I’m mostly back on track with everything. A show report here and there still needs to be written about. The big lesson I’ve learned from my Japan trip is not to go on holiday if I come back needing to catch up on fifteen different shows.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAMAGAWA IN BOAT RACE TAMAGAWA”, 15/01/2026 Tokyo BOAT RACE Tamagawa
1. Sanshiro Takagi & Junta Miyawaki Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Hinata Kasai
2. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno, Akito & Pokotan
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Offer Match: Aja Kong & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Chika Nanase
4. MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Kazuma Sumi Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Takeshi Masada & Yuki Ishida
5. Jun Akiyama, To-y & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Rukiya
Pro wrestling is really getting into boat racing lately, huh? DDT (with a little bit of Tokyo Joshi Pro) is the latest promotion to spend a day at a lake holding wrestling matches and throwing in some other activities to keep the crowd occupied in between the races.
DDT “SATURDAY CHINATOWN”, 17/01/2026 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata, Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: Daichi Sato (2) Vs Ilusion (0)
3. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: To-y (2) Vs Yuki Ishida (2)
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryoma Tsukamoto, Kazuma Sumi & Hinata Kasai
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Junta Miyawaki Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
6. DAMNATION T.A Vs FANTÔMES DRAMATIC!: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
Some of the upcoming DDT shows have to change their lineups a little bit because Yuki Ueno has a calf injury and cannot wrestle. He is still appearing at the events but isn’t allowed to do much physically. He should be good to go for Korakuen Hall at the end of the month but DDT aren’t going to take any chances on him right now.
DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~”, 25/01/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2006 Special 10-Man Tag Match: To-y, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi Vs Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Yoshihiko Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama Vs HARASHIMA & Kaisei Takechi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title – Irregular 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c/c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes
Big plans are in store for Kaisei Takechi’s next couple of matches in DDT. First up he and HARASHIMA will be teaming up to face the mighty team of Konosuke Takeshita & Jun Akiyama! This is the strongest pair of wrestlers DDT could find for Takechi and he appreciates being given such a tough challenge.
The newcomer Junta Miyawaki is quickly getting the kind of matches he’s been looking for in DDT. Someone he always wanted to wrestle is Shinya Aoki after being a fan of his since his middle school days. He has studied many of Aoki’s fighting techniques and just making the challenge has impressed Aoki with his ambition.
After a four month absence to deal with injuries, Yoshihiko returns to the ring hopefully feeling refreshed and having a new lease on life. Good thing it will be teaming with Minoru Suzuki and not against him.
DDT “HYBRID PERFORMER 2026 ~KAISEI TAKECHI 2ND ANNIVERSARY~”, 22/02/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – Final: Winner Of Block A Vs Winner Of Block B
2. Kaisei Takechi 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kaisei Takechi
Takechi’s other big match coming up will celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of his debut. He wants to wrestle Yuki Ueno and gets that wish in February.
DDT “DRAMATIC INFINITY 2025 ~3 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 28/09/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Soma Takao & Rukiya defeated Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai when Rukiya pinned Kasai with the Proto Bomb (4:47).
1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Yuya Koroku with a Triangle Lancer Counter (8:04).
2. Survival 3 Way Tag Match: Akito & Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya and MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) (8:32).
2a. MAO & KANON eliminated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when MAO pinned Naya with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (6:55). *MAO wins Yukio Naya’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
2b. Akito & Kazuma Sumi eliminated MAO & KANON when Sumi pinned MAO with the School Boy (8:32). *Kazuma Sumi wins MAO’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Diego when Ishida pinned Honda with the Flame Palm (11:20).
4. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA defeated Evil Uno & Danshoku Dieno when HARASHIMA pinned Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (0:08).
4a. Rematch: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA defeated Evil Uno & Danshoku Dieno when HARASHIMA pinned Dieno with the Somato (5:43).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Takechi pinned Ilusion with a Swan Dive Forearm (18:47). *Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi become the 59th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated Takeshi Masada with the Sleeper Hold (13:06). *V5 for Minoru Suzuki.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) defeated Yoshihiko with an Avalanche Rolling Power Bomb (15:42). *V2 for Kazuki Hirata.
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with the WR (6:47). *Kazuki Hirata fails in V3. Yuki Ueno cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover. Yuki Ueno becomes the 88th KO-D Openweight Champion!
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Kazuma Sumi with the WR (12:02). *V1 for Yuki Ueno. Kazuma Sumi cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
From this point on no matter what happens with DDT, we will always have the September of Kazuki Hirata. He had it all going for him today. He was headlining a packed Korakuen Hall show in a KO-D Openweight Title defence against his most unique rival Yoshihiko. The battle doll used multiple German Suplexes to throw the champion around and also strategically targeted his arm with submissions. But Hirata held on and started using Power Bombs to beat Yoshihiko to a pulp, putting an end to the match with a Somersault Power Bomb from the top rope as some over the top tribute to the Kobe World Liner spot. Things could not have been going better for our good pal Hirata. Yoshihiko even applauded his victory and brought a gift to congratulate Hirata on his victory.
Hirata was handed over a cardboard box and inside it was a special bag made out of Haribo packaging. Hirata grabbed a bag inside a pulled it out, slowly revealing the Blue Right To Challenge Arm Cover was attached to it. As Hirata started to realize what was happening, behind him the black shadow that normally accompanies Yoshihiko placed the doll out of the ring and unmasked himself to reveal it was Yuki Ueno and this was him cashing in his title shot! Ueno grabbed Hirata in a Sleeper Hold and then confirmed he was getting his title match right now. Hirata did his best to survive and was able to kick out of Ueno’s moves. He also pulled out the Miracle One Shot Cradle but this time Ueno kicked out of it. Hirata tried using the move again and again but each repeated use became less effective until he reached the point of exhaustion. Ueno held up Hirata in something of a hug before using the WR to pin him and win back the KO-D Title.
And yet it didn’t end there. While Ueno and Hirata were patching things over, Kazuma Sumi suddenly ran down to the ring and launched a Missile Dropkick towards Ueno. He was armed with the last remaining Right To Challenge sleeve and was cashing it in so everyone in attendance was getting a second bonus KO-D Title match! Sumi came close to winning with a Canadian Destroyer followed by the School Boy. He also used an Imploding 450 Splash but Ueno kicked out of that too. Ueno halted Sumi’s drive with Dropkicks to the face along with the Himawari Bomb. It took the WR for him to put Sumi away and already score his first title defence right after he just won the belt. Ueno said this match made him feel just as happy as any of the other opponents he has defended the KO-D Title against in the past. Sumi explained it’s been three years since he debuted and he always wants to immediately take any opportunity that presents itself. So today his body felt like it moved on its own and he poured everything he had into this chance to become the champion.
