NJPW “NIGHT OF THE PURGE ~PURGE NIGHT OF TORTURE~”, 07/10/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,481 Fans – No Vacancy
4. SANADA, DOUKI & SHO defeated Yuki Ueno, Akito & Kaisei Takechi by Referee Stoppage when DOUKI used the Italian Stretch No. 32 on Akito (16:08).
A few DDT wrestlers were given an invite to a dangerous event held in a New Japan ring. The House Of Torture are the latest act in the company who got to run a vanity show of their own, following in the footsteps of El Desperado and Taiji Ishimori. But while the previous shows were put together for the sake of having crazy ideas come to life, today’s event had a more evil (or should I say EVIL) motive. The House Of Torture had a list of wrestlers they wanted to purge for one reason or another and EVIL wanted to see Kaisei Takechi in particular be punished for his success.
SHO started things off by making fun of THE RAMPAGE and called everyone on Takechi’s team a bunch of country bumpkins. Akito then got under SHO’s skin by pointing out that SHO may be hiding his true feelings but he is taking everything in this match seriously. The proof is right there in how much he prepared his speech to introduce each wrestler on the team to the audience. Also you don’t get a physique with low body fat like that without some serious training.
The House ended up getting the last laugh with a destructive victory over the DDT team. SANADA broke a guitar over Yuki Ueno’s head while DOUKI used the Italian Stretch No. 32 on Akito, holding onto him with a tight grip. SHO added extra damage by hitting Akito over the head with a tray while he was stuck in the hold, leading the referee to stop the match for Akito’s safety and declare HOT the winners. The team then added extra insult to injury by attacked Takechi after the bell, holding him upside down with his legs split apart so SANADA could karate chop him in the crotch.
Backstage DOUKI said that just because Takechi is good looking, has a great body and can do super cool moves that doesn’t mean he is a match for HOT. All of his lame fans who support THE RAMPAGE shouldn’t underestimate pro wrestling! The same goes for anyone who thinks DDT and NJPW are on the same level. However Ueno noticed there was a giant glint in DOUKI’s eye while they were wrestling each other because the two of them used to train together in DDT’s old dojo ten years ago. With that being said there is only on wrestler in NJPW that makes Ueno’s heart flutter and that’s Hiromu Takahashi. If Ueno ever comes back to New Japan, he will be on the lookout for him. Meanwhile Takechi stepped forward under his own volition and told reporters he wants to have a match with Hiroshi Tanahashi somewhere before Tanahashi’s retirement takes place.
NJPW “THE REEVE PRESENTS SUPERHUMAN TAIJI ISHIMORI GETS EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS”, 07/10/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,462 Fans – No Vacancy
0. PRE BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (1) Vs Daiki Nagai, Katsuya Murashima & Jun Kasai (1)
1. 120 Minute Iron Man Rumble: Taiji Ishimori ended with a score of 11 Wins and 10 Defeats.
1a. SECRET BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (2) Vs Jun Kasai, Muhammed Yone, LEONA, Atsushi Kotoge, Shiro Koshinaka, Dump Matsumoto & Jun Akiyama (7).
*Ishimori’s Reserves: Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei.
1b. Arai Kogyo Co., Ltd. Presents TOHOKU BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (3) Vs Ryusuke Taguchi, YOH, TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, The Great Sasuke, Shuji Ishikawa & MAO (9)
*Ishimori’s Reserve: Taro Nohashi
1c. Brain Cubic Inc. Presents MUSCLE BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (6) Vs YOH, MAO, Titán, SHO, Koju Takeda, Hyo, Boltin Oleg, Ryohei Oiwa & Drilla Moloney (9)
1d. Mimura Komatsu Law Office Presents DRAGON BLOCK: Taiji Ishimori (11) Vs MAO, Shun Skywalker, KAGETORA, Dragon Dia, Ryuji Ito, Shingo Takagi, Tatsumi Fujinami & Hiratimo Dragon (Kazuki Hirata) (10)
1e. FINAL MUCHA: Taiji Ishimori defeated Gedo with the Bloody Cross (7:11).
Okay, I’m used to writing about weird matches like this one. I should be able to figure this out. Man, New Japan has gotten weird lately…
After putting together a successful show last November where he took part in every single match on the card, Taiji Ishimori learned he had to go take on an even greater challenge put together by a mysterious AI that is out to get him for reasons I do not want to spend time learning about. He was being forced to take part in a 120 minute long Iron Man Rumble with four separate blocks of wrestlers to fight through. Ishimori’s goal was to make it through the gauntlet with more wins than losses. His reward for doing so would be a special singles match against a wrestler that he respects. I’ll get to the point here because it’s not DDT related, his final opponent was Gedo and he beat him.
Along the way, a few DDT wrestlers were among the random cast of wrestlers Ishimori had to fight and interact with. The first main path was the SECRET BLOCK made up of wrestlers who have appeared in commercials for the show sponsor in the past. That just so happens to include Jun Akiyama as the block’s final entrant. He didn’t understand what was going on and he was also immediately attacked by Dump Matsumoto. Ishimori was allowed to have reserve wrestlers temporarily take his place but The Brahman Brothers did a bad job in that role, piling up losses on his behalf. However they were able to knock Akiyama out of the ring to score a point before Ishimori moved on to the next block.
The second block was built around the Tohoku wrestling scene which meant Ishimori had to deal with wrestlers from Michinoku Pro as well as other wrestlers from the area. At this point Ishimori was also reminded of The Sailor Boys which caused him great mental harm. Things became a lot more calm when Ishimori and the Tohoku wrestlers all meditated inside the ring but MAO then entered the match to cause some chaos, particularly with TAKA Michinoku (who is from Chiba and didn’t appreciate being lumped in with the country bumpkins). When the block’s time expired, MAO and YOH had not been through any eliminations so they were allowed to advance to the next block alongside Ishimori.
Things became a lot more muscular next with the MUSCLE BLOCK. None of the new entries were from DDT but MAO was still there and with YOH’s help he ran over SHO at ringside with the Dramatic Dream bike! He also helped out Ishimori by eliminated Drilla Moloney before the time expired. The two posed their bodies like squares to celebrate and since MAO survived elimination again, he got to accompany Ishimori once more this time into the final block.
It was the DRAGON BLOCK where at first the wrestlers coming out were all from Dragon Gate. MAO’s luck ran out when Shun Skywalker eliminated him from the match. The block then switched things around when Ryuji Ito showed up (because he is the “Death Match Dragon”) followed by Tatsumi Fujinami! The last dragon to enter was the most important one. People expected it to be Ultimo Dragon but it was even better than him. It was Hiratimo Dragon! He was immediately beaten up by Ishimori and Dragon Dia. Hiratimo distracted the referee by telling him Danshoku Dieno was behind him, then he tried to frame Ishimori for pulling off his mask. The plan didn’t work, Ishimori threw the mask away and then he threw Hiratimo out of the ring. Backstage Hiratimo said it was a close call but his identity wasn’t revealed. All he has to say to Ishimori is that he’s gotten stronger.
