Housekeeping Notes, Thoughts On The NJPW Sale

June 5, 2026

I now got a proper domain for the blog simply because I am very close to maxing out the free tier image limit WordPress has. That’s right folks, it’s taken me almost 17 years but I’m finally about to hit the ceiling as a freeloader. I admit doing the DDT Around The World articles helped speed up the decision. So I opened up the wallet and https://dramaticddt.com/ has now become active along with https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/ which should still work. Kind of surprised the domain was available all this time. Dramatic DDT is a name I put one minute of thought into back when I started because I couldn’t think of any clever DDT related phrase at the time. There was a precursor blog in the 2000s called Dramatic Fantasia (named after the Samurai! TV show) that existed back on the old PuroresuFan group of fansites so I wasn’t going to copy that. Dramatic DDT is also somehow distinct enough that DDT themselves never had a problem with me using it. And that’s more or less the only change to the site I have in mind. I’m happy with the basic website layout. I also think adding pictures to the show reports, title histories and overseas excursions does so much to paint pictures of everything that I cover on this site so the increase of the image limit was necessary. I have an idea for setting up an archive site for Tokyo Joshi Pro in order to have a cleaner written history of the company available so you can read about its past without having to dig through the DDT content but that’s way down on my list of priorities in life right now. And given how much thought I put into the name Dramatic DDT, it would probably be called something like Tokyo TJPW or Princess TJPW. I’ll let you know if it ever comes to pass.

It’s been a week since BushiRoad sold New Japan to TV Asahi & CyberAgent. I never wrote about the news on here because the more I thought about it, the less it seemed relevant to DDT and TJPW. The evidence is how quiet CyberAgent has been over the story and that the name CyberFight appears nowhere in any of the official reports about the sale. So if DDT and NOAH became step-siblings then this makes NJPW a cousin by marriage, I guess? Stardom remaining with BushiRoad through the deal is odd but makes sense after listening to others give their opinion about it. BushiRoad likely figured the time had come to cash in on NJPW while there is still a lot of potential growth in the Stardom brand. The relationship between NJPW and Stardom still remains although I get the sense the NJPW side would be happy if they never do the “HISTORIC X-OVER” shows ever again. If you want to know why it can be so difficult to put these kind of inter-promotional events together, you just need to look at how much of the NJPW roster would distance themselves from having to wrestle the Stardom talent. Now imagine the same thing trying to juggle a NOAH roster, a DDT roster and a TJPW roster all under the one umbrella. There are reasons why SWS collapsed trying to manage multiple locker rooms and their conflicting egos all at once!

There is something of a monopoly slowly developing around Japanese wrestling lately but these companies were already circling the wagons with the creation of United Japan Pro Wrestling two years ago. Shinya Aoki wrote on his blog that he heard rumours that WWE were interested in acquiring New Japan raised my eyebrow but he’s the only person so far to bring up that idea. And since I brought up UJPW, keep in mind that Sanshiro Takagi’s term as the organisation’s head of the board will be finishing by the end of the year. I would be surprised if the second president is anyone other than a New Japan representative but that’s been my prediction even before this sale took place.

Also, hey CyberAgent! You have a video games division. You also now have full access to at least four different wrestling promotions. Can we get a new pro wrestling game? If it has to be gacha I at least have the confidence it will still turn out better than MyFaction in the WWE 2K series…


TJPW Heading Back To Las Vegas This April

February 25, 2026

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

After last year’s success in Las Vegas, Tokyo Joshi Pro is going to do it all over again! They are returning to the Pearl Theater inside Palms Casino Resort to hold a big show during Wrestlemania Week.

The wrestlers from TJPW announced to take part in the show are Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Hyper Misao, Raku, Yuki Aino, Suzume, Pom Harajuku, Yuki Arai, Kaya Toribami, Shino Suzuki, HIMAWARI, Toga and Uta Takami.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/MLP/CMLL “TJPW X MLW X CMLL SUPER SHOW”, 17/04/2026
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

This time around TJPW are not running their show as part of The Collective. Instead they will be part of a new collection of events called Slam Fest that is being put together by the Paragon Talent Agency (remember Mojo Rawley? That’s his gig now). The other promotions involved in the series are CMLL, House Of Glory, Stardom and Maple Leaf Pro. According to the AXS Tickets page linked on the Palm Casino website, TJPW are also running a interpromotional show with CMLL and Maple Leaf Pro. That might be the weirdest combination of three wrestling companies to run an event together in quite some time.

