DDT “KING OF DDT 2025 1ST ROUND” Results

May 6, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


DDT “MENKOI DAY SMASH” Results

April 27, 2025

DDT “MENKOI DAY SMASH”, 27/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Yuni defeated Ilusion with the Messiah DDT (9:16).
2. Sapporo’s Famous Trial Singles Best Of Two Matches – Second Round!! ~ Sapporo Marathon Style Death Match: Akito (8) defeated Kazuki Hirata (7) (10:00).
2a. Akito (5) submitted Kazuki Hirata (4) with an Ankle Hold (0:30).
2b. Akito (6) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (1:32).
2c. Akito (7) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (1:51).
2d. Akito (8) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (5:02).
2e. Akito (9) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (5:25).
2f. Akito (10) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by Countout (6:45).
2g. Akito (11) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (7:20).
2h. Akito (12) defeated Kazuki Hirata (4) by wearing the Hirata GO! Glasses (7:30).
2i. Kazuki Hirata (4) defeated Akito (10) by Disqualification after a Low Blow (8:18).
2j. Kazuki Hirata (4) defeated Akito (8) by Disqualification after a Chair Attack (8:51).
2k. Kazuki Hirata (9) defeated Akito (8) by completing the TOKYO GO! Dance (9:48).
2l. Akito (8) defeated Kazuki Hirata (7) by Disqualification after a Chair Attack (9:56).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Tomoya & Noriyuki Yoshida defeated Danshoku Dieno, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when HARASHIMA pinned Sumi with the Somato (10:24).
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Masada pinned Paul with a School Boy (9:35).
5. Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Jun Akiyama, Yukio Naya & Daichi Sato when Ueno submitted Sato with the Blackout Sleeper (16:20).
6. STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION Vs Harimao!: MAO & KANON defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when MAO pinned Ishida with the Iai Kick (17:28).

KIMIHIRO cannot get to DDT quickly enough because Strange Love Connection do not know how to close out the shows without him. When MAO & KANON won in the main event they struggled to put together a good babyface promo for their victory speech. KANON tried putting over the local food in Hokkaido and asked MAO if they should talk about hearts or something. Shunma Katsumata had to interrupt them to get the promo back on track so the show could end and everyone could go home. MAO & KANON still couldn’t figure out what to say so Katsumata ended the speech for them.

Tomoya is currently a city council member of a nearby municipality in Hokkaido so was allowed to make a ruling for his match. There is a wrestler in the match who is known for exposing his backside in public and Tomoya would not tolerate it. Therefore he prohibited the wrestlers from exposing their butts during the match. That didn’t stop Danshoku Dieno from getting his costume pulled down and forcing the other wrestlers to get thrown face first into his backside anyway.

The second half of the Sapporo Marathon Death Match took place with Akito and Kazuki Hirata starting off tied at 4 points each. Hirata thought things were going to turn out differently today but Akito scored 8 uninterrupted points in a row by either beating Hirata with submission moves or by putting on the Hirata GO! Glasses. Hirata was also counted out at one point and had to be guided back into the ring by HARASHIMA. Hirata then came up with a plan to trick the ref into thinking Akito was cheating so points would be deducted from his score. The plan worked with Yukinori Matsui tricked into thinking Akito was doing Low Blows and attacking Hirata with a chair. Hirata also completed his dance to score 5 points and take the lead for the first time this weekend. However during a ref bump Akito placed a chair over his head, tricking Matsui into thinking Hirata cheated right before the match ended. The DQ meant Akito won by a single point once the total scores were counted up. Akito thinks the stipulation was a fun idea and would like each region to have their own unique match rules. Hirata thought it was stupid so Akito told him to come up with his own ideas for when DDT returns to Sapporo this September. He’d rather leave Match #2 on the card to the Hirata’s of the world anyway.

Yuni got a little bit of payback on Ilusion for losing the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles to him yesterday. Today in a singles match Yuni overcame Ilusion’s cheating by using one of the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title belts as a shield to block a Low Blow. Yuni then went on to win with a Swinging DDT. He challenged Ilusion to a rematch between NωA Jr. and DAMNATION T.A for the 6-Man Tag Titles but Ilusion said it is way too early to do that. Ilusion also claimed that Yuni’s win today is tainted because he had to cheat to beat him. Those fake idols don’t have any Rock ‘N’ Roll in them! The situation is only going to get more confusing because Shunma Katsumata is already trying to get The 37KAMIINA the next title shot even though he is also with NωA Jr.


