DDT Around The World – May 2026

June 1, 2026

It happened. It’s now done. AEW finally made it to Konosuke Takeshita’s match with Kazuchika Okada and got Takeshita out of The Don Callis Family. At last we can move on with our lives and wait to see if Takeshita’s babyface turn will turn out to be more than just a lateral move. His wife Yuka Sakazaki got some more screentime on ROH this month including a PPV main event. MAO & Yoshihiko brought Kazuma Sumi along on their latest adventure in France, giving Sumi some invaluable overseas experience away from DDT. Chris Brookes gave Munetatsu Nakamura a similar opportunity with a wild weekend over in Manila. Will the summer provide even more wrestling to follow around the globe or can we all take a break for the World Cup? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s being ruined by American corporate greed and so on but Blue Lock seems to be timing their latest story arc to climax by the time the final takes place so that gives me something to look forward to after Ireland failed to qualify. Also getting to watch South Korea Vs Czech Republic at 3am is the kind of football sicko behavior that’s been missing in my life for a while.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/05/2026
Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville, North Carolina, USA

1. AEW World Title: Darby Allin (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita


ROH “SUPERCARD SHOWDOWN”, 14/05/2026
SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

1. Athena, Billie Starkz & Marina Shafir Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Maya World, Lacey Lane


AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 24/05/2026
Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW International Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita


Kyle Fletcher BETRAYS Konosuke Takeshita! | AEW Double or Nothing 2026


AEW “COLLISION”, 30/05/2026
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Daniel Garcia

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Results


ROH “SUPERCARD SHOWDOWN”, 09/05/2026 (Aired 14/05/2026)
SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

1. Athena, Billie Starkz & Marina Shafir defeated Yuka Sakazaki, Maya World, Lacey Lane when Athena pinned Lane after the Swanton Bomb from Starkz

So Ring Of Honor taped a few matches at the same indoor golf course AEW was at last month and they didn’t let Yuka Sakazaki loose around the place? That was a missed opportunity. Instead her warmup match for Survival Of The Fittest also involved some of the other participants Athena, Billie Starkz and Maya World. However a lot of Sakazaki’s time in this match was spent wrestling with Marina Shafir and also building up the hot tag to Lacey Lane. She also hit a big dive out of the ring onto Shafir and World but that left Lane fighting on her own. Starkz gave Lane the Swanton Bomb but not before Athena blind tagged herself in so she could get the pinfall and take the glory for herself.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/05/2026
Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville, North Carolina, USA

1. AEW World Title: Darby Allin (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Coffin Drop (15:29).
*V5 for Darby Allin.

Even though Takeshita’s match with Okada was already on the schedule, he was given a big detour a few weeks before the show by getting an AEW World Title shot. It was the latest defence in Darby Allin’s eventful title run where he crammed in many title defences into one month. Takeshita couldn’t get the job done fast enough so El Clon ran down to distract the ref while Don Callis handed Takeshita the Dynamite Diamond Ring to use as a weapon. Takeshita refused to use it and threw it away. Too bad moral victories don’t win you championships because Allin made his comeback after that which included a Coffin Drop to the outside and also the Scorpion Death Drop on top of the steel steps. He hit another Coffin Drop outside the ring but Takeshita wouldn’t be beaten that way. He tried to make a comeback of his own but Allin cut it off with the Scorpion Death Lock, keeping Takeshita down long enough to land one more Coffin Drop for the win.


ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 15/05/2026
Wicomico Youth And Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland, USA

1. ROH Women’s World Title – Survival Of The Fittest Match: Athena (c) defeated Maya World, Trish Adora, Zada Steel, Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz (26:12).
1a. Athena eliminated Zayda Steel with a Rope-Assisted School Boy (5:01).
1b. Yuka Sakazaki eliminated Trish Adora with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (15:39).
1c. Billie Starkz eliminated Yuka Sakazaki with the Avalanche Star 10 (17:27).
1d. Maya World eliminated Billie Starkz with a Jackknife Pin (21:47).
1e. Athena eliminated Maya World with the O-Face from the Ladder (26:12).
*V36 for Athena.

This turned out to be a mess of a match. It turned into a Hardcore Match midway through because of the whole “No DQs In In X Way Match” booking cliche so Sakazaki got to do an American style plunder match for once. She also scored an elimination by pinning Trish Adora with the Magical Merry-Go-Round. Her time in the match came to an end a few minutes later when some high risk fighting ended with Sakazaki taking Starkz’s finisher from the top rope.


BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 23/05/2026
Sari Sari Makati, Makati, Philippines
??? Fans

1. Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes defeated Hotdog De San Jose & Super P when Sabre submitted San Jose with a Manjigatame (?:??).
2. Main Ronn, Joya & Robienne Sane defeated Demonyitang Daniella Cavite, Crystal & Max Liwanag when Joya pinned Cavite with the Cutter (?:??).
3. Emman & “Mad Kat” Karina defeated Trainee Kenzo & Trainee Kiko when Emman pinned Kiko with the Styles Clash (?:??).
4. Jonathan Johnson defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with a Bridging Pin (?:??).
5. Jake De Leon & Shivam defeated Black Kat & Lifeguard Jack when De Leon pinned Black Kat with the Jumping Super Kick (?:??).

A report of the show can be found here.


GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026
Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France

1. BZW Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Tag Match: MBM & Ultima Sombra defeated MAO & Yoshihiko (c) and Jimmy Lloyd & Jeffrey John when MBM pinned Yoshihiko with the Reincarnation Reversal (15:27).
*MAO & Yoshihiko fail in V8. Rivality become the 7th BZW Tag Team Champions!
2. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Kazuma Sumi (c) defeated Gringo Loco and Leedz Lewis when Sumi pinned Lewis with the Reverse 450 Splash (14:22).
*V2 for Kazuma Sumi.

Kazuma Sumi’s goal of defending the DDT Universal Title overseas finally came to pass this month. MAO got him booked for the BZW collab show with GCW in France. His match wasn’t an easy task at all because he had to fight the former Universal Champion Gringo Loco as well as French wrestler Leedz Lewis in a 3 Way bout where he could lose the title without being pinned. Sumi made the most of his moment and pinned Lewis with the Reverse 450 Splash to keep the belt and impress the fans in attendance. He said afterward that he now has a great sense of accomplishment because he can go do his style of wrestling anywhere in the world. He is eager to compete overseas again and spread his name around the planet.

The same success wasn’t there for MAO & Yoshihiko. Their year and a half long reign as BZW Tag Team Champions finally came to an end in a 3 Way Tag against a BZW team and a GCW team. Everybody brawled out of the venue and Yoshihiko did a dive off of a truck to put Jimmy Lloyd through a table. Rivality brought the belts back to their home promotion in the end when MBM found a counter to Yoshihiko’s finishing move, reversing the pin into one of his own for the three count. MAO feels happy that he got to wreak havoc in four different countries while holding the belts with Yoshihiko. His next goal in BZW is to win a singles championship so then some day DDT can hold a show in Europe!


DXCN “DAKILA II”, 24/05/2026
Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines

1. 4 Way Match: Robin Sane defeated Jonathan Johnson, Shaheen and Munetatsu Nakamura (?:??).
2. Dexcon World Title: Jake De Leon (c) defeated Chris Brookes (?:??).
*V5 for Jake De Leon.

Another packed weekend in the Philippines is in the books for Brookes. He wasn’t able to come back to Japan with another championship because Jake De Leon was able to defend his Dexcon World Title against him. Munetatsu Nakamura was also part of the Dexcon weekend, taking part in a high flying 4 Way Match where Robin Sane picked up the win over Shaheen.


AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 24/05/2026
Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kazuchika Okada (c) with the Raging Fire (19:01).
*Kazuchika Okada fails in V10. Konosuke Takeshita becomes the 13th AEW International Champion!

Being at the show live I can tell you the building was very excited to see Okada Vs Takeshita happen with the match graphic on the pre-show getting one of the largest pops out of the lineup. The match was fantastic even with the Don Callis drama at ringside happening midway through. Callis tried to play neutral by telling Okada not to risk injuring Takeshita. While Okada reluctantly followed that instruction, Takeshita did not do the same when Callis gave him the same order. It still took a lot for Takeshita to finally beat Okada, countering the Rainmaker with his own Lariat and then hitting a big Elbow Strike when the Wagamama only got a one count. But when he finally used the Raging Fire there was no fight left in Okada to kick out and Takeshita became the new AEW International Champion! The sweet taste of victory was quickly spoiled when The Don Callis Family all looked to turn on Takeshita after the match. Kyle Fletcher made his big return from injury to hug Takeshita only to turn on him with a backstabbing attack, confirming that our guy is now kicked out of the Family.


AEW “COLLISION”, 30/05/2026
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Daniel Garcia with the Raging Fire (14:27).
*V1 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Takeshita had to get over the heartbreak of ProtoShita being split up by having his first International Title defence against Daniel Garcia. A wrestler like Garcia has some tricks up his sleeve, like countering Takeshita’s top rope Clothesline into an Arm Drag to the canvas where he then applied the Sharpshooter. Takeshita blocked a rolling cradle that would have set up another submission hold, turning it over to a German Suplex. The big Elbow Strike after that set up the Raging Fire and Takeshita got his first defence in the bag, all while Jon Moxley was watching on from the commentary table. Members of The Don Callis Family ran into the ring to attack Takeshita after the match while outside the ring the Death Riders and Shane Taylor Promotions all suddenly appeared to brawl with each other. If that wasn’t chaotic enough, The Conglomeration entered the fight and cleared the room so it was only them and Takeshita left in the ring. So we end the month with Takeshita finding a new bunch of friends (or an old friend in Mike Bailey’s case).

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Upcoming Appearances


EVE “EVE 150: HISTORY MAKERS RULE BREAKERS!”, 05/06/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England

1. EVE International Title: Kris Statlander (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Right, let’s get things out of the way before the World Cup starts. Miyu Yamashita returns to EVE very soon hoping to win gold there again, this time fighting Kris Statlander from AEW for the EVE International Title. As much as I would love to see a result here that follows up from Yamashita’s match with Jamie Hayter last time around, I’m not sure if that’s something EVE is planning for.


WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026
Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Ahura & Jun Akiyama Vs 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire

Germany welcomes Jun Akiyama for the weekend where he will meet Ahura to team up against Cowboy Way.


