DramaticDDT’s Predictions For 2024

December 24, 2023

Merry Christmas! I’m giving this another go despite how bad my predictions for 2023 went. What do I think is in store for DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro, Ganbare☆Pro, BASARA and maybe even CyberFight as a whole? It’s a tricky challenge this time because whenever I try guessing how 2024 will turn out, all I see is murkiness. There’s a weird contradiction in my thoughts about where wrestling is right now. On the one hand there is a status quo where all the companies around the world are positioned that I do not see changing anytime soon. But then there are changes within the companies themselves, some that are so unexpected that I have no idea what the entire scene will look like this time next year. Like of course WWE will be the top company on the planet but what does it turn into next as it finally moves away from Vince McMahon’s ideas and has the most fan goodwill it has probably ever had? AEW badly fell apart this year but the Continental Classic tournament is providing a nice set of building blocks to rebuild the company with. The problem is will Tony Khan want to use those blocks? It doesn’t help that the loudest podcasters in the room are constantly telling everyone that AEW should be more like WWE in the storyline department. That is my biggest pet peeve with wrestling at the moment, by the way. Whenever I hear people say every wrestling show should be a three ringed circus with something for everybody they’re really just saying “go be like WWE”. It’s the same voices that reject other companies for doing things differently.

And then there is Japan’s wrestling scene still trying to re-establish themselves post-pandemic. It’s mostly alright with some brief moments of greatness but there’s not a lot that has really caught my imagination this year compared to the 2010s. Show attendances week to week isn’t inspiring much hope in me either. It seems like homecoming shows and retirement matches can bring in crowds but outside of that a lot of companies are getting dwindling crowd numbers which has me worried. New Japan and Stardom will be fine as long as they can manage themselves properly. 2023 definitely gave Stardom a lot of lessons about show scheduling and injuries but they seem to be learning from it. All Japan discovering success again should also be a sign that there is still an audience out there in Japan that pro wrestling can appeal to. Now let’s see if this United Japan Pro Wrestling alliance is actually going to mean anything substantial.

Before I give you my predictions for 2024, here is how my 2023’s predictions went. Not very good it turns out.

DDT

✓. Mike Bailey wrestles a match in DDT again.
X. KANON outperforms Daisuke Sasaki.
X. Yuya Koroku becomes the next wrestler from DDT’s new generation (debuted 2020 onwards) to win a championship.
✓. Tetsuya Endo struggles to reclaim the top position in DDT.
X. Dramatic Dream Gate is revived.

The first one was by far the easiest prediction to make. It is basically the free spot on a bingo card. DDT going to America guaranteed that Mike Bailey would be on one of their shows. Although I do think the New Japan appearances he also made this year means he’s fully done with DDT in Japan. KANON is slowly getting pushed but I wouldn’t put his work above Daisuke Sasaki’s in 2023. Hideki Okatani was the breakout in the new generation, not Yuya Koroku like I expected. Tetsuya Endo is definitely struggling and I’ll get back to that point later. No Dramatic Dream Gate revival because DDT worked with All Japan instead of Dragongate.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

X. At least 3 women who originally came from Actwres girl’Z will appear in TJPW and at least 1 of them becomes a regular roster member.
X. An outsider wins the Princess Of Princess Title.
X. Maki Itoh gets to No. 1 on a iTunes or Spotify chart somewhere in the world.
X. A woman from Sakisama’s past comes back to haunt her.
X. Sasha Banks appears at Grand Princess ’23.

Oh so now Actwres girl’Z gets their act together and stops leaking talent left, right and centre! TJPW’s roster growth all came from training their own rookies and bringing in foreign wrestlers. An outsider did become champion but it was Max The Impaler winning the International Princess Title, not the Princess Of Princess Title. No idea how to look up music chart data but if Maki Itoh got No. 1 somewhere we would have heard about it. My Sakisama fantasy booking was inspired by the rumour of CyberFight wanting to sign Maya Yukihi. If Mercedes Moné does end up going back to WWE then the hype surrounding her for an entire year was an absolute waste of time for everyone else involved.

Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling

✓. Some of the wrestlers Shota worked with in America get booked for Ganpro.
X. Keisuke Ishii wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Title.
1/2✓. Ganpro creates a tag team championship and builds it around mixed tag wrestling.
X. Ganbare☆Joshi runs their own show in Korakuen Hall.
X. Kota Ibushi wrestles a match in Ganpro.

Shota’s American excursion got the likes of Dan The Dad and Kody Lane booked in Japan. Keisuke Ishii did get a Spirit Of Ganbare Title but lost that match to Mizuki Watase in one of Ganpro’s best matches of the year. We did get the Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles created and it does allow intergender teams. However it has not been the focal point of the title’s existence yet so I only got it half right. No standalone Ganbare☆Joshi show in Korakuen Hall yet but I think it is only a matter of time before it happens. Who on earth would have guessed Kota Ibushi’s first match back would be in GCW?

Miscellaneous

X. Gake no Fuchi Joshi crosses over with Baka Gaijin + Friends.
X. AEW will host another event in Japan with DDT & TJPW involvement.
X. CyberFight adds another promotion to their portfolio.
X. A brand new puroresu console game gets announced.
✓. BASARA does something new and different.

I’m kind of surprised Miyako Matsumoto hasn’t shown up in Baka Gaijin + Friends yet. It seems like her kind of wrestling but I can’t tell what goes through her mind on most days. AEW seems to have developed less interest in the Japanese scene while they go through something of an identity crisis heading into the fifth year of their existence. No new wrestling brand for CyberFight but there is the United Japan Pro Wrestling brand attaching the big wrestling companies together. No new puroresu game which makes me sad. AEW: Fight Forever is fine and I bet has a good base to create a better sequel. Will that happen though? The last prediction is also the best one for me. BASARA made Banana Senga their champion! That was definitely something new and different.

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So yeah, let’s ignore all that and get on to next year’s predictions. I came up with 20 predictions for 2024 spread across four categories. Five for DDT, five for Tokyo Joshi Pro, five for Ganbare☆Pro and five guesses that apply to anything attached to BASARA and the CyberFight promotions. I’m also listing them in order from easy to hard, likely to unlikely, mild to spicy, etc. I came up with these predictions using booking patterns, reading tea leaves and coming up with ideas that are just as creative as they are plausible.

DDT

Prediction: Naomi Yoshimura returns from injury and gets a singles push.

It’s been over a year since Naomi Yoshimura last wrestled a match. What’s promising though is his regular appearances seconding the other wrestlers in Harimao. There’s also glimpses on his social media of him training in the DDT dojo again. It at least suggests he will be back in the ring sooner or later. When Yoshimura took time off to recover from a herniated disc he said he wanted to reclaim the KO-D Tag Team Titles for Harimao when he returns. I think too much time has past for that to be his only goal. He should instead focus on catching up with Yuki Ueno. My fingers are crossed he is able to come back, stay healthy and win some accomplishments by himself.

