DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,138 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated El Unicorn & Raimu Imai when Ilusion pinned Unicorn with the RE:VISION1 (8:15).
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (9:02).
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao defeated Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko when Ishii pinned Hirata with the Running Double Arm Driver (10:39).
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Gorgeous Matsuno and Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Oishi pinned Matsuno with a Cradle (4:54). *Makoto Oishi becomes the 4th O-40 Champion!
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada ended in a No Contest (11:21).
5. Special Tag Match: Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda when Howitzer pinned Honda after the Master Blaster (7:46).
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Saki Akai defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Quetzalcoatl (9:19).
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (12:26).
8. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada defeated Hikaru Machida with the Samurai Driver ’01 (6:31).
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno when Sasaki submitted Shinno with La Mistica Crossface Lock (11:55).
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) defeated Kotaro Suzuki with a Wrist-Clutch Cradle (10:48). *V4 for Jun Akiyama.
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sanshiro Takagi by Knockout (13:17).
12. International Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Samuray Del Sol with the WR (13:28).
13. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo defeated Naruki Doi (c) with the Burning Star Press (20:49). *Naruki Doi fails in V2. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 10th DDT Universal Champion!
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu when MAO pinned Nakatsu after the Oretachi no Madmax (18:15). *V4 for ShunMao.
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yukio Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:23). *V1 for Yuji Hino.
Settle in folks because this is going to be a long one. DDT produced 16 matches across over almost 6 hours in Korakuen Hall to celebrate their 26th Anniversary. The spotlight at the end was given to Yuji Hino defending the KO-D Openweight Title against Yukio Naya. Hino had become something of a mentor to Naya over the last two years and today was a chance for the young heavyweight project to try and take the company’s top spot. With Kenta Kobashi watching from the commentary table, the two wrestlers threw heavy strikes and slam to each other. Naya eventually became flustered by the challenge, yelling this wasn’t going the way it was supposed to be while getting into another strike exchange late into the match. Hino took Naya’s best shots but the same could not be said vice versa. Naya looked to be down for the count until Hino stopped the referee and demanded his opponent to return back to his feet under his own strength. When Naya did Hino took him down with a Lariat but only got a two count out of it. He then finished off Naya with the Fuckin’ BOMB to successfully defend the KO-D Title.
After the match Kobashi presented Hino with the KO-D Title and Hino shook Naya’s hand. Hisaya Imabayashi informed the champion that his next defence will be at Yokohama Budokan on 3rd May. Before Naya could comment on that they were suddenly interrupted by Pheromones! According to Danshoku Dieno, Hino’s next challenger is going to be Yuki “Sexy” Iino! Earlier in the show Pheromones made a promise to Imabayashi not to get naked during their match and in return Iino should get a KO-D Title shot. Imabayashi refused because he thinks Pheromones did not live up to their promise. Hino agreed with the GM and told Iino to come back once he starts behaving like a more serious wrestler. Dieno said Hino is a big, heavy and strong man but is missing something. DDT needs a champion who is big, heavy, strong and naughty. The only man who fulfills those requirements is Iino! Imabayashi put off making a decision since everybody is feeling tired after such a long show. Hino said DDT is the only place that can do that kind of overkill. He praised the roster for putting on amazing matches today and told the fans if you want to see amazing matches then come see DDT where he the amazing champion!
It was time for MAO to get over his negative memories of DNA and Ryota Nakatsu by finally standing up to him. ShunMao put the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line against Harimao in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Nakatsu brought out the plastic baseball bat he carried around in DNA and bullied MAO into doing a dance he used to do to make others laugh. MAO did what he was told despite Shunma Katsumata’s protests. Kazusada Higuchi then attacked Katsumata and brought him up to the balcony while Nakatsu dragged MAO over to the spot on the floor beneath it. Higuchi tried to throw Katsumata over the balcony with a Power Bomb but Katsumata escaped. So Higuchi found a nearby turnbuckle pad in the balcony and threw it at MAO down below. The brawl moved over to the lobby where Higuchi put Katsumata through a table near the staircase by jumping off a vending machine. Katsumata got one back in the aisle towards ringside by doing the Stuka Splash off of the entrance onto Higuchi. ShunMao brought out ring boards used for the canvas and bridged them over the front row barricade. They slammed Nakatsu onto the boards with the Oretachi no Madmax to get the 3 count and finally but MAO’s bad memories to bed.
ShunMao met with Imabayashi in the ring afterwards to find out where their next title defence would be. Suddenly Keigo Nakamura entered the ring, saying he and HARASHIMA should be the next challengers. Nakamura acted the same after his match earlier in the show. HARASHIMA went along with the idea because he wants to see Nakamura work hard and take advantage of his momentum. MAO isn’t interested in fighting HARASHIMA but Nakamura has caught his attention from out of nowhere. The title challenge was accepted and will take place in Korakuen on 9th April. When that was settled, all members of The 37KAMIINA got together in the ring and did their group pose.
That period of the show turned out to be a busy one for MAO. He was involved in the aftermath of the DDT Universal Title match. Tetsuya Endo won that championship for the first time by dethroning Naruki Doi. Endo’s knee was targeted and some of his high risk moves missed, like the Swan Dive Firebird Splash. But he also kicked out of the Bakatare Sliding Kick and blocked the Noshigami. Doi got stunned with an Overhead Kick and was thrown to the canvas with the Tetsuya In The Ski With Diamonds. Endo got the win when he did the Burning Star Press, taking the Universal Title away from Doi. After the match Endo apologised to Doi for calling him an enemy outsider. Doi carried DDT on his back by bringing the Universal Title with him to his matches for other companies and for that reason Endo now accepts him as one of us. Backstage Doi said he was planning on withdrawing from DDT after the loss but he cannot end his run here like this. He’ll be back to win more championships and other achievements!
MAO then entered the ring to challenge Endo to a title match. Endo got annoyed because he wants to fight challengers from around the world, not a neighbor from Miyagi! MAO brought up that he is currently one half of the KO-D Tag Champions and is also a former Universal Champion so he is qualified for a shot. Endo reluctantly agreed and brought up that MAO is probably more famous than him overseas. Endo is also still the tourism ambassador of Shiriashi City so he has the power to ban MAO from Miyagi if given the chance! The match will take place on 3rd May.
An international showdown saw Yuki Ueno defeat the visiting Samuray Del Sol. The match had dives back and forth from both as they tried to out-do each other. Ueno avoided the Soledo Del Sol but got caught with a Reverse Frankensteiner that’s called the Rising Sun for a nearfall. Ueno got his bearings back though and picked up the win once he put Del Sol in the WR. Backstage Del Sol said Ueno’s name sounds like “bueno” and it was a great honour to fight a great wrestler like him. Ueno said he is still carrying DDT on his back even though he no longer has the Universal Title. Even without the championship he wants to let the world know about DDT.
The relationship between Sanshiro Takagi and Konosuke Takeshita is similar to one between a father and son. Takeshita has grown up in DDT to become the wrestler he is today. It means a lot to Tagaki, so much so that preview video of the match revealed Takagi’s original dream plan for the company’s 25th Anniversary show. His dream was to hold that show in the Tokyo Dome and headline it with Takeshita Vs Kota Ibushi. Takeshita also means so much to Takagi that he felt if there was ever going to be a singles match between them it would be Takagi’s retirement match. Today the match finally happened and Takagi put everything he had into it. He did Avalanche Brainbusters only for Takeshita to return with his own, including one that went through a table outside the ring. Takagi had to rely on using the Stunner and he gave the move to Takeshita over and over and over. Takeshita was tough enough to take those Stunners and fire back with the Zahi twice. A beaten Takagi told Takeshita to finish him off with one more Zahi. Tears came down Takeshita’s face but he did the move one more time. Takagi suddenly popped back up to give Takeshita one more Stunner but that was it. Takeshita got back to his feet while Takagi couldn’t, ending the match with a knockout. Afterwards Takeshita told everyone he will win a singles championship in AEW as a DDT wrestler no matter what it takes. In exchange for this, he wants to see Takagi win the KO-D Title one more time before he decides to retire! He doesn’t care how long it takes because one day both Takeshita and Takagi will both fulfill this promise and then they can face each other one more time.
