CyberFight Festival 2022 Full Lineup

May 10, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -MAY-”, 11/05/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Saki Akai & Soma Takao Vs Maya Yukihi & Kazuki Hirata
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Akito
3. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuji Hino & Toi Kojima
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Naya
5. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
6. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
7. Road To Audience 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs MAO, Asuka & Shunma Katsumata

The match order for tomorrow. But enough about that, let’s get into the meaty stuff.

“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”, 12/06/2022
Saitama Super Arena

0. STARTING BATTLE KICKOFF ~ DDT Provided Tag Match: Muscle Sakai & Yukio Naya Vs Soma Takao & Kazuki Hirata
0. STARTING BATTLE 2 ~ TJPW Provided 10-Woman Tag Match: Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Raku, Pom Harajuku & Haruna Neko Vs Nao Kakuta, Mahiro Kiryu, Moka Miyamoto, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami
0. STARTING BATTLE 3 ~ DDT Vs Ganbare☆Pro Battle: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Ken Ohka, Yuna Manase & Mizuki Watase
1. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Kinya Okada & Kai Fujimura Vs Toi Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. TJPW Provided 6-Woman Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh & Juria Nagano Vs Hikari Noa, Suzume & Yuki Arai
3. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Akito Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Kendo Kashin, Shinya Aoki & Yumiko Hotta
4. Princess Of Princess Title Next Challenger Decision 4 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Mizuki Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Miu Watanabe
5. NOAH Provided 10-Man Tag Match: Takashi Sugiura, Kazuyuki Fujita, Masa Kitamiya, Daiki Inaba & Shuhei Taniguchi Vs Michael Elgin, Rene Dupree, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Simon Gotch & X
6. DDT Provided 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Asuka
7. NOAH Provided 6-Man Tag Match: Rob Van Dam, Yoshinari Ogawa & HAYATA Vs Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & YO-HEY
8. NOAH Vs DDT Battle: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Naomichi Marufuji, Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura
9. NOAH Vs DDT Battle ~ Special Single Match: Kenoh Vs Daisuke Sasaki
10. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
11. GHC Heavyweight Title: Go Shiozaki (c) Vs Satoshi Kojima

According to Satoshi Kojima “various coincidences” led him to challenging for the GHC Heavyweight Title. He believes it is inevitable he will win the championship. Go Shiozaki is only thinking about defending the title and is not letting the grand occasion get to him.

The Princess Of Princess Title match has been decided. Shoko Nakajima nominates Yuka Sakazaki as her challenger. Her reason is because Sakazaki and Miyu Yamashita are seen as the two top wrestlers in Tokyo Joshi Pro. Nakajima thinks she has to beat both of them in championship matches in order to finally surpass them. Also Sakazaki is currently wrestling in the United States so she is going to come back a much stronger wrestler than before. If that is not enough, Nakajima remembers when she lost to Sakazaki in their previous Princess Title match together in Sumo Hall back in 2019. So there is a little bit of revenge fueling this decision. Nakajima is certain this will be the best match of her career so far and it makes her happy that it will happen at a big venue like Saitama Super Arena.

At the press conference for this show Kenoh went off the handle over NOAH having to share the spotlight with the rest of the CyberFight promotions. The one thing that pissed him off in particular is the back page advert on every issue of Weekly Pro-Wrestling magazine always being reserved for DDT, TJPW and Ganbare☆Pro instead of NOAH. He decided it is now up to him to advertise NOAH and he did so by attacking Daisuke Sasaki. He gave Sasaki a Diving Double Stomp off of a table and then set his boot on fire to deliver a flaming kick to Sasaki’s head!

The idea to put Kazusada Higuchi on the same team as two BURNING wrestlers did not make him happy. He doesn’t understand why he has to team up with Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama so he is going to beat NOAH his own way instead of with them. Akiyama is trying to get him on the same page because they will need to co-exist in order to beat any team with Naomichi Marufuji on it. Endo is ready to fight even though he does not have a KO-D Openweight Title defence on the card. He is excited to use his genius to overthrow Marufuji. However Marufuji is more interested in seeing how Atsushi Kotoge & Yoshiki Inamura will fare against the DDT team. Inamura wants to get revenge for his disappointing performance against Akiyama at Budokan Hall two years ago. Kotoge is carrying the weight of NOAH’s Jr. Heavyweight division by taking part in this match.

Kaito Kiyomiya is thankful for the opportunity to wrestle against a world class athlete like Rob Van Dam. He wants to show fans all over the world the power of this generation of Japanese pro wrestling.

The mystery X wrestler in the NOAH 10-Man Tag Match will be revealed on 7th June.

The winner of the TJPW 4 Way Match will get a Princess Title shot at “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’22” in Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th July.

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So now that is all out of the way, let’s try and figure this out because the full card leaves me scratching my head. Sakazaki getting the Princess Title shot was correctly guessed by some online when nobody came out to challenge Nakajima at the end of TJPW’s last Korakuen Hall show. Those people figured out that Sakazaki probably would have walked down to the ring had she not suddenly got a flight to catch. Also the last time Sakazaki challenge for the Princess Title was at the previous CyberFight Festival one year ago. It’s a good matchup, probably even a great matchup but one that feels too familiar because we’re cycling through the same faces again. The addition of a 4 Way Match to pick the next contender is a fresh idea. Even if the likely result is Rika Tatsumi or Mizuki winning, either of them against Nakajima for a singles title hasn’t been done yet. Mizuki becoming the next Princess Champion would be a long time coming in my opinion and would break the Cycle Of The Three Princesses. However Tatsumi winning and becoming champ would turn it into the Cycle Of The Four Princesses. It doesn’t really solve the problem that the Princess Title will remain focused on the same people as always.

Next, there’s no KO-D Title match? Tetsuya Endo’s position on the show is for an All-Star DDT Vs NOAH trios match, which isn’t bad per se but still leaves the top of the card looking a little lackluster. For the moment his next schedule title defence is not until August. June will be focused on the King Of DDT tournament so unless he finds an opponent for July the KO-D Title is going to be iced for most of the summer. I don’t know if a plan fell through or if the timing of this show just doesn’t give them much material to work with. Was there nobody on the NOAH side they could get for an interpromotional title match who would be happy to put someone else over? Oh wait…… Yeah don’t answer that.

I will say the build for Sasaki Vs Kenoh has been great so far and is an inspired choice for a big DDT Vs NOAH singles match. Watch their angle at the press conference because it’s not just the fire spot that was good about it. Kenoh being the Frank Grimes to DDT’s Homer Simpson can carry the concept of CyberFight Festival by itself for years to come. There’s one problem though. Where on earth is the rest of Kongo? Their only other involvement in the build up to the show is a preview 6-Man Tag match against DAMNATION T.A on the 30th May NOAH event. Something weird is going on if most of the group is not at Saitama Super Arena on 12th June. Imagine if they gatecrash Osaka Jo Hall on behalf of NOAH that day instead?

Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yoshiki Inamura is also happening on the 30th May show to build up their trios match. Might be a sign there is truth to the rumours that the top people in CyberFight weren’t happy about the lack of crossover between NOAH and DDT while NOSAWA Rongai was in charge of NOAH’s match making. Their complaint was why should they spend so much time and resources building bridges with New Japan and DRAGONATE when DDT is right there beside them? I’d be certain of it if more interpromotional matches take place after CyberFight Festival concludes. There’s a whole summer of tournaments coming up for both promotions that need fresh names added to it.

The lack of major crossover between the four promotions is the last problem I have about the lineup. The self-contained matches aren’t that bad on paper, I mean my God look at that Pheromones match. That wouldn’t be out of place on any DDT supershow even with the special guests on Sanshiro Takagi’s team. The TJPW trios match and the DDT Vs NOAH rookies match should both be fun. Eruption Vs Ganpro is a match I think would turn out so much better if it was in Korakuen Hall with one team having the audience on their side (Ganpro as the home team would make the most sense in this situation). I would have loved to see more TJPW Vs Ganbare☆Joshi or even a mixed tag of some sort to get NOAH and TJPW interacting with each other. That CyberFight advert with Kenoh and Mizuki positioned next to each other looking like bratty siblings has been stuck in my head ever since I first saw it.


DDT “AUDIENCE 2022 TOUR IN SHINJUKU” Results

May 6, 2022

DDT “AUDIENCE 2022 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 06/05/2022
Shinjuku FACE
172 Fans

1. Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Koroku submitted Ishida with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (12:25).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata when Iino pinned Honda with the Sexy Giga Slash (9:10).
3. Children’s Day Special! DDTeeeen!! Challenge Match I: Yuki Ueno defeated Ilusion with a Frog Splash (7:48).
4. Children’s Day Special! DDTeeeen!! Challenge Match II: Tetsuya Endo defeated El Unicorn with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (14:14).
5. The 46th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Akito, Hikaru Machida & Thanomsak Toba when Okatani pinned Toba with the Northern Lights Suplex (12:19).
6. The 46th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles Tournament – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura when Sasaki submitted Yoshimura with La Mistica Crossface Lock (18:18).
7. CDK Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Takanashi pinned Katsumata after the Everclear (18:42).

Momentum is on CDK’s side after today. They grabbed the win over ShunMao and it gave an opportunity afterward for Masahiro Takanashi to make some comments. MAO recently accused him of becoming detached from DDT because of his partial schedule with the company. Takanashi denies it, explaining some of his time away was because of injury. He wants everyone to believe that no matter what ring he is in, he is fighting for DDT. He has support from Chris Brookes and Antonio Honda backing him up too. After CDK defends the KO-D Tag Team Titles, the three of them want to go on a world tour pointing to Thailand, Singapore, Europe and India as their most wanted destinations. Backstage MAO was pleased to hear Takanashi’s response because they’ve bought seen plenty of people leave DDT over the last 6 or 7 years. MAO would be feeling more lonely if Takanashi was to leave too. It motivates MAO to defend the DDT Universal Title even more so it can truly become a universal championship.

The tournament to crown the next KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions has come down to Eruption and DAMNATION T.A reaching the final. Eruption defeated the mixture of martial arts fighters Akito, Hikaru Machida & Thanomsak Toba with Hideki Okatani getting the pin. Toba in particular was left feeling down over taking the fall but still encourages Machida to take his place as the gloved pro wrestler. DAMNATION T.A eliminated DISASTER BOX thanks to some cheating. Minoru Fujita pulled the referee out of the ring so his team could attack their opponents with a chair, leading to their victory. Eruption faced off with them after the match warning that using a chair on them won’t work. Okatani also wanted to pick a fight with KANON because of his sudden change into becoming a cheater. If KANON joined DAMNATION T.A for company then Okatani promises to beat him up and leave him on his own when he is done. Daisuke Sasaki swore to win back the titles that were stripped from DAMNATION T.A.

The DDTeeeen!! generation were given their toughest challenges yet in their young careers. They had to fight two of the top wrestlers in DDT. Despite their best efforts El Unicorn could not beat Tetsuya Endo and Ilusion lost to Yuki Ueno. Endo was left dizzy by Unicorn’s performance and encourage him to work hard so he can reach the level where Endo can hate him. Ueno could sense the energy coming from Ilusion despite not being able to see his face. The matches were a wakeup call for the teenagers but they are getting the encouragement to continue because they have so much left ahead of them. Unicorn is only 14 and already has his sights set on the KO-D Openweight Title as his long term goal. Ilusion will be turning 20 soon and wants to dominate DDTeeeen!! until he graduates into becoming an adult pro wrestler.

Pokotan and Hisaya Imabayashi both travelled to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government earlier in the day to search for Shinichiro Kawamatsu. Pokotan was going to ambush the politician and win back the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title with Imabayashi acting as the referee. However their plan was foiled when Kawamatsu’s bodyguard came to the rescue and knocked Pokotan out. The bodyguard was revealed to be Nobutatsu Suzuki, an accomplished MMA fighter and former ONE FC Welterweight Champion! DDT later announced that Kawamatsu will have to defend the Iron Man Title in a Battle Royal on 1st June. They were told Suzuki will be with him.

Yuki Iino has renamed his Lariat the Sexy Giga Slash. He called out Shinya Aoki after winning the match with the move.

DDT will return to the Kumamoto Castle Natural Hot Spring on 29th May for a Street Wrestling Match and this time a small audience will be allowed to attend it. Shinya Aoki & Yukio Naya Vs Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima is the advertised bout.


3rd May Lineups For TJPW & Ganpro, First Announcements For CyberFight Festival 2022

May 2, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND 2022 ~SPREAD THE WINGS OF YOUR DREAMS~”, 03/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
2. Exhibition Match: Reika Saiki Vs Arisu Endo
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
4. Suzume Vs Juria Nagano
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Yuki Arai Vs Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Hyper Misao

The Princess Tag Team Titles match has been moved to the opening spot of the card. Yuka Sakazaki is pretty much leaving Japan for trip to America as soon as her match is done. As I write this post, AEW has not advertised her for any of their shows yet. Their much maligned habit of only booking one women’s match per TV show suggests she may not be on Dynamite or Rampage this week because both episodes are already advertising a women’s match each. It all depends on how long she will be in America for because flying her over on short notice just for an appearance on Dark or Elevation will be weird. It’s not like Hikaru Shida is going back with her either because she has a full schedule in Japan all week this week.

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2022”, 03/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Punch Drunker Vs Nobleman Of The Spirit World: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Onryo
2. Ganpro Specialty Mixed Tag Match: Yuu Yamagata & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs HARUKAZE & Tsuyoshi Okada
3. Nippon Ganbare Union Vs VENYU Full-Scale Battle: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
4. Ganpro’s Famous 3 Way Battle! ROMANCE DAWN Vs ChocoPro Vs BASARA: Shota & Soma Takao Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano
5. Ganpro Special Single Match ~A Better Tomorrow~: Ken Ohka Vs Muscle Sakai
6. LOVE PHANTOM 2022 ~Special Tag Match~: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Mizuki Watase
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Yumehito Imanari

Tomorrow is now or never for Yumehito Imanari.

