DDT Around The World – July 2023

August 1, 2023

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.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/07/2023
SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

BCC & The Elite reveal their final members for Blood & Guts!


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 14/07/2023
SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Mentallo


AAA “TRIPLEMANIA XXXI: TIJUANA”, 15/07/2023
Estadio Chevron, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Konosuke Takeshita attacks Kenny Omega


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.


IWS “SCARRED 4 LIFE”, 15/07/2023
L’Olympia, Montreal, Québec, Canada

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.


SMASH “CAN-US CLASSIC 2023”, 22/07/2023
Western Fair District, London, Ontario, Canada

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.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – June 2023

July 1, 2023

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.

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

Miyu Yamashita Kick Rampage Tour 2023 Playlist

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Videos


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

1. Willow Nightingale & Maki Itoh defeated Emi Sakura & Megan Bayne (?:??).

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

0. Dark Match: Riho, Maki Itoh & Abadon defeated Nyla Rose, Marina Shafir & Emi Sakura (?:??).

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.


IWS “SCARRED 4 LIFE”, 15/07/2023
L’Olympia, Montreal, Québec, Canada

1. Vanessa Kraven Vs Maki Itoh

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.


SMASH “CAN-US CLASSIC 2023”, 22/07/2023
Western Fair District, London, Ontario, Canada

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

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.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – WrestleMania Week 2023

April 1, 2023

So WrestleMania Week is not over yet by a long shot. The actual shows behind the namesake haven’t even taken place by the time I am posting this. But all of the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro related wrestling shows are now finished by this point. The wrestlers will be spending the rest of the weekend as convention guests and as tourists enjoying the sights and sounds of Los Angeles.

The vacation hasn’t been entirely relaxing though. The hotel all of the DDT wrestlers were staying at had to be evacuated in the early hours of Friday morning because of a burst pipe flooding the building. It caused all of the DDT wrestlers to lose a lot of sleep before the GCW show. Funny thing is when Sanshiro Takagi explained what happened on Twitter a lot of Japanese fans didn’t believe him. It was already 1st April in Japan because of the time difference so some fans thought Takagi was pulling an April Fool’s Joke!

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Videos


Video starts at 53:28 for the match
AEW “DARK”, 28/03/2023
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Karter


IMPACT “IMPACT WRESTLING”, 30/03/2023
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Killer Kelly


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 31/03/2023
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Sammy Guevara (w/ Tay Melo) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Video starts at 21:10 for the match
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023: ZERO HOUR”, 31/03/2023
Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

0. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Willie Mack

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Results


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 29/03/2023 (Aired 30/03/2023)
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Skull Kick (4:45).

First Impact, now ROH. Is Yamashita keeps going at this rate she might show up at an MLW taping if she’s not careful. She kicked Shazza McKenzie’s head off to win her ROH debut.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe defeated Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit (?:??).

What on earth happened here? The night started off well for Maki Itoh with her getting backup dancers for her entrance. But her tag partner Kidd Bandit ended up betraying her, costing them the match against Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe. Bandit’s only explanation to Itoh after the match was “There can be only one” and then they walked out on her. Itoh’s response to that was yelling “I hate everyone!”


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/03/2023 (Aired 31/03/2023)
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Sammy Guevara (w/ Tay Melo) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the GTH (9:43).

Konosuke Takeshita’s week began with a match against one of AEW’s chosen pillars at Rampage. Victory was in his grasp until Tay Melo grabbed his leg in the corner for a distraction. That allowed Sammy Guevara to strike Takeshita from behind with a Jumping Knee and then hit the GTH to steal the win.

Yoshihiko took a detour to St. Louis on the way to LA so it could attend the AEW show. It was granted a visitor’s pass and got to enjoy catering while watching the matches. It also hung out with some of the staff like Bryce Remsburg. Since Yoshihiko brought along the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title it made sense to stay near a ref the whole time.


WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Aino defeated Rika Tatsumi, Nao Kakuta, Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa & Raku when Mizuki pinned Raku with the Diving Foot Stomp (14:21).

While Yamashita and Itoh were busy around the indies, the rest of the TJPW roster went to visit WrestleCon. 10 of them got together to put on a 10-Woman Tag match for the fans. Mizuki led a team consisting of Kyoraku Kyomei, Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Aino to beat Rika Tatsumi, Nao Kakuta & The Up Up Girls.


DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko (c) when MAO pinned Yoshihiko after the Oretachi no Mad Max (17:29).
*MAO becomes the 1,567th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes defeated MAO (c) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (8:24 pm).
*Chris Brookes becomes the 1,568th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Chris Brookes (c) with 3 Canadian Destroyers in a row (8:25 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,569th champion.
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa ended in a No Contest (11:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne when Higuchi pinned Everett with the Brain Claw Slam (11:33).
4. Saki Akai defeated Vert Vixen with the Quetzalcoatl (6:09)
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Joey Janela with the Burning Star Press (15:28).
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Akiyama pinned KANON with the Exploder Suplex (10:35).
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuki Ueno with the Zahi (15:16).

A report of the show can be found here.


IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Deonna Purrazzo defeated Masha Slamovich, Gisele Shaw and Miyu Yamashita when Purrazzo pinned Shaw with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (9:20).

Yamashita got off to a good start in Impact last week when she beat Killer Kelly in her debut. Her next challenge saw her get caught in the race for the future of the Knockouts World Title. If she had won the 4 Way match she would have qualified for a title match at Impact’s next PPV in April. Instead she was left out of the result because Deonna Purrazzo pinned Gisele Shaw to win that opportunity.


WPW “RUSSELL CROWE WRESTLING: RUSSEL MANIA III”, 30/03/2023
Burbank Moose Lodge, Burbank, California, USA

1. Mizuki Watase defeated Gregory Sharpe and Eli Everfly (?:??).

I can’t find much info about this match other than Mizuki Watase won using a new move. This is all according to Watase himself. He also had the Spirit Of Ganbare Title with him. Doesn’t sound like it was defended though.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
665 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Suzume & Arisu Endo when Noa pinned Endo after the 5G (11:38).
2. Janai Kai defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Tornado Kick (4:57).
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora defeated Yuki Aino & Raku when Misao pinned Raku with the I Am A Hero (9:03).
4. Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe when Max pinned Nakajima after the Master Blaster (11:56).
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) defeated Billie Starkz with the Missile Hip (8:56).
*V1 for Rika Tatsumi.
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) when Mizuki pinned Itoh with the Diving Foot Stomp (15:51).
*121000000 fails in V1. The Magical Sugar Rabbits becomes the 13th Princess Tag Team Champions!

A report of the show can be found here.


DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
551 Fans

1. Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers, Dyln McKay & Jack Cartwheel defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada when Cartwheel pinned Masada with the Jack Arrow (10:42).
2. Dark Sheik defeated Saki Akai with a Wrist-Clutch Inside Cradle (7:20).
3. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Oliver pinned Bailey after the Combined Springboard Cutter (16:18).
4. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Starboy Charlie with the Brain Claw Slam (11:40).
5. Yuki Ueno defeated Joey Janela with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (10:21).
6. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Homicide & Tony Deppen when Endo pinned Deppen with the Burning Star Press (12:18).
7. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders defeated Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase when Warner pinned Katsumata with a DDT (15:19).
8. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno ended in a No Contest (13:37).
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Cole Radrick defeated Yoshihiko (c) with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse onto a Chair (14:49).
*Cole Radrick becomes the 1,570th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Cole Radrick with a Cradle (5:47 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,571st champion.

A report of the show can be found here.


ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023”, 31/03/2023
Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

0. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Willie Mack with the Zahi (9:36).
1. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the O-Face (11:38).
*V7 for Athena.

Before she headed over to the ROH PPV, Yuka Sakazaki regained the Princess Tag Team Titles at the TJPW show. Her hopes of ending the night as a double champion by also winning the ROH Women’s World Title did not come to fruition. Athena kicked out of the Magical Girl Splash and the Magical Merry-Go-Round. She then relied on her mean streak to push the referee into Sakazaki’s way when she climbed the ropes for another Splash. The distraction gave Athena time to climb up the turnbuckles beside Sakazaki and then catch her in the O-Face to retain her title. It was announced later in the night that Athena’s next defence will be against Miyu Yamashita on next week’s ROH show.

Takeshita showed up on Zero Hour for a bonus pre-show match against Willie Mack. Not to take anything away from it but news was broken by Fightful during the day that Takeshita had a different match planned for the PPV itself. His opponent? It was going to be Will Ospreay… Yep. We could have gotten Takeshita Vs Ospreay if it wasn’t for the latter’s injury… God damn it. Well at least now that is out in the open it could still happen down the road somewhere.


PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Road To Valhalla (7:34).

It’s rare to see a day where Yamashita loses twice in a row but there’s going to be times in this tour where we all have to remember she isn’t the big fish in a small pond over here. Taya Valkyrie is on a hot run too that might be approaching its peak with her AEW appearances so the result shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Effy & Allie Katch when Itoh pinned Effy with the I.S.D (16:07).

The one and only time Maki Death Kill were teaming up was as chaotic as it sounds. Itoh & Nick Gage each had a pizza cutter and used them against Bussy, leaving Effy & Allie Katch both bleeding. Steel chairs were also brought into the match and Gage threw one in Effy’s face. Itoh then pinned Effy with the Flying DDT while Gage also pinned Katch with a One-Winged Angel. Their celebration was short lived when Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander ambushed them with chairs after the match. They did that because they had no match booked on the show. The segment then morphed into De Lander getting an impromptu GCW World Title match against Masha Slamovich.

Yoshihiko made an unexpected appearance during the show accompanied by a masked handler and even cut a promo. Or at least it nodded when asked if it wants to stick around in GCW. Suddenly Charles Mason and his bodyguard Parrow attacked Yoshihiko because Mason is sick of this kind of nonsense going on. Mason even pulled out a knife and threatened to slash Yoshihiko’s throat open! The handler came to Yoshihiko’s rescue but was overwhelmed and unmasked to reveal he was Jimmy Lloyd. Mason held LLoyd down so Parrow could finish the job until Yoshihiko fought back and slammed Parrow with a German Suplex! Mason had to flee the ring out of fear.


