TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER”, 29/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Marika Kobashi Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa & Haruna Neko
5. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Yuki Arai
6. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
There is a change in the card after Raku was suspected of getting in close contact with a covid carrier. She tested negative from a PCR test but will not be at the show tomorrow just to be safe. Raku will keep an eye on if she shows any sign of illness but is likely to be back at the next show. The trios match will now be a tag match with Nao Kakuta moving over to Match #2 to turn that into a 3 Way.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Antonio Honda & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
6. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
After getting a fever during the week, Danshoku Dieno got a covid test and received a positive result. No DDT wrestler or staff were identified a close contacts so he is the only absence from the show (knock on wood). It was already announced that Yumehito Imanari will replace Dieno in the Ultimate Tag League and he will likely be a permanent fill in for the rest of the tournament.
Some of the teams got to give their thoughts going into the opening day. Konosuke Takeshita wants to show everyone his bond with Yuki Ueno. Ueno wants to win the league so they can become KO-D Tag Team Champions and defend them in Osaka. Tetsuya Endo wants to win as part of his journey to Sumo Hall in March. Jun Akiyama says he can kill two birds with one stone by helping Endo become a champion again and getting a title for himself in the process. Former champions HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura will make a massive statement about their dominance in the division by winning the titles they gave up, not lost. Yoshimura in particular will be very angry if another teams wins it.
Eruption have gained new energy with Hideki Okatani joining them. Okatani wants to use other teams as a stepping stone and Kazusada Higuchi wants the entire unit to leap forward this year. Yuji Hino sent in a message saying he wants to evolve with Yukio Naya. A message was also sent by Shuji Kondo listing all the wrestlers he is looking forward to fighting. He is also aware his partner Kazuki Hirata will get targeted for being weak. Now is the time for Hirata to get serious so Kondo prohibits him from dancing!
CDK as a team have mostly worked together in ChocoPro rather than DDT. Because of this, Masahiro Takanashi thinks the team will be fighting on behalf of ChocoPro in the tournament. He wants to win the Tag Titles and bring them over there. Chris Brookes adds his goal is to win all matches and kill Shunma Katsumata. On the other hand, MAO has figured out that his previous attempts to destroy Katsumata prevents them from achieving anything together. So instead of saying “Crush Shunma Katsumata” he will now say “I Love Shunma Katsumata!” Daisuke Sasaki is getting fed up with DDT putting on so many tournaments every year to determine who the best is. He doesn’t care as long as everyone watches him in the ring.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OYAMA!!~”, 05/02/2022 Tochigi Oyama City Cultural Center
1. Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Yuji Hino & Akito Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. 3 Way Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DISASTER BOX!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
The Pheromones Vs The Iyasareru tag match will now be a 3 Way with the remaining wrestlers after Dieno was removed.
GANBARE☆PRO “ICE SMILE 2022”, 13/02/2022 Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Tiger Vs Dragon In Osaka: Mizuki Watase Vs Ryuya Matsufusa
2. Ganjo Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs YuuRI
3. Ganpro Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Koshi Enjo Vs Harukatsu Shoot: Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi
5. Ganpro Osaka Winter Team: Ken Ohka, Kouki Iwasaki & Katsumi Oribe Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Rapid
A couple of guests from Dotonbori Pro will be at Ganbare☆Pro’s next visit to Osaka. Rapid is a masked wrestler with a motif based around bullet trains. Ryuya Matsufusa is a newcomer who has been wrestling for the promotion since 2020.
Ganpro is hyping up the tag team of Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi as an exciting MMA/Kickboxing combo.
YuuRI’s very first match in Ganpro was against Yuna Manase last September. It was all very abrupt because of her unexpected appearance on the show. Now it’s time for the rematch and both will be prepared for each other this time.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 22/01/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall 150 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. 4 Way Match: Yuji Hino defeated Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura and Kazuki Hirata when Hino pinned Hirata with a Lariat (10:40).
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs HARASHIMA & Akito ended in a No Contest (11:23).
