TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” Results

March 16, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1,212 Fans

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa & Mifu Ashida defeated HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki when Hasegawa pinned Suzuki with the Diving Double Knee Attack (9:42).
2. Kakeru Sekiguchi, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Ivy Steele defeated Kaya Toribami, Kira Summer, Chika Nanase & Uta Takami when Kiryu pinned Nanase with the Spinebuster (10:22).
3. Max The Impaler defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Lariat (5:00).
4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Toga when Uehara submitted Kazashiro with the Banana Pillow (11:22).
5. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Raku defeated Pom Harajuku (c) with the Doctor Yellow (8:04).
*Pom Harajuku fails in V2. Raku becomes the 3rd SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion!
6. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale defeated Miu Watanabe with the Babe With The Power Bomb (10:15).
7. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura defeated Yuki Arai with the Death Valley Bomb (11:49).
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) defeated Arisu Endo with the Spring Ring A Bell (14:28).
*V2 for Suzume.
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) when Misao pinned Yamashita with the Hypami Returns (21:29).
*121000000 fails in V5. Kyoraku Kyomei become the 18th Princess Tag Team Champions!
10. Princess Of Princess Title – STOMPING Presents: Mizuki (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi with the Modified Face Lock (21:14).
*V1 for Mizuki.

Ok so maybe love isn’t always the answer. After many years in the making, Rika Tatsumi finally got to wrestle the love of her life Mizuki and was willing to risk it all to win the Princess Of Princess Title. Her gameplan was to target Mizuki’s legs and pick them apart with Dragon Screws, Kneebusters and the Figure 4 Leg Lock. But Mizuki’s resiliance meant she was able to withstand the pain and still use the Diving Foot Stomp to great effect. Tatsumi had another plan and that was to use the Hip Attack to counter the Whirling Candy. She used the Dragon Sleeper to continue wearing her opponent down but when she climbed the top rope, Mizuki followed her and delivered an Avalanche Cutie Special. She used more Foot Stomps to fight off the Dragon Sleeper and soon applied the Face Lock. Tatsumi tried rolling out of it but reached her breaking point when Mizuki modified the hold into a Crossface variant for the submission victory.

Mizuki told the fans to give her a moment after the match so she could talk to Tatsumi. She’s not as nice as Tatsumi thinks she is but she is still glad to know Tatsumi always liked her. Today they got to know each other better which means Mizuki now loves Tatsumi even more. They hugged and Mizuki thanked the fans for spending this special day with Tokyo Joshi Pro. Backstage Mizuki said she had complicated feelings about the match that she didn’t really understand. She was worried Tatsumi would dislike her if she revealed everything about herself. But she still gave it her all because the championship is so important. She doesn’t know if they’ve become close enough to start teaming together or if she is better off keeping a comfortable distance away from Tatsumi again. Tatsumi admitted she thought her love for Mizuki was always one-sided but today there was a moment when their feelings connected. That’s enough to make her happy and have her looking forward to the future. She would love to team up with Mizuki a lot if it is possible.

Success was on the minds of Kyoraku Kyomei when they came face to face against 121000000. They brought their Max Heart Tournament trophies down to the ring with them and encouraged each other to keep shouting in order to win. That was the cue for Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao to launch an ambush but Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh were ready for them and easily fought back. The match went outside where Misao crashed the Hyper Mobile into Yamashita (who then bumped into Mahiro Kiryu). Itoh then knocked Misao off her bike with her microphone. She later gave Nakajima a Death Valley Driver and but Nakajima fired back with a Top Rope Frankensteiner. The focus switched to Yamashita against Misao where a High Kick from Yamashita knocked Misao’s mask off her face! Misao continued to fight with her face fully exposed but still needed Nakajima’s help until Itoh came to Yamashita’s aid. Nakajima was taken out with the Headbutt/High Knee combo. Misao took more strikes but suddenly countered Yamashita’s Attitude Adjustment into the Vanitas! She wore down Yamashita with the Crossface Chickenwing with a 619 from Nakajima added for more damage. Itoh tried to make the save but Nakajima cut her off from the ring apron with the Diving Senton. With the coast clear, Misao gave Yamashita the Hypami Returns and scored the three count!

Backstage Kyoraku Kyomei said they must be dreaming because they finally beat 121000000 to become the new Princess Tag Team Champions! Both Nakajima and Misao have held the title before but they were at very different point of their careers. Nakajima remembers becoming the first champion with Yuka Sakazaki and thinks they lost the belts before they could become the ideal tag team. Today was the ideal match she had in mind so she’s really happy to finally reach it. Misao felt like she was always chasing after Nakajima and 121000000 for all of the hard work they do to grow TJPW. She felt that way even more when she got injured last year. These are two of the oldest teams in TJPW so today felt like Kyoraku Kyomei’s last chance to fight 121000000 for a big prize. The rematch hurt more than the first match two years ago but it was also more fun for them. They now want to defend the titles in unconventional ways.

As for 121000000 it could be time to call it a day. It was Yamashita’s idea for the team to split up if they couldn’t reach ten successful title defences and they didn’t even make it to five. But she does not want to go ahead with it and will continue the team if Itoh wants her to. Itoh cannot imagine teaming with anyone other than Yamashita… but maybe now is the right time for them to separate for a while so they can become stronger. When the timing is right 121000000 will get back together as a much stronger tag team. Yamashita promised she will do her best to get them to reunite some day.

The battle of Daisy Monkey is now scored at Suzume 4 – 0 Arisu Endo. There was a Camel Clutch spot that put the International Princess Champion in danger. Endo was able to spin Suzume into the centre of the ring with the move but Suzume was still able to fight her way towards getting a rope break. Suzume was then able to counter the Mt. Bandai into a Flying Facecrusher and also the Ju no Okite into a small form Ring A Bell for a nearfall. Endo blocked another Ring A Bell and tried to set up the Ju no Okite again but Suzume slipped out and landed an Oscutter style version of her finisher. That version is called the Spring Ring A Bell and it got Suzume the win! Endo said their bond has deepened even more and she still wants the title because somebody she loves has it! Suzume said Daisy Monkey’s dream has come true. She knows many fans want to see Endo win a singles title and so does she. But she doesn’t want to lose her IP Title and showed her determination with that match. She wants to hold onto the belt forever to prove that it suits her best more than anyone else in the world. Next she wants to go defend it in America before taking it across the world.

The next step for Yuki Arai’s wrestling career was to take on Meiko Satomura all by herself. Arai was able to hit the Rookie Award, the Full Nelson Buster and also apply the Scorpion Death Lock. But she couldn’t take it all the way by hitting the Finally. Satomura had that finisher scouted and blocked every attempt. When she was on the offensive she used moves like the Cartwheel Knee Drop, an STF and the Death Valley Bomb on her way to victory. Satomura gave Arai a hug after the match and later talked about being surprised at how good of a fighter Arai is. She has the right mix of technique, feeling and star quality that other wrestlers do not have. Satomura is glad to have fought Arai just before her own retirement and believes she can carry the future of joshi wrestling on her shoulders. Arai said she felt frustrated because this will be her only match with Satomura. She’ll keep what she learned today in her heart to do her best as a pro wrestler. Her goal now is to become strong enough to make everyone believe she can beat Satomura!

Power was finally matched up against power when Miu Watanabe fought against Willow Nightingale. Head Locks turned to Shoulder Tackles which then turned to Power Slams. Watanabe pulled off the Giant Swing and hit some Batting Hammer strikes before putting Nightingale in the Reverse Paradox. Nightingale fought back using an Oklahoma Stampede as well as a top rope Brainbuster. She avoided the Tear Drop and ran the ropes to crash into Watanabe with the Pounce before using the Babe With The Power Bomb to get the win. Backstage Nightingale talked about how she used Wrestle Universe to watch Watanabe grow but it’s still completely different to actually being in the ring with her. She gets why the two of them get compared to each other and the match reminded her why pro wrestling is amazing. Watanabe is disappointed that she lost but she hopes to follow Nightingale back to America. She’ll even go stay at her house if she’s allowed.

The pressure of being in a major championship match can be draining so Raku decided to bring out a futon so she could take a nap in the ring during her entrance. It also has the bonus feature of being used like a cape for when Raku did a diving Loy Thesz Press onto Pom Harajuku. Raku’s constant nap attacks made Harajuku drowsy so she boosted herself with a bottle of Red Bull and grew wings out of her back! Harajuku was fired up until Raku caught her in the Front Neck Lock to squeeze the energy out of her. Harajuku did hit the Pom de Justice in response but couldn’t follow up with the cover right away. Raku was able to get her senses back and won with the Doctor Yellow to become the new SETUP All Asia Women’s Champion! She said she was able to have the most heart-to-heart match with Harajuku and wants to continue walking with her down the same path. Also now that she has a championship she wants to defend it in many places. Harajuku said she was sad to lose the title but became happy for Raku when she was given the belt. She also has wings now so the championship did change Harajuku into becoming a stronger fighter.

