DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023” Results

September 24, 2023

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023”, 24/09/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
967 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya when Koroku submitted Rukiya with the Triangle Lancer (8:42).
1. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Takeshi Masada when Sasaki pinned Yuni with the Vietnam Driver IV (7:43).
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Korakuen ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno defeated Kazuki “Magnum” Hirata & Naruki Doi and Akito & Antonio “FOXY” Honda when Iino submitted Akito with the Eiffel Tower (7:24).
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya defeated Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi when Naya pinned Oishi with The World’s Largest Back Drop (13:39).
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima defeated Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura when Ueno pinned Tamura with the BME (10:12).
5. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) defeated Maki Itoh by Pinfall (15:03).
*V1 for Matt Cardona.
6. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated MAO with the Wagamama (11:28).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Saki Akai by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Octopus Stretch (21:00).
*V2 for Chris Brookes.

In the last ten years as a pro wrestler, Saki Akai had never competed for the KO-D Openweight Title before today. With retirement from the business around the corner, Akai was chosen by Chris Brookes to be his next challenger so they could have a rematch of their 2021 bout at Korakuen Hall, this time in front of an audience. Akai went into the match determined to show this opportunity was earned and wasn’t given to her out of charity. She fired with a Big Boot from the beginning but Brookes quickly turned things around by doing a Death Valley Bomb on the ring apron. The challenger had to pull out some deep moves to fight back, including her old Riemann Galaxy submission as well as the Takatonic. The two wrestlers found themselves fighting on the top rope where Akai dropped Brookes with the Avalanche Quetzalcoatl. However Akai wasn’t able to pin him afterwards, giving Brookes valuable recovery time. Brookes powered out of a Triangle Choke but was given the regular version of the Quetzalcoatl. To Akai’s surprise it only got a two count, marking it one of the rare times when her finisher did not end her opponent. Brookes fought back with a Piledriver, Double Knee Drop, Buzzsaw Kicks and the Praying Mantis Bomb but Akai kicked out of all of them. Brookes had to twist and pull Akai apart with the Octopus Stretch until Yukinori Matsui called for the match to end.

After the match Brookes reminded the fans he will face Akai again on 30th September, this time with the roles reversed because Eruption are defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against CDK & Mei Suruga. He thanked Akai for doing her best and asked her to continue doing so until her retirement because we only live once. Brookes next wanted to talk about his next KO-D Title defence at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” on 12th November. Yuki Ueno walked out to the ring and appealed for the title shot. Brookes accepted and the two talked about being close friends for the last four years even though they hang out in seperate units. He wants the best challenger at the biggest stage so he’s fighting Ueno at Sumo Hall! Backstage Akai spoke about the pressure and responsibility she felt going into today’s main event. She is going to fight for herself as well as for everyone who supports her starting with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Title match taking place in Kyoto. She wants to pin Brookes in her hometown to clear up her regrets from today!

It turned out Konosuke Takeshita did not come back to DDT alone this time around. Midway during Takeshita’s match with MAO, his manager Don Callis walked down to ringside. MAO was taken aback by his appearance but kept his focus on the match. He tried to go big with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver but Takeshita blocked the move and turned it into an Avalanche Driver of his own. MAO tried to turn things around with a Palm Strike but Takeshita worn him down with Jumping Knee Strikes and the Zahi to get the win. Despite the recent differences between the two, Takeshita encouraged MAO after the match to take his own path because he is proving his style of pro wrestling can be successful around the world. They both joined DDT as teenagers and they are already in their late twenties so Takeshita thinks it is time for MAO to make decisions for himself.

Takeshita then introduced the DDT audience to Don Callis and spoke about how much they get booed in America. He said the Don Callis Family is only getting started so the entire pro wrestling world should pay attention to them from this point forward. Takeshita revealed his next appearance in DDT will be at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023” where he would like to make everyone dream again. Suddenly the lights in the room went out and a video played on the screen. The video is sent by Chris Jericho and he is challenging Takeshita to a singles match at Sumo Hall! Jericho listed all of the Japanese wrestling legends he has fought over the years and swore to get revenge on Takeshita for his recent attacks over in AEW. Takeshita agreed to the match, calling it a “dramatic dream” to defeat him in a DDT ring. He promised to destroy everything about Jericho from “Lionheart” to “Y2J” to “The Painmaker”!

