Let’s start off with some good news. When we last heard about Gorgeous Matsuno, he was taking a leave of absence from pro wrestling to become a kidney donor for his partner Junko Tashiro. The treatment is scheduled for the end of August which gave Matsuno a chance to compete in one last Best Body Japan bodybuilding contest. This week he entered the Legend Class (60+ year old) of the Model Japan 2022 Sendai Tournament and won it!
DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN HANDMADE IN JAPAN FES 2022”, 23/07/2022 Tokyo Big Sight West Hall 1 & 2
1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: X Vs X
Toi Kojima tested positive for covid today and has been pulled from this weekend’s shows. The HandMade In Japan Fes match is going to change because of his absence and will be revealed at the event.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/07/2022 Shinjuku FACE
-. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Shoko Nakajima defeated Mizuki by Forfeit.
1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haruna Neko
2. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
3. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Hyper Misao & Kaya Toribami
4. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
5. Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2D: Pom Harajuku Vs Suzume
Mizuki will also not be wrestling this weekend. She has a fever and is currently waiting on results of her PCR test. She was not in close contact to anyone else from the Tokyo Joshi Pro roster. Mizuki’s 2nd Round match against Shoko Nakajima in the Tokyo Princess Cup has been forfeited. Nakajima now receives a bye into the Quarter Final. The undercard matches have also been changed around. We are now getting Miraclians against Daydream!
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022”, 24/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Makoto Oishi Return Match: Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Yuki Ishida
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi
4. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Shinya Aoki, Shunma Katsumata & El Unicorn
5. Tetsuya Endo Return Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Soma Takao
6. DDT Universal Title: Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yusuke Okada
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Asuka (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura
The KO-D Tag Team Champions are ready to defend the belts against all challengers. MAO wants this title reign to start an era where weight class and gender division do not matter. Asuka has been absent from the warm up matches but wants to win the match with her usual groove and vigor. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura are planning to announce the name of their new tag team on the show. They continue to talk about a “new wind” blowing through DDT which may be a hint.
Yusuke Okada promises that if he wins the DDT Universal Title, he will defend it against Yuki Ueno in a rematch from last January to show how much he has changed since then. Masahiro Takanashi wants this title reign to be different from the previous champions. At first his plan was to defend it against the new generation of DDT wrestlers but now that international travel is possible, he now also wants to defend the belt overseas like it was originally meant to be.
Whenever Tetsuya Endo is about to have an important match he goes to visit Kenta Kobashi for advice. He did the same yesterday looking for words of wisdom so he can get back on his feet. Endo told Kobashi he has completely recovered from his concussion and is back to training with the same intensity as he did before. Kobashi’s opinion is he thinks Endo lacks anger and brings up the story of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. As the legend goes, when Ieyasu was defeated in battle and escaped with his life he immediately got a portrait painted of himself looking defeated to fuel his anger. Kobashi asked Endo to re-watch the match where Katsuhiko Nakajima knocked him out so he can draw out his anger. Kobashi also told him when the time comes it will be necessary for Endo to get his revenge.
Yuki Ueno is off the show with covid. The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match was cancelled during the week along with that news. A non-title match with Shinya Aoki substituting Ueno was the replacement match. But now Kojima is sick too so he is getting replaced by El Unicorn.
One year after his back injury, Makoto Oishi is now about to return to the ring. He had a metal fitting removed in June and wanted to go through his rehab as quick as possible so he could wrestle again. He is looking forward to his match but is worried newer fans who hadn’t seen him wrestle before will think he is copying Shunma Katsumata & MAO with his moveset. Oishi also wants to do his best so his two year old daughter Akari will say he looks cool.
1. GanJo Special Single Match: Cherry Vs YuuRI
2. GanPro Specialty! Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura, Tsuyoshi Okada & HARUKAZE Vs MAO, Tyson Maeguchi & Yuna Manase
3. ROMANCE DAWN Vs The 37KAMIINA: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
4. GanPro Sanada Maru! Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Kazuaki Mihara & Kouki Iwasaki
5. GanPro Osaka Summer Team! Special Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & Magnitude Kishiwada Vs Mizuki Watase & Shinichiro Tominaga
Covid also made its way into the Ganbare☆Pro locker room. Ken Ohka tested positive and won’t be able to recover in time for Ganpro’s visit to Osaka. Mizuki Watase takes his place in the main event. A picture made its way online recently showing Watase working out with Thanomsak Toba and Kota Ibushi.
MAO is also added to the show to make up for Ohka’s absence.
YuuRI sent out a challenge to face Cherry to a rematch of their bout from last September.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN YOKOHAMA”, 06/08/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi
Oishi collides with his former Junretsu teammate Jun Akiyama! He has a lot of history with his tag partner for this match Yuji Hino too. They were part of a stable in K-DOJO called Omega for a few years.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN MIYAGI”, 07/08/2022 Miyagi Tagajo City Cultural Center Small Hall
1. Miyagi Specialty Special Single Match: MAO Vs Makoto Oishi
It’s an NωA reunion for MAO and Oishi. This match was requested by Oishi to take place in Miyagi because it is where he suffered his back injury one year ago. MAO showed some disrespect to Oishi by putting on a Miyagi accent and telling him he never considred Oishi to be his senpai. MAO gave him a challenge. If Oishi can sell 50 more tickets than MAO and also beat him in the match then MAO will show respect and be called his disciple again.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2022 IN KORAKUEN ~LET’S SHOUT!~”, 14/08/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special Single Match: Asuka Vs Saki Akai
2. DDT Extreme Title – Fluorescent Lighttube IPPON Death Match: Akito (c) Vs Joey Janela
A classic stipulation makes its return. Akito will defend the DDT Extreme Title against Joey Janela in a single lighttube death match! There will only be one lighttube in the ring. If you smash it over your opponent or if they break it by mistake then you win the match! Akito treats the match stipulation like it is his family heirloom. He considers Janela to be a creative wrestler which is why he chose his “masterpiece” to be the match type. However he noticed Janela never said Akito’s name when he tweeted about his desire to become the Extreme Champion. Akito is trying to look on the bright side. If world class wrestlers are coming to DDT, this is his chance to make a name for himself around the world! Akito also keeps notes on his phone whenever he comes up with a new idea for a match. He currently has 18 different ideas for future title defences.
