DDT Invades NOAH, THE KICKBOXING MATCH 2022, Suzume Teaming Up With Suruga

June 8, 2022

BASARA “BASARA 194 ~TAKAGARI 10~”, 11/06/2022
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Daichi Kazato Vs Lil’ Kraken
2. Daiki Shimomura Vs Akiyori Takizawa
3. SAGAT VS Fuminori Abe
4. Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Ryota Nakatsu, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga Vs Isami Kodaka, FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi

Yep, that’s a BASARA card.

“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”, 12/06/2022
Saitama Super Arena

0. STARTING BATTLE KICKOFF ~ DDT Provided Tag Match: Muscle Sakai & Yukio Naya Vs Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
0. STARTING BATTLE 2 ~ TJPW Provided 10-Woman Tag Match: Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko Vs Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Moka Miyamoto, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami
0. STARTING BATTLE 3 ~ DDT Vs Ganbare☆Pro Battle: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Ken Ohka, Yuna Manase & Mizuki Watase
1. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura Vs Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. TJPW Provided 6-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Juria Nagano Vs Hikari Noa, Suzume & Yuki Arai
3. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Kendo Kashin, Shinya Aoki & Yumiko Hotta
4. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision 4 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Mizuki Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
5. NOAH Provided 10-Man Tag Match: Takashi Sugiura, Kazuyuki Fujita, Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Shuhei Taniguchi Vs Timothy Thatcher, Michael Elgin, Rene Dupree, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. & Simon Gotch
6. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Asuka
7. NOAH Provided 6-Man Tag Match: Rob Van Dam, Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA Vs Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY
8. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Katsuhiko Nakajima, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura
9. NOAH Vs DDT Battle ~ Special Single Match: Kenoh Vs Daisuke Sasaki
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
11. GHC Heavyweight Title: Go Shiozaki (c) Vs Satoshi Kojima

Today’s NOAH show in Korakuen Hall featured an invasion of DDT wrestlers. First, Jun Akiyama appeared at ringside to provide commentary for the Kongo Vs Sugiura-gun match. After the match Kenoh & Katsuhiko Nakajima dared Akiyama to enter the ring and confront them. He did so, revealing he was armed with the stun gun Daisuke Sasaki used to attack Kenoh with! That’s not all, as Akiyama approached the ring Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Yuya Koroku & Toi Kojima appeared from the other side of Korakuen and entered the ring behind Kongo. There was a lot of threats and tough talk between the NOAH and DDT sides until they broke off from each other. Backstage Akiyama talked about how much NOAH has changed since he worked for them. Kenoh meanwhile complained about Sasaki being nowhere to be found.

The mystery wrestler in the NOAH 10-Man Tag was revealed yesterday to be Timothy Thatcher! The housewives’ favourite in Europe is now in the company.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 2ND ROUND”, 19/06/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. THE KICKBOXING MATCH 2022: Shinya Aoki & Toi Kojima Vs Hikaru Machida & Gota Ihashi
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
4. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F
5. King Of DDT 2022 – Round 2: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H

The big combat event of the year in Japan is this month’s RIZIN Vs K-1 kickboxing bout between Tenshin Nasukawa and Takeru Segawa. It is an event so big that it is being promoted simply as “THE MATCH”. Well, at least it’s supposed to be happening this month. The massive TV deal for the fight fell through following news articles alleging the president of RIZIN to having connections with organized crime. The planned broadcast is now going to be a PPV on ABEMA. That same day in Korakuen, DDT will be doing their own version of THE MATCH with Shinya Aoki and Hikaru Machida both involved. Toi Kojima is also taking part, continuing his fighting relationship with Aoki. Finally whenever DDT does boxing things they usually bring in Gota Ihashi to be the human punching bag. He’ll be fine.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 25/06/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Shinya Aoki

Aoki is joining forces with The 37KAMIINA to fight for KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. The current champions are now known as Legend-gun and their schedules make it difficult to nail down dates for title defences.

GANBARE☆PRO “KINDERGARTEN COP 2022”, 29/06/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Shota & Soma Takao Vs Ken Ohka, Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes

The go home show for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” sees Yumehito Imanari teaming with ROMANCE DAWN to take on Ken Ohka & CDK! So far Imanari has had Ohka’s number in the previous two warm up matches. However CDK’s antics have made them a difficult problem for ROMANCE DAWN to solve.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Winner Of 12/6 4 Way Match

Suzume has spent time in Gatoh Move these last few weeks getting to know Mei Suruga. She was the special opponent for Suruga’s 4th Anniversary match held two weeks ago. Then today she showed up at ChocoPro to promote “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”. Suzume and Suruga agreed to team up for the show and are currently working on what name to call themselves. Too many people involved with the promotions have already shot down AppleBees as an option so don’t even think about suggesting it.

Hikaru Shida is the latest guest star added to the show. So that’s her and Riho both coming in from AEW.

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
2. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
3. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka

Be careful what you wish for. Shuichiro Katsumura asked for a strong opponent to fight at Ota Ward Gymnasium and Minoru Suzuki answered the challenge! Suzuki didn’t waste any time in giving Katsumura a taste of what’s to come, sparking a short brawl between the two. Suzuki said this is what you get when you pick a fight with him for two reasons. One, because it sells the match and two, because Katsumura will need to use everything he knows to have a chance at beating him.

Ganbare Tamagawa (aka Batten x Burabura) will be on the show wrestling in Ganbare☆Pro for the first time in 8 and a half years. He was one of the first people to join Ganpro after it formed in 2013, first as an ally to Ken Ohka that lead to a heel turn out of bitterness for being so weak. He saw the error of his ways and turned back face but was done with the promotion after its first year. Since then he has stayed home in Fukuoka to focus on his family business while occasionally wrestling for Kyushu Pro Wrestling.


