DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
1. Toui Kojima Debut Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Toui Kojima with a Crab Hold (5:59).
2. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi and Nobuhiro Shimatani when Honda pinned Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop (8:15).
3. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno defeated Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine when Takagi pinned Nayagi with the Stone Cold Stunner (7:40).
4. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Higuchi submitted Watase with the Brain Claw (7:35).
5. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Yuji Hino (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Hino pinned Nakamura with the Diving Body Press (12:56).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno when Shota pinned Ueno with the Gannosuke Clutch (12:53).
*V1 for Young Communicaton Generation.
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Jun Akiyama defeated Konosuke Takeshita by TKO with a Modified Armlock (23:29).
You can now add a former Champion Carnival winner to the short list of D-Ou Grand Prix champions. Jun Akiyama overcame an injured leg to defeat his foe Konosuke Takeshita in the final. The leg injury came when Takeshita caught a Stomp and gave Akiyama a Dragon Screw. From there Takeshita targeted the leg with attacks against the ring post as well as wrestling holds to that limb. What evened the score was Takeshita going into the match with an injured arm that Akiyama could focus on. German and Exploder Suplexes were exchanged and Akiyama Headbutted his way out of a Cross-Arm German Suplex. Seeing his chance, Akiyama applied a Chickenwing Armlock and rolled Takeshita into the centre of the ring. Takeshita struggled to move and soon became lifeless. That caused Yukinori Matsui to end the match and award Akiyama the tournament!
Akiyama received his trophy and praised the field of wrestlers who competed in the Grand Prix this year. He faced a lot of great DDT wrestlers. In fact he lost to two of them in the tournament. But he is the one standing on top in the end. There are only three singles champions in Japan he recognises today: Tetsuya Naito with the IWGP Heavyweight Title, Go Shiozaki with the GHC Heavyweight Title and Tetsuya Endo with the KO-D Openweight Title. (Akiyama later explained he only recognises those championships because Naito, Shiozaki and Endo all won Tokyo Sports Awards this year. All Japan was shut out of the awards so he unfortunately no longer sees the Triple Crown as a major championship. If AJPW can win over the community and the pro wrestling media in 2021, then he will change his tune.) Akiyama now gets to face Endo in a rematch on 14th February in Culttz Kawasaki, this time for the KO-D Title. Akiyama thanked Sanshiro Takagi for inviting him to coach in DDT back in May. He also thanked the wrestlers, staff and fans for accepting him. Lastly, he thanked the All Japan fans too.
From the get go, the DDT Sauna Club did their “Heat Wave WER!!” pose to the Young Communication Generation. In response, Kazuki Hirata & Shota did the post back to their opponents while Akito looked on embarrassed by the situation. Shunma Katsumata hit the Stuka Splash on Hirata. MAO & Yuki Ueno then both leapt across the ring with Frog Splashes on Shota & Hirata. Ueno tried to hit Shota with the WR but Shota maneuvered his way into the Gannosuke Clutch to steal the win. The two teams were satisfied with their match and Akito now understands the power of the sauna.
Shota then turned his attention to Ueno and challenged him for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title. Shota wants to become a leader of the independent scene in 2021 and he is already on his way with two championshps. That’s not enough, he wants a third title that can let him travel around the world. Ueno accepted and the match will happen on 9th January as the Korakuen Hall main event! Akito then asked if his team can next defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in his hometown of Nagoya when DDT goes there on 23rd February. He wants to defend the belts against DDT’s top wrestlers: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno! Young Communication want to beat the guys they looked up to when they were young. Then in 2021 they will all become main eventers of the indie world!
DAMNATION are looking unstoppable with the addition of Yuji Hino to their ranks. The heavyweight freelancer crushed Keigo Nakamura with a Diving Body Press to win the 8-Man Tag. He also overpowered HARASHIMA in a Chop Battle. Endo went through a few exchanges with Chris Brookes that ultimately ended with Endo hitting the Sasuke Special onto Brookes and a bunch of other wrestlers outside the ring. Shinya Aoki was the one who posed a big threat when he took down Soma Takao but DAMNATION all ganged up on him. Still, Aoki kicked out after taking a string of diving moves Endo and Takao did off of Mad Paulie’s back. After the match Daisuke Sasaki reintroduced Hino to the DDT fans. He said DAMNATION will mess up DDT’s ring in 2021! Hino told him he would like to go wild and have fun with his new friends. Backstage he also said he would like to win the KO-D Title because he thinks he held it before (he did). Endo doesn’t seem too enthused about that.
2020 ends on a strong note for Eruption. The finish to their match saw Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai run opposite ways on the apron to do Penalty Kicks to Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga. Akai then dove on top of them while Kazusada Higuchi applied a Lifted Brain Claw to Mizuki Watase for the victory.