GANBARE☆PRO “SANGERIA 2022”, 21/08/2022 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Sangeria 2022 Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Shota
2. GanJo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & Moeka Haruhi Vs Miyuki Takase & Yoshiko Hasegawa
This will be Yoshiko Hasegawa’s second match as a Ganpro wrestler. Miyuki Takase will be by her side when they take on Yuna Manase & Moeka Haruhi, the first two big names of Ganbare☆Joshi.
Shota continues his farewell series from Ganpro with a match against Keisuke Ishii.
Onryo, Shinichiro Tominaga and Nobuhiro Shimatani will all be on the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 16/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Shoko Nakajima Vs Haruna Neko
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyper Misao
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1E: Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Arai
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1G: Pom Harajuku Vs Moka Miyamoto
Non-tournament matches will be announced on the day of the show. All 20 wrestlers entering the Tokyo Princess Cup along with Maki Itoh will be wrestling on the three Tokyo Joshi Pro shows this weekend.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 16/07/2022 Aichi Nippon Gaishi Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium
1. Yuji Hino Vs Yuki Ishida
2. DISASTER BOX Vs Eruption!: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs MAO & Soma Takao
5. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rule: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c), Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito (Special Referee: Sanshiro Takagi)
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
Not only has Antonio Honda proved he deserves to be in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match, it is now the main event too!
An extra rule is added to the DDT Extreme Title match after Danshoku Dieno warned that something bad could happen to the special referee Sanshiro Takagi and prevent him from doing his job. Akito and Hisaya Imabayashi are taking the threat seriously and came up with a backup plan. If Takagi cannot do his refereeing duties during the match for any reason then anyone who puts on the referee shirt will get to act as one! Imabayashi also announced the show will not air live on Wrestle Universe because of this match. If the match gets too out of control it will be cut from the VOD! Another thing to note about this match is where the inspiration for the match came from. According to the DDT website, the 3 Vs 1 Handicap stipulation is a call back to Antonio Inoki Vs Rusher Kimura, Animal Hamaguchi & Isamu Teranishi series from 1982 and 1983.
Yukio Naya is out of action with a fever and is off this weekend’s shows. Soma Takao replaces him on tomorrow’s card.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 17/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1D: Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Aino
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1F: Kaya Toribami Vs Yuka Sakazaki
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1H: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Rika Tatsumi
The winners of these opening round matches get some breathing room because they will skip Round 2 and advance straight into the Quarter Finals. It’s a wacky bracket that way.
GANBARE☆PRO “BAKURETSU TOSHI BURST CITY 2022”, 17/07/2022 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. GanPro Summer Festival! MakoHaruka Vs YuriMoeka Full-Scale Battle: Makoto & HARUKAZE Vs Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI
2. GanPro Summer Festival! Lari Pro Army Vs Knee Pro Army Full-Scale Battle: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shota
3. GanPro Summer Festival! GanPro Survival 8-Man Tag Match ~Ohka Army Vs Imanari Army Full-Scale Battle~: Ken Ohka, Kouki Iwasaki, Mizuki Watase & Sayaka Obihiro Vs Yumehito Imanari, Soma Takao, Tyson Maguchi & Sayaka
Yuna Manase suffered a right leg injury wrestling on a SEAdLINNNG show during the week. She said it is not a severe injury but she will take a rest and is unable to wrestle this weekend. Sayaka from Gatoh Move takes her place in the Survival Tag Match.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 18/07/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2B: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Raku
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Hikari Noa
The winner of Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyper Misao will face Raku in Round 2. The winner of Mahiro Kiryu Vs Yuki Arai will face Hikari Noa.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2022 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 18/07/2022 Nagano City Art Center Act Space
1. 3 Way Match: Akito Vs Antonio Honda Vs Saki Akai
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuji Hino, Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku
3. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Chris Brookes & Yuki Ishida
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Eruption!: Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs MAO & Shunma Katsumata
6. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
Takao also replaces Naya on Monday’s show. The opening tag match Takao was originally booked for is now a 3 Way with the remaining wrestlers.
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 804 Fans
1. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Ganpro Specialty 6-Man Tag Match Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo, YuuRI & Lingerie Muto
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
7. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 804 Fans
1. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa defeated Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie when Ishii pinned Kodaka with the Isamiashi Zan (13:42).
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger when Maeguchi pinned Tiger with the Tyson Splash (14:00).
3. Ganpro Specialty 6-Man Tag Match Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE defeated Onryo, YuuRI & Lingerie Muto when HARUKAZE pinned YuuRI with the Flame Spear (9:13).
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when Watase pinned Sakaguchi with an Elbow Butt (15:22).
5. Special Single Match: Sayaka Unagi defeated Yuna Manase with the Jomon Toppa (12:59).
6. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Shuichiro Katsumura with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (21:45).
7. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Shota & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when Shota pinned Brookes with the Gannosuke Clutch (23:09).
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) defeated Ken Ohka with the Lariat (19:25). *V1 for Yumehito Imanari.
Today Ganbare☆Pro reached Ota Ward Gymnasium to hold the biggest event in its nine year history. The two men most important to the promotion faced off in the main event. On the one side is Ganpro’s founder Ken Ohka, the man who created the company in the hopes of making his own major sports league. His opponent is the first person to stand by him during Ganpro’s creation. Yumehito Imanari was just a member of DDT’s video team who wrestled on a part time basis. Today he was headlining Ota Ward Gym as the defending Spirit Of Ganbare Champion. The two fought each other knowing it was the most important match of their lives. Ohka relied on the Flame Spear but it was Imanari’s use of the Lariat that ended the match with his arm raised in the air and a successful first title defence.