GANBARE☆PRO “PUMPING IRON 2022” Results

June 7, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “PUMPING IRON 2022”, 07/06/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
122 Fans

1. GanJo Special Tag Match: Riko Kawahata & Maria defeated HARUKAZE & YuuRI when Kawahata pinned YuuRI with the Moonsault Press (10:53).
2. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Horrible Arm Locker: Soma Takao defeated Tsuyoshi Okada with an Arm Lock Roll Up (6:12).
3. Special Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shigehiro Irie defeated Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi when Katsumura submitted Maeguchi with the Combined Joint Technique That Needs A Name (11:41).
4. Road To SEKIGAHARA ~ ROMANCE DAWN Vs CDK Special Single Match: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Shota after the Super Kick & Praying Mantis Bomb with Chris Brookes (19:47).
5. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Keisuke Ishii & Yuna Manase defeated Ken Ohka, Mizuki Watase & Moeka Haruhi when Imanari pinned Ohka with the Lou Thesz Press (18:49).

The second preview match for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” on 10th July saw Yumehito Imanari again directly pin Ken Ohka. Preparations for the big main event in Ota Ward Gymnasium has Ohka training with Munenori Sawa to get into better condition. He showed some improvement by kicking out of Imanari’s Lariat to hit the Flame Spear. But Imanari also kicked out and then used the Lou Thesz Press to get the three count. After the match Imanari said he will continue to stay in the centre of Ganbare☆Pro. Backstage Imanari explained that Goku needs a character like Vegeta to make him shine. There have been many Vegetas who stood in front of Ohka at Ganpro but he will never be one of them!

As the show was wrapping up, Yuna Manase gathered together Ohka and Mizuki Watase to give a final speech for their match against Eruption at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” this weekend. All three agreed that Yukio Sakaguchi is the main target. Suddenly Sakaguchi himself walked out from the entrance ramp carrying a shovel! He said he was going to bury Ohka today if he decided to do anything stupid. Ohka told the other wrestlers not to touch Sakaguchi so Watase stepped up to him with his hands behind his back, daring him to attack first. Instead Sakaguchi said he will take a break from his killing spree and he is looking forward to Sunday. When he left, Ohka and Watase slapped each other to fire themselves up.

The Shota Vs Masahiro Takanashi match ended up having a lot of interference between ROMANCE DAWN and CDK. A still injured Chris Brookes didn’t let that bother him because he used his crutch to aid his partner whenever he could. Soma Takao in return did his part to help Shota such as grabbing the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt away from Takanashi. In the end, CDK got the upper hand had used the Super Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb combo to put Shota away.

Shuichiro Katsumura’s challenge for a strong opponent at Ota Ward Gymansium was answered. It’s Minoru Suzuki! He attended the show and confronted Katsumura after his tag match. Katsumura said he’s been waited for this match for a long time and he thanked Suzuki for answering his challenge. However when they shook hands, Suzuki grabbed him in a Sleeper Hold and would have given him the Gotch-Style Piledriver if the other wrestlers did not stop him. Suzuki then threw a chair at ringside and brawled with Katsumura until the other wrestlers stopped them again. Suzuki explained his behavior backstage that wanting a fight with him means selling the fight too. Katsumura needs to use everything he has to win because Suzuki will use everything he has to beat him up!

Original Ganpro member Batten x Burabura announced he will be at the Ota Ward Gymansium show. However he will wrestle under the name Ganbare Tamagawa, the first name he used when he joined the promotion in 2013. He was at ringside as the second of Ohka’s team in the main event.


DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022” Results

June 1, 2022

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022”, 01/06/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
490 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
1. Road To CyberFight Festival 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida when Akito submitted Takagi with a Chickenwing Arm Lock (7:23).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Toru Owashi defeated Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) (w/ Nobutatsu Suzuki), Thanomsak Toba, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata and Pokotan (9:22).
2a. Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) eliminated Pokotan after the Fist Thrust from Suzuki (2:54).
2b. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Thanomsak Toba by Ring Out (4:16).
2c. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) with a Crab Hold (8:01).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,549th champion.
2d. Kazuki Hirata (c) and Antonio Honda eliminate each other by Double Pinfall (9:22).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,550th champion.
3. Asuka, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Maya Yukihi defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Hiroshi Yamato when Naya pinned Okatani with the Back Drop (12:46).
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima when Sasaki submitted Kojima with the Crossface Lock (14:04).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Sexy Movie Star Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c) defeated AKIRA with a Cradle (12:46).
*V2 for Yuki Iino.
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao when Higuchi pinned Takao with the Brain Claw Slam (16:08).
7. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated MAO (c) with the Takatonic (20:48).
*MAO fails in V3. Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 7th DDT Universal Champion!

In a career full of miracles another came to light when Masahiro Takanashi became the new DDT Universal Champion! Using a mixture of tricks, skill and heart Takanashi defeated MAO in the main event. He tricked MAO into Backsliding Yukinori Matsui for a fake pin then did his own Cradle for a nearfall. MAO had his own plans and used the Ultima Weapon and Michinoku Driver II both for two counts. Takanashi had another surprise by using La Mistica and then scrambling into position to hit the Takatonic to win the title.

After the match Takanashi was joined in the ring by Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura. The four of them will be teaming together at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” for a DDT 8-Man Tag Match. HARASHIMA told them to show everyone the best of DDT. All Takanashi said to the fans was “Thank you!” to close out the show. But he said more backstage. It’s been many years since he held a singles title in DDT and even then he lost so many title matches in his career. Today feels like he won his first championship because it’s been so long. He wants to defend his title against the DNA generation of wrestlers no matter where they are now. That means fighting the likes of Yoshimura and even giving MAO a reamtch. MAO said he has no regrets over his title reign because he lost it to Takanashi. Anyone else beating him would have been a disappointment. He will be on the other team at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” so he will continue to proudly be at the forefront of DDT.

