DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024” Results

August 25, 2024

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024”, 25/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,369 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata and Toru Owashi when Honda pinned Hirata with a Backslide Pin (0:10).
1a. Rematch: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata and Antonio Honda when Owashi pinned Honda with a School Boy (7:43).
2. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Takeshi Masada defeated Makoto Oishi, Yuni & Ilusion when Takanashi pinned Ilusion with the Uwabami (10:50).
3. MAO, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Jun Akiyama, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Keigo Nakamura when Katsumata pinned Matsunaga with a German Suplex (10:11).
4. Soma Takao 15th Anniversary ~ Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii defeated Soma Takao with the Kneel Kick (9:02).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi when Kawakami pinned Naya with a Lariat (12:29).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku defeated Kota Ibushi, Danshoku Dieno & Akito when Endo pinned Akito with the Burning Star Press (20:30).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Shinya Aoki defeated Yuki Ueno (c) with the Modified Manjigatame (19:49).
*Yuki Ueno fails in V8. Shinya Aoki becomes the 83rd KO-D Openweight Champion!

A packed house at Korakuen Hall got to see a newsworthy DDT show where the top championship of the company changed hands. Yuki Ueno’s nine month reign as KO-D Openweight Champion has come to an end by Shinya Aoki’s hands. The two have been linked together for a while now with Ueno looking up to the MMA fighter but perhaps that is ultimately what cost him to lose the title. Aoki surprised Ueno by using a Topé Suicida out of the ring. The Dropkicks to the face from Ueno couldn’t keep Aoki down and neither could the BME. When Ueno set up his WR finisher Aoki countered it into a Cobra Twist and transitioned the move into a Modified Manjigatame. The hold took Ueno down to the ground and he had no choice but to give up.

After the match Aoki praised Ueno for being strong and even told everyone how much he likes him. But losers have to leave the ring. Ueno bowed to everyone and left while Aoki applauded him. The new champion promised to protect what he has taken from Ueno. He also declared he wants to get revenge on Katsuhiko Nakajima for harming the championship’s reputation while defending the title against any of the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere holders. He expected one of them to come out and challenge him but he got someone completely different instead. Tetsuya Endo!

Aoki wasn’t impressed and called Endo the weakest person who could challenge him. He talked about how much Endo has struggled ever since Nakajima knocked him out. Others like Ueno and MAO struggled too but Endo may as well be sleeping compared to them. Endo understands why Aoki would reject his challenge but that is why it must be Endo who should hold the belt and be the one to find revenge! Aoki argued that the reason he brought up Nakajima in the first place was because nobody in DDT did. Endo then asked Aoki if he ever lost a match that changed his life? Was there someone there to help him at the time? Aoki can be like that for Endo if he accepts the challenge. Aoki understood and a title match between them will take place in Nagoya on 8th September.

Finally Kota Ibushi came home to DDT. A lot has changed since he left but really, a lot has stayed the same too. He started the match off against Endo and their back and forth ended with a respectful handshake. Then the match turned over to more of DDT’s silly side as Danshoku Dieno kept kissing Yuki Iino over and over. Then when Akito put Yuya Koroku in a Figure 4 Leg Lock, Dieno performed the Danshoku Nightmare over Koroku. Ibushi also carried Koroku face first into Dieno’s Hell Gate at the corner. Endo got revenge by pushing Dieno and Ibushi into each other for the Lip Lock. He then hit Akito with a Handspring Kick followed by the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb. Akito kicked out of that but was put away with the Burning Star Press.

Endo welcomed Ibushi back to DDT after the match and had a question for him. Does Ibushi still love pro wrestling? Ibushi says he still loves it. Endo was happy to hear it and said he’ll be here in DDT waiting for Ibushi anytime. Dieno wanted to hear Ibushi give his honest opinion about how he feels right now. He then handed him a cue card to read (a bunch of people in DDT used to do this for Ibushi during his first main event push). Ibushi admitted there was a time when he didn’t know if he really loved wrestling. But coming back to a DDT ring today was something he enjoyed. He had a good time but his true love is only at 60 points out of 100 right now. He will keep wrestling in AEW and DDT to find the wrestling that he enjoys so his love will reach back up to 100. He then asked Makoto Oishi why he is quitting DDT soon? When Oishi told him it was to be with his family, Ibushi then asked why was his voice sounding so hoarse? Oishi reminded him it’s been like that for a long time. Backstage Ibushi told reporters he has the money and the fame. The only thing that’s missing for him is the fun. Akito told him he would like to see him appear in DDT regularly but Ibushi has only committed to one other date so far on 8th September.

Yukio Naya felt humiliated after today’s show thanks to Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami. The latest part of their feud saw Kawakami pin Naya thanks to some foul play. HARASHIMA & Kazuma Sumi played their part as best as they could against DAMNATION T.A so Naya could beat Kawakami by himself with a Choke Slam. But MJ Paul pulled the referee away during the pin count. Naya then fought off Daisuke Sasaki & KANON until Kawakami hit him in the back with a Chair and pinned him with a Lariat. Kawakami said he will beat Naya again in their singles match on 8th September and then go on to challenge for the KO-D Title. Naya tried to fight him again but Sasaki hit him with the chair and Kawakami put him down with the Thunder Fire Bomb. Backstage Naya promised to get revenge and make Kawakami regret ever talking about the KO-D Title so casually.

The 15th Anniversary of Soma Takao’s debut match put him against someone who has been linked to him for most of his career. Keisuke Ishii was one of Takao’s tag partners in his debut and they want on to wrestle together as part of Team Drift. Ishii didn’t take it easy on his friend though. They fought up to the aisleway where Ishii gave Takao the Double Arm Driver onto the floor. Takao just about made it back to the ring to avoid being counted out. He fought back using a Double Stomp and the Perfect Driver for nearfalls. But Ishii caught him with a Frankensteiner and won the match with the Kneel Kick.

Two Right To Challenge Shield holders were on opposite teams for Match #3 so there was a little more risk of a Shield changing hands. Jun Akiyama kept grabbing To-y’s hair and did it even more after Shunma Katsumata complained about it. Keigo Nakamura went after Katsumata but things ended evenly between the two Shield holders. Tomomitsu Matsunaga got a nearfall on Katsumata with a Lariat. Katsumata turned things around with a Neckbreaker and Thrust Kick. He then scored the pin on Matsunaga with a German Suplex.

Today was another attempt by Ilusion to convince Chris Brookes he belongs in SCHADENFREUDE International. He even put Brookes in the Octopus Stretch during their match. Masahiro Takanashi wanted to thank Makoto Oishi for everything he’s done but it was just a trick to attack him. Oishi then tried singing a birthday song for Brookes but got attacked for that too. Takeshi Masada blocked Yuni’s Moonsault and Brookes tried to finish the match with the Praying Mantis Bomb but Yuni avoided it. The match came down to Ilusion and Takanashi trying to pin each other with different cradle moves. Takanashi got the better of Ilusion and got the three count with the Uwabami. Brookes wasn’t convinced by Ilusion’s performance.

The 3 Way Match to open the show featured voice actor and wrestling fan Tetsu Inada as a special guest commentator. However Antonio Honda pinned Kazuki Hirata seconds into the match before Toru Owashi could even do anything. Hisaya Imabayashi got mad like he always does and admitted he is getting tired of this. Inada took the microphone from him and demanded a restart because he wanted to see an exciting match. The match begun again but the wrestlers were showing low energy, causing Inada to get mad again. Hirata tried to do his dance but Inada asked him to do something new. Inada then joined in with Honda’s Gongitsune joke and together they attempted the Super Pheonix Fire Thunder Ultra Gongitsune attack! However they both missed. Owashi rolled up Honda with a School Boy and Hirata did the same to Inada. Both of them got a three count pin but since Inada was never a match participant, Owashi was the winner.