DDT “SAPPORO NIGHT CRUSH” Results

April 26, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Catching Up On The DDT News

April 25, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Video – Dieno Vs Satomura For The KO-D Title From 2018

April 20, 2025


DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #15”, 28/08/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
220 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

6. KO-D Openweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Meiko Satomura


DDT “U1 CLIMAX EEL LOVING WRESTLERS BOX OFFICE” Results

April 13, 2025

DDT “U1 CLIMAX EEL LOVING WRESTLERS BOX OFFICE”, 13/04/2025
“Unagi no Eki” Special Venue, Shibushi City, Kagoshima
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. KANON defeated Keigo Nakamura with a Modified Facebuster (8:33).
2. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated To-y with a Strong Haragatame (7:56).
3. Daisuke Sasaki, MJ Paul, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion defeated MAO, Kazuki Hirata, Daichi Sato & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani pinned Sumi with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (14:54).
4. Jun Akiyama & Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when Naya pinned Ishida with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:21).
5. Special Tag Match: Naomichi Marufuji & Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Masada with a Frog Splash (12:46).
6. Yamada Suisan Fish Army Vs Meat Alliance Army, The Final Showdown! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask defeated Aja Kong, Shunma “EL TURKEY” Katsumata & Yuya “GIBIE” Koroku when Power pinned Katsumata with the Shishamo Driver 2025 (15:11).

It’s been four years now of Shishamo Power wrestling annual matches in DDT on behalf of the Yamada Suisan seafood company. And in that time he has introduced DDT to a seemingly never ending rivalry between seafood themed wrestlers and meat eating fighters. In this latest battle the meat eaters Shunma Katsumata & Yuya Koroku summoned Aja Kong to join their side but the alliance collapsed when Katsumata hit Kong over the head with a steel can by accident. The seafood team then all hit their signature moves on Katsumata. Unagi Mask did a Sling Blade, Super Unagi Mask did a Swan Dive Body Press and Shishamo finished him off with the Shishamo Driver 2025. After the match Kong admitted sea food is great but you can never beat chicken, beef and pork! The Yamada Suisan promised to give Kong some unagi to change her mind.

Naomichi Marufuji made a rare visit to DDT for a match pitting him and Yuki Ueno against Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada. He gets along with Ueno but admitted after the match that he doesn’t actually like saunas. But before anything could come from that, Brookes told Marufuji he would be interested in facing him one on one next time he comes over.

Continuing on from yesterday, Danshoku Dieno wrestled his match without using his usual moveset.

KANON used a Modified Facebuster where he lifted up his opponent into a Canadian Backbreaker and then flipped him sideways into a Sitout Facebuster.


DDT “MENTAI WARS” Results

April 12, 2025

DDT “MENTAI WARS”, 12/04/2025
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Ilusion defeated Kazuma Sumi with with the Swanton Bomb (8:59).
2. Toru Owashi, Akito & Yuki Ishida defeated HARASHIMA, Azul Dragon & Kazuki Hirata when Akito submitted Hirata with an Overturned Figure 4 Leg Lock (0:11).
2a. Rematch: HARASHIMA, Azul Dragon & Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi, Akito & Yuki Ishida when HARASHIMA pinned Ishida with the Raging Fire (9:42).
3. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (9:16).
4. Jun Akiyama, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya when Akiyama pinned Takao with an Inside Cradle (11:35).
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when MAO pinned Paul with the Iai Kick (13:27).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Danshoku Dieno & Takeshi Masada defeated Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Dieno submitted To-y with a Strong Arm Bar (18:46).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Shunma Katsumata (c) with a Hammer Attack (6:50 pm).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the 1,742nd champion.

Danshoku Dieno was having a bad day. First he missed his flight to Fukuoka and had to pay 53,000 yen to change his travel plans and get to the show on time. Then when he arrived at the venue he overheard Shunma Katsumata, To-y and Kazuma Sumi all making fun of him in the hallway. Dieno got so mad that he ran in during the show opening NωA Jr. performance to attack Katsumata and Sumi. Yuki Ueno & To-y ran out to save Katsumata and attack Dieno. That then caused Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada to come out and chase away The 37KAMIINA. In the main event Dieno told everyone he would not use his Danshoku style during the match in order to prepare for Minoru Suzuki. Instead he fought more seriously and even made To-y submit to a strong style Arm Bar. He had finally calmed down once the match was over and told the fans that from here on out he will be gathering information to use in his upcoming match with Suzuki next month. Dieno then named his team today as Analfreude International.

