GANBARE☆PRO “MAD MAX 2025 ~ GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING 12TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE”, 11/04/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 611 Fans
1. Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Yasu Urano, PSYCHO & Banny Oikawa defeated Hartley Jackson, Daisuke®️ & HARUKAZE when Urano pinned HARUKAZE with an Inside Cradle Counter (15:10).
2. Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Toru Sugiura & Munetatsu Nakamura when Sato submitted Nakamura with the Arm Bar (12:22).
3. Mizuki Watase’s Return Match: Mizuki Watase, Shigehiro Irie, Choun-Shiryu & Rekka defeated Kouki Iwasaki, Takuya Wada, Fuminori Abe & Shota Kawakami when Watase pinned Kawakami with the Modified TTD (12:21).
4. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuna Manase, Koguma & Hazuki defeated Moeka Haruhi, YuuRI & Ami Manase when Yuna pinned Ami with the Lariat (14:13).
5. Special Single Match: Masaaki Mochizuki defeated Ken Ohka with a Buzzsaw Kick (10:44).
6. Special Tag Team Match: Yuji Nagata & Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeated Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii when Nagata pinned Katsumura with the Back Drop Hold (14:19).
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) defeated Shinichiro Tominaga with the Lariat (20:32). *V4 for Yumehito Imanari.
After 16 months away from pro wrestling’s sacred venue, Ganbare☆Pro finally returned to Korakuen Hall today for the first time since becoming an independent company away from CyberFight. When the dust settled in the main event, Yumehito Imanari remained as the man to continue leading GanPro as its champion. His match against Shinichiro Tominaga came down to Power Bombs and Lariats with neither wanting to stay down for the count. Imanari’s Lariat turned out to be the stronger one and he was able to put Tominaga away to keep the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title. Imanari told Tominaga it’s been 15 years since they were struggling amateur pro wrestlers trying to make a documentary together and it is a miracle that both of them just headlined a Korakuen show together. He wants to savor the afterglow of today before he thinks about who should challenge him next. Tominaga pointed out this was only his third match since returning from his torn Achilles tendon back in January and everyone’s hard work pushed him forward towards giving 120% today.
Yuji Nagata was feeling pumped up to wrestle on the show. One of his opponents Shuichiro Katsumata was looking to get revenge on him for losing an MMA fight to his brother Katsuhiko Nagata way back in 2006. But he had to deal with Tatsuhito Takaiwa too and even with Keisuke Ishii’s help couldn’t take it. Takaiwa gave Katsumura the Death Valley Bomb, Nagata hit him with a Knee Strike and then got the win with the Back Drop Hold. Nagata then offered to shake Ishii’s hand after the match but Ishii slapped it away. Nagata told reporters he remembers the MMA fight his brother had with Katsumura but he never knew Katsumura became a pro wrestler until his first time working with GanPro last year. He also remembered it’s been over 20 years since he last teamed up with Takaiwa. He has fond memories of them going out drinking and Takaiwa laughing at Nagata’s belly getting bloated from drinking so much. After three decades of wrestling he wants to experience more kinds of pro wrestling which is why he’s been taking more bookings outside of New Japan lately.
Bad memories of Ken Ohka’s days training under the Toryumon banner swirled through his head when he fought Masaaki Mochizuki. Unfortunately Mochizuki cannot say the same because he didn’t even know Ohka was there back then. But he knows Ohka has been involved with wrestling for around 25 years now so he should forget about that past and focus on what he is representing in the present. Ohka’s not the only one who is getting old so Mochizuki wants to know if he wants to continue fighting him? Ohka gave him a slap in response. Mochizuki then said he’s not the kind of person who hits people back when provoked but if the GanPro fans enjoyed today’s match then maybe they can do it again in front of a younger audience at Dragongate.
There was a reunion of Stardom’s 5th Generation when Yuna Manase invited Koguma & Hazuki over to face a trio representing the Ganbare☆Joshi division. She also remembered her “little sister” Ami Manase was back in GanPro after a long absence. FWC did their thing to keep YuuRI & Moeka Haruhi at bay while Yuna pinned her masked “sister” with a Lariat. Manase thanked FWC and Stardom’s president for letting the two of them come to wrestle in GanPro today even when Stardom had a show of their own happening in Aichi. Hazuki was happy to team up with Manase but Koguma said next time she would like FWC to wrestle against her. Manase likes the idea and thinks a tag match like that would do YuuRI some good too. She’ll think about it because maybe it can be something that can be done for GanJo in the future.
It doesn’t seem like anyone could come back from a ruptures Achilles tendon injury in just four months but Mizuki Watase did just that. He didn’t want to take it easy just because his first match back was an 8-Man Tag either. He got the win by pinning Shota Kawakami with the Modified TTD and was then welcomed back by Shigehiro Irie. The two of them are still the reigning Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Champions so they want to start defending them again soon. Watase said he wants to defend the titles at four times the normal speed to make up for lost time. Yasu Urano & PSYCHO overheard their comments and asked if Watase is really at 100%. Watase said his injury is totally fine but he is feeling pain from his muscles cramping up. Urano then challenged him for the SOG Tag Titles and wants the match to happen as soon as possible. They’ll have to wait a while but the two teams agreed to have the title match on 5th May.
The fighting between Toru Sugiura & Munetatsu Nakamura and the Hentai Punch Drunkers got so heated that it kept going once the match had finished. Nakamura tried to give Hikaru Sato the German Suplex but Tyson Maeguchi cut him off with an Enzuigiri and Sato stretched him out with the Arm Bar for the win. But even though the music played, the two sides kept fighting.
HARUZAKE still has not won a match by herself ever since GanPro went independent. With only a few matches left until she takes a break from pro wrestling she has come up with a drastic decision for her final match. There is only one person in the world she thinks she can beat now and that’s Ken Ohka! They will have a singles match against each other on 5th May.
The next time GanPro is in Korakuen Hall will be on 26th August. The main event will be Mizuki Watase’s 10th anniversary match. He will face Jun Kasai in a Fluorescent Lighttube Death Match!
