Washida Has The Flu, Nakajima’s Return Match, New Year’s Wrestler List

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “EIGHT PILLARS DRAGON CASTLE 2019”, 16/11/2019
Aichi NGK Sports Plaza 3rd Stadium

1. Ganbare☆Wrestling Vs DEP All Out Battle Special Single Match: Shin Suzuki Vs Takaya Shibayama
2. Special Tag Match That Is Obsessed With The Distant Night Sky: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Masked Mystery & Shota
3. Ganbare☆Wrestling Vs ~Barren Twitter’s Perfect Match~: Ken Ohka & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Kengo Takai & Intelligence Sensational Grand Passion Mask #4
4. Pocchari Joshi World Tryout: Yumehito Imanari Vs Nightshade
5. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Kaho Kobayashi & Konatsu
6. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title – Monthly Young Communication November Issue For Only Two People ~The First Time In Nine Years~: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Michio Kageyama

Shuhei Washida has the flu and is too sick to wrestle this weekend. Shin Suzuki takes his place.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “FALL TOUR ’19 ~BEST REGARDS~”, 23/11/2019
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Shoko Nakajima Triumphant Return Special Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima Vs X & X

When Shoko Nakajima returns from Mexico she teams with Yuka Sakazaki for a Miraclians reunion. Losing the Princess Of Princess Title to her is water under the bridge.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

The team selections will take place on 22nd November.

The Big Japan wrestlers entering the tournament are Ryuji Ito, Daisuke Sekimoto, Yuji Okabayashi, Daichi Hashimoto, Ryota Hama, Ryuichi Kawakami, Yasufumi Nakanoue, Takuya Nomura, Orca Uto (what the hell kind of name change is that?), Yuya Aoki, Kazuki Hashimoto, Kota Sekifuda and Yuki Ishikawa.

The DDT wrestlers are Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura, Yuki Iino, Antonio Honda, Yukio Sakaguchi, Yukio Naya, Akito and Shunma Katsumata.

But wait there’s more. There are wrestlers being booked who are labelled as outsiders. They are Chris Brookes, Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka, The Brahman Brothers, T-Hawk and El Lindaman.

Hitchiking Hirata, The Pocchaminator

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2019 SUMMER ~SUNSHINE CARNIVAL~”, 10/08/2019
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Makoto Kiryu
2. Miu Watanabe Vs Unagi Himawari
3. Rika Tatsumi & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Aino & YUMI
4. Natsumi Maki Vs Raku
5. Sakisama & Misao Vs Miyu Yamashita & Mirai Maiumi
6. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Pom Harajuku
7. Shoko Nakajima, Nodoka Tenma & Maki Itoh Vs Mizuki, Yuna Manase & Mina Shirakawa

A contract signing for the two title matches in Osaka next month will take place before this show begins.

DDT “CRY TO THE FIRE! 2019”, 10/08/2019
Hiroshima Aster Plaza Multipurpose Hall

1. Soma Takao, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato Vs MAO, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
2. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi & Masahiro Takanashi
3. The Last Time Was Only A Signing Event, Danshoku Dieno Will Wrestle In Hiroshima For The First Time In A Year And Two Months 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito Vs Antonio Honda
4. Kazuki Hirata Marunage Match: Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata (w/ Sanshiro Takagi) Vs Kenshin Chikano & Rey Paloma
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Hiroshima Specialty! Special 6-Man Tag Team Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazusada Higuchi

At the time of writing, Kazuki Hirata has spent at least half a day hitchhiking from Tokyo to Hiroshima. The last time I checked his Twitter account he was resting at a service station in Gifu. He’s been picked up by at least four different cars so far.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “GANBARE MONSTER RED 2019”, 10/08/2019
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. East Japan Vs West Japan Full War!: Keisuke Ishii & Shuhei Washida Vs Takeshi Okada & Ryutaro Watanabe
2. Iwasaki Vs BJW All Out Match First Round: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Akira Hyodo
3. Jinjiryu! Ganjo Vs Actwres girl’Z All Round Fight Round 3: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs Miyuki Takase & Ayumi Hayashi
4. Ganpro Army Vs Real GUTS Army: Yumehito Imanari Vs X
5. Ganpro Army Vs Real GUTS Army: Miss Mongol Vs Shota
6. Ganpro Army Vs Real GUTS Army: Ken Ohka Vs Masked Mystery
7. A Phantom Dream! Single Match Of Fate!: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Fujita

The big August weekend for Ganbare☆Wrestling is here.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “GANBARE MONSTER GREEN 2019”, 11/08/2019
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Ganpro Five Big Matches Of Scorching Heat: Shuhei Washida Vs Ryotaro Watanabe
2. Ganpro Five Big Matches Of Scorching Heat: HARUKAZE Vs Cherry
3. Ganpro Five Big Matches Of Scorching Heat: Keisuke Ishii Vs Chikara
4. Ganpro Five Big Matches Of Scorching Heat – Iwasaki Vs BJW All Out Match Second Round: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Ryuichi Kawakami
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title – Ganpro Five Big Matches Of Scorching Heat: Shuichiro Katsumura (c) Vs Takeshi Okada
6. GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Ken Ohka, Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol (c) Vs Kenichiro Arai, Masked Mystery & Shota

Nothing new to add here either. Maybe Kouki Iwasaki can impress enough against the Big Japan wrestlers to get some BJW bookings in the future.

DDT “DRAMATIC I WILL DO IT 2019”, 11/08/2019
Kumamoto Ryutsujoho Hall

1. MAO Vs Mizuki Watase
2. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Hiroshi Yamato
3. DAMNATION Vs W Yukio!: Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yukio Naya
4. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata
5. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (w/ Yoshihiko) Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
6. Naomi Yoshimura Marunage Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ueno Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Kodai Nozaki
7. Burn, The Country Of Fire! Fight, DDT! Kumamoto Specialty Special 4 Way Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Antonio Honda

Luckily for Hirata he does not have to hitchhike his way from Hiroshima to Kumamoto.

BASARA “BASARA 103 ~BURNING SWORD~”, 11/08/2019
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Daiki Shimomura Vs Daichi Kazato
2. Aiseki Tag Vs Aijin Tag: Fuminori Abe & Ikuto Hidaka Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano
4. Sakigake!! Iron Family Tag Match To Reconfirm Their Bonds: FUMA & Yusuke Kubo Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT
5. Union MAX Title: Ryuichi Sekine (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

Ryuichi Sekine won the Union MAX Title back in May. He is only getting his first defence now three months later.

DDT “WRESTLING TOKOTSU 2019”, 12/08/2019
Fukuoka Hakata Sazanpia

1. Shunma Katsumata Vs Hiroshi Yamato
2. 4 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Lowther
3. Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Yuto Aijima & Azul Dragon
4. Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Mizuki Watase
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Masahiro Takanashi, MAO & Yukio Naya
6. Pokotan Marunage Match: Chair Vs Chair (Special Referee: Pokotan)
7. Hakata Specialty! Seimon Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Akito Vs HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura

The latest tour ends with a stop in Hakata.

DDT “IT IS DRAMATIC YEAH 2019”, 18/08/2019
Aichi Nagoya City Kashiwajima Sports Center

1. Hiroshi Yamato Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
3. Biwajima Specialty! Kishimen, Hitabushi, Doteni, Miso 4 Way Match: Mad Paulie Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yuki Ueno
4. Shunma Katsumata Marunage Match – Toy Block Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO
5. Konosuke Takeshita & Akito Vs Antonio Honda & Intelligence Sensational Grand Passion Mask #4
6. Nagoya Specialty! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo Vs HARASHIMA, Kazuki Hirata & Kazusada Higuchi

Yukio Sakaguchi and Saki Akai will not be on the show because they will be at a New Taiwan Pro Wrestling show that day.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “POCCHARI JOSHI PRO WRESTLING – P2 TRAINSPOTTING”, 20/08/2019
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Special Poccha Libre Match ~American Drag Queen Vs Miss Jumbo~: Beauty Suzuki vs Himeka Arita
2. Pocchari Great Mothers Vs Mad Slender Army ~ Rainup War Without Jingi 2nd Season: Miss Mongol & Hamuko Hoshi Vs Moeka Haruhi & Banny Oikawa
3. Keiko Takeshita International Friendly Match – Keiko Beyond The Heart: Yumehito Imanari Vs Konosuke Takeshita
4. Pocchaminator Mana Connor Chronicles: Mana Connor (Yuna Manase) Vs Pocchaminator (P-800)

Yumehito Imanari is promising an “Innovative Invention Experiment” on the show called πMAX Digital Theater. Fans in attendance will be wearing special glasses to watch an extra large screen that is so immersive you will feel like you are inside a womb again. He is using this technology to screen one of Yuna Manase’s DVDs. Those who see it will feel like they are being wrapped around in Manase’s motherhood.