The GCW feud between Deathmatch Royalty and Maki Death Kill made its way over to Japan when Matt Cardona put the DDT Universal Title on the line against Maki Itoh. The champion was accompanied by Steph De Lander while Itoh went into the match alone. She had a plan to battle the number disadvantage though. Cardona made a big mistake by giving Itoh a Low Blow and being confused when it didn’t effect her. He then accidentally knocked out the referee Matsui with a missed Clothesline. Itoh’s plan came into play when she ducked De Lander’s attack with the title belt causing Cardona to get hit instead. Itoh took out a trolley at ringside, taped De Lander to it and pushed her away from ringside. She then took out a pizza cutter back in the ring and sliced Cardona’s forehead open with it! However De Lander freed herself from the trolley, returned to the ring with a chair and dropped Itoh onto it with a Modified Facebuster. Cardona pinned Itoh while De Lander revived Matsui so he could count to three.

Backstage Cardona complained about his match not being in the main event while De Lander said she wants DDT to put her in a match against Itoh the next time she shows up here. Itoh regretted not using more tape on De Lander. She knows this feud isn’t finished and there will be more matches against them when she goes back to America. She will chase after Cardona & De Lander to the depths of Hell in order to beat them one more time! Meanwhile MAO made the decision to challenge Cardona for the Universal Title at Sumo Hall. His thought process is if he can beat the indie wrestling god then he can become a puroresu god! Cardona accepted his challenge with a handshake but then attacked MAO with a belt strike from behind. When MAO recovered he warned Cardona that he just pulled out the Joker card.

The new DDT Vs All Japan rivalry continued with AJPW sending over Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura to take on The 37KAMIINA. The visitors entered the ring wearing sauna caps and then paired off against their opponents. Toy Kojima spent a lot of time fighting Aoyagi while Ueno went back and forth against Tamura. Ueno scored the win for the home team by pinned Tamura with the BME. He called the match fun and praised All Japan for being bright, intense and fun in a way that feels similar to The 37KAMIINA. Kojima then stole the All Japan team’s sauna cap and dared them to try and take it back. Aoyagi mentioned he will be wrestling MAO in AJPW on 5th October so his fight against The 37KAMIINA isn’t done yet.

Yuji Hino finished up his run with DDT by getting HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi to wrestle in Ω shirts. Makoto Oishi had his cane taken by Jun Akiyama while HARASHIMA went toe to toe with Tetsuya Endo. It wouldn’t have been Hino’s last match with DDT if he didn’t get into a chop battle with Kazusada Higuchi so one went down here. In the end though it was Yukio Naya who won the match for his team by pinning Oishi with The World’s Largest Back Drop. Hino thanked all the wrestlers after the match. He told the fans not to be said because today does not mean Hino will never wrestle in DDT again. He spoke about his children and how it is up to parents to protect their children. Backstage Hino said his wrestling future will be with Yasu Urano because apparently Urano is his mentor, not TAKA Michinoku. Oishi called him out for lying. Naya said the next time Hino will wrestle him will be when he is the KO-D Champion. Naya will even pick Hino as his first challenger.

A threat loomed over the 3 Way Tag Match when Danshoku Dieno announced that somebody among the other two teams was a traitor! Much to Akito and Naruki Doi’s horror it was gradually revealed that Kazuki Hirata and Antonio Honda were wearing O-backs, which means they are both with Pheromones! From there Yuki Iino, Dieno, Kazuki “Magnum” Hirata & Antonio “FOXY” Honda all joined forces to defeat Akito, giving Pheromones the victory. The effect on Hirata and Honda is only temporary but Dieno explained afterwards that even when Pheromones dies, it will never die!

