Irie Brings In A New Dawn, Will Things Change?

April 30, 2018

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #3”, 01/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

0. NO TV Match: Mad Paulie Vs Daiki Shimomura
0. NO TV Match: Toru Owashi & Hiratimo Dragon Vs Antonio Honda & Kouki Iwasaki
1. Shigehiro Irie, Mizuki Watase & Jason Kincaid Vs Keisuke Ishii, Makoto Oishi & Yuki Ueno
2. Gota Ihashi 5 Match Series – 2nd Battle: Kendo Kashin Vs Gota Ihashi
3. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
4. Tradition Of The Soul ~ Loser Gets Ketsu Bat Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Miyu Yamashita
5. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Kota Umeda & MAO

Unless it’s being done to attract the audience early, surely Shigehiro Irie’s match should be placed later in the card now that he is the champion. The match is also meant to push his title defence against Keisuke Ishii.

Smile Squash gets a shot at revenge on DAMNATION after the heel group tried to recruit HARASHIMA then immediately attacked him.

Kendo Kashin is still sending friendly text messages to the DDT offices that are meant for Gota Ihashi.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TAN~”, 04/05/2018
Miyagi Yume Messe West Wing Hall

1. KUDO Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. Toru Owashi & Hiratimo Dragon Vs Antonio Honda & Masahiro Takanashi
3. Dirty Single Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Mad Paulie
4. HARASHIMA & Soma Takao Vs Makoto Oishi & Yuki Ueno
5. Shigehiro Irie, Mizuki Watase & Jason Kincaid Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki
6. Osaka City Origin MAO Local Triumph! Miyagi Specialty Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi & MAO
7. Born In Shiroishi Tetsuya Endo Triumph! DAMNATION Vs Shuten-dōji!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi

Both Tetsuya Endo and MAO are from Miyagi so they have to share their homecoming show.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TSUGARU SHAMISEN~”, 05/05/2018
Aomori Hamanasu Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Danshoku Dino Vs Hiratimo Dragon
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Toru Owashi Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kouki Iwasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani
4. Smile Squash Vs Shuten-dōji!: HARASHIMA & Soma Takao Vs KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi
5. Shigehiro Irie, Mizuki Watase & Jason Kincaid Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kota Umeda & Antonio Honda
6. Department Of Civil Engineering, Hachinohe Institute Of Technology (Now Disappearing) Makoto Oishi Triumphant Return! Aomori Specialty Special Single Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Konosuke Takeshita

With Kazuki Hirata banished from Japan again, Hiratimo Dragon takes his place in the previously announced 3 Way Match.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM CLOCK TOWER~”, 06/05/2018
Hokkaido Sapporo Susukino Mars Gym

1. Dirty Single Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Antonio Honda
2. Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie
3. Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Koji Yoshida & Kouki Iwasaki
4. Smile Squash Vs Shuten-dōji!: HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Tomoya Vs KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi

Smile Squash are down to two members with Yuko Miyamoto and Yasu Urano both cutting ties from the group. Maybe Tomoya can attach himself to the unit.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #4”, 08/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Saki Akai (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Makoto
2. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match ~ Hardcore Match: Ryuji Ito Vs Kota Umeda

Kota Umeda’s trial continues with a clash against Big Japan’s own Ryuji Ito.

Joshi wrestler Makoto appears in DDT for the first time in a very long while. She has been in sub-brands like Ganbare☆Wrestling and New Beijing a few years ago but I can’t remember when she was last in DDT proper.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TONKOTSU~”, 13/05/2018
Hakata Star Lane

1. DDT Extreme Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs KUDO

HARASHIMA wants to avenge his defeat to KUDO last year. He is willing to put his newly won DDT Extreme Title on the line to do so.

Yuto Aijima and Azul Dragon will be on the show.

DDT “AUDIENCE 2018”, 20/05/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Irie’s first defence is against an old friend. A former friend too. They held the All Asia Tag Team Titles together but that’s all in the past. Ishii has only beaten Irie twice in singles matches but that was early in their careers. Since then Irie has gotten the upper hand and has won more of their matches against each other. Both are champions now and currently feel they are the best they’ve ever been.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 5 ~MAY I KNOW THE RAIN~”, 27/05/2018
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Craftsmen Special Tag Match: HUB & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yasu Urano & MEN’S Teioh
2. Not Serious Mask Man World’s Biggest Battle ~ Special 3 Way Match: Kikutaro Vs Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Super Sasadango Machine
3. Crash The Super Heavy Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura, Mad Paulie
4. Special Single Match ~Clouds~: Yuki Ueno Vs Dick Togo
5. Special Single Match ~Heart~: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Antonio Honda

The teams for the Super Heavy Tag match will be determined during the show.

Magnitude Kishiwada and Shoichi Uchida will also be wrestling.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TEKONE SUSHI~” Results

April 30, 2018

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TEKONE SUSHI~”, 30/04/2018
Mie Messe Wing
333 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Makoto Oishi 39 Year Old Trial Single Match: Mad Paulie defeated Makoto Oishi with the Paulie Buster (6:47).
2. Takatimo Dradon, Hiratimo Dragon & Toru Owashi defeated KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi when Sakaguchi was Disqualified for unmasking Hiratimo (7:55).
3. Kota Umeda & MAO defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Nobuhiro Shimatani when MAO pinned Shimatani with the Michinoku Driver I (9:27).
4. P Playful Series: Danshoku Dino Vs Soma Takao ended in a No Contest (7:31).
5. Shigehiro Irie, Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase defeated Keisuke Ishii, Antonio Honda & Kouki Iwasaki when Irie pinned Iwasaki with the Beast Bomber (13:08).
6. Keisuke Okuda Local Triumph! Special Tag Match: Keisuke Okuda & Naomi Yoshimura defeated HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno when Okuda pinned Ueno with the Kobayashi Special (18:11).
7. ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata when Endo pinned Katsumata with the Shooting Star Press (17:32).

Daisuke Sasaki got to close out the show with a speech after he won the main event. He pointed out that he doesn’t have a championship right now but next time DAMNATION comes to Mie he will probably have one. He asked Mad Paulie if he agreed. Paulie just tilted his head and groaned. Sasaki then finished his speech. “We do not promise! We do not protect! Because we are DAMNATION! We never conform, we do not kiss ass, I want to see The Avengers soon!”

Maybe there is a little bit more to Keisuke Okuda wrestling today than just the show being in his hometown. He glared over at HARASHIMA and the DDT Extreme Title belt before the match began. Okuda tried to downplay it by repeatedly saying he hates DDT during his post-match interview backstage. He gets along with Naomi Yoshimura but other than the Naomi Kingdom he doesn’t belong to anything else. He only wants to destroy things. Yoshimura thinks the city should build a bronze statue of Okuda to show their appreciation.

