DramaticDDT’s Predictions For 2024

December 24, 2023

Merry Christmas! I’m giving this another go despite how bad my predictions for 2023 went. What do I think is in store for DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Ganbare☆Pro, BASARA and maybe even CyberFight as a whole? It’s a tricky challenge this time because whenever I try guessing how 2024 will turn out, all I see is murkiness. There’s a weird contradiction in my thoughts about where wrestling is right now. On the one hand there is a status quo where all the companies around the world are positioned that I do not see changing anytime soon. But then there are changes within the companies themselves, some that are so unexpected that I have no idea what the entire scene will look like this time next year. Like of course WWE will be the top company on the planet but what does it turn into next as it finally moves away from Vince McMahon’s ideas and has the most fan goodwill it has probably ever had? AEW badly fell apart this year but the Continental Classic tournament is providing a nice set of building blocks to rebuild the company with. The problem is will Tony Khan want to use those blocks? It doesn’t help that the loudest podcasters in the room are constantly telling everyone that AEW should be more like WWE in the storyline department. That is my biggest pet peeve with wrestling at the moment, by the way. Whenever I hear people say every wrestling show should be a three ringed circus with something for everybody they’re really just saying “go be like WWE”. It’s the same voices that reject other companies for doing things differently.

And then there is Japan’s wrestling scene still trying to re-establish themselves post-pandemic. It’s mostly alright with some brief moments of greatness but there’s not a lot that has really caught my imagination this year compared to the 2010s. Show attendances week to week isn’t inspiring much hope in me either. It seems like homecoming shows and retirement matches can bring in crowds but outside of that a lot of companies are getting dwindling crowd numbers which has me worried. New Japan and Stardom will be fine as long as they can manage themselves properly. 2023 definitely gave Stardom a lot of lessons about show scheduling and injuries but they seem to be learning from it. All Japan discovering success again should also be a sign that there is still an audience out there in Japan that pro wrestling can appeal to. Now let’s see if this United Japan Pro Wrestling alliance is actually going to mean anything substantial.

Before I give you my predictions for 2024, here is how my 2023’s predictions went. Not very good it turns out.

DDT

✓. Mike Bailey wrestles a match in DDT again.
X. KANON outperforms Daisuke Sasaki.
X. Yuya Koroku becomes the next wrestler from DDT’s new generation (debuted 2020 onwards) to win a championship.
✓. Tetsuya Endo struggles to reclaim the top position in DDT.
X. Dramatic Dream Gate is revived.

The first one was by far the easiest prediction to make. It is basically the free spot on a bingo card. DDT going to America guaranteed that Mike Bailey would be on one of their shows. Although I do think the New Japan appearances he also made this year means he’s fully done with DDT in Japan. KANON is slowly getting pushed but I wouldn’t put his work above Daisuke Sasaki’s in 2023. Hideki Okatani was the breakout in the new generation, not Yuya Koroku like I expected. Tetsuya Endo is definitely struggling and I’ll get back to that point later. No Dramatic Dream Gate revival because DDT worked with All Japan instead of Dragongate.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

X. At least 3 women who originally came from Actwres girl’Z will appear in TJPW and at least 1 of them becomes a regular roster member.
X. An outsider wins the Princess Of Princess Title.
X. Maki Itoh gets to No. 1 on a iTunes or Spotify chart somewhere in the world.
X. A woman from Sakisama’s past comes back to haunt her.
X. Sasha Banks appears at Grand Princess ’23.

Oh so now Actwres girl’Z gets their act together and stops leaking talent left, right and centre! TJPW’s roster growth all came from training their own rookies and bringing in foreign wrestlers. An outsider did become champion but it was Max The Impaler winning the International Princess Title, not the Princess Of Princess Title. No idea how to look up music chart data but if Maki Itoh got No. 1 somewhere we would have heard about it. My Sakisama fantasy booking was inspired by the rumour of CyberFight wanting to sign Maya Yukihi. If Mercedes Moné does end up going back to WWE then the hype surrounding her for an entire year was an absolute waste of time for everyone else involved.

Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling

✓. Some of the wrestlers Shota worked with in America get booked for Ganpro.
X. Keisuke Ishii wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Title.
1/2✓. Ganpro creates a tag team championship and builds it around mixed tag wrestling.
X. Ganbare☆Joshi runs their own show in Korakuen Hall.
X. Kota Ibushi wrestles a match in Ganpro.

Shota’s American excursion got the likes of Dan The Dad and Kody Lane booked in Japan. Keisuke Ishii did get a Spirit Of Ganbare Title but lost that match to Mizuki Watase in one of Ganpro’s best matches of the year. We did get the Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles created and it does allow intergender teams. However it has not been the focal point of the title’s existence yet so I only got it half right. No standalone Ganbare☆Joshi show in Korakuen Hall yet but I think it is only a matter of time before it happens. Who on earth would have guessed Kota Ibushi’s first match back would be in GCW?

Miscellaneous

X. Gake no Fuchi Joshi crosses over with Baka Gaijin + Friends.
X. AEW will host another event in Japan with DDT & TJPW involvement.
X. CyberFight adds another promotion to their portfolio.
X. A brand new puroresu console game gets announced.
✓. BASARA does something new and different.

I’m kind of surprised Miyako Matsumoto hasn’t shown up in Baka Gaijin + Friends yet. It seems like her kind of wrestling but I can’t tell what goes through her mind on most days. AEW seems to have developed less interest in the Japanese scene while they go through something of an identity crisis heading into the fifth year of their existence. No new wrestling brand for CyberFight but there is the United Japan Pro Wrestling brand attaching the big wrestling companies together. No new puroresu game which makes me sad. AEW: Fight Forever is fine and I bet has a good base to create a better sequel. Will that happen though? The last prediction is also the best one for me. BASARA made Banana Senga their champion! That was definitely something new and different.

