TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GIRL 4 ~1ST TIME IN A YEAR, LIMITED TO FEMALE FANS~”, 15/10/2023 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Suzume Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Wakana Uehara
3. Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Aino & Runa Okubo
4. Hikari Noa Vs Toga
5. Max The Impaler, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Nao Kakuta, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
6. Mizuki & Yuki Arai Vs Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo
7. Nivea Angel Skin Body Wash Presents Go Girl 4 Special Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Rika Tatsumi Vs Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku
“GO GIRL 4” is being sponsored by Nivea and everyone in the audience will receive a free sample of their products. The winning team in the main event will be given a year’s worth of Angel Skin Body Wash as their prize.
Both Miyu Yamashita and Miu Watanabe are missing the doubleshot because they will be in America wrestling for SPARK that week.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~SHINAGAWA PERFORMANCE~”, 15/10/2023 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Yuki Arai Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Maki Itoh Vs HIMAWARI
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Wakana Uehara
4. Hyper Misao & Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
5. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Moka Miyamoto & Haru Kazashiro
6. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Runa Okubo
7. Max The Impaler, Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki & Kaya Toribami
The evening show of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s doubleshot features a few matches that were meant to happen earlier this year but got cancelled for one reason or another.
BASARA “BASARA 234 ~UTAGE~”, 24/10/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 2A: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 2B: Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
3. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura
The challenge by Daiki Shimomura towards FUMA for the Union MAX Title has been accepted.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “ALL RISE ’23”, 27/10/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Saki Akai Vs Yuki Arai
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Regina
Before Yamashita travelled to America she learned who her first challenger for the Princess Of Princess Title will be at the end of this month. Regina is an 8 year veteran from Tuusula, Finland who wrestles for FCF over there. She is 166cm tall and weighs 105kg. Yamashita said she wants to be careful fighting her, especially when she found out Regina is the FCF Finnish Heavyweight Champion and has defeated larger male wrestlers in her reign. This will be their only match together on Regina’s tour of TJPW because Yamashita is in America during her other appearances. All Yamashita can do to prepare is to find videos of Regina’s matches to watch while she is away.
Free WiFi have only just won the Princess Tag Team Titles so they intend not to lose them easily. Their first challengers are Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano. The two of them now have a new team name: Shinken Kusho! In order to prepare for this match Nao Kakuta has done two things. She is starting to make meals in a rice cooker like Miyamoto often does. She also bought the latest FRIDAY magazine because Nagano is in the issue as the centerfold. Hikari Noa asked Nagano to write her new team name on her page in the magazine. Kakuta thinks Free WiFi is the cooler name.
DDT “UTAN FESTA 2023”, 29/10/2023 Tokyo JR Omori Station East Exit Plaza
1. World Omori Title: Soma Takao (c) Vs X
Last year saw the return of DDT’s annual outdoor show at the JR Omori Station. Not only did that show return but so too did the yearly Omori World Title match. Soma Takao defeated Chikara to become the new champion last time but he currently does not have any challenger lined up for this year’s defence. Normally DDT does a Battle Royal on the same show to determine the No. 1 Contender a year in advance but that did not happen last time.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. 5 Way Tag Match: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
5. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. Special Single Match: Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
8. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
9. Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
10. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
The TJPW Offer Match for this show was revealed over the weekend. Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto, Shino Suzuki, Suzume, Arisu Endo and Wakana Uehara were all chosen to take part.
1. Special Hardcore 6-Man Tag Match: Atsushi Onita, HARASHIMA & Toy Kojima Vs Jun Akiyama, Bodyguard & Makoto Oishi
We’re not done with the Atsushi Onita Vs Jun Akiyama feud just yet. They clash again in a Hardcore 6-Man Tag Match in November with Bodyguard joining in as a special guest.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023 Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe 868 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Runa Okubo defeated Haru Kazashiro with a Half Crab Hold (5:16).
2. Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami & HIMAWARI defeated HARUKAZE, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara when Endo submitted Hasegawa with the Camel Clutch (12:07).
3. Moka Miyamoto defeated Juria Nagano with the Korokan (6:28).
4. Aja Kong, Raku & Shino Suzuki defeated Hyper Misao, Wakana Uehara & Toga when Kong pinned Uehara with a Back Drop (11:04).
5. Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai defeated Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino when Arai pinned Aino with the Finally (13:10).
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent defeated Shoko Nakajima, Suzume, Pom Harajuku & Antonio Honda when Sakisama pinned Harajuku with the Academy Award (14:45).
7. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose defeated Maki Itoh with the Beast Bomb (12:20).
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Kakuta pinned Kiryu with the Shiden Kai (13:37). *Free WiFi becomes the 14th Princess Tag Team Champions!
9. International Princess Title & NWA World Women’s Television Title: Max The Impaler (N/c) defeated Rika Tatsumi (I/c) with the Short-Range Lariat (15:19). *V3 for Max The Impaler. Rika Tatsumi fails in V5. Max The Impaler becomes the 11th International Princess Champion!
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita defeated Mizuki (c) with the Crash Rabbit Heat (21:24). *Mizuki fails in V4. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 13th Princess Of Princess Champion!
For the fourth time Miyu Yamashita has become the Princess Of Princess Champion! She was able to toughen out Mizuki’s Face Lock, Cutie Special and also the Whirling Candy as well as several Diving Foot Stomps. Mizuki also showed her determination by kicking out of the Skull Kick. Yamashita kept focus and landed a High Kick before finishing Mizuki off with the Crash Rabbit Heat. Yamashita wanted to shake Mizuki’s hand after the match but Mizuki hugged her instead. The title win makes Yamashita a worldwide triple crown champion! She now holds singles championships from Japan, Britain (EVE) and America (SPARK). Yamashita got on the microphone and said the belt still feels as extremely heavy as it did the previous times she won it. The reason she’s been able to have this success for the last decade is because she is strong but Mizuki is why the belt shines as bright as it does right now. She closed out the show by telling the fans not to set their own limits.
