New Up Up Girls Show, IP Title No. 1 Contender Match, SILVER QUEEN, Time To Get Assessed

June 5, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP GIRLS (PRO WRESTLING) 2ND SHOW GRAB IT! THE HIGHEST STAGE!”, 10/06/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Moka Miyamoto & Toga Vs Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Wakana Uehara & Haru Kazashiro
3. Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Raku & HIMAWARI

For the first time in four and a half years The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) are holding their own show featuring music performances as well as wrestling matches. The first show was a milestone for the unit because it was where each member revealed their pro wrestling names as well debuting their song “Upper Chop!” Shino Suzuki already has her ring name. Unless at the show she decides to change it to Susususu Suzuki?

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STICK OUT ’23”, 11/06/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Toga & Runa Okubo
3. Shoko Nakajima & Moka Miyamoto Vs Suzume & Haru Kazashiro
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Kaya Toribami & Wakane Uehara Vs Yuki Arai, Raku & Shino Suzuki
5. Hyper Misao Vs Mahiro Kiryu
6. International Princess Title Next Challenger Match: Yuki Aino Vs Arisu Endo
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe

Two wrestlers have stepped forward asking for a shot at the International Princess Title for different reasons. Yuki Aino wants to win the championship after seeing there are women all over the world coming to Tokyo Joshi Pro to fight for it. Arisu Endo was inspired to ask for a shot after standing in her friend Suzume’s corner during last month’s title match. The two will face off in a singles match with the winner getting to challenge Rika Tatsumi somewhere down the road.

A few weeks ago Hyper Misao made Mahiro Kiryu the hero of her own story at the “HYPE!” event. Now they have to be opponents. Misao didn’t see this match coming but understands she will have to beat her friend, even if it ends Kiryu’s momentum coming out of “HYPE!”

Yuki Arai is cleared to return to wrestling on this show. Her return match is also the first time she will be teaming with Raku & Shino Suzuki. That fact is making her look forward to returning even more.

English commentary for the show will be provided by Chris Brookes, Drew Parker and Baliyan Akki.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HAKODATE”, 16/06/2023
Hakodate City General Wholesale Center Distribution Hall

1. SILVER QUEEN Infomercial Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO & Yoshihiko

DDT is bringing back the Infomercial Match. It is a wrestling match purposefully put together to promote a local sponsor. For example the sponsor for this show is SILVER QUEEN, a restaurant marketed towards fans of the singer Eikichi Yazawa (the inspiration for Antonio Honda’s alter ego A.YAZAWA).

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

Three of the four remaining wrestlers in the B Block are former Chouten ~Itadaki~ winners. Takumi Tsukamoto has never won the tournament but he is the current Union MAX Champion. Meanwhile Ryota Nakatsu is a two time winner while Minoru Fujita and Fuminori Abe are the two most recent tournament champions.

Isami Kodaka being knocked out of the tournament early frees him up for a first time singles match against MUSASHI from Michinoku Pro.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023”, 25/06/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. International Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Nick Wayne
3. DDT Extreme Title: MAO Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima

This past weekend saw Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul attack Toy Kojima with chairs before throwing their names in for the vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles match. DAMNATION T.A are entering the match thinking the championship is as good as theirs. Kojima has Yuki Ueno backing him up and will be fighting to bring the belts back to The 37KAMIINA on Shunma Katsumata’s behalf.

MAO has threatened to kick Kazuki Hirata to death in order to win the vacant DDT Extreme Title. However Hirata is always ready and expecting to be kicked to death in his matches so MAO will have to think about doing something else!

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: X Vs X
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Final: X Vs X

Daiki Shimomura joins SAGAT in the semi-finals. Shimomura had to beat Kodaka to get hear while SAGAT had a much more peaceful route thanks to a bye sending him past the previous round without him having to wrestle.

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Riara Vs Sayaka Unagi
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
3. YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono
4. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

Friends, training partners, wrestling rivals and now a tag team. That describes the relationship between Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada. They’ve never been able to fight each other in MMA due to being in different weight classes and also different companies. But they are joining forces believing they are the only two fighters who can defeat Hentai Punch Drunkers for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles. Their challenge was accepted by Tyson Maeguchi before Hikaru Sato could give his thoughts on the matter.