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So yeah, let’s ignore all that and get on to next year’s predictions. I came up with 20 predictions for 2024 spread across four categories. Five for DDT, five for Tokyo Joshi Pro, five for Ganbare☆Pro and five guesses that apply to anything attached to BASARA and the CyberFight promotions. I’m also listing them in order from easy to hard, likely to unlikely, mild to spicy, etc. I came up with these predictions using booking patterns, reading tea leaves and coming up with ideas that are just as creative as they are plausible.

DDT

Prediction: Naomi Yoshimura returns from injury and gets a singles push.

It’s been over a year since Naomi Yoshimura last wrestled a match. What’s promising though is his regular appearances seconding the other wrestlers in Harimao. There’s also glimpses on his social media of him training in the DDT dojo again. It at least suggests he will be back in the ring sooner or later. When Yoshimura took time off to recover from a herniated disc he said he wanted to reclaim the KO-D Tag Team Titles for Harimao when he returns. I think too much time has past for that to be his only goal. He should instead focus on catching up with Yuki Ueno. My fingers are crossed he is able to come back, stay healthy and win some accomplishments by himself.

Prediction: Kento Miyahara will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”.

At no point this year did I expect DDT and All Japan to be doing inter-promotional matches with each other. What a great thing that turned out to be though. Adding a few DDT Vs AJPW matches on shows here and there spiced up the midcard for both companies. It had history to play off of because of Jun Akiyama’s involvement. It is helping Yukio Naya develop into the heavyweight DDT wants him to be thanks to the feud with The Saito Brothers that will likely continue in AJPW. Eruption got to start their new chapter without Saki Akai by winning the All Asia Tag Team Titles and giving Yukio Sakaguchi an achievement he can now share with his father. Eruption also entered the Real World Tag League which gave Hideki Okatani some valuable experience. I want this working relationship to continue in 2024 and I know the best place where it can reach its climax. DDT will likely have a big guest for their Sumo Hall show in July. Bring on over AJPW’s biggest star Kento Miyahara to liven up the place! He would be a great singles match opponent for somebody like Yuki Ueno or Kazusada Higuchi. He’s definitely someone who Ueno should learn from about how to be a showman in the ring.

Prediction: Sanshiro Takagi fights Hiroshi Tanahashi in a battle of the presidents!

This week New Japan announced Hiroshi Tanahashi has become the new president of the company. Now he has a lot more in common with Sanshiro Takagi. Now Tanahashi has an awkward history with DDT but that was years ago and I’m sure it’s all water under the bridge. But just in case there’s still some bad blood there is always the wrestling ring right there for them to settle their differences. Two presidents of different wrestling companies having a match against each other is the kind of idea Takagi would jump on and I think Tanahashi would be game for it. United Japan Pro Wrestling is going to need something a little bit novel to put on their Budokan Hall card in the summer. Why not this in the midcard?

Prediction: Somebody (or something) from WWE wins the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.

WWE looking to carve out their place in Japan is a topic that gets brought up a lot online. This year finally saw the company make their move when they signed a broadcasting deal with ABEMA and also got increased presence in Shukan Puroresu magazine. There were also points throughout the year when Shinsuke Nakamura would pop up. He headlined a big show for NOAH as the final opponent for The Great Muta. He also filmed a special message for Saki Akai that was shown to her during her retirement ceremony. If that’s not enough, on the day I am writing this paragraph All Japan are teasing that the mystery challenger for a Triple Crown title match on 3rd January could be coming from NXT. So if WWE in Japan really is happening, we might as well have some fun with it before everything gets ruined again. DDT will be in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania week and that usually means the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title will be going along for the ride. It’s only a matter of time before somebody in the WWE gets to win the championship for even the briefest of moments. Now I’m not expecting Cody Rhodes to win it in front of 50,000 people to finish the story. But somebody involved with the company hanging out at WrestleCon and taking their chance to win a 24/7 title just to amuse themselves? That sounds more likely. This prediction also applies to any item, prop or official piece of merchandise tied to WWE. If a Jey Uso “Yeet” shirt becomes champion then it counts!

Prediction: Tetsuya Endo should go on an overseas excursion.

This is not so much of a prediction but more a piece of advice. After thinking of ways for Tetsuya Endo to get out of the current position he is in, the best idea I can come up with is for him to go wrestle overseas for a while. Whether that is a several month stay in America or going on weekend trips to Europe every couple of months, he badly needs a change of pace in a new surrounding. Get him in there with Gringo Loco in GCW, have Shigehiro Irie show him the (lack of) sights in Oberhausen during a wXw tournament weekend, book him on ROH so he can travel around with the AEW crew, seat him in the front row behind the commentary table at an NXT taping. He should go broaden his horizons because the direction DDT put him in as Kenta Kobashi’s protégé is not working.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Prediction: Somebody from the 2023 Class scores a pinfall on a TJPW veteran.

We got six rookies in 2023 and they have all been fun to watch as they learn on the job and figure out who they want to be. Wakana Uehara winning the New Generation Tournament shows that TJPW have faith in her becoming an important part of the roster if she sticks with them. HIMAWARI had her character down flat from day one and her match against Uehara in the final is a great example of how to create a dramatic match with limited movesets. Toga is capturing everyone’s hearts one big Elbow Smash at a time (although really you should thank Hikari Noa for selling that move like a champ), Shino Suzuki has the bonus advantage of being in The Up Up Girls and we might end up with a future generational rivalry between Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo as they learn different wrestling styles separate from each other. Talent development for TJPW needs to be coming quick and fast if there is a need to replace the likes of Yuka Sakazaki. Young blood needs to be beating veterans eventually and it is more likely to happen than you think. Remember, TJPW holds a couple of one day tournaments throughout the year with matches that end in 2 Count pinfalls. That’s where you can see Uehara suddenly beat Mahiro Kiryu or Toga only needing to roll up Kaya Toribami for two seconds to get her hand raised. I don’t expect it to be on the level of Arisu Endo pinning Shoko Nakajima out of nowhere but somebody from the 2023 class is going to get a moment in the spotlight her senpai’s expense in 2024.