The show was filled with DDT wrestlers preparing for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. Over the last couple of weeks Kazusada Higuchi has refused to be on the same page as Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama for their inter-promotional match against NOAH, believing he can do it by himself. Today the three were given a chance to team up and test the waters against HARASHIMA, Yoshimura & Soma Takao. Higuchi kept his distance from his partners and had to be inadvertently tagged out to get the others involved in the match. When he got back in he continued fighting by himself so Endo & Akiyama had to come to the rescue. They cut off HARASHIMA & Yoshimura so Higuchi could beat Takao.

After the match Akiyama confronted Higuchi and asked him for a handshake to show he can trust him. Higuchi refused until Yukio Sakaguchi spoke to him. After a few words from someone he respects, Higuchi finally agreed and shook the hands of both Akiyama and Endo. Akiyama then thanked Sakaguchi while Endo said they are ready to beat NOAH at Saitama Super Arena on 12th June. Each member of a team has their target. Akiyama wants Atsushi Kotoge to charge him, Endo wants Naomichi Marufuji in perfect condition and Higuchi wants to avenge his recent time limit draw against Yoshiki Inamura.

The Hollywood spotlight was shining over the DDT Extreme Title because it was defended under Sexy Movie Star Rules. Director MacToba (Thanomsak Toba) ordered Yuki Iino and AKIRA to reinact famous movie scenes and the match could not end until he got his perfect shots. While they wrestled, MacToba ordered them to do scenes from Titanic, ET, The Exorcist, Rocky and Snow White. The Snow White scene in particular required AKIRA to kiss Iino. He reluctantly did so before pinning Iino with the Musasabi Press. However MacToba felt the kiss was not deep enough and ordered a reshoot. AKIRA gave Iino a deeper kiss but this time Iino rolled him up for the three count and is was good enough to wrap up production. Hisaya Imabayashi apologised to AKIRA for not fully understanding the match rules when he made the decision to approve it. AKIRA didn’t mind because he found it entertaining.

DAMNATION T.A have been going after NOAH in their own scuzzy way. They won their match at the NOAH show during the weekend and Daisuke Sasaki shocked Kenoh with a stun gun afterwards! Sasaki had the same stun gun with him today but thankfully he didn’t use it in the match against The 37KAMIINA. Still Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON were victorious. Sasaki used his win to call out Kenoh, expecting him to show up today. Since he didn’t, Sasaki thinks Kenoh is scared and crying at home. Meanwhile KANON has set his sights on Yuki Ueno. He thinks he will surely beat him to death the next time they fight. Ueno said his focus is on “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” for now because Sasaki cannot carry DDT by himself. Shunma Katsumata promised Saitama Super Arena will be turned into a sauna!

A non-stop 8-Man Tag kept everyone on their toes. Yuji Hino proved to be tough to keep off his feet. He also had the speed of Maya Yukihi there to back him up. Hiroshi Yamato stopped Yukio Naya with the Sliding X then called upon Eruption to finish the job. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai hit him with a Double PK and Hideki Okatani followed up with the Diving Knee Drop. The pin was broken and Asuka wiped out everyone with a Moonsault out of the ring. Naya got his second wind and pinned Okatani with the Back Drop.

The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu returned to DDT in order to defend the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. He was accompanied by his bodyguard, former MMA fighter Nobutatsu Suzuki to watch over his back. Kazuki Hirata showed support for Kawamatsu and allowed Suzuki to take care of the rest of the competition. Suzuki knocked out Pokotan so Kawamatsu could pin him. However his fight with Toba kept him busy so Hirata was free to go after the champion without consequence. Antonio Honda blinded Kawamatsu & Suzuki with Gongitsune. Hirata capitalized by putting Kawamatsu in a Crab Hold. The politician reached the ropes but was pulled away and had to give up, making Hirata the new champion. Toru Owashi climbed the top rope but Hirata knocked him out with the Tegatana Chop, leaving him lying over the top rope. Hirata and Honda put each other into a Backslide Pin situation and both of them were counted out. Owashi was the last man left in the match despite being unconscious so he was declared the winner and new champion! Afterwards Kawamatsu said he is full of gratitude towards DDT for letting him experience what it is like to be a pro wrestler.

What are you doing Akito? It turns out his plan to join Pheromones as a sleeper agent has turned into a desire to join the unit for real! While Danshoku Dieno & Yumehito Imanari were busy doing their usual thing to Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida, they also targeted Sanshiro Takagi’s dodgy shoulder. Akito hesitated to attack Takagi Pheromones style until he decided to give him the Stunner instead, then go after the injured shoulder for the submission win! Akito verbally blasted Takagi afterwards for tricking him into thinking he could become the next CyberFight president in order to do his bidding. Akito decided he’s going to join Pheromones not because he was told to but because he wants to!

But first Akito needed to take Pheromones right of passage and do the Excalibur Challenge. He has to pull the sword Sexcalibur out of Sexy Hill (Yuki Iino’s backside) to prove he is worthy of joining the unit. Akito tried several times already and this was to be his final attempt. However Kendo Kashin and a person wearing a Dieno mask (DDT website thinks it might have been Yumiko Hotta but evidence on social media suggests it was actually Hideki Suzuki) suddenly ran out and attacked Pheromones! Takagi thanked Kashin for rescuing him but Kashin started complaining about this being the build up to “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. He decided they were going to do their own Excalibur Challenge by shoving Sexcaliur into Hisaya Imabayashi’s mouth for five seconds. When they left, Dieno called Akito back into the ring and accepted him into Pheromones. He decided Akito’s Pheromones name will be Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki! Together they will crush Takagi’s terrorist team in Saitama Super Arena!

The dark match ended in a rare time limit draw when Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku lasted the full ten minutes. Okada almost won in the final seconds with a Diving Headbutt but Koroku kicked out as the time expired. After the match Okada asked Koroku if that is all he’s got because he was chosen over him for one of the inter-promotional matches against NOAH. He told Koroku to put his feelings into his match at Saitama Super Arena and win. A little while later during the show opening segment, Koroku was joined by Toi Kojima. They shook hands and agreed to join forces to beat NOAH.