GLEAT “VER.EX ~GLEAT VS KYOTEKI~”, 09/10/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 682 Fans
3. G PRO WRESTLING ~ GLEAT Vs X – Go Miyake’s Return Match: Yukio Naya defeated Go Miyake with a Choke Slam (2:41).
5. G PRO WRESTLING ~ GLEAT Vs DDT: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani defeated Takehiro Yamamura & Junjie when Sasaki submitted Junjie with the Crossface Lock (11:51).
6. G PRO WRESTLING ~ GLEAT Vs Shinya Aoki: Shinya Aoki defeated T-Hawk with the Aoki Clutch (8:41).
Now let’s move on to a place that has only slightly less nonsensical ideas than Ishimori. GLEAT came to Korakuen Hall a few days later putting together a show themed around the promotion taking on strong opponents from around the wrestling scene. DDT provided a few wrestlers on the “Strong Opponent” front. Things behind the scenes seem to be a little unstable over there but that has nothing to do with the DDT stuff so let’s just focus on that.
Shinya Aoki has previously fought in GLEAT under their UWF Rules banner of matches and continues to hover near the company under his own volition. He got to do a pro wrestling match here for the first time because he was intrigued by the clash of styles he would have with T-Hawk. Aoki took the nasty Chops his opponent has a habit of throwing and ended up catching him in the Aoki Clutch to get the three count out of nowhere. He said the match was so much fun because they clicked perfectly together.
DDT sent over Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani for a tag match. The GLEAT team was made up of Takehiro Yamamura & Junjie who were previously together as part of a recent unit called G-RIZE. Sasaki & Okatani did not come alone though. Ilusion was there at ringside to interfere whenever it was most convenient for his buddies. The GLEAT team got rid of the nuisance by throwing him out of the ring but DAMNATION T.A kept on pushing forward with their attack until they got their victory. The result left Yamamura & Junjie wanting revenge.
There was also a surprise appearance by Yukio Naya as the opponent for Go Miyake. The GLEAT rookie made his debut last year but suffered a kneecap injury not even two months after his debut. After being gone for a year and a half his return to the ring was going to be against El Lindaman but Lindaman declined to take part. Instead he chose Miyake’s opponent and it turned out to be Naya. Given the low level of experience Miyake has at this point, it only took less than three minutes for Naya to beat him. Afterward Naya said he heard about how hard Miyake was working to reach his comeback and motivated him to do his best.
It’s been so long since a DDT wrestler last made an appearance in New Japan’s premier tournament for junior heavyweights. The Best Of The Super Jr. was historically the showcase that introduced Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega to the wider wrestling world back when they were with DDT. Daisuke Sasaki also competed in two of the tournaments and his appearance in 2012 was the last time a DDT wrestler was involved… until this year! MAO got the invite to take part in the 2025 edition of BOSJ, no doubt influenced by a certain current IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion who has been molding the division in his vision whenever he can for a while now. When MAO got to wrestle on a NJPW show in April, he gave a tease that fans would see more of him in May. The very next day he was included in the announced field for the BOSJ! His goal was to bring the DDT style into New Japan like a square block fitting into a round hole and hopefully convince some of their fans to give his home promotion a try.
B Block
1. YOH (12)
-. El Desperado (12)
-. MAO (12)
4. Nick Wayne (8)
-. Taiji Ishimori (8)
-. Robbie Eagles (8)
-. SHO (8)
-. Titán (8)
-. Kevin Knight (8)
10. Ryusuke Taguchi (6)
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 10/05/2025 Chiba YohaS Arena (Chiba Park General Gymnasium) 1,000 Fans
2. Kevin Knight, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato defeated MAO, Tiger Mask & Shoma Kato when Wato pinned Kato with the Tsutenkaku German Suplex (7:38).
MAO was placed in the B Block but his first match on the opening show of the tour was a non-tournament 6-Man Tag. He was happy with that because it lets him casually fit in with New Japan. Two of his opponents were in his block so he got to get some ring time against his first opponent Kevin Knight. Meanwhile Tiger Mask took out Ryusuke Taguchi with a Topé Suicida leaving Shoma Kato to deal with Master Wato. Kato had just returned from a leg injury and was ready to wipe the ring rust off but Wato ended up beating him with the Tsutenkaku German Suplex. Backstage Knight said this match was the first time he got to properly introduce himself to MAO. He likes his style but wants to know if MAO can match him in the ring? After getting to share the ring with Wato, MAO mentioned he would have liked to wrestle him, Hiromu Takahashi or Kosei Fujita from the A Block. But he’s looking forward to face Knight first.
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 11/05/2025 Miyagi Iwanuma City General Gymnasium (Big Arena) 1,369 Fans
5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (2) defeated Kevin Knight (0) with the Iai Kick (9:34).
24 hours later MAO started his tournament off with a win. The “Michinoku Tornado” as NJPW nicknamed him had the home town advantage because the show was held in Miyagi. He also started forming a square shape with his chest which would become a recurring spot of his for the rest of the tour. After a back and forth match, MAO scored a nearfall with the Michinoku Driver II and then finished Knight off with the Iai Kick to score his first two points. MAO spoke of his goal to win BOSJ so he could then win the IWGP Jr. Title and bring it back to DDT where he was born and raised into the strange wrestler he is today. Why would he do this? So a new good era for DDT would begin!
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 14/05/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,470 Fans – Super No Vacancy
5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (4) defeated Taiji Ishimori (0) with the Osaka Rinkai Upper (9:45).
Things kept rolling in the right direction because MAO then defeated Taiji Ishimori, a multiple time Jr. Heavyweight champion in both NJPW, NOAH and also the TNA X Division. Ishimori is also from the Miyagi prefecture which made the match became that little bit more meaningful. MAO had KANON in his corner but he had to stand and watch the two fight out of the ring where MAO did a stage dive onto Ishimori. Back in the ring Ishimori countered the Michinoku Driver II with a Reverse Frankensteiner but his 450 Splash missed when MAO moved out of the way. MAO pushed the ref into Ishimori’s way and then leapt over the ref to give Ishimori a Cutter. He then hit the Iai Kick but Ishimori found the power to stay on his feet. So MAO hit him with the Osaka Rinkai Upper palm strike to make the pin and get the three count. MAO said Ishimori is the first Miyagi wrestler he’s hunted down in the tournament and there are two more he is after. Ishimori has a square shape but MAO is becoming a pretty big square too. He is going to turn BOSJ into Best Of The Square Jr.!