Buckle up, folks. There is a lot to talk about this month, next month and probably even going into the summer. Konosuke Takeshita is no longer the AEW International Champion. That was to be expected but I am pleasantly surprised he has remained on AEW TV since then and is still winning matches for The Don Callis Family. He remains being protected in the booking so it looks like AEW has something in mind for him down the line even if it’s just building him up to put someone else over. Also in news that is kind of AEW related Yuka Sakazaki is now on the lookout for more wrestling bookings. Sumie Sakai is helping her out on that end but it sounds like Sakazaki will still need AEW’s permission to go ahead with whatever offers come her way.
Next let’s talk about Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita. Once the Las Vegas shows are done Itoh will be staying in America until 11th May while Yamashita won’t be coming back to Japan until 21st July for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25”. I was taken aback by the negative response to the news that both of them will be taking another extended hiatus from Tokyo Joshi Pro to wrestle overseas again. I get the frustration in a way. People think both of them are looking for contracts from WWE or AEW. Itoh has brought up stuff like that in past English interviews but I’m not entirely sure Yamashita has the same goal in mind. There was a public talk event sometime ago where Yamashita revealed she spent a lot of money to go follow one of her favorite K-Pop bands on a US tour and she seems to enjoy when she’s not being relied upon by TJPW to be a company ace. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think the two of them keep taking these options in the search for deals that may never come their way. Of course I may also just be blind to what could possibly be some tryout matches coming up next month.
That brings us up to next month’s chaos that is Wrestlemania Week. I can’t wait for this! Too many wrestling shows going on non-stop in Las Vegas for a solid week. Now that’s my kind of holiday! DDT and TJPW don’t have full cards out for their shows yet and I have the feeling one or two more promotions will be booking the likes of MAO and Itoh before we get there. So many shows are going on during the week that I can’t help but wonder if it will just take one badly made political decision somewhere to throw half the shows into chaos.
And if that’s not enough it turns out there will be even more wrestling shows going on through the year after Wrestlemania is finished. Yeah that took me by surprise too. Anyway next month expect me to write up three separate Around The World articles. One for everything that happens before WM Week, one for the week itself and one for the rest of April after that. If the next month doesn’t burn me out something fierce than nothing will.
1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement defeated Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman when Statement pinned Butcherman with an Uppercut (?:??).
The latest chapter in the Southeast Asian rivalry between Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee was a little different this time around. Recently in Singapore Pro Wrestling Lee was stabbed in the back by Andruew Tang, or as he prefers to be called now, The Statement. Lee wanted payback and joined forces with one of Statement’s rivals Da Butcherman to get it. Statement called in Kamifuku to back him up so they can become the royal pair who will rule over SPW together with iron fists. An intense tag match resulted in the referee getting knocked out and Statement being saved by a tag team called The Midnight Bastards. The team attacked Butcherman with chairs and held him in place for Statement to knock him out with an Uppercut. Statement & Kamifuku both stood tall over their rivals holding their championships before leaving. Lee swore revenge and promised to take back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku!
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 07/03/2024 The Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lucia Lee with the Skull Kick (12:48).
Plans in EVE changed for Yamashita when her original opponent Session Moth Martina pulled out of the show due to illness. Instead Yamashita was given Lucia Lee as her new opponent. For Lee it was a chance on short notice to step up against Yamashita and prove she can go toe to toe against her. Despite the good effort, Yamashita knocked her over with the Skull Kick anyway.
RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024 Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Amale with the Skull Kick (15:16).
The next day Yamashita was in Spain to wrestle on an RCW show for the first time since October 2022. Her opponent was “The French Hope” Amale, formerly from NXT UK. She sent Yamashita crashing through the front row of chairs with a Topé Suicida and the two soon found themselves brawling around ringside. Back in the ring Amale kicked out of an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and almost scored the win with a Small Package. But when Yamashita kicked out she quickly had her opponent in her sights and hit the Skull Kick for the victory.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Anita Vaughan with the Crash Rabbit Heat (13:32).
Yamashita’s busy European weekend ended in Germany where she showed up during wXw’s final day of the annual 16 Carat Gold tournament. She didn’t take part in the 16 Carat tournament itself, instead she fought Anita Vaughan who was already eliminated from the competition by that point. Yamashita made it three wins for three but she needed to use the Crash Rabbit Heat this time to end the weekend with a clean sweep.
AEW “REVOLUTION”, 09/03/2025 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AEW International Title: Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with a Cradle (28:30). *Konosuke Takeshita fails in V9. Kenny Omega becomes the 11th AEW International Champion!
That’s the end of Takeshita’s first championship reign in AEW. With thoughts of Hajime no Ippo on their mind and also their gear, Takeshita and Kenny Omega went hell for leather in their rematch from September 2023. Omega’s ribs were violently targeted due to his recent bout with diverticulitis and Takeshita got a little help from Don Callis here and there too. But Omega overcame the odds and kept kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee. Takeshita avoided the One-Winged Angel yet when he went for the Raging Fire, Omega countered it into an Inside Cradle. Only getting a nearfall, Omega then switched to more types of cradle pins until he kept Takeshita’s shoulders down long enough for the three count.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/03/2025 Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Max Caster with the Raging Fire (1:30).
Takeshita wasted no time in getting back to work after his title loss. Max Caster held the latest in his open challenges and tried to talk Takeshita out of it when he walked down to the ring with a purpose. Caster asked if Takeshita was actually here to invite him into The Don Callis Family? When he suggested he could use that position to beat Omega, Takeshita attacked him and quickly won with the Raging Fire.
BZW “WAR AT THE CAPITAL”, 16/03/2025 Claridge, Brussels, Belgium
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II when Yoshihiko submitted Lykos & Lykos II with a Double Half Crab Hold (?:??). *V3 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
I missed when this was announced last month. MAO & Yoshihiko travelled back to Banger Zone Wrestling this month, this time to defend the BZW Tag Team Titles in Belgium. The challengers were the two troublemakers from Lykos Gym in England: Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II. They weren’t prepared for Yoshihiko to do a balcony dive onto them nor did they expect the dark spirit that sometimes follows Yoshihiko around to show up and Moonsault onto them either. Lykos II made the big mistake of yelling insults towards Yoshihiko. When he tried to Headbutt it only he felt the impact. Yoshihiko was then able to trap both members of Lykos Gym in a Double Half Crab Hold and made both of them tap out at the same time!
AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SATURDAY”, 19/03/2025 (Aired 22/03/2025) Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Mark Briscoe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Rocky Romero when Takeshita pinned Romero with the Raging Fire (11:22).
Takeshita continued to rebuild his momentum by teaming with more members of The Don Callis Family. He, Brian Cage & Lance Archer all worked over Rocky Romero until Mark Briscoe got the hot tag. Briscoe had the numbers game against him but he held his own until it was time for Powerhouse Hobbs to get the big tag. But The Don Callis Family withstood the comeback. Cage & Archer took out Romero with a Choke Slam/Power Bomb combo and held his partners at bay so Takeshita could pin Romero with the Raging Fire.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/03/2025 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mark Briscoe with the Raging Fire (11:39).
There was unfinished business between Takeshita and Briscoe from Collision so they met in a singles match the following week on Dynamite. The episode was sponsored by The Minecraft Movie so the venue they were in ended up kind of looking like a Create-An-Arena you would download from the WWE 2K games. Briscoe took a high risk by running across the barricade outside the ring to jump onto Takeshita with a Diving Elbow Drop. Takeshita hit Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee back in the ring but it got him a nearfall. Briscoe pulled out the Jay Driller that had Takeshita beat but a rope break stopped him from getting pinned for the three count. Takeshita stunned Briscoe with a Rolling Elbow before using the Raging Fire to win by the skin of his teeth.
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Upcoming Appearances
MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025 Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA
1. HIMAWARI Vs Janai Kai
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
There was a report from Fightful’s Patreon account during the month saying MLW has “big plans” in mind for Shoko Nakajima and HIMAWARI and the promotion hopes to get TJPW more involved with their women’s division. I’m a bit skeptical towards what that could be because the way wrestling media reports on MLW often comes across as Court Bauer trying to get his material over and everybody just taking him for his word. Big plans could mean anything from Nakajima beating Delmi Exo for the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title or Janai Kai literally murdering HIMAWARI on behalf of CONTRA Unit and right afterward MLW announces a working relationship with Stardom (go see how CIMA was written out of the company right before MLW aired a Dragongate trailer). Or the big plans might just be TJPW talent being used to put over the regulars MLW wants to push. Which at this moment in time is Exo, Kai and maybe Tara Zep. But hey, who knows. It looks like MLW’s working relationship with CMLL is legit. I’ll be happy to be proven wrong.
NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025 Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
I recommend watching the Ace Vs Alpha video New Japan put on their Youtube channel (I included it in the video section above) because it shows Takeshita and Hiroshi Tanahashi talking about their previous match together as well as why Takeshita holds a grudge over how Tanahashi treated DDT in the past. It’s not the complete story of what happened back then because that is more HARASHIMA’s story to tell but it is suffice to build up their match happening next month.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025 Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO
2. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe
Now we hit the busiest wrestling week of the year. Damn it really is a week long this time around with WWE going full throttle with their own schedule in Las Vegas from Tuesday to Tuesday. But enough about them, among the early shows kicking off the week is Pandemonium Pro where Miu Watanabe has a match against Maya World and now MAO will be there too for what is sure to be a crazy battle against Masha Slamovich! The two of them have packed schedules of their own so they better pace themselves.
WRESTLECON “MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh
It’s a match for the ages between two fierce opponents. One is a wrestling idol with grand ambitions of becoming a popstar who has in the past been unceremoniously fired in a humiliating fashion. The other is Maki Itoh. I know people who still have nightmares from the Revolution Pro show in London two years ago where a group of fans spent literally the entire match chanting “Hardcore Country” non-stop for Mickie James. I hope for my sake those same fans won’t be at this show.
WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025 Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell
MAO’s second show on the Thursday is against Jiah Jewell at West Coast Pro. Because when you think of local rivalries, you think of Miyagi Vs Louisiana.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki
2. Nattie Neidhart Vs Miyu Yamashita
Whenever Yamashita travels to America, Natalya invites her over to her private training facility in Florida to help teach her what she knows. They’ve apparantly become close friends over time but when Josh Barnett started putting the card together for Bloodsport, Natalya (under her non-WWE moniker Nattie Neidhart) publicly asked for Yamashita to be her opponent. Yamashita jumped at the idea and Barnett was happy to make it happen. This will be the second time Yamashita faces a WWE wrestler at Bloodsport, she lost to Shayna Baszler last July. Here she has the martial arts background advantage and Neidhart’s previous attempt at doing this kind of match with NXT Underground ended in a loss. Usually comparing the legitimate fighting pedigree of two fighters would tip off who wins these things but a main roster WWE wrestler losing on a non-WWE show would be an unusual turn of events. Eh, I’ll still bet a dollar on it.
Shinya Aoki’s announced opponent for the show is NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey. I’d joke about Bloodsport turning into a WWE psy-op but to be fair Dempsey is a regular competitor on these shows and this will be his fourth fight in the series. Plus I don’t want to just write that he is William Regal’s son. From what I’ve seen he fits into this style of wrestling pretty well. Aoki should have fun tangling with him.
BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Cole Radrick & Alec Price
MAO ends his busy day with BZW hosting his third match. At least I think it’s his third show. It’s possible he’ll have a fourth somewhere but I haven’t seen anything yet. The match here is going to be changed too because of injury. MAO & Yoshihiko are supposed to defend the BZW Tag Titles against The Gahbage Daddies but unfortunately word came out a few days ago that Cole Radrick is out of action with a torn MCL and meniscus. No word yet on if Alec Price will still be in the match with a replacement tag partner or if a new team will get the title shot instead.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “QUERI PRESENTS TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Only a few weeks to go but the major matches have all been set up. Mizuki Vs Yamashita is the biggest match TJPW can do for the Princess Of Princess Title but it’s been done already in Japan so I can see why it would look fresher in America. Kyoraku Kyomei have their first defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles against Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara’s new tag team OberEats. There is a rematch of the International Princess Title when Suzume clashes with Jada Stone again, this time with Stone having the home field advantage. Plus Watanabe continues getting big opponents away from the title scene when she gets in the ring with Slamovich.
DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
4. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko
The lineup so far is a little more creative than what we got last year and I prefer it this way. Minoru Suzuki Vs Yoshihiko sounds like something GCW would book for “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” but DDT needs something like that to stand out for themselves.
