Video – Jericho Vs Takeshita From “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,785 Fans – No Vacancy

11. Double Main Event I: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

DDT Around The World – February 2025

Are you sure that everybody wans Mina Shirakawa? Because this month it sure looked like everybody wanted Konosuke Takeshita! He had a big month in AEW, he has big matches coming up in New Japan soon, he wrestled a bunch of times on a cruise and right when it looked like he would have a break, CMLL came calling out for him. If you’re the type who keeps track of any Wrestler Of The Year contenders, Takeshita’s work in February should put him up near the top as an early frontrunner.

He’ll have more to do over the coming months but March will see the Tokyo Joshi Pro side of things take more of the spotlight. Miyu Yamashita has a packed weekend in Europe coming up and Yuki Kamifuku will continue to gift with Southeast Asia her presence. Then in April it’s the big one. Wrestlemania Week! I’ll need to find the time to write a big piece about what DDT and TJPW will be doing during that period.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 05/02/2025
Gateway Center Arena, College Park, Georgia, USA

1. International All-Star Tag Match: Brody King & Buddy Matthews Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher

AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia

1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/02/2025
Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Orange Cassidy

CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 28/02/2025
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. NEVER Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Ángel de Oro

“Quiero enfrentar a Blue Panther/Ángel de Oro fue un gran rival”

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Results

JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 2”, 01/02/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Will Ospreay & Komander defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Lance Archer (?:??).

I don’t have much to write about for Takeshita’s remaining matches that happened during the Jericho Cruise. But hey some of these sound really good on paper, right? At least this match here gave attendees a taste of what Will Ospreay and Takeshita’s tag match in Australia happening later in the month would be like. Lance Archer probably bounced Komander around like a basketball too.

JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 3”, 02/02/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal (?:??).

Like this one for example. It would be great if footage of this shows up somewhere. Takeshita, Archer & Brian Cage all teaming up together against Daniel Garcia, Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal is the kind of match on paper that would have carried Night 3 of a packed indies weekend we used to get a decade ago.

JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 4”, 03/02/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Bandido, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd (?:??).

The last day of the Jericho Cruise had The Don Callis Family still together against the weird mix of Bandido & The Outrunners. I don’t know how much Takeshita would be into the retro 80s American vibe that The Outrunners bring with them. That’s more up Antonio Honda’s alley.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 05/02/2025
Gateway Center Arena, College Park, Georgia, USA

1. International All-Star Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Brody King & Buddy Matthews when Fletcher pinned King after an Assisted Brainbuster (14:15).

There was one last warmup match for Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher before they headed off to Australia. Here they took on the newly renamed Hounds Of Hell. They are the former House Of Black now without Malakai Black involved because he finally made his exit from the company. The challenge in this match was how much it took to put away the immovable force that is Brody King. Takeshita & Fletcher were able to get rid of Buddy Matthews no problem but when it came to King they had to throw everything at him but he wouldn’t stay down. Takeshita had to assist Fletcher with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster to keep the big guy down for the pinfall.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile
??? Fans

1. Casey defeated Moka Miyamoto with a Loaded Backpack Attack (7:43).
2. Aja Kong defeated Roma with the Uraken (8:55).
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) defeated Sara Phoenix & Pandora when Yamashita pinned Phoenix with the Skull Kick (18:19).
*V4 for 121000000.

A report for the show can be found here.

AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia

1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher when Omega pinned Takeshita after the Hidden Blade/One-Winged Angel Combination (21:20).

Talk about a match that delivered! The big tag match in Australia went ahead and ended with something we haven’t seen in a while: Takeshita taking a pinfall loss. It took a combination of the Hidden Blade and One-Winged Angel being mashed together like a Doomsday Device for it to happen which should wind up becoming one of the most memorable match finishes of the year. The aftermath confirmed there is more to come. Ospreay and Fletcher have their own feud moving ahead while Kenny Omega announced his intentions to go after Takeshita’s AEW International Title.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/02/2025
Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Orange Cassidy with the Raging Fire (12:30).
*V8 for Konosuke Takeshita.

But first AEW had to go the long route to set up the match. Before Takeshita goes to a big title match with Omega he first had to beat Orange Cassidy in a with the belt on the line. Takeshita took a table bump when Cassidy dropped him on top of the announce desk with the Beach Break. He was still in danger after getting hit with the Orange Punch and also a Flying DDT outside the ring. But Cassidy made the big mistake of climbing the top turnbuckle. And whenever Takeshita’s opponent jumps off the top turnbuckle there is an Elbow Strike waiting right for them upon landing. There were still some very close calls to come but Takeshita caught the Orange Punch and countered it into the Raging Fire for the win. Don Callis then rubbed salt on the wound by putting Cassidy’s sunglasses onto Takeshita after the match.

CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 28/02/2025
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. NEVER Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Ángel de Oro with the Raging Fire (?:??).
*V4 for Konosuke Takeshita.

The month ended with Takeshita’s first time in the hallowed grounds of lucha libre known as Arena Mexico. CMLL made it a big deal that he was coming over to wrestle on their famed Friday night show on short notice and offered up Ángel de Oro as a challenger for the NEVER Openweight Title. So this was put together more through CMLL’s relationship with NJPW rather than AEW. Or maybe it’s both at this point because Rocky Romero is the connection point and his backstage connections run pretty deep nowadays. The match itself unintentionally ended up becoming bloody after de Oro suffered a hand injury of some sort. With only one fall needed to win rather than the traditional two, Takeshita came out on top after the two went back and forth with big moves until the Raging Fire brought things to an end.

Backstage Takeshita was asked by reporters who else in CMLL he would like to wrestle? He told a story about the first wrestling show he ever attended when he was a child. It was an Osaka Pro show and the merchandise he bought at the show was a Blue Panther mask. That is his first ever wrestling memory in general so perhaps one day he will cross paths with Blue Panther or a member of his family in the ring.

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Upcoming Appearances

SPW “UNCHAINED”, 07/03/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman

An alliance seems to have formed between Yuki Kamifuku and The Statement over in Singapore Pro Wrestling. Maybe the two champions believe it is in their best interests to be on the same side when some familiar rivals are marching forth towards them again. The Statment and Da Butcherman have fought each other plenty of times before. So too have Kamifuku and Alexis Lee. So now the next step is to throw them all in the ring at the same time.

EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 07/03/2024
The Big Penny Social, London, England

1. Session Moth Martina Vs Miyu Yamashita

A busy weekend in Europe sees Miyu Yamashita wrestling in three countries. First up she is heading back to EVE in England where she will present herself as a big challenge for Session Moth Martina to overcome.

RCW “MARCH MADNESS”, 08/03/2024
Casinet de Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Amale

Then on the Saturday Yamashita returns to Spain for her first appearance in RCW since October 2022. Her opponent will be French wrestler and former NXT UK performer Amale.

WXW “16 CARAT GOLD – NIGHT 3”, 09/03/2025
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita finishes off the weekend with an appearance at wXw on the last day of the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Unless wXw announces her match beforehand it is a complete roll of the dice who she gets to face at the show.

AEW “REVOLUTION”, 09/03/2025
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Kenny Omega

It took 18 months to get here but we’re finally back on track to having another Takeshita Vs Omega match. I’m not going to sugar coat it. I think the title reign ends here and Takeshita’s priorities are about to switch over to New Japan for the spring and summer months.

MLW “BATTLE RIOT VII”, 05/04/2025
The Commerce, California, USA

1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Delmi Exo (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima

I think we know what to expect here. MLW brings in a Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestler, in this case Shoko Nakajima, and they lose to their women’s champion, in this case Delmi Exo. Although that was done a lot when Janai Kai was the champ so who knows? Maybe Nakajima takes the title from Exo and ends her second reign before it can properly take off.

NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

I know Hiroshi Tanahashi is getting an IWGP World Heavyweight Title shot at New Japan’s anniversary show in March. And NJPW have announced there will be IWGP Title matches taking place in their next two shows in America. Hmmm…. Alright, alright, that’s just wishful thinking on my part. Although I can see the NEVER Title being on the line when Tanahashi and Takeshita clash in Chicago.

PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025
Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

At the moment it doesn’t seem like there will be any other DDT or TJPW talent appearing on the show. So it’s just going to be Miu Watanabe having a match here by the looks of it.

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

1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell

Later in the afternoon MAO will be at the West Coast Pro show and the promotion are promising the opponent is just as crazy as he is! Jiah Jewell has made it his goal to “Gator Roll The World” and that sounds like the fucked up wrestling MAO likes to fight for.

GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Shinya Aoki Vs X

No surprise to see Shinya Aoki getting added to the show. The funny thing is the match he’s having on the DDT show would have made much more sense to happen on the Bloodsport show!

Yamashita also returns to Bloodsport for a second go around.

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

1. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs X
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs X & X
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs X

The card will begin to take shape right after “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” is over and done with. What we do know for now is there will be championship matches for the Princess Of Princess Title, the Princess Tag Team Titles and the International Princess Title.

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

1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher

Like I said above, doesn’t Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher sound more like a Bloodsport match than a DDT match? Now Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson, that’s a match you’re absolutely not going to see anywhere else.

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

I really don’t know what the vibe and turnout for this show will be when it happens right slap bang in between the big NXT show and the first night of WrestleMania.

BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025
The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh Vs Davey Bang & August Matthews

Very cute, very evil and back teaming up again. Danhausen & Maki Itoh reunite as Makihausen for a tag match against Bang And Matthews over at Black Label Pro.

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

1. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr.

So this is happening in Japan but since it is a one off lucha libre show that is disconnected from everything else going on I decided to include it in this series. This is the Sumo Hall show that made headlines for announcing the debut of a new Hayabusa. One of the lucha matches originally booked for the show was a 3 Way Match between Octagon, El Hijo del Octagon and Pantera Jr. However Daisuke Sasaki crashed one of the press conferences demanding to be part of the show because of his lucha skills. The promoters decided to let him in so he gets to team with Pantera Jr. against the two (kayfabe?) generations of Octagon.

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

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X

Probably another New Japan title defence for Takeshita when he goes to California in May. Hopefully it’s with the IWGP Ti-okay, okay, I’ll give it a break.

DDT Around The World – January 2025

A new year means new adventures and a fresh sense of excitement to go exploring again. Konosuke Takeshita now has work with New Japan to deal with alongside his AEW duties. It’s opened up a whole new group of opponents to fight in America as well as Japan, especially since he has a championship in each company he wants to defend often. Yuka Sakazaki had a very big month by taking part in a special retirement match and also getting a big chance to do some things on AEW TV. But now that has come and gone I worry that she’s going to vanish from the shows again. Yuki Kamifuku is continuing her series of matches with Alexis Lee across Southeast Asia. Maki Itoh went on tour across the world with GCW but sadly lost her championship along the way.

A lot more destinations are coming up in the Springtime. Chile gets to experience Tokyo Joshi Pro on their own soil, Takeshita gets a very big tag match in Australia, Miyu Yamashita gets to wrestle in Germany for the first time and all roads will be leading us towards the bright lights of Las Vegas. I know I got the tickets I want for Wrestlemania Week.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Jonathan Johnson

AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Queen Aminata Vs Deonna Purazzo Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Serena Deeb

2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Katsuyori Shibata

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki

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Results

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME”, 04/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
24,107 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (I/c) defeated Shingo Takagi (N/c) with the Raging Fire (11:42).
*V5 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Shingo Takagi fails in V2. Becomes the 47th/11th Champion!

I already wrote about Takeshita’s big weekend at the Tokyo Dome. You can read it here.

NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM/ROH “WRESTLE DYNASTY”, 05/01/2025
Tokyo Dome, Japan
16,300 Fans

1. NEVER Openweight Title & AEW International Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/c) defeated Tomohiro Ishii with the Raging Fire (13:30).
*V1 for NEVER Openweight Title. V6 for AEW International Title.

Same as above.

SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 3”, 10/01/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Alexis Lee with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
V6 for Yuki Kamifuku.

