Next Step Game, Card For Max Heart Final, Judgement 2025 Update

January 27, 2025

GANBARE☆JOSHI/KITSUNE “GANJO X KITSUNE”, 28/01/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. YuuRI & Ayame Sasamura Vs Kohaku & Nanami
2. Tae Honma, AKARI & Yappy Vs Mochi Natsumi, Yuki Mashiro & Grizzly Fujitaki
3. Moeka Haruhi Vs Arisa Shinose
4. Mixed Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari & Chanyota Vs Keisuke Ishii & Echika Miyabi
5. Kitsune World Title: MICHIKO (c) Vs Yuna Manase

Tomorrow is Yuna Manase’s chance to win the Kitsune World Title back from MICHIKO.

DDT “NEXT STEP GAME 2025”, 05/02/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Akito & Yuki Iino Vs Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato
2. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Soma Takao
3. Special Tag Match: Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion & Yuni
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – B Block: To-y Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2025 – A Block: Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuki Ishida
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & MAO
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) Vs Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga

A non-title victory at yesterday’s show has resulted in Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga becoming the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Matsunaga has promised to turn the world upside down by beating DAMNATION T.A again this time when the titles are on the line.

After fighting each other in the ring a few times already, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato are now going to try out teaming together.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 08/02/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yoshiko Hasegawa, Kaya Toribami & Chika Nanase Vs Shino Suzuki, Ivy Steele & Kira Summer
2. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mifu Ashida
3. Raku & Ram Kaichow Vs Mahiro Kiryu & Haruna Neko
4. Arisu Endo Vs Wakana Uehara
5. Miu Watanabe Vs Uta Takami
6. Yuki Aino Vs Haru Kazashiro
7. Mizuki & HIMAWARI Vs Rika Tatsumi & Toga
8. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Jada Stone
9. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao

The Max Heart Tournament is coming down to Pompaler versus Kyoraku Kyomei. Can Pom Harajuku’s recent run of success continue thanks to the sharp aim of Max The Impaler or will Max Heart glory finally find its way towards Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao.

We’re getting a preview of what Mizuki against Rika Tatsumi is going to be like.

It’s another lunch date for Raku & Ram Kaichow.

Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh and Moka Miyamoto will not be at the show because they will be wrestling over in Chile that weekend.

DDT “JUST BEFORE JUDGEMENT 2025! BIG SALES AND PRESS CONFERENCE FESTIVAL IN OTA WARD INDUSTRIAL PLAZA”, 16/03/2025
Ota Ward Industrial Plaza (PiO) 4th Floor Convention Hall

1. Falls Count Anywhere Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno & Keigo Nakamura

A few days before DDT’s 28th Anniversary show there will be a public event featuring press conferences, contract signings, autograph sessions and also a Falls Count Anywhere match.

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2025 ~28TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 20/03/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Kazusada Higuchi Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs X
2. DDT Extreme Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Yuki Iino
3. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs X

According to Chris Brookes there are around ten people he would like to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against and he needs time to whittle the list down to one challenger. He has until 23rd February to make his decision.

The new DDT Universal Champion already has his first challenger in mind but it might take a while for it to happen. Yuki Ueno fought Minoru Suzuki for the first time last year in a tag match and he wants nothing more than to face him one on one. The Universal Title is now his treasure so he is going to use it to get “Pirate King” Suzuki’s attention. However Suzuki has his own schedule to deal with so if he takes up the challenge it might not be able to happen at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show. So if Suzuki cannot make that date, Ueno will still have a title defence on the show.

I thought Yuni was the only opponent Danshoku Dieno was forbidden to fight but it turns out there is someone else. DDT avoided booking Dieno against Yuki Iino for so long because of their history together as part of Pheromones. However Akito felt now is the time to do the match and Iino himself also wants it to happen. Dieno isn’t pleased to have the match happen against his wishes but he will allow it to happen as long as Hisaya Imabayashi is forced to be part of the match somehow. We’ll have to wait and see what role the DDT GM will have to play.

Nine months after his last wrestling match, Kazusada Higuchi will return from his injuries ready to give it his all in the ring again.


DDT “NEW YEAR, NEW HERO. 2025 ~A NEW STORY BEGINS~” Results

January 26, 2025

DDT “NEW YEAR, NEW HERO. 2025 ~A NEW STORY BEGINS~”, 26/01/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Yuki Iino & Daichi Sato defeated Soma Takao & Yukio Naya when Iino pinned Takao with the Spear (9:30).
2. MAO & Toru Owashi defeated Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when MAO pinned Honda with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (8:29).
3. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul when Matsunaga pinned KANON with a Sideways Cradle Hold (9:20).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Life’s Sparkle Rules: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Gorgeous Matsuno with an Inside Cradle (9:47).
*V2 for Danshoku Dieno.
5. Road To D GENERATIONS CUP 2025! Special 8-Man Tag Match: To-y, Yuya Koroku, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated Takeshi Masada, Keigo Nakamura, Ilusion & Yuki Ishida when Koroku submitted Nakamura with the Modified Triangle Lancer (12:53).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Gringo Loco (c) with the WR (15:40).
*Gringo Loco fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 17th DDT Universal Champion!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Shuji Ishikawa with the Ground Octopus Stretch (22:21).
*V2 for Chris Brookes.

The second KO-D Openweight Title defence is in the bag for Chris Brookes. He was given a big challenge in the form of Shuji Ishikawa so he took some big risks to try and beat him. He tried attacking him with a stapler but Ishikawa did the same to him. Brookes set up a table at ringside but Ishikawa put him through it with the Fire Thunder and then attacked him with the remains to make the champ bleed. Brookes was able to deal some damage with the Somato and Praying Mantis Bomb but Ishikawa kicked out of them. Ishikawa pulled out another Fire Thunder but Brookes kept on fighting, even kicking out after he was given the Kamigoye and the Splash Mountain. An opening was badly needed to reverse him fortunes and Brookes found one when he avoided the Giant Slam. He jumped onto Ishikawa and clamped him into the Octopus Stretch, pulling him down to the mat and tightening the hold until Ishikawa gave up.

Ishikawa declined to shake Brookes’s hand after the match and left the ring. Brookes was then met with Akito who was serving as the GM in place of Hisaya Imabayashi today. Akito told him the next KO-D Title match will be at DDT’s 28th Anniversary show in Korakuen Hall on 20th March. He asked if Brookes had an opponent in mind? Brookes said there are around 10 people he would like to defend the title against but right now he cannot think straight because of the match he just had. Akito told him he has until the 23rd February Korakuen show to nominate his challenger. Brookes then decided to sing some karaoke in place of Ishikawa, singing “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. But when he reached the chorus, Ishikawa suddenly returned to the ring to join in! He then shook Brookes’s hand and left again. Backstage he promised the next time he fights Brookes he will be singing The Beatles for karaoke afterwards.

The DDT Universal Title has spent the last two months travelling around North America with Gringo Loco. Today was the first time he was wrestling in Japan since winning the championship at DDT’s Seattle weekend back in November. Yuki Ueno was his opponent of choice and the two provided a match filled with high flying and high impact moves. There were plenty of Frankensteiners, Destroyers and Spanish Flies to be seen. Loco hit the Base Bomb onto the ring apron and also gave Ueno an Avalanche Falcon Arrow. However Ueno hit back with the Dropkick to the Face, a Reverse Hurricanrana and then the WR to win the match and become the new champion! The two shook hands and Ueno told Loco he will see him next time in America.

Ueno called the Universal Title a divine belt that he won again for the first time in years. As much as he would like to spend a month going overseas to defend the belt in countries like America and Mexico, there is another idea he wants to do first. When he thinks about who he could defend the title against, one person immediately came to mind. There is a “Pirate King” he fought last year that he would like to fight again and he finally has the treasure needed to lure him back to DDT. He wants Minoru Suzuki! Akito heard his request and said he will pass it on to Suzuki. A decision over whether or not the title match can happen will depend on Suzuki’s schedule.

With the D GENERATIONS CUP about to start next month, all eight participants were eager to show what they are made of in an 8-Man Tag preview. Well, most of them were. Ilusion spent the last few days complaining about being sick and not wanting to wrestle today so he was nowhere to be seen at the start. His team had to wrestle 4-on-3 until Ilusion finally showed up to attack Takeshi Masada even though they were meant to be partners. They continued to get in each other’s way, allowing Kazuma Sumi & To-y to both get some moves in on them. Keigo Nakamura also got involved trying stop Ilusion from attacking the other team with a chair, distracting him long enough for Masada to Super Kick him. So Ilusion decided to get revenge by attacking Masada with the chair, leaving Nakamura & Yuki Ishida to spend the rest of the match fighting 2 against 4. Ishida in particular used his sumo power to fend off To-y, Yuni & Sumi. That left Nakamura and Yuya Koroku fighting each other by themselves. Koroku blocked Nakamura’s Crucifix Pin and turned it into the Modified Triangle Lancer to get the tap out win for his team.

According to Danshoku Dieno the most important thing in the world is the next second you live so his DDT Extreme Title match against Gorgeous Matsuno only needed a One Count Pinfall to win. The rule meant Matsuno needed to be at his absolute best while his back was against the wall. He constantly kicked out of Dieno’s moves before the pins could be counted but as the match went on, everybody noticed that Dieno was hesitant to use the Lip Lock on his 63 year old opponent. Matsuno saw his chance to win when Dieno missed a Moonsault. He gave Dieno his own Lip Lock, causing Dieno to wretch and collapse to the mat. Matsuno then hit the Gorgeous Superstar Elbow onto Dieno’s back. But when he rolled Dieno over, Dieno caught him with an Inside Cradle to get the one count pin and win.