Backstage she repeated her praise for Mizuki, saying this match was the motivation that kept Yamashita going while she was wrestling in America for three months. She wants to defend the Princess Title overseas but also anticipates defending against wrestlers from around the world within Tokyo Joshi Pro. Mizuki said she couldn’t help but feel scared when she lost the match but so many fans in the audience and wrestlers backstage showed their support for her when it was over. It was another reminder of how blessed she is and it gives her another reason to become stronger. If she gets a chance she wants to win the title back but she realises there are more things she can do than just win belts. She’ll continue to be herself because she wants to become everyone’s princess forever.
A double championship match was in the semi-main event position, marking the first time in 8 and a half years an NWA championship was defended in Japan. Max The Impaler defeated Rika Tatsumi not only to retain the NWA Women’s TV Title but win the International Princess Title too! Max threw Tatsumi around the ring a lot early so Tatsumi came up with a plan. When they were both outside the ring Tatsumi threw some of the other wrestlers at Max! Miu Watanabe was easily knocked aside, Pom Harajuku was safely stopped in her place and Wakana Uehara was thrown right back at Tatsumi. Back in the ring Tatsumi changed tactics to target Max’s knee. It seemed to have paid off when Max favoured the knee after giving her opponent a Backbreaker. Tatsumi wore down Max and applied the Dragon Sleeper but it was power countered into a Fire Thunder Driver. Max then fired Lariats at Tatsumi until they got the 3 count. Max showed enough respect to shake Tatsumi’s hand after the match. Tatsumi is speechless by the result because she will now have to start her defence road all over again. She wants Max to hold onto the title so she can get revenge by winning it back from them.
The alleged curses that’s been following Free WiFi have now been extinguished because they are the new Princess Tag Team Champions! The vacant titles were on the line when Free WiFi took on Toyo Mates with both sides fighting to win the belts for the first time. Mahiro Kiryu tried to apologise for “disconnecting” Free WiFi but her opponents cut her off. Hikari Noa avoided the Famouser from Yuki Kamifuku and got rid of her with the Blizzard Suplex. Free WiFi then gave Kiryu the 5G and Nao Kakuta tried to use the Shiden Kai. Kiryu struggled to break out but Kakuta eventually hit the move for the victory. The title win means Kakuta can finally get rid of her “Uncrowned Queen” nickname while Noa is rewarded for being in a tag team that has not split up over time. Kamifuku said she hates that Toyo Mates have not been able to get good results despite being together for so long. She thinks if they take seperate paths she will be able to beat Aja Kong while Kiryu can go on to beat Miyu Yamashita. They can then reunite and use their massively increased salary to fund different improvements for Toyo University.
A little bit of AEW action was in the undercard when Maki Itoh faced off against Nyla Rose. Itoh was in trouble after taking a Power Bomb but she dodged Rose’s Diving Guillotine Knee Drop and stunned her with the Kokeshi Headbutt. Itoh caused more damage with a Swinging DDT but made the mistake of missing the Flying Big Head. Rose quickly took advantage and used the Beast Bomb to put Itoh away. Rose said Itoh has a hard head and thinks the expression “hard-headed” came from her. She sees similarities between herself and Itoh but admits Itoh is cuter. Itoh said she will do her best to beat Rose next time and this is to be continued.
Speculation over NEO Biishiki-gun’s future in TJPW spread across the fanbase leading into the show. The main four figureheads of the group gathered together once more to battle a ragtag bunch of misfits led by Shoko Nakajima. One of those misfits was Antonio Honda and he took the weirdest punishment by taking an injection in the backside from Yukio Saint Laurent. That injection turned out to be an unintentional energy boost, sending NEO Biishiki-gun packing until he tripped on the ropes before a dive. NEO Biishiki-gun regrouped to one by one take out the opposition. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel gave Nakajima the Tarte Tatin, Martha used her mop to stretch out Suzume and Saint Laurent tortured Honda some more. All that was left to do was for Sakisama to pin Pom Harajuku with the Academy Award.
After the match Sakisama spoke about NEO Biishiki-gun’s victory. She said she is done shining a light in TJPW and it is time for her to shine the light somewhere else. She is always travelling around the world but this time she is bringing the rest of NEO Biishiki-gun along with her. She told the audience that whenever they see a red rose, she wants them to think of her. All four members bowed and left the ring, perhaps for the final time.
Yuki Arai’s pro wrestling career has now introduced her to Ryo Mizunami. The two of them started off their tag match against each other with Arai taking the full brunt of the veteran’s attacks. Miu Watanabe kept things level by matching her power with Mizunami’s. That meant Arai now had to focus on Yuki Aino who has become a regular opponent of her’s. The Venus DDT only got Aino a 2 count and Arai slipped out of the UBV. She hit Aino from behind with the Finally to the back of the head. Arai then hit another Finally from the front to win the match. Watanabe praised her tag partner’s performance, describing her like a flower blooming from another flower. Mizunami also recognised the passion coming from Arai just for taking her Chops alone.
Hyper Misao has not forgotten about Aja Kong destroying the Hyper Cycle back at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23” in July. She declared she would get revenge today by defeating Kong directly. Although Misao was able to blind Kong with spray at the beginning, she wasn’t able to achieve her goal. Instead Kong performed the Oyasumi Express with Raku on top of poor Toga and then turn her attention to Wakana Uehara. Misao had brought up Uehara’s harsh experience of training with Kong on the Yume Pro Wrestling show last year. Today was Uehara’s chance to show her worth. She wore down Kong with the Sleeper Hold and avoided the Vertical Drop Brainbuster but Kong grabbed her in the Back Drop and that was all she needed to win. She then encouraged Uehara to slap her across the face after the match. Uehara did so and Kong pushed her back down.