It will soon be time for Riara to get assessed by Sayaka Unagi. Apparently that’s a thing a lot of joshi has to go through these days. Unagi offered to wrestle on Ganbare☆Pro’s biggest show of the year again as a favour to her friend Yuna Manase. Since Manase is currently injured, Riara was chosen to be Unagi’s opponent. The two already knew each other while Riara was training to be a pro wrestler. Unagi’s lesson for her is it takes more than just having the “ganbare” spirit to succeed in wrestling.

The 6-Man Tag Match is a reunion on both sides. Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga represent the Young Communication Generation while Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao are back together as Team Drift.


BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~” Results

April 30, 2023

BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~”, 30/04/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
??? Fans – Withheld

1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato when Kamino pinned Kazato with the Lariat (10:08).
2. Masahiro Takanashi defeated KUBITO with an STF (13:14).
3. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
4. Shota defeated FUMA with the Gannosuke Clutch (12:13).
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa defeated Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe (21:45).
5a. Ryota Nakatsu eliminated Fuminori Abe by Ring Out (2:47).
5b. Fuminori Abe eliminated Ryota Nakatsu by Ring Out (3:08).
5c. Takumi Tsukamoto and SAGAT eliminated each other by Double Ring Out (7:28).
5d. Akiyori Takizawa eliminated Takumi Tsukamoto by Ring Out (9:18).
5e. Akiyori Takizawa eliminated Yasu Urano after the Big Mac (21:45).

The main event turned into a mess because of a referee bump. Yuya Okada got knocked out so Atsushi Ishiguro ran out as the replacement. However he missed the earlier eliminations in the match so the eliminated wrestlers were able to convince him they were still active participants. Then Okada recovered which caused more confusion between the two referees. That explains why it says above that some of the wrestlers were eliminated twice. Even then the wrestlers stuck around to stay involved in the match after they were eliminated. All of Sparky worked together to hit the Big Mac to get the win in the end.

Shota was FUMA’s mystery opponent. It was teased right before the show that the opponent was somebody who was wrestling in BASARA for the first time in years. He last wrestled here in 2018.

After the opening match Daichi Kazato told Aijin Tag who their challengers for the IRON FIST Tag Titles on 13th May are going to be. He’s not getting involved though. Instead he said it’s Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda!

MUSASHI from Michinoku Pro will be making his BASARA debut on 17th June.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~” Results

December 31, 2022

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
615 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Kikutaro when MAO pinned Kikutaro after a Double Choke Slam from Naya & Kamitani (8:06).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI Vs Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
2a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rule: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI defeated Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka when Higuchi pinned Brookes with a Cradle Turnback (1:03).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) when Aoyagi pinned Kei with a School Boy (7:58).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda defeated Takeshi Masada, Takuya Nomura & Masato Tanaka when Takeda pinned Masada with the Reverse U Crash (8:31).
5. Ryuji Ito, Abdullah Kobayashi, Jaki Numazawa & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata when Ito pinned Hirata with the Biribiri Dragon Splash (14:27).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI when Aoki pinned Sekifuda with the Blue Storm (10:15).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda when Ueno pinned Ishikawa with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (11:16).
8. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Drew Parker, Cara Noir & RSP defeated Yuji Okabayashi, Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida when Takeshita pinned Yoshida with the Zahi (15:23).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto when Hashimoto pinned MAO with the Rising DDT (19:21).

Last year’s tournament being built around trios matches was kept around for this year’s edition. Each team featured one DDT wrestler, one Big Japan wrestler and one wild card all of which were random combinations. For everyone involved it was their last chance to grab some glory in the ring before the new year begins.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Big Bombers

The atmosphere of the show was set early by the team called Big Bombers. Their entrance included a video of MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto all travelling together for a road trip on motorbikes. Their opponents attempted to use a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who starts but Kikutaro misunderstood. He thought it was just a charade to jump Big Bombers while they weren’t looking so he charged them on his own and got beaten up for it. Kikutaro had even more bad luck, the worse of which involved MAO manipulating Yukio Naya & Hideyoshi Kamitani into Double Choke Slamming their own partner. MAO slipped in for the pin afterward to keep his team’s road trip going.

