Music of the Mat #119: DDT Wrestling Vol. 2

October 5, 2021

This week I was invited onto the Music Of The Mat podcast to talk about several entrance songs used in DDT. Some of the subjects include the boss music of Konosuke Takeshita, explaining why the song for Chris Brookes is enhanced by Japan’s TV production, how much I love Yukio Sakaguchi’s victory theme and we even unearth Saki Akai’s past vocal talents from some unlikely places. Music Of The Mat is a unique podcast among the wrestling community that I highly recommend going back through the catalogue for. A lot of thanks to Andrew Rich for inviting me onto the show. It was a blast.

On this episode of Music of the Mat, Andrew is joined for the first time by Jamie O’Doherty (Dramatic DDT) for another look at some themes from DDT Wrestling! With the 25th anniversary of the company only a few months away, Andrew and Jamie discuss the state of the company in 2021, the strong roster of talent at their disposal, and of course get into a grab bag of various themes for Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo, Danshoku Dieno, Saki Akai, Jun Akiyama, and more!

Follow Music of the Mat on Twitter: @MusicoftheMat


Nagano Sell Out, Isami Step In For Title Match, Kamen Vs Kikutato Final Showdown? HEAT-Up Added To DDTeeeen!!

October 5, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS II”, 09/10/2021
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaicho Vs Haruna Neko, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
2. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Hyper Misao Vs Nodoka Tenma
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka Vs Nao Kakuta & Marika Kobashi
4. Riho & Shoko Nakajima Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Special Tag Match: Aja Kong & Moka Miyamoto Vs Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
7. International Princess Title: Hikari Noa (c) Vs Yuki Aino
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Maki Itoh

I’m aiming to have a preview for the show posted on Thursday.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2021 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 10/10/2021
Nagano City Museum Of Art Act Space

1. Soma Takao Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & MAO Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani
3. Tetsuya Endo & Ilusion Vs Akito & Yuya Koroku
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs Junretsu!: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Mizuki Watase
5. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
6. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Antonio Honda

Toru Owashi’s marketing strategy of has worked. Booking Yasushi Kanda has led to the show selling out!

DDT “GET ALIVE 2021”, 12/10/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Baliyan Akki Vs Gota Ihashi, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Yoshihiko Vs Kazuki Hirata
0. Dark Match: Saki Akai Vs Riko Kawahata
1. Yuki Ishida Debut Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Soma Takao
3. Road To D-Ou Grand Prix 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino, Yuki Ueno & MAO
4. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani
5. DDT Extreme Title: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yumiko Hotta
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura
7. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Isami Kodaka

The newly babyfaced Daisuke Sasaki sent out the call. His planned DDT Universal Title match was cancelled so he is willing to defend the belt against anybody at Korakuen Hall next week. Isami Kodaka answered the challenge, offering to fight on behalf of his fellow Sento Minzoku stablemate Minoru Fujita. Kodaka also previously challenged Sasaki for the Universal Title in a Hardcore 3 Way Match last June. The heel Sasaki wouldn’t have taken this challenge. But he’s a babyface now so he is all for it and thinks it is destiny to fight Kodaka again. His goal is to deliver an exciting match, win fairly then wake up early tomorrow morning and shine in the sun.

Konosuke Takeshita’s goal for the rest of 2021 is to remain a double champion until the end of the year and to also win the D-Ou Grand Prix. He wants to finish the year with as many wins as he can get. HARASHIMA thinks DISASTER BOX needs to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles because championships are a symbol of strength. Shunma Katsumata pinned HARASHIMA to win the belt so he cannot lose it back to him. He also thinks Naomi Yoshimura isn’t as strong in tag matches as he is in singles. He is basing this opinion on their time wrestling each other in DNA.

