DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
0. Under Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these things. A year ago in fact! Skipped over writing a preview for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” because everything was put together in too short of an amount of time but I can’t complain about a lack of build for this one. As no doubt many of you have seen, most of the pro wrestling industry worldwide has been chugging through the Coronavirus pandemic, good idea or not. For DDT they ran empty arena shows until fans were allowed back in. The block of wrestling companies owned by CyberAgent that DDT is a part of all merged their management together to form CyberFight in order to survive. Some big plans for this show went up in smoke. “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” was originally meant to be in Sumo Hall, now it is happening in Ota Ward Gymnasium because Ryogoku became unavailable. Also Kenny Omega was supposed to be here but travel restrictions nixed that idea. DDT adapted to the problems, came up with a card they want to reach across the world and show that they aren’t just a storm in a teacup.
0. Under Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani
It’s been fun watching these two rookies flourish throughout 2020. Keigo Nakamura has become this lovable little gremlin who can adapt into whatever scenario DDT throws at him. When they need a flexible punching bag, Nakamura is there to take those lumps. I can only imagine what his imagination will be like when he has some more years on him and gets the chance to put something together by himself. It’s not all antics either. He seriously wants to win matches and isn’t happy to see the younger Hideki Okatani quickly overtake him. Okatani has been more straightforward in his first year as a wrestler. He wasted no time standing up to Jun Akiyama for a few DDT TV SHOW bouts. It led to him being the fourth man for Junretsu and getting a bigger spotlight than his “senpai” Nakamura. But these two are still fresh rookies so they get the curtain jerking spot on the pre-show.
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
This is Hoshitango’s first match in DDT this year. As far as I know he’s done nothing but be JR level horny on Twitter during his time away from the ring. If he’s been on other wrestling shows I can’t find them. Hiroshi Yamato made several DDT appearances doing not much of note until recently. He willingly got into the DAMNATION drama and came out of it slightly changed. He hasn’t been singing during his entrances and his eyes have gone black. After years of being stuck in the mud, Mizuki Watase is starting to progress again as part of Junretsu. He needed that kick up the bum and to be honest it isn’t enough if he wants to stop treading water. Yukio Naya is in a similar position of underachieving. He’s been accused of not performing like a man his size should. To be fair he must have a ton of pressure on his shoulders coming from such a well regarded sumo family. His grandfather is a legendary yokozuna and his three younger brothers have all joined sumo stables in the last two years. At least he has his hobbies.
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
MAO is back from injury and he wants to break Shunma Katsumata. It’s a good sign that the world can go back to normal. A left MCL injury in June has kept MAO out of action so he was reduced to just hanging out at shows when he could. He’s still the same guy he always was. Katsumata however is no longer the sweet little boy we all knew. He was always into deathmatches but he jumped in hard this year. When he’s not wrestling Super Hardcore on Lego in DDT, he is earning his blood soaked stripes in Big Japan also with Lego. It is quickly reaching the point where I wonder if Katsumata is better off in Big Japan than DDT? There isn’t any stipulation added to the match but if MAO and Katsumata wanted to bring weapons in I’m sure nobody will want to stop them.
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito
One of the biggest beneficiaries from the creation of CyberFight is Akito. Ever since he became a Vice President for the company, his success in the ring has soared. The key to his newfound momentum is the Goliath Birdeater, a disgusting looking submission hold that was originally used by Taku Iwasa in Toryumon (“It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Threeeeeaaaaad”). It tangles up all of the victim’s limbs just like a spider the move is named after would do. Outside the ring, Akito is taking his new role very seriously and it has made look at things with a more critical eye. He singled out Danshou Dieno in particular, asking him if his work over the summer was up to par. For you see, Akito has always wanted to wrestle Dieno in his prime. He thinks they are both one of a kind in DDT and mixing together can create something special. A match like that should happen in a big venue like Ota Ward Gymnasium. Dieno agrees and wants to prove his best days are not behind him. There’s still a lot of ideas in that creative mind of his. Who could be better than Akito to help bring them to life?
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda
As things stand now the entire tag team division belongs to Eruption. The trio have been a force to be reckoned with and were highly featured on DDT cards throughout the year. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi recently won the KO-D Tag Team Titles and with Saki Akai they also hold the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. So far they are living up to their goal of creating their own path in DDT. Higuchi & Sakaguchi have been regular threats to championships. Akai meanwhile completed the Okabariyasu series where she fought the likes of Rina Yamashita, Miranda Gordy, Syuri, Saori Anou and Meiko Satomura. There are no challengers for either tag titles at the moment so Eruption are in a non-title 4 Way with a bunch of DDT regulars. One team is DISASTER BOX with former tag champion Naomi Yoshimura having his final match before taking an extended break to recover from his cervical injuries. Toru Owashi is still in his gatekeeper position while Kazuki Hirata recently reminded Sakaguchi not to take him or the Miracle One Shot Cradle lightly. #DAMNHEARTS are represented by Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani. I bet Lindaman doesn’t want to be reminded of losing the trios titles to Akai after all of that big talk he gave to her beforehand. The last team rounding out the field is Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda. Sasadango has been busy producing the Hiragana Muscle revival that was meant to be the first pro wrestling musical (until Chris Jericho & MJF beat him to the punch). Oishi has been refreshed by becoming the leader of Junretsu. Honda is still Honda and er… let’s leave it at that.
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
It has been nigh on impossible for wrestlers to take the DDT Extreme Title from Shinya Aoki. The championship that is defended under many different rules has been over Aoki’s shoulder since March and no amount of DDT foolishness has slowed him down. He’s defended the belt in a Blindfold Hidden Bra Death Match held in the centre of an empty Saitama Super Arena. He’s defended it in a Falls Count Anywhere match to celebrate the end of Japan’s lockdown. He even defended the belt against Maku Donaruto. Nothing seems to stop the MMA veteran. Only one man is left to stop him and he has just the plan needed to succeed. It’s Sanshiro Takagi and the Weapon Rumble! There’s one problem though, Aoki hasn’t signed the contract yet and would rather forfeit the title than do that match. Probably serves DDT right for promoting the match before getting Aoki’s signature but they might have figured out the reason why it came to this. Takagi suggests that Aoki has a phobia of signing contracts because it reminds him too much of his marriage and divorce. He had to sign a marriage certificate and he had to sign the divorce papers. Maybe those memories left him mentally scarred. Takagi does not want to become champion by default and is determined to make the match happen one way or another. If this turns out to be a negotiation tactic to drop the Weapon Rumble stipulation then Takagi will agree to it. Anything to ensure that Aoki shows up to Ota Ward to defend his title. I can’t blame Aoki for his paranoia about this. The weapons used in Weapon Rumbles are just as much for psychological pain than they are physical damage. What if his ex-wife shows up as a weapon?!? Probably not, from what I could find it sounds like they had a nasty split. One that is maybe too upsetting to make fun of by reuniting them in the ring.
Geez way to end the comedy match preview on a sad note, me.
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
This match was originally meant to take place at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” back in June. When DDT got to run shows in front of crowds again, HARASHIMA and Soma Takao were told that the match was back on. There was another risk of the match getting cancelled again when CIMA got into a traffic accident, breaking his nose, fracturing his wrist and getting a couple other minor injuries across the body. Thankfully he recovered and made it back to the ring in good shape. He also has been getting a lot of ring time with Takao, both as tag partners and as opponents. Takao used to wrestle using a tribute gimmick called BIMA when he was in a college wrestling club. CIMA wants to help Takao surpass him so he can start from B, skip C and go straight to D. Then he can be renamed DIMA! Plus they get to to this in Soma’s hometown of Ota. That kind of ambition and regular reps might make them a better oiled machine than HARASHIMA and Naomichi Marufuji. The HarashiMarufuji team have worked together a couple times this year but not as much as CimaSoma. In September there was an Elimination Tag Match where Takao eliminated Marufuji early by throwing him out of the ring. Marufuji wants to get revenge for being humiliated like that. Rustiness is the only weak point I can see with HarashiMarufuji. Experience and skill levels combined makes that team nearly unbeatable otherwise.
