Kendo Kashin In TJPW? IRON FIST TAG Continues, D-Ou Comments

November 13, 2020

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “FALL TOUR ’20 ~WOMM (WRESTLING OF MY MIND)~”, 14/11/2020
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Shoko Nakajima & Suzume Vs Nao Kakuta & Pom Harajuku
2. Hyper Misao Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Maki Itoh Vs Mahiro Kiryu
4. Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Mirai Maiumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Marika Kobashi & Hikari Noa
5. Sakisama Vs Sena Shiori
6. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Raku Vs Miyu Yamashita, Miu Watanabe & Haruna Neko

It’s a fresh new chapter for Tokyo Joshi Pro. We have newcomers joining Yuka Sakazaki in the champion club with no immediate challengers for any of the titles on the horizon. Sakisama is returning which is usually a sign that NEO Biishiki-gun is looking for new members. Nao Kakuta makes her Tokyo Joshi debut.

We now know why Kendo Kashin showed up to “WRESTLE PRINCESS”. He approached Tetsuya Koda declaring himself the new part-time coach for TJPW! He spoke to Koda in a “Western” accent, explaining he can use his world class coaching skills to make Tokyo Joshi world class. That will result in Tokyo Joshi becoming World Joshi, or WJ for short. Koda said he was grateful for the offer but turned Kashin down. A world class coach means he would have to be paid a world class salary and Koda just can’t do that right now. Kashin insists he can do a great job because the “WJ” roster is full of gold eggs. With his teaching they can wrestle anywhere from the Budokan and the Tokyo Dome to the Capital Wrestling Center and the ThunderDome!

BASARA “BASARA 140 ~THE 7TH FOX PRINCE~”, 14/11/2020
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Yusuke Kubo Vs Masato Kamino
2. 4 Way Match: FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Daiki Shimomura Vs Takato Nakano
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Daichi Kazato
4. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Fuminori Abe & Tetsuo Usui Vs Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita
5. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT

One side of the semi-final bracket is filled. This show determines the other half. Takumi Tsukamoto has all the momentum behind him as the new Union MAX Champion. The previous champ Fuminori Abe has to move on and not let that loss get to him.

DDT “DRAMATIC LOVE FOR FUJI! 2020”, 15/11/2020
Shizuoka Fuji-san Messe

1. Akito Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Antonio Honda Vs Keigo Nakamura
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Danshoku Dieno & Hideki Okatani
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mad Paulie
5. DAMNATION Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno
6. Makoto Oishi 42 Year Old Local Triumph! Fuji Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Kazuki Hirata

This is the confirmed match order. They weren’t going to do Makoto Oishi dirty in his hometown.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN KORAKUEN HALL!”, 22/11/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito Vs MAO
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Jun Akiyama
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi Vs Shunma Katsumata

I was invited to record a preview podcast of the D-Ou Grand Prix for subscribers to the Wrestling Omakase patreon. Had plenty to talk about with each of the participants and what matches we think you should look forward to. They will also be covering the tournament with podcast coverage after every show on the patreon.

The majority of the wrestlers made public comments about the tournament today. In the B Block, Jun Akiyama is being targeted by everyone. Tetsuya Endo is certain their opening match will determine who makes the final. Endo says if beats Akiyama he will abstain from all remaining block matches. But if he loses to Akiyama then he will forfeit his remaining block matches. I can’t tell if we’re supposed to take this seriously based on DAMNATION’s recent broken stipulations.

Soma Takao’s motivation is down. Nothing can match the high he got from wrestling CIMA then teaming with him to beat HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji. No prize money for winning the Grand Prix isn’t helping either. Yuki Ueno has become more conscious of wins and losses since becoming the new DDT UNIVERSAL Champion. He believes Endo thinks the same. Shunma Katsumata’s confidence has grown ever since he got compliments from Akiyama. He hopes he will get Akiyama to join the DDT Sauna Club.

Kazusada Higuchi said he will beat Akiyama because he will not give up the top spot to somebody who is on the verge of finishing his wrestling career in Japan. Oishi revealed he volunteered to enter the Grand Prix. He has never done a round robin tournament before so he wants to show everyone what he’s got. Akiyama wants to win every match, reach the final and win the whole thing. If he can’t beat Endo then he won’t be able to win the tournament.

Over in the A Block, Konosuke Takeshita has been questioning himself ever since his loss at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. Is his chosen path the wrong one? He cannot take a new step until he goes back to Akiyama. Daisuke Sasaki said he has a secret weapon to win. It’s roll ups. HARASHIMA has had a tough go throughout 2020. He lost the KO-D Openweight Title in January and couldn’t wrestle as much as he wanted because of the epidemic. He is also coming off a loss at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” so he is motivated to win the Grand Prix.

