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.
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.
Posted by JamieOD 