A new costume for Wakana Uehara was just the start of her day. She went on to win a 6-Woman Tag Match that also had Aja Kong & Yuki Kamifuku as her partners. Kong was so strong that Haru Kazashiro & Toga needed to work together to get her off her feet by doing a Rock Bottom/Missile Dropkick combo. Yuki Aino softened up Uehara and left it to Kazashiro to finish the job. But Uehara blocked the Fisherman Suplex and caught her opponent in the Banana Pillow to make her submit. Uehara thanked her two partners for teaming with her. Kamifuku pointed out they all wore glitter to connect as a team together. She also asked Kong if she will be available for her homecoming show on 11th May. There is also a cool bar that recently opened up there that she wants to take Kong to. Kong asked if she could challenge Kamifuku for the Queen Of Asia Title but Kamifuku tried to put her off the idea by making it sound like she’ll have to jump through a lot of hoops with her agency to make that happen. Meanwhile Aino gave an encouraging speech to Kazashiro & Toga. They shouldn’t think they are no good anymore just because they lost today. They are only just two years into their career so they should be thinking “I lost today but I will definitely win next time!”

Max The Impaler was too much of an immovable object for Moka Miyamoto to handle. She was able to knock Max down with the Zero Fighter Kick but when she applied the Rashomon, Max powered out of the move and shook her off. There was a Senton for a nearfall and then a Lariat that put Miyamoto down for the count. Max took Miyamoto’s ribbon after the match to take home as their newest trophy. They are matching it with the hair accessory they previously took from HIMAWARI. Miyamoto said she couldn’t find any weaknesses in Max so she will come up with more countermeasures so she can win the next time they fight.

Remember, Mahiro Kiryu is in the blue gear with the one leg exposed while Kakeru Sekiguchi is in the blue gear with the other leg exposed. Got it? Despite that useful piece of information, Uta Takami couldn’t tell them apart. That gave Haruna Neko the chance to attack while Takami was confused. Ivy Steele and Kira Summer were briefly pitted against each other. Kaya Toribami got to lead her team on the offensive and Chika Nanase wanted to score the win. But Neko stopped Nanase with a Neckbreaker Drop, setting Kiryu up to use the Spinebuster for the win. Toribami apologised to Nanase for not helping her enough. But when Takami apologised for mixing up Kiryu & Sekiguchi, Toribami told her she didn’t have to.

The first match of the day saw the “transfer student tag team” of Yoshiko Hasegawa & Mifu Ashida beat HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki. Hasegawa and Suzuki fought back and forth trying to apply the Muffler Hold and the Sleeper Hold respectively. HIMAWARI tried to break it off so Ashida took her out of the ring. That allowed Hasegawa to pin Suzuki with the Diving Double Knee Attack. HIMAWARI said she looked forward to fighting Ashida today because she is a type of wrestlers that didn’t previously exist in TJPW. Ashida called the result a new starting point so she and Hasegawa can get into the habit of winning more often.

Sayuri Namba announced TJPW will be part of a marketing campaign for a collaboration between the sports brand FILA and a Korean women’s clothing brand called OJOS. Mizuki and Maki Itoh have already taken part in photoshoots to be used in upcoming marketing material.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” Preview

March 15, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa & Mifu Ashida Vs HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
2. Kakeru Sekiguchi, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Ivy Steele Vs Kaya Toribami, Kira Summer, Chika Nanase & Uta Takami
3. Max The Impaler Vs Moka Miyamoto
4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Toga
5. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) Vs Raku
6. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale Vs Miu Watanabe
7. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura Vs Yuki Arai
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Arisu Endo
9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

Spring has arrived and with that comes the first big arena show for Tokyo Joshi Pro in 2025. This year TJPW has booked the refurbished Ota Ward Gymnasium as their residency for their three biggest shows in Japan this year: “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” this weekend, “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25” in July and “WRESTLE PRINCESS VI” in September. Let’s stick to the short term because not only is this Sunday’s show pretty important by itself, according to TJPW’s English tweets it will play a big part into deciding the championship matches for their trip to Las Vegas next month. All three TJPW championships are on the line here along with a fourth title from the outside. There’s also a few guests here and there to liven up the undercard as it all builds up to a main event that will be more “Wrestle And Romance” than anything Genichiro Tenryu ever came up with.

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa & Mifu Ashida Vs HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki

The show starts off with the two latest additions to the TJPW roster teaming together. Yoshiko Hasegawa became a regular part of the company last September, sort of filling in the spot on the card left by Nao Kakuta (but not nearly getting as many wins). Her partner here only just joined TJPW at the start of the year catching eyes with her cheerleading entrances. Mifu Ashida hasn’t looked bad in her matches so far but her goal of reaching the top of the company within a year is not going to happen. She’s already been humbled for that so the next step is to see how she will adapt from that.

At the end of last year both HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki had found themselves being overtaken by other wrestlers in their class and needing to catch up. They were both eliminated in the 1st Round of the 2024 Next Generation Tournament. This year they’ve been helping each other turn their fortunes around and it led them to the semi-finals of the Max Heart Tournament. They seem to have a good thing going on and a win here will help their momentum. Getting themselves a team name wouldn’t hurt either.

2. Kakeru Sekiguchi, Mahiro Kiryu, Haruna Neko & Ivy Steele Vs Kaya Toribami, Kira Summer, Chika Nanase & Uta Takami

What can I write about this match when there is not a lot to write about? Has Kakeru Sekiguchi made enough appearances by now for the TJPW roster to tell her apart from Mahiro Kiryu? Surely Haruna Neko will be able to see the difference given that she’s been teaming with Kiryu a lot lately. Ivy Steele has been fitting in and getting matches with a variety of wrestlers up and down the card. Kaya Toribami has usually been on the winning side of the multi-woman tag matches on this level lately. Kira Summer has been the opposite. Chika Nanase exists and Uta Takami added an actually pretty sick looking Cobra Clutch move that she has named the Koala Clutch. So yeah, the result here is going to be a coin flip of a match.

3. Max The Impaler Vs Moka Miyamoto

Well it’s been nice knowing Moka Miyamoto. Her two highlights of 2025 so far are teaming with Yuka Sakazaki on 4th January and getting to wrestle in Chile. The third will be the moment when she attempts the Zero Fighter Kick and bounces off of Max The Impaler like a tennis ball hitting a wall. Most of Max’s appearances in TJPW so far this year was in the Max Heart Tournament where Pompaler made it all the way to the finals before losing. Since then Max has been away from their usual partner rampaging through the company like only they can. Where Max goes from here will be up to them unless the karate skills of Miyamoto can cut The Impaler down to size.

4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Yuki Aino, Haru Kazashiro & Toga

Can I get away with calling Aja Kong everyone’s favorite aunt in TJPW because that’s what it feels like whenever she shows up. There are still wrestlers here who want to step up to her and end up getting quite shaken after taking a Back Drop, Diving Elbow Drop or Uraken. But there are also plenty of on the roster who have become reliable partners for her. Yuki Kamifuku is a prime example. She continues to rule over Southeast Asia with the Double Asian Crown in her possession. Every time she gets in the ring she’s the most confident she’s ever been. Wakana Uehara seems to have earned Kong’s respect too going back to their singles match from January 2024.

If the opposing team have anything to their name it’s a lot of guts. Yuki Aino is back to floating aimlessly around the card but when you give her an opportunity to be stubborn in the ring she’ll take it. Haru Kazashiro has improved dramatically over the past year and earned her victory at the Next Generation Tournament. She still has a long way to go but I’m not going to argue anyone calling her the top prospect from TJPW’s new generation. Toga is not that far behind her and there is a good chase to be had with them as both tag team partners and opponents. But they should worry about dealing with Auntie Kong first.

5. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Pom Harajuku (c) Vs Raku

Hands up if you ever thought we’d see the day when Raku and Pom Harajuku are booked in a genuine championship match against each other and not one for a comedy belt. Put it down, I know you’re lying. Alright, alright I take that back. This pair genuinely do have it in them to get an audience emotionally invested in a match like this. Harajuku became one of the most unlikeliest champions in TJPW history when she travelled to Thailand last November and won the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title from Matcha in a No DQ Match! With that success came the champion’s boost that saw Harajuku winning more matches in TJPW and even go on a Max Heart Tournament run that took her all the way to the final. It’s been a wonderful story to follow but it led our champion into a match she didn’t want to happen.

It took Harajuku more than one time to beat Matcha for the SETUP Women’s Title. There was a previous attempt in September 2024 when Harajuku and Matcha fought in a 3 Way Match for the title with Raku as the third person. Matcha pinned Raku to win the match and retain the title that night and the result has stayed in Raku’s thoughts ever since. So when Harajuku brought the championship to Japan and was able to keep hold of it for a few months (not just figuratively because she literally dropped the belt that one time), Raku made the challenge for a title shot. Harajuku refused until Raku explained it’s because she loves her. Let me tell you if I had a nickel for every title match on this show that is built around love, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happening twice.

6. Special Single Match: Willow Nightingale Vs Miu Watanabe

It was this month last year when Miu Watanabe climbed to the top of the TJPW mountain at the 2024 edition of this show. Her run on top lasted for the rest of the year and while it is over for now, she still has some tasty looking matches on the horizon. Like this one for example. TJPW originally wanted to do a Watanabe versus Willow Nightingale match back in the summer of 2022 but visa problems on Nightingale’s end prevented her from travelling to Japan. She eventually got to go on a Japan tour with TJPW later in the year and be in the ring with Watanabe but that singles match still never occured. So what a delight it was last month to see a video from Nightingale announcing she is coming back to finally make the match happen! Smiles are guaranteed and so too will there be power spots galore.

7. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura Vs Yuki Arai

You know, it’s funny. Imagine a world where TJPW somehow exists exactly as it does now but without Miyu Yamashita ever existing. In that alternate universe we probably get Meiko Satomura looking like a ray of sunshine every time she appears because she seems to see the positives in every other wrestler in the company except for Yamashita. Satomura is just be over a month away from her pro wrestling retirement so unless we get an unexpected announcement it looks like Yuki Arai gets the honour of being her last ever opponent ever in a TJPW ring.

The match is the latest in the long line of signs that Arai has TJPW’s full backing behind her. She is also approaching the end of a career soon because she will be graduating from SKE48 at the end of March to put her full effort into pro wrestling. Just being in the ring with Satomura as part of the joshi legend’s retirement road is a vote of confidence in her favour. If she’s giving up her singing career to become the new leader of TJPW she knows she will have to shine bright against the yokozuna of joshi. Maybe she’ll level up so much that she can evolve her Finally finishing move and change it from the Heel Drop into the Scorpio Rising!

8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Arisu Endo

The fated Daisy Monkey showdown! It’s a dream match Suzume wanted to make a reality from the moment she won the International Princess Title on 4th January. But first she had to get past Jada Stone for her February title defence. Good thing that Arisu Endo thought the same way and approached Suzume right after that match asking to be the next challenger. Suzume has the experience advantage, having beaten Endo in their three previous singles matches against each other. In fact one of those matches opened up “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” two years ago. Back then Suzume was concerned that Endo had caught up with and even surpassed her. Things are a bit different this time around.

While the two are the best of friends, Endo admits this match will be more like a sibling rivalry kicking off. Suzume is like a big sister and Endo wants the IP Title even more because her “big sister” currently has it!

9. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao

When 121000000 won the Princess Tag Team Titles for a second time they quickly agreed on their next goal as champions. If Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh cannot reach 10 successful title defences in a row then their accomplished tag team will split up. We’re now approaching the halfway point of the target. They have retained the belts four times already with successful defences in America and Chile along the way. They also have more overseas bookings coming on the horizon so there is plenty of opportunities ahead for them to reach that goal before we know it. There’s a big wall now standing in their way though. It’s a pair of wrestlers with chips on their shoulders for multiple reasons and 121000000 are partially responsible for it.

Kyoraku Kyomei have been together as a tag team for five years and spent most of that time as the bridesmaids of the tag division. It was a team put together when Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao wanted to cheer people up during the pandemic. When the pairing clicked better than expected, they started aiming for success only to fall short on every occasion. The failure that hurt them the most was in the 2023 Max Heart Tournament final when they lost to, you guessed it, 121000000. That loss in particular has stuck with Nakajima & Misao like a thorn in their hearts filling them with bitterness and resentment. So after they finally won the Max Heart Tournament this year (as the only remaining team to compete in all 5 tournaments), they could not be more fired up to get their rematch with Yamashita & Itoh. The champions welcome the challenge. They don’t even mind being compared to overpowered tournament level Pokémon (Yamashita only understood the reference once she saw that Ogerpon does kind of resemble her). Itoh in particular feeds off of that kind of loathing and jealousy towards other people.

If Kyoraku Kyomei can win the match and finally win the championship together, it could result in a massive change in direction for the Princess Tag Titles. Misao has put forward the idea of taking on brand new challengers in future title defences. She wants to fight teams that Kyoraku Kyomei have never faced before even if it means the challengers end up being pairs of wrestlers who don’t normally team with each other. Potential title matches might even get special rules attached to them because Misao has a habit of doing that for her normal matches. She promised management she won’t do that unless the situation calls for it but knowing her that may as well be every situation! Nakajima will be game for it either way.

10. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

It has taken over seven years for this match to finally happen. I’d argue it is even the most protected match in TJPW history given what it means to the two people involved and their feelings towards each other. Let’s start on the surface. The Princess Of Princess Title is on the line. Mizuki is on her second reign as champion after proving that princess beat monsters and this is the first defence lined up for her. She has been the defending champion in Ota Ward before and came out on top so this is not an unusual experience for her. The challenger Rika Tatsumi is a former champion too but her sole Princess Title reign from 2021 was hobbled thanks to circumstances beyond her control. Her title matches were held in front of reduced Korakuen Hall crowds because of the pandemic and the reign met it’s inevitable end at the hands of Yamashita earlier than expected (and inside an empty venue to boot). At least Tatsumi was able to use those three months as champion to develop her personality more and get a little drunk with power like an immortal dragon should. I wouldn’t call it a wasted title run even if it doesn’t stand among the most memorable.

So what makes this matchup so important? Why did it take almost eight years for Mizuki and Tatsumi to have a singles match against each other? There’s more to this main event than just having a championship on the line. It is all about love. Back in 2018 TJPW still enforced the “Forbidden Three” rules to its in-house roster: no alcohol, no smoking and no boyfriends. Mizuki was approaching the end of her first year working with TJPW as a freelancer and in that time was already leaving strong impressions with different members of the roster. For Tatsumi those impressions were aiming straight for her heart. Spurred on by these developing feelings, Tatsumi confronted Sanshiro Takagi on a DDT edition of the ABEMA talk show “The NIGHT” and poked a pretty big hole in one of the Forbidden Three rules. She publicly admitted to having a crush on Mizuki but didn’t know if that is breaking the rule. Does no boyfriends allowed also mean no girlfriends are allowed too? Tatsumi received a lot of support from fans for calling out the outdated rules and from that point forward her crush on Mizuki became one of her biggest character quirks.

Mizuki’s opinion on the matter was usually kept to herself. It wasn’t long after this when Mizuki formed The Magical Sugar Rabbits with Yuka Sakazaki and became wrestling soulmates with her instead. Every once in a while Tatsumi would show her appreciation for Mizuki whether it was by wanting them to work together despite being on opposite teams or by winning a prize and handing it straight over to her as a gift. It was only in the recent buildup to this match that Mizuki revealed she still has posession of the first love letter Tatsumi ever gave her. It shows that she at least understands and appreciates Tatsumi’s feelings towards her. The reason she kept her distance from Tatsumi for all of these years was over concern that Tatsumi would start to dislike her if they ever did become close.

So now we go back to the Princess Title, the one object that can potentially turn this love story into a tragedy. Tatsumi still regrets how short lived her first title reign went. She has worked hard and achieved other accomplishments since then but feels the rewards were never enough for the challenges she had to get through. She thinks she will have to become ruthless like a dragon to become the Princess Champion again even if that means Mizuki will end up hating her. Mizuki is also willing to risk losing this special bond with Tatsumi if it means she will defend the Princess Title she worked so hard to reclaim. She is certain the two of them will shine in the ring together. But a story like this usually ends up with somebody getting their heart broken.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE NIGHT BEFORE GRAND PRINCESS ’25” Results

March 1, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE NIGHT BEFORE GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 01/03/2025
Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
215 Fans

1. Pom Harajuku defeated Uta Takami with the Pom de Justice (6:19).
2. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Kira Summer & Chika Nanase when Kamifuku submitted Nanase with the Fujisawa Koroshi (9:06).
3. Miu Watanabe defeated Ivy Steele with the Reverse Paradox (7:27).
4. Suzume, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki defeated Moka Miyamoto, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Mifu Ashida when Suzume pinned Ashida with the Ring A Bell (9:02).
5. Mizuki & Arisu Endo defeated Haru Kazashiro & Toga when Endo pinned Kazashiro with the Ju no Okite (10:15).
6. Hyper Misao 10th Anniversary Match “hypedesz PROJECT-AUDITION” Final Audition ~ 1 Vs 5 Handicap Match: Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino, Raku, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko defeated Hyper Misao when all five pinned Misao (5:44).
7. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami when Itoh submitted Toribami with the Itoh Deluxe (14:50).

There’s still a handful of Tokyo Joshi Pro events coming up before “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” but this is pretty much the go home show. It was Shoko Nakajima’s last chance at facing 121000000 before their Princess Tag Team Titles. She teamed up with Kaya Toribami but was helpless to save her partner from tapping out to Maki Itoh. 121000000 taunted Nakajima with their title belts after the match but also admitted being frustrated by fighting her today. Miyu Yamashita even admitted that Nakajima made her angry today so she’s going to let it all out at the title match. It’s not enough for 121000000 to defend the titles. They also want to completely defeat Kyoraku Kyomei once and for all!

Nakajima’s usual tag partner Hyper Misao had other matters to deal with today. Namely her match that was celebrating the 10th anniversary of her debut. It was advertised as a 6-Woman Tag Match but when the other five wrestlers made their entrances, Misao came out and revealed they were actually taking part in the HyPro Final Audition of the Hypedesz Project. It would play out as a 5 Way Match with two count pinfalls. Whoever scores a fall would then be given a Misao related task and if they passed it, they would win the audition and become her best friend. Haruna Neko scored a fall and was told to perfectly copy Misao’s entrance. She tried to do it but Misao told her it looks completely different. Raku got the same task but also failed. When Mahiro Kiryu scored a fall she was told to listen to Misao’s entrance song and continue singing it without making any mistakes. She failed and Misao started to complain that nobody was motivated to win. By this point Rika Tatsumi got fed up, threw Misao into the ring and dared her to fight everyone else in a 5 Vs 1 Handicap Match. Surprisingly Misao accepted.

