Today DDT announced the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles have been vacated by DAMNATION T.A. The status of the championship was up in the air since Sunday after KANON was kicked out of the unit. He was one third of the champions along with Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul but the situation between them was “deemed difficult” according to DDT for future title defences to be scheduled. A match to determine the 57th champions will be announced as soon as it is decided on. I swear DAMNATION T.A have the weirdest luck with tag team championships. They either lose them immediately or hold onto them long enough for something within them to fall apart.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE NIGHT BEFORE GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 01/03/2025 Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
1. Pom Harajuku Vs Uta Takami
2. Miu Watanabe Vs Ivy Steele
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Kira Summer & Chika Nanase
4. Suzume, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Moka Miyamoto, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Mifu Ashida
5. Mizuki & Arisu Endo Vs Haru Kazashiro & Toga
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami
7. Hyper Misao 10th Anniversary Match: Hyper Misao, Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Raku, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
While Hyper Misao is celebrating her 10th Anniversary, Shoko Nakajima gets one more prelim match against 121000000 before their Princess Tag Team Titles match takes place. She’ll be teaming with Kaya Toribami but I don’t know how much of a difference the bird is going to make to be honest.
DDT “YACCHAINA FIGHT 2025”, 08/03/2025 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. MAO, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yuya Koroku Vs Shinya Aoki, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Minoru Suzuki & Akito
There will be only one prelim match between Yuki Ueno and Minoru Suzuki before the DDT Universal Title bout. Yokohama will host it just under two weeks before the 28th Anniversary show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GARAFES ~KAGAYAKI JAPAN MIDDAY YOUTH SERENADE~”, 09/03/2024 Tokyo Toyosu PIT
1. Maki Itoh Vs Uta Takami
2. Miu Watanabe, Raku & Haru Kazashiro Vs Pom Harajuku, Wakana Uehara & Shino Suzuki
I think this will be the first time Maki Itoh is wrestling at a Garafes mat wrestling event.
DDT “IT’S FINALLY HERE!! KAZUKI HIRATA 15TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE EVENT ~ TALK! 15 YEARS OF HIRATA GO!!”, 12/03/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Starting With The Young Communication Generation: Shigehiro Irie, Akito & Shota Vs To-y, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. Staggered Entrance Battle Royal: Chris Brookes Vs Yuya Koroku Vs Yuni Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Gota Ihashi Vs X
3. Punch-san, I Am Looking Forward To This Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Toru Owashi & Punch Tominaga
4. They’re Back! Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor’s Tearful Reunion!: Shinya Aoki & Naruki Doi Vs Yuki Ueno & Yuki Ishida
5. Crazy Semi-Final!: MAO & Yoshihiko Vs HARASHIMA & Pokotan
6. Talk! 15 Years Of HIRATA GO!! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazuki Hirata, Hiromu Takahashi & Keisuke Ishii Vs YO-HEY, Kenshin Chikano & Soma Takao *Special Referee: Katsumi Tamagawa.
What a load of surprises Kazuki Hirata has in store for everyone. He’s bringing in Hiromu Takahashi for the main event, Yoshihiko and Pokotan will clash against each other, there will be a Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor reunion, Punch Tominaga is getting thrown in with the weird people and he’ll even have a prize for the winner of the Battle Royal that he promises will cheer them up.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Yoshiko Hasegawa & Miyu Ashida Vs HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
2. Kakeru Sekiguchi, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Ivy Steele Vs Kaya Toribami, Kira Summer, Chika Nanase & Uta Takami
3. Max The Impaler Vs Moka Miyamoto
4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Toga
5. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) Vs Raku
6. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale Vs Miu Watanabe
7. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura Vs Yuki Arai
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Arisu Endo
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
This will be the first of three trips to Ota Ward Gymnasium for Tokyo Joshi Pro this year. Meiko Satomura will face Yuki Arai in what may become Satomura’s final appearance in the promotion before her retirement. Raku has challenged Pom Harajuku for the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title and is doing so out of love. Aja Kong is going to cause some destruction again. Moka Miyamoto is going to bounce off of Max The Impaler like a tennis ball being thrown into a wall. Kakeru Sekiguchi returns to TJPW to team with Mahiro Kiryu again and this time she’ll be introduced to Kiryu’s cat Haruna Neko.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Makoto Oishi, Akito & Soma Takao Vs Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Keigo Nakamura
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs JJ Furno & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Kazusada Higuchi & Shunma Katsumata Double Comeback Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs KANON
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & To-y (c) Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
8. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Super Sasadango Machine *Special Referee: Amon Tsurumi.
9. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Minoru Suzuki
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
Meanwhile Chris Brookes decided to defend his KO-D Openweight Title against his longtime CDK teammate Masahiro Takanashi. But this is not being done out of love or friendship. The two want to give DDT fans a fight to remember to close out one of the most important shows of the year for the company.
Danshoku Dieno and Super Sasadango Machine are threatening to give everyone the worst match ever for their DDT Extreme Title bout. Hisaya Imabayashi will be turning back into Amon Tsurumi for one night only to officiate the match.
He doesn’t understand why he’s been expelled from DAMNATION T.A but KANON wants to get revenge on Daisuke Sasaki. DDT quickly put together the singles match between them for this show.
It’s planned to be a five hour show but the card still has to be crammed together a little bit. That means Kazusada Higuchi and Shunma Katsumata will make their respective returns from injury in the same match. It’s also a good excuse to have a Harimao Vs NωA Jr. trios match.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2025 ~YOUR LIE IN APRIL~”, 06/04/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Hideki Okatani Return Match: Hideki Okatani Vs X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuya Koroku
Whoever comes out of Korakuen as the KO-D Champion in March will return there in April to defend it against the D GENERATIONS CUP winner Yuya Koroku.
KANON was kicked out of DAMNATION T.A to be replaced by the return of Hideki Okatani! He isn’t ready to wrestle again just yet but once April comes around, the world will see what this new version of Okatani will get up to.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO 2025 WINTER FES. 「EAST」”, 22/02/2025 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall 335 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Toga defeated Ivy Steele with a Face Lock (5:48).
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa, Kaya Toribami & Wakana Uehara defeated Mahiro Kiryu, Kira Summer & Chika Nanase when Uehara submitted Nanase with the Banana Pillow (11:29).
3. Haruna Neko defeated Shino Suzuki with the Nekodebreaker (5:02).
4. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami when Raku pinned Takami with the Doctor Yellow (8:13).
5. Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto defeated Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro when Arai submitted Kazashiro with the Scorpion Death Lock (11:44).
6. Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Suzume defeated Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Arisu Endo when Yamashita pinned Nakajima with the Skull Kick (19:18).
In a preview for “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” the champions beat their challengers in an 8-Woman Tag Match. Hyper Misao suggested at the start of the match to have a Horse Riding Battle against the other team. Maki Itoh agreed to it because she wanted to be carried on everyone else’s shoulders like a jockey. It ended up collapsing because Rika Tatsumi reached out to choke Miyu Yamashita. During the chaos Mizuki & Suzume focused on attacking Misao so Misao defended herself with her Hero Spray. Even though Daisy Monkey were on opposite teams, they both went on like a house on fire at the same time until they got to face each other. The final minutes of the match came down to 121000000 against Kyoraku Kyomei. Itoh held Misao in a Crab Hold while Yamashita pinned Shoko Nakajima with the Skull Kick in the final minute.
After the match Yamashita said the champion team were really strong today. She assured the fans that 121000000 will remain the Princess Tag Team Champions and continue to bring the titles around the world with them. Suzume said she wanted more time to fight Arisu Endo and is now even more determined not to lose the International Princess Title to her. Mizuki is feeling frustrated but seeing everyone work hard around her pushed her to work harder too. She really wants to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Tatsumi at Ota Ward Gymnasium. Even though the challenger team lost each member of the team is now more motivated to win their title match.
Raku brought out two cups connected to each other with string and used them to sing her opponents to sleep with lullabies. However Pom Harajuku would then scream into the cups to wake them up. They were able to win the match and afterwards Raku wanted to have a talk with Harajuku. She always has fun wrestling with her so she wants to challenge her for the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title! Harajuku refused because she doesn’t want to fight Raku. So Raku used the cups to tell Harajku she wants to fight her because she loves her. Harajuku understood her feelings and said they should have the title match at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”. Raku told reporters backstage that she still remembers going to Thailand with Harajuku to fight for the title in a 3 Way Match. Raku lost that match by taking the fall and she hasn’t stopped thinking about it since.
Due to illness Yuki Kamifuku could not be at the show today so her 3 Way Match with Haruna Neko and Shino Suzuki was turned into a singles match. Neko won the match, making this her first proper singles win since January 2019!!!
Yuki Arai’s match for “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” was announced at the start of the show. On 16th March she is going to face Meiko Satomura! She talked about it being her last big match as a member of SKE48 before she graduates to become a full time pro wrestler. She will put everything she has done so far to aim for the win and shine even more as someone who can lead Tokyo Joshi Pro.
Fans of Tokyo Joshi Pro were invited to submit their votes for TJPW’s best matches of 2024. This year there were votes from over 360 fans worldwide and over 115 matches received votes. The winning match this year received the highest amount of votes ever in the history of this poll.