CMLL “FANTASTICA MANIA 2026”, 19/06/2026
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

It is CMLL’s turn to host “FANTASTICA MANIA” and Konosuke Takeshita will be there on behalf of New Japan.


SETUP “HELLRAISER”, 27/06/2026
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hardcore Unsanctioned Anything Goes Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Jonathan Johnson

The travelling is not ending yet for Daisuke Sasaki. A few weeks after he is done with Best Of The Super Jr. he will be going over to Thailand for a SETUP show. Jonathan Johnson threw out a challenge recently to prove he is one of the best wrestlers in his corner of the world. Sasaki answered his challenge and wants it to be unsanctioned so anything goes!


DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2026” Results

May 26, 2026

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2026”, 26/05/2026
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Hideki Okatani & Ilusion defeated Yuya Koroku & Hinata Kasai when Ilusion pinned Kasai with the Swanton Bomb (9:37).
2. 5,000 Yen Allowance Limit Weapons Allowed Death Match: Kazuma Sumi & Yuki Ishida (w/ Ryota Nakatsu) defeated MAO & Kazuki Hirata when Sumi pinned Hirata with the School Boy (13:54).
3. Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato defeated Antonio Honda & Junta Miyawaki when Masada pinned Honda with a Modified Oosui Suplex (10:45).
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Rukiya with the Somato (11:39).
5. Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Akito defeated KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) when To-y pinned Maligno with the Running T・O・Y (11:58).
6. Special Rules Drunk Match: Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Yuki Ueno & Chris Brookes when Yoshihiko pinned Brookes after the Combined Gaydo Clutch (34:00).

Having a Beer Garden show means everybody goes there to get drunk, right? Not always. Yuki Ueno & Chris Brookes made a request for today’s main event to be a Drunk Rules match. However Danshoku Dieno is currently avoiding alcohol for his health and refused to be irresponsible about it. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed it would be a bad move for DDT to force one of their wrestlers to drink when they do not want to and came up with a compromise. A Drunk Match would go ahead for Ueno and Brookes but Dieno would be allowed to drink cola instead when prompted to. Yuki Ishida was also permitted to drink on Yoshihiko’s behalf. The wrestlers would have to drink after every kickout, rope break or if music suddenly played during the match. Dieno brought Yoshihiko up to the top of a ladder while everybody held it steady for their safety (a hot topic in puroresu this week due to the same actions happening at the Best Of The Super Jr.) until Brookes decided to topple Yoshihiko over. A brawl around the arena also resulted in Yoshihiko diving off of the top of the lighting rig. Dieno drinking cola instead of alcohol brought up an unintended consequence of needing to use the bathroom so he had to abandon his tag partner for a while. When he returned armed with toilet paper, Dieno had to fight off Ueno & Brookes on his own until Yoshihiko reappeared wrapped in empty beer cans and diving into the ring. Brookes tried to force Dieno to drink alcohol but Dieno used the Lip Lock to pass the drink over to Ueno. He then made Ueno and Brookes Lip Lock each other then attacked Brookes to make him spit out the beer. Dieno & Yoshihiko then applied a Double Gaydo Clutch on Brookes to win the match after over half an hour of mayhem. After the match Dieno showed regret and admitted he may start to hate DDT’s beer garden shows. However Ueno told everybody they can still enjoy the show without the need for beer, just make sure you don’t drink as much cola as you would alcohol. Dieno wasn’t convinced by Ueno’s drunk ramblings.

After HARASHIMA won his match, he announced to everyone that he and his wife recently welcomed their second child into the world.

For the 5,000 yen weapons match Kazuma Sumi & Yuki Ishida pooled together their money to hire Ryota Nakatsu as their weapon.


Video – DDT Episode Of “The Wrestlers”

May 8, 2026


The Silliest Wrestling In The World | The Wrestlers – Ep.6


DDT Around The World – Late April 2026

May 1, 2026

I haven’t gotten around to looking into what happened on Tokyo Joshi Pro’s two European shows outside of the basic results. All I know is Miyu Yamashita has more plans coming up to wrestle across the world this year. While she doesn’t have to wait long until she packs her suitcase again, Daisuke Sasaki is emptying his after finishing up his month long journey across North America. He found a few more places in America to wrestle in before he made the trip back home.

It’s a little hard to tell if the summer is going to get busier for overseas bookings. Is there much of an appetite for international wrestling when the World Cup is going to be on? CMLL is counting on it and Konosuke Takeshita has at least one date with them in June. I’m going to curse out the company if they use their AI poster art to make him look like a Captain Tsubasa drawing.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


LUCHA WRESTLING PURORESU “LUCHA LIBRE MEXICANA”, 19/04/2026
Xander Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Drago, Genio del Aire & Torito Negro Vs Doble Cara, Daisuke Sasaki & Ultimo Maldito

Video starts at 1:48:50
LABOR OF LOVE “THE EXHIBITION”, 25/04/2026
Icebox Project Space, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Anything Goes: Big Callux Vs Daisuke Sasaki

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Results


LUCHA WRESTLING PURORESU “LUCHA LIBRE MEXICANA”, 19/04/2026
Xander Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Drago, Genio del Aire & Torito Negro defeated Doble Cara, Daisuke Sasaki & Ultimo Maldito when Drago pinned Sasaki with the Tail Of The Dragon (?:??).

Sasaki is one of the more likely DDT wrestlers to go in search of lucha libre when he travels over to the Americas. He didn’t go visit Mexico this time around but he got down there close enough by getting a lucha booking in LA. While there he got to lock horns with Drago as part of a trios match. Sasaki and his rudo partners beat down the other team and held Torito Negro in the Kaientai pose. Genio del Aire tried to make a big counter attack by doing a jumping Hurricanrana to Ultimo Maldito from the human tower only to crash on top of his own head and neck in a disasterous looking botch. Drago inspired the tecnico team’s comeback and both of his partners Moonsaulted out of the ring onto Doble Cara & Maldito. That left Sasaki to duke it out with Drago but he was whipped around into the Tail Of The Dragon llave pin, losing the match to the veteran luchador.


EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 25/04/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England
??? Fans

1. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima defeated Hollie Barlow (?:??).
2. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Miyu Yamashita defeated Aliss Ink (?:??).
3. Rhio defeated Hyper Misao (?:??).
4. Session Moth Martina & Aliss Ink defeated Lucy Sky & Yuki Aino when Martina pinned Sky (?:??).
5. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Final: Miyu Yamashita defeated Shoko Nakajima (?:??).

The complete results will eventually be found here once I get around to watching the show.


LABOR OF LOVE “THE EXHIBITION”, 25/04/2026
Icebox Project Space, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Anything Goes: Big Callux defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Black Hole Slam (?:??).

The final stopping point for Sasaki was at The City Of Brotherly Love. Too bad Sasaki hates love because all it ever did was hurt him. The Philly indie scene isn’t what it used to be and hasn’t been for a very long time. But Labor Of Love has popped up to try and find its place in a world that has long since moved on from the days when the corner of Swanson and Ritner St was considered the centrepoint of the American indies. Sasaki went to Philadelphia for a fight with Big Callux where before the match the stipulation was revealed to be Anything Goes. Callux brought along a bag of gifts for Sasaki that included a Gritty toy. Sasaki ripped it in half and threw the remains into the crowd! Callux then gave Sasaki a bouquet of roses but Sasaki just attacked him with them. More fighting broke out with a chair, a chain and also a hockey stick being used as weapons. Sasaki got into the hockey vibes by putting on a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey to piss off the Philly fans even more. He tried to put Callux in the Crossface Lock with the chain to assist him but Callux powered out of it. Sasaki then got the upper hand by unmasking Callux as a distraction to hit him over the head with the chair and then Pedigree him onto it. Callux kicked out though and threw Sasaki from the top rope onto the chair laid out in the middle of the ring. He then hit the Black Hole Slam to win the match, much like how the Philadelphia Flyers went on to win the series against the Penguins in the NHL playoffs a couple of days later.


SAJ/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026
Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy

1. Mirko Mori, Nico Inverardi & Adriano Vs Goro, Merak & Spencer
2. Yuki Aino Vs Irene
3. Shoko Nakajima Vs Kanji
4. Sebastian De Witt Vs Miyu Yamashita
5. SAJ & ASCA Tag Team Titles: Mike Bird & Crimi (c) Vs Rhio & Cory Zero
6. SAJ Openweight Title: Lupo (c) Vs Kouga

Similar to the other TJPW show, I have to go seek out video of this show and when I do, you will find the proper report here.

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Upcoming Appearances


ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 15/05/2026
Wicomico Youth And Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland, USA

1. ROH Women’s World Title – Survival Of The Fittest Match: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Trish Adora Vs Billie Starkz Vs Persephone Vs Maya World

All of the competitors have been confirmed and it’s official. Yuka Sakazaki is among the six wrestlers entering Ring Of Honor’s annual Survival Of The Fittest elimination match. Athena’s reign as ROH Women’s World Champion has reached preposterous levels of record breaking in terms of length. Seriously is this the longest running championship reign with so few highlights to exist in modern times?


BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 23/05/2026
Sari Sari Makati, Makati, Philippines

1. Hotdog De San Jose & Super P Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes

The first match announced for the show has Chris Brookes teaming up with Zack Sabre Jr. again, bringing SchadenTekkers over to the Philippines. Super P has found a sort of familiar looking super friend in Hotdog De San Jose which means together they are Team SuperHotdog!


GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026
Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France

1. BZW Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs MBM & Ultima Sombra Vs Jimmy Lloyd & Jeffrey John

It’s the biggest risk of danger yet for MAO & Yoshihiko in their travels around Europe. They are stuck in the middle of the BZW Vs GCW battle coming up in France and both sides want to take the BZW Tag Team Titles away from them. In the 3 Way Match BZW are sending in Rivality. They are familiar faces to the champions because MBM & Ultima Sombra did a tour in Japan with DDT last year. GCW will be represented by Jimmy Lloyd & Jeffrey John. Gotta be honest they’re not really sending their best into the fight here. Like they have Nick Gage & Vipress teaming up in one of the other matches. That team sounds like a threat!