Prediction: Kento Miyahara will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”.

At no point this year did I expect DDT and All Japan to be doing inter-promotional matches with each other. What a great thing that turned out to be though. Adding a few DDT Vs AJPW matches on shows here and there spiced up the midcard for both companies. It had history to play off of because of Jun Akiyama’s involvement. It is helping Yukio Naya develop into the heavyweight DDT wants him to be thanks to the feud with The Saito Brothers that will likely continue in AJPW. Eruption got to start their new chapter without Saki Akai by winning the All Asia Tag Team Titles and giving Yukio Sakaguchi an achievement he can now share with his father. Eruption also entered the Real World Tag League which gave Hideki Okatani some valuable experience. I want this working relationship to continue in 2024 and I know the best place where it can reach its climax. DDT will likely have a big guest for their Sumo Hall show in July. Bring on over AJPW’s biggest star Kento Miyahara to liven up the place! He would be a great singles match opponent for somebody like Yuki Ueno or Kazusada Higuchi. He’s definitely someone who Ueno should learn from about how to be a showman in the ring.

Prediction: Sanshiro Takagi fights Hiroshi Tanahashi in a battle of the presidents!

This week New Japan announced Hiroshi Tanahashi has become the new president of the company. Now he has a lot more in common with Sanshiro Takagi. Now Tanahashi has an awkward history with DDT but that was years ago and I’m sure it’s all water under the bridge. But just in case there’s still some bad blood there is always the wrestling ring right there for them to settle their differences. Two presidents of different wrestling companies having a match against each other is the kind of idea Takagi would jump on and I think Tanahashi would be game for it. United Japan Pro Wrestling is going to need something a little bit novel to put on their Budokan Hall card in the summer. Why not this in the midcard?

Prediction: Somebody (or something) from WWE wins the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.

WWE looking to carve out their place in Japan is a topic that gets brought up a lot online. This year finally saw the company make their move when they signed a broadcasting deal with ABEMA and also got increased presence in Shukan Puroresu magazine. There were also points throughout the year when Shinsuke Nakamura would pop up. He headlined a big show for NOAH as the final opponent for The Great Muta. He also filmed a special message for Saki Akai that was shown to her during her retirement ceremony. If that’s not enough, on the day I am writing this paragraph All Japan are teasing that the mystery challenger for a Triple Crown title match on 3rd January could be coming from NXT. So if WWE in Japan really is happening, we might as well have some fun with it before everything gets ruined again. DDT will be in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania week and that usually means the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title will be going along for the ride. It’s only a matter of time before somebody in the WWE gets to win the championship for even the briefest of moments. Now I’m not expecting Cody Rhodes to win it in front of 50,000 people to finish the story. But somebody involved with the company hanging out at WrestleCon and taking their chance to win a 24/7 title just to amuse themselves? That sounds more likely. This prediction also applies to any item, prop or official piece of merchandise tied to WWE. If a Jey Uso “Yeet” shirt becomes champion then it counts!

Prediction: Tetsuya Endo should go on an overseas excursion.

This is not so much of a prediction but more a piece of advice. After thinking of ways for Tetsuya Endo to get out of the current position he is in, the best idea I can come up with is for him to go wrestle overseas for a while. Whether that is a several month stay in America or going on weekend trips to Europe every couple of months, he badly needs a change of pace in a new surrounding. Get him in there with Gringo Loco in GCW, have Shigehiro Irie show him the (lack of) sights in Oberhausen during a wXw tournament weekend, book him on ROH so he can travel around with the AEW crew, seat him in the front row behind the commentary table at an NXT taping. He should go broaden his horizons because the direction DDT put him in as Kenta Kobashi’s protégé is not working.

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Prediction: Somebody from the 2023 Class scores a pinfall on a TJPW veteran.

We got six rookies in 2023 and they have all been fun to watch as they learn on the job and figure out who they want to be. Wakana Uehara winning the New Generation Tournament shows that TJPW have faith in her becoming an important part of the roster if she sticks with them. HIMAWARI had her character down flat from day one and her match against Uehara in the final is a great example of how to create a dramatic match with limited movesets. Toga is capturing everyone’s hearts one big Elbow Smash at a time (although really you should thank Hikari Noa for selling that move like a champ), Shino Suzuki has the bonus advantage of being in The Up Up Girls and we might end up with a future generational rivalry between Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo as they learn different wrestling styles separate from each other. Talent development for TJPW needs to be coming quick and fast if there is a need to replace the likes of Yuka Sakazaki. Young blood needs to be beating veterans eventually and it is more likely to happen than you think. Remember, TJPW holds a couple of one day tournaments throughout the year with matches that end in 2 Count pinfalls. That’s where you can see Uehara suddenly beat Mahiro Kiryu or Toga only needing to roll up Kaya Toribami for two seconds to get her hand raised. I don’t expect it to be on the level of Arisu Endo pinning Shoko Nakajima out of nowhere but somebody from the 2023 class is going to get a moment in the spotlight her senpai’s expense in 2024.

Prediction: Mizuki Vs Rika Tatsumi finally happens… in the Tokyo Princess Cup.

When Mizuki’s reign as the Princess Champion ended there was one thing that left me completely baffled. Why was there never a title defence against Rika Tatsumi? One of the longest running pieces of character lore in TJPW is Tatsumi’s crush on Mizuki going all the way back to 2018 when Tatsumi wanted to banish the Forbidden Three rules the in-house roster had to follow because nobody was sure if “No Boyfriends” also meant “No Girlfriends”. Fast forward to 2023 and we got a very good 2-Vs-1 Handicap Match between Daydream and Mizuki where Tatsumi battled those feelings in order to beat her crush. Nothing ever came out of it and to be fair it never intended to be more than an emergency replacement match due to Sakazaki getting injured. TJPW also has an odd thing where some of their big singles matches only ever happen in the Tokyo Princess Cup, either as a 1st Round match to eliminate a top contender early or as a random drawing in the final stages of the tournament. So I think if we ever do get Mizuki Vs Tatsumi, it will be at the Princess Cup instead of a big singles title bout.

Prediction: Maki Itoh wins the GCW World Heavyweight Championship.

I think odds are really good for Maki Itoh to win one of GCW’s championships next year given she is one of the bigger attractions for the group nowadays. Her winning the tag team titles with Nick Gage is an obvious direction to go. But I want to go all in for this prediction. GCW has Blake Christian as their long term heel world champion and groundwork has been laid down for a Blake Vs Gage title match down the road. But we’ve been there, done that with Gage as the top babyface champion for GCW. This is a company that doesn’t mind doing wacky novelty booking with their titles. So how about Itoh unexpectedly gets a title match with Blake, maybe Money In The Bank style and she shockingly beats him for the GCW Title? It would be the peak of her run with the company, that’s for sure.