Daisuke Sasaki unleashed a fourth version of the Vietnam Driver to win the opening match for DAMNATION T.A. While their match was against Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Takeshi Masada there were more people for them to fight when ROMANCE DAWN appeared. Shota & Soma Takao started a brawl at ringside when they stopped Minoru Fujita from interfering. KANON went over to help Fujita fight them while MJ Paul was there to stop anybody from breaking up Sasaki’s pin.

There was a Dark Match where Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya. The rookies team showed teamwork when Sumi Dropkicked Koroku into a Backslide Pin from Rukiya for a nearfall. Koroku took control by grabbing Rukiya’s arm and eventually grinded him into submission.

Before the main show began there was a contract signing for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match on 4th October. ROMANCE DAWN talked about how long they have known each other and their excitement of fighting for the championship together. Fujita didn’t find their story interesting while KANON started acting erraticly. He started crying at one point and then switched to shouting at people before excitedly posing for the group photo.


Loading Up Korakuen, DDT Vs AJPW, Monomoth’s Japanese Debut

September 11, 2023

DDT “TETSUYA ENDO LOCAL TRIUMPH! WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023 TOUR IN SHIROISHI”, 16/09/2023
Miyagi Shiroishi White Cube

1. Pheromones Final Countdown In Shiroishi: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Akito & Makoto Oishi
2. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi
3. Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda Vs MAO & Yoshihiko
4. Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Hino & Jun Akiyama Vs HARASHIMA & Rukiya
6. Shiroishi Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ BURNING Vs Eruption!: Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani

This may be the last month Pheromones will exist so they have already begun their farewell tour. How they behave in these matches will help Akito decide if the unit should be broken up or not. So far based on the first match that happened yesterday, Pheromones are not going to change their behavior.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’23 ~RIKA TATSUMI LOCAL TRIUMPH~”, 16/09/2023
Nagano Kissei Bunka Hall Middle Hall

1. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Toga
2. 3 Way Match: Pom Harajuku Vs Haruna Neko Vs Shino Suzuki
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Kaya Toribami & Haru Kazashiro
4. Maki Itoh vs HIMAWARI
5. Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara
6. Aja Kong, Yuki Aino & Raku Vs Shoko Nakajima, Nao Kakuta & Moka Miyamoto
7. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Miyu Yamashita & Hyper Misao

Nagano’s local mascot Arukuma will be at the show to celebrate Rika Tatsumi’s return to her home area. It is a bear obsessed with apples who likes to walk around the area spreading charm to people who aren’t bears. Tatsumi is the kind of person who will strangle that thing to death… with love of course… Oh my God, she’s Elmyra from Tiny Toons!

DDT “DRAMATIC EXPLOSION 2023”, 18/09/2023
Nagoya International Conference Center Event Hall

1. Pheromones Final Countdown In Nagoya ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Akito Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Takeshi Masada
2. Kazuma Sumi Vs Rukiya
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima
5. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi & Tetsuya Endo Vs Shigehiro Irie, Kazusada Higuchi & Shinya Ishida
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, MAO & Antonio Honda Vs Minoru Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai
7. All Asia Tag Team Titles – Current Blast Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita & Yoshitatsu (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki

Even though Atsushi Onita’s team beat Jun Akiyama’s team in an exploding death match over the weekend, he still accepted the challenge to make the next one an All Asia Tag Team Titles match. It will be the first time since 2014 when the titles will be defended on a DDT show. Onita felt he and Yoshitatsu needed to accept the challenge of Akiyama & Kotaro Suzuki in order to increase the championship’s value. Given how much this match relates to All Japan, Onita will have the late Terry Funk on his mind going into it.