At the very end of the show MAO & Katsumata told the fans that Ueno losing the title is not going to stop The 37KAMIINA’s momentum. ShunMao intends to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles and KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles again. Backstage they said the championship has been turning rotten ever since they had to vacate it due to Katsumata’s injury. No reign since then has been as good as theirs so they want to start a new era for the championship. MAO also described Ibushi’s return today as Golden Star Syndrome. The middle aged fans who came to the show are only chasing shadows because the glory days from Ibushi’s time are gone. DDT has been drowning in muddy waters ever since and it is thanks to the likes of ShunMao that things have started to pick up for the company. MAO is telling the fans not to lose their minds from Golden Star Syndrome and they should not be taking the current generation for granted.

The 37KAMIINA are also going to be part of Kaisei Takeshi’s return match on 29th September. Takeshi, Ueno & MAO will take on Brookes, Takanashi & Masada from SCHADENFREUDE International on 29th September!

As part of Takeshi Masada’s sponsorship with Bodix bodywear, several models known as the BB Girls were in attendance. Imabayashi got to take a group photo in the ring with them at the start of the show.


DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA” Results

August 17, 2024

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 17/08/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall
271 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Shunma Katsumata & Kazuki Hirata defeated Makoto Oishi & Yuni when Katsumata pinned Oishi with a German Suplex (6:24).
*Shunma Katsumata wins Makoto Oishi’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shield.
2. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Antonio Honda & Ilusion with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:44).
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Jun Akiyama defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when MAO pinned Koroku with the Iai Kick (11:20).
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Michael Nakazawa by Disqualification when Nakazawa attacked the referee (13:49).
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami, KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA, Soma Takao, Keigo Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi when Kawakami pinned Sumi with the Thunder Fire Bomb (8:42).
6. Yukio Naya’s Birthday Celebration Match ~ Special Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Iino ended in a Double KO (17:45).
7. Special Tag Match: Shinya Aoki & Akito defeated Yuki Ueno & To-y when Aoki pinned To-y with a Kick To The Face (14:28).
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Antonio Honda with the Dropkick (19:09).
*V7 for Yuki Ueno. Antonio Honda cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shield.

The direction towards Yuki Ueno Vs Shinya Aoki almost went off track because the first Right To Challenge Shield was cashed in today! After Aoki’s team beat Ueno’s team in the main event, Keigo Nakamura walked out and teased cashing in. But all he did was announce that he was not going to do it today. Antonio Honda then entered the ring and talked about 2024 being a good year for him. He’s been able to keep standing all this time so he could fight a wonderful wrestler like Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title. He decided to cash in his title shot right away and fight as if it is his last match!

Honda left out the shenanigans for what could be his final chance at winning the KO-D Title proper (he was one time an interim champion back in 2010). Instead of tripping over and using Gongitsune he used the Tenzan Tombstone Driver, Enzuigiri and Manjigatame. But a well timed Dropkick to the face ended his dream and Ueno remained the champion. Ueno said you must have courage to use the Right To Challenge prize correctly. What happens in the DDT ring is the most fun you can have anytime, anywhere and he can make it more fun when he beats beat Aoki!

Aoki did not have much to say about next week’s title match both during the contract signing and after the show. He is going to savor the match when it happens. He is also impressed that Ueno was able to defend the title straight after wrestling another match. He thinks that shows both strength and responsibility. Honda said he feels like the happiest person around even though he lost. He fought like it was his last match and he is glad to have met someone like Ueno.

For his 30th birthday Yukio Naya was given a one on one match against Yuki Iino. Both went into the match wanting to showcase and revitalise DDT’s heavyweight scene. That kind of can’t lose attitude from both wrestlers resulted the match ending in a double knockout draw. Iino avoided The World’s Best Back Drop and hit Naya with the Spear. But Naya got back up and the two collided with Shoulder Blocks to knock each other down. Neither were able to get back to their feet before the 10 count was reached. The two shook hands while recovering after the match but the moment was spoiled when Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami and DAMNATION T.A attacked Naya while he was returning to the locker room. Kawakami hit him with a chair, calling it Naya’s birthday present. Backstage Naya said once his match with Kawakami on 9th September happens, he’ll make sure Kawakami won’t come back to DDT!

Michael Nakazawa apologised to the fans before his match began because he hasn’t had a match in over a year and forgot how to wrestle. He proceeded to go through the match unmotivated which annoyed Danshoku Dieno. Nakazawa started showing some enthusiasm when he did the Angle Slam but lost interest again after Dieno kicked out of it. Nakazawa then asked for the match to end because he failed in America and he’s a failure here too. Hisaya Imabayashi told him he isn’t a failure. He became DDT’s GM because of Nakazawa and to prove it he pulled down his trousers to show off his underwear just like Nakazawa used to do. Other wrestlers like Takeshi Masada, Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata and Kazuki Hirata all did the same around ringside. Yuni wanted to join in but Yukinori Matsui stopped him. But more people like the referees, camera crew, ring announcer, staff and even Shukan Puroresu reporter all joined in to encourage Nakazawa. He got his spirit back and collected all of the underwear to power up the Ultimate Venom Arm. Unfortunately he missed Dieno and grabbed Matsui with the move by mistake. Nakazawa was then disqualified.

Ilusion spent a lot of Match #2 asking Chris Brookes if he could join SCHADENFREUDE International. Brookes refused because he doesn’t believe Ilusion really has it in his heart to be part of the group. At least not yet anyway. So Brookes doesn’t want him in it.

The White RTC Shield is bouncing around from person to person. Oishi won it during the week but lost it to Katsumata in today’s opening match. Katsumata even asked Oishi why he lost it after making such a big deal over protecting the prize after he won it? Katsumata is already the DDT Extreme Champion so he will take some time to think about what he will do with the Shield.


DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2024 IN SHINJUKU – DAY 1” Results

August 15, 2024

DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2024 IN SHINJUKU – DAY 1”, 15/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE
460 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. 4 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON, MJ Paul & Mataro Suzuki defeated Toru Owashi, To-y & Keigo Nakamura when KANON pinned To-y with the Ground Cobra Twist (11:21).
2. Blindfold Hidden Breast Tag Team Death Match: Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda defeated Super Sasadango Machine & Kazuma Sumi when Brookes stripped off Sumi’s bra (14:34).
3. International Special Single Match: Danhausen defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Danhausen Special (9:14).
4. Special 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Yukio Naya defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata and Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when Oishi pinned Koroku after the Mad Max from MAO & Katsumata (10:06).
*Makoto Oishi wins Yuya Koroku’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shield.
5. Drunk Match: Masahiro Takanashi defeated HARASHIMA with the Yokoiri Style Cradle (12:41).
*Masahiro Takanashi wins HARASHIMA’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shield.
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – International Special Tag Match ~ Sandman Match: Joey Janela & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) & Effy when Janela pinned Dieno with the Death Valley Driver onto a pile of Cans (15:47).
*Joey Janela becomes the 1,663rd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Effy defeated Joey Janela (c) with a School Boy (9:15 pm).
*Effy becomes the 1,664th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno defeated Effy (c) with a School Boy (9:21 pm).
*Danshoku Dieno becomes the 1,665th champion.

