DramaticDDT’s Predictions For 2024

December 24, 2023

Merry Christmas! I’m giving this another go despite how bad my predictions for 2023 went. What do I think is in store for DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Ganbare☆Pro, BASARA and maybe even CyberFight as a whole? It’s a tricky challenge this time because whenever I try guessing how 2024 will turn out, all I see is murkiness. There’s a weird contradiction in my thoughts about where wrestling is right now. On the one hand there is a status quo where all the companies around the world are positioned that I do not see changing anytime soon. But then there are changes within the companies themselves, some that are so unexpected that I have no idea what the entire scene will look like this time next year. Like of course WWE will be the top company on the planet but what does it turn into next as it finally moves away from Vince McMahon’s ideas and has the most fan goodwill it has probably ever had? AEW badly fell apart this year but the Continental Classic tournament is providing a nice set of building blocks to rebuild the company with. The problem is will Tony Khan want to use those blocks? It doesn’t help that the loudest podcasters in the room are constantly telling everyone that AEW should be more like WWE in the storyline department. That is my biggest pet peeve with wrestling at the moment, by the way. Whenever I hear people say every wrestling show should be a three ringed circus with something for everybody they’re really just saying “go be like WWE”. It’s the same voices that reject other companies for doing things differently.

And then there is Japan’s wrestling scene still trying to re-establish themselves post-pandemic. It’s mostly alright with some brief moments of greatness but there’s not a lot that has really caught my imagination this year compared to the 2010s. Show attendances week to week isn’t inspiring much hope in me either. It seems like homecoming shows and retirement matches can bring in crowds but outside of that a lot of companies are getting dwindling crowd numbers which has me worried. New Japan and Stardom will be fine as long as they can manage themselves properly. 2023 definitely gave Stardom a lot of lessons about show scheduling and injuries but they seem to be learning from it. All Japan discovering success again should also be a sign that there is still an audience out there in Japan that pro wrestling can appeal to. Now let’s see if this United Japan Pro Wrestling alliance is actually going to mean anything substantial.

Before I give you my predictions for 2024, here is how my 2023’s predictions went. Not very good it turns out.

DDT

✓. Mike Bailey wrestles a match in DDT again.
X. KANON outperforms Daisuke Sasaki.
X. Yuya Koroku becomes the next wrestler from DDT’s new generation (debuted 2020 onwards) to win a championship.
✓. Tetsuya Endo struggles to reclaim the top position in DDT.
X. Dramatic Dream Gate is revived.

The first one was by far the easiest prediction to make. It is basically the free spot on a bingo card. DDT going to America guaranteed that Mike Bailey would be on one of their shows. Although I do think the New Japan appearances he also made this year means he’s fully done with DDT in Japan. KANON is slowly getting pushed but I wouldn’t put his work above Daisuke Sasaki’s in 2023. Hideki Okatani was the breakout in the new generation, not Yuya Koroku like I expected. Tetsuya Endo is definitely struggling and I’ll get back to that point later. No Dramatic Dream Gate revival because DDT worked with All Japan instead of Dragongate.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

X. At least 3 women who originally came from Actwres girl’Z will appear in TJPW and at least 1 of them becomes a regular roster member.
X. An outsider wins the Princess Of Princess Title.
X. Maki Itoh gets to No. 1 on a iTunes or Spotify chart somewhere in the world.
X. A woman from Sakisama’s past comes back to haunt her.
X. Sasha Banks appears at Grand Princess ’23.

Oh so now Actwres girl’Z gets their act together and stops leaking talent left, right and centre! TJPW’s roster growth all came from training their own rookies and bringing in foreign wrestlers. An outsider did become champion but it was Max The Impaler winning the International Princess Title, not the Princess Of Princess Title. No idea how to look up music chart data but if Maki Itoh got No. 1 somewhere we would have heard about it. My Sakisama fantasy booking was inspired by the rumour of CyberFight wanting to sign Maya Yukihi. If Mercedes Moné does end up going back to WWE then the hype surrounding her for an entire year was an absolute waste of time for everyone else involved.

Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling

✓. Some of the wrestlers Shota worked with in America get booked for Ganpro.
X. Keisuke Ishii wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Title.
1/2✓. Ganpro creates a tag team championship and builds it around mixed tag wrestling.
X. Ganbare☆Joshi runs their own show in Korakuen Hall.
X. Kota Ibushi wrestles a match in Ganpro.

Shota’s American excursion got the likes of Dan The Dad and Kody Lane booked in Japan. Keisuke Ishii did get a Spirit Of Ganbare Title but lost that match to Mizuki Watase in one of Ganpro’s best matches of the year. We did get the Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles created and it does allow intergender teams. However it has not been the focal point of the title’s existence yet so I only got it half right. No standalone Ganbare☆Joshi show in Korakuen Hall yet but I think it is only a matter of time before it happens. Who on earth would have guessed Kota Ibushi’s first match back would be in GCW?

Miscellaneous

X. Gake no Fuchi Joshi crosses over with Baka Gaijin + Friends.
X. AEW will host another event in Japan with DDT & TJPW involvement.
X. CyberFight adds another promotion to their portfolio.
X. A brand new puroresu console game gets announced.
✓. BASARA does something new and different.

I’m kind of surprised Miyako Matsumoto hasn’t shown up in Baka Gaijin + Friends yet. It seems like her kind of wrestling but I can’t tell what goes through her mind on most days. AEW seems to have developed less interest in the Japanese scene while they go through something of an identity crisis heading into the fifth year of their existence. No new wrestling brand for CyberFight but there is the United Japan Pro Wrestling brand attaching the big wrestling companies together. No new puroresu game which makes me sad. AEW: Fight Forever is fine and I bet has a good base to create a better sequel. Will that happen though? The last prediction is also the best one for me. BASARA made Banana Senga their champion! That was definitely something new and different.

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So yeah, let’s ignore all that and get on to next year’s predictions. I came up with 20 predictions for 2024 spread across four categories. Five for DDT, five for Tokyo Joshi Pro, five for Ganbare☆Pro and five guesses that apply to anything attached to BASARA and the CyberFight promotions. I’m also listing them in order from easy to hard, likely to unlikely, mild to spicy, etc. I came up with these predictions using booking patterns, reading tea leaves and coming up with ideas that are just as creative as they are plausible.

DDT

Prediction: Naomi Yoshimura returns from injury and gets a singles push.

It’s been over a year since Naomi Yoshimura last wrestled a match. What’s promising though is his regular appearances seconding the other wrestlers in Harimao. There’s also glimpses on his social media of him training in the DDT dojo again. It at least suggests he will be back in the ring sooner or later. When Yoshimura took time off to recover from a herniated disc he said he wanted to reclaim the KO-D Tag Team Titles for Harimao when he returns. I think too much time has past for that to be his only goal. He should instead focus on catching up with Yuki Ueno. My fingers are crossed he is able to come back, stay healthy and win some accomplishments by himself.

Prediction: Kento Miyahara will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”.

At no point this year did I expect DDT and All Japan to be doing inter-promotional matches with each other. What a great thing that turned out to be though. Adding a few DDT Vs AJPW matches on shows here and there spiced up the midcard for both companies. It had history to play off of because of Jun Akiyama’s involvement. It is helping Yukio Naya develop into the heavyweight DDT wants him to be thanks to the feud with The Saito Brothers that will likely continue in AJPW. Eruption got to start their new chapter without Saki Akai by winning the All Asia Tag Team Titles and giving Yukio Sakaguchi an achievement he can now share with his father. Eruption also entered the Real World Tag League which gave Hideki Okatani some valuable experience. I want this working relationship to continue in 2024 and I know the best place where it can reach its climax. DDT will likely have a big guest for their Sumo Hall show in July. Bring on over AJPW’s biggest star Kento Miyahara to liven up the place! He would be a great singles match opponent for somebody like Yuki Ueno or Kazusada Higuchi. He’s definitely someone who Ueno should learn from about how to be a showman in the ring.

Prediction: Sanshiro Takagi fights Hiroshi Tanahashi in a battle of the presidents!

This week New Japan announced Hiroshi Tanahashi has become the new president of the company. Now he has a lot more in common with Sanshiro Takagi. Now Tanahashi has an awkward history with DDT but that was years ago and I’m sure it’s all water under the bridge. But just in case there’s still some bad blood there is always the wrestling ring right there for them to settle their differences. Two presidents of different wrestling companies having a match against each other is the kind of idea Takagi would jump on and I think Tanahashi would be game for it. United Japan Pro Wrestling is going to need something a little bit novel to put on their Budokan Hall card in the summer. Why not this in the midcard?

Prediction: Somebody (or something) from WWE wins the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.

WWE looking to carve out their place in Japan is a topic that gets brought up a lot online. This year finally saw the company make their move when they signed a broadcasting deal with ABEMA and also got increased presence in Shukan Puroresu magazine. There were also points throughout the year when Shinsuke Nakamura would pop up. He headlined a big show for NOAH as the final opponent for The Great Muta. He also filmed a special message for Saki Akai that was shown to her during her retirement ceremony. If that’s not enough, on the day I am writing this paragraph All Japan are teasing that the mystery challenger for a Triple Crown title match on 3rd January could be coming from NXT. So if WWE in Japan really is happening, we might as well have some fun with it before everything gets ruined again. DDT will be in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania week and that usually means the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title will be going along for the ride. It’s only a matter of time before somebody in the WWE gets to win the championship for even the briefest of moments. Now I’m not expecting Cody Rhodes to win it in front of 50,000 people to finish the story. But somebody involved with the company hanging out at WrestleCon and taking their chance to win a 24/7 title just to amuse themselves? That sounds more likely. This prediction also applies to any item, prop or official piece of merchandise tied to WWE. If a Jey Uso “Yeet” shirt becomes champion then it counts!

Prediction: Tetsuya Endo should go on an overseas excursion.

This is not so much of a prediction but more a piece of advice. After thinking of ways for Tetsuya Endo to get out of the current position he is in, the best idea I can come up with is for him to go wrestle overseas for a while. Whether that is a several month stay in America or going on weekend trips to Europe every couple of months, he badly needs a change of pace in a new surrounding. Get him in there with Gringo Loco in GCW, have Shigehiro Irie show him the (lack of) sights in Oberhausen during a wXw tournament weekend, book him on ROH so he can travel around with the AEW crew, seat him in the front row behind the commentary table at an NXT taping. He should go broaden his horizons because the direction DDT put him in as Kenta Kobashi’s protégé is not working.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Prediction: Somebody from the 2023 Class scores a pinfall on a TJPW veteran.

