DDT Around The World – Early April 2025

April 13, 2025

What a month it’s been already and we’re not even halfway through yet. It’s the busiest time of the year for American wrestling with WrestleMania coming up next weekend and the carnival of shows that exist around it. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro will be deep in the mix with shows held under The Collective banner along with some outside bookings scattered around the Paradise of Las Vegas. Then there is no rest for the wicked afterwards because the months leading into summertime will be very busy for the likes of Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh. The international exchange will even be seen in Japan with Deadlock Pro running a tour over there and YuuRI getting involved in a big lucha libre show. Plus one of the big rivalries happening in Southeast Asia may finally come to an end if Yuki Kamifuku defeats Alexis Lee one more time.

But I’m burying the lede here. Shoko Nakajima won a championship in MLW! She has become the latest TJPW wrestler to win a title belonging to a foreign company and we may possibly add another person to that somehow growing list at the end of the month. Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita is already turning April 2025 into a memorable period. He squashed an age old beef with one of Japan’s modern legends and has started a tournament run that will at least produce a few great matches if he doesn’t make it all the way.

Now let’s all go to Vegas.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “COLLISION”, 05/04/2025
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii (w/ Rocky Romero) Vs Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita

Video starts at 22:53 for Match #1. Go to 1:12:00 for Match #2.
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


8th match Backstage 4/11/25 | Windy City Riot 2025


AEW “COLLISION”, 12/04/2025
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Quarter Final: Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

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Results


AEW “COLLISION”, 02/04/2025 (Aired 05/04/2025)
Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois, USA

1. Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii (w/ Rocky Romero) when Fletcher pinned Ishii with the Sheer Drop Brainbuster (13:47).

Takeshita had to miss the “DYNASTY” PPV because he had other priorities with New Japan that weekend but he was able to fit in an AEW tag match right before he left. He and Kyle Fletcher are really catching on as a tag team lately and they were really put through the grinder against Powerhouse Hobbs & Tomohiro Ishii. They tried to give Ishii a Super Bomb from the corner but Ishii countered it into a Frankensteiner on Fletcher. Takeshita came to help Fletcher give Ishii a Sheer Drop Brainbuster for a nearfall and then clashed with Hobbs. Ishii’s face was bloody at this point but he was still fired up to fight. Fletcher didn’t care though and he used a Tombstone Piledriver followed by another Brainbuster for the victory.


MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025
Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA

1. Janai Kai defeated HIMAWARI with the Tornado Kick (7:28).
2. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima defeated Delmi Exo (c) with the Diving Senton (9:17).
*Delmi Exofails in V2. Shoko Nakajima becomes the 5th MLW Women’s World Featherweight Champion!

Well would you look at that, MLW went all the way with Nakajima and made her their women’s champion! The 619, Double Arm DDT and Diving Senton put Delmo Exo away and now Nakajima can add the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title to her collection.

Also HIMAWARI did not in fact get abducted or murdered by CONTRA Unit. She made it back to Japan in one piece. Janai Kai still beat her pretty handily but I’d still call it a successful MLW excursion.


NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
4,674 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi with the Raging Fire (20:37).

It was an emotional battle that’s been over a decade in the making. Takeshita was not only fighting Hiroshi Tanahashi in a rematch from their DDT bout from 2014 but he was defending DDT’s honour over the disrespect Tanahashi gave to them in 2015. Due to the added importance that this will be Tanahashi’s final wrestling match in America before he retires it was made the main event of the show ahead of the IWGP World Heavyweight Title bout. The two had counters for each other’s finishers but Takeshita surprised everyone by doing his own High Fly Flow. Everyone was then in even more shock when Tanahashi kicked out at one! Takeshita nailed Tanahashi with several Wagamama knee strikes before giving a big shout to HARASHIMA by hitting the Somato. After that he used the Raging Fire to get the win.

Backstage Takeshita said he was all anger before this match but now that it is over, his revenge on Tanahashi has ended and he now for the first time respects him. There is one thing that Takeshita couldn’t do to Tanahashi and that was take away the last of his light. He wishes to see Tanahashi keep that light shining until his retirement. He was then interrupted by El Phantasmo who complained about Takeshita not showing respect until now. He still remembers their match at last year’s G1 Climax and he wants to challenge him to a rematch, this time with the NEVER Openweight Title on the line. Suddenly Phantasmo was then attacked from behind by Rocky Romero. Whatever it is that’s going on between them has nothing to do with Takeshita. At least for now.


AEW “COLLISION”, 12/04/2025
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Quarter Final: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brody King (w/ Julia Hart) with the Powerdrive Knee (12:18).

The 4th annual Owen Hart Cup is packed this year on both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Count Takeshita among them on the men’s side. His opening round match was against Brody King from The Hounds Of Hell. Even a guy like Takeshita gets a bit worried when he hears King barking nearby. It took several Powerdrive Knee strikes to break down King and the final two needed Takeshita to pull his kneepad down for extra damage to finally put his opponent down for the count.

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WrestleMania Week Appearances


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

Let’s get crazy. The first piece of involvement in Wrestlemania Week from DDT and TJPW both take place at the same show. Miu Watanabe makes a rare outside appearance from TJPW to take on Maya World while one of her later upcoming opponents Masha Slamovich takes a trip on MAO’s wild ride. Or maybe it’s MAO going on Slamovich’s wild ride.


WRESTLECON “MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh

Who knows what else WrestleCon has in store for their big event of the week and if it applies here. They have a mystery 10-Man Tag Match on the card which was used to promote TJPW in a previous year. Itoh might meet her match in more ways than one when she faces off against Mickie James. But the worst thing James could do is go in their and underestimate Itoh.


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

1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell

It will be the second match of the day for both MAO and Jiah Jewell.


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

This year’s Bloodsport went through a slight overbooking problem with some fighters but it hasn’t affected the two matches here that I care about. Bless GCW and Josh Barnett for having conflicting stories over who is actually booking the show when it was time to explain why previously announced talent were being left off the final card. Friendship aside, Nattie Neidhart doesn’t want to be used as a stepping stone by Yamashita but Yamashita doesn’t want Neidhart to take her lightly either. Are we going to get MMA Shinya Aoki or DDT Shinya Aoki when he fights Charlie Dempsey?


BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Marcus Mathers & Alec Price

Alec Price has found a replacement partner to challenge MAO & Yoshihiko for the BZW Tag Team Titles. With Cole Radrick out of action, Marcus Mathers is going to take his place.


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

1. Rika Tatsumi, Shino Suzuki & Vert Vixen Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Viva Van
2. Yuki Arai Vs Arisu Endo
3. Maki Itoh & Zara Zakher Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
4. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
5. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

I’ll aim to have my guide for the TJPW Las Vegas show posted either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning Las Vegas time.


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

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman
2. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
4. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
5. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya
6. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

Same with my guide for the DDT Las Vegas show. You’ll pretty much know I arrived safe and sound when the articles get posted.


WRESTLECORE “FEAR & WRESTLECORE IN LAS VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. ELP Vs Maki Itoh

Well so much for El Phantasmo and Maki Itoh joining forces as The Cutest Tag Team In The World. They’re not getting along so they’re going to fight each other instead.


PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 18/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

0. Yoshihiko’s Super Special Open Challenge: Yoshihiko Vs X
1. G-Sharpe Vs MAO

A new booking for MAO over at PrideStyle. If his opponent G-Sharpe looks a little familiar it may be because you might recognize him when he wrestles under a mask as Hyperstreak. There is a group called The Cartel de Los Villanos who have been feuding with G-Sharpe over in PrideStyle and they are the ones who hired MAO to fight him.

A bonus attraction will be happening before the show officially starts. That’s right, Yoshihiko is throwing out an open challenge! Who will dare step foot against “The Grave Digger Doll From Hell”?


GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Lazarus Vs MAO

MAO’s Friday night comes to a close with a brawl against Lazarus near Fremont Street. Someone convince MAO to Moonsault off of the Vegas Vic neon sign.


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

1. Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Kidd Bandit & Shota
2. 3 Way Match: MAO & Yoshihiko Vs Jimmy Lloyd & Alec Price Vs Jack Cartwheel & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Tag Match: Mance Warner & Shunma Katsumata Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Matt Tremont
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & Dark Sheik Vs Super Crazy, Marcus Mathers & Shoko Nakajima
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita

What the hell kind of Fire Pro random card is this?


GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: Yoshihiko Vs X

Yoshihiko is among the many, many competitors announced for the Clusterfuck so far but nobody else from DDT or TJPW has declared they will be in it. It’s likely a bunch of the talent will already be flying home by the time this show takes place.

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Upcoming Appearances After WrestleMania Week


AEW “DYNAMITE – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 16/04/2025
MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Semi Final: Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Ok this is during WrestleMania Week but isn’t actually part of it so let’s stick it here. It’s now on to the semi finals for Takeshita where is next opponent is quite a doozy. It’s the rematch against Will Ospreay!


DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 1”, 24/04/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs LaBron Kozone & Calvin Tankman
2. DPW Women’s World Title: Dani Luna (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi

The hype train’s not stopping once WrestleMania is done. The schedule is going to get even more packed heading into the summer! DPW is heading back to Japan and has some familiar wrestlers taking part on their shows. Rika Tatsumi is getting a shot at the DPW Women’s World Title on the first night. The champion Dani Luna is coming out of a violent feud with Hyan over the belt which included title defences in Street Fights and Dog Collar matches. Sounds like she’ll be ready to handle Tatsumi’s madness. Meanwhile Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA are teaming up to take on two of DPW’s mainstays. LaBron Kozone is currently the DPW National Champion which just so happens to be the first DPW championship that his teammate Calvin Tankman won in the company.


DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 2”, 25/04/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Calvin Tankman & Kazuma Sumi
2. Emi Sakura, Chris Brookes, Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki Vs Miyuki Takase, Kevin Ku, Dominic Garrini & Ryo Mizunami

Then on the second night Brookes joins team ChocoPro to fight a mix of joshi and Violence Is Forever… Joshi Is Forever? Violence Is Joshi? Miyuki Takase & Ryo Mizunami Plus Two?

Tankman finds himself in the ring surrounded by DDT wrestlers. It will be a match of big man and little man teams when Tankman teams with Kazuma Sumi to fight the Harimao pair of Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida.


HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025
NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA

1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Will Takeshita bring an end to Mike Santana’s 16 month reign as House Of Glory’s champion?


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

You know, this is one of those shows that feels like it just takes forever to get to.


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

1. Mexican Tourist Belt – The Road To Studying In Mexico 5 Way Match: Yuki Mashiro Vs Honoka Vs YuuRI Vs SONYA Vs CoCo
2. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.

I heard this show has a Street Fighter 6 product placement match. Makoto and Hikaru Shida are cosplaying as R. Mika & Yamato Nadeshiko to fight a pair of masked Zangief wrestlers. It would be funny if The Gief #1 and The Gief #2 were other members of DAMNATION T.A.

I missed that YuuRI was booked for this show a month ago. She’s taking part in a 5 Way match where the winner will be crowned the second Mexican Tourist Belt Champion. Whoever holds possession of the belt is given the right to go study in Mexico thanks to the show sponsors. YuuRI’s opposition in the match are the freelancer Yuki Mashiro, Honoka from WAVE, SONYA from the Costa Rica Wrestling Embassy (CWE) and CoCo from MY WAY.


TOP TALENT “LIVE AT MIDWAY MUSIC HALL”, 02/05/2025
Midway Music Hall, Edmonton, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita is going to be visiting Canada a few more times during this excursion. Top Talent Wrestling is the latest promotion over there to book her.


HOODSLAM “PHANTASMAGORIA”, 02/05/2025
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh is getting her ass back to Hoodslam!


GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita

Itoh believes she cannot lose to Yamashita in GCW. Anywhere but over there!


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

One day later she gets her chance to win the GCW World Title from Effy. Only one person missing from making it a full Maki Death Bussy reunion.


HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025
Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Just have to wait and see who House Of Glory wants to put Yamashita against. It didn’t work out so well for her there last time.


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

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X

It hasn’t been made official at the time of writing but it’s looking like Takeshita will defend the NEVER Openweight Title against El Phantasmo at this show. Unless Romero does something else to ELP and changes the situation.


MAPLE LEAF PRO “NORTHERN RISING”, 10/05/2025
Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sereena Deeb

North American promoters really have a type of opponent in mind for Yamashita this time around, eh? She’ll have to deal with the wrestling expertise of Serena Deeb for her return to Maple Leaf Pro.


GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025
RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen

Yamashita’s journey through GCW continues.


GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025
Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

Once again, they meet at last.


MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025
Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China

1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam

The end of May will be a dramatic period for Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee. This match in Middle Kingdom Wrestling has now become the warmup for what happens in Singapore Pro Wrestling one week later.


SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025
Magnete, Milan, Italy

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Italy awaits for Yamashita in May.


SPW “MAYHEM”, 30/05/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Alexis Lee

The stakes have been risen to the extreme. Lee is wagering her pro wrestling career to get one last chance at winning back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku. If she loses this time then she is done for!


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

Hey since Darkness Revolution are now down a member in Marigold maybe Nagisa Nozaki will consider replacing Bozilla with Yuna Manase.


KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025
South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Yuna Manase Vs X

Yamashita’s match on this show will be a singles match with an opponent yet to be determined.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025
POST, Houston, Texas, USA

Does the T in TJPW now stand for Texas? On the weekend when AEW runs “ALL IN TEXAS” TJPW will be holding three shows in the Lone Star State.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025
POST, Houston, Texas, USA

Two of the shows are going to be in Houston.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS”, 13/07/2025
The OC, Forney, Texas, USA

The third show is happening… not in Dallas but they’re calling it Dallas anyway. Is this like years ago when WWE would be in New York State and only mention on air that they’re somewhere near New York City?


GANBARE☆PRO “MAD MAX 2025” Results

April 11, 2025

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!


GANBARE☆PRO “MOV MARKET” Results

February 22, 2025

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” Results

January 28, 2025

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☆PRO “NEW YEAR’S BLUES 2025” Results

January 13, 2025

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.


Endo Moving To NOAH, Lumber Snake Death Match, Ashida Joins TJPW, GanPro Ready For 2025

January 2, 2025

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.


GANBARE☆PRO “SOME DAY THE SUN WILL SHINE 2024” Results

December 27, 2024

GANBARE☆PRO “SOME DAY THE SUN WILL SHINE 2024”, 27/12/2024
Shinjuku FACE
380 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Yuki Kanzaki & Daisuke®️ defeated Tyson Maeguchi & Shota Kawakami when Kanzaki pinned Kawakami with the Fisherman Buster (12:37).
2. PSYCHO, YuuRI & Banny Oikawa defeated Choun-Shiryu, Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE when YuuRI pinned HARUKAZE with the Swanton Bomb (10:18).
3. Munetatsu Nakamura Debut 2nd Anniverary Match – Special Tag Match: Minoru Fujita & Isami Kodaka defeated Ken Ohka & Munetatsu Nakamura when Kodaka pinned Nakamura with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (10:30).
4. Kitsune World Title: MICHIKO defeated Yuna Manase (c) with the Tombstone Piledriver (12:24).
*Yuna Manase fails in V1. MICHIKO becomes the 3rd Kitsune World Champion!
5. Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Shigehiro Irie & Takuya Wada defeated Hartley Jackson, Kouki Iwasaki & Rekka when Wada pinned Rekka with the Assault Point (17:54).
6. Special Single Match: Dick Togo defeated Shuichiro Katsumura with a Jackknife Pin (16:44).
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Yumehito Imanari defeated Keisuke Ishii (c) with the Lariat (18:13).
*Keisuke Ishii fails in V5. Yumehito Imanari becomes the 8th Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Champion!

For the third year in a row a new Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion has been crowned at the promotion’s final show of the year! Keisuke Ishii had carried the title from the start of Ganbare☆Pro’s independence but today it finally ended by the hands of Yumehito Imanari. Or arms to be exact because Imanari kept hitting Lariat after Lariat until Ishii could no longer fight back. Eventually Imanari hit the move enough times to pin the champion and win the belt. Imanari couldn’t help but cry tears of joy and be thankful for what happened after such a challenging year for the company. GanPro will keep working hard on the road to their Korakuen Hall show celebrating their 12th anniversary on 11th April next year. Backstage Imanari named Yasu Urano as someone he wants to defend the title against. He wants to get revenge for Urano beating him with a Headlock back in 2017.

Dick Togo wasn’t here to pal around with anyone. When his match with Shuichiro Katsumura began he gave him the middle finger instead of a handshake. This wasn’t the House Of Torture version of Togo though. He and Katsumura gave everyone a wrestling match that went back and forth. Katsumura thought he got the upper hand when he rolled on top of a Crossface to pin Togo for a nearfall. But Togo kicked out, went on the counter attack and pinned his opponent with a Jackknife Pin. Katsumura was feeling both frustration and happiness after the match because he wrestled someone he looks up to. He didn’t win but he did feel like he returned to his route today. His goal now is to become the kind of wrestler young fighters will want to challenge. He also accepts that he can’t reach the same level of the main event anymore but he can be happy being a semi-main event wrestler from now on.

Yuna Manase had a grand vision in mind for her Kitsune World Title reign but sadly MICHIKO stopped it before it could even get off the ground. Manase ran in for a Lariat only to get knocked off her feet with an Elbow Strike. MICHIKO then dropped her with the Tombstone Piledriver to become the new champion. But before MICHIKO could leave the ring to celebrate, YuuRI approached her and signaled to everyone that she wants a title shot. MICHIKO told reporters that this is her first ever singles championship and she is happy to win it for GLEAT. She already knows Ganbare☆Joshi and Kitsune will be co-promoting a show in Shin-Kiba 1st RING on 13th January. She wants Manase to know they can have a rematch with or without the title sometime but she’s not sure if she will be available on that date yet. The result gave Manase bad memories because she also lost the International Princess Title in Tokyo Joshi Pro on her first defence. She promises to get the Kitsune Title back and won’t be happy if YuuRI wins it first!

Both Mizuki Watase and Shinichiro Tominaga greeted the fans at the start of the show. The two of them are currently out of action with the same injury but at opposite ends of recovery. Tominaga is almost healed from his ruptured Achilles tendon and will have his return match on 13th January. Watase only just recently suffered the same injury but according to his doctor he is recovering four times faster than a patient normally would.


GANBARE☆PRO “HANARE BANARE NI 2024” Results

October 14, 2024

GANBARE☆PRO “HANARE BANARE NI 2024”, 14/10/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
221 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Yuki Kanzaki defeated Shota Kawakami with the Fisherman Buster (7:29).
2. Masamune, Yumehito Imanari & Tyson Maeguchi defeated Shuichiro Katsumura, Choun-Shiryu & Takuya Wada when Imanari pinned Shiryu with a Power Bomb (12:19).
3. Ken Ohka defeated Daisuke®️ with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (11:06).
4. Gaia Hox & Jun Masaoka defeated defeated Keisuke Ishii & Munetatsu Nakamura when Hox pinned Nakamura with the BUTTERFLY EFFECT (13:02).
5. Makoto & SAKI defeated Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE when SAKI pinned HARUKAZE with the Running Brainbuster (17:44).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (c) defeated Yuna Manase & YuuRI when Watase pinned Manase with the Elbow Butt (22:09).
*V1 for Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase.

Today was the day for Ganbare☆Joshi to show their spirit and take over main event. The division’s top two names Yuna Manase & YuuRI fought Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase with the Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles on the line. Manase & YuuRI tried fighting fire with fire against the champions in order to show just how determined they were to win. Sadly the admirable performance ended in defeat. Irie took care of YuuRI with a Lariat and Watase used his signature moves on Manase. She kept kicking out of the pins so Watase pulled off his elbow pad and hit an exposed Elbow Butt to finally get the three count.

Watase praised Nippon Ganbare☆Rengo after the match for being so strong. He thought he would never lose to a team of women who can only try hard but this match convinced him it could happen after all. He encouraged GanJo to train more so they can have a rematch. Manase revealed she recently spoke to Shinjiro Otani and he gave her advice on how to win the match. He told her to keep going until she wins. She thanked Irie for fighting her & YuuRI today so he could get to understand their feelings. YuuRI said one day a GanJo wrestler will win a GanPro championship.

Over the last month Munetatsu Nakamura has been losing matches to Gaia Hox & Jun Masaoka across the wrestling scene. The pair known as F-SWAG have beaten Nakamura on both GanPro and FREEDOMS shows leading Nakamura to make a rash decision today. He was meant to wrestle Keisuke Ishii on a singles match but when he found out F-SWAG was in the area today he convinced Ishii to team with him for a tag match against them instead. F-SWAG won the match and have now beaten Nakamura for the third time in a row. The rookie still wants to keep fighting them no matter what company it will take place in. Masaoka doesn’t deny that Nakamura loves wrestling and GanPro but he explained that the rookie hasn’t changed much in their matches together. Ishii though? Masaoka enjoyed wrestling him and would be happy to have a singles match against him anytime. Hox also called out Shota Kawakami to stand with Nakamura if this rivalry against F-SWAG is going to continue.


Upcoming Universal Title Defences, GanJo Aiming For GanPro’s Main Event

September 27, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 AUTUMN”, 28/09/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Haru Kazashiro Vs Chika Nanase
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Wakana Uehara
3. Mizuki & Uta Takami Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Kira Summer
5. Rika Tatsumi, Yuki Aino & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Moka Miyamoto
6. Miu Watanabe, Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Max The Impaler, Shoko Nakajima & HIMAWARI

Three shows from three promotions this weekend. Tokyo Joshi Pro starts it off on Saturday with Max The Impaler still around to crate some more danger.

DDT “DRAMATIC INFINITY 2024 ~ 3 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 29/09/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & HARASHIMA Vs Jun Akiyama & Keigo Nakamura
2. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ishida
3. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Antonio Honda, To-y & Ilusion
4. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi
5. DDT Extreme Title – IPPON Lighttube Tag Team Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) & Kazuma Sumi Vs Akito & Yuni
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Iino (c) Vs Yukio Naya
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Kaisei Takeshi Vs Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Masahiro Takanashi

Then on Sunday DDT welcomes back Kaisei Takeshi to the fold for his second ever wrestling match. He is fitting this in a very busy schedule that is full of different kinds of performances in different places. He is aiming for this match to surpass the shock of his debut.

BASARA “KANRA TOWN 65TH ANNIVERSARY – KANRA PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL”, 29/09/2024
Gunma Kanra Junior High School Gymnasium

1. Takeru Inoue Vs Yujiro Yamamoto
2. Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs Ryota Nakatsu & Shuichiro Katsumura
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Banana Senga & Ryota Hama
4. KUBITO Vs Yasu Urano
5. Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & MAZADA Vs Ryuichi Sekine, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
6. FUMA Vs Hideki “Shrek” Sekine

The weekend is finished off with BASARA hosting a show in the Gunma region where FUMA looks to take down Hideki Sekine.

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2024 TOUR IN FUKUOKA”, 13/10/2024
Acros Fukuoka

1. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Azul Dragon (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kota Umeda & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Iino (c) Vs X

The next DDT Universal Title defence after this weekend will happen on 13th October. Will Yuki Iino still be the champion or is Yukio Naya taking his spot?

The show will feature a rare Kota Umeda sighting! Just as rare is the O-40 Title being defended. Azul Dragon won the belt back in April and has defended it just once since then. I’ll have to go look where that defence happened because it wasn’t in DDT.

Shinya Aoki will be on the show.

DDT “YUKI ISHIDA TRIUMPH! GOD BLESS DDT 2024 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 14/10/2024
Kumamoto L’celmo Yatsushiro

1. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi
2. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
3. Special Single Match: Yuki Iino Vs Kazuki Hirata

Whether he’s champion or not, Iino will have to deal with Kazuki Hirata in Kumamoto. If Hirata still has the Right To Challenge Shield by then he could use it for a title shot. However he seems to despise being in possession of the Shield and has not shown interest in using it for a title shot of any kind.

GANBARE☆PRO “HANARE BANARE NI 2024”, 14/10/2024
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Makoto & SAKI
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Yuna Manase & YuuRI

The lack of movement up the card for Ganbare☆Joshi has gotten to Yuna Manase so it’s time for a change. She wants GanJo matches to move up to the main event of Ganbare☆Pro events! She and YuuRI got themselves a big opportunity to do that by challenging Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase For the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles.

GANBARE☆PRO “HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER 2024”, 03/11/2024
Osaka 176BOX

1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Hartley Jackson

Yumehito Imanari blew his chance of facing Keisuke Ishii for the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title and ended up causing Ishii to defend the title against an even bigger challenger! Hartley Jackson is ready to remind everyone in GanPro that he is Ichiban by becoming a two-time champion.


GANBARE☆PRO “KATTENI-SHIYAGARE 2024” Results

September 23, 2024

GANBARE☆PRO “KATTENI-SHIYAGARE 2024”, 23/09/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall
240 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Jun Masaoka & Gaia Hox defeated Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami when Hox pinned Kawakami with the Modified Package Piledriver (14:08).
2. London Machine, Choun-Shiryu & Tsukina Umino defeated PSYCHO, Rekka & HARUKAZE when Machine submitted HARUKAZE with the Argentine Backbreaker (12:20).
3. Yuna Manase & YuuRI defeated Moeka Haruhi & Maya Yukihi when Manase pinned Haruhi with the Lariat (12:35).
4. Hartley Jackson defeated Yumehito Imanari with the Piledriver (13:20).
5. Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase defeated Tyson Maeguchi, Thanomsak Toba & Kouki Iwasaki when Katsumura submitted Maeguchi with the Triple Three 3 Lock (14:27).
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) defeated Takuya Wada with the High Angle Double Arm DDT (18:51).
*V3 for Keisuke Ishii.

Last month’s cancelled show delayed the Spirit Of Ganbare World Title match to today. In the meantime Keisuke Ishii got to wrestle Yuji Nagata recently and was inspired to use the Nagata Lock II on Takuya Wada. He had to let go due to a rope break but Ishii went back to his usual moveset and eventually won with the High Angle Double Arm DDT. Ishii encouraged Wada to keep fighting him and said they should have three more matches against each other. Ishii told the fans he will lead Ganbare☆Pro for as long as his willpower and body can handle it. Hartley Jackson entered the ring and told Ishii he is a strong champion, but Jackson is ichiban! He will face Ishii for the SOG Title in Osaka on 3rd November.

After Match #5 Mizuki Watase was confronted in the ring by Yuna Manase. She said Watase is doing more to carry the weight of GanPro in other promotions than anyone else. However Manase wants to make her name inside GanPro so she is challenging Watase & Shigehiro Irie for the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles! Watase accepted her challenge, saying he and Irie want to defend the titles against anyone who is motivated regardless of their gender, nationality or what promotion the represent. Manase wants the title shot to happen on 14th October in the main event and she already decided YuuRI is going to be her tag partner. Whenever they team together they are called Nippon Ganbare☆Rengo. The move has Shuichiro Katsumura’s approval. He was going to challenge the champions with Ken Ohka but he’s happy to support his “cute little sisters” instead. Watase is Katsumura’s “nasty little brother” so he won’t be cheering for him.

At the start of the show Yumehito Imanari talked about being undefeated in GanPro ever since they went independent. He asked Michiyoshi Mishima to be rewarded with a SOG Title shot if he could beat Jackson today. Mishima agreed but Imanari ended up losing the match. That led to Jackson challenging Ishii for the title at the end of the show instead.

Another reason why Manase made her tag title challenge was to help push the Ganbare☆Joshi division towards the main event of GanPro cards. GanJo matches are usually held during the first half of the regular shows and when Match #3 was finished Manase asked Mishima to book a GanJo bout for the main event of the 14th October show. Mishima said he would think about it but Manase was not happy with that answer. Then the stuff already written above happened later as a compromise.

HARUKAZE finds herself in the opposite end from Imanari. She has yet to win a match in GanPro since the group went independent and vowed today would be her first victory. That didn’t happen because London Machine made her submit to the Argentine Backbreaker. Both of them tried pulling on each other’s masks during the match.

Even though Munetatsu Nakamura lost in the opening match, he made a request afterwards. Takashi Sasaki was in attendance and Nakamura asked him if he could be booked for the FREEDOMS show at Korakuen Hall on 10th October. Sasaki was impressed by how proactive Nakamura is to ask him directly instead of contacting the FREEDOMS office. However Jun Masaoka took offence and told both Nakamura & Shota Kawakami they need to practice more. A brawl broke out between the teams. Masaoka & Gaia Hox ended up getting the better of the GanPro rookies again.

At the end of the show Ohka interrupted Ishii’s closing speech to give everyone an announcement. GanPro will return to Korakuen Hall on 11th April, 2025! It will be GanPro’s first time booking Korakuen as an independent promotion. The previous times were all done under DDT or CyberFight’s control. Ishii said never in his 16 year career has he main evented a Korakuen show as a singles champion. He will do his best to headline Korakuen with the SOG Title and close out the show with fans chanting his name.