Team 2023 Vs Super J Cups

The only time limit draw on the show took place in the second match. The Super J Cups are called that because it is a trio of junior heavyweight champions. Supposedly. Kazusada Higuchi’s weight was announced in the venue as 99.999999kg so he was really pushing it. Higuchi spent the end of the match fighting with Daisuke Sekimoto too so nobody was complaining about getting to see that heavyweight battle. It built up to Sekimoto leading Chris Brookes & Isami Kodaka into a Triple Topé Suicida aimed at Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI. The time limit was reached right when Sekimoto gave Higuchi the German Suplex. When overtime began Sekimoto went straight for the pin but Higuchi kicked out immediately. Brookes tagged in and caught Higuchi in a Prawn Hold. However Higuchi reversed the move and rolled himself on top of Brookes to steal the 1 Count pin needed to win.

Zero Hyaku Vs BraNoue In The Sky With Diamonds

If there is one thing everyone knows about The Brahman Brothers its that they like to stay clean, am I right? Tetsuya Endo & Yasufumi Nakanoue shared their concerns and carried around disinfectant spray. Oh, the two of them were also Brahman-ised and happy to take part in their cheating during the match. Yuma Aoyagi fought back by covering his arms with the metal hoses and Lariating both Brahmans but he ended up pinning Brahman Kei by mistake so the match continued. Nakanoue placed a stake up to Yuki Ueno’s butt (after disinfecting the butt first of course) and Brahman Shu hit it with a chairshot. The gameplan then fell apart due to miscommunication. Endo accidentally hit Kei over the head with a steel tray and then the suitcase thrown by Nakanoue hit Shu instead of Aoyagi. It ended up costing them the match and Zero Hyaku advanced at their expense.

Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi) Vs Team Kansai

Round 1 almost closed out with a little bit of death match flavour. Masashi Takeda brought out a pair of scissors which annoyed the referee Yukinori Matsui. When that was taken away we were left with a match on the regular level of danger. I mean Takeda and Masato Tanaka were still on opposite sides of the ring here. We also had HARASHIMA and Takuya Nomura trading kicks against each other. Takeshi Masada though ended up getting the worst of everything. He took a Swan Dive Body Press from HARASHIMA, a Double Stomp from Yuki Ishikawa and was finished off with the Takeda’s Reverse U Crash.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

DDT and Big Japan got threw some of their veterans together for an inter-promotional 8-Man Tag. Danshoku Dieno was back to his old self looking for men in the audience to kiss during his entrance. Shunma Katsumata took to taunting Ryuji Ito when the opportunity presented itself. Antonio Honda tried to tell a Gongitsune joke but Jaki Numazawa cut him off so he could tell his own jokes. Gongitsune groaned after every punchline. Kazuki Hirata put on the Hirata GO! glasses and danced until Kankuro Hoshino placed fox ears over his head. The music changed to “What Does The Fox Say” and the two danced until Hirata realised what was going on and fainted. Dieno set himself up in the Hell Gate position in the corner to charge up his teammate’s attacks. Abdullah Kobayashi then revealed he has the same ability, it only works once every four years. Kobayashi then formed his own Hell Gate. Ito placed a steel plate over his chest, used Kobayashi to charge it up and then did the Dragon Splash onto Hirata to give Big Japan the win. Ito declared Big Japan as the winners of the feud against DDT but Dieno refused to accept defeat. Ito and Dieno threw challenges at each other and both left the ring in a huff.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Super J Cups

People still didn’t believe that Higuchi is a junior heavyweight so he tried vaulting the top rope along with his tag partners. The whole thing didn’t work because Sekifuda & MUSASHI were both pulled down and Higuchi tripped. The Driver’s High team capitalised and all three hit Handspring Back Elbows to the opposition. Sekifuda recovered and keep trying to go for the win until Aoki cut him off and stole the win with the Blue Storm.

Zero Hyaku Vs Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi)

The death match flavour did show up in this match. Takeda took out his scissors again but put them away, promising to fight fair. Zero Hyaku had a lot of communication problems when Ueno tried to direct Hashimoto & Aoyagi into setting up a Triple Power Bomb properly. The match then broke down when chairs were brought into the ring. Ishikawa and even HARASHIMA threw chairshots at their opponents. Ueno took the chair and hit HARASHIMA with it. Takeda then pulled out a stapler and stapled a show poster onto Ueno’s chest! Ueno got his revenge by stapling the poster onto Ishikawa’s forehead and then pinning him with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher.