The match rules changed and Misao even put up a good fight against the number disadvantage. She even manipulated Yuki Aino into giving her some unintentional piggy back assistance so she could attack everyone with her Hero Spray. However the numbers took their toll and all five opponents piled on top of Misao to pin her after she did the I Am A Hero onto Tatsumi & Aino. Misao said she was disappointed she couldn’t even pass her own audition but she also packed in a bunch of unreasonable requests when putting this match together so in a way she feels satisfied. In the end she decided everyone passed! The lights then went out and a message appeared on the screen. “HYPE! 3” will take place at Kitazawa Town Hall on 27th June! As usual she hasn’t figured out what the show is actually going to be yet. But this time she is considering holding a public dress rehearsal for the show.

The Fujisawa Koroshi used by Yuki Kamifuku to win her match today is the temporary name for her Foot-Clutch Manjigatame submission hold.

Pom Harajuku wanted to spend her match celebrating Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day) because it is happening in two days time. Uta Takami refused because she wanted to take their match seriously. Harajuku was still able to find ways to make Takami and also Daisuke Kiso play along with her.

There are some new homecoming shows being added to this year’s schedule. Yuki Kamifuku’s homecoming in Fujisawa will be on 11th May. Shino Suzuki’s homecoming in Shimizu will be o 24th May. Haruna Neko’s homecoming in Kofu will be on 21st June.


DDT Around The World – February 2025

March 1, 2025

Are you sure that everybody wans Mina Shirakawa? Because this month it sure looked like everybody wanted Konosuke Takeshita! He had a big month in AEW, he has big matches coming up in New Japan soon, he wrestled a bunch of times on a cruise and right when it looked like he would have a break, CMLL came calling out for him. If you’re the type who keeps track of any Wrestler Of The Year contenders, Takeshita’s work in February should put him up near the top as an early frontrunner.

He’ll have more to do over the coming months but March will see the Tokyo Joshi Pro side of things take more of the spotlight. Miyu Yamashita has a packed weekend in Europe coming up and Yuki Kamifuku will continue to gift with Southeast Asia her presence. Then in April it’s the big one. Wrestlemania Week! I’ll need to find the time to write a big piece about what DDT and TJPW will be doing during that period.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 05/02/2025
Gateway Center Arena, College Park, Georgia, USA

1. International All-Star Tag Match: Brody King & Buddy Matthews Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher


AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia

1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/02/2025
Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Orange Cassidy


CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 28/02/2025
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. NEVER Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Ángel de Oro


“Quiero enfrentar a Blue Panther/Ángel de Oro fue un gran rival”

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Results


JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 2”, 01/02/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Will Ospreay & Komander defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Lance Archer (?:??).

I don’t have much to write about for Takeshita’s remaining matches that happened during the Jericho Cruise. But hey some of these sound really good on paper, right? At least this match here gave attendees a taste of what Will Ospreay and Takeshita’s tag match in Australia happening later in the month would be like. Lance Archer probably bounced Komander around like a basketball too.


JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 3”, 02/02/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal (?:??).

Like this one for example. It would be great if footage of this shows up somewhere. Takeshita, Archer & Brian Cage all teaming up together against Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal is the kind of match on paper that would have carried Night 3 of a packed indies weekend we used to get a decade ago.


JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 4”, 03/02/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Bandido, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd (?:??).

The last day of the Jericho Cruise had The Don Callis Family still together against the weird mix of Bandido & The Outrunners. I don’t know how much Takeshita would be into the retro 80s American vibe that The Outrunners bring with them. That’s more up Antonio Honda’s alley.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 05/02/2025
Gateway Center Arena, College Park, Georgia, USA

1. International All-Star Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Brody King & Buddy Matthews when Fletcher pinned King after an Assisted Brainbuster (14:15).

There was one last warmup match for Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher before they headed off to Australia. Here they took on the newly renamed Hounds Of Hell. They are the former House Of Black now without Malakai Black involved because he finally made his exit from the company. The challenge in this match was how much it took to put away the immovable force that is Brody King. Takeshita & Fletcher were able to get rid of Buddy Matthews no problem but when it came to King they had to throw everything at him but he wouldn’t stay down. Takeshita had to assist Fletcher with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster to keep the big guy down for the pinfall.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
??? Fans

1. Casey defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Loaded Backpack Attack (7:43).
2. Aja Kong defeated Roma with the Uraken (8:55).
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Sara Phoenix & Pandora when Yamashita pinned Phoenix with the Skull Kick (18:19).
*V4 for 121000000.

A report for the show can be found here.


AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia

1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher when Omega pinned Takeshita after the Hidden Blade/One-Winged Angel Combination (21:20).

Talk about a match that delivered! The big tag match in Australia went ahead and ended with something we haven’t seen in a while: Takeshita taking a pinfall loss. It took a combination of the Hidden Blade and One-Winged Angel being mashed together like a Doomsday Device for it to happen which should wind up becoming one of the most memorable match finishes of the year. The aftermath confirmed there is more to come. Ospreay and Fletcher have their own feud moving ahead while Kenny Omega announced his intentions to go after Takeshita’s AEW International Title.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/02/2025
Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Orange Cassidy with the Raging Fire (12:30).
*V8 for Konosuke Takeshita.

But first AEW had to go the long route to set up the match. Before Takeshita goes to a big title match with Omega he first had to beat Orange Cassidy in a with the belt on the line. Takeshita took a table bump when Cassidy dropped him on top of the announce desk with the Beach Break. He was still in danger after getting hit with the Orange Punch and also a Flying DDT outside the ring. But Cassidy made the big mistake of climbing the top turnbuckle. And whenever Takeshita’s opponent jumps off the top turnbuckle there is an Elbow Strike waiting right for them upon landing. There were still some very close calls to come but Takeshita caught the Orange Punch and countered it into the Raging Fire for the win. Don Callis then rubbed salt on the wound by putting Cassidy’s sunglasses onto Takeshita after the match.


CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 28/02/2025
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. NEVER Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Ángel de Oro with the Raging Fire (?:??).
*V4 for Konosuke Takeshita.

The month ended with Takeshita’s first time in the hallowed grounds of lucha libre known as Arena Mexico. CMLL made it a big deal that he was coming over to wrestle on their famed Friday night show on short notice and offered up Ángel de Oro as a challenger for the NEVER Openweight Title. So this was put together more through CMLL’s relationship with NJPW rather than AEW. Or maybe it’s both at this point because Rocky Romero is the connection point and his backstage connections run pretty deep nowadays. The match itself unintentionally ended up becoming bloody after de Oro suffered a hand injury of some sort. With only one fall needed to win rather than the traditional two, Takeshita came out on top after the two went back and forth with big moves until the Raging Fire brought things to an end.

Backstage Takeshita was asked by reporters who else in CMLL he would like to wrestle? He told a story about the first wrestling show he ever attended when he was a child. It was an Osaka Pro show and the merchandise he bought at the show was a Blue Panther mask. That is his first ever wrestling memory in general so perhaps one day he will cross paths with Blue Panther or a member of his family in the ring.

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Upcoming Appearances


SPW “UNCHAINED”, 07/03/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman

An alliance seems to have formed between Yuki Kamifuku and The Statement over in Singapore Pro Wrestling. Maybe the two champions believe it is in their best interests to be on the same side when some familiar rivals are marching forth towards them again. The Statment and Da Butcherman have fought each other plenty of times before. So too have Kamifuku and Alexis Lee. So now the next step is to throw them all in the ring at the same time.


EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 07/03/2024
The Big Penny Social, London, England

1. Session Moth Martina Vs Miyu Yamashita

A busy weekend in Europe sees Miyu Yamashita wrestling in three countries. First up she is heading back to EVE in England where she will present herself as a big challenge for Session Moth Martina to overcome.


RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024
Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Amale

Then on the Saturday Yamashita returns to Spain for her first appearance in RCW since October 2022. Her opponent will be French wrestler and former NXT UK performer Amale.


WXW “16 CARAT GOLD – NIGHT 3”, 09/03/2025
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita finishes off the weekend with an appearance at wXw on the last day of the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Unless wXw announces her match beforehand it is a complete roll of the dice who she gets to face at the show.


AEW “REVOLUTION”, 09/03/2025
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Kenny Omega

It took 18 months to get here but we’re finally back on track to having another Takeshita Vs Omega match. I’m not going to sugar coat it. I think the title reign ends here and Takeshita’s priorities are about to switch over to New Japan for the spring and summer months.


MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025
The Commerce, California, USA

1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima

I think we know what to expect here. MLW brings in a Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestler, in this case Shoko Nakajima, and they lose to their women’s champion, in this case Delmi Exo. Although that was done a lot when Janai Kai was the champ so who knows? Maybe Nakajima takes the title from Exo and ends her second reign before it can properly take off.


NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

I know Hiroshi Tanahashi is getting an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot at New Japan’s anniversary show in March. And NJPW have announced there will be IWGP Title matches taking place in their next two shows in America. Hmmm…. Alright, alright, that’s just wishful thinking on my part. Although I can see the NEVER Title being on the line when Tanahashi and Takeshita clash in Chicago.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025
Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

At the moment it doesn’t seem like there will be any other DDT or TJPW talent appearing on the show. So it’s just going to be Miu Watanabe having a match here by the looks of it.


WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell

Later in the afternoon MAO will be at the West Coast Pro show and the promotion are promising the opponent is just as crazy as he is! Jiah Jewell has made it his goal to “Gator Roll The World” and that sounds like the fucked up wrestling MAO likes to fight for.


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Shinya Aoki Vs X

No surprise to see Shinya Aoki getting added to the show. The funny thing is the match he’s having on the DDT show would have made much more sense to happen on the Bloodsport show!

