DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024 Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos defeated Bryan Keith & Shota when Lykos pinned Shota with the Brainbuster (8:28).
2. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett with the Burning Star Press (11:33).
3. Chiitan☆ defeated Dan The Dad with a Superplex through a Board (5:27).
4. Special Single Match: Yoshihiko defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Reincarnation (5:30).
5. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz ended in a Draw after a Double Pinfall (10:55).
5a. Rock Paper Scissors: MAO (c) defeated Billie Starkz when Scissors beat Paper. *V7 for MAO.
6. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada after the Freedom Call (7:11).
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:41).
8. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Mike Bailey with the WR (18:52).
We can get used to this being an annual thing, you know. DDT came back to America for another WrestleMania Week, this time arriving in Philadelphia to join in the festivities. In the main event Yuki Ueno took on an important figure from the last decade of DDT who doesn’t get to appear in Japan that often nowadays. Mike Bailey has taken on a lot of other stuff lately but getting a non-title match against the KO-D Openweight Champion just had to be fitted onto his schedule one way or another. The ring apron was used as an effective landing point for some big moves. Bailey used the Ultima Weapon and Green Tea Plunge for nearfalls and could not pull off the Flamingo Driver when needed. Ueno took a page out of HARASHIMA’s book by using the Reverse Frankensteiner and Somato to land deep hits on his opponent. The Dropkick to the face was the key to victory because that opened Bailey up to get pinned with the WR. Ueno wanted to shake his hand after the match but Bailey gave him a kiss on the lips instead. He must have really missed him.
When last we saw Konosuke Takeshita dealing with The 37KAMIINA he was showing tough love to some of his old friends followed by a personal moment to congratulate Ueno on reaching the top of DDT. Here in Philly he fought Shunma Katsumata with both wrestlers having chips on their shoulders towards each other. Katsumata attacked Takeshita during the entrances and there was a little more oompf to their attacks than usual. Takeshita blocked the Totonou Splash and got a nearfall with the Running Knee Strike. Driven to win, he then applied the Walls Of Takeshita to make Katsumata give up. He said it is always fun to wrestle him and it was their first singles match against each other in around 6 years. He is only going to get better so he will be waiting for his friend to try him again. Katsumata cannot figure out what it will take for him to finally beat Takeshita. He lost today but it has now become his goal to surpass his friend.
A reunion for Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada ended poorly when they lost to Daisuke Sasaki & KANON. Wayne was on fire leading up to a Quebrada onto his opponents outside the ring. However Sasaki kicked Masada below the belt, allowing KANON to take him down with a Lariat. The two DAMNATION T.A wrestlers then finished him off with the Freedom Call. KANON suggested to Sasaki after the match that they should invite Wayne to join DAMNATION T.A. He can clearly sense a bad side to him. If Sasaki didn’t get too drunk to forget the idea he will ask Wayne the next time he sees him.
No Rules were needed for the DDT Universal Title match between MAO and Billie Starkz. That led to a problem when all of the chaos they caused together in the ring ended in a Double Pinfall draw. A solution was needed and they quickly agreed to decide the winner via a game of Rock Paper Scissors. They tied the first two tries but on the third MAO used Scissors to beat Starkz and her Paper. MAO said he always stays one step ahead of everyone else which is why he is so universal. Although he realises he would have saved a lot of time if they just went straight into Rock Paper Scissors from the beginning. Starkz wasn’t pleased to have the result be decided that way. She hopes to return to Japan and fight MAO for the belt again over there.
A true trademark DDT match was promised and delivered to the Philly crowd when Kazuki Hirata fought Yoshihiko one on one. Hirata used all of his might to give Yoshihiko a Power Bomb from the top turnbuckle but only got a two count out of it. Yoshihiko then sent him on a ride in an unstoppable Locomotion German Suplex. Hirata kicked out of the pin in a final show of life until he was put down for the count with the Reincarnation. The two shook hands in a show of good sportsmanship afterward. It was a match Hirata always wanted to bring to America. Next time they can team up in the USA or even just a 3 Way Match would do. Yoshihiko backstage said Philadelphia was awesome.
I was going to say the above match was unlike anything else that weekend but the one before it was just as wild and unexpected. American indie wrestler Dan The Dad entered the ring demanding a match against anyone backstage. The fighter to answer the challenge was the psycho mascot Chiitan! It knocked Dan’s favorite mug out of his hand and the two brawled. A board was precisely placed on top of chairs and Chiitan Superplexed Dan through it for the victory. The mascot’s celebration was cut short when Chris Brookes suddenly attacked it from behind. It turns out Brookes still hates Chiitan to death! Dan joined in the beating causing Yoshihiko to make a rescue and chase them out of the ring. That was not the end for Chiitan’s woes during this show. At the very end of the event Takeshita knocked Chiitan out with an Elbow Strike just because he felt like doing it.
The Burning Star Press beats a giant’s Shooting Star Press. Whatever size difference existed between Tetsuya Endo and Andrew Everett was a challenge he could overcome. Endo kicked out of the Choke Slam and later countered the move into a Canadian Destroyer. He needed a giant move to put his opponent away so Endo did the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb from the top rope to set up the Burning Star Press for the victory. It is a matchup that Endo wants to experience more of whether it is in DDT, USA or anywhere else. Whenever they fight Endo wants to beat Everett with the best Shooting Star Press in the universe.
Shota’s first match as a freelancer put him in a familiar company but at an unfamiliar setting. He’s wrestled a bunch of times for DDT and GCW but it was a fresh experience getting to team with Bryan Keith to take on CCK. The tag team experience of CCK was unmatched though and Kid Lykos pinned Shota with the Brainbuster for the win. Shota is still happy with his lot in life. He is making some really great friends in wrestling such as the people he was in the ring with today. Keith is also feeling the love for DDT and wants to come back.
1. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Bryan Keith & Shota
3. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Mike Bailey
7. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz
So you have tickets for DDT’s show in Philadelphia this week but you’re out of the loop on the current product. Maybe you only have surface level knowledge of DDT or just know it as that wacky wrestling company from Japan. Need a hand in knowing what to expect? Then here you go! It is the craziest week on the pro wrestling calander and DDT wouldn’t miss it for the world. They have a show going on in conjunction with The Collective mixing together their own talent with a few international guests who have worked with them before. Tiny bits and pieces of DDT can be found in Philadelphia’s history of independent wrestling. They have played parts in Chikara’s massive tag tournaments back when they were a yearly highlight of the East Coast indies. Things are a very, very different nowadays and DDT find themselves among a loaded week of shows going on. They even face competition from their own sister promotion Tokyo Joshi Pro. So what do they have to offer this time around? Let’s have a look.
When and where is the show taking place?
This week “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!” will be held at Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium in Philadelphia on 4th April. The show is scheduled to begin at 8:00pm Eastern time.
Where can I watch it online?
The show will air live on Triller TV (you know, FITE) with English commentary through the TrillerTV+ subscription service. The on-demand version of the show will be available to watch on Wrestle Universe sometime after the live broadcast.
Is this a proper DDT show?
It’s missing some of the big veteran players in order to highlight wrestlers from the modern generation but I think it’s a decent lineup. Sort of similar to what was offered last year where half the card focuses on DDT Vs The World. The mistake made last year was all of the wacky stuff being frontloaded to the first third of the show. The rest of the show wasn’t bad but doing so many regular matches in a row did not stand out the way people expect a DDT show would. So assuming this is the confirmed match order they made the right move to make sure the craziest match on paper is happening near the end. Two of the straight forward singles matches have the potential to be highlights of the week and also be suitable for those with a distaste for comedy wrestling.
Will The Steiner Brothers be at the show?
No.
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1. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
DDT’s resident heel group opens up the show by getting into a fight with some young wrestlers who have high expectations to live up to based on their future potential. Daisuke Sasaki has been DDT’s main heel wrestler for years now but it’s been a while since he was put in main event level programs. His tag partner KANON has been getting more focus lately and might find himself getting placed into bigger spots on the card in the years to come. Nick Wayne is currently a heel in AEW but still gets to show off on the indies. Takeshi Masada fought Wayne on last year’s DDT USA show but they have gotten along since then and get to team with each other here.
Daisuke Sasaki – Is there any other heel out there as dirty and depressed as this guy? Sasaki is the leader of DAMNATION T.A and can never be counted out of the running no matter what he himself will tell people. He has the talent and success to reach bigger heights but every time there is a setback it sends him tumbling back down into despair. Maybe he will be in a better mood by the time this show takes place. He will be spending a week in Mexico beforehand looking for lucha libre shows to wrestle in. That’s one of the few experiences he has left nowadays that cheers him up. Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (includes La Mistica and Crossover variations), Sasaki Hurricanrana, Diving Elbow Drop
KANON – Another heel wrestler with a habit of getting into some wild mood swings. KANON has been learning the DAMNATION ways under Sasaki’s wing for almost two years now. He started out in JTO and was trained by TAKA Michinoku. What could have been a promising young wrestler with a volleyball background has turned into a sadistic little creep. His main talent in the ring is how he uses the Cobra Twist to win his matches. He knows several ways to apply that hold and can adapt it to pin opponents as well as submit them. Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepy Hollow (Twisting Brainbuster), Just Cobra Twist, Vietnam Driver II (Inverted Michinoku Driver)
Nick Wayne – At 18 years old he is one of the youngest wrestlers on the AEW roster but don’t worry, he has a father figure and family support behind him over there. The son of the late Buddy Wayne toured with DDT last year to get himself ready for his move to AEW. It just so happens that DDT has a bunch of young wrestlers too so Wayne has plenty of people from his generation to work with. There will come the day when Wayne is treated by the scene like a grizzled veteran with hundreds of matches under his belt while still being in his mid twenties. It’s a bright future that will only shine brighter once he flicks the switch and puts all the pieces together to become his own wrestler. Moves To Watch Out For: Wayne’s World (Sprinboard Flying Cutter), Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex
Takeshi Masada – The 22 year old made his pro debut only three months into his training, making him the fastest debut in DDT’s history. Has a background in Shorinji Kempo and he uses those skills to develop a kick heavy offence. Motivated to a fault, Masada likes to take on challenges that go beyond his current standing in the company. Even if he’s not ready to for that kind of stuff, his kind of outside the box attitude made him a natural fit for SCHADENFREUDE International when that group was formed last November. Rookies have a bad habit of breaking easily but if Masada continues at the rate he’s going, DDT has themselves a diamond in the rough. Moves To Watch Out For: Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (Cross-legged Falcon Arrow), Triangle Kick (Running Enzuigiri off the turnbuckles)
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Bryan Keith & Shota
Fans of CCK will be delighted to hear the team is back together for one night only. Chris Brookes has been embracing his SCHADENFREUDE attitude again by putting together a DDT version of the group so teaming with Kid Lykos again must be like putting on an old comfy pair of slippers. Facing them is a mishmash team of two well travelled indie wrestlers from opposite corners of the world. Bryan Keith did well in his DDT appearances earlier this year. The match will also be Shota’s first bout since becoming a freelancer again. He’ll be looking to make a good impression to get his name out there. Too bad he’s going against a team that likes to take the piss out of their opponents.
