TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 6TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 31/01/2026 Shinjuku FACE
1. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs Shino Suzuki
2. HIMAWARI Vs Shion Kanzaki
3. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yuki Arai, Mifu Ashida & Kaya Toribami
4. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & Ren Konatsu Vs Miyu Yamashita, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
5. MIRAI & Sara Phoenix Vs Toga & Chika Nanase
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Mizuki & Uta Takami
Four teams are left in the Max Heart Tournament. Can Pompaler reach the final again for a second year in a row or will Ober Eats become the first reigning Princess Tag Team Champions to make it to the last two. Daisy Monkey are still on path to becoming the first two time winners but the wild card team of Mizuki & Uta Takami can continue to throw things off course.
MIRAI will make her first appearance back in Tokyo Joshi Pro since winning the International Princess Title. She and Toga will be gearing up for their title match next month with Sara Phoenix and Chika Nanase joining in the fun.
DDT “NEXT STEP GAME 2026”, 04/02/2026 Shinjuku FACE
1. Jun Akiyama & Danshoku Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Akito, Junta Miyawaki & Yuki Ishida
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & Rukiya Vs MAO, KANON & Yukio Naya
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – B Block: Yuya Koroku (4) Vs Hinata Kasai (0)
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – B Block: Takeshi Masada (2) Vs Yuni (2)
6. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: Daichi Sato (4) Vs Kazuma Sumi (2)
7. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: To-y (3) Vs Ilusion (0)
A big shift is happening in DDT now that The Apex has joined Strange Love Connection, turning SLC from a tag team into a growing unit. The change it has for this show isn’t as big though. It’s just Yukio Naya and Rukiya swapping teams now that Naya calls MAO & KANON his allies.
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 5 ~THE ONLY SAUNA IN THE WORLD~”, 14/02/2026 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs To-y
The main event of The 37KAMIINA’s annual Valentine’s Day show has been announced. To-y is going to fight Minoru Suzuki! To-y is probably going to get murdered by Suzuki too.
Both Yuki Ueno and MAO will be wrestling on the show. Also Shunma Katsumata will be there taking on several roles from show producer to ring announcer to Sauna Health Advisor.
DDT “REMBRANDT HIGHWAY SERIES 2026 ~AYU COLISEUM IN ATSUGI~”, 15/02/2026 Kanagawa Rembrandt Hotel Atsugi Grand Banquet Sagami
1. Kazuki Hirata Vs Rukiya
2. Naomi Yoshimura & Yuni Vs Hideki Okatani & Ilusion
3. To-y, Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ishida, Kazuma Sumi & Hinata Kasai
4. MAO, KANON & Yukio Naya (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Akito, Junta Miyawaki & Daichi Sato
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Jun Akiyama Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
6. O-40 Title – 4 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
The grand plan to create a DDT Triple Crown didn’t work out for Daisuke Sasaki but he is now a double champion. His first defence for the DDT Universal Title hasn’t been decided yet but if it was up to him it would be against Ueno. Instead he has to go defend the O-40 Title in a 4 Way Match against HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno and Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Given what pro wrestling is like nowadays I doubt this is the oldest lineup a 4 Way Match has ever had.
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. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & X (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito
3. Kaisei Takechi 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kaisei Takechi
SLC have even more members coming to join the team. MAO was already planning to reveal their new stablemate before The Apex offered to join them. I think Kazuma Sumi would be the perfect choice given that he already fits in with MAO & KANON from previous tag matches and he has a little bit of history teaming up with The Apex as well.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 28: BIG BEAT FROM BADSVILLE”, 24/02/2026 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Yuta Oya
Chris Brookes was feeling down over his recent championship defeats but a brand new opponent emerging in Baka Gaijin + Friends has cheered him up. Yuta Oya is from Sportiva Entertainment and only debuted in July 2024 which made headlines because he is blind. He had cancer as a child that resulted in his right eye being removed and radiation therapy being needed to save his left eye. He had taken up judo in school and wanted to become a pro wrestler but had to give up that dream when he eventually lost sight in his left eye and became fully blind. He was then diagnosed with bladder cancer in his early 30s which made him want to become a pro wrestler to teach his son you need the determination to never give up while pursuing what you love.
Also making their Baka Gaijin debut next month is Miyu Yamashita! She has teamed up with Antonio Honda before, the most important time being the match against Kenny Omega & Riho at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019”. This will be the first time Yamashita and Honda will be opponents.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs KANON
The DDT 29th Anniversary main event has been set. Yuki Ueno defends the KO-D Openweight Title against KANON in a match that has more history behind it than it looks on the surface. When KANON joined DDT in 2022 his first loss in the company was to Ueno in that year’s King Of DDT tournament. KANON wants to get revenge on that loss while also taking the company’s top prize as somebody who has grown to love DDT. Ueno remembers that match and he also remembers all of the times KANON tried to hurt him as a member of DAMNATION T.A. Will the build up to this match result in fresh bad blood between them or will cooler heads prevail to focus on the big prize?
Meanwhile Kazuki Hirata is getting the biggest opponent DDT can throw at him and he doesn’t like it. Can he pull off an even bigger miracle than winning the KO-D Title last year by beating Konosuke Takeshita all by himself? I mean if Yota Tsuji can do it then Hirata certainly can. Right?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’26”, 29/03/2026 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Hyper Misao & Super Sasadango Machine
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Yuki Arai
Look, even Super Sasadango Machine is surprised that the mystery team isn’t Shingo Takagi & Natsupoi. Instead Sasadango is being dragged into the match by Hyper Misao because she thinks a pairing as incomprehensible as them is what it will take to beat Yuka Sakazaki & Takeshita. Also Misao wants to get contracts from DDT, TJPW, AEW and New Japan all at the same time. She thinks winning this match will help her achieve that goal.
Natsume Nakayama from OCHA NORMA will be at the show as a special guest commentator. She does not seem to be the celebrity wrestler that Tetsuya Koda has been tasked with finding to be a big draw for the show.
NJPW “SANSEI R&D PRESENTS WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 IN TOKYO DOME – HIROSHI TANAHASHI RETIREMENT”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Dome 46,913 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) defeated Chris Brookes with the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 (11:48). *V6 for El Phantasmo.
1. NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Tornado Rambo: Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson defeated Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Oleg Boltin when Sabre pinned Boltin with the European Clutch (20:43). Order Of Elimination: Yuto-Ice/OSKAR/Clark Conners, Tiger Mask/Togi Makabe/Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomohiro Ishii/Taichi/Satoshi Kojima and Shota Umino/Yuya Uemura/Kaisei Takechi, Toru Yano/YOH/Master Wato (c), Ren Narita/SANADA/Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Hirooki Goto/YOSHI-HASHI/Oleg Boltin. *Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato fail in V4. TMDK become the 32nd NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. IWGP World Heavyweight Title & IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: Yota Tsuji (c/g) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/w) with a Crab Hold (29:20). *V2 for Yota Tsuji. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA fails in V2. Yota Tsuji becomes the 15th IWGP World Heavyweight Champion!
It was all set up for DDT to hijack one of the biggest wrestling events to happen in years but in the end it was all dashed away. Oh well at least New Japan made all of the right moves to help take care of their own problems. On the day that Hiroshi Tanahashi ended his legendary wrestling career, Konosuke Takeshita was there in the semi-final of the Tokyo Dome taking part in a double championship match against Yota Tsuji. Takeshita was putting the IWGP World Heavyweight Title on the line while Tsuji was defending the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. Instead of wearing the “blessed” kneepad from yesterday’s DDT show, Takeshita had a different costume on that included a red bandana wrapped around his arm. It was later confirmed to belong to Shinsuke Nakamura who couldn’t be there on the night. The grand battle came down to Takeshita and Tsuji charging into each other, Wagamama versus Gene Blaster. The Gene Blast won out but rather than go for the pin, Tsuji instead put Takeshita in the Crab Hold to make him tap out! Takeshita admitted defeat afterwards but knows he can get stronger and climb higher. According to him, this is just the beginning.
Kaisei Takechi’s appearance in the Tornado Rambo match turned out to be rather pointless. He got to make a big entrance along with the rest of THE RAMPAGE with a live performance of the song “BREAK IT DOWN”. However the rules of the match resulted in his team’s elimination happening in a rather uneventful manner. Yuya Uemura and Taichi eliminated each other double Battle Royal style, meaning both of their teams were taken out of the match too. It wasn’t really a good showcase for Takechi, Uemura or Shota Umino in anyway outside of THE RAMPAGE entrance. Takechi wants to team up with the others again because he regrets how little they did in the match. Then maybe after that he could fight against them too.
The pre-show match allowed Chris Brookes to bring some SCHADENFREUDE International energy into the Tokyo Dome. With the likes of Antonio Honda, Baliyan Akki, Munetatsu Nakamura and Bunbun on his side, Brookes got to pull out the rubber band spot that stretched all the way up the Tokyo Dome entrance ramp. El Phantasmo had too much fight in him though and he kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes kicked out of the CRIII but ELP quickly hit him with the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 to successfully defend the NJPW World TV Title. Backstage ELP talked about how a decade ago Brookes was one of the few wrestlers to give him a hand while he was touring the UK and that always meant a lot to him. He also talked about how the health scare Brookes had last year is what led to him finding out about his own cancer diagnosis months later. For that he will be forever greatful to Brookes. He also predicts 2026 is going to be a crazy year for pro wrestling in Japan and today they got to give everyone a taste of what it could be like.
NJPW “HIROSHI TANAHASHI ~ FINAL HOMECOMING”, 02/11/2025 Gifu Memorial Center Deai Dome 3,742 Fans – No Vacancy
8. IWGP World Heavyweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated Hirooki Goto with the Raging Fire (24:20). *V1 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.
Last weekend Konosuke Takeshita recorded his first successful defence of the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, beating former champion Hirooki Goto in a rematch from the 2024 G1 Climax. For Goto it was his chance to reclaim the title he lost earlier this year when he physically reached his limit. Now back from an injury (and from filming a Street Fighter movie where played the role of as E. Honda), Goto stepped up to be Takeshita’s first challenger. Takeshita wound up blocking the Goto Revolution, knocked him back with the big Elbow Strike, stunned Goto with the Wagamama and pinned him with the Raging Fire for the win.
NJPW “SANSEI R&D PRESENTS WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 IN TOKYO DOME – HIROSHI TANAHASHI RETIREMENT”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Dome
1. IWGP World Heavyweight Title & IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/w) Vs Yota Tsuji (c/g)
Takeshita’s path to the Tokyo Dome for 4th January is now clear. All he needed next was a challenger. Yota Tsuji answered the call carrying a championship of his own. He challenged Takeshita to a double title match with the IWGP World Title and IWGP Global Heavyweight Title both on the line. For both men the match is the final destination for their respective journeys all happening under the retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Let’s make this a quick one because the end of this year felt like a safe landing after a long flight. Konosuke Takeshita was building up two separate challengers, one in AEW and one in New Japan. The DDT Universal Title was spotted over in Canada. January sees the international schedules heating up again with matches going on in North America, Southeast Asia and Europe. Then in February South America gets to join in the fun. That’s enough of the introductions, here is what happened in December.
1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) Vs Sidney Akeem
AEW “RAMPAGE – HOLIDAY BASH”, 20/12/2024 Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA
1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Mark Davis Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage
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Results
AEW “RAMPAGE – WINTER IS COMING”, 11/12/2024 (Aired 13/12/2024) T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
1. Mark Davis & Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Lance Archer when Hobbs pinned Archer with the Spinebuster (12:00).
In December Takeshita was getting ready to deal with upcoming challengers from two fronts. In AEW it was starting to look like Powerhouse Hobbs was going to be the next person he would defend the AEW International Title again. They met in a tag match but Takeshita was taken out of the ring by Mark Davis. Hobbs instead switched his attention over to Lance Archer and he pinned him with the Spinebuster. Takeshita tried to attack Hobbs after the match but he too was given the Spinebuster and Hobbs then posed with his title.
NJPW “STRONG STYLE EVOLVED”, 15/12/2024 Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California, USA
1. Special Tag Team Grudge Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jack Perry defeated Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji when Perry pinned Tsuji with the Glass Jaw (17:44).
Takeshita had to change his focus over to another challenger over in New Japan because Shingo Takagi also has him in his sights. They clashed in a tag match that also mixed in Yota Tsuji as Takagi’s partner and Jack Perry as Takeshita’s. That caused most of the focus to be on Tsuji Vs Perry which led to a ref bump. Perry gave Tsuji a Low Blow and then hit the Glass Jaw knee strike to get the victory for his team.