“MASAHIRO TAKANASHI 20TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 19/09/2023
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Monomoth & Kappa Kozo (w/ Miyako Haru) Vs Dr. Gore & Yasu Urano
1. Gauntlet Tag Match: Shogo “Jet” Takagi & Antonio Honda (w/ Toru Owashi) Vs Takashi Sasaki & Baliyan Akki, Choun-Shiryu & Shin Suzuki Vs Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, Isami Kodaka & Ken Ohka Vs MAO, Daiki Shimomura & Munetatsu Nakamura
3. Special Exhibition: Masahiro Takanashi Vs KUDO
4. Special Single Match: Mei Suruga Vs Minoru Suzuki
5. Chris Brookes Vs Masahiro Takanashi

The “Thai Smiling Prince” Monomoth makes his Japanese pro wrestling debut on Masahiro Takanashi’s show. He is a regular with the SETUP promotion in Thailand. The dark match Monomoth is in features another SETUP wrestler named Dr. Gore teaming with Yasu Urano. Monomoth’s tag partner is Kappa Kozo from the UMA Corps which of course means Miyako Haru will be there to keep an eye on things.

Saki Akai is on the show but there is still no announcement yet as to what she will be doing there.

DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2023”, 24/09/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
1. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul & KANON Vs Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Takeshi Masada
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Korakuen ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata & Naruki Doi Vs Akito & Antonio Honda
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Yuji Hino, Makoto Oishi, HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima Vs Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs MAO
6. DDT Universal Title: Matt Cardona (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) Vs Maki Itoh
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Saki Akai

There was only one person Chris Brookes had in mind for his next challenger. He wants to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against Akai before her retirement in November. The two of them had a double title singles match involving the DDT Extreme Title and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title inside an empty Korakuen Hall back in May 2021 because of the covid pandemic. Akai gets to challenge for the KO-D Title for the first time ever but warns she is not doing this for sentimental reasons. She wants to win and become champion so Brookes better take her seriously!

The aftermath of Yuki Ueno choosing The 37KAMIINA over Konosuke Takeshita has calmed things down a little bit. Takeshita has said at the end of the day he is still friends with everyone in the unit even if they aren’t seeing eye to eye right now. That claim will be taken to the test after MAO challenged him to a singles match. Is this MAO testing himself against Takeshita when they are at their strongest or will there be some frustations being taken out on each other?

DDT’s inter-promotional rivalry with All Japan continues with Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura coming on over to fight The 37KAMIINA. Aoyagi is excited to fight Ueno for the first time and sees MAO as a future opponent too. However when Toy Kojima heard that he got worked up at being overlooked as always. He is just as much an important member of The 37KAMIINA as the others but nobody ever names him as an opponent they want to fight. In Aoyagi’s defence, he admits he doesn’t know who Kojima is. But then he repeated he only wants to fight Ueno and MAO so whatever Kojima does to him in response is kind of deserved.

DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY & FINAL COUNT DOWN IN KYOTO!!”, 30/09/2023
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga

Brookes offering Akai a KO-D Title match wasn’t something he did for the sake of being charitable. The day after he gave out the challenge he told Eruption he would like a shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in return. He already has a team put together with Takanashi & Mei Suruga, mixing CDK and ChocoPro together. Eruption want to defend their championships as much as they can before Akai’s retirement and do not mind who their opponents are. The announcement of this match on DDT’s website only mentions the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles so it looks like the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles will not be on the line.

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 04/10/2023
Shinjuku FACE

1. Pheromones Final Match: X Vs X
2. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Minoru Fujita & KANON (c) Vs Soma Takao & Shota

ROMANCE DAWN quickly made themselves the first challengers for the new KO-D Tag Team Champions. They approached Minoru Fujita & KANON shortly after the title change to set up the time and the place for their shot.

On this date Akito will decide the fate of Pheromones. Will he go with his head and finally split up the group or will he go with his heart and keep them together for their fanbase? He could probably go with another part of his body to come up with a third option but let’s not go into detail with that sort of fantasy booking.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “WRESTLE PRINCESS IV”, 09/10/2023
Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe

1. Sakisama, Mei Saint-Michel, Martha & Yukio Saint Laurent Vs X, X, X & X
2. Special Single Match: Nyla Rose Vs Maki Itoh
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Mizuki (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

The next Princess Tag Team Champions are either going to be Toyo Mates or Free WiFi. Either result will give us a first time champion. I don’t just mean first time tag title reigns for either team but also a first championship for Mahiro Kiryu or Nao Kakuta too. Both Yuki Kamifuku and Hikari Noa have previously held the International Princess Title.