So that’s it for this year’s Right To Challenge series. All four arm sleeves have been used and in the end Ueno is the last man standing with the KO-D Title. However a new challenger did make himself known. Minoru Suzuki entered the ring carrying the DDT Universal Title. He doesn’t have any automatic title shots but he still wants to take the KO-D Title for himself! Ueno told him this must be a coincidence going on because he also wants to take back the Universal Title from Suzuki! The two talked about having a match straight away until Hisaya Imabayashi interrupted them. The GM told them the show was running out of time but if they really want to do this match then it should be a double title bout at Sumo Hall on 3rd November! Suzuki gave a warning that he is close to completely dominating DDT. Ueno spoke about his mistake of inviting Suzuki to DDT in the first place and ever since then one of his goals has been to avenge that loss. He’ll make sure Suzuki won’t dominate DDT and will be driven out empty handed.
Suzuki’s path of domination through DDT happened in the semi-main event (which at this point was now three matches ago) when he put Takeshi Masada through misery. Suzuki brushed off the challenger’s early attacks and knocked him dizzy with a steel post attack outside the ring. He also attacked Masada with chairs and even a wrench before Masada made a comeback which included using moves from the other members of SCHADENFREUDE International. However Suzuki grabbed him in a Sleeper Hold to drain the energy out of his opponent until Masada gave up. Suzuki added insult to injury after the match by telling Masada he better put his life on the line if he’s ever going to pick a fight with him. A beaten Masada tried to get back at Suzuki but got another Elbow Strike for his troubles before being taken away. Suzuki explained backstage that he cannot be beaten with just brute force alone. You need to put your soul on the line from the moment you step into the ring, just like he does. Meanwhile Masada said he isn’t giving up and will definitely have another go at Suzuki.
The rise of “The Rampage” continues although he picked up some more noticeable bumps and bruises along the way. Today Kaisei Takechi has won his first pro wrestling championship! He teamed with Ueno & To-y from The 37KAMIINA to fight DAMNATION T.A over the vacant KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The belts were vacated by DAMNATION T.A when Daisuke Sasaki got injured but Sasaki was at ringside for the match looking over his team. Hideki Okatani is really trying to establish himself as Takechi’s main enemy by attacking him with the bamboo stick while Sasaki hit Takechi’s leg with a chair next to the corner post. Sasaki also saw fit to attack Takechi in the ring with a chair but things went wrong for the heels when Ilusion missed the Swanton Bomb and was then hit with Okatani’s bamboo stick by accident. Takechi took control while his partners held Okatani & MJ Paul back. Then with one Swan Dive Forearm strike, Takechi pinned Ilusion to become a champion! He called the match the toughest fight he ever had and he’ll bring his title belt back to the LDH HQ so his boss can touch it. His next match in DDT will be at Korakuen on 19th October and DDT are hinting it will be the champion team’s first title defence. Ueno also mentioned to To-y & Takechi that there’s a fun idea he wants to do with them and the titles but he’ll talk to them later about it.
Evil Uno’s DDT debut came and went before he could even get into the ring. As he was making his entrance, his tag partner Danshoku Dieno decided to attack HARASHIMA straight away only to get rolled up in a Jackknife and get pinned. Imabayashi was furious because it’s bad enough when Hirata matches end like this but now it’s spreading to the rest of the locker room! This was an AEW star making his first appearance in DDT so he isn’t going to let anyone ruin it! Imabayashi apologized to Uno and allowed him to complete his entrance before the rematch began. HARASHIMA almost pinned Dieno again but Uno was there to break it up this time. Dieno was later put in the Hell Gate position with his rear end exposed but when Uno was thrown face first into it, his mask protected him from the exposure. So Jun Akiyama grabbed him by the mask, pulled it up past Uno’s mouth and shoved him back into Dieno’s hell gate. This time Uno was in danger and he fled the ring while HARASHIMA pinned Dieno with the Somato. Uno was in disbelief backstage. He came to DDT wanting to fight HARASHIMA & Akiyama but all he got out of it was the taste of rotten cheese stuck in his mouth!
A visiting Diego joined SCHADENFREUDE International’s side for today so there could be three of them to take on Harimao in a 6-Man Tag Match. It was also a warm up for Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida to get ready for their KO-D Tag Team Titles shot on 19th October. Antonio Honda used Gongitsune to stun the Harimao team and then got his own partners to join in the Bionic Elbow. But all of Harimao dodged the move and made the other team flinch with hand claps. Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura hit Honda with a Cross Bomber but Ishida failed to follow up by missing the Dosukoi Splash. Chris Brookes & Diego dealt damage to Ishida and left things up to Honda. But Ishida blocked Honda’s Diving Fist Drop and eventually pinned him with the Flame Palm. Ishida said he isn’t going to let this momentum stop. He is definitely going to win the tag titles with Higuchi!
The Survival 3 Way Match ended up playing a part in how the show ended the way it did. The rules allowed one wrestler from each team to be in the ring at all times and there were No Tag rules applied too for partners to swap in and out. The Apex were the first team eliminated despite being the KO-D Tag Champions. Strange Love Connection took out Yuki Iino with the Lariat-McEnroe combination but Yukio Naya gave KANON the Choke Slam. Sumi rolled up Naya with a School Boy only for KANON to push him away. MAO then pounced in and got Naya in his own roll up to get the three count! Since Naya was a Right To Challenge holder at the time that meant MAO had now won it off him. But the match was still continuing with SLC having to fight Akito & Sumi. MAO tried to vault over the referee to give Sumi a Cutter but Sumi instead turned it into a School Boy slam to pin him out of nowhere and win the Arm Cover!
The decision to have Yuya Koroku face Shinya Aoki one on one made more sense when it was announced the two of them would be teaming up at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” to take on a NOAH team led by Tetsuya Endo. This single match was Koroku and Aoki going tit for tat against each other with the two impressing each other along the way. Koroku countered the European Clutch into a German Suplex and then went for the Triangle Lancer. But Aoki used his grappling knowledge to cradle his way out of the hold and pin Koroku for the victory.