We got six rookies in 2023 and they have all been fun to watch as they learn on the job and figure out who they want to be. Wakana Uehara winning the New Generation Tournament shows that TJPW have faith in her becoming an important part of the roster if she sticks with them. HIMAWARI had her character down flat from day one and her match against Uehara in the final is a great example of how to create a dramatic match with limited movesets. Toga is capturing everyone’s hearts one big Elbow Smash at a time (although really you should thank Hikari Noa for selling that move like a champ), Shino Suzuki has the bonus advantage of being in The Up Up Girls and we might end up with a future generational rivalry between Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo as they learn different wrestling styles separate from each other. Talent development for TJPW needs to be coming quick and fast if there is a need to replace the likes of Yuka Sakazaki. Young blood needs to be beating veterans eventually and it is more likely to happen than you think. Remember, TJPW holds a couple of one day tournaments throughout the year with matches that end in 2 Count pinfalls. That’s where you can see Uehara suddenly beat Mahiro Kiryu or Toga only needing to roll up Kaya Toribami for two seconds to get her hand raised. I don’t expect it to be on the level of Arisu Endo pinning Shoko Nakajima out of nowhere but somebody from the 2023 class is going to get a moment in the spotlight her senpai’s expense in 2024.

Prediction: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi finally happens… in the Tokyo Princess Cup.

When Mizuki’s reign as the Princess Champion ended there was one thing that left me completely baffled. Why was there never a title defence against Rika Tatsumi? One of the longest running pieces of character lore in TJPW is Tatsumi’s crush on Mizuki going all the way back to 2018 when Tatsumi wanted to banish the Forbidden Three rules the in-house roster had to follow because nobody was sure if “No Boyfriends” also meant “No Girlfriends”. Fast forward to 2023 and we got a very good 2-Vs-1 Handicap Match between Daydream and Mizuki where Tatsumi battled those feelings in order to beat her crush. Nothing ever came out of it and to be fair it never intended to be more than an emergency replacement match due to Sakazaki getting injured. TJPW also has an odd thing where some of their big singles matches only ever happen in the Tokyo Princess Cup, either as a 1st Round match to eliminate a top contender early or as a random drawing in the final stages of the tournament. So I think if we ever do get Mizuki Vs Tatsumi, it will be at the Princess Cup instead of a big singles title bout.

Prediction: Maki Itoh wins the GCW World Heavyweight Championship.

I think odds are really good for Maki Itoh to win one of GCW’s championships next year given she is one of the bigger attractions for the group nowadays. Her winning the tag team titles with Nick Gage is an obvious direction to go. But I want to go all in for this prediction. GCW has Blake Christian as their long term heel world champion and groundwork has been laid down for a Blake Vs Gage title match down the road. But we’ve been there, done that with Gage as the top babyface champion for GCW. This is a company that doesn’t mind doing wacky novelty booking with their titles. So how about Itoh unexpectedly gets a title match with Blake, maybe Money In The Bank style and she shockingly beats him for the GCW Title? It would be the peak of her run with the company, that’s for sure.

Prediction: Aja Kong takes on a regular role in TJPW.

Just like how Jun Akiyama became a coach in DDT, I’d like to see Aja Kong do something similar in TJPW. She has been a guest for so many shows at this point it’s not like she would be a stranger to everyone there. Whether it is coaching the youngsters, becoming a matchmaker or just keeping a stern eye on Tetsuya Koda so he won’t lose focus Kong would have a wealth of knowledge to offer the company. And maybe then we get a payoff for her rivalry with Max The Impaler.

Prediction: Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh remain with TJPW for the year.

I’m testing fate with this one, aren’t I? Miyu Yamashita has done almost everything there is to do in TJPW and Maki Itoh spends so much time in America she’s currently divorced from what’s going on in her home promotion. And yet I just don’t believe both of them are ready to graduate from TJPW like Yuka Sakazaki did. At least not in the next 12 months. Yamashita and Itoh will definitely have plenty of American bookings for everyone to look forward to in 2024. But leaving TJPW to focus on that entirely? I don’t think so. They will still have TJPW as their home base.

Ganbare☆Pro

Prediction: Ken Ohka Wins The Spirit Of Ganbare Title From Isami Kodaka

The ways that Ken Ohka and Isami Kodaka have been booked in GanPro this year makes this in my opinion the likeliest prediction to come true. Kodaka is cleaving through the roster with title defence after title defence while Ohka, the main guy behind all of GanPro, has been kept away from the title picture for over a year and a half. Ohka is always fighting from the bottom as the underdog so him never winning the Spirit Of Ganbare Title would fit how he books himself. However that’s not how pro wrestling works and there is bound to be a day when he finally gets his hands on his own promotion’s championship.

Prediction: The Ganbare☆Climax returns.

The last time GanPro held a tournament called the Ganbare☆Climax was in 2021 and that was to crown their first SOG Champion. It would be nice to see it come back to determine a No. 1 Contender during the year. GanPro held tournaments for the Young Ganbare Cup and the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles this year but they both felt like one-offs. That clears up the schedule for a single elimination tournament to happen whenever they want.

Prediction: Yuna Manase returns from injury and feuds with YuuRI.

One of the key additions to GanPro this year was the relaunch of the Ganbare☆Joshi division built around YuuRI, Yoshiko Hasegawa and Riara. Sadly Yuna Manase was relegated to a GM role while she recovers from her ACL injury. YuuRI in particular put in the work to become the face of the GanJo division in her absence. So let’s say that Manase is able to wrestle again in 2024. Would she be willing to play second fiddle to YuuRI? Or will history continue to be a circle and Manase now finds herself as the veteran unwilling to let the new generation surpass her? Wouldn’t that be interesting given Manase’s feud with Yuu Yamagata a few years ago was over the same idea? YuuRI still has a lot to prove and the dynamic could make Hasegawa and Riara choose sides until the matter is resolved. Build it up to one big singles match and it could end up being a lot of fun to follow.

Prediction: A mixed gender tag team wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles.

I admit this is just a repackaged prediction I made last year about the SOG Tag Titles being built around intergender wrestling. There’s only been one title defence so far featuring a mixed gender team and that was when Lethal Weapon (Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE) were the challengers. I like seeing them team together but I fear that match in August was their only chance, at least while Ground Absolute hold the belts/trophies. There are always other people in GanPro for HARUKAZE to team with and also Banny Oikawa is now with GanPro mostly to do mixed tags. I bet it is only a matter of time before it happens.

Prediction: A Stardom wrestler appears on a Ganbare☆Joshi show.

Another factor of GanJo’s return this year was seeing that roster interact with wrestlers from TJPW, Ice Ribbon, Marvelous, Diana and more. YuuRI even brought over Ice Ribbon’s main championship for a title defence on a GanJo show. Now let’s add Stardom to the list through the UJNW connection. Stardom and TJPW will probably stay being icy towards each other but Yuna Manase and YuuRI both got to wrestle on a Stardom show in 2022. I see talk online about how cool it would be if all the joshi companies get together in 2024 for a major arena show to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of “BIG EGG UNIVERSE”. Something like that was kind of done in 2022 to celebrate 60 years of Korakuen Hall and even then that had some bruised egos coming out of it when Shukan Puroresu only put Starlight Kid on the front cover at the expense of everyone else involved who were not associated with Stardom. Also TJPW stayed away from the show too which again, some icy relationships are probably going on there. So let’s keep this prediction on a much smaller level and just say a Stardom wrestler shows up at a GanJo event.

Miscellaneous

Prediction: A DDT wrestler makes a full time jump over to BASARA.

Appearances from Kazusada Higuchi during the last quarter of 2023 helped freshen up BASARA a little bit. They’re not a company I expect much change from going forward but they could do with adding another full timer to their roster. Even though they are independent there is history with a DDT wrestler deciding they are better off jumping over to BASARA (or Union Pro before that) so they can play a bigger role at shows. It could be a veteran who already wrestles in BASARA and no longer seeing themselves being relevant in DDT (*cough*Soma Takao*cough*) or maybe one of the younger, less experienced wrestlers are looking for a change of pace. Ilusion for example seems to get along with that group well. Someone from that age group would turn into a rival for Munetatsu Nakamura too if that were to happen.

Prediction: Konosuke Takeshita wrestles in the main event of an AEW PPV.

It is really annoying to see Konosuke Takeshita being wasted in The Don Callis Family storyline. It is also annoying that the next step of the angle is the group using Freebird rules that will obviously set up Sammy Guevara’s return to TV rather than giving more focus to Takeshita or Powerhouse Hobbs for that matter. So what is it that has me thinking Takeshita can be in a PPV main event next year? Just the numbers game, really. AEW are adding more PPVs to their schedule so that should be more opportunities for new title challengers. Also if this storyline continues without Kenny Omega and just becomes the Family feuding with Chris Jericho there is can be something like a new Anarchy In The Arena happening to close out one of the PPVs.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki becomes the first ROH Women’s TV Champion.

Sakazaki is getting ready for the next chapter in her pro wrestling life. Given how AEW presents their women’s division, she is probably going to get more time in ROH instead. She already had her shot at Athena and the regular ROH Women’s Title but the group now has something new to fight for. A brand new ROH Women’s TV Title was recently revealed and Sakazaki would make a great choice to be its first champion.

Prediction: Baka Gaijin + Friends runs a show at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.

When I wrote a preview for the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” main event I compared the Baka Gaijin + Friends shows to DDT’s Beer Garden shows. There’s a warm vibe and fun atmosphere to these matches that take place in such a small venue. I think the series has become popular enough that Chris Brookes can go from 50 fans in ARENA Shimokitazawa to a triple digit attendance in Shin-Kiba 1st RING, the place where DDT hosted Beer Garden for many years. See it like Gatoh Move running ChocoPro in Ichigaya on the regular and then every once in a while they move up to a place where a full scale wrestling ring can be set up. As long as the drinks still flow the crowd will be with them all the way.

Prediction: The 2024 New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Tournament lasts past midnight again.

It used to be that the final show of the year in Korakuen Hall goes beyond midnight into the early hours of the new year. It hasn’t been that way for a while because of restrictions coming out of the pandemic. Unfortunately I think a reason why this year’s edition still has an early evening start is because the show is not much of a draw anymore. But I want to be proven wrong so Korakuen fans get to count down the new year in the middle of a semi-final tag team match again.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki gets arrested for assaulting Mickey Mouse at Disney World.

She’s your problem now, Tony!


