GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO MINEL VATON SAGA ’23”, 17/09/2023 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall 151 Fans
1. Alex Lee defeated Echika Miyabi with the Vinco Plex (8:26).
2. Miyako Matsumoto & Kaho Kobayashi defeated Sumire Natsu & Riara when Kobayashi pinned Riara with the Fisherman Suplex (15:01).
3. Ice Ribbon Offer Match: Ibuki Hoshi defeated Arisa Shinose with a Diving Body Press (7:48).
4. Tomoka Inaba & Azusa Inaba defeated Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Tomoka pinned Hasegawa with the Inaba Otoshi (17:00).
5. Special Single Match: Haruka Umesaki defeated YuuRI with the German Suplex (15:54).
On the hunt to win a championship again, YuuRI set her sights on Haruka Umesaki who currently holds the WWWD Single Title in her home promotion called Diana. A non-title match was put together here in Ganbare☆Joshi, giving YuuRI the home field advantage. However Umesaki won the match clean and decisively. She said she always wanted to wrestle YuuRI and was glad it happened. YuuRI told her she isn’t giving up her quest to win the WWWD Title from her and some day she will surpass her! According to Umesaki, she will go consult with Diana to put together a title match if everybody wants it to happen.
A reunion for Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa brought the two together for a tag match against the Inaba Sisters from JTO. The visitors won the match, leaving Hasegawa feeling dejected. She wasn’t able to win even when she had Takase’s help. Takase encouraged her to keep working hard and together they will get Hasegawa her first direct win. Both Tomoka Inaba & Azusa Inaba believe they were able to show momentum for their first appearance as a team in GanJo.
The last time the ICEx∞ Title was in GanJo it was YuuRI’s championship. It now belongs to Ibuki Hoshi and she brought it with her for the Ice Ribbon offer match against Arisa Shinose.
The Hostess Tag Team has now reached a crossroads. They lost to Miyako Matsumoto & Kaho Kobayashi in a match where everybody was accusing each other of getting plastic surgery. Sumire Natsu & Riara have teamed up three times now and haven’t won once. Natsu thinks Riara needs to change her focus to what’s in front of her instead of worrying about getting their tag team over with the fans. She’s going to help her any way that she can so they will some day drink celebretory champagne together for winning a match.
Echika Miyabi’s match with Alex Lee was put together to celebrate Miyabi’s one year anniversary of her debut match. Miyabi’s first pro wrestling bout took place on 14th September last year.
The GanJo GM Yuna Manase gave everyone an update on her injury recovery. She’s at the point now where she can walk around in heels again.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 667 Fans
1. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with the Hangover!! (8:38).
2. Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono defeated YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba when Iroha pinned YuuRI with the Running Three (16:43).
3. Sayaka Unagi defeated Riara with the Sliding U (6:08).
4. Miyuki Takase defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Diving Guillotine Drop (11:24).
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga when Ishii pinned Shota with the Kneel Kick (10:30).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Survival 4 Way Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE defeated Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura and Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki (14:57).
6a. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki when Jackson pinned Okada with the Piledriver (10:54).
6b. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura by Ring Out when HARUKAZE knocked Fujita out of the ring (12:25).
6c. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi when HARUKAZE pinned Ohka with the Fire Spear (14:57).
7. Special Single Match: El Lindaman defeated Yumehito Imanari with the German Suplex (16:33).
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada defeated Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) when Katsumura submitted Maeguchi with the Triple Three 3 Lock (19:43). *Hentai Punch Drunkers fails in V2. Ground Absolute become the 2nd Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Champions!
9. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka defeated Mizuki Watase (c) with the Isamiashi Zan (17:30). *Mizuki Watase fails in V5. Isami Kodaka becomes the 5th Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion!
For the second time Ganbare☆Pro was at Ota Ward Gymnasium to establish “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” as their premier supercard for the year. By the end of the show the promotion suffered a big defeat against Pro Wrestling BASARA when Mizuki Watase lost the Spirit Of Ganbare Title to Isami Kodaka! The result comes as a major blow to Watase who was on the run of his life both as GanPro’s champion and a leading contestant in the Fire Festival tournament in ZERO1. His fight with Kodaka came close to ending in a knockout several times with both wrestlers avoiding the 10 count. Watase’s reliable Elbow Strikes could only take him so far until he was caught with a Rabbit Punch, a Buzzsaw Kick and then the Isamiashi Zan for the title change.
After the match Kodaka called the SOG Title his passport that will let him continue wrestling in GanPro. He praised Watase for being strong and admitted there were times he reached breaking point against him. But the SOG Title is proof of who can survive the toughest of endurance contests. Now the GanPro ring belongs to Sento Minzoku! Kodaka then promoted his upcoming BASARA match against SHO from New Japan on 23rd July before leaving to celebrate with his unit. The rest of the GanPro roster came out to console Watase as he was apologising for losing. Shuichiro Katsumura said Watase showed his strength last year when he won the title and wrestled across the indies as GanPro’s champion. He has given everyone else courage so many times so they will be fine. It’s time to regroup and get the belt back. Watase promised to regain the title because Shinjiro Otani taught him to never give up!
It looks like Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada are calling their tag team Ground Absolute. Katsumura’s been tweeting that name every time he talks about preparations for today’s match against Hentai Punch Drunkers. It’s probably going to stick because Katsumura & Wada are the new Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Champions! Wada had to handle Hikaru Sato while Katsumura fought off Tyson Maeguchi. Katsumura kicked out of the Tyson Splash and was saved by Wada after taking Buzzsaw Kicks. He recovered and caught Maeguchi in a submission, making him give up to the Triple Three 3 Lock. Wada pointed out this is the first time in pro wrestling where a champion tag team is made up of a former Shooto champion and a former Pancrase champion. Backstage Maeguchi tried to deny to Sato that he gave up but eventually admitted defeat. The Punch Drunkers agree they can win back the titles and would have their rematch tomorrow if they could.
Even though Yumehito Imanari lost to El Lindaman in a close match, he got what he wanted out of it. He now understands why Lindaman is the Strong Heart of GLEAT because a strong heart keeps you alive no matter what. Imanari thinks his own heart is weak. However Lindaman doesn’t agree. The feelings they experienced today is something only they and Shigehiro Irie (who was at ringside for the bout) will understand. It was the kind of match Lindaman always wanted and he shared a toast with Imanari backstage to celebrate it. He hopes to do a rematch on a bigger stage someday.
The new SOG Tag Champions already have their first challengers lined up. The mixed gender team of Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE made a clean sweep of the 4 Way Elimination match although it came with a bit of luck. They eliminated Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki first when Jackson pinned Kazaki with the Piledriver. Then HARUKAZE was able to knock Minoru Fujita over the top rope and out of the ring to eliminate him & Daiki Shimomura. Finally HARUKAZE pinned Ken Ohka with the Flame Spear to win the match. However the reason that happened was because Ohka was betrayed by Kuma Arashi!
Ohka & Arashi seemed to be doing well as a team and could have won the match. But when they got themselves hyped up for the finish, Arashi gave Ohka a Lariat and left him to get beaten by HARUKAZE! If that wasn’t enough, after the match Koji Doi suddenly ran into the ring and joined in on Arashi’s attack on Ohka! Arashi explained backstage that nobody wants to team with Ohka. Today is the start of DoiKuma’s revolutionary invasion of GanPro! They are going to rebuild the promotion in their image in order to make it the best wrestling company.
Team Drift defeated Young Communication in a same-generation 6-Man Tag Match. It came down to Keisuke Ishii and Shota with the Frog Splash and Tiger Suplex giving both wrestlers nearfalls. Ishii kicked out of the Gannosuke Clutch and scored the victory by striking Shota with the Kneel Kick. Shota said the match shows that their generation is the one to watch. Akito said he would like to do these matches more and more because it breaks up his trend of having to fight Pheromones over and over. He also wants to have as much ring time with Irie he can get before their careers end. Shinichiro Tominaga described pro wrestling like a lover you only get to see once or twice a month. Soma Takao said he wants to follow Irie’s lead and show that everybody in Team Drift still has a lot to do.