Prediction: Aja Kong takes on a regular role in TJPW.

Just like how Jun Akiyama became a coach in DDT, I’d like to see Aja Kong do something similar in TJPW. She has been a guest for so many shows at this point it’s not like she would be a stranger to everyone there. Whether it is coaching the youngsters, becoming a matchmaker or just keeping a stern eye on Tetsuya Koda so he won’t lose focus Kong would have a wealth of knowledge to offer the company. And maybe then we get a payoff for her rivalry with Max The Impaler.

Prediction: Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh remain with TJPW for the year.

I’m testing fate with this one, aren’t I? Miyu Yamashita has done almost everything there is to do in TJPW and Maki Itoh spends so much time in America she’s currently divorced from what’s going on in her home promotion. And yet I just don’t believe both of them are ready to graduate from TJPW like Yuka Sakazaki did. At least not in the next 12 months. Yamashita and Itoh will definitely have plenty of American bookings for everyone to look forward to in 2024. But leaving TJPW to focus on that entirely? I don’t think so. They will still have TJPW as their home base.

Ganbare☆Pro

Prediction: Ken Ohka Wins The Spirit Of Ganbare Title From Isami Kodaka

The ways that Ken Ohka and Isami Kodaka have been booked in GanPro this year makes this in my opinion the likeliest prediction to come true. Kodaka is cleaving through the roster with title defence after title defence while Ohka, the main guy behind all of GanPro, has been kept away from the title picture for over a year and a half. Ohka is always fighting from the bottom as the underdog so him never winning the Spirit Of Ganbare Title would fit how he books himself. However that’s not how pro wrestling works and there is bound to be a day when he finally gets his hands on his own promotion’s championship.

Prediction: The Ganbare☆Climax returns.

The last time GanPro held a tournament called the Ganbare☆Climax was in 2021 and that was to crown their first SOG Champion. It would be nice to see it come back to determine a No. 1 Contender during the year. GanPro held tournaments for the Young Ganbare Cup and the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles this year but they both felt like one-offs. That clears up the schedule for a single elimination tournament to happen whenever they want.

Prediction: Yuna Manase returns from injury and feuds with YuuRI.

One of the key additions to GanPro this year was the relaunch of the Ganbare☆Joshi division built around YuuRI, Yoshiko Hasegawa and Riara. Sadly Yuna Manase was relegated to a GM role while she recovers from her ACL injury. YuuRI in particular put in the work to become the face of the GanJo division in her absence. So let’s say that Manase is able to wrestle again in 2024. Would she be willing to play second fiddle to YuuRI? Or will history continue to be a circle and Manase now finds herself as the veteran unwilling to let the new generation surpass her? Wouldn’t that be interesting given Manase’s feud with Yuu Yamagata a few years ago was over the same idea? YuuRI still has a lot to prove and the dynamic could make Hasegawa and Riara choose sides until the matter is resolved. Build it up to one big singles match and it could end up being a lot of fun to follow.

Prediction: A mixed gender tag team wins the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Titles.

I admit this is just a repackaged prediction I made last year about the SOG Tag Titles being built around intergender wrestling. There’s only been one title defence so far featuring a mixed gender team and that was when Lethal Weapon (Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE) were the challengers. I like seeing them team together but I fear that match in August was their only chance, at least while Ground Absolute hold the belts/trophies. There are always other people in GanPro for HARUKAZE to team with and also Banny Oikawa is now with GanPro mostly to do mixed tags. I bet it is only a matter of time before it happens.

Prediction: A Stardom wrestler appears on a Ganbare☆Joshi show.

Another factor of GanJo’s return this year was seeing that roster interact with wrestlers from TJPW, Ice Ribbon, Marvelous, Diana and more. YuuRI even brought over Ice Ribbon’s main championship for a title defence on a GanJo show. Now let’s add Stardom to the list through the UJNW connection. Stardom and TJPW will probably stay being icy towards each other but Yuna Manase and YuuRI both got to wrestle on a Stardom show in 2022. I see talk online about how cool it would be if all the joshi companies get together in 2024 for a major arena show to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of “BIG EGG UNIVERSE”. Something like that was kind of done in 2022 to celebrate 60 years of Korakuen Hall and even then that had some bruised egos coming out of it when Shukan Puroresu only put Starlight Kid on the front cover at the expense of everyone else involved who were not associated with Stardom. Also TJPW stayed away from the show too which again, some icy relationships are probably going on there. So let’s keep this prediction on a much smaller level and just say a Stardom wrestler shows up at a GanJo event.

Miscellaneous

Prediction: A DDT wrestler makes a full time jump over to BASARA.

Appearances from Kazusada Higuchi during the last quarter of 2023 helped freshen up BASARA a little bit. They’re not a company I expect much change from going forward but they could do with adding another full timer to their roster. Even though they are independent there is history with a DDT wrestler deciding they are better off jumping over to BASARA (or Union Pro before that) so they can play a bigger role at shows. It could be a veteran who already wrestles in BASARA and no longer seeing themselves being relevant in DDT (*cough*Soma Takao*cough*) or maybe one of the younger, less experienced wrestlers are looking for a change of pace. Ilusion for example seems to get along with that group well. Someone from that age group would turn into a rival for Munetatsu Nakamura too if that were to happen.

Prediction: Konosuke Takeshita wrestles in the main event of an AEW PPV.

It is really annoying to see Konosuke Takeshita being wasted in The Don Callis Family storyline. It is also annoying that the next step of the angle is the group using Freebird rules that will obviously set up Sammy Guevara’s return to TV rather than giving more focus to Takeshita or Powerhouse Hobbs for that matter. So what is it that has me thinking Takeshita can be in a PPV main event next year? Just the numbers game, really. AEW are adding more PPVs to their schedule so that should be more opportunities for new title challengers. Also if this storyline continues without Kenny Omega and just becomes the Family feuding with Chris Jericho there is can be something like a new Anarchy In The Arena happening to close out one of the PPVs.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki becomes the first ROH Women’s TV Champion.

Sakazaki is getting ready for the next chapter in her pro wrestling life. Given how AEW presents their women’s division, she is probably going to get more time in ROH instead. She already had her shot at Athena and the regular ROH Women’s Title but the group now has something new to fight for. A brand new ROH Women’s TV Title was recently revealed and Sakazaki would make a great choice to be its first champion.

Prediction: Baka Gaijin + Friends runs a show at Shin-Kiba 1st RING.