3. Chris Brookes & Saki Akai defeated Soma Takao & Maya Yukihi when Akai pinned Yukihi with the Rookie Award (10:12).
4. Jun Akiyama & Antonio Honda defeated Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Honda pinned Ishida with the Diving Fist Drop (11:30).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs Eruption!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani after the Oretachi no MADMAX (13:52).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Toui Kojima by TKO when Koroku used the Chickenwing Armlock on Kojima (17:55).
7. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fujita Pro Wrestling School!: Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Fujita pinned Sasaki with the Modified Tombstone Piledriver (21:52).
Minoru Fujita now holds two wins in a row over DAMNATION T.A, this time pinning Daisuke Sasaki himself with the Sayonara Tombstone. He also reminded Sasaki that he beat him in a singles match last July. Now all that is left to do is beat Sasaki one more time on 30th January and become the new DDT Universal Champion. Fujita cannot wait to be the veteran with poor health from a rotten indie to become a champion in a wonderful group called DDT! Sasaki in response says he has now seen everything Fujita is capable of and knows he can crush him at Korakuen Hall.
The rookies are trying to steal the spotlight from the main eventers! Yuya Koroku and Toui Kojima brought the fight to each other while Tetsuya Endo and Konosuke Takeshita cancelled each other out. Koroku’s targeting of the arm paid off when he trapped Kojima in a Chickenwing Armlock and wouldn’t let go. Kojima passed out forcing the ref to end the match and declare BURNING the winners. Endo praised Koroku for getting two straight wins over Kojima. Koroku said he isn’t satisfied and will practice more and more. Takeshita encouraged Kojima to keep fighting because he needs to get stronger. Kojima agreed and admitted to crying when he lost last time. This time there will be no tears unless they are tears of joy when Kojima finally beats Koroku!
After Eruption were defeated in Match #5, Yukio Sakaguchi approached Hideki Okatani. He handed his Eruption jacket over to him and said it was a gift for teaming with Kazusada Higuchi in his place. Okatani accepted the jacket and promised to keep fighting. Higuchi wants himself and Okatani to reach for the top in the Ultimate Tag League.
In a reversal of roles, Jun Akiyama tripped over the ropes and injured his knee instead of Antonio Honda. He told his own Gongitstune story to make up for it.
An early warmup match before the 25th Anniversary show in March saw Saki Akai get the pin on Maya Yukihi. A Flying Knee Strike from Chris Brookes set Yukihi up for the Rookie Award from Akai to end the match. Akai said she never knew about Yukihi’s attempt to enter DDT that happened around the same time she became a wrestler with the company. She wrestled the men because she didn’t want to be treated differently for being a woman. She made it this far and doesn’t want people to resent her for it. However, Yukihi thinks Akai purposely beat her with the Rookie Award today to rub her success in her face. Yukihi always wanted to win that category in the Tokyo Sports Awards, so it’s another example of Akai having the career that she wants.
Pheromones got their match thrown out again. At first HARASHIMA & Akito were able to handle them but once there was a ref bump, everything went out the window. Hisaya Imabayashi called off the match and demanded Pheromones to take the upcoming Ultimate Tag League seriously. Danshoku Dieno promised to agree on the condition that Yuki Iino will get a DDT Extreme Title match against Shinya Aoki. Imabayashi refused because Iino doesn’t have the track record to deserve the match. Pheromones tortured him until he finally gave in. Aoki versus Iino will take place on 14th February. Dieno wants wrestling to understand that winning is not the only thing with value.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 2”, 10/01/2022 Osaka 176BOX 159 Fans
1. Shunma Katsumata defeated Yuya Koroku with the Totonou Splash (7:49).
2. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Antonio Honda & Toui Kojima when HARASHIMA pinned Honda with the Somato (9:44).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Hideki Okatani when Paul pinned Okatani with the Death Valley Bomb (11:46).
4. Special Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Bodyguard & Kazuki Hirata when Dieno & Iino submitted Hirata with the Rainbow Bridge (12:06).
5. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Endo submitted Ishida with the Yurikamome (10:52).
6. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & Akito when Takeshita submitted Akito with the Plus Ultra (21:23).
The main event briefly turned into a literal tug of war when MAO and Chris Brookes found a rope near ringside and each grabbed an end of it. Next thing you know the rest of The 37KAMIINA as well as Yuji Hino and Akito got involved. Naturally, Hino’s raw strength meant his side easily won the tug of war. The 37KAMIINA won the actual wrestling match though. Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima also tried and failed to pin MAO for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title afterwards. Teamwork was the topic of the day among The 37KAMIINA. They have two teams entering the Ultimate Tag League with last year’s winners split apart. Konosuke Takeshita hopes he & Yuki Ueno will meet Katsumata & MAO in the final. Katsumata & MAO said they are counting on their history together entering the NOAH Global Jr. Tag League as well as being a team since their NωA days to take them far.
Kazuki Hirata was terrified of facing Pheromones again after his experience with them yesterday. He felt reassured when Bodyguard told him to follow his lead and leave the match to him. Things went well until Bodyguard decided to give everyone a live performance of his entrance song. He even signed autographs for Hisaya Imabayashi and Ken Kato while he sang on the microphone. While this was all going on, Bodyguard was oblivious to Pheromones torturing Hirata into submission in the ring behind him.
Antonio Honda almost tricked HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi into kissing each other.
Katsumata brought out boxing gloves for his match against Yuya Koroku. When they fought outside the ring, Katsumata taped Koroku’s hands to the ring post then repeatedly punched him in the ribs while wearing the gloves.
DDT “DDT FREE -JANUARY-”, 07/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE 233 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Antonio Honda & MAO when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (9:55).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: MAO defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (7:16 pm). *MAO becomes the 1,528th champion.
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata ended in a No Contest (12:57).
3. Saki Akai & Akito defeated Maya Yukihi & Yuki Ishida when Akito submitted Ishida with a Sasori-Gatame (9:01).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Yoshihiko with the Praying Mantis Bomb through a Table (13:15).
5. HARASHIMA & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (12:09).
6. Special Tag Match: Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Fujita pinned Paul with the Modified Samson Clutch (12:24).
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima when Koroku submitted Kojima with a Chickenwing Arm Lock (24:12).
The result of the main event is a little reminder that BURNING is not just about Tetsuya Endo. It was Yuya Koroku who picked up the win for the first time in his 9 month long career by making Toui Kojima submit. Koroku didn’t join the unit just to be Endo’s or Jun Akiyama’s henchman. He wants to put himself out there and reach for the top! Meanwhile Endo & Akiyama declared their intention to win the Ultimate Tag League and Endo promised to be the last man standing at Sumo Hall at the 25th Anniversary show! Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita mentioned he will have nothing to say if he & Yuki Ueno don’t reach the Tag League final.
The DDT Universal Title match is just around the corner and Minoru Fujita showed he is in good enough shape for the champion. Fujita won the tag match by rolling up MJ Paul with the Samson Clutch. His message to Daisuke Sasaki was to sleep well and eat well before they fight for the title in Yokohama. Sasaki is happy to see the dirty fighter version of Fujita reappear because that is who he wants to wrestle against.
Maya Yukihi told Saki Akai a personal story about her first attempted entry into pro wrestling. Yukihi was always a DDT fan and approached the company eight years ago wanting to become a wrestler. She was turned down. So when she saw Akai join DDT and have her debut match with the company around the same time period, she felt an ugly jealousy towards her. But the rejection sent Yukihi on the path towards joshi wrestling and she made her career through that direction instead. So as a proud joshi, Yukihi challenged Akai to a singles match in a DDT ring. Akai accepted the match and asked for it to take place in either Shinjuku FACE or Korakuen Hall. Instead Sanshiro Takagi decided to book it for Sumo Hall! He apologised to Yukihi for DDT rejecting her all those years ago. Akai told her what an important milestone it is for a singles match between two women to take place at the 25th Anniversary show. Yukihi said she will put all that she’s done in joshi to the test against her.
Chris Brookes knew he was in for the fight of his life against Yoshihiko and wasted no time going in for the attack. He left the doll beaten and battered outside the ring hoping to get a countout win by Yoshihiko dragged itself back into the ring. Drew Parker set up a table and Brookes put Yoshihiko through it with the Praying Mantis Bomb to finally end the match. The hellacious fight ended with the two earning each other’s respect and they shook hands afterwards. Backstage Brookes called Yoshihiko the strongest wrestler in DDT but he had the stronger desire to win.
The DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi is sick of seeing Pheromones getting away with their antics and putting the live broadcasts at risk. He hatched a plan with their opponents before the match. He noticed that every match Pheromones wins involves their butts getting exposed so preventing that will increase their chances of losing. Imabayashi himself got involved by grabbing hold of Yuki Iino’s tights so he wouldn’t pull them down. However Danshoku Dieno then grabbed Imabayashi’s pants and pulled them down. The match got called off when Imabayashi was thrown face first into Iino’s backside. Dieno called this a New Year’s gift from Pheromones. They are entering the Ultimate Tag League and promise to drag all opponents down to their level.
MAO winning the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title means we’re going to see that belt get passed around during the Tag League.
Super Sasadango Machine announced that Hiragana Muscle will hold five shows in three days at Kitazawa Town Hall from 29th to 31st March. All five shows count as “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 6”.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “CLOCKWORK GAKE NO FUCHI 2022 ~GAKE NO FUCHI VS PROMINENCE~”, 04/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE 147 Fans
1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes defeated Suzu Suzuki with the Praying Mantis Bomb onto the Coffin (22:25).
2. Special Single Match ~ Gake no Fuchi Rules: Risa Sera (105 pts) defeated Miyako Matsumoto (0 pts) by Points Victory (14:28).
3. Special Hardcore Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Miyagi & Akane Miura ended in a No Contest when Shunma Katsumata interfered (11:45).
4. Gake no Fuchi Vs Prominence Full Scale Battle! No DQ Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Risa Sera, Mochi Miyagi, Akane Fujita & Suzu Suzuki (w/ Hiragi Kurumi) defeated Miyako Matsumoto, Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & SenoSister Mao Inoue (w/ SenoSister Mao & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa) when Sera pinned Matsumoto with the Diving Double Knee Drop onto the Ladder (15:26).
Today was the first event for Prominence since the freelance group’s inception. They were invited by Gake no Fuchi Joshi for a full-scale inter-promotional battle on one of the most important dates of the Japanese wrestling calandar. Four matches pitting different members of the two groups against each other filled out the card.
Up first was Chris Brookes against Suzu Suzuki in a Hardcore Match. The match featured chairs, ladders, thumbtacks, a board full of forks sticking out and most striking of all, a coffin! Brookes won in the end by putting Suzuki through the coffin with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Suzuki still gave him the middle finger afterwards.
Next up was former colleagues Miyako Matsumoto and Risa Sera taking each other on under Gake no Fuchi Rules. The match would get interrupted with mini-games where points are scored. The ringside seconds Munenori Sawa and Hiragi Kurumi would get dragged into the fun with some of the games on offer, like a sumo bout for example. The match was finally called to an end after Sera put Matsumoto in a Giant Swing for 22 rotations. She was given 100 points for it making the final score Risa Sera – 105, Miyako Matsumoto – 0.
Match #3 was turned into a Hardcore Tag Match after strong requests from almost everyone involved. MAO did his SenoSister impersonation gimmick alongside the real SenoSister Mao. His weapon attacks kept hitting Sanshiro Takagi by mistake, causing Takagi to betray Gake no Fuchi and join Prominence’s side! Akane Fujita poured out a box of block toys in the ring and Mochi Miyagi gave MAO a Lou Thesz Press onto them. Takagi was ready to finish him off with the Himawari Bomb when suddenly Shunma Katsumata ran out and attacked the Prominence team! He had previously been accused by Prominence of stealing their ideas for death match weapons so today he came to confront them over it. The Hardcore match was called off and Matsumoto added Katsumata to her team for the main event.
The big finale was an all out battle between Gake no Fuchi Joshi and Prominence. Katsumata and Fujita had a swordfight with swords made out of toy blocks. Matsumoto jumped out of the ring to put Sera through a table at ringside. SenoSister Mao got involved by diving off the top rope onto everyone below. But in the end Prominence took over and Risa hit a Diving Double Knee Drop onto Matsumoto with a ladder to win the match.
The show ultimately ended with Prominence as the winners. Takagi called today a really great show and offered Prominence to distribute their future events on WRESTLE UNIVERSE. Mao encouraged a beaten Matsumoto to make Gake no Fuchi Joshi a rival promotion to Prominence from now on. Matsumoto then announced her new year’s resolution is to get Gake no Fuchi Joshi to Korakuen Hall and ultimately Sumo Hall!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’22”, 04/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Mahiro Kiryu & Moka Miyamoto Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Hyper Misao
3. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Nao Kakuta
4. Nodoka-oneesan One Day Revival Special Match: Nodoka-oneesan, Yuki Aino & Haruna Neko Vs Marika Kobashi, Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Yuki Arai
6. International Princess Title: Hikari Noa (c) Vs Maki Itoh
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Mizuki
This is the match order for tomorrow.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “CLOCKWORK GAKE NO FUCHI 2022 ~GAKE NO FUCHI VS PROMINENCE~”, 04/01/2021 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes Vs Suzu Suzuki
2. Special Single Match ~ Gake no Fuchi Rules: Miyako Matsumoto Vs Risa Sera
3. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & SenoSister Mao Inoue Vs Mochi Miyagi & Akane Miura
4. Gake no Fuchi Vs Prominence Full Scale Battle! No DQ 8-Man Tag Match: Miyako Matsumoto, Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & (w/ Ippanjin Munenori Sawa) Vs Risa Sera, Mochi Miyagi, Akane Fujita & Suzu Suzuki (w/ Hiragi Kurumi)
The match order here was switched around a little bit too.
DDT “DDT FREE -JANUARY-”, 07/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Yoshihiko
2. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao
All of a sudden Chris Brookes Vs Yoshihiko has become the hottest grudge in DDT. Earlier today Yoshihiko hit a balcony dive on Brookes and hasn’t stopped assaulting him since. It turns out any enemy of Pokotan is an enemy of Yoshihiko! Brookes wants to settle this quickly so they will face off this Friday.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
For the first time in three years Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo for the KO-D Openweight Title will headline a DDT show! It’s the biggest match for DDT’s biggest show.
The second annual Ultimate Tag League has grown massively in size with 10 teams competing in the 2022 tournament. The prize for the winners is the newly vacated KO-D Tag Team Titles. The previous champions DISASTER BOX opted to go into the tournament without the belts so they can fight everyone else on an even playing field and grow even further as a tag team. Not the best excuse I’ve heard for a company putting their tag titles up for grabs if I’m being honest here.
Tournament rules will be fully announced on a later date but DDT have confirmed there will be multiple blocks. Judging from the lineup I think we’re getting two blocks of five teams each. The participating teams are:
DDT “DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY OPENING SPECIAL! ALL SEATS 3000 YEN BOX OFFICE!!”, 03/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 725 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Soma Takao, Gota Ihashi & Yuki Ishida when Hirata submitted Ihashi with a Jumping Cross Armbreaker (10:23). *V1 for the The DDT Variety Team.
2. No Tag Rule: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Yuji Hino, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Dieno pinned Kojima after the Sexy Invader Danshoku Driver (11:33).
3. Special Mixed Tag Match: Masahiro Takanashi & Maya Yukihi defeated Shunma Katsumata & Saki Akai when Takanashi pinned Katsumata with an Oklahoma Roll (11:00).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Pokotan by TKO with the Diving Foot Stomp (13:57).
5. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Ueno ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
6. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Hideki Okatani by TKO with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker (12:02).
7. Tetsuya Endo & Naomi Yoshimura defeated HARASHIMA & MAO when Endo pinned MAO with the Shooting Star Press (13:52).
8. DDT 25th Anniversary Opening Memorial Special Single Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shinya Aoki ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
8a. Overtime: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Shinya Aoki with a Kimura Lock (2:16).
It’s a new year and a very important one for DDT. They are spending 2022 celebrating their 25th anniversary beginning with today’s event in Korakuen Hall. Every match on the card was given a 15 minute time limit to cram in as many matches as they could. In the main event it was the KO-D Openweight Champion and the DDT Extreme Champion battling to a stalemate. Konosuke Takeshita went hold for hold against Shinya Aoki with the match being kept on the ground for most of the fifteen minutes. When the match ended Takeshita asked for a restart and five more minutes were added when Aoki agreed to it. That was when Aoki changed his game plan and attempted a Suicide Dive out of the ring! Takeshita caught him and dropped him onto the floor with a Brainbuster. Back in the ring Takeshita tried to apply the Plus Ultra but couldn’t go through with it. He switched over to a Kimura Lock and that made Aoki submit.
Aoki praised Takeshita for being really strong and Takeshita asked him for a rematch down the road. It is this kind of support that made 2021 Takeshita’s greatest year in his decade long career. The nostalgia DDT is celebrating this year made him think about his debut match at Budokan Hall for DDT’s 15th Anniversary and his championship main event at Saitama Super Arena for the 20th Anniversary. Right when he began saying he would take on any challenger for the 25th Anniversary show, Tetsuya Endo walked down to the ring. He wasted no time and said he is the only one who can face Takeshita in the main event of Sumo Hall. Takeshita simply stuck his hand out and accepted the challenge. It will be Takeshita Vs Endo for the KO-D Title on 20th March!
Some of the tag matches mixed together teams and units as part of the festive mood. HARASHIMA and Naomi Yoshimura were put on opposite sides with HARASHIMA teaming with MAO and Yoshimura teaming with Endo. The finish saw Endo catch MAO with the Tetsuya In The Sky for a nearfall so Endo finished him off with the Shooting Star Press. HARASHIMA thinks the match was a good way to judge how much stronger Yoshimura has gotten. Then a bombshell was dropped. Yoshimura made a request to vacate the KO-D Tag Team Titles! He wants his team with HARASHIMA to advance further and win the Ultimate Tag League 2022 without being champions. HARASHIMA liked the idea and suggested the Tag Titles can be the prize for the tournament winners. That way if DISASTER BOX wins the tournament they will get the belts back and prove they are the absolute best team in DDT! Their request was granted and the KO-D Tag Team Titles were later declared vacant.
Hideki Okatani went through his big test to join Eruption, taking on Kazusada Higuchi. What may have looked like a mismatch was instead a chance for Okatani to show everything he’s got, not just to Higuchi but to the rest of Eruption standing at ringside. Okatani wouldn’t give up even when Higuchi bent him backwards with the Torture Canadian Backbreaker. The bell rang but not because Okatani submitted. Instead Yukio Sakaguchi threw in his hoodie as a stand-in for a towel to forfeit the match on Okatani’s behalf. The three members of Eruption quickly agreed that Okatani had proven himself and he is now the newest member of the group! Sakaguchi said he thought Okatani was just all talk but today he showed guts, determination and the desire to keep climbing. Higuchi said he will be here for when Okatani wants to challenge him again. The rookie achieved his goal of joining Eruption but his story is only just beginning.
There was another time limit draw on today’s show when Sakaguchi teamed with Yuki Ueno to take on DAMNATION T.A. Sakaguchi saw to it to fight against MJ Paul while Ueno reignited his feud with Daisuke Sasaki from last year. Sasaki fought for the Crossface Lock and then the Crossover Facelock to Ueno when the bell rang for the draw. Both sides weren’t thrilled with the result but Sakaguchi did flash Ueno a cheeky NeppoWER!! pose before leaving the ring.
Down, Set, Fight! I think Chris Brookes hates mascots judging from how his day went today. He didn’t know what to make of Pokotan’s antics especially when the mascot kept getting its head stuck between the ropes. It threw Brookes for a loop even further when it began stealing New Japan finishing moves like the Rainmaker, Kamigoye and Sling Blade. When Brookes had finally gotten enough he gave Pokotan an Avalanche Double Arm Suplex, the Praying Mantis Bomb and then crushed its head with a Diving Double Stomp. That last move was so devastating Yukinori Matsui had to call off the match and get Pokotan medical help.
Brookes continued to attack the injured Pokotan after the match until the room went dark and “Darkside” began playing over the speakers. Brookes walked back to the entrance unaware of what was going on until he looked up at the balcony. Suddenly there was Yoshihiko and the doll hit a balcony dive onto Brookes! The two brawled around ringside and when they were pulled apart, Brookes demanded a singles match against Yoshihiko as soon as possible. Hisaya Imabayashi booked the match for 7th January. Yoshihiko later attacked Brookes again backstage during his post-match interview.
Maya Yukihi became a topic of interest a few days ago when Tokyo Sports reported on CyberFight’s determination to sign her to a deal. Today was her first match as a freelancer since leaving Ice Ribbon and she already has several dates with DDT lined up this month. Masahiro Takanashi pinned Shunma Katsumata to get the result but all of the attention was on Yukihi and Saki Akai when they were together. Yukihi reintroduced herself to the DDT fans and said it was an honour for her first freelance match to be here. She’s looking forward to being in the ring with Akai more often both as opponents and as tag team partners. Akai said she is looking forward to seeing what kind of stage awaits Yukihi after her welcoming visit to DDT today. Even though Akai was polite, Yukihi sensed maybe a little bit of jealousy coming from her now that an outsider has appeared to share the spotlight with her. Akai’s point of view is if Yukihi wants to change things for the better then she will support it. But if Yukihi is doing something wrong then Akai will step in and destroy her plans!
A new warning has come from Pheromones. There is an Uber Pheromone among us! Danshoku Dieno can sense it. It can’t be Yuji Hino because he doesn’t like wrestling against Pheromones and was scared off by their behavior in the ring. Hino hardly took any physical damage in the match but the psychological damage stopped him from helping Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku have any chance to win the match. Not while Yuki Iino propped himself on the ropes calling Hino’s name with Yumehito Imanari filming the entire thing. Pheromones won the match while Hino fled ringside. Afterwards Dieno bragged about Pheromones winning the Best Unit category at the recent Japan Indie Grand Prix Awards. That means Pheromones have a sign of endorsement from Samurai TV! Dieno’s goal for 2022 is Pheromones appearing on Samurai TV and using their lewd material to get the channel kicked off the air!
The KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles are serious business so the challenging team all decided to wrestle in typical salaryman outfits. Kazuki Hirata however wanted to dance because it is the new year and a lot of people bought tickets to see the show. He attacked all of his opponents with the Tegatana Chop until Yuki Ishida blocked it. Hirata won out and started dancing until Sanshiro Takagi put him in an Armbar. Hirata wanted to quit but Toru Owashi wouldn’t let him. Yoshihiko was thrown in to deal with the likes of Akito and Soma Takao. The Gongitsune from Antonio Honda was foiled by Gota Ihashi and his big belly. Hirata then grabbed Ihashi’s arm and made him submit to a Cross Armbreaker. Owashi called the title defence a miracle because the champion team only has 2.5 people on it (Owashi: 1, Honda: 1, Yoshihiko: 0, Hirata: 0.5). Takao didn’t like teaming with the others and never wants to team with them again. However he perked up when Akito suggested he fight Yoshihiko in a first time ever singles match.
Miyako Matsumoto promoted tomorrow’s Gake no Fuchi Joshi show at the beginning of today’s announcements. El Unicorn and Ilusion also promoted the DDTeeeens!! show on the 5th. HARASHIMA opened the show by joking about his old age. He said he is 24 years old.
The entries for Ultimate Tag League 2022 were announced. The 10 teams entering are HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura, Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO, Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi, Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul, Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani, Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata and Danshoku Dieno & Yuki Iino. As mentioned above the winners will become the new KO-D Tag Team Champions.
Posted by JamieOD 