Tetsu Inada will be at the show to do guest commentary. The voice actor previously had a starring role on the recent Hiragana Muscle shows.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 8 ~LAUGHING GATE FORTUNE~”, 17/10/2021
Osaka City Abeno Ward Center

1. Masahiro Takanashi Returns To Osaka! Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X & X
2. Tag Team Gauntlet Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Yasu Urano & Kengo Takai Vs Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs X & X
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Duel of Tohoku, Osaka And Shinjuku Bloodlines~: Soma Takao, Tsubasa & HUB Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Billiken Kid
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Research, Extreme, Fierce, Crash~: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuaki Mihara
5. Special Tag Match ~ South Osaka Great War! Izumi Vs Kishiwada: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Magnitude Kishiwada & Inaba no Buffalo
6. Special Tag Match ~OSAKA THE BEST~: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Shigehiro Irie & Naomi Yoshimura
7. Special Singles Match To Commemorate Yukinori Matsui’s 25th Anniversary Of His Debut Two Years Later: Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro

A press conference was held by Yukinori Matsui, Kuishinbo Kamen and Kikutaro to promote what could be the final showdown between the two legendary figures of Osaka wrestling. Kikutaro got bored and started playing on his phone. When Matsui tried to stop him, Kikutaro knocked him out. Kamen then drew on Matsui’s face with a marker.

DDT “DDTEEEEN!!”, 27/10/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Yuki Ueno Vs Hideki Okatani
2. Keigo Nakamura & Yuya Koroku Vs Raimu Imai & SHINGO
3. MAO Vs Daichi Sato
4. Vent Vert Jack Vs You-sei☆Estrella
5. El Unicorn Vs Ilusion

A couple of wrestlers from HEAT-UP are added to the card. Raimu Imai was part of the 10-Man Tag at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2021”. Cyclist SHINGO appeared at one of the Beer Garden shows during the summer. The new name in the group is 13 year old Daichi Sato. He had his debut match last month.


Video – Chikara Vs Kendo Kashin From Ganbare☆Climax 2017

October 5, 2021

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆CLIMAX 2017 1ST ROUND”, 11/08/2017
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
141 Fans – No Vacancy

Ganbare☆Climax – Round 1: Chikara Vs Kendo Kashin


DDT “GET ALIVE 2021 TOUR IN YAMAGATA” Results

October 3, 2021

DDT “GET ALIVE 2021 TOUR IN YAMAGATA”, 03/10/2021
Yamagata Big Wing
155 Fans

1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata when Ueno pinned Honda and Hirata with a Double Crucifix Pin (11:15).
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Soma Takao & Gorgeous Matsuno when Iino pinned Matsuno with the Pheromone Clutch (11:55).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & Toru Owashi defeated Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani when Sasaki submitted Okatani with the Crossface Lock (10:41).
4. Chris Brookes, Kazusada Higuchi & Keisuke Goto defeated Yuji Hino, Akito & Yuya Koroku when Goto pinned Koroku with the Jackhammer (16:04).
5. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated Tetsuya Endo & Keigo Nakamura when Okada pinned Nakamura with the Sudden Death (13:40).
6. Yamagata Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO defeated HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Hiroshi Yamato when Katsumata pinned Yoshimura with the Firebird Splash (18:37).

The MADMAX followed by the Firebire Splash gave Shunma Katsumata a vital pinfall over Naomi Yoshimura in the build up to the next KO-D Tag Team Titles defence. Afterwards Katsumata said his bond with Konosuke Takeshita means he is not afraid of HARASHIMA & Yoshimura.

Keigo Nakamura found himself being targeted by Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada. Now Tetsuya Endo was there to preview his D-Ou Grand Prix bout with Akiyama but Akiyama’s focus changed back to Nakamura. When Junretsu won the match, Okada held up Nakamura’s KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Title belt and promised to win it on 12th October.

Gorgeous Matsuno, who is celebrating his 20th anniversary this year, promised to hold a DDT show in Fukushima next year.