AEW “RAMPAGE – HOLIDAY BASH”, 18/12/2024 (Aired 20/12/2024) Entertainment & Sports Arena, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita & Brian Cage defeated Powerhouse Hobbs & Mark Davis when Takeshita pinned Davis with the Raging Fire (12:27).
This here is Takeshita’s final match on “RAMPAGE” because that show is now coming to an end. He faced off against Hobbs & Davis again but this time had Brian Cage as his tag partner. Cage was able to keep Hobbs at bay so Takeshita could beat Davis with the Powerdrive Knee followed by the Raging Fire. That was it for the warm up matches. The next time Takeshita and Hobbs would meet was on PPV for the title match!
1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) defeated Sidney Akeem with an Avalanche Inverted Angle Slam (?:??). *V1 for Gringo Loco.
For the last month the DDT Universal Title has been following around Gringo Loco. He’s brought it with him to many of his different bookings but DDT only gave him permission for one title defence. It happened in Canada for Demand Lucha and Loco’s opponent was Sidney Akeem, the former WWE wrestler who has been doing pretty good on the indies lately particularly with GCW. Given who was involved there were plenty of big moves hit throughout the match. Akeem did a 360 Twirling Double Knee Drop from the top rope as well as multiple cartwheels that led into a Cutter. Loco would have lost to that if he hadn’t reached his arm out for a rope break. The two fought there way up to the top rope once more where Loco gave Akeem an Inverted Olympic Slam to the canvas to get the three count.
AEW “WORLDS END”, 28/12/2024 T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Powerhouse Hobbs with the Raging Fire (16:30). *V4 for Konosuke Takeshita.
Takeshita’s final match of the year saw him defeat Hobbs to remain as the International Champion. The match got plenty of “Meat!” chants and also a “Please Be Careful” chant when the two fell off the top rope for a botched Superplex spot. Hobbs used the Spinebuster to counter the Powerdrive Knee for a nearfall. But damage accumulated to his knee over time slowed Hobbs down and he had to pause himself in order to take off his knee brace. Takeshita capitalized on the injury and take over the match. He kept up the attack until he pinned Hobbs with the Raging Fire. And with that done it is now onto the Tokyo Dome for Takeshita!
GCW “TAKE CARE”, 28/12/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) defeated Rich Swann with the Avalanche Base Bomb (14:20). *V2 for Gringo Loco.
Loco squeezed in a second Universal Title defence before the end of the year although nobody at the time seemed to be aware of it. His match against Rich Swann at GCW was never announced in the venue or on commentary as a title match (although GCW commentary not being aware of what’s going on half the time is a bad habit of theirs) and DDT has only said Loco has two successful defences under his belt without saying which matches they are (which is why I do these reports to keep track of everything myself). I had to go the title history page on Shukan Puroresu’s site to find out that this match is the one considered to be Loco’s second title defence.
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Upcoming Appearances
NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan
1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: Shingo Takagi (N/c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c)
The inter-promotional match between Takagi and Takeshita is now confirmed to be for both the NEVER Openweight Title and the AEW International Title! They only showed a small amount of what they are capable of at Walter Pyramid so what are they going to pull off in the Tokyo Dome?
NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan
1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: Shingo Takagi or KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) Vs Tomohiro Ishii
There will be no rest for the wicked because the winner of the double title match returns the next day to defend both championships against Tomohiro Ishii. And who knows, maybe Takeshita will show up at “NEW YEAR’S DASH” the day after that!
SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 3”, 10/01/2025 Foo Chow Building, Singapore
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Alexis Lee
It was back in November 2023 when Yuki Kamifuku won the Queen Of Asia Title from Alexis Lee. Then in May of this year Kamifuku successfully defended the title against Lee in TJPW. Since then Lee has been winning matches in Singapore Pro Wrestling and built herself back up for another title shot. This time it will happen on home ground. No word yet on if the VPW Women’s Title will also be defended. The two of them battled over that belt when it was created earlier this year too.
NJPW “BATTLE IN THE VALLEY”, 11/01/2025 San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
2. Sumie Sakai Retirement Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki Vs Sumi Sakai, EVIL & SHO
What in the fever dream is this match? Sumie Sakai has played a vital role for many Japanese wrestlers who stayed in America for their excursions over the years. She often took wrestlers in to live and travel with her while she sorted out their bookings across the country. So when she announced her retirement many people requested to take part in it. First was Hiromu Takahashi so once he got involved Sakai came up with an idea to have both teams feature one man and two women for the match. Mayu Iwatani quickly asked to be involved and so too did Yuka Sakazaki. So we have Hiromu, Mayu and Yuka all teaming together for the first time ever which is wild as hell to think about. Sakai had a couple of ideas for who she wants to team with. There were other people higher up on the list but in the end she wanted EVIL & SHO from The House Of Torture to be on her team. They too were under her watch on their American excursions lifetimes ago and she would love nothing more than to make one last previous memory with them. If that doesn’t interest you then Sakazaki & Iwatani being in the same match together should.
Win, lose or draw at the Tokyo Dome, Takeshita is guaranteed to be making more appearances for New Japan this year.
IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
So IWA Japan has now officially closed down after the passing of its president Tatsukuni Asano in November. In its place SETUP has launched IWA Thailand to continue the brand’s lineage. Masahiro Takanashi will be part of the “debut” show in January.
GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Be careful out there when you’re parking near the Hammerstein Ballroom. I left two tickets for this show in my car. Somebody broke in and left four more.
BZW/GCW “ENTER THE ZONE”, 25/01/2025 Espace Isabelle De Hainaut, Rue De Saint-Quentin, France
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Maki Itoh’s GCW adventures are going to bring her over to Europe later this month. Banger Zone Wrestling is sure to give her a warm welcome to France.
GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025 Electric Ballroom, London, England
1. Maki Itoh Vs Man Like DeReiss
Then the next day Itoh will be in London when GCW visits PROGRESS’s home venue. Man Like DeReiss has kind of made intergender matches his thing in 2024. His GCW win-loss record also hasn’t been great. But give him a microphone and he will leave you with a lasting impression. Itoh might not like getting shown up like that.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025 Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Pandora
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Zatara & Sara Phoenix
The Tokyo Joshi Pro show at the anime convention will be all made of up Japan Vs Chile matches. 121000000 will be facing Zatara & Sara Phoenix in the main event, Aja Kong will become one of the biggest opponents Roma has ever faced and Moka Miyamoto tests her skills against Pandora.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Hopefully we will get more details on the show very soon.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Same goes for this one.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
It’s entirely possible I will be spending the whole week following the shows that book DDT and TJPW talent instead of everything else happening in Vegas.
