DDT Around The World – March 2025

Buckle up, folks. There is a lot to talk about this month, next month and probably even going into the summer. Konosuke Takeshita is no longer the AEW International Champion. That was to be expected but I am pleasantly surprised he has remained on AEW TV since then and is still winning matches for The Don Callis Family. He remains being protected in the booking so it looks like AEW has something in mind for him down the line even if it’s just building him up to put someone else over. Also in news that is kind of AEW related Yuka Sakazaki is now on the lookout for more wrestling bookings. Sumie Sakai is helping her out on that end but it sounds like Sakazaki will still need AEW’s permission to go ahead with whatever offers come her way.

Next let’s talk about Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita. Once the Las Vegas shows are done Itoh will be staying in America until 11th May while Yamashita won’t be coming back to Japan until 21st July for “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25”. I was taken aback by the negative response to the news that both of them will be taking another extended hiatus from Tokyo Joshi Pro to wrestle overseas again. I get the frustration in a way. People think both of them are looking for contracts from WWE or AEW. Itoh has brought up stuff like that in past English interviews but I’m not entirely sure Yamashita has the same goal in mind. There was a public talk event sometime ago where Yamashita revealed she spent a lot of money to go follow one of her favorite K-Pop bands on a US tour and she seems to enjoy when she’s not being relied upon by TJPW to be a company ace. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think the two of them keep taking these options in the search for deals that may never come their way. Of course I may also just be blind to what could possibly be some tryout matches coming up next month.

That brings us up to next month’s chaos that is Wrestlemania Week. I can’t wait for this! Too many wrestling shows going on non-stop in Las Vegas for a solid week. Now that’s my kind of holiday! DDT and TJPW don’t have full cards out for their shows yet and I have the feeling one or two more promotions will be booking the likes of MAO and Itoh before we get there. So many shows are going on during the week that I can’t help but wonder if it will just take one badly made political decision somewhere to throw half the shows into chaos.

And if that’s not enough it turns out there will be even more wrestling shows going on through the year after Wrestlemania is finished. Yeah that took me by surprise too. Anyway next month expect me to write up three separate Around The World articles. One for everything that happens before WM Week, one for the week itself and one for the rest of April after that. If the next month doesn’t burn me out something fierce than nothing will.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

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

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

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

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Amale

Kenny Omega looks at history with AEW International Champ Konosuke Takeshita! | 3/8/25 AEW Collision

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/03/2025
Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Max Caster

AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SATURDAY”, 22/03/2025
Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

1. Mark Briscoe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Rocky Romero Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/03/2025
Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

1. Mark Briscoe Vs Konosuke Takeshita

ACE vs ALPHA: The story of Konosuke Takeshita vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

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Results

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

1. Yuki Kamifuku & The Statement defeated Alexis Lee & Da Butcherman when Statement pinned Butcherman with an Uppercut (?:??).

The latest chapter in the Southeast Asian rivalry between Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee was a little different this time around. Recently in Singapore Pro Wrestling Lee was stabbed in the back by Andruew Tang, or as he prefers to be called now, The Statement. Lee wanted payback and joined forces with one of Statement’s rivals Da Butcherman to get it. Statement called in Kamifuku to back him up so they can become the royal pair who will rule over SPW together with iron fists. An intense tag match resulted in the referee getting knocked out and Statement being saved by a tag team called The Midnight Bastards. The team attacked Butcherman with chairs and held him in place for Statement to knock him out with an Uppercut. Statement & Kamifuku both stood tall over their rivals holding their championships before leaving. Lee swore revenge and promised to take back the Queen Of Asia Title from Kamifuku!

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

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lucia Lee with the Skull Kick (12:48).

Plans in EVE changed for Yamashita when her original opponent Session Moth Martina pulled out of the show due to illness. Instead Yamashita was given Lucia Lee as her new opponent. For Lee it was a chance on short notice to step up against Yamashita and prove she can go toe to toe against her. Despite the good effort, Yamashita knocked her over with the Skull Kick anyway.

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

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Amale with the Skull Kick (15:16).

The next day Yamashita was in Spain to wrestle on an RCW show for the first time since October 2022. Her opponent was “The French Hope” Amale, formerly from NXT UK. She sent Yamashita crashing through the front row of chairs with a Topé Suicida and the two soon found themselves brawling around ringside. Back in the ring Amale kicked out of an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and almost scored the win with a Small Package. But when Yamashita kicked out she quickly had her opponent in her sights and hit the Skull Kick for the victory.

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

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Anita Vaughan with the Crash Rabbit Heat (13:32).

Yamashita’s busy European weekend ended in Germany where she showed up during wXw’s final day of the annual 16 Carat Gold tournament. She didn’t take part in the 16 Carat tournament itself, instead she fought Anita Vaughan who was already eliminated from the competition by that point. Yamashita made it three wins for three but she needed to use the Crash Rabbit Heat this time to end the weekend with a clean sweep.

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

1. AEW International Title: Kenny Omega defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with a Cradle (28:30).
*Konosuke Takeshita fails in V9. Kenny Omega becomes the 11th AEW International Champion!

That’s the end of Takeshita’s first championship reign in AEW. With thoughts of Hajime no Ippo on their mind and also their gear, Takeshita and Kenny Omega went hell for leather in their rematch from September 2023. Omega’s ribs were violently targeted due to his recent bout with diverticulitis and Takeshita got a little help from Don Callis here and there too. But Omega overcame the odds and kept kicked out of the Powerdrive Knee. Takeshita avoided the One-Winged Angel yet when he went for the Raging Fire, Omega countered it into an Inside Cradle. Only getting a nearfall, Omega then switched to more types of cradle pins until he kept Takeshita’s shoulders down long enough for the three count.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 12/03/2025
Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Max Caster with the Raging Fire (1:30).

Takeshita wasted no time in getting back to work after his title loss. Max Caster held the latest in his open challenges and tried to talk Takeshita out of it when he walked down to the ring with a purpose. Caster asked if Takeshita was actually here to invite him into The Don Callis Family? When he suggested he could use that position to beat Omega, Takeshita attacked him and quickly won with the Raging Fire.

BZW “WAR AT THE CAPITAL”, 16/03/2025
Claridge, Brussels, Belgium

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II when Yoshihiko submitted Lykos & Lykos II with a Double Half Crab Hold (?:??).
*V3 for MAO & Yoshihiko.

I missed when this was announced last month. MAO & Yoshihiko travelled back to Banger Zone Wrestling this month, this time to defend the BZW Tag Team Titles in Belgium. The challengers were the two troublemakers from Lykos Gym in England: Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II. They weren’t prepared for Yoshihiko to do a balcony dive onto them nor did they expect the dark spirit that sometimes follows Yoshihiko around to show up and Moonsault onto them either. Lykos II made the big mistake of yelling insults towards Yoshihiko. When he tried to Headbutt it only he felt the impact. Yoshihiko was then able to trap both members of Lykos Gym in a Double Half Crab Hold and made both of them tap out at the same time!

AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SATURDAY”, 19/03/2025 (Aired 22/03/2025)
Liberty First Credit Union Arena, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage & Lance Archer defeated Mark Briscoe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Rocky Romero when Takeshita pinned Romero with the Raging Fire (11:22).

Takeshita continued to rebuild his momentum by teaming with more members of The Don Callis Family. He, Brian Cage & Lance Archer all worked over Rocky Romero until Mark Briscoe got the hot tag. Briscoe had the numbers game against him but he held his own until it was time for Powerhouse Hobbs to get the big tag. But The Don Callis Family withstood the comeback. Cage & Archer took out Romero with a Choke Slam/Power Bomb combo and held his partners at bay so Takeshita could pin Romero with the Raging Fire.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/03/2025
Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mark Briscoe with the Raging Fire (11:39).

There was unfinished business between Takeshita and Briscoe from Collision so they met in a singles match the following week on Dynamite. The episode was sponsored by The Minecraft Movie so the venue they were in ended up kind of looking like a Create-An-Arena you would download from the WWE 2K games. Briscoe took a high risk by running across the barricade outside the ring to jump onto Takeshita with a Diving Elbow Drop. Takeshita hit Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee back in the ring but it got him a nearfall. Briscoe pulled out the Jay Driller that had Takeshita beat but a rope break stopped him from getting pinned for the three count. Takeshita stunned Briscoe with a Rolling Elbow before using the Raging Fire to win by the skin of his teeth.

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Upcoming Appearances

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

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

There was a report from Fightful’s Patreon account during the month saying MLW has “big plans” in mind for Shoko Nakajima and HIMAWARI and the promotion hopes to get TJPW more involved with their women’s division. I’m a bit skeptical towards what that could be because the way wrestling media reports on MLW often comes across as Court Bauer trying to get his material over and everybody just taking him for his word. Big plans could mean anything from Nakajima beating Delmi Exo for the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title or Janai Kai literally murdering HIMAWARI on behalf of CONTRA Unit and right afterward MLW announces a working relationship with Stardom (go see how CIMA was written out of the company right before MLW aired a Dragongate trailer). Or the big plans might just be TJPW talent being used to put over the regulars MLW wants to push. Which at this moment in time is Exo, Kai and maybe Tara Zep. But hey, who knows. It looks like MLW’s working relationship with CMLL is legit. I’ll be happy to be proven wrong.

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

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

I recommend watching the Ace Vs Alpha video New Japan put on their Youtube channel (I included it in the video section above) because it shows Takeshita and Hiroshi Tanahashi talking about their previous match together as well as why Takeshita holds a grudge over how Tanahashi treated DDT in the past. It’s not the complete story of what happened back then because that is more HARASHIMA’s story to tell but it is suffice to build up their match happening next month.

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

1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO
2. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

Now we hit the busiest wrestling week of the year. Damn it really is a week long this time around with WWE going full throttle with their own schedule in Las Vegas from Tuesday to Tuesday. But enough about them, among the early shows kicking off the week is Pandemonium Pro where Miu Watanabe has a match against Maya World and now MAO will be there too for what is sure to be a crazy battle against Masha Slamovich! The two of them have packed schedules of their own so they better pace themselves.

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

1. Mickie James Vs Maki Itoh

It’s a match for the ages between two fierce opponents. One is a wrestling idol with grand ambitions of becoming a popstar who has in the past been unceremoniously fired in a humiliating fashion. The other is Maki Itoh. I know people who still have nightmares from the Revolution Pro show in London two years ago where a group of fans spent literally the entire match chanting “Hardcore Country” non-stop for Mickie James. I hope for my sake those same fans won’t be at this show.

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

1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell

MAO’s second show on the Thursday is against Jiah Jewell at West Coast Pro. Because when you think of local rivalries, you think of Miyagi Vs Louisiana.

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

1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki
2. Nattie Neidhart Vs Miyu Yamashita

Whenever Yamashita travels to America, Natalya invites her over to her private training facility in Florida to help teach her what she knows. They’ve apparantly become close friends over time but when Josh Barnett started putting the card together for Bloodsport, Natalya (under her non-WWE moniker Nattie Neidhart) publicly asked for Yamashita to be her opponent. Yamashita jumped at the idea and Barnett was happy to make it happen. This will be the second time Yamashita faces a WWE wrestler at Bloodsport, she lost to Shayna Baszler last July. Here she has the martial arts background advantage and Neidhart’s previous attempt at doing this kind of match with NXT Underground ended in a loss. Usually comparing the legitimate fighting pedigree of two fighters would tip off who wins these things but a main roster WWE wrestler losing on a non-WWE show would be an unusual turn of events. Eh, I’ll still bet a dollar on it.

Shinya Aoki’s announced opponent for the show is NXT wrestler Charlie Dempsey. I’d joke about Bloodsport turning into a WWE psy-op but to be fair Dempsey is a regular competitor on these shows and this will be his fourth fight in the series. Plus I don’t want to just write that he is William Regal’s son. From what I’ve seen he fits into this style of wrestling pretty well. Aoki should have fun tangling with him.

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

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

MAO ends his busy day with BZW hosting his third match. At least I think it’s his third show. It’s possible he’ll have a fourth somewhere but I haven’t seen anything yet. The match here is going to be changed too because of injury. MAO & Yoshihiko are supposed to defend the BZW Tag Titles against The Gahbage Daddies but unfortunately word came out a few days ago that Cole Radrick is out of action with a torn MCL and meniscus. No word yet on if Alec Price will still be in the match with a replacement tag partner or if a new team will get the title shot instead.

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

1. Special Single Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Miu Watanabe
2. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Only a few weeks to go but the major matches have all been set up. Mizuki Vs Yamashita is the biggest match TJPW can do for the Princess Of Princess Title but it’s been done already in Japan so I can see why it would look fresher in America. Kyoraku Kyomei have their first defence of the Princess Tag Team Titles against Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara’s new tag team OberEats. There is a rematch of the International Princess Title when Suzume clashes with Jada Stone again, this time with Stone having the home field advantage. Plus Watanabe continues getting big opponents away from the title scene when she gets in the ring with Slamovich.