Chris Brookes – An English wrestler who has carved out his own niche over in Japan by sticking his finger in a whole lot of pies. When not wrestling in DDT you can find Brookes causing trouble in ChocoPro, teaming with Masahiro Takanashi across southeast Asia or running his own group of crazy shows called Baka Gaijin + Friends that is held in a small Tokyo bar once a month. His love for a certain brand of Japanese wrestling gradually turned him into an essential figure in DDT, at one point even standing at the very top of the mountain. All of that takes a lot of work and effort though so lately he is taking a different direction and doing whatever he wants with his pro wrestling friends in SCHADENFREUDE International. But long before all of that happened, Brookes was once best known for being in a tag team with a shitty little wolf. Moves To Watch Out For: Praying Mantis Bomb (Double Arm Piledriver), Octopus Stretch, Death By Roll-Up
Kid Lykos – That shitty little wolf has grown up a little bit. The British wrestling scene was in a dire state coming out of the pandemic but one key figure who stuck with it through thick and thin was Kid Lykos. Along the way he found another Kid Lykos to team with, got to fight Brookes in a dramatic match between friends and lose his mask on the way to finally obtaining singles glory by becoming the Progress World Champion. He got a brief tour with DDT in Japan during 2022 and that was the last time CCK teamed together. Until now that is. Moves To Watch Out For: Captain Midnight’s Revenge (Swanton Bomb), Brainbuster, Casanova (Somato), Triple Back Drop
Bryan Keith – This bounty hunter has been making some waves lately. It’s an intimidating sight seeing the man wearing the Black Halo come to town looking to collect. That kind of mercenary life has taken Keith from Texas to all points of America before sending him over to Japan. A stay in DDT at the start of the year allowed him to sharpen his skills further before moving on to AEW where he currently resides. The bounty hunter aesthetic hides a clear love for Japanese pro wrestling. His moveset along with where in the ring he likes to attack are dead giveaways to what his in-ring influences are. Moves To Watch Out For: Emerald Tiger Driver, Exploder Suplex (sometimes into the turnbuckles), Power Bomb, Knee Strike
Shota – He is a long time journeyman of the Japanese indies and for many years wrestled for Ganbare☆Pro, a spin-off promotion from DDT that until now was also under the CyberFight banner. But big changes have come for him this year. GanPro has gone independent from CyberFight and Shota decided he too will live the independent life once more. One of his first big moves as a freelancer is take some American dates starting with this one. In his previous American excursions he wrestlers for some of the most obscure indies I’ve ever heard of. “Mr. Showtime” is a savvy veteran who thinks one step ahead to outsmart his opponents. Moves To Watch Out For: Gannosuke Clutch, Frog Splash, Sharpshooter
3. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
You’re getting classic DDT right here! Kazuki Hirata is a cult favourite for both his comedy act as well as his underdog performances against much stronger opponents. In a way they don’t come much stronger than Yoshihiko. The battle doll is one of DDT’s most infamous gimmicks known worldwide. You ever hear in interviews when a pro wrestler is described as being so good they can have a four star match against a paper bag? Yoshihiko is that theory put into practice. And trust me, Hirata understands how to wrestle against Yoshihiko more than almost anyone else.
Kazuki Hirata – You know when a parody outlives the source material and probably becomes more well known to modern audiences than the original? I think that applies to Hirata. Puro fans might remember one of Dragongate’s early stars was Magnum TOKYO. A key part of Magnum’s presentation was him dancing to his entrance song “Tokyo GO!”. His career in the Toryumon system lasted around a decade. Long after Magnum disappeared from the wrestling industry the DG dojo dropout Hirata took over the gimmick as a spoof in DDT. He’s been doing it since 2014 and I think he has now danced to “Tokyo GO!” for longer than Magnum has! Hirata has been around almost 15 years but remains one of the weakest fighters in DDT. But what he lacks in physical talent he makes up for with a crafty and creative mind. Also he carries around a pair of Hirata GO! glasses that when worn automatically plays “Tokyo GO!” in the room and drives the wearer to dance along to it. It rarely helps Hirata win a match but it’s always a crowd pleaser. What often does work for Hirata is the Miracle One Shot Cradle, a Small Package with a strong success rate especially when Hirata is at his most desperate. Moves To Watch Out For: Miracle One Shot Cradle (Small Package), Egoist Driver (Pumphandle Michinoku Driver), Sliding Kick, Tegatana (a deadly martial arts chop to the neck)
Yoshihiko – The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for almost two decades now. It first showed up as the brother of Muscle Sakai and kept on replacing him in matches because Sakai was constantly getting injured from gun violence backstage (it’s a long story). Yoshihiko vanished after that storyline ended and would reappear years later as Danshoku Dieno’s surprise tag team partner. Over time the doll’s powers have only gotten stronger and it has the ability to transform into powerful wrestlers like The Great Muta, The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan. You can rip it limb from limb and it will survive. You can drive over it in a car and it will survive. You can throw it off a building and it will survive. To fight Yoshihiko is almost like fighting yourself. Only then can you discover your true talent as a pro wrestler. Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotations into a Hurricanrana), Canadian Destroyer, Yoshihiko Destroyer (multiple Canadian Destroyers in a row)
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett
A battle of the high flyers that has the potential to turn into a game of one-upmanship. Tetsuya Endo is far away from being the top guy in DDT like he was a few years ago. Instead he is finding success in the tag team division at the moment. He is somebody who has needed a change of scenery for a while now so hopefully a match like this in America can be a fresh breath of air. His opponent Andrew Everett hasn’t gotten to wrestle in Japan again since his DDT tour in 2022 when they discovered he might not actually be a giant. That’s what you get for lying about your height! But if he really is a giant then he will assert his dominance over Endo no problem. If not then we get to see Endo turn into a giant slayer instead.
Tetsuya Endo – Once the top wrestler in DDT, a disastrous concussion caused by a shoot slap from Katsuhiko Nakajima resulted in a major setback for Endo’s career. While he has yet to become the No. 1 guy in the company again he has regained some success by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Yuki Iino. Endo is currently the leader of BURNING, which is DDT’s attempt at making a current day version of the unit that has roots going back to NOAH and All Japan. He often has Kenta Kobashi’s blessing to represent that legacy and often meets with him to discuss ways to progress his career. With a greay physique and a lot of athleticism, Endo on paper has all of the tools to be a big star. It just never worked out for him that way, especially when you see where his rival is now. But that is not who he has to worry about here. Moves To Watch Out For: Burning Star Press (Shooting Star Press), Tetsuya In The Sky (One Man Spanish Fly), Spinning Torture Rack Bomb
Andrew “The Giant” Everett – Can you believe there are rumours out there that Everett is not a giant? I know, right! He climbs into the ring by stepping over the top rope like giants do. He does Choke Slams his opponents like giants do. He wears a singlet like giants do. He does Moonsaults like Paul White allegedly did. That means Everett is a giant! Deadlock Pro is where you can find him nowadays. He’s wrestled in DDT before but perhaps his biggest accomplishment in Japan is from NewLegacyInc when his abuse of the Loser Leaves Town rule accidentally resulted in multiple clones of himself and Jun Akiyama being created. Moves To Watch Out For: 630 Senton, Shooting Star Press, Moonsault, Choke Slam, Pelé Kick
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shunma Katsumata
The top babyface group in DDT right now is The 37KAMIINA (“The Sauna Kamiina” because 37 in Japanese sounds similar to sauna and Kamiina is what the stoves are called) and Konosuke Takeshita was originally a member until he turned heel in AEW. Over time he has fought against his friends in separate singles matches and now the time has come for Shunma Katsumata to fight him. Is he up to the task against someone who is approaching best in the world territory?
Konosuke Takeshita – No matter where his career in AEW will take him, Takeshita will always have a home in DDT. He’s kind of living a double life because in AEW he is a heel under the increasingly questionable management of Don Callis. That is why DDT now writes his name in English with all upper case letters. Whenever he comes back to Japan he gets to be more like himself, a good boy who can German Suplex anything. He was part of The 37KAMIINA for a long time but left the group to follow his new career path in America. That means he gets to fight against his buddies but it is ultimately being done with good intentions. Matches like these are done so he can push his friends into improving themselves. If is takes smashing them in the face with his knees and elbows to get that message across then so be it. Moves To Watch Out For: Spinning Falcon Arrow, Powerdrive Knee/Wagamama (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), German Suplex, Blue Thunder Bomb, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)
Shunma Katsumata – Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. Don’t let his hobby or his eternally youthful looks fool you though. Katsumata can get crazy violent whenever he wants. He is currently the DDT Extreme Champion, a belt that allows the holder to come up with whatever stipulation they want for their title defences. Just to give an example his most recent defence was called the Painful Jungle Death Match and it was DDT’s bloodiest bout in a long, long time. Yet there are also times when his weapons of choice are Lego and party poppers. The odd strain in Takeshita’s relationship with The 37KAMIINA has ended up with Katsumata being next to fight him. The situation is probably not violent enough for Super Hardcore Katsumata to appear. How he handles this match will depend on how much he will want to take it seriously. Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)
6. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Mike Bailey
At the time of writing this match is a non-title bout yet I’m sure these two are going to have a match like it is one. We don’t get to see much of Mike Bailey in DDT anymore. Speedball has one of the more demanding looking schedules going in wrestling right now. He was around while Yuki Ueno was still in the early years of his career and Ueno is a far more developed wrestler now. When it comes to personality I don’t have much to say about Ueno unfortunately. As a wrestler though he is walking the walk as the current KO-D Openweight Champion. These two against each other can tear the house down if they don’t hold back.
Yuki Ueno – The current KO-D Champion which makes him the man to beat in DDT. Ueno has known Takeshita since they were high school classmates together. It was Takeshita’s journey into pro wrestling that convinced Ueno to follow him and give it a go. For most of his career that meant Ueno was stuck standing in his friend’s shadow. However Takeshita leaving DDT for AEW could not have been any more of a benefit for Ueno. Driven to become the ace of DDT, Ueno climbed the ladder and won the KO-D Title at Sumo Hall last November. Since then he has purposely defended the championship against wrestlers who are closely connected to DDT whether they are past aces, beloved personalities or even important management behind the scenes. He does this in order to prove that he is the best person to carry the company forward. Moves To Watch Out For: BME (Best Moonsault Ever), WR (Rolling Wrist-Clutch Blockbuster), Jul.2 (Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher), Half Nelson Suplex, Dropkick to the Face
Mike Bailey – There’s been a couple of talented Canadian wrestlers who became big deals in DDT. You can count Speedball among that elite group. Nowadays he is signed to TNA but you never have to look far throughout the North American indies to find him wrestling on the card. Go look up his schedule for the weekend, he has like half a dozen bookings and four of them are on the same day! Bailey has been in the ring with Ueno a bunch of times but never in a singles match together. How this guy hasn’t destroyed his knees yet from the apron bumps in every match I will never know. Moves To Watch Out For: Ultima Weapon (Shooting Star Double Knee Drop), Flamingo Driver (Cross-Legged One-Winged Angel), Green Tea Plunge (Standing Moonsault Fall Away Slam), Machine Gun Kicks
7. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz
The only title match on the show is going to be off the wall. The DDT Universal Title is a secondary championships that was intentionally created to be defended overseas in order to promote the company abroad. The current holder MAO is eager to go that direction at a time when he as a performer has never been better. When he set his sights on having a title match in Philadelphia, DDT thought outside the box and picked Billie Starkz as his challenger. If her tempo matches with MAO’s then the whole building is going to be left in a mess by the time the show is over.
