Takeshita’s 2nd G1 Adventure (He Won It!)

August 18, 2025

It only took him two tries to nail it. Konosuke Takeshita took part in his second G1 Climax for New Japan after making his tournament debut last year. Whereas last time Takeshita treated the G1 as his way to spread his name across NJPW with a few short lived alliances and some seed planting for the future, this year he was all in on winning the tournament relying only on himself… and Rocky Romero. Firmly representing The Don Callis Family in AEW, Takeshita had no intention of teaming with any of the NJPW units for his non-tournament bouts. It’s a somewhat lonely decision that paid off in the long run. When the dust had settled, Takeshita had emerged as this year’s G1 winner! He is now the third wrestler with a DDT background to win the big tournament, joining Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi.

Something I want to make note of is before the tournament began, whispers had been going around in some online circles that New Japan was putting together big plans for Takeshita this year. That pretty much foreshadowed how his G1 was going to turn out even before it started. Now information like that emerging late in the tournament is not out of the ordinary if you’re deep into the insider stuff but having it happen before the G1 even began? That just shows somebody who is in the weeds had some very loose lips this time around.

Block B

1. Zack Sabre Jr. (14)
2. Shota Umino (12)
-. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (12)
4. Shingo Takagi (10)
-. Ren Narita (10)
6. YOSHI-HASHI (8)
-. Drilla Moloney (8)
-. Great-O-Khan (8)
-. El Phantasmo (8)
10. Gabe Kidd (0)


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 19/07/2025
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center Hokkai Kitayell
2,579 Fans

7. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (2) defeated Gabe Kidd (0) by Referee Stoppage with the Plus Ultra (13:15).

The opening day of the G1 pitted Takeshita against the most hot-headed wrestler in Block B. Gabe Kidd was taking part as the current IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion and he too was expected to play a big part in the tournament. However Takeshita went blow for blow against him and took things one step further than the mad man. After hitting him with an Elbow Strike to the back of the head, Takeshita then grabbed Kidd’s head and gave him a Neck Snap before applying the Plus Ultra, his version of the Chickenwing Face Lock. Kidd fainted from the move and the match was ruled in Takeshita’s favour. Kidd did regain consciousness and tried to fight Takeshita again after the match but the Young Lions at ringside kept them apart. Backstage Takeshita admitted to blacking out during the match so he felt it was only right to make things even by knocking Kidd out. He had hoped this will be the end of their story but knows they have unfinished business so he challenged Kidd to meet him in the finals. However Kidd eventually ended up pulling out of the rest of the tournament due to injury so his run was ended by Takeshita before it could really get going.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 20/07/2025
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center Hokkai Kitayell
2,520 Fans

8. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: El Phantasmo (2) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (2) with the CR III (15:02).

Next up was an immediate revisit of Takeshita’s rivalry with El Phantasmo. They had their first singles match together at last year’s G1 where Takeshita was the victor. Since then they had two more singles matches each with a different championship on the line. They had a time limit draw over the NJPW World TV Title and Takeshita then beat ELP in a NEVER Openweight Title defence. This time around ELP finally got a win over Takeshita. He back flipped out of a German Suplex and flipped Takeshita over with a Reverse Hurricanrana. Takeshita kicked out after taking a the CR II so ELP used the move a second time and then finished Takeshita off with the CR III to score his first points of the tournament. Takeshita gave credit to his rival by telling the reporters afterwards that he and ELP are always evolving to take the next step. He then brought up Gabe Kidd and talked about Kidd’s knee injury. That prompted Kidd to approach him on crutches with a warning. One day he’s going to kill Takeshita, leaving Yuka Sakazaki and their pet dog Kenshiro behind all on their lonesome!


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 22/07/2025
Miyagi Sendai Sun Plaza Hall
1,714 Fans

3. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Rocky Romero defeated Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young when Romero pinned Young with a Crushed La Magistral Cradle (7:30).

With the death threat out of the way, Takeshita moved onto preparations for his next block match. His first non-tournament bout meant Romero now started to pay his part on the tour as Takeshita’s tag partner. First up for the duo was Great-O-Khan alongside Californian wrestler and United Empire ally Jakob Austin Young. Romero countered Young’s La Magistral Cradle by blocking it mid-move and pressing himself down on his opponent for the pinfall. Meanwhile O-Khan had grabbed Takeshita with an Iron Claw outside the ring and it required the seconds at ringside to break up the hold. After listing all of his sponsors backstage, O-Khan told reporters he has no idea how much skill the fool Takeshita has but he heard about him being strong in AEW. He wants to see that strength in their G1 match because he didn’t see a single glimpse of it here. Takeshita promised to blow O-Khan’s head off his shoulders with his right elbow. When he left, Romero started to brag about aiming to win this year’s “C Block” of non-tournament matches.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 23/07/2025
Niigata Aore Nagaoka
1,547 Fans

8. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) defeated Great-O-Khan (2) with the Raging Fire (17:05).

Takeshita got his revenge the next night but it proved to be a bit difficult to decapitate the guy. He got the big Elbow Strike in as a counter to O-Khan’s strikes and used the Raging Fire for the victory. He then rubbed salt into the wound after the match by doing O-Khan’s standing pose over his prone body. By this point Takeshita understood that he is facing a strong field of opponents this year and can see similarities between himself and O-Khan. He’d like to fight him again but that doesn’t mean he wants to team with him or anything. O-Khan feels the same way. He empathizes with Takeshita over having a triple contract deal that prevents him from touring with NJPW. O-Khan thinks Takeshita does not have to love NJPW in order to belong to the company.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 25/07/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1,308 Fans

4. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Rocky Romero defeated Shingo Takagi & Daiki Nagai when Romero submitted Nagai with an Armbar (7:32).