As far as I know it was just the Queen Of Asia Title that was on the line for Kamifuku’s latest appearance at Singapore Pro Wrestling. Her rivalry with Alexis Lee may have turned friendly but Lee still wants to win that title back. Kamifuku was able to beat her again for another title defence. It also won’t be the last time this year they fight each other in SPW. More on that later.

NJPW “BATTLE IN THE VALLEY”, 11/01/2025
San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA

1. Sumie Sakai Retirement Match – Tornado Tag Match: Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Sumi Sakai, EVIL & SHO when Takahashi pinned Sakai with the TIME BOMB (14:42).
2. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) defeated KUSHIDA with the Raging Fire (15:08).
*V2 for KONOSUKE TAKESHITA.

With a new path forged in New Japan, Takeshita went to fight for the company over in America. California was the place where his next NEVER Openweight Title defence was scheduled. KUSHIDA was his challenger in his latest attempt to take on the heavyweights. His gameplan was to start with breaking down Takeshita’s arm before switching to his legs with sweeping Leg Kicks. The plan worked in that it did weaken Takeshita’s moveset and made the match more competitive than first it looked on paper. But Takeshita was able to stand tall in the end and put away KUSHIDA. Takeshita then went ahead and called his shot. When Hiroshi Tanahashi has his final match in America before he retires, Takeshita wants to be his opponent!

If you want to watch a feel good wrestling match to get you out of the new year dumps, go seek out Sumie Sakai’s retirement bout. She teamed up with House Of Torture members EVIL & SHO because of their connections back in their American excursions days. Sakazaki was one of the many people who wanted to be a part of the match as a thank you to Sakai. She got chosen among the lucky trio that included Hiromu Takahashi from NJPW & Mayu Iwatani from Stardom. There was also a female Kamaitachi hanging around at ringside who nobody has been able to identify since (I’ve seen a few guesses it was Iyo Sky because she was in attendance and I appreciate the cheekiness of it if true). Sakazaki whacked SHO over the head with a foreign object and gave him the Tea Time. Sakai ended up fighting on her own and kept kicking out for as long as she could. Takahashi eventually kept her down for the count with the TIME BOMB.

IWA Thailand/SETUP “BANGKOK NAVIGATION”, 18/01/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Qualifying Match: Jonathan Johnson defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Swanton Bomb (?:??).

This month saw SETUP become the new bearers of the International Wrestling Association brand by launching the debut IWA Thailand show. Masahiro Takanashi went over to take part in a tournament to determine the No. 1 Contender for the IWA Japan World Heavyweight Title. He had no problem being the bad guy against Jonathan Johnson and even got some ringside help from Shota getting in Johnson’s way whenever it was convenient. However Johnson fought off the numbers disadvantage and made Shota Super Kick Takanashi by mistake. Johnson then countered the Takatonic into an Implant for a nearfall and then hit the Swanton Bomb to get the upset win, knocking Takanashi out of the tournament in the 1st Round.

GCW “THE PEOPLE VS GCW”, 19/01/2025
Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA

1. GCW Ultraviolent Title & GCW Extreme Title – Doors, Ladders & Chairs Unification Match: Matt Tremont defeated Maki Itoh (E/c), John Wayne Murdoch, Drew Parker, Rina Yamashita, Brandon Kirk, Dr. Redacted and Matthew Justice when Tremont grabbed the titles (15:55).
*Maki Itoh fails in V5. Matt Tremont becomes the 10th GCW Ultraviolent Champion and 11th GCW Extreme Champion!

Maki Itoh took a big gamble and it did not pay off. She wanted to double her title collection in GCW by joining the Doors, Ladders & Chairs match where the vacant GCW Ultraviolent Title was on the line. To do that she agreed to put the GCW Extreme Title up for grabs too so both championships would end up being unified together. John Wayne Murdoch complained about her inclusion at the start of the match, causing Itoh to fake cry so everyone else would attack him in her defence. Itoh also did the ladder spin spot, hitting whoever was in her way until Matthew Justice smashed her with a chair. Her last big spot of the match was diving off a ladder onto everyone else outside the ring. She ended up getting taken out of the match when Drew Parker did the Swanton Bomb from the ladder onto herself and Murdoch through some tables at ringside. Matt Tremont ended up being the last one left to climb the ladder and pull down both belts.

BZW/GCW “ENTER THE ZONE”, 25/01/2025
Espace Isabelle De Hainaut, Rue De Saint-Quentin, France

1. BZW Title: Joseph Fenech Jr. (c) defeated Maki Itoh by Disqualification when Itoh was caught with Brass Knuckles (?:??).
*V7 for Joseph Fenech Jr.

One week later Itoh travelled to Europe with GCW for a weekend of shows in France and England. For a brief moment it looked like Itoh was the new champion of Banger Zone Wrestling when she defeated Joseph Fenech Jr. for the BZW Title. However during the match Fenech placed a pair of brass knuckles into Itoh’s gear so when he lost the match, he complained to the ref and accused Itoh of cheating. The ref inspected Itoh, found the brass knucks “hidden” in her costume and decided to reverse the decision.

AEW “COLLISION – HOMECOMING”, 25/01/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. TBS Title No. 1 Contender 4 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Queen Aminata, Deonna Purazzo and Serena Deeb when Sakazaki pinned Purazzo with a Modified Crucifix Pin (9:28).
2. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Katsuyori Shibata with the Raging Fire (13:29).
*V7 for Konosuke Takeshita.

Back in AEW, Takeshita called out an unexpected opponent to be his next challenger for the AEW International Title. He wanted a piece of Katsuyori Shibata after seeing him winning matches in ROH! It was a match that just as much existed to show everyone that Shibata can still take bumps because Takeshita Suplexed him around quite a bit. Shibata though was able to withstand the attacks and push back, fighting his way towards a possible title change. However Don Callis in a panic left the commentary booth to grab Shibata’s leg from ringside as a distraction. Takeshita then grabbed Shibata for the Blue Thunder Bomb. Shibata kicked out of that with a 1 Count so Takeshita put him away with the Raging Fire.

Sakazaki’s AEW direction for this month centered around the TBS Championship. She was thrown into the mix of a 4 Way Match to determine the No. 1 Contender. Her chances improved when Queen Aminata and Serena Deeb fought their way out of the ring and away from ringside. She also benefitted from Deonna Purrazzo getting distracted by Taya Valkyrie being attacked by Harley Cameron. With Purazzo’s guard now down, Sakazaki cradled her into a Crucifix Pin to score the three count and earn herself a title match.

GCW “LIVE IN LONDON”, 26/01/2025
Electric Ballroom, London, England

1. Maki Itoh defeated Man Like DeReiss with a Mouse Trap (11:56).

What Itoh lacked in size against Man Like DeReiss she more than made up for it with ego and personality. She quickly reacted to DeReiss’s big entrance by telling him she’s “not scared, you pussy!” DeReiss still took her lightly, making quips on the microphone while Body Slamming her. But Itoh started a comeback while the Pokémon theme song played over the speakers. However DeReiss took a page out of Itoh’s playbook by crying crocodile tears so Itoh would go easy on him. His plan almost worked until Itoh countered a Power Slam into the Mouse Trap cradle to get the pin out of nowhere.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 29/01/2025
Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA

1. TBS Title: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Money Maker (13:40).
*V13 for Mercedes Moné.

Remember back when Mercedes Moné would put out photos and videos on social media of her training at the TJPW dojo and hanging out with the roster? Well after all that time we finally got to see her wrestle a match against someone TJPW related. Moné and Sakazaki got the main event slot on Dynamite for their TBS Title match. Sakazaki got out of the Statement Maker by cradling it into a nearfall. She thought she had Moné where she wanted her by doing a Snap German Suplex. But Moné blocked the Magical Girl Splash with her knees and eventually pinned her with the Moné Maker.

JERICHO CRUISE “CHRIS JERICHO’S ROCK ‘N’ WRESTLING RAGER – SIX ON THE BEACH – NIGHT 1”, 31/01/2025
Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Viva Van (?:??).
2. AEW International Title Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington (?:??).

Both Takeshita and Sakazaki were a part of Chris Jericho’s annual Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager At Sea cruise. There were four days of shows but from what I could find Sakazaki only wrestled on the first day, beating Viva Van. Takeshita beat the new “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington on his first match of the cruise. It has since been promoted in AEW canon as an AEW International Title eliminator match for Ring Of Honor TV. I’ll go through the rest of Takeshita’s matches in next month’s article.

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Upcoming Appearances

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “AEX32 SANTIAGO 2025”, 09/02/2025
Estación Mapocho Cultural Center, Santiago, Chile

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Casey
2. Aja Kong Vs Roma
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Vs Pandora & Sara Phoenix

The AEX Santiago convention welcomes Tokyo Joshi Pro to Chile in February. The Princess Tag Team Titles will be defended over there too, possibly changing the course of “GRAND PRINCESS ’25” if 121000000 lose the belts over there. Fans over there will also get to see Aja Kong and Moka Miyamoto in action.

AEW “GRAND SLAM AUSTRALIA”, 15/02/2025
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia

1. Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher

There’s a lot of logistical confusion going around AEW’s Australia debut but it’s still working out better than that time Takeshita was booked by Sub-Zero Pro back in 2019. He’ll be teaming with Australia’s own Kyle Fletcher as the two members of the Don Callis Family face the combined wrath of Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega!

SPW “UNCHAINED”, 07/03/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement Vs Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman

Kamifuku and Lee’s rivalry remains in Singapore for the time being. This time Kamifuku will get involved in a mixed tag match for the first time in SPW. She teams with The Statement (aka Andruew Tang) while Lee will team with Da Butcherman.

WXW “16 CARAT GOLD – NIGHT 3”, 09/03/2025
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Some of the best wrestling weekends I’ve ever had were in Germany for the 16 Carat Gold tournament. Yamashita’s debut for wXw is only going to be for the third night though. That’s a shame because if she did the entire weekend there would have been a whole list of interesting new matches for her to do.

NJPW “WINDY CITY RIOT”, 11/04/2025
Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi Last Match In The USA Final Road ~Kinship~: Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

America gets a rematch over a decade in the making. In the 2nd year Anniversary of Takeshita’s debut match, he got to fight Tanahashi in his prime at DDT’s Sumo Hall show. He had respect for him for years afterward until 2015 when Tanahashi embarrassed DDT in the same venue. When Takeshita competed in the G1 Climax last year he brought up that situation as a reason for him to chase after Tanahashi in New Japan. Now that Tanahashi is getting ready to retire next year, there’s not a lot of time left to make this match happen. So Takeshita made the demand to be the opponent for Tanahashi’s last match in America (unless AEW gets the itch to book him on super short notice later in the year).

PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025
Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

DDT and TJPW’s schedule for Wrestlemania Week is focused on the Friday and Saturday. However Miu Watanabe’s schedule unexpectedly starts a little bit earlier. On the Thursday she will be competing in Pandemonium Pro against the promising wrestler from Texas, Maya World.

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

The sixteen women TJPW are planning to bring over to Las Vegas are Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Suzume, Yuki Kamifuku, Pom Harajuku, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Wakana Uehara and Shino Suzuki. There will be a few more international wrestlers taking part too.

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

The first group of DDT wrestlers coming over for the show are MAO, Shinya Aoki, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda, Ilusion, Yuni and Kazuma Sumi. A lot of the regular talent have already been advertised for DDT’s shows back in Japan the same weekend so this might be your lot outside of the guests.

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

Tickets for all three shows are on sale now.

DDT Around The World – February 2024

I can feel it in the air, the road towards Wrestlemania Week has begun. There’s not too much to talk about what happened in February but the announcements for what’s going down in Philadelphia this April are beginning to drip out. Konosuke Takeshita is getting set to be the welcoming party for AEW’s newest big signing, Miyu Yamashita has another American tour on the way and Maki Itoh is back in action with a return to GCW coming very soon. That’s not all, Mizuki Watase is going to be in Philly that week and is currently looking for bookings. I hope he gets some because the few matches he was able to do last year I thought got him over in the venues. His problem seems to be a lack of international coverage for his body of work in Japan. You have to see him in action to get him.