MAO – Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” The high flier feels at his most alive when he is in Falls Count Anywhere situations. He is still immature but in the past year has figured out his own vision for pro wrestling. With that also comes a newly found confidence in his abilities. The result is him becoming a multiple time Universal Champion with a desire to spread DDT and defend the belt around the world. Putting him in the city where extreme wrestling flourished is just asking for trouble. This is a guy who likes wrestling in Circle 6 shows for God’s sake! Moves To Watch Out For: Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Marines Tornado Splash (Swan Dive Phoenix Splash), Tornado Kick
Billie Starkz – A busy WrestleMania Week scheduled? Why not add a championship match held under no rules to the diary? From what I’ve seen of Billie Starkz over the years a match like this is a chance for her to blow off some steam and just go out there doing some nutty stuff for fun. Just don’t let Athena know what she’s getting up to while she’s on her own. You can’t replace Minions In Training that easily. Starkz has wrestled for TJPW before but this will be her first time stepping into a DDT ring. I’m sure she’ll feel right at home. Moves To Watch Out For: Swanton Bomb, Sugoi Driver (Double Legged One-Winged Angel sometimes on the ring apron), Starkz Driver (Tombstone Piledriver), Star 10 (CRII)
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There will be other chances to see a few DDT wrestlers in action across Philadelphia that week. Mainly MAO. You are going to get a lot of MAO.
CIRCLE 6 “NEW FEAR CITY”, 03/04/2024 The Fire, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Chris Brookes Vs X
2. MAO Vs X
Let’s get started with Wrestlemania Week! Out of all the DDT wrestlers heading to Philadelphia it will be MAO who has the lion’s share of bookings. On the Wednesday night he and Chris Brookes are both going to a No Ring show held at a nightclub by Circle 6. It’s a dangerous way to begin one of the most schedule intense weeks of the wrestling calander.
Thursday is even nuttier. MAO has four bookings in one day! It begins with a DEFY show where MAO and Mike Bailey reunite as Moonlight Express to face CCK.
SHP/LOL “EUPHORIA”, 04/04/2024 Attic Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Matt Makowski Vs MAO
When the DEFY match is done with MAO then goes over to another venue where he will wrestle Matt Makowski. On paper that sounds like a straight forward match but some really wacky things have happened at Sean Henderson Presents shows in the past. Don’t let your guard down, MAO.
GCW/JCW “GCW/JCW VS THE WORLD”, 04/04/2024 Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Shota Vs X
2. 4 Way Tag Match: Ciclope & Miedo Extremo Vs Robert Dreissker & Laurance Roman Vs Man Like DeReiss & Leon Slater Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
The final show of the day if you go by the starting time being in the very last minute (yeah right like it won’t be delayed). GCW and its sister promotion JCW have invited the world to take them on. MAO & Yoshihiko will be joining forces to enter a 4 Way Tag Match against GCW’s top team from Mexico Los Macizos, the wXw duo from Germany Amboss and Britain’s own Boisterous Behaviour from NORTH Wrestling.
Also on the show is Shota taking his first independent booking since going freelance from GanPro. His match has not been announced yet. Since this is a GCW show it will probably be a Scramble Match since there are a bunch of other wrestlers also advertised with no match yet.
I’m including this because there are apparently going to be 88 contestants entering this year’s annual Clusterfuck Match. Surely that means the odds are good for a few DDT wrestlers showing up somewhere on the show?
BASARA “BASARA 244 ~UTAGE~”, 19/03/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Fuminori Abe
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Gouma Ryu Vs Takato Nakano & Yasu Urano Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Takumi Tsukamoto, SAGAT & Judomaster Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato
4. Isami Kosaka Vs Kazusada Higuchi
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Masato Kamino
It looks like Judomaster is here to stay for as long as Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi is suffering from that dreaded love sickness. Curse that illness!
DDT “SPRING BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 1”, 21/03/2024 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Makoto Oishi & Yoshitatsu
2. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
3. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Round 1D: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Round 1C: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Round 1B: To-y Vs Tsubasa Suzuki
6. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Round 1A: Yuni Vs Ilusion
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Danshoku Dieno, Yoshihiko & Pokotan
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuki Hirata
We begin the preview tag matches between Yuki Ueno and Akito and also start this year’s D GENERATIONS CUP.
1. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Bryan Keith & Shota
3. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Mike Bailey
7. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz
The headline match for Philadelphia is definitely the craziest one on the list. MAO’s current DDT Universal Title reign is inspiring him to go out and set the world ablaze. Billie Starkz will be waiting for him at Wrestlemania Week and might be tempted to outdo whatever MAO comes up with.
Andrew Everett is already saying what the selling point of his match against Tetsuya Endo will be. Who has the better Shooting Star Press?
Last year we got to see Nick Wayne and Takeshi Masada gel together whenever Wayne appeared in DDT. That relationship started in America as opponents and will continue in America this time as a team against DAMNATION T.A.
DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. No Gamble FINAL!: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Toru Owashi Vs X
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: X Vs X
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
3. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hi69
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & X
5. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes
BURNING is now a few months into life without Jun Akiyama guiding them. According to Endo the time is now for he and Yuki Iino to face Akiyama head on. They want to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against him and anyone else. Akiyama isn’t going to team with anyone else from D.O.A so who could it be? Another wrestler from BURNING’s history? Somebody Akiyama knows from AEW?
At last NOAH is crossing over into DDT a little bit more. Hi69 from the TEAM NOAH unit is interested in challenging for the DDT Extreme Title and will go through a Hardcore Match in order to win it. Shunma Katsumata is a little annoyed at how little Hi69 knows what the championship is all about. It’s more than just your typical Hardcore Title. Also it’s up to the champion to choose the match stipulation. Katsumata is willing to fight on Hi69’s terms to prove his point.
DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024 Tokyo Sumida Ward General Gymnasium
1. Keigo Nakamura Return Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs X
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Akito
There’s been a specific list of wrestlers Yuki Ueno wanted to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against in order to establish himself as the new ace of the company. He has just one more name to tick off and that is Akito. While the match does not sound like a major contest on paper, Akito is somebody who eats, sleeps and breathes DDT 24/7 while working as the company’s vice president. If beating Ueno for the KO-D Title is what it takes for Akito to prove how much he loves the company more than anyone else then so be it.
D.O.A ended the existence of Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor over the weekend and now find themselves under threat by DAMNATION T.A. Remember, the current KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions made a deal with each other to disband once they lose the titles. It could happen here.
After being out of action with injury for almost a year, Keigo Nakamura will return to the ring a the end of April. Hopefully he got his right knee sorted this time because it’s an injury that has hampered his wrestling career right when it started to pick up.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X
There will be a couple more KO-D Title defences going on between April and July so who knows who will be the defending champion when DDT returns to Sumo Hall.
Both Konosuke Takeshita and El Desperado will be on the show.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Kazuki Hirata & Danshoku Dieno Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
2. Jun Akiyama, Yoshitatsu & Soma Takao Vs Toru Owashi, Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. DDT Extreme Title Next Challenger Match – Hardcore Match: Hideki Okatani Vs MJ Paul
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Takeshi Masada & Rukiya Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino
7. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA
Tomorrow we bid farewell to the wrestling career of Yukio Sakaguchi.
Yesterday Hideki Okatani put out a message asking for his match against MJ Paul to be turned into a Hardcore Match. Paul sent a letter via courier to the DDT office that was simply a large, bloody “OK” smeared on the page. Challenge accepted.
There will be contract signings for the upcoming KO-D Openweight Title and DDT Universal Title matches held before this show begins.
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 3 ~TOTONOI TO YOU~”, 14/02/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Takeshi Masada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. ~DDT Sauna Club Vs DDT Open Bath Club~: Kazuki Hirata & Naya Tonttu Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi
3. ~Toy Kojima’s Sauna Room~: Toy Kojima Vs Masato Tanaka
4. ~Shunma Katsumata’s Sauna Room~: Shunma Katsumata Vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan
5. ~Mao Inoue’s Sauna Room~: MAO Vs Chris Brookes
6. KO-D Openweight Title ~Yuki Ueno’s Sauna Room~: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
A conflict has suddenly broken out between the DDT Sauna Club and the DDT Open Bath Club. Although Kazuki Hirata declined to join The 37KAMIINA, he still gets to participate in the Sauna Club away from matches. While heading out to a riverbed one day Hirata confronted Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi from the Open Bath Club and an argument broke out between them. Hirata found himself outnumbered when all of a sudden somebody who looked like Yukio Naya showed up to protect him. That being is Naya Tonttu, the mythical guardian of the DDT Sauna Club! Hirata convinced him to team up against the Open Bath Club at The 37KAMIINA’s sold out show next week.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 1 – SHOKO NAKAJIMA IS BACK ~ NIIGATA HOMECOMING PERFORMANCE”, 17/02/2024 Niigata Dúo CEREZO
1. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Raku Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Zara Zakher
4. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI
5. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Toga
6. Miyu Yamashita Vs Wakana Uehara
7. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto
The homecoming show for Shoko Nakajima sees her team up with Hyper Misao as Kyoraku Kyomei again. They cannot get full revenge on Daydream for being eliminated from the Max Heart Tournament but they still get to fight Miu Watanabe. Teaming with her here is Moka Miyamoto.
A first time singles match between Miyu Yamashita and Wakana Uehara is on the show. Zara Zakher also continues her tour with a match against Rika Tatsumi.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Iino, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Akito & Soma Takao
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yoshitatsu Vs Yukio Naya & Rukiya
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & X
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Toy Kojima
6. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Hikaru Machida
7. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Kaisei Takechi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
Kaisei Takechi is responsible for selling out the show so no question he gets the main event slot.
So it looks like Hirata got Naruki Doi on board to join his new unit. He isn’t the only one though because Hirata is teasing another addition will be revealed at Korakuen Hall. Is he going for something Dragon System flavored as the unit’s theme I wonder?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”, 31/03/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA 750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko (c) when MAO pinned Yoshihiko after the Oretachi no Mad Max (17:29). *MAO becomes the 1,567th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes defeated MAO (c) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (8:24 pm). *Chris Brookes becomes the 1,568th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Chris Brookes (c) with 3 Canadian Destroyers in a row (8:25 pm). *Yoshihiko becomes the 1,569th champion.
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa ended in a No Contest (11:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne when Higuchi pinned Everett with the Brain Claw Slam (11:33).
4. Saki Akai defeated Vert Vixen with the Quetzalcoatl (6:09).
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Joey Janela with the Burning Star Press (15:28).
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Akiyama pinned KANON with the Exploder Suplex (10:35).
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yuki Ueno with the Zahi (15:16).
It was a long time coming but DDT came back to America! With some help from GCW and The Collective, they arrived in Hollywood to hold their first show in Los Angeles. The main event was between the two top wrestlers in The 3KAMIINA with Konosuke Takeshita facing his longtime friend Yuki Ueno. It was a match originally scheduled as a bonus bout for the cancelled Tokyo Joshi Pro USA event in 2020. The two threw their best moves at each other with Takeshita hitting the Jumping Knee and Ueno pulling out the WR. But Takeshita caught a Moonsault and turned it into an Implant Bomb, putting Ueno in position to take the Zahi for the finish. After the match Takeshita told Ueno and the fans “This is DDT Pro Wrestling!” Backstage he said his performance shows what he’s been doing in America for about a year now. He will always carry a little bit of DDT in him when he wrestles for AEW. He is proud that DDT got to do this show because the only Japanese promotions running overseas at the moment are New Japan, DDT and TJPW. Ueno is taking the loss positively and is motivated to expand DDT even further.
When Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston were last in the ring together they were opponents in AEW. Kingston earned Akiyama’s respect from those matches so they got to team together today. Here their battle was against Daisuke Sasaki & KANON from DAMNATION T.A. Akiyama & Kingston meshed well as a team and had their opponents rattled. DAMNATION T.A had to start cheating in response. First Sasaki used the middle rope to give Akiyama a Low Blow as he climbed into the ring then KANON gave Akiyama a DDT on the floor. The momentum switched over with Akiyama & Kingston both using the Exploder Suplex on the other two. Akiyama followed up with a Knee Strike to KANON and then pinned him with another Exploder. After the match Akiyama thanked Kingston for teaming with him and is impressed by how much Kingston knows his movements. Kingston said he can go to sleep smiling tonight because he got to share the ring with a legend. Sasaki’s plan to leave Japan for a new life in Hollywood was ruined because now he hates this city! He swore revenge on Akiyama & Kingston if he ever crosses paths with them again in Japan.
A couple of the matches also served as a preview for tomorrow’s GCW Vs DDT show. Tetsuya Endo avenged last year’s D-Ou Grand Prix loss to Joey Janela by beating him here. It also made up for him forgetting to bring the DDT Universal Title belt to America. Big moves were done at the get go from Endo doing the Sasuke Special and Poison Hurricanrana to Janela landing a Package Piledriver and Avalanche Brainbuster. In the end Janela was taken for a spin with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb. Endo then got the win with the Burning Star Press. Backstage Endo said he may not know how to fight in America like Janela does but he was always confident he was going to win. He promises not to forget his title belt the next time he goes overseas. A disgruntled Janela said backstage that GCW is his turf and tomorrow they will go to war against DDT!
Saki Akai was energized from seeing the big crowd who came to see the show. She also thought Vert Vixen gave her a good fight and showed great heart against her. Vixen got close to winning with a Stunner but Akai turned things around with the Quetzalcoatl to get the win. She said she would love to have a rematch with Vixen again. Vixen thinks if they face each other again it will be game over for Akai!
Another DDT Vs GCW tag match saw Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada beating Andrew Everett & Nick Wayne. The match was DDT’s introduction to Wayne who will be coming over for a tour in May. It also gave Wayne a chance to face off with Masada in a battle between the two young prospects. Meanwhile Everett tried to use his giant strength to overpower Higuchi’s Brain Claw. It turned out his agility was a way better skill to counter the move but Higuchi took him down with the Brain Claw Slam in the end. Masada and Wayne gestured to each other after the match that this won’t be the last time they’ll see each other.
If you want proof the LA crowd got a genuine crowd then look at the Pheromones match. It went exactly as you’d think it would go. They took care of Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa the only way they know how and I wouldn’t be able to get away with describing it in detal. It set the stage for Danshoku Dieno to perform a magic trick he came up with called Pheromones du Soleil. The payoff involved Yuki Iino getting completely naked while pinning down Nakazawa so the match had to get thrown out. It is proof that even America is not big enough to contain how Sexy Iino is!
The show kicked off with ShunMao taking on Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko. The doll spent yesterday taking a detour over to AEW for a backstage visit and came to LA with extra energy, enough to fight both MAO & Shunma Katsumata at once. However Katsumata used a Kamigoye on Yoshihiko and then set MAO up to pin it with the Oretachi no Mad Max. Since Yoshihiko was coming into the match with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title that means MAO became the new champion!
But wait! MAO was attacked by Brookes after the match and pinned with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes now claimed the belt and celebrated with Yoshihiko until he too was attacked. Yoshihiko gave Brookes the Canadian Destroyer not once, not twice but three times to become the champion once again.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
So you got a ticket for DDT’s big return to America for the first time since 2019 but you’re looking for some guidance over what to expect. Maybe you’ve only seen the gifs or read about the crazy moments online. Or maybe you got a ticket to this because you couldn’t get a ticket for Tokyo Joshi Pro the next day. Whatever the reason, DDT is coming to Hollywood to put on the craziest wrestling show of the month and make some dollars out of it while the yen is still weak. Things are a little bit different from the card they produced in New York four years ago. Last time they put together a show that resembled a “Best Of” collection of gimmicks and rematches. This time around the show will highlight the relationships DDT has been building with certain parts of the American wrestling scene over the last while. Some of the guests showing up here have toured with DDT in Japan before or will be doing so in the near future.
Where can I watch it online?
Both “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” and “GCW VS DDT” will be streaming live and on-demand as part of the FITE+ subscription. A month long subscription costs $7.99 and a 7-day free trial is available.
When and where are the shows taking place?
“DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Thursday 30th March at 8pm pacific time.
“GCW VS DDT” is taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles on Friday 31st March at 3pm pacific time.
Will The Steiner Brothers be on either show?
No.
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1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
DDT’s top female wrestler Saki Akai is the sole member of Eruption on this show. She takes on Vert Vixen, a rising name from Texas who is about to join Tokyo Joshi Pro for a tour in Japan next month.
Saki Akai: The supermodel is celebrating 10 years as a pro wrestler this year and her focus lately has been to keep Eruption focused as a unit. She developed her Quetzalcoatl finisher after playing the role of a character with the same name on a Fate/Grand Order stage show. She can be serious in the ring with the best of them or join in with whatever goofiness that takes place in front of her. She grew up in Kyoto, they take their comedy seriously over there. Moves To Watch Out For: Quetzalcoatl (Cobra Twist flipped into a La Magistral pinning slam), Rookie Award (Double Step Face Kick), Diving Cross Body, Triangle Choke
Vert Vixen: This wrestler is currently the first and only DEFY Women’s Champion in the promotion’s history. She has also made appearances in AEW, Impact and Women Of Wrestling. Obsessed with video games, her ring gear is often inspired by something video game related. She is nicknamed Player One because Player One always wins! Moves To Watch Out For: Ki Crusher, Blue Thunder Bomb, Complete Shot
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
If there is any risk of the show getting suddenly called off midway through it will be during this match. Pheromones are DDT’s most extreme gimmick with plenty of nudity and perverted moves up their arsenal just waiting to be unleashed on the world. The gimmick has always been Danshoku Dieno’s bread and butter but he became extra “Dandy” when he formed the unit. Yuki Iino joined in and upgraded into becoming “Sexy”. Together they became a PR nightmare for DDT president and active wrestler Sanshiro Takagi. He’s been at war with them for a while now, determined to destroy Pheromones once and all. When Takagi asked AEW to send him help to fight Pheromones the last person he needed was Michael Nakazawa due to their own long lasting feud that’s taken place in the past.
Yuki “Sexy” Iino: He is going to get naked at some point. An ex-rugby player who was a bit of a goofy heavyweight for his first few years in the ring. He is going to get naked at some point. Recently discovered his Pheromones side, turned “Sexy” and drove the goofiness levels up past its maximum limit. He is going to get naked at some point. I cannot stress this enough, he is going to get naked at some point! It is inevitable and trying to stop him will be like trying to stop the tide from coming in. Moves To Watch Out For: Ketsugoye (Imagine the Kamigoye but Iino hits with his butt instead of his knee), Badonkadonk (Banzai Drop from the middle ropes), Sexy Elbow, Bubba Bomb
Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno: The heart and soul of DDT’s most perverse humour. Dieno has been around for twenty years now and he’s gone through character development that makes him more than just the extreme shock factor of kissing and groping his male opponents. It’s just that he always goes back to that sort of stuff. Last time he wrestled in America he got permission to kiss fans as long as they raised their hand to show consent. The entire crowd joined in by the end of the night. Moves To Watch Out For: Danshoku Driver (Piledriver with the victim’s head stuffed into Dieno’s tights), Lip Lock (a paralysing kiss) Danshoku Nightmare (Dieno pulls down his tights and teabags his opponent), Hell Gate (Dieno positions himself over the top turnbuckle with his rear end exposed, victims get thrown face first into it)
Sanshiro Takagi: The president of DDT and its owner CyberFight. The company’s attempts to expand internationally along with its talent growing their own reputations worldwide keeps him motivated to continue wrestling. It makes him want to show the younger wrestlers he is still crazy in the ring. His entrance song gets the crowd chanting along to “1…2…3…Fire!” Moves To Watch Out For: Sitdown Sunflower/Himawari Bomb (Electric Chair spun into a Sitdown Power Bomb), Stone Cold Stunner, Spicolli Driver (Power Slam lift into a Death Valley Driver)
Michael Nakazawa: Was with DDT until he joined Kenny Omega to work for AEW. Despite his poor win-loss record, he is considered by DDT veterans to be one of the toughest wrestlers around because he never gets injured no matter what his opponents do to him. He is also kind of a pervert due to his habit of using lotion oil as a weapon and finding ways to take off his underwear without removing his wrestling gear. Doesn’t get along with Takagi because he considers him to be a terrible boss. Moves To Watch Out For: Ultimate Venom Arm (removes his tights, wraps them around his hand and applies an Iron Claw), Tombstone Slam, Hentai Slide (drags opponent crotch first along the top rope), Lotion Oil usage
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
The current KO-D Tag Team Champions take on an Englishman and a Dutch Wife. Believe it or not it won’t be as not as lewd as it sounds. Whenever Shunma Katsumata & MAO team up they are called ShunMao. They are also both part of DDT’s biggest babyface group at the moment, The 37KAMIINA (pronounced The Sauna Kamiina because 37 in Japanese (“san-na”) kind of sounds like “sauna”). Chris Brookes has called Japan his home for around four years now and earned a following for his devotion towards the entire puro scene. Yoshihiko is the wrestling doll that answers every question ever asked about who is good enough to get a four star match against an inanimate object.
MAO: Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” The high flier is at his most liveliest when he is in Falls Count Anywhere situations. Also gets his most success in tag team matches and often finds himself across the ring from Brookes in that division. As shown by his recent appearance on a Prestige show, he should be a breakout talent for the US indies just waiting to happen. Moves To Watch Out For: Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Marines Tornado Splash (Swan Dive Phoenix Splash), Tornado Kick
Shunma Katsumata: Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. So much so he runs his own sauna on the side. Despite his cute appearance he also has a death match side to him. He’ll do the violent matches no problem but his favorite weapon to use in those situations is Lego. For example he often arms himself with a Lego covered baseball bat. Drive him too far over the edge and he becomes Super Hardcore Katsumata! Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)
Chris Brookes: A wrestler who has so many fingers stuck into so many pies. When not wrestling in DDT you can find Brookes causing trouble in ChocoPro, teaming with Masahiro Takanashi across Japan or running his own group of shows called Baka Gaijin + Friends. Recently got into a fight with the mascot Chiitan. Always has some extra tricks up his sleeves if you’re not careful around him. Moves To Watch Out For: Praying Mantis Bomb (Double Arm Piledriver), Octopus Stretch, Death By Roll-Up
Yoshihiko: The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for many years now. It shows up whenever people least expect it and suddenly holding grudges with wrestlers from out of nowhere. This match here is an example of it because Yoshihiko has promised to destroy The 37KAMIINA in LA! It is also the current Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and is bringing the belt over to Hollywood so don’t be surprised if we get a few title changes throughout not just the show but the entire weekend. Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotation into a Hurricanrana), Choke Slam, Canadian Destroyer
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
A giant and a supernova rookie takes on… a “giant” and another supernova rookie. Kazusada Higuchi was the man to carry the flag for DDT last year when a crisis injury left the company without a champion. Higuchi took the ball after years of not meeting his potential and did a pretty darn good job with being the KO-D Openweight Title until he dropped it to Yuji Hino this past January. Takeshi Masada is the standout of DDT’s current rookie class. He got here by having to fight tooth and nail to earn a spot on this show. Andrew Everett came to DDT last year falsely advertising himself as being 223cm tall and weighing in at 190.5kg. Despite being nothing of the sort, his in-ring skills were impressive enough for DDT management to get past the lies and keep him onboard. Nick Wayne will be soon be going to Japan to wrestle on more DDT shows so this match gives him a taste of what to expect over there.