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
The newest championship in DDT has been tailor made for Chris Brookes. In February Brookes became the first DDT UNIVERSAL Champion, holding a belt created to boost DDT’s global presence. There was a setback over the Spring where he lost the belt in his first defence and had a hell of a time trying to reclaim it. But reclaim it he did and he’s having a much better go around this time. He got his cockiness back with this reign and it’s been rubbing some of the other wrestlers the wrong way. Like Yuki Ueno for example. After Brookes successfully defended the title against Naomi Yoshimura, he called him weak. Brookes then looked over to Ueno and called him even weaker. Ueno snapped and challenged Brookes for the title so he could shut him up. Brookes accepted and then put Ueno in the Octopus Stretch. Ueno got something back in the mind games department when he used the Praying Mantis Bomb in a match. Things went worse from there with Brookes attacking Ueno again after Nautilus lost the KO-D Tag Titles. Brookes continued to rub Ueno’s face in by presenting him with flowers at a press conference as if he was in mourning of Ueno’s title loss. He has the recent success behind him to back up his cocky attitude. The normally quiet Ueno has to step away from his safety net especially now that Yoshimura is taking time off. By all means the talent is there for Ueno to be a top name for DDT in the future. I always thought Yoshimura would be the stand out of Nautilus but the KO-D Tag Title reign (which has been my highlight of 2020 DDT by the way) was a breakthrough period for Ueno. This match has sleeper hit of the show written all over it.
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Usually it’s one company’s loss that becomes another company’s gain. In this case two companies losing out benefitted DDT. Jun Akiyama was supposed to spend some time in Florida back in May working as a temporary coach in the WWE Performance Center. COVID-19 prevented that trip from happening so DDT offered him the same role for their own roster. Akiyama got to spend time in the ring with guys like Mizuki Watase and Hideki Okatani, teaching them valuable lessons in King’s Road wrestling. The idea worked out so well that DDT struck a deal with All Japan to rent Akiyama’s services for the rest of this year (that is the other company losing out, nobody is expecting Akiyama to go back when his rental period ends). From the get go the plan was to put Akiyama and Konosuke Takeshita together as opponents. Akiyama was here to teach King’s Road but Takeshita was more interested in experiencing Akiyama’s personal wrestling style. In return Akiyama gets to experience the high level of DDT presented by Takeshita. Akiyama formed the unit Junretsu (intentionally referencing the pop band with the same name) to fight against Takeshita & ALL OUT. There is no grudge between the two wrestlers but the fights between them have been fierce. The result of this generational confrontation will shift the balance of the pro wrestling world. There’s no holding back here. Win or lose, Akiyama will do his part to nourish one of DDT’s best and help him grow even stronger.
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
Ambition is what caused this main event to exist. Ambition is what led to a betrayal and then a betrayal of that betrayal. Ambition is what created a fracture in the most powerful faction in DDT. Tetsuya Endo achieved his goal of winning the KO-D Openweight Title from Masato Tanaka back in June. In the midst of the empty arena shows he built up the momentum needed to knock Tanaka off his throne and carry the main event picture onwards. It was Endo’s savviness to form a business alliance between DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS, creating #DAMNHEARTS. Then he had an even bigger goal he wanted to accomplish. He let the world know when he won the King Of DDT tournament as the reigning KO-D Champion. Endo wanted to defend the title against Kenny Omega at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”! Endo even began using a modified Wrist Clutch One-Winged Angel to prepare for the fateful match. Unfortunately it was unable to happen at Ota Ward so Endo was tasked to find a replacement challenger. He knew who it had to be. There are only two wrestlers left he needs to defeat. One is Omega. The other is his leader Daisuke Sasaki!
At first it looked like the match would happen smoothly. Endo is loyal to Sasaki so there was no bad blood to look out for. Then cracks began to appear when they tagged together. Double team moves would backfire but ultimately would not cause them to lose. Both would take this in somewhat good spirits (if that’s even possible for the mood Sasaki is always in) and instead banter about getting into better shape more than the other can. It all came to a head in September when Sasaki turned on Endo, banished him from DAMNATION and instructed #DAMNHEARTS to join in the beating. Except they didn’t. Instead #DAMNHEARTS took Endo’s side and held a mutiny on Sasaki, kicking him out of the group instead! It turned out that Sasaki and Endo had the same idea of turning on each other and both approached #DAMNHEARTS to join them. Given the choice, #DAMNHEARTS picked to be with Endo. The new leader declared that DAMNATION can now conform, kiss ass and get married! A furious Sasaki declared he was the only member of DAMNATION and the others were banished but he can’t stop them from using the name anyway. His lone attempts to fight his former allies looked hopeless until Hiroshi Yamato came along to help him with mixed results.
As the weeks went by Sasaki fell deep into his drinking and came up with an ultimatum. If he cannot beat Endo at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” then he will retire! He will flee Japan in shame and go find a job in another country where he can work three days a week with no early morning shifts. Now it’s difficult to tell how serious Sasaki is with going through with this plan. He has a history of throwing down championships and threatening to quit whenever he loses only to drink his misery away to forget about it. He also has a DAMNATION show celebrating his 15th Anniversary in wrestling happening on 12th November (that the DAMNATION wrestlers have since been banned from) that seems to be going ahead no matter what the result is. What also prevents a Sasaki win from being a sure fire bet is Endo’s supposed match with Omega. Will that still happen if Endo loses the title? You’ve seen what Omega is like now. He probably isn’t going to be interested in making the trip back to DDT when allowed if both Endo and the KO-D Title isn’t involved.
DDT “ROAD TO ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 25/10/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato defeated Hideki Okatani with the Rutten Clutch (5:59).
1. Playfulness Series Act 2: Danshoku Dieno defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Raw Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver (2:54).
2. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya defeated Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Antonio Honda when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (10:04).
3. Shinya Aoki defeated Mad Paulie with a Heel Hold (5:06).
4. Junretsu Vs ALL OUT!: Konosuke Takeshita & Akito defeated Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi when Takeshita pinned Oishi with the Double Leg Suplex Hold (9:28).
5. Road To Ultimate Party 2020! Special Single Match: CIMA defeated Soma Takao with the Meteora (12:19).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai (c) defeated Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata by TKO when Sakaguchi used the Rear Naked Choke Sleeper on Ueno (17:27). *V3 for Eruption.
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) when Higuchi pinned Yoshimura with the Goten (19:33). *Nautilus fails in V8. Eruption becomes the 68th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
The tag team division in DDT now revolves around Eruption! They went through a double main event of two title matches and came out holding both sets of championships. The first match was them defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against DISASTER BOX. Lightning did not strike twice for Kazuki Hirata. He got Yukio Sakaguchi in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but this time Sakaguchi kicked out not once but twice. Saki Akai dove onto Naomi Yoshimura and Kazusada Higuchi outside the ring while Sakaguchi ran across the apron and Penalty Kicked Yuki Ueno. In the ring, Ueno went for the WR on Sakaguchi but it was countered into the Choke Sleeper. Ueno tried to fight out of it but lost consciousness and the match was stopped. Eruption kept the 6-Man Tag Titles and posed with them for the cameras during the rest period.