Matsuno accepted defeat and shook Dieno’s hand before leaving the ring. Akito then told Dieno there is one person he would like Dieno to defend the Extreme Title defence on 20th March. It’s Yuki Iino! Akito explained it is the one match DDT has been avoiding. Their history together as Pheromones continues to cause a lot of trouble because videos of their matches recently demonetized DDT’s Youtube channel. However Akito would like Dieno and Iino to face each other before Pheromones completely disappears from everyone’s memories. Dieno argued against the decision because he wants to decide when he will fight Iino, not DDT. Iino told Dieno it was never the company’s decision to make him quit Pheromones, it was his own. He is also challenging Dieno for the Extreme Title out of his own free will, not because Akito asked him to do it. Akito ensured the two they can do whatever they want in the match as long as it results in the best Extreme Title bout ever. Dieno said he will do it but on one condition. Hisaya Imabayashi must be the referee! Akito agreed to his request and said he will take full responsibility for everything that will happen to Imabayashi.

The next challengers for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles made themselves known after they beat DAMNATION T.A in a non-title bout. Tomomitsu Matsunaga used KANON’s momentum against him and used an Arm-Trap Cradle to get the three count. Afterward he said he can sense the team of himself, Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA are good enough to fight Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul again this time with the titles on the line. Akito agreed and booked a title match for 5th February at Shinjuku FACE. Matsunaga promised his team will turn the world upside down when they win the titles from DAMNATION T.A!

When Antonio Honda was winding up his Bionic Elbow in Match #2, MAO quickly removed his own wrestling gear to reveal he was wearing his Antonio Honda XL costume underneath. The two then did mirror spots to Toru Owashi and Masahiro Takanashi before fighting each other in a mirrored setting. MAO ended up becoming the better Honda by reversing the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch for the pinfall. They played Honda’s victory music after the match anyway.

The teenage heavyweight Daichi Sato wanted to fight Yukio Naya directly, leaving Yuki Iino to put away Soma Takao without much danger to worry about.

During the show Kazuasada Higuchi made an appearance to announce his return from injury. He had taken time off from wrestling last June to recover from several injuries including a cervical hernia. Higuchi told the fans he will return on 20th March because the ring means everything to him.

More details were announced for DDT’s collaboration with the anime “Brave Bang Bravern”. There will be merchandise of the characters Isami Ao & Lewis Smith dressed up as Yuki Ueno & MAO under the tag team name Brave Knights. Also on 23rd February DDT will host the pro wrestling debut of the Bravern, the anime’s star mecha! Bravern’s wrestling costume will be designed by the anime’s director Masami Obari.


DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2025 ~ANSWERS WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~” Results

January 3, 2025

DDT “NEW YEAR☆DRAMATIC PARADE 2025 ~ANSWERS WILL BE REVEALED ONE YEAR LATER~”, 03/01/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans

1. To-y, Akito & Soma Takao defeated Toru Owashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when To-y pinned Matsunaga with the Kojima Impact (6:45).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul, Demus & Ilusion defeated Yuni, Kazuma Sumi, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida when Ilusion pinned Ishida with the Swanton Bomb (9:21).
3. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Yoshihiko submitted Hirata with the Arc de Triomphe Hold (11:54).
*V1 for MAO & Yoshihiko.
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Hikaru Sato defeated Shinya Aoki, Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura when Brookes submitted Nakamura with the Ground Octopus Stretch (13:39).
5. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Yuya Koroku with an Exploder Suplex (13:50).
6. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Jun Akiyama defeated Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when TAKESHITA pinned Iino with the Raging Fire (18:46).
7. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger 4 Way Match: Shuji Ishikawa defeated Danshoku Dieno, HARASHIMA and KANON when Ishikawa pinned KANON with the Splash Mountain (13:20).

A new year brings new challenges. The main event for DDT’s first show of 2025 was a 4 Way Match to determine the No. 1 Contender for the KO-D Openweight Title. The four competitors all have never faced Chris Brookes for the title before so whoever wins would be a brand new challenger for the champion. Danshoku Dieno was extra grabby than usual given the amount of people in the match and Shuji Ishikawa became everyone’s target for being the biggest threat. HARASHIMA almost beat him with the Somato and same went for Dieno using the Gaydo Clutch on him. KANON attacked Dieno in the corner and left him knocked over in the Hell Gate position. That came back to haunt KANON because Ishikawa lifted him up and drove him head first into Dieno’s backside. KANON got revenge by giving Ishikawa the Sleepy Hollow but he only got a two count out of it. Ishikawa returned the attack by giving KANON the Fire Thunder on top of Dieno’s butt. Ishikawa later cut off Dieno with a Knee Lift and pinned KANON with the Splash Mountain to win the match.

Ishikawa told Brookes after the match that he’s wanted a real singles match with him after they wrestled each other in Osaka last May. He knows Brookes is at his strongest whenever he fights for the KO-D Title. So Ishikawa will face him head to head and beat him at his strongest to become the new champion! Brookes told Ishikawa this will be the most interesting title defence. Ishikawa is a little scary but he will be looking forward to fighting him. Ishikawa then promised when he beats Brookes to a pulp on 26th January he will take the belt and sing karaoke in the ring once more to celebrate!

Konosuke Takeshita started a busy weekend by returning to DDT once more with Don Callis joining him. Waiting for him were two heavyweights each hungry to surpass him. Takeshita teamed with Jun Akiyama for the match but it felt more like a 2-Vs-1 Handicap match because Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya were both determined to beat Takeshita directly. They worked together to try and break down Takeshita. Iino hit the Burning Elbow but Takeshita hit him back with the Knee Strike. Naya Choke Slammed Takeshita but Akiyama got in and threw him with the Exploder Suplex. That left Iino to fight Takeshita by himself. He hit two Spears but Takeshita blocked a third one and used the Raging Fire to pin him straight away. Takeshita’s message to his opponents is to never forget how they feel today. The big wrestlers need to train and work 100 times harder than the smaller wrestlers. It’s up to them to make that their weakness or their weapon. Takeshita also gave his support to Tetsuya Endo for his excursion to NOAH. His message to him is putting your life on the line is life changing and he looks forward to seeing him rise up from here. Iino said he is having a great time fighting tough heavyweights like Takeshita and Tomohiro Ishii. Naya promised to avenge this loss to Takeshita when DDT goes back to America in April!

This week is the last we will see Tetsuya Endo in DDT for a while. He made the decision to go wrestle in NOAH for the foreseeable future (he will still be DDT affiliated when he does). His last DDT match will be on 5th January but before that happened he fought Yuya Koroku today. Iino was at ringside for the match so the three final members of BURNING were together. Koroku targeted Endo’s arm and even went high flying with a Moonsault. But Endo had him done for with the Torture Rack Bomb and Burning Star Press. Rather than pin him with that move, Endo got Koroku back up, told him to do his best while he’s gone and then gave him an Exploder Suplex to win the match.

After the match Endo told Koroku he will be find after the breakup of BURNING. He was able to stand with spirit at the end of the match and if he can keep that up he can do it alone from now on. BURNING is gone but Endo will never forget the three years he spent with Iino & Koroku. Endo will now be wrestling in NOAH but that doesn’t mean he is leaving DDT. Once he takes the top spot in NOAH he will come back to take the top sport in DDT! He told Iino and Koroku to get stronger because the next time they fight it will be when the KO-D title on the line!

Match #4 had a pair of unusual appearances in it. First Hikaru Sato came in on short notice to replace Takeshi Masada who was out with a suspected fever. Also Bryce Remsburg from AEW served as the referee for the bout. Sato got involved with CDK’s prank team work while Remsburg was tricked by the other team into taking part in the reversal. Shinya Aoki got to tussle with Sato and also hit a Topé Suicida to everyone outside. Keigo Nakamura missed a Diving Headbutt aimed for Brookes but kicked out of a Piledriver. Brookes then put him in the Octopus Stretch and increased the pressure until Nakamura gave up.

Some French flavour was added to the proceedings with a BZW Tag Team Titles defence. MAO & Yoshihiko came into the match as champions ready to fight the just as wacky pairing of Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda. Yoshihiko interrupted Honda’s Gongitsune spot by using AI to come up with its own folk tale to tell everybody. Yoshihiko also grabbed the legs of both opponents and held them in a Double Achilles Tendon Hold called the Arc de Triomphe Hold. The challengers couldn’t withstand the pain and gave up. MAO wants to defend the titles even more and called out teams from any country to come challenge them.

DAMNATION T.A took out a team of youngsters early in the card. Daichi Sato wanted to go toe-to-toe against the similarly sized MJ Paul. The two ended up fighting towards the commentary table where voice actress Hana Hishikawa was sitting as a special guest. She is a notable fan of Paul so he was happy to take a quick time out to go shake her hand before continuing his fight with Sato. Kazuma Sumi and Demus continued their little rivalry with quick exchanges in the ring. Daisuke Sasaki led a train attack on Yuki Ishida and despite a small comeback from Ishida, Ilusion ended up pinning him with the Swanton Bomb.

For the opening match Akito asked Sanshiro Takagi to come down to the ring and come up with a theme for the match. Takagi decided the winner would receive a New Year’s Gift from him taken from his own pocket. The promise of a rich prize was just the encouragement everyone needed to do their best. Toru Owashi and To-y got into a Chop Battle, Super Sasadango Machine and Soma Takao did whatever they could to win and Tomomitsu Matsunaga threw Lariats at whoever was near him friend of foe. In the end To-y pinned Matsunaga with the Kojima Impact and received 10,000 yen from Takagi as his prize. Everyone then tried to attack Takagi for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title until he ran off.


DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024” Results

December 28, 2024

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024”, 28/12/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
3,579 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated Demus & Ilusion when Sumi pinned Demus with the School Boy (9:05).
2. Shuji Ishikawa, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated Masahiro Takanashi, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida when Ishikawa pinned Ishida with the Fire Thunder (8:59).
3. Special Tag Match ~ O-MENZ Kumadori Debut Match: Makoto Oishi & Akito defeated Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori when Oishi pinned Hirata with a Northern Lights Bomb (0:06).
3a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori defeated Makoto Oishi & Akito when Hirata pinned Oishi after the Air Double Helio from Kumadori (10:44).
4. TJPW Vs DDT Full-Scale 6-Man Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku defeated Toru Owashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda when Tatsumi pinned Honda with the Missile Hip (12:17).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Haruto Sakuraba Debut Match: KANON, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Iino & Soma Takao when KANON pinned Takao with the Vietnam Driver II (12:52).
6. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Yukio Naya with the Front Neck Lock (13:24).
7. Special Tag Match: Kenoh & Yu Owada defeated Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Kenoh submitted Nakamura with the Kenoh Special (11:41).
8. Special Single Match: Invisible Man defeated Danshoku Dieno (w/ Tetsu Inada) with a Danshoku Driver Counter (11:13).
9. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Takeshi Masada with the WR (16:23).
10. 85th KO-D Tag Team Titles Decision Match: MAO & To-y defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when To-y pinned Koroku with the Kojima Impact (24:17)
*The 37KAMIINA becomes the 85th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Praying Mantis Bomb II (36:55).
*V1 for Chris Brookes.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated HARASHIMA (c) by TKO with the Tegatana (6:35 pm).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,703rd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Takagi defeated HARASHIMA with the Stone Cold Stunner (6:36 pm).
*Sanshiro Takagi becomes the 1,704th champion.