Next up for Takeshita & Romero is a fight with Shingo Takagi & Daiki Nagai. The Young Lion caused a bit of a stir by declaring he was going to make Romero cry in pain! That didn’t happen. While Takeshita and Takagi had cancelled each other out, Romero captured Nagai in an Armbar to make him tap out. Romero couldn’t resist but ask everyone backstage who is crying now! Takeshita’s message to Takagi before their Block B match is for them to have a fight that surpasses their match from the Tokyo Dome back on 4th January. Nagai later told Takagi about Takeshita’s track and field credentials from middle school and high school because Nagai comes from a similar background. Takagi however thinks that amateur results don’t matter. That’s a lesson the incoming Aaron Wolf should be aware of too. Takagi also revealed he was mad when he heard Takeshita talk about aiming for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title right after he lost the NEVER Title to Oleg Boltin.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 26/07/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
2,250 Fans

9. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) defeated Shingo Takagi (2) by Referee Stoppage with the Plus Ultra (23:56).

This was the first of several main events Takeshita took part in during the tournament. By this point in the G1 Takagi has had a bad start and it went no better against Takeshita. He was still a formidable opponent who hit Takeshita as hard as Takeshita could hit him. But something Takagi didn’t expect was for Takeshita to use the Made In Japan against him! That wasn’t enough to win so Takeshita had to pull out the Plus Ultra again to render Takagi unconscious. Takeshita told reporters that his wrestling philosophy is to live strong and stay strong. Living strong means living for tomorrow which means Takeshita is the strongest tomorrow, the day after that, a year from now and even a decade into the future!


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 27/07/2025
Aichi Port Messe Nagoya Exhibition Hall 1
2,162 Fans

4. Zack Sabre Jr. & Hartley Jackson defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Rocky Romero when Jackson pinned Romero with the Death Valley Bomb (9:01).

All this good momentum Takeshita and his buddy Romero were building up came to a stop when they collided with TMDK. Takeshita now had Zack Sabre Jr. to worry about while Romero was stuck having to wrestle the much bigger Hartley Jackson. Romero proceeded to make the fatal mistake of calling Jackson fat and paid the price when Jackson flattened him with a Cross Body Block before pinning him with the Death Valley Bomb. Takeshita’s night wasn’t much better because Sabre tangled him up with a Cobra Twist outside the ring. Once they were seperated, Sabre taunted Takeshita with the IWGP World Title belt. Takeshita was humbled a bit by what happened but said if he beats Sabre next, it will prove he is the strongest. He will absorb Sabre’s wrestling to become even stronger. Sabre said he isn’t stupid enough to criticise a wrestler like Takeshita. They have some similarities when it comes to their age of debut and their age from when they started to wrestle around the world. The differences are Sabre is the champion and nobody understands technique as much as he does!


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 30/07/2025
Osaka Yamato University Yamato Arena
1,390 Fans

9. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) with a Modified Sleeper Hold (22:37).

Sabre went ahead and taught Takeshita that harsh lesson inside the ring and in Takeshita’s home city of Osaka. He had an answer for everything Takeshita had for him, including the Plus Ultra. Then when Takeshita tried the Raging Fire, Sabre escaped and pulled out the Sabre Driver as a counter. Takeshita kicked out and gained the advantage using Elbow Strikes but the Raging Fire was again countered, this time into a Sleeper Hold. Takeshita did what he could to fight out of it but Sabre kept his grip and wore his opponent down to nothing, leaving Takeshita with no choice but to tap out. After the match Sabre said Takeshita might be The Alpha “but I’m the fucking World Heavyweight Champion, dickhead!”


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 01/08/2025
Sun Messe Kagawa
1,244 Fans

2. Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Rocky Romero when Ishimori submitted Romero with the Bone Lock (7:24).

Takeshita’s rocky patch of results continued when he had to go fight wrestlers from Bullet Club WAR DOGS again. Drilla Moloney entered NJPW as a Jr. Heavyweight but switched up to the heavier weight class this year. Takeshita looked like he could get the better of him here but the match came down to Taiji Ishimori catching Romero in La Mistica and then tapping him out with the Bone Lock. Moloney revealed after the match he had no grudge with Takeshita. That was until Takeshita injured Kidd in the opening day. That robbed Moloney of the chance to wrestle his best friend in the G1. Ishimori also hyped up Moloney for going into the match with a 4-1 record in the tournament so far. Takeshita warned Moloney not to get too cocky just because he is motivated to get revenge on behalf of Kidd. Romero called the WAR DOGS nothing more than a pack of miniature poodles.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 02/08/2025
Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
2,002 Fans

8. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (8) defeated Drilla Moloney (8) with the Raging Fire (14:01).

Takeshita got things back on track by beating Moloney in the B Block. The two had a brief staredown and then fought out of the ring where Takeshita gave Moloney a Brainbuster into a row of chairs. Moloney kept going for the Gore back in the ring but when he finally hit it, there wasn’t enough damage done to soften Takeshita up for the Drilla Killer. Instead Takeshita hit a Rolling Elbow and also the Wagamama. Moloney had some fight left in him but ultimately fell to the Raging Fire shortly afterwards. Takeshita said he could feel Moloney’s strong will but nothing is going to stop him from reaching the top. Moloney admitted he let his emotions get to him and he tried to hurt Takeshita for Kidd when he should have been fighting to get himself more points.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 03/08/2025
Fukuoka International Center
2,534 Fans

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Rocky Romero defeated YOSHI-HASHI & Shoma Kato when Romero pinned Kato with the Slice Rocky (8:13).