However it was pointed out to me that TJPW are also scheduled to do a free meet and greet around the same time this super show is allegedly taking place. There might be a mix-up over what this event is meant to be.

UPDATE: The website has removed the link and now only refers to the event as a Meet & Greet.

————————————————————————

So it actually is happening! For months now I’ve been going crazy hearing conflicting information over whether or not TJPW was going back to Las Vegas for Wrestlemania Week. The Collective accidentally linked them and DDT to their first announcement of their return to Vegas but quickly removed those links. Then The Collective revealed their lineup with no DDT or TJPW in sight. However a little while later I learned TJPW were still planning on going to Vegas, this time without GCW’s help. Doubts crept in when their other international tours were announced for March and April. Someone reached out to tell me the Texas tour was the only American visit TJPW had for the Springtime. That info was given to me before the Canadian tour was announced but it wasn’t contradictory nor do I think the person was trying to mislead me.

Yet there was still another side talking about TJPW being set for Vegas one way or another. Smoke to that fire started appearing when Toga was booked for Podermania. Miyu Yamashita was being booked for other shows too but she always goes working in America during this time of year. Toga however was out of the blue. Then the two of them along with Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao and Yuki Aino were announced for a WrestleCon convention appearance. By that point I knew there would be a show with TJPW attached to it taking place and just had to play the waiting game until it was officially announced. Finally the news came out today!

TJPW moving on from the GCW relationship doesn’t surprise me. I thought last year’s show was a success attendance wise but the big complaint coming out of it I kept hearing was GCW’s production values ruining the vibes for a lot of fans wanting an authentic TJPW experience. I didn’t have much of a problem with it myself (anyone there remember the “Candyman” rib? Good times) but I get it. The ring they used got worn down pretty bad during every show and if you watched the streams there was little to no variety in the presentation for every show. Also The Up Up Girls entering the Clusterfuck and having Kerry Morton shouting foul mouthed insults at them didn’t go down well with some fans online.

Now let’s have some fun speculating over how on earth this all happened. As much as WWE pulled the rug over everybody with their sudden WrestleMania location switcharoo, it seems that a lot of groups who were going to New Orleans were able to recover and change course back to Vegas. GCW and The Collective made it clear they weren’t using the Palms Casino again but I’d love to know if that was a decision they made of their own volition or if Paragon jumped in and got the venue for themselves first. Paragon did have their own wrestling related stuff going on in that casino last year, I remember that. Also we have TJPW and Stardom working under the same umbrella but being kept away from each other. It’s funny to see it just has to be that way. They are still linked through UJPW but again any hope for a crossover seems slim. There might also be a few awkward meetings if Maki Itoh is travelling over with the Stardom side. There is TJPW links to the other promotions thanks to Nakajima working with CMLL and Yamashita appearing in both HOG and MLP last year. So for a brand new collection TJPW has links with everyone else involved.


What’s Going On Everywhere Else?

January 14, 2026

One good thing about Maki Itoh joining Stardom is I no longer have to write about GCW so much at the start of every month.

BASARA “BASARA 297 ~UTAGE~”, 16/01/2026
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takeru Inoue Vs Ryuma Sekimo
2. Daichi Kazato Vs Ayumu Honda
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Takato Nakano Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Tsutomu Oosugi
4. FUMA & Masato Kamino Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Yasu Urano
5. Takumi Tsukamoto, Daiki Shimomura & Banana Senga Vs SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Minoru Fujita

The first BASARA show of the year has a few preview matches for their upcoming title bouts. Also Ryuma Sekimo from Big Japan will be taking part in the opener against BASARA’s rookie Takeru Inoue.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 6TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 17/01/2026
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & Sara Phoenix Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara & Toga
2. Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Shion Kanzaki
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1D: HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1C: Raku & Ren Konatsu Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Kira Summer & Chika Nanase Vs Mizuki & Uta Takami
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami

The Max Heart Tournament kicks off later this week. Also during this period, Sara Phoenix from Chile will be touring with Tokyo Joshi Pro up until the end of February.