GANBARE☆PRO “A HOMANSU 2022”, 14/05/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. GanJo Super Fight In Chiba: Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs HARUKAZE & Ann Cham
2. Yuna Manase Triumphant Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yumehito Imanari, Kaji Tomato & Yuna Manase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Shota & Ayame Sasamura

The Ganbare☆Joshi division gets another visit from Ann Cham. Also Moeka Haruhi is expected to be back from illness to take part in the match.

“CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”, 12/06/2022
Saitama Super Arena

1. NOAH Vs DDT Battle ~ Special Single Match: Kenoh Vs Daisuke Sasaki
2. GHC Heavyweight Title: Go Shiozaki (c) Vs Satoshi Kojima

The NOAH side of CyberFight announced their headline match for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”. The GHC Heavyweight Title will be on the line when the new champion Go Shiozaki defends against… Satoshi Kojima from New Japan? Kojima’s surprise appearance in NOAH over the weekend had some fans talking about him potentially jumping ship. His presence here is a little bit similar to Jun Akiyama working with DDT while still under contract to All Japan. The two companies made a deal at the time allowing Akiyama to work with DDT but he ended up staying there until his contract with All Japan ended. Then a few weeks later Akiyama was all clear to sign with DDT. Maybe something similar is happening here because at the moment Kojima is reportedly still under contract to New Japan. He is being coy over it. He wore a NOAH shirt for his appearance and made vague comments on social media about why he is doing this now. The other big story driving this match is Kojima’s attempt to achieve a grand slam of wrestling championships with him already being a former IWGP, NWA and Triple Crown Champion.

Kenoh crashed the party at “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022” yesterday, complaining about DDT like he usually does whenever he has to show up here. He wanted another fight with Sanshiro Takagi but instead drew the attention of Daisuke Sasaki. The challenge for this one is if Kenoh is looking to fight the best wrestler in DDT then Sasaki is standing right here. Kenoh is disgusted to see Sasaki of all people stand up for DDT so the match between them is going ahead.

NOAH announced that Rob Van Dam will be on the show. Look I can’t complain here and act like DDT is above this. Remember when they booked Sabu back in 2018?


DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA” Results

May 1, 2022

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022
Yokohama Budokan
835 Fans

0. Dark Match: KANON defeated Yuya Koroku with the Just Cobra Twist (7:22).
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida when Yoshimura pinned Ishida with a Harai Goshi (9:33).
1. Shinya Aoki defeated Toui Kojima with a Leg Lock (5:04).
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gota Ihashi when JULIE submitted Hirata with the Cattle Mutilation (8:45).
*V1 for Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba.
3. Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata defeated Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani with the Totonou Splash (10:28).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari when Imabayashi pinned Dieno with a Jackknife Pin (16:55).
5. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao when Sasaki submitted Takao with the Crossface Lock (10:43).
6. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato when Higuchi pinned HARASHIMA with the Brain Claw (14:25).
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Asuka with the Cannonball 450° (13:56).
*V2 for MAO.
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Kitai Jisho Group K.O. GYM Presents: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada when Takanashi pinned Okada with a Cradle (21:09).
*V2 for CDK.
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated Yuki Ueno with the Burning Star Press (31:17).
*V1 for Tetsuya Endo.

Golden Week continued with DDT’s big offering for the holidays held inside Yokohama Budokan. It was Yuki Ueno’s chance to take the top spot and be the one to lead DDT into a new direction. Tetsuya Endo though just claimed the headline role for himself and isn’t going to be giving it up anytime soon. Some vital rope breaks kept the match alive for Endo after Ueno had him beaten, first with the WR and then with a Sleeper Hold. Ueno attempted to set up his Wrist Clutch variation the WR Unlimited but Endo blocked the move. Instead Endo launched the comeback hitting an Exploder Suplex, a Modified One-Winged Angel and then the Burning Star Press to put his opponent away. While Ueno was carried out of the ring by his teammates, Endo said he will deal with him again when Ueno learns how to turn today’s regrets into having fun with his beliefs. Kenta Kobashi then entered the ring to present the KO-D Openweight Title to Endo.

With the KO-D Title successfully defended inside a new venue, Endo said today he engraved his name on a new page of DDT history. He believes the company has potential can grow bigger from here and he is the only one who can make that happen. However he does admit that he cannot achieve this by himself. He made a decision not to choose his next challenger. He does not care who it will be as long as they have confidence and he thinks they are a suitable representative for DDT. Sanshiro Takagi praised the main event and wonders if the sight of young wrestlers doing their best can get the audience emotionally drawn into their matches. He also likes Yokohama Budokan as a venue and hopes to continue running shows there.

Nobody can stop CDK from using the referee as a weapon when they want to! They were able to physically manipulate Yukinori Matsui into Power Bombing Yusuke Okada for an unfair advantage. Jun Akiyama, who has been the strongest critic of this kind of dirty tactics, was quick to respond by giving Chris Brookes the Exploder Suplex. Okada took over from there focusing his attacks on Masahiro Takanashi. But victory slipped out of his fingers when Takanashi countered the Sudden Death into an Inside Cradle for a flash three count. Later backstage Brookes said he respects Akiyama but will not change his wrestling style for him, because his style is the DDT style.

CDK’s future plans were set in stone afterward when MAO & Asuka entered the ring. The two of them decided to team up and challenge CDK for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Takanashi told MAO he will accept the challenge but only if MAO agrees to give him a DDT Universal Title shot. Asuka interrupted MAO and accepted the deal on his behalf. The KO-D Tag Title match will take place on 22nd May and the DDT Universal Title match will happen on 1st June.

MAO and Asuka had just finished fighting each other for the Universal Title before their reappearance later in the show. Even though MAO previously refused Asuka’s request to do a Hardcore Match, he still pulled out a plastic box to use as a weapon. Asuka ended up Choke Slamming him through the box. MAO got the upper hand and almost won with the Michinoku Driver II, a move Asuka had previously pinned him with. That didn’t work here but MAO did get the win once he hit the Cannonball 450°. The two shook hands after the match, setting up their return for later. MAO said he wants to defend the Universal Title against a wide range of different challengers and unknown foreigners.

Hikaru Sato returned to DDT and Yukio Sakaguchi was right there waiting for him. Their early exchanges had them giving each other Snapmares followed by a Football Kick to the back. HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi carried the second half of the match. Higuchi countered the Somato with a Power Bomb. HARASHIMA tried to block the Brain Claw Slam but Higuchi persisted and used the Brain Claw to pin his rival for the three count. Sakaguchi said the match felt like he went back in time to nine years ago. Higuchi has confidence to become more aggressive because there were three former KO-D Champions involved but he was the one who got the win.