Prediction: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi finally happens… in the Tokyo Princess Cup.

When Mizuki’s reign as the Princess Champion ended there was one thing that left me completely baffled. Why was there never a title defence against Rika Tatsumi? One of the longest running pieces of character lore in TJPW is Tatsumi’s crush on Mizuki going all the way back to 2018 when Tatsumi wanted to banish the Forbidden Three rules the in-house roster had to follow because nobody was sure if “No Boyfriends” also meant “No Girlfriends”. Fast forward to 2023 and we got a very good 2-Vs-1 Handicap Match between Daydream and Mizuki where Tatsumi battled those feelings in order to beat her crush. Nothing ever came out of it and to be fair it never intended to be more than an emergency replacement match due to Sakazaki getting injured. TJPW also has an odd thing where some of their big singles matches only ever happen in the Tokyo Princess Cup, either as a 1st Round match to eliminate a top contender early or as a random drawing in the final stages of the tournament. So I think if we ever do get Mizuki Vs Tatsumi, it will be at the Princess Cup instead of a big singles title bout.

Prediction: Maki Itoh wins the GCW World Heavyweight Championship.

I think odds are really good for Maki Itoh to win one of GCW’s championships next year given she is one of the bigger attractions for the group nowadays. Her winning the tag team titles with Nick Gage is an obvious direction to go. But I want to go all in for this prediction. GCW has Blake Christian as their long term heel world champion and groundwork has been laid down for a Blake Vs Gage title match down the road. But we’ve been there, done that with Gage as the top babyface champion for GCW. This is a company that doesn’t mind doing wacky novelty booking with their titles. So how about Itoh unexpectedly gets a title match with Blake, maybe Money In The Bank style and she shockingly beats him for the GCW Title? It would be the peak of her run with the company, that’s for sure.

Prediction: Aja Kong takes on a regular role in TJPW.

Just like how Jun Akiyama became a coach in DDT, I’d like to see Aja Kong do something similar in TJPW. She has been a guest for so many shows at this point it’s not like she would be a stranger to everyone there. Whether it is coaching the youngsters, becoming a matchmaker or just keeping a stern eye on Tetsuya Koda so he won’t lose focus Kong would have a wealth of knowledge to offer the company. And maybe then we get a payoff for her rivalry with Max The Impaler.

Prediction: Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh remain with TJPW for the year.

I’m testing fate with this one, aren’t I? Miyu Yamashita has done almost everything there is to do in TJPW and Maki Itoh spends so much time in America she’s currently divorced from what’s going on in her home promotion. And yet I just don’t believe both of them are ready to graduate from TJPW like Yuka Sakazaki did. At least not in the next 12 months. Yamashita and Itoh will definitely have plenty of American bookings for everyone to look forward to in 2024. But leaving TJPW to focus on that entirely? I don’t think so. They will still have TJPW as their home base.

Ganbare☆Pro

Prediction: Ken Ohka Wins The Spirit Of Ganbare Title From Isami Kodaka

The ways that Ken Ohka and Isami Kodaka have been booked in GanPro this year makes this in my opinion the likeliest prediction to come true. Kodaka is cleaving through the roster with title defence after title defence while Ohka, the main guy behind all of GanPro, has been kept away from the title picture for over a year and a half. Ohka is always fighting from the bottom as the underdog so him never winning the Spirit Of Ganbare Title would fit how he books himself. However that’s not how pro wrestling works and there is bound to be a day when he finally gets his hands on his own promotion’s championship.

Prediction: The Ganbare☆Climax returns.

The last time GanPro held a tournament called the Ganbare☆Climax was in 2021 and that was to crown their first SOG Champion. It would be nice to see it come back to determine a No. 1 Contender during the year. GanPro held tournaments for the Young Ganbare Cup and the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles this year but they both felt like one-offs. That clears up the schedule for a single elimination tournament to happen whenever they want.

Prediction: Yuna Manase returns from injury and feuds with YuuRI.

One of the key additions to GanPro this year was the relaunch of the Ganbare☆Joshi division built around YuuRI, Yoshiko Hasegawa and Riara. Sadly Yuna Manase was relegated to a GM role while she recovers from her ACL injury. YuuRI in particular put in the work to become the face of the GanJo division in her absence. So let’s say that Manase is able to wrestle again in 2024. Would she be willing to play second fiddle to YuuRI? Or will history continue to be a circle and Manase now finds herself as the veteran unwilling to let the new generation surpass her? Wouldn’t that be interesting given Manase’s feud with Yuu Yamagata a few years ago was over the same idea? YuuRI still has a lot to prove and the dynamic could make Hasegawa and Riara choose sides until the matter is resolved. Build it up to one big singles match and it could end up being a lot of fun to follow.

Prediction: A mixed gender tag team wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles.

I admit this is just a repackaged prediction I made last year about the SOG Tag Titles being built around intergender wrestling. There’s only been one title defence so far featuring a mixed gender team and that was when Lethal Weapon (Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE) were the challengers. I like seeing them team together but I fear that match in August was their only chance, at least while Ground Absolute hold the belts/trophies. There are always other people in GanPro for HARUKAZE to team with and also Banny Oikawa is now with GanPro mostly to do mixed tags. I bet it is only a matter of time before it happens.

Prediction: A Stardom wrestler appears on a Ganbare☆Joshi show.

Another factor of GanJo’s return this year was seeing that roster interact with wrestlers from TJPW, Ice Ribbon, Marvelous, Diana and more. YuuRI even brought over Ice Ribbon’s main championship for a title defence on a GanJo show. Now let’s add Stardom to the list through the UJNW connection. Stardom and TJPW will probably stay being icy towards each other but Yuna Manase and YuuRI both got to wrestle on a Stardom show in 2022. I see talk online about how cool it would be if all the joshi companies get together in 2024 for a major arena show to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of “BIG EGG UNIVERSE”. Something like that was kind of done in 2022 to celebrate 60 years of Korakuen Hall and even then that had some bruised egos coming out of it when Shukan Puroresu only put Starlight Kid on the front cover at the expense of everyone else involved who were not associated with Stardom. Also TJPW stayed away from the show too which again, some icy relationships are probably going on there. So let’s keep this prediction on a much smaller level and just say a Stardom wrestler shows up at a GanJo event.

