TWELVE: TEEN AGE RIOT”, 27/02/2024
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

No matches have been announced yet for tomorrow’s Baka Gaijin + Friends show. All that has been advertised is Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, MAO and Mad Dr. Ueki are all scheduled to appear.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 03/03/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. 3 Way Match: Suzume Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Uta Debut Match: Miu Watanabe & Uta Vs Raku & Shino Suzuki
3. Kirra Debut Match: Nao Kakuta & Kirra Vs Arisu Endo & Chika Nanase
4. Rika Tatsumi Vs Haru Kazashiro
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
7. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Mizuki & HIMAWARI

This show is a happening a few days before the first anniversary of Toga’s debut match against Miyu Yamashita. So they get to be on opposite sides of the ring again to celebrate it.

The debuts of Uta and Kirra are coming up this Sunday. We’ll likely get their official ring names in the next few days. Uta’s debut puts her in the ring with the rest of the active Up Up Girls. Kirra’s first match also involved Chika Nanase who only just debuted over the weekend.

BASARA “BASARA 243 ~TAKAGARI 23~”, 09/03/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Daichi Kazato Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
4. KUBITO & Yasu Urano Vs SAGAT & Banana Senga
5. Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA, Ryota Nakatsu & Fuminori Abe

Masato Kamino has stepped forward wanting to be Minoru Fujita’s next opponent for the Union MAX Title. The challenge was accepted but is not happening just yet.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. “Intern Wrestler” Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Soma Takao Vs Tsubasa Suzuki
2. Yuya Koroku Return Match: To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya Vs Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
3. Toru Owashi & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu
6. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ken Ohka
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Belt Contra Dissolution: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
10. DDT Extreme Title: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
11. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Takeshi Masada
12. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs HARASHIMA

The 27th Anniversary of DDT’s first show contains 12 matches so they will not overrun the 5 hour timeslot in Korakuen Hall this time. The DDT Universal Title is up for grabs as well as who will get to defend that championship in American this April. MAO believes he is now the greatest DDT Universal Champion ever and wanted his next defence to be at the Philadelphia show. However Takeshi Masada really wants to be in the same position and wanted to challenge MAO before then so he can take that spot instead. MAO only wants to be challenge by wrestlers he thinks can be trusted with the Universal Title. He doesn’t believe Masada is at that level yet but the audience support for the challenger convinced MAO to give him the chance.

The newest unit in DDT could quickly become champions before we know it. Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor will now face D.O.A for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles after Naruki Doi pinned Makoto Oishi yesterday. Just like with D.O.A’s previous defences, high stakes must be on the line for both teams. Doi decided that if his team loses then they will split up. That sounds like a serious stipulation until you find out Doi does not want to be part of Kazuki Hirata’s new unit so he isn’t going to lose any sleep if they lose and never have to team up again.

Shuji Ishikawa returns to DDT for the first time since last July. He is coming off of a bad split with All Japan and now has new responsibilities as the GM of Evolution Joshi. So if this is his only DDT appearance for the year I’ll take it.

The Intern Wrestler Tsubasa Suzuki gets Soma Takao for his first match.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 TRUE BLUE”, 20/03/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Shota & Soma Takao

Right before Shota leaves Ganbare☆Pro to go freelance he & Soma Takao are getting what could be their final shot at the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles. It is a championship that ROMANCE DAWN has never won. Shota would love to claim it and defend it wherever he goes next. GROUND ABSOLUTE will try and stop that because Shuichiro Katsumura isn’t looking to lose either of his championships anytime soon.

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

1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
2. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes

A big surprise was dropped in DDT yesterday when Chris Brookes invited his friend Zack Sabre Jr. to come over for a match. Sabre has a few DDT tapes in his collection back home so the place was always on his bucket list. Sadly his hopes of fighting Yoshihiko or the Ladder aren’t possible at the moment so he identified DDT’s two strongest singles champions as wrestlers he would like to fight. Yuki Ueno & MAO are just as excited to do the match as Sabre & Brookes are.