In a match between two karate fighters, Moka Miyamoto came out on top against Juria Nagano. During the match Nagano got to show off a little bit of submission work by countering the Rashomon into an Arm Lock. When it came to strikes though, Miyamoto got the winning exchange by dodging the Hurricane Kick and hitting the Zero-Sen Kick in return. She then pinned Nagano with the Korokan. Miyamoto said she thinks she knows Nagano the best and could sense how much she has grown. For that reason she wants to continue teaming with Nagano and together fight for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Nagano likes the idea and agreed to go that direction next. Free WiFi accepted the challenge when they found out about it.
The last time TJPW fought against Ganbare☆Joshi in a multi-woman tag match was at “GRAND PRINCESS ’22” where they lost to the visiting team. This time however the TJPW team were victorious. Riara dealt the first blow by putting Arisu Endo in the Paradise Lock and getting the rest of the team to pose a toast over her. HIMAWARI reversed fortunes and Kaya Toribami did a number on Riara until HARUKAZE came in with the Spear Of Fire. Yoshiko Hasegawa tried her best to finish off Endo but Endo turned the tables and made Hasegawa submit to the Camel Clutch.
The first match of the day was between the two youngest members of TJPW’s active roster, both only six months into their wrestling careers. Runa Okubo scored the first win in her career by making Haru Kazashiro submit to a Half Crab Hold. Okubo said she doesn’t want anybody looking down on her. It will make her happy if she wins and make people think she is strong. Although Kazashiro was upset to lose she is still happy she got to wrestle Okubo in a singles match today because they train together. She has no choice but to look ahead and do her best so she can beat Okubo some day.
The first couple of big events for 2024 were announced during the show. The 9th annual Ittenyon is at Korakuen Hall on 4th January. The “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament begins in January and the final is taking place at Korakuen on 10th February. “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” will be held in Sumo Hall on 31st March. It will be the second time the event takes place there.
“The Nordic Monster” Regina will make her TJPW debut later this month. Regina is from Fight Club Finland and is currently the FCF Finnish Heavyweight Champion over there. She is wrestling in Aizuwakamatsu on the 20th, Sendai on the 21st and Korakuen on the 27th.
Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara is the TJPW Offer Match booked for DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” at Sumo Hall on 12th November.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. 5 Way Tag Match: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
5. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. Special Single Match: Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
8. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
9. Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
10. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
During her retirement road Saki Akai has said she wants her pro wrestling career to end like a flower that scatters beautifully, not one that withers and dies of decay. For her final ever match she chose three opponents that have the most power to scatter her petals. Eruption will have a 6-Man Tag Match against Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH, former member Kazusada Higuchi and Miyu Yamashita from Tokyo Joshi Pro. Marufuji was chosen because Akai wants to stay so strong until the end that she is able to beat “The boss next door”. It will be the first time Marufuji wrestles on a DDT only show since November 2020 (not counting the 2021 CyberFight Festival). The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles will not be on the line because everyone is taking part in the match for Akai instead of a championship. A press conference was held today to announce this match along with the rest of the card for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”. Akai said at the conference that she still does not feel like she is approaching her final match. As a pro wrestler she will continue to do her best.
Hideki Okatani said he is happy to be part of Akai’s retirement match as a member of Eruption. They are double crown champions because of Akai and he is grateful to her for that. Yukio Sakaguchi admitted he is at a loss for words. For the last ten years Akai is probably the one person he’s been closest to, through all the good times to the bad. Higuchi said he has nothing but gratitude and respect for everyone in Eruption. He will express that to Akai when they are in the ring against each other. Yamashita is really happy to be included because her debut happened in the same venue on the same weekend as Akai’s debut, just one day before her. They privately hang out together and often talk about pro wrestling with each other. She wants Akai and herself to keep kicking each other until the end. Marufuji wondered why he was chosen but he wants to get a clear understanding of who Saki Akai is and how she wants her final match to end. Does she want to win by herself or win with the help of her friends? He warned her that if she does not want any bruises then she better wear gear with cushioning in it. Marufuji & Higuchi aren’t going to take it easy on Akai with their Chops and neither is Yamashita with her kicks!
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The rest of the card was revealed today. The tag team division has gone in a completely different direction thanks to ROMANCE DAWN winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles so quickly after DAMNATION T.A claimed the vacant belts. Now we have Shota & Soma Takao getting a big spot on the show in a title defence against Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda. That team is getting the shot based on Chris Brookes’s recommendation since he’s already busy with the main event to take part.
Daisuke Sasaki and Tetsuya Endo are facing each other in a singles match. This is coming off yesterday’s show when Sasaki tried to offer Endo a spot in DAMNATION T.A. Endo refused out of respect for the original DAMNATION they were both a part of. He has no interest in joining the current version of the group because it has not surpassed the first rendition. Endo then flipped the idea on its head by suggesting to reporters that Sasaki join BURNING instead. It would be a chance for Sasaki to discover a brand new side to him. Imagine Sasaki if he grew up with a Kenta Kobashi influence. I just can’t picture it.
DDT’s working relationship with All Japan has a place on the show. The VOODOO-MURDERS are rampaging over to Sumo Hall! It will be up to the combined forces of Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya to stop them. The Saito Brothers have been one of the more visible players in Japan’s tag team scene recently. I don’t know what to think about Toshizo. If that’s not enough AJPW goodness for you then how about another serving of Yoshitatsu in the match before that?
The participants in the TJPW Offer Match will be revealed during “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October.