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 15/05/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,365 Fans – No Vacancy
7. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: Titán (4) defeated MAO (4) with the Llave Immortal (9:20).
Any chance of MAO going three for three were put to a halt by Titán, the luchador from CMLL. MAO wanted to fight fire with fire by doing a high risk La Quebrada out of the ring as well as an upside down Llave submission. But Titán started hitting the ropes himself doing a Swan Dive Boy Press and a Topé Suicida. Their match turned into a striking battle with athletic dodges including one where Titán passed through the Hurricane Kick and trapped MAO in his Llave Immortal submission finisher. When he applied it deeper by crossing MAO’s arms over MAO had to give up. Titán paid his respect by describing MAO as one of the strongest opponents he has ever faced. MAO said that submission move is why he never wants to go to Mexico. He’s wrestled in seven different countries but he doesn’t want to make Mexico number eight because the lucha libre over there scares him.
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 17/05/2025 Tokyo National Yoyogi Stadium Gymnsium #2 1,857 Fans
10. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: El Desperado (4) defeated MAO (4) with the Pinche Loco (23:31).
When MAO realised his match with El Desperado was main eventing the show he made a promise to make it a DDT style match. Apparently Desperado felt the same way because he went along with MAO’s idea. The two fought up the aisle to the entrance while a confused Red Shoes Unno started counting them out. When he was about to reach 20, MAO gave Desperado a Cutter onto one of the security barriers. That scared the ref so much he stopped counting to go check on them. Both were physically able to continue and they went back to the ring to keep the match going. The DDT-ness only got stronger when MAO tried to use Unno as a launchpad to do the Stunner and Despy instead pushed Unno in the way to take the move! MAO got the fans to chant “It’s not MAO” while Despy wondered what could they do now without a ref? MAO decided to pull out a load of plastic boxes from beneath the ring and break one over Desperado’s head. Desperado then responded in kind and the two proceeded to do more plastic box spots, ignoring the protests of the replacement ref Marty Asami. When they got the box bumps out of their system they started wrestling to win and went for their signature moves. Desperado used the Reverse Tiger Driver and then did the Pinche Loco but MAO kicked out at two. Desperado used the pair of moves again, this time with a Vertical Drop version of the Reverse Tiger Driver. MAO tried his best to resist a second Pinche Loco but he was pinned clean in the end.
Despy suggested that next time they should do this in MAO’s promotion although he’s worried that vehicles would be involved over there. He doesn’t want to get run over like Sanshiro Takagi often does. MAO talked about this match being his way of thanking Desperado for inviting him to the “DESPE-INVITACIONAL” last year. He never liked the period when different wrestling companies were talking trash about each other. If Evangelion could finally get a happy ending then why should pro wrestling finish with a bad ending? That’s why he thinks the likes of Despy and Hiromu are different. They have the motivation that drives the wrestling world and it’s why MAO came here to help make BOSJ a true festival that spreads Japanese wrestling across the world.
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 18/05/2025 Tokyo Esforta Arena Hachioji 1,231 Fans
5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: YOH (4) defeated MAO (4) with a Dragon Suplex (8:11).
While MAO was feeling spiritually good about how his experience has been so far, he was also hitting a slump results wise. YOH, the second Miyagi wrestler he was chasing after, beat MAO make it three losses in a row. To add insult to injury that cheeky git YOH used the Somato en route to winning the match! Oh he hasn’t forgotten about that match he had with Hiroshi Tanahashi against HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka ten years ago. MAO avoided the move the first time and gave YOH a similar taste of medicine by doing the Sling Blade and the High Fly Flow. But YOH kicked out of it and used the Reverse Frankensteiner to successfully set up the Somato the second time. MAO at least kicked out of it but YOH put him away with a Dragon Suplex afterwards. MAO couldn’t believe what YOH did. He likes New Japan and doesn’t want to kick off a promotional war with DDT but that’s still crossing a line. MAO decided that YOH should attend the Toru Yano Vs Super Sasadango Machine match that’s happening on 9th June. MAO will be there and they can settle their differences together. All YOH had to say is he and MAO are not on the same level. I think I heard something like that from someone else before…
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 20/05/2025 G-Messe Gunma 842 Fans
2. YOH, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Katsuya Murashima defeated El Desperado, MAO, Shoma Kato & Masatora Yasuda when Murashima submitted Yasuda with a Crab Hold (8:48).
The schedule gave MAO a non-tournament match in the middle of the tour to let him and a few others catch their breath a little bit. Despite his slump in form at this point his block was fairly tight across the board so nobody was out of the running yet. The 8-Man Tag match even ended with the Young Lions instead of any of the BOSJ wrestlers. Katsuya Murashima submitted Masatora Yasuda while MAO and Taguchi were doing lewd spots to each other that involved the back of Taguchi’s tights being pulled down. Taguchi is well aware that MAO has Danshoku Dieno supporting him. However Taguchi is not following the Hirooki Goto Revolution nor is he fighting on behalf of New Japan or even Miyagi. He is going to fight MAO by himself. MAO said he’s not shocked by seeing a little bit of butt. He didn’t expect it but now he has a plan to combat it.
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 22/05/2025 Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2 (Osaka Edion Arena) 967 Fans
5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (6) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi (6) with the Iwanuma City Styles Clash (8:33).
Things could only go up from here but oh man did MAO have to go through some things to get there. In his final match of the “Miyagi Derby”, MAO fought Taguchi and the ever slipping back of his wrestling tights. Not only was his crack exposed but Taguchi eventually stuffed MAO’s head into his tights! That turned out to be the wrong move because MAO was somehow able to keep fighting and a roll up battle resulted in him giving Taguchi the Styles Clash with his head still stuck in the tights! Taguchi admitted defeat because a fake pervert like him could never beat a real pervert like MAO. He only plays a pervert so he will go back to his true self for the rest of the tournament. MAO said he was suffocating in there and just when he was about to lose consciousness he got a flashback to all of the times something like this happened to him in DDT. It makes him glad he was raised in a wrestling company where that sort of stuff was a daily occurrence. This match was fate because MAO was a big fan of Apollo 55. He also now has to leave the Miyagi Derby up to the winner of Taiji Ishimori against YOH.
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 24/05/2025 Hyogo Arcrea Himeji 1,136 Fans
4. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (8) defeated Robbie Eagles (6) with the Ultra Big Tone (9:26).