GCW “EMO FIGHT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & Mike Bailey defeated Miedo Extremo & Ciclope and Dyln McKay & Marcus Mathers when MAO & Bailey pinned McKay with the Michinoku Tornado Driver (13:47).

Moonlight Express must have been feeling depressed over losing the match after all because they showed up for the main event of GCW’s emo themed show. They fought Los Macizos (where the hell were they earlier?) and Wasted Youth in the early hours of the morning. There was also a bit of a sing song during the match. It might have been done to see if Los Macizos really were emo.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – March 2023

March 26, 2023

Welcome to the calm before the storm. I put together this month’s article earlier than usual because there are going to be separate posts covering all of the WrestleMania shows DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are involved with next week. It’s going to be nuts, maybe not on the level of the New York shows from four years ago but still plenty to look forward to. So much will have to be talked about once the dust settles. I will be writing up preview guides for both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES” so look forward to them whenever they are finished.

While Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki are getting the higher profile appearances lately thanks to AEW/ROH, the amount of bookings Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh are getting in America means the focus will be more on them for the next couple of months. Yamashita in particular is going to have a crazy looking 2023 Career tab on her Cagematch profile by the time she’s done. Plus we get to add some new names to this series. Mizuki Watase is heading over to America too and Daisuke Sasaki found an excuse to go wrestling in Mexico.

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Videos


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox


AEW “DARK”, 07/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Jack Cartwheel


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 10/03/2023
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant)


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023
Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn

Video starts at 2:36:23 for the match
SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi

NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada


1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita


2. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power

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Results


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Ortiz, Komander, Action Andretti, Sammy Guevara, Eddie Kingston and AR Fox when Hobbs grabbed the Brass Ring (13:46).

So close and yet so far. Takeshita almost won the Ladder match after giving Komander a crazy looking Blue Thunder Bomb from a bridged ladder onto the ring canvas. He also fought off interference from Daniel Garcia who was there to help out Sammy Guevara. But as he climbed up the ladder and reached out to grab the literal brass ring, here came Powerhouse Hobbs charging into the ladder to knock Takeshita out of the ring. Hobbs then went on to grab the giant ring and win.

A few days later on Rampage, Takeshita spoke about his recent lack of success in AEW and considered it was time for him to go back to Japan. Don Callis stepped in and continued his push to become Takeshita’s manager. The argument he made is if Takeshita left all of the behind the scenes logistics to him, then Takeshita could put his entire focus just on wrestling in the ring and finally get the results his talent deserves. Ever since then Callis has continued trying to convince Takeshita to take on his services.


AEW “DARK”, 03/03/2023 (Aired 07/03/2023)
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Jack Cartwheel with the Zahi (3:56).

An impressive performance from Jack Cartwheel made this match one to watch if you’re unfamiliar with him.


GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. GCW Extreme Title: Joey Janela (c) defeated VENY with an Avalanche Brainbuster (16:33).
*V2 for Joey Janela.
2. Maki Itoh defeated LuFisto with the I.S.D (10:44).

Itoh’s further run into GCW continued with her beating LuFisto, an inductee of The Indie Wrestling Hall Of Fame that the promotion is associated with. LuFisto wanted to give Itoh a Superplex but a bite to the face stopped her. Itoh gave her a Top Rope DDT and then got back up the ropes to do the I.S.D for the win. Itoh got to celebrate with Nick Gage after the match.

Joey Janela and VENY ended up going buck wild fighting around ringside for a lot of their match. Janela threw VENY into rows of seats, sending a lot of the GCW fans fleeing. VENY fought back with a Moonsault to the floor. Janela VENY in midair when she tried another Moonsault inside the ring and he countered it into a Tombstone. VENY went back to the Moonsault again and landed one onto Janela while he was laying on top of a door. That wasnt enough for Janela or the door so he smashed it to pieces and the two attacked each other with the remains. More big bomb moves were dropped and it took an Avalance Brainbuster for Janela to finally get the three count.


ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Trish Adora & Jordan Blade (?:??).
*V3 for The Wasteland War Party.

The Wasteland War Party scored their third and what turned out to be their last successful defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles by beating Trish Adora & Jordan Blade at an Enjoy Wrestling show.


GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY defeated Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai when Yamashita pinned Kai with the Splash Mountain (18:56).

Itoh & VENY got to have some fun with Rina Yamashita by faking out their opponents on a triple dive. Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai all flinched and were left bracing for impact outside while Itoh and her team danced inside the ring. Yamashita went on to pin Kai with the Splash Mountain.


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Lizzy Evo with the Skull Kick (14:42).
*V3 for Miyu Yamashita.

A fully determined Lizzy Evo was ready to become the new EVE Champion on this night. But her hot streak came to an end thanks to the Skull Kick.


AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/03/2023 (Aired 10/03/2023)
Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Preston Vance (w/ José The Assistant) with La Espalda (7:52).

