TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/09/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall 681 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Suzume defeated Shino Suzuki with the Ring A Bell (6:56).
2. Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro defeated Kaya Toribami & Runa Okubo when Endo submitted Okubo with the Camel Clutch (8:50).
3. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & HIMAWARI defeated Hyper Misao, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Tatsumi submitted Harajuku with the Dragon Sleeper (11:08). (Special Referee: Shiori Aoki)
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga defeated Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Wakana Uehara when Kamifuku pinned Uehara with the Famouser (12:25).
5. Mizuki & Shoko Nakajima defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Mizuki pinned Yamashita with the Aquamarine (17:35).
6. Saki Akai & Yuki Arai defeated Yuki Aino & Moka Miyamoto when Akai pinned Miyamoto after the Double Rookie Award (16:10).
For the final time Reiwa AA Cannon teamed up together but today will not be the last time Saki Akai & Yuki Arai will be in the same ring together. After they won their last match as a tag team in the main event, Akai said she looked after Arai as if she was her little sister but now is the time for Arai to step forward on her own and lead Tokyo Joshi Pro into the future. Arai said she loved the time spent with Akai and it went by in a daze. She now has one last selfish request, she wants a singles match with Akai before her retirement! It will be the first, last and only time Akai and Arai will face each other one on one. Akai approved of Arai’s fearlessness in asking her and promised it will happen the next time she shows up in TJPW. It was later confirmed the match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 27th October.
In a preview of the “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” main event, Mizuki scored a direct pinfall over Miyu Yamashita by avoiding the Skull Kick and using the Aquamarine to roll her into a three count. She isn’t looking forward to wrestling her in further skirmishes until the big show but is confident she can beat her every step of the way.
Another “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” preview was a 6-Woman Tag match featuring Toyo Mates and Free WiFi against each other. Yuki Kamifuku won the match for her team but got into a small fight with Nao Kakuta afterwards. It led to Kamifuku making a weird promise to not use WiFi until she beats Kakuta. If that means she has to pay for giga internet in the meantime then so be it. Mahiro Kiryu used that point to remind fans to be careful of suspicious WiFi otherwise your personal information could be at risk.
As part of today’s SKE48 performance, Shiori Aoki was invited back to officiate a match again. It was her second time as a wrestling referee and she successfully detected Hyper Misao hiding several foreign objects hidden in her outfit. Misao got her revenge when she redirected Rika Tatsumi into choking Aoki unconscious in the corner. Tatsumi revived her and went to pin Pom Harajuku with a Hip Attack. Aoki showed she was still in good condition by doing a cartwheel before counting the pin. The delay meant she couldn’t count to three in time so Tatsumi switched Harajuku over into the Dragon Sleeper so she could win by submission. Aoki said she would like to be the referee again and was given advice from Daisuke Kiso before today’s match. She enjoyed the challenge of having more wrestlers to keep an eye on this time.
Miu Watanabe was spotted cheering along to the SKE48 mini concert like she always does whenever TJPW brings in idols for a musical performance.
As always with this article I start off thinking it is going to be a lighter month than the last until it grows and grows. There are always extra bookings on the horizons whenever the boys and girls from DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro go abroad. August was dominated by two stories in my mind. Konosuke Takeshita wrestling The Golden Lovers in Wembley and Maki Itoh being all over GCW even more so than usual. Other things of note include TJPW announcing its return to America while dipping its toe into China, MAO becoming fast friends with El Desperado and Miyu Yamashita finding herself in ChocoPro territory by virtue of being EVE’s champion. Maybe next month’s article will be the one that finally slows down a little bit.
AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023 Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia
WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Lucha Street Fight: Gringo Loco Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Video starts at 39:54. MDRN NMD/GATOH MOVE “CHOCO NIGHT GRAPS!”, 29/08/2023 The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England
1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Kid Lykos
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023 Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia when Jericho pinned Garcia after a Bat Attack from Don Callis (12:21).
As I feared, Takeshita’s storyline with Don Callis was pretty much hijacked by Chris Jericho to set up his own angle with Takeshita’s manager. Takeshita & Jericho teamed up under Callis’s recommendation against two people close to Jericho, Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia. Callis knocked out Garcia with a baseball bat behind the ref’s back and Jericho made the choice to pin him for the victory.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Lucha Street Fight: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Gringo Loco with the Diving Senton (14:39).
Takeshita showed up in Wrestling REVOLVER as a short notice replacement for Jon Moxley. His appearance made up for Takeshita’s own cancelled booking with the promotion back in June. Here Takeshita faced Gringo Loco in a Lucha Street Fight. By coincidence one of Loco’s big moves is the Himawari Bomb that Sanshiro Takagi also uses. Takeshita kicked out of the move and then countered a top rope version into a Poison Rana. Loco kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee so Takeshita then took a page out of Moxley’s book by giving Loco the Paradigm Shift. From there Takeshita won with the Diving Senton.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR 2023”, 04/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Dreamwave Women’s Title Qualifying Scramble: Zayda Steele defeated Brittnie Brooks, Maki Itoh, B3CCA, Kaia McKenna and Shazza McKenzie when Steele pinned McKenzie after the It’s Brittnie Bitch from Brooks (8:08).
Itoh entered Dreamwave’s 6-Woman Scramble in the hopes of qualifying for their new Women’s Championship. It was first fall to a finish but the ring soon emptied when some of the women, Itoh included got thrown out. She didn’t factor into the finish but would soon find out she had another chance.
DREAMWAVE “THOSE SUMMER NIGHTS”, 05/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Dreamwave Women’s Title Qualifying Scramble: Brittnie Brooks defeated Maki Itoh, B3CCA, Kaia McKenna, Maggie Lee and Shelly Benson when Brookes pinned Lee with the It’s Brittnie Bitch (8:08).
The second chance didn’t work out any better for her. Another 6-Woman Scramble was held the next night with some of the same women involved. Itoh tried to submit two opponents at once by giving them a Double Half Crab but it left her vulnerable to a Super Kick. She went to recover outside the ring and couldn’t climb back in time to break the pin.
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS”, 11/08/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Steph De Lander defeated Allie Katch, Maki Itoh and Masha Slamovich when De Lander pinned Itoh with the Fireman’s Carry Facebuster (11:53).
Okay maybe multi-person free for alls are not Itoh’s forte. This one was a bit crazy though. Masha Slamovich had Allie Katch beaten when all of a sudden Blake Christian jumped into the ring and attacked her. Itoh took exception and threw punches at Christian, opening herself up to Steph De Lander giving her an F5-like move to win.
PWG “MYSTERY VORTEX”, 13/08/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
Here’s something I never thought I’d write. Maki Itoh did a balcony dive at a PWG show! It’s been rare to see PWG holding shows nowadays but last month they held one of their signature events “MYSTERY VORTEX” where nothing is advertised before hand and fans only know what the matches are when they happen. Itoh was involved in a bizarre mixture of wrestlers in a 6-Person Tag Match. She teamed with Evil Uno & Aramis to beat Masha Slamovich, Peter Avalon & Látigo in a match mixing together AEW, lucha libre and women’s wrestling talent.
Takeshita was also on the show too, beating Rey Horus. I’d call him a PWG regular at this point if they ran shows more often.
KOPW “THE NEW ERA OF CHINESE PRO WRESTLING III”, 19/08/2023 Tianyue Sports City, Nanhai Foshan, Guangdong, China
1. Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (?:??).
TJPW made their first steps into China when Mizuki and Nao Kakuta were invited to take part in King Of Pro Wrestling. They faced each other in a non-title match and won over the crowd with their back and forth action.
NJPW “LEC PRESENTS ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL USA 2023”, 19/08/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. El Desperado & MAO defeated Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver when Desperado pinned Oliver with the Pinche Loco (19:14).
The All Star Jr. Festival proved to be such a good idea in Japan that they brought the show over to America. MAO was invited along and got to team with El Desperado. The two of them bonded by playing Dragon Quest V on the flight to America so their team name was DQV. They fought a tag team MAO lost to earlier this year, The East West Express. Both Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver performed Stereo Springboard Cutters to their opponents but both only got a two count. MAO got rid of Wayne by spiking him onto the canvas with a Spinning Headscissors and Desperado pinned Oliver with the Pinche Loco.