Special 8-Man Tag Match

Before the final could take place there was another non-tournament match to get through. Konosuke Takeshita led a team of foreign wrestlers against Yuji Okabayashi and his band of Strong BJ fighters. The DDT related side won this one. Everything was built up to Takeshita, Drew Parker and RSP doing stereo Swanton Bombs along with the Fable on Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida. Takeshita then pinned Yoshida with the Zahi. After the match backstage RSP said he first wrestled in Japan for Big Japan but now he considers himself part if DDT. Takeshita thinks 2023 will see the full return of wrestlers travelling everywhere around the world. Cara Noir did not say anything. Okabayashi is impressed by how much Takeshita has improved since the last time they fought. However he is also happy with the knowledge that his Chops are still effective against Takeshita. Kikuta told the DDT team not to get carried away just because they won. Kato spoke about Parker’s success since leaving Big Japan. He considers himself close to Parker because they are the same age and their birthdays are only a few days apart. Yoshida was happy to get to fight Takeshita.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Zero Hyaku

The final came down to this. The Driver’s High team came out all wearing gear matching with Miyamoto’s. Late in the match MAO & Aoki focused on Missile attacks to Hashimoto until the tables turned. Ueno caught MAO with the Dropkick, Aoyagi hit the Rockstar Buster and Hashimoto hit the Shining Wizard. MAO kicked out of both at one so Hashimoto had to drop him with the Rising DDT, crowning Zero Hyaku as the tournament winners!

The winners received their prize from Sayoko Mita. Aoyagi was happy to win because this was his first New Year’s Eve show. Hashimoto said the team went from Zero to Hyaku! Ueno admitted he never expected Hashimoto to be so mischievous and Aoyagi to be so nice. He doesn’t know what to expect in 2023 but the three of them will continue to change pro wrestling. Aoyagi wants the three of them to reunite for next year’s tournament but he was told it can only happen if the random lottery somehow pairs the three of them together again.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2022

MVP

1. Kazusada Higuchi
2. Drew Parker
3. Fujita Jr. Hayato
4. Konosuke Takeshita
5. Yumehito Imanari

Best Bout

1. MUSASHI Vs Fujita Jr. Hayato (Michinoku Pro, 1st July)
2. Jun Kasai Vs El Desperado (JUST TAP OUT, 12th September)
3. Hartley Jackson Vs Mizuki Watase (Ganbare☆Pro, th )
4. Drew Parker Vs Masashi Takeda (FREEDOMS, 16th November)
5. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo (DDT, 20th March)

Best Unit

1. Pheromones
2. The 37KAMIINA
3. Astronauts
4. CDK
5. Speed Of Sounds

Best Box Office

1. Big Japan @ Yokohama Budokan, 5th May
2. Ganbare☆Pro @ Ota Ward Gymnasium, 10th July
3. Michinoku Pro @ Korakuen Hall, 1st July
4. FREEDOMS @ Yokohama Budokan, 3rd May
5. DDT @ Ryogoku Kokugikan, 20th March

Best Newcomer

1. Daiju Wakamatsu
2. Yukio Naya
3. Takeshi Masada
4. HARUKAZE
5. Jun Masaoka


Teams Chosen For New Year’s Eve Tournament

November 28, 2022

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
5. Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata Vs Ryuji Ito, Abdullah Kobayashi, Jaki Numazawa & Kankuro Hoshino
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
8. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Drew Parker, Cara Noir & RSP Vs Yuji Okabayashi, Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) – MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto
Team 2023 – Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka
Zero Hyaku – Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi
Big Bombers – Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Kikutaro
Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi) – HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda
Bara No Ue In The Sky With Diamonds – Tetsuya Endo, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu)
Team Kansai – Takeshi Masada, Takuya Nomura & Masato Tanaka
Super J Cups – Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI

The eight teams for the New Year’s Eve Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament were all chosen last week. Each team combines together one DDT wrestler, one Big Japan wrestler and one wrestler from outside those two companies. Each trio came up with their own team names based on a something that connects the three wrestlers together. In some cases there was a stretch. Take the Super J Cups for example. Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI were the last three wrestlers remaining after the draw. All three are currently champions but Sekifuda & MUSASHI are both in the Jr. Heavyweight division. Sekifuda told Higuchi that for one night only he gets to move down from Heavyweight to Jr. Heavyweight, which is why Super J Cups became their name.