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2023”, 12/11/2023
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Saki Akai Retirement Match: Saki Akai Vs X
2. Special Single Match: Hiromu Takahashi Vs Kazuki Hirata

It was already announced that Hiromu Takahashi will be at Sumo Hall but the choice of opponent was going to be all up to him. Kazuki Hirata read out a heartfelt letter written for Takahashi asking him to be his opponent at the show. Hirata didn’t expect Takahashi was actually in the room at the time and certainly didn’t expect to roll him up and try to win the Iron Man Title either. Takahashi decided to make Hirata’s dream come true and they will face each other. So far no championship is on the line. Not the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title held by Takahashi nor the DDT Extreme and Iron Man Titles held by Hirata. Things may change as we get closer to the show but who knows what championships either will be hold by the time we get there.


DDT “YUBUN 100TH ANNIVERSARY DDT PRO WRESTLING IN IKEBUKURO FULL MOON FESTIVAL” Results

September 10, 2023

DDT “YUBUN 100TH ANNIVERSARY DDT PRO WRESTLING IN IKEBUKURO FULL MOON FESTIVAL”, 10/09/2023
Tokyo Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park Outdoor Theater Global Ring Theater
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Yusuke Okada defeated Yuya Koroku with a Backslide Pin (7:02).
2. Pheromones Final Countdown In Ikebukuro: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Rukiya ended in a No Contest (9:49).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi when KANON pinned Sumi with the Sleepy Hollow (10:25).
4. Sendai Girls Offer Match: Millie McKenzie & Chihiro Hashimoto defeated Lena Cross & Yurika Oka when Hashimoto pinned Oka with a Lariat (8:06).
5. Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazuki Hirata, Yuni & Ilusion when Sakaguchi submitted Ilusion with a Triangle Choke (10:45).
6. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Yukio Naya defeated Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida when Naya pinned Ishida with the World’s Largest Back Drop (12:15).
7. Ikebukuro Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima when Brookes pinned Kojima with the Praying Mantis Bomb (17:50).

DDT held a free outdoor wrestling event at an open air theatre inside Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park. There was also a public press conference held before the show began. At the press conference Chris Brookes said he wanted to challenge Eruption for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in return for setting up Saki Akai for a KO-D Openweight Title shot. He already has a team in place that mixes together CDK with ChocoPro. His partners for the challenge will be Masahiro Takanashi & Mei Suruga. The challenge was accepted by Yukio Sakaguchi and the match will take place in Akai’s hometown of Kyoto on 30th September.

The press conference also announced the next match in the DDT Vs All Japan feud. AJPW are sending over Atsuki Aoyagi & Dan Tamura to face Yuki Ueno & Toy Kojima on 24th September. Aoyagi was at the conference to speak with the DDT team. He said he wanted to fight DDT wrestlers after seeing the inter-promotional match that happened in AJPW over the weekend. When he found out Ueno is one of his opponents it made him look forward to it even more. Kojima however felt insulted when Aoyagi did not acknowledge him. He is getting annoyed that when other wrestlers talk about The 37KAMIINA they only refer to Ueno and MAO. Kojima is the member of the unit who is in charge of firewood so he will be the one to heat up this match! Aoyagi upset Kojima even more when he repeated he is only interested in fighting Ueno and MAO.


DDT’s Matches In AJPW During September 2023

September 8, 2023

AJPW “GIANT SERIES 2023”, 03/09/2023
Niigata Aore Nagaoka
1,560 Fans

1. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu defeated Super Sasadango Machine with the Yoshitatsu Fantasy (8:00).
2. AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles & KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani (c/c) defeated ATM, DASH Chisako & Black Menso~re when Sakaguchi pinned Menso~re with the God’s Right Knee (11:56).
*V1 for Eruption with the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles. V2 for Eruption with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles.

This week there was more DDT participation in All Japan for the company’s latest tour. In Niigata Eruption stepped foot in AJPW again to defend their double crown trios championships. With both the AJPW TV 6-Man Tag Team Titles and KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on the line Eruption successfully retained all of their belts against ATM, DASH Chisako & Black Menso~re. With no challengers left in AJPW for the time being that allows Eruption to defend the titles back in DDT tomorrow. Yukio Sakaguchi said the successful defence means the AJPW championship now completely belongs to them. Saki Akai agrees and thinks the AJPW belts are now like part of their costumes. Hideki Okatani calls out for any more challengers to step forward. That’s if there are any left.

Also on the show was Super Sasadango Machine, getting to wrestle in the AJPW ring at his hometown. He took on Yoshitatsu with the goal of winning in order to become a regular addition to AJPW shows. Unfortunately he lost and the result supposedly destroyed any hope he had of joining that roster.

AJPW “GIANT SERIES 2023”, 08/09/2023
Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium #2
1,675 Fans

1. Evolution Vs DDT: Jun Akiyama, Sanshiro Takagi & Yusuke Okada defeated Suwama, Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura by Referee Stoppage when Akiyama used the Front Neck Lock on Tamura (6:57).

Earlier today at All Japan’s big show in Yoyogi there was some DDT involvement on the undercard to continue the growing rivalry between the companies. Jun Akiyama, Sanshiro Takagi & Yusuke Okada defeated the Evolution stable of Suwama, Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura when Akiyama used the Front Neck Lock to choke out Tamura. Akiyama and Suwama got into each other’s faces after the match causing Yukio Naya to step in and start a fight with Suwama! The two had to be pulled apart.

There were also two Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title changes on the show. Naoki Tanizaki rolled up Naruki Doi right after they teamed together to become the new champion. A few other wrestlers tried to roll up Tanizaki until Doi succeeded and regained the title.


DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!” Results

August 13, 2023

DDT “SAKI AKAI 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR IN KORAKUEN!!”, 13/08/2023
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
816 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yuya Koroku defeated Rukiya with the Modified Triangle Lancer (7:14).
1. Special Single Match: KANON defeated Hideki Okatani with the Vietnam Driver II (8:04).
2. Diya Diamond Presents 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Yusuke Okada defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Naya pinned Masada with the World’s Best Back Drop (9:19).
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – marcheur Presents Battle Royal: Naruki Doi defeated Sanshiro Takagi (c), HARASHIMA, Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Antonio Honda, Akito and Kazuma Sumi (14:37).
3a. Naruki Doi eliminated Sanshiro Takagi (c) with a Cradle (6:58).
*Naruki Doi becomes the 1,573rd champion.
3b. Antonio Honda eliminated Kazuma Sumi by Ring Out (11:41).
3c. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated Antonio Honda by Ring Out (11:59).
*V1 for Naruki Doi.
3d. HARASHIMA eliminated Yuki “Sexy” Iino and Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno by Double Ring Out (13:24).
3e. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (13:54).
*V2 for Naruki Doi.
3f. Naruki Doi (c) eliminated Akito with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (14:37).
*V3 for Naruki Doi.
4. Jemile Fran Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima defeated Kyusei Sakisama, Chris Saint Laurent & Martha when Ueno pinned Sakisama with a Cradle (9:58).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuji Hino & Makoto Oishi defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (c) when Oishi pinned Paul with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (11:13).
*DAMNATION T.A fails in V1. Ω becomes the 78th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
6. DDT Extreme Title – Weakness Explosion!! Activation Conditions Are Up To You! Fall & Escape = Ghost & Balloon Explosion Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle from a huge balloon explosion (14:27).
*V2 for Kazuki Hirata.
7. Nivea Body Wash Presents Saki Akai Debut 10th Anniversary Match Vol. 2 ~ Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Saki Akai, Maya Yukihi & Asuka defeated Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima when Akai pinned Nakajima with the Quetzalcoatl (19:01).