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

1. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
3. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
4. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

The lineup so far is a little more creative than what we got last year and I prefer it this way. Minoru Suzuki Vs Yoshihiko sounds like something GCW would book for “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK” but DDT needs something like that to stand out for themselves.

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

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Another outside booking for Itoh during Mania Week. No opponent has been confirmed by WrestleCore yet but El Phantasmo is trying to convince Itoh to team up with him so they can be The Cutest Tag Team Ever. He just so happens to be on this show too.

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

1. Lazarus Vs MAO

I think this is MAO’s last non-DDT related booking of the week. Unless…

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

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita

As far as DDT and TJPW are concerned this will be the finale of their weekend. One match announced so far and it’s pretty cool looking. Takeshita & Slamovich teaming up against Aoki & Yamashita. It would be a shame if the show runs long and people start leaving during this match to head over to Wrestlemania.

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

1. Clusterfuck Match: X Vs X

I’m adding this to the lineup because odds are good someone DDT or TJPW related ends up in the annual Clusterfuck. Yoshihiko was part of it last year and made it to the final three. In fact there’s already an ex-TJPW wrestler announced to be entering the match. Sayaka Unagi is taking part and I can only imagine what kind of eye opening crazy thing she would do in Las Vegas.

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

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

Hey good on Mike Santana for taking a gamble on himself. The stuff he’s been doing on TNA and House Of Glory has been nothing to sneeze at so far. He now has a month to prepare for Takeshita because the two of them are set to fight with the HOG Heavyweight Title on the line.

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

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

Yamashita’s opponent Leyla Hirsch is fresh out of AEW and wants to show everyone how good she is in the ring.

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

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

Daisuke Sasaki will be missing the DDT show happening in Sapporo on the same day for this match.

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

1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita

The 121000000 split up match is happening but not in TJPW. It’s in GCW! In the nine previous times they’ve done this match, Yamashita has won eight of them and the odd result out was a time limit draw. Itoh has never beaten Yamashita in a singles match but this 10th attempt might be her best chance yet because she’ll have the GCW fans behind her. She’ll need a good result because the next day she has a match that will be just as important.

GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025
Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh

Itoh was originally supposed to get a GCW World Title match against Mance Warner during GCW’s Japan tour last August but a hand injury prevented it from happening. Now nine months later she finally gets her title shot but the champion now is someone completely different. Effy’s first reign as GCW Champ has seen him defend the belt against the weird and the wonderful. Can Itoh beat him to reach her ultimate form as the Queen of the Outlaws?

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

1. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs X

Just have to wait and see what Takeshita does next after the Tanahashi match.

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

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen

Can Yamashita get a better match out of Tony Deppen than YAMATO could?

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

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

According to GCW this will be the first time ever Yamashita wrestles Billie Starkz. As long as you ignore the EVE match… and the St. Louis Anarchy match… and the SPARK match.

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

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

The Kamifuku Vs Lee rivalry now moves over to China for Middle Kingdom Wrestling’s 10th Anniversary show. Chinese wrestler Chen Wenbin and England’s Big Sam get mixed up in the action too.

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

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Italy will soon become the latest country Yamashita has wrestling in. Squash A Jobber Wrestling is the name of the promotion bringing her in which might be the least Italian name I’ve ever heard for a wrestling company.

KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025
Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase

We’re reaching into the summer for the end of this month’s article. Kitsune have a doubleshot going on with both Yuna Manase and Miyu Yamashita scheduled to be there. Manase is teaming with Nagisa Nozaki in Night 1 to take on Vipress & Hudson Envy. Yamashita’s match has not been announced yet.

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

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

Manase is still currently the Kitsune World Champion so it would make sense for her to have a title defence on the second show of the doubleshot.

DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT” Results

DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
551 Fans

1. Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers, Dyln McKay & Jack Cartwheel defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada when Cartwheel pinned Masada with the Jack Arrow (10:42).
2. Dark Sheik defeated Saki Akai with a Wrist-Clutch Inside Cradle (7:20).
3. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Oliver pinned Bailey after the Combined Springboard Cutter (16:18).
4. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Starboy Charlie with the Brain Claw Slam (11:40).
5. Yuki Ueno defeated Joey Janela with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (10:21).
6. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Homicide & Tony Deppen when Endo pinned Deppen with the Burning Star Press (12:18).
7. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders defeated Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase when Warner pinned Katsumata with a DDT (15:19).
8. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno ended in a No Contest (13:37).
9. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Cole Radrick defeated Yoshihiko (c) with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse onto a Chair (14:49).
*Cole Radrick becomes the 1,570th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Cole Radrick with a Cradle (5:47 pm).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,571st champion.

An unlikely main event of the GCW Vs DDT show had Cole Radrick winning the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Yoshihiko in a brawl that went all around ringside. Radrick’s hard earned win was then rendered meaningless when Yoshihiko kicked him between the legs after the match. Yoshihiko then rolled Radrick up in a Small Package to reclaim the championship.

Counting through the match results, GCW ended the show with more wins than DDT. But if you ask Effy, everyone was a winner today! Why? Because Pheromones got to show that they are the sexiest and now they can also be part of Bussy too! The proof of that could be seen in their match. It had to be called off when Danshoku Dieno, Allie Katch and Yuki Iino caught the referee in a human centipede over in the corner of the ring.

The trio of Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase were all ready to fight The Second Gear Crew in a brawl. Katsumata appeared in his Super Hardcore Katsumata form while Watase psyched himself up by bringing the Spirit Of Ganbare Title belt with him to the ring. That Ganbare spirit allowed him to absorb chairshots to the head for a while. Lego, plastic boxes, staplers, doors and more were used as weapons. The ring was left in a mess by the time 1 Called Manders threw his own partner Matthew Justice onto everyone outside the ring. That allowed Mance Warner to pin Katsumata with the DDT for the victory.

Jun Akiyama enjoyed his weekend with GCW and said he would work with them again if given the chance. Homicide showed him a similar amount of respect as Eddie Kingston did previously. Tetsuya Endo used the Burning Star Press to pin Tony Deppen and thinks he has proved he is good enough to take on the world.

Both of Joey Janela’s matches on the DDT shows this week were rematches from the D-Ou Grand Prix. Both of them ended in defeat. Yuki Ueno beat him for the second time in a row using his new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. It makes Ueno want to spread DDT’s name as well as his own even further than Konosuke Takeshita did.

The card had a few changes for reasons that were not disclosed. Kazusada Higuchi was meant to face Blake Christian but instead got Starboy Charlie and his dungarees. Higuchi won the new match and was impressed with Charlie’s performance. It made Higuchi feel like he received the spirit of a young American and he will now carry it along with his own Yamato Spirit.

The Moonlight Express reunion was spoiled by The East West Express. It was a banner day for the young GCW team because Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne later went on to win the GCW Tag Team Titles later in the night. MAO & Mike Bailey still had fun teaming together for the first time in 3 years. Speedball must have been exhausted from his schedule by this point.

For many years the Quetzalcoatl has been a reliable move for Saki Akai. But today the move was countered by Dark Sheik in a way Akai has never seen before. When Akai was in position to pull off her finisher, Sheik dropped down while grabbing Akai’s wrist, slid through her legs to get behind her and then rolled her up in a Cradle for the flash three count. Akai took the loss but doesn’t want to it end like that. She hopes Sheik will come over to Japan so they can continue their fight.

Another changes to the card happened for the opening match. The GCW team led by Gringo Loco replaced Alec Price and Los Macizos with Jack Cartwheel and the tag team called Wasted Youth. They all gave Takeshi Masada a beating with big high flying moves until he was pinned with Cartwheel’s Jack Arrow finisher. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON blamed both Masada & Sanshiro Takagi backstage for having DDT lose to GCW. When they left the room Takagi then blamed Masada for taking the fall after all of this build up for him finally earning a spot on the Hollywood shows.

Guide To DDT In Los Angeles

DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

So you got a ticket for DDT’s big return to America for the first time since 2019 but you’re looking for some guidance over what to expect. Maybe you’ve only seen the gifs or read about the crazy moments online. Or maybe you got a ticket to this because you couldn’t get a ticket for Tokyo Joshi Pro the next day. Whatever the reason, DDT is coming to Hollywood to put on the craziest wrestling show of the month and make some dollars out of it while the yen is still weak. Things are a little bit different from the card they produced in New York four years ago. Last time they put together a show that resembled a “Best Of” collection of gimmicks and rematches. This time around the show will highlight the relationships DDT has been building with certain parts of the American wrestling scene over the last while. Some of the guests showing up here have toured with DDT in Japan before or will be doing so in the near future.

Where can I watch it online?

Both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “GCW VS DDT” will be streaming live and on-demand as part of the FITE+ subscription. A month long subscription costs $7.99 and a 7-day free trial is available.

When and where are the shows taking place?

“DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Thursday 30th March at 8pm pacific time.

“GCW VS DDT” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Friday 31st March at 3pm pacific time.

Will The Steiner Brothers be on either show?

No.

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1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen

DDT’s top female wrestler Saki Akai is the sole member of Eruption on this show. She takes on Vert Vixen, a rising name from Texas who is about to join Tokyo Joshi Pro for a tour in Japan next month.

Saki Akai: The supermodel is celebrating 10 years as a pro wrestler this year and her focus lately has been to keep Eruption focused as a unit. She developed her Quetzalcoatl finisher after playing the role of a character with the same name on a Fate/Grand Order stage show. She can be serious in the ring with the best of them or join in with whatever goofiness that takes place in front of her. She grew up in Kyoto, they take their comedy seriously over there.
Moves To Watch Out For: Quetzalcoatl (Cobra Twist flipped into a La Magistral pinning slam), Rookie Award (Double Step Face Kick), Diving Cross Body, Triangle Choke

Vert Vixen: This wrestler is currently the first and only DEFY Women’s Champion in the promotion’s history. She has also made appearances in AEW, Impact and Women Of Wrestling. Obsessed with video games, her ring gear is often inspired by something video game related. She is nicknamed Player One because Player One always wins!
Moves To Watch Out For: Ki Crusher, Blue Thunder Bomb, Complete Shot

2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa

If there is any risk of the show getting suddenly called off midway through it will be during this match. Pheromones are DDT’s most extreme gimmick with plenty of nudity and perverted moves up their arsenal just waiting to be unleashed on the world. The gimmick has always been Danshoku Dieno’s bread and butter but he became extra “Dandy” when he formed the unit. Yuki Iino joined in and upgraded into becoming “Sexy”. Together they became a PR nightmare for DDT president and active wrestler Sanshiro Takagi. He’s been at war with them for a while now, determined to destroy Pheromones once and all. When Takagi asked AEW to send him help to fight Pheromones the last person he needed was Michael Nakazawa due to their own long lasting feud that’s taken place in the past.

Yuki “Sexy” Iino: He is going to get naked at some point. An ex-rugby player who was a bit of a goofy heavyweight for his first few years in the ring. He is going to get naked at some point. Recently discovered his Pheromones side, turned “Sexy” and drove the goofiness levels up past its maximum limit. He is going to get naked at some point. I cannot stress this enough, he is going to get naked at some point! It is inevitable and trying to stop him will be like trying to stop the tide from coming in.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ketsugoye (Imagine the Kamigoye but Iino hits with his butt instead of his knee), Badonkadonk (Banzai Drop from the middle ropes), Sexy Elbow, Bubba Bomb

Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno: The heart and soul of DDT’s most perverse humour. Dieno has been around for twenty years now and he’s gone through character development that makes him more than just the extreme shock factor of kissing and groping his male opponents. It’s just that he always goes back to that sort of stuff. Last time he wrestled in America he got permission to kiss fans as long as they raised their hand to show consent. The entire crowd joined in by the end of the night.
Moves To Watch Out For: Danshoku Driver (Piledriver with the victim’s head stuffed into Dieno’s tights), Lip Lock (a paralysing kiss) Danshoku Nightmare (Dieno pulls down his tights and teabags his opponent), Hell Gate (Dieno positions himself over the top turnbuckle with his rear end exposed, victims get thrown face first into it)

Sanshiro Takagi: The president of DDT and its owner CyberFight. The company’s attempts to expand internationally along with its talent growing their own reputations worldwide keeps him motivated to continue wrestling. It makes him want to show the younger wrestlers he is still crazy in the ring. His entrance song gets the crowd chanting along to “1…2…3…Fire!”
Moves To Watch Out For: Sitdown Sunflower/Himawari Bomb (Electric Chair spun into a Sitdown Power Bomb), Stone Cold Stunner, Spicolli Driver (Power Slam lift into a Death Valley Driver)

Michael Nakazawa: Was with DDT until he joined Kenny Omega to work for AEW. Despite his poor win-loss record, he is considered by DDT veterans to be one of the toughest wrestlers around because he never gets injured no matter what his opponents do to him. He is also kind of a pervert due to his habit of using lotion oil as a weapon and finding ways to take off his underwear without removing his wrestling gear. Doesn’t get along with Takagi because he considers him to be a terrible boss.
Moves To Watch Out For: Ultimate Venom Arm (removes his tights, wraps them around his hand and applies an Iron Claw), Tombstone Slam, Hentai Slide (drags opponent crotch first along the top rope), Lotion Oil usage

3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko

The current KO-D Tag Team Champions take on an Englishman and a Dutch Wife. Believe it or not it won’t be as not as lewd as it sounds. Whenever Shunma Katsumata & MAO team up they are called ShunMao. They are also both part of DDT’s biggest babyface group at the moment, The 37KAMIINA (pronounced The Sauna Kamiina because 37 in Japanese (“san-na”) kind of sounds like “sauna”). Chris Brookes has called Japan his home for around four years now and earned a following for his devotion towards the entire puro scene. Yoshihiko is the wrestling doll that answers every question ever asked about who is good enough to get a four star match against an inanimate object.

