DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND” Results

May 6, 2025

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match – 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Ilusion pinned Sumi with a Rope-Assisted School Boy (5:31).
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama & Danshoku Dieno defeated MAO & Kazuki Hirata (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Dieno submitted Hirata with a Strong Chicken Wing Sleeper Hold (8:25).
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Yuki Ueno defeated Antonio Honda with the Blackout Sleeper (15:05).
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Akito with the Crossover Face Lock (4:44).
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (9:16).
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Yukio Naya defeated Daichi Sato with The World’s Best Back Drop (12:33).
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Hideki Okatani defeated To-y with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (11:58).
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: HARASHIMA defeated Chris Brookes with the Somato (0:22).
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Takeshi Masada defeated Yuya Koroku with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:10).
8. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Shinya Aoki with the Claw (15:34).

Kazusada Higuchi sent a message loud and clear in the opening round of this year’s King Of DDT tournament. He has reached a complete recovery! The final match of the 1st Round pitted Higuchi against Shinya Aoki over two and a half years after their KO-D Openweight Title bout against each other. The rematch featured grappling from Aoki, Higuchi no selling his head hitting off the corner post, the Aoki Clutch being kicked out of and a costly mistake from Aoki after that. He gave Higuchi a Headbutt that only hurt himself, giving Higuchi the opening to clamp on the Claw and make Aoki tap out! Higuchi said he only focused on fighting Aoki and hasn’t thought about anything beyond that. He described Aoki as being frighteningly strong. Aoki admitted he felt relieved after the match because Higuchi is refreshingly strong. It is the strength of somebody regaining the ground he lost. A reporter pointed out this is the first time in a while Aoki has lost to the same fighter twice in a row. Aoki knew who the reporter is talking about and compared Higuchi to Hayato Sakurai. Aoki is also now looking to the future as an unemployed man because he is no longer under contract to ONE FC. He might follow Sayaka Unagi’s example and put together his own independent event.

Meeting Higuchi in the next round will be Takeshi Masada. He avenged the D GENERATIONS CUP final loss to Yuya Koroku thanks to his perfect calculations of how it would go this time. Koroku targeted the arm so Masada focused on leg based attacks including Dropkicking a chair into his opponent at ringside. He was also able to break out of the Modified Triangle Lancer and caught Koroku with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki to get the win. Masada said it is one of the new formulas he came up with since the DGC so he has Koroku to thank for that. He said Higuchi has a great Japanese spirit but so does he and he will bring it out to show everyone in DDT for the next round. Koroku is really disappointed his tournament is over already but he knows he’s been through lower lows than this. He will go on as he is now.

A record was broken on today’s show. HARASHIMA defeated Chris Brookes in just 22 seconds, the fastest time ever in King Of DDT history! Brookes got the jump on HARASHIMA with a Dropkick during the entrances and quickly went for the Praying Mantis Bomb. But HARASHIMA popped out of the move and fired a short range Somato at Brookes before hitting the full on version for the shock three count! HARASHIMA said he responded calmly to the ambush and just went with his gut resulting in a perfect victory against the KO-D Champion. He hasn’t given up on winning the title again and every fan who came to the show today all know it is possible.

To-y’s hopes of finally getting to face Brookes one on one were already extinguished at this point because he was already eliminated by Hideki Okatani. There was a little bit of help from MJ Paul and Ilusion but To-y fought against the odds and almost won with the Kojima In Wonderland. Okatani hit back with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster and that was enough for him to advance to Round 2. Afterwards he said To-y is as hot headed and annoying as ever. Okatani will next face HARASHIMA. He said HARASHIMA is not an ace but a corpse fighting against the times.

There are not a lot of heavyweights in the tournament this year and now even less so when one knocked out another in the 1st Round. Yukio Naya put Daichi Sato through his paces, beating him down while withstanding the young wrestler’s return strikes. Sato kept it up though and soon Naya was breaking down. A High Kick followed by a Rolling Elbow and a Brainbuster gave Sato a nearfall. Naya turned things around with Knee Butts and Elbow Strikes before putting his opponent away with The World’s Best Back Drop. Naya said Sato will grow in DDT just like he did and the next time they fight, Sato should try to surprise him even more. Sato was thankful to compete in the tournament so soon after joining the company. His goal is to become the face of DDT’s heavyweight division but he’ll need to surpass Naya first.

One of the first round matches was a little bit awkward because it pitted MAO’s current tag partner against his ex-tag partner. KANON looked to have gotten the better of Shunma Katsumata when he put him in the Cobra Twist 2.0. Katsumata wouldn’t submit though despite having no way to escape. It led to a situation on the ring apron where Kazuma Sumi wanted to throw in the towel but Yuni wouldn’t let him. They had a tug of war over the towel until they lost their grips and accidentally threw it into the ring. This happened right when Katsumata tapped out anyway so it was still a valid win for KANON. Katsumata gave his approval to KANON afterwards because he thinks he is now on the right path. KANON said he has a lot of respect for ShunMao which is why Strange Love Connection will do things differently from MAO’s other team. He also called himself the “Yukio Naya Killer” because he has never lost to Naya in singles matches. They just so happen to be facing each other in the next round.

Akito wanted to make quick work of Daisuke Sasaki and grabbed him by the leg as he entered the ring. That advantage was ruined when Ilusion got into the ring to distract Akito by flipping him off. Akito turned back and continued going for Sasaki’s legs but a counter attack led to Sasaki trapping him in the Crossover Face Lock for the submission victory. Akito admitted he was arrogant when he said this year’s tournament might be his last chance to win King Of DDT and the KO-D Title. He has a lot to think about but he wants to be involved in the main storyline of DDT within the next year. Sasaki originally said he wanted this to be a Hair Vs Hair match but in honor of Akito’s effort he decided not to go through with the stipulation. His Round 2 match though? He wants is to be Hair Vs Hair because he gets joy in life by making his next opponent miserable.

That next opponent is Yuki Ueno. He was taking on a sentimental favorite in this year’s competition because Antonio Honda was competing on behalf of the injured Masahiro Takanashi. While Honda did pull out the Shining Gongitsune, he also used his serious techniques to try and win including the Octopus Hold, the Tenzan Tombstone Driver and the Diving Fist Drop. Unfortunately Honda ran out of steam after Ueno hit him with a Dropkick followed by the WR. He was almost counted out for a KO but got back to his feet at nine. Ueno ended up putting him in the Blackout Sleeper to choke him out for the win. Ueno promised to carry Honda’s feelings with him for the rest of the tournament as he begins his path to win back the KO-D Title and make DDT even more fun and interesting. He noticed that even though DAMNATION T.A is usually a gloomy group, Sasaki has been having more fun lately…

There were two non-tournament dark matches in the pre-show. One of them was to continue showing how Danshoku Dieno is taking pro wrestling seriously for his upcoming match with Minoru Suzuki. He proved this by trying to stop Kazuki Hirata from dancing. MAO tried to get Jun Akiyama to dance by offering him the Hirata GO! glasses but Akiyama gave him the Exploder Suplex instead. He then heard the fans chanting for him to put the glasses on so he did so. But just when he started to dance, Dieno made Hirata tap out to a Crossface Chicken Wing and the match ended.

The other dark match was meant to include Soma Takao but he was feeling unwell and was replaced by Tomomitsu Matsunaga. He and Toru Owashi worked together as best as they could in the 3 Way Tag Match but in the end DAMNATION T.A got the win over NωA Jr when Ilusion used the ropes for a leveraged pin on Sumi after Low Blowing him.

Yet again NωA Jr.’s show opening performance was hijacked by KIMIHIRO and the Strange Love Connection. This time Sumi tried to fight back by challenging KIMIHIRO to a rap battle but he quickly lost his flow and ran out of the ring feeling really embarrassed.


DDT “HELLO☆DRAMATIC DREAM 2025” Results

May 3, 2025

DDT “HELLO☆DRAMATIC DREAM 2025”, 03/05/2025
Yokohama Radiant Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated MJ Paul with the Claw Hold (8:04).
2. Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Honda pinned Hirata with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch Hold (11:18).
3. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Akito defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Akito pinned Masada with a Modified Samson Clutch (14:04).
4. Yuki Ueno & To-y defeated Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato when To-y pinned Sato with a Hurricanrana (13:50).
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Soma Takao & Yukio Naya when KANON pinned Takao with the Modified Facebuster (12:47).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani pinne Katsumata with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (16:36).
*V1 for DAMNATION T.A.

Today didn’t turn out well for NωA Jr. Their opening show performance was interrupted by Strange Love Connection so KIMIHIRO could take it over and perform a rap for his team. Then in the main event NωA Jr. lost their rematch against DAMNATION T.A and failed to regain the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. The finish came when Hideki Okatani hit Shunma Katsumata with the Skewered Claymore and then pinned him with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster. Both Yuni & Kazuma Sumi aren’t going to let the result get them down. Sumi said NωA Jr.’s motto is “turn negativity into positivity. Yuni agrees and promised they will remain cheerful, energetic and positive as they work towards their concert in December.

After the match Yuki Ueno & To-y entered the ring to pick up Katsumata. The three of them then challenged DAMNATION T.A for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles as The 37KAMIINA. First, Daisuke Sasaki refused so To-y tried to convince Ilusion. When Ilusion also refused Ueno started arguing with him and the two brought up that Ueno was Ilusion’s coach back when DDTeeeen!! was around. Humbled by the confrontation, Ilusion accepted the challenge and accused Ueno of abandoning the DDTeeeen!! wrestlers. Ueno said if Ilusion gets too cocky again he will make him pay the penalty.


King Of DDT 2025 Press Conference

May 2, 2025

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match – 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi & Soma Takao Vs Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama & Danshoku Dieno Vs MAO & Kazuki Hirata (w/ KIMIHIRO)
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1A: Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Ueno
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1B: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Akito
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1C: KANON Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1D: Yukio Naya Vs Daichi Sato
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1E: Hideki Okatani Vs To-y
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1F: Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1G: Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku
8. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1H: Shinya Aoki Vs Kazusada Higuchi

With the King Of DDT about to begin next week a press conference was held at Kanda Myojin Cultural Center yesterday featuring all 16 participants giving their opinions on their opening round matches. Yuki Ueno said his plan is to win the tournament and become KO-D Openweight Champion again. DDT will become a wild and fun place to be with himself at the centre. Antonio Honda is entering as the replacement for Masahiro Takanashi so he was at a loss for words at first. He will be getting into the ring with something big on his mind and will fight with all of the gratitude, respect and prayer for the people who have helped him.

