DDT “MISSION IN BATTLE ~SHINSHUN KENRAN~”, 25/01/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Junta Miyawaki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
2. Ryuma Tsukamoto, Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida, Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Yuni, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai when Sato pinned Masada with the PL (6:10).
3. Naomi Yoshimura & Kumadori defeated Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Yoshimura pinned Paul with the Harai-goshi (7:59).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Yoshihiko Return Match: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Dieno pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (0:06).
4a. Rematch: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Suzuki submitted Sasadango with an Arm Lock (0:05).
4b. Rematch: Minoru Suzuki, Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko defeated Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation (5:23).
5. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama defeated HARASHIMA & To-y when Takeshita pinned To-y with the Wagamama (12:40).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when KANON pinned Iino with the GURU-GURU Driver (15:35). *V3 for STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION.
7. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Universal Title – Irregular 3 Way Match: Yuki Ueno (c/c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes
7a. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno (c) and Chris Brookes when Sasaki submitted Brookes with the Crossface Lock (16:14). *Yuki Ueno fails in V2. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 20th DDT Universal Champion!
7b. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki and Chris Brookes when Ueno pinned Sasaki with the WR (10:05). *V5 for Yuki Ueno.
Double the danger, double the fun. Yuki Ueno had two potential challengers gunning him down for his championships so he decided to put the DDT Universal Title and the KO-D Openweight Title on the line one at a time in an unusual main event. It was a 3 Way Match consisting of two falls. The first had Ueno defending the Universal Title. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to form an alliance with Chris Brookes but it was short lived. Ueno was still at a disadvantage because his injured left leg was targeted by both challengers. Sasaki also had DAMNATION T.A in his corner and despite the other’s attempts to wipe them all out, they became a key factor for how the first fall ended. Sasaki got Brookes trapped in the Crossface Lock and DAMNATION T.A all grabbed onto Ueno to stop him from breaking the hold. Brookes had no choice but to tap out and Sasaki became the new Universal Champion!
Sasaki wasted no time when the second fall began and the KO-D Title became up for grabs. He immediately Speared Ueno through the ropes to the floor then returned to the ring to put Brookes back into the Crossface Lock. Brookes was able to escape and wound up double teaming Ueno with Sasaki by giving the KO-D Champ the Doomsday Device/Double Impact. Ueno got Brookes into the Blackout Sleeper but Ilusion distracted the ref so Sasaki could break the hold with a chair. Ueno got his own back when he turned Sasaki’s standing Crossface attempt on Brookes into the WR that flipped over both men. Ueno’s leg injury almost cost him the KO-D Title because he slipped while climbing the top turnbuckle. Brookes tried to pin Sasaki but both then got squashed by a Frog Splash from Ueno. Brookes was thrown out of the ring and Ueno had no one to stop him from pinning Sasaki with the WR to win the fall and remain KO-D Champion.
Ueno placed the Universal Title in front of Sasaki after the match and admitted he was disappointed overall because he lost one of his championships. He is now even more determined to keep defending the KO-D Title to make up for it. His next defence will be at DDT’s 29th Anniversary show on 22nd March. KIMIHIRO walked out to interrupt Ueno but it was just so he could introduce the man who wants to take DDT’s top spot, KANON! After he entered the ring, KANON explained he’s been with DDT for four years now and every day his love for the company grows. He understands Ueno is feeling a little heartbroken at the moment but he wants to be his next challenger. Ueno accepted the challenge because KANON still sees him as the pinnacle of DDT. However Ueno still remembers everything KANON did to him when he was a member of DAMNATION T.A so he expects KANON to bring everything he’s learned over the last four years into the match. They shook hands until KANON suddenly Clotheslined Ueno! His final message today is he is just that little bit stronger than Ueno. Backstage KANON explained to reporters that the first opponent to beat him after he joined DDT was Ueno so this challenge is going to be his revenge for what happened four years ago!
The show turned out to be a significant one for Strange Love Connection as a whole. They were able to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against The Apex and then absorbed the team into their group! Yuki Iino’s recent obsession over MAO couldn’t give him the extra edge in the end. He was able to Spear MAO after seeing Yukio Naya take the Michinoku Driver II but KANON knocked him down with a Lariat and then pinned him with the GURU-GURU Driver. KIMIHIRO and Yuzuki Hoshimoto were both there to congratulate the champs for a job well done after the match.
After the match, KANON told everyone that both teams have been acting like idiots for the last month in order to try and out-do each other. What he learned from this is that idiots are strong people and for that The Apex have earned his respect. Iino called that the ultimate compliment and even though he lost the match, he has now grown to love MAO & KANON! He then asked Naya if they could join SLC? MAO instantly agreed and started to wonder if Iino & Naya should now be called The Apex from STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION (just like THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE)? Even if they just remain as The Apex, SLC has now upgraded into becoming a unit and they now all want it to become the strongest not only in DDT but the entire pro wrestling world! That’s not all, MAO revealed backstage that he was already planning on introducing a new SLC member next month. He didn’t expect to add two new members today but now SLC is going to become a 5-Man unit! The fifth man will be revealed on 22nd February.
Plans had to change when Kaisei Takechi got a case of pink eye and was unable to wrestle on this show. His role in the big tag match now had to be filled by To-y. He took on the challenge with gusto, bringing the fight to both Konosuke Takeshita & Jun Akiyama while having HARASHIMA help out as his tag partner. Takeshita & Akiyama didn’t shy away from giving him a bashing but that led to To-y finding his inner fire and fighting back, scoring a nearfall on Takeshita with the Kojima Impact. Takeshita put a stop to that with the Last Ride counter of the Kojima In Wonderland followed by a Double Knee Strike with Akiyama. To-y kicked out of that along with the big Elbow Strike afterwards so Takeshita had to hit him with the Wagamama to put To-y away. Later To-y said he wants to keep on fighting even if he may never get another chance to face Takeshita again. But if it does happen he knows he can beat him! Takeshita told him that meeting Akiyama played a role in his current success and he wouldn’t be where he is today without him. So he understands how important it was for To-y to fight him today. He believes To-y will one day inherit his strength just like how he inherited Akiyama’s.
I regret to inform everyone that the “Suzuki Incident” of 2021 was repeated today. While Minoru Suzuki was making his entrance for his match, Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata jumped the gun and began to wrestle. Dieno then immediately pinned Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch to end the match before Suzuki could even make it to the ring apron. Hisaya Imabayashi was understandably mad because the fans couldn’t sing along to “Kaze Ni Nare”. Suzuki was also annoyed because his entrance was going to take up 80% of the match anyway. The match restarted so Suzuki could do his entrance but this time Super Sasadango Machine tried to jump him. Suzuki immediately pulled him into an Arm Lock to make Sasadango tap out. Now Imabayashi was upset the match ended before Yoshihiko could make it to the ring. He even dared to get into an argument with Suzuki over it without backing down! Another restart took place so Yoshihiko could make an entrance and it even stopped Suzuki from immediately beating Antonio Honda. The match then continued with Dieno and Honda’s usual comedy until Yoshihiko pinned Hirata with the Reincarnation. Suzuki then dragged Yoshihiko along the floor as he left ringside. He remembers beating this thing half to death in Las Vegas almost a year ago. Dieno explained that Suzuki and Yoshihiko are linked together because they understand each other so well. Suzuki doesn’t believe him.
Meanwhile Imabayashi wanted Hirata to stay behind in the ring because he had an announcement to make. Hirata is going to have a singles match with Takeshita on 22nd March! Hirata was not happy with the announcement but talked himself into taking the match. If Takeshita the worldwide star wants to wrestle him then Hirata from Adachi Ward will be ready! He is sure Takeshita will beat him many times over but he promises he will make it hard for Takeshita to do so.
Although Kumadori has settled his feud with Ilusion, he is back in DDT to wrestle DAMNATION T.A some more. Ilusion was still there to give Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul a helping hand. Okatani also attacked Naomi Yoshimura with his bamboo stick until Kumadori came to save the day. With the coast clear, Yoshimura recovered to throw Paul over with the Harai-goshi to put the cheaters back in their place.
To-y being bumped up to the Special Tag Match meant the 10-Man tag was slightly changed. Ryoma Tsukamoto took his place to keep it within the D GENERATIONS scope. The match also featured Irish referee Niall Fox as the official for the match. What’s he doing over there? Anyway the match had NωA Jr. members Kazuma Sumi and Yuni face off against each other, Yuki Ishida pushing others around with his sumo moves, Rukiya trying to give Ilusion the Protobomb, Ilusion attacking Hinata Kasai with a chair and Yuya Koroku then knocking out Ilusion with an Elbow Strike. The match came down to Takeshi Masada and Daichi Sato where Sato caught Masada with the Fire Thunder and then pin him out of nowhere with a Penalty Kick. Backstage Tsukamoto predicted Sato will go on to win the D GENERATIONS CUP completely undefeated.
Not only did Junta Miyawaki got to wrestle his idol Shinya Aoki but he went the distance against him too. They fought to a 15 minute draw in the opening match that was built around joint locks and pinning attempts. After a few close calls, Miyawaki hit a dive out of the ring and got to counter a Sleeper Hold into a Modified Sunshine Driver. Aoki turned the pinfall over though to continue the back and forth action until he was put in a Crab Hold and had to fight to reach the ropes. The two then fought over the Aoki Clutch for the final moments of the match before the bell rang. Miyawaki said he was able to absorb a lot from Aoki today and he still looks up to him despite slapping away Aoki’s handshake in frustration after the match. Aoki praised him for having incredible spirit and determination. He wonders why wrestlers as good as they are were put in the opener? They need to aim higher because he thinks they’re not the kind of wrestlers to be curtain jerking.
1. Kazuki Hirata, Takeshi Masada & Rukiya defeated Danshoku Dieno, Akito & Antonio Honda when Rukiya pinned Akito with a School Boy (7:55).
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama, Shinya Aoki & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Ryoma Tsukamoto, Kazuma Sumi & Hinata Kasai when Aoki pinned Kasai with a Kick To The Face (8:24).
3. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: Daichi Sato (4) defeated Ilusion (0) with a Rolling Elbow Butt (6:37).
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: To-y (3) Vs Yuki Ishida (3) ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku defeated MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Junta Miyawaki when Naya pinned KANON with The World’s Best Back Drop (13:49).
6. DAMNATION T.A Vs FANTÔMES DRAMATIC!: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani when Brookes pinned Okatani with the Praying Mantis Bomb (18:47).
All three wrestlers in the upcoming KO-D Openweight and DDT Universal Double Title match were at today’s show to sign their contracts for the bout on 25th January. Daisuke Sasaki complained about Yuki Ueno taking time off to deal with a calf injury. He predicts Ueno will use that as his excuse for losing his championships and tell fans at least it was an exicting match. He also claims to see through Chris Brookes and knows Brookes is going to target Ueno’s weaknesses just like he will. Brookes responded in English and had Antonio Honda interpret for him. He said Ueno having so many championships and attention means the company is not DDT anymore, it is now Dramatic Ueno Team. Brookes wants to change that by taking either or even both titles from him. However Honda’s translation was Brookes thanking Ueno for seeing Honda’s play last year and then telling Sasaki that Aya Ueto is Nerima’s hero, not him. Ueno apologised for the trouble his injury is causing and wants to wrestle right now. He promises he will be fully prepared for the match and there won’t be any excuses if he loses even one championship. He appreciates having opponents like Sasaki and Brookes targeting him.
The main event had Sasaki and Brookes fight each other while Ueno watched on from a distance. Sasaki hit Brookes with a chair and then followed with a Dragon Suplex for Hideki Okatani to finish the job. But HARASHIMA was there to hit Okatani with the Somato, allowing Brookes to then pin him with the Praying Mantis Bomb. After the match Brookes told Ueno that the Dramatic Ueno Team is over. DDT will noew be the Fundora Dream Team! Honda then said Brookes will win both championships at Korakuen Hall and FANTÔMES DRAMATIC will then win even more titles after that. By the end of it all Ueno will have is a sore back! Sasaki later accused Brookes of not looking to be in good shape either. He thinks Brookes will have excuses for losing the title match just like Ueno will so he is putting out an offer. All Sasaki wants is to make Ueno suffer so he and Brookes should team up and take everything from Ueno together so he will have nothing left to do but go freeze to death in a park!
The Apex are as confident as they can be that they will win the KO-D Tag Team Titles back from Strange Love Connection. After Yukio Naya pinned KANON, he told SLC to enjoy being champions for one more week because The Apex will definitely beat them next week. Yuki Iino said he can already see the belts wrapped around their waists again. MAO figured out why KANON lost to Naya today when in the past KANON would normally win against him. Naya’s strengths are he is big and stupid. KANON is big too but not as stupid so MAO thinks KANON will need to act even stupider than that idiot to win next week! MAO can do that on a dime but KANON hasn’t learned how to reach that level yet. MAO promises that a stupid KANON will appear in order to beat The Apex.
The A Block was the focus for today’s D GENERATIONS CUP matches. A time limit draw between To-y and Yuki Ishida means Daichi Sato got to take the top spot by himself after he beat Ilusion. Ishida was seconds away from beating To-y with the Ensho but was not in good enough shape to pin him in time before the time expired. To-y is currently in the better position right now because he has only wrestled twice and not lost a match while this was Ishida’s third match and he already has a defeat on his record. To-y still wants a rematch with him though. Sato is now in the driver’s seat with two wins out of two. Ilusion taunted him over his weight and was made to regret it when Sato beat him with a Rolling Elbow Butt.
Before Match #2 began, Kazuki Hirata declared that D GENERATIONS (which he thinks he is a part of) are now the present of DDT and are leading a revolution. Hisaya Imabayashi was convinced by his speech and said he wants to join in so he and another member of staff named Sekizuka purposely interfered during the match, attacking Akito in particular. Even Yukinori Matsui revealed his true colours when he held up on counting pinfalls for Akito. That caused Daisuke Kiso to get into the ring and give Matsui a Dragon Screw. Kiso took over officiating the match, counting fair and square when the D GENERATIONS team won anyway. Imabayashi & Sekizuka joined in the celebration with the winning team afterwards.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 27: THE NIGHT THEY CAME HOME”, 13/01/2026 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Shota
2. Special Single Match: Tokyo Ganesha Vs Princess Ram
3. “Mr. Bueno” (MAO) & Mr. Malo Vs HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda
4. Special Handicap Match: Jun Kasai Vs Dark King Ueki & Munek
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 27: THE NIGHT THEY CAME HOME”, 13/01/2026 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Shota with the Daisuke Kiso assisted Hair Of The Dog (?:??).
2. Special Single Match: Tokyo Ganesha defeated Princess Ram with a Modified Cradle (?:??).
3. “Mr. Bueno” (MAO) & Mr. Malo defeated HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda when Malo pinned Honda after a Full Nelson/Codebreaker Combo (?:??).
4. Special Handicap Match: Jun Kasai defeated Dark King Ueki & Munek when Kasai pinned Ueki & Munek with the Cross-Arm Stimulation (?:??).
It’s back to business as usual inside ARENA Shimokitazawa, which means Baka Gaijin + Friends providing unexpected treats for the packed bar room. After the supposed main event had finished, Ueki’s Magic Kingdom interrupted Chris Brookes to complain about not being booked for the shot. As punishment Dark King Ueki & Munek “imprisoned” Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda behind the bar (which just meant they had easier access to the drinks) in an attempt to take over Baka Gaijin for themselves. However they did not expect Jun Kasai to come to the rescue! He challenged Ueki & Munek to a Handicap Match. In a battle of chairs, keyboards and plastics boxes filled with firecrakcers Kasai got the win by Piledriving Munek on top of Ueki before pinning them both.
After the match Kasai “freed” FANTÔMES DRAMATIC and revealed that he too is a member of the group! Brookes corrected him and said it is his son Hinata Kasai who is a member of Fandora and they don’t have room to add anyone else from his family. Jun understood the mistake and explained when he read on Twitter that FANTÔMES DRAMATIC were on the show today, he saw the name Kasai in the tweets and assumed it meant himself. That is why he came over today. However he doesn’t want to step on his son’s toes and decided he won’t join the unit after all. Honda assured Jun that Hinata is a wonderful human being and he will be looked after in Fandora.
Something was off about Mr. Bueno’s appearance today. He was here to team up with his brother Mr. Malo to fight HARASHIMA & Honda but his mask looked an awful lot like MAO in facepaint. He was in a good mood though and spoke English throughout the match so it was undeniably Mr. Bueno. He & Malo attacked Honda with their gloves and poncho but the same glove slaps had no effect on HARASHIMA. “Bueno” threw himself in HARASHIMA’s path to stop him from doing the Somato to Malo, then knocked him out with a distraction punch. Malo then revealed he had secretly switched his tecnico white mask back to his rudo black one and he gave Low Blows to the other team. He and his brother then finished off Honda for the victory.
A new friendly presence arrived in Baka Gaijin. The masked wrestler Tokyo Ganesha was happy to meet so many new people, among them was his opponent Princess Ram. She yelled into his ears and pulled his trunk. He tried to playfully fight back before losing his cool and throwing a hard Chop at Ram’s chest. Ganesha then tried to calm things down by picking up Ram to carry her through the crowd of fans. Ram then poured a drink over Ganesha’s head to make him lose his temper. She put up a tough fight, finding ways to counter his moves until he found a counter of his own for the Rainmaker, sweeping Ram onto her back with a roll up to get the win. Ganesha was happy with how his Baka Gaijin debut went and he gave Shin Suzuki a big hug on his way to the back.
The opening match between Brookes and Shota had other people dragged into it. Brookes brought in a couple of fans to slam them on top of Shota. He got a taste of his own medicine when Shota and a fan reversed a Brainbuster together. When the fight went back to being one on one, Shota kicked out of a Piledriver and climbed the bar counter to go high risk. Brookes used his knees to block a Diving Body Press and then used a bumpy moment with Daisuke Kiso to Mule Kick Shota below the belt. Shota got his own back when Brookes accidentally knocked out Kiso with a Chop but that meant Kiso wasn’t able to count the pinfall afterward. Kiso then became used as a weapon by both wrestlers as they tried forcing him to do double team moves. It ended with Kiso unintentionally giving Shota a Crucifix Pin while Brookes rolled over both of them to cradle Shota with a bridge. Kiso decided to count the pin from that position even though he was helping Brookes pin down Shota at the time.
The next Baka Gaijin + Friends show will be held in ARENA Shimokitazawa on 24th February.
DDT “DDT NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY! 2026”, 12/01/2026 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Miyawaki pinned Ilusion with the Sunshine Driver (6:21).
2. Ryuma Tsukamoto, Takeshi Masada, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya defeated Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito when Tsukamoto pinned Sasadango with the Axe Bomber (11:57).
3. Mascara Contra Cabellera: Daisuke Sasaki & Demus defeated Sumicaras & Yunicaras when Demus pinned Yunicaras with La Valagueza (9:14).
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Fuminori Abe with a Modified Backslide Pin (8:10).
5. Yuki Ueno Produce Match: Kazuki Hirata & Invisible Kazuki Hirata defeated To-y & Invisible Man To-y when Invisible Hirata pinned To-y with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:54).
6. Old Hard Hit Rules ~ Double Bout: HARASHIMA (1D/3E) & Daichi Sato (1D/3E) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (1D/2E) & Yuya Koroku (1D/2E) when HARASHIMA submitted Koroku with a Cross Armbreaker (9:14).
7. Unit Shuffle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO), Chris Brookes & Yuki Iino defeated KANON, Antonio Honda & Yukio Naya when Brookes submitted Honda with a Modified Stretch (22:58).
The second DDT show of the day featured several novelty matches, the likes of which you would see at a Beer Garden show. The main event was a 6-Man Tag that split wrestlers from Strange Love Connection, The Apex and FANTÔMES DRAMATIC onto separate sides. That meant MAO had to fight KANON, Yuki Iino had to fight Yukio Naya and Chris Brookes had to fight Antonio Honda. The wild card was KIMIHIRO who decided to climb the top rope and dive onto SLC and The Apex outside the ring. That left Honda free to put Brookes in the Octopus Hold but Brookes lifted him up and countered the move into a Modified Stretch to make Honda give up. After the match MAO and KANON spoke about how glad they are to be each other’s tag team partner. MAO also enjoyed teaming with Iino and said had things gone differently maybe they could have been allies instead of rivals. SLC then told Naya they will go have a victory meal at his father’s restaurant after they beat The Apex. Brookes said he will soon win both the KO-D Openweight Title and the DDT Universal Title with Fandora by his side.
Yuki Ueno suffered a calf injury at the Osaka show a few days ago and was unable to wrestle today. Daichi Sato replaced him in the Hard Hit Rules match. The rules were both teams started the match with 8 points and they would be deducted a point for every knock down, rope break and foul. The match could be won by Pinfall, Submission, Knockout, TKO from reducing the other team to zero points or by having the most points remaining after the time had expired.
Ueno was in attendance for the show and did go into the ring for the tag match between To-y, Kazuki Hirata and their invisible tag team partners. When the match was over an invisible version of Ueno suddenly appeared and attacked both Hirata and To-y! The real Ueno shook and then raised his hand.
Junta Miyawaki approached Shinya Aoki after Match #4 to tell him one of the reasons he joined DDT is to fight him. He has looked up to Aoki ever since he was a school boy and has studied his instruction manual. He challenged Aoki to a match on 25th January. Aoki happily accepted his request and said Miyawaki has a strong desire to move up from where he’s currently at. However Aoki does not want to be surpassed by Miyawaki and is determined to win the match.
Today’s doubleheader were the last two matches for Demus in DDT before he goes back home to Mexico. He was given a fitting farewell match where he and Daisuke Sasaki wagered their hair against the plastic bag masks of Sumicaras & Yunicaras. Victory went to DAMNATION T.A thanks to some cheating and Yunicaras was unmasked to reveal it was Yuni all along. However Sumicaras fled the scene before his mask could be taken so his identity remains a complete mystery for now.
During Match #2, the D GENERATIONS team all disappeared briefly only to return copying the gimmicks of their opponents. Yuki Ishida turned into Akito, Ryoma Tsukamoto wore a Super Sasadango Machine mask, Takeshi Masada became Toru Owashi and Rukiya copied Danshoku Dieno right down to putting himself into the Hell Gate position. He was left alone by everyone else and became abandoned in the ring by himself after the match ended.
DDT “DDT NEW YEAR PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL! 2026”, 05/01/2026 Shinjuku FACE ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – B Block: Yuni (2) defeated Hinata Kasai (0) with the Phoenix Splash (5:31).
2. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – B Block: Yuya Koroku (2) defeated Rukiya (0) with the Modified Triangle Lancer (8:22).
3. 3 Way Match: Akito defeated Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata when Akito submitted Dieno and Akito with the Modified Figure 4 Leg Lock (12:05).
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: Kazuma Sumi (2) defeated Ilusion (0) with the School Boy (10:27).
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2026 – A Block: Daichi Sato (2) defeated Yuki Ishida (0) with the Mad Splash (9:42).
6. Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya, Junta Miyawaki & Takeshi Masada defeated MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO), Jun Akiyama & Munetatsu Nakamura when Iino pinned KANON with the Spear (14:18).
7. Special 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kazusada Higuchi and Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Demus (w/ MJ Paul) when Brookes pinned To-y after the Somato from HARASHIMA (22:20).
Just two days after SCHADENFREUDE International disbanded, Chris Brookes has quickly established a brand new unit to replace it. He held a press conference before the first match to reveal FANTÔMES DRAMATIC as the name of his new group, or “Fanodra” for short. He had already invited two wrestlers to join and they both accepted. They are Antonio Honda and HARASHIMA. The fourth member though was called down to the ring by Brookes so he could invite them in person. That turned out to be Hinata Kasai and he took a shirt to take his new place in FANTÔMES DRAMATIC. Fandora then went on to win their first match in the main event, beating The 37KAMIINA (plus Kazusada Higuchi) and DAMNATION T.A in a 3 Way Trios match, dragging Yuki Ueno and Daisuke Sasaki into the current 3 way main event feud. Honda said this unit will bring new drama to DDT and they will use all sort of combinations to win many of the company’s championships.
There was also a press conference for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match contract signing between Strange Love Connection and The Apex. According to Yuki Iino, the only reason The Apex lost the titles to SLC last November was because Chihiro Hashimoto got in the way. This time she won’t be here so Iino can entirely focus on getting his hands on MAO and beating him to get the belts back. KANON was a little disappointed to be ignored by Iino but he probably regretted that later in the show when Iino pinned him with two Spears. Now Iino is paying attention to him and he enjoyed taking his Chops and Lariats today. It also means Iino & Yukio Naya are happy to beat either MAO or KANON to win the titles again.
Some of the lineup was kept secret until the day of the show. One of the unannounced matches was a 3 Way between Akito, Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata but nobody involved in the match were happy being booked this way. When the match began all three wrestlers either sat down or laid motionless until Hisaya Imabayashi asked them what was going on? They told him they were on strike because they all felt like they were being used as leftovers for the show. Imabayashi got to motivate them by promising to fulfill one wish from the match winner. Dieno wanted a photoshoot with his pet dog Haku, Hirata asked for a refreshed stock of Hirata GO! glasses and Akito aimed to take over Imabayashi’s role as the DDT GM! In an effort to protect his own job, Imabayashi tried to help Dieno and Hirata win instead of Akito. He also took inspiration from yesterday’s Tokyo Dome main event to attack Akito himself but that ended up backfiring on him spectacularly. Instead, Akito trapped the other three in a Triple Figure 4 Leg Lock to win the match. Imabayashi tearfully agreed to make Akito the GM but only on the condition that Akito can make his dream of DDT holding a show in the Tokyo Dome come true. Akito then revealed he would not take over as GM as all he wanted from Imabayashi was to hear him passionately talk about his dream. He promised him they will aim to make that dream come true together.
The opening day of the fourth annual D GENERATIONS CUP made up the majority of this show’s undercard. Daichi Sato’s debut in the tournament got off to a good start with him beating Yuki Ishida with the Fire Thunder followed by the Mad Splash. He said he will continue this momentum to win the rest of his block matches. Kazuma Sumi survived getting hit with a KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Title belt to beat Ilusion. He credited his own quick wits to get the better of his masked opponent. Ilusion denied losing the match and warns the company is doomed unless he wins.
Over in the B Block, last year’s winner Yuya Koroku is looking to achieve the repeat. He beat Rukiya to kick off his campaign right, avenging a loss to him from the 2024 DGC. If there’s one thing Koroku does not want to happen, it’s to lose to anyone younger than him in this tournament. Yuni may cause him some trouble then because the fresh college student scored his first ever DGC win by beating Hinata Kasai in the opener. Yuni said he is going to cherish every victory but won’t be satisfied with only having one win.
NJPW “SANSEI R&D PRESENTS WRESTLE KINGDOM 20 IN TOKYO DOME – HIROSHI TANAHASHI RETIREMENT”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Dome 46,913 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. NJPW World TV Title: El Phantasmo (c) defeated Chris Brookes with the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 (11:48). *V6 for El Phantasmo.
1. NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Tornado Rambo: Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson defeated Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Oleg Boltin when Sabre pinned Boltin with the European Clutch (20:43). Order Of Elimination: Yuto-Ice/OSKAR/Clark Conners, Tiger Mask/Togi Makabe/Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomohiro Ishii/Taichi/Satoshi Kojima and Shota Umino/Yuya Uemura/Kaisei Takechi, Toru Yano/YOH/Master Wato (c), Ren Narita/SANADA/Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Hirooki Goto/YOSHI-HASHI/Oleg Boltin. *Toru Yano, YOH & Master Wato fail in V4. TMDK become the 32nd NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. IWGP World Heavyweight Title & IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: Yota Tsuji (c/g) defeated KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c/w) with a Crab Hold (29:20). *V2 for Yota Tsuji. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA fails in V2. Yota Tsuji becomes the 15th IWGP World Heavyweight Champion!
It was all set up for DDT to hijack one of the biggest wrestling events to happen in years but in the end it was all dashed away. Oh well at least New Japan made all of the right moves to help take care of their own problems. On the day that Hiroshi Tanahashi ended his legendary wrestling career, Konosuke Takeshita was there in the semi-final of the Tokyo Dome taking part in a double championship match against Yota Tsuji. Takeshita was putting the IWGP World Heavyweight Title on the line while Tsuji was defending the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. Instead of wearing the “blessed” kneepad from yesterday’s DDT show, Takeshita had a different costume on that included a red bandana wrapped around his arm. It was later confirmed to belong to Shinsuke Nakamura who couldn’t be there on the night. The grand battle came down to Takeshita and Tsuji charging into each other, Wagamama versus Gene Blaster. The Gene Blast won out but rather than go for the pin, Tsuji instead put Takeshita in the Crab Hold to make him tap out! Takeshita admitted defeat afterwards but knows he can get stronger and climb higher. According to him, this is just the beginning.
Kaisei Takechi’s appearance in the Tornado Rambo match turned out to be rather pointless. He got to make a big entrance along with the rest of THE RAMPAGE with a live performance of the song “BREAK IT DOWN”. However the rules of the match resulted in his team’s elimination happening in a rather uneventful manner. Yuya Uemura and Taichi eliminated each other double Battle Royal style, meaning both of their teams were taken out of the match too. It wasn’t really a good showcase for Takechi, Uemura or Shota Umino in anyway outside of THE RAMPAGE entrance. Takechi wants to team up with the others again because he regrets how little they did in the match. Then maybe after that he could fight against them too.
The pre-show match allowed Chris Brookes to bring some SCHADENFREUDE International energy into the Tokyo Dome. With the likes of Antonio Honda, Baliyan Akki, Munetatsu Nakamura and Bunbun on his side, Brookes got to pull out the rubber band spot that stretched all the way up the Tokyo Dome entrance ramp. El Phantasmo had too much fight in him though and he kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes kicked out of the CRIII but ELP quickly hit him with the Super Thunder Kiss ’86 to successfully defend the NJPW World TV Title. Backstage ELP talked about how a decade ago Brookes was one of the few wrestlers to give him a hand while he was touring the UK and that always meant a lot to him. He also talked about how the health scare Brookes had last year is what led to him finding out about his own cancer diagnosis months later. For that he will be forever greatful to Brookes. He also predicts 2026 is going to be a crazy year for pro wrestling in Japan and today they got to give everyone a taste of what it could be like.
DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2026 ~THE ANSWER WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~”, 03/01/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Junta Miyawaki defeated Rukiya with the Sunshine Driver (4:27).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Yuni & Hinata Kasai when Ilusion pinned Sato with a Cradle (9:29).
3. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Sanshiro Takagi with a Backslide Pin (6:39).
4. Jun Akiyama, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when Naya pinned Ishida with The World’s Best Back Drop (9:46).
5. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Brookes pinned Hirata after the Thrust Kick/Praying Mantis Bomb combo (13:25).
6. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Akito defeated Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine when TAKESHITA pinned Sasadango with a Body Press (0:56).
6a. Rematch – 1 Vs 3 Handicap Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito when TAKESHITA pinned Dieno with the Raging Fire (9:59).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi (c) defeated MAO, KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Kazuma Sumi when To-y pinned Sumi with the Kojima Impact (23:57). *V2 for Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kaisei Takechi.
The first DDT show of 2026 kicked off with a mostly mystery show with only the main event announced in advance. Kaisei Takechi had his latest pro wrestling match teaming with The 37KAMIINA to defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against Strange Love Connection & Kazuma Sumi. Takechi hit some big moves like Choke Slamming Sumi onto the ring apron and hitting KANON with the Swan Dive Forearm. MAO kept his team in the running and left it up to Sumi to finish the job. But Sumi missed a Reverse 450 aimed for To-y, allowing To-y to give him the Kojima Wonderland followed by the Kojima Impact to win the match and protect the titles.
After the match Hisaya Imabayashi announced Takechi will next wrestle in DDT on 25th January where he will team with HARASHIMA to take on Jun Akiyama & Konosuke Takeshita! Akiyama told Takechi the match will be like a fight between a father and his son. He will go all out so Takechi better bring it too! Takeshita congratulated Takechi on winning the Tokyo Sports Newcomer Award and he believes whatever fears Takechi still has about being a wrestler he will eventually overcome. HARASHIMA warned Takechi they will be fighting the strongest opponents possible in this match but it will be fine because they will do their best. Takechi is happy to hear what everyone is telling him and will aim to win despite still being a rookie. He then asked Yuki Ueno if they could have a singles match together this year, possibly at his 2nd Anniversary show on 22nd February? Ueno wants this match to happen too so he accepted the challenge. It will be Takechi’s first ever singles match when it happens.
One day before he goes into the Tokyo Dome to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, Takeshita got to wrestle in DDT again and was put in a tag match with Akito, Danshoku Dieno and Super Sasadango Machine. Akito told Takeshita that his Wagamama knee strike will be the key to victory tomorrow so he should remove his right knee pad and let everyone bless it. Takeshita reluctantly did so and the match began. While the kneepad was passed around the audience, the match only lasted a minute when Sasadango missed a corner charge, knocked himself out and was easily pinned by Takeshita. Imabayashi complained about the abruptness of the match while Dieno & Sasadango explained the two of them together cannot beat Takeshita. They and Akito all agreed to team up for a 3 Vs 1 Handicap Rematch because the three of them combined is comparable to having one Yota Tsuji. The three used the numbers game to wear down Takeshita until Shunma Katsumata handed the now blessed kneepad back to Takeshita. With the kneepad now back on, Takeshita tore through the other team but instead of using the Wagamama to win, he pinned Dieno with the Raging Fire after giving him the Lip Lock. He told Akito after the match he will save the Wagamama for tomorrow’s big title match. No matter where he goes, he will always show everyone his dramatic dreams.
The time had come for Takeshi Masada to leave SCHADENFREUDE International. His final match as a member of the unit had him team with Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda while Bunbun watched on. They did their usual tricks on HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata which ultimately brought them the victory. Masada told the others after the match he is sad to leave but this is the path he chose. They are still family but the next time they’ll be in the ring together it will be as opponents and rivals. Brookes then revealed some surprising news. He said SCHADENFREUDE International was originally created to give Masada a platform to grow as a wrestler and without him the unit no longer has a purpose. So as of today SCHADENFREUDE International is disbanding! He got in contact with Masahiro Takanashi before today to get his blessing and Takanashi agreed to it. Honda said there is no point looking in the past. In 2026 they will all work hard towards a brighter tomorrow. After one last group pose, Bunbun whispered something to Brookes & Honda. They handed him over to Masada so he isn’t going to be entirely alone on his new journey.
One of the surprise matches put together on the undercard was Akiyama teaming up with The Apex to fight Harimao. Akiyama got his chest lit up with Chops which was Kazusada Higuchi’s way of wishing him a happy new year. Naomi Yoshimura also joined in with him clashing against The Apex. Yuki Ishida ended up taking more than he could chew despite scoring a nearfall with the Dosukoi Splash. Yukio Naya stopped his momentum with a Big Boot and Yuki Iino followed up with The Apex Elbow. Ishida tried making a comeback on Naya but he was put away with The World’s Best Back Drop.
Another unexpected match pitted Shinya Aoki against Sanshiro Takagi in a one on one bout. What was even more expected was just how straightforward of a match it turned out to be. No nonsense from Takagi or an unusual switch of wrestling style from Aoki. It was just the two doing their best to outmaneuver each other for the winning pinfall. Aoki came out on top by countering the Stunner into a Backslide Pin to get the three count.
DAMNATION T.A ended last year by winning the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles and the belts now all belong to Ilusion. He’s doing everything he can to carry all of the belts to the ring while the rest of the group keep doing what they’re doing against a team of mostly D GENERATIONS wrestlers (plus Tomomitsu Matsunaga). Demus & MJ Paul worked over Hinata Kasai until Yuya Koroku tagged in to fight back against Hideki Okatani & Ilusion. Yuni wiped out Daisuke Sasaki and others with a Moonsault out of the ring. But things went wrong for the younger team and Ilusion ended up rolling up Daichi Sato to win the match for DAMNATION T.A.
At the start of the show there was the announcement of a new wrestler deciding to regularly participate in DDT for this year. It is NOAH’s “Sunshine Hero” Junta Miyawaki! He said he wanted to bring his sunshine wrestling style to a variety of other wrestlers from his generation which brought him here to DDT. For his first match he took on Rukiya in the opening bout. Rukiya didn’t want to give him a warm welcome but Miyawaki overcame his attacks to beat him with the Sunshine Driver. There isn’t an exact amount of time for how long he will be in DDT for this year but he said he will leave his mark here. Akito explained it is a similar kind of deal between DDT and NOAH that Tetsuya Endo is doing between both companies. Although he also made clear this is not a direct trade of Miyawaki for Endo or vice versa.
Chaos broke out at the end of the show when El Phantasmo all of a sudden showed up to interrupt a speech Brookes was giving to the fans. ELP had warned at a New Japan fan event the day before that he could show up here to confront Brookes over their upcoming NJPW World TV Title match in the Tokyo Dome. A brawl broke out between the two around the front row before making its way into the ring. ELP wiped out everyone at ringside with a dive before getting on the microphone to declare himself the No. 1 Baka Gaijin. He then sent another message loud and clear by grabbing Bunbun and giving him the CRII! Brookes however got his own back by chasing ELP out of the ring, making the champion leave his title belt behind. Brookes posed with the belt and told fans to look forward to their match tomorrow.
During the show opening announcements, everyone sang a birthday song for Antonio Honda and Hinata Kasai. Both of their birthdays are on 2nd January.
DDT “WHAT’S WRONG WITH ENDING THE YEAR IN NAGOYA! A SPECTACULAR END TO 2025”, 27/12/2025 Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Yuki Iino defeated Hinata Kasai with a Lariat (7:42).
2. Danshoku Dieno & Yuni defeated Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao when Yuni pinned Hirata with the Firebird Splash (10:13).
3. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida defeated Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion when Ishida pinned Ilusion with the Ensho (10:41).
4. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Akito defeated Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato when Akito submitted Koroku with the Goliath Birdeater (11:35).
5. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs DAMNATION T.A!: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Demus when KANON pinned Demus with the GURU-GURU Driver (12:57).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada defeated Yuki Ueno, To-y & Kazuma Sumi when Masada pinned Sumi after the Praying Mantis Bomb from Brookes (19:38).
There are only a few matches left for Takeshi Masada in SCHADENFREUDE International before he leaves but today he showed he still has good teamwork with Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda. The rubber band spot was expanded into trapping The 37KAMIINA & Kazuma Sumi all together so they could have three separate bands all snapped into them at the same time. SCHADENFREUDE then used their teamwork to hit Sumi with Double Thrust Kicks before Brookes dropped him with the Praying Mantis Bomb for the victory. With two matches left in the unit, Masada spoke about how reluctant he is to leave but Honda told him they will always be connected somewhere.
Yuni was convinced by Danshoku Dieno to wear the Danshoku tights over his usual costume. Thankfully he didn’t go all the way into using Dieno’s moveset, instead relying on his own to win their tag match.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 