TOKYO JOSHI PRO “HYPER MISAO PRODUCE – HYPE!”, 25/05/2023 Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall 202 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Hyper Misao II Audition: Suzume defeated Miu Watanabe by Ring Out (11:28). Order Of Elimination: Moka Miyamoto, Yuki Kamifuku, Raku & HIMAWARI and Miu Watanabe.
2. Special Single Match: Yoshihiko defeated Shoko Nakajima with s Cradle (12:26).
3. Miracle Heart Catch Shuffle Tag Tournament Final: Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu when Tatsumi submitted Kiryu with the White Dragon Sleeper (11:46).
Today’s show came entirely from the mind of Hyper Misao. She was the producer so anything she said, goes. Proof of that was seen in the first match. It was a Battle Royal where the winner is rewarded with the right to become Hyper Misao II. Nobody booked for the match wanted to be a part of it so Misao gathered them all into a room before the show and brainwashed them into worshipping her. The result was everybody entering the Battle Royal wearing a different Hyper Misao costume from over the years and imitating her gimmick. Miu Watanabe and Yuki Kamifuku fought over the microphone, Raku wore Misao’s very first costume, HIMAWARI showed up as Akemi Daredasore and Moka Miyamoto did all of Misao’s superhero poses. Suzume ended up as the last Misao standing after all six of them sprayed each other in the face. Her full reward was an invitation to join the Hypami Lecture and it will only cost her 990,000 yen (discounted because Suzume already has a superhero costume). Suzume realised this whole thing was a scam and she snapped out of her brainwashing. She stopped Misao from brainwashing her again, took off her mask and told everyone she wants to do her best by being herself.
A first time ever matchup between Shoko Nakajima and Yoshihiko was next. It was a chance for Nakajima to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title, which she has only held once previously. Yoshihiko ignored a customary handshake before the match began. The two grappled with Yoshihiko getting the upper hand and sending his opponent out of the ring. It followed up with a big Topé Suicida but Nakajima used her big kaiju strength to lift Yoshihiko up with a Gorilla Press onto the ring apron. Back in the ring Nakajima targeted Yoshihiko’s legs with submission holds. Yoshihiko reached the ropes and the two started throwing blows back and forth. It led to a scramble of pins after a Hurricanrana ending with Yoshihiko keeping Nakajima’s shoulders pinned to the mat long enough for the three count.
The third and final match revealed that even though Hyper Misao produced this show, the hero of today’s story was actually Mahiro Kiryu. Her match teaming with Yuki Arai against Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo was suddenly revealed to be the final of the Miracle Heart Catch tournament, a previously unannounced competition shuffling random teams together. Endo had Kiryu trapped in the Camel Cluch late in the match when all of a sudden time froze and a masked woman who looks like Hyper Misao entered the ring. Only Kiryu was still conscious and the women told her she must win this match otherwise the world will collapse! She freed Kiryu from Endo’s frozen grip and the two travelled to another dimension where Kiryu will have another match and win it to save the world.
They found a dimension where Sanshiro Takagi and Tetsuya Koda were looking over resumes for Tokyo Joshi Pro’s new project, a unit of pro wrestling idols collaborating with The Up Up Girls. In this dimension Koda rejects the application from Hikari Noa because she is just a high school student from Hokkaido. Instead Mahiro was chosen as the mahjong loving blue member of The Up Up Girls, Mamamama Mahiro! In the ring she performed two songs with Watanabe & Raku then wrestled her match. Things suddenly went wrong and Mahiro was almost pinned by Tatsumi when time again froze and the masked woman sent her to another dimension to start their plan all over.
This time they entered a dimension at the point in time where Mahiro had not debut yet. Takagi came up with an idea to give TJPW a Takarazuka Revue gimmick and Mahiro was the perfect candidate. She was going to become the Romeo to Aino’s Juliet. However when it was time for the Miracle Heart Catch Final, she discovered that Tatsumi & Endo also had completely different gimmicks. They were now like the violent heels from 1980s joshi attacking their opponents with canes and chains! Mahiro tried her best to defend Aino but suffered the consequences. She was about to lose again when time froze once more. It was time to visit yet another dimension.
The masked woman decided to keep things simple this time and went to a dimension where she simply spiked Tatsumi & Endo’s drinks before the final. It caused the two of them to enter the match with stomach aches while Kiryu & Aino were in perfect condition. Then a twist nobody could see coming suddenly happened. The match was interrupted by the Chiisiki-gun, this dimension’s Biishiki-gun equivalent! Chiisakisama and her devoted maid (who looked a lot like Haruna Neko & Antonio Honda respectively) had crashed the tournament and were now Kiryu’s new opponents! Kiryu was once again going to lose the match when time froze once again. However they were about to reach the end of the road.
A voice from the Space-Time Police interrupted the proceedings and revealed to Kiryu that the masked woman’s real identity is Hyper Misao! They weren’t in fact travelling through different dimensions but were instead travelling back through their own timeline over and over in an effort to rewrite history. Misao defended her plan, asking Mahiro if she ever wanted to go back to the past and correct her mistakes? It is something Misao has been asking herself for the last eight years. As she was saying this she suddenly began to realize that she can’t change the world after all. Kiryu told Misao she used to be a recluse just like her. Kiryu only had her mother’s support to rely on and that helped her gradually become a member of society. However one day her mother’s health began to deteriorate and they soon learned she did not have long left to live. Kiryu could not figure out what to do and had no answer other than wishing it was just a dream. She felt emotionless about her own life until she came across a video of DDT doing their street pro wrestling matches. Just like Misao, she thought it looked so much fun and it made her decide to become a pro wrestler. Kiryu has many regrets but becoming a pro wrestler is not one of them. She cannot change her past but she can change her present and future. Misao understood and for one final time they travelled back to the past to right before today’s main event began.
The match began from the beginning and this time Kiryu was full of determination. She went toe to toe against her opponents, fighting her way out of Endo’s Camel Clutch and grabbing hold onto Tatsumi’s legs to cut off her mobility. She gave Tatsumi the Spinebuster but Endo broke the pin at two. Tatsumi caught her in a Sleeper Hold and transitioned it into the White Dragon Sleeper. Kiryu held on for as long as she could but had no choice but to give up in the end. Afterwards Tatsumi admitted she didn’t expect to see Kiryu be so good in the match today. Kiryu just taught her that whenever she falls down she should look forward and keep going. The two hugged and brought Misao into the ring to close out the show.