The turnaround meant Romero got to taste victory again too. Takeshita’s next non-tournament match was a preview for his G1 bout with YOSHI-HASHI. The Young Lion Shoma Kato got to show his tenacity by hitting Takeshita with Shoulder Blocks over and over until he could finally knock him down with the move. YOSHI-HASHI was able to get Takeshita out of the ring but Romero kept up his part of the bargain by pinning Kato with the Slice Rocky. Takeshita and YOSHI-HASHI kept fighting each other after the match before being seperated. Backstage Takeshita said he heard about the time YOSHI-HASHI miraculously defeated Kenny Omega in the G1 but he is never going to beat The Alpha! Their match is going to be an easy one for Takeshita. YOSHI-HASHI took offence to that and promised to break Takeshita’s long nose! Meanwhile Kato was annoyed that Takeshita didn’t remember him from when they wrestled each other during last year’s G1 tour. He doesn’t want to wait another year to fight him again.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 05/08/2025
Intex Osaka Hall #5
1,142 Fans

6. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (10) defeated YOSHI-HASHI (8) with the Raging Fire (15:13).

Takeshita went on to reach 10 points after beating YOSHI-HASHI, equaling his score from last year. While victory was not in doubt, Takeshita still had to work hard to earn it. YOSHI-HASHI had counters for the Raging Fire from using Inside Cradles to making him fall with DDTs. He got a nearfall with the Swanton Bomb and tried to win with the Karma but Takeshita countered that into a Stunner. Once Takeshita pulled off the Raging Fire, victory was his. He’d love to call that an easy win but it was nothing like it. He hates guys like YOSHI-HASHI the most because they are the veteran wrestlers who act like they are steadily declining until a match that matters happen and they become serious just like that. Those are the guys Takeshita thinks make pro wrestling boring. YOSHI-HASHI said it is clear Takeshita loves pro wrestling and knows a lot about NJPW’s history. There were parts of the match where Takeshita even reminded YOSHI-HASHI of Kazuchika Okada. But Okada is even more of a monster than Takeshita is.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 07/08/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,509 Fans

4. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Rocky Romero defeated Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma when TAKESHITA submitted Honma with the Plus Ultra (5:38).

Shota Umino was eager to start fighting with Takeshita as soon as they could but Takeshita let Romero start off the match instead. Tomoaki Honma though got some hits in and scored a nearfall on Takeshita with the Kokeshi. Takeshita quickly put a stop to that by countering the Kokeshi Rocket with an Elbow Strike and then forced Honma to give up to the Plus Ultra. Umino tried to attack Takeshita after the match but was given a Brainbuster onto the floor for his troubles. Takeshita heard that Umino is currently going through his “Second Chapter” but from his perspective Umino hasn’t even started his prologue yet. There is a world of difference between them so he wants Umino to think carefully about how he can win. Whatever he comes up with, Takeshita is sure he can surpass it. Romero added to the insults by saying everyone was talking about Takeshita after the Tokyo Dome this year while nobody had anything positive to say about Umino.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 08/08/2025
Yokohama Budokan
2,448 Fans

9. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: Shota Umino (10) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (10) with the Second Chapter (25:46).

Umino did indeed find a way to beat Takeshita and the result of that put Takeshita’s chances of advancing out of Block B in danger. This was also Takeshita’s longest match of the tournament up to this point. He gave Umino another Brainbuster on the floor just like the day before but nothing could put Umino away, not even the Plus Ultra. He hit back with Lariats, countered one Raging Fire into a Neckbreaker and countered another into the Second Chapter, winning the match at Takeshita’s expense. Umino said it doesn’t matter which dojo Takeshita came from. He has to remember there are people around the world who love pro wrestling. It is the role of a wrestler to visit these places and give back to those people. Backstage Takeshita said in the next five to ten years Umino will look back on today and think he could only ever beat Takeshita once.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 10/08/2025
G-Messe Gunma
2,053 Fans

4. Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Rocky Romero when Narita submitted Romero with a Cross Kneebar (6:25).

Here comes trouble. With Takeshita at risk of not reaching the playoffs he had to put all of his focus on Ren Narita. It was the exact same way last year. Even the bit where House Of Torture beats Takeshita’s team in a non-tournament match because of Yoshinobu Kanemaru happened last time around too. What happened here was Kanemaru hit Romero in the knee with a whiskey bottle while Narita distracted the ref. Then once the coast was clear Narita made Romero submit to a Cross Kneebar. Narita is sick of hearing Takeshita rambling on and on about being the strongest. However what happened here only made Takeshita even more determined to beat all of the House Of Torture.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 13/08/2025
Shizuoka Act City Hamamatsu
1,730 Fans

9. G1 CLIMAX 35 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (12) defeated Ren Narita (10) by Referee Stoppage with the Plus Ultra (20:50).

You know the drill by now. It’s the last day of the group stage and Takeshita needs to win. By this point the other results in Block B all went a certain way for him to qualify for the playoffs as long as he could beat Narita. History repeated itself and Takeshita was able to render Narita unconscious to the point where his gumshield was knocked out of his mouth again. Other House Of Torture members ambushed Takeshita and Romero before the match began. They continued to attack Takeshita by targeting his left leg in the hopes of counting him out of the ring. Takeshita withstood Narita’s knee submissions while Romero did whatever he could to combat Dick Togo and Don Fale’s interference at ringside. Takeshita wiped everyone out with a dive which allowed Romero to chase Togo away while the Young Lions escorted Fale to the back. That didn’t stop Narita from using more ways to cheat and also bring in Kanemaru for even more interference. That backfired when a spray of Whiskey Mist blinded Narita instead of Takeshita. After bumping Kanemaru to the floor, Takeshita then put Narita in the Plus Ultra to choke him out and win his last block match.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 14/08/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,518 Fans

6. G1 CLIMAX 35 – Final Tournament Qualifier: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated David Finlay with the Raging Fire (17:02).

