TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 ~MIZUKI’S HOMETOWN IS KOBE!~”, 13/01/2024 Kobe Art Center 230 Fans
1. Moka Miyamoto defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Rashomon (6:16).
2. Raku defeated Shino Suzuki with the Doctor Yellow (7:17).
3. 3 Way Match: Arisu Endo defeated Kaya Toribami and Toga when Endo submitted Endo with the Camel Clutch (7:32).
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI when Nakajima pinned HIMAWARI with the Northern Lights Suplex (9:01).
5. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino defeated Suzume & Wakana Uehara when Mizunami pinned Uehara with the Spear (13:00).
6. Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki & Nao Kakuta defeated Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Pom Harajuku when Mizuki pinned Harajuku with the Cutie Special (15:10).
The crowd in Kobe welcomed Mizuki back home as part of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s visit there. She was the first to admit her teamwork with Miyu Yamashita & Nao Kakuta was not very good today but the three of them still won in the main event. Miu Watanabe used the match as a chance to test herself against Yamashita on the road to Sumo Hall. It was also a warm up match for Daydream going into the Max Heart Tournament starting later this month. Rika Tatsumi said if Daydream wins it she would be ok with Watanabe wrestling twice at Sumo Hall, once for the Princess Of Princess Title match and once for the Princess Tag Team Titles match. Watanabe hasn’t agreed to that but promised to do her best if the idea does become a reality. Meanwhile Tatsumi thinks Pom Harajuku will get eliminated in the 1st Round.
Things are going great for Yuki Aino at the moment. She recently won the Princess Tag Titles with Ryo Mizunami, they won their tag match today and now she gets to enjoy a homecoming show in Okayama tomorrow. Mizunami & Aino have agreed to call their team Yukiniki but are keeping what it stands for as their secret.
Hyper Misao had a sore throat and lost her voice so Shoko Nakajima had to do the microphone work in their tag match. HIMAWARI got to join in until Kyoraku Kyomei attacked her.
Yuki Kamifuku was feeling unwell and did not wrestle on the show. She went to a hospital for an examination instead and a few matches on the undercard had to be changed around. That means she won’t be at tomorrow’s show too.
Trainee Chika announced she will have her debut match in her hometown of Osaka on 24th February. She is really happy that is where her first match will be held.
It’s the return of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s annual tag team tournament. The lineup for the 4th “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament has been shaken up because some of the more established teams are no longer around, a few noticeable names are missing for different reasons* and some the main eventers have chosen to team up with rookies. Kyoraku Kyomei and Daydream are going to be the only two teams to have competed in every Max Heart Tournament by the time this year’s edition has finished.
*The Princess Tag Team Champions are not taking part so expect the tournament winners to challenge Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino for the belts down the line. Maki Itoh is taking time off to rest and recuperate. She probably would have missed it for her next tour in America anyway. Hikari Noa is… let’s stick with the official line that she’s currently unable to wrestle because of poor health. Haruna Neko is still injured with no timetable for a return yet. Runa Okubo has taken a few months off to study for her exams.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 20/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Tag Team 1 Vs Tag Team 2
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Tag Team 4 Vs Tag Team 5
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1C: Tag Team 7 Vs Tag Team 8
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1D: Tag Team 10 Vs Tag Team 11
———————————————————————–
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 21/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2A: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Tag Team 3
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2B: Winners Of Match 1B Vs Tag Team 6
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2C: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Tag Team 9
———————————————————————–
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “THE FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 27/01/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 2A Vs Winners Of Match 2B
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 2C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
———————————————————————–
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 10/02/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “JURIA NAGANO GRADUATION”, 13/04/2024 Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
It was announced today that Juria Nagano will be graduating from Tokyo Joshi Pro this April. She broke this news with Tetsuya Koda at a press conference earlier today. Nagano explained the reason for her graduation is so she can put more effort into her work in the entertainment industry while keeping her other career as a nurse. If she were to continue pro wrestling at this rate she would only be able to do it half-heartedly due to her busy schedule. She first considered making her decision when she broke a bone in her hand while wrestling last January and was unable to work for 6 months. There have been tough times when she wanted to give up wrestling sooner but she enjoyed being in the ring and thinks TJPW was a great environment for her.
Nagano’s graduation is going to be a complete exit from pro wrestling. She is calling it a graduation rather than a retirement because she’s seen other TJPW wrestlers “graduate” when they quit pro wrestling and TJPW is the only wrestling she knows. Her final match will be on 13th April. Until then she wants to keep fighting until she burns out. In her brief time as a wrestler she has not won a championship so her goal now is to win a title with her tag team partner Moka Miyamoto. For that reason Shinken Kusho will be entering the Max Heart Tournament beginning next month. She would also like to win a singles match, which she has not accomplished yet. Koda asked Nagano if she can still support TJPW after she graduates. She promised she will as a fan.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 ~MIZUKI’S HOMETOWN IS KOBE!~”, 13/01/2024 Kobe Art Center
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Raku Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Kaya Toribami & Toga
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI
5. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
6. Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki & Nao Kakuta Vs Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Pom Harajuku
An emergency decision was made by Tokyo Joshi Pro to book Ryo Mizunami for this Saturday’s show. There should be more appearances to come for her while she holds the Princess Tag Team Titles with Yuki Aino.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 ~YUKI’S HOMETOWN IS OKAYAMA!~”, 14/01/2024 Okayama Convention Center Event Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Kaya Toribami Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Nao Kakuta Vs Toga
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Mizuki & HIMAWARI
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Wakana Uehara
6. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino
Sadly Mizunami will not be at the show in Aino’s hometown the next day.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. MAO Birthday Commemorative Match: MAO & TAKA Michinoku Vs X & X
2. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Hikaru Sato, Kazusada Higuchi & Ryo Kawamura
4. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yukio Naya
I’m starting to think D.O.A coming up with that name for themselves was a bad idea. The phrase “Dead Or Alive” is so common that there are plenty of wrestlers out there who claim they used it first. After the unit dealt with Bodyguard’s complaints they then found out Hikaru Sato is upset with them because he thinks they stole his catchphrase. Sato sent Kazusada Higuchi to tell them they should defend both the name and the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against them. Sato & Higuchi will be joined by Ryo Kawamura. The previous times Kawamura has appeared in DDT he’s been using different Sylvester Stallone gimmicks (Rocky Kawamura, Rambo Kawamura, Rocky Kawamura II, etc). He might be coming back just as himself this time.