There’s still a few days left before the new year but DDT’s 2024 came to a close at Sumo Hall today. Daisuke Sasaki came over here looking to end Chris Brookes’s reign as the KO-D Openweight Title and bring DDT back to a more grimy atmosphere. However the feud between SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A coming up to this match showed Brookes is just as capable of fighting that way as he is with having a fair fight. So too was Yukinori Matsui of all people. The referee reached his breaking point from the constant interference from both sides that he grabbed a chair at ringside and was willing to attack any of them with it! Both units took his warning to heart and left ringside so the match could continue one on one. The violence still escalated with Brookes Piledriving Sasaki through a table at ringside. Sasaki fought back by seating Brookes onto a chair in the first row and hitting the Super Diving Elbow. DAMNATION T.A returned to pull Matsui out of the ring right when Brookes had Sasaki beaten with the Praying Mantis Bomb. SCHADENFREUDE also came back to cause another all out fight between the two sides. Brookes and Sasaki then attacked each other with staplers until Sasaki threw Brookes into the ref so he could Low Blow him and then hit a chair shot. But nothing he did could put Brookes away, not even El Es Culero which he took from El Desperado. Instead Brookes was able to slap Sasaki down, give him a Penalty Kick and pin him with an elevated version of the Praying Mantis Bomb.

With the battle finally over, Brookes offered to shake Sasaki’s hand after the match and Sasaki actually went through with it. Brookes told Sumo Hall he was able to win with love but he knows pro wrestling needs bad people like Sasaki to fight the good people like himself. Brookes then invited the DDT roster down to the ring to close out the show and comment on how the year went for them. Brookes told the fans he thought last year would be the final time he headlined Sumo Hall so he is happy to have done it again today. In 2025 he wants to achieve more dreams as the KO-D Champion. Backstage Sasaki told reporters he is going to take an extended break from wrestling for a while. He was asked when he plans to return and he said he’ll definitely be back on… 3rd January 2025.

The vacant KO-D Tag Team Titles were on the line in a match pitting two members of The 37KAMIINA against two wrestlers from BURNING. Due to Shunma Katsumata’s injury, the story turned into the growing rivalry between To-y and Yuya Koroku. The rivalry continued to be the focus here with Tetsuya Endo kept trying to fire Koroku up. Endo and MAO took each other out late in the match so it came down to the young pair. To-y avoided Koroku’s gameplan to target the arm and used a misdirection from running the ropes to catch Koroku off guard. His plan worked and after he pinned Koroku with the Kojima Impact, MAO & To-y became the new champions!

To-y said he is never going to forget the day he won this title. MAO also praised him because just when MAO thought he has done it all with The 37KAMIINA, along comes To-y to give him new things to do. MAO has experienced big victories in Sumo Hall before and he wanted To-y to experience the same to show how you get rewarded for your hard work. They were then approached backstage by Yuni & Kazuma Sumi. The two of them want a title shot on behalf of NωA Jr. To-y accepted the challenge but MAO had to be convinced because he doesn’t want to be associated with idols again. The title match will happen on 18th January.

A big change came from the losing side as a result of this match. BURNING is now splitting up! Endo made the decision but not for any negative reasons. While he was standing in the ring after the match he realized how much Koroku has grown as a wrestler and came to the conclusion that he does not need BURNING anymore. Koroku has fully become a pro wrestler and Yuki Iino has also reestablished himself as a strong fighter. Endo wants to keep growing to reach his own potential so the time is now for them to take their own separate paths. Koroku said the unit helped him grow a lot and he will no longer look down on himself anymore. Endo’s last piece of advice to him was it is ok to feel frustration.

Yuki Ueno took it upon himself to teach Takeshi Masada a lesson in wrestling. Masada always has high expectations to reach and pulled out a top rope version of his finisher to try and win. But Ueno couldn’t be beat and found an opening to twist Masada into the Body Choke Sleeper to wear him down. Masada started to crumble from there and Ueno kept up the attack until he could pin him with the WR. Ueno wants Masada to know he is here for him in DDT. He shouldn’t be listening to the people who give him high expectations about his future. Instead Masada should believe in himself in the present. He should get be more selfish, get even weirder and gradually he will round out his game more and more. In 2025 Yuki Ueno will enjoy being himself because only those who can express themselves will have a future.

Okay we didn’t realize just how cursed of an idea Danshoku Dieno Vs Great-O-Khan was going to be. First O-Khan gets pulled from the show by New Japan due to injury, then the only opponent DDT could find on short notice was The Invisible Man and now on the day of the show one of the special guests for the match Kentaro Kumagai could no longer make it due to illness. So it was all up to Dieno and Tetsu Inada to carry the match by themselves (with The Invisible Man of course). The referee and the commentary team all wore special glasses that would let them see The Invisible Man while Dieno wore special contact lenses that did the same thing. The match turned into a brawl up the entrance ramp that ended with The Invisible Man doing a dive off of the stage. Back in the ring he hit a Triple Moonsault and was shocked when Dieno kicked out of it. He tried hitting Dieno with multiple Axe Bombers but Dieno fired himself up by stripping off his costume piece by piece. But when he made his comeback, five other Invisible Men interfered! Then an Invisible Woman named See-Through came to Dieno’s rescue and fought them off for him. Dieno went back to give The Invisible Man the Danshoku Driver but it was countered into a sudden cradle for the three count.

After the match The Invisible Man gave Dieno credit for pushing him this far. He told Dieno that someday the ruler of the human world who should have fought him in the first place will reappear along with his loyal follower. He told Dieno to call their names out loud enough for them to hear. Inada apologized for not being to help Dieno more because he got caught up fighting the other Invisible Men. He promised to be by his side again whenever the match with O-Khan takes place. Dieno assured him they haven’t lost the battle because O-Khan and Kumagai are not here. The four of them will have their fated fight one day. Until then everyone should continue to go out and live their lives to the fullest.

It was a battle of pride between DDT and NOAH. The home team of Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura certainly felt it when they fought Kenoh & Yu Owada. They fought around ringside and beat lumps out of each other. Nakamura tried to do his own attempt at Aoki’s Full Nelson Hold to pin Kenoh but the NOAH wrestler kicked out of it and made him tap out to the Kenoh Special. Aoki and Kenoh then kept fighting after the bell until they were kept apart. Aoki’s in a good mood about it though. He thinks DDT got the moral victory today because of Nakamura’s performance. He also thinks Kenoh secretly had a lot of fun out there. Aoki would love to have a rematch or even a singles match with Kenoh. He says it is up to the fans to decide if it will happen. Kenoh spent his post-match interview backstage promoting NOAH’s Budokan Hall show on 1st January.

Over on the heavyweight side of the roster Jun Akiyama showed everyone that Yukio Naya still hasn’t met his potential yet. Naya Choke Slammed him onto the ring apron and hit other big moves like the Diving Elbow and The World’s Best Back Drop. But Akiyama kept kicking out and fought back with Knee Strikes and Exploder Suplexes. He went to finish him off with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder but Naya blocked it. So Akiyama switched over to the Front Neck Lock and made him give up. Akiyama admits that Naya is better than him at everything now but the difference is 33 years of determination. He will wait for Naya to come fight him again. Naya is now worried about a comment Konosuke Takeshita recently made. If this generation carries on like they are now then they will become the generation that left nothing behind. Naya swears he will get a rematch with Akiyama in 2025 and finally beat him.

The debut of “THE MONSTER” Haruto Sakuraba gave DAMNATION T.A their only victory of the show. His size and power left Yuki Iino shaken when they charged each other in the ring. With that taken care of, KANON & MJ Paul were able to pick off the rest of the other team ending with KANON using the Vietnam Driver II to pin Soma Takao. He praised Sakuraba’a overwhelming size and power while Sakuraba called out for more people to fight him. While HARASHIMA agrees with Sakuraba’a strengths, he pointed out that as a rookie he still has a long way to go. He hopes to see Sakuraba work even harder from now on and will be happy to fight him more anytime.

DDT lost their other inter-promotional match, this time to Tokyo Joshi Pro. Good thing they are all under the same CyberFight umbrella. The TJPW team actually met with the DDT team before the match offering a box of treats. But when Toru Owashi was about to accept it, Pom Harajuku hit all of the DDT wrestler over the head with the box. The match itself got so heated up that management even got involved! Hisaya Imabayashi and Tetsuya Koda fought each other in the ring at different points in the match. Super Sasadango Machine tried to give Hyper Misao the Vertical Drop Lehman Shock but Misao fought him off with her spray can. Antonio Honda tried telling a dirty Gongitsune joked but Koda stopped him for the sake of the TJPW wrestlers. Imabayashi ran in and hit Koda with the Uraken but fell over in the process, giving Koda the chance to hit him with the Finally kick before he collapsed. Misao brought in the Hyper Mobile and crashed it into Honda. The match slowed down and even included a flashback from Honda. The Hyper Mobile returned but Owashi & Sasadango accidentally crashed it into Honda. Rika Tatsumi then hit the Missile Hip to Honda for the victory.

Later backstage Imabayashi told the DDT team that as a result of this match, TJPW will get all of the profits made from today’s show. The wrestlers came up with the excuse that they are all freelancers so none of them are really effected by that. Honda promised to get revenge by winning the Princess Rumble tomorrow. Sasadango then confronted the TJPW team wanting to talk to Misao. He challenged her to a singles match but this time Sasadango will ditch the mask and wrestle as Muscle Sakai! Not only that but he wants the match to happen at Sanshiro Takagi’s 30th Anniversary show on 3rd February. Misao accepted so we are going to get a battle of who has the better sense of humour!