Misao told Kiryu she did a good job today and offered her the microphone to speak. Kiryu thanked the audience for coming to see the show and is surprised to see so many people here. Misao said this whole reckless match was her idea. As you can see from the show poster, she brought all these wrestlers together to fight inside her mind. She thinks everybody in TJPW are so incredibly talented that they can all handle her crazy ideas. She didn’t plan on a show closing catchphrase so she thought of one on the spot. In English she told everyone “I get hype! We get hype!”
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FIVE: THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL”, 23/05/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans
1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Hyper Misao with a Death Valley Driver through a Plastic Box (12:10).
2. Special Single Match: Takayuki Ueki defeated Mecha Mummy with a Falling Headbutt (4:58).
3. Special Tag Team Match: MAO & Mei Suruga defeated Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno when MAO & Mei Suruga pinned Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno after the Hair Of The Dog (12:13).
4. Special Single Match: Drew Parker defeated Masahiro Takanashi with a Somato (16:28).
Drew Parker and Masahiro Takanashi had their first ever singles match together to main event the latest Baka Gaijin + Friends show. Unlike previous main events from the group, this one stayed almost entirely inside the tiny little mat in the centre of the room. Other than a moment when Parker Dropkicked Takanashi into a fan it was a match of oneupmanship rather than a crazy brawl. Parker did a Swanton Bomb from a stepstool but Takanashi kicked out so he hit a Somato to get the win.
The silliness was more on show in the tag team match. MAO & Mei Suruga joined forces to fight Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno, the pairing also known as Egg Tart. Both Suruga and Koishikawa were put in uncomfortable positions after getting trapped in different objects. Koishikawa got tangled up inbetween stepstool legs. Shinno then came up with an idea to put Suruga sitting through the frame of an upside down stool and then placing her on top of Koishikawa. That way MAO and Shinno could fight each other without the women getting in the way. Koishikawa remained trapped in her stepstool until MAO put her in an Ankle Lock. She slipped out of the stool and freed herself from MAO’s submission. The match then split apart into two fights in opposite sides of the room. They all met back in the middle and kept the match going until MAO & Suruga used a combined cradle combination to pin both members of Egg Tart at the same time.
Mecha Mummy made a rare appearance for its first pro wrestling match in years. It looked a little shorter than the last time we saw him but it could still frantically shake its fists at everything. Takayuki Ueki’s solution to fighting Mummy and its rocket fist was to pull out his gun and pull the trigger. However the bullet ricocheted off of Mummy’s chest plate and hit Daisuke Kiso instead! Mummy readied its fist and was about to deliver a finishing blow to Ueki when suddenly Hyper Misao ran out to rescue him! Misao shot Mummy with an electrified bow and arrow, causing Mummy to short circuit. Ueki Heabutted it to the ground, then placed the Rocket Fist over his head to drop another Falling Headbutt. A wounded Kiso slowly counted the pin to give Ueki the victory. Mummy’s system rebooted and it took out an antidote to heal Kiso’s bullet wound. Kiso lost briefly lost consciousness but jumped back to his feet to give this story a happy ending.
Misao’s match with Chris Brookes unexpectedly opened the show and the two of them almost tore the place apart with their fighting. Misao stapled advertising posters of her self-produced show “HYPE!” on Brookes’ arm and chest. Brookes got his own back by stapling a poster onto Misao’s head. He then took out some plastic boxes and tried to Suplex Misao onto them from the bar counter. But Misao backed him off and hit a Diving Cross Body, making Brookes land onto the boxes. Misao then brought out chairs and placed them out sideways. He sprayed Misao in the face and then Body Slammed him onto the chairs! Getting desperate, Misao took out a plastic toy mallet with firecrackers attached to it. She put a flame to the firecrackers and set them off but Brookes dodged her attack and smashed a plastic box over her head. He then got Kiso to put the firecrackers onto another box and set them alight while he put Misao through it with a Death Valley Driver for the three count.
Antonio Honda sung a few songs for the fans before the main event. He had musicians playing a guitar and a saxophone accompanying him.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 FINAL!!”, 21/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 677 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Akito, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya by TKO when Iino used the Radio Taiso Exercise on Rukiya (6:01).
0. Dark Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai, Soma Takao, Yuni & Yuki Ishida defeated Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Akai pinned Hirata with the Quetzalcoatl (7:39).
1. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ueno with the Brain Claw Slam (10:57).
2. King Of DDT 2023 – Semi Final: Chris Brookes defeated Jun Akiyama with the Praying Mantis Bomb (11:20).
3. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Kotaro Suzuki defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Endo pinned Paul with the Burning Star Press (11:02).
4. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Naruki Doi defeated MAO, Toy Kojima, Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Hino submitted Koroku with the King Ghidorah Sleeper (10:32).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Piercing Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Hideki Okatani with an Inside Cradle (12:02). *V1 for Shunma Katsumata.
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Final: Chris Brookes defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Ground Octopus Stretch (24:28).
Four years ago an English wrestler from the independents named Chris Brookes came to DDT. He took to Japan’s wrestling scene like a duck to water, ticking off a hardcore puroresu bucket list of things to do that isn’t just wrestle in Korakuen Hall and getting a Ribera Steakhouse jacket. What was supposed to be a year long visit to Japan became a four year stay, partly due to the pandemic, but that only helped his career grow. He ingrained himself into Japan’s wrestling scene from as many corners as he could whether it was for DDT, Gatoh Move or somewhere else. Today that four year journey reached its highest point for now because Brookes is the winner of this year’s King Of DDT tournament!
Brookes earned his victory by beating last year’s winner Kazusada Higuchi in the final. Higuchi kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb and used the Brain Claw to set up an Exploder Suplex. That almost resulted in a double KO countout but both men got up at 9. Higuchi did the Doctor Bomb but Brookes kicked out at two. Higuchi provoked Brookes into Headbutting him several times and then fired back with one of his own. But when Higuchi charged in to do the Buchikamashi, Brookes jumped onto him and latched on the Octopus Stretch. The move took Higuchi off his feet and Brookes kept finding ways to twist him until Higuchi finally gave up.