There is also going to be a rematch from a DDT bout that took place at Tokyo Dome City Hall in December 2022. On that night Chihiro Hashimoto beat Shinya Aoki clean and Aoki wants to avenge that loss to her. He expects the rematch to be as dramatic as sumo wrestler Shinichi Suzukawa’s return from injury was!

DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024
Tokyo Sumida Ward General Gymnasium

1. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X

The next KO-D Title defence after the 27th Anniversary show will be in April at a DDT collaborative show with the Zeekstar Tokyo handball team. Either Ueno or HARASHIMA will be the defending champion.

Comments Off on Debuts And Anniversaries Coming Up, Judgement 2024 Complete Card, Zack Sabre Jr In DDT | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “BEAT POWER ’24” Results

February 24, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “BEAT POWER ’24”, 24/02/2024
Osaka Edion Arena #2
349 Fans

1. Chika Nanase Debut Match: Moka Miyamoto defeated Chika Nanase with the Rashomon (4:39).
2. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Pom Harajuku and Haru Kazashiro when Kamifuku pinned Kazashiro with the Famouser (6:44).
3. Juria Nagano defeated Kaya Toribami with the Senpukyaku (7:23).
4. Maki Itoh & Raku defeated Mahiro Kiryu & Shino Suzuki when Itoh submitted Suzuki with the Itoh Deluxe (13:00).
5. Bite Into The Sour And Sweet And Never Miss An Opportunity Rules: Hyper Misao defeated Nao Kakuta with a Gedo Clutch (10:01).
6. Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki defeated Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI & Toga when Mizuki pinned Uehara with the Diving Foot Stomp (13:54).
7. Miyu Yamashita, Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Miu Watanabe, Suzume & Arisu Endo ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).

The main event was a preview for two of the big title matches being held at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”. It ended without a winner since the match lasted the entirety of the 20 minute time limit. The champion team were in trouble heading into the late end of the bout. Miu Watanabe held Miyu Yamashita in the Canadian Backbreaker and Arisu Endo hit Ryo Mizunami with the Mt. Bandai. However Yuki Aino blocked Suzume’s Ring A Bell and placed her in the Full Nelson Of Love And Flame instead. She tried to finish her off with the Venus DDT but Suzume fought her off until the bell rang for the finish. Aino didn’t expect Suzume to be so persistent but it made her look forward to the Sumo Hall tag match even more. Mizunami wanted to beat Daisy Monkey quickly so they can move on to Sumo Hall. Both Suzume & Endo told Yukiniki they will not lose. Neither will Yamashita, she said she is going to use all of her power to beat Watanabe.

The match between Hyper Misao and Nao Kakuta had a special rule attached to it. Whenever one of them reached for a rope break they would have to drink a glass of undiluted lemon juice within a time limit or be disqualified. The same rules were used two years ago during the last time Misao and Kakuta wrestled each other in a singles match. Kakuta won that match but Misao claims that since then she has learned about the depth of life by seperating the sweet and the sour. She proved it by beating Kakuta to avenge the loss from two years ago.

Maki Itoh picked up the win in her return to action. She told the fans she didn’t have much to do during her seven week break and if it wasn’t for pro wrestling she would be as good as dead. Today she feels alive again! She was so excited she only got one hour of sleep last night. Raku made up for it by getting 10 hours of sleep which is the perfect combined amount for two people.

For her last match in Osaka, Juria Nagano got her hand raised by beating Kaya Toribami. It just so happens to be her first ever singles match victory too! It’s been her goal since last year to win a singles match so she thinks all the hard word and strategy paid off. She is also happy she got to wrestle Toribami because she always got advice from her whenever they trained together.

The debut of Chika Nanase saw her lose to Moka Miyamoto by submission. She struggled to break past Miyamoto’s defence so only got to show off Elbow Strikes and Shoulder Blocks. Her big mistake came from trying to use a Body Slam but she was unable to lift Miyamoto with it. Miyamoto then turned things around and submitted Nanase with the Rashomon. Nanase described wrestling a real match feels different than being in a training match. She could clearly see the fans in the crowd supporting her and motivated her. She wants to grow into a pro wrestler who can make everyone smile.