In the dark match Rukiya took his first step of progress since coming back from injury by picking up the win for his team. Soma Takao wanted to teach Hinata Kasai how to get the crowd excited for the first match of the show but got more than he bargained for when Daichi Sato stepped in to face him. Rukiya was able to beat Kasai for the win but it took him using the Proto Bomb twice to get the pinfall after Kasai kicked out of it the first time.
DDT “KIRANAH BBQ ROJO PRO WRESTLING 2025 ~ MEAT! BEER! HARVEST FESTIVAL!~”, 17/09/2025 Tokyo Kiranah Garden Toyosu ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Falls Count Anywhere 6 Way Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada, Yuki Ueno & Kazuma Sumi and Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu when MAO pinned Sumi with the Cannonball 450 onto the Pool (4:57).
It was a busy evening at the BBQ site as DDT brought together six tag teams for a Falls Count Anywhere free for all. But first before the match could begin DDT held a press conference for the upcoming KO-D Openweight Title match. Kazuki Hirata was in attendance but staff told him that Yoshihiko was not in the area. A decision was made to delay the press conference until Yoshihiko showed up so everyone went ahead with doing the match.
Midway through the match during all of the chaos and brawling, Kazuki Hirata ended up being the last one standing. He wanted to dance in celebration but his music was cut off by the sudden arrival of Yoshihiko! The match was paused so the two of them could hold their press conference and sign the title match contract. Yoshihiko did not comment but Hirata told it to fully recover from its injuries and bulk up in size if it wants any chance of winning the KO-D Title. Then during the photo session, Yoshihiko attacked Hirata and gave him the Reincarnation onto a bunch of chairs. With that the match continued and everyone went back to brawling.
The fighting moved over to a pool area where Yukio Naya was pushed into the water by Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu. He then had both members of Team 200kg jump onto him to try and pin him in the water. Naya got his own back by throwing Kazuma Sumi onto everyone else in the pool. Danshoku Dieno grabbed Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada by their heads and made them give each other the Lip Lock while Team 200kg gave Yuya Koroku a Double Suplex into the water. MAO & KANON got their hands on Sumi and threw him onto an inflatable pool that was floating on the water. MAO then hit a Cannonball 450 into the pool to pin Sumi for the victory. The night ended with Hirata and Strange Love Connection all dancing together while everyone else enjoyed their remaining time at the BBQ.
Even though Naya and Yuki Ueno both went into the match carrying the remaining Right To Challenge Arm Covers, Hirata believed neither of them wanted to cash them in today because they have good manners.
DDT “KIRANAH BBQ ROJO PRO WRESTLING 2025 ~ MEAT! BEER! HARVEST FESTIVAL!~”, 17/09/2025 Tokyo Kiranah Garden Toyosu
1. Falls Count Anywhere 6 Way Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & Kazuma Sumi Vs Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu
There will be a contract signing for the next KO-D Openweight Title match taking place during the day. Also the two remaining Right To Challenge Arm Cover holders Yukio Naya and Yuki Ueno are in the match alongside Kazuki Hirata so the champion better watch out!
BASARA “BASARA 288 ~UTAGE~”, 17/09/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Takeru Inoue Vs Tomoki Hatano
2. Takato Nakano Vs Gouma Ryu
3. Ryota Nakatsu, Daichi Kazato & Guts Ishijima Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Masato Kamino & Tsutomu Oosugi
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Isami Kodaka & Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Ryuichi Sekine & FUMA Vs Daiki Shimomura & Lil’ Kraken
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Kengo Mashimo & Ayumu Honda (c) Vs SAGAT & Minoru Fujita
This is the match order for tomorrow’s BASARA show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS VI”, 20/09/2025 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Suzume & Ren Konatsu Vs Mei Suruga & Uta Takami
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Pokotan (c) Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku V Mahiro Kiryu Vs Shino Suzuki Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Kira Summer Vs Chika Nanase Vs Ram Kaichow
3. Aja Kong Vs HIMAWARI
4. Rika Tatsumi Vs Priscilla Kelly
5. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Yuki Arai Vs Haru Kazashiro & Toga
6. Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami Vs Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino
7. International Princess Title Match: Arisu Endo Vs Jada Stone
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miu Watanabe
There was an expectation from Tokyo Joshi Pro that someone will want to be added to the Battle Royal and their suspicion was proved correct. Ram Kaichow is entering the match and TJPW is also anticipating she will together a plan to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title before the match even begins, just like the last time she was here.
DDT “DRAMATIC INFINITY 2025 ~3 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 28/09/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Soma Takao & Rukiya Vs Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Diego
2. Survival 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Yuya Koroku
4. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Evil Uno & Danshoku Dieno
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Takeshi Masada
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs Yoshihiko
After the events of Monday, Hirata decided to nominate his “eternal rival” Yoshihiko as his mandatory KO-D Title challenger for the end of the month. Also added to the card is the DDT debut of Evil Uno from AEW. Is Danshoku Dieno a good fit for The Dark Order? Is Uno prepared for how hard Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA are going to hit him?
DDT “CHARISMANIAxMANIAxMANIA”, 02/10/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Hardcore Match: Jun Kasai Vs Hideki Okatani
2. TOGO FAMILY Vs DDT: Dick Togo, Yasu Urano, KUBITO & Diego Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno, HARASHIMA & Akito
3. Daisuke Sasaki 20th Anniversary Match: Daisuke Sasaki & El Desperado Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Antonio Honda
Even though Hideki Okatani’s birthday isn’t until November, Daisuke Sasaki got him an early present anyway. He’s going to fight Jun Kasai in a Hardcore Match!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 19/11/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Kaya Toribami Vs Toga
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Gabai Ji-chan
3. Mizuki & Yuki Aino Vs Raku & HIMAWARI
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuu & Yuki Kamifuku
We’re going to see Rika Tatsumi strangle an elderly man to death, aren’t we? Be nice around Gabai Ji-chan, Rika. He’s frail.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN SHINJUKU ~EXTRA TIME~”, 12/09/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Takeshi Masada with an Inside Cradle (8:52).
2. Akito, Soma Takao & Rukiya defeated Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida & Hinata Kasai when Akito pinned Ishida with a Modified Single Leg Cradle (8:40). *Akito wins Yuki Ishida’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
3. To-y, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi defeated Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul by Disqualification when Ilusion attacked the referee (9:09).
4. Our LariPro ’25: HARASHIMA, Keisuke Ishii & MAO defeated Yuki Ueno, Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Ishii pinned Matsunaga with a School Boy (9:48).