Takeshita took out a trick from the Osaka Pro book to beat Preston Vance. La Espalda is the tricky looking Twisting Backslide Pin that Billy Ken Kid likes to use a lot.


EVE “RIOT! AT THE YARD THEATRE”, 09/03/2023
The Yard Theatre, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (14:46).

Apparently this will be the last time Yamashita and Miyuki Takase will face each other one on one. If that’s true then Yamashita ends the series with a 2-0 winning record.


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023
Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Zahi (12:18).

A Rolling Elbow was used by JT Dunn to counter the Jumping Knee and the match also built up to how the Tombstone Piledriver was used. Takeshita kicked out of the move the first and and reversed a second attempt into a Reverse Implant. Takeshita held onto Dunn after that and threw him over with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex. Dunn was left in a heap after that so Takeshita got to finish him off with the Zahi.


SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Monomoth (c) with the Takatonic (?:??).
*Monomoth fails in V?. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the ??th SETUP Thailand Openweight Champion!

Masahiro Takanashi adds another Asian championship to his collection after he took the SETUP Thailand Openweight Title from Monomoth. Takanashi didn’t do it clean either because Baliyan Akki was there to interfere on his behalf. Monomoth did what he could to fight against the 2-on-1 disadvantage, including diving onto both of them outside the ring. He had Takanashi beaten with a Northern Lights Suplex but Akki pulled the referee out of the ring to stop the pin count. Members of the SETUP roster had enough of the cheating and came to Monomoth’s aid. However Takanashi kicked out of a Tornado DDT and threw the ref towards Monomoth while the champion was standing on the top rope. Monomoth jumped over the ref but landed into a Thrust Kick, causing him to get pinned with the Takatonic.


AEW “DARK”, 24/03/2023 (Aired ??/??/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Michael Nakazawa defeated Baliyan Akki (?:??).

I don’t usually include Michael Nakazawa’s matches in AEW for these articles because he is a full time employee for them. But I bet somebody reading this will get a kick out of hearing he fought and beat Akki on Dark.


NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. NEW Women’s Title: Nicole Matthews (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita by Referee Stoppage with a Dragon Sleeper (?:??).
*V5 for Nicole Matthews.
2. Maki Itoh defeated Cat Power with the I.S.D (?:??).

Mixed fortunes for 121000000 on the first night of their North American trip. Itoh was able to beat Cat Power but Yamashita got choked out by Nicole Matthews with a Dragon Sleeper. It’s a reminder that this three month expedition is not going to be a cake walk for Yamashita.


IMPACT “SACRIFICE FALLOUT”, 25/03/2023 (Aired 30/03/2023)
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Killer Kelly with the Skull Kick (10:14).

I didn’t expect Yamashita to show up in Impact. There’s more to talk about it below but her first match with the promotion was a win against Killer Kelly. I think it was taped for TV too.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances – WrestleMania Week


PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Steph De Lander & Heather Monroe

Taya Valkyrie had to pull out of the show due to a change in schedule. That this show is taking place on a Wednesday and Valkyrie recently signed a deal with AEW, it’s easy to figure out what her priority is. Replacing her is Steph De Lander who has really stepped up and increased her presence around the indies recently.


WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X

The lineup for the TJPW 10-Woman Tag is being kept secret until the show, Mystery Vortex style. Are all ten going to be from the regular TJPW roster or will a few guests be included?


DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

Some of the guests being booked for the show now make more sense given recent announcements. Both Nick Wayne and Vert Vixen are heading to Japan for DDT and TJPW respectively in the next couple of months.


IMPACT/NJPW “MULTIVERSE UNITED”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Masha Slamovich Vs Deonna Purrazzo Vs Gisele Shaw Vs Miyu Yamashita

So not only is Yamashita wrestling for Impact but she is also technically getting a New Japan appearance out of it too, which is completely bizarre seeing a TJPW wrestler under that banner instead of somebody from Stardom. Originally this 4 Way Match was supposed to include Mickie James and her Knockouts Title was going to be on the line. But just a few days ago Impact announced that James is unable to wrestle because of a rib injury. So now the 4 Way Match has Masha Slamovich added to it and whoever wins will get to face Jordynne Grace in Toronto next month with the Knockouts Title on the line. If James is cleared to wrestle she will also be in that match as the defending champion, otherwise she will have to vacate it before the match begins.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki

Two of the matches are now title matches thanks to the results that happened at “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” earlier this month. The main event has the Princess Tag Titles on the line when the new champions 121000000 face The Magical Sugar Rabbits. There is also now an International Princess Title match between Rika Tatsumi (embracing a new “AmeRika” personality) and Billie Starkz.


DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno

Nine matches on the card now. The latest addition is an 8-Man Tag Match mixing together a lot of people. DDT is relying on DAMNATION T.A to play ball with Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada. GCW are going the lucha route by letting Gringo Loco put together a squad. He chose Alec Price and Los Macizos. Prince is an up and coming name on the indies while Ciclope & Miedo Extremo are former GCW Tag Team Champions.

