I now got a proper domain for the blog simply because I am very close to maxing out the free tier image limit WordPress has. That’s right folks, it’s taken me almost 17 years but I’m finally about to hit the ceiling as a freeloader. I admit doing the DDT Around The World articles helped speed up the decision. So I opened up the wallet and https://dramaticddt.com/ has now become active along with https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/ which should still work. Kind of surprised the domain was available all this time. Dramatic DDT is a name I put one minute of thought into back when I started because I couldn’t think of any clever DDT related phrase at the time. There was a precursor blog in the 2000s called Dramatic Fantasia (named after the Samurai! TV show) that existed back on the old PuroresuFan group of fansites so I wasn’t going to copy that. Dramatic DDT is also somehow distinct enough that DDT themselves never had a problem with me using it. And that’s more or less the only change to the site I have in mind. I’m happy with the basic website layout. I also think adding pictures to the show reports, title histories and overseas excursions does so much to paint pictures of everything that I cover on this site so the increase of the image limit was necessary. I have an idea for setting up an archive site for Tokyo Joshi Pro in order to have a cleaner written history of the company available so you can read about its past without having to dig through the DDT content but that’s way down on my list of priorities in life right now. And given how much thought I put into the name Dramatic DDT, it would probably be called something like Tokyo TJPW or Princess TJPW. I’ll let you know if it ever comes to pass.
It’s been a week since BushiRoad sold New Japan to TV Asahi & CyberAgent. I never wrote about the news on here because the more I thought about it, the less it seemed relevant to DDT and TJPW. The evidence is how quiet CyberAgent has been over the story and that the name CyberFight appears nowhere in any of the official reports about the sale. So if DDT and NOAH became step-siblings then this makes NJPW a cousin by marriage, I guess? Stardom remaining with BushiRoad through the deal is odd but makes sense after listening to others give their opinion about it. BushiRoad likely figured the time had come to cash in on NJPW while there is still a lot of potential growth in the Stardom brand. The relationship between NJPW and Stardom still remains although I get the sense the NJPW side would be happy if they never do the “HISTORIC X-OVER” shows ever again. If you want to know why it can be so difficult to put these kind of inter-promotional events together, you just need to look at how much of the NJPW roster would distance themselves from having to wrestle the Stardom talent. Now imagine the same thing trying to juggle a NOAH roster, a DDT roster and a TJPW roster all under the one umbrella. There are reasons why SWS collapsed trying to manage multiple locker rooms and their conflicting egos all at once!
There is something of a monopoly slowly developing around Japanese wrestling lately but these companies were already circling the wagons with the creation of United Japan Pro Wrestling two years ago. Shinya Aoki wrote on his blog that he heard rumours that WWE were interested in acquiring New Japan raised my eyebrow but he’s the only person so far to bring up that idea. And since I brought up UJPW, keep in mind that Sanshiro Takagi’s term as the organisation’s head of the board will be finishing by the end of the year. I would be surprised if the second president is anyone other than a New Japan representative but that’s been my prediction even before this sale took place.
Also, hey CyberAgent! You have a video games division. You also now have full access to at least four different wrestling promotions. Can we get a new pro wrestling game? If it has to be gacha I at least have the confidence it will still turn out better than MyFaction in the WWE 2K series…
DDT “DDT MY LOVE 2026”, 03/06/2026 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Tag Match – 2 Out Of 3 Falls: Sanshiro Takagi & Akito (2) defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata (0).
1a. Standard Rules: Sanshiro Takagi (1) pinned Shunma Katsumata (0) with a Cradle (6:30).
1b. Falls Count Anywhere: Sanshiro Takagi (2) pinned Shunma Katsumata (0) with a Cradle (109:19).
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura and Danshoku Dieno, Naomi Yoshimura & KANON when Ilusion pinned Koroku with a School Boy (9:02).