BASARA “BASARA 298 ~10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW~”, 31/01/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. Daichi Kazato Vs X
2. GRACE PROJECT Offer Match: Tomoya Hirata, Captain Grace & Violento Jack Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Ryuichi Sekine, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Ryota Nakatsu, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
4. Isami Kodaka & Takeru Inoue Vs Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken
6. Union MAX Title: Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs FUMA

The Union MAX Title is throwing itself back to its origins now that Shuji Ishikawa is the new champion. His first challenger is FUMA who has held the title both in Union Pro and in BASARA. Ishikawa joked they should bring back an old Union gimmick and have this be a 1,000 Roses Death Match for old time’s sake. He’s taking things a bit more seriously after FUMA said he hunts down boars that are heavier than Ishikawa.

When it comes to dominant factions in BASARA, the Super Family has not been one of them. But they’ve become tenacious enough to earn SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken a shot at the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles. The new champs Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura don’t want to lose the belts to anybody and they especially don’t want to lose to the Super Family!

As he promised a while back, Isami Kodaka returns from his absence in time for BASARA’s anniversary.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 6TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 14/02/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Mahiro Kiryu (c) Vs Aja Kong
2. International Princess Title: MIRAI (c) Vs Toga
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X

The prodigal daughter of TJPW MIRAI has come back to win the International Princess Title that was beyond her grasp in the past. Now she’s looking to the future where she sees an opponent with a similar smash heavy style as hers waiting to challenge her. Toga wants to show everyone she can get the job done without needing help from Yuna Manase or anyone else so she was the first one to ask MIRAI for a title shot.

The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title just can’t get away from Mahiro Kiryu. Every time she loses the belt, fate makes sure she finds a way to win it back. She now has a pinfall over Aja Kong because of this but that means Kong now wants to fight Kiryu one on one! She knows she can easily take the belt from her whenever she wants but she has enough pride to do it in the ring with a proper wrestling match. The bout will still go ahead if Kiryu loses the title to someone else beforehand.

The two title matches booked for this show are why Toga and Kiryu are not competing in this year’s Max Heart Tournament.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”, 29/03/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X & X
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Yuki Arai

Second time’s the charm for Yuki Arai. She avenged her squash to Miyu Yamashita in the recent 6-Woman Elimination match and will now get to face Miu Watanabe for the Princess Of Princess Title. She couldn’t win the belt at Ota Ward Gymnasium last year but can she do it in Sumo Hall this year?

There are so many ways the Special Tag Match can go. It will be Konosuke Takeshita’s first time wrestling in TJPW (he was meant to be part of their US debut in 2020 but that show was cancelled due to covid) and he will be teaming up with his wife Yuka Sakazaki to make it a bigger deal. Their opponents have not been announced yet. The recent news of Shingo Takagi & Natsupoi led to some jokes about them being the other team in a battle of the happy couples. I think enough time has passed that the issue Sakazaki had with Natsupoi leaving TJPW years ago is now water under the bridge. The opponents are likely another mixed pair tag team though, one that doesn’t have to be romantically attached to each other.

The current list of guests who will wrestle on the show are Sareee, Lei Ying Lee, Aja Kong, Andreza Giant Panda and Minimo-chan with Mari Yaguchi accompanying it. Also Max The Impaler will be at the show.


I’m Off To Tokyo For 2 Weeks

December 26, 2025

Almost ten years after my last visit to Japan, I’m a day away from flying back out there. Spending the new year in Tokyo and attending Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome has been something I’ve wanted to do for over a decade but real life obligations prevented me from ever going through with it. Luckily for me, this time around everything has fallen into place for me to actually do it and the timing of it means I’m going to the biggest Wrestle Kingdom to happen in years. Not only that but the itinerary I’ve put together for this trip has become the mother of all wrestling holidays. Stardom at Sumo Hall? I’m going to that. NOAH in Budokan Hall? I’ll be there. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro having their year opening events in Korakuen Hall? You bet I wouldn’t miss that for the world! Add in shows at Shinjuku FACE, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi and even Ichigaya Chocolate Hall it all ends up with me pretty much speed running all of the famous and infamous Tokyo wrestling venues within a fortnight.

As for what will get posted on this blog while I am gone? I honestly don’t know at the moment. I’m bringing my laptop with me and will at least post the match results when I can but show reports, up to date news and other stuff will likely be put on the wayside until I return home and get some rest. I did a small one for the DDT show I went to in Saitama back in 2016 (which you can read here). Same goes for any end of trip report where I talk about what the experience is like. Worrying about that sort of stuff would only get in the way while I’m trying to enjoy my holiday. What I’ll likely do is tweet about all the shows I’m going to so you might get not non-DDT and non-TJPW related stuff from me on your feeds for the next two weeks.

