BASARA “BASARA 231 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 27~”, 07/10/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Trans-Am ★ Ryota defeated Trans-Am ★ Takato & Trans-Am ★ Ika when Hiroshi pinned Ika with the Perfect Plex (11:47).
2. 3 Way Match: Daiki Shimomura defeated Isami Kodaka and Ryuichi Sekine when Shimomura pinned Sekine with the Shimomura Hurricanrana (11:08).
3. Fuminori Abe defeated A.YAZAWA by submission via Self-Report (17:19).
4. Hardcore Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto & Akane Fujita defeated SAGAT & Jun Masaoka when Tsukamoto pinned SAGAT with the Dragon Kicker (16:52).
Trans-Am ★ Ryota was Ryota Nakatsu, Trans-Am ★ Takato was Takato Nakano and Trans-Am ★ Ika was Lil’ Kraken all impersonating different eras of the Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi gimmick along with Hiroshi himself.
Some of the wrestlers performed karaoke before the matches began. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Antonio Honda, Takumi Tsukamoto and Lil’ Kraken all took part. Kraken actually did a diss track aimed at Rikiya Shindo instead of karaoke.
BASARA “BASARA 232 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 28~”, 07/10/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda defeated Isami Kodaka & Gouma Ryu when Honda submitted Ryu with the Octopus Hold (10:58).
2. Takumi Tsukamoto defeated Ryuichi Sekine with the Zudon (11:02).
3. 3 Way Match: Ryota Nakatsu defeated SAGAT and Daiki Shimomura when Nakatsu pinned SAGAT with a Back Roll Clutch Hold (11:54).
4. Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino & Fuminori Abe defeated FUMA, KUBITO & Lil’ Kraken when Abe pinned Kraken with a Back Drop Hold (14:48).
5. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato defeated Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga when Kazato pinned Oosugi with the OPA! (16:41).
The first few IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT matches in the opening round saw Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda and also Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato going through. Hiroshi & Kazato will face Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi in Round 2 on 24th October. The winners of that match will face Urano & Honda in the semi-final on 7th November.
BASARA “BASARA 233 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 29~”, 07/10/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Isami Kodaka defeated Lil’ Kraken with the Isamiashi Zan (8:27).
2. Ryuichi Sekine, Fuminori Abe & Banana Senga defeated Ryota Nakatsu, Daichi Kazato Vs Yasu Urano when Senga pinned Kazato with a Rolling Cradle (11:50).
3. Tsutomu Oosugi defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi with an Inverted Hurricanrana (9:36).
4. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita defeated FUMA & KUBITO when Shimomura pinned FUMA with the Asai DDT (16:20).
5. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT defeated Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino when SAGAT pinned Nakano with the Goregrind (13:49).
The remaining 1st Round matches had Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT as well as Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita both advancing. Tsukamoto & SAGAT will meet Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka in Round 2 on 24th October. The winners of that match will face Shimomura & Fujita in the semi-final on 7th November.
Daiki Shimomura challenged FUMA for the Union MAX Title on 24th October.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. 5 Way Tag Match: KANON & MJ Paul Vs Naruki Doi & Kazuma Sumi Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Toy Kojima & Yuki Ishida Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer 6-Woman Tag Match: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Yoshitatsu, Yoshihiko, Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ DDT Vs VOODOO-MURDERS: Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Jun Saito, Rei Saito & Toshizo
5. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Tetsuya Endo
6. Special Single Match: Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda
8. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs MAO
9. Saki Akai Retirement Match ~Strong, Noble, Beautiful~: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Kazusada Higuchi & Miyu Yamashita
10. Dramatic Dream Match: Chris Jericho Vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
During her retirement road Saki Akai has said she wants her pro wrestling career to end like a flower that scatters beautifully, not one that withers and dies of decay. For her final ever match she chose three opponents that have the most power to scatter her petals. Eruption will have a 6-Man Tag Match against Naomichi Marufuji from NOAH, former member Kazusada Higuchi and Miyu Yamashita from Tokyo Joshi Pro. Marufuji was chosen because Akai wants to stay so strong until the end that she is able to beat “The boss next door”. It will be the first time Marufuji wrestles on a DDT only show since November 2020 (not counting the 2021 CyberFight Festival). The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles will not be on the line because everyone is taking part in the match for Akai instead of a championship. A press conference was held today to announce this match along with the rest of the card for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”. Akai said at the conference that she still does not feel like she is approaching her final match. As a pro wrestler she will continue to do her best.
Hideki Okatani said he is happy to be part of Akai’s retirement match as a member of Eruption. They are double crown champions because of Akai and he is grateful to her for that. Yukio Sakaguchi admitted he is at a loss for words. For the last ten years Akai is probably the one person he’s been closest to, through all the good times to the bad. Higuchi said he has nothing but gratitude and respect for everyone in Eruption. He will express that to Akai when they are in the ring against each other. Yamashita is really happy to be included because her debut happened in the same venue on the same weekend as Akai’s debut, just one day before her. They privately hang out together and often talk about pro wrestling with each other. She wants Akai and herself to keep kicking each other until the end. Marufuji wondered why he was chosen but he wants to get a clear understanding of who Saki Akai is and how she wants her final match to end. Does she want to win by herself or win with the help of her friends? He warned her that if she does not want any bruises then she better wear gear with cushioning in it. Marufuji & Higuchi aren’t going to take it easy on Akai with their Chops and neither is Yamashita with her kicks!
———————————————————————–
The rest of the card was revealed today. The tag team division has gone in a completely different direction thanks to ROMANCE DAWN winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles so quickly after DAMNATION T.A claimed the vacant belts. Now we have Shota & Soma Takao getting a big spot on the show in a title defence against Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda. That team is getting the shot based on Chris Brookes’s recommendation since he’s already busy with the main event to take part.
