DDT Around The World – November 2025

Normally I put together a hastily written intro for these articles but this month I’m starting with some housekeeping. You may notice that not everything that happened in November related to this series has been included in this post. That is because I will be writing up a separate post about Konosuke Takeshita’s matches in this year’s Continental Classic tournament over in AEW. I really enjoy writing about a DDT wrestler’s journey through a round robin tournament and felt it will be better to chart Takeshita’s C2 run that way instead of mixing it in with everyone else. So at some point at the end of the year you can expect to read about “Konosuke Takeshita’s C2 Adventure”!

Next it’s back to the regular programming. Maki Itoh went to wrestle in America again, Tokyo Joshi Pro made more moves with the Southeast Asian scene, Miyu Yamashita trekked off to Europe and Yuka Sakazaki popped up in Ring Of Honor. With all of that now out of the way it will be a much more quiet end to 2025 than I expected with not much on the horizon for now. There may come a time when I get to pause this series if there are no other bookings to follow outside of Takeshita with AEW, Itoh with GCW and the annual WrestleMania Week of shows. I’ll see if that bridge is worth crossing if I ever get to it.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

AEW “SATURDAY TAILGATE BRAWL – FULL GEAR”, 22/11/2025
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. CMLL World Trios Titles: Mistico, Mascara Dorada & Neon (c) Vs Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero

Match #2 starts at 12:18. Match #4 starts at 41:58. Match #5 starts at 58:52.
SETUP/IWA THAILAND “A NEW DAWN”, 14/11/2025
TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
270 Fans

2. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Bangkok Death Match: Matcha (c) Vs Ram Kaichow Vs Pom Harajuku
4. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Andruew Tang & Jake De Leon (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami Vs Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.
5. Double Main Event I – Ace Vs Ace: Shivam Vs HARASHIMA

HOG “SUPERCLASH”, 15/11/2025
Suffolk Credit Union Arena, Brentwood, New York, USA

1. Shayna Baszler Vs Maki Itoh

Video starts at 1:48:12.
JCW “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”, 23/11/2025
The Mecca, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Beastman Body Slam Challenge: Beastman Vs Juni Underwood, Jeffrey John, Emil Jay, Ryan O’Neill, Jimmy Lloyd, Gabby Forza & Maki Itoh

———————————————————————–

Results

GCW “YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND”, 07/11/2025
The Webster, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Kerry Morton with a School Boy (10:11).

The start of Itoh’s GCW tour could have ended very badly for her if it wasn’t for some help from an unlikely ally. Kerry Morton controlled most of the match and acted obnoxious to Itoh throughout it. He even took Itoh’s pizza cutter and threatened to use it against her when Kerry’s father Ricky Morton approached the ring telling him to stop. Kerry pushed his dad away from the ring apron but Ricky pushed him back, right into a School Boy from Itoh that got her the three count.

GCW “MASSACRE IN MAINE”, 08/11/2025
Yarmouth Amvets, Yarmouth, Maine USA

1. KJ Orso defeated Maki Itoh with the Step Up Double Stomp (9:46).

Itoh showed her perseverance in a match with KJ Orso that she almost could have won. Orso resorted to cheap tricks like using the rope to leverage his pin but he was caught by the ref. Itoh took her shot and tried to put Orso in the Itoh Special but he got out of it by raking Itoh’s eyes and then followed it up by hitting the Step Up Double Stomp for the win. Orso wanted to hurt Itoh even worse with a chair attack after the match but Joey Janela came to the rescue and chased Orso off.

GCW “GREEN MOUNTAINS AND ME”, 09/11/2025
Barre Elks Lodge, Barre, Vermont, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Selena Hekate with the Itoh Deluxe (6:03).

This GCW show was being held in Vermont where the local promotion Green Mountain Wrestling got involved with the card. Selena Hekate was Itoh’s opponent, wanting to represent the territory against The Cutest In The World. She ended up getting a Headbutt and DDT for her troubles before Itoh tapped her out with the Itoh Deluxe.

SETUP/IWA THAILAND “A NEW DAWN”, 14/11/2025
TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
270 Fans

2. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Bangkok Death Match: Matcha (c) defeated Ram Kaichow and Pom Harajuku when Matcha pinned Harajuku with the Saito Suplex (9:52).
*V3 for Matcha.
4. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami defeated Andruew Tang & Jake De Leon (c) and Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr. when Toribami pinned Kozo with the Sento Choryu (9:23).
*RGT fails in V1. Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami become the 15th IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
5. Double Main Event I – Ace Vs Ace: HARASHIMA defeated Shivam with the Somato (12:17).

A report of the show can be found here.

DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GOOD LIFE PRESENTS LOVE & PEACE”, 15/11/2025
JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. MYPW Sponsored Match: Fienic Rose & ‘Love Warrior’ Syawal defeated Wonder Boy & Miles Karu when Rose pinned Boy with the Atomic Love Bomb (11:35).
2. Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami defeated Marika Kobashi & Kira Summer when Suzuki pinned Summer with a Belly-To-Belly Suplex (9:45).
3. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Emman Azman defeated Chris Brookes, Shota & Jack Alexander when Kawamatsu pinned Shota with the Axe Bomber (15:19).
4. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai & Raku defeated Yuki Kamifuku, Mifu Ashida & Poppy Shay when Watanabe pinned Ashida with the Tear Drop (11:37).

A report of the show can be found here.

HOG “SUPERCLASH”, 15/11/2025
Suffolk Credit Union Arena, Brentwood, New York, USA

1. Shayna Baszler defeated Maki Itoh by Referee Stoppage with the Kirifuda Clutch (11:17).

She got choked out but at least Itoh didn’t get her face wrecked by Shayna Baszler. She didn’t take Itoh seriously at first until Itoh got a few slaps to the face on target. Baszler hit her back but dropped her guard for the crocodile tears routine. Once she got back in control, Baszler wrenched Itoh’s arm over and over but then she made the mistake of throwing Itoh head first into the turnbuckle. That fired Itoh up for a comeback, leading to a scramble on the mat as Itoh got Baszler in a Rear Naked Choke instead of the other way around. A falling Head Kick from Baszler backfired as Itoh stumbled into the ropes and from the rebound hit a Kokeshi Headbutt for a nearfall. Itoh then scored big with a Tornado DDT and the Stunner but still couldn’t put Baszler away. Instead grabbed Itoh into a Rear Naked Choke and turned it into the Kirifuda Clutch to squeeze the life out of her until the ref called for the match.

ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB – BLACK FRIDAY”, 19/11/2025 (Aired 28/11/2025)
Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament – Round 1: Yuka Sakazaki defeated Serena Deeb with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (10:31).

After all that wait, was it worth it in the end? Eh, maybe. The ROH Pure Wrestling ruleset is still something Sakazaki isn’t purposely taking into consideration for her tournament matches but if there was any opponent to make it a factor, it was Serena Deeb. Except she ended up getting foiled by the very rules she was supposed to excel in. Deeb was the one who used up all of her rope breaks in the match and then she made the big mistake of trying to push Sakazaki around with some disrespectful slaps to the head like she wasn’t worth her time. That made Sakazaki go into mini-terminator mode and hit her back with some big Elbow Strikes. Deeb almost turned things around by blocking the Magical Girl Splash but Sakazaki dropped her with the Magical Merry-Go-Round and got the three count. Deeb actually got her foot on the rope but since she ran out of rope breaks, it couldn’t stop her from getting pinned.

WXW “25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR – DAY 1”, 21/11/2025
Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany

1. Dani Luna defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Luna Landing (16:51).

You don’t usually get to see Yamashita get involved with some deep crowd brawling past the first couple of rows but when an environment like wXw gives you a chance to shake things up, you should take it. Dani Luna got to hit her back just as hard though while the German fans filled the room with their football chants. She even had the Return Crash scouted, turning the move into a bouncing Blue Thunder Bomb off the ropes for a nearfall. Yamashita missed the Skull Kick but held onto Luna with a Sleeper Hold to wear her down. However despite getting a Buzzsaw Kick in, Yamashita was lifted back up onto her opponent’s shoulders and was given the Luna Landing (Fireman’s Sitout Bomb) to give Lina a very impressive victory.

WXW “25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR – DAY 2”, 22/11/2025
Gruenspan, Hamburg, Germany

1. Ahura defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Salamandra (17:17).

Ahura took Yamashita lightly at first, placing her on the top turnbuckle and giving her some words. But Yamashita pushed him back, paint brushed his head and then kicked it to show she should be taken seriously. She continued to kick the hell out of him while Ahura tried to take breaks to stop himself from losing control of the match. Soon Ahura was bleeding from the mouth but he soon took advantage a gave Yamashita a big Power Bomb. She recovered and fought back to set up the Skull Kick but Ahura dodged it to roll out of the ring again. Ahura then dug his thumb into Yamashita’s eye from the ring apron but Yamashita made another comeback to give him the Attitude Adjustment from the second rope. She went for the Crash Rabbit Heat only for Ahura to catch her and Power Bomb her into the ropes so she would bounce right into a big Lariat. He was then able to win by using the Salamandra, which I can best describe as a Fireman’s Carry that twists into a Spinning Emerald Flowsion. Yamashita slapped away Ahura’s offer for a handshake after the match but it was only so she could offer him the handshake instead.

GCW “DREAM ON”, 22/11/2025
American Dream, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Jeffrey John with the I.S.D (5:40).

Unfortunately Itoh’s last GCW match of the month had to be changed. Her original opponent Zayda Steel was unable to make the show so Itoh instead took on “The Babushka Baron” Jeffrey John. He’s called that because he wears a babushka during his matches you see. He gave Itoh a Death Valley Driver but she kicked out of it. He then tried to Superplex her off the top rope but Itoh Headbutted him back down and gave him the I.S.D off the turnbuckles to win the match.

