DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #5”, 30/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya by TKO when Sakaguchi used the Modified Sleeper Hold on Watase (9:41).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) by Disqualification when Dieno gave the referee a Low Blow (8:11). *No title change due to Disqualification.
3. DAMNATION VS ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino when Takao pinned Iino with a Running Elbow Butt (13:18).
4. Jun Akiyama defeated Hideki Okatani with a Crab Hold (4:24).
5. Konosuke Takeshita & Akito defeated Yoshihiko & Akihiro by Referee Stoppage when Takeshita ripped Akihiro’s arm off (9:35).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman (c) defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura when Endo pinned Ueno with the Shooting Star Press (16:17). *V2 for #DAMNHEARTS.
One week to go until “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” and everything is set for the big weekend. Tetsuya Endo is now all clear to challenge for the KO-D Openweight Title. Today’s main event was changed into an official KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence when DISASTER BOX asked for it. Yuki Ueno wanted the most motivation possible for his first match back in two months. El Lindaman accepted on his team’s behalf but only DISASTER BOX understood that challenging twice in a row means there is also a big risk attached. #DAMNHEARTS had already beaten them once before and they wouldn’t agree to a second chance under normal circumstances. T-Hawk dodged the Somato from HARASHIMA but was Clotheslined out of the ring by Naomi Yoshimura. Lindaman got rid of Yoshimura with a German Suplex and then held Ueno up for Endo to hit him with the Handspring Overhead Kick. Endo got a nearfall with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb then hit the Shooting Star Press while his teammates held the rest of DISASTER BOX back.
#DAMNHEARTS got an extra few shots in on DISASTER BOX after the match. Lindaman reminded them about the big risk they accepted. Now it’s time for the other tag belts to be defended. T-Hawk & El Lindaman want to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020”! Yoshimura accepted the challenge. Meanwhile Endo got confirmation that he is guaranteed to face Masato Tanaka for the KO-D Title on 7th June. He promised #STRONGHEARTS will take the KO-D Tag Title belts from Nautilus and he will take the KO-D Title from Gold’s Gym! Endo wants everyone to know that Saitama Super Arena is not his end goal. His end goal is for #DAMNHEARTS to monopolize all of the championships and make pro wrestling even hotter!
If having #STRONGHEARTS around wasn’t enough for DDT to handle, now there’s another invading force coming in, one a little more closer to home. The Kongoh stable from Pro Wrestling NOAH entered the ring before the main event and their leader Kenoh demanded to see Sanshiro Takagi. Kenoh hates Takagi! He hates that Takagi is the president of NOAH. He believes Takagi wants DDT to take over NOAH so Kenoh swears to protect NOAH from him. Takagi came out and told him they are in a DDT ring. He can complain all he wants but if it bothers him that much they should fight over it. As the president of NOAH, Takagi orders Kenoh to fight him in DDT! Kenoh shouted that he will! DDT and Kongo will face off at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” next weekend.
An eye for an eye. An arm for an arm. ALL OUT came out for revenge on Yoshihiko & Akihiro in a violent clash. The battle dolls were ambushed by Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino during their entrance. Konosuke Takeshita & Akito joined the beating and brought Yoshihiko into the ring to finish it off. Akihiro came to the rescue and the dolls gave Takeshita a Double Canadian Destroyer. They then went to German Suplex Akito but he switched positions with Katsumata’s help. Takeshita then grabbed onto them to deliver a quadruple stacked German Suplex! Akito dragged Yoshihiko over to the stage and tied him in knots before hanging the rolled up doll from the banners. Akito then forced Yoshihiko to watch on as Takeshita ripped off Akihiro’s arm! The referee stopped the match by TKO and Takeshita celebrated with his new trophy. He blamed Yoshihiko for all of the physical and mental anguish ALL OUT has suffered over the last month. Now it has suffered like they have. Takeshita challenged Yoshihiko to one more match next week to settle the score. It will be a Last Man Standing match!
The younger generation of DDT wrestlers have shown themselves eager to get in the ring with Jun Akiyama. The rookie Hideki Okatani jumped out of the starting blocks hitting Running Elbows. Akiyama took the wind out of his sails with a Body Slam onto the floor outside. Okatani tried to regain ground with more Elbow Strikes and even went for a Northern Lights Suplex but Akiyama cut him off with a Guillotine Choke. Akiyama let go just to knee Okatani in the head. There was enough in the rookie to kick out of the pin but when the Crab Hold was locked in it was all over once Akiyama moved it to the centre of the ring.
Soma Takao pinned Yuki Iino in the DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT tag match but the story to focus on was what happened afterwards. Daisuke Sasaki’s interview was interrupted by an attack from Shunma Katsumata in his Super Hardcore form. A confused Sasaki shouted about how Katsumata looked like he came from a wedding while he was being attacked. He then called for the police or Batman to save him. Katsumata beat him up with chairs and gave him a Pedigree onto the chair covered with toy blocks. He then raised the DDT UNIVERSAL Title over his head.