Jun Akiyama fought his favourite disciple Kotaro Suzuki in the fourth defence of his DDT Extreme Title reign. In a change of pace for the championship, there were no special rules attached to the match. It was a regular pro wrestling match between two of the best to do it. Suzuki got a nearfall with the Tiger Driver and held his ground to stop Akiyama from doing the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex. But Akiyama kept his grip on Suzuki’s wrist and rolled him over into a cradle to get the win. Suzuki was happy with how the match went despite losing. He sees the result as a kick up the pants for him to continue fighting for his goals.
Akiyama appreciated the subdued nature of the match compared to the rest of the card. He was sent crashing back into the DDT world afterwards though when his next challenger appeared. Shunma Katsumata quickly got into the ring, asked for a title match and left so he could prepare for the KO-D Tag Title bout. Akiyama told Imabayashi he accepts the challenge and the match will take place on 3rd May. He also wants a message to be sent back to Katsumata telling him he has no chance of winning.
DAMNATION T.A were back to good strength with Daisuke Sasaki’s return to the ring after recovering from a left eye injury. There was a little bit of rustiness, particularly the part where Sasaki’s chair attacks hit MJ Paul & KANON by accident. That gave Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno to take control of the match. However Sasaki used a ref bump to give Shinno a Low Blow. He then got him in La Mistica Crossface Lock for the submission win.
Sasaki got on the microphone after the match. First he told Parker they should do a singles match sometime. Then he called Imabayashi incompetent because Sasaki got up to something while he was gone. Sasaki didn’t spend the last two months away from the ring by lying around in a hospital. He went on day trips to get a deal done for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” that Imabayashi did not know about. Sasaki has put himself in a big match for Sumo Hall on 23rd July. The video screen then revealed Sasaki’s opponent will be El Desperado! The two wrestlers have been angling for a match for a long time now. Sasaki’s message to Desperado is the DDT ring will be where he will beat him up first! Until then, Sasaki might decide to disappear again until the match takes place.
Takeshi Masada scored a big win by beating Hikaru Machida in a strike heavy battle. Machida had Tanomusaku Toba in his corner giving the kickboxer advice. Masada found himself taking big shots from Machida but once the rookie got to do the Samurai Driver ’01, it was all over. Machida admitted it was a complete defeat and he has to start over if he wants to survive in pro wrestling. Masada is happy with the result but is also concerned over how beat up he is getting in these matchups, even when he wins. He knows he has to continue working hard to make up for that difference.
HARASHIMA & Nakamura’s path to the KO-D Tag Title shot came from them beating Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani. HARASHIMA scored the fall but it was Nakamura who suddenly got on the microphone and declared the two of them will use this momentum to get a title shot. The comments got a good response from the fans so HARASHIMA told him they would talk about it backstage. As mentioned above, they came back out after the KO-D Tag Title match and made their challenge official. Meanwhile Okatani said he now won’t be in good shape going into the 3 Way Qualifying Battle for the King Of DDT taking place on 1st April. Sakaguchi told him he will have to fight through the pain.
Saki Akai kicked off her 10th anniversary celebration with a massive win over Masahiro Takanashi, the man she teamed with for her debut match a decade ago. The special ocassion was almost spoiled thanks to interference from Chris Brookes. He gave Akai a Diving Senton outside the ring, taking out Okatani with a Dropkick in the process. That got all of Eruption more involved in reaction to this with Sakaguchi giving Brookes a PK and sticking around to stop Takanashi from cheating again. Akai got her second wind by wiping all of those people out with a Cross Body outside the ring. She caught up to Takanashi by stunning him with the Rookie Award and then hit the Quetzalcoatl to score the upset win. Akai said she was able to win by showing everyone she has learned a lot more than just what Takanashi had taught her.
PowerPoint Presentations are not going to stop The Wasteland War Party from doing what they want. Super Sasadango Machine made one to show how he and Antonio Honda would beat their opponents today. He reckoned Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer were not on the same page after losing the Princess Tag Team Titles in Tokyo Joshi Pro a few days ago. So the plan was to act friendly towards Max so they will fall out with Howitzer and split the team apart. Then they can coax Max over to their side by promising gifts like food and Mad Max DVDs. It looked to be working at first. Max accepted the food and began eating it while Howitzer complained. But Sasadango & Honda couldn’t capitalize and soon the War Party became a reunited force. Max & Howitzer solved their problems and went on to win the match. Sasadango & Honda called it a scary experience. However Sasadango also ended up taking a liking to Howitzer and wonders if maybe something nice could happen between them under different circumstances. He also noticed Max looks like they enjoy being in Japan. It makes him hope more foreign wrestlers will visit and fall in love with the country. He knows foreign wrestlers like the hard hitting power fighters like Kenta Kobashi and Kensuke Sasaki but he hopes today’s match will let those people know there are wrestlers like Sasadango & Honda in Japan too.
I mentioned earlier that Pheromones made a promise to Imabayashi as part of their plan to get Iino a KO-D Title shot. That promise was they would keep their clothes on for their match and if they broke that rule they would be disqualified. Toru Owashi taunted Iino by claiming to be sexier than he is. Iino submitted to his urges and tried to strip out of his costume anyway. When Imabayashi got on the microphone to warn Iino, all of Pheromones gave Yukinori Matsui a Low Blow. Imabayashi then had to be rescued by the other wrestlers causing Akito, Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada to all get knocked out by very lewd moves. By the time Pheromones got their hands on Imanari and did their thing, Matsui recovered and threw the match out. Dieno claimed his side kept their promise because the match ended in a No Contest instead of a DQ.
Makoto Oishi used his tricky wrestling style to tangle up both of his opponents to win the vacant O-40 Title. He had a small alliance with Gorgeous Matsuno that broke down when Matsuno saw his chance to win. Matsuno got Shinichiro Kawamatsu with the Gorgeous Star Elbow only for Oishi to pounce on top of him to steal the three count and win the belt. Oishi said the title is seen as a comedy championship but he wants it to be something for every wrestler around the world over the age of 40 will want to fight him for. Matsuno swears he will get revenge and take back what belongs to him. Kawamatsu has heard stories about wrestlers backstabbing each other so he wasn’t surprise to find out that happened with his two opponents.
Kazuki Hirata got to celebrate 13 years in the business by teaming with Yoshihiko. He warned Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao not to treat Yoshihiko like a doll then proceeded to use Yoshihiko as a weapon against both of them. Takao got Yosihiko trapped in the Official Endless Waltz but he wasn’t able to get a three count out of it. Hirata threw some Clotheslines that he called the 13th Anniversary Bomber. Yoshihiko gave Takao the Reincarnation but Ishii broke the pin. Takao used the Gin And Tonic on Yoshihiko to take the doll out of the match so Ishii could beat Hirata with the Running Double Arm Driver. It’s been a while since Hirata fought Ishii. He has nothing but good things to say about Ishii, calling him the same old monster with the great wrestling mind. Ishii said Hirata was a very good wrestler when he began 13 years ago and he was even better than that today.
The opening match of the main show saw Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeating Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi. Koroku blocked a Moonsault from Sumi with his knees and then submitted him with the Modified Triangle Lancer. He has unfinished business with Kojima along with Okatani going into the King Of DDT 3 Way Qualifying Battle on 1st April. Koroku has beaten both Kojima and Okatani in singles matches before so he is confident he will do that again in back to back falls.
The pre-show match was a graduation for the DDTeeeen!! wrestlers. Ilusion and El Unicorn have both grown out of their positions as teenager pro wrestlers and are moving on up to the proper DDT roster. The match also included Raimu Imai who has been on the sub-brand previously and Munetatsu Nakamura who wasn’t. Ilusion scored the win by pinning Unicorn with his Modified Pedigree. That version of the move he uses is now called the RE:VISION1.