Never let the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title come between partners. It will not end well. This year’s summer beer garden shows are featuring several wrestlers from the GCW tour who stuck around in Japan for a few more days (most of the GCW crew had to leave the country earlier than planned because an incoming typhoon was disrupting flights). In the main event of today’s show Danshoku Dieno & Effy wanted to be partners instead of opponents so the 4 Way Match was changed into a tag match. Takeshi Masada took the brunt of Dieno & Effy’s attacks but it was Joey Janela who ended up winning the match and becoming the Iron Man Champion.

After the match Masada tried to turn on Janela to take the title from him but failed. Effy however succeeded in rolling up Janela from behind to become the new champion. Then backstage Dieno and Effy got into an argument about the title that led to them heading back over to ringside while the audience were leaving the venue. Masada again tried to sneak attack the champ and again failed. But that distraction allowed Dieno to pin Effy with a Low Blow and run off as the Iron Man Champion once more. Dieno wants the title in order to become the longest champion in the belt’s history. Today his plan was reset to zero days but that only means his year long title reign starts now!

The Right To Challenge Shields are already switching hands a lot and it’s only been one week. Masahiro Takanashi won the Blue Shield from HARASHIMA in a match where the rules were both got to drink until they were drunk. The two of them became so inebriated that they needed help to wrestle. Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda were on Takanashi’s side while HARASHIMA unexpectedly had KUDO coming to his aid! Takanashi was able to beat HARASHIMA by countering the Somato into a Cradle. He later made hints towards using the Shield to get a DDT Universal Title shot because he had to watch while MAO beat other members of SCHADENFREUDE International one after the other.

Yuya Koroku only just won the White Shield and he has already lost it. That prize now belongs to Makoto Oishi when he scored the pin in a 3 Way Trios Match. Shunma Katsumata & MAO did the damage to Koroku but they were both held back by Jun Akiyama & Yukio Naya so Oishi could steal the pinfall. We then had a repeat of the current Shield holders all publicly telling everyone they are not going to cash in just yet. Honda was the exception but he once again tripped over the ropes and injured his knee so had to delay cashing in his shot on Yuki Ueno. Oishi, who will be leaving DDT in October believes it is fate for him to win a Shield. He wants to use it at a time that will set off fireworks. Perhaps he will wait until his final show as a DDT wrestler.

It hasn’t been a good month for BURNING. They just lost the KO-D Tag Team Titles and now they no longer have a RTC shield. Yuki Iino is trying to look on the bright side though and came up with the idea of challenging DAMNATION T.A for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. It should work out for them because he, Tetsuya Endo and Koroku no longer have anything to lose.

Kazuki Hirata is a germaphobe so the worst thing Danhausen could do to him was pour a jar of teeth into his mouth and then kick him in the face. Danhausen absolutely did that and won the match.

Everyone in Match #3 being blindfolded caused some obvious problems. They spent a lot of the match reaching out into thin air trying to find one another. They even all ended up going outside and Super Sasadango Machine mistakenly thought a male fan in the front row was one of his opponents. Despite the handicap, Brookes was eventually able to give Kazuma Sumi the Praying Mantis Bomb and stripped him of his bra to win along with Honda.

Daisuke Sasaki spent all day drinking and was too drunk to wrestle so DAMNATION T.A announced they added a new member to their team. It was Mataro Suzuki from DDT’s video crew. He was kicked out of the team after they won their match.


DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER” Results

August 12, 2024

DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
999 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Maki Itoh, Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Marcus Mathers defeated Yuki Ueno, Masha Slamovich, Yuni & Ilusion when Itoh pinned Ilusion after the 450 Splash from Mathers (15:02).
2. DDT Variety Team Vs The Mothership: Allie Katch & Dark Sheik defeated Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda when Sheik pinned Hirata with the Diving Leg Drop (10:30).
3. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy when Sasaki pinned Jimmy after the Freedom Call (12:36).
4. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders when Endo pinned Loco with the Burning Star Press (14:47).
5. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy ended in a No Contest (9:48).
6. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata and Joey Janela when Warner pinned Katsumata with the Impaler DDT (18:26).
*V8 for Mance Warner.
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Alex Zayne by Referee Stoppage (8:17).
*V10 for MAO.

As part of this year’s tour of Japan, GCW teamed up with DDT to put everything together. This includes the opening night where both promotions held a joint show at Korakuen Hall mixing their two rosters together. The main event would have been MAO’s crowning moment of his DDT Universal Title reign because he reached his 10th successful defence. Unfortunately no one was happy with how it went. Alex Zayne injured his ankle during a spot outside the ring where he did a backflip off of the stage and landed on his feet. The landing seemed to have jacked in his ankle and despite making the effort to get back into the ring, Yukinori Matsui made the call to end the match and reward MAO the victory by TKO. In an update since the show ended, Zayne got an X-ray and the results showed no serious damage was done. MAO promised to give him a rematch. He is under the impression that DDT and GCW will do a show like this again next year.

Shunma Katsumata was inserted into the big fed over the GCW World Title. The champion Mance Warner and top contender Joey Janela are in the middle of several fights over the belt and the latest battle was a 3 Way Hardcore Match with Katsumata as the third wheel. Tables, ladders, chairs and toy blocks were all used in the match. Warner also used handcuffs on Katsumata before attacking him with a stapler, a wrench and a screwdriver to bust him open. Katsumata was still able to fight while handcuffed and eventually the key was found to free him. He put Janela through the table with the Totonou Splash but Warner stole the win by giving Katsumata the Impaler DDT right afterwards. Janela promised to one day beat Warner for the GCW Title and also beat Katsumata so he can be the DDT Extreme Champion again. Katsumata wants to wrestle at GCW shows in America more often and defend the Extreme Title over there. He thinks it wouldn’t be any fun if these matches only happened in Japan.

People were warned in advance about the Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy match and those expectations were met. Before the match even began the audience were told to raise their hands if they wanted to be kissed by Dieno. GCW’s ring announcer Emil Jay was among the volunteers. Effy offered Dieno a bracelet when the match began but Dieno was too shy to take it. The actual wrestling quickly turned intimate causing Hisaya Imabayashi to enter the ring and demand them to take the match seriously. The two wrestlers obliged but it didn’t take long for the mood to get sensual again. A missed Lip Lock from Dieno knocked out Matsui so Daisuke Kiso became the replacement ref. He was then taken out of action by a Lip Lock from Effy. GCW sent out their referee Dan Perch to sort things out but Dieno & Effy joined forces to give him a Doomsday Lip Lock! One of GCW’s other referees on site Scarlette Donovan then ran in hoping to be part of the fun but neither Dieno nor Effy were interested. They gave her a Double Brainbuster instead. Referee vengeance finally happened when Adam Gault avoided the attack and gave Effy a Stunner followed by a Standing Moonsault. Dieno caught him in the Lip Lock though and formed the Hell Gate with Makoto Oishi. Imabayashi had enough because they are on a live broadcast but Effy threw him into the Hell Gate. By this point Matsui had no choice but to call off the match. Dieno and Effy celebrated together anyway. They also asked DDT to turn the 4 Way Match they are both in on 15th August into a tag match so they can be partners in more ways than one.