Oh come on, AEW didn’t put Konosuke Takeshita in the Continental Classic?!? Great, just great. So what’s there to write about this month? Well MAO and Yoshihiko had a wild weekend over in France. Takeshita spent the month feuding with Ricochet and defending the AEW International Title in companies outside of AEW. We also see that Takeshita has unfinished business in New Japan which probably explains why he’s not involved in the C2. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro had a heck of a time in Seattle. Also it is now official they are both Las Vegas bound for next April. Miyu Yamashita in particular got to do and achieve so many things this month that TJPW would not have done for her back home. Pom Harajuku also got to act out of control in Singapore and Thailand away from the usual supervision. She also… won a championship? And didn’t lose it immediately? What? That can’t be right…
The end of the year will be quiet for international bookings but Takeshita has a lot going on at home in the new year. AEW seems to have written him off their TV for December with Don Callis already cutting promos about 2025 being the year of The Don Callis Family. I’ll do a separate write-up for his New Japan match(es) at the Tokyo Dome when they happen but I wanted to include the build up to them here because AEW is connected to it. January will be business as usual for Maki Itoh too with her plan to tour with GCW again. My mind is going to be stuck on Vegas for a lot of early 2025.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/11/2024 Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Adam Cole
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 20/11/2024 Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
1. All Star 8-Man Tag: Will Ospreay, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricochet & Mark Davis Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer & Brian Cage
SETUP “YEAR END CLIMAX”, 30/11/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – No DQ Match: Matcha (c) Vs Pom Harajuku
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Results
BZW “FRIDAY NIGHT BANGER”, 01/11/2024 Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France
1. MAO defeated KURO by Disqualification when Jack Sans-Nom attacked MAO (?:??).
The first night of MAO’s trip to France turned nasty but it was through no fault of his opponent KURO. They wrestled their match as normal and when MAO was on the top rope getting ready to hit the finishing blow, Jack Sans-Nom ran into the ring and attacked MAO with a wet floor sign for the DQ.
BZW “ALCATRAZ”, 02/11/2024 Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko defeated Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson (c) when Yoshihiko pinned Sans-Nom with a Rainmaker (?:??). *Jack Sans-Nom & Paul Robinson fail in V2. MAO & Yoshihiko become the 6th BZW Tag Team Champions!
The next night MAO brought Yoshihiko with him to try and get revenge on San-Nom by winning the BZW Tag Team Titles from him and Paul Robinson. The challengers almost had the match won by pinning Robinson together but Sans-Nom pulled the referee out of the ring during the pin count. However Yoshihiko got its hands on him with MAO’s help and hit a Rainmaker. A three count later and BZW got new unexpected tag team champions!
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 06/11/2024 SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
1. Ricochet & Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher when Ricochet pinned Takeshita with the Spear Gun (14:36).
Takeshita found out there was unfinished business between himself and Ricochet stemming from the previous month. A tag team match in AEW put Takeshita with Kyle Fletcher against Ricochet and his returning mystery partner Powerhouse Hobbs. Ricochet was the better man on this night. Takeshita tried to catch a Springboard Hurricanrana and turn it into a Power Bomb but Ricochet countered the counter and pulled off his Hurricanrana after all. He then weakened Takeshita with a Shooting Star Press for another nearfall. It took Ricochet using his new Hidden Blade inspired finisher called the Spear Gun to finally get the win over Takeshita (it’s weird how almost a decade ago I would have told people Will Ospreay tries to wrestle like Ricochet and nowadays it feels completely like the opposite). Fletcher got some revenge after the match by attacking the other team with a chair until his former tag partner Mark Davis ran down causing drama that Takeshita wasn’t involved with so I’m not going to write any more about it.
Harajuku went to Singapore to have a lot of fun with Alexis Lee, or at least have a lot of fun at Lee’s expense. Their match made its way out of the ring but rather than cause a violent brawl, Harajuku instead encouraged Lee to go drink alcohol. They also fought their way up to the balcony to add some danger to the proceedings. I was able to see a brief clip of Lee hitting the Somato from behind to Harajuku but I do not know if that was the finish.
NJPW “FIGHTING SPIRIT UNLEASHED 2024”, 08/11/2024 Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
1. AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated TJP with the Avalanche Raging Fire (14:13). *V2 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.
Takeshita had to shake off his loss to Ricochet and get himself focused on his next International Title defence. It happened at New Japan’s latest American show with TJP as the challenger. TJP pulled a lights out trick for his entrance to surprise Takeshita with an ambush from behind. He also had his face and body painted to resemble his Aswang alter ego. At first it looked like he was in his normal form but late in the match he blinded Takeshita with the Poison Mist to try and get the advantage. He used the Hidden Blade and Mamba Splash but Takeshita kicked out of both moves. Takeshita’s power soon took over and he was able to get TJP over to the corner, lifting him up from the top rope to hit an Avalanche Falcon Arrow for the victory. After the match Takeshita told the fans he will next defend the International Title at the Tokyo Dome! He called out for anyone to challenge him and Shingo Takagi answered the call! Takagi will fight him at “WRESTLE KINGDOM”! That wasn’t the end though because Tomohiro Ishii then walked out and signaled to them he wants to fight the winner!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA 405 Fans
1. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Suzume pinned Amira with the Ring A Bell (10:21).
2. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Wakana Uehara with the Famouser (7:19).
3. Rebel Kel defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Falcon Arrow (5:45).
4. Mizuki defeated Liiza Hall with the Diving Foot Stomp (11:07).
5. Yuki Aino & Zara Zakher defeated Miu Watanabe & Shoko Nakajima when Zakher pinned Watanabe with the Control Z (16:43).
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Vert Vixen & Nicole Matthews when Yamashita pinned Matthews with the Skull Kick (24:05). *V1 for 121000000.
DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA 447 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Gringo Loco defeated Yuni with the Base Bomb (10:32).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Randy Myers defeated Danshoku Dieno with a School Boy (8:26 pm). *Randy Myers becomes the 1,691st champion.
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno defeated Randy Myers (c) with the Gaydo Clutch (8:01). *Danshoku Dieno becomes the 1,692nd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) by Referee Stoppage with a Sleeper Hold (8:36 pm). *Yoshihiko becomes the 1,693rd champion.