It came a couple of days early but Saki Akai celebrated the 10th anniversary of her debut pro wrestling match in DDT. With her retirement coming up later this year, Akai is getting several matches dedicated to her decade in the business and today gathered together a lot of women she has attachments with. In the main event Akai teamed up with Maya Yukihi & Asuka, two women who have been her biggest opponents in DDT over the last two years. Their opponents were a trio of wrestlers who all debuted in the same year as Akai. It was the first time Takumi Iroha, Rina Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima all teamed together. Iroha & Yamashita quickly thought up a move where they gave Nakajima a Double Splash Mountain onto Akai. Asuka Moonsaulted onto Iroha & Yamashita outside the ring and Akai rolled out of the way from Nakajima’s Diving Senton. Akai then hit the Rookie Award and pinned Nakajima with the Quetzalcoatl.

Akai thanked the other wrestlers for accepting her invitation, knowing how busy all of their schedules are. She wanted to show the fans all of the wonderful friends she made outside of DDT over the years. She knows they will all continue to shine a light on pro wrestling when she’s gone so everyone should keep watching them. She isn’t sure how many more matches she has left until her retirement but she is going to hone her strength and run all the way to the end. Asuka said she wished the three of them had teamed together sooner and wonders if they could have chased after one of the KO-D championships together. Yamashita overheard that idea and told them they should do it anyway, even if it’s for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles. Her advice to Akai is to be greedy from this point until the end because she isn’t finished yet. Yukihi feels lucky she got to do her rivalry with Akai in DDT because she didn’t expect Akai’s retirement announcement to come when it did. Akai described all of the women are a fun loving group of people with good hearts.

Kazuki Hirata’s bizarre ideas to even the playing field against his opponents are working for him. The DDT Extreme Champion is normally scared of having to fight Yukio Sakaguchi but this time he got to turn the tables against him. Hirata’s stipulation for the match was to add ghosts and balloons whenever there was a kickout or rope break. Sakaguchi hates the sound of balloons bursting and also fears ghosts so we got the unlikely sight of Sakaguchi being submissive to Hirata and fleeing in fear whenever a ghost chased after him! Sakaguchi tried to fight his fears and found his spots to kick the hell out of Hirata. But by this point there were three ghosts in the ring haunting him with one popping a gigantic balloon right in his face. The fright made Sakaguchi walk right into the Miracle One Shot Cradle and Hirata got the win.

Once all of the ghosts vanished, Sakaguchi calmed down and handed the Extreme Title over to Hirata. He then attacked him a little bit and walked off. Hirata got on the microphone, said he was feeling mentally exhausted and now wants to know who his next challenger is. Naruki Doi walked out carrying the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title he won earlier in the show. Doi said his title win makes him feel more absorbed into DDT and he now wants to win the Extreme Title to become fully immersed in the company. He especially wants to beat Hirata for the belt because Hirata is the DDT wrestler who best expresses what the company is all about. Hirata refused but Hisaya Imabayashi ignored him. A double title match between Hirata and Doi will take place on 9th September. If Doi loses the Iron Man Title before that date then the match will just be for the Extreme Title. Hirata then tried to pin Doi to win the Iron Man Title but only got a two count. Doi chased him back to the locker room.

The KO-D Tag Team Titles aren’t ready to settle down with a team yet. DAMNATION T.A’s reign ended in their first defence, losing the belts to Ω. The champions tried to isolate Makoto Oishi and also get KANON involved to interfere for them. Yuji Hino came in to make a difference but his attempt to Fuckin’ BOMB MJ Paul was cut off by Daisuke Sasaki. That left Oishi to deal with Paul by himself. Paul threw Lariats at him but Oishi caught him with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch for the flash pinfall and title change. Hino praised Oishi for winning the KO-D Tag Titles under his own strength, calling it a miracle. Oishi was too exhausted to respond so Hino encouraged the audience to give him a round of applause.