Can you believe that Taguchi match was exactly what MAO needed to get his mojo back? Next up for him was Robbie Eagles and he came up with his own version of the “Robbie! Robbie! Robbie!” chant. He chanted “MAO! MAO! MAO!” and got the fans to shout “Shikaku!” (“Square!”) in response. Eagles would target MAO’s knee to cut off his momentum but the match would instead make its way up to the top turnbuckle. MAO grabbed Eagles in a Dragon Sleeper and used that to set up his AI created finisher the Ultra Big Tone to get the win. MAO pointed out that he is never going to have the same kind of match no matter who he is fighting. Eagles was in shock because he thought MAO was just some fun and chill square guy and instead he tried to kill him! If MAO ever wants a rematch then Eagles wants it to happen in DDT. He’ll even put the Soul Of PWA Title on the line even though MAO has never once stepped foot in Australia.
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 25/05/2025 Aichi Port Messe Nagoya Exhibition Hall #2 1,404 Fans
5. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (10) defeated Nick Wayne (8) with the Dick Killer (7:41).
MAO was building up momentum heading into the final stretch and his next opponent was a familiar one. He’s already wrestled with Nick Wayne several times before and wasted no time in continuing their rivalry. MAO tried to rally the fans behind him with “Shikaku” chants but Wayne wasn’t deterred by them. He seemed to have an answer for everything MAO threw at him but he never could has guessed what MAO would do to throw him in a loop. Wayne appeared to hit the Wayne’s World except MAO blocked it with a handstand and cartwheeled out of it! He then went and did his own version of the Wayne’s World, giving Wayne a taste of his own finisher. It only got a two count but MAO quickly applied a Crossface Lock, turning it into the Dick Killer variation to make Wayne tap out. MAO said he’s known Wayne for a long time now and the great thing about being a wrestler is you can enjoy your youth no matter how old you are. With one more match left MAO was still in the running for first place but it was necessary for him to win his last bout.
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 27/05/2025 Shizuoka Kira Messe Numazu 668 Fans
2. SHO & Yujiro Takahashi defeated MAO & Shoma Kato when Takahashi pinned Kato with the Pimp Juice (4:18).
But before that happens there was one more non-tournament match to get through. It just happened to feature MAO’s last opponent in Block B, SHO from the House Of Torture. SHO attacked him during the entrance and when Kato tried to rescue him, Yujiro Takahashi came over to fight him off. The four brawled around the room where MAO held SHO in a Piledriver position while standing on a dolly. Kato pushed the dolly around until Takahashi found a second dolly nearby. It led to Kato pushing MAO on one dolly and Takahashi pushing MAO on the other until SHO wanted to leave because he had enough. MAO & Kato ended up putting the House Of Torture on both dollies and crashed them into each other. The match finally began in an official manner when everyone returned to the ring. MAO and SHO soon went back to fighting outside the ring but that left Kato in the ring to be beaten by Takahashi’s Pimp Juice. SHO complained about people from Miyagi and he then complained about Niigata where his match with MAO would take place. MAO however promised to show SHO just what DDT is really like. Oh boy, did he…
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 29/05/2025 Niigata Region Plaza Joetsu 1,027 Fans
7. BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32 – B Block: MAO (12) defeated SHO (8) with the Cannonball 450 (11:57).
This time MAO jumped SHO during his entrance. Well, not jumped, more like ran over with the Dramatic Dream bike! Takahashi and Ren Narita helped SHO attack MAO but KANON & Kazuma Sumi ran over to even the odds and take the fight out of the building! Not only did MAO clear House Of Torture with a dive out from the doorway but he climbed into a nearby van and knocked over SHO with it! The match hadn’t started yet so MAO was allowed wheel SHO back to the ring on a dolly and throw him into the ring. SHO somehow kicked out of a pin and had House Of Torture attack the Dramatic Dream bike. He then picked apart MAO’s arm until MAO made his comeback. Takahashi & Narita tried to interfere again but KANON & Sumi were there to keep them at bay. During the chaos the DDT wrestlers got the upper hand with Strange Love Connection even getting to hit SHOT with a Lariat/McEnroe style Total Elimination. Yoshinobu Kanemaru then suddenly appeared, spat Whiskey Mist into KANON’s face and hit MAO with the bottle. MAO kicked out of SHO’s Cross Arm Piledriver so SHO distracted the ref by bringing his NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Title belt into the ring. The ref took the belt off him but didn’t notice SHO was hiding a wrench behind his back. But when SHO went to attack MAO with it, he found out MAO was suddenly armed with Mecha Mummy’s Mecha Fist! MAO knocked the wrench out of his hands, ducked the Whiskey Mist from Kanemaru that blinded SHO instead and then MAO knocked SHO down with a Rocket Punch followed by the Iai Kick. SHO still kicked out of the pin so MAO did the Cannonball 450 from the top rope and that got him the win.
Sadly for MAO the result was not enough to reach the final. He was able to finish Block B on 12 points, enough to tie with YOH and El Desperado for first place. But by losing to both of them earlier in the tournament, the head-to-head tiebreakers were not in his favor and he had no way of reaching the final. MAO looks back on his matches with YOH and Desperado thinking what could have been if they ended differently but he is still happy they turned out to be some exciting matches they created. He gave it his all and he thinks he is the only person to have done so well in BOSJ using the DDT style. He’d like to come back to New Japan and when he does maybe he’ll become a bit more square.
NJPW “SEKICHU PRESENTS BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 32”, 01/06/2025 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 3,044 Fans
3. Shota Umino, El Phantasmo, MAO & Nick Wayne defeated Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, Hartley Jackson & Robbie Eagles when Phantasmo pinned Jackson with the CR II (10:38).
It turns out MAO had one more appearance lined up to close out the tour. For the final night of BOSJ he got to team with Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Nick Wayne to take on TMDK in an 8-Man Tag Match. Before it began all four of them posed together as squares in front of their opponents. MAO spent most of his time in the match facing off with Ryohei Oiwa but he had some time in there with Zack Sabre Jr. too. MAO & Wayne also co-operated with each other pretty well, much to Eagles’s chagrin. They were smashed aside by Hartley Jackson though but Umino & ELP were there to put the big guy down and win the match. MAO told the others after the match he’d like to return to NJPW in a casual manner like Jackson does. If there is another Jackson or TAKA Michinoku like spot on the roster he’d like to take it. He also got to reminisce with Umino about the time they met each other in England back in 2019. Maybe the four of them can continue to be together as Team Square Hearts somewhere down the line?
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.
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
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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.
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.
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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!
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.
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
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.
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
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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!
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.
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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.
The hottest and most grueling pro wrestling tournament of the year has just finished and Konosuke Takeshita was a featured part of it. His entry into this year’s G1 Climax was done as representation for both AEW and DDT. It makes him the second wrestler with a DDT contract to compete in the tournament after Kota Ibushi in 2013 and 2015. With nine other wrestlers to compete against in his block and a couple extra non-tournament matches to deal with in between, Takeshita did not waste any opportunity to get his name out there in a New Japan ring. This was a tour where he got to experience so much of NJPW’s current form and he left plenty of options open if he ever gets to come back and wrestle for the company more often. His performances definitely had wrestling fans look at him and wonder why AEW hasn’t been treating him the same way. Let’s take a look at how things went for him.