After the match Imanari said when he became a pro wrestler he embarrassed himself a lot. But it is that shame that led him to the treasure he has now. He said Ganpro is necessary in the wrestling world because there is nowhere else where you can put your life on the line in such a muddy atmosphere. If you ever have a hard time, look at Ganpro! Ohka didn’t cry when he lost. He laughed instead. He doesn’t understand why because it should be the opposite. At 45 years of age he believes he still has room to grow. He wants to work hard with the younger wrestlers and continue his work to make pro wrestling into a major sport. The attendance of 804 fans today is considered a success and is going to inspire Ganpro when they decide on their next big goal.
The other important matches on the show were built around matches where Ganpro wrestlers fought outsiders. The tag team battle between ROMANCE DAWN and CDK was Ganpro’s top tag team taking on the notorious duo found in DDT and ChocoPro. CDK did some cheating throughout the match. Early on Chris Brookes taped Soma Takao to a dolly and rolled him away from ringside, leaving Shota fighting in a 2 on 1 disadvantage. Takao was able to get freed and return to the ring. Brookes also grabbed HARUKAZE and Gorilla Pressed her out of the ring onto everyone below. Later Masahiro Takanashi pulled the referee out of the ring to break up Shota’s Frog Splash on Brookes. Shota was then hit over the head with the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt but he kicked out of the pin. ROMANCE DAWN was able to get the win out of nowhere when Shota countered the Praying Mantis Bomb into the Gannosuke Clutch, pinning Brookes for the victory. Shota said he is ready to go for a rematch while Takao was happy to win in his hometown with his friend. Brookes is making demands for a singles match. He wants to go one on one. But not against Shota, he is demanding a match against HARUKAZE! Takanashi backs up the idea and suggested they do a tag match if HARUKAZE has a tag partner.
Fans were allowed to cheer which meant everyone got to shout “Kaze Ni Nare!” during Minoru Suzuki’s entrance. But when it was time for his match to begin, the cheers and chants were for Ganpro’s own Shuichiro Katsumura. The match was filled with strikes and submission holds with a little bit of chair usage from Suzuki. He broke out of the Ninja Choke and dropped Katsumura with the Gotch-Style Piledriver to win the match. In a rare act of sportsmanship, Suzuki shook Katsumura’s hand and left to ring to give his opponent the spotlight. He even later admitted to enjoying the match! Katsumura said getting the match he always wanted is no big deal and he will continue to wrestle for Ganpro.
Emotions ran high for Yuna Manase’s match against Sayaka Unagi. The two have history together that recently mutated into Unagi holding a grudge. Their only previous singles match happened early in Unagi’s career and the loss to Manase has haunted her ever since. She showed erratic behavior at a press conference for the match by biting Manase’s chest. She did the same here when the match began. The match continued to heat up with Manase throwing Lariats. But Unagi broke through her defences and got the three count after hitting the Jomon Toppa. After the match Unagi confessed that she does not hate Ganpro and she does not believe Manase is on her last run. She learned about the fun and freedom of pro wrestling from Manase so she’s not going to let her quit so easily. They also now have a 1-1 record against each other. Unagi believes she will one day become the top wrestler in Stardom and the world of pro wrestling. When she does she will look for Manase so they can have the rubber match.
Ganpro’s previous experiences with Eruption have ended with the DDT unit bullying them. Yukio Sakaguchi in particular has been a pain in the back for Mizuki Watase to deal with. It ended up causing Watase to shave his own head after he dropped the fall to Sakaguchi in a Ganpro Vs Eruption match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. Today was Watase’s shot at redemption when he teamed with Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga against the same trio of Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani. He finally got his day in the sun when he pinned Sakaguchi with an Elbow Butt to the face. Once Sakaguchi got over the shock of defeat, he gave Watase a congratulatory pat to the body and left him to celebrate with his team.
The advertised 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match turned into a 6-Man Tag Match on short notice. Munenori Sawa wasn’t around so in his place was Lingerie Muto as an active participant in the match! Ganbare Tamagawa thought he was going to get a hero’s welcome for his first Ganpro appearance in years. He even created a new move for the occassion called the Ganbare☆Pro Elbow. Instead he got booed. YuuRI on the other hand got loads of streamers thrown at her, leaving her in tears of joy because she debuted during the pandemic and never experienced an audience response like this. The ring was also filled with ecto dust whenever Onryo did something with Nobuhiro Shimatani. In the end, HARUKAZE was the one to win the match when she pinned YuuRI with the Flame Spear.
After nine months wrestling for Ganpro, Tyson Maeguchi finally gets his first direct win! The opportunity came when Tatsuhito Takaiwa accidentally hit 5th Black Tiger with a Lariat. Kouki Iwasaki then gave Tiger a Vertical Drop Brainbuster and left him for Maeguchi to finish off. Maeguchi did so with a Diving Body Press taught to him by Kota Ibushi. He now believes this is the end of Taison Maeguchi: the weak pro wrestler. From this day forth he is Taison Maeguchi: the strong pro wrestler! Next up he would like to aim for a championship. Takaiwa said this is not the end of him or his Takaiwa Army because he is still looking to understand the Ganbare Spirit.
The show opened with a barnburner between four wrestlers linked together through a time before Ganpro even existed. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie, Isami Kodaka and Shuji Ishikawa smashed each other to pieces until somebody reached their breaking point. That came when Kodaka hit Ishii with the Isamiashi Zan. Even when the match was over tempers were flaring. Kodaka said he is the top wrestler of BASARA and Ishikawa is the top wrestler of All Japan. He thinks Ishii and Ganpro haven’t grown at all in the decade that passed since Union Pro closed down. Ishikawa was in a happier mood and congratulated Kodaka on his 20th anniversary in wrestling. He explained he can’t be at Kodaka’s 20th Anniversary show because he has a booking with AJPW on the same day.