5. Yukio Naya 8th Anniversary ~ Special Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Iino & Jun Akiyama when Naya pinned Iino with La Magistral Cradle (11:59). *Yukio Naya wins Yuki Iino’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
6. Enter Sandman Match: Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata, Danshoku Dieno, Chris Brookes and KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Honda pinned Hirata (19:09).
Today was the day Kazuki Hirata needed to choose his first challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title. There is a scheduled title defence at Korakuen Hall set for 28th September and Hirata’s request to fight a weak opponent like Hisaya Imabayashi kept getting denied by the GM. Hirata also had the problem of three Right To Challenge Arm Covers being active, two of which were being held by wrestlers who want to cash them in as soon as possible. To deal with that Hirata today brought along a masked, muscular bodyguard to protect him. Fans watching assumed it was Ryoma Tsukamoto under the mask but he went to Twitter to deny it, although he agrees they could pass for twins given their identical body shape (he then went on to retweet a lot of photos of the bodyguard).
As the show progressed there were two Right To Challenge movements. Akito pinned Yuki Ishida in the second match to win his RTC Arm Cover. Then in the fifth match Yukio Naya pinned Yuki Iino to take that Arm Cover. So when Hirata took part in the main event, Akito entered the ring midway through wanting to cash in his title shot. However the bodyguard was there to physically stop him. Then Naya entered the ring and successfully fought off the bodyguard. But when he tried to cash in his shot, Danshoku Dieno interrupted him by giving him the Lip Lock and Hirata then shoved Naya’s face into Dieno’s rear end. Just when Hirata thought he was safe and sound, the lights went out and the music stopped. The lights then came back on to show Yoshihiko was suddenly in the ring and it attacked Hirata using the Reincarnation. Antonio Honda tried to rescue Hirata but Yoshihiko send him head first into Dieno’s Hell Gate, knocking him out. Honda then collapsed onto Hirata with Yoshihiko on top of both of them while the ref counted to three.
Honda was officially the winner but Hirata knew Yoshihiko was the enemy. He came to the conclusion that the most worthy opponent to fight him for the KO-D Title is not a human being. It is Yoshihiko! Imabayashi accepted the nomination and announced the title match for 28th September. Backstage Hirata told reporters he is now at six successful title defences and everyone quickly figured out he is counting every avoidance of a cash in as a successful defence. Hirata also told the bodyguard he will continue to pay him well so he is counting on his continued protection in the future.
Naya showed everyone that even after eight years of being a wrestler he is still learning new things. He used La Magistral Cradle for the first time and it worked in pinning Iino for the three count in their tag match. Naya got on the microphone afterwards and told fans he will become a strong wrestler who can compete on the level of Iino, Kazusada Higuchi and Jun Akiyama in the future. Backstage The Apex switched to talking about their next KO-D Tag Team Titles defence. Iino warned Naya not to let his guard down because they can lose to To-y & Yuya Koroku if their challengers do indeed show their true strength.
The whole point of “LariPro” matches is to throw Lariats so Yuki Ueno kept getting booed for using other moves. When Toru Owashi complained to him about it, Ueno got on the microphone and said he wasn’t going to do a boring match where everyone does the same move over and over. He stormed out of the ring while Owashi admitted he didn’t want to use Lariats either. So Owashi decided to wrestle like Mil Mascaras instead! The match turned into lucha libre and HARASHIMA even dragged Yukinori Matsui into the action. That was when Ueno returned dressed just like Riki Choshu! He threw Choshu-style Lariats at the other team until MAO stopped him using the Takeshita Line followed by the Buckshot Lariat. However despite all of the Lariats being thrown by everyone, the match instead ended when Keisuke Ishii pinned Tomomitsu Matsunaga with a School Boy.
A contact signing for Sunday’s DDT Extreme Title match took place and To-y revealed the match rules to Ilusion. It is called a “Stop The Annoying Streamers!! Unicast Death Match!” Both wrestlers will stream themselves on Wrestle Universe while the match goes on. In order to win you must either pin or submit your opponent on-camera or switch off their stream! The usual rules still apply for fouls and there will also be no countout. During the signing Ilusion read out a prepared statement apologising for his recent streamer behaviour while also asking To-y to admit that both sides are to blame. To-y got mad over Ilusion’s insincere apology and said he came up with these rules to punish him. However he also showed his lack of knowledge about live streaming, telling reports he just needs to press a button on his phone so even an idiot like him can do it. Then later in the show their match ended in a DQ when Ilusion attacked To-y and the referee with his streamer equipment. He also stole the Extreme Title belt to add insult to injury.
On paper the result of the opening match doesn’t look good for Takeshi Masada but he and also his opponent think differently. He lost to Shinya Aoki in what was supposed to be a warm up match for his DDT Universal Title shot later this month. However Aoki was able to counter Masada’s finishing move into an Inside Cradle to get the win out of nowhere. Aoki still praised Masada for having a strong desire to do his best. He is rooting for him because he doesn’t want to see Minoru Suzuki going around doing as he pleases. Masada also told reporters he gained something amazing from this match so Suzuki better watch out!
Daisuke Sasaki made an appearance to give everyone some updates over his health as well as the “CHARISMANIAxMANIAxMANIA” happening on 2nd October. First he said if his injury forced him to miss the show then the show would have been cancelled. Lucikly his ribs are currently at 90% health thanks to taking vitamins, doing muscle training and praying to God. That means his return to the ring will be at that show. He then told Hideki Okatani he has a very early birthday present for him. Okatani is going to face Jun Kasai in a Hardcore Match at the show!
DDT “EMERGENCY ROJO PRO WRESTLING FOR THE NARAHA TOWN IMMIGRATION AMBASSADOR IN NARAHA TOWN SUMMER FESTIVAL 2025”, 26/07/2025 Fukushima Naraha Town Tenjinmisaki Sports Park ??? Fans – Unannounced
Originally I was only going to write a little bit about GCW’s latest tour of Japan in my monthly DDT Around The World series because there was only a handful of DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro talent taking part and not even on every show. However plans changed when Masha Slamovich and Microman were both unable to travel to Japan, opening spots up for DDT and TJPW wrestlers to get booked for the shows on short notice. So since there was a lot more to write about, I had to put them in their own post.
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT SHINJUKU FACE”, 28/07/2025 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans
1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Alec Price & Jordan Oliver (c) defeated Effy & Dark Sheik when Price pinned Sheik after a Flapjack/Facecrusher Combo (11:48). *V12 for YDNP.
