I’m Off To Tokyo For 2 Weeks

Almost ten years after my last visit to Japan, I’m a day away from flying back out there. Spending the new year in Tokyo and attending Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome has been something I’ve wanted to do for over a decade but real life obligations prevented me from ever going through with it. Luckily for me, this time around everything has fallen into place for me to actually do it and the timing of it means I’m going to the biggest Wrestle Kingdom to happen in years. Not only that but the itinerary I’ve put together for this trip has become the mother of all wrestling holidays. Stardom at Sumo Hall? I’m going to that. NOAH in Budokan Hall? I’ll be there. DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro having their year opening events in Korakuen Hall? You bet I wouldn’t miss that for the world! Add in shows at Shinjuku FACE, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi and even Ichigaya Chocolate Hall it all ends up with me pretty much speed running all of the famous and infamous Tokyo wrestling venues within a fortnight.

As for what will get posted on this blog while I am gone? I honestly don’t know at the moment. I’m bringing my laptop with me and will at least post the match results when I can but show reports, up to date news and other stuff will likely be put on the wayside until I return home and get some rest. I did a small one for the DDT show I went to in Saitama back in 2016 (which you can read here). Same goes for any end of trip report where I talk about what the experience is like. Worrying about that sort of stuff would only get in the way while I’m trying to enjoy my holiday. What I’ll likely do is tweet about all the shows I’m going to so you might get not non-DDT and non-TJPW related stuff from me on your feeds for the next two weeks.

What I have done in preparation for this trip is take part in a podcast about it. I was invited onto Wrestling Omakase for a massive roundtable covering as many of the shows happening around Wrestle Kingdom and the New Year’s period as we could. My lion’s share of the recording is in Part 1 for the men’s companies where I talk about DDT, NJPW, NOAH and BASARA. Then I pop up for half an hour in Part 2 as part of the TJPW section. Links to the episodes can be found below:

Wrestling Omakase #276: Wrestle Kingdom Week 2025-26 Preview Part 1 (NJPW, NOAH, AJPW, DDT, BASARA, Ganbare, BJW & GLEAT)

https://redcircle.com/shows/89701c36-312e-4ab1-b159-fd2aa057df63/ep/d35cf887-9d99-4964-b903-7e07330830a9

Wrestling Omakase #277: Wrestle Kingdom Week 2025-26 Preview Part 2 (STARDOM, Marigold, TJPW, AWG, OZ, ICE, Marvelous, SEAd, ChocoPro, Diana, Pure-J, WAVE)

https://redcircle.com/shows/89701c36-312e-4ab1-b159-fd2aa057df63/ep/a92a7a90-8a36-4c20-ae58-3f923d11628e

Video – Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match

DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
816 Fans

7. Nivea Body Wash Presents Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Saki Akai, Maya Yukihi & Asuka Vs Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima

End Of Year Line Ups, Shion Kanzaki, GanPro At The Boat Races Again

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW YEAR-END PARTY 2025”, 27/12/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Suzume Vs Uta Takami
2. Wakana Uehara Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Yuki Aino Vs Chika Nanase
4. Rika Tatsumi & Toga Vs Kakeru Sekiguchi & Mahiro Kiryu
5. I Hope Next Year Will Be Filled With Many Happy And Fun Events! Princess Rumble 2025: Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Arisu Endo Vs Shoko Nakajima Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Kaya Toribami Vs Mizuki Vs Yuki Arai Vs Hyper Misao Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Kira Summer Vs Max The Impaler Vs Ram Kaichow Vs X Vs X

Last minute changes to the card are happening because Ren Konatsu is feeling unwell and won’t be able to wrestle on the show. Uta Takami has been taken out of the Princess Rumble to take Konatsu’s place as Suzume’s opponent in the opening match. Because of that the Rumble will now just have 19 entries instead of 20. The two mystery participants haven’t been announced in advance as far as I know.

BASARA “BASARA 295 ~TAKAGARI 31~”, 27/12/2025
Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center

1. ~Jun-chan’s Grilled Meat Voucher Contest~ East Vs West Knockout Match!: FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Takeru Inoue Vs Ryuichi Sekine, Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino, Minoru Fujita & Banana Senga
2. 3 Way Match: Daichi Kazato Vs Ryota Nakatsu Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
3. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Kengo Mashimo & Ayumu Honda (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Daiki Shimomura

It was announced that Ryuichi Sekine will be taking on a smaller schedule with BASARA next year. For 2026 he will only be wrestling on approximately one show a month with them. BASARA are trying to make the news sound more positive by saying when he does appear on their shows from now on he will provide even more effort and excitement to make up for his fewer appearances.