Miscellaneous

Prediction: A DDT wrestler makes a full time jump over to BASARA.

Appearances from Kazusada Higuchi during the last quarter of 2023 helped freshen up BASARA a little bit. They’re not a company I expect much change from going forward but they could do with adding another full timer to their roster. Even though they are independent there is history with a DDT wrestler deciding they are better off jumping over to BASARA (or Union Pro before that) so they can play a bigger role at shows. It could be a veteran who already wrestles in BASARA and no longer seeing themselves being relevant in DDT (*cough*Soma Takao*cough*) or maybe one of the younger, less experienced wrestlers are looking for a change of pace. Ilusion for example seems to get along with that group well. Someone from that age group would turn into a rival for Munetatsu Nakamura too if that were to happen.

Prediction: Konosuke Takeshita wrestles in the main event of an AEW PPV.

It is really annoying to see Konosuke Takeshita being wasted in The Don Callis Family storyline. It is also annoying that the next step of the angle is the group using Freebird rules that will obviously set up Sammy Guevara’s return to TV rather than giving more focus to Takeshita or Powerhouse Hobbs for that matter. So what is it that has me thinking Takeshita can be in a PPV main event next year? Just the numbers game, really. AEW are adding more PPVs to their schedule so that should be more opportunities for new title challengers. Also if this storyline continues without Kenny Omega and just becomes the Family feuding with Chris Jericho there is can be something like a new Anarchy In The Arena happening to close out one of the PPVs.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki becomes the first ROH Women’s TV Champion.

Sakazaki is getting ready for the next chapter in her pro wrestling life. Given how AEW presents their women’s division, she is probably going to get more time in ROH instead. She already had her shot at Athena and the regular ROH Women’s Title but the group now has something new to fight for. A brand new ROH Women’s TV Title was recently revealed and Sakazaki would make a great choice to be its first champion.

Prediction: Baka Gaijin + Friends runs a show at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.

When I wrote a preview for the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” main event I compared the Baka Gaijin + Friends shows to DDT’s Beer Garden shows. There’s a warm vibe and fun atmosphere to these matches that take place in such a small venue. I think the series has become popular enough that Chris Brookes can go from 50 fans in ARENA Shimokitazawa to a triple digit attendance in Shin-Kiba 1st RING, the place where DDT hosted Beer Garden for many years. See it like Gatoh Move running ChocoPro in Ichigaya on the regular and then every once in a while they move up to a place where a full scale wrestling ring can be set up. As long as the drinks still flow the crowd will be with them all the way.

Prediction: The 2024 New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Tournament lasts past midnight again.

It used to be that the final show of the year in Korakuen Hall goes beyond midnight into the early hours of the new year. It hasn’t been that way for a while because of restrictions coming out of the pandemic. Unfortunately I think a reason why this year’s edition still has an early evening start is because the show is not much of a draw anymore. But I want to be proven wrong so Korakuen fans get to count down the new year in the middle of a semi-final tag team match again.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki gets arrested for assaulting Mickey Mouse at Disney World.

She’s your problem now, Tony!

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Posted by JamieOD

United Japan Pro Wrestling Is Announced

December 15, 2023

UJPW “UNITED JAPAN PRO WRESTLING”, 06/05/2024
Tokyo Nippon Budokan

I’m going to copy and paste the write up on New Japan’s official English site to explain what’s going on with this new thing called United Japan Pro Wrestling.

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December 15, Tokyo Japan

New Japan Pro-Wrestling today announces that it is one of nine organizations that will constitute United Japan Pro-Wrestling, a new industry group representing professional wrestling in Japan.

Without an industry wide group for professional wrestling in Japan, the unprecedented crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic made it all the more clear that there was a need to consolidate and express accurate information and best operating practices between promotions, as well as to communicate effectively with national and municipal governments. In a bid to better anticipate and adapt to societal changes in the future, nine Japanese promotions at the forefront of pro-wrestling in the country will be be part of a collective industry group (henceforth ‘the Group’).

The members of the Group will maintain their individual business identities and competition in the marketplace, but the Group will provide a space to discuss issues that concern the industry at large, and to exchange information with an interest in maintaining its growth. The formation of the Group will be marked by an event on May 6 2024 in Nippon Budokan under the banner of United Japan Pro-Wrestling.

Mission statement

To further the presence of pro-wrestling and its cultural merit in Japanese society at large, allow professional wrestling to contribute further to cultural and sporting sectors, and work toward continued health and prosperity of the industry.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic made it apparent that there was a lack of communication and unified approach to event guidelines, and no common point of contact between the industry and national and municipal governments. There was also a desire to discuss issues surrounding wrestler health and safety (including in their online presence), to create a pipeline to other sporting organizations and to further the image of professional wrestling through issues of corporate social responsibility. There was a shared desire between members of the Group to continue existing competition within the marketplace while also sharing relevant information and know-how on these and other socio-economic issues.

Core tenets

Unity and integrity. The Group will be the representative spokesgroup for all of professional wrestling in Japan.
Representation. The Group will be the public facing symbol for the collective whole of professional wrestling in Japan.
Continuity. The Group will have a continuous presence and activity in the future.

As a result, the existence of the Group will be made known worldwide, and its members will be actively engaged in actions of merit.

Activities

Governmental communication and requests
Strengthening connections to other industries and sectors
Sharing resources and practices

Including those related to wrestler health and safety, such as the provision of financial support for wrestlers while injured, and to offer compliance training. Group members will also consolidate event data for historical archive purposes.

Monetization

Any proceeds from the monetized use of iconography shall be split among the Group members. Joint events and festivals will be held.