After the match Takagi congratulated both Ilusion and Unicorn on their graduation. He explained that the two of them had to wrestle in masks the entire time because they were underage. Today they can choose if they want to keep the masks or remove them and reveal their identities. Unicorn said he has recently graduated from middle school as well as DDTeeeen!! and will about to enter high school. For that reason he will unmask. He took the mask off and revealed he is Yuni, the young pro wrestler who’s been with DDT since 2016 when he started training at 8 years old. Ilusion teased taking off his mask but decided against it. He said he has more work to do as Ilusion and wants to keep the mask on for the time being.
A variety of different names and faces will be coming to DDT over in the not too distant future. The most bizarre of which is Chiitan, the infamous mascot who often goes viral on Twitter for doing crazy stunts. The “otter fairy” mascot has dabbled with pro wrestling and will have its official debut match on 3rd May. Chiitan’s announcement was interrupted by Chris Brookes, who attacked Chiitan in the ring while it was greeting the fans. Brookes threatened to kill Chiitan there and then with a Diving Double Stomp but Imabayashi stopped him from doing it. Chiitan then got some measure of revenge by Dropkicking Brookes out of the ring.
British wrestler Rayne Leverkusen will be coming to DDT in April. She often wrestles for EVE and is also the niece of the late Clive Burr from Iron Maiden. Her big match on the tour will be a singles bout against Saki Akai on 3rd May.
Last but certainly not least, American wrestler Nick Wayne will bet at the Yokohama Budokan show on 3rd May. The youngster has been called a supernova on the US indies and gained attention for signing a deal with AEW at the age of 16. Takeshita recommended DDT to bring him over to Japan for a tour.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Ilusion & El Unicorn DDTeeeen!! Graduation Match: Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs El Unicorn & Raimu Imai
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kazuki Hirata Debut 13th Anniversary Match: Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko Vs Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao
3. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada
5. Special Tag Match: Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
6. Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol 1.: Masahiro Takanashi Vs Saki Akai
7. HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
8. Special Single Match: Hikaru Machida Vs Takeshi Masada
9. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ CHARISMA RETURNS!: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Hagane Shinno
10. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
11. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
12. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
13. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
14. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Falls Count Anywhere Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu
15. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Yukio Naya
A press conference was held in Shinjuku today for some of the matches on the show. Yuki Ueno said he feels honored that an international superstar has come to Japan wanting to fight him. Samuray Del Sol said the one place he has not conquered is Japan. He first learned of DDT by seeing footage of El Generico wrestling Kota Ibushi there. He’s been watching and studying Ueno’s matches so is excited to be wrestling the best.
Konosuke Takeshita reminded everyone that he’s been with DDT for over ten years and the only person he hasn’t wrestled one on one is his boss Sanshiro Takagi. They have no choice but to finally do this match now. He has gratitude for Takagi and sees this as a match between a parent and their child. Takagi’s been a great father figure but the time has come to surpass him. Takagi said he wants to be in the best shape he can for the match. Some injuries have gotten in his way but he isn’t letting that be any excuse. He won’t let Takeshita move past him so easily and will do his best to crush him! Takeshita also said his experience in AEW has given him a hunger he couldn’t get in Japan because spots on their shows are so limited.
The “Super Powerhouse Tag Team” made themselves known while Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda were being interviewed. The two men thought they were going to get Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima until they worked out that TenKoji’s schedule wouldn’t make it possible. Instead they are getting The Wasteland War Party! Both Sasadango & Honda were terrified by the appearance of Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer. The War Party left them laying on the floor with Headbutts. When Honda regained consciousness he began to cry. He thought he was getting a dream match but instead it’s going to be a nightmare!
Away from the press conference in a separate interview, Saki Akai talked about her upcoming match against Masahiro Takanashi. They had one previous singles match together in the 1st Round of the King Of DDT 2018. Takanashi won that match but for the rematch Akai warns there is a part of her that he does not know about. If she can tap into it tomorrow she can find a way to beat him. Then when that match is done Akai wants to focus on Eruption winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in order to push Hideki Okatani up to the next level. She has other plans to celebrate her 10 year anniversary later in the year. Yukio Sakaguchi taught her how to fight in the ring so she would like to face him in a match. She hopes Yoshiko will come back from her break some day for another match. Danshoku Dieno is another past opponent she wants to do a big match with again. She also suggested Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita and Sumire Natsu as potential future opponents for her in a DDT ring.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 22/03/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Suzume Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI Vs Arisu Endo, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo
3. Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
4. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Raku Vs Yuya Koroku, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
5. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
6. Mizuki, Yuka Sakazaki & Haruna Neko Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
We have come out of “GRAND PRINCESS ’23” with brand new champions holding all of the titles in Tokyo Joshi Pro. We also have some wrestlers refreshing their looks while the new generation of debuts have landed and taken their first steps. Where we go from here is towards Los Angeles.
It wouldn’t be right if The Wasteland War Party went home without getting a chance to say goodbye to Pom Harajuku. I’m sure she appreciates it.
Shino Suzuki is having her first ever singles match. Suzume is her opponent.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR IN SHINJUKU 2023”, 24/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Akito (c) Vs Yusuke Okada
3. International Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Samuray Del Sol Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
It’s rare to see promotion for an Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title singles match in advance. Akito Vs Yusuke Okada will go ahead even if Akito loses the belt before it happens.
The lineup for the King Of DDT 2023 will be revealed during this show.
BASARA “BASARA 214 ~KOO~”, 28/03/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Leo Isaka
2. Basara Strange Style Jacket Match: Gouma Ryu Vs Ryota Nakatsu
3. Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Vs FUMA & KUBITO
4. Takato Nakao, Masato Kamino & Yasu Urano Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
5. CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs SAGAT
6. Union MAX Title: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Banana Senga
The super obscure CCW Canadian Heavyweight Title held by Takumi Tsukamoto is being defended again in BASARA. Tsukamoto brought the belt into the company at the end of 2021. He’s defended it twice here but usually saves his title matches for other indies. SAGAT is his next challenger.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LOS ANGELES”, 31/03/2023 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Janai Kai
2. Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Hyper Misao & Trish Adora Vs Yuki Aino & Raku
4. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Watanabe Vs Max The Impaler & Heidi Howitzer
5. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Billie Starkz
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh (c) Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
Some of the new champions making their first defences on the USA show. 121000000 Vs The Magical Sugar Rabbits in the main event now has the Princess Tag Team Titles on the line. Yuka Sakazaki wants to show everyone how much MagiRabi has powered up from fighting each other. Mizuki has the least experience wrestling overseas of the four but now she is the Princess Of Princess Champion she is not scared of any challenge. She’s also excited by the possibility of becoming the only person in TJPW to hold two Princess Titles at the same time. Miyu Yamashita believes the timing is right for 121000000 to beat MagiRabi on TJPW’s first USA show. Maki Itoh wants her American simps to know they are getting to see her TJPW form instead of the usual version they see from her previous appearances in the country.
Billie Starkz claims she was going to challenge the International Princess Champion no matter who it was coming out “GRAND PRINCESS ’23”. That it happens to be her already scheduled opponent Rika Tatsumi made it a lot easier for her to get the title shot. With the match happening in America, Starkz will get to fight for the championship in front of her friends and family. The new champion Tatsumi has already begun changing her look to be more America-like (or “AmeRika”) in order to truly act like an international champion. She went to this press conference wearing sunglasses and drinking a cola. She isn’t worried about fighting Starkz in her home country because it is still happening on a TJPW show. That means Tatsumi still has the home field advantage.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION IN NIIGATA”, 16/04/2023 Niigata Bandaijima Multi-Purpose Plaza
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
2. Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Joey Janela, Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada
According to Atsushi Onita he paid 400,000 yen to trademark the Current Blast Death Match. Rather than trying to buy it off him, Sanshiro Takagi would rather take it by force. He still wants DDT to take ownership of the trademark and is joining forces with Joey Janela to do it. Janela has made it his number one goal during his latest tour of Japan to destroy his hero Onita in an exploding death match. Takagi also picked Takeshi Masada to be their tag partner, thinking this kind of dangerous atmosphere is just what the super rookie has been missing. Onita has his DDO allies Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima backing him up. If their winning ways continue then Onita has promised to create a new Current Blast 6-Man Tag Team Championhip as something new for them to fight for!