DXCN “DAKILA II”, 24/05/2026
Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines

1. 4 Way Match: Jonathan Johnson Vs Robin Sane Vs Shaheen Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Chris Brookes Vs X

It’s likely that Munetatsu Nakamura will be part of the Baka Gaijin in Manila show as well but for now he’s just been announced for the Dexcon show happening the next day. Even if this turns out to be his only match of the weekend it is still his first overseas expedition which is exciting enough by itself.


AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 24/05/2026
Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW International Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Here we go, here we go, here we go! Shenanigans spoiled the previous singles match Takeshita had with Kazuchika Okada and let’s face it, shenanigans will likely happen again. But stakes are still high and the feud is finally heading towards its breaking point. Surely this has to be the blowoff with one of them getting kicked out of The Don Callis Family at the end, right?


EVE “EVE 150: HISTORY MAKERS RULE BREAKERS!”, 05/06/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England

1. EVE International Title: Kris Statlander (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The tournament that Yamashita won at the EVE x TJPW show made her the No. 1 Contender for the EVE International Title. She held their main championship during her big push there back in 2023. Is history going to repeat itself when she fights Kris Statlander from AEW for EVE’s other singles title?


WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026
Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Ahura & Jun Akiyama Vs 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire

Is Ahura still going to be in wXw by the time this match happens? He was at the WWE European tryout this past week.


CMLL “FANTASTICA MANIA 2026”, 19/06/2026
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita heads back to Mexico this summer when CMLL holds their version of the “FANTASTICA MANIA” series with New Japan.


DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~” Results

April 15, 2026

DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dramatic Dark Match: Yoshihiko defeated Ilusion with the Reincarnation (15:03).
1. Jun Akiyama & Rukiya defeated Akito & Masami Inahata when Rukiya pinned Inahata with a Running Elbow Butt (7:32).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Kazuma Sumi & Yuni defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata and Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori when Sumi submitted Hirata with a Cross Armbreaker (7:36).
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON, Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Yuya Aoki defeated Shunma Katsumata, Junta Miyawaki, To-y & Yuki Ishida when KANON pinned Ishida with the GURU-GURU Driver (11:26).
4. Special Single Match: YOH defeated Antonio Honda with an Anaconda Vice (13:45).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai when Masada pinned Kasai with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:54).
*V2 for paleyouth.
6. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Table Crash Match: Hideki Okatani (c) defeated Yukio Naya by Table Crash (14:40).
*V1 for Hideki Okatani.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Yuki Iino by Referee Stoppage with a Body-Scissors Sleeper Hold (21:44).
*V7 for Yuki Ueno.

Right from the start Yuki Iino tried to take down Yuki Ueno with overwhelming power in his latest challenge for the KO-D Openweight Title. Even when Ueno tried to counter attack with high risk dives out of the ring and also from the top of the entrance to one of the seating sections. Iino caught him after that one and slammed him onto the floor before doing The Apex Elbow. Back in the ring Iino used his power to slam his way out of the Blackout Sleeper and then brought back the Bubba Bomb to set up a low angle Spear for a nearfall. There were more Spears dealt by Iino but Ueno wouldn’t stay down for long. Instead once he found the chance to grab Iino in a Sleeper Hold, Ueno fought to keep a hold of it unil Iino lost consciousness to end the match via TKO.

After the match Ueno told Iino he wants them to keep wrestling each other for the KO-D Title over and over whether it happens five years down the line, ten years down the line or even 100 years down the line! Ueno then brought up another Yuki that is in DDT. He turned to Yuki Ishida at ringside and talked about how lost he must be feeling now that Kazusada Higuchi has retired and Harimao disbanded. Ueno encouraged Ishida to give it his absolute all no matter what path he takes, because it will be the right path for him. Once he does, Ueno will look forward to the day Ishida asks him for a title shot. Backstage, Ueno also gave encouraging words about Iino. Iino recently described himself at being at his peak and it will be all downhill for him from here. Ueno disagrees because DDT has HARASHIMA, Jun Akiyama, Sanshiro Takagi and even Gorgeous Matsuno all still going to the best of their abilities that go beyond physical strength, speed and stamina. As for his next title defence, Ueno assumes it will be against the winner of the King Of DDT tournament which is why he is not entering it this year.

Hideki Okatani got what he wanted and then some when he decided to fight Yukio Naya in a Hardcore Table Crash Match. The rules allowed either a pinfall, submission or table break to decide the winner while everything else goes (barring weapons the referee would deem too dangerous). The two attacked each other with chairs and even a keyboard while the other members of Strange Love Connection built a castle of chairs outside the ring. Naya knocked it down by giving Okatani a Giant Swing into it. DAMNATION T.A interfered to stop Naya from winning, allowing Okatani to put his opponent through a table outside the ring with a Sunset Flip Power Bomb to defend the DDT Extreme Title. After the match Okatani told Naya he is truly a monster and the one who is destined to succeed after Higuchi. It is for that very reason that Okatani swears he will do whatever he can to tear Naya down! Naya accepted he lost the match but said he doesn’t have any injuries coming out of it so he will get revenge by beating Okatani in a standard match with regular rules.

We’re going to have to wait a while longer for Hinata Kasai to win his first match. He wasn’t able to do it here when FANTÔMES DRAMATIC challenged paleyouth for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. With Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA doing what they could to neutralize Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato, it came down to Kasai trying to find some way to finish off Takeshi Masada. He put him in an STF but it didn’t work, he punched him with a closed fist to set up a Backslide Pin but that didn’t work either. Masada then quickly used the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to pin Kasai and ensure paleyouth remain the champions. They were then challenged to a title match by MAO, KANON & Viento Maligno from SLC. That will happen on 2nd May.

When Antonio Honda and YOH worked together at the Super Sasadango Machine Vs Yasu Urano show last year, they ended up discovering they are kindred spirits. Today they met again in the ring, this time as opponents in a wrestling match. YOH cut off Honda from telling a Gongitsune joke until he also hurt his knee and decided to tell one of his own. Honda joined in so they could tell the joke together before getting back to fighting each other. Honda went into the books of Antonio Inoki and Hiroyoshi Tenzan by using their moves to try and win. But YOH fought back and made Honda give up to the Anaconda Vice. YOH told Honda that today he has finally gotten over his fear of foxes so they can do Gongitsune together again, maybe this time in New Japan? Honda loves the idea but is that ever going to happen?

Yuya Aoki made his first appearance for DDT in a long time, mixing it up with a lot of the roster in an 8-Man Tag Match. He started off squaring up with Junta Miyawaki but also got to fight Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Ishida throughout the match. Ishida tried to fight fire with fire against KANON but ended up getting burned. KANON out-Lariated him and scored the pinfall with the GURU-GURU Driver.

The appearance of Kumadori in Match #2 inspired Danshoku Dieno to come up with a special rule. Everyone agreed that Kumadori must spend the entire match inside the ring and he is forbidden from stepping outside! It was already a 3 Way Tag Match so the chaotic layout made it a little easier for him to follow the rule. He also astonished Dieno, Kazuki Hirata and Kazuma Sumi when they all grabbed him by the groin and discovered something was unusual about the size. Dieno fell into a depression until Hirata encouraged him to go into the Hell Gate position. Naomi Yoshimura and Yuni were thrown face first into it but Kumadori blocked it… with his groin. With that taken care off, Sumi put Hirata in a Cross Armbreaker to win by submission. He then told everyone that size doesn’t matter.

Rukiya got to score the pinfall in the opening match by beating the newcomer Masami Inahata. With Jun Akiyama and Akito not being able to get the advantage, Rukiya ended up hitting Inahata with a Running Elbow Butt twice. The first time was a nearfall but Inahata couldn’t kick out of the second. The two still confronted each other after the match.

The dark match was originally planned to be Sanshiro Takagi against Ilusion but Takagi is out of action with facial injuries. Ilusion had to go into the show not knowing who his new opponent would be so he demanded the match should have no time limit applied. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed to it and revealed Ilusion had to fight Yoshihiko! It was a dark match for the ages with dives and cheating galore from both wrestlers. Ilusion got to hit Yoshihiko with a chair while the ref was down and then frame Yoshihiko for using the weapon. He even gave Yoshihiko a Low Blow but couldn’t put it away with the Swanton Bomb. Yoshihiko got revenge by giving a Low Blow back to Ilusion and then scored the win by using the Reincarnation.


DDT Around The World – Early April 2026

April 13, 2026

Only a few days left until WrestleMania Week and there’s a lot to talk about before we even get there. Konosuke Takeshita’s feud with Kazuchika Okada is making some progress but still moving at a glacial pace. Don Callis dangled a carrot in front of Okada promising him a rematch with Okada, this time with the AEW International Title on the line. But it can only happen as long as they team up to beat The Young Bucks. The way Callis sees it, Takeshita and Okada together can be compared to the relationship Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had together in the Chicago Bulls.

Last month it was Texas, this month it was Vancouver. Tokyo Joshi Pro is continuing to lay their flag in places across North America with their second tour of the year in that region finishing up in Las Vegas this week. Fingers crossed that their travels to and from everywhere go off without a hitch this time.

Our favorite troublemaker Daisuke Sasaki has been making towns during his stay in North America. Some GCW dates here, a few ROH matches there and he even found some work up in Canada. He’ll be in Vegas too for some matches and debauchery. Apparently Mizuki Watase is currently in Vegas right now too but I can’t for the life of me find any information regarding whether or not he will be wrestling there during his stay.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


Video starts at 27:20.
ROH “ROH TV SPECIAL”, 10/04/2026
Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

1. Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun (w/ Ricochet) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Paul Virk


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/04/2026
Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

1. Darby Allin, Bandido & Jack Perry Vs Andrade El Ídolo, Mark Davis & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)


AEW “DYNASTY”, 12/04/2026
Rogers Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

1. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson Vs Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita

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Results


GCW “LAST CALL”, 03/04/2026
FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Daisuke Sasaki defeated Marcus Mathers with La Mistica Crossface Lock (14:58).

Sasaki made it to Las Vegas a little bit early for a GCW show happening separately away from The Collective. I wouldn’t be surprised if GCW originally booked the venue on this date back when WrestleMania was still scheduled for New Orleans. Sasaki heeled it up for his match against Marcus Mathers, targeting his opponent’s knee and attacking it with a chair. The match came close to being called off at points for the sake of Mathers’s health but he toughened it out and fought back. Sasaki didn’t waver from his gameplan though until a ref bump gave him the opportunity to give Mathers a Low Blow. He got away with it and made Mathers submit afterward.