After weeks of teases and threats of betrayal, it was time for DAMNATION T.A to reveal their newest member. It’s KANON! In the time between his dark match and the DAMNATION T.A match, KANON dyed his hair and changed into a new costume to fit in with his new alignment. The injured Minoru Fujita was also at ringside grabbing Yukio Naya’s leg to give his team the advantage. The other side still had Yuji Hino though so it was still a tough match. Daisuke Sasaki had to distract the referee so KANON could hit Soma Takao with a chair. Sasaki then applied the Crossface Lock on Takao to make him submit. He later said KANON is not in DDT to play games. DAMNATION T.A wants to reach the top in the shortest possible time which is why they recruited KANON. Then when Fujita is cleared to wrestle again their momentum will be unstoppable!

Everyone got a big surprise after that match was over and the ring emptied. Kenoh from NOAH walked out! He got on the microphone and said DDT fans have been watching fake wrestlers but now a real wrestler has arrived. He called DDT an arts and crafts show filled with a pampered roster of people. He blames Sanshiro Takagi for this and demands he leave the pro wrestling business! But first he wants to fight Takagi at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022” on 12th June. Suddenly Sasaki got back into the ring and faced off with Kenoh. He said if Kenoh wants a match then he should fight the best wrestler in DDT instead of a third rate wrestler like Takagi. Kenoh said Takagi is not even a fifth rate wrestler. He also thought Sasaki was the only sane person in DDT but it is clear he isn’t if he is standing up for them. Kenoh accepted Sasaki’s challenge for a singles match at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2022”.

Hisaya Imabayashi was put into the fight of his life. His feud with Pheromones reached its climax right here with his children in attendance to see it. The skill gap was still gigantic but the DDT GM fought to his limit while AKIRA and Muscle Sakai did their best to keep their team in the match. Pheromones were up to their usual tricks like Yumehito Imanari spraying his opponents with a fire extinguisher in a lewd manner. Danshoku Dieno put Imabayashi in a Knee Cross that looked to be the finish until Imabayashi’s kids approached ringside cheering for their dad to keep fighting until he reached the ropes. Dieno lifted him up to do a Danshoku Driver in front of the children but AKIRA cut him off and Imabayashi rolled Dieno over into a Jackknife Pin for the upset victory!

Imabayashi thanked his two sons for their help and then told Pheromones this was the end of their conflict. However he has one request. He would like to see AKIRA hold a championship again so he wants him to challenge Yuki Iino for the DDT Extreme Title! AKIRA is happy to take that request and agreed with Iino to have the match on 1st June.

In mixed tag action Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata beat the Eruption duo of Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani. The match briefly brought back the rivalry between Akai and Yukihi since they have been on good terms since their match at “JUDGEMENT 2022”. Yukihi politely interrupted Akai’s post match interview backstage. The match they just had made Yukihi wonder what will happen if they have another singles bout against each other. Akai thought she wanted them to form the only two woman tag team in DDT but Yukihi convinced her to have one more singles match before they do that.

There was another big story coming out of that tag match. Prominence came out after the match and attacked Katsumata! Suzu Suzuki wants to get revenge for him beating her in the King Of Street Wrestling. Every day since then she has only gotten angrier at Katsumata because she lost to him. She will never forgive him until they have a rematch. Katsumata said he already beat Suzuki so he will never fight her again!

The DDT Legend team hold on to the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. Their first title defence was against a collection of undercard DDT wrestlers along with special guest and former champion Yoshiaki Yatsu. There was a moment when Kazuki Hirata almost overpowered Poison Sawada JULIE with his own magic power. JULIE stopped him and made him give up to the Cattle Mutilation. Now DDT has a scheduling problem with the reigning champions. Takashi Sasaki said he doesn’t feel like coming back to DDT unless they bring in big competition. His logic is if the complete team (including Naomi Susan) cannot get together for a title defence then they will be champions forever! However MIKAMI said he can adjust his schedule for future title defences. GENTARO is the same because he’s happy to get the work.

Toui Kojima tried using the Triangle Choke to beat Shinya Aoki but didn’t have the experience to make it work. Aoki stayed patience and found his spot to put Kojima in a Leg Lock, making the young wrestler tap. Backstage Aoki asked if Kojima wants DDT to become the No. 1 wrestling company. Kojima said he does so he can become stronger. Aoki joked they will have to beat the competition one by one so their first target is Stardom.

There were two dark matches before the show. The heavyweight team of Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura were victorious against Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida. Owashi and Honda teased kissing each other. Yoshimura used the Harai Goshi throw from Judo to pin Ishida.

KANON’s earlier appearance with his previous look was when he won against Yuya Koroku. KANON talked about Koroku potentially becoming a rival. As a hint of what was to come later, KANON said he would never have left JTO if he was just going to stop at this level. He told the fans to keep an eye on him.

It was announced that Dick Togo will be at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” on 20th August.


DDT “DDT FREE -APRIL-” Results

April 22, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -APRIL-”, 22/04/2022
Shinjuku FACE
353 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao defeated Yuki Ishida with the Official Endless Waltz (4:52).
1. Special Tag Match: Shishamo Power & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Akito & Yukio Naya when Power pinned Akito with La Magistral Cradle (10:36).
2. Saki Akai & Maya Yukihi defeated Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata when Yukihi pinned Hirata with the Snowstorm (10:51).
3. KANON defeated Toui Kojima with the Just Cobra Twist (6:21).
4. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari by Disqualification when Imanari attacked the referee (12:03).
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs Eruption!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Sasaki pinned Okatani with a School Boy (10:18).
6. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata defeated Asuka & Yuji Hino when MAO pinned Asuka with an Oklahoma Roll (17:04).
7. Road To MEGA MAX BUMP 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku by TKO when Ueno used a Sleeper Hold on Endo (5:08).

Has Tetsuya Endo been taking Yuki Ueno too lightly all this time? The main event match between BURNING and The 37KAMIINA only lasted five minutes when Ueno quickly gave Endo the WR then choked him out with a Torso Sleeper Hold. He didn’t want to insult Endo afterwards for letting his guard down even though Endo has done nothing but insult him for weeks now. However Ueno had to tell Endo he does not have the determination of a champion! On 1st May Ueno promises to win the KO-D Openweight Title so he can carry DDT on his back as a great champion while Konosuke Takeshita represents the company overseas.

The match was so short that it didn’t give CDK or Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada enough time to test each other out. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi acted like they were tired anyway because they are double tag champions. The hard work is worth it because their dream is to have title defences in Thailand and tour across Southeast Asia. Akiyama sees the positive side of the match going short because it means he didn’t have to watch CDK cheat or get the referee physically involved again. He is concerned they could get somebody like Daisuke Kiso injured if they continue to make him do wrestling moves against his will (he thinks Yukinori Matsui could tough it out though).

After Asuka humiliated MAO at the press conference a few days ago, MAO turned the tables by pinning her in their tag match. The result happened after Yuji Hino missed a Lariat aimed for MAO and turned Asuka inside out with it by mistake. MAO then rolled up Asuka for the win. MAO complained about being pinned with the Michinoku Driver a few weeks agon and then becoming famous among stiletto fetishists when Asuka stepped on him at the press conference. Today’s result makes him very happy and he repeated his threat to beat Asuka in 3 minutes and 70 seconds when the DDT Universal Title is on the line! Shunma Katsumata later corrected him because that would make it 4 minutes and 10 seconds.