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FOUR: WHEN GOOD DOGS DO BAD THINGS”, 18/04/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
1. Special Single Match: Masashi Takeda Vs Death Worm
2. Special Tag Team Match: Sayaka & Baliyan Akki Vs MAO & Chie Koishikawa
3. Special Tag Team Match: Rina Yamashita & Drew Parker Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
Rina Yamashita and Masashi Takeda are the next guests to join in the Baka Gaijin party. Also Baliyan Akki & Sayaka will together wrestle their first match on one of these shows. It’s about time Akki wrestled on one of them. Maybe Chris Brookes & Drew Parker will do the camera work and commentary for his match.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM ONITA ~DDO HATAAGE BATTLE~”, 19/03/2023 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market 282 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Sudden Death (6:51).
2. Sumi Only 2 Count Falls Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Iino submitted Sumi after the Pheromones Stamp Rally (9:50).
3. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Paul pinned Kawamatsu with a Running Body Press (7:16).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Chie Koishikawa when Akai submitted Koishikawa with the Extreme Arm Triangle Choke (12:05).
5. Road To Judgement 2023! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, MAO & Hikaru Machida defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Takeshita pinned Masada with an Inside Cradle (14:31).
6. Harimao Vs BURNING!: Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Nakatsu submitted Koroku with an Upide Down Cross Armbreaker (11:49).
7. Jado Alert Issued! Current Blast Jado Missile 6-Man Tag Team Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima defeated HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata when Katsumata pinned Hirata with a Current Blast Bat Full Swing (13:55).
Both HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata got to experience an exploding death match for the first time in their careers. They along with Soma Takao represented DDT against Atsushi Onita’s new splinter group Dramatic Dream Onita featuring Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima. The big weapon of this match was the Jado Missile. When pressed, the wrestlers had 30 seconds to prepare themselves for the impact of a missile launched straight into the ring. All six took the explosion but were still able to continue fighting. HARASHIMA hit the Firebird Splash onto Onita, bringing back memories of Hayabusa. Katsumata broke the pin and Onita came back by spitting Poison Mist at HARASHIMA’s face. Hirata then appeared with his Hirata GO! glasses and an exploding barbwire bat. Onita wore his own glasses to counter Hirata and set him up for an exploding bat swing from Katsumata to end the match.
After the match Sanshiro Takagi entered the ring and told Onita he hasn’t given up his quest to take the explosion death match trademark from him. Joey Janela will be coming back to DDT next month and he’s demanding to face Onita in an exloding death match. So Takagi is joining forces with both Janela & Takeshi Masada to challenge Onita, Katsumata & Kojima for the trademark! Onita threw a bucket of water at Masada and accepted the challenge for 16th April in Niigata. Later after the show Onita also said if his team wins then he will create new 6-Man Tag Team Titles to be defended in exploding death matches.
Harimao used today’s show as preparation for their Falls Count Anywhere match on Tuesday. Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu purposely fought with Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku outside the ring and around the venue. Nakatsu almost took it too far when he brought in a motorbike but at the last second declinded to use it because he didn’t want to damage it. After Harimao beat BURNING, Nakatsu feels confident about winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles because this match showed they can act unpredictable.
Fresh off of his latest AEW appearances, Konosuke Takeshita touched down back in Japan for his return to DDT. His focus for this stay is his upcoming match with Sanshiro Takagi. Maybe it was the jetlag from arriving the night before or maybe it’s from the difference in experience but Takagi came off looking like he has Takeshita’s number. He got Takeshita with the Stunner and Masada tried to capitilise by doing the Samurai Driver ’01. However Takeshita countered it into a Small Package to escape with a win out of nowhere. Although Masada took the fall, his upcoming opponent Hikaru Machida still got on the microphone after the match to talk about how much he is looking forward to fighting him on 21st March. Meanwhile Takagi declined to shake hands with Takeshita, giving him the middle fingers instead. Backstage Takeshita said he thinks Takagi is ready for their singles match. He wants to put everything he’s done in the last 10 years into that match as a show of gratitude towards Takagi.
Who could have guessed that Chie Koishikawa all people would show no fear fighting against Eruption? She wasn’t even intimidated to face off with Yukio Sakaguchi! Her antics roped in Toru Owashi to get the upper hand on Hideki Okatani while Yukio Naya had a more traditional back and forth with Sakaguchi. Eruption regrouped and took out Owashi with a Sandwich PK. Saki Akai then got a hold of Koishikawa and trapped her in a Modified Triangle Choke to get the win.
Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu got along as a team in their failed attempt to beat DAMNATION T.A. But that alliance fell apart backstage after the match. Oishi said he was going to fight Kawamatsu fair and square for the O-40 Title but then took offence and stormed off after Kawamatsu cracked a joke about him. Kawamatsu has now made both of his opponents in the 3-Way Match angry at him but he still thinks he can win the O-40 Title.
Akito found himself back in a never ending war with Pheromones and told Kazuma Sumi they could not win by strength alone. Sumi slapped him for having no confidence and revealed he came up with an idea. He wants their match against Pheromones to include a special rule where only Sumi can win with a 2 Count. Akito liked the idea and used his Vice President powers to make it happen. The plan didn’t work because Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno ended up teabagging Sumi into submission.
Yusuke Okada and Keigo Nakamura kept shouting “Thank you” at each other in a game of one-upmanship during their match. Okada got the better of Nakamura in the end, pinning him with the Sudden Death.
Hey, I got to be a podcast guest for the first time in a while. The Must See Matches Project asked its followers to list, well, the must see matches in pro wrestling. DDT found its way into the project thanks to the IPPON Lighttube Death Match between Akito Vs Asuka getting enough votes to qualify. Many thanks to Mark Buckeldee & Kieran Lefort for inviting me on. I had plenty of fun recording the episode with them.
Jamie from DramaticDDT joins Mark and Kieran on a very special episode, for reasons we get into, to cover the ASUKA vs. Akito IPPON Lighttube Death Match from DDT’s Wrestle Peter Pan 2019 on July 15, 2019; the ONLY singles match these two have ever had! PLUS: The politics of covering Japanese wrestling, blow-up dolls, a dip into ancient DDT history, the comedy genius of Yukinori Matsui, Sugi/Yoshitsune/El Blazer, and much more!
Follow the Must See Matches Project @MustSeeMatches
Of course, here’s the match itself if you haven’t seen it yet.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 05/03/2023 Nagano City Art Center Act Space 179 Fans
1. KANON defeated Yuki Ishida with the Just Cobra Twist (7:13).
2. 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi when Iino submitted Sumi with the TRUE LOVE (10:20).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Soma Takao & Yuya Koroku when Sakaguchi pinned Koroku with the God’s Right Knee (9:38).
4. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada when Endo submitted Masada with the Yurikamome (12:39).
5. Nagano Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yasushi Kanda, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Gota Ihashi when Hirata pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (13:13).
6. Special Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Chris Brookes defeated Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when Naya pinned Oishi with the Back Drop (16:47).
Yukio Naya scores one tag team win back from Yuji Hino as the two continue trying to build momentum for “JUDGEMENT 2023”. Naya says whenever he wrestles Hino he has so much fun he loses track of the time. Hino however said he is already tired of losing and only wants to win from now on.
Toi Kojima was not in good enough condition to wrestle today and was pulled from the show. Gota Ihashi took his place and tried to fit in with The 37KAMIINA by being all dressed up for a sauna at the start of the show. He was in his normal gear for the match but lost by missing a Moonsault and then getting pinned by Kazuki Hirata. Hirata got to celebrate by convincing Toru Owashi & Yasushi Kanda to dance with him after the match. Kanda thought today’s match was supposed to be serious but he admitted to having a lot of fun out there.
One week from now Takeshi Masada will have a singles match against Jun Akiyama. He hopes that his performances this weekend would catch Akiyama’s attention but he feels like he failed to do that. The BURNING trio he fought today seem to agree. Akiyama said Masada needs to do more when they fight each other next week. Tetsuya Endo thinks Masada has to come at them with the intention of breaking them. Akiyama agrees and suggested if Masada can make Yusuke Okada’s face look three times uglier than it is now then he will have succeeded.