The birthday match for MAO is a special one because he gets to team with TAKA Michinoku for the first time ever! Michinoku has been a big influence for him over the years and has inspired a lot of his moveset.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 DESIRE”, 23/02/2024 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Yuna Manase Return Match: Yuna Manase Vs X
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Shuichiro Katsumura (c) Vs Takuya Wada
The new king of Ganbare☆Pro has decided to defend the Spirit Of Ganbare Title against his own tag team partner. Over the weekend Shuichiro Katsumura defended both of his championships, including the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles he holds with Takuya Wada. With nobody stepping up to challenge him for either title Katsumura suggested he and Wada fight each other while they wait for new opponents to emerge. The title match will happen in Katsumura’s hometown of Yokohama.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs X
Currently all tickets for this show has sold out so DDT will be adding additional seating to go on sale later this week. That’s how much of a hot ticket Kaisei Takechi’s debut match is. Takechi has a black belt in Judo and has been coached by Yuki Ueno in training. For that reason Takechi would like to team with Ueno for his first match. The 25 year old also wants to face opponents who are in the same age range as him because competition within the young generation is going to liven up the wrestling world. He cannot commit to a full match schedule due to his work with THE RAMPAGE but he would like to wrestle more after his debut. He currently weighs 77kg but feels his body as it is now is only built for dancing. So he is bulking up and aims to weigh in at 85kg for the match. Takechi is also trying to figure out what wrestling move he wants to use as his signature. When he dances he often raises his right fist into the air and shouts “THE RAMPAGE” so he wants to come up with something that will follow that.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”, 31/03/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe
The main event for Sumo Hall is a rematch from the Tokyo Princess Cup 2022 Semi Final. Miu Watanabe defeated Miyu Yamashita in what has been their last singles match together until now. Next time will be in the main event of Sumo Hall for the Princess Of Princess Title!
BASARA/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GAISEN SAKURA PRO WRESTLING”, 14/04/2024 Okayama Shinjo Village Outdoor Ring
A free outdoor pro wrestling show is being put together by Ryuichi Sekine and Nodoka Tenma in a little village found on the northwest side of Okayama. The couple run a farm together in Shinjo Village and want people to get to know the area better. So they have come up with Gaisen Sakura Pro Wrestling an event built around agriculture, food and wrestling. The wrestling portion of the event will be split into two parts. One part will be a men’s wrestling show featuring talent from BASARA. The other part with be a women’s show with TJPW involved. If the event is a success then the plan will be to make it an annual tradition held every April when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 06/01/2024 Shinjuku FACE 374 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Aino defeated HIMAWARI & Toga when Yamashita pinned HIMAWARI with the Attitude Adjustment (11:36).
2. Pom Harajuku defeated Kuishinbo Kamen with a School Boy (6:22).
3. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Max The Impaler ended in a No Contest (10:28).
4. Battle Royal To Win The Right To Challenge The Princess Of Princess Champion: Miu Watanabe defeated Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima and Yuki Kamifuku (24:00).
4a. Mizuki eliminated Shoko Nakajima by Over The Top Rope (14:02).
4b. Rika Tatsumi eliminated Mizuki by Over The Top Rope (14:26).
4c. Yuki Kamifuku eliminated Rika Tatsumi with a Kintaro Clutch (20:32).
4d. Miu Watanabe eliminated Yuki Kamifuku with the Tear Drop (24:00).
The challenger for “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” at Sumo Hall has been determined. Miu Watanabe won the Battle Royal to become the No. 1 Contender for the Princess Of Princess Title! The match went on with the champion Miyu Yamashita watching on nearby. Mizuki eliminated Shoko Nakajima by using the Cutie Special on the apron to bounce her out of the ring. Mizuki then didn’t last much longer because when she climbed the turnbuckles, Rika Tatsumi knocked her to the floor with a Hip Attack. Tatsumi and Watanabe then fought each other in a Daydream battle until Yuki Kamifuku slipped in and pinned Tatsumi with a Kintaro Clutch out of nowhere. Kamifuku then tried to give Watanabe the Famouser but she was caught on her opponent’s shoulders. A Victory Roll attempt was then blocked and Watanabe spun Kamifuku around with a Giant Swing. The finish came after that when Watanabe pinned her with the Tear Drop.
So now the stage is set for 31st March. Watanabe will face Yamashita for the Princess Title at Ryogoku! Watanabe said she loves Tokyo Joshi Pro so she will do whatever it takes to win the title and make the show a success. She feels the weight of the challenge because it is happening on the 10th year of TJPW. Yamashita said backstage she is not planning to travel for the next three months so she intends to wrestle all of her matches in Japan during this period. She will never lose so she asks Watanabe to come and beat her at Sumo Hall with all of her might.
There was no longer any death matches scheduled for the show after Hikari Noa was pulled but Masha Slamovich Vs Max The Impaler ended up going out of control anyway. They fought out of the ring and threw each other into rows of chairs. Max brought a chair into the ring and the referee stopped them from using it. When Max shoved the ref away, Slamovich then grabbed a chair and hit Max with it. The ref then shouted warnings at her and got shoved aside. The match had to be called off while Max and Slamovich were still fighting out of the ring towards the lobby. Later backstage when things calmed down Slamovich was able to comment on the match. She said a No Contest means there is still work to be done between her and Max. They can do it at Sumo Hall, in Philadelphia or anywhere else! Wherever a rematch takes place, Slamovich promises to have a surprise in store for Max.
Pom Harajuku is so much like Kuishinbo Kamen. Perhaps a little too much even. She entered the ring wearing her own Kamen mask as well as a lei made out of packs of candy. The two wrestled a comedy match that dragged the referee into it. The ref ended up kicking Kamen and Harajuku rolled him up with a School Boy to win. Harajuku said Kamen is awesome and they are so similar even she couldn’t tell who was who. Kamen said at the time Harajuku debut he thought her gimmick overlapped with his. He was glad to have a match with her and doesn’t want today to be the only time it happens. The two agreed to team up next time and decided to dance their way home together.
