BASARA “BASARA 254 ~ICHIMIDOUSHIN~” Results

August 4, 2024

BASARA “BASARA 254 ~ICHIMIDOUSHIN~”, 04/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Takeru Inoue Debut Match: Isami Kodaka defeated Takeru Inoue with a Brainbuster (9:10).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino defeated Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken and Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga when Kamino pinned Kraken with the Lariat (9:56).
3. Ryuichi Sekine, Takumi Tsukamoto & Ryota Nakatsu defeated FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT when Sekine submitted SAGAT with the Let’s Combine (9:56).
4. Special Single Match: Isami Kodaka defeated Yuki Ishikawa with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (10:10).
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) defeated KUBITO & Daisuke Sasaki when Abe submitted KUBITO with a Sleeper Hold (16:20).
*V1 for Astronauts.
6. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) defeated Yasu Urano with the BONEYARD (20:53).
*V6 for Minoru Fujita.

Minoru Fujita has now tied the record amount of Union MAX Title defences with six wins in this reign. He defeated Yasu Urano by dropping him with the Tombstone Piledriver and then making him submit to the Reverse Viper Hold, or BONEYARD as he likes to call it. With no clear challengers on the horizon Fujita called for a reset and will accept the challenge of anyone who comes forward. He told the fans how much he appreiciates the view because two years ago he came close to dying. He sees there is potential for growth in BASARA and he wants everyone in the promotion to reach that potential together.

Two proteges of Dick Togo challenged Astronauts for the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles but could not find a way to take the belts away from them. Takuya Nomura got rid of Daisuke Sasaki with a German Suplex and Fuminori Abe submitted KUBITO with a Sleeper Hold. After the match Abe and Sasaki had to be separated from each other. Then Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu entered the ring and declared themselves the next challengers for the tag titles. It’s a Cavalry reunion and the match will happen on 27th August!

It was a busy day for Isami Kodaka because he wrestled twice on the show. The match he had late in the card was against Yuki Ishikawa as part of Ishikawa’s road to retirement. Kodaka came out on top and Ishikawa praised him for having more than enough energy to wrestle twice. Ishikawa said he became the wrestler he is today thanks to Kodaka. He enjoyed wrestling him today and it makes him want to enjoy his remaining matches until his retirement on 12th August.

Kodaka’s other match on the show was against the debuting rookie Takeru Inoue. The newcomer fell to a Brainbuster but Kodaka was pleased with his performance. Since Inoue is BASARA’s first trained wrestler in over four years, Kodaka says he wants to nurture him carefully. Inoue said he joined BASARA because he admires Kodaka and his goal is to surpass him as the most unique wrestler. He also revealed his sports history is six years of volleyball and he spent a year training at the HEAT UP dojo.


Kakuta Graduates Today, GanJo/666 Card, BASARA Gets Ready For Korakuen

July 25, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “NAO KAKUTA GRADUATION COMMEMORATION ~KIMITACHIHA ISSHOUNO TAKARAMONO~”, 25/07/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. 3 Way Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs HIMAWARI Vs Uta Takami
2. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki Vs Wakana Uehara, Toga & Chika Nanase
3. Miu Watanabe, Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro Vs Moka Miyamoto, Kaya Toribami & Kira Summer
4. Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Nao Kakuta Graduation Match: Nao Kakuta Vs Mizuki

Just about getting this in around bell time. Nao Kakuta graduates from Tokyo Joshi Pro and retires from pro wrestling later today.

GANBARE☆JOSHI/666 “DOKI! ALL WOMEN PRO WRESTLING BOX OFFICE ~THE VIRGIN SUICIDES~”, 27/07/2024
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Rina Yamashita & Sumire Natsu Vs Rina Yamada & Banny Oikawa
2. Yuna Manase & Maika Ozaki Vs HARUKAZE & Droog-K
3. Ram Kaichow, Maya Yukihi & YuuRI Vs Maya Yukipe, Mayumi Ozawa & X

The women of Ganbare☆Joshi and 666 will be taking on what looks to be a team of gender swapped parodies of Maya Yukihi and Mayumi Ozaki. Also on the undercard Taro Yamada is pretending to be Rina Yamashita.

Moeka Haruhi tested positive for covid and will not be at the show. She was meant to be in the main event but will be replaced by a mystery X wrestler.

Droog-K is the former KANNA from TJPW. She returned to wrestling earlier this year as part of P.P.P. Tokyo.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 28/07/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Maki Itoh Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Shoko Nakajima, Raku, HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Uta Takami Vs Zara Zakher, Wakana Uehara, Toga, Kira Summer & Chika Nanase
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2E: Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Kamifuku
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Mizuki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Yuki Arai Vs Kaya Toribami
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe

The Tokyo Princess Cup begins this weekend. I don’t think that’s the actual match order. If it is then that’s weird for a tournament to begin with the second round before the first.

BASARA “BASARA 253 ~UTAGE~”, 30/07/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Gouma Ryu Vs Judomaster
2. SAGAT Vs Yasu Urano
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Fuminori Abe Vs Ryota Nakatsu & Masato Kamino
4. Takato Nakano, Daiju Wakamatsu & Yuki Kanzaki Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato

It is Sento Minzoku Vs Asian Kung Fu Revolution in an Elimination Tag main event.

Daiju Wakamatsu is coming over from 2AW.

BASARA “BASARA 254 ~ICHIMIDOUSHIN~”, 04/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Takeru Inoue Debut Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Takeru Inoue
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daichi Kazato & Lil’ Kraken Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Ryuichi Sekine, Takumi Tsukamoto & Ryota Nakatsu Vs FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT
4. Special Single Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Yuki Ishikawa
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs KUBITO & Daisuke Sasaki
6. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Yasu Urano

The Iron Fist Tag Team Titles are on the line when Astronauts face KUBITO & Daisuke Sasaki in their first defence. KUBITO made the request for Sasaki to team up with him because they grew up wrestling together as proteges of Dick Togo.

Isami Kodaka is working double duty on the show. He is taking on Yuki Ishikawa in one of Ishikawa’s last matches before his retirement. Also Kodaka will be Takeru Inoue’s opponent for his debut match.

