TOKYO JOSHI PRO “POSITIVE CHAIN ’22”, 11/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
2. Hyper Misao, Mahiro Kiryu & Ram Kaichow Vs Asuka, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Suzume Vs Yuki Arai
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita, Nao Kakuta & Marika Kobashi Vs Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
7. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
Hikari Noa is still out with covid and is unable to be at the show. Both Yuki Kamifuku and Moka Miyamoto have recovered so will wrestle their matches as scheduled. Maki Itoh is also cleared after becoming a close contact. Nao Kakuta replaces Noa in Match #5. Noa’s spot in Match #2 has also been sorted. Ram Kaichow is back for her second appearance in Tokyo Joshi Pro to take the open spot.
DDT “HANAYORI NEPPA ~TOTONOU IN THE MIDDLE OF SHINJUKU~”, 15/02/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Shinya Aoki Vs Toui Kojima
2. Hardcore Judo: MAO Vs Takayuki Ueki
3. Sea Sauna Shack Presents SSS Cup Special Gauntlet Tag Match ~Beyond Totoi~: Soma Takao & Shota Vs Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yukio Naya Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida Vs Chris Brookes & Yoshihiko Vs Hyper Misao & Mecha Mummy
4. Vihta JP Presents Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Into The Light~: Yuki Ueno, Sanshiro Takagi & HERO! Vs Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno & Masahiro Takanashi
5. Hokuo Presents Special Tag Match ~WE GOTTA NeppWER!!~: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka
A lot of sauna related sponsors for this one. The winners of the sponsored matches are all getting prizes.
Konosuke Takeshita wants this show to be packed with the past, present and future of DDT so he put together a special 6-Man Tag Match encompassing a wide array of eras. HERO! is back for the first time since 2017! Sanshiro Takagi suggested that in another timeframe Yuki Ueno could have become the second generation HERO! He thinks this is the perfect match for Ueno to live experience DDT’s history.
Former enemies turned tag partners. The world is not ready for Hyper Misao & Mecha Mummy joining forces!
DDT/ONLY WE “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN CHIBA!!”, 20/02/2022 Chiba 2AW Square
1. Yusuke Okada Vs Toui Kojima
2. DISASTER BOX Vs Eruption!: Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
3. Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Hiroshi Yamato & Shunma Katsumata
4. Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs HARASHIMA, Kazuki Hirata & Akito
5. ONLY WE Special Single Match: Quiet Storm Vs Shogun Okamoto
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
7. DDT x ONLY WE Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Yuji Hino, Kaji Tomato & Yukio Naya
This is the first collaborative show between DDT and ONLY WE. The latter is a group of freelancers led by Yuji Hino. A second co-promoted show between the two groups is scheduled for April.
I thought Danshoku Dieno was allowed to go back to the Ultimate Tag League but DDT is still advertising Yumehito Imanari in his spot.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN FUKUSHIMA!!”, 23/02/2022 Will Fukushima
1. MAO Vs Yuya Koroku
2. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ishida
3. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Akito & Naomi Yoshimura
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
5. Fukushima Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Chris Brookes, Yukio Sakaguchi & Gorgeous Matsuno
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
Finally Yusuke Okada gets to catch up on the The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING rivalry.
BASARA “BASARA 183 ~TAKAGARI 8~”, 11/02/2022 Takashimadaira Ward Community Center
1. Takumi Tsukamoto & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Yusuke Kubo & Lil Kraken
2. 3 Way Match: Daiki Shimomura Vs Masato Kamino Vs Akiyori Takizawa
3. Isami Kodaka & Takato Nakano Vs Fuminori Abe & Banana Senga
4. Daichi Kazato Vs Minoru Fujita
5. Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT Vs FUMA & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
It looks like the BASARA roster is back to full strength after their covid breakout last month. All of those who missed the last show are cleared to wrestle again and will be at this Friday’s show.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OSAKA!!”, 12/02/2022 Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes, Akito & Toui Kojima
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (2) Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2)
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block – Maikon no Kohara Presents: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (2) Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (2)
There are clearances over in DDT too. Danshoku Dieno will be back in action on Saturday. He is allowed to re-enter the Ultimate Tag League, taking back his spot on the Pheromones team that Yumehito Imanari kept warm while he was out of action. But first he has a non-tournament match to get his wind back.