Yamashita also returns to Bloodsport for a second go around.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs X
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs X & X
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs X

The card will begin to take shape right after “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” is over and done with. What we do know for now is there will be championship matches for the Princess Of Princess Title, the Princess Tag Team Titles and the International Princess Title.


DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher

Like I said above, doesn’t Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher sound more like a Bloodsport match than a DDT match? Now Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson, that’s a match you’re absolutely not going to see anywhere else.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

I really don’t know what the vibe and turnout for this show will be when it happens right slap bang in between the big NXT show and the first night of WrestleMania.


BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025
The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews

Very cute, very evil and back teaming up again. Danhausen & Maki Itoh reunite as Makihausen for a tag match against Bang And Matthews over at Black Label Pro.


CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.

So this is happening in Japan but since it is a one off lucha libre show that is disconnected from everything else going on I decided to include it in this series. This is the Sumo Hall show that made headlines for announcing the debut of a new Hayabusa. One of the lucha matches originally booked for the show was a 3 Way Match between Octagon, El Hijo del Octagon and Pantera Jr. However Daisuke Sasaki crashed one of the press conferences demanding to be part of the show because of his lucha skills. The promoters decided to let him in so he gets to team with Pantera Jr. against the two (kayfabe?) generations of Octagon.


NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X

Probably another New Japan title defence for Takeshita when he goes to California in May. Hopefully it’s with the IWGP Ti-okay, okay, I’ll give it a break.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO 2025 WINTER FES. 「EAST」” Results

February 22, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO 2025 WINTER FES. 「EAST」”, 22/02/2025
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
335 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Toga defeated Ivy Steele with a Face Lock (5:48).
2. Yoshiko Hasegawa, Kaya Toribami & Wakana Uehara defeated Mahiro Kiryu, Kira Summer & Chika Nanase when Uehara submitted Nanase with the Banana Pillow (11:29).
3. Haruna Neko defeated Shino Suzuki with the Nekodebreaker (5:02).
4. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami when Raku pinned Takami with the Doctor Yellow (8:13).
5. Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto defeated Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro when Arai submitted Kazashiro with the Scorpion Death Lock (11:44).
6. Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Suzume defeated Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Arisu Endo when Yamashita pinned Nakajima with the Skull Kick (19:18).

In a preview for “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” the champions beat their challengers in an 8-Woman Tag Match. Hyper Misao suggested at the start of the match to have a Horse Riding Battle against the other team. Maki Itoh agreed to it because she wanted to be carried on everyone else’s shoulders like a jockey. It ended up collapsing because Rika Tatsumi reached out to choke Miyu Yamashita. During the chaos Mizuki & Suzume focused on attacking Misao so Misao defended herself with her Hero Spray. Even though Daisy Monkey were on opposite teams, they both went on like a house on fire at the same time until they got to face each other. The final minutes of the match came down to 121000000 against Kyoraku Kyomei. Itoh held Misao in a Crab Hold while Yamashita pinned Shoko Nakajima with the Skull Kick in the final minute.

After the match Yamashita said the champion team were really strong today. She assured the fans that 121000000 will remain the Princess Tag Team Champions and continue to bring the titles around the world with them. Suzume said she wanted more time to fight Arisu Endo and is now even more determined not to lose the International Princess Title to her. Mizuki is feeling frustrated but seeing everyone work hard around her pushed her to work harder too. She really wants to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Tatsumi at Ota Ward Gymnasium. Even though the challenger team lost each member of the team is now more motivated to win their title match.

Raku brought out two cups connected to each other with string and used them to sing her opponents to sleep with lullabies. However Pom Harajuku would then scream into the cups to wake them up. They were able to win the match and afterwards Raku wanted to have a talk with Harajuku. She always has fun wrestling with her so she wants to challenge her for the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title! Harajuku refused because she doesn’t want to fight Raku. So Raku used the cups to tell Harajku she wants to fight her because she loves her. Harajuku understood her feelings and said they should have the title match at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”. Raku told reporters backstage that she still remembers going to Thailand with Harajuku to fight for the title in a 3 Way Match. Raku lost that match by taking the fall and she hasn’t stopped thinking about it since.

Due to illness Yuki Kamifuku could not be at the show today so her 3 Way Match with Haruna Neko and Shino Suzuki was turned into a singles match. Neko won the match, making this her first proper singles win since January 2019!!!

Yuki Arai’s match for “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” was announced at the start of the show. On 16th March she is going to face Meiko Satomura! She talked about it being her last big match as a member of SKE48 before she graduates to become a full time pro wrestler. She will put everything she has done so far to aim for the win and shine even more as someone who can lead Tokyo Joshi Pro.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT” Results

February 8, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 08/02/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
551 Fans

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase defeated Shino Suzuki, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer when Hasegawa submitted Suzuki with the Muffler Hold (9:38).
2. Yuki Kamifuku defeated Mifu Ashida with the Famouser (7:01).
3. Raku & Ram Kaichow defeated Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko when Raku pinned Neko after the Cake Cutting Ceremony (8:10).
4. Arisu Endo defeated Wakana Uehara with the Ju no Okite (10:32).
5. Miu Watanabe defeated Uta Takami with a Batting Hammer (7:55).
6. Yuki Aino defeated Haru Kazashiro with the Venus DDT (8:27).
7. Rika Tatsumi & Toga defeated Mizuki & HIMAWARI when Tatsumi pinned HIMAWARI with the Twist Of Fate (15:22).
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) defeated Jada Stone with the Ring A Bell (12:29).
*V1 for Suzume.
9. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku when Nakajima pinned Harajuku with the Diving Senton (12:29).

It took five years for Kyoraku Kyomei to clear their quest. The last remaining team to have competed in every Max Heart Tournament to date have finally won it! The crowd in Korakuen Hall laughed when Hyper Misao told them before the match that she and Shoko Nakajima would win the final with a pure heart. Max The Impaler then attacked them before Misao could finish her promo. Misao quickly brought out the Hyper Mobile and charged into Max but Max moved out of the way and Misao crashed into Mahiro Kiryu instead. Max threw Nakajima around the room while Pom Harajuku got to reverse things by using Max as a weapon instead of the other way around. Nakajima used her surroundings to her advantage by hitting Max with a flying kick from a nearby railing. Misao then cycled the Hyper Mobile down the aisle and successfully crashed it into Max. Harajuku was left to fight Nakajima back in the ring by herself. She blocked the Locomotion Northern Lights Suplex and hit back with the Pom de Justice. But Nakajima got the better of her, getting the win with the Diving Senton while Misao got Max outside the ring with the I Am A Hero.

Nakajima told Misao after the match that ever since Kyoraku Kyomei was formed she’s had so much fun. But it was also frustrating for all of the times they couldn’t win their big matches. They finally made it to the top but she still feels a thorn in her heart. They lost to 121000000 in the Max Heart final two years ago and she still hates that it happened. She wants to get revenge by winning the Princess Tag Team Titles from them at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”! Misao agreed and told her 121000000 will be defending the titles in Chile this weekend. Their message to the champs is if they lose the belts overseas then they are banned from returning to Japan! Harajuku told Max they weren’t able to win but thanks to this tournament Pompaler have become even closer. So in a way she already has a “Max Heart” she can cherish!

“The Spark” made her way back to Japan in the hopes of winning some gold. Jada Stone had Suzume’s moveset scouted, countering the Mikazuki Meteor Shower into a Samoan Drop and also turning the Ring-A-Bell into the Gory Special submission hold. However Suzume saw that Stone’s guard was down during the backflip that was meant to lead into the Spark Stunner so she stopped her momentum with a Dropkick to the back. From there Suzume was able to hit the Ring-A-Bell and win her first International Princess Title defence. Stone said it was a dream come true to fight in a big title match at Korakuen Hall but this is not going to be the end. She’ll be back to fight Suzume again. Stone is also still aiming to take a championship from Japan.

After the match Arisu Endo congratulated Suzume and asked her for a title shot. It just so happened that Suzume was going to nominate her Daisy Monkey partner anyway so they will have the match at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” on 16th March! Suzume told reporters the two of them have long talked about having a championship match against each other some day. Now it is no longer going to be just a dream. Endo is the only opponent she wants to face at Ota Ward Gymnasium. Endo said they know each other so well from teaming together so it will all be about how they’re going to get through that. Endo is confident she can beat Suzume and become the champ!

A preview of the “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” main event pitted Mizuki and Rika Tatsumi against each other in a tag match. Mizuki avoided shaking Tatsumi’s hand before the bell and again when they were both tagged in for the first time. HIMAWARI attacked Tatsumi by whipping her with her hair so Tatsumi fought back by pulling on HIMAWARI’s hair. Mizuki used the Cutie Special to get rid of Toga but she was then hit by Tatsumi’s Spinning Backbreaker. Tatsumi then planted HIMAWARI with the Twist Of Fate to win. She would have preferred to directly beat Mizuki today but that just means she has more time to think about how she can get that result at the Princess Of Princess Title match. Toga feels similarly because she wants to avenge her loss to HIMAWARI in the Next Generation Tournament. Mizuki thinks Tatsumi’s love for her is very warped and isn’t really love. She doesn’t want to be hated though, so she isn’t sure how to open up to Tatsumi about the matter. It’s quite the problem because she doesn’t want to look at Tatsumi but knows if she takes her eyes off of her, she is going to lose.