BURNING bounced back from losing the KO-D Tag Team Titles over the weekend by winning their DDT Vs GCW match. Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders shared a similar tag team dynamic of agility and strength working together. Loco gave Tetsuya Endo a One Man Spanish Fly from the top rope. Manders followed up with a Moonsault but Endo rolled out of the way. Yuki Iino took down Manders with a Spear, leaving Endo to give Loco the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and then the Burning Star Press for the win.

DDT also beat GCW when DAMNATION T.A were victorious against the unusual pairing of Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy. There was some help from MJ Paul along the way but KANON found himself in danger when the other team attacked him with chairs. Daisuke Sasaki got some momentum back by putting Lloyd in La Mistica Crossface Lock but Yamashita broke the hold. KANON returned and with Sasaki left Lloyd beaten with the Freedom Call. KANON is relieved because he didn’t want to lose his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Shield or risk having it go overseas. Sasaki just hated everything about today. His post-match comments? “Fuck Jimmy! Fuck Yamashita! Fuck GCW! Fuck DDT! Fuck off everything!”

Together Allie Katch & Dark Sheik are known as The Mothership and they have experienced a lot that makes pro wrestling weird and wonderful. Even so they hadn’t met a team quite like Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata. Honda got their attention by telling his Gongitsune joke in English. Gon wants to enter the Olympics and play table tennis but when he found a place to train he found out it was “Table Penis” instead! Hirata tried to power up with the Hirata GO! glasses but The Mothership stopped him and put the glasses on themselves. All four wrestlers danced and continued fighting to the music. It ended with Sheik pinning Hirata with the Diving Leg Drop.

Normally when Maki Itoh wrestles in Japan it is for Tokyo Joshi Pro but today she was here as a GCW wrestler and leader of the NEO Itoh Respect Army. She got upset when Yuki Ueno tried to act cuter than her. It caused a chain reaction where the rest of Itoh’s team and even referee Gault sulked with her until Ueno tagged out. Yuni tagged in and tried to cheer them all up but it was all a trap so they could take control of the match. Ueno got back in and did well against both Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada but he found a tough challenge in Marcus Mathers. Itoh also spent a lot of the match fighting with Masha Slamovich. Yuni, Slamovich & Ilusion all hit dives to the outside. Itoh considered joining in but had cold feet so Brookes gave her a Military Press out of the ring onto everyone outside. Poor Ilusion then got ganged up on. He was given the Triangle Enzui from Masada, the Praying Mantis Bomb from Brookes, the I.S.D from Itoh and then the 450 Splash from Mathers. Itoh took the spoils by pinning Ilusion after all of that.


Right To Challenge Matches, Full DDT Vs GCW Card, Naya Is Turning 30, Takao’s 15th Anniversary

July 31, 2024

DDT “MEET & GREET & FIGHT”, 02/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Yuni Vs Ilusion Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Single Match: KANON Vs Yukio Naya
3. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Match Staggered Entry Battle Royal: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA Vs Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs To-y Vs Keigo Nakamura Vs Yuya Koroku

The DDT version of Money In The Bank is back and ready to leave a trail of chaos in its wake this summer. This year there will be five Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere prizes up for grabs across three matches. Three contracts will go to the last three survivors of a Battle Royal featuring all of DDT’s mainstays. One will go to the winner of KANON Vs Yukio Naya. The final one will go to the winner of the 3 Way Match between Yuni, Ilusion and Kazuma Sumi. So by the time the five holders are determined it will be a group of wrestlers spreading all over the main event, midcard and rookie scenes.

There are also some slight changes to the rules for the prize this year. The contracts will become active from 10th August to 23rd November. They can be cashed in on any DDT related show held during that period for either a KO-D Openweight Title shot, a DDT Universal Title shot or a DDT Extreme Title shot. If a contract holder directly loses a match on a DDT show then the contract is given to whoever beats them. That is not a new rule but limiting it happening to just DDT related events is a new change.

DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Masha Slamovich, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Maki Itoh, Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Marcus Mathers
2. DDT Variety Team Vs The Mothership: Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs Allie Katch & Dark Sheik
3. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy
4. DDT Vs GCW Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders
5. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy
6. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Joey Janela
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Alex Zayne

The full DDT Vs GCW card is here. Some of the new tag matches added includes BURNING facing Gringo Loco & 1 Called Manders as well as DAMNATION T.A having to deal with the odd couple team of Rina Yamashita & Broski Jimmy. Are Allie Katch & Dark Sheik prepared for the silliness of Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda? That’s not all, Masha Slamovich and Marcus Mathers find themselves dropped deep into the DDT roster for an 8-Man Tag Match. There will be more DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro involvement later on in GCW’s tour of Japan but I’ll write about it in tomorrow’s DDT Around The World article.

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 17/08/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Michael Nakazawa
2. Yukio Naya’s Birthday Celebration Match ~ Special Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Iino

On the day Yukio Naya turns 30 years old he will celebrate it by fighting Yuki Iino in a big heavyweight match.

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024”, 25/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Soma Takao 15th Anniversary ~ Special Single Match: Soma Takao Vs Keisuke Ishii
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Shinya Aoki

A fitting opponent for Soma Takao. When he debuted in DDT 15 years ago one of his teammates was Keisuke Ishii. The two then went on to grow up in wrestling together with the rest of the Young Communication generation and then joined forces with Shigehiro Irie to create Team Drift. This match as added importance because Ishii is the current Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion.

Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami will be on the show.


DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN NAGOYA – DAY 1” Results

July 27, 2024

DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN NAGOYA – DAY 1”, 27/07/2024
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall
242 Fans – Super No Vacancy

-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) with a School Boy (5:03 pm).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,663rd champion.
1. 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi defeated Kazuki Hirata and Yuni when Oishi pinned Yuni with a Power Bomb (7:50).
2. MAO & To-y defeated Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi when To-y pinned Sumi with the Kojima Impact (11:53).
3. Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino defeated Jun Akiyama & Keigo Nakamura when Iino pinned Nakamura with the Lariat (9:06).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku when KANON submitted Koroku with the Cobra Twist (15:14).
5. Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Akito defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata when Akito pinned Katsumata with a Totonou Splash Counter (14:33).
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno defeated Antonio Honda (c) with the Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver (18:41).
*Danshoku Dieno becomes the 1,664th champion.

There was a reversal in roles for the headline match due to what happened at the start of the show. Danshoku Dieno opened up the event with a speech and Antonio Honda rolled him up from behind to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from him. So now Honda was the defending champion and Dieno was the challenger. Dieno was able to beat Honda in the scheduled main event to win back the title. He promised to remain champion for one year straight so he can become the longest reigning Iron Man Champion of all time. His pet dog Haku will also help him protect the belt from now on. However Dieno is already getting paranoid that Makoto Oishi will take the title from him and bring it to his new home in Sendai. Oishi kind of denies it, only telling Dieno he isn’t planning on letting his daughter win it…

Akito is now thinking of tomorrow’s match against Takeshi Masada, which is going to main event the show. Akito has proven he can beat top tier wrestlers and can be a capable challenger for tag team titles. He wants to go all out against Masada tomorrow and will be thinking about nothing else.

There was another post-match attack from Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami towards Yukio Naya. This time Kawakami taped Naya’s hands to the ring post and then hit him across the back with a chair. He told Naya not to come back for their singles match until he gets into shape. Daisuke Sasaki is also warming up to Kawakami idea of turning DAMNATION T.A into FIRE DAMNATION.