Let’s be frank, Yukio Naya doesn’t know how to be Sanshiro Takagi. He needed Super Sasadango Machine to teach him when to do the “FIRE!” pose in time with the entrance music. The real Takagi demanded Danshoku Dieno to go into the Hell Gate position but he declined. Sasadango had to explain that Dieno’s backside was burned after he was sprayed with a CO2 fire extinguisher during this week’s Street Wrestling match. Takagi eventually made Dieno climb the turnbuckle and bend over, no matter how much it hurt him. Sasadango revealed he is now a shareholder of CyberAgent and attacked Takagi with his stock certificate to prove it. Sasadango’s mask slipped up when he took an Atomic Drop and he fell face first into Dieno’s backside. Takagi then stuck his fingers into Dieno’s butt, stuck them up to Naya’s nose and gave him the Stunner for the win.
The 3 Way Match briefly became two on one with Antonio Honda & Nobuhiro Shimatani joining forces to fight Toru Owashi. Gongitusune was turned into a heart shape that attracted Honda and Owashi to each other. Shimatani kept them apart but then found himself moving towards Yukinori Matsui for a possible tender embrace. Owashi & Honda both gave Shimatani a School Boy but no count happened because Matsui had his eye closed waiting to be kissed. Matsui was brought back down to Earth and Honda pinned Shimatani with the Diving Fist Drop.
The debuting Toui Kojima was put to the test against Hideki Okatani. Kojima used a Diving Body Attack from the middle rope and also a Running Double Chop. His big move of the match was a Full Nelson Buster for a 2 count. Okatani hit back with a Vertical Chop and the Northern Lights Suplex. Kojima kicked out but was put in a Crab Hold to make him submit. In his post-match interview Kojima said he wants to be a cool wrestler just by standing, like Randy Orton. He was also nervous about today’s debut. Last night he received a message of encouragement from Satoshi Kojima which only made him even more nervous. Satoshi supports him because he always likes seeing another Kojima in wrestling.
Honda’s 16th Anniversary match will be against Choun-Shiryu on 3rd January. The rest of the card for that Korakuen show will be kept secret until the show starts.
BOYZ “(BRAND NEW) BOYZ -CHRISTMAS EVE EDITION-”, 24/12/2020
Kitazawa Town Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
1. Homoiro Clover Z Vs NωA Full Scale Battle ~ Oishi Contra Oishi: Danshoku Dieno, Akito & Makoto Oishi Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Makoto Oishi ended in a draw when everyone pinned Oishi with the Combined Miracle Ecstasy (10:37).
2. DDT x Ganpro Exchange Battle: Shuichiro Katsumura & Shota defeated HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata when Shota pinned Hirata with a Mexican Clutch (12:58).
3. On The Day Of Your Birthday! 45th Anniversary Of Toru Owashi’s Birth!: Ryuichi Sekine defeated Toru Owashi and Keigo Nakamura when Sekine pinned Nakamura with a Backslide Pin (9:08).
4. Special Referee Series Part 2: Konosuke Takeshita defeated Yasu Urano with a Bionic Elbow (10:48). (Special Referees: Antonio Honda & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi)
5. BOYZ-Like Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Jun Masaoka with the Praying Mantis Bomb (11:15).
6. DNA Alumni Association 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Ryota Nakatsu defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Mizuki Watase when Higuchi submitted Katsumata with the Canadian Backbreaker (15:47).
The main event was a throwback to DNA with each wrestler wearing their old wrestling gear from the days when they were on that brand. After the match Akito came out and thanked Shunma Katsumata for wrestling twice on the show. Katsumata complained about having to do that on Christmas Eve. He hates it so much he now hates Christmas! Makoto Oishi, Danshoku Dieno and MAO came out to try and cheer him up because the BOYZ were supposed to give a present to the all female audience. Instead, they told Katsumata to close his eyes because the women were going to give him a gift. When he opened them back up he saw the audience waving glow sticks to music for him. This made Katsumata happy because it felt like a sauna for his eyes. He thanked everyone and asked when the next BOYZ show will take place. Akito said it will happen next March.
Chris Brookes teased Jun Masaoka by putting a Santa hat on his head at the start of the match. He also called him cute a lot. Masaoka used the referee as a shield and also a step to launch himself at Brookes to make up for the height difference. Brookes caught him in midair with a Knee Strike and immediately hit the Praying Mantis Bomb for the win.