3. Junta Miyawaki Three Match Trial – Match 2: Junta Miyawaki defeated Kazuki Hirata with a School Boy (10:56).
4. MAO & Yukio Naya (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when MAO pinned Matsunaga after the Charge Love Heart (9:43).
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Viento Maligno with a Modified Butterfly Lock (11:25).
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai defeated Daichi Sato, To-y, Yuni & Yuki Ishida when Honda pinned Yuni with a Samson Clutch (19:36).
It turns out there was more background to the Shinya Aoki Vs Viento Maligno match than I first thought. Before the King Of DDT tournament began, Aoki allegedly made a prediction that Maligno would unmask and compete in Best Of The Super Jr. so both of them could have a match between tournament winners. Aoki lived up to his end of the idea which is why after he won King Of DDT he called out Maligno and told him everybody knows what he is doing. They had a match today where Maligno tried to counter the Aoki Clutch but Aoki switched over to a Modified Butterfly Lock to make the luchador give up. He then ripped the mask off Maligno’s face to reveal it was Keigo Nakamura the whole time! Nakamura admitted his real identity and explained that he couldn’t adapt to wrestling in Mexico during his excursion. Even now he does not know who he is and his confidence has disappeared after he saw how all of his juniors have surpassed him. However he still gets support from everybody in Strange Love Connection and he wants to become stronger by being with them. Aoki asked him what will he do from now on and who does he want to fight? Nakamura put the mask back on and will continue to wrestle as Viento Maligno because he’s hit rock bottom has nothing else to lose.
The opening match was officially Sanshiro Takagi’s return to action in DDT (as long as you ignore Super Japan). He feels so reenergised from his time off that he asked for the match to be Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls with no time limit applied. The 37KAMIINA agreed and quickly tried to injure him again. However he blocked Shunma Katsumata’s Totonou Splash and then Cradled him to win the first fall. He then declared the 2nd Fall would be Falls Count Anywhere. For the next two hours Takagi, Akito, Yuki Ueno and Katsumata brawled all over Shinjuku FACE and even outside on the street. Since the action was happening away from ringside, DDT decided to go on with the show and it wasn’t until the very end when the opening match returned to the ring and Takagi pinned Katsumata again to win the match in two straight falls.
Takagi said this comeback could not have been possible if it wasn’t for the other wrestlers in the match and he is feeling super pumped about winning. He’s been cheating on DDT a little bit with Super Japan but he thinks DDT is the best and he is super motivated to wrestle here again. There is one guy in particular he wants to wrestle again to reignite his passion even more. It is MAO, who he hasn’t fought against one on one since 2019 in New York! He challenged MAO to a singles match on 28th June. MAO agreed and blamed Takagi for making him the wrestler he is today. So all of the times he tried to run Takagi over with a car is really Takagi’s fault.
Junta Miyawaki’s trial through DDT’s roster is going well with two wins out of two matches so far. He fought and danced with Kazuki Hirata until Hirata was too spent to continue. Before he could be beaten, Hirata got on the microphone and reminisced about the times back when Miyawaki was a NOAH trainee when they would hang out and eat meals together. He couldn’t continue so he asked Miyawaki to complete the dance by himself but it was only so Hirata could roll him up for a nearfall. Miyawaki countered by putting the Hirata GO! glasses on Hirata’s face, forcing him to dance and be vulnerable to be pinned with a School Boy. Afterwards Miyawaki was informed by Hisaya Imabayashi that the third and final match of his trial will happen on 10th June. It will be against Danshoku Dieno! With that announcement, Dieno entered the ring carrying his pet dog Haku in a protective bag. Miyawaki asked if this is a mistake because Dieno is tougher than any other opponent he could imagine. He promised to give it his all becaue this is a once in a lifetime match for him.