The early portion of the card was mostly made up of matches from the Ganbare☆Joshi division. Yoshiko Hasegawa was given a big task of taking on Miyuki Takase, losing to her in a competitive effort. She was able to kicked out of an Ace Crusher and Lariat, then scored a nearfall using the Tornado Clutch. She then made the mistake of rushing to make her next move, leading to her charging into a Power Slam. With Takase back in control, she ended up beating Hasegawa with the Diving Guillotine Drop. Although Hasegawa lost, she isn’t treating the result as a negative. It shows she has more room to grow. Takase praised her for showing determination and looks forward to the next time they face each other.
Sayaka Unagi has assessed Riara and taught her a good lesson about being a wrestler. Wrestling is painful but it is also very fun! The proof can be seen when Unagi Body Slammed Riara on the floor and Riara Body Slammed her back on the entrance stage! Back in the ring Unagi used her own version of the Sliding D called the Sliding U to pick up the win. She told Riara after the match that she should learn to enjoy wrestling more before worrying about getting her first win. Once you get to have fun in the ring then the wins and championships will follow. Unagi then called out to Yuna Manase over at the commentary table. No matter how long it takes, Unagi will wait for Manase to recover from injury so they will wrestle again! And one more thing, Unagi said Watase owes her a debt from the Fire Festival. He beat her by Knockout in their tournament match and Unagi wants revenge! She even confronted Watase after the show forcing him to promise she will be his first challenger when he regains the SOG Title!
Wrestlers from JTO and Marvelous joined up with YuuRI in Match #2. YuuRI got to team with JTO’s Tomoka Inaba to take on Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono. Inaba used High Kicks on both opponents to set the table for YuuRI. Unfortunately YuuRI missed the Swanton Bomb, giving Iroha the chance to land the move on her instead. YuuRI kept in the fight though so Iroha had to use the Running Three to win the match. Momono said she enjoyed wrestling in a big venue like Ota Ward Gym and would like to come back to GanPro. Iroha noticed YuuRI crying after the match and understands how she feels. Her advice to YuuRI is to be strong and keep her Ganbare Spirit while Manase is out injured. Facing this kind of pressure regularly will only help YuuRI grow. She put it out there that she would like to wrestle YuuRI in a singles match. YuuRI said she has to improve but would like to wrestle everybody she was in the ring with again, even Inaba. She has a title match coming up in Ice Ribbon soon so her next focus is to win that.
The show began with the rookie Munetatsu Nakamura taking on Masahiro Takanashi. Nakamura hit a dive to the outside and even blocked the Takatonic. But Takanashi started catching him in different pinning holds until he got the three count with the Hangover!! Nakamura promised to work on his technique and add to his wrestling style. Takanashi wonders if today’s match is a turning point for Nakamura. He thinks it would be nice for Nakamura to come over to his wrestling place as a representative of GanPro. Now does he mean DDT or somewhere else?
Yuna Manase greeted the fans at the start of the show and thanked them for their support while she is recovering from injury.
A little bit of worrying news comes from today’s Gatoh Move show. CDK were defending the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles against Shin Suzuki & Choun-Shiryu. During the match Shiryu gave Chris Brookes the Chinese Gory Special Bomb and Brookes injured his shoulder, stopping the match. Suzuki & Shiryu were declared the winners and Masahiro Takanashi handed them over the championship belts because the result counts as a title change. Takanashi reappeared later in the show to tell the fans that Brookes was on the way to the hospital for a diagnosis and his message to everyone is he’s feeling fine. The last thing DDT needs right now is another injury, especially to one of the headliners for their next Sumo Hall show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 04/06/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Toga
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Shino Suzuki
4. Hyper Misao Vs HIMAWARI
5. Mizuki & Suzume Vs Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami
6. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
The strongest trio in Tokyo Joshi Pro lately are Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku. Can they keep their run of success going against Daydream & Arisu Endo? Especially if Rika Tatsumi & Endo figure out how to summon back their heel gimmick from “HYPE!” and go act violently again. Miu Watanabe is too cheerful for that life though.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
3. DDT Extreme Title: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs X & X
Over the weekend Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima made appeals to DDT asking to be one of the teams fighting for the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles. With ShunMao stepping aside and vacating the belts, Kojima wanted his team with Ueno to represent The 37KAMIINA in the championship match. Despite losing his recent matches, Kojima impressed management enough to grant his request.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
2. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Nyla Rose
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
When Yuka Sakazaki announced her plans to graduate TJPW at the end of the year, she said one of her remaining wishes was to wrestle somebody from AEW at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”. The invitation was accepted and AEW is sending over Nyla Rose! The former AEW Women’s Champion has wrestled in Japan before but this will be her first time in TJPW. They’ve been opponents in tag matches on Dark before and they also once fought each other in a Triple Threat match along with Riho. This match however is the first time they will face off one on one.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
The biggest show of the year for Ganbare☆Pro will be headlined with an inter-promotional match against BASARA with their biggest prize on the line. Mizuki Watase is defending the Spirit Of Ganbare Title against Isami Kodaka and both men will be carrying the flag for their respective promotions. The fighting talk between the two from yesterday suggests this won’t be the end to the rivalry. Watase has promised to continue defending the SOG Title against BASARA wrestlers after he beats Kodaka. In return Kodaka has offered to do the same with GanPro talent if he beats Watase for the belt.
Almost one year after she joined GanPro, Yoshiko Hasegawa gets a special singles match against her senpai Miyuki Takase. Hasegawa owes a lot to Takase for taking care of her during her absence away from wrestling. The best way she can pay her back is to show how much she has grown under GanPro and beat her in their first singles match against each other.
Freelance wrestler Kuma Arashi has suddenly offered to wrestle on GanPro shows after attending yesterday’s shows and being impressed with the company’s passion. He had a match in GanPro once before in 2020 back when he was signed to WRESTLE-1. The atmosphere he felt yesterday reminded him of W1 and convinced him to give this place another shot. He also wants to form a tag team with Ken Ohka while he is here.
GANBARE☆PRO “I WILL BE A BUTTERFLY FOR YOU 2023”, 28/05/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR 62 Fans
1. Moeka Haruhi & Riara defeated Shota & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Haruhi pinned Hasegawa with the Diving Foot Stomp (12:37).
2. GanPro Vs Australia: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao defeated Hartley Jackson & Mitch Ryder when Takao pinned Ryder with the Official Endless Waltz (10:59).
3. GanPro Vs Sento Minzoku: Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura defeated Ken Ohka & Shota when Fujita pinned Shota with the Modified Samson Clutch (15:29).
4. Mizuki Watase, Shuichiro Katsumura & Yuki Kanzaki defeated Yumehito Imanari, Tyson Maeguchi & Shinichiro Tominaga when Watase pinned Tominaga with the Venetian (20:45).
Earlier this week it was announced that Mizuki Watase will be entering this year’s Fire Festival tournament in ZERO1. He promised the fans he will win the prize sword, bring it back to Ganbare☆Pro and run straight towards Ota Ward Gymnasium!
Ken Ohka was eager to restart his rivalry with Minoru Fujita but his calls for them to start a fight were ignored. Fujita then blindsided Ohka after Daiki Shimomura distracted him. It led to an out of the ring brawl that almost ended in a double countout but everyone made it back in time. Another brawl happened out of the ring causing almost another countout. This time Fujita got back in first and grabbed Shota by the leg as he was re-entering the ring. That gave Fujita a chance to roll up Shota in the Samson Clutch and get the pinfall victory.
Early during Match #2 Soma Takao tried to convince Hartley Jackson to come do an event at the Dropkick Bar if Takao’s team wins. Takao was able to pin Mitch Ryder with the Official Endless Waltz after a German Suplex from Keisuke Ishii. It led to Takao successfully negotiating with Jackson after the match for an appearance at his bar.
YuuRI had to pull out of today’s shows due to illness. Shota went on double duty and took her place in the opening tag match.
Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase was announced for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” on 9th July to celebrate Hasegawa’s one year anniversary of joining the promotion. Takase was the one wrestler who took care of Hasegawa the most when she had her neck injury. Hasegawa promised to repay her by winning their match as a member of GanPro.