When I wrote a preview for the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” main event I compared the Baka Gaijin + Friends shows to DDT’s Beer Garden shows. There’s a warm vibe and fun atmosphere to these matches that take place in such a small venue. I think the series has become popular enough that Chris Brookes can go from 50 fans in ARENA Shimokitazawa to a triple digit attendance in Shin-Kiba 1st RING, the place where DDT hosted Beer Garden for many years. See it like Gatoh Move running ChocoPro in Ichigaya on the regular and then every once in a while they move up to a place where a full scale wrestling ring can be set up. As long as the drinks still flow the crowd will be with them all the way.

Prediction: The 2024 New Year’s Eve Shuffle Tag Tournament lasts past midnight again.

It used to be that the final show of the year in Korakuen Hall goes beyond midnight into the early hours of the new year. It hasn’t been that way for a while because of restrictions coming out of the pandemic. Unfortunately I think a reason why this year’s edition still has an early evening start is because the show is not much of a draw anymore. But I want to be proven wrong so Korakuen fans get to count down the new year in the middle of a semi-final tag team match again.

Prediction: Yuka Sakazaki gets arrested for assaulting Mickey Mouse at Disney World.

She’s your problem now, Tony!

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GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FAMILY STADIUM ’23” Results

November 2, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FAMILY STADIUM ’23”, 01/11/2023
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
137 Fans

1. Legendary Cabaret Club Lady Vs Queen Of 666: Ram Kaichow defeated Riara with the Onryo Clutch (7:37).
2. Marika Kobashi defeated Banny Oikawa with the Front Neck Lock (10:04).
3. Ami Manase & Alex Lee defeated Sumire Natsu & Echika Miyabi when Manase pinned Miyabi with a Diving Senton (12:36).
4. Saki Akai GanJo Last Match: Saki Akai & Takumi Iroha defeated YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Akai submitted YuuRI with the Triangle Choke (23:00).

With only two weeks to go until Saki Akai’s retirement, this week she begun a busy schedule of final appearances across wrestling. Today she was in the main event of Ganbare☆Joshi along with Takumi Iroha taking on the home team of YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa. The GanJo side attacked Akai from the get go and brought her up to the entrance to make sure all the attention was on them. They even got Riara and Yuna Manase to get involved with their own attacks while Akai was held back. Iroha tagged in to let Akai catch her breath. YuuRI & Hasegawa did their best as a team together but were soon overtaken by their opponents. Akai & Iroha hit YuuRI with a Sandwich PK. Akai then made YuuRI submit to the Triangle Choke while Iroha held Hasegawa in a Rear Naked Choke.

After the match Akai told the fans she got a last minute call from GanJo to do this match and she was honored to fight against everyone here today, including Riara. She described GanJo as being very sparkly and flashy on the outside but muddy on the inside. That is her favorite kind of pro wrestling. Hasegawa said the difference between the teams was too much but she hopes she & YuuRI can close this gap and become wrestlers that Iroha would want to fight again. YuuRI then gave Akai a rose as a gift to represent her beautiful passion. She told Akai to continue shining as a beautiful rose after her wrestling career ends.

Until today Yuna Manase’s “sister” Ami Manase hadn’t been seen around these parts since August. She returned to GanJo today to team with Alex Lee. The team were victorious against Sumire Natsu & Echika Miyabi. Natsu used her whips for an advantage while Miyabi focused on power moves. Lee took both of them out at the same time with a Double Flying Clotheslines. Manase then took over and pinned Miyabi with a Diving Senton.

Later this month Banny Oikawa finally achieves her goal of getting booked on a main Ganbare☆Pro show but before that she had to face Marika Kobashi here. She focused on using kicking moves but Kobashi got the better of her by using the Front Neck Lock for the win.

Riara already tasted defeat earlier in the show when she lost to Ram Kaichow. She got a nearfall with a Facecrusher but Kaichow pulled out the Onryo Clutch to get the win in the end.

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GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO SUPER ARABIAN ’23” Results

October 22, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO SUPER ARABIAN ’23”, 22/10/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
105 Fans

1. GanJo Three Major Singles Match: Tomoka Inaba defeated Riara with the Leg Killer Hold (10:43).
2. Nanami & Miran defeated Alex Lee & Banny Oikawa when Nanami pinned Oikawa with the Northern Lights Suplex (9:11).
3. GanJo Three Major Singles Match: Suzume defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Ring A Bell (11:00).
4. GanJo Three Major Singles Match: Sumire Natsu defeated YuuRI with the Yoran (16:13).

The three women currently representing Ganbare☆Joshi were each given a challenging singles match on today’s show. In the main event YuuRI couldn’t get past Sumire Natsu’s unsportsmanlike wrestling style. Natsu spat water in YuuRI’s face, threw her into a row of chairs and attacked her with her rose whip. Daisuke Kiso got caught in the crossfire for that last one. YuuRI tried fighting back but was cut off with a Shining Wizard and Double Arm DDT before Natsu won with the Yoran.

Yoshiko Hasegawa suffered a defeat to Suzume after her attempts to ground the high flyer just wouldn’t work. With Arisu Endo watching on from her corner, Suzume overcame Hasegawa’s attacks to her legs to catch her with a Flying Facecrusher and then get use the Ring A Bell for the three count. Hasegawa was left to stare at Daisy Monkey in defeat.

The third match sadly ended in another loss for GanJo, giving the group a clean sweep of losses against the outsiders. Riara brought the fight to Tomoka Inaba outside the ring but was thrown down the entrance stage steps for her troubles. Back in the ring Riara focused on using the Ankle Lock but Inaba used her own submissions to fight back and win by tapout.

The 0-3 result left YuuRI in distress after the main event. The new generation that was supposed to protect GanJo failed to do so. Yuna Manase entered the ring and told YuuRI that she just has to win next time. It’s okay to cry but she shouldn’t be looking down on herself. You can always lose today and win tomorrow.

Manase then called Banny Oikawa down to the ring and asked her why does she want to join Ganbare☆Pro? Oikawa said she wants to have a match with the person who made her want to join pro wrestling but that person is a man. Since GanPro does intergender matches she believes joining the group will help make her dream come true. Manase called it a wonderful dream and told Oikawa she does not need to rely on Miyako Matsumoto to get booked here. GanPro has a show on 23rd November and Michiyoshi Mishima has already agreed to book Oikawa on the show. Oikawa is excited by the news and promised to have a new costume ready in time for that show.

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GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO MINEL VATON SAGA ’23” Results

September 17, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO MINEL VATON SAGA ’23”, 17/09/2023
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
151 Fans

1. Alex Lee defeated Echika Miyabi with the Vinco Plex (8:26).
2. Miyako Matsumoto & Kaho Kobayashi defeated Sumire Natsu & Riara when Kobayashi pinned Riara with the Fisherman Suplex (15:01).
3. Ice Ribbon Offer Match: Ibuki Hoshi defeated Arisa Shinose with a Diving Body Press (7:48).
4. Tomoka Inaba & Azusa Inaba defeated Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa when Tomoka pinned Hasegawa with the Inaba Otoshi (17:00).
5. Special Single Match: Haruka Umesaki defeated YuuRI with the German Suplex (15:54).