Match #4 was only mean to have one special referee with Antonio Honda in the role. However he tripped and hurt his knee when entering the ring and called for somebody to replace him. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi came out and used his yoga knowledge to heal Honda. In return he was allowed take part in the Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yasu Urano match as the second referee. They got in each other’s way, Hiroshi missed pinfalls, tapouts and illegal moves because he was too busy exercising and Honda kept taking 1,000 yen bribes to switch sides. Takeshita appealed to Honda by setting up the Bionic Elbow but Urano blocked it. Hiroshi made fun of him over it which made Honda mad. Honda remembered that he, Takeshita and Hiroshi were all part of the same unit Happy Motels. Hiroshi remembered too and he began singing with Honda over their happy memories together. Meanwhile Takeshita hit Urano with the Bionic Elbow and won with the move. Hiroshi then sang “Amazing Grace” as one last gift for everyone.
Toru Owashi, Ryuichi Sekine and Keigo Nakamura all wanted to appeal to the audience but got little response to their antics. Wearing Santa hats didn’t work, wrestling didn’t work, writing on each other’s faces with a marker didn’t work, trying (and failing) to play a saxophone didn’t work. The only one laughing at their antics was Daisuke Kiso and that made the three of them look even more foolish. They all attacked Kiso but he fought back with a mixture of lucha and MMA spots. Nakamura encouraged Owashi to climb the top rope and win with a flying move because it is his birthday today. When Owashi got up there, Sekine rolled Nakamura over with a Backslide and stole the win. Afterwards Akito came out and surveyed the audience over who their favourite performer was in the match. Kiso received the biggest applause so he was the winner. Akito granted him a regular spot in BOYZ for his reward.
Even though Match #2 was between a DDT team and a Ganbare☆Wrestling show. However Kazuki Hirata and Shota wanted the match to be wrestled in a speedy Young Communication style. Neither of them think HARASHIMA and Shuichiro Katsumura are capable of doing that because of their age.
During the show opening ceremony, Makoto Oishi was pulled in two directions by Homoiro Clover Z and NωA. He was unintentionally dragged to the back by because both teams refused to let him go. Their match was first on the card and Oishi had to participate in the musical entrances for both teams, tiring him out before the match even began. He wrestled for both teams, switching back and forth throughout the match while each side’s music in the background changed for who he was fighting with. It reached the point where Oishi didn’t know what to do so he ended up attacking everybody in the ring! Dieno, Akito, Katsumata and MAO all worked together to fight back and they all piled on top of Oishi to pin him. Everyone except for Oishi were announced as the winners. Oishi got on the microphone and said he loves both Homoiro Clover Z and NωA so he cannot choose between them. Suddenly, Hideki Okatani ran into the ring angry at Oishi for not choosing Junretsu. Okatani stabbed Oishi and laughed as the room went dark.
DDT “ATSUSHI ONITA VS KURO-CHAN! CHRISTMAS FINAL BATTLE! SKYTREE STREET CURRENT EXPLOSION WRESTLING!”, 23/12/2020
Tokyo Solamachi
40,000 ABEMA Views
1. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match @ Tokyo Solamachi 3-4F Solami Zaka: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hikari Noa defeated Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma & Marika Kobashi when Sakazaki pinned Kobashi with a Sliding Lariat (10:47).
2. 6-Man Tag Match @ Asakusa Kaminarimon Ichinomiya Shotenkai: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Akito when Higuchi submitted Hirata with the Canadian Snow Samba Backbreaker (16:15).
3. Tag Match @ Yakiniku Drago Skytree Ekimae Store: HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya defeated Makoto Oishi & Keigo Nakamura when HARASHIMA pinned Oishi & Nakamura with the Somato (3:16).
4. DAMNATION! Vs DDT Sauna Club! @ Sumida Health Sports Center Pool: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno when Endo pinned Katsumata with the Shooting Star Senton into the Pool (19:53).
5. Current Explosion Death Match @ Tokyo Solamachi 8F Dome Garden: Kuro-chan (w/ Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Kamifuku) defeated Atsushi Onita (w/ Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh) with the Current Blast Bat Swing (11:09).
All around Tokyo SKYTREE Town there were pro wrestlers waiting around for matches to happen. Members of Jungle Pocket followed the action from place to place for the ABEMA viewers at home. The reason for all of this was the long awaited Current Blast Death Match between Atsushi Onita and Kuro-chan. Both men were allowed a trio of wrestlers to accompany them and get involved in the fight. Kuro-chan tried to run away but Onita caught him and let Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh beat him up. Itoh swung a Current Blast Bat but Super Sasadango Machine stood in her way and took the blow. Onita pinned Kuro-chan after the explosion but Yuki Kamifuku broke the count. Sasadango told Kuro-chan that Kamifuku’s knees contain ingredients that would heal him from the blast. Kamifuku was grossed out but allowed Kuro-chan to lick her knee for recovery purposes. That powered up Kuro-chan until Sanshiro Takagi strangled him with a belt. Onita put Shinya Aoki through a table with a Piledriver then grabbed another Blast Bat. However Kamifuku turned off the bat’s power supply at the last second. The distraction allowed Sasadango & Aoki to attack Onita. Kuro-chan & Kamifuku then swung the Blast Bat at Onita together for the second explosion. Soon after, Onita grabbed the last Blast Bat but Kuro-chan grabbed Kamifuku to be his human shield. Onita hesitated and Aoki attacked him from behind. Kuro-chan grabbed the bat and hit Onita for the final explosion. Two Blast Bat hits were too much for Onita and he couldn’t kick out of the pin. Kuro-chan has defeated him!