A win in the 3 Way Trios match prompted DAMNATION T.A to challenge paleyouth for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles afterward. Ilusion said his unit is filled with belt collectors and if they take those titles from paleyouth they would then have 10 belts in their collection (DDT Extreme Title with Hideki Okatani, O-40 Title with Daisuke Sasaki and the group has the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles which currently makes seven). Ilusion said the challenging team will be himself, MJ Paul and Sasaki once he comes back from New Japan. The challenge was accepted and will take place on 21st June in Nagoya. Ilusion later made fun of paleyouth being full of old people because only Daichi Sato is younger than him. Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku didn’t appreciate being Ilusion calling them old geezers.
A contract signing for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match between FANTÔMES DRAMATIC and The 37KAMIINA took place at the start of the show. One of the challengers To-y unexpectedly announced he is from the future where he wins the title with Yuki Ueno and builds a castle as the Prince Of Nagoya. Chris Brookes lost his patience and kept rushing To-y to finish up his story so the show could continue. To-y ignored him and tried to get Ueno to play along that they are the champions from the future and it is they who are defending the belts instead of Brookes & HARASHIMA. Both Ueno and HARASHIMA tried to keep things on track but Brookes is clearly becoming fed up with To-y’s quirky personality.
BASARA “BASARA 308 ~UTAGE~”, 09/06/2026 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Tournament Block A – Round 1A: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Isami Kodaka
2. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Tournament Block A – Round 1B: SAGAT Vs Daiki Shimomura
3. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Tournament Block B – Round 1A: FUMA Vs Daichi Kazato
4. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Tournament Block B – Round 1B: Lil’ Kraken Vs Ryota Nakatsu
5. Takeru Inoue, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano
6. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Ayumu Honda
Normally around this time of year BASARA would hold their annual Chouten ~Itadaki~ tournament. This might still be it but they have not branded the competition as such so far. Instead Shuji Ishikawa wants the BASARA locker room to figure out for themselves who should get the next Union MAX Title shot. There are eight challengers, which isn’t enough to do a full blown Chouten playoff. Every match in the first round will have a 15 minute time limit. In the case of a draw happening, both wrestlers will be eliminated.
BASARA “BASARA 309 ~UTAGE~”, 23/06/2026 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Tournament Block A – Round 2: Winner Of Round 1A Vs Winner Of Round 1B
2. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Tournament Block B – Round 2: Winner Of Round 1A Vs Winner Of Round 1B
3. Union MAX Title Next Challenger Tournament – Final: Winner Of Block A Vs Winner Of Block B
The time limit of the semi finals will be 20 minutes each. The double elimination rule for a draw will still be in effect for that round. The final will have no time limit in the hopes of guaranteeing a winner. Imagine the company going through all that trouble just to balls it up at the last hurdle.
1. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Akito
2. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Danshoku Dieno, Naomi Yoshimura & KANON
3. Junta Miyawaki Three Match Trial – Match 2: Junta Miyawaki Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. MAO & Yukio Naya (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Viento Maligno
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Hinata Kasai Vs Daichi Sato, To-y, Yuni & Yuki Ishida
You can add Kazuma Sumi to the injury list along with Rukiya. He suffered an eye injury while wrestling in France last month but worked through it up to this past weekend. He was then diagnosed with a fractured medial wall in his right orbit and told not to wrestle for a month. He will be back after the 27th June show but until then DDT has to shuffle around their upcoming cards for his absence as well as Rukiya being hurt too. Tomorrow’s show had a couple of changes to its matchmaking from the main event right down to the opener.
Something is up with Viento Maligno and Shinya Aoki has figured it out. Well he had to go do something else when he couldn’t find Keigo Nakamura anywhere. Whatever it is he wants Maligno to admit in front of everybody, he has a chance to stretch it out of him tomorrow.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 4”, 06/06/2025 Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue
0. Surprise Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki
1. Shinjuku Takashimaya Half-Day Promotional Ambassador Time-Lag Entry Battle Royal: Kazuma Sumi Vs Junta Miyawaki Vs Yukio Naya Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Rukiya Vs Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pokotan
2. paleyouth Vs FANTÔMES DRAMATIC!: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs MAO, KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO)
A bonus Tokyo Joshi Pro tag match is happening before DDT’s day at Shinjuku Takashimaya officially begins. For Shion Kanzaki she will be returning to the scene of the crime where she witnessed Sumire Uesaka assault her boss Tetsuya Koda in the lead up to “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” earlier this year.