What I have done in preparation for this trip is take part in a podcast about it. I was invited onto Wrestling Omakase for a massive roundtable covering as many of the shows happening around Wrestle Kingdom and the New Year’s period as we could. My lion’s share of the recording is in Part 1 for the men’s companies where I talk about DDT, NJPW, NOAH and BASARA. Then I pop up for half an hour in Part 2 as part of the TJPW section. Links to the episodes can be found below:

Wrestling Omakase #276: Wrestle Kingdom Week 2025-26 Preview Part 1 (NJPW, NOAH, AJPW, DDT, BASARA, Ganbare, BJW & GLEAT)

https://redcircle.com/shows/89701c36-312e-4ab1-b159-fd2aa057df63/ep/d35cf887-9d99-4964-b903-7e07330830a9

Wrestling Omakase #277: Wrestle Kingdom Week 2025-26 Preview Part 2 (STARDOM, Marigold, TJPW, AWG, OZ, ICE, Marvelous, SEAd, ChocoPro, Diana, Pure-J, WAVE)

https://redcircle.com/shows/89701c36-312e-4ab1-b159-fd2aa057df63/ep/a92a7a90-8a36-4c20-ae58-3f923d11628e


GANBARE☆PRO “MOV MARKET” Results

February 22, 2025

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING IN SHIBUYA HIKARIE – MOV MARKET”, 22/02/2025
Tokyo Shibuya Hikarie Creative Lounge MOV
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Mat Wrestling Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura defeated Yumehito Imanari & Shota Kawakami when Ohka pinned Kawakami with the Flame Spear (14:27).

The match was slightly changed because Keisuke Ishii fell sick and couldn’t appear. Ken Ohka who was meant to be the special referee instead took Ishii’s place in the Falls Count Anywhere Match. Shota Kawakami ended up taking signature moves from everybody including the Ganbare☆Pro wrestlers who were not part of the match.

GANBARE☆PRO “JUSTICE LEAGUE 2025”, 16/03/2025
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Fuminori Abe

There was also a press conference where Yumehito Imanari and Michiyoshi Mishima announced who the No. 1 Contender for the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title will be. Imanari revealed he nominated Fuminori Abe to get the shot on 16th March. One of Imanari’s goals as champion is to fight the wrestlers he lost to on his journey to winning the SOG Title. He remembers facing Abe for the ZERO1 World Junior Heavyweight Title & ZERO1 International Junior Heavyweight Title back in 2021 and losing to him. It was a very important match for him because the original plan was for Abe to face Shinjiro Otani in the main event of a Korakuen Hall show but Otani got injured and Imanari was chosen to be his replacement. He never forgotten what Abe told him that day and he will always be a fan of him. So now he gets to make a wish come true by putting together this rematch. Abe said at the time of the match he felt great pity towards Imanari for the position he was suddenly put in but as the match went on, Abe experienced emotions he had never felt before. After he won he felt a sense of pride for giving Imanari the opportunity. He would have liked to do the rematch in Korakuen but after giving the idea some thought, he instead asked for it to take place at Takashimadaira Kumin Center because it is a truly independent venue. He also made sure to keep 11th April free in his schedule because he is confident he will win the championship and have his first defence at GanPro’s Korakuen Hall show that day.

GANBARE☆PRO “MAD MAX 2025 ~ GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING 12TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE”, 11/04/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Ken Ohka Vs X
2. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi, YuuRI & Ami Manase Vs Yuna Manase, Hazuki & Koguma
3. Special Tag Team Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuji Nagata & Tatsuhito Takaiwa

A few matches for the 11th April Korakuen show were also announced at the event. Shuichiro Katsumura revealed he will be teaming with Ishii on the show to take on New Japan legends Yuji Nagata and Tatsuhito Takaiwa! Ishii sent in a message explaining that GanPro wanted him to team with Nagata on the show but he thought it would be better for them to be on opposing teams. The story of the match in Ishii’s mind will be him getting to beat the people he looked up to as a boy. Katsumura said he also has an attachment to those two wrestlers. In 2006 he lost to Yuji’s brother Katsuhiko Nagata at the end of year K-1 “DYNAMITE!!” show and remembers Yuji saluting the fans in the ring after the fight. So he would love it if Yuji brought Katsuhiko along to be at ringside for the show. Katsumura also joked about being a New Japan kid teaming with Ishii who is an All Japan kid.