Daisuke Sasaki was in a good enough mood to give everyone a hint about DAMNATION T.A’s new member showing up on 1st May. Maybe he is in the venue today? Maybe he just left Japan to go to America? Maybe it is Hideki Okatani actually doing something to change his life instead of just dying his hair red! If you think the person next to you is your friend, he will betray you and join DAMNATION T.A on 1st May!

This time a Pheromones match ended by disqualification instead of the entire match being called off. Danshoku Dieno knows Hisaya Imabayashi was not here today so Pheromones went as lewd as they could knowing the GM was watching the show from home powerless to stop them. Yumehito Imanari filmed his camera as close to Yuki Iino’s backside as possible for example. Dieno said Imabayashi should record his tearful apology video as soon as possible because this is all his fault!

KANON’s journey through the DDT wrestlers of his generation is leaving him with some scars. Toui Kojima chopped his chest raw but a Back Drop from KANON was used to set up his signature Cobra Twist for the victory.

Maya Yukihi is fitting in really well with DDT. She poked Antonio Honda in the eyes with Gongitsune and had Kazuki Hirata beaten with a Mexican Stretch until Honda tripped and accidentally placed the Hirata GO! Glasses onto her face. Yukihi experienced the power surge of Hirata’s dance and went wild on everyone, including Saki Akai. She used the momentum to pin Hirata with the Snowstorm.

The return of Shishamo Power (looking a little bit smaller than the last time he was in the ring) had him & Naomi Yoshimura defeat the meat eating team of Akito & Yukio Naya. He was attacked by the sore losers after the match when suddenly another masked wrestler ran out and rescued him. The masked wrestler introduced himself as Unagi Mask from Shibushi City. The two joined forces and challenged the meat eaters to a match on 8th May.

The vacant KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles will be rewarded to the winners of a 4 team tournament held throughout May. The previous champions DAMNATION T.A do not like being stripped of the belts but they are entering with their mystery wrestler taking the injured Minoru Fujita’s place. DISASTER BOX and Eruption are also entering teams. The final trio taking part are Akito, Hikaru Machida & Thanomsak Toba. Akito saw Machida’s matches in the King Of Street Wrestling tournament and thinks he has a lot of potential to do pro wrestling inside the ring. Machida doesn’t know any wrestling moves but is confident to challenge pro wrestlers with his kickboxing ability. Toba is one of the few pro wrestlers to compete wearing boxing gloves and never considered making Machida his successor until he heard the idea.

Even though Imabayashi was absent from the show he did send a statement to be read out before the matches began. He has appointed Pokotan as the Iron Man Retrieval Captain. Pokotan has been ordered to win back the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Shinichiro Kawamatsu!


KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles Vacated

April 21, 2022

DDT “DDT FREE -APRIL-”, 22/04/2022
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao Vs Yuki Ishida
1. Special Tag Match: Shishamo Power & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Akito & Yukio Naya
2. Saki Akai & Maya Yukihi Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. KANON Vs Toui Kojima
4. Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Yukio Sakaguchi
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs Eruption!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
6. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Asuka & Yuji Hino
7. Road To MEGA MAX BUMP 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

Due to Minoru Fujita’s orbital injury taking him out of action, the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles were today declared vacant after DDT held discussions with DAMNATION T.A. There will be an announcement on tomorrow’s show about a future match to determine the new champions. Personally I think it makes the most sense for the vacant titles be put on the line at DAMNATION T.A’s next trios match on 1st May at Yokohama Budokan. The reason for that is the other former belt holders Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul are in the match anyway with the new mystery member who can easily take Fujita’s spot on the team while he is gone.


DDT/ONLY WE “MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN CHIBA” Results

April 17, 2022

DDT/ONLY WE “MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN CHIBA”, 17/04/2022
Chiba 2AW Square
116 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Soma Takao defeated Yuya Koroku with the Official Endless Waltz (8:41).
2. Pheromones Vs The Iyasareru!: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda ended in a No Contest (11:33).
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani defeated Hiroshi Yamato, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when Higuchi pinned Ishida with the Brain Claw Slam (9:20).
4. Yukio Naya & KANON defeated Akito & Shunma Katsumata when Naya pinned Katsumata with the Back Drop (13:20).
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toui Kojima when Okada pinned Kojima with the Sudden Death (20:29).
6. DDT x ONLY WE Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Quiet Storm defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Shogun Okamoto & Akira Raijin when Storm pinned Raijin with the 50cm Arm Lariat (14:13).

Man, DDT helps out ONLY WE by co-promoting a few shows with them and they end up in the middle of a faction war! HARASHIMA sided with ONLY WE in the main event while Daisuke Sasaki teamed with their rivals from PERON GRANDES. The matchup led to Sasaki facing off with Yuji Hino with their past in DAMNATION together still fresh on their minds. Meanwhile Shogun Okamoto & Akira Raijin fought dirty whenever they could with plenty of ringside brawling and chair attacks. In the end however Quiet Storm fought from behind and with the help of his teammates, pinned Raijin with the 50cm Arm Lariat.

After the match Sasaki & Okamoto attacked ONLY WE with chairs until Yukio Naya ran into the ring for the rescue. Storm challenged Okamoto to a No DQ 6-Man Tag Match between ONLY WE and PERON GRANDES on 5th June when DDT and ONLY WE hold their next show in Chiba together. It will be Hino, Storm & Naya against Okamoto, Raijin and third member of their unit.

Tetsuya Endo and Yuki Ueno were stuck fighting outside the ring while their trios match reached its conclusion. Yusuke Okada picked up the win for his team and declared that BURNING will be holding both the KO-D Openweight Title and KO-D Tag Team Titles at the end of the Yokohama Budokan show on 1st May. On The 37KAMIINA side, everyone was frustrated with the loss as they move onto life without Konosuke Takeshita. According to Ueno, Takeshita left Japan this afternoon.

KANON is quickly learning that wrestling in DDT is not always a walk in the park (not literally in this case but there’s plenty of time for that yet). Despite his size advantage he had his struggles wrestling against Akito & Shunma Katsumata even though he ended up being on the winning team with Naya. What KANON learned coming out of the match is to become more ambitious otherwise he won’t rise above everyone else in DDT anytime soon.

A fired up Hideki Okatani tried picking a fight with Naomi Yoshimura but ended up having Yuki Ishida wanting a go at himself instead. Okatani even got Hiroshi Yamato mad by making fun of the seaweed he likes to sell at his merch stand. Good thing he had the rest of Eruption there to watch his back.

Everyone was given a scary warning when Danshoku Dieno said that Yuki Iino was not wearing anything underneath his wrestling gear today. The Iyasareru came up with a smart idea to tape his straps to his shoulders to prevent him from pulling them down. Unfortunately Iino eventually found the power to free himself from the tape and his costume. That led to Pheromones taking the match out of control, Hisaya Imabayashi calling it off and getting publicly executed for his troubles.