9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (2) defeated Yota Tsuji (0) with the Raging Fire (17:16).
Takeshita jumped off to a great start on day one by beating this year’s New Japan Cup winner Yota Tsuji. The lead up to the match had both wrestlers talking about how it was up to them to take lead of the current generation of wrestling in Japan. Takeshita used the Jumping Knee as a counter block for Tsuji’s Gene Blaster finisher. After hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb he then used the Spinning Falcon Arrow to get the win. He has renamed that move the Raging Fire and you are going to see it often from here. Takeshita warned the rest of the block that he sees the wrestling world differently from the rest of them.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 23/07/2024 Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall 1,972 Fans
4. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) defeated Jeff Cobb (2) with the Raging Fire (10:28).
Takeshita’s second match was delayed by a day because he had to go fight Masato Tanaka in DDT. Turns out that match was just the warm up he needed to take on Jeff Cobb, the reigning NJPW WORLD TV Champion. The strength and size of Cobb made it more difficult for Takeshita to use the Raging Fire on. But one good Elbow Smash weakened Cobb enough for Takeshita to nail the move and win his second match. Takeshita used the same Elbow Smash to beat Tanaka one day earlier so he declared his right elbow will take over the world!
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 25/07/2024 Sun Messe Kagawa 1,219 Fans
9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Yuya Uemura (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) with the Kannuki Suplex (23:11).
The first road block to stop Takeshita in his tracks was Yuya Uemura. The two were both unbeaten going into the main event and had seen each other at points in America during their excursions. They gave fans a wild back and forth match. No matter what Takeshita did, Uemura took it and kept on fighting. He got the win over Takeshita by using the Kannuki Suplex, a move that trapped Takeshita’s shoulders down into the mat for the three count. An angry Takeshita told reporters he wants to see Uemura reach the end of the tournament so he can repay this loss to him.
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & HENARE defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato when TAKESHITA pinned Murashima with an Elbow Butt (6:53).
This was the first non-tournament match Takeshita got to take part in during the tour. New Japan decided to have him team with United Empire wrestlers starting with his next block opponent HENARE. Together they took on and handily defeated two young lion wrestlers Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato. Things were tense between Takeshita & HENARE for the entire match and they continued glaring at each other afterwards. HENARE complained to reporters that as the NEVER Openweight Champion he should not be put in the opening match with rookies and an outsider. He doesn’t like Takeshita acting like he is better than New Japan. If Takeshita actually likes NJPW then why did he go to AEW instead of here? Kato had nicer things to say about Takeshita because they are both from Osaka. If they ever fight each other again, he will remember everything Takeshita did to him today.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 28/07/2024 Fukuoka International Center 1,780 Fans
7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) defeated HENARE (4) with the Raging Fire (13:19).
The next day Takeshita and HENARE had their battle, tearing lumps out of each other. Whenever one took the lead, the other had an answer to it. Takeshita hit the Jumping Knee only for HENARE to fire back with a Jumping Headbutt. HENARE went for the Streets Of Rage but Takeshita countered it into a Fisherman Buster. Takeshita continued on with the attack and kept HENARE down for the count with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster followed by the Raging Fire. The two fist bumped each other after the match, showing everyone they had earned each other’s respect. Takeshita said HENARE has unwavering strength but still is not as strong as “The Alpha”. He then dropped a major hint that he’s been learning from a special mentor over in America. This mentor has entrusted him with the “Strong Style” NJPW is famous for. Who is this mentor? Takeshita won’t say anything about him other than “YeaOh!”
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 29/07/2024 Fukuoka International Center 1,757 Fans
5. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Francisco Akira defeated David Finlay & Gedo when Akira pinned Gedo with the Fireball (7:14).
The next chapter of Takeshita’s tournament had him interact with the Bullet Club WAR DOGS for the first time. By this point Takeshita seemed to be getting along with the United Empire and had no trouble teaming with Francisco Akira. The two of them won their match when Takeshita Clotheslined David Finlay out of the ring and Akira pinned Gedo with the Fireball, which is very much like the Somato except the move is done from behind aiming at the opponent’s back and shoulders. Finlay tried to provoke Takeshita after the match by holding up the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. He then made accusations backstage that Takeshita has no loyalty towards anybody. Is he with DDT, AEW or New Japan? He should ask his friends in AEW just how dangerous Finlay is because Finlay is about to destroy another one of Tony Khan’s favorite toys!
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 31/07/2024 Yamaguchi KDDI Ishin Hall 1,021 Fans
9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: David Finlay (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) with the Overkill (18:23).
The good old Bullet Club style of cheating that everybody knows and absolutely loves took its toll on Takeshita here. Gedo distracted the referee a lot and pulled him out of the ring during a moment when Takeshita had the match won. Finlay hit Takeshita with a shillelagh but that wasn’t enough to beat him. Takeshita finally got rid of Gedo but his Raging Fire was countered into Finlay’s finisher the Overkill. Finlay got the three count with it while Takeshita kicked out a second too late. Finlay bragged about AEW being the place where the wrestlers who are not as good as him go and listed the former NJPW talent one by one. Takeshita said he will not accept the result. Being the Global Champion means Finlay will one day be standing at the center of the world. The next time they meet should be there so they can fight to see who is at the top.
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Francisco Akira defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma, Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima when Akira pinned Murashima with the Fireball (8:18).
Another day of non-tournament action gave Takeshita a chance to scout his next opponent Hirooki Goto. He was teaming with the familiar faces from United Empire again while Goto was with Tomoaki Honma and the two young lions. Plus the match was in Osaka, Takeshita’s home. He got into a few exchanges with Goto but the finish came down to Akira pinning Murashima. Takeshita admitted Goto is the one wrestler he is looking forward to fighting most. He will be ditching his nicknames and go into the match only as himself so the fans will see who is stronger, Goto or Takeshita?
7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Hirooki Goto (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) with the GTR (14:20).
During this year’s G1, Goto turned into the sentimental favorite of the fans thanks to him delivering high level performances while being the oldest contestant in the tournament. His match with Takeshita here is considered one of the highlights. Takeshita was able to kick out of the Shoten Kai but ran into a Headbutt and was put away with the GTR. Goto said he got a sense of Takeshita’s spirit and came up with an idea. If Takeshita wants to continue wrestling in New Japan then he should join CHAOS! Goto will welcome him into the unit that might just so happen to have a deep connection with Takeshita’s mysterious mentor. Takeshita doesn’t sound too keen on the idea. After all he wants to bring in a new era of pro wrestling and it’s coming just around the corner. When that era arrives he will stand in front of Goto once more.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 06/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,503 Fans – Super No Vacancy
2. Jeff Cobb, KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, HENARE & Francisco Akira defeated Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano, El Phantasmo & Jado when HENARE submitted Jado with the Ultima (3:51).