Let’s try this Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match again! Early in the bout, Antonio Honda put Danshoku Dieno in a tight Hammerlock. Dieno sounded like he was about to say “Give Up” but instead said different phrases that rhymed with it. Honda then tried palm reading to see Dieno’s fortune. He found out Dieno’s pro wrestling luck is the worst! Dieno put Honda in a Sleeper Hold and almost made him pass out. Honda’s arm fell two times but on the third it popped up with a Gongitsune puppet on his hand. The match suddenly paused and the WRESTLE UNIVERSE audience were given time to vote on Twitter what they wanted to happen next. Either a) Dieno could listen to Gongitsune, b) Dieno told his own story or c) the referee gets attacked for some reason. The audience voted for b) and Dieno told his own Gongitsune story. But when he went for the Sweet Chin Music sneak attack, Honda dodged it and it hit Yukinori Matsui in the groin instead! For some reason Dieno and Honda agreed to attack Matsui together. Matsui fought them off with a Double Lariat but when he went to leave, Dieno gave him a Low Blow. A badly hurt Matsui disqualified Dieno but he remains the champion.
More antics happened straight away when Makoto Oishi entered the ring and gave Stunners to Dieno and Matsui. He demanded an Iron Man Title match because he can give Dieno a lively challenge. Dieno told Oishi he’s been waiting for him all this time and on 7th June they will settle 10 years of history between them. He went for a handshake but Oishi spat in his face instead.
Unfortunately due to a right ankle injury he suffered during training, MAO is currently out of action. The good news is he will recover in time to wrestle on 7th June. The bad news is the Right To Challenge Gauntlet he currently possesses expires before that date. Today’s show was the last chance it could be used. MAO threw a hissy fit over the decision and said he wants to give the Gauntlet to Mike Bailey if he can’t use it. Hisaya Imabayashi told him that was impossible. MAO has no other friends so he doesn’t know what to do. Imabayashi then struck him a deal. He gives up the Gauntlet and it becomes invalid. In return a new Gauntlet will be active after “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. When MAO comes back he will be put in the match where the new Gauntlet is on the line. MAO agreed to the deal. He then found out he will team with Asuka to take on HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji for his return match! MAO likes that idea. Since Bailey can’t be in DDT for now, maybe MAO teaming with Asuka will be the next best thing.
Eruption are now bouncing back from their failed plan to take over DDT’s main event scene. Their win in the opener was also a preview of their tag match against the NEO Itoh Respect Army next week. Chris Brookes got to tangle with both Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai. A motivated Mizuki Watase went after Sakaguchi but his Back Drop was countered into a Sleeper Hold. Brookes & Yukio Naya were taken out by the rest of Eruption while Sakaguchi sent Watase to sleep.
After last week’s setback, Seigo Tachibana returned at some point during the show again demanding to be booked. Imabayashi told him he wouldn’t because he couldn’t beat Okatani last week. Tachibana threatened him into giving another match. Suddenly Nobuhiro Shimatani entered the room also demanding to be booked! He lost 15kg in weight since his last DDT appearance and thinks he deserves to be here more than Tachibana does. The two were about to fight when Imabayashi told them they can have a match on Day 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. Tachibana then admitted he thought that show was today.
I hope everybody out there is feeling well and finding ways to cope with the sad news about Hana Kimura. Dylan from the Eastern Lariat podcast tweeted a magazine photo of the time when an 8 year old Kimura won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title, which I think was her only connection to DDT. There would have been a working relationship between her and Sanshiro Takagi in WRESTLE-1 as well back when Takagi was part of its management.
There’s a quick story I want to tell. When I last went to Tokyo in 2016 I got to see a Sendai Girls show with a group of friends in Korakuen (the 8th April one). Kyoko Kimura was wrestling in the opener and Hana was there as her ringside attendant. This was only a few weeks after her pro debut and it was her only role on the show. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. The next day I spoke to an American expat and talked about the show. Before I even finished a sentence he cut me off and asked “Was Kyoko Kimura’s daughter there? She is going to be a star!”
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #5”, 30/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. Jun Akiyama Vs Hideki Okatani
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda
3. DAMNATION VS ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao Vs Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino
4. Yoshihiko & Akihiro Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
5. #DAMNHEARTS Vs DISASTER BOX!: Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura
Figures from past and present are returning as Japan opens up again. The #STRONGHEARTS pair of T-Hawk & El Lindaman rejoin Tetsuya Endo to protect him from losing before his big title match. Yuki Ueno has spent all of this time during the pandemic looking after the Dropkick Bar. He gets to wrestle again for the first time in almost two months.
The second battle doll Akihiro came back in Yoshihiko’s time of need to defeat ALL OUT. The feud isn’t over yet when revenge is on offer.
Third time’s the charm for Danshoku Dieno Vs Antonio Honda.
Two thirds of the next DDT UNIVERSAL Title match face off in tag action.
Hideki Okatani showed his stuff by fighting Seigo Tachibana to a time limit draw in the match that took place after the last episode ended. Jun Akiyama should have lots to teach him.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PPV SHOW ~ZENRYOKU YELL~”, 31/05/2020 OPENREC.tv
1. Hikari Noa Vs Sena Shiori
2. Hyper Misao Vs Mahiro Kiryu
3. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Shoko Nakajima & Suzume
The main event is confirmed to be The Magical Sugar Rabbits against Shoko Nakajima & Suzume.
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “HIMITSU 2020”, 03/06/2020 ???
1. 4 Vs 4 Survival Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari, Shinichiro Tominaga & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shuichiro Katsumura, Shota, Washi Sakurai & X
At last Ganbare☆Wrestling gets to have a go at an empty arena match. Here’s a neat concept for the match. We have two teams with 4 wrestlers each. When the match begins two wrestlers from each side are selected to wrestle a tag team match. When a wrestler is defeated by normal means they are replaced by a new teammate and the tag match continues. To win the match, a team must eliminate three of their opponents.