On the hunt to win a championship again, YuuRI set her sights on Haruka Umesaki who currently holds the WWWD Single Title in her home promotion called Diana. A non-title match was put together here in Ganbare☆Joshi, giving YuuRI the home field advantage. However Umesaki won the match clean and decisively. She said she always wanted to wrestle YuuRI and was glad it happened. YuuRI told her she isn’t giving up her quest to win the WWWD Title from her and some day she will surpass her! According to Umesaki, she will go consult with Diana to put together a title match if everybody wants it to happen.

A reunion for Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa brought the two together for a tag match against the Inaba Sisters from JTO. The visitors won the match, leaving Hasegawa feeling dejected. She wasn’t able to win even when she had Takase’s help. Takase encouraged her to keep working hard and together they will get Hasegawa her first direct win. Both Tomoka Inaba & Azusa Inaba believe they were able to show momentum for their first appearance as a team in GanJo.

The last time the ICEx∞ Title was in GanJo it was YuuRI’s championship. It now belongs to Ibuki Hoshi and she brought it with her for the Ice Ribbon offer match against Arisa Shinose.

The Hostess Tag Team has now reached a crossroads. They lost to Miyako Matsumoto & Kaho Kobayashi in a match where everybody was accusing each other of getting plastic surgery. Sumire Natsu & Riara have teamed up three times now and haven’t won once. Natsu thinks Riara needs to change her focus to what’s in front of her instead of worrying about getting their tag team over with the fans. She’s going to help her any way that she can so they will some day drink celebretory champagne together for winning a match.

Echika Miyabi’s match with Alex Lee was put together to celebrate Miyabi’s one year anniversary of her debut match. Miyabi’s first pro wrestling bout took place on 14th September last year.

The GanJo GM Yuna Manase gave everyone an update on her injury recovery. She’s at the point now where she can walk around in heels again.

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GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIGHTING SPIRITS ’23” Results

July 16, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIGHTING SPIRITS ’23”, 16/07/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
205 Fans

1. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: Sumire Natsu defeated Riara with the Shining Wizard (10:32).
2. Banny Oikawa Comeback Match: Cherry & Alex Lee defeated Miyako Matsumoto & Banny Oikawa when Cherry submitted Oikawa with the Sakuran Bokari (10:20).
3. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: SAKI defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Power “Zu” Ram (11:27).
4. Makoto & Asuka defeated Ami Manase & Marika Kobashi when Makoto pinned Manase with the Death Valley Bomb (16:59).
5. GanJo Three Big Singles Match: YuuRI defeated Misa Kagura with the Swanton Bomb (11:15).

As Ganbare☆Joshi begins to grow, so too does YuuRI’s success at winning matches. She scored a significant victory today by beating her old JTO classmate Misa Kagura in the main event of the latest GanJo show. With this momentum, YuuRI will be heading over to Ice Ribbon tomorrow to challenge Totoro Satsuki for the ICEx∞ Title. She told the fans she is going to win the title in the afternoon and then show up at the evening’s Ganbare☆Pro show as a champion! Backstage Kagura said she is aiming to win the ICEx∞ Title this year too. She will win it from YuuRI!

A Super Kick & Death Valley Bomb combo from Asuka & Makoto put Ami Manase down for the count. This may also be the last time we see Marika Kobashi in GanJo for a while because she is visiting England in August to spend the rest of her summer studying.

Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs SAKI was a match between two former wrestlers who made their starts in Actwres girl’Z. SAKI won the match but Hasegawa refused to shake her hand afterwards. She explained backstage that shaking hands like that would end her story with SAKI. She wants to get stronger and face SAKI again to keep that story going. When SAKI heard that was the reason, she asked if she can bring in wrestlers from her Color’s unit to turn this situation into a promotional rivalry against GanJo.

One of of Ice Ribbon’s former wrestlers returned to the ring at this GanJo show. Banny Oikawa had her comeback match teaming with Miyako Matsumoto, the woman responsible for convincing her to enter GanJo. Sadly Oikawa’s big return was spoiled by Cherry & Alex Lee. Cherry used her Sakuran Bokari submission hold to make Oikawa give up and lose the match. Still, Oikawa is committed to the return and announced she will be back in GanJo for their 11th August show. She wants to work her way up to GanPro so she can wrestle in mixed gender matches.

In a battle of the night life hostesses Sumire Natsu defeated Riara. The match consisted of Natsu pouring a bottle of champagne over her opponent and also attacking her with a whip until the referee stopped her. Natsu knocked the ref down but that led to Riara grabbing the whip and using it to fight back. However Natsu regained control of the match and pinned Riara with the Shining Wizard. Then after the match Riara unexpectedly asked Natsu if she wanted to form a tag team together! Natsu didn’t give her a straight answer. Instead she said pro wrestling and the entertainment business both value connections so they will meet again some day.

Yuna Manase appeared at the beginning of the show, thanking the fans for making up the biggest attendance yet for a GanJo show.

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GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” Results

July 9, 2023

GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”, 09/07/2023
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
667 Fans

1. Masahiro Takanashi defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with the Hangover!! (8:38).
2. Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono defeated YuuRI & Tomoka Inaba when Iroha pinned YuuRI with the Running Three (16:43).
3. Sayaka Unagi defeated Riara with the Sliding U (6:08).
4. Miyuki Takase defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Diving Guillotine Drop (11:24).
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Akito, Shota & Shinichiro Tominaga when Ishii pinned Shota with the Kneel Kick (10:30).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Survival 4 Way Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE defeated Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura and Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki (14:57).
6a. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki when Jackson pinned Okada with the Piledriver (10:54).
6b. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura by Ring Out when HARUKAZE knocked Fujita out of the ring (12:25).
6c. Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE eliminated Ken Ohka & Kuma Arashi when HARUKAZE pinned Ohka with the Fire Spear (14:57).
7. Special Single Match: El Lindaman defeated Yumehito Imanari with the German Suplex (16:33).
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada defeated Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi (c) when Katsumura submitted Maeguchi with the Triple Three 3 Lock (19:43).
*Hentai Punch Drunkers fails in V2. Ground Absolute become the 2nd Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Champions!
9. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Isami Kodaka defeated Mizuki Watase (c) with the Isamiashi Zan (17:30).
*Mizuki Watase fails in V5. Isami Kodaka becomes the 5th Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion!

For the second time Ganbare☆Pro was at Ota Ward Gymnasium to establish “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” as their premier supercard for the year. By the end of the show the promotion suffered a big defeat against Pro Wrestling BASARA when Mizuki Watase lost the Spirit Of Ganbare Title to Isami Kodaka! The result comes as a major blow to Watase who was on the run of his life both as GanPro’s champion and a leading contestant in the Fire Festival tournament in ZERO1. His fight with Kodaka came close to ending in a knockout several times with both wrestlers avoiding the 10 count. Watase’s reliable Elbow Strikes could only take him so far until he was caught with a Rabbit Punch, a Buzzsaw Kick and then the Isamiashi Zan for the title change.