Daisuke Sasaki and Tetsuya Endo are facing each other in a singles match. This is coming off yesterday’s show when Sasaki tried to offer Endo a spot in DAMNATION T.A. Endo refused out of respect for the original DAMNATION they were both a part of. He has no interest in joining the current version of the group because it has not surpassed the first rendition. Endo then flipped the idea on its head by suggesting to reporters that Sasaki join BURNING instead. It would be a chance for Sasaki to discover a brand new side to him. Imagine Sasaki if he grew up with a Kenta Kobashi influence. I just can’t picture it.
DDT’s working relationship with All Japan has a place on the show. The VOODOO-MURDERS are rampaging over to Sumo Hall! It will be up to the combined forces of Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya to stop them. The Saito Brothers have been one of the more visible players in Japan’s tag team scene recently. I don’t know what to think about Toshizo. If that’s not enough AJPW goodness for you then how about another serving of Yoshitatsu in the match before that?
The participants in the TJPW Offer Match will be revealed during “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” on 9th October.
DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 04/10/2023 Shinjuku FACE 436 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) & Makoto Oishi when Masada pinned Hirata with Shoda no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (8:43). *Takeshi Masada becomes the 1,580th champion.
2. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Hideki Okatani, Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Okada pinned Rukiya with the Sudden Death (10:43).
3. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Higuchi pinned Paul with the Brain Claw Slam (12:23).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated HARASHIMA & Gota Ihashi when Sakaguchi pinned Ihashi after the Double Rookie Award with Akai (14:00).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota defeated Minoru Fujita & KANON (c) when Shota pinned Fujita with the Gannosuke Clutch (12:41). *DAMNATION T.A fails in V1. ROMANCE DAWN becomes the 80th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
6. Pheromones Final ~ 3 Vs 4 Handicap Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (w/ Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda) Vs Akito, Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima ended in a No Contest (18:12).
6a. Emergency Decision Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Hisaya Imabayashi with the STP (Stepover Toe Hold With Pheromones) (0:58).
For the last time Pheromones were in the air surrounding DDT for one final ride in Tokyo Sexy Land. Danshoku Dieno did not want the fans to be sad because the unit was splitting up, but happy that something this ridiculous existed in the first place. All four members of Pheromones were together although Koju Takeda was too injured to wrestle so the other three had the numbers disadvantage against Akito & The 37KAMIINA in the main event. Yuki Iino had an idea to even the field by pulling out a small plastic standee of Shunma Katsumata, calling him “Chunma” much to the annoyance of Toy Kojima. They then got an actual equalizer when Tetsuya Endo did a run-in for them wearing only an O-Back. Pheromones started doing their usual lewd spots putting Yukinori Matsui in a dilemma. The referee’s thoughts were suddenly projected to the audience. He should stop the match but doing so would ruin their farewell match. If only someone could make him faint. At that moment MAO got rid of him and the match continued. The Shinuku FACE manager then started thinking the same thoughts, resulting in MAO taking him out too. Finally Hisaya Imabayashi stepped in and knocked out MAO so the match could end at last.
Suddenly Iino got on the microphone and began to actually speak. Instead of giving grunts and other inappropriate noises, he spoke to Imabayashi and requested a singles match with him to close out the show. Imabayashi refused until “Fantastic City” began to play and he got dragged down to the ring. The match began and Imabayashi gave Iino the Stunner followed by an STF. Iino countered the move into the Stepover Toe Hold With Pheromones which is just another way to stick the GM’s face into his backside for the quick submission victory. Inoue Mic narrated the history of Pheromones while all four members gathered in the ring for their final sendoff. Each member left their signature item in the ring. Iino’s item was the O-Back he was wearing so that left him completely naked in the ring covering his shame with his hands.
Later that night after the show DDT held a Pheromones trial where Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Imabayashi all judged what should happen to the remaining members who are planning to stick around. From what I could gather some of it was a parody of the Johnny Kitagawa scandal that’s been the big story in Japan’s entertainment industry this week. Dieno, Iino and Yumehito Imanari were all found guilty. As punishment Imanari must leave CyberFight (he already did), Iino has to take a leave of absence to rehabilitate himself of his remaining Pheromones and Dieno might be forced to change his “company name”, i.e. his wrestling name.
Shortly after crowning new KO-D Tag Team Champions the belts have only gone and switched over to another team already! ROMANCE DAWN scored the biggest victory in their existence by beating Minoru Fujita & KANON for the titles. Shota avoided Fujita’s Tombstone Piledriver and lured him into the Gannosuke Clutch to get the three count. Shota talked afterwards about being friends with Soma Takao since they were both 18 year old student pro wrestlers. They dreamed of becoming tag team champions together and in reality it feels even better than they ever imagined! Chris Brookes interrupted their celebrations and brought up the time CDK fought ROMANCE DAWN in Ganbare☆Pro. He would like to challenge them for the KO-D Tag Titles at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” but he is already defending the KO-D Openweight Title at that show. So instead he wants his friends to get the title shot. Out walked Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda down to the ring to the song “My Love Letter” by Honda’s band Daisetz. Honda tripped on the ropes climbing in but was able to gut through his promo. ROMANCE DAWN accepted the challenge for 12th November at Sumo Hall.
Gota Ihashi felt today was going to be his last chance to be with his longtime crush Saki Akai. He kept thinking he would get a chance to embrace his love only to discover Yukio Sakaguchi was standing in Akai’s place instead. He finally caught Akai in a big hug but she escaped and gave him a Sandwich PK with Sakaguchi. Ihashi then missed a Moonsault and his opponents did another double team attack, this time a Double Rookie Award for the win. Akai told Ihashi afterwards she was happy to wrestle him again and the next time they see each other will be when she goes to Ebisuko Tavern for a meal while he works as their head chef. Ihashi said she doesn’t have to wait until then because he loves her. He moved in for a hug but Sakaguchi knocked him down with the God’s Right Knee. Ihashi still professed his love for Akai while HARASHIMA helped him out of the ring.