MAO: Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” The high flier is at his most liveliest when he is in Falls Count Anywhere situations. Also gets his most success in tag team matches and often finds himself across the ring from Brookes in that division. As shown by his recent appearance on a Prestige show, he should be a breakout talent for the US indies just waiting to happen.
Moves To Watch Out For: Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Marines Tornado Splash (Swan Dive Phoenix Splash), Tornado Kick

Shunma Katsumata: Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. So much so he runs his own sauna on the side. Despite his cute appearance he also has a death match side to him. He’ll do the violent matches no problem but his favorite weapon to use in those situations is Lego. For example he often arms himself with a Lego covered baseball bat. Drive him too far over the edge and he becomes Super Hardcore Katsumata!
Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)

Chris Brookes: A wrestler who has so many fingers stuck into so many pies. When not wrestling in DDT you can find Brookes causing trouble in ChocoPro, teaming with Masahiro Takanashi across Japan or running his own group of shows called Baka Gaijin + Friends. Recently got into a fight with the mascot Chiitan. Always has some extra tricks up his sleeves if you’re not careful around him.
Moves To Watch Out For: Praying Mantis Bomb (Double Arm Piledriver), Octopus Stretch, Death By Roll-Up

Yoshihiko: The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for many years now. It shows up whenever people least expect it and suddenly holding grudges with wrestlers from out of nowhere. This match here is an example of it because Yoshihiko has promised to destroy The 37KAMIINA in LA! It is also the current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and is bringing the belt over to Hollywood so don’t be surprised if we get a few title changes throughout not just the show but the entire weekend.
Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotation into a Hurricanrana), Choke Slam, Canadian Destroyer

4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne

A giant and a supernova rookie takes on… a “giant” and another supernova rookie. Kazusada Higuchi was the man to carry the flag for DDT last year when a crisis injury left the company without a champion. Higuchi took the ball after years of not meeting his potential and did a pretty darn good job with being the KO-D Openweight Title until he dropped it to Yuji Hino this past January. Takeshi Masada is the standout of DDT’s current rookie class. He got here by having to fight tooth and nail to earn a spot on this show. Andrew Everett came to DDT last year falsely advertising himself as being 223cm tall and weighing in at 190.5kg. Despite being nothing of the sort, his in-ring skills were impressive enough for DDT management to get past the lies and keep him onboard. Nick Wayne will be soon be going to Japan to wrestle on more DDT shows so this match gives him a taste of what to expect over there.

Kazusada Higuchi: The previous KO-D Champion and leader of Harimao, Higuchi is a former sumo wrestler with a strong foundation and an iron head. Do not throw him head first into the ring post because he absorb the hit and shake it off entirely. Often a highlight of DDT shows that make fans of NOAH wish he was in their promotion instead. Doesn’t mind showing off his goofy side every now and then but wherever he shows up he is going to be a tough opponent for anybody.
Moves To Watch Out For: Brain Claw Slam, Doctor Bomb, Buchikamashi (charging sumo tackle)

Takeshi Masada: The 21 year old made his pro debut only three months into his training, making him the fastest debut in DDT’s history. Has a background in Shorinji Kempo and he uses those skills to develop a kick heavy offence. He’s still only in his first year as a wrestler but showed a strong desire to get on this show. He eventually earned a spot on the card by winning the D GENERATIONS CUP, a tournament that pitted DDT’s current generation of young wrestlers against each other. Rookies have a bad habit of breaking easily but if Masada continues at the rate he’s going, DDT has a future star in their hands.
Moves To Watch Out For: Samurai Driver ’01 (Cross-legged Falcon Arrow), Triangle Kick (Running Enzuigiri off the turnbuckles)

Andrew “The Giant” Everett: I don’t know if I can believe the claims that Everett is not in fact a giant. He climbs over the top rope to get in to the ring like giants do. He wears a singlet like giants do. He does Choke Slams like giants do. He does Moonsaults like… well allegedly Paul White could do that move at one point in his life so that counts. That means Everett is a giant for sure! Deadlock Pro is where you can find him nowadays.
Moves To Watch Out For: 630, Shooting Star Press, Moonsault, Choke Slam

Nick Wayne: The world is this kid’s oyster and he’s not even 18 yet. A lot of excitement is following Wayne around especially after he was offered a deal with AEW last year. A dream match with Will Ospreay also bumped up his stock. The son of the late Buddy Wayne has wrestled in Japan before, not that long ago in fact. But DDT is where he’ll be going next starting with this match right here.
Moves To Watch Out For: Flying Cutter, Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex

5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela

A rematch from the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix tournament. Joey Janela scored an upset win over Tetsuya Endo in their A Block match that took place in November. Endo’s big main event run last summer was tragically cut short when Katsuhiko Nakajima gave him a concussion. He has bounced back from that by bulking up towards becoming a heavyweight. It paid off with him recently winning the DDT Universal Title, which is DDT’s secondary singles championship. Janela’s antics and reputation made him highly sought after by DDT and he’s becoming one of their regular guest wrestlers back in Japan.

Tetsuya Endo: The man who was supposed to take the reigns as DDT’s top wrestler suffered a major setback when he got concussed last summer. Endo recovered and has been climbing back up the mountain since. He’s not back at the top spot yet but the leader of BURNING is still doing pretty well with where he is at the moment. You’d think by gaining weight and muscle he would dial back from high flying moves but you will still see him doing Springboards, the Spanish Fly and Shooting Star Presses. If it was up to me, this is the next DDT guy AEW should be looking at.
Moves To Watch Out For: Burning Star Press (Shooting Star Press), Tetsuya In The Sky (One Man Spanish Fly), Spinning Torture Rack Bomb

Joey Janela: The nutjob partly responsible for WrestleMania Week turning into what it’s become. So many of the shows that get added to the schedule are chasing the dragon that is “Joey Janela’s Spring Break”. Janela’s viral moments over the pandemic caught DDT’s attention and he quickly became a must have for them to bring over. He already has one singles win over Endo on Japanese soil. The rematch is still in DDT but maybe the American environment will provide Janela more chances to do some crazy things.
Moves To Watch Out For: Package Piledriver, Avalanche Brainbuster, Super Kick

6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

One man’s dream came true last year when Eddie Kingston got to wrestle Jun Akiyama at AEW. The two earned each other’s respect that day and get to meet in the ring again, this time as tag team partners. Facing them are the two strongest fighters from DAMNATION T.A, DDT’s main heel faction. Daisuke Sasaki went through a whirlpool of emotions to make it to this show because of a recent eye injury. KANON is an upstart originally from JUST TAP OUT but he came to DDT and eventually joined the dark side with Sasaki.

Jun Akiyama: A long standing veteran who spent most of his 30+ year career with All Japan and NOAH. He was bound for a guest coaching gig at WWE’s Performance Center when the global pandemic cancelled those plans. So he found himself jumping to DDT instead where he keeps an eye over the young talent being developed. Currently holds the DDT Extreme Title that puts him in unusual gimmick matches but so far he has stood tall for every defence.
Moves To Watch Out For: Exploder Suplex, Front Neck Lock, Running Knee Strike

Eddie Kingston: What a week this guy has ahead of him. First he gets to team team with his hero Akiyama and a few days later will be headlining a ROH PPV. Often outspoken and always fighting with his heart in his sleeves, this match can be a rare chance for Kingston to step back and soak in the moment before things get heavy.
Moves To Watch Out For: Spinning Backfist, Stretch Plum, Exploder Suplex

Daisuke Sasaki: You’re not going to find anybody in LA as drunk or depressed as Sasaki this weekend. The wrestler has the talent and success to reach bigger heights but every setback sends him tumbling down into despair. A recent eye injury had Sasaki considering retirement from pro wrestling so he could run away to Hollywood and do whatever he wants. He does not have the most creative imagination though so his idea of doing whatever he wants in Hollywood was to go work at McDonalds. But the pull of pro wrestling is never far away and once he got cleared to compete, Sasaki came back and began to build up hype towards a singles match with El Desperado later this summer.
Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (includes La Mistica and Crossover variations), Sasaki Hurricanrana

KANON: When Sasaki suddenly vanished to take care of his injuries and other woes, KANON stepped up to lead DAMNATION T.A in his place. He is approaching the completion of his first year with DDT. Originally from JTO, KANON had an athletic moveset taken from his days playing volleyball but he’s grown slightly more sleazy and unhinged since joining DAMNATION T.A.
Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepy Hollow (Twisting Brainbuster), Just Cobra Twist

7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno

This match was meant to take place in America back in 2019 as the bonus DDT match for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s USA show. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno have been friends since high school. Takeshita was the wrestling fan and his work in DDT inspired Ueno to become a wrestler too. The two are part of The 37KAMIINA and always seem to get along. But Ueno has his hopes that one day he will surpass his classmate. The two unexpectedly had a singles match against each other at the start of the year before Takeshita left for AEW. It ended in a brief 10 minute draw but gave fans a taste of what to expect when they finally face off again in Hollywood.

Konosuke Takeshita: It takes ten years to become an overnight success. Takeshita has done it all in DDT but given the company’s place in the landscape not a lot of people outside of Japan knew about him. Then he shows up in AEW and wins over a wide new audience of fans with his performances. A fan of pro wrestling since childhood, he grew up following Osaka Pro and still shows that influence in his moveset to this day. The list of names he’s been in the ring over the years to get to this point would fill this article by itself. Watch this show and I promise you will see him going All Out.
Moves To Watch Out For: German Suplex, Zahi (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), Jumping Knee, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)

Yuki Ueno: The talent Ueno has is clear to see but a bland personality is currently holding him back. Plus his friendship with Takeshita means he risks standing permanently in his buddy’s shadow. If you ignore those problems though, you’re going to see somebody who is really, really good in the ring. Maybe experiencing America will act as a spark and be that thing to send Ueno to his next level.
Moves To Watch Out For: WR (a Wrist-Clutch version of Kofi Kingston’s SOS), Best Moonsault Ever, Half Nelson Suplex, Konosaki Crunch (One Handed Bulldog)

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That’s not all DDT is up to this week. They have a second show the next day cross-promoting with GCW as part of The Collective. These two shows seem to be where all of the DDT action is happening in LA. Maybe a few names will pop up somewhere else. We’ll just have to wait and see if they surprise us.

DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno

GCW is a promotion I like but don’t love. I’ve gotten to attend a variety of their events before from two of the WrestleMania weeks pre-pandemic as well as their Las Vegas show the day before AEW Double Or Nothing last year. They’re really fun to attend no matter where they go and I enjoy watching the iPPVs when they are live. Watching them on-demand a day or two later though and it becomes a different story. The energy doesn’t carry through on screen when I watch on delay. It’s a promotion that does not give its viewers a lot of time to let things soak in because as soon as one show ends they go full speed straight into promoting their next events. It can make following them online a bit of a blur at times and their booking can seem random even though they do come up with storylines and give people pushes.

That leads us to the GCW Vs DDT show. Whenever GCW do doubleshot weekends outside of their regular markets they usually co-promote one of those shows with another indy and label it as a Vs show. They also often come off as the lesser show of the weekend and it feels the same way here. Obviously both companies have their own more important shows from the previous day to worry about. The lineup they came up with here is shaky but I don’t know if I could come up with something better given who is available. The people I like most in GCW are not the core members of the roster and they would be saved for when GCW are running a show by themselves.

Here’s what I like. The East West Express versus The Moonlight Express is going to hit hard. I’m not as high on Jordan Oliver as I am with Nick Wayne but his faults do not come from a lack of effort. The agility and pain threshold everybody in that match has is going to create something impressive. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko will entirely depend on what kind of sense of humour Radrick has. The two multi-man tag matches have the potential to both get crazy if everybody involved are given the go ahead to do whatever they want. Everything else I’m not as confident about.

Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno as the main event could get bogged down by the amount of big crazy spots Janela wants to do. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo sounds like a Fire Pro match on paper but I don’t think BURNING’s opponents have been up to snuff recently. Kazusada Higuchi should not be losing to Blake Christian but Christian is one of the few heels who gets heavily booed by the GCW fanbase. He is likely getting pushed for a title run sooner rather than later for that reason (barring any conflicts with his AEW/ROH deal). Dark Sheik I prefer watching in Hoodslam because over there she does spotfest tag matches in front of a crowd of people that are feeling the effects of “blueberry pancakes”. That atmosphere somehow comes off better on screen than her matches in GCW do. Bussy Vs Pheromones will be going for the shock factor but was their thunder stolen by Sexxxy Eddy earlier this month? I do not want to predict if it will reach the point where somebody somewhere will need to write out a public apology when all is said and done.

WPW “RUSSELL CROWE WRESTLING: RUSSEL MANIA III”, 31/03/2023
Burbank Moose Lodge, Burbank, California, USA

1. Mizuki Watase Vs Gregory Sharpe Vs Eli Everfly

There’s a little bit of Ganbare☆Pro sprinkled in the weekend too. After Mizuki Watase is done with the GCW Vs DDT show he will be making his way over to Wrestling Pro Wrestling for his only other booking for the week. This is one of the more normal looking matches happening on the card.

DDT Around The World – February 2023

A month ago I was thinking this article was going to become so much easier to handle. Shota was finished with his excursion to some of the most obscure independents in America and February was mostly built around Konosuke Takeshita and Yuka Sakazaki doing stuff related to AEW and ROH. It should be a piece of cake from here on out. Then the Wrestlemania Week bookings started pouring in. And if that wasn’t enough, Miyu Yamashita announced her three month stay in America with the goal to get as many bookings across the country as humanly possible. The response to that idea has been great so far and she is certainly going to create some new fans this year. So yeah, keeping track of these things will only keep me busier as the year goes on. Now let’s get some more championships added to the trophy case while they’re at it.

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Videos

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana)

Video starts at 14:48 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Billie Starkz

Video starts at 45:10 for the match
AEW “DARK”, 07/02/2023
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs EJ Nduka

AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Video starts at 31:22 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 13/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Vert Vixen Vs Yuka Sakazaki

Video starts at 1:18:47 for the match
AEW “DARK”, (14/02/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Bronson

Video starts at 33:18 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 27/02/2023
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Lee Johnson

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Results

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/02/2023 (Aired 06/02/2023)
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Billie Starkz with the Magical Girl Splash (5:39).

Whether the company is aware of it or not, AEW hosted a rematch of last November’s Princess Of Princess Title bout between Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz. This match was a shorter affair with Starkz relying on using Swanton Bombs only to get dropped with the Tea Time and then pinned with the Magical Girl Splash.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/02/2023
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Brian Cage (w/ Prince Nana) with the Zahi (10:06).

A match against a heavy hitter like Brian Cage was just what Takeshita needed to finally get a win on Dynamite. The two just threw big bomb moves at each other until Takeshita was the last man standing. It was pretty cool. Once that was done, Takeshita reappeared later in the night stopping MJF from interfering in a Bryan Danielson match. The two brawled to the back and once they were broken apart, a match between them was booked for the next week.

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 08/02/2023 (Aired 13/02/2023)
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Vert Vixen with the Magical Girl Splash (4:15).

Sakazaki’s last match for this month was a win against Vert Vixen but it was the aftermath that was more important. Athena attacked Sakazaki from behind, striking her with the ROH Women’s Title belt. Athena then made things worse by injuring Sakazaki’s leg with the steel steps outside the ring. Sakazaki tried to step up to her but was given a boot to the head as one last insult to injury. It remains to be seen when Sakazaki will be back to look for revenge, although a title match between the two on the ROH PPV at the end of March would be a good bet.

AEW “DYNAMITE – CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NIGHT”, 08/02/2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, Texas, USA

1. AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Salt Of The Earth (13:19).

Takeshita’s recent interactions with MJF led to a Title Eliminator match between the two. If Takeshita had won the match he would have been granted a AEW World Title shot in the future. Unfortunately MJF worked over his arm, using the Salt Of The Earth to such good effect that Takeshita had to tap out and concede defeat. MJF then caused more harm after the match by putting on his Dynamited Diamond Ring and punching Takeshita in the face, busting him open. Bryan Danielson ran down to chase MJF off. Takeshita returned the favour later in the night by coming to Danielson’s aid when he was attacked by Preston Vance and José The Assistant.

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 23/02/2023 (Aired 27/02/2023)
Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Johnson with the Zahi (6:43).

So Takeshita finds himself knocked down the ladder and back to wrestling on the Youtube shows for the time being. Beating Lee Johnson gets him off to a good start.

ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 25/02/2023 (Aired 02/03/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Josh Woods with a Wheelbarrow German Suplex (10:20).

It’s not the Ring Of Honor we all knew and loved but at least you can add to logo to Takeshita’s Cagematch profile now. He beat a former ROH Pure Champion in Josh Woods so that would be a fresh direction to take if he becomes a regular at ROH tapings.

DPW “YOU ALREADY KNOW”, 25/02/2023
NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Raychell Rose & Jada Stone when Max pinned Stone after the Master Blaster (10:30).
*V1 for The Wasteland War Party.

The Princess Tag Team Titles have now been defended on American soil. Tokyo Joshi Pro are recognizing all of The Wasteland War Party’s title defences across the US indies before they return to Japan for “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. The first defence was against Raychell Rose & Jada Stone in DPW. Stone was a replacement for Hyan.

AEW “DARK”, (26/02/2023) (Aired 28/03/2023)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Karter (w/ Lee Johnson) with the Zahi (9:23).

Cole Karter was in Lee Johnson’s corner when Takeshita beat him on Elevation a few days earlier. If he wanted to get revenge on Takeshita he probably got a knee to the face instead.

GLORY PRO “ANNIVERSARY 6”, 26/02/2023
South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Jody Threat & Blair Onyx when Howitzer pinned Threat after the Master Blaster (?:??).
*V2 for The Wasteland War Party.

Defence number two for The Wasteland War Party was against Jody Threat & Blair Onyx. Threat got a hot tag and went wild on Heidi Howitzer. That came to a sudden halt when Max The Impaler hit her with a Spear. Max tried pinning Threat but was told they were not the legal wrestler. So Max & Howitzer linked up to do the Master Blaster and that was it for Threat.

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Upcoming Appearances

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 01/03/2023
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, USA

1. Face Of The Revolution Match Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ortiz Vs Komander Vs Action Andretti Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Eddie Kingston Vs AR Fox

Holy Mary, Mother Of God this is going to be nuts. Takeshita has a chance to win a TNT Title shot. All he has to do is win a Ladder Match against a crazy lineup of opponents. Just imagining what Komander is going to do on his own in a Ladder match is wild. Is Sammy Guevara willing to destroy himself with a massive ladder bump again? Does Action Andretti or AR Fox want to do the same? Eddie Kingston is already mad he is in the match but he’s always mad. For example, he’s mad at Ortiz right now. Powerhouse Hobbs would be a great future opponent for Takeshita too.

GCW “HOLY SMOKES”, 04/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Joey Janela Vs VENY

Heading into this weekend GCW have not announced what Maki Itoh’s match is going to be at their show yet. They are only advertising she will be in attendance. Will she use this appearance to take her new MDK attitude up another level? I still think her interactions with Nick Gage has to be leading somewhere. It’s gotten too over for it to be nothing more than a cute post-match segment to pop the crowd.

ENJOY “RITES OF SPRING”, 04/03/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Trish Adora & Jordan Blade

The Wasteland War Party are aiming to make it three successful title defences in a row before they return to TJPW. Trish Adora is forming a regular association with TJPW so winning the Princess Tag Titles would bring her over more often and get Jordan Blade one foot in the door too.

GCW “RANSOM”, 05/03/2023
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh, Rina Yamashita & VENY Vs Sawyer Wreck, Billie Starkz & Janai Kai

Sawyer Wreck is now the only person in this match who has not wrestled on a TJPW show yet. They should bring back Rina Yamashita now that I think of it.

EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY”, 08/03/2023
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Lizzy Evo

Before Yamashita begins her American expedition she is heading back to England to do the EVE Title defence against Lizzy Evo that was meant to happen back in January.

EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 09/03/2023
The Yard Theatre, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase

The next night Yamashita faces Miyuki Takase in a rematch of their DPW bout from last year. EVE have said this will be the last time both wrestlers will fight each other. If Takase beats Yamashita there will be no rubber match and if Yamashita wins she will be 2-0 against Takase forever!

NORTHEAST WRESTLING “WRESTLEFEST XXVII”, 11/03/2023
Crosby High School, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JT Dunn

Takeshita will be making two appearances for Northeast Wrestling in March. His first show will have him taking on JT Dunn.

SETUP “SETUP EP.12”, 18/03/2023
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP Thailand Openweight Title: Monomoth (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi

The match will be the main event of the show.

NORTHEAST WRESTLING “MARCH MAYHEM”, 18/03/2023
NEW Arena, Bethany, Connecticut, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

No opponent yet for Takeshita’s second NEW show.

NEW “NEW 12”, 24/03/2023
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. Maki Itoh Vs Cat Power
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Nicole Matthews

Joining Yamashita and Itoh on the show is Minoru Suzuki! But enough about him. Yamashita will be facing Nicole Matthews but it hasn’t been mentioned yet if Matthews will put the NEW Women’s Title on the line. Meanwhile Itoh’s match is against another Canadian wrestler, Cat Power.

PANDEMONIUM PRO “BEST DAMN THING”, 29/03/2023
Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh & Kidd Bandit Vs Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe

Prepare yourselves, everyone. We are now at Wrestlemania Week. First up is Itoh’s appearance at Pandemonium Pro where she will team with Kidd Bandit against Taya Valkyrie & Heather Monroe.

WRESTLECON “THE MARK HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL SUPERSHOW”, 30/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. TJPW 10-Woman Tag Showcase: X, X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X, X & X

One of the big indie shows of Mania Week is the Wrestlecon Supershow dedicated to the late Mark Hitchcock. Every year the show is highlighted with a 10-Man Tag and this year’s edition will be presented by TJPW! Will all 10 wrestlers in the match be TJPW exclusive or will one of the Americans connected to the promotion get to join in on the fun? There may be other surprises elsewhere on the card too because you never know who shows up.

DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
5. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON

This is not the full card yet. Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada still need to be put in a match. Them against each other is a no brainer unless there is some tag team out there they can join forces against. But I’d just go with Higuchi versus Masada.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh

The main event of TJPW’s first USA show is The Magical Sugar Rabbits versus 121000000! They will also be sending over Shoko Nakajima, Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Raku, Nao Kakuta, Suzume and Arisu Endo to take part on the show. The international talent taking part are The Wasteland War Party, Billie Starkz, Trish Adora and Janai Kai.

DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
5. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey

Yeah… Um… I wouldn’t choose this over the other DDT or TJPW shows in all honesty. But there are some positives to be found. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo is a Fire Pro match brought to life. Cole Radrick has gone deep into deathmatches over the last few years so him against Yoshihiko could turn out to be way more violent than it looks on paper. If this show is live on FITE then I’m pretty sure Bussy Vs Pheromones is going to get everyone kicked off the service.

PRESTIGE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN”, 31/03/2023
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Taya Valkyrie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Aja Kong and Shigehiro Irie are also wrestling on the show. Ultimo Dragon too. That’s neat.

GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 7”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

I’ll keep saying it. Itoh versus Gage for the GCW World Title is the match to do.

WRESTLING REVOLVER “REVOLVER THURSDAY”, 06/04/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Allie Katch

Yamashita is sticking around in the States until June and is probably going to fight every female wrestler of note in the country before she is done. Allie Katch is going to be one of her tougher opponents especially in a promotion as rowdy as Wrestling REVOLVER.

LLL “MONSTER ISLAND”, 07/04/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Heidi Howitzer Vs Maki Itoh

The WPP Vs 121000000 feud extends past the Princess Tag Titles match. Howitzer and Itoh will face each other one on one.

WEST COAST PRO “HOME OF THE KILLERS”, 07/04/2023
The State Room, South San Francisco, California, USA

1. West Coast Pro Women’s Title: X (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The West Coast Pro Women’s Champion will either be Masha Slamovich or Sandra Moone. They will have a match to become the first champion on 4th March and Yamashita will be the first challenger one month later.

HOODSLAM “FALLEN IDOLS”, 08/04/2023
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Hoodslam’s motto is “Fuck The Fans”. I think Itoh will fit in over there just fine.

CCW “DEAD-ZONE”, 15/04/2023
Houston Volunteer Fire Department, Houston, Delaware, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Capital Championship Wrestling is a women’s promotion based out of Houston.

UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
PA Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita

This place I have no idea about. Ultimate Wrestling Empire seems to be a new promotion and their tweet promoting this match is the only thing I can find about them. Yamashita sounds very excited to be wrestling Dani Mo.

PRESTIGE “ROSELAND 5”, 29/04/2023
Roseland Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Queen Aminata

Prestige continues to be treated like Yamashita’s home away from home. Her return to Portland will have Queen Aminata waiting for her.

REPUBLIC OF LUCHA “ROL IV”, 30/04/2023
Republic Of Lucha, South Pasadena, California, USA

1. Kidd Bandit Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. Daga Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The shop owned by The Lucha Brothers likes to run their own wrestling shows every now and then. Their next one has Takeshita meeting Daga for the first time. We already know Bandit is a big Itoh fan. Are they a big admirer of Yamashita too or will they want to beat her as a favour to Itoh?

MAW “VENDETTA”, 13/05/2023
2nd St. Depot, Hastings, Minnesota, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra

Remember that outdoor show where Takeshita fought JDX last year? Been a while since we heard from the folks over at Midwest All-Star Wrestling. Yamashita is heading over to their place for a match against Sierra.

AIW “GAUNTLET FOR THE GOLD 16”, 20/05/2023
Force Sports, Eastlake, Ohio, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita’s debut for AIW has my attention more than the other bookings because I want to hear what the people in the company will say about her on The Card Is Going To Change podcast.

ST. LOUIS ANARCHY “GIANTS WOKE, EYES OPEN”, 09/06/2023
The House of Anarchy, Alton, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

At the time of writing St. Louis Anarchy is the booking closest to the end of Yamashita’s expedition. Her first match back in Japan won’t be until 25th June so she can still add a few late dates before she heads home. I’d be shocked if there were no AEW bookings during the three months she’s in America.

DDT Around The World – October 2022

October was a lighter month for DDT related matches from around the world but there is the news of DDT returning to America next year making up for it. The month has mostly been Shota continuing his excursion of the most obscure American indies I ever heard of while Joey Janela’s been defending the DDT Extreme Title and ended up getting himself his own Triple Crown of independent hardcore championships. Konosuke Takeshita is back in America but kept out of the public eye all month. Whether it’s to acclimate to his new home or just taking a well earned rest remains to be seen. Until his reemerges the monthly column will continue to focus on Shota and the Tokyo Joshi Pro talent working abroad. Oh, and Miyu Yamashita made a new friend.

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Videos

Video starts at 22:33 for the match
PWF “LIVEWIRE 19”, 01/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Shota Suzuki Vs Dante Leon

Video starts at 23:52 for the match
JCW “JCW VS THE WORLD”, 09/10/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Shota Vs Steve Scott

RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. World Cup 3 – Round 1: Sara Leon Vs Maya Yukihi

RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

2. RCW World Women’s Title – World Cup 3 – Final – 3 Way Match: Aurora Vs Maya Yukihi Vs Nightshade

RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

3. Miyu Yamashita Vs Millie McKenzie

MPX “FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS”, 22/10/2022
MPX Event Center, Bedford, Texas, USA

1. Shota Suzuki Vs Phil Shark

NEW TEXAS PRO “TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 7”, 27/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Clay Roberts Vs Shota Suzuki

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Results

WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (3) defeated Axel Tischer & Eric Young (0) when Takanashi & Brookes pinned Tischer with the Hair Of The Dog (12:12).
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman (3) defeated Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie (0) when Dreissker pinned Abe with the Dreissker Bomb (15:57).

The first day of the month was a busy one. It began in Germany where wXw hosted the opening day of the World Tag Team Festival. Our boys CDK started off the group stage hot by beating SAnitY with their tricky tag team stylings. Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie found themselves with opposite fortunes, losing to Amboss in the semi-main event.

PWF “LIVEWIRE 19”, 01/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Shota Suzuki defeated Dante Leon with a Crucifix Pin (?:??).

Shota gets his first win in America! It came real close though. Dante Leon had him beaten with a Swanton Bomb onto Shota’s back while Shota was bent over. But a lackadaisical cover allowed Shota to slip Leon into a Crucifix Pin for the surprise three count. There was good sportsmanship shown with a handshake afterwards.

WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 02/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie (3) defeated Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku (3) when Abe submitted Ku with the Manjigatame (15:07).
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Senza Volto & Aigle Blanc (3) defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (3) when Blanc pinned Takanashi with the Tombstone Piledriver (17:58).

Day 2 of the WTTF saw Abe & Irie more than make up for their defeat the previous day. They went to war against Violence Is Forever. Poor Kevin Ku was busted open from a massive Headbutt given to him by Abe. Irie then smashed the guy with the Beast Bomber and Abe twisted him into submission with the Manjigatame. CDK suffered a setback by losing to The Frenchadors. A Moonsault out of the ring from Senza Volto wiped out Chris Brookes. That meant nobody was there to save Masahiro Takanashi from being pinned by Aigle Blanc’s Tombstone.

WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group A: Prince Ahura & Maggot (4) Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (4) ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022 – Group B: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie (6) defeated Nikita Charisma & Michael Schenkenberg (3) when Abe submitted Charisma with the Manjigatame (10:38).

The last night ended bittersweet for both teams. CDK went to a time limit draw with The Pretty Bastards while Abe & Irie beat the team known as Rot Und Flott. While those are not bad results, neither was enough for our teams to qualify for the final and fight for the wXw World Tag Team Titles.

GCW “FIGHT CLUB 2022 – NIGHT 1”, 08/10/2022
Garden Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Effy defeated Shota with the Sack Ryder (4:34).

Shota made his big debut under the bright lights of GCW during one of their biggest nights of the year. It should have been taking place at The Showboat in Atlantic City but a double booking snafu led to the show being held outdoors on the boardwalk nearby instead. Shota’s time in the ring with Effy was short and sweet with Effy getting his hand raised in victory at the end.

JCW “JCW VS THE WORLD”, 09/10/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Steve Scott defeated Shota with a Rope Assisted Fire Thunder Driver (7:23).

The next afternoon the GCW show was held inside the proper venue along with their spinoff promotion JCW. Unfortunately for him his opponent Steve Scott seemed to have an answer for everything that was thrown at him. He even took selfies while putting Shota in holds. Scott threw away Shota’s Tornado DDT then lifted him up into a Fireman’s Carry. From there Scott draped Shota’s legs over the top rope and dropped him with the Fire Thunder Driver for the win.

GCW “FIGHT CLUB 2022 – NIGHT 2”, 09/10/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. GCW Extreme Title & DDT Extreme Title: Joey Janela (DDT/c) defeated Cole Radrick (GCW/c) with a Cradle (15:42).
*V4 for Joey Janela. Cole Radrick fails in V8. Joey Janela becomes the 9th GCW Extreme Champion!

The working relationship between DDT and GCW has been growing throughout the month, hidden in plain sight while people in GCW have been constantly trolling wrestling news sites over rumours of GCW having connections to WWE. Janela is a focal point of both but let’s focus on the DDT stuff. He beat Cole Radrick in his 4th DDT Extreme Title defence and also won the GCW Extreme Title in the process. It was a wild match with chairs and doors getting broken everywhere. Radrick gave Janela a Superplex but Janela cradled him up on impact to get the three count out of nowhere.

VANGUARDIA/GCW “DEATHMATCH ELITE POR SIEMPRE PT. 2”, 14/10/2022
Deportivo 11 de Julio, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico

1. Vanguardia Extraordinario Title & DDT Extreme Title – 4 Way Match: Joey Janela (DDT/c) defeated Jimmy (V/c), Adrenalina and Calibus when Janela pinned Adrenalina with a Diving Foot Stomp through a Barb Wire Board (15:00).
*V5 for Joey Janela? Joey Janela becomes the 2nd Vanguardia Extraordinario Champion!

At the time of writing DDT has not yet acknowledged if this was an official Extreme Title defence. GCW went over to Mexico for a co-promoted show with Lucha Libre Vanguardia. During the show Janela put the Extreme Title on the line in a 4 Way Match with the Vanguardia Extraordinario Title also on the line. A barb wire board was the main weapon used in the match and Janela Double Stomped it on top of Adrenalina to win the match, taking the belt from the champion Jimmy without every beating him directly.

MSW “20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE”, 15/10/2022
Fairgrounds Indoor Building, Harrison, Arkansas, USA

1. Shota Vs Phil Shark

You never know who these wrestlers will bump into or what stories they can discover while working overseas. Take Phil Shark for example. This American wrestler is only 22 years old and he hasn’t been wrestling for long. However he spent time training in Japan for 2AW and was briefly a ringside attendant at their shows. Shota seems to like the guy after fighting him at a Mid-States Wrestling show and hopes some of the wrestling promotions in Japan will take notice of him.

RCW “WORLD CUP 3”, 22/10/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. World Cup 3 – Round 1: Maya Yukihi defeated Sara Leon with a Jumping Knee (?:??).
2. RCW World Women’s Title – World Cup 3 – Final – 3 Way Match: Nightshade defeated Aurora and Maya Yukihi when Nightshade pinned Yukihi with the Neck Hanging Bomb (?:??).
*Nightshade becomes the 1st RCW World Women’s Champion!
3. Millie McKenzie defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Regal Plex (?:??).

I think this show was overshadowed by the story of Yamashita hanging out with Sasha Banks while they were both in Spain. Anyway, Yamashita had her first match against Millie McKenzie but came out on the losing end of it. Meanwhile Maya Yukihi was part of a tournament to crown RCW’s new women’s champion. She made it to the final but was pinned by Nightshade. So close yet so far.

MPX “FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS”, 22/10/2022
MPX Event Center, Bedford, Texas, USA

1. Phil Shark defeated Shota Suzuki with the Deadliest Catch (9:38).

Shota’s appearance for Metroplex Wrestling had him act as a heel which was unlike his previous matches on his excursion. It gave Shark the spotlight to be the hero and he beat Shota with a Twisting Death Valley Driver.

NEW TEXAS PRO “TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 7”, 27/10/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. Clay Roberts defeated Shota with a Small Package (?:??).

Still in Texas, Shota had a match with Clay Roberts in New Texas Pro that had both on their social media afterwards full of happiness over their performances. It’s also been receiving praise from others who saw it. Unfortunately Roberts made sure to spoil the ending by giving Shota a Low Blow while the ref’s back was turned.

GLORY PRO “THE RELENTLESS”, 30/10/2022
South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, USA

1. STL Vs The World Showcase: Benjamin Trust, ATM & Moses defeated Shota, GPA & Crash Jaxon when Moses submitted GPA with a Crab Hold (?:??).

Shota’s month ended with a trip to St. Louis for Glory Pro. He was part of a worldwide trio taking on three wrestlers representing St. Louis. He came out on the losing side.

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Upcoming Appearances

MPW “NIGHT FALL”, 04/11/2022
Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Dustin Daniels Vs Shota

Shota is pleased with his excursion so far. He’s been getting plenty of bookings to keep him active and is building up more friendships and connections around the wrestling scene. Next up for him in November is a return to Millennium Pro Wrestling for a match against Dustin Daniels.

LEVEL UP “BLINDING LIGHTS”, 05/11/2022
Attitude Brewing Company, San Diego, California, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Hunter Freeman Vs Fabrizio Vs Shota

A Triple Threat match awaits Shota when he goes to San Diego for the Level Up Pro Wrestling School. One of his opponents is Fabrizio who trained at the school. The other is “The Backwoods Brawler” Hunter Freeman. That guy has been getting attention in GCW with his death match efforts this year.

ROW “FALL FURY”, 12/11/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs X

Shota will be part of the next Reality Of Wrestling TV taping.

EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V – SHOW 1”, 13/11/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. EVE Tag Team Titles: Rhia O’Reilly & Skye Smitson (c) Vs Hyper Misao & Session Moth
2. EVE Title No. 1 Contender Match: Millie McKenzie Vs Miyu Yamashita

Uh oh. Hyper Misao’s match at EVE is a big one because she gets to challenge for the EVE Tag Team Titles. It’s a chance for a TJPW wrestler to do one better than The Uprising and take the other promotion’s tag titles. However an even bigger wild card is thrown in the mix with Session Moth Martina as Misao’s tag partner!

EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V – SHOW 2”, 13/11/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Hyper Misao Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Whatever matches Yamashita and Misao will do on the second show most likely depends on what the results of the first show are. If both of them lose on the first show then don’t be surprised if they are put in the same match on the second show, maybe even against each other.

JCW “SERIES OF SURVIVALS”, 19/11/2022
Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Janai Kai

Back to the GCW circle where Maki Itoh returns. She’s popping up at JCW too for a first time match against Janai Kai.

WRESTLERAVE “IN YOUR WAREHOUSE”, 19/11/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. WrestleRave Title: Aaron Mercer (c) Vs Shota

Can Shota win his first American wrestling championship?