It’s a fresh start and a new attitude for Daisuke Sasaki. He is now a babyface! Toru Owashi explained to the fans that Sasaki has done many bad things all across Japan. Starting today he will do what he can to change everybody’s minds about him. Sasaki tried to cut a promo but Owashi slapped him because it sounded too intimidating. Owashi then spent the match watching over Sasaki’s actions to make sure he was acting like the babyface he is now supposed to be. It was clumsy at times but Sasaki won the match clean in the end. After the match Sasaki asked DDT to find him an opponent to defend the DDT Universal Title against.

The Pheromone Clutch Yuki Iino used is similar to the Delfin Clutch, but with a sexy muscle pose. The move is a pin hold and Iino did get a three count but Matsuno may have given up while he was in it. Either way the move turned out to be effective.


Yamagata Tomorrow, Unicorn Injured, Universal Title Match Cancelled

October 2, 2021

DDT “GET ALIVE 2021 TOUR IN YAMAGATA”, 03/10/2021
Yamagata Big Wing

1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Soma Takao & Gorgeous Matsuno
3. Daisuke Sasaki & Toru Owashi Vs Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
4. Chris Brookes, Kazusada Higuchi & Keisuke Goto Vs Yuji Hino, Akito & Yuya Koroku
5. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Tetsuya Endo & Keigo Nakamura
6. Yamagata Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Hiroshi Yamato

This is the match order for tomorrow’s show in Yamagata.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2021 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 10/10/2021
Nagano City Museum Of Art Act Space

1. Soma Takao Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & MAO Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs Junretsu!: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Mizuki Watase
4. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
5. Tetsuya Endo & Ilusion Vs Akito & Yuya Koroku
6. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Antonio Honda

El Unicorn injured his left hand during training and will rest until the end of the month. Yuya Koroku takes his place for the tag match in Nagano.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2021”, 12/10/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Baliyan Akki Vs Gota Ihashi, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Yoshihiko Vs Kazuki Hirata
0. Dark Match: Saki Akai Vs Riko Kawahata
1. Yuki Ishida Debut Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Soma Takao
3. Road To D-Ou Grand Prix 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino, Yuki Ueno & MAO
4. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani
5. DDT Extreme Title: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yumiko Hotta
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura

Unfortunately Minoru Fujita’s illness is not getting any better. He is currently in hospital and there is no timeframe for his recovery yet. His DDT Universal Title match with Daisuke Sasaki has been cancelled and a replacement match is currently being planned. DDT is hoping to do a singles match between Sasaki and Fujita in the future when Fujita is healed and able to wrestle again.

DDT “DDTEEEEN!!”, 27/10/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Vent Vert Jack Vs You-sei☆Estrella
2. El Unicorn Vs Ilusion

Unicorn’s match on the DDTeeeen!! show is still on. He is expected to be fully recovered by then.


“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI BOX OFFICE YOPPARAI IS BACK” Results

October 1, 2021

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI BOX OFFICE YOPPARAI IS BACK”, 01/10/2021
Shinjuku FACE
202 Fans

0. Dark Match: Gota Ihashi & Antonio Honda (w/ Sayaka Obihiro & KUDO) defeated Dragon Sakurabo, “Old Wise Man” Human-Zee & Tiger Jeet Singh-juku Sumidagawa (w/ Haru Miyako) when Ihashi pinned Human-Zee with a Running Body Press (5:58).
1. Saki Akai & Rina Yamashita defeated Yuna Mizumori & Mei Suruga when Yamashita pinned Mizumori with the Implant Bomb (17:19).
-. Bonus Track – Special Single Match: Ken Ohka Vs DJ Nira ended in a No Contest when Gota Ihashi and the UMA Corps interfered (12:54).
2. Kazusada Higuchi, ken45° & Manjimaru defeated Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Yasu Urano when Higuchi pinned Urano with the Brain Claw Slam (16:40).
3. Kenichiro Arai defeated Baliyan Akki with a Crushed Swan Dive Rotating Cradle (13:54).
4. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno) defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes when Kei pinned Takanashi with a Suitcase Attack (15:05).