Akai then talked about the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and what is next for them. Eruption wants to defend them often to make the belts shine brighter and Akai still has wrestlers she wants to fight before her retirement. She called down Sanshiro Takagi and Akito to the ring. DDT is only possible because of those two which is why she wants them to be part of her road to retirement. She is nominating them as the next challengers along with one other wrestler, Makoto Oishi! He has stood by Akai during her entire wrestling career, giving advice and teaching her so much. She would love to fight him in a title match too. Oishi accepted the challenge to team with Takagi & Akito against Eruption. He is the cutest person standing in that ring and will become the champion of cuteness! The title match will take place in Sapporo on 15th October.
Tetsuya Endo was confronted with his past when Daisuke Sasaki asked him to join DAMNATION T.A after their tag match. While Endo still seems to be on good terms with Sasaki, he refused because the group cannot compare to the original DAMNATION they were both a part of. Endo suggested maybe Sasaki should join BURNING instead? He would show a new side of himself if he took on a Kenta Kobashi kind of influence.
Somebody wasn’t in the mood to dance during the opening match. Takeshi Masada kept cutting off Kazuki Hirata’s dance routine until he was offered his own pair of Hirata GO! glasses. He pretended to dance with Hirata only to attack him and pin him for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! That prize is not enough so Masada then challenged Hirata for the DDT Extreme Title. Hirata was taken aback by how passionate the challenge was but Masada wants to have competitive fight instead of fun and games. The title match will take place on 22nd October. Imabayashi then warned Masada not to lose the Iron Man Title to New Japan when he wrestles at their Sumo Hall show next week.
The IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT is back for the first time since 2020. It is also going to be the first time the reigning IRON FIST Tag Team Champions will be competing in the tournament. The 2020 tournament was held to determine the No. 1 Contenders and the 2019 edition was to crown the first champions. Every playoff match has a 30 minute time limit except for the final which has no time limit. If a match ends in a draw then both teams are eliminated. The teams taking part are:
BASARA “BASARA 232 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 28~”, 07/10/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1A: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1B: Isami Kodaka & Gouma Ryu Vs Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda
———————————————————————–
BASARA “BASARA 233 ~OJI NI KITSUNE 29~”, 07/10/2023 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR
1. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1C: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA & KUBITO
2. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1D: Takumi Tsukamoto & SAGAT Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
———————————————————————–
BASARA “BASARA 234 ~UTAGE~”, 24/10/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 2A: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Winners Of Match 1A
2. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 2B: Winners Of Match 1D Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka
———————————————————————–
BASARA “BASARA 235 ~UTAGE~”, 07/11/2023 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 2A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
2. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Semi-Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 2B
3. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Final: X & X Vs X & X
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023”, 24/09/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 967 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Koroku submitted Rukiya with the Triangle Lancer (8:42).
1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Takeshi Masada when Sasaki pinned Yuni with the Vietnam Driver IV (7:43).
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Korakuen ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Kazuki “Magnum” Hirata & Naruki Doi and Akito & Antonio “FOXY” Honda when Iino submitted Akito with the Eiffel Tower (7:24).
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya defeated Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi when Naya pinned Oishi with The World’s Largest Back Drop (13:39).
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima defeated Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura when Ueno pinned Tamura with the BME (10:12).
5. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) defeated Maki Itoh by Pinfall (15:03). *V1 for Matt Cardona.
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated MAO with the Wagamama (11:28).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Saki Akai by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Octopus Stretch (21:00). *V2 for Chris Brookes.
In the last ten years as a pro wrestler, Saki Akai had never competed for the KO-D Openweight Title before today. With retirement from the business around the corner, Akai was chosen by Chris Brookes to be his next challenger so they could have a rematch of their 2021 bout at Korakuen Hall, this time in front of an audience. Akai went into the match determined to show this opportunity was earned and wasn’t given to her out of charity. She fired with a Big Boot from the beginning but Brookes quickly turned things around by doing a Death Valley Bomb on the ring apron. The challenger had to pull out some deep moves to fight back, including her old Riemann Galaxy submission as well as the Takatonic. The two wrestlers found themselves fighting on the top rope where Akai dropped Brookes with the Avalanche Quetzalcoatl. However Akai wasn’t able to pin him afterwards, giving Brookes valuable recovery time. Brookes powered out of a Triangle Choke but was given the regular version of the Quetzalcoatl. To Akai’s surprise it only got a two count, marking it one of the rare times when her finisher did not end her opponent. Brookes fought back with a Piledriver, Double Knee Drop, Buzzsaw Kicks and the Praying Mantis Bomb but Akai kicked out of all of them. Brookes had to twist and pull Akai apart with the Octopus Stretch until Yukinori Matsui called for the match to end.
After the match Brookes reminded the fans he will face Akai again on 30th September, this time with the roles reversed because Eruption are defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against CDK & Mei Suruga. He thanked Akai for doing her best and asked her to continue doing so until her retirement because we only live once. Brookes next wanted to talk about his next KO-D Title defence at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” on 12th November. Yuki Ueno walked out to the ring and appealed for the title shot. Brookes accepted and the two talked about being close friends for the last four years even though they hang out in seperate units. He wants the best challenger at the biggest stage so he’s fighting Ueno at Sumo Hall! Backstage Akai spoke about the pressure and responsibility she felt going into today’s main event. She is going to fight for herself as well as for everyone who supports her starting with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Title match taking place in Kyoto. She wants to pin Brookes in her hometown to clear up her regrets from today!