After the match Kodaka called the SOG Title his passport that will let him continue wrestling in GanPro. He praised Watase for being strong and admitted there were times he reached breaking point against him. But the SOG Title is proof of who can survive the toughest of endurance contests. Now the GanPro ring belongs to Sento Minzoku! Kodaka then promoted his upcoming BASARA match against SHO from New Japan on 23rd July before leaving to celebrate with his unit. The rest of the GanPro roster came out to console Watase as he was apologising for losing. Shuichiro Katsumura said Watase showed his strength last year when he won the title and wrestled across the indies as GanPro’s champion. He has given everyone else courage so many times so they will be fine. It’s time to regroup and get the belt back. Watase promised to regain the title because Shinjiro Otani taught him to never give up!

It looks like Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada are calling their tag team Ground Absolute. Katsumura’s been tweeting that name every time he talks about preparations for today’s match against Hentai Punch Drunkers. It’s probably going to stick because Katsumura & Wada are the new Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Champions! Wada had to handle Hikaru Sato while Katsumura fought off Tyson Maeguchi. Katsumura kicked out of the Tyson Splash and was saved by Wada after taking Buzzsaw Kicks. He recovered and caught Maeguchi in a submission, making him give up to the Triple Three 3 Lock. Wada pointed out this is the first time in pro wrestling where a champion tag team is made up of a former Shooto champion and a former Pancrase champion. Backstage Maeguchi tried to deny to Sato that he gave up but eventually admitted defeat. The Punch Drunkers agree they can win back the titles and would have their rematch tomorrow if they could.

Even though Yumehito Imanari lost to El Lindaman in a close match, he got what he wanted out of it. He now understands why Lindaman is the Strong Heart of GLEAT because a strong heart keeps you alive no matter what. Imanari thinks his own heart is weak. However Lindaman doesn’t agree. The feelings they experienced today is something only they and Shigehiro Irie (who was at ringside for the bout) will understand. It was the kind of match Lindaman always wanted and he shared a toast with Imanari backstage to celebrate it. He hopes to do a rematch on a bigger stage someday.

The new SOG Tag Champions already have their first challengers lined up. The mixed gender team of Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE made a clean sweep of the 4 Way Elimination match although it came with a bit of luck. They eliminated Tsuyoshi Okada & Yuki Kanzaki first when Jackson pinned Kazaki with the Piledriver. Then HARUKAZE was able to knock Minoru Fujita over the top rope and out of the ring to eliminate him & Daiki Shimomura. Finally HARUKAZE pinned Ken Ohka with the Flame Spear to win the match. However the reason that happened was because Ohka was betrayed by Kuma Arashi!

Ohka & Arashi seemed to be doing well as a team and could have won the match. But when they got themselves hyped up for the finish, Arashi gave Ohka a Lariat and left him to get beaten by HARUKAZE! If that wasn’t enough, after the match Koji Doi suddenly ran into the ring and joined in on Arashi’s attack on Ohka! Arashi explained backstage that nobody wants to team with Ohka. Today is the start of DoiKuma’s revolutionary invasion of GanPro! They are going to rebuild the promotion in their image in order to make it the best wrestling company.

Team Drift defeated Young Communication in a same-generation 6-Man Tag Match. It came down to Keisuke Ishii and Shota with the Frog Splash and Tiger Suplex giving both wrestlers nearfalls. Ishii kicked out of the Gannosuke Clutch and scored the victory by striking Shota with the Kneel Kick. Shota said the match shows that their generation is the one to watch. Akito said he would like to do these matches more and more because it breaks up his trend of having to fight Pheromones over and over. He also wants to have as much ring time with Irie he can get before their careers end. Shinichiro Tominaga described pro wrestling like a lover you only get to see once or twice a month. Soma Takao said he wants to follow Irie’s lead and show that everybody in Team Drift still has a lot to do.

The early portion of the card was mostly made up of matches from the Ganbare☆Joshi division. Yoshiko Hasegawa was given a big task of taking on Miyuki Takase, losing to her in a competitive effort. She was able to kicked out of an Ace Crusher and Lariat, then scored a nearfall using the Tornado Clutch. She then made the mistake of rushing to make her next move, leading to her charging into a Power Slam. With Takase back in control, she ended up beating Hasegawa with the Diving Guillotine Drop. Although Hasegawa lost, she isn’t treating the result as a negative. It shows she has more room to grow. Takase praised her for showing determination and looks forward to the next time they face each other.

Sayaka Unagi has assessed Riara and taught her a good lesson about being a wrestler. Wrestling is painful but it is also very fun! The proof can be seen when Unagi Body Slammed Riara on the floor and Riara Body Slammed her back on the entrance stage! Back in the ring Unagi used her own version of the Sliding D called the Sliding U to pick up the win. She told Riara after the match that she should learn to enjoy wrestling more before worrying about getting her first win. Once you get to have fun in the ring then the wins and championships will follow. Unagi then called out to Yuna Manase over at the commentary table. No matter how long it takes, Unagi will wait for Manase to recover from injury so they will wrestle again! And one more thing, Unagi said Watase owes her a debt from the Fire Festival. He beat her by Knockout in their tournament match and Unagi wants revenge! She even confronted Watase after the show forcing him to promise she will be his first challenger when he regains the SOG Title!

Wrestlers from JTO and Marvelous joined up with YuuRI in Match #2. YuuRI got to team with JTO’s Tomoka Inaba to take on Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono. Inaba used High Kicks on both opponents to set the table for YuuRI. Unfortunately YuuRI missed the Swanton Bomb, giving Iroha the chance to land the move on her instead. YuuRI kept in the fight though so Iroha had to use the Running Three to win the match. Momono said she enjoyed wrestling in a big venue like Ota Ward Gym and would like to come back to GanPro. Iroha noticed YuuRI crying after the match and understands how she feels. Her advice to YuuRI is to be strong and keep her Ganbare Spirit while Manase is out injured. Facing this kind of pressure regularly will only help YuuRI grow. She put it out there that she would like to wrestle YuuRI in a singles match. YuuRI said she has to improve but would like to wrestle everybody she was in the ring with again, even Inaba. She has a title match coming up in Ice Ribbon soon so her next focus is to win that.

The show began with the rookie Munetatsu Nakamura taking on Masahiro Takanashi. Nakamura hit a dive to the outside and even blocked the Takatonic. But Takanashi started catching him in different pinning holds until he got the three count with the Hangover!! Nakamura promised to work on his technique and add to his wrestling style. Takanashi wonders if today’s match is a turning point for Nakamura. He thinks it would be nice for Nakamura to come over to his wrestling place as a representative of GanPro. Now does he mean DDT or somewhere else?