DDT “DDT FREE -FEBRUARY- ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN SHINJUKU!!”, 14/02/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Toui Kojima Vs Maya Yukihi & Yukio Naya
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
5. DDT Extreme Title – Turkish Wrestling Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
Masahiro Takanashi will also return to action two days later teaming up with Chris Brookes again. CDK had to forfeit their league match to Pheromones which is a minor setback after winning their opening bout. They are still in the running for first place in Block B but as things stand right now that forfeit might come back to haunt them.
BASARA “BASARA 184 ~GLITTER~”, 22/02/2022 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Union MAX Title: Ryota Nakatsu (c) Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
The postponed Union MAX Title match between Ryota Nakatsu and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi has been rescheduled to 22nd February.
GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2022”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Katsumura-gun Vs Hitodenashi BLUES: Shuichiro Katsumura & Tsuyoshi Okada Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani & Tyson Maeguchi
2. BAD COMMUNICATION 2022 Special Bout: Ken Ohka, Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Ganjo Special Tag Match: Yuna Manase & YuuRI Vs Moeka Haruhi & Maya Yukihi
4. Ganpro’s Famous Mixed Tag Match: Mizuki Watase & HARUKAZE Vs Shunma Katsumata & Akane Fujita
5. Unleash The Curse Of The Great Prophecy!: The Great Sasuke Vs Yumehito Imanari
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Kouki Iwasaki
A dangerous request was put in HARUKAZE for Ganbare☆Pro’s return to Korakuen Hall. She demanded a Hardcore Match and threw the challenge out to both Shunma Katsumata and Akane Fujita! Those two already have tension between them over accusations of weapon plagiarism but they have to team together for this match. HARUKAZE found Mizuki Watase to be her partner and make the match an intergender tag.
There has been little follow up to the rumours of CyberFight wanting to sign Maya Yukihi to a contract. She has her story with Saki Akai in DDT going on until March so once that finishes up we may find out what she wants to do next. But before that, she will show up in Ganpro again for a tag match highlighting the Ganbare☆Joshi division.
Seeing Ken Ohka positioned this low on a major Ganpro card is weird. I welcome it because the rest of the group has stepped up over the last two years but it’s still weird.
DDT “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 01/05/2022 Yokohama Budokan
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs X
The next KO-D Openweight Title defence will be held at DDT’s next big show after their 25th Anniversary celebration. Either Konosuke Takeshita or Tetsuya Endo will defend the title at the Yokohama Budokan against an opponent to be determined.
Also on the show will be the return of Hikaru Sato to DDT for the first time since 2019. Sato was a DDT mainstay from 2008 to 2014 and even held the KO-D Title one time. He makes some one-off appearances here and there but those times were for spin-off shows or special occasions.
GANBARE☆PRO “FALLING DOWN 2022”, 05/02/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Tag Match “Furimukeba Yokohama”: Shigehiro Irie & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Jun Tonsho & Takahiro Katori
2. HARUKAZE Birthday & Triumph Memorial Special 6-Man Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Shota Vs Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Ganpro Yokohama First Landing Commemorative Match ~Team Reversal Gym Yokohama Grand Slam Vs Wrestle Drunkers~: Shuichiro Katsumura, Tsuyoshi Okada & Yumehito Imanari Vs Keisuke Ishii, Tanomusaku Toba & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Ganpro Vs Takaiwa Army Full-Scale Battle: Ken Ohka Vs Kenya Maeda
5. Road To Korakuen! GanPro Vs Takaiwa Army Full-Scale Battle: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase
Soma Takao has been identified as a recent close contact to covid and has been pulled from this weekend’s shows. Jun Tonsho will be his replacement on the Ganbare☆Pro show.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN NUMAZU!!”, 06/02/2022 Shizuoka Kira Messe Numazu
1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Toui Kojima
2. Toru Owashi & Akito Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
Over on the DDT show Yuki Ishida replaces Takao.