GCW “AURA”, 20/11/2022
Fete Music Hall, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich

It’s been a breakout year for Masha Slamovich. Breaking through Itoh’s hard head might be her toughest test yet.

SPW “ASTRONOMICAL ANNIVERSARY – DAY 1”, 24/11/2022
Foochow Building, Singapore

1. SPW Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore

CDK have some dates in Singapore coming up. Two of them is for Singapore Pro Wrestling as they are holding a two day event to celebrate their 9 year anniversary. They have a SPW Tag Team Championship match against The Horrors. I cannot tell if these are existing tag championships, new ones or if the belts are vacant.

SPW “ASTRONOMICAL ANNIVERSARY – DAY 2”, 25/11/2022
Foochow Building, Singapore

1. Chris Brookes Vs X
2. SPW Southeast Asia Title – 4 Way Match: Aiden Rex (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi Vs Andruew Tang Vs Tajiri

Takanashi is in the main event 4 Way Match for the SPW Southeast Asia Title on Day 2. The champion right now is Aiden Rex but he is also defending the title on Day 1. The other challengers involved are former multi-time champion Andruew Tang and Tajiri.

Brookes is looking for an opponent and put out an open challenge for Day 2.

LLL “POD SIX WAS JERKS!”, 25/11/2022
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Shota Vs Austin Reddick

So there’s an Oriental Theater in Denver hosting a Lucha Libre & Laughs wrestling event? Quite the mixture there. Shota takes on Austin Reddick over there and the show also has Max The Impaler on it.

GRAPPLE MAX “GOLD STANDARD”, 03/12/2022
GymKraft, Tampines Street, Singapore

1. Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Takanashi will also be at Grapple MAX’s 6th anniversary show.

APAC “RISE”, 10/12/2022
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

1. APAC Women’s Title Tournament – Round 1: Maki Itoh Vs X
2. APAC Women’s Title Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Kamifuku Vs X

Malaysia in December sounds nice. Itoh and Yuki Kamifuku will be heading over there to compete in a tournament held by APAC Wrestling. It will be a four woman tournament also featuring former NXT wrestler Steph De Lander and Nor “Phoenix” Diana. This will be Kamifuku’s first time wrestling outside of Japan.

APAC “RISE”, 11/12/2022
Malaysia

1. APAC Women’s Title Tournament – Final: X Vs X

The winner of the tournament will be crowned the first APAC Women’s Champion!

PRESTIGE “VENDETTA”, 21/01/2023
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Athena

Now here’s a heavy hitting match! Prestige is hosting Yamashita against Athena! Yamashita is undefeated in Prestige and will look to continue her winning streak over there. January of next year looks so far away.

DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

The biggest news of all in October is DDT heading back to America! They are coming to Los Angeles during WrestleMania weekend as part of The Collective. That is GCW’s collaborative series of events with other indies. It is DDT’s first show in America since their New York show in 2019.

DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

If that’s not enough, there’s a show the next day pitting DDT wrestlers against GCW wrestlers. While GCW does have a regular core roster they could have anybody showing up repping their colours on the day.

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Cancelled Appearances

PW REVOLUTION/WEST COAST PRO “KING OF INDIES 2022”, 19/11/2022
United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA

1. King Of Indies 2022: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Well so much for that. Takeshita has been pulled from the big King Of Indies tournament. It’s taking place the same day as AEW’s big PPV “FULL GEAR”. Hopefully there is something being planned for him there because I was really looking forward to seeing how he would have fared in this tournament.

DDT Around The World – August 2022

The summer is over and I thought this article would be winding down and become easier to write about for a few months. After all, Konosuke Takeshita is back in Japan for a while so his AEW journey is on a little break. Instead Shota decides to go live in America and get bookings for some of the most obscure indie companies I have ever heard of. I mean some are so out of the way if you bring them up to the people who run IWTV their response would probably be “Who?” But once September and October are done and dusted Takeshita will be heading back to the US with bigger goals in mind. I think it’s too early right now to talk about whether or not he’s going to be one foot out the door with DDT for good. It’s definitely something I’ll have to write about some day, just not today.

So this series might look a little different in the coming months. Joey Janela is carrying the DDT Extreme Title around the world and has a number of defences already lined up. I’ll be keeping track of them here for as long as it goes on. The same will go for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title if that ever leaves Japan again. So yeah if you’re expecting next month’s post to be about more of Takeshita’s adventures, you’re probably going to get a face full of Shota and Janela instead. However I have a expectation you’ll still see Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita popping up in AEW every now and then to go along with their North American indie bookings. Did you see that Sakazaki is going to be in the AEW video game? Take that FTR!

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Videos

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ryan Nemeth

Video starts at 58:37 for the match
WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022
Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia

1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) (w/ Todd Eastman) Vs Shota Suzuki

AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 06/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022
Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JDX

Video starts at 43:23 for the match
JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Billie Starkz

Video starts at 15:08 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 15/08/2022
Target Cente, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cezar Bononi

Video starts at 36:45 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 22/08/2022
Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA

1. Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue Vs Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh

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Results

AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 05/08/2022 (Aired 06/08/2022)
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Ricola Bomb (19:59).
*V1 for Claudio Castagnoli.

Takeshita is now 0 for 2 in World Championship matches during his excursion. He couldn’t win the PWG World Title in July and last month couldn’t beat Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Title. It’s another tale of so close but so far for him. He’s putting up the great performances but just not getting those wins when it matters.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ryan Nemeth with the Zahi (1:41).

One good thing to happen on the taping was Takeshita’s first win on national TV. Funny thing is this was taped after the ROH Title match but aired on TV the day before. Takeshita wanted to get that one big win on TV before he went back to Japan. Ryan Nemeth isn’t that big win to be honest but hey, it’s a start.

WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022
Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia

1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) (w/ Todd Eastman) defeated Shota Suzuki with the Rope Assisted Piledriver (?:??).
*V? for Mitch Ryder.

You’ll notice that Shota will be using the name Shota Suzuki in some places. It’s to avoid people confusing him with Shota Umino. I can tell you myself whenever I tweet about Shota’s excursion I get a few responses from people thinking I’m talking about the Shota from New Japan. Anyway he had the pleasure of being Wide Bay Pro’s first international guest wrestler on their shows. He was hoping to win the Interstate Title from Mitch Ryder and use the belt as his ticket to wrestle in Australia more. Unfortunately Ryder’s manager Todd Eastman got involved and his distraction led to Shota losing to a see-saw Piledriver over the middle rope.

DPW “BELIEVE THE HYPE”, 06/08/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Emi Sakura defeated Mizuki with the Queen’s Gambit (11:02).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Andrew Everett with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (18:41).

Mixed results on the Deadlock Pro show. The main event had Takeshita beat Andrew Everett in an absolute scorcher of a match. Mizuki’s first match in America ended in a loss to Emi Sakura. The teacher versus student dynamic was on full display. Sakura even got one more dirty reminder after the match by offering a handshake just to attack Mizuki even more. However the fans responded greatly to Mizuki and were happy to hear her shout “I will be back!”

MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022
Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JDX with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (17:38).

I heard about this match happening from a few Discords but couldn’t find info on it until after it took place. Midwest All-Star Wrestling is a regular promotion for JDX (Justin D. Xavier, the D stands for Disgusting). He thought Takeshita was going to look past him because his focus was on the ROH Title match. Instead Takeshita put him through a hard fought match and had his hand raised in the end.

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 10/08/2022 (Aired 15/08/2022)
Target Cente, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cezar Bononi with the Zahi (2:37).

With this win over Cezar Bononi, Takeshita has one more opponent he needs to beat for a clean sweep over The Wingmen. Where you at, Peter Avalon?

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022
O2 Academy, Sheffield, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Leon Slater with the Zahi (12:17).

Over to England now where Takeshita made his PROGRESS debut. His 17 year old opponent Leon Slater was a replacement for an injured Robbie X. Slater put up a heck of a fight but his big mistake was to try and set up a One Man Spanish Fly off the top rope. Takeshita instead used the stalled time to knock Slater off the turnbuckle with a Lariat and then pin him with the Zahi.

JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Billie Starkz defeated Maki Itoh with the Assault Driver (11:13).

Those cheeky gits at GCW advertised Maki Itoh for both nights of their Homecoming weekend but her match on the first night was with JCW instead. I think she did fan meet and greets during the GCW show so they can probably get away with avoiding accusations of false advertising. Anyway her match against Billie Starkz happened very late at night. She had a busy schedule for the following day.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022
Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Dean Allmark with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (10:05).

Takeshita’s second day in PROGRESS gave him a far more experienced opponent to deal with in the form of Dean Allmark. He had some tricks up his sleeve like a Headstand Backslide Pin but Takeshita rolled out of it to hit the Zahi for a nearfall. He then hit the Lil Sebastian’s Curse to win. I need to find out if he minds everybody still wanting to call that move the Cinnabomb.

GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik with the Flying DDT (10:54).

If there is one thing you need to know about this match it’s this. They did the Top Rope DDT spot from the Dean Malenko Vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that happened at Backlash 2000. It is also where Itoh started using the I.D.S as her new finisher. That wasn’t the end of Itoh’s night. She appeared during the main event segment where Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green renewed their wedding vows. Itoh sang “L.O.V.E.” by Frank Sinatra for the happy couple before Nick Gage came out and crashed the ceremony with a pizza cutter.

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 17/08/2022 (Aired 22/08/2022)
Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA

1. Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh defeated Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue when Sakura pinned Blue with the Queen’s Gambit (7:15).

Itoh’s latest stay in America ended with another visit to AEW. She teamed with Emi Sakura to beat Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue. Itoh claims Emi Sakura is the newest member of the Itoh Respect Army but Sakura denies this. At least her singing impressed Matt Menard on commentary.

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Upcoming Appearances

EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 01/09/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson Vs Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade
2. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor (c) Vs Hikari Noa

Later tonight Hikari Noa will challenge Alex Windsor for the International Princess Title in EVE. Noa arrived in London safe and sound during the week and EVE’s Twitter account shows her enjoying the vibrant sights of Camden. This may be TJPW’s only chance to bring the IP Title back home any time soon though. Windsor tweeted her frustrations over how difficult it’s been to get even an appointment with the Japanese embassy so she can travel back to Japan.

The tag match I included here has implications to pay attention to. The winners will get to wrestle for TJPW in Japan sometime in the future. Nightshade has been in TJPW back in 2019. In EVE she sides with Rhia O’Reilly as part of The Uprising stable. O’Reilly is also an accomplished wrestler across the British women’s scene. Their opponents Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson I don’t know much about. Hudson’s biggest profile appearances seem to be with ICW in Scotland and TNT Extreme in Liverpool. Leverkusen I can’t find much info about other than a few recent EVE matches and Youtube videos of other matches across assorted indies.

MPW “ENDANGERED”, 02/09/2022
Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA

1. Triple Threat Match: Darwin Finch Vs J2 Vs Shota

Shota’s new American life begins with Millenium Pro Wrestling in California. The promotion has been in existence since 2001. If Shota can beat Darwin Finch and J2 in a Triple Threat match then he will qualifiy for a Scramble match on 9th September that MPW is putting together to celebrate their anniversary.

PWF “ENDANGERED”, 03/09/2022
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. JJ Blake Vs Shota Suzuki

The next day Shota travels over to Texas for Premier Wrestling Federation. His opponent here JJ Blake recently accomplished the Triple Crown feat in New Texas Pro Wrestling. That has Shota excited to know he is getting a strong opponent for sure.

GCW “THE ART OF WAR”, 03/09/2022
Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title & 6 Pack Of PBR – 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Mike Bailey Vs Tony Deppen Vs Cole Radrick Vs Drago Kid Vs Gringo Loco Vs Dante Leon Vs Shane Mercer

Yeah this is nuts. Janela’s first Extreme Title defence in America will be in one of GCW’s craziest match stipulations. GCW loves Scramble matches. They are also doing their own Wargames match this weekend so will have two rings set up beside each other. Add in ladders along with a Pabst Blue Ribbon sponsorship and you got yourselves a 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match! That’s not all, Janela is putting himself up against an entire deck full of wild cards. Mike Bailey needs no introduction, Tony Deppen can be unpredictable at times, Cole Radrick is becoming more of a deathmatch wrestler as the months go by, Drago Kid blew everyone’s minds in his previous GCW appearances, Gringo Loco has built up the reputation of being one of the best bases currently on the indies, Dante Leon is the kind of guy who benefits from that and Shane Mercer is an absolute powerhouse who leaves destruction in his wake.

JCW “UNCENSORED”, 10/09/2022
Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA

1. DDT Extreme Title – Bodyslam Challenge: Joey Janela (c) Vs Beastman

If Janela can somehow crawl out of the chaos mentioned above, he will put the title on the line next against Beastman on a JCW show. The stipulation here is a lot more basic. First wrestler to Body Slam their opponent wins. Beastman has the size advantage in this one.