Kuro-chan taunted Onita by pouring a bottle of water over him and bragging about “the moment when the pro wrestler lost to the entertainer!” Onita got up and started beating Kuro-chan with the bottle. Kuro-chan backed off but was still laughing over winning the match. An angry Onita then turned his attention to Jungle Pocket when they stepped in to protect their fellow entertainer. Kuro-chan grabbed Onita’s leather jacket, put it on himself and declared himself the new Evil Ways!
Over at the Sumida Health Sports Center pool, the DDT Sauna Club and DAMNATION met for a swim and an 8-Man Tag. After a quick swimming race, Jungle Pocket’s Otake asked when they would start wrestling. Daisuke Sasaki demanded money and both teams agreed that the match winner would get Otake’s money. After fighting around poolside, everyone wound up in the pool when a chain of Headscissors was flipped over by Mad Paulie. Everyone then moved over to the waterslide. Tetsuya Endo gave Yuki Ueno a Sunset Flip down the waterslide with Yukinori Matsui sliding after them to try and count the pin. One by one the wrestlers slid down with MAO’s turn involving a bunch of small rubber ducks coming down with him. Shunma Katsumata tried to blow hot sauna wind with a towel at Hiroshi Yamato but since it was pool it only made Yamato feel cold. Katsumata & Ueno put a rubber ring around Yamato and tried to make him float upside down in the pool. Konosuke Takeshita, Ueno & Katsumata tried piling on top of each other for a triple piggy back attack but they fell over when Sasaki sprayed them with a hose. The Sauna Club recovered to give Soma Takao an Assisted Cutter into the pool. There was a bridge where Paulie did the Reverse Splash into the pool but everyone moved out of the way. Takeshita then gave Yamato the Kinniku Buster from the bridge into the water. Sasaki was all alone against the Sauna Club when suddenly Yuji Hino showed up wearing a DAMNATION shirt! One by one he destroyed the Sauna Club and he gave Katsumata the Fuckin’ Bomb from the bridge into the pool. Endo then hit the Shooting Star Senton from the bridge to Katsumata and pinned him in the water.
After the match, Sasaki introduced everyone to Hino. He explained they used to be soldiers together and now Hino is the newest member of DAMNATION! Not only that but Hino will also be at the 27th December Korakuen Hall show. Hino threw Otake into the water to celebrate and everyone in DAMNATION laughed.
Hirohisa Ota from Jungle Pocket spectated a match held in a nearby yakiniku restaurant. Yukio Naya welcomed him and they looked at the menu until they heard a commotion nearby. It was Makoto Oishi & Keigo Nakamura causing noise and being a nuisance. Angry clerk HARASHIMA confronted them and with Naya started the tag match against the troublemakers. Oishi tried to take female clerk hostage when suddenly the disgraced sumo wrestler Takatoriki appeared from the back of the restaurant! He and Naya slammed Oishi & Nakamura together outside and HARASHIMA pinned both of them with the Somato.
The third Jungle Pocket member Shinji Saito met up with Saki Akai along the shopping street when all of a sudden Akito & Kazuki Hirata showed up in a rickshaw pulled by Danshoku Dieno. Luckily for Akai, the rest of Eruption showed up from the nearby subway and the trios match was ready to begin. Dieno summoned samba dancers while he did the Asakusa Nightmare to Akai. Akito chased Kazusada Higuchi into a store and found Higuchi dressed like an enlightened monk attending pilgrimage. Higuchi wouldn’t budge while he was in his state of enlightenment. Yukio Sakaguchi and Hirata stopped fighting so they could go buy sweet desserts. Sakaguchi made sure it was paid with money from Hirata’s wallet. Higuchi returned on a bike and cycled into his opponents. Dieno climbed up a wall and sat in the Hell Gate position. Hirata then called for “Anal Snow Samba” and Dieno shot smoke from beneath him onto everyone below while the samba dancers performed around them. Sakaguchi used a fire extinguisher to freeze Dieno’s ass. Akai then sprayed it into Hirata while Higuchi held him in the Canadian Backbreaker for the finish.