Sakaguchi & Higuchi were then ready to fight Nautilus for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. First they swapped sides of the ring so the champions and challengers would start in the correct corners. Ueno was still in poor shape from the last match and was knocked silly by a Sakaguchi High Kick. Higuchi stopped the referee from checking on Ueno’s condition so the match could continue. Ueno managed to escape and tag Yoshimura in. The champions regained their breath and hit big moves on Higuchi including the Osaka Strad. Sakaguchi broke the count and the match was left in a standstill after Yoshimura and Higuchi traded slams. Yoshimura’s power was fading so Higuchi took his chance with a Headbutt. He then hit the Goten for the three count and the title change!
Eruption stood in the ring now holding both tag team titles. Higuchi told Nautilus and Hirata they could challenge for either belts again anytime. They’re all young and have momentum but today is Eruption’s victory. Sakaguchi said he shouldn’t ever be losing to Hirata but he gave Nautilus their props for being a fun team to fight. Akai thanked her partners for their hard work. She reiterated that everyone can challenge Eruption for the titles if they have the courage to step up to them.
Ueno’s bad day went even worse backstage. His post-match interview was interrupted by Chris Brookes making fun of him for losing his championship. A fight broke out between them and Brookes tangled Ueno up in the Octopus Stretch before leaving.
A lot of wrestlers used today’s show to prepare for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” since this was the last DDT event until then. CIMA and Soma Takao wrestled each other. A video was shown before the match explaining Takao’s past in the college wrestling club scene where he wrestled as BIMA. He used CIMA’s own moves against him including the Schwein and the Mad Splash. CIMA blocked the Mad Splash with his knees and hit the original Schwein. But instead of pinning him straight away, CIMA instead finished Takao off with the Meteora.
CIMA greeted the fans afterwards and told them it’s been six months since he last wrestled in Korakuen Hall. He knew about Takao’s history as BIMA and how much today’s match meant for him. He encouraged Takao to beat HarashiMarufuji when they face them at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. If Takao can pin either HARASHIMA or Naomichi Marufuji then he will have surpassed CIMA. Takao can even change his name to DIMA to prove he has overtaken CIMA!
A contract signing for the “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” main event took place during the show. Tetsuya Endo and Daisuke Sasaki both entered the ring wearing suits and were given a final opportunity to give their opinion on the match. Sasaki still thinks about DAMNATION betraying him so he is ready to rob the belt from Endo. He tried to start a fight but Hisaya Imabayashi kept him under control. Endo said he knew things would get shaken up after he nominated Sasaki to be his challenger. No matter what he does, Sasaki will always be a B-Class wrestler with no brain. Imabayashi again had to stop Sasaki from starting a fight. Endo then antagonized him further by saying he has no credit in helping him win the KO-D Openweight Title. Endo won it from Masato Tanaka on his own without help from anybody else. The contract was signed but the fight finally broke out during the photo session. Endo pulled Sasaki by the suit and had to be held back back Imabayashi. Sasaki then saw his opening and hit Endo with a Low Blow. He attacked Endo with a chair and then put him in the Crossface Lock until they were pulled apart.
It was the last skirmish between ALL OUT and Junretsu before Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama finally have their singles match. The match went all Kinnikuman when Akito carried Makoto Oishi in the Kinniku Buster position and dropped him onto his knees. Takeshita took one things further by using Neptuneman’s finishing move, the Double Leg Suplex Hold to win the match! Akiyama knocked the microphone away from Takeshita when he tried to speak into it. Akiyama shared some words off-mic and left the ring. Takeshita said he will definitely beat him at Ota Ward Gymnasium. Afterwards Takeshita explained he is now going to try out new moves whenever he is against Oishi. He has 108 moves to try out and already attempted 3. That leaves 105 left for Oishi to take. Akiyama was asked about the D-Ou Grand Prix. He isn’t interested in entering it but could change his mind.
Shinya Aoki made sure that Mad Paulie’s size advantage didn’t matter when they fought. Aoki took his time and left the ring whenever things got too risky. Then when he got Paulie down on the mat he switched from submission to submission until Paulie tapped to a Heel Hold. Aoki then surprised everyone by suddenly announcing he was vacating the DDT Extreme Title and quitting DDT! Sanshiro Takagi was watching from the balcony and he assured everyone that his match with Aoki for the title will take place at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” as advertised. Yeesh, first Khabib Nurmagomedov calls it quits and now this?
Is this love, is this love, is this love, is this love that I’m feeling? The undercard 6-Man Tag match went on a romantic turn when HARASHIMA and Brookes locked eyes. Music played and the other wrestlers danced while they slowly looked like they were about to embrace. Then Antonio Honda and Toru Owashi rolled both of them into School Boys for a double nearfall. Shunma Katsumata and Yukio Naya took each other out after a Thrust Kick and Lariat collision. Owashi was able to pin Honda with La Magistral Cradle to win.
Before Owashi could leave, Imabayashi stopped him to give some good news. Owashi will face Gorgeous Matsuno for the O-40 Title on 8th November! Owashi immediately refused and walked off. Imabayashi asked why and Owashi said that match will ruin his career. Imabayashi said Owashi can take the money earned at the merch table that day. Owashi agreed but then realised the date is an empty studio episode of DDT TV SHOW. He was too late to stop Imabayashi from confirming the match and running away.
Danshoku Dieno took part in the opening announcements but was interrupted by a video of his opponent Keigo Nakamura. He told Dieno that he will sneak attack him from a part of the venue he will never expect. When Dieno looked around to find out where, Nakamura ran in and went for a Springboard Dropkick. Dieno easily dodged it, gave Nakamura the Danshoku Driver and with Muscle Sakai announced the start of the show.
Nakamura was unconscious in the ring throughout the entire intro video and his match was first! Dieno entered the ring again and went for the pin as the bell rang. It was a trap and Nakamura rolled Dieno over but only got a two count. Nakamura put up a fight and escaped from a Double Wristlock via rope break. Dieno put him away with the Lip Lock and a Raw version of the Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver.
DDT is collaborating with Capital Sports for a range of sportswear. The original Capital Sports provided uniforms for companies like IWE, FMW and All Japan until the brand was retired. Their wrestling clothing was not sold to the public so they became rare collector’s items, sort of like the Ribera jacket. At the time many foreign wrestlers wore clothing from the brand in Japan including Bruiser Brody. In fact it’s been said that Brody was laid to rest wearing his favourite Capital Sports shirt. The brand disappeared after a merger involving its parent company but twenty years later it has been revived! DDT is one of the first wrestling companies to work with them.
The dark match saw Hiroshi Yamato defeat Hideki Okatani. Yamato is still sporting the black marks over his eyes like Sasaki. He also did not sing his entrance song like he normally does.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 7 ~KEEP IT ON YAMATO SOUL~”, 18/10/2020 Osaka City Higashisei Residents Center ??? Fans – Withheld
#DAMNHEARTS Vs English Mexican Cross-Border Trio Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & CIMA (w/ Mad Paulie) Vs Chris Brookes, Tsubasa & Kuishinbo Kamen
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 7 ~KEEP IT ON YAMATO SOUL~”, 18/10/2020 Osaka City Higashisei Residents Center ??? Fans – Withheld
0. Under Match: Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani defeated Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Watase pinned Nakamura with the Back Drop (7:38).
1. Geniuses’ Song! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:35).
2. Mechanic Vs Skillful Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Makoto Oishi with the Cross Facelock (9:34).
3. HarashimaUrano Vs Team Gonta-gao! Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano defeated Kengo Takai & Naomi Yoshimura when Urano pinned Takagi with a Crucifix Pin (11:55).
4. Izumi Kishiwada Union! The Strongest Men In Osaka Vs ALL OUT! Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Magnitude Kishiwada defeated Akito & Shunma Katsumata when Kishiwada pinned Katsumata with the Last Ride (11:25).