Manase doesn’t get what Imanari is trying to do, she is only focusing on her match. And er… at least I think it is a match. The set up is the main event features the Pocchaminator, a cyborg from the year 2050 that has traveled back in time to kill people who have a BMI value above a certain level on behalf of major advertising agencies. The resistance is led by one person. Not Yuna Manase but Mana Connor! If she cannot stop the P-800 then there is no future for Pocchari Joshi Pro!

Konosuke Takeshita’s mother Keiko is a special ambassador on the show. She will oversee the match between Imanari and her son. Imanari hopes that Keiko will show as much love for him as she does for her own son.

I thought this show was just supposed to be a Trainspotting parody…

DDT “OSAKA OCTOPUS 2019”, 01/09/2019
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya Vs Yasu Urano, Antonio Honda & X
2. HARASHIMA & MAO Vs Jun Masaoka & Kohei Kinoshita
3. Osaka Octopus Cup Battle Royal: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie Vs Saki Akai Vs Asuka Vs Yuni Vs Puma King
4. DD Army Vs ALL OUT!: Danshoku Dieno & Maku Donaruto Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata
5. DAMNATION Vs DISASTER BOX!: Shuji Ishikawa & Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura
6. O-40 Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs Ken Ohka
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Jiro Kuroshio & Kazusada Higuchi
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Shinya Aoki

The mystery wrestler will reveal themselves at the 25th August Korakuen Hall show. Whoever it is, they approached DDT to be booked for “OSAKA OCTOPUS 2019”.

DDT “MASAHIRO TAKANASHI BOX OFFICE ~FOLLOW ME, THE DREAM IS STILL AHEAD~”, 15/09/2019
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Ryogoku Gauntlet Tag Match: Antonio Honda & Riho Vs Hoshitango & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Emi Sakura & Cherry Vs Yusuke Inokuma & MAO Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Saki Akai & Mei Suruga
2. Kagetora & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno
3. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Danshoku Dieno

How long has it been since Yusuke Inokuma wrestled in DDT? He did show up at last year’s Masahiro Takanashi produced show but he was there as Yoshihiko’s handler. Last match I found him in was for the final Union Pro event in 2015.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “LAST DANCE IS FOR ME 2019” Results

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “LAST DANCE IS FOR ME 2019”, 17/07/2019
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
141 Fans

1. If It Fights, It Is a Man! The Gate Of Confrontation Has Finally Been Opened!!: Ultra Soki & Yuta Suzuki defeated Kouki Iwasaki & Shuhei Washida when Soki pinned Washida with the Nishime Otoshi (10:55).
2. Kochoranbu! Ganjo Vs Actwres girl’Z All Round Fight Round 2: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE defeated Momo Tani & Ayumi Hayashi when Haruhi pinned Tani with the 79.5MHz (10:38).
3. Great Conflict That Is Not Over Yet! Momota Family Vs Naoshi Sano: Naoshi Sano defeated Chikara with an Axe Bomber (11:15).
4. Ganpro Vs P.P.P. Full Battle: Keisuke Ishii defeated Mitomi Masayuki with the High Angle Double Arm DDT (10:32).
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shuichiro Katsumura (c) defeated Hiroshi Yamato with the Ninja Choke (19:22).
*V2 for Shuichiro Katsumura.
6. GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles – 20th Champions Decision Match: Ken Ohka, Yumehito Imanari & Miss Mongol defeated Guts Ishijima, Masked Mystery & Shota when Mongol pinned Shota with a Cross Body (13:06).
*GPW become the 20th GWC 6-Man Tag Team Champions!

Miss Mongol thanked Ken Ohka & Yumehito Imanari for giving her the opportunities to wrestle even at her age. Before the show took place Mongol contacted Atsushi Onita for permission to close out the show the same way he used to. Onita gave her his blessing but after she did it, the Real GUTS Army attacked them. Shota said today’s result was a fluke and he demanded some rematches to take place on 10th and 11th August. Guts Ishijima won’t be at the 10th August show because he already has a booking with 666. Shota promised to bring along a replacement.

Minoru Fujita approached Shuichiro Katsumura after the semi-main and asked for a match with him. Fujita originally promised he would never come back to Ganbare☆Wrestling but he really wants to wrestle Katsumura. They agreed to have a match on 10th August but the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title will not be on the line.

Naoshi Sano beat Chikara clean then challenged Mitsuo Momota to a match. However Momota had another idea. It is clear that he and his son cannot beat Sano so rather then fight him again, they should all team up instead! That would be a better way for them to study Sano’s strength. Sano and Chikara were both puzzled by the idea but Momota convinced them to try it out.

Ken Ohka had some big news for Kouki Iwasaki. Next month he is going to have a couple of opponents from Big Japan coming in! Iwasaki faces Akira Hyodo on 10th August and Ryuichi Kawakami on the 11th!

Ohka and Shuhei Washida attempted to Bottle Cap Challenge before the show began but they both failed. So they changed the rules into a water drinking contest. Washida beat Ohka.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2018 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT” Results

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2018 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,242 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuki Iino defeated Ryota Hama & Antonio Honda (w/ Jaki Numazawa) when Sekimoto submitted Honda with a Scorpion Lock (6:26).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Takuya Nomura & Kazuki Hirata when Okabayashi submitted Hirata with the Argentine Backbreaker (6:57).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brahman Kei & Masahiro Takanashi (w/ Brahman Shu) when Miyamoto submitted Takanashi with a Cross Armbreaker (5:53).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey defeated Great Kojika & Sammy Guevara when Ueki pinned Kojika with a School Boy (6:44).
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuya Aoki & MAO defeated Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Tetsuya Endo when Aoki pinned Yoshino with a Modified Backslide Pin (7:37).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yoshihisa Uto & Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Hideki Suzuki) when Hashimoto pinned Takagi with the Shining Wizard (1:22).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao when Higuchi pinned Takao with a Cradle (5:38).
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA defeated Ryuji Ito & Yuki Ueno when Takeda pinned Ueno with a One Man Conchairto (6:50).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuki Iino when Sakaguchi pinned Iino with the God’s Right Knee (9:50).
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey when Miyamoto submitted Ueki with a Heel Hold (9:21).
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuya Aoki & MAO when Sasaki submitted Aoki with the Cross Facelock (9:14).
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
12a. Sudden Death – 1 Count Fall: Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA defeated Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi when HARASHIMA pinned Higuchi with a Jackknife Pin (0:41).
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki when Okabayashi pinned Hashimoto with the Golem Splash (10:07).
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
14a. Sudden Death – 1 Count Fall: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA when Takeshita pinned HARASHIMA with a Rolling Leg Clutch (1:54).
15. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi when Takeshita pinned Sakaguchi with the Fable (13:10).

The annual New Year’s tradition of a massive inter-promotional tournament in Korakuen Hall is back again. The teams all contained one Big Japan wrestler and one DDT wrestler although a few had an extra wrestler aiding them from ringside one way or another. Let’s get through this marathon.

Round 1

Muscle Wolf Vs Hama Ton
Antonio Honda was able to poke Daisuke Sekimoto in the eyes with Gongitsune but Yuki Iino was one step ahead and countered Honda with a nipple pinch when the attack was aimed at him. This is the point where Ryota Hama thinks his team lost the match. From there Sekimoto gave Honda an Atomic Drop and then submitted him with a Scorpion Deathlock. Jaki Numazawa was in Hama & Honda’s corner for the match. He blames himself for the team losing.

Bald & Blonde Vs ☆Team Nomura☆
Takuya Nomura came out dressed like Kazuki Hirata. The two were about to dance for their entrance when Yukio Sakaguchi immediately attacked Hirata. Nomura stood up to his opponents with his kicks but his momentum was purposely stopped by Hirata so he could tag in. Hirata’s knock out chop worked against Yuji Okabayashi although it took a few moments for it to take effect. Nomura & Hirata got to do their dance but unbeknownst to them, Okabayashi & Sakaguchi got up behind them also wearing Hirata Go glasses! The bald and blonde wrestlers beat up their opponents along to the music until Okabayashi submitted Hirata with the Argentine Backbreaker. Nomura said he doesn’t remember anything after he put on the glasses. He also never learned Hirata’s dance and blames that for the loss. On the bright side, Hirata thinks there are infinite possibilities for them together as a team. He hopes they work together again so he can harness that power to beat Sakaguchi!