3. Nick Wayne defeated Jack Cartwheel with the Wayne’s World (11:49).
4. DEFY Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Tag Match: Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas (c) defeated Bryan Keith & Shota and Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson when Rosas pinned Shota after the Combined Pop-Up Power Bomb (10:19). *V2 for C4.
5. DEFY Women’s Title: Marina Shafir (c) defeated Danika Della Rouge with the Mother’s Milk (7:35). *V3 for Marina Shafir.
6. Special Tag Match: Gurv Shira & Harv Shira defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Artemis Spencer when Gruv pinned Spencer after a Combined Diving Elbow Drop (15:54).
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kohei Kinoshita with an Avalanche Falcon Arrow (12:41).
8. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated MAO (c) and Mike Bailey when Yamashita pinned Bailey with the Skull Kick (21:25). *MAO fails in V1. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 15th DDT Universal Champion!
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA 389 Fans
1. Vert Vixen, Yuki Kamifuku & Moka Miyamoto defeated Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino & Arisu Endo when Vixen pinned Endo with a Sit Down Power Bomb (8:38).
2. Bryan Keith defeated Shota with the Diamond Dust (7:59).
3. Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher defeated Amira & Danika Della Rouge when Itoh pinned Rouge with the I.S.D (8:41).
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Kohei Kinoshita Vs Danshoku Dieno & Randy Myers ended in a No Contest (9:32).
5. Miu Watanabe & Suzume defeated Mizuki & Wakana Uehara when Watanabe pinned Uehara with the Tear Drop (10:33).
6. DEFY Women’s Title: Marina Shafir (c) defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Mother’s Milk (14:08). *V4 for Marina Shafir.
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Yuni with the Wagamama (12:14).
8. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Gringo Loco defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) and Nick Wayne when Loco pinned Yamashita with the Base Bomb (17:08). *Miyu Yamashita fails in V1. Gringo Loco becomes the 16th DDT Universal Champion.
9. Special Tag Match: Judas Icarus & Travis Williams defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Icarus pinned Bailey after the Sudden Silence (22:06).
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/11/2024 Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Adam Cole with a Dynamite Diamond Ring Assisted Punch (9:38).
Takeshita’s next AEW appearance was to act as a road block for Adam Cole. There was a storyline going on this month where Cole had to win three matches in order to get a PPV match against MJF. He was two wins in going into this night and needed to beat Takeshita to reach his goal. Cole countered the Takeshita Line with a well placed Super Kick and followed up with the Panama Sunrise. But when he went for the Boom knee strike, Takeshita rolled out of the ring to make some distance between them. He then reached under the ring and pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which belongs to MJF but was recently handed over to Don Callis. Takeshita placed the ring on his finger and punched Cole in the face without the referee seeing the ring, knocking Cole out for the pin. Roderick Strong ran down to get revenge but Takeshita gave him a Low Blow. Then Kyle O’Reilly entered the ring to chase Takeshita away. But once Takeshita was at the entrance and his guard was down, Ricochet appeared and he knocked him over with a Pump Kick.
GCW “CHAOS IN KENTUCKY”, 14/11/2024 Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Brooke Havok with the Skull Kick (17:13).
The TJPW shows at Seattle were done but Yamashita stayed behind in America for a weekend of GCW action. On the first show she put Brooke Havok through the meat grinder with kicks and stomps. Havok had some moments of hope and did well to last as long as she did. The Skull Kick put an end to any hope of an upset win though.
GCW “GATEWAY TO THE DEATH”, 15/11/2024 Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey with the Crash Rabbit Heat (17:14).
A much tougher challenge awaited Yamashita on the second GCW show. A few days after she pinned Mike Bailey to win the DDT Universal Title, the two met again one on one with nobody else going to get in their way. Bailey hit a Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Bailey tried to follow up with the Corkscrew Kick into the corner but Yamashita countered it with the Skull Kick. She was too slow to make the pin though so Bailey was able to kick out of it. Bailey took back control but made a fatal mistake when he missed the Ultima Weapon. Yamashita hit him with a Knee Strike from behind after that and scored the pinfall after finding her target once more with the Crash Rabbit Heat. The two traded a fist bump through the ropes after the match.
GCW “NICK GAGE INVITATIONAL 9”, 16/11/2024 Level 13 Event Center, Orlando, Florida, USA
1. Hardcore Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Broski Jimmy with the Skull Kick (7:44).
The final night of Yamashita’s GCW tour was completely unlike the other two. Yamashita has crossed paths with Broski Jimmy in a few of her other GCW appearances this year. She knocked him out in a match on GCW’s tour of Japan. Then a few shows later in America he interfered in one of her matches so she hit him over the head with a chair. Since this show was being held in the middle of a deathmatch tournament, Yamashita and Jimmy’s grudge match promised to used Hardcore rules. The end result was the closest thing to a death match Yamashita has ever done! She may as well have called herself Rina Yamashita for the night. Chairs, doors, trash cans and even glass were used as weapons. Jimmy even gave Yamashita the Package Piledriver on top of a row of chairs but Yamashita kicked out at one! Yamashita got revenge by giving Jimmy the Attitude Adjustment through a panel of glass in the corner of the ring. She then smashed some lighttubes over Jimmy’s head before breaking the remains of one over her own. All that was left for her to do was hit the Skull Kick for the win.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 20/11/2024 Santander Arena, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
1. All Star 8-Man Tag: Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer & Brian Cage defeated Will Ospreay, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricochet & Mark Davis when Takeshita pinned Davis with the Wagamama (14:33).
The current version of The Don Callis Family were brought together for a match against Ospreay, Hobbs, Ricochet & Davis in a preview for the PPV. Hobbs was taken out of action midway through the match after his knee was attacked with the ring steps but he eventually returned to the match like a house on fire. Things went crazy with everyone hitting their big moves one after another. The end came when Ospreay went for the Hidden Blade and Fletcher pulled Davis into harm’s way. Davis took the full blow and he took another one when Takeshita pulled down his knee pad and hit the Wagamama knee strike for the win.
AEW “FULL GEAR”, 23/11/2024 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) (w/ Don Callis) defeated Ricochet with the Avalanche Raging Fire (19:12). *V3 for Konosuke Takeshita.