As you can see, one team has a mystery wrestler advertised. I’m surprised to see Ken Ohka or Moeka Haruhi aren’t involved. Haruhi being there would have meant all members of THE HALFEE were in the match on the same side. This is the only match of the show too.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 1”, 06/06/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani
2. Keisuke Ishii & HARUKAZE Vs Hiroshi Yamato & Saori Anou
3. DDT Yuru-chara No. 1 Battle In Niigata: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Pokotan
4. DDT UNIVERSAL Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Isami Kodaka Vs Shunma Katsumata
The new plan for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” is to hold it under the DDT TV SHOW format across two days. It’s not the mega show it is going to be but under the current circumstances it keeps DDT chugging along as light appears at the end of the tunnel.
Daisuke Sasaki wanted his next title defence to be easy and violent. That is why he nominated Shunma Katsumata to be his next challenger. The twist is the sudden appearance of Isami Kodaka getting involved. Kodaka heard about DDT’s new UNIVERSAL Title and wanted to add it to his ever growing list of accomplishments.
I bet the DDT roster are happy to see Saori Anou again.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 2”, 07/06/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. Tokyo Joshi Pro 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima Vs Rika Tatsumi, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
2. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh
3. Super Sasadango Machine Remote Produce Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda
4. DDT Extreme Title – Celebration! Release Restriction Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yukio Naya
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
Endo is so close to his final goal. He tripped up once before but reclaimed the KO-D Challenger Sword and just has to avoid a direct defeat one more time. Once he does that, Masato Tanaka will be there waiting for him with the KO-D Openweight Title held tightly in his grip.
The state of emergency in Tokyo has been lifted and the restrictions across Japan are easing off. Shinya Aoki will use the uplifting news as inspiration for his next DDT Extreme Title defence. Yukio Naya is stepping up as the challenger.
This show is taking place on Nodoka Tenma’s birthday! She is happy to spend the day fighting against the three strongest wrestlers in Tokyo Joshi Pro. Her team with Yuki Aino & Rika Tatsumi is called Bakuretsu Dragon.
BASARA “BASARA 129 ~BANQUET~”, 14/07/2020 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Gouma Ryu & Ryuji Ito
2. Union MAX Title: Fuminori Abe (c) Vs Isami Kodaka
BASARA are playing it safe and have cancelled their last remaining show in June. Instead their first show back will be in July at Shin-Kiba 1st RING. Normally this is the Banquet all you can drink show but that system will be suspended and the seating rearranged to accommodate social distancing. For now they are numbering the show #129. The last BASARA show that took place was #126 (I’m amazed I’ve been able to keep track of the chapter numbers for so long). If that sticks then it means #127 & #128 are forever lost to the cancellations.
The two title matches that were originally going to take place in April are now finally going to happen in July. Fuminori Abe must be chomping at the bit to prove his worth as Union MAX Champion by now.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #4”, 23/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda
2. Akito & Yuki Iino Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya
3. Jun Akiyama Vs Mizuki Watase
4. DDT UNIVERSAL Title – 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Chris Brookes Vs Naomi Yoshimura
5. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yoshihiko
6. Special Tag Match: Masato Tanaka & HARASHIMA Vs Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) Vs Shinya Aoki
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #4”, 23/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (10:19). *No successful defence for Danshoku Dieno.
2. Akito & Yuki Iino defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya when Akito submitted Naya with the Figure 4 Leg Lock (9:35).
3. Jun Akiyama defeated Mizuki Watase with the Exploder Suplex (11:21).
4. DDT UNIVERSAL Title – 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Chris Brookes and Naomi Yoshimura when Sasaki pinned Yoshimura after the Praying Mantis Bomb from Brookes (11:47). *V2 for Daisuke Sasaki.
5. Yoshihiko defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Reincarnation (22:21).
6. Special Tag Match: Masato Tanaka & HARASHIMA defeated Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao when Tanaka pinned Takao with the Sliding D (15:07).
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) defeated Shinya Aoki with the Sliding D (8:26). *V4 for Masato Tanaka.
Busy day for Masato Tanaka. He went into today’s episode of DDT TV SHOW focused on meeting his closest challenger Tetsuya Endo in a tag match. With the help of a Reverse Hurricanrana from HARASHIMA, Tanaka knocked out Endo with the Sliding D. The duo then picked apart Soma Takao until the inevitable victory.
A revived Endo tried to confront Tanaka after the match but he was suddenly interrupted by Shinya Aoki! He came out to cash in his Right To Challenge Gauntlet for a KO-D Openweight Title shot right away! From the start Aoki targeted Tanaka’s arm and used a Key Lock to put his opponent in immediate danger. Tanaka escaped the ring after a rope break and challenged Aoki to come fight him outside. Aoki avoided being ambushed with a chair and again went after Tanaka’s left arm. It was a valuable tactic that cut off Tanaka whenever he tried to fight back. It took one opening for Tanaka to beat Aoki. He used a pin to break out of a Cross Armbreaker and then struck Aoki with the Sliding D. The surprise was enough to keep Aoki down for the three count! The two bowed to each other after the match.