Pheromones were left to fight two against three after Ihashi was moved up the card and out of their match. Akito & Keigo Nakamura caught Yuki Iino underneath the ring and stripped him out of his costume. Iino had to crawl out from under the ring naked and leave Danshoku Dieno on his own. But Iino returned with barely a little bit of clothing on which was enough to keep the match going. He used a submission version of the Kamigoye to beat Kazuma Sumi.
1. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Paul pinned Sumi with a Running Body Press (7:51).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Akito defeated Yoshihiko (c), Shunma Katsumata, Makoto Oishi, Chris Brookes, Akito, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata, Saki Akai, Yuki “Sexy” Iino and Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (19:07).
2a. Makoto Oishi eliminated Saki Akai by Ring Out (14:35).
2b. Antonio Honda eliminated Makoto Oishi by Ring Out (14:39).
2c. Yuki “Sexy” Iino eliminated Antonio Honda with the Ketsugoye (15:27).
2d. Shunma Katsumata eliminated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno by Ring Out (16:16).
2e. Shunma Katsumata eliminated Yuki “Sexy” Iino by Ring Out (16:50).
2f. Yoshihiko (c) eliminated Shunma Katsumata with the Reincarnation (17:10).
2g. Yoshihiko (c) eliminated Chris Brookes with a School Boy (17:20).
2h. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Yoshihiko (c) with the World Liner (18:44).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,562nd champion.
2i. Akito eliminated Kazuki Hirata (c) with an Ankle Lock (19:07). *Akito becomes the 1,563rd champion.
3. DISASTER BOX Vs Harimao!: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when HARASHIMA pinned Ishida with the Somato (8:58).
4. Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani defeated Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Double Arm Suplex (9:16).
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Suzuki pinned Okada with the Tiger Driver (11:31).
6. Special Single Match: Ryota Nakatsu defeated MAO with the V Slider (12:52).
7. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Hino pinned Masada with the Fuckin’ BOMB (13:13).
Yuji Hino is enjoying the warm up matches against Yukio Naya. He thinks tomorrow’s one is going to be hotter than today’s and the temperature will keep on rising until “JUDGEMENT 2023” when the KO-D Openweight Title match will be the hottest of all. Naya agrees that the matches are only going to get more intense from here and he has to work harder in every one.
Bad memories clouded MAO’s mind as he wrestled Ryota Nakatsu. He never liked wrestling him back in DNA and was reminded of those experiences by Nakatsu’s kicks. Whenever MAO was on the offensive, he apologised to his opponent in between his attacks. Nakatsu kicked out of the Michinoku Driver II and pinned MAO with the V Slider. After the match Nakatsu told MAO he is an amazing Jr. Heavyweight but he is still unable to beat his senpai after all this time. If MAO is so scared of him then maybe Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi should take the KO-D Tag Team Titles away from him. MAO has come up with an idea though. If he avoids making eye contact with Nakatsu he does not feel so scared of him.
Has the time finally come for Kotaro Suzuki to surpass Jun Akiyama? He got the upper hand today, knocking him away with the Running Elbow before pinning Yusuke Okada with the Tiger Driver. Backstage Suzuki even said facing Akiyama would have been more of a challenge for him a decade ago. Tetsuya Endo is not picking sides despite being on Suzuki’s team today. He wants to see the match purely as a neutral.
Halfway through the show Daisuke Sasaki made an unexpected appearance, showing up at a wrestling show for the first time in almost two months. He had a beer in hand and thought he was at the “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023” event that is scheduled for next week. He then complained that nobody was chanting his name (chants were prohibited for today’s show). Hisaya Imabayashi tried to talk sense into him while KANON & MJ Paul entered the ring. Sasaki ended up revealing that his eye injury has recovered enough that he is allowed to wrestle again earlier than expected. He was supposed to have his first match back at “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” but Imabayashi allowed him to return to the ring at “JUDGEMENT 2023” on 21st Match instead. Sasaki said he hasn’t paid attention to what DAMNATION T.A was doing while he was gone, or almost anything else for that matter. All he knows is Keiji Muto retired. He also plans to go to Mexico and do whatever he wants after the DDT USA shows.
Akito believes that holding the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is the last chance any DDT wrestler has of being added to the Los Angeles trip at the end of the month. The belt makes him a champion for now and champions should be part of the LA shows!
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 680 Fans – Super No Vacancy
0. MJ Paul & KANON defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Just Cobra Twist (5:08).
0. 2 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Fuminori Abe, Toru Owashi, Gota Ihashi, Saki Akai & Kazuki Hirata ended in a No Contest (8:52).
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 6-Man Tag Match: Keigo Nakamura, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion when Nakamura pinned Ilusion with a Diving Headbutt (7:54).
2. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Shishamo Power defeated Jun Akiyama & Unagi Mask when Power pinned Mask with a Cradle Cutback (7:47).
3. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno defeated Yuji Hino, Naruki Doi & Makoto Oishi when Sabian pinned Oishi with the Deathly Hallows (10:13).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kip Sabian defeated Penelope Ford (c) with a School Boy (12:19 pm). *Kip Sabian becomes the 1,558th champion.
4. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Takeshi Masada defeated Yuya Koroku with the Samurai Driver ’01 (8:26).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine defeated Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) when Aoki pinned Okada with a High Angle Rotating Cradle (13:08). *BURNING fails in V2. Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine become the 50th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Kip Sabian (c) with a Sleeper Hold (13:03 pm). *Kip Sabian becomes the 1,559th champion.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida when MAO pinned Machida after the Oretachi no Mad Max (14:22). *V3 for ShunMao.
7. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA with the Back Drop (17:55).
The main event of DDT’s 26th Anniversary show is going to be two friends and tag team partners fighting each other for the company’s biggest prize. Today Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA in the main event to set up the biggest match of his career against Yuji Hino with the KO-D Openweight Title on the line. He survived HARASHIMA’s battleplan of targeting the legs by being too tough. Despite all of the attacks to Naya’s legs, he used them to block HARASHIMA’s Swan Dive Somato. HARASHIMA then tried to use a Cross Knee Lock, striking at the knee for extra damage but that did not work either. Naya got a nearfall with a Choke Slam then tried to hit the Back Drop. HARASHIMA blocked the move only for Naya to switch over to a German Suplex. Naya finally got the win by using the Back Drop with no chance of it being countered.
After the match Naya called HARASHIMA the ace of DDT and said to leave the 26th Anniversary main event to him. Yuji Hino entered the ring and Naya talked to him about how much his pro wrestling life changed since the two met each other. He asked Hino to accept his challenge so they can fight for the best of DDT! Hino accepted and said he enjoyed watching the main event because it made him feel like a fan. He cannot promise the match will be as great as a certain retirement that happened recently but he will do his best to have a match that will live on in everyone’s hearts. They shook hands and Naya told the fans they will see a heavyweight battle that no other company can match! Backstage Naya said there was no way he would lose to HARASHIMA with so many fans cheering for him. HARASHIMA admitted he could feel Naya’s strength and desire to win. He is disappointed to lose but will continue to train and push even harder for everyone who supports him.
Two well earned KO-D Tag Team Title defences in three days for ShunMao. After coming out of Burlesque Tokyo with the titles still around their waists, they faced a new and completely different challenge today. Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida rushed in with submissions and strikes to break down the champions. MAO tried to fight back against Machida’s punches by using Palm Strikes. He struggled to match the kickboxer blow for blow, needing Shunma Katsumata to break the pin after MAO took the God’s Right Knee and Iai Punch. But MAO recovered and lured Machida into a Michinoku Driver. Katsumata took out Sakaguchi with a dive out of the ring and then ShunMao regrouped to pin Machida with the Oretachi no Mad Max.
The two teams praised each other after the match until ShunMao’s next opponents made themselves known. Both Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu from Harimao entered the ring to declare their challenge. MAO said he used to be afraid of Nakatsu back when they wrestled in DNA because his first singles loss was to him. Nakatsu pointed out at least he wasn’t as serious as Kota Umeda. MAO agreed. MAO is also afraid of turning down the challenge so he accepted it. ShunMao won’t be able to create a new pro wrestling landscape if they cannot get over their DNA past. MAO and Nakatsu shook hands and so did Katsumata and Higuchi. The match will take place on 21st March.