Shigehiro Irie and Keisuke Ishii had a stare down after their 6-Man Tag Match. Ishii feels that Irie has definitely become stronger since they last fought each other. There is even more fire in Irie’s elbow strikes than before according to Ishii.

The match between Danshoku Dino and Soma Takao fell apart because Dino could not get his hands off of Takao. Every referee that tried to stop him got knocked out with a Lip Lock. Hisaya Imabayashi had to put on a referee shirt and step in but he also got a Lip Lock.

MAO was disappointed that he didn’t get enough ring time with Kazusada Higuchi before tomorrow’s KO-D Tag Team Titles match. Higuchi admits that Kota Umeda & MAO are strong together but tomorrow will be their real test.

The first appearances of Takatimo Dragon & Hiratimo Dragon began with the two singing “Separados” together as they made their entrance. They asked for the match to be held under Lucha Rules but Toru Owashi threw both of them out of the ring and said he would fight by himself. Clearly Owashi is already sick of them and who they remind him of. Yukio Sakaguchi put Hiratimo in a Sleeper Hold but Hiratimo’s mask accidentally slipped off. Takatimo saw what happened and came up with an idea. He unmasked himself when the referee wasn’t looking, gave the mask to Sakaguchi and acted like Sakaguchi ripped it off his head. As per the rules of pro wrestling, unmasking the opponent is illegal. Shuten-dōji were disqualified and Owashi’s team were declared the winners.


DDT “MAX BUMP 2018” Results

April 29, 2018

DDT “MAX BUMP 2018”, 29/04/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,279 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Under Match: Mad Paulie defeated Kouki Iwasaki with the Reverse Splash (6:26).
1. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 1st Match: Go Shiozaki defeated Kota Umeda with the Gowan Lariat (8:29).
2. Loser Gets Exiled Overseas Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, MAO, Mike Bailey & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (7:46).
*Kazuki Hirata is banished from Japan.
3. Soma Takao & Yuki Ueno defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Keisuke Ishii when Ueno pinned Higuchi with a Frankensteiner (6:43).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo and Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shunma Katsumata when Kincaid pined Katsumata with the Philosopher’s Stomp (7:14).
5. Cherry’s Last DDT Match!: Danshoku Dino, KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Cherry, Francoise☆Takagi & Masako Oishi when Dino pinned Cherry with the True Danshoku Driver (11:23).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Rules: HARASHIMA defeated Yuko Miyamoto (c) with the Somato (12:51).
*Yuko Miyamoto fails in V4. HARASHIMA becomes the 41st DDT Extreme Champion!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with the Beast Bomber (14:21).
*Konosuke Takeshita fails in V12. Shigehiro Irie becomes the 62nd KO-D Openweight Champion!
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Super Sasadango Machine (c) with a Trash Can Strike (2:21 pm).
*Nobuhiro Shimatani becomes the 1,301st champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani (c) with a Big Boot (2:22 pm).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,302nd champion.

The reign of Konosuke Takeshita is over! Shigehiro Irie is back at the top of DDT as the new KO-D Openweight Champion, recapturing the belt over four years and eight months since he last held it. It marks the end of a bizarre return for Irie. He disappeared from DDT for months because it no longer resembled the DDT that he loved then he returned with the goal of winning the title. The challenger quickly hit a Topé Suicida after the match started then he threw Takeshita into the corner posts. Takeshita got his own back by giving Irie a Back Drop onto the ring apron. Back in the ring Takeshita applied a Cross Arm Camel Clutch to wear down Irie. In return, Irie used a Tazzmission as his submission hold of choice. He also hit a Black Hole Slam, a Vertical Drop Death Valley Driver and the Beast Bomber to deal a lot of damage to the champion. Takeshita dropped Irie with the Surprise Rose but couldn’t get over fast enough to pin him. Takeshita then gave Irie a German Suplex for a nearfall. Takeshita went for another one but Irie bit onto the top rope to stop it. A Sliding Elbow from Irie was turned into the Cross Arm German Suplex but Irie again kicked out. A Beast Bomber knocked Takeshita for a loop and he was down long enough for Irie to hit the Diving Cannonball Drop. With victory in his sights, Irie bounced back and forth from the ropes and struck Takeshita with one last Beast Bomber. That was it. Takeshita’s record breaking title reign has come to an end!

Emotional over the result, Takeshita grabbed the title belt from Irie after the match. However it was so he could place it over Irie’s shoulder. Irie called Takeshita a wonderful champion. He was pleased that two wrestlers who last fought each other on the pre-show now had their match in the main event. Irie said when he came back to DDT he thought he was on his own. But today he got a lot of cheers from the audience and he also has Mizuki Watase and Jason Kincaid as his friends. He was in the middle of talking when Keisuke Ishii entered the ring carrying the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title he won yesterday. Ishii had been thinking of his track record against Irie ever since Irie came back. Because of this Ishii wants a title shot. Irie accepted and told Ishii that their win-loss record against each other doesn’t mean much. After all, Irie went missing for months and is now the KO-D Champion after only a few matches back. Irie then said his only friends in DDT now are Watase and Kincaid. Irie Vs Ishii for the title will be at the 20th May show in Korakuen Hall. Backstage, Irie said his vision for DDT is to make it more open. He wants to go to many places around the world as the champion.

HARASHIMA went into his DDT Extreme Title shot wearing new ring gear. It was a special match after all. He and his friend Yuko Miyamoto were wrestling against each other one on one. No extra stipulations were added by Miyamoto so it was a regular wrestling match, an unusual decision in regards to the championship’s purpose. HARASHIMA hurt his foot during the match which gave Miyamoto something to target. Their usual moves weren’t enough to beat each other so both of them then used each other’s attacks! Miyamoto hit the Somato while HARASHIMA did a Fire Thunder. After that switch around they went back to their own moveset. HARASHIMA kicked out of the Fire Thunder and hit the Somato to become the new Extreme Champion! HARASHIMA thanked Miyamoto for putting together the match and he was so happy to fight his best against him. HARASHIMA was told by Hisaya Imabayashi that his first defence will be on 13th May in Hakata. Imabayashi asked if there was anybody that HARASHIMA wanted to defend the belt against. HARASHIMA said yes. He wants to face KUDO! He lost to KUDO in a big singles match last September and he wants to get revenge for it. KUDO accepted the challenge and told HARASHIMA the result will be the same.