WRESTLECORE “FEAR & WRESTLECORE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Another outside booking for Itoh during Mania Week. No opponent has been confirmed by WrestleCore yet but El Phantasmo is trying to convince Itoh to team up with him so they can be The Cutest Tag Team Ever. He just so happens to be on this show too.
GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025 Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Lazarus Vs MAO
I think this is MAO’s last non-DDT related booking of the week. Unless…
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
As far as DDT and TJPW are concerned this will be the finale of their weekend. One match announced so far and it’s pretty cool looking. Takeshita & Slamovich teaming up against Aoki & Yamashita. It would be a shame if the show runs long and people start leaving during this match to head over to Wrestlemania.
GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X
I’m adding this to the lineup because odds are good someone DDT or TJPW related ends up in the annual Clusterfuck. Yoshihiko was part of it last year and made it to the final three. In fact there’s already an ex-TJPW wrestler announced to be entering the match. Sayaka Unagi is taking part and I can only imagine what kind of eye opening crazy thing she would do in Las Vegas.
HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025 NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA
1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Hey good on Mike Santana for taking a gamble on himself. The stuff he’s been doing on TNA and House Of Glory has been nothing to sneeze at so far. He now has a month to prepare for Takeshita because the two of them are set to fight with the HOG Heavyweight Title on the line.
BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025 The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Leyla Hirsch
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews
Yamashita’s opponent Leyla Hirsch is fresh out of AEW and wants to show everyone how good she is in the ring.
CMLL/LADYS RING “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.
Daisuke Sasaki will be missing the DDT show happening in Sapporo on the same day for this match.
GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita
The 121000000 split up match is happening but not in TJPW. It’s in GCW! In the nine previous times they’ve done this match, Yamashita has won eight of them and the odd result out was a time limit draw. Itoh has never beaten Yamashita in a singles match but this 10th attempt might be her best chance yet because she’ll have the GCW fans behind her. She’ll need a good result because the next day she has a match that will be just as important.
GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025 Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh
Itoh was originally supposed to get a GCW World Title match against Mance Warner during GCW’s Japan tour last August but a hand injury prevented it from happening. Now nine months later she finally gets her title shot but the champion now is someone completely different. Effy’s first reign as GCW Champ has seen him defend the belt against the weird and the wonderful. Can Itoh beat him to reach her ultimate form as the Queen of the Outlaws?
NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025 Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X
Just have to wait and see what Takeshita does next after the Tanahashi match.
GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025 RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen
Can Yamashita get a better match out of Tony Deppen than YAMATO could?
GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita
According to GCW this will be the first time ever Yamashita wrestles Billie Starkz. As long as you ignore the EVE match… and the St. Louis Anarchy match… and the SPARK match.
MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025 Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam
The Kamifuku Vs Lee rivalry now moves over to China for Middle Kingdom Wrestling’s 10th Anniversary show. Chinese wrestler Chen Wenbin and England’s Big Sam get mixed up in the action too.
SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025 Magnete, Milan, Italy
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
Italy will soon become the latest country Yamashita has wrestling in. Squash A Jobber Wrestling is the name of the promotion bringing her in which might be the least Italian name I’ve ever heard for a wrestling company.
KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025 Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase
We’re reaching into the summer for the end of this month’s article. Kitsune have a doubleshot going on with both Yuna Manase and Miyu Yamashita scheduled to be there. Manase is teaming with Nagisa Nozaki in Night 1 to take on Vipress & Hudson Envy. Yamashita’s match has not been announced yet.
KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025 South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuna Manase Vs X
Manase is still currently the Kitsune World Champion so it would make sense for her to have a title defence on the second show of the doubleshot.
GANBARE☆PRO “JUSTICE LEAGUE 2025”, 16/03/2025 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center 138 Fans
1. Shota Kawakami defeated Shota Kofuji with a School Boy (7:50).
2. Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Banny Oikawa defeated Hanako Nakamori, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE when YuuRI pinned HARUKAZE with the Swanton Bomb (10:07).
3. Shinichiro Tominaga & Rekka defeated Takuya Wada & PSYCHO when Tominaga pinned Wada with the JK (13:30).
4. Ken Ohka defeated Tyson Maeguchi with the Flame Spear (12:15).
5. Shuichiro Katsumura, Yuki Kanzaki & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Keisuke Ishii, Hagane Shinno & Choun-Shiryu when Nakamura pinned Shiryu with a German Suplex (14:29).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) defeated Fuminori Abe with a Sliding Lariat (19:35). *V3 for Yumehito Imanari.
A back and forth match between Yumehito Imanari and Fuminori Abe led to both wrestlers scrambling for pins multiple times until Imanari kept Ae down for the three count after a Sliding Lariat. Imanari praised Abe after the match for using the Fighting Detectives to pursue his ideals for pro wrestling. He is influenced by them so when Imanari becomes influential to Abe they can have a rematch. Abe usually dislikes it when he hears people say they will do their best but he understands where Imanari is coming from. Also if Abe knew what his vision for pro wrestling is he would have quit wrestling a long time ago!
Imanari’s next Spirit Of Ganbare World Title defence will be at Korakuen Hall on 11th April. As he was promoting the show Shinichiro Tominaga came down to the ring to challenge him. He has gotten three title shots in the past and failed every time but that is nothing to repeating his second year of university! Imanari talked about his past with Tominaga because he once filmed his student wrestling matches for a documentary. It was his first video project so they have known each other for a long time and can have a title match that only they can do together.
HARUKAZE announced that she will soon be taking a break from pro wrestling to go work in her father’s business. She told fans that she met with her 80 year old father over Christmas and he asked her to take over his self employed business. HARUKAZE turned him down at the time because she wanted to focus on wrestling and comedy. She then took some time to think about it further and realized she’s been living a bit too freely so she changed her mind and will go work for him after all. Her final match before her break will be on 5th May and she insists she is not retiring from pro wrestling. Until then she wants to win one of her last remaining matches. Yuna Manase told her that women who work hard are always accepted into Ganbare☆Joshi and that means HARUKAZE will always be a part of GanJo.