The show opened up with Yamashita teaming up with Yuki Aino so the two champions could take on HIMAWARI & Toga. The match was put together to celebrate the first anniversary of HIMAWARI’s TJPW debut. Aino dropped Toga with the Venus DDT and Yamashita pinned HIMAWARI with the Attitude Adjustment.
Haru Kazashiro joined Sayuri Namba for the show opening announcements. Namba asked Kazashiro to predict the main event. Kazashiro couldn’t pick a winner because she originally thought it was going to be Maki Itoh, who was pulled from the show on short notice due to injury.
There is going to be another TJPW show in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania Week. The second show will also include the women from GCW working with them. “GCW Vs TJPW” will be held in Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium on 6th April.
NOTE: The Maki Itoh injury news came out while I was writing this post and has since been edited in.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 06/01/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Pom Harajuku Vs Kuishinbo Kamen
2. Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Aino Vs HIMAWARI & Toga
3. Battle Royal To Win The Right To Challenge The Princess Of Princess Champion: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
4. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Max The Impaler
Both Masha Slamovich and Max The Impaler are looking for a rebound win after losing their big title matches yesterday.
Maki Itoh is out of action indefinitely after injuring her arm during yesterday’s match against Rina Yamashita. Her arm felt numb afterwards and she went for an MRI scan earlier today. The diagnosis was for her to rest and get medical treatment. That means she has to pull out of her upcoming matches both in Japan and abroad. The timetable for her return will depend on her doctor’s decision during her recovery. The Battle Royal tomorrow will now be between the five remaining participants.
1. Keisuke Ishii & Shota Vs Yuni & Ilusion
2. Legendary Hostess Vs The Toughest Girl In Osaka: Riara Vs Momoka Hanazono
3. Banny Oikawa & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. Special Single Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Tsuyoshi Okada
5. Yumehito Imanari & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Soma Takao & Mizuki Watase
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka
Munetatsu Nakamura is showing symptoms of a fever so will not be at the show tomorrow. Yuni takes his place in the opener.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 06/01/2024 Osaka 176BOX
1. Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi & Ilusion
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuki Iino & Yuni
3. Special Tag Match: Yoshitatsu & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi
4. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Rukiya
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Bodyguard, Naruki Doi & Tsutenkakka
6. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Takeshi Masada
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Naya, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
The card for tomorrow’s DDT show has been changed around because of MAO’s illness as well as plans to build up Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Naya for the end of the month.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 07/01/2024 Osaka 176BOX
1. Makoto Oishi Vs Yuni
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno
3. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Takeshi Masada
4. Jun Akiyama, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Akito, Yusuke Okada & Ilusion
5. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toy Kojima
6. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi
7. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
8. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Kazusada Higuchi
Not as many changes here but still a few. The big change here is Yuki Iino teaming with Tetsuya Endo as the newest member of BURNING. They are against DAMNATION T.A too and Daisuke Sasaki is not happy his plan to get Endo on his side again ended in failure.
BASARA “BASARA 239 ~UTAGE~”, 07/01/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. KUBITO & Yasu Urano Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
2. Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. Takumi Tsukamoto, SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Daichi Kazato, Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura
5. Union MAX Title: FUMA (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
The first BASARA show of 2024 has FUMA defending the Union MAX Title against Minoru Fujita as the main event.
DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT BLAST! 2024”, 14/01/2024 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
1. Kazuki Hirata, Kazusada Higuchi & Danshoku Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada Vs Yoshitatsu, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada
3. Special Single Match: Shota Vs Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs KANON
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Rukiya
6. Special 4 Way Match: MAO Vs Mecha Mummy Vs Mecha Pandita Vs Demonio Uno
7. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Death Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima
Two singles matches between ROMANCE DAWN and DAMNATION T.A to get them ready for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match later in the month.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO WINNING SHOT ’24”, 16/01/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Ice Ribbon Offer Match: Ibuki Hoshi & Kaho Matsushita Vs Arisa Shinose & Tsukina Umino
2. Alex Lee & Riara Vs Kaho Kobayashi & Itsuki Aoki
3. SAKI Vs Banny Oikawa
4. Sumire Natsu & YuuRI Vs Yuu & Yoshiko Hasegawa
Riara gets to team up with Alex Lee for the first time. They have previously been opponents.
DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yoshitatsu Vs Kazuki Hirata & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Iino & Yusuke Okada
2. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: KANON Vs Yuni
3. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Ilusion
4. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
6. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
7. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota
Because their is not enough matches going on in this show DDT have added a 4 Way Tag to it.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
3. Kazuki Hirata & Akito Vs Shunma Katsumata & Yusuke Okada
4. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MJ Paul
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Yukio Naya & Yoshitatsu
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith
The last preview match between Ueno and Naya before their KO-D Openweight Title bout takes place here.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,235 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga defeated Moka Miyamoto, Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami when Kamifuku pinned Toribami with the Famouser (9:34).
2. Raku, Ram Kaichow & Pom Harajuku defeated HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo when Raku pinned Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow (6:43).
3. Mizuki defeated Nao Kakuta with the Cutie Special (8:48).
4. New Year! Make Your Dreams Come True! Daruma Match: Shoko Nakajima defeated Hyper Misao when Nakajima painted the eye on the Daruma Doll (14:07).
5. Riho defeated Shino Suzuki with the Sakura Hold (5:33).
6. Aja Kong defeated Wakana Uehara with the Back Drop (6:57).
7. Special Single Match: Rina Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Splash Mountain (16:43).
8. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai defeated Max The Impaler (c) with the Finally (10:19). *Max The Impaler fails in V4. Yuki Arai becomes the 12th International Princess Champion!
9. Princess Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino defeated Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe and Suzume & Arisu Endo when Aino pinned Endo with the UBV (13:19). *Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino become the 15th Princess Tag Team Champions!
