DDT “KING OF DDT 2026 FINAL!!”, 31/05/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida defeated Akito & Hinata Kasai when Ishida pinned Kasai with the Leg Scoop Suplex (7:59).
1. King Of DDT – Semi Final: Shinya Aoki defeated Minoru Suzuki with the European Clutch (9:37).
2. King Of DDT – Semi Final: MAO defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Iai Kick (11:54).
3. Jun Akiyama, Naomi Yoshimura & Junta Miyawaki defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Miyawaki pinned Ilusion with the Sunshine Driver (9:05).
4. Special Tag Match ~ Kaisei Takechi Return Match: Yuki Ueno & Kaisei Takechi defeated Kazuki Hirata & To-y when Ueno submitted Hirata with a Crab Hold (0:01).
4a. Rematch: Yuki Ueno & Kaisei Takechi defeated Kazuki Hirata & To-y when Takechi pinned Hirata with the BREAK IT DOWN (9:15).
5. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI) when Brookes pinned Maligno with the Praying Mantis Bomb (12:08).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Masada pinned Yuni with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (14:56).
*V4 for paleyouth.
7. King Of DDT – Final: Shinya Aoki defeated MAO with the Aoki Clutch (17:20).
Shinya Aoki can now add his name to the list of quite frankly eccentric list of names to have won the King Of DDT tournament! His fighting style proved to be the most dominant throughout the bracket and tempted MAO into playing Aoki’s gameplan instead of his own in the final. Aoki then pulled out something different by using a Spinning Headscissors to throw MAO out of the ring so he could follow up with the Topé Suicida. MAO tried rolling up Aoki into cradles like the Japanese Leg Roll and the Crucifix Pin but that backfired big time when Aoki caught him in the Aoki Clutch, getting the three count and crowning himself the tournament winner.
As Aoki was receiving his trophy he started calling out to an unexpected member of Strange Love Connection. Aoki yelled at Viento Maligno to get in the ring and stop his nonsense because everybody knows what he’s doing… Maligno simply made a big “Wooooo” noise into the microphone before rejoining SLC and walking back to the locker room with them. Due to this interaction taking place, DDT later decided to book a singles match between Aoki and Maligno for 3rd June at Shinjuku FACE.
Aoki then declared his challenge to Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title. He likes Aoki and said he is like family to him. But the more Aoki likes his opponent, the more power he unleashes on that person so he asked Ueno to be the very best he’ll ever be for the title match. The match is made for 28th June and Aoki promised to live his life to the fullest until then so he can beat Ueno. The champion remembers losing the KO-D Title to Aoki back in 2024 and does not want to repeat that. He is going to give his friend so much in the match that Aoki won’t be able to handle it!
MAO’s place in the semi final was secured when he defeated Danshoku Dieno earlier in the show. Dieno unleashed his full Danshoku power early but MAO expertly countered the attack by Kancho poking him up the backside. MAO then fought fire with fire by using the Lip Lock until Dieno overpowered him with the same move. The Danshoku Claw to the crotch couldn’t hold MAO back forever and he kept fighting even when the back of his tights were pulled down by Dieno for pinning leverage. A number of different strikes from MAO took their toll on Dieno and he was put down with the Iai Kick, bringing his spirited tournament run to an end.
The last time Aoki fought Minoru Suzuki in DDT, the DDT Universal Title was on the line and Suzuku pummeled his opponent into a KO victory. The rematch here was more grapple heavy this time with Suzuki and Aoki trying to bend whatever part of the opponent’s body they could grab onto. Suzuki avoided the Aoki Clutch but that isn’t the only move in Aoki’s arsenal. He switched over to a Modified Armbar that then turned into the European Clutch that kept Suzuki pinned down for the victory!
It was Yuni’s time to step up and do his part to make NωA Jr. the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions again. paleyouth didn’t see things that way because they still have things to do as champions, things that NωA Jr. couldn’t even scratch when they last held the belts. The challengers almost overwhelmed Takeshi Masada with their numbers. He was able to German Suplex Shunma Katsumata away but took a Canadian Destroyer from Kazuma Sumi and then the Messiah DDT from Yuni. Masada brought things to a halt for Yuni by giving him a Middle Kick and planting him with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to retain the titles. After the match Daichi Sato said he was happy to have a tough title match with Yuni because they are near the same age. Yuya Koroku called Yuni a brat but also admitted he has incredible determination. paleyouth then said they are two defences away from tying the record for most KO-D 6-Man Tag Title defences and three more away from breaking it. Backstage Katsumata talked about how Yuni struggles the most out of D GENERATIONS because everyone else has achieved their own thing while he was focused on his university exams. He hopes today will be a turning point for Yuni because he can offer something unique to DDT just like how everyone else has their own thing.