When KUDO went away, HARASHIMA was left in the ring with the rest of Smile Squash: Miyamoto, Soma Takao and Yasu Urano. In the build up to their match, Miyamoto temporarily left Smile Squash with the intention of rejoining afterwards no matter the result. However Miyamoto isn’t satisfied with the loss and is determined to beat HARASHIMA some day. He can’t be in the same unit as HARASHIMA for that to happen so Miyamoto has decided to leave Smile Squash for good. Urano tried to stop Miyamoto but then he had a change of heart. Urano has been a freelancer for a year and while he still had a comfortable spot in Smile Squash, there are so many new things for him to do elsewhere. Urano decided that he too will leave Smile Squash. Both Miyamoto and Urano left the ring and HARASHIMA was alone with Soma Takao. Takao said that as much as he wants to stop them from leaving, he knows he can’t. However he is staying in Smile Squash with HARASHIMA so they can continue fighting together as a duo. The moment was interrupted when DAMNATION came down to the ring. Daisuke Sasaki handed a DAMNATION T-shirt to HARASHIMA and welcomed him to the group. Sasaki announced that HARASHIMA was a traitor to DDT and the newest member of DAMNATION! HARASHIMA looked puzzled and had no idea what Sasaki was talking about. Sasaki then shouted he would betray HARASHIMA and DAMNATION attacked the champion. Takao easily saved HARASHIMA from a beating and sent DAMNATION fleeing. HARASHIMA said there was so many things going on that he is now confused but whatever is going on he will do his best.

Cherry was given a hero’s farewell for her final match as a DDT wrestler. For the match she teamed with Francoise☆Takagi & Masako Oishi (both taking the places of Sanshiro Takagi & Makoto Oishi). to take on Danshoku Dino, KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi. It started off with some fun when Cherry, Takagi & Oishi struck a pose together and shouted out “Fantasy Illusion”. But then KUDO decided not to hold back his kicks to Cherry. Dino also didn’t shy away from using lewd moves on her like the Danshoku Nightmare. Cherry fought back and hit the Cherryton Bomb on KUDO. She also countered the Danshoku Driver into the Fantasy Illusion cradle for a nearfall. It all went wrong for Cherry when she accidentally hit both of her partners. Takagi pulled his wig off in anger and hit Cherry. Oishi then gave Cherry the Miracle Ecstasy. Dino ended the match by giving Cherry the Danshoku Driver. After the match everyone thanked Cherry. Even though she is becoming a freelancer, she will always be a part of DDT. Cherry said she has spent the last 14 years as part of DDT and Union Pro. She had a lot of experiences and got to wrestle so many wonderful colleagues. She was given a bouquet of flowers from Takagi and everyone got together for a group photo.

Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase were both out to impress in the 3 Way Tag Match, although in different ways. Watase entered the ring wearing a black suit and wrestled in everything but the jacket. Kincaid went all out with a Diamond Dust through the ropes on Tetsuya Endo outside the ring. He then climbed the steel pole while Watase positioned Shunma Katsumata for him with a Back Drop. Watase leapt off the post and hit the Diving Double Stomp on Katsumata to win the match. In the backstage interview Watase said that Kincaid is a gift sent to DDT from Irie. Together all three of them will make a new history for DDT when Irie breaks the old history.

Yuki Ueno scored a massive victory when he pinned Kazusada Higuchi in a tag team match. It looked bleak when Higuchi gave him a Choke Slam but Ueno recovered a caught Higuchi with a Frankensteiner to nab the three count.

Everybody except for Kazuki Hirata agreed to add a Loser Leaves Japan stipulation for whoever got pinned in the 8-Man Tag Match. Hirata tried not to get involved in the match but Yukio Sakaguchi stopped him from escaping. Meanwhile MAO overpowered Antonio Honda’s “Gon, The Little Fox” attack by changing his shape into a heart symbol with both of their hands together. MAO & Mike Bailey wiped everyone out with a Double Moonsault outside the ring. Sakaguchi then pinned Hirata with the PK. Hirata refused to leave the ring and then his “Tokyo GO!” music began to play. Yuki Iino came out dressed in a makeshift Hirata costume. He danced to the ring, lifted Hirata from the canvas lowered him onto a group of wrestlers outside. Hirata was then carried away from ringside by the mob.

When Hirata was gone, DDT immediately announced the debut of two masked wrestlers for tomorrow’s show in Mie. Please welcome Takatimo Dragon & Hiratimo Dragon!

In the first match of his trial series, Kota Umeda went face to face with Go Shiozaki. Umeda took all the chops he could and fired back with Middle Kicks. He wore down Shiozaki as much as he could but a Lariat was the start of his downfall. Umeda was able to kick out of a Fisherman Buster but he was put away with the Gowan Lariat. Shiozaki thanked Umeda afterwards and said he would like to fight him again. Umeda then learned his next opponent in the series will be against Ryuji Ito in a Hardcore Match on 8th May! Umeda accepts that he lost the first match but he will do anything to win the Hardcore Match.

Mad Paulie’s strength continues to be too powerful for his opponents to handle on the pre-show matches. He flattened Kouki Iwasaki with a Lou Thesz Press, got a nearfall with a Fisherman Suplex then won with the Reverse Splash.

During the post-show clean up, Nobuhiro Shimatani attacked Super Sasadango Machine behind the stage entrance and pinned him to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. He ran down to the ring to celebrate until Saki Akai went after him and kicked him in the face with a Big Boot. Akai pinned Shimatani to become the new champion then ran away. She had an interview backstage and said from now on she will avoid people dressed in striped clothing because they could be referees.

Akito spoke about the tendon injury in his right arm. He went back and forth on with his doctor over whether he should get an operation. Akito decided not to get surgery because it is possible for him to return to wrestling sooner if his just lets his arm heal. He doesn’t know how long the recovery time will take and he apologised to the fans because he cannot guarantee how long his absence will take.

Masahiro Takanashi will be producing the DDT show in Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall on 8th July. The main event will be Takanashi Vs Isami Kodaka.


GANBARE☆WRESTLING “DREAMING I WAS DREAMING 2018” Results

April 29, 2018

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “DREAMING I WAS DREAMING 2018”, 28/04/2018
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
156 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Waiting Room And Backstage Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way Match: Chikara defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Gota Ihashi and Yukihiro Abe when Chikara pinned Ihashi with the Saber Chop from the Ladder (11:09).
2. HARUKAZE, Triumphant Return From A Family Trip: Saki defeated HARUKAZE with the Kawaii Knee Drop (7:33).
3. Ganpuro Family Vs Katsumura-gun: Shuichiro Katsumura & Black Ribera defeated Shinichiro Tominaga & Katsumi Oribe when Katsumura submitted Tominaga with the Ninja Choke (16:02).
4. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Keisuke Ishii defeated Ken Ohka (c) with the Kneel Kick (14:27).
*Ken Ohka fails in V1. Keisuke Ishii becomes the 27th Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Champion!
5. Fanfare For The Imanari Revolution: Yumehito Imanari defeated Takeshi Okada with a Clothesline (11:13).