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Masha Slamovich with the Crash Rabbit Heat (17:20). *V3 for Miyu Yamashita.
The Miyu Yamashita Vs Masha Slamovich rivalry from America made its way over to Japan for this year’s Tokyo Joshi Pro Ittenyon show. It is both a matchup Yamashita wanted to show her home fans and also a risky challenger to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against. That risk was on full show when Slamovich gave her a Doctor Bomb on the ring apron, hit a dive out of the ring and also Double Stomped Yamashita in the corner. Slamovich even gave the champion a taste of her own medicine by hitting her own Skull Kick! But Yamashita avoided taking the White Knight Driver whenever her opponent tried to set it up. The Avalanche Attitude Adjustment gave Yamashita some breathing room and soon she wore down Slamovich with strikes until she finished her off with the Crash Rabbit Heat.
The two shook hands after the match and Slamovich indicated she still wants to fight Yamashita again another time. Yamashita told the fans about the previous times she won and lost against her, then said those matches are always a lot of fun. Yamashita said TJPW will continue to do their best at any time under any circumstances and they look forward to everyone’s support in 2024. She did not nominate her next challenger for the Princess Title. Instead she wants to wait for somebody to challenge her. There will a Battle Royal in two days time to determine the No. 1 Contender “GRAND PRINCESS ’24” in March. It is possible she may defend the title overseas before then but she expects the Sumo Hall challenger will be a difficult opponent no matter who it is.
The vacant Princess Tag Team Titles were up for grabs in a 3 Way Tag Match. Original challengers Daisy Monkey now had to face both Daydream as well as Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino. Mizunami has played a clutch substitute role for TJPW over the last year and today good karma came her way. She saved Aino from the double team moves from both sets of opponents and Aino paid her back by pinning Arisu Endo to win the Tag Titles! Mizunami admits they are not as good a team as Daydream or Daisy Monkey but now that they are champions they can build a lot of things together from here. Aino is so happy to win the titles again it made her cry. They now need a team name. Mizunami suggested they be called Yukiniki. Meanwhile Suzume & Endo find themselves starting from zero yet again. They won’t give up on their dream to become TJPW’s strongest tag team. As for Daydream, Rika Tatsumi told Miu Watanabe to treat today’s match as a trial for the upcoming Max Heart Tournament. They intend to win it for a second time.
On this day one year ago Max The Impaler pinned Yuki Arai in the middle of the ring to take the Princess Tag Titles away from her. They also stole Arai’s hair clip. Today Arai got her revenge by beating Max to become the new International Princess Champion! Oh, and she got her hairclip back too. It took a lot of effort to get there though. Max threw Arai around Korakuen Hall, sending her into the front row and also Body Slamming her on the floor in front of another member of SKE48. Arai reached her limit trying to fight back but when Max caught the Flying Cross Body, Arai flipped her over with an Inside Cradle, got back up and suddenly knocked Max out with the Finally! Arai then pinned Max to win the title. When Max recovered their senses, they returned to the ring and handed Arai’s hairclip back to her. Arai admitted she wanted to run away from Max so many times and she’s glad she didn’t. She thinks 2024 is going to be her best year yet and she wants to become strong enough that fans will think of her as TJPW’s top champion.
Another match from America was put on display in Japan for the first time. Over the last two years both Maki Itoh and Rina Yamashita have become integral parts of GCW. They even wrestled each other there and the rematch was taking place here. The match was supposed to be held under normal rules and Yukinori Matsui refused to let Itoh use her pizza cutter. An inadvertent low blow to the ref gave Itoh the chance to slice open Yamashita’s head with the cutter. That only fired up Yamashita though and she brought in chairs to turn the match hardcore. While Itoh’s iron head resisted the chair attacks, Yamashita was able to beat her by using a Diving Body Press, Thrust Kick and then the Splash Mountain. The two flashed MDK gang signs to each other after the match. Backstage Yamashita joked that she didn’t expect to be covered in her own blood inside a TJPW ring. She wants to continue fighting Itoh until Itoh is covered in her own blood! Itoh responded that she is always ready to get covered in blood. She didn’t make it clear if she meant her own though. She also said she wants to do her best to balance her time between America and Japan this year because she didn’t get to do much in TJPW during 2023.
An eager Wakana Uehara used a Space Rolling Elbow to surprise Aja Kong before the bell rang. Kong let Uehara continue the attack until she tried to give her a Brainbuster. Not a smart move. However she got Kong onto the canvas by using a Sunset Flip to lure Kong into doing a Hip Drop and avoided that by rolling out of the way. Uehara then kept trying to use the Sleeper Hold but Kong kept getting out of it. A Sunset Flip into a Bridging pin gave Uehara a nearfall and then she went back to the Sleeper Hold. This time Kong squashed Uehara to break the hold and then hit a Lariat. Uehara kicked out to get the fans cheering for her but Kong then pinned her with the Back Drop. She lifted her finger up to Uehara’s face telling her she wants one more match and she then shoved her to the mat. Backstage Kong said Uehara’s use of the Sleeper Hold shows she is starting to be confident in herself. Today Kong has gained one more rival. Uehara said Kong is a wall too high for her to climb right now but she will definitely beat her someday.
Fresh off of an AEW PPV appearance, Riho showed up in TJPW for a match against Shino Suzuki. After using a Sleeper Hold, Suzuki ran into a Jumping Knee Strike. Riho then gave her the 619 followed by the Sakura Hold to make Suzuki give up. She noted that Suzuki does not have a lot of skill but made up for it with a lot of passion and that made her a fun opponent to fight against. Riho will now be going back to America to grow up even more before returning to Japan again. Suzuki said she is grateful to get the match and she now realizes who she is at this point of time. Riho has a similar physique as her but was overwhelmingly stronger. So now Suzuki will stop convincing herself she is weak just because of her size.
This year’s Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao match had a winner and a loser this time. A Daruma Doll was left hanging above the ring and the first person to climb the ladder and paint an eye on the doll would become the winner and get to make a wish for 2024. Misao arrived riding on her new and improved Hypami Dramatic Dream bike but she crashed it into Mahiro Kiryu. Nakajima and Misao then fought in the Korakuen lobby where Misao crashed the bike again, this time into a castle made of chairs and kaiju toys. She then crashed the bike a third time when she cycled down the aisle of chairs into both Nakajima and Kiryu. Nakajima fought back using a box of kaiju toys before wiping out Misao with a Topé Suicida. She then climbed the ladder and painted an eye on the Daruma to win. Nakajima is going to be greedy this year because she both wishes to win the Princess Tag Titles with Misao and also win the Battle Royal on 6th January to get the Princess Title shot in Sumo Hall!
Having to vacate the Princess Tag Titles on New Year’s Eve left Nao Kakuta needing to take her frustrations out on somebody so good thing Mizuki was there to meet those needs and return in kind! Mizuki ended up winning a tough fight with some Diving Foot Stomps followed by the Cutie Special. Kakuta is taking the loss in her stride because she had a lot of fun out there and felt the warmth of the fans’ support. Her goal in 2024 is to enjoy pro wrestling. She also wants to surpass Mizuki but that might take a bit longer than a year to accomplish. Mizuki described their relationship as rivals but still friends. She also thinks they might share a bond because they both had to give up the Princess Tag Titles because their partners were unable to wrestle for one reason or another.
TJPW fans got to see Raku & Ram Kaichow being a happy couple again. They joined hands together and gave a Double Diving Chop to Haru Kazashiro. The other rookie Runa Okubo got a new year’s gift from Pom Harajuku but it turned out to be getting kicked in the feet. Kaichow took out HIMAWARI with a Diving Cross Body and Raku pinned Kazashiro with the Doctor Yellow. Kaichow gave her a kiss on the cheek afterward to celebrate.
Toyo Mates & Toga were victorious in the opening bout against Shinken Kusho & Kaya Toribami. Kiryu used Moka Miyamoto as her human mat for the Apology Knee Drop. Miyamoto got her own back when she & Juria Nagano kicked Kiryu away. Toga then got rid of Nagano with the Elbow Strike. The match came down to Yuki Kamifuku against Toribami and Kamifuku pinned her with the Famouser.
At the start of the show The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) debuted a new song called “Barobaro ~It’s A Battle!~”. Uta took Hikari Noa’s place in the performance.
This week already feels like the craziest January schedule of wrestling shows in years.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga Vs Moka Miyamoto, Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami
2. Raku, Ram Kaichow & Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta
4. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
5. Riho Vs Shino Suzuki
6. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
7. Special Single Match: Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
8. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
9. Princess Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich
The participants of tomorrow’s three title matches all gathered together for contract signings and a press conference earlier today. Masha Slamovich bragged about her success in 2023 that included pinning Miyu Yamashita at “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”. She thinks it is time for a new Princess Of Princess Champion to be crowned in 2024. If she becomes champion she intends to defend it around the world and have the longest reign in the title’s history. Yamashita said she visited many states in America last year and wherever she went, Slamovich was always there. After wrestling each other so much in USA, Yamashita wanted to wrestle her in Japan and asked Tetsuya Koda to bring her over to have this title match. She feels the pressure but enjoys it because she wants to take bigger risks so her fourth title reign can stand out.
Three teams are now ready to fight each other for the vacant Princess Tag Team Titles. As far as Daisy Monkey are concerned the situation has not changed for them. Suzume & Arisu Endo want to win the belts that were held by Tokyo Joshi Pro’s strongest tag teams. Daydream last held the titles in 2020 so Miu Watanabe would like to make her daydreams with Rika Tatsumi come true again. Tatsumi always thought it was strange that Daydream were not the next challengers in the first place. Yuki Aino is happy to get a chance to win the tag titles with Ryo Mizunami. Her tag partner is often called “Everyone’s Aniki” but when they win Aino wants it to change to “My Aniki”! Mizunami said 2024 is the Year Of The Dragon and she was also born in the Year Of The Dragon. So it is fate that she and Aino can leave a mark in TJPW by becoming the new tag champions!
Yuki Arai signed the International Princess Title match contract while waiting for Max The Impaler to show up. She talked about this being her second shot at the title and how she lost the Princess Tag Titles at last year’s Ittenyon show. She wants to start off her year shining and become champion for Saki Akai. Max then finally arrived at the building and marked the contract with their thumb which counts as their signature. Max then pulled out a hair band that Arai recognised. It is the hairband that Max took from her when The Wasteland War Party beat Reiwa AA Cannon for the Princess Tag Titles last year! Arai promised to win the belt and also get her hairband back!
GANBARE☆PRO “2024 GANBARE☆THE FIGHT BEGINS”, 04/01/2024 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. YuuRI & Riara Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaho Matsushita
2. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE Vs Shigehiro Irie & Banny Oikawa
3. New Year Special 3 Way Match: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Yuni Vs Ilusion
4. GanPro New Year Special 6-Man Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Mizuki Watase Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Shuichiro Katsumura (c) Vs Ken Ohka
Munetatsu Nakamura must be feeling like a million bucks after winning the Best Newcomer category at the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards on New Year’s Eve.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/01/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ilusion
2. Eruption Vs D.O.A!: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
4. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. DISASTER BOX Final Match: HARASHIMA Vs Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Jun Akiyama, Yoshitatsu & Yukio Naya Vs Akito, Yuki Iino & Rukiya
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takayuki Ueki, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy
The first new addition to DDT this year is Yoshitatsu. He left All Japan a few days ago and chose DDT as his landing spot because the place reminds him of how fun pro wrestling can be. Jun Akiyama is someone in particular he wants to be in the ring with again so they get to team up in Yoshitatsu’s first match under this new arrangement.
Daisuke Sasaki approached Tetsuya Endo after today’s show and suggested they should join forces again. His argument is Endo no longer has any ties to BURNING without Akiyama involved and with that he shouldn’t have anything holding him back either. He left before Endo could respond so what will happen next?