Akito is entering the tournament for the first time since 2021. He explained he missed out on the last couple of tournaments not because his behind the scenes job became bigger but because DDT’s roster has grown so much that he just couldn’t make the cut. He thinks this may be his last chance to win King Of DDT which could then become his last chance to win the KO-D Title. A drunk Daisuke Sasaki changed the subject by saying when people think of him against Akito, they think Hair Vs Hair! Sasaki suggested he gets to shave every person he beats bald until he wins the tournament. Akito declined. If it was every single match in the tournament he would let the idea happen but just doing it for Sasaki Vs Akito isn’t worth the bother. Honda said he is already bald so the rule doesn’t worry him if he has to fight Sasaki in Round 2.

It’s also been a while since Shunma Katsumata took part in King Of DDT. He remembers how important the first round is so if he can get past it he knows he will win the whole thing. He has lots of friends taking part too so if they all advance to the later rounds together they can all win it too. KANON doesn’t understand Katsumata’s point but said this tournament will be meaningful for him now that he has fully joined up with DDT. He will be part of this while MAO is competing in the Best Of The Super Jr. He will aim to win and stand next to MAO as somebody worthy to team with him.

Young Daichi Sato has loudly declared his goal is to win the KO-D Title while he is still in his second year of high school. Winning the King Of DDT will be his quickest way to achieve that goal. Yukio Naya has said 2025 is going to be make or break for him. He hasn’t accomplised anyhing yet this year which means the timing is right for him to win the tournament and become KO-D Champion. Sato’s chances of making his dream come true are going to be low as long as Naya is still here!

When it was Hideki Okatani’s turn to speak he kept silent for a long time. When he finally did say something it was just “I’ll do my best.” To-y has had many singles matches with Okatani but never won any of them. When Okatani was injured To-y waited for him to come back so to hear him just say he’ll do his best leaves To-y feeling disappointed. He’ll just have to beat him and then in the next round face an opponent who will actually be hyped up to fight him. Somebody like Chris Brookes or one of his friends in The 37KAMIINA. That prompted Brookes to say something but all he put out was he will win as the KO-D Champion and nominate his next challenger afterwards.

HARASHIMA was uncharacteristically angry at To-y’s comments because it means To-y assumes Brookes will beat HARASHIMA in Round 1. So now HARASHIMA wants himself and To-y to win their matches so HARASHIMA can beat up To-y in Round 2! Brookes calmed things down by reminding everyone that HARASHIMA is the strongest wrestler in DDT so Brookes will have to be at his best against him. He then noticed the fancy looking suit that To-y was wearing and asked him how much it cost? To-y said he spent 70,000 yen on it. Brookes then asked how did he get the money to pay for it because he remembers the lines in Sapporo for To-y’s autograph were really short. To-y said he has a credit card and buy anything with it. The suit was already bought in advance so if To-y wins the tournament then he clear the debt off his card!

The D GENERATIONS CUP match between Takeshi Masada and Yuya Koroku hasn’t escaped either of their minds. Koroku’s dream now is to fight for the KO-D Title again and this time win it. He remembers his win over Masada in the DGC 1st Round was a close one so this time he is going to face him with all of his might. Masada has been eliminated from Round 1 two tournaments in a row now so Koroku doesn’t understand his feelings. This match will be the most Masada has ever committed to win just so he can reach Round 2.

It’s been a month since Kazusada Higuchi has returned from injury and he feels he’s been rebuilding his skills one step at a time. He will concentrate on each and every match in front of him, the first being against Shinya Aoki. It doesn’t matter to Aoki if this is a tournament match or not. He is just excited he gets to fight Higuchi one on one and wants to beat him by submission if it’s possible.


DDT Around The World – Late April 2025

May 1, 2025

What a month. Felt like the moment WrestleMania Week ended the wrestling world just kept going. Konosuke Takeshita was involved with the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament in AEW and when that came to an end he very quickly established a new tag team with Josh Alexander. Then in Japan some DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers took part in Deadlock Pro’s weekend in the country’s capital. There was also some lucha libre action happening in Tokyo a few days later. Back in America Maki Itoh got her face painted again in a very nice and very evil manner. Then the very busy month came to an end with Miyu Yamashita stepping foot back inside AEW after a two or three year absence.

Yamashita is going to have a packed schedule in May. Itoh has a few things coming up but she will be back in TJPW in the middle of the month. Yamashita though has plenty on her plate and the AEW appearance came about at a good time to replenish some interest in her. What’s included below is not the complete schedule she posted on her Twitter account. There are plenty more dates coming up over the next few months but some haven’t been announced by the promotions yet so I left them out just to save some space. Our old pal Yuka Sakazaki got her first booking on the indies in quite a while too. Another thing to keep an eye on is just where will Keigo Nakamura land for his indefinite overseas excursion. Apparently wherever he’s going he is has gone travelling over there already. If he is indeed still going to wrestle I’ll do my best to keep track of it in these articles.

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Videos

Konosuke Takeshita In AEW Playlist


AEW “DYNAMITE – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 16/04/2025
MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Semi Final: Will Ospreay Vs Konosuke Takeshita


AEW “COLLISION – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 17/04/2025
MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita Vs Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 23/04/2025
Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

1. Will Ospreay & Brody King Vs Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 30/04/2025
Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Match: Toni Storm (w/ Luther) Vs Miyu Yamashita

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Results


AEW “DYNAMITE – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 16/04/2025
MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Owen Hart Foundation 2025 Men’s Tournament – Semi Final: Will Ospreay defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Stormbreaker (21:43).

A highly anticipated rematch in the Owen Hart Cup saw Takeshita clash with Will Ospreay once again. Ospreay looked to have had Takeshita’s number until Takeshita purposely collapsed to avoid taking the Hidden Blade. Takeshita even caught Ospreay in mid-air with an Elbow Strike only for Ospreay to kick out at one and hit the Hidden Blade from out of nowhere. Takeshita kicked out at one as well leading to a role reversal where Ospreay used the Bastard Driver into the German Suplex and Takeshita responded with a Hidden Blade of his own. More counters came with Ospreay turning the Raging Fire into a Hurricanrana that then switched into the Styles Clash. Takeshita countered another Hidden Blade with a Backslide into a Powerdrive Knee but Ospreay flipped over a Lariat and lifted Takeshita into the Stormbreaker, winning a hard fought match that booked his spot in the final.


AEW “COLLISION – SPRING BREAKTHRU”, 17/04/2025
MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

1. Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii when Alexander pinned Ishii with a Power Bomb (10:18).

There wasn’t much time for Takeshita to lick his wounds but The Don Callis Family are already regrouping with a new addition to the unit. AEW’s newest signing Josh Alexander has taken on Don Callis’s management services and made to team with Takeshita. They won their first match as a tag team but one of the reasons it happened was because Rocky Romero ended up abandoning Tomohiro Ishii and left him to the wolves. Alexander & Takeshita rocked Ishii with a Double Roaring Elbow then Alexander finished him off with a Power Bomb. There was then more drama when Trent Beretta made his return after the match and attacked Ishii with Romero. Callis gave a wrench to Beretta and he used it to knock Ishii out.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 23/04/2025
Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

1. Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Will Ospreay & Brody King when Alexander pinned King after the Assisted C4 Spike (13:08).

Winning ways continued for The Don Callis Family when they took on Takeshita’s two opponents from the Owen Hart Cup. It was a heck of a task getting there though. Brody King ran through them like a tank while Ospreay and Takeshita had unfinished business from their match last week. The Family needed Lance Archer to distract the ref in order to turn the tables. Even then it took a lot fo Alexander & Takeshita to put King away. It eventually took Takeshita helping Alexander lift King up for the C4 Spike to finally put the big boy away.


DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 1”, 24/04/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs LaBron Kozone & Calvin Tankman ended in a Draw (?:??).
2. DPW Women’s World Title: Dani Luna (c) defeated Rika Tatsumi (?:??).
*V3 for Dani Luna.

I couldn’t get any proper results from DPW’s two shows in Japan since they’re usually pretty good at keeping things under wraps until the matches get uploaded to their streaming service. But some scraping through Twitter I was able to piece together some things. Rika Tatsumi failed in her bid to win the DPW Women’s Title from Dani Luna. Also the DPW Vs DDT match went to a draw, I assume of the time limit kind. One of the big spots was HARASHIMA going to do the Somato on LaBron Kozone only to get ran over in midair with the Pounce from Calvin Tankman.


DPW “SPIRIT RISING – NIGHT 2”, 25/04/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Calvin Tankman & Kazuma Sumi defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida (?:??).
2. Emi Sakura, Chris Brookes, Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki defeated Miyuki Takase, Kevin Ku, Dominic Garrini & Ryo Mizunami (?:??).

On Night 2 Chris Brookes was part of a ChocoPro team against a USA/Japan alliance representing DPW. Meanwhile Tankman got thrown in with some DDT wrestlers for a tag match between two pairs of big man and little man. Tankman is remaining in Japan for a ZERO1 tour but who knows, maybe DDT will come calling while he’s there.


HOG “ISOLATION”, 25/04/2025
NYC Arena, New York City, New York, USA

1. HOG Heavyweight Title: Mike Santana (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita ended in a No Contest when Charles Mason interfered (15:57).
*V14 for Mike Santana.

Well that kind of felt like a waste of time. The HOG Heavyweight Title was on the line and neither Mike Santana nor Takeshita were in a position to take a loss. So Charles Mason came out and ruined the whole thing. Santana had Takeshita pinned with the Spin The Block Roaring Lariat but Santana pulled the ref out of the ring mid-count and attacked Santana to stop the match. Takeshita tried to come to the rescue but Mason fled the ring unharmed. Santana and Takeshita raised each other’s hands to everyone afterward.


BLACK LABEL PRO “BLP AT SCX III”, 25/04/2025
The Wyndham, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Leyla Hirsch with the Skull Kick (?:??).
2. Danhausen & Maki Itoh defeated Davey Bang & August Matthews when Danhausen pinned Matthews and Itoh pinned Bang with the Double Kokeshi (?:??).