GCW “MANIAC”, 04/04/2026
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. GCW World Title: Atticus Cogar (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Brain Hemorrhage (8:04).
*V14 for Atticus Cogar.

The next evening in Los Angeles, Sasaki challenged Atticus Cogar for the GCW World Title. The champion was already looking past Sasaki by walking out to the match wearing an entrance outfit that resembled Hayabusa, his scheduled title challenger for WrestleMania Week. Sasaki didn’t care and attacked Cogar with a chair from the get go. He also used the chair to block Cogar from doing a dive out of the ring. He then took a high risk by doing the Super Elbow Drop onto Cogar from the top rope to the first row, hurting his leg upon landing. Cogar fought back by digging his skewers into Sasaki’s head from the Electric Chair position and also using them to stab his way out of the Crossface Lock. He dug them in one more time before pinning Sasaki with the Brain Hemorrhage finisher.


ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 06/04/2026
WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. AR Fox defeated Daisuke Sasaki (?:??).
2. Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van (?:??).
3. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Matt Menard (?:??).

During the latest ROH tapings there were qualifying matches for their annual Survival Of The Fittest match that will be held at the next PPV. Yuka Sakazaki booked her spot in the match after beating Viva Van.

I don’t have much details about what Takeshita and Sasaki did at the ROH taping other than the results of their matches. Takeshita beat Matt Menard while Sasaki lost to AR Fox. If there is any context to add to those matches we’ll find out when they eventually air on ROH’s weekly show.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/04/2026
Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

1. Andrade El Ídolo, Mark Davis & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Darby Allin, Bandido & Jack Perry when Andrade pinned Perry with the DM (11:38).

With tension between Takeshita and Okada reaching higher than ever, Don Callis wanted to prove both men can be on the same page no matter how much they disliked each other. The reputation of The Don Callis Family itself was being harmed by this situation so Callis relied on Andrade El Ídolo of all people to be the glue that would keep the group sticking together. When he wasn’t busy flirting with women in the front row, Andrade lived up to his end of the bargain while Mark Davis helped Takeshita throw around the opposition. Bandido was there as a last minute replacement for Brody King but the change did not stop the Family from getting the win. Andrade attacked Darby Allin after the match while Jack Perry was put in a vulnerable position as well. The Young Bucks ran down to save the day until Okada followed them down to stop them. However he then got into a fight with Okada and they had to be pulled apart only for more chaos to break out with Bandido and The Rascalz doing dives onto everybody.


MYSTERY WRESTLING “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026
Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada

1. 4 Way Match: Nicole Matthews defeated Alexia Nicole, Amira and HIMAWARI when Matthews pinned HIMAWARI after a Stunner from Nicole (?:??).
2. All The Marbles – Mystery Wrestling World Title: London Lightning (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with The Smallest Package Ever (?:??).
*V2 for London Lightning.

Another title shot came Sasaki’s way when he travelled over to Canada. He was the surprise challenger for London Lightning over at Mystery Wrestling, although 95% of the lineup is usually a surprise because that’s the promotion’s whole gimmick. Especially on this particular show because there were wrestlers from DDT, TJPW, New Japan, Dragon Gate and NOAH all appearing up and down the card. For even more silliness, Mystery Wrestling’s championship is not just represented by a title belt but also a bag of marbles. Which means every time there is a title bout, the match is also “For All The Marbles!” For some reason the referee for the title match was very lenient towards Low Blows because Sasaki kept attacking Lightning’s groin without getting punished for it. Lightning gave him a taste of his own medicine before giving him the Smallest Package Ever to win the match and remain champion.

The TJPW appearance on this show happened because they had booked the venue with Mystery Wrestling for a doubleheader. Evil Uno’s promotion took the afternoon slot and then TJPW kicked off their Vancouver tour in the evening. That led to a crossover where HIMAWARI took part in the opening 4 Way Match. The three other wrestlers Nicole Matthews, Alexia Nicole and Amira were also booked for the TJPW show anyway so the ladies all had a busy day of wrestling. Unfortunately HIMAWARI took the pinfall when she took a Stunner from Alexia Nicole. Matthews then knocked Nicole out of the ring so she could steal the victory for herself.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026
Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
400 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Shino Suzuki with the Famouser (8:14).
2. Amira defeated Uta Takami with the Squirrel’s Strongest Slam (6:52).
3. Sakura Hattori & Toga defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Hattori pinned Harajuku with the Kitchokagome (9:44).
4. Suzume defeated Alexia Nicole with the Ring A Bell (7:11).
5. Nicole Matthews & Liiza Hall defeated Miyu Yamashita & HIMAWARI when Matthews pinned HIMAWARI with the Roll The Dice (12:51).
6. J-Rod & Miu Watanabe defeated Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara when J-Rod pinned Uehara with the Ultimate Spear (13:05).

A report of the show can be found here.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 2”, 12/04/2026
Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada

1. HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Nicole Matthews
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Cherry Blossom
4. Liiza Hall & Uta Takami Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Kristara
6. Yuki Arai & Suzume Vs J-Rod & Sakura Hattori

A report of the show can be found here.


AEW “DYNASTY”, 12/04/2026
Rogers Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

1. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson defeated Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita when Matt pinned Okada after the Meltzer Driver (20:10).

Things went haywire between Takeshita and Okada when they tried to team up against The Young Bucks. Okada didn’t take things seriously and briefly dressed up like a Young Buck himself to make fun of them. Things fell apart when Okada and Takeshita started fighting each other until Matt Jackson got between them. A PowerDrive Knee from Takeshita targeting Matt hit Okada by mistake. Then Okada stopped Takeshita from doing the Raging Fire so he could give Matt the Rainmaker instead. Unfortunately Matt ducked and Takeshita took the hit! The Bucks wore down Okada with Super Kicks and the BTE Trigger then set him up for the Meltzer Driver. Takeshita grabbed Nick Jackson from ringside but then had second thoughts about stopping him. He decided to leave Okada hanging and let the Bucks beat him with their finisher. Takeshita only got back into the ring after the match to flip off Okada. Backstage Takeshita gave Okada and Callis a sarcastic apology to rub further salt into the wound.

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WrestleMania Week Appearances


PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. International Tag Team Match: Amira & Lil Marz Vs Toga & Jazzy Yang

It feels like WrestleMania Week is starting off earlier than ever this year. The first place you can find a TJPW wrestler in action will be at the annual “PODERMANIA~!” women’s wrestling show where Toga is teaming up with Jazzy Yang, the daughter of former WCW and WWE wrestler Jimmy Yang.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “WHATEVER, FOREVER”, 15/04/2026
Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Jiah Jewell Vs Daisuke Sasaki

Around the same time Daisuke Sasaki kicks off his week in Vegas by facing Jiah Jewell over at Pandemonium Pro.


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

1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Toga & Uta Takami
2. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Alexis Lee, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
3. Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe
4. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod

A preview of the show will be posted soon.


“DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL”, 16/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. The Rigged Roulette – House Rules Hardcore Match: Gedo & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Joey Janela & Gringo Loco

Sasaki has walked up to the table at the “DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL” and placed down his chips. Standing next to him is Gedo from NJPW while over on the other side of the roulette wheel is Joey Janela & Gringo Loco. It is Hardcore rules but does the roulette theming of the name suggest something like Weapon Rumble rules being added to the equation?


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai

At the moment the only GCW related match going with DDT or TJPW on is Miyu Yamashita fighting Janai Kai in a Bloodsport match. However there is always the Clusterfuck match that happens near the end of the week so you can never count out somebody here showing up over there.


PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026
Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe

With that being said, the last TJPW related match to look forward to in Vegas is Miu Watanabe taking on Taniya at one of the PrideStyle shows. Taniya holds the promotion’s women’s title but this has not been advertised as a title match.

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Upcoming Appearances After WrestleMania Week


EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 25/04/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England

1. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hollie Barlow
2. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Miyu Yamashita Vs Aliss Ink
3. Rhio Vs Hyper Misao
4. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Final: X Vs X

The veteran chunk of TJPW have more travelling to do at the end of the month for some co-promoted shows in Europe. TJPW has a mini tournament going on with EVE to determine the No. 1 Contender for the EVE International Title. Both Miyu Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima are entering that while Hyper Misao and Yuki Aino will be involved in non-tournament bouts. Misao’s opponent was just announced to be Rhio. A lot has changed with her since she last appeared in a TJPW ring.


SAJ/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026
Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy

1. Mirko Mori, Nico Inverardi & Adriano Vs Goro, Merak & Spencer
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Kanji
3. Session Moth Martina & Flamingo Vs Hyper Misao & El G
4. Sebastian De Witt Vs Miyu Yamashita
5. SAJ Openweight Title: Lupo (c) Vs Kouga

The next day TJPW goes to Italy where they will work with SAJ Wrestling. Misao’s match has now been announced, putting her across the ring from Session Moth Martina. The only previous time they were in the same match was as a tag team back in 2022. The way these European matches are being announced I get the feeling that nobody knows what to do with Aino until everyone else is sorted out first.


ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 15/05/2026
Wicomico Youth And Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland, USA

1. ROH Women’s World Title – Survival Of The Fittest Match: Athena (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Trish Adora Vs Billie Starkz Vs Persephone Vs Maya World

The Survival Of The Fittest match is a 6-Way Elimination bout. Last one standing is the winner and will leave with the ROH Women’s World Title. All of the challengers Athena will have to face were decided at the already mentioned ROH TV taping. Not only will Sakazaki mix it up with Athena, Billie Starkz and Trish Adora again but she also gets to fight Persephone and Maya World for the first time unless things during the match get way too chaotic.


BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 23/05/2026
Sari Sari Makati, Makati, Philippines

1. Chris Brookes Vs X

The Baka Gaijin and their friends are going back to the Philippines. This time it is Chris Brookes and Zack Sabre Jr. being involved.


GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026
Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France

1. MAO & Yoshihiko Vs X & X

It will be a Baka Gaijin show without MAO though because he’s going on his own weekend trip to France with Yoshihiko in tow.


DXCN “DAKILA II”, 24/05/2026
Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines

1. Chris Brookes Vs X

The Manila weekend is being set up with Dexcon.


WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026
Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Ahura & Jun Akiyama Vs 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire

I like the sound of this one! Jun Akiyama’s big appearance in Germany for wXw has him teaming with the promotion’s current MVP Ahura to take on Cowboy Way. Akiyama got to fight 1 Called Manders during GCW’s Japan tour last year and Manders was the wXw Unified World Champion at that time.

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Postponed Appearances


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 1”, 09/05/2026
JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 2”, 09/05/2026
JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

This May’s planned return to Malaysia for DDT and TJPW has been postponed because of “changes in international affairs”. They can say that again. A lot of preparation needed to host the two shows have become difficult for the organizers to get together due to the current state of the world around them so the shows have been postponed for the time being. Every party is acting like they will be rescheduled when things settle down and the safety of everyone involved can be guaranteed but who knows how long that will take to happen.


DDT Around The World – March 2026

April 1, 2026

This month was a lot more tiring to write than usual for some reason. Probably it’s because I’m writing most of this after going through the DDT Anniversary show, the Tokyo Joshi Pro preview for Sumo Hall and then the Sumo Hall show itself. That’s a lot of typing for me to do lately. So I’ll keep this introduction brief. Miyu Yamashita went on a short tear in Europe this month, Konosuke Takeshita feuded with Jon Moxley over the AEW Continental Title, TJPW now runs Texas and Daisuke Sasaki has started his North American adventure. Next month is WrestleMania Week. I’m making the foolish decision to travel there mainly because I got a good deal for flights and the hotel in Vegas right around the time when WWE pulled the rug from under New Orleans. I’ll be at the TJPW show and might see Sasaki or some of the TJPW girls wrestle somewhere else.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


RCW SPAIN “HELL GIRLS DELUXE”, 07/03/2026
Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Nightshade Vs Miyu Yamashita


AEW “COLLISION”, 07/03/2026
Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona, USA

1. Claudio Castagnoli Vs Konosuke Takeshita


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/03/2026
San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA

1. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli (w/ Marina Shafir) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero


AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SUNDAY”, 22/03/2026
Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA

1. Mistico, Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander & El Clon

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Results


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY #IWD2026”, 06/03/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England

1. Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
1a. Overtime: Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).

The match that had everyone talking from EVE’s big weekend was Yamashita locking horns with Jamie Hayter for a twenty minute spectacle that hit harder than anyone anticipated. As they fought into the final seconds of the match Yamashita kept kicking Hayter until she was given a Backbreaker and then the Lariat before the bell rang for a draw. However protests from Hayter convinced the show producer Will Ospreay to restart the match for five more minutes. Yamashita got back into another slugfest with Hayter with neither wanting to give up. The Skull Kick led to a double down with 40 seconds to go and Yamashita wasn’t fast enough to pin Hayter in time with a Buzzsaw Kick that happened right at the finish. The two shook hands after the draw but made it clear they had unfinished business together.


RCW SPAIN “HELL GIRLS DELUXE”, 07/03/2026
Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Nightshade with the Crash Rabbit Heat (?:??).

With hardly any good time to rest, Yamashita made it to Spain the next night for her first match with RCW Spain in a year. She survived taking Running Cannonballs into the corner from Nightshade and avoided a Neck Hanging Bomb to knock down her opponent with the Skull Kick. While Nightshade was put to her knees and collapsing after every kick, Yamashita made sure to keep up the attacks until she finished her off with the Crash Rabbit Heat.


AEW “COLLISION”, 07/03/2026
Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Claudio Castagnoli with the Raging Fire (14:39).

With only a week left for the PPV, Takeshita was so close to his big title match with Moxley but first he had to get through Claudio Castagnoli. Moxley watched on while providing match commentary, keeping his hands clean throughout the whole thing. Castagnoli thought tried to cheat by grabbing his CMLL World Heavyweight Title belt with the intention of using it as a weapon. However Hechicero ran down to the ring to stop him, allowing Takeshita to dive onto Castagnoli and get him back into the ring. The match wasn’t won yet but Takeshita rolled his way out of the Ricola Bomb to hit Castagnoli with the Powerdrive Knee and then pin him with the Raging Fire. Things weren’t done with there because Takeshita and Moxley had a stare down after the match. Hechicero blindsided Moxley much to Takeshita’s surprise and a brawl then broke out between the Death Riders and The Don Callis Family.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM VIII”, 08/03/2026
Indigo At The O2, London, England

1. Sudden Death Sixteen: Alexxis Falcon defeated Jamie Hayter, Miyu Yamashita, DASH Chisako, Anita Vaughan, Lucy Sky, Nyla Rose, Aluna, Lil Marz, Emersyn Jane, Princesse Lauriana, Yuu, Molly Spartan, Nightshade, Abi Cartwright and Charlie Morgan (34:43).

The unfinished business between Yamashita and Hayter started right back up again two days later when they were the first two entrants taking part in EVE’s Sudden Death Sixteen match. Imagine the Casino Gauntlet match where it is one fall to a finish but you still get taken out of the match if you are thrown out of the ring Royal Rumble style. Sadly for Yamashita and Hayter that is what happened to them when they knocked each other out of the ring, causing yet another draw in their sudden rivalry. Surely it cannot end like that!


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/03/2026
San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA

1. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli (w/ Marina Shafir) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero when Castagnoli pinned Hechicero with an Inside Cradle (14:09).

The previous week’s scuffle set the stage for this tag match to take place as on the go home show for the PPV. Neither Takeshita or Moxley could get the upper hand to each other so it was left up to Castagnoli to break the deadlock. A near ref bump threw Hechicero off enough for him to get poke in the eye and Castagnoli then rolled him up in a Small Package to steal the win. More fighting continued when Don Callis ordered Lance Archer & Mark Davis down to the ring but Takeshita showed a change of heart when he refused to attack Moxley with a chair. The message Takeshita wanted to send is he wanted to beat Moxley at his best. However the other members of the Family didn’t share the same feelings and felt he just wasted a perfect opportunity to get the upper hand.


PPW “HARDCORE FRIDAY THE 13TH”, 13/03/2026
TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi

1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes defeated Gabriel Queen (14:11).

The Polish company PpW Ewenement Wrestling held a mini tour of Japan with two shows in Tokyo during the month. The big one had Chris Brookes involved in the opening match taking on Gabriel Queen. Despite its early placement on the card it was also made into a Hardcore bout, one that drew blood from Brookes and left him busted wide open! Queen didn’t take it seriously at first because he armed himself with a toy mallet. Brookes immediately turned it up a notch by pulling out a stapler in response. A plastic case smashing over Brookes is what cut his forehead open but he would cover up his wound. Queen would later put Brookes in the Crossface but Baliyan Akki would slide the stapler to Brookes from ringside so he could staple Queen’s hand and free himself from the hold. The violence would ramp up even more with chairs being piled up in the ring and Brookes would Superplex Queen onto them. He then got his own back using the plastic cases by slamming Queen through one with the Michinoku Driver for the victory.


AEW “REVOLUTION”, 15/03/2026
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. AEW Continental Title – No Time Limit: Jon Moxley (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (23:32).
*V2 for Jon Moxley.

Takeshita got the bad end to his story with Moxley but at least it was one hell of a match between them. Moxley busted Takeshita open and damaged his leg enough that it stopped him from doing the Powerdrive Knee late in the bout. Takeshita kept on fighting, kicking out of not just the regular Death Rider but a top rope version of it too! Moxley switched his plan over to using a submission hold and he fought to put him into a Rear Naked Choke. Takeshita flipped him off with a middle finger but couldn’t escape the move, losing consciousness and also the match. You know how it goes with Moxley in AEW. You bleed in the ring with him, you earn his respect. Takeshita eventually shook his hand after the match to make it so.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 1”, 17/03/2026
Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA
1,951 Fans

1. Suzume defeated Uta Takami with the Ring A Bell (6:12).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Shino Suzuki with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (8:54).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Hyper Misao & Mifu Ashida when Raku pinned Ashida with the Doctor Yellow (10:25).
4. Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo defeated Mizuki & Yuki Aino when Yamashita pinned Aino with the Skull Kick (13:53).
5. Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee defeated Shoko Nakajima & Wakana Uehara when McKay pinned Uehara after the IIdolizer (10:15).
6. Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai when Watanabe pinned Arai with the Tear Drop (15:08).

A report of the show can be found here.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 2”, 18/03/2026
Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA
1,561 Fans

1. Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida defeated Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki when Arai pinned Suzuki with the Modified Brainbuster (9:26).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Hyper Misao with a Modified Cradle (9:02).
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Kamifuku pinned Harajuku with the Famouser (8:35).
4. Rika Tatsumi defeated Yuki Aino with the White Dragon Sleeper (11:44).
5. Miyu Yamashita defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Crash Rabbit Heat (16:12).
6. Miu Watanabe & Suzume defeated Mizuki & Uta Takami when Watanabe pinned Takami with the Tear Drop (14:02).

A report of the show can be found here.


AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SUNDAY”, 18/03/2026 (Aired 22/03/2026)
Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA

1. Mistico, Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander & El Clon when Mistico submits Clon with La Mistica (13:10).

Takeshita got a change of pace for his first match after the PPV by getting into some fast pace trios action with a familiar face on the other team. Always nice to see Takeshita and Mike Bailey in the same ring together. Disaster struck for the Callis Family when Josh Alexander got injured from blocking Bailey’s Standing Moonsault Knee Drop with his own knees. Takeshita & El Clon had to wrestle the rest of the match one man down. Kevin Knight had Takeshita scouted by escaping the Raging Fire and leaping onto Takeshita to give him a DDT that planted him onto the canvas. Mistico went on to tap out Clon with La Mistica.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – DALLAS”, 21/03/2026
College Park Center, Arlington, Texas, USA
1,481 Fans

1. Shino Suzuki defeated Mifu Ashida with the Modified Cobra Clutch (4:55).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Uta Takami with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (7:57).
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Endo pinned Harajuku with the Ju no Okite (11:32).
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen when Kamifuku pinned Aino with the Diving Famouser (11:55).
5. 3 Way Match: Mizuki defeated Rika Tatsumi and Hyper Misao when Mizuki pinned Misao with the Diving Foot Stomp (13:50).
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Arai defeated Miu Watanabe & Miyu Yamashita when Nakajima pinned Yamashita with the Diving Senton (16:48).