Takeshita still had a long way to go. By finishing third in the B Block he had to start in the earliest round of the playoffs where David Finlay from the A Block was waiting for him. They hadn’t fought each other since last year’s G1 where Finlay was the victor. He was even more vicious this time around, Power Bombing Takeshita from the aprong through two tables at ringside. Takeshita later kicked out of the Into Oblivion at the 1 Count and then kicked out of a Power Bomb at 2. He avoided the Overkill and used a Last Ride to set Finlay up for the Wagamama. After that he dropped Finlay with the Raging Fire to get the win. Takeshita said losing the Quarter Final to Yota Tsuji was the first time he cried since he became a pro wrestler because it felt like the ultimate failure. But a pro wrestler is someone who gets back up which means he has no choice but to win and become No. 1! Romero then hyped up Takeshita by calling him the Uncrowned King Of Pro Wrestling.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 16/08/2025
Tokyo Ariake Arena
4,558 Fans

8. G1 CLIMAX 35 – Semi Final: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Zack Sabre Jr. with the Raging Fire (26:46).

The semi final brought Takeshita right back to Zack Sabre Jr. In a rematch from the B Block a spot in the grand final was on the line for both men. This time Takeshita pulled out something pretty dangerous to be the difference maker. When the two of them were both standing on the top rope fighting each other, Takeshita lifted Sabre up into the air and dropped him onto his head with the Avalanche Raging Fire! The move knocked Sabre completely loopy but he wasn’t finished just yet so Takeshita gave him another Raging Fire to make sure he was completely beaten. Sabre said getting dropped on your head sucks but so too is losing to EVIL. So he is throwing his support behind Takeshita for the final. Otherwise if EVIL wins then Zack will throw himself into the Pacific Ocean and the IWGP World Title would probably have to be vacated.


NJPW “YAMADA INFRA TECHNOS PRESENTS G1 CLIMAX 35”, 17/08/2025
Tokyo Ariake Arena
6,870 Fans

8. G1 CLIMAX 35 – Final: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated EVIL with the Raging Fire (26:26).

And so we come to the end of a G1 that was quite frankly not to anyone’s cup of tea. EVIL had made it to the final thanks to the usual over reliance of cheating from House Of Torture that not a lot of people enjoy. But Takeshita reaching the final as something of an outsider at the expense of NJPW’s current generation of homegrown talent had been a sore spot for New Japan’s hardcore fans going into this match too. House Of Torture didn’t wait long to make their presence felt but Romero, the Young Lions and even Sabre all played their part in chasing off the unit so Takeshita and EVIL could go through the rest of the match mano a mano. Takeshita used EVIL’s own finisher against him but EVIL resorted to using a Low Blow to take back the advantage. EVIL also blocked the Wagamama and tried to throw an Elbow Strike only for Takeshita to beat him to the punch with one of his own. Seeing his opening, he immediately gave EVIL the Raging Fire and three second later became the winner of the 35th G1 Climax!

When Takeshita was presented with his trophy he told the fans a pro wrestler is someone who dreams, make those dreams come true and gives dreams to others. He is now standing at the pinnacle and invites everyone to put their dreams on him while he makes NJPW and the world of pro wrestling more exciting. Backstage he said his next goal is to stand in the Tokyo Dome on 4th January as the IWGP Champion so he wants to challenge Sabre for the title in the near future. He also talked about how grateful he is for Romero because he always helps him out all over the world. He also praised EVIL for being one of his best opponents he’s ever faced. He understands there are some wrestlers out there who think this result is crap but Takeshita believes his strength is something he’s been carrying since his teenage years. When he is no longer strong, that will be when it will be time to quit pro wrestling.

Comments Off on Takeshita’s 2nd G1 Adventure (He Won It!) | Outside Of DDT, Results, Tournaments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – January 2025

February 1, 2025

A new year means new adventures and a fresh sense of excitement to go exploring again. Konosuke Takeshita now has work with New Japan to deal with alongside his AEW duties. It’s opened up a whole new group of opponents to fight in America as well as Japan, especially since he has a championship in each company he wants to defend often. Yuka Sakazaki had a very big month by taking part in a special retirement match and also getting a big chance to do some things on AEW TV. But now that has come and gone I worry that she’s going to vanish from the shows again. Yuki Kamifuku is continuing her series of matches with Alexis Lee across Southeast Asia. Maki Itoh went on tour across the world with GCW but sadly lost her championship along the way.

A lot more destinations are coming up in the Springtime. Chile gets to experience Tokyo Joshi Pro on their own soil, Takeshita gets a very big tag match in Australia, Miyu Yamashita gets to wrestle in Germany for the first time and all roads will be leading us towards the bright lights of Las Vegas. I know I got the tickets I want for Wrestlemania Week.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Jonathan Johnson

AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA


1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Queen Aminata Vs Deonna Purazzo Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Serena Deeb


2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Katsuyori Shibata


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki

———————————————————————–

Results


NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
24,107 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c) defeated Shingo Takagi (N/c) with the Raging Fire (11:42).
*V5 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Shingo Takagi fails in V2. Becomes the 47th/11th Champion!

I already wrote about Takeshita’s big weekend at the Tokyo Dome. You can read it here.


NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
16,300 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Raging Fire (13:30).
*V1 for NEVER Openweight Title. V6 for AEW International Title.

Same as above.


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 3”, 10/01/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Alexis Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
V6 for Yuki Kamifuku.

As far as I know it was just the Queen Of Asia Title that was on the line for Kamifuku’s latest appearance at Singapore Pro Wrestling. Her rivalry with Alexis Lee may have turned friendly but Lee still wants to win that title back. Kamifuku was able to beat her again for another title defence. It also won’t be the last time this year they fight each other in SPW. More on that later.