At the start of the show it was announced that Yamashita will be going on another American tour in April after Tokyo Joshi Pro’s USA show happens on 5th April. The excursion will go on for over two months and her first match back in Japan will be on 15th June. She hopes to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Watanabe at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” so she can bring the belt with her and defend it across many different promotions in America.

Comments Off on TOKYO JOSHI PRO “BEAT POWER ’24” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 1” Results

February 17, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 1 – SHOKO NAKAJIMA IS BACK ~ NIIGATA HOMECOMING PERFORMANCE”, 17/02/2024
Niigata Dúo CEREZO
251 Fans

1. Kaya Toribami defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Bird Cage (6:51).
2. 3 Way Match: Mizuki defeated Raku and Shino Suzuki when Mizuki submitted Suzuki with the Face Lock (8:11).
3. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku defeated Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI when Aino pinned HIMAWARI with the Venus DDT (10:57).
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Toga when Endo pinned Toga with the Ju no Okite (9:47).
5. Miyu Yamashita defeated Wakana Uehara with a Right High Kick (9:32).
6. Rika Tatsumi defeated Zara Zakher with the Figure 4 Leg Lock (8:58).
7. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto when Nakajima pinned Miyamoto with the Diving Senton (16:30).

Kyoraku Kyomei were determined not to lose in the main event of today’s show in front of Shoko Nakajima’s home crowd. It almost happened thanks to the combined power of Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto. Nakajima was put in the Giant Swing and also the Rashomon but Hyper Misao was there to save her partner when needed. Misao took out Watanabe using the Kingslayer knee strike followed by the Hypami Returns. Nakajima scored the pin by giving Miyamoto the Double Arm DDT and then the Diving Senton.

After the match Nakajima complimented their opponents. She told the fans Watanabe will be challenging for the Princess Of Princess Title at Sumo Hall next month while Miyamoto has become a strong wrestler herself. But Kyoraku Kyomei wanted to show they are still growing too and will not get overtaken by their juniors. Nakajima said she works in Tokyo now but her motto is to keep the winter spirit of Niigata alive no matter how hard that gets. That will be put to the test because today it was announced Kyoraku Kyomei will face the team of Aja Kong & Max The Impaler at “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” on 31st March! Nakajima said the match will decide who the strongest kaiju really is. Misao is worried her brand new Hypami Dramatic Dream bike that cost two million yen in crowd funding could get destroyed so she won’t let Aja or Max lay a even a single finger on it. She also teased the bike has a secret function that will be used to beat the monster team.

Zara Zakher’s first tour of Japan sounds like it’s going well for her even if the match results don’t show it. She put on an impressive performance against Rika Tatsumi despite losing to her. Kazher took a lot of the match using her power but made the mistake of leaving her legs vulnerable for a Dragon Screw. Tatsumi used the move to set up a Figure 4 Leg Lock to make Zakher give up. Tatsumi was happy to have a match against a new foreign wrestler and thinks she made a new friend out of it. Zakher said wrestling in Japan is a dream come true and she wants to come back here.

The fans were behind the underdog Wakana Uehara when she took on the Princess Champion Miyu Yamashita in a non-title bout. She tried to get a pinfall using a Jackknife Pin but Yamashita returned fire with a Right High Kick for the victory. She thinks Uehara has grown a lot since the Next Generation Tournament and has always had a strong impression of her since the Yume Pro Wrestling project. She gave her a fierce fight today because she saw how fired up Uehara got during her match with Aja Kong.

The Argentine Neckbreaker Drop used by Arisu Endo is now called the Ju no Okite. It is named after the Ju no Okite code of rules learned by the Aizu clan of samurai. Apparently there is a more common version taught to school children in Aizuwakamatsu where Endo is from. It consists of rules like do not lie to others, respect your elders, don’t bully the weak, etc.