A report of the show can be found here.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – HOUSTON”, 22/03/2026
POST Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
415 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen defeated Suzume & Shino Suzuki when Aino pinned Suzuki with the Venus DDT (10:26).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Mifu Ashida with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (7:25).
3. Hyper Misao defeated Raku with the I Am A Hero (8:39).
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Miyu Yamashita & Kaylia Capri when Uehara submitted Capri with the Banana Pillow (12:20).
5. Yuki Arai defeated Pom Harajuku with the Modified Brainbuster (10:04).
6. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo defeated Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki & Uta Takami when Watanabe pinned Takami with the Tear Drop (16:59).

A report of the show can be found here.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 25/03/2026
Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

0. Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Paul Virk (?:??).

I can’t find much information online but Daisuke Sasaki worked a dark match at AEW before that night’s Dynamite show. The ring had the ROH aprons so it was likely taped for their weekly show. I’ll correct the info if that turns out to be the case. Sasaki teamed up with local Minnesota wrestler Paul Virk to lose against The Gates Of Agony.


ROH/MLP “GLOBAL WARS”, 27/03/2026
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. 6 Pack Scramble: Michael Oku defeated Jake Crist, Daisuke Sasaki, Michael Allen Richard Clark, Ace Austin and Brent Banks when Oku pinned Crist with the Six Star Frog Splash (10:26).

Sasaki was advertised for the ROH joint show with Maple Leaf Pro but it wasn’t known in advance what he would get up to. It turns out he was the replacement for Barbaro Cavernario in a 6 Pack Scramble match. He was pretty much lost in the shuffle for most of the match.


MLP “UPRISING”, 28/03/2026
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Bryce Hansen with a chair assisted Diving Splash (8:12).

Sasaki had more to do on the next night’s MLP show when a backstage confrontation with Bryce Hansen forced a No DQ Match to take place between them. Don Callis was on commentary and seemed to be impressed with Sasaki’s dirty tactics. Sasaki hit Hansen below the belt with a kendo stick, Speared him twice into a table (because it didn’t break the first time) and then pinned him with a flying chair dive from the top rope onto the rubble below.

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Upcoming Appearances


GCW “LAST CALL”, 03/04/2026
FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Marcus Mathers

With Canada out of the way, Sasaki heads on over to America for a couple of GCW appearances. He has two trips to Las Vegas in him and the first is for a match against Marcus Mathers.


GCW “MANIAC”, 04/04/2026
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. GCW World Title: Atticus Cogar (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

Sasaki’s big hopes of becoming a triple crown champion have gone up in smoke after he lost the DDT Universal Title before leaving Japan. He can still be a double champion if he can beat Atticus Cogar for the GCW World Title and then remember he still has the O-40 Title back home.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026
Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Less than two weeks to go and not a lot announced. J-Rod is officially booked for the Vancouver shows so she might get a warm up match with Yuki Arai before they get to Las Vegas.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 2”, 12/04/2026
Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada

What’s the hold up, Sayuri Namba?


PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. International Tag Team Match: Amira & Lil Marz Vs Toga & Jazzy Yang

Toga is starting things off early for WrestleMania Week.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “WHATEVER, FOREVER”, 15/04/2026
Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Jiah Jewell Vs Daisuke Sasaki

I heard about Jiah Jewell being this crazy wrestler last year but his match with MAO wasn’t much to write about. Maybe Sasaki will get a better fight out of him this year.


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

1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Toga & Uta Takami
2. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Alexis Lee, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
3. Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe
4. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod

This is the full card for TJPW’s return to Las Vegas. Three championship matches fill up the second half but the match that will surely be the talk of the show will be the 3 Way between Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki and Miu Watanabe.


“DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL”, 16/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X

I’m not expecting Sasaki’s match on this show to be anything spectacular given the lineup so far. Maybe stick him in the ring with ISHIN for something?


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai

Yamashita’s doesn’t have a good winning record against Janai Kai under regular wrestling rules. Is Bloodsport rules the ingredient needed for her to change that?


PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026
Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe

There might be other TJPW related stuff happening during the week (Maple Leaf Pro’s show looks like it will be crossover heavy) but for the moment it looks like Watanabe’s appearance at PrideStyle will be the last TJPW related match on the schedule.


EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 25/04/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England

1. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hollie Barlow
2. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Miyu Yamashita Vs Aliss Ink
3. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Final: X Vs X

The TJPW contingent heading over to Italy at the end of April have another stop planned in England. EVE is hosting TJPW for a second combined show and this one is being built around a one night mini-tournament to crown the No. 1 Contender for the EVE International Title. Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima are taking part on the TJPW side while EVE is being represented by Hollie Barlow and Aliss Ink. Barlow is apparantly the same height as Nakajima while Ink wants to see if her strikes are at the level of Yamashita’s.


SAJ/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026
Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy

1. Mirko Mori, Nico Inverardi & Adriano Vs Goro, Merak & Spencer
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Kanji
3. Sebastian De Witt Vs Miyu Yamashita
4. SAJ Openweight Title: Lupo (c) Vs Kouga

Plans changed a little bit for the SAJ Wrestling show in Italy. Yamashita’s match against Sebastian De Witt was supposed to be for the SAJ Openweight Title but De Witt lost it at another show earlier this month. Funnily enough the NOAH wrestler now known as Kouga is getting the title shot on this show instead. Nakajima’s match on the show will be a first time meeting with Kanji. TJPW would be good to get Kanji over for a tour or two if she’s up for it.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 1”, 09/05/2026
JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

DDT and TJPW’s tour of Malaysia is back for a second year. It will take place over two days in the same venue as last time with idol performances happening alongside the wrestling matches.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 2”, 09/05/2026
JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

The Japanese wrestlers going over for the shows are Yuki Arai, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki, Uta Takami, Marika Kobashi, Shinya Aoki and Shota.


GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026
Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France

1. MAO & Yoshihiko Vs X & X

MAO & Yoshihiko are heading back to France! They still hold the BZW Tag Team Titles so who will BZW find to challenge them this time? GCW are involved so could it be a team often seen over there?


WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026
Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Jun Akiyama Vs X

Don’t mind me slipping this in, I just forgot to include it before posting the article. Jun Akiyama is going over to Germany to wrestle for wXw!


Video – DDT Vs Kongo From “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”

March 6, 2026


“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”, 06/06/2021
Saitama Super Arena
4,800 Fans – Super No Vacancy

8. DDT Vs Kongo Full Scale 12-Man Tag Team Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Manabu Soya, Haoh, Nioh & Tadasuke


DDT Around The World – February 2026

March 1, 2026

Phew! Finally made it through the month with a lot more clearer pictures to look at. Konosuke Takeshita has moved on from the Kazuchika Okada feud to become a focal point in the rivalry between The Don Callis Family and the Death Riders. Takeshita against Jon Moxley is the destination while bringing in a variety of wrestlers for some good trios bouts in the process. I’ve been happy watching this feud so far because the matches have been constantly good and highlighting some of the AEW wrestlers I really like. However Okada is still making moves in the background because he might have just stolen Takeshita’s tag partner! He only just formed ProtOkada with Kyle Fletcher this past week which should eventually add another layer to Takeshita’s story with The Family.

Next up we go to Tokyo Joshi Pro and their ever increasing international schedule. After a lot of hullabaloo that had driven me crazy, the return to Las Vegas was finally confirmed to be real. That can be added to the Texas tour, the Vancouver tour and also a show in Italy all coming up in the next couple of months (and maybe more). With that being said, the ticket sales for the Texas tour so far look dismal from what people can find online and the savvy marketing work done by Tokyo Story USA is almost nowhere to be seen this time around. We may be due some harsh lessons this time around, like how maybe last year’s success really did just come from holding the shows next to a big destination wrestling event.

Elsewhere this month some of the TJPW wrestlers have lost their championships. Shoko Nakajima and K!SS// went on their travels and came back home missing their titles. Things fared better for the DDT wrestlers when it comes to gaining or keeping their gold. Now heading into March we have Miyu Yamashita embarking on another excursion, WrestleMania Week all of a sudden getting stuffed with TJPW appearances to look forward to and Daisuke Sasaki is off to North America for a while.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 04/02/2026
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Jon Moxley, PAC & Daniel Garcia (w/ Marina Shafir) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander & El Clon


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/02/2026
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander & Mark Davis Vs Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & PAC (w/ Marina Shafir)


AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 14/02/2026
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

1. AEW Continental Title: Jon Moxley (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

SETUP “REAL GLOBAL IMPACT”, 21/02/2026
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand


1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami (c) Vs Monomoth & Matcha


2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Shivam (c) Vs Chris Brookes


AEW “COLLISION”, 21/02/2026
Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Davis & El Clon Vs Jon Moxley, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (w/ Marina Shafir)


NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 27/02/2026
CURE Insurance Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, USA
2,605 Fans

1. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA


Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita can’t wait until AEW Revolution! | AEW Collision, 2/28/26

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Results


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 04/02/2026
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander & El Clon defeated Jon Moxley, PAC & Daniel Garcia (w/ Marina Shafir) when Takeshita pinned Garcia with the Raging Fire (13:18).

The current storyline Takeshita is in is a stable war going on between The Don Callis Family and the Death Riders that’s become the backbone of AEW’s mid-card on TV. He and Moxley had plenty of battles against each other this month in 6-Man Tags. Takeshita scored first blood when he teamed with Josh Alexander & El Clon (the evil doppelganger of Hologram) to beat Moxley, PAC & Daniel Garcia. Things could have gone the other way when Garcia put Takeshita in the Dragon Tamer (Sharpshooter) submission hold and Moxley then Curb Stomped him. But Alexander broke the pin and Takeshita got his wind back to slam Garcia. Tandem trios moves from The Family couldn’t keep Garcia down until Takeshita dropped him with the Raging Fire.


MLW “LUCHA APOCALYPTO”, 07/02/2026
Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois, USA

1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shotzi Blackheart defeated Shoko Nakajima (c) (?:??).
*Shoko Nakajima fails in V7. Shotzi Blackheart becomes the 6th MLW Women’s World Featherweight Champion!

By the time this is posted, all I know about this MLW taping is Shoko Nakajima lost the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title to Shotzi Blackheart. Since then there hasn’t been a word about when the match will air. MLW are really taking their time putting their next batch of episodes together.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/02/2026
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & PAC (w/ Marina Shafir) defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Josh Alexander & Mark Davis when Moxley pinned Alexander with the Death Rider (15:05).