The latest American tours for Itoh & Yamashita kicked off over in Black Label Pro. Itoh joined forces with Danhausen once again to reunite Very Cute, Very Evil Makihausen. Itoh had the face fully painted to match her tag partner and be battle ready to go against Bang And Matthews. Itoh was in grave danger when Davey Bang & August Matthews combined to hit the Spears Tower on her but Danhausen broke the pin. When they tried the same move on Danhausen he paused them with a Curse that resulted in Itoh tripping them over. The two then filled their opponents’ mouths with jars of teeth before kicking them in their faces. Itoh & Danhausen then finished them off with Stereo Kokeshi Headbutts.

This month saw Leyla Hirsch return to action, now as a freelancer. Yamashita got to be one her of first opponents back and didn’t show much ring rust with her performance. She tried wearing down Yamashita with an Ankle Lock but Yamashita fired back with strikes that took a lot out of her opponent. Hirsch then missed a Moonsault and charged right into the Skull Kick for the finish.


MEXICO KANKO “LUCHA FIESTA ESPECIAL”, 27/04/2025
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
2,714 Fans

1. Mexican Tourist Belt – The Road To Studying In Mexico 6 Way Match: Yuki Mashiro defeated Honoka, YuuRI, SONYA, CoCo and Yoshiko Hasegawa when Mashiro pinned Hasegawa with a Modified Suplex Hold (?:??).
Order Of Elimination: SONYA, CoCo, Honoka, YuuRI, Yoshiko Hasegawa.
2. Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Pantera Jr. ended in a Draw when El Hijo del Octagon and Pantera Jr. pinned each other from a Romero Special (?:??).

The warm vibes of lucha libre were in the air surrounding Sumo Hall for a sponsored show put together by the Mexico Kanko tourism company. Daisuke Sasaki was thrown in with some luchadors for a tag match. Naturally Sasaki was on the rudo side teaming with Pantera Jr. to take on the supposedly family pair of Octagon & El Hijo del Octagon. Sasaki stepped in to stop Octagon from doing dive from the top turnbuckle. But the match ended up going to a draw when Pantera put El Hijo del Octagon in the Romero Special. The move leaned both luchadors back onto their shoulders resulting in a double pinfall. After some arguing over the finish, all four wrestlers raised each others hands in the ring.

A sixth woman was added to the Mexican Tourist Belt match. Yoshiko Hasegawa may be retiring from wrestling soon but she didn’t want to miss a chance to win a holiday to Mexico! She came close to winning too, eliminating YuuRI and making it to the final two with Yuki Mashiro. She tried to win using the Fisherman Buster but Mashiro got the better of her and won the match with a Modified Suplex.


AEW “DYNAMITE”, 30/04/2025
Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia, USA

1. AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Match: Toni Storm (w/ Luther) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Right at the end of the month Yamashita wound up in a familiar place. She came back to AEW for the first time since 2022 (or maybe 2023 if you want to count ROH). She was here to repeat what she did back then and that was to fight the AEW Women’s World Champion and beat her to get a title shot. We’re far past the days of Thunder Rosa though. It’s Toni Storm’s time now, which also happens to rewind the clock back one century thanks to her Timeless gimmick. Yamashita got into the swing of things by literally kicking Storm’s ass around the ring as well as kicking away the loyal butler Luther. She also hit the Skull Kick but was too fatigued to make the pin in time. I couldn’t tell if she broke the pin herself or if Storm kicked out of it because both looked like they happened at the same time. Storm made a comeback and avoided the Crash Rabbit Heat to throw Yamashita over to the corner with a German Suplex. She then landed the Running Hip Attack and pinned Yamashita with the Storm Zero. The booking sounds like it was a one time thing for Yamashita during this latest stay in the States. But she promised if she ever comes back to AEW she will kick someone else’s head in!

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Upcoming Appearances


TOP TALENT “LIVE AT MIDWAY MUSIC HALL”, 02/05/2025
Midway Music Hall, Edmonton, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Ava Lawless

May starts off with Yamashita and Itoh going in separate directions for a while. Yamashita will be in Canada to face Ava Lawless in her Top Talent Wrestling debut.


HOODSLAM “PHANTASMAGORIA”, 02/05/2025
Continental Club, Oakland, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs X

Meanwhile Itoh returns to a Hoodslam that is currently in chaos. But when is it ever quiet over there?


GCW “CRAZY SCARY SPOOKY HILARIOUS”, 03/05/2025
Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita

The next day 121000000 are back together but this time as opponents. Can Itoh finally beat Yamashita one on one for the first time ever?


GCW “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU”, 04/05/2025
Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon, USA

1. JCW World Title: Masha Slamovich (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita
2. GCW World Title: Effy (c) Vs Maki Itoh

Then soon after that the two of them have the chance to both become champions in the GCW sphere on the same night. While Itoh faces Effy for the GCW World Title, Yamashita gets in the ring again with Masha Slamovich in a bid to take away her JCW World Title. Slamovich just recently pinned Yamashita at the “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW” show which seems to be what set this title match up. At the moment this looks to be Itoh’s last booking before she goes back to Japan. Her TJPW return will be on 11th May.


HOG “WAGING WAR”, 09/05/2025
Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, USA

1. Indi Hartwell Vs Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita gets another match with someone who knows what it’s like to wrestle in WWE. This time it is the Indi Hartwell, the former NXT Women’s Champion (bet some of you forgot she held that title for a month) turned TNA’s latest signing.


NJPW “RESURGENCE”, 09/05/2025
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA

1. NEVER Openweight Title: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (c) Vs El Phantasmo

It’s now been confirmed that Takeshita will defend the NEVER Openweight Title against El Phantasmo at New Japan’s next USA show. This is also happening a week after they face each other in Japan with the NJPW World TV Title on the line. Does Rocky Romero get involved after the ambush he committed on ELP last month?


MAPLE LEAF PRO “NORTHERN RISING”, 10/05/2025
Mattamy Athletic Centre, Toronto, Canada

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Serena Deeb

Yamashita is just bouncing back and forth between Canada and America during this trip. Serena Deeb will want to be the road block that stops her.


MLW “AZTECA LUCHA”, 10/05/2025
Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois USA

1. Shoko Nakajima Vs X

After winning the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Title earlier this month, Shoko Nakajima is set to return to MLW for their next “AZTECA LUCHA” taping. Nothing has been announced yet for what her match is going to be. Could it be a title defence against a luchadora from CMLL?


GCW “BIG TIME”, 17/05/2025
RJ Meyer Arena, Joppa, Maryland, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Tony Deppen

Itoh will be long gone home by this time so GCW could become Yamashita’s for the taking in her absence. Beating the promotion’s gatekeeper Tony Deppen would send her in the right direction.


GCW “RUN FOR IT”, 18/05/2025
Water Street Music Hall, Rochester, New York, USA

1. Billie Starkz Vs Miyu Yamashita

What kind of momentum will be following Yamashita by the time she fights Billie Starkz again?


MKW “BATTLE OF THE DECADE”, 24/05/2025
Dongxin Plaza, Beijing, China

1. Yuki Kamifuku & Chen Wenbin Vs Alexis Lee & Big Sam

Could this be the penultimate chapter of the rivalry between Yuki Kamifuku and Alexis Lee?


SAJ “HUNTER’S NET”, 24/05/2025
Via Dante 72, Sporting Cesate, Milan, Italy

1. Irene Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Session Moth Martina

A change of venue for Yamashita’s debut in Italy due to an electrical problem in the original building. She is also finally going to face Session Moth Martina after their scheduled match in EVE back in March got cancelled. One week later Martina got to team with Italian wrestler Irene at the most recent SAJ Wrestling show. I haven’t seen it so I don’t know if anything happened as a reason to make them opponents here or if this is just three wrestlers who want to have some fun in the ring.


SPW “MAYHEM”, 30/05/2025
Foo Chow Building, Singapore

1. Queen Of Asia Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Alexis Lee

If all goes wrong for Kamifuku in May she could end up losing both the VPW Women’s Title and the Queen Of Asia Title!


NEW TEXAS PRO “BAT CITY”, 01/06/2025
Empire Control Room, Austin, Texas, USA

1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs X

Finally Sakazaki gets to wrestle somewhere again! I don’t know if her lack of ring time lately is AEW/ROH not wanting to book her or if there’s an undisclosed injury of some sort holding her back but she’s making a reappearance on the American indies with New Texas Pro as her first stop.


KITSUNE “GOING BACK TO SAN DIEGO”, 07/06/2025
Primal Compound, San Diego, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Zara Zakher
2. Vipress & Hudson Envy Vs Nagisa Nozaki & Yuna Manase

The first singles meeting between Yamashita and Zara Zakher. They fought each other once before in a Princess Tag Team Titles match back in January. Yamashita pinned Zakher in that match. Will she do it again?


KITSUNE “8888”, 08/06/2025
South Gate, Los Angeles, California, USA

1. Miyu Yamashita Vs X
2. Kitsune World Title: Yuna Manase (c) Vs Tae Honma

This October Tae Honma is going to retire from pro wrestling. One of her last big singles matches will be in America when Yuna Manase defends the Kitsune World Title against her.


LLL “BUT THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE NIGHT 2”, 14/06/2025
The Oriental Theater, Denver, Colorado, USA

1. Dark Sheik Vs Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita returns to Lucha, Libre & Laughs for two nights but only one of them has a match announced so far. She faces Dark Sheik on Night 2. Nothing yet on what match she will get on Night 1.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 1”, 10/07/2025
POST, Houston, Texas, USA

Four wrestlers are currently confirmed for TJPW’s big tripleshot in Texas.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN HOUSTON – NIGHT 2”, 11/07/2025
POST, Houston, Texas, USA

Yamashita and Itoh will be there as will Miu Watanabe and Suzume. So far that’s all of the official announcements.


TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN DALLAS”, 13/07/2025
The OC, Forney, Texas, USA

Psst… the English website promoting the show also lists Yuki Arai, Mizuki, Hyper Misao, Shoko Nakajima, Pom Harajuku, Moka Miyamoto, Shino Suzuki, Raku and Arisu Endo as all “awaiting confirmation” to be on the show. I guess they could go and confirm them all but as we saw with Harajuku this month they might be making sure everything is absolutely ready for them all to travel first.