The other celebrity debut was over before it could even begin. Kumadori got to do his entrance with the rest of O-MENZ but seconds into the match Akito attacked him while he was posing while Makoto Oishi immediately pinned Kazuki Hirata. Kumadori complained by telling Akito he shouldn’t be ambushing him like that and Hirata should have practiced more. He didn’t have anything to say about Oishi because he doesn’t care about him. The teams agreed to an instant rematch and this time Kumadori got to put in a performance he was happy with. He landed a Cancun Torndao on Oishi and Hirata jumped on top to get the pinfall. Hirata and O-MENZ then celebrated all together with a victory dance. Kumadori thanked Hirata because the Hirata GO! glasses really were helpful when he needed them.

Shuji Ishikawa got his preparation in for the upcoming 4 Way No. 1 Contender match. He went toe to toe with Daichi Sato while Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Yuki Ishida were trying to sumo wrestle each other. Masahiro Takanashi and Shinichiro Kawamatsu got some ring time against each other too but the match was won by Ishikawa beating Ishida with the Fire Thunder.

The show opened with NωA Jr. performing their debut single “New! Wrestling! Idol!” before two of them went on to wrestle in the first match. Yuni & Sumi’s big day was close to being ruined because DAMNATION T.A almost beat them. But after Ilusion hit the Swanton Bomb on Yuni, Sumi finally found a way to counter Demus’s finisher. He turned La Valagueza into a School Boy to get the three count from out of nowhere. Sumi was so happy with the win he promised to work hard as an idol while also doing his best as a pro wrestler. He also wants to have another singles match with Demus in Mexico or DDT because he knows today’s win was just a fluke.

There were a couple of Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes that happened throughout the day. Before the show began Yuki Ishida attacked the champion Yoshihiko in a hallway. Yoshihiko fended him off but Makoto Oishi jumped in and pinned the doll to become the new champion. HARASHIMA saw it happen in the distance so he joined in the fight. Oishi did not want to take the Somato before his match so he gave up and forfeited the belt to HARASHIMA. There was no further title changes until the very end when after the credits, Hirata ambushed HARASHIMA and knocked him out with the Tegatana chop to the neck. Matsui couldn’t revive HARASHIMA so he declared Hirata the new champion.

Hirata then fled with the title but found himself in a dead end inside the shower room. There he found Sanshiro Takagi taking a bath by himself. The two started arguing over Takagi taking a bath while the show was still going on and it turned into a fight. Takagi gave Hirata the Stunner and pinned him in the bath water to end the show as the new Iron Man Champion!

There will be a merchandise collaboration between DDT and the anime “Brave Bang Bravern!” coming soon. DDT will announce more details on the 26th January Korakuen Hall show.


DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024” Preview

December 26, 2024

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024”, 28/12/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Demus & Ilusion Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Shuji Ishikawa, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida
3. Special Tag Match ~ O-MENZ Kumadori Debut Match: Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori Vs Makoto Oishi & Akito
4. TJPW Vs DDT Full-Scale 6-Man Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku Vs Toru Owashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Haruto Sakuraba Debut Match: KANON, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Iino & Soma Takao
6. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Yukio Naya
7. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura Vs Kenoh & Yu Owada
8. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno (w/ Tetsu Inada) Vs Invisible Man (w/ Kentaro Kumagai)
9. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Takeshi Masada
10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & To-y Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

The final DDT show of 2024 is winding up somewhere bigger than usual. In past years DDT ends their calendar in Korakuen Hall but this time they are heading straight over to Sumo Hall. The “ULTIMATE PARTY” name is used when DDT brings in a little bit of everything in CyberFight’s orbit. We have guests from New Japan (edit: not anymore!), NOAH and Tokyo Joshi Pro coming over but none of their matches against DDT wrestlers can be described as friendly. If that doesn’t catch your attention then maybe the debut matches of two celebrities will tickle your fancy. Celebrity usage has been a success story for DDT this year. The one they caught lightning in a bottle with isn’t here though so let’s see if the formula can be repeated with other performers.

The upper end of the card has two official championship matches and would have had a third title taking place without DDT’s authorization. I’ll explain that one when we get to it. The main event is not something I saw coming when this show was announced back in July. However it’s also between two wrestlers who DDT can always rely on. The penultimate match of the evening also shines the spotlight on two of DDT’s fresh faces who have been locking horns with each other for weeks leading up to this. It’s a well balanced card the company was able to put together.

Before we begin here’s a little piece of trivia. Did you know the announcement for this show was almost spoiled by Rossy Ogawa? During an interview he did back in July he talked about having a plan to book Marigold’s second Sumo Hall show on 28th December to compete against a Stardom show he knew would be happening in the same venue the very next day (Stardom’s show also had not been announced yet at the time). However another company, which we now know is DDT, beat him to the punch and already had the date booked. So DDT unintentionally prevented a Ryogoku joshi war from happening this weekend! I know some of you out there would have preferred the joshi war but you’re stuck with us until 3rd January.


1. Demus & Ilusion Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi

The spotlight is shining on the youngsters for more than just a wrestling match here. Yuni & Kazuma Sumi are also going to make their idol singing debuts as part of NωA Jr. with Shunma Katsumata. The original NωA (New Wrestling Aidoru/Idol) was an idol unit that Katsumata was a part of from 2016 to 2018. The time has come for him to lead a new generation and the two young wrestlers were handpicked to join him. Yuni has that kind of performance in his blood because his mother was a dancer for Osaka Performance Doll in the 1990s*. Sumi however does not have much of a musical bone in his body. He did recently get an acting gig for the TV adaptation of the MMA manga Red Blue though.

The debut performance could be ruined by DAMNATION T.A if the heels get their way. Demus is a challenge that Yuni and Sumi both have trouble trying to beat. Sumi in particular has been beaten by Demus and his finishing move La Valagueza a lot. I’d almost call it an exclusive finish between the two if it wasn’t for Yuni recently getting pinned with the move too. Ilusion has also elevated himself after a nasty heel turn where he tricked SCHADENFREUDE International into accepting him as their newest member only for him to stab them all in the back and defect to DAMNATION T.A. He has a grudge with SCHADENFREUDE that’s only going to get worse. But when he’s away from that he just wants to go ruin other people’s plans.

*Yeah so long story short, the reason why DDT got away with signing Yuni to a pro wrestling contract at eight years old is because of nepotism. The story of him and his mom approaching Sanshiro Takagi asking for a tryout makes a lot more sense when you find out the mom has been in showbiz before.


2. Shuji Ishikawa, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs Masahiro Takanashi, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida

It’s an undercard trios match with nothing going into it but perhaps something it will light a match for somebody’s 2025. Shuji Ishikawa had an eventful 2024. At the start of the year he ended his deal with All Japan to wrestle as a freelancer and also take on a general manager role within Evolution Joshi. That group will soon upgrade into a bigger company called Pro Wrestling Evolution in the new year so the timing of Ishikawa working with DDT again sure is interesting. Tomomitsu Matsunaga unexpectedly got a day in the sun when Jun Akiyama asked him to be his tag partner for a KO-D Tag Team Titles shot in April as a show of appreciation for his work ethic over the years. That opened up the doors for him to get some NOAH bookings at their “LIMIT BREAK” shows too. The politician Shinichiro Kawamatsu continues to wrestle every once in a while for DDT. He told everyone that Hulk Hogan passed down the Axe Bomber to him and proved it was true with a video of them hanging out together! Does that mean he’s to blame for Hogan getting into the US political scene with Donald Trump? Kawamatsu also played a part in getting Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo to appear at DDT’s “TODEN PRO WRESTLING” match during her election campaign. Her appearance turned the match into controversy because it came off like DDT was being used to endorse a political figure (Sanshiro Takagi denies the claim and remains defensive over the matter).

The other team also seemed to be thrown together just for the sake of it. Masahiro Takanashi has been splitting his time between SCHADENFREUDE International and ChocoPro. It’s probably good he doesn’t have a heavy load to worry about on this day if he’s needed to be at ringside for the main event. Daichi Sato is a kid to keep an eye on. The 16 year old from HEAT-UP has appeared in DDT in the past under the short lived DDTeeeen!! sub-brand. He’s a big boy with a billed weight of 120kg and DDT recently started booking him again. Since young heavyweight wrestlers are few and far between in Japan nowadays he’ll be getting chances as long as he keeps up his end of the deal. A good showing here will raise his stock. Yuki Ishida took a different career route this year. He reduced his pro wrestling schedule so he could move to Osaka to  work for a sumo entertainment company. Whatever happened over there did not work out so he returned to DDT and is back wrestling full time with them again.


3. Special Tag Match ~ O-MENZ Kumadori Debut Match: Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori Vs Makoto Oishi & Akito

Brining in a celebrity heartthrob worked wonders for DDT’s business this year so they are going to try the idea a few more times. Two performers in the world of entertainment will be making their pro wrestling debuts at this show. The first one is Kumadori, a member of the flashy masked dance group called O-MENZ. They are described as a “Dance Terrorist Group” and Kumadori is considered to be their most muscular member. He met Sanshiro Takagi through an acquaintance and told him he wanted to give pro wrestling a go by using his breakdancing skills. Not long after the deal was made, Kumadori confronted Kazuki Hirata at a DDT show and demanded a dance battle between them. Hirata easily lost but offered to become Kumadori’s tag partner, knowing he’s probably not going to beat him in a wrestling match either. The rest of O-MENZ will also be in their corner because the group will provide a dance performance as part of Kumadori’s ring entrance.