Welcome to the calm before the storm. I put together this month’s article earlier than usual because there are going to be separate posts covering all of the WrestleMania shows DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are involved with next week. It’s going to be nuts, maybe not on the level of the New York shows from four years ago but still plenty to look forward to. So much will have to be talked about once the dust settles. I will be writing up preview guides for both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” so look forward to them whenever they are finished.
While Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki are getting the higher profile appearances lately thanks to AEW/ROH, the amount of bookings Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are getting in America means the focus will be more on them for the next couple of months. Yamashita in particular is going to have a crazy looking 2023 Career tab on her Cagematch profile by the time she’s done. Plus we get to add some new names to this series. Mizuki Watase is heading over to America too and Daisuke Sasaki found an excuse to go wrestling in Mexico.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox
AEW “DARK”, 07/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Jack Cartwheel
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 10/03/2023 Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant)
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn
Video starts at 2:36:23 for the match SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Ortiz, Komander, Action Andretti, Sammy Guevara, Eddie Kingston and AR Fox when Hobbs grabbed the Brass Ring (13:46).
So close and yet so far. Takeshita almost won the Ladder match after giving Komander a crazy looking Blue Thunder Bomb from a bridged ladder onto the ring canvas. He also fought off interference from Daniel Garcia who was there to help out Sammy Guevara. But as he climbed up the ladder and reached out to grab the literal brass ring, here came Powerhouse Hobbs charging into the ladder to knock Takeshita out of the ring. Hobbs then went on to grab the giant ring and win.
A few days later on Rampage, Takeshita spoke about his recent lack of success in AEW and considered it was time for him to go back to Japan. Don Callis stepped in and continued his push to become Takeshita’s manager. The argument he made is if Takeshita left all of the behind the scenes logistics to him, then Takeshita could put his entire focus just on wrestling in the ring and finally get the results his talent deserves. Ever since then Callis has continued trying to convince Takeshita to take on his services.
AEW “DARK”, 03/03/2023 (Aired 07/03/2023) Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Jack Cartwheel with the Zahi (3:56).
An impressive performance from Jack Cartwheel made this match one to watch if you’re unfamiliar with him.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. GCW Extreme Title: Joey Janela (c) defeated VENY with an Avalanche Brainbuster (16:33). *V2 for Joey Janela.
2. Maki Itoh defeated LuFisto with the I.S.D (10:44).
Itoh’s further run into GCW continued with her beating LuFisto, an inductee of The Indie Wrestling Hall Of Fame that the promotion is associated with. LuFisto wanted to give Itoh a Superplex but a bite to the face stopped her. Itoh gave her a Top Rope DDT and then got back up the ropes to do the I.S.D for the win. Itoh got to celebrate with Nick Gage after the match.
Joey Janela and VENY ended up going buck wild fighting around ringside for a lot of their match. Janela threw VENY into rows of seats, sending a lot of the GCW fans fleeing. VENY fought back with a Moonsault to the floor. Janela VENY in midair when she tried another Moonsault inside the ring and he countered it into a Tombstone. VENY went back to the Moonsault again and landed one onto Janela while he was laying on top of a door. That wasnt enough for Janela or the door so he smashed it to pieces and the two attacked each other with the remains. More big bomb moves were dropped and it took an Avalance Brainbuster for Janela to finally get the three count.
ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Trish Adora & Jordan Blade (?:??). *V3 for The Wasteland War Party.
The Wasteland War Party scored their third and what turned out to be their last successful defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles by beating Trish Adora & Jordan Blade at an Enjoy Wrestling show.
GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY defeated Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai when Yamashita pinned Kai with the Splash Mountain (18:56).
Itoh & VENY got to have some fun with Rina Yamashita by faking out their opponents on a triple dive. Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai all flinched and were left bracing for impact outside while Itoh and her team danced inside the ring. Yamashita went on to pin Kai with the Splash Mountain.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Lizzy Evo with the Skull Kick (14:42). *V3 for Miyu Yamashita.
A fully determined Lizzy Evo was ready to become the new EVE Champion on this night. But her hot streak came to an end thanks to the Skull Kick.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/03/2023 (Aired 10/03/2023) Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant) with La Espalda (7:52).
Takeshita took out a trick from the Osaka Pro book to beat Preston Vance. La Espalda is the tricky looking Twisting Backslide Pin that Billy Ken Kid likes to use a lot.
EVE “RIOT! AT THE YARD THEATRE”, 09/03/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (14:46).
Apparently this will be the last time Yamashita and Miyuki Takase will face each other one on one. If that’s true then Yamashita ends the series with a 2-0 winning record.
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Zahi (12:18).
A Rolling Elbow was used by JT Dunn to counter the Jumping Knee and the match also built up to how the Tombstone Piledriver was used. Takeshita kicked out of the move the first and and reversed a second attempt into a Reverse Implant. Takeshita held onto Dunn after that and threw him over with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex. Dunn was left in a heap after that so Takeshita got to finish him off with the Zahi.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Monomoth (c) with the Takatonic (?:??). *Monomoth fails in V?. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the ??th SETUP Thailand Openweight Champion!
Masahiro Takanashi adds another Asian championship to his collection after he took the SETUP Thailand Openweight Title from Monomoth. Takanashi didn’t do it clean either because Baliyan Akki was there to interfere on his behalf. Monomoth did what he could to fight against the 2-on-1 disadvantage, including diving onto both of them outside the ring. He had Takanashi beaten with a Northern Lights Suplex but Akki pulled the referee out of the ring to stop the pin count. Members of the SETUP roster had enough of the cheating and came to Monomoth’s aid. However Takanashi kicked out of a Tornado DDT and threw the ref towards Monomoth while the champion was standing on the top rope. Monomoth jumped over the ref but landed into a Thrust Kick, causing him to get pinned with the Takatonic.
AEW “DARK”, 24/03/2023 (Aired ??/??/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Michael Nakazawa defeated Baliyan Akki (?:??).
I don’t usually include Michael Nakazawa’s matches in AEW for these articles because he is a full time employee for them. But I bet somebody reading this will get a kick out of hearing he fought and beat Akki on Dark.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita by Referee Stoppage with a Dragon Sleeper (?:??). *V5 for Nicole Matthews.
2. Maki Itoh defeated Cat Power with the I.S.D (?:??).
Mixed fortunes for 121000000 on the first night of their North American trip. Itoh was able to beat Cat Power but Yamashita got choked out by Nicole Matthews with a Dragon Sleeper. It’s a reminder that this three month expedition is not going to be a cake walk for Yamashita.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Killer Kelly with the Skull Kick (10:14).
I didn’t expect Yamashita to show up in Impact. There’s more to talk about it below but her first match with the promotion was a win against Killer Kelly. I think it was taped for TV too.
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Upcoming Appearances – WrestleMania Week
PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe
Taya Valkyrie had to pull out of the show due to a change in schedule. That this show is taking place on a Wednesday and Valkyrie recently signed a deal with AEW, it’s easy to figure out what her priority is. Replacing her is Steph De Lander who has really stepped up and increased her presence around the indies recently.
WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X
The lineup for the TJPW 10-Woman Tag is being kept secret until the show, Mystery Vortex style. Are all ten going to be from the regular TJPW roster or will a few guests be included?
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
Some of the guests being booked for the show now make more sense given recent announcements. Both Nick Wayne and Vert Vixen are heading to Japan for DDT and TJPW respectively in the next couple of months.
IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Masha Slamovich Vs Deonna Purrazzo Vs Gisele Shaw Vs Miyu Yamashita
So not only is Yamashita wrestling for Impact but she is also technically getting a New Japan appearance out of it too, which is completely bizarre seeing a TJPW wrestler under that banner instead of somebody from Stardom. Originally this 4 Way Match was supposed to include Mickie James and her Knockouts Title was going to be on the line. But just a few days ago Impact announced that James is unable to wrestle because of a rib injury. So now the 4 Way Match has Masha Slamovich added to it and whoever wins will get to face Jordynne Grace in Toronto next month with the Knockouts Title on the line. If James is cleared to wrestle she will also be in that match as the defending champion, otherwise she will have to vacate it before the match begins.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
Two of the matches are now title matches thanks to the results that happened at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” earlier this month. The main event has the Princess Tag Titles on the line when the new champions 121000000 face The Magical Sugar Rabbits. There is also now an International Princess Title match between Rika Tatsumi (embracing a new “AmeRika” personality) and Billie Starkz.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno
Nine matches on the card now. The latest addition is an 8-Man Tag Match mixing together a lot of people. DDT is relying on DAMNATION T.A to play ball with Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada. GCW are going the lucha route by letting Gringo Loco put together a squad. He chose Alec Price and Los Macizos. Prince is an up and coming name on the indies while Ciclope & Miedo Extremo are former GCW Tag Team Champions.
No idea what the match order is going to be for the GCW Vs DDT show. This might be the last of DDT’s involvement in shows for the week. Unless Takeshita shows up in ROH or Pheromones crash “Effy’s Big Gay Brunch” on Saturday.
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023”, 31/03/2023 Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
After weeks and weeks of tension building up between Athena and Yuka Sakazaki, things finally blew up and Athena sent Sakazaki back to Japan with an injury. However when Athena found out Sakazaki was able to continue wrestling no problem, it only made her even madder. The grudge is going to get settled in LA with Sakazaki getting a shot at the ROH Women’s World Title.
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Valkyrie will be in LA on the Friday evening for her Prestige match against Yamashita.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs X & X
Well Nick Gage is no longer the GCW World Champion so my idea of him against Itoh has gone up in smoke. However they are going ahead with the next best idea and that is Maki Death Kill teaming up for one night only!
Well Mizuki Watase did say he was going on an American excursion so he had to be somewhere other than a DDT show. He’s ended up going somewhere even weirder. Wrestling Pro Wrestling is a comedy promotion and is home to Cerealman, a pro wrestler with a box of cereal for a head. Would it surprise you to find out a lot of Hoodslam guys also work here? Let’s see how Watase can handle himself when he’s in the ring with Gregory Sharpe and Eli Everfly.
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Upcoming Appearances – Everywhere Else After WrestleMania
WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch
Looks like there’s going to be a week off for Yamashita to get over the WrestleMania hangover. After that it’s time to hit the road with her first stop being a match with Allie Katch at Wrestling REVOLVER.
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
One of the former Princess Tag Champions has a chance at revenge. Heidi Howitzer was already looking forward to kicking Itoh’s ass. Now there’s going to be some more hatred behind it after Itoh pinned Howitzer to cause the title change.
WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023 The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA
1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The last West Coast Pro show crowned their first Women’s Champion. Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moone to win the title and now gets Yamashita for her first defence.
HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Vipress
Itoh has fought Dark Sheik a bunch of times already so when she arrives in Hoodslam it will be Sheik’s current tag team partner Vipress waiting for her. Earlier this month Sheik & Vipress won the Intergalactic Tag Team Titles together.
DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen Vs Miyu Yamashita
Before Vixen travels to Japan for TJPW, she defends the DEFY Women’s Title against Yamashita. Heck of a warm up match to get ready for that tour.
CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023 Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA
1. CCW Title & CCW Title Match Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: Kilynn King (c) Vs Killer Kelly Vs Steph De Lander Vs Miyu Yamashita
What was first advertised as a 3 Way Match is now a 4 Corner Survival with Steph De Lander added to the mix. Which makes me wonder did certain people signing contracts recently lead to a situation where nobody in the 3 Way politically can take the fall and a fourth person had to be used as a solution? Kilynn King is now signed to Impact and Killer Kelly is under contract to them too. Maybe I’m overthinking it.
LUCHA MEMES “???”, 15/04/2023 Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico
1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin Vs Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki
Alright we’re getting to talk about Mexico again. About time. Daisuke Sasaki will be making his Lucha Memes debut in April. The promotion is fond of bringing in independent talent from America. As far as I could find I think Ultimo Dragon and Satoshi Kojima are the only other Japanese wrestlers to have previously worked there. Lucha Memes is also running Arena Solis in Puebla for the first time.
DPW “DPW LIVE 2”, 16/04/2023 Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Is Yamashita still owed a title match in Deadlock Pro or did I misunderstand the stipulation of her previous match there? Also did you hear that news today about DPW going to Japan to do joint shows with Gatoh Move soon?
RIW “FIGHT UNTIL WE DIED”, 16/04/2023 Gimnasio Coliseo Arena, Toluca, Mexico
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
The next day in Mexico, Sasaki is heading over to Revolution Indy Wrestling.
UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023 Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita
I was able to find more social media pages for Ultimate Wrestling Empire so it is indeed an actual show taking place.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata
Will Yamashita still be undefeated in Prestige by the time her match with Queen Aminata takes place?
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Not sure if Takeshita’s match with Daga will still happen. Daga suffered a left knee injury at a show co-promoted by NWA and AAA at the start of the month. According to Konnan the injury is a fractured fibula and a torn miniscus that will take him out of action for two months. If that’s true then the timing could make this turn out to be Daga’s return match if his recovery goes better than anticipated.
EVE “LUCKY 13”, 05/05/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie
Yamashita’s international series with Millie McKenzie continues with McKenzie putting up a big challenge in the hopes of finally winning the EVE Title. Given the back and forth results the two wrestlers produce against each other, they will now face off in an Iron Woman match. Whoever scores the most falls within the 30 minute time limit will be the champion at the end.
MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023 2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra
Can’t find confirmation but it would make sense if this is a MAW Women’s Title match with Sierra putting the belt on the line.
AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023 Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Just have to wait and see what her match is going to be.
GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023 Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s next appearance for GCW after Mania week will be in Detroit.
GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023 Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh will be in Ohio too.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
Yamashita was bound to get a match with Starkz somewhere during the tour. This also isn’t the last show on Yamashita’s schedule anymore.
ENJOY “???”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Ray Lyn Vs Miyu Yamashita
The final booking of Yamashita’s tour seems to be her match with Rey Lyn at Enjoy Wrestling. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can squeeze in at least one more match if she wanted to.
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Corrections
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023 NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
From what I could find online Takeshita was only on the show for a meet and greet, not to wrestle a match.
A month ago I was thinking this article was going to become so much easier to handle. Shota was finished with his excursion to some of the most obscure independents in America and February was mostly built around Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki doing stuff related to AEW and ROH. It should be a piece of cake from here on out. Then the Wrestlemania Week bookings started pouring in. And if that wasn’t enough, Miyu Yamashita announced her three month stay in America with the goal to get as many bookings across the country as humanly possible. The response to that idea has been great so far and she is certainly going to create some new fans this year. So yeah, keeping track of these things will only keep me busier as the year goes on. Now let’s get some more championships added to the trophy case while they’re at it.
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Videos
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)
Video starts at 14:48 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Billie Starkz
Video starts at 45:10 for the match AEW “DARK”, 07/02/2023 Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs EJ Nduka
AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Video starts at 31:22 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 13/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. Vert Vixen Vs Yuka Sakazaki
Video starts at 1:18:47 for the match AEW “DARK”, (14/02/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Bronson
Video starts at 33:18 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 27/02/2023 Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Lee Johnson
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Results
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/02/2023 (Aired 06/02/2023) Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Billie Starkz with the Magical Girl Splash (5:39).
Whether the company is aware of it or not, AEW hosted a rematch of last November’s Princess Of Princess Title bout between Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz. This match was a shorter affair with Starkz relying on using Swanton Bombs only to get dropped with the Tea Time and then pinned with the Magical Girl Splash.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana) with the Zahi (10:06).
A match against a heavy hitter like Brian Cage was just what Takeshita needed to finally get a win on Dynamite. The two just threw big bomb moves at each other until Takeshita was the last man standing. It was pretty cool. Once that was done, Takeshita reappeared later in the night stopping MJF from interfering in a Bryan Danielson match. The two brawled to the back and once they were broken apart, a match between them was booked for the next week.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 08/02/2023 (Aired 13/02/2023) El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Vert Vixen with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15).