DDT “SAPPORO NIGHT CRUSH” Results

April 26, 2025

DDT “SAPPORO NIGHT CRUSH”, 26/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi (c) when Ilusion pinned Yuni with a Jackknife Pin (12:37).
*NωA Jr. fail in V1. DAMNATION T.A become the 58th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
2. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – First Round!! ~ Sapporo Marathon Style Death Match: Akito (4) Vs Kazuki Hirata (4) ended in a Draw (10:00).
2a. Akito (1) submitted Kazuki Hirata (0) with an Ankle Hold (0:21).
2b. Akito (2) submitted Kazuki Hirata (0) with an Ankle Hold (1:43).
2c. Kazuki Hirata (1) defeated Akito (2) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (6:23).
2d. Kazuki Hirata (2) defeated Akito (2) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (6:28).
2e. Akito (3) submitted Kazuki Hirata (2) with a Sleeper Hold (7:17).
2f. Kazuki Hirata (3) defeated Akito (3) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (8:01).
2g. Akito (4) defeated Kazuki Hirata (3) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (8:47).
2h. Kazuki Hirata (4) pinned Akito (4) with a School Boy (9:58).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Noriyuki Yoshida & Daichi Sato defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Tomoya & Yuki Ishida when Akiyama pinned Ishida with the Exploder Suplex (10:56).
4. MAO & KANON defeated Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Modified Facebuster (11:01).
5. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated HARASHIMA with the Gaydo Clutch (12:33).
6. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Yuki Ueno & To-y when Brookes pinned To-y with the Praying Mantis Bomb (20:53).

At the end of the show Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada announced that DDT will return to Sapporo Sun Plaza for a doubleshot on 14th & 15th September. The two of them wanted SCHADENFREUDE International to close out the show properly but they were missing Antonio Honda & Masahiro Takanashi. So Brookes asked for someone in the audience to join them in the ring. A fan named Megumi from Asahikawa in Hokkaido took him up on the offer and led the group’s catchphrase to end the show.

Danshoku Dieno seems to be feeling refreshed by his recent change in wrestling style. He was able to beat HARASHIMA fair and square without having to do too many lewd things. He still pulled down his costume to do the Gaydo Clutch but other than that Dieno’s victory was pretty clean. He admits he’s never had this many matches where he’s been able to express so much in the ring. While he is building up momentum with a winning streak he understands this will not be enough to survive against Minoru Suzuki next month. To beat him Dieno will have to chop off Suzuki’s neck! HARASHIMA ended up remembering feelings from the past thanks to this match against “Strong Dieno”. He looks forward to watching Dieno Vs Suzuki. Also if he ever gets a rematch with Dieno he wants it to be at an important event rather than on short notice like today.

KANON is still using the Vietnam Driver II to win matches but he no longer calls it by that name because it originally came from Daisuke Sasaki.

The Sapporo Marathon match between Akito and Kazuki Hirata is only at the halfway point. The second half will take place on tomorrow’s show. Today it ended with a 4-4 draw after 10 minutes. Akito scored points for making Hirata give up while Hirata caught up to him thanks to the points he got for putting on his Hirata GO! glasses. There ended up being a role reversal in the final minute but all it did was cancel each other out. Remember they can also score 5 points for completing the Hirata dance and lose 2 points for making a foul.

According to Ilusion the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles are back where they belong with DAMNATION T.A. After beating NωA Jr. for the titles, Ilusion said the belts are now proof of DAMNATION’s power. He also said “Fuck you” to Sapporo as part of his victory speech. Shunma Katsumata quickly made moves to get a shot at reclaiming the titles. This time however he will do it with the other remaining members of The 37KAMIINA. Both Yuki Ueno & To-y seemed to be unaware that Katsumata just held the titles with NωA Jr. but they still want to be champions so they agree with his plan. However Ueno paused to ask Katsumata if he likes being with NωA Jr. more than The 37KAMIINA? Katsumata said he loves both groups and wants to win the titles with Ueno & To-y.


Catching Up On The DDT News

April 25, 2025

DDT “SAPPORO NIGHT CRUSH”, 26/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion
2. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – First Round!! ~ Sapporo Marathon Style Death Match: Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Noriyuki Yoshida & Daichi Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Tomoya & Yuki Ishida
4. MAO & KANON Vs Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno
6. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & To-y

Now that the American shows are nothing more than a distant memory it’s back to having matches in Japan for everybody.

A special points system will be put in place for the two Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata matches happening this weekend. There is a ten minute time limit for each match. You gets 2 Points for every 3 count pin or submission victory. You also get 1 Point if the opponent gets counted out of the ring for 20 seconds. Wrestlers are deducted 2 points if they are caught cheating or committing a foul. Akito thinks he has too much of an advantage with these rules so he allows Hirata to score 1 Point every time he puts on Hirata GO! Glasses and 5 Points if he can complete his dance during the match. The scores from both matches will be combined and whoever has the higher score is the winner.

DDT “MENKOI DAY SMASH”, 27/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. Yuni Vs Ilusion
2. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – Second Round!! ~ Sapporo Marathon Style Death Match: Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Danshoku Dieno, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul
5. Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato
6. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs Harimao!: MAO & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

There is a new member of the Strange Love Connection but he is not available just yet. KIMIHIRO will only be accompanying MAO & KANON whenever they can afford him to travel and the airfare to Sapporo is not cheap. So KIMIHIRO won’t be joining them until next month when the travel will be a little easier on the wallet.

The Sapporo Marathon Match between Akito and Hirata gets decided here.

DDT “HELLO☆DRAMATIC DREAM 2025”, 03/05/2025
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Special Single Match: MJ Paul Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON Vs Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida
3. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao

Another preview tag for Chris Brookes and HARASHIMA before they face each other at the King Of DDT 1st Round.

DDT “SENDAI NEW LEGEND 2025 ~SASA KAMABOKO~”, 04/05/2025
Miyagi Yume Messe Miyagi

1. Yuni & Kazuma Sumi Vs Toru Owashi & Danshoku Dieno
2. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON Vs HARASHIMA & Daichi Sato

And right before King Of DDT begins, DDT heads over to MAO’s home region of Miyagi.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND”, 06/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match – 4 Way Tag Match: Yuni & Kazuma Sumi Vs MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida Vs Soma Takao & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
0. Dark Match: Jun Akiyama & Danshoku Dieno Vs MAO & Kazuki Hirata (w/ KIMIHIRO)
1. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1A: Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Ueno
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1B: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Akito
3. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1C: KANON Vs Shunma Katsumata
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1D: Yukio Naya Vs Daichi Sato
5. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1E: Hideki Okatani Vs To-y
6. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1F: Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA
7. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1G: Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku
8. King Of DDT 2025 – Round 1H: Shinya Aoki Vs Kazusada Higuchi

Two dark matches get added to the King Of DDT opening round. It will be KIMIHIRO’s first appearance since joining Strange Love Connection.

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 1”, 13/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match ~ Woof Woof Paradise: Danshoku Dieno (w/ Haku) Vs Shunma Katsumata (w/ Ponta & Komachi) Vs Yuki Kamifuku (w/ Zac) Vs Yoshiko Hasegawa (w/ Qoo)

Here is how DDT is getting use out of Danshoku Dieno’s pet dog Haku. Dieno is booking a 4 Way Match with himself and three other devoted dog owners. So joining Dieno and his shiba inu is Shunma Katsumata with his two pugs, Yuki Kamifuku with her chihuahua Zac and Yoshiko Hasegawa with her Pomeranian.

DDT “D GENERATIONS 2 ~THERE’S NO LIMIT TO GROWING PAINS~”, 14/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Yuni Vs Ali Najima
2. Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami
3. Special Single Match: Ryoma Tsukamoto Vs To-y
4. Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs Yuki Ishida
6. Special Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Shota Vs Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku

The rivalry between Young Communication and D GENERATIONS moves on into a Best Of Three singles match series. Meanwhile the two young troublemakers from DAMNATION T.A take on Ganbare☆Pro’s two childhood friends Munetatsu Nakamura & Shota Kawakami.

To-y was originally supposed to face Daichi Sato on the show but Sato has high school exams happening around the same time and will not be available to wrestle. To-y’s new opponent is Ryoma Tsukamoto from JTO.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 12 ~GIVE IT TO THE CLOUDS THE MOUNTAIN CUCKOO~”, 17/05/2025
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Laughter Leads To Hell~: Kuishinbo Kamen, Shunma Katsumata & Ram Kaichow Vs Kikutaro, Antonio Honda & No Name
2. Naomi Yoshimura’s Osaka Return Match ~REGGAE TOWN is back in OSAKA!~: Ryota Nakatsu & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yasu Urano & Akito
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Heavyweight Super Carnival~: Jun Akiyama, KANON & Daichi Sato Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada
4. Special Single Match ~Break Through The Top Of DDT! From Osaka To The World, A Terrifying Challenge For The Real Life Crowd!~: Chris Brookes Vs Kohei Kinoshita
5. Special Tag Match ~Head-To-Head Battle! One-Hit, Soul-Filled Attack!! Frontal Breakthrough!!!~: HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Shuji Kondo & Shigehiro Irie
6. Special Tag Match ~Sakuyakonohana Dramatic Dreams Vs Superhuman Teacher & Student Wrestling Masters~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Yuki Ueno Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Dick Togo

God damn look at the card Yukinori Matsui has put together so far! Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno reunited to fight Daisuke Sasaki & Dick Togo. A heavyweight tag clash featuring HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Shuji Kondo and Shigehiro Irie. The return of Naomi Yoshimura to Osaka as well. Plenty to look forward to here. Naruki Doi will be at the show too.

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING 2025 – DAY 2”, 21/05/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Takeshi Masada Produce Match – Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y

Uh oh. DDT let Takeshi Masada put together a match and the idea he came up with is a Hardcore Tag bout with Brookes, Katsumata & To-y? That’s just asking for trouble.

DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 FINAL!!”, 25/05/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: X Vs X

After coming out of Las Vegas with the DDT Universal Title and most of his dignity still intact, Minoru Suzuki’s match with Danshoku Dieno is now confirmed to be a title match. Can Dieno make it through another month without using his Danshoku moveset?

DDT “KIRANAH BBQ STREET PRO WRESTLING 2025 ~MEAT! BEER! FESTIVAL!~”, 28/05/2025
Tokyo Kiranah Garden Toyosu

1. Falls Count Anywhere 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata

Speaking of asking for trouble. A BBQ Street Fight involving SCHADENFREUDE International (with Mecha Mummy), The 37KAMIINA and a DDT all star trio? Are they trying to burn the place down?!?


DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!” Results

April 19, 2025

DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Starboy Charlie defeated Yuni with the Shooting Starboy Press (8:58).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion defeated Mizuki Watase & Shota and Dan The Dad & Kody Lane when Sasaki submitted Dan with the Crossface Lock (13:07).
3. Special Single Match: Santana Jackson defeated Antonio Honda with the Moonwalk DDT (9:37).
4. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) defeated Yukio Naya with the Lariat (9:33).
*V3 for 1 Called Manders.
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi defeated Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman when Wayne pinned Bateman with the Wayne’s World (13:37).
6. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Timothy Thatcher with the Aoki Clutch (9:20).
7. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated Yoshihiko with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (15:10).
*V1 for Minoru Suzuki.
8. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated MAO with the Raging Fire (17:24).

With all of the wrestling going on in Las Vegas this week, DDT were in the thick of it holding their latest USA show with The Collective. The lineup was not DDT at its fullest with half the roster remaining in Japan to continue running shows over there. What Vegas did get though was still a mix of the weird and wonderful you can find in pro wrestling. DDT still gave fans something they weren’t going to get anywhere else in Vegas this week.

In the main event Konosuke Takeshita returned to DDT to test out just how much MAO has grown without him. MAO has recently made a similar decision that Takeshita went through a few years ago and that is to leave The 37KAMIINA to move in a new direction. MAO’s path is a little different though and he used what tricks he could to go against Takeshita’s world class abilities. At one point he hit Takeshita square with the Iai Kick but Takeshita collapsed out of the ring. Takeshita did big damage back by dropping MAO on the ring apron with the Wicked Driver. MAO gambled it all by going for a Phoenix Splash but Takeshita got out of the way. He moved so quick that he got in position to throw an Elbow Stike at MAO in midair but the wild shot missed. It didn’t matter though because Takeshita remained on the attack and pinned MAO with the Raging Fire.

After the match MAO got to give a speech but felt bad about it because losers shouldn’t talk. However he has a dream to tell the fans and it is to “Make DDT Dramatic Again”. He invited everyone back out to end the show but had more to say backstage. He is going to follow in Takeshita’s footsteps by attacking New Japan! To give more back to DDT his goal is to win the Best Of The Super Jr. and then take the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title! Meanwhile Takeshita told reporters about all of the opponents he has fought this week with more to come tomorrow. He cannot go back on his triple contracts now. He also gave advice to MAO and that is to cherish the people who support you because they are the ones who will protect you in the end. With that, he will look forward to seeing how MAO will do in May

Las Vegas got to witness the fight of the century! In the middle of what is part of the most bizarre schedule of matches anyone has taken for WrestleMania Weekend ever, Minoru Suzuki fought Yoshihiko with the DDT Universal Title on the line. All throughout the buildup Suzuki didn’t believe in Yoshihiko’s powers and thought the match was a joke. So when the match began he had fun kicking and throwing the doll around while the audience reacted in horror to the violence put on display. Yoshihiko even produced a crimson mask, getting blood gushing from its face. However things took a turn when all of a sudden Yoshihiko grabbed Suzuki and fought back with submission holds. Suzuki was at the risk of getting outgrappled and soon found himself getting bumped around the ring. But in the end he countered Yoshihiko’s Reincarnation into the Gotch-Style Piledriver, spinning around in circles before hitting the move to make it more powerful. After winning the match, Suzuki shook Yoshihiko’s hand before throwing it out of the ring. Backstage he asked the reporters if Americans are stupide because they made such a big fuss over a doll. He then brought up his singles match with Danshoku Dieno happening on 25th May, insinuating that he wants it to be a Universal Title match. Yoshihiko made no comment backstage.

Something that was completely different from the rest of the card could be seen in Match #6. Shinya Aoki and Timothy Thatcher kept most of their match to the mat with grappling exchanges and submission holds. When the action brought them back to their feet, Aoki hit a dive out of the ring but Thatcher returned fire back inside with a Piledriver. Aoki got the better of him in the end though when he applied the Full Nelson and pulled Thatcher down into the pinning manoeuvre that is now called the Aoki Clutch. Thatcher had no answer to it and was counted for three.

People were flying everywhere in the 6-Man Tag Match. Gringo Loco threw his body around with high risk moves and Marcus Mathers did the same. Kazuma Sumi got to stretch his feet out a little bit and do some more high flying of his own than we’re used to seeing him on regular DDT shows. Nick Wayne was also chomping at the bit to get things done but at times it put him at odds with Sumi & Shunma Katsumata. That was only a blip though and the trio remained strong, ending with Wayne pinned Tyler Batemen with the Wayne’s World.

Big beefy brutes collided over the wXw Unified Title. It’s a belt that 1 Called Manders recently won in Germany and brought with him to Vegas for a few title defences. Yukio Naya got to be one of the challengers but couldn’t knock the cowboy off his throne with strikes and Choke Slams. Instead Manders took Naya’s best shot and took him down with the Lariat to keep his championship. The two earned each other’s respect and Manders raised Naya’s hand as he was heading to the back.

Anton, are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay, Anton? Antonio Honda couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Just the sight of Santana Jackson moving like Michael Jackson was enough to make his knees quiver and his mind unfocused. It must have been why he injured his knee again when trying to do a dive. Honda had the courage to tell everyone a Gongitsune story in English about the time Gone went to Vegas to see Caesars Palace but wound up at Caesars Penis instead. It was all a trick to cheap shot Jackson, who fled beneath the ring. When he returned he had become the werewolf from Thriller and he gave Honda the Moonwalk DDT for the victory.

A 3 Way Match pitted DAMNATION T.A against two teams that were very different from each other. Mizuki Watase & Shota were teaming up as a Ganbare☆Pro adjacent pair while Dan The Dad & Kody Lane were along for what sounded like a fun vacation the whole family could enjoy. Too bad Daisuke Sasaki wanted to drink beer and Ilusion kept swearing at everybody. Dan also lost his temper at Shota for standing on the top turnbuckles for too long like a bold boy. Dan & Lane hit some big moves including a Topé Suicida Doomsday Device onto a pile of wrestlers outside the ring. But Ilusion caught Dan with the Swanton Bomb and Sasaki ran in to give him the Crossface Lock for the submission win.

It was like a mirror match in the opener. Both Yuni and Starboy Charlie tried to match each other flip for flip to impress the fans. Charlie won out on the contest thanks to the Standing Corkscrew Moonsault and also the Shooting Starboy Press.


Guide To DDT In Las Vegas

April 16, 2025

DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Yuni Vs Starboy Charlie
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Mizuki Watase & Shota Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman
4. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
7. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya
8. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

Bright lights, the sound of money being lost everywhere and of course there’s an impersonator nearby. DDT has come to Las Vegas for WrestleMania Week! Things really feel different with the show this year as many of DDT’s main roster are not making the trip out of Japan. Instead they are going to run more shows side by side with the group going to America. It means a lot of big names you come to expect from DDT are missing and the people brought in to fill those gaps seem a bit random at first. Some start to make sense the more you think about it but if you look at the card above it kind of looks like bits and pieces from other shows all being grouped together into something else. I still bet it will be a good time and if you want to know what’s going on with everything, you’ve come to the right place. You won’t get any gambling tips from me though. I’m already gambling my Switch 2 money to the Fortune Cup machines as you read this.

When and where is the show taking place?

The two shows will be held at the Pearl Theater found inside Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!” is taking place on Friday, 18th April at 3pm local time. “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW” is taking place on Saturday, 19th April at 2pm local time.

Where can I watch it online?

Both “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!” and “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW” will air live on Triller TV with English commentary through the TrillerTV+ subscription service. The on-demand versions of both shows will be available to watch on Wrestle Universe a few weeks after the live broadcast.

Is this a proper DDT show?

Ehhhhhhh…… There’s a lot missing. When it comes to expanding into the USA, CyberFight thinks Tokyo Joshi Pro has become the better bet. I don’t think you will get the full DDT experience compared to their shows in Japan or even their recent previous American shows. It will be entertaining and mostly looks unique compared to anything else happening this week but I can’t say this looks like a complete DDT experience. Maybe treat it as a sampler if this is your first time watching the product.

Look at it this way. I’m playing Promoter Mode on Fire Pro Wrestling and I’m trying to remake DDT. A lot of the roster I want too book isn’t unlocked yet and I spent so much money on the couple of star wrestlers I love that I have to make do with who’s available in the Freelance section to fill out the rest of the card. I might end up discovering some new wrestlers I like in the process but the whole package just never seems right. This show kind of feels like that. DDT is always open to becoming a mish-mash of different styles and philosophies which is probably why some of the matches here look like they could have been booked on some of the other prominent shows happening in Vegas.

Got any non-wrestling tips for visiting Las Vegas?

Every casino looks closer to each other than they appear so be prepared to walk a lot. Even in real life The Sphere looks like it is CGI’d into the background when you see it from a distance. I like Secret Pizza in The Cosmopolitan but would not rely on it at all for a full meal. Pin-Up Pizza on the strip is the same quality as Sbarro so only go near it if you really want the novelty of eating a gigantic slice. If you’re going to see Penn & Teller at the Rio Casino, get there early to get a close up look at an old timey magician’s stage while Penn plays jazz music with his band. You might also get to be part of an inside joke that happens during the show. Tape Face is a really fun show to loosen up at. BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon is enjoyable but a little too Medieval Times for my tastes. It is also closer to pro wrestling than some of the actual pro wrestling shows happening this week.

Will The Steiner Brothers be at the show?

No.

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1. Yuni Vs Starboy Charlie

We open up with two heartthrobs in the making being pitted against each other. Yuni is part of NωA Jr. (New Wrestling Idol Jr.), a pop idol unit that’s been given the task by DDT to go and win a Best Newcomer category at a famous music awards ceremony by the end of the year. All three members of the group will be at this show so you may get a singing performance from them. Starboy Charlie isn’t singing yet but it might be in his future if The Crush Boys project he is involved in with Chigusa Nagayo ever decides to take the musical route. These two boys might just end up being two peas in a pod.