The new Ganbare☆Joshi signing is Yoshiko Hasegawa! The former Actwres girl’Z wrestler left the business at the end of last year after dealing with a neck injury. However after a year and seven months since her last match, she will re-debut for Ganpro on 13th August. She calls it her re-debut because she is starting again from scratch. Part of the reason is because Ganpro does mixed gender matches and she wants to take part in them to get stronger. She is also currently still getting treatment on her neck but assures everyone she will be ready to wrestle again on 13th August.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2022 FINAL!!”, 03/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Toru Owashi, Soma Takao & Toi Kojima
0. Dark Match: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Akito, Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
2. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
3. King Of DDT 2022 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Jun Akiyama
4. Masahiro Takanashi & HARASHIMA Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Andrew “The Giant” Everett
6. KO-D Openweight Title – King Of DDT 2022 – Final: X Vs X
Another prize is on the line in the main event. The King Of DDT winner will not just get the KO-D Openweight Title but also 1,000,000 from the match sponsor BLACK OUT.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22”, 09/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
2. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe Vs Willow Nightingale
4. Hikaru Shida & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
5. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Alex Windsor
6. Riho & Arisu Endo Vs Mei Suruga & Suzume
7. Special Single Match: Thunder Rosa Vs Miyu Yamashita
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Saki Akai & Yuki Arai
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
The Magical Sugar Rabbits went skydiving in Tochigi as part of their preparations for the Princess Tag Team Titles match. Mizuki said afterwards she now feels invincible. Yuka Sakazaki agreed and is certain they will successfully defend the titles at Ota Ward Gymnasium next month. Sakazaki is now currently in America, appearing at AEW last night and scheduled for PWG this weekend.
Mei Suruga & Suzume have decided on what to call their tag team. Their name is MeiBee Surprise!
GANBARE☆PRO “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA”, 10/07/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Ganpro Specialty 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Ganbare Tamagawa, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE Vs Onryo & YuuRI (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa)
2. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Takaiwa Army: Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger
3. Four Beasts Of Fate Gathered In Sekigahara ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Isami Kodaka & Shuji Ishikawa
4. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Eruption: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani
5. Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs Sayaka Unagi
6. Special Tag Match ~ CDK Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shota & Soma Takao
7. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Suzuki
8. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka
Nine years ago Ganbare☆Pro was created by Ken Ohka. Standing next to him was Yumehito Imanari, who wasn’t even a full fledged pro wrestler at the time. Now Imanari has become a strong wrestler and also a champion. Ohka knows his friend has already surpassed him but he really, really wants to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title. Imanari says neither of them make a living from pro wrestling alone but he does not feel guilty about it. This has been his way of life for a decade and he will put everything into it at Ota Ward. He also remembers their last singles match against each other 4 years ago. There was no winner then because of outside interference so he wants the result to be clear on 10th July.
Shuichiro Katsumura met face to face with Minoru Suzuki for the first time since their brawl earlier this month. Since then Katsumura changed his attitude over the match. At first he was excited to finally wrestle Suzuki but after meeting him he is now determined to beat him. He’s been studying Suzuki trying to find any weaknesses he can take advantage of. Suzuki accused Katsumura of holding onto past glories from his MMA career which makes him want to smash Katsumura to pieces! He also told Katsumura not to disappoint him.
The war of words between Yuna Manase and Sayaka Unagi took a bizarre turn during the press conference. Manase talked about having no regrets in her career that brought her from Stardom to Actwres girl’Z to Tokyo Joshi Pro to Ganpro. So she knows Unagi but is unsure if her behavior now is out of confidence or insecurity. However she will not underestimate her opponent because she wants to prove Ganpro is amazing. Unagi said her problem is when she lost the singles match against Manase in 2019 she lost to a woman who is in the late stages of her wrestling career. Unagi needs to get her win back so she can move on to working her way up in Stardom and collect all of their championships. The bizarre moment was when the two stood next to each other for the photo op. Unagi suddenly attacked Manase and bit her on the chest! Unagi told her she is sick of seeing Manase acting so kind hearted. She wants to see Manase fighting for her life and go crazy in the ring!
“SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS BOX OFFICE ~ SUPER HARDCORE GIRLS VS PROMINENCE”, 14/07/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Super Hardcore Girls Vs Prominence ~ Special Hardcore Match: Carousel❤️Shun Vs Suzu Suzuki
The grudge between Shunma Katsumata and Suzu Suzuki from Prominence isn’t over yet. Katsumata’s little idea of introducing Super Hardcore Girls to the feud has taken a life of its own. Now we’re getting a stand alone show pitting the two sides against each other! Carousel❤️Shun returns to the ring by taking on Suzuki in a Hardcore Match. Shun’s BFF Elizabeth❤️Toy is expected to return too while more members of Prominence are yet to be announced. Katsumata & Toi Kojima are selling tickets to the show on behalf of Super Hardcore Girls.
BASARA “ISAMI KODAKA 20TH ANNIVERSARY”, 18/07/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Raimu Imai
2. 3 Way Jacket Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Gouma Vs Shiori Asahi
3. Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Kengo Mashimo Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato
4. Daiki Shimomura, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga & Masahiro Takanashi
5. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT, Naoki Tanizaki & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Fuminori Abe, Takuya Nomura, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Daichi Hashimoto
6. Isami Kodaka Vs Yuko Miyamoto
Kosuke Sato is out of action for a month to recover from injury. Daichi Hashimoto takes his place in the Elimination Tag Match.
GANBARE☆PRO “KINDERGARTEN COP 2022”, 29/06/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 112 Fans
1. Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Vs Dotonbori Pro Wrestling: Kouki Iwasaki defeated Ryuya Matsufusa with a Texas Cloverleaf (10:15).
2. Ganpro Special Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Mizuki Watase, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE defeated Shuichiro Katsumura, Yuna Manase & YuuRI when Haruhi submitted YuuRI with the 19.5MHz (11:47).