2. Drew Parker defeated Shotzi Blackheart with the Swanton Bomb (6:48).
3. Jeffrey John defeated Kikutaro with the Pedigree (10:06).
4. MAO defeated Atticus Cogar after a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb Combo with Drew Parker (12:38).
5. Kazusada Higuchi defeated 1 Called Manders with the Claw Slam (14:01).
6. GCW Ultraviolent Title: Matt Tremont (c) defeated Super Crazy with the Death Valley Driver onto a Table (12:07). *V16 for Matt Tremont.
GCW put together an inter-promotional champion versus champion match. 1 Called Manders was supposed to face Slamovich for the JCW World Title but that match was cancelled. Instead Manders brought along the wXw Unified World Wrestling Title to fight Kazusada Higuchi, the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion in a non-title bout. The two made sure to beat the hell out of each other including a moment at ringside where Higuchi Suplexed Manders onto the exposed floor. The damage done prevented Manders from doing a Gutwrench move later in the match, allowing Higuchi to take over with the Doctor Bomb. But Manders got right back up, Chopped Higuchi in the stomach and pulled off the Gutwrench Suplex on the next attempt. A back and forth series of Chops and Headbutts led to Higuchi reaching out for the Claw Hold but Manders bit his hand instead. A big Lariat from Manders got a two count but Higuchi rocked him back with his own Lariat and used the Claw Slam to get the win. After the match Manders offered to hand the KO-D Title back to Higuchi as a show of respect. Higuchi decided to do the same with the wXw Title.
Opposite attitudes clashed in the ring when MAO fought Atticus Cogar one on one. MAO came into the match wearing shades and a bright orange shirt for the summer while Cogar was all business with no time for dealing with his opponent’s nonsense. When MAO wiggled his way around a Waist Lock, Cogar pulled out his bundle of skewers. The ref took the skewers off him but Cogar pulled another bundle later in the match and threatened the ref when they were taken off him again. MAO ran in to try and stop Atticus but he missed a Big Boot and accidentally knocked the ref out instead! Cogar successfully jabbed MAO in the head with the skewers and then attack him with a chair. Then he suddenly pulled out a dart and was about to stab MAO with it when Drew Parker ran into the ring and stopped him. MAO and Parker then teamed up on Cogar, giving him a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb Combo. MAO was able to pin him while the revived ref counted to three.
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT TOKYO SQUARE”, 29/07/2025 TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi ??? Fans
1. Shota defeated Jeffrey John with a School Boy (8:17).
2. Hideyoshi Kamitani defeated 1 Called Manders with a Back Drop (11:29).
3. MAO, Alec Price & Jordan Oliver defeated Miyu Yamashita, Dark Sheik & Shotzi Blackheart when Price pinned Sheik after a Double Impaler DDT (15:19).
4. Atticus Cogar defeated Drew Parker with the Headlock Driver (8:32).
5. GCW World Title: Effy (c) defeated Abdullah Kobayashi with the Diving Sack Rider (14:34). *V25 for Effy.
6. GCW Ultraviolent Title: Matt Tremont (c) defeated Masashi Takeda with the Death Valley Driver into a box of Lighttubes (12:07). *V17 for Matt Tremont.
Slamovich’s absence meant Miyu Yamashita was called in to team with Dark Sheik & Shotzi Blackheart. As for their opponents, you already have Alec Price & Jordan Oliver as YDNP so add MAO to the mix and you get YDNPM (Young Dumb ‘N Price MAO)! Yamashita hit Price with the Skull Kick at one point but Price got one back on her by hitting a Rebound Lariat. MAO then took out Yamashita & Blackheart with a Quebrada outside the ring into the aisleway. YDNP then finished Sheik off with a Double Impaler DDT for the victory.
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT KORAKUEN HALL”, 30/07/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans
1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Alec Price & Jordan Oliver (c) defeated MAO & Rina Yamashita when Price pinned Yamashita after the Double Impaler DDT (?:??). *V13 for YDNP.
2. Atticus Cogar defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Headlock Driver (?:??).
3. Dark Sheik, Yoshihiko & Jeffrey John defeated Invisible Stan, Shota & Kikutaro when Sheik pinned Shota with the Diving Leg Drop (?:??).
4. Jun Akiyama defeated 1 Called Manders with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (?:??).
5. Maki Itoh defeated Shotzi Blackheart with a Crab Hold (12:29).
6. Chris Brookes defeated Drew Parker with two Praying Mantis Bombs (23:16).
7. GCW World Title: Effy (c) defeated Matt Tremont with the Diving Sack Rider onto the Chairs (21:34). *V26 for Effy.
One of the big matches of the finale in Korakuen Hall was Chris Brookes being in the ring again with Drew Parker. This was the first match together in over two years after Parker left Japan to return home. Parker was busted open early when they brawled up the aisleway and Brookes rammed a table into his face. Parker knocked Brookes onto the table then fought off Takeshi Masada who was there as a cornerman. He had Bunbun with him so Parker grabbed Bunbun, climbed the nearby entrance and did a Diving Body Press to Brookes through the table! Brookes later did a Diving Senton to Parker sending both of them crashing into a stack of plastic boxes in the ring. After a long hard fought battle Brookes started giving Parker different kinds of Piledrivers. There was a Tombstone, then a Snap Piledriver, then a top rope Praying Mantis Bomb. Parker kept kicking out though and tried to show whatever defiance he still had left in him. Brookes then gave him two more Praying Mantis Bombs and Parker was finally down for the three count. The two embraced after the match.
Maki Itoh took part in last year’s GCW tour with a hand injury so in a kind of funny turn of events she took on Shotzi Blackheart who was going through the same thing for this year’s tour. At one point during the match Itoh went into the crowd because she noticed Shoko Nakajima and Miu Watanabe sitting on the bleachers as spectators. Back in the ring there was a strike exchange with Itoh no selling strikes to the head while Blackheart no sold Low Blows. When Blackheart got the upper hand, Itoh pulled out a pizza cutter and attacked her with it. Blackheart went for a Running Knee Strike but Itoh rolled her over into a Crab Hold, increasing the pressure until Blackheart gave up.
If anyone had a hard hitting three days of wrestling it was Manders. His third and final singles match of a tour was a dream come true for him because he got to fight Jun Akiyama. Much like the Higuchi match, both men hit and slammed each other as hard as they could until one reached their limit. That happened when Akiyama gave Manders the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex. Manders gave Akiyama the horns up hand sign after the match and Akiyama replied in kind.