The King Of DDT 2022 brackets were revealed. The Round 1 matches are Hideki Okatani Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Yuki Ueno Vs KANON, Yuji Hino Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs MAO, Jun Akiyama Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Yukio Naya Vs Kazusada Higuchi and Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi.


GANBARE☆PRO “CRAZY THUNDER ROAD 2022” Results

May 26, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “CRAZY THUNDER ROAD 2022”, 26/05/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
114 Fans

1. Tiger Vs Dragon Part 2: Keisuke Ishii defeated Ryuya Matsufusa with the Double Arm Neck Hold (9:20).
2. PocchaJo Vs GanJo Full-Scale Battle: Yuna Manase, Maika Ozaki & Yappy defeated Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI when Manase pinned YuuRI with the Suzuki Dynamic (12:17).
3. Mr. SHOWTIME Vs Shivering Arm Locker: Tsuyoshi Okada defeated Shota with the V1 Arm Lock (10:08).
4. Highball & Punch Drunker Vs REAL BLOOD: Naoya Nomura & Mizuki Watase defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Tyson Maeguchi when Nomura pinned Maeguchi with the Maximum (13:40).
5. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Soma Takao & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Shigehiro Irie when Imanari pinned Ohka with the Lariat (21:44).

At the beginning of the show Yumehito Imanari said he wants his Spirit Of Ganbare Title reign to be a story that can only be told in Ganbare☆Pro. He dealt a mighty blow against his next challenger Ken Ohka by beating him directly in the main event. He said afterwards he doesn’t think Ohka can beat him as their story will reach its climax at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 10th July. A beaten Ohka promised he will be at his best on that date.

Ohka’s evening wasn’t over yet. The post-show speeches from the roster was suddenly interrupted by Eruption when they drove into the arena! Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani entered the ring and Okatani suddenly attacked Ohka until Mizuki Watase stopped him. Sakaguchi brought up the last time Eruption fought Ganpro two years ago and feels the time has come for them to battle each other again at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” on 12th June! Eruption then stuffed Ohka into their car and abducted him. The car returned ten minutes later and Ohka was thrown out with his body all rolled up in tape. Ohka complained that Ganpro wants to make pro wrestling a major sport and what Eruption did to him is just violence. He promised Ganpro Vs Eruption will be the hottest match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL” no matter where on the card they are on.

Shuichiro Katsumura admits he hasn’t been a major focus of Ganpro ever since he lost the Independent Jr. Heavyweight Title. However he still has a desire to support the roster as one of its oldest members. He wants to fight somebody he admires and is asking Ganpro to find him a big opponent from pro wrestling or martial arts for 10th July.

Another surprise appearance happened today when Sayaka Unagi from Stardom entered the ring to call out Yuna Manase! Unagi, who was previously known as Himawari Unagi in Tokyo Joshi Pro, has had one previous singles match against Manase which she lost. She thinks it is a black mark that needs to be rectified. YuuRI did not who Unagi was and Sayaka took offence. She challenged YuuRI to a match at Stardom’s next “NEW BLOOD” show. Unagi then told Manase that you cannot do pro wrestling by just doing your best. They almost came to blows until Manase was held back and the two agreed to have a singles match sometime in the future. The Ota Ward show is the most likely destination.


Sakazaki Still In AEW, Akito Infiltrating Pheromones, Everyone Warming Up For The Summer’s Big Shows

May 13, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “A HOMANSU 2022”, 14/05/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Punch Drunker Vs Strong Zero Drunker: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Soma Takao
2. GanJo Super Fight In Chiba: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Ann Cham
3. Yuna Manase Triumphant Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Kaji Tomato & Yuna Manase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Ayame Sasamura
4. Nippon University Alumni Association In 2AW Square: Ken Ohka Vs Kyu Mogami
5. Shinichiro Tominaga 2nd Hometown Triumph Match: GENTARO & Yasu Urano Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga
6. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Naoya Nomura & Mizuki Watase

The entry of REAL BLOOD into Ganabre☆Pro headlines the show tomorrow.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR ’22”, 15/05/2022
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Maki Itoh Vs Kaya Toribami
2. 3 Way Match: Hikari Noa Vs Raku Vs Mahiro Kiryu
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Moka Miyamoto
4. Yuki Aino & Miu Watanabe VsSuzume & Haruna Neko
5. Miyu Yamashita & Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta
6. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Mizuki & Arisu Endo

All is well and good between Kyoraku Kyomei after the Princess Of Princess Title earlier this month. Yuka Sakazaki is staying in America for the rest of this month so it is up to Mizuki & Arisu Endo to fight Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao on her behalf.

This will be Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh’s last match in Japan this month before they go over to America for their bookings with Prestige Wrestling. Your guess is as good as mine if there are any suprise appearances either will make between now and then.

As mentioned above, Sakazaki’s excursion to AEW will last for the rest of the month so she will not be on this show. Her first match back in Tokyo Joshi Pro will be on 4th June. TJPW have said that more international bookings for their roster will happen after June and they will inform the fans about them when they happen.

DDT “AUDIENCE 2022”, 22/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Akito Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya, Ilusion & El Unicorn
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence Full-Scale Battle ~ Special Hardcore Match: Carousel❤️Shun & Elizabeth❤️Toy Vs Suzu Suzuki & Akane Fujita
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs MAO & Asuka
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani

Akito has been convinced to audition for Pheromones to keep the unit under control. The implication that doing this will earn Akito enough trust from CyberFight that he will then some day be promoted to company president is motivating him to go along with the plan. He promised to take it further by gaining Pheromones’ trust before destroying them from the inside. They are going to try out a few warm up tag team matches before fully committing to the big 8-Man Tag Match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. This changes the first two matches on the card to accommodate this new plan.