Group members

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co. Ltd.)
All Japan Pro-Wrestling (All Japan Pro-Wrestling Co. Ltd.)
Pro-Wrestling NOAH (Cyber Fight Co. Ltd.)
DDT Pro-Wrestling (Cyber Fight Co. Ltd.)
Ganbare ☆ Pro-Wrestling (Cyber Fight Co. Ltd.)
Big Japan Pro-Wrestling （Yotsuba Industries Ltd.)
DRAGONGATE (DRAGONGATE Co. Ltd.)
STARDOM (BushiRoad Fight Co. Ltd.)
Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (Cyber Fight Co. Ltd.)

Further Group members will be considered in future.

Founding chair: Seiji Sakaguchi
Executive office: New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co. Ltd.
Executive chief: Naoki Sugabayashi (Chairman: New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co. Ltd.)

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So we’re giving this another go then. My immediate reaction to the news was memories of the Global Professional Wrestling Alliance from the mid 2000s. The GPWA was a similar concept to this, getting many of the wrestling promotions in Japan to co-operate with each other under one banner. It faded away pretty quickly. The only legacy it left behind was the 2007 Differ Cup tournament (and that isn’t even the 2005 one that was hyped by tape traders from that era). It also stayed around as a piece of trivia in wiki pages for each of the companies involved for years afterwards. So from the jump I’m feeling cynical over UJPW’s chances of establishing itself as an important benchmark for Japanese wrestling.

However the entire wrestling landscape is very different now than it was back then. The scene in Japan is not back to pre-pandemic levels of business and it’s only when times are toughest you will get companies willing to work together in order to spark up some kind of momentum again. I see some instant reaction online that this might be another attempt to close up Japan to WWE but I’m struggling to think that’s the main priority here. WWE’s global expansion plans do seem to be revving up again and their recent ABEMA deal has gotten them more coverage in Japan recently. And of course there’s suddenly more and more rumours about WWE trying to snap up Japan’s biggest names at the nearest opportunity. Yet as I see all this on the horizon I still don’t think it is an immediate threat. What’s happening here with UJPW seems to be the Japanese companies all trying to get their plans in order in regards to challenges much closer to home. It’s more like something to represent the majority of the industry when communicating with government bodies.

But hey, let’s give this thing a shot because at the very least what we’re getting out of it is nine promotions working together for a big show at Budokan Hall next May. Company alliances over the last year have been interesting to follow. New Japan and NOAH have been working together, All Japan and DDT have bee working together. Dragongate mostly keeps to themselves while Big Japan and Ganbare☆Pro are usually full of freelancers and wrestlers from other indies showing up at all times. The most surprising dynamic is Stardom and Tokyo Joshi Pro finally interacting with each other. Getting the isolated promotions like Dragongate and TJPW involved in this is significant. TJPW were not involved at all in the big Joshi show celebrating 60 years of Korkauen Hall that was held in 2022. What on earth kind of matchup are they going to put together if inter-promotional bouts are planned for the show?

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Wrestlers Meet With House Of Representatives

April 15, 2020

Wrestlers representing several pro wrestling companies visited Japan’s House Of Representatives today to meet with Hiroshi Hase. He is a former pro wrestler and more importantly the current Minister For Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The wrestlers requested medical kits to test for Coronavirus as well as compensation towards contracted pro wrestlers for cancelling all of their shows over the epidemic. According to Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani, pro wrestlers are currently unable to receive the compensation benefits that were created in response to the current crisis. Pro wrestling contracts are handled differently compared to other careers so adapting it to the current laws is difficult. Up to now it was left to the companies employing these wrestlers to handle compensation pay and they cannot continue if there are no shows taking place to bring in the money.

Among the wrestlers making the visit were Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan), Suwama (All Japan), HARASHIMA (DDT), Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH), Mayu Iwatani (Stardom), Yuka Sakazaki (Tokyo Joshi) and Kyoko Inoue (Diana). Also included were management from the same companies including Kidani, Naoki Sugabayashi (New Japan), Takenori Fukuda (All Japan), Masashi Ishiguro (NOAH), Akira Takahashi (DDT), Katsuhiko Harada (Bushiroad), Tetsuya Koda (Tokyo Joshi) and Taishi Fuwa (Diana).

HARASHIMA said that having testing kits on site can give everyone enough peace of mind to begin holding pro wrestling shows again. Sakazaki explained that in the early days of Corona, DDT and Tokyo Joshi were able to hold empty arena shows in their dojo. But the building the dojo is located in also has a nursery school in one of the upper floors above it. That along with using trains as the form of transportation to get there makes the idea of using the dojo for matches more dangerous.

Hase thanked the wrestlers for giving him their views on the matter and agreed on the measures along with further consultation. He told the wrestlers to continue working hard when the time comes for pro wrestling shows to be held again.

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GANBARE☆WRESTLING “POCCHARI JOSHI PRO WRESTLING – P2 TRAINSPOCCHATTING” Results

August 20, 2019

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “POCCHARI JOSHI PRO WRESTLING – P2 TRAINSPOCCHATTING”, 20/08/2019
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
202 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Special Poccha Libre Match ~American Drag Queen Vs Miss Jumbo~: Himeka Arita defeated Beauty Suzuki after a Crushed Body Slam (7:27).
2. Pocchaminator Manah Connor Chronicles: Pocchaminator (P-800) defeated Manah Connor (Yuna Manase) with the Canadian Backbreaker (?:??).
3. Pocchari Great Mothers Vs Mad Slender Army ~ Rainup War Without Jingi 2nd Season: Miss Mongol & Hamuko Hoshi defeated Moeka Haruhi & Banny Oikawa when Hoshi pinned Haruhi with a Diving Body Press (12:07).
4. Keiko Takeshita International Friendly Match – Keiko Beyond The Heart: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yumehito Imanari with the German Suplex (?:??).