NJPW “BATTLE IN THE VALLEY”, 11/01/2025
San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA

1. Sumie Sakai Retirement Match – Tornado Tag Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sumi Sakai, EVIL & SHO when Takahashi pinned Sakai with the TIME BOMB (14:42).
2. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated KUSHIDA with the Raging Fire (15:08).
*V2 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

With a new path forged in New Japan, Takeshita went to fight for the company over in America. California was the place where his next NEVER Openweight Title defence was scheduled. KUSHIDA was his challenger in his latest attempt to take on the heavyweights. His gameplan was to start with breaking down Takeshita’s arm before switching to his legs with sweeping Leg Kicks. The plan worked in that it did weaken Takeshita’s moveset and made the match more competitive than first it looked on paper. But Takeshita was able to stand tall in the end and put away KUSHIDA. Takeshita then went ahead and called his shot. When Hiroshi Tanahashi has his final match in America before he retires, Takeshita wants to be his opponent!

If you want to watch a feel good wrestling match to get you out of the new year dumps, go seek out Sumie Sakai’s retirement bout. She teamed up with House Of Torture members EVIL & SHO because of their connections back in their American excursions days. Sakazaki was one of the many people who wanted to be a part of the match as a thank you to Sakai. She got chosen among the lucky trio that included Hiromu Takahashi from NJPW & Mayu Iwatani from Stardom. There was also a female Kamaitachi hanging around at ringside who nobody has been able to identify since (I’ve seen a few guesses it was Iyo Sky because she was in attendance and I appreciate the cheekiness of it if true). Sakazaki whacked SHO over the head with a foreign object and gave him the Tea Time. Sakai ended up fighting on her own and kept kicking out for as long as she could. Takahashi eventually kept her down for the count with the TIME BOMB.


IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Jonathan Johnson defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Swanton Bomb (?:??).

This month saw SETUP become the new bearers of the International Wrestling Association brand by launching the debut IWA Thailand show. Masahiro Takanashi went over to take part in a tournament to determine the No. 1 Contender for the IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title. He had no problem being the bad guy against Jonathan Johnson and even got some ringside help from Shota getting in Johnson’s way whenever it was convenient. However Johnson fought off the numbers disadvantage and made Shota Super Kick Takanashi by mistake. Johnson then countered the Takatonic into an Implant for a nearfall and then hit the Swanton Bomb to get the upset win, knocking Takanashi out of the tournament in the 1st Round.


GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. GCW Ultraviolent Title & GCW Extreme Title – Doors, Ladders & Chairs Unification Match: Matt Tremont defeated Maki Itoh (E/c), John Wayne Murdoch, Drew Parker, Rina Yamashita, Brandon Kirk, Dr. Redacted and Matthew Justice when Tremont grabbed the titles (15:55).
*Maki Itoh fails in V5. Matt Tremont becomes the 10th GCW Ultraviolent Champion and 11th GCW Extreme Champion!

Maki Itoh took a big gamble and it did not pay off. She wanted to double her title collection in GCW by joining the Doors, Ladders & Chairs match where the vacant GCW Ultraviolent Title was on the line. To do that she agreed to put the GCW Extreme Title up for grabs too so both championships would end up being unified together. John Wayne Murdoch complained about her inclusion at the start of the match, causing Itoh to fake cry so everyone else would attack him in her defence. Itoh also did the ladder spin spot, hitting whoever was in her way until Matthew Justice smashed her with a chair. Her last big spot of the match was diving off a ladder onto everyone else outside the ring. She ended up getting taken out of the match when Drew Parker did the Swanton Bomb from the ladder onto herself and Murdoch through some tables at ringside. Matt Tremont ended up being the last one left to climb the ladder and pull down both belts.


BZW/GCW “ENTER THE ZONE”, 25/01/2025
Espace Isabelle De Hainaut, Rue De Saint-Quentin, France

1. BZW Title: Joseph Fenech Jr. (c) defeated Maki Itoh by Disqualification when Itoh was caught with Brass Knuckles (?:??).
*V7 for Joseph Fenech Jr.

One week later Itoh travelled to Europe with GCW for a weekend of shows in France and England. For a brief moment it looked like Itoh was the new champion of Banger Zone Wrestling when she defeated Joseph Fenech Jr. for the BZW Title. However during the match Fenech placed a pair of brass knuckles into Itoh’s gear so when he lost the match, he complained to the ref and accused Itoh of cheating. The ref inspected Itoh, found the brass knucks “hidden” in her costume and decided to reverse the decision.


AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Queen Aminata, Deonna Purazzo and Serena Deeb when Sakazaki pinned Purazzo with a Modified Crucifix Pin (9:28).
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Katsuyori Shibata with the Raging Fire (13:29).
*V7 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Back in AEW, Takeshita called out an unexpected opponent to be his next challenger for the AEW International Title. He wanted a piece of Katsuyori Shibata after seeing him winning matches in ROH! It was a match that just as much existed to show everyone that Shibata can still take bumps because Takeshita Suplexed him around quite a bit. Shibata though was able to withstand the attacks and push back, fighting his way towards a possible title change. However Don Callis in a panic left the commentary booth to grab Shibata’s leg from ringside as a distraction. Takeshita then grabbed Shibata for the Blue Thunder Bomb. Shibata kicked out of that with a 1 Count so Takeshita put him away with the Raging Fire.

Sakazaki’s AEW direction for this month centered around the TBS Championship. She was thrown into the mix of a 4 Way Match to determine the No. 1 Contender. Her chances improved when Queen Aminata and Serena Deeb fought their way out of the ring and away from ringside. She also benefitted from Deonna Purrazzo getting distracted by Taya Valkyrie being attacked by Harley Cameron. With Purazzo’s guard now down, Sakazaki cradled her into a Crucifix Pin to score the three count and earn herself a title match.


GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025
Electric Ballroom, London, England

1. Maki Itoh defeated Man Like DeReiss with a Mouse Trap (11:56).

What Itoh lacked in size against Man Like DeReiss she more than made up for it with ego and personality. She quickly reacted to DeReiss’s big entrance by telling him she’s “not scared, you pussy!” DeReiss still took her lightly, making quips on the microphone while Body Slamming her. But Itoh started a comeback while the Pokémon theme song played over the speakers. However DeReiss took a page out of Itoh’s playbook by crying crocodile tears so Itoh would go easy on him. His plan almost worked until Itoh countered a Power Slam into the Mouse Trap cradle to get the pin out of nowhere.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Money Maker (13:40).
*V13 for Mercedes Moné.

Remember back when Mercedes Moné would put out photos and videos on social media of her training at the TJPW dojo and hanging out with the roster? Well after all that time we finally got to see her wrestle a match against someone TJPW related. Moné and Sakazaki got the main event slot on Dynamite for their TBS Title match. Sakazaki got out of the Statement Maker by cradling it into a nearfall. She thought she had Moné where she wanted her by doing a Snap German Suplex. But Moné blocked the Magical Girl Splash with her knees and eventually pinned her with the Moné Maker.


JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 1”, 31/01/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van (?:??).
2. AEW International Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington (?:??).

Both Takeshita and Sakazaki were a part of Chris Jericho’s annual Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager At Sea cruise. There were four days of shows but from what I could find Sakazaki only wrestled on the first day, beating Viva Van. Takeshita beat the new “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington on his first match of the cruise. It has since been promoted in AEW canon as an AEW International Title eliminator match for Ring Of Honor TV. I’ll go through the rest of Takeshita’s matches in next month’s article.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Casey
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Pandora & Sara Phoenix

The AEX Santiago convention welcomes Tokyo Joshi Pro to Chile in February. The Princess Tag Team Titles will be defended over there too, possibly changing the course of “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” if 121000000 lose the belts over there. Fans over there will also get to see Aja Kong and Moka Miyamoto in action.


AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia

1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher

There’s a lot of logistical confusion going around AEW’s Australia debut but it’s still working out better than that time Takeshita was booked by Sub-Zero Pro back in 2019. He’ll be teaming with Australia’s own Kyle Fletcher as the two members of the Don Callis Family face the combined wrath of Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega!


SPW “UNCHAINED”, 07/03/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman

Kamifuku and Lee’s rivalry remains in Singapore for the time being. This time Kamifuku will get involved in a mixed tag match for the first time in SPW. She teams with The Statement (aka Andruew Tang) while Lee will team with Da Butcherman.


WXW “16 CARAT GOLD – NIGHT 3”, 09/03/2025
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Some of the best wrestling weekends I’ve ever had were in Germany for the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Yamashita’s debut for wXw is only going to be for the third night though. That’s a shame because if she did the entire weekend there would have been a whole list of interesting new matches for her to do.


NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

America gets a rematch over a decade in the making. In the 2nd year Anniversary of Takeshita’s debut match, he got to fight Tanahashi in his prime at DDT’s Sumo Hall show. He had respect for him for years afterward until 2015 when Tanahashi embarrassed DDT in the same venue. When Takeshita competed in the G1 Climax last year he brought up that situation as a reason for him to chase after Tanahashi in New Japan. Now that Tanahashi is getting ready to retire next year, there’s not a lot of time left to make this match happen. So Takeshita made the demand to be the opponent for Tanahashi’s last match in America (unless AEW gets the itch to book him on super short notice later in the year).


PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025
Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

DDT and TJPW’s schedule for Wrestlemania Week is focused on the Friday and Saturday. However Miu Watanabe’s schedule unexpectedly starts a little bit earlier. On the Thursday she will be competing in Pandemonium Pro against the promising wrestler from Texas, Maya World.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The sixteen women TJPW are planning to bring over to Las Vegas are Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Suzume, Yuki Kamifuku, Pom Harajuku, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Wakana Uehara and Shino Suzuki. There will be a few more international wrestlers taking part too.


DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The first group of DDT wrestlers coming over for the show are MAO, Shinya Aoki, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda, Ilusion, Yuni and Kazuma Sumi. A lot of the regular talent have already been advertised for DDT’s shows back in Japan the same weekend so this might be your lot outside of the guests.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Tickets for all three shows are on sale now.

Comments Off on DDT Around The World – January 2025 | Around The World | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

Takeshita’s Tokyo Dome Adventure

January 6, 2025

What a newsworthy weekend Konosuke Takeshita has had! He went into the Tokyo Dome for New Japan’s biggest show of the year ready to defend his AEW International Title. He came out of it still with the belt, gaining another championship and making a pretty important announcement about where his future belongs to.


NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
24,107 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c) defeated Shingo Takagi (N/c) with the Raging Fire (11:42).
*V5 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Shingo Takagi fails in V2. Becomes the 47th/11th Champion!

On the Saturday Takeshita went into a double title match putting his AEW title on the line against Shingo Takagi and his NEVER Openweight Title. The winner would not only have two championships but would also face Tomohiro Ishii in the Dome the next day. So Ishii made it a priority to sit at ringside to watch this match up close. Takeshita tried to weaken the arm Takagi prefers to use the Pumping Bomber with but he never expected Takagi to pull out a Reverse Frankensteiner. However Takeshita was too tough to put down and he won by using the Raging Fire. He held both belts up high while staring down Ishii after the match.