The show began at the entrance of Tokyo Solamachi where six Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers came to fight. Marika Kobashi brought along a selfie stick but Hikari Noa used it to choke her. Nodoka Tenma Body Slammed Mizuki onto the ground and then jumped on top of her with a Body Press. Yuka Sakazaki and Miyu Yamashita fought near the stairway and Sakazaki ended up pushing her opponent down the steps. Sakazaki, Mizuki & Noa then joined up for a sprint down the path to hit a Triple Dropkick on the other team. Noa found a ladder and spun it around, hitting anyone who dared come near her. The ladder was set up near the Skytree and The Magical Sugar Rabbits did a Double Diving Body Attack off it onto everyone below. Sakazaki ended the match by pinning Kobashi with the Sliding Lariat.
DDT “SATURDAY KASUKABIAN! 2020”, 19/12/2020
Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube
??? Fans – Withheld
0. Exhibition Match: Mizuki Watase defeated Toui Kojima with a Dropkick (4:54).
1. Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Modified Camel Clutch (8:17).
2. Danshoku Dieno & Toru Owashi defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (12:06).
3. Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya when Ueno pinned Naya with the BME (13:51).
4. Young Communication Generation Vs Junretsu!: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani when Hirata pinned Okatani with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:41).
5. Eruption Vs DAMNATION!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when Sakaguchi pinned Paulie with the God’s Right Knee (12:34).
6. DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Tetsuya Endo & Hiroshi Yamato when Takeshita pinned Yamato with the German Suplex (17:11).
Konosuke Takeshita used the main event to show everyone his left arm is pretty much healed. Shunma Katsumata used his time with Hiroshi Yamato to make fun of Yamato’s X sign he makes with his arms. Tetsuya Endo helped Yamato get some revenge by calling for “Skill Award X” and the two of them attacked their opponent with X Thrusts. Yamato accidentally hit Endo with an X and Takeshita knocked him down with a Lariat. Katsumata landed a Plancha on Endo while Takeshita finished off Yamato with the Fable and then the German Suplex. Takeshita told the crowd he expects to be fully recovered in time for the D-Ou Grand Prix final. Katsumata then invited the other DDT Sauna Club members Yuki Ueno & MAO into the ring and interviewed them about their earlier victory. Katsumata then looked at the ceiling and told everyone they can clearly see the aurora of Finland.
Eruption picked apart Soma Takao & Mad Paulie. After the match Yukio Sakaguchi asked Takao where was CIMA? Takao should bring him over next time and they can do the KO-D Tag Team Titles match early. Takao grabbed a chair and threatened to throw it at Sakaguchi. The ringside seconds calmed him down and Takao left. However Takao confronted Sakaguchi backstage during his post-match interview. He knocked the interview booth over Eruption and told them he and CIMA will take their belts.
Kazuki Hirata wanted to teach Jun Akiyama how to dance but the offer was violently turned down. Hirata got the last laugh by winning the match for his team and he danced in front of Akiyama again to rub it in. The DDT Sauna Club approached the Young Communication Generation after the match. Akito and Katsumata agreed that ALL OUT ran out of goals in 2020. Katsumata wants to restart ALL OUT sometime in 2021 but it’s important for the group to take a break. That’s why Katsumata will be fighting for the Sauna Club in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match on 27th December. He also knows Hirata and Shota both like visiting saunas but Akito does not. Akito is the odd man out in the title match. What Akito does have in common with his teammates is none of them want to lose to the DNA generation.
The Gongitsune joke led to some miscommunication between Antonio Honda and Chris Brookes. When Honda tripped, Brookes called for medical help and wanted Honda to be rushed to hospital. Honda told him he wasn’t hurt, he was only setting up his latest Gongitsune joke. Brookes got angry at Honda for lying and stormed out of the ring back to the locker room. Honda had to wrestle Danshoku Dieno & Toru Owashi on his own and yelled out an apology to Brookes, hoping he would hear it. Brookes did and his music played for a heroic rescue. Brookes then tripped on the rope and hurt his knee. It was then Brookes who told the Gongitsune story almost entirely in Japanese. Unfortunately the Gongitsune attack backfired and Honda hit Brookes instead of his intended target. Owashi then rolled Honda in La Magistral for the three count.
The trainee Toui Kojima was given an exhibition bout before his official debut on the 27th. Mizuki Watase put him through the wringer but Kojima got in a little bit of offence with a Double Chop. Watase stopped him with an Arm Drag followed by a Double Stomp. Watase then won with a Dropkick to the face.