Comments Off on TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 1” Results | Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Toy Kojima No More?! Chika Debut Match, More Title Matches At Grand Princess

February 13, 2024

DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 3 ~TOTONOI TO YOU~”, 14/02/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Takeshi Masada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. Yakushiyu Presents ~DDT Sauna Club Vs DDT Open Bath Club~: Kazuki Hirata & Tonttu Naya Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi
3. Aqua Yu-kari Presents ~Shunma Katsumata’s Sauna Room~: Shunma Katsumata Vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan
4. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~Mao Inoue’s Sauna Room~ – Ring-Out 3-Count Match: MAO Vs Chris Brookes
5. Hokuoh Presents ~Toy Kojima’s Sauna Room~: Toy Kojima Vs Masato Tanaka
6. KO-D Openweight Title ~Naniwa Kenko Land-Yu Presents Yuki Ueno’s Sauna Room~: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno

History shows every time MAO and Chris Brookes are in the same match together they end up fighting each other out of the ring and a Countout result becomes inevitable. A fed up Yukinori Matsui said changing the countout to ten, five or even three seconds is enough to solve the problem. But when MAO and Brookes heard him say a three second countout they fell in love with the idea and want their match tomorrow to follow that rule. Since The 37KAMIINA are in charge of tomorrow’s show, the rule is going to be used.

Toy Kojima will be wrestling under a new name for his match against Masato Tanaka. He wants to fight against the unknown and change himself because he sees tomorrow as a new beginning for The 37KAMIINA.

Most of the matches will have sponsored prizes on the line given to the winners.

BASARA “BASARA 242 ~UTAGE~”, 20/02/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Kengo Mashimo
2. Daichi Kazato & X Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Isami Kodaka & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. FUMA, KUBITO & Yasu Urano Vs SAGAT, Masato Kamino & Gouma Ryu
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Takato Nakano

Kengo Mashimo from 2AW pays another visit to BASARA. This time around he is being kept away from Isami Kodaka. Instead he’s coming over to fight Lil’ Kraken.

I can’t even guess what kind of mystery wrestler Daichi Kazato would go out and find to team with him.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “BEAT POWER ’24”, 24/02/2024
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pom Harajuku Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Chika Debut Match: Moka Miyamoto Vs Chika
3. Kaya Toribami Vs Juria Nagano
4. Hyper Misao Vs Nao Kakuta
5. Maki Itoh & Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Shino Suzuki
6. Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki Vs Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI & Toga
7. Miyu Yamashita, Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Miu Watanabe, Suzume & Arisu Endo

It’s champions versus challengers in a big preview for Sumo Hall one month later! Miyu Yamashita and Ryo Mizunami just had their first match together over the weekend. They were opponents there and this time they are on the same side. Miu Watanabe has to swallow a little bit of her pride because she is teaming with Daisy Monkey, the team that just beat Daydream to win the Max Heart Tournament.

Maki Itoh returns to the ring back in fighting form.

We got the announcement of Kirra and Uta making their debuts soon. Those keeping track may have noticed there is another trainee from that class who seemed to be left out. Well it turns out she is going to debut soon too, even sooner in fact. Chika will have her first match just over a week before Kirra and Uta will. Moka Miyamoto will be her opponent.

This will be Juria Nagano’s final match in Osaka before her graduation from Tokyo Joshi Pro.

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

1. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe

After so much struggle, Daisy Monkey are about to finally reach the top of TJPW’s tag division. All they have to do now is beat Yukiniki for the Princess Tag Team Titles. It will be Mizunami & Yuki Aino’s first defence so they will not want to lose the belts so quickly.

A glamorous fight for the International Princess Title has been put together. Yuki Arai was challenged by Yuki Kamifuku, who is looking to become a double champion. Would the IP Title look that nice next to the Queen Of Asia Title?

Comments Off on Toy Kojima No More?! Chika Debut Match, More Title Matches At Grand Princess | News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »