TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 16/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Arisu Endo Vs Runa Okubo
2. Hikari Noa, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro Vs Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & HIMAWARI
3. Mizuki & Hyper Misao Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
4. Miyu Yamashita, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Aino, Nao Kakuta, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1D: Suzume Vs Shoko Nakajima
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi
OK let’s get these cards out there before the shows begin tomorrow. Day 2 of the Tokyo Princess Cup focuses on Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi and Suzume Vs Shoko Nakajima.
Mizuki & Hyper Misao were both eliminated yesterday so they get to take their frustrations out on the rookies Wakana Uehara & Toga.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIGHTING SPIRITS ’23”, 16/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Riara Vs Sumire Natsu
2. Banny Oikawa Comeback Match: Miyako Matsumoto & Banny Oikawa Vs Cherry & Alex Lee
3. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs SAKI
4. Ami Manase & Marika Kobashi Vs Makoto & Asuka
5. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: YuuRI Vs Misa Kagura
Tomorrow sees Banny Oikawa return to wrestling.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 29/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Miyu Yamashita Vs Moka Miyamoto
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H
After dispatching of Mizuki earlier today, Miyu Yamashita made her goal known to everyone. She wants to win the Princess Cup this year so she can challenge Mizuki for the Princess Of Princess Title in a rematch! Moka Miyamoto wants to make this summer a successful one. Reaching the semi finals by beating Yamashita in Korakuen Hall would do that.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 15/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall 219 Fans
1. Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI defeated Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when Uehara submitted Kazashiro with the Sleeper Hold (6:45).
2. Kaya Toribami defeated Shino Suzuki with the Bird Cage (5:20).
3. Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga when Noa pinned Toga with the Running Neckbreaker Drop (10:40).
4. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe, Suzume & Haruna Neko defeated Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku when Tatsumi pinned Harajuku with the Twist Of Fate (13:42).
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Moka Miyamoto defeated Hyper Misao with the Zero-sen Kick (9:36).
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1: Miyu Yamashita defeated Mizuki with the Skull Kick (16:11).
And we’re off with the beginning to this year’s Tokyo Princess Cup. Day 1 already begins with two significant results in the Round 1 bracket. Miyu Yamashita has kicked the two time winner Mizuki out in the main event! She used the Attitude Adjustment not once, not twice but three times. Mizuki fired back with the Cutie Special and Whirling Candy. She also landed the Diving Foot Stomp but went to use another Cutie Special instead of going for the pin. Yamashita held her ground and countered a Spinning Back Elbow with the Skull Kick to beat the Princess Of Princess Champion! With this win Yamashita wants to go all the way so she can get a rematch with Mizuki, this time with the Princess Title on the line! Backstage Mizuki said she wants that rematch to happen so she picks Yamashita to win the tournament.
The Princess Cup has treated Hyper Misao well in the past. As an underdog in previous tournaments she has taken the scalp of wrestlers like Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki and Sakisama in the early rounds. This year she now discovered what it’s like to lose to an underdog because Moka Miyamoto beat her! Miyamoto survived the HyPami Returns as well as the Crossface Chickenwing to pin Misao with the Zero-sen Kick. She wants to make her summer a successful one but will have to beat Yamashita at Korakuen Hall in the Quarter Final on 29th July. Backstage Misao wants to send a message to Miyamoto telling her to do her best, but it’s just so she could look cool as her senpai.
The first round draw for this year’s Tokyo Princess Cup took place today at the Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo. 14 of the 16 participants were in attendance with Yuki Arai and Raku both missing due to having other priorities. Arai’s spot in the bracket was already decided in advance because 22nd July is the only date she is available to wrestle on that week.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 15/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Hyper Misao Vs Moka Miyamoto
The big match of Round 1 is right at the start of the bracket! It’s been well establish that the Princess Cup has been Miyu Yamashita’s Achilles’ heel for her entire career. She has entered every tournament and never won any of them, even during her most dominant periods in Tokyo Joshi Pro. For two of those years Yamashita was eliminated by Mizuki so this drawing sounds like bad luck for her. However Yamashita thinks if she can knock out the current Princess Of Princess Champion in the 1st Round then the odds are good she will finally win this damn tournament for once! Mizuki already has a person in mind she wants to nominate as her next challenger for the Princess Title. That will only be revealed if she wins the Princess Cup because otherwise she will most likely defend against the tournament winner instead. She’ll have to exterminate every monster standing in her way to do it, starting with Yamashita.
Moka Miyamoto hasn’t left a strong impression on Hyper Misao so far based on the few singles matches they’ve had against each other. For that reason Misao does not want to drop her guard and get eliminated in the 1st Round. She also hopes Mizuki will beat Yamashita because she would rather face her in Round 2 instead of the monster Yamashita! Miyamoto told Misao she has gotten stronger since their last match. She will do her best not to fall for any of Misao’s tricks.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 16/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1D: Suzume Vs Shoko Nakajima
It’s been a good summer for Rika Tatsumi so far. The International Princess Champion is using this tournament to kick off the second half of the season. She knows Raku will be a tough opponent but nobody is going to stop her from reaching her goal. Tatsumi wants to win the Princess Cup so she will achieve TJPW’s ultimate grand slam!
The bee meets the kaiju in Round 1. Suzume wants to grow as big as Shoko Nakajima is this summer so she needs to be ready to sting any opponent put in front of her. Nakajima is celebrating 10 years as a pro wrestler this summer and she is cherishing the time. She’s aware of how much of a threat Suzume has become so she cannot afford to lose against her junior! She wants fans to keep an eye out for her while she goes on a rampage through the bracket.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 17/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1E: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Nao Kakuta
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1F: Yuki Aino Vs Miu Watanabe
Every year when Yuki Kamifuku enters the Princess Cup she talks about how much she hates competing in tournaments and never wants to take part in them. This year however there are a lot of wrestlers from Generation Z taking part so she decided to stop complaining and start taking it seriously. Otherwise she will get annoyed from hearing the younger wrestlers use that excuse against her. Nao Kakuta just pinned Kamifuku at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23” over the weekend. Her summer has just begun and she wants to make it the hottest summer of her life!
Yuki Aino thinks the block she landed in is fate. She was eliminated by Kakuta in the first round last year and was eliminated by Miu Watanabe the year before. She also has a mutual connection with Kamifuku. She will have to get past this group in order to achieve her goal of reaching at least the semi-finals. Watanabe has faced Aino a lot of times and if she advances would like to meet Kakuta in Round 2 because it would be their first singles match against each other. Watanabe is also last year’s runner up and she pointed out she has reached one round further than the previous year for the last 4 years. She’s been in the final 8, then the final 4 and then the final 2. Does the pattern end with her winning the entire thing?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 22/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1G: Arisu Endo Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1H: Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Arai
With two Princess Cup appearances already under her belt, Arisu Endo has yet to make it past the opening round. Her first time in the tournament was losing to Mahiro Kiryu too. In fact, Endo has never won a Round 1 match in any tournament she’s entered. The only time she made it to a 2nd Round was by default due to uneven entry numbers. So she definitely wants to win against Kiryu. She has decent odds because Kiryu’s form in the Princess Cup isn’t that good either. The only tournament match she ever won was against… Arisu Endo. Their match happens in the final show of a three day series of events so she aims to raise her spirits at the first two shows in preparation while keeping an eye on what Endo will do.
Ever since Hikari Noa made her debut she’s experienced some bittersweet memories during the summertime. Losing her match at Ota Ward Gymnasium over the weekend is just the latest one for her. She wants to enjoy the rest of the summer and shine brighter to make up for it. Noa’s match against Yuki Arai is a rematch from last year’s 2nd Round. Noa won that only to fall to the eventual tournament winner Yuka Sakazaki in the next round.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 29/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H
The opening round is in Ryogoku KFC Hall across four shows. Then the remaining rounds move over to Korakuen Hall.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 12/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: X Vs X
The bracket gets interrupted when it reaches the final four. The semi-final match ups will be decided with a lottery.
NEO Biishiki-gun have decided to attend this this show. They will have a tag team match with opponents to be determined at a later date.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 13/08/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: X Vs X
Just like last year, Maki Itoh won’t be at the Princess Cup final because she has a booking in another country the same day.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,222 Fans
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano when Endo submitted Nagano with the Camel Clutch (11:43).
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki defeated Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when HIMAWARI submitted Kazashiro with a Half Crab Hold (11:07).
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka when Kakuta pinned Kamifuku with the Shiden Kai (10:11).
4. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) defeated Hikari Noa with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (9:42). *V6 for Vert Vixen.
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Aja Kong & Raku and Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku when Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Diving Senton (9:32).
6. Nyla Rose defeated Miu Watanabe with the Beast Bomb (8:01).
7. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Sawyer Wreck with the Skull Kick (11:51). *V7 for Miyu Yamashita.
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel defeated Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara when Sakisama pinned Uehara with the Academy Award (12:24).
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) defeated Yuki Arai with the Missile Hip (15:11). *V4 for Rika Tatsumi.
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Cutie Special (24:29). *V3 for Mizuki.
The history between Mizuki and Maki Itoh that begun under the original Itoh Respect Army seven years ago reached its dramatic peak in Ota Ward Gymnasium today. Mizuki successfully defended the Princess Of Princess Title in the main event, stopping Itoh from winning the title in her fourth attempt. The champion had the injured Yuka Sakazaki in her corner while Itoh came out singing “Brooklyn The Hole” in English. Itoh’s focus was to use variations of the DDT both inside and out of the ring. Mizuki did her own big moves outside the ring including the Cutie Special and a Flying Cross Body. Submission holds couldn’t finish the job either with both the Itoh Deluxe and Crossface Lock proving fruitless. Mizuki dealt a big blow by landing the Diving Double Stomp onto Itoh’s back. Itoh clung onto Mizuki and was able to deliver one last Headbutt in resistance but Mizuki fired back with a Spinning Back Elbow and pinned her with the Cutie Special.
After the match Mizuki said she never believed Itoh when she said she wanted to forget their history together and that the Itoh Mizuki knew is dead. They walked the same path together and Mizuki always looked up to Itoh as her rival. Itoh however said Mizuki doesn’t understand how Itoh feels. She doesn’t like to talk about the past because when they were together, Itoh saw Mizuki become stronger and win championships with someone else. It made Itoh jealous and she looks back on their time together a a black piece of history. It is only right now in the middle of Ota Ward that Itoh now believes she is on the same level as Mizuki. For that reason Mizuki now has her respect and she wants to continue fighting with her. The two shook hands and gave each other a hug. Itoh left the ring so Mizuki could close out the show.
The burning momentum of Yuki Aino wasn’t enough to take the International Princess Title from Rika Tatsumi. She showed a lot of power by using the Side Suplex outside the ring as well as one over the ropes from the ring apron! Tatsumi tried to smother her out with the Dragon Sleeper but Aino powered out of it with a slam. Tatsumi found a way to put her into another Dragon Sleeper but Aino reached the ropes. Aino withstood a Hip Attack and caught Tatsumi in the middle of a second one but Tatsumi wriggled her way into hitting the Twist Of Fate. She then got the win by hitting the Missile Hip. Tatsumi gave her opponent credit for shining as brightly as she did. She hopes the fans will look forward to more matches between them in the future. Aino said the result proves she is not ready to hold a title belt yet. But she had fun in the match because she was able to burn every last bit of energy she has.
NEO Biishiki-gun were back to give their opponents a hard time. That was shown when Mei Saint-Michel danced in the ring to distract the referee while Sakisama attacked Wakana Uehara on the outside. Saint-Michel later dropped her metal tray over Uehara’s head to break up a Sleeper Hold. Yuki Arai pulled out a surprise by using Saki Akai’s finisher the Rookie Award on Sakisama. NEO Biishiki-gun regained their composure and Sakisama hit the similar looking Academy Award to pin Uehara and win the match. Sakisama did not like hearing reporters compare the two moves during her post-match interview because she is one of a kind. In Arai’s interview, she explained that Akai taught her the move but she never got the chance to use it when they teamed together. She felt today was as good a time as any to start using the move because she thinks Sakisama bares a resemblance to Akai. She intends to keep using it more often.
Perhaps Miyu Yamashita didn’t realize just what she was getting into when she decided to put her EVE Title on the line against Sawyer Wreck. The Spirit Of EVE ruleset used for the title match allowed the fight to be taken outside the ring because there are no countouts. The rules also permitted the wrestlers to use weapons under certain circumstances, which Wreck gladly took advantage of. She attacked Yamashita with chairs and slammed her through a pile of them with a Death Valley Driver over by the stage entrance. Back in the ring Yamashita did her best to deflect the chair with kicks. Wreck was able to defend herself from one Skull Kick but a second one reached its target and gave Yamashita her seventh successful EVE Title defence.