TJPW Best Bouts 2024
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima 06/05/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
312 pts
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe 31/03/2024 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
233 pts
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh 22/09/2024 @ Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall
170 pts
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Ryo Mizunami 22/09/2024 @ Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall
118 pts
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo 31/03/2024 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
108 pts
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo 10/02/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
86 pts
7. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai 04/01/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
72 pts
8. Nao Kakuta Graduation Match: Nao Kakuta Vs Mizuki 25/07/2024 @ Shin-Kiba 1st RING
61 pts
9. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Arisu Endo 08/09/2024 @ Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
60 pts
10. Next Generation Tournament ’24 – Final: Toga Vs Haru Kazashiro 22/11/2024 @ Shinjuku FACE
59 pts
11. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) Vs Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto 20/07/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
53 pts
12. Toga Vs Shino Suzuki 06/05/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
40 pts
13. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Yuki Aino Vs Ryo Mizunami 25/08/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
39 pts
14. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) Vs Matcha 29/12/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
37 pts
15. Shoko Nakajima Vs Emi Sakura 22/09/2024 @ Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall
36 pts
16. Aja Kong Vs Raku 19/04/2024 @ Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
33 pts
17. Special Tag Match: Miu Watanabe & Miyu Yamashita Vs Meiko Satomura & Shoko Nakajima 06/10/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
31 pts
18. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi 20/07/2024 @Tokyo Korakuen Hall
30 pts
19. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich 04/01/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
29 pts
19. Nikichan Water Lumberjack Death Match: Miu Watanabe, Arisu Endo & HIMAWARI Vs Mizuki, Raku & Pom Harajuku 07/07/2024 @ Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
29 pts
Honorable Mentions
These seven matches just missed out on making the Top 20.
21. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura & Chris Brookes 31/03/2024 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
21. Mei Suruga Vs Uta Takami 20/07/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
23. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku 31/03/2024 @ Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
23. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo (c) Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI 06/05/2024 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
23. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Haru Kazashiro & Toga 01/12/2024 @ Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
26. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2: Ryo Mizunami Vs Haru Kazashiro 03/08/2024 @ Shinjuku FACE
26. Next Generation Tournament ’24 – Semi Final: Haru Kazashiro Vs Wakana Uehara 16/11/2024 @ Osaka Edion Arena #2
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW YEAR-END PARTY 2024”, 29/12/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 720 Fans
1. Ivy Steele defeated Chika Nanase with the Pumphandle Slam (5:50).
2. Dot Money Presents TJPW RUSH! Year End Special Red And White Team 5 Vs 5 Knockout Match: Mizuki, Suzume, Yoshiko Hasegawa, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami defeated Shoko Nakajima, Arisu Endo, Moka Miyamoto, Haru Kazashiro & Toga.
2a. 2 Count Fall Match: Shoko Nakajima defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Northern Lights Suplex (3:06).
2b. 2 Count Fall Match: Shoko Nakajima defeated Uta Takami with a Front Butterfly Lock (3:30).
2c. 2 Count Fall Match: Shino Suzuki defeated Shoko Nakajima with a Backwards Spinning Cradle (1:51).
2d. 2 Count Fall Match: Shino Suzuki defeated Toga with an Oklahoma Roll (4:54).
2e. 2 Count Fall Match: Moka Miyamoto defeated Shino Suzuki with the Zero Sen Kick (0:29).
2f. 2 Count Fall Match: Moka Miyamoto Vs Suzume ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
2fa. Overtime 1 Count Fall: Suzume defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Headscissors Whip (0:36).
2g. 2 Count Fall Match: Arisu Endo Vs Suzume ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
2ga. Overtime 1 Count Fall: Arisu Endo defeated Suzume with the Waterwheel Drop (0:51).
2h. 2 Count Fall Match: Mizuki defeated Arisu Endo with a Roll Up (1:54).
2i. 2 Count Fall Match: Haru Kazashiro Vs Mizuki ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
2ia. Overtime 1 Count Fall: Mizuki defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Cutie Special (1:29).
3. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) defeated Matcha with the Pom de Justice (7:26). *V1 for Pom Harajuku.
4. Queen Of Asia Title & VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) defeated Lei Ying Lee with the Famouser (10:03). *V5 for the Queen Of Asia Title. V3 for the VPW Women’s Title.
5. WINTICKET Presents I Hope There Will Be Lots Of Fun And Exciting Things Next Year! New Year’s Japanese Pro Wrestling! 20 Wrestler PRINCESS RUMBLE 2024: Miu Watanabe defeated Yuki Aino with the Tear Drop (37:07). Order Of Elimination: Yuna Manase, Poison Sawada JULIE, Hyper Misao, Antonio Honda, Miyu Yamashita, Kira Summer, Maki Itoh, HIMAWARI, Pokotan, Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara, Haruna Neko, Kaya Toribami, Aja Kong, Rika Tatsumi, Ryo Mizunami, Yuki Arai, Raku, Yuki Aino.
The final Tokyo Joshi Pro show of 2024 was like a big party to close out the year. The very last match TJPW put together this year was the first Princess Rumble. It a 20-person Rumble with eliminations by pinfall, submission or being thrown over the top rope and out of the ring. Yuki Aino and HIMAWARI drew the unlucky first two entries but Aino was able to last until the very end. Yuna Manase was eliminated first to continue the unlucky weekend she’s been having. Hyper Misao showed why heroes still wear capes by using hers as a shield from Poison Sawada JULIE’s snake magic. Mahiro Kiryu apologized for 2024 as a whole. Kira Summer was able to eliminate Antonio Honda because the language barrier between them meant she wouldn’t fall for the Gongitsune trick. Maki Itoh used a pile of other wrestlers as a podium so she could sing above everyone. She also betrayed Miyu Yamashita by pulling the top rope down so Yamashita could fall out of the ring and get eliminated. Rika Tatsumi crushed Pokotan’s head before she eliminated the mascot. Haruna Neko was eliminated by everyone piling on top of her. Aja Kong was one of the mystery entrants. She eliminated Wakana Uehara and also helped Raku eliminate Kaya Toribami. Raku then hugged Arai and everyone piled on top of them. That meant Raku accidentally pinned Kong to eliminate her. The other surprise was Ryo Mizunami but she almost got herself disqualified by taking too long to enter the ring because she was partying too much at ringside. The two singles champions Miu Watanabe and Yuki Arai tried working together until Aino & Raku got the better of Arai to knock her out of the match. Watanabe was able to fight on by herself and use the Tear Drop on Raku and then Aino to win the Rumble!
Watanabe was happy to win the match because she wins the prize which includes 10kg of rice cakes! She doesn’t actually know how many rice cakes that is but it doesn’t matter because winning the Princess Rumble is more proof that she is a princess, not a monster! Some of the other wrestlers got to say some words to close out the show. Arai said by spending the year as a champion, 2024 is the year that made her love pro wrestling. Yamashita is happy to have wrestled overseas a lot this year and she won a championship with Itoh. She then remembered Itoh eliminated her from the Rumble so she should be mad at her. Itoh quickly changed the subject by asking the fans who is the cutest in the world? Watanabe finished by saying how happy she is that so many people came to see TJPW this year. So let’s make next year even better!
A good chunk of the card was made up of championship matches featuring titles from wrestling companies around Southeast Asia. Yuki Kamifuku put her Asian Double Crown on the line against Lei Ying Lee from China in a match that was delayed since October. The vital point in the match was when Kamifuku countered a Power Bomb into the Famouser. She then dodged the Thunder Strike to hit another Famouser for the victory. She wondered why she had to spend the last show of the year taking part in a tough championship match when almost everyone else was being put in fun party matches. She didn’t like the vibe coming from Ying Lee but she does like her makeup so she wants to team up with her in the future. Ying Lee said this was her first title match since leaving WWE so she prepared a lot for it. She is disappointed she lost but thinks Kamifuku is a great opponent so she is also happy they had a great match against each other.
In a rematch from Thailand last month Pom Harajuku faced Matcha with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title once again on the line. Harajuku wanted to win quickly but Matcha made sure they were going to have a challenging fight. Matcha thought she had the upper hand when she did the Saito Suplex but Harajuku immediately hit her back with the Pom de Justice. She then knocked Matcha off her feet with a Shin Kick to land another Pom de Justice for the three count and successful first defence. Backstage Harajuku thought defending once means the belt now belongs to her permanently. She got confused when everyone around her shook their heads. She admits the match was so crazy that she isn’t feeling right after it. Like she is no longer 3 years old but is now 18 months old. Matcha is sad she wasn’t able to win back the title but will not give up on her goal to be the SETUP champion again. She is also happy she got to wrestle in Korakuen Hall again nine years after her last match there.