The Sumo Hall card was announced earlier today. I’ll have that written up in a separate post later.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023 Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
1. Haru Kazashiro Vs Runa Okubo
2. Arisu Endo, Kaya Toribami & HIMAWARI Vs HARUKAZE, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
4. Aja Kong, Raku & Shino Suzuki Vs Hyper Misao, Wakane Uehara & Toga
5. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai
6. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs Shoko Nakajima, Suzume, Pom Harajuku & Antonio Honda
7. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose Vs Maki Itoh
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
9. International Princess Title & NWA World Women’s Television Title: Rika Tatsumi (I/c) Vs Max The Impaler (N/c)
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
A press conference for the title matches was held during the week. Miyu Yamashita said from the moment Mizuki became the Princess Of Princess Champion she wanted to challenge her. The timing of it was important so she waited until after she finished her American excursion and won the Tokyo Princess Cup to set up her path to becoming a 4-time Princess Champion. Mizuki said her pro wrestling life is completely different to Yamashita’s. She doesn’t like fighting her but has learned over the years how predictable Yamashita’s offence is. Mizuki loves Yamashita and knows Yamashita loves her back so this match is going to be Mizuki repaying that love many times over.
Two teams who always struggled to reach the top will face off for the vacant Princess Tag Team Titles. It is being made clear by Nao Kakuta that she wants to get rid of her nickname “The Uncrowned Queen”. She’s been wrestling for 9 years now and has lost every championship match she’s been in. She also brought up Hikari Noa’s “curse” of always losing tag team partners. For that reason Free WiFi are fighting for the Princess Tag Titles not with heat or passion but with determination and tenacity. Nao feels blessed to team with somebody as hard working as Kakuta so she wants to help capture her dreams too. As Tokyo Joshi Pro grows bigger the opportunities to become a champion will only get more difficult. Yuki Kamifuku is getting tired of doing her best all year only to fall at the last hurdle. Mahiro Kiryu is always there to support her and vice versa. Kiryu said Free WiFi are in perfect harmony with each other but Toyo Mates have gotten a lot stronger too. She is just as determined as Kakuta to win her first championship.
Max The Impaler was not present for the press conference so Rika Tatsumi came up with an idea to get Max’s attention. After signing the contract for the double title match, Tatsumi brought out a frying pan and tabletop cooker to make some popcorn. Tatsumi explained she has a talent of making popcorn so if she made a fresh batch here it would attract Max into the room. She took a Q&A session while waiting until she discoverd the popcorn wasn’t cooking properly. She then admitted she’s only done this twice. Eventually Max did indeed enter the room and threw the uncooked popcorn away when Tatsumi offered it to them. Max then used their finger to rub some facepaint onto the contract which counts as a signature.
DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 1”, 14/10/2023 Hokkaido Sapporo ii-one Stadium
1. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Tomoya & Yusuke Okada
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Rukiya
5. Sapporo Specialty Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima
Eruption and two of their next challengers have a warmup match the day before the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles bout.
In the aftermath of Pheromones splitting up Yuki Iino is absent for “rehabilitation” and Yumehito Imanari is gone from CyberFight so Danshoku Dieno is now by himself. How will he treat Akito any differently?
DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 2”, 15/10/2023 Hokkaido Sapporo ii-one Stadium
1. 3 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Yusuke Okada
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
3. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Rukiya Vs Kouki Iwasaki & MAO
4. Sapporo Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Tomoya, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi
Saki Akai nominated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Makoto Oishi as the next challengers for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles. She wanted to wrestle against Takagi & Akito because they are the two people most responsible for making DDT what it is day to day. She also wants to have a title match with Oishi because he has been a mentor figure for her throughout her entire wrestling career.
DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023”, 22/10/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Soma Takao & Yuni Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
1. Yukio Naya Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Tetsuya Endo, Toy Kojima & Rukiya
3. Special Single Match: MIKAMI Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Makoto Oishi & Akito
5. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 4 ~ Special Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Saki Akai & Chihiro Hashimoto
6. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata (E/c) Vs Takeshi Masada (I/c)
7. Road To Ultimate Party 2023! Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
Another preview for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” sets up the next Korakuen Hall card. Chris Brookes and Yuki Ueno clash in a big tag match also involving HARASHIMA and MAO.
A double title match is being advertised between Kazuki Hirata and Takeshi Masada. The match is guaranteed to happen with the DDT Extreme Title on the line but as always the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is at risk of belonging to someone else by the time the match takes place. DDT has pleaded with Masada not to lose the belt to a New Japan wrestler next week!
This appears to be Akai’s final match in Korakuen Hall, at least for DDT. She gets to team with Chihiro Hashimoto for a showdown against Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani! I wouldn’t call it a fully complete Eruption match because Kazusada Higuchi is somewhere else on the card. But Akai teaming up with Hashimoto more than makes up for that.
September was looking to be more of a quiet month for looking at the overseas adventures of the DDT extended family until the last week showed up like an avalanche. You can always get a lot of news to cover during tournament weekends. It’s a shame that the current state of the independent scene means those tentpole super weekend events don’t get as much coverage like they used to. Can’t blame them when WWE and AEW dominates everybody’s attention. It’s only going to get tougher when those two companies increase their schedules and reach out even further. This week’s news of WWE getting an ABEMA deal and having NOAH promote it on social media does not thrill me. I’ve seen how this story goes before. Even if some kind of big crossover does happen with WWE it is never worth it for the other company in the long run. And any pundit who says a project like NXT Japan will work as a gateway for getting WWE fans into Japanese wrestling is only fooling themselves. The appetite that audience has for non-WWE wrestling is just not there anymore.
Heading into October we have Konosuke Takeshita deep into a feud with The Golden Lovers. The lack of actual wrestling from Takeshita last month annoyed me. I get holding some wrestlers back for PPV but his standard of ring work has been missing from AEW TV recently. His storyline is also pulling in other wrestlers who are never hurting for screentime which makes me worry he is getting pushed to the side. Maki Itoh has finished up her latest North American tour, Shoko Nakajima had a quick trip to the USA and Miyu Yamashita was in the middle of wrestling in UK and Ireland when the month began. The big chunk of news that completely passed me by until it happened was Mizuki Watase going over to wXw in Germany with Shigehiro Irie. Oh and Tokyo Joshi Pro squeezed in a visit to China right at the deadline.