KANON then entered the ring demanding a title shot but not as a member of DAMNATION T.A. There is another wrestler out there he considers a mentor. Hino thought he meant TAKA Michinoku but KANON said it is actually someone else because TAKA is busy. KANON’s partner is going to be Minoru Fujita! Imabayashi granted the request and booked the title match for 9th September. KANON helped Oishi back up to his feet, shook his hand… and then gave him a Clothesline before leaving.

Before Match #4 could begin it was announced that Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi were not at the show because they were both too hungover to wrestle. Then “The Rose Of Versailles” began to play and what appeared to be NEO Biishiki-gun walked out. Martha was there but instead of Yukio Saint Laurent we got Chris Saint Laurent instead. Also Sakura Hirota was nowhere to be seen, seemingly replaced in the match by Kyusei Sakisama. Despite their appearance looking weirder than usual, they were still NEO Biishiki-gun through and through. The 37KAMIINA had to deal with the unit’s antics. “Saint Laurent” jabbed an injection needle into Yuki Ueno’s neck, Martha was a nuisance towards MAO and Toy Kojima ended up suffering a Kancho attack involving Martha’s mop. “Sakisama” used the Academy Award finisher on Ueno but her glamorous pin was reversed and Ueno posed on top of her for the three count instead. The 37KAMIINA celebrated with their sponsored prize after the match until all of NEO Biishiki-gun gave them Kancho attacks and took the prizes for themselves.

Doi won the Iron Man Title pretty early in the Battle Royal. In fact him pinning Sanshiro Takagi to become champion was the first elimination in the match. Doi then had to fight through the rest of the field to survive. He still got caught up in the Pheromones experience with Kazuma Sumi, fell for Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune joke and outsmarted HARASHIMA. All that was left for him was a battle with Akito that ended with the DOI 555 and the Bakatare Sliding Kick. Doi promised to raise the value of the Iron Man Title then immediately had to fight off Sumi. That was when he realised the title is defended 24/7. He will stick to his promise anyway even if there’s a risk of him losing it in another company. Rukiya then tried to pin him so Doi kicked him away.

The 2nd match was overshadowed by the appearance of Evolution from All Japan. During the week Suwama told Tokyo Sports he had tickets for this show and was going in order to confront Jun Akiyama over a grudge held going back to Akiyama’s time as AJPW president. Suwama sat in his seat along with other Evolution members Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura to see Akiyama’s team beat Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada. Then after the match Evolution approached the ring, throwing aside Yuya Koroku and Rukiya who were trying to block them. Naya then wanted to stand in Suwama’s way but Suwama said he isn’t here for him. Suwama asked “useless former president” Akiyama why he is going to do an Exploding Death Match soon when he hated the idea of Suwama doing one six years ago? He then challenged Akiyama to come to Yoyogi on 8th September when AJPW is running a show there. He can even bring along Takagi so they can do a big Evolution Vs DDT match! Akiyama called the idea crazy but agreed to do it. He then told Suwama to stop making decisions without the AJPW president’s approval! Backstage Sato told DDT to send their icons like Dieno or HARASHIMA because as a former KO-D Openweight Champion and winner of a DDT General Election himself, he thinks he should be a DDT icon too. Tamura said he wants Yusuke Okada to come over because they have unfinished business from Okada’s time in AJPW.

KANON is sticking with the Vietnam Driver II as his new finisher, using it to beat Hideki Okatani in their first singles match against each other. KANON said the match left him more tired than he expected but that’s probably because of the summer heat. Okatani didn’t like the result and warned KANON he will beat him the next time they meet.

Koroku and Rukiya probably thought their dark match was the only physicality they would both experience today. Then Evolution came along and beat them up later in the show. In the match itself Rukiya tried to win with a Running Elbow Strike but Koroku took him down into a Modified Triangle Lancer to win by submission.

Chris Brookes has been appointed as the sales manager for “DDT BIG BANG 2023” at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 9th September. Also announced was Mei Suruga being at the 30h September show in Kyoto KBS Hall. That show is part of Akai’s countdown towards her retirement.