Sakazaki’s last match for this month was a win against Vert Vixen but it was the aftermath that was more important. Athena attacked Sakazaki from behind, striking her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Athena then made things worse by injuring Sakazaki’s leg with the steel steps outside the ring. Sakazaki tried to step up to her but was given a boot to the head as one last insult to injury. It remains to be seen when Sakazaki will be back to look for revenge, although a title match between the two on the ROH PPV at the end of March would be a good bet.
AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023 El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA
1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Salt Of The Earth (13:19).
Takeshita’s recent interactions with MJF led to a Title Eliminator match between the two. If Takeshita had won the match he would have been granted a AEW World Title shot in the future. Unfortunately MJF worked over his arm, using the Salt Of The Earth to such good effect that Takeshita had to tap out and concede defeat. MJF then caused more harm after the match by putting on his Dynamited Diamond Ring and punching Takeshita in the face, busting him open. Bryan Danielson ran down to chase MJF off. Takeshita returned the favour later in the night by coming to Danielson’s aid when he was attacked by Preston Vance and José The Assistant.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 23/02/2023 (Aired 27/02/2023) Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Johnson with the Zahi (6:43).
So Takeshita finds himself knocked down the ladder and back to wrestling on the Youtube shows for the time being. Beating Lee Johnson gets him off to a good start.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 25/02/2023 (Aired 02/03/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Josh Woods with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex (10:20).
It’s not the Ring Of Honor we all knew and loved but at least you can add to logo to Takeshita’s Cagematch profile now. He beat a former ROH Pure Champion in Josh Woods so that would be a fresh direction to take if he becomes a regular at ROH tapings.
DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023 NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Raychell Rose & Jada Stone when Max pinned Stone after the Master Blaster (10:30). *V1 for The Wasteland War Party.
The Princess Tag Team Titles have now been defended on American soil. Tokyo Joshi Pro are recognizing all of The Wasteland War Party’s title defences across the US indies before they return to Japan for “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. The first defence was against Raychell Rose & Jada Stone in DPW. Stone was a replacement for Hyan.
AEW “DARK”, (26/02/2023) (Aired 28/03/2023) Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Karter (w/ Lee Johnson) with the Zahi (9:23).
Cole Karter was in Lee Johnson’s corner when Takeshita beat him on Elevation a few days earlier. If he wanted to get revenge on Takeshita he probably got a knee to the face instead.
GLORY PRO “ANNIVERSARY 6”, 26/02/2023 South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Jody Threat & Blair Onyx when Howitzer pinned Threat after the Master Blaster (?:??). *V2 for The Wasteland War Party.
Defence number two for The Wasteland War Party was against Jody Threat & Blair Onyx. Threat got a hot tag and went wild on Heidi Howitzer. That came to a sudden halt when Max The Impaler hit her with a Spear. Max tried pinning Threat but was told they were not the legal wrestler. So Max & Howitzer linked up to do the Master Blaster and that was it for Threat.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023 Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox
Holy Mary, Mother Of God this is going to be nuts. Takeshita has a chance to win a TNT Title shot. All he has to do is win a Ladder Match against a crazy lineup of opponents. Just imagining what Komander is going to do on his own in a Ladder match is wild. Is Sammy Guevara willing to destroy himself with a massive ladder bump again? Does Action Andretti or AR Fox want to do the same? Eddie Kingston is already mad he is in the match but he’s always mad. For example, he’s mad at Ortiz right now. Powerhouse Hobbs would be a great future opponent for Takeshita too.
GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY
Heading into this weekend GCW have not announced what Maki Itoh’s match is going to be at their show yet. They are only advertising she will be in attendance. Will she use this appearance to take her new MDK attitude up another level? I still think her interactions with Nick Gage has to be leading somewhere. It’s gotten too over for it to be nothing more than a cute post-match segment to pop the crowd.
ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Trish Adora & Jordan Blade
The Wasteland War Party are aiming to make it three successful title defences in a row before they return to TJPW. Trish Adora is forming a regular association with TJPW so winning the Princess Tag Titles would bring her over more often and get Jordan Blade one foot in the door too.
GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai
Sawyer Wreck is now the only person in this match who has not wrestled on a TJPW show yet. They should bring back Rina Yamashita now that I think of it.
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023 229 The Venue, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo
Before Yamashita begins her American expedition she is heading back to England to do the EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo that was meant to happen back in January.
EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 09/03/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase
The next night Yamashita faces Miyuki Takase in a rematch of their DPW bout from last year. EVE have said this will be the last time both wrestlers will fight each other. If Takase beats Yamashita there will be no rubber match and if Yamashita wins she will be 2-0 against Takase forever!
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023 Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn
Takeshita will be making two appearances for Northeast Wrestling in March. His first show will have him taking on JT Dunn.
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The match will be the main event of the show.
NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023 NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
No opponent yet for Takeshita’s second NEW show.
NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Nicole Matthews
Joining Yamashita and Itoh on the show is Minoru Suzuki! But enough about him. Yamashita will be facing Nicole Matthews but it hasn’t been mentioned yet if Matthews will put the NEW Women’s Title on the line. Meanwhile Itoh’s match is against another Canadian wrestler, Cat Power.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe
Prepare yourselves, everyone. We are now at Wrestlemania Week. First up is Itoh’s appearance at Pandemonium Pro where she will team with Kidd Bandit against Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe.
WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X
One of the big indie shows of Mania Week is the Wrestlecon Supershow dedicated to the late Mark Hitchcock. Every year the show is highlighted with a 10-Man Tag and this year’s edition will be presented by TJPW! Will all 10 wrestlers in the match be TJPW exclusive or will one of the Americans connected to the promotion get to join in on the fun? There may be other surprises elsewhere on the card too because you never know who shows up.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
This is not the full card yet. Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada still need to be put in a match. Them against each other is a no brainer unless there is some tag team out there they can join forces against. But I’d just go with Higuchi versus Masada.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
The main event of TJPW’s first USA show is The Magical Sugar Rabbits versus 121000000! They will also be sending over Shoko Nakajima, Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Raku, Nao Kakuta, Suzume and Arisu Endo to take part on the show. The international talent taking part are The Wasteland War Party, Billie Starkz, Trish Adora and Janai Kai.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
5. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
Yeah… Um… I wouldn’t choose this over the other DDT or TJPW shows in all honesty. But there are some positives to be found. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo is a Fire Pro match brought to life. Cole Radrick has gone deep into deathmatches over the last few years so him against Yoshihiko could turn out to be way more violent than it looks on paper. If this show is live on FITE then I’m pretty sure Bussy Vs Pheromones is going to get everyone kicked off the service.
PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita
Aja Kong and Shigehiro Irie are also wrestling on the show. Ultimo Dragon too. That’s neat.
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
I’ll keep saying it. Itoh versus Gage for the GCW World Title is the match to do.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch
Yamashita is sticking around in the States until June and is probably going to fight every female wrestler of note in the country before she is done. Allie Katch is going to be one of her tougher opponents especially in a promotion as rowdy as Wrestling REVOLVER.
LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh
The WPP Vs 121000000 feud extends past the Princess Tag Titles match. Howitzer and Itoh will face each other one on one.
WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023 The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA
1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
The West Coast Pro Women’s Champion will either be Masha Slamovich or Sandra Moone. They will have a match to become the first champion on 4th March and Yamashita will be the first challenger one month later.
HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023 Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Hoodslam’s motto is “Fuck The Fans”. I think Itoh will fit in over there just fine.
CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023 Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Capital Championship Wrestling is a women’s promotion based out of Houston.
UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023 PA Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita
This place I have no idea about. Ultimate Wrestling Empire seems to be a new promotion and their tweet promoting this match is the only thing I can find about them. Yamashita sounds very excited to be wrestling Dani Mo.
PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023 Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata
Prestige continues to be treated like Yamashita’s home away from home. Her return to Portland will have Queen Aminata waiting for her.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita
The shop owned by The Lucha Brothers likes to run their own wrestling shows every now and then. Their next one has Takeshita meeting Daga for the first time. We already know Bandit is a big Itoh fan. Are they a big admirer of Yamashita too or will they want to beat her as a favour to Itoh?
MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023 2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra
Remember that outdoor show where Takeshita fought JDX last year? Been a while since we heard from the folks over at Midwest All-Star Wrestling. Yamashita is heading over to their place for a match against Sierra.
AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023 Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Yamashita’s debut for AIW has my attention more than the other bookings because I want to hear what the people in the company will say about her on The Card Is Going To Change podcast.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
At the time of writing St. Louis Anarchy is the booking closest to the end of Yamashita’s expedition. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can still add a few late dates before she heads home. I’d be shocked if there were no AEW bookings during the three months she’s in America.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 3RD “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 11/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Wakana Uehara Vs HIMAWARI
2. Yuki Kamifuku, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Raku, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
4. Yuki Arai Vs Pom Harajuku
5. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Hikari Noa & Janai Kai
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe & Suzume
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
Yuka Sakazaki is back in Japan after her latest AEW tour and Janai Kai is in the country as well. Julia Nagano will also be at the show despite being unable to wrestle because of her finger injury.
There will be three announcements happening before the show begins. We know there are still a few trainees that have not debuted yet (Shino, Haru, Momo and Toga). Also The Up Up Girls social media has been teasing new music involving the Pro Wrestling arm of the unit.
DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED VOL. 1”, 11/02/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (2) Vs Ilusion (0)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Keigo Nakamura (2) Vs Toi Kojima (0)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Yuki Ishida (0) Vs Takeshi Masada (0)
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Chris Brookes, Akito, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida
6. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Sanshiro Takagi
7. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu Vs MJ Paul & KANON
8. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya
Noriyuki Yoshida usually only appears in DDT shows whenever they are in Sapporo. Getting the opportunity to team with BURNING is enough to make him travel to Yokohama.
GANBARE☆PRO “ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD 2023”, 25/02/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Shota Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Yumehito Imanari & Kabuto Mitomi Vs Soma Takao & Yuki Kanzaki
3. GanJo Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Keisuke Ishii Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Hartley Jackson
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
Match #4 sounds like a nice, friendly kickabout on a Saturday night.
Does the name Kabuto Mitomi sound familiar? He used to appear regularly in Ganbare☆Pro and other places as Masayuki Mitomi. In 2019 he formed P.P.P Tokyo and changed his ring name to Kabuto Mitomi two years ago. His appearance here with Yumehito Imanari continues the growing relationship between GanPro and P.P.P.
The “Young Ganbare” wrestler takes on a member of the “Monthly Young Communication” generation when Munetatsu Nakamura faces Shota.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 6-Man Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block
3. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Naruki Doi & Makoto Oishi Vs Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Shishamo Power Vs Jun Akiyama & Unagi Mask
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs X & X
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine
7. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya
DDT is being sponsored by the Yamada Suisan seafood company again which means the return of the masked wrestlers Shishamo Power and Unagi Mask. The two of them were on the same team last time but now will be opponents the next time they step into the ring together. DDT will be doing a wrestling show with Yamada Suisan in April so don’t be surprised if some meat eating tough guys appear and provoke our seafood loving grapplers.
The international trio of Kip Sabian, Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno have another trios match together but this time they have the two big singles champions opposing them along with Makoto Oishi!
Everybody in the D GENERATIONS CUP who do not qualify for the final will take part in a 6-Man Tag Match.
GANBARE☆PRO “SHOOTING IN THE COLD RAIN, A GUN FOR PROMISE 2023”, 05/03/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takuya Wada
2. GanJo Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Miyuki Takase
3. GanJo Special Tag Match: HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Moeka Haruhi & Asahi
More preparation going into the Ganbare☆Joshi restart in April. Asahi and Miyuki Takase are here to take on the home team joshi. Also, what does Moeka Haruhi make of all of this? She remains freelance and can sit on the fence while YuuRI and Yoshiko Hasegawa try to figure out how to relaunch a division.
1. Jado Alert Issued! Current Blast Jado Missile 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
Warning! Warning! Jado alert! I’d be saying that if it referred to the pro wrestler but in this case Jado stands for “Japan-Danger-Onita”. It is an emergency system that will be installed into the wrestling ring for this exploding death match. When the system’s button is pressed, a countdown will begin warning the residents of Tsurumi that a missile is about to be launched into the ring! When the missile hits its target there will be a massive explosion.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
2. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
3. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
Two new matches added to the card. First is ShunMao taking on the odd pairing of Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko. After that is a rematch from the D-Ou Grand Prix now set for Los Angeles. Joey Janela beat Tetsuya Endo in an upset last November.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
3. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
Freshly announced while I was typing this up is the next GCW Vs DDT match. Kazusada Higuchi takes on a man currently without any friends on the GCW side. Blake Christian has been undefeated in GCW singles matches so far this year. Beating Higuchi will be a big accomplishment to add to his momentum.
DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023 Yokohama Budokan
1. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs X
There will be both a KO-D Openweight Title match and a DDT Universal Title match at the big Yokohama Budokan show.
I didn’t think I would have time this week to write up a preview for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022”. Turns out I did after all so it will be posted in a few hours time. I was going to hold out until tomorrow morning if there are any last minute changes but I can go back and edit it if that happens. The preview should be posted in the next hour or so.
GANBARE☆PRO “SANGERIA 2022”, 21/08/2022 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Sangeria 2022 Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Shota
2. Australia Vs Toyama Full-Scale Battle: Hartley Jackson Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
3. GanPro Specialty Special Mixed Tag Match: Onryo & YuuRI Vs MAO & HARUKAZE
4. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & Moeka Haruhi Vs Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa
5. GanPro Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Soma Takao Vs Kouki Iwasaki, Mizuki Watase & Nobuihiro Shimatani
The main event now has Ken Ohka added to it as the replacement for the injured Yumehito Imanari. A contract signing for the upcoming Spirit Of Ganbare Title defence will still go ahead before the show with Hartley Jackson in attendance.
Miyuki Takase tested positive for covid and is off the show. Nao Kakuta hops over from Tokyo Joshi Pro to take her place. MAO is also added to Match #3 to take the spot Ohka left open.
DDT “JAPAN BAKERY MARKETING PRESENTS KONOSUKE TAKESHITA 10TH ANNIVERSARY ~NISHINARI BAY BLUES~”, 10/09/2022 Osaka Nishinari Kumin Center
1. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
2. Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Super Sasadango Machine & X
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entre Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Korku Vs Akito Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Soma Takao Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Ilusion Vs El Unicorn
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Brahmin Brothers: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei & Brahman Sanshiro
5. Tokyo Joshi Pro 3 Way Tag Offer Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe & Arisu Endo
6. Nobuyuki Onizawa’s Ochakan Radio Presents Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino
8. Japan Bakery Marketing Co., Ltd. Presents Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki
The 10th Anniversary celebration for Konosuke Takeshita is bringing in a large 6-Man Tag Match of the heavyweight variety, a bonus match from TJPW, a Battle Royal for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and the return of the Brahman Brothers with a new member… Brahman Sanshiro?
Let’s start off with some good news. When we last heard about Gorgeous Matsuno, he was taking a leave of absence from pro wrestling to become a kidney donor for his partner Junko Tashiro. The treatment is scheduled for the end of August which gave Matsuno a chance to compete in one last Best Body Japan bodybuilding contest. This week he entered the Legend Class (60+ year old) of the Model Japan 2022 Sendai Tournament and won it!
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN HANDMADE IN JAPAN FES 2022”, 23/07/2022 Tokyo Big Sight West Hall 1 & 2
1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: X Vs X
Toi Kojima tested positive for covid today and has been pulled from this weekend’s shows. The HandMade In Japan Fes match is going to change because of his absence and will be revealed at the event.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/07/2022 Shinjuku FACE
-. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Shoko Nakajima defeated Mizuki by Forfeit.
1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haruna Neko
2. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami
4. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
5. Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2D: Pom Harajuku Vs Suzume
Mizuki will also not be wrestling this weekend. She has a fever and is currently waiting on results of her PCR test. She was not in close contact to anyone else from the Tokyo Joshi Pro roster. Mizuki’s 2nd Round match against Shoko Nakajima in the Tokyo Princess Cup has been forfeited. Nakajima now receives a bye into the Quarter Final. The undercard matches have also been changed around. We are now getting Miraclians against Daydream!