The next trios match had Claudio Castagnoli replacing Garcia and Mark Davis switching in for El Clon. This time Moxley was in danger of losing the match to the teamwork of The Family until PAC came to the rescue. Castagnoli cut off Takeshita with a European Uppercut, giving Moxley the opening to catch Alexander in a Read Naked Choke, wearing him down enough to give him the Death Rider for the victory.


AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 14/02/2026
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

1. AEW Continental Title: Jon Moxley (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
*V1 for Jon Moxley.

When it was finally time for Moxley and Takeshita to settle their differences one on one in Australia, time wound up running out for them. With the AEW Continental Title on the line, rules were strictly in place to make sure no interference would be allowed. It ended up going to a stalemate. Moxley giving Takeshita a Curb Stomp onto the apron didn’t keep him out of the ring long enough to get counted out. Neither the Powerdrive Knee or the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex was enough to pin Moxley for a three count. Takeshita kicked out of the Death Rider and the two continued throwing bombs at each other until the bell rang. Takeshita was seconds away from performing the Raging Fire so he went ahead and did it anyway after the match was over.


AEW “HOUSE RULES AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2026
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall, Queensland, Australia

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Dalton Castle with the Powerdrive Knee (10:47).

Brisbane had extra action for Takeshita during his stay there. AEW ran a rare house show the next day and Takeshita was on it wrestling Dalton Castle for the first time ever. Before the match began Don Callis had Castle’s buddies The Outrunners sent away from ringside because they did not have a manager’s license recognized by the state of Australia. Callis got some cheap shots in on Castle at ringside while the crowds chanted bald jokes at him. Castle fought his way back to give Takeshita the Bangarang for a nearfall but a well timed Elbow Strike gave Takeshita the momentum needed to eventually win the match.


SETUP “REAL GLOBAL IMPACT”, 21/02/2026
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Monomoth & Matcha defeated Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami (c) when Matcha pinned Toribami with the Saito Suplex (12:41).
*K!SS// fails in V2. Monomoth & Matcha become the 6th IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Shivam (c) Vs Chris Brookes ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
*V2 for Shivam.

There were two big title matches to follow over in Thailand for SETUP this month. Chris Brookes challenged Shivam for the IWA Japan SETUP World Title despite both men belonging to the same group, Real Global Threat. In a result that became something of a trend for a lot of title matches I’m writing about in this article, the match latest the full twenty minute time limit and went to a draw. Brookes demanded a restart and called Pumi Boonyatud into the ring to make it happen. But it was all a trap so Brookes could knock out Pumi with a slap! Shivam then got on the microphone to praise Brookes for caring about pro wrestlers like him before attacking Pumi some more until Monomoth ran them out of the ring.

Meanwhile Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami’s reign as IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions has come to an end. K!SS// went to Thailand for a big title defence against SETUP’s other two singles champions Monomoth & Matcha. Both teams fought their hardest over the titles until it came down to Toribami against Matcha in the ring. Yamashita dealt with Monomoth by Skull Kicking him off the ring apron but Toribami’s attempt at the Sento Choryu was blocked by Matcha’s knees. Matcha then fought to give Toribami the Saito Suplex, pinning her while a dazed Monomoth held onto Yamashita long enough to prevent her from breaking the count. K!SS// accepted defeat and shook hands with the new champions after the match.


AEW “COLLISION”, 21/02/2026
Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Davis & El Clon defeated Jon Moxley, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (w/ Marina Shafir) when Takeshita pinned Yuta with the Raging Fire (14:33).

Since nothing was solved in Australia, the feud between The Family and the Death Riders continued with more 6-Man Tag Matches. Wheeler Yuta was now brought into the fold wrestling in a beanie hat because he recently lost his hair in a wager match. Also Marina Shafir was now getting into the thick of things. She’s been at ringside for most of the matches in this feud and got physically involved this time to stop Davis from using a chair. Yuta was enthusiastic to try and get the win on Takeshita until he was hit with a Pump Kick followed by the Elbow Strike. El Clon wiped out the rest of the Death Riders, allowing Takeshita to pin Yuta with the Raging Fire. Moxley confronted him after the match and thanks to others trying to get in the way, he caught Takeshita off guard and gave him the Paradigm Shift.


PPW/BZW “FRIDAY NIGHT BANGER”, 27/02/2026
PPW Training Facility, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Liam Slater & HMD (?:??).
*V7 for MAO & Yoshihiko.

It’s been so long since I last heard about the BZW Tag Team Titles that I wasn’t sure if MAO & Yoshihiko were still the champions. Turns out they are and they travelled all the way to England for their latest defence. MAO was over there to take part in training seminars and brought Yoshihiko over so they could wrestle on a show co-promoted by BZW and Pursuit Pro Wrestling. They defeated Liam Slater & HMD to retain the gold.


NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING”, 27/02/2026
CURE Insurance Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, USA
2,605 Fans

1. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (w/ Rocky Romero) ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
1a. Overtime: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated El Phantasmo (c) with the Raging Fire (2:43).
*El Phantasmo fails in V7. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA becomes the 10th NJPW World TV Champion!

Another title match and another time limit draw for Takeshita. Although this time he got a chance to make up for it. New Japan returned to America with a fresh attempt at running a big show in the country. Having El Phantasmo and Takeshita go at it with the NJPW World TV Title again was one of the big bouts of the show. They pretty much played the hits until ELP gave Takeshita a taste of his own medicine by using the Raging Fire on him! However the bell rang right afterwards to announce the match ended in a tie. ELP got on the microphone and talked about how much time limit draws suck and demanded the match to restart for another five minutes. Takeshita considered walking out with Rocky Romero next to him but turned around and got the match going again. This time Takeshita gave ELP the CR II, using the champion’s own finisher against him. ELP kicked out and snuck in a Crucifix Pin for a nearfall but Takeshita hit back and won the match with the Raging Fire. Now a champion in NJPW again, Takeshita thinks the company wants him to raise the value of the NJPW World TV Title.

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Upcoming Appearances


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY #IWD2026”, 06/03/2026
Big Penny Social, London, England

1. Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita

We’re at the time of year where Yamashita goes travelling everywhere. Europe is the next up for her with EVE as an important destination. Her first of two EVE bookings for March has her facing Jamie Hayter in a much anticipated singles match.


RCW SPAIN “HELL GIRLS DELUXE”, 07/03/2026
Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Nightshade Vs Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita then goes over to Spain the next day for a return to RCW Spain. Her opponent Nightshade has done tours with TJPW in the past but this will be the first time these two will be in a match together.


EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM VIII”, 08/03/2026
Indigo At The O2, London, England

1. Sudden Death Sixteen: Alexxis Falcon Vs DASH Chisako Vs Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Amale Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X

Then the day after that Yamashita goes back to London for EVE’s most important show they’ve probably ever put on. She is entering a Sudden Death Sixteen match which seems to be the next step in promoters trying to make their own Royal Rumble. It’s the Casino Gauntlet match where the first fall crowns the winner outright but you can still be eliminated before then by going over the top rope to the floor. The winner gets to challenge for any of EVE’s championships.


PPW “HARDCORE FRIDAY THE 13TH”, 13/03/2026
TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi

1. Chris Brookes Vs Gabriel Queen

Given all of the international work Brookes has been involved with lately, he is seeing the world like a wrestling buffet. Coming up soon on the menu is Gabriel Queen.


AEW “REVOLUTION”, 15/03/2026
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. AEW Continental Title – No Time Limit: Jon Moxley (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Not long to wait until Moxley and Takeshita go at it again. This time there will be no time limit in place so a winner should be guaranteed… unless we get a double countout or double knockout…


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 1”, 17/03/2026
Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA

The wrestlers announced to appear on this tour are Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Raku, Yuki Aino, Suzume, Pom Harajuku, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Kaya Toribami, Shino Suzuki, Mifu Ashida and Uta Takami.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 2”, 18/03/2026
Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA

The American and any other international talent for the tour have not been announced yet.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – DALLAS”, 21/03/2026
College Park Center, Arlington, Texas, USA

They better start announcing stuff soon because the ticket seat map for this show is currently looking grim.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – HOUSTON”, 22/03/2026
POST Houston, Houston, Texas, USA

It took a while but Tokyo Story USA confirmed the date and location of the Houston show. TJPW will be back at the POST Houston on 22nd March.


ROH/MLP “GLOBAL WARS”, 27/03/2026
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X

There is a good chance Daisuke Sasaki will be bringing the DDT Universal Title with him to North America. We have to wait and see if he can defend it at DDT’s Anniversary show first before we find out what plans he has for this trip.


MLP “UPRISING”, 28/03/2026
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X

I haven’t really thought about what Maple Leaf Pro going to do with Sasaki for the ROH weekend.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026
Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada

The wrestlers announced to appear on the Canada tour are Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Wakana Uehara, Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Arai, Suzume, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Kaya Toribami, HIMAWARI, Toga, Shino Suzuki and Uta Takami.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 2”, 12/04/2026
Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Like with the Texas tour above, they best start announcing matches soon because tickets haven’t been flying off the shelves for either tour. I hope Sayuri Namba isn’t betting the house on this.


PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. International Tag Team Match: Amira & Lil Marz Vs Toga & Jazzy Yang

The big clue this month that TJPW was going to Vegas came from Toga unexpectedly got booked for the eighth annual “PODER~!” show that is put together by Edward Loredo, aka “Ed In San Antonio” of F4W Board infamy. Toga is going to team with Jazzy Yang, the daughter of Jimmy Wang Yang. Together they will take on Amira from America and Lil Marz from Australia for an international tag showcase.


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

Ta-da! It was happening all along! TJPW adds even more to their growing international schedule by going back to Las Vegas for Mania Weekend. This time instead of working with The Collective, they have joined a new collection of shows called Slam Fest that is being put together by the Paragon Talent Agency. The move keeps the show at Palms Casino and now has TJPW siding with Stardom, CMLL, House Of Glory and MLP for the week. I doubt we’re going to see any significant crossovers but you never know when it comes to events like this.

The Japanese talent coming to Vegas 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.


“DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL”, 16/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X

This is the show I’m personally most looking forward to at Mania Week. El Desperado is hosting another “Invitacional” show, continuing the death match theme of the previous one and also bringing it to America for the first time. The first couple of wrestlers announced are from Japan, the latest of whom being Daisuke Sasaki! There’s also been a hint from Mizuki Watase that he might be on the card too because he recently said he will be travelling to USA in April to wrestle in a death match.