There will be a live performance of Tetsuya Endo’s new entrance song “Core Tool” by Osamu Suzuki.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OSAKA!!”, 12/02/2022 Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ishida
2. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes, Akito & Toui Kojima
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block – Maikon no Kohara Presents: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
The main event is now sponsored by Maikon no Kohara, an Osaka grocery company that specializes in kelp related products. The store has the naming rights for the venue, which is why it’s called Suminoe Maikon Hall. The winners of the main event will receive an award from the sponsors.
At the last show Minoru Fujita surprised everyone by willingly joining DAMNATION T.A after he lost to Daisuke Sasaki. He betrayed his friends from ChocoPro in the process, apparently teaching them a lesson about how kindness holds them back when it matters. Chris Brookes gets the first shot at revenge but he has to team with Akito & Toui Kojima instead of Masahiro Takanashi & Baaliyan Akki.
Match #2 is now a 3 Way because of Danshoku Dieno’s absence with Covid.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – Final: Winners Of Block A Vs Winners Of Block B
Three more wrestlers have been booked on the show. Minoru Fujita and Maya Yukihi already have their stories going on in DDT. Joining them is Shishamo Power, making his Tokyo debut. He sent a video promoting the show and looks to have completely changed his body shape since the last time he appeared. Almost as if he is a different person…
GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2022”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Unleash The Curse Of The Great Prophecy!: The Great Sasuke Vs Yumehito Imanari
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Kouki Iwasaki
A big singles match for Ganpro is added to their Korakuen Hall show. The Great Sasuke makes his Ganpro debut for a first time singles match against Yumehito Imanari.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 516 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Antonio Honda & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida when Okada pinned Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:46).
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Akito, Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Diving Knee Drop (10:32).
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (2) defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO (0) when Imanari pinned MAO with the Pheromone Clutch (9:35).
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (2) defeated Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) when Ueno pinned Hirata with the BME (14:10).
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (2) defeated Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (0) when Endo pinned Naya with the Shooting Star Press (14:40).
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) defeated HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (0) when Takanashi pinned HARASHIMA with a Pedal-Style Uwabami (19:13).
6. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Minoru Fujita with La Mistica Crossface Lock (19:27). *V4 for Daisuke Sasaki.
The main event saw two rule-breakers try to be dirtier than the other in the ring. Daisuke Sasaki called upon MJ Paul to get in and help him but Fujita had backup from his friends from ChocoPro. Sasaki hit a Low Blow on Fujita and also a chairshot but Fujita got even with a supposedly inadvertent Low Blow to Sasaki as he fell to the canvas. Fujita did an Avalanche SAYONARA Tombstone but Sasaki kicked out at two. The champion then overcame Fujita’s Cradles and trapped him in La Mistica Crossface Lock for the submission win.
In a surprising moment after the match, Fujita went to shake Sasaki’s hand despite protests from the ChocoPro wrestlers. Fujita then offered to shake Baaliyan Akki’s hand but instead kicked him low and gave him an Implant DDT. Fujita told his friends their kindness will make them lose at the most crucial moments and they should wake up! If they don’t win then there is no justice. Fujita was about to leave when Sasaki called him over and asked him to join DAMNATION T.A. Fujita accepted and said he will give all of him to the unit. They then attacked the ChocoPro wrestlers and Sasaki told them to go back to Ichigaya. The show ended with Sasaki saying finally DAMNATION T.A is ready to bring destruction and chaos to DDT!
The bulk of the show was dedicated to the opening matches of the Ultimate Tag League 2022. The big match saw CDK scoring an upset win over DISASATER BOX, causing an immediate dent to the former KO-D Tag Team Champions plan to regain the belts. Some clever maneuvers from Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi included putting the ref on top of HARASHIMA and flipping them over into an unintentional Takatonic. When that misfired, HARASHIMA used Naomi Yoshimura as a stepping stone to hit a Flying Double Knee to Takanashi. Brookes was wiped out with the Somato but Takanashi caught HARASHIMA in a roll up to snatch the win out of nowhere. Brookes called DISASTER BOX their strongest opponents in the group, everybody else is all B teams.
BURNING started their campaign with a good win against the heavyweight duo of Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya. Near the end Jun Akiyama threw his Exploder Suplexes but Hino fired his own back at him. Naya’s