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022”, 24/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Makoto Oishi Return Match: Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Yuki Ishida
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & El Unicorn
5. Tetsuya Endo Return Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao
6. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yusuke Okada
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Asuka (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura
The KO-D Tag Team Champions are ready to defend the belts against all challengers. MAO wants this title reign to start an era where weight class and gender division do not matter. Asuka has been absent from the warm up matches but wants to win the match with her usual groove and vigor. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura are planning to announce the name of their new tag team on the show. They continue to talk about a “new wind” blowing through DDT which may be a hint.
Yusuke Okada promises that if he wins the DDT Universal Title, he will defend it against Yuki Ueno in a rematch from last January to show how much he has changed since then. Masahiro Takanashi wants this title reign to be different from the previous champions. At first his plan was to defend it against the new generation of DDT wrestlers but now that international travel is possible, he now also wants to defend the belt overseas like it was originally meant to be.
Whenever Tetsuya Endo is about to have an important match he goes to visit Kenta Kobashi for advice. He did the same yesterday looking for words of wisdom so he can get back on his feet. Endo told Kobashi he has completely recovered from his concussion and is back to training with the same intensity as he did before. Kobashi’s opinion is he thinks Endo lacks anger and brings up the story of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. As the legend goes, when Ieyasu was defeated in battle and escaped with his life he immediately got a portrait painted of himself looking defeated to fuel his anger. Kobashi asked Endo to re-watch the match where Katsuhiko Nakajima knocked him out so he can draw out his anger. Kobashi also told him when the time comes it will be necessary for Endo to get his revenge.
Yuki Ueno is off the show with covid. The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match was cancelled during the week along with that news. A non-title match with Shinya Aoki substituting Ueno was the replacement match. But now Kojima is sick too so he is getting replaced by El Unicorn.
One year after his back injury, Makoto Oishi is now about to return to the ring. He had a metal fitting removed in June and wanted to go through his rehab as quick as possible so he could wrestle again. He is looking forward to his match but is worried newer fans who hadn’t seen him wrestle before will think he is copying Shunma Katsumata & MAO with his moveset. Oishi also wants to do his best so his two year old daughter Akari will say he looks cool.
1. GanJo Special Single Match: Cherry Vs YuuRI
2. GanPro Specialty! Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura, Tsuyoshi Okada & HARUKAZE Vs MAO, Tyson Maeguchi & Yuna Manase
3. ROMANCE DAWN Vs The 37KAMIINA: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
4. GanPro Sanada Maru! Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Kazuaki Mihara & Kouki Iwasaki
5. GanPro Osaka Summer Team! Special Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & Magnitude Kishiwada Vs Mizuki Watase & Shinichiro Tominaga
Covid also made its way into the Ganbare☆Pro locker room. Ken Ohka tested positive and won’t be able to recover in time for Ganpro’s visit to Osaka. Mizuki Watase takes his place in the main event. A picture made its way online recently showing Watase working out with Thanomsak Toba and Kota Ibushi.
MAO is also added to the show to make up for Ohka’s absence.
YuuRI sent out a challenge to face Cherry to a rematch of their bout from last September.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 06/08/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
Oishi collides with his former Junretsu teammate Jun Akiyama! He has a lot of history with his tag partner for this match Yuji Hino too. They were part of a stable in K-DOJO called Omega for a few years.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN MIYAGI”, 07/08/2022 Miyagi Tagajo City Cultural Center Small Hall
1. Miyagi Specialty Special Single Match: MAO Vs Makoto Oishi
It’s an NωA reunion for MAO and Oishi. This match was requested by Oishi to take place in Miyagi because it is where he suffered his back injury one year ago. MAO showed some disrespect to Oishi by putting on a Miyagi accent and telling him he never considred Oishi to be his senpai. MAO gave him a challenge. If Oishi can sell 50 more tickets than MAO and also beat him in the match then MAO will show respect and be called his disciple again.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN KORAKUEN ~LET’S SHOUT!~”, 14/08/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special Single Match: Asuka Vs Saki Akai
2. DDT Extreme Title – Fluorescent Lighttube IPPON Death Match: Akito (c) Vs Joey Janela
A classic stipulation makes its return. Akito will defend the DDT Extreme Title against Joey Janela in a single lighttube death match! There will only be one lighttube in the ring. If you smash it over your opponent or if they break it by mistake then you win the match! Akito treats the match stipulation like it is his family heirloom. He considers Janela to be a creative wrestler which is why he chose his “masterpiece” to be the match type. However he noticed Janela never said Akito’s name when he tweeted about his desire to become the Extreme Champion. Akito is trying to look on the bright side. If world class wrestlers are coming to DDT, this is his chance to make a name for himself around the world! Akito also keeps notes on his phone whenever he comes up with a new idea for a match. He currently has 18 different ideas for future title defences.
GANBARE☆PRO “SANGERIA 2022”, 21/08/2022 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Sangeria 2022 Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Shota
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & Moeka Haruhi Vs Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa
This will be Yoshiko Hasegawa’s second match as a Ganpro wrestler. Miyuki Takase will be by her side when they take on Yuna Manase & Moeka Haruhi, the first two big names of Ganbare☆Joshi.
Shota continues his farewell series from Ganpro with a match against Keisuke Ishii.
Onryo, Shinichiro Tominaga and Nobuhiro Shimatani will all be on the show.
I’ll now include the official Youtube videos of matches to these posts. Last month’s article was updated to include the videos available from May and I’ll go back to add more if they get uploaded. Konosuke Takeshita having matches across the American indies that are so good they have to be put up for free on Youtube is going to be the trend this summer. The other trend seems to be Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers unexpectedly appearing on AEW’s Youtube shows whenever they are in the country. The Forbidden Door is behind us for the time being so if there was any red tape preventing Takeshita from having a higher profile that should be gone now. Even then he’s keeping himself busy as you will see below. By the way it is incredibly satisfying to see how successful that show turned out. So many wrestling analysts and personalities last month predicted failure because let’s be honest, they personally don’t care about New Japan. It is obvious to me that a lot of them used the “casual fan” argument as a cover for their own lack of interest or knowledge for Japanese wrestling. But the PPV being a success proves there is an audience out there that does care. I mean that’s why you’re here right now reading this post, right?
SPOILER WARNING: The results section includes spoilers for taped AEW matches that have not aired yet.
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Videos
DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase
Video starts at 21:24 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/06/2022 The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita Vs Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Casino Battle Royale: Darby Allin Vs Tony Nese Vs Daniel Garcia Vs Lance Archer Vs Eddie Kingston Vs Ricky Starks Vs Jake Hager Vs Rey Fenix Vs Swerve Strickland Vs Keith Lee Vs John Silver Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Max Caster Vs Austin Gunn Vs Colten Gunn Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Bobby Fish Vs Kyle O’Reilly Vs Dante Martin Vs Wheeler Yuta Vs Andrade El Idolo
WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022 The State Room, South San Francisco, USA
1. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita
ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022 Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA
1. Ryan Davidson Vs Shota
Video starts at 37:43 for the match AEW “DARK”, 14/06/2022 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo)
PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022 The Glass House, Pomona, USA
1. Lee Moriarty Vs Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/06/2022 (Aired 06/06/2022) The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose defeated Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita when Deeb submitted Blue with the Serenity Lock (7:40).
When the month began, the joshi wrestlers who were hanging around in America all went back to Japan except for Miyu Yamashita. She still had an indie date left to do but there was an unusually long gap of time until it took place. Turns out the extra time was filled up with Yamashita’s first AEW booking. She unexpectedly had her debut match with the company on Dark Elevation teaming with Skye Blue against two of AEW’s top threats in the women’s division: Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose. There were complaints from fans that you shouldn’t be just throwing Yamashita into a Youtube match like that but there’s a long game being played here. AEW are well aware of Yamashita’s status in the joshi scene and have kept an eye on her for her entire US trip last month. There’s even some hearsay that her indie bookings went through AEW as part of getting her over to the USA in the first place. They’ve been so impressed with her performances that considerations are under way to put together a future AEW Women’s Title program between her and Thunder Rosa. Those plans are separate from the Rosa Vs Yamashita match happening in TJPW later this month. I know the booking of the AEW women’s division is incredibly frustrating to follow but I assure you there is some thought being put behind what to do with Yamashita in the future.