King Of Street Wrestling Round 2, Mega Max Bump, Golden Week Cards

April 11, 2022

BASARA “BASARA 188 ~GLITTER~”, 12/04/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takumi Tsukamoto, Lil’ Kraken & Yasu Urano Vs FUMA, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato
2. Jacket Match: Fuminori Abe Vs Gouma
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita
4. SAGAT VS Shigehiro Irie
5. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (c) Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino

There will be a merch table set up with all proceeds going to Yusuke Kubo while he is still recovering from his illness.

DDT “THE WORLD’S BEST ROJO PRO WRESTLING TOURNAMENT ~KING OF STREET WRESTLING~”, 16/04/2022
WRESTLE UNIVERSE

1. King Of Street Wrestling – Semi-Final – Shizuoka Fumotoppara: Chris Brookes Vs Hikaru Machida
2. King Of Street Wrestling – Semi-Final – Kanagawa Ofuronokuni: Abdullah Kobayashi Vs Shunma Katsumata

The next round of the King Of Street Wrestling tournament will take place in a campground and a bath house respectively. Chris Brookes Vs Hikaru Machida will be in Shizuoka. Abdullah Kobayashi Vs Shunma Katsumata will be in Kanagawa.

DDT “DDT FREE -APRIL-”, 22/04/2022
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao Vs Yuki Ishida
1. KANON Vs Toui Kojima
2. Saki Akai & Maya Yukihi Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. Special Tag Match: Shishamo Power & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Akito & Yukio Naya
4. Pheromones Vs DISASTER BOX!: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi
5. DAMNATION T.A Vs Eruption!: Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani
6. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Asuka & Yuji Hino
7. Road To MEGA MAX BUMP 2022! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi

BURNING has a two pronged attack going into this show. Tetsuya Endo is confident he will defend the KO-D Openweight Title against Yuki Ueno next month but Ueno thinks it is a guarantee that he will beat Endo instead. Jun Akiyama will be challenging CDK for the KO-D Tag Team Titles soon and made it known he dislikes their cheating ways, like when they get the referee physically involved in their matches.

MAO gets another tag match against Asuka & Yuji Hino. This time he has Shunma Katsumata teaming with him.

GANBARE☆PRO “POCCHARI JOSHI PRO WRESTLING 3 ~WAIST SIDE STORY~”, 26/04/2022
Saitama Wrestle Butokan

1. Special Poccha Libre Match ~Fighting Illustrator Vs American Drag Queen From The Philippines~: Yappy Vs Beauty Suzuki (w/ 643 Mangaritsutsua)

Yappy’s first match in Pocchari Joshi is against a regular from the brand, Beauty Suzuki. Joining Suzuki is a drag queen named 643 (Musashi) Mangaritsutsua.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022
Yokohama Budokan

0. Dark Match: KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida
1. Shinya Aoki Vs Toui Kojima
2. Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & X Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gorgeous Matsuno
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
8. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Asuka
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

A new member will be joining DAMNATION T.A and it may be somebody from another unit. Daisuke Sasaki is teasing that there is a traitor in the DDT locker room who will be joining his side pretty soon. He won’t give any hints unless he gets goes out and gets drunk with a reporter that will pay his tab.

The brief period of success for Toui Kojima has worn off and he is back to his losing ways. He won a match after fighting Shinya Aoki and thinks doing it again will bring him back to winning ways.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND 2022 ~SPREAD THE WINGS OF YOUR DREAMS~”, 03/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
2. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Hyper Misao

Now it is Kyoraku Kyomei who are fighting over the Princess Of Princess Title. The challenge was made by Hyper Misao in order to become stronger. She needs to fight the toughest opponent and that right now is Shoko Nakajima. The two are still friends but Misao quickly launched the first shot, giving Nakajima a Stunner to warn her to keep her guard up at all times!

The Magical Sugar Rabbits are not taking Free WiFi seriously. They kept making connectivity jokes instead of accepting their opponents’ challenge.

Tokyo Joshi Pro has confirmed that Reika Saiki’s retirement ceremony will be held during the show.

GANBARE☆PRO “LOVE PHANTOM 2022”, 03/05/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Punch Drunker Vs Nobleman Of The Spirit World: Tyson Maeguchi Vs Onryo
2. Nippon Ganbare Union Vs VENYU Full-Scale Battle: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
3. Ganpro Special Single Match ~A Better Tomorrow~: Ken Ohka Vs Muscle Sakai
4. Shinjiro Otani Ganpro Return Battle ~LOVE PHANTNOM 2022 Special Tag Match~: Shinjiro Otani & Mizuki Watase Vs Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Yumehito Imanari

The contract for the main event has been signed but Yumehito Imanari is looking out of his depth. Tatsuhito Takaiwa tricked him into lowering his guard so he could hit him with a Lariat during the signing. He previously beat Imanari to become the Spirit Of Ganbare Title but that was part of a tournament. Since both wrestlers will be fresh going into the match this time, Takaiwa wonders if the true champion is going to be determined.

Match #4 will not be happening. Shinjiro Otani suffered a scary injury at yesterday’s ZERO1 show in Sumo Hall when he took a German Suplex into the turnbuckles. He is still conscious but hasn’t been able to move his limbs since. There is no official diagnosis yet but Otani’s wrestling career might be over.

An old friend of Ken Ohka has come to offer him guidance. Muscle Sakai misses the days when Ganbare☆Pro was built around Ohka and wants him to headline Ganpro’s biggest show in Ota Ward Gymnasium this Summer. But Ohka is nowhere near ready for it so Sakai will wrestle him to bring that spark back and prepare him for his return to the main event.

Yuna Manase got a surprise visit from a friend too. Yuki Kamifuku is calling by Ganpro for a visit so she can catch up with her. However Kamifuku is now besties with Asuka while Manase has formed the Nippon Ganbare Union with YuuRI. If that’s not enough, one of YuuRI’s first matches in Ganpro was a disappointed effort against Asuka. This is her chance to make up for it by putting up a better fight.


DDT “APRIL FOOL 2022” Results

April 10, 2022

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2022”, 10/04/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
580 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yuya Koroku & Ilusion defeated Toui Kojima & El Unicorn when Koroku pinned Kojima with a Hold Down Triangle Choke (6:57).
0. Dark Match – Lucha Libre Rules: Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata defeated Akito, Soma Takao & Gota Ihashi when Hirata pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (6:53).
1. KANON defeated Yuki Ishida with the Modified Cobra Twist (4:34).
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) defeated Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya when Takanashi pinned Naya after the Everclear (13:19).
*V1 for CDK.
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) when Fujita pinned Dieno with the Modified Samson Clutch (10:37).
*Pheromones fail in V3. DAMNATION T.A become the 45th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
4. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Maya Yukihi defeated Cherry & Miyako Matsumoto when Akai pinned Matsumoto with the Rookie Award (7:15).
5. Special Single Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Sudden Death (8:51).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs Eruption!: Yuki Ueno & MAO defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Ueno pinned Okatani with the BME (10:34).
7. Tetsuya Endo 10th Anniversary Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda when Endo pinned Honda with the Burning Star Press (20:16).