Several matches on the undercard pitted the established Tokyo Joshi Pro roster against the Next Generation. The results were all straightforward without any upsets shaking up the status quo. Yuki Aino defeated Haru Kazashiro. She was in trouble when Kazashiro gave her the Fisherman Suplex but Aino kept on fighting. She ended up shrugging off some Dropkicks and pinned Kazashiro with the Venus DDT. Aino hasn’t won many singles matches in Korakuen so she is very happy with today’s result. She can tell just how much Kazashiro has grown both physically and mentally since their last singles match a year and a half ago. Kazashiro knows she can do more so she can get as strong as Aino.

Two of the Up Up Girls fought each other when Miu Watanabe fought Uta Takami in a mismatch of strength and experience. Takami wanted the match to be the culmination of her first year as a pro wrestler. She was able to catch her opponent in a Cobra Clutch and hit a Pop-Up Dropkick but other than that she had no chance. After stretching her with the Canadian Backbreaker, Watanabe then clobbered Takami with a Batting Hammer to win. She said she hopes Takami will continue to get stronger and walk her own path from here. Takami said if she had never met Watanabe she never would have become a pro wrestler. She is grateful to Watanabe for always watching over her.

Endo set herself up for her later title challenge by beating Wakana Uehara on the undercard. The result is payback for Uehara making Endo submit in the 1st Round to eliminate Daisy Monkey from this year’s tournament. She used a rope break to escape the Banana Pillow and then threw Uehara over by using the Waterwheel Drop. Uehara started a comeback but Endo stopped it with a Super Kick and then won by using the Ju no Okite. The Super Kick is particular is a move Endo said she’s been saving for the right time due to how effective it can be. Uehara said she always feel the need to chase after Endo because she was her mentor from Yume Pro Wrestling as well as her tag partner from her debut match. She thought she took a step forward when she submitted Endo in the tournament. But today she realised Endo has taken another step ahead since then.

The honeymoon period isn’t over yet. The “Newlywed Tag Team” Of Raku & Ram Kaichow are still acting lovey-dovey together (well it is Valentine’s Day next week). So much so that it annoyed Haruna Neko into attacking them with Mahiro Kiryu following suit. Raku had also made Kaichow some Valentine’s chocolate but Kiryu took it off them and ate some of it with Daisuke Kiso to get a suger rush power up. She of course later apologised to Kaichow over it. Ram & Kaichow got revenge by beating Neko with the Cake Cutting Ceremony double chop from the second rope. Unfortunately there was no chocolate left after the match. Raku promised to make more for Kaichow because Valentine’s Day hasn’t happened yet.

Mifu Ashida is still new to TJPW so it was time for Yuki Kamifuku to put her to the test. Kamifuku couldn’t help but compliment her opponent for having a pretty face while she was holding her down with an Indian Death Lock. Ashida hit her with some high kicks but Kamifuku took over with a Brainbuster and hit the Famouser for the victory. She praised Ashida for being confident when she heard her goal is to become the best wrestler in TJPW within a year. However Kamifuku dislikes people who carry that much motivation with them. Her advice to Ashida is she should get to know TJPW a little better before she goes around bragging about wanting to be the best. Ashida understands she has a lot more training to do before she can overcome high walls such as Kamifuku. She wants fans to watch her get stronger and climb to the top.

Since Shino Suzuki was teaming with two foreigners today, she treated her triple team moves with Ivy Steele & Kira Summer as if she was guiding them on a tour across Japan and ending at the Tokyo Dome. Steele & Summer were able to get Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase out of the ring but Suzuki struggled to finish off Yoshiko Hasegawa. Instead Hasegawa fought her way to put Suzuki into the Muffler Hold and win the match by submission.

After Match #5 Watanabe received a video message from Willow Nightingale. The two were originally meant to have a match at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” but visa issues prevented it from ever happening. Soon Nightingale will return to TJPW so the match can finally take place! It will happen at “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” on 16th March. Watanabe said she’s been waiting for over two years and cannot wait for Nightingale to finally come back.


DDT Around The World – January 2025

February 1, 2025

A new year means new adventures and a fresh sense of excitement to go exploring again. Konosuke Takeshita now has work with New Japan to deal with alongside his AEW duties. It’s opened up a whole new group of opponents to fight in America as well as Japan, especially since he has a championship in each company he wants to defend often. Yuka Sakazaki had a very big month by taking part in a special retirement match and also getting a big chance to do some things on AEW TV. But now that has come and gone I worry that she’s going to vanish from the shows again. Yuki Kamifuku is continuing her series of matches with Alexis Lee across Southeast Asia. Maki Itoh went on tour across the world with GCW but sadly lost her championship along the way.

A lot more destinations are coming up in the Springtime. Chile gets to experience Tokyo Joshi Pro on their own soil, Takeshita gets a very big tag match in Australia, Miyu Yamashita gets to wrestle in Germany for the first time and all roads will be leading us towards the bright lights of Las Vegas. I know I got the tickets I want for Wrestlemania Week.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Jonathan Johnson

AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA


1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Queen Aminata Vs Deonna Purazzo Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Serena Deeb


2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Katsuyori Shibata


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki

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Results


NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
24,107 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c) defeated Shingo Takagi (N/c) with the Raging Fire (11:42).
*V5 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Shingo Takagi fails in V2. Becomes the 47th/11th Champion!

I already wrote about Takeshita’s big weekend at the Tokyo Dome. You can read it here.


NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
16,300 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Raging Fire (13:30).
*V1 for NEVER Openweight Title. V6 for AEW International Title.

Same as above.


SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 3”, 10/01/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Alexis Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
V6 for Yuki Kamifuku.

As far as I know it was just the Queen Of Asia Title that was on the line for Kamifuku’s latest appearance at Singapore Pro Wrestling. Her rivalry with Alexis Lee may have turned friendly but Lee still wants to win that title back. Kamifuku was able to beat her again for another title defence. It also won’t be the last time this year they fight each other in SPW. More on that later.


NJPW “BATTLE IN THE VALLEY”, 11/01/2025
San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA

1. Sumie Sakai Retirement Match – Tornado Tag Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sumi Sakai, EVIL & SHO when Takahashi pinned Sakai with the TIME BOMB (14:42).
2. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated KUSHIDA with the Raging Fire (15:08).
*V2 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

With a new path forged in New Japan, Takeshita went to fight for the company over in America. California was the place where his next NEVER Openweight Title defence was scheduled. KUSHIDA was his challenger in his latest attempt to take on the heavyweights. His gameplan was to start with breaking down Takeshita’s arm before switching to his legs with sweeping Leg Kicks. The plan worked in that it did weaken Takeshita’s moveset and made the match more competitive than first it looked on paper. But Takeshita was able to stand tall in the end and put away KUSHIDA. Takeshita then went ahead and called his shot. When Hiroshi Tanahashi has his final match in America before he retires, Takeshita wants to be his opponent!

If you want to watch a feel good wrestling match to get you out of the new year dumps, go seek out Sumie Sakai’s retirement bout. She teamed up with House Of Torture members EVIL & SHO because of their connections back in their American excursions days. Sakazaki was one of the many people who wanted to be a part of the match as a thank you to Sakai. She got chosen among the lucky trio that included Hiromu Takahashi from NJPW & Mayu Iwatani from Stardom. There was also a female Kamaitachi hanging around at ringside who nobody has been able to identify since (I’ve seen a few guesses it was Iyo Sky because she was in attendance and I appreciate the cheekiness of it if true). Sakazaki whacked SHO over the head with a foreign object and gave him the Tea Time. Sakai ended up fighting on her own and kept kicking out for as long as she could. Takahashi eventually kept her down for the count with the TIME BOMB.


IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Jonathan Johnson defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Swanton Bomb (?:??).

This month saw SETUP become the new bearers of the International Wrestling Association brand by launching the debut IWA Thailand show. Masahiro Takanashi went over to take part in a tournament to determine the No. 1 Contender for the IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title. He had no problem being the bad guy against Jonathan Johnson and even got some ringside help from Shota getting in Johnson’s way whenever it was convenient. However Johnson fought off the numbers disadvantage and made Shota Super Kick Takanashi by mistake. Johnson then countered the Takatonic into an Implant for a nearfall and then hit the Swanton Bomb to get the upset win, knocking Takanashi out of the tournament in the 1st Round.


GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. GCW Ultraviolent Title & GCW Extreme Title – Doors, Ladders & Chairs Unification Match: Matt Tremont defeated Maki Itoh (E/c), John Wayne Murdoch, Drew Parker, Rina Yamashita, Brandon Kirk, Dr. Redacted and Matthew Justice when Tremont grabbed the titles (15:55).
*Maki Itoh fails in V5. Matt Tremont becomes the 10th GCW Ultraviolent Champion and 11th GCW Extreme Champion!

Maki Itoh took a big gamble and it did not pay off. She wanted to double her title collection in GCW by joining the Doors, Ladders & Chairs match where the vacant GCW Ultraviolent Title was on the line. To do that she agreed to put the GCW Extreme Title up for grabs too so both championships would end up being unified together. John Wayne Murdoch complained about her inclusion at the start of the match, causing Itoh to fake cry so everyone else would attack him in her defence. Itoh also did the ladder spin spot, hitting whoever was in her way until Matthew Justice smashed her with a chair. Her last big spot of the match was diving off a ladder onto everyone else outside the ring. She ended up getting taken out of the match when Drew Parker did the Swanton Bomb from the ladder onto herself and Murdoch through some tables at ringside. Matt Tremont ended up being the last one left to climb the ladder and pull down both belts.