Yuni – See this 17 year old? Yuni made his pro wrestling debut at 8 years old when he and his mom convinced Sanshiro Takagi to let him try out for DDT. How did DDT get away with this at the time? Well it turns out the mom is a retired dancer from a popular idol group in the 90’s so the family is already in show business. Yay nepotism! Now fully ingrained in the business and at an age where DDT won’t get into trouble when he takes a bump, Yuni wants to live his dream of becoming a cool wrestler with loads of high flying moves in his arsenal.
Moves To Watch Out For: Phoenix Splash, Sky Twister Press, Moonault, Spinning Headscissors

Starboy Charlie – Currently making waves on the indies as one half of The Crush Boys with Titus Alexander. Charlie is more familiar with the other side of CyberFight where he has wrestled several tours in NOAH and once challenged for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title. Yes, he still wrestles in the denim dungarees. I still remember Jim Ross joking that the kid thinks he’s like Jerry Lawler in Memphis when he pulls the straps down.
Moves To Watch Out For: Shooting Star Press, Standing Corkscrew Moonsault, Kip Up into an Overhead Kick


2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Mizuki Watase & Shota Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane

A 3 Way Tag Match like this always looks like it’s thrown together but it makes a little bit of sense here. Two of the three teams are more likely to appear in Ganbare☆Pro rather than DDT. DAMNATION T.A is the odd one out although a previous version of the group did get into a feud with GanPro in 2017 that nearly put the promotion’s entire existence in jeopardy. Mizuki Watase has travelled to Las Vegas before and has gone through the problems such a trip would give anyone. Hopefully he’s better prepared this time. Dan The Dad & Kody Lane have toured in GanPro before so this isn’t unusual territory for them. They are also already an accomplished tag team called Home Cookin’.

Daisuke Sasaki – Here is the grimiest heel you’re ever going to find in DDT. Dirty, drunk and depressed, Daisuke Sasaki is the leader of DAMNATION T.A because this way of life is a “Total Addiction”. He has the talent to reach bigger heights and has achieved success in DDT but every time there is a setback it sends him tumbling back down into despair. Despite putting himself in a self-fulfilled cycle of destruction you can never really count him out of the running.
Moves To Watch Out For: Crossface Lock (sometimes set up with La Mistica), Crossover Face Lock (Gargano Escape), Sasaki-Style Hurricanrana, Diving Elbow Drop

Ilusion – This young masked wrestler started off his career leaning as a heel but showed traces of babyface behaviour when he wanted to join SCHADENFREUDE International. It all turned out to be a ruse he planned with DAMNATION T.A to betray his new friends and leave them with broken hearts. Now Ilusion is just a prick to everyone outside of DAMNATION T.A, flipping off his opponents and cheating like hell.
Moves To Watch Out For: Swanton Bomb, RE:VISION1 (Modified Angels Wings), Missile Dropkick, Giving everyone middle fingers

Mizuki Watase – A former comedian turned pro wrestler and he is freshly back from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He speedran his rehabilitation and made it back to the ring in only 4 months which sounds absolutely crazy when you think about it. He wants to make up for lost time which is why he is putting in four times the amount of effort needed.
Moves To Watch Out For: Venetian (Wrist-Clutch Michinoku Driver), Running Elbow Butt, Back Drop, Hanori Tiger Suplex

Shota – A reliable handyman both inside and out of the ring. Shota has spent the last few years working as a freelancer to do what’s best for himself after spending so many years putting other people in the business first. He still helps out from time to time and likes to wrestling across the indies scenes in both Japan and America. I’m under suspicion that he still helps out CyberFight as a talent scout of some sort from time to time.
Moves To Watch Out For: Gannosuke Clutch, Frog Splash, Sharpshooter

Dan The Dad – Your father’s favorite wrestler. He sometimes has to wrestle the match while drinking his morning cup of joe from his World’s No. 1 Dad mug. He also isn’t afraid to dish out punishment the old fashioned way by whipping the opponent’s behind with his belt. He got involved at last year’s DDT show in Philadelphia where his open challenge was answered by the psycho mascot Chiitan.
Moves To Watch Out For: Baby On Board (Backpack Stunner), You’re Grounded (rope draping Flatliner)

Kody Lane – Wherever Dan The Dad goes, “The Southern Flamingo” is never that far behind him. Although usually they just see each other all the time in Glory Pro anyway. The two travelled together to Japan for a GanPro tour two years ago and they are familar with each other either as partners or opponents. In the ring though Lane loves nothing more than to springboard or slingshot himself off of the ropes.
Moves To Watch Out For: Diving Senton to a bent over opponent, Jay Driller, Top Rope Springboard Moonsault, Waffle Stomp (Elevated Double Stomp to a bent over opponent in the corner)


3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman

Not much to say here other than throw a few high flyers into the ring with a couple of bases and let them all do their thing. Nick Wayne is calling over from AEW to get some ring time before he heads over to New Japan for the summer. Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi are the other two members of NωA Jr. Maybe they can convince Wayne to be their fourth man. Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman are all going to try and ruin the other team’s day.

Nick Wayne – It’s been said before that Nick Wayne is a young wrestler who has the world at his feet. That’s all well and good but he really needs to get moving because maybe his father figure in AEW doesn’t have what’s best in mind for him. The son of the late Buddy Wayne toured with DDT in the past to get himself ready for his move to the big leagues. Now the next time he returns to Japan it will be for the Best Of The Super Jr tournament. There will come a day when Wayne is watching over the wrestling scene as a grizzled veteran with hundreds of matches under his belt while still only being in his mid twenties. But he needs to start making his moves sooner rather than later.
Moves To Watch Out For: Wayne’s World (Sprinboard Flying Cutter), Inverted Hurricanrana, Snap Dragon Suplex, Fisherman Suplex

Shunma Katsumata – Nobody in DDT loves saunas as much as this guy. Don’t let his hobby or his eternally youthful looks fool you though. Katsumata can get crazy violent whenever he wants even when his weapons of choice turn out to be Lego and party poppers. That kind of behaviour took its toll and put him on the shelf for a year. So when he came back he traded in the Lego for a microphone to become part of NωA Jr.
Moves To Watch Out For: ¡Hasta la vista! (Lightning Spiral), Totonou Splash (straight Diving Body Press), Aufguss (Diving Foot Stomp to a standing opponent)

Kazuma Sumi – Where does DDT find so many young wrestlers to train and debut quickly? Well the quiet part is they usually attract trainees who dropped out of other company dojos. Kazuma Sumi is one such example because he originally trained with Dragongate before bouncing over to DDT. One year after his debut he was taken under the wing of former DDT mainstay MIKAMI and adopted one of his most successful moves… the School Boy! There’s an alternate reality where he should be doing Swanton Bombs off of ladders instead but we don’t live in it.
Moves To Watch Out For: Lionsault, Standing Moonsault, School Boy

Gringo Loco – Do you need an opponent to be the yin to your high flyer’s yang? Then go get “The Base God”. Gringo Loco left his mark in DDT last November when he unexpectedly won the DDT Universal Title during a series of shows in Seattle. He defended the belt around North America a little bit before losing it once he actually had a title match in Japan. This match will be Loco’s return to DDT, doing what he does best.
Moves To Watch Out For: Base Bomb (Spinning Sit Down Power Bomb), Olympico Slam (Inverted Angle Slam), Gorilla Press Driver, Gringo Cutter

Marcus Mathers – It’s looking like Marcus Mathers is one of the early standouts among the WWE ID class. IWTV is also currently counting on him as their Independent World Wrestling Title. He made one previous appearance in DDT as part of GCW’s Japan tour last August. His big viral spot was crying crocodile tears with Maki Itoh during their match. That might not work here. The guy’s a pretty good spot monkey but that stuff doesn’t get over with WWE’s online fanbase unless it happens inside a WWE ring.
Moves To Watch Out For: 450 Splash, Cutter, Blue Thunder Bomb, 999 (Diamond Dust)

Tyler Bateman – Vegas is a familiar haunt for Tyler Bateman so you may see him a couple of times throughout the week, particularly in the Shooting Star Fest series of shows. He thinks pretty highly of himself and is often introduced as “The God Damn Man”. He finds his moments to strike when the opponent’s guard is down. The big move to watch out for is when he goes for Death From Above, a falling Forearm Smash he usually hits immediately after his opponent kicks out of a pin.
Moves To Watch Out For: Death From Above (Falling Forearm Smash to a grounded opponent), This Is A Kill (Tombstone Piledriver), Love Kill (Northern Lights Bomb)


4. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson

This is it! Antonio Honda’s love of classic American pop culture has brought forward the perfect opponent for him. Why is he Wanna Be Startin’ Something’ to get into a fight with a living, breathing Michael Jackson impersonator? It will be kind of like fighting The Man In The Mirror. If you think a match like this is going to be Bad then I advise you can go Beat It over to the concession stand…… Thriller.

Antonio Honda – He has almost two decades of experience under his belt while his knees behave like he’s gone through four. Antonio Honda went through several phases of an unlikely pro wrestling career, settling into this weird mix of tranquil slapstick with hints of Memphis wrestling hidden beneath. Honda is the poster child of high risk equals high failure because he injures his knee in a clumsy way in almost every match he’s in. The pain is so bad he threatens to retire every time unless he gets to tell the story of Gon The Little Fox, a child’s tale that he then turns into a filthy joke. But it’s all a ruse so he can poke people in the eyes while his hand is in the shape of Gon. Honda loves classic American pop culture too so DDT went and found him the perfect opponent for his visit to Vegas.
Moves To Watch Out For: Octopus Hold, Diving Fist Drop, Bionic Elbow, Gongitsune/Gon The Fox (makes a fox out of his hand, says a lewd joke and pokes people in either the eyes or the nipples).

Santana Jackson – How’s this for a double life? A Michael Jackson tribute act in Vegas who moonwalks moonlights as a pro wrestler with the same gimmick. Genius! Santana Jackson usually goes viral for doing Moonwalk DDTs or replicating the baby balcony spot in Hardcore Matches. Think of an MJ cliche and he’s probably done it in the ring. Honda is going to have the time of his life against this guy. Although believe it or not, Santana is not the first Michael Jackson impersonator to wrestle in DDT. Someone by the name of Michael Okamoto beat him to the punch around 17 years ago.
Moves To Watch Out For: Sleepwalk DDT, King Of Pop Elbow Drop, Rope Walk Arm Drag, Dancing like Michael Jackson


5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher

Are we sure this wasn’t meant to be booked for Bloodsport? I mean are we really, really sure? Okay then. DDT has somehow become the pro wrestling home for MMA fighter Shinya Aoki. He certainly made the most of it so far. His opponent is someone you couldn’t find in DDT at all yet is still a fitting match for him. If Timothy Thatcher is going to feel a thrill from going hold to hold against Aoki, we’re not going to see it on his face. He’s there to win or accept total defeat from trying.