The other story of the month is MAO and Yoshihiko’s European tour. They kept it short and sweet with only two bookings in a weekend but it seems to have done wonders for MAO. He’s been booming with confidence ever since and it shows with his recent DDT performances. I can’t put my finger on what exactly made him improve lately but he has put it all together in a complete package that makes him stand out. He is his own wrestler that is able to make his style adapt to his opponent and the environment they are in. He did good with the American indies last year and I would love to see him break out even higher on the scene in 2024.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Chris Jericho Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

Video starts at 2:55:30 for the angle. Match begins at 2:59:27.
WEST COAST PRO “UNDER THE BRIDGE”, 18/02/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero, Konosuke Takeshita & Titus Alexander Vs Adrian Quest, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee

AEW “COLLISION”, 24/02/2024
Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri, USA

1. Bryan Danielson Vs Jun Akiyama

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Results

BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. MAO & Yoshihiko defeated MBM & Ultima Sombra (?:??).

The European trip started out in France where MAO & Yoshihiko defeated Rivality in BZW. I think the promotion was originally called BodyZoi Wrestling but then changed their name to Banger Zone Wrestling. Anyway Yoshihiko ended up needing a neck brace after it was put through a table. It got its own back by giving both MBM & Ultima Sombra a Double Low Blow and a Double Choke Slam.

TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Fatal 4 Way: Yoshihiko defeated Jordan Oliver, Leon Slater and MAO (?:??).

The next night MAO and Yoshihiko made it to England for a TNT Extreme show. They weren’t teaming together this time. Instead they were opponents along with Jordan Oliver and Leon Slater in a Fatal 4 Way match. Neither of them escaped the match unscathed. Yoshihiko was thrown from the ring into the balcony only to dive out of there onto everyone back in the ring! It ended up winning the match but still needed medical help over concerns it suffered a concussion. MAO got a medical check-up too but he was fine as long as he got some beer.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Chris Jericho with the Walls Of Takeshita (13:51).

Takeshita got his win back from Chris Jericho in a rematch from DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” last November. This time Takeshita had counters for a lot of Jericho’s moves. He avoided the Walls Of Jericho and after some struggle repositioned himself to Wheelbarrow Suplex his opponent. He stopped Jericho from doing the Lionsault, grabbing him from the ropes to do a Blue Thunder Bomb instead. He also avoided a top rope Frankensteiner to do a Super Blue Thunder Bomb too! Jericho finally caught Takeshita in the Walls Of Jericho but that was when Don Callis came into play. He slid a chair into the ring to distract the ref and then hit Jericho in the head with a screwdriver. Takeshita took advantage by putting Jericho in the Walls Of Takeshita, dragging him into the middle of the ring to make him tap out!

WEST COAST PRO “UNDER THE BRIDGE”, 18/02/2024
Don Quixote Event Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Chris Hero, Konosuke Takeshita & Titus Alexander defeated Adrian Quest, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee (20:56).

A match between Chris Hero and Adrian Quest over at West Coast Pro ended in a No Contest when Danny Rose & Ricky Gee interfered and attacked Hero. Titus Alexander came to Hero’s aid but the numbers game by Quest and Los Suavecitos eventually overwhelmed them. Who would come out to the rescue but Konosuke Takeshita! After he cleared the ring with Elbow Strikes an impromptu 6-Man Tag Match broke out. After the match Hero told a story back from around 2007 about him going to see an Osaka Pro show during a tour with NOAH. He wanted to take a tour of the venue but wasn’t allowed do it by himself. So a 10 year old Takeshita had to chaperone him around the building!

AEW “COLLISION”, 24/02/2024
Great Southern Bank Arena, Springfield, Missouri, USA

1. Bryan Danielson defeated Jun Akiyama with the Busaiku Knee Kick (15:59).

AEW’s booking method for Bryan Danielson lately is to book him against a who’s who of the wrestling landscape. He’s been in the ring with the likes of Yuji Nagata, luchadors from CMLL and the latest one was Jun Akiyama. This match had extra spice to it because Eddie Kingston was at ringside and he admires Akiyama greatly. So of course Danielson would have some fun getting to beat up Kingston’s hero right in front of him. However Akiyama put up a big fight, clashing Knee Strike to Knee Strike. It couldn’t last though and Danielson ultimately got his hand raised in the end. He shook Akiyama’s hand after the match only to give him a Low Blow. An angry Kingston attacked Danielson which brought out Claudio Castagnoli and then FTR for a little brawl before things calmed down.

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Upcoming Appearances

GCW “PROJECT GCW”, 01/03/2024
Pop’s NightClub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Ciclope & Miedo Extremo

Itoh returns to America and making up for lost time. She is going to spend most of the month wrestling with Nick Gage so there is going to be a lot of Maki Death Kill for everybody! First up the duo takes on Los Macizos. Itoh’s streak of doing death matches without having to take any actual bumps through glass will be at risk here.

GCW “KEEP IN TOUCH”, 02/03/2024
Marriott East, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley

Then the next night Maki Death Kill face The Rejects.

AEW “REVOLUTION”, 03/03/2024
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

1. Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Yeah this is going to be awesome. Don Callis has become so satisfied with how things are turning out for himself and the Don Callis Family in AEW that he is now going to make his own wrestlers fight each other because there is no one else on their level. Takeshita is going to be Will Ospreay’s first opponent now that Ospreay is signed full time to AEW. Expectations are going to be high, high, high for this one.

GCW “ASHES TO ASHES”, 09/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Nothing announced yet for Itoh’s third GCW appearance of the month. Gage is busy fighting Ryuji Ito at that show.

GCW “SO MUCH FUN”, 10/03/2024
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Nick Gage, Matt Tremont & Maki Itoh Vs Effy, Allie Katch & Dark Sheik

But for the fourth appearance she gets to team with Matt Tremont for the first time. Mix together Maki Death Kill with the H8 Club and you get Maki Death Kill Club! Her friendships with Thrussy goes out the window here.

SHP/LOL “EUPHORIA”, 04/04/2024
Attic Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Matt Makowski Vs MAO

The first place you will find a DDT wrestler during WrestleMania week is at a Sean Henderson Presents show. MAO is looking for a lot of bookings in Philadelphia, particularly all on the same day. Three of them have been announced already beginning with this match against Matt Makowski.

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko

DDT’s first match announcement for their USA show is a doozy. Kazuki Hirata and Yoshihiko bring their dramatic dream match to America!

The other DDT wrestlers announced for the USA show are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON and Takeshi Masada. Also coming in are Mike Bailey, Andrew Everett, Kid Lykos, Nick Wayne, Bryan Keith and Billie Starkz.

GCW/JCW “GCW/JCW VS THE WORLD”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. Shota Vs X
3. MAO Vs X

One minute before the clock strikes midnight, GCW and JCW will start taking on the world. MAO, Yoshihiko and a newly freelance Shota will all be there for the action.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Announced so far for TJPW’s USA show are Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Aino, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume and Arisu Endo. Joining them are Vert Vixen, Billie Starkz, “The Unbreakable” Rhio, Viva Van, Max The Impaler and Zara Zakher.

Yamashita begins her latest American tour with this show. She will be staying in America for two months, heading back to Japan during the middle of June.

GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The non-TJPW lineup for this show will not feature most if not any of the women who are booked for the day before. Instead it will all be GCW relevant wrestlers taking mixing it up with the TJPW roster.

PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 8”, 14/04/2024
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Kylie Rae Vs Miyu Yamashita

Prestige has always been a good place for Yamashita to visit during her American tours. Her next appearance will be for a match against Kylie Rae, who has recently returned to wrestling.

UPRISING “UPRISING: WOMEN ATHLETES 2”, 19/04/2024
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Hyan

Back in December DREAMWAVE announced they were spinning off their women’s wrestling shows into its own promotion. Thus Uprising: Women Athletes was born. Yamashita will be showing up for Uprising’s second event to take on Hyan in a rematch from last year’s American summer tour. Yamashita lost to Hyan in New Texas Pro back in May. Now almost a year later they will square off again.

PRESTIGE/PRIDE STYLE “PRIDE & PRESTIGE”, 26/04/2024
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Who else will Prestige have for her Yamashita in April?

DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 2 – KAPPAS COUNTERATTACK”, 27/04/2024
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Hyper Misao Vs X

The debut of Daikaiku Pro featured Shoko Nakajima in the main event. For their second show they promotion said they are going to unleash “Project M”. It turns out Project M is Hyper Misao!

DDT Around The World – January 2024

Don’t worry everyone, Konosuke Takeshita got to wrestle a bit last month! His time spent in AEW during January was matches involving Darby Allin but by the time the month ended, he is back to targeting Chris Jericho for an upcoming rematch of their “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” bout. Tokyo Joshi Pro had some more involvement with Major League Wrestling. Another noteworthy thing is Yukio Sakaguchi on the verge of retirement having his last wrestling match in Taiwan. We also got updates on DDT and TJPW for their shows during Wrestlemania Week coming up in April.

Other schedules went pear-shaped last month due to injuries and illnesses. Maki Itoh had to cancel her American dates in order to take time off for recovery reasons. The good news is she will be back wrestling again near the end of February and will return to the American indies in March. Chris Brookes getting surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen prevented him from travelling around Southeast Asia with Masahiro Takanashi. It’s a more quiet month than usual because of Itoh and Brookes being absent. Only going to make things busier when they get back to normal.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 03/01/2024
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Darby Allin Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Video starts at 44:10
MLW “RELOAD”, 06/01/2024
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Nao Kakuta Vs Moka Miyamoto

AEW “DYNAMITE – HOMECOMING”, 10/01/2024
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. Tornado Tag Match: Darby Allin & Sting Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs (w/ Don Callis)

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 26/01/2024
Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA

1. Christopher Daniels Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

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Results

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 03/01/2024
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Darby Allin with the Powerdrive Knee (12:50).

Takeshita throwing Allin around the ring was so much fun he got to do it even more this month. Allin got his licks in too with a top rope Stunner and a few dives. But Takeshita blocked the Coffin Drop with his knees, fought off a dead leg to German Suplex Allin across the ring. He then turned him inside out with a Lariat, kicked his face off with a Helluva Kick and then German Suplex him off the top rope. Takeshita finished him off with the Powerdrive Knee. More of this please!

MLW “KINGS OF COLOSSEUM”, 06/01/2024
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Nao Kakuta defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Shiden Kai (6:23).
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) (w/ Salina de la Renta & Jesus Rodriguez) defeated Hyper Misao with the Demon Clutch (7:15).
*V3 for Janai Kai.

Several TJPW wrestlers went to New York to compete at MLW’s latest supershow. Hyper Misao got a shot at the MLW World Featherweight Title, becoming the second TJPW wrestler in a row to challenge Janai Kai for the belt. She brought along the Combat Bike and cycled around the outside of the ring to hit Kai with a Lariat. Salina de la Renta stood on the apron to distract Misao but got sprayed in the face for her troubles. The distraction still worked though because Misao turned around into the Tornado Kick from Kai and she then gave up to the Demon Clutch Dragon Sleeper.

TJPW also provided an exhibition match between Nao Kakuta and Moka Miyamoto. Kakuta won the match but afterwards Miyamoto was approached in the ring by Love Doug. He wanted to ask her out for dinner and she said yes.

AEW “DYNAMITE – HOMECOMING”, 10/01/2024
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. Tornado Tag Match: Darby Allin & Sting (w/ Ric Flair) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs (w/ Don Callis) when Sting pinned Hobbs with the Scorpion Death Drop through a Table (9:53).

And we did get more of this! Takeshita’s AEW debut took place in Daily’s Place during the pandemic so it meant a lot to him to be in a Dynamite main event there. It was a wild Tornado Tag match that also dragged Don Callis and Ric Flair into the ring. The fighting went over to the entrance where Allin hit a Coffin Drop from a bleacher onto Takeshita, taking the two of them out of action. Powerhouse Hobbs carried Sting over to a stage with the intention of putting him through a table. But Sting reversed it and gave Hobbs the Scorpion Death Drop off the stage through the table instead.

SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 2”, 19/01/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia No. 1 Contender Match: Mizuki defeated Alexis Lee (?:??).
2. SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles: Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore defeated HARASHIMA & Masahiro Takanashi (c) (?:??).
*The Horrors become the 11th SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Champions!

CDK’s plans for the month were changed because of Brookes’ health issues. Takanashi had to find some replacement tag partners for his matches in Singapore and Thailand. Over in Singapore Pro Wrestling Takanashi still had to defend the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles without Brookes. The good news was HARASHIMA agreed to join him as a substitute so the match against The Horrors could go ahead. The makeshift team couldn’t pull it off though. CDK’s long reign with the titles were ended by Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore.

Also on the show was a No. 1 Contenders match for the Queen Of Asia Title. The championship currently belongs to Yuki Kamifuku and is being kept with her in TJPW. The former champion Alexis Lee needed to beat Mizuki in order to get a rematch. However Mizuki was too much for her to handle and it will instead be Mizuki who is getting the next shot. It’s possible that match will happen at a TJPW show in Japan rather than in Singapore for SPW but we’ll have to wait and see what gets announced.

NTW “THE GOD’S RIGHT KNEE RETURNS”, 20/01/2024
Xingren Road, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

1. Special Single Match: THE JOKER defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (8:00).

During Sakaguchi’s announcement about his retirement plans he mentioned one of his remaining matches was taking place in Taiwan. It was for New Taiwan Entertainment Wrestling and was put together when Sakaguchi was challenged by THE JOKER in December. THE JOKER is someone who Sakaguchi fought years previously and he holds Sakaguchi is high esteem. The match meant even more for him because Sakaguchi gave him his ring robe as a gift afterwards.

SETUP “BANGKOK SHOWDOWN”, 20/01/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. 3 Way Tag Match: Kevin Weng & Pondhub defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Rubber Man and Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart (?:??).

Takanashi needed to find another partner over in Thailand for the SETUP show. Oddly enough Sanshiro Takagi was in the area visiting for business reasons but he wasn’t available to take part. Instead Takanashi had to team up with Rubber Man, one of the many monsters that comes from the UMA Corps.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 24/01/2024 (Aired 26/01/2024)
Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Christopher Daniels with the Powerdrive Knee (3:06).

A little rest to recover from the Tornado Tag match put Takeshita back on track. His next match was a win against Christopher Daniels, an opponent he previously faced on a AEW branded ring in Japan. He countered the Angel’s Wings into the Implant and then turned that into a German Suplex. All that was left to do was hit the Powerdrive Knee for the victory.

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Upcoming Appearances

BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. MBM & Ultima Sombra Vs MAO & Yoshihiko

Travel buddies MAO and Yoshihiko begin their European weekend with Banger Zone Wrestling in France. Their opponents are Rivality, the team of MBM & Ultima Sombra.

TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Fatal 4 Way: Jordan Oliver Vs Leon Slater Vs Yoshihiko Vs MAO

One day later the pair travel to England for TNT Extreme. Even though this booking has been known since December, Yoshihiko still got in trouble with DDT when they booked the doll for their Nagoya show on the same day only to find out it already has this tour organized. DDT warned Yoshihiko not to let this happen again.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 07/02/2024
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Chris Jericho Vs Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

The time has come for the rematch! Chris Jericho defeated Takeshita in DDT last November and Takeshita’s been biding his time to even the score. Go get that win back!

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Announced so far for DDT’s USA show are Yuki Ueno, MAO, Kazuki Hirata, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata, KANON, Takeshi Masada and Yoshihiko.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

TJPW are sending over 14 women to Philadelphia for Wrestlemania week. They are Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Aino, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume and Arisu Endo.

GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

When GCW put out a blurred image teasing the complete schedule for The Collective I joked the blurred part looked like it said “GCW VS TJPW”. Turns out that’s what it actually is! All 14 TJPW wrestlers above will be part of the crossover show pitting their side against GCW’s female contingent.

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Cancelled Appearances

GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Matt Cardona, Steph de Lander & Broski Jimmy

Itoh taking time off for recuperation led to a few cancelled appearances this month. She wasn’t able to team up with Bussy against Deathmatch Royalty for example.

GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Tony Deppen

The world will have to wait another day to see what Itoh wrestling Tony Deppen would be like.

F1RST “WRESTLEPALOOZA – NIGHT 2”, 14/01/2024
First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh hopes she will get to be at a F1RST show somewhere in the future.

GCW “LOOK AT ME”, 26/01/2024
Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Allie Katch Vs Maki Itoh Vs Dark Sheik Vs Lindsay Snow

Itoh was replaced by Masha Slamovich on the show and Slamovich ended up winning the match.

DDT Around The World – December 2023

Happy new year! December featured plenty of CyberFight related appearances in North America. Tokyo Joshi Pro held its second show in USA. They also had two seperate championship matches happening within minutes from each other in two different countries. Konosuke Takeshita remains stuck in AEW limbo, Maki Itoh wrapped up the latest leg of her US bookings, Shota paid a visit to California and MAO partied hard as the end of 2023 counted down to midnight.

So what is there new to expect in 2024 when it comes to international stuff for DDT and its family? I think the focus will be what Yuka Sakazaki will get up to. I will continue following her career using these articles. If she sticks within AEW/ROH then it won’t be much work to see what she gets up to every month. But I want to see her spread out to some of the indies. At least go to Deadlock Pro every now and then. She owes them a match anyway.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

Video starts at 11:02.
MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins Vs Shota & J2 Mattioli

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/12/2023
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal Vs Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita

DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee

SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm Vs Shota

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
400 Fans – Super No Vacancy

7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly

Video starts at 16:20.
MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Shota Vs Jr Mattioli

PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita

CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023
Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Nate Webb

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Results

BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023
Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Rachel Armstrong with the Itoh Deluxe (11:22).

Let’s begin with a show that has become an annual event for Black Label Pro. Six months ago Rachel Armstrong had a match here against Miyu Yamashita so now it was Itoh’s turn to see what the fuss is all about. A naïve Armstrong fell for Itoh’s crocodile tears act but took control using her speed and agility. A Northern Lights Suplex in particular came very close to getting her the win. But Itoh had control for most of the match, trapping Armstrong in the Itoh Special and then building her way up to the Itoh Deluxe to make her tap out.

GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023
Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Mike Bailey with a Cradle (16:14).

Is this the upset of the year? Mike Bailey learned the hard way not to kick Itoh in the head because it is as hard as iron! When the shock of that wore out, Bailey took her seriously, even pulling out the Flamingo Driver that Itoh kicked out of. His frustration led to his undoing because when he grabbed Itoh’s legs to do a Boston Crab, Itoh twisted over and cradled Bailey for the flash pin! Itoh had to console Bailey after the match because he burst into tears over the result.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/12/2023 (Aired 08/12/2023)
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal when Hobbs pinned Daniels with The World’s Most Dangerous Slam (8:38).

What was looking to be Takeshita’s only match of the month was teaming up with Powerhouse Hobbs to beat Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal after the latter tried standing up to The Don Callis Family. During the month Don Callis announced that his unit will now be using “Family Rules” for their tag team matches against Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega going forward, which is just their name for Freebird Rules. The storyline they’re doing is falling apart though because Omega is now out of action indefinitely with diverticulitis.

MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 5”, 07/12/2023
Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) defeated Jody Threat (?:??).
*V3 for Max The Impaler.

There was a surprise International Princess Title match for the fans at this month’s Mystery Wrestling show. Evil Uno runs these events every couple of months, airs them live on his Twitch channel and keeps the VOD on his Patreon. Max The Impaler was brought in for a match against Jody Threat and agreed to put the championship on the line. TJPW gave their authorization and recognizes the result as an official title defence.

MLW “ONE-SHOT”, 07/12/2023
Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Delmi Exo with the Skull Kick (9:13).
*V2 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) (w/ Salina de la Renta & Jesus Rodriguez) defeated Maki Itoh with the Modified Dragon Sleeper (7:27).
*V2 for Janai Kai.

Both Itoh and Yamashita were at MLW’s final show of the year, each in a championship match. Itoh was given a big title match against Janai Kai for the MLW World Featherweight Title. She had an unfair disadvantage though because Kai had both Salina de la Renta and Jesus Rodriguez (the former Ricardo Rodriguez from WWE) in her corner to interfere when needed. There was also an unexpected run-in from the masked wrestler Ichiban that distracted Itoh long enough for her to miss a Diving Headbutt. If that wasn’t bad enough, Matt Striker on commentary completely did not understand Itoh’s gimmick. Maybe he had good intentions by trying to put Itoh over as a fighter to be taken seriously but he’s been so bad as a colour commentator for so long he should not get the benefit of the doubt.

Yamashita was at the show to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo. Her opponent is a former MLW Featherweight Champion and brought her best fight to the match. Yamashita kicked out of the Ocean Cyclone Suplex and got Exo up to the top rope for an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment. Yamashita kept the pressure up and Exo was helpless by the time she was beaten with the Skull Kick. The result helps establish Yamashita’s current title reign being about taking on opponents from around the world. Her next challenger will be back in TJPW on 4th January against Masha Slamovich.

DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Skull Kick (10:59).

Over to DREAMWAVE where Yamashita appeared on a weekend of shows for them. The first one was an all women’s event where Yamashita beat Shazza McKenzie in a rematch from their ROH bout from earlier this year. DREAMWAVE later announced they will be spinning off a new all women’s wrestling promotion called Uprising: Women’s Athletes so don’t be surprised to see Yamashita show up there in 2024.

MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins defeated Shota & J2 Mattioli when Rose & Hopkins pinned Mattioli with a Sunset Flip & Body Press (?:??).

Shota spent the month of December travelling over to America again for a short tour. Just like last year, Shota found went to the obscure end of the US indies including Millennium Pro Wrestling who welcomed him back with open arms. Shota teamed with one of his opponents from the last excursion, J2 Mattioli to take on a team called 24K. Sadly the team lost when Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins used a double team Sunset Flip to pin Mattioli. Afterwards Mattioli apologised to Shota for losing and then challenged him to a singles match for the following week. Shota accepted and shook his hand.

DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura defeated Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee when Sakura pinned Steel with the Double Arm Backbreaker (8:02).

There was a small change to the match when one of the original opponents Zamaya was bumped up to the semi-main event for the DREAMWAVE Women’s Title. So Yamashita & Emi Sakura instead found themselves teaming up against Zayda Steel and Zamaya’s replacement Maggie Lee. A lot of the match was Steel & Lee working on Yamashita so Sakura can get the hot tag. Still it’s not everyday you get to see Sakura & Yamashita teaming together. They won when Sakura gave Steel the Double Arm Backbreaker and Yamashita gave Lee the Attitude Adjustment, leading to a double pin.

EWF “PRO WRESTLING LUCHA LIBRE”, 09/12/2023
VFW Post 8737, San Bernardino, California, USA

1. EWF Vs The World: Kid Noah defeated Shota (?:??).

An outdoor show held in December doesn’t sound that pleasant even if it’s in California. Shota wrestled twice outdoors during the tour. The first one was at Empire Wrestling Federation where he lost to Kid Noah.

GCW “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM 2”, 09/12/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie defeated Nick Gage & Maki Itoh (17:42).

Itoh’s last GCW appearance of the year had Maki Death Kill back together to take on the husband and wife team of Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie. The match went from a normal two vs two tag into a brawl with chairs and doors being used as weapons. Valkyrie put Nick Gage through one of the doors and then tried giving Itoh the Road To Valhalla. Itoh countered it into a Roll Up but Valkyrie then blocked the counter and grabbed onto Itoh’s tights to pin her for the three count. Itoh demanded a singles match against Valkyrie afterwards.

SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm defeated Shota with the Thunderstruck (?:??).