GANBARE☆PRO “CRAZY THUNDER ROAD 2022”, 26/05/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. PocchaJo Vs GanJo Full-Scale Battle: Yuna Manase, Maika Ozaki & Yappy Vs Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & YuuRI
2. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Soma Takao & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Shigehiro Irie

The build up to “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” goes up a notch here. Yumehito Imanari and Ken Ohka are now wrestling in the same matches to prepare for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title bout.

Pocchari Joshi has a new lease of life with the new additions of Maika Ozaki & Yappy to the brand. Yuna Manase now wants to gather together with them and test what they are made of against the regular Ganbare☆Joshi group.

Wrestlers advertised to appear include Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Tsuyoshi Okada, Naoya Nomura, Tyson Maeguchi and Ryuya Matsufusa.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022 TOUR IN FUKUOKA”, 28/05/2022
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. MJ Paul Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Chris Brookes, Naomi Yoshimura & Saki Akai Vs Soma Takao, Yukio Naya & Maya Yukihi
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida
4. MAO & Toru Owashi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
5. Special Single Match: Azul Dragon Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. BURNING Vs Eruption!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
7. Fukuoka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Atsushi Onita, HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima

Fukuoka is getting the unusual trio of Atsushi Onita, HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki teaming together to take on The 37KAMIINA.

The DDT Universal Champion and the DDT Extreme Champion are against each other in Match #4.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 29/05/2022
Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall

1. MAO Vs Toi Kojima
2. Chris Brookes Vs Hideki Okatani
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Ueno & Soma Takao
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
6. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
7. Kumamoto Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida

Yuki Ishida gets to be the homecoming hero taking on the might of BURNING. He has HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura backing him up so it won’t be a hopeless challenge for the youngster.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022”, 01/06/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) (w/ Nobutatsu Suzuki) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Thanomusaku Toba Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Gota Ihashi
2. Chris Brookes, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya, Maya Yukihi & Asuka
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
4. Road To CyberFight Festival 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao
6. DDT Extreme Title: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c) Vs AKIRA
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi

A warm up tag match for Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi before “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. Higuchi’s comments on their match against the NOAH team shows he isn’t on the same page with BURNING at the moment. It’s not out of skill level or opinions on each other. More that he has his own idea of beating NOAH that doesn’t mix with how the other two think they can win.


Video – Ohka Vs Imanari From Ganbare☆Climax 2017

May 6, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2017 1ST ROUND”, 11/08/2017
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
141 Fans – No Vacancy

Ganbare☆Climax – Round 1: Ken Ohka Vs Yumehito Imanari


Go Go Do It, CDK Summer, REAL BLOOD, Ganpro Ota Ward Main Event

May 4, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GO DO IT”, 05/05/2022
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Yuki Aino Vs Haruna Neko
2. Hyper Misao Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Yuna Manase Vs Mahiro Kiryu
5. Miyu Yamashita & Miu Watanabe Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Kamifuku
6. Osaka Special 8-Woman Tag Match: Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Maki Itoh & Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo

No title changes for Tokyo Joshi Pro yesterday so that means Shoko Nakajima and Mizuki are added to tomorrow’s main event. Rika Tatsumi takes Yuka Sakazaki’s place on the team after Sakazaki was invited by AEW to enter a qualifying match for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. She takes on Riho for a spot in the tournament on the next episode of Rampage.

DDT “AUDIENCE 2022 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 06/05/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. Children’s Day Special! DDTeeeen!! Challenge Match I: Yuki Ueno Vs Ilusion
4. Children’s Day Special! DDTeeeen!! Challenge Match II: Tetsuya Endo Vs El Unicorn
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Akito, Hikaru Machida & Thanomsak Toba
7. CDK Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata

It’s going to be a busy summer for CDK. They are butting heads with MAO in DDT, reigning over everything in ChocoPro and now are getting challenged over in Ganbare☆Pro.

GANBARE☆PRO “A HOMANSU 2022”, 14/05/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Punch Drunker Vs Strong Zero Drunker: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Soma Takao
2. Nippon University Alumni Association In 2AW Square: Ken Ohka Vs Kyu Mogami
3. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Naoya Nomura & Mizuki Watase
4. Shinichiro Tominaga 2nd Hometown Triumph Match: GENTARO & Yasu Urano Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga
5. GanJo Super Fight In Chiba: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Ann Cham
6. Yuna Manase Triumphant Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Kaji Tomato & Yuna Manase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Ayame Sasamura

Remember that story about how a young Shinichiro Tominaga once tried to get into K-DOJO? That’s why he considers Chiba his second home. Both GENTARO & Yasu Urano were involved with K-DOJO at the time Tominaga tried to get in. After all these years will they accept the wrestler he has grown into?

It was a big surprise to see Naoya Nomura show up yesterday asking to wrestle a match in Ganpro. He and Mizuki Watase have formed team in Capture International called REAL BLOOD and they are ready to show it to a new audience. Watase wants everyone to know that he wrestles in other places besides Ganpro so an alliance like this did not come from out of nowhere.

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka

The biggest match in Ganpro history is set. Ken Ohka founded Ganpro in 2013 and Yumehito Imanari was his very first signing. Fast forward to 2022 and they will fight each other in a headline match at Ota Ward Gymnsium. Imanari’s newly won Spirit Of Ganbare Title will also be on the line.

Shota & Soma Takao are having a blast teaming together as ROMANCE DAWN. They now want to take on the best teams around and that means CDK are in their sights. CDK are ready for them but are a little confused that ROMANCE DAWN have not asked for any of their tag team championships to be on the line. For now the match is non-title and advertised as a special attraction.


GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2022” Results

May 3, 2022

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2022”, 03/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
380 Fans

1. Punch Drunker Vs Nobleman Of The Spirit World: Onryo defeated Tyson Maeguchi with a Cradle (9:30).
2. Ganpro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: HARUKAZE & Tsuyoshi Okada defeated Yuu Yamagata & Shinichiro Tominaga when Okada submitted Tominaga with a Cross Armbreaker (6:40).
3. Nippon Ganbare Union Vs VENYU Full-Scale Battle: Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka defeated Yuna Manase & YuuRI when Kamifuku pinned YuuRI with the Famouser (11:30).
4. Ganpro’s Famous 3 Way Battle! ROMANCE DAWN Vs ChocoPro Vs BASARA: Shota & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda and Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano when Shota pinned Honda with the Gannosuke Clutch (14:43).
5. Ganpro Special Single Match ~A Better Tomorrow~: Ken Ohka defeated Muscle Sakai with 3 Flame Spears in a row (11:09).
6. LOVE PHANTOM 2022 ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase when Ishii pinned Watase with the Kneel Kick (21:56).
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) with a Lariat (17:20).
*Tatsuhito Takaiwa fails in V4. Yumehito Imanari becomes the 2nd Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Champion!

The Imanari Revolution that began four years ago has reached its climax. Yumehito Imanari is the new Spirit Of Ganbare Champion! The first champion Tatsuhito Takaiwa looked to be unbeatable especially when he used the Death Valley Bomb to put away all challengers. But today Imanari withstood the move, forcing the champion to hit an Avalanche version and tiring him out in the process. The two got into a Lariat duel until Imanari gave Takaiwa a taste of his own medicine by using his own finisher on him! Takaiwa kicked out at two but was finally down for the count after Imanari hit him with one more Lariat.

Imanari thanked Takaiwa for coming to Ganbare☆Pro and increasing the value of the title by being its first champion. Imanari defeated him today but the respect he has for him remains the same. Takaiwa told Imanari to polish the belt and make it even more valuable. He also gave out words of encouragement for the injured Shinjiro Otani. When he left, Ken Ohka came out and challenged Imanari for a title shot at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 10th July. Imanari accepted because if it wasn’t for Ohka and Ganpro, he would not be in this position today.

The pure-blooded tag team match showdown between Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki against Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase was a hard fought battle. Watase was taken to his limit by Ishii. It took two Tiger Suplexes and the Kneel Kick to finally put him away. Katsumura wants it to be known that these four all represent Ganpro and it is up to them to make Ganpro more exciting. He also welcomes adding more wrestlers to the promotion. He said this in response to the big appearance after the match.

Former All Japan wrestler Naoya Nomura entered the ring after the tag match. He called it an exciting match, one that makes him want to be involved with them. So on 14th May when Ganpro goes to Chiba he wants to wrestle a match there! Nomura is currently involved with a promotion called Capture International where he and Watase formed a team called REAL BLOOD. He asked Watase if they should bring REAL BLOOD to Ganpro!

Ken Ohka’s journey back to the top of the mountain he created led him to an emotional match with his close friend Muscle Sakai. Their match featured voices coming from their hearts, interrupting the action to tell the audience what their friendship meant to them. It also revealed their true motives. Sakai wants to beat Ohka while Ohka never wants to lose! In the end Ohka had to hit Sakai with the Fire Spear three times before he finally won. Ohka declared his challenge for the Spirit Of Ganbare Title afterwards and spoke of his joy over getting to wrestle Sakai again. Sakai spoke of discovering something thanks to this match. He found out he does his best when his opponent is trying to kill him!

The 3 Way Tag match ended with ROMANCE DAWN getting their hands raised. Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda almost had Takumi Tsukamoto beaten but Yasu Urano made the save. Honda then got into an exchange with Shota. He started winding up for a big Bionic Elbow when Shota suddenly rolled him over with the Gannosuke Clutch to score the three count. Shota said he’s been teaming with Soma Takao for half a year now and they’re getting good responses. It makes him enthusiastic to fight the best tag teams out there so he wants ROMANCE DAWN to take on CDK at Ota Ward Gym! Masahiro Takanashi questioned if Shota only wants it to be a “Special Tag Match” and not for any of their tag team championships. But he accepted the challenge to a match on 10th July.

The friendship between Yuna Manase and Yuki Kamifuku was briefly put aside when Nippon Ganbare Union took on VENYU. The heavy hits came from Manase and Asuka while YuuRI stepped up to give Kamifuku some trouble. Asuka wiped out Manase with an Asai Moonsault. YuuRI’s momentum of nearfalls got cut down when Kamifuku gave her the Famouser. The win for VENYU was a natural result according to Asuka. Manase and Kamifuku though put aside their problems and shook hands after the match.

A mixed tag match reunited HARUKAZE with Yuu Yamagata, although they were on opposite sides here. The result was determined by the men though when Tsuyoshi Okada made Shinichiro Tominaga submit to a Cross Armbreaker.

No matter how much Tyson Maeguchi is learning about pro wrestling, nothing could have prepared him for Onryo. Plenty of dusty ectoplasm flew around and covered Maeguchi inside, outside and even underneath the ring. A referee distraction caused Maeguchi to get blinded with more powder so Onryo could roll him up for the three count.


3rd May Lineups For TJPW & Ganpro, First Announcements For CyberFight Festival 2022

May 2, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND 2022 ~SPREAD THE WINGS OF YOUR DREAMS~”, 03/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
2. Exhibition Match: Reika Saiki Vs Arisu Endo
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
4. Suzume Vs Juria Nagano
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Hyper Misao

The Princess Tag Team Titles match has been moved to the opening spot of the card. Yuka Sakazaki is pretty much leaving Japan for trip to America as soon as her match is done. As I write this post, AEW has not advertised her for any of their shows yet. Their much maligned habit of only booking one women’s match per TV show suggests she may not be on Dynamite or Rampage this week because both episodes are already advertising a women’s match each. It all depends on how long she will be in America for because flying her over on short notice just for an appearance on Dark or Elevation will be weird. It’s not like Hikaru Shida is going back with her either because she has a full schedule in Japan all week this week.