Shinya Aoki – If you were never around for even the immediate post-glory years of Japanese MMA then you missed a magical time. Shinya Aoki played a role in it as this little asshole who would come out to the Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo theme song and then rip his opponents apart with submission holds. It was wonderful. He unexpectedly turned to DDT in 2018 and gradually made himself at home by winning several championships including DDT’s main belt, the KO-D Openweight Title. Thankfully for everybody and their arms his personality had mellowed out by then and he has found wrestlers to get along with. His skills on the mat are still unmatched to this day and his mind for fighting is his most valuable weapon. Even his biggest doubters in wrestling couldn’t help but be impressed to see him develop the humble little Full Nelson Hold into a nigh-on unbreakable pinning manoeuvre.
Moves To Watch Out For: Sleeper Hold, Full Nelson Hold, European Clutch, Topé Suicida

Timothy Thatcher – In Europe he was once the housewive’s favourite but nowadays you can find him tangling with WWE ID recruits. No nonsense to a fault, Timothy Thatcher takes to the mat like no one else and braces for his opponent’s strikes the same way a brick wall would. You may think DDT would be the most uncharacteristic place for a guy like Thatcher to wrestle in but the company has always embraced wrestlers with catch style or MMA related backgrounds. It goes all the way back to their very beginning with the late Koichiro Kimura. So there’s sort of a legacy he can fit into.
Moves To Watch Out For: Fujiwara Armbar, Butterfly Suplex, Enzuigiri, European Uppercut


6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO

Nothing is stopping the Konosuke Takeshita hype train! The man has been on a roll lately and he may not be done just yet. He has some old business to deal with back in DDT where he tests how much his former allies in The 37KAMIINA have grown without him. MAO has certainly found ways to progress up the card and make himself feel a level above what he was before. But he might be in for a rude awakening if Takeshita doesn’t budge to his antics anymore.

Konosuke Takeshita – No matter where his career in AEW and now New Japan will take him, Takeshita will always have a home in DDT. He is gradually taking over the wrestling world while holding contracts with those three companies. Once he was part of a unit of sauna loving wrestlers called The 37KAMIINA until he left to chase his biggest dreams. That journey so far has evolved him into “The Alpha” you see today. He has done everything there is to do in DDT and only comes back to fight opponents he wants to fight. So you know this match matters to him when you see who his opponent is.
Moves To Watch Out For: Raging Fire (Spinning Falcon Arrow), Powerdrive Knee/Wagamama (V-Trigger style Knee Strike), German Suplex, Blue Thunder Bomb, Takeshita Line (Leaping Clothesline from the ropes)

MAO – Lives by the motto “Fucked up wrestling for a fucked up world!” so you can’t say he’s out of place in 2025. He was scouted by DDT as a teenager when they found his Youtube videos of him doing wrestling moves at home and outdoors. Just like Takeshita, MAO was part of The 37KAMIINA but very recently decided to leave the unit to move in a fresh direction. He has been immature for his entire career but in recent times developed an unshakeable confidence in his abilities and wrestling philosophy. MAO feels at his most alive during Falls Count Anywhere style situations. Putting him in an environment like Las Vegas is just asking for trouble.
Moves To Watch Out For: Iai Kick (Powerful Thrust Kick), Cannonball 450 (450 Splash), Michinoku Driver, Whirlwind Kick


7. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya

All of a sudden we’ve got an extra title match on our hands! Straight from Germany the wXW Unified World Wrestling Title will be defended in Las Vegas a few times this week. If all goes to plan, 1 Called Manders will put the belt on the line against his scheduled DDT opponent Yukio Naya. Manders is having a breakthrough year, one that I can’t help but wonder if Naya could have gotten in the past if things had turned out differently for him.

1 Called Manders – Previously known for being part of The Second Gear Crew in GCW and the surrounding indies, Manders went his own way and his hard work over the last few years is now paying off. His feud on the indies with Mad Dog Connelly consisting of Dog Collar and Texas Bull Ropes matches found its audience and received great acclaim online. Then a lengthy trek to Europe this year rewarded him with more success, particularly in Germany where he won the fabled 16 Carat Gold tournament and soon after that took the vacant wXw Title. He’s your man if you like your wrestling to be hard hitting with a bit of grit.
Moves To Watch Out For: Lariat, Stampede Slam, Chops

Yukio Naya – The Heavyweight division is something DDT has been trying to boost up for the last few years. Yukio Naya is someone they’ve had high hopes for in the past due to his lineage coming from a famous family of sumo wrestlers. His grandfather was the 48th yokozuna, his father was kicked out of the sport in disgrace and his three younger brothers are all currently active up and down the divisions. Sumo was never the road that Naya wanted to take though and instead he was directed towards pro wrestling by Satoru Sayama. Development was slow but when DDT became his home he eventually started to piece things together. He is in no way a finished product but through sheer determination it may someday finally all click into place for him. Watch out if he does because he can run you over easy.
Moves To Watch Out For: The World’s Best Back Drop, Choke Slam, Knee Lift


8. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

There’s going to be a few bruised egos in Vegas this week over a sex doll getting more bookings than some of the wrestlers coming to town. I’m not even making a crass joke at someone’s expense, Yoshihiko really has a couple of non-DDT matches going on as well as possibly getting the main event of this show! It is facing the one man who isn’t playing along with the joke though. Minoru Suzuki currently holds the DDT Universal Title and wants to travel the world defending it against all comers. So a sex doll suddenly appearing nearby wherever he goes is just an unfunny prank to him that is better off ignoring. With that being said have you seen what Suzuki’s schedule for this week looks like? This genuinely will end up being one of the more entertaining matches. Yoshihiko just needs to figure out how to make its dark power have an effect on Suzuki even a little bit. It’s almost as if it’s just an inanimate object…

Minoru Suzuki – The “Pirate King” of pro wrestling recently returned to DDT when Yuki Ueno used the Universal Title as a piece of treasure to lure him into a match. Ueno’s plan backfired spectacularly and now Suzuki holds DDT’s second most important championship. Since it is an international title, Suzuki now comes to America looking for anyone brave enough to challenge him. He has seen it all in his travels across the wrestling world but even he cannot believe who was first to answer his call. He’s going to show up to the event expecting to fight somebody because he isn’t buying that he’ll be headlining a wrestling show against a Dutch Wife.
Moves To Watch Out For: Gotch-Style Piledriver, Rear Naked Choke, Heel Hook, Slaps

Yoshihiko – The Grave Digger Doll From Hell has been a mysterious force in DDT for almost two decades now. It first showed up as the brother of Muscle Sakai, constantly replacing him in matches whenever Sakai suffered gun-related injuries backstage (it’s a long story). Yoshihiko vanished after that only to reappear years later as Danshoku Dieno’s surprise tag team partner. Over time the doll’s powers have only gotten stronger. It gained the ability to transform into powerful wrestlers such as The Great Muta, The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan. You can rip it limb from limb and it will survive. You can drive over it with a car and it will survive. You can throw it off a building and it will survive. To fight Yoshihiko is almost like fighting yourself. Only then can you discover your true talent as a pro wrestler.
Moves To Watch Out For: Reincarnation (multiple rotations into a Hurricanrana), Canadian Destroyer, Yoshihiko Destroyer (multiple Canadian Destroyers in a row)

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DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Mizuki, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Miu Watanabe, Suzume, Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai & Shino Suzuki
2. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Brooke Havok & Sandra Moone
3. Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Kidd Bandit & Shota
4. 3 Way Match: MAO & Yoshihiko Vs Jimmy Lloyd & Alec Price Vs Jack Cartwheel & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Tag Match: 1 Called Manders & Maki Itoh Vs Yukio Naya & Microman
6. Special Tag Match: Mance Warner & Shunma Katsumata Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Matt Tremont
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & Dark Sheik Vs Super Crazy, Marcus Mathers & Shoko Nakajima
8. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita

I made the Fire Pro comparison earlier but holy hell does this card look like I random selected everything on my save. Now don’t get me wrong, the lineup we have so far is so nutty looking that I’m looking forward to it. This isn’t even the full line up yet. Out of all the shows happening this week this may end up being the one with the most amount of never seen before and never seen again matches ever. I can’t do a proper preview of this justice so just join me in confusion at the sight of Super Crazy and Shoko Nakajima are doing double team moves together, Manders punting Microman into the third row and Yoshihiko taking Jack Cartwheel’s WWE ID deal away from him.

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There will be other chances to see a few DDT wrestlers in action across Philadelphia that week. Mainly MAO. You are going to get a lot of MAO. Yoshihiko is in demand quite a bit too.


PANDEMONIUM PRO “THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS”, 17/04/2025
Fremont Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Masha Slamovich Vs MAO

MAO is taking on the crazy schedule of wrestling 8 matches in just over 48 hours. He first match of the trip at Pandemonium Pro is already putting the pedal to the metal because his opponent is Masha Slamovich! The woman is one of the toughest people you will find in either TNA or GCW and just the kind of person who likes to match crazy with crazy.


CIRCLE 6 “MAYHEM AT THE MUSEUM”, 17/04/2025
The Punk Rock Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Bestia 666 Vs MAO

Around the same time MAO is fighting Slamovich he also has a match with Bestia 666 at a Circle 6 show. They’re only like a 10 minute drive away from each other so which will happen first?


WEST COAST PRO “VEGAS VACATION”, 17/04/2025
Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. MAO Vs Jiah Jewell

Forget about LSU Vs Ole Miss. Louisiana Vs Osaka? Now there’s a real sports rivalry! Although I can’t find Modesto on the map of Louisiana and any cajun I ask tells me the only place I’ll find a Modesto over there would be in the craft beer aisle. Jiah Jewell is another crazy opponent for MAO to fight.


GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XIII”, 17/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Charlie Dempsey Vs Shinya Aoki

Look, I’m not saying I want to see Aoki break Charlie Dempsey’s arm and flip him off afterwards. It’s just that if you’re going to call this Bloodsport then give us a bloodsport. Dempsey’s dad would understand that.