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 06/01/2024 Osaka 176BOX
1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Rukiya
2. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs HARASHIMA & Yuni
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Iino & Toy Kojima
5. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi & Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Bodyguard, Naruki Doi & Tsutenkakka
The next day Yoshitatsu faces Kazuma Sumi.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 07/01/2024 Osaka 176BOX
1. Makoto Oishi Vs Yuni
2. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Takeshi Masada
3. Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi Vs Akito & Yuki Iino
4. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toy Kojima
7. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
Then the day after that he takes on Takeshi Masada. The previously announce 3 Way Match Masada was in is now just Makoto Oishi against Yuni.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
2. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith
Sasaki & KANON have become the next challengers for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Sasaki is trying to rile up ROMANCE DAWN over their connection to the Young Communication generation. Shota is proud to be part of that circle of wrestlers but Sasaki thinks his connection to the group is insignificant. Soma Takao meanwhile wants revenge on DAMNATION T.A for the chairshot they gave him earlier today.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. MAO Birthday Commemorative Match: MAO Vs X
2. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi
3. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yukio Naya
The winner of the D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 is Yukio Naya which means he is now lined up for a KO-D Openweight Title shot! Yuki Ueno admits Naya proved he is the strongest wrestler in DDT but the championship belongs to only the most interesting. The battles over different visions for what DDT should be will continue to flare throughout this year.
The previous DDT Extreme Champion is back from injury and wants to win the belt again. Shunma Katsumata has been a a big supporter of Kazuki Hirata’s current title reign and is eager to find out what rules Hirata will come up with.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Tsubasa Suzuki Vs X
2. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi
The biggest match yet in the DDT Vs All Japan rivalry has been announced. Konosuke Takeshita will be representing DDT on its 27th Anniversary against Yuma Aoyagi! The former Triple Crown Champion wants to introduce his own “Dramatic Dream” to Takeshita and sees this match as a path that will lead him down to Yuki Ueno and the KO-D Title!
For the first time DDT has an intern pro wrestler. Tsubasa Suzuki is a student wrestler from Hitotsubashi University World Pro Wrestling Alliance (or HWWA for short). He was born in Shizuoka on 14th August 2002. He is 176cm tall, weighs 80kg and has a background in track and field as well as his student wrestling club. He will work several shows for DDT on an internship. After a certain amount of time DDT will decide if they want to officially hire him.
Fans of Tokyo Joshi Pro were invited to submit their votes for TJPW’s best matches of 2023. This year there were votes from over 380 fans worldwide and over 120 matches received votes.
TJPW Best Bouts 2023
1. 10th Anniversary Special 10-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo 1st December @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
228 pts
2. International Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi 18th March @ Ariake Coliseum
194 pts
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita 9th October @ Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
179 pts
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Maki Itoh 8th July @ Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
145 pts
5. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki 18th March @ Ariake Coliseum
121 pts
6. Miracle Heart Catch Shuffle Tag Tournament Final: Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu 25th May @ Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
109 pts
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta 9th October @ Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
91 pts
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Kamifuku 13th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
86 pts
9. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuki Arai 12th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
64 pts
10. Saki Akai Vs Yuki Arai 27th October @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
54 pts
11. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao 11th February @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
53 pts
12. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku 12th August @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
51 pts
13. Special Single Match: Aja Kong Vs Yuki Arai 18th March @ Ariake Coliseum
46 pts
14. Yuka Sakazaki Graduation Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Yuka Sakazaki 6th December @ Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
39 pts
14. Next Generation Tournament ’23 – Final: Wakana Uehara Vs HIMAWARI 1st December @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
39 pts
16. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Nao Kakuta 15th April @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
32 pts
17. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo 11th February @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
29 pts
17. Debut 10th Anniversary Memorial Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Shoko Nakajima 17th August @ Shin-Kiba 1st RING
29 pts
19. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Hikari Noa Vs Sawyer Wreck 1st May @ Shin-Kiba 1st RING
26pts
20. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Rika Tatsumi 29th July @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
25 pts
20. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku 1st December @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
25 pts
Honorable Mentions
These five matches just missed out on making the Top 20.
22. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai 9th October @ Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe
23. Special Single Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Yoshihiko 25th May @ Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
24. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita 4th January @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
25. 1 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe 11th June @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
25. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Arai Vs Arisu Endo 29th July @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
Happy new year! December featured plenty of CyberFight related appearances in North America. Tokyo Joshi Pro held its second show in USA. They also had two seperate championship matches happening within minutes from each other in two different countries. Konosuke Takeshita remains stuck in AEW limbo, Maki Itoh wrapped up the latest leg of her US bookings, Shota paid a visit to California and MAO partied hard as the end of 2023 counted down to midnight.
So what is there new to expect in 2024 when it comes to international stuff for DDT and its family? I think the focus will be what Yuka Sakazaki will get up to. I will continue following her career using these articles. If she sticks within AEW/ROH then it won’t be much work to see what she gets up to every month. But I want to see her spread out to some of the indies. At least go to Deadlock Pro every now and then. She owes them a match anyway.
Video starts at 11:02. MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins Vs Shota & J2 Mattioli
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/12/2023 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
1. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal Vs Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita
DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee
SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023 Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA
1. Rebel Storm Vs Shota
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA 400 Fans – Super No Vacancy
7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly
Video starts at 16:20. MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023 MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. Shota Vs Jr Mattioli
PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita
CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023 Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Nate Webb
———————————————————————–
Results
BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023 Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Rachel Armstrong with the Itoh Deluxe (11:22).
Let’s begin with a show that has become an annual event for Black Label Pro. Six months ago Rachel Armstrong had a match here against Miyu Yamashita so now it was Itoh’s turn to see what the fuss is all about. A naïve Armstrong fell for Itoh’s crocodile tears act but took control using her speed and agility. A Northern Lights Suplex in particular came very close to getting her the win. But Itoh had control for most of the match, trapping Armstrong in the Itoh Special and then building her way up to the Itoh Deluxe to make her tap out.
GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023 Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Mike Bailey with a Cradle (16:14).
Is this the upset of the year? Mike Bailey learned the hard way not to kick Itoh in the head because it is as hard as iron! When the shock of that wore out, Bailey took her seriously, even pulling out the Flamingo Driver that Itoh kicked out of. His frustration led to his undoing because when he grabbed Itoh’s legs to do a Boston Crab, Itoh twisted over and cradled Bailey for the flash pin! Itoh had to console Bailey after the match because he burst into tears over the result.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/12/2023 (Aired 08/12/2023) Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal when Hobbs pinned Daniels with The World’s Most Dangerous Slam (8:38).