It turned out Konosuke Takeshita did not come back to DDT alone this time around. Midway during Takeshita’s match with MAO, his manager Don Callis walked down to ringside. MAO was taken aback by his appearance but kept his focus on the match. He tried to go big with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver but Takeshita blocked the move and turned it into an Avalanche Driver of his own. MAO tried to turn things around with a Palm Strike but Takeshita worn him down with Jumping Knee Strikes and the Zahi to get the win. Despite the recent differences between the two, Takeshita encouraged MAO after the match to take his own path because he is proving his style of pro wrestling can be successful around the world. They both joined DDT as teenagers and they are already in their late twenties so Takeshita thinks it is time for MAO to make decisions for himself.
Takeshita then introduced the DDT audience to Don Callis and spoke about how much they get booed in America. He said the Don Callis Family is only getting started so the entire pro wrestling world should pay attention to them from this point forward. Takeshita revealed his next appearance in DDT will be at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” where he would like to make everyone dream again. Suddenly the lights in the room went out and a video played on the screen. The video is sent by Chris Jericho and he is challenging Takeshita to a singles match at Sumo Hall! Jericho listed all of the Japanese wrestling legends he has fought over the years and swore to get revenge on Takeshita for his recent attacks over in AEW. Takeshita agreed to the match, calling it a “dramatic dream” to defeat him in a DDT ring. He promised to destroy everything about Jericho from “Lionheart” to “Y2J” to “The Painmaker”!
The GCW feud between Deathmatch Royalty and Maki Death Kill made its way over to Japan when Matt Cardona put the DDT Universal Title on the line against Maki Itoh. The champion was accompanied by Steph De Lander while Itoh went into the match alone. She had a plan to battle the number disadvantage though. Cardona made a big mistake by giving Itoh a Low Blow and being confused when it didn’t effect her. He then accidentally knocked out the referee Matsui with a missed Clothesline. Itoh’s plan came into play when she ducked De Lander’s attack with the title belt causing Cardona to get hit instead. Itoh took out a trolley at ringside, taped De Lander to it and pushed her away from ringside. She then took out a pizza cutter back in the ring and sliced Cardona’s forehead open with it! However De Lander freed herself from the trolley, returned to the ring with a chair and dropped Itoh onto it with a Modified Facebuster. Cardona pinned Itoh while De Lander revived Matsui so he could count to three.
Backstage Cardona complained about his match not being in the main event while De Lander said she wants DDT to put her in a match against Itoh the next time she shows up here. Itoh regretted not using more tape on De Lander. She knows this feud isn’t finished and there will be more matches against them when she goes back to America. She will chase after Cardona & De Lander to the depths of Hell in order to beat them one more time! Meanwhile MAO made the decision to challenge Cardona for the Universal Title at Sumo Hall. His thought process is if he can beat the indie wrestling god then he can become a puroresu god! Cardona accepted his challenge with a handshake but then attacked MAO with a belt strike from behind. When MAO recovered he warned Cardona that he just pulled out the Joker card.
The new DDT Vs All Japan rivalry continued with AJPW sending over Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura to take on The 37KAMIINA. The visitors entered the ring wearing sauna caps and then paired off against their opponents. Toy Kojima spent a lot of time fighting Aoyagi while Ueno went back and forth against Tamura. Ueno scored the win for the home team by pinned Tamura with the BME. He called the match fun and praised All Japan for being bright, intense and fun in a way that feels similar to The 37KAMIINA. Kojima then stole the All Japan team’s sauna cap and dared them to try and take it back. Aoyagi mentioned he will be wrestling MAO in AJPW on 5th October so his fight against The 37KAMIINA isn’t done yet.
Yuji Hino finished up his run with DDT by getting HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi to wrestle in Ω shirts. Makoto Oishi had his cane taken by Jun Akiyama while HARASHIMA went toe to toe with Tetsuya Endo. It wouldn’t have been Hino’s last match with DDT if he didn’t get into a chop battle with Kazusada Higuchi so one went down here. In the end though it was Yukio Naya who won the match for his team by pinning Oishi with The World’s Largest Back Drop. Hino thanked all the wrestlers after the match. He told the fans not to be said because today does not mean Hino will never wrestle in DDT again. He spoke about his children and how it is up to parents to protect their children. Backstage Hino said his wrestling future will be with Yasu Urano because apparently Urano is his mentor, not TAKA Michinoku. Oishi called him out for lying. Naya said the next time Hino will wrestle him will be when he is the KO-D Champion. Naya will even pick Hino as his first challenger.
A threat loomed over the 3 Way Tag Match when Danshoku Dieno announced that somebody among the other two teams was a traitor! Much to Akito and Naruki Doi’s horror it was gradually revealed that Kazuki Hirata and Antonio Honda were wearing O-backs, which means they are both with Pheromones! From there Yuki Iino, Dieno, Kazuki “Magnum” Hirata & Antonio “FOXY” Honda all joined forces to defeat Akito, giving Pheromones the victory. The effect on Hirata and Honda is only temporary but Dieno explained afterwards that even when Pheromones dies, it will never die!
Daisuke Sasaki unleashed a fourth version of the Vietnam Driver to win the opening match for DAMNATION T.A. While their match was against Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Takeshi Masada there were more people for them to fight when ROMANCE DAWN appeared. Shota & Soma Takao started a brawl at ringside when they stopped Minoru Fujita from interfering. KANON went over to help Fujita fight them while MJ Paul was there to stop anybody from breaking up Sasaki’s pin.
There was a Dark Match where Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya. The rookies team showed teamwork when Sumi Dropkicked Koroku into a Backslide Pin from Rukiya for a nearfall. Koroku took control by grabbing Rukiya’s arm and eventually grinded him into submission.