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Toryumon Refugees
This year Yuko Miyamoto has been promoting himself as the strongest Joshi wrestler in Japan. In the opening round he was going to prove it by transforming himself into Shinobu Kandori! He entered to Kandori’s song “GET IT BACK” and wore an identical costume to hers. Maybe she would have found it funny but she was too busy losing her shit at a Brazilian She Hulk over at the RIZIN show during this time. Masahiro Takanashi and the Brahman Brothers also paid a tribute of their own to their mentor Ultimo Dragon by entering to his music. Brahman Shu was also wearing an Ultimo Dragon mask. The usual Brahmans plunder came out like their suitcase and bowling ball. Konosuke Takeshita threw the briefcase at Takanashi then handled the Brahmans while Miyamoto scrambled with Takanashi. Miyamoto rolled Takanashi into a Cross Armbreaker for the submission victory. He and Takanashi then gave the Brahmans a taste of their own medicine by doing the bowling ball spot on them. Backstage Takanashi & Brahman Kei begged Shu/Dragon for forgiveness. Kei/Dragon demanded they become Toryumon trainees againt and pay the tuition fees along with it.

Japan-US 4 Dimensional Combination Vs Team Let’s Go
Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey got along great, screaming “Let’s Go!” at everyone and each other for the entire match. Bailey was also wearing his own Ueki’s style shirt with his name on it. Sammy Guevara gave both of them the middle finger and The Great Kojika did the same later. Kojika got into a strike exchange with Bailey until Ueki snuck in a School Boy to pin him. Kojika enjoyed teaming with Guevara and wants to do it again next year. Guevara asked Kojika how old he was. Kojika said he was 60…

2nd Generation Party Boys Vs Cherry Boys On The Run
Tetsuya Endo wasn’t eager to team with Tatsuhiko Yoshino. He had to be encouraged down to the ring by Yoshino and Kota Sekifuda. During the match MAO put Endo in a Crab Hold and Endo couldn’t move. Sekifuda got into the ring and along with the audience taught Endo how to reach the ropes. Endo tried to follow the instructions but MAO dragged him back into the centre and Yoshino had to break up the hold. When Yoshino got tagged in the match became more cheeky when he pulled down the back of Yuya Aoki & MAO’s tights, exposing their backsides. Endo & Yoshino would end up having the back of their tights pulled back too. Aoki put an end to the match by backsliding Yoshino into a pin and bridging over on top of him for the pin. Endo told Yoshino he would be muting him on Twitter because of what happened.

Super Fighting Three Musketeers Vs Black Tri-Stars
This was weird. Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki came out doing a mashup act of The Three Musketeers: Daichi’s father Shinya Hashimoto, Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto. They were supposed to fight Yoshihisa Uto & Sanshiro Takagi with Hideki Suzuki in their corner but they were nowhere to be found. Instead the Black Tri-Star Gundams appeared! They circled around Korakuen Hall until they finally attacked. Sasaki grabbed their cannon and struck them with it. Hashimoto then channeled Muto and his chronic knee pain to hit the Shining Wizard and win the match. The Black Tri-Stars fled but not before attacking Mita Sayoko at the commentary table along the way.

Team Katagi Vs MudNATION
Yasufumi Nakanoue carried a wooden sword to the ring and acted like Kazusada Higuchi’s mentor for the match. Nakanoue tried to strike Soma Takao with the sword but he moved and Higuchi took the blow. Minoru Fujita grabbed the sword and tried to attack Higuchi. Higuchi also moved out of the ring and Takao got hit. That allowed Higuchi to cradle Takao for the three count. Both Fujita & Takao said they couldn’t hear each other during the match and would have needed subtitles to communicate better.

Team A Line Vs Crazy Smile
Yuki Ueno got in the death match mood by dressing up like Ryuji Ito and asking for the match to be held under Hardcore rules. On the other side, Masashi Takeda wore one of HARASHIMA’s ring jackets for his entrance and wanted to wrestle a normal match. Chairs were brought into the ring anyway and were used a lot. Ueno didn’t hesitate to hit his DISASTER BOX leader HARASHIMA with a chair but that meant HARASHIMA also would not hold back when the roles were reversed. Takeda wasn’t able to hit the Reverse U-Crash, Ueno countered it into a Cradle for a nearfall. Takeda instead placed a chair on top of Ueno’s face then hit it with another chair to keep Ueno down for the pin count. Ito & Ueno admitted they did not communicate with each other much before the show. They only shared 4 or 5 direct messages with each other. If they team up again they promise to message each other more.

Round 2

Muscle Wolf Vs Bald & Blonde
Big lads collided a bunch to kick off the second round. In the dying seconds of the match Sakaguchi hit Iino with the God’s Right Knee to get the win. Iino thinks he pulled a muscle in his leg after doing the Spear. However he says he learned a lot teaming with Sekimoto and will use it to win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in DDT on 3rd January. Iino and Sekimoto also promised to keep in touch through DMs.

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Team Let’s Go
Ueki came up with the perfect plan to counter Miyamoto’s Shinobu Kandori tribute. He came out dressed as Aja Kong! Bailey also joined in by having his face painted like Kong’s. The Kandori Vs Kong match up was historically accurate until Ueki lost his temper and pulled out his gun. Ueki then crotched himself on the top rope and Miyamoto submitted him with a Heel Hold. Ueki admitted that Miyamoto really is the world’s strongest male Joshi wrestler.

Cherry Boys On The Run Vs Super Fighting Three Musketeers
Hashimoto continued the Muto tribute by putting Aoki in the Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sasaki was put in danger after MAO dove onto him. However Sasaki avoided Aoki’s Tiger Suplex and trapped him in the Cross Facelock. Aoki fought to reach the ropes but Sasaki rolled him back into the centre and made him tap out. MAO felt regretful because their elimination from the tournament means the Cherry Boys’ youth has come to an end and they now have to become adults. Maybe it’s not all bad though. MAO heard that a 23 year old’s sex drive is bigger than an 18 year old’s. So maybe he can still work hard when he reaches the ripe old age of 23…

Team Katagi Vs Crazy Smile
The first time limit draw of the show happened here. This time HARASHIMA got into Takeda’s state of mind by wearing Takeda’s entrance gear to the ring. He held Higuchi in place for Takeda to stick a bundle of bamboo skewers into his head. Higuchi then got revenge by sticking skewers in HARASHIMA’s head. They scrambled for a pin but the 10 minute time limit was reached. The match restarted with One Count Pinfall rules to determine the winners. Higuchi went for the Doctor Bomb but HARASHIMA countered it into a Jackknife for the one count victory. Backstage Higuchi took responsibility for the “scandal” of his team losing. He is blessed to have a “big brother” like Nakanoue looking over him. Nakanoue then told him the team was disbanded and he walked out of the room, leaving Higuchi all alone.

Semi Finals

Bald & Blonde Vs Super Fighting Three Musketeers
The semi final lottery paired Okabayashi & Sakaguchi against Hashimoto & Sasaki. Things kicked off literally with Sakaguchi and Hashimoto laying into each other with kicks. Okabayashi blasted Sasaki with a Lariat then added another Lariat with the God’s Right Knee to combo Hashimoto. Sakaguchi kicked Sasaki away while Okabayashi pinned Hashimoto with the Golem Splash. Sasaki blamed Hashimoto for drawing a Muto Kitty on his shirt instead of the Muto Bear. He then came up with an idea to go drink at Seiji Sakaguchi’s house. Hashimoto tried to follow him but he still had Muto’s knee pain to deal with.

Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man Vs Crazy Smile
Miyamoto ditched the Shinobu Kandori jokes and wrestled as his normal self for the rest of the show. Takeshita also wore custom made Yankee gear to match with his tag partner. Another time limit draw happened this time with 15 minutes not being enough to get a result. Sudden death did not immediately begin because the draw happened minutes before 2018 ended and 2019 would begin. The locker room emptied out for the countdown and everyone celebrate the New Year! Overtime then began and HARASHIMA went for the Somato on Takeshita. Takeshita moved and HARASHIMA crashed into the corner. Miyamoto then hit a Somato to HARASHIMA from behind and Takeshita used a Rolling Leg Clutch to pin HARASHIMA for the one count! Takeda & HARASHIMA both had fun teaming together. Takeda was praised for the big success he is currently achieving. HARASHIMA hopes to reach a similar level in 2019. Takeda also talked about Abdullah Kobayashi who was originally supposed to team with HARASHIMA on this show before suffering a shoulder injury.