Today was Shota Kawakami’s first singles win and it happened close to the first anniversary of his debut match. On 5th May he will face his coach Shota in a match to celebrate that anniversary.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING IN SHIBUYA HIKARIE – MOV MARKET”, 22/02/2025 Tokyo Shibuya Hikarie Creative Lounge MOV ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Mat Wrestling Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura defeated Yumehito Imanari & Shota Kawakami when Ohka pinned Kawakami with the Flame Spear (14:27).
The match was slightly changed because Keisuke Ishii fell sick and couldn’t appear. Ken Ohka who was meant to be the special referee instead took Ishii’s place in the Falls Count Anywhere Match. Shota Kawakami ended up taking signature moves from everybody including the Ganbare☆Pro wrestlers who were not part of the match.
GANBARE☆PRO “JUSTICE LEAGUE 2025”, 16/03/2025 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) Vs Fuminori Abe
There was also a press conference where Yumehito Imanari and Michiyoshi Mishima announced who the No. 1 Contender for the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title will be. Imanari revealed he nominated Fuminori Abe to get the shot on 16th March. One of Imanari’s goals as champion is to fight the wrestlers he lost to on his journey to winning the SOG Title. He remembers facing Abe for the ZERO1 World Junior Heavyweight Title & ZERO1 International Junior Heavyweight Title back in 2021 and losing to him. It was a very important match for him because the original plan was for Abe to face Shinjiro Otani in the main event of a Korakuen Hall show but Otani got injured and Imanari was chosen to be his replacement. He never forgotten what Abe told him that day and he will always be a fan of him. So now he gets to make a wish come true by putting together this rematch. Abe said at the time of the match he felt great pity towards Imanari for the position he was suddenly put in but as the match went on, Abe experienced emotions he had never felt before. After he won he felt a sense of pride for giving Imanari the opportunity. He would have liked to do the rematch in Korakuen but after giving the idea some thought, he instead asked for it to take place at Takashimadaira Kumin Center because it is a truly independent venue. He also made sure to keep 11th April free in his schedule because he is confident he will win the championship and have his first defence at GanPro’s Korakuen Hall show that day.
GANBARE☆PRO “MAD MAX 2025 ~ GANBARE☆PRO WRESTLING 12TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE”, 11/04/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Ken Ohka Vs X
2. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi, YuuRI & Ami Manase Vs Yuna Manase, Hazuki & Koguma
3. Special Tag Team Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuji Nagata & Tatsuhito Takaiwa
A few matches for the 11th April Korakuen show were also announced at the event. Shuichiro Katsumura revealed he will be teaming with Ishii on the show to take on New Japan legends Yuji Nagata and Tatsuhito Takaiwa! Ishii sent in a message explaining that GanPro wanted him to team with Nagata on the show but he thought it would be better for them to be on opposing teams. The story of the match in Ishii’s mind will be him getting to beat the people he looked up to as a boy. Katsumura said he also has an attachment to those two wrestlers. In 2006 he lost to Yuji’s brother Katsuhiko Nagata at the end of year K-1 “DYNAMITE!!” show and remembers Yuji saluting the fans in the ring after the fight. So he would love it if Yuji brought Katsuhiko along to be at ringside for the show. Katsumura also joked about being a New Japan kid teaming with Ishii who is an All Japan kid.
A 6-Woman Tag Match was also announced pitting Ganbare☆Joshi against a special trio of wrestlers reuniting together. Yuna Manase is bringing in Hazuki & Koguma from Stardom to team with her! The three of them are all from the same fifth generation of Stardom wrestlers but their careers split off in different directions. Manase was able to re-establish contact with them at an Ice Ribbon show last year and hatched a plan for her to team up with FWC for the first time ever. She also had reasons for choosing the wrestlers on the GanJo team. YuuRI is around the same age as Hazuki & Koguma so Manase wants to see them face off. Moeka Haruhi recently celebrated her 20th Anniversary and Manase wanted to be her opponent for the Anniversary match. Last but not least, Ami Manase is still Yuna’s younger sister and only just recently started training for wrestling again after being away for over a year.
Ohka claims that GanPro’s zodiac cycle has come full circle because he was born in the Year Of The Snake and GanPro’s first Korakuen show since going independent is also happening during the Year Of The Snake. He feels like this is fake and predicts he is going to be involved in a big singles match on the show. Something that will be on par with his match against Jushin Liger from Union Pro in 2009.
GANBARE☆JOSHI/KITSUNE “GANJO X KITSUNE”, 28/01/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 104 Fans
1. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase defeated MICHIKO (c) with the Lariat (8:01). *MICHIKO fails in V1. Yuna Manase becomes the 4th Kitsube World Champion!
2. Mixed Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & Chanyota defeated Keisuke Ishii & Echika Miyabi when Chanyota submitted Miyabi with the Nagata Lock I (11:26).
3. Moeka Haruhi defeated Arisa Shinose with the Diving Foot Stomp (9:25).
4. Tae Honma, AKARI & Yappy defeated Mochi Natsumi, Yuki Mashiro & Grizzly Fujitaki when Honda pinned Fujitaki with a School Boy (11:58).
5. YuuRI & Ayame Sasamura Vs Kohaku & Nanami ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
This year sees the return of Ganbare☆Joshi running their own shows again, this one here was being done as part of a working relationship with the American “joshi” promotion Kitsune Women’s Wrestling. A championship match for the guest promotion’s title took place but it was placed in the opening match rather than the main event. Yuna Manase decided a while ago that GanJo should be built around YuuRI and the next generation instead of herself so YuuRI’s match went on last. YuuRI teamed with Ayame Sasamura and fought with Kohaku & Nanami to a 20 minute draw. While she was frustrated that she couldn’t win, she is still thankful for everyone’s support to let GanJo run shows again. She said GanJo is burning red just like the nosebleed she suffered during the match. Manase then got the last word in by telling everyone the future of GanJo is bright.
Yumehito Imanari & Chanyota both took separate pages from Yuji Nagata to win their match. Chanyota made Echika Miyabi tap out to the Nagata Lock I and while she was doing that, Imanari held Keisuke Ishii in the Nagata Lock II. Both Imanari & Chanyota did the Nagata salute pose afterwards to celebrate.