Here’s to ten years of Tetsuya Endo and here’s to ten years more. Some of the most important faces from his past and present gathered together for a DDT all star trios main event. Endo had Jun Akiyama and Yukio Sakaguchi on his team to take on Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda. It ended up with Endo and Honda exchanging Bionic Elbows until Endo cut him off with an Overhead Kick. Endo couldn’t put Honda away with the Torture Rack Bomb so he busted out the Burning Star Press for the victory.

Endo spoke about having his debut match a few months before Sakaguchi joined the company. He thanked HARASHIMA for supporting him since day one and said Honda was like a father raising him in Happy Motels. Takeshita was leaving ringside when Endo suddenly called out to him. He understands Takeshita going overseas is a big deal and told him not to worry because DDT will remain interesting as long as Endo is the KO-D Openweight Champion. He will prove it when he defends the title against Takeshita’s friend Yuki Ueno on 1st May. Endo also wants everyone to know that he will be the winner of course. Ueno got on the microphone and said he will beat Endo. He is confident he will have more wonderful days as KO-D Champion than Endo, Takeshita and even HARASHIMA! Takeshita told both of them that DDT in Japan is in good hands with either of them as the champion. Endo had one last thing to tell Takeshita. He still hates him. Ueno still loves him though.

Before everyone left the ring to end the show, Yusuke Okada asked Akiyama for his attention. He said he hasn’t been part of DDT long enough to know their history but he wants to do more to support the version of BURNING Endo has built. To do that Okada wants to himself and Akiyama to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles! The two of them were granted permission from Hisaya Imabayashi to make the challenge. CDK emerged at the entrance and both agreed to do the title match on 1st May. Endo encouraged his stablemates to win the belts so all eyes at the Yokohama Budokan will be on BURNING!

Ueno is building up momentum for his title shot. Today he teamed with MAO to beat Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani. MAO cheapshotted Higuchi with a Rock Punch and later got his just desserts when Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw. But the match came down to a back and forth between Ueno and Okatani. The 37KAMIINA hit Shining Wizards and Enzuigiris to the Eruption members to get the upper hand. Ueno then came out on top with the BME onto Okatani.

The 37KAMIINA heat waves from Shunma Katsumata was a challenge for Yusuke Okada to overcome when the two of them faced off. Katsumata targeted his neck which slowed Okada down, even when he was on the attack with a Diving Headbutt. However Okada’s use of a Lariat and the Tricolor DDT did big damage and he was able to win with the Sudden Death. Okada repeated after the show that Endo can’t do all the work in BURNING. Akiyama agrees and also mentioned that he hates how CDK always gets the referee physically involved in their matches. He just as much wants to beat them up for that reason than to win the tag titles.

It’s been a busy weekend of tag team adventuring for Saki Akai. Yesterday she teamed with Yuki Arai in Tokyo Joshi Pro and today she teamed with Maya Yukihi in DDT. They were victorious over the team of Cherry & Miyako Matsumoto. Akai said she learned a lot about Yukihi by fighting her all the way over to Sumo Hall. She hopes to continue working with her so they can both improve each other. Yukihi was happy to wrestle with Cherry again but thought she was finally done with Matsumoto. She came in as a replacement for Bambi so Yukihi had to deal with her one more time.

Pheromones are no longer the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions which means DDT won’t have to worry about their title matches being banned from Youtube! With that said, this match still tried to cross the line as much as it could. Yuki Iino stripped down to his O-Back even as Daisuke Sasaki kept hitting him in the ass with a chair. Hisaya Imabayashi ran in ordering Pheromones to stop their usual antics and he gave Danshoku Dieno a Stunner. DAMNATION T.A then went on the attack with Sasaki and Iino brawling their way up towards the balcony while the GM chased after them. Meanwhile Dieno, Yumehito Imanari, Minoru Fujita and MJ Paul were still wrestling in the ring while this was going down. Up in the balcony, Sasaki fully stripped Iino naked and threw his O-Back over the balcony! Imabayashi jumped onto Iino to stop him from fully exposing himself to the audience. Back in the ring, Fujita caught Dieno in the Samson Clutch to score the win out of nowhere. After the match Sasaki said that a new member will join DAMNATION T.A on 1st May. He warned the roster that the person standing next to them may be a traitor so everyone should be looking forward to the reveal. However if a reporter wants to go drinking with Sasaki and pay his tab, he will give them a hint in return.

CDK couldn’t beat Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya in a fight because of the size difference, so they had to outsmart them to keep the KO-D Tag Titles. Naya put Masahiro Takanashi in the Cobra Twist when outside the ring, Chris Brookes rang the bell and tricked Naya into thinking he won. While Naya and the referee were distracted, Takanashi grabbed one of the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belts and nailed Naya in the head with it. Hino broke the pin to keep the match going but CDK then used a combined Crucifix and Jackknife Pin on Naya to get the three count and steal a title defence. Takanashi praised Brookes for his strange plan working out but knows they won’t be able to get away with it again. They’re relieved they won’t have to defend the titles against Hino & Naya again but the challengers think otherwise.

The DDT debut of KANON saw him defeat Yuki Ishida. KANON hit Soccer Ball Kicks, Backbreakers and K Spike chops. Ishida fought back with a Brainbuster and his Sumo Chop Rush. KANON recovered from that and put Ishida in the Cobra Twist to make him submit. He praised Ishida for having a strong core because of his sumo background. KANON also said he is looking forward to doing more with DDT in the future.

One of the dark matches went out of control thanks to the addition of Lucha tag rules. Kazuki Hirata ended up knocking out both Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura so he put himself in a 3-on-1 disadvantage. His solution was to give Hirata GO! glasses to all of his opponents. Akito, Soma Takao & Gota Ihashi danced with him and then attacked. However Ihashi missed a Moonsault and Hirata rolled him up with La Magistral to escape with the win.

Two young rivalries met in the very first match of the day. El Unicorn and Ilusion continue their back and forth feud. Toui Kojima hit a setback in his rivalry against Yuya Koroku. Kojima had finally beaten him by using a Triangle Choke so he went for it again today. This time though Koroku defended himself and rolled over on top of Kojima to pin him for the three count.

The result caused Kojima to come out during the show opening announcements where Shinya Aoki was already in the ring. Kojima asked him for a singles match on 1st May so Kojima can get stronger and catch up to the rest of The 37KAMIINA. Aoki accepted and wondered if Kojima wasn’t taking things seriously until now.