No idea what the match order is going to be for the GCW Vs DDT show. This might be the last of DDT’s involvement in shows for the week. Unless Takeshita shows up in ROH or Pheromones crash “Effy’s Big Gay Brunch” on Saturday.


ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023”, 31/03/2023
Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki

After weeks and weeks of tension building up between Athena and Yuka Sakazaki, things finally blew up and Athena sent Sakazaki back to Japan with an injury. However when Athena found out Sakazaki was able to continue wrestling no problem, it only made her even madder. The grudge is going to get settled in LA with Sakazaki getting a shot at the ROH Women’s World Title.


PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Valkyrie will be in LA on the Friday evening for her Prestige match against Yamashita.


GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs X & X

Well Nick Gage is no longer the GCW World Champion so my idea of him against Itoh has gone up in smoke. However they are going ahead with the next best idea and that is Maki Death Kill teaming up for one night only!


WPW “RUSSELL CROWE WRESTLING: RUSSEL MANIA III”, 31/03/2023
Burbank Moose Lodge, Burbank, California, USA

1. Mizuki Watase Vs Gregory Sharpe Vs Eli Everfly

Well Mizuki Watase did say he was going on an American excursion so he had to be somewhere other than a DDT show. He’s ended up going somewhere even weirder. Wrestling Pro Wrestling is a comedy promotion and is home to Cerealman, a pro wrestler with a box of cereal for a head. Would it surprise you to find out a lot of Hoodslam guys also work here? Let’s see how Watase can handle himself when he’s in the ring with Gregory Sharpe and Eli Everfly.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances – Everywhere Else After WrestleMania


WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch

Looks like there’s going to be a week off for Yamashita to get over the WrestleMania hangover. After that it’s time to hit the road with her first stop being a match with Allie Katch at Wrestling REVOLVER.


LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh

One of the former Princess Tag Champions has a chance at revenge. Heidi Howitzer was already looking forward to kicking Itoh’s ass. Now there’s going to be some more hatred behind it after Itoh pinned Howitzer to cause the title change.


WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023
The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA

1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The last West Coast Pro show crowned their first Women’s Champion. Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moone to win the title and now gets Yamashita for her first defence.


HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Vipress

Itoh has fought Dark Sheik a bunch of times already so when she arrives in Hoodslam it will be Sheik’s current tag team partner Vipress waiting for her. Earlier this month Sheik & Vipress won the Intergalactic Tag Team Titles together.


DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen Vs Miyu Yamashita

Before Vixen travels to Japan for TJPW, she defends the DEFY Women’s Title against Yamashita. Heck of a warm up match to get ready for that tour.


CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023
Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA

1. CCW Title & CCW Title Match Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: Kilynn King (c) Vs Killer Kelly Vs Steph De Lander Vs Miyu Yamashita

What was first advertised as a 3 Way Match is now a 4 Corner Survival with Steph De Lander added to the mix. Which makes me wonder did certain people signing contracts recently lead to a situation where nobody in the 3 Way politically can take the fall and a fourth person had to be used as a solution? Kilynn King is now signed to Impact and Killer Kelly is under contract to them too. Maybe I’m overthinking it.


LUCHA MEMES “???”, 15/04/2023
Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico

1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin Vs Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki

Alright we’re getting to talk about Mexico again. About time. Daisuke Sasaki will be making his Lucha Memes debut in April. The promotion is fond of bringing in independent talent from America. As far as I could find I think Ultimo Dragon and Satoshi Kojima are the only other Japanese wrestlers to have previously worked there. Lucha Memes is also running Arena Solis in Puebla for the first time.


DPW “DPW LIVE 2”, 16/04/2023
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Is Yamashita still owed a title match in Deadlock Pro or did I misunderstand the stipulation of her previous match there? Also did you hear that news today about DPW going to Japan to do joint shows with Gatoh Move soon?


RIW “FIGHT UNTIL WE DIED”, 16/04/2023
Gimnasio Coliseo Arena, Toluca, Mexico

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X

The next day in Mexico, Sasaki is heading over to Revolution Indy Wrestling.


UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita

I was able to find more social media pages for Ultimate Wrestling Empire so it is indeed an actual show taking place.


PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata

Will Yamashita still be undefeated in Prestige by the time her match with Queen Aminata takes place?


REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Not sure if Takeshita’s match with Daga will still happen. Daga suffered a left knee injury at a show co-promoted by NWA and AAA at the start of the month. According to Konnan the injury is a fractured fibula and a torn miniscus that will take him out of action for two months. If that’s true then the timing could make this turn out to be Daga’s return match if his recovery goes better than anticipated.


EVE “LUCKY 13”, 05/05/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie

Yamashita’s international series with Millie McKenzie continues with McKenzie putting up a big challenge in the hopes of finally winning the EVE Title. Given the back and forth results the two wrestlers produce against each other, they will now face off in an Iron Woman match. Whoever scores the most falls within the 30 minute time limit will be the champion at the end.


MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023
2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra

Can’t find confirmation but it would make sense if this is a MAW Women’s Title match with Sierra putting the belt on the line.


AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023
Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Just have to wait and see what her match is going to be.


GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023
Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh’s next appearance for GCW after Mania week will be in Detroit.


GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh will be in Ohio too.


ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023
The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita was bound to get a match with Starkz somewhere during the tour. This also isn’t the last show on Yamashita’s schedule anymore.


ENJOY “???”, 17/06/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Ray Lyn Vs Miyu Yamashita

The final booking of Yamashita’s tour seems to be her match with Rey Lyn at Enjoy Wrestling. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can squeeze in at least one more match if she wanted to.

———————————————————————–

Corrections


NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023
NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

From what I could find online Takeshita was only on the show for a meet and greet, not to wrestle a match.

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Posted by JamieOD

“~ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023~” Results

March 1, 2023

“LEC PRESENTS JUNIOR DREAM FESTIVAL ~ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023~”, 01/03/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,381 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Special Gift Match: YOH, Soma Watanabe & Kazuma Sumi defeated Fuminori Abe, Akira Jumonji & Ryo Hoshino when YOH pinned Jumonji with the DIRECT DRIVE (10:35).
1. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato, AMAKUSA & Hiromu Takahashi defeated YAMATO, HAYATA & Kazuki Hashimoto when Hayato submitted Hashimoto with the K.I.D (8:52).
2. Isami Kodaka & MAO defeated Onryo & SHO when SHO was Disqualified for assaulting the referee (9:43).
3. Ganbare! Shinjiro Otani 10-Man Tag Match: Tatsuhito Takaiwa, TAKA Michinoku, Minoru Tanaka, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Jun Kasai defeated MUSASHI, LEONA, Kota Sekifuda, Shoki Kitamura & Chicharito Shoki when Takaiwa pinned Shoki with the Death Valley Bomb (10:28).
4. Hikaru Sato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yumehito Imanari defeated The Great Sasuke, Tigers Mask & Batten×Blabla when Sato submitted Blabla with a Cross Armbreaker (7:29).
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Volador Jr. & El Desperado defeated Yuki Ueno & El Lindaman and HANAOKA & DOUKI when Desperado pinned HANAOKA with the Pinche Loco (10:34).
6. Mistico, Gurukun Mask, Billy Ken Kid & Alejandro defeated Dragon Kid, BUSHI, Black Menso~re & Atlantis Jr. when Mistico submitted Menso~re with La Mistica (11:29).
7. Surprise Match: CIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Meteor (7:16).
8. 5 Way Match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Shun Skywalker, Ninja Mack, YO-HEY and Soberano Jr. when Ishimori pinned YO-HEY with the Bloody Cross (9:38).
9. Master Wato defeated Atsuki Aoyagi with the Recientemente II (14:24).

I’m only covering the matches relating to DDT, BASARA and Ganbare☆Pro but the entire event is worth watching. One of the highlights was the unexpected appearance of Kazuki Hirata for a surprise match with CIMA! Given CIMA’s history with people previously associated with the “Tokyo GO!” song, he was in no mood to dance along with Hirata. CIMA grabbed the Hirata GO! glasses to prevent the song from coming back and got boos from the crowd, causing him to sulk. Later in the match Hirata got his glasses back and convinced CIMA to put on his own pair so the two could finally dance together. They shook hands afterwards and CIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato. Backstage CIMA praised the show for bringing the entire Junior Heavyweight wrestling scene together. If there are still barriers keeping these companies apart, he thinks we should get rid of them. Hirata asked if he is invited for this kind of show again then please do not put him in the unadvertised surprise spot.

Yuki Ueno was thrown into a lucha flavored 3 Way Tag Match teaming with El Lindaman. He was in the ring from the start squaring off against both Volador Jr. and DOUKI. But as the match went on Ueno & Lindaman started bickering a little bit while trying to fight off both DOUKI & HANAOKA. Then El Desperado got a few of his opponents out of the ring for Volador to dive onto all of them. HANAOKA stopped Desperado from doing his own dive but ended up taking the Pinche Loco from him instead for the finish. Backstage Lindaman said he does not hate DDT or Ueno, he just got worked up because he wants to beat everybody. Ueno said he had fun both wrestling in this match and from watching all of the others. He believes the strongest pro wrestlers are those who enjoy wrestling and he hopes there will be a second “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL” in the future.

Yumehito Imanari showed off his more pervy side by wearing a “Virgin Killer” sweater along with Hikaru Sato & Ryusuke Taguchi in their match. Because their costumes were at risk of becoming too revealing, their opponents were careful with how they fought to avoid shocking the audience. Batten×Blabla convinced Imanari to continue the match without the costume while Taguchi and Tigers Mask did some actual wrestling in between. Sato went on to tap out Blabla with a Cross Armbreaker. Afterwards Sato called his team the pinnacle of Japan’s Jr. division! If there are three wrestlers better than Sato, Taguchi & Imanari then send them their way. Sato has had enough of every pro wrestler trying to look cool. They should instead bare it all for the fans!