DDT/NJPW “ONE-ON-ONE CONFRONTATION PART 2 ~SASADANGO-GUN VS YANO-GUN 5-ON-5 ELIMINATION TAG BATTLE~”, 08/06/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
2. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
3. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
4. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
5. Sasadango-gun Vs Yano-gun: X Vs X
Sasadango-gun: Super Sasadango Machine, MAO, Kazuki Hirata, Akito, Antonio Honda
On paper this looks like the final lineup because it’s five versus five but who knows what other surprises are in store. Toru Yano has added a strong wrestler to his team with Hirooki Goto as the fifth man. Super Sasadango Machine had to do with just picking Antonio Honda because Danshoku Dieno keeps finding excuses not to take part. The latest is he wants to balance his sleeping schedule in order to watch World Cup matches live in the middle of the night.
The show is going for more of a sports feel by having Yano’s team be in red while Sasadango’s team will be in green. Fans are being encouraged to show up wearing the colour of the team they want to support.
GANBARE☆PRO “STENDHAL SYNDROME 2026”, 14/06/2026 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Shuichiro Katsumura 50th Birthday Match: Shuichiro Katsumura, Yuya Susumu & Kikujiro Umezawa Vs Yumehito Imanari, Takuya Wada & Moeka Haruhi
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Tyson Maeguchi
It will be champion versus champion for the next Spirit Of Ganbare Title Match. Tyson Maeguchi currently holds one of the tag titles but he wants to fight Mizuki Watase for the singles championship. In return Watase will get to face The Deadlock for the tag titles somewhere down the line.
A party match is being thrown for Shuichiro Katsumura just a few days before he turns fifty. Some familiar faces will be there like Moeka Haruhi who Katsumura used to team with as part of THE HALFEE. The new face showing up is a wrestler from Tokyo named Kikujiro Umezawa. Katsumura used to wrestle him often on the smaller indies over a decade ago.
DDT “KING OF KINGS ~TENKA DAIRAN~”, 28/06/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Soma Takao Comeback Match: Soma Takao Vs X
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Shinya Aoki
This year’s King Of DDT winner Shinya Aoki is ready to fight his friend Yuki Ueno for DDT’s top prize once again. They fought over the KO-D Openweight Title once before back in August 2024 and Aoki won that encounter. How much they hold each other in high esteem promises both will be fighting their very best to be the KO-D Champion once again.
After being away from six months to deal with a knee injury, Soma Takao is ready to make his comeback. He thinks he has been away for so long that there’s since been a turnover in the DDT audience and the new fans don’t know him as anything other than the Dropkick Bar manager.
DDT “CHARISMANIA IV”, 02/07/2026 Shinjuku FACE
1. O-40 Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs X
Well, the Best Of The Super Jr. isn’t working out the way Daisuke Sasaki would have liked it to. He still has the O-40 Title though and wants to defend it at his next “CHARISMANIA” show.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Delayed Entry Battle Royal: Sumire Uesaka (c) Vs X
2. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & X Vs Antonio Honda & X
3. Dramatic Dream Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kaisei Takechi
If that news doesn’t float your boat then how about Antonio Honda as one of his opponents for Sumo Hall this summer, huh? Huh? DDT doesn’t even want to put in the effort of booking their tag team partners so they told Sasaki and Honda to go find their own. There is still the competition attached to this where fans can predict what the match is going to be. Honda wants to find a partner that no one could ever guess. Sasaki is thinking the opposite and might go with his most obvious option available. Even then that leaves a big gap for guessing. Is it someone from DAMNATION T.A? How about Dick Togo, Shuji Ishikawa, El Desperado or AMAKUSA? See, it’s not be as obvious as it sounds.