DDT “WHAT’S WRONG WITH ENDING THE YEAR IN NAGOYA! A SPECTACULAR END TO 2025”, 27/12/2025
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. Yuki Iino Vs Hinata Kasai
2. Danshoku Dieno & Yuni Vs Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao
3. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion
4. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Akito Vs Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato
5. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs DAMNATION T.A!: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Demus
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kazuma Sumi Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada

Still a few more days left of Takeshi Masada being a part of SCHADENFREUDE International before he leaves.

GANBARE☆PRO “BEFORE SUNRISE 2025”, 27/12/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Mizuki Watase, Shigehiro Irie, Munetatsu Nakamura & Sentaro Motoshima Vs Jun Kasai, Takuya Wada, Tyson Maeguchi & Shota Kawakami
2. Mixed 3-Way Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Moeka Haruhi & Gabai Ji-chan Vs Yuna Manase & Takashi Sasaki Vs HARUKAZE & Hartley Jackson
3. Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Akira Shoji
4. YuuRI 5th Anniversary Match: YuuRI Vs Sareee
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Masaaki Mochizuki (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

I’m gutted I won’t arrive in Japan in time to see Ganbare☆Pro in Korakuen Hall.

DDT “YEAR END☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2025”, 28/12/2025
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. Yuni Vs Hinata Kasai
2. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Kazuki Hirata & Akito
3. Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Soma Takao
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Danshoku Dieno Vs MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO)
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: To-y, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion

Saturday’s DDT show in Nagoya is now sold out.

BASARA “BASARA 296 ~UTAGE~”, 28/12/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takeru Inoue Vs Banana Senga
2. Takumi Tsukamoto, Daiki Shimomura & Tatsuya Hanami Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Yasu Urano & Minoru Fujita
3. Gauntlet Tag Match: Ryuichi Sekine & FUMA Vs Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
4. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa

If all goes well and I arrive to my hotel in time, I’ll be at this show.

SUPER JAPAN “NEVER MIND”, 29/12/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Ryuma Tsukamoto Vs Shota
2. DJ Nira Vs Muscle Sakai
3. Mio Shirai Vs Marika Kobashi
4. Special Tag Match – “Showa” II & “Reiwa” Debut Match: MIKAMI & Takashi Sasaki Vs “Showa” II & “Reiwa”
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Taiji Ishimori, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei Vs Shuji Kondo, Ken Ohka & Mac Matsushita
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Kasai & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa Vs Yuji Nagata, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Fuminori Abe

Is it a good idea to attend a show featuring The Brahman Brothers late in the card and then go straight to a joshi show afterwards? I might find that out for myself.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’26”, 04/01/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shion Kanzaki Debut Match: Shion Kanzaki Vs X
2. Yuna Manase, Toga & Chika Nanase Vs HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki & Kira Summer
3. 3 Way Match: Aja Kong Vs Rika Tatsumi Vs Mahiro Kiryu
4. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
5. Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami Vs J-Rod & Mifu Ashida
6. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Yuki Arai Vs Max The Impaler, Raku & Pom Harajuku
7. International Princess Title: Arisu Endo (c) Vs MIRAI
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara (c) Vs Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Suzume

Only one of the two debuts planned for Ittenyon is now going ahead. The trainee Shion has taken on the name Shion Kanzaki for her first match. She is from Chiba and was born on 11th February, 2001. She is 156cm tall and was part of her high school’s kendo club. After she graduated from school she formed a band with friends where she was on guitar and vocals. The band split up though and she took on a regular office job until decided to take on pro wrestling because she’s been a fan of it since she was a child.

The other trainee Anri has been pulled from the same match after it was decided she isn’t in the right condition yet to go through with her debut. Both Uta Takami and Ren Konatsu were part of the match too so maybe it can still go ahead as a tag bout with a last minute fill in. Is Ryo Mizunami busy that day?

GANBARE☆PRO “TODA SPECIAL MATCH”, 11/01/2026
Saitama Boat Race Toda

1. Gabai Ji-chan & Yoshihiro Horaguchi Vs Choun Shiryu & Shin Suzuki
2. Keisuke Ishii, Takuya Wada & Sentaro Motoshima Vs Mizuki Watase, Gota Ihashi & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Moeka Haruhi, Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Maya Yukihi, Banny Oikawa & Yuki Mashiro
4. Ken Ohka & Shota Kawakami Vs Akira Shoji & Tyson Maeguchi
5. Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Minoru Suzuki & Shuichiro Katsumura

GanPro opens up their new year at the boat races with Minoru Suzuki, Akira Shoji, Maya Yukihi, Yuki Mashiro and Yoshihiro Horaguchi as guests. The matches will be held throughout the day inbetween some of the races.