Before the main show began there was a contract signing for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match on 4th October. ROMANCE DAWN talked about how long they have known each other and their excitement of fighting for the championship together. Fujita didn’t find their story interesting while KANON started acting erraticly. He started crying at one point and then switched to shouting at people before excitedly posing for the group photo.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. EIGHT: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT”, 20/09/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Special Single Match: Yoshihiko Vs Antonio Honda
2. Special Single Match: Mecha Mummy (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) Vs HARASHIMA
3. Mad Dr. Ueki (w/ Mecha Mummy) Vs Baliyan Akki
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs El Hijo del Chris Brookes & El Hijo del Takanashi
5. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Monomoth & Dr. Gore
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. EIGHT: THE DIRECTOR’S CUT”, 20/09/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Special Single Match: Yoshihiko defeated Antonio Honda after the CRII from Yoshihiko’s handler (11:45).
2. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Mecha Mummy (w/ Mad Dr. Ueki) with the Somato (7:54).
3. Baliyan Akki defeated Mad Dr. Ueki with the Koryu (7:39).
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated El Hijo del Chris Brookes & El Hijo del Takanashi when Takanashi pinned Takanashi after the Hair Of The Dog with Brookes (12:37).
5. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Monomoth & Dr. Gore when Brookes pinned Monomoth with the Praying Mantis Bomb (6:55).
The crowd at ARENA Shimokitazawa were seeing double at this month’s Baka Gaijin + Friends when CDK took on… ChieDK! Their opponents MAO & Chie Koishikawa entered the room in full CDK cosplay and were announced as El Hijo del Chris Brookes & El Hijo del Takanashi respectively. MAO & Koishikawa moved around in a drunken manner similar to Takanashi while MAO wouldn’t stop vaping. The two teams fought around the room, dragging Yuki Ueno into the action. But in the end CDK defeated their doppelgangers, proving you cannot beat the originals.
That wasn’t the end though because CDK found themselves taking part in an extra match afterwards. They were feeling invincible after the main event and called for another tag team to fight them. Out came two wrestlers from Thailand and Singapore. Monomoth & Dr. Gore were here to accept the challenge. Monomoth almost scored the three count with a Bridging School Boy but Brookes kicked out and gave him the Praying Mantis Bomb. CDK ended the night with two wins back to back.
The mad doctor’s experiments aren’t working out for him this month. Mad Dr. Ueki brought Mecha Mummy back to Baka Gaijin for a big singles match against HARASHIMA. For HARASHIMA’s first time in Baka Gaijin he figured out his surroundings well. He grabbed onto the ceiling above, swung back and forth for momentum and landed a Body Press onto Mummy. Ueki got involved in the match but his teamwork with Mummy kept backfiring and leaving him harmed. HARASHIMA knocked Mummy into Ueki with a High Kick and then found room to charge in and hit the Somato to win.
Ueki blamed Mummy for losing and wanted to set an example by winning a match himself. He made an open challenge to any wrestler to fight him right now. The challenge was answered by Baliyan Akki! Ueki shit talked his opponent until Akki hit him to start the impromptu match. Akki lifted him up for a Back Drop but Ueki grabbed onto a ceiling rail and started choking Akki with a Headscissors. The move proved effective until Akki slumped down, causing Ueki to lose his grip from the ceiling and fall. Ueki did manage to take out a syringe and jab Akki with it, drawing out a sample of his DNA. Ueki then threw Mummy’s Rocket Fist but Akki ducked and the fist knocked out Daisuke Kiso instead. Mummy grabbed its fist, loaded up and fired another Rocket Punch but Akki ducked again and this time Ueki took the blast. Akki then rolled Ueki up in a School Boy and a recovered Kiso counted the pin.
Antonio Honda kicked off the show with a mighty challenge against Yoshihiko. Honda wanted to win big so he attempted to do the Tenzan Tombstone Driver. Yoshihiko avoided it an after several tries gave Honda a Piledriver. It wanted to do a big dive from the counter but Honda stopped Yoshihiko by attacking its “shadow”. The “shadow” suddenly lost his mask, revealing the face of El Phantasmo underneath! He grabbed Honda by his nipples and dropped him on the floor with the CRII before going back to handling Yoshihiko so the doll could pin Honda and win.
“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans
0. Dark Match: Dr. Gore & Yasu Urano defeated Monomoth & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru) when Urano pinned Monomoth with the Modern Times (5:30).
1. Gauntlet Tag Match: Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Minoru Fujita, Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi), Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki, Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno), and Shota & Gota Ihashi.
1a. Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) defeated Shota & Gota Ihashi when Honda pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (2:39).
1b. Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki defeated Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) when Shiryu pinned Honda with the Chinese Leg Roll Clutch (1:59).
1c. Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno defeated Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki by Ring Out when Shinno eliminated Suzuki (2:55).
1d. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno) defeated Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno when Shu pinned Koishikawa with a Cradle (2:54).
1e. Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei (w/ Gorgeous Matsuno) when Sasaki pinned Kei with a Cradle (5:01).
1f. Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Minoru Fujita by Ring Out when Akki eliminated Fujita (7:31).
2. Saki Akai Vs DJ Nira ended in a No Contest (?:??).
3. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Mei Suruga with a European Clutch (12:19).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi, Isami Kodaka & Ken Ohka defeated MAO, Daiki Shimomura & Munetatsu Nakamura when Sakaguchi pinned Nakamura with the God’s Right Knee (15:05).
5. Chris Brookes defeated Masahiro Takanashi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (24:07).
-. Special Exhibition: KUDO (1) defeated Masahiro Takanashi (0) (5:00).