A big upset happened in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles when BURNING lost the titles! They were unexpectedly beaten by Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine thanks to some unusual tactics. Aoki took Yusuke Okada’s yellow entrance jacket and wore it in the ring to distract him. Okada got it back after he Dropkicked Aoki from behind. Kotaro Suzuki and Yuki Ueno fought to a stalemate with neither getting the upper hand. Tetsuya Endo did some Keiji Muto tribute moves on Sasadango but Sasadango then blocked the Burning Star Press with his knees. Sasadango then unmasked himself, placed the mask over Okada and hit him with a Lariat. Okada tried to scramble back but ended up being pinned by Aoki in the end for the title change.
Sasadango said the probabilities of his team winning today was at 0%. There was a reason why he put this plan together to win the KO-D 6-Man Titles from BURNING and now is the time to reveal it. He wants to face Jun Akiyama again! He called Akiyama down to the ring and said he just beat three of BURNING’s strongest wrestlers. On 16th April DDT will have a show in Sasadango’s hometown of Niigata. He wants to defend the 6-Man Titles against Akiyama on that show to make the event as important as possible. Akiyama agreed and later said his tag partners for the match will be Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku.
It took a long detour to get here but Takeshi Masada is finally bound for Hollywood! He defeated Yuya Koroku in the final of the D GENERATIONS CUP, countering Koroku’s arm submissions with High Kicks. A Triangle Kick got Masada a two count so he followed up with a Buzzsaw Kick and then the Samurai Driver ’01 to win. Not only is Masada now going to America for the DDT shows in Los Angeles, he got a bonus prize for winning the tournament. On 12th March Masada will go one on one against Akiyama! Masada celebrated by demanding a first class ticket for his flight to America. Backstage Masada said he was able to win the tournament because his feelings were just a little bit stronger than the rest of the field. He also wants to leave a lasting impression on Akiyama with their match. Meanwhile Koroku swore revenge on Masada, promising he will make him give up the next time he traps his arm in a submission!
The international trio won their second match in a row, continuing what’s been a dream tour for Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford. The match saw Ford interfere again, this time doing a Flying Hurricanrana to Naruki Doi. Later Chris Brookes took out Doi with a Cutter while Hagane Shinno knocked Yuji Hino out of the ring with a Swan Dive Missile Dropkick. Shinno then took out both Hino & Doi with a Moonsault out of the ring. That left Sabian in the ring to pin Makoto Oishi with the Deathly Hallows. Backstage Shinno called the trio the World Good Looking Guys.
That wasn’t the end of Sabian & Ford’s adventure though. Sabian surprised his wife after the match by pinning her with a School Boy to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! Backstage an upset Ford tried to get an explanation from Sabian then walked off in a huff. Sabian shrugged it off because he was happy being the champion. Then suddenly Yoshihiko burst out of a nearby locker and grabbed Sabian in a Sleeper Hold! Sabian had no choice but to tap out, losing the belt to Yoshihiko and getting left in the locker room all alone.
The masked seafood wrestlers Shishamo Power and Unagi Mask made their return to promote DDT’s sponsorship with the Yamada Suisan company. The match itself went by without incident with Shishamo pinning Unagi. But afterwards Higuchi suddenly turned on Shishamo and attacked both wrestlers with a Brain Claw Slam and a Stunner! Why did Higuchi do this? Because he is a meat eater! Shishamo was shocked. He couldn’t believe that Higuchi eats meat instead of fish. He demanded a match between meat eaters and fish eaters to take place on 23rd April.
The six wrestlers who couldn’t reach the D GENERATIONS CUP final were put into a 6-Man Tag Match. Keigo Nakamura had his hand raised in the end after he pinned Ilusion with a Diving Headbutt. Even though the tournament has ended today, Nakamura has unfinished business with a lot of people in his generation. For one, he wants a rematch with Toi Kojima. Then there is Kojima wanting to fight everyone who was in the A Block like Hideki Okatani. While all of this is going on, Kazuma Sumi wants to use his disappointing results as a springboard for his growth.
One of the dark matches was changed when Sanshiro Takagi attacked Pheromones before it began. It was supposed to be a 4 Way Tag Match but it was changed into a 6 Vs 2 Handicap Match instead. Takagi got the other teams to agree by promising them a spot on the America shows if they could beat Pheromones. That was easier said than done. Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno fought off Takagi & Fuminori Abe. Then they fought off Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata. By the time they got to Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi the numbers game became too much and Pheromones looked to be done for. Then suddenly Ihashi paused the match to declare his love for Akai and how they will travel to America together. The delay allowed Pheromones to recover and set up a bare butt tower over the turnbuckles with Ihashi in the middle. Yumehito Imanari threw different wrestlers into them including Akai. The attacks got so lewd that the match had to be stopped. Dieno protested backstage, saying Pheromones aren’t trying to destory DDT anymore but to make it change. Meanwhile Takagi is worried about how Pheromones will act in America. He has contacted AEW asking for a superstar to team up with against Pheromones on the 30th March show.
The other dark match had MJ Paul & KANON beat Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda. Paul blocked Honda’s Bionic Elbow with a Lariat and KANON made him submit to the Just Cobra Twist.
During the show Ilusion and El Unicorn gave everyone an update about their futures. Both wrestlers are graduating from the DDTeeeen!! project on 21st March to become full time members of the DDT roster! Ilusions recently turned 20 years old so he is no longer a teenager. El Unicorn is still a teen but was recently accepted into his choice of high school. His goal is now to win the KO-D Title and wrestle in America while he is a high school student. Ilusion said there won’t be any changes from him just because he is graduating from DDTeeeen!! He still wants to wrestle against opponents like Vent Vert Jack and Raimu Imai more often.
Saki Akai announced her plans this year to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of her pro wrestling debut. First she will have a singles match against Masahiro Takanashi on 21st March. Takanashi was a part of Akai’s debut match in 2013. Then she will be getting two anniversary shows later in the year, one in Korakuen Hall on 13th August and another in Kyoto KBS Hall on 30th September where she promises there will be beautiful pro wrestling in front of the beautiful stained glass windows.
Trainee Rukiya Ikeda will make his debut on 9th April. He is from the same class of trainees as Takeshi Masada and Kazuma Sumi. Ikeda wants to surpass the both of them.
More matches were announced for the 26th Anniversary show on 21st March. The five hour show will include Kazuki Hirata’s 13th Anniversary Match where he will team with Yoshihiko against Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao. Also on the card Sasadango & Honda will take on a mystery “Super Powerhouse Tag Team”. Finally, Kenta Kobashi will be at the show to see the KO-D Title main event.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT WINTER ~KAMATA PERFORMANCE~”, 25/02/2022 Tokyo Ota Ward Industrial Plaza PiO Small Exhibition Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Arisu Endo Vs HIMAWARI
3. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa & Haruna Neko
5. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta & Kaya Toribami
6. Miu Watanabe, Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Rika Tatsumi, Suzume & Mahiro Kiryu
Tomorrow is Tokyo Joshi Pro’s first visit to the Industrial Plaza PiO in Ota Ward.
GANBARE☆PRO “ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD 2023”, 25/02/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Shota Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Yumehito Imanari & Kabuto Mitomi Vs Soma Takao & Yuki Kanzaki
3. GanJo Special Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE Vs YuuRI & Yoshiko Hasegawa
4. Special Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Keisuke Ishii Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Hartley Jackson
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
Mizuki Watase is going into the Spirit Of Ganbare Title match with an injured arm. However he is determined to fight through the pain and has told Daisuke Kiso not to end the match no matter how bad the injury worsens. He is also questioning if Shinichiro Tominaga would behave the same way if he was injured too. Perhaps he would because Tominaga once suffered an ACL injury in Takashimadaira Ward Community Center. Going back to the venue and winning a championship is all the motivation he needs to banish that bad memory.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2023”, 26/02/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. MJ Paul & KANON Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
0. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai & Kazuki Hirata Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Fuminori Abe
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 6-Man Tag Match: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishida & Ilusion Vs Keigo Nakamura, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Shishamo Power Vs Jun Akiyama & Unagi Mask
3. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Naruki Doi & Makoto Oishi Vs Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno
4. D GENERATIONS CUP – Final: Yuya Koroku Vs Takeshi Masada
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada (c) Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Super Sasadango Machine
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida
7. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision Match: HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya
It is approaching two years since HARASHIMA last fought for the KO-D Openweight Title. The physical belt has changed since then and he would like to hold the new design at least once. He says he is in good enough shape to continue challenging for the championship. He also has a plan in mind to beat Yukio Naya despite having the size disadvantage. Basically big guys like Naya don’t like getting kicked in the face a lot.