Yumehito Imanari had an emotional main event with Konosuke Takeshita that explained his infatuation with Takeshita’s mother. Keiko Takeshita scolded her son during the match whenever he was about to do something too violent like using a chair. When Takeshita fought to give Imanari the German Suplex, a voice began to speak over everything. It was the voice of Imanari’s heart. Everybody was told that Imanari’s mother passed away when he was only 20 years old, just 3 days after his first student club wrestling match. She never got to see him wrestle. When Imanari sees Keiko watching her son in the ring he wonders if his own mother would have watched him the same way if she was still alive. That’s why he admires Keiko and also why he wanted to wrestle Takeshita today. So they could both wrestle their best for their moms to see. By now Imanari was fighting back with tears in his eyes but Takeshita was able to hit the German Suplex to win.

After the match Takeshita told Imanari that if he ever feels lonely, he has his permission to call and talk to Keiko. Imanari said has spent the last 13 years of his life searching for maternal love. He found it when he met Konosuke and Keiko. But enough about that. Today’s show was stressful for Imanari to put together. He’s not in the mood to be entertained or pampered right now. Yuna Manase came down to the ring and cheered him up by singing “Soul’s Refrain” from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Imanari joined in while the ring filled with the other wrestlers. Manase left the ring during the performance but came back out wearing a red plugsuit! Imanari asked everyone if they wanted to do a third Pocchari Joshi show. If they do then everyone in the audience should bring their moms with them!

Keiko was involved in the main event because she was appointed as the special ambassador for the match. She came out wearing her son’s amateur wrestling singlet he used back in the 3rd grade. She said it fits her even though she weighs 86kg. She then confessed that she would like Imanari to hold her 86kg body. She also wanted to know if Akito was in attendance.

Hamuko Hoshi and Moeka Haruhi both did sexy poses in front of Daisuke Kiso during the opening trade offs. When Miss Mongol joined in, her pose made Kiso faint. Hoshi bit Haruhi’s arm because she was hungry. Later Mongol threw Haruhi face first into Kiso’s waist in the corner. Banny Oikawa tried to turn things around but Mongol cut her off and Hoshi pinned her with the Diving Body Press.

The Pocchaminator traveled back in time from the year 2050 to pocchaminate every human being with a high BMI level. The only person to stop it it Manah Connor. She was injected with nanomachines before the match but her heightened abilities didn’t seem to have any effect on her enemy. She received instructions from Colonel Hirotsugu Suyama on what to do but none of them worked. She tried calling Yuki Kamifuku but couldn’t get an answer. The Pocchaminator (P-800) took control of the match and was about to do a Choke Slam when Manah received a message from an unlikely source. It was the Stardom owner Rossy Ogawa! He reminded Yuna Manase that she is a Stardom graduate and encouraged her to fight back. Manah yelled the Stardom motto “Believe Now, Shine Tomorrow, We Are Stardom!” as she fought back against The Pocchaminator. Unfortunately The Pocchaminator hit a Lariat and made Manah give up to the Canadian Backbreaker.

When the match was over The Pocchaminator praised Manah Connor for being a great warrior. He warned her that Tokyo will be under future attacks and her pocchari body is the greatest weapon to stop them. Manah went back to being Yuna Manase and she thanked those who helped her. She told The Pocchaminator they should fight together and they left. But unknown to them a video was shown on the screen. It is The Pocchaminator 2! The P-1000 is coming after them!

Beauty Suzuki tried to Body Slam Himeka Arita but wasn’t strong enough to go through with it. Arita landed on top of Suzuki and got the pin.

The show began with Imanari demonstrating the πMAX3D technology he developed. He wore a VR headset while a scene from Manase’s gravure video played. Imanari became… engrossed in the video until Manase got into the ring and gave him a Stunner.

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No Glass Slipper Necessary, More Hulk Hogan Gymnastics

April 29, 2013

Stardom “CHAMPION FIESTA 2013 RYOGOKU CINDERELLA”, 29/04/2013
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
5,500 Fans

Mayu Iwatani, Lin Bairon, Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi defeated Eri Susa, Makoto, Michael Nakazawa & Hikaru Sato when Iwatani pinned Nakazawa with a Dragon Suplex (12:26).

Today was the big day for the Stardom joshi promotion. They ran an important show in Sumo Hall dedicated to the retirement of Yuzuki Aikawa. Miss Bouncy Bouncy received a lot of support from DDT during her pro wrestling career so it was fitting to see some of the wrestlers having a match on the undercard. The 8-Person Tag Team match had a crossover of talent from Stardom, DDT and Wrestling New Classic as Kota Ibushi & Gota Ihashi teamed with Stardom’s Mayu Iwatani and the new WNC Women’s Champion Lin Bairon to face Michael Nakazawa, Hikaru Sato, Eri Susa and the former WNC Women’s Champion Makoto. Nakazawa and Sato were in hentai mode with Nakazawa dressed as a nurse while Sato wore a women’s bathing suit. Ibushi and Makoto got to reignite their small rivalry when they paired off in the ring. Nakazawa was his usual creepy sense and attempted to apply the Ultimate Venom Arm on Iwatani. Makoto did not want her team to win that way and tried to stop him but got caught in the crossfire. Iwatani capitalised on the backfire and pinned Nakazawa with a Dragon Suplex in an impressive feat. Now, if someone from DDT is reading this could they please go console Sanshiro Takagi?