DDT “ATSUSHI ONITA VS KURO-CHAN! CHRISTMAS FINAL BATTLE! SKYTREE STREET CURRENT EXPLOSION WRESTLING!”, 23/12/2020
Tokyo Solamachi
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Akito
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Makoto Oishi & Keigo Nakamura
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma & Marika Kobashi
4. DDT Sauna Club Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato (w/ Daisuke Sasaki)
5. Current Explosion Death Match: Atsushi Onita (w/ Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh) Vs Kuro-chan (w/ Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Kamifuku)
Kuro-chan held a public training session with his helpers Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Kamifuku earlier today. Sasadango told Kuro-chan that to be a successful wrestler you need to figure out your opponent’s weaknesses. Atsushi Onita’s weakness is his knees. Aoki was there to teach Kuro-chan submission holds to target the knee. Kamifuku was the closest in size to Onita out of the four so she had to spar with Kuro-chan. They then immediately stopped because Kuro-chan was tempted to lick her knees. Aoki had to demonstrate the submissions on Kuro-chan instead. When that painful exercise was finished, Sasadango then told Kuro-chan he can in fact lick Onita’s knee to exploit his weakness! Sasadango explained Kuro-chan’s saliva can rust the artificial joints in Onita’s knees and ordered him to lick his own knee for practice. When asked to give a message to Onita, Kuro-chan threatened to lick and kill him!
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Toi Kojima Debut Match: Toi Kojima Vs Hideki Okatani
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Shinya Aoki
5. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Konosuke Takeshita vs Jun Akiyama
The D-Ou Grand Prix finalists met for a press conference yesterday to comment on their upcoming rematch. Konosuke Takeshita said when he lost to Jun Akiyama at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” it left him questioning his wrestling ways. It hasn’t been easy for him to find the answer he was looking for. But soon he can get his revenge in order to truly lead DDT. Then he can stand across the ring from Tetsuya Endo and reignite their feud over the KO-D Openweight Title. Even though Takeshita has held the KO-D Title many times and holds the defence record, he never won a Tokyo Sports Award during that period (he only ever won Best Newcomer for his debut year). Endo on the other hand won the Best Skill category for this year. That is what’s motivating Takeshita to go after the title again. As for his injured left arm, Takeshita promises to be at 100% on the day of the final.
Akiyama said he didn’t reach the final on his own. He got here because of Junretsu, in particular Makoto Oishi. This final is just as much for him. Akiyama came to DDT alone and was quickly welcomed by Oishi leading to Junretsu’s formation. He realized the importance of the team and also having them in his circle of friends because of how much they helped him. But Akiyama thinks nothing has changed in the rivalry between himself and Takeshita.
DDT “GO TO DDT! VOL. 1”, 09/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
Eruption’s first KO-D Tag Team Titles defence will be against CimaSoma. The champions need to reclaim some shine after they unexpectedly lost the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The challengers meanwhile should be coming in hot after they beat HarashiMarufuji last month.
DDT “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021”, 14/02/2021
Culttz Kawasaki
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Super Delfin, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh Vs MAO, Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 Winner
A special trio is coming together to face a team filled with Tohoku flavour. Maki Itoh has a regular column in Shukan Puroresu magazine and one of her articles revealed she became a fan of the late Gran Naniwa after seeing Chris Brookes post clips of him on Twitter. When Super Delfin found out about this from Naniwa’s father, he wanted to team with her whenever it was possible. This leads to the return of the Itoh Respect Army (the NEO part seems to be gone) to team with Delfin in Culttz Kawasaki next February. Itoh hopes she can learn the Swinging DDT from Delfin and would be grateful to become his disciple. Brookes, like any wrestling nerd, pointed to the 1994 Super J Cup to explain his original discovery of Delfin. The Tohoku part of this match also comes from their opponents. MAO is from Miyagi and is influenced by Michinoku Pro while Keigo Nakamura & Mirai Maiumi are both from Iwate.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Mad Paulie & Nobuihiro Shimatani defated Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani and Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Shimatani pinned Nakamura after a Combined Body Press (8:13).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata (4) defeated Soma Takao (6) by Countout (10:05).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (8) defeated Yuki Ueno (6) with the Front Neck Lock (11:51).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (7) with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (19:26).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito (7) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (6) by TKO with a Modified Figure 4 Leg Lock (8:56).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO (6) defeated Chris Brookes (6) with an Inside Cradle (14:28).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (8) defeated HARASHIMA (7) with the German Suplex (20:39).