A 6-Woman Tag Match was also announced pitting Ganbare☆Joshi against a special trio of wrestlers reuniting together. Yuna Manase is bringing in Hazuki & Koguma from Stardom to team with her! The three of them are all from the same fifth generation of Stardom wrestlers but their careers split off in different directions. Manase was able to re-establish contact with them at an Ice Ribbon show last year and hatched a plan for her to team up with FWC for the first time ever. She also had reasons for choosing the wrestlers on the GanJo team. YuuRI is around the same age as Hazuki & Koguma so Manase wants to see them face off. Moeka Haruhi recently celebrated her 20th Anniversary and Manase wanted to be her opponent for the Anniversary match. Last but not least, Ami Manase is still Yuna’s younger sister and only just recently started training for wrestling again after being away for over a year.

Ohka claims that GanPro’s zodiac cycle has come full circle because he was born in the Year Of The Snake and GanPro’s first Korakuen show since going independent is also happening during the Year Of The Snake. He feels like this is fake and predicts he is going to be involved in a big singles match on the show. Something that will be on par with his match against Jushin Liger from Union Pro in 2009.


UJPW Becomes Incorporated

January 20, 2025

Last July members of the United Japan Pro Wrestling association had met to discuss what their next movements should be with the concept. It was decided that UJPW would go from a voluntary organization to an incorporated group. After going quiet for the rest of the year, representatives from all of the member promotions gathered today to announce that UJPW went through with the plan and has now become incorporated as a non-profit organization. With this move UJPW aims to strengthen its governance in Japan’s pro wrestling scene, become more transparent with its management and improve wrestling’s social credibility. They also came up with a slogan: “Pro Wrestling will always be a driving force for the people of Japan.”

The move gives UJPW greater legal options with the example the Japanese press have given being to open up accounts and hold business assets under the corporate name. Sanshiro Takagi has taken on the role as the Representative Director even though the UJPW office will be located inside New Japan’s HQ. Takagi along with the other directors on the board will all serve two year terms. They were all chosen based on the number of voting rights they have in their respective companies. The board of directors will meet twice a year within the fiscal calendar.

Takagi said it is possible for more UJPW events to be held in the future but it is not the goal of the organization and there are no plans to run another event like “ALL TOGETHER” at this time. However there could still be more interactions coming between the promotions. For example, Hiroshi Tanahashi said he would like to appear in the other companies as part of his year long road to retirement.

There are currently ten members of UJPW. They are New Japan, All Japan, NOAH, DDT, Ganbare☆Pro, Big Japan, Dragongate, Stardom, Tokyo Joshi Pro & Kyushu Pro. Seven requirements have been laid out for future members to meet if they would like to join UJPW. They include needing a regular event schedule, being a legally recognized company, having at least one wrestler under a full time contract, having an annual revenue of over 50 million yen, been active for at least two years, have a corporate compliance system and want to improve the wrestling scene even when competing against other members. There will also in the future be a lower tier created place for supporting members to join that involve less demanding requirements. When I posted about these plans last July I mentioned DIANA had representatives at the meeting in an observing capacity. There has been no mention of them being involved since then but I imagine they can end up becoming one such example of a supporting member.

Wrestlers and staff from each of the member promotions were in attendance to give speeches about the news. I’m just going to focus on the companies I usually cover (although I’d like to point out that Takaaki Kidani put his foot in his mouth again). Takagi wants UJPW to also cooperate with as many of the different indies across Japan as possible. Michiyoshi Mishima said GanPro is the smallest member of the group but thinks they can set an example for other promotions of the same size. Chris Brookes spoke about wrestling being something that can unite people. Utami Hayashishita Miyu Yamashita talked about the respect that wrestling fans around the world has for Japan. Haru Kazashiro said she loved wrestling ever since she joined TJPW and wants to see more children drawn to the industry if UJPW can establish the safety and medical standards needed. Ken Ohka believes this attempt at bringing pro wrestling together will take the industry to new heights. Yuna Manase is happy to be able to exchange ideas with wrestlers from other companies that will bring more happiness to the fans.