Sumo Hall Announcements

The first big news of 2019 is DDT and Big Japan announcing a Sumo Hall double header happening this November. DDT runs Sumo Hall on 3rd November and Big Japan has their show on the 4th. Both Sanshiro Takagi and Eiji Kosaka acted like they didn’t expect the other to make their announcement. Yukinori Matsui went ahead with setting up the ticket sales for both shows anyway. Both companies see the situation as friendly competition. They would like to make hundreds of millions of yen this year but may need something like a donation from Floyd Mayweather to make that happen.

Final

Bald & Blonde Vs Nishinari Elite Yankee Konosuke And Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Strongest Man
Is this definitely the first pro wrestling match of 2019 around the world? Let’s go with that until somebody says otherwise. With no time limit, a winner must be decided definitively. Takeshita got rid of Okabayashi with a German Suplex followed by a Somato from Miyamoto. Sakaguchi aimed the God’s Right Knee at Takeshita but it was blocked and turned into a Reverse Implant Driver. Takeshita ended the night by hitting the Fable on Sakaguchi to win the tournament! Takeshita thanked Miyamoto for helping him reach the final for the 4th year in a row. Miyamoto promised to get his own custom Takeshita gear to return the favour for Takeshita’s costume. Takeshita ended the show by saying both DDT and Big Japan will do their best not to lose against the larger pro wrestling companies this year. The Sumo Hall double header in November will show that.

Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards

There was a break after the 2nd Round for the Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards ceremony to be held. Masashi Takeda dominated the contest by winning the MVP award and being featured FOUR times in the Best Match category! He hopes to become a triple champion in 2019. Isami Kodaka wants to win Best Bout again in 2019 but this time as the match winner. El Lindaman accepted the Best Unit Award on behalf of #STRONGHEARTS. He said 2019 will be an important year not just for the unit but also OWE. He personally also wants to win another championship so he can be a double champion. Best Newcomer Syuuou Fujiwara couldn’t be at the show but he was able to send in a video message. In the message Fujiwara said he is upset that Mita Sayoko is being physically given the award instead of him. He threatened to come down to Samurai! TV studio to take it back. When Eiji Kosaka accepted the Best Show Award for BJW’s Sumo Hall show, he promised to protect Mita from Fujiwara because she is his favourite Mita.

MVP
1. Masashi Takeda
2. Hideki Suzuki
3. Syuuou Fujiwara
4. Masahiro Takanashi
5. Minoru Fujita

Best Bout
1. Masashi Takeda Vs Isami Kodaka (Big Japan, 20th June)
2. Hideki Suzuki Vs Daisuke Sekimoto (Big Japan, 11th November)
3. Masashi Takeda Vs Violent Jack (FREEDOMS, 2nd May)
4. Masashi Takeda Vs Jun Kasai (Jun Kasai Produce, 28th August)
5. Masashi Takeda Vs Masaya Takahashi (Big Japan, 11th November)

Best Unit
1. #STRONGHEARTS
2. Kobayashi-gun
3. Arrival
4. DAMNATION
5. 3rd Generation Bloody Brothers

Best Box Office
1. Big Japan at Sumo Hall, 11th November
2. DDT at Sumo Hall, 21st October
3. Jun Kasai Produce at Korakuen Hall, 28th August
4. Masahiro Takanashi Produce at Ryogoku KFC Hall, 8th July
5. Guts World at Shinjuku FACE, 15th April

Best Newcomer
1. Syuuou Fujiwara
2. Yuya Aoki
3. Koju Takeda
4. Yoshihisa Uto
5. Ayame Sasamura

Yoshimura Injury Update, Hyper Misao Taking A Break, Last News Before New Year’s

Naomi Yoshimura suffered a cervical sprain from today’s match when he took a Pedigree from Daisuke Sasaki and spiked his head into the canvas. He was allowed to go home from the hospital but decided to stay because he still feels numbness in his neck. There is no date yet for his return to the ring and his match against Sasaki on 3rd January has been cancelled.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP GIRLS (PRO WRESTLING) PRO WRESTLING WOMEN’S FESTIVAL”, 31/12/2018
Tokyo Shibuya GARRET

1. Hinano & Raku Vs Makoto Oishi & Hyper Misao
2. Hikari & Miu Vs Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima

The Up Up Girls (Fake) are making their return to ruin the big day for the real Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) group.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2018 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuki Iino Vs Ryota Hama & Antonio Honda
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Takuya Nomura & Kazuki Hirata
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brahman Shu or Brahman Kei & Masahiro Takanashi
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Great Kojika & Sammy Guevara Vs Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuya Aoki & MAO
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yoshihisa Uto & Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Hideki Suzuki)
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Ryuji Ito & Yuki Ueno Vs Masashi Takeda & HARASHIMA
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match #1 Vs Winners Of Match #2
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match #3 Vs Winners Of Match #4
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match #5 Vs Winners Of Match #6
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match #7 Vs Winners Of Match #8
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X & X Vs X & X
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X & X Vs X & X
15. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X

The year ends with this ridiculous card. How many of these matches will be shorter than Floyd Mayweather Vs Tenshin Nasukawa?

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI SUPER ~ NEW YEAR BALL SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 2,000 YEN BOX OFFICE!! 2019”, 03/01/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Heisei’s Last Back Comparison: El Lindaman Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. 3 Way Tag Match: MAO & Jun Kasai Vs Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Mizuki Watase
3. DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION!: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuki Ueno & Keisuke Ishii Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Puma King
4. Sake & Tears & Men & Women & Foreigners & Former Wrestlers: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai Vs Mike Bailey, Sammy Guevara, Veda Scott & Hoshitango
5. New Year’s Day! Burst Out Laughing! First Laughter Rumble: Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Atsushi Maruyama Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Tiger Mask V (Self-Proclaimed) Vs Hen China (Jury: Sanshiro Takagi & Makoto Oishi)
6. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 6th Match: Daichi Hashimoto Vs Kota Umeda
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: CIMA, T-Hawk & Duan Yingnan (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Yuki Iino
8. DDT Extreme Title – Boxing Glove Match: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Hayato Sakurai)

With the KO-D Openweight Title match cancelled it gets replaced with a 10-Man Tag between DAMNATION and DISASTER BOX. That match was already planned as an 8-Man Tag but now Daisuke Sasaki and Keisuke Ishii have been added to it. Looking at the schedule page on DDT’s official website they are now listing the DDT Extreme Title match as the new main event.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’19”, 04/01/2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Millie McKenzie & X
2. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Yuna Manase Vs Veda Scott
3. Marika Kobashi Return Battle: Marika Kobashi, Mina Shirakawa, Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku Vs Raku, Hikari, Hinano & Miu
4. Unagi Himawari Debut Match: Saki Akai & YUMI Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Unagi Himawari
5. Special Single Match: Meiko Satomura Vs Reika Saiki
6. TOKYO Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Riho
7. TOKYO Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Maki Ito

Hyper Misao will take a leave of absence after 5th January for personal reasons. She is taking time off to go on a journey and explore new ways of being a hero. She apologises for the sudden and selfish decision but promises to come back.

DDT “HANDMADE IN JAPAN FESTIVAL WINTER (2019)”, 12/01/2019
Tokyo Big Sight West Hall Music & Play Area

1. Falls Count Anywhere 3 Way Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Yuki Iino Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Kota Umeda Vs MAO & Mizuki Watase

This is happening on the same day as a Monorail Pro Wrestling match.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN HAKATA” Results

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2019 IN HAKATA”, 09/12/2018
Hakata Star Lanes
379 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Mizuki Watase defeated Soma Takao, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Azul Dragon when Sakaguchi submitted Shimatani with the Modified Cobra Clutch (8:55).
2. Lucha Libre Rules: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Yuki Ueno & Yuto Aijima defeated Mike Bailey, Antonio Honda, Kota Umeda & Yuki Iino when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:36).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Puma King (4) defeated Akito (4) with a Romero Special (10:28).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (6) defeated MAO (4) with the Doctor Bomb (13:46).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Sammy Guevara (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo (6) with the 450 Splash (11:59).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – A Block: HARASHIMA (4) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (4) with the Somato (15:47).
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita (4) defeated Shinya Aoki (c) (6) with the German Suplex (8:53).
*Konosuke Takeshita becomes the 1,342nd champion.