The bulk of the undercard was made up of a 5 Vs 5 Team Gauntlet match called TJPW RUSH! Every match had a five minute time limit and could be won with a 2-Count Pinfall until one team lost all of its members. If time expired then it will go to Overtime with 1-Count Pinfalls needed to win. Shoko Nakajima was the Red Team captain and chose to enter first while the White Team captain Mizuki placed herself last in her team. Nakajima went off to a good start by beating Yoshiko Hasegawa and then Uta Takami. But the first upset of the match came when Shino Suzuki got a 2-Count pin on Nakajima to eliminate her! Suzuki continued the momentum by pinning Toga next but her underdog run came to an end thanks to Moka Miyamoto. The first time limit draw then happened between Miyamoto and Suzume. In Overtime Suzume scored the 1-Count pin to move on. She then went to another draw this time against her own Daisy Monkey partner Arisu Endo. This time Suzume lost in Overtime and was out. It was all up to Mizuki to save the White Team and she did it by beating Endo. The Red Team’s final entrant Haru Kazashiro fought her to a draw but Mizuki pinned her with the Cutie Special in Overtime to win the match outright. The White Team’s prize included a luxery set of beef and chicken (in other words, red and white meat). Mizuki revealed backstage their team order was Suzuki’s idea so she got the credit for the White Team’s victory.
Ivy Steele earned her first victory in TJPW by beating Chika Nanase in the opening match. She was able to get past the Inari Torii and use a Pumphandle Slam to win.
There was an announcement of two TJPW shows being held in Nagoya at the end of March right before Arai graduates from SKE48. There will be a full wrestling show at Chunichi Hall on 29th March. Then on the 30th there will be a show containing only three matches but will also include an SKE48 concert. Arai will wrestle and perform in the concert on the 30th. Her SKE48 graduation will then happen on the 31st.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WINTER STORY”, 14/12/2024 Yokohama Radiant Hall 223 Fans
1. Suzume defeated Uta Takami with the Ring A Bell (6:28).
2. Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko defeated Raku & Chika Nanase when Neko pinned Nanase with the Nekodebreaker (8:17).
3. Rika Tatsumi & Moka Miyamoto defeated Arisu Endo & Ivy Steele when Miyamoto submitted Steele with the Rashomon (10:42).
4. Hyper Misao defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Hypami Returns (9:47).
5. Pom Harajuku defeated HIMAWARI with the Pom de Justice (7:32).
6. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Kaya Toribami when Yamashita pinned Toribami with the Attitude Adjustment (12:45).
7. Miu Watanabe, Haru Kazashiro & Toga defeated Mizuki, Wakana Uehara & Shino Suzuki when Watanabe pinned Suzuki with the Tear Drop (13:24).
Miu Watanabe is winning the battle against Mizuki but is there something she can’t stop thinking about that will lose her the war? She showed her monstrous strength in the main event by giving Mizuki the Giant Swing on the ring apron. She later gave both Mizuki & Shino Suzuki a stacked Tear Drop over her shoulder. Toga & Haru Kazashiro were also able to show off how well they are becoming as a team. The three of them were the winners but Watanabe couldn’t help but ask them to assure everyone in Yokohama that she is a super cute princess. Backstage Watanabe said she wants today’s Giant Swing to go viral so many more people will watch the Princess Of Princess Title match on 4th January. Mizuki was suprised by the Giant Swing through the ropes. It was something she couldn’t predict. She called Watanabe a one woman Beauty & The Beast because she looks like a princess but has the shadow of a monster!
The clumsiness of Mahiro Kiryu actually helped her team win. She was knocked prone late in the match and Kaya Toribami tripped over her while she dodged Miyu Yamashita’s High Kick. Toribami bounced off the ropes and stumbled over Kiryu again right into Yamashita’s arms for the Attitude Adjustment that ended the match.
The all conquering Pom Harajuku returned to Tokyo Joshi Pro with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title (that she dropped by accident during her ring entrance). She also wore homemade headwear to look like a sunflower because HIMAWARI was her opponent today. HIMAWARI didn’t get the joke. Harajuku won the match and knows Matcha is on her way to try and take the title back from her. Harajuku said the belt belongs to her and she won’t lose!
While Hyper Misao was away with an injury, she missed her chance to welcome Yoshiko Hasegawa to TJPW. So today she got to tell her how happy she is that out of all of the joshi wrestling promotions out there, Hasegawa chose to join TJPW. She gave her the microphone to speak but then attacked Hasegawa from behind and choked her with the microphone cord. Hasegawa tried her best to fight back but Misao kept finding tricks to counter her until she won the match. She was being genuine about welcoming Hasegawa to TJPW though. She encouraged her to enjoy a fun wrestling life as a member of the company.
Misao then talked about the current state of TJPW, believing the group’s power level is reaching MAX status with the recent additions to the roster. TJPW will be facing DDT in a 6-Man Tag Match at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024” on 28th December and she thinks her team will definitely win. Suddenly Super Sasadango Machine made and appearance and entered the ring carrying a bag. He told Misao that DDT is filled with bad behavior but when you remove the hard shell there is a fluffiness to be found beneath it. He came here today to negotiate a peaceful settlement between DDT and TJPW. He brought with him a bag of luxury chocolate from Niigata for Misao. She can have it if the TJPW team cancels the match at Sumo Hall so no one will have to watch DDT tear them apart. While Misao was considering the offer, Rika Tatsumi got into the ring and choked Sasadango! Misao joined in the attack and the two of them told Sasadango that public bribery is a violation of the rules! They decline his offer and TJPW will beat DDT at Sumo Hall! They then walked off with the bag of chocolate.
When Sasadango recovered from the attack he got on the microphone and complained to Tetsuya Koda about the behavior of his wrestlers. Sasadango was humiliated and he will make Koda take responsibility for it. He suddenly attacked Koda and promised to humiliate TJPW at Sumo Hall! Tatsumi & Misao ran back down to chase Sasadango away and literally slap Koda back to life. They still kept the chocolate because it would have been rude not to accept it. Sasadango told reporters this is now a company-to-company issue between DDT and TJPW.
The first three teams entering the 2025 Max Heart Tournament were announced. They are Kyoraku Kyomei (Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao), Daisy Monkey (Suzume & Arisu Endo) and Pompaler (Pom Harajuku & Max The Impaler). Nine other teams will enter the tournament in January for a total of twelve teams taking part.
The show began with the draw for all of the singles matches taking place on 21st December. The ten matches will each have a 7 minute time limit. They are Moka Miyamoto Vs Ivy Steele, Shino Suzuki Vs Raku, Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi Vs Shoko Nakajima, Chika Nanase Vs Uta Takami, Maki Itoh Vs Toga, Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa, Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino, Haruna Neko Vs Wakana Uehara and Hyper Misao Vs Haru Kazashiro.
DDT “ROAD TO ULTIMATE PARTY 2024 IN NAGOYA”, 08/12/2024 Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall
1. Yukio Naya & Takumi Saito Vs Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Tetsuya Endo & Toru Owashi
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Single Match: Akito Vs Soma Takao
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & MAO Vs HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
6. 10-Man Elimination Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul, Demus and Ilusion
1. Special 3 Way Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Takayuki Ueki Vs Chie Koishikawa
2. Special Single Match: Ram Kaichow Vs HARASHIMA
3. Special Tag Match: Mr. Bueno & MAO Vs Mr. Malo & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda
HARASHIMA has known Ram Kaichow for almost her entire life but they have never wrestled against each other in a singles match. Trust Baka Gaijin + Friends to make the match happen for the first time ever.
Rounding out the card is Munetatsu Nakamura, Takayuki Ueki (as his normal self, not the Mad Doctor) and Chie Koishikawa facing each other in a 3 Way Match.
DDT “ROAD TO ULTIMATE PARTY 2024 IN OSAKA”, 15/12/2024 Osaka City Konohana Kumin Hall
1. Demus Vs Yuni
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Tag Match: Carnatux & Yuki Ishida Vs Akito & Keigo Nakamura
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno, Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs HARASHIMA, MAO & Soma Takao
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Ilusion
6. Special Single Match: To-y Vs Yuya Koroku
7. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazuki Hirata
DDT has decided to change around some of the matches in Osaka for some reason.
DDT “NEVER MIND 2024”, 22/12/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion Vs Takeshi Masada, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
3. Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, To-y & Soma Takao Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuya Koroku & Akito
5. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
6. Special Single Match: Tomohiro Ishii Vs Yuki Iino
7. Road To Ultimate Party 2024! Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
One week before DDT goes to Sumo Hall, they have their final Korakuen Hall show of the year. The last of the SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A tag matches has CDK taking on Daisuke Sasaki & KANON. It will be the last chance for Chris Brookes and Sasaki to get one up on each other before their KO-D Openweight Title match at Sumo Hall one week later.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW YEAR-END PARTY 2024”, 29/12/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. TJPW RUSH! Year End Special Red And White Team 5 Vs 5 Knockout Match: Shoko Nakajima, X, X, X & X Vs Mizuki, X, X, X & X Other Participants: Suzume, Arisu Endo, Moka Miyamoto, Yoshiko Hasegawa, Haru Kazashiro, Toga, Shino Suzuki and Uta Takami
2. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) Vs Matcha
3. Queen Of Asia Title & VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) Vs Lei Ying Lee
3. I Hope There Will Be Lots Of Fun And Exciting Things Next Year! New Year’s Japanese Pro Wrestling! 20 Wrestler PRINCESS RUMBLE 2024: X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X
There is some fallout from Pom Harajuku winning the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title in Thailand last week. The previous champion Matcha is coming to Japan at the end of the month to get her rematch! Matcha will be wrestling for Tokyo Joshi Pro on the 21st and 29th December shows as well as the 4th January show. On the 29th she faces Harajuku in a rematch for the title. Matcha previously wrestled in Japan under the name Blue Lotus for Gatoh Move. That was long before the days of ChocoPro.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’25”, 04/01/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
2. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Suzume
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Masha Slamovich & Zara Zakher
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Mizuki
The call has been answered! 121000000 are willing to defend the Princess Tag Team Titles against any two wrestlers from around the world so Masha Slamovich & Zara Zakher are joining forces just for them. Miyu Yamashita wants to make it to 10 successful defences or else she and Maki Itoh won’t team up anymore. This is only the third defence!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WINTER STORY”, 14/12/2024 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Ivy Steele Vs X
The British exchange student Ivy Steele makes her Tokyo Joshi Pro debut later this month. She is studying in Japan and training in the TJPW dojo while she is over there. She’s been wrestling in the UK since 2018 and it’s always been her dream to wrestle in Japan. So much so that she took part in TJPW’s trainee audition during the Autumn which is how she got to be part of the company now.