It was back to hanging out with the United Empire for another non-tournament bout. Two of his opponents from the other team were people he hadn’t faced in his block yet. There was also Toru Yano & Jado there but El Phantasmo and Oleg Boltin became the targets of Takeshita’s focus. ELP still remembers Takeshita putting him through a table in violent fashion at “FORBIDDEN DOOR” a few months ago. He threatened to pull one out from under the ring so he could settle the score. Takeshita promised to destroy ELP again and warned Boltin he will soon fight against an Olympic level athlete.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 07/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,504 Fans
5. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (8) defeated El Phantasmo (4) with the Raging Fire (17:22).
Depending on who you hear from, this is being considered one of the best matches of the tournament. It even got the ol’ five star treatment from Dave Meltzer. ELP was on the brink of elimination so he threw everything he had against Takeshita and Takeshita responded in kind. Just like at “FORBIDDEN DOOR” Takeshita put ELP through a table, this time by using the Inhuman Driver. ELP narrowly avoided being counted out but collapsed during an Elbow Strike exchange. He had enough fight in him to keep kicking out of Takeshita’s signature moves but he was finally defeated with the Raging Fire. Takeshita has been friends on a first name basis with ELP for a while and always wanted to wrestle him one on one. People like the two of them want to move the audience and get them excited. Takeshita then made some comments to the media about Hiroshi Tanahashi. He remembers the trouble he caused in DDT when he wrestled on their shows back in 2015. Once the G1 is over Takeshita warns Tanahashi not to run away from him!
2. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & HENARE defeated Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru when HENARE submitted Kanemaru with the Ultima (4:41).
As we head towards the closing stretch, Takeshita now had to experience the other side of Bullet Club, the House Of Torture stable. With HENARE on his side again the two of them defeated Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Narita was an upcoming opponent for both Takeshita and HENARE so the two of them made sure to get his attention and show what they have in store for him. However Takeshita also admitted that he is still feeling sore from his match with ELP. This is the challenge everyone in the G1 faces as they reach closer to the end. What kind of injuries do they build up match by match and can they tough it out until the end?
4. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Oleg Boltin (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (8) with the Kamikaze (12:07).
What an upset! By this point Boltin was already considered out of the running but that didn’t stop him from scoring a massive victory that also put Takeshita’s hopes of reaching the playoff at risk. Boltin used his own German Suplex to go against Takeshita’s, then dropped him with the Verdict followed by the Kamikaze for the victory. Takeshita was impressed and said when he reaches the top he will add Boltin’s name to the list of the strongest wrestlers ever. He wants to see Boltin do his best so they can fight again some day.
3. Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Francisco Akira when Kanemaru pinned Akira with a Jackknife Pin (8:48).
The final days were leaving Takeshita in a dire situation. He was back in the ring for another non-tournament tag against the House Of Torture. This time Narita had a plan and attacked Takeshita’s increasingly injured leg. By the end of the match it was clear Takeshita was not going into his final block match in good condition. Narita rubbed it in by telling him not to let his guard down otherwise he will only get hurt.
7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (10) defeated Ren Narita (10) with the Elbow Butt (16:47).
So it came down to this. The way Block B worked out on its last night meant that victory for either Takeshita or Narita would send them through to the playoff rounds. A draw would be good enough for Narita too but for Takeshita it was win or go home. House Of Torture made sure he had to fight through hell because EVIL and Dick Togo attacked Takeshita during his entrance. They would also interfere during the match but Takeshita heroically fought all of them off before dealing Nartia with a knock out blow to get the three count. Takeshita knows the fans don’t want to see hi G1 end yet so he invited them to all dream together with him because he will make to the final at Sumo Hall no matter what!
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 15/08/2024 Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall #9 1,111 Fans
1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block Playoff: Yota Tsuji defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA with the Gene Blaster (21:30).
Yeah about that. Yota Tsuji had other ideas. The two of them made it to the first part of the B Block playoff. Now they had to face each other again in a rematch from Night 1. Sadly for Takeshita his G1 ended here. The Gene Blaster from Tsuji was the difference maker and Takeshita kicked out of it one second too late. Tsuji complimented Takeshita by telling him he is a better wrestler in New Japan than he is in AEW. Takeshita said he entered the tournament carrying expectations from both AEW and DDT. Then as it progressed he also ended up carrying expectations from New Japan fans and the Japanese wrestling world at large. He hoped to go to the finals so he could tell all of DDT’s wrestlers that there is nothing wrong with their style of wrestling. He will now go back to America and stand in an AEW ring again but there are many people in New Japan he will want to face somewhere in the future.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 17/08/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 5,340 Fans
3. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman defeated Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Jado when TAKESHITA pinned Jado with the Elbow Butt (8:33).
It’s not quite the end of Takeshita’s tour yet. He has a couple of bonus matches to go through on the final nights at Sumo Hall. He got to be in the ring with Shota Umino and Callum Newman for the first time in this tour because the two of them were busy over in the A Block until now. ELP and Jado were having teamwork problems which left Jado as easy pickings for Takeshita and his mighty Elbow Strike. With his time at NJPW coming to an end, Takeshita is starting to think about what to do if he ever comes back. CHAOS and United Empire are both showing interest in letting him join their units. But what if he decides to come back and bring The Don Callis Family with him instead?
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 18/08/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 8,056 Fans
3. Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Francesco Akira when Eagles pinned Akira with the Hyperion (9:32).
Here is where we end things. Takeshita ended his tour by teaming with Akira one final time. Their opponents were Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles from TMDK and that team’s victory helped set the tone for their front man Zack Sabre Jr. to win the tournament at the end of the night. Takeshita said this was the end of his tour with New Japan and he has no reason to look down on anything that happened to him during it. He leaves New Japan with his head held high knowing that their fans will continue watching over him. He will repay them by becoming a champion over in America.
BASARA “BASARA 225 ~SENGUNBANBA~”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Lil’ Kraken & Akira Jo when FUMA pinned Kraken with the HEAVY METAL ANTHEM (8:48).
2. 3 Way Match: Daichi Kazato defeated Gouma Ryu and Yasu Urano when Kazato pinned Ryu with the Ax Bomber (9:42).
3. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles Next Challengers 3 Way Match: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga defeated Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu and Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura when Oosugi pinned Sekine with a Forward Rotating Cradle (11:56).
4. Acacia Leaf Presents: SHO defeated Isami Kodaka with the Snakebite (11:53).
5. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles Unification Match: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (i/c) defeated Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) when Shimomura pinned Nakano with the Swanton Bomb (13:07). *V1 for Sento Minzoku. Sento Minzoku are now recognized as the 10th IRON FIST Tag Team Champions.