5. #DAMNHEARTS Vs English Mexican Cross-Border Trio Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & CIMA (w/ Mad Paulie) defeated Chris Brookes, Tsubasa & Kuishinbo Kamen when Endo pinned Kamen with the Shooting Star Press (13:32).
6. Double Main Event – Team WR Vs The☆TakeBilly Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Billy Ken Kid defeated Yuki Ueno & HUB when Takeshita pinned Ueno with the German Suplex (19:14).
7. Double Main Event – Special Tag Match ~Reserved Yamato Soul~: Masato Tanaka & Shigehiro Irie Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
DDT’s celebration of Yukinori Matsui and Osaka wrestling was headlined with a 30 minute draw between Eruption and Masato Tanaka & Shigehiro Irie. During the match Tanaka & Irie put Yukio Sakaguchi through a table and then isolated Kazusada Higuchi. Irie hit the Flying Sausage followed by Tanaka doing the Super Fly. Sakaguchi kept the match alive by breaking the pin and hitting Tanaka with the God’s Right Knee. With Higuchi and Tanaka as the legal men they went back and forth with a Doctor Bomb, the Sliding D, a Lariat and the Rolling Elbow. Tanaka caught Higuchi with the Gannosuke Clutch in the dying seconds of the match but Higuchi kicked out and the time ran out. Irie said he was happy to wrestle Higuchi and Sakaguchi again. Tanaka said at the age of 45 he still doesn’t want to be losing against the younger wrestlers. He also told Higuchi he regrets not being able to face him back when he held the KO-D Openweight Title. Hopefully they will get to fight each other with a championship on the line in the future. Eruption promised to defend the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and win the KO-D Tag Team Titles later this month.
Konosuke Takeshita was left with a bloody nose from his match. When he gets to be in the ring with Osaka Pro wrestlers like Billy Ken Kid and HUB, he is with the wrestlers he grew up watching. But Yuki Ueno on the other hand only began watching Osaka Pro after he became a wrestler. Today’s match was the kind Takeshita had dreamed of. He thanked Matsui for booking the match. Billy Ken Kid told Ueno his WR finisher felt just like when Super Dolphin (one of HUB’s old gimmicks) did it. The move is very effective but he should be careful with it. But he admits he would have lost to that move if it was a singles match. Ueno asked to team with HUB again. He also wants to beat Takeshita and make him bleed more.
CIMA had his first match back since his traffic accident. #DAMNHEARTS used Mad Paulie as a jumping pad for CIMA, Soma Takao & Tetsuya Endo to do their high flying moves from onto Kuishinbo Kamen. The pin was broken up by Chris Brookes & Tsubasa but Endo then hit the Shooting Star Press on Kamen to win. Endo welcomed CIMA back to the ring and CIMA explained to the audience how lucky he was to only suffer a broken nose and injured wrist from his cycling accident. He then wondered why DAMNATION and #DAMNHEARTS have split apart during his absence. He decided to leave the topic alone after seeing the looks on Endo & Takao’s faces.
When #DAMNHEARTS left the ring, Endo was confronted by Kuishinbo Kamen again. Kamen offered Endo some candy then gave him a Low Blow. He unmasked himself to reveal it was Daisuke Sasaki in disguise! Sasaki attacked Endo with a chair and put him in La Mistica Cross Facelock. He fled the ring when #DAMNHEARTS came down to rescue Endo. Sasaki got on the microphone and told Endo never to leave his guard down because Sasaki will attack him from anywhere! The real Kuishinbo Kamen came out looking for his spare costume and took a seat in protest. He refused to leave so two of the ringside attendants lifted him up and carried him out of the room.
Even though they were on the winning team, Jun Akiyama & Magnitude Kishiwada began fighting each other after their match. It was sparked by Akiyama missing a Jumping Knee Attack and hitting Kishiwada by accident earlier in the bout. The rest of Junretsu had to pull them apart.
One of the newer trainees in DDT was featured during the show intro. Kojima told Hisaya Imabayashi to speed the opening announcements along because they were already running late. That led to Imabayashi interrupting Matsui’s speech so Ueno could get his chance to talk and then start the show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “FALL TOUR ’20 ~WOMM (WRESTLING OF MY MIND)~”, 10/10/2020 Kitazawa Town Hall
1. International Princess Title Tournament – Round 1: X Vs X
2. International Princess Title Tournament – Round 1: X Vs X
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “FALL TOUR ’20 ~WOMM (WRESTLING OF MY MIND)~”, 17/10/2020 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. International Princess Title Tournament – Round 1: X Vs X
2. International Princess Title Tournament – Round 1: X Vs X
Today Thunder Rosa relinquished the International Princess Title on a video sent to Tokyo Joshi Pro. Due to the Coronavirus making overseas travel very difficult, Rosa’s scheduled title defences in March and April were both cancelled. With no opportunity to defend the title, Rosa and agreed with management to send the belt back to Japan. Rosa promised she will return to TJPW when it is safe to do so with the intention of winning back the championship. TJPW confirmed that Rosa getting a title match upon her return is of the highest priority. Until then, a new champion will be crowned in an 8-Woman tournament that will end at “WRESTLE PRINCESS” this November.
In order to crown a new champion, TJPW has to renege on the original concept for the title. The title was supposed to draw in challengers from around the world while also revitalizing Tokyo Joshi’s singles division in Japan (Princess Of Princess Title matches are few and far between so it offers something else for the roster to fight over). But since it is very difficult to bring in foreign wrestlers right now, only Japanese wrestlers are able to compete in the tournament. Entrants will be announced as soon as they are picked, taking into consideration the potential card for “WRESTLE PRINCESS”. If somebody on the roster already has a match at the Tokyo Dome City Hall then they won’t be in the tournament.
DDT “ROAD TO ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 25/10/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato Vs Hideki Okatani
1. Chris Brookes, Shunma Katsumata & Antonio Honda Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya
2. Shinya Aoki Vs Mad Paulie
3. Playfulness Series Act 2: Danshoku Dieno Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. Junretsu Vs ALL OUT!: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Akito
5. Road To Ultimate Party 2020! Special Single Match: CIMA Vs Soma Takao
6 or 7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
6 or 7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai (c) Vs Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata
Last week CIMA got injured in a bicycle accident, leaving him with injuries to his head, neck and hands. However I guess CIMA will recover in time for his match at the end of the month because DDT hasn’t cancelled it yet. Soma Takao looks up to CIMA anyway. He probably won’t take advantage of this in a heinous way. Backstabbing Daisuke Sasaki, sure but not CIMA.
The Junretsu Vs ALL OUT tag is getting a runback. Konosuke Takeshita & Akito are both looking for ways to beat Jun Akiyama. You can’t leave Makoto Oishi out in the cold for this either.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS”, 07/11/2020 Tokyo Dome City Hall
1. International Princess Title Tournament – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. International Princess Title Tournament – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
4. International Princess Title Tournament – Final: X Vs X
5. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Mizuki
The end of the International Princess Title tournament will feature the semi finals and the final on the same night.
GANBARE☆PRO “MAGICIANS RED 2020”, 23/11/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. The Young General Will Avenge The General’s Death! Special Single Match: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Ikuto Hidaka
2. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Asuka (c) Vs Moeka Haruhi
Yesterday, Moeka Haruhi won a trios match against a team of wrestlers connected to each other by the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title. This victory inspired Haruhi to challenge Asuka for the title itself.
Ikuto Hidaka was impressed enough with his visit to Ganbare☆Pro yesterday that he wants to continue wrestling here. That’s good because Kouki Iwasaki told everyone he wants to beat him up. The match name makes it sound like Iwasaki is doing this to avenge Ken Ohka’s defeat to Hidaka but I’m not sure if Iwasaki cares enough about that to make it his main motivation.