It is now confirmed that the tag team of MAO & KANON is called STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION (I’m going to write it with regular caps from this point forward). They entered to the song “You Know How It Is” by Kero Kero Benito and successfully delivered their first blow on DAMNATION T.A by beating Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul cleanly. They already have a tag move too where MAO does the Whirlwind Kick to the opponent while KANON sweeps their leg with a low Lariat. MAO is so confident this team is going to work out he is already making shirts that he will give out to fans without KANON’s knowledge.

Last night in America, Konosuke Takeshita defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi on a New Japan USA show and used the Somato en route to winning the match. HARASHIMA found out about it and returned the favour back in Japan today. After he hit the Somato on Yuki Ishida he used the Raging Fire to get the win.

Ilusion has his sights on bringing the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles back to DAMNATION T.A. He said they only gave them up in the first place because of an “unwanted child”. Ilusion wants to challenge NωA Jr. for the titles with Sasaki & Hideki Okatani as his partners.

In the aftermath of the main event Kazuki Hirata snuck up behind Katsumata, knocked him out with a hammer and pinned him to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.


Video – Dieno/Oishi/Itoh Vs Takagi/Hirata/Akai From 2014

April 12, 2025


DDT “ROAD TO SAITAMA SUPER ARENA 6”, 24/08/2014
Saitama Kasukabe Hall
350 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

4. Infomercial Match: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Maki Itoh Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai


Sudden KO-D Tag Titles Match, Strange Love Connection, Making Kanda Myojin As Exciting As Las Vegas

April 7, 2025

I’ll write more about this in next week’s DDT Around The World article but congratulations go out to Shoko Nakajima for winning the MLW Women’s World Featherweight Championship in America on Saturday! That’s the good news. The bad news is her and HIMAWARI are currently stranded in America because according to their tweets their flight home was delayed for half a day and then cancelled. Hopefully that gets sorted out quickly.

DDT “D GENERATIONS 1”, 08/04/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Oji Shiiba Vs Yuni
2. Special Single Match: Daichi Kazato Vs Keigo Nakamura
3. Munetatsu Nakamura & Ali Najima Vs Takeshi Masada & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Shota Vs Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Single Match: Shigehiro Irie Vs Daichi Sato
6. Special Single Match: Keisuke Ishii Vs To-y

There will be a press conference involving Keigo Nakamura taking place during tomorrow’s show. He hinted it will be about a big challenge he wants to take on and he would like to talk about it in front of his supporters.

M&A “SANSHIRO TAKAGI 30TH ANNIVERSARY PROJECT ~MATCHMAKE & AGENT~”, 09/04/2025
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Shota Vs Mikiya Sasaki
2. 3 Minutes Impact: Shigehiro Irie Vs Ryoma Tsukamoto
3. Special Tag Match: Yumiko Hotta & Miku Kanae Vs Mio Shirai & Saran
4. Special Single Match: Jun Kasai Vs Maki Itoh
5. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Kuroshio TOKYO Japan Vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
6. Special Single Match: Andreza Giant Panda Vs Poison Sawada JULIE
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) Vs Hikaru Sato & Ippanjin Munenori Sawa

After getting through their first KO-D Tag Team Titles defence, Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura decided their goal as champions is to break the record for most defences. The current record is 12 wins as held by Sanshiro Takagi & Munenori Sawa. Knowing it is a long road ahead, Astronauts quickly came up with the idea to put the titles on the line in their next match which just so happens to be against the SEX-MEN of Sawa & Hikaru Sato on a show that Takagi is booking.

DDT “MENTAI WARS”, 12/04/2025
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. Kazuma Sumi Vs Ilusion
2. Jun Akiyama, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya
3. HARASHIMA, Azul Dragon & Kazuki Hirata Vs Toru Owashi, Akito & Yuki Ishida
4. Special Single Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Keigo Nakamura
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Danshoku Dieno & Takeshi Masada Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y
6. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs MAO & KANON

A new alliance has been formed in DDT. It turns out MAO has been wanting to team up with KANON for quite some time and now is the time for them to join forces like some sort of Strange Love Connection. They’re going straight for the enemy because their first opponents as a tag team is against Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul from DAMNATION T.A.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “KANDA MYOJON CULTURAL EXCHANGE CENTER PRESENTS THIS IS JAPAN”, 19/04/2025
Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall

1. International Princess Title Next Challenger Tournament: HIMAWARI Vs Toga Vs Haru Kazashiro Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Kira Summer Vs Chika Nanase Vs Uta Takami Vs Ivy Steele
1a. Round 1: X, X, X & X Vs X, X, X & X
1b. Round 2: X & X Vs X & X
1c. Final: X Vs X

One day after the International Princess Title is being defended in America, the next No. 1 Contender will be decided back in Japan. An unusual tournament format will be used in a series of matches between wrestlers from the 2023 and 2024 classes. The first match will be an 8-Woman Tag Match with the two teams randomly selected by lottery. The winning team will move onto the next round where they will randomly split into two teams for a regular tag team match. The winning team from that will reach the final where the two remaining wrestlers face each other to become the No. 1 Contender. The date of the winner’s title shot depends on the result of the Suzume Vs Jada Stone title match happening in Las Vegas.

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

1. Yuki Ueno & To-y Vs Danshoku Dieno & Soma Takao
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada Vs HARASHIMA & Daichi Sato
3. DDT Extreme Title: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata

The card for DDT’s show in Japan during the American trip is starting to take up shape. Super Sasadango Machine’s has his first DDT Extreme Title defence coming up and Kazuki Hirata is the challenger.

The voice actor Tetsu Inada will be attending both shows in Japan that weekend as an ambassador. He doesn’t know what that role entails but he will do whatever it takes to make Kanda Myojin just as exciting as Las Vegas for a weekend!

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

1. Twilight Rouge Cup Battle Royal: X Vs X

The second show will feature the voice actress Sumire Uesaka as a special guest. She will be there to promote her pop-up café called Twilight Rouge. As part of the collaboration, the café is sponsoring a battle royal on the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SAPPORO”, 26/04/2025
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza

1. Mizuki, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Miu Watanabe, Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto

It’s been six years since Tokyo Joshi Pro last held a show in Sapporo.

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

1. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Laughter Leads To Hell~: Kuishinbo Kamen, Shunma Katsumata & Ram Kaichow Vs Kikutaro, Antonio Honda & No Name

Konosuke Takeshita will be at the show.

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

1. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: X Vs X
2. King Of DDT 2025 – Semi Final: X Vs X
3. Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki Vs Danshoku Dieno
4. King Of DDT 2025 – Final: X Vs X

Who knew that one of Danshoku Dieno’s biggest desires was to get into the fight of his life against Minoru Suzuki? The two of them fought to a double countout in yesterday’s tag match after Suzuki demanded Dieno to take things seriously. Dieno is willing to do that and completely drop his Danshoku moveset in order to get a singles match against Suzuki. For the moment this match has nothing to do with Suzuki’s DDT Universal Title. We’ll have to wait and see how his match with Yoshihiko goes in Vegas.


DDT “CHANGE AGE 2025 ~YOUR LIE IN APRIL~” Results

April 6, 2025

DDT “CHANGE AGE 2025 ~YOUR LIE IN APRIL~”, 06/04/2025
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda when Ilusion pinned Honda with the Swanton Bomb (7:30).
1. Naomi Yoshimura’s Return Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida defeated Yukio Naya, To-y, Takeshi Masada & JJ Furno when Higuchi pinned Furno with the Claw Slam (8:26).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shunma Katsumata, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi defeated MAO, Kazuki Hirata & Kumadori when Katsumata pinned Hirata with an Inside Cradle (9:53).
3. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Daichi Sato with the Exploder Suplex (11:03).
4. 2 Vs 1 Special Handicap Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani defeated KANON when Okatani pinned KANON with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster (11:55).
5. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yuki Ueno Vs HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno ended in a Double Countout (13:29).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) defeated Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura when Abe pinned Nakamura with the O-Manji Clutch (11:46).
*V1 for Astronauts.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Yuya Koroku with the Praying Mantis Bomb (23:38).
*V4 for Chris Brookes.

Today was Yuya Koroku’s big chance to step up and prove to Chris Brookes that he is not a generic Tetsuya Endo but the man who will lead DDT’s new generation. He didn’t have Brookes’s respect at the start though. Brookes threw a chair at him to stop a dive and targeted the leg to keep him grounded. When Koroku found an opening to go on the attack he went after Brookes’s arm. However the damage done to his leg came back to haunt him when he did the Sky Twister Press and was slow enough to go for the cover that Brookes could kick out of it. The frustration got to Koroku and he shouted “I am not Endo”, leaving his guard down for Brookes to slap him senseless. From there Brookes did the Somato but Koroku kicked out at one. Brookes then stunned Koroku with a Buzzsaw Kick and pinned him with the Praying Mantis Bomb to retain the KO-D Openweight Title.

After the match Brookes finally paid Koroku some respect. He spent all this time badmouthing him but admitted today was fun. Now Brookes is looking forward to winning this year’s King Of DDT so he can choose his next challenger for the KO-D Title. He celebrated the win by sharing drinks with Antonio Honda & Takeshi Honda. They brought a spare can into the ring for the injured Masahiro Takanashi. Backstage the three of them wondered what could happen if the King Of DDT final is between two wrestlers from SCHADENFREUDE International? Meanwhile Koroku said he has learned something from this period of his career. Between this title match and getting to wrestle in New Japan a few days ago, he realized he can’t think of himself as a junior wrestler forever. Today he fought to the end believing in the wrestling he loves. He promises he will come back to this stage and win the KO-D Title.

A tough challenge was given to Astronauts for their first KO-D Tag Team Titles defence. Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura has been working well together as a teacher and student pairing. They also matched the champions strike for strike, hold for hold. There was a moment where Fuminori Abe put Nakamura in the Manjigatame so Aoki did the same to Takuya Nomura. The two then had a strike exchange while still applying the submission holds on the others. Aoki & Nakamura got the upper hand by giving Astronauts stereo Piledrivers. But when Nakamura went to finish Abe off with the Full Nelson Hold, Abe countered it into the O-Manjigatame and modified the submission into a cradle to pin Nakamura for the three count. Astronauts now want to break the record for most KO-D Tag Title defences but found out the current record is held by Sanshiro Takagi & Munenori Sawa at 12 wins. Astronauts just so happen to have a tag match against Sawa & Hikaru Sato (together known as SEX-MEN) coming up at Takagi’s MatchMake & Agent show on Wednesday so they now want to make it a title match!

It’s not often when Minoru Suzuki meets his match in the wrestling ring. It’s even more weird when the person he’s in a stalemate with is Danshoku Dieno! Suzuki did not want to deal with Dieno’s usual shenanigans during their tag match. He asked Dieno if he wants to do the same stuff he’s been doing for 20 years or if he wants to fight? Dieno took Suzuki’s comments to heart and decided to pull his tights back up in order to give Suzuki the serious fight he’s been asking for. The two of them tangled themselves into dueling Leg Locks that rolled them out of the ring. They brawled up among the fans while HARASHIMA and Yuki Ueno fought each other by the stage. As the referee was reaching the 20 count, HARASHIMA & Ueno rushed back into the ring. However neither of them were the legal man meaning Dieno and Suzuki got each other counted out for a draw!

Both were still hurting from the fight when they got back into the ring. Dieno straight up told Suzuki he wants to keep fighting so he challenged him to a singles match. Suzuki wanted to know what is with this company when they’re first putting him in a match against a doll and now in a match with Dieno? At least he enjoys teaming with Ueno and would be happy to keep doing that. He can’t tell if Dieno is serious because fighting Suzuki one on one means it is a fight to the death! Dieno understands that and is willing to throw away the Danshoku moveset so he can have a match with Suzuki. Hisaya Imabayashi agreed to book it for 25th May. Dieno then had a close staredown with Suzuki and resisted the temptation to give him the Lip Lock. Then when Suzuki left the ring Yoshihiko appeared from the balcony and lowered itself down to the entrance aisle. Suzuki no sold it and pushed Yoshihiko aside as he walked back to the locker room.

KANON showed up for his Handicap Match against DAMNATION T.A in new ring gear to show he is now fully separated from the unit. Hideki Okatani also had new gear for his comeback match but that was to show he has fully embraced becoming DAMNATION T.A’s newest member. The match was supposed to be just KANON fighting both Okatani & Daisuke Sasaki but the other DAMNATION T.A members unsurprisingly got involved. MJ Paul and Ilusion did what they could to interfere while Sasaki distracted the referee. KANON put up a valiant fight until Sasaki hit him with a chair and Okatani pinned him with a Vertical Drop Brainbuster.

After the match Sasaki said KANON is no longer of any interest to them but Okatani wanted to give him one last finishing blow. KANON blocked Okatani’s chair attack but couldn’t fight back against the numbers. Suddenly a mystery person looking like Kyonin Shihan from IWA Japan ran into the ring and cleared DAMNATION T.A out of it. The person then turned to KANON and offered to help him stand back up. He then removed his disguise to reveal he is MAO! KANON accepted his help and the two left ringside together. Backstage MAO explained that KANON is not an unwanted child because MAO needs him. He always wanted them to team up because KANON is the only one he feels can help him turn DDT upside down in one go. KANON noted that MAO has a busy schedule coming up so while MAO is away, KANON promises he will become somebody worthy enough to be by his side. MAO said they can spread a Strange Love Connection across wrestling. KANON misunderstood and said he only knows “Bad Communication”…

Young Daichi Sato is now DDT’s latest signing so leave it up to Jun Akiyama to try and kill him on his first day. Akiyama gave him a Piledriver, threw him into the corner post, hit him with Knee Strikes including one with the kneepad pulled down and also made contact with a Headbutt. Sato got to show how tough he is to kick out of pins and fight back with Middle Kicks but Akiyama eventually put him down with the Exploder Suplex. He encouraged Sato to get back up under his own power after the match. Sato did so and hit Akiyama with an Elbow Strike. Akiyama ignored it and walked off. He told reporters backstage that Sato needs to build up more stamina because if he can throw a Forearm Strike after the match then he should have done it during the match. Sato admits he was no match against Akiyama but he wants to grow in DDT and become a wrestler who will surpass Akiyama.

The masked dancer Kumadori returned to DDT for his second ever wrestling match. He had to deal with NωA Jr. who felt his abilities were overshadowing their own musical talent. Kazuki Hirata was on Kumadori’s team but put forth such a weak performance he came close to costing his team the win on several occasions. But when Shunma Katsumata declared that the era of TOKYO GO! is over, Hirata found it in himself to fight back with the power of dance. Yuni & Kazuma Sumi joined Katsumata for a singalong but that was countered by MAO & Kumadori joining in with Hirata’s dancing. A dance battle broke out between the two teams and Katsumata succeeded in pinning Hirata with an Inside Cradle for the victory.

After the match Katsumata signaled to Kumadori that he wants to wrestle him again. He then announced that NωA Jr.’s second single called “Oshi Towel de Blow Off Lucha♪” will be released on 6th May. Suddenly Sanshiro Takagi came out and told NωA Jr. the harsh reality. They made 10,000 copies of their first single and only sold 800 of them. The reason for that is because the unit does not have a clear goal. Takagi came up with a solution because he wants to see NωA Jr. win the New Artist Award at the next Japan Record Awards. So Takagi booked an NωA Jr. at Shinjuku Loft on 23rd December and their goal is to sell it out!

All of Harimao were reunited for Naomi Yoshimura’s long awaited return from injury. Yukio Naya wasted no time in calling Yoshimura to start the match against him. To-y was eager to get “T! O! Y!” chants going but Ryota Nakatsu wanted to replace it with “N! K! T!” chants. Takeshi Masada Power Bombed Yuki Ishida into the turnbuckles but was thrown aside by Yoshimura with the Harai Goshi. JJ Furno came close to winning when he hit the Firebird Splash on Kazusada Higuchi but the count was broken up by the rest of Harimao. Higuchi then caught Furno on a dive and gave him the Claw Slam for the finish. It was as good a result that Harimao could ask for because Yoshimura is back and Higuchi got his first direct win since returning too. Yoshimura said his goal is to help Harimao in both DDT and BASARA. This match was Furno’s last appearance in DDT for this tour. He is sure this isn’t the end of him coming here. He says next time he comes to DDT he won’t be coming alone.

In the dark match Toru Owashi wanted to show off his lucha skills against DAMNATION T.A. Honda tried to use the power of love by forming a heart with Owashi using their hands. Paul & Ilusion attacked them only to almost embrace with each other. Honda’s plan didn’t work in the end. Instead Paul & Ilusion squashed him with a Double Body Press and Ilusion went on to pin him with the Swanton Bomb.

The show ended with the King Of DDT 1st Round matches begin announced. The matches taking place on 6th May are Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Ueno, Daisuke Sasaki Vs Akito, KANON Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yukio Naya Vs Daichi Sato, Hideki Okatani Vs To-y, Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA, Takeshi Masada Vs Yuya Koroku and Shinya Aoki Vs Kazusada Higuchi.