6. Union MAX Title & CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (M/c) defeated SAGAT (C/c) with the Crooked Headscissors (17:16). *V1 for Takumi Tsukamoto. SAGAT fails in V1. Takumi Tsukamoto becomes the 15th CCW Canadian Heavyweight Champion!
Takumi Tsukamoto is now a double crown champion after he reclaimed the CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title as well as defending the Union MAX Title in the main event. He was able to counter SAGAT’s Argentine Backbreaker into a Crooked Headscissors to score the win. After the match both Ryota Nakatsu and FUMA entered the ring to challenge Tsukamoto for the MAX Title. Tsukamoto wants his next defence to take place at the 29th August Shin-Kiba 1st RING show because BASARA will be back to serving drinks Beer Garden style on that date. Nakatsu and FUMA agreed to face each other on 6th August to determine who the No. 1 Contender will be.
There is no need to call Sento Minzoku interim champions anymore because they defeated Aijin Tag to unify the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles! The new champions Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita are already set to hold their first defence on 29th August against Speed Of Sounds. The result comes as a blow for Masato Kamino because this was his return match from injury. At least Takato Nakano is happy to have his tag team partner back.
While El Desperado was paying DDT a visit over at Sumo Hall, BASARA welcomed in SHO as their big New Japan guest in Korakuen Hall. SHO didn’t take kindly to Isami Kodaka taking so long with his entrance. He took the match outside and attacked Kodaka with some of the ringside chairs. SHO then made the mistake of arguing with the referee for quickly enforcing the rules, allowing Kodaka to make a comeback. Kodaka almost won with the Diving Double Knee Drop but SHO kicked out, gave him a Low Blow and applied the Snakebite to make him submit. After the match SHO said their battle was settled and Kodaka now has to carry around his luggage like a rookie. The rest of Sento Minzoku complained but Kodaka obliged. Then Kodaka ran off with SHO’s luggage while Sento Minzoku stopped SHO from chasing after him!
The “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” preview will be posted later this evening. First there are three shows happening tomorrow but the cards are already finalized. So let’s go straight to Sunday.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Toy Kojima & Rukiya
3. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kotaro Suzuki, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (w/ Kachikire Hisaya) Vs Akito, Soma Takao & Yoshitomo Shimohigashi (w/ Buchigire Ujihara)
5. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Pokotan Vs Andreza Giant Panda & Super Sasadango Machine
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
7. Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku Vs MAO
8. Special Tag Match ~ Yukio Naya Return Match: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Akiyama & Shigehiro Irie
9. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuki Ueno
10. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Matt Cardona (w/ Steph De Lander)
11. Mexico Kanko Presents Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Chris Brookes
Kenta Kobashi will be at the show to do commentary for the main event.
BASARA “BASARA 225 ~SENGUNBANBA~”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Lil’ Kraken & Akira Jo
2. 3 Way Match: Daichi Kazato Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Yasu Urano
3. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles Next Challengers 3 Way Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Acacia Leaf Presents: Isami Kodaka Vs SHO
5. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles Unification Match: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (i/c)
6. Union MAX Title & CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (M/c) Vs SAGAT (C/c)
The Isami Kodaka Vs SHO match now has a sponsor. Acacia Leaf is a photography studio.
GANBARE☆PRO “UNDER THE SILVER LAKE 2023”, 06/08/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Keisuke Ishii Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. GanJo Vs JTO!: Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara Vs Misa Kagura & HisokA
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Mizuki Watase & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
4. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka Vs Koji Doi
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs YuuRI
The Ganbare☆Joshi Vs JTO rivalry continues. JTO are sending over Misa Kagura & HisokA to take on Yoshiko Hasegawa & Riara.
A challenge was thrown out by Munetatsu Nakamura to face Keisuke Ishii one on one.
DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2023 TOUR IN YAMAGATA”, 06/08/2023 Yamagata Big Wing
1. Yamagata Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Yukio Naya & Keisuke Goto
Yamagata’s own Keisuke Goto makes his second appearance in DDT. The first took place in October 2021.
“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi
Masahiro Takanashi celebrates 20 years in wrestling and Chris Brookes is invited for the main event. CDK clashes against each other!
DDT “DDT YOKOHAMA UNLIMITED SPECIAL”, 01/07/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yusuke Okada & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, MAO & Antonio Honda
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Saki Akai & Yuya Koroku
4. BURNING Vs DISASTER BOX!: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
6. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
7. International Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
Two injuries are forcing changes to a few DDT cards in July. Sanshiro Takagi tore his left calf and will be out of action until “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. Rukiya suffered a cracked sternum over the weekend and has no expected date to return yet.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 10 ~SPARE MYSELF AND SPARE MY NAME~”, 02/07/2023 Osaka Komikyo Higashinari Civic Center
1. Dosukoi Thank You Vs DDT’s Most Green Boy Combo: Yusuke Okada & Yuki Ishida Vs Kazuma Sumi & Ilusion
2. Pheromones Vs Former Smile Squash Vs Yoga Sumo ~Between Compliance And The Taste Of Pheromones~: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Yasu Urano & Soma Takao Vs Toru Owashi & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
3. Diabolical DAMNATION T.A Vs Men With A Thousand Skills: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Tsubasa & Makoto Oishi
4. “Did You Hear That? I Heard That Guy’s A Prick” Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro & Antonio Honda
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match – Japan-US Young Wrestling Summit!: MAO, Toy Kojima & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne, Kohei Kinoshita & Yuya Koroku
6. Special Tag Match – One Hundred Tales Of Osaka ~Saki Akai, Her Biggest Crisis Before Retirement~: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Kazuki Hirata & No Name
7. Right Before Ryogoku! Road To KOKUGIKAN Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito
8. Magnitude Kishiwada 30th Anniversary Match ~You Guys Will Know When You See It~: Dick Togo, Magnitude Kishiwada & Black Buffalo Vs Shigehiro Irie, Yuto Kikuchi & Takeshi Masada
9. Special Single Match – WR ~Wrestling & Respect~: Yuki Ueno Vs HUB
Takagi’s injury means he has to pull out of Yukinori Matsui’s big show this weekend. Yuto Kikuchi from Dotonbori Pro is coming in as a last minute replacement for him.
Ilusion replaces Rukiya in the opening match.