“NEW YEAR’S EVE WRESTLING 2019 ~TOSHIWASHURE! SHUFFLE TAG TOURNAMENT”, 31/12/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X
2. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X
3. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X
4. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Round 1: BJW X & DDT X Vs BJW X & DDT X
5. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X & X Vs X & X
6. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Semi Final: X & X Vs X & X
7. Shuffle Tag Tournament – Final: X & X Vs X & X
The annual New Year’s Year tag team tournament held by Big Japan and DDT will go ahead this year but on a smaller scale. In order to prevent exposing fans to the Coronavirus, the event will start earlier in the evening and will only last for around 2 and a half hours. The tournament will be shortened down to 8 teams instead of the usual 16. Sadly that means there won’t be any wrestling going on inside Korakuen Hall when the clock strikes midnight to bring in 2021.
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2020”, 27/09/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Toru Owashi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. Playfulness Series Act 2: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yukio Naya
4. DDT Extreme Title: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Antonio Honda
5. Junretsu Vs ALL OUT 3 To 3 Tug Of War!: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs Chris Brookes & Drew Parker
Two visits to Korakuen Hall for DDT this month. After yesterday’s show in the building two interesting challenges were made in the aftermath. Chris Brookes & Drew Parker have mended their friendship and are going after Nautilus for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The DDT fans seem to be warming up to Parker (kind of hard to tell when cheering is prohibited). Also it continues the relationship between DDT and Big Japan since Shunma Katsumata has been crossing over to the other side for death matches.
A special three match series is happening between Junretsu and ALL OUT. This is a gimmick I’ve seen done in places like Dragon Gate and Michinoku Pro. The way they do it is several tug of war ropes are placed in the ring loosely tangled together and covered beneath a large mat. Each wrestler chooses a different rope hanging out of the ring and then the mat is pulled to reveal who are holding the same ropes. That is how the matches are selected. It’s possible that Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama will pick the same rope and have to do their big singles match weeks before their advertised bout at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. However Akito and Katsumata have also made it clear they want to wrestle Akiyama one on one.
DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 7 ~KEEP IT ON YAMATO SOUL~”, 18/10/2020 Osaka City Higashisei Residents Center
1. Double Main Event ~ Special Tag Match: Masato Tanaka & Shigehiro Irie Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
2. Double Main Event ~ Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & HUB Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Billy Ken Kid
DDT’s next show in Osaka is the annual Yukinori Matsui booked show. His big idea for the main event is Yuki Ueno & HUB teaming together. HUB used the WR back when he wrestled as Super Dolphin. Yuki Ueno adopted the move after getting his permission. HUB had a match in Osaka against Konosuke Takeshita four years ago that Matsui remembers fondly. Takeshita is teaming with Billy Ken Kid because everyone respects Billy for everything he’s done in the Osaka wrestling scene.
The other match involves a rivalry that Matsui enjoys a lot. It’s time to pit Shigehiro Irie against Yukio Sakaguchi again! But that’s not enough. Let’s also get Masato Tanaka and Kazusada Higuchi in the same ring to give everyone a taste of what the “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” main event could have been.
Also appearing on the show are Kengo Takai, Trans-am ☆ Hiroshi, Magnitude Kishiwada, Tsubaba, Kuishinbo Kamen, Yasu Urano and CIMA.
DDT “ROAD TO ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 25/10/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Road To Ultimate Party 2020! Special Single Match: CIMA Vs Soma Takao
CIMA wants a warm up match between him and Soma Takao before they face HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji in November. This is a dream come true for Takao. Who could have guessed that little college club wrestler named BIMA would grow up to fight the man he admires most?
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
2. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
The champion has spoken. Tetsuya Endo wants to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against Daisuke Sasaki! This is not betrayal but out of respect. Endo believes there are only two wrestlers ahead of him, Kenny Omega and Daisuke Sasaki. Omega can’t travel to Japan so Sasaki is the only other suitable choice. Endo has been loyal to Sasaki from the moment he joined DAMNATION four years ago. But Sasaki is making it clear that this match has nothing to do with the stable. There is no power struggle happening. The title match is to prove who is the better man, full stop. Is Sasaki really being honest about this?
DDT “GET ALIVE 2020”, 07/09/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Akito & Yukio Naya defeated Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase when Akito submitted Watase with the Goliath Birdeater (8:42).
2. Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata & Keigo Nakamura when Honda pinned Nakamura with the Diving Fist Drop (9:34).
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai (c) defeated Danshoku Dieno, Seigo Tachibana & Yoshiko when Sakaguchi pinned Dieno with the Gay-do Clutch (11:57). *V2 for Eruption.
4. Team Big Boomers Vs ALL OUT!: Jun Akiyama & Sanshiro Takagi defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata when Akiyama pinned Katsumata with the Exploder Suplex (10:48).
5. DDT UNIVERSAL Title – No DQ Match: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Drew Parker with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:55). *V1 for Chris Brookes.
6. DAMNATION Vs DISASTER BOX Full Scale Battle! Elimination 10-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated HARASHIMA, Naomichi Marufuji, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Toru Owashi (23:37).
6a. Soma Takao eliminated Naomichi Marufuji by Ring Out (13:48).
6b. Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Toru Owashi were all eliminated by Triple Ring Out (15:24).
6c. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Naomi Yoshimura with a School Boy (17:11).
6d. HARASHIMA eliminated Soma Takao by Ring Out (18:43).
6e. Tetsuya Endo eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (21:13).
6f. Yuki Ueno eliminated Daisuke Sasaki by Ring Out (22:36).
6g. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Shooting Star Press (23:37).
The main event elimination match had No Tag and Over The Top Rope rules added to it before everyone came out. Naomichi Marufuji was the surprise first elimination when Soma Takao blocked the Shiranui, knocked him onto the apron and then Missile Dropkicked him to the floor. Toru Owashi evened the score in a big way by holding on to both Mad Paulie and Nobuhiro Shimatani in the apron. HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno understood his plan and Dropkicked the group to the floor, bringing the match down to 3 Vs 3. Paulie & Shimatani stuck around however and distracted the referee so Daisuke Sasaki could Low Blow Naomi Yoshimura twice before pinning him. The entire DAMNATION side continued their attack until the full DISASTER BOX team fought back and HARASHIMA eliminated Takao by countering the Gin And Tonic into a Headscissors over the rope and out of the ring. Sasaki hit a Topé Suicida to Ueno while Tetsuya Endo caught HARASHIMA with the Overhead Kick. He lifted him up for the Torture Rack but instead of going for the Bomb like he normally does, he ran across the ring and threw HARASHIMA to the floor instead. DAMNATION’s 2 on 1 advantage backfired when Endo accidentally kicked Sasaki out the ring when he aimed for Ueno. Endo recovered from that mistake and pinned Ueno with the Shooting Star Press to win.
After the match there were two things DAMNATION had to talk about in regards to “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. Takao was discussing his tag match against HarashiMarufuji when he received two video messages from CIMA. The first message was CIMA saying how much he is looking forward to the match after it was delayed. Then the second video was CIMA suggesting he and Takao have a warm up match before that. But instead of them teaming together CIMA and Takao will have a match against each other on 27th September!
The other issue needing attention was Endo’s big announcement. Who will he choose to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against at Ota Ward Gymnasium? He chooses Daisuke Sasaki! Endo explained there are two wrestlers left he has to surpass. One is Kenny Omega but that match cannot happen for now. That means he will go with his other influence and that is Sasaki. The challenge was accepted but Sasaki made something clear. DAMNATION has nothing to do with this. It will be Endo Vs Sasaki, nothing else!