Yuna Manase greeted the fans at the start of the show and thanked them for their support while she is recovering from injury.

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GANBARE☆PRO “YUUSEI KARA NO BUUTAI X 2023” Results

June 3, 2023

GANBARE☆PRO “YUUSEI KARA NO BUUTAI X 2023”, 03/06/2023
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
131 Fans

1. Ken Ohka defeated Yuki Kanzaki with the Flame Spear (7:59).
2. Hikaru Sato defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with a Wakikatame (12:07).
3. Moeka Haruhi’s Last Match Before Her Break: Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeated Rina Amikura, YuuRI & Riara when Haruhi pinned YuuRI with the Diving Foot Stomp (11:31).
3a. Emergency Decision Moeka Haruhi Send-Off Battle Royal: Moeka Haruhi defeated Riara with a Cradle (5:27).
Order Of Elimination: YuuRI, Shuichiro Katsumura, Yoshiko Hasegawa, Tyson Maeguchi, Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari, Yuki Kanzaki, Ken Ohka, Soma Takao, HARUKAZE, Mizuki Watase, Shota, Shinichiro Tominaga and Riara.
4. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Takuya Wada defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota when Wada pinned Katsumura with a Cradle (11:44).
5. Mizuki Watase, Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari & Ilusion when Maeguchi pinned Imanari with a Flying Knee Kick (14:54).

After the main event Takuya Wada entered the ring. He said “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II” next month is happening in his hometown of Ota Ward and he noticed the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles are not on the card yet. He wants to challenge Hentai Punch Drunkers for the belts and he even found a tag partner. It’s Shuichiro Katsumura! The two fighters have been regular opponents in Ganbare☆Pro but in MMA they are training buddies from different weight classes. Katsumura agreed to team with Wada because he believes they are the only team who can beat the combination of Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi. Sato already left the building after his match so only Maeguchi was around to answer the challenge. He accepted it because he hasn’t been able to beat either Katsumura or Wada yet. However Michiyoshi Mishima decided not to book the match just yet in order to let Sato give his thoughts on the idea whenever he is able to.

A big sendoff was given to Moeka Haruhi for her final appearance in GanPro before going into surgery to donate a kidney to her sister. She scored the pinfall in the Ganbare☆Joshi match and then the ring started to fill up with the GanPro roster. Mizuki Watase said all of the men wanted to be a part of her final match too so they’re doing an impromptu Battle Royal with everyone involved right now! Haruhi ended up winning the Battle Royal too. She told the fans that GanPro has passion, intensity, even betrayal but GanPro also has kindness too. It is where wrestlers can cry tears for others. She is going to step away from the ring for a while and become a tag team partner for her ill sister. Together they will win the championship that says “Healthy” on the belts and then she will come back to wrestling.

Yuna Manase appeared before the semi-main event to announce a special GanJo match for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA II”. She called Riara down to the ring and then introduced her to her opponent at the show… Sayaka Unagi! Manase was having a hard time being away from the ring because of her injury so Unagi reached out to her and offered to help out GanPro. She asked Riara what did she want to do when she joined GanPro? Riara said she wanted to live out a dream she’s had since she was a little girl. She also told the fans that when she started out as a trainee, Unagi was the first person to give her encouragement. Unagi warned her that having a Ganbare spirit by itself is not enough for pro wrestling. She then slapped Riara across the face. On 9th July Unagi is going to assess Riara!

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And Now I’m Almost Caught Up

April 20, 2023

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “CLIMB OVER ’23”, 22/04/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Shoko Nakajima, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Wakana Uehara & Toga
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs HIMAWARI
3. Vert Vixen Vs Moka Miyamoto
4. Yuki Kamifuku, Yuki Aino & Yuki Arai Vs Maki Itoh, Hikari Noa & Shino Suzuki
5. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku

A contract signing was held for the Princess Tag Team Titles a few days ago. The Magical Sugar Rabbits and Pom Harajuku arrived to the building on time but Max The Impaler was nowhere to be seen. The three of them signed the contract anyway and gave comments about the upcoming match. Yuka Sakazaki said if Max does not show up for the title match then Harajuku will be too weak to wrestle by herself. Mizuki thinks the match will have to go ahead as a 2-On-1 Handicap match, which she thinks is convenient for her & Sakazaki. Harajuku was certain that Max would eventually show up and she was proven right. Max burst into the room, took a bite out of the contract, threw the remains at MagiRabi and then grabbed Harajuku and carried her out of the room. Sayuri Namba picked up the remains of the contract and declared it to be an official signature from Max so the title match will go ahead.

The potential next challengers could be coming out of the Daydream Vs Daisy Monkey match.

The trio known as Yuki Yuki Yuki are back teaming together to wrestle in front of a crowd for the first time. I don’t think they figured out who the team captain is yet.

Nao Kakuta is not on the show due to a schedule conflict. Also the teenagers Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo were not booked in order to avoid the burden of having to wrestle in Osaka and Tokyo on back to back days.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE UNIVERSE MEMBERS ONLY SHOW – PURE TOKYO JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 8”, 23/04/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Maki Itoh & Toga Vs Vert Vixen & Hikari Noa
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Max The Impaler
3. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro Vs Raku, Shino Suzuki & Runa Okubo
4. Special Rules 5 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Miu Watanabe Vs Hyper Misao Vs Arisu Endo Vs HIMAWARI
5. Special Rules Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Costume Change Match: Mizuki, Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku Vs Suzume, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko

Everybody in the main event will be wrestling in somebody else’s costume.

Max The Impaler and Vert Vixen get to be the first foreign wrestlers to participate in Tokyo Joshi Pro’s fan club shows. Unless you count all of those last minute replacement gimmicks that always show up when somebody else gets unusually sick…

BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~”, 30/04/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

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

Banana Senga’s schedule is preventing him from appearing in BASARA again until May so Takumi Tsukamoto has to keep himself busy until then. Tsukamoto leads Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe to take on Sparky in an Elimination Tag Match.

A mystery opponent awaits for FUMA.

Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka are still teaming together like they promised after they failed to win the IRON FIST Tag Titles.

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO FIRE EMBLEM ’23”, 02/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

0. 5 Minute Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Chie Koishikawa Vs Tokiko Kirihara
2. Special Single Match: Ami Manase Vs Marika Kobashi
3. Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Tomoka Inaba & HisokA
4. Special Single Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Tae Honma

The next Ganbare☆Joshi show sees the return of Ami Manase and Marika Kobashi for a match between the two. Ami’s sister and the GanJo GM Yuna Manase will be in attendance.