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA” Results

December 15, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
400 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Harajuku pinned Amira after the Wasteland War Justice with Max (10:20).
2. Trish Adora defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Lariat (8:42).
3. Mizuki defeated Sandra Moone with the Cutie Special (10:21).
4. Miu Watanabe defeated Hyan with the Tear Drop (8:33).
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) defeated Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie when Noa pinned McKenzie with the Blizzard Suplex (9:42).
*V3 for Free WiFi.
6. Taya Valkyrie defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Road To Valhalla (10:47).
7. Special Tag Match: Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Slamovich pinned Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (18:00).

The second Tokyo Joshi Pro event to be held in America this year was a co-promoted effort along with the west coast company Prestige Wrestling. The main event was a preview for 4th January with Miyu Yamashita and Masha Slamovich in the ring together. In the match 121000000 was working well as a team against MK Ultra. Yamashita & Maki Itoh got rid of Killer Kelly with a Jumping DDT followed by a German Suplex. But Masha Slamovich ducked Yamashita’s Skull Kick and landed a Backspin Kick of her own. She then scored the pin on Yamashita by giving her the White Knight Driver.

MK Ultra soaked in the victory as they welcomed the audience into their world. Slamovich warned Yamashita she will use the same move to beat her for the Princess Of Princess Title on 4th January. Yamashita got on the microphone and told Slamovich she is going to kick her ass in Tokyo! Before things could get heated up even further, Itoh grabbed everyone’s attention and called down everyone to the ring for a group photo to close out the show. Backstage Yamashita admitted the match exposed her weakness which is her overconfidence. She’s wrestled against Slamovich that she now knows how to avoid the Skull Kick. Itoh pointed out that Slamovich is wrestling in a death match for GCW at the end of the year so there is a chance she could be weak going into the title bout.

If you had a bad time watching the iPPV feed of the show then Hikari Noa takes the blame for that. The fans in attendance though were happy with the Free WiFi they got. Noa & Nao Kakuta are feeling invincible after their third successful defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles. Noa avoided a Double Brainbuster from Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie, leaving them open for Kakuta to give them a Double Facebuster. Free WiFi then hit McKenzie with Sandwich Thrust Kicks and she was then pinned with the Blizzard Suplex. Noa said she would have definintely lost if she was alone at the end but she held on thanks to Kakuta and the support of the fans. Kakuta said Free WiFi are feeling invincible because they will enter 2024 as champions. Kai takes part of the blame for losing because the match was a team effort. She said this won’t be the last time you’ll see Demon Hearts in TJPW.


TJPW Title Defences In North America, Something By DISASTER BOX, An Unpaid Debt Between MAO & Keith

December 8, 2023

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Iino & Rukiya
2. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Toy Kojima & Ilusion
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata (0) Vs Rei Saito (2)
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) Vs KANON (2)
6. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (3) Vs Tetsuya Endo (2)

The D-Oh Grand Prix continues tomorrow. A Block still has everyone in the race so it’s only fair to have Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA be the top two matches of the show. But over in B Block Yukio Naya is one more step towards cleaning up the entire group if he beats KANON. The Kazuki Hirata Vs Rei Saito match is pretty much just for pride at this point. Not that Hirata has that much pride to begin with but you know what I mean.

Eruption are also back from the Real World Tag League looking to shake off their middle of the table finish. They might have a long line of challengers forming up in front of them so they need to retain the All Asia Tag Team Titles against BURNING if they have any intention of dealing with that.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
3. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich

Last night in the space of about half an hour there were two Tokyo Joshi Pro title matches taking place in North America. Over in Quebec, Canada Max The Impaler had a surprise International Princess Title defence at the Mystery Wrestling show put together by Evil Uno. Max defeated Jody Threat in the semi-main event. Word of the match reached back to TJPW and they officially recognize it as Max’s third successful title defence. That now means if Max beats Yuki Arai on 4th January they will tie the current record for most IP Title defences in a single reign at four wins.

Then as soon as that match had finished Miyu Yamashita was entering the ring in New York, USA to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo at an MLW show. She won that match to earn her second defence in this latest title run. Maki Itoh was also on the show but she lost to Janai Kai in a match for the MLW World Featherweight Title. I’ll write more about the matches on the next DDT Around The World article at the start of next month.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/01/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Something by HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, etc.: X Vs X
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy

The three main members of DISASTER BOX are all putting their heads together to book something for DDT’s first visit to Shinjuku FACE in 2024. Whatever it is the three of them will be involved along with others.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 ROSIER”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Legendary Hostess Vs The Toughest Girl In Osaka: Riara Vs Momoka Hanazono

When Ganbare☆Pro heads to Osaka in the new year Riara takes on Momoka Hanazono. This joshi wrestler’s nickname may not match with all of the flowers and bubbles she surrounds herself with but it is still accurate. Hanazono has a background in rugby before becoming a pro wrestler.

HARASHIMA, Soma Takao, Ilusion, Tyson Maeguchi and Banny Oikawa will all be on the show.

DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota

Three days of DDT appearances await for Bryan Keith in the new year. He makes his Japanese wrestling debut here by teaming with ROMANCE DAWN against The 37KAMIINA. Keith was an opponent for Shota during Shota’s US excursion last year.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith

The next day Keith gets the match MAO has been demanding. The DDT Universal Title is on the line for this rematch from West Coast Pro during the summer. Keith won the first battle and MAO wants revenge! What happens to a bounty hunter when it’s time for them to repay a debt?

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi

Keith’s third and last appearance on this tour will be at Korakuen Hall near the end of the month.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “~YUKA SAKAZAKI GRADUATION SPECIAL~” Results

December 6, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 10TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ~YUKA SAKAZAKI GRADUATION SPECIAL~”, 06/12/2023
Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
294 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Japanese I Quit Match: Yuka Sakazaki & Rika Tatsumi defeated Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Sakazaki made Honda say “I Give Up” (9:23).
2. Wakana Uehara, Shino Suzuki & Runa Okubo defeated HIMAWARI, Toga & Haru Kazashiro when Uehara submitted Kazashiro with the Sleeper Hold (9:57).
3. Miu Watanabe, Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami when Watanabe pinned Toribami with the Tear Drop (10:37).
4. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta, Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto defeated Hyper Misao. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Mizuki pinned Harajuku with the Cutie Special (11:15).
5. Yuka Sakazaki Graduation Special 3 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima when Sakazaki pinned Nakajima with an Elbow Butt (17:45).
6. Special Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mizuki ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).

Today Yuka Sakazaki said goodbye to Tokyo Joshi Pro, ending her decade long attachment to the promotion that grew up with her. Her debut match was held inside Kitazawa Town Hall so it was only fitting that her graduation from TJPW took place there as well. She had a busy day that began with a unique tag team match. Rika Tatsumi teamed up with Sakazaki against male wrestlers Antonio Honda and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi. All four have history together as part of a music group called DPG (Dramatic Perfect Group) that opened up the doors for both Sakazaki and Tatsumi to join TJPW and become pro wrestlers.

Honda got on the microphone before the match began and introduced everyone to the final showdown of DPG. It was going to be a Japanese I Quit Match where the match would only end when a wrestler gives up while speaking Japanese. Honda kept teasing he would give up when he was put in a hold only to change the subject and say something else. Hiroshi did the same but swerved into singing. Sakazaki ended up putting Honda in a Heel Hold while Tatsumi applied the Figure 4 Leg Lock to Hiroshi. Honda kept yelling at Hiroshi over and over not to give up. Honda himself then gave up. After the match Sakazaki said it is thanks to Honda and Hiroshi that she and Tatsumi were able to become who they are today. Tatsumi said she is glad she became a pro wrestler. Honda and Hiroshi agreed because pro wrestling is the best!

Sakazaki’s second match of the show was her graduation match in the main event. It was a 3 Way Match between the three longest serving members of TJPW: Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima. It could be the last time Sakazaki fought both Yamashita and Nakajima so there was plenty of time shared in the ring against each of them. Yamashita rolled out of the way from the Magical Girl Chicken Dude but immediately became the target of Nakajima’s Diving Senton. Yamashita was a non-factor from that point on. Sakazaki and Nakajima fought their hearts out against each other until they were spent. The match ended with a hug between the two, Sakazaki saying “Thank you” and then knocking out Nakajima with an Elbow Strike. She hugged her again while pinning her for the three count.

After the match Sakazaki said when she was putting her final TJPW match together her first thought was to do a singles bout with Nakajima. But she wanted Yamashita to be part of it too so it became a 3 Way instead. Nakajima said she never wanted to lose to Sakazaki which is why she worked so hard. Sakazaki is leaving but Nakajima still lost to her today so now she gets to keep that motivation to always become a better wrestler. She also warned Sakazaki not to catch a cold in America. Yamashita described Sakazaki like an older sister or mother figure to her. She would always get mad when Yamashita does badly but she was also always there when Yamashita got sad or depressed. They always feel linked together so even if Yamashita leaves her alone from now on she still feels like she can help her. If things ever get tough for Sakazaki, Yamashita can always fly over to support her.

Sakazaki then invited one more special person to join her in the ring. Mizuki has been holding in her emotions for as long as she could but still is not happy to see Sakazaki leave TJPW. She wants the two of them to continue teaming together and being in the same ring. Sakazaki said the schedule meant they couldn’t have one more match against each other but they could do it today even if it was just for one minute. Tetsuya Koda then announced over the speakers they have enough time for a three minute match!

The two shook hands and did everything they could against each other within three minutes. Mizuki hit the Diving Foot Stomp while Sakazaki gave her the Magical Merry-Go-Round off of the top rope. They spent the final seconds of their short match hitting each other with Elbow Strikes until Mizuki landed the Whirling Candy and went for the pin. She was at a 2 count when the bell rang, ending the match in a draw. Yamashita, Nakajima and Tatsumi all got in the ring to join the hug Sakazaki and Mizuki were giving each other.

The graduation ceremony began and Sakazaki received gifts from the entire TJPW roster. Everyone then gathered together for a final group photo with her. Sakazaki told them today made her realize how lucky she is to come from TJPW. She hopes everyone will continue to support her and in return wants everyone to continue supporting TJPW for many years to come. She shook hands and hugged every member of the roster one by one as they left the ring until she was the last one left. Also after the show Sakazaki stood at the exit and high fived everyone in the audience as they left the venue.

Backstage Sakazaki had a few more comments when interviewed by the wrestling media. She wanted to thank Sanshiro Takagi for accepting her into TJPW. As already mentioned, she was originally just going to do a match with Nakajima but wanted to include Yamashita. She also couldn’t leave Mizuki out of her final match no matter how short it was. She is proud of everyone in TJPW and thinks each woman is a treasue who should continue to live their lives believing in themselves. The only regret she had during the road to graduation was never getting to defend the Princess Tag Team Titles against Mickey Mouse at DisneyLand. But as long as she is a wrestler that dream may still someday come true.