Years of friendship was put aside when Chris Brookes defended the DDT UNIVERSAL Title against Drew Parker in a No DQ Match. Parker had Abdullah Kobayashi in his corner while Masahiro Takanashi accompanied Brookes to the ring. The smashed birthday mug that led to all of this was a hint of what was to come. Parker Double Stomped Brookes through a pile of plastic cases from a ladder. He also threw him through a board of plastic forks. Brookes stapled paper to Parker’s cheeks and broke a chair over his head. He then used the Praying Mantis Bomb to put his friend away. The two got along again after the match and Brookes told the fans this won’t be the last time Parker is in DDT. Together they will go after the KO-D Tag Team Titles! They got permission from Hisaya Imabayashi to challenge Nautilus and the match will happen on 27th September.
Team Big Boomers put those young up ‘n comers in their place. Shunma Katsumata had his back targeted because he still had wounds over it from a recent death match he had in Big Japan. There was a small setback when Sanshiro Takagi accidentally kicked Jun Akiyama in the face outside the ring but other than that their teamwork was flawless. Konosuke Takeshita got to fight evenly with Akiyama again but was taken aside and had to watch his rival pin Katsumata with the Exploder Suplex. Makoto Oishi approached Takeshita after the match with a challenge. He wants to do three Junretsu Vs ALL OUT singles matches at the next Korakuen Hall show. They will put down three tug of war ropes hidden from view and whichever wrestlers choose the same rope will wrestle each other. Akito pointed out the possibility of Takeshita and Akiyama choosing the same rope which means their first singles match could happen before “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. But this rivalry between the two factions is now more than just Takeshita Vs Akiyama. The rest of ALL OUT also want to get that match against Akiyama.
The pantyhose joke is still funny to Yukio Sakaguchi so Eruption’s challengers had their gameplan ready. That was until Yoshiko refused to wear pantyhose over her head. Danshoku Dieno got her to wear jokey sunglasses instead and that worked just as well on Sakaguchi. Kazusada Higuchi wasn’t in a laughing move though. His goal was to slice off Seigo Tachibana’s little finger with a karate chop! Saki Akai was the only one on the champion team fully focused on the match and that’s because she was in the ring with her career rival Yoshiko again. Dieno took out more masks to make Sakaguchi laugh including a horse head he put over one of the production staff. Sakaguchi finally figured out he could unmask his opponents but Dieno still put the masks on other people to distract him. Sakaguchi got out of the ring only to come back in wearing the horse head himself. Dieno pulled it off to reveal Sakaguchi was wearing pantyhose on his head underneath! Dieno burst into laughter allowing Sakaguchi to put him in a Sleeper Hold. He then rolled him into a Gaydo Clutch to get the three count.
Normally in pro wrestling rookies get yelled at because they are not taking things seriously. In DDT rookies get yelled at when they do take things seriously! Keigo Nakamura got a grilling from Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata because all he was doing in the match was wrestling. He didn’t dance, tell rude jokes or even do a PowerPoint presentation. Why even be in DDT if you don’t want to do stuff like this? To show Nakamura what he is missing, the others came up with a creative musical called TOKYO Gon. Honda sang “TOKYO GO!” with his own rude lyrics and Hirata danced to them. Nakamura got into it and joined in until Sasadango & Honda attacked Hirata & Nakamura with Bionic Elbows. Sasadango gave Nakamura the Verdict and Honda pinned him with the Diving Fist Drop while still singing “TOKYO GO!”
Junretsu came close to winning in the opener but they are still an unpolished product when Akiyama isn’t in the match. Oishi wiped out Yukio Naya with a Plancha. Mizuki Watase used a Wrist Clutch DDT and got a nearfall out of it. But Akito countered the Back Drop into an Anklelock. He turned it into the Goliath Birdeater submission and that made Watase give up.
The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 will take place between 22nd November and 27th December. Three of the shows from the tournament will be broadcast on DDT TV SHOW when the series comes back on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.
DDT “BLACK OUT PRESENTS KING OF DDT 2020 FINAL!!”, 23/08/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans
0. Under Match – 5 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Yukio Naya when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (5:33).
1. King Of DDT 2020 – Semi-Final: Tetsuya Endo defeated Kazusada Higuchi by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Yurikamome Hold (10:19).
2. King Of DDT 2020 – Semi-Final: T-Hawk defeated Akito with the Night Ride (11:19).
3. Danshoku Dieno & Seigo Tachibana defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai when Dieno pinned Sakaguchi with the Gaydo Clutch (7:32).
4. KING OF DDT 2020 Special 10-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura, Chris Brookes & Minoru Tanaka defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani when HARASHIMA pinned Shimatani with the Somato (12:47).
5. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani when Takeshita pinned Oishi with the German Suplex (14:55).
6. King Of DDT 2020 – Final: Tetsuya Endo defeated T-Hawk with the Shooting Star Press (20:24).
Today confirms without a shadow of a doubt that Tetsuya Endo is the number one wrestler in DDT. The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion survived an early setback in the tournament to end up winning King Of DDT 2020! This is the second time in four years that Endo won King Of DDT. He had to beat his #DAMNHEARTS stablemate T-Hawk in the final. When the final began, Endo grabbed Hawk’d leg and attempted the Golitah Birdeater hold that Akito uses but Hawk dodged it. Hawk also used a rope break to stop the Modified Yurikamome Hold Endo used to beat Kazusada Higuchi earlier. Hawk’s strength came into play but whenever he tried the BT Bomb, Endo had it countered. Endo kicked out of the Night Ride and pulled out his new Wrist-Clutch Driver move (which DDT’s website is calling a Modified One-Winged Angel). After that Endo got the pin with the Shooting Star Press.
As the champion, Endo now gets to choose his challenger for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” this November. Hisaya Imabayashi entered the ring to get his answer. Endo said it is somebody he has mentioned over and over… Tomomi Morisaki. No, Imabayashi told him to pick someone else. So Takei? No. Kanna Hashimoto? No. Tomoya Nagase? No. Okay, okay, okay, Endo picks Kenny Omega! He is the only one he wants to fight. Imabayashi accepted the choice but warned Endo that the match is unlikely to happen because of the current global travel restrictions caused by the Coronavirus. Imabayashi will try to negotiate but if that plan falls through then Endo will have to pick another opponent. Endo admits it is an irresponsible choice and accepts that it might not happen but he wants to follow through on the promise he made last month to wrestle Omega at Ota Ward Gymnasium. With that settled, Endo also decided to split his tournament winnings evenly among the other DAMNATION members. Daisuke Sasaki is busy trying to claim 90% of it for himself.
The “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” isn’t set in stone but the undercard has some confirmed matches. One of the big ones is Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama facing off in a singles match! Takeshita’s team defeated Junretsu in an 8-Man Tag bout. Akiyama had his hands full with both Takeshita and Shinya Aoki across the ring from him. Makoto Oishi tried to take the load off him but Takeshita escaped from the Fujiyama Knee Lock to pin Oishi with the German Suplex. Takeshita told Akiyama they are even in tag matches so he challenged him to the singles match. Akiyama said he will stand in front of Takeshita in his best condition.
HARASHIMA led his team to victory against #DAMNHEARTS in the King Of DDT 10-Man Tag. Afterwards, Imabayashi told HARASHIMA and Soma Takao not to leave the ring because he had news for both of them. The HarashiMarufuji Vs CimaSoma match that was supposed to happen back in June will now take place at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”! Takao said backstage he is happy to team with CIMA in his hometown.
A couple of weeks ago DDT had a match where all of the wrestlers wore pantyhose over their heads. Danshoku Dieno found out the joke makes Yukio Sakaguchi laugh so much it makes him weak. So that was the battle plan for Dieno and Seigo Tachibana today, wrestle Sakaguchi & Saki Akai while wearing pantyhose over their faces. It worked! Sakaguchi kept laughing at the silly faces seen beneath the pantyhose. Dieno’s was pulled off but he put it over Yukinori Matsui’s head, gave Sakaguchi the Lip Lock and pinned him with the Gaydo Clutch! Tachiabana was left impressed by Dieno’s wrestling knowledge. With a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match against Eruption coming up, how can they lose? Akai is annoyed at Sakaguchi for laughing at basic comedy. She’s from Kansai and grew up watching a lot of comedy so she learned how to no sell it.