AEW “SATURDAY TAILGATE BRAWL – FULL GEAR”, 22/11/2025
Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. CMLL World Trios Titles: Mistico, Mascara Dorada & Neon (c) defeated Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero when Mistico submitted Hechicero with La Mistica (13:44).
*V3 for El Sky Team.

Well this was a mess. Takeshita returned to AEW after finishing up his DDT dates and walked right into a championship match with other members of The Don Callis Family. They were challenging El Sky Team, the reigning CMLL World Trios Titles but were a man down when Kazuchika Okada didn’t show up due to alleged travel issues according to Don Callis. Things turned out better for the challengers when Hechicero attacked Mistico and seemed to have injured his shoulder before the match even began, sending one third of the champions out of the match to get medical attention. Then when Mascara Dorada & Neon were making a comeback, Okada finally arrived in the parking lot and walked out of his sportscar in full gear (…ohhhhh, I get it!) right down to ringside to enter the match. He kept unapologetically getting in Takeshita’s way and purposely gave him the Rainmaker while Mistico made a triumphant return to action. El Sky Team were now a united force while The Don Callis Family were all on opposite pages, allowing Mistico to win by making Hechicero tap out to La Mistica.

REVPRO “LIVE IN COVENTRY”, 23/11/2025
HMV Empire, Coventry, England

1. Kanji defeated Miyu Yamashita (?:??).

Yamashita’s next country to visit was a return to England where she made her Revolution Pro debut. It ended in defeat to Kanji, continuing her growing losing streak on this tour. It’s not a result to be ashamed of though, Kanji is one of the bright prospects in the current United Kingdom scene and RevPro seem to have a solid direction in mind for her heading into 2026.

JCW “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”, 23/11/2025
The Mecca, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Beastman Body Slam Challenge: Maki Itoh defeated Beastman with the Body Slam.

Another of Itoh’s big matches planned for the month didn’t go ahead. Queen Aminata was out of action with an injury so Itoh decided to enter Beastman’s Body Slam Challenge instead. After a list of different wrestlers all tried and failed to Body Slam the giant opponent, Itoh looked like she was not going to fare any better. She tried doing a Diving Cross Body to weaken Beastman but was caught in midair and slammed onto the mat. Beastman then climbed the ropes attempting to jump onto Itoh when Thomas Shire ran into the ring to make the save. He knocked Beastman down with a Lariat, giving Itoh the opening to successfully Body Slam her opponent like she was Ahmed Johnson slamming Yokozuna in 1995. Her celebration was immediately cut short when Mad Dog Connelly ran into the ring and Clotheslined her, leading Connolly and Shire to start brawling as their match was next.

WPE/QPW “EPISODE 2”, 28/11/2025
Salle Albert Marquet, La Frette-sur-Seine, France

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Lauriana (?:??).

From one princess to another. Yamashita’s visit to France had her go face to face with “Princess” Lauriana. I couldn’t find much information on how the match went other than Yamashita won.

SAJ “FINAL BOUT 4”, 29/11/2025
Magnete, Via Adriando, Milan, Italy

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Luke Jacobs with the Skull Kick (?:??).
2. Maki Itoh defeated Flamingo with the Itoh Deluxe (?:??).

Did 121000000 become two ships passing by during one night in Milan? The SAJ Wrestling show had both Itoh and Yamashita on the card, making it the first show to have both of them on since Itoh left TJPW. If they had interactions it wasn’t in the ring because Itoh was busy beating up a wrestler named Flamingo.

Yamashita on the other hand had a big change in plans. Her original opponent JJ Gale was not on the show due to reasons I could not make out from the translation but she was given another British brute of a wrestler to take on instead, Luke Jacobs. She even got to beat him clean! It’s a bit of a funny result because she got to beat the previous PROGRESS World Champion one day before she actually made her PROGRESS debut.

PROGRESS “VENDETTA 3”, 30/11/2025
Electric Ballroom, Camden, London, England

1. Alexxis Falcon defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Off With Her Head (?:??).

Yamashita’s European vacation ended London for her debut in PROGRESS. Things were going mostly well for her against Alexxis Falcon until she took her opponent’s finisher, a Shellshock style Swinging DDT that was given to Yamashita while she was draped on the ropes. She kicked out of it the first time but Falcon was able to pull of the move again, this time getting the win with it.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances

ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 03/12/2025
Fishers Event Center, Fishers, Indiana, USA

1. ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament – Semi Final: Billie Starkz Vs Yuka Sakazaki

OK so we’re sprinting into the home stretch for this tournament. Sakazaki meets Billie Starkz in the ring once again with a spot in the grand final on the line. Should Sakazaki win she will be facing either Deonna Purrazzo or Queen Aminata a couple of days later at the ROH PPV. There the ROH Women’s Pure Champion will finally be crowned.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN BANGKOK”, 13/12/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Uta Takami
2. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Arai & Shino Suzuki
3. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami (c) Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Alexis Lee
5. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Matcha

Wait, is this the last upcoming thing I have on the list outside of Takeshita’s C2 schedule? Oh my God I might get to take it easy next month! The girls in TJPW won’t be taking it easy though. Three title matches are on the cards for their Thailand debut along with a few other matches to look forward to.

DDT Around The World – October 2025

This month’s article feels like it is the most jam packed one I’ve ever written. Konosuke Takeshita is part of a big angle going on with Kazuchika Okada in AEW that is definitely going to result in a singles match between the two before the end of the year. Too bad the storyline they’re doing is the dreaded “Can They Get Along?” tag team gimmick. The stuff that I find fun is seeing the clumsy balancing act AEW is doing trying to handle Takeshita while he is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion alongside a strongly protected Okada who is completely divorced from New Japan by now. I just cannot see a Takeshita Vs Okada match take place inside a New Japan ring at this point, whether it’s at the Tokyo Dome or for NJPW’s next attempt at running in the American market. This match is happening in AEW but if the IWGP Title is somehow involved we are all going to be flung headfirst into the salt mines.

There’s no drama to worry about over in Mexico this month. Shoko Nakajima went over there on behalf of Major League Wrestling. There was a slightly awkward moment when an interviewer unaware of the politics between Tokyo Joshi Pro and Stardom put Nakajima on the spot to talk about the other Japanese wrestlers she would be teaming with but it sounds like she handled the situation well. Once that was out of the way, everything Nakajima did over in Mexico looked like fun with five consecutive days of matches to wrestle in across various venues. MLW definitely found a way to get some good sounding news out there by praising their champion’s work during the tour. How often news reports about MLW sound like fluffy press releases will always annoy me (you’re telling Salina de la Renta is taking on an even bigger role behind the scenes yet again?!?) but whatever. I guess I shouldn’t let this stuff bother me.

There was also the return to action for Maki Itoh this month. Now unemployed, she went and had her first match since leaving TJPW. She has a big tour of America coming up this month so I’ll cover that but as for Japan, I’m going to wait and see what she does before I continue writing about her. If she ends up joining another company either full time or as a regular I don’t see much point to pay attention to it from a DDT/TJPW point of view. The same might go for her American bookings if I’m just writing about GCW month after month with no change in the status quo. Kyushu Pro and TAJIRI in particular were really happy with how Itoh’s match went so I can see that place becoming a regular spot for her. It’s funny that Rossy Ogawa went out of his way to tell everyone that Marigold is not interested in bringing her in. I think the reason he did that was to jump ahead of his reputation for poaching wrestlers from other companies. While the Marigold roster has been improving during their second year, suggesting that Itoh isn’t good enough to be in that locker room is nonsense when you see who they’ve already taken in.

Speaking of Marigold, there’s one other thing I want to talk about before diving into the rest of the article. Bryan Alvarez reported on Wrestling Observer Live yesterday that there are tentative plans by WWE to send female NXT wrestlers over to Japan next year much like they’ve been doing with male wrestlers this year. Alvarez doesn’t know which promotion WWE will be working with but guesses it would be Marigold while follow up reports also include NOAH, likely because of the “MONDAY MAGIC” series that usually books joshi matches and is getting expanded in 2026. I actually wouldn’t rule out the idea of TJPW getting to book an NXT wrestler or two out of this if only because of how WWE’s relationship with NOAH is currently going. It’s not like TJPW and AEW are doing much together anyway. Crazier things have happened so I’m just preparing myself for if I ever wake up to news that it’s actually happening.

Oh and TJPW is going back to Texas next Spring but I’ll write about that once more solid info comes out. Tokyo Story USA knows what they’re doing. Same goes for GCW because it looks like DDT and TJPW will be part of The Collective at WrestleMania Week again next year.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

AEW “COLLISION”, 04/10/2025
RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida, USA

1. MxM TV Casting Call: Mansoor, Mason Madden & Johnny TV (w/ Taya Valkyrie) Vs Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, & Josh Alexander (w/ El Clon)

Video starts at 1:39:30 for the match
MLW “SLAUGHTERHOUSE”, 04/10/2025
Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA

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

AEW “DYNAMITE – TITLE TUESDAY”, 07/10/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. Double Jeopardy Eliminator Match: Bandido & Brody King Vs Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita

A birthday celebration for Don Callis!

AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 18/10/2025
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. AEW World Tag Team Titles: Bandido & Brody King (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Kazuchika Okada

KYUSHU PRO “OGORI CITIZEN’S FESTIVAL 2025”, 19/10/2025
Ogori City Lifelong Learning Center, Fukuoka, Japan

1. Jet Wei, One☆Kyushu & Princess Pistachio Vs Maki Itoh, TAJIRI & Charles Crowley

Women’s Pure Title Tournament participants Deonna Purrazzo & Yuka Sakazaki stand off ROH TV 10/23/25

CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 24/10/2025
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Grand Prix de Amazonas: Persephone, La Catalina, Olympia, Skadi, Reyna Isis, Zeuxis, India Sioux, Lluvia & La Jarochita Vs Kanji, Diamante, Shoko Nakajima, Hazuki, Koguma, Mina Shirakawa, Skye Blue, Julia Hart & Thekla

CMLL “DOMINGO FAMILIAR”, 26/10/2025
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Kira & Skadi Vs Diamanté & Shoko Nakajima

Video starts at 38:27 for the main event
CHOCOPRO “CHOCOPRO #484”, 27/10/2025
Ichigaya Chocolate Square, Tokyo, Japan

1. Emi Sakura Vs Mizuki

Video starts at 44:29 for the match
CMLL “DIA DE MUERTOS”, 27/10/2025
Arena Puebla, Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla, Mexico

1. Match Relámpago Internacional de Amazonas: Kira Vs Shoko Nakajima

CMLL “DIA DE MUERTOS”, 28/10/2025
Arena Coliseo, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

1. Persephone & Zeuxis Vs Diamanté & Shoko Nakajima

Okada & Takeshita stare each other down, Don Callis introduces new painting | AEW Dynamite, 10/29/25

———————————————————————–

Results

AEW “COLLISION”, 02/10/2025 (Aired 04/10/2025)
RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida, USA

1. MxM TV Casting Call: Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, & Josh Alexander (w/ El Clon) defeated Mansoor, Mason Madden & Johnny TV (w/ Taya Valkyrie) when Fletcher pinned Mansoor with the Sheer Drop Brainbuster (3:05).

Everyone loves doing open challenges lately, huh? The unit known as MxM TV put one together under the guise of a casting call and it was answered by The Don Callis Family. Together the trio of Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher & Josh Alexander Suplexed their opponents around while helping each other when Johnny TV or Mason Madden tried to make a comeback. Fletcher then sealed the deal on Mansoor with a Sheer Drop Brainbuster for the victory. El Clon just hung around at ringside for the vibes it seems like. It’s a bit difficult being an evil doppelganger when the person you’re the opposite of has to go away because of an injury that you didn’t cause.

MLW “SLAUGHTERHOUSE”, 04/10/2025
Thunder Studios Arena, Long Beach, California, USA

1. MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) defeated HIMAWARI with the Diving Senton (12:22).
*V4 for Shoko Nakajima.

Gotta give MLW some credit. They’re getting a good amount out of Nakajima’s working relationship with them. Her latest defence of the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title was against HIMAWARI so the match itself was what you would typically get in TJPW anyway. Nakajima retained the title, went on to Mexico to represent MLW and has another title defence coming up in her home promotion again later this month.

ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 07/10/2025 (Aired 23/10/2025)
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki & Alex Windsor defeated Aleah James & Billie Starkz when Windsor pinned James with the Pumphandle Half Nelson Driver (7:45).

A possible glimpse into the future was shown before the match even began when Yuka Sakazaki’s entrance cut off Deonna Purrazzo’s post-match celebration from the previous bout. The two of them are in opposite sides of the ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament bracket so if they were to face off in that it would be in the final. When that moment passed, Sakazaki went on to team with Alex Windsor to beat Aleah James & Billie Starkz. While Windsor has toured with TJPW in the past, I don’t think she was ever in the same match with Sakazaki until here. Starkz got some licks in on the team while James even pushed them into each other to create an opening. But James & Starkz ended up on different pages and their teamwork broke down when Starkz started yelling at her partner. She then abandoned James when Windsor applied a Sharpshooter and James reached out for help. Sakazaki stood confused on the ring apron but hey, a win’s a win.

AEW “DYNAMITE – TITLE TUESDAY”, 07/10/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. Double Jeopardy Eliminator Match: Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Bandido & Brody King when Okada pinned Bandido with the Rainmaker (12:04).

Someone was coming out of this match getting a title shot of some sort. Okada & Takeshita fought Brodido in a tag match full of champions. Takeshita did the hard work of dealing with Brody King but had a trickier time fighting Bandido once more. Okada grabbed hold of Bandido from the ring apron but took the full brunt of Takeshita’s Jumping Knee Strike after Bandido broke himself free. Bandido tried to capitalize but his injured shoulder prevented him from giving Takeshita the 21 Plex. Takeshita gave him a Reverse Rana but Okada then blind tagged himself in to finish off Bandido with the Rainmaker. Okada & Takeshita had won the match but they weren’t on good terms with each other in the aftermath.

ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 08/10/2025
Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

1. Alex Windsor & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Taya Valkyrie & Robyn Renegade (?:??).

This match hasn’t aired yet but it is nice to see Windsor & Sakazaki establishing a tag team together. The only substantial thing that might come out of it though is a challenge for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Titles once that thing is up and running. Robyn Renegade’s been wrestling without her sister for a while now and just seems to be thrown together with Taya Valkyrie every now and then.

VIP “SETTING THE BAR 11”, 10/10/2025
The Haltom Theater, Haltom City, Texas, USA

1. VIP Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Vert Vixen defeated Maya World (c) and Kaya Toribami (12:06).
*Maya World fails in V3. Vert Vixen becomes the 3rd VIP Women’s Champion!

The flag has been planted in Texas. Now it’s time for the slow process of TJPW spreading out from there. Kaya Toribami was sent over to VIP Wrestling to continue this mission, taking part in a 3 Way Match with the VIP Women’s Title on the line. The champion Maya World was dethroned but sadly for Toribami the title change was not for her. Instead Vert Vixen won the match to become the new champion.

VGM “FIGHT VGM FIGHT WRESTLING STARS MEET AND GREET & PRO WRESTLING MATCH”, 18/10/2025
Full House, Liangxi, Wuxi, China

1. Rika Tatsumi defeated HIMAWARI with the Missile Hips (?:??).

HIMAWARI also travelled to China this month with Rika Tatsumi by her side. The two of them had a TJPW offer match at the latest Fight VGM Fight show. Again it was pretty much the kind of singles match they would have back home.

AEW “WRESTLEDREAM”, 18/10/2025
Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. AEW World Tag Team Titles: Bandido & Brody King (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kazuchika Okada when Bandido pinned Okada with the 21 Plex (27:26).
*V5 for Brodido.

By the time Takeshita had his next match in AEW he had won the IWGP Title in New Japan! The news didn’t exactly make Okada feel thrilled and now the two of them had to be on the same page for a rematch against Brodido, this time with the AEW World Tag Team Titles on the line. A similar situation to last time occurred where Okada held onto Bandido from behind with Takeshita standing in front of them. This time Okada tried doing the Rainmaker but Bandido ducked and Takeshita got hit with the big Clothesline instead! Okada found it kind of funny while Don Callis was left speechless on commentary. Okada paid the price in the end because Bandido used the 21 Plex on him to get the big victory.

KYUSHU PRO “OGORI CITIZEN’S FESTIVAL 2025”, 19/10/2025
Ogori City Lifelong Learning Center, Fukuoka, Japan

1. Maki Itoh, TAJIRI & Charles Crowley defeated Jet Wei, One☆Kyushu & Princess Pistachio when Itoh submitted Pistachio with the Itoh Deluxe (17:38).

I’m not going to write about Itoh’s matches in Japan that often anymore but this was her first match back since leaving TJPW (and was booked when she was still with the company) so I might as well include it here. She was at Kyushu Pro to team with TAJIRI and the British carnival wrestler Charles Crowley. Their opponents were Kyushu Pro’s own One☆Kyushu alongside two wrestlers from Taiwan, Jet Wei & Princess Pistachio. The match was built around Itoh as the star although Pistachio got to get some cheers over her at points by trying to out-cute her. Itoh got to submit Pistachio with the Itoh Deluxe while her partners held back the other team with their own submission holds.

CMLL “VIERNES ESPECTACULAR”, 24/10/2025
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Grand Prix de Amazonas: Persephone, La Catalina, Olympia, Skadi, Reyna Isis, Zeuxis, India Sioux, Lluvia & La Jarochita defeated Kanji, Diamante, Shoko Nakajima, Hazuki, Koguma, Mina Shirakawa, Skye Blue, Julia Hart & Thekla (56:44).
1d. Shoko Nakajima eliminated India Sioux with the Northern Lights Suplex (29:54).
1i. La Catalina eliminated Shoko Nakajima with the One-Winged Angel (41:24).

What a trip this turned out to be. Nakajima went to Mexico as a representative of MLW for CMLL’s annual October series that is marketed around women’s wrestling. Nakajima was there as a member of The World team taking on Team Mexico in the Grand Prix de Amazonas torneo de cibernetico. The MLW connection meant she was able to wrestle in the same match as Hazuki & Koguma in ways that bypass the politics that still exist between Stardom and TJPW. Her status also might have given her the stronger booking because Nakajima was able to score an elimination on India Sioux while the FWC pair were both taken out of the match quite early on. Nakajima was beaten around the middle portion thanks to La Catalina (the “Cata-Cata-Cata-Catalina” chorus of her song is difficult to get out of my head whenever I hear it).

CMLL “SÁBADOS DE LUCHA LIBRE”, 25/10/2025
Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. CMLL Vs ROH & MLW: Diamanté & Shoko Nakajima defeated Kira & Candela (11:56).

The rest of Nakajima’s week was spent travelling around CMLL’s main haunts. Diamanté became her partner in crime for most of these shows as the two became an ROH/MLW aligned tag team for the tour. Things got off to a good start with them beating Kira & Candela in Arena Coliseo.