In a rematch from the end of December, Manase defeated MICHIKO to win back the Kitsune World Title. MICHIKO gave her the Tombstone Piledriver on the floor, trying to get a countout win. But Manase made it back in at 11 and then kicked out of a pin. Manase blocked another Tombstone and used Lariats to weaken MICHIKO until the champion could no longer kick out. She said she had the desire to win the belt back but this is not the end of her rivalry with MICHIKO because they now have one win each. But she also wants to defend the title against anyone else who was on today’s show. MICHIKO said she would like to have another match with Manase, with or without the title.
GANBARE☆JOSHI/KITSUNE “GANJO X KITSUNE”, 28/01/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. YuuRI & Ayame Sasamura Vs Kohaku & Nanami
2. Tae Honma, AKARI & Yappy Vs Mochi Natsumi, Yuki Mashiro & Grizzly Fujitaki
3. Moeka Haruhi Vs Arisa Shinose
4. Mixed Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & Chanyota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Echika Miyabi
5. Kitsune World Title: MICHIKO (c) Vs Yuna Manase
Tomorrow is Yuna Manase’s chance to win the Kitsune World Title back from MICHIKO.
DDT “NEXT STEP GAME 2025”, 05/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Akito & Yuki Iino Vs Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato
2. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Soma Takao
3. Special Tag Match: Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion & Yuni
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – B Block: To-y Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – A Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuki Ishida
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & MAO
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
A non-title victory at yesterday’s show has resulted in Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga becoming the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Matsunaga has promised to turn the world upside down by beating DAMNATION T.A again this time when the titles are on the line.
After fighting each other in the ring a few times already, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato are now going to try out teaming together.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 08/02/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Yoshiko Hasegawa, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase Vs Shino Suzuki, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mifu Ashida
3. Raku & Ram Kaichow Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
4. Arisu Endo Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Uta Takami
6. Yuki Aino Vs Haru Kazashiro
7. Mizuki & HIMAWARI Vs Rika Tatsumi & Toga
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
9. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
The Max Heart Tournament is coming down to Pompaler versus Kyoraku Kyomei. Can Pom Harajuku’s recent run of success continue thanks to the sharp aim of Max The Impaler or will Max Heart glory finally find its way towards Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao.
We’re getting a preview of what Mizuki against Rika Tatsumi is going to be like.
It’s another lunch date for Raku & Ram Kaichow.
Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh and Moka Miyamoto will not be at the show because they will be wrestling over in Chile that weekend.
DDT “JUST BEFORE JUDGEMENT 2025! BIG SALES AND PRESS CONFERENCE FESTIVAL IN OTA WARD INDUSTRIAL PLAZA”, 16/03/2025 Ota Ward Industrial Plaza (PiO) 4th Floor Convention Hall
1. Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno & Keigo Nakamura
A few days before DDT’s 28th Anniversary show there will be a public event featuring press conferences, contract signings, autograph sessions and also a Falls Count Anywhere match.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Kazusada Higuchi Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs X
2. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Yuki Iino
3. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs X
According to Chris Brookes there are around ten people he would like to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against and he needs time to whittle the list down to one challenger. He has until 23rd February to make his decision.
The new DDT Universal Champion already has his first challenger in mind but it might take a while for it to happen. Yuki Ueno fought Minoru Suzuki for the first time last year in a tag match and he wants nothing more than to face him one on one. The Universal Title is now his treasure so he is going to use it to get “Pirate King” Suzuki’s attention. However Suzuki has his own schedule to deal with so if he takes up the challenge it might not be able to happen at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show. So if Suzuki cannot make that date, Ueno will still have a title defence on the show.
I thought Yuni was the only opponent Danshoku Dieno was forbidden to fight but it turns out there is someone else. DDT avoided booking Dieno against Yuki Iino for so long because of their history together as part of Pheromones. However Akito felt now is the time to do the match and Iino himself also wants it to happen. Dieno isn’t pleased to have the match happen against his wishes but he will allow it to happen as long as Hisaya Imabayashi is forced to be part of the match somehow. We’ll have to wait and see what role the DDT GM will have to play.
Nine months after his last wrestling match, Kazusada Higuchi will return from his injuries ready to give it his all in the ring again.
Last July members of the United Japan Pro Wrestling association had met to discuss what their next movements should be with the concept. It was decided that UJPW would go from a voluntary organization to an incorporated group. After going quiet for the rest of the year, representatives from all of the member promotions gathered today to announce that UJPW went through with the plan and has now become incorporated as a non-profit organization. With this move UJPW aims to strengthen its governance in Japan’s pro wrestling scene, become more transparent with its management and improve wrestling’s social credibility. They also came up with a slogan: “Pro Wrestling will always be a driving force for the people of Japan.”
The move gives UJPW greater legal options with the example the Japanese press have given being to open up accounts and hold business assets under the corporate name. Sanshiro Takagi has taken on the role as the Representative Director even though the UJPW office will be located inside New Japan’s HQ. Takagi along with the other directors on the board will all serve two year terms. They were all chosen based on the number of voting rights they have in their respective companies. The board of directors will meet twice a year within the fiscal calendar.
Takagi said it is possible for more UJPW events to be held in the future but it is not the goal of the organization and there are no plans to run another event like “ALL TOGETHER” at this time. However there could still be more interactions coming between the promotions. For example, Hiroshi Tanahashi said he would like to appear in the other companies as part of his year long road to retirement.
There are currently ten members of UJPW. They are New Japan, All Japan, NOAH, DDT, Ganbare☆Pro, Big Japan, Dragongate, Stardom, Tokyo Joshi Pro & Kyushu Pro. Seven requirements have been laid out for future members to meet if they would like to join UJPW. They include needing a regular event schedule, being a legally recognized company, having at least one wrestler under a full time contract, having an annual revenue of over 50 million yen, been active for at least two years, have a corporate compliance system and want to improve the wrestling scene even when competing against other members. There will also in the future be a lower tier created place for supporting members to join that involve less demanding requirements. When I posted about these plans last July I mentioned DIANA had representatives at the meeting in an observing capacity. There has been no mention of them being involved since then but I imagine they can end up becoming one such example of a supporting member.