Yeah so Pom Harajuku has a championship now and I still don’t know what to make of it. She won the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title in Thailand a few days ago. I think she is going to be on this show so that means it will be her first TJPW appearance since winning the title.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW YEAR-END PARTY 2024”, 29/12/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. TJPW RUSH! Year End Special Red And White Team 5 Vs 5 Knockout Match: Shoko Nakajima, X, X, X & X Vs Mizuki, X, X, X & X Other Participants: Suzume, Arisu Endo, Moka Miyamoto, Yoshiko Hasegawa, Haru Kazashiro, Toga, Shino Suzuki and Uta Takami
2. Queen Of Asia Title & VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) Vs Lei Ying Lee
3. I Hope There Will Be Lots Of Fun And Exciting Things Next Year! New Year’s Japanese Pro Wrestling! 20 Wrestler PRINCESS RUMBLE 2024: X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X
The Princess Rumble is the main event and will be the final TJPW match of 2024. Surely there is going to be a lot of double booking on this show because I cannot see Tetsuya Koda wanting to book over 30 people for this event for only a few minutes of work in the ring, even at this time of year.
A familiar TJPW match stipulation is getting a makeover for the holidays. A 5 Vs 5 Gauntlet Match will be held with Shoko Nakajima captaining the Red Team and Mizuki in charge of the White Team. Every match in the Gauntlet has a 5 minute time limit and can be won with a 2 Count Pinfall. If a match ends in a time limit draw then it will restart with 1 Count Sudden Death Rules with no time limit. The two captains will choose their teams through a lottery soon.
Yuki Arai will be on the show. Speaking of which…
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’25”, 04/01/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
2. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Suzume
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Mizuki
Actually first let’s talk about the 4th January main event. Miu Watanabe’s first run as the Princess Of Princess Champion has gone great. The best way to book a champion’s first reign is to feed them a bunch of previous champions to further establish them as a main eventer and that’s what was done here. There were also a few international challengers on the side which is a good way to build up a champion domestically as well. Watanabe has the second most title defences in a single reign and Mizuki is the only former champion still with the company who now stands in her way. Mizuki says by beating so many monsters, Watanabe has now become the monster everyone else needs to be. Watanabe doesn’t accept that logic. She is still the princess who defeats the monster, not the other way around.
Okay let’s get to the Yuki Arai news. Last week she announced her decision to graduate from SKE48. She will be leaving the idol group on 31st March next year. Today she put out another announcement, this time about her pro wrestling career. She ain’t leaving! While her SKE48 days are coming to an end, she has decided to fully commit as a pro wrestler and continue working with TJPW! She will continue to be managed by Zest, which just so happens to be SKE48’s talent agency. By the sounds of it, pro wrestling is going to be Arai’s full time career going forward next year.
It’s the sixth annual Ittenyon match between Kyoraku Kyomei! Ever since 2020 Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao have had a singles match against each other at Korakuen Hall on 4th January. Usually there is a wacky match stipulation involved and in the early years the loser would change their name and gimmick for a month. However ever since the Max Heart Tournament was created, Kyoraku Kyomei instead use the match to prepare themselves for the tournament. They have yet to win the tournament but everybody likes the tradition. Nakajima currently has a 4-2 record against Misao in the series. If you noticed the numbers don’t add up properly that’s because one year the both of them were declared winners instead of their match being called a draw.
Oh come on, AEW didn’t put Konosuke Takeshita in the Continental Classic?!? Great, just great. So what’s there to write about this month? Well MAO and Yoshihiko had a wild weekend over in France. Takeshita spent the month feuding with Ricochet and defending the AEW International Title in companies outside of AEW. We also see that Takeshita has unfinished business in New Japan which probably explains why he’s not involved in the C2. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro had a heck of a time in Seattle. Also it is now official they are both Las Vegas bound for next April. Miyu Yamashita in particular got to do and achieve so many things this month that TJPW would not have done for her back home. Pom Harajuku also got to act out of control in Singapore and Thailand away from the usual supervision. She also… won a championship? And didn’t lose it immediately? What? That can’t be right…
The end of the year will be quiet for international bookings but Takeshita has a lot going on at home in the new year. AEW seems to have written him off their TV for December with Don Callis already cutting promos about 2025 being the year of The Don Callis Family. I’ll do a separate write-up for his New Japan match(es) at the Tokyo Dome when they happen but I wanted to include the build up to them here because AEW is connected to it. January will be business as usual for Maki Itoh too with her plan to tour with GCW again. My mind is going to be stuck on Vegas for a lot of early 2025.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/11/2024 Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Adam Cole
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 20/11/2024 Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
1. All Star 8-Man Tag: Will Ospreay, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricochet & Mark Davis Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer & Brian Cage
SETUP “YEAR END CLIMAX”, 30/11/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – No DQ Match: Matcha (c) Vs Pom Harajuku
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Results
BZW “FRIDAY NIGHT BANGER”, 01/11/2024 Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France
1. MAO defeated KURO by Disqualification when Jack Sans-Nom attacked MAO (?:??).
The first night of MAO’s trip to France turned nasty but it was through no fault of his opponent KURO. They wrestled their match as normal and when MAO was on the top rope getting ready to hit the finishing blow, Jack Sans-Nom ran into the ring and attacked MAO with a wet floor sign for the DQ.
BZW “ALCATRAZ”, 02/11/2024 Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko defeated Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson (c) when Yoshihiko pinned Sans-Nom with a Rainmaker (?:??). *Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson fail in V2. MAO & Yoshihiko become the 6th BZW Tag Team Champions!
The next night MAO brought Yoshihiko with him to try and get revenge on San-Nom by winning the BZW Tag Team Titles from him and Paul Robinson. The challengers almost had the match won by pinning Robinson together but Sans-Nom pulled the referee out of the ring during the pin count. However Yoshihiko got its hands on him with MAO’s help and hit a Rainmaker. A three count later and BZW got new unexpected tag team champions!
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 06/11/2024 SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
1. Ricochet & Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher when Ricochet pinned Takeshita with the Spear Gun (14:36).
Takeshita found out there was unfinished business between himself and Ricochet stemming from the previous month. A tag team match in AEW put Takeshita with Kyle Fletcher against Ricochet and his returning mystery partner Powerhouse Hobbs. Ricochet was the better man on this night. Takeshita tried to catch a Springboard Hurricanrana and turn it into a Power Bomb but Ricochet countered the counter and pulled off his Hurricanrana after all. He then weakened Takeshita with a Shooting Star Press for another nearfall. It took Ricochet using his new Hidden Blade inspired finisher called the Spear Gun to finally get the win over Takeshita (it’s weird how almost a decade ago I would have told people Will Ospreay tries to wrestle like Ricochet and nowadays it feels completely like the opposite). Fletcher got some revenge after the match by attacking the other team with a chair until his former tag partner Mark Davis ran down causing drama that Takeshita wasn’t involved with so I’m not going to write any more about it.
Harajuku went to Singapore to have a lot of fun with Alexis Lee, or at least have a lot of fun at Lee’s expense. Their match made its way out of the ring but rather than cause a violent brawl, Harajuku instead encouraged Lee to go drink alcohol. They also fought their way up to the balcony to add some danger to the proceedings. I was able to see a brief clip of Lee hitting the Somato from behind to Harajuku but I do not know if that was the finish.
NJPW “FIGHTING SPIRIT UNLEASHED 2024”, 08/11/2024 Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
1. AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated TJP with the Avalanche Raging Fire (14:13). *V2 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.
Takeshita had to shake off his loss to Ricochet and get himself focused on his next International Title defence. It happened at New Japan’s latest American show with TJP as the challenger. TJP pulled a lights out trick for his entrance to surprise Takeshita with an ambush from behind. He also had his face and body painted to resemble his Aswang alter ego. At first it looked like he was in his normal form but late in the match he blinded Takeshita with the Poison Mist to try and get the advantage. He used the Hidden Blade and Mamba Splash but Takeshita kicked out of both moves. Takeshita’s power soon took over and he was able to get TJP over to the corner, lifting him up from the top rope to hit an Avalanche Falcon Arrow for the victory. After the match Takeshita told the fans he will next defend the International Title at the Tokyo Dome! He called out for anyone to challenge him and Shingo Takagi answered the call! Takagi will fight him at “WRESTLE KINGDOM”! That wasn’t the end though because Tomohiro Ishii then walked out and signaled to them he wants to fight the winner!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA 405 Fans
1. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Suzume pinned Amira with the Ring A Bell (10:21).
2. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Wakana Uehara with the Famouser (7:19).
3. Rebel Kel defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Falcon Arrow (5:45).
4. Mizuki defeated Liiza Hall with the Diving Foot Stomp (11:07).
5. Yuki Aino & Zara Zakher defeated Miu Watanabe & Shoko Nakajima when Zakher pinned Watanabe with the Control Z (16:43).
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Vert Vixen & Nicole Matthews when Yamashita pinned Matthews with the Skull Kick (24:05). *V1 for 121000000.
DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA 447 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Gringo Loco defeated Yuni with the Base Bomb (10:32).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Randy Myers defeated Danshoku Dieno with a School Boy (8:26 pm). *Randy Myers becomes the 1,691st champion.
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno defeated Randy Myers (c) with the Gaydo Clutch (8:01). *Danshoku Dieno becomes the 1,692nd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) by Referee Stoppage with a Sleeper Hold (8:36 pm). *Yoshihiko becomes the 1,693rd champion.
3. Nick Wayne defeated Jack Cartwheel with the Wayne’s World (11:49).
4. DEFY Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Tag Match: Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas (c) defeated Bryan Keith & Shota and Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson when Rosas pinned Shota after the Combined Pop-Up Power Bomb (10:19). *V2 for C4.
5. DEFY Women’s Title: Marina Shafir (c) defeated Danika Della Rouge with the Mother’s Milk (7:35). *V3 for Marina Shafir.
6. Special Tag Match: Gurv Shira & Harv Shira defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Artemis Spencer when Gruv pinned Spencer after a Combined Diving Elbow Drop (15:54).
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kohei Kinoshita with an Avalanche Falcon Arrow (12:41).
8. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated MAO (c) and Mike Bailey when Yamashita pinned Bailey with the Skull Kick (21:25). *MAO fails in V1. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 15th DDT Universal Champion!
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA 389 Fans
1. Vert Vixen, Yuki Kamifuku & Moka Miyamoto defeated Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino & Arisu Endo when Vixen pinned Endo with a Sit Down Power Bomb (8:38).
2. Bryan Keith defeated Shota with the Diamond Dust (7:59).
3. Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher defeated Amira & Danika Della Rouge when Itoh pinned Rouge with the I.S.D (8:41).
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Kohei Kinoshita Vs Danshoku Dieno & Randy Myers ended in a No Contest (9:32).
5. Miu Watanabe & Suzume defeated Mizuki & Wakana Uehara when Watanabe pinned Uehara with the Tear Drop (10:33).
6. DEFY Women’s Title: Marina Shafir (c) defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Mother’s Milk (14:08). *V4 for Marina Shafir.
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Yuni with the Wagamama (12:14).
8. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Gringo Loco defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) and Nick Wayne when Loco pinned Yamashita with the Base Bomb (17:08). *Miyu Yamashita fails in V1. Gringo Loco becomes the 16th DDT Universal Champion.
9. Special Tag Match: Judas Icarus & Travis Williams defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Icarus pinned Bailey after the Sudden Silence (22:06).
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/11/2024 Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Adam Cole with a Dynamite Diamond Ring Assisted Punch (9:38).
Takeshita’s next AEW appearance was to act as a road block for Adam Cole. There was a storyline going on this month where Cole had to win three matches in order to get a PPV match against MJF. He was two wins in going into this night and needed to beat Takeshita to reach his goal. Cole countered the Takeshita Line with a well placed Super Kick and followed up with the Panama Sunrise. But when he went for the Boom knee strike, Takeshita rolled out of the ring to make some distance between them. He then reached under the ring and pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which belongs to MJF but was recently handed over to Don Callis. Takeshita placed the ring on his finger and punched Cole in the face without the referee seeing the ring, knocking Cole out for the pin. Roderick Strong ran down to get revenge but Takeshita gave him a Low Blow. Then Kyle O’Reilly entered the ring to chase Takeshita away. But once Takeshita was at the entrance and his guard was down, Ricochet appeared and he knocked him over with a Pump Kick.
GCW “CHAOS IN KENTUCKY”, 14/11/2024 Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Brooke Havok with the Skull Kick (17:13).
The TJPW shows at Seattle were done but Yamashita stayed behind in America for a weekend of GCW action. On the first show she put Brooke Havok through the meat grinder with kicks and stomps. Havok had some moments of hope and did well to last as long as she did. The Skull Kick put an end to any hope of an upset win though.
GCW “GATEWAY TO THE DEATH”, 15/11/2024 Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey with the Crash Rabbit Heat (17:14).
A much tougher challenge awaited Yamashita on the second GCW show. A few days after she pinned Mike Bailey to win the DDT Universal Title, the two met again one on one with nobody else going to get in their way. Bailey hit a Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Bailey tried to follow up with the Corkscrew Kick into the corner but Yamashita countered it with the Skull Kick. She was too slow to make the pin though so Bailey was able to kick out of it. Bailey took back control but made a fatal mistake when he missed the Ultima Weapon. Yamashita hit him with a Knee Strike from behind after that and scored the pinfall after finding her target once more with the Crash Rabbit Heat. The two traded a fist bump through the ropes after the match.
GCW “NICK GAGE INVITATIONAL 9”, 16/11/2024 Level 13 Event Center, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Hardcore Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Broski Jimmy with the Skull Kick (7:44).
The final night of Yamashita’s GCW tour was completely unlike the other two. Yamashita has crossed paths with Broski Jimmy in a few of her other GCW appearances this year. She knocked him out in a match on GCW’s tour of Japan. Then a few shows later in America he interfered in one of her matches so she hit him over the head with a chair. Since this show was being held in the middle of a deathmatch tournament, Yamashita and Jimmy’s grudge match promised to used Hardcore rules. The end result was the closest thing to a death match Yamashita has ever done! She may as well have called herself Rina Yamashita for the night. Chairs, doors, trash cans and even glass were used as weapons. Jimmy even gave Yamashita the Package Piledriver on top of a row of chairs but Yamashita kicked out at one! Yamashita got revenge by giving Jimmy the Attitude Adjustment through a panel of glass in the corner of the ring. She then smashed some lighttubes over Jimmy’s head before breaking the remains of one over her own. All that was left for her to do was hit the Skull Kick for the win.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 20/11/2024 Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
1. All Star 8-Man Tag: Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer & Brian Cage defeated Will Ospreay, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricochet & Mark Davis when Takeshita pinned Davis with the Wagamama (14:33).
The current version of The Don Callis Family were brought together for a match against Ospreay, Hobbs, Ricochet & Davis in a preview for the PPV. Hobbs was taken out of action midway through the match after his knee was attacked with the ring steps but he eventually returned to the match like a house on fire. Things went crazy with everyone hitting their big moves one after another. The end came when Ospreay went for the Hidden Blade and Fletcher pulled Davis into harm’s way. Davis took the full blow and he took another one when Takeshita pulled down his knee pad and hit the Wagamama knee strike for the win.
AEW “FULL GEAR”, 23/11/2024 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) (w/ Don Callis) defeated Ricochet with the Avalanche Raging Fire (19:12). *V3 for Konosuke Takeshita.
After this it’s safe to say Takeshita doesn’t have to worry about Ricochet anymore. Ricochet threw pretty much everything he could do at this stage at him and couldn’t win. Takeshita dodged the Spear Gun this time but couldn’t hit the Wagamama. Ricochet landed a version of the Benadryller instead but Takeshita kicked out of the pin. Then when Ricochet climbed the top rope, Takeshita got up and tripped him by the legs. He hit him with a Knee Strike, climbed up to him and dropped him to the canvas with the Avalanche Falcon Arrow, pinning him clean for a successful title defence.
SETUP “YEAR END CLIMAX”, 30/11/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – No DQ Match: Pom Harajuku defeated Matcha (c) with two Pom de Justices onto a Chair (?:??). *Matcha fails in V4. Pom Harajuku becomes the 2nd SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion!
This does not feel real. So let me get this straight. Pom Harajuku went to Thailand, fought in a No DQ Match against Matcha because they hold a grudge from the previous time Harajuku was there and Harajuku won the championship by driving Matcha’s face into a chair with the Pom de Justice. Twice. Unbelievable! This is Harajuku’s first championship win in her career. TJPW is now collecting women’s title belts from around Southeast Asia with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title now being added to the pile. What a crazy turn of events.
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Upcoming Appearances
NJPW “STRONG STYLE EVOLVED”, 15/12/2024 Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California, USA
1. Special Tag Team Grudge Match: Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jack Perry
So is this path why we didn’t get Takeshita in the Continental Classic this year? Looks like it. The only stuff announced for him for the next few weeks are for New Japan events including the next one happening in America. There is still some AEW involvement though because Jack Perry is teaming with Takeshita here. Also Takeshita gets back in the ring with Yota Tsuji for the first time since the G1 Climax playoff stage. Shingo will be his main target but getting a little bit of revenge on Tsuji will please him too.
NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan
1. NEVER Openweight Title: Shingo Takagi (c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
Well if I’m writing about stuff happening around the world I guess I can include stuff happening in Japan outside of the DDT bubble. As mentioned earlier, Takeshita wants to defend the International Title at the Tokyo Dome and Takagi answered his challenge. Takagi is also the NEVER Openweight Champion so we are on course for a title versus title match on 4th January! There is the risk that Takeshita could lose his championship before this match happens but Takagi’s NEVER Title is guaranteed to be on the line.
“WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan
1. NEVER Openweight Title: Shingo Takagi or KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) Vs Tomohiro Ishii
The winner of the Wrestle Kingdom match will face Ishii the next day at the other big Tokyo Dome show. This event is bringing New Japan, AEW, CMLL, Ring Of Honor and Stardom all together but DDT could secretly sneak in there thanks to Takeshita. If the International Title is indeed involved on 4th January then it will be on the line here too.
GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
January sees Itoh working with GCW again for a few important shows. GCW are returning to the scene of the crime, the Hammerstein Ballroom in an attempt to redeem themselves for blowing their big shot at the infamous venue three years earlier. At the time of writing their chances of achieving that redemption are not looking good. Maybe Itoh can do her part to help things out even just a little bit.
GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025 Electric Ballroom, London, England
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Then a week later Itoh will be wrestling for GCW in London at the Electric Ballroom. That venue has been the home of PROGRESS for most of its existence and they’re helping GCW put this show together.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025 Mapocho Station Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
No updates yet on who will be joining Yamashita and Itoh at the anime convention or if anyone in Chile wants to challenge them.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
And we’re off! Next year’s WrestleMania Week in Las Vegas is now confirmed to have DDT and TJPW coming over. Both promotions will be holding shows on the same day at The Collective. TJPW is up first with an 11am start on the Friday morning. They are promising it will be TJPW’s biggest show in America to date!
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Then at 3pm that afternoon DDT will have their show. Friday is going to be a warzone of wrestling shows clashing with each other. DDT & TJPW are among the first companies to get their announcements out there. I’ll be there for both but now I have to worry about what’s going to be happening at the same time!
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Now here’s something a little bit interesting. DDT and TJPW have just held a triple partner show with DEFY so it makes sense to do one with GCW as well. But this show is happening on Saturday, the same day as Night 1 of “WRESTLEMANIA”. So right now there is no start time announced for the event. Remember, this is happening on the West Coast where WrestleMania will be opening its doors in the afternoon. Is this show going to take place in the morning before everyone rushes over to the stadium? Or will they take a risk and hold this show at night, slap bang in the middle between the two WM shows?
Pop the champagne bottles because this month Konosuke Takeshita won his first AEW championship! The first of many I hope. After he finally achieved his crowning glory he… didn’t wrestle again in AEW for the rest of the month. Typical, eh? But he did wrestle elsewhere, up north in fact. And those were some pretty good matches too. His performances this month was enough to have Dave Meltzer call him one of the best wrestlers in the world. Other than that it was kind of a quiet month for everyone else I cover for this article. Yuka Sakazaki had a match in ROH then fantasized about murdering RJ City for Halloween, Shoko Nakajima was in DPW for a tournament final, Yuki Kamifuku continues being the Queen of Asia and Miyu Yamashita went to Canada.
Things are going to pick up in November though. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are having their shows with DEFY in Seattle, MAO and Yoshihiko are going on another European adventure together, Takeshita has stuff lined up with New Japan for the promotion’s next couple of USA shows, Yamashita will be paying GCW another visit and Pom Harajuku is going to be let loose in Southeast Asia. If that’s not enough we even have a peak at what to look forward to in 2025.
After turning on Ospreay, the Don Callis Family hold a press conference! | 10/16/24, AEW Dynamite
MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 1”, 19/10/2024 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Gisele Shaw Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita
MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 2”, 20/10/2024 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kylie Rae
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Josh Alexander
Yuka Has Fun! | Hey! (EW) 10/27/24
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Results
ROH “ROH ON HONOR CLUB”, 08/10/2024 (Aired 17/10/2024) Spokane Arena, Spokane, Washington, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van with the Magical Girl Splash (5:44).
Sakazaki’s move over to ROH this month involved a tricky challenge against Viva Van. She was kept on her toes by Van bridging out of a pin and making Sakazaki flinch with a fakeout attack from the ropes. Sakazaki got her own back by also bridging out of a pin and doing her own Sliding Lariat, no fake out needed. She went on to win by using the Magical Merry-Go-Round as well as the Magical Girl Splash.
AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 12/10/2024 Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Will Ospreay (c) and Ricochet when Takeshita pinned Ospreay with the Powerdrive Knee (20:42). *V3 for Will Ospreay fails in V3. Konosuke Takeshita becomes the 10th AEW International Champion!
What a wonderful sight this was. Takeshita was part of a great match with Will Ospreay and Ricochet where everyone went balls to the wall. Takeshita took Ricochet out of the match by putting him through a table at ringside with the Reverse Implant. He also kicked out of Ospreay’s Hidden Blade but looked to be finished when Ospreay hit him with another one. That was when Don Callis pulled the referee out of the ring mid-count. Ospreay got his hands on Callis but just when he was about to give him the Tiger Driver ’91, Kyle Fletcher ran in and hit him over the head with a screwdriver. Takeshita then hit Ospreay with the Powerdrive Knee to win the AEW International Title. Even with the dirty finish the match got a *****1/2 rating from Meltzer.
DEXCON “JAM OF THE JOSHIS”, 13/10/2024 Brawl Pit Bulusan, Manila, Philippines
1. Queen Of Asia Title & VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) defeated Chelsea Marie with the Diving Famouser (?:??). *V4 for the Queen Of Asia Title. V2 for the VPW Women’s Title.
The Philippines is where Yuki Kamifuku had her next defence of the Asian Double Crown. She had a close match against Chelsea Marie in what was just as much a battle of beauty as it was wits and skill. Marie almost won by putting Kamifuku in the Code Of Silence submission hold but the champ’s leg was long enough to reach over for a rope break. Marie climbed the ropes but was left vulnerable after Kamifuku reached out and poked her in the eye. Kamifuku Dropkicked her opponent off the turnbuckles then climbed up the same corner to hit the Diving Famouser and win the match.
DPW “SUPER BATTLE”, 13/10/2024 Grady Cole Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
1. Battle Of The Best – Final: Dani Luna defeated Shoko Nakajima with a Fireman’s Carry Bomb (13:17).
The winner of the Battle Of The Best tournament would be given a shot at the DPW Women’s World Title so Nakajima was on the cusp of getting that title shot. It wasn’t meant to be unfortunately. Dani Luna kicked out of the Northern Lights Suplex and prevented Nakajima from doing the Diving Senton by kicking her off the top rope. Nakajima didn’t expect Luna to then grab her on the apron from the ropes and throw her back into the ring with a Slingshot German Suplex. It was stunning enough for Luna to pin Nakajima with a Fireman’s Carry Bomb to win the tournament.
MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 1”, 19/10/2024 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Gisele Shaw defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Denoument (12:36).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mike Bailey with the Raging Fire (24:39).
The debut weekend of Maple Leaf Pro had both Takeshita and Yamashita taking part in featured matches. The main event of Night 1 was Takeshita and Mike Bailey showing North America what they were missing when Speedball spent most of his time in Japan for DDT. It was already a cross-promotional match between AEW and TNA that became an even bigger deal because it was also the AEW International Champion against the X Division Champion! Bailey kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee but was put away with the Raging Fire. It was another match of Takeshita’s that Meltzer gave the ***** to this month.
History will look back on Miyu Yamashita Vs Gisele Shaw as the buffer match that was placed in between one of the best matches of the year and one of the worst. I admit that’s an unfair way to look at things so seek this out because it was a pretty good match. Had Yamashita won she would have been added to the ROH Women’s World Title match on Night 2. But Shaw wasn’t going to let her get in the way and won this match with her own Running Knee Strike.
MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 2”, 20/10/2024 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita & Kylie Rae defeated Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron when Yamashita pinned Luck with the Skull Kick (9:26).
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Josh Alexander with the Raging Fire (29:31). *V1 for Konosuke Takeshita.
The last time Takeshita fought Josh Alexander one on one it ended in a time limit draw. For the rematch he was putting the AEW International Title on the line. Just like the night before, Takeshita almost won with the Powerdrive Knee and had to use the Raging Fire to put away his opponent. But after the match he and Don Callis decided to continue the attack on Alexander until Ricochet made a surprise appearance to fight Takeshita. The two of them would butt heads again in AEW later in the month so this looks to be Takeshita’s AEW program for November.
On Night 1 Kylie Rae was attacked by Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron so Yamashita’s role here was to even the odds for a tag match. While Rae took care of Cameron outside the ring, Yamashita pinned Luck with the Skull Kick inside the ring.
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Upcoming Appearances
BZW “FRIDAY NIGHT BANGER”, 01/11/2024 Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France
1. MAO Vs KURO
Once the calendar flips over to November MAO will be travelling around the world once more with the DDT Universal Title back in his possession. First destination is in France for a weekend of Banger Zone Wrestling events. KURO will be his opponent on Night 1.
BZW “ALCATRAZ”, 02/11/2024 Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson (c) Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
On Night 2, MAO will be joined by Yoshihiko to cause more international trouble. One of MAO’s goals for his overseas tour this time is to win a foreign company’s championship so the two of them will face Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson for the BZW Tag Team Titles.