This show marks five years of Ganbare☆Wrestling. The promotion has always been about Ken Ohka first and foremost but Yumehito Imanari now takes offence to that. When the show began Imanari asked Ohka why does he always get the main event? Why does Ohka get to be the face of Ganpuro? Imanari asked if Ohka ever tweeted from the official Ganpuro account. He then asked if Ohka even knows the account’s password. Ohka stayed silent. If Ohka doesn’t know the password then he doesn’t deserve to be the face of Ganpuro. Today is the beginning of the Imanari Revolution! Ohka defended himself and said as the face of Ganpuro and the reigning Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Champion he had to be in today’s main event. The ring announcer proved him wrong when he revealed the match order that had Imanari Vs Takeshi Okada in the main event and Ohka’s title defence underneath.

In the main event Imanari was accompanied by Yukihiro Abe carrying homemade flags with “Imanari Revolution” written on it. With a new wave of confidence, Imanari took the fight to Okada. He dropped him with the Northern Lights Bomb and hit Clothesline after Clothesline from all directions until Okada could not kick out of the pins any longer. Okada protested that he raised his shoulder up in time but the result stood. As part of their agreement before the match, Okada now has to give the LINE ID address of the cute woman who cuts his hair to Imanari. Imanari also wants to challenge Shuichiro Katsumura to a one on one match next month. Katsumura approves of Imanari grabbing momentum when it comes to him but that doesn’t mean his skill has grown also. His revolution won’t succeed without strength. With that said, Katsumura accepted the challenge. Imanari closed the show by playing “BAD COMMUNICATION”. The song is the tune for Ganpuro as well as Ohka. Ohka and Imanari had another argument after the show over who should be the face of Ganpuro. Ohka also wants to know what their Twitter password is.

Ohka’s day went from bad to worse when he lost his championship to Keisuke Ishii. Ohka quickly went for the Brainbuster on the outside but Ishii reversed it. Ohka later went for the Fire Spear but it was countered with a Front Knee Kick. Ohka came back with a short range Spear. Ishii turned the tables by countering a Kido Clutch into a Tiger Suplex. He then hit the Kneel Kick for the three count. Ishii was so happy to win a title that he’s dreamed of ever since he was a trainee. He told Ohka if any Ganpuro wrestler ever wants to challenge him for the title he will accept it.

Shuichiro Katsumura kicked Shinichiro Tominaga in the face so many times during their tag match that Tominaga begged him to stop. He said that he needed to help with his daughter’s spring break homework but it was just a distraction so he could push Katsumura into the referee. Tominaga went for the Erotic Driver but Katsumura turned it into the Ninja Choke and quickly made him give up.

Saki refused to shake HARUKAZE’s hand at the start of their match because HARUKAZE missed last month’s show. They were supposed to face each other last month but HARUKAZE missed it to go on a family trip to Dubai. They had a conversation about her vacation while they wrestled.

Everyone in the Falls Count Anywhere Match came armed with a weapon. Sanshiro Takagi had bottle rockets, Gota Ihashi wore boxing gloves and Chikara brought out a ladder. Takagi also brought out a bag of erotic magazines and forced them onto his opponent’s faces until Yukihiro Abe stopped him with an Enzuigiri. Abe and Ihashi then gave Takagi the Golden☆Trigger. Chikara spun around with the ladder on his shoulders to knock everyone down then hit the Saber Chop from the ladder to Ihashi for the win.

Shuhei Washida came out at the start of the show and said he is out of action with a herniated disc. He regrets getting injured so soon into his career with only four matches under his belt. He hopes he will be back soon.


DDT “STREET PRO WRESTLING IN KANAGAWA – DANSHOKU DINO CITY COUNCIL MEMBER!?” Results

April 27, 2018

DDT “STREET PRO WRESTLING IN KANAGAWA – DANSHOKU DINO CITY COUNCIL MEMBER!? THE ROAD TO”, 27/04/2018
Kanagawa Fujisawa Meiten Building
92,000 Viewers

1. Yuki Ueno & Makoto Oishi defeated Toru Owashi & Chinsuke Nakamura when Ueno pinned Nakamura with a School Boy (4:24).
2. Miyu Yamashita & Yuka Sakazaki defeated Nodoka-oneesan & Yuki Kamifuku when Yamashita pinned Kamifuku with the Crash Rabbit Heat (3:54).
3. HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kota Umeda defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Keisuke Okuda & Akira Jo when HARASHIMA pinned Jo with the Somato (7:43).
4. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Tanomusaku Toba when Takeshita pinned Toba with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster onto a Watermelon (12:20).
5. Reika Saiki & Lady Beard defeated Makoto Oishi & Maki Itoh when Saiki submitted Oishi with the Tower Bridge (6:00).
6. Danshoku Dino & Fuji-kyun defeated Ken Ohka & Gota Ihashi when Dino pinned Ihashi with the Danshoku Driver (3:57).
7. Danshoku Dino, Kazusada Higuchi, Mike Bailey & MAO defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie when Dino pinned Takagi with the Danshoku Driver onto a Chair (7:43).

Danshoku Dino recently revealed his intentions of running for a seat in the Kanagawa City Council because he is “a pure white heart wanting change in the local government”. That struck a nerve with Sanshiro Takagi because of a failed political campaign that he himself was a part of in the same area during the 1990s. To this day the mere sight of his campaign poster is enough to give him PTSD. Dino announced his intention to visit Kanagawa today to meet the locals and Takagi promised to meet him there for a Street Pro Wrestling match.

Dino’s visit brought him to the Fujisawa Meiten Building as part of a livestream on AbemaTV. With him was his cabinet of wrestlers: his secretary Makoto Oishi, the carer of his personal belongings Yuki Ueno, Fujisawa local Yuki Kamifuku, campaign supporter Nodoka-oneesan and town mascot Fuji-kyun. When they approached the Meiten Building Dino learned that the building’s owner Hideyuki Yamada is a powerful figure who can help get Dino what he wants. They were greeted by Akinaga Toyomoto at the entrance. First part of the tour was the bookshop on the 2nd Floor.