After this it’s safe to say Takeshita doesn’t have to worry about Ricochet anymore. Ricochet threw pretty much everything he could do at this stage at him and couldn’t win. Takeshita dodged the Spear Gun this time but couldn’t hit the Wagamama. Ricochet landed a version of the Benadryller instead but Takeshita kicked out of the pin. Then when Ricochet climbed the top rope, Takeshita got up and tripped him by the legs. He hit him with a Knee Strike, climbed up to him and dropped him to the canvas with the Avalanche Falcon Arrow, pinning him clean for a successful title defence.
SETUP “YEAR END CLIMAX”, 30/11/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – No DQ Match: Pom Harajuku defeated Matcha (c) with two Pom de Justices onto a Chair (?:??). *Matcha fails in V4. Pom Harajuku becomes the 2nd SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion!
This does not feel real. So let me get this straight. Pom Harajuku went to Thailand, fought in a No DQ Match against Matcha because they hold a grudge from the previous time Harajuku was there and Harajuku won the championship by driving Matcha’s face into a chair with the Pom de Justice. Twice. Unbelievable! This is Harajuku’s first championship win in her career. TJPW is now collecting women’s title belts from around Southeast Asia with the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title now being added to the pile. What a crazy turn of events.
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Upcoming Appearances
NJPW “STRONG STYLE EVOLVED”, 15/12/2024 Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California, USA
1. Special Tag Team Grudge Match: Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jack Perry
So is this path why we didn’t get Takeshita in the Continental Classic this year? Looks like it. The only stuff announced for him for the next few weeks are for New Japan events including the next one happening in America. There is still some AEW involvement though because Jack Perry is teaming with Takeshita here. Also Takeshita gets back in the ring with Yota Tsuji for the first time since the G1 Climax playoff stage. Shingo will be his main target but getting a little bit of revenge on Tsuji will please him too.
NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan
1. NEVER Openweight Title: Shingo Takagi (c) Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
Well if I’m writing about stuff happening around the world I guess I can include stuff happening in Japan outside of the DDT bubble. As mentioned earlier, Takeshita wants to defend the International Title at the Tokyo Dome and Takagi answered his challenge. Takagi is also the NEVER Openweight Champion so we are on course for a title versus title match on 4th January! There is the risk that Takeshita could lose his championship before this match happens but Takagi’s NEVER Title is guaranteed to be on the line.
“WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025 Tokyo Dome, Japan
1. NEVER Openweight Title: Shingo Takagi or KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) Vs Tomohiro Ishii
The winner of the Wrestle Kingdom match will face Ishii the next day at the other big Tokyo Dome show. This event is bringing New Japan, AEW, CMLL, Ring Of Honor and Stardom all together but DDT could secretly sneak in there thanks to Takeshita. If the International Title is indeed involved on 4th January then it will be on the line here too.
GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
January sees Itoh working with GCW again for a few important shows. GCW are returning to the scene of the crime, the Hammerstein Ballroom in an attempt to redeem themselves for blowing their big shot at the infamous venue three years earlier. At the time of writing their chances of achieving that redemption are not looking good. Maybe Itoh can do her part to help things out even just a little bit.
GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025 Electric Ballroom, London, England
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Then a week later Itoh will be wrestling for GCW in London at the Electric Ballroom. That venue has been the home of PROGRESS for most of its existence and they’re helping GCW put this show together.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025 Mapocho Station Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
No updates yet on who will be joining Yamashita and Itoh at the anime convention or if anyone in Chile wants to challenge them.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
And we’re off! Next year’s WrestleMania Week in Las Vegas is now confirmed to have DDT and TJPW coming over. Both promotions will be holding shows on the same day at The Collective. TJPW is up first with an 11am start on the Friday morning. They are promising it will be TJPW’s biggest show in America to date!
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Then at 3pm that afternoon DDT will have their show. Friday is going to be a warzone of wrestling shows clashing with each other. DDT & TJPW are among the first companies to get their announcements out there. I’ll be there for both but now I have to worry about what’s going to be happening at the same time!
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Now here’s something a little bit interesting. DDT and TJPW have just held a triple partner show with DEFY so it makes sense to do one with GCW as well. But this show is happening on Saturday, the same day as Night 1 of “WRESTLEMANIA”. So right now there is no start time announced for the event. Remember, this is happening on the West Coast where WrestleMania will be opening its doors in the afternoon. Is this show going to take place in the morning before everyone rushes over to the stadium? Or will they take a risk and hold this show at night, slap bang in the middle between the two WM shows?
The hottest and most grueling pro wrestling tournament of the year has just finished and Konosuke Takeshita was a featured part of it. His entry into this year’s G1 Climax was done as representation for both AEW and DDT. It makes him the second wrestler with a DDT contract to compete in the tournament after Kota Ibushi in 2013 and 2015. With nine other wrestlers to compete against in his block and a couple extra non-tournament matches to deal with in between, Takeshita did not waste any opportunity to get his name out there in a New Japan ring. This was a tour where he got to experience so much of NJPW’s current form and he left plenty of options open if he ever gets to come back and wrestle for the company more often. His performances definitely had wrestling fans look at him and wonder why AEW hasn’t been treating him the same way. Let’s take a look at how things went for him.
9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (2) defeated Yota Tsuji (0) with the Raging Fire (17:16).
Takeshita jumped off to a great start on day one by beating this year’s New Japan Cup winner Yota Tsuji. The lead up to the match had both wrestlers talking about how it was up to them to take lead of the current generation of wrestling in Japan. Takeshita used the Jumping Knee as a counter block for Tsuji’s Gene Blaster finisher. After hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb he then used the Spinning Falcon Arrow to get the win. He has renamed that move the Raging Fire and you are going to see it often from here. Takeshita warned the rest of the block that he sees the wrestling world differently from the rest of them.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 23/07/2024 Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall 1,972 Fans
4. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) defeated Jeff Cobb (2) with the Raging Fire (10:28).
Takeshita’s second match was delayed by a day because he had to go fight Masato Tanaka in DDT. Turns out that match was just the warm up he needed to take on Jeff Cobb, the reigning NJPW WORLD TV Champion. The strength and size of Cobb made it more difficult for Takeshita to use the Raging Fire on. But one good Elbow Smash weakened Cobb enough for Takeshita to nail the move and win his second match. Takeshita used the same Elbow Smash to beat Tanaka one day earlier so he declared his right elbow will take over the world!
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 25/07/2024 Sun Messe Kagawa 1,219 Fans
9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Yuya Uemura (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (4) with the Kannuki Suplex (23:11).