After so many cancellations and postponements due to the pandemic, Masahiro Takanashi got to hold his comeback show at last! It took so long that Takanashi has already returned from injury and wrestled a bunch of matches before today. But that didn’t dampen the occasion one bit. Takanashi reunited his CDK team with Chris Brookes to take on The Brahman Brothers with Gorgeous Matsuno in tow. The Brahmans wrestled in pandemic masks the entire time and made Takanashi suffer with their brand of torture until Brookes made the save. Then the match fell apart when one by one the wrestlers from earlier in the show interfered and caused chaos. CDK managed to clear the ring eventually but The Brahmins threw a suitcase at Takanashi, knocking him out long enough to get pinned.

After the match The Brahmans told everyone it is a difficult experience wrestling in pandemic masks for 15 minutes. They also couldn’t believe the bad luck surrounding this show. It got delayed by the pandemic a bunch of times and now when it finally takes place, a typhoon happens preventing some of the fans from travelling to see the show! Matsuno corrected them by saying he was able to safely travel all the way from Fukushima during the typhoon. After they left, Takanashi apologized to Brookes for losing the match. The result may be disappointing but today his dream of getting to team with Brookes again came true. Brookes cheered him up and said he has a new dream for them. A match between CDK and Shuten-dōji! Takanashi invited Yukio Sakaguchi and KUDO into the ring to tell them they should do that match some day. Takanashi ended the show by saying some of his goals and dreams are the same but they can change and become something new. He also wants to do another self-produced show.

Baliyan Akki was here to wrestle a clean match but Kenichiro Arai had laid some tricks to tip things in his favour. Midway through the match Arai escaped the ring, made Akki chase him around ringside and back into the ring so he could roll him up for a nearfall. Arai then offered a handshake to distract Akki so he could kick him below the belt. Akki tried to win with a Swan Dive Sunset Flip but Arai sat down on the move and held onto the ropes to pin him without the referee seeing him cheat. Akai went for one more cheapshot after the match but Akki countered it with a Dropkick and demanded a rematch.

Kazusada Higuchi and Sakaguchi both showed up wearing matching gear to ken45° & Manjimaru. Higuchi withstood the teamwork of Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura to isolate Yasu Urano. He finished him off with a twisting Brain Claw Slam to win. After the match Kodaka and Sakaguchi had a staredown but it ended with a fist bump.

The joshi tag began with Rina Yamashita and Yuna Mizumori having a sumo bout together. When they were done, Saki Akai then asked Mei Suruga for a test of strength but held her hand up too high for Suruga to reach. That led to Suruga piggybacking on Mizumori while Yamashita made Akai sit on her shoulders to do the test. It ended with Yamashita Double Clotheslining the other team with Akai still on her shoulders. Akai and Suruga continued to get on each others nerves but the match came down to the other two. Mizumori charged in and Yamashita caught her with the Implant Bomb to win.

The dark match was a preview of things to come throughout the show. The UMA Corps promised to commit chaos using a saber that was inherited from Tiger Jeet Singh himself. It was up to Gota Ihashi & Antonio Honda to stop them but they weren’t reliable at all. Sayaka Obihiro & KUDO had to get involved and guide their team to victory. That wasn’t the end though. When the match was over Haru Miyako instructed her monsters to wrap a bull rope around Ihashi’s neck and drag him off. Honda stuck around to give the opening show speech with “Kotori”, the Gatoh Move wrestler who retired back in 2017.

Later in the show the fans were treated to a bonus match between Ken Ohka and DJ Nira. That match never finished because The UMA Corps returned to cause more havoc. Ihashi ran back out to even the odds and the fighting continued until the room went dark. When the lights came back on, Daisuke Kiso was left alone in the ring wearing a diaper. He crawled around the ring while the ring was getting disinfected.