Brookes shook hands with Higuchi after the match and was presented with the trophy. He then celebrated with his cornermen Masahiro Takanashi, Drew Parker and Antonio Honda. Brookes told the fans he was able to win because of their cheers. But his “Dramatic Dream” is not over yet because Brookes is now setting his sights on the KO-D Openweight Title! Backstage he told the reporters that it was not a hard decision to stay in Japan during the pandemic because his friends and family are with DDT and he will always be a part of the company. He beat HARASHIMA, Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama and Higuchi to win this tournament so he isn’t intimidated with fighting Yuji Hino for the KO-D Title. Higuchi praised Brookes for his persistence and tenacity. He credits that as the difference maker today.
The DDT Extreme Title was on the line in a Piercing Death Match. It was a No DQ match featuring nothing but sharp weapons for Shunma Katsumata and Hideki Okatani to stab each other with. Okatani purposely dyed his hair blonde for the match so he could cover it in Katsumata’s blood! An extra stipulation was added where piercing your opponent’s ear three times was a valid way to win the match. That wasn’t needed in the end although both men did get their ears stapled a lot. Okatani had his back rolled over a pile of thumbtacks while Katsumata was pushed through a barbed wire board. However Katsumata got away with the win thanks to an Inside Cradle.
Afterwards Katsumata said he always thought Okatani had what it takes to do hardcore and death match wrestling. He wants to do a rematch some day. Okatani agreed because he had fun doing his first death match. Katsumata then suggested when Atsushi Onita comes back to DDT on 1st July, they can get him involved too for a tag team match. However when Yukio Sakaguchi heard about the idea backstage he got angry over hearing Onita’s name.
Before Hino knew who his next challenger was going to be, he led his squad to victory in an 8-Man Tag Match. It was a rocky start with MAO’s team setting up a Kongo style train of Elbow Drops onto Takagi. Takeshi Masada attacked Takagi, complaining to his boss that he wants to travel to shows on the bullet train. Takagi ordered him while fighting back to take the bus instead because he’s too immature. Naruki Doi also got more annoyed at his younger opponents as the match progressed. Hino sorted that problem out, hitting both Yuya Koroku and Toy Kojima with his big Chops. Kojima withstood the Chops as best as he could until Hino held both him and Koroku in a Double Dragon Sleeper for the win. When Hino does the move to one person it’s called the King Kong Sleeper. But when he does it to two people at the same time it’s called the King Ghidorah Sleeper!
Tetsuya Endo faced his past in the BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A tag match. Daisuke Sasaki attacked him before the bell and took a moment to look at the DDT Universal Title. Endo fought back and had help from Kotaro Suzuki against MJ Paul. Suzuki blocked Paul from doing the Reverse Splash and then he along with Endo gave Paul a Power Bomb/Neckbreaker combo. Later Sasaki missed a Diving Clothesline and accidentally hit Paul from behind. That gave Endo the opening to knock Sasaki outside, wipe him out with the Sasuke Special and then climb the turnbuckles to pin Paul with the Burning Star Press.
After the match Endo called for the big announcement over the ex-WWE wrestler coming to DDT soon to be revealed. He doesn’t care who it is but he heard that this person is being paid 30 million yen to come over! A video played revealing the wrestler is Matt Cardona! The man who now calls himself the “Indy God” is going to face Endo for the Universal Title at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” and he is bringing former NXT wrestler Steph De Lander along with him. Endo was not impressed. He expected a big name but this exceeded his expectations in a bad way. He thinks no amount of money or Twitter followers directly relates to how strong a wrestler is. Endo swore he will defend the Universal Title, take Cardona’s Twitter followers and also take the 30 million yen! Endo also put out word he is waiting for KANON to come back from injury because he owes him a match. KANON was supposed to be part of today’s tag match but is out of action with a dislocated shoulder.
Brookes had to go through Akiyama in the King Of DDT semi-finals earlier in the show. Akiyama threw his Knee Strikes, Exploder Suplexes and even applied the Front Neck Lock to no success. Brookes recovered some ground by countering another Exploder into a Cradle for a nearfall. Akiyama went for the move again but Brookes cut him off with a Knee Strike of his own and used the Praying Mantis Bomb to get the win out of nowhere. Akiyama said afterwards he has to get back into the swing of things otherwise he will wind up like the NOAH Health Club. That is a nickname he gave to Jun Izumida, Masao Inoue and Kishin Kawabata back in 2004 for their lackadaisical efforts in training at the time.
Higuchi’s path to the final saw him go through Yuki Ueno in a rematch of their KO-D Title bout from last December. The two know each other well by this point and had counters for each other’s signature moves. Ueno just couldn’t go through with the WR and was stunned with a Headbutt. Higuchi ran him over with a Lariat and finished him off with the Brain Claw Slam. Ueno told the reporters that results like this should prove he is not good enough. But he beat Naruki Doi and Kotaro Suzuki to get to this point so giving up now would only be disrespectful to them. So Ueno will not stop fighting until he makes it to the top of DDT!
The final rounds of the tournament taking up so much of the main card resulted in a lot of the roster being relegated to the dark matches. A 10-Man Tag featured the usual mix. Kazuki Hirata was briefly abandoned by the rest of his side, leaving him alone in the ring with Sakaguchi. That led to a train attack on Hirata until he was able to tag in Toru Owashi. Then Yuni gave Makoto Oishi a top rope Frankensteiner and got a two count that was broken up by Kazuma Sumi. A circle of split leg submissions formed in the ring with Honda and Yuki Ishida both being left out so they joined together in the center of the circle for a Gongitsune spot. The spot went out of control with Honda striking everybody until he and Ishida started pinching each other’s nipples. Hirata broke it up with his dance but that got intercepted by an attack from Sakaguchi. Saki Akai then joined in wearing the Hirata GO! glasses and pinned Hirata with the Quetzalcoatl.
The pre-show began in the morning time so Pheromones had an idea in mind to wake everyone up. They started playing exercise music from a morning TV show midway through the match so they could do lewd looking exercises while fighting off the opposition. Akito & Yusuke Okada both had their attempts to stop the workout fail, leaving Rukiya to take the worst of it. The exercises Pheromones did to him rendered him unconscious so the match ended by TKO.
When the show had ended and Korakuen started clearing out, Daisuke Sasaki urgently called for the media to meet him in the waiting room backstage. There he told them he was waiting for El Desperado to show up because New Japan were running the next event in Korakuen later in the evening. He claimed he only wanted to meet with Desperado and take a picture together to promote their match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”. However the venue staff started to complain and told Sasaki to leave so they could clean the place up before New Japan arrived. Management then approached Sasaki telling him to leave and he tried to pay them 1,000 yen and then promised that Sanshiro Takagi will pay for an extension fee. He finally gave up and left when the staff started pushing him out of the room with their mops.
The Yuki Ueno & Yuni Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada that was meant to take place in Yokohama Budokan earlier this month is now happening at Yokohama Radiant Hall on 1st July. Yuni backstage said he is very excited and wil be waiting for Wayne right here in DDT.
Fighting Beer Garden 2023 will be held at Ueno Park on 16th and 29th August. For the first time in four years it will be a full fledged drinking show for the fans like it used to be.
Starting on 23rd May DDT will be doing a free ticket campaign for preschool, elementary school and junior high school students at all of their shows. The plan was originally going to be for just preschoolers but DDT decided to include other students due to Yuki Ueno’s recent appearances on the NHK show Tensai TV-kun.
ShunMao’s next KO-D Tag Team Titles defence was announced to take place at Korakuen on 25th June.
BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Takato Nakano, Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe defeated SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Akiyori Takizawa when Nakano pinned Kraken with the Falconry (13:27).
2. Isami Kodaka & Kaz Hayashi defeated Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi when Hayashi pinned Kazato with the Final Cut (8:31).
3. FUMA defeated Ryota Nakatsu with an Upside Down Cross Armbreaker (12:07).
4. Interim IRON FIST TAG Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda when Fujita pinned Hiroshi with the Tombstone Piledriver (15:20). *Sento Minzoku become the Interim IRON FIST TAG Champions!
5. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto defeated Banana Senga (c) with the High Angle Backslide Pin (18:21). *Banana Senga fails in V2. Takumi Tsukamoto becomes the 19th Union MAX Champion!
There is a new Union MAX Champion and it is Takumi Tsukamoto! He is now a two time champ after beating Banana Senga today. Tsukamoto said he gained a lot of experience over the last three years since his previous title reign. He wants to break the record for most MAX Title defences (he and Ryota Nakatsu are tied in first together with 6 defences each). In order to do that he believes he must surpass his former self to become the true MAX Champion once and for all! Senga is disappointed he is no longer champion but the experience has finally given him a taste for wrestling in singles matches after spending the vast majority of his almost 20 year career as a tag team wrestler. Also now he can no longer rely on getting the champion’s purse to raise money for his hair transplant. He thinks he will have to go the crowdfunding route for that one.
Both members of Aijin Tag were in the room and had to watch Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita be given the IRON FIST TAG Title belts. Sento Minzoku are now the Interim champions and they have mixed feelings over it. They thought Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda were more suited to be the Interim Champs but if they have the belts then they are the champions even if it doesn’t really feel that way. They don’t know if they have to wait until Masato Kamino comes back from injury to do the unification match or if they can defend the interim titles before then.
Hiroshi & Honda both wrestled wearing each other’s wrestling gear for their big title match. Hiroshi thought they were going to wear matching gear and didn’t expect Honda to show up wearing his old USA costume. Sadly for them their efforts to win the Interim IRON FIST TAG Titles ended in defeat against Sento Minzoku. Hiroshi is crushed with the result even though Fuminori Abe praised him afterwards for being cool.
FUMA threatened Ryota Nakatsu and the referee with a musket before their match.
Kaz Hayashi was full of thanks towards Isami Kodaka for inviting him over to BASARA today. He praised Kodaka by calling him a treasure of the pro wrestling world. Kodaka got embarrased by all the kind words and asked Hayashi to stick around and watch the rest of the show.
At the start of the show Kamino told the fans he is still waiting on his injury diagnosis before he can tell them when he can return to action. Takato Nakano said he considered vacating the belts but after discussions with Kodaka the decision was made to go the interim route instead. The unification match is being planned for whenever Kamino is ready.
KUBITO was unable to be at the show due to health problems involving his pancreas. He will be out of action for the time being.
The annual Chouten ~Itadaki~ begins on 23rd May with the final happening on 27th June. This year’s tournament will involve 16 wrestlers in a single elimination format.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 1”, 13/05/2023 Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue
1. Sanshiro Takagi, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
2. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Akito Vs Pokotan Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Tetsuya Endo, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
A press conference to promote the King Of DDT finals will take place during the event. All four semi-finalists will be in attendance.
BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe
2. Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Kaz Hayashi Vs KUBITO, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
3. FUMA Vs Ryota Nakatsu
4. Interim IRON FIST TAG Titles: Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda
5. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto
The IRON FIST TAG Titles are becoming an interim championship while Masato Kamino is out with a knee injury. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda are still in the title match but now their opponents will be Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita from Sento Minzoku. Whenever Kamino is able to come back, Aijin Tag will enter a unification match with the interim champions.
Kaz Hayashi from GLEAT enters BASARA for the first time.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR IN SPRING ’23”, 27/05/2023 Kanagawa Fujisawa City Shonandai Cultural Center
1. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Aja Kong & Mahiro Kiryu
Kanagawa is home to Yuki Kamifuku so she is getting a big main event match for the show. She has to face Aja Kong in a tag match! If that turned out to be Mahiro Kiryu’s idea then she’ll really have to apologize for that. Shoko Nakajima once teamed with Kong but this time they are opponents.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN HIROSHIMA”, 27/05/2023 Hiroshima JMS Aster Plaza
1. MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON
2. Special Single Match: Kenshin Chikano Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Hiroshima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Rey Paloma
A little bit of Dove Pro is being added to the mix for DDT’s visit to Hiroshima. Rey Paloma and Kenshin Chikano are part of the show.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 28/05/2023 Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall
1. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Toy Kojima
2. Kumamoto Specialty Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Kota Umeda & Takeshi Masada
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & X Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON
A mystery wrestler is teaming with Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi. Is somebody being added to Ω? Will X turn out to be Shiori Asahi?!?!
The rare annual Kota Umeda appearance is here. He gets to relive the DNA days by fighting Kazusada Higuchi again. Yuki Ishida and Takeshi Masada will need to watch out.
DDT “KING OF DDT 2023 2ND ROUND”, 07/05/2023 Shinjuku FACE 206 Fans
0. Dark Match: Yuni & Yuki Ishida defeated Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with the Flame Palm (6:58).
1. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Akito & Antonio Honda by TKO when Iino used the Sleeper From A Wise Reincarnated Man on Honda (6:38).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada with the Sleepy Hollow (9:00).
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (14:14).
4. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Yuki Ueno defeated Kotaro Suzuki with the WR (12:59).
5. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Jun Akiyama defeated MAO with the Sterness Dust (10:19).
6. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Chris Brookes defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Praying Mantis Bomb (12:04).
7. King Of DDT 2023 – Round 2: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Hideki Okatani with the Brain Claw Slam (16:04).
Former allies in Eruption crossed paths in the King Of DDT 2nd Round. Last year’s winner Kazusada Higuchi fought Hideki Okatani, the youngster who was all set to blaze through the tournament and make a name for himself. Okatani threw his best shot and did get to leave a mark on his opponent but Higuchi stood tall in the end and beat him with the Brain Claw Slam. It wasn’t all bad news for Okatani though. Shunma Katsumata approached him backstage after the main event offering him a DDT Extreme Title shot. Okatani eliminated him in Round 1 so Katsumata wants to settle that score, putting his title on the line in order to do so. Okatani accepted and Katsumata promised to come up with a stipulation that will show off more of Okatani to the fans.
Chris Brookes somehow got a hold of Mecha Mummy’s fist and brought it into his match against Sanshiro Takagi. However a misfired attack knocked out Yukinori Matsui by accident. This also happened after Brookes accidentally took out Daisuke Kiso with a missed RKO. With no more referees in sight Brookes and Takagi fought out of the ring and around the room. Takagi brought out the Dramatic Dream bike but Brookes smashed a plastic box over his head and then threw him into a castle of chairs. Back in the ring both Masahiro Takanashi and Drew Parker interfered to help Brookes out. Takagi fought on but a combination of being put through a table and having more plastic boxes smashed over his head became overwhelming. With nothing left to give, he was pinned with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Backstage Takagi said when he first met Brookes in Japan he thought he had the potential to become the top wrestler in DDT. Today he is convinced Brookes will reach that level.
One thing you should know by now is you should never count out Jun Akiyama in any competition. He reaches the final four by defeating MAO in today’s bout. It took quite a bit to get that result though. The Exploder Suplex and a bare Knee Strike wasn’t enough to put MAO away. Instead Akiyama had to pull out the old Sterness Dust to get his hand raised in the end. MAO didn’t think the match was going to be so close. He went into today with an empty head and came out of the match with a little bit of Akiyama knowledge filling it up. He’ll be going to wrestle in America again soon so he plans to push himself while still wrestling at his own pace.
In a battle of skill, Yuki Ueno came out on top against Kotaro Suzuki. The Endless Waltz couldn’t dizzy Ueno enough to keep him pinned and he also kicked out of a Tombstone. Suzuki then went for the Blue Destiny but Ueno got out of the move and twisted Suzuki into the WR to win the match. Suzuki refuses to let his time in DDT end like this and wants a rematch with Ueno to get revenge.
A lottery was held after the main event to pair off the semi-finals on 21st May. Ueno will face Higuchi and Brookes has to take on Akiyama. Ueno thinks it’s all well and good to see Higuchi shave his head and act like he has given himself a fresh start. But Ueno thinks he himself has been developing too. Higuchi is not giving the final a single thought until he beats Ueno first. Brookes knows he has to go on and win King Of DDT after both HARASHIMA and Takagi have given him their support. If he can beat those two then he can beat Akiyama! But Akiyama has been doing this for decades. Fighting Brookes in a singles match is going to be a new experience for him.
Kazuki Hirata wanted to cheer up and motivate his friend HARASHIMA during their match. He decided the two of them dancing together would be the best way to achieve that. Unfortunately their dance got cut off by the other team and Hirata wound up getting destroyed by Tetsuya Endo & Yukio Sakaguchi, losing the match for his side.
Shunma Katsumata tried to replicate Komander’s tight rope walk into a dive during his match. It ended poorly and Katsumata crotched himself on the rope.
The first appearance of Yuki Iino since his failure to win the KO-D Openweight Title showed him in a crazy state that even has Danshoku Dieno worried. This was a different kind of “Sexy” than everyone is used to seeing. First Iino ran across the entrance way wearing what can be best described as half a speedo. Then when he reappeared for the actual team entrance, Hisaya Imabayashi stopped Pheromones and convinced Dieno to get Iino back into his proper wrestling costume. The match went ahead with Dieno, Akito and Antonio Honda all trying to stop Iino from stripping naked. Honda got Iino to calm down with a lewd Gongitsune joke. In return the now relaxed and enlightened Iino sent both Akito & Honda to sleep with a Sleeper Hold to win the match. Dieno promised the fans that Iino will return to his normal “Sexy” self the next time we see him.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’23”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Hyper Misao, Haru Kazashiro & Runa Okubo Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Toga
4. Ryo Mizunami, Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami Vs Hikari Noa, Nao Kakuta & Yuki Aino
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Arisu Endo
6. Yuki Arai Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Yuki Arai & Maki Itoh Vs Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima
7. International Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Suzume
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Sawyer Wreck
Juria Nagano will be at the show to do commentary.
GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2023”, 05/05/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Ganbare☆Pro Vs Sento Minzoku: Ken Ohka, Shinichiro Tominaga & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
2. Riara Debut Match: YuuRI Vs Riara
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Hartley Jackson & HARUKAZE
4. Yoshiko Hasegawa Vs Nao Kakuta
5. Special Tag Match: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles Tournament – Final: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Yumehito Imanari Vs Hikaru Sato & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii
Two big title matches cap off Ganbare☆Pro’s return to Korakuen Hall.
GANBARE☆PRO “INHERENT VICE 2023”, 06/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. GanJo Special Tag Match: YuuRI & Riara Vs Moeka Haruhi & HARUKAZE
2. Hong Kong International Policeman Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa
3. Special Single Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Takuya Wada
The remaining card will be announced after the Korakuen show is finished.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TAKASHIMAYA VOL. 1”, 13/05/2023 Tokyo Shinjuku Takashimaya 1st Floor JR Exit Special Venue
1. Sanshiro Takagi, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Ishida
2. Special Tag Match: Chiitan☆ & Akito Vs Pokotan Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Tetsuya Endo, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
A deadly feud between mascots has suddenly developed. Pokotan interfered in Chiitan’s match yesterday seemingly to help it out. However the two ended up butting heads and now want to fight each other to see who is the best mascot around. Akito had to figure out what match to put them in to solve this problem. He decided that he and Kazuki Hirata will also get involved to make it a tag match in front of the Shinjuku Takashimaya crowd.
BASARA “BASARA 218 ~TAKAGARI 17~”, 13/05/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken Vs Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe
2. Isami Kodaka, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs KUBITO, Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi
3. FUMA Vs Ryota Nakatsu
4. IRON FIST TAG Titles: IRON FIST Tag Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda
5. Union MAX Title: Banana Senga (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto
The unlikely team of Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda are the next challengers for Aijin Tag and the IRON FIST TAG Titles. It is all Daichi Kazato’s idea somehow.
DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2023 TOUR IN KUMAMOTO”, 28/05/2023 Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall
1. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Toy Kojima
In a show of rebellion yesterday, Toy Kojima was fed up with Jun Akiyama treating him like a toy so he helped Shunma Katsumata win the DDT Extreme Title from him. Kojima stood up for himself, which is good. Now he has to fight Akiyama one on one as per Akiyama’s request, which is bad.
Kota Umeda will be on the show.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023”, 23/07/2023 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Dramatic Dream Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs El Desperado
Guests announced for the show so far are Konosuke Takeshita, Yoshitomo Shimohigashi, Andreza Giant Panda and a mystery former WWE wrestler who will be revealed on 21st May. Don’t know if he’s just messing around on social media but Matt Cardona is making it sound like it’s going to be him.
DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2023 IN YOKOHAMA”, 03/05/2023 Yokohama Budokan 1,160 Fans
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Rukiya with the Tiger Driver (4:07).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Ilusion defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (5:21).
0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs D GENERATIONS Army Best Of 3 Singles Matches: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Yuki Ishida with the Shining Katame (4:54).
1. Yuya Koroku & Munetatsu Nakamura defeated Toy Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:36).
2. International Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Rayne Leverkusen with the Quetzalcoatl (5:51).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Soma Takao, Yusuke Okada & Diego when Sasaki submitted Diego with the Crossface Lock (11:09).
4. Dance Vs Kickboxing Mixed Martial Arts Challenge: Hikaru Machida defeated Kazuki Hirata by TKO with a Right Straight (R1 0:07). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
4a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata defeated Hikaru Machida with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (R4 3:32). (Round Girl: Sayuri Namba)
5. Chiitan☆ Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chiitan☆, Toru Owashi & Akito defeated Chris Brookes, Masahito Takanashi & Antonio Honda when Chiitan☆ pinned Honda with the Shining Wizard (10:26).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Yuni defeated Vent Vert Jack & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (12:03).
7. DDT Extreme Title – TLC (Toys, Ladders & Chairs) Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Jun Akiyama (c) with a School Boy (17:03). *Jun Akiyama fails in V5. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 57th DDT Extreme Champion!
8. Road To King Of DDT 2023 Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naruki Doi & KANON defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kotaro Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Sakaguchi pinned Okatani with the God’s Right Knee (10:40).
9. DDT Universal Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky (19:17). *V1 for Tetsuya Endo.
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuji Hino (c) defeated Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino with the Fuckin’ BOMB (22:28). *V2 for Yuji Hino.
All throughout the build up for the Yokohama Budokan Golden Week show, Yuki Iino had promised to seal away his “Sexy” persona in order to get a KO-D Openweight Title shot. It led to him evolving a “Strong” persona that pleased Yuji Hino and left the champion thinking they would deliver a strong style match for the ages. Oh boy was he wrong. A referee bump led to Pheromones interfering and Makoto Oishi jumping in to try and stop them. Hino wanted nothing to do with the nonsense and ran off backstage with everyone chasing after him. Danshoku Dieno took the microphone, said he held Iino back for too long and it was time to give fans a title match only DDT can deliver! Pheromones returned with Hino all gagged up and behind them was the first appearance of Yuki “Super Sexy” Iino! Pheromones did their spots but Oishi was there once again to get in their way and revive Yukinori Matsui. From there the match went back to normal. Iino hit his new Strong Splash finisher but only got a two count. Hino came back throwing Lariats to combat Iino’s Spear. The momentum flipped all the way to the champion and he got the three count with the Fuckin’ BOMB.
Hino was presented with the KO-D Title by Kenta Kobashi after the match (apparently Kobashi did not sound the least bit amused by the main event on commentary). Hino told Iino that he is a strong wrestler when they fight each other and he should be choosing his friends more carefully. Dieno defended Iino by telling Hino he dares to be “Sexy” and chose to be that way. When times are tough everyone should look to Pheromones for inspiration. Dieno also warned that the Pheromones way of life will lead him to meet Hino in the ring again some day. Hino gave Iino credit for showing off his real ability today and reminded fans that DDT is the place where amazing wrestlers gather together to have amazing matches.
The war of words between Tetsuya Endo and MAO has come to an end for now after Endo was put down his arch rival. For weeks the two have sent harsh words to each other over who suits the DDT Universal Title more. When it came down to the match itself both tried to outdo each other with big moves. Endo kicked out of the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II and the Cannonball 450 but when Endo hit the Tetsuya In The Sky it was all over. MAO was left beaten but he said afterwards the result did not change his mind. He still intends to win the Universal Title he just has to start from scratch all over again. As long as he behaves how he thinks the Universal Champion should behave then the belt will eventually gravitate towards him by itself. Meanwhile Endo said MAO was just all talk and no better than Daisuke Sasaki’s snot! If MAO wants to get revenge and beat him, he should go home and become his town’s toursim ambassador first!
With MAO now out of the way, Endo has a new mystery challenger on the horizon. As he walked up the ramp to leave ringside, a video played with the message “I have won many titles. Next target is DDT Universal Title. On July 23, Ryogoku. I will go to steal the belt.” The video also mentioned the message was sent from a former WWE wrestler and their identity will be revealed on 21st May. Who could it be? Well maybe it’s the guy who tweeted out a similar vague message a few hours later and then posted the video itself? Endo said a WWE wrestler is the best choice for his next defence. However Endo is about to take part in the King Of DDT tournament and the winner of that will most likely get a KO-D Title match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. Endo wants to win the tournament and then win the KO-D Title while still holding the Universal Title. If he gets that opportunity then he won’t be able to do two title matches at the Sumo Hall show. It would just be too difficult for him!
A preview for the King Of DDT was on display in an 8-Man Tag Match. Given the amount of people in the match chomping at the bit to wrestle, the match went ahead with No Tag Rules. It led to some of the 1st Round pairings squaring up to each other. Sanshiro Takagi and Yukio Sakaguchi fought each other while Kotaro Suzuki and KANON went back and forth. Hideki Okatani tried cutting off his Eruption stablemate but was pinned with the God’s Right Knee for his troubles. Sakaguchi helped Okatani to the back after the match, showing there was no ill intention over the result. Everyone also gave out comments about King Of DDT. Takagi is now trying to figure out how to prepare for his 1st Round match in three days. Sakaguchi wants Takagi to put his phone away and be ready for him. Suzuki wants to win King Of DDT at all costs. Naruki Doi sees everyone as his enemy because he knows it only takes one loss to get eliminated from the bracket. HARASHIMA wanted his side to win as a team today but their teamwork wasn’t good enough. Kazusada Higuchi was reminded of how tough the competition is going to be so he will tighten his resolve for the early rounds. KANON promised to give Suzuki a nightmare he deserves. Okatani was excited by the match and wants to win no matter what it takes.
The TLC Match was all about Toys, Ladders and Chairs! The idea was put together by Shunma Katsumata to ensure Jun Akiyama would experience a true DDT Extreme Title defence. However the in the build up to the match the plan seemed to have backfired when Akiyama got the bright idea to get Toy Kojima involved because he counts as a “Toy”! The match went ahead with chaos being caused around the ring. Akiyama crashed into a castle of chairs but he also used Kojima as a weapon against Katsumata. One Exploder Suplex was not enough to get the win so Akiyama set up another. However Kojima suddenly showed he had enough of being treated like a toy and he hit Akiyama with a Leg Lariat. That caused Katsumata to roll up Akiyama from behind and get the pin to win the Extreme Title! After the match Kojima yelled at Akiyama, telling him to stop treating people like toys and how Katsumata has always treated him as a friend. His comments got Akiyama to go to management and demand a singles match with him somewhere down the line. Meanwhile Katsumata wants to take the Extreme Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles with MAO worldwide. He also wants to turn the belt strap back from white to purple but that might take some time.
DDT’s young portion of their roster was put on display for Match #6. Yuki Ueno teamed up with Yuni originally expecting to face some international competition. However visa issues prevented Nick Wayne from being able to travel to Japan so Takeshi Masada instead had to team with Vent Vert Jack from Yokohama’s MY WAY promotion. It was the first time Yuni and Jack were in the ring together since the end of the DDTeeeen!! project. Yuni pulled out a Firebird Splash on Masada to give Ueno a nearfall. Jack tried to keep breaking the pins but Ueno scored the win in the end by giving Masada the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. Ueno said everyone in the match was amazing and makes him wonder how good he himself will be when Wayne does finally come to DDT? His upcoming singles match with HUB is giving him an explosion of motivation and he wants to also face Wayne in a singles match. Yuni also threw his name into the hat to have a match with Wayne. Jack said he would like to come back to DDT for more matches with Yuni and Ilusion. Masada said he was able to see the difference in his career to those of Yuni and Jack. He’s older than both of them but they have far more experience than he does. He sees he has to catch up to them first before he can catch up to Ueno.
The pro wrestling debut of Chiitan saw the mascot get outclassed by its opponents at first. But Toru Owashi & Akito were there to provide backup against CDK & Antonio Honda. Chiitan got into a punch exchange with Chris Brookes until Honda paused the match to give his latest Gongitsune joke. When the match resumed Brookes set Chiitan up for the Praying Mantis Bomb when music suddenly began to play. DDT’s own oversized mascot Pokotan ran down to the ring to the rescue! It instead got attacked and had its head stomped in by Brookes. But unknown to him, Chiitan had climbed the top rope and went on to hit a Diving Cross Body onto Brookes, Honda & Masahiro Takanashi. With the ring cleared, Chiitan then hit the Shining Wizard on Honda to win the match.
The two mascots gathered together afterwards and seemed to be on the same page. Until suddenly Chiitan attacked Pokotan with a baseball bat! The two got into a brawl that Akito tried to break up. Things briefly calmed down long enough for Akito to announce Chiitan and Pokotan will have a match against each other on 13th May but that just caused the mascots to get into another fight. Backstage Akito tried to explain what was going on to the reporters. Pokotan thinks he is DDT’s No. 1 mascot while Chiitan thinks it is Japan’s No. 1 mascot. The two are now determined to end each other!
The long awaited MMA fight between Dance and Kickboxing only lasted 7 seconds when Hikaru Machida immediately knocked out Kazuki Hirata. One person in particular took more offence to the result than anyone else in the building. The round girl Sayuri Namba was furious! She didn’t put all this effort into becoming a round girl again only to see she wasn’t needed. She even handmade her own costume for the match! She took her anger out on Hirata, Machida and the ref Matsui by slapping them all to the canvas. Everyone agreed to restart the match to further avoid her wrath. Namba became a lot more cheerful now she was able to do her job.
In the 3rd Round, Hirata feared he was about to get knocked out again so he got on the microphone and read a letter he wrote about wanting to put smiles on children’s faces. He thinks Machida’s own child would have the biggest smile if Hirata and Machida danced together. In the 4th Round Machida held back his Iai Punch and tearfully told Hirata he will always be a father before a fighter. The two danced to Hirata’s music but Hirata then cradled Machida for a nearfall. Machida hit the Iai Punch but that also got a two count. Hirata then locked in the Miracle One Shot Cradle from out of nowhere to take the win. Namba raised both of their hands and the three of them all danced to close out the match. Backstage Machida said this was the first time he ever lost a fight because his opponent exploited his love for his son. He also never danced in front of so many people before. His cornerman Thanomsak Toba told him that this is pro wrestling and everything is a learning experience. Namba said she would love to do more round girl work but only if the fighters are stronger so the audience can enjoy the fight more.
Diego’s first match with DDT in six years came about when Keigo Nakamura got injured. Diego was already in Japan and had attended a DDT show as Katsumata’s guest so when a spot on this show opened up it was only natural to bring him in. Unfortunately DAMNATION T.A spoiled his return and left him with a loss on his record. Daisuke Sasaki gave him a Low Blow, Minoru Fujita followed up with the Sayonara Tombstone and Sasaki landed a Diving Elbow. Diego kicked out of the pin but was put into the Crossface Lock for the submission ending. Soma Takao & Yusuke Okada still thanked Diego for joining their team on short notice. Sasaki complained about Diego coming back and demanded to fight him one on one in Diego’s home country of Chile. The flights are expensive though so he wants Diego to pay for it.
Rayne Leverkusen’s goal to “Make It Rayne” in Japan was taken down a notch after she lost to Saki Akai. She tried using a Rolling Elbow, German Suplex and Spinebuster to win. Akai fired back with a High Kick, the Rookie Award and then the Quetzalcoatl to get her hand raised in the end. For Akai she didn’t take it for granted that she got a singles match on one of DDT’s big shows of the year. She could tell that Rayne only has a year and a half of experience. She also doesn’t know anything about Iron Maiden so she was able to treat Leverkusen as an opponent and nothing else. Leverkusen said she respects Akai and she also won’t run away whenever her opponents brings up her family’s fame. She will continue to wrestle for her family and is proud to get a big singles match in Japan today. She wants to come back and if she is still a champion when she does, she thinks she will have to give Akai a title match.
The opening match ended with Yuya Koroku cutting off Kazuma Sumi’s Lionsault and then submitting him with the Triangle Lancer. However Koroku is not satisfied with that after failing to win the D GENERATIONS CUP and failing to qualify for King Of DDT. He wants to get even stronger so he can move out of the opening match spot as soon as possible. Munetatsu Nakamura from Ganbare☆Pro was happy to be on the winning team and hopes the next time he comes to DDT he will get to team with Keigo Nakamura as was originally planned. This was the fourth time Kojima & Sumi teamed up together. Kojima figures he has to protect Sumi even more after today’s loss. Sumi meanwhile is getting frustrated because he cannot figure out how to break out of Koroku’s Triangle Lancer.
Most of Pheromones were banished to the pre-show to take part in three dark matches. They pulled out a 2-1 score against a trio of rookies in singles matches. First, Yumehito Imanari beat Rukiya by using the Lariat and then the Tiger Driver. Then there was an upset when Ilusion defeated Danshoku Dieno! Ilusion got unmasked by Dieno during the match but the other rookies had the bright idea to place Dieno’s discarded tights over his head as a replacement. Ilusion then caught Dieno with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold to get the surprise three count and even the score. The third match was the decider with Yuki Ishida facing Koju Takeda. Ishida using an Emerald Flowsion for a nearfall and went for the Flame Palm. But Takeda countered it with his Shining Katame submission to make Pheromones win the series. Dieno used the result to declare today was going to be Pheromones Day!
A few guest names were announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2023” on 23rd July. First, Andreza Giant Panda will be coming back to DDT. The other was a person that nobody would have predicted, a wrestler by the name of Yoshitomo Shimohigashi. He is considered the first graduate of the Ibushi Wrestling Institute, having debuted in wrestling back in 2018. He also has an athletic background in bowling. Given his connection to Kota Ibushi, Shimohigashi is nicknamed “Golden Stardust” and he now carries on Kota Ibushi’s lineage in pro wrestling. Akito explained he has a hand in the Institute as an advisor and that even though Shimohigashi is unknown to the vast majority of wrestling fans, he is well known within the wrestling industry. Shimohigashi told the fans he wants to make an explosion inside the very ring that Ibushi created.
DDT will go to Sumo Hall for a second time this year on 12th November for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”.
BASARA “BASARA 217 ~TAKAGARI 16~”, 30/04/2023 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino defeated Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato when Kamino pinned Kazato with the Lariat (10:08).
2. Masahiro Takanashi defeated KUBITO with an STF (13:14).
3. Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Lil’ Kraken & Leo Isaka ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
4. Shota defeated FUMA with the Gannosuke Clutch (12:13).
5. Elimination 6-Man Tag Match: Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa defeated Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe (21:45).
5a. Ryota Nakatsu eliminated Fuminori Abe by Ring Out (2:47).
5b. Fuminori Abe eliminated Ryota Nakatsu by Ring Out (3:08).
5c. Takumi Tsukamoto and SAGAT eliminated each other by Double Ring Out (7:28).
5d. Akiyori Takizawa eliminated Takumi Tsukamoto by Ring Out (9:18).
5e. Akiyori Takizawa eliminated Yasu Urano after the Big Mac (21:45).
The main event turned into a mess because of a referee bump. Yuya Okada got knocked out so Atsushi Ishiguro ran out as the replacement. However he missed the earlier eliminations in the match so the eliminated wrestlers were able to convince him they were still active participants. Then Okada recovered which caused more confusion between the two referees. That explains why it says above that some of the wrestlers were eliminated twice. Even then the wrestlers stuck around to stay involved in the match after they were eliminated. All of Sparky worked together to hit the Big Mac to get the win in the end.
Shota was FUMA’s mystery opponent. It was teased right before the show that the opponent was somebody who was wrestling in BASARA for the first time in years. He last wrestled here in 2018.
After the opening match Daichi Kazato told Aijin Tag who their challengers for the IRON FIST Tag Titles on 13th May are going to be. He’s not getting involved though. Instead he said it’s Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Antonio Honda!
MUSASHI from Michinoku Pro will be making his BASARA debut on 17th June.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. FOUR: WHEN GOOD DOGS DO BAD THINGS”, 18/04/2023 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa 60 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Special Tag Team Match: Baliyan Akki & Sayaka Vs MAO & Chie Koishikawa
2. Special Single Match: Masashi Takeda Vs Death Worm
3. Special Tag Team Match: Rina Yamashita & Drew Parker Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 