GANBARE☆PRO “UNCUT DIAMONDS 2024”, 16/08/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Shuichiro Katsumura, PSYCHO & Moeka Haruhi Vs Masamune, Daisuke®️ & HARUKAZE
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Ken Ohka & Shuji Ishikawa
3. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Takuya Wada

A 6-Man Tag featuring PSYCHO and Masamune as guests has been added to the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SHOKO NAKAJIMA VERSION3 ~NIIGATA HOMECOMING EVENT~”, 18/08/2024
Niigata Dúo CEREZO

1. Special Tag Match ~ Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima 11th Anniversary Debut: Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima

The next time TJPW is heading over to Shoko Nakajima’s neck of the woods will be for a special occasion. It will be to celebrate the 11th Anniversary of her and Miyu Yamashita’s debut match! Miu Watanabe & Suzume are going to be their opponents.


The Kids All Want To Fight Takagi, Right To Challenge Is Coming Back, BASARA Unlocks Hard Mode

July 12, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “JUST BEFORE TJPW SSP24”, 13/07/2024
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Kaya Toribami Vs Chika Nanase
2. HIMAWARI Vs Kira Summer
3. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
4. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami
5. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki & Runa Okubo

Tomorrow’s Tokyo Joshi Pro card has been shortened down to five matches because of a few absences. Nao Kakuta has an injured back and cannot wrestle. However she will still be attending the show along with Hyper Misao and Haruna Neko for a talk segment between the three of them. Moka Miyamoto is feeling unwell and cannot wrestle tomorrow. Miyu Yamashita was already announced to be wrestling in England this weekend.

DDT “KEIGO NAKAMURA HOMETOWN TRIUMPH! ROAD TO PETER PAN 2024 TOUR IN IWATE”, 13/07/2024
Iwate Education Hall Multipurpose Hall

1. Akito & Kazuma Sumi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
2. Danshoku Dieno & Yuni Vs Kazuki Hirata & To-y
3. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs D.O.A!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi
4. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road 5-Man Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada, Yuni, Keigo Nakamura, To-y & Kazuma Sumi
5. Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Ilusion
6. Iwate Specialty Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO & Keigo Nakamura

The DDT card also has a few changes but that’s because so many of the young wrestlers want to fight Sanshiro Takagi before his break. Takagi came up with an idea to face them all in a gauntlet of two minute singles matches one after the other. If any of them can beat him in two minutes he promises to increase their pay as a reward! The wrestlers lining up to face him are Takeshi Masada, Yuni, Keigo Nakamura, To-y & Kazuma Sumi.

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2024 TOUR IN NIIGATA”, 14/07/2024
Niigata Higashi Ward Plaza Hall

1. Chris Brookes, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yuni, Keigo Nakamura & To-y
2. Special 3 Way Match: Akito Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Takeshi Masada
3. Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku Vs Jun Akiyama & Yukio Naya
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs KANON
5. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING?: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO & Tetsuya Endo

The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles are still missing one of the belts after Smile Squash’s attempt to rescue them was only partially successful. They have two of the belts back but KANON still has possession of the third one. Good thing HARASHIMA has a match with him already scheduled so he can try and get it back by force.

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN HANDMADE IN JAPAN FES 2024”, 20/07/2024
Tokyo Big Sight West Halls 1 & 2

1. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada Vs Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuya Koroku & Ilusion

DDT returns to the HandMade In Japan Fes for another year and another Falls Count Anywhere match.

DDT “MEET & GREET & FIGHT”, 02/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match I: X Vs X
2. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match II: X Vs X
3. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match III: X Vs X

DDT last used the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere prize in 2022. After putting the concept on the shelf for a year it is back for 2024 and this time three prizes will be up for grabs. The participants and match stipulations have not been decided on yet. But it is guaranteed at least one of the prizes will be for a KO-D Openweight Title shot that can be cashed in at any time when the champion is in the venue.

BASARA “BASARA 254 ~ICHIMIDOUSHIN~”, 04/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Takeru Inoue Debut Match: Takeru Inoue Vs X
2. Special Single Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Yuki Ishikawa

This week it was announced that Big Japan wrestler Yuki Ishikawa will be retiring on 12th August. It was a decision he made after he suffered a shoulder injury back in April. He will pay a visit to BASARA the week before his retirement to face Isami Kodaka at Korakuen Hall. It will be one of if not the final singles match of Ishikawa’s career.

DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Jordan Oliver has pulled out of the GCW Japan tour due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Marcus Mathers will be replacing him for the tour which includes the DDT show.

BASARA “BASARA 254 ~HIEN~”, 13/08/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

Something BASARA tweeted out today is their plan to separate between the two kinds of “UTAGE” shows they will be producing from August onwards. The “HIEN” shows are now labelled as “Hard Mode” events. The tweet compares the term to “Bati Bati” and they later ruled out doing Hardcore Matches on these shows when a fan responding to them got the two mixed up. So it sounds like BASARA might be giving Battlarts style wrestling a go when using that name. The “SOUEN” shows are now labelled “Fudangi BASARA” and will be no different to the regular “UTAGE” shows they’ve been doing up until now.


BASARA “BASARA 246 ~UTAGE~” Results

April 30, 2024

BASARA “BASARA 246 ~UTAGE~”, 30/04/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Yasu Urano & Yuki Ishikawa defeated Ryuichi Sekine & Masato Kamino when Urano pinned Sekine with a School Boy (12:24).
2. Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga defeated SAGAT & Gouma Ryu when Senga pinned Ryu after the Goregrind from SAGAT (10:40).
3. FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato defeated Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Gaia Hox when Kazato pinned Nakano with a Rocket Punch (12:28).
4. Ryota Nakatsu & Fuminori Abe defeated Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster when Nakatsu pinned Judomaster with the V Slider (12:09).
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) defeated Lil’ Kraken with the Mechakucha-katame (17:23).
*V3 for Minoru Fujita.