The full card for the Yokohama Budokan show on 1st May was revealed at the end of the show. One of the new matches is a KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles defence. Also HARASHIMA will team with Hikaru Sato to take on Higuchi & Sakaguchi from Eruption.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022
Yokohama Budokan

0. Dark Match: KANON Vs Yuya Koroku
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Antonio Honda & Yuki Ishida
1. Shinya Aoki Vs Toui Kojima
2. Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Maya Yukihi & Shunma Katsumata
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & X Vs Yuji Hino, Yukio Naya & Soma Takao
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Thanomsak Toba (w/ Naomi Susan) (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Gorgeous Matsuno
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
8. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Asuka
9. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Yuki Ueno


Daisy Monkey, Reiwa AA Cannon, Endo 10th Anniversary

April 8, 2022

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STILL INCOMPLETE ’22”, 09/04/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Pom Harajuku & Moka Miyamoto Vs Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Juria Nagano
3. Marika Kobashi Vs Raku
4. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
5. Hyper Misao Vs Miu Watanabe
6. Saki Akai & Yuki Arai Vs Rika Tatsumi & Mahiro Kiryu
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuki Aino

Arisuzu have a brand new tag team name. Suzume is the Daisy and Arisu Endo is the Monkey so together they are now called Daisy Monkey!

Saki Akai & Yuki Arai got together during the week for a special training session. First they announced their tag team name. They are called Reiwa AA Cannon. The AA stands for two things. They have the same blood type (A) and they both won the same Award for Best Newcomer from Tokyo Sports. Or maybe it’s just both of their surnames beginning with A and somebody wanted to make a BI Cannon reference. Akai wanted to teach Arai the most important thing in pro wrestling… The ring entrance! It is what shows off the individuality of a pro wrestler the most and walking out there looking like a bore will make fans lose interest. Arai agrees because it was the entrances that caught her eye when she saw pro wrestling for the first time. Akai taught Arai to copy her entrance and in returned then tried to replicate Arai’s entrance.

GANBARE☆PRO “CRY BABY 2022”, 09/04/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ganpro Specialty Two Major Singles Match: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Tyson Maeguchi
2. Ganpro Specialty Mixed 6-Man Tag Match: Yuna Manase, YuuRI & SAGAT Vs Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Baliyan Akki
3. Ganpro Specialty Two Major Singles Match: Ken Ohka Vs Mizuki Watase
4. Katsumura-gun Vs ROMANCE DAWN: Shuichiro Katsumura & Tsuyoshi Okada Vs Shota & Soma Takao
5. Takaiwa Army Vs Ganpro Full-Scale Battle: Tatsuhito Takaiwa, 5th Black Tiger & Kenya Maeda Vs Yumehito Imanari, Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki

A contract signing for the upcoming Spirit Of Ganbare Title match between Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Yumehito Imanari will take place before the show.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 22”, 10/04/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Toui Kojima & El Unicorn Vs Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
0. Dark Match: Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito, Soma Takao & Gota Ihashi
1. KANON Vs Yuki Ishida
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul
4. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Maya Yukihi Vs Cherry & Miyako Matsumoto
5. Special Single Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs Yusuke Okada
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs Eruption!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
7. Tetsuya Endo 10th Anniversary Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda

10 years of Tetsuya Endo will be celebrated in the main event. Looking back on his debut I’m surprised Akito isn’t part of his match because Endo submitted to him back then. Keisuke Ishii and the wrestler now known as Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi were the other two people in that match but I can understand why DDT didn’t bring them over. How about this for trivia? Endo’s original tag partner for his debut was supposed to be another DDT rookie Takashi Dai. Unfortunately he suffered a career ending injury in his own debut match two weeks earlier so Ishii replaced him.

After this show Konosuke Takeshita will take part in an Youtube autograph signing and then that’s it for him in DDT for the time being. Don’t be surprised if he shows up somewhere in AEW next week because it sounds like the beginning of his excursion is imminent.

It’s unusual to see two KO-D championship matches placed so early on the card back to back. I don’t know what the schedules outside of DDT are like for the wrestlers involved so I can’t say for certain if it is because somebody is working somewhere else later that day. I don’t think it is for the partial live broadcast on Youtube either because it’s just the two dark matches that are being advertised for that.

DDT “THE WORLD’S BEST ROJO PRO WRESTLING TOURNAMENT ~KING OF STREET WRESTLING~”, 10/04/2022
WRESTLE UNIVERSE

1. King Of Street Wrestling – Round 1A – Tokyo Shin-Kiba Studio Flamme: Chris Brookes Vs Onryo
2. King Of Street Wrestling – Round 1B – Kanagawa Enoshima Beach: Hikaru Machida Vs Worawutnoi Keatchaiyong
3. King Of Street Wrestling – Round 1C – Kanagawa Big Japan Dojo: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Abdullah Kobayashi
4. King Of Street Wrestling – Round 1D – Tokyo Shibuya Kitaya Park: Shunma Katsumata Vs Suzu Suzuki

The opening round matches have already been taped (and may have been in the can for a while) but we won’t know the results until they are broadcasted.

DDT/ONLY WE “MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN CHIBA”, 17/04/2022
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Soma Takao Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Hiroshi Yamato, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
3. Pheromones Vs The Iyasareru!: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
4. Special Tag Match: Kaji Tomato & Yukio Naya Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toui Kojima
6. DDT x ONLY WE Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Quiet Storm Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Shogun Okamoto & Akira Raijin

DDT is brought back into the world of ONLY WE and the group’s feud with PERON GRANDES. Joining the two sides is HARASHIMA teaming with ONLY WE and Daisuke Sasaki teaming with PERON GRANDES.

A nice little reunion for The Iyasareru is happening here. Or maybe not given who their opponents are. I can’t tell if DDT switching the naming positions of Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno on upcoming cards is an intentional hint of something coming up on the horizon or just a sign that Iino has become the centerpiece of Pheromones. Iino has been the more successful of the two in-ring recently but Dieno still looks like he is calling the shots.

DDT “DDT FREE -APRIL-”, 22/04/2022
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Tag Match: Shishamo Power & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Akito & Yukio Naya

After the masked man’s debut in January, Shishamo Power is back to wrestle in Tokyo for the first time but so far his trainer Toru Owashi is nowhere to be seen. He is teaming with Naomi Yoshimura but his opponents remain the same. Akito & Yukio Naya do not want the people to eat fish like Shishamo recommends. They are meat eaters through and through!

DDT “MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN KOBE”, 24/04/2022
Kobe Art Center

1. Chris Brookes Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Akito & Toui Kojima
3. Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Ishida
4. DISASTER BOX Vs Eruption!: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata
6. Kobe Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Genki Horiguchi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Antonio Honda

The addition of Genki Horiguchi to the show means Kazuki Hirata gets to take another step on his journey through the Dragon System. There’s an alternate universe where Hirata never left Kobe and instead he made it onto the DRAGONGATE roster. Who knows where his wrestling career would have taken him from there? I bet he and Horiguchi would have turned face and heel on each other at least twice both ways.

DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022
Yokohama Budokan

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Pheromones Vs GM Imabayashi Final Battle: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Hisaya Imabayashi, AKIRA & Muscle Sakai
2. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Asuka
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

Yoshiaki Yatsu will be on the show.