Two new matches were revealed for the Ittenyon show at Korakuen Hall on 4th January. Max The Impaler’s opponent for the International Princess Title match was revealed to be Yuki Arai! This match is happening exactly one year after Max pinned Arai to win the Princess Tag Titles from her. Now one year later and Arai has the chance to get revenge by taking the IP Title away from Max.

The other match is Wakana Uehara’s reward for winning the Next Generation Tournament. She is going one on one against Aja Kong! It sounds like a daunting task but since the match is happening on the anniversary of Uehara’s debut, she wants to show everything she’s learned over the last year to Kong in the ring. The two already have a history together because Kong was a guest trainer on the Yume Pro Wrestling series that set up Uehara’s entry into wrestling and TJPW.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “10TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ~WE ARE TJPW~” Results

December 1, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 10TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ~WE ARE TJPW~”, 01/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
714 Fans

1. Kaya Toribami, Toga & Runa Okubo defeated Juria Nagano, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro when Toga pinned Kazashiro with the Rock Bottom (9:12).
2. Random Official Weapon Rules: Yuki Aino & Raku defeated Hyper Misao & Mahiro Kiryu when Aino pinned Kiryu with the Venus DDT (10:58).
3. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Final: Wakana Uehara defeated HIMAWARI with the Modified Sleeper Hold (12:08).
4. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Viva Van with the Famouser (10:43).
*V1 for Yuki Kamifuku.
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku when Kakuta pinned Harajuku with the Shiden Kai (12:13).
*V2 for Free Wi-Fi.
6. 10th Anniversary Special 10-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki (2) defeated Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo (1).
6a. Arisu Endo (1) pinned Shoko Nakajima (0) with a School Boy (7:20).
6b. Yuka Sakazaki (1) pinned Moka Miyamoto (1) with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (13:16).
6c. Miyu Yamashita (2) pinned Miu Watanabe (1) with the Skull Kick (10:07).

On this day ten years ago Tokyo Joshi Pro held their “Flag Raising” launch show at Kitazawa Town Hall. Today the promotion was in Korakuen Hall to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that event. The headline bout was a celebration of TJPW’s current leaders and the next class that’s been chasing after them. It was a Best 2-Out-Of-3 Falls 10-Woman Tag Match with the Senior class (who all held the Princess Of Princess Title at some point) on one side against the Junior class on the other. Each participant got a moment in the spotlight by getting to do their ring entrances by themselves.

The first fall was an upset with the junior team getting one over on the seniors. Rika Tatsumi got jealous of seeing Mizuki doing teamwork with Yuka Sakazaki instead of herself. She purposely got in the way of their moves so Mizuki could do double team stuff with her instead. Shoko Nakajima took centre stage and targeted Arisu Endo but missed a 619 and was shockingly pinned by Endo with a School Boy! The crowd reacted loudly to the unexpected result while the rest of the Juniors piled on Endo to congratulate her.

The second fall had Daisy Monkey fight tooth and nail against The Magical Sugar Rabbits while Tatsumi fought Miu Watanabe in a Daydream showdown. It came down to Moka Miyamoto doing her best against Sakazaki. She gave her the Korokan but missed a Falling Chop onto the canvas. Sakazaki took advantage and pinned Miyamoto with the Magical Merry-Go-Round to even the score.

The third and final fall had both teams go all out. Yuki Arai tried to finish off Nakajima with the Rookie Award but Sakazaki cut her off and together The Miraclians gave her a Double 619. The fall was decided in the battle between Miyu Yamashita and Miu Watanabe. Yamashita was about to finish her off when Suzume rained down with the Mikazuki Meteor Shower. Nakajima got rid of her with a Topé Suicida and MagiRabi did more damage to the Juniors by doing the Toy Story 4 dives onto everyone. Watanabe kept fighting and hit Yamashita with one Double Sledgehammer Strike after another. But one too many sent Yamashita into the ropes and she rebounded with the Skull Kick to knock Watanabe down and out for the winning pinfall.

The winning team celebrated after the match. Nakajima said this might be the last time all five of them will be together but it was the best. Tatsumi told her not to say it’s the end. She’s happy she got to team up against some truly amazing people to celebrate TJPW’s 10th Anniversary. Mizuki said she is glad to have met everyone and thanked Sakazaki most of all for being here. Yamashita then invited the entire roster into the ring to join them. She said everyone who came here today loves TJPW and in its 11th year there will be more debuts and more excitement for the fans. Sakazaki then thanked the fans for supporting TJPW and the entire group closed out the show together.

Free WiFi had to defend the Princess Tag Team Titles against an unstoppable monster. And also Max The Impaler. A game of chase broke out early in the match with Pom Harajuku trying to outrun the champions. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta caught up and cut her off from both sides before taking her back down to the ring. Max evened the odds by throwing Harajuku onto Free WiFi. Harajuku then returned the favour by doing a Spinning Headscissors on her own partner to send Max slamming into Kakuta with a Cannonball onto the turnbuckle. But Pompaler missed the Wasteland War Justice, opening up a counter attack by the champs. It ended with Kakuta pinning Harajuku with the Shiden Kai for a successful title defence. Both members of Free WiFi praised each other for getting themselves through the match against such a scary opponent. They meant Max that time, not Pom. Next they want to promote themselves in America and would like to do a title defence over there if they can.

The reign of the new Queen Of Asia Champion is off to a good start. Yuki Kamifuku put the title on the line against Viva Van after taking a liking to her when they recently teamed together. While the two get along over how good looking they are, the focus soon turned to fighting as both had their eyes on the championship. Kamifuku pulled off a Superplex and applied the Manjigatame but Van powered out of it and slammed her into the turnbuckle. Kamifuku recovered though and landed the Famouser to remain champion. Van was impressed and said she couldn’t have asked for a better match to have for her first time in Korakuen Hall. Kamifuku said if there is ever an Asian 6-Woman Tag Team Title she would like to join forces with Van and one other person Charlie’s Angels style to fight for it. As for the Queen Of Asia Title, she wants to defend it in places like Thailand and the Phillipines.

The winner of the Next Generation Tournament is Wakana Uehara! She defeated HIMAWARI in dramatic fashion to win the rookie playoff. The match was built around HIMAWARI’s used of the Half Crab against Uehara’s Sleeper Hold. There were times when both women had to fight long and hard to reach for rope breaks. Uehara won out in the end when she grabbed the arm HIMAWARI reached out with and pulled it back to apply more pressure to the Sleeper Hold. It was too tight for HIMAWARI to escape from and she had to tap out. Uehara said the winner’s medal she received is now her precious treasure because this was her first tournament. She next wants to have a singles match with Shoko Nakajima because she admires her the most. HIMAWARI was upset over losing, feeling she didn’t try hard enough. She promised to do her best and avenge this loss.

TJPW decided to do their own version of a Scramble Bunkhouse Death Match. Hyper Misao, Mahiro Kiryu, Yuki Aino and Raku all had to stand in opposite ends of the venue and after a countdown they ran down to the ring. Inside the ring were four mystery boxes, each one containing an item related to one of the wrestlers. Whichever item the wrestler got, they were allowed to use it as a weapon. However they were barred from using the other weapons even though they were items that originally belonged to them. Kiryu pulled out a pillow, Misao pulled out a plastic fan with Raku’s face on it, Aino pulled out Misao’s spray can and Raku had a paper bag with a box of yokan inside. The end result was chaos after Yukinori Matsui got blinded with the spray. He then landed on the pillow and fell asleep. Raku fed Matsui the yokan to wake him up and he was all fired up to do his job! Aino won the match for her team by pinning Kiryu with the Venus DDT.

Kaya Toribami and Juria Nagano led teams of the rest of the 2023 class in the opening bout. Toga & Runa Okubo both brought power to the match with Elbow Strikes and Shoulder Blocks respectively. Shino Suzuki tried to break things up but was taken out for her troubles. Haru Kazashiro went to the well once too often with her Low Altitude Cross Body and took Toga’s big Elbow Strike to the head. Toga then dropped her with the Rock Bottom for the win.

There were newsworthy announcements spread across the show. One was the announcement that Maki Itoh will face Rina Yamashita at the Ittenyon Korakuen show on 4th January. They have fought each other before in America for GCW and this will be the first time the match takes place in Japan.

The next TJPW PPV broadcasting on Wrestle Universe will be released on 10th December. It is the first ever Aquarium Pro Wrestling match! The event was taped at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama.

TJPW will be joining DDT at The Collective in Philadelphia next year for Wrestlemania Week! “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY” takes place at Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium on 5th April, 2024.


DDT Around The World – November 2023

December 1, 2023

Okay so where did things stand during November? Konosuke Takeshita’s work in America was still as a background player in the Don Callis storyline. The rivalry between him and Chris Jericho was mostly focused in Japan for DDT. But with that said there was still the rest of the month for AEW to give him stuff to do and there was nothing to show for it. Shoko Nakajima got to stomp her way to America briefly but just like every American monster movie it was only for a little while. Maki Itoh seems to be booked stronger and stronger in GCW as the months go by. She won all of her matches in America this month! I think there’s going to be some gold on her way in the future. Speaking of gold there is plenty of championship news to talk about for this month.

Sadly for Miyu Yamashita she lost some of her gold after her latest appearance in England. The global triple crown she held a few months back is now long gone and she’s back to just being a champion in Japan. The International Princess Title got to be defended overseas and even made a cameo on NWA programming. The belt was also handled by James Mitchell a lot which makes me hope it got a deep clean before it was transported back to Japan. Yuki Kamifuku has always behaved like a queen and now she gets to be called one thanks to the title she won in Singapore.

So with all of this now out of the way let’s hope December ends the year with a few high notes. Tokyo Joshi Pro has their show with Prestige coming up, Shota is doing a winter excursion and MAO is spending New Year’s with the dodgy bunch of friends you’d wish your kid wouldn’t hang out with.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Shoko Nakajima Vs VENY


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 15/11/2023
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Like A Dragon Street Fight: Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Paul Wight Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 2”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Safire Reed


SPW “VIVA LA LUCHA!”, 24/11/2023
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Alexis Lee (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku

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Results


GCW “PLEASE, BUDDY”, 03/11/2023
Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Itoh Deluxe (8:37).