Backstage Takeshita said he always thought Takagi was strong but he was able to beat him on the biggest stage. When he fights Ishii he will show him the pride of AEW as well as give him the fight of a NEVER Champion. He will attack Ishii with 120% of his strength! Takagi said he couldn’t remember what happened in the match other than he lost to Takeshita in under 15 minutes. Ishii meanwhile dared Takeshita to throw all of his strikes at him tomorrow.


NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
16,300 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Raging Fire (13:30).
*V1 for NEVER Openweight Title. V6 for AEW International Title.

The next day Takeshita defended both of his championships against Ishii at the Dome. Ishii provoked Takeshita into hitting him with Elbow Strikes then fought back by throwing Chops towards the throat. Then the two started hitting big bombs on each other resulting in a double down. Ishii switched to throwing Headbutts while Takeshita fought back by using Brainbusters and a Reverse Frankensteiner. He was able to hit the Raging Fire and that was enough to put Ishii away for a successful double title defence.

After the match backstage Takeshita had good news to tell the wrestling media. Right now he is currently affiliated with DDT and AEW. Well now he made a deal with New Japan to work for all three companies at the same time! His goal is to unify the pro wrestling world and he will do that by walking a path nobody else has taken before. He then said his upcoming plans are to defend the International Title in AEW again while defending the NEVER Title at New Japan’s USA shows. He singled out KUSHIDA as somebody he would like to defend the NEVER Title against because he is another wrestler who is well-travelled. However when he finished his interview Oleg Boltin walked in and gave him a stare down.


According to Takaaki Kidani through quotes taken from a Tokyo Sports article, Takeshita might have signed a one year contract with New Japan while continuing his current deals with DDT and AEW. Kidani said AEW’s light match schedule makes it possible for Takeshita to wrestle in New Japan more often so if he wants to become a mainstay for the company it can happen. Dave Meltzer on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio explained that AEW is still his priority whenever they want to use him. He also expects AEW and NJPW will keep in touch with each other to avoid any scheduling conflicts. I see DDT as the third wheel in this deal but Takeshita’s appearances for the company have dwindled down to single digits per year so it shouldn’t be too hard to get him for the important shows.

Comments Off on Takeshita’s Tokyo Dome Adventure | Outside Of DDT, Results | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – December 2024

January 1, 2025

Let’s make this a quick one because the end of this year felt like a safe landing after a long flight. Konosuke Takeshita was building up two separate challengers, one in AEW and one in New Japan. The DDT Universal Title was spotted over in Canada. January sees the international schedules heating up again with matches going on in North America, Southeast Asia and Europe. Then in February South America gets to join in the fun. That’s enough of the introductions, here is what happened in December.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “RAMPAGE – WINTER IS COMING”, 13/12/2024
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1. Mark Davis & Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Lance Archer


DEMAND LUCHA “A VERY MERRY LUCHA CHRISTMAS SHOW”, 19/12/2024
Parkdale Hall, Toronto, Canada

1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) Vs Sidney Akeem


AEW “RAMPAGE – HOLIDAY BASH”, 20/12/2024
Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Mark Davis Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage

———————————————————————–

Results


AEW “RAMPAGE – WINTER IS COMING”, 11/12/2024 (Aired 13/12/2024)
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1. Mark Davis & Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Lance Archer when Hobbs pinned Archer with the Spinebuster (12:00).

In December Takeshita was getting ready to deal with upcoming challengers from two fronts. In AEW it was starting to look like Powerhouse Hobbs was going to be the next person he would defend the AEW International Title again. They met in a tag match but Takeshita was taken out of the ring by Mark Davis. Hobbs instead switched his attention over to Lance Archer and he pinned him with the Spinebuster. Takeshita tried to attack Hobbs after the match but he too was given the Spinebuster and Hobbs then posed with his title.


NJPW “STRONG STYLE EVOLVED”, 15/12/2024
Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California, USA

1. Special Tag Team Grudge Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jack Perry defeated Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji when Perry pinned Tsuji with the Glass Jaw (17:44).

Takeshita had to change his focus over to another challenger over in New Japan because Shingo Takagi also has him in his sights. They clashed in a tag match that also mixed in Yota Tsuji as Takagi’s partner and Jack Perry as Takeshita’s. That caused most of the focus to be on Tsuji Vs Perry which led to a ref bump. Perry gave Tsuji a Low Blow and then hit the Glass Jaw knee strike to get the victory for his team.


AEW “RAMPAGE – HOLIDAY BASH”, 18/12/2024 (Aired 20/12/2024)
Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage defeated Powerhouse Hobbs & Mark Davis when Takeshita pinned Davis with the Raging Fire (12:27).

This here is Takeshita’s final match on “RAMPAGE” because that show is now coming to an end. He faced off against Hobbs & Davis again but this time had Brian Cage as his tag partner. Cage was able to keep Hobbs at bay so Takeshita could beat Davis with the Powerdrive Knee followed by the Raging Fire. That was it for the warm up matches. The next time Takeshita and Hobbs would meet was on PPV for the title match!


DEMAND LUCHA “A VERY MERRY LUCHA CHRISTMAS SHOW”, 19/12/2024
Parkdale Hall, Toronto, Canada

1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) defeated Sidney Akeem with an Avalanche Inverted Angle Slam (?:??).
*V1 for Gringo Loco.

For the last month the DDT Universal Title has been following around Gringo Loco. He’s brought it with him to many of his different bookings but DDT only gave him permission for one title defence. It happened in Canada for Demand Lucha and Loco’s opponent was Sidney Akeem, the former WWE wrestler who has been doing pretty good on the indies lately particularly with GCW. Given who was involved there were plenty of big moves hit throughout the match. Akeem did a 360 Twirling Double Knee Drop from the top rope as well as multiple cartwheels that led into a Cutter. Loco would have lost to that if he hadn’t reached his arm out for a rope break. The two fought there way up to the top rope once more where Loco gave Akeem an Inverted Olympic Slam to the canvas to get the three count.