Kazusada Higuchi: The previous KO-D Champion and leader of Harimao, Higuchi is a former sumo wrestler with a strong foundation and an iron head. Do not throw him head first into the ring post because he absorb the hit and shake it off entirely. Often a highlight of DDT shows that make fans of NOAH wish he was in their promotion instead. Doesn’t mind showing off his goofy side every now and then but wherever he shows up he is going to be a tough opponent for anybody. Moves To Watch Out For: Brain Claw Slam, Doctor Bomb, Buchikamashi (charging sumo tackle)
Takeshi Masada: The 21 year old made his pro debut only three months into his training, making him the fastest debut in DDT’s history. Has a background in Shorinji Kempo and he uses those skills to develop a kick heavy offence. He’s still only in his first year as a wrestler but showed a strong desire to get on this show. He eventually earned a spot on the card by winning the D GENERATIONS CUP, a tournament that pitted DDT’s current generation of young wrestlers against each other. Rookies have a bad habit of breaking easily but if Masada continues at the rate he’s going, DDT has a future star in their hands. Moves To Watch Out For: Samurai Driver ’01 (Cross-legged Falcon Arrow), Triangle Kick (Running Enzuigiri off the turnbuckles)
Andrew “The Giant” Everett: I don’t know if I can believe the claims that Everett is not in fact a giant. He climbs over the top rope to get in to the ring like giants do. He wears a singlet like giants do. He does Choke Slams like giants do. He does Moonsaults like… well allegedly Paul White could do that move at one point in his life so that counts. That means Everett is a giant for sure! Deadlock Pro is where you can find him nowadays. Moves To Watch Out For: 630, Shooting Star Press, Moonsault, Choke Slam
Nick Wayne: The world is this kid’s oyster and he’s not even 18 yet. A lot of excitement is following Wayne around especially after he was offered a deal with AEW last year. A dream match with Will Ospreay also bumped up his stock. The son of the late Buddy Wayne has wrestled in Japan before, not that long ago in fact. But DDT is where he’ll be going next starting with this match right here. Moves To Watch Out For: Flying Cutter, Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
A rematch from the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix tournament. Joey Janela scored an upset win over Tetsuya Endo in their A Block match that took place in November. Endo’s big main event run last summer was tragically cut short when Katsuhiko Nakajima gave him a concussion. He has bounced back from that by bulking up towards becoming a heavyweight. It paid off with him recently winning the DDT Universal Title, which is DDT’s secondary singles championship. Janela’s antics and reputation made him highly sought after by DDT and he’s becoming one of their regular guest wrestlers back in Japan.
Tetsuya Endo: The man who was supposed to take the reigns as DDT’s top wrestler suffered a major setback when he got concussed last summer. Endo recovered and has been climbing back up the mountain since. He’s not back at the top spot yet but the leader of BURNING is still doing pretty well with where he is at the moment. You’d think by gaining weight and muscle he would dial back from high flying moves but you will still see him doing Springboards, the Spanish Fly and Shooting Star Presses. If it was up to me, this is the next DDT guy AEW should be looking at. Moves To Watch Out For: Burning Star Press (Shooting Star Press), Tetsuya In The Sky (One Man Spanish Fly), Spinning Torture Rack Bomb
Joey Janela: The nutjob partly responsible for WrestleMania Week turning into what it’s become. So many of the shows that get added to the schedule are chasing the dragon that is “Joey Janela’s Spring Break”. Janela’s viral moments over the pandemic caught DDT’s attention and he quickly became a must have for them to bring over. He already has one singles win over Endo on Japanese soil. The rematch is still in DDT but maybe the American environment will provide Janela more chances to do some crazy things. Moves To Watch Out For: Package Piledriver, Avalanche Brainbuster, Super Kick
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
One man’s dream came true last year when Eddie Kingston got to wrestle Jun Akiyama at AEW. The two earned each other’s respect that day and get to meet in the ring again, this time as tag team partners. Facing them are the two strongest fighters from DAMNATION T.A, DDT’s main heel faction. Daisuke Sasaki went through a whirlpool of emotions to make it to this show because of a recent eye injury. KANON is an upstart originally from JUST TAP OUT but he came to DDT and eventually joined the dark side with Sasaki.
Jun Akiyama: A long standing veteran who spent most of his 30+ year career with All Japan and NOAH. He was bound for a guest coaching gig at WWE’s Performance Center when the global pandemic cancelled those plans. So he found himself jumping to DDT instead where he keeps an eye over the young talent being developed. Currently holds the DDT Extreme Title that puts him in unusual gimmick matches but so far he has stood tall for every defence. Moves To Watch Out For: Exploder Suplex, Front Neck Lock, Running Knee Strike
Eddie Kingston: What a week this guy has ahead of him. First he gets to team team with his hero Akiyama and a few days later will be headlining a ROH PPV. Often outspoken and always fighting with his heart in his sleeves, this match can be a rare chance for Kingston to step back and soak in the moment before things get heavy. Moves To Watch Out For: Spinning Backfist, Stretch Plum, Exploder Suplex
Daisuke Sasaki: You’re not going to find anybody in LA as drunk or depressed as Sasaki this weekend. The wrestler has the talent and success to reach bigger heights but every setback sends him tumbling down into despair. A recent eye injury had Sasaki considering retirement from pro wrestling so he could run away to Hollywood and do whatever he wants. He does not have the most creative imagination though so his idea of doing whatever he wants in Hollywood was to go work at McDonalds. But the pull of pro wrestling is never far away and once he got cleared to compete, Sasaki came back and began to build up hype towards a singles match with El Desperado later this summer. Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (includes La Mistica and Crossover variations), Sasaki Hurricanrana
KANON: When Sasaki suddenly vanished to take care of his injuries and other woes, KANON stepped up to lead DAMNATION T.A in his place. He is approaching the completion of his first year with DDT. Originally from JTO, KANON had an athletic moveset taken from his days playing volleyball but he’s grown slightly more sleazy and unhinged since joining DAMNATION T.A. Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepy Hollow (Twisting Brainbuster), Just Cobra Twist
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
This match was meant to take place in America back in 2019 as the bonus DDT match for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s USA show. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno have been friends since high school. Takeshita was the wrestling fan and his work in DDT inspired Ueno to become a wrestler too. The two are part of The 37KAMIINA and always seem to get along. But Ueno has his hopes that one day he will surpass his classmate. The two unexpectedly had a singles match against each other at the start of the year before Takeshita left for AEW. It ended in a brief 10 minute draw but gave fans a taste of what to expect when they finally face off again in Hollywood.
Konosuke Takeshita: It takes ten years to become an overnight success. Takeshita has done it all in DDT but given the company’s place in the landscape not a lot of people outside of Japan knew about him. Then he shows up in AEW and wins over a wide new audience of fans with his performances. A fan of pro wrestling since childhood, he grew up following Osaka Pro and still shows that influence in his moveset to this day. The list of names he’s been in the ring over the years to get to this point would fill this article by itself. Watch this show and I promise you will see him going All Out. Moves To Watch Out For: German Suplex, Zahi (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), Jumping Knee, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)
Yuki Ueno: The talent Ueno has is clear to see but a bland personality is currently holding him back. Plus his friendship with Takeshita means he risks standing permanently in his buddy’s shadow. If you ignore those problems though, you’re going to see somebody who is really, really good in the ring. Maybe experiencing America will act as a spark and be that thing to send Ueno to his next level. Moves To Watch Out For: WR (a Wrist-Clutch version of Kofi Kingston’s SOS), Best Moonsault Ever, Half Nelson Suplex, Konosaki Crunch (One Handed Bulldog)
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That’s not all DDT is up to this week. They have a second show the next day cross-promoting with GCW as part of The Collective. These two shows seem to be where all of the DDT action is happening in LA. Maybe a few names will pop up somewhere else. We’ll just have to wait and see if they surprise us.
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Ciclope, Miedo Extremo, Gringo Loco & Alec Price Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Takeshi Masada
2. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
3. Effy & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
6. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
7. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
8. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
9. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno
GCW is a promotion I like but don’t love. I’ve gotten to attend a variety of their events before from two of the WrestleMania weeks pre-pandemic as well as their Las Vegas show the day before AEW Double Or Nothing last year. They’re really fun to attend no matter where they go and I enjoy watching the iPPVs when they are live. Watching them on-demand a day or two later though and it becomes a different story. The energy doesn’t carry through on screen when I watch on delay. It’s a promotion that does not give its viewers a lot of time to let things soak in because as soon as one show ends they go full speed straight into promoting their next events. It can make following them online a bit of a blur at times and their booking can seem random even though they do come up with storylines and give people pushes.
That leads us to the GCW Vs DDT show. Whenever GCW do doubleshot weekends outside of their regular markets they usually co-promote one of those shows with another indy and label it as a Vs show. They also often come off as the lesser show of the weekend and it feels the same way here. Obviously both companies have their own more important shows from the previous day to worry about. The lineup they came up with here is shaky but I don’t know if I could come up with something better given who is available. The people I like most in GCW are not the core members of the roster and they would be saved for when GCW are running a show by themselves.
Here’s what I like. The East West Express versus The Moonlight Express is going to hit hard. I’m not as high on Jordan Oliver as I am with Nick Wayne but his faults do not come from a lack of effort. The agility and pain threshold everybody in that match has is going to create something impressive. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko will entirely depend on what kind of sense of humour Radrick has. The two multi-man tag matches have the potential to both get crazy if everybody involved are given the go ahead to do whatever they want. Everything else I’m not as confident about.
Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno as the main event could get bogged down by the amount of big crazy spots Janela wants to do. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo sounds like a Fire Pro match on paper but I don’t think BURNING’s opponents have been up to snuff recently. Kazusada Higuchi should not be losing to Blake Christian but Christian is one of the few heels who gets heavily booed by the GCW fanbase. He is likely getting pushed for a title run sooner rather than later for that reason (barring any conflicts with his AEW/ROH deal). Dark Sheik I prefer watching in Hoodslam because over there she does spotfest tag matches in front of a crowd of people that are feeling the effects of “blueberry pancakes”. That atmosphere somehow comes off better on screen than her matches in GCW do. Bussy Vs Pheromones will be going for the shock factor but was their thunder stolen by Sexxxy Eddy earlier this month? I do not want to predict if it will reach the point where somebody somewhere will need to write out a public apology when all is said and done.
There’s a little bit of Ganbare☆Pro sprinkled in the weekend too. After Mizuki Watase is done with the GCW Vs DDT show he will be making his way over to Wrestling Pro Wrestling for his only other booking for the week. This is one of the more normal looking matches happening on the card.
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 Super Powerhouse Tag Team
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 chance to win the DDT Universal Title something Tetsuya Endo thinks is a fresh change in direction for him. While he will always want to fight for the KO-D Openweight Title, Endo has felt the need to go after the other singles championships in DDT. Plus if he beats Naruki Doi then that means he is also beating the AJPW Jr. Heavyweight Champion! Endo likes the idea of defending the Universal Title in America, the same country where he won the KO-D Title for the first time.
A meeting yesterday between Shinichiro Kawamatsu and House of Councilors member Eriko Imai (who is also the mother of pro wrestler Raimu Imai) was suddenly interrupted by Gorgeous Matsuno when he overheard them talking about the O-40 Title match. Kawamatsu was telling Imai about his plan to wrestle both Makoto Oishi and Matsuno in a 3 Way Match. When he brought up that Matsuno is about to turn 62 years old next month, Matsuno burst into the room and threatened him! Matsuno said the O-40 Title is not for a kid like Kawamatsu and then he got dragged out of the room by the politician’s aide. When everything settled down Imai gave Kawamatsu her support.
DDT “KENGAN ASHURA X DDT PRO WRESTLING COLLABORATION MATCH”, 26/03/2023 Tokyo Big Sight East Exhibition Hall ADK Emotions Booth
1. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match I: Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada Vs Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi
2. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match II: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida
3. Kengan Ashura x DDT Pro Wrestling Collaboration Match III: Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
DDT will be at the AnimeJapan 2023 convention in Tokyo Big Sight for a collaboration with the Kengan Ashura anime on Netflix. The series is all about corporations using an underground fighting tournament to settle their problems. The artists behind the manga have done merchandise artwork with Big Japan before and have referenced pro wrestling in their work, including this series. Kengan Ashura has an in-universe pro wrestling company in it called Super Japan Pro Wrestling. Coincidence or not that name also just happens to be a rejected suggestion to call DDT back when that company was launched in 1997. So in a weird way this is sort of a full circle moment.
DDT “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD”, 30/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Saki Akai Vs Vert Vixen
2. Pheromones Vs Takagi Army All Out Battle In HOLLYWOOD: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Michael Nakazawa
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko
4. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Takeshi Masada Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett & Nick Wayne
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
6. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Eddie Kingston Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yuki Ueno
The Hollywood card is complete and now we now what Kazusada Higuchi and Takeshi Masada will be getting up to. They’re not opponents but tag team partners instead! Higuchi’s size will be tested because one of their opponents is Andrew Everett, who is making his return to DDT. The other opponent will feel like a kindred spirit to Masada. The super rookie gets to be in the ring with the young supernova Nick Wayne!
DDT/GCW “GCW VS DDT”, 31/03/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Cole Radrick Vs Yoshihiko
2. EFFY & Allie Katch Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno
3. Blake Christian Vs Kazusada Higuchi
4. Dark Sheik Vs Saki Akai
5. Matthew Justice, Mance Warner & Manders Vs Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Mizuki Watase
6. Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne Vs MAO & Mike Bailey
7. Homicide & Tony Deppen Vs Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo
8. Joey Janela Vs Yuki Ueno
Rounding out the GCW Vs DDT card is what’s certain to be a car crash of a trios match. The Second Gear Crew are the people to count on in GCW if you want to watch room sprawling brawls with plenty of plunder getting broken. Chris Brookes & Shunma Katsumata have found themselves as unlikely tag partners to take on these guys. They’re getting unexpected help from Mizuki Watase too, kicking off Watase’s planned excursion to America.
The summer is over and I thought this article would be winding down and become easier to write about for a few months. After all, Konosuke Takeshita is back in Japan for a while so his AEW journey is on a little break. Instead Shota decides to go live in America and get bookings for some of the most obscure indie companies I have ever heard of. I mean some are so out of the way if you bring them up to the people who run IWTV their response would probably be “Who?” But once September and October are done and dusted Takeshita will be heading back to the US with bigger goals in mind. I think it’s too early right now to talk about whether or not he’s going to be one foot out the door with DDT for good. It’s definitely something I’ll have to write about some day, just not today.
So this series might look a little different in the coming months. Joey Janela is carrying the DDT Extreme Title around the world and has a number of defences already lined up. I’ll be keeping track of them here for as long as it goes on. The same will go for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title if that ever leaves Japan again. So yeah if you’re expecting next month’s post to be about more of Takeshita’s adventures, you’re probably going to get a face full of Shota and Janela instead. However I have a expectation you’ll still see Yuka Sakazaki, Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita popping up in AEW every now and then to go along with their North American indie bookings. Did you see that Sakazaki is going to be in the AEW video game? Take that FTR!
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Videos
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Ryan Nemeth
Video starts at 58:37 for the match WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022 Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia
AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 06/08/2022 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022 Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs JDX
Video starts at 43:23 for the match JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Billie Starkz
Video starts at 15:08 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 15/08/2022 Target Cente, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Cezar Bononi
Video starts at 36:45 for the match AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 22/08/2022 Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA
1. Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue Vs Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh
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Results
AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 05/08/2022 (Aired 06/08/2022) Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Ricola Bomb (19:59). *V1 for Claudio Castagnoli.
Takeshita is now 0 for 2 in World Championship matches during his excursion. He couldn’t win the PWG World Title in July and last month couldn’t beat Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Title. It’s another tale of so close but so far for him. He’s putting up the great performances but just not getting those wins when it matters.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 05/08/2022 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ryan Nemeth with the Zahi (1:41).
One good thing to happen on the taping was Takeshita’s first win on national TV. Funny thing is this was taped after the ROH Title match but aired on TV the day before. Takeshita wanted to get that one big win on TV before he went back to Japan. Ryan Nemeth isn’t that big win to be honest but hey, it’s a start.
WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022 Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia
1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) (w/ Todd Eastman) defeated Shota Suzuki with the Rope Assisted Piledriver (?:??). *V? for Mitch Ryder.
You’ll notice that Shota will be using the name Shota Suzuki in some places. It’s to avoid people confusing him with Shota Umino. I can tell you myself whenever I tweet about Shota’s excursion I get a few responses from people thinking I’m talking about the Shota from New Japan. Anyway he had the pleasure of being Wide Bay Pro’s first international guest wrestler on their shows. He was hoping to win the Interstate Title from Mitch Ryder and use the belt as his ticket to wrestle in Australia more. Unfortunately Ryder’s manager Todd Eastman got involved and his distraction led to Shota losing to a see-saw Piledriver over the middle rope.
DPW “BELIEVE THE HYPE”, 06/08/2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Emi Sakura defeated Mizuki with the Queen’s Gambit (11:02).
2. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Andrew Everett with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (18:41).
Mixed results on the Deadlock Pro show. The main event had Takeshita beat Andrew Everett in an absolute scorcher of a match. Mizuki’s first match in America ended in a loss to Emi Sakura. The teacher versus student dynamic was on full display. Sakura even got one more dirty reminder after the match by offering a handshake just to attack Mizuki even more. However the fans responded greatly to Mizuki and were happy to hear her shout “I will be back!”
MAW “SUMMER HEAT”, 07/08/2022 Fat Pants Brewing Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JDX with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (17:38).
I heard about this match happening from a few Discords but couldn’t find info on it until after it took place. Midwest All-Star Wrestling is a regular promotion for JDX (Justin D. Xavier, the D stands for Disgusting). He thought Takeshita was going to look past him because his focus was on the ROH Title match. Instead Takeshita put him through a hard fought match and had his hand raised in the end.
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cezar Bononi with the Zahi (2:37).
With this win over Cezar Bononi, Takeshita has one more opponent he needs to beat for a clean sweep over The Wingmen. Where you at, Peter Avalon?
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022 O2 Academy, Sheffield, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Leon Slater with the Zahi (12:17).
Over to England now where Takeshita made his PROGRESS debut. His 17 year old opponent Leon Slater was a replacement for an injured Robbie X. Slater put up a heck of a fight but his big mistake was to try and set up a One Man Spanish Fly off the top rope. Takeshita instead used the stalled time to knock Slater off the turnbuckle with a Lariat and then pin him with the Zahi.
JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Billie Starkz defeated Maki Itoh with the Assault Driver (11:13).
Those cheeky gits at GCW advertised Maki Itoh for both nights of their Homecoming weekend but her match on the first night was with JCW instead. I think she did fan meet and greets during the GCW show so they can probably get away with avoiding accusations of false advertising. Anyway her match against Billie Starkz happened very late at night. She had a busy schedule for the following day.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022 Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Dean Allmark with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (10:05).
Takeshita’s second day in PROGRESS gave him a far more experienced opponent to deal with in the form of Dean Allmark. He had some tricks up his sleeve like a Headstand Backslide Pin but Takeshita rolled out of it to hit the Zahi for a nearfall. He then hit the Lil Sebastian’s Curse to win. I need to find out if he minds everybody still wanting to call that move the Cinnabomb.
GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Dark Sheik with the Flying DDT (10:54).
If there is one thing you need to know about this match it’s this. They did the Top Rope DDT spot from the Dean Malenko Vs Scotty 2 Hotty match that happened at Backlash 2000. It is also where Itoh started using the I.D.S as her new finisher. That wasn’t the end of Itoh’s night. She appeared during the main event segment where Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green renewed their wedding vows. Itoh sang “L.O.V.E.” by Frank Sinatra for the happy couple before Nick Gage came out and crashed the ceremony with a pizza cutter.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 17/08/2022 (Aired 22/08/2022) Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia, USA
1. Emi Sakura & Maki Itoh defeated Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue when Sakura pinned Blue with the Queen’s Gambit (7:15).
Itoh’s latest stay in America ended with another visit to AEW. She teamed with Emi Sakura to beat Hikaru Shida & Skye Blue. Itoh claims Emi Sakura is the newest member of the Itoh Respect Army but Sakura denies this. At least her singing impressed Matt Menard on commentary.
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Upcoming Appearances
EVE “THURSDAY NIGHT RIOT”, 01/09/2022 229 The Venue, London, England
1. Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson Vs Rhia O’Reilly & Nightshade
2. International Princess Title: Alex Windsor (c) Vs Hikari Noa
Later tonight Hikari Noa will challenge Alex Windsor for the International Princess Title in EVE. Noa arrived in London safe and sound during the week and EVE’s Twitter account shows her enjoying the vibrant sights of Camden. This may be TJPW’s only chance to bring the IP Title back home any time soon though. Windsor tweeted her frustrations over how difficult it’s been to get even an appointment with the Japanese embassy so she can travel back to Japan.
The tag match I included here has implications to pay attention to. The winners will get to wrestle for TJPW in Japan sometime in the future. Nightshade has been in TJPW back in 2019. In EVE she sides with Rhia O’Reilly as part of The Uprising stable. O’Reilly is also an accomplished wrestler across the British women’s scene. Their opponents Rayne Leverkusen & Harley Hudson I don’t know much about. Hudson’s biggest profile appearances seem to be with ICW in Scotland and TNT Extreme in Liverpool. Leverkusen I can’t find much info about other than a few recent EVE matches and Youtube videos of other matches across assorted indies.
MPW “ENDANGERED”, 02/09/2022 Nordhoff PL, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. Triple Threat Match: Darwin Finch Vs J2 Vs Shota
Shota’s new American life begins with Millenium Pro Wrestling in California. The promotion has been in existence since 2001. If Shota can beat Darwin Finch and J2 in a Triple Threat match then he will qualifiy for a Scramble match on 9th September that MPW is putting together to celebrate their anniversary.
PWF “ENDANGERED”, 03/09/2022 Houston Premier Arena, Houston, Texas, USA
1. JJ Blake Vs Shota Suzuki
The next day Shota travels over to Texas for Premier Wrestling Federation. His opponent here JJ Blake recently accomplished the Triple Crown feat in New Texas Pro Wrestling. That has Shota excited to know he is getting a strong opponent for sure.