Itoh can sing, she can dance, she can even carve open human skulls with a pizza cutter. But she cannot do the splits like Shazza McKenzie. The Australian used the splits as a defensive maneuver and then challenged Itoh to match it. Itoh struggled but it didn’t matter because McKenzie then kicked her aside and took control of the match. Itoh recovered and locked in the Itoh Deluxe to make her opponent tap out.


DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. VENY defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Moonsault Press onto the pile of Kaiju Toys (12:04).

When you have a promotion called Daikaiju Pro who else is more fitting to headline their first show than the girl nicknamed Big Kaiju? Nakajima brought out a bag filled with kaiju toys that she wanted to use in her match against VENY but the referee wouldn’t allow her to use them. At least he was polite enough to stand up one of the toys on the apron. VENY wasn’t there to play games either. She spat water in Nakajima’s face while beating her down and later hit a big Moonsault onto her outside the ring. A second Moonsault missed its target allowing Nakajima to get her second wind. Things went haywire after VENY accidentally knocked out the ref with a slap. Nakajima had her beaten with the Northern Lights Suplex but no ref was there to count it. Nakajima took advantage by bringing in the bag of kaiju toys and throwing VENY onto them with a Top Rope Hurricanrana. The ref recovered but VENY kicked out of the pin. Nakajima then got a taste of her own medicine by being slammed onto the pile of toys with a Hurricane Driver. She kicked out of a Michinoku Driver but VENY finished her off with the Moonsault Press on top of the toys.


GCW “¿SI OR NO?”, 04/11/2023
Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch defeated Jordan Oliver, Davey Bang & August Matthews when Itoh, Effy & Katch all pinned Matthews with a Triple Kokeshi Headbutt (11:29).

The trio known as Maki Death Bussy won again in their second outing as a team. Their opponents Young, Dumb & Bros tried to used fast paced team moves to their advantage until Allie Katch cleared house with her power. Effy then tagged in Itoh so the three of them could hit a Kokeshi Headbutt all at the same time for the win.


EVE “FRIDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING”, 10/11/2023
Big Penny Social, Walthamstow, London, England

1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) defeated Kasey (10:36).
*V1 for Max The Impaler.

The International Princess Title was defended in England for the first time in over a year when Max The Impaler stepped foot into EVE once more. EVE got permission from TJPW to have Max put the title on the line against the “Monster Of Chaos” Kasey. It was a risk to do this title defence when there was already one scheduled for Max when they returned to Japan. But it turned out not to be a problem for the champion and they left EVE with the title still over their shoulder.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 15/11/2023
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Like A Dragon Street Fight: Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Paul Wight defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage when Omega pinned Cage with the One-Winged Angel (21:01).

Takeshita went full Goro Majima for AEW’s sponsorship with Sega and the new Lika A Dragon game. All that was missing was him calling Kenny Omega “Kenny-chan” while stalking him from every nook and cranny inside the building. The Street Fight was a full tribute to the street fights you get in the game including attacks involving bicycles, people getting slammed onto cars and shop signs getting smashed to bits. This was the kind of natural environments The Golden Lovers developed in and is a recommended throwback to the crazy Falls Count Anywhere Matches they used to get up to in DDT. Kota Ibushi cycling around ringside hitting people with a pipe until Brian Cage decapitated him with a Lariat is something wrestling will always need. Also Powerhouse Hobbs seemed to have killed Paul Wight in the parking lot and it didn’t matter towards the result. AEW really needs to fix that kind of story telling. Anyway, Omega dropped Kyle Fletcher with the One-Winged Angel to deliver a happy ending for this substory.


GCW “GOING AND GOING”, 17/11/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Nicole Matthews with the I.S.D. (9:19).

A first time meeting between Itoh and Nicole Matthews meant it was time for Matthews to discover first hand just how hard Itoh’s head is. She based her attacks around Cravates and Knee Strikes to the head. When that didn’t work she pushed the referee into the ropes to knock Itoh off balance from the top turnbuckle. However Itoh kicked out of a Northern Lights Suplex and lured Matthews back over to the corner. She gave her a Draping DDT onto the ring apron, a Tornado DDT on the floor outside the ring and then the I.S.D back in the ring for the victory.


HOODSLAM “RED”, 18/11/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Sawyer Wreck & Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik & Vipress when Itoh pinned Sheik with the I.S.D. (17:02).

When Itoh was last in Hoodslam she lost a match to Vipress thanks to interference from Dark Sheik. Itoh got her revenge this month by bringing along Sawyer Wreck so they could beat the two of them together. The match transformed into a chicken fight with Itoh sitting on Wreck’s shoulders and Vipress sitting on Sheik’s. Itoh toppled down the opposing tower with her Headbutts. Communication between Sheik & Vipress broke down and the two turned on each other. From that point they were easily picked off with Itoh hitting Sheik with the I.S.D. and Wreck Choke Slamming Vipress for the double pin.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 1”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Chantal Jordan with the Skull Kick (12:27).

Two matches in one day awaited Yamashita for EVE’s last major event of the year. The afternoon match was pretty rudimentary. She beat Chantal Jordan with the Skull Kick, no questions asked.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 2”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title: Safire Reed defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with a Rolling Cradle (15:35).
*Miyu Yamashita fails in V9. Safire Reed becomes the 21st EVE Champion!

The second show at night however brought an end to Yamashita’s year long reign as EVE Champion. The up and comer Safire Reed beat her in a big upset to win the title! Yamashita’s title run ends as the fifth longest in EVE’s history and also has the most successful title defences on record in a single reign. I can’t imagine this will be the last time we’ll see her in EVE too so what she and maybe more from TJPW will do with them in the future is something to watch out for.


LLL “DEEP HURTING”, 22/11/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Maki Itoh defeated Lilith Grimm and Stormi Renee (?:??).

Itoh was back in Lucha Libre & Laughs, beating Lilith Grimm and Stormi Renee in a 3 Way Match.


SPW “VIVA LA LUCHA!”, 24/11/2023
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Alexis Lee (c) with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
*Alexis Lee fails in V5. Yuki Kamifuku becomes the 5th Queen Of Asia Champion!

In a rematch from January of this year, Kamifuku had a second chance of taking the Queen Of Asia Title from Alexis Lee. This time she succeeded and has brought the title championship back to Japan! The belt is managed by Singapore Pro Wrestling so they will need to sign off on any title defences Kamifuku will want to do in TJPW.


GCW “WRESTLECADE WEEKEND”, 24/11/2023
Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Kylie Alexa with the I.S.D. (5:08).

There was no Kenzie Paige on the show. Instead Itoh had to take on Paige’s sister Kylie Alexa. No matter. Itoh beat her anyway.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/11/2023 (Aired 01/12/2023)
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Jah-C. Kit Sackett & Renny D (?:??).

Takeshita ended his month winning a squash match with the rest of The Don Callis Family.

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Upcoming Appearances


BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023
Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA

1. Rachel Armstrong Vs Maki Itoh

Itoh will still be in America while TJPW celebrates their 10th anniversary. December for her begins with Itoh taking on Rachel Armstrong in Black Label Pro.


GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023
Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Mike Bailey

Here’s a matchup so nutty it has to be done a week sooner! GCW originally booked a match between Itoh and Mike Bailey for their show in LA on 9th December. It had to be cancelled because Bailey had a scheduling conflict. So rather than wait until next year to do the match it’s been pushed forward to the Brooklyn show on the 3rd instead.


MLW “ONE-SHOT”, 07/12/2023
Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Delmi Exo
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) Vs Maki Itoh

When Yamashita was announced for MLW a war of words broke out online between her and Delmi Exo. This year Exo held the women’s titles from both MLW and wXw at the same time. She no longer has either so she now has her sights set on the Princess Of Princess Title. Yamashita appreciated the challenge but turned it down because she already has her next defence scheduled for 4th January. Exo wasn’t happy with the response and sent insulting messages to Yamashita until the champion decided to accept the challenge and put Exo in her place. It all sounds well and good for a storyline but I’m a little worried MLW will pull off some bullshit when nobody is looking. They’ve done a phantom title change before with one of the AAA championships during the pandemic and tried to play it off as a misunderstanding over wires getting crossed. Call me skeptical but you should only ever trust Court Bauer as far as you can throw him.

In September Itoh lost a No. 1 Contender match to B3CCA so you may be wondering why she is still getting an MLW World Featherweight Title shot against Janai Kai? It’s because B3CCA has since gotten a knee injury and will be on the shelf for a few months. Can Itoh make the most of this unexpected opportunity?


DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Shazza McKenzie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Please don’t let Sean Ross Sapp interfere in this match.


MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins Vs Shota & J2

Shota is adding dates for his winter tour of America. The earliest match scheduled for him now is at Millenium Pro Wrestling. He will team with a former opponent from last year’s excursion, J2 Mattioli. Their opponents are a team called 24K.


DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Zamaya

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Yamashita and Emi Sakura in the same ring on the same team at the same time? They were on opposite sides once before and that was on a DPW show during the summer. Now we get to see how they will fare when they on the same page. Zayda Steel & Zamaya could be in for a rough night if their opponents gel together really well.


EWF “PRO WRESTLING LUCHA LIBRE”, 09/12/2023
VFW Post 8737, San Bernardino, California, USA

1. EWF Vs The World: Shota Vs Noah

Just like last year Shota’s trip to America has him showing up in some real obscure places on the independents. Empire Wrestling Federation is one of them and they have a wrestler called Noah ready to fight him.


GCW “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM 2”, 09/12/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie

GCW has gone full blown wacky over what they’re replacing Itoh Vs Bailey in LA with. That show is now getting Maki Death Kill against Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie!


SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm Vs Shota

Shota’s opponent when he comes over to Skyfire Pro is Rebel Storm.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Rika Tatsumi & Amira Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Trish Adora
4. Mizuki Vs Sandra Moone
5. Shoko Nakajima Vs Taya Valkyrie
6. Miu Watanabe Vs Hyan
7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly

The full card for “COMBAT PRINCESS USA” is here. Prestige have gathered together Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly, Hyan, Taya Valkyrie, Sandra Moone, Trish Adora, Janai Kai, Shazza McKenzie (replacing an injured Johnnie Robbie) and Amira to represent their side in a bunch of inter-promotional matches against TJPW.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Vinnie Massaro Vs Shota
2. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita

It’s neat to see Vinnine Massaro get to wrestle in NOAH earlier this week. I bet that was a big thrill for him.


CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. MAO Vs X

I’m not sure if MAO is entering the actual King Of The Deathmatch tournament or if he’s there in a separate attraction match.


GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh has her first 2024 dates with GCW ready to go.


GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

So far Itoh has Maki Death Kill and Maki Death Bussy under her list of alliances in GCW. Where does she go next?


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

DDT returns to America next year as part of The Collective in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania week. Sanshiro Takagi said on Twitter he would also like to do a Falls Count Anywhere match at the Philadelphia Museum Of Arts stairway from the Rocky movie if he is part of the crew travelling over.


Pompaler Get Good Fortune, Sakazaki’s Graduation Match, Akito Jealous Of ROMANCE DAWN

November 30, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 10TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ~WE ARE TJPW~”, 01/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Juria Nagano, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga & Runa Okubo
2. Hyper Misao & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
3. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Final: HIMAWARI Vs Wakana Uehara
4. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Viva Van
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. 10th Anniversary Special 10-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo

A press conference was held today for the two title matches taking place tomorrow. There was a contract signing for the Princess Tag Team Titles but Max The Impaler did not show up on time. Free WiFi and Pom Harajuku went ahead with signing the contract and giving their opinions about the match. Harajuku said this is her second time challenging for the title and she wanted to be stronger this time. She came up with an idea to buy an expensive pair of high heeled shoes to make her taller and feel bigger. At this point Max arrived at the building and stormed into the room looking to fight Nao Kakuta. Max then smeared ink onto the contract with their thumb (that counts as a signature) and left with Harajuku. Hikari Noa talked about her idea of taming Max the same way she tames her big pet dog at home. Kakuta thinks they shouldn’t leave their guard down against Harajuku so their plan should be to keep Pompaler apart from each other. Free WiFi are feeling the pressure of being the defending champions at the 10th Anniversary show. Meanwhile Pompaler went to the Kanda Myojin Shrine to get their fortune told. The fortune they got was a great one, predicting they will win easily tomorrow.

Yuki Kamifuku and Viva Van were also at the press conference to talk about the Queen Of Asia Title Match. Van spoke about being a Vietnamese-American wrestler coming to Japan to make history. While she is proud to be a part of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s 10th Anniversary show and got along with Kamifuku when they teamed together last weekend, she is also a belt collector and here to win. Kamifuku talked about wrestling in other Asian countries this year. She is steadily becoming fulfilled about what she wants to do as a wrestler. Her goal now is defending the Queen Of Asia Title as a proper champion in order to raise its value while spreading the word of TJPW across the continent. She thinks Van is gorgeous and is looking forward to the match because it will be between two beautiful Asian women. She is worried about damaging her nails though.

The 10-Woman Tag main event is Best 2-Out-3 Falls with a 60 minute time limit.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 1”, 02/12/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi Vs Jun Akiyama, Yuki Iino, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya
2. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (0) Vs HARASHIMA (0)
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (0) Vs Daisuke Sasaki (0)
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes (0) Vs KANON (2)
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (2) Vs Kazuki Hirata (0)
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (2) Vs Rei Saito (2)
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Toru Sugiura & Akito

The KO-D Tag Team Titles have never been held by Akito and he wants to change that fact. Toru Sugiura is one of his longest known friends going back to their days in Nagoya where they got their starts at separate wrestling groups in the area. Seeing ROMANCE DAWN win the tag titles made Akito jealous because he is currently not in a unit or teaming with a close friend. That’s why he chose Sugiura to be his partner for the title match. If they become champions then Akito wants to do a tag title defence in a similar style to a DDT Extreme Title defence.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 10TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE ~YUKA SAKAZAKI GRADUATION SPECIAL~”, 06/12/2023
Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Wakana Uehara, Shino Suzuki & Runa Okubo Vs HIMAWARI, Toga & Haru Kazashiro
2. Miu Watanabe, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
3. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta, Mizuki & Moka Miyamoto Vs Hyper Misao. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Yuka Sakazaki & Rika Tatsumi Vs Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
5. Yuka Sakazaki Graduation Special 3 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima

TJPW will be saying goodbye to Yuka Sakazaki with not one but two matches on her graduation day. First Sakazaki teams with Rika Tatsumi for a tag match against Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi. All four people used to be together in an entertainment group called DPG (Dramatic Perfect Group). The group were also involved with the TJPW launch show ten years ago so it is a fitting way to send Sakazaki off. However she will have a second match in the main event against the other two longest serving members of TJPW. It’s a 3 Way Match against Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima!

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Rika Tatsumi & Amira Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Trish Adora
4. Mizuki Vs Sandra Moone
5. Shoko Nakajima Vs Taya Valkyrie
6. Miu Watanabe Vs Hyan
7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly

Johnnie Robbie is out injured and has to miss the show next month. Shazza McKenzie is coming in as Janai Kai’s new tag partner against Free WiFi.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 THE FINAL”, 03/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Tag Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima
2. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block

The last time Shunma Katsumata wrestled was in May when he defended the Extreme Title against Hideki Okatani. That was the match where he injured his ankle and was out of action for eight months. When Katsumata returns on 3rd January Okatani will be there waiting for him so they can continue where they left off. It’s a tag match though so Katsumata will be with The 37KAMIINA teammate Toy Kojima while Okatani is there as part of Eruption with Yukio Sakaguchi.

Rei Saito is guaranteed to be on the show whether he makes it to the D-Oh Grand Prix final or not.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WILL IMPRESS YOU ’23” Results

November 23, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WILL IMPRESS YOU ’23”, 23/11/2023
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
210 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shoko Nakajima defeated Pom Harajuku with the Northern Lights Suplex (9:17).
2. Shin Numabukuro Ghost Story Death Match: Yumehito Imanari defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda and Amon Tsurumi when Imanari knocked out Tsurumi with the It’s You (9:22).
3. Rika Tatsumi defeated Demonio with the Hip Attack (17:00).
4. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hyper Misao defeated Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa & Yuki Aino when Sakazaki pinned Aino with the Burning Magical Merry-Go-Round (16:34).

Tokyo Joshi Pro celebrated Labor Thanksgiving Day with a special one-off show that was half a tribute to their earlier years and half an excuse for the women to go absolutely bonkers. There were familiar faces from TJPW’s past present in the venue. The main event however was not built around nostalgia. Instead it looked like a blatant attempt by the craziest women on the roster to burn the entire place down! When Hikari Noa was one of the quieter wrestlers in the match that’s saying something.

Miyu Yamashita wore her old gear and danced to her previous entrance song “Genghis Khan” by Berryz Kobo. Then in the main event she ended up getting trapped in a cage and surrounded with fireworks. Everyone else happily set off the fireworks while Yamashita was at her most helpless. Then Mizuki did a dive from the top of the tour bus onto everyone below. There was more pyro fun when Hyper Misao armed herself with a mallet and helmet that both set off fireworks. Yuki Aino grabbed some sparklers until Yuka Sakazaki decided to set the back of Aino’s outfit on fire and then spin her in circles with the Magical Merry-Go-Round, all while the pyro was still going off.

Don’t know if it was Uno, Dos or another Demonio entirely. The poor demon was terrorized by Rika Tatsumi in her latest fight against the ungodly beings that show up whenever TJPW is in Tsurumi. This time Tatsumi dragged Demonio away from the venue to the streets where the fought along a pedestrian crossing. Tatsumi also took the time to get some fast food to eat while she was beating up Demonio. Back in the venue Tatsumi found a forklift and wanted to use it. She couldn’t get it to work though and Demonio recovered enough to attack her. Antonio Honda came to Tatsumi’s aid and the two of them hit a Double Bionic Elbow. Tatsumi then finished off Demonio with a Sliding Hip Attack.

Honda also took part in a 3 Way Match with Yumehito Imanari and Super Sasadango Machine. The match was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Amon Tsurumi. He was here to transform the bout into a Ghost Story Death Match! He told his scary story and at the climax caused people to faint one by one by pointing at them and shouting “It’s you!” Imanari resisted though and gave Tsurumi a taste of his own medicine by doing it to him! Tsurumi collapsed and Imanari did his own Atsushi Onita impersonation while “Wild Thing” played. That means Imanari was the winner.

Shoko Nakajima noticed a trail of kaiju toys were laid out by the entrance way. She couldn’t help but pick them up and follow the trail until it led her towards a parked car in the venue. She opened the door and out popped Pom Harajuku with a surprise attack! Nakajima regained ground in the ring by attacking Harajuku with one of the kaiju toys. She ended up winning with the Northern Lights Suplex.

Some of the old TJPW talent who attended the show also got involved one way or another. Minami Momochi was the promotion’s first ring announcer so it was only right to take up that job again today. Nodoka Tenma appeared in the ring with Miraclians for the show opening speech. She later reappeared wearing a Nodoka-oneesan hat to perform Pin Pon Pan Gymnastics with current members of the roster. Marika Kobashi and KANNA were both in the audience and helped Yamashita complete a rubber band snap spot on Misao. Akane Miura worked staff duties but I think she usually does that in TJPW anyway.


Four Shows Tomorrow, DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE

November 22, 2023

BASARA “BASARA 236 ~TAKAGARI 21~”, 23/11/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

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

Hello, there are four shows going on tomorrow. Whose bright idea was that?

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WILL IMPRESS YOU ’23”, 23/11/2023
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

1. 3 Way Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Yumehito Imanari Vs Antonio Honda
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Demonio
3. Shoko Nakajima Vs Pom Harajuku
4. Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa & Yuki Aino Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hyper Misao

Miyu Yamashita is back in Japan but without the EVE Championship. She lost it to Safire Reed in London over the weekend.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2023 IN MIYAGI”, 23/11/2023
Miyagi Yume Messe West Building Hall

1. KANON Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & Demus Vs Yuni & Yuya Koroku
3. Miyagi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazuki Hirata & Aizawa No.1 & Ilusion Vs HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
4. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Rukiya
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs MJ Paul
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Chris Brookes, Akito & Yukio Naya

The last DDT show before the D-Oh Grand Prix begins.

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

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

It’s the return of Dan The Dad, back in Japan to see all his kids from that part of the world again. Does that mean they are the same “big children” Hyper Misao always say hello to in her speeches?

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Iino & Rukiya
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs MAO, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya Vs KANON
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata Vs Rei Saito
8. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku

Since D.O.A are sticking around for the time being, Jun Akiyama is splitting his time between them and BURNING. He does not have many days left as part of the latter group but he’ll be cheering on Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku in the All Asia Tag Team Titles match against Eruption.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN FUKUOKA”, 16/12/2023
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

0. Dark Match – Kyushu Sangyo University Pro Wrestling Research Department Offer Match: Ionazun Shirai & Tiger Nishiya Mask Vs Great Tamu & Occult Daimao
1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Soma Takao & Rukiya Vs Yukio Naya, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Toy Kojima & Van Vert Jack Vs Azul Dragon, Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs HARASHIMA
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Daisuke Sasaki
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Iino
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Kazuki Hirata
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: KANON Vs Rei Saito

It’s good to see Vent Vert Jack again. I wanted him to stick around with or without the DDTeeeen!! project but it just wasn’t meant to be.

When in doubt, go to the college pro wrestling clubs for some new blood. Kyushu Sangyo University has four wrestlers on offer: Ionazun Shirai, Tiger Nishiya Mask, Great Tamu and Occult Daimao.

DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN KUMAMOTO”, 17/12/2023
Kumamoto Sakurajuji Hall Yatsushiro Multipurpose Hall

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao, Yukio Naya & Rukiya
3. D.O.A Vs SCHADENFREUDE International: Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Harimao!: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yuki Iino
6. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO Vs KANON

This show is in Yuki Ishida’s home region so he gets a tag match against the KO-D Openweight Champion.

This might be the last time the main four members of BURNING are all teaming together before Akiyama leaves the unit.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 06/01/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Bodyguard, Tsutenkakka & X

A dispute has emerged over the D.O.A name. The initials used by the team means “Dead Or Alive”. However that is also the name of Bodyguard’s theme song and he does not want anybody else using the phrase while he’s around. He is putting together a team made up of Osaka wrestlers to challenge the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions. If Bodyguard’s team win then they get the belts and D.O.A must give up their team name. Tsutenkakka volunteered to be one of the members of the team. The other will be whoever from Osaka that Bodyguard thinks has enough guts to take on the challenge.


DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” Results

November 12, 2023

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,785 Fans – No Vacancy

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Takao pinned Honda with the Gin And Tonic (7:46).
*V1 for ROMANCE DAWN.
2. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated KANON & MJ Paul, Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi, Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida and Yuni & Rukiya (9:32).
2a. Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi eliminated Yuni & Rukiya when Doi pinned Yuni with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (4:18).
2b. KANON & MJ Paul eliminated Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Kojima with a Running Body Press (6:38).
2c. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku eliminated Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi by Ring Out when Okada threw Doi over the top rope (7:53).
2d. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku eliminated KANON & MJ Paul when Koroku pinned Paul with a Cradle (9:32).
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki defeated Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara when Arai pinned Uehara with the Finally (11:15).
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match – Japanese Dogeza Match: Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Takagi apologized to Sasadango (8:20).
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Takeshi Masada with a Crucifix Pin (13:14).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo when Naya pinned Toshizo with the World’s Best Back Drop (10:11).
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Tetsuya Endo by Referee Stoppage with the Crossover Face Lock (14:50).
8. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita defeated Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Yamashita pinned Akai with the Skull Kick (20:30).
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Nivea Cream Care Body Wash Presents ~ Dramatic Dream Round “Let’s Have Fun!!” What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Fisherman Suplex (R5 3:53).
*V? for Hiromu Takahashi.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt defeated Hiromu Takahashi (c) by Pinfall (5:36 pm).
*IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt becomes the 1,590th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt (c) by Pinfall (5:37 pm).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,591st champion.
10. DDT Universal Title – No DQ Match: MAO defeated Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) with the Radio Silence onto a Plastic Case (16:50).
*Matt Cardona fails in V2. MAO becomes the 12th DDT Universal Champion!
11. Double Main Event I: Chris Jericho defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA with the Walls Of Jericho (23:35).
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Double Main Event II: Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the WR (29:39).
*Chris Brookes fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 82nd KO-D Openweight Champion!

A new KO-D Openweight Champion has been crowned! For the last couple of years Yuki Ueno set himself a hefty goal of becoming the guy to carry all of DDT on his back. There were setbacks and big walls to climb over along the way but it all lead to his crowning moment at Sumo Hall today. On a show filled with other matches taking up the spotlight, it was Ueno’s match with Chris Brookes that ended the day with DDT’s biggest prize on the line. The two close friends fighting each other on such a big occasion brought out their reckless sides. It didn’t take long for the fight to make its way outside the ring where Ueno did a Moonsault from the entrance arch and later Brookes put him through a table with a Piledriver. Back in the ring the two almost took each other to a double knockout and then a double countout but they kept showing life to continue. Brookes hit the Praying Mantis Bomb twice with the second being an elevated version of the finisher. But Ueno kicked out of both of them and fired back with doing the BME twice. Brookes kicked out of them so Ueno then used the WR. This time Brookes had no answer for it and Ueno pinned him to become the new KO-D Champion!

Brookes was the one to wrap the belt around Ueno’s waist and then hug him before leaving the ring. Ueno said on the microphone that when Brookes came to DDT they became friends right away. He told Brookes to stay in Japan so they can fight each other in DDT even more. Ueno then told the fans he discovered DDT in his second year of high school thanks to his classmate Konosuke Takeshita. Ueno took the path to becoming a pro wrestler, grew little by little and has now become the champion he never thought he would become. His dream now is to fill every venue and live up to the high expectations a champion should have. He also showed support for the rest of The 37KAMIINA for all of their hard work and success. Meanwhile backstage Brookes spoke to reporters about having more motivation than ever. He thinks a key to Ueno’s victory is being part of a unit that supports each other. Brookes has Masahiro Takanashi and Antonio Honda to rely on but they’ve never been an actual stable together. That is until now. Brookes remembers being part of a group in England called SCHADENFREUDE. This new unit will carry the same name and can be called SCHADENFREUDE International! Brookes then noticed Takeshi Masada was nearby and invited him to join to make it a group of four people. Masada happily accepted the offer to fight for his “wrestling dad” from now on.

The show promoted two main events and the one placed second to last on the card had the most international interest going into it. Chris Jericho wrestled in DDT for the first time to face Takeshita in a match that carries over their current storyline from AEW. There was no sign of Don Callis anywhere so the match went ahead without any threat of outside interference to worry about. Jericho entered to his “Judas” theme song and the audience knew to sing along with the chorus. He and Takeshita fought around ringside where Jericho stole a photographer’s camera to take pictures of his opponent while beating him up. In the ring Takeshita blocked the Judas Effect and tried to win using the Walls Of Takeshita, his version of Jericho’s submission hold. He also used the Super Blue which is the top rope Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Takeshita followed up with Jumping Knee Strikes and then pulled down his kneepad in order to deliver one final strike. But Jericho cut Takeshita off and trapped him in the Walls Of Jericho. No matter how hard Takeshita tried to escape, it was usless and he had to tap out.

After the match Jericho stuck out his hand to Takeshita. To everyone’s surprise Takeshita shook Jericho’s hand. He then got on the microphone and told the fans his big dream is not going to end yet! Backstage he said the Walls Of Jericho he tried to climb over was much higher than he anticipated. His feud with Jericho is not over and they will continue to fight each other in America. He then made it clear that in Japan he will continue to be Konosuke Takeshita of DDT. In the United States he will become the world’s number one as KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Today is not the end but the beginning of his dramatic dream. Jericho in his post-match interview said he wanted to do this match in DDT instead of AEW. He is full of praise for Takeshita and thinks the only reason he didn’t win today is because his opponent was Chris Jericho. He would accept an offer to fight Takeshita again 100 times out of 100. He also said he would like to wrestle Tetsuya Endo, Kota Ibushi and Minoru Suzuki. The last one in particular Jericho wants to take place in Japan at a venue the size of Sumo Hall or bigger. He enjoyed his time here in DDT and would come back as long as they can find the right important opponent for him.

Two people who did not enjoy as much of their time with DDT this weekend were Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander. They returned to Japan so Cardona could defend the DDT Universal Title again but his challenger MAO was a major annoyance for them. First Cardona and MAO got into a fight at yesterday’s press conference and that resulted in the title match turning into a No DQ bout. Cardona tried to win straight away by immediately doing the Radio Silence to MAO for a two count. De Lander quickly intervened too which caused the injured Shunma Katsumata to get involved at ringside so the playing field was back to being even. Yukinori Matsui got knocked out during the chaos so there was no referee around. The solution was to bring in Yoshihiko as the substitute ref! Both Cardona and MAO had to grab Yoshihiko and guide it to counting their pinfalls until De Lander threw it out of the ring. Luckily Matsui recovered and was able to continue doing his job while Cardona and MAO smashed plastic cases over each other. Cardona stacked up a pile of cases but went through them himself thanks MAO giving him a top rope Radio Silence. When the dust settled, MAO pinned Cardona on top of the wreckage to win the Universal Title!

Cardona & De Lander stormed off blaming the result on screwjobs while MAO celebrated with the title. MAO said it’s been a long time since he last held the Universal Title and he was able to win today because he worked hard in front of a large crowd. He then announced his first challenger for the belt will be Demus. There is already a singles match between the two booked for 19th November so it will now have the title on the line. Backstage MAO said he couldn’t do what he wanted with the title the first time around because of the pandemic. He has a lot of regrets but today is his happy ending and he can now start a new story. Meanwhile Cardona compared what happened here to the Montreal Screwjob and complained about interference from Katsumata and Toy Kojima. This was the Tokyo Screwjob! He promised when he returns to DDT he will be coming for the KO-D Openweight Title!

Nobody was prepared for what Hiromu Takahashi and Kazuki Hirata had in store for everyone. Not even those two! Takahashi entered Sumo Hall as the defending Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and agreed to take part in a match filled with match stipulations normally reserved for the DDT Extreme Title. Every round lasted two minutes and began with a roulette wheel on the screen picking a new stipulation. This would go on until a winner was determined. Round 1 was a Musical Sitatuon Death Match where everyone had to do moves that were fitting for the song being played. Takahashi ignored the rule until Hisaya Imabayashi yelled at him on the microphone. When Sengoku era music played Takahashi and Hirata fought each other like samurai. Then romantic music began playing and the two slowly embraced each other. The round ended right before they were about to kiss. Round 2 was a Handicap Match allowing Hirata to team up with Yoshihiko. They had the early advantage until Takahashi got rid of Hirata so he could fight Yoshihiko one on one. Takahashi did the Time Bomb but Yoshihiko kicked out at one. Takahashi then did the Time Bomb II but Yoshihiko kicked out of that as well! It was then onto Round 3, the Blindfold Hidden Breat Death Match! Takahashi and Hirata had to wear blindfolds and bras. The goal was to strip off the opponent’s bra without being able to see. The two eventually found each other and Hirata had a grip of Takahashi’s bra. But the round ended before he could pull it off. Round 4 was a Dancing Death Match but Takahashi did everything he could to prevent Hirata from dancing, leaving the crowd very upset. For Round 5 the roulette wheel was about to land on Normal Rules but instead stopped at the Dancing Death Match again. This time the round was given a 55 minute time limit. Takahashi knocked down his opponent and picked up the Hirata GO! glasses. He admitted he’s been prepared to dance ever since this match was announced! He put the glasses on, “Tokyo GO!” began to play and Takahashi danced with Hirata. The dance turned into a fight with Hirata using the Miracle One Shot Cradle for a nearfall. Takahashi fought back and used the Fisherman Suplex to pin Hirata for a three count. It is the same move Takahashi used to beat Hirata in their first match together back in 2011.