T-Hawk had to go past Akito in the semi-final. The CyberFight Vice President kept to what worked for him so far. He targeted Hawk’s legs, weakening the Cerberus knee strike in the process. What saved Hawk was his ability to avoid the Goliath Birdeater. He used a Reverse Power Slam to put Akito on the ropes and won with the Night Ride. Akito said this year was the strongest feeling he had to win but T-Hawk is stronger than him. Still, he learned a lot and thinks it was his best showing in the King Of DDT.
Higuchi’s sumo charge momentum met its end against Endo in the other semi-final. He went for big hit after big hit but when he went for the Buchikamashi, Endo countered it into the Yurikamome Hold. Endo maneuvered himself on top of Higuchi in the hold for added pressure, causing Higuchi to pass out. Endo was ruled the winner by referee stoppage.
The audience was introduced to Mecha Pandita for the first time. The robot entered the ring and attacked Shunma Katsumata while he promoted the “STREET FIGHT CLUB” happening this Tuesday. Pandita landed a Dropkick, a Standing Shooting Star and then poured coffee beans into Katsumata’s mouth.
The 5 Way dark match turned into a dance rave when Yukio Naya took out penlights to dance differently against Kazuki Hirata’s glasses. Soon everyone in the match danced with penlights until Hirata pinned Antonio Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle. Naya finished his dance anyway.
It’s worth noting that Shota was the referee for some of the matches today. Daisuke Kiso is still absent from shows.
DDT “DRAMATIC HYAKUMANGOKU! 2020”, 22/03/2020 Kanazawa Distribution Hall 193 Fans
1. Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani when Yoshimura pinned Okatani with a Crab Hold (9:23).
2. Akito defeated Kazuki Hirata by Countout (8:02).
3. MAO & Antonio Honda defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie when MAO pinned Paulie with the Cannonball 450 (10:59). *MAO wins Mad Paulie’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
4. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya when Sakaguchi pinned Naya with the God’s Right Knee (11:06).
5. Toru Owashi & Ken Ohka defeated Mike Bailey & Mizuki Watase when Ohka pinned Watase with the Fire Spear (12:51).
6. Kanazawa Specialty! Stubborn Special Tag Match: CIMA & Soma Takao defeated Chris Brookes & Makoto Oishi when CIMA pinned Oishi with the Mad Splash (11:02).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino (c) when Endo pinned Katsumata with the Shooting Star Press (19:28). *ALL OUT fails in V4. #DAMNHEARTS becomes the 40th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
The Business Alliance between DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS are going from strength to strength. Now they have title belts to share between them because Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman are the new KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions! The title change happened when Endo wiped out Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Iino with a Sasuke Special. In the ring T-Hawk & Lindaman gave Shunma Katsumata a Double Impact Codebreaker. Endo then came back to pin Katsumata with the Shooting Star Press. After the match Endo revealed the official name of the Business Alliance. They figured out how to mash the two unit names together and they are now called #DAMNHEARTS! Their first defence is against DISASTER BOX on 4th April.
The next goal for #DAMNHEARTS is for CIMA & Soma Takao to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles. That way all of the full time members will be a champion, except for Mad Paulie but he doesn’t seem to mind (even though he lost his Right To Challenge Gauntlet to MAO earlier in the show). CimaSoma are making progress on earning their tag title shot. The two Mad Splash combo is continuing to win them matches.
Toru Owashi brought Ken Ohka’s father to ringside so they could cheer Ohka on. Owashi got so into it he forgot he was part of the match and Ohka couldn’t tag him in. He got back in, gave Mike Bailey & Mizuki Watase a Double Choke Slam and set Ohka up to hit the match winning Fire Spear. Owashi told the crowd that today was the first time he and Ohka teamed together since February 2013. Ohka said he was upset because next week’s Bakuha Koshien show was postponed. But once he got back in the ring this weekend to wrestle again he remembered how fun pro wrestling can be.
Yukio Sakaguchi and the rest of Eruption have had a busy weekend wrestling for both DDT and Ganbare☆Wrestling. Sakaguchi said it is giving him a good feel for challenging Masato Tanaka over the KO-D Openweight Title soon. Higuchi got the word out that he is chasing after the Saitama Super Arena Sword because he wants to, not because Sakaguchi told him to.
By being on the winning side today, Antonio Honda thinks he has earned a DDT UNIVERSAL Title shot. He asked Daisuke Sasaki again for a match. He got Sasaki to meditate so he could decide on a clear mind. Sasaki meditated then turned down the challenge again. Honda had to go find Hisaya Imabayashi after the show and use meditation on him to get the title shot. Sasaki Vs Honda for the UNIVERSAL Title will now take place on 19th April.
Kazuki Hirata appeared on the balcony to dance during his entrance. He brought Akito up to the balcony and knocked him out with the Tegatana Chop. Hirata then put on the Hirata GO! glasses and danced in the balcony while Akito escaped back down to the ring. Hirata was still dancing when he got counted out.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2020 ~DDT 23RD ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 916 Fans
0. Exhibition Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Jordan Heatley with the Canadian Backbreaker (3:50).
1. Hideki Okatani Debut Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Keigo Nakamura defeated Shunma Katsumata & Hideki Okatani when Yoshimura pinned Okatani with a Lariat (6:01).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (11:51 am). *Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,474th champion.
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Kazuki Hirata defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c), Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Mizuki Watase, Yukio Naya and Hiroshi Yamato (7:42).
2a. Toru Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato eliminated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with a Double Lateral Cradle (2:06). *Toru Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato both become the 1,745th co-champions.
2b. Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase eliminated Toru Owashi (1/2 c) & Hiroshi Yamato (1/2 c) with Simultaneous Pinfalls (2:40). *Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase all become the 1,746th co-champions.
2c. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Mizuki Watase (1/4 c) with a School Boy (5:13). *Kazuki Hirata becomes 1/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2d. Kazuki Hirata (1/4 c) eliminated Yukio Naya (1/4 c) with a School Boy (5:54). *Kazuki Hirata becomes 2/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2e. Kazuki Hirata (2/4 c) eliminated Antonio Honda (1/4 c) by Pinfall (6:54). *Kazuki Hirata becomes 3/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2f. Kazuki Hirata (3/4 c) eliminated Danshoku Dieno (1/4 c) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:42). *Kazuki Hirata becomes the unified 1,477th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with a School Boy (12:01 pm). *Toru Owashi becomes the 1,478th champion.
3. CIMA, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & El Lindaman defeated Shinya Aoki, MAO, Mike Bailey & Makoto Oishi when Takao pinned Oishi with the Mad Splash (9:24).
4. HARASHIMA, Naomichi Marufuji & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito, Yuki Iino & Royce Chambers when HARASHIMA pinned Akito with the Somato (10:33).
5. Business Alliance Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Sakaguchi pinned Shimatani with the God’s Right Knee (9:15).
5a. Emergency Decision: Tetsuya Endo defeated Royce Chambers with the Shooting Star Press (4:42). *Royce Chambers cashed in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the Crossover Facelock (20:35). *Chris Brookes fails in V1. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 2nd DDT UNIVERSAL Champion!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Rolling Elbow (22:56). *V2 for Masato Tanaka.