Wrestlers and staff from each of the member promotions were in attendance to give speeches about the news. I’m just going to focus on the companies I usually cover (although I’d like to point out that Takaaki Kidani put his foot in his mouth again). Takagi wants UJPW to also cooperate with as many of the different indies across Japan as possible. Michiyoshi Mishima said GanPro is the smallest member of the group but thinks they can set an example for other promotions of the same size. Chris Brookes spoke about wrestling being something that can unite people. Utami Hayashishita Miyu Yamashita talked about the respect that wrestling fans around the world has for Japan. Haru Kazashiro said she loved wrestling ever since she joined TJPW and wants to see more children drawn to the industry if UJPW can establish the safety and medical standards needed. Ken Ohka believes this attempt at bringing pro wrestling together will take the industry to new heights. Yuna Manase is happy to be able to exchange ideas with wrestlers from other companies that will bring more happiness to the fans.
BASARA “BASARA 267 ~HIEN~”, 21/01/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Inaugural Rumble: Isami Kodaka Vs Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Ryuichi Sekine Vs FUMA Vs KUBITO Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Daichi Kazato Vs SAGAT Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
2. Daiki Shimomura Vs Takeru Inoue
3. Takato Nakano & Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano & Banana Senga
4. Ryota Nakatsu & Masato Kamino Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Kuma Arashi
There are two strong opponents who Masato Kamino lost to in singles matches last year that he wants to fight again. They are Daisuke Sekimoto & Kuma Arashi. Kamino wants to settle the score in one match so he asked BASARA to bring them back together as a tag team for him to fight. Kamino also decided he won’t team with Takato Nakano because they will soon fight each other for the Union MAX Title. Instead, Ryota Nakatsu will be Kamino’s partner for this match.
It’s Royal Rumble season so add BASARA to the growing list of companies that are doing their own version of the match this year.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 19: INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION”, 21/01/2025 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Tag Team Match: MAO & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Mr. Bueno & Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Special Single Match: Ram Kaichow Vs Chris Brookes
Trust Baka Gaijin + Friends to still come up with first time matchups with a limited size roster. Chris Brookes and Ram Kaichow have fought each other plenty of times before in multi-person matches. This will be their first one on one matchup together.
DDT “NEW YEAR, NEW HERO. 2025 ~A NEW STORY BEGINS~”, 26/01/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Gorgeous Matsuno
2. DDT Universal Title: Gringo Loco (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa
According to both DDT and Gringo Loco he has defended the DDT Universal Title twice in North America. One was in Canada for Demand Lucha and I cannot for the life of me find where or when the second one took place. For his third defence he is nominating Yuki Ueno because he stands out the most to Loco. It will be Loco’s first time defending the title in Japan.
Danshoku Dieno made the decision to defend the DDT Extreme Title against Gorgeous Matsuno because he does not know if they will ever get another chance to do the match. Matsuno is still known to the public for a public divorce he went through in the 1990s where he was accused by his wife at the time of abuse. The divorce was finalised but it was also ruled by the court that there was no evidence to support the accusation. Dieno only knows Matsuno through his wrestling career and feels the need to have a heart to heart match while he still holds the Extreme Title. Dieno also wants a contract signed that says no one will be responsible for anything that happens in the ring during the match.
GANBARE☆JOSHI/KITSUNE “GANJO X KITSUNE”, 28/01/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. YuuRI & Ayame Sasamura Vs Kohaku & Nanami
2. Tae Honma, AKARI & Yappy Vs Mochi Natsumi, Yuki Mashiro & Grizzly Fujitaki
3. Moeka Haruhi Vs Arisa Shinose
4. Mixed Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & Chanyota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Echika Miyabi
5. Kitsune World Title: MICHIKO (c) Vs Yuna Manase
It’s the return of the Ganbare☆Joshi branded shows for the first time since Ganbare☆Pro went independent. It is a co-branded show with Kitsune and will feature wrestlers from several different joshi promotions like WAVE, DIANA, Ice Ribbon, PURE-J and Prominence. There are also joshi wrestlers from the mixed companies like GLEAT, P.P.P. TOKYO, 2AW and Asuka Pro. In the main event Yuna Manase gets her rematch with MICHIKO with the Kitsune World Title once again on the line.
HARUKAZE will not be wrestling at the show because of her busy schedule. However she will try to get there by rushing to the venue as soon as her other scheduled event is over.
“SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMERATION EVENT ~ NEVER SAY NEVER”, 03/02/2025 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Single Match: Fumihito Kihara Vs Shota
2. Special Single Match: Muscle Sakai Vs Hyper Misao
3. Special Tag Match: Yumiko Hotta & Shinya Aoki Vs Fuminori Abe & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa
4. Special Tag Match: Dump Matsumoto & Toru Owashi Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
5. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata Vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan
6. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura Vs X (w/ Sanshiro Takagi)
This is the complete card for Sanshiro Takagi’s 30th Anniversary show. He will be accompanying a mystery wrestler who is scheduled to fight Meiko Satomura in the main event.
BASARA “BASARA 270 ~SOUEN~”, 10/02/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Union MAX Title: Masato Kamino (c) Vs Takato Nakano
The MAX Title is up for grabs between the two members of Aijin Tag. Kamino has so far purposely avoided teaming with Nakano in the lead up to this match.
For the 20th Anniversary of Moeka Haruhi’s debut match she will be facing Hanako Nakamori from PURE-J.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’25”, 16/03/2025 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
It must be fate. “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” is taking place on Mizuki’s birthday and she will be defending the Princess Of Princess Title against a person who has adored her since probably the first day they met. Rika Tatsumi was the last woman standing in the Battle Royal to win this shot so she could finally make this fantasy come true.
GANBARE☆PRO “NEW YEAR’S BLUES 2025”, 13/01/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING 186 Fans
1. Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Shota Kawakami with a Dropkick (9:08).
2. Shigehiro Irie, Rekka & Moeka Haruhi defeated Hartley Jackson, Choun-Shiryu & HARUKAZE when Haruhi submitted HARUKAZE with the 79.5MHz. 2.0 (12:27).
3. Fuminori Abe defeated Tyson Maeguchi with a Cradle (10:50).
4. Kitsune World Title Next Challenger Decision Match: Yuna Manase defeated YuuRI with the Lariat (10:48).
5. Shinichiro Tomingaga Return Match: Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tominaga & Daisuke®️ defeated Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada when Tominaga pinned Ohka with an Inside Cradle (14:25).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari (c) defeated Yasu Urano with the Crossface Lock (19:39). *V1 for Yumehito Imanari.
6a. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title – Emergency Match: Yumehito Imanari (c) defeated Yasu Urano with the Lariat (8:05). *V2 for Yumehito Imanari.
In the weeks coming up to this show Yumehito Imanari not only wanted a match with Yasu Urano to get revenge for losing to him via Headlock years ago, he also wanted to put the Spirit Of Ganbare Title on the line. After a hard fought fight, Imanari countered a Tombstone into a roll up for a nearfall and then grabbed Urano into a Crossface Lock to get the win. Imanari then told Urano he would be happy to give him a rematch sometime with the title again on the line. Urano told Imanari he is worthy of being the champion for a company as wonderful as Ganbare☆Pro but if he is serious about the rematch then they can have one right away!
After hearing the crowd respond positively to the idea, Imanari convinced Michiyoshi Mishima to grant them an immediate rematch starting right away! The rematch was given a 15 minute time limit but Imanari only needed eight to beat Urano again this time with a Lariat. Imanari said afterwards he has kicked out of injustices so many times in life that nothing is too unreasonable for him. He can give Urano another rematch but this time they should wait about six months from now. His message to the fans is when he gets treated unfairly he should stand up every time because injustice makes him stronger!
Yuna Manase has won her chance to win the Kitsune World Title back from MICHIKO after beating YuuRI in a No. 1 Contender’s match. While Manase was happy to see YuuRI want to get the title shot, Manase wants to win the belt back even more. She said it would have been the end of her wrestling career if she handed the chance over to YuuRI. There was no handshake after the match and Manase thinks it is because YuuRI was thinking about beating her just as much as she thinks about the championship. Manase will get her title rematch against MICHIKO at the Ganbare☆Joshi x Kitsune show on 28th January.
DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2025 ~ANSWERS WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~”, 03/01/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. To-y, Akito & Soma Takao Vs Toru Owashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion Vs Yuni, Kazuma Sumi, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida
3. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Koroku
6. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
7. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Shuji Ishikawa Vs HARASHIMA Vs KANON
I’ll write a separate post about today’s Tetsuya Endo news after this one. Long story short Endo will be taking a leave of absence from DDT after 5th January to go wrestle on a regular basis for NOAH. He is also going to challenge Manabu Soya for the GHC National Title soon as part of this sudden turn of events.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’25”, 04/01/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. HIMAWARI, Mifu Ashida & Chika Nanase Vs Shino Suzuki, Toga & Uta Takami
2. Aja Kong, Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
3. Ryo Mizunami, Kaya Toribami & Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Matcha, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Lei Ying Lee Vs Rika Tatsumi & Wakana Uehara
5. Yuka Sakazaki & Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro
6. New Year! Lumbersnake Death Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
7. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Suzume
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Masha Slamovich & Zara Zakher
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Mizuki
We’re not done with Poison Sawada JULIE just yet. He is sticking around for another show as the special guest referee for Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao. That’s not all, his presence means the match is also going to be a Lumbersnake Death Match! The match rules will be announced at the show but the name suggests it is a Lumberjack Match where all of the lumberjacks will be controlled by Sawada’s snake magic.
A few days ago I asked if Tokyo Joshi Pro was going to dive into the loaded joshi free agency scene this year. Then on New Year’s Day they announced at noon on the dot that Mifu Ashida has joined the company. Ashida was among the group of wrestlers from Ice Ribbon who announced in November that they would be leaving the company over payment issues. Ashida only just had her last match with the company on New Year’s Eve. She has a background in cheerleading and became a pro wrestler in 2023 after she was cast in a movie called “THE CHALLENGER: Ring Of Hope” that Ice Ribbon helped produce.
BASARA “BASARA 266 ~SOUEN~”, 10/01/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Turnabout Pro Wrestling Trial: Minoru Fujita Vs Gouma Ryu Vs Banana Senga
2. SAGAT Vs Takeru Inoue
3. 3 Way Tag Match: KUBITO & Daichi Kazato Vs Daiki Shimomura & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Yasu Urano Vs Judomaster
4. Isami Kodaka, Takumi Tsukamoto & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino & Lil’ Kraken
5. Ryuichi Sekine Vs FUMA
Minoru Fujita has gone from from losing the championship straight to the courthouse, er… ring. Always sad to see a champion spiral out of control after they lose their title. What does Banana Senga have on him and can Gouma Ryu get him out of trouble?
GANBARE☆PRO “NEW YEAR’S BLUES 2025”, 13/01/2025 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Shota Kawakami
2. Shigehiro Irie, Rekka & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson, Choun-Shiryu & HARUKAZE
3. Tyson Maeguchi Vs Fuminori Abe
4. Kitsune World Title Next Challenger Decision Match: Yuna Manase Vs YuuRI
5. Shinichiro Tomingaga Return Match: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shinichiro Tomingaga & Daisuke®️
6. Yumehito Imanari Vs Yasu Urano
Many years ago (2017 to be exact) Yumehito Imanari lost a match to Yasu Urano by submitting to a Headlock. Now this isn’t actually as pathetic as it sounds because Urano has used the move to win matches several times in his career. It’s rare but does happen. With that being said, it is a loss that still haunts Imanari so right after he won the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title, he brought up that memory as a reason to challenge Urano to a match. Ganbare☆Pro have not decided to make it a title match yet but Imanari wants to put the belt on the line.
Last May was when Shinichiro Tomingaga blew out his Achilles tendon. After almost 8 months on the shelf he is ready to come back and make up for lost time.
Before Ganbare☆Joshi holds its joint show with Kitsune on 28th January there is the little matter of who should face MICHIKO for the Kitsune World Title to sort out first. Obviously Yuna Manase wants to get a rematch so she can win the title back. But YuuRI also showed interest in challenging MICHIKO for the title. The only way to solve this conundrum is to have Manase and YuuRI fight each other for the No. 1 Contendership.
Tyson Maeguchi Vs Fuminori Abe sounds like a match that is going to hurt.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 