130428_DDT-1

Meanwhile a few other DDT wrestlers appeared at the the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo to attend the Nico Douga Conference. Antonio Honda put on his red and yellow tights and brought Hulkamania to life again with a Hulk Hogan Gymnastics performance. He was cheered on by Danshoku Dino, Tsurumi Amon, Daisuke Sasaki, Hiroshi Fukuda and Chikage Kiba. The video of the original performance is one of the more popular sport videos on the website. The video can be seen here: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/1333972847

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DDT X Stardom Street Assault

February 12, 2013

ddt-stardom

DDT “HANAYASHIKI STREET WRESTLING”, 27/03/2013
Tokyo Asakusa Hanayashiki

4 Way Mixed Tag Team Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Yuzuki Aikawa Vs Danshoku Dino & Yoshiko Vs Kota Ibushi & Jaiko Ishikawa Vs Michael Nakazawa & Miho Wakizawa

DDT and Stardom join together to check off one final achievement from Yuzuki Aikawa’s wrestling bucket list before she retires in April. The one thing left that Yuzuki wants to do is to take part in DDT’s famed street wrestling matches. Sanshiro Takagi, who has probably been Yuzuki’s biggest fan throughout her bouncy career has granted her wish and set up the match to take place in Japan’s oldest amusement park, the Asakusa Hanayahiki in Tokyo.

It was originally supposed to be only two teams taking part in the match. Takagi and Aikawa will look for revenge on Danshoku Dino & Yoshiko for losing to them at “SWEET DREAMS!” last month. Kota Ibushi then showed up upset that nobody told him about DDT doing another street wrestling match. He added himself into the match but was told he needed to have a female tag team partner. Yoshiko was furious that she has to team with Dino again instead of her darling Ibushi and opted to join his team. She thinks she can win his heart by wrestling in the street just like he does. Dino cockblocked her and told Ibushi to find someone else. Ibushi did just that and announced Jaiko Ishikawa (Shuji Ishikawa’s… identical twin sister?) as his partner. Takagi joked that the two have to be dating each other.

So it looked like a 3 Way Tag was set when Michael Nakazawa made his presence felt. He too wanted to be in the match and he called over Stardom wrestler Miho Wakizawa to be his tag partner. He then taught her how to do the Ultimate Venom Arm and they formed a Venom Arm Connecion to signify their new team.

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“NEW YEARS EVE PRO-WRESTLING 2011” Results

December 31, 2011

“NEW YEARS EVE PRO-WRESTLING 2011 ~ SAMURAI TV! 15TH ANNIVERSARY”, 31/12/2011
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,109 Fans

0. Dark Match: The Winger & Madoka defeated Yasu Urano & Owen Phoenix when The Winger pinned Phoenix with the Okyanon Bomb (12:28).
1. Young Six Man Tag Match: Toru Sugiura, Hiroshi Fukuda & Kotao Nasu defeated Daichi Sasaki, Masashi Otani & Dyna Mido when Sugiura pinned Mido with a Missile Dropkick (8:23).
2. Young Emperor Cup – New Generation 8-Man Tag Match: Hiro Tonai, Takumi Tsukamoto, Takao Soma & HAYATA defeated Masaki Okimoto, Jun Ogawauchi, Akito & Kouzy when HAYATA pinned Kouzy with the Moonsault (9:12).
3. GENTARO, HARASHIMA & Yoshihito Sasaki defeated Kazuhiro Tamura, Kamui & Mototsugu Shimizu when HARASHIMA pinned Shimizu with the Somato (10:59).
4. Danshoku Dino Produce: Danshoku Dino defeated Kaori Yoneyama with the Danshoku Driver (22:14).
Order Of Entries: Danshoku Dino, Shinobu, Karate Brahman, Mame Endo, GUTS Ishijima, Mio Shirai, Atsushi Ohasi, Kaji Tomato, Kaji Gobo (Blk Jeez), Kaji Pot-au-feu (Ivan Markov), Spark Aoki and Kaori Yoneyama,
5. World No. 1 Independent Tag Team Gauntlet: Great Kojika & Antonio Honda win the Gauntlet.
5a. Sanshiro Takagi & TAKA Michinoku defeated CHANGO & Amigo Suzuki when Michinoku pinned CHANGO with the Super K (2:00).
5b. Sanshiro Takagi & TAKA Michinoku defeated Emi Sakura & Masa Takanashi when Takagi pinned Sakura after Yukinori Matsui gave Sakura a Buzzsaw Kick (2:57).
5c. Natsuki☆Taiyo & Yoshiko defeated Sanshiro Takagi & TAKA Michinoku when Taiyo threw Takagi out of the ring (1:53).
5d. Natsuki☆Taiyo & Yoshiko defeated Chou-un Shiryu & Dynasty when Yoshiko pinned Shiryu with the Diving Senton (2:45).
5e. Jun Kasai & Jaki Numazawa defeated Natsuki☆Taiyo & Yoshiko when Kasai threw Yoshiko out of the ring (1:49).
5f. Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga defeated Jun Kasai & Jaki Numazawa when Oosugi threw Kasai out of the ring (2:16).
5g. Shiori Asahi & Makoto Oishi defeated Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga when Asahi threw Oosugi out of the ring (2:58).
5h. Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge defeated Shiori Asahi & Makoto Oishi when Kotoge threw Asahi out of the ring (1:40).
5i. Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge defeated Hide Kubota & Yasu Kubota when Harada pinned Yasu Kubota with the Kanayama German Suplex (2:46).
5j. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei defeated Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge when Shu pinned Kotoge with the No One’s Perfect (2:05).
5k. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei defeated Masashi Takeda & Daisuke Sasaki when Shu threw Sasaki out of the ring (3:13).
5l. Ryuji Yamakawa & Shadow WX defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei when Yamakawa pinned Kei with the Reverse Tiger Driver (1:56).
5m. Great Kojika & Antonio Honda defeated Ryuji Yamakawa & Shadow WX when Kojika pinned Yamakawa with the Iron Claw (2:25).
5n. Great Kojika & Antonio Honda defeated Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka when Kojika threw Miyamoto out of the ring (4:36).
6. Fluorescent Lighttubes Death Match: Ryuji Ito & Takashi Sasaki defeated Abdullah Kobayashi & Ken Ohka when Sasaki pinned Ohka with the Right Leg through some lighttubes (15:27).
7. Naomichi Marufuji defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino with the Shiranui (14:11).
8. Daisuke Sekimoto & Shuji Ishikawa defeated Kengo Mashimo & Ryuichi Sekine when Sekimoto pinned Sekine with the Deadlift German Suplex (16:32).
9. Bonus Match! Ohka Vs Sekine 74 Wrestler Great War Tag: Ken Ohka, Madoka, Masashi Otani, Daichi Sasaki, Dyna Mido, Hiro Tonai, Takumi Tsukamoto, Takao Soma, HAYATA, GENTARO, HARASHIMA, CHANGO, Amigo Suzuki, Natsuki☆Taiyo, Yoshiko, Jun Kasai, Jaki Numazawa, Shiori Asahi, Makoto Oishi, Yasu Kubota, Hide Kubota, Masashi Takeda, Daisuke Sasaki, Great Kojika, Antonio Honda, Shuji Ishikawa, Daisuke Sekimoto, Atsushi Ohashi, Masked Buddy, Spark Aoki, GUTS Ishijima, Big Morohashi, Kaji Burdock, Kaji Pot-au-feu, Kaji Pot-au-feu 2 (Bonnie), Kazuki Hashimoto, Kazuki Hirata, & Abdullah Kobayashi defeated Ryuichi Sekine, Chou-un Shiryu, Yasu Urano, Owen Phoenix, Hiroshi Fukuda, Toru Sugiura, Kotaro Nasu, Jun Ogawauichi, Akito, Misaki Okimoto, Kazuhiro Tamura, Kamui, Shimizu Mototsugu, TAKA Michinoku, Sanshiro Takagi, Emi Sakura, Ribbon Takanashi, Dynasty, Tsutomu Oosugi, Mr. PUSSY, Atsushi Kotoge, Shadow WX, Ryuji Yamakawa, Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka, Takashi Sasaki, Ryuji Ito, Tatsuhiko Yoshino, Kengo Mashimo, Danshoku Dino, Kaji Tomato, Mame Endo, Karate Brahman, Mio Shirai, Kaori Yoneyama, Yuji Okabayashi & Carlos when Kobayashi pinned Shiryu with the Diving Bakachinga Elbow (8:17).

It wouldn’t be a New Year’s Eve puroresu indie show without a giant clusterfuck in the main event. The Ken Ohka Vs Ryuichi Sekine team challenge turned out to be a massive 74 person tag team match to close out the show. Ohka’s team won out in the end.

The Danshoku Dino Produce was weird. The match itself was a Royal Rumble match. But before it begun, a Samurai TV! assistant director (who oddly enough looked a lot like Tsurumi Amon) invited DDT President Sanshiro Takagi, K-DOJO founder TAKA Michinoku and Big Japan executive Eiji Tosaka down to the ring. The director challenged them not to laugh during the match. If anyone of them did laugh, either Michael Nakazawa or Tomomitsu Matsunaga would run down to the ring and spank them with a paddle. The director then called in DDT’s Kazuki Hirata and BJW’s Kazuki Hashimoto to try and make them laugh. Hashimoto was only able to make Hirata laugh, which caused him to get spanked with a paddle. That made Hashimoto laugh, which caused him to get spanked. The director said a joke and made TAKA laugh, so he got paddled too. Highlights (for a lack of a better word) from the match include Yuji Okabayashi refereeing the match while wearing a referee shirt with a midriff, Karate Brahman performing a song, Mio Shirai introducing herself as a lesbian, Atsushi Ohashi entering the match tied up in bondage rope, Kaji Tomato dancing with more and more wrestlers as they entered the match, (including CZW’s Sabian), Kaji Pot-au-feu (Ivan Markov) eliminating himself with a Tornado DDT, Okabayashi being unable to count above the number 6 and Takagi, TAKA and Tosaka getting constantly paddled for laughing at the nonsense directed at them.

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Ibushi Defends IWGP Jr. Title, Nakazawa In Kensuke Office, Kenny Fights Little Girl

August 1, 2011

NJPW “G1 CLIMAX XXI ~THE INVINCIBLE FIGHTER~”, 01/08/2011
Fukuoka International Center
4,500 Fans

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Kota Ibushi (c) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi with the Phoenix Splash (16:10).
*V2 for Ibushi.

Kota Ibushi remains the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion after defeating Ryusuke Taguchi in the opening show of the famous G1 CLIMAX tour. With both Taguchi and Prince Devitt failing to win back the title for New Japan, Ibushi currently has no challengers for the belt. Now Ibushi will team up with Kenny Omega to battle Apollo 55 once more, this time with the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles at stake. That match will take place on 14th August at the final show of the G1 tour.

Kensuke Office, 31/07/2011
Kensuke Office Exercise Hall
171 Fans

Summer Volcano Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kenichiro Arai & Namazu Man defeated Katsuhiko Nakajima & Michael Nakazawa when Nakazawa was disqualified (19:30).

Michael Nakazawa took part in the Summer Volcano Tag Tournament for Kensuke Office yesterday, teaming with Katsuhiko Nakajima. Unfortunately for them, the team were eliminated in the first round by Namazu Man and Dragon Gate’s Kenichiro Arai. Nakazawa was DQ’ed in the match for taking off his tights while he was hulking up on Arai.

Stardom “STARDOM X STARDOM 2011 ~ NANAE TAKAHASHI 15TH ANNIVERSARY”, 24/07/2011
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,310 Fans

Kids Fight ~Haruka’s Pro-Wrestling Story Summer Vacation Chapter~: Haruka Vs Kenny Omega ended in a Time Limit Draw (3:00).

On the same day DDT held the “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2011” show, Kenny Omega made an earlier appearance for the new Stardom joshi promotion at Korakuen Hall. Omega was there to take on Stardom’s youngest wrestler, a nine year old girl named Haruka. Kenny tried to be a good sport before the match by offering a handshake, but Haruka kicked his hand away. The two fought to a 3 minute draw with the bell ringing right when Omega was about to use his Croyt’s Wrath finishing move. Afterwards Omega offered another handshake to the little girl but got a slap across the face instead. Haruka won over the crowd and Omega once again learned that Japanese children are violent little brats.

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