BZW “VIVA LAS VEGAS”, 17/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. BZW Tag Team Titles: MAO & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Marcus Mathers & Alec Price

If you haven’t heard, MAO & Yoshihiko have a side story going on where they are the tag team champions of Banger Zone Wrestling in France and Belgium. BZW are among the more obscure wrestling companies that decided to run a show in Vegas this year but at least they’re taking a good swing at it. The champs were originally meant to face The Gahbage Daddies for the belts but Cole Radrick is unfortunately out of action. Alec Price was able to get Marcus Mathers in as a substitute so wacky times are still a go-go.


PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 18/04/2025
Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

0. Yoshihiko’s Super Special Open Challenge: Yoshihiko Vs X
1. G-Sharpe Vs MAO

MAO is also taking in favours from the Nevada based promotions during the week. There is a heel unit in PrideStyle named The Cartel de Los Villanos who have called MAO in to deal with one of their enemies G-Sharpe. While that is going on, Yoshihiko will also be there on the pre-show looking to put out an open challenge.


GRAPHOUSE “FOR VEGAS, BY VEGAS”, 18/04/2025
Fergusons Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Lazarus Vs MAO

By the looks of things MAO ends his run of Vegas shows with one of the local promotions called GrapHouse. His opponent Lazarus is being advertised as the W4TN Champion but I’m not sure if the title will be on the line. Lazarus is also nicknamed “The Cannibal Cryptid”. Sounds about right. Also I think the venue is near Fremont Street so MAO should find a way to do a Moonsault off of Vegas Vic.


GCW “CLUSTERF*CK FOREVER”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Clusterfuck Match: Yoshihiko Vs X

Almost anyone and anything could show up at GCW’s annual Clusterfuck match that usually draws the non-WWE side of the week to a close. Yoshihiko has been confirmed to take part in the match for a second year in a row. Last year it made it all the way to the final three. Former TJPW wrestler Sayaka Unagi is also being advertised to take part. Can you imagine the kind of eye opening things Unagi would do in Vegas?


Just Arrived Now, Guides Coming Up Soon

April 16, 2025

Okay, okay, okay. Bare with me for a bit. I arrived in Vegas and saw the extra match announcements so let me finish up the two guides and they should be ready in an hour or two. Also I’m spamming some posts so the massive Around The World article gets pushed off the front page and the site won’t crash due to overload once the guides are up.

DDT “DDT GOES LAS VEGAS!”, 18/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Yuni Vs Starboy Charlie
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion Vs Mizuki Watase & Shota Vs Dan The Dad & Kody Lane
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Nick Wayne, Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi Vs Gringo Loco, Marcus Mathers & Tyler Bateman
4. Special Single Match: Antonio Honda Vs Santana Jackson
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Timothy Thatcher
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
7. wXw Unified World Wrestling Title: 1 Called Manders (c) Vs Yukio Naya
8. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Yoshihiko

This is the complete card for DDT’s Las Vegas show. Mizuki Watase, Shota, Dan The Dad, Kody Lane and Starboy Charlie are the last people added.

DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GCW “DDT VS TJPW VS GCW”, 19/04/2025
Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1. Rika Tatsumi & Antonio Honda Vs Kidd Bandit & Shota
2. 3 Way Match: MAO & Yoshihiko Vs Jimmy Lloyd & Alec Price Vs Jack Cartwheel & Kazuma Sumi
3. Special Tag Match: 1 Called Manders & Maki Itoh Vs Yukio Naya & Microman
4. Special Tag Match: Mance Warner & Shunma Katsumata Vs John Wayne Murdoch & Matt Tremont
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & Dark Sheik Vs Super Crazy, Marcus Mathers & Shoko Nakajima
6. Special Tag Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & Masha Slamovich Vs Shinya Aoki & Miyu Yamashita

Who is the cutest in the world? Maki Itoh could have some competition with Microman when it comes to that claim. Add 1 Called Manders and Yukio Naya into the mix and we got ourselves the plot of a straight to video sequel of The Hangover.

No seriously what the hell is this card? There’s still like a third of the lineup still to be booked!

DDT “SAPPORO NIGHT CRUSH”, 26/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. MAO & KANON Vs Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Noriyuki Yoshida & Daichi Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Tomoya & Yuki Ishida
3. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – First Round!!: Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & To-y
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Danshoku Dieno
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion.

DAMNATION T.A want to take back the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles after having to vacate them when they kicked KANON out of the group. They now have Hideki Okatani replacing him and Ilusion wants to be on the team this time too. He’s been targeting NωA Jr. a lot recently anyway. And why does MJ Paul have to be taken out of the equation? Can’t Daisuke Sasaki let him lead the team for once?

DDT “MENKOI DAY SMASH”, 27/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. Yuni Vs Ilusion
2. Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Noriyuki Yoshida Vs Danshoku Dieno, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
4. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – Second Round!!: Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul
6. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs Harimao!: MAO & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida

Updating the main event match name now that MAO & KANON are the Strange Love Connection.


Meanwhile Back In Japan, TJPW Golden Week Title Matches, Namba’s Dream Coming True

April 14, 2025

I’m going to be travelling to Las Vegas tomorrow and it’s going to be a long trip ahead. You will know I have arrived safe and sound when the guides for the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro shows get posted. That should be on Tuesday night Vegas time but if more things get announced or even changed it will have to wait until Wednesday morning. I’ll try to at least stay up to date with the show results for the rest of the week but show reports may take a while because I’m still meant to be on holiday. Enjoy the week and let it all seep in!

DDT “KANDA MYOJON CULTURAL EXCHANGE CENTER PRESENTS LAS VEGAS SERIES ~JITSUGETSU~”, 19/04/2025
Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall

1. KANON Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Akito Vs Yuya Koroku & Keigo Nakamura
3. Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs Toru Owashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA & Daichi Sato
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Mikosee Vs Danshoku Dieno, Soma Takao & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
6. DDT Extreme Title: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata

The cards for the DDT shows going on in Japan while the Las Vegas tour is going on have been finalized. The local mascot Mikosee joins forces with The 37KAMIINA to complete the lineup.

DDT “KANDA MYOJON CULTURAL EXCHANGE CENTER PRESENTS LAS VEGAS SERIES ~NESHIN~”, 20/04/2025
Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Toru Owashi Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul Vs KANON & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Soma Takao
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Keigo Nakamura
5. Twilight Rouge Cup Battle Royal: Chris Brookes Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Akito Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs To-y Vs Yuya Koroku Vs Takeshi Masada

Seven people will take part in the Twilight Rouge Cup. Meanwhile HARASHIMA and Keigo Nakamura have their last singles match together for a while.

DDT “DDT HARU NO KEN FESTIVAL ~STILL GOING ON IN UENO~”, 23/04/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuya Koroku
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato
3. O-40 Title: Toru Owashi (c) Vs Antonio Honda
4. Staggered Entry Tag Rumble: Shunma Katsumata & Yuni Vs MAO & KANON Vs HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno & To-y
5. Keigo Nakamura Send Off Match ~ Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Keigo Nakamura

Once the American trip is done it’s back to work with another show at Ueno Park. It includes a rare defence of the O-40 Title that Toru Owashi won last October. He hasn’t defended it yet so he has to put it on the line against Antonio Honda.

The winners of the Tag Rumble will apparently get a wish granted as their prize.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GOLDEN WEEK FAN APPRECIATION DAY 「EAST」”, 03/05/2025
Saitama Kasukabe Fureai Cube

1. VPW Women’s Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Viva Van

In December 2023 Viva Van came to TJPW as a challenger for Yuki Kamifuku to defend the Queen Of Asia Title against. Next month the rematch will happen this time with the VPW Women’s Title on the line. Van is a Vietnamese-American wrestler so it will mean a lot to her to win a championship from Vietnam Pro Wrestling.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GOLDEN WEEK FAN APPRECIATION DAY 「WEST」”, 05/05/2025
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Raku (c) Vs Nor ‘Phoenix’ Diana
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao (c) Vs Matcha & Alexis Lee

When Matcha and Alexis Lee both come back to Japan they will team up as an “All Southeast Asian Team” challenging for the Princess Tag Team Titles. I also heard Sayuri Namba refer to them as SEA Storm but I don’t know if it will be their official team name. They will face either Kyoraku Kyomei or Ober Eats for the belts depending on which team wins the title match this week in Vegas.

GANBARE☆PRO “SUICIDE SQUAD 2025”, 05/05/2025
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Moeka Haruhi, Yuna Manase & Banny Oikawa Vs YuuRI, Nanami & Kirari Wakana
2. Shuichiro Katsumura & Hartley Jackson Vs Toru Sugiura & Dragon Libre
3. Yumehito Imanari, Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Yuki Kanzaki, Munetatsu Nakamura & Daisuke®️
4. Shota Kawakami 1st Anniversary Match: Shota Kawakami Vs Shota
5. HARUKAZE’s Last Match Before Her Hiatus: Ken Ohka Vs HARUKAZE
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Yasu Urano & PSYCHO

The SOG World Tag Team Titles haven’t been defended since last November because of Mizuki Watase’s injury. Both he and Shigehiro Irie want to make up for lost time and start fighting in tag title matches again. Yasu Urano & PSYCHO have stepped up to be their first challengers. They believe Watase is not being honest about his recovery and is not wrestling at 100%. The sooner this match happens, the better their chances are to win the tag titles.

There is only one person HARUKAZE believes she can beat in a fair fight and she is desperate to finally win one match before her wrestling career is put on hiatus. So she’s breaking the emergency glass and picked Ken Ohka to be her final opponent!

The Ganbare☆Joshi match will feature Nanami from Diana and Kirari Wakana from Ice Ribbon.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SAYURI NAMBA’S DREAM COME TRUE SPECIAL”, 14/06/2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. LEONA Vs X
2. Mizuki & Suzume (w/ Sayuri Namba) Vs X & X

Namba is starting to put her special show together. She has opted to be in the corner for Mizuki & Suzume in the main event tag match. The opponents as well as the ring announcer for the main event have not been decided on yet.

The show will also have LEONA from Dradition taking part in a match. He and Namba were classmates in the same university so they both know each other from before they entered the pro wrestling industry. One of Namba’s dreams was to announce LEONA for a match so it will come true after all.

DDT “CHARISMANIA II”, 18/06/2025
Shinjuku FACE

1. GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER: Dick Togo Vs Daisuke Sasaki

For the second “CHARISMANIA” show Daisuke Sasaki most wants to have a singles match against his mentor Dick Togo.

The rest of DAMNATION T.A will be on the show. That means Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul and Ilusion.