ShunMao are still the KO-D Tag Team Champions so they are the ones defending the belts against Yukio Sakaguchi & Hikaru Machida. Meanwhile Bonno Dai Shacho get relegated to the dark match.
DDT “HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2023”, 12/03/2023 Saitama Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park Outdoor Stage
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino Produce Match ~ Pheromone Rumble: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Sacrifice X
2. Kazuki Hirata Produce Match ~ Bring Items Anywhere Falls Count Fair And Square Full Settlement Tag Team Match: Kazuki Hirata, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura Vs Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi
3. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match ~ Shiraishi Castle Love Song: Tetsuya Endo & Keisuke Ishii Vs Akito & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
The three wrestlers producing their own matches for the show have come up with their decisions. Tetsuya Endo chose to do a rematch of his debut from 2012. When he teamed with Keisuke Ishii for his first match they lost to Akito & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi. Now over a decade later Endo wants revenge!
Kazuki Hirata feels indebted to both Toru Owashi and Yukio Sakaguchi so he made this match to show his gratitude for them. He wanted it to be a fair fight and worked out that if he teams with Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura then both sides will be even. Items brought by the fans are allowed to be used as weapons but Hirata advises everyone not to bring anything too dangerous.
The poor wrestlers entering the Pheromones Rumble are being labelled by the unit as sacrifices.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2023 ~LONGEST 5 HOUR SPECIAL IN KORAKUEN HISTORY~”, 21/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. O-40 Title – 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinichiro Kawamatsu
2. Pheromones Vs Pheromones Subjugation Army All Out Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda Vs Akito, Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada
3. International Special Single Match: Samuray Del Sol Vs Yuki Ueno
4. DDT 26th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Konosuke Takeshita
5. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Pro Wrestling Rules: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Kotaro Suzuki
6. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) Vs Winner Of 26/02 Match
The card for DDT’s longest show of the year is about halfway complete. Hisaya Imabayashi decided that Akito must put together another team to try and destroy Pheromones once and for all. Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato & Yusuke Okada are the ones getting drafted into this battle.
Gorgeous Matsuno sent a demand to DDT for the O-40 Title to be reactivated. The championship was vacated by Toru Owashi last October but Matsuno is the person most associated with the prize. DDT accepted the demand and will thrown Matsuno into a match with Makoto Oishi and Shinichiro Kawamatsu to see which man over the age of 40 is the best!
DDT “DDT GOES YOKOHAMA! ~BLOW UP HOLLYWOOD!!~”, 01/04/2023 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Invisible Man
2. Hardcore Match: MJ Paul Vs Yukio Naya
3. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi
While a bulk of the DDT roster will be in America, a few of the others will remain in Japan to hold the fort and run their own show. Given the unusual mix of wrestlers available we’re getting some unique matches going on. Hikaru Sato returns to DDT to team with HARASHIMA against the old Shuten-dōji team of Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi. There is a Hardcore match between the heavyweights Yukio Naya and MJ Paul. Then most odd of all is Kazuki Hirata challenging The Invisible Man to a fight! It will be the first time The Invisible Man will be in DDT since the Budokan Hall show in 2012!
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2023”, 18/02/2023 Aichi Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall 398 Fans
1. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Takeshi Masada (4) defeated Toi Kojima (4) with the Samura Driver ’01 (8:21).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Yuya Koroku (6) defeated Hideki Okatani (4) with a Running Elbow Butt (9:39).
3. 4 Way Tag Match: Antonio Honda & Saki Akai defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Gota Ihashi & Keigo Nakamura when Akai pinned Ihashi with the Rookie Award (11:38).
4. Kotaro Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yusuke Okada defeated Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi when Suzuki submitted Sumi with a Crab Hold (10:46).
5. International Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford), Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ueno & Yuki Ishida when Sabian pinned Ishida with the Deathly Hollows (14:18).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Master Of Environment Match: Jun Akiyama (c) defeated Akito with a Wrist-Clutch Inside Cradle (11:08). *V3 for Jun Akiyama.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Penelope Ford defeated Saki Akai (c) with a School Boy (7:38 pm). *Penelope Ford becomes the 1,557th champion.
7. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Shinya Ishida when Naya pinned Takao with the Back Drop (10:30).
8. DDT Universal Title: Naruki Doi (c) defeated KANON with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (19:21). *V1 for Naruki Doi.
1. Takeshi Masada (4)
-. Toi Kojima (4)
3. Yuki Ishida (2)
-. Keigo Nakamura (2)
Promises were made by Naruki Doi and KANON that their DDT Universal Match would be just between them with no bystanders around the ring, let alone any interference. Obviously that turned out to be a lie. KANON did walk out to the ring on his own and fought by himself for a while. But once Doi had everything going his way MJ Paul burst out of hiding to interfere in the match. Luckily for Doi, Toru Owashi made his way to the ring to counter Paul and return the match back to a level playing field. In a fair fight KANON did his best but two Bakatare Sliding Kicks back to back left Doi retaining his championship.
After the match Doi said he could tell KANON was being unusually emotional and realised he really did try to win the title off of him. Doi hates guys like KANON and Daisuke Sasaki but he will always want to fight them too so they should have another match sometime. At this point in his victory speech, Doi noticed that nobody was heading down to the ring to challenge him for a title match. So Doi decided to call out Tetsuya Endo! It had to be explained to him that Endo wasn’t at the show today because of a fever so the show ended with that potential match hanging in the air. Endo did tweet out later he would like to do the match.
Yukio Naya had a face off with HARASHIMA after their 6-Man Tag Match. Backstage Naya said he knows HARASHIMA’s strikes are strong but he was the winner today. He is confident he will be the winner against HARASHIMA at Korakuen Hall too on 26th February. HARASHIMA admitted he can feel the momentum and strength coming from his opponent is higher than ever before. It only makes him look forward to the match even more!
The Master Of Environment Match had two green ropes stretching across the ring with one attached to the middle ring ropes and the other attached to the bottom ropes. The turnbuckle pads were also removed. Akito came up with these moves to test Jun Akiyama’s mobility as well as give the two wrestlers more ways to leverage pinfalls and submission holds. The limited space caused Akiyama and Akito to get tangled in the green ropes in multiple ways. Yukinori Matsui also had trouble moving around and tripped out of the way at one point. Akito used that as an opportunity to add a third green rope. When Matsui noticed the extra rope and went to remove it, Akito crotched Akiyama and cradled him for a nearfall. Akiyama then grabbed Akito in the Exploder Suplex position and began to set him up for the Wrist-Clutch version. Akito grabbed a green rope to keep himself grounded but Akiyama then rolled him over with an Inside Cradle to get the three count. Akito later blamed the green ropes for betraying him and making him lose. He’ll never fight in this kind of match ever again!
After the match Akiyama announced his who his next DDT Extreme Title challenger is going to be. He called down Kotaro Suzuki! There was a pause until Suzuki came down to the ring. Akiyama joked about him being late and having bad timing. He also pointed out that Suzuki often wrestles by different rules because of his freelance status. Wouldn’t being a champion make him even more attractive as a freelancer? If he can beat Akiyama in a hard hitting, no nonsense match then Akiyama will let Suzuki stay here in DDT! Suzuki accepted the challenge and the match will take place at DDT’s 26th Anniversary show on 21st March.