This Weekend’s Lineups, DDT Vs GCW Matches, Wedding Pro Wrestling

July 27, 2024

GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO MEN’S ASSOCIATION EVENT VOL. 1”, 27/07/2024
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. 80’s Vs Heisei Tag Match: Hartley Jackson & Tyson Maeguchi Vs Daisuke®️ & Shota Kawakami
2. 70’s Vs Heisei Tag Match: Takuya Wada & Choun-Shiryu Vs Munetatsu Nakamura & Gaia Hox
3. 70’s Vs 80’s Tag Match: Ken Ohka & Minoru Fujita Vs Keisuke Ishii & Isami Kodaka
4. 70’s Vs 80’s Vs Heisei 3 Way Match: Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Yumehito Imanari Vs Mizuki Watase

Born In The 70’s: Ken Ohka, Shuichiro Katsumura, Takuya Wada, Choun-Shiryu & Minoru Fujita

Born In The 80’s: Keisuke Ishii, Yumehito Imanari, Isami Kodaka, Hartley Jackson and Tyson Maeguchi

Born In The Heisei Era: Mizuki Watase, Gaia Hox, Munetatsu Nakamura, Shota Kawakami and Daisuke®️

The battle of the Ganbare☆Pro generations is going on as I type this.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GARAFES DASH!! ~SCORCHING SUMMER SPLASH~”, 27/07/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Raku Vs Uta Takami
2. Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Pom Harajuku & Shino Suzuki

And probably so is the latest Tokyo Joshi Pro appearance at the Garafes.

GANBARE☆JOSHI/666 “DOKI! ALL JOSHI PRO WRESTLING BOX OFFICE ~THE VIRGIN SUICIDES~”, 27/07/2024
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Rina Yamashita & Sumire Natsu Vs Rina Yamada & Banny Oikawa
2. Yuna Manase & Maika Ozaki Vs HARUKAZE & Droog-K
3. Ram Kaichow, Maya Yukihi & YuuRI Vs Maya Yukipe, Mayumi Ozawa & X

Who is the 666 X going to be?

DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN NAGOYA – DAY 1”, 27/07/2024
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
2. MAO & To-y Vs Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
3. Jun Akiyama & Keigo Nakamura Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda

Since Danshoku Dieno versus Antonio Honda is in the main event they have a 60 minute time limit!

DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN NAGOYA – DAY 2”, 28/07/2024
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. KANON Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda Vs To-y Vs Yuni
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
5. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
6. Special Single Match: Akito Vs Takeshi Masada

So far Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami keeps thinking DAMNATION T.A should be called FIRE DAMNATION. Perhaps Daisuke Sasaki and the rest should be careful hanging out with him for too long.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 28/07/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Maki Itoh Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. Shoko Nakajima, Raku, HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Uta Takami Vs Zara Zakher, Wakana Uehara, Toga, Kira Summer & Chika Nanase
3. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Shino Suzuki Vs Suzume
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2E: Pom Harajuku Vs Yuki Kamifuku
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Mizuki Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1C: Runa Okubo Vs Yuki Aino
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1A: Yuki Arai Vs Kaya Toribami
8. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1B: Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe

The Tokyo Princess Cup begins tomorrow.

DDT “OSAKA VS TOKYO ~DREAM EAST-WEST PRO WRESTLING BATTLE 2024~”, 10/08/2024
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Ilusion
2. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Keigo Nakamura (Iwate) & Yuya Koroku (Chiba) Vs Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto) & Kazuma Sumi (Mie)
3. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Makoto Oishi (Shizuoka) & Akito (Aichi) Vs Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima) & Yuni (Osaka)
4. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special Tag Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa (Saitama) & Riara (Miyagi) Vs Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) & Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)
5. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special 4 Way Match: MAO (Miyagi) Vs Tsutenkakka (Osaka) Vs The Great Koji (Osakananko) Vs A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima)
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles – East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Takeshi Masada Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Tetsuya Endo (Miyagi) & Yuki Iino (Tokyo) (c) Vs Chris Brookes (England) & Takeshi Masada (Osaka)
7. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Tokyo Vs Osaka Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA (Tokyo) & Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo) Vs Yuki Ueno (Osaka) & Jun Akiyama (Osaka)
8. DDT Extreme Title ~ East Vs West All-Out Competition: Shunma Katsumata (c) (Chiba) Vs Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka)

East Army: Shunma Katsumata (Chiba), HARASHIMA (Tokyo), Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo), MAO (Miyagi), Tetsuya Endo (Miyagi), Yuki Iino (Tokyo), Daisuke Sasaki (Tokyo), KANON (Ishikawa), Toru Owashi (Nagano), Makoto Oishi (Shizuoka), Akito (Aichi), Yukio Naya (Tokyo), Keigo Nakamura (Iwate), Yuya Koroku (Chiba), Yoshiko Hasegawa (Saitama) and Riara (Miyagi)

West Army: Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka), Yuki Ueno (Osaka), Jun Akiyama (Osaka), Chris Brookes (England), Takeshi Masada (Osaka), Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima), Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto), Yuni (Osaka), Kazuma Sumi (Mie), Tsutenkakka (Osaka), The Great Koji (Osakananko), A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima), Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) and Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)

Place Of Unknown Origin: MJ Paul, Ilusion

The KO-D Tag Team Champions want to increase their number of defences. BURNING already has a tag match coming up against Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada so they want the titles to be on the line for it.

DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy
2. GCW World Title – 3 Way Hardcore Match: Mance Warner (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Joey Janela
3. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Alex Zayne

Two championship matches built around DDT Vs GCW have been added to the show. MAO is going to defend the DDT Universal Title against Alex Zayne. Meanwhile Shunma Katsumata is getting himself in the middle of Mance Warner and Joey Janella’s grudge over the GCW World Title. A Hardcore 3 Way Match is going to add fuel to that fire.

DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2024 IN SHINJUKU – DAY 1”, 15/08/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Blindfold Hidden Breast 4 Way Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Drunk Match: HARASHIMA Vs Masahiro Takanashi

The two wrestlers who are considered the biggest drinkers in DDT will face off in a drunk match. HARASHIMA and Masahiro Takanashi are going to drink each other under the table rather than put each other through one.

Danhausen, Joey Janela and Effy will all be part of the Beer Garden show since they will already be in Japan for the GCW tour. I hear Danhausen is still under AEW contract but both parties have become sick of each other so he gets to do stuff like this away from AEW until his deal runs out.

The GCW only shows on their tour are still going to have DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro talent involved but I’ll save writing about them until the shows take place. I don’t know why they think Broski Jimmy Vs Miyu Yamashita is a good idea but it’s happening.

DDT “WEDDING VENUE PRO WRESTLING SUMMER FESTIVAL IN SENTIR LA SAISON GIFU”, 31/08/2024
Gifu Sentir la Saison

1. X Vs X
2. X Vs X
3. X Vs X
4. X Vs X

The demand for DDT’s offer to hold wrestling matches at weddings is so much that they will be doing two events at Sentir la Saison on the day. The afternoon event will be an outdoor show consisting of four matches held inside a wrestling ring

DDT “WEDDING ROJO PRO WRESTLING”, 31/08/2024
Gifu Sentir la Saison

1. Falls Count Anywhere Match: X Vs X

Then in the evening DDT will hold a Falls Count Anywhere match in the wedding venue!

DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2024”, 08/09/2024
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. Special Single Match: Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami Vs Yukio Naya

There are still a few tag matches between Kawakami and Yukio Naya leading up to this match. But Naya knows the only way he is going to deal with Kawakami is to beat him one on one.


DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN SHINJUKU” Results

July 26, 2024

DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN SHINJUKU”, 26/07/2024
Shinjuku FACE
248 Fans

1. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuni by Disqualification when Yuni was deemed to have attacked Hirata with a Chair (8:05).
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku defeated Antonio Honda & Ilusion when Endo pinned Ilusion with the Spinning Torture Rack Bomb (9:45).
3. Special Single Match: Yuki Iino defeated MJ Paul with the Spear (9:37).
4. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Somato (10:35).
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Akito with a Piledriver (7:41).
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON defeated Yukio Naya, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi when Kawakami pinned Sumi with the Thunder Fire Bomb (12:22).
7. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with the WR (22:14).

With “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” in the rear view mirror today was the first look towards what directions everyone in DDT will be taking towards the next Sumo Hall show at the end of the year. The 37KAMIINA are now whole again thanks to MAO ending his runaway phase and rejoining the group. They won their match in the main event against a collection of DDT wrestlers. Among them was Makoto Oishi who this week announced his plans to leave DDT and go freelance in October. One of his requests was to wrestle against MAO & Shunma Katsumata again, which he did today. To-y got caught up in the moment and joined in with calling Oishi “Master” even though he has no connection to him. After the match Ueno welcomed MAO back to The 37KAMIINA and talked about how much he missed him. Backstage MAO and Katsumata both said they want to have a 3 Way Match with Oishi to be the NωA reunion part of Oishi’s farewell tour. Danshoku Dieno also approached Oishi wanting the two of them to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles.

Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami added salt to Yukio Naya’s wounds after their match by telling him he hasn’t been working out enough. This provoked Naya into attacking him but DAMNATION T.A all ganged up on Naya with a chair and left him in a beaten pile. Kawakami’s advice is Naya should either gain 5-10kg or lose weight. He also keeps calling DAMNATION T.A “FIRE DAMNATION” but Daisuke Sasaki has to remind him that’s not what the unit is called. Naya’s response was to challenge Kawakami to a singles match. That will happen in Nagoya on 8th September.

The next challenger for Ueno and the KO-D Openweight Title is showing off how dangerous an opponent he is going to be. Shinya Aoki outgrappled Akito before using a Piledriver on him to get the win. His warning to Ueno is loud and clear. Aoki can kill him as both a fighter and as a wrestler! Ueno watched his speech from the ring entrance.

More challengers are on the way for BURNING. As mentioned above, Dieno & Oishi could be on the hunt for a future shot at the KO-D Tag Titles. But first BURNING wants to defend the belts against SCHADENFREUDE International. After Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku won their tag match, Endo made a request for their match against Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada in Osaka on 10th August to have the titles on the line.

Backstage Ilusion asked Antonio Honda if he could join SCHADENFREUDE International. Honda could not make the decision by himself because Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi are both wrestling in Thailand currently.

A ref bump happened in the opener so Kazuki Hirata poured ketchup over his head and made sure Yuni was holding a chair when the Yukinori Matsui recovered. Matsui thought Yuni violently attacked Hirata so he disqualified him. Matsui scolded Yuni and said he doesn’t remember raising him like this!


What’s Happening Next In DDT After Peter Pan?

July 25, 2024

Catching up on a lot of news I missed over the last week so expect a lot of separate posts today.

DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN SHINJUKU”, 26/07/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs Antonio Honda & Ilusion
2. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
3. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Keigo Nakamura
4. Special Single Match: Yuki Iino Vs MJ Paul
5. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Akito
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Yukio Naya, Soma Takao & Kazuma Sumi
7. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Takeshi Masada

Reunited and back to full strength, The 37KAMIINA are taking on a mixture of DDT talent in the main event of tomorrow’s show.

DAMNATION T.A has a new ally in the form of Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami. He’s here in DDT to fight Yukio Naya first and foremost.

With a KO-D Openweight Title shot coming up in his future, Shinya Aoki is starting his preparations with a match against Akito.

DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN NAGOYA – DAY 1”, 27/07/2024
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni
2. Jun Akiyama & Keigo Nakamura Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino
3. MAO & To-y Vs Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi
4. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs HARASHIMA & Akito
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami & KANON Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Naya & Yuya Koroku
6. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Antonio Honda

The match between Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda is confirmed to be the main event even if the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title is not involved by the time the match happens. The rest of the card is not in its final match order yet.

DDT “AFTER PETER PAN 2024 IN NAGOYA – DAY 2”, 28/07/2024
Aichi Nagoya Imaike Gas Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda Vs To-y Vs Yuni
2. KANON Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
6. Special Single Match: Akito Vs Takeshi Masada

Similar setup here. Takeshi Masada’s first ever singles match against Akito is the headline match, everything else is currently out of order.

It’s an unofficial DISASTER BOX reunion as HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata are all teaming up again. Is this going to work out like the Smile Squash revival did?

DDT “OSAKA VS TOKYO ~DREAM EAST-WEST PRO WRESTLING BATTLE 2024~”, 10/08/2024
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs Toru Owashi, Yukio Naya & Ilusion
2. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Keigo Nakamura (Iwate) & Yuya Koroku (Chiba) Vs Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto) & Kazuma Sumi (Mie)
3. East Vs West All-Out Competition: Makoto Oishi (Shizuoka) & Akito (Aichi) Vs Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima) & Yuni (Osaka)
4. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special Tag Match: Yoshiko Hasegawa (Saitama) & Riara (Miyagi) Vs Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) & Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)
5. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Special 4 Way Match: MAO (Miyagi) Vs Tsutenkakka (Osaka) Vs The Great Koji (Osakananko) Vs A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima)
6. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Takeshi Masada Debut 2nd Anniversary Match: Tetsuya Endo (Miyagi) & Yuki Iino (Tokyo) Vs Chris Brookes (England) & Takeshi Masada (Osaka)
7. East Vs West All-Out Competition ~ Tokyo Vs Osaka Special Tag Match: HARASHIMA (Tokyo) & Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo) Vs Yuki Ueno (Osaka) & Jun Akiyama (Osaka)
8. DDT Extreme Title ~ East Vs West All-Out Competition: Shunma Katsumata (c) (Chiba) Vs Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka)

East Army: Shunma Katsumata (Chiba), HARASHIMA (Tokyo), Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo), MAO (Miyagi), Tetsuya Endo (Miyagi), Yuki Iino (Tokyo), Daisuke Sasaki (Tokyo), KANON (Ishikawa), Toru Owashi (Nagano), Makoto Oishi (Shizuoka), Akito (Aichi), Yukio Naya (Tokyo), Keigo Nakamura (Iwate), Yuya Koroku (Chiba), Yoshiko Hasegawa (Saitama) and Riara (Miyagi)

West Army: Kohei Kinoshita (Osaka), Yuki Ueno (Osaka), Jun Akiyama (Osaka), Chris Brookes (England), Takeshi Masada (Osaka), Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima), Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto), Yuni (Osaka), Kazuma Sumi (Mie), Tsutenkakka (Osaka), The Great Koji (Osakananko), A.YAZAWA (Hiroshima), Sayaka Unagi (Osaka) and Momoka Hanazono (Osaka)

Place Of Unknown Origin: MJ Paul, Ilusion

The East Vs West lineup is now complete.

DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Vs GCW Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Effy

The first match announced is probably the most DDT Vs GCW match the two companies could come up with together. Dieno takes on Effy!

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 17/08/2024
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Michael Nakazawa

The return of Michael Nakazawa to DDT was probably not as golden as he thought it was going to be, especially when it got overshadowed by Kota Ibushi minutes later. Still, Nakazawa came in to be used as a weapon against Dieno and that’s an issue that still needs to be settled. So the two are going to have a match against each other next month.