AEW “WORLDS END”, 28/12/2024
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Powerhouse Hobbs with the Raging Fire (16:30).
*V4 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Takeshita’s final match of the year saw him defeat Hobbs to remain as the International Champion. The match got plenty of “Meat!” chants and also a “Please Be Careful” chant when the two fell off the top rope for a botched Superplex spot. Hobbs used the Spinebuster to counter the Powerdrive Knee for a nearfall. But damage accumulated to his knee over time slowed Hobbs down and he had to pause himself in order to take off his knee brace. Takeshita capitalized on the injury and take over the match. He kept up the attack until he pinned Hobbs with the Raging Fire. And with that done it is now onto the Tokyo Dome for Takeshita!


GCW “TAKE CARE”, 28/12/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) defeated Rich Swann with the Avalanche Base Bomb (14:20).
*V2 for Gringo Loco.

Loco squeezed in a second Universal Title defence before the end of the year although nobody at the time seemed to be aware of it. His match against Rich Swann at GCW was never announced in the venue or on commentary as a title match (although GCW commentary not being aware of what’s going on half the time is a bad habit of theirs) and DDT has only said Loco has two successful defences under his belt without saying which matches they are (which is why I do these reports to keep track of everything myself). I had to go the title history page on Shukan Puroresu’s site to find out that this match is the one considered to be Loco’s second title defence.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances


NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: Shingo Takagi (N/c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c)

The inter-promotional match between Takagi and Takeshita is now confirmed to be for both the NEVER Openweight Title and the AEW International Title! They only showed a small amount of what they are capable of at Walter Pyramid so what are they going to pull off in the Tokyo Dome?


NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: Shingo Takagi or KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) Vs Tomohiro Ishii

There will be no rest for the wicked because the winner of the double title match returns the next day to defend both championships against Tomohiro Ishii. And who knows, maybe Takeshita will show up at “NEW YEAR’S DASH” the day after that!


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 3”, 10/01/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Alexis Lee

It was back in November 2023 when Yuki Kamifuku won the Queen Of Asia Title from Alexis Lee. Then in May of this year Kamifuku successfully defended the title against Lee in TJPW. Since then Lee has been winning matches in Singapore Pro Wrestling and built herself back up for another title shot. This time it will happen on home ground. No word yet on if the VPW Women’s Title will also be defended. The two of them battled over that belt when it was created earlier this year too.


NJPW “BATTLE IN THE VALLEY”, 11/01/2025
San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
2. Sumie Sakai Retirement Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki Vs Sumi Sakai, EVIL & SHO

What in the fever dream is this match? Sumie Sakai has played a vital role for many Japanese wrestlers who stayed in America for their excursions over the years. She often took wrestlers in to live and travel with her while she sorted out their bookings across the country. So when she announced her retirement many people requested to take part in it. First was Hiromu Takahashi so once he got involved Sakai came up with an idea to have both teams feature one man and two women for the match. Mayu Iwatani quickly asked to be involved and so too did Yuka Sakazaki. So we have Hiromu, Mayu and Yuka all teaming together for the first time ever which is wild as hell to think about. Sakai had a couple of ideas for who she wants to team with. There were other people higher up on the list but in the end she wanted EVIL & SHO from The House Of Torture to be on her team. They too were under her watch on their American excursions lifetimes ago and she would love nothing more than to make one last previous memory with them. If that doesn’t interest you then Sakazaki & Iwatani being in the same match together should.

Win, lose or draw at the Tokyo Dome, Takeshita is guaranteed to be making more appearances for New Japan this year.


IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

So IWA Japan has now officially closed down after the passing of its president Tatsukuni Asano in November. In its place SETUP has launched IWA Thailand to continue the brand’s lineage. Masahiro Takanashi will be part of the “debut” show in January.


GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Be careful out there when you’re parking near the Hammerstein Ballroom. I left two tickets for this show in my car. Somebody broke in and left four more.


BZW/GCW “ENTER THE ZONE”, 25/01/2025
Espace Isabelle De Hainaut, Rue De Saint-Quentin, France

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Maki Itoh’s GCW adventures are going to bring her over to Europe later this month. Banger Zone Wrestling is sure to give her a warm welcome to France.


GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025
Electric Ballroom, London, England

1. Maki Itoh Vs Man Like DeReiss

Then the next day Itoh will be in London when GCW visits PROGRESS’s home venue. Man Like DeReiss has kind of made intergender matches his thing in 2024. His GCW win-loss record also hasn’t been great. But give him a microphone and he will leave you with a lasting impression. Itoh might not like getting shown up like that.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Pandora
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Zatara & Sara Phoenix

The Tokyo Joshi Pro show at the anime convention will be all made of up Japan Vs Chile matches. 121000000 will be facing Zatara & Sara Phoenix in the main event, Aja Kong will become one of the biggest opponents Roma has ever faced and Moka Miyamoto tests her skills against Pandora.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Hopefully we will get more details on the show very soon.


DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Same goes for this one.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

It’s entirely possible I will be spending the whole week following the shows that book DDT and TJPW talent instead of everything else happening in Vegas.

Comments Off on DDT Around The World – December 2024 | Around The World | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD

DDT Around The World – November 2024

December 1, 2024

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.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 06/11/2024
SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher Vs Ricochet & Powerhouse Hobbs


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

———————————————————————–

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.


SPW “CROWNING GLORY”, 08/11/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Alexis Lee defeated Pom Harajuku (?:??).

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.

The report of the show can be found here.


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!

The report of the show can be found here.


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).

The report of the show can be found here.


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.

———————————————————————–

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?

Comments Off on DDT Around The World – November 2024 | Around The World | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by JamieOD