Just like what happened at the last BASARA show, pulling off Lil’ Kraken’s mask comes with a big risk. Minoru Fujita unmasked him during the main event and Kraken blinded him with Poison Mist out of self defence. Kraken continued to wrestle unmasked for the rest of the match but was caught in a modified Gokuraku-gatame and had to give up. Fujita was still blinded after the match and had to give his victory speech while being unable to see anything. Daichi Kazato then entered the ring and excitedly challenged Fujita for the Union MAX Title. However Isami Kodaka demanded Kazato face him in a singles match first. Kodaka has his own plans in mind but he will only reveal what it is after he beats Kazato.

The No. 1 Contenders for the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles hit a speed bump on the road to their title shot. One-half of the champions Ryota Nakatsu was able to beat Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster while teaming with Fuminori Abe insteado of Kazusada Higuchi. Judomaster seems to remember what the rules of pro wrestling are but now the problem with him is his mask. Nakatsu kept pulling at his mask to block his sight and it eventually paid off with the win.

In Match #2 SAGAT hit Banana Senga with the Goregrind but they landed on top of Gouma Ryu. Since Ryu’s shoulders were pinned to the mat, the referee counted Senga pinning him instead of SAGAT pinning Senga.

The Yuki Ishikawa that fought in the opener is the Big Japan wrestler, not the shoot style fighter. Today was his first match with BASARA.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~” Results

December 31, 2023

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
778 Fans

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino defeated Takeshi Masada, Akira & Koji Iwamoto when HARASHIMA pinned Masada with the Somato (7:06).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita defeated Soma Takao, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi when Kinoshita pinned Hiroshi with the Blockbuster Hold (6:51).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
3a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki defeated Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka when Suzuki submitted Dieno with the Sleeper Hold (4:45).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) when Abe submitted Shu with the Manjigatame (6:03).
5. So Daimonji, Ender Kara, Leyton Buzzard & Tempesta defeated Kazumi Kikuta, Kazuki Hashimoto, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Buzzard pinned Rukiya with the Firebird Splash (8:37).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita when Sekifuda pinned Kinoshita with the Ironman (5:48).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Vs Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
7a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki when Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with a Lariat (1:20).
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takuya Nomura, Abdullah Kobayashi & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Yuki Ueno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Kobayashi pinned Honda with a Modified School Boy (13:32).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe defeated HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino when Endo pinned Sekifuda with the Burning Star Press (13:33).

On the final day of 2023 DDT, Big Japan and a scoop of the indies all joined together at Korakuen Hall to take part in the annual New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Team Tournament. This year was the third year in a row the tournament consisted of 6-Man Tag matches. Every team taking part consisted of a DDT wrestler, a BJW wrestler and a wild card independent wrestler. But before any of the matches began, Samurai TV presented the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards for 2023. The full results for those can be found at the bottom of this report.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Lonely Hot College Students

The opening round began with HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino all joining forces to fight a team that no longer had an accurate team name. Yuya Aoki pulled out sick and had to be replaced with Akira who is not single like Takeshi Masada & Koji Iwamoto are. Although you could still argue he might have been feeling lonely anyway without being near his new friends anyway. They isolated HARASHIMA but Masada could not get the job done. Instead the tables were turned on him and HARASHIMA scored the pin with the Somato.

Team Katagi Returns Vs The Kind People

Style was the name of the game here. Team Katagi Returns all showed up wrestling in sunglasses and flashy shirts looking to boss around their opponents. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi tried to settle them down with some karaoke, buying Soma Takao & Kazumasa Yoshida some time to regroup. Hiroshi tried it again to distract Kohei Kinoshita but ended up getting pinned with the Blockbuster Hold for his troubles.

Big Bombers Kai Vs Anal Destruction Hidaka

The big draw for this year’s tournament made his appearance in the third match. Minoru Suzuki showed up with no concern that Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka were all plotting to defeat him one way or another. It didn’t matter because whatever they threw at Suzuki, he just countered it and twisted them into submission holds. The match ended in a time limit draw so it went to 1 Count sudden death rules. Hidaka was convinced to settle himself on the top turnbuckle with his tights pulled down so Dieno & Hashimoto could throw their opponents face first into his rear end. The plan worked until it was Suzuki’s turn. He simply stopped in front of Hidaka and spanked him! Hashimoto then force fed Dieno the wasabi paste but the Lip Lock aimed for Suzuki was sent to Hashimoto instead! Suzuki used the Sleeper Hold on Dieno to squeeze the wasabi out of him until he gave up.

Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

You can always count on The Brahman Brothers to come into this tournament with their partners already brainwashed into acting like them. It happened here with Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishikawa. Together their obscene fighting styles left the opponents doubled over in pain due to where the attacks were targeted. However Fuminori Abe was able to trap Brahman Shu in the Manjigatame so his team could escape to the next round with enough of their collective dignity still intact.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

There were two matches outside of the tournament. The first of which focused on PROJECT: HAVOC, the unit of wrestlers currently invading Big Japan led by So Daimonji. Facing them were the collective team of mostly young DDT and BJW wrestlers. Despite the best efforts of the combined home team, HAVOC overwhelmed them and won out in the end.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Team Katagi Returns

Over to the semi finals now where Smile Lizard King Kong continued to show their combined strength. The normally powerful Kazusada Higuchi & Yasufumi Nakanoue were instead powerless to save Kinoshita from getting flattened with Flying Body Press after Flying Body Press from their opponents, ending with Sekifuda folding him over with the Ironman pin for the 3 count.

Big Bombers Kai Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

The other semi finals treated fans to a couple of important matchups. First was a preview of Tetsuya Endo against Yukio Naya in the D-Oh Grand Prix final happening on 3rd January. The other was Suzuki and Daisuke Sekimoto getting the rare chance to fight each other! Their battle ended in a stalemate because the time ran out. When sudden death began the match scrambled into Hideyoshi Kamitani trying to pin Sekimoto only to get defeated instead with Sekimoto’s Lariat. Endo and Naya had a staredown in the middle of the ring after the match.