Shota’s second outdoor match of the month was for Skyfire Pro Lucha Libre. He tried his best to outwrestle his opponent but Rebel Storm stopped him in his tracks with a Headbutt followed by the Twist Of Fate that he calls Thunderstruck.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
400 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Harajuku pinned Amira after the Wasteland War Justice with Max (10:20).
2. Trish Adora defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Lariat (8:42).
3. Mizuki defeated Sandra Moone with the Cutie Special (10:21).
4. Miu Watanabe defeated Hyan with the Tear Drop (8:33).
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) defeated Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie when Noa pinned McKenzie with the Blizzard Suplex (9:42).
*V3 for Free WiFi.
6. Taya Valkyrie defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Road To Valhalla (10:47).
7. Special Tag Match: Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Slamovich pinned Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (18:00).

The show report can be found here.

MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. J2 Mattioli defeated Shota with the Playmaker Lariat (?:??).

The match between Shota and Mattioli was a mostly friendly back and forth match between the two. Mattioli ended up using his Playmaker Lariat to win, capping off a year he was really happy with.

PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Keita defeated Shota (?:??).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey with the Skull Kick (?:??).

Okay so this month we found out that Bailey’s weakness is Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. He lost to Itoh in GCW and here in Pandemonium Pro he lost clean to Yamashita! There were no tears in this one, instead these two tried to kick the tar out of each other!

Shota completed his USA tour by making Pandemonium Pro his final stop. Originally he was going to face Vinnie Massaro but that guy is busy living it up on a NOAH tour right now. So Shota was given the newcomer Keita as a replacement opponent. Keita made the most of this opportunity and beat the more experienced Shota.

AEW “WORLDS END”, 30/12/2023
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, USA

1. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Sting & Darby Allin defeated Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita when Guevara pinned Starks with a Shooting Star Press (15:42).

What a mess this storyline has turned out to be. Omega falling ill meant that he and Jericho couldn’t go ahead with challenging Ricky Starks & Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Titles so they had to throw in The Don Callis Family, Sting, Darby Allin and the return of Sammy Guevara to make it an 8-Man Tag Match. Takeshita was not part of the lineup when the match was made but then a day later AEW swapped him into the match and took Kyle Fletcher out. Then on the day of the show allegations of Jericho’s past behavior resurfaced online from Nick Hausman as part of Jericho’s online spat with a lawyer with a that could not have been handled any more uglier than it did. Almost everybody except the alleged victim is coming out of it as a bunch of massive scumbags. So come to the part of the show when the match happened and there was an uncomfortable atmosphere that could be felt through the screen as the match went on. I wish I could instead focus on Takeshita getting to wrestle Sting and throw Allin around like he’s Yoshihiko but everyone watching was in a bad mood over what emerged throughout the day.

CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. King Of The Deathmatches – Round 1 – Ultraviolent Baptism: Bobby Beverly defeated MAO with the Fisherman DDT (?:??).

How about taking part in a deathmatch tournament to bring out the end of the year? MAO entered the King Of The Deathmatches that was being held by Circle 6 and faced Bobby Beverly in the 1st Round. MAO brought along chairs and plastic boxes but soon smashed lighttubes over his opponent. He also put Beverly through a bunch of chairs with a Double Arm Piledriver and used high flying moves but couldn’t get the win. A triple Low Blow spot that also included the referee brought the match back to an even fight. Wooden skewers were stabbed into each other’s heads and Beverly smashed MAO with lighttubes before pinning him with the Fisherman DDT.

CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023
Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Nate Webb with the Diving Radio Silence from the Bar Counter (?:??).
*V3 for MAO.

MAO stuck around in Circle 6 on New Year’s Eve so he could defend the DDT Universal Title against Spyder Nate Webb. The match went outside to Santa Monica Blvd so they could fight on the street as traffic drove by.

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Upcoming Appearances

MLW “KINGS OF COLOSSEUM”, 06/01/2024
2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Nao Kakuta
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) Vs Hyper Misao

TJPW’s working relationship with MLW continues into the new year. Hyper Misao has been selected to be Kai’s next challenger for the MLW Featherweight Title.

Also happening on the show is a TJPW offer match between Moka Miyamoto and Nao Kakuta. Miyamoto is only just now starting to wrestle abroad while Kakuta has already done it a few times in 2023. The two matches here are a little glimpse of what TJPW in Philadelphia will look like next April.

GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Matt Cardona, Steph de Lander & Broski Jimmy

Itoh and Bussy all share grudges with Matt Cardona & Steph de Lander so it was inevitable that Maki Death Bussy would join forces to take on Deathmatch Royalty. The latest development in the story is Cardona forced Jimmy Lloyd to become his new disciple in GCW, turning Lloyd into Broski Jimmy.

GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Tony Deppen

The day after that Itoh will take on Tony Deppen in a first time match. GCW at times have promoted Deppen as their gatekeeper. A win for Itoh here could be a sign of things to come for her in GCW.

F1RST “WRESTLEPALOOZA – NIGHT 2”, 14/01/2024
First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

No match announced yet for Itoh’s appearance at F1RST.

SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 2”, 19/01/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Mizuki Vs Alexis Lee
2. SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore

In November 2022 CDK defeated The Horrors to win the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles. Now after more than a year later comes the rematch. Dr. Gore got to wrestle in Japan for a little while and gain some experience while Da Butcherman kept himself busy in Singapore. There is a chance the match might not go ahead because Chris Brookes had surgery this month to remove a tumor from his abdomen. At the time of writing there is no decision made yet on when he can start wrestling again. But even if he can’t make the trip, Masahiro Takanashi still will.

SPW’s own Alexis Lee continues to be the opponent of choice for joshi coming into Singapore. She lost the Queen Of Asia Title to Yuki Kamifuku last month but is looking to bounce right back with a win against Mizuki.

SETUP “BANGKOK SHOWDOWN”, 20/01/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Kevin Weng & Pondhub Vs Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart

If CDK can go ahead with travelling together in January then they have a tough challenge waiting for them in Thailand. SETUP is making them defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a 3 Way Match against St. John Innocent College and THE GOOD DEAL. CDK won the titles from THE GOOD DEAL in an impromptu match bck in October. But even though the former champions are getting a rematch, they have to share it with St. John Innocent College. That kind of multi-man chaos is an environment that CDK benefits from.

GCW “LOOK AT ME”, 26/01/2024
Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

What will await Itoh in Florida next month?

BZW “X”, 03/02/2024
Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France

1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. MAO Vs X

MAO is coming to France and he’s brining Yoshihiko with him! Also Minoru Suzuki and KUSHIDA are booked for the show too. Banger Zone Wrestling won’t know what hit them.

TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024
Hanger34, Liverpool, England

1. Yoshihiko Vs X

Yoshihiko heads over to Liverpool the next day for TNT Extreme. Surely not by itself though.

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

DDT won’t be the only CyberFight presence in Philly that week…

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

… because TJPW is going there too! They will also be part of The Collective which is interesting to note because last time TJPW were with WrestleCon.

DDT Around The World – November 2023

Okay so where did things stand during November? Konosuke Takeshita’s work in America was still as a background player in the Don Callis storyline. The rivalry between him and Chris Jericho was mostly focused in Japan for DDT. But with that said there was still the rest of the month for AEW to give him stuff to do and there was nothing to show for it. Shoko Nakajima got to stomp her way to America briefly but just like every American monster movie it was only for a little while. Maki Itoh seems to be booked stronger and stronger in GCW as the months go by. She won all of her matches in America this month! I think there’s going to be some gold on her way in the future. Speaking of gold there is plenty of championship news to talk about for this month.

Sadly for Miyu Yamashita she lost some of her gold after her latest appearance in England. The global triple crown she held a few months back is now long gone and she’s back to just being a champion in Japan. The International Princess Title got to be defended overseas and even made a cameo on NWA programming. The belt was also handled by James Mitchell a lot which makes me hope it got a deep clean before it was transported back to Japan. Yuki Kamifuku has always behaved like a queen and now she gets to be called one thanks to the title she won in Singapore.

So with all of this now out of the way let’s hope December ends the year with a few high notes. Tokyo Joshi Pro has their show with Prestige coming up, Shota is doing a winter excursion and MAO is spending New Year’s with the dodgy bunch of friends you’d wish your kid wouldn’t hang out with.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. Shoko Nakajima Vs VENY

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 15/11/2023
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Like A Dragon Street Fight: Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Paul Wight Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage

EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 2”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Safire Reed

SPW “VIVA LA LUCHA!”, 24/11/2023
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

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

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Results

GCW “PLEASE, BUDDY”, 03/11/2023
Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Itoh Deluxe (8:37).

Itoh can sing, she can dance, she can even carve open human skulls with a pizza cutter. But she cannot do the splits like Shazza McKenzie. The Australian used the splits as a defensive maneuver and then challenged Itoh to match it. Itoh struggled but it didn’t matter because McKenzie then kicked her aside and took control of the match. Itoh recovered and locked in the Itoh Deluxe to make her opponent tap out.

DAIKAIJU PRO “VOL. 1 – THE KAPPAS WALK AMONG US”, 04/11/2023
White Eagle, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. VENY defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Moonsault Press onto the pile of Kaiju Toys (12:04).

When you have a promotion called Daikaiju Pro who else is more fitting to headline their first show than the girl nicknamed Big Kaiju? Nakajima brought out a bag filled with kaiju toys that she wanted to use in her match against VENY but the referee wouldn’t allow her to use them. At least he was polite enough to stand up one of the toys on the apron. VENY wasn’t there to play games either. She spat water in Nakajima’s face while beating her down and later hit a big Moonsault onto her outside the ring. A second Moonsault missed its target allowing Nakajima to get her second wind. Things went haywire after VENY accidentally knocked out the ref with a slap. Nakajima had her beaten with the Northern Lights Suplex but no ref was there to count it. Nakajima took advantage by bringing in the bag of kaiju toys and throwing VENY onto them with a Top Rope Hurricanrana. The ref recovered but VENY kicked out of the pin. Nakajima then got a taste of her own medicine by being slammed onto the pile of toys with a Hurricane Driver. She kicked out of a Michinoku Driver but VENY finished her off with the Moonsault Press on top of the toys.

GCW “¿SI OR NO?”, 04/11/2023
Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch defeated Jordan Oliver, Davey Bang & August Matthews when Itoh, Effy & Katch all pinned Matthews with a Triple Kokeshi Headbutt (11:29).

The trio known as Maki Death Bussy won again in their second outing as a team. Their opponents Young, Dumb & Bros tried to used fast paced team moves to their advantage until Allie Katch cleared house with her power. Effy then tagged in Itoh so the three of them could hit a Kokeshi Headbutt all at the same time for the win.

EVE “FRIDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING”, 10/11/2023
Big Penny Social, Walthamstow, London, England

1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) defeated Kasey (10:36).
*V1 for Max The Impaler.

The International Princess Title was defended in England for the first time in over a year when Max The Impaler stepped foot into EVE once more. EVE got permission from TJPW to have Max put the title on the line against the “Monster Of Chaos” Kasey. It was a risk to do this title defence when there was already one scheduled for Max when they returned to Japan. But it turned out not to be a problem for the champion and they left EVE with the title still over their shoulder.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 15/11/2023
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Like A Dragon Street Fight: Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Paul Wight defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Powerhouse Hobbs & Brian Cage when Omega pinned Cage with the One-Winged Angel (21:01).

Takeshita went full Goro Majima for AEW’s sponsorship with Sega and the new Lika A Dragon game. All that was missing was him calling Kenny Omega “Kenny-chan” while stalking him from every nook and cranny inside the building. The Street Fight was a full tribute to the street fights you get in the game including attacks involving bicycles, people getting slammed onto cars and shop signs getting smashed to bits. This was the kind of natural environments The Golden Lovers developed in and is a recommended throwback to the crazy Falls Count Anywhere Matches they used to get up to in DDT. Kota Ibushi cycling around ringside hitting people with a pipe until Brian Cage decapitated him with a Lariat is something wrestling will always need. Also Powerhouse Hobbs seemed to have killed Paul Wight in the parking lot and it didn’t matter towards the result. AEW really needs to fix that kind of story telling. Anyway, Omega dropped Kyle Fletcher with the One-Winged Angel to deliver a happy ending for this substory.

GCW “GOING AND GOING”, 17/11/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Nicole Matthews with the I.S.D. (9:19).

A first time meeting between Itoh and Nicole Matthews meant it was time for Matthews to discover first hand just how hard Itoh’s head is. She based her attacks around Cravates and Knee Strikes to the head. When that didn’t work she pushed the referee into the ropes to knock Itoh off balance from the top turnbuckle. However Itoh kicked out of a Northern Lights Suplex and lured Matthews back over to the corner. She gave her a Draping DDT onto the ring apron, a Tornado DDT on the floor outside the ring and then the I.S.D back in the ring for the victory.

HOODSLAM “RED”, 18/11/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Sawyer Wreck & Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik & Vipress when Itoh pinned Sheik with the I.S.D. (17:02).

When Itoh was last in Hoodslam she lost a match to Vipress thanks to interference from Dark Sheik. Itoh got her revenge this month by bringing along Sawyer Wreck so they could beat the two of them together. The match transformed into a chicken fight with Itoh sitting on Wreck’s shoulders and Vipress sitting on Sheik’s. Itoh toppled down the opposing tower with her Headbutts. Communication between Sheik & Vipress broke down and the two turned on each other. From that point they were easily picked off with Itoh hitting Sheik with the I.S.D. and Wreck Choke Slamming Vipress for the double pin.

EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 1”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Chantal Jordan with the Skull Kick (12:27).

Two matches in one day awaited Yamashita for EVE’s last major event of the year. The afternoon match was pretty rudimentary. She beat Chantal Jordan with the Skull Kick, no questions asked.

EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM – SHOW 2”, 19/11/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title: Safire Reed defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with a Rolling Cradle (15:35).
*Miyu Yamashita fails in V9. Safire Reed becomes the 21st EVE Champion!

The second show at night however brought an end to Yamashita’s year long reign as EVE Champion. The up and comer Safire Reed beat her in a big upset to win the title! Yamashita’s title run ends as the fifth longest in EVE’s history and also has the most successful title defences on record in a single reign. I can’t imagine this will be the last time we’ll see her in EVE too so what she and maybe more from TJPW will do with them in the future is something to watch out for.

LLL “DEEP HURTING”, 22/11/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Maki Itoh defeated Lilith Grimm and Stormi Renee (?:??).

Itoh was back in Lucha Libre & Laughs, beating Lilith Grimm and Stormi Renee in a 3 Way Match.

SPW “VIVA LA LUCHA!”, 24/11/2023
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku defeated Alexis Lee (c) with the Diving Famouser (?:??).
*Alexis Lee fails in V5. Yuki Kamifuku becomes the 5th Queen Of Asia Champion!

In a rematch from January of this year, Kamifuku had a second chance of taking the Queen Of Asia Title from Alexis Lee. This time she succeeded and has brought the title championship back to Japan! The belt is managed by Singapore Pro Wrestling so they will need to sign off on any title defences Kamifuku will want to do in TJPW.

GCW “WRESTLECADE WEEKEND”, 24/11/2023
Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Kylie Alexa with the I.S.D. (5:08).

There was no Kenzie Paige on the show. Instead Itoh had to take on Paige’s sister Kylie Alexa. No matter. Itoh beat her anyway.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/11/2023 (Aired 01/12/2023)
Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Powerhouse Hobbs, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Jah-C. Kit Sackett & Renny D (?:??).

Takeshita ended his month winning a squash match with the rest of The Don Callis Family.

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Upcoming Appearances

BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023
Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA

1. Rachel Armstrong Vs Maki Itoh

Itoh will still be in America while TJPW celebrates their 10th anniversary. December for her begins with Itoh taking on Rachel Armstrong in Black Label Pro.

GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023
Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Mike Bailey

Here’s a matchup so nutty it has to be done a week sooner! GCW originally booked a match between Itoh and Mike Bailey for their show in LA on 9th December. It had to be cancelled because Bailey had a scheduling conflict. So rather than wait until next year to do the match it’s been pushed forward to the Brooklyn show on the 3rd instead.

MLW “ONE-SHOT”, 07/12/2023
Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA

1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Delmi Exo
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) Vs Maki Itoh

When Yamashita was announced for MLW a war of words broke out online between her and Delmi Exo. This year Exo held the women’s titles from both MLW and wXw at the same time. She no longer has either so she now has her sights set on the Princess Of Princess Title. Yamashita appreciated the challenge but turned it down because she already has her next defence scheduled for 4th January. Exo wasn’t happy with the response and sent insulting messages to Yamashita until the champion decided to accept the challenge and put Exo in her place. It all sounds well and good for a storyline but I’m a little worried MLW will pull off some bullshit when nobody is looking. They’ve done a phantom title change before with one of the AAA championships during the pandemic and tried to play it off as a misunderstanding over wires getting crossed. Call me skeptical but you should only ever trust Court Bauer as far as you can throw him.

In September Itoh lost a No. 1 Contender match to B3CCA so you may be wondering why she is still getting an MLW World Featherweight Title shot against Janai Kai? It’s because B3CCA has since gotten a knee injury and will be on the shelf for a few months. Can Itoh make the most of this unexpected opportunity?

DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Shazza McKenzie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Please don’t let Sean Ross Sapp interfere in this match.

MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins Vs Shota & J2

Shota is adding dates for his winter tour of America. The earliest match scheduled for him now is at Millenium Pro Wrestling. He will team with a former opponent from last year’s excursion, J2 Mattioli. Their opponents are a team called 24K.

DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023
Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Zamaya

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Yamashita and Emi Sakura in the same ring on the same team at the same time? They were on opposite sides once before and that was on a DPW show during the summer. Now we get to see how they will fare when they on the same page. Zayda Steel & Zamaya could be in for a rough night if their opponents gel together really well.

EWF “PRO WRESTLING LUCHA LIBRE”, 09/12/2023
VFW Post 8737, San Bernardino, California, USA

1. EWF Vs The World: Shota Vs Noah

Just like last year Shota’s trip to America has him showing up in some real obscure places on the independents. Empire Wrestling Federation is one of them and they have a wrestler called Noah ready to fight him.

GCW “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM 2”, 09/12/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh Vs Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie

GCW has gone full blown wacky over what they’re replacing Itoh Vs Bailey in LA with. That show is now getting Maki Death Kill against Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie!

SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023
Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA

1. Rebel Storm Vs Shota

Shota’s opponent when he comes over to Skyfire Pro is Rebel Storm.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Rika Tatsumi & Amira Vs Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie
3. Moka Miyamoto Vs Trish Adora
4. Mizuki Vs Sandra Moone
5. Shoko Nakajima Vs Taya Valkyrie
6. Miu Watanabe Vs Hyan
7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly

The full card for “COMBAT PRINCESS USA” is here. Prestige have gathered together Masha Slamovich, Killer Kelly, Hyan, Taya Valkyrie, Sandra Moone, Trish Adora, Janai Kai, Shazza McKenzie (replacing an injured Johnnie Robbie) and Amira to represent their side in a bunch of inter-promotional matches against TJPW.

PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Vinnie Massaro Vs Shota
2. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita

It’s neat to see Vinnine Massaro get to wrestle in NOAH earlier this week. I bet that was a big thrill for him.

CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. MAO Vs X

I’m not sure if MAO is entering the actual King Of The Deathmatch tournament or if he’s there in a separate attraction match.

GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024
Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Itoh has her first 2024 dates with GCW ready to go.

GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

So far Itoh has Maki Death Kill and Maki Death Bussy under her list of alliances in GCW. Where does she go next?

DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024
Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

DDT returns to America next year as part of The Collective in Philadelphia during Wrestlemania week. Sanshiro Takagi said on Twitter he would also like to do a Falls Count Anywhere match at the Philadelphia Museum Of Arts stairway from the Rocky movie if he is part of the crew travelling over.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” Results

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,785 Fans – No Vacancy

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Takao pinned Honda with the Gin And Tonic (7:46).
*V1 for ROMANCE DAWN.
2. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated KANON & MJ Paul, Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi, Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida and Yuni & Rukiya (9:32).
2a. Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi eliminated Yuni & Rukiya when Doi pinned Yuni with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (4:18).
2b. KANON & MJ Paul eliminated Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Kojima with a Running Body Press (6:38).
2c. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku eliminated Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi by Ring Out when Okada threw Doi over the top rope (7:53).
2d. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku eliminated KANON & MJ Paul when Koroku pinned Paul with a Cradle (9:32).
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki defeated Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara when Arai pinned Uehara with the Finally (11:15).
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match – Japanese Dogeza Match: Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Takagi apologized to Sasadango (8:20).
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeated Takeshi Masada with a Crucifix Pin (13:14).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo when Naya pinned Toshizo with the World’s Best Back Drop (10:11).
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Tetsuya Endo by Referee Stoppage with the Crossover Face Lock (14:50).
8. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita defeated Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when Yamashita pinned Akai with the Skull Kick (20:30).
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Nivea Cream Care Body Wash Presents ~ Dramatic Dream Round “Let’s Have Fun!!” What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Fisherman Suplex (R5 3:53).
*V? for Hiromu Takahashi.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt defeated Hiromu Takahashi (c) by Pinfall (5:36 pm).
*IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt becomes the 1,590th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt (c) by Pinfall (5:37 pm).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,591st champion.
10. DDT Universal Title – No DQ Match: MAO defeated Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) with the Radio Silence onto a Plastic Case (16:50).
*Matt Cardona fails in V2. MAO becomes the 12th DDT Universal Champion!
11. Double Main Event I: Chris Jericho defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA with the Walls Of Jericho (23:35).
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Double Main Event II: Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the WR (29:39).
*Chris Brookes fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 82nd KO-D Openweight Champion!

A new KO-D Openweight Champion has been crowned! For the last couple of years Yuki Ueno set himself a hefty goal of becoming the guy to carry all of DDT on his back. There were setbacks and big walls to climb over along the way but it all lead to his crowning moment at Sumo Hall today. On a show filled with other matches taking up the spotlight, it was Ueno’s match with Chris Brookes that ended the day with DDT’s biggest prize on the line. The two close friends fighting each other on such a big occasion brought out their reckless sides. It didn’t take long for the fight to make its way outside the ring where Ueno did a Moonsault from the entrance arch and later Brookes put him through a table with a Piledriver. Back in the ring the two almost took each other to a double knockout and then a double countout but they kept showing life to continue. Brookes hit the Praying Mantis Bomb twice with the second being an elevated version of the finisher. But Ueno kicked out of both of them and fired back with doing the BME twice. Brookes kicked out of them so Ueno then used the WR. This time Brookes had no answer for it and Ueno pinned him to become the new KO-D Champion!

Brookes was the one to wrap the belt around Ueno’s waist and then hug him before leaving the ring. Ueno said on the microphone that when Brookes came to DDT they became friends right away. He told Brookes to stay in Japan so they can fight each other in DDT even more. Ueno then told the fans he discovered DDT in his second year of high school thanks to his classmate Konosuke Takeshita. Ueno took the path to becoming a pro wrestler, grew little by little and has now become the champion he never thought he would become. His dream now is to fill every venue and live up to the high expectations a champion should have. He also showed support for the rest of The 37KAMIINA for all of their hard work and success. Meanwhile backstage Brookes spoke to reporters about having more motivation than ever. He thinks a key to Ueno’s victory is being part of a unit that supports each other. Brookes has Masahiro Takanashi and Antonio Honda to rely on but they’ve never been an actual stable together. That is until now. Brookes remembers being part of a group in England called SCHADENFREUDE. This new unit will carry the same name and can be called SCHADENFREUDE International! Brookes then noticed Takeshi Masada was nearby and invited him to join to make it a group of four people. Masada happily accepted the offer to fight for his “wrestling dad” from now on.

The show promoted two main events and the one placed second to last on the card had the most international interest going into it. Chris Jericho wrestled in DDT for the first time to face Takeshita in a match that carries over their current storyline from AEW. There was no sign of Don Callis anywhere so the match went ahead without any threat of outside interference to worry about. Jericho entered to his “Judas” theme song and the audience knew to sing along with the chorus. He and Takeshita fought around ringside where Jericho stole a photographer’s camera to take pictures of his opponent while beating him up. In the ring Takeshita blocked the Judas Effect and tried to win using the Walls Of Takeshita, his version of Jericho’s submission hold. He also used the Super Blue which is the top rope Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Takeshita followed up with Jumping Knee Strikes and then pulled down his kneepad in order to deliver one final strike. But Jericho cut Takeshita off and trapped him in the Walls Of Jericho. No matter how hard Takeshita tried to escape, it was usless and he had to tap out.

After the match Jericho stuck out his hand to Takeshita. To everyone’s surprise Takeshita shook Jericho’s hand. He then got on the microphone and told the fans his big dream is not going to end yet! Backstage he said the Walls Of Jericho he tried to climb over was much higher than he anticipated. His feud with Jericho is not over and they will continue to fight each other in America. He then made it clear that in Japan he will continue to be Konosuke Takeshita of DDT. In the United States he will become the world’s number one as KONOSUKE TAKESHITA. Today is not the end but the beginning of his dramatic dream. Jericho in his post-match interview said he wanted to do this match in DDT instead of AEW. He is full of praise for Takeshita and thinks the only reason he didn’t win today is because his opponent was Chris Jericho. He would accept an offer to fight Takeshita again 100 times out of 100. He also said he would like to wrestle Tetsuya Endo, Kota Ibushi and Minoru Suzuki. The last one in particular Jericho wants to take place in Japan at a venue the size of Sumo Hall or bigger. He enjoyed his time here in DDT and would come back as long as they can find the right important opponent for him.

Two people who did not enjoy as much of their time with DDT this weekend were Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander. They returned to Japan so Cardona could defend the DDT Universal Title again but his challenger MAO was a major annoyance for them. First Cardona and MAO got into a fight at yesterday’s press conference and that resulted in the title match turning into a No DQ bout. Cardona tried to win straight away by immediately doing the Radio Silence to MAO for a two count. De Lander quickly intervened too which caused the injured Shunma Katsumata to get involved at ringside so the playing field was back to being even. Yukinori Matsui got knocked out during the chaos so there was no referee around. The solution was to bring in Yoshihiko as the substitute ref! Both Cardona and MAO had to grab Yoshihiko and guide it to counting their pinfalls until De Lander threw it out of the ring. Luckily Matsui recovered and was able to continue doing his job while Cardona and MAO smashed plastic cases over each other. Cardona stacked up a pile of cases but went through them himself thanks MAO giving him a top rope Radio Silence. When the dust settled, MAO pinned Cardona on top of the wreckage to win the Universal Title!

Cardona & De Lander stormed off blaming the result on screwjobs while MAO celebrated with the title. MAO said it’s been a long time since he last held the Universal Title and he was able to win today because he worked hard in front of a large crowd. He then announced his first challenger for the belt will be Demus. There is already a singles match between the two booked for 19th November so it will now have the title on the line. Backstage MAO said he couldn’t do what he wanted with the title the first time around because of the pandemic. He has a lot of regrets but today is his happy ending and he can now start a new story. Meanwhile Cardona compared what happened here to the Montreal Screwjob and complained about interference from Katsumata and Toy Kojima. This was the Tokyo Screwjob! He promised when he returns to DDT he will be coming for the KO-D Openweight Title!

Nobody was prepared for what Hiromu Takahashi and Kazuki Hirata had in store for everyone. Not even those two! Takahashi entered Sumo Hall as the defending Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and agreed to take part in a match filled with match stipulations normally reserved for the DDT Extreme Title. Every round lasted two minutes and began with a roulette wheel on the screen picking a new stipulation. This would go on until a winner was determined. Round 1 was a Musical Sitatuon Death Match where everyone had to do moves that were fitting for the song being played. Takahashi ignored the rule until Hisaya Imabayashi yelled at him on the microphone. When Sengoku era music played Takahashi and Hirata fought each other like samurai. Then romantic music began playing and the two slowly embraced each other. The round ended right before they were about to kiss. Round 2 was a Handicap Match allowing Hirata to team up with Yoshihiko. They had the early advantage until Takahashi got rid of Hirata so he could fight Yoshihiko one on one. Takahashi did the Time Bomb but Yoshihiko kicked out at one. Takahashi then did the Time Bomb II but Yoshihiko kicked out of that as well! It was then onto Round 3, the Blindfold Hidden Breat Death Match! Takahashi and Hirata had to wear blindfolds and bras. The goal was to strip off the opponent’s bra without being able to see. The two eventually found each other and Hirata had a grip of Takahashi’s bra. But the round ended before he could pull it off. Round 4 was a Dancing Death Match but Takahashi did everything he could to prevent Hirata from dancing, leaving the crowd very upset. For Round 5 the roulette wheel was about to land on Normal Rules but instead stopped at the Dancing Death Match again. This time the round was given a 55 minute time limit. Takahashi knocked down his opponent and picked up the Hirata GO! glasses. He admitted he’s been prepared to dance ever since this match was announced! He put the glasses on, “Tokyo GO!” began to play and Takahashi danced with Hirata. The dance turned into a fight with Hirata using the Miracle One Shot Cradle for a nearfall. Takahashi fought back and used the Fisherman Suplex to pin Hirata for a three count. It is the same move Takahashi used to beat Hirata in their first match together back in 2011.

That wasn’t the end of it by a long shot. Takahashi had just defended the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and laid down next to Hirata with the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title belt resting on his chest. Big mistake. Yukinori Matsui, as sharp-eyed as always, noticed the belt on top of Takahashi and suddenly gave a three count. A confused Takahashi looked up as it was announced that the actual IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Belt itself was now the Iron Man Champion! Hirata quickly grabbed the belt and pinned it on the canvas. Matsui counted along and then declared Hirata was now the Iron Man Champion! When Takahashi finally figured out what had happened he shook Hirata’s hand and tried to roll him up to win the belt back but failed. Hirata escaped from ringside, leaving Takahashi by himself in the ring. Then when Takahashi walked away, Danshoku Dieno crept up from behind and gave him a big kiss when he turned around. Backstage Takahashi said this is the end of his story with Hirata and they may never see each other again. He suggests his next story could be with Keisuke Ishii because he’s never beaten him in their three singles matches. He had more to say but Dieno reappeared and chased him off.

Saki Akai’s pro wrestling career in the ring has now come to an end. After spending a decade in the ring, Akai announced in the summer her choice to step away at her peak of performance, feeling it is better to end her career as a beautiful rose instead of a wilting flower. By doing this she gets to be a rare case of a pro wrestler getting to retire on their own terms without ever suffering a serious injury. For her final match Akai teamed up with the rest of Eruption one last time. Their opponents were also all of her choosing. There was Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH because Akai felt she was strong enough to face him in the ring. They also knew each other from before Akai got into wrestling. Kazusada Higuchi was picked because he is a former member of Eruption who founded the unit with Akai and Yukio Sakaguchi. And third was Miyu Yamashita from Tokyo Joshi Pro because they are friends in private who helped with each other’s wrestling careers a lot. Akai got to get time in the ring against all three opponents while Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani were there for backup. Akai kept fighting despite taking a Thrust Kick from Marufuji and a Headbutt from Higuchi. The match came down to her against Yamashita with Akai trying to last as long as she could before finally falling to the Skull Kick to end her last match.

With the match complete everybody got their chance to shake Akai’s hand before the retirement ceremony began. Akai was sent video messages from several notable pro wrestlers. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe and Genichiro Tenryu all wishing her the best. Next Akai received bouquets of flowers from Eruption, her friends Takumi Iroha and Rina Yamashita and also Sanshiro Takagi. Akai was praised by Takagi for becoming a truly fine pro wrestler who made it without suffering any major injuries. There were many ideas Takagi came up with when he scouted her that Akai never complained about. He now has one more idea. Akai is now finished with wrestling but DDT still needs her so would she like to continue working with DDT behind the scenes? Akai thanked Takagi for the offer and said she will help make everyone in DDT shine. Akai was then shown an unexpected video message from Shinsuke Nakamura! He was the person Akai watched that made her hooked on wrestling. He told Akai her wrestling has touched people’s lives and she should use that inspiration to become the person she wants to be in her next stage of life. Akai then gave a speech to the fans. She had her debut match here in Sumo Hall 10 years ago but her view back then and her view now is completely different. She has come to think of DDT and their fans as family. Once she steps out of the ring she will no longer be a wrestler but those family ties will never be broken. Her pro wrestling life was a dream that made her happy and she loves everyone from the bottom of her heart. The ceremony ended with the ten bell salute, her final ring announcement and the ring being filled with streamers.

There were some more comments from everyone during their post-match interviews. Yamashita didn’t feel the impact of it being Akai’s final match until she saw Akai stepping into the ring. She is thankful to be chosen for the match and said it is a great honour to team with Marufuji. In fact, she would like to fight Marufuji herself one day! Marufuji approved of the idea and would like to have a singles match against her if all of the promotions involved agree to it. Higuchi struggled to find the words to say about Akai’s retirement. All he could do is thank her for her hard work. Sakaguchi and Okatani also felt too emotional about the match to talk about it. Akai said she doesn’t know what is going to happen next but if she believes Takagi’s offer is real then she is staying attached to DDT. She heard her mother was in attendance so she wants to go show her she is safe and sound after the match.

Two former friends met in the ring when Tetsuya Endo took on Daisuke Sasaki to see if either of them really have moved on from DAMNATION. Sasaki did his Diving Elbow Drop out of the ring onto Endo in the front row. Endo hit back by putting Sasaki through a table at ringside with the Firebird Splash. Sasaki tried to play mind games by giving Endo a hug but he was pushed away. Endo got a nearfall with the Canadian Destroyer and then went for the Burning Star Press. Sasaki blocked it with his knees and put Endo in the Crossover Face Lock, keeping the pressure up until Endo lost consciousness and the match was stopped. Sasaki swears he heard Endo say “Thank you” to him and that was Endo’s true feelings. Endo said he blanked out until he heard Sasaki’s music playing. He lost but like a phoenix he will come back and start from scratch. Endo has turned negative emotions into energy before and he will do it again to reach the top of DDT.

The DDT Vs All Japan rivalry was on display in Match #6. Jun Akiyama grouped himself with HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya to defend home turf from the Voodoo Murders. It was a chance for Naya to size himself up against Rei Saito before the D-Ou Grand Prix begins. Rei’s brother Jun Saito missed a Lariat aimed for Naya, hitting Toshizo instead by mistake. Naya took over and hit Toshizo with a Knee Lift before pinning him with the World’s Best Back Drop. Naya warned Rei Saito he will show the difference of power between them in the D-Ou Grand Prix.

The return of an ikeman to DDT inspired Takeshi Masada to wear new trunks for his match. He better have felt comfortable in them because Kuroshio TOKYO Japan is back to stretching out his ring entrance for as long as he possibly can. Kuroshio already had several matches back in Japan since leaving WWE but hasn’t won any of them. So he was looking for his first win in a long time against an opponent recommended to him by Takeshita. It was a back and forth match that saw Kuroshio grab victory from the jaws of defeat by pinning Masada with a Crucifix Pin. His advice to Masada is to brush up on the basics. However Kuroshio admits that Masada is better at this stage of his career than he was. He would like to fight him again. Masada was disappointed to go through all this effort to get a new ring costume only to lose.