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2022”, 03/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Punch Drunker Vs Nobleman Of The Spirit World: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Onryo
2. Ganpro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Yuu Yamagata & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs HARUKAZE & Tsuyoshi Okada
3. Nippon Ganbare Union Vs VENYU Full-Scale Battle: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. Ganpro’s Famous 3 Way Battle! ROMANCE DAWN Vs ChocoPro Vs BASARA: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano
5. Ganpro Special Single Match ~A Better Tomorrow~: Ken Ohka Vs Muscle Sakai
6. LOVE PHANTOM 2022 ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Yumehito Imanari

Tomorrow is now or never for Yumehito Imanari.

GANBARE☆PRO “A HOMANSU 2022”, 14/05/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. GanJo Super Fight In Chiba: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Ann Cham
2. Yuna Manase Triumphant Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Kaji Tomato & Yuna Manase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Ayame Sasamura

The Ganbare☆Joshi division gets another visit from Ann Cham. Also Moeka Haruhi is expected to be back from illness to take part in the match.

“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”, 12/06/2022
Saitama Super Arena

1. NOAH Vs DDT Battle ~ Special Single Match: Kenoh Vs Daisuke Sasaki
2. GHC Heavyweight Title: Go Shiozaki (c) Vs Satoshi Kojima

The NOAH side of CyberFight announced their headline match for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. The GHC Heavyweight Title will be on the line when the new champion Go Shiozaki defends against… Satoshi Kojima from New Japan? Kojima’s surprise appearance in NOAH over the weekend had some fans talking about him potentially jumping ship. His presence here is a little bit similar to Jun Akiyama working with DDT while still under contract to All Japan. The two companies made a deal at the time allowing Akiyama to work with DDT but he ended up staying there until his contract with All Japan ended. Then a few weeks later Akiyama was all clear to sign with DDT. Maybe something similar is happening here because at the moment Kojima is reportedly still under contract to New Japan. He is being coy over it. He wore a NOAH shirt for his appearance and made vague comments on social media about why he is doing this now. The other big story driving this match is Kojima’s attempt to achieve a grand slam of wrestling championships with him already being a former IWGP, NWA and Triple Crown Champion.

Kenoh crashed the party at “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022” yesterday, complaining about DDT like he usually does whenever he has to show up here. He wanted another fight with Sanshiro Takagi but instead drew the attention of Daisuke Sasaki. The challenge for this one is if Kenoh is looking to fight the best wrestler in DDT then Sasaki is standing right here. Kenoh is disgusted to see Sasaki of all people stand up for DDT so the match between them is going ahead.

NOAH announced that Rob Van Dam will be on the show. Look I can’t complain here and act like DDT is above this. Remember when they booked Sabu back in 2018?


DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA” Results

May 1, 2022

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022
Yokohama Budokan
835 Fans

0. Dark Match: KANON defeated Yuya Koroku with the Just Cobra Twist (7:22).
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida when Yoshimura pinned Ishida with a Harai Goshi (9:33).
1. Shinya Aoki defeated Toui Kojima with a Leg Lock (5:04).
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi when JULIE submitted Hirata with the Cattle Mutilation (8:45).
*V1 for Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba.
3. Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata defeated Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani with the Totonou Splash (10:28).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari when Imabayashi pinned Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (16:55).
5. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao when Sasaki submitted Takao with the Crossface Lock (10:43).
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato when Higuchi pinned HARASHIMA with the Brain Claw (14:25).
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Asuka with the Cannonball 450 (13:56).
*V2 for MAO.
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Kitai Jisho Group K.O. GYM Presents: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Takanashi pinned Okada with a Cradle (21:09).
*V2 for CDK.
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated Yuki Ueno with the Burning Star Press (31:17).
*V1 for Tetsuya Endo.

Golden Week continued with DDT’s big offering for the holidays held inside Yokohama Budokan. It was Yuki Ueno’s chance to take the top spot and be the one to lead DDT into a new direction. Tetsuya Endo though just claimed the headline role for himself and isn’t going to be giving it up anytime soon. Some vital rope breaks kept the match alive for Endo after Ueno had him beaten, first with the WR and then with a Sleeper Hold. Ueno attempted to set up his Wrist Clutch variation the WR Unlimited but Endo blocked the move. Instead Endo launched the comeback hitting an Exploder Suplex, a Modified One-Winged Angel and then the Burning Star Press to put his opponent away. While Ueno was carried out of the ring by his teammates, Endo said he will deal with him again when Ueno learns how to turn today’s regrets into having fun with his beliefs. Kenta Kobashi then entered the ring to present the KO-D Openweight Title to Endo.

With the KO-D Title successfully defended inside a new venue, Endo said today he engraved his name on a new page of DDT history. He believes the company has potential can grow bigger from here and he is the only one who can make that happen. However he does admit that he cannot achieve this by himself. He made a decision not to choose his next challenger. He does not care who it will be as long as they have confidence and he thinks they are a suitable representative for DDT. Sanshiro Takagi praised the main event and wonders if the sight of young wrestlers doing their best can get the audience emotionally drawn into their matches. He also likes Yokohama Budokan as a venue and hopes to continue running shows there.

Nobody can stop CDK from using the referee as a weapon when they want to! They were able to physically manipulate Yukinori Matsui into Power Bombing Yusuke Okada for an unfair advantage. Jun Akiyama, who has been the strongest critic of this kind of dirty tactics, was quick to respond by giving Chris Brookes the Exploder Suplex. Okada took over from there focusing his attacks on Masahiro Takanashi. But victory slipped out of his fingers when Takanashi countered the Sudden Death into an Inside Cradle for a flash three count. Later backstage Brookes said he respects Akiyama but will not change his wrestling style for him, because his style is the DDT style.

CDK’s future plans were set in stone afterward when MAO & Asuka entered the ring. The two of them decided to team up and challenge CDK for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Takanashi told MAO he will accept the challenge but only if MAO agrees to give him a DDT Universal Title shot. Asuka interrupted MAO and accepted the deal on his behalf. The KO-D Tag Title match will take place on 22nd May and the DDT Universal Title match will happen on 1st June.