GANBARE☆PRO “IT’S A SUMMER FILM 2026”, 15/08/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Chris Brookes
There might have been a chance Munetatsu Nakamura would be Watase’s next title challenger but it turns out the youngster already had a different idea he asked Ganbare☆Pro to set up for him. He wants a singles match against Chris Brookes as his way of saying thanks for everything Brookes has done for him up until now. This goes all the way back to Nakamura being a fan of Brookes to Brookes taking him under his wing as a wrestler and even helping pay for some of his medical treatment when he was out with a neck injury. The best way for Nakamura to pay him back is to beat him in a wrestling match!
It happened. It’s now done. AEW finally made it to Konosuke Takeshita’s match with Kazuchika Okada and got Takeshita out of The Don Callis Family. At last we can move on with our lives and wait to see if Takeshita’s babyface turn will turn out to be more than just a lateral move. His wife Yuka Sakazaki got some more screentime on ROH this month including a PPV main event. MAO & Yoshihiko brought Kazuma Sumi along on their latest adventure in France, giving Sumi some invaluable overseas experience away from DDT. Chris Brookes gave Munetatsu Nakamura a similar opportunity with a wild weekend over in Manila. Will the summer provide even more wrestling to follow around the globe or can we all take a break for the World Cup? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s being ruined by American corporate greed and so on but Blue Lock seems to be timing their latest story arc to climax by the time the final takes place so that gives me something to look forward to after Ireland failed to qualify. Also getting to watch South Korea Vs Czech Republic at 3am is the kind of football sicko behavior that’s been missing in my life for a while.
AEW “COLLISION”, 30/05/2026 Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Daniel Garcia
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Results
ROH “SUPERCARD SHOWDOWN”, 09/05/2026 (Aired 14/05/2026) SoFi Center, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
1. Athena, Billie Starkz & Marina Shafir defeated Yuka Sakazaki, Maya World, Lacey Lane when Athena pinned Lane after the Swanton Bomb from Starkz
So Ring Of Honor taped a few matches at the same indoor golf course AEW was at last month and they didn’t let Yuka Sakazaki loose around the place? That was a missed opportunity. Instead her warmup match for Survival Of The Fittest also involved some of the other participants Athena, Billie Starkz and Maya World. However a lot of Sakazaki’s time in this match was spent wrestling with Marina Shafir and also building up the hot tag to Lacey Lane. She also hit a big dive out of the ring onto Shafir and World but that left Lane fighting on her own. Starkz gave Lane the Swanton Bomb but not before Athena blind tagged herself in so she could get the pinfall and take the glory for herself.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/05/2026 Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville, North Carolina, USA
1. AEW World Title: Darby Allin (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Coffin Drop (15:29). *V5 for Darby Allin.
Even though Takeshita’s match with Okada was already on the schedule, he was given a big detour a few weeks before the show by getting an AEW World Title shot. It was the latest defence in Darby Allin’s eventful title run where he crammed in many title defences into one month. Takeshita couldn’t get the job done fast enough so El Clon ran down to distract the ref while Don Callis handed Takeshita the Dynamite Diamond Ring to use as a weapon. Takeshita refused to use it and threw it away. Too bad moral victories don’t win you championships because Allin made his comeback after that which included a Coffin Drop to the outside and also the Scorpion Death Drop on top of the steel steps. He hit another Coffin Drop outside the ring but Takeshita wouldn’t be beaten that way. He tried to make a comeback of his own but Allin cut it off with the Scorpion Death Lock, keeping Takeshita down long enough to land one more Coffin Drop for the win.
ROH “SUPERCARD OF HONOR”, 15/05/2026 Wicomico Youth And Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland, USA
1. ROH Women’s World Title – Survival Of The Fittest Match: Athena (c) defeated Maya World, Trish Adora, Zada Steel, Yuka Sakazaki and Billie Starkz (26:12).