Throughout the tour a grudge developed between Jeffrey John and Kikutaro. It led to Kikutaro costing John a match against Shota and then brought Dark Sheik into the picture to even the playing field. Kikutaro was meant to fight Dark Sheik & Yoshihiko on this show with Microman as his partner. Plans changed so he decided to call in the big guns and invite Invisible Stan to team with him and Shota! Stan’s biggest impact in the match was to do the Korakuen balcony dive onto everyone down below! Back in the ring John landed a Plancha to Kikutaro, Yoshihiko gave Shota a Tornado DDT and Sheik then pinned him with the Diving Leg Drop.
The match Yamashita was scheduled to take part in was a singles bout with Atticus Cogar. Nowadays whenever Yamashita takes part in GCW she gets more and more into the wilder wrestling style of the company compared to TJPW. The same was seen here when she briefly stopped Cogar from using a chair by kicking it apart! The frame was still in one piece so it remained to be used as a weapon by both. Cogar pulled out the skewers but it was Yamashita who jabbed them into his head rather than the other way around! However Cogar recovered and gave her the Air Raid Crash. Yamashita kicked out of it but Cogar immediately rolled it into the Headlock Driver to win the match.
MAO and YDNP became opponents for the final show of the tour. The opening match was a GCW Tag Team Titles bout with MAO joining up with Rina Yamashita as Slamovich’s replacement to challenge the champions. They came close to winning when MAO hit a Frog Splash and Yamashita did a Diving Body Press on Price but Oliver made it in time to break the pin. MAO ran up the corner to do a Jumping Cutter but Price cut him off in midair with a Super Kick. With MAO out of the picture, YDNP were then able to beat Yamashita with the Double Impaler DDT.
The Texas tour is just a sweet memory now and it’s one that will be looked back on fondly. Unless the financial details say otherwise it has to be seen as a resounding success. One that could open some eyes around the industry. Tokyo Joshi Pro being the first ones in joshi to find a way to break into the American market even a little bit should highlight the audience that’s out there. It’s the nerd crowd, the otaku crowd, the anime crowd, whatever you want to call them. I always thought it would be a slam dunk for Bushiroad to strike up a deal with Crunchyroll to localize the weekly episodes of “We Are STARDOM!!” for their streaming service. The sudden explosion of global popularity for Uma Musume last month had me gesturing wildly thinking CyberFight should go talk to Cygames and do something. Then I was told such an idea is completely off the table, at least in regards to crossing over with that franchise in particular. I’m just saying maybe Wrestle Angels or Ring☆Dream can come back to life as a licensed product.
The rest of the summer feels like it will be a calm one for this series. Konosuke Takeshita is busy with the G1 Climax in Japan and the whispers have been unusually loud this time around suggesting that he is going to play a big role for the rest of New Japan’s year. I wonder where that’s coming from (Rocky Romero I am looking in your direction). Maki Itoh won’t be travelling back to America after all and I’m hoping there isn’t anything to worry about regarding that. The few bookings we know about happening in the next month or two mostly surround the Asian wrestling scene.
One more note, I was originally going to write about the GCW Japan tour in this post which is why the partial results are included at the end. However the shows wound up featuring a lot more DDT and TJPW talent than planned because some of the GCW wrestlers were unable to travel. So I will write a separate, more detailed post over the weekend covering those shows then linked them back here.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 02/07/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Heroes Vs Villains: Bandido, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Nicolas Jackson & Matthew Jackson
Video starts at 2:02:42 for the match JCW “BORN (ALMOST) ON THE FOURTH OF JULY”, 06/07/2025 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Billie Starkz & Miyu Yamashita Vs Lena Cross & Megan Bayne
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 09/07/2025 Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas, USA
1. Bandido & Brody King Vs Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 11/07/2025 Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. Interim ROH Women’s World TV Title – Worldwide Wild Card 4 Way: Miyu Yamashita Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Persephone Vs Mina Shirakawa
2. ROH World Title: Bandido (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “ALL IN TEXAS”, 12/07/2025 Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match: Mark Briscoe Vs MJF Vs Ricochet Vs Bandido Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mistico Vs Josh Alexander Vs Anthony Bowens Vs Roderick Strong Vs Brody King Vs Juice Robinson Vs Kota Ibushi Vs Beast Mortos Vs Max Caster
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Results
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 02/07/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. Heroes Vs Villains: Konosuke Takeshita, Nicolas Jackson & Matthew Jackson defeated Bandido, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly when Takeshita pinned O’Reilly with the Raging Fire (11:53).
Takeshita has done a sponsored match or two during his time in DDT so him being part of a match to promote the new Superman movie isn’t out of the ordinary for him. Having Roderick Strong use him as a Backbreaker device for Matthew Jackson though? That is out of the ordinary. His main target was Bandido so once Strong and Kyle O’Reilly were taken care of by The Young Bucks, Bandido was in a lot of trouble. He was caught by Takeshita and held in place for Nicholas Jackson to be launched into the air and then spike him down with Takeshita’s Bastard Driver. The Paragon pair came to the rescue and fought off the Bucks but O’Reilly was weakened with Super Kicks and knocked out by Takeshita’s Elbow Strike. More damage was done with an Powerdrive Knee/EVP Trigger combo and Takeshita then pinned him with the Raging Fire.
BZW “LES JEUX SONT FAITS”, 05/07/2025 Casino Barrière de Lille, Lille, France
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Danny Black & Joe Lando when MAO pinned Black with the Cannonball 450 (?:??). *V6 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
It looks like no one in Europe can stop the combined powers of MAO & Yoshihiko, not even two Close Personal Friends. Yoshihiko went into the match already bandaged up to cover a head wound and took a heavy beating late in the match when Danny Black & Joe Lando put the boots to it. The damage looked to be too much and Yoshihiko had to be carried to the back due to injury concerns. However it reappeared up in the rafters above the ring and did a huge dive onto CPF below! Yoshihiko then went crazy doing Infinite Destroyers to both Black & Lando but the challengers got a second wind and both went to the top rope for one last big chance. But Yoshihiko leapt right up to them and did a Double Hurricanrana. MAO then did the Cannonball 450 out of nowhere onto Black while Yoshihiko held back Lando during the pinfall. With that result MAO & Yoshihiko remain the BZW Tag Team Champions.
GCW “THE TOP PLAY”, 05/07/2025 The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
1. Alec Price, Jordan Oliver & Marcus Mathers defeated Miyu Yamashita, Megan Bayne & Billie Starkz when Price pinned Starkz after an Inverted Razor’s Edge from Oliver (18:54).