MAO and Asuka had just finished fighting each other for the Universal Title before their reappearance later in the show. Even though MAO previously refused Asuka’s request to do a Hardcore Match, he still pulled out a plastic box to use as a weapon. Asuka ended up Choke Slamming him through the box. MAO got the upper hand and almost won with the Michinoku Driver II, a move Asuka had previously pinned him with. That didn’t work here but MAO did get the win once he hit the Cannonball 450. The two shook hands after the match, setting up their return for later. MAO said he wants to defend the Universal Title against a wide range of different challengers and unknown foreigners.

Hikaru Sato returned to DDT and Yukio Sakaguchi was right there waiting for him. Their early exchanges had them giving each other Snapmares followed by a Football Kick to the back. HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi carried the second half of the match. Higuchi countered the Somato with a Power Bomb. HARASHIMA tried to block the Brain Claw Slam but Higuchi persisted and used the Brain Claw to pin his rival for the three count. Sakaguchi said the match felt like he went back in time to nine years ago. Higuchi has confidence to become more aggressive because there were three former KO-D Champions involved but he was the one who got the win.

After weeks of teases and threats of betrayal, it was time for DAMNATION T.A to reveal their newest member. It’s KANON! In the time between his dark match and the DAMNATION T.A match, KANON dyed his hair and changed into a new costume to fit in with his new alignment. The injured Minoru Fujita was also at ringside grabbing Yukio Naya’s leg to give his team the advantage. The other side still had Yuji Hino though so it was still a tough match. Daisuke Sasaki had to distract the referee so KANON could hit Soma Takao with a chair. Sasaki then applied the Crossface Lock on Takao to make him submit. He later said KANON is not in DDT to play games. DAMNATION T.A wants to reach the top in the shortest possible time which is why they recruited KANON. Then when Fujita is cleared to wrestle again their momentum will be unstoppable!

Everyone got a big surprise after that match was over and the ring emptied. Kenoh from NOAH walked out! He got on the microphone and said DDT fans have been watching fake wrestlers but now a real wrestler has arrived. He called DDT an arts and crafts show filled with a pampered roster of people. He blames Sanshiro Takagi for this and demands he leave the pro wrestling business! But first he wants to fight Takagi at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” on 12th June. Suddenly Sasaki got back into the ring and faced off with Kenoh. He said if Kenoh wants a match then he should fight the best wrestler in DDT instead of a third rate wrestler like Takagi. Kenoh said Takagi is not even a fifth rate wrestler. He also thought Sasaki was the only sane person in DDT but it is clear he isn’t if he is standing up for them. Kenoh accepted Sasaki’s challenge for a singles match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.

Hisaya Imabayashi was put into the fight of his life. His feud with Pheromones reached its climax right here with his children in attendance to see it. The skill gap was still gigantic but the DDT GM fought to his limit while AKIRA and Muscle Sakai did their best to keep their team in the match. Pheromones were up to their usual tricks like Yumehito Imanari spraying his opponents with a fire extinguisher in a lewd manner. Danshoku Dieno put Imabayashi in a Knee Cross that looked to be the finish until Imabayashi’s kids approached ringside cheering for their dad to keep fighting until he reached the ropes. Dieno lifted him up to do a Danshoku Driver in front of the children but AKIRA cut him off and Imabayashi rolled Dieno over into a Jackknife Pin for the upset victory!

Imabayashi thanked his two sons for their help and then told Pheromones this was the end of their conflict. However he has one request. He would like to see AKIRA hold a championship again so he wants him to challenge Yuki Iino for the DDT Extreme Title! AKIRA is happy to take that request and agreed with Iino to have the match on 1st June.

In mixed tag action Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata beat the Eruption duo of Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani. The match briefly brought back the rivalry between Akai and Yukihi since they have been on good terms since their match at “JUDGEMENT 2022”. Yukihi politely interrupted Akai’s post match interview backstage. The match they just had made Yukihi wonder what will happen if they have another singles bout against each other. Akai thought she wanted them to form the only two woman tag team in DDT but Yukihi convinced her to have one more singles match before they do that.

There was another big story coming out of that tag match. Prominence came out after the match and attacked Katsumata! Suzu Suzuki wants to get revenge for him beating her in the King Of Street Wrestling. Every day since then she has only gotten angrier at Katsumata because she lost to him. She will never forgive him until they have a rematch. Katsumata said he already beat Suzuki so he will never fight her again!

The DDT Legend team hold on to the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. Their first title defence was against a collection of undercard DDT wrestlers along with special guest and former champion Yoshiaki Yatsu. There was a moment when Kazuki Hirata almost overpowered Poison Sawada JULIE with his own magic power. JULIE stopped him and made him give up to the Cattle Mutilation. Now DDT has a scheduling problem with the reigning champions. Takashi Sasaki said he doesn’t feel like coming back to DDT unless they bring in big competition. His logic is if the complete team (including Naomi Susan) cannot get together for a title defence then they will be champions forever! However MIKAMI said he can adjust his schedule for future title defences. GENTARO is the same because he’s happy to get the work.

Toui Kojima tried using the Triangle Choke to beat Shinya Aoki but didn’t have the experience to make it work. Aoki stayed patience and found his spot to put Kojima in a Leg Lock, making the young wrestler tap. Backstage Aoki asked if Kojima wants DDT to become the No. 1 wrestling company. Kojima said he does so he can become stronger. Aoki joked they will have to beat the competition one by one so their first target is Stardom.

There were two dark matches before the show. The heavyweight team of Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura were victorious against Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida. Owashi and Honda teased kissing each other. Yoshimura used the Harai Goshi throw from Judo to pin Ishida.

KANON’s earlier appearance with his previous look was when he won against Yuya Koroku. KANON talked about Koroku potentially becoming a rival. As a hint of what was to come later, KANON said he would never have left JTO if he was just going to stop at this level. He told the fans to keep an eye on him.

It was announced that Dick Togo will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August.