That wasn’t the end of it by a long shot. Takahashi had just defended the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and laid down next to Hirata with the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title belt resting on his chest. Big mistake. Yukinori Matsui, as sharp-eyed as always, noticed the belt on top of Takahashi and suddenly gave a three count. A confused Takahashi looked up as it was announced that the actual IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt itself was now the Iron Man Champion! Hirata quickly grabbed the belt and pinned it on the canvas. Matsui counted along and then declared Hirata was now the Iron Man Champion! When Takahashi finally figured out what had happened he shook Hirata’s hand and tried to roll him up to win the belt back but failed. Hirata escaped from ringside, leaving Takahashi by himself in the ring. Then when Takahashi walked away, Danshoku Dieno crept up from behind and gave him a big kiss when he turned around. Backstage Takahashi said this is the end of his story with Hirata and they may never see each other again. He suggests his next story could be with Keisuke Ishii because he’s never beaten him in their three singles matches. He had more to say but Dieno reappeared and chased him off.

Saki Akai’s pro wrestling career in the ring has now come to an end. After spending a decade in the ring, Akai announced in the summer her choice to step away at her peak of performance, feeling it is better to end her career as a beautiful rose instead of a wilting flower. By doing this she gets to be a rare case of a pro wrestler getting to retire on their own terms without ever suffering a serious injury. For her final match Akai teamed up with the rest of Eruption one last time. Their opponents were also all of her choosing. There was Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH because Akai felt she was strong enough to face him in the ring. They also knew each other from before Akai got into wrestling. Kazusada Higuchi was picked because he is a former member of Eruption who founded the unit with Akai and Yukio Sakaguchi. And third was Miyu Yamashita from Tokyo Joshi Pro because they are friends in private who helped with each other’s wrestling careers a lot. Akai got to get time in the ring against all three opponents while Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani were there for backup. Akai kept fighting despite taking a Thrust Kick from Marufuji and a Headbutt from Higuchi. The match came down to her against Yamashita with Akai trying to last as long as she could before finally falling to the Skull Kick to end her last match.

With the match complete everybody got their chance to shake Akai’s hand before the retirement ceremony began. Akai was sent video messages from several notable pro wrestlers. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe and Genichiro Tenryu all wishing her the best. Next Akai received bouquets of flowers from Eruption, her friends Takumi Iroha and Rina Yamashita and also Sanshiro Takagi. Akai was praised by Takagi for becoming a truly fine pro wrestler who made it without suffering any major injuries. There were many ideas Takagi came up with when he scouted her that Akai never complained about. He now has one more idea. Akai is now finished with wrestling but DDT still needs her so would she like to continue working with DDT behind the scenes? Akai thanked Takagi for the offer and said she will help make everyone in DDT shine. Akai was then shown an unexpected video message from Shinsuke Nakamura! He was the person Akai watched that made her hooked on wrestling. He told Akai her wrestling has touched people’s lives and she should use that inspiration to become the person she wants to be in her next stage of life. Akai then gave a speech to the fans. She had her debut match here in Sumo Hall 10 years ago but her view back then and her view now is completely different. She has come to think of DDT and their fans as family. Once she steps out of the ring she will no longer be a wrestler but those family ties will never be broken. Her pro wrestling life was a dream that made her happy and she loves everyone from the bottom of her heart. The ceremony ended with the ten bell salute, her final ring announcement and the ring being filled with streamers.

There were some more comments from everyone during their post-match interviews. Yamashita didn’t feel the impact of it being Akai’s final match until she saw Akai stepping into the ring. She is thankful to be chosen for the match and said it is a great honour to team with Marufuji. In fact, she would like to fight Marufuji herself one day! Marufuji approved of the idea and would like to have a singles match against her if all of the promotions involved agree to it. Higuchi struggled to find the words to say about Akai’s retirement. All he could do is thank her for her hard work. Sakaguchi and Okatani also felt too emotional about the match to talk about it. Akai said she doesn’t know what is going to happen next but if she believes Takagi’s offer is real then she is staying attached to DDT. She heard her mother was in attendance so she wants to go show her she is safe and sound after the match.

Two former friends met in the ring when Tetsuya Endo took on Daisuke Sasaki to see if either of them really have moved on from DAMNATION. Sasaki did his Diving Elbow Drop out of the ring onto Endo in the front row. Endo hit back by putting Sasaki through a table at ringside with the Firebird Splash. Sasaki tried to play mind games by giving Endo a hug but he was pushed away. Endo got a nearfall with the Canadian Destroyer and then went for the Burning Star Press. Sasaki blocked it with his knees and put Endo in the Crossover Face Lock, keeping the pressure up until Endo lost consciousness and the match was stopped. Sasaki swears he heard Endo say “Thank you” to him and that was Endo’s true feelings. Endo said he blanked out until he heard Sasaki’s music playing. He lost but like a phoenix he will come back and start from scratch. Endo has turned negative emotions into energy before and he will do it again to reach the top of DDT.

The DDT Vs All Japan rivalry was on display in Match #6. Jun Akiyama grouped himself with HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya to defend home turf from the Voodoo Murders. It was a chance for Naya to size himself up against Rei Saito before the D-Ou Grand Prix begins. Rei’s brother Jun Saito missed a Lariat aimed for Naya, hitting Toshizo instead by mistake. Naya took over and hit Toshizo with a Knee Lift before pinning him with the World’s Best Back Drop. Naya warned Rei Saito he will show the difference of power between them in the D-Ou Grand Prix.

The return of an ikeman to DDT inspired Takeshi Masada to wear new trunks for his match. He better have felt comfortable in them because Kuroshio TOKYO Japan is back to stretching out his ring entrance for as long as he possibly can. Kuroshio already had several matches back in Japan since leaving WWE but hasn’t won any of them. So he was looking for his first win in a long time against an opponent recommended to him by Takeshita. It was a back and forth match that saw Kuroshio grab victory from the jaws of defeat by pinning Masada with a Crucifix Pin. His advice to Masada is to brush up on the basics. However Kuroshio admits that Masada is better at this stage of his career than he was. He would like to fight him again. Masada was disappointed to go through all this effort to get a new ring costume only to lose.

Takagi made a last minute decision to turn his 8-Man Tag Match into a Japanese Dogeza Match. The goal is to make your opponent kneel down and apologize on the microphone. Takagi tried to force Dieno to make an apology but he refused because he is putting his life on the line. Akito then bribed Dieno with a year’s worth of dog food for his beloved pet dog Haku. Dieno agreed to it until Yoshitatsu stopped him. Yoshitatsu then pulled down the back of Akito’s tights to break up his Ankle Lock on Dieno. Yoshihiko wiped out Makoto Oishi while Dieno put Shinichiro Kawamatsu in the Lip Lock. Super Sasadango Machine instructed the cameraman at ringside to film a close up of Kawamatsu with Dieno in order to cause a massive scandal that will harm Kawamatsu’s political career. In order to protect DDT’s reputation, Takagi got on his knees and apologized to end the match in defeat. Backstage Dieno, Sasadango and Yoshitatsu spoke to each other about their age. They are all 46 years old so they came up with an idea to call themselves Just Same Age. Meanwhile Akito said there are not enough apologies in pro wrestling. He can say that again.

TJPW had more representation on the show with their own 6-Woman Tag Match on the undercard. Yuki Arai scored the pinfall for her team after hitting Wakana Uehara with the Finally axe kick. Arai said she was happy to take part and get to see Akai’s retirement with her own eyes. Shino Suzuki admitted she was nervous because it is her first time wrestling in Sumo Hall. It makes her want to do her best knowing that TJPW will be running their own Sumo Hall show next year. Moka Miyamoto is pleased she was able to show her style to people who have never seen TJPW before. Suzume praised Uehara for her effort and talked about what it was like when she got to wrestle in Sumo Hall so shortly after her debut. Arisu Endo was disappointed to lose but liked that the fans were cheering for her more than she expected.

The next challengers for the All Asia Tag Team Titles proved their worth by winning a Tag Team Rumble. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku outlasted four other teams with KANON & MJ Paul being their biggest threat. By winning this match Okada is confident he and Okada are ready to bring the belts back to BURNING. Koroku said it proves they are serious about winning the All Asia Tag Titles. They don’t have a track record as a team but it’s all about their feelings. They will put their hearts into beating Eruption for the belts next month.

The ROMANCE DAWN continues for Shota & Soma Takao. They successfully defended the KO-D Tag Team Titles against Takanashi & Honda in the opener. Honda gave Takao the Tenzan Tombstone Driver but missed the Diving Fist Drop afterward. Takao recovered to pin Honda with the Gin And Tonic. Shota said Sumo Hall is where Takao made his pro wrestling debut which makes him jealous. They are from different promotions but that means there are many possibilities for where they can defend the KO-D Tag Titles next. Takao said that being able to beat two veterans who debuted before them is another accomplishment for ROMANCE DAWN. Honda revealed he is embarrased to lose to the Gin And Tonic because he is non-alcoholic. Takanashi suggested they should next go after the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Brookes.

Yuki Iino appeared midway through the show to explain his recent whereabouts. When Pheromones disbanded he was sent to a facility to remove every trace of Pheromones and sexiness from his body. The treatment was a success and he is now ready to win the D-Ou Grand Prix. He hopes everyone will look forward to seeing the new Yuki Iino.

At the very end of the show, once the credits finished rolling Ueno went into the locker room to celebrate with the rest of the roster. He went over to Akai and gave her a retirement gift and everyone got together for a group message. That got interrupted when wrestlers started going after Hirata for the Iron Man Title. Hirata was chased out of the room by mostly everybody, leaving Ueno behind on his own. Takeshita then walked into the room and stood in front of Ueno. The two had a staredown and then hugged with Takeshita congratulating his friend for finally making it to the top of DDT. Meanwhile Hirata was chased back to ringside where he hid under the ring until the other wrestlers went away. He whispered into the microphone to say goodbye to the audience while Toru Owashi watched him from nearby.

It was announced that “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” will be held in Sumo Hall on 21st July, 2024.