BZW/GCW “ENTER THE ZONE”, 25/01/2025
Espace Isabelle De Hainaut, Rue De Saint-Quentin, France

1. BZW Title: Joseph Fenech Jr. (c) defeated Maki Itoh by Disqualification when Itoh was caught with Brass Knuckles (?:??).
*V7 for Joseph Fenech Jr.

One week later Itoh travelled to Europe with GCW for a weekend of shows in France and England. For a brief moment it looked like Itoh was the new champion of Banger Zone Wrestling when she defeated Joseph Fenech Jr. for the BZW Title. However during the match Fenech placed a pair of brass knuckles into Itoh’s gear so when he lost the match, he complained to the ref and accused Itoh of cheating. The ref inspected Itoh, found the brass knucks “hidden” in her costume and decided to reverse the decision.


AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Queen Aminata, Deonna Purazzo and Serena Deeb when Sakazaki pinned Purazzo with a Modified Crucifix Pin (9:28).
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Katsuyori Shibata with the Raging Fire (13:29).
*V7 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Back in AEW, Takeshita called out an unexpected opponent to be his next challenger for the AEW International Title. He wanted a piece of Katsuyori Shibata after seeing him winning matches in ROH! It was a match that just as much existed to show everyone that Shibata can still take bumps because Takeshita Suplexed him around quite a bit. Shibata though was able to withstand the attacks and push back, fighting his way towards a possible title change. However Don Callis in a panic left the commentary booth to grab Shibata’s leg from ringside as a distraction. Takeshita then grabbed Shibata for the Blue Thunder Bomb. Shibata kicked out of that with a 1 Count so Takeshita put him away with the Raging Fire.

Sakazaki’s AEW direction for this month centered around the TBS Championship. She was thrown into the mix of a 4 Way Match to determine the No. 1 Contender. Her chances improved when Queen Aminata and Serena Deeb fought their way out of the ring and away from ringside. She also benefitted from Deonna Purrazzo getting distracted by Taya Valkyrie being attacked by Harley Cameron. With Purazzo’s guard now down, Sakazaki cradled her into a Crucifix Pin to score the three count and earn herself a title match.


GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025
Electric Ballroom, London, England

1. Maki Itoh defeated Man Like DeReiss with a Mouse Trap (11:56).

What Itoh lacked in size against Man Like DeReiss she more than made up for it with ego and personality. She quickly reacted to DeReiss’s big entrance by telling him she’s “not scared, you pussy!” DeReiss still took her lightly, making quips on the microphone while Body Slamming her. But Itoh started a comeback while the Pokémon theme song played over the speakers. However DeReiss took a page out of Itoh’s playbook by crying crocodile tears so Itoh would go easy on him. His plan almost worked until Itoh countered a Power Slam into the Mouse Trap cradle to get the pin out of nowhere.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Money Maker (13:40).
*V13 for Mercedes Moné.

Remember back when Mercedes Moné would put out photos and videos on social media of her training at the TJPW dojo and hanging out with the roster? Well after all that time we finally got to see her wrestle a match against someone TJPW related. Moné and Sakazaki got the main event slot on Dynamite for their TBS Title match. Sakazaki got out of the Statement Maker by cradling it into a nearfall. She thought she had Moné where she wanted her by doing a Snap German Suplex. But Moné blocked the Magical Girl Splash with her knees and eventually pinned her with the Moné Maker.


JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 1”, 31/01/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van (?:??).
2. AEW International Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington (?:??).

Both Takeshita and Sakazaki were a part of Chris Jericho’s annual Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager At Sea cruise. There were four days of shows but from what I could find Sakazaki only wrestled on the first day, beating Viva Van. Takeshita beat the new “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington on his first match of the cruise. It has since been promoted in AEW canon as an AEW International Title eliminator match for Ring Of Honor TV. I’ll go through the rest of Takeshita’s matches in next month’s article.

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Upcoming Appearances


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Casey
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Pandora & Sara Phoenix

The AEX Santiago convention welcomes Tokyo Joshi Pro to Chile in February. The Princess Tag Team Titles will be defended over there too, possibly changing the course of “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” if 121000000 lose the belts over there. Fans over there will also get to see Aja Kong and Moka Miyamoto in action.


AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia

1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher

There’s a lot of logistical confusion going around AEW’s Australia debut but it’s still working out better than that time Takeshita was booked by Sub-Zero Pro back in 2019. He’ll be teaming with Australia’s own Kyle Fletcher as the two members of the Don Callis Family face the combined wrath of Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega!


SPW “UNCHAINED”, 07/03/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman

Kamifuku and Lee’s rivalry remains in Singapore for the time being. This time Kamifuku will get involved in a mixed tag match for the first time in SPW. She teams with The Statement (aka Andruew Tang) while Lee will team with Da Butcherman.


WXW “16 CARAT GOLD – NIGHT 3”, 09/03/2025
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Some of the best wrestling weekends I’ve ever had were in Germany for the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Yamashita’s debut for wXw is only going to be for the third night though. That’s a shame because if she did the entire weekend there would have been a whole list of interesting new matches for her to do.


NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

America gets a rematch over a decade in the making. In the 2nd year Anniversary of Takeshita’s debut match, he got to fight Tanahashi in his prime at DDT’s Sumo Hall show. He had respect for him for years afterward until 2015 when Tanahashi embarrassed DDT in the same venue. When Takeshita competed in the G1 Climax last year he brought up that situation as a reason for him to chase after Tanahashi in New Japan. Now that Tanahashi is getting ready to retire next year, there’s not a lot of time left to make this match happen. So Takeshita made the demand to be the opponent for Tanahashi’s last match in America (unless AEW gets the itch to book him on super short notice later in the year).


PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025
Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

DDT and TJPW’s schedule for Wrestlemania Week is focused on the Friday and Saturday. However Miu Watanabe’s schedule unexpectedly starts a little bit earlier. On the Thursday she will be competing in Pandemonium Pro against the promising wrestler from Texas, Maya World.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The sixteen women TJPW are planning to bring over to Las Vegas are Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Suzume, Yuki Kamifuku, Pom Harajuku, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Wakana Uehara and Shino Suzuki. There will be a few more international wrestlers taking part too.


DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

The first group of DDT wrestlers coming over for the show are MAO, Shinya Aoki, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda, Ilusion, Yuni and Kazuma Sumi. A lot of the regular talent have already been advertised for DDT’s shows back in Japan the same weekend so this might be your lot outside of the guests.


DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Tickets for all three shows are on sale now.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT” Results

January 25, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 25/01/2025
Shinjuku FACE
312 Fans

1. Moka Miyamoto, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaya Toribami defeated Yuki Aino, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer when Toribami submitted Steele with the Bird Cage (10:25).
2. 3 Way Match: Raku defeated Miu Watanabe and Haruna Neko when Raku pinned Neko with the Hurricane Turn (6:36).
3. Miyu Yamashita & Mahiro Kiryu defeated Rika Tatsumi & Chika Nanase when Yamashita pinned Nanase with the Buzzsaw Kick (9:46).
4. Mizuki defeated Mifu Ashida with the Face Lock (10:01).
5. Yuki Arai, Haru Kazashiro & Toga defeated Suzume, Arisu Endo & Uta Takami when Arai submitted Takami with the Scorpion Death Lock (13:05).
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara when Max pinned Uehara with a Piledriver (10:37).
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki when Misao pinned HIMAWARI with the Hypami Returns (13:31).

The Max Heart Tournament final is set. A girl and her monster is going to fight a superhero and her kaiju. Kyoraku Kyomei have a second crack at the final after failing to win it all in 2023. Today’s semi final was so important that Hyper Misao wouldn’t decide if she would use the Seven Hyper Tools to win. Instead she will let her heart and soul decide what to do. Her decision was to wrap up Shino Suzuki with the ring apron and tape her to the corner post. Suzuki was eventually able to be freed and tried to put Shoko Nakajima in the Sleeper Hold only to get fought off. Misao then hit HIMAWARI with the Kingslayer and pinned her with the Hypami Returns to win.

Meeting the long established tag team in the final is Pompaler. This time Pom Harajuku was spared from being thrown around like a missile by Max The Impaler. Instead it was Wakana Uehara that felt Max’s power firsthand. Yuki Kamifuku did her best to keep things even and gave Harajuku the Famouser but Max then took her out with a Spear. Uehara took a chance by putting Max in the Banana Pillow but that proved to be a costly mistake. Max picked her up out of the move, slammed their way out of it and then finished Uehara off with a Piledriver. Max was probably the most annoyed by the result because Harajuku was too loud with her celebrations afterward.

The two finalist teams confronted each other in the ring at the end of the show. Kyoraku Kyomei were talking about their goal to win the tournament and then beat 121000000 for the Princess Tag Team Titles when Max suddenly attacked them. Harajuku told them that Pompaler are the obvious winners and Max then picked her up and threw her at Kyoraku Kyomei before leaving. Misao swore to get revenge on the rampage that was just set upon them. Nakajima agreed and warned Pompaler that their weapons are infinite!

Raku wanted to sleep through the 3 Way Match so she set up traffic cones with a No Entry sign attached to them in the middle of the ring where she slept. Miu Watanabe and Haruna Neko had to wrestle around her unaware that it was all just a trap so she could roll them up for sneaky pinfalls. She eventually gave up with the plan and attacked her opponents with a pillow. She also blinded Watanabe by placing one of the cones over her head so Watanabe couldn’t see Raku pinned Neko to win the match.