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2024”, 25/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Shinya Aoki

Yuki Ueno has chosen Shinya Aoki to be his seventh challenger for this KO-D Title reign. Aoki taught him a lot with the matches they had together last year and now Ueno believes he can beat him. Also the match Aoki wants to do most nowadays is to fight Ueno in a DDT ring.


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” Results

July 21, 2024

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
4,131 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Keigo Nakamura, Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi defeated Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Ilusion when Nakamura pinned Yuni with the Running Diving Headbutt (7:37).
2. 6-Man Tag Match Featuring People Connected To Sanshiro Takagi: Toru Owashi, Hisamaru Tajima & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated Makoto Oishi, Soma Takao & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa when Kawamatsu pinned Oishi with the Axe Bomber (6:28).
3. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Kazuki Hirata with a School Boy (11:53).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Minoru Suzuki, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato when Naya pinned Sato with the Wrist-Clutch Back Drop (12:18).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road FINAL ~ Weapon Rumble: Danshoku Dieno (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (20:54).
*V? for Danshoku Dieno.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Survival 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c), Aja Kong, Shunma Katsumata & To-y and Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada (17:30).
6a. HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) eliminated Aja Kong, Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Akito pinned Katsumata with a Step Over Toe Hold (8:40).
6b. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul eliminated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) when KANON pinned Akito after the Freedom Call (15:28).
6c. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul eliminated Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Paul Sasaki submitted Masada with La Mistica Crossface Lock (17:30).
*Smile Squash fails in V1. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 56th KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Masato Tanaka with an Elbow Butt (14:42).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge when Endo pinned Kotoge with the Burning Star Press (20:37).
*V3 for BURNING.
9. Dramatic Dream Match – No DQ Match: El Desperado defeated Chris Brookes with the Pinche Loco on the Barbed Wire Board (22:12).
10. KO-D Openweight Title – Goodcom Assets Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated MAO with the WR (29:44).
*V6 for Yuki Ueno.

The story of MAO running away from The 37KAMIINA has come to an end. He wasn’t able to win the KO-D Openweight Title from Yuki Ueno after all but it still became a happy ending for everyone involved with the group. The two went all out against each other both inside and out of the ring. Over on the ramp Ueno gave MAO the Canadian Destroyer only for MAO to fire back with the same move. Ueno rolled off the ramp afterwards so MAO reached out and helped him back to the ring so the match wouldn’t end by countout. Ueno dodged the Phoenix Splash and used the Jul.2 for a nearfall. Then there was a trade off between Ueno’s Blackout Sleeper and MAO’s Just Face Lock. There was then a battle of Dropkicks with both wrestlers using the move on each other again and again. MAO used the Iai Kick but only got a two count. Instead Ueno got him in the WR to pin him and retain the championship.

After the match Ueno gave MAO a hug. He said that whenever he feels exhausted or loses his confidence, he will look at MAO to become an even better man. He is sure MAO feels the same way about him. Today he is glad he put his life on the line in Sumo Hall to fight MAO for DDT’s greatest championship. However MAO declined to shake Ueno’s hand and he left the ring. Ueno still praised him for being a free spirit and if he can beat somebody like him then he can beat anybody. Ueno then called Shinya Aoki to the ring and nominated him as his next challenger for the KO-D Title. Aoki said that ever since his fight against Kazushi Sakuraba in 2015, the next opponent and place he wanted to get the most is Yuki Ueno in DDT. Hisaya Imabayashi endorsed the challenge and announced the title match will take place on 25th August.

Ueno closed out the day by telling the fans he and DDT will continue to show everyone their dreams in the ring. Ueno left the ring and walked up the ramp where he was suddenly greeted by MAO again. MAO has decided he is no longer running away from home and has returned to The 37KAMIINA! Shunma Katsumata and To-y also appeared alongside them and the four went backstage together. In the hallway they found Konosuke Takeshita waiting for them. He simply gave them a thumbs up and walked away.

Yesterday at a public press conference Chris Brookes and El Desperado agreed that their match today should be held under No DQ Rules. The ring was already armed with a barbed wire board, a fork board and a bunch of plastic cases lying around waiting for the chaos to start. It began with Desperado bringing out two bouquets of flowers and handing one over to Brookes. They then both attacked each other with the bouquets. As the fighting got more intense Desperado busted open Brookes and in return Brookes took out a pair of scissors to cut up his opponent’s mask. Desperado then decided to pull it off and wrestle the rest of the match fully unmasked! A stapler gun was brought in and the two of them stapled each other back and forth all over their bodies. The envelope used for the “DESPE-INVITACIONAL” was also stapled onto them. SCHADENFREUDE International interfered in the match to gang up on Desperado but he fought them off by spraying them with a fire extinguisher. Brookes did the Praying Mantis Bomb but only got a two count while Desperado hit the Mad Splash on top of the barbed wire board for a nearfall. The end came when Desperado gave Brookes the Lip Lock and then dropped him on top of the barbed wire with the Pinche Loco. Brookes said he is frustrated over losing but also happy because he feels so alive after the match. Desperado said he got a great taste of DDT. He does not know if he will ever get another taste but he hopes to do it again some day. However not long after the show New Japan announced that Desperado is taking a leave of absence to recover from injuries. Desperado made it clear on social media that Brookes and the match they had are not at fault for it.

The last few months have seen Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino from BURNING feud with Go Shiozaki across DDT and NOAH. It was all building up to the KO-D Tag Team Titles defence here with Shiozaki teaming with Atsushi Kotoge. Since both Endo & Iino were focused on solely beating Shiozaki, Kotoge became frustrated at being ignored. It was on full show here because Kotoge busted himself open from Headbutting Endo too much! Shiozaki was taken out by Iino’s Lariat leaving Endo to fight Kotoge. Endo gave him a Headbutt of his own before doing the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb for a nearfall. He then finished him off with the Burning Star Press for the victory. Iino said he knew how good Shiozaki’s Chops are with those big arms of his but that doesn’t matter because BURNING won in the end. Endo said they won today because of the support from their fans. He is now considering how interesting it would be if BURNING and TEAM NOAH would team up in the future. Iino wants to fight more opponents from more companies to increase the value of the KO-D Tag Titles.

The busy summer Takeshita is taking part in has gone off to a hot start. Yesterday he beat Yota Tsuji in the opening day of the G1 Climax and today he defeated Masato Tanaka in a battle of the Elbow Smashes. It was a rematch of their KO-D Title bout from March 2020 and this time it was Takeshita who was left standing tall. After duelling Elbow Smashes, Takeshita’s ones were the more powerful. He ended up using the move to break down Tanaka and pin him for the three count. With this result Takeshita will now bring this power with him for the rest of the G1. He wants DDT fans to follow him in the tournament with pride and confidence. Tanaka admitted that Takeshita now has the best elbow strikes in the world but he will take that title back from him soon!