Heck if I know if it was a good idea to do this but DDT’s monthly Korakuen Hall show went ahead today in front of an audience. The main event to celebrate DDT’s 23rd anniversary saw the face of the company attempt to regain the KO-D Openweight Title. The champion Masato Tanaka used chairs to great effect, using them to attack Konosuke Takeshita’s knees as well as hit a direct chairshot to the head. A Splash from the top rope through a table outside also caused great damage to Takeshita. However Takeshita used the chair against Tanaka by Corner To Corner Dropkicking it into his face. Takeshita hit an Avalanche Air Raid Crash but Tanaka kicked out of the pin. The Fable was countered into a Power Bomb. Tanaka kept using Elbow Strikes to cut off Takeshita’a offence. He would hit short range Sliding D’s but Takeshita would find a way to prevent Tanaka from hitting the move at full force. Takeshita threw his own Elbow Strikes but Tanaka stood tall at the end when he pulled off his elbow pad and struck Takeshita raw with an unprotected Rolling Elbow. There was no kicking out after that.
Tanaka said he was so happy to fight Takeshita today because of the struggle he gave him. When Takeshita left ringside, Yuki Iino approached the ring threatening to cash in his Right To Challenge Gauntlet. However it was only a threat and he left without doing anything. Tanaka had an opportunity to choose his next challenger again but he wasn’t sure who to pick. Suddenly, Yukio Sakaguchi sprung into the ring! He wants the next title shot in April. The match was accepted with Tanaka standing on the middle rope so he could look down on Sakaguchi. The final words went to Sakaguchi. In April will win the KO-D Title and Kazusada Higuchi will win the Saitama Super Arena Sword. That will mean when June comes around, the main event of Saitama Super Arena will be occupied entirely by Eruption! Sakaguchi then thanked the fans for coming out today. He works a regular job along with his pro wrestling career so he is grateful that the fans continue to support DDT. In return everybody in DDT is encouraged to do their best.
Easy come, easy go. The first DDT UNIVERSAL Champion loses the belt in his first defence. An out of ring brawl made up the early part of the match with Chris Brookes attempting to put Daisuke Sasaki through some chairs with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Instead Sasaki dropped both Brookes and himself into the row of chairs with a Russian Leg Sweep. Sasaki also hit a Diving Elbow Drop from the ring corner to a seated Brookes outside the ring. DAMNATION interfered once Brookes regained some ground. Sasaki intentionally used Brookes to take out Daisuke Kiso. Tetsuya Endo’s Overhead Kick hit Sasaki by mistake and Brookes hit the Praying Mantis Bomb. Kiso counted the pin until Mad Paulie pulled him out of the ring. Brookes wiped out DAMNATION with a dive then made Sasaki submit to the Octopus Hold but there was no referee to call the match. Nobuhiro Shimatani came in to attack Brookes with the DAMNATION signboard but Masahiro Takanashi came out to get rid of him. Kiso got back up to count some nearfalls like Sasaki’s Diving Elbow and Brookes’ Tombstone Piledriver. Brookes went for the Praying Mantis Bomb once more but Sasaki countered it into the Cross Facelock. He then switched it into the Crossover Facelock to make Brookes submit.
Sasaki’s first words as the new champion was “Old dog never die!” He said all beer from the UK is soft with no carbonation so he will not take on any challengers from Britain anymore. Antonio Honda entered the ring to challenge Sasaki but he tripped over the ropes. He got back up and said Sasaki has a filthy heart. Sasaki began to meditate to fix that problem but Honda told him to get back up. Honda challenged Sasaki to a title match but he was turned down.
As briefly mentioned earlier, Eruption has the main event of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” in their sights. Sakaguchi is going straight after the KO-D Title while Higuchi is now targeting Endo for the SSA Sword. Higuchi threw Endo for a loop by using a Package Power Bomb but it was Sakaguchi who won the match by pinning Shimatani. T-Hawk was earlier taken out with a Higuchi Lariat so it was a rough match for the Business Alliance.
When the match ended, El Lindaman promoted the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match he, Endo & T-Hawk will be a part of in two days time. ALL OUT interrupted the Business Alliance because Royce Chambers had something to say. He will be going back to Australia tomorrow so he is using his Right To Challenge Gauntlet to win the SSA Sword right now! Chambers went for the kill by using his own high flying moves to counter Endo’s. They both used Canadian Destroyers on each other but Endo took it one step further by doing a Double Arm Canadian Destroyer. Chambers kicked out of the pin after that but was down and out when Endo hit the Shooting Star Press. Endo got on the mic and said as long as he is in the ring, nobody else will get the chance to be at the top! He told Chambers to study more Japanese if he ever comes back. He then joked about wrestling in saunas before warning ALL OUT that the Business Alliance will win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles! Whoever comes out as the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions after 22nd March will defend the belts against DISASTER BOX on 4th April.
Naomichi Marufuji was back to team with DISASTER BOX and his partnership with HARASHIMA in particular had not lost a step. When Yuki Ueno dove out of the ring onto Iino & Chambers, it left HARASHIMA & Marufuji alone with Akito. Together they hit a Double Thrust Kick, Marufuji did the Shiranui and HARASHIMA won with the Somato.
After the match, HARASHIMA thanked Marufuji for reforming HarashiMarufuji after a long time apart. They brought up the idea of tagging together at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. That caused CIMA & Soma Takao to come out. CIMA made fun of the HarashiMarufuji team name. It isn’t an easy name to say. CimaSoma is easy to say which means it is a better name. CIMA could have confronted Marufuji back on the 3rd January DDT show but he was occupied with Business Alliance stuff. In the end CimaSoma challenged HarashiMarufuji to a match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. Marufuji isn’t interested in fighting Takao but he can’t turn down the chance to wrestle CIMA for the first time since their Budokan tag match in NOAH way back in 2007!
A Mad Splash from CIMA followed by a Mad Splash from Takao gave the Business Alliance the victory in the 8-Man Tag Match. The bout was Shinya Aoki’s first 8-Man Tag Match and also the return of Mike Bailey to DDT. Aoki found out after the match that his next DDT Extreme Title defence is on 5th April. An opponent has not been decided yet but he would like to face Makoto Oishi in a matchup between Sambo and Judo. Meanwhile The Moonlight Express want to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles so they can claim the shiny new championship belts.
The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title lineage was fractured into multiple co-champions during the Battle Royal. Before the match even begun, Takanashi pinned Toru Owashi during his entrance to win the belt. Everyone chased Takanashi into the ring so the Rumble style entries were thrown out and a regular Battle Royal began. Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato pinned Takanashi at the same time to they became co-champions. The two of them were then all pinned by Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase at the same time creating 4 co-champions! Kazuki Hirata had to eliminated each of the 4 co-champions to unify the title back into one whole piece. All of that hard work was taken away when Owashi pinned Hirata after the match to become the champion again.
The debuting Hideki Okatani was pinned in his first match as expected. He was mostly on the defensive against Naomi Yoshimura and also Keigo Nakamura. He was able to do a Northern Lights Suplex after Shunma Katsumata softened Yoshimura up. But a Lariat put Okatani down for the three count. Just like Nakamura, Okatani’s goal is to beat a senior wrestler as soon as possible.
The trainee Jordan Heatley faced Higuchi in the pre-show exhibition match. Heatley tried to put on a Tazzmission but Higuchi instead submitted him with the Canadian Backbreaker. Heatley will make his official debut against Honda on 2nd April.
Yoshiaki Yatsu appeared to introduce the show and also promote his return match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”.
The 5th opponent in Saki Akai’s “Okibariyasu” trial is Syuri. Akai knows Syuri is a powerful kicker so she is looking forward to comparing them with her own kicks. Their match is on 2nd April.
DDT is holding a Falls Count Anywhere Match inside the Saitama Anzukai Clinic to protect the elderly from the COVID-19. The match on 30th March will be Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinya Aoki, Makoto Oishi & Gabai Ji-chan.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 