DDT At “ALL TOGETHER IN SAPPORO” Results

June 15, 2024

UJPW “ALL TOGETHER IN SAPPORO”, 15/06/2024
Sapporo Hokkai Kitayell
2,156 Fans

0. Dark Match: Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma defeated Tomoya & Andreza Giant Panda when Yano pinned Tomoya with a School Boy (6:26).
1. Zack Sabre Jr., Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita defeated Ulka Sasaki, HAYATA & Yu Owada when Sabre submitted Owada with an Arm Bar (8:37).
2. AZM Vs Starlight Kid ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
3. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Daichi Hashimoto when Goto pinned Hashimoto after the Lights Out (10:24).
4. Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Oleg Boltin, Ryohei Oiwa & Tetsuya Endo when Cobb pinned Oiwa with the Tour Of The Islands (9:53).
5. SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Naomichi Marufuji & Kento Miyahara when SANADA pinned Tanahashi with an O’Connor Bridge (13:25).
6. Masa Kitamiya defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Saito Suplex (13:42).
7. Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI & Titan defeated Jack Morris, Anthony Greene, LJ Cleary, Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney when Tsuji pinned Cleary with the Gene Blaster (10:30).
8. Gabe Kidd, David Finley & YO-HEY defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Kenoh & Alejandro by Referee Stoppage when Kidd knocked out Kiyomiya the Leg Trap Piledriver (12:16).
9. Tetsuya Naito defeated Jake Lee with the Destino (26:32).

Not much to talk about this show in regards to DDT’s involvement with it. The show was also a bigger drawing disappointment than the first one so who knows if UJPW will hold another event like this anytime soon? Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi were in the same match representing DDT on both teams. Endo & Ryohei Oiwa were originally meant to team with Shota Umino but Umino pulled out of the show after injuring his back during practice earlier in the day. New Japan replaced him with Oleg Boltin. Higuchi was on the same team as United Empire members Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan. While the DDT wrestlers did get to mix with the NJPW guys, the result came down to Cobb pinning Oiwa. Endo regretted missing the previous “ALL TOGETHER” show because of injury and went into the match hoping to make up for it. He is sorry he still couldn’t win with that kind of extra motivation.

I’ll talk about the dark match too because one team in it should be familiar to the regular readers here. Tomoya & Andreza Giant Panda were the local wrestlers competing in the dark match against New Japan’s Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma. None of Yano’s usual tactics could work against Andreza so he grabbed some bamboo and gave it to Honma so he could get Andreza’s attention. The distraction worked and Yano gave Andreza a Low Blow. Honma followed up with a Kokeshi Rocket, almost knocking the panda out. Andreza just about answered the 10 count by standing back up at 9. However a mistimed Headbutt hit Tomoya by accident and Yano gave him a Low Blow followed by a School Boy to steal the win.


Nao Kakuta Producing “CROSS” Event

May 20, 2024

“NAO KAKUTA PRODUCE – CROSS”, 06/07/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Cherry Vs Kakeru Sekiguchi (Special Referee: Himeka)
2. Battle Royal Full Of Nao Kakuta: Mizuki Vs Suzume Vs Arisu Endo Vs Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Arai
3. Maika Ozaki Vs HIMAWARI
4. Special Tag Match: Nao Kakuta & Tae Honma Vs Saori Anou & Natsupoi

On the same month when Nao Kakuta will be graduating from pro wrestling, she will be producing her own event at Shin-Kiba 1st RING with a little help from friends she wants to see in the ring one last time. The show is called “CROSS” because it will be the only place where so many people Kakuta knows from different companies can cross over and be together. It is not officially a Tokyo Joshi Pro show but they will be providing Kakuta with everything she needs to run it. It is being held in Shin-Kiba 1st RING because so many fond memories of her career took place there. It is where her debut match was, where her graduation from Actwres girl’Z took place, where she first wrestled for TJPW and where her TJPW graduation will be held.

The main event has Kakuta teaming with Tae Honma to take on Saori Anou & Natsupoi. All four women debuted on the very first AWG show together back in 2015. They are classmates who are important to Kakuta but all went their seperate ways over the last nine years. She thanked Stardom and the company president Taro Okada for allowing her to make this match happen. The other three are all sad to see Kakuta retiring soon but are looking forward to being in the same ring together after being apart for so long.