The originally planned match for Nyla Rose didn’t take place because of Sakazaki’s injury. So when Rose found out her new opponent was Miu Watanabe she steadily gained weight to make it more difficult for Watanabe to lift her! As soon as the AEW wrestler arrived in Japan she loaded up on pork cutlet curry and sashimi at the nearest Cocoichi curry house. The plan just about worked. Watanabe was able to give her the Giant Swing but only for one rotation. She also wasn’t strong enough to deliver the Tear Drop. Rose took advantage and landed the Beast Bomb to win. Watanabe did leave a positive impression on Rose though. Rose said that even though Watanabe lost, she definitely has something that could open the door into a new world for her.
No Tag Rules were a last minute addition to the 3 Way Tag match. The time for Aja Kong and Max The Impaler to meet again was just about to begin when Hyper Misao got on the microphone to big up Kyoraku Kyomei’s chances of winning. Both Kong and Max ignored her so she sprayed both of them in the face. Kyoraku Kyomei then stole Kong’s steel can as well as Raku’s pillow but Kong attacked them to reclaim the items. Kong even hit Shoko Nakajima with the pillow while Raku hit Pom Harajuku with the can! Kong and Max were on an even level whenever they got the chance to fight each other. They briefly joined forces against Kyoraku Kyomei only to turn on each other. Misao brought out the Hyper Mobile to crash into everyone outside the ring while Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Diving Senton to win. Kong took her anger out after the match by attacking the Hyper Mobile, damaging it to the point where it is now unusable! Kyoraku Kyomei are thinking about crowdfunding a new one or at least convince CyberFight to get a bicycle sponsorship. Kong & Raku said they’d rather crowdfund a new steel can and pillow for themselves.
It was a clean sweep of successful title defences throughout the whole show. Vert Vixen was the first one on the board by defending the DEFY Women’s Title against Hikari Noa. The challenger used the Running Neckbreaker Drop that’s been winning matches for her recently but it didn’t get her the result this time. The Last Supper cradle didn’t work either. Instead Vixen pinned Noa with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. She said the match was like a war but she was able to fight and defend her championship. Noa said she was very happy to be chosen by Vixen for a title match. They’ve teamed together during Vixen’s previous visit to Japan and Noa always wanted to have a title match with somebody she considers to be a tag team partner.
Flashy entrances were provided by both teams in Match #3. VENYU were accompanied by two dancers leading them down to the ring while Nao Kakuta looked dressed to party with Ryo Mizunami. The match started with a bang when Asuka Moonsaulted onto everyone outside the ring. Yuki Kamifuku then put on Mizunami’s entrance gear to taunt her but was reduced to apologising once Mizunami got her hands on her. VENYU gave Kakuta the Magic Killer but Kakuta kicked out at two. She then dodged a Double Big Boot leading VENYU to collide with each other and then get wiped out with a Double Spear from Mizunami. Kakuta then scored the win by pinning Kamifuku with the Shiden Kai.
Five of the eight wrestlers in the 8-Woman Tag Match all only just debuted this year. The match was also Haruna Neko’s return match from a knee injury. Her scratching the wrestlers from the other team led to Mahiro Kiryu apologising to everyone for it. Shino Suzuki and Haru Kazashiro started off before Kiryu and Kaya Toribami took over. Toga cut off HIMAWARI’s momentum with what is fast becoming her signature Elbow Strike. Runa Okubo joined in with her classmate for a Double Dropkick. But HIMAWARI turned the tables and locked Kazashiro in a Half Crab hold for the submission victory.
Juria Nagano was back in action after being gone for six months with a broken finger. The decision was made to have Nagano team with Moka Miyamoto because they were opponents on last year’s show. Nagano went back to using her Karate offence while relying on Miyamoto to make up for the holes in her game. Suzume used her speedy mobility to run circles around her opponents, keeping them in position for Arisu Endo to hit a Missile Dropkick on Miyamoto. Endo then put Nagano in the Camel Clutch, submitting her to give Daisy Monkey the win. Nagano said she’s been trying to build up her stamina to get ready for the match. Her goal is to win a match by herself again as soon as possible.
The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) performed their new song “Rxck it Now” at the beginning of the show. Their new 5th member Uta was also introduced to the audience. her thing on the microphone is to review a different ice cream every show. Today’s recommendation is chocolate coffee flavour.
At the beginning of the show Sayuri Namba found out that voice actress Rica Matsumoto was doing special guest commentary today. Namba was so excited to find out the voice of Ash/Satoshi from Pokémon was here that she wore the character’s signature cap during the show opening announcements.
Aja Kong Vs Super Sasadango Machine was announced for the Niigata show on 5th August.
A team series challenge was recorded at an outdoor amusement park recently. It will air on PPV through Wrestle Universe on 27th July.
DDT “DDT TANABATA SPECIAL 2023 IN SHINJUKU”, 07/07/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuma Sumi
2. DISASTER BOX Vs BURNING!: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
4. KANON Debut 4th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: TAKA Michinoku & KANON Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
5. International Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Nick Wayne
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Toy Kojima
7. Road To PETER PAN 2023! Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
Tomorrow sees the return of Chris Brookes to the ring, fully recovered from his injury. Yuji Hino has been taunting him by either comparing this match to Brookes having his debut match or having his retirement match!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) Vs Hikari Noa
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Aja Kong & Raku Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Nyla Rose Vs Miu Watanabe
7. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
A press conference took place in Shibuya yesterday featuring wrestlers from some of the major matches on the show. Maki Itoh said the only result that can happen in the main event is her winning the Princess Of Princess Title and ending her story with Mizuki that has lasted for so long. Mizuki know she and Itoh are exact opposites to the point where it feels like they are in different worlds. Itoh pointed out she’s never been hit with the Whirling Candy and is not going to let her guard down. Mizuki knows how powerful the Itoh Deluxe is so she thinks she should target Itoh’s hips. However she believes the winner is whoever has the most heart.
For the International Princess Title match, Yuki Aino explained she feels happiest when she is fighting so she wants to win the title and fight even more. She is excited to have a hot fight with Rika Tatsumi that will burst Ota Ward Gymnasium into flames! Tatsumi is taking things in a more calm and cool manner because she does not want to risk burning out before the match begins. The two are close friends in private but that means they know each other’s weaknesses. Tatsumi even said she could take advantage of Aino’s kindness in the ring.
Miyu Yamashita’s request to put the EVE Title on the line against Sawyer Wreck has been agreed to by all parties involved. The contract signing will be held once Wreck is in Japan. The match will be held under Spirit Of EVE Rules which means it will have a 30 minute time limit, there will be no countouts and the referee can end the match if he thinks one of the wrestlers is not showing the will to fight. Sayuri Namba explained those rules and asked Yamashita if she is worried about Wreck taking the match outside the ring where she is most violent? Yamashita does not think that will give Wreck the advantage. She is confident she take fight directly against Wreck’s strong points and take her down with the Skull Kick.
DDT “OSAKA BAY BLUES SPECIAL 2023”, 20/08/2023 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yoshitatsu & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Soma Takao
While Yukio Sakaguchi waits for his All Asia Tag Team Titles shot to be granted he faces the champions Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu in a Current Blast Death Match! Sakaguchi has his Eruption stablemate Hideki Okatani as well as Soma Takao on his team. Onita & Yoshitatsu will be teaming with Toy Kojima for the match.
One year into writing these articles and I knew it was going to be a good idea to keep track of everything. A busy idea every time the end of the month comes but a good one nonetheless. Summer is still going on but the focus on international travels is swapping some of the cast we’re following. Miyu Yamashita ended her Kick Rampage Tour with a long list of matches and companies worked for under her belt. Maki Itoh is also back in Japan gearing up for possibly the biggest match of her career before she goes touring again. The mystery of why Yuka Sakazaki went to America and not wrestle at all has been cleared up. Well, sort of. There’s a few things out there I’m asking around to clarify knowing full well I won’t be getting any answers. We even got a little bit of Mizuki in there too. Now MAO gets to be a featured part of this series going into the rest of the summer. He’s the latest wrestler to get the travel bug and take in some bookings around America.
Oh, one more thing. I put together two Youtube playlists related to this series. The first is following Takeshita’s AEW run using all of the highlight videos AEW posts on their channels. I avoided adding the episodes of Dark because of the episode lengths. One thing I noticed looking back on everything it’s cool to see how many of Takeshita’s opponents on Dynamite and Rampage early in his run have all circled together as part of feud between The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club. Intentional or not, Takeshita’s year with the company ended up being something that connected a lot of pieces together.
The other playlist is a collection of Yamashita’s matches from her Rampage Kick Tour. All of the videos I included were posted by either the promotions themselves or the wrestlers she faced against. I avoided fancams and highlight videos unless they were official or endorsed. If there’s anything I missed then send the Youtube links my way. If there’s interest in more I’ll see if I can put a playlist together for Itoh or maybe the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro rosters in general.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/06/2023 Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Damon Ace
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANT’S WOKE EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
Video starts at 3:21. ENJOY “SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Ray Lyn
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 30 – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS”, 30/06/2023 Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA
1. Warhorse Vs Konosuke Takeshita
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Results
LLL “BEST WISHES WARMEST REGARDS”, 02/06/2023 The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA
1. LLL Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Masha Slamovich and Miyu Yamashita when Howitzer pinned Yamashita with the Stunner (15:04). *V? for Heidi Howitzer.
Earlier this year Yamashita was able to win the Princess Tag Team Titles from The Wasteland War Party in TJPW. Now it was time for her to enter one of Heidi Howitzer’s haunts Lucha Libre & Laughs to try and win another championship from her. Another of Yamashita’s regular opponents Masha Slamovich was also there to make it a 3 Way Match. Yamashita rocked Slamovich with the Skull Kick but just when she thought the match was won, Howitzer came in and gave her a Stunner for the three count and a successful title defence.
BLACK LABEL PRO “FANCY WRESTLING 2”, 03/06/2023 RDS Gym, Crown Point, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Rachel Armstrong with the Skull Kick (11:13).
The gap of experience between Yamashita and Rachel Armstrong put Yamashita firmly in the bullying veteran role for the match. She goaded her opponent into a strike exchange that she shrugged off. Armstrong caught Yamashita off guard by criss-crossing the ropes and landing a Running Elbow Smash that knocked Yamashita out of the ring to set up a dive. But back in the ring Yamashita pushed Armstrong away from doing a Shiranui and lifted her high into the air for the Attitude Adjustment. Once she hit the Skull Kick Yamashita applied a dominant pin on top of Armstrong to win the match.
GCW “CAGE OF SURVIVAL 2”, 04/06/2023 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Janai Kai with the I.S.D. (5:43).
Itoh kicked off GCW’s second annual “CAGE OF SURVIVAL” event by beating Janai Kai but her celebration was cut off by Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander. The two of them were coming out for a tag match against Brandon Kirk & Casey Kirk but first took the time demanding Itoh to keep her nose out of their business. Itoh swore at them and told Cardona to “suck my dick!” Cardona & De Lander went on to beat the Kirks and continued to attack them after the match. Itoh then returned to the ring this time with Nick Gage alongside her. Together Maki Death Kill and The Kirks fought back and Itoh got to smash a bundle of lighttubes over Cardona’s head! If that wasn’t enough she also smeared some of Cardona’s blood she found on the mat over her face afterwards!
INSPIRE A.D. “KIDS OF THE BLACKHOLE”, 04/06/2023 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Killa Kate defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Cradle (?:??).
This is possibly the biggest upset defeat Yamashita suffered in her entire excursion. Killa Kate is nicknamed “The Submission Musician” and lived up to it by going for different holds targeting Yamashita’s arm. Yamashita put all of her focus into fighting off the submissions that Kate ended up switching a Cross Armbreaker into a Rolling Cradle to score the pin from out of nowhere.
ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 07/06/2023 (Aired ??/06/2023) Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
I’m seeing conflicting reports on whether or not this match was taped for ROH. On the night everyone at the show who tweeted about it said it was taped and images show the ROH set up in the arena. However AEW’s Japanese Twitter account made it sound like it was just a dark match only for those in attendance to see. That’s a shame if it doesn’t get shown because Itoh and Willow Nightingale together sounds like a fun pairing, Emi Sakura’s work is consistently enjoyable and Megan Bayne was building up a hot streak on the indies before getting injured last year.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/06/2023 Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Damon Ace with the PowerDrive Knee (1:29).
Over in AEW we get to see Konosuke Takeshita with a new attitude under the guidance of Don Callis. He gave Damon Ace a quick beating while video footage of Callis betraying Kenny Omega looped over and over on the arena screens.
ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANT’S WOKE EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023 The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA
1. Billie Starkz defeated Miyu Yamashita with a Victory Roll Reversal (14:04).
By this point Yamashita and Billie Starkz have faced each other several times already. But this meeting in St. Louis Anarchy was one that Starkz has been looking forward to for a while. Her persistence paid off because she finally scored her first singles win over Yamashita! The finish came when she tried to use the Sugoi Driver but Yamashita countered it into a Victory Roll. Starkz reversed the hold and rolled herself back on top of Yamashita to get the three count.
SPARK “IGNITE EAST”, 11/06/2023 The Heart Ballroom, Newark, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Brittany Blake with the Itoh Deluxe (9:17).
2. Spark Joshi World Title: Miyu Yamashita defeated Rachael Ellering with the Crash Rabbit Heat (16:20). *Miyu Yamashita becomes the 1st Spark Joshi World Champion!
The debut show for Spark Joshi Puroresu was a good one for Yamashita and Itoh. In the main event Yamashita defeated Rachael Ellering to become the first Spark Joshi World Champion. However Yamashita may need to watch her back for future shows because Starkz threw her name into the hat for a future title shot. She also formed an alliance with Ellering called Xtinguish. On the undercard Itoh beat Brittany Blake.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 14/06/2023 Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C., USA
You know, this would have been a nice match to put on video somewhere. Riho, Itoh & Abadon is a King Of Trios kind of team if I ever saw one. So are Nyla Rose, Marina Shafir & Emi Sakura as a potential Team AEW Dark. Damn it, I miss King Of Trios. Can Tony Khan go do a little bit of grave robbing and grab what’s left of Chikara? Or is that going to unleash a new kind of curse on the world that nobody wants?
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 14/06/2023 (Aired 16/06/2023) Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C., USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Bandido with the PowerDrive Knee (15:11).
Now this is the good stuff! Big Lariats from Takeshita, big Hurricanranas from Bandido, big bombs everywhere else. Takeshita eventually came out on top against Bandido by hitting the Jumping Knee, an Elbow Strike to the back of the head and then the PowerDrive Knee.
SPARK “IGNITE WEST”, 16/06/2023 East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Cultural Center, West Covina, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Zeda Zhang with the I.S.D. (9:55).
2. Spark Joshi World Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Delilah Doom with the Skull Kick (19:06). *V1 for Miyu Yamashita.
The second Spark show was full of victories again for Yamashita and Itoh. Yamashita earned her first Spark Joshi Title defence by beating Delilah Doom while Itoh was victorious against Zeda Zhang. After the match Sumie Sakai entered the ring, helped Zhang to her feet and held up the Xtinguish banner with her. Itoh told both of them to “Fuck off.”
ENJOY “SOMETHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT”, 17/06/2023 Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Ray Lyn with the Skull Kick (18:06).
The final weekend of Yamashita’s tour took her to Enjoy Wrestling where she beat Ray Lyn.
GCW “THANK ME LATER”, 17/06/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Rina Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Splash Mountain onto a Chair (17:37).
Well the death match stuff was going to catch up with Itoh sooner or later. When she faced Rina Yamashita in GCW she had to fight someone armed with chairs and even a loose door. Itoh had her trusty pizza cutter though and was able to slice her opponent’s head open. However Yamashita put Itoh through the door with an Air Raid Crash, attacked her over and over with the chairs and pinned her with the Splash Mountain onto a chair.
DPW “TAG FESTIVAL 2023”, 18/06/2023 Durham Armory, Durham, North Carolina, USA
1. Emi Sakura & Mizuki (w/ Yuka Sakazaki) defeated Miyu Yamashita & Vert Vixen when Sakura pinned Vixen with La Magistral Cradle (11:37).
Deadlock Pro held the final match of Yamashita’s tour along with Itoh’s last match before she went back to Japan too. A lot of changes happened in the leadup. First the match was supposed to by Yamashita & Hyan against The Magical Sugar Rabbits but Hyan had to pull out because of a schedule conflict. Vert Vixen was brought in to be Yamashita’s new partner. Then Sakazaki got her injury diagnosis and was unable to do the match. DPW decided Mizuki would now team with Emi Sakura, who just so happens to be the DPW Women’s Champion. Sakazaki was still able to attend the show and be at ringside to support Mizuki. Together the three of them became The MagiRabi Queens. Sakazaki even got involved a few times pulling some antics at ringside. Stuff like moving around the ringside railings for wrestlers to get thrown into. She even got in the way and almost had her head kicked off when Yamashita tried to do a running Penalty Kick on the apron. Yamashita stopped herself at the last second while Sakazaki froze in fear, possibly having her life flash before her eyes.
AEW/NJPW “FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023”, 25/06/2023 Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1. Hangman Page, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Eddie Kingston & Tomohiro Ishii defeated Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Konosuke Takeshita & Shota Umino when Ishii pinned Yuta with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (21:29).
Hey this just about counts as DDT being part of the Forbidden Door. Takeshita through his new manager formed an alliance with the Blackpool Combat Club in the leadup to the big show. Together they all challenged The Elite along with Eddie Kingston and his choice of partner Tomohiro Ishii. Takeshita put up a big performance on the night highlighted with the incredibly rare sight of him knocking out Ishii with an Elbow Strike! Ishii recovered and went on to score the pinfall for his team but the story is ready to move on to its next chapter.
WARRIOR “WARRIOR WRESTLING 30 – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS”, 30/06/2023 Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Warhorse with the PowerDrive Knee (18:06).
Takeshita’s return to Warrior Wrestling was a reminder that no matter what happens to him, there will always be that DDT DNA inside of him. Warhorse went into the match with the intentions of not just beating Takeshita but sending him to the injured list. With an entire football field at their disposal they fought everywhere they could reach. They brawled along the track where Takeshita jumped hurdles on the way to kicking Warhorse with a Big Boot. Warhorse turned the tables near the field goal by inviting Takeshita to kick a football and then doing the old Charlie Brown trick to make him fall over. Warhorse then Body Slammed a few nearby people onto Takeshita for good measure! Takeshita fought back by doing a Brainbuster on the field, leaving both feeling hurt enough to take the match back into the ring. A war of attrition took place from there ending with Takeshita pinning Warhorse with the PowerDrive Knee.
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Upcoming Appearances
EVE “NMITB”, 02/07/2023 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Eve Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Emersyn Jayne
Yamashita’s tour is over but she isn’t finished with travelling by a long shot. Last month Emersyn Jayne defeated Rhio to become the No. 1 Contender for the EVE Title. She is arguably the most accomplished wrestler yet to challenge face Yamashita for the championship.
WEST COAST PRO “CRUEL SUMMER 2023”, 08/07/2023 United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
1. Bryan Keith Vs MAO
MAO has his own US trip for the summer planned. First up he meets Bryan Keith in the ring for the first time over in West Coast Pro.
IWTV “MARCUS MATHERS ALL I WANT 2”, 13/07/2023 H20 Wrestling Center, Williamstown, New Jersey, USA
1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. MAO Vs Brandon Kirk
Then MAO heads over to New Jersey to be part of a show being put together by Marcus Mathers. MAO’s opponent will be against death match wrestler Brandon Kirk. He won’t be going there alone though. Yoshihiko will be at the show too but it currently does not have a match announced.
GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 14/07/2023 Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Mike Bailey Vs Yoshihiko
3. GCW World Title: Blake Christian (c) Vs MAO
Some big matches await our crew in GCW the next day. MAO gets a shot at the GCW World Title facing the increasingly unpopular Blake Christian. Yoshihiko faces a great test of its abilities against Mike Bailey in a first time ever singles match. They’ve been opponents in a trios match once before but other than that Bailey didn’t interact with Yoshihiko that much while he was in DDT.
Vanessa Kraven is a long time veteran wrestler who recently returned to the scene after stepping away for a few years. She’s the size of a giant next to Itoh.
CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 15/07/2023 Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. MAO Vs Bobby Beverly
A new place for MAO to experience. If you thought GCW is home to a few misfit toys with nowhere else to go then oh boy you haven’t seen Circle 6 yet! The first show is a no ring show taking place inside a bar in Santa Monica where MAO will fight Bobby Beverly, no holds barred.
CIRCLE 6 “LOVE DON’T LIVE HERE”, 16/07/2023 1720 Warehouse, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AJ Gray Vs MAO
Then the next day MAO takes on AJ Gray. Yeah let’s move on.
No update yet on who Itoh faces when she goes to Smash Wrestling.
PRESTIGE “ALL RISE”, 23/07/2023 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Trish Adora
It will be around 10 months since the last time Itoh was on a Prestige show. When she returns Trish Adora will be there to fight her.
DEFY “SPIRIT WC”, 28/07/2023 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh heads over to DEFY for the launch of their new women’s wrestling brand called Spirit WC.
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR NIGHT 1”, 04/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
DREAMWAVE “SUMMER SPECTACULAR NIGHT 2”, 05/08/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh has two nights at DREAMWAVE coming up in August. Something interesting to note is Mickie James is being advertised to appear at the second show. They’d probably get along if they met, right? Maybe get Itoh to sing “Hardcore Country” and James to sing “Brooklyn The Hole”?
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS”, 11/08/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s been with GCW for so long at this point she should get her own vanity show for the next Wrestlemania weekend.
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 25/08/2023 Roundhouse, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 26/08/2023 Melbourne Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
ROW/GCW “GCW VS RENEGADES OF WRESTLING”, 27/08/2023 Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh’s heading over to Australia for the first time as part of GCW’s tour with Renegades Of Wrestling. Australians, do her a favor and teach her only the most foulest of the local swear words while she’s over there.
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Cancelled Appearances
WRESTLING REVOLVER “RING OF DESTINY”, 17/06/2023 Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. JT Dunn (w/ Allie Katch) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Takeshita wasn’t able to make the Wrestling REVOLVER show due to travel issues. JT Dunn instead threw out an open challenge and wrestled Sami Callihan to continue their feud in the company.
BASARA “BASARA 223 ~KOO~”, 27/06/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – A Block Final: Daiki Shimomura Vs SAGAT
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – B Block Final: Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Roundabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Shiori Asahi Vs Banana Senga Vs Gouma Ryu
4. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
5. Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Yasu Urano Vs FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Lil’ Kraken
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Final: X Vs X
Tomorrow is the final rounds of the Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023.
DDT “DDT PRO WRESTLING IN SHIROISHI CASTLE”, 08/07/2023 Miyagi Shiroishi Castle Honmaru Square
1. Kazuki Hirata, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima & Gorgeous Matsuno
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
3. Shiroishi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Antonio Honda
DDT will be holding a free wrestling show at Shiroishi Castle as part of a local public event. Tetsuya Endo will be in the main event because he is the hometown hero. If there is rainy weather on the day then the show will move over to Shiroishi City Central Public Hall.
GANBARE☆PRO “FRENCH CONNECTION 2023”, 17/07/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Tyson Maeguchi Vs Yuki Kanzaki
3. Yumehito Imanari & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
4. Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Shingo
5. Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi Vs Shota & Munetatsu Nakamura
6. Mizuki Watase & Keisuke Ishii Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Soma Takao
The first Ganbare☆Pro show taking place after “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” will feature the GanPro debut of Shingo. No not that one. It’s DEEP MMA fighter Shingo Suzuki under his pro wrestling name. His opponent Shinichiro Tominaga has been appointed as GanPro’s gatekeeper for the match.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi
4. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
6. Special Tag Match ~ Yukio Naya Return Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Shigehiro Irie
7. Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku Vs MAO
8. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuki Ueno
9. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
10. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
11. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes
This is the full card for DDT’s return to Sumo Hall although maybe the first three matches will be demoted to pre-show status. The main event now has a sponsor. Konosuke Takeshita’s recent makeover in AEW is being taken to another level because in DDT his name is now fully romanized and written all upper case. I’ll write KONOSUKE TAKESHITA for the results but I’m happy sticking to writing his name the normal way everywhere else. I do however endorse any podcast shouting out his name in all caps every time from this point forward. MAO gets a special match with TAKA Michinoku who has been a big influence for him. It’s a rematch from five years ago too. Yukio Naya returns from injury and his first match back also includes Shigehiro Irie showing up in DDT again.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2023”, 30/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs HARASHIMA
For many, many, many years Kazuki Hirata has been fighting as an underdog against wrestlers who are way more powerful than he could ever dream to be. Now that he is the DDT Extreme Champion he gets to make the rules and it makes him want to fight the strongest opponents he knows on a more even playing field. HARASHIMA is his first challenger and he is someone who is very familiar with how the Extreme Title works. No matter what kind of funny stipulations Hirata comes up with, HARASHIMA will be game and ready for them.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 17/08/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Mizuki Vs Aiger
It’s been seven years since Mizuki was last in a match with the haunted joshi wrestler known only as Aiger. The two of them knew each other back in LLPW-X. Another reason the match is happening is because of rumours going around that Aiger will soon be disappearing from the wrestling scene later this year. Reports are speculating it will be happening around the same time Mizuki Endo retires from pro wrestling.
DDT “DDT BIG BANG 2023”, 09/09/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs X
DDT’s next big show after “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” will be the newly announced “DDT BIG BANG 2023” in September. The selling point of the show will be the first exploding death match to take place inside a big indoor Tokyo venue since 2015. I think that is referring to the main event of Naoshi Sano’s self produced Sumo Hall show that happened that year. Atsushi Onita told Sanshiro Takagi he wants to fight Jun Akiyama in the match in order to make it a battle between two former All Japan wrestlers.
The show will also be the date of the next KO-D Openweight Title defence after “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”. So either Yuji Hino or Chris Brookes will be the defending champion on the day.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 24/06/2023 Kobe Art Center 316 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Kaya Toribami defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Bird Cage (5:43).
2. Nao Kakuta defeated Toga with the Homare (5:36).
3. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Hikari Noa and Shino Suzuki when Kamifuku pinned Suzuki with the Famouser (5:42).
4. Yuki Arai defeated HIMAWARI with the Sasori Katame (8:18).
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Northern Lights Suplex (11:32).
6. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu when Tatsumi pinned Kiryu after the Daydream Eternity (12:27).
7. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto defeated Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo when Itoh submitted Endo with the Itoh Deluxe (14:39).
The return of Maki Itoh from her American tour means her program with Mizuki finally gets back on track. Today’s show was in Mizuki’s hometown of Kobe and she rallied the fans to be behind her instead of Itoh and Miyu Yamashita. As Itoh would go on to tell everybody after the match, the booing pissed her off and flicked the switch inside her. She fired up and submitted Arisu Endo to win for her team.
Backstage Yamashita told reporters her three month stay in America has made her more open minded because she discovered how much anything goes in American wrestling. Itoh said she got tougher in America because she was able to wrestle around 10 matches in the space of a month. Moka Miyamoto told the two of them she felt lonely while they were gone but she also got tremendously stronger too. Mizuki is now left figuring out what is missing from her game that prevented her from winning today’s match.
Match #5 was a preview of the 3 Way Tag Match happening at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”. Future opponents Raku and Pom Harajuku had to team up against Kyoraku Kyomei. Next month Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao will face both of them again but this time Raku will be with Aja Kong and Harajuku will have Max The Impaler with her!
Yuki Arai got to have a singles match against a lesser experienced opponent for the first time when she took on HIMAWARI. She doesn’t know if she looked like a veteran out in the ring but she was able to win with a Scorpion Deathlock.
The next “TJPW INSPIRATION” will be held on 17th August. The first match announced for the show is Mizuki Vs Aiger.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 24/06/2023 Kobe Art Center
1. Kaya Toribami Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Arai Vs HIMAWARI
3. Nao Kakuta Vs Toga
4. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa Vs Shino Suzuki
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu
7. Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto
This weekend sees the return of Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh from their American tours. But before their local homecoming show takes place on Sunday, first they have to go to Mizuki’s homecoming show in Kobe.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Toru Owashi & Yuni Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Special Single Match: Naruki Doi Vs Takeshi Masada
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Minoru Fujita
4. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
7. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Way Dance: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
It’s only fitting that the Survival 3 Way main event is now called the 3 Way Dance. Shunma Katsumata will be in attendance to watch over MAO, Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko all fighting for the DDT Extreme Title he had to vacate. He also had to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles as well remember but it seems he is only the “special observer” for the main event.
The full card for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” will be revealed at the end of the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Kaya Toribami, Toga, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Ryo Mizunami & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) Vs Hikari Noa
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Aja Kong & Raku Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
6. Nyla Rose Vs Miu Watanabe
7. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
8. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
9. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Earlier this week Vert Vixen sent a video to Tokyo Joshi Pro telling them she wants to put the DEFY Women’s Title on the line in her match against Hikari Noa. The match means a lot to Vixen because when she was a child her father travelled to Japan on business trips and he would come back with gifts and stories for her. She got to tour Japan with TJPW in April where she teamed with Noa twice and together they won both matches. Vixen is so confident she will beat Noa she wants their match to be a title match so she can make her father proud. She previously had a successful title defence against Miyu Yamashita during Yamashita’s US excursion. Noa was touched by Vixen’s idea and accepted the challenge. She wants to win a singles championship and go wrestle overseas again. She warns Vixen that she fought in a death match and became even stronger since the last time they were in the ring together.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIGHTING SPIRITS ’23”, 16/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Ami Manase & Marika Kobashi Vs Makoto & Asuka
2. Banny Oikawa Comeback Match: Miyako Matsumoto & Banny Oikawa Vs Cherry & Alex Lee
3. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Riara Vs Sumire Natsu
4. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs SAKI
5. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: YuuRI Vs Misa Kagura
Three important singles matches highlight the next Ganbare☆Joshi card. YuuRI’s grudge match with Misa Kagura was already announced. Yoshiko Hasegawa meets SAKI in the ring again for the first time in three years. A battle between hostesses will take place when Riara takes on Sumire Natsu.
Banny Oikawa’s return to wrestling has her teaming with Miyako Matsumoto. Her entry into GanJo is because of Matsumoto so that makes sense. Alex Lee being on the opposite side is unexpected because she’s been with Matsumoto in her previous appearances here. Cherry is part of the match because she was one of Oikawa’s trainers.
I’ve noticed that all of Ami Manase’s matches so far included Marika Kobashi. They’ve been both opponents and teammates. Their next task together is facing Makoto & Asuka. That pair often teams together as Las Fresa de Egoistas.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HAKODATE”, 16/06/2023 Hakodate City General Wholesale Center Distribution Hall
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Toy Kojima & Rukiya
2. SILVER QUEEN Infomercial Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
3. Hakodate Specialty Special Single Match: Yuki Ishida Vs Akinori Ariji
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
5. HARASHIMA & Hideki Okatani Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oitshi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
Lately Yuji Hino is going through a small emotional journey over the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” main event. He started out being annoyed over Chris Brookes getting injured and now thanks to a heartfelt speech from Antonio Honda he feels sympathy for his next challenger. It’s probably a good thing he gets to deal with a different set of opponents tomorrow. Get his head back in check and focus on what’s in front of him.
BASARA “BASARA 222 ~OENSOGURA~”, 17/06/2023 Miyagi-no Cultural Center
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano
2. FUMA & Daichi Kazato Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT
3. Daiki Shimomura & Takato Nakano Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Isami Kodaka Vs MUSASHI
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Minoru Fujita
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Round 2 B Block: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Fuminori Abe
Takumi Tsukamoto is getting a live performance for his entrance by a local saxophone player.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO DAY 1”, 17/06/2023 Sapporo ii-one Stadium
1. Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Ishida
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yusuke Okada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
3. Special Tag Match: Andreza Giant Panda & Saki Akai Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata
4. Sapporo Specialty Special 8-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yuya Koroku & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Makoto Oishi
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs MAO & Toy Kojima
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada
Brookes still has allies like Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada offering to fight Hino on his behalf while he recovers.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 18/06/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Runa Okubo
2. Hikari Noa & Haru Kazashiro Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Shino Suzuki
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Toga
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Hyper Misao & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Shoko Nakajima & Arisu Endo Vs Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami
7. Rika Tatsumi & Suzume Vs Yuki Aino & HIMAWARI
Mizuki is not at the show because she will be in America for Deadlock Pro that day. Yuka Sakazaki will be with her at that show too. Their match over there has gone through a bunch of changes. It was supposed to be The Magical Sugar Rabbits Vs Miyu Yamashita & Hyan. First, Hyan had to pull out of the show because of a scheduling conflict so she is replaced with Vert Vixen. Then news of Sakazaki’s injury came out so Mizuki is now teaming with Emi Sakura. Those two teaming together again is newsworthy by itself.
This weekend’s show has a couple of firsts. It is the first main event match for HIMAWARI. It’s the first time Hyper Misao & Yoshiko Hasegawa are teaming together. It is also Runa Okubo’s first singles match of her career.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN SAPPORO DAY 2”, 18/06/2023 Sapporo ii-one Stadium
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yukio Sakaguchi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai Vs Akito & Sanae Takebayashi
4. Special Single Match: Andreza Giant Panda Vs Pokotan
5. Sapporo Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Tomoya Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
6. Jun Akiyama & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
7. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima
The cowards aren’t putting Andreza Giant Panda Vs Pokotan in the main event. Boo!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 24/06/2023 Kobe Art Center
1. Kaya Toribami Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Yuki Arai Vs HIMAWARI
3. Nao Kakuta Vs Toga
4. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa Vs Shino Suzuki
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu
7. Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Moka Miyamoto
The American tours are ending for Yamashita and Maki Itoh. Both will be back in Japan for Tokyo Joshi Pro next weekend. Sakazaki will be home with them too. She is advertised for an autograph session at the show.
Both Wakana Uehara and Runa Okubo are missing the show due to scheduling conflicts.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Toru Owashi & Yuni Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
3. Special Single Match: Naruki Doi Vs Takeshi Masada
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Minoru Fujita
5. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
7. DDT Extreme Title – Survival 3 Way Match: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
A third party wants to fight MAO and Kazuki Hirata over the vacant DDT Extreme Title! A few days ago Yoshihiko pinned both of them at the same time and believes it now qualifies to be part of the title match. A 3 Way Match was suggested and MAO liked the idea because he wants to fight Yoshihiko more often. They all agreed to make it under elimination rules because everybody expects Hirata will get immediately pinned. Since the match is headlining the show it would be a waste to set up a 3 Way only for it to end so quickly. All three wrestlers are happy with the decision. Yoshihiko gets to fight for a championship, MAO gets to fight Yoshihiko again and Hirata gets to be in the main event even if might only for a few seconds!
The 37KAMIINA are getting prepared for the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles match. When Shunma Katsumata was having his surgery, he came up with a new tag team finishing move for Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima to use. Every duo combination in The 37KAMIINA so far has their own version of the MADMAX finisher. This one is called the My MADMAX because Katsumata thought of it by himself. They all held a training session together along with Rukiya being used as the crash test dummy. After a few practice tries, the My MADMAX was discovered to be a Spike Air Raid Crash. They all believe the move is easier to use on Daisuke Sasaki. However if they can pull it off on MJ Paul then it will be even more damaging to an opponent his size.
Honda already said his piece defending Brookes against Hino. Now he has to step in the ring and meet Hino face to face with the help of Higuchi & Masahiro Takanashi. They need the help because Hino & Makoto Oishi have Jun Akiyama on their side!
The match order other than the main event and dark match has not been determined yet.
GANBARE☆PRO “GHOST HUNTERS 2023”, 30/06/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaho Matsushita
2. Riara Vs Haruka Umesaki
3. Special Just Before Ota Ward! Imanari-gun Vs Katsumura-gun All-Out Battle!!: X Vs X
4. Special Just Before Ota Ward! Imanari-gun Vs Katsumura-gun All-Out Battle!! Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
5. Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shota
The woman Sayaka Unagi is sending to assess Riara is Haruka Umesaki from Diana! Umesaki is the current W.W.W.D Champion in that promotion.
DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED SPECIAL”, 01/07/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
2. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
Katsumata came up with another idea to help Kojima grow. He’s making Kojima team with Atsushi Onita for a Hardcore Tag Match against Eruption! Katsumata would team with Kojima himself but while he is out injured, he thinks Onita is more than a suitable replacement to do something crazy.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’23”, 08/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Juria Nagano Comeback Match: Juria Nagano Vs X
2. Nyla Rose Vs Miu Watanabe
3. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sawyer Wreck
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Yuki Arai
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Nyla Rose’s new opponent is Miu Watanabe!
DDT “OSAKA BAYS BLUES SPECIAL 2023”, 20/08/2023 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita Vs X
After a few weeks of hype, DDT have announced the next former WWE wrestler to appear on their shows is… Yoshitatsu… Yay…
At least there’s an explosion death match on the show.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 