3. Spirit World Drunkers Vs Dragon Beast Bombers: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Shigehiro Irie defeated Onryo & Tyson Maeguchi when Takaiwa pinned Maeguchi with the Death Valley Bomb (11:34).
4. Ishii-gun Vs Pro Wrestling BASARA: Keisuke Ishii & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura when Ishii pinned Shimomura with the Kneel Kick (16:52).
5. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ken Ohka, Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes defeated Yumehito Imanari, Shota & Soma Takao when Ohka pinned Imanari with the Flame Spear (20:32).
The third and final preview match for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” saw Ken Ohka finally pick up a win against Yumehito Imanari. The same match also had CDK leave ROMANCE DAWN frazzled with their tag team moves. However Ohka credited himself for winning the match because he was able to beat such a strong opponent. He not only wants to win the Spirit Of Ganbare Title but also make sure the biggest show in Ganbare☆Pro history will be a success. He gathered round the Ganpro roster after the show and gave a motivating speech promoting the Ota Ward Gymnasium show on 10th July.
Later backstage Ohka said in an interview he has caused unthinkable miracles throughout his life. He has wrestled Jushin Liger, won a tag team match against Hiroshi Tanahashi, very briefly became the KO-D Openweight Champion. Meanwhile Imanari has in the last couple of years won matches against Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa. On 10th July there will be another miracle no matter who wins the main event!
Another preview of Ota Ward had Keisuke Ishii on the winning team against Isami Kodaka. An attack from Ishii early in the match resulted in Kodaka getting his forehead busted open. Ishii pinned Daiki Shimomura to win the match but continued brawling with Kodaka after the match was over. Later Ishii talked about memories good and bad from his short time wrestling in Union Pro with Kodaka and Shuji Ishikawa. He expects to have a great match when he & Shigehiro Irie face Kodaka & Ishikawa. Kodaka promises to give it his all in the match despite also having another important match in BASARA that same day.
Some of the other Ganpro wrestlers are now ready and waiting for “WRESTLE SEKIGAHARA” to begin. Yuna Manase wrestles to be happy and wants Sayaka Unagi to be honest with her in the ring when their match takes place. Shuichiro Katsumura is feeling in good condition from all of the matches he’s done lately and has confidence he can beat Minoru Suzuki. He is ready to fight him in any style whether it is brawling, ground work or trading submission holds. Moeka Haruhi sees how aggressive Mizuki Watase has become and promises to stand with him against Eruption. She will improve her skills and cherish every minute before then.
“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”, 12/06/2022 Saitama Super Arena 4,891 Fans
0. STARTING BATTLE KICKOFF ~ DDT Provided Tag Match: Muscle Sakai & Yukio Naya defeated Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata when Naya pinned Hirata with the Back Drop (9:02).
0. STARTING BATTLE 2 ~ TJPW Provided 10-Woman Tag Match: Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Moka Miyamoto, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami defeated Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & YuuRI when Kiryu pinned Harajuku with the Spinebuster (9:10).
0. STARTING BATTLE 3 ~ DDT Vs Ganbare☆Pro Battle: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Ken Ohka, Yuna Manase & Mizuki Watase by TKO when Sakaguchi used the Sleeper Hold on Watase (10:20).
1. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura defeated Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Okada pinned Kojima with a Crab Hold (11:45).
2. TJPW Provided 6-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Juria Nagano defeated Hikari Noa, Suzume & Yuki Arai when Yamashita pinned Suzume with the Skull Kick (10:54).
3. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Kendo Kashin, Shinya Aoki & Yumiko Hotta when Nishigaki submitted Takagi with the Chicken Okotta Hold (13:21).
4. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision 4 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi defeated Mizuki, Yuki Kamifuku and Miu Watanabe when Tatsumi pinned Watanabe with the Missile Hip (9:37).
5. NOAH Provided 10-Man Tag Match: Michael Elgin, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Rene Dupree, Simon Gotch & Timothy Thatcher defeated Takashi Sugiura, Kazuyuki Fujita, Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Shuhei Taniguchi when Elgin pinned Inaba with the Elgin Bomb (14:01).
6. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Asuka when HARASHIMA pinned Katsumata with the Somato (14:29).
7. NOAH Provided 6-Man Tag Match: Rob Van Dam, Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY when Van Dam pinned Harada with the Five Star Frog Splash (12:03).
8. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Katsuhiko Nakajima, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi by TKO when Nakajima knocked out Endo (6:20).
9. NOAH Vs DDT Battle ~ Hardcore Match – No DQ Rules: Kenoh defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the P.F.S. from the Ladder (21:28).
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Diving Senton (14:57). *V3 for Shoko Nakajima.
11. GHC Heavyweight Title: Satoshi Kojima defeated Go Shiozaki (c) with the Lariat (21:11). *Go Shiozaki fails in V1. Satoshi Kojima becomes the 39th GHC Heavyweight Champion!
The 2nd annual “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL” brought together all of the wrestling promotions owned by CyberAgent for a massive show inside Super Saitama Arena. There was plenty of news coming out of it and you can argue it was a better showing for NOAH and Tokyo Joshi Pro than it was for DDT, especially when it came to the inter-promotional matches.
Or maybe it’s New Japan that came out the winner because one of their guys now holds NOAH’s top championship! Satoshi Kojima defeated Go Shiozaki in the main event to win the GHC Heavyweight Title. He is now the fourth wrestler to achieve the biggest grand slam in Japanese pro wrestling. Only he, Kensuke Sasaki, Yoshihiro Takayama and Keiji Muto are the only wrestlers to win the GHC Title, the IWGP Heavyweight Title and the Triple Crown. Shiozaki threw everything at him including Lariats, the Go Flasher and even the Emerald Flowsion. Kojima survived all of it and put his power into three Lariats to dethrone the champion down in his first defence.