Two of DDT’s most reliable hands will be on the opposing team. Makoto Oishi finished up his contract with DDT in October because his family relocated to Miyagi and he also wants to spend more time with them. He continues to take DDT bookings as a freelancer but everyone in the company briefly acted like he was retiring. Oishi also found the time to get a taxi driver license so he’s trying to become the personal driver for The Saito Brothers over in All Japan. Oishi is quite the wrestling trainer behind the scenes and played a big part in getting Kaisei Takechi ready for his matches. So he is the perfect kind of first opponent for Kumadori. Akito is no slouch either but he is trying to balance his matches along with his growing responsibilities as Sanshiro Takagi’s eventual successor in DDT management. While Takagi has moved further behind the scenes while he rehabs his injuries, Akito has taken his place this year as the person taking any post-show interviews about the state of the company.


4. TJPW Vs DDT Full-Scale 6-Man Tag Match: Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku Vs Toru Owashi, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda

The first inter-promotional match of the show pits DDT against its sister Tokyo Joshi Pro. There wasn’t anything to the match when it was first put together other than a few connecting threads to the past. Antonio Honda and Rika Tatsumi were once part of a band called DPG. That was how Tatsumi got into wrestling and started training with TJPW. Super Sasadango Machine helped set up Hyper Misao’s memorable “retirement match” that turned out to be the surprise announcement of her engagement and marriage. Tatsumi was part of that match too. As far as I know, Toru Owashi and Pom Harajuku have absolutely nothing in common. Although if this was a sitcom Owashi is the kind of guy who gets forced to babysit a three year old for an episode.

That changed when Sasadango visited a recent TJPW show with gifts for his upcoming opponents. As a proud citizen of Niigata, he supported local business by buying some luxury chocolate for Misao. They were all hers if she would agree to call off the match because Sasadango believes nobody in Sumo Hall wants to watch the DDT team violently destroy the TJPW team. While Misao was being tempted by the bribe, Tatsumi got into the ring and started strangling Sasadango, which in this case is her way of saying no. Misao joined in once she realized that bribery in public is a violation of the company rules (they kept the chocolate anyway). Sasadango got a measure of revenge by attacking TJPW GM Tetsuya Koda for not taking responsibility of his locker room’s actions. That turned this match from a friendly little intergender tag match to a company versus company battle!

Before we move on let’s quickly put the spotlight on Harajuku for a big weekend she’s going to have. She recently won the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title in Thailand (in a No DQ Match to boot) and will be having her first title defence in TJPW the day after this show. As much as it’s joked about her acting like an eternal three year old she has levelled up as a wrestler this year. The title reign is made even more special because she considers Thailand her second home because her parents used to work there and she often visited the country to see them. In fact the first time she watched wrestling was in Thailand when Michinoku Pro held some matches at an expo held over there. When she went back to Japan she started following DDT and TJPW, eventually signing up with them to become a wrestler herself. What a lovely story. One that Honda will definitely ruin once he starts telling a dirty joke via Gongitsune.


5. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Haruto Sakuraba Debut Match: KANON, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Iino & Soma Takao

Here is hot celebrity making his debut #2 and he’s even bigger than the first guy! Haruto Sakuraba has been called “The Muscular Actor” for being cast in stage adaptations for Haikyu!!, Tokyo Revengers, Grappler Baki, Final Fantasy Brave and more. The Final Fantasy show in particular is how he got here because Saki Akai was also part of the cast and she introduced him to Sanshiro Takagi. As I said earlier, new heavyweights are in short supply so when Takagi saw that Sakuraba is a 187cm tall weightlifter it was love at first sight. Sakuraba is giving wrestling a go because he is a big fan of The Rock and wants to become his Japanese equivalent. To do that he’s done his homework because what worked for The Rock is a heel turn so he too will turn heel for his debut match!

Sakuraba was given an offer by DAMNATION T.A to join their side because they see he has potential to be a villain. Sakuraba knew what they were putting down and accepted the offer. He doesn’t just want to be the Japanese version of The Rock, he wants to surpass his role model! Now nicknamed “MONSTER”, Sakuraba will be teaming with KANON & MJ Paul to take on a team of DDT faces. I don’t need to write much about HARASHIMA to tell you how important he’s been for DDT throughout most of the company’s history. Soma Takao on the other hand… well he’s more known for managing the Dropkick Bar whenever he isn’t wrestling on the DDT undercard. He doesn’t really have anything else going for himself nowadays. Not even ROMANCE DAWN is a thing anymore.

Yuki Iino is the man for Sakuraba to watch out for most of all. Iino has now fully moved on from his Pheromones gimmick, instead embracing everything that makes him a member of BURNING. He held the KO-D Tag Team Titles for around six months and also won the DDT Universal Title this year too. Sakuraba isn’t impressed though. Not when Iino is smaller in person than he thought. The two had a brief fight where Sakuraba claimed Iino is so weak it makes his own muscles cry! Iino recently fought Tomohiro Ishii and even though he lost, it should be enough preparation for Iino to fight a “MONSTER” like Sakuraba.


6. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Yukio Naya

2024 could have been the year Yukio Naya finally showed his potential to become a big player for DDT. He won the D-Ou Grand Prix in January, got a KO-D Openweight Title shot less than a month later and that was kind of it for him getting any new career defining highlights. He got knocked out in the first round of the King Of DDT and then had the kind of feud with Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami where he kept getting the short end of the stick until he won in the end. Not sure what went wrong for him this year other than DDT deciding to move their main event scene away from the heavyweights.

If there is a way for him to make up for any progress he lost in the last year then beating Jun Akiyama in a singles match should do it. Akiyama’s main event years in DDT are now behind him but he is still accomplishing a lot in the ring. He won the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles as part of D.O.A, made appearances in NOAH, New Japan and AEW again and joins in with DDT’s sillier matches whenever he is in the mood to do so. Maybe fighting Naya one on one will light a fire beneath him to climb back up the mountain again one more time. Naya left a mark on him after one match by Choke Slamming him through a table. All Akiyama wants from him is to fight as strong as he can when they meet inside Sumo Hall.


7. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura Vs Kenoh & Yu Owada

Thanks to the “LIMIT BREAK” shows we finally got some DDT Vs NOAH interactions this year. However this match has absolutely nothing to do with that. Instead it is about an unlikely MMA fighter who made DDT his pro wrestling home. DDT has been good to Shinya Aoki whenever he wrestles for them and it was not made any clearer this year than when he won the KO-D Title! His title reign saw him transform the humble Full Nelson Hold into a nigh on unbreakable pinning maneuver. He has since been rewarded for his skill by winning the Best Technique category in this year’s Tokyo Sports Awards. It’s a prize he compares to receiving a black belt because he now feels he has been accepted into the pro wrestling world. Except somebody in NOAH isn’t willing to do that yet. Okay Kenoh what’s your problem this time? He likes Aoki as an MMA fighter, but as a pro wrestler? No way! Not when he’s alligned with DDT.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. If Kenoh is Frank Grimes then DDT is his Homer Simpson. He never liked that NOAH became associated with DDT because of the CyberFight takeover and only fights DDT wrestlers when there is a grudge involved. He would have been happy to never step foot inside a DDT ring again if it wasn’t for Aoki consantly trying to get his attention. You see, Aoki has this bad habit of telling media his upcoming plans in wrestling. The problem is he reveals these plans before any other party supposedly involved is aware of them. For example he keeps trying to challenge Katsuhiko Nakajima to a UWF Rules fight in GLEAT. After repeatedly getting no response over there, Aoki changed his plan and decided he will fight Kenoh at NOAH’s Budokan Hall show on New Year’s Day. Again, nobody in NOAH let alone Kenoh has any expectation of Aoki being booked for the show (Kenoh will be fighting KENTA on that show instead).

Kenoh had to take matters in his own hands by crashing a DDT show along with NOAH rookie Yu Owada. He told Aoki to his face there will not be a match happening between them at Budokan Hall. Unfazed, Aoki then suggested they have a match at Sumo Hall for DDT instead. Kenoh ordered Owada to fight Aoki in a match then and there but Aoki pinned him in seconds with the Full Nelson Hold. Then one of DDT’s bright and baldest youngsters Keigo Nakamura stood up to defend his company in front of the NOAH pair. The four of them got into a fight and once they were kept apart, the match was made! Aoki & Nakamura are defending home turf, Kenoh is pissed he has to show up in DDT again and Owada is mad at being treated like a third wheel in this situation.


8. “Unofficial” DDT Extreme Title ~ A Dramatic Fight Where People Fight With Their Hearts: Danshoku Dieno (c) (w/ Tetsu Inada) Vs Great-O-Khan (w/ Kentaro Kumagai)

*No title change or successful defence will be recognized.

You want pro wrestling for sickos? You’re getting pro wrestling for sickos. No take backsies. In one corner we have Danshoku Dieno. He is currently the DDT Extreme Champion and he is also the reason 90% of the time I see people who try out DDT decide to never come back. In the other corner is Great-O-Khan. He is New Japan’s King Of Pro Wrestling for 2024 and also a waifu loving pervert with a heart of gold (let me quote Sayaka Unagi who once asked him “Could you truly love a three-dimensional woman?”). Both men in their own bizarre ways have become pro wrestling savants who are able to come up with outside the box ideas for the industry they love so much. Whoever came up with this idea might be trying to get DDT banned from Sumo Hall. Both Dieno and O-Khan are aiming to have a match that will guarantee it.

At first it looked like the match will only have pride on the line. Dieno does not want this to be seen as a DDT Vs New Japan affair. It is about far more than that. Instead he decided to defend his Extreme Title against the man who won the New Japan equivalent this year. Unfortunately this match is enough of a political nightmare to begin with that DDT refuses to authorize it as a title match. Dieno does not care though and will still put the belt on the line in an unofficial manner. Whether that means he will vacate the title if he loses or O-Khan wins possession of the physical belt remains to be seen.

An extra factor coming into the match are the two special guests who will be at ringside. Two voice actors have found themselves becoming important parts of the story. When preparing for the match O-Khan discovered that the voice actor Kentaro Kumagai was once given the Lip Lock by Dieno and has wanted payback ever since. O-Khan made Kumagai pledge loyalty to the United Empire and in return will bring him to Sumo Hall to get his revenge. Luckily for Dieno there is another voice actor who is looking out for him. Tetsu Inada is a die hard DDT fan who has provided voice work for the company many times over the years from narrating videos to providing match commentary. He thinks the lewd pranks he suffered at the hands of Pheromones were way worse than what Kumagai went through. That means he isn’t going to stand by and let Dieno fight this battle by himself! Both Inada and Kumagai will be at ringside for the match. Knowing what the wrestlers involved are both capable of, the most disgusting things that take place in the ring will probably happen to the voice actors!


8. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno (w/ Tetsu Inada) Vs Invisible Man (w/ Kentaro Kumagai)

So pretty much everything I wrote in the last three paragraphs can be thrown away. Except for the last part. The voice actors are still going to get violated somehow. O-Khan suffered a lower back injury during his most recent NJPW match so he’s been pulled from the show. He has an important IWGP Tag Team Titles match going on at the Tokyo Dome soon so New Japan wants to make sure he’ll have enough recovery time to do it. DDT scrambled for a replacement and came up with an old foe of Dieno’s… The Invisible Man! As far as I can tell the Extreme Title aspect of the match has been binned. It will be up to Dieno and the voice actors to craft a story worthy to be told at Sumo Hall.


9. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Takeshi Masada

The year that Yukio Naya could have had instead went to Yuki Ueno. He spent the first half of 2024 as DDT’s ace champion, even getting in a successful KO-D Title defence inside Sumo Hall. The second half of his year slowed down after he lost the title to Shinya Aoki but it seems that DDT finally found a place for him as the company’s prince. His final match of the year is against the supposed star of the new generation who is still finding his feet while dealing with the high expectations. It’s a match that kind of came out of nowhere and there might have been a reason for that. Did plans fall through when Kota Ibushi took offence to the “Golden Star Syndrome” promos The 37KAMIINA cut about him and he decided to stop working with DDT?

Ueno is not taking his opponent lightly. As a recent former champion he knows how much of a big deal it will be if he loses to Takeshi Masada. He sees how well Masada fits into SCHADENFREUDE International but maybe that could be a bad thing. Masada is so comfortable with his current lot in life that he might have abandoned his goals as a result. Masada telling him that his goal is to make the fans go home happy kind of proves his point. That kind of attitude might be why Masada only held the KO-D Tag Titles for a month earlier this year and lost them in his first defence. There also won’t be any rematch or follow up for Masada if Ueno beats him here. Just like with Akiyama versus Naya, Ueno wants to know if Masada is going to take his best shot at him.


10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & To-y Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku

This should have been the next title defence for ShunMao’s second run as champions. But sadly just like their first run it was cut off thanks to an injury suffered by Shunma Katsumata. There is a bright side we can look at though and that is what DDT went with for Plan B. The original match was meant to ShunMao against Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku from BURNING. MAO, Endo and Koroku are still part of the match, this time to crown new champions. Replacing Katsumata is To-y, the pluckiest member of The 37KAMIINA. And boy is he fired up for this opportunity!

Once To-y entered the picture he immediately made a statement by pinning Koroku clean with his Kojima Impact finisher. He then added insult to injury by claiming he has more of a reason to fight for the KO-D Tag Titles than Koroku does. Even Endo agreed with him, pointing out that To-y was able to clearly explain he wants this match for himself just as much as as he does for Katsumata while Koroku struggles to get his own points across on the microphone. Since then To-y was able to rack up several pinfall wins over Koroku, leaving the latter scratching his head trying to figure out what he’s doing wrong. It was only just recently he figured out he hasn’t been acting selfish enough. He reached that breakthrough by beating To-y via referee stoppage through the use of the Chickenwing Arm Lock. Now that he knows what to do, he is willing to break To-y’s arm for the championships if he has to!

Let’s not forget MAO and Endo in this match. MAO found his calling for most of the year as the DDT Universal Champion and also the King Of DDT winner. It provided a lot of fresh matches with different finishes that showed how much MAO has matured as a wrestler in his own way. Endo seems to have fitted into this roster best by changing his focus to tag team wrestling. It paid off with him and Yuki Iino getting a KO-D Tag Titles reign that rehabilitated both of their positions in the company. He also got probably the most closure he is ever going to get from the Nakajima slap incident with the KO-D Title match he had with Shinya Aoki in September. The story is focused on To-y Vs Koroku but watch out if MAO or Endo decide they want to steal the show.


11. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

It’s a story that goes from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. This time last year Chris Brookes had gone through surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen. Thankfully the tumor was not malignant and he recovered to wrestle in top shape again. Once year later and he finds himself as the two time KO-D Champion back on top of DDT. Who can hate a feel good story like that? Oh right, Daisuke Sasaki can. Brookes had only just gotten the title back when Sasaki came out to complain about love, romance and dreams. Wrestling doesn’t need any of that stuff! DDT should always be a dirty mess and Sasaki is the only person who can make that happen on the biggest stage DDT can get.

With the Sumo Hall main event set, DDT spent the winter indulging in several different stipulation tag matches between SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A. There was already bad blood between the two groups when Ilusion went undercover for DAMNATION T.A by joining SCHADENFREUDE and betraying them during a heated KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles match in October (it was an illusion!). The two sides went to battle in many multi-man matches including a Best Of 5 Singles Series, a 10-Man Elimination Tag and a Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match. Sasaki got Brookes to submit to the Crossover Face Lock but a few weeks later Brookes was able to pin Sasaki with the Praying Mantis Bomb. With no clear lead coming up to what could be the end of the feud the only thing to be sure of is the match on a stage as big as this is sure to become violent.

There’s even a risk this match might end up becoming loser leaves town one way or the other. Sasaki keeps saying he is going to beat Brookes so bad he’ll pack his bags and go home to England. Sasaki can feel how much the KO-D Title wants to come back to him. If he wins the championship then he will turn every DDT show at Korakuen Hall next year into a “CHARISMANIA” show! Brookes knows how much Sasaki likes punk music so he says he’ll get a one way plane ticket back to England but it will be under Sasaki’s name! That way he can go visit all of the famous punk music spots England is known for. Then once Sasaki has been dealt with, Brookes promises to defend the KO-D Title regularly at his monthly Baka Gaijin + Friends shows, even if DDT won’t give him their permission.


New Faces Showing Up, Princess Rumble, Arai Graduates From SKE48

November 27, 2024

DNA “DNA 10TH ANNIVERSARY”, 28/11/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. MAO & Mizuki Watase Vs Yuki Iino & Masato Kamino
2. Choun-Shiryu & Rekka Vs Akira Jo & Yuki Ishida
3. Yuni Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
4. Banana Senga & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Daiki Shimomura & Check Shimatani
5. Kota Umeda, Ryota Nakatsu & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Keigo Nakamura, To-y & Yuya Koroku
6. Yuki Ueno Vs Diego

Tomorrow we re-enter the world of DNA for its 10th Anniversary.

BASARA “BASARA 263 ~HIEN~”, 29/11/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Next Challenger For The Union MAX Title 1-Day Tournament – Round 1A: Takato Nakano Vs Takumi Tsukamoto
2. Next Challenger For The Union MAX Title 1-Day Tournament – Round 1B: Isami Kodaka Vs Masato Kamino
3. Next Challenger For The Union MAX Title 1-Day Tournament – Round 2: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Winner Of Match 1A
4. Next Challenger For The Union MAX Title 1-Day Tournament – Round 2: FUMA Vs Winner Of Match 1B
5. Ryuichi Sekine, Takeru Inoue & Fuminori Abe Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Ikuto Hidaka & Itsuki Aoki
6. Next Challenger For The Union MAX Title 1-Day Tournament – Final: X Vs X

If any tournament match other than the final ends in a draw then both wrestlers will be eliminated from the tournament.

DDT “DDT YEAR-END FAN APPRECIATION DAY! IN TOKYO”, 01/12/2024
Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX

1. Danshoku Dieno & HARASHIMA Vs Kazuki Hirata & Yuki Ishida
2. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Keigo Nakamura & Daichi Sato Vs Shinya Aoki, Akito & Yukio Naya
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A Five Singles Match!: X Vs X
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A Five Singles Match!: X Vs X
6. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A Five Singles Match!: X Vs X
7. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A Five Singles Match!: X Vs X
8. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A Five Singles Match!: X Vs X

SCHADENFREUDE International: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada and Mr. Bueno

DAMNATION T.A: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul, Demus and Ilusion

The majority of the show is taken up by the SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A five match series. Elsewhere on the card you will find Daichi Sato hanging around in DDT again and another match pitting The 37KAMIINA against BURNING.

DDT “ROAD TO ULTIMATE PARTY 2024 IN NAGOYA”, 08/12/2024
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. Yukio Naya & Takumi Saito Vs Keigo Nakamura & Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Tetsuya Endo & Toru Owashi
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
4. Special Single Match: Akito Vs Soma Takao
5. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & MAO Vs HARASHIMA & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
6. 10-Man Elimination Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul, Demus and Ilusion

Coming up in December is Takumi Saito’s first time wrestling in DDT. The Aichi wrestler went to the same junior high school as Kazuchika Okada and discovered pro wrestling because of Okada’s success. His father also used to be a bodybuilder so Saito thought becoming a pro wrestler would let him do weight training for a living. Saito has recently been wrestling on the Tochigi Pro side of ZERO1 as well as the NOAH Limit Break shows.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. 18: 2ND ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 10/12/2024
Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa

1. Special Tag Match: Mr. Bueno & MAO Vs Mr. Malo & Masahiro Takanashi
2. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda

For the first time ever Chris Brookes and Antonio Honda are going to face each other one on one in a Baka Gaijin + Friends show!

At the last event Mr. Malo turned on Mr. Bueno by smashing a glass bottle over his head. Bueno teams with MAO to get revenge while Malo has Masahiro Takanashi who is not afraid to fight dirty when he wants to.

DDT “ROAD TO ULTIMATE PARTY 2024 IN SHINJUKU”, 11/12/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. KANON & Demus Vs Yuki Iino & Kazuma Sumi
3. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA & Tetsuya Endo Vs Yukio Naya, Daichi Sato & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Single Match: To-y Vs Yuya Koroku
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Keigo Nakamura Vs Ikuto Hidaka, Minoru Fujita & Fuminori Abe
6. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A! – Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & Ilusion

Another stipulation match for the current main event feud. When the five match series and Elimination Tag match are done, the two sides will meet in a Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls match!

Ikuto Hidaka, Minoru Fujita & Fuminori Abe are all showing up together for a match against the DDT trio of Yuki Ueno, MAO & Keigo Nakamura.

In preparation for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match, To-y and Yuya Koroku will face each other in two singles matches. The first one is in Tokyo.

DDT “ROAD TO ULTIMATE PARTY 2024 IN OSAKA”, 15/12/2024
Osaka City Konohana Kumin Hall

1. Demus Vs Yuni
2. Danshoku Dieno, MAO & Kazuma Sumi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Soma Takao
3. Special Tag Match: Carnatux & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Akito & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Ilusion
6. Special Single Match: To-y Vs Yuya Koroku
7. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Kazuki Hirata

The growing grudge between Yuki Ueno and Kazuki Hirata over the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title will come to a head with a singles match now booked for next month. Ueno keeps winning the Iron Man Title from Hirata and Hirata keeps attacking Ueno with a hammer to win it back. Right now the belt is not on either of them but the grudge still needs to be settled so they can both have clear heads going into Sumo Hall. Well, I’m not sure how clear a head can get when you smash one with a hammer but I’ll let them worry about that.

“The Black Sheep” Carnatux from Bahrain contacted Daisuke Kiso this week telling them he is moving to Japan in December. One of the reasons he is travelling over is to become the first wrestler from the Persian Gulf region to wrestle in DDT! He has spent his career wrestling across the Middle East.

To-y and Koroku’s second match against each other is happening in Osaka.

DDT “MEET & GREET & FIGHT IN OSAKA”, 15/12/2024
Osaka City Konohana Kumin Hall

1. KANON & Ilusion Vs Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku Dieno, HARASHIMA & Yuni Vs Yukio Naya, Keigo Nakamura & To-y
3. Special Single Match: Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi

The last “MEET & GREET & FIGHT” show of the year is happening in Osaka. The show concept will continue in 2025.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW YEAR-END PARTY 2024”, 29/12/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. PRINCESS RUMBLE 2024: X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X Vs X
2. Queen Of Asia Title & VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c/c) Vs Lei Ying Lee

The Asian Double Crown match that was meant to happen between Yuki Kamifuku and Xia Zhao in October will now take place at Tokyo Joshi Pro’s last show of the year. Zhao is now wrestling under the name Lei Ying Lee and she just recently signed a new deal with TNA. Kamifuku is now upset she will spend the end of her year worrying about a big title match where she’ll have to fight the opponent by herself.

TJPW is ending the year with their own Royal Rumble with 20 participants taking part. There will be a new entrant every 90 seconds and elimination will be by pinfall, submission or throwing someone over the top rope to the floor below. There will be guest wrestlers involved as well as the usual TJPW roster with names to be announced soon.

Yuki Arai will be on the show. She made a big announcement today that she will be graduating from SKE48 on 31st March next year. Nothing was said in regards to her wrestling career so we have to wait and see where her future lies. Will she be graduating from TJPW too next year or does this mean she’s going give her full commitment to wrestling in 2025?


DDT “CHARISMANIA” Results

November 6, 2024

DDT “CHARISMANIA”, 06/11/2024
Shinjuku FACE
500 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. KUBITO & Naohiro Katsumi 19th Anniversary Match: KUBITO defeated Naohiro Katsumi with the Crossface Lock (6:59).
2. Ram Kaichow, Endo Kaichow & Kodara Kaichow (w/ Mataro) defeated Brahman Shu, Brahman Masa & Brahman Keigo (w/ Brahman Kei) when Ram pinned Keigo with a School Boy (10:12).
3. Demus, Ilusion & Anarko Montaña defeated Kaito Ishida, Shunma Katsumata & Diego when Ilusion pinned Diego with the Swanton Bomb (10:53).
4. Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & MJ Paul defeated Masashi Takeda & Daichi Sato when Paul pinned Sato with the Reverse Splash (15:27).
5. Special Single Match: Shigehiro Irie defeated KANON with the Beast Bomber (17:37).
6. The Greatest Wrestling Match Of CHARISMANIA: Daisuke Sasaki & Yuko Miyamoto defeated Dick Togo & Minoru Fujita when Sasaki submitted Fujita with La Mistica Crossface Lock (25:19).

Has the student has surpassed his master? Daisuke Sasaki is now entering his 20th year as a pro wrestler so to celebrate he organized “CHARISMANIA” and put himself in the main event with his mentor Dick Togo as well as two wrestlers he looks up to Yuko Miyamoto and Minoru Fujita. All four wrestlers are used to either wrestling dirty or fighting in violent death matches but they instead all fought clean for today’s special match. Togo used La Mistica Crossface Lock on Sasaki and Fujita followed up with the SAYONARA Tombstone. They wanted to finish him off with the Double Impact but Miyamoto cut them off. Sasaki gave Togo the Pedigree and then used his own La Mistica Crossface Lock to submit Fujita. Sasaki & Miyamoto received a prize from members of the rock band HEAD PHONES PRESIDENT for winning the main event.

Sasaki said the other three wrestlers will eternally be his idols. For his 20th anniversary he wants to finally surpass his master and challenged Togo to a singles match. Togo said he isn’t in the best condition right now and there is a clear difference between them. He asked Sasaki to wait five years so Togo can get into his best shape and also get to wrestle the match at 60! Sasaki will be turning 40 next November but don’t tell him he’s getting weaker as he gets older. He doesn’t have time to get old and promised he will defeat his master eventually! Sasaki also wants to run “CHARISMANIA” as an annual event until he’s held it 2000 times!

Naturally DAMNATION T.A were the featured players for most of the show. KANON also took the fair play route when he fought Shigehiro Irie. He tried fighting as hard as he could by giving Irie a Falcon Arrow as well as the Cobra Twist. Irie smashed him with an Elbow Strike, dropped him from the top rope with an Avalanche Back Flip and pinned him with the Beast Bomber. KANON gave Irie the middle finger instead of shaking his hand after the match.

It wasn’t all clean and fair fighting from the DAMNATION T.A wrestlers. Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & MJ Paul got into a chair fight with Masashi Takeda & Daichi Sato during their tag match. To be fair, Takeda was just as responsible for making the match violent and also wanted to attack Fire Damnation with his pair of scissors. Sato also stepped up to Paul but was ultimately beaten by him with the Reverse Splash.

Ilusion was joined by Demus & Anarko Montaña to take on the babyface trio of Kaito Ishida, Shunma Katsumata & Diego. Demus brought a more grimy style that worked well with Ilusion & Montaña’s high flying. It ended with that team getting the win when Ilusion pinned Diego with the Swanton Bomb.

Match #2 was the Brahman Army taking on the Kaichow Army with a lot of wrestlers taking either gimmick. The Brahman Brothers got Masahiro Takanashi & Keigo Nakamura to act like them while Ram Kaichow convinced Tetsuya Endo & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi to copy her looks and behavior. Kaichow also brought along the now retired Mataro to be in her team’s corner. Mataro is the member of DDT’s video team who was kept getting put into DAMNATION T.A’s matches during this year’s Beer Garden shows until he was forced to retire from the bit. The Brahman Army attacked him with bats, poured buckets of water over him, dripped slime from their mouths onto him and also put him in the line of fire for the bowling ball suitcase spot. He at least got revenge by doing the same bowling ball spot to the Brahmans. He then got blinded when Kaichow missed her Ectoplasm powder throw and hit him with it by accident. Brahamn Shu threw the suitcase at Kaichow but she dodged it and Nakamura got hit instead. Kaichow took advantage and pinned Nakamura with a School Boy to win.

Two other wrestlers from the SUPER CREW class who debuted along with Sasaki got a spot in the opener. KUBITO beat Naohiro Katsumi in a match that celebrated the 19th anniversary of their debuts. It was also Katsumi’s first wrestling match in 12 years! The two made comments to each other during the match about how long it’s been since they last saw each other. Katsumi also gradually remembered his signature moves as the match went on.


New CHARISMANIA Matches, Shazza Coming To TJPW, Akito’s 15th Anniversary

October 23, 2024

DDT “ADULT RESORT PRO WRESTLING IN KIRANAH GARDEN TOYOSU”, 30/10/2024
Tokyo Kiranah Garden Toyosu

1. Yuki Iino Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Akito, Yuki Ueno & Keigo Nakamura Vs Danshoku Dieno, Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Yukio Naya
4. Special Single Match: Demus Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku
6. Kiranah Garden Toyosu First Opening Commemoration! Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA

The main event for this show now has wrestlers swapping teams. Shinya Aoki and Chris Brookes were originally booked to team up but that is changing after Brookes challenged Aoki for the KO-D Openweight Title. So now Aoki is teaming with MAO which means the KO-D Champion and DDT Universal Champion are fighting on the same side. Brookes will be jumping over to the other side of the ring to team with one of the recent previous challengers HARASHIMA.

BASARA “BASARA 260 ~KOO~”, 30/10/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Daichi Kazato Vs Gouma Ryu
2. Masato Kamino Vs Daisuke Sekimoto
3. KUBITO & SAGAT Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Yasu Urano
4. Isami Kodaka & Ryuichi Sekine Vs Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita
5. Takumi Tsukamoto, FUMA & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Takato Nakano, Lil’ Kraken & Takeru Inoue
6. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga

While I’m writing this Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura are busy holding their second Kakuto Tanteidan show. But this day next week Astronauts will be back in BASARA to defend the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles against Speed Of Sounds. The challengers SOS are fighting to become three time Iron Fist Tag Champions.

Masato Kamino wants to change his focus from tag team wrestling to the singles division. He’s getting a big opponent from Big Japan, the one and only Daisuke Sekimoto!