The first road block to stop Takeshita in his tracks was Yuya Uemura. The two were both unbeaten going into the main event and had seen each other at points in America during their excursions. They gave fans a wild back and forth match. No matter what Takeshita did, Uemura took it and kept on fighting. He got the win over Takeshita by using the Kannuki Suplex, a move that trapped Takeshita’s shoulders down into the mat for the three count. An angry Takeshita told reporters he wants to see Uemura reach the end of the tournament so he can repay this loss to him.
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & HENARE defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato when TAKESHITA pinned Murashima with an Elbow Butt (6:53).
This was the first non-tournament match Takeshita got to take part in during the tour. New Japan decided to have him team with United Empire wrestlers starting with his next block opponent HENARE. Together they took on and handily defeated two young lion wrestlers Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato. Things were tense between Takeshita & HENARE for the entire match and they continued glaring at each other afterwards. HENARE complained to reporters that as the NEVER Openweight Champion he should not be put in the opening match with rookies and an outsider. He doesn’t like Takeshita acting like he is better than New Japan. If Takeshita actually likes NJPW then why did he go to AEW instead of here? Kato had nicer things to say about Takeshita because they are both from Osaka. If they ever fight each other again, he will remember everything Takeshita did to him today.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 28/07/2024 Fukuoka International Center 1,780 Fans
7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) defeated HENARE (4) with the Raging Fire (13:19).
The next day Takeshita and HENARE had their battle, tearing lumps out of each other. Whenever one took the lead, the other had an answer to it. Takeshita hit the Jumping Knee only for HENARE to fire back with a Jumping Headbutt. HENARE went for the Streets Of Rage but Takeshita countered it into a Fisherman Buster. Takeshita continued on with the attack and kept HENARE down for the count with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster followed by the Raging Fire. The two fist bumped each other after the match, showing everyone they had earned each other’s respect. Takeshita said HENARE has unwavering strength but still is not as strong as “The Alpha”. He then dropped a major hint that he’s been learning from a special mentor over in America. This mentor has entrusted him with the “Strong Style” NJPW is famous for. Who is this mentor? Takeshita won’t say anything about him other than “YeaOh!”
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 29/07/2024 Fukuoka International Center 1,757 Fans
5. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Francisco Akira defeated David Finlay & Gedo when Akira pinned Gedo with the Fireball (7:14).
The next chapter of Takeshita’s tournament had him interact with the Bullet Club WAR DOGS for the first time. By this point Takeshita seemed to be getting along with the United Empire and had no trouble teaming with Francisco Akira. The two of them won their match when Takeshita Clotheslined David Finlay out of the ring and Akira pinned Gedo with the Fireball, which is very much like the Somato except the move is done from behind aiming at the opponent’s back and shoulders. Finlay tried to provoke Takeshita after the match by holding up the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. He then made accusations backstage that Takeshita has no loyalty towards anybody. Is he with DDT, AEW or New Japan? He should ask his friends in AEW just how dangerous Finlay is because Finlay is about to destroy another one of Tony Khan’s favorite toys!
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 31/07/2024 Yamaguchi KDDI Ishin Hall 1,021 Fans
9. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: David Finlay (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) with the Overkill (18:23).
The good old Bullet Club style of cheating that everybody knows and absolutely loves took its toll on Takeshita here. Gedo distracted the referee a lot and pulled him out of the ring during a moment when Takeshita had the match won. Finlay hit Takeshita with a shillelagh but that wasn’t enough to beat him. Takeshita finally got rid of Gedo but his Raging Fire was countered into Finlay’s finisher the Overkill. Finlay got the three count with it while Takeshita kicked out a second too late. Finlay bragged about AEW being the place where the wrestlers who are not as good as him go and listed the former NJPW talent one by one. Takeshita said he will not accept the result. Being the Global Champion means Finlay will one day be standing at the center of the world. The next time they meet should be there so they can fight to see who is at the top.
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Francisco Akira defeated Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma, Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima when Akira pinned Murashima with the Fireball (8:18).
Another day of non-tournament action gave Takeshita a chance to scout his next opponent Hirooki Goto. He was teaming with the familiar faces from United Empire again while Goto was with Tomoaki Honma and the two young lions. Plus the match was in Osaka, Takeshita’s home. He got into a few exchanges with Goto but the finish came down to Akira pinning Murashima. Takeshita admitted Goto is the one wrestler he is looking forward to fighting most. He will be ditching his nicknames and go into the match only as himself so the fans will see who is stronger, Goto or Takeshita?
7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Hirooki Goto (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (6) with the GTR (14:20).
During this year’s G1, Goto turned into the sentimental favorite of the fans thanks to him delivering high level performances while being the oldest contestant in the tournament. His match with Takeshita here is considered one of the highlights. Takeshita was able to kick out of the Shoten Kai but ran into a Headbutt and was put away with the GTR. Goto said he got a sense of Takeshita’s spirit and came up with an idea. If Takeshita wants to continue wrestling in New Japan then he should join CHAOS! Goto will welcome him into the unit that might just so happen to have a deep connection with Takeshita’s mysterious mentor. Takeshita doesn’t sound too keen on the idea. After all he wants to bring in a new era of pro wrestling and it’s coming just around the corner. When that era arrives he will stand in front of Goto once more.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 06/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,503 Fans – Super No Vacancy
2. Jeff Cobb, KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, HENARE & Francisco Akira defeated Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano, El Phantasmo & Jado when HENARE submitted Jado with the Ultima (3:51).
It was back to hanging out with the United Empire for another non-tournament bout. Two of his opponents from the other team were people he hadn’t faced in his block yet. There was also Toru Yano & Jado there but El Phantasmo and Oleg Boltin became the targets of Takeshita’s focus. ELP still remembers Takeshita putting him through a table in violent fashion at “FORBIDDEN DOOR” a few months ago. He threatened to pull one out from under the ring so he could settle the score. Takeshita promised to destroy ELP again and warned Boltin he will soon fight against an Olympic level athlete.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 07/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,504 Fans
5. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (8) defeated El Phantasmo (4) with the Raging Fire (17:22).
Depending on who you hear from, this is being considered one of the best matches of the tournament. It even got the ol’ five star treatment from Dave Meltzer. ELP was on the brink of elimination so he threw everything he had against Takeshita and Takeshita responded in kind. Just like at “FORBIDDEN DOOR” Takeshita put ELP through a table, this time by using the Inhuman Driver. ELP narrowly avoided being counted out but collapsed during an Elbow Strike exchange. He had enough fight in him to keep kicking out of Takeshita’s signature moves but he was finally defeated with the Raging Fire. Takeshita has been friends on a first name basis with ELP for a while and always wanted to wrestle him one on one. People like the two of them want to move the audience and get them excited. Takeshita then made some comments to the media about Hiroshi Tanahashi. He remembers the trouble he caused in DDT when he wrestled on their shows back in 2015. Once the G1 is over Takeshita warns Tanahashi not to run away from him!
2. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & HENARE defeated Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru when HENARE submitted Kanemaru with the Ultima (4:41).
As we head towards the closing stretch, Takeshita now had to experience the other side of Bullet Club, the House Of Torture stable. With HENARE on his side again the two of them defeated Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Narita was an upcoming opponent for both Takeshita and HENARE so the two of them made sure to get his attention and show what they have in store for him. However Takeshita also admitted that he is still feeling sore from his match with ELP. This is the challenge everyone in the G1 faces as they reach closer to the end. What kind of injuries do they build up match by match and can they tough it out until the end?
4. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Oleg Boltin (6) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (8) with the Kamikaze (12:07).
What an upset! By this point Boltin was already considered out of the running but that didn’t stop him from scoring a massive victory that also put Takeshita’s hopes of reaching the playoff at risk. Boltin used his own German Suplex to go against Takeshita’s, then dropped him with the Verdict followed by the Kamikaze for the victory. Takeshita was impressed and said when he reaches the top he will add Boltin’s name to the list of the strongest wrestlers ever. He wants to see Boltin do his best so they can fight again some day.
3. Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Francisco Akira when Kanemaru pinned Akira with a Jackknife Pin (8:48).
The final days were leaving Takeshita in a dire situation. He was back in the ring for another non-tournament tag against the House Of Torture. This time Narita had a plan and attacked Takeshita’s increasingly injured leg. By the end of the match it was clear Takeshita was not going into his final block match in good condition. Narita rubbed it in by telling him not to let his guard down otherwise he will only get hurt.
7. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (10) defeated Ren Narita (10) with the Elbow Butt (16:47).
So it came down to this. The way Block B worked out on its last night meant that victory for either Takeshita or Narita would send them through to the playoff rounds. A draw would be good enough for Narita too but for Takeshita it was win or go home. House Of Torture made sure he had to fight through hell because EVIL and Dick Togo attacked Takeshita during his entrance. They would also interfere during the match but Takeshita heroically fought all of them off before dealing Nartia with a knock out blow to get the three count. Takeshita knows the fans don’t want to see hi G1 end yet so he invited them to all dream together with him because he will make to the final at Sumo Hall no matter what!
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 15/08/2024 Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall #9 1,111 Fans
1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block Playoff: Yota Tsuji defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA with the Gene Blaster (21:30).
Yeah about that. Yota Tsuji had other ideas. The two of them made it to the first part of the B Block playoff. Now they had to face each other again in a rematch from Night 1. Sadly for Takeshita his G1 ended here. The Gene Blaster from Tsuji was the difference maker and Takeshita kicked out of it one second too late. Tsuji complimented Takeshita by telling him he is a better wrestler in New Japan than he is in AEW. Takeshita said he entered the tournament carrying expectations from both AEW and DDT. Then as it progressed he also ended up carrying expectations from New Japan fans and the Japanese wrestling world at large. He hoped to go to the finals so he could tell all of DDT’s wrestlers that there is nothing wrong with their style of wrestling. He will now go back to America and stand in an AEW ring again but there are many people in New Japan he will want to face somewhere in the future.
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 17/08/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 5,340 Fans
3. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA, Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman defeated Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Jado when TAKESHITA pinned Jado with the Elbow Butt (8:33).
It’s not quite the end of Takeshita’s tour yet. He has a couple of bonus matches to go through on the final nights at Sumo Hall. He got to be in the ring with Shota Umino and Callum Newman for the first time in this tour because the two of them were busy over in the A Block until now. ELP and Jado were having teamwork problems which left Jado as easy pickings for Takeshita and his mighty Elbow Strike. With his time at NJPW coming to an end, Takeshita is starting to think about what to do if he ever comes back. CHAOS and United Empire are both showing interest in letting him join their units. But what if he decides to come back and bring The Don Callis Family with him instead?
NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 18/08/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 8,056 Fans
3. Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Francesco Akira when Eagles pinned Akira with the Hyperion (9:32).
Here is where we end things. Takeshita ended his tour by teaming with Akira one final time. Their opponents were Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles from TMDK and that team’s victory helped set the tone for their front man Zack Sabre Jr. to win the tournament at the end of the night. Takeshita said this was the end of his tour with New Japan and he has no reason to look down on anything that happened to him during it. He leaves New Japan with his head held high knowing that their fans will continue watching over him. He will repay them by becoming a champion over in America.
Well holy crap will you look at that! Konosuke Takeshita is entering this year’s G1 Climax on behalf of both AEW and DDT. He will be the second DDT affiliated wrestler to take part in New Japan’s famous tournament after Kota Ibushi. It’s a fascinating announcement after Takeshita recently fought Jon Moxley in AEW just for the chance to get an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot. He swears to enter the G1 as the eye of the storm because he wants to win it so badly. It hasn’t been announced yet if he will be booked for any non-tournament matches during the tour.
Every block match has a 30 minute time limit. 2 Points for a win, 1 Point for a draw and 0 points for losing or having a No Contest. Head-to-head results are used to determine any tiebreakers. The extra wrinkle added to this year’s tournament is the top three of both blocks enter the knockout rounds. Those who finish 2nd and 3rd in their block will face each other and the winner moves on to face the person who finished in 1st to determine who wins the block. The A Block winner and B Block winner then meet in the grand final.
1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Yota Tsuji Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 23/07/2024 Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Jeff Cobb Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
This round of B Block matches are actually taking place on 21st July but Takeshita is already booked for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” at Sumo Hall on the same day. So his match against Jeff Cobb is happening two days on what was supposed to be the A Block only show.
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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 25/07/2024 Sun Messe Kagawa
1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Yuya Uemura Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 28/07/2024 Fukuoka International Center
1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: Henare Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
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NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 34”, 31/07/2024 Yamaguchi KDDI Ishin Hall
1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs David Finlay
1. G1 CLIMAX 34 – B Block: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs B Block Play-In Winner
The B Block Play-In wrestler will be the winner of a mini-tournament happening in July between Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Oleg Boltin, Taichi, Satoshi Kojima and TJP.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 