There are two non-tournament matches also taking place on the show. Both of them are DDT Vs Big Japan 8-Man Tag matches. One of them sees a DDT team of international talent led by Konosuke Takeshita taking on Yuji Okabayashi and his band of Strong BJ fighters. The other has DDT’s comedy troupe pitted against BJW’s Death Match division.


“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIKOSHI! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2021

“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIKOSHI! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
655 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka Vs Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & Minoru Fujita ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
1a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rule: Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & Minoru Fujita defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka when Fujita pinned Ito with the Modified Samson Clutch (0:52).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo defeated Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa when Hashimoto submitted Aoki with the STF (9:06).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Sekifuda & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu) when Takeshita pinned Kei with a Cradle (5:17).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie defeated Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Kasai when MAO pinned Akito with the Cannonball 450 (8:50).
5. MUSASHI, Daisuke Kanehira, Takafumi & Tatsuya Hanami defeated Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida when MUSASHI submitted Ishida with the Modified Sasorikatame (13:40).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo defeated Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & Minoru Fujita when Mashimo pinned Fujita with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (11:41).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen Vs MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
7a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rule: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen defeated MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie when Kamen pinned MAO with a Crushed La Magistral Cradle (0:44).
8. 3 Way Tag Match: Stan Kobayashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Jaki Numazawa & Antonio Honda Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kankuro Hoshino when Kobayashi pinned Hona with the Bakachinga Anal Elbow (14:21).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen when HARASHIMA pinned Kamen with the Somato (16:19).

The annual New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Tournament switched over to a trios format for the end of 2021. Each team consisted of a DDT wrestler, a Big Japan wrestler and a “Dream Slot” wrestler from another company or batch of freelancers.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

I’ll Do It!! Vs Three Brothers Kawaii

Fans didn’t have to wait long for the reveal of Chris Brookes & Takuya Nomura’s mystery partner. It was Minoru Fujita! Their combined cuteness went to a 10 minute stalemate against the rugged trio of Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka. In the final seconds Fujita hit Ito with the SAYONARA but time ran out before the pin. Sudden death overtime meant One Count Fall rules to win. Koshinaka misfired the Hip Attack and hit Ito by accident, allowing Fujita to get the 1 Count to win.

Ikemen’s Vs LEFTOVERS

Next up the team of Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa all walked out dressed and posing like Masahiro Chono. They continued the Chono tribute by locking in a Triple STF to HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo. They got a taste of their own medicine at the end when Hashimoto locked Aoki into his own version of the STF to win. He then encouraged his own team to do Chono’s pose.

Deadlifters Vs I Dream Of Twins, Lizards And Naomi

Things got weirder because next up was The Brahman Brothers entering the ring with Naomi Yoshimura & Kota Sekifuda behind them carrying stuffed toy lizards. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuji Okabayashi brought out chairs looking ready for a fight until they had powder thrown in their faces. Kuishinbo Kamen tried to help but couldn’t do much. Takeshita was given a Low Blow but found a way in his doubled over state to block a Sunset Flip and press down to get the three count.

Ugo Association Vs Team Saiyuki

Before this match began Shigehiro Irie and MAO shook hands to show that their problems are in the past and they can work together. Jun Kasai announced he created a new move and it is punching MAO a lot. MAO took a beating from Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Kasai but toughed it out so Yasufumi Nakanoue & Irie could come for the rescue. Akito then got singled out and fell to the trademark moves of his opponents.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

The buffer match after Round 1 brought together a mixture of wrestlers from across the indies. DDT & Big Japan were represented by their young generation of Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida. Their opponents were MUSASHI from Michinoku Pro, Daisuke Kanehira from HEAT-UP, Takafumi from ZERO1 & Tatsuya Hanami from 2AW. In the end MUSASHI picked up the win by making Ishida submit.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Three Brothers Kawaii Vs LEFTOVERS

The semi-finals had a tense start when Hashimoto and HARASHIMA declined to shake the other team’s hands. Fujita and Mashimo had a back and forth that ended with Fujita asking for a handshake only to get attacked. HARAHSIMA and Nomura got into a spirited kick-off and Fujita almost pinned Mashimo with the SAYONARA. The tables were turned when Fujita was hit with a Triple Super Kick and Mashimo pinned him with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster.