After Smile Squash went through all the effort of rescuing the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from DAMNATION T.A, they’ve only gone and lost the belts back to them! The belts were on the line in a Survival 4 Way Match with other teams of three looking to win the titles for themselves. The 37KAMIINA & Aja Kong beat up Yasu Urano but were the first eliminated thanks to Akito dodging their attacks and pinning To-y with a Stepover Toe Hold. The champions Smile Squash were then surprisingly next to go. HARASHIMA had MJ Paul pinned with the Somato when KANON pulled the referee out of the ring mid-count. Daisuke Sasaki then attacked everyone with a chair then used the Freedom Call with KANON to pin Akito. Antonio Honda had his working boots on today because he successfully performed a Suicide Dive onto everyone out of the ring. He & Masahiro Takanashi also aided Takeshi Masada until he had to go it alone against Sasaki. Paul gave Masada a German Suplex so Sasaki could pin him for a nearfall. Sasaki then used La Mistica Crossface Lock to make Masada give up.

While DAMNATION T.A were celebrating in the ring, Ryuichi “Fire” Kawakami appeared at ringside and climbed in to meet them. He had already caused trouble backstage earlier in the day by attacking Yukio Naya after his match. But Kawakami got into the ring to give Sasaki a hug because he is now joining forces with DAMNATION T.A! Kawakami is ready to bring “FIRE DAMNATION” to DDT and Naya is his first target. Sasaki thinks “FIRE DAMNATION” sounds a little lame but he’s happy to have Kawakami on his side.

After spending so many decades fighting for DDT inside and out of the ring, Sanshiro Takagi is finally ready to take an indefinite break so he can focus on his management duties within CyberFight while taking better care of his health. But first he had one more battle with Danshoku Dieno to get through. During the week he pinned Dieno to take the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title away from him but Dieno won it not too long afterwards. Their match here was a Weapon Rumble. One by one weapons selected by the two wrestlers would be brought down to the ring. Takagi’s first weapon was product placement for Yanekabe Shokunin Goods. Dieno countered that with Yoshihiko along with Muscle Sakai as its handler. Takagi then brought out the Dramatic Dream bike. Dieno shocked Takagi by setting up a retirement ceremony for him. Saki Akai came down to the ring and presented him with gifts as well as a heartfelt speech. Takagi was so touched by the gesture he considered to go ahead with retirement but interrupted the ten bell salute so the match would continue. MIKAMI and Poison Sawada JULIE then ran down to be Takagi’s latest weapons. Dieno had allies of his own in the form of Tokyo Joshi Pro! The group of Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Mizuki and Yuki Kamifuku all attacked Takagi with some of their signature moves. But when TJPW GM Tetsuya Koda wanted to get his digs in, Hisaya Imabayashi got mad and attacked him! With them out of the way Takagi brought out his golden ace up his sleeve. He brought in a big star from AEWMichael Nakazawa! He came out with his body painted completely gold. Who could Dieno have picked in response to this? It was the actual “Golden Star”, the return of Kota Ibushi to DDT! Ibushi gave Takagi the Kamigoye and Dieno waited for Takagi to get back up so he could finish him off with the Lip Lock and Gotch-Style Danshoku Driver.

After the match Dieno told Takagi that it does not matter if he takes a permanent break or is able to come back and wrestle again. DDT will be fine because Dieno will always be here. Takagi thanked Dieno because without him this dramatic situation would have never taken place today. He thought he would never meet Ibushi inside a DDT ring ever again! DDT went through some tough times after Ibushi left them in 2016 but Ibushi was able to rise higher and higher. Takagi believes if he can still get chances to be in the ring with Ibushi then he will never retire! His wish is to fight Ibushi in a singles match again. Ibushi has a request too. Can he come back to DDT some day? Takagi and Dieno both burst into tears and told him yes because he is family. Backstage Takagi told reporters he really wants Kenny Omega to get recover from his health problems too so he can call him again too.

As mentioned above, Naya’s day at Sumo Hall was ruined by a backstage attack by Kawakami after his match. Before that happened things were going great for Naya. He teamed with Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga to beat the big name outsider trio of Minoru Suzuki, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato. Naya also got the pinfall after he gave Sato the Wrist-Clutch Back Drop. The backstage attack happened during the post-match interview. Naya’s partners had already left the room and he was in the middle of talking about how it is up to him to carry DDT’s heavyweight division due to a number of injuries on the roster. That was when Kawakami burst out from behind the interview curtain and attacked Naya with a chair. He demanded to be booked for more DDT shows or else he will blow more people up!

With so much happening up and down the card, Kazuki Hirata and Super Sasadango Machine were determined to make their match stand out and become the most newsworthy. Sasadango used his PowerPoint presentation to tell everyone about how much social media coverage his recent tag match with Hirata, Takagi and Dieno got because so many shocking incidents took place during it. So he begged the audience to retweet everything that happened here and even made a competition where one lucky fan will win a sirloin steak, shrimp and red snow crab that he all bought with his own money! There were many “shocking incidents” that happened during the match. First there was a Thumb War that was won by Sasadango. Then there was a new finishing move that Hirata created called the Ryogoku Bomber except he couldn’t do it right because of a lack of practice. Sasadango also decided to give away Edameme he brought from Niigata because he wants everyone to know how delicious it is. After that, Hirata tried to turn heel and adopt Masahiro Chono’s theme song as his own. However he didn’t have the heart to attack Sasadango with a barbed wire bat along with some unknown masked lackeys so he went back to being a babyface. Sasadango then suggested they both turn heel together and form an nWo style faction. He pulled off his mask to reveal he had already shaved his head and painted on a beard plus forehead scars to look like Keiji Muto! He went to do the Shining Wizard but Hirata dodged it and pinned Sasadango with a School Boy. Backstage Hirata said he wants to continue doing things in pro wrestling that are unprecedented. Sasadango was angry over Hirata “betraying” him but admitted it felt so good to have a packed Sumo Hall chanting Muto’s name at him. He also credited Minoru Suzuki for giving him the haircut before the match.

During the same week where Hulk Hogan made a show of himself in America’s political landscape, his presence was also felt on a smaller scale in Japan thanks to Shinichiro Kawamatsu. The Japanese politician had the Axe Bomber passed down to him by Hogan earlier this year and today he used the move to win his match. Toru Owashi claimed this was the power of the impromptu tag team of himself, Kawamatsu and Hisamaru Tajima. It may not look like it but there is actually a deep bound between the three of them according to Owashi. He was Tajima’s opponent for Tajima’s debut match back in Toryumon. He has also spent a lot of his life living in Sumida Ward which is also the district Kawamatsu is elected in. The point of the match though is that they along with Makoto Oishi, Soma Takao & Munenori Sawa are all connected to Sanshiro Takagi.

The show kicked off with most of the D GENERATIONS class pitted against each other in a 6-Man Tag Match. It came down to Yuni almost beating Keigo Nakamura with a Moonsault. Nakamura recovered to hit Yuni with a German Suplex, John Woo Dropkick and then the Running Diving Headbutt to win the match for his team. Yuki Ishida & Kazuma Sumi both felt that they did their best to make the show start off on the right foot. Nakamura was also happy to win a match by himself in Sumo Hall for the first time. Yuya Koroku feels the need to start aiming higher since it is almost six months since he returned from injury. Ilusion thinks they should all be showing more energy because they are the future of DDT. Yuni said he wants to main event Sumo Hall one day so he will work hard to achieve that.

DDT returns to Sumo Hall on 28th December for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2024”. In previous years DDT’s last supershow on the calendar would take place in November. However the company wants to take a shot at holding a big arena show at the end of the year.

It was announced that Kaisei Takechi will be returning to DDT for his second pro wrestling match on 29th September. The star from THE RAMPAGE made his debut to much fanfare back in February. He sent a video message explaining his decision to compete in another match is because he believes he has the ability to do more in the ring the second time round. He would also like to continue participating more in wrestling after this match takes place.