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 1”, 19/08/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh defeated Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander when Gage & Itoh pinned Cardona & De Lander each with the Kokeshi (11:57).
Months of fights between Maki Death Kill and Deathmatch Royalty led to a climactic battle between them finally happening. Itoh & Nick Gage were finally going to get their hands on Matt Cardona & De Lander with nothing in their way to stop them. Cardona & De Lander made a big entrance out of it, arriving at the venue in the Ecto-1 and wearing Ghostbusters outfits. For you see tonight they were the Deathmatch Busters! The joke blew up in their faces because Maki Death Kill sliced the two of them apart with pizza cutters! Cardona & De Lander tried to Pedigree Gage & Itoh onto thumbtacks but they were both Back Body Dropped onto the pile instead. Gage & Itoh then delivered stereo Kokeshi Headbutts to win the match and possibly put an end to the feud.
IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 20/08/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Scramble Match: Chris Sabin defeated Kevin Knight, Frankie Kazarian, BUSHI, YOH, Rich Swann, MAO and El Desperado when Sabin pinned YOH with the Cradle Shock (8:06).
MAO was involved even further with the international Jr. Heavyweight Division action the next night. Impact and New Japan held a co-promoted event and MAO was thrown into an 8-Man Scramble match to open the show. He tried joining forces with Desperado again but the numbers game still proved to be too much for the two of them. Instead Chris Sabin ended up being the last man standing. Well, at least until BUSHI blinded him with Poison Mist after the match.
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 2”, 20/08/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated B3CCA with the Itoh Deluxe (9:21).
In the first of two singles matches they have coming up together, Itoh beat B3CCA in GCW. Will the result be the same when they have a rematch at MLW next month?
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 25/08/2023 Roundhouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. Maki Itoh defeated Charli Evans with the Itoh Deluxe (18:03).
Itoh’s next focus in GCW was their tour of Australia with the Renegades Of Wrestling promotion. On Night 1 Itoh defeated Charli Evans and revealed a new word she learned that Aussies like to call other people. I’m not going to type it out here. It’s difficult enough trying to keep this blog from getting caught in web filters.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 26/08/2023
Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1. ROW Women’s Title: Aysha (c) defeated Maki Itoh with a Double Arm DDT (12:58). *V3 for Aysha.
The second night featured Itoh challenged Aysha for the ROW Women’s Title. Itoh had the champion beat when she made her tap out to the Itoh Deluxe but Aysha’s cronies at ringside kept distracting the referee so it wouldn’t be seen. Itoh let go of the hold to chase them off but turned around into a Double Arm DDT, stealing the win for Aysha.
GATOH MOVE “CHOCOPRO”, 26/08/2023 The Yard Theatre, London, England
Just including this result because Masahiro Takanashi is a DDT guy as well as a ChocoPro regular. I have more to talk about the second show of the double header.
EVE/GATOH MOVE “CHOCOPRO X EVE SUPER SHOW”, 26/08/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Emersyn Jayne with the Crash Rabbit Heat (19:39). *V8 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. Mei Suruga & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kanji & Kid Lykos when Suruga pinned Kanji with the Maple Model (11:25).
Being the EVE Champion got Miyu Yamashita to appear on a ChocoPro branded show for the first time. She opened up the show with a title defence against Emersyn Jayne. That match was supposed to happen in July but travel problems for the challenger prevented that from happening. It finally went ahead here and the match turned out to be a violent one. Yamashita was slammed onto the front row of chairs outside the ring and Jayne ended up getting busted open. Jayne did kick out of the Skull Kick, being one of the few people to do so. But Yamashita followed it up with the Crash Rabbit Heat to remain the champion.
One of ChocoPro’s victories on the show against EVE happened when Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga defeated Kid Lykos & Kanji. It was one of the rare times men got to wrestle on an EVE show too.
The show also left with a question of what could have been because Marika Kobashi was planned to compete as an EVE representative. She is currently staying in Scotland but her flight to London was cancelled and she was unable to make it to the show. Part of her apology included regret over not being able to see Yamashita again so I wonder if she was meant to wrestle her instead of Jayne?
I was at this show by the way. Although I admit leaving during the main event in order to catch my train back to the hotel so I missed Emi Sakura’s surprise induction into EVE’s Hall Of Fame at the end.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 27/08/2023 Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. Maki Itoh defeated Allie Katch with the I.S.D. (11:03).
Itoh bounced back from her failure to win a title by taking on GCW’s own Allie Katch on the final night of the Australian tour. It was another clean victory for Itoh. She seems to have Katch’s number every time they face each other.
AEW “ALL IN LONDON”, 27/08/2023 Wembley Stadium, London, England
1. Jay White, Juice Robinson & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) defeated The Golden Elite Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Adam Page when Takeshita pinned Omega with a School Boy (20:28).
I was at this show too! Getting to see Takeshita live in front of 80,000+ people in Wembley was great especially since my first time seeing him was in front of 330 people somewhere in Saitama back in 2016. That I got to see him mix it up with The Golden Lovers was a bonus. Even the result went Takeshita’s way. He countered Kota Ibushi’s Kamigoye with a sick looking Jumping Knee Strike of his own. Then when Kenny Omega was dealing with Bullet Club Gold, Takeshita rolled him up with a School Boy to steal the win.
MDRN NMD/GATOH MOVE “CHOCO NIGHT GRAPS!”, 29/08/2023 The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St., Manchester, England
1. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Kid Lykos with the Takatonic (?:??).
ChocoPro’s trip to England ended with a collaboration show alongside Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling. Takanashi took on Lykos again, this time in a singles match and at a venue where there was no wrestling ring. It was a mat wrestling show similar to ChocoPro’s own events in Ichigaya.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
GCW advertised Maki Death Kill as showing up in the show but they won’t be wrestling together. Gage is facing El Hijo del Vikingo while Itoh’s match on the show has not been announced yet.
OTT “WRESTLERAMA”, 02/09/2023 The Warehouse Red Cow, Dublin, Ireland
1. Session Moth Martina & Miyu Yamashita Vs Debbie Keitel & Anita Vaughan
Yamashita is heading over to my neck of the woods in Ireland for OTT. She’s looking forward to it and I bet Itoh told her stories about what Session Moth Martina is like. Debbie Keitel & Anita Vaughan will be there to stop the party though.
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. B3CCA Vs Maki Itoh
Funny stuff that MLW announced this match first then GCW went and did it anyway.
AEW “ALL OUT”, 03/09/2023 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)
It was announced during the “ALL IN” post-show scrum that Omega and Takeshita will face each other this weekend in Chicago at “ALL OUT”.
GCW “CRUSHED UP”, 10/09/2023 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Killer Kelly
Itoh’s last match of her current tour is a one on one meeting against Killer Kelly.
PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Trish Adora Vs Shoko Nakajima
When Itoh is back in Japan, Shoko Nakajima tags out to be the next one going over to America. It’s all to build up TJPW’s big plan with Prestige as you will see at the bottom of this post.
REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL VI VI VI: LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS”, 30/10/2023 Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Penta el Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix Vs Shun Skywalker, Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf
Now isn’t this quite interesting? Takeshita from DDT and Shun Skywalker from Dragongate being pitted against each other. We also have the Lucha Brothers and La Rebelion involved in the match too.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
TJPW with the help of Prestige is coming back to Los Angeles this December! Announced for the show so far are Itoh, Yamashita, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Taya Valkyrie, Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly and Sandra Moone.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “HAPPY SUMMER VACATION! ~TJPW SUMMER VACATION 2023~”, 26/08/2023 Osaka Hanamizuki Hall 237 Fans
1. Kaya Toribami defeated Runa Okubo with the Bird Cage (5:46)
2. 3 Way Match: Mahiro Kiryu defeated Haruna Neko and Shino Suzuki when Kiryu pinned Suzuki with the Spinebuster (5:37).
3. Hikari Noa & Toga defeated Hyper Misao & Haru Kazashiro when Noa pinned Kazashiro with the Running Neckbreaker Drop (10:40).
4. Special Single Match: Rika Tatsumi defeated Demonio Dos with the Missile Hip (10:06).
5. Chu! Summer Party Death Match 2023: Mizuki & HIMAWARI defeated Shoko Nakajima & Pom Harajuku when Mizuki pinned Harajuku with the Diving Foot Stomp into the Pool (14:36).
6. Yuki Aino, Raku & Moka Miyamoto defeated Miu Watanabe, Suzume & Wakana Uehara when Aino pinned Uehara with the Venus DDT (15:40).
The summer theme led to a crazier show than usual. Everybody in the main event were too busy warming up to see what happened in the Summer Party Death Match so they were confused to find themselves stepping into a soaking wet wrestling ring. After the match Yuki Aino said today feels like the last day of summer and thanked the fans to coming to see them. Meanwhile Moka Miyamoto was still trying to figure out what happened before their match. Backstage Miu Watanabe told everyone she had a nice summer but she feels like she is now tired of it. She warned the audience not to get heatstroke while Suzume & Wakana Uehara were busy wishing everyone a happy summer. Raku said now that summer is over she wants to go eat ice cream.
The messy ring was caused by the Summer Party Death Match where all items related to summer were allowed. Everyone was dressed for the summer and armed with buckets of water, water balloons, firework sparklers and more. Shoko Nakajima also gathered together a pile of kaiju toys in the ring for everyone to get slammed into (she explained she used to watch kaiju movies in the cinema during her summer vacations so that meant the toys counted as legal weapons). Rika Tatsumi and Demonio Dos ended up getting involved in the match when everyone brawled out of the ring. That led to Mizuki diving onto everyone from the top of a truck. Back in the ring HIMAWARI smashed a watermelon over Nakajima’s head. A kiddie pool filled with water was then put in the ring. Mizuki knocked Pom Harajuku into the pool, placed a piece of watermelon over her head, climbed the top turnbuckle and hit the Diving Foot Stomp into the pool for the win. Mizuki & HIMAWARI ate the remaining pieces of watermelon to celebrate. HIMAWARI said she was happy to be part of a fun match like this because she’s only been here for over half a year. She wants to do it more. Nakajima complained that you shouldn’t hit people over the head with watermelons.
Tatsumi was given an opponent as crazy as her so she could really unleash herself without putting the rest of Tokyo Joshi Pro in danger. She’s fought Demonio Uno before so this time she took on Demonio Dos. The two quickly took their match out of the ring where Tatsumi found the company bus parked next to them. Tatsumi took the chance to get into the driver’s seat and try to run Dos over! However she does not understand how to drive stick and couldn’t get the bus started. Dos dragged Tatsumi out of the bus and back to the ring where they fought even more. A ref bump led to one of the turnbuckle pads being removed. Tatsumi hit Dos with the pad and then followed up with the Missile Hip, pinning the monster for the three count once the referee recoved. After the match Tatsumi offered a handshake, believing this whole ordeal was just her way of trying to make a new friend. Dos kicked her instead and the two started fighting again. Which explains why they reappeared during the Summer Party Death Match. Backstage Tatsumi claimed this was also an International Princess Title match and should count as her 5th successful defence. TJPW have not confirmed that.
Hyper Misao tried to attack her opponents with fireworks because she wanted it to be her last memory of this summer. Hikari Noa stopped her by swinging a chair at the fireworks. Noa then tried to use the fireworks herself but the referee prevented her from doing so.
I’ll be travelling to England this weekend to see AEW in Wembley. I will also be at the EVE/ChocoPro show on Saturday night to see what Miyu Yamashita will get up to. I’ll be around to post the results for tomorrow’s Baka Gaijin show but after that my next post here won’t be until Monday night at the very earliest. If the build up of news and reports after I come back is too much I may delay this month’s DDT Around The World article by a few days. But I’m not going to get worried over that right now. Should be a fun weekend.
1. Special Single Match: Mecha Mummy (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Ram Kaichow
3. Special Single Match: Hagane Shinno Vs Maya Yukihi
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Yoshihiko
The show will include a performance by Bed In idol Kaori Masukodera.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN – DAY 2”, 29/08/2023 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Ilusion Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
3. Rock ‘n’ Roll 4 Way Death Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuni
4. Drunk Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
5. Different Mixed Martial Arts Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida Vs Thanomsak Toba & Rukiya
6. Special Single Match: Yuko Miyamoto Vs Hideki Okatani
7. Beer Garden Specialty Customer Lottery 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naya and Takeshi Masada
Furitsuke Kamen (the masked alter ego of Lucky Ikeda) will be at the show to perform a “Pro Wrestling Gymnastics” routine.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~AUTUMN TOUR OPENING ROUND~”, 03/09/2023 Tokyo Otemachi Mitsui Hall
1. Toga Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Yuki Aino Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Moka Miyamoto, HIMAWARI & Wakana Uehara Vs Haruna Neko, Kaya Toribami & Runa Okubo
4. Hikari Noa Vs Suzume
5. Mizuki Vs Juria Nagano
6. 8-Woman Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe, Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu, Raku & Pom Harajuku
In a preview of the upcoming Princess Tag Team Titles tournament, four of the teams involved will be put into an 8-Woman Tag Match. A lottery will determine which teams will be teaming up with each other. The four taking part are Daydream, Kyoraku Kyomei, Toyo Mates and Raku & Pom Harajuku.
A first time ever singles match between Mizuki and Juria Nagano takes place on the show.
Miyu Yamashita, Nao Kakuta and Arisu Endo will still be absent for the same reasons they are missing this weekend’s Osaka show. Yamashita is in England, Kakuta is in a stage play and Endo is injured.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2023”, 18/09/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu Vs Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki
It used to be that Jun Akiyama never wanted to do Explosion Death Matches and now he’s going to do two in the same month! Akiyama already has one coming up on 9th September and now Atsushi Onita convinced him to take part in another one nine days later. However if Akiyama’s team beats Onita’s team on the 9th then Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki’s match here against Onita & Yoshitatsu will have the All Asia Tag Team Titles on the line. If not then this will be a non-title match. Either way, Onita has dragged Akiyama into doing his specialty death match twice!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023 Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
1. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs X, X, X & X
2. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose Vs Maki Itoh
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Winners Of 09/09 Match Vs Winners Of 09/10 Match
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Aja Kong and Ryo Mizunami have both been added to the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 17/08/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 222 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Mahiro Kiryu defeated Pom Harajuku with the Spinebuster (7:12).
2. Saki Akai, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo defeated HIMAWARI, Toga & Shino Suzuki when Akai pinned HIMAWARI with the Rookie Award (12:07).
3. Mizuki defeated Aiger with the Aquamarine (9:47).
4. Debut 10th Anniversary Memorial Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Skull Kick (19:53).
Today is the 10th anniversary of Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima’s pro wrestling debut. The two of them had done a handful of exhibition matches in Tokyo Joshi Pro’s early preview events before their “flag raising” show in 2013 but their official debut happened in Sumo Hall for DDT on this date ten years ago. In that debut match they teamed together and lost to Chikage Kiba & KANNA, the two other women from TJPW’s first class who have long since graduated from wrestling. To celebrate the 10th anniversary Yamashita and Nakajima faced each other in the latest “TJPW INSPIRATION” show.
Given the short nature of the show’s length their main event had a 20 minute time limit. With seven seconds left to go, Yamashita pinned Nakajima with the Skull Kick. Nakajima said she wanted to cherish her 10 years in TJPW because Yamashita and Maki Itoh both travel often while Yuka Sakazaki will be graduating soon. Nakajima thought everyone would stay together forever but knew if she didn’t fight Yamashita again she would regret it. Now that they’ve had the match she doesn’t want to do it again for another 10 years. Yamashita said there’s been times they hadn’t gotten along but Nakajima is like family to her. All of TJPW is like that to her. No matter where she goes or what she does, that will never change.
There were some more comments to take note of. During the show closing speech Yamashita made a mistake regarding the date of their debuts (she thought it was on 13th August) which the audience caught. Backstage she said she currently holds championships from England (EVE) and America (Spark Joshi) so she wants to add the Princess Of Princess Title and fight in even more places. Nakajima brought up Saki Akai’s quote about deciding to retire as a flower that still blooms beautifully. Nakajima wants to be the opposite and keep wrestling until she dries up and returns to the soil as mulch.
For the first time in about 8 years Mizuki had to step into the ring and fight Aiger. The joshi ghost was a terrifying threat not just to Mizuki but also the wrestlers seconding at ringside (which included SAKI) and the referee Daisuke Kiso. Aiger brought out a chain to use as a weapon but Mizuki used it against her, setting up the Aquamarine for the finish. Mizuki was relieved with the result and thinks it proves how much she has grown in the last 8 years. She used the Aquamarine because the first time she won a match was with that move. As for Aiger, the story is she will soon disappear in September alongside Mizuki Endo’s retirement.
One of the things Akai wanted to accomplish before she retires is to spend time in the ring with TJPW’s new generation of wrestlers. She ticked that off today by teaming with the teenagers Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo against HIMAWARI, Toga & Shino Suzuki. Arai praised her two partners and thinks if she wasn’t already holding the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Eruption, she could have gone after the belts with these two instead. Their three opponents today all cried with tears of joy backstage for getting to wrestle with Akai.
For once somebody was apologizing to Mahiro Kiryu instead of the other way around. One day Pom Harajuku broke the key to the dojo and blamed it on Kiryu. In search of forgiveness, Harajuku brought a package into the ring and said it is for Kiryu. But when she handed it over to her, Harajuku launched an ambush to start the match with the upper hand. Kiryu took control and kneeled on top of Harajuku. But instead of her usual apology, Kiryu instead opened the package to reveal rice crackers inside. She got to eat one of the crackers while wrestling and went on to win the match. She thanked Harajuku for the crackers afterward.
None of The Up Up Girls were at the show today so Sayuri Namba brought Moka Miyamoto into the ring to hype up the card at the beginning of the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 657 Fans
1. Hikari Noa defeated Runa Okubo with the Blue Racer (5:13).
2. 3 Way Match: Nao Kakuta defeated Haruna Neko and HIMAWARI when Kakuta pinned HIMAWARI with the Shiden Kai (8:04).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro when Raku pinned Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow (7:40).
4. Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano defeated Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami when Nagano pinned Toribami with the Whirlwind Kick (8:58).
5. Yuki Arai & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Wakana Uehara & Toga when Arai submitted Uehara with the Sasori-Katame (10:18).
6. Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima & Suzume defeated Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Aino when Mizuki pinned Watanabe with the Cutie Special (15:31).
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Miyu Yamashita defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Skull Kick (15:57).
The tenth edition of the Tokyo Princess Cup has brought closure to one of the longest running curses in Tokyo Joshi Pro. That’s right, Miyu Yamashita has finally won the tournament! Her victory in the final ended Yuki Kamifuku’s strong run but it wasn’t without a fight. Kamifuku used the Reverse Famouser she debuted yesterday, a Superplex, the Manjigatame and also some good old Eye Pokes to her advantage. But Yamashita fought back with German Suplexes, the Return Crash and the Skull Kick. That last move would have won the match if it wasn’t for Kamifuku’s long leg reaching over to cause a rope break. Kamifuku had one last gasp that led to her missing the Famouser. Yamashita quickly capitalised with the Crash Rabbit Heat to the back followed by another from the front to win the final.
Yamashita told the fans it’s taken 10 years but she finally won the Princess Cup. However she still has big ambitions for the future and is moving straight on to the next one. She called down Mizuki to the ring and told her she wanted to win this tournament so she could challenge her for the Princess Of Princess Title with pride. Mizuki admitted she is frustrated she lost to Yamashita in the 1st Round. Her pro wrestling life is the exact opposite of Yamashita but she respects her a lot. Mizuki accepted the challenge and the title match will take place at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October. Yamashita requested a handshake afterward but Mizuki declined with a shake of her head.
Backstage Yamashita repeated her points. She has thought about winning the Princess Cup for the last ten years but the championship Mizuki has is more important to her. She also praised Kamifuku and is really glad to have fought her in the final. When a reporter pointed out that Yamashita has won both of TJPW’s annual tournaments this year, she said she can now add “Tournament Wins” to her special skills column. Kamifuku revealed that right after the match she received a LINE message from Aja Kong that said “You did your best.” Kamifuku still does not like competing in tournaments but understands she has to enter them and do her best.
Mizuki kept her skills sharp in the semi-main event by scoring the pinfall on Miu Watanabe in a 6-Woman Tag Match. Suzume took out Yuki Aino with the top rope Facebuster, Rika Tatsumi got rid of her with the Twist Of Fate and Shoko Nakajima bowled out who was left with a Topé Con Hilo. Back in the ring Mizuki unleashed the Whirling Candy on Watanabe and pinned her with the Cutie Special.
Yesterday’s fortunes were switched around for a few people in Match #5. Toga was coming in fresh off of winning a match by herself for the first time and Wakana Uehara was on the winning team with her. Yuki Arai on the other hand had to bounce back from her semi-final loss while Mahiro Kiryu is dealing with the hand she’s dealt with like always. Toga used her new Rock Bottom finisher again on Kiryu but the match came down to Uehara against Arai. A Big Boot from Arai led to her submitting Uehara with the Scorpion Deathlock.
The first time meeting between Hyper Misao and Juria Nagano saw the two facing off for a Karate duel. Misao then immediately threw away that idea and strangled Nagano with her cloak instead. Nagano had her Karate Tag partner Moka Miyamoto to count on though and together they kicked away Misao. Kaya Toribami stepped in and got a nearfall on Nagano with the 2nd Rope Twisting Senton. But Nagano hit her with a flurry of strikes, finishing her off with the Whirlwind Kick for the three count.
There was some confusion during the morning over Pom Harajuku. A couple of hours before the show began, TJPW announced she would be absent for various reasons and the card would be changed in response to that. The new card had Aino replacing Harajuku so Aino would have ended up wrestling twice. However Sayuri Namba then announced during the show opening introductions that Harajuku was here and will be wrestling her match after all, just a little later than scheduled. In the match itself Harajuku had a handle on Shino Suzuki while Raku beat Haru Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow.
The last of the summer vibes were cherished in the 3 Way Match. Nao Kakuta stood on HIMAWARI like a surfboard, tied Haruna Neko’s tail to the rope to immobilise her and then pinned HIMAWARI with the Shiden Kai.
Hikari Noa won her match by using the Blue Racer submission hold for the first time in a while. She locked the move in on Runa Okubo and pulled her away from the ropes. Stuck in the center of the ring with nowhere to go, Okubo gave up.
TJPW is heading back to America this December for a co-promoted show with Presitge Wrestling! The two promotions are putting together “COMBAT PRINCESS USA” at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles on 14th December. The names announced so far are Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Taya Valkyrie, Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly and Sandra Moone.
Maki Itoh Vs Nyla Rose was announced for “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October.
The vacant Princess Tag Team Titles will crown new champions at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”. Details will be announced at a later date.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 12/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 525 Fans
1. Wakana Uehara, Toga & Runa Okubo defeated HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro when Toga pinned Suzuki with the Rock Bottom (9:25).
2. Suzume defeated Juria Nagano with the Ring A Bell (6:05).
3. It’s Summer Vacation! Eat Shaved Ice And Enter 8-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Aino, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko defeated Hyper Misao, Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami when Harajuku pinned Toribami with the Pom de Justice (9:58).
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel defeated Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu when Sakisama pinned Kiryu with the Academy Award (13:53).
5. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe defeated Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo when Nakajima pinned Miyamoto with the Northern Lights Suplex (13:21).
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Miyu Yamashita defeated Yuki Arai with the Skull Kick (13:18).
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Rika Tatsumi with the Diving Famouser (12:39).
See what you can do when you put your mind to it? Yuki Kamifuku has spent this year’s Tokyo Princess Cup proving her doubters wrong and it’s taken her all the way to winning a Korakuen Hall main event for the first time! And she did it by beating Rika Tatsumi too, being the first person to pin her since January. Tatsumi tried to use submission holds but Kamifuku’s tall body allowed her to break out of the White Dragon Sleeper. Kamifuku then ran in to hit a Guillotine Drop and then climbed the second rope for a Diving Famouser to score the three count. Although Tatsumi lost, she still felt like she made a lot of progress in the tournament this year. She said she will use that experience for her future International Princess Title defences.
Joining Kamifuku in the final is Miyu Yamashita. Ten years into the tournament’s existence Yamashita has entered every single one and this is the first time she has reached the final. Yuki Arai gave her a tough challenge to make it here. It was one of the few times Yamashita took just as many kicks to the face than her opponent. Big Boots were a key part of Arai’s battle plan until Yamashita blocked the Finally, threw up a feint and hit her target with the Skull Kick to win. Still, Arai is proud over how far she made it this year. She noticed she has gone one round further than the year before in every Princess Cup she has entered so next year she is aiming to go even higher.
So tomorrow’s final has come down to Yamashita Vs Kamifuku. Yamashita admitted she didn’t expect Kamifuku would make it this far but she is looking forward to fighting her with everything on the line tomorrow. Kamifuku said she will prepare for the final the same way she does for any other match. She is going to paint her nails, get her hair treated and use her beauty to win! Backstage Kamifuku said she loves her fans and is grateful for their support. She wants everyone to follow her whether they like or hate her. Yamashita said she is well aware of her bad fortunes in this tournament over the years. But then she thinks about everybody she has fought and beaten as well as remembering Yuka Sakazaki finally winning the Princess Cup for the first time last year. Those thoughts are what pushed her not to fall apart here like she would have in years past.
The four wrestlers who were eliminated in the Quarter Finals were paired off for a tag team match. The result was Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe taking on Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo. Watanabe ended up throwing Endo into Miyamoto and then Body Slammed the both of them at the same time. Nakajima then pinned Miyamoto with the Northern Lights Suplex. She was happy to win today because she is feeling all of the younger wrestlers starting to catch up on her. As Summer comes to an end, Watanabe said she will do her best in the Autumn.
The latest appearance of NEO Biishiki-gun featured Sakisama acting less disgusted towards her opponents than usual. That shouldn’t be surprising when you think about it because she always held a slightly higher opinion of Mizuki than she did for others. Her somewhat friendlier treatment towards her this time left Mei Saint-Michel feeling jealous. She got one over on Mizuki by dropping the metal serving tray over her head before Sakisama pinned Mahiro Kiryu. Then after the match Sakisama handed Mizuki her rose. Once everyone left ringside it was announced that NEO Biishiki-gun (including Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent) will return at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October.
Both teams in the 8-Woman Tag match agreed to a special rule where everyone first had to eat a serving of shaved ice before they could enter the bout. There were different glasses of shaved ice placed on tables outside the ring so everybody drew chopsticks and had to eat the glass matching the colour they picked. Yuki Aino got to eat the smallest glass and entered the match almost immediately. She had to wait for Hyper Misao to finish her glass before the actual wrestling could begin. Nao Kakuta, Hikari Noa and Haruna Neko all followed to fill both teams up. Pom Harajuku had to eat the largest glass and that kept her out longer than everyone else. When she finally finished, she jumped in with the hot tag only to stop herself because she was suffering from brain freeze. But thanks to some teamwork with Raku, she was able to recover and pin Kaya Toribami for the win.
In a singles match Suzume got to take on Juria Nagano. Suzume dodged the Brazilian Kick, dropped Nagano with a Facebuster and pinned her with the Ring A Bell.
The 2023 class of rookies were all together in the opening 6-Woman Tag Match. The match gave the two teenagers Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo more time to develop their classmate rivalry. Wakana Uehara found herself fighting with HIMAWARI in the match a lot. But it was Toga who got all of the attention at the end by getting her first direct win in her young career! She broke out of Shino Suzuki’s Sleeper Hold and pinned her with a Rock Bottom. Both of them debuted on the same day so that particular result means a lot for them.
There will be two shows taking place in Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX on 15th October. The afternoon show will be “GO GIRL 4” and is for a women only audience. The evening event will be a regular show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~SHOKO NAKAJIMA LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 05/08/2023 Niigata Dúo CEREZO
1. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Super Sasadango Machine
2. Suzume Vs Runa Okubo
3. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Haruna Neko Vs HIMAWARI
4. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
5. Mizuki, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yuki Arai, Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
7. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino Vs Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo
Both Yuki Kamifuku and Wakana Uehara will not be on the show due to other priorities that day. Kamifuku is attending an event in Fujisawa City while Uehara is performing on a stage show.
GANBARE☆PRO “UNDER THE SILVER LAKE 2023”, 06/08/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Keisuke Ishii Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. GanJo Vs JTO!: Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara Vs Misa Kagura & HisokA
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
4. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka Vs Koji Doi
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs YuuRI
The long delayed Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Title belts have finally been completed and are being sent over to Ganbare☆Pro in time for this weekend’s show. The belts will be presented to Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada on the day as part of a contract signing ceremony with Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE for their title match later in the show.
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2023 TOUR IN YAMAGATA”, 06/08/2023 Yamagata Big Wing
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Makoto Oishi
2. Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuji Hino & Rukiya
4. Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Yamagata Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Naya & Keisuke Goto
6. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shigehiro Irie & Jun Akiyama
Good luck to Kazuki Hirata having to fight Yukio Sakaguchi more so than usual this month because they have a DDT Extreme Title match coming up.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO BATTLE GAREGGA ’23”, 11/08/2023 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Ice Ribbon Offer Match: Ibuki Hoshi & Kaho Matsushita Vs Yappy & Tsukina Umino
2. Miyako Matsumoto Vs Banny Oikawa
3. Sumire Natsu & Riara Vs Maya Yukihi & Alex Lee
4. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Sayaka Unagi
5. ICEx∞ Title: YuuRI (c) Vs Ami Manase
I was wondering why Yoshiko Hasegawa was missing from the lineup. Turns out there was one more match left to announce and it’s her against Sayaka Unagi!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 12/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Suzume Vs Juria Nagano
2. Wakana Uehara, Toga & Runa Okubo Vs HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro
3. Hyper Misao, Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Aino, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo
5. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Arai
The summer is nearing its end and so too is this year’s Tokyo Princess Cup. Four women are left standing and two of those will be next to fall. Miyu Yamashita is trying to win the tournament for the first time after a decade of trying, Yuki Arai is benefitting from adding Saki Akai’s Rookie Award finisher to her moveset, Rika Tatsumi is in the middle of one hell of a run and Yuki Kamifuku is showing everyone just how successful she can be when she puts her mind to it.
Mizuki & Mahiro Kiryu are the two women teaming together to fight NEO Biishiki-gun.
Match #4 is made up of the four women who were knocked out in the Quarter Finals.
The 6-Woman Tag Match in Match #2 is entirely made up of the 2023 class.
DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
1. Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs HARASHIMA Vs Naruki Doi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs KANON
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Sakura Hirota Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (c) Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
6. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
7. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Saki Akai, Maya Yukihi & Asuka Vs Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima
Akai’s next 10th Anniversary match will feature her teaming with Maya Yukihi & Asuka. They were two of her recent big opponents here in DDT. Their opponents all debuted in 2013, the same year as Akai. Takumi Iroha & Rina Yamashita were already announced and this past weekend Shoko Nakajima was revealed to be the third woman on the team.
Hirata found a way to beat HARASHIMA. He’s also beaten Sakaguchi once before but as Extreme Champion he will come up with any stipulation that will tip the scales in his favour. Otherwise Sakaguchi is going to kill him and take his title!
Makoto Oishi has convinced Yuji Hino to go after the KO-D Tag Team Titles with him. Maybe Hino would be better off teaming with Yukio Naya for the match but Oishi being such a caring father for his children convinced Hino to stick with him.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN – DAY 1”, 16/08/2023 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. The Scariest Event In History! Ghost Story New Numabukuro Death Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuni Vs Hideki Okatani Vs Kazuma Sumi (Ghost Story Reading Artist: Hisaya Imabayashi)
2. Blindfold Hidden Breast 4 Way Death Match: HARASHIMA Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
3. YOROKOBI BREWERY Infomercial Match: Yuji Hino, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio naya & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shigehiro Irie & Jun Akiyama
The Fighting Beer Garden shows now has a craft beer sponsor.
DDT “SOMA TAKAO LOCAL TRIUPMH! MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2023 TOUR IN OTA-KU”, 19/08/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Industrial Plaza PiO Small Exhibition Hall
1. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Shota Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Jun Akiyama, Saki Akai & Antonio Honda Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
The recent actions of Konosuke Takeshita has fired up the rivalry between DAMNATION T.A and The 37KAMIINA. The one here is a rematch from the end of June when Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul beat Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima to win the vacant tag titles.
DDT “OSAKA BAY BLUES SPECIAL 2023”, 20/08/2023 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Tsutenkakka Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
2. BURNING Vs Harimao!: Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
3. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shigehiro Irie & HARASHIMA
4. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yuki Ueno
5. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yoshitatsu & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Soma Takao
Sasaki has a few singles matches against different members of The 37KAMIINA this month. Yuki Ueno keeps being told by Takeshita to follow his lead and Sasaki has become a big supporter of that idea.
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2023”, 27/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 3 ~ Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Saki Akai
2. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs MAO
3. HARASHIMA Debut 22nd Anniversary Match: HARASHIMA Vs X
Sasaki also has to face MAO. He might start regretting taking Takeshita’s side in the matter just because of how much extra ring work it’s giving him.
Akai asked Danshoku Dieno for a singles match to call back memories of the Extreme Title bout from 2016. Their match back then featured a stipulation that nobody was allowed to cry or else they would lose. It was a match that Akai learned a lot and still thinks about after all this time. Dieno understands how much it means to her and will not be using his “Dandy” persona for that reason.
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN IZUKOGEN GRANILLUMI”, 02/09/2023 Shizuoka Izu Granpal Park
1. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima (w/ Shunma Katsumata) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & X
A lot of people are gathering together to wrestle among the bright lights of Izu Granpal Park. Not only is Shinya Aoki showing up but Pheromones will be joined by a mystery wrestler.
DDT “DDT BIG BANG 2023”, 09/09/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Pheromones Vs Subjugation Final Match! Special Single Match ~ Dissolution Contra Vice President: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) Vs Akito
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & Ram Kaichow
3. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
4. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yoshi Tatsu & Toy Kojima Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie
Sick of his demands being ignored, Atsushi Onita took it upon himself last week to crash a training session at the DDT dojo and confront Jun Akiyama. Apparently Onita got in touch with Kojima and demanded to find out when Akiyama was in the building. Kojima told him but didn’t actually expect he would show up. Onita told Akiyama the names of many famous wrestlers who fought him in Explosion Death Matches then asked why is he the only person who refuses to take part? Onita also reminded Sanshiro Takagi he was promised this match would happen. Akiyama accepted the challenge and both sides decided their teams. Onita will team with Yoshi Tatsu & Toy Kojima while Akiyama & Takagi will add Yusuke Okada to their team.
Is the team of Ueno & MAO enough to beat Takeshita & Sasaki? We’re heading into dangerous territory here as tensions raise higher and higher.
If Eruption are still the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions coming out of their All Japan appearance at the end of this month then their match against Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & Ram Kaichow will be a title match.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~NAGOYA PERFORMANCE~”, 18/09/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs X & X
This will be the final time Reiwa AA Cannon will team together, just two months before Akai retires.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2023”, 18/09/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X
Minoru Suzuki will be on the show. This is happening the same day as the Bullet Train match with Takagi by the way. How else were they making it to Nagoya?
“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Exhibition: Masahiro Takanashi Vs KUDO
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Isami Kodaka & Ken Ohka Vs MAO, Daiki Shimomura & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Special Single Match: Mei Suruga Vs Minoru Suzuki
4. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi
No way was KUDO going to miss Masahiro Takanashi’s big show. He isn’t in ring shape to do a full wrestling match so Takanashi decided KUDO will face him in a 5 minute exhibition instead.
America had to deal with the adventures of MAO & Yoshihiko for most of July. The two of them were inseperable and causing chaos on every wrestling show they were booked for. Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita is fitting into his heel role nicely, bringing the act over from AEW to DDT and creating consequences in both companies. Since next month is AEW’s big week of doing Wembley in London and the United Center in Chicago one after the other you would think Takeshita will get an important match somewhere on either card.
With those topics out of the way that leaves us with Maki Itoh. The experience gained from touring America is doing wonders for her career but she didn’t win the Princess Of Princess Title back in Tokyo Joshi Pro like she hoped. Her storyline in GCW is coming to a head in August and she has her sights set on many more tours in the future. It can make you wonder if she will reach a stage where she might choose to say goodbye to TJPW some day. Her interviews on the subject have been contradictory depending on who she talks to. She would love to get a full time deal from a big American company but she also likes being signed to TJPW because they let her work this kind of international schedule. It’s nothing to fret over right now but the thought has crossed my mind when it became clear her future plans do not include the Princess Title.
CIRCLE 6 “LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE”, 16/07/2023 1720 Warehouse, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AJ Gray Vs MAO
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/07/2023 TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Blood & Guts: Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson & Kota Ibushi Vs Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Konosuke Takeshita & PAC
Video starts at 1:01:38 for the match. Go to 01:41:04 for Itoh’s birthday celebration. SMASH “CAN-US CLASSIC 2023”, 22/07/2023 Western Fair District, London, Ontario, Canada
1. Jody Threat Vs Maki Itoh
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Results
EVE “NMITB”, 02/07/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Eve Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Rhio with the Crash Rabbit Heat (21:21). *V6 for Miyu Yamashita.
Miyu Yamashita was scheduled to defend the EVE Title against Emersyn Jayne but the challenger couldn’t make the show due to travel problems. Yamashita instead had to put the belt on the line against “The Unbreakable” Rhio with both wrestlers having no time to prepare for each other. Rhio’s power was brought into the fore with her getting nearfalls from a Pumphandle Bomb and Death Valley Driver onto her knee. But Yamashita escaped from a Package Piledriver attempt and caught Rhio with the Skull Kick. Rhio fell next to the ropes so she used a rope break to avoid being pinned. Yamashita then wore her down with kicks until she could pin Rhio with the Crash Rabbit Heat.
WEST COAST PRO “CRUEL SUMMER 2023”, 08/07/2023 United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Bryan Keith defeated MAO with the Emerald Tiger Driver (15:55).
MAO’s trip to America began at West Coast Pro where Bryan Keith was waiting for him. Keith had warned MAO not to expect any moonlight on this ocassion while MAO thought he would be fine because he is a “fucked up wrestler with an empty head.” That was proven when Yoshihiko interfered to help him! Keith survived the surprise attack and fired himself up and threw Yoshihiko out of the ring with a Razor’s Edge to even the odds. After a back and forth, Keith pinned MAO with the Emerald Tiger Driver for the win.
JCW “BIG ASS EXTREME BIRTHDAY BASH”, 09/07/2023 Ridgefield Park Knights of Columbus, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. MAO defeated Mike Bailey with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver (14:47).
2. Bunkhouse Stampede: Manders defeated Charles Mason by Ring Out (22:13). Order Of Elimination: Jay Sawyer, Steve Off, Steve Scott, Grim Reefer, Brogan Finlay, Marcus Mathers, Kaia McKenna, Charlie Tiger, Eddy Herrera, Bam Sullivan, CPA, Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Yoshihiko, Yoya, John Wayne Murdoch, Parrow and Charles Mason.
Wherever MAO went in America, Yoshihiko followed him the entire way. It led to an awkward reunion with Mike Bailey in JCW. MAO and Speedball faced off in a battle between The Moonlight Express but things went sideways when MAO accidentally knocked out the referee with a Helluva Kick. Yoshihiko grabbed itself a ref shirt and went in as the replacement! However its officiating didn’t meet Bailey’s expectations so Yoshihiko was thrown out of the ring Razor’s Edge style deep into the crowd. The distraction might have led to Bailey’s undoing because MAO went on to beat him with a top rope Michinoku Driver with the original ref making the count.
Yoshihiko would reappear in a Bunkhouse Stampede match booked later in the show. It was a complete free for all where Yoshihiko appeared for a confrontation with Charles Mason and his backup muscle Parrow. The three of them have previous bad blood in the GCW/JCW system because Mason hates being embarrassed by the doll. Parrow tried to throw Yoshihiko out but Yoshihiko grabbed onto him and applied a Sleeper Hold. Mason lost his mind and hit Yoshihiko/Parrow with chairshot after chairshot before finally throwing the doll out of the ring to eliminate it.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 12/07/2023 (Aired 14/07/2023) SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mentallo with a Diving Senton (4:07).
Don Callis went the personal route to help Takeshita prepare for Blood & Guts. The show took place in Canada so Callis got AEW to book Kenny Omega’s longtime friend and training partner Mentallo as Takeshita’s opponent. The masked wrestler put up a good effort but Takeshita was victorious in the end, using a Diving Senton to add a new high flying move to his arsenal.
IWTV “MARCUS MATHERS ALL I WANT 2”, 13/07/2023 H20 Wrestling Center, Williamstown, New Jersey, USA
1. Yoshihiko defeated Jimmy Lloyd with the Yoshihiko Destroyer (9:56).
2. MAO defeated Brandon Kirk with the Phoenix Splash through the Plastic Cases (16:14).
The bottom ring rope snapped off during the first five minutes of the opening match and couldn’t be repaired. That should tell you the kind of night waiting ahead for MAO and Yoshihiko. But that’s the kind of fucked up wrestling MAO wants so he didn’t lose a step fighting against Brandon Kirk. A lot of chairs and plastic boxes were thrown into the mix for the two to beat each other up with.
Yoshihiko was tasked with fighting Jimmy Lloyd and both were prepared to tear the place apart. Yoshihiko did a balcony dive and landed Headbutt first onto Lloyd to break him through a wooden panel. Lloyd tried using a Steiner Screwdriver, Package Piledriver and Sleeper Suplex onto chairs but couldn’t get the three count. He went desperate by taking Yoshihiko to the top rope with chairs laid out below. Yoshihiko flipped him off with a Canadian Destroyer onto the chairs and then followed up with a second Destroyer for the finish.
GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 14/07/2023 Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Billie Starkz with the Itoh Deluxe (15:16).
2. Mike Bailey defeated Yoshihiko with the Stormbreaker (23:28).
3. GCW World Title: Blake Christian (c) defeated MAO with a Step Up Curb Stomp (14:21) *V6 for Blake Christian.
MAO had a big chance to grab some gold in his trip to GCW proper. He took on Blake Christian for the GCW World Title but things just didn’t work out for him on this night. Christian gave him a Low Blow, a Death Valley Driver and then finished him off with a Curb Stomp for a successful title defence.
There was something familiar about Bailey Vs Yoshihiko but I just can’t quite put my finger as to what it was. In a completely original match Bailey was accompanied by MAO Callis and his bodyguards. MAO was quickly ejected backstage but later returned to hand Bailey a screwdriver to attack Yoshihiko with. He then used the One-Winged Angel but Yoshihiko kicked out at one. Bailey lost his temper so he gave Yoshihiko the Tiger Driver ’91 (maybe that should be written without the apostraphe because he slammed the doll’s head into the mat around 91 times), the Hidden Blade and the Stormbreaker to win the match. It was unlike anything anyone had seen within the space of a three week period.
In a rematch from last August, Itoh defeated Billie Starkz not just in a wrestling match but in a pose-off to see who is cuter that happened midway through. After the match Itoh celebrated with Nick Gage and they then threw out a challenge to Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander. A video message from the two played over the screen in response but it turned out to be a trap! Cardona & De Lander ran into the ring through the crowd and ambushed Maki Death Kill. When they were done with the attack they accepted the challenge for a tag match.
1. Maki Itoh defeated Vanessa Kraven with the I.S.D. (14:49).
I don’t often talk much about match quality in these articles but you’re best to avoid watching this one. It wasn’t good.
CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 15/07/2023 Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. MAO Vs Bobby Beverly
I couldn’t find the result for this match on a show that had no wrestling ring. What I could find was footage of MAO giving Bobby Beverly a really nasty looking Package Piledriver onto a chair with Beverly’s head clipping off of the headrest. There was also footage of MAO singing with a band so win or lose he looked like he was having a great time.
CIRCLE 6 “LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE”, 16/07/2023 1720 Warehouse, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AJ Gray defeated MAO with a Lariat (?:??).
Yoshihiko again interfered in one of MAO’s matches to aid him, this time against AJ Gray. While Yoshihiko did not get hurled across the room into the audience, Grey overcame the 2-on-1 disadvantage to win.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/07/2023 TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
1. Blood & Guts: Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson & Kota Ibushi defeated Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Konosuke Takeshita & PAC when Moxley gave up (23:01).
Oh what drama that has been brewing in The Elite Vs Blackpool Combat Club feud in its final month. Takeshita travelled over to Mexico to assault Omega then helped BCC launch another attack on him back in America. That was when The Elite revealed their ace in the hole for Blood & Guts. The return of Kota Ibushi! In a match that was violent as promised, the BCC team fell apart when PAC took an accidental blow from Claudio Castagnoli. PAC has no loyalty to the group so he broke out of the cage and left. When The Elite got their second wind, Callis told Takeshita to leave the cage too! Takeshita did so and The Elite went on to beat BCC to end their feud.
1. Maki Itoh defeated Jody Threat with the I.S.D. (?:??).
Itoh was having a good night in Smash to begin with when she defeated Jody Threat. Then at the end of the show she was given a surprise birthday party in the ring because everyone found out it was her birthday that day! How sweet of them.
PRESTIGE “ALL RISE”, 23/07/2023 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Trish Adora defeated Maki Itoh with the Lariat Tubman (13:43).
Itoh’s return to Prestige was for a semi-main event match against Trish Adora. Oddly enough this was the first time they’ve faced each other even though Adora has become a regular opponent for TJPW wrestlers. Itoh lost on this day by running straight into Adora’s Lariat. Itoh declined to shake her hand afterwards.
DEFY “SPIRIT WC”, 28/07/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Game Over (?:??). *V7 for Vert Vixen.
The main event of DEFY’s women only show was where Itoh had her latest chance to win an American championship. Vert Vixen defeated her, making it three successful DEFY Women’s Title defences against TJPW talent.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “DYNAMITE 200”, 02/08/2023 Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia
It was only a matter of time until Chris Jericho would latch onto the new hot act and change the story into one about himself. He got the screen time with Callis while Takeshita was back in Japan wrestling for DDT. When Takeshita returns to America he will team with Jericho to take on Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia in the latest chapter of the Jericho Appreciation Society story. It’s going to suck if the latest direction for “ALL IN” and “ALL OUT” only pushes Takeshita into the background. Maybe there is hope for him getting an important match if Omega is not going to face Will Ospreay for a third time or if Ibushi is not being a tease about showing up at Wembley.
WRESTLING REVOLVER “HEAT EM UP”, 03/08/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Gringo Loco Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Coming in hot right as I am finishing up this article is news that Takeshita will be at this Thursday’s Wrestling REVOLVER show as a last minute replacement for Jon Moxley. According to Moxley he gave REVOLVER his approval for them to book Takeshita. The original plan was for Moxley to take on Gringo Loco in a Lucha Street Fight. Instead Loco will face Takeshita but the Street Fight stipulation seems to be dropped.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR NIGHT 1”, 04/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. 6-Person Scramble: Brittnie Brooks Vs Maki Itoh Vs Zayda Steele Vs B3CCA Vs Kaia McKenna Vs Shazza McKenzie
The winner of the scramble match in DREAMWAVE earns a spot in a match on 14th October that will crown the promotion’s first Women’s Champion.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR NIGHT 2”, 05/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Most likely the results on the first show will determine what Itoh is doing on the second. DREAMWAVE says there will be a second Scramble match on this second show where the winner also qualifies for October’s championship match. So if Itoh does not win the first time then maybe she can get a second chance if she demands it.
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS”, 11/08/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Allie Katch Vs Steph De Lander Vs Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich
The four leading women in GCW right now are all set to collide in a 4 Way Match. Itoh has her grudge with De Lander but the likes of Allie Katch and Masha Slamovich could get in her way.
KOPW “THE NEW ERA OF CHINESE PRO WRESTLING III”, 19/08/2023 Tianyue Sports City, Nanhai Foshan, Guangdong, China
1. Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta
TJPW is sending Mizuki and Nao Kakuta over to China to hold an offer match at the latest King Of Pro Wrestling show. The Chinese promotion has booked joshi before such as Riho, Makoto, Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga.
NJPW “LEC PRESENTS ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL USA 2023”, 19/08/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. El Desperado & MAO Vs Nick Wayne & Jordan Oliver
The first “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL” in Tokyo earlier this year was such a major success New Japan and the sponsor LEC decided to bring the concept over to America. MAO gets invited back as a result and gets to take on The East West Express again. This time however he is teaming with El Desperado, making it the first time those two will be in the same match together.
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 1”, 19/08/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander Vs Nick Gage & Maki Itoh
The big grudge match GCW has been building up since March finally takes place near the end of the summer. Maki Death Kill have been trading blows back and forth with Cardona & De Lander ever since. Is one match enough to settle the score?
GCW “HOMECOMING – PART 2”, 20/08/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs B3CCA
If that is the end of the feud then what will be next for Itoh in GCW?
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 25/08/2023 Roundhouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. Charli Evans Vs Maki Itoh
The answer of course is go to Australia! GCW is touring over there with a local group called Renegades Of Wrestling. First up Itoh takes on Charli Evans.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 26/08/2023 Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1. ROW Women’s Title: Aysha (c) Vs Maki Itoh
The second Australian show gives Itoh a shot at the ROW Women’s Title held by Aysha. The promotion has only been around for a year so the championships don’t have much history behind them. I think Aysha is more of a regular with Deathmatch Downunder.
EVE/CHOCOPRO “CHOCOPRO X EVE SUPER SHOW”, 26/08/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Well, well, well, isn’t this a surprise? ChocoPro are heading over to London the same weekend as All In to hold shows with EVE. It makes sense for Masahiro Takanashi to be one of the guests because he is linked to Gatoh Move. But Yamashita appearing on the show is something I didn’t expect even though she is EVE’s main champion. There is also a solo ChocoPro event happening that day but this is the show where you will get to see Yamashita. Do you think AEW is interested in booking her again, for the next day? I hope so but the answer is probably no. Come on, she’ll become the only person to wrestle in the Tokyo Dome and Wembley the same year if they book her!
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 27/08/2023 Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. Allie Katch Vs Maki Itoh
Itoh ends the Australia tour with a match against Allie Katch. Itoh already has a singles win over her in GCW. In fact that was the match where she discovered how useful a pizza cutter is against opponents.
GCW “SAY YOU WILL”, 01/09/2023 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois New Jersey, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs X & X
Another tag match for Maki Death Kill? This could go anywhere from fighting The East West Express to taking on Los Macizos or anywhere in between!
MLW “FURY ROAD”, 03/09/2023 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. B3CCA Vs Maki Itoh
Now Major League Wrestling has to deal with Maki Itoh. MLW has a habit of chasing after trends but not really getting much out of them. The company also has a knack of putting out whatever news stories they want and wresting sites will report it without question. Court Bauer just has the clout to say anything and always be taken at face value I guess. The curse of that though is the attention never really pays off with anything substantial. When MLW is at its best their storylines can be really creative and different to what the other promotions are doing. But if they don’t have a plan for you you’re just there to put over people they do have plans for. Even worse is how they sometimes write people out of storylines. Itoh can kayfabe be carried out of her last show inside a body bag if they want to. Or since her opponent B3CCA has a pop singer gimmick on the show they can do a vocal injury if they want to get sinister. But that’s just me fantasy booking based on what they’ve done before.
PRESTIGE “THE RESPECT ISSUE”, 24/09/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Trish Adora Vs Shoko Nakajima
Good to see Shoko Nakajima getting international bookings again. Prestige seems to handle that sort of stuff Stateside thanks to their working relationship with TJPW. They’re trying to get her a couple other bookings while she’s over there. A match with Trish Adora is the first one on the cards for her.
White Team: Mizuki, Yuki Arai, Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu, Suzume, Kaya Toribami, Pom Harajuku & Miu Watanabe (w/ Yuka Sakazaki)
The latest TJPW PPV was set outdoors during a hot summer day at the Lake Sagami Pleasure Forest. The roster was split into two teams, a Red Team captained by Rika Tatsumi and a White Team led by Mizuki but also including Yuka Sakazaki as a helper. Five team challenges set around the park’s different environments were on the agenda with a point awarded for every win. Whichever team had the most points after the final round would get a luxorious barbecue meal for dinner in the evening as their prize.
The first game was straight up a Falls Count Anywhere 6-Woman Tag Match. The Red Team chose Tatsumi, Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta for their trio and the White Team chose Pom Harajuku, Suzume & Yuki Arai. The match began on a stage but quickly moved in several different directions. Noa kicked Harajuku down some stairs, Suzume dived off of a fence onto the other team and Arai attacked Tatsumi with a pole. The fight went back to the stage where Tatsumi hit Harajuku with the Hip Attack and then pinned her with the Twist Of Fate. Red Team scores the first point.
The second game was called Spider Competition and took place over at the spider web playground railings. The teams were tasked with having to climb across the spider web one by one in a race for three minutes. If anyone fell or touched the ground then they would have to start again at the starting position. Participants on the other team were allowed to try and obstruct the climbers from the other side. After three minutes whichever team had the higher combined distance were declared the winners. Yuki Aino only scored 3.90 metres because Sakazaki kept spraying her with a super soaker. Sakazaki also found a grasshopper to throw at the Red Team to great effect. Moka Miyamoto scored 9.60 metres and Arisu Endo scored 9.40 metres to make Red Team’s total 22m 90cm. For the White Team Kaya Toribami scored 6.90 metres, Mizuki scored 10.80 metres and Miu Watanabe scored 13.70 metres for the a total of 31m 40cm. White Team scores their first point.
The third game was a Steel Maze Battle in the massive Sky Cage. Each participant had to enter the cage from one side while being chased by their opponent. If they reach the exit before getting caught they score a point and the team with the most points at the end wins. Raku avoided getting tagged by Harajuku, Suzume was caught by Noa right before she reached the exit, Kakuta escaped from Arai, Mahiro Kiryu made it past Endo, Hyper Misao was tackled by Sakazaki and Yuki Kamifuku was captured by Tatsumi. The end result was Red Team beating White Team 2-1. Which just so happened to make the game score 2-1 for the Reds too.
The fourth game increased the danger because it was time to play Push Sumo up on an island stage hanging 22 meters above ground! The contestants also had to walk across a suspension bridge to reach the island, which scared a lot of them. It took some time and a lot of encouragement from the others to finally get each participant to the destination. Kakuta beat Harajuku and Watanabe beat Miyamoto to send the game tied 1-1. The deciding battle was between Raku and Sakazaki. Their game went to a stalemate so the referee decided both had to continue playing on one foot each to raise the stakes. Sakazaki lost her balance and accidentally stepped her foot down first, making Raku the winner. Red Team now has a 3-1 lead with one game left to go.
Before the fifth and final game began White Team complained that they no longer had any chance of winning the barbecue prize. So they asked for the final game to be worth 1,000,000 points! Everyone agreed because the grand finale was the Cavalry Death Match on the SASUKE Kids Adventure pond! Both teams chose a general to carry on their shoulders. Red Team picked Miyamoto and White Team picked Arai. Everybody wore headbands in their team colours and the goal was to pull the headbands off your opponents to eliminate them. If the the general lost their headband then the game ends and that team loses. The focus was supposed to be on the generals but it turned into a free for all. Sakazaki got too excited and decided to throw Endo into the pond. Arai grabbed Miyamoto’s headband to win the game for White Team but at this point everybody was trying to throw each other into the water.
The challenge had finally ended and White Team were declared the winners by almost a million points! They got to celebrate with a big fancy barbecue that included wagyu beef, lobster, turban shells and scallops. Red Team had to make do with the consolation prize meal consisting of bean sprouts, crab cakes, sausage and canned mackerel. Despite the wide difference in quality, everyone shared their food and the day ended with a lot of new summer memories made.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 