The addition of YUZUKI to SLC hasn’t instantly paid off with success yet. She assisted the team by attacking Antonio Honda with a whip after he got sent outside the ring. Honda deserved it for being rude towards Maligno at the start of the match. He loudly shouted “Who are you?” while fighting him. HARASHIMA and Yukio Naya fought to a stalemate so Honda tagged in. He then tripped and tried to tell a story about his town being filled with kids who ring doorbells in the middle of the night and run away before he can answer them. KANON then blocked the Gongitsune attack and redirected Honda into striking his own partners. Chris Brookes saved Honda from being pinned by throwing a towel at Maligno and ended up pinning Maligno himself by using the Praying Mantis Bomb.
Kaisei Takechi’s big return from appendicitis ended right when it started. Yuki Ueno immediately threw To-y out of the ring and made Kazuki Hirata tap out to a Crab Hold without Takechi needing to do anything. Hisaya Imabayashi blew a gasket because the big star’s return was ruined. Takechi calmed things down by saying everyone in DDT is a star, including Hirata because of his dance skills. Takechi then encouraged everyone to restart the match so Hirata can show why he shouldn’t be giving up so easily. Imabayashi was touched by Takechi’s humility and allowed the match to restart. This time To-y & Hirata both put on a better fight together and Takechi got to dance with Hirata despite Ueno’s hatred of it. Ueno was briefly knocked out by his own partner so the dance could go ahead. Hirata tried to sneak attack Takechi during the dance but paid for it by taking the BREAK IT DOWN and take the losing fall again.
After the match Takechi told the fans he had to miss the King Of DDT tournament due to his illness so he is going to clear his schedule, get into shape and work hard so he will get to take part in it next year. Ueno then announced he will be holding a show at Korakuen Hall on 13th September to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of his debut. He promised to show everyone the DDT he’s been able to cultivate over the last 10 years. Takechi asked to be a part of it so Ueno is thinking about making him team up with Hirata. As for Ueno himself, he later brought up wanting to have a match against Katsumata on the show.
Momentum is looking to be on Junta Miyawaki’s side as he heads toward his DDT Extreme Title challenge against Hidaki Okatani. The heavy threat of MJ Paul was extinguished by Naomi Yoshimura and Miyawaki ducked under a bamboo stick swing, causing Okatani to hit Ilusion over the head instead. With Jun Akiyama’s help, Miyawaki gave Okatani a Swinging DDT before pinning Ilusion with the Sunshine Driver.
The dark match was changed on short notice because Rukiya’s neck is acting up and he wasn’t able to wrestle today. Akito took his place and teamed up with Hinata Kasai in a losing effort against Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida. Kasai came close to winning but was stunned by Ishida’s Flame Palm and was then pinned with the Leg Scoop Suplex.
For the third time in weeks, Super Sasadango Machine approached Dieno asking him to be part of his team for the DDT Vs New Japan show happening in one week’s time. He met him in the ring at the end of the show, pointing out that King Of DDT is now finished and Dieno should now be completely free to help Sasadango out. If Dieno refused then Sasadango would do the unspeakable and reveal to everyone Dieno’s shoot name! Dieno’s response is it’s not the right time for him to do Sasadango’s show because the World Cup begins three days afterwards. Dieno wants to watch all of the late night games coming up so he needs the few days before that to save up on his sleeping habits. Sasadango begun to cry because he couldn’t believe Dieno would sit by and watch his beloved DDT get trampled by New Japan. As much as the show is being built around friendly competition, it is really a war that DDT cannot afford to lose! He threatened to bring Dieno to court where his real name would be exposed but Dieno told him to calm down so they can talk again later.
There is currently a brief break for the Best Of The Super Jr. tournament so Daisuke Sasaki was in attendance for today’s show. He was too embarrassed to talk because he currently has a losing record so he whispered his message into Imabayashi’s ear. Imabayashi encouraged Sasaki not to give up because he still has a chance to win his block if he wins his remaining matches. The GM then revealed one of Sasaki’s opponents for his tag match happening at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” on 11th August. It’s Antonio Honda! Imabayashi then revealed that DDT has not made a decision for who Sasaki or Honda’s tag partners will be. Instead it will be up to them to look into their connections and decide for themselves. Since DDT is holding a competition for fans to guess what the match is, Honda said he is going to pick someone who will surprise everybody. Sasaki on the other hand said his pick won’t surprise anyone.
Soma Takao announced his return match will happen on 28th June. He has been on the shelf with a left knee injury since January and is thrilled to be making his comeback soon. He said there are quite a few new DDT fans who only know him as the manager of the Dropkick Bar so he is excited for them to see him wrestle for the first time.
DDT will be holding a pro wrestling event attached to the Kumagawa Railway in Kumamoto on 22nd November. The Kumagawa Railway has been under repairs due to storm damage ever since the summer of 2020. This year those repairs will be completed and it is scheduled to finally reopen this September. DDT is celebrating the occasion by holding two matches to take place inside the train along with an actual wrestling show taking place at the journey’s destination Yunomae Station.
Dramatic DDT 