AEW “DARK”, 03/06/2022 (Aired 14/06/2022) Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo) with the Jumping Knee Strike (6:42).
We’re getting into odd territory with the Dark tapings. Takeshita’s match against Nick Comoroto was recorded on 3rd June but was not used until the episode that aired on the 14th.
DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (15:27).
A first time meeting took place in Deadlock Pro when Yamashita took on the freelancer Miyuki Takase. The match had a little bit of everything from strike exchanges, slight comedy, big moves like an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and Takase running a lap around the building to set up the longest Clothesline spot you’ll ever see. Yamashita found her opponent’s limit with High Kicks and finished her off with the Skull Kick to win. According to the match stipulation Yamashita now has a championship shot of some sort for whenever she wants when she returns to DPW.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Casino Battle Royale: Kyle O’Reilly defeated Wheeler Yuta by Ring Out (24:59). Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, Lance Archer, Max Caster, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn, Keith Lee, John Silver, Daniel Garcia, Eddie Kingston, Jake Hager, Konosuke Takeshita, Dante Martin, Ricky Starks, Bobby Fish, Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, Powerhouse Hobbs, Rey Fenix, Andrade El Idolo and Wheeler Yuta.
Takeshita entered the annual Casino Battle Royal where the winner would face Jon Moxley later in the night. It was all part of a long, sudden journey to crown an Interim AEW World Champion thanks to CM Punk unexpectedly going out of action with injury. Takeshita entered the match in the middle of the pack but was thrown out by both Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs. That left Takeshita tweeting about if he should find some new friends for backup should a similar situation ever repeats itself.
WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022 The State Room, South San Francisco, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mike Bailey with the German Suplex (17:50).
Well he got to reunite with one of his friends a couple of days later. The long awaited rematch with Mike Bailey delivered and then some. What are you doing reading this when you can watch it up at the top of the post above?
AEW “DARK”, 11/06/2022 (Aired 19/07/2022)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Anthony Henry with the Jumping Knee Strike (7:48).
Back to the weirdness of the tapings. Takeshita’s match against Anthony Henry hasn’t aired yet. AEW now tapes month’s worth of Dark matches in Universal Studios a couple times a year. Details results of the tapings aren’t common so for the moment we just know who won. I’ll come back to edit this post when the match does air.
ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022 Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA
1. Ryan Davidson defeated Shota with the Davidson Driver (?:??).
Hey Ganbare☆Pro can join in on the fun now. Shota finally got to travel to America after his original plans to do so went kaput two years ago because of the pandemic. He went over to Texas to perform on a Reality Of Wrestling show. That is the promotion run by none other than Booker T. Shota took on Ryan Davidson, an American wrestler who wrestled in both DDT and Ganpro back in 2018. Shota stayed in America for a few more days and went to an AEW event in St. Louis where he hung out with Takeshita and Michael Nakazawa backstage.
PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022 The Glass House, Pomona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty with the Zahi (17:55).
Another very entertaining match worth watching. Lee Moriarty is such a good talent who can shine through your screen with his ring work. He’s a good opponent for Takeshita as you can see when you watch the video way up above.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 04/07/2022) Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Hikaru Shida & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck when Shida pinned Reckless with the Falcon Arrow (2:53).
It was a surprise to everyone when both Yuka Sakazaki and Hikaru Shida showed up to wrestle as a tag team this past Wednesday. I didn’t realize Sakazaki had left Japan for her PWG booking and it wasn’t publicly known that Shida was returning to the US either. The match against Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck will air on Dark Elevation next Monday. Hopefully for Sakazaki’s sake they edit her entrance because she tripped and fell on the ramp while running out. She got revenge on the ramp after the match by stomping on it while leaving ringside.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 01/07/2022) Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Royal Rampage: Brody King defeated Darby Allin by Ring Out (22:41). Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, John Silver, Max Caster, Penta Oscuro & Rush, Matt Hardy, Frankie Kazarian, Dante Martin, Dustin Rhodes, Konosuke Takeshita, Orange Cassidy, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, Ricky Starks, Hangman Page, The Blade, The Butcher and Darby Allin.
Tonight’s episode of Rampage has Takeshita entering the first ever Royal Rampage match. It is reportedly a Royal Rumble match involving two wrestling rings and the last wrestlers left in each ring face off in the finale. Remember earlier when I said Takeshita wants to look for backup so he won’t get eliminated by a tag team? Well it happened again when The Butcher & The Blade worked together to throw him out of the ring.
Yamashita is currently in Spain ready and waiting for this weekend’s show with RCW. Her opponent is an interesting choice. Alex Windsor has been on a roll in England lately for both Revolution Pro and Pro Wrestling: EVE. She will be coming to Japan one week later to challenge for the International Princess Title too. No bigger message to send TJPW than to beat their first ace before heading over.
PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Masha Slamovich
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Takeshita has had no luck chasing after AEW championships. The PWG World Title however is so close he should be able to taste it. The champion Daniel Garcia is beaten up from doing a Blood & Guts cage match. Sakazaki gets to be added to the short list of women to have wrestled for PWG. She can make Masha Slamovich 0 for 2 against TJPW talent.
JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022 Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Radrick
This is a match with more history than meets the eye. Takeshita and Cole Radrick have gotten along on Twitter for the last year, sharing gifs of them doing each other’s moves in matches. Does that mean when they finally meet they will play mind games by swapping movesets against each other?
DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 1”, 16/07/2022 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Davey Richards
Davey Richards has taken up the indie gatekeeper role ever since he returned to active competition. Takeshita getting an opponent as established as him in a promotion as energetic as DEFY should result in magic.
TERMINUS “TERMINUS 3”, 21/07/2022 Oasis Event Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
1. Jonathan Gresham Vs Konosuke Takeshita
The hits keep on coming! Takeshita should expect a change of pace here because TERMINUS uses an alternate ruleset that encourages more grappling and less theatrics. Jonathan Gresham flies the flag for that style (often literally) and has been pretty much unbeatable since becoming the ROH World Champion. It would be a good idea for Takeshita to remember what he learned from wrestling Shinya Aoki and fight fire with fire.
PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022 Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kevin Blackwood
The next day Takeshita returns to Prestige for his second match in the promotion. Kevin Blackwood has been gaining notoriety in the indies this year and just last week got a big win over Takeshita’s buddy Mike Bailey.
GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022 The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA
1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander
Takeshita will also be holding a seminar for Garden State Pro on the day of the show.
BLACK LABEL PRO “THE GANG CROSSES THE LINE”, 29/07/2022 Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Wayne
A teenage prodigy being hailed as the future of pro wrestling with the world at his feet. Sounds familiar. Nick Wayne is sort of where Takeshita was a decade ago. The young phenomenon is becoming a must see wrestler on the indies and supposedly has an AEW contract waiting for him once he is eligible to sign it. One future will get to see the next future first hand.
SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Hoshitango Vs Bital Hasdin
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
Hoshitango’s opponent Bital Hasdin is being promoted as Thailand’s super rookie.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022 O2 Academy, Sheffield, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
Takeshita heads over to England in August for a tour with PROGRESS, the company that wishes it was still 2019. His first show will be in Sheffield and then he will be in Newcastle the next day.
GCW “HOMECOMING PART 1”, 13/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
GCW is not ready for Maki Itoh.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022 Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
Takeshita won’t be the only DDT talent PROGRESS gets to experience this year…
GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
I repeat, they are so not ready for her.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022 O2 Academy, Birmingham, England
1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
Chris Brookes is coming back to Europe and he’s bringing Masahiro Takanashi with him!
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022 Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
Take it from me, wXw tournaments in Oberhausen make for great weekend breaks if you’re with other wrestling fans. They have done tag team tournaments every Autumn for years but the World Tag Team Festival branding is only a recent creation that got interrupted by the pandemic. CDK was one of the first teams announced to enter the annual tournament. They are joined by two familiar faces, the team of Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie!
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 