-a. KUDO (1) pinned Masahiro Takanashi (0) with the Diving Double Knee Drop (?:??).
Masahiro Takanashi gathered a bunch of his friends together to celebrate twenty years of him being a pro wrestler. The advertised main event was a singles match between the two CDK teammates Takanashi and Chris Brookes. In the end Brookes countered the Takatonic into the Implant for a nearfall and then used the Praying Mantis Bomb to get the three count. However the final match of the night took place right afterward when KUDO entered the ring in full gear to take part in a five minute long exhibition against Takanashi. It was the first time KUDO got to wrestle in any form since 2019. The five minutes went by in a sprint and KUDO scored a pinfall with the Diving Double Knee Drop right before time expired.
During the post-show interview backstage Takanashi asked KUDO how did it feel to wrestle again after such a long time? KUDO said it felt great and he appreciated the support from the fans. He would like to do it again. He has no plans to retire so he will definitely come back some day. Takanashi said next time he hopes to do a CDK Vs KUDO & Yukio Sakaguchi tag match. Brookes said he doesn’t want to fight Takanashi again anytime soon. CDK is stronger together as a team and they have plenty of dreams they want to chase. Next year will be CDK’s 5th Anniversary as a team so maybe Takanashi will put together a show to celebrate that in 2024 instead of his 21st anniversary.
Minoru Suzuki’s weird weekend was stretched out into Monday when he had to fight Mei Suruga in a singles match. He decided to fight fire with fire by using some of Suruga’s moves and poses against her! Suruga complained about the fans cheering for him because he doesn’t look cute when he acts like her. Suzuki got the win in the end, oddly enough not by choking the life out of Suruga but by using a European Clutch to pin her. Suruga kept attacking Suzuki after the match but he shrugged her off. He praised her for putting up a good fight, gave her a hug and left the ring, ignoring that she was still trying to attack him.
Saki Akai was promised a match if she showed up to the event. When she entered the ring she was immediately attacked by DJ Nira! He also attacked Daisuke Kiso before the bell rang so the match never officially started. Still, Akai tried to wrestle Nira and had him beaten with the Quetzalcoatl. Kiso was still knocked out so Akai went to revive him. Gradually the ring started to fill up with wrestlers like Antonio Honda, Hoshitango, Gota Ihashi and Thanomsak Toba all dressed in diapers. According to Nira they were all old men and it is now up to Akai to take care of them. The match was declared a Diaper Royal when suddenly the room went dark. A voice told the audience that Akai went on to build a facility for the elderly but everyone who lived there got poisoned on the opening day. Kiso was caught as the accomplice so Toba strangled him to death. That’s how the match ended.
Shota & Ihashi entered the Gauntlet Tag Match dressed as Takanashi & Sakaguchi respectively. Ihashi even sported fake body tattoos.
DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2023”, 18/09/2023 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall 531 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Kazuma Sumi defeated Rukiya with a High Angle Rolling Cradle (5:59).
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Nagoya ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata & Akito and Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada by Referee Stoppage when Dieno used the Lip Lock on Masada (6:40).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Hideki Okatani, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when KANON submitted Koroku with the Cobra Twist (9:26).
4. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie, Kazusada Higuchi & Shinya Ishida defeated Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo when Irie pinned Oishi with the Beast Bomber (14:03).
5. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Bat & Board Tag Death Match: Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki defeated Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu (c) when Akiyama pinned Yoshitatsu after the Sandwich Current Blast Bat Swing with Suzuki (8:17). *Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu fail in V6. BURNING become the 120th All Asia Tag Team Champions!
6. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima when Naya pinned Kojima with The World’s Largest Back Drop (15:18).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes, MAO & Antonio Honda when Akai pinned Honda with the Quetzalcoatl (17:12).
A couple of hours after Minoru Suzuki wrestled Sanshiro Takagi on the bullet train travelling from Tokyo to Nagoya, Suzuki was wrestling in DDT again this time in the main event. He gave Eruption, in particular Saki Akai, a helping hand against Chris Brookes and his team of jokers. Suzuki was not in the mood for comedy and kicked away Antonio Honda whenever Honda tried to set up a Gongitsune joke. His behaviour changed though when Honda instead wanted to talk about One Piece. Honda almost angered him when he started making lewd jokes about Tony Tony Chopper but Yukio Sakaguchi convinced him to listen for the punchline. Honda then attacked Suzuki with Gongitsune and gave Akai a Tenzan Tombstone Driver. Akai kicked out at two and gave Hona the Quetzalcoatl, pinning him while Suzuki held MAO back from breaking the count.
After the match Suzuki said he heard about Akai’s plans to retire and that she is challenging Brookes for the KO-D Openweight Title soon. If she is looking for strength then she shouldn’t stop for anything. She shouldn’t be crying either because he thinks she looks really ugly when she cries. Akai didn’t respond to that and instead turned her attention to the audience. She said her body is hurting a lot but hearing everybody cheering for her made her want to stand back up whenever she got knocked down. She is a pro wrestler so she will be fine. There is also one last thing she wanted to say to Suzuki. “Who are you calling ugly?” In a flash she kicked Suzuki in the face with a big boot, sending him scrambling out of the ring and grabbing a chair nearby. The seconds at ringside restrained him from getting back into the ring while Akai said when she becomes the champion, Suzuki can challenge her anytime!
For the first time in nine years the All Asia Tag Team Titles changed hands on a DDT show! Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki on behalf of BURNING have won the belts from Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu in an Exploding Death Match. Suzuki perhaps took the worst damage. He was blinded with Onita’s Poison Mist and took an exploding baseball bat swing from Yoshitatsu. Akiyama came to the rescue by throwing Onita onto a barbed wire board that was rigged to explode but did not because nobody pressed the button to trigger it beforehand. He also ducked the Mist from Onita causing Yoshitatsu to get blinded instead. Akiyama & Suzuki both grabbed an exploding baseball bat and hit Yoshitatsu with them sandwich style before Akiyama pinned him for the victory.
Onita accepted defeat and shook Akiyama’s hand after the match. Akiyama said the All Asia Tag Titles are now no longer about explosions so it’s time for them to be defended in serious pro wrestling matches again. Backstage he wanted to make his point clear that the titles are now being held by a DDT wrestler and a freelancer, not anyone from All Japan. Yoshitatsu overheard him and protested, telling him the belts belong to AJPW. He wants to fight for the belts again in a normal match and this time his tag team partner will be Takao Omori! Akiyama accepted the challenge and the title match will take place on 7th October. Meanwhile Onita promised to continue doing exploding death matches in the hopes that the younger generation will someday take over the gimmick. That means he will continue Dramatic Dream Onita with Shunma Katsumata and Toy Kojima somewhere down the line.
After Match #4, Yuji Hino announced to everyone that he will soon end his regular appearances with DDT. He has wrestled on DDT shows often for the last three years first as part of DAMNATION and then as part of the Ω revival. There are good wrestlers in DDT but after all this time only one thing has been clear. In the end, Hino is the strongest! His final match as a regular in DDT will be on 24th September. He is not retiring from wrestling. He is just taking an easier schedule to avoid injury so he can do volunteer work back in Chiba as well as take care of his five children. He can always show up in DDT again if the company calls him or if Makoto Oishi wants to win a championship.
DDT “DDT BIG BANG 2023”, 09/09/2023 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium 1,363 Fans
1. Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Ilusion defeated Yuni, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Takanashi pinned Yuni with a Rotating Crucifix Pin (8:21).
2. Pheromones Vs Subjugation Final Match! Special Single Match ~ Dissolution Contra Vice President: Akito defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino (w/ Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno) with a Yoropean Clutch (12:09).
3. HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Higuchi pinned Koroku with the Doctor Bomb (10:45).
4. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – All Humans Are Equal! Kazuki Hirata Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (E/c) defeated Naruki Doi (I/c) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:28). *V3 for Kazuki Hirata. Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,576th Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion.
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles & AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c/c) defeated Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka & Ram Kaichow when Sakaguchi pinned Miyamoto with the God’s Right Knee (12:04). *V3 for Eruption with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. V2 for Eruption with the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles.
6. First Time In History! Time Difference Scramble Bunkhouse Current Blast 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yoshitatsu & Toy Kojima defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Yoshitatsu pinned Takagi after a Sandwich Current Blast Bat Attack with Onita (9:12).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Minoru Fujita & KANON defeated Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi when KANON submitted Oishi with the Just Cobra Twist (12:54). *Ω fails in V1. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 79th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
8. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Daisuke Sasaki when Ueno pinned Sasaki with the BME (23:09).
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Shigehiro Irie with two Praying Mantis Bombs (27:36). *V1 for Chris Brookes.
The international rivalry between Chris Brookes and Shigehiro Irie begun in England, made its way to Germany and had its rubber match in Japan. The match started off quiet but notched up a level when the two took the fight outside the ring where Irie threw chairs but was then put through a table with a Piledriver. Back in the ring Irie brought out his heavy attacks like the Cannonball and Beast Bomber. He also almost knocked Brookes out with the 16 Carat Gold Elbows. However Brookes started using High Kicks to stun his opponent, following up with slaps and more kicks to the head. Irie fought back with a Headbutt and never expected Brookes to Headbutt him back. At this point Irie had already kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb so Brookes had to use the move again twice in a row to finish him off.
Brookes called Irie strong after the match and told him to please come over to DDT again anytime, anywhere. He also already decided who he wants the next challenger for the KO-D Openweight Title to be. Brookes then called Saki Akai to come down to the ring. He reminded her of the double title match they had in May 2021 that had to take place in an empty arena because of the pandemic. Since Akai will be retiring in two months time Brookes thought it would be a shame if they didn’t have a rematch. He also brought up that Akai had never challenged for the KO-D Title before. Akai told Brookes she doesn’t want to do the match just for the sake of making memories. She accepted the challenge and slapped Brookes across the face before shaking his hand. There is nothing more scarier than a person who has nothing left to fight for so she is fighting Brookes at Korakuen Hall on 24th September to become the KO-D Champion!
The last time Konosuke Takeshita was in DDT he gave Yuki Ueno an offer to follow his leadership and move on from The 37KAMIINA. His new attitude that formed in AEW won over his former enemy Daisuke Sasaki, so much so that Sasaki tried to help out with recruiting Ueno. Today Ueno gave his answer and it was to stay with his friends! Sasaki did his best to convince Ueno by manipulating moments of the match so Ueno and MAO would accidentally hit each other. But when the time came for Sasaki to hand a chair over to his opponents, Ueno refused to attack MAO with it. Together Ueno & MAO got rid of Takeshita with dives and Ueno went on to pin Sasaki with the BME.
After the match Ueno made his answer more clear. He knows he is going to fight Takeshita again some day and when it happens he will be the champion and Takeshita the challenger! He believes if he had taken Takeshita’s offer it would make him stronger but he already has friends in The 37KAMIINA who lend him their strength. MAO then called out Takeshita and demanded they have a singles match against each other. Later backstage MAO confronted Takeshita again to make the challenge. Takeshita said he is travelling back to America tomorrow but will return to DDT on 24th September. They will have their match on that date in Korakuen.