A Block

1. Go Shiozaki (6)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (6)
3. Akito (4)
-. MAO (4)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (4)
-. Puma King (4)
-. HARASHIMA (4)

B Block

1. Shinya Aoki (6)
-. Tetsuya Endo (6)
-. Sammy Guevara (6)
4. Mike Bailey (4)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (4)
6. Masahiro Takanashi (2)
-. Soma Takao (2)

Shinya Aoki’s winning streak in DDT comes to an end but the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title continues to be the hot potato it is meant to be. Konosuke Takeshita decided to wrestle the main event barefoot so he would be on equal terms with Aoki. He avoided being counted down for a knockout after taking a Guillotine Choke. Takeshita was able to get in control with his Horizontal Chops, knocking down the champion and leaving him open for the German Suplex to end the match. The two bowed to each other and shook hands. Takeshita said that Aoki’s strengths is different from the DDT wrestlers. He felt that from watching Aoki win his other matches in DDT for what felt to him like forever. He wants Aoki to soak in the DDT world even more. This is the current strength of DDT’s wrestlers and Takeshita made a promise to the fans that everyone in DDT will always prove that this way of wrestling is the strongest.

The match between Daisuke Sasaki and HARASHIMA saw plenty of action outside the ring. Sasaki wrapped a chair around HARASHIMA’s upper body and threw him chair first into the ring post. Sasaki later hit a Topé Suicida for more damage. However HARASHIMA escaped from La Mistica Cross Facelock and hit the Reverse Frankensteiner. With Sasaki stunned, HARASHIMA hit a standing Somato followed by the regular Somato to beat the KO-D Openweight Champion. HARASHIMA noted that his neck was hurt bad by Sasaki’s attacks but the cheers in the venue spurred him on to victory. He still has a lot of work to do to climb to the top of A Block but he will not give up. Sasaki however is starting to crack now that his chances of winning the block are becoming slim.

The styles of Tetsuya Endo and Sammy Guevara are so similar that Endo called Sammy his alter ego after their match. An alter ego that didn’t get Endo’s permission to use his moves. Endo did the Tetsuya In The Sky, Guevara responded with his own Standing Spanish Fly. Endo did the Shooting Star Press and missed, Guevara hit his own Shooting Star and won. Guevara doesn’t care who he has left to face in his block. He says he is the best not just in Japan but in the world!

Kazusada Higuchi is now on a three match winning streak after losing his first two tournament bouts. Not even MAO’s tricky wrestling around the entrance stage was enough to stop Higuchi’s momentum. A Headbutt, a Torpedo Lariat and a Choke Slam left MAO fighting for survival until he was eventually put away with the Doctor Bomb. MAO thinks this is the kind of match-up that will some day be on top of the DDT pyramid. They wrestled each other in DNA, it moved up to the DDT midcard and some day it will to move up to the main event! While Higuchi appreciates the sentiment for DNA, he isn’t spending his time reminiscing about the past. He has a Grand Prix to win.

Puma King countered Akito’s Figure 4 Leglock attempt into a Romero Special. By the time he applied pressure by locking onto Akito’s jaw and pulling it down, Akito gave up. King calls Akito a tough opponent because of his focus on attacking legs and knees. King was happy to face someone like that because it gave him a chance to show off his submission repertoire to the DDT fans. Akito hopes King will come back so he can learn those kind of holds from him.

Hakata Star Lanes will be temporarily closing down next April to undergo earthquake-proof reconstruction. DDT, Tokyo Joshi Pro and Big Japan will each be holding special farewell shows for the venue in its current state on 31st March.

Teams Chosen For New Year’s Eve Wrestling

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2018 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kazusada Higuchi
Takayuki Ueki & Mike Bailey
Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuki Iino
Yoshihisa Uto & Sanshiro Takagi
Ryota Hama & Antonio Honda
Abdullah Kobayashi & HARASHIMA
Ryuji Ito & Yuki Ueno
Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Tetsuya Endo
Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao
Daichi Hashimoto & Daisuke Sasaki
Brahman Brothers & Masahiro Takanashi
Great Kojika & Sammy Guevara
Takuya Nomura & Kazuki Hirata
Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Sakaguchi
Yuya Aoki & MAO
Yuko Miyamoto & Konosuke Takeshita

The co-promoted tag tournament between Big Japan and DDT is back again for another New Year’s Eve celebration. The first two rounds will be given 10 minute time limits, the semi-finals have a 15 minute limit and the final has no time limit. Time limit draws will be decided with Sudden Death One Count Pinfall rules. Today the teams were chosen at a special event open to members of both companies’s fan clubs. Not everyone involved in the tournament could appear but the majority commented on their teams.

Yasufumi Nakanoue said he is nervous because this is his first New Year’s Eve Wrestling show. Kazusada Higuchi calmed him down by saying it is an honour to team with him.

Takayuki Ueki introduced himself in English to Mike Bailey by calling himself “Police Man” and calling Bailey “Best Partner”. Their team name is TEAM LET’S GO.

Daisuke Sekimoto thinks it is fate for him to team with Yuki Iino.

Yoshihisa Uto wants to make the most out of his pairing with Sanshiro Takagi. He described Takagi as the strongest power in DDT.

Antonio Honda wanted to team with the biggest wrestler around so he’s happy to be with Ryota Hama. Together they will be the most conspicuous team in the tournament.

Abdullah Kobayashi & HARASHIMA are without any argument the most handsome combination that could have been made this year. However, HARASHIMA is concerned with the arm injury that Kobayashi recently suffered. Kobayashi says he will get consultation about it tomorrow and will train hard to be fit in time. He also suggested their team should be called Because I Love The Team.

Next year will be Ryuji Ito’s 20th year in pro wrestling so winning the tournament will be the perfect way to celebrate. Yuki Ueno feels a little out of his depth next to Ito and realises that he’s going to be in more tense matches than usual.

Tetsuya Endo wanted to team up with The Great Kojika again. Instead he gets Tatsuhiko Yoshino. Endo is fine with that because he and Yoshino wear similar looking clothes. Yoshino is hoping to get past the 1st round in the tournament for once.

Minoru Fujita wasn’t there so Soma Takao had to pose with a picture of him. Takao is thinking about inviting Fujita to join DAMNATION and replace Nobuhiro Shimatani as their temporary manager.

Daisuke Sasaki asked Daichi Hashimoto if they can lose their match as quick as possible because he wants to spend New Year’s Eve relaxing at home. Hashimoto refuses because he wants to win the tournament. Sasaki also wants to call their team The Three Musketeers but Hisaya Imabayashi quickly shut that idea down.

Masahiro Takanashi says his private life is a lot like being one of the Brahman Brothers. He thinks they will get along and work hard together because of that.

The Great Kojika & Sammy Guevara were both absent.

Takuya Nomura may dance with Kazuki Hirata during their matches. That’s all he knows about Hirata.

Yuji Okabayashi is 100% certain his team will win so Yukio Sakaguchi can go on a hangover fueled rampage through the tournament if he’d like.

Yuya Aoki & MAO quickly bonded over their young age. Youth is their weapon against the rest of the field!