1a. Athena eliminated Zayda Steel with a Rope-Assisted School Boy (5:01).
1b. Yuka Sakazaki eliminated Trish Adora with the Magical Merry-Go-Round (15:39).
1c. Billie Starkz eliminated Yuka Sakazaki with the Avalanche Star 10 (17:27).
1d. Maya World eliminated Billie Starkz with a Jackknife Pin (21:47).
1e. Athena eliminated Maya World with the O-Face from the Ladder (26:12). *V36 for Athena.
This turned out to be a mess of a match. It turned into a Hardcore Match midway through because of the whole “No DQs In In X Way Match” booking cliche so Sakazaki got to do an American style plunder match for once. She also scored an elimination by pinning Trish Adora with the Magical Merry-Go-Round. Her time in the match came to an end a few minutes later when some high risk fighting ended with Sakazaki taking Starkz’s finisher from the top rope.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “MNL”, 23/05/2026 Sari Sari Makati, Makati, Philippines ??? Fans
1. Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes defeated Hotdog De San Jose & Super P when Sabre submitted San Jose with a Manjigatame (?:??).
2. Main Ronn, Joya & Robienne Sane defeated Demonyitang Daniella Cavite, Crystal & Max Liwanag when Joya pinned Cavite with the Cutter (?:??).
3. Emman & “Mad Kat” Karina defeated Trainee Kenzo & Trainee Kiko when Emman pinned Kiko with the Styles Clash (?:??).
4. Jonathan Johnson defeated Munetatsu Nakamura with a Bridging Pin (?:??).
5. Jake De Leon & Shivam defeated Black Kat & Lifeguard Jack when De Leon pinned Black Kat with the Jumping Super Kick (?:??).
GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026 Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France
1. BZW Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Tag Match: MBM & Ultima Sombra defeated MAO & Yoshihiko (c) and Jimmy Lloyd & Jeffrey John when MBM pinned Yoshihiko with the Reincarnation Reversal (15:27). *MAO & Yoshihiko fail in V8. Rivality become the 7th BZW Tag Team Champions!
2. DDT Universal Title – 3 Way Match: Kazuma Sumi (c) defeated Gringo Loco and Leedz Lewis when Sumi pinned Lewis with the Reverse 450 Splash (14:22). *V2 for Kazuma Sumi.
Kazuma Sumi’s goal of defending the DDT Universal Title overseas finally came to pass this month. MAO got him booked for the BZW collab show with GCW in France. His match wasn’t an easy task at all because he had to fight the former Universal Champion Gringo Loco as well as French wrestler Leedz Lewis in a 3 Way bout where he could lose the title without being pinned. Sumi made the most of his moment and pinned Lewis with the Reverse 450 Splash to keep the belt and impress the fans in attendance. He said afterward that he now has a great sense of accomplishment because he can go do his style of wrestling anywhere in the world. He is eager to compete overseas again and spread his name around the planet.
The same success wasn’t there for MAO & Yoshihiko. Their year and a half long reign as BZW Tag Team Champions finally came to an end in a 3 Way Tag against a BZW team and a GCW team. Everybody brawled out of the venue and Yoshihiko did a dive off of a truck to put Jimmy Lloyd through a table. Rivality brought the belts back to their home promotion in the end when MBM found a counter to Yoshihiko’s finishing move, reversing the pin into one of his own for the three count. MAO feels happy that he got to wreak havoc in four different countries while holding the belts with Yoshihiko. His next goal in BZW is to win a singles championship so then some day DDT can hold a show in Europe!
DXCN “DAKILA II”, 24/05/2026 Brawl Pit Bulusan, Quezon City, Philippines
1. 4 Way Match: Robin Sane defeated Jonathan Johnson, Shaheen and Munetatsu Nakamura (?:??).