Kakuta wanted Maika Ozaki to be on the show because she also had her debut match on the first AWG show. She thinks Ozaki works very hard and her in a singles match is worth watching. HIMAWARI was chosen to be her opponent and Kakuta hopes she will do her best against her.

During Kakuta’s time in TJPW she has worn five different wrestling costumes. She came up with the idea to bring in five TJPW wrestlers and have them compete in a Battle Royal while wearing those costumes. Whenever TJPW held matches with the gimmick of everybody swapping each other’s gear, Kakuta is never around to watch it. So she is just as interested in seeing what happens in the Battle Royal as the fans will be.

There was a singles match Kakuta had against Cherry in AWG that made her discover how much fun wrestling can be and that she can hold her own in it. She is also friends with Kakeru Sekiguchi in her private life so she decided to put them together for a match. As a bonus, Kakuta invited retired wrestler Himeka to take part in the match as the special guest referee.


DDT At “ALL TOGETHER” Results

May 6, 2024

UJPW “ALL TOGETHER”, 06/05/2024
Tokyo Nippon Budokan
4,583 Fans

1. EVIL, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Sanshiro Takagi & Naomichi Marufuji when EVIL pinned Tanahashi with the EVIL (8:50).
2. Kenoh defeated Kosei Fujita with the PFS (9:44).
3. Starlight Kid & Natsupoi defeated AZM & Miyu Amasaki when Ken pinned Amasaki with the Star Suplex (9:50).
4. Tomohiro Ishii & Daisuke Sekimoto defeated Jeff Cobb & Masa Kitamiya when Ishii pinned Cobb with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (13:15).
5. El Desperado, HAYATA, Ninja Mack, MAO & Kota Minoura defeated Hiromu Takahashi, Dragon Bane, Alpha Wolf, Shunma Katsumata & YAMATO when Minoura pinned YAMATO after an accidental Hiromu-chan Bomber from Takahashi (13:21).
6. Taichi & KAI defeated Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes when Taichi pinned Brookes with the Taichi-Style Gedo Clutch (14:59).
7. Jake Lee, David Finlay & Gabe Kidd defeated Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji when Lee pinned Naito with the FBS (17:46).
8. Shota Umino, Kaito Kiyomiya & Yuki Ueno defeated Yuya Uemura, KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Shun Skywalker when Kaito Kiyomiya pinned Uemura with the Modified Shining Wizard (23:18).

Let’s have a little look at what DDT got up to at the “ALL TOGETHER” show that took place earlier today. Yuki Ueno and Konosuke Takeshita were part of the main event on opposite teams. They had moments in the match to fight each other as well as everyone else. Ueno along with Shota Umino & Kaito Kiyomiya delivered a Triple Missile Dropkick to Yuya Uemura. Ueno then hit a Moonsault to Takeshita & Shun Skywalker outside the ring, leaving Kiyomiya to finish off Uemura with the Shining Wizard. Ueno and Takeshita left separate comments to reporters after the match. Ueno said every company involved in United Japan Pro Wrestling have joined forces to make pro wrestling more exciting because wrestling gives strength to everyone. He got to wrestle inside Budokan Hall today as a champion and he wants to continue making wrestling fun for everyone with DDT. Takeshita however had more demanding things to say about the main event. He wants his generation to create a new era and that will not happen when everyone behaves like friends. If everyone wants to be the best like he does then they should step up and do singles matches with himself and each other. If any of the other five in the main event have the courage to do that then they should step forward.

Zack Sabre Jr. and Chris Brookes got to team up together again. They are now getting SCHADEN TEKKERS across as their team name but they failed to wear matching gear. They enjoyed getting to wrestle against Taichi but maybe didn’t feel the same about KAI. That all came to a head when KAI brought a chair into the ring and Taichi stopped him from attacking Sabre and instead hit KAI with it. He went back to wrestling Brookes and pinned him with the Gedo Clutch. KAI attacked Taichi after the match but SCHADEN TEKKERS came to the rescue.