Riara is taking part in another Exhibition match against Moeka Haruhi three days before her pro debut.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
2. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck

Suzume thought it was impossible she would ever be a pro wrestler but Rika Tatsumi inspired her to do it. Now Suzume thinks it is impossible to beat Tatsumi and become the International Princess Champion. She’s done the impossible with the former so maybe she can do it again with the latter!

Yuki Arai fought against and lost to Maki Itoh in her debut match two years ago. They will now be tag partners for Arai’s 2nd Anniversary match. Their opponents are Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima doing a Miraclians reunion.

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
3. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
4. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
5. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Nao Kakuta has been announced as Yoshiko Hasegawa’s opponent!

GANBARE☆PRO “INHERENT VICE 2023”, 06/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. GanJo Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
2. Hong Kong International Policeman Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Takuya Wada

Former Shooto and Pancrase champions are facing against each other in Ganbare☆Pro! For years now Shuichiro Katsumura has been wrestling under the GanPro banner but Takuya Wada has been a recent addition to the roster.

BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

When Senga is ready to return to BASARA he will put the Union MAX Title on the line against Tsukamoto. Senga found out he gets paid more money as a champion so he wants to earn enough money to get a hair transplant in Turkey (because it’s cheaper there than in Japan). Tsukamoto wants to be the MAX Champion again so he can try to break his tied record for the most title defences.

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GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO RESTART ’23” Results

April 1, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO RESTART ’23”, 01/04/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall
154 Fans

0. Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Sayaka Obihiro defeated Chie Koishikawa with the Verse (10:10).
2. Special Tag Match: Ami Manase & Moeka Haruhi defeated Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi when Manase pinned Miyabi with the Diving Senton (17:27).
3. Special Single Match: YuuRI defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa with the Swanton Bomb (11:42).

The restart of Ganbare☆Joshi took place today with YuuRI and Yoshiko Hasegawa both stepping up to give the brand a new lease of life. YuuRI’s slight edge in experience was the deciding factor and she defeated Hasegawa in the main event. YuuRI admitted after the match that she injured her ankle during training yesterday and took painkillers in order to go through the match today. The win gives her a big confident boost which she will need when she goes over to JUST TAP OUT on 9th April. On that day YuuRI is facing Tomoka Inaba with the Queen Of JTO Title on the line. Inaba then made a surprise appearance!

Inaba said she was here to see how YuuRI was doing since leaving JTO a year and a half ago. She is impressed to see how much YuuRI has grown but Inaba has grown a lot too. She is warning her challenger that the match will be under JTO rules and YuuRI will get hurt if she goes into it half-heartedly. YuuRI was left angry by those words. She promised to take the title away from Inaba and bring it over to GanJo!

The GanJo debut of Yuna Manase’s masked sister Ami Manase went off very well for her. Wearing her sister’s ring gear, Ami teamed with Moeka Haruhi to beat the P.P.P. Tokyo team of Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi. Ami herself got the pin and was excited to find out her sister was in the room to see it happen. Haruhi wants to send a message to Manase’s mother and that message is “Thank you for giving birth to Ami Manase!” Haruhi also said the spirits of Yuna Manase and HARUKAZE are both contained inside Ami. She wants to be by Ami’s side so they can conquer the world with GanJo together! Backstage, Ami told the reporters you won’t see her around much outside of GanJo because she is still in high school.

Sayaka Obihiro took a timeout from chopping Chie Koishikawa so she could congratulate GanJo on their restart.

The trainee from the cabaret world Riara went through an exhibition match with Haruhi before the show began. The match had a 5 minute time limit but Haruhi made Riara tap out with a minute left. However the purpose of this exhibition was to give Riara ring time so the two agreed to ignore the result and continue wrestling for the time left remaining. Riara tried fighting back with Elbow Strikes and a Dropkick but was put into another Crab Hold until the time ran out. Michiyoshi Mishima told Riara he will have a discussion with Ken Ohka to determine if she passed or failed the test. If she ends up passing then her pro debut will be happening sooner rather than later.

Yuna Manase attended the show but needed a crutch and a knee brace to move around with her injury. She announced that she was appointed the GM of GanJo. In this place GM stands for Ganbare Manager! Her role is to do her best to guide the joshi here just like her mentor Fuka did for her.

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GanJo Restart Update

March 8, 2023

GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO RESTART ’23”, 01/04/2023
Yokohama Radiant Hall

0. Exhibition Match: Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi
1. Gatoh Move Offer Match: Sayaka Obihiro Vs Chie Koishikawa
2. Special Tag Match: Ami Manase & Moeka Haruhi Vs Marika Kobashi & Echika Miyabi
3. Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa

A press conference was held by Ganbare☆Joshi in Shibuya yesterday to announce the card for the brand’s restart on 1st April. The decision was made for YuuRI Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa to be the main event. Both women strongly appealed to be given the ball and carry GanJo in Yuna Manase’s absence so it is fitting for the two of them to face each other in the headline match. Hasegawa said GanJo welcomed her back into pro wrestling when she returned from injury and had no place to call home. She is aware that the wrestlers who carried GanJo in the past all had to overcome difficulties and smash through the walls built in front of them. YuuRI is Hasegawa’s first wall in her goal to make the brand exciting. YuuRI meanwhile realised she became overconfident after she earned her first win last October. So now she has to get over that and build up momentum by winning the first main event of the relaunch. The two of them are still working together to build the brand, no matter who wins. GanJo has several shows now scheduled for the rest of the year and they will be all women matches.

Manase sent in a video message because she was advised by her doctor to stay at home while she is recovering from her knee surgery. In the video Manase said she is sending somebody from her family to wrestle at the show on her behalf. The person is Ami Manase, Yuna’s younger sister who is a more energetic, powerful and happier woman than she is. A masked woman then entered the room and introduced herself as Ami. Michiyoshi Mishima looked at her and asked if she is really Rina Amikura because he recognises her voice and figure. Ami denied it and repeated she is Yuna’s sister who wants to wrestle on her behalf. Moeka Haruhi never knew Manase had a sister but she is more than happy to welcome her into GanJo. Ami explained she is wearing a mask because she still wants to keep some privacy. She had been secretly training and learned how to do the Lariat from her sister. She would also like to be called Amin, which just so happens to be Amikura’s nickname.

The GanJo trainee Riara is still training towards her eventual debut match. She praised the other wrestlers for always looking out for her during practice. One particular thing that kept Riara’s spirits up was when Haruhi sent a message telling her to look up instead of forward. Riara getting a five minute exhibition match against Haruhi has motivated her to fight with all of her strength even though she feels like she will be crushed under pressure. Haruhi told her she does not need to feel pressure. All she has to do is show what she has practiced, keep the sparkle in her eyes, convey her feelings in the ring and hit her with everything she has. With that said, Haruhi said the exhibition will show whether or not Riara will be ready to make her pro debut soon. If the trainee passes this test then 5th May at Korakuen Hall will likely be where she turns pro.

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