A Block
1. Konosuke Takeshita (8)
2. HARASHIMA (7)
-. Akito (7)
4. MAO (6)
-. Yukio Sakaguchi (6)
-. Chris Brookes (6)
7. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
B Block
1. Jun Akiyama (8)
2. Tetsuya Endo (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
4. Soma Takao (6)
-. Yuki Ueno (6)
6. Makoto Oishi (4)
-. Shunma Katsumata (4)
The dust has settled and no tiebreakers were needed. The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 final will be between Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama! The A Block was decided in the last three matches of the show with Takeshita winning the group by beating HARASHIMA. Takeshita’s injured left arm was targeted in by HARASHIMA in a last ditch attempt to avoid the German Suplex. But Takeshita wrestled his way into position to pin his opponent with the move. Takeshita gave HARASHIMA credit and said today’s match was the strongest he’s ever been. HARASHIMA joked and asked Takeshita if his arm was sore. Akiyama came out and told Takeshita he already beat him on 3rd November. If Takeshita wants revenge he needs to recover from his injury and bring his best on 27th December. Takeshita told Akiyama he won’t lose to him again.
A lot of come from behind results happened for the blocks to end up the way they did. Chris Brookes lost to MAO to get knocked out of the running. MAO added a Reverse Quetzalcoatl to his move set but that wasn’t enough to win. Instead he had to counter the Praying Mantis Bomb into a Small Package to pin Brookes. MAO admitted he would like to have seen Brookes reach the final because they are friends outside the ring (they go to karaoke and sing “One Night Carnival” a lot) but he wasn’t going to lose to him today. MAO is also feeling tired of wrestling in singles matches. He wants to do tag team wrestling again.
The other wrestler in A Block to fall at the final hurdle was Yukio Sakaguchi. He was only interested in grappling with Akito so he did not throw many kicks in their match. Akito got the better of him on the mat and tangled him into a modifed Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sakaguchi refused to give up but the referee had to end the match when it was clear that Sakaguchi was done for. Sakaguchi admitted his knee wasn’t 100% after his match with HARASHIMA and Akito was smart to go after it. Akito wasn’t fully motivated to wrestle today because he wouldn’t reach the final. He wondered if Sakaguchi intentionally invited him to mat wrestle to give him that motivation. He found a new way to do a Figure 4 so in the end he did get something out of it.
Over in the B Block, Tetsuya Endo was stunned by a submission loss to Makoto Oishi! The shock result happened when Oishi grabbed Endo’s leg to avoid the Canadian Destroyer and got him into the Fujiyama Knee Lock. Endo was managing to withstand it until Oishi put all of his power into the hold, getting the tapout. The result meant Akiyama was going to the final instead of Endo. Oishi said it would have been uncool if the leader of Junretsu couldn’t help get Akiyama to the final. For anyone who thought it’s time for Oishi to retire, his message today is it’s not his time yet! He’s still getting better and he is not going to retire before Akiyama.
The penultimate B Block match was where Akiyama cemented his spot in the final. He took over when Yuki Ueno missed the BME and hit the Exploder Suplex. He then did the Wrist-Clutch Exploder but Ueno kicked out at two. Akiyama didn’t waste time and he put Ueno in the Front Neck Lock for the submission win. Backstage Akiyama gave his thoughts on the current wrestling scene. The likes of Ueno need to step up more. They’re not going to catch up to Akiyama if they’re just aiming to get along with him. There is a difference between trying to get better together and trying to get better alone. Akiyama is in DDT to compete and that difference is why he is beating wrestlers half his age. He says it’s fine when Sanshiro Takagi says he wants his company to catch up to New Japan and overtake them. But when you say that then you must treat the business as a competition and you must compete. You can still go and create interesting ideas that are different from the norm, but if it’s not done with the intention of competing then pro wrestling will eventually have nothing left.
Soma Takao’s chance to win the block was ruined thanks to Shunma Katsumata. He has to give some of the blame to Nobuhiro Shimatani though. Also himself but he still blamed Shimatani. He used the steel basin in the match but Katsumata fought back with Lego. Shimatani grabbed the basin but hit Takao by accident. Takao then purposely hit him with the basin and chased him out of the room with Katsumata following them. While the 20 count was being made, Katsumata returned to the ring first. Takao then came back with his legs taped together forcing him to hop back to the ring. He was about to break the count when Katsumata dropped the basin on his head, knocking him down and leaving him counted out. Katsumata said the tournament has been hard for him because he injured his knee during the summer. That is why he’s been cheating throughout the Grand Prix so he could still leave an impression with his matches. Today was the end of his tournament run but as a pro wrestler he will continue to rise.