DDT “DDT TANABATA SPECIAL 2023 IN SHINJUKU”, 07/07/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. DISASTER BOX Vs BURNING!: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
4. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Toy Kojima
5. KANON Debut 4th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: TAKA Michinoku & KANON Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
6. International Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Nick Wayne
7. Road To PETER PAN 2023! Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
The aftermath of the KO-D Tag Team Titles match over the weekend sees Toy Kojima looking for revenge against DAMNATION T.A. He is aiming right for the leader by challenging Daisuke Sasaki to a singles match! Does he have something in store because charging straight towards Sasaki and his gang hasn’t worked out for him much lately. There’s only so many chairshots his body can take.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba Vs Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono
3. Riara Vs Sayaka Unagi
4. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Miyuki Takase
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Survival 4 Way Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki
7. Special Single Match: Yumehito Imanari Vs El Lindaman
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada
9. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
The announced match order for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”.
English commentary for the show on Wrestle Universe will be provided by Chris Brookes and Mr. HAKU.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2023 IN AOMORI”, 15/07/2023 Aomori Hamanasu Hall
1. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuni
2. 3 Way Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Akito Vs Antonio Honda
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Single Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Ishida
5. Falls Count Anywhere Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Kazusada Higuchi
Hideki Okatani has gradually been finding his footing in hardcore matches so he is a suitable replacement for Takagi in the Falls Count Anywhere match.
An upset that saw Yuki Ishida pin Yukio Sakaguchi results in a singles match between the two getting booked. Ishida used his new Dokusoi Hold to score a three count on the veteran. Is Sakaguchi going to be prepared for it the next time?
DDT “60TH BIRTHDAY & 20TH ANNIVERSARY ALL TOGETHER! ~ GORGEOUS NIGHT”, 16/07/2023 Fukushima Toyota Crown Arena Sub Arena
1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yusuke Okada, Toy Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. 3 Way Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Akito Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Yuni Vs Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
4. BURNING Vs Harimao!: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
6. Fukushima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda
This is unexpected. Takagi’s replacement in the Fukushima main event is Danshoku Dieno! Since it is an important match for Gorgeous Matsuno, Dieno is not going to be “Dandy” on the day. Granted there’s not much difference between regular Dieno and Pheromones Dieno but it’s still a nice gesture from the guy.
BASARA “BASARA 225 ~SENGUNBANBA~”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Isami Kodaka Vs SHO
2. IRON FIST Tag Team Titles Unification Match: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita (i/c)
3. Union MAX Title & CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (M/c) Vs SAGAT (C/c)
A double championship match headlines BASARA’s return to Korakuen Hall next month. SAGAT won the Chouten ~Itadaki~ and challenged Takumi Tsukamoto for the Union MAX Title afterwards. That’s not all because SAGAT also offered to defend the CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title he won from Tsukamoto back in March.
Masato Kamino is fit for return from his knee injury so he & Takato Nakano can go reclaim the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles. They are still technically the champions but Kamino’s injury caused an interim title to be created in his absence. Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita from Sento Minzoku won that prize but would prefer to be acknowledged as the actual champions. That all leads to the unification match happening at Korakuen.
BASARA takes on New Japan when Isami Kodaka faces SHO! Interactions between the two at “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023” earlier this year weren’t forgotten by either wrestler so the challenge was thrown out for a singles match. Kodaka even told SHO he would be happy to fight under normal rules instead of Hardcore or a death match. His reason for that decision is to prove he does not need to use weapons to beat SHO. Can SHO truthfully say the same given his reputation as a House Of Torture member? A lot of pride is on the line because Kodaka sees himself as a big figure on the independent scene facing the challenge of New Japan head on.
Nothing has been decided on this yet but Ryota Nakatsu said he wants to team with Ryuichi Sekine again on the show. They used to be together in BASARA as Cavalry. However Nakatsu just wants this to be a one time reunion. He is still a member of Sparky, although that unit is about to begin winding down. Nakatsu eventually wants all four members of Sparky to get together again so they can send it off and go their seperate ways. That won’t be happening anytime soon because of Naoki Tanizaki and Akiyori Takizawa’s schedules so that gives Nakatsu the chance to reunite with Sekine in the meantime.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 17/08/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Saki Akai, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs HIMAWARI, Toga & Shino Suzuki
3. Mizuki Vs Aiger
4. Debut 10th Anniversary Memorial Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima
17th August, 2013 was the date when Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima had their professional debut match on the pre-show of a DDT Sumo Hall show. They teamed together in a losing effort against the two other first generation TJPW wrestlers Chikage Kiba & KANNA. It’s perfect timing that the next “TJPW INSPIRATION” show is booked on the 10 year anniversary of that match. The main event will be Yamashita against Nakajima one on one for the first time since “GRAND PRINCESS ’22”.
Saki Akai will also be on the show because the 10th anniversary of her own debut pro wrestling match is one day off. Her first DDT bout happened the next day. Now there’s a bit of trivia that will catch people off guard. Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima and Saki Akai all debuted on the same weekend. And Akai debuted AFTER the other two.
1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – A Block Final: SAGAT defeated Daiki Shimomura with the Argentine Backbreaker (11:11).
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – B Block Final: Ryota Nakatsu defeated Fuminori Abe with the V Slider (9:10).
3. Roundabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Shiori Asahi defeated Banana Senga and Gouma Ryu when Asahi pinned Senga and Ryu with a Flying Kendo Press (6:41).
4. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita defeated Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi when Fujita pinned Oosugi with the Tombstone Piledriver (10:40).
5. Takumi Tsukamoto, Takato Nakano & Yasu Urano defeated FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Lil’ Kraken when Tsukamoto pinned Hiroshi with an Ouchi-gari (13:48).
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ 2023 – Final: SAGAT defeated Ryota Nakatsu with the Goregrind (17:57).
As a result of winning the Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament this year SAGAT gets to challenge Takumi Tsukamoto for the Union MAX Title. He is willing to put his CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title on the line to make it a double title match at Korakuen Hall on 23rd July. Meanwhile Ryota Nakatsu talked to SAGAT suggesting it is time for Sparky to disband soon. He wants the full unit to get together one more time before it happens though.
After the show Nakatsu told reporters he wants to team up with Ryuichi Sekine at Korakuen. The two used to be part of a BASARA unit called Cavalry. Nakatsu’s request is not to reform the unit though. He is only asking for one time to team with Sekine again.
Masato Kamino appeared after the semi-main event and announced he is ready to come back from his knee injury on 23rd July. He called on Takato Nakano to immediately focus on winning back the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles they never lost. That means Aijin Tag will face the interim champions Sento Minzoku at Korakuen in a title unification match! Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura accepted the challenge to happen straight away because they want to be upgraded from interim champions to undisputed champions.
It was announced during the show that Isami Kodaka Vs SHO will happen on 23rd July. Kodaka wanted to do the match after his interactions with SHO at the “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023” back in March. Kodaka sent a message to SHO thanking him for accepting the challenge and said he is happy to hold the match under normal rules without the need for any weapons. He also wants to win the match as a independent wrestler taking on New Japan head on.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 