Konosuke Takeshita wants to make it to the final for the fourth year in a row. He believes his team with Yuko Miyamoto is the best combination available.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2017” Results

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2017”, 31/12/2017
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,411 Fans

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Ryota Hama & Soma Takao when Sekimoto pinned Takao after a missed Okido Press from Hama (6:06).
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Kazuki Hashimoto & Akito defeated Kota Sekifuda & Ryota Nakatsu when Akito submitted Nakatsu with the Perfect Figure 4 Leg Lock (4:32).
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Brahman Kei & Daisuke Sasaki (w/ Brahman Shu) defeated Antonio Honda & Takuya Nomura (w/ Jaki Numazawa) when Sasaki pinned Honda after the Syachihoko Clutch (7:21).
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Danshoku Dino & Daichi Hashimoto defeated Keisuke Ishii & Takayuki Ueki when Dino pinned Ueki with the Danshoku Screwdriver (9:53).
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: HARASHIMA & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuya Aoki when Miyamoto pinned Aoki with the Fire Thunder (3:28).
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Isami Kodaka & Yoshihisa Uto defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Tatsuhiko Yoshino when Uto pinned Yoshino with the Axis Fall (6:34).
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Abdullah Kobayashi & Colt Cabana defeated Minoru Fujita & Shunma Katsumata when Kobayashi submitted Katsumata with a Crab Hold (4:21).
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: Great Kojika & Tetsuya Koda Vs Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita ended in a Time Limit Draw (10:00).
8a. Sudden Death – 1 Count Fall: Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Great Kojika & Tetsuya Koda when Takeshita pinned Kojika with a Rope Assisted School Boy (1:38).
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Kazuki Hashimoto & Akito when Higuchi pinned Akito with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (1:52).
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Brahman Shu & Daisuke Sasaki (w/ Brahman Kei) defeated Danshoku Dino & Daichi Hashimoto when Shu pinned Dino with a School Boy (8:09).
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: HARASHIMA & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Isami Kodaka & Yoshihisa Uto when HARASHIMA pinned Uto with the Somato (9:57).
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Hideki The Brody & Jimmy Takeshita Vs Stan Kobayashi & Colt “Boom Boom” Butcher ended in a No Contest after a Referee Assault (2:17).
12a. Sudden Death – 1 Count Fall: Hideki The Brodie & Jimmy Takeshita defeated Stan Kobayashi & Colt “Boom Boom” Butcher by Countout (2:50).
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi defeated HARASHIMA & Yuko Miyamoto when Sekimoto pinned Miyamoto with the Roll Through German Suplex (9:47).
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Hideki The Brody & Jimmy Takeshita defeated Brahman Kei & Daisuke Sasaki (w/ Brahman Shu) when Takeshita pinned Kei with the Superfly Splash (7:02).
15. TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary Match: Kotaro Yoshino, Dinosaur Takuma, Kazumi Kikuta & MAO defeated TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, Ryuji Ito & Sanshiro Takagi when MAO pinned Michinoku with a School Boy (13:16).
16. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi when Suzuki pinned Higuchi with the Double Arm Suplex (12:44).

DDT and Big Japan ended 2017 and begun 2018 with what they usually do at this time every year, a big pro wrestling get together at Korakuen Hall! This year’s tag team tournament was themed around one wrestler from each company joining forces. Every pairing also had their own custom team name too.

Round 1

Sekiguchi-gumi Vs Hamamatsu. The show kicked off with Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi entering the ring both wearing sunglasses and carrying samurai swords. They won over Ryota Hama & Soma Takao in a match where Hama made the most impact. First he squashed Higuchi with a Hip Attack in the corner. But then he squashed Takao by accident when he missed the Okido Press. Sekimoto pinned a lifeless Takao to win. Hama tried to apologise to Takao afterwards but Takao was too afraid to approach him.

Team Hitomishiri Vs Team 14. Pretty simple first round win for Kazuki Hashimoto & Akito. Although Kota Sekifuda dove onto Hashimoto, he was nowhere to be found when Akito locked Ryota Nakatsu into the Perfect Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sekifuda & Nakatsu didn’t get much time in the ring together but they would like to team up again someday, maybe in next year’s tournament.

Charming Dolls Vs Charisma Brahman. Throughout the night the Brahman Brothers switched back and forth to team with Daisuke Sasaki in their matches. For the first match, Brahman Kei was the legal participant. Sasaki gleefully joined in with their act of throwing water at the audience during their entrance. Meanwhile Takuya Nomura wore identical wrestling gear to Antonio Honda and they were accompanied by Jaki Numzawa in their corner. The match broke down into a 6 Way at one point when Brahman Shu and Numazawa got involved in the fighting. Kei accidentally blinded Sasaki with the black ink. Nomura grabbed the Brahmans’ bucket of water and threw it at them in the corner. But Sasaki & Kei rallied to pin Honda with the Crucifix And Jackknife pinning combination. As the Brahmans walked off they had an idea. For the next match they should become Charisma like Sasaki!

Hakai Kyodai Vs With Love And Enthrallment And Reassurance. Keisuke Ishii & Takayuki Ueki came out dressed as Ryu and Zangief from Street Fighter. At first they acted like the characters but Ueki then got so frustrated by Danshoku Dino & Daichi Hashimoto that he pulled out his gun. Ueki held Dino hostage and demanded that they switch tights so he could possess Dino’s Danshoku skills. Unfortunately Ueki slipped off the top rope and crotched himself. Dino, now wearing the Zangief tights, gave Ueki a Zangief style Spinning Piledriver to advance his team to the next round.

Smile Yankee Vs Team Yokohama. The match begun quickly when Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuya Aoki attacked HARASHIMA & Yuko Miyamoto. But once Smile Yankee isolated Aoki it didn’t take long for them to put him down. Sakaguchi apologised to Aoki for coming up with the reckless plan but Aoki apologised too for being weak.

Yoshino-ka Vs Jikujion. Masahiro Takanashi joined in with Tatsuhiko Yoshino’s local boy gimmick. Yoshihisa Uto carried Isami Kodaka on his shoulders for their entrance but accidentally whacked Kodaka’s head off of the stage. This would happen for all of their matches tonight. Kodaka trusted Uto to carry both him and his victim of a Superplex but Uto struggled to pull it off. He finally succeeded but Kodaka was hurt in the process as if he was given a German Suplex. The move worked well enough to pin Yoshino though.

Shunma To Minoru Vs KobaCabana. Minoru Fujita wanted to sing along with Shunma Katsumata during their entrance but his microphone was switched off for a lot of it. He also wore a strand of barbwire disguised as a headband around his forehead. Sadly their idol behaviour didn’t work and they both submitted to Abdullah Kobayashi & Colt Cabana.

Great To Mago Vs Most Strongest Combi. In a rare occurrence for this tournament, only one match in the entire show went to a time limit draw. The combined skills of Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita were not enough to figure out The Great Kojika in under 10 minutes. Tetsuya Endo tried his best to beat Takeshita for the second time in two days but the time ran out during their skirmish. 1 Count Pinfalls were activated for overtime and Kojika surprisingly came close to pinning Takeshita with the Iron Claw. Shockingly, Suzuki pulled the referee away to stop him from counting. Takeshita then used the distraction to School Boy Kojika and Suzuki held down his feet onto the ropes for leverage. Yes, it took that much cheating to pin The Great Kojika for one second!

Round 2

Sekiguchi-gumi Vs Team Hitomishiri. The first bout of Round 2 ended in quick fashion when Higuchi of all people pinned Akito with a Rolling Leg Clutch. Akito & Hashimoto tried to tap out their opponents with Scorpion Locks and Ankle Locks but it wasn’t enough. Akito promised to keep in touch with Hashumoto through LINE.

Charisma Brahman Vs Hakai Kyodai. This time Brahman Shu was teaming with Sasaki. Also this time the Brahmans dressed like Sasaki and were also armed with plates filled with…well…some sort of foul substance I don’t want to think about. Sasaki accidentally got a face full of it. At one point Dino suddenly started grabbing around his partner and pulled out Ueki’s gun from his pants! Sasaki and the Brahmans stopped him with a traffic sign attack then made him sit onto a chair with the plate of dirt placed on it. Sasaki took out toilet roll to wipe the substance off of Dino’s backside and then rub it into his face. Shu then pinned Dino with a School Boy to end the madness. The Brahmans praised Sasaki for his technique in using the plate.

Smile Yankee Vs Jikujion. Uto again carried Kodaka head first into the entrance stage. Their double team Suplex attempt off the top rope failed when Miyamoto held onto HARASHIMA to keep him on the corner. Uto ended up just giving Kodaka a German Suplex instead. Miyamoto dropped Uto with a Fire Thunder then narrowly rolled out of the way of HARASHIMA’s Somato. That was it for Uto & Kodaka’s run in the tournament.

KobaCabana? Vs Most Strongest Combi?. Due to earlier injuries dealt to everyone involved in this match, both teams had to be replaced. Luckily a bunch of “legends” happened to be in the building and stepped in to fill the gap. Suzuki & Takeshita were replaced by Hideki The Brody & Jimmy Takeshita while Kobayashi & Cabana were replaced by Stan Kobayashi & Colt “Boom Boom” Butcher. The two teams brawled with each other around the ring and then all threatened to attack Yukinori Matsui with their weapons. The match ended in a Double DQ because of the threats and had to be restarted. The four then brawled up towards the crowd and Brodie wrapped his chain around both Kobayashi & Cabana. He held them back while Takeshita crawled back to the ring to win the match by countout. When the match was over they all re-entered the ring and attacked a ringside assistant with their finishing moves.

Japan Indie Grand Prize Awards

Samurai TV and Occupation Of The Indies held their annual Japan Indie Grand Prize awards after Round 2. The MVP Award went to Hideki Suzuki. The Best Bout Award went to the Big Japan match between Masashi Takeda Vs Masaya Takahashi from 17th December. Best Unit went to DAMNATION. Best Show went to Big Japan for their 17th November outdoor event in Ueno Park. Best Newcomer went to Andre The Giant Panda. The Special Achievement Award was given to the late Mr. Pogo.

Semi Finals

Sekiguchi-gumi Vs Smile Yankee. A random drawing put together the semi final matchups. Lariats from Sekimoto & Higuchi were the difference maker. Miyamoto also wasn’t prepared for Sekimoto to roll him into the German Suplex from the ropes.

Charisma Brahman Vs Most Strongest Combi. Remember when I said the madness was over? It came back. Suzuki & Takeshita were still in their legend gimmicks and this time they had Kobayashi & Cabana on their side to combat Sasaki & The Brahmans’ tricks. Kei was isolated from his teammates and was put through the Western Lariat, the King Kong Knee Drop, the Poisoned Elbow Drop and finally the Superfly Splash to lose the match. Sasaki and The Brahmans still threw water at the audience afterwards.

TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary Match

The final pro wrestling match of 2017 in Japan was TAKA Michinoku’s 25th Anniversary match. He led a veteran team of K-DOJO, Big Japan and DDT wrestlers to face some of the new generation coming from those companies. MAO became a butt of a joke by being the victim of a never ending Corner Train Attack featuring everyone else in the match, loads of wrestlers who weren’t in the match and even one of the Samurai TV cameramen! Cabana was involved too but he just wanted to take a selfie with MAO. This went on for so long that the countdown to the new year began. In the final seconds Michinoku charged in but MAO rolled him over with a School Boy to pin him right as the clock struck zero! Happy new year!

Final

Sekiguchi-gumi Vs Most Strongest Combi. The tournament final is the first wrestling match in Japan of 2018. Suzuki & Takeshita were now back to normal. Both teams threw all that they had left at each other. It all came down to Higuchi and Suzuki fighting each other. Higuchi hit the Doctor Bomb but it wasn’t enough. Takeshita gave Higuchi a Dragon Suplex and Suzuki followed it up with a Dragon Suplex of his own. Higuchi kicked out! Suzuki then used the Double Arm Suplex and that wasn enough to beat Higuchi. The Most Strongest Combi are the Shuffle Tag Tournament winners! When they were given the rewards Takeshita joked that they only wrestled twice in the tournament this year and still won. Suzuki said he was honoured to fight Sekimoto & Higuchi. He also bragged that he wasn’t feeling tired at all. Sekimoto grabbed the microphone and swore into it.

2017 Ends, 2018 Begins!

BASARA “ISAMI KODAKA PRO WRESTLING ~ THE THIRD SHINJUKU STRONGEST GROUND BUDOKAI”, 28/12/2017
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Round 1: Naoki Tanizaki Vs Isami Kodaka
2. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Round 1: Yuko Miyamoto Vs Colt Cabana
3. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Round 1: Akito Vs Fuminori Abe
4. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Round 1: Yasu Urano Vs Riho
5. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Round 2: Ayako Hamada Vs Winner Of Match #1
6. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Round 2: Hideki Suzuki Vs Winner Of Match #2
7. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Semi Final: Winner Of Match #3 Vs Winner Of Match #5
8. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Semi Final: Winner Of Match #4 Vs Winner Of Match #6
9. BASARA Offer Match: Trans-Am ★ Ryuchi, SAGAT, FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Hagane Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Ryuichi Sekine, Ryota Nakatsu, Daichi Kazato & Takato Nakano
10. Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai – Final: X Vs X

Only a few days remain for 2017 but the Japanese wrestling scene still has a lot to offer, even during the final countdown.

BASARA runs Korakuen Hall for the latest Shinjuku Strongest Ground Budokai tournament, a concept Isami Kodaka must have came up with after binging on Dragon Ball.

There will be no ring ropes attached for all the matches in Rounds 1 & 2. Pins, submissions and ring outs are the valid ways to win. The ropes come back on for the semi finals and final. The Ring Out rule is still active for that. The final will be a normal match but with no countouts.

DDT “DAMNATION ILLEGAL GATHERING VOL. 2”, 30/12/2017
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Dick Togo & X Vs Colt Cabana & Antonio Honda
2. Costume Change Battle Royal: HARASHIMA Vs Soma Takao Vs Saki Akai Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Ryuichi Sekine Vs Man Man Kai Kind Vs Ken Ohka
3. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Masashi Takeda Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Masato Tanaka
4. Runaway Gigantic Combination V Baka Brothers! Special Tag Match: Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Paulies
6. DDT Extreme Title ~Something Other Than Current Blast Rules~: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Yuko Miyamoto

DAMNATION made Nobuhiro Shimatani reveal the full card backstage at last week’s Ganbare☆Wrestling show. He couldn’t believe half the matches that were on the list.

Daisuke Sasaki wanted to defend the DDT Extreme Title in some sort of Explosion Death Match. He wants this because the challenger Yuko Miyamoto is the current (pun not intended) Blast King Champion. The demand was declined by Danshoku Dino because the use of fire and explosions in wrestling matches are banned in Korakuen Hall. Sasaki threatened to cancel the entire show over this but he and Dino agreed to come up with another stipulation.

An entire team of Mad Paulies will challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles.

A DAMNATION Festival event will be held before the show starts. The injured DNA wrestler Suguru Miyatake is only announced guest for the event so far.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2017”, 31/12/2017
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1A: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Ryota Hama & Soma Takao
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Kazuki Hashimoto & Akito Vs Kota Sekifuda & Ryota Nakatsu
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Antonio Honda & Takuya Nomura Vs Brahman Shu or Brahman Kei & Daisuke Sasaki
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1D: Danshoku Dino & Daichi Hashimoto Vs Keisuke Ishii & Takayuki Ueki
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1E: HARASHIMA & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuya Aoki
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1F: Masahiro Takanashi & Tatsuhiko Yoshino Vs Isami Kodaka & Yoshihisa Uto
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1G: Minoru Fujita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Abdullah Kobayashi & Colt Cabana
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1H: Great Kojika & Tetsuya Koda Vs Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1E Vs Winners Of Match 1F
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1G Vs Winners Of Match 1H
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X
15. TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary Match: TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, Ryuji Ito & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kotaro Yoshino, Dinosaur Takuma, Kazumi Kikuta & MAO
16. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X

DDT and Big Japan celebrate the new year with the final matches of 2017 and first matches of 2018. The first two rounds have 10 minute time limits and the semi-finals have 15 minute time limits. Matches that ended in a time limit draw go into sudden death overtime where a 1 count pin is all that is needed to win the match. The final has no time limit.

DDT “NEW YEAR’S SPECIAL! 2018”, 03/01/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Kouki Iwasaki & Rekka Vs Mizuki Watase & Daiki Shimomura
1. Akito Vs Yuki Ueno
2. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Colt Cabana & Antonio Honda
3. New Year’s Beginning Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Keisuke Ishii Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Mad Paulie Vs Hoshitango Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Gota Ihashi Vs Joey Ryan
4. Infomercial Match – “LADY NINJA: A Blue Shadow” Movie: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Veda Scott (Special Guset: Mai Hakase)
5. NωA, If You Lose Immediately Withdraw Your Dissolution Special: Danshoku Dino, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei Vs Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & MAO
6. Road To D-King GP Special Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs Masahiro Takanashi
7. Road To D-King GP Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Mike Bailey & Shuji Ishikawa Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Jiro Kuroshio

The last previews for the D-King Grand Prix tournament take place here.

Danshoku Dino is refusing to let NωA split up and leave their idol careers behind. This time he is bringing in the Brahman Brothers to help him do his dirty work. NωA needs to beat them so they can earn Dino’s permission to break up.

Yukio Sakaguchi and Saki Akai have cameos in the new Lady Ninja movie so DDT is promoting the film in their latest Infomercial Match. The star of the movie Mai Hakase will be at ringside for the match.

As part of the new year celebrations, a calligrapher named Nachu will paint different messages on the backs of the wrestlers entering the New Year’s Rumble. What the wrestlers don’t know is the messages will be instructions of what they cannot do during the match. If they get caught doing whatever they are not supposed to do they will be eliminated.