MAO wants fucked up pro wrestling for a fucked up world. Isami Kodaka wishes “Peace & Fuck” on the world. But the two of them combined still wasn’t as unusual as the combination of SHO & Onryo. SHO ended up using Onryo as a weapon by slamming him on top of MAO. Onryo got his own back by throwing his ectoplasm powder in SHO’s face. Then in an even weirder turn of events, Ram Kaichow got on the top turnbuckle and hit a Diving Cross Body on SHO. The match lost control when SHO got out of the ring, pulled the referee out with him and then started attacking him for the DQ. Kodaka got on the microphone and told SHO if he wants to use weapons so bad they should do a death match against each other! SHO refused and left ringside in a huff. Backstage Kaichow complained about the show only inviting male wrestlers. If another “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL” happens she wants to wrestle on it!

A bonus pre-show match gave Kazuma Sumi a spot on the card and a chance to share the ring with YOH & Soma Watanabe. Sumi’s main confrontation was with Akira Jumonji but he had interactions with Fuminori Abe & Ryo Hoshino too. He ended up on the winning side thanks to YOH pinned Jumonji with the DIRECT DRIVE. Sumi thanked the organisers for inviting him and said Jr. Heavyweight wrestling is the best!

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Posted by JamieOD

All Star Jr Festival 2023 Announced

January 23, 2023

“LEC PRESENTS JUNIOR DREAM FESTIVAL ~ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023~”, 01/03/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

This is a show that has been years in the making yet I never thought was going to happen. Wrestlers like Hiromu Takahashi and El Desperado have said over and over on interviews their desire for there to be an all star show that gathers together the best junior heavyweights from across the Japanese wrestling scene. Meanwhile other junior heavyweights from different promotions keep interacting with each other on social media teasing matches at times when there were no chances of those matches ever happening. Well now it’s finally happening thanks to sponsorship from LEC, a company that seems to have sponsored every notable Japanese wrestling promotion you can think of at some point in the last decade.

The only details announced so far is it will be taking place in Korakuen Hall and will be broadcast as a PPV on NJPW World. 22 different wrestling companies are attached to the show with wrestlers and matches to be announced as soon as they are decided on.

The participating promotions are:

– Dark Pro Wrestling 666
– Osaka Pro Wrestling
– Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling
– Kyushu Pro Wrestling
– New Japan Pro Wrestling
– All Japan Pro Wrestling
– Big Japan Wrestling
– Pancrase MISSION
– Pro Wrestling SECRET BASE
– Pro Wrestling ZERO1
– Pro Wrestling NOAH
– Pro Wrestling BASARA
– Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS
– Michinoku Pro Wrestling
– Ryukyu Dragon Wrestling
– CMLL
– DDT Pro Wrestling
– DRADITION
– DragonGate
– GLEAT
– JUST TAP OUT
– 2AW

We have a lot of choices among DDT, Ganbare☆Pro and BASARA to throw onto the show. Shunma Katsumata, MAO, Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Keisuke Ishii, Shuichiro Katsumura, Shota, Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura, Takato Nakano, the list goes on and on. Not Tetsuya Endo though. He’s been bulking up recently and now weighs over 100kg.

It’s been pointed out online that the show will take place the day after New Japan and CMLL finish up their “FANTASTICA MANIA” tour which explains why CMLL is part of an otherwise Japan only line-up. Also AEW was never going to be a part of this. Even if they could have been, the show is on a Wednesday anyway.

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Posted by JamieOD

Wrestlers Meet With House Of Representatives

April 15, 2020

Wrestlers representing several pro wrestling companies visited Japan’s House Of Representatives today to meet with Hiroshi Hase. He is a former pro wrestler and more importantly the current Minister For Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The wrestlers requested medical kits to test for Coronavirus as well as compensation towards contracted pro wrestlers for cancelling all of their shows over the epidemic. According to Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani, pro wrestlers are currently unable to receive the compensation benefits that were created in response to the current crisis. Pro wrestling contracts are handled differently compared to other careers so adapting it to the current laws is difficult. Up to now it was left to the companies employing these wrestlers to handle compensation pay and they cannot continue if there are no shows taking place to bring in the money.

Among the wrestlers making the visit were Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan), Suwama (All Japan), HARASHIMA (DDT), Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH), Mayu Iwatani (Stardom), Yuka Sakazaki (Tokyo Joshi) and Kyoko Inoue (Diana). Also included were management from the same companies including Kidani, Naoki Sugabayashi (New Japan), Takenori Fukuda (All Japan), Masashi Ishiguro (NOAH), Akira Takahashi (DDT), Katsuhiko Harada (Bushiroad), Tetsuya Koda (Tokyo Joshi) and Taishi Fuwa (Diana).

HARASHIMA said that having testing kits on site can give everyone enough peace of mind to begin holding pro wrestling shows again. Sakazaki explained that in the early days of Corona, DDT and Tokyo Joshi were able to hold empty arena shows in their dojo. But the building the dojo is located in also has a nursery school in one of the upper floors above it. That along with using trains as the form of transportation to get there makes the idea of using the dojo for matches more dangerous.