Non-Tournament Special 6-Man Tag Match

The second non-tournament match was a straightforward DDT Vs Big Japan 6-Man Tag. Well I say straightforward but the match involved Antonio Honda and Abdullah Kobayashi both getting rope burn between their legs, the DDT team all dancing to “What Does The Fox Say”, then the Big Japan team dancing to “Tokyo GO!” until Takuya Nomura stopped them. But that was only because he wanted to lead the dance and use that power to overpower his opponents. Kobayashi ended up using Honda’s Gongitsune against him and rolled him up with a School Boy to get Big Japan the victory.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

Smile Lizard King Kong Vs Bati Bati F’N In The Sky

Sadly the show has not yet returned to running long enough that it reaches up to the clock striking midnight to bring in the new year. But the finalists were still able to take each other on without having to worry about a time limit. Sekimoto and Hino got into a big chop battle while HARASHIMA took out Abe with the Somato. Sekifuda almost pinned Endo with the Ironman but was then flipped upside down with the Tetsuya In the Sky. It was all there for Endo to take it and he finished Sekifuda off with the Burning Star Press, making Bati Bati F’N In The Sky the winners of this year’s tournament!

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2023

MVP

1. Kazuki Hirata (DDT)
2. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato (Michinoku Pro)
3. Fuminori Abe (Freelance)
4. Chris Brookes (DDT)
5. HARUKAZE (Ganbare☆Pro)

Best Bout

1. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato Vs Hiromu Takahashi (Michinoku Pro, 15th October)
2. Fuminori Abe Vs Takuya Nomura (Kakuto Tanteidan, 12th October)
3. Yuji Okabayashi Vs Yuya Aoki (Big Japan, 4th May)
4. Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata (DDT, 12th November)
5. Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ueno (DDT, 12th November)

Best Unit

1. Astronauts (Freelance/Big Japan)
2. Pheromones (DDT)
3. Lethal Weapon (Ganbare☆Pro)
4. Eruption (DDT)
5. The 37KAMIINA (DDT)

Best Show

1. DDT @ Ryogoku Kokugikan, 12th November
2. Kakuto Tanteidan @ Shinjuku FACE, 12th October
3. Big Japan @ Yokohama Budokan, 4th May
4. Michinoku Pro @ Yahaba Townsmen Gymnasium, 15th October
5. 666 @ Korakuen Hall, 2nd, August

Best Newcomer

1. Munetatsu Nakamura (Ganbare☆Pro)
2. Kazumasa Yoshida (Big Japan)
3. Takeshi Masada (DDT)
4. Yusaki Ito (Dove Pro)
5. Yuki Kanzaki (TTT)


New Year’s Eve Trios Give Their Comments

November 15, 2023

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
5. X Vs X
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. X Vs X
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

Bati Bati F’N In The Sky: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe
Big Bombers Kai: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki
Team Katagi Returns: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita
Anal Destruction Hidaka: Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka
The Kind People: Chris Brookes, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
Lonely Hot College Students: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Aoki & Koji Iwamoto
Smile Lizard King Kong: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino
Go For It! The Three Inokori Brothers: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei)

Most of the wrestlers taking part in this year’s Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament got together for the lottery to determine who will team with who. Every trio in the tournament is made up of a DDT wrestler, a Big Japan wrestler and a “Dream Slot” wrestler from a group made up of freelancers and people from other promotions. The wrestlers in attendance all gave comments about the teams they ended up in along with their chances to do well.

Tetsuya Endo remembers teaming up with Daisuke Sekimoto in 2020 but they were eliminated in the semi final. He thinks with Fuminori Abe joining them they have no choice but to win this time. Abe told them he’ll do his best not to hold them back. Their team name is Bati Bati F’N In The Sky.

The big attraction this year is Minoru Suzuki competing in the New Year’s Eve tournament for the first time. He is in the same team as Yukio Naya & Hideyoshi Kamitani who teamed together last year as part of a trio called Big Bombers. So they are all called Big Bombers Kai this time around. Suzuki said if he wins three matches in one night then that means he gets paid for three matches so even thought he is here to have fun, he still wants to win.

In 2018 Kazusada Higuchi & Yasufumi Nakanoue were Team Katagi so for their reunion they get to be Team Katagi Returns! The third member Kohei Kinoshita was not here today so they will see him at the show.

Suzuki already has a target on his back. Or more like lower down below his back. Ikuto Hidaka is taking the Anal power of Danshoku Dieno with the Destructive power of Daichi Hashimoto and merging them together with him in the middle in order to defeat Suzuki’s team! Suzuki however threatened to destroy Hidaka’s anus first. Hashimoto has been on the tournament winning team for the last two years so he wants to make it three in a row.

A more calm energy is flowing through the next trio taking part. Kazumasa Yoshida is happy to be teaming with a bunch of kind people so it only makes sense to call themselves The Kind People. He hopes they can win without being rude. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi is aiming to prove flexibility can defeat toughness. Chris Brookes is happy he doesn’t have to team with Kota Sekifuda.

I guess Lonely Hot College Students is an accurate name because Yuya Aoki was the only person on that team to show up today. He assured everyone he will hold a strategy meeting with Takeshi Masada & Koji Iwamoto to work out how they will win the tournament.

HARASHIMA & Sekifuda originally decided on calling their team Smile Lizard Gorilla. However when the absent Yuji Hino found out about it he asked them to change it to Smile Lizard King Kong. Sekifuda feels confident the three of them will develop a chemical reaction that will bring them to success.

The final team is made up of the remaining wrestlers who were not picked. That is not always a bad place to be because in 2021 a team called LEFTOVERS made up of the last picked wrestlers ended up winning the whole thing. Will it work out that way for Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & The Brahman Brothers? Maybe not. Brahman Shu admitted he has no hopes or dreams over their chances. Ishikawa however wants to behave as wild as he can because it is his first time being with Okatani and the Brahmans.