Takagi was there in the bookshop along with Toru Owashi waiting for Dino to begin their match. Dino promised Yamada not to get involved in any violence himself so he offered Ueno & Oishi to take his place. Takagi sent Owashi to fight them along with a surprise, Chinsuke Nakamura! Out came Nakamura accompanied by a man with a violin to play Nakamura’s song. The match began and the wrestlers fought around the ordinary customers. Nakamura gave Oishi a Low Blow but Ueno rolled him up with a School Boy for the three count. Throughout the show, AbemaTV had a poll on their site asking viewers if they support Dino’s candidacy. After the first match the poll was 66.2% in favour of Dino.

They moved on to a clothing shop on the 3rd Floor. Miyu Yamashita & Yuka Sakazaki were there browsing through the aisle. Kamifuku told them she heard there were nice clothes on sale here but she would never wear the stuff they were looking at. That sparked Match #2: Kamifuku & Nodoka-oneesan Vs Yamashita & Sakazaki. They fought over to a bookstore where they were warned not to damage any books. Nodoka grabbed a book and held it up to prevent her opponents from attacking her until she was disarmed. Sakazaki piled Nodoka on top of Kamifuki then hit the Magical Girl Splash from a stool. Yamashita then pinned Kamifuku with the Crash Rabbit Heat. The girls all got along afterwards and ditched the others so they could go get tea on the 1st Floor.

Dino went up to the stationary shop on the 4th Floor and bumped into the Naomi Kingdom. He caught Akira Jo trying to shoplift so the Kingdom attacked his cabinet. Dino called for help and it was answered by HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kota Umeda. A 6-Man Tag Match then took place. There was a string of Headscissors that was turned into a Crab Hold chain. Takao placed a shopping basket over Jo’s head and HARASHIMA hit the Somato for the win. Dino kicked the Naomi Kingdom out of the shop. However his approval score dropped slightly to 63.5%.

A message from Takagi was passed to Dino. It said Takagi was waiting for him in the 1st Floor market. Dino went down and there was Takagi in a sectioned off area. But it was a trap! Tanomusaku Toba appeared out of nowhere and knocked out both Oishi & Ueno. Dino called for help and saw that Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata were nearby having a meal. They expressed support for Dino and agreed to fight Takagi & Toba. They fought each other with chairs, traffic cones and food they bought from the nearby stalls. Takagi knocked Takeshita & Katsumata down in front of a car ride. Takagi got on the car ride wanting to run them over but all it did was rock back and forth. Takagi put Katsumata through a table with a Piledriver but Takeshita won the match by giving Toba a Brainbuster onto a watermelon.

Dino said his goodbyes to ALL OUT and moved on to an outdoor area where he saw Maki Itoh arguing with DEADLIFT LOLITA. Both of them claimed they reserved the concert stage for a performance and sharing it wasn’t an option. Dino suggested they have a match to decide and ordered Oishi to be Itoh’s partner. Itoh did a stage dive onto everyone below. Oishi and Reika Saiki got back onto the stage and Saiki submitted Oishi with the Tower Bridge. She and Lady Beard got to sing while Dino went back inside the building.

All of the fighting so far took its toll on Dino’s cabinet. He was now the only one left as he approached the lecture hall. Inside he found a Smile Therapy session taking place by a man named Mr. Akasaka. The only people in there with him were Ken Ohka & Gota Ihashi. They didn’t like Dino’s interruption and attacked him. Despite this, Dino refused to fight back. All looked grim when the mascot Fuji-kyun returned! It convinced Dino that pro wrestling is sport, not violence. Dino agreed and finally began to fight back. Together they defeated Ohka & Ihashi. Dino got to kiss Mr. Akasaka during the match. Afterwards Dino asked where the owner Yamada was. Akasaka said he was on the roof of the building.

Dino went up to the roof but couldn’t find Yamada. Instead there was Takagi and he was accompanied by DAMNATION! He said DAMNATION were now his friends but Daisuke Sasaki confessed that they were only teaming with him because he promised to pay them 15,000 yen. According to Sasaki that is way more money than what DDT usually pays them. Dino was in trouble but he suddenly got help in the forms of Kazusada Higuchi, Mike Bailey & MAO. This was it. The final battle! Tetsuya Endo, Bailey and MAO all did Moonsaults. Mad Paulie squashed some people. Higuchi blocked Sasaki’s Hurricanrana by whipping him into a fence. Takagi’s team got the upper hand and Takagi ordered DAMNATION to finish them off. However Sasaki demanded that they get paid another 15,000 yen as an extra charge. Takagi refused to DAMNATION abandoned him. It was now 4 Vs 1 in Dino’s favour and they all defeated Takagi. Dino’s final approval score was 61.3%.

The group all took a photo together on top of Takagi to use as Dino’s campaign poster. However Dino noticed that Yamada was still nowhere to be seen. A beaten Takagi told Dino where to find him, pointing over to an upper section of the roof. Dino went over and found Yamada sitting on a chair. Dino pleaded with Yamada to make him a City Council member. When Yamada didn’t respond, Dino turned him around and saw that he was dead! Akinaga Toyomoto appeared again and revealed he was spying on Dino all along. Hideyuki Yamada isn’t the most powerful figure in Kanagawa, it is Fuji-kyun! The screen faded to black over a narration explaining that Dino was defeated by Fuji-kyun, ending his political dreams. The end.


Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ 2018

April 27, 2018

This year’s Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ returns under a different format. Instead of a round robin tournament it is now a single elimination playoff featuring 16 wrestlers, most of who have competed in the previous years. The prize for the winner is 500,000 yen and every match has no time limit.

The notable name absent from the field is last year’s winner Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi. So far no reason has been given for why he isn’t there. The first timers are Fuminori Abe, Akiyori Takizawa, Manabu Hara, Minoru Fujita and Yasu Urano. Most of the rest have been in the previous two tournaments except for Takato Nakano, who was only in last year’s. This is the competition that made Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi and normally he would be a favourite to go far but his new peaceful lifestyle along with a lack of recent ring time has me questioning if he can live up to his previous runs.