CMLL “DOMINGO FAMILIAR”, 26/10/2025
Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

1. Kira & Skadi defeated Diamanté & Shoko Nakajima when Kira pinned Diamanté after a Power Bomb Assisted Senton and Skadi pinned Nakajima with a Double Arm Backbreaker (?:??).

Diamanté & Nakajima were back in Arena Mexico the next day for a show that used Formula 1 style marketing because the Mexican Grand Prix was being held that weekend. Their tag match against Kira & Skadi was only held for one fall instead of the traditional Best 2 out of 3 rules. It was fun to see Nakajima fight someone much bigger than her. That is until she was broken in half with a Backbreaker for part of the finish.

CHOCOPRO “CHOCOPRO #484”, 27/10/2025
Ichigaya Chocolate Square, Tokyo, Japan

1. Emi Sakura Vs Mizuki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).

This year marks 30 years in the business for Emi Sakura. A big show at Shinjuku FACE was planned for her by ChocoPro at the end of the month and Sakura had wanted Mizuki to have been a part of it. Unfortunately the scheduling didn’t work out to get her on for that show so instead Sakura and Mizuki got to have a match together a couple of days earlier in ChocoPro’s home venue of Ichigaya Chocolate Square. It was their first singles match against each other in over two years and I think it is the first to happen in Japan since 2014! The two fought to a 15 minute draw with Sakura using her surroundings to get the upper hand while Mizuki eventually adapted to the unusual environment. In the final seconds Mizuki landed a Diving Cross Body but Sakura rolled her over for a nearfall. She was then in the middle of applying La Magistral Cradle when the time expired and the match ended. Mizuki offered a handshake afterwards but Sakura got the last laugh by slapping it away.

CMLL “DIA DE MUERTOS”, 27/10/2025
Arena Puebla, Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla, Mexico

1. Match Relámpago Internacional de Amazonas: Kira defeated Shoko Nakajima with the German Suplex (7:40).

The CMLL series turned spooky for the rest of the week because they were all Day Of The Dead themed. Nakajima got into the spirit of things by wrestling her match wearing a skeleton shirt. Would have been nice if Kira wore her Togepi outfit too but she already used it two days earlier. The singles match was the Lightning match of the show, which is the format CMLL uses for midcard singles bouts held within a 10 minute time limit. Thankfully for Nakajima it was early enough in the card where she wasn’t offered up as a sacrifice to the Aztec gods for losing the match. That fate was kept for Hazuki & Koguma one match later.

CMLL “DIA DE MUERTOS”, 28/10/2025
Arena Coliseo, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

1. Persephone & Zeuxis defeated Diamanté & Shoko Nakajima when Persephone pinned Nakajima with a Rope-Assisted Crucifix Pin and Zeuxis pinned Diamanté with a Cradle (?:??).

Nakajima’s tour with CMLL came to an end with a chance for her to fight the Grand Prix de Amazonas winner Persephone before going home. Again the tag match was held to one fall only and things went south for the visitors. Diamanté had her pin on Zeuxis countered around into her getting pinned instead. Meanwhile Nakajima got to hit the Diving Senton onto Persephone but was then rolled back into a Crucifix Pin. Persephone also clasped onto the bottom rope with her own feet to get added leverage for the three count.

AEW “COLLISION – FRIGHT NIGHT”, 29/10/2025 (Aired 01/11/2025)
Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas, USA

1. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Max Caster & Anthony Bowens (?:??).

Tensions are only getting worse between Okada and Takeshita. With pro wrestling being what it is, the only answer is to keep them teaming together until things boil over! In fact, AEW thought it was a wise idea to stick them against The Acclaimed, another tag team that cannot get along with each other. If you play the odds that way then surely one side will resolve their problems, right? It’s the kind of logic that might get Fulham some points over Liverpool this season.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances

ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, ??/11/2025
???, USA

1. ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament – Round 1: Serena Deeb Vs Yuka Sakazaki

This tournament is really going at a snail’s pace, huh? I heard someone say the matches are purposely being kept back for PPV so I dunno, maybe we’re finally going to see this happen at “FINAL BATTLE” in another month’s time. Serena Deeb didn’t fall into an inter-dimensional vortex somewhere, right?

GCW “YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND”, 07/11/2025
The Webster, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Kerry Morton

If we remember what happened at the Clusterfuck this year, Kerry Morton made it known he is not a fan of idol music when he interrupted The Up Up Girls. He went on a rather foul mouthed rant about them too. He should probably be careful if he pulls that same stunt on Itoh. She can swear with the best of ’em.

GCW “MASSACRE IN MAINE”, 08/11/2025
Yarmouth Amvets, Yarmouth, Maine USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs KJ Orso

Itoh’s already throwing insults at the former Fuego del Sol, telling KJ Orso he should have kept his mask on.

GCW “GREEN MOUNTAINS AND ME”, 09/11/2025
Barre Elks Lodge, Barre, Vermont, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

No match for Itoh has been announced yet but she will be there in Vermont.

SETUP/IWA THAILAND “A NEW DAWN”, 14/11/2025
TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Bangkok Death Match: Matcha (c) Vs Ram Kaichow Vs Pom Harajuku
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Andruew Tang & Jake De Leon (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kaya Toribami Vs Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.
3. Double Main Event I – Ace Vs Ace: Shivam Vs HARASHIMA

Let’s see how much of a payoff there is for SETUP’s working relationship with DDT and TJPW when they touch down in Japan.

DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE”, 15/11/2025
JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

1. MYPW Sponsored Match: Wonder Boy & Miles Karu Vs Fienic Rose & ‘Love Warrior’ Syawal
2. Marika Kobashi & Kira Summer Vs Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami
3. Sanshiro Takagi, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Emman Azman Vs Chris Brookes, Shota & Jack Alexander
4. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai & Raku Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Mifu Ashida & Poppy Shay

The combined DDT and TJPW show in Malaysia will also be featuring performances by the KLP48 idol group. One of their members Suzuha Yamane has spent time rehearsing with The Up Up Girls because she has never performed while standing inside a wrestling ring before.

HOG “SUPERCLASH”, 15/11/2025
Suffolk Credit Union Arena, Brentwood, New York, USA

1. Shayna Baszler Vs Maki Itoh

As brave of a fighter that Itoh has become in recent years, there are still some opponents who can scare her. Shayna Baszler is one who Itoh admits will have to bend some rules just to have a chance at beating her. She has probably accepted her fate over what will happen in House Of Glory and at least asked Baszler not to destroy her face.

WXW “25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR”, 21/11/2025
Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany

1. Dani Luna Vs Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita’s big fortnight in Europe kicks off in Germany for wXw. Her match with Dani Luna was already announced last month…

WXW “25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR”, 22/11/2025
Gruenspan, Hamburg, Germany

1. Ahura Vs Miyu Yamashita

… but her second match with wXw is completely different. I remember seeing Ahura for the first time back in 2019 when he had a breakout weekend as part of The Pretty Bastards when they won the World Tag Team Festival that took place right as the pandemic lockdowns began. He’s become something of a top guy for wXw since then, particularly this year when he reached the final of 16 Carat Gold and then just recently winning the first König der Catcher tournament. He’s a good opponent for Yamashita to fight.

GCW “DREAM ON”, 22/11/2025
American Dream, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Zayda Steel

A lot is going on for Zayda Steel lately, including an appearance on the EVOLVE brand that WWE decided to revive because they don’t have enough development systems in place apparently (I know, I know, it’s to take up more TV deals while also shutting out the competition). Itoh will keep her busy in New Jersey.

REVPRO “LIVE IN COVENTRY”, 23/11/2025
HMV Empire, Coventry, England

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Kanji

Now the result of this match is going to be interesting. The Undisputed British Women’s Title that belongs to Revolution Pro is currently among the dozen championship belts in Mercedes Moné’s collection. It’s a cool storyline, I think it’s great that Moné is doing this but I’m also relieved that TJPW hasn’t been involved with it because I’d rather not have an absentee championship in the promotion right now especially after what went on with the International Princess Title. Anyway, RevPro have been clearly signaling that Kanji is going to eventually challenge Moné and maybe even be the one to take the title away from her for this promotion’s big payoff to the storyline. Kanji facing Yamashita is a good way to build up some credibility on her road to becoming No. 1 Contender. But there’s a wild card that can be played here. Moné doesn’t keep it a secret how much she likes training with Yamashita and the TJPW crew whenever she gets the chance to. She’s even said in a Q&A that she would have liked to wrestle in TJPW but there’s just never been a time when the two sides could work something out. So what if instead Moné finally gets to wrestle Yamashita outside of Japan, like in England where Yamashita already has some cachet over there because of her history with EVE? You can say I’m coping all you want, what I just did now was put in the effort explaining why this match is appealing.

JCW “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS”, 23/11/2025
The Mecca, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Queen Aminata Vs Maki Itoh

The original plan for Itoh on this JCW show was to team up with Matt Tremont & Bam Sullivan for a 6-Person Tag Match. Plans changed for the better because now she’s getting a singles match against Queen Aminata instead! We’re going to get headbutts that will shake the building to its core.

WPE/QPW “EPISODE 2”, 28/11/2025
Salle Albert Marquet, La Frette-sur-Seine, France

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Still not match revealed for Yamashita in France yet but Queens Pro Wrestling did advertise a meet and greet with her and Cara Noir together. Seeing that graphic without the context made me do a double take because that would be a unique match-up.