Deadlifters Vs Ugo Association

Kamen was targeted as the weak link in this match. While Takeshita & Okabayashi cancelled out Nakanoue & Irie the dying moments of the match fell down to Kamen and MAO. Kamen was caught in the Clothespin submission but held out for the last 30 seconds so the match could end in a draw. When Sudden Death began Kamen was quickly given more big blows but when MAO attempted La Magistral Cradle, Kamen blocked it and stole the win with the 1 Count fall.

3 Way Tag Match

The other non-tournament match brought the show back to weird territory. Danshoku Dieno jumped into the Hell Gate position, Kazuki Hirata started dancing, Kankuro Hoshino vanished to be replaced by Kenshiro Hoshino, then Abdullah Kobayashi disappeared and Stan Kobayashi took his place. To cap it all off, Jaki Numazawa left and returned as RoboCop! Antonio Honda was ready to finish the match but tripped and injured his knee. Kobayashi ended up using Dieno’s backside to charge up his Lariat arm and pin Honda with the Bakachinga Elbow.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

LEFTOVERS Vs Deadlifters

Poor old Kuishinbo Kamen has never won a tournament in his career. His run of luck in these things is so bad that back in Osaka Pro it was a known flaw that he would get eliminated early in their annual tournaments. By making it to the final, today could have finally been his day. Sadly it just wasn’t to be. He brought out some fun antics at the beginning but was there to win with his partners as the match heated up. Okabayashi floored HARASHIMA with a Lariat and Takeshita wiped out Hashimoto & Mashimo with a Topé. But HARASHIMA regained control of the match against Kamen and pinned him with the Somato to win the final.

The tournament winners celebrated and HARASHIMA said he felt good fortunes with his team this year. They were all the last people picked in the lottery draft which is why they called themselves LEFTOVERS in the first place. Hashimoto agreed and thinks it is a sign that the new year will be good to them. He’d like LEFTOVERS to team together for next year’s Shuffle Tag show but doesn’t know if that will happen. Mashimo credited all of the wrestlers involved for making today and exciting tournament and he invited all of them out for a group photo to end the show.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2021

MVP

1. Konosuke Takeshita
2. Takuya Nomura
3. Drew Parker
4. Takumi Tsukamoto
5. Jun Kasai

Best Bout

1. Takuya Nomura Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan, 18th October)
2. The Great Sasuke Vs Jinsei Shinzaki (Michinoku Pro, 4th June)
3. Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita (DDT, 21st August)
4. HARASHIMA Vs Yuji Okabayashi (DDT, 21st November)
5. Tetsu Inada Vs Shota Okamura (Hiragana Muscle, 1st September)

Best Unit

1. Pheromones
2. Astronauts
3. Speed Of Sounds
4. The 37KAMIINA
5. E.R.E

Best Box Office

1. Hiragana Muscle @ Korakuen Hall, 1st September
2. DDT @ Fujitsu Stadium Kawasaki, 21st August
3. CyberFight Festival @ Saitama Super Arena, 6th June
4. Big Japan @ Sapporo Chateraise Gateaux Kingdom, 20th September
5. Masahiro Takanashi Produce @ Shinjuku FACE, 1st August

Best Newcomer

1. Drew Parker
2. Tomoya Hirata
3. Yumehito Imanari
4. Tetsu Inada
5. Kosuke Sato


Watase Joins Ganpro, MagiRabi Looking For Challengers, Ittenyon Title Matches, Takaiawa Nominates Ganpro’s Symbol

November 26, 2021

DDT “HIROSHI YAMATO TRIUMPHANT RETURN! NORI NORI NORI TRIUMPHANT TOUR IN KIMITSU 2021”, 28/11/2021
Chiba Kimitsu AQUASTUDIO

1. Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Kuishinbo Kamen & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuya Koroku
4. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Soma Takao & Toui Kojima
5. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Akito & Hideki Okatani
6. Kimitsu Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Chris Brookes Vs Hiroshi Yamato, HARASHIMA & Yuji Hino

This is the match order for Sunday’s show.