BASARA “VAJRA 69 ~FEAST~”, 23/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 1A: FUMA Vs Daichi Kazato
2. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 1B: Yusuke Kubo Vs Takumi Tsukamoto
3. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 1C: Manabu Hara Vs Takato Nakano
4. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 1D: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Akiyori Takizawa
5. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 1E: Isami Kodaka Vs Ryuichi Sekine
6. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 1F: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Minoru Fujita
7. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 1G: Gouma Ryu Vs Fuminori Abe
8. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 1H: Yasu Urano Vs SAGAT

BASARA “VAJRA 70 ~NAGASONE KOTETSU~”, 10/06/2018
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2A: Winner Of Match 1C Vs Winner Of Match 1D
2. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2B: Winner Of Match 1E Vs Winner Of Match 1F

BASARA “VAJRA 71 ~SENDAI SHISHIN~”, 17/06/2018
Miyagi Ward Cultural Center

1. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2C: Winner Of Match 1A Vs Winner Of Match 1B
2. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2D: Winner Of Match 1G Vs Winner Of Match 1H

BASARA “VAJRA 73 ~FEAST~”, 28/06/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Semi-Final: Winner Of Match 2C Vs Winner Of Match 2A
2. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Semi-Final: Winner Of Match 2B Vs Winner Of Match 2D

BASARA “VAJRA 74 ~REIGN SUPREME~”, 12/07/2018
Shinjuku FACE

1. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Final: X Vs X


Schedule For Golden Week 2018, Akito Injured, Kincaid Coming To DDT

April 26, 2018

DDT “MAX BUMP 2018”, 29/04/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Mad Paulie Vs Kouki Iwasaki
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shunma Katsumata
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, MAO, Mike Bailey & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Keisuke Ishii Vs Soma Takao & Yuki Ueno
4. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 1st Match: Kota Umeda Vs Go Shiozaki
5. Cherry’s Last DDT Match!: Danshoku Dino, KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Cherry, Francoise☆Takagi & Makoto Oishi
6. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Rules: Yuko Miyamoto (c) Vs HARASHIMA
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

Akito suffered a ruptured biceps tendon in his right arm during last Sunday’s main event. He is expected to miss several months. With this injury the card for “MAX BUMP 2018” has been changed around not just to accommodate his absence but also to feature a debuting foreign wrestler.

Shigehiro Irie promised to bring over a friend of his from America to DDT. The only hint he gave was by calling his friend “The Gift”. It has since been announced that Jason Kincaid is coming to DDT. Kincaid is a 14 year veteran and had a lengthy 5 year reign as the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Champion. Kincaid will be teaming with the person who seems to be Irie’s only friend left in DDT, Mizuki Watase as part of a 3 Way Tag. That match replaces the originally planned ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION tag team bout that Akito was meant to be in.

The DDT Extreme Title match will just be a regular pro wrestling match with no extra stipulations added. Yuko Miyamoto made this decision because he has never had a proper one on one match with his friend. He strongly wants to find out if he can beat HARASHIMA under a normal ruleset.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TEKONE SUSHI~”, 30/04/2018
Mie Messe Wing

1. Makoto Oishi 39 Year Old Trial Single Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Mad Paulie
2. Shuten-dōji Vs T2Hide!: KUDO & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Antonio Honda Vs Kota Umeda & MAO
4. P Playful Series: Danshoku Dino Vs Soma Takao
5. Shigehiro Irie, Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Masahiro Takanashi & Kouki Iwasaki
6. ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo
7. Keisuke Okuda Local Triumph! Special Tag Match: Keisuke Okuda & Naomi Yoshimura Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno

DDT gives Keisuke Okuda the limelight for his return home.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #3”, 01/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Gota Ihashi 5 Match Series – 2nd Battle: Kendo Kashin Vs Gota Ihashi
2. Tradition Of The Soul ~ Loser Gets Ketsu Bat Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Miyu Yamashita
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Kota Umeda & MAO

Kendo Kashin has been sending daily messages to DDT addressed to Gota Ihashi. In these messages Kashin talks about drinking tea (every message included this), checking his blood cholesterol level, recommending 1,000 hindu squats, losing sleep because he keeps thinking about Ihashi, talking about a train accident that happened near his home, eating an Siberian onion and describing his experience with using Uber. What the fuck is up with this guy?

BASARA “VAJRA 66 ~COMMEMORATING THE HEAVENLY HEART~”, 03/05/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Takato Nakano Vs Manabu Hara
2. Fuminori Abe Vs Masato Tanaka
3. Count Down To Extinction ~ Hardcore Tag Match: FUMA & SAGAT Vs Jun Kasai & Gunso
4. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Return Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Osamu Nishimura
5. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano, Daichi Kazato & Gouma Ryu Vs Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi, Trans-Am ★ Tanaka, Trans-Am ★ Shinya & Yusuke Kubo
6. Cavalry Vs Aikata Tag!: Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita
7. Union MAX Title & DOVE World Title: Isami Kodaka (U/c) Vs Naoki Tanizaki (D/c)

The 8-Man Tag Match is now under Elimination rules after a confusing request by Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TAN~”, 04/05/2018
Miyagi Yume Messe West Wing Hall

1. Dirty Single Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Mad Paulie
2. Born In Shiroishi Tetsuya Endo Triumph! DAMNATION Vs Shuten-dōji!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi

The latter half of Golden Week focuses on a few Road To Ryogoku shows held in some of the wrestlers’ hometowns.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TSUGARU SHAMISEN~”, 05/05/2018
Aomori Hamanasu Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Danshoku Dino Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Department Of Civil Engineering, Hachinohe Institute Of Technology (Now Disappearing) Makoto Oishi Triumphant Return! Aomori Specialty Special Single Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Konosuke Takeshita

A big match for Makoto Oishi. Maybe he can finally get something of a new direction because Shunma Katsumata and MAO have left him for dust ever since the NωA split.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM CLOCK TOWER~”, 06/05/2018
Hokkaido Sapporo Susukino Mars Gym

1. Dirty Single Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Antonio Honda
2. Smile Squash Vs Shuten-dōji!: HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Tomoya Vs KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi

Noriyuki Yoshida will be on the show for his first DDT appearance since October 2017.

BASARA “VAJRA 67 ~EMBRACING THE AMBITION~”, 06/05/2018
Hokkaido Susukino Mars Gym

1. Takato Nakano Vs Akiyori Takizawa
2. FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Katsuo Vs Daichi Kazato, Hiroshi Kondo & Daiki Shimomura
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi & SAGAT Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Fuminori Abe & Yasu Urano
4. Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Naoki Tanizaki & Manabu Hara
5. NWA World Jr. Heavyweight & International Jr. Heavyweight Titles: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Ikuto Hidaka

BASARA is having a busy schedule for Golden Week too.

DNA “DNA 44”, 09/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Joji Otani
2. Chinese Rebirth Of Revenge Match! Endless Battle!: Choun-Shiryu Vs Rekka
3. Mizuki Watase & Jason Kincaid Vs Brian Aki
4. Kota Umeda Vs Daiki Shimomura
5. DNA Vs Cavalry!: Kouki Iwasaki & MAO Vs Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu
6. DNA-gun Vs Naomi Kingdom!: Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Koju Takeda Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Keisuke Okuda & Akira Jo

The DNA Vs Naomi Kingdom grudge continues. Both Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki have been able to get wins over the enemy unit in singles matches but under tag matches it’s been pretty much all Naomi Kingdom victories save for a DQ loss here and there.