The Junior Heavyweight divisions of several promotions all banded together for a 10-Man Tag Match. MAO and Shunma Katsumata were there on behalf of DDT. Katsumata was a last minute replacement for Tetsuya Endo because Endo got hurt during yesterday’s DDT show and needed more time to recover. MAO started the match with Hiromu Takahashi and got help from El Desperado when YAMATO came to aid Takahashi. Ninja Mack kept wanting to do the Sasuke Special but kept getting cut off by Katsumata and the rest of his team. He got to hit his dive and so did Dragon Bane and Alpha Wolf. Takahashi’s teamwork with YAMATO self-destructed when he accidentally hit YAMATO with a Clothesline. Kota Minoura then Cradled YAMATO for the three count. MAO told Desperado after the match that Brookes should invite him to Baka Gaijin + Friends some day. MAO will even deliver the invitation to New Japan. Desperado told him he doesn’t think the idea will be possible. Katsumata blamed the loss on his team not having enough NeppoWER!!

The super team of super presidents failed to beat House Of Torture in the opening match of the show. Not even Sanshiro Takagi crashing the Dramatic Dream bike into everyone outside the ring was enough to win the battle. Dick Togo interfered in the match until Takagi gave him the Stunner and Naomichi Marufuji Thrust Kicked him. They even used the same moves to set EVIL up for Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Sling Blade. However the numbers game tipped in House Of Torture’s favour when more of their members showed up for interferene. Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Togo overwhelmed the presidents and EVIL beat Tanahashi to ruin everyone’s day. Backstage Takagi was confused to see Togo out there because he thought he retired years ago.


UJPW Launching With The Return Of All Together

March 26, 2024

UJPW “ALL TOGETHER”, 06/05/2024
Tokyo Nippon Budokan

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Sanshiro Takagi & Naomichi Marufuji Vs EVIL, Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi
2. Tomohiro Ishii & Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Jeff Cobb & Masa Kitamiya
3. Shota Umino, Kaito Kiyomiya & Yuki Ueno Vs Yuya Uemura, Konosuke Takeshita & Shun Skywalker

A press conference was held today to reveal details for the launch event of United Japan Pro Wrestling happening in Budokan Hall this May. The show will be the return of “ALL TOGETHER”, a concept that in the past united several wrestling promotions together to run charity shows in regions affected by disasters. Proceeds from the upcoming show will go towards charity efforts regarding the Noto earthquake that took place over the new year. Six of the member promotions in UJPW will be participating on the show: New Japan, NOAH, DDT, Dragongate, Big Japan and Stardom.

Presidential figures Hiroshi Tanahashi, Sanshiro Takagi & Naomichi Marufuji were all at the press conference. The three of them will be teaming up to face House Of Torture in a 6-Man Tag Match. The three are calling themselves the Shacho Squad and Takagi made jokes about his working relationship with the other two. He more often sees Marufuji when they go out drinking than he does at the office. Tanahashi made references to past beef with Takagi over New Japan and DDT being at odds with each other. Takagi understands he is the weakest wrestler of the three so he will do his best as a pro wrestler and face the challenge lying ahead. The three are coming up with ideas to prevent House Of Torture from using interference to help them win. Some suggestions include placing Danshoku Dieno or Oleg Boltin at ringside to handle any invaders trying to enter the ring.

A big 6-Man Tag Match pits together the biggest names of the current generation. Marufuji believes the six participants are all talked about as the future of their companies when they really are the leaders now. They should see each other as rivals so Marufuji thinks this is the best match for all of them to show off and stand out. Tanahashi agrees and said if he was in that match he would be thinking how about how he could stand out from everyone else and take the top spot of the industry.

There is planned to be around 8 to 10 matches on the finished card. It has not been decided yet if Stardom will be doing matches by themselves or if they get to interact with the other promotions in mixed tag bouts.

UJPW “UNITED JAPAN PRO WRESTLING”, 15/06/2024
Sapporo Hokkai Kitayell

The second UJPW event will be held in Sapporo intends to feature the promotions that are not taking part in “ALL TOGETHER”. That should mean All Japan, Ganbare☆Pro and Tokyo Joshi Pro. TJPW have their annual Golden Week show at Korakuen Hall on the same day as “ALL TOGETHER” so I assume that is one of the reasons they are involved here instead. However TJPW has a show in Kobe the same day as UJPW in Sapporo so who knows what is being planned. UJPW eventually wants to run shows all over Japan to develop pro wrestling across the country. They still need to abide by all of the members having different schedules to avoid plans from clashing with each other. They admit this is an aspect the members will have to work on more.