Video – Magical Sugar Rabbits Vs NEO Niishiki-gun For The Princess Tag Titles From 2019

September 30, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 08/06/2019
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
285 Fans – Super No Vacancy

Tokyo Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Sakisama & Misao


Video – Ken Ohka 20th Anniversary Match

September 30, 2021

GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION -ULTRA PLEASURE STYLE 2021”, 25/09/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
396 Fans

Ken Ohka 20th Anniversary Special Tag Match ~Roar Of The Lion King~: Ken Ohka & Isami Kodaka Vs HARASHIMA & Kengo Mashimo


Training To Fight UMA Corps, Returns For Wrestle Princess Plus A Debut, Secret Captain’s Fall

September 29, 2021

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI BOX OFFICE YOPPARAI IS BACK”, 01/10/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Dragon Sakurabo, “Old Wise Man” Human-Zee & Tiger Jeet Singh-juku Sumidagawa (w/ Haru Miyako) Vs Gota Ihashi & Antonio Honda (w/ Sayaka Obihiro & KUDO)
2. Saki Akai & Rina Yamashita Vs Yuna Mizumori & Mei Suruga
3. Kazusada Higuchi, ken45° & Manjimaru Vs Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Yasu Urano
4. Kenichiro Arai Vs Baliyan Akki
5. Masahiro Takanashi & Chris Brookes Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno)

The UMA Corps are an army that you cannot take lightly. Gota Ihashi is preparing for the match by going through a special heavy eating training regimen under the watchful eye of comedian Yuji Nakamura. Word of this training reached Miyako Haru of the UMA Corps. She warned that her monsters will create a bloodbath and when they’re done, she would be happy to deal with Nakamura personally.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS II”, 09/10/2021
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Raku, Pom Harajuku & Ram Kaichow Vs Haruna Neko, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
2. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Hyper Misao Vs Nodoka Tenma
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka Vs Nao Kakuta & Marika Kobashi
4. Riho & Shoko Nakajima Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
5. Special Tag Match: Aja Kong & Moka Miyamoto Vs Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai
6. International Princess Title: Hikari Noa (c) Vs Yuki Aino
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Maki Itoh

A few returns makes sure that everybody is here for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s biggest event. Rika Tatsumi is back from her sudden absence and is added to Hyper Misao Vs Nodoka Tenma to make it a 3 Way Match.

Mahiro Kiryu is cleared from her neck injury to wrestle again. She gets added to the opener. To even out the teams, Ram Kaichow from Triple Six makes her TJPW debut and joins in to make it a 6-Woman Tag!

DDT “GET ALIVE 2021”, 12/10/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Baliyan Akki Vs Gota Ihashi, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Yoshihiko Vs Kazuki Hirata
0. Dark Match: Saki Akai Vs Riko Kawahata
1. Yuki Ishida Debut Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Soma Takao
3. Road To D-Ou Grand Prix 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi & Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Hino, Yuki Ueno & MAO
4. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Hiroshi Yamato & Keigo Nakamura (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani
5. DDT Extreme Title: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yumiko Hotta
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura
7. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Minoru Fujita

What on earth is this card layout? Three dark matches are put together including one where Kazuki Hirata wants revenge on Yoshihiko after the doll embarrassed him last weekend. Another one has Masahiro Takanashi bringing together a ChocoPro trio with Antonio Honda & Baliyan Akki. On the main card there’s a preview match for the D-Ou Grand Prix.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 8 ~LAUGHING GATE FORTUNE~”, 17/10/2021
Osaka City Abeno Ward Center

1. Masahiro Takanashi Returns To Osaka! Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X & X
2. Tag Team Gauntlet Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Yasu Urano & Kengo Takai Vs Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs X & X
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Duel of Tohoku, Osaka And Shinjuku Bloodlines~: Soma Takao, Tsubasa & HUB Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Billiken Kid
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Research, Extreme, Fierce, Crash~: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Daisuke Sekimoto Vs Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuaki Mihara
5. Special Tag Match ~ South Osaka Great War! Izumi Vs Kishiwada: Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Magnitude Kishiwada & Inaba no Buffalo
6. Special Tag Match ~OSAKA THE BEST~: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Shigehiro Irie & Naomi Yoshimura
7. Special Singles Match To Commemorate Yukinori Matsui’s 25th Anniversary Of His Debut Two Years Later: Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro

More craziness added to celebrate Yukinori Matsui’s anniversary.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆JOSHI PRO WRESTLING ~ITOSHISATO KOKORONOKABE 2021~”, 24/10/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. YuuRI “Glamorous Valkyrie” Trial Single Match Round 1: YuuRI Vs Asuka
2. Secret Captain’s Fall Elimination 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuna Manase, Moeka Haruhi & Cherry Vs Yuu Yamagata, Makoto & HARUKAZE

The Captain’s Fall Tag is an elimination match but it can immediately end when a team captain gets eliminated. The catch here is nobody knows who the captain is until they are beaten. On the surface, Yuna Manase and Yuu Yamagata look like the obvious choices for captains but the teams can play it sneaky if they want to. Maybe HARUKAZE gets to show how much stronger she has become? How about Moeka Haruhi take charge in Ganbare☆Joshi for once? Cherry can be the wild card choice. And don’t get me started on Makoto. If somebody tells her she can use this match to become a Hashira like Kyojuro Rengoku she is going to take it. Have you seen her social media lately? If you ever find someone who loves you as much as Makoto loves Kyojuro then you will live a happy life indeed.

YuuRI is getting the dreaded trial series. The win-loss records are never good but the experience gained is invaluable. Her first opponent is Asuka.


D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II

September 29, 2021

The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 already happened at the end of last year. From 2019-2021 DDT held a big arena show early in the year which did not give them much time to organize a round robin tournament to determine who gets a KO-D Openweight Title shot at said show. The solution they came up with was to hold the Grand Prix during the previous winter, giving them ample time to get their plans together. That is how they ended up with the annual sports game franchise naming convention. So to synchronize the tournament name back to the right year, DDT is doing the 2021 Grand Prix again. It’s time for D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II! Both blocks have six wrestlers and the winner of each block advances to the final. 2 points for a win, 1 points for a draw and 0 points for a loss. Block matches have a 30 minute time limit and the final has no time limit.

A Block

Jun Akiyama (2nd Appearance, 2021 Winner)
Tetsuya Endo (5th Appearance)
Yuki Ueno (3rd Appearance)
Naomi Yoshimura (2nd Appearance)
Yuji Hino (1st Appearance)
Bodyguard (1st Appearance)

B Block

Konosuke Takeshita (5th Appearance, 2019 Winner)
HARASHIMA (5th Appearance)
Kazusada Higuchi (4th Appearance)
Chris Brookes (3rd Appearance)
MAO (3rd Appearance)
Yuji Okabayashi (1st Appearance)

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN OTA-KU”, 03/11/2021
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

1. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Chihiro Hashimoto & Yukio Naya
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Decision Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yusuke Okada & X
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Yuki Ueno
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuji Hino
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuji Okabayashi
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA Vs Kazusada Higuchi

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN YOKOHAMA”, 06/11/2021
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Yuji Hino
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Bodyguard
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MAO

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN NIIGATA”, 07/11/2021
Niigata Bandaijima Multipurpose Plaza Large Kama

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Naomi Yoshimura
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: MAO Vs Yuji Okabayashi

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN SHINJUKU”, 10/11/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Tetsuya Endo
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuji Hino Vs Bodyguard
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs MAO
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Yuji Okabayashi

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN KYOTO”, 13/11/2021
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Naomi Yoshimura
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Bodyguard
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Yuji Hino
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA Vs MAO
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Chris Brookes

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN OSAKA”, 14/11/2021
Osaka 176BOX

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Bodyguard
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuji Okabayashi
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs MAO

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 21/11/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Jun Akiyama Vs Bodyguard
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Ueno
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – B Block: HARASHIMA Vs Yuji Okabayashi

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 II THE FINAL”, 05/12/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 II – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block