The arrival of Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford to DDT is already paying off for the couple. Sabian’s first match here had him spearheading an international trio with Chris Brookes & Hagane Shinno. Ford wasn’t afraid to get involved either because she gave Kazusada Higuchi a Hurricanrana and Yuki Ishida a Missile Dropkick whenever the ref wasn’t looking. She even played into the result, giving Sabian aid to set up his Deathly Hallows finisher to Ishida. Backstage Shinno was full of praise for Sabian, telling the media there are so many amazing wrestlers like him in AEW. According to Shinno, maybe we will see more of them in DDT soon? Sabian talked about how when he saw the Kenny Omega Vs Kota Ibushi match at Budokan Hall eleven years ago, he knew from that day on he wanted to come to DDT. Today he finally made it and he got to team up with Brookes again for the first time in years. Now he has his eyes set on next week’s appearance in Korakuen Hall.
That’s not all though. Ford got even more attention backstage by becoming the new Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion! Sabian & Ford spotted Saki Akai walking backstage and hatched a plan. Sabian distracted Akai by introducing himself to her and starting a conversation. Ford then gave Akai a School Boy, got the three count and the couple ran off with the belt!
The last block matches in the D GENERATIONS CUP have now set up the final on 26th February. The A Block had two unbeaten wrestlers left, Hideki Okatani and Yuya Koroku. A Running Elbow Butt from Koroku turned out to be the difference maker sending him right into the final. Over in the B Block Takeshi Masada had to fight from behind against Toi Kojima to win the match. Due to the head to head result that means Masada just barely makes it to the final, keeping his Hollywood dream only one more step away from finally becoming a reality.
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 2 ~THE WORLD UNKNOWN TO EVERYONE~”, 14/02/2023 Shinjuku FACE 306 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Anshin Oyado Presents ~The World Unknown To ShunMao~ Reprinted Men’s Club! Special 4 Way Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi, Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi and Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga when MAO pinned Oishi after the Oretachi no Madmax (12:12). (Special Referee: MEN’S Teioh)
2. D GENERATIONS CUP – A Block: Ilusion (2) defeated Kazuma Sumi (0) with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (6:19).
3. D GENERATIONS CUP – B Block: Yuki Ishida (2) defeated Keigo Nakamura (2) with the Flame Palm (11:02).
4. sauna line Presents ~The World Unknown To Yuki~ A Fair And Square Special Handicap Match Where Blood Is Washed Away: Yuki Ueno defeated Gorgeous Matsuno & Gabai Ji-chan when Ueno pinned Matsuno after the Swanton Bomb from Ji-chan (13:10).
5. SeaSaunaShack Presents ~The World Unknown To Toi~ Burn The Firewood! Special Singles Match: Yasu Urano defeated Toi Kojima with a Hurricanrana Turnback (10:01).
6. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita (Sakura Hirota) & Akito defeated Tetsuya Endo & Kazuki Hirata when Takeshita (Hirota) pinned Hirata with the Jumping Knee (17:19).
7. Final Set – Naniwa Kenko Land Yu~topia Presents ~The World Unknown To The 37KAMIINA~ Beyond The Totonoi: Toi Kojimda defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata and Yuki Ueno (19:38).
7a. 4 Way Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Toi Kojima is still ongoing.
7b. Single Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata is still ongoing.
7c. Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Toi Kojima is still ongoing.
7d. Tag Team Match: MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima is still ongoing.
7e. 3 Vs 1 Handicap Match: MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Shunma Katsumata is still ongoing.
7f. 3 Vs 1 Handicap Hardcore Match: MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima Vs Shunma Katsumata is still ongoing.
7g. Survival 4 Way Match ~ 2 Count Falls & Over The Top Rope Rules: Toi Kojimda defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata and Yuki Ueno (19:38).
7ga. Yuki Ueno eliminated MAO by Ring Out (17:39).
7gb. Shunma Katsumata eliminated Yuki Yeno with a Foot Stomp (18:12).
7gc. Toi Kojima eliminated Shunma Katsumata with a Modified Ebigatame (19:38).
1. Toi Kojima (4)
2. Takeshi Masada (2)
-. Yuki Ishida (2)
-. Keigo Nakamura (2)
One year ago The 37KAMIINA held their first self produced show. It was a success so one year later they did it again. The four members of the unit still in Japan all came up with their own ideas for matches to fill up the card but the main event was a mystery until it began. The missing member of the group Konosuke Takeshita was somehow able to speak from the heavens and declared that he will come up with the rules for the main event. What he wanted to see depended on how hot the match would get. At first he asked for a 4 Way Match but after an exchange between MAO and Shunma Katsumata took place he then wondered what a singles match between ShunMao would look like. After a few minutes of that he then noticed Yuki Ueno and Toi Kojima were cooling off so they should do a singles match too. Just when Ueno was about to win, Takeshita changed his mind and said it was now a tag match between Ueno & MAO against Katsumata & Kojima. He also told them there is now a special rule that you can only tag in and out by kissing each other! He then said was only joking. He continued changing the rules turning the match into a 3 Vs 1 Handicap with everyone against Katsumata, then turning that into a Hardcore 4 Way before finally settling on a 4 Way Survival Match with 2 Count Pins and Battle Royal style eliminations in effect. When the dust finally settled it was the most junior member of the unit Kojima who was the winner! Kojima was so happy to win because today is the first time he could hear the fans chanting his name for a victory. He told the rest of The 37KAMIINA they should do a third show like this in the future.
Takeshita was part of the show in body as well as spirit. Well kind of. Akito was supposed to team with Sakura Hirota and Hirota walked out in a full bodsuit Takeshita costume! Her mimickry was so convincing that Tetsuya Endo wanted to start the match against “Takeshita” instead of Akito. They proceeded to do a back and forth that was very similar to a section of the Takeshita Vs MJF match from AEW last week. Akito provided some assistance so “Takeshita” could give Endo & Kazuki Hirata a Double German Suplex. “Takeshita” then wanted to do the Zahi but it came off looking more like the Jumping Knee. Either way, it was enough to pin Hirata for the three count. After the match Akito thanked “Takeshita” for coming back to America just to do this match. Endo also shook “Takeshita’s” hand finally putting their heated rivalry to rest. That counts, right?
Most of the undercard featured at least one member of The 37KAMIINA involved in it. Kojima had a singles match against Yasu Urano that turned out to be way more heated than it looked on paper. Urano attacked Kojima behind the curtain before he could even make his entrance and attacked him around ringside. Kojima fought back, even leaving Urano with a shiner over his right eye. He tried to use Cradle moves to pin Urano but his Hurricanrana was used against him. Urano ended up rolling back on top of Kojima out of that move to get the pin.
Ueno’s match was a 2-On-1 Handicap contest against the elderly. Gorgeous Matsuno picked a fight with Ueno in the leadup to the show and said he knew somebody who wanted to fight Ueno even more. It turned out to be Gabai Ji-chan. At first Ueno easily fought them off until he had the temerity to cuss out Ji-chan for being an old man. That made Ji-chan drop his cane and proceed to wrestle at a fast pace. Ueno couldn’t keep up until he gave the cane back to Ji-chan, regressing him back to his elderly state. The cane was passed around, turning whoever held it into an old person. When Matsui was given the cane, it made him count pinfalls slower than Joe Higuchi. Matsuno put Ueno in a Sleeper Hold and held him down, offering to sacrifice himself so Ji-chan could hit the Swanton Bomb onto both of them. Ueno escaped anyway and Matsuno took the entire move. Ueno then pinned him for the win. Despite the loss, Matsuno & Ji-chan congratulated Ueno for winning so their little grudge is now settled.
ShunMao’s match was a Men’s Club style 4 Way Tag Match with Men’s Teioh himself involved as the referee. The other three teams were CDK, Speed Of Sounds and Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi. All teams tried to one up each other with tricky Men’s Club spots in between their usual moves. Teioh ended up getting caught in the crossfire and got hit by Oishi. Teioh took his anger out on him and helped ShunMao get the win over him.
The four wrestlers in today’s D GENERATIONS CUP matches all finish their runs with no chance of making the final. Keigo Nakamura had a slim chance depending on other results but Yuki Ishida killed off any hope of that happening by beating him. Ilusion also finally got to win a block match in his very last bout of the group. That result means Kazuma Sumi ends the tournament with 0 points. He is the only one to not win a match.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 