“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~” Results

December 31, 2022

“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2022 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
615 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Kikutaro when MAO pinned Kikutaro after a Double Choke Slam from Naya & Kamitani (8:06).
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI Vs Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
2a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rule: Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI defeated Chris Brookes, Daisuke Sekimoto & Isami Kodaka when Higuchi pinned Brookes with a Cradle Turnback (1:03).
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei) when Aoyagi pinned Kei with a School Boy (7:58).
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda defeated Takeshi Masada, Takuya Nomura & Masato Tanaka when Takeda pinned Masada with the Reverse U Crash (8:31).
5. Ryuji Ito, Abdullah Kobayashi, Jaki Numazawa & Kankuro Hoshino defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata when Ito pinned Hirata with the Biribiri Dragon Splash (14:27).
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI when Aoki pinned Sekifuda with the Blue Storm (10:15).
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Ishikawa & Masashi Takeda when Ueno pinned Ishikawa with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (11:16).
8. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Drew Parker, Cara Noir & RSP defeated Yuji Okabayashi, Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida when Takeshita pinned Yoshida with the Zahi (15:23).
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: Yuki Ueno, Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi defeated MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto when Hashimoto pinned MAO with the Rising DDT (19:21).

Last year’s tournament being built around trios matches was kept around for this year’s edition. Each team featured one DDT wrestler, one Big Japan wrestler and one wild card all of which were random combinations. For everyone involved it was their last chance to grab some glory in the ring before the new year begins.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Big Bombers

The atmosphere of the show was set early by the team called Big Bombers. Their entrance included a video of MAO, Yuya Aoki & Yuko Miyamoto all travelling together for a road trip on motorbikes. Their opponents attempted to use a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who starts but Kikutaro misunderstood. He thought it was just a charade to jump Big Bombers while they weren’t looking so he charged them on his own and got beaten up for it. Kikutaro had even more bad luck, the worse of which involved MAO manipulating Yukio Naya & Hideyoshi Kamitani into Double Choke Slamming their own partner. MAO slipped in for the pin afterward to keep his team’s road trip going.

Team 2023 Vs Super J Cups

The only time limit draw on the show took place in the second match. The Super J Cups are called that because it is a trio of junior heavyweight champions. Supposedly. Kazusada Higuchi’s weight was announced in the venue as 99.999999kg so he was really pushing it. Higuchi spent the end of the match fighting with Daisuke Sekimoto too so nobody was complaining about getting to see that heavyweight battle. It built up to Sekimoto leading Chris Brookes & Isami Kodaka into a Triple Topé Suicida aimed at Higuchi, Kota Sekifuda & MUSASHI. The time limit was reached right when Sekimoto gave Higuchi the German Suplex. When overtime began Sekimoto went straight for the pin but Higuchi kicked out immediately. Brookes tagged in and caught Higuchi in a Prawn Hold. However Higuchi reversed the move and rolled himself on top of Brookes to steal the 1 Count pin needed to win.

Zero Hyaku Vs BraNoue In The Sky With Diamonds

If there is one thing everyone knows about The Brahman Brothers its that they like to stay clean, am I right? Tetsuya Endo & Yasufumi Nakanoue shared their concerns and carried around disinfectant spray. Oh, the two of them were also Brahman-ised and happy to take part in their cheating during the match. Yuma Aoyagi fought back by covering his arms with the metal hoses and Lariating both Brahmans but he ended up pinning Brahman Kei by mistake so the match continued. Nakanoue placed a stake up to Yuki Ueno’s butt (after disinfecting the butt first of course) and Brahman Shu hit it with a chairshot. The gameplan then fell apart due to miscommunication. Endo accidentally hit Kei over the head with a steel tray and then the suitcase thrown by Nakanoue hit Shu instead of Aoyagi. It ended up costing them the match and Zero Hyaku advanced at their expense.

Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi) Vs Team Kansai

Round 1 almost closed out with a little bit of death match flavour. Masashi Takeda brought out a pair of scissors which annoyed the referee Yukinori Matsui. When that was taken away we were left with a match on the regular level of danger. I mean Takeda and Masato Tanaka were still on opposite sides of the ring here. We also had HARASHIMA and Takuya Nomura trading kicks against each other. Takeshi Masada though ended up getting the worst of everything. He took a Swan Dive Body Press from HARASHIMA, a Double Stomp from Yuki Ishikawa and was finished off with the Takeda’s Reverse U Crash.

Non-Tournament 8-Man Tag Match

DDT and Big Japan got threw some of their veterans together for an inter-promotional 8-Man Tag. Danshoku Dieno was back to his old self looking for men in the audience to kiss during his entrance. Shunma Katsumata took to taunting Ryuji Ito when the opportunity presented itself. Antonio Honda tried to tell a Gongitsune joke but Jaki Numazawa cut him off so he could tell his own jokes. Gongitsune groaned after every punchline. Kazuki Hirata put on the Hirata GO! glasses and danced until Kankuro Hoshino placed fox ears over his head. The music changed to “What Does The Fox Say” and the two danced until Hirata realised what was going on and fainted. Dieno set himself up in the Hell Gate position in the corner to charge up his teammate’s attacks. Abdullah Kobayashi then revealed he has the same ability, it only works once every four years. Kobayashi then formed his own Hell Gate. Ito placed a steel plate over his chest, used Kobayashi to charge it up and then did the Dragon Splash onto Hirata to give Big Japan the win. Ito declared Big Japan as the winners of the feud against DDT but Dieno refused to accept defeat. Ito and Dieno threw challenges at each other and both left the ring in a huff.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Super J Cups

People still didn’t believe that Higuchi is a junior heavyweight so he tried vaulting the top rope along with his tag partners. The whole thing didn’t work because Sekifuda & MUSASHI were both pulled down and Higuchi tripped. The Driver’s High team capitalised and all three hit Handspring Back Elbows to the opposition. Sekifuda recovered and keep trying to go for the win until Aoki cut him off and stole the win with the Blue Storm.

Zero Hyaku Vs Emi Chichichi (Wara Chichichi)

The death match flavour did show up in this match. Takeda took out his scissors again but put them away, promising to fight fair. Zero Hyaku had a lot of communication problems when Ueno tried to direct Hashimoto & Aoyagi into setting up a Triple Power Bomb properly. The match then broke down when chairs were brought into the ring. Ishikawa and even HARASHIMA threw chairshots at their opponents. Ueno took the chair and hit HARASHIMA with it. Takeda then pulled out a stapler and stapled a show poster onto Ueno’s chest! Ueno got his revenge by stapling the poster onto Ishikawa’s forehead and then pinning him with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher.