Hase thanked the wrestlers for giving him their views on the matter and agreed on the measures along with further consultation. He told the wrestlers to continue working hard when the time comes for pro wrestling shows to be held again.

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Posted by JamieOD

Ibushi Announces Return, Creates Ibushi Wrestling Institute

February 22, 2016

ibushi-returns-institute

A press conference was held inside DDT’s new Shinjuku office this morning and it was all about Kota Ibushi. He’s been away from the public eye ever since October when a suspected herniated cervical disc put him out of action. Barring a tweet here and there, things were quiet from his end until today. He was at the conference along with DDT President Sanshiro Takagi & GM Amon Tsurumi to make a few announcements. First Ibushi’s dual contract with DDT and New Japan Pro Wrestling has been cancelled. Ibushi’s injury turned out to be lumbar spondylolisthesis and he is on track to making a full recovery. He was given the OK by his doctor to return to pro wrestling but personally feels he has hit his physical limit. The schedule he had for the last two years working for two companies at the same time has taken its toll. He now thinks it is time for him to pursue a new kind of pro wrestling separate from either company. So he is now graduating from DDT and New Japan to launch the Ibushi Wrestling Institute. What that is exactly Ibushi hasn’t said but he will give us more details eventually. He is the only member of the Institute and he himself does not know if he will invite anyone else to join.

It looks like Ibushi will still wrestle for DDT and New Japan eventually but as a representative of Ibushi Wrestling Institute. NJPW President Naoki Sugibayashi released a statement saying he looks forward to working with Ibushi again in the future. Ibushi’s return match will take place at “JUDGEMENT 2016 ~DDT 19th ANNIVERSARY~” in Sumo Hall on 21st March. He and Gota Ihashi will be added to the Falls Count Anywhere Weapon Treasure Hunt Match turning it into a 3 Way Tag against Sanshiro Takagi & Jun Kasai and KENSO & Michael Nakazawa. It will be the first time Ibushi will be in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at Sumo Hall. That and getting to wrestle both Takagi and Nakazawa again are why Ibushi was put into the match.

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Tomorrow HARASHIMA & Tanahashi Will Meet Again!

November 16, 2015

DDT “#OHKAEMPIRE BOX OFFICE ~MUSCLE MATES 2015~”, 17/11/2015
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka Vs Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yohei Komatsu

This is the only match advertised for tomorrow’s #OhkaEmpire show in Korakuen Hall, which is sold out. The DDT website says there will be other matches on the card but we will not find out what they are until they happen. Given that the show is being run by Ken Ohka, Danshoku Dino and Super Sasadango Machine the card format might end up being similar to the old Muscle sub-brand. In fact, old Muscle shirts will be sold at the merchandise stand. So there may be a lot more than just wrestling matches to look forward to.

This is HARASHIMA’s chance at redemption against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Their match at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2015” back in August created friction between the two when Tanahashi afterwards criticised HARASHIMA for not stepping up to his level and also expecting to be treated as his equal. Ken Ohka stepped in to help HARASHIMA defend his and also DDT’s honour by doing everything he could to set up this match.

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Ibushi’s Health Problems Revealed

November 2, 2015

sugabayashi-takagi

After a week long absence from the ring attributed to illness, a press conference was held to discuss the current and future status of Kota Ibushi. Both Sanshiro Takagi and Naoki Sugabayashi were in attendance since the news effected both DDT and New Japan. It was explained that at midnight on 24th October Ibushi picked up a high fever that forced him to be taken off of DDT’s Korakuen Hall show the next day. The illness also cancelled an autograph signing for his new book. During the summer Ibushi had been feeling numbness in the left side of his body. He was sent to a doctor for a check-up and diagnosed with a herniated cervical disc. The decision was made that Ibushi will not be wrestling for either company until he has healed from his injury. According to Takagi, Ibushi has decided not to go under surgery as part of his treatment. There is no time given for how long his recovery will take but Takagi reckons he will be gone until the start of 2016 at the earliest.

In DDT, Ibushi is one half of the KO-D Tag Team Champions with Daisuke Sasaki. Takagi announced that the titles will be vacated and he does not want to interfere with Ibushi’s daily life while he recovers. He wants Ibushi to completely recover and will wait for his return if he has to. Takagi also apologised to Ibushi’s fans for the inconvenience. Sugabayashi said Ibushi’s contract with New Japan which is about to run out will be renewed and he will wait for his return to the company.

On the DDT side of things this injury comes at a bad time. With Ibushi and KUDO both out of action for the time being that is two big absences in the main event scene. HARASHIMA is still there to carry the load as he always does, it’s too early to tell if Yukio Sakaguchi is a draw as the KO-D Openweight Champion, I have no idea how much mileage is in another Danshoku Dino push and Isami Kodaka will be busy with BASARA and his outside bookings. While DDT has done a great job in the last 12 months introducing and debuting new wrestlers, the younger generation hasn’t been fully embraced by the fans judging by the Dramatic General Election results. With a big Sumo Hall show booked for March next year they need something big and if Ibushi hasn’t recovered by then it will put a big dent in that plan. They better pray to whatever deity that can protect HARASHIMA from getting injured.

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