Chris Brookes admitted he does not want to wrestle Akiyama in the final. He’s sure Akiyama will beat him up. He does want to face Ueno again so he’d love to see him win the other block. MAO thinks he was entered into last year’s tournament on a fluke. This year he thinks he is worthy to be a part of it. He is looking forward to his first singles match against Brookes. Akito was to make an ordinary tournament look extraordinary. Yukio Sakaguchi sent a message that just said “Kill everyone!”


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS” Results

November 7, 2020

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS”, 07/11/2020
Tokyo Dome City Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

1. Suzume & Sena Shiori defeated Moka Miyamoto & Mei Suruga when Suzume pinned Miyamoto with the Ring A Bell (12:09).
2. Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Marika Kobashi & Haruna Neko when Kiryu pinned Neko with the Spinebuster (9:01).
3. International Princess Title Tournament – Semi Final: Hikari Noa defeated Mirai Maiumi with the Blizzard Suplex (9:44).
4. International Princess Title Tournament – Semi Final: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Fame Asser (9:22).
5. Yuna Manase defeated Raku with a Short Range Lariat (9:17).
6. WP Switch Random Rules Match: Saki Akai defeated Hyper Misao by Knockout with the Quetzalcoatl (13:49).
7. Miyu Yamashita & Aja Kong defeated Maki Itoh & Sareee when Yamashita pinned Itoh with the Crash Rabbit Heat (17:01).
8. International Princess Title Tournament – Final: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Hikari Noa with the Diving Fame Asser (7:56).
*Yuki Kamifuku becomes the 5th International Princess Champion!
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino defeated Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) when Aino pinned Watanabe with the UBV (17:01).
*Daydream fails in V5. The Bakuretsu Sisters become the 6th Princess Tag Team Champions!
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) defeated Mizuki with the Magical Girl Niwatori Yaro (25:37).
*V4 for Yuka Sakazaki.

In the fated battle between The Magical Sugar Rabbits, it was Yuka Sakazaki who came out on top! Mizuki’s new Whirling Candy move wasn’t enough to win her the Princess Of Princess Title. Instead it was Sakazaki’s ultra move, the Magical Girl Niwatori Yaro that ensured she held onto the championship. With tears in their eyes, both wrestlers hugged each other after the match before the belt was handed over to Sakazaki. It is a clear sign that they are still close and their team will continue. A rare sight in pro wrestling.

Sakazaki said there was so much love coming from the fans who came to support Tokyo Joshi Pro today. She will give it her all because she loves it and is determined not to lose. She was so focused on her match today that she couldn’t watch the other matches. But when the other wrestlers would come backstage from the ring, she could see their faces sparkling with happiness. The entire roster was brought into the ring to celebrate. Sakazaki said the TJPW roster is changing but she hopes everyone who gathers here will have fun. She looks forward to working with them for many years to come! Mizuki was still crying and told Sakazaki she wanted to go eat hamburger steak. Everyone cheered “Happy Happy” and soap bubbles fell down around them. They then lined up on the stage and thanked everyone for coming today.

Daydream’s year long reign as the Princess Tag Team Champions has come to an end. The Bakuretsu Sisters finally lay claim to the belts on their fourth attempt together. Yuki Aino saved Nodoka Tenma from the Daydream Eternity. From there Tenma gave Rika Tatsumi the Killswitch to get rid of her. Miu Watanabe had the power to keep fighting until Aino put her away with the UBV. Tatsumi said backstage she feels empty without having the white belts anymore. But she also advised Watanabe to stay calm and take time to think about the defeat because Daydream is not finished yet. For the Sisters, they finally climbed the mountain and couldn’t do it without each other. The Bakuretsu Era begins and they want to defend the titles as many times they want!

The vacant International Princess Title now has a champion again. It’s Yuki Kamifuku and it is well deserved too! In the final of the tournament, she faced off against Hikari Noa. Already tired from wrestling earlier, Kamifuku and Noa left nothing to chance. A Double Chop followed by a Dropkick gave Kamifuku an opening to climb the top rope. She hit the Diving Fame Asser to win her first championship! There isn’t a wrestler out there who she is modelling herself after. She wants fans to think she’s cool by being herself. Her goal is to make the championship a symbol for cool, happy, fun girls. She speaks English so she can spread the word around the world that Tokyo Joshi wrestlers are such pretty Japanese people.