Miyu Yamashita’s final weekend with GCW before returning to TJPW turned into a memorable one. She was part of a barnburner of a 6-Person Tag match that was getting recommended outside of the usual accounts that GCW would retweet just because they say nice things about the show. This was actually a great match! Billie Starkz and Jordan Oliver tried pinning each other with a back and forth Sunset Flip spot with Yamashita and Alec Price standing on opposite sides to kick them into the alternating pins. They then knocked each other down with stereo High Kicks. With Starkz & Yamashita busy against YDNP, that left Marcus Mathers and Megan Bayne to fight each other. Bayne countered a Tombstone into a Tombstone Destroyer but that would be her team’s last big move. YDNP took over from there, wiping everyone out with high risk moves. It ended with Price giving Bayne the 720 DDT, Mathers hitting the 450 Splash on Yamashita and Oliver dropped Starks from the turnbuckle to the middle of the ring with an Inverted Razor’s Edge.
JCW “BORN (ALMOST) ON THE FOURTH OF JULY”, 06/07/2025 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Billie Starkz & Miyu Yamashita defeated Lena Cross & Megan Bayne when Starkz pinned Cross with the Swanton Bomb (12:37).
It’s a shame that Starkz & Yamashita never got the chance to fight for the GCW Tag Team Titles but at least they got a win as a team under their belts. Bayne was on the opposite side for this match, teaming with Lena Kross, an Australian wrestler who very recently has become a free agent to watch out for. Yamashita knocked down Kross with the Skull Kick and Starkz took out Bayne with a Hurricanrana followed by a Suicide Dive. With nowhere to go, Kross was given the Attitude Adjustment by Yamashita and was then pinned with the Swanton Bomb by Starkz.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 09/07/2025 Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas, USA
1. Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Bandido & Brody King when Takeshita pinned Bandido with the Raging Fire (13:19).
The go home match before Bandido and Takeshita’s big title fight was another successful showing for Protoshita. As usual Brody King turned out to be a troublesome opponent to deal with. That’s until he charged right into a security barrier at ringside and Kyle Fletcher then Big Booted him into the front row. Bandido used Takeshita’s momentum to do a top rope Moonsault onto Fletcher outside. However his big dive back into the ring was met with an Elbow Strike by Takeshita followed by the Raging Fire.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON NIGHT 1 PRESENTED BY NEXTSHARK & QUERI”, 10/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA 415 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Miu Watanabe defeated Wakana Uehara with the Canadian Backbreaker (7:24).
2. Yuki Arai defeated Kaylia Capri with the Scorpion Death Lock (7:35).
3. 3 Way Match: Vert Vixen defeated Yuki Kamifuku and Raku when Vixen pinned Raku with the Blue Thunder Bomb (7:08).
4. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki when Suzume pinned Suzuki with the Ring A Bell (8:28).
5. Special Single Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Maki Itoh with the Skull Kick (14:00).
6. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Mizuki & Pom Harajuku when Misao pinned Harajuku with the I Am A Hero (11:39).
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 11/07/2025 Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. Interim ROH Women’s World TV Title – Worldwide Wild Card 4 Way: Mina Shirakawa defeated Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki and Persephone when Shirakawa submitted Yamashita with the Figure 4 Leg Lock (13:47). *Mina Shirakawa becomes the Interim ROH Women’s World TV Champion!
2. ROH World Title: Bandido (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with an Inside Cradle (29:25). *V3 for Bandido.
Match of the weekend? I’d argue so. After weeks of preview tag matches it was finally time for Bandido and Takeshita to fight tooth and nail over the ROH World Title. They did not disappoint. Takeshita thought he had it by setting up the Raging Fire that he used to pin Bandido just a few days earlier but this time Bandido countered it into a Small Package to get the three count and remain champion. I’ll take those five and 3/4 stars if nobody else wants them, thank you very much!
Welcome back 2019 TJPW it’s like you never left. There’s always something convoluted going on with a championship in Tony Khan’s universe. This time it surrounds the ROH Women’s World TV Title. The champion Red Velvet was not cleared to wrestle at the PPV so Khan decided to book a Worldwide 4 Way Match to crown an interim champion. And by worldwide he means three Japanese women and Persephone from Texas. Oh and those three Japanese women happen to be Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa who all have history with each other from TJPW. I even had to go back and check if Persephone appeared on a “TJPW INSPIRATION” show in the past (she hasn’t). It all turned out to be Shirakawa’s big night in the end. She gave Yamashita a rare submission loss by making her tap out to the Figure 4 Leg Lock. She’s now the Interim ROH Women’s TV Champion and will no doubt have a unification match with Red Velvet down the line. Ok, maybe there’s some doubt. These things are often an avoidable mess that are somehow made unavoidable.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON NIGHT 2 PRESENTED BY NEXTSHARK & QUERI”, 11/07/2025 POST, Houston, Texas, USA 415 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Wakana Uehara defeated Shino Suzuki with the Banana Pillow (6:44).
2. Arisu Endo defeated Kaylia Capri with the Ju no Okite (7:35).
3. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Pom Harajuku with the Famouser (5:31).
4. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Miu Watanabe & Vert Vixen when Nakajima pinned Watanabe with the Locomotion Northern Lights Suplex (11:39).
5. Maki Itoh defeated Raku with the Itoh Deluxe (8:23).
6. Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto defeated Mizuki & Suzume when Miyamoto pinned Suzume with the Korokan (14:03).
AEW “ALL IN TEXAS”, 12/07/2025 Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas, USA
1. Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match: MJF defeated Roderick Strong after the Jay Driller from Mark Briscoe (34:52). Order Of Entries: Mark Briscoe, MJF, Ricochet, Bandido, Konosuke Takeshita, Mistico, Josh Alexander, Anthony Bowens, Roderick Strong, Brody King, Juice Robinson, Kota Ibushi, Beast Mortos and Max Caster
The last AEW thing Takeshita did before travelling off to the G1 was appear in the Casino Gauntlet match at “ALL IN TEXAS”. He entered right after Bandido so they continued where they left off from the night before. Then when Josh Alexander entered the match he and Takeshita pretty much annihilated Ricochet with a Doomsday Knee Strike. Kota Ibushi also showed up as a late entry which was nice of him. Neither he nor Takeshita were part of the finish though so they both left the match empty handed.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS PRESENTED BY NEXTSHARK & QUERI”, 13/07/2025 The OC, Forney, Texas, USA 2,540 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara when Suzume pinned Uehara with the Ring A Bell (10:24).