Pom Harajuku is travelling to Singapore by herself without supervision! Is she going to be a sitting duck for Alexis Lee to tear apart limb from limb?
NJPW “FIGHTING SPIRIT UNLEASHED 2024”, 08/11/2024 Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
What is going to be in store for Takeshita when he goes back to New Japan next month for their next American show? Maybe Ricochet will show up looking for a fight again.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TJPW BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Rika Tatsumi & Amira Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Wakana Uehara
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Rebel Kel
4. Mizuki Vs Liiza Hall
5. Miu Watanabe & Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuki Aino & Zara Zakher
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Vert Vixen & Nicole Matthews
All shows from the DDT/TJPW/DEFY weekend will be airing on Triller via the TrillerTV+ subscription.
DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas Vs Bryan Keith & Shota Vs Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Randy Myers
3. Gringo Loco Vs Yuni
4. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Artemis Spencer Vs Gurv Shira & Harv Shira
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kohei Kinoshita
6. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: MAO (c) Vs Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita
More news for this show has been announced while I’ve been writing this with more still to come. Marina Shafir and Nick Wayne will both be there to wrestle.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Special Single Match: Gringo Loco Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & Mike Bailey Vs Judas Icarus & Travis Williams
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuni
I think some of the remaining card will not be decided until the other shows have taken place first.
GCW “CHAOS IN KENTUCKY”, 14/11/2024 Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Brooke Havok
Three GCW matches for Yamashita coming up in November. She faces Brooke Havok in a first time ever meeting between the two.
GCW “GATEWAY TO THE DEATH”, 15/11/2024 Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Mike Bailey
If this match is anything like their Pandemonium Pro bout from last December then the GCW fans will be in for a treat. Just make sure to use a better camera angle for the finish this time…
GCW “NICK GAGE INVITATIONAL 9”, 16/11/2024 Level 13 Event Center, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Is GCW going to keep that tournament name even though they’re currently on the outs with Nick Gage? Does that mean Maki Itoh has to drop the Maki Death Kill stuff the next time she goes back there or can she take over the gimmick like Kazuki Hirata did with Magnum TOKYO?
SETUP “YEAR END CLIMAX”, 30/11/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – No DQ Match: Matcha (c) Vs Pom Harajuku
When Harajuku was in a 3 Way Match against Matcha and Raku a month earlier, Matcha was the winner but she pinned Raku and Harajuku was left as the odd one out. Matcha and Harajuku then got into a fight and had to be kept apart. This unexpected grudge is coming to a head in November because SETUP is booking the two of them in a No DQ Match with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title on the line!
NJPW “STRONG STYLE EVOLVED”, 15/12/2024 Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
Takeshita will also be at NJPW USA’s December show. With two dates here for the rest of 2024 one of them would surely be a good place to defend the AEW International Title.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 08-09/02/2025 Mapocho Station Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
Both Yamashita and Itoh have filmed videos promoting their matches at the AEX convention. It sounds like there might be matches featuring local wrestlers as well as whoever else TJPW sends over. At least Yamashita and Itoh said they would like to fight whoever Chile can throw at them.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE COLLECTIVE 2025”, 17-19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
The actual shows haven’t been officially announced yet but The Collective tagged DDT and TJPW in their tweet announcing next year’s edition of Wrestlemania Week in Las Vegas. I’ll be there for sure!
God it feels like it’s been forever since I wrote so much about AEW in this series of articles. Konosuke Takeshita is getting more screen time with the one and only Kazuchika Okada becoming his new main target. Also Yuka Sakazaki returned to the ring and had several matches surrounding the AEW Women’s World Title. It even ended with an unusual reunion with somebody she used to know from Tokyo Joshi Pro. Sakazaki’s story did not end with her achieving gold and glory. It looks like she’s able to stick around this time though. She might end up taking a back seat in AEW from here on out or maybe she’ll drop down to Ring Of Honor but fingers crossed at least we all get to see her again.
Speaking of TJPW, a good few of the women there spent a lot of time travelling this month. Maki Itoh went back to America to finish off what was left of her disrupted tour. Shoko Nakajima reminded everyone she is quite the tournament wrestler by reaching yet another final. Yuki Kamifuku is continuing to prove why she deserves to be called the Queen Of Asia Champion. Plus in a change of pace we also got Raku & Pom Harajuku going on an adventure together in Thailand. As shown above Kenoh from NOAH was there too but he’s not important.
AEW “COLLISION”, 06/09/2024 NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. Continental Contenders Challenge: Konosuke Takeshita Vs The Beast Mortos
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 13/09/2024 Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Action Andretti (w/Lio Rush & Leila Grey)
MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024 Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Crystal (w/ Chairman Al)
AEW “COLLISION”, 14/09/2024 Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Serena Deeb
GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024 Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Kylie Rae
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 18/09/2024 Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Queen Aminata Vs Mariah May & Serena Deeb
2. Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson Vs Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher
AEW “DYNAMITE – GRAND SLAM”, 25/09/2024 Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York, USA
1. AEW Women’s World Title: Mariah May (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 27/09/2024 MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Angelico
SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 04/09/2024 UW Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
1. Dark Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Komander (w/ Alex Abrahantes) (?:??).
Not much to talk about Takeshita’s first match of the month. He beat Komander in a post-Dynamite dark match that followed up on the 4 Way they were both a part of the week prior. The result was pretty much the same here as it was in the 4 Way. Don Callis ordered Takeshita to give Komander another beating after the match but The Beast Mortos ran down to stop him. Takeshita and Mortos then got into a pull apart brawl.
AEW “COLLISION”, 06/09/2024 NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. Continental Contenders Challenge: Konosuke Takeshita defeated The Beast Mortos with the Raging Fire (12:00).
So a few days later Takeshita and Mortos faced off with a little something extra on the line. The winner would qualify for a 4 Way Match at “ALL OUT” that also includes Okada putting the AEW Continental Title on the line. Takeshita discovered it would take a lot more than just using his big Elbow Strike to knock the minotaur down and out. Mortos was hard headed enough to keep standing after taking a German Suplex that made him land on the top of his dome. The two of them also fought up to the top rope where Mortos lifted Takeshita up in a Gorilla Press and threw him down from such a high height. Things went to even more of a standstill after a Double Heabutt spot but Takeshita survived the trampling and got in a critical hit by using a Busaiku Knee Strike. After that he used the Raging Fire on Mortos and that won him the match.
F1RST “SATURDAY NIGHT NITRO”, 07/09/2024 Mall Of America, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
1. Allie Katch & Effy defeated Danhausen & Maki Itoh when Effy pinned Danhausen with a Cradle (?:??).
The famous Mall Of America was the location where Itoh met up with Danhausen again. This time they were teaming up as Very Cute, Very Evil Makihausen and that meant Itoh showed up in face paint! Their match against Bussy started off as a contest to see who was cutest between all four of them. Danhausen & Itoh both poured a jar of teeth down their opponents’ mouths and then kicked their faces. But things went wrong for them when they both tried to curse their opponents. Effy & Allie Katch both ducked the curse, leaving Danhausen & Itoh to curse each other! They started arguing leading to Danhausen giving Itoh a shove. Katch didn’t like what she was seeing and pushed Danhausen away from Itoh, unintentionally tripping him over Effy. Effy then pinned down Danhausen for the three count while Itoh got a comforting hug from Katch.
AEW “ALL OUT 2024”, 07/09/2024 NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. AEW Continental Title – 4 Way Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy and Konosuke Takeshita when Okada pinned Cassidy with the Rainmaker (14:59). *V5 for Kazuchika Okada.
Okada is as big of a target that Takeshita could ask for in all of pro wrestling let alone AEW or Japan. But he had two other bodies to contend with because Orange Cassidy and Mark Briscoe were also in the match aiming to win the Continental Title. He needed eyes in the back of his head and that was proven by the finish. Takeshita almost beat Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee but Cassidy broke the pin. Takeshita then countered the Orange Punch with an Elbow Strike and tried to set up the Raging Fire only for Okada to stop him. Okada then gave Briscoe the Rainmaker, Dropkicked Takeshita from the apron to the floor and after a small scare from Cassidy, he pinned Cassidy with the Rainmaker to remain champion. The cameras made sure to stay on Takeshita while Okada left to celebrate his victory. Things aren’t over between them yet.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 11/09/2024 (Aired 13/09/2024) Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Action Andretti (w/Lio Rush & Leila Grey) with the Raging Fire (11:53).
Things at the PPV didn’t go Takeshita’s way so it was time to bounce back. Action Andretti turned out to be more of a challenge than the match-up suggested on paper. However Andretti missed a Springboard 450 and also jumped right into an Elbow Smash. Takeshita then used the Powerdrive Knee but held up Andretti at a 2 count. That was just so Takeshita could use the Raging Fire to end things on an even more painful looking note.
AEW “COLLISION”, 12/09/2024 (Aired 14/09/2024) Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Serena Deeb with the Magical Girl Splash (10:38).
Guess who returned after being sidelined with an injury for the last five months? Sakazaki was back and her first AEW match in a long time was going to be against Serena Deeb. That was a matchup AEW were building up to anyway before Sakazaki got hurt so it seemed like whatever was planned back then was held aside all this time until Sakazaki was ready again. But first she introduced herself to Mariah May backstage and told her she is coming after the AEW Women’s Title. May didn’t take too kindly to that idea but her violent threats were no sold by Sakazaki. Later in the show Sakazaki went on to not only beat Deeb but also fend off a post-match attack from May. Sakazaki celebrated a good night by holding up the title belt.
MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024 Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Crystal (w/ Chairman Al) (?:??). *V3 for Yuki Kamifuku.
The reigning Queen Of Asia Champion travelled to China for her latest title defence. Kamifuku headlined a Middle Kingdom Wrestling show in Shanghai, beating Crystal to retain one of the Asian Double Crown belts. She gave a speech to the fans in both Chinese and English after the match.
GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024 Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Kylie Rae with the Stunner (9:23).
Maki Itoh’s GCW dates in August got cut short due to injury but she was able to come back this month to get through the second half of her latest tour. Nobody was happier to see her than Kylie Rae because they were meant wrestle each other on one of Itoh’s cancelled dates. It didn’t take long for the fun and games to turn into slaps and strikes though. In fact Rae started losing her cool and started pulling cheap tricks to try and win like using the ropes to leverage a pin. The ref caught her doing it though and stopped his count. Itoh’s hard head gave her the defensive advantage and she was able to beat Rae with the Stunner. Itoh forgave Rae for playing dirty and the two made up after the match.
GCW “THA G-CODE”, 15/09/2024 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. 4 Way Match: Sawyer Wreck defeated Maki Itoh, Brooke Havok and Dark Sheik when Wreck pinned Havok with a Neck Hanging Bomb (7:54).
The next night Itoh found herself in a 4 Way Match with opponents old and new. She’s been in the ring with both Sawyer Wreck and Dark Sheik a bunch of times while Brooke Havok was a new face for her to wrestle. Itoh was taken out by a Tornado Kick from Shiek, Havok dropped Sheik with a Pumphandle Drop and Wreck then pinned Sheik with a Neck Hanging Bomb. Itoh was too far away to break the pin before the three count.
DPW “CAROLINA CLASSIC”, 15/09/2024 Durham Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
1. Battle Of The Best – Round 2: Shoko Nakajima defeated Jada Stone with the Diving Senton (?:??).
The Big Kaiju returned to Deadlock Pro to compete in the next round of the Battle Of The Best tournament. However plans had to change when her scheduled opponent Trish Adora was unable to compete. Jada Stone grabbed the opportunity to fill in for Adora by winning a pre-show match held to determine Nakajima’s new opponent. She put up a good fight but in the end Nakajima booked her place in the final using the Diving Senton to win.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 18/09/2024 Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki & Queen Aminata defeated Mariah May & Serena Deeb by Disqualification when May attacked Sakazaki with the AEW Women’s World Title Belt (7:57).
2. Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson when Fletcher pinned Matt Jackson after the Coriolis (21:05).
Things are getting a little more tense with Takeshita now. He had another chance to face Okada in the ring but had to team with other members of The Don Callis Family. There’s a little “family” rivalry brewing between him and Will Ospreay so some jealous looks during tags were hard to hide from everybody. Okada also had The Young Bucks backing him up to be a pain in everyone’s sides. Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher pulled out the win in the end but the aftermath only showed there are more signs of infighting between Takeshita and Ospreay.
It was now clear that Sakazaki will be facing May for the AEW Women’s Title near the end of the month. A preview tag had Sakazaki dealing with both May and Deeb again. Her tag partner Queen Aminata had also been spending the month so far in a similar position so they became a team with common enemies. Sakazaki had was about to beat Deeb with the Magical Girl Splash again for the second time in a row when May ran into the ring with her title belt and hit Sakazaki behind the head with it. The match ended in a DQ but May continued to attack Sakazaki with the title to get her own back for what happened a week earlier.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 21/09/2024 (Aired 27/09/2024) MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Angelico with the Raging Fire (9:09).
Due to AEW’s taping schedule this match was kept in the bag for a week and didn’t air until near the end of the month. Just like with the Andretti match, Angelico made the grave mistake of going high risk and jumping his way right into an Elbow Smash to the jaw. The Blue Thunder Bomb and then the Raging Fire ended Takeshita’s month with a win.
AEW “DYNAMITE – GRAND SLAM”, 25/09/2024 Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York, USA
1. AEW Women’s World Title: Mariah May (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Storm Zero (6:11). *V2 for Mariah May.
Sadly for Sakazaki her long delayed quest to win the AEW Women’s Title ended in failure over at Arthur Ashe Stadium. May beat her clean by blocking the Magical Girl Splash with her knees and then using the Storm Zero for the three count. May wanted to continue attacking Sakazaki after the match but Willow Nightingale ran down to make the save. Then in an interesting reunion Mina Shirakawa made her entrance with the intention of protecting her close friend by evening the odds. However her “incredible live show charisma” was such a distraction that Nightingale dropped her guard allowing May strike her from behind with the title belt. May ran off to celebrate with Shirakawa, Shirakawa was confused by her actions and Sakazaki tried to chase after May before stopping in front of her old workmate.
SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) defeated Raku and Pom Harajuku when Matcha pinned Raku with the Stunner (?:??). *V3 for Matcha.
Both Raku and Harajuku made their way over to Thailand to be part of a big SETUP show. The event also included Kenoh as one of the headline stars but I’m not here to write about him. Raku got to perform for the crowd at the start of the show and then returned later to fight for a championship. Matcha put her SETUP All Asia Women’s Title on the line against her and Harajuku in a 3 Way Match. Raku took a bried nap in the middle of the ring, forcing Matcha and Harajuku to wrestle each other over her. Raku and Harajuku went on to have some fun at Matcha’s expense until the champion reached her limit and put a stop to it all. Harajuku gave Raku the Pom de Justice but Matcha then threw Harajuku out of the ring. She then gave Raku a Stunner and went for the pin. The ref stopped himself at two thinking there was a kickout (there clearly wasn’t) so Matcha gave Raku another Stunner and this time got the three count. Afterward Matcha and Harajuku got into an argument and began to fight, forcing the ringside officials to pull them apart. You read that right, Pom Harajuku was in a pull apart brawl!
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Upcoming Appearances
DEXCON “JAM OF THE JOSHIS”, 13/10/2024 Brawl Pit Bulusan, Manila, Philippines
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) Vs Chelsea Marie
If Kamifuku can successfully defend the Double Asian Crown against Xiz Zhao in TJPW then she will next bring the Queen Of Asia Title over to the Philippines. “The Pinay Vixen” Chelsea Marie won a match at the last DEXCON show to become Kamifuku’s challenger for this joshi themed event.
DPW “SUPER BATTLE”, 13/10/2024 Grady Cole Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
1. Battle Of The Best – Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Dani Luna
A future shot for the DPW Women’s World Title is within reach for Nakajima. All she has to do is beat Dani Luna in the Battle Of The Best final.
MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 1”, 19/10/2024 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita
A familiar friend and foe will be Takeshita’s first opponent at Maple Leaf Pro’s opening weekend. It will be the first time he wrestles Mike Bailey in Bailey’s home country of Canada.
MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 2”, 20/10/2024 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Josh Alexander Vs Konosuke Takeshita
The Takeshita Vs Bailey match announcement also cleared up which night the Josh Alexander match would take place. It looks like it will be the main event of the entire weekend.
With Thailand checked off, Pom Harajuku’s next trip will be to Singapore Pro Wrestling for a match against Alexis Lee. She is going to try and avoid being bitten while Lee will try to avoid her shins getting kicked off.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TJPW BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
I bet we’ll start getting some more announcements soon. TJPW are sending over Miu Watanabe, Suzume, Arisu Endo, Yuki Kamifuku, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Yuki Aino, Moka Miyamoto and Wakana Uehara. The DEFY side will be using 6-8 local/American wrestlers and the card is expected to have 6 or 7 matches.
DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
The DDT show later that day is advertising Konosuke Takeshita, Daisuke Sasaki, Dansoku Dieno, MAO, Gringo Loco, Shota, Yuni and Yoshihiko to all appear.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
The next day will bring everyone together for one big finale.
GCW “CHAOS IN KENTUCKY”, 14/11/2024 Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Once the DEFY shows are over Yamashita will be sticking around in the US for one of GCW’s big tentpole weekends of the year.
GCW “GATEWAY TO THE DEATH”, 15/11/2024 Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
There was a piece of an interview with Yamashita from a Japanese site I saw during the month. She said something like this has been the first year in her career where she hasn’t worried about the pressure of being the company ace or the headline champion for another promotion. It allowed her to learn how to just enjoy wrestling without carrying the weight of a company on her shoulders (the interview was before she won the Princess Tag Team Titles with Itoh so so much for that break). That could explain why she’s drawn to GCW. She gets to do things she wouldn’t normally do in TJPW, like smack someone over the head with a steel chair.
GCW “NICK GAGE INVITATIONAL 9”, 16/11/2024 Level 13 Event Center, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Yamashita’s not going to enter the Nick Gage Invitational tournament, is she? There’s already another Yamashita taking part in it.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025 Mapocho Station Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
Next February TJPW will be making its first mark in Chile. They are sending over a few wrestlers to have matches at the AEX Santiago anime convention. Yamashita and Itoh are the first names announced. The event graphics hints at least two other people from the roster will join them. Apparently Chiitan is going to be there too so 121000000 can have a reunion with the mascot.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 