Kojima’s big celebration was cut short when Kenoh walked down to the ring. He told Kojima that NOAH is not the destination for New Japan wrestlers. He’s been of the opinion for the last few years because of Muto and Kazuyuki Fujita too. Kenoh promised to open up the future because right now NOAH and CyberFight has none! He challenged Kojima to a title match and Kojima accepted. He later said he doesn’t want anyone to think NOAH is at a low level because he is now their champion. He assures the fans that Shiozaki and the rest of the NOAH roster are not inferior to New Japan. The big title match will take place at Nippon Budokan on 16th July.
TJPW got their spotlight as the semi-main event match. Shoko Nakajima achieved her third straight Princess Of Princess Title defence by beating her long time friend and rival Yuka Sakazaki. Both were given major entrances fitting for the big occasion. Sakazaki got an army of dancing magical girls while Nakajima led a pack of dinosaurs down to the ring. Sakazaki almost won the match by hitting the Magical Merry-Go-Round but her odds vanished after Nakajima blocked the Magical Girl Niwatori Yaro with her knees. The champion then took over with a DDT and pinned Sakazaki with the Diving Senton. Nakajima is happy to see so many people watch her match against somebody as special to her as Sakazaki. Her opponent feels the same even though she lost.
The night had three DDT Vs NOAH matches and NOAH ended up with a clean sweep of victories. The big one was Kenoh defeating Daisuke Sasaki in a No DQ Match. It was a wild affair featuring interference from both DAMNATION T.A and Kongo, including Masakatsu Funaki cycling down the ramp and crashing into the wrong target. Even Yoshihiko showed up defending DDT’s honour only to get thrown out of the ring by Kenoh. Sasaki used a stun gun to prevent Kenoh from doing his Flame Kick. He then brought out a casket with thumbtacks sprinkled inside only to get slammed into it himself. Sasaki also missed a Diving Elbow Drop from the top of the ladder which cost him dearly. Kenoh had no such trouble and hit the P.F.S. Diving Stomp from the ladder to win. Afterwards backstage Kenoh explained his thoughts over DDT. He’s been calling DDT “School Wrestling” and wonders why they should feel ashamed of it? Why does DDT want to turn into a conservative mainstream wrestling company? They were built on being “Cultural Pro Wrestling” so they should have pride and confidence in being that. DDT was at its brightest when they understood it and that was how they could compete against New Japan, NOAH and All Japan. Kenoh thinks Sanshiro Takagi does not understand that and should be lucky to have a guy like Daisuke Sasaki who gets it. Sasaki blamed his loss on having to carry DDT on his back. If he fought selfishly for himself today’s result would have been very different. He says he will carry this shameful loss for the rest of his life, just like how Tetsuya Endo will carry his…
The second big DDT Vs NOAH match was the 6-Man Tag and it ended up becoming the most controversial story of the show. It was meant to be a big match with flashy entrances for everyone involved. Stories were built up pitting Kazusada Higuchi and Yoshiki Inamura against each other along with Jun Akiyama against Atsushi Kotoge. Then five minutes in we get to Tetsuya Endo against Katsuhiko Nakajima. There was an awkward looking moment when Nakajima held himself back against the ropes when Endo tried to drag him away from there. Endo threw a big kick to make him move then some Elbow Strikes. Nakajima responded with a big slap across the face, knocking Endo out and stopping the match! While Endo was getting medical assistance, Akiyama gave Nakajima a stern talking to with the other wrestlers looking on. Endo was still conscious but was helped carried to the back and diagnosed with a concussion. Akiyama criticised Nakajima in his post-match interview without naming him. He explained it doesn’t matter if you can take a strike to the temple if your opponent cannot. He was once told by Giant Baba that no matter what happens, in the end all wrestlers are friends in the same business. He doesn’t think that was the case here. He finished by saying let’s wrestle properly and do it right. I personally do not think it was Nakajima’s intention to knock out Endo but they were clearly not on the same page in the brief time they were in the ring together. I hope it was just a bad misread by Nakajima by trying to add tension to the match. Akiyama was the right person in the right place at the right time to prevent things from escalating further.
The big international guest for the show was Rob Van Dam. Today was his first time wrestling in Japan since 2014. He was on the winning team with Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA beating Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY in a 6-Man Tag Match. RVD even picked up the win by pinning Harada with the Five Star Frog Splash. Backstage RVD promised to come back next month. NOSAWA Rongai heard that and challenged him to a Hardcore Match with some of his friends at the Budokan show.
The main core of DDT’s tag team division provided an 8-Man Tag Match. DISASTER BOX & CDK joined forces to take on The 37KAMIINA plus Asuka. There was a massive pile on of Yuki Ueno on top of Asuka on top of Masahiro Takanashi on top of MAO on top of Naomi Yoshimura. The entire thing was then broken up by a Somato from HARASHIMA. MAO & Asuka took care of Chris Brookes with their Doomsday Shiranui double team. Shunma Katsumata tried to finish things off but HARASHIMA got him in the end with the Somato. Takanashi found it weird that wrestlers they feuded with not so long ago are here smiling with them today. Just goes to show when situations change so can certain alliances. The 37KAMIINA also agree they had a fun time and hoped the fans did too.
NOAH’s offer match was a 10-Man Tag Team bout pitting Japan against the world. The foreign team won when Michael Elgin pinned Daiki Inaba with the Elgin Bomb. Timothy Thatcher said if the match took place tomorrow the result may have been different. But today NOAH’s international team were blessed with good teamwork. Simon Gotch said NOAH has always had great foreign wrestlers and this team are part of the new history that will continue to bring in even more. Rene Dupree bragged about North America beating Japan today. The NOAH home team did not provide any post-match comments.