2. Moka Miyamoto defeated Alejandra Quintanilla with the Korokan (5:52).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Hyper Misao & Shino Suzuki when Raku pinned Suzuki with the Doctor Yellow (10:43).
4. Yuki Arai defeated Maya World with the Finally (7:04).
5. Miu Watanabe defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Tear Drop (16:12).
6. Yuka Sakazaki & Billie Starkz defeated Miyu Yamashita & Vert Vixen when Sakazaki pinned Vixen with an Oklahoma Roll (20:36).
7. Special Single Match: Mizuki defeated Maki Itoh with the Cutie Special (17:13).
SETUP “UNDER PRESSURE”, 26/07/2025 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Title – 3 Way Match: Jonathan Johnson (c) defeated Chris Brookes and Andruew Tang when Johnson pinned Tang with the Swanton Bomb (?:??). *V1 for Jonathan Johnson.
There’s some new alliances being made over in Thailand. Chris Brookes went over to take part in a 3 Way Match for the IWA Japan SETUP World Title. However he failed to win the match and was left out in the cold while Jonathan Johnson pinned Andruew Tang to retain his championship. It was the aftermath that became newsworthy when Tang’s group Real Global Threat arrived to attack the SETUP roster (Ram Kaichow included among them)! Together Brookes and RGT beat Johnson to a bloody pulp and ended the show threatening to take over the company.
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT SHINJUKU FACE”, 28/07/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. MAO defeated Atticus Cogar after a Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb Combo with Drew Parker (12:38).
2. Kazusada Higuchi defeated 1 Called Manders with the Claw Slam (14:01).
GCW “GCW JAPAN 2025 AT KORAKUEN HALL”, 30/07/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. GCW Tag Team Titles: Alec Price & Jordan Oliver (c) defeated MAO & Rina Yamashita when Price pinned Yamashita after the Double Impaler DDT (?:??). *V13 for YDNP.
2. Atticus Cogar defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Headlock Driver (?:??).
3. Dark Sheik, Yoshihiko & Jeffrey John defeated Invisible Stan, Shota & Kikutaro when Sheik pinned Shota with the Diving Leg Drop (?:??).
4. Jun Akiyama defeated 1 Called Manders with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex (?:??).
5. Maki Itoh defeated Shotzi Blackheart with a Crab Hold (12:29).
6. Chris Brookes defeated Drew Parker with two Praying Mantis Bombs (23:16).
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 22/08/2025 The Social House, Makati, Philippines
1. Fabio Makisig Vs El Katipunero
2. 3 Way Match: Nigel San Jose Vs Saint John Martin Vs Danny Zamora
3. International Dream Match: Crystal & Robin Sane Vs Patricia Ligaia & Dr. Gore
4. International Dream Match: Jake De Leon & Isaiah Valencia Vs Chris Bookes & Takeshi Masada
The full Baka Gaijin + Friends card for their show in the Philippines squeezes itself in here just in time.
DXCN “PEKSMAN”, 24/08/2025 Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines
1. Kiss Of Death Match: Jake De Leon Vs Takeshi Masada
2. International Dream Match: Robin Sane Vs Chris Brookes
There is a meet and greet event happening on the second day of Dexcon’s tripleheader weekend with matches scheduled to take place on them but I haven’t seen any that will involve Chris Brookes or Takeshi Masada yet.
APAC “SLAMFEST 2025”, 30/08/2025 Stadium Juara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1. APAC Women’s Title No. 1 Contender Fatal 4 Way: Crystal Vs Kira Summer Vs Tarlee Vs Mio Shirai
Here we go, Kira Summer gets to wrestle outside of Japan as a TJPW fighter for the first time! She’s heading to APAC in Malaysia to compete for a shot at their Women’s Championship. However she’s not the only Australian taking part because Tarlee is one of other wrestlers involved. Mio Shirai is travelling over from Japan too as one of the competitors. Crystal is a former APAC Women’s Champion and I think the only one of the four who has previously wrestled in the promotion.
MLW “FIGHTLAND”, 13/09/2025 Nytex Sports Centre, Dallas, Texas, USA
1. Shoko Nakajima Vs X
The next time Shoko Nakajima rampages her way back to MLW will be in September. No mention yet on if she will be defending the MLW Women’s Featherweight Title but given how things are going over there Shotzi Blackheart will eventually be built up as a challenger unless her arm injury delays things.
VGM “TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING CHINA TOUR”, 18/10/2025 Nanxiatang Cultural and Creative Park, Liangxi, Wuxi, China
1. HIMAWARI Vs X
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs X
For the third year in a row TJPW is working with a group called Fight VGM Fight to bring their talent over to China. All of the previous times TJPW sponsored matches have taken place in the country were done thanks to this relationship. Rika Tatsumi and HIMAWARI will be the next pair of wrestlers to go wrestle over there.
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Cancelled Appearances
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 1”, 23/08/2025 Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 2”, 24/08/2025 Showboat Hotel Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
So Maki Itoh’s next tour of America has been cancelled with no reason given for why. I bet TJPW wished they would have known that in hindsight so they could have factored her into their plans for the Tokyo Princess Cup this year but those are the breaks I guess. The only bookings I found for this go around were the two GCW shows happening the same weekend as the Princess Cup final. She still wrestled on their Japan tour and GCW quietly deal with cancelled bookings all the time so there’s no trouble happening there. Could this have been visa related?
DDT “EMERGENCY ROJO PRO WRESTLING FOR THE NARAHA TOWN IMMIGRATION AMBASSADOR IN NARAHA TOWN SUMMER FESTIVAL 2025”, 26/07/2025 Fukushima Naraha Town Tenjinmisaki Sports Park ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuki Ishida & Yoshihiko (w/ Yuzutaro) when To-y pinned Ishida after the Blue Sky MADMAX onto the Table (28:52).
As the show name suggests, DDT put together a last minute Falls Count Anywhere match in Naraha Town for the area’s summer festival. To-y is an ambassador for the area involved in a project that encourages people to relocate to the town. DDT often helps him out by providing a Falls Count Anywhere Match at one of the local attractions. Today was at a sports park where most of the match took place near the children’s playground. The town mascot Yuzutaro appeared during the match but opted to support Takeshi Masada, Yuki Ishida & Yoshihiko instead of To-y & Yuki Ueno. However The 37KAMIINA were able to win with the hometown boy scoring the pinfall.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 