Another Right To Challenge Gauntlet has been vanquished. One more is left but there is also the KO-D Challenger Sword held by Endo. It was decided by Hisaya Imabayashi that Endo’s title shot will take place at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 2” on 7th June! Endo said he does not care about MAO being the last remaining Gauntlet holder, he is entirely focused on hunting Tanaka to win the KO-D Title! Tanaka said whether it is Endo or MAO kneeling in front of him, he will continue to hold the KO-D Title until he goes to Saitama Super Arena!
Yoshihiko has made a clean sweep through ALL OUT! The final battle in the “ALL OUT, All Dead” campaign saw the doll defeat Konosuke Takeshita in a mighty conflict. Takeshita swung Yoshihiko round in circles, Yoshihiko did the Styles Clash, Takeshita did an Avalanche Brainbuster to the outside. There was nothing either wrestler wouldn’t do to win. That includes relying on others. The other ALL OUT members interfered to help out their partner. They then ganged up on Yoshihiko after the referee got accidentally knocked out. All looked lost when suddenly the lights went out. When they came back on Yoshihiko was joined by another battle doll. It was the return of Akihiro! Together they sent ALL OUT packing and left Takeshita begging for mercy. They gave him a Double Canadian Destroyer. Yoshihiko had the match won but it picked Takeshita back up and gave him the Reincarnation to win with authority. The lights went out again as the two dolls stared down at their defeated enemy.
MAO was pulled from the show at the last minute because of an injury so the DDT UNIVERSAL Title was now being defended in a 3 Way Match. At first Daisuke Sasaki and Chris Brookes only wanted to fight each other so Naomi Yoshimura couldn’t get a look in. From there it was a scramble to get the win. Brookes gave Yoshimura the Praying Mantis Bomb but Sasaki threw him out of the ring and stole the three count to remain as champion.
Brookes called the result a load of shit. Sasaki taunted him by saying he will never get the UNIVERSAL Title back. He then gave Brookes a Low Blow and threw him out again. Sasaki announced his next challenger will be Shunma Katsumata because he wants to have a Hardcore Match and also Katsumata is the weakest member of ALL OUT. Katsumata came out carrying a baseball bat covered in toy blocks. He admitted he has never beaten Sasaki but if “Super Hardcore Shunma” even has a 1% chance of winning, he will take it. Suddenly Isami Kodaka made his return to DDT and entered the ring. He has won all of DDT’s main championships but this UNIVERSAL Title is new to him. Sasaki accepted Kodaka’s challenge and told Katsumata he had no need for him anymore. Katsumata struck Sasaki with the bat causing a fight to break out between the three of them. Imabayashi calmed everyone down and decided they will have a Hardcore 3 Way Match for the title. Sasaki wasn’t conscious at this point so everyone assumed he’d be okay with it. Meanwhile Brookes is pissed off he can’t get a one on one match with Sasaki for the title.
Ambushing Jun Akiyama with his own Jumping Knee Attack is a good way to show you’re taking a match seriously so well done Mizuki Watase. Trying to beat him with a Front Necklock also takes some balls. In the end though Akiyama hit his own Knee Strikes and won with the Exploder Suplex. It will take some time but Akiyama hopes to train the DDT wrestlers to put more weight and soul into their Elbow Smash exchanges.
Yuki Iino threw his weight around in Match #2. He hit a Double Spear to Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya. Then when Akito put Naya in the Figure 4 Leg Lock, Iino hit him with a low level Spear leading to Naya tapping out.
Lately whenever Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda fight over the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title their matches just seem to fall apart. This time Honda channeled the power of Gongitsune to possess other people. Dieno could resist it by putting his hands over his ears but for people like Hideki Okatani, Keigo Nakamura, Daisuke Kiso and Hisaya Imabayashi they could not be as fortunate. Honda’s plan backfired when the Gongitsune group turned on him, forcing him to be possessed by his own power! Together they all ganged up on Dieno until the room went dark. Dieno woke up in his own home. It was just a nightmare. Or was it? When he left the room we found out Okatani was hiding underneath the covers, still possessed by Gongitsune…
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #3”, 16/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Keigo Nakamura with a Canadian Backbreaker (3:09).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (6:28).
3. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when Yoshimura pinned Paulie with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver (8:32).
4. Hardcore Match: Yoshihiko defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Reincarnation (15:48).
5. Jun Akiyama & Keisuke Ishii defeated Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani when Akiyama submitted Okatani with a Crab Hold (10:39).
6. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 6th Match: Saki Akai defeated Saori Anou with the Quetzalcoatl (11:21).
7. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Akito when Endo pinned Akito with a Scorpion Lock Cutback (15:12). *Tetsuya Endo wins Akito’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
-. Emergency Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Shooting Star Press (10:02). *Tetsuya Endo cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet. Tetsuya Endo wins Kazusada Higuchi’s KO-D Challenger Sword.
Week #3 of DDT TV SHOW ended with Tetsuya Endo regaining the KO-D Challenger Sword! In the scheduled main event tag match Endo kept Akito in his sights from the beginning. His goal was to pin Akito and take away the Right To Challenge Gauntlet. Daisuke Sasaki and Konosuke Takeshita kept each other away from the ring so it came down to Akito putting Endo into a submission hold. His Scorpion Deathlock attempt was countered by Endo into a Small Package for the flash three count.
After the match Endo asked Hisaya Imabayashi if the rules for the Sword and Gauntlets had changed now that Saitama Super Arena is out of the picture. When it was confirmed that the rules are the same, Endo called for Kazusada Higuchi to come out because he was challenging him for the Sword right now! Higuchi appeared still in his ring gear but without his wrestling boots. Endo attacked him as he entered the ring and the match began as they brawled around ringside. Endo hit a stage dive before Higuchi got back to the ring. Higuchi tried to Choke Slam Endo onto the apron but Endo gave him a Brianbuster onto it instead. Whatever Higuchi tried, Endo had a counter for. The three move combo of Tetsuya In The Sky, the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and the Shooting Star Press put Higuchi away.
Endo received the Challenger Sword and said he already knows when to use it for a KO-D Openweight Title shot. He wants to use it right now! Imabayashi told him he already wrestled twice today and Masato Tanaka isn’t here. A relieved Endo admitted he is happy not to wrestle a third time so he will go home and wait for another time. According to him, everyone in DDT hope to wrestle in front of a packed venue again. He may wait to cash in the Sword until then or maybe he won’t.
Saki Akai is now 3-3 in the Okibariyasu. She survived the multiple Suplex variations from Saori Anou to pin her with the always reliable Quetzalcoatl. Akai told Anou the style of pro wrestling she likes is happy, beautiful, cool and flowery. Just like Anou. She wants the two of them to push forward not just joshi wrestling but pro wrestling as a whole. Akai then asked Imabayashi about the seventh and final opponent. Imabayashi told her the final match would have been in Saitama Super Arena but obviously that plan is out the window. He asked her to wait a little longer while he finds a suitable opponent.
The guest coach Jun Akiyama took a few DDT wrestlers to school. He and Keisuke Ishii beat the team of Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani. Akiyama did things here and there to provoke his younger opponents into firing themselves up. He eventually made Okatani tap out to a Crab Hold. Watase Dropkicked Akiyama as he was leaving the ring. Akiyama grabbed him by his head and scolded him until Watase admitted he wanted a singles match against him. Akiyama walked off but accepted the challenge before he left.
Three of the four ALL OUT wrestlers have now lost to Yoshihiko since DDT TV SHOW began. Not even Shunma Katsumata in a Joker costume can stop it! More signs saying “ALL OUT All Dead” were found backstage before the Hardcore Match, driving Katsumata crazy. In the match, Katsumata started off hot. He shoved Yoshihiko into a trash can, hit it with a barbed wire baseball bat and mousetrapped Yoshihiko’s head with a chair several times. Yoshihiko took control by Back Dropping Katsumata onto a chair, giving him a Bulldog and a Piledriver onto a counter and Choke Slamming him onto a Ladder. A ref bump led to Takeshita coming out to interfere while the ring was filled with Lego. The ALL OUT double team failed and Yoshihiko took out Takeshita with a dive out of the ring. It then gave Katsumata a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall before winning with the Reincarnation onto the Lego. Takeshita confronted Yoshihiko, challenging it to a match.
The only blight on DAMNATION’s record today was losing to DISASTER BOX in the early tag match. Looks like HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura work better as a team than Soma Takao & Mad Paulie do.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match was presented like a TV comedy sketch with canned laughter. Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda kept getting accidentally hit in the groin until both of them could no longer continue. Daisuke Kiso said the punchline and the match ended in a No Contest.
Higuchi’s scheduled match for the episode was a simple win over Keigo Nakamura.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #3”, 16/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
2. Hardcore Match: Yoshihiko Vs Shunma Katsumata
3. Jun Akiyama & Keisuke Ishii Vs Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani
4. Saki Akai “Okibariyasu” 7 Match Series – 6th Match: Saori Anou Vs Saki Akai
Saturday’s tag match built up a little bad blood between Saki Akai and Saori Anou. The winning result for Anou left her thinking she is too much of a challenge for Akai in a singles match. Akai’s current record in her series is 2-3.
Jun Akiyama is now working with DDT both as a coach and a wrestler. His first match on this run sees him teaming with Keisuke Ishii. The two were last in the ring together wrestling each other in Ganbare☆Wrestling a year and a half ago. Ishii also once won the All Asia Tag Team Titles from him. Mizuki Watase & rookie Hideki Okatani are the first ones who get to learn King’s Road style from him.
“ALL OUT, All Dead” continues with Shunma Katsumata as the next person looking to stop Yoshihiko from hunting the group down. He just lost a Hardcore Match on the last episode but is willing to go through another one just to get his hands on his nemesis. Yoshihiko might also make his presence known when Akito & Konosuke Takeshita have a tag match with their usual enemies in DAMNATION.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “GAKEPPUCHI RAPUNZEL 2020~”, 20/05/2020 Saitama Wrestle Arena
Add this to the growing list of cancelled shows. Miyako Matsumoto thought of replacing the event with a no person, no audience, no wrestler show but sadly that also couldn’t come to pass. She extends her deepest sympathies to all the people around the world who have been infected with Coronavirus. She hopes the pandemic will end as soon as possible.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #2”, 09/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Saori Anou & Yukio Naya defeated Saki Akai & Mizuki Watase when Anou pinned Akai with a German Suplex (9:24).
2. Akito defeated Yoshihiko by Pinfall (11:27). *Akito wins Yoshihiko’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Person Time Difference Admission 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated HARASHIMA, Soma Takao and Keigo Nakamura when Dieno pinned Nakamura with the Danshoku Driver (6:03). *V? for Danshoku Dieno.
4. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Gota Ihashi with an Oklahoma Roll (11:13).
5. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Praying Mantis Bomb through a table (20:43).
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi by TKO (13:02). *V3 for Masato Tanaka.
A pinfall or a submission was not the way for Masato Tanaka to defeat Yukio Sakaguchi. Today he had to take the challenger beyond his breaking point. A Dragon Screw damaged Sakaguchi’s knee which begun Tanaka’s focused attacks to that target. The pain was bad enough to keep Sakaguchi grounded and any attempts to make a comeback were quickly cut down with a strike to the knee. Even acts of defence caused more damage like when Sakaguchi blocked the Super Fly with his knees. Sakaguchi fought through the pain to his the God’s Right Knee. He squeezed in the Cobra Clutch but Tanaka got the rope break and fired back with Elbow Strikes. The attacks ended with the Sliding D but Sakaguchi kicked out at one and suddenly caught Tanaka in a Sleeper Hold! He let go to do the God’s Right Knee but Tanaka blocked it with his elbow and hit the Roaring Elbow for a nearfall. Tanaka went on a relentless assault of Mounted Elbows before hitting another Sliding D. Sakaguchi once again kicked out at one! However the damage still proved to be too much and Yukinori Matsui called for a TKO when Sakaguchi collapsed from trying to stand back up.
After the match Kazusada Higuchi approached Tanaka with the KO-D Challenger Sword in his grasp. He raised the sword while Tanaka raised the KO-D Openweight Title next to it. Tanaka got on the microphone and said it’s unfortunate the Saitama Super Arena show isn’t going ahead this year. He does not know when it will take place but he will protect the KO-D Title until then.
Backstage after the show, Tetsuya Endo confronted Higuchi wanting the sword returned back to him. He can’t grab it off him right now because of social distancing but he warns he will definitely get it back eventually.
The hardcore grudge match between Chris Brookes and Shunma Katsumata saw the two try to kill each other multiple times. That is because it is more acceptable to do that in a wrestling match than it is to do on Twitter. There were kendo sticks, chairs, trash cans, tables, ladders, block toys, plastic cases and fighting on the Shinjuku FACE counters. Brookes kept hitting Katsumata over the head with chairs demanding him to give up but he refused. So Brookes had to give him the Praying Mantis Bomb through a table to beat him.
Brookes was attacked by Daisuke Sasaki with a chairs after the match. According to Sasaki he has changed his mind and he will defend the DDT UNIVERSAL Title after all. Suddenly MAO and Naomi Yoshimura rushed out and attacked Sasaki! Brookes recovered and gave Sasaki the Praying Mantis Bomb. There isn’t an alliance forming though. Both MAO and Yoshimura came out wanting to challenge for the title instead of Brookes. The three of them argued until Hisaya Imabayashi came out. Since the three of them want a title shot and Sasaki last week said he won’t defend the title without another Japanese wrestler involved, let’s do a 4 Way match for the belt! Brookes told Sasaki there is no guarantee he will beat him next week, but Sasaki will never come out of the match as champion!
DDT’s new guest coach Jun Akiyama came out to greet the viewers on DDT UNIVERSE. He said he would like to teach the DDT roster everything that Giant Baba handed down to him. According to Akiyama, Sanshiro Takagi put together a united group of hard working wrestlers. He is interested in fighting them so he will wrestle matches in DDT whenever his All Japan schedule allows it. Imabayashi then announced Akiyama will wrestle on next week’s episode of DDT TV SHOW! He will team with Keisuke Ishii to face Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani. In a backstage interview, Takagi and Akiyama explained that now is the time for the Japanese wrestling scene to protect itself while there are so few shows taking place. Akiyama is available to work with DDT because his planned visit to WWE as a guest trainer this month was postponed due to COVID-19. When asked about the possibility of doing a Street Wrestling match, Akiyama reminded the reporter that he is a former Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion.
Yoshihiko’s quest to make “ALL OUT All Dead” increased with more attacks on the unit this week. Some of them were out of retaliation. Earlier in the show, Konosuke Takeshita had attacked Yoshihiko so the doll responded in kind during Takeshita’s match with Gota Ihashi. Takeshita had the match won when the lights went out. When the lights came back on, Yoshihiko was in the ring ready to attack!. It gave Takeshita a Piledriver then left him for Ihashi to finish the job. However Ihashi missed the Moonsault and Takeshita pinned him with an Oklahoma Roll, clutching victory from the jaws of defeat. Katsumata asked Yoshihiko why it holds a grudge with ALL OUT? He’ll find out when the two of them have a match next week!
Keigo Nakamura convinced Soma Takao and HARASHIMA backstage to make the Iron Man Title 4 Way match held under special rules. The idea was the match began with the three challengers wrestling each other. The champion Danshoku Dieno would enter the match after five minutes. However if a fall took place in the first five minutes, the title would change hands even though Dieno wouldn’t have entered the match yet. Dieno overheard this plan backstage and foiled Nakamura’s plan by hiding underneath the ring before the match began. When it was time to enter, Dieno caught his opponents with an ambush from behind and pinned Nakamura to defend the championship.
So what did Takeshita do to Yoshihiko earlier in the show to cause the bad blood between them to heat up even further? Takeshita violently attacked Yoshihiko during its match with Akito, that’s what. Takeshita pulled Yoshihiko out of the ring and swung him round in circles, hitting its head against the ring post over and over! Yoshihiko was thrown back into the ring for a weakened Akito to pin it. Akito now holds the black Right To Challenge Gauntlet. He wants to use it on the KO-D Challenger Sword but only if Endo gets it back. Otherwise he’d rather sell it than cash it in against Higuchi.
In a preview of their upcoming singles match, Saori Anou pinned Saki Akai in a tag bout. Watase was able to rescue Akai from being pinned a couple of times until Yukio Naya took him out with a Choke Slam. Anou wasn’t fully convinced that Akai is a challenge for her. She said “Blue Saori” will come out of the match looking better than “Red Saki”. Akai said the match will prove who is the stronger wrestler from Kansai between them.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #2”, 09/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio
1. Akito Vs Yoshihiko
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Gota Ihashi
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 4 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs HARASHIMA Vs Soma Takao Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes Vs Shunma Katsumata
Before Chris Brookes fights to regain the DDT UNIVERSAL Title, there is another grudge match he has to go through first. Last Summer a social media spat between Brookes and Shunma Katsumata led to Brookes getting temporarily suspended from Twitter. He got banned when he threatened to kill Katsumata but that’s not important. The time for revenge is next week! Sanshiro Takagi describes this as a rivalry that can only exist in 2020. He hopes this time Brookes does something that will get Katsumata suspended from Twitter.
Danshoku Dieno’s new goal for now is to break the record for the most Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title defences. It is an impossible task given the belt’s history but Dieno is at least trying to keep a list of everybody he successfully defends the title against. Keigo Nakamura helped him defend the title in the first episode of DDT TV SHOW but now he is one of Dieno’s next opponents. HARASHIMA and Soma Takao are tough obstacles to overcome too.
The first big angle to come out of DDT TV SHOW is Yoshihiko declaring “ALL OUT All Dead!” He defeated Yuki Iino and attacked Konosuke Takeshita. Now Akito is challenging it to a match in retaliation.
DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #1”, 02/05/2020 DDT TV SHOW Studio 0 Fans
1. Yoshihiko defeated Yuki Iino with the Reincarnation (5:42). *Yoshihiko wins Yuki Iino’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Akito with a Small Package (2:00). *V? for Danshoku Dieno.
3. Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh defeated HARASHIMA & Pokotan when Itoh pinned Pokotan with the Flying Big Head (13:02).
4. 3 Way Match: MAO defeated Konosuke Takeshita and Naomi Yoshimura when MAO pinned Takeshita with the Cannonball 450 (12:35).
5. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Antonio Honda with the Crossover Facelock (13:19). *V1 for Daisuke Sasaki.
6. KO-D Challenger Sword: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Goten (13:19). *Kazusada Higuchi wins Tetsuya Endo’s KO-D Challenger Sword.
The debut of DDT TV SHOW was an eventful one. Now that DDT can put together some kind of wrestling show every Saturday for the time being, a lot will happen to keep everybody on their toes away from an audience. Take the main event for example. The KO-D Challenger Sword now belongs to Kazusada Higuchi after he defeated Tetsuya Endo. There was a close call when the Goten was countered into a Reverse DDT. Endo followed up with a Canadian Destroyer but missed the Shooting Star Press. Higuchi struck Endo from behind with a Lariat and used the Goten to put him away.
Now Higuchi will wait for the next KO-D Openweight Title match to happen. Masato Tanaka is supposed to defend the belt against Yukio Sakaguchi. Higuchi is supporting Sakaguchi to win and become champion so Eruption will completely take over the main event scene as DDT’s strongest wrestlers! It is their goal to have an Eruption Vs Eruption match for the title. Higuchi also brought up support for Saki Akai to finish her Okibariyasu series with a winning record. Backstage, a defeated Endo swore he will win the KO-D Title from Tanaka even if he no longer has the sword to grant him the title shot.
Antonio Honda used the powers of yoga to get his DDT UNIVERSAL Title shot but there was no signs of tranquility coming from him come match time. He brawled with Daisuke Sasaki around Shinjuku FACE, I mean the DDT TV SHOW Studio. The fight went over to the bar where Pokotan was working. Sasaki stole some beers from Pokotan but Honda poured them over his face. Sasaki left Honda outside to get counted out but Honda returned just in time to trip on the ropes and begin his Gongitsune story. Sasaki stopped him with a Sleeper Hold. Still, Honda used Gongitsune to free himself. The challenger used a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch for a nearfall. When Sasaki kicked out he rolled Honda into the Crossover Facelock to earn the submission victory and his first UNIVERSAL Title defence.
A tired Sasaki gave his opponent credit and wondered if he should leave DAMNATION to reunite the Monster Army with Honda. He quickly forgot about the idea and said he will defend his title against anybody. Chris Brookes came out and challenged Sasaki. He said (in English) he had his fun earlier and now was the time to get serious. Sasaki cheated to win the belt from him so he deserves a rematch. Sasaki told Brookes (in Japanese) he doesn’t understand English that much and he will only defend the title against Japanese wrestlers. Brookes gave Sasaki the Praying Mantis Bomb to put a stamp on his challenge.
MAO won the 3 Way Match thanks to some help from Yoshihiko of all people/wrestlers/things. The finish to the 3 Way saw Konosuke Takeshita setting up Naomi Yoshimura for the German Suplex when the room went dark. The lights switched back on to reveal Yoshihiko swapped places with Yoshimura! The doll Choke Slammed Takeshita and MAO hit the Cannonball 450 to win. Akito called out Yoshihiko for attacking ALL OUT throughout the show. He challenged Yoshihiko to a singles match for next week.
Pokotan was eager to fight Maki Itoh so it could stick up the middle fingers at her. Itoh fake cried to distract the mascot and then bit its tail. Pokotan fired up when its giant head got knocked off. It went wild attacking Itoh until Brookes threw the head at it. Brookes gave Pokotan the Praying Mantis Bomb then held HARASHIMA back while Itoh wore the head and won the match with the Flying Big Head.
At some point over the last month, Danshoku Dieno and Akito filmed an empty arena match in Ochanomizu Dojo. The match never saw the light of day because Dieno’s antics were too outrageous for public viewing. A rematch took place in the same room for this show with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on the line. Dieno wants to set the record for the most title defences so he is now writing a list of who he beats. During the match, somebody grabbed Akito’s leg from the ring apron. Dieno stopped a Figure 4 Leg Lock with a Low Blow then pinned Akito with a Small Package to win. The broadcast then replayed the match using a manga style presentation called “Grappling Apocalypse Akito”. It explained in detail why every moment of this 2 minute long match went the way it did. One detail was the reveal that it was Keigo Nakamura who tripped Akito.
Before the first match took place, Yuki Iino went to use the bathroom and found a note written by Yoshihiko that said “ALL OUT All Dead”. Iino was determined to beat his opponent after this but ultimately failed. Yoshihiko countered an Argentine Backbreaker into a Sleeper Hold then turned that into the Reincarnation. By winning the match, Yoshihiko now claims the black Right To Challenge Gauntlet. Thus begins the first angle to come out of DDT TV SHOW: Yoshihiko Vs ALL OUT!
DDT “DRAMATIC HYAKUMANGOKU! 2020”, 22/03/2020 Kanazawa Distribution Hall 193 Fans
1. Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani when Yoshimura pinned Okatani with a Crab Hold (9:23).
2. Akito defeated Kazuki Hirata by Countout (8:02).
3. MAO & Antonio Honda defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie when MAO pinned Paulie with the Cannonball 450 (10:59). *MAO wins Mad Paulie’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya when Sakaguchi pinned Naya with the God’s Right Knee (11:06).
5. Toru Owashi & Ken Ohka defeated Mike Bailey & Mizuki Watase when Ohka pinned Watase with the Fire Spear (12:51).
6. Kanazawa Specialty! Stubborn Special Tag Match: CIMA & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes & Makoto Oishi when CIMA pinned Oishi with the Mad Splash (11:02).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino (c) when Endo pinned Katsumata with the Shooting Star Press (19:28). *ALL OUT fails in V4. #DAMNHEARTS becomes the 40th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
The Business Alliance between DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS are going from strength to strength. Now they have title belts to share between them because Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman are the new KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions! The title change happened when Endo wiped out Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Iino with a Sasuke Special. In the ring T-Hawk & Lindaman gave Shunma Katsumata a Double Impact Codebreaker. Endo then came back to pin Katsumata with the Shooting Star Press. After the match Endo revealed the official name of the Business Alliance. They figured out how to mash the two unit names together and they are now called #DAMNHEARTS! Their first defence is against DISASTER BOX on 4th April.
The next goal for #DAMNHEARTS is for CIMA & Soma Takao to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles. That way all of the full time members will be a champion, except for Mad Paulie but he doesn’t seem to mind (even though he lost his Right To Challenge Gauntlet to MAO earlier in the show). CimaSoma are making progress on earning their tag title shot. The two Mad Splash combo is continuing to win them matches.
Toru Owashi brought Ken Ohka’s father to ringside so they could cheer Ohka on. Owashi got so into it he forgot he was part of the match and Ohka couldn’t tag him in. He got back in, gave Mike Bailey & Mizuki Watase a Double Choke Slam and set Ohka up to hit the match winning Fire Spear. Owashi told the crowd that today was the first time he and Ohka teamed together since February 2013. Ohka said he was upset because next week’s Bakuha Koshien show was postponed. But once he got back in the ring this weekend to wrestle again he remembered how fun pro wrestling can be.
Yukio Sakaguchi and the rest of Eruption have had a busy weekend wrestling for both DDT and Ganbare☆Wrestling. Sakaguchi said it is giving him a good feel for challenging Masato Tanaka over the KO-D Openweight Title soon. Higuchi got the word out that he is chasing after the Saitama Super Arena Sword because he wants to, not because Sakaguchi told him to.
By being on the winning side today, Antonio Honda thinks he has earned a DDT UNIVERSAL Title shot. He asked Daisuke Sasaki again for a match. He got Sasaki to meditate so he could decide on a clear mind. Sasaki meditated then turned down the challenge again. Honda had to go find Hisaya Imabayashi after the show and use meditation on him to get the title shot. Sasaki Vs Honda for the UNIVERSAL Title will now take place on 19th April.
Kazuki Hirata appeared on the balcony to dance during his entrance. He brought Akito up to the balcony and knocked him out with the Tegatana Chop. Hirata then put on the Hirata GO! glasses and danced in the balcony while Akito escaped back down to the ring. Hirata was still dancing when he got counted out.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 