Special 8-Man Tag Match

Before the final could take place there was another non-tournament match to get through. Konosuke Takeshita led a team of foreign wrestlers against Yuji Okabayashi and his band of Strong BJ fighters. The DDT related side won this one. Everything was built up to Takeshita, Drew Parker and RSP doing stereo Swanton Bombs along with the Fable on Kazumi Kikuta, Takuho Kato & Kazumasa Yoshida. Takeshita then pinned Yoshida with the Zahi. After the match backstage RSP said he first wrestled in Japan for Big Japan but now he considers himself part if DDT. Takeshita thinks 2023 will see the full return of wrestlers travelling everywhere around the world. Cara Noir did not say anything. Okabayashi is impressed by how much Takeshita has improved since the last time they fought. However he is also happy with the knowledge that his Chops are still effective against Takeshita. Kikuta told the DDT team not to get carried away just because they won. Kato spoke about Parker’s success since leaving Big Japan. He considers himself close to Parker because they are the same age and their birthdays are only a few days apart. Yoshida was happy to get to fight Takeshita.

Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final

Ika Ra Takeshi Ki Asu Manji Hai (Driver’s High) Vs Zero Hyaku

The final came down to this. The Driver’s High team came out all wearing gear matching with Miyamoto’s. Late in the match MAO & Aoki focused on Missile attacks to Hashimoto until the tables turned. Ueno caught MAO with the Dropkick, Aoyagi hit the Rockstar Buster and Hashimoto hit the Shining Wizard. MAO kicked out of both at one so Hashimoto had to drop him with the Rising DDT, crowning Zero Hyaku as the tournament winners!

The winners received their prize from Sayoko Mita. Aoyagi was happy to win because this was his first New Year’s Eve show. Hashimoto said the team went from Zero to Hyaku! Ueno admitted he never expected Hashimoto to be so mischievous and Aoyagi to be so nice. He doesn’t know what to expect in 2023 but the three of them will continue to change pro wrestling. Aoyagi wants the three of them to reunite for next year’s tournament but he was told it can only happen if the random lottery somehow pairs the three of them together again.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2022

MVP

1. Kazusada Higuchi
2. Drew Parker
3. Fujita Jr. Hayato
4. Konosuke Takeshita
5. Yumehito Imanari

Best Bout

1. MUSASHI Vs Fujita Jr. Hayato (Michinoku Pro, 1st July)
2. Jun Kasai Vs El Desperado (JUST TAP OUT, 12th September)
3. Hartley Jackson Vs Mizuki Watase (Ganbare☆Pro, th )
4. Drew Parker Vs Masashi Takeda (FREEDOMS, 16th November)
5. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo (DDT, 20th March)

Best Unit

1. Pheromones
2. The 37KAMIINA
3. Astronauts
4. CDK
5. Speed Of Sounds

Best Box Office

1. Big Japan @ Yokohama Budokan, 5th May
2. Ganbare☆Pro @ Ota Ward Gymnasium, 10th July
3. Michinoku Pro @ Korakuen Hall, 1st July
4. FREEDOMS @ Yokohama Budokan, 3rd May
5. DDT @ Ryogoku Kokugikan, 20th March

Best Newcomer

1. Daiju Wakamatsu
2. Yukio Naya
3. Takeshi Masada
4. HARUKAZE
5. Jun Masaoka


“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2020 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

December 31, 2020

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2020 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
520 Fans

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Yuya Aoki & Yukio Naya when Okabayashi submitted Naya with the Argentine Backbreaker (8:53).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Akira Hyodo & Makoto Oishi Vs Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
2a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Akira Hyodo & Makoto Oishi when Nomura pinned Hyodo with a Rollover Inverted Cross Armbreaker (2:32).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno defeated Drew Parker & Danshoku Dieno when Ueno pinned Dieno with a School Boy (7:35).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo defeated Hideyoshi Kamitani & Chris Brookes when Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with the German Suplex (7:04).
5. Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match: Ryuji Ito defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Dragon Splash (11:01).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA Vs Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
6a. Overtime – 1 Count Fall Rules: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Takuya Nomura & Konosuke Takeshita when HARASHIMA pinned Takeshita with a Jackknife Pin (0:26).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo when Nakanoue pinned Sekimoto with the Lariat (8:10).
8. New Year’s Wrestling 2020 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazuki Hashimoto, Daichi Hashimoto & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Takuho Kato, Yuki Ishikawa, Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani when Hashimoto pinned Okatani with the Falcon Arrow (13:35).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Yuji Okabayashi & HARASHIMA defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Ueno when Okabayashi pinned Nakanoue with the Golem Splash (17:50).

The annual New Year’s Eve show was a much smaller affair in 2020. Safety precautions meant the show took place earlier in the day and would not roll over into the end of year countdown. The Shuffle Tag Tournament between DDT and Big Japan was also reduced to 8 teams instead of the usual 16.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1

Smile Pissari Vs HOT Real JAPAN

Two super heavyweights collided when Yuji Okabayashi and Yukio Naya stood face to face from each other. HARASHIMA kept Yuya Aoki away so Naya spent most of the match in the ring. He got some good shots in with Knee Strikes but Okabayashi cut him off with a Lariat and made him submit to the Argentine Backbreaker. Naya said he wants to fight Okabayashi again. Aoki was apologetic for not getting to help his tag partner more.

170cm Vs Nomutake

It only took until the second match for overtime sudden death rules to kick in. Konosuke Takeshita and Makoto Oishi were scrambling over each other in the dying seconds of the match. When time expired, One Count Fall rules came into play for the restart. Takuya Nomura put Akira Hyodo in a Cross Armbreaker and rolled him onto his shoulders to get the pin. At least Hyodo thought he and Oishi worked well as a team given their age difference.

Nakanoueno Vs Sodomy & Scars

Things got cheeky in Match #3. Danshoku Dieno accidentally put Drew Parker in the Lip Lock. Parker later accidentally pulled down Dieno’s tights to reveal he was wearing a diaper underneath because he still has not recovered from the CO2 attack to his rear end last week. Still he went into the Hell Gate position but Yuki Ueno Dropkicked him in the butt. Yasufumi Nakanoue rushed over to give Parker the Lip Lock while Ueno pinned Dieno with a School Boy. Dieno said afterward there are two kinds of butts in the world. Those that are for entertainment and those that are not.

Daisuke In The Sky Vs LINE Tomodachi

Round 1 ended with Daisuke Sekimoto & Tetsuya Endo defeating Hideyoshi Kamitani & Chris Brookes. It went back and forth until Endo gave Brookes the Tetsuya In The Sky and Sekimoto pinned Kamitani with the German Suplex. Brookes threatened to remove Kamitani from their LINE group backstage but Kamitani convinced him to give him one more chance.

Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match

The first of two non-tournament matches was the long awaited lighttube death match between Ryuji Ito and Shunma Katsumata. Lighttubes, thumbtacks, Lego, a barbed wire bat and even sauna stones were used as weapons. Ito came out on top in the end but he praised Katsumata for keeping up with death matches, especially this week’s schedule. He doesn’t likes saunas though because they are too hot. Katsumata tells him everyone says that at first but they always end up liking it.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final

Smile Pissari Vs Nomutake

The semi finals began and one of them went into extra time. Okabayashi came out wearing a similar entrance robe as HARASHIMA. Nomura wanted to get into a kick battle with HARASHIMA so that is what he got. In the final minutes, Okabayashi and Takeshita both went down from a Lariat but only Okabayashi got to tag out. HARASHIMA went for the Somato and Takeshita avoided it before the bell rang for a time limit draw. At the restart, HARASHIMA kicked Takeshita’s injured arm, followed with a Thrust Kick to the face and pinned him for the one count with a Jackknife. Nomura would like to team with Takeshita again but he doesn’t know if his regular tag partner Fuminori Abe would approve of it. Takeshita then suggested he could fight against Nomura & Abe.

Nakanoueno Vs Daisuke In The Sky

The tag synergy continued with Sekimoto & Endo wearing each other’s entrance robes. After a Double Torture Rack spot, Endo encouraged Sekimoto to German Suplex him and Ueno together. Ueno slipped out and landed on his feet while Endo took the full brunt of the move. Ueno hit Sekimoto with a Frog Splash and Nakanoue won with a big Lariat. Sekimoto apologised to Endo over and over backstage. He admits his wife tells him he is too careless all the time. Endo promised to improve his fingertip strength so his clutch will get stronger.

New Year’s Wrestling 2020 Special 8-Man Tag Match

The young boys were fed to the grizzly old veterans but they didn’t go down without a fight. Yuki Ishikawa stepped in as a last minute replacement for Kosuke Sato because of injury. Takuho Kato set Keigo Nakamura up to do the Exquisite Moonsault on Kazuki Hashimoto. A nearfall then came when Hideki Okatani gave Kazuki the Northern Lights Suplex. Eruption cut them off and Daichi Hashimoto took over. He resisted Okatani’s chops and pinned him with the Falcon Arrow.

Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final

Smile Pissari Vs Nakanoueno

The final turned out to be a preview of Big Japan’s 2nd January main event with Okabayashi and Nakanoue squaring off. The match started off with them and ended with them. Ueno wiped out HARASHIMA with a Tornillo leading to the Big Japan pair to take it home. Nakanoue hit the Diving Elbow but HARASHIMA broke the pin and hit a Somato into the corner. Okabayashi got a nearfall with a Power Bomb. He then had to use the Golem Splash to get the three count and win the tournament with HARASHIMA! He thanked HARASHIMA for teaming with him and also for the entrance robe. HARASHIMA hopes to keep up with Okabayashi in 2021. Nakanoue & Ueno were happy with their performances considering they never teamed together before today. Maybe they have Osaka Power of love and friendship.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards 2020

MVP
1. Minoru Fujita
2. Tetsuya Endo
3. Toru Sugiura
4. Fuminori Abe
5. Daichi Hashimoto

Best Bout
1. Tetsuya Endo Vs Daisuke Sasaki (DDT, 3rd November)
2. Ryuji Ito Vs Minoru Fujita (Big Japan, 29th August)
3. Yuji Okabayashi Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan, 23rd November)
4. Onryo Vs Yuko Miyamoto (666, 27th June)
5. Masashi Takeda Vs Daisuke Masaoka (FREEDOMS, 10th November)

Best Unit
1. Astronauts
2. Eruption
3. unchain
4. DAMNATION
5. Wataridori Rengo

Best Box Office
1. Big Japan at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium, 29th August
2. Hiragana Muscle at Tokyo Korakuen Hall, 9th November
3. DDT at Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium, 3rd November
4. Big Japan at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium, 30th August
5. Hiragan Muscle at Tokyo Shinagawa The Grand Hall, 21st September

Best Newcomer
1. Rina Yamashita
2. Shunma Katsumata
3. Jun Akiyama
4. Yuki Ishikawa
5. Hideki Okatani


New Year’s Tag Changes, January Updates, Great Nita Returns, Tanaka Gets Title Shot

December 30, 2019

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1A: Daichi Hashimoto & Akito Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yuki Iino Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuki Hashimoto
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1C: HARASHIMA & Yuya Aoki Vs El Lindaman & Yukio Naya
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1D: Yuji Okabayashi & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Chris Brookes
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1E: Ryuichi Kawakami & T-Hawk Vs Soma Takao & Kota Sekifuda
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1F: Brahman Kei & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Tetsuya Endo & Takuya Nomura
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1G: Yuko Miyamoto & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yuki Ueno & Takuho Kato
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1H: Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino Vs Toshiyuki Sakuda & Shunma Katsumata
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1E Vs Winners Of Match 1F
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1G Vs Winners Of Match 1H
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X & X Vs X & X
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X & X Vs X & X
15. New Year’s Eve! Defeat Hunger! Very Funny! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Abdullah Kobayashi, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino, Drew Parker & Mizuki Watase
16. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X

There is a flu going around this week and it hit the Big Japan roster pretty hard. A number of wrestlers had to pull out of shows this week either due to the flu or high fevers. Ryuji Ito, Isami Kodaka, Ryota Hama, Brahman Shu, Orca Uto and Yuki Ishikawa are all out of the New Year’s Eve show. This means five teams had to be changed with one team entirely getting replaced. The changes are as follows:

Konosuke Takeshita & Orca Uto -> Konosuke Takeshita & Hideyoshi Kamitani
Ryota Hama & Yuki Ueno -> Yuki Ueno & Takuho Kato
Brahman Brothers & Naomi Yoshimura -> Brahman Kei & Naomi Yoshimura
Isami Kodaka & Yuki Ishikawa -> Takumi Tsukamoto & Kankuro Hoshino
Ryuji Ito & Shunma Katsumata -> Toshiyuki Sakuda & Shunma Katsumata

DDT “NEW YEAR SPECIAL GIFT! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2020”, 03/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Difference Battle Royal: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Iino Vs Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Mizuki Watase Vs Yukio Naya Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato
3. New Year! Special 3 Way Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
4. HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Makoto Oishi
5. MAO Triumph Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. New Year! Special Worldwide Match: Masato Tanaka Vs Chris Brookes
7. Tetsuya Endo & X Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura

This is the match order for the first DDT show of 2020.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’20”, 04/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Sena Shiori Debut Match: Sena Shiori & Makoto Kiryu Vs Haruna Neko & Mina Shirakawa
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Saki Akai Vs Yuki Kamifuku
4. Aja Kong, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Yuna Manase, Mina Shirakawa & Mirai Maiumi
5. Natsumi Maki Return Match: Natsumi Maki Vs Sareee
6. Mizuki Vs Thunder Rosa
7. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Hikari Noa
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

And this is the match order for the first Tokyo Joshi Pro show of 2020.

DDT “NEW YEAR DRAMATIC ITABASHI SERIES 2020”, 05/01/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura
2. MAO Vs Makoto Oishi
3. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii & Kazuki Hirata

The newly established team of Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi are ready to cause havoc in DDT. Higuchi thinks the place just hasn’t been the same without him.

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN HANDMADE IN JAPAN FES WINTER (2020)”, 11/01/2020
Tokyo Big Sight West 1.2 Hall

1. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya Vs MAO & Keigo Nakamura

A new year and a new chance to take up a visit to the arts & crafts festival.

DDT “WRESTLE SHIOKONBU! 2020”, 12/01/2020
Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Akito Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
3. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 3rd Match: Saki Akai Vs Rina Yamashita
4. DDT Extreme Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Pokotan (w/ Danshoku Dieno)
5. Yuni Kid Wrestler Graduation Countdown! Osaka Specialty 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuni

Yuni will say farewell to his childhood as he gets ready for full-fledged pro wrestling training.

The 3rd opponent in Saki Akai’s series is Rina Yamashita. She has been making waves lately as a death match wrestler.

DDT “WRESTLE TOROROKOBU! 2020”, 13/01/2020
Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Saki Akai Vs Makoto Oishi
2. Hiroshi Yamato Vs Akito
3. Yuni Kid Wrestler Graduation Countdown! Special Tag Match In Osaka: Tetsuya Endo & Yuni Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ueno
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Kuishinbo Kamen, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
5. DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION!: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie

Oh shit what if Yuni joins DAMNATION when he’s old enough?

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “GANBARE☆ONITA OYA☆PRO WRESTLING RAISING A FLAG”, 13/01/2020
Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall

1. Special 3 Way Match: Miss Mongol Vs Ultimate Spider Jr. Vs Shuhei Washida
2. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Itsuki Aoki
3. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
4. Ganpro Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Yumehito Imanari Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki
5. Scramble Bunkhouse Street Fight 6-Man Tag Death Match: The Great Nita, Ken Ohka & Hiroaki Moriya Vs Kenichiro Arai, Guts Ishijima & Shota

Due to other commitments of the legal kind, Atsushi Onita is unable to wrestle on this show. However he already went and gotten his replacement. He found The Great Nita wandering around the Indian Ocean and heard Nita wanted to celebrate the new year in Japan. So Onita invited him to visit and take his place in the main event. This will be the first wrestling match for The Great Nita since August 2017.

Yukio Naya met with Onita and asked if he could be part of the next Bakuha Koshien show on 28th March. Onita will consider it if Naya renames himself Taiho III after his grandfather Taiho Koki.

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2020”, 26/01/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Masato Tanaka

In the D-Ou Grand Prix, the final block match between HARASHIMA and Masato Tanaka ended in a time limit draw. Out of this result Tanaka qualified for the final and ended up winning the tournament. But he will not consider DDT fully conquered until he can beat HARASHIMA. The KO-D Openweight Champion feels the same and is putting the title on the line for the chance to beat Tanaka.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “GANBARE☆JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 2020”, 02/02/2020
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. GanJo Vs DDT Wrestling Classroom Full Battle – Count-Up Fall Match: X Vs Cherry
2. Special Singles Match – Jacket Match: HARUKAZE Vs Yuu
3. GanJo Vs DDT Wrestling Classroom Full Battle – 2 Count Fall Match: Moeka Haruhi Vs Banny Oikawa
4. GanJo Type Lariat Pro Wrestling: KEIKO, Beauty Suzuki & Eagle Washida Vs Shigeko Deluxe, Miss Mongol & Kokoro Suzuki
5. GanJo Vs DDT Wrestling Classroom Full Battle 6-Woman Tag Team Elimination Match: Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & X Vs Cherry, Yuu & Banny Oikawa

Daisuke Kiso wanted the main event to definitively decided which team is better so he made it an Elimination Tag Match.

The 2 Count match was made to even the playing field between Moeka Haruhi and the less experienced Banny Oikawa.

Both HARUKAZE and Yuu will be wrestling in judo jackets because HARUKAZE wants the match to be entirely about grappling and groundwork.

The Count-Up Fall Match adds up the pinfall counts a wrestler makes. The first to reach their total count up to a predetermined number wins. Cherry’s opponent will be revealed on the day of the show. The mystery wrestler is hinted to be very beautiful and will also be a regular for Ganbare☆Wrestling in 2020.

Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie, Shota, Shuhei Washida and Shin Suzuki were all meant to be on the show but now they will not be there. Luckily a bunch of “joshi” replacements were quickly found.