A few years ago the idea of Yamashita wrestling in OTT would have had me overjoyed but nowadays I don’t want to give the company much of my attention because of how people attached to them handled and disregarded Speaking Out. Her Irish wrestling debut had a slight change in plan thanks to the other team. Debbie Keitel was advertised to team with Anita Vaughan but she instead surprised everyone by bringing along Emersyn Jayne to be her partner instead.
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title No. 1 Contendership: B3CCA defeated Maki Itoh with the World Tour (7:42).
A singer showdown took place when Itoh made her first appearance in MLW. Itoh and B3CCA both love to be the centre of attention and literally fought over the microphone during their match. Itoh won that exchange and told B3CCA to “kiss my ass, bitch!” She also found a Singapore cane to beat up B3CCA with outside the ring. But Itoh made the grave mistake of missing the Flying Big Head, allowing B3CCA to give her a Death Valley Driver to the corner and then pin her with the World Tour 450 Splash.
AEW “ALL OUT”, 03/09/2023 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Kenny Omega with the Powerdrive Knee (22:30).
A few days after Takeshita pinned Kenny Omega in England, he did it again back in America this time in a singles match. The match carried history over from Omega’s time in DDT, wearing new green and yellows tights based on what he wore in the early 2010s. Don Callis got involved though and brought the dreaded screwdriver into the match for Takeshita to use. However this time the referee stopped it from being used. It turned out Takeshita wouldn’t have needed it because he went on to beat Omega anyway, pulling down his kneepad to hit a raw Powerdrive Knee for the victory. The match even got ***** from Dave Meltzer! Okay, that doesn’t mean as much as it used to but it’s still a good accomplishment to have. Also let’s face it, when the wrestlers who complain about star ratings actually do get ***** from Meltzer they all of a sudden do a 180 and become grateful for it.
MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 3”, 08/09/2023 Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
1. Emi Sakura defeated Maki Itoh with La Magistral Cradle (?:??).
This year over in Canada Evil Uno has been running a Mystery Wrestling show on his Twitch channel every couple of months. The surprise headline match for the most recent event was a first time singles bout between Itoh and Emi Sakura. Itoh played a trick to escape from Sakura’s attacks by beginning to cry and then walking out of the match back to the locker room. She then reappeared from the opposite side of the room to attack a confused Sakura from behind. Sakura’s not someone you can beat with just one trick though. She ended up rolling Itoh into La Magistral Cradle to win the match.
GCW “CRUSHED UP”, 10/09/2023 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Killer Kelly with a Tornado DDT (10:43).
Itoh’s current run with GCW ended here with a match against Killer Kelly. She’ll be back again later this year but what will be in store for her next? Her feud with Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander can be never ending but there has to be other stuff she wants to do in GCW next. Maybe she already found a new arch nemesis as you will see at the bottom of this post.
WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 21/09/2023 wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
1. Mizuki Watase defeated Danny Fray with a Diving Foot Stomp (7:23).
2. Shigehiro Irie defeated 1 Called Manders with a Roaring Elbow (8:57).
This was already announced earlier in the summer and I completely missed it. Irie & Watase reunited as RENEGADES to enter the annual World Tag Team Festival in Germany! But first the wrestlers took part in separate warmup matches the night before the tournament began. Watase’s first match ever in Germany was a win against Danny Fray. Irie also won his match by beating 1 Called Manders in a hoss fight.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 1”, 22/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2023 – Round 1: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Aigle Blanc & Senza Volto when Irie pinned Blanc with the Beast Bomber (16:41).
Irie won wXw’s other premium tournament the 16 Carat Gold back in March so he had his heart set on winning WTTF with Watase. They eliminated The Frenchadors in the opening round. Aigle Blanc & Senza Volto are former wXw World Tag Team Champions so RENEGADES could not have gotten off to a better start.
1. Shigehiro Irie defeated Arez with the Beast Bomber (9:20).
The WTTF weekend also featured shows promoted by GCW as part of their September European tour. Only Irie was on the first of two GCW shows that weekend where he beat the luchador Arez. Normally I wouldn’t include entries for Irie by himself but since he was RENEGADES affiliated for the weekend, I’m adding it here.
FREELANCE “ONCE UPON A TIME IN FREELANCE”, 22/09/2023 Avondale Music Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Diving Senton (12:19).
Nakajima did a quick trip to the United States near the end of the month. Her first stop was at Freelance where she got over big with the crowd during her win against Shazza McKenzie. Nakajima’s quickness and ability to hit the 619 from any height near the ropes were the key to victory here.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 2”, 23/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2023 – Round 2: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe when Irie pinned Abe with a Roaring Elbow (16:14).
RENEGADES weren’t the only Japanese team taking part in WTTF weekend. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe from Astronauts were there too! The two team crossed paths in Night 2 where the winners would advance to Sunday’s final.
GCW “GCW VS THE WORLD”, 23/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. Scramble Match: Gringo Loco defeated Mizuki Watase, The Rotation, Arez, Jimmy Lloyd and Aigle Blanc when Loco pinned Blanc with the Base Bomb (11:46).
2. Joey Janela defeated Shigehiro Irie with the Diving Foot Stomp (17:19).
Irie was in GCW again for their other show in Germany, losing to Joey Janela in the main event. Watase also showed up by taking part in one of GCW’s staples, the Scramble Match. Watase hit a big dive and also the Coast To Coast Dropkick but otherwise got lost in the action and did not factor into the finish.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2023 – NIGHT 3”, 24/09/2023 Turbinenhalle 2, Oberhausen, Germany
1. wXw World Tag Team Titles – World Tag Team Festival 2023 Final 3 Way Match: Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig defeated Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman (c) and Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (23:13). *Amboss fails in V1. Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig become the 64th wXw World Tag Team Champions!
RENEGADES made it all the way to the final. Had Irie & Watase won the match and the tournament they would have become the new wXw Tag Champions. Sadly for them they couldn’t pull it off. Instead Hektor Invictus & Dennis Dullnig were the winners, taking the titles away from the defending champions Amboss.
PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Trish Adora defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Lariat Tubman (9:51).
Nakajima’s other US booking this month was with Prestige at the Globe Theatre, the same location TJPW will return to this December. Trish Adora was a tougher opponent for her and kicked out of the Northern Lights Suplex. Just when Nakajima thought he had another shot, she was caught off guard and pinned with the Lariat Tubman.
JFC “JINGWU TAN JFC EXOTIC FIGHTING EXHIBITION 2”, 30/09/2023 Rucker Park, Chaoyang, Shanghai, China
1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Maki Itoh defeated Yuki Aino with the Itoh Deluxe (?:??).
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (?:??).
TJPW sent four of their wrestlers over to China for a martial arts expo taking place in Shanghai. They would be presenting two women’s pro wrestling matches to go along with a bunch of other martial art bouts provided by other groups. It is not the first time joshi wrestling has been part of the event. The same organizers had Sareee and Nanae Takahashi wrestle for them during the first expo in the summer. After a lot of searching through Chinese social media I was able to find a clip of Mizuki beating Nao Kakuta and Itoh locking in the Itoh Deluxe on Yuki Aino.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 01/10/2023 Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi Vs Sammy Guevara, Will Ospreay & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)
Takeshita has spent the rest of the month either standing to the side Don Callis or wrestling back in Japan for DDT. Oh and he also invaded Kota Ibushi’s gym, attacking him with a kettlebell (and also getting Yumehito Imanari caught in the crossfire) because Callis understands how much Ibushi means to Omega. The big payoff it is leading to will happen later today when The Golden Lovers & Chris Jericho join forces to get revenge on The Don Callis Family. Takeshita is part of that family teaming with Sammy Guevara (newest member) and Will Ospreay (not a member). It is annoying to see what looked like a big push for Takeshita turn into him getting pushed aside so Jericho, Guevara and Ospreay can all squeeze into the spotlight instead.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 31”, 06/10/2023 Bendix Arena, South Bend, Indiana, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Storm Grayson (w/ Frank The Clown)
One of the few American indies Takeshita wrestles for when he’s not busy with AEW is Warrior Wrestling. The next time he shows up there he takes on one of Frank The Clown’s clients, Storm Grayson.
SPARK “RISING HEAT WEST”, 11/10/2023 LA Dojo, Carson, California, USA
1. Spark Joshi World Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Billie Starkz
A familiar opponent challenges Yamashita for the Spark Joshi Title. She has a 1-1 singles record against Billi Starkz so this championship bout can also end up becoming a rubber match between the two.
SPARK “RISING HEAT EAST”, 14/10/2023 Engelwood Neighborhood Center, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Miu Watanabe Vs KiLynn King
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Jessie
A few days later Yamashita takes on Jessie, the former Jessi Kamea from NXT. That’s an interesting matchup because since leaving WWE, Jessie wound up doing a tour in Stardom. So we have a TJPW Vs Stardom match on a Spark show.
But Yamashita won’t be the only Tokyo Joshi there. Miu Watanabe is along for the ride too! She is getting to fight KiLynn King from Impact in what is sure to be a hoss fight. Or a hossette fight? Whatever, two strong women are going to fight each other. What more do you want?
LLL “THE HANDS OF FATE”, 20/10/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Lilith Grimm Vs Miyu Yamashita
Are there Lucha Libra & Laughs to be found when Yamashita pays another visit to Denver? Her opponent Lilith Grimm is nicknamed “The War Hammer” and does an entrance where she sets off sparks with a grinder.
SETUP “SETUP EP.16”, 28/10/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Gatoh Move One And Only Title & SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Paksa (G/c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi (S/c)
2. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Brookes Vs Monomoth
Whenever CDK goes over to Thailand and shows up in SETUP they tend to take over the place. One of the local faces Monomoth tries his best to defend his home but Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi find ways to get the better of him. Monomoth now gets to fight Brookes in a big singles match the next time Brookes heads over.
Meanwhile Takanashi has been ruling the roost in SETUP as the SETUP Openweight Champion. He can increase his domination when he has a double title match against Paksa. Takanashi puts his SETUP Title on the line while Paksa is defending a Gatoh Move branded championship called the One And Only Title.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Penta el Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix Vs Shun Skywalker, Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that nobody in The Lucha Brothers gets injured, company politics do not keep Takeshita and Shun Skywalker away from each other and Vampiro does not show up with La Rebelion.
DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023 White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs X
Something new and monstrous is coming out of Massachusetts. Daikaiju Pro is holding their debut show and seems to have deep ties with SETUP and also the UMA Corps. The new promotion is promising a mixture of talent coming in to mix around with monsters and other strange creatures. A show like these requires a Big Kaiju so Nakajima will be there.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
Miu Watanabe has been added to the lineup.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yeah this do quite nicely. Pandemonium Pro is doing Yamashita against Mike Bailey in a first time ever matchup.
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Other Appearances
GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
Itoh did not wrestle on the first GCW show of the month. Instead she showed up to attack Frank The Clown with a pizza cutter much to everyone’s delight.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 23/09/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall 270 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Kaya Toribami defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Bird Cage (8:10).
2. Yuki Aino defeated Runa Okubo with the Full Nelson Of Love And Fire (5:04).
3. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao defeated Pom Harajuku and HIMAWARI when Misao pinned HIMAWARI with a Gedo Clutch (5:38).
4. Raku, Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto, Wakana Uehara & Toga when Suzume pinned Toga with the Ring A Bell (10:33).
5. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel defeated Miu Watanabe & Shino Suzuki when Sakisama pinned Suzuki with the Academy Award (12:34).
6. Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu when Noa pinned Kiryu with the Blizzard Suplex (19:41).
“WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” is on the minds of everybody in Tokyo Joshi Pro as the big show is approaching closer. A mixture of wrestlers preparing for the event faced off in today’s main event, combining a few of the championship matchups. Free WiFi was the reason for their team winning against the Toyo Mates. They gave Mahiro Kiryu the 5G and would have won then if it wasn’t for Maki Itoh breaking the pin. Hikari Noa kept her nerve and pinned Kiryu with the Blizzard Suplex for the finish.