DDT “VIDEO TEAM BOX OFFICE – BETAMANIA” Results

April 23, 2018

DDT “VIDEO TEAM BOX OFFICE – BETAMANIA”, 23/04/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
172 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Goodbye Fukuda…Honorable! Crushing! Explosion! Special Exhibition Match!: Keisuke Ishii defeated Ryuhei Fukuda with a Baseball Chop (8:24).
2. Universal Serial Bus Title: Deepthroat (c) (w/ Genome Soldier A & Genome Soldier B) defeated Yumehito Imanari with the Doctor Bomb (10:50).
3. DT-YUTA Produce Match ~Rotten Bad And Rotten Edge~: KUDO defeated 726 with the Backspin Kick (8:32).
4. Betamania Death Match: Isami Kodaka defeated DT-YUTA with the Steel Cans Assisted Giga Ladder Break (12:22).

The unsung heroes of DDT are the members of its video team. The three main members of the crew are made up of men who have all at some point or another been pro wrestlers. After spending so long behind the cameras and hype videos, they were finally thrown a bone and got the chance to present their own wrestling show.

In the main event DT-YUTA was to take on a mystery opponent in a Betamania Death Match. His opponent was Isami Kodaka! The two share a history going back to Union Pro and their last match together took place on 7th March, 2009. Chairs, ladders, steel cans and a camera covered in barbed wire supported by a stand made out of lighttubes were all used as weapons. YUTA almost won with a Jackhammer but Kodaka kicked out. Kodaka reversed another Jackhammer into a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. He climbed the ladder with a steel can and landed the Giga Ladder Break for the win. Kodaka checked to see if YUTA was okay. He said without the Video Team, neither DDT or BASARA would be as interesting. He then struck YUTA over the head with a lighttube to show his appreciation. YUTA talked about when he quit Union 9 years ago he told Kodaka that he was taking a different road. Kodaka told him back then if YUTA made that decision by himself then it was the right decision. YUTA will always remember that moment.

726 was back in the ring for his first wrestling match since 2010. His match with KUDO was straightforward and 726 was able to hold his own for a while. KUDO won and he shared a beer with 726 afterwards. 726 said the match left him tired and he would have died if it lasted another 5 minutes. He said if KUDO’s wrestling tonight was a score of 100 points then 726’s score was 60 points.

“A Yumehito Imanari Match”: The introduction video showed Imanari being attacked somewhere. The enemy known as Deepthroat stole his USB key and held him in an Iron Claw to wipe out his memory. Imanari regained consciousness inside Shin-Kiba 1st RING dressed in special agent gear and armed with a cardboard box. He received a radio call from Hirotsugu Suyama explaining he must retrieve the USB to regain his memory. Two Genome Soldiers were about to approach the ring so Imanari hid underneath the box. The hiding spot worked at first but soon the Soldiers found him and they began to fight. Suyama called back to say he discovered a murder weapon beneath the ring. Imanari looked and found a steel chair to even the odds. Suyama kept calling to remind Imanari of his favourite wrestling moves as well as instructing him to counter attacks. The radio call was then interrupted by Nonoko on another frequency. Imanari got rid of the Soldiers by knocking them out with Sleeper Holds. Another interruption came from Keiko Takeshita, the mother of Konosuke Takeshita! She sent a message of encouragement to Imanari. Make it out alive and she will give all of her 85kg body to him, Konosuke will never know (Konosuke was watching the match in the venue and tweeted that she really weighs 90kg). After that, Deepthroat appeared. The messages from Suyama were getting faint and Imanari struggled to fight against the final boss. The messages got more and more distorted as Suyama figured out that nanomachines were interfering with the signal. In a flash he was gone and in his place was a video message of Sanshiro Takagi instructing Imanari to go buy snacks for the DDT office. That message made Imanari regain his memory then and there. He remembers who he is and what he must do. He must go shopping! But first he has to win his match. Deepthroat then immediately Choke Slammed Imanari and pinned him with the Doctor Bomb. Imanari? Imanari?! Imanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarii!!!!

After the match Deepthroat consoled Imanari. He admitted he was really Kazusada Higuchi and there was a reason he took Imanari’s USB. He wanted Imanari to regain the hot soul of a pro wrestler and the USB featured something very important. He showed it on the screen. It was a picture of Imanari with Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi taken back when Imanari was a junior high school student. Higuchi wanted Imanari to remember the feeling he had when he met them. Imanari said he always wanted to be a pro wrestler but he had so much on his plate and he got a job on DDT’s video team instead. However thanks to DDT and Ganbare☆Wrestling, Imanari is now able to live his dream and do both! Higuchi handed him over the USB and Imanari accepted it as if it was a championship. He then remembered he had to go shopping for snacks.

Ryuhei Fukuda relied entirely on the rest of the video team to help him out against Keisuke Ishii. When Fukuda was at risk of losing to a Cobra Twist, the team played a hidden video of the referee Yuya Okada talking to an unidentified woman. Apparently this was something Okada did not want anybody to see. Yusuke Kubo attacked Ishii while the ref was distracted. Fukuda then got the upper hand on Ishii by throwing power in his eyes. More scandalous videos kept Okada distracted while the Samurai! TV cameramen stopped Ishii from doing a Power Bomb. Ishii fought them all off and struck Fukuda with a big baseball pitch of a chop to keep him down for the count. Fukuda thanked Ishii for the match and told a story about how he joined DDT’s video team. He got the job even though he was not a wrestling fan. He also did not get along with some of his colleagues at first. It was when Ishii and Shigehiro Irie brought him out for a meal that Fukuda began to open up and get out of his shell. He wished Ishii luck in his Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title match happening later this week.

Minoru Fujita and Shinichiro Tominaga were the MCs for the show. They weren’t quite sure what to do with their roles but were still able to move the show along. Their final words to close out the show were “Well, pro wrestling is really nice.”

The show ended with all of the Video Team taking up their equipment and going back to work.


DDT “SHIN SYU VERY MUCH! 2018” Results

April 22, 2018

DDT “SHIN SYU VERY MUCH! 2018”, 22/04/2018
Nagano Art Center Act Park
274 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Antonio Honda defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop (12:23).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie defeated Kouki Iwasaki, Mike Bailey & MAO when Endo pinned Iwasaki with a Swan Dive Firebird Splash (10:35).
3. 4 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Kota Umeda, Naomi Yoshimura and Shunma Katsumata when Higuchi pinned Katsumata with the Doctor Bomb (7:47).
4. KUDO & Keisuke Ishii defeated HARASHIMA & Soma Takao when Ishii pinned Takao with a Frankensteiner (10:12).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – DDT Nagano Sales Manager Toru Owashi Local Triumph! “Owashi And Funny Friends Part 3” Special 6-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ueno defeated Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Super Sasadango Machine (c) when Hirata pinned Sasadango with a Brainbuster (2:02).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,299th champion.
5a. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Replay: Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata (c) & Yuki Ueno when Sasadango pinned Hirata with the Triangle of Zenkoji (10:24).
*Super Sasadango Machine becomes the 1,300th champion.
6. Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Akito when Irie pinned Akito with the Beast Bomber (16:38).