KANON promised he was going to get the last laugh on Ω and was proven right when DAMNATION T.A became the new KO-D Tag Team Champions! He had his chest beaten in by Yuji Hino’s chops but Minoru Fujita was there to rescue his tag partner. So was MJ Paul. It took both Fujita and Paul to hold Hino back at ringside from entering the ring while KANON submitted Makoto Oishi with the Just Cobra Twist for the title change. Backstage DAMANTION T.A’s celebration was interrupte by ROMANCE DAWN. Although they are usually a Ganbare☆Pro tag team, Shota & Soma Takao want to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles. They will get their shot on the 4th October Shinjuku FACE show.
For the first time ever Jun Akiyama took part in an exploding death match! The match had unusual Bunkhouse Stampede rules added to it. Akiyama and Atsushi Onita would start out wrestling each other and then after three minutes the other wrestlers of both teams would all join in the match at once. Onita quickly blinded Akiyama with Poison Mist but was caught in the Front Neck Lock by the time everyone else entered. Yusuke Okada held Onita back on a chair for Sanshiro Takagi to hit him with an exploding baseball bat. Toy Kojima placed another exploding bat on top of a barbed wire board but Okada Superplexed him onto it causing a big bang. Onita used the Poison Mist again, this time on Takagi. He and Yoshitatsu then hit Takagi with the two remaining exploding bats to win the match.
Onita took the time afterwards to thank Takagi for putting this match with Akiyama together. But Onita thinks his matter with Akiyama has not been settled yet. There is another exploding death match happening on 18th September with Onita & Yoshitatsu taking on Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki. Akiyama previously challenged Onita to put the All Asia Tag Team Titles on the line. After what happened today, Onita wants to go through with the idea and agreed to make it a title match. He then paid tribute to the late Terry Funk. Both Onita and Akiyama have All Japan blood running through their veins so Onita hopes Funk is doing his best up in Heaven. He also revealed he got to speak with Funk’s daughters recently and he’d like to visit Amarillo, Texas again some day.
There were two double title matches on the show. Eruption retained both the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles & AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles against a team straight out of Triple Six. Akai hit Ram Kaichow with the Rookie Award but then took a Rock Punch from Isami Kodaka. Meanwhile Yuko Miyamoto dropped Hideki Okatani with the Fire Thunder. However Yukio Sakaguchi held things together for the champions and pinned Miyamoto with the God’s Right Knee for another successful defence. Okatani said he wants to defend the titles 10 times in 2 months before Akai’s retirement. Sakaguchi doesn’t mind who the opponents will be to achieve this. Akai promised to continue refining her skills until her last match on 12th November.
The other title match had both the DDT Extreme Title and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on the line. Kazuki Hirata made it an All Humans Are Equal Death Match where Naruki Doi was limited to only do what Hirata is capable of doing. Toru Owashi and Inoue Mic sat as judges near ringside holding up signs to tell Doi when he was and was not wrestling just like Hirata does. Not only that but Hirata convinced Doi to wear the same ring gear, setting up a curatined-off area inside the ring so he could change costumes. If this was a normal match, Doi would have won easily but the constant pausing by the judges threw him off. Doi thought he finally had the match figured out when he realised the Bakatare Sliding Kick was acceptable but when he got the three count the judges immediately invalidated it because Doi had to dance before the match could end. Doi did so in full Hirata costume (he later admitted to taking secret dance lessions to learn the routine) until Hirata suddenly pinned him with the Miracle One Shot Cradle.
Hirata is now a double champion but had other business he wanted to bring up before any new challengers appeared. He took out a letter he wrote for Hiromu Takahashi and began reading it to everyone. In the letter he talked about “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023” from earlier this year and how much it meant to him to be on the show. He also brought up Takahashi’s first ever pro wrestling win was against him but it is never acknowledged anywhere, like on their Wikipedia pages for example. Takahashi will be wrestling at DDT’s Sumo Hall show on 12th November and it would be a dream come true if he chooses Hirata as his opponent. All of a sudden, Takahashi ran into the ring and tried to pin Hirata for the Iron Man Title! Hirata kicked out and was in shock to see Takahashi standing right in front of him. Takahashi thanked him for the letter and agreed to do the match because Hirata is his favorite DDT wrestler. He then tried to pin Hirata again.
A 6-Man Tag Match had Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada all trying to break down Kazusada Higuchi. Koroku was able to put Higuchi in the Triangle Lancer but Takao broke it up by wrapping his Dropkick Bar shirt over Koroku’s head and pulling him back. Higuchi & HARASHIMA both hit Swan Dive moves to Koroku before Higuchi pinned him with the Doctor Bomb.
Is this finally the end of Pheromones? This was the so-called final battle in their feud with Akito with big stakes on the line. If Yuki Iino won then Akito would give up his Vice President role in CyberFight but if Akito won then Pheromones would disband. A match this dramatic needed to finish with a winner too so the usual Pheromones antics had to be tolerated by Yukinori Matsui and the Wrestle Universe broadcast was censored. Akito used that to his advantage by stripping himself down to an O-back to fight Iino on his level. He leapfrogged over him, causing Iino to Spear Danshoku Dieno by accident. Akito then pinned Iino with the Yoropean Clutch to get the climactic victory he has waited so long for.
Except this maybe is not the end for Pheromones after all. Akito admitted that the unit has become an integral part of DDT with its own supporters. So rather than break up Pheromones, Akito wants to see if they can be purified first. Over the next month Pheromones will be put on a trial period where they have to behave themselves and make up for their past transgressions. Then on 4th October Akito will decide their fate.
Antonio Honda showed up wearing Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi’s old American flag costume for the opening match. He tried his best to avoid hurting himself but as usual but it had to happen so Gongitsune could appear. It backfired slightly but he still hit Yuni with the Bionic Elbow, giving Masahiro Takanashi the opening to roll up the teenager with a Crucifix Pin.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 