SAJ “FINAL BOUT 4”, 29/11/2025
Magnete, Via Adriando, Milan, Italy

1. Maki Itoh Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs JJ Gale

I’ve seen JJ Gale wrestle a couple of times in RevPro. He’s decent, definitely a big guy for Yamashita to try and knock down. He also has a tour of Japan coming up with ZERO1 at the end of the year. I thought SAJ would have Itoh’s match decided by now too. Still feels kind of odd she’s only doing this one booking for a European trip unless it’s just for some extra holiday money.

PROGRESS “VENDETTA 3”, 30/11/2025
Electric Ballroom, Camden, London, England

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

So the current PROGRESS Women’s World Champion is Rayne Leverkusen, a name that might sound familiar if you remember she did a tour with DDT a few years back. However Session Moth Martina is challenging her for the title in November and I know she still wants to have a match with Yamashita after the previous time in EVE was cancelled. That’s two ideas for possible opponents Yamashita can get on this show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN BANGKOK”, 13/12/2025
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

I don’t think there’s been any new updates on TJPW’s Thailand show this month. The current lineup is Miu Watanabe, Yuki Kamifuku, Arisu Endo, Shoko Nakajima, Miyu Yamashita, Raku, Pom Harajuku, Suzume, Yuki Arai, Kaya Toribami, Shino Suzuki, Uta Takami, Matcha and Alexis Lee.

DDT Around The World – January 2025

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

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

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

———————————————————————–

Results

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

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

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

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

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

Same as above.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

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

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

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

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

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

1. Maya World Vs Miu Watanabe

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tickets for all three shows are on sale now.

DDT Around The World – September 2024

God it feels like it’s been forever since I wrote so much about AEW in this series of articles. Konosuke Takeshita is getting more screen time with the one and only Kazuchika Okada becoming his new main target. Also Yuka Sakazaki returned to the ring and had several matches surrounding the AEW Women’s World Title. It even ended with an unusual reunion with somebody she used to know from Tokyo Joshi Pro. Sakazaki’s story did not end with her achieving gold and glory. It looks like she’s able to stick around this time though. She might end up taking a back seat in AEW from here on out or maybe she’ll drop down to Ring Of Honor but fingers crossed at least we all get to see her again.

Speaking of TJPW, a good few of the women there spent a lot of time travelling this month. Maki Itoh went back to America to finish off what was left of her disrupted tour. Shoko Nakajima reminded everyone she is quite the tournament wrestler by reaching yet another final. Yuki Kamifuku is continuing to prove why she deserves to be called the Queen Of Asia Champion. Plus in a change of pace we also got Raku & Pom Harajuku going on an adventure together in Thailand. As shown above Kenoh from NOAH was there too but he’s not important.

———————————————————————–

Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist

AEW “COLLISION”, 06/09/2024
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Continental Contenders Challenge: Konosuke Takeshita Vs The Beast Mortos

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 13/09/2024
Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) Vs Action Andretti (w/Lio Rush & Leila Grey)

MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024
Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Crystal (w/ Chairman Al)

AEW “COLLISION”, 14/09/2024
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Serena Deeb

GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024
Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Kylie Rae

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 18/09/2024
Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki & Queen Aminata Vs Mariah May & Serena Deeb

2. Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson Vs Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher

AEW “DYNAMITE – GRAND SLAM”, 25/09/2024
Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title: Mariah May (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 27/09/2024
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Angelico

SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku

———————————————————————–

Results

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 04/09/2024
UW Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

1. Dark Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Komander (w/ Alex Abrahantes) (?:??).

Not much to talk about Takeshita’s first match of the month. He beat Komander in a post-Dynamite dark match that followed up on the 4 Way they were both a part of the week prior. The result was pretty much the same here as it was in the 4 Way. Don Callis ordered Takeshita to give Komander another beating after the match but The Beast Mortos ran down to stop him. Takeshita and Mortos then got into a pull apart brawl.

AEW “COLLISION”, 06/09/2024
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. Continental Contenders Challenge: Konosuke Takeshita defeated The Beast Mortos with the Raging Fire (12:00).

So a few days later Takeshita and Mortos faced off with a little something extra on the line. The winner would qualify for a 4 Way Match at “ALL OUT” that also includes Okada putting the AEW Continental Title on the line. Takeshita discovered it would take a lot more than just using his big Elbow Strike to knock the minotaur down and out. Mortos was hard headed enough to keep standing after taking a German Suplex that made him land on the top of his dome. The two of them also fought up to the top rope where Mortos lifted Takeshita up in a Gorilla Press and threw him down from such a high height. Things went to even more of a standstill after a Double Heabutt spot but Takeshita survived the trampling and got in a critical hit by using a Busaiku Knee Strike. After that he used the Raging Fire on Mortos and that won him the match.

F1RST “SATURDAY NIGHT NITRO”, 07/09/2024
Mall Of America, Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

1. Allie Katch & Effy defeated Danhausen & Maki Itoh when Effy pinned Danhausen with a Cradle (?:??).

The famous Mall Of America was the location where Itoh met up with Danhausen again. This time they were teaming up as Very Cute, Very Evil Makihausen and that meant Itoh showed up in face paint! Their match against Bussy started off as a contest to see who was cutest between all four of them. Danhausen & Itoh both poured a jar of teeth down their opponents’ mouths and then kicked their faces. But things went wrong for them when they both tried to curse their opponents. Effy & Allie Katch both ducked the curse, leaving Danhausen & Itoh to curse each other! They started arguing leading to Danhausen giving Itoh a shove. Katch didn’t like what she was seeing and pushed Danhausen away from Itoh, unintentionally tripping him over Effy. Effy then pinned down Danhausen for the three count while Itoh got a comforting hug from Katch.

AEW “ALL OUT 2024”, 07/09/2024
NOW Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA

1. AEW Continental Title – 4 Way Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy and Konosuke Takeshita when Okada pinned Cassidy with the Rainmaker (14:59).
*V5 for Kazuchika Okada.

Okada is as big of a target that Takeshita could ask for in all of pro wrestling let alone AEW or Japan. But he had two other bodies to contend with because Orange Cassidy and Mark Briscoe were also in the match aiming to win the Continental Title. He needed eyes in the back of his head and that was proven by the finish. Takeshita almost beat Briscoe with the Powerdrive Knee but Cassidy broke the pin. Takeshita then countered the Orange Punch with an Elbow Strike and tried to set up the Raging Fire only for Okada to stop him. Okada then gave Briscoe the Rainmaker, Dropkicked Takeshita from the apron to the floor and after a small scare from Cassidy, he pinned Cassidy with the Rainmaker to remain champion. The cameras made sure to stay on Takeshita while Okada left to celebrate his victory. Things aren’t over between them yet.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 11/09/2024 (Aired 13/09/2024)
Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated Action Andretti (w/Lio Rush & Leila Grey) with the Raging Fire (11:53).

Things at the PPV didn’t go Takeshita’s way so it was time to bounce back. Action Andretti turned out to be more of a challenge than the match-up suggested on paper. However Andretti missed a Springboard 450 and also jumped right into an Elbow Smash. Takeshita then used the Powerdrive Knee but held up Andretti at a 2 count. That was just so Takeshita could use the Raging Fire to end things on an even more painful looking note.

AEW “COLLISION”, 12/09/2024 (Aired 14/09/2024)
Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Serena Deeb with the Magical Girl Splash (10:38).

Guess who returned after being sidelined with an injury for the last five months? Sakazaki was back and her first AEW match in a long time was going to be against Serena Deeb. That was a matchup AEW were building up to anyway before Sakazaki got hurt so it seemed like whatever was planned back then was held aside all this time until Sakazaki was ready again. But first she introduced herself to Mariah May backstage and told her she is coming after the AEW Women’s Title. May didn’t take too kindly to that idea but her violent threats were no sold by Sakazaki. Later in the show Sakazaki went on to not only beat Deeb but also fend off a post-match attack from May. Sakazaki celebrated a good night by holding up the title belt.

MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024
Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) defeated Crystal (w/ Chairman Al) (?:??).
*V3 for Yuki Kamifuku.

The reigning Queen Of Asia Champion travelled to China for her latest title defence. Kamifuku headlined a Middle Kingdom Wrestling show in Shanghai, beating Crystal to retain one of the Asian Double Crown belts. She gave a speech to the fans in both Chinese and English after the match.

GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024
Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh defeated Kylie Rae with the Stunner (9:23).

Maki Itoh’s GCW dates in August got cut short due to injury but she was able to come back this month to get through the second half of her latest tour. Nobody was happier to see her than Kylie Rae because they were meant wrestle each other on one of Itoh’s cancelled dates. It didn’t take long for the fun and games to turn into slaps and strikes though. In fact Rae started losing her cool and started pulling cheap tricks to try and win like using the ropes to leverage a pin. The ref caught her doing it though and stopped his count. Itoh’s hard head gave her the defensive advantage and she was able to beat Rae with the Stunner. Itoh forgave Rae for playing dirty and the two made up after the match.

GCW “THA G-CODE”, 15/09/2024
Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA

1. 4 Way Match: Sawyer Wreck defeated Maki Itoh, Brooke Havok and Dark Sheik when Wreck pinned Havok with a Neck Hanging Bomb (7:54).

The next night Itoh found herself in a 4 Way Match with opponents old and new. She’s been in the ring with both Sawyer Wreck and Dark Sheik a bunch of times while Brooke Havok was a new face for her to wrestle. Itoh was taken out by a Tornado Kick from Shiek, Havok dropped Sheik with a Pumphandle Drop and Wreck then pinned Sheik with a Neck Hanging Bomb. Itoh was too far away to break the pin before the three count.