Takagi made a last minute decision to turn his 8-Man Tag Match into a Japanese Dogeza Match. The goal is to make your opponent kneel down and apologize on the microphone. Takagi tried to force Dieno to make an apology but he refused because he is putting his life on the line. Akito then bribed Dieno with a year’s worth of dog food for his beloved pet dog Haku. Dieno agreed to it until Yoshitatsu stopped him. Yoshitatsu then pulled down the back of Akito’s tights to break up his Ankle Lock on Dieno. Yoshihiko wiped out Makoto Oishi while Dieno put Shinichiro Kawamatsu in the Lip Lock. Super Sasadango Machine instructed the cameraman at ringside to film a close up of Kawamatsu with Dieno in order to cause a massive scandal that will harm Kawamatsu’s political career. In order to protect DDT’s reputation, Takagi got on his knees and apologized to end the match in defeat. Backstage Dieno, Sasadango and Yoshitatsu spoke to each other about their age. They are all 46 years old so they came up with an idea to call themselves Just Same Age. Meanwhile Akito said there are not enough apologies in pro wrestling. He can say that again.

TJPW had more representation on the show with their own 6-Woman Tag Match on the undercard. Yuki Arai scored the pinfall for her team after hitting Wakana Uehara with the Finally axe kick. Arai said she was happy to take part and get to see Akai’s retirement with her own eyes. Shino Suzuki admitted she was nervous because it is her first time wrestling in Sumo Hall. It makes her want to do her best knowing that TJPW will be running their own Sumo Hall show next year. Moka Miyamoto is pleased she was able to show her style to people who have never seen TJPW before. Suzume praised Uehara for her effort and talked about what it was like when she got to wrestle in Sumo Hall so shortly after her debut. Arisu Endo was disappointed to lose but liked that the fans were cheering for her more than she expected.

The next challengers for the All Asia Tag Team Titles proved their worth by winning a Tag Team Rumble. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku outlasted four other teams with KANON & MJ Paul being their biggest threat. By winning this match Okada is confident he and Okada are ready to bring the belts back to BURNING. Koroku said it proves they are serious about winning the All Asia Tag Titles. They don’t have a track record as a team but it’s all about their feelings. They will put their hearts into beating Eruption for the belts next month.

The ROMANCE DAWN continues for Shota & Soma Takao. They successfully defended the KO-D Tag Team Titles against Takanashi & Honda in the opener. Honda gave Takao the Tenzan Tombstone Driver but missed the Diving Fist Drop afterward. Takao recovered to pin Honda with the Gin And Tonic. Shota said Sumo Hall is where Takao made his pro wrestling debut which makes him jealous. They are from different promotions but that means there are many possibilities for where they can defend the KO-D Tag Titles next. Takao said that being able to beat two veterans who debuted before them is another accomplishment for ROMANCE DAWN. Honda revealed he is embarrased to lose to the Gin And Tonic because he is non-alcoholic. Takanashi suggested they should next go after the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Brookes.

Yuki Iino appeared midway through the show to explain his recent whereabouts. When Pheromones disbanded he was sent to a facility to remove every trace of Pheromones and sexiness from his body. The treatment was a success and he is now ready to win the D-Ou Grand Prix. He hopes everyone will look forward to seeing the new Yuki Iino.

At the very end of the show, once the credits finished rolling Ueno went into the locker room to celebrate with the rest of the roster. He went over to Akai and gave her a retirement gift and everyone got together for a group message. That got interrupted when wrestlers started going after Hirata for the Iron Man Title. Hirata was chased out of the room by mostly everybody, leaving Ueno behind on his own. Takeshita then walked into the room and stood in front of Ueno. The two had a staredown and then hugged with Takeshita congratulating his friend for finally making it to the top of DDT. Meanwhile Hirata was chased back to ringside where he hid under the ring until the other wrestlers went away. He whispered into the microphone to say goodbye to the audience while Toru Owashi watched him from nearby.

It was announced that “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” will be held in Sumo Hall on 21st July, 2024.

Ultimate Party 2023 Press Conference

Sorry everyone, I wasn’t able to get a preview for the show written out in time. This week has been busy for me and I already made plans for today. I only have enough time to write out what happened in today’s press conference below. I’m good to do the show report as normal tomorrow night. I’m kicking myself over it though because there is a lot of the matches below I should have written more about.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
2. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Rukiya
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Takeshi Masada
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
7. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
8. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Nivea Cream Care Body Wash Presents ~ Dramatic Dream Round “Let’s Have Fun!!” What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
10. DDT Universal Title – No DQ Match: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
11. Double Main Event I: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
12. KO-D Openweight Title – Double Main Event II: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

A public press conference was held in Shinagawa Prince Hotel today and it begun with the contract signing for the KO-D Openweight Title match. Both Chris Brookes and Yuki Ueno were there to give their final comments before tomorrow’s show. Ueno said fans will see more wrestling than normal from the DDT roster along with wrestlers from other companies and countries. His match with Brookes will show the fans what lies ahead for DDT. When it is over Ueno will get to show off a little of what his image of DDT will look like when he becomes the champion. Brookes calls Ueno his rival and best friend. Many things have changed in DDT and they will put on a match that only they can do together. But when it ends Brookes will be the last man standing.

Chris Jericho makes his first appearance in Japanese wrestling in over three years so he could see Konosuke Takeshita face to face. Takeshita said the “Dramatic Dream” taking place here is not Jericho in DDT but Jericho versus Takeshita in DDT. And it will not be a real Dramatic Dream unless Takeshita wins. He is calling himself “The Alpha” now because he is on top of today’s wrestling world. He will prove it when he defeats the former Alpha tomorrow. Jericho explained to everyone that he created the Alpha nickname when he fought Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome 2018. If Takeshita wants his old nickname then he can take it. He calls Takeshita one of the best wrestlers in the world today but he is not Chris Jericho and he never will be.

Jericho then listed all of the Japanese companies and cities he worked over the last three decades. Fighting Jericho will put Takeshita up to a different level but he is not on Jericho’s level. Takeshita said he was born in 1995, the same year Jericho took part in the Super J Cup. For his entire life he’s seen Jericho wrestling on top. But if any other Japanese wrestler in his twenties fought Jericho today, would they win? Tomorrow will be the day when everyone will see a turning point into a new era of pro wrestling. He then talked to Jericho in English and called him an asshole. Jericho flipped over his table in response and the two had a staredown. Jericho said something that’s just between himself and Takeshita. He flipped over more pieces of furniture and then left through the crowd in anger.

In between the two headline matches there was also the contract signing for the DDT Universal Title. The meeting between Matt Cardona and MAO ended up going out of control too. MAO said it was a very long road to get to this point. He held the title once before but couldn’t do what he wanted with it because of the global pandemic. This time he is free to bring the title with him to America or anywhere else in the world if he can get win it back. Cardona bragged about being the champion and having many other titles in his collection. He is the Indie God and Deathmatch King, Steph De Lander is the Indie Goddess and Deathmatch Queen and MAO is just a bitch! De Lander called MAO a little boy while Cardona is a real man. There’s a better chance of Yoshihiko beating Cardona for the title than MAO doing it!

MAO said he knows how much of a piece of shit Cardona is. He’s going to show him how scary Japanese boys are. The two stood next to each other for a group photo and Cardona offered to shake MAO’s hand. That was just a trap for Cardona and De Lander to attack MAO with their title belts! MAO recovered and said in English if they want to wrestle right now? Cardona said he would beat him in three minutes. MAO then put on a ring announcer voice and said a three minute time limit match begins right now! They started fighting while Hisaya Imabayashi stood by in a panic demanding them to stop. Yukinori Matsui however did his job as a referee and actually officiated the fight. Cardona and MAO brawled around the room. MAO got the upper hand and tried to do a high risk move from the top of a table when Imabayashi grabbed him and ordered everybody to stop. MAO then got on the microphone and in English demanded tomorrow’s match be a No DQ Match! He also called Cardona a pussy.

Let’s Have Fun Death Match, A Great Koji Appears, Eruption’s AJPW Plans

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Yuni & Rukiya
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuki Arai, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Wakana Uehara
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
5. Special Single Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Takeshi Masada
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
8. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Nivea Cream Care Body Wash Presents ~ Dramatic Dream Round “Let’s Have Fun!!” What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
9. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
10. Goodcom Presents Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
11. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
12. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

First thing’s first, Hiromu Takahashi won back the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Taiji Ishimori at New Japan over the weekend. So his match with Kazuki Hirata is back to being a title match unless he loses it again before then. The two met each other today for a Youtube broadcast to decide the rules for their match. But before that, Hirata tried to pin Takahashi to win the belt right there and then. Takahashi kicked out so Hirata immediately announced the match rules he came up with. It will consist of multiple rounds and each round will use a stipulation created by past DDT Extreme Champions along with new stipulations that are being kept secret until the show. A roulette wheel containing all of the stipulations will be used to determine what gets used every round. Hirata then tried to pin Takahashi with another School Boy but failed again, causing Hirata to leave. By the way, the match is also now being sponsored by Nivea.

A public press conference will be held the day before the show featuring several wrestlers involved with the big matches. That means Chris Brookes, Yuki Ueno, Chris Jericho, Konosuke Takeshita, Matt Cardona, Steph de Lander and MAO will all be there.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023 OFFICIAL AFTER EVENT IN RYOGOKU”, 13/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Pier

1. X Vs X

The previously announced special guest Katsuji Nagashima has to pull out of the aftershow due to concerns that his health is deteriorating.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 16/11/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles 1-DAY Tournament – Round 1: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles 1-DAY Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
3. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Noriyuki Yoshida & Rukiya
4. Soma Takao, Shota, Tetsuya Endo & Yukio Naya Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito
5. Special Single Match: Demus Vs Kazuma Sumi
6. DDT Extreme Title: Kazuki Hirata (c) Vs MIKAMI
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles 1-DAY Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X

The “Big Luchador” Demus begins his DDT tour with a match against Kazuma Sumi.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2023 IN OSAKA”, 19/11/2023
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Yuni
2. KANON & MJ Paul Vs Akito & Rukiya
3. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Tsutenkakka Vs Danshoku Dieno & Ilusion
4. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Takeshi Masada
5. International Special Single Match: Demus Vs MAO
6. Special Hardcore 6-Man Tag Match: The Great Nita, The Great Koji & HARASHIMA Vs Jun Akiyama, Bodyguard & Makoto Oishi
7. Road To D-Ou Grand Prix Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Yuki Ueno & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Naya & Kazuki Hirata

There’s been an emergency change in plans over the Hardcore 6-Man Tag Match. Both Atsushi Onita and Toy Kojima are unable to be at the show but two replacements have been found. Onita will be replaced with The Great Nita! Joining him is The Great Koji… but not the one from 2002 All Japan. DDT is pretty clear this Great Koji is Toy Kojima’s alter ego, so don’t confuse him for Satoshi Kojima’s one-off gimmick.

Sanshiro Takagi and Tsutenkakka are teaming up again after the last time went so well for them.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2023 IN MIYAGI”, 23/11/2023
Miyagi Yume Messe West Building Hall

1. Miyagi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Kazuki Hirata & Aizawa No.1 Vs HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
2. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs MJ Paul
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Akito & Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima

The next time Brookes and Ueno face each other after their KO-D Openweight Title match will be later this month in Miyagi.

Aw man, Tetsuya Endo and MJ Paul will have to fight each other. I know it’s MJ Paul and not Mad Paulie but the match can still turn out to be an emotional one for Endo. It’s like being told to fight your pet labrador because you don’t hang out anymore.

A new face appears in DDT. Aizawa No.1 got his name from his days working at a host club in Kabukicho. He wrestled for Michinoku Pro in the late 2000s, retired for a few years and then returned 2015 bouncing around the wrestling scene ever since.

Demus will be on the show.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya Vs KANON
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata Vs Rei Saito
5. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku

Yukio Sakaguchi has already gone to see his father Seiji Sakaguchi and brought along his half of the All Asia Tag Team Titles to proudly show off his achievement. Now the challenge is for him and Hideki Okatani to keep hold of the titles with defence after defence. Eruption are using their champion status to enter the Real World Tag League in All Japan as representatives of DDT. In the meantime they will put the All Asia Tag Titles on the line against Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku in DDT. Okada & Koroku have been teaming up a lot lately and want to win the belts so that they belong to BURNING again. Koroku is also fueled with jealousy over his rival Okatani’s success lately.