BASARA “BASARA 177 ~GLITTER~”, 30/11/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil Kraken & Yasu Urano
2. Takumi Tsukamoto, Fuminori Abe & Gouma Vs Yusuke Kubo, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
3. FUMA Vs Masahiro Takanashi
4. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura
5. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs SAGAT

The last time Speed Of Sounds and Sento Minzoku faced each other for the IRON FIST Tag Titles the belts ended up moving over to Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura. The circumstances are a little bit different this time. Before was the end of Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga’s first strong title run. This time they are heading up the first defence of their second reign as champions.

BASARA “BASARA 178 ~AOBA NO MORI~”, 05/12/2021
Chiba 2AW Square

1. ~goodbye now, my friend~: Isami Kodaka Vs Drew Parker

One of Kodaka’s buddies from Big Japan is finishing up his tour and heading home before the end of the year. But before Drew Parker moves on to the next stage of his career, he comes to BASARA to face his rival one last time. At least for now.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II THE FINAL”, 05/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match – Mizuki Watase Send-Off Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Mizuki Watase
1. Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito, Saki Akai & Toui Kojima
2. Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II Special 10-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo, Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Bodyguard Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, MAO & Yuji Okabayashi
5. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Soma Takao
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Konosuke Takeshita

During the week Mizuki Watase unexpectedly requested a move from DDT to Ganbare☆Pro. DDT had met with Watase to discuss his plans and all sides agreed to go through with the move as of 25th November. Watase’s match against Yusuke Okada on 5th December will still go ahead and it is now his send-off match from DDT. Watase has wrestled in Ganpro several times and thinks the heat from the fans matches his own temperature. He is grateful to DDT for having him for 6 years including his debut match in Sumo Hall. He hopes to get stronger so the next time he steps in a DDT ring he will return the favour. This move also opens up Watase’s options because he wants to wrestle in other companies, in foreign countries and against various people. If he can get that kind of schedule then he will be able to wrestle the same amount of matches as he would if he stayed in DDT.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 10/12/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Haruna Neko Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Pom Harajuku Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. Hardcore Match: Hikari Noa Vs Nao Kakuta
4. MagiRabi Vs TropicaWild: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs SAKI & Yuna Mizumori

The Magical Sugar Rabbits are looking for their next challengers for the Princess Tag Team Titles. They can be anyone or anything. Yuka Sakazaki said it is not necessary for their opponents to be human. She brings up the possible pairing of Pokotan & Yoshihiko as potential challengers. She doesn’t know much about TropicaWild because she doesn’t interact much with other joshi promotions. Mizuki however has history with SAKI. They both teamed together for their debut match almost a decade ago! Together they were Buribato♡, the “Brilliant Battle Girls” of LLPW-X.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 12/12/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ueno
2. DDT Extreme Title – No Seconds Rule: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari

A first time trio is put together. Konosuke Takeshita is still learning the Jumping Knee Strike from Jun Akiyama. Could he use it for the first time here? Yuki Ueno is still preparing for the D-Ou Grand Prix final that will be against Takeshita. As for the other three HARASHIMA, Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi had their time to lick their wounds. It’s time to get up and move on.

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2021”, 18/12/2021
Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall

1. Special Single Match – DDT Vs Dera Beppin Pro Wrestling: Saki Akai Vs Papillon Akemi
2. Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Hyper Misao
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Susumu Yokosuka, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Akito
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Death Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) Vs Atsushi Onita, Sanshiro Takagi & Kuro-chan

DDT takes on a Nagoya promotion known as Dera Beppin Pro Wrestling. The company is allegedly the only joshi wrestling promotion in Nagoya and has existed since 2013. It is also named after an adult magazine which is another sign that all is not as it seems. The only wrestler associated with Dera Beppin is Papillon Akemi, a masked wrestler designed to look like a shoujo manga character. If it’s joshi that Akemi wants then joshi is what Akemi will get. Saki Akai is stepping up on the DDT side.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “PROTECT YOU AND LOVE YOU 2021”, 19/12/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Actwres girl’Z Offer Match: Hikari Shimizu & Rina Amikura Vs Miku Aono & Aoi Natsu
2. Secret Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Mizuki Watase Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Ganjo Three Special Singles Match – YuuRI “Glamorous Valkyrie” Trial Single Match Round 3: YuuRi Vs SAKI
4. Ganjo Three Special Singles Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs HARUKAZE
5. Ganjo Three Special Singles Match: Yuu Yamagata Vs Yuna Manase