DPW “CAROLINA CLASSIC”, 15/09/2024
Durham Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

1. Battle Of The Best – Round 2: Shoko Nakajima defeated Jada Stone with the Diving Senton (?:??).

The Big Kaiju returned to Deadlock Pro to compete in the next round of the Battle Of The Best tournament. However plans had to change when her scheduled opponent Trish Adora was unable to compete. Jada Stone grabbed the opportunity to fill in for Adora by winning a pre-show match held to determine Nakajima’s new opponent. She put up a good fight but in the end Nakajima booked her place in the final using the Diving Senton to win.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 18/09/2024
Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki & Queen Aminata defeated Mariah May & Serena Deeb by Disqualification when May attacked Sakazaki with the AEW Women’s World Title Belt (7:57).
2. Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson when Fletcher pinned Matt Jackson after the Coriolis (21:05).

Things are getting a little more tense with Takeshita now. He had another chance to face Okada in the ring but had to team with other members of The Don Callis Family. There’s a little “family” rivalry brewing between him and Will Ospreay so some jealous looks during tags were hard to hide from everybody. Okada also had The Young Bucks backing him up to be a pain in everyone’s sides. Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher pulled out the win in the end but the aftermath only showed there are more signs of infighting between Takeshita and Ospreay.

It was now clear that Sakazaki will be facing May for the AEW Women’s Title near the end of the month. A preview tag had Sakazaki dealing with both May and Deeb again. Her tag partner Queen Aminata had also been spending the month so far in a similar position so they became a team with common enemies. Sakazaki had was about to beat Deeb with the Magical Girl Splash again for the second time in a row when May ran into the ring with her title belt and hit Sakazaki behind the head with it. The match ended in a DQ but May continued to attack Sakazaki with the title to get her own back for what happened a week earlier.

AEW “RAMPAGE”, 21/09/2024 (Aired 27/09/2024)
MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Angelico with the Raging Fire (9:09).

Due to AEW’s taping schedule this match was kept in the bag for a week and didn’t air until near the end of the month. Just like with the Andretti match, Angelico made the grave mistake of going high risk and jumping his way right into an Elbow Smash to the jaw. The Blue Thunder Bomb and then the Raging Fire ended Takeshita’s month with a win.

AEW “DYNAMITE – GRAND SLAM”, 25/09/2024
Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title: Mariah May (c) defeated Yuka Sakazaki with the Storm Zero (6:11).
*V2 for Mariah May.

Sadly for Sakazaki her long delayed quest to win the AEW Women’s Title ended in failure over at Arthur Ashe Stadium. May beat her clean by blocking the Magical Girl Splash with her knees and then using the Storm Zero for the three count. May wanted to continue attacking Sakazaki after the match but Willow Nightingale ran down to make the save. Then in an interesting reunion Mina Shirakawa made her entrance with the intention of protecting her close friend by evening the odds. However her “incredible live show charisma” was such a distraction that Nightingale dropped her guard allowing May strike her from behind with the title belt. May ran off to celebrate with Shirakawa, Shirakawa was confused by her actions and Sakazaki tried to chase after May before stopping in front of her old workmate.

SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024
The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) defeated Raku and Pom Harajuku when Matcha pinned Raku with the Stunner (?:??).
*V3 for Matcha.

Both Raku and Harajuku made their way over to Thailand to be part of a big SETUP show. The event also included Kenoh as one of the headline stars but I’m not here to write about him. Raku got to perform for the crowd at the start of the show and then returned later to fight for a championship. Matcha put her SETUP All Asia Women’s Title on the line against her and Harajuku in a 3 Way Match. Raku took a bried nap in the middle of the ring, forcing Matcha and Harajuku to wrestle each other over her. Raku and Harajuku went on to have some fun at Matcha’s expense until the champion reached her limit and put a stop to it all. Harajuku gave Raku the Pom de Justice but Matcha then threw Harajuku out of the ring. She then gave Raku a Stunner and went for the pin. The ref stopped himself at two thinking there was a kickout (there clearly wasn’t) so Matcha gave Raku another Stunner and this time got the three count. Afterward Matcha and Harajuku got into an argument and began to fight, forcing the ringside officials to pull them apart. You read that right, Pom Harajuku was in a pull apart brawl!

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances

DEXCON “JAM OF THE JOSHIS”, 13/10/2024
Brawl Pit Bulusan, Manila, Philippines

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) Vs Chelsea Marie

If Kamifuku can successfully defend the Double Asian Crown against Xiz Zhao in TJPW then she will next bring the Queen Of Asia Title over to the Philippines. “The Pinay Vixen” Chelsea Marie won a match at the last DEXCON show to become Kamifuku’s challenger for this joshi themed event.

DPW “SUPER BATTLE”, 13/10/2024
Grady Cole Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

1. Battle Of The Best – Final: Shoko Nakajima Vs Dani Luna

A future shot for the DPW Women’s World Title is within reach for Nakajima. All she has to do is beat Dani Luna in the Battle Of The Best final.

MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 1”, 19/10/2024
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Mike Bailey Vs Konosuke Takeshita

A familiar friend and foe will be Takeshita’s first opponent at Maple Leaf Pro’s opening weekend. It will be the first time he wrestles Mike Bailey in Bailey’s home country of Canada.

MAPLE LEAF PRO “FORGED IN EXCELLENCE – NIGHT 2”, 20/10/2024
St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Josh Alexander Vs Konosuke Takeshita

The Takeshita Vs Bailey match announcement also cleared up which night the Josh Alexander match would take place. It looks like it will be the main event of the entire weekend.

SPW “CROWNING GLORY”, 08/11/2024
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Alexis Lee Vs Pom Harajuku

With Thailand checked off, Pom Harajuku’s next trip will be to Singapore Pro Wrestling for a match against Alexis Lee. She is going to try and avoid being bitten while Lee will try to avoid her shins getting kicked off.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TJPW BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

I bet we’ll start getting some more announcements soon. TJPW are sending over Miu Watanabe, Suzume, Arisu Endo, Yuki Kamifuku, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Mizuki, Maki Itoh, Yuki Aino, Moka Miyamoto and Wakana Uehara. The DEFY side will be using 6-8 local/American wrestlers and the card is expected to have 6 or 7 matches.

DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

The DDT show later that day is advertising Konosuke Takeshita, Daisuke Sasaki, Dansoku Dieno, MAO, Gringo Loco, Shota, Yuni and Yoshihiko to all appear.

DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

The next day will bring everyone together for one big finale.

GCW “CHAOS IN KENTUCKY”, 14/11/2024
Headliners Music Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Once the DEFY shows are over Yamashita will be sticking around in the US for one of GCW’s big tentpole weekends of the year.

GCW “GATEWAY TO THE DEATH”, 15/11/2024
Pop’s Nightclub, Sauget, Illinois, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

There was a piece of an interview with Yamashita from a Japanese site I saw during the month. She said something like this has been the first year in her career where she hasn’t worried about the pressure of being the company ace or the headline champion for another promotion. It allowed her to learn how to just enjoy wrestling without carrying the weight of a company on her shoulders (the interview was before she won the Princess Tag Team Titles with Itoh so so much for that break). That could explain why she’s drawn to GCW. She gets to do things she wouldn’t normally do in TJPW, like smack someone over the head with a steel chair.

GCW “NICK GAGE INVITATIONAL 9”, 16/11/2024
Level 13 Event Center, Orlando, Florida, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Yamashita’s not going to enter the Nick Gage Invitational tournament, is she? There’s already another Yamashita taking part in it.

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

Next February TJPW will be making its first mark in Chile. They are sending over a few wrestlers to have matches at the AEX Santiago anime convention. Yamashita and Itoh are the first names announced. The event graphics hints at least two other people from the roster will join them. Apparently Chiitan is going to be there too so 121000000 can have a reunion with the mascot.

DDT Around The World – April 2023

It’s full steam ahead on several different fronts for this month’s article. Konosuke Takeshita is now part of a blood feud between two of AEW’s main stables, a few familiar faces had a cup of coffee with the company during their American stay, Miyu Yamashita is all over the US indies adjusting to no longer being a big fish in a small pond, Maki Itoh’s love affair with GCW continues and Daisuke Sasaki did a tour of Mexico before returning to Japan. The rest of the summer looks to be entirely focused on Takeshita, Yamashita and Itoh’s travels. But when has that ever stopped a surprise booking or two popping up somewhere else, eh?

———————————————————————–

Videos

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

1. LLL Women’s Title: Heidi Howitzer (c) Vs Maki Itoh

DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

IWRG “COPA HIGH POWER”, 09/04/2023
Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan de Juarez, Estado de Mexico, Mexico

1. Mexico Vs Los Internacionales: El Hijo del Canis Lupis, Hell Boy, Aster Boy, Jhon Tito, Tonalli & Maniacop 360 Vs Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Gianni Valetta, Shocko, Daisuke Sasaki & Kodai Nozaki

Video starts at 00:00 for the match
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 10/04/2023
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kip Sabian, The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Penelope Ford)

BATTLE CLUB PRO “BATTLE CLUB ICONS VOLUME 3”, 12/04/2023
Ellery Street, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai

Video starts at 1:10:23 for the match
OUTLAW WRESTLING “COLOSSAL TUSSLE”, 13/04/2023
Queens Brewery, Ridgewood, New York, USA

1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Mike Bailey

NORTHEAST WRESTLING “SPRING SLAM 2023”, 15/04/2023
MJN Convention Center , Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

1. Wrestlefest Rematch: Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Rollover German Suplex (17:19).

LUCHA MEMES, 15/04/2023
Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico

1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin Vs Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki

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

1. CCW Title & CCW Title Match Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: KiLynn King (c) Vs Killer Kelly Vs Steph De Lander Vs Miyu Yamashita

Video starts at 00:0 for Match #1. Go to 16:01 for Match #2.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 17/04/2023
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. Ashley D’Amboise Vs Maki Itoh
2. Emi Sakura Vs Mizuki

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 19/04/2023
Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Konosuke Takeshita comes to the aid of The Elite.

UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Dani Mo Vs Miyu Yamashita

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/04/2023
FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida, USA

1. The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford) Vs Kenny Omega & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis)

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

1. Arez Vs Konosuke Takeshita

———————————————————————–

Results

AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 05/04/2023 (Aired 10/04/2023 & 17/04/2023)
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. Kip Sabian, The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Penelope Ford) defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Butcher pinned Katsumata after the (7:01).
2. Maki Itoh defeated Ashley D’Amboise with the Itoh Deluxe (3:11).
3. Emi Sakura defeated Mizuki with a Cradle Cutback (3:26).

With WrestleMania week done and dusted, the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro crew were all heading back to America. But not all of them. Mizuki made her AEW debut by facing one of her mentors Emi Sakura. She got to hit the Whirling Candy but ended up losing after a back and forth of cradles led to Sakura taking the three count.

Itoh made her AEW return on the same taping by beating Ashley D’Amboise one on one. The match was built around Itoh’s attempts to hit the Kokeshi Headbutt. She kept missing the move until she ended up successfully hitting it by accident. D’Amboise Dropkicked Itoh, Itoh bounced off the ropes and landed head first onto D’Amboise’s ribs. It then took Itoh all of her might to turn her opponent over into the Itoh Deluxe but once she got it locked in, victory was hers.

Fans discovered on Takeshita’s Twitter that the other members of The 37KAMIINA on the USA trip were hanging out with him in New York. Then there was the surprise when Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata all showed up in AEW later that night to wrestle on Dark Elevation. The three of them took on Kip Sabian along with The Butcher & The Blade in a losing effort but they all looked good in the process.

ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 05/04/2023 (Aired 06/04/2023)
UBS Arena, Elmont, New York, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tony Nese with the Rollover German Suplex (w/ Mark Sterling, Josh Woods & Ari Daivari) (10:25).
2. ROH Women’s World Title: Athena (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita by Referee Stoppage with a Crossface Lock (13:33).
*V8 for Athena.

Yamashita returned to ROH for her second crack at Athena and the ROH Women’s Title. They previously fought over that belt in Prestige back in January. The rematch was more heated with the two fighting up towards the stage late in the match where Yamashita threw the champion over with the Attitude Adjustment. However Athena got her own back by pushing Yamashita off the ramp to the floor and following up with a dive. The damage took its toll because back in the ring Athena put on a Crossface Lock and kept it held until Yamashita lost consciousness. Athena mockingly shook her hand while she was still passed out afterwards.

A problem Takeshita has found himself in the AEW landscape is having to fight off more than just his opponent in the ring. Some of his losses have come from interference and the same almost happened against Tony Nese. There was a moment where Mark Sterling grabbed Takeshita’s foot and it eventually set up Nese hitting his Pumphandle Fire Thunder Driver for a nearfall. But Takeshita recovered and used a Chaos Theory to get the win despite the numbers game being against him.

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

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Allie Katch with the Skull Kick (10:13).

Yamashita bounced back a bit from her ROH loss the next day by beating Allie Katch in Wrestling REVOLVER. Katch was climbing the top rope when Yamashita stopped her with a High Kick to the rear followed by a German Suplex. Katch used a Small Package for one last chance but Yamashita kicked out and knocked her silly with the Skull Kick. Katch attacked Yamashita after the match but Jessica Havoc came to the rescue and sent Katch fleeing.

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

1. LLL Women’s Title: Heidi Howitzer (c) defeated Maki Itoh with the Stunner (?:??).
*V1 for Heidi Howitzer.

Itoh and Heidi Howitzer were in the ring together for the first time since “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” in the main event of the latest Lucha Libre & Laughs show. Howitzer was not going to lose another title to Itoh and this time got revenge for the result back in Japan.

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: Masha Slamovich (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (17:27).
*V1 for Masha Slamovich.

There’s been a few regular opponents showing up for Yamashita and Masha Slamovich is one of them. This time Slamovich was putting her newly won West Coast Pro Women’s Title on the line. Yamashita showed a more violent side by laying in knee strikes to Slamovich’s head while holding her in the Attitude Adjustment. But Slamovich escaped the move, hit a Shining Wizard and got the win with a Package Piledriver. It’s her first time beating Yamashita.

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

1. Vipress defeated Maki Itoh with a School Boy (8:00).

Itoh ended up having to fight off two opponents for her appearance in Hoodslam. When she had Vipress all but beaten, Dark Sheik ran down to interfere. Itoh cut her off at the ropes with a DDT but Vipress rolled her up with a School Boy afterwards to steal the win.

DEFY “THE REALEST”, 08/04/2023
Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA

1. DEFY Women’s Title: Vert Vixen (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Game Over (18:25).
*V3 for Vert Vixen.

A week before Vert Vixen headed over to TJPW for her first tour of Japan, she faced off with Yamashita with the DEFY Women’s Title on the line. Vixen came out on top in a match that got a great response from the fans in attendance.

IWRG “COPA HIGH POWER”, 09/04/2023
Arena Naucalpan, Naucalpan de Juarez, Estado de Mexico, Mexico

1. Mexico Vs Los Internacionales: Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Gianni Valetta, Shocko, Daisuke Sasaki & Kodai Nozaki defeated El Hijo del Canis Lupis, Hell Boy, Aster Boy, Jhon Tito, Tonalli & Maniacop 360 (?:??).

Daisuke Sasaki went his own direction to spend some extra time abroad. First he went to hang out with Sam Adonis and Hernandez. Apparently they all teamed together for at least one match somewhere but I couldn’t find out where. Then he travelled to Mexico to compete on several lucha libre shows. The first one I could find was a Mexico Vs The World themed Torneo de Cibernetico over in IWRG. Sasaki was not the only Japanese wrestler on his team because Kodai Nozaki was there too. Both of them ended up getting eliminated from the match (Sasaki was Power Bombed onto one of his other partners and then pinned) but their team ended up beating Mexico anyway thanks to some shenanigans at the end that didn’t involve either of them.

ROH “ROH ON HONORCLUB”, 12/04/2023 (Aired 20/04/2023)
UWM Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty (12:42).

Takeshita took his ROH record this year to 4-0 after beating Lee Moriarty with the Zahi. He also got a slightly bloody lip out of it. Moriarty worked over Takeshita’s arm which saved him from getting pinned with the German Suplex. But Takeshita thought through to hold on and turn Moriarty into a Ripcord Forearm. From there he then hit the Zahi and that was it.

BATTLE CLUB PRO “BATTLE CLUB ICONS VOLUME 3”, 12/04/2023
Ellery Street, Brooklyn, New York, USA

1. Janai Kai defeated Miyu Yamashita with a School Boy (9:41).

Something a little different for Yamashita’s visit to Brooklyn was getting to wrestle outdoors at night. Her Battle Club Pro match against Janai Kai ended in defeat when Kai ducked the Skull Kick and used a School Boy to escape with the win.

OUTLAW WRESTLING “COLOSSAL TUSSLE”, 13/04/2023
Queens Brewery, Ridgewood, New York, USA

1. Daisuke Sasaki defeated Mike Bailey with La Mistica Crossface Lock (?:??).

Sasaki popped back over to America to fight an old foe in the form of Mike Bailey for Outlaw Wrestling. Sasaki’s dirty tactics won out in the end. He caught Speedball with a Low Blow and then applied La Mistica Crossface Lock to make him tap out.

LUCHANDO LIBRE, 14/04/2023
Coliseo Tulancingo, Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico

1. Aero Boy & Dariux Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Josh Rios

Then Sasaki went right back to Mexico for more lucha bookings. I couldn’t find a result for this match anywhere but I did find this picture of the match on their Facebook page.

NORTHEAST WRESTLING “SPRING SLAM 2023”, 15/04/2023
MJN Convention Center , Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

1. Wrestlefest Rematch: Konosuke Takeshita defeated JT Dunn with the Rollover German Suplex (17:19).

JT Dunn had been wanting a rematch with Takeshita after their last bout in Northeast Wrestling. He got his wish but the result was the same as last time.

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

1. CCW Title & CCW Network Title – 4 Corner Survival Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated KiLynn King (c), Killer Kelly and Steph De Lander when Yamashita pinned King with the Skull Kick (11:05).
*KiLynn King fails in V9 for the CCW Title and V2 for the CCW Network Title. Miyu Yamashita becomes the 2nd CCW Champion and the 4th CCW Network Champion!
2. CCW Title & CCW Network Title: Christina Marie defeated Miyu Yamashita (c) with a Brass Knuckles Attack (1:17).
*Miyu Yamashita fails in V1 for the CCW Title and V1 for the CCW Network Title. Christina Marie becomes the 3rd CCW Champion and the 5th CCW Network Champion!

After several failed attempts to win a championship so far in her tour there was a brief moment when Yamashita added two more belts to her collection, the first title wins of her excursion. She made her debut for Capital Championship Wrestling winning both the CCW Title and the CCW Network Title from KiLynn King in a 4 Corner Survival Match. Yamashita even pinned King to win the match, cutting off any possible dispute over whether the title change was deserved. However afterwards Christina Marie confronted Yamashita in the ring and explained to her she is allowed to get a title match whenever she wanted because of a Battle Royal she won a few months ago. She was getting that title match right now and when the referee did the pre-match check on Yamashita, Marie put on brass knuckles and knocked Yamashita out with a punch to the head. The ref didn’t see the foreign object and counted the pin, bringing Yamashita’s CCW Title reign to an instant end before it ever really begun.

LUCHA MEMES, 15/04/2023
Arena Solis, Cuautlacingo, Puebla, Mexico

1. Raider Boy, Tormento & Fantasmin defeated Osiris, Garrobo Punk & Daisuke Sasaki with a Triple Pin (?:??)

Sasaki also made a trip over to Lucha Memes to team with Osiris & Garrobo Punk to take on the trio known as Los Insoportables. It ended badly for Sasaki’s team. All three of his team were pinned at the same time with Sasaki being defeated with a One-Man Spanish Fly.

DPW “DPW LIVE 2”, 16/04/2023
Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Nicole Matthews with the Skull Kick (13:24).

The last time Yamashita fought Nicole Matthews she lost to her in Canada. The rematch in America for Deadlock Pro went differently and now they is a 1-1 record between them.

RIW “FIGHT UNTIL WE DIED”, 16/04/2023
Gimnasio Coliseo Arena, Toluca, Mexico

1. Fight For The Revolution: Daisuke Sasaki, Impulso & Belial defeated Sol, X Devil Jr. & Astro de Plata Jr. (?:??).

Sasaki’s last appearance in Mexico before going home (that I could find ) was with Revolution Indy Wrestling in Toluca. Couldn’t find out much other than his team won the match.

UWE “DAWN OF A NEW ERA”, 22/04/2023
Dauphin County Tech School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Dani Mo with the Skull Kick (?:??).

Yamashita had said on Twitter she was really looking forward to this match with Dani Mo. The feeling was mutual and Mo tweeted afterwards how honored she was to fight her.

AEW “DYNAMITE”, 26/04/2023
FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, Florida, USA

1. Kenny Omega & Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) defeated The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford) when Takeshita pinned Butcher with the Powerdrive Knee (8:45).

A lot of progress was made with Takeshita’s storyline with Don Callis this month. It’s now sent him straight into the centre of an increasingly violent feud between The Elite and The Blackpool Combat Club. Attacks from the BCC led to Callis finding Takeshita backstage and convincing him to come save The Elite from further harm. Takeshita did so, stopping Bryan Danielson from attacking Kenny Omega with a screwdriver. It was a tense moment between the two given the respect they previously had for each other as opponents in AEW. After the show ended and things calmed down a little, Takeshita was welcomed into The Elite by The Young Bucks. Omega however was a little flustered over the decision, stopping himself from saying there was someone else he always had in mind to bring into the unit…

The following week Takeshita teamed with Omega for the first time since his AEW debut two years ago. They beat The Butcher & The Blade and we found out that Takeshita’s Zahi finisher has been renamed the Powerdrive Knee. However another BCC ambush took place after the match. This time The Elite were able to rally themselves and put them in a position for Omega to attack Jon Moxley with a screwdriver. Danielson convinced Takeshita to stop Omega but that just led to The BCC to come back and wipe out The Elite. Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli both raised Takeshita’s arm, signalling their intentions to add him to The BCC. Takeshita refused so Wheeler Yuta gave him a Low Blow and Moxley spiked him in the head with the screwdriver. Takeshita was left busted open with Omega tending to him as the show went off the air.

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

1. Triple Threat Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Liiza Hall and Trish Adora when Yamashita pinned Hall with the Crash Rabbit Heat (?:??).

Yamashita’s original opponent for this show Queen Aminata had to pull out of the match “due to reasons beyond anyone’s control” according to Prestige. Yamashita instead took part in a a Triple Threat against Liiza Hall and Trish Adora. The latter brought power to the match, finding ways to lift and slam both Yamashita and Hall at the same time. She got taken out of the picture though and Hall tried to finish off Yamashita with a Piledriver. Yamashita countered the move and threw Hall off her, setting up the Crash Rabbit Heat. However there was a disputed finish because Hall kicked out right as the ref counted three.

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

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Kidd Bandit with the Skull Kick (?:??).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Arez with the Powerdrive Knee (?:??).

Daga did not heal from his injury in time so Takeshita took on Arez instead. Arez went the flight route with some dives but that stopped when Takeshita caught him on a Topé and dropped him onto the floor with a Brainbuster. But Arez is a smart little fecker and he found unusual ways to tie up Takeshita limb by limb. However he made the mistake of getting into strike exchanges and that’s a battle he just could not win. A Wheelbarrow Suplex was used to set up the Powerdrive Knee and that was the end for him.

Kidd Bandit went to Reddit asking for advice about how to beat Yamashita. Here is some of the advice they got. Duck, don’t get kicked and use unorthodox tactics. None of that worked.

———————————————————————–

Upcoming Appearances

EVE “LUCKY 13 – NIGHT 1”, 05/05/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. EVE Title – Iron Woman Match: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Millie McKenzie

Could this be the countdown towards Yamashita losing the EVE Title?

EVE “LUCKY 13 – NIGHT 2”, 06/05/2023
The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England

1. Special Challenge Match: Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

There is a chance that Yamashita and Billie Starkz could end up fighting each other for the EVE Title somewhere down the line if Yamashita retains against Millie McKenzie and Starkz wins a tournament that EVE is putting together. However the promotion doesn’t want to miss their chance to do this match in England while both are available.

NEW TEXAS PRO “SUPER TEXAS CONTENDERS SERIES 1”, 11/05/2023
Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA

1. New Texas Pro Women’s Title: Hyan (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Remember this place from Shota’s excursion? Now Yamashita gets to experience the Houston Premier Arena for a big New Texas Pro show. She takes on Hyan with the New Texas Pro Women’s Title on the line.

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

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Sierra

Nothing new to add here.

HOG “BEWARE THE FURY”, 19/05/2023
Amazura, Queens, New York, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Add House Of Glory to the growing list of promotions Yamashita is wrestling in this summer.

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

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

Still waiting to see what will happen in AIW.

GCW “THE WAY I AM”, 20/05/2023
Harpo’s Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Shazza McKenzie

Itoh returns to America for a few more GCW appearances. Her first match back is against Shazza McKenzie and once that’s done she has a storyline to sink her teeth into.

GCW “I CAN’T SAVE YOU”, 21/05/2023
Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Steph De Lander

Itoh and Steph De Lander just keep bumping into each other whenever Itoh goes travelling. Their next meeting in GCW however ties into the Nick Gage and Matt Cardona feud. De Lander has become Cardona’s right hand woman on the indies ever since his wife Chelsea Green signed with WWE (Cardona compares it to losing his Miss Elizabeth and then gaining his own Sensational Sherri). The two tried to ruin the one night only tag match for Maki Death Kill and Cardona is still avoiding Gage’s demands for another death match. So while that problem is still bubbling on the surface, Itoh and De Lander will get to continue their little rivalry in the meantime.

GLORY PRO “GO FOR BROKE”, 21/05/2023
South Broadway Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

1. Tootie Lynn Vs Miyu Yamashita

Another new opponent for Yamashita. Tootie Lynn welcomes her to Glory Pro. I’m sensing some of Yamashita’s bookings in May is all thanks to the groundwork Shota laid out with his excursion last year.

GCW “LIFESTYLE”, 26/05/2023
Silver Nugget Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Here’s a tip for those getting an Uber away from the Silver Nugget Casino after the show based on my experience there last year. Try and get over to the cinema across the road. It is so much easier for the driver to pick you up there while avoiding the rest of the crowd all calling their own rides home at the same time.

LLL “BEST WISHES WARMEST REGARDS”, 02/06/2023
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. 3 Way Match: Masha Slamovich Vs Heidi Howitzer Vs Miyu Yamashita

After Howitzer dealt with Itoh, she is now onto even bigger challenges in Lucha Libre & Laughs. Now she has to fight both Masha Slamovich and Miyu Yamashita at the same time! It’s another chance for Yamashita to clash with Slamovich too.

BLACK LABEL PRO “FANCY WRESTLING 2”, 03/06/2023
RDS Gym, Crown Point, Indiana, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

It’s a safe bet Yamashita will get a bigger pop for her Black Label Pro debut than Sean Ross Sapp did.

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

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

They’ll have faced each other before already but this is still a match Starkz has been demanding to happen in St. Louis Anarchy.

SPARK “IGNITE EAST”, 11/06/2023
The Heart Ballroom, Newark, New Jersey, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

SPARK “IGNITE WEST”, 16/06/2023
East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Cultural Center, West Covina, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X

A new women’s wrestling promotion is opening up in America called SPARK Joshi Puroresu. Obviously with a name like that their goal is to become a Japanese style wrestling promotion. Yamashita is the third name attached to the indie with Ram Kaichow and SAKI being the first two announcements. However Yamashita is being advertised for both of SPARK’s first two shows while the other two are only doing one each at the moment. I’m a little bit skeptical over how much legs an idea like this has especially when SPARK is trying to run both the east and west coast of USA.

ENJOY “???”, 17/06/2023
Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale, Pennsylvania, USA

1. Ray Lyn Vs Miyu Yamashita

Still looks like this will be the last match of Yamashita’s excursion.

WRESTLING REVOLVER “RING OF DESTINY”, 17/06/2023
Calumet Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA

1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X

Takeshita makes his Wrestling REVOLVER debut. Interesting thing to note is this is the same date as the rumored debut event for AEW’s new weekly TV show Collision. With rumours of a soft roster split taking place in AEW to accompany the return of CM Punk, it will be of no surprise to find out Takeshita is in The Elite’s half of the company. God what a mess that entire thing is.

GCW “THANK ME LATER”, 17/06/2023
Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Meanwhile Itoh will be on the other side of the country for GCW. Imagine if she goes back to AEW and ends up in the middle of that civil war?

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.

———————————————————————–

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

———————————————————————–

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.

———————————————————————–

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.