Mizuki told the audience afterwards nobody here wants to lose. Rika Tatsumi agreed and hoped Max The Impaler was watching on Wrestle Universe. Mizuki later admitted she was disappointed with her performance in the match because she cannot relax when she’s against Miyu Yamashita and her kick heavy offence. Nao Kakuta shared her frustration backstage, she believes she was the most useless person on her team today even though the team won. Noa assured her that their “curse” will end at Tama Mirai Messe. When Kakuta heard that she said she is ready to throw away her nickname of “Uncrowned Queen”. Over in the Toyo Mates camp Yuki Kamifuku said just trying hard is not enough these days. It reminds her of an audition she once took for a fashion show. The fashion designer rejected her because she lacked an overwhelming aura. She figured out she was missing something like a championship belt to display her power. She now wants to win the Princess Tag Team Titles with Kiryu to make that designer regret ever turning her down! Kiryu gained motivation when she heard that story.
Sakisama told the audience the next time they will see her and Mei Saint-Michel in the ring will be along with Yukio Saint Laurent & Martha at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”. She didn’t have any much of an opinion on Shino Suzuki. She did notice a fiery look in her eyes but she’ll probably forget it by tomorrow. Saint-Michel thinks “the pink muscular one” Miu Watanabe is so cool. Sakisama told her NEO Biishiki-gun doesn’t need a person like Watanabe in the group nowadays.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/09/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall 681 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Suzume defeated Shino Suzuki with the Ring A Bell (6:56).
2. Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro defeated Kaya Toribami & Runa Okubo when Endo submitted Okubo with the Camel Clutch (8:50).
3. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI defeated Hyper Misao, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Tatsumi submitted Harajuku with the Dragon Sleeper (11:08). (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga defeated Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara when Kamifuku pinned Uehara with the Famouser (12:25).
5. Mizuki & Shoko Nakajima defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Mizuki pinned Yamashita with the Aquamarine (17:35).
6. Saki Akai & Yuki Arai defeated Yuki Aino & Moka Miyamoto when Akai pinned Miyamoto after the Double Rookie Award (16:10).
For the final time Reiwa AA Cannon teamed up together but today will not be the last time Saki Akai & Yuki Arai will be in the same ring together. After they won their last match as a tag team in the main event, Akai said she looked after Arai as if she was her little sister but now is the time for Arai to step forward on her own and lead Tokyo Joshi Pro into the future. Arai said she loved the time spent with Akai and it went by in a daze. She now has one last selfish request, she wants a singles match with Akai before her retirement! It will be the first, last and only time Akai and Arai will face each other one on one. Akai approved of Arai’s fearlessness in asking her and promised it will happen the next time she shows up in TJPW. It was later confirmed the match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 27th October.
In a preview of the “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” main event, Mizuki scored a direct pinfall over Miyu Yamashita by avoiding the Skull Kick and using the Aquamarine to roll her into a three count. She isn’t looking forward to wrestling her in further skirmishes until the big show but is confident she can beat her every step of the way.
Another “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” preview was a 6-Woman Tag match featuring Toyo Mates and Free WiFi against each other. Yuki Kamifuku won the match for her team but got into a small fight with Nao Kakuta afterwards. It led to Kamifuku making a weird promise to not use WiFi until she beats Kakuta. If that means she has to pay for giga internet in the meantime then so be it. Mahiro Kiryu used that point to remind fans to be careful of suspicious WiFi otherwise your personal information could be at risk.
As part of today’s SKE48 performance, Shiori Aoki was invited back to officiate a match again. It was her second time as a wrestling referee and she successfully detected Hyper Misao hiding several foreign objects hidden in her outfit. Misao got her revenge when she redirected Rika Tatsumi into choking Aoki unconscious in the corner. Tatsumi revived her and went to pin Pom Harajuku with a Hip Attack. Aoki showed she was still in good condition by doing a cartwheel before counting the pin. The delay meant she couldn’t count to three in time so Tatsumi switched Harajuku over into the Dragon Sleeper so she could win by submission. Aoki said she would like to be the referee again and was given advice from Daisuke Kiso before today’s match. She enjoyed the challenge of having more wrestlers to keep an eye on this time.
Miu Watanabe was spotted cheering along to the SKE48 mini concert like she always does whenever TJPW brings in idols for a musical performance.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/09/2023 Nagano Kissei Bunka Hall Middle Hall 196 Fans
1. Suzume defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Ring A Bell (6:06).
2. Arisu Endo defeated Kaya Toribami with the Camel Clutch (6:15).
3. Hikari Noa defeated Pom Harajuku with the Blizzard Suplex (8:37).
4. Ryo Mizunami defeated Toga with a Spear (9:56).
5. Maki Itoh defeated Shino Suzuki with the Itoh Punish (10:12).
6. Aja Kong & Yuki Aino defeated Shoko Nakajima & Moka Miyamoto when Kong pinned Miyamoto with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (12:44).
7. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Miyu Yamashita & Hyper Misao when Tatsumi pinned Misao with the Missile Hip (14:56).
For the first time Tokyo Joshi Pro went to visit Nagano for Rika Tatsumi’s homecoming show. Daydream won in the main event after they got rid of Miyu Yamashita with the Daydream Eternity. Tatsumi then got to pin Hyper Misao with the Missile Hip. After the match Tatsumi said her pro wrestling career will soon be 10 years old. She also told the audience her mother came to see her wrestle for the first time. Tatsumi didn’t know what her mother thought about the match and her mom in the crowd shouted it was great! Backstage Miu Watanabe said she loves how gorgeous Nagano is. Tatsumi said she would like to become a goodwill ambassador for Nagano as well as the mascot for her favorite restaurant here.
The show began with the announcement that Tatsumi will be facing Max The Impaler at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October in a double championship match! Tatsumi will put the International Princess Title on the line against Max’s NWA World Women’s Television Title. Max is somebody Tatsumi wanted to face one on one but she never expected it to happen until now.
There were a lot of names absent from the show because of an illness going through the roster. Raku is one of them. Both Aja Kong & Yuki Aino performed the Oyasumi Express together in their match as a shoutout to her. They did their best and won their match but even then they felt like they needed their leader Raku with them. Kong also praised the TJPW roster for doing their best to run the show with so many people missing.
Maki Itoh revealed that while she was in America for her most recent tour, she took a taxi and got in a traffic accident when another vehicle hit the taxi from behind. Today for her first match back in Japan she beat Shino Suzuki. Itoh claims she didn’t even use 10% of her power to win because Suzuki is just a rookie. She was also honest and thought the fan reaction to her return was only so-so. She wants to get stronger and go her own way even if she doesn’t get full fan support.
Ryo Mizunami called Toga a young fighter with a lot of potential and a promising future. Toga got to hit her with the big Elbow Strike in their match. Mizunami said the strike really affected her body and even touched her heart. She knows Toga felt the same feeling and wants her to keep it while she does her best from now on. She would like to fight her again when Toga becomes stronger.
There was one more cancelled appearance a few hours before the show due to illness. Wakana Uehara was pulled from the event because she was showing symptoms of a fever last night and hadn’t recovered. Pom Harajuku was Hikari Noa’s opponent instead.
GANBARE☆PRO “THE TRIPLE CROSS 2023”, 02/09/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. GanPro 2 Big Singles Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Tyson Maeguchi
2. HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Sumire Natsu & Riara
3. GanPro 2 Big Singles Match: Shota Vs Kuma Arashi
4. Ken Ohka, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yumehito Imanari, Mizuki Watase & Munetatsu Nakamura
The monthly tripleshot in Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR ran by Ganbare☆Pro is sticking to the recent change where the second show is more of a fan event instead of having any wrestling matches. So although there are three GanPro shows on the schedule tomorrow, I only have to cover two of them for the most part.
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN IZUKOGEN GRANILLUMI”, 02/09/2023 Shizuoka Izu Granpal Park
1. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima & Kazuki Hirata (w/ Shunma Katsumata) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Pretty” Kamifuku
The match will be one fall to a finish.
GANBARE☆PRO “KAMIKAZE TAXI 2023”, 02/09/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Shuichiro Katsumura & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Shota & Soma Takao
2. HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Tae Honma & Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Secret Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Mizuki Watase & Shingo Vs Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Takuya Wada
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
This is the third show of the tripleshot. However the middle fan event show will include a contract signing with Isami Kodaka and Shinichiro Tominaga for their Spirit Of Ganbare Title match.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~AUTUMN TOUR OPENING ROUND~”, 03/09/2023 Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall
1. Toga Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Yuki Aino Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Moka Miyamoto, HIMAWARI & Wakana Uehara Vs Haruna Neko, Kaya Toribami & Runa Okubo
4. Hikari Noa Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
5. Mizuki Vs Juria Nagano
6. 8-Woman Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe, Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu, Raku & Pom Harajuku
A few days ago Suzume tested positive for covid so she is unable to be at this Sunday’s show. Yoshiko Hasegawa from GanPro is now Hikari Noa’s new opponent.
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Yukio Naya
2. Makoto Oishi & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
3. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuni, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
4. Special Tag Match: Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs Naruki Doi & HARASHIMA
5. Special Single Match: Yuji Hino Vs KANON
6. Yuki Ueno Birthday Commemorative Match ~ Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Toy Kojima
7. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
Public contract signings for both the KO-D Openweight Title match between Chris Brookes and Shigehiro Irie along with the double title match between Kazuki Hirata and Naruki Doi will take place before the first match.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/09/2023 Nagano Kissei Bunka Hall Middle Hall
The main event spot awaits for Rika Tatsumi in her hometown. She teams with Miu Watanabe as Daydream takes on the pair of Miyu Yamashita & Hyper Misao.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO MINEL VATON SAGA ’23”, 17/09/2023 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
1. YuuRI Vs Haruka Umesaki
Sadly YuuRI is no longer the ICEx∞ Champion. She lost it to Ibuki Hoshi in Ice Ribbon last week. Back over in Ganbare☆Joshi she will climb back to her feet for a match with Haruka Umesaki from Diana. Umesaki wrestled on a GanPro show back in June this year but this is her first time in GanJo.
DDT “SHINKANSEN PRO WRESTLING”, 18/09/2023 Nozomi No. 371 From Tokyo Station
1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Sanshiro Takagi
A meeting was held between Minoru Suzuki and Sanshiro Takagi a few days ago to determine what can and cannot be allowed during their Falls Count Anywhere Match inside a moving bullet train. They were given a set of rules by the railway company telling them they cannot damage the train, cause any delays, disrupt the crew, use any weapons that could break apart into fragments, leave the inside of the train dirty, hit the floor and seating with considerable force, touch the ceiling at all or cause harm to other passengers. Suzuki brought up his previous calculations that he can punch Takagi at 400km/h in the train. He wanted to know if Takagi explodes into bits of meat flying everywhere would that count as making the train car dirty? Takagi answered that if he dodges that punch and Suzuki hits a piece of equipment instead then Takagi wins by DQ.
The railway line also handed out a list of wrestling moves they can permit on the train. They include Lock Ups, grounded submission holds, Chops, Kicks, Body Slams, Brainbusters and Piledrivers. Suzuki pointed out the list is pretty much his usual moveset so he accepts the terms. Takagi however was upset he is now allowed use his own moves like Power Bombs, Lariats and Dropkicks. Suzuki agreed that Takagi can use the Axe Bomber as long as he shouts “Axe Bomber!” beforehand. Last but not least, the two also discussed adding in lunch breaks and toilet breaks if the match goes on too long.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 