What was looking to be Takeshita’s only match of the month was teaming up with Powerhouse Hobbs to beat Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal after the latter tried standing up to The Don Callis Family. During the month Don Callis announced that his unit will now be using “Family Rules” for their tag team matches against Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega going forward, which is just their name for Freebird Rules. The storyline they’re doing is falling apart though because Omega is now out of action indefinitely with diverticulitis.
MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 5”, 07/12/2023 Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) defeated Jody Threat (?:??). *V3 for Max The Impaler.
There was a surprise International Princess Title match for the fans at this month’s Mystery Wrestling show. Evil Uno runs these events every couple of months, airs them live on his Twitch channel and keeps the VOD on his Patreon. Max The Impaler was brought in for a match against Jody Threat and agreed to put the championship on the line. TJPW gave their authorization and recognizes the result as an official title defence.
MLW “ONE-SHOT”, 07/12/2023 Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Delmi Exo with the Skull Kick (9:13). *V2 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) (w/ Salina de la Renta & Jesus Rodriguez) defeated Maki Itoh with the Modified Dragon Sleeper (7:27). *V2 for Janai Kai.
Both Itoh and Yamashita were at MLW’s final show of the year, each in a championship match. Itoh was given a big title match against Janai Kai for the MLW World Featherweight Title. She had an unfair disadvantage though because Kai had both Salina de la Renta and Jesus Rodriguez (the former Ricardo Rodriguez from WWE) in her corner to interfere when needed. There was also an unexpected run-in from the masked wrestler Ichiban that distracted Itoh long enough for her to miss a Diving Headbutt. If that wasn’t bad enough, Matt Striker on commentary completely did not understand Itoh’s gimmick. Maybe he had good intentions by trying to put Itoh over as a fighter to be taken seriously but he’s been so bad as a colour commentator for so long he should not get the benefit of the doubt.
Yamashita was at the show to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo. Her opponent is a former MLW Featherweight Champion and brought her best fight to the match. Yamashita kicked out of the Ocean Cyclone Suplex and got Exo up to the top rope for an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment. Yamashita kept the pressure up and Exo was helpless by the time she was beaten with the Skull Kick. The result helps establish Yamashita’s current title reign being about taking on opponents from around the world. Her next challenger will be back in TJPW on 4th January against Masha Slamovich.
DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Skull Kick (10:59).
Over to DREAMWAVE where Yamashita appeared on a weekend of shows for them. The first one was an all women’s event where Yamashita beat Shazza McKenzie in a rematch from their ROH bout from earlier this year. DREAMWAVE later announced they will be spinning off a new all women’s wrestling promotion called Uprising: Women’s Athletes so don’t be surprised to see Yamashita show up there in 2024.
MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023 MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins defeated Shota & J2 Mattioli when Rose & Hopkins pinned Mattioli with a Sunset Flip & Body Press (?:??).
Shota spent the month of December travelling over to America again for a short tour. Just like last year, Shota found went to the obscure end of the US indies including Millennium Pro Wrestling who welcomed him back with open arms. Shota teamed with one of his opponents from the last excursion, J2 Mattioli to take on a team called 24K. Sadly the team lost when Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins used a double team Sunset Flip to pin Mattioli. Afterwards Mattioli apologised to Shota for losing and then challenged him to a singles match for the following week. Shota accepted and shook his hand.
DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura defeated Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee when Sakura pinned Steel with the Double Arm Backbreaker (8:02).
There was a small change to the match when one of the original opponents Zamaya was bumped up to the semi-main event for the DREAMWAVE Women’s Title. So Yamashita & Emi Sakura instead found themselves teaming up against Zayda Steel and Zamaya’s replacement Maggie Lee. A lot of the match was Steel & Lee working on Yamashita so Sakura can get the hot tag. Still it’s not everyday you get to see Sakura & Yamashita teaming together. They won when Sakura gave Steel the Double Arm Backbreaker and Yamashita gave Lee the Attitude Adjustment, leading to a double pin.
EWF “PRO WRESTLING LUCHA LIBRE”, 09/12/2023 VFW Post 8737, San Bernardino, California, USA
1. EWF Vs The World: Kid Noah defeated Shota (?:??).
An outdoor show held in December doesn’t sound that pleasant even if it’s in California. Shota wrestled twice outdoors during the tour. The first one was at Empire Wrestling Federation where he lost to Kid Noah.
GCW “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM 2”, 09/12/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie defeated Nick Gage & Maki Itoh (17:42).
Itoh’s last GCW appearance of the year had Maki Death Kill back together to take on the husband and wife team of Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie. The match went from a normal two vs two tag into a brawl with chairs and doors being used as weapons. Valkyrie put Nick Gage through one of the doors and then tried giving Itoh the Road To Valhalla. Itoh countered it into a Roll Up but Valkyrie then blocked the counter and grabbed onto Itoh’s tights to pin her for the three count. Itoh demanded a singles match against Valkyrie afterwards.
SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023 Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA
1. Rebel Storm defeated Shota with the Thunderstruck (?:??).
Shota’s second outdoor match of the month was for Skyfire Pro Lucha Libre. He tried his best to outwrestle his opponent but Rebel Storm stopped him in his tracks with a Headbutt followed by the Twist Of Fate that he calls Thunderstruck.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA 400 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Harajuku pinned Amira after the Wasteland War Justice with Max (10:20).
2. Trish Adora defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Lariat (8:42).
3. Mizuki defeated Sandra Moone with the Cutie Special (10:21).
4. Miu Watanabe defeated Hyan with the Tear Drop (8:33).
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) defeated Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie when Noa pinned McKenzie with the Blizzard Suplex (9:42). *V3 for Free WiFi.
6. Taya Valkyrie defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Road To Valhalla (10:47).
7. Special Tag Match: Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Slamovich pinned Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (18:00).
MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023 MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. J2 Mattioli defeated Shota with the Playmaker Lariat (?:??).
The match between Shota and Mattioli was a mostly friendly back and forth match between the two. Mattioli ended up using his Playmaker Lariat to win, capping off a year he was really happy with.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Keita defeated Shota (?:??).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey with the Skull Kick (?:??).
Okay so this month we found out that Bailey’s weakness is Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. He lost to Itoh in GCW and here in Pandemonium Pro he lost clean to Yamashita! There were no tears in this one, instead these two tried to kick the tar out of each other!
Shota completed his USA tour by making Pandemonium Pro his final stop. Originally he was going to face Vinnie Massaro but that guy is busy living it up on a NOAH tour right now. So Shota was given the newcomer Keita as a replacement opponent. Keita made the most of this opportunity and beat the more experienced Shota.
AEW “WORLDS END”, 30/12/2023 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, USA
1. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Sting & Darby Allin defeated Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita when Guevara pinned Starks with a Shooting Star Press (15:42).
What a mess this storyline has turned out to be. Omega falling ill meant that he and Jericho couldn’t go ahead with challenging Ricky Starks & Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Titles so they had to throw in The Don Callis Family, Sting, Darby Allin and the return of Sammy Guevara to make it an 8-Man Tag Match. Takeshita was not part of the lineup when the match was made but then a day later AEW swapped him into the match and took Kyle Fletcher out. Then on the day of the show allegations of Jericho’s past behavior resurfaced online from Nick Hausman as part of Jericho’s online spat with a lawyer with a that could not have been handled any more uglier than it did. Almost everybody except the alleged victim is coming out of it as a bunch of massive scumbags. So come to the part of the show when the match happened and there was an uncomfortable atmosphere that could be felt through the screen as the match went on. I wish I could instead focus on Takeshita getting to wrestle Sting and throw Allin around like he’s Yoshihiko but everyone watching was in a bad mood over what emerged throughout the day.
CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. King Of The Deathmatches – Round 1 – Ultraviolent Baptism: Bobby Beverly defeated MAO with the Fisherman DDT (?:??).
How about taking part in a deathmatch tournament to bring out the end of the year? MAO entered the King Of The Deathmatches that was being held by Circle 6 and faced Bobby Beverly in the 1st Round. MAO brought along chairs and plastic boxes but soon smashed lighttubes over his opponent. He also put Beverly through a bunch of chairs with a Double Arm Piledriver and used high flying moves but couldn’t get the win. A triple Low Blow spot that also included the referee brought the match back to an even fight. Wooden skewers were stabbed into each other’s heads and Beverly smashed MAO with lighttubes before pinning him with the Fisherman DDT.
CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023 Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Nate Webb with the Diving Radio Silence from the Bar Counter (?:??). *V3 for MAO.
MAO stuck around in Circle 6 on New Year’s Eve so he could defend the DDT Universal Title against Spyder Nate Webb. The match went outside to Santa Monica Blvd so they could fight on the street as traffic drove by.
———————————————————————–
Upcoming Appearances
MLW “KINGS OF COLOSSEUM”, 06/01/2024 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Nao Kakuta
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) Vs Hyper Misao
TJPW’s working relationship with MLW continues into the new year. Hyper Misao has been selected to be Kai’s next challenger for the MLW Featherweight Title.
Also happening on the show is a TJPW offer match between Moka Miyamoto and Nao Kakuta. Miyamoto is only just now starting to wrestle abroad while Kakuta has already done it a few times in 2023. The two matches here are a little glimpse of what TJPW in Philadelphia will look like next April.
GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024 Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Matt Cardona, Steph de Lander & Broski Jimmy
Itoh and Bussy all share grudges with Matt Cardona & Steph de Lander so it was inevitable that Maki Death Bussy would join forces to take on Deathmatch Royalty. The latest development in the story is Cardona forced Jimmy Lloyd to become his new disciple in GCW, turning Lloyd into Broski Jimmy.
GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024 Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Tony Deppen
The day after that Itoh will take on Tony Deppen in a first time match. GCW at times have promoted Deppen as their gatekeeper. A win for Itoh here could be a sign of things to come for her in GCW.
F1RST “WRESTLEPALOOZA – NIGHT 2”, 14/01/2024 First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
No match announced yet for Itoh’s appearance at F1RST.
SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 2”, 19/01/2024 Foo Chow Building, Singapore
1. Mizuki Vs Alexis Lee
2. SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore
In November 2022 CDK defeated The Horrors to win the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles. Now after more than a year later comes the rematch. Dr. Gore got to wrestle in Japan for a little while and gain some experience while Da Butcherman kept himself busy in Singapore. There is a chance the match might not go ahead because Chris Brookes had surgery this month to remove a tumor from his abdomen. At the time of writing there is no decision made yet on when he can start wrestling again. But even if he can’t make the trip, Masahiro Takanashi still will.
SPW’s own Alexis Lee continues to be the opponent of choice for joshi coming into Singapore. She lost the Queen Of Asia Title to Yuki Kamifuku last month but is looking to bounce right back with a win against Mizuki.
SETUP “BANGKOK SHOWDOWN”, 20/01/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Kevin Weng & Pondhub Vs Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart
If CDK can go ahead with travelling together in January then they have a tough challenge waiting for them in Thailand. SETUP is making them defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a 3 Way Match against St. John Innocent College and THE GOOD DEAL. CDK won the titles from THE GOOD DEAL in an impromptu match bck in October. But even though the former champions are getting a rematch, they have to share it with St. John Innocent College. That kind of multi-man chaos is an environment that CDK benefits from.
GCW “LOOK AT ME”, 26/01/2024 Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
What will await Itoh in Florida next month?
BZW “X”, 03/02/2024 Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France
1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. MAO Vs X
MAO is coming to France and he’s brining Yoshihiko with him! Also Minoru Suzuki and KUSHIDA are booked for the show too. Banger Zone Wrestling won’t know what hit them.
TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024 Hanger34, Liverpool, England
1. Yoshihiko Vs X
Yoshihiko heads over to Liverpool the next day for TNT Extreme. Surely not by itself though.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 