GCW “THE ART OF WAR”, 03/09/2022 Grand Sports Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA
1. DDT Extreme Title & 6 Pack Of PBR – 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match: Joey Janela (c) Vs Mike Bailey Vs Tony Deppen Vs Cole Radrick Vs Drago Kid Vs Gringo Loco Vs Dante Leon Vs Shane Mercer
Yeah this is nuts. Janela’s first Extreme Title defence in America will be in one of GCW’s craziest match stipulations. GCW loves Scramble matches. They are also doing their own Wargames match this weekend so will have two rings set up beside each other. Add in ladders along with a Pabst Blue Ribbon sponsorship and you got yourselves a 2 Ring Ladder Scramble Match! That’s not all, Janela is putting himself up against an entire deck full of wild cards. Mike Bailey needs no introduction, Tony Deppen can be unpredictable at times, Cole Radrick is becoming more of a deathmatch wrestler as the months go by, Drago Kid blew everyone’s minds in his previous GCW appearances, Gringo Loco has built up the reputation of being one of the best bases currently on the indies, Dante Leon is the kind of guy who benefits from that and Shane Mercer is an absolute powerhouse who leaves destruction in his wake.
JCW “UNCENSORED”, 10/09/2022 Boonton Elks Lodge, Boonton, New Jersey, USA
1. DDT Extreme Title – Bodyslam Challenge: Joey Janela (c) Vs Beastman
If Janela can somehow crawl out of the chaos mentioned above, he will put the title on the line next against Beastman on a JCW show. The stipulation here is a lot more basic. First wrestler to Body Slam their opponent wins. Beastman has the size advantage in this one.
ROW “TEXAS GOLD RUSH”, 10/09/2022 Booker T World Gym Arena, Texas City, Texas, USA
1. Shota Vs Ayden Cristiano
Shota’s heading back over to Reality Of Wrestling. This time around his opponent is “The Madman From Madrid” Ayden Cristiano.
NEW “YEAR ONE ANNIVERSARY”, 16/09/2022 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada
1. Maki Itoh Vs Gisele Shaw
Canada prepare yourselves for Maki Itoh. She will wrestle for the first time on Canadian soil for Nation Extreme Wrestling. Her opponent is Gisele Shaw who is coming in as a replacement for Chelsea Green due to scheduling conflicts with the latter. Shaw wrestle twice for TJPW in 2019 including the match to crown the first ever IP Champion. This will be her first in-ring meeting with Itoh.
PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022 The Glass House, Pomona, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Sandra Moone
2. Trish Adora Vs Miyu Yamashita
I said it last month that Miyu Yamashita against somebody like Trish Adora would be an attention grabber. There you go.
MISSION PRO “Welcome To The Jungle”, 17/09/2022 Salvation Army Mission Corps, San Antonio, Texas, USA
1. Shota Vs JP Harlow
Mission Pro is Thunder Rosa’s promotion, right? Shota’s just ticking off all of the Texas companies from the get go. If he wasn’t going to bump into JP Harlow at ROW it was only a matter of time he would find him here I guess.
FRONTLINE PRO “A NIGHT FOR TYLER V”, 24/09/2022 Bakerville Bar And Grill, Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA
1. Shota Vs Ragnar The Ruthless
One week later Shota heads to Wisconsin for Frontline Pro. For fuck sake lads I have to trawl through Facebook to find out what this is and where Ragnar The Ruthless comes from.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022 O2 Academy, Birmingham, England
1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs X
Shigehiro Irie will be at Progress the same weekend CDK are there.
PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
Let’s include Irie here too.
MDRN NMD “I SPELL F-L-Y”, 29/09/2022 The Bread Shed, Grosvenor St. , Manchester, England
1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs LK Mezinger & Splits McPins
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs Dan Moloney
Before the entire UK scene fell apart there was a little series of shows called Tuesday Night Graps put together by a group of wrestlers including Chris Brookes. After the pandemic the shows came back under a new group called Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling and this time there’s no need to run shows every Tuesday. Is Masahiro Takanashi into bowling because CDK takes on Bowl-A-Rama in tag team action. Irie gets to take on Dan Moloney in a superfight.
WXW “INNER CIRCLE”, 30/09/2022 wXw Wrestling Academy, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
1. Masha Slamovich Vs Fuminori Abe
The day before the World Tag Team Festival tournament begins, wXw will be holding a smaller scale show inside their wrestling school. They are always a good appetizer to start their big international weekends with some unique matches put together. Like this one here, Fuminori Abe being thrown into the ring against Masha Slamovich!
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022 Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
We just have to wait and see how both CDK and Abe & Irie will do in the tournament.
EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM V”, 13/11/2022 229 The Venue, London, England
1. Hyper Misao Vs X
Yeah so this was announced back in July and I completely forgot about it until now. Whoops. Hyper Misao’s going to England!
PW REVOLUTION/WEST COAST PRO “KING OF INDIES 2022”, 19/11/2022 United Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco, California, USA
1. King Of Indies 2022: Konosuke Takeshita Vs X
There is a tournament in the American independents that holds almost a mythical reputation even if it does not attract the attention of wrestling fans the same way Battle Of Los Angeles, Tournament Of Death or King Of Trios all used to. The King Of Indies tournament originated in the early 2000s with All Pro Wrestling as the hosts. The 2001 edition is well known as being an inspiration towards the creation of Ring Of Honor. The tournament was revived in 2018 with Pro Wrestling Revolution taking the reigns and this year Takeshita gets to add his name to the tournament’s history book. He won’t be the only Japanese participant because Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH will be there along with SB Kento and La Estrella from DRAGONGATE.
The summer is winding down and it’s been a whirlwind of international appearances for Konosuke Takeshita and Miyu Yamashita in particular. Things might calm down a little going into the Autumn when Takeshita returns home to Japan for DDT. His plan is to go back for just under two months before continuing his excursion. He is definitely falling in love with America and wants to make the country his second home. But as you will see in the upcoming appearances section below there is a whole wide world out there to explore.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Alex Windsor with the Skull Kick (15:28).
We start off in Spain where Yamashita travelled over to wrestle for RCW. She was the big draw of the show with the event’s name being a combination of her and the album “Motomami” by Rosalía. She took on Alex Windsor a week before Windsor went on to win the International Princess Title over in Japan.
PWG “NINETEEN”, 03/07/2022 Globe Theatre, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Masha Slamovich (9:22).
2. PWG World Title: Daniel Garcia (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (23:19). *V1 for Daniel Garcia.
July turned out to be a rocky patch for Takeshita in the win-loss department. He got to fight for the PWG World Title against Daniel Garcia but couldn’t win the belt from him. Yuka Sakazaki had a better night, winning the first women’s match held in PWG in over a decade against Masha Slamovich. She left quite the impression on everyone for sure.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/07/2022 (Aired 08/07/2022) Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Eddie Kingston defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Spinning Backfist (11:56).
Eddie Kingston made it no secret his dream is to wrestle Jun Akiyama some day. Akiyama passed down the Jumping Knee Strike to Takeshita so this match brought Kingston one little step forward toward that goal. The two smashed each other to bits and both were practically done by the time the match was over. It could have ended in a double knockout had Kingston not fallen on top of Takeshita to get the pin.
JCW “THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRTHDAY BASH”, 10/07/2022 Phil Sheridan Building, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Radrick with the Zahi (15:19).
Takeshita and Cole Radrick finally wrestling each other is like when two pen pals meet in person for the first time. To think it all started when Takeshita used Radrick’s move the Lil Sebastian’s Curse 3 years ago.
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 13/07/2022 Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia, USA
1. Interim AEW World Title Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Bulldog Choke (13:13).
Takeshita’s biggest match in America so far took place in AEW when he took on one of their biggest stars Jon Moxley! It was a non-title match but a win would have catapulted Takeshita into an automatic shot for the Interim AEW World Title. Unfortunately despite another heavily praised performance, Takeshita ended up submitting to the Bully Choke. It was at this point when Takeshita realised he has not won an AEW match on Dynamite or Rampage yet. He made it his next goal to get “one big win” on TV.
DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 1”, 16/07/2022 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
Next stop was Seattle for a DEFY doubleshot. In the main event of Night 1 Takeshita beat the veteran journeyman of the indies Davey Richards.
DEFY “THE WORLD IS YOURS NIGHT 2”, 17/07/2022 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Schaff (10:34).
Then on the second night Takeshita beat Schaff. I’m really low on details about what happened on the DEFY shows at the moment so let’s move on.
AEW “DARK ELEVATION”, 20/07/2022 (Aired 25/07/2022) Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated JD Drake with the Jumping Knee Strike (3:40).
Takeshita has no problem picking up wins on AEW’s Youtube shows. He beat JD Drake in the main event of an episode of Dark Elevation.
TERMINUS “TERMINUS 3”, 21/07/2022 Oasis Event Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
1. Jonathan Gresham defeated Konosuke Takeshita by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Octopus Hold (14:55).
Takeshita paid a visit to TERMINUS, the promotion that Jonathan Gresham had been championing while Ring Of Honor was in limbo. The match almost lasted the full 15 minute time limit but the last minute and a half consisted of Gresham locking Takeshita in an Octopus Hold and then finding more ways to torture him. The referee finally called for the bell in the last few seconds, giving Gresham the win. But Takeshita never gave up and even threw an Elbow Strike while in a dazed state right after Gresham let him go. This would not be the last time they were in the ring together this month.
PRESTIGE “NONSTOP FEELING”, 22/07/2022 Hawthorne Theater, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Kevin Blackwood with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (16:55).
Here is where Takeshita started to develop something different. Kevin Blackwood is a pretty tough dude and showed his guts by taking everything Takeshita could throw at him and still kick out of his pins. Takeshita ended up using Radrick’s move the Lil Sebastian’s Curse to finally get the win. Fans want Takeshita to name his version of the move Cinnabomb but he likes the name that Radrick originally gave it.
GARDEN STATE PRO “WELCOME TO EDEN”, 23/07/2022 The Heart Ballroom, Newark, USA
1. 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita defeated Billie Starkz and Janai Kai when Yamashita pinned Starkz with the Skull Kick (6:53).
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Josh Alexander ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
Takeshita did end up getting into a time limit draw against Josh Alexander. It was a non-title match but he left holding his head up high over going the distance against the Impact World Champion. Yamashita was thrown into a hectic 3 Way Match against Billie Starkz and Janai Kai. Those young wrestlers have become two of the more familiar names in women’s wrestling on the American indies. The chaos worked out in Yamashita’s favour when Starkz unintentionally knocked Kai out of the ring, leaving her open for the deadly Skull Kick.
AEW “DYNAMITE ~ FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN”, 27/07/2022 DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. AEW Women’s World Title: Thunder Rosa (c) defeated Miyu Yamashita with the Fire Thunder Driver (10:02). *V5 for Thunder Rosa.
The big reason for Yamashita’s return to America was for this. A shot at the AEW Women’s World Title she earned from beating Thunder Rosa in Tokyo Joshi Pro earlier in the month. The late part of the rematch almost became a mirror of the TJPW bout with the Attitude Adjustment being countered into a Cradle only to get reversed into another one. This time however Rosa kicked out and caught Yamashita with her own High Kick. Rosa then hit her version of the Fire Thunder Driver to avenge the loss and successfully defend the title. Unfortunately it wasn’t a great match. They weren’t on the same page in the first half and although they got back in track with Yamashita’s German Suplex spot, the rest of the match was pretty much a repeat of what they did in TJPW.
BLACK LABEL PRO “THE GANG CROSSES THE LINE”, 29/07/2022 Nashville Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Nick Wayne with the Lil Sebastian’s Curse (12:40).
Takeshita ended his month over at the Starrcast convention for two matches. The first took place in Black Label Pro against the highly regarded youngster Nick Wayne. Even though Takeshita won, he was so impressed by Wayne that he passed down his nickname of “The Future” to him!
SETUP “SETUP EP.8”, 30/07/2022 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. Hoshitango defeated Bital Hasdin with the Midnight Buenos Aires (8:34).
2. Asia Dream Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Terry Diesel & Monomoth when Brookes pinned Monomoth after the Super Kick & Praying Mantis Bomb (23:40). *V4 for CDK.
Time to go a completely different direction over to Thailand where CDK went off on an adventure. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi were part of a Gatoh Move related group of wrestlers taking part in a SETUP show. CDK successfully defended the Asia Dream Tag Team Titles against two of SETUP’s best in Terry Diesel & Monomoth. Also taking part was Hoshitango. He gave the local super rookie Bital Hasdin his first loss in pro wrestling. There was even a DJ Nira sighting at some point during the show.
JCP “RIC FLAIR’S LAST MATCH”, 31/07/2022 Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
1. PROGRESS World Title #1 Contender – 4 Way Match: Jonathan Gresham defeated Alan Angels, Nick Wayne and Konosuke Takeshita when Gresham pinned Angels with an O’Connor Roll (5:40).
Takeshita was added to the undercard of Ric Flair’s dedicated attempt at turning the final scene of “The Wrestler” into reality. He took part in a 4 Way with previous opponents Gresham and Wayne along with former AEW wrestler Alan Angels.
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Upcoming Appearances
AEW “BATTLE OF THE BELTS III”, 05/08/2022 (Airing 06/08/2022) Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
1. ROH World Title: Claudio Castagnoli (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita
He couldn’t win the PWG Title so let’s go after the ROH World Title! Takeshita takes on Claudio Castagnoli himself in an absolute whopper of a match on paper. As mentioned above, Takeshita wants his first AEW win on TV to be a big one and this would fit the bill.
WIDE BAY PRO “RAMPAGE”, 06/08/2022 Maryborough State High School, Sussex Street, Maryborough, Australia
1. Interstate Title: Mitch Ryder (c) Vs Shota
Here’s an unexpected addition. Shota is gearing up for an American excursion in a few month’s time but this month he is heading over to Australia for a one-off appearance in Wide Bay Pro. He is going to challenge one of their champions Mitch Ryder (not the American one who died two years ago).
DPW “BELIEVE THE HYPE”, 06/08/2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Building, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Mizuki Vs Emi Sakura
2. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Andrew Everett
Back over to the maniac matchmaking of Deadlock Pro. On one of their recent shows Andrew Everett called out Takeshita for a match! If that isn’t enough to tickle your fancy, DPW somehow put together the rare matchup of Mizuki against Emi Sakura! It will be Mizuki’s first ever appearance in America and also Sakura’s first US booking outside of AEW ever since she worked with the company.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 137: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COPPERHEAD”, 13/08/2022 O2 Academy, Sheffield, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Robbie X
Robbie X is a journeyman of the British wrestling scene who seems to be finally breaking through and climbing up the ladder. He is Takeshita’s first opponent when he travels over to England.
GCW “HOMECOMING PART 1”, 13/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
That Itoh’s first GCW match hasn’t been announced yet makes me think she’ll be added to a Scramble 6 Way. She’ll have a busy day nonetheless.
JCW “AFTER HOURS 2”, 13/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Billie Starkz
GCW’s sister promotion JCW will be running a show in the same venue afterwards. Itoh is taking part by having a match against Starkz. She got along well with Yamashita. If Itoh takes a liking to her too then maybe a tour of Japan is in Starkz’s future. It will do her a world of good if she ever wants to develop as a pro wrestler.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 138: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – COTTONMOUTH”, 14/08/2022 Boiler Shop, Newcastle, England
1. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Dean Allmark
Dean Allmark is another longtime British wrestler going beyond the indie scene. He’s been through the infamous schedule of wrestling at summer camps across the country.
GCW “HOMECOMING PART 2”, 14/08/2022 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Dark Sheik
Now here is someone with an attitude that Itoh will appreciate. “Fuck The Fans” is a motto that Dark Sheik lives by even though she is pretty cool towards her fanbase. Hoodslam is her home but she’s gotten comfy wrestling in GCW lately too.
PRESTIGE “PERSEVERANCE”, 17/09/2022 The Glass House, Pomona, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Maki Itoh Vs Sandra Moone
Yamashita & Itoh are heading back over to Prestige in September. Itoh has an opponent announced in the form of Sandra Moone. Yamashita is still waiting to hear who she will be against. Taya Valkyrie and Trish Adora are both advertised for the show. Either of them facing Yamashita would be an attention grabber. Just saying.
PROGRESS “CHAPTER 142: DEADLY VIPER TOUR – CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN SNAKE”, 25/09/2022 O2 Academy, Birmingham, England
1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
There’s some extra slightly DDT related news for this show. Shigehiro Irie is being booked for it.
PROGRESS “RETURN OF THE FLY”, 27/09/2022 The Dome, Tufnell Park, London, England
1. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
CDK have another PROGRESS show to go to. The naming of it seems to match Brookes’ interests too.
WXW “WORLD TAG TEAM FESTIVAL 2022”, 01/10/2022 – 03/10/2022 Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany
1. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie Vs X
2. World Tag Team Festival 2022: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs X
A couple more teams have been added to the World Tag Team Festival but nothing related to what I’m doing here. Probably going to stay that way until the tournament takes place.
DDT “DDT FREE -LET’S SHOUT!-”, 07/07/2022 Shinjuku FACE 160 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. KANON defeated Yuya Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (6:55).
2. No Tag Rules: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Kazuki Hirata by TKO after Iino did the Pheromones Judgement 2nd Season to Akito (10:07).
3. Masahiro Takanashi & Shunma Katsumata defeated Asuka & Yusuke Okada when Takanashi pinned Okada with the Uwabami (10:13).
4. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Jun Akiyama, Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when HARASHIMA pinned Ishida with the Somato (13:07).
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs The Iyasareru!: Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Brookes pinned Honda with the School Boy From Hell (11:03).
6. Special Single Match: MAO defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II (16:21).
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima when Higuchi pinned Kojima with the Brain Claw Slam (19:43).
A fresh wave of energy is washing across DDT because today was the first time in so long when the audience could cheer and shout for their favorites. With that fresh wave came some decisions during the show that will shake up the company’s status quo. The biggest by fan was felt after the main event. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura have formed a bond coming out of the King Of DDT final. They became interested in teaming up after fighting each other and everyone discovered they make a good duo when they beat Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima. Afterwards they were approached by Yukio Sakaguchi and HARASHIMA in the ring. They both praised Higuchi & Yoshimura for their growth but together agree its time to move on. Sakaguchi said Higuchi should leave his nest in Eruption. HARASHIMA explained to Yoshimura he is reaching a higher level, so much so that they will have more fun being singles wrestlers instead of a tag team from now on. Taking those opinions into consideration, Higuchi made the request to leave Eruption. Yoshimura also asked permission to leave DISASTER BOX. Both HARASHIMA and Sakaguchi gave their blessings and said they will continue to be high walls for them to climb over in order to make a new landscape for DDT.
So now that Higuchi & Yoshimura are leaving their units to form their own tag team. Yoshimura wasted not time and called out MAO & Asuka. He challenged them for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. MAO accepted the challenge and it will take place on 24th July. Backstage Higuchi said he is indebted to all of the members of Eruption. If they are suggesting to him its time to leave the unit then he feels he has to because it is now or never to make that decision. Yoshimura was also told by the other members of DISASTER BOX he is ready to move on. He vowed to win the Tag Titles with Higuchi on their first shot. A new wind is blowing in DDT and they want to make it stronger! However MAO & Asuka are still on their journey as a tag team. MAO will not let this new duo end it prematurely. They will just be a passing station on the express train.
The match between MAO and Andrew Everett went out of control when the lights went out halfway through the match. When they came back on, Yoshihiko was in the ring giving Everett a Choke Slam! The doll was not just there to provoke “The Giant” because it also attacked MAO. The two opponents briefly formed an alliance against Yoshihiko, dealing massive damage with a Double Choke Slam and also the Meltzer Driver. When that threat was dealt with, the match continued and MAO won with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II. Afterwards MAO admitted that Everett really is a giant. People won’t understand why until they face him in the ring. It was a match MAO would have wanted for a DDT Universal Title defence if he was still the champion so he is left feeling frustrated. He wants to continue wrestling and would be happy being the gatekeeper for foreign talent coming in from now on. He’ll even be the person picking them up at the airport if he has to. Everett praised MAO but said he is not done with Yoshihiko! He wants to come back to DDT and Choke Slam opponents night after night.
Antonio Honda was determined to prove he deserves his upcoming KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles shot. He ran into the chaos caused by DAMNATION T.A’s interference and lead KANON into accidentally strike MJ Paul with a chair. Honda then hit KANON with the chair and set Paul up to be pinned with a School Boy from Chris Brookes. Honda said it is his duty as a citizen of the world to follow the proper procedures and become a champion! Daisuke Sasaki complained that none of Honda’s jokes are funny and they won’t be funny at the title match in Nagoya on 16th July. Sasaki then said if Honda does make him laugh during the match he will admit he is funny after all and then quit pro wrestling.
When the 8-Man Tag Match was finished, Sakaguchi invited Saki Akai into the ring because she had something to say. Akai got Jun Akiyama’s attention and asked to team with him at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August! She wants to become stronger and thinks learning from Akiyama will help her do that. Akiyama agreed to her request because he is the coach for the entire DDT roster. He warned he is going to treat Akai no differently to how he treats male wrestlers and is fine if their opponents are two men for that reason. However he will accept facing a mixed tag team.
Masahiro Takanashi got his own back on Yusuke Okada by getting the flash pin on him in their tag match. He doesn’t take well to Okada thinking he is the only negative person in DDT. If there is anyone in this company who has a negative personality it is Takanashi! He made his intention clear to beat Okada in their Universal Title match on 24th July before Okada chased him out of the ring.
One of the acts that really egged on the fans to cheer and chant were Pheromones. They got the crowd to chant “Sexy” for Yuki Iino. He & Danshoku Dieno had the match all but won when they put Akito in the Pheromones Judgement. Kazuki Hirata was going to break the hold when Dieno gave him an ultimatum. Would he rather rescue Akito or dance to “Tokyo GO!”? Hirata chose to dance while Akito lost consciousness and lost the match. Sanshiro Takagi immediately ran into the ring to stop everyone with Stunners. Dieno told Takagi that the decision to make the DDT Extreme Title match on 16th July a 3 Vs 1 Handicap match cannot be changed into a different stipulation. Takagi agreed but said the match still needs a referee. He will be the referee and got Hisaya Imabayashi to approve of it! Akito was disappointed to hear that after he regained consciousness because he took it upon himself to fight Pheromones on his own for the Extreme Title. He no longer wants to be part of Takagi’s plot to destroy the unit.
At the beginning of the show Takagi publicly admitted that only 497 tickets for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” at Ota Ward Gymnasium have been sold so far. He does not think this is good enough because he wants DDT’s attendance numbers to return to what they were before 2020. In order to motivate the roster into selling more tickets for Ota Ward, the quality of DDT’s company lunch boxes will be determined by how many tickets are sold for that show. Anything under 775 tickets get them only rice balls. 775 to 1,000 tickets gets a nori bento worth 600 yen. 1,000 to 1,300 gets a makunouchi bento worth 1,000 yen. Over 1,300 gets a sukiyaki bento worth 2,000 yen. Finally a complete sell out gets a yakiniku bento from a high class restaurant worth 4,000 yen. The top ticket seller will also get dessert as a bonus.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 