Shoko Nakajima’s next challenger for the Princess Title was determined in a 4 Way Match. Any idea of Daydream joining forces to wipe out the competition did not last long and the match quickly turned into every woman for herself. Miu Watanabe gave both Rika Tatsumi and Mizuki the Giant Swing together. Yuki Kamifuku later tried killing two birds with one stone by hitting the Famouser onto both Tatsumi & Mizuki at the same time. Watanabe jumped in and was ready to give Kamifuku the Tear Drop when Tatsumi broke it up with a Hip Attack. The match came down to the two Daydream wrestlers and Tatsumi came out on top with the Missile Hip to her partner. Tatsumi will now face Nakajima for the Princess Title at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July. Kamifuku said she doesn’t need a championship for now. Instead she wants to fight the Cyber Japan Dancers who performed during intermission!
Pheromones are looking unstoppable once more thanks to their newest member Akito “Cochin” Nishigaki. He is all in on the gimmick, proving it is not an attempt to infiltrate the unit and destroy it from the inside. However their opponents had their own tricks to deal with, such as Kendo Kashin using a body double so he could attack from another angle. Yumiko Hotta got more than she bargained for and was sprayed with a fire extinguisher. Takagi gave Akito a Stunner but Akito stripped out of his costume to toughen up. He put Takagi in a Figure 4 Leg Lock and Yuki Iino sat on Takagi’s face for added damage, making him give up. Backstage Kashin asked for a rematch which Hotta & Shinya Aoki both agreed to. Takagi said maybe next year because his shoulder is bothering him. Kashin said it has to be this year. The four of them then crashed the Pheromones post-match interview to attack Yumehito Imanari and pull his pants down in front of the media.
Nivea sponsored the TJPW 6-Woman Tag Match and rewarded the winners with 10 years supply of their products. Hikari Noa, Suzume & Yuki Arai entered to the brand new TJPW theme song “Princess March” by Masayoshi Soken. Then Maki Itoh performed her theme song with 6 members of IQ Project before Miyu Yamashita & Juria Nagano made their entrance together. The experience of 121000000 was the deciding factor. Yamashita & Itoh took out Noa & Arai with a High Kick/Headbutt Sandwich. Yamashita then wiped out Suzume with the Skull Kick to get the three count. It is Nagano’s first win as a wrestler and Itoh joked about her getting rewarded with gifts from Nivea.
The opening match of the main show was the first DDT Vs NOAH bout of the event. It was between two teams of young wrestlers with Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura from NOAH beating Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku from DDT. Kojima & Koroku are both frustrated by the loss but still believe their form of training is not inferior to NOAH’s.
The STARTING BATTLE pre-show provided three dark matches involving DDT, TJPW and Ganbare☆Pro. The Ganpro team went to battle against Eruption but quickly got off on the wrong foot when Ken Ohka got rolled up in tape by his enemies once again. Yuna Manase tried to even the score by getting the better of Saki Akai with a Lariat. Mizuki Watase fought with Hideki Okatani but then turned his attention to Yukio Sakaguchi once Ohka got back into the action. Unfortunately for them, Eruption ended up with the numbers advantage and Sakaguchi choked out Watase with the Sleeper Hold to end the match. When Watase recovered he told Eruption he can continue fighting and began cutting his hair to prove it. Backstage Eruption said they will think about having more matches against Ganpro at Ganpro’s big show in Ota Ward on 10th July. Watase confronted them again and continued cutting off his hair to show how determined he is to fight them. Sakaguchi was convinced an agreed for Eruption to have another match against Ganpro at Ota Ward.
Mahiro Kiryu finally got her day in the sun by getting the win for her team in the TJPW 10-Woman Tag Match. It was an important match for some of the other women too. Kaya Toribami is celebrating finishing her first year as a pro wrestler. Raku was absent and missed by everyone, even by the opposing team. Her replacement YuuRI was disappointed to lose but would be happy to fight with the TJPW wrestlers again. Hyper Misao wanted to win before challenging for the Princess Tag Team Titles soon but still enjoyed her team today. She’d like the 5 of them to do something together again, like have a 5 Way Match! Pom Harajuku was just upset her summer is ending already because she took the fall.
DDT provided the very first match of the day inside the venue when Muscle Sakai & Yukio Naya took on Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata. Sakai took Kenoh’s criticisms of DDT to heart and wanted to wrestle seriously. He declined a dance battle with Hirata until he was given the Hirata GO! glasses. Takao cut the dancing short so he could continue the match with Naya. Hirata almost pinned Naya with an Inside Cradle but Naya kicked out. He then delivered a Back Drop to Hirata and pinned him Yuji Hino style to get the win. Hirata said he didn’t expect Muscle Sakai of all people to come in wanting to do an exciting match.
Perhaps the biggest news of all to come out of the show was Keiji Muto’s announcement. He once called pro wrestling a marathon without a finishing line but the time has finally come for him to finish. He is going to retire next spring and is planning to wrestle only a few more matches before his career is over. His doctor told him the condition of his left hip is becoming bad and he may need to replace it with an artificial joint. Should he need a hip replacement he will no longer be able to wrestle even though he still wants to. Muto is still thinking of where and when his retirement will take place along with exactly how many more matches he will do before then. He also said The Great Muta may reappear once or twice more but when the Demon Gate to his world closes, it will this time close for good.
The entire event was not just about the pro wrestling show. There was a festival set up around the venue for fans to experience everything about the different CyberFight promotions. I could not find many details but apparently Gake no Fuchi Pro had a stall set up where Miyako Matsumoto held a meet and greet but it was taken over by Prominence.
“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, Pom Harajuku, Haruna Neko & YuuRI 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 “Cochin” Nishigaki 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 Michael Elgin, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Rene Dupree, Simon Gotch & Timothy Thatcher
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
The Hardcore Match between Kenoh and Daisuke Sasaki is confirmed to be no holds barred, no countouts and no rope breaks. Sasaki took over Kenoh’s video stream this week to bury NOAH. Meanwhile Kenoh is using his weekly article in ShuPro magazine demanding that DDT be disbanded and Sanshiro Takagi be banished from the industry after Kenoh beats Sasaki. Takagi has not accepted those stipulations because he always skips over Kenoh’s articles.