Watase’s first big challenge in Ganpro is the Secret Captain’s Fall match, a stipulation that was used previously in Ganbare☆Joshi. He sides with two Ganpro mainstays while the new ROMANCE DAWN team are on the other side.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021
Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium

0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Vent Vert Jack
1. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs X
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs X

Team Harajuku: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura, Akito, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
Team Shibuya: Shunma Katsumata, MAO, Yuki Ueno, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku
Team Shinjuku: Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Yusuke Okada, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
Pheromones: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari

Four squads of wrestlers have been tasked to promote the show across Tokyo. The teams will be scoring points based on how they do. Whoever scores the most at the end of this month will be given a prize from Sanshiro Takagi. One example of scoring points is changing their Twitter banner to an advert for the show, which is what everyone has done this week. Other points involve getting local shops to put up posters, handing out leaflets and selling tickets.

“NEW YEAR’S WRESTLING 2021 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
2. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
3. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
4. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
5. MUSASHI, Daisuke Kanehira, Takafumi & Tatsuya Hanami Vs Takuho Kato, Kosuke Sato, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
6. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
7. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
8. 3 Way Tag Match: Abdullah Kobayashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jaki Numazawa & Antonio Honda Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kankuro Hoshino
9. Toshiwasure! Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Team Saiyuki: Akito, Daisuke Sekimoto & Jun Kasai
Ikemen’s: Soma Takao, Yuya Aoki & Shuji Ishikawa
I Dream Of Twins, Lizards And Naomi: Naomi Yoshimura, Kota Sekifuda & Brahman Kei (w/ Brahman Shu)
Three Brothers Kawaii: Chris Brookes, Takuya Nomura & X
I’ll Do It!!: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryuji Ito & Shiro Koshinaka
Deadlifters: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuji Okabayashi & Kuishinbo Kamen
Ugo Association: MAO, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shigehiro Irie
LEFTOVERS: HARASHIMA, Daichi Hashimoto & Kengo Mashimo

Some other promotions get to join in the fun for New Year’s Eve. MUSASHI (Michinoku Pro), Daisuke Kanehira (HEAT-UP), Takafumi (ZERO1) & Tatsuya Hanami (2AW) take on a team of rookies from Big Japan & DDT.

Big Japan & DDT also put together a few more mixed teams for a 3 Way Tag match.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’22”, 04/01/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Princess Title: Hikari Noa (c) Vs X
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Mizuki

Even though Mizuki doesn’t like to fight against Miyu Yamashita she does have a good win-loss record against her. She has now been full-time with Tokyo Joshi Pro for a year now and wants to carry the promotion on her back. That means she needs to take the Princess Of Princess Title from Yamashita. The champion has been beaten by Mizuki twice this year. During the Tokyo Princess Cup as well as yesterday’s Princess Tag Titles match. She respects her so much that she wants the match to take place on the annual Ittenyon show. There is no better time for Yamashita to avenge those losses.

Hikari Noa will next defend the International Princess Title against the winner of a Battle Royal taking place on 4th December. The participants of the Battle Royal will all be chosen by a fan votes on WRESTLE UNIVERSE. If you are subscribed to WRESTLE UNIVERSE then you can vote here using your name and User ID. Only one vote is allowed per account. Any multiple votes found will invalidate all of your votes. Noa thinks if a wrestler who has not been able to move up a step gets voted into the Battle Royal and wins the title shot, it will be a chance for that person to gain confidence. She will watch the Battle Royal and form her strategy depending on who wins.

The eligible wrestlers you can vote for are Yuki Aino, Yuki Arai, Maki Itoh, Arisu Endo, Nao Kakuta, Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu, Marika Kobashi, Suzume, Rika Tatsumi, Nodoka Tenma, Shoko Nakajima, Haruna Neko, Hyper Misao, Pom Harajuku, Moka Miyamoto, Raku and Miu Watanabe. Those excluded from the pool are either the current champions or not in Japan right now.

GANBARE☆PRO “TROPIC THUNDER 2022”, 10/01/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Ken Ohka

For his first Spirit Of Ganbare Title defence, Tatsuhito Takaiwa is wasting no time and nominated Ken Ohka as his challenger. Takaiwa calls Ohka the symbol of Ganpro and since this is a Ganpro title there is nobody more fitting to get the first shot. If he can’t beat Ohka then he thinks there was no point in becoming the champion.