It was announced that Yuki Arai will be part of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s Las Vegas show on 18th April. She tried to cut a promo in English to promote it. Later backstage she said it’s been her dream to wrestle overseas so she’s looking forward to doing it with TJPW. She’ll do her best to make her American debut a success.


Takeru Injured, Bueno’s Visa Issue, Max Heart Semi Finals, Life’s Sparkle Rules

January 20, 2025

BASARA “BASARA 267 ~HIEN~”, 21/01/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Inaugural Rumble: Isami Kodaka Vs Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Ryuichi Sekine Vs FUMA Vs KUBITO Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Daichi Kazato Vs SAGAT Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
2. Daiki Shimomura Vs Shota Kawakami
3. Takato Nakano & Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano & Banana Senga
4. Ryota Nakatsu & Masato Kamino Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Kuma Arashi

Takeru Inoue is out of action for at least two weeks with a dislocated right elbow. Daiki Shimomura’s new opponent for tomorrow is Shota Kawakami.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 19: INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION”, 21/01/2025
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Special Tag Team Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Chie Koishikawa Vs Mr. Malo & Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Antonio Honda 20th Anniversary! Special Single Match: MAO Vs Hagane Shinno
3. Special Single Match: Ram Kaichow Vs Chris Brookes

Due to sudden visa problems, Mr. Bueno is no longer able to appear at this show. Replacing him on the card is his polar opposite Mr. Malo. Also MAO has been moved over to a new match against Hagane Shinno to celebrate 20 years of Antonio Honda.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 25/01/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. 3 Way Match: Miu Watanabe Vs Raku Vs Haruna Neko
2. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Uta Takami Vs Yuki Arai, Haru Kazashiro & Toga
3. Yuki Aino, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer Vs Moka Miyamoto, Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaya Toribami
4. Miyu Yamashita & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Rika Tatsumi & Chika Nanase
5. Mizuki Vs Mifu Ashida
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

Four teams remain and after next weekend they will be down to two. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara are bonding together with a “Ayase Town Hills New Hills” style and had a much easier time in the 2nd Round than they did in the 1st. The difficulty level for them has ramped way back up because their next opponents are Pompaler. The tactic of Max The Impaler throwing Pom Harajuku at the nearest opponent hasn’t been beat yet in the tournament so far. Kyoraku Kyomei are one step away from reaching the final for a second time. However Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao know full well not to let their guards down now, especially after HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki scored a little bit of an upset to reach this far.

It didn’t take long for the newcomer Mifu Ashida to be thrown into the ring with Mizuki. The champ needs some fresh meat.

DDT “NEW YEAR, NEW HERO. 2025 ~A NEW STORY BEGINS~”, 26/01/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Soma Takao & Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Iino & Daichi Sato
2. MAO & Toru Owashi Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
3. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Road To D GENERATIONS CUP 2025! Special 8-Man Tag Match: Takeshi Masada, Keigo Nakamura, Ilusion & Yuki Ishida Vs To-y, Yuya Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
5. DDT Extreme Title – Life’s Sparkle Rules: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Gorgeous Matsuno
6. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa

Chris Brookes has figured out he cannot become stronger than Shuji Ishikawa, but he can become more handsome than his challenger. He has been taking care of his face by wearing face masks every day until the show takes place. He also promised to win the match so Ishikawa will not sing karaoke in Korakuen Hall again.

Only a one count will be needed to win the DDT Extreme Title match. Danshoku Dieno came up with the idea because he wants to see Gorgeous Matsuno fight with all of his might. The most important thing in life is the next second in front of you. A person’s experience does not matter if they don’t make the most of that second.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT” Results

January 19, 2025

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 19/01/2025
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
223 Fans

1. Miu Watanabe defeated Kira Summer with the Canadian Backbreaker (6:18).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Ivy Steele with the Attitude Adjustment (6:57).
3. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi defeated Arisu Endo and Chika Nanase when Tatsumi pinned Nanase with the Twist Of Fate (7:14).
4. Mizuki, Jada Stone & Uta Takami defeated Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Mifu Ashida when Stone pinned Suzume with the Spark Stunner (9:02).
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko when Kamifuku pinned Kiryu with the Famouser (11:25).
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2: HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki defeated Haru Kazashiro & Toga when HIMAWARI submitted Toga with the Half Crab Hold (12:43).
7. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2: Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Yuki Aino & Raku when Harajuku pinned Raku after the Cho Pom Throw (11:57).
8. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaya Toribami when Nakajima pinned Toribami with the Diving Senton (17:15).

It looks like Hyper Misao was on to something. Yesterday she wondered if the key to Kyoraku Kyomei finally winning the Max Heart Tournament was to give up something that is important to her. She gave away her spray can and proceeded to win her 1st Round match. So today she did the same thing and handed a bag filled with her weapons over to Yukinori Matsui to show she would fight fair and square. However this time she hid a small spray can in her costume and used it to blind Yoshiko Hasegawa & Kaya Toribami before the match began. Kyoraku Kyomei then tried to win via countout by tying Hasegawa & Toribami together back to back with Misao’s cloak. The other team were able to get back in the ring and fight back until Shoko Nakajima wiped out Toribami with a Topé Suicida. Misao hit Hasegawa with the Kingslayer followed by the Hypami Returns. Nakajima then finished her off with the Diving Senton to send Kyoraku Kyomei to the semi-finals again. Nakajima said afterwards she thought her team were the overwhelming favorites to win and their ultimate goal now is to crush 121000000. Misao said they’re now reaching a boiling point because it’s their fifth Max Heart Tournament and they still haven’t won it yet. They originally formed Kyoraku Kyomei to have fun tag matches but it’s no fun if they can’t win!

The Love Triangle were pitted against each other with Yuki Aino & Raku’s entry into the tournament. The brackets set them up to go against Pompaler in the 2nd Round. Their game plan was to invite their opponents for a nap in the middle of the ring. It didn’t work because Max The Impaler decided it was better to throw Pom Harajuku at them over and over instead. Raku lured Max away from the ring to chase her up to the balcony and then back down. She also tried to sing Max to sleep with a lullaby but it didn’t work. Harajuku knocked Aino down with the P Attack while Max got their hands on Raku for a Body Slam. Max then picked up Max in a Fireman’s Carry, climbed up the second rope and then Press Slammed her onto Raku. That counted as a pinfall and Harajuku was able to pin Raku for the victory. Harajuku didn’t know what happened other than everytime it looks like Max wants to help her, they throw her around instead. Raku thought the love between her and Aino would have been enough to beat a mismatched pair like Pompaler but she was proven wrong. She is also starting to feel like the only person who isn’t achieving anything. Aino assures her that isn’t true and she was really cool today.

Only one of the teams who received a bye past the 1st Round was able to win their match today. HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki defeated their generation classmates Haru Kazashiro & Toga to advance to the final four. Toga was unable to use the Rock Bottom on HIMAWARI. Instead HIMAWARI got her with the Princess Drop and applied the Half Crab Hold until Toga gave up. Suzuki said they left it all in the ring today and that was why they won. HIMAWARI agreed they were more motivated than usual and now they get to fight Kyoraku Kyomei in the semi final. It’s a big wall to climb but Suzuki wants to continue teaming with HIMAWARI forever. Toga is disappointed to have lost but still thinks she and Kazashiro have both grown together as a team. Kazashiro said she is cherishing the present while also thinking about the future so she hopes this won’t be the end of their team. Toga suggested they can go get stronger as individuals and then team up again for next year’s tournament.

Fans were quick to notice that Toyo Mates were not teaming together for this year’s tournament. So wouldn’t you know it they ended up being opponents in the 2nd Round! Mahiro Kiryu went to shake Yuki Kamifuku’s hand before the match began but she was ignored. While Haruna Neko and Wakana Uehara had time to fight, the match came down to Kiryu against Kamifuku. Kiryu gave her the Spinebuster but Uehara broke the pin. Neko gave Uehara the Nekodebreaker to give Kiryu another chance to get the win but Kamifuku fired back with the Famouser to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat. She then shook Kiryu’s hand after the match. When she found out Kiryu & Neko gave themselves the team name Nekonchu she got annoyed by how bad the name is because Kiryu isn’t a catgirl. But Kamifuku has moved on to teaming with Uehara and having a “Ayase Town Hills New Hills” style with her. She told Uehara they will have to beat Pompaler in the semi finals because it is their job.

Jada Stone finished her first tour with Tokyo Joshi Pro with a pinfall win over Suzume! After pinning her with the Spark Stunner, Stone made the signal to her that she wants a shot at the International Princess Title. Stone told reporters that Suzume is one of the reasons she decided to go wrestle in TJPW. It feels like a dream that she is three wins for three in Japan and says “Jada In Japan” can continue on 8th February if Suzume is not a chicken. When Suzume heard about the challenge for 8th February she agreed to have the title match at Korakuen Hall so she can become an even stronger champion.

Rika Tatsumi called herself the God of 3 Way Matches and ordered her two opponents to fight each other so the winner would fight her next. However Arisu Endo and Chika Nanase decided to fight her straight away. Endo later gave Nanase the Ju no Okite and Tatsumi stole the win away from her with a Hip Attack to Endo followed by the Twist Of Fate to Nanase.