In the non-tournament 3 Way Tag, Shimatani jumped onto Mad Paulie’s back and together they squashed Keigo Nakamura.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Mad Paulie & Nobuihiro Shimatani Vs Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao (6) Vs Shunma Katsumata (2)
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno (6) Vs Jun Akiyama (6)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (7) Vs Makoto Oishi (2)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi (6) Vs Akito (5)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO (4) Vs Chris Brookes (6)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (6) Vs HARASHIMA (7)
There’s the match order for the final matches in the group stage. So let’s grab a drink and figure out the paths that can play out. DDT only said a tiebreaker match will be held in case of a tie for first place. No mention of the direct confrontation rule so the previous results may not be as advantageous as they normally are. I am writing these paths assuming that the tiebreaker will happen no matter who finishes with the same amount of points. Also it’s a Friday night so if I’m wrong I’m not going to worry too much about it. Show’s on in a few hours time anyway.
A Block
1. HARASHIMA (7)
A win over Takeshita guarantees a spot in the final. A draw means getting into a tiebreaker with Chris Brookes and/or Yukio Sakaguchi if they win their matches. If they both fail to win in that situation then HARASHIMA gets a lucky escape.
2. Yukio Sakaguchi (6)
A win over Akito, HARASHIMA losing and Brookes failing to win gets Sakaguchi first place. If Sakaguchi gets a draw he needs HARASHIMA to lose and Brookes to not win in order to enter the tiebreaker.
2. Chris Brookes (6)
Brookes will finish first if he beats MAO, HARASHIMA loses and Sakaguchi fails to win. If Brookes gets a draw he needs HARASHIMA to lose and Sakaguchi to not win in order to enter the tiebreaker.
2. Konosuke Takeshita (6)
Needs to beat HARASHIMA to stay alive. Finishes on top if Brookes and Sakaguchi both fail to win. Otherwise it’s a tiebreaker.
5. Akito (5)
Any result of the main event prevents Akito from finishing first so he is eliminated. He ends Sakaguchi’s run if he beats him. Maybe even a draw.
6. MAO (4)
Cannot reach the final but can eliminate Brookes.
7. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
Completely out of it because of injury. Sorry for rubbing it in.
B Block
1. Tetsuya Endo (7)
Just needs to beat Oishi to win the block. A draw ties him with the winner of Ueno Vs Akiyama and Takao if he beats Katsumata. Endo still has a chance if he loses but that direction won’t be pretty.
1. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
This is the chaos path. Higuchi already wrestled all his matches. Only hope is if Endo loses, Takao doesn’t win and Ueno Vs Akiyama ends in a draw. That results in a massive 4 way or even 5 way tiebreaker.
3. Jun Akiyama (6)
Needs to beat Ueno, Endo loses and Takao loses. Akiyama Vs Ueno ending in a draw, Takao not winning and Endo losing leads to chaos.
3. Soma Takao (6)
Can squeak into the final if he beats Katsumata, Endo loses and Ueno Vs Akiyama ends in a draw. Otherwise Takao winning sends him to a tiebreaker against the winner of Akiyama Vs Ueno if Endo still loses.
3. Yuki Ueno (6)
Ueno’s in the same position as Akiyama. Just read his bit and swap their names around.
6. Makoto Oishi (2)
Won’t reach the final but can play one hell of a spoiler against Endo. Root for him if you want to see the the entire block turn on its head.
6. Shunma Katsumata (2)
Down and out but can ruin Soma Takao’s chances.
DDT “ATSUSHI ONITA VS KURO-CHAN! CHRISTMAS FINAL BATTLE! SKYTREE STREET CURRENT EXPLOSION WRESTLING!”, 23/12/2020
Tokyo Solamachi
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Akito
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Makoto Oishi & Keigo Nakamura
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma & Marika Kobashi
4. DDT Sauna Club Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato (w/ Daisuke Sasaki)
5. Current Explosion Death Match: Atsushi Onita (w/ Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh) Vs Kuro-chan (w/ Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Kamifuku)
Kuro-chan reluctantly accepts Atsushi Onita’s challenge for a Current Explosion Death Match but with some added conditions. The two met up at Tokyo Solamachi yesterday with Kuro-chan wanting to turn down the match. His excuse is he is just an amateur. Onita, armed with a current blast bat told Kuro-chan that this year’s dirt must be cleaned. He then forced Kuro-chan to sign the contract for the match. Onita then blew up a Christmas tree with a picture of Kuro-chan attached to it with the bat as an experiment. It was revealed later that the explosion level for the actual match will be triple the strength.
Onita said the match must happen because hundreds of thousands of fans will be watching. Kuro-chan wouldn’t betray them by no-showing, right? Kuro-chan agreed and requested he should bring some pro wrestlers to the match to help him. Sanshiro Takagi agreed and told Onita he should have some helpers too. Takagi immediately chose himself, Chris Brookes and Maki Itoh to be in Onita’s corner. Kuro-chan wanted to pick Jun Akiyama but he did not have his contact information. He thought about finding people who have grudges with Onita but ended up staying within the DDT stratosphere. In the end his helpers are Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine and Yuki Kamifuku.