Rob Van Dam is in the country and ready to wrestle his first match in Japan since 2014. He wants to show everyone he is still RVD and is happy to be in the ring with Yoshinari Ogawa again. The two wrestled together in All Japan during the mid 1990s.
Six members from the Kyushu idol group IQ Project will be part of Maki Itoh’s entrance. IQ Project is connected to Itoh’s former group LinQ.
The final press conference for the show included a confrontation between Eruption and Ganbare☆Pro. Everyone noticed that Ken Ohka was missing until he showed up once again all rolled up in tape. He said he was the first person to show up today and when he went to the restroom, somebody attacked him from behind and rolled him up in tape. Yukio Sakaguchi denied doing it but later posted a picture of himself and Hideki Okatani holding Ohka hostage in said restroom. Saki Akai also joked that Ohka should avoid going to the toilet in Saitama Super Arena or else it will happen to him again. Despite the attempt to wind up Ganpro, Ohka prevented Mizuki Watase and Yuna Manase from starting a fight with Eruption right there.
Raku is off the show due to being in poor physical condition this week. YuuRI from Ganpro takes her place in the Tokyo Joshi Pro 10-Woman Tag Match on the pre-show.
There will be an announcement from Keiji Muto before the main show begins.
NOAH is putting out an unusual call for foreign wrestlers, offering up to $300,000 for “bounty hunters” to come over to them and increase membership for WRESTLE UNIVERSE. NOAH’s director Arihiro Takeda wants wrestlers around the world to watch “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” and to get in contact if they like what they see. How much money they will get from the $300,000 pool will depend on a case-by-case basis. Takeda said NOAH is the first promotion in CyberFight to make this offer but it can also apply to the other companies. So if any wrestlers who do not fit with them still want to take part they could be accepted by DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro or Ganpro instead.
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.
Today’s show was already happening while I was typing this up. Results will be posted later but I wanted to get this done first.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2022”, 01/06/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
1. Road To CyberFight Festival 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Shinya Aoki & Yuki Ishida
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Shinichiro Kawamatsu (c) (w/ Nobutatsu Suzuki) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Thanomsak Toba Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Pokotan
3. Asuka, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Maya Yukihi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Hiroshi Yamato
4. DAMNATION T.A Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima
5. DDT Extreme Title – Sexy Movie Star Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino (c) Vs AKIRA
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The DDT Extreme Title match will be held under Sexy Movie Star Rules because Yuki Iino is a sexy star and AKIRA is a movie star. The match will involve Director MacToba (Thanomsak Toba) directing both wrestlers to complete certain scenarios before they can win the match by pinfall or submission. All scenarios must be completed and approved by Toba or else the match result will not count.
During the week Akito had another attempt at the Excalibur Challenge so he could join Pheromones. His task was to pull the sword Sexcalibur out of Sexy Hill, aka Yuki Iino’s butt. Akito failed to succeed so he tried again this time with the aid of a massage gun but still could not pull out the sword. He pleaded to have one more go but Danshoku Dieno told him to wait until Korakuen Hall for his final chance. If he does not succeed then Pheromones will have to find another partner for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.
Chris Brookes has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle and has not been cleared to wrestle on the show. He is expected to return at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” on 12th June. Hiroshi Yamato takes his place on this show.
Gota Ihashi will also be absent due to enteritis. Pokotan replaces him in the Battle Royal.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ~HAMAMATSU PERFORMANCE~”, 04/06/2022 Shizuoka Entetsu Hall
1. Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Haruna Neko
2. Miu Watanabe Vs Kaya Toribami
3. Rika Tatsumi & Suzume Vs Hikari Noa & Pom Harajuku
4. Nao Kakuta Vs Mahiro Kiryu
5. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Moka Miyamoto Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Arisu Endo
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs “The Unbreakable” Rhio
Over in America, Maki Itoh achieved her 3rd International Princess Title defence by beating Mia Yim at a Prestige Wrestling show. That same day back in Japan, Rhio made her Tokyo Joshi Pro debut and made herself the next contender for the championship. Itoh’s return to Japan will be to defend the title against Rhio.
Yuka Sakazaki also returns from her AEW excursion to get the ball rolling on her Princess Of Princess Title match against Shoko Nakajima.
Miyu Yamashita is still on her American excursion this week so won’t be at the show. She’ll be back in time for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.
DDT/ONLY WE “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2022 IN CHIBA”, 05/06/2022 Chiba 2AW Square
1. Toi Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
3. MAO & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuki Ishida Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
5. Kaji Tomato & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Hiroshi Yamato
7. ONLY WE x DDT Special 6-Man Tag Match – No DQ Match: Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Quiet Storm Vs Shogun Okamoto, Akira Raijin & Hoshitango
Brookes is replaced by his CDK partner Masahiro Takanashi.
GANBARE☆PRO “PUMPING IRON 2022”, 07/06/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. GanJo Special Tag Match: HARUKAZE & YuuRI Vs Riko Kawahata & Maria
2. ROMANCE DAWN Vs Horrible Arm Locker: Soma Takao Vs Tsuyoshi Okada
3. Special Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shigehiro Irie Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Road To SEKIGAHARA ~ ROMANCE DAWN Vs CDK Special Single Match: Shota Vs Masahiro Takanashi
5. Road To SEKIGAHARA Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Keisuke Ishii & Yuna Manase Vs Ken Ohka, Mizuki Watase & Moeka Haruhi
Soma Takao was originally meant to face Chris Brookes on this show to continue the ROMANCE DAWN Vs CDK feud. With Brookes out injured, Takao was challenged by Tsuyoshi Okada to a singles match instead.
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. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Ken Ohka
A face from Yuna Manase’s past has come to Ganbare☆Pro in search of a match against her. Sayaka Unagi previously had a singles match against Manase in TJPW back in 2019. Sayaka not only wants to avenge that loss but also show that the moves she made since leaving TJPW for Stardom have made her far stronger than Manase. In Sayaka’s mind, you need more than just doing your best to succeed in pro wrestling.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 