Shigehiro Irie is not on the show because he is leaving for another overseas excursion that day. There is no set time for how long he will be gone for.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’18”, 04/01/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) Debut Fight Tag Match: Raku & Hikari Vs Hinano & Miu
2. Yuu, Nodoka-oneesan & Marika Kobashi Vs Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Yuki Kamifuku
3. Maho Kurone Vs Veda Scott
4. NEO Biishiki-gun Vs Super Milk Combination!: Saki-sama & Azusa Christie Vs Nonoko & Yuna Manase (w/ Haruka Nishimoto)
5. Special Single Match: Maki Ito Vs Danshoku Dino
6. TOKYO Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Mizuki & Riho
7. TOKYO Princess Of Princess Title: Reika Saiki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita (c)

The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is no longer held by Miyu Yamashita so the main event’s focus is back on the TOKYO Princess Title.

Musician Hidekazu Tanaka will be the special guest ring announcer for the show. Basically his works appear on a whole bunch of idol video games and anime shows.

BASARA “VAJRA 55 ~FEAST~”, 06/01/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takato Nakano Vs Akiyori Takizawa
2. Reversal Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Ryu Vs Hercules Senga Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Daichi Kazato Vs Manabu Hara & Daiki Shimomura
4. Ryuichi Sekine Vs Fuminori Abe
5. New Year Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Isami Kodaka, Tank Nagai, Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi, FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & SAGAT

One of the longest running storielines happening in BASARA this year is the relationship between the Speed Of Sounds tag team. When Hercules Senga went out of action with an injury, his partner Tsutomu Oosugi decided to team up with Best Stretchman V3. When Senga came back he thought Oosugi was being forced to team with Stretchman against his will and did whatever he could to beat the team and split them up. It’s now gotten so awkward that the wrestling lawyer Gouma Ryu is getting involved and the situation has to go to court!

BASARA “VAJRA 56 ~OSAKA WINTER TEAM AND PEOPLE~”, 08/01/2018
Osaka Hirano Community Hall

1. Reversal Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Ryu Vs Atsushi Maruyama Vs Kuishinbo Kamen

Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi, Yasu Urano, HUB, Naoki Tanizaki, Manabu Hara and Fuminori Abe will all be on the show.

BASARA “VAJRA 57 ~OSHU KAIMICHI~”, 14/01/2018
Sendai City Miyagino Ward Cultural Center

1. Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & SAGAT
2. Special Single Match: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Yasu Urano

Masamune, Tsutomu Oosugi, Hercules Senga and Fuminori Abe will all be on the show.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “TRY ME 2018”, 20/01/2018
Tokyo BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Shuhei Washida Debut Match: Shuhei Washida Vs X
2. America Vs India! Ganpuro Special International In Ōji: Shota Vs Baliyan Akki
3. New Spring Special Mixed Tag Match ~ Ganpuro Vs Last Jedi: Ken Ohka & HARUKAZE Vs Chikara & Kaori Kobayashi

Baliyan Akki returns to Ganpuro after impressing everyone with his match back in November. This time he isn’t auditioning for Ganbare The Great so he should be free to be more like himself.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2018 ~DDT 21ST ANNIVERSARY~”, 25/03/2018
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

The latest cast of guests appearing on the show are Naomichi Marufuji, Daisuke Sekimoto, Jiro Kuroshio, Shuji Ishikawa, Mike Bailey, Joey Ryan, Colt Cabana and LiLiCo.

FUMA FEST Line Up, Yoshimura-gun, Jet Returns, T2HiJoshi, New Year Tag

BASARA “FUMA FEST VOL.1 ～WRESTLE ’EM ALL～”, 09/12/2017
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Nakatsu Dickinson Vs Takato Nakano
2. Jinbeizamen Vs Yngwie Malmsteen
3. Ricky Fuji Vs Ryuselmo Sekine
4. Yusuke Kubo & Hagane Vs Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto
5. Goregrind Match: FUMA Vs Jun Kasai

The “FUMA FEST” is an all day event with concert performances taking place in between the matches. Dragon’s Den and Hell Dump will open the show, Crucified is on after Match #1 and will perform for Jinbeizamen’s entrance, Nihonto is on after Match #2, Self Deconstruction and Thorn after Match #3 then Abigail and Hammerhead after Match #4 but before the main event. Hammerhead will perform for FUMA’s entrance.

DNA “DNA 39”, 13/12/2017
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. MAO & Rekka Vs Yuki Ueno & Koju Takeda
2. Daiki Shimomura & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Toru Sugiura & Tomoya Hirata
3. Dai Suzuki Retirement Match ~Farewell Inexperienced Person~: Dai Suzuki Vs Ken Ohka
4. DNA Vs Yoshimura-gun: Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Akira Jo
5. DNA Vs IGF!: Mizuki Watase Vs Keisuke Okuda
6. Diego DNA Last Match!: Diego Vs Shunma Katsumata

Naomi Yoshimura’s group hasn’t been given a name yet so they are going by Yoshimura-gun for the time being.

DDT “DRAMATIC IS IT NOT? 2017”, 14/12/2017
Nagoya City Mid-Sports Center

1. Crazy Gold Wolf And Gay And Dancer Slightly Special 3 Way Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Danshoku Dino Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. The Legendary Man, Jet, Finally His Last Match Of The Year!: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Shogo Takagi Vs KUDO, Masahiro Takanashi & Kouki Iwasaki
3. Naomi Yoshimura & Keisuke Okuda Vs Shunma Katsumata & Nobuhiro Shimatani
4. Nagoya Specialty! Stir-fried Miso Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie
5. Road To D-King GP Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Akito

Shogo “Jet” Takagi makes another appearance for DDT in Nagoya after his September match turned out to be a success.

DDT “TAISHIDO SHOPPING DISTRICT YEAR END WRESTLING”, 17/12/2017
Tokyo Taishido Shopping District Pedestrian Paradise

1. HARASHIMA & Soma Takao Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Mizuki Watase
2. 4 Way Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Danshoku Dino Vs MAO Vs Got Ihashi
3. Miyu Yamashita & Maho Kurone Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Yuu

DDT is bringing out the mats for a free outdoor show in Taishido’s shopping district.

DDT “NEVER MIND 2017”, 24/12/2017
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Mad Paulie Vs Gota Ihashi
1. KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai Vs Keisuke Ishii, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Tomoya & Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. Hasta La Vista, Diego! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Diego, Akito & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Kouki Iwasaki, Mizuki Watase & Rekka
3. T2HiJoshi Vs Tokyo Joshi Pro Fight!: Francoise☆Takagi, Margaret★Owashi & Ichiko Hirata Vs Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki & Yuna Manase
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Colt Cabana

Sanshiro Takagi and Toru Owashi are the latest wrestlers chasing after the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. However the current champion Miyu Yamashita has been told not to wrestle men until after Tokyo Joshi Pro’s big Korakuen Hall show on 4th January. She’s in the main event so she cannot risk getting injured. Takagi respects the request and hatched a new plan to get the belt. Takagi, Owashi & Kazuki Hirata are apparently inviting their female relatives Francoise☆Takagi, Margaret★Owashi & Ichiko Hirata to challenge the Tokyo Joshi team in their place.

“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2017”, 31/12/2017
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1A: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Ryota Hama & Soma Takao
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1B: Kazuki Hashimoto & Akito Vs Kota Sekifuda & Ryota Nakatsu
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1C: Antonio Honda & Takuya Nomura Vs Brahman Shu or Brahman Kei & Daisuke Sasaki
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1D: Danshoku Dino & Daichi Hashimoto Vs Keisuke Ishii & Takayuki Ueki
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1E: HARASHIMA & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuya Aoki
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1F: Masahiro Takanashi & Tatsuhiko Yoshino Vs Isami Kodaka & Yoshihisa Uto
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1G: Minoru Fujita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Abdullah Kobayashi & Colt Cabana
8. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1H: Great Kojika & Tetsuya Koda Vs Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita
9. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
10. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
11. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1E Vs Winners Of Match 1F
12. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 2: Winners Of Match 1G Vs Winners Of Match 1H
13. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X
14. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X
15. TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary Match: TAKA Michinoku, Dick Togo, Ryuji Ito & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kotaro Yoshino, Dinosaur Takuma, Kazumi Kikuta & MAO
16. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X

Round 1 and Round 2 matches have a 10 minute time limit. Semi finals have a 15 minute time limit and the final has no time limit. Sudden death overtime involves 1 count pinfalls. The semi-final match ups will be determined by a lottery.