Shigehiro Irie’s momentum since coming back continues to grow and now it’s finding its way over to Mizuki Watase. Irie’s new partner threw Konosuke Takeshita away with a German Suplex while Irie hit Akito with the Beast Bomber. After the match Irie said he won the match thanks to Watase’s effort. Watase pointed out that the last time he wrestled in Nagano he promised the fans he would return as a champion. That didn’t happen but he has become stronger and he wasn’t going to give up! Irie & Watase were given a prize pack of red wine by the show sponsors for the victory. After the show, Irie promised to be at the top of DDT and Watase will grow into a stronger wrestler with him. Irie then said he was bringing a friend from America over to Japan soon. He calls his friend “The Gift”.

Since the show was in Nagano that meant Toru Owashi was the big attraction in his hometown. Super Sasadango Machine took advantage of this by gathering together a portion of the audience to mob Owashi for handshakes and autographs outside the ring during the match. Owashi was too busy handling his fans to wrestle but his team still won the match. Kazuki Hirata pinned Sasadango to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title for the finish. Hisaya Imabayashi hated the result because the big star who sold most of the tickets didn’t get to do anything even though his side won. Imabayashi demanded the match to restart. Owashi did get to wrestle this time but Sasadango pinned Hirata to win back the Iron Man Title. Sasadango won with the Triangle Of Zenkoji, a team-up version of the Lehmann Shock.

Keisuke Ishii promoted his upcoming match against Ken Ohka for the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title on the 28th April Ganbare☆Wrestling show. KUDO didn’t have any of the other Shuten-dōji members with him today to drink with so he asked Ishii to join him for a toast. Ishii agreed and drank from a bottle of tea.

Kazusada Higuchi described Kota Umeda’s moves as intense during the 4 Way Match. He talked about feeling electricity run through his whole body whenever Umeda Kicked him. To Higuchi that is an amazing experience that makes him nostalgic for their matches together in DNA. Higuchi is looking forward to defending the KO-D Tag Team Titles against Umeda soon. Umeda thinks he has momentum but MAO needs to be with him on the same level if they are going to win the titles.


BASARA “VAJRA 65 ~FEAST~” Results

April 20, 2018

BASARA “VAJRA 65 ~FEAST~”, 20/04/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
214 Fans

1. Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi defeated Daichi Kazato with the Perfect Five (7:53).
2. Reversal Pro Wrestling Trial: Best Stretchman Amazon defeated Gouma Ryu and Hercules Senga when Amazon pinned Ryu and Senga with the Stretch Kick (11:15).
3. Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Akiyori Takizawa defeated FUMA, SAGAT & Yusuke Kubo when Tsukamoto pinned Kubo with the Zudon (10:55).
4. Special Single Match: Minoru Fujita defeated Ryuichi Sekine with a Rolling Cradle (10:55).
5. Fuminori Abe Vs Tanomusaku Toba ended in a Double KO (11:15).
6. Isami Kodaka, Ryota Nakatsu & Takato Nakano defeated Naoki Tanizaki, Yuki Aoki & Manabu Hara when Nakano pinned Aoki with a Jumping Rolling Cradle (15:10).

Today was Takato Nakano’s day to win for the first time! He capitalised on Yuki Aoki bumping into a kick from Isami Kodaka by the ropes and pinned Aoki with a Jumping Rolling Cradle. Naoki Tanizaki briefly confronted Kodaka after the match but he left so Nakano could celebrate. Both Kodaka and Ryota Nakatsu congratulated Nakano on his achievement and told him it was a big deal. Nakano said he will start running from here to Korakuen Hall for the big show there on 3rd May.

Both Fuminori Abe and Tanomusaku Toba punched each other to their heart’s content. They eventually ran out of that stuff and knocked each other out for a draw. When they both recovered Abe smiled and asked for a rematch.

Minoru Fujita mocked Ryuichi Sekine throughout their match. After the opening back and forth, Fujita asked who was it that trained Sekine. He then called him an “Eternal Trainee” while kicking him. Fujita’s experience was the difference maker and he caught Sekine in a Rolling Cradle for the win. After the match Fujita told Sekine that they have a big tag team match against each other coming up on 3rd May. He asked Sekine & Nakatsu not to miss this opportunity to beat himself and Ikuto Hidaka. Fujita claims that he and Hidaka were nominated for the Best Tag Team category during last year’s Tokyo Sports Awards. He does not want Cavalry to damage this honour.

Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi asked for the 8-Man Tag Team Match on 3rd May between BASARA and the Metal Family to be held under Elimination Rules. Takumi Tsukamoto and Yasu Urano were confused by Hiroshi’s new spiritual behaviour but they accepted the request.

Best Stretchman Amazon was on trial accused of sexual harassment towards a female customer in the Best Stretch store. It was difficult to get an explanation from Amazon because he just yelled out his name whenever he was asked a question. Hercules Senga provided a hidden recording of Amazon asking a customer if he could touch her breasts. However the voice in the recording was lower than how Amazon usually speaks. Gouma Ryu asked both Amazon and Daichi Kazato to demonstrate their massage techniques on Senga to see if they are legitimate. No matter where they touched him, Senga claimed he was being sexually harassed. Gouma then made the grave mistake of claiming that the customer might have enjoyed the massage from a BASARA wrestler because she is a BASARA fan. All the women in the audience booed him. Amazon also didn’t like the statement so he knocked out both Ryu and Senga with Stretch Kicks. The judge declared that Senga was not guilty.

Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi stood outside the ring for the opening match and distracted Daichi Kazato with his yoga poses. Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi took advantage and hit the Perfect Five on Kazato to win the match.

The first round matches of the Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ were determined in an odd fashion. Each wrestler threw a numbered ball into the audience. The fans that caught a ball each picked a different spot on the playoff bracket. Afterwards the wrestlers were told which numbers represented them and who they would paired up with. The opening round matches are FUMA Vs Daichi Kazato, Yusuke Kubo Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Manabu Hara Vs Takato Nakano, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Akiyori Takizawa, Isami Kodaka Vs Ryuichi Sekine, Ryota Nakatsu Vs Minoru Fujita, Gouma Ryu Vs Fuminori Abe and Yasu Urano Vs SAGAT.