DDT “CHARISMANIA”, 06/11/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Demus, Ilusion & Anarko Montaña Vs Kaito Ishida, Shunma Katsumata & Diego
2. Ram Kaichow, Endo Kaichow & Kodara Kaichow Vs Brahman Shu, Brahman Masa & Brahman Keigo
3. Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & MJ Paul Vs Masashi Takeda & Daichi Sato
4. Special Single Match: KANON Vs Shigehiro Irie
5. KUBITO & Naohiro Katsumi 19th Anniversary Match: KUBITO Vs Naohiro Katsumi
6. The Greatest Wrestling Match Of CHARISMANIA: Daisuke Sasaki & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Dick Togo & Minoru Fujita

More matches from the mind of Daisuke Sasaki are becoming a reality. FIRE DAMNATION will be represented with the return of Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami to team with MJ Paul. One of their opponents is Daichi Sato, the teenager from HEAT-UP who was also on the short lived DDTeeeen!! shows a couple of years ago. That doesn’t sound threatening at all but Masashi Takeda as Sato’s partner will give that team a fighting chance against the heavyweights.

A battle will break out between Ram Kaichow and Brahman Shu! They have gone forth to gather soldiers under their respective banners and those soldiers may end up looking familiar to everyone in the venue.

Last but not least is an international 6-Man Tag Match where Demus & Ilusion are joined by Anarko Montaña on the DAMNATION T.A side. Facing them is the babyface trio of Kaito Ishida, Shunma Katsumata & Diego.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 AUTUMN”, 22/11/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Next Generation Tournament ’24 – Final: X Vs X
2. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Shazza McKenzie

Next month Shazza McKenzie will be wrestling in Japan for the first time ever. She has two dates booked with Tokyo Joshi Pro during this tour. The first is on 16th November but the big match on her calender is happening a week later. She is the latest challenger for Yuki Arai to defend the International Princess Title against. The Australian has appeared in TJPW before but that was for the joint show with Prestige in America last year.

DDT “GET ALIVE 2024”, 23/11/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Akito 15th Anniversary Debut Special Single Match: Isami Kodaka Vs Akito
2. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c/c) Vs Yuni

Akito wanted a special opponent for a match that will celebrate the 15th Anniversary of his debut. When Akito wrestled as a freelancer in Tokyo, Isami Kodaka became a close companion of his. They worked, drank and studied wrestling together. Kodaka was also a big influence for the kind of pro wrestler Akito developed into. Akito credits Kodaka for helping him create the IPPON Lighttube Death Match. However they rarely have the chance to wrestle each other because they are so busy with their jobs in DDT and BASARA respectively. So for Akito’s 15th Anniversary he wants to finally get in the ring with Kodaka again so they can reminisce about old memories while also fighting with the passion from those times.


DDT “DDTEEEEN!!” Results

January 5, 2022

DDT “DDTEEEEN!!”, 05/01/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
60 Fans

1. Raimu Imai & Toui Kojima defeated Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida when Kojima pinned Ishida with the Kojima In Wonderland ~Kojima Wonderland~ (9:23).
2. Hardcore Match: Akane Fujita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Suzu Suzuki & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani with the Sauna Trance Splash from the Ladder (19:37).
3. Yuki Ueno defeated Daichi Sato with the Blizzard Suplex (11:26).
4. You-sei☆Estrella defeated El Unicorn with the Styles Clash (11:55).
5. Ilusion & Tetsuya Endo defeated Vent Vert Jack & Naomi Yoshimura when Ilusion pinned Jack with the Modified Pedigree (18:58).

Ilusion got one over on Vent Vert Jack after Jack beat him on 26th December. This time around it was a tag match where Ilusion was teaming with Tetsuya Endo and Jack had Naomi Yoshimura as his partner. While Ilusion is pleased to win his first match of 2022, he still wants a singles rematch against Jack so he can get his full revenge over what happened in Yoyogi.

El Unicorn was disappointed with his loss to You-sei☆Estrella. He understands he needs find more opponents to wrestle against repeatedly so he can become stronger. His next match will be against Vent Vert Jack on the 16th January DDT show so he promises to practice hard until then.

Yuki Ueno praised Daichi Sato a lot for his performance today. He said the 13 year old looks like a baby but he has loads of enthusiasm and energy. Ueno is looking forward to see what Sato will learn from this point forward and he hopes his career won’t stumble.

There is still resentment between Akane Fujita and Shunma Katsumata over Fujita’s accusations that Katsumata steals her death match ideas. Katsumata’s denies it and explains he just gets the same ideas for using toy blocks that she does. Katsumata also liked wrestling against Suzu Suzuki and hopes the two of them will get a singles match somewhere. Suzuki wants that challenge because Katsumata scattered her box of bells over the floor before the match began. Hidaki Okatani thought the match was exciting but regrets the moments when his ideas backfired.


Suzuki Joins Itoh Respect Army? Prominence Arrives, RENEGADES Revival

December 20, 2021

DDT “NEVER MIND 2021 IN YOYOGI”, 26/12/2021
Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium

0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya Vs Antonio Honda & Hideki Okatani
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Maku Donaruto
0. Dark Match – DDTeeeen!! Special Single Match: Ilusion Vs Vent Vert Jack
1. Soma Takao & Shota Vs Akito & Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Shinya Aoki, Yumiko Hotta & Super Sasadango Machine
3. Special Single Match: Shuji Kondo Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toui Kojima
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match – Yukio Sakaguchi Return Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai Vs Minoru Suzuki, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Bodyguard
7. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Yuji Okabayashi

Earlier today Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh went to visit Minoru Suzuki at his clothing store Piledriver in Harajuku. Their intention was to initiate Suzuki as the newest member of The Itoh Respect Army before their match against Eruption. Despite Suzuki’s intimidating presence, the two introduced themselves to him and explained what was going on. Suzuki told them if they spent 10,000 yen in his shop then he would become friends with them. He gave advice to Itoh, telling her not to compare herself to others. He also said he will target Yukio Sakaguchi because he has known him since junior high. Brookes volunteered to fight Saki Akai because they are both tall and slim wrestlers who have good chemistry together in the ring. That leaves Itoh to deal with Kazusada Higuchi. Brookes told Itoh they both have iron heads so it will be an even fight. Itoh welcomed Suzuki into the Itoh Respect Army after making Brookes pay for their items. However Suzuki denies joining the unit because he is still Suzuki-gun.

GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “CLOCKWORK GAKE NO FUCHI 2022 ~GAKE NO FUCHI VS PROMINENCE~”, 04/01/2021
Shinjuku FACE

1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes Vs Suzu Suzuki

Two years ago Gake No Fuchi Joshi held an unforgettable Ittenyon show where Brookes and Miyako Matsumoto had a nightmare of a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Matsumoto urgently decided to hold a show on 4th January again but this time it’s to welcome one of the newest joshi units onto the scene. A few weeks ago several wrestlers from Ice Ribbon announced their intentions to go leave the company and become a freelance death match unit called Prominence. One of the key members of this new unit is Suzu Suzuki who was built up by Ice Ribbon to be their young prodigy with a love for death match wrestling. A Hardcore Match against Brookes is exactly what she is looking for after taking her career in a new direction.

The other members of Prominence will also be on the show for other matches. The members are Risa Sera, Mochi Miyagi and Akane Fujita. Gake No Fuchi in the past hasn’t held more than two matches in a single show so I expect it to be a tag match with Matsumoto also involved. As you will see below the Prominence wrestlers have no problem with wrestling each other.

DDT “DDTEEEEN!!”, 05/01/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Raimu Imai & Toui Kojima Vs Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida
2. Daichi Sato Vs Yuki Ueno
3. Hardcore Match: Suzu Suzuki & Hideki Okatani Vs Akane Fujita & Shunma Katsumata
4. Ilusion & Tetsuya Endo Vs Vent Vert Jack & Naomi Yoshimura
5. El Unicorn Vs You-sei☆Estrella

The main event between El Unicorn and You-sei☆Estrella promises to be a high flying battle.

If there is any unsettled business between Ilusion and Vent Vert Jack from Yoyogi then Tetsuya Endo and Naomi Yoshimura will help clear things up between them.

Prominence is also showing up on the next DDTeeeen!! show with Suzuki and Fujita taking part in a Hardcore Match. Suzuki will team with Hideki Okatani who recently took part in his first Hardcore Match thanks to Shunma Katsumata. Only makes sense for Katsumata to drag him into another here.

The other teenage wrestlers Daichi Sato and Raimu Imai are back for more.

GANBARE☆PRO “MOEKA HARUHI PRODUCE ~PARADISE AFTER THE RAIN 2022~”, 08/01/2022
Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Rain And Bumblebees: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Thanomusaku Toba Vs Fuminori Abe
2. Rain And Then Downpour: Ken Ohka & Miyako Matsumoto Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE
3. After The Rain, Gokigen: Kaori Yoneyama Vs YuuRI
4. I Like The Rain: Moeka Haruhi, Makoto & Cherry Vs Yuna Manase, Rina Yamashita & Tsubasa Kuragaki

The final match added to Moeka Haruhi’s produce show is a heavy striking 3 Way between Shuichiro Katsumura, Tanomusaku Toba and Fuminori Abe.

GANBARE☆PRO “TROPIC THUNDER 2022”, 10/01/2022
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Hatsuyume Special Tag Match 2nd Round: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs SAKI & Hikari Shimizu
2. RENEGADES Are Back! New Year Special Tag Team Match: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase Vs Yumehito Imanari & Baliyan Akki
3. Ganpro New Year Battle 2022 2nd Round: Shuichiro Katsumura, Taison Maeguchi & Moeka Haruhi Vs Shota, Nobuhiro Shimatani & HARUKAZE
4. New Year Special Single Match 2nd Round: Soma Takao Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
5. Ganpro Vs Takaiwa Army Full Scale Battle 2nd Round: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs 5th Black Tiger & Kenya Maeda
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Ken Ohka

Now that Mizuki Watase has gotten his feet wet in Ganbare☆Pro he is getting straight to business. He is reviving RENEGADES with Shigehiro Irie! The tag team was originally a unit led by Irie during his 2018 main event run in DDT. However most of the unit was made up of foreign wrestlers so for now RENEGADES is coming back as just a tag team. Watase said he will DM the other members and ask them to come back once the pandemic is over. There is one question I have to ask. Does this mean Watase will wrestle in a suit again?

The Ganbare☆Joshi division is open to work with Color’s and that relationship continues here. Yuna Manase is looking for more joshi to appear on GanJo shows. YuuRI also just learned a harsh lesson being in the ring with SAKI.