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026
Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

So far Yamashita is the only woman announced for Bloodsport and I’m not expecting an intergender fight to happen.


PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026
Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe

The week gives Miu Watanabe another chance to spread her wings a little and wrestle on an American indie show. This time she’s popping over to PrideStyle where she faces Taniya, the current holder of the PrideStyle New Wave World Title. So far it hasn’t been said if the championship will be on the line.


SAJ “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026
Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy

More details have emerged for TJPW’s trip to Italy to join up with friends from SAJ Wrestling. The Japanese contingent will include Miyu Yamashita, Hyper Misao, Shoko Nakajima and Yuki Aino. There will be wrestlers not just from Italy but also across Europe taking part too.


DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~” Results

January 25, 2026

DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~”, 25/01/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Junta Miyawaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
2. Ryuma Tsukamoto, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai when Sato pinned Masada with the PL (6:10).
3. Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori defeated Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Yoshimura pinned Paul with the Harai-goshi (7:59).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Yoshihiko Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Dieno pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (0:06).
4a. Rematch: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Suzuki submitted Sasadango with an Arm Lock (0:05).
4b. Rematch: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation (5:23).
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama defeated HARASHIMA & To-y when Takeshita pinned To-y with the Wagamama (12:40).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when KANON pinned Iino with the GURU-GURU Driver (15:35).
*V3 for STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION.
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title – Irregular 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c/c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes
7a. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno (c) and Chris Brookes when Sasaki submitted Brookes with the Crossface Lock (16:14).
*Yuki Ueno fails in V2. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 20th DDT Universal Champion!
7b. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki and Chris Brookes when Ueno pinned Sasaki with the WR (10:05).
*V5 for Yuki Ueno.

Double the danger, double the fun. Yuki Ueno had two potential challengers gunning him down for his championships so he decided to put the DDT Universal Title and the KO-D Openweight Title on the line one at a time in an unusual main event. It was a 3 Way Match consisting of two falls. The first had Ueno defending the Universal Title. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to form an alliance with Chris Brookes but it was short lived. Ueno was still at a disadvantage because his injured left leg was targeted by both challengers. Sasaki also had DAMNATION T.A in his corner and despite the other’s attempts to wipe them all out, they became a key factor for how the first fall ended. Sasaki got Brookes trapped in the Crossface Lock and DAMNATION T.A all grabbed onto Ueno to stop him from breaking the hold. Brookes had no choice but to tap out and Sasaki became the new Universal Champion!

Sasaki wasted no time when the second fall began and the KO-D Title became up for grabs. He immediately Speared Ueno through the ropes to the floor then returned to the ring to put Brookes back into the Crossface Lock. Brookes was able to escape and wound up double teaming Ueno with Sasaki by giving the KO-D Champ the Doomsday Device/Double Impact. Ueno got Brookes into the Blackout Sleeper but Ilusion distracted the ref so Sasaki could break the hold with a chair. Ueno got his own back when he turned Sasaki’s standing Crossface attempt on Brookes into the WR that flipped over both men. Ueno’s leg injury almost cost him the KO-D Title because he slipped while climbing the top turnbuckle. Brookes tried to pin Sasaki but both then got squashed by a Frog Splash from Ueno. Brookes was thrown out of the ring and Ueno had no one to stop him from pinning Sasaki with the WR to win the fall and remain KO-D Champion.

Ueno placed the Universal Title in front of Sasaki after the match and admitted he was disappointed overall because he lost one of his championships. He is now even more determined to keep defending the KO-D Title to make up for it. His next defence will be at DDT’s 29th Anniversary show on 22nd March. KIMIHIRO walked out to interrupt Ueno but it was just so he could introduce the man who wants to take DDT’s top spot, KANON! After he entered the ring, KANON explained he’s been with DDT for four years now and every day his love for the company grows. He understands Ueno is feeling a little heartbroken at the moment but he wants to be his next challenger. Ueno accepted the challenge because KANON still sees him as the pinnacle of DDT. However Ueno still remembers everything KANON did to him when he was a member of DAMNATION T.A so he expects KANON to bring everything he’s learned over the last four years into the match. They shook hands until KANON suddenly Clotheslined Ueno! His final message today is he is just that little bit stronger than Ueno. Backstage KANON explained to reporters that the first opponent to beat him after he joined DDT was Ueno so this challenge is going to be his revenge for what happened four years ago!

The show turned out to be a significant one for Strange Love Connection as a whole. They were able to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against The Apex and then absorbed the team into their group! Yuki Iino’s recent obsession over MAO couldn’t give him the extra edge in the end. He was able to Spear MAO after seeing Yukio Naya take the Michinoku Driver II but KANON knocked him down with a Lariat and then pinned him with the GURU-GURU Driver. KIMIHIRO and Yuzuki Hoshimoto were both there to congratulate the champs for a job well done after the match.

After the match, KANON told everyone that both teams have been acting like idiots for the last month in order to try and out-do each other. What he learned from this is that idiots are strong people and for that The Apex have earned his respect. Iino called that the ultimate compliment and even though he lost the match, he has now grown to love MAO & KANON! He then asked Naya if they could join SLC? MAO instantly agreed and started to wonder if Iino & Naya should now be called The Apex from STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION (just like THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE)? Even if they just remain as The Apex, SLC has now upgraded into becoming a unit and they now all want it to become the strongest not only in DDT but the entire pro wrestling world! That’s not all, MAO revealed backstage that he was already planning on introducing a new SLC member next month. He didn’t expect to add two new members today but now SLC is going to become a 5-Man unit! The fifth man will be revealed on 22nd February.

Plans had to change when Kaisei Takechi got a case of pink eye and was unable to wrestle on this show. His role in the big tag match now had to be filled by To-y. He took on the challenge with gusto, bringing the fight to both Konosuke Takeshita & Jun Akiyama while having HARASHIMA help out as his tag partner. Takeshita & Akiyama didn’t shy away from giving him a bashing but that led to To-y finding his inner fire and fighting back, scoring a nearfall on Takeshita with the Kojima Impact. Takeshita put a stop to that with the Last Ride counter of the Kojima In Wonderland followed by a Double Knee Strike with Akiyama. To-y kicked out of that along with the big Elbow Strike afterwards so Takeshita had to hit him with the Wagamama to put To-y away. Later To-y said he wants to keep on fighting even if he may never get another chance to face Takeshita again. But if it does happen he knows he can beat him! Takeshita told him that meeting Akiyama played a role in his current success and he wouldn’t be where he is today without him. So he understands how important it was for To-y to fight him today. He believes To-y will one day inherit his strength just like how he inherited Akiyama’s.

I regret to inform everyone that the “Suzuki Incident” of 2021 was repeated today. While Minoru Suzuki was making his entrance for his match, Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata jumped the gun and began to wrestle. Dieno then immediately pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch to end the match before Suzuki could even make it to the ring apron. Hisaya Imabayashi was understandably mad because the fans couldn’t sing along to “Kaze Ni Nare”. Suzuki was also annoyed because his entrance was going to take up 80% of the match anyway. The match restarted so Suzuki could do his entrance but this time Super Sasadango Machine tried to jump him. Suzuki immediately pulled him into an Arm Lock to make Sasadango tap out. Now Imabayashi was upset the match ended before Yoshihiko could make it to the ring. He even dared to get into an argument with Suzuki over it without backing down! Another restart took place so Yoshihiko could make an entrance and it even stopped Suzuki from immediately beating Antonio Honda. The match then continued with Dieno and Honda’s usual comedy until Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation. Suzuki then dragged Yoshihiko along the floor as he left ringside. He remembers beating this thing half to death in Las Vegas almost a year ago. Dieno explained that Suzuki and Yoshihiko are linked together because they understand each other so well. Suzuki doesn’t believe him.

Meanwhile Imabayashi wanted Hirata to stay behind in the ring because he had an announcement to make. Hirata is going to have a singles match with Takeshita on 22nd March! Hirata was not happy with the announcement but talked himself into taking the match. If Takeshita the worldwide star wants to wrestle him then Hirata from Adachi Ward will be ready! He is sure Takeshita will beat him many times over but he promises he will make it hard for Takeshita to do so.

Although Kumadori has settled his feud with Ilusion, he is back in DDT to wrestle DAMNATION T.A some more. Ilusion was still there to give Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul a helping hand. Okatani also attacked Naomi Yoshimura with his bamboo stick until Kumadori came to save the day. With the coast clear, Yoshimura recovered to throw Paul over with the Harai-goshi to put the cheaters back in their place.

To-y being bumped up to the Special Tag Match meant the 10-Man tag was slightly changed. Ryoma Tsukamoto took his place to keep it within the D GENERATIONS scope. The match also featured Irish referee Niall Fox as the official for the match. What’s he doing over there? Anyway the match had NωA Jr. members Kazuma Sumi and Yuni face off against each other, Yuki Ishida pushing others around with his sumo moves, Rukiya trying to give Ilusion the Protobomb, Ilusion attacking Hinata Kasai with a chair and Yuya Koroku then knocking out Ilusion with an Elbow Strike. The match came down to Takeshi Masada and Daichi Sato where Sato caught Masada with the Fire Thunder and then pin him out of nowhere with a Penalty Kick. Backstage Tsukamoto predicted Sato will go on to win the D GENERATIONS CUP completely undefeated.

Not only did Junta Miyawaki got to wrestle his idol Shinya Aoki but he went the distance against him too. They fought to a 15 minute draw in the opening match that was built around joint locks and pinning attempts. After a few close calls, Miyawaki hit a dive out of the ring and got to counter a Sleeper Hold into a Modified Sunshine Driver. Aoki turned the pinfall over though to continue the back and forth action until he was put in a Crab Hold and had to fight to reach the ropes. The two then fought over the Aoki Clutch for the final moments of the match before the bell rang. Miyawaki said he was able to absorb a lot from Aoki today and he still looks up to him despite slapping away Aoki’s handshake in frustration after the match. Aoki praised him for having incredible spirit and determination. He wonders why wrestlers as good as they are were put in the opener? They need to aim higher because he thinks they’re not the kind of wrestlers to be curtain jerking.