2. Dexcon World Title: Jake De Leon (c) defeated Chris Brookes (?:??). *V5 for Jake De Leon.
Another packed weekend in the Philippines is in the books for Brookes. He wasn’t able to come back to Japan with another championship because Jake De Leon was able to defend his Dexcon World Title against him. Munetatsu Nakamura was also part of the Dexcon weekend, taking part in a high flying 4 Way Match where Robin Sane picked up the win over Shaheen.
AEW “DOUBLE OR NOTHING”, 24/05/2026 Louis Armstrong Stadium, New York City, New York, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kazuchika Okada (c) with the Raging Fire (19:01). *Kazuchika Okada fails in V10. Konosuke Takeshita becomes the 13th AEW International Champion!
Being at the show live I can tell you the building was very excited to see Okada Vs Takeshita happen with the match graphic on the pre-show getting one of the largest pops out of the lineup. The match was fantastic even with the Don Callis drama at ringside happening midway through. Callis tried to play neutral by telling Okada not to risk injuring Takeshita. While Okada reluctantly followed that instruction, Takeshita did not do the same when Callis gave him the same order. It still took a lot for Takeshita to finally beat Okada, countering the Rainmaker with his own Lariat and then hitting a big Elbow Strike when the Wagamama only got a one count. But when he finally used the Raging Fire there was no fight left in Okada to kick out and Takeshita became the new AEW International Champion! The sweet taste of victory was quickly spoiled when The Don Callis Family all looked to turn on Takeshita after the match. Kyle Fletcher made his big return from injury to hug Takeshita only to turn on him with a backstabbing attack, confirming that our guy is now kicked out of the Family.
AEW “COLLISION”, 30/05/2026 Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
1. AEW International Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Daniel Garcia with the Raging Fire (14:27). *V1 for Konosuke Takeshita.
Takeshita had to get over the heartbreak of ProtoShita being split up by having his first International Title defence against Daniel Garcia. A wrestler like Garcia has some tricks up his sleeve, like countering Takeshita’s top rope Clothesline into an Arm Drag to the canvas where he then applied the Sharpshooter. Takeshita blocked a rolling cradle that would have set up another submission hold, turning it over to a German Suplex. The big Elbow Strike after that set up the Raging Fire and Takeshita got his first defence in the bag, all while Jon Moxley was watching on from the commentary table. Members of The Don Callis Family ran into the ring to attack Takeshita after the match while outside the ring the Death Riders and Shane Taylor Promotions all suddenly appeared to brawl with each other. If that wasn’t chaotic enough, The Conglomeration entered the fight and cleared the room so it was only them and Takeshita left in the ring. So we end the month with Takeshita finding a new bunch of friends (or an old friend in Mike Bailey’s case).
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Upcoming Appearances
EVE “EVE 150: HISTORY MAKERS RULE BREAKERS!”, 05/06/2026 Big Penny Social, London, England
1. EVE International Title: Kris Statlander (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
Right, let’s get things out of the way before the World Cup starts. Miyu Yamashita returns to EVE very soon hoping to win gold there again, this time fighting Kris Statlander from AEW for the EVE International Title. As much as I would love to see a result here that follows up from Yamashita’s match with Jamie Hayter last time around, I’m not sure if that’s something EVE is planning for.
WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026 Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany
1. Ahura & Jun Akiyama Vs 1 Called Manders & Thomas Shire
Germany welcomes Jun Akiyama for the weekend where he will meet Ahura to team up against Cowboy Way.
CMLL “FANTASTICA MANIA 2026”, 19/06/2026 Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
It is CMLL’s turn to host “FANTASTICA MANIA” and Konosuke Takeshita will be there on behalf of New Japan.
SETUP “HELLRAISER”, 27/06/2026 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Hardcore Unsanctioned Anything Goes Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Jonathan Johnson
The travelling is not ending yet for Daisuke Sasaki. A few weeks after he is done with Best Of The Super Jr. he will be going over to Thailand for a SETUP show. Jonathan Johnson threw out a challenge recently to prove he is one of the best wrestlers in his corner of the world. Sasaki answered his challenge and wants it to be unsanctioned so anything goes!
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 