ROW “TEXAS GOLD RUSH”, 10/09/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs Ayden Cristiano

Shota’s heading back over to Reality Of Wrestling. This time around his opponent is “The Madman From Madrid” Ayden Cristiano.

NEW “YEAR ONE ANNIVERSARY”, 16/09/2022
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada

1. Maki Itoh Vs Gisele Shaw

Canada prepare yourselves for Maki Itoh. She will wrestle for the first time on Canadian soil for Nation Extreme Wrestling. Her opponent is Gisele Shaw who is coming in as a replacement for Chelsea Green due to scheduling conflicts with the latter. Shaw wrestle twice for TJPW in 2019 including the match to crown the first ever IP Champion. This will be her first in-ring meeting with Itoh.

PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Sandra Moone
2. Trish Adora Vs Miyu Yamashita

I said it last month that Miyu Yamashita against somebody like Trish Adora would be an attention grabber. There you go.

MISSION PRO “Welcome To The Jungle”, 17/09/2022
Salvation Army Mission Corps, San Antonio, Texas, USA

1. Shota Vs JP Harlow

Mission Pro is Thunder Rosa’s promotion, right? Shota’s just ticking off all of the Texas companies from the get go. If he wasn’t going to bump into JP Harlow at ROW it was only a matter of time he would find him here I guess.

FRONTLINE PRO “A NIGHT FOR TYLER V”, 24/09/2022
Bakerville Bar And Grill, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA

1. Shota Vs Ragnar The Ruthless

One week later Shota heads to Wisconsin for Frontline Pro. For fuck sake lads I have to trawl through Facebook to find out what this is and where Ragnar The Ruthless comes from.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs X

Shigehiro Irie will be at Progress the same weekend CDK are there.

PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Let’s include Irie here too.

MDRN NMD “I SPELL F-L-Y”, 29/09/2022
The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St. , Manchester, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs LK Mezinger & Splits McPins
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs Dan Moloney

Before the entire UK scene fell apart there was a little series of shows called Tuesday Night Graps put together by a group of wrestlers including Chris Brookes. After the pandemic the shows came back under a new group called Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling and this time there’s no need to run shows every Tuesday. Is Masahiro Takanashi into bowling because CDK takes on Bowl-A-Rama in tag team action. Irie gets to take on Dan Moloney in a superfight.

WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 30/09/2022
wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

1. Masha Slamovich Vs Fuminori Abe

The day before the World Tag Team Festival tournament begins, wXw will be holding a smaller scale show inside their wrestling school. They are always a good appetizer to start their big international weekends with some unique matches put together. Like this one here, Fuminori Abe being thrown into the ring against Masha Slamovich!

WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

We just have to wait and see how both CDK and Abe & Irie will do in the tournament.

EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V”, 13/11/2022
229 The Venue, London, England

1. Hyper Misao Vs X

Yeah so this was announced back in July and I completely forgot about it until now. Whoops. Hyper Misao’s going to England!

PW REVOLUTION/WEST COAST PRO “KING OF INDIES 2022”, 19/11/2022
United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA

1. King Of Indies 2022: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

There is a tournament in the American independents that holds almost a mythical reputation even if it does not attract the attention of wrestling fans the same way Battle Of Los Angeles, Tournament Of Death or King Of Trios all used to. The King Of Indies tournament originated in the early 2000s with All Pro Wrestling as the hosts. The 2001 edition is well known as being an inspiration towards the creation of Ring Of Honor. The tournament was revived in 2018 with Pro Wrestling Revolution taking the reigns and this year Takeshita gets to add his name to the tournament’s history book. He won’t be the only Japanese participant because Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH will be there along with SB Kento and La Estrella from DRAGONGATE.

DDT Around The World – July 2022

The summer is winding down and it’s been a whirlwind of international appearances for Konosuke Takeshita and Miyu Yamashita in particular. Things might calm down a little going into the Autumn when Takeshita returns home to Japan for DDT. His plan is to go back for just under two months before continuing his excursion. He is definitely falling in love with America and wants to make the country his second home. But as you will see in the upcoming appearances section below there is a whole wide world out there to explore.

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Videos

RCW “MIYUMAMI”, 02/07/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Alex Windsor

Video starts at 20:34 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 04/07/2022
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Hikaru Shida & Yuka Sakazaki Vs Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/07/2022
Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Eddie Kingston Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Video starts at 2:46:15 for the match
JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Radrick

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/07/2022
Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA

1. Interim AEW World Title Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley Vs Konosuke Takeshita

PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022
Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kevin Blackwood

GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai

2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander

Video starts at 47:53 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 25/07/2022
Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JD Drake

AEW “DYNAMITE ~ FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN”, 27/07/2022
DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title: Thunder Rosa (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Video starts at 54:10 for Match #1. Go to 1:45:55 for Match #2
SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hoshitango Vs Bital Hasdin
2. Asia Dream Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Terry Diesel & Monomoth

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Results

RCW “MIYUMAMI”, 02/07/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Alex Windsor with the Skull Kick (15:28).

We start off in Spain where Yamashita travelled over to wrestle for RCW. She was the big draw of the show with the event’s name being a combination of her and the album “Motomami” by Rosalía. She took on Alex Windsor a week before Windsor went on to win the International Princess Title over in Japan.

PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Masha Slamovich (9:22).
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (23:19).
*V1 for Daniel Garcia.

July turned out to be a rocky patch for Takeshita in the win-loss department. He got to fight for the PWG World Title against Daniel Garcia but couldn’t win the belt from him. Yuka Sakazaki had a better night, winning the first women’s match held in PWG in over a decade against Masha Slamovich. She left quite the impression on everyone for sure.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/07/2022 (Aired 08/07/2022)
Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Eddie Kingston defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Spinning Backfist (11:56).

Eddie Kingston made it no secret his dream is to wrestle Jun Akiyama some day. Akiyama passed down the Jumping Knee Strike to Takeshita so this match brought Kingston one little step forward toward that goal. The two smashed each other to bits and both were practically done by the time the match was over. It could have ended in a double knockout had Kingston not fallen on top of Takeshita to get the pin.

JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Radrick with the Zahi (15:19).

Takeshita and Cole Radrick finally wrestling each other is like when two pen pals meet in person for the first time. To think it all started when Takeshita used Radrick’s move the Lil Sebastian’s Curse 3 years ago.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/07/2022
Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA

1. Interim AEW World Title Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Bulldog Choke (13:13).

Takeshita’s biggest match in America so far took place in AEW when he took on one of their biggest stars Jon Moxley! It was a non-title match but a win would have catapulted Takeshita into an automatic shot for the Interim AEW World Title. Unfortunately despite another heavily praised performance, Takeshita ended up submitting to the Bully Choke. It was at this point when Takeshita realised he has not won an AEW match on Dynamite or Rampage yet. He made it his next goal to get “one big win” on TV.

DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 1”, 16/07/2022
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Davey Richards (12:33).

Next stop was Seattle for a DEFY doubleshot. In the main event of Night 1 Takeshita beat the veteran journeyman of the indies Davey Richards.

DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 2”, 17/07/2022
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Schaff (10:34).

Then on the second night Takeshita beat Schaff. I’m really low on details about what happened on the DEFY shows at the moment so let’s move on.

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 20/07/2022 (Aired 25/07/2022)
Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JD Drake with the Jumping Knee Strike (3:40).

Takeshita has no problem picking up wins on AEW’s Youtube shows. He beat JD Drake in the main event of an episode of Dark Elevation.

TERMINUS “TERMINUS 3”, 21/07/2022
Oasis Event Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Jonathan Gresham defeated Konosuke Takeshita by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Octopus Hold (14:55).

Takeshita paid a visit to TERMINUS, the promotion that Jonathan Gresham had been championing while Ring Of Honor was in limbo. The match almost lasted the full 15 minute time limit but the last minute and a half consisted of Gresham locking Takeshita in an Octopus Hold and then finding more ways to torture him. The referee finally called for the bell in the last few seconds, giving Gresham the win. But Takeshita never gave up and even threw an Elbow Strike while in a dazed state right after Gresham let him go. This would not be the last time they were in the ring together this month.

PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022
Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kevin Blackwood with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (16:55).

Here is where Takeshita started to develop something different. Kevin Blackwood is a pretty tough dude and showed his guts by taking everything Takeshita could throw at him and still kick out of his pins. Takeshita ended up using Radrick’s move the Lil Sebastian’s Curse to finally get the win. Fans want Takeshita to name his version of the move Cinnabomb but he likes the name that Radrick originally gave it.

GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Billie Starkz and Janai Kai when Yamashita pinned Starkz with the Skull Kick (6:53).
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).

Takeshita did end up getting into a time limit draw against Josh Alexander. It was a non-title match but he left holding his head up high over going the distance against the Impact World Champion. Yamashita was thrown into a hectic 3 Way Match against Billie Starkz and Janai Kai. Those young wrestlers have become two of the more familiar names in women’s wrestling on the American indies. The chaos worked out in Yamashita’s favour when Starkz unintentionally knocked Kai out of the ring, leaving her open for the deadly Skull Kick.

AEW “DYNAMITE ~ FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN”, 27/07/2022
DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title: Thunder Rosa (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Fire Thunder Driver (10:02).
*V5 for Thunder Rosa.

The big reason for Yamashita’s return to America was for this. A shot at the AEW Women’s World Title she earned from beating Thunder Rosa in Tokyo Joshi Pro earlier in the month. The late part of the rematch almost became a mirror of the TJPW bout with the Attitude Adjustment being countered into a Cradle only to get reversed into another one. This time however Rosa kicked out and caught Yamashita with her own High Kick. Rosa then hit her version of the Fire Thunder Driver to avenge the loss and successfully defend the title. Unfortunately it wasn’t a great match. They weren’t on the same page in the first half and although they got back in track with Yamashita’s German Suplex spot, the rest of the match was pretty much a repeat of what they did in TJPW.

BLACK LABEL PRO “THE GANG CROSSES THE LINE”, 29/07/2022
Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Nick Wayne with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (12:40).

Takeshita ended his month over at the Starrcast convention for two matches. The first took place in Black Label Pro against the highly regarded youngster Nick Wayne. Even though Takeshita won, he was so impressed by Wayne that he passed down his nickname of “The Future” to him!

SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hoshitango defeated Bital Hasdin with the Midnight Buenos Aires (8:34).
2. Asia Dream Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Terry Diesel & Monomoth when Brookes pinned Monomoth after the Super Kick & Praying Mantis Bomb (23:40).
*V4 for CDK.

Time to go a completely different direction over to Thailand where CDK went off on an adventure. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi were part of a Gatoh Move related group of wrestlers taking part in a SETUP show. CDK successfully defended the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles against two of SETUP’s best in Terry Diesel & Monomoth. Also taking part was Hoshitango. He gave the local super rookie Bital Hasdin his first loss in pro wrestling. There was even a DJ Nira sighting at some point during the show.

JCP “RIC FLAIR’S LAST MATCH”, 31/07/2022
Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. PROGRESS World Title #1 Contender – 4 Way Match: Jonathan Gresham defeated Alan Angels, Nick Wayne and Konosuke Takeshita when Gresham pinned Angels with an O’Connor Roll (5:40).

Takeshita was added to the undercard of Ric Flair’s dedicated attempt at turning the final scene of “The Wrestler” into reality. He took part in a 4 Way with previous opponents Gresham and Wayne along with former AEW wrestler Alan Angels.

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Upcoming Appearances

AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 05/08/2022 (Airing 06/08/2022)
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

He couldn’t win the PWG Title so let’s go after the ROH World Title! Takeshita takes on Claudio Castagnoli himself in an absolute whopper of a match on paper. As mentioned above, Takeshita wants his first AEW win on TV to be a big one and this would fit the bill.

WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022
Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia

1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) Vs Shota

Here’s an unexpected addition. Shota is gearing up for an American excursion in a few month’s time but this month he is heading over to Australia for a one-off appearance in Wide Bay Pro. He is going to challenge one of their champions Mitch Ryder (not the American one who died two years ago).

DPW “BELIEVE THE HYPE”, 06/08/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Andrew Everett

Back over to the maniac matchmaking of Deadlock Pro. On one of their recent shows Andrew Everett called out Takeshita for a match! If that isn’t enough to tickle your fancy, DPW somehow put together the rare matchup of Mizuki against Emi Sakura! It will be Mizuki’s first ever appearance in America and also Sakura’s first US booking outside of AEW ever since she worked with the company.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022
O2 Academy, Sheffield, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Robbie X

Robbie X is a journeyman of the British wrestling scene who seems to be finally breaking through and climbing up the ladder. He is Takeshita’s first opponent when he travels over to England.

GCW “HOMECOMING PART 1”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

That Itoh’s first GCW match hasn’t been announced yet makes me think she’ll be added to a Scramble 6 Way. She’ll have a busy day nonetheless.

JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Billie Starkz

GCW’s sister promotion JCW will be running a show in the same venue afterwards. Itoh is taking part by having a match against Starkz. She got along well with Yamashita. If Itoh takes a liking to her too then maybe a tour of Japan is in Starkz’s future. It will do her a world of good if she ever wants to develop as a pro wrestler.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022
Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Dean Allmark

Dean Allmark is another longtime British wrestler going beyond the indie scene. He’s been through the infamous schedule of wrestling at summer camps across the country.

GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Dark Sheik

Now here is someone with an attitude that Itoh will appreciate. “Fuck The Fans” is a motto that Dark Sheik lives by even though she is pretty cool towards her fanbase. Hoodslam is her home but she’s gotten comfy wrestling in GCW lately too.

PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Maki Itoh Vs Sandra Moone

Yamashita & Itoh are heading back over to Prestige in September. Itoh has an opponent announced in the form of Sandra Moone. Yamashita is still waiting to hear who she will be against. Taya Valkyrie and Trish Adora are both advertised for the show. Either of them facing Yamashita would be an attention grabber. Just saying.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

There’s some extra slightly DDT related news for this show. Shigehiro Irie is being booked for it.

PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

CDK have another PROGRESS show to go to. The naming of it seems to match Brookes’ interests too.

WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

A couple more teams have been added to the World Tag Team Festival but nothing related to what I’m doing here. Probably going to stay that way until the tournament takes place.

DDT Around The World – June 2022

I’ll now include the official Youtube videos of matches to these posts. Last month’s article was updated to include the videos available from May and I’ll go back to add more if they get uploaded. Konosuke Takeshita having matches across the American indies that are so good they have to be put up for free on Youtube is going to be the trend this summer. The other trend seems to be Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers unexpectedly appearing on AEW’s Youtube shows whenever they are in the country. The Forbidden Door is behind us for the time being so if there was any red tape preventing Takeshita from having a higher profile that should be gone now. Even then he’s keeping himself busy as you will see below. By the way it is incredibly satisfying to see how successful that show turned out. So many wrestling analysts and personalities last month predicted failure because let’s be honest, they personally don’t care about New Japan. It is obvious to me that a lot of them used the “casual fan” argument as a cover for their own lack of  interest or knowledge for Japanese wrestling. But the PPV being a success proves there is an audience out there that does care. I mean that’s why you’re here right now reading this post, right?

SPOILER WARNING: The results section includes spoilers for taped AEW matches that have not aired yet.

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Videos

DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Miyuki Takase

Video starts at 21:24 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 06/06/2022
The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita Vs Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Casino Battle Royale: Darby Allin Vs Tony Nese Vs Daniel Garcia Vs Lance Archer Vs Eddie Kingston Vs Ricky Starks Vs Jake Hager Vs Rey Fenix Vs Swerve Strickland Vs Keith Lee Vs John Silver Vs Konosuke Takeshita Vs Max Caster Vs Austin Gunn Vs Colten Gunn Vs Powerhouse Hobbs Vs Bobby Fish Vs Kyle O’Reilly Vs Dante Martin Vs Wheeler Yuta Vs Andrade El Idolo

WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022
The State Room, South San Francisco, USA

1. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita

ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Ryan Davidson Vs Shota

Video starts at 37:43 for the match
AEW “DARK”, 14/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo)

PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Lee Moriarty Vs Konosuke Takeshita

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Results

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 01/06/2022 (Aired 06/06/2022)
The Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose defeated Skye Blue & Miyu Yamashita when Deeb submitted Blue with the Serenity Lock (7:40).

When the month began, the joshi wrestlers who were hanging around in America all went back to Japan except for Miyu Yamashita. She still had an indie date left to do but there was an unusually long gap of time until it took place. Turns out the extra time was filled up with Yamashita’s first AEW booking. She unexpectedly had her debut match with the company on Dark Elevation teaming with Skye Blue against two of AEW’s top threats in the women’s division: Serena Deeb & Nyla Rose. There were complaints from fans that you shouldn’t be just throwing Yamashita into a Youtube match like that but there’s a long game being played here. AEW are well aware of Yamashita’s status in the joshi scene and have kept an eye on her for her entire US trip last month. There’s even some hearsay that her indie bookings went through AEW as part of getting her over to the USA in the first place. They’ve been so impressed with her performances that considerations are under way to put together a future AEW Women’s Title program between her and Thunder Rosa. Those plans are separate from the Rosa Vs Yamashita match happening in TJPW later this month. I know the booking of the AEW women’s division is incredibly frustrating to follow but I assure you there is some thought being put behind what to do with Yamashita in the future.

AEW “DARK”, 03/06/2022 (Aired 14/06/2022)
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Nick Comoroto (w/ Aaron Solo) with the Jumping Knee Strike (6:42).

We’re getting into odd territory with the Dark tapings. Takeshita’s match against Nick Comoroto was recorded on 3rd June but was not used until the episode that aired on the 14th.

DPW “NO PRESSURE”, 05/06/2022
Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

1. Golden Opportunity Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Miyuki Takase with the Skull Kick (15:27).

A first time meeting took place in Deadlock Pro when Yamashita took on the freelancer Miyuki Takase. The match had a little bit of everything from strike exchanges, slight comedy, big moves like an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment and Takase running a lap around the building to set up the longest Clothesline spot you’ll ever see. Yamashita found her opponent’s limit with High Kicks and finished her off with the Skull Kick to win. According to the match stipulation Yamashita now has a championship shot of some sort for whenever she wants when she returns to DPW.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 08/06/2022
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. Casino Battle Royale: Kyle O’Reilly defeated Wheeler Yuta by Ring Out (24:59).
Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, Lance Archer, Max Caster, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn, Keith Lee, John Silver, Daniel Garcia, Eddie Kingston, Jake Hager, Konosuke Takeshita, Dante Martin, Ricky Starks, Bobby Fish, Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, Powerhouse Hobbs, Rey Fenix, Andrade El Idolo and Wheeler Yuta.

Takeshita entered the annual Casino Battle Royal where the winner would face Jon Moxley later in the night. It was all part of a long, sudden journey to crown an Interim AEW World Champion thanks to CM Punk unexpectedly going out of action with injury. Takeshita entered the match in the middle of the pack but was thrown out by both Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs. That left Takeshita tweeting about if he should find some new friends for backup should a similar situation ever repeats itself.

WEST COAST PRO “’93 TIL INFINITY”, 10/06/2022
The State Room, South San Francisco, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Mike Bailey with the German Suplex (17:50).

Well he got to reunite with one of his friends a couple of days later. The long awaited rematch with Mike Bailey delivered and then some. What are you doing reading this when you can watch it up at the top of the post above?

AEW “DARK”, 11/06/2022 (Aired 19/07/2022)
Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Anthony Henry with the Jumping Knee Strike (7:48).

Back to the weirdness of the tapings. Takeshita’s match against Anthony Henry hasn’t aired yet. AEW now tapes month’s worth of Dark matches in Universal Studios a couple times a year. Details results of the tapings aren’t common so for the moment we just know who won. I’ll come back to edit this post when the match does air.

ROW “LOCK UP”, 11/06/2022
Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA

1. Ryan Davidson defeated Shota with the Davidson Driver (?:??).

Hey Ganbare☆Pro can join in on the fun now. Shota finally got to travel to America after his original plans to do so went kaput two years ago because of the pandemic. He went over to Texas to perform on a Reality Of Wrestling show. That is the promotion run by none other than Booker T. Shota took on Ryan Davidson, an American wrestler who wrestled in both DDT and Ganpro back in 2018. Shota stayed in America for a few more days and went to an AEW event in St. Louis where he hung out with Takeshita and Michael Nakazawa backstage.

PRESTIGE “THE NEW REALITY”, 18/06/2022
The Glass House, Pomona, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty with the Zahi (17:55).

Another very entertaining match worth watching. Lee Moriarty is such a good talent who can shine through your screen with his ring work. He’s a good opponent for Takeshita as you can see when you watch the video way up above.

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 04/07/2022)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Hikaru Shida & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck when Shida pinned Reckless with the Falcon Arrow (2:53).

It was a surprise to everyone when both Yuka Sakazaki and Hikaru Shida showed up to wrestle as a tag team this past Wednesday. I didn’t realize Sakazaki had left Japan for her PWG booking and it wasn’t publicly known that Shida was returning to the US either. The match against Heather Reckless & Laynie Luck will air on Dark Elevation next Monday. Hopefully for Sakazaki’s sake they edit her entrance because she tripped and fell on the ramp while running out. She got revenge on the ramp after the match by stomping on it while leaving ringside.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 29/06/2022 (Aired 01/07/2022)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Royal Rampage: Brody King defeated Darby Allin by Ring Out (22:41).
Order Of Elimination: Tony Nese, John Silver, Max Caster, Penta Oscuro & Rush, Matt Hardy, Frankie Kazarian, Dante Martin, Dustin Rhodes, Konosuke Takeshita, Orange Cassidy, Keith Lee, Swerve Strickland, Ricky Starks, Hangman Page, The Blade, The Butcher and Darby Allin.

Tonight’s episode of Rampage has Takeshita entering the first ever Royal Rampage match. It is reportedly a Royal Rumble match involving two wrestling rings and the last wrestlers left in each ring face off in the finale. Remember earlier when I said Takeshita wants to look for backup so he won’t get eliminated by a tag team? Well it happened again when The Butcher & The Blade worked together to throw him out of the ring.

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Upcoming Appearances

RCW “MIYUMAMI”, 02/07/2022
Casinet d’Hostafrancs, Barcelona, Spain

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Alex Windsor

Yamashita is currently in Spain ready and waiting for this weekend’s show with RCW. Her opponent is an interesting choice. Alex Windsor has been on a roll in England lately for both Revolution Pro and Pro Wrestling: EVE. She will be coming to Japan one week later to challenge for the International Princess Title too. No bigger message to send TJPW than to beat their first ace before heading over.

PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022
Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Masha Slamovich
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita has had no luck chasing after AEW championships. The PWG World Title however is so close he should be able to taste it. The champion Daniel Garcia is beaten up from doing a Blood & Guts cage match. Sakazaki gets to be added to the short list of women to have wrestled for PWG. She can make Masha Slamovich 0 for 2 against TJPW talent.

JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cole Radrick

This is a match with more history than meets the eye. Takeshita and Cole Radrick have gotten along on Twitter for the last year, sharing gifs of them doing each other’s moves in matches. Does that mean when they finally meet they will play mind games by swapping movesets against each other?

DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 1”, 16/07/2022
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Davey Richards

Davey Richards has taken up the indie gatekeeper role ever since he returned to active competition. Takeshita getting an opponent as established as him in a promotion as energetic as DEFY should result in magic.

TERMINUS “TERMINUS 3”, 21/07/2022
Oasis Event Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

1. Jonathan Gresham Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The hits keep on coming! Takeshita should expect a change of pace here because TERMINUS uses an alternate ruleset that encourages more grappling and less theatrics. Jonathan Gresham flies the flag for that style (often literally) and has been pretty much unbeatable since becoming the ROH World Champion. It would be a good idea for Takeshita to remember what he learned from wrestling Shinya Aoki and fight fire with fire.

PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022
Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kevin Blackwood

The next day Takeshita returns to Prestige for his second match in the promotion. Kevin Blackwood has been gaining notoriety in the indies this year and just last week got a big win over Takeshita’s buddy Mike Bailey.

GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander

Takeshita will also be holding a seminar for Garden State Pro on the day of the show.

BLACK LABEL PRO “THE GANG CROSSES THE LINE”, 29/07/2022
Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Nick Wayne

A teenage prodigy being hailed as the future of pro wrestling with the world at his feet. Sounds familiar. Nick Wayne is sort of where Takeshita was a decade ago. The young phenomenon is becoming a must see wrestler on the indies and supposedly has an AEW contract waiting for him once he is eligible to sign it. One future will get to see the next future first hand.

SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Hoshitango Vs Bital Hasdin
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Hoshitango’s opponent Bital Hasdin is being promoted as Thailand’s super rookie.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022
O2 Academy, Sheffield, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita heads over to England in August for a tour with PROGRESS, the company that wishes it was still 2019. His first show will be in Sheffield and then he will be in Newcastle the next day.

GCW “HOMECOMING PART 1”, 13/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

GCW is not ready for Maki Itoh.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022
Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita won’t be the only DDT talent PROGRESS gets to experience this year…

GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022
The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

I repeat, they are so not ready for her.

PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022
O2 Academy, Birmingham, England

1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Chris Brookes is coming back to Europe and he’s bringing Masahiro Takanashi with him!

WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022
Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany

1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X

Take it from me, wXw tournaments in Oberhausen make for great weekend breaks if you’re with other wrestling fans. They have done tag team tournaments every Autumn for years but the World Tag Team Festival branding is only a recent creation that got interrupted by the pandemic. CDK was one of the first teams announced to enter the annual tournament. They are joined by two familiar faces, the team of Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie!