DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 999 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Maki Itoh, Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Marcus Mathers defeated Yuki Ueno, Masha Slamovich, Yuni & Ilusion when Itoh pinned Ilusion after the 450 Splash from Mathers (15:02).
2. DDT Variety Team Vs The Mothership: Allie Katch & Dark Sheik defeated Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Sheik pinned Hirata with the Diving Leg Drop (10:30).
3. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy when Sasaki pinned Jimmy after the Freedom Call (12:36).
4. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders when Endo pinned Loco with the Burning Star Press (14:47).
5. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy ended in a No Contest (9:48).
6. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata and Joey Janela when Warner pinned Katsumata with the Impaler DDT (18:26). *V8 for Mance Warner.
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Alex Zayne by Referee Stoppage (8:17). *V10 for MAO.
As part of this year’s tour of Japan, GCW teamed up with DDT to put everything together. This includes the opening night where both promotions held a joint show at Korakuen Hall mixing their two rosters together. The main event would have been MAO’s crowning moment of his DDT Universal Title reign because he reached his 10th successful defence. Unfortunately no one was happy with how it went. Alex Zayne injured his ankle during a spot outside the ring where he did a backflip off of the stage and landed on his feet. The landing seemed to have jacked in his ankle and despite making the effort to get back into the ring, Yukinori Matsui made the call to end the match and reward MAO the victory by TKO. In an update since the show ended, Zayne got an X-ray and the results showed no serious damage was done. MAO promised to give him a rematch. He is under the impression that DDT and GCW will do a show like this again next year.
Shunma Katsumata was inserted into the big fed over the GCW World Title. The champion Mance Warner and top contender Joey Janela are in the middle of several fights over the belt and the latest battle was a 3 Way Hardcore Match with Katsumata as the third wheel. Tables, ladders, chairs and toy blocks were all used in the match. Warner also used handcuffs on Katsumata before attacking him with a stapler, a wrench and a screwdriver to bust him open. Katsumata was still able to fight while handcuffed and eventually the key was found to free him. He put Janela through the table with the Totonou Splash but Warner stole the win by giving Katsumata the Impaler DDT right afterwards. Janela promised to one day beat Warner for the GCW Title and also beat Katsumata so he can be the DDT Extreme Champion again. Katsumata wants to wrestle at GCW shows in America more often and defend the Extreme Title over there. He thinks it wouldn’t be any fun if these matches only happened in Japan.
People were warned in advance about the Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy match and those expectations were met. Before the match even began the audience were told to raise their hands if they wanted to be kissed by Dieno. GCW’s ring announcer Emil Jay was among the volunteers. Effy offered Dieno a bracelet when the match began but Dieno was too shy to take it. The actual wrestling quickly turned intimate causing Hisaya Imabayashi to enter the ring and demand them to take the match seriously. The two wrestlers obliged but it didn’t take long for the mood to get sensual again. A missed Lip Lock from Dieno knocked out Matsui so Daisuke Kiso became the replacement ref. He was then taken out of action by a Lip Lock from Effy. GCW sent out their referee Dan Perch to sort things out but Dieno & Effy joined forces to give him a Doomsday Lip Lock! One of GCW’s other referees on site Scarlette Donovan then ran in hoping to be part of the fun but neither Dieno nor Effy were interested. They gave her a Double Brainbuster instead. Referee vengeance finally happened when Adam Gault avoided the attack and gave Effy a Stunner followed by a Standing Moonsault. Dieno caught him in the Lip Lock though and formed the Hell Gate with Makoto Oishi. Imabayashi had enough because they are on a live broadcast but Effy threw him into the Hell Gate. By this point Matsui had no choice but to call off the match. Dieno and Effy celebrated together anyway. They also asked DDT to turn the 4 Way Match they are both in on 15th August into a tag match so they can be partners in more ways than one.
BURNING bounced back from losing the KO-D Tag Team Titles over the weekend by winning their DDT Vs GCW match. Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders shared a similar tag team dynamic of agility and strength working together. Loco gave Tetsuya Endo a One Man Spanish Fly from the top rope. Manders followed up with a Moonsault but Endo rolled out of the way. Yuki Iino took down Manders with a Spear, leaving Endo to give Loco the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and then the Burning Star Press for the win.
DDT also beat GCW when DAMNATION T.A were victorious against the unusual pairing of Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy. There was some help from MJ Paul along the way but KANON found himself in danger when the other team attacked him with chairs. Daisuke Sasaki got some momentum back by putting Lloyd in La Mistica Crossface Lock but Yamashita broke the hold. KANON returned and with Sasaki left Lloyd beaten with the Freedom Call. KANON is relieved because he didn’t want to lose his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shield or risk having it go overseas. Sasaki just hated everything about today. His post-match comments? “Fuck Jimmy! Fuck Yamashita! Fuck GCW! Fuck DDT! Fuck off everything!”
Together Allie Katch & Dark Sheik are known as The Mothership and they have experienced a lot that makes pro wrestling weird and wonderful. Even so they hadn’t met a team quite like Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata. Honda got their attention by telling his Gongitsune joke in English. Gon wants to enter the Olympics and play table tennis but when he found a place to train he found out it was “Table Penis” instead! Hirata tried to power up with the Hirata GO! glasses but The Mothership stopped him and put the glasses on themselves. All four wrestlers danced and continued fighting to the music. It ended with Sheik pinning Hirata with the Diving Leg Drop.
Normally when Maki Itoh wrestles in Japan it is for Tokyo Joshi Pro but today she was here as a GCW wrestler and leader of the NEO Itoh Respect Army. She got upset when Yuki Ueno tried to act cuter than her. It caused a chain reaction where the rest of Itoh’s team and even referee Gault sulked with her until Ueno tagged out. Yuni tagged in and tried to cheer them all up but it was all a trap so they could take control of the match. Ueno got back in and did well against both Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada but he found a tough challenge in Marcus Mathers. Itoh also spent a lot of the match fighting with Masha Slamovich. Yuni, Slamovich & Ilusion all hit dives to the outside. Itoh considered joining in but had cold feet so Brookes gave her a Military Press out of the ring onto everyone outside. Poor Ilusion then got ganged up on. He was given the Triangle Enzui from Masada, the Praying Mantis Bomb from Brookes, the I.S.D from Itoh and then the 450 Splash from Mathers. Itoh took the spoils by pinning Ilusion after all of that.
DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Masha Slamovich, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Maki Itoh, Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Marcus Mathers
2. DDT Variety Team Vs The Mothership: Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs Allie Katch & Dark Sheik
3. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy
4. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders
5. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy
6. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Joey Janela
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Alex Zayne
Tomorrow GCW will begin their tour of Japan by co-promoting a Korakuen Hall show with DDT. They will be doing two other events at Shinjuku FACE during the week. According to an article on DDT’s website that was written by the owner of the FREEBIRDS online shop*, one of the reasons GCW now works with DDT is to show the Japanese audience they have moved on from just being a death match promotion.
*The answer to the question, are there Japanese fans who are diehard into the American wrestling scene just like there are American fans who obsess over puro?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Yuki Arai Vs Ryo Mizunami
2. Tokyo Princess Cup – Semi Final: Yuki Aino Vs Zara Zakher
What an unlikely final four we have here. The two semi-finals both feature a pair of opponents who are familiar with each other. Yuki Arai fought Ryo Mizunami in a tag match at “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV” last October and she even won that match for her team. Mizunami thinks highly of her and it will make her summer if she can make it to the Tokyo Princess Cup Final by beating Arai. Yuki Aino and Zara Zakher teamed together at “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY” this past April. Zakher already produced two shocking upsets in the tournament already but Aino claims she has already been studying her opponent.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “FUCKED UP FEST”, 24/08/2024 Tokyo Nakano Moonstep
1. Special Single Match: Mr. Bueno Vs To-y
2. Special Tag Team Match: Munetatsu Nakamura & Kota Ibushikoshi Vs Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Single Match: Tyrannosaurus Inoue Vs Tyrannosaurus Morozumi
4. Special Tag Team Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Chie Koishikawa Vs Thanomsak Toba & Sayaka
5. International 4 Way Dance: Shivam Vs Dr. Gore Vs Monomoth Vs Jake De Leon
6. Triple Threat Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yasu Urano
7. Special Single Match: Maya Yukihi Vs Ram Kaichow
8. Hardcore 4 Way Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO Vs Chris Brookes Vs Mad Dr. Ueki
Since this big festival is happening on Chris Brookes’s birthday, he gets to have a big main event match. A Hardcore 4 Way free for all pitting him against Shunma Katsumata, MAO and Mad Dr. Ueki sounds like the right way to bring the party towards its ending. The event is lasting all day with one match scheduled to happen on the hour, every hour until the final two matches take place later at night.
Tyrannosaurus Inoue is not the only inflatable wrestling dinosaur to be found in Japan these days. Tyrannosaurus Morozumi has been doing the same thing in the University Pro Wrestling scene.
DDT “OSAKA VS TOKYO ~DREAM EAST-WEST PRO WRESTLING BATTLE 2024~”, 10/08/2024 Osaka Edion Arena #2 586 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Keigo Nakamura (Iwate) & Yuya Koroku (Chiba) defeated Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto) & Kazuma Sumi (Mie) when Koroku submitted Sumi with a Modified Arm Lock (7:20). *Yuya Koroku wins Kazuma Sumi’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shield.
2. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Ilusion when KANON pinned Ilusion with the Sleepy Hollow (9:22).
3. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima) & Yuni (Osaka) defeated Makoto Oishi (Shizuoka) & Akito (Aichi) when Dieno pinned Oishi with the Danshoku Driver (7:12).
4. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special Tag Match: Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) & Momoka Hanazono (Osaka) defeated Yoshiko Hasegawa (Saitama) & Riara (Miyagi) when Unagi pinned Riara with the Sliding TANAKA (10:32).
5. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special 4 Way Match: MAO (Miyagi) defeated Tsutenkakka (Osaka), The Great Koji (Osakananko) and A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima) when MAO pinned Koji with a Spinning Cradle (7:36).
6. DDT Extreme Title ~ East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Energetic!! 37 Great Battles: Shunma Katsumata (c) (Chiba) defeated Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka) when Katsumata reached the 37th Pin Count (11:28). *V5 for Shunma Katsumata.
7. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Tokyo Vs Osaka Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno (Osaka) & Jun Akiyama (Osaka) defeated HARASHIMA (Tokyo) & Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo) when Ueno pinned Hirata with a Lariat (0:05).
7a. Rematch: Yuki Ueno (Osaka) & Jun Akiyama (Osaka) defeated HARASHIMA (Tokyo) & Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo) (w/ Yoshihiko) when Ueno pinned Hirata with the WR (11:17).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles – East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Takeshi Masada Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Chris Brookes (England) & Takeshi Masada (Osaka) defeated Tetsuya Endo (Miyagi) & Yuki Iino (Tokyo) (c) when Brookes submitted Endo with the Octopus Stretch (26:13). *BURNING fails in V4. SCHADENFREUDE International becomes the 83rd KO-D Tag Team Champions!
Western Army: Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka), Yuki Ueno (Osaka), Jun Akiyama (Osaka), Chris Brookes (England), Takeshi Masada (Osaka), Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima), Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto), Yuni (Osaka), Kazuma Sumi (Mie), Tsutenkakka (Osaka), The Great Koji (Osakananko), A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima), Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) and Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)
Place Of Unknown Origin: MJ Paul, Ilusion
On the week when Takeshi Masada celebrates two years of being a pro wrestler, today he needed to get something to show for it. He and Chris Brookes were originally meant to face Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino in a non-title match that was only put together to celebrate Masada’s anniversary in his hometown. But the KO-D Tag Team Champions were confident enough to put their championship on the line to make an example of Masada and his recent slump in performance. Big mistake! Brookes & Masada brought the fight to BURNING and it ended up with Brookes putting Endo in the Octopus Stretch and Masada grabbing Iino in the same move to stop him from breaking it up. Endo reached his limit and gave up, making the SCHADENFREUDE International duo the new tag champs!
Brookes described his opponents as being strong and they are welcome to fight them again anytime. Masada brought up all the criticism other wrestlers had been saying about him. If he was missing something then the KO-D Tag Titles are the signpost that will point him towards what he is looking for! Masada is not going to be the second coming of Konosuke Takeshita like people thought he would but he will lead the way as the future of DDT! Endo took fault for losing the match. He admits they lost not because of teamwork but because he gave up. He remembers when a DDT veteran entrusted the company to him eight years ago but he isn’t ready to do the same for Masada right now. Iino thinks they have no choice but to shift gears.
Throughout the show there was a team challenge pitting wrestlers from the west side of Japan against those from the east side. The score was tied 3-3 when it came down to the last match. The west’s captain Yuki Ueno instantly defeated the east’s captain Kazuki Hirata but they agreed to restart the match because they couldn’t let the competition end like that. Hirata & HARASHIMA had some extra help from Yoshihiko in the rematch. That lasted until Jun Akiyama grabbed Yoshihiko and attacked the other team with the doll. Ueno then pinned Hirata again to confirm victory for the Western Army.
The DDT Extreme Title was on the line with a bonus rule involving the pin count. You could win the match with a three count as normal but every 1 count and 2 count gets added up. If a wrestler’s total pin count reached 37 (“sauna”) then they would automatically win the match that way. Shunma Katsumata and Kohei Kinoshita went back and forth leading them both to 36 points. Katsumata was able to roll up Kinoshita to grab the match winning 37th count. He wants to have another match with Kinoshita because neither of them have gotten a 3 count on each other yet. Katsumata discovered that winning the match with a 1 count pin doesn’t feel right. If they can’t have a rematch for the title he still wants to be in the ring with him in either DDT or Dove Pro. They can even be teammates instead of opponents next time.
The Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shields have become active and there was movement right from the start. Yuya Koroku submitted Kazuma Sumi in the opening match, taking his Shield away from him. That has to really bother Sumi because he wanted to cash in his title shot as soon as possible. Koroku told reporters he already knows what he wants to do with the Shield and will use it when the time is right.
When Ueno’s match was over KANON entered the ring to taunt him with his RTC Shield. However he wasn’t going to use it because Ueno isn’t at his worst and most worn out state yet. Keigo Nakamura and Yuya Koroku also walked out to tease cashing in but neither would do it. Finally, Antonio Honda rushed into the ring with his Shield but tripped over the ropes and decided not to cash in because he was now injured
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 10/08/2024 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Runa Okubo
2. Arisu Endo & Chika Nanase Vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami
3. Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami Vs Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara, Haru Kazashiro & Kira Summer
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Toga
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Ryo Mizunami
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuki Aino
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Mizuki Vs Zara Zakher
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Suzume Vs Yuki Arai
Tomorrow Osaka will hosting a Tokyo Princess Cup show for the first time ever as we get through the Quarter Finals.
DDT “OSAKA VS TOKYO ~DREAM EAST-WEST PRO WRESTLING BATTLE 2024~”, 10/08/2024 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Keigo Nakamura (Iwate) & Yuya Koroku (Chiba) Vs Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto) & Kazuma Sumi (Mie)
2. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Ilusion
3. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Makoto Oishi (Shizuoka) & Akito (Aichi) Vs Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima) & Yuni (Osaka)
4. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special Tag Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa (Saitama) & Riara (Miyagi) Vs Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) & Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)
5. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special 4 Way Match: MAO (Miyagi) Vs Tsutenkakka (Osaka) Vs The Great Koji (Osakananko) Vs A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima)
6. DDT Extreme Title ~ East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Energetic!! 37 Great Battles: Shunma Katsumata (c) (Chiba) Vs Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka)
7. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Tokyo Vs Osaka Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA (Tokyo) & Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo) Vs Yuki Ueno (Osaka) & Jun Akiyama (Osaka)
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles – East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Takeshi Masada Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Tetsuya Endo (Miyagi) & Yuki Iino (Tokyo) (c) Vs Chris Brookes (England) & Takeshi Masada (Osaka)
Western Army: Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka), Yuki Ueno (Osaka), Jun Akiyama (Osaka), Chris Brookes (England), Takeshi Masada (Osaka), Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima), Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto), Yuni (Osaka), Kazuma Sumi (Mie), Tsutenkakka (Osaka), The Great Koji (Osakananko), A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima), Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) and Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)
Place Of Unknown Origin: MJ Paul, Ilusion
It’s time for Takeshi Masada to put up or shut up. He and Chris Brookes can become KO-D Tag Team Champions together if they can beat BURNING in the main event.
To clear up the rules for the DDT Extreme Title match, it can still be won by a traditional three count pinfall. One count and two count kickouts will be added up until either Shunma Katsumata or Kohei Kinoshita reach a total of 37 points. But if one of them gets a regular three count pin, they win the match then and there.
From tomorrow onwards the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shields will become active. The current holders are HARASHIMA (Blue), Antonio Honda (Red), KANON (Black), Keigo Nakamura (Sky Blue) and Kazuma Sumi (White).
DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Masha Slamovich, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Maki Itoh, Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Marcus Mathers
2. DDT Variety Team Vs The Mothership: Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs Allie Katch & Dark Sheik
3. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy
4. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders
5. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy
6. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Joey Janela
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Alex Zayne
If MAO defeats Alex Zayne tomorrow it will be the tenth successful DDT Universal Title defence for him. A title reign in DDT reaching a double digit amount of successful defences is really rare. It has only happened once with the KO-D Openweight Title (Konosuke Takeshita in 2017-2018), once with the Extreme Title (Sanshiro Takagi in 2020-2021) and once with the KO-D Tag Titles (Takagi & Munenori Sawa in 2010). MAO can add the Universal Title to that sort of history on Monday.
Summer is here and everyone has either gone travelling or are getting their all their plans in order. Funny thing is the people usually being covered for their overseas matches spent most of July wrestling back in Japan. Konosuke Takeshita had a few AEW matches over and done with before he got ready for the G1 Climax. Then Maki Itoh was wrestling in Tokyo Joshi Pro finishing off her latest dates with them before she goes on another GCW tour. So most of the results below are filled up by Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima and CDK related matches.
It’s the rest of the summer that’s going to get busy. A lot of Itoh matches in GCW with Yamashita popping up here and there along the way. Also some TJPW appearances in Southeast Asia and the USA debut of Yuna Manase are all coming up soon. Then there is the matter of DDT and TJPW holding shows abroad with local promotions in places like London and Seattle. Grab some water and stay hydrated because it’s going to be a busy summer of wrestling everywhere.
Video starts at 2:27:50 for Match #1. Go to 2:52:58 for Match #2. IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo Vs Ultramantis Black & Dr. Gore Black (w/ Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.)
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Ultramantis Black (c) (w/ Dr. Gore Black, Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) Vs Chris Brookes (w/ Masahiro Takanashi)
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XI”, 28/07/2024 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Shayna Baszler Vs Miyu Yamashita
———————————————————————–
Results
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 03/07/2024 (Aired 05/07/2024) Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher defeated Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen when Fletcher pinned Quen with the Kneeling Piledriver (10:10).
Takeshita had bigger stuff to prepare for this month but still got some ring time in AEW before heading back to Japan. He and Kyle Fletcher fought against Private Party, surviving a close call against them. Isiah Kassidy joked around to promote Shark Week and then landed the Swanton Bomb on Fletcher. Marq Quen’s 450 Splash afterwards though was blocked by Fletcher’s knees and Takeshita came in to German Suplex him away. Private Party fought back with a Top Rope Frankensteiner into the Cutter to Takeshita followed by the Silly String to Fletcher. Takeshita kicked out of Quen’s 450 Splash, took out both members with Lariats and then gave Kassidy the Blue Thunder Bomb. Fletcher then got to finish off Kassidy with the Kneeling Piledriver.
DPW “DPW LIVE 7”, 06/07/2024 NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
1. Battle Of The Best – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima defeated Masha Slamovich with the Diving Senton (16:16).
Shoko Nakajima touched down on DPW and left North Carolina with a big victory against Masha Slamovich despite taking some heavy hits from her. Slamovich used a Sit Down Power Bomb and also countered the Unmanned Local Train Hold into a Running Air Raid Crash that landed right into a bottom turnbuckle. But Nakajima used the top ropes against Slamovich in order to use a Power Bomb of her own. Slamovich tried using the Power Bomb again but Nakajima slipped down and pulled her into the Double Arm DDT. After that it took a Diving Senton to finish her off and make Nakajima advance to the next round of Battle Of The Best.
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tommy Billington with the Powerdrive Knee (13:29).
Takeshita’s last AEW appearance for the month was a noteworthy one because his opponent was Tommy Billington, the nephew of the late Dynamite Kid! The new generation Dynamite Kid gave Takeshita a good challenge but fell to the Powerdrive Knee. Don Callis then attempted to recruit Billington to The Don Callis Family by bringing up his family’s heritage. But that was just a trap for Takeshita and the rest of The Family to attack Billington from behind until FTR ran down to save him.
NORTH WRESTLING “THUNDER STRUCK 2”, 13/07/2024 Walker Dome, Newcastle, England
1. Lizzy Evo defeated Miyu Yamashita with an Inside Cradle (13:45).
This was a case of defeat being snatched from the jaws of victory here. Yamashita seemed to have a lot of the match under control until Lizzy Evo saw an opening to hit her with a Knee Strike to the face and then roll her into a Small Package for the three count out of nowhere. For Evo the result is payback for Yamashita beating her in EVE last year.
IWA JAPAN “HARDCORE FOREVER”, 27/07/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mister Suchart & Anont Alonzo defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) and Ultramantis Black & Dr. Gore Black (w/ Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) when Alonzo pinned Gore after a Choke Slam/Power Bomb Combo through the Table (?:??). *CDK fails in V2. THE GOOD DEAL becomes the 2nd IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Champions!
2. IWA Japan SETUP World Title: Ultramantis Black (c) (w/ Dr. Gore Black, Kappa Kozo & Kappa Jr.) defeated Chris Brookes (w/ Masahiro Takanashi) with a School Boy (?:??). *V1 for Ultramantis Black.
Whenever CDK goes over to Thailand for SETUP Pro Wrestling that’s enough trouble to handle by itself. This however was not just a SETUP show. It was an event using the IWA Japan banner to celebrate 30 years of the promotion’s existance. CDK came over to defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a Hardcore 3 Way Match. They had to fight the previous champions THE GOOD DEAL as well as the UMA Corps pairing of Ultramantis Black and Dr. Gore Black. Things went crazy as everybody fought outside the ring. Mister Suchart even got on a motor scooter and crashed it into everyone at ringside! A stapler gun was brought into the ring for Brookes and Ultramantis to staple each other with. Ultramantis then took advantage of miscommunication between CDK to put Brookes through a mini ironing board with a Back Drop. Masahiro Takanashi was also taken out by Dr. Gore attacking him with a toilet seat. From that point on CDK were too hurt to do anything and THE GOOD DEAL put Gore through a table. Anont Alonzo pinned him afterwards to win the belts.
It did not end there though. Earlier in the show the brand new IWA Japan SETUP World Title was introduced to the world. However Ultramantis and the UMA Corps launched an attack to steal the belt. Brookes was so mad to lose the tag titles in the main event without being pinned that he challenged Ultramantis for a World Title match straight away! Ultramantis refused but then attacked Brookes with the belt, causing the impromptu match to begin. Brookes fought back from the disadvantage and Takanashi was still there to cut off interference from the UMA Corps. But Dr. Gore threw a chair into Brookes’ face at ringside allowing Ultramantis to roll him up and escape with his first successful title defence. The UMA Corps continued to attack CDK until THE GOOD DEAL returned to save the day.
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XI”, 28/07/2024 Roulette Intermedium, New York City, New York, USA
1. Shayna Baszler defeated Miyu Yamashita by TKO (8:37).
If there is any big story to talk about in this month’s article it is this one. Yamashita taking part in GCW’s Bloodsport event is notable in itself. She gave shoot boxing a go pretty early into her pro wrestling career and has the kind of martial arts cred that would get you booked for a show like this. The big news though was who they chose to be her opponent. In the main event she took on Shayna Baszler from WWE! It’s the latest move from WWE to open themselves up and show they are willing to work with other wrestling companies. It’s been noted online that the Bloodsport show featured talent from WWE/NXT, TNA, AEW/ROH, NJPW’s American arm, MLW and TJPW. Baszler ended up beating Yamashita by catching her Skull Kick, turning it into a Tombstone and then beginning to ground and pound her until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
———————————————————————–
Upcoming Appearances
GCW “NOW AND FOREVER”, 02/08/2024 TempleLive Cleveland Masonic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs John Wayne Murdoch
August is going to be a GCW month for Maki Itoh both in America and Japan. Her next tour begins with an unexpected opponent. She’s taking on one of their most violent wrestlers John Wayne Murdoch. He won the Tournament Of Survival back in June but his win-loss record in the company since then hasn’t been great.
GCW “CAN I TRUST YOU?”, 04/08/2024 House Of Independents, Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh does not have a match announced for the show yet. This date was on her list of advertised bookings last month. The full card seems to have been shown since then and Blake Christian just so happens to have a “Pick Your Poison” style mystery opponent to be announced that day… I don’t see where else she will fit if she is still going to be there.
GCW “THE SKY IS THE LIMIT”, 13/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
1. Broski Jimmy Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. The Great Sasuke Vs Maki Itoh
Itoh is also representing GCW for their Japan tour that is going on with some help from DDT. In a matchup that only sounds more mind bending the more I think of it, Itoh is going to fight The Great Sasuke! Yamashita will be on one of the shows too facing Broski Jimmy. That’s another match that I would never expect but more for head scratchy reasons.
GCW “YOU ONLY DIE ONCE”, 14/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
1. Allie Katch & Dark Sheik Vs Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima
2. GCW World Title: Mance Warner (c) Vs Maki Itoh
I made a prediction for this year that Itoh is going to win the GCW World Title. If it ever comes true then this will be the show to do it! It won’t though because GCW are all in on Mance Warner as their top champion while Itoh already holds the GCW Extreme Title but just imagine if they did.
Also added is a GCW Vs TJPW tag match. The visitors (or are they the home team because it’s GCW?) Allie Katch & Dark Sheik take on Kaya Toribami & Shoko Nakajima. I’ll probably make a separate post for the GCW Japan results since those matches are happening in Japan and DDT is involved with promoting the whole tour.
SPW “HARDCORE ISLAND 2: A FINE CITY”, 16/08/2024 Foo Chow Building, Singapore
1. 3 Way Match: Alexis Lee Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Kaya Toribami
Now that Alexis Lee got to wrestle in Japan and fully integrate herself into TJPW it’s time to send more people back over to Singapore Pro Wrestling. This time Lee will be in a 3 Way Match against two TJPW wrestlers. Yamashita and Toribami are on board to go face her in her home country.
KITSUNE “LOVE MY SHOW!”, 17/08/2024 Brick X Brick, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Yuna Manase Vs X
I was wondering how long it was going to take until I get to write about more of the American “Joshi” promotions that are currently around. Kitsune emerged around the same time period as SPARK Joshi and Sukeban. This one though has actually been able to run a show in Japan thanks to a lot of help from Marvelous. Their next shows in California is where Yuna Manase will be making her American wrestling debut.
GCW “NO SIGNAL IN THE HILLS PT. 4”, 17/08/2024 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
Itoh will be following GCW back to America after the Japan tour ends.
GCW “SAVE ME”, 18/08/2024 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
More Itoh in GCW here.
KITSUNE “YABAI!”, 18/08/2024 1110 Bates Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase Vs Megan Bayne Vs J-Rod
The original plan was for Manase to be in a 3 Way Match with Sayaka Unagi and J-Rod for the Kitsune World Title. However Unagi is unable to get her visa approved in time and won’t be able to travel to America anytime soon. Since she was the champion, Kitsune made the decision to vacate the belt. It will now go to the winner of a new 3 Way Match between Manase, J-Rod and Megan Bayne.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW: JAPAN & UK WRESTLING UNITE!”, 24/08/2024
Conway Hall, London, England
Finally we got a venue for the show. Yamashita, Raku, Mahiro Kiryu and HIMAWARI along with Aja Kong are the Japanese talent coming over to TJPW’s joint show with EVE. The EVE wrestlers being promoted for the show so far include Alex Windsor, Nina Samuels, Lena Cross and Session Moth Martina.
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 1”, 24/08/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Kerry Morton
The match is in GCW but Itoh gets a little taste of NWA with Kerry Morton as her opponent here. Kerry is the son of Ricky Morton and has been spending a lot of time in NWA as part of The Southern Six. He was even on the winning team at The Crockett Cup a few months ago.
GCW “HOMECOMING – NIGHT 2”, 25/08/2024 The Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
None of her GCW matches next month have been announced as Extreme Title defences yet.
MLW “SUMMER OF THE BEASTS”, 29/08/2024 Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York, USA
1. Delmi Exo Vs Miyu Yamashita
MLW wrote a really long passage about this match on their Twitter page but we don’t need to go through all that. Yamashita beat Delmi Exo last December, next month is time for the rematch. The difference here is Exo now has the support of MLW’s main authority figure Cesar Duran by her side.
GCW “LIVE FAST DIE YOUNG”, 31/08/2024 Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Megan Bayne
2. Maki Itoh Vs Kylie Rae
Prepare for cute smiles everywhere when Itoh is in the ring with Kylie Rae. Things might get ugly though if Itoh ends up feeling threatened by Rae’s cheerfulness. Yamashita getting another match with Megan Bayne is something she might not want to smile about either. They wrestled each other at a DREAMWAVE show back in April. Bayne won clean and Yamashita was in a pretty bad mood about it afterwards, rejecting her post-match handshake.
INSPIRE A.D. “MAY THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN”, 01/09/2024 Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Devin Carter
One of the non-GCW bookings Itoh is taking after the summer is over at Inspire A.D. in Texas. “The Fashionista” Devin Carter is her opponent. They have only been wrestling for a couple of years, mostly around the Texas scene.
MKW “CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERCARD FROM SHANGHAI”, 14/09/2024 Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, Shanghai, China
1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Crystal
Still another while until Yuki Kamifuku defends the Queen Of Asia Title against Crystal. Kamifuku has been stepping her game up over the last twelve months and it’s really been paying off for her lately.
GCW “BAD ONE”, 14/09/2024 Harpos Concert Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
This will be the last weekend of Itoh’s current tour.
GCW “THA G-CODE”, 15/09/2024 Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
And Itoh’s last American booking as of now is here.
SETUP “CHAOPHRAYA VOYAGE: 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF THAI WRESTLING”, 28/09/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title – 3 Way Match: Matcha (c) Vs Raku Vs Pom Harajuku
TJPW sent a video message to SETUP announcing the next opponents for Matcha and the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title she currently holds. Both Raku and Pom Harajuku are coming to Thailand to wrestle there for the first time!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “BRIGHT EYES”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
A big weekend is going down in Seattle during November. TJPW is teaming up with DEFY for a show. Expect around 10-12 TJPW talent to be coming over. That was already announced a while ago…
DDT/DEFY “DDT IN UTERO”, 09/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
What turned out to be new news about the event is DEFY will be bringing over DDT for an evening show too! DDT has not said yet how many people they are going to bring over.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/DEFY “TRIANGLER DTD”, 10/11/2024 Washington Hall, Seattle, Washington, USA
The weekend ends with DDT, TJPW and DEFY all joining forces for a triple promotion show.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO MEN’S ASSOCIATION EVENT VOL. 1”, 27/07/2024 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. 80’s Vs Heisei Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Daisuke®️ & Shota Kawakami
2. 70’s Vs Heisei Tag Match: Takuya Wada & Choun-Shiryu Vs Munetatsu Nakamura & Gaia Hox
3. 70’s Vs 80’s Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Minoru Fujita Vs Keisuke Ishii & Isami Kodaka
4. 70’s Vs 80’s Vs Heisei 3 Way Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Yumehito Imanari Vs Mizuki Watase
Born In The 70’s: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura, Takuya Wada, Choun-Shiryu & Minoru Fujita
Born In The 80’s: Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari, Isami Kodaka, Hartley Jackson and Tyson Maeguchi
Born In The Heisei Era: Mizuki Watase, Gaia Hox, Munetatsu Nakamura, Shota Kawakami and Daisuke®️
The battle of the Ganbare☆Pro generations is going on as I type this.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GARAFES DASH!! ~SCORCHING SUMMER SPLASH~”, 27/07/2024 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Raku Vs Uta Takami
2. Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Pom Harajuku & Shino Suzuki
And probably so is the latest Tokyo Joshi Pro appearance at the Garafes.
GANBARE☆JOSHI/666 “DOKI! ALL JOSHI PRO WRESTLING BOX OFFICE ~THE VIRGIN SUICIDES~”, 27/07/2024 Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR
1. Rina Yamashita & Sumire Natsu Vs Rina Yamada & Banny Oikawa
2. Yuna Manase & Maika Ozaki Vs HARUKAZE & Droog-K
3. Ram Kaichow, Maya Yukihi & YuuRI Vs Maya Yukipe, Mayumi Ozawa & X
Who is the 666 X going to be?
DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN NAGOYA – DAY 1”, 27/07/2024 Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
2. MAO & To-y Vs Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
3. Jun Akiyama & Keigo Nakamura Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda
Since Danshoku Dieno versus Antonio Honda is in the main event they have a 60 minute time limit!
DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN NAGOYA – DAY 2”, 28/07/2024 Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall
1. KANON Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda Vs To-y Vs Yuni
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
6. Special Single Match: Akito Vs Takeshi Masada
So far Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami keeps thinking DAMNATION T.A should be called FIRE DAMNATION. Perhaps Daisuke Sasaki and the rest should be careful hanging out with him for too long.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 28/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Maki Itoh Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Shoko Nakajima, Raku, HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Uta Takami Vs Zara Zakher, Wakana Uehara, Toga, Kira Summer & Chika Nanase
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2E: Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Kamifuku
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Mizuki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Yuki Arai Vs Kaya Toribami
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe
The Tokyo Princess Cup begins tomorrow.
DDT “OSAKA VS TOKYO ~DREAM EAST-WEST PRO WRESTLING BATTLE 2024~”, 10/08/2024 Osaka Edion Arena #2
1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Ilusion
2. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Keigo Nakamura (Iwate) & Yuya Koroku (Chiba) Vs Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto) & Kazuma Sumi (Mie)
3. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Makoto Oishi (Shizuoka) & Akito (Aichi) Vs Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima) & Yuni (Osaka)
4. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special Tag Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa (Saitama) & Riara (Miyagi) Vs Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) & Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)
5. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special 4 Way Match: MAO (Miyagi) Vs Tsutenkakka (Osaka) Vs The Great Koji (Osakananko) Vs A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima)
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles – East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Takeshi Masada Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Tetsuya Endo (Miyagi) & Yuki Iino (Tokyo) (c) Vs Chris Brookes (England) & Takeshi Masada (Osaka)
7. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Tokyo Vs Osaka Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA (Tokyo) & Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo) Vs Yuki Ueno (Osaka) & Jun Akiyama (Osaka)
8. DDT Extreme Title ~ East Vs West All-Out Competition: Shunma Katsumata (c) (Chiba) Vs Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka)
West Army: Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka), Yuki Ueno (Osaka), Jun Akiyama (Osaka), Chris Brookes (England), Takeshi Masada (Osaka), Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima), Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto), Yuni (Osaka), Kazuma Sumi (Mie), Tsutenkakka (Osaka), The Great Koji (Osakananko), A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima), Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) and Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)
Place Of Unknown Origin: MJ Paul, Ilusion
The KO-D Tag Team Champions want to increase their number of defences. BURNING already has a tag match coming up against Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada so they want the titles to be on the line for it.
DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy
2. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Joey Janela
3. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Alex Zayne
Two championship matches built around DDT Vs GCW have been added to the show. MAO is going to defend the DDT Universal Title against Alex Zayne. Meanwhile Shunma Katsumata is getting himself in the middle of Mance Warner and Joey Janella’s grudge over the GCW World Title. A Hardcore 3 Way Match is going to add fuel to that fire.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2024 IN SHINJUKU – DAY 1”, 15/08/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Blindfold Hidden Breast 4 Way Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Drunk Match: HARASHIMA Vs Masahiro Takanashi
The two wrestlers who are considered the biggest drinkers in DDT will face off in a drunk match. HARASHIMA and Masahiro Takanashi are going to drink each other under the table rather than put each other through one.
Danhausen, Joey Janela and Effy will all be part of the Beer Garden show since they will already be in Japan for the GCW tour. I hear Danhausen is still under AEW contract but both parties have become sick of each other so he gets to do stuff like this away from AEW until his deal runs out.
The GCW only shows on their tour are still going to have DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro talent involved but I’ll save writing about them until the shows take place. I don’t know why they think Broski Jimmy Vs Miyu Yamashita is a good idea but it’s happening.
DDT “WEDDING VENUE PRO WRESTLING SUMMER FESTIVAL IN SENTIR LA SAISON GIFU”, 31/08/2024 Gifu Sentir la Saison
1. X Vs X
2. X Vs X
3. X Vs X
4. X Vs X
The demand for DDT’s offer to hold wrestling matches at weddings is so much that they will be doing two events at Sentir la Saison on the day. The afternoon event will be an outdoor show consisting of four matches held inside a wrestling ring
DDT “WEDDING ROJO PRO WRESTLING”, 31/08/2024 Gifu Sentir la Saison
1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: X Vs X
Then in the evening DDT will hold a Falls Count Anywhere match in the wedding venue!
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2024”, 08/09/2024 Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall
1. Special Single Match: Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami Vs Yukio Naya
There are still a few tag matches between Kawakami and Yukio Naya leading up to this match. But Naya knows the only way he is going to deal with Kawakami is to beat him one on one.
DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN SHINJUKU”, 26/07/2024 Shinjuku FACE 248 Fans
1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuni by Disqualification when Yuni was deemed to have attacked Hirata with a Chair (8:05).
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku defeated Antonio Honda & Ilusion when Endo pinned Ilusion with the Spinning Torture Rack Bomb (9:45).
3. Special Single Match: Yuki Iino defeated MJ Paul with the Spear (9:37).
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Somato (10:35).
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Akito with a Piledriver (7:41).
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON defeated Yukio Naya, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Kawakami pinned Sumi with the Thunder Fire Bomb (12:22).
7. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the WR (22:14).
With “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” in the rear view mirror today was the first look towards what directions everyone in DDT will be taking towards the next Sumo Hall show at the end of the year. The 37KAMIINA are now whole again thanks to MAO ending his runaway phase and rejoining the group. They won their match in the main event against a collection of DDT wrestlers. Among them was Makoto Oishi who this week announced his plans to leave DDT and go freelance in October. One of his requests was to wrestle against MAO & Shunma Katsumata again, which he did today. To-y got caught up in the moment and joined in with calling Oishi “Master” even though he has no connection to him. After the match Ueno welcomed MAO back to The 37KAMIINA and talked about how much he missed him. Backstage MAO and Katsumata both said they want to have a 3 Way Match with Oishi to be the NωA reunion part of Oishi’s farewell tour. Danshoku Dieno also approached Oishi wanting the two of them to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles.
Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami added salt to Yukio Naya’s wounds after their match by telling him he hasn’t been working out enough. This provoked Naya into attacking him but DAMNATION T.A all ganged up on Naya with a chair and left him in a beaten pile. Kawakami’s advice is Naya should either gain 5-10kg or lose weight. He also keeps calling DAMNATION T.A “FIRE DAMNATION” but Daisuke Sasaki has to remind him that’s not what the unit is called. Naya’s response was to challenge Kawakami to a singles match. That will happen in Nagoya on 8th September.
The next challenger for Ueno and the KO-D Openweight Title is showing off how dangerous an opponent he is going to be. Shinya Aoki outgrappled Akito before using a Piledriver on him to get the win. His warning to Ueno is loud and clear. Aoki can kill him as both a fighter and as a wrestler! Ueno watched his speech from the ring entrance.
More challengers are on the way for BURNING. As mentioned above, Dieno & Oishi could be on the hunt for a future shot at the KO-D Tag Titles. But first BURNING wants to defend the belts against SCHADENFREUDE International. After Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku won their tag match, Endo made a request for their match against Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada in Osaka on 10th August to have the titles on the line.
Backstage Ilusion asked Antonio Honda if he could join SCHADENFREUDE International. Honda could not make the decision by himself because Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi are both wrestling in Thailand currently.
A ref bump happened in the opener so Kazuki Hirata poured ketchup over his head and made sure Yuni was holding a chair when the Yukinori Matsui recovered. Matsui thought Yuni violently attacked Hirata so he disqualified him. Matsui scolded Yuni and said he doesn’t remember raising him like this!
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 4,131 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Keigo Nakamura, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion when Nakamura pinned Yuni with the Running Diving Headbutt (7:37).
2. 6-Man Tag Match Featuring People Connected To Sanshiro Takagi: Toru Owashi, Hisamaru Tajima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated Makoto Oishi, Soma Takao & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa when Kawamatsu pinned Oishi with the Axe Bomber (6:28).
3. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kazuki Hirata with a School Boy (11:53).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Minoru Suzuki, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato when Naya pinned Sato with the Wrist-Clutch Back Drop (12:18).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road FINAL ~ Weapon Rumble: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (20:54). *V? for Danshoku Dieno.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Survival 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c), Aja Kong, Shunma Katsumata & To-y and Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada (17:30).
6a. HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) eliminated Aja Kong, Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Akito pinned Katsumata with a Step Over Toe Hold (8:40).
6b. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul eliminated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) when KANON pinned Akito after the Freedom Call (15:28).
6c. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul eliminated Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Paul Sasaki submitted Masada with La Mistica Crossface Lock (17:30). *Smile Squash fails in V1. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 56th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Masato Tanaka with an Elbow Butt (14:42).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge when Endo pinned Kotoge with the Burning Star Press (20:37). *V3 for BURNING.
9. Dramatic Dream Match – No DQ Match: El Desperado defeated Chris Brookes with the Pinche Loco on the Barbed Wire Board (22:12).
10. KO-D Openweight Title – Goodcom Assets Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated MAO with the WR (29:44). *V6 for Yuki Ueno.
The story of MAO running away from The 37KAMIINA has come to an end. He wasn’t able to win the KO-D Openweight Title from Yuki Ueno after all but it still became a happy ending for everyone involved with the group. The two went all out against each other both inside and out of the ring. Over on the ramp Ueno gave MAO the Canadian Destroyer only for MAO to fire back with the same move. Ueno rolled off the ramp afterwards so MAO reached out and helped him back to the ring so the match wouldn’t end by countout. Ueno dodged the Phoenix Splash and used the Jul.2 for a nearfall. Then there was a trade off between Ueno’s Blackout Sleeper and MAO’s Just Face Lock. There was then a battle of Dropkicks with both wrestlers using the move on each other again and again. MAO used the Iai Kick but only got a two count. Instead Ueno got him in the WR to pin him and retain the championship.
After the match Ueno gave MAO a hug. He said that whenever he feels exhausted or loses his confidence, he will look at MAO to become an even better man. He is sure MAO feels the same way about him. Today he is glad he put his life on the line in Sumo Hall to fight MAO for DDT’s greatest championship. However MAO declined to shake Ueno’s hand and he left the ring. Ueno still praised him for being a free spirit and if he can beat somebody like him then he can beat anybody. Ueno then called Shinya Aoki to the ring and nominated him as his next challenger for the KO-D Title. Aoki said that ever since his fight against Kazushi Sakuraba in 2015, the next opponent and place he wanted to get the most is Yuki Ueno in DDT. Hisaya Imabayashi endorsed the challenge and announced the title match will take place on 25th August.
Ueno closed out the day by telling the fans he and DDT will continue to show everyone their dreams in the ring. Ueno left the ring and walked up the ramp where he was suddenly greeted by MAO again. MAO has decided he is no longer running away from home and has returned to The 37KAMIINA! Shunma Katsumata and To-y also appeared alongside them and the four went backstage together. In the hallway they found Konosuke Takeshita waiting for them. He simply gave them a thumbs up and walked away.
Yesterday at a public press conference Chris Brookes and El Desperado agreed that their match today should be held under No DQ Rules. The ring was already armed with a barbed wire board, a fork board and a bunch of plastic cases lying around waiting for the chaos to start. It began with Desperado bringing out two bouquets of flowers and handing one over to Brookes. They then both attacked each other with the bouquets. As the fighting got more intense Desperado busted open Brookes and in return Brookes took out a pair of scissors to cut up his opponent’s mask. Desperado then decided to pull it off and wrestle the rest of the match fully unmasked! A stapler gun was brought in and the two of them stapled each other back and forth all over their bodies. The envelope used for the “DESPE-INVITACIONAL” was also stapled onto them. SCHADENFREUDE International interfered in the match to gang up on Desperado but he fought them off by spraying them with a fire extinguisher. Brookes did the Praying Mantis Bomb but only got a two count while Desperado hit the Mad Splash on top of the barbed wire board for a nearfall. The end came when Desperado gave Brookes the Lip Lock and then dropped him on top of the barbed wire with the Pinche Loco. Brookes said he is frustrated over losing but also happy because he feels so alive after the match. Desperado said he got a great taste of DDT. He does not know if he will ever get another taste but he hopes to do it again some day. However not long after the show New Japan announced that Desperado is taking a leave of absence to recover from injuries. Desperado made it clear on social media that Brookes and the match they had are not at fault for it.
The last few months have seen Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino from BURNING feud with Go Shiozaki across DDT and NOAH. It was all building up to the KO-D Tag Team Titles defence here with Shiozaki teaming with Atsushi Kotoge. Since both Endo & Iino were focused on solely beating Shiozaki, Kotoge became frustrated at being ignored. It was on full show here because Kotoge busted himself open from Headbutting Endo too much! Shiozaki was taken out by Iino’s Lariat leaving Endo to fight Kotoge. Endo gave him a Headbutt of his own before doing the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb for a nearfall. He then finished him off with the Burning Star Press for the victory. Iino said he knew how good Shiozaki’s Chops are with those big arms of his but that doesn’t matter because BURNING won in the end. Endo said they won today because of the support from their fans. He is now considering how interesting it would be if BURNING and TEAM NOAH would team up in the future. Iino wants to fight more opponents from more companies to increase the value of the KO-D Tag Titles.
The busy summer Takeshita is taking part in has gone off to a hot start. Yesterday he beat Yota Tsuji in the opening day of the G1 Climax and today he defeated Masato Tanaka in a battle of the Elbow Smashes. It was a rematch of their KO-D Title bout from March 2020 and this time it was Takeshita who was left standing tall. After duelling Elbow Smashes, Takeshita’s ones were the more powerful. He ended up using the move to break down Tanaka and pin him for the three count. With this result Takeshita will now bring this power with him for the rest of the G1. He wants DDT fans to follow him in the tournament with pride and confidence. Tanaka admitted that Takeshita now has the best elbow strikes in the world but he will take that title back from him soon!
After Smile Squash went through all the effort of rescuing the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from DAMNATION T.A, they’ve only gone and lost the belts back to them! The belts were on the line in a Survival 4 Way Match with other teams of three looking to win the titles for themselves. The 37KAMIINA & Aja Kong beat up Yasu Urano but were the first eliminated thanks to Akito dodging their attacks and pinning To-y with a Stepover Toe Hold. The champions Smile Squash were then surprisingly next to go. HARASHIMA had MJ Paul pinned with the Somato when KANON pulled the referee out of the ring mid-count. Daisuke Sasaki then attacked everyone with a chair then used the Freedom Call with KANON to pin Akito. Antonio Honda had his working boots on today because he successfully performed a Suicide Dive onto everyone out of the ring. He & Masahiro Takanashi also aided Takeshi Masada until he had to go it alone against Sasaki. Paul gave Masada a German Suplex so Sasaki could pin him for a nearfall. Sasaki then used La Mistica Crossface Lock to make Masada give up.
While DAMNATION T.A were celebrating in the ring, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami appeared at ringside and climbed in to meet them. He had already caused trouble backstage earlier in the day by attacking Yukio Naya after his match. But Kawakami got into the ring to give Sasaki a hug because he is now joining forces with DAMNATION T.A! Kawakami is ready to bring “FIRE DAMNATION” to DDT and Naya is his first target. Sasaki thinks “FIRE DAMNATION” sounds a little lame but he’s happy to have Kawakami on his side.
After spending so many decades fighting for DDT inside and out of the ring, Sanshiro Takagi is finally ready to take an indefinite break so he can focus on his management duties within CyberFight while taking better care of his health. But first he had one more battle with Danshoku Dieno to get through. During the week he pinned Dieno to take the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title away from him but Dieno won it not too long afterwards. Their match here was a Weapon Rumble. One by one weapons selected by the two wrestlers would be brought down to the ring. Takagi’s first weapon was product placement for Yanekabe Shokunin Goods. Dieno countered that with Yoshihiko along with Muscle Sakai as its handler. Takagi then brought out the Dramatic Dream bike. Dieno shocked Takagi by setting up a retirement ceremony for him. Saki Akai came down to the ring and presented him with gifts as well as a heartfelt speech. Takagi was so touched by the gesture he considered to go ahead with retirement but interrupted the ten bell salute so the match would continue. MIKAMI and Poison Sawada JULIE then ran down to be Takagi’s latest weapons. Dieno had allies of his own in the form of Tokyo Joshi Pro! The group of Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Mizuki and Yuki Kamifuku all attacked Takagi with some of their signature moves. But when TJPW GM Tetsuya Koda wanted to get his digs in, Hisaya Imabayashi got mad and attacked him! With them out of the way Takagi brought out his golden ace up his sleeve. He brought in a big star from AEW… Michael Nakazawa! He came out with his body painted completely gold. Who could Dieno have picked in response to this? It was the actual “Golden Star”, the return of Kota Ibushi to DDT! Ibushi gave Takagi the Kamigoye and Dieno waited for Takagi to get back up so he could finish him off with the Lip Lock and Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver.
After the match Dieno told Takagi that it does not matter if he takes a permanent break or is able to come back and wrestle again. DDT will be fine because Dieno will always be here. Takagi thanked Dieno because without him this dramatic situation would have never taken place today. He thought he would never meet Ibushi inside a DDT ring ever again! DDT went through some tough times after Ibushi left them in 2016 but Ibushi was able to rise higher and higher. Takagi believes if he can still get chances to be in the ring with Ibushi then he will never retire! His wish is to fight Ibushi in a singles match again. Ibushi has a request too. Can he come back to DDT some day? Takagi and Dieno both burst into tears and told him yes because he is family. Backstage Takagi told reporters he really wants Kenny Omega to get recover from his health problems too so he can call him again too.
As mentioned above, Naya’s day at Sumo Hall was ruined by a backstage attack by Kawakami after his match. Before that happened things were going great for Naya. He teamed with Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga to beat the big name outsider trio of Minoru Suzuki, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato. Naya also got the pinfall after he gave Sato the Wrist-Clutch Back Drop. The backstage attack happened during the post-match interview. Naya’s partners had already left the room and he was in the middle of talking about how it is up to him to carry DDT’s heavyweight division due to a number of injuries on the roster. That was when Kawakami burst out from behind the interview curtain and attacked Naya with a chair. He demanded to be booked for more DDT shows or else he will blow more people up!
With so much happening up and down the card, Kazuki Hirata and Super Sasadango Machine were determined to make their match stand out and become the most newsworthy. Sasadango used his PowerPoint presentation to tell everyone about how much social media coverage his recent tag match with Hirata, Takagi and Dieno got because so many shocking incidents took place during it. So he begged the audience to retweet everything that happened here and even made a competition where one lucky fan will win a sirloin steak, shrimp and red snow crab that he all bought with his own money! There were many “shocking incidents” that happened during the match. First there was a Thumb War that was won by Sasadango. Then there was a new finishing move that Hirata created called the Ryogoku Bomber except he couldn’t do it right because of a lack of practice. Sasadango also decided to give away Edameme he brought from Niigata because he wants everyone to know how delicious it is. After that, Hirata tried to turn heel and adopt Masahiro Chono’s theme song as his own. However he didn’t have the heart to attack Sasadango with a barbed wire bat along with some unknown masked lackeys so he went back to being a babyface. Sasadango then suggested they both turn heel together and form an nWo style faction. He pulled off his mask to reveal he had already shaved his head and painted on a beard plus forehead scars to look like Keiji Muto! He went to do the Shining Wizard but Hirata dodged it and pinned Sasadango with a School Boy. Backstage Hirata said he wants to continue doing things in pro wrestling that are unprecedented. Sasadango was angry over Hirata “betraying” him but admitted it felt so good to have a packed Sumo Hall chanting Muto’s name at him. He also credited Minoru Suzuki for giving him the haircut before the match.
During the same week where Hulk Hogan made a show of himself in America’s political landscape, his presence was also felt on a smaller scale in Japan thanks to Shinichiro Kawamatsu. The Japanese politician had the Axe Bomber passed down to him by Hogan earlier this year and today he used the move to win his match. Toru Owashi claimed this was the power of the impromptu tag team of himself, Kawamatsu and Hisamaru Tajima. It may not look like it but there is actually a deep bound between the three of them according to Owashi. He was Tajima’s opponent for Tajima’s debut match back in Toryumon. He has also spent a lot of his life living in Sumida Ward which is also the district Kawamatsu is elected in. The point of the match though is that they along with Makoto Oishi, Soma Takao & Munenori Sawa are all connected to Sanshiro Takagi.
The show kicked off with most of the D GENERATIONS class pitted against each other in a 6-Man Tag Match. It came down to Yuni almost beating Keigo Nakamura with a Moonsault. Nakamura recovered to hit Yuni with a German Suplex, John Woo Dropkick and then the Running Diving Headbutt to win the match for his team. Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi both felt that they did their best to make the show start off on the right foot. Nakamura was also happy to win a match by himself in Sumo Hall for the first time. Yuya Koroku feels the need to start aiming higher since it is almost six months since he returned from injury. Ilusion thinks they should all be showing more energy because they are the future of DDT. Yuni said he wants to main event Sumo Hall one day so he will work hard to achieve that.
DDT returns to Sumo Hall on 28th December for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024”. In previous years DDT’s last supershow on the calendar would take place in November. However the company wants to take a shot at holding a big arena show at the end of the year.
It was announced that Kaisei Takechi will be returning to DDT for his second pro wrestling match on 29th September. The star from THE RAMPAGE made his debut to much fanfare back in February. He sent a video message explaining his decision to compete in another match is because he believes he has the ability to do more in the ring the second time round. He would also like to continue participating more in wrestling after this match takes place.
DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 10/07/2024 Shinjuku FACE 308 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Makoto Oishi & Akito defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Akito pinned Hirata with a Gedo Clutch (6:41).
2. Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku defeated Jun Akiyama, Soma Takao & Keigo Nakamura when Endo submitted Nakamura with the Yurikamome (10:10).
3. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Yuni defeated Dasnhoku Dieno & Kazuma Sumi when Takagi pinned Sumi with an Avalanche-Style Brainbuster (5:36).
4. KANON 5th Anniversary Match ~ Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku defeated KANON with the Heavy Killer No. 2 (10:12).
5. Special 3 Way Match: HARASHIMA defeated Daisuke Sasaki and Masahiro Takanashi when HARASHIMA pinned Sasaki with the Somato (8:46).
6. Special Single Match: Go Shiozaki defeated Yuki Iino with the Gowan Lariat (15:02).
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International?: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated MAO, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when To-y pinned Honda with a Frankensteiner (20:30).
So how did it go when MAO teamed up with SCHADENFREUDE International? It was almost flawless. His skills combined with the talents of Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda was almost enough to beat The 37KAMIINA if it wasn’t for one mistake and a little bit of luck at the end. An attack from MAO missed its target and hit Brookes by mistake. Honda tried to take control of things by hitting Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata with Bionic Elbows. He and MAO then teamed up on To-y but To-y captured Honda with a Frankensteiner out of nowhere to get the win. The result continues MAO’s losing streak against The 37KAMIINA since running away from the group. Ueno said the Sumo Hall show is just around the corner and he is really looking forward to defending the KO-D Openweight Title against MAO. They have more prelim matches coming up before then so he will see MAO again this weekend. Backstage MAO described today’s match as him running away from home and stopping by at his friend’s place. He wanted to join the original SCHADENFREUDE unit years ago so today was kind of like his dream coming true. He said no matter what happens, he will have a place to come back to.
If Yuki Iino or Tetsuya Endo want to beat Go Shiozaki today showed they aren’t ready to do it yet. Shiozaki fought Iino in a singles match with Atsushi Kotoge in his corner. Before the show began both teams signed the contract for their KO-D Tag Team Titles match at Sumo Hall. TEAM NOAH said they are going to show their strength and win the belts. Endo dismissed Kotoge and said he is only interested in getting the fall on Shiozaki. In the singles match Iino and Shiozaki fought around the room hitting each other with Chops, Lariats and Spears. Iino reached his limit first and Shiozaki pinned him with the Gowan Lariat. Then after the match Kotoge knocked down Endo with a Headbutt! He doesn’t like the smack talk Endo has been giving him so at Sumo Hall it will be Kotoge and not Shiozaki who will score the fall on Endo. The two teams got into another scuffle backstage.
HARASHIMA won the 3 Way Match, scoring the pinfall on Daisuke Sasaki with the Somato. Smile Squash then went and got their KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belts back. However during the fight KANON was able to steal back one of the belts from Yasu Urano so the champions do not have their complete set back yet. HARASHIMA promised his team will definitely have all three belts back in time for Sumo Hall so they can put together a great entrance. Backstage KANON warned reminded everyone he has a singles match against HARASHIMA coming up this Sunday. Sasaki complained about the “orange, alcoholic bastard” Masahiro Takanashi getting in the way a lot during the 3 Way.
KANON was given a match against his mentor TAKA Michinoku to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of his debut. The match was mostly Michinoku in control but KANON had some close calls. He countered the Michinoku Driver but was then rolled up into the Heavy Killer No. 2 cradle to lose by pinfall. Backstage Michinoku said he remembered teaming with KANON for his 4th Anniversary last year so was happy to have a singles match against him this time around. He is interested to see if KANON can move up to the top spot in DDT and challenge for the KO-D Title. He also promoted JTO’s 5th Anniversary show taking place next week. KANON promised to pay him back for today at that show.
Yesterday Danshoku Dieno successfully pulled off a plan to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Funky Kato but that only made him a target for his opponents and also his tag partner today. Kazuma Sumi quickly tried to pin Dieno for the title even though they were teaming together to fight Sanshiro Takagi & Yuni. It got so bad that Sumi stopped Dieno from giving Takagi the Danshoku Driver. Takagi then tricked Sumi into working together only for Takagi to give him a Superplex for the win. Takagi does not know why Dieno went through the trouble to become the Iron Man Champion but he ordered him not to lose the title until their match at Sumo Hall so he can win it in his last match! Yuni and Sumi then started arguing because Sumi has a singles match against Takagi coming up but Yuni does not. Then Keigo Nakamura and To-y entered the ring also demanding to fight Takagi in a match. Takagi decided he will fight all of them and also Takeshi Masada in a 5-Vs-1 match on 13th July. Each opponent will get to wrestle him for two minutes each. If any of them can beat Takagi in that time he will raise their pay!
Today was Nakamura’s birthday so he wanted to be the “main character” of his match. For that reason he held back from tagging in either Jun Akiyama or Soma Takao even when it was right to do so. He also asked Akiyama for a birthday gift and got one in the form of Akiyama giving Endo the Exploder Suplex so Nakamura could pin him. He then went for the Diving Headbutt but Endo dodged it and grabbed him in the Yurikamome submission hold. The birthday boy had no choice but to give up.
Toru Owashi wrestled in Dragongate during the week and was eager to show off his lucha skills in the opening match here. Kazuki Hirata also wanted to dance but Akito refused. He eventually got everyone including Makoto Oishi to dance together. Akito then ended up catching Hirata in a Gedo Clutch to get the win.
It was announced during the show that the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere concept will return on 2nd August. There will be three different matches with Right To Challenge prizes on the line on that day.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2024 IN UENO”, 05/07/2024 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage 630 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi defeated Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Ilusion when Hirata pinned Ilusion with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:18).
2. Positive Thinking Death Match: HARASHIMA, Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi when Akiyama called Nakamura “Smelly” (10:58).
3. No DQ I Quit Match: Antonio Honda defeated Invisible Leonardo DiCaprio when DiCaprio said “I Quit (9:52).
4. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Unagi Warriors Vs Brahman Brothers! Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Sanshiro Unagi & Sayaka Unagi Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei ended in a No Contest (13:25).
5. Mid-Summer Ueno Onshi Specialty! DDT Summer Special Match: Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Yukio Naya defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when Naya pinned Koroku with the Choke Slam into the Pool (18:31).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A?: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated MAO, Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) when Ueno pinned MAO with the Jul.2 (16:52).
MAO has ran away from The 37KAMIINA and decided to try out teaming with DDT’s other units in the leadup to “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”. First on his list is DAMNATION T.A and he even came to the show dressed like they do. However DAMNATION T.A weren’t enthusiastic about the idea until MAO offered them money to team with him. The loyalty didn’t last though. Daisuke Sasaki brought in a chair and accidentally hit MAO with it when Yuki Ueno dodged out of the way. Then KANON hit MAO with a Lariat that definitely wasn’t accidental. DAMNATION T.A decided to leave MAO high and dry for The 37KAMIINA to beat and then briefly returned to attack MAO once more. Ueno told MAO after the match that he can’t help him if he wants to run away from home. MAO is upset over what happened but is determined to stick to this path so he can beat Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall.
Match #5 was given a summer theme with everybody wearing summer outfits and using summer related items as weapons. Yuya Koroku got the wrong message and wore a school swimsuit that he was too big for. Yuki Iino had a kendo stick and acted like a swimming instructor. Tetsuya Endo chased after Takeshi Masada with a stag beetle. Chris Brookes brought a watermelon for everyone to break open except he accidentally smashed it over Yukio Naya’s head. Buckets of water was thrown at everybody and Naya Choke Slammed Koroku into a kiddie pool to win the match for his team.
The match before that was even more of a mess thanks to who was involved. The Brahman Brothers soaked the place in water by throwing buckets, pouring bottles and spraying hoses at whoever was in front of them. The audience especially. The Unagi Warriors decided to fight water with water against them which only caused more of a mess. Soon the poor referee was doused in unagi sauce and other material that the match had to be called off and be ruled a No Contest. After the match Sayaka Unagi told Sanshiro Unagi they can team again some day but only after he pays her all the money he made from copying her likeness. Takagi agreed to talk with her lawyer about it. He then admitted to selling a lot of Unagi merchandise today so she demanded even more royalties from him.
In a battle of the ages Antonio Honda defeated Invisible Leonardo DiCaprio in an I Quit Match. Danshoku Dieno and Hisaya Imabayashi provided commentary at ringside for those who could not comprehend the ferocious action they were witnessing. Honda threw DiCaprio up to the ceiling with a Super Body Slam but then missed the Diving Fist Drop. Suddenly Honda was given a flash of inspiration from the famous Akira Maeda Vs Don Nakaya Nielsen fight and “Captured” played over the speakers. Honda grabbed DiCaprio in a Half Crab Hold and got him to say “I Quit”.
There was concerns that the hot weather would make some of the wrestlers grumpy so Match #2 was turned into a Positive Thinking Death Match. If anyone started to complain or say anything negative then their team would be disqualified. It forced the wrestlers to make nice and complimentary comments about all of the moves being given to them. The match ended when Jun Akiyama threw Keigo Nakamura into Dieno’s Hell Gate. Akiyama then complained about the area being stinky and that was enough to get his team disqualified.
After that match ended, DAMNATION T.A ran in to attack HARASHIMA and Yasu Urano. They also stole the third remaining KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belt. So now they have the complete set of belts despite not being the champions. Urano complained that there’s no point in DAMNATION T.A holding the belts if they are not the champions. He believes being the actual champion is more valuable than having posession of the belt. HARASHIMA wants the belts returned to them so Smile Squash can have a great entrance at Sumo Hall. He and Urano agree they’re not going to attack them before the match though.
Shinichiro Kawamatsu got booed for preventing Kazuki Hirata from putting on the Hirata GO! glasses and deciding to put them on himself. The wrestlers go thirsty during the match and Kazuma Sumi drank all of the water that was provided for them. He brought out orange juice instead and everyone fought over it. Kawamatsu accidentally Speared Ilusion during the fight and Hirata pinned Ilusion with the Miracle One Shot Cradle for the win.
During the intermission, Ryuichi Kawakami crashed the show and entered the ring. He was recently a GLEAT wrestler until a few days ago when his contract was terminated over him blowing up the company president during an exploding death match. Now a freelancer, he goes by the name of Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami and he wants to know if DDT has the guts to book him. Imabayashi informed him the Sumo Hall card is finalized so so he will have to wait until the shows after that to get booked by them. Kawakami threatened to blow up Imabayashi until Naya got in the ring and confronted him. Kawakami left but later told reporters that as a freelancer he can do whatever he wants and bring along whoever he wants. He mentioned Atsushi Onita and The Great Kojika as examples of who he could team with. He also said he could even turn up to a place that has an ark or a lion mark.
Takeshi Masada has been appointed as a model for Bodix bodywear as part of a new collaboration between the company and DDT.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 