Aja Kong and Sareee were both welcomed back for another visit to TJPW. Kong had Maki Itoh waiting for her while Saree was eager to get into exchanges with Miyu Yamashita. The finish involved the two TJPW regulars. Sareee cut Yamashita off giving Itoh chances to use Headbutts. That lead went away after a High Kick and the Attitude Adjustment. Yamashita then ended the match with the Crash Rabbit Heat. Kong said she was happy to return here and is grateful the TJPW fanbase likes her. She told Sareee to “remove her limiter” when she got in the ring with Yamashita because she wanted to see Yamashita do the same. Kong is amazed by her kicking accuracy. She would like to come back next year. Itoh was annoyed that Sareee couldn’t crush Kong and come save her from getting beat. They still get along though because they’re almost the same age and probably would have been in the same grade together if they went to the same school. Sareee would like to wrestle Yamashita again but she also wants to fight Itoh.

A button was brought down to the ring for the Hyper Misao Vs Saki Akai match. Whenever somebody pressed the button, the rules for the match would change into a random stipulation. Before the match began she told the story of when she discovered pro wrestling by going to a DDT Street Wrestling show in 2014. She saw Akai taking part and was inspired by watching her fighting against men, completely turning standard values upside down. So today Misao came up with this match to flip Akai’s values upside down too. Daisuke Kiso pressed the button to start the match. The first rule was the match could not be won with kicking moves. Akai had already kicked Misao in the face when the rule came up so she wasn’t allowed to pin her afterwards. Akai pressed the button and the next rule was pins would not be counted unless the wrestlers spun in circles over a standing baseball bat five times. This left both of them dizzy after several series of spins and pin attempts. The next rule was Falls Count Anywhere as long as they ate from a bag of chocolate. Misao distracted the referee and emptied her chocolate into Akai’s bag. But Akai pressed the button and got a rule that allowed helpers to come down and get involved. Yukio Sakaguchi entered the ring to help Akai! Misao waited for her helper and got Sanshiro Takagi! It went wrong for both sides because Takagi accidentally Clotheslined Misao and Sakaguchi accidentally hit Akai with a Knee Kick. The men focused on fighting each other while the women pressed the button for the last rule. Last Woman Standing! Misao reversed the Quetzalcoatl into the Vanitas but missed the I Am A Hero. The Hyper Gotham Crash was also stopped and Misao was weakened with the Rookie Award. Seeing her chance to win, Akai hit the Quetzalcoatl and Misao couldn’t answer the 10 count, ending the match with a knockout.

When Yuna Manase asked Raku for a Handshake at the start of their match, Raku pretended to fall asleep. Manase complained to Yukinori Matsui but he fell asleep too. She stomped on him to wake him up. Raku took the match seriously by kicking out of the Suzuki Dynamic but she was immediately pinned with a Short Range Lariat afterward. Backstage Manase said the appeal of TJPW is that the matches are bright and fun. She hopes Raku get strong enough to chase after a title soon. Raku described Manase like an older sister who used to live with her but then moved out to go live in Tokyo.

Kamifuku’s path to win the International Princess Title begun today with a major upset over Shoko Nakajima. While Nakajima still wants to challenge for the IP Title, she realises after losing to her kohai that she still has to grow in strength.

Noa had a challenging victory over Mirai Maiumi in her semi-final. Maiumi had plenty of submissions to counter Noa’s Suplexes so Noa had to switch to using the Super Kick. That move weakened Maiumi enough for Noa to pin her with a bridging Blizzard Suplex. Maiumi regrets losing but said this is only the beginning of a new landscape that she will create.

Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Marika Kobashi & Haruna Neko but the result was so close to being the opposite. Neko had Kiryu beat with the Codebreaker but Harajuku broke the count. Kobashi got rid of her and Neko went for another Codebreaker. This time Kiryu caught her and hit a Spinebuster to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The opening match was Mei Suruga’s TJPW debut. She teamed with the rookie Moka Miyamoto in a losing effort to Suzume & Sena Shiori. For the winners it was a big confidence boost to win inside a big venue. Suruga hopes she picked up some new fans and they will come watch ChocoPro or Gatoh Move.

A new trainee named Arisu Endo introduced herself. She comes from Cheer♥1, the same idol group that produced Reika Saiki. She promised to do her best to debut as soon as possible.

Freelancer Nao Kakuta will regularly appear in Tokyo Joshi beginning 14th November. She told the fans she would like to become someone who can liven up the TJPW ring. She wanted to come here because everyone is cute and have their own clear characters. She sees how much everyone in TJPW loves pro wrestling and it makes her want to get involved.

Four dates at Korakuen Hall in 2021 were announced. The shows will take place on 4th January, 11th February, 17th April and 4th May. “WRESTLE PRINCESS II” will also be held at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th October, 2021.

Sakisama returns for a one-off appearance on 14th November. Hyper Misao will face Super Sasadango Machine on 20th November.

Kendo Kashin was spotted inside the venue during the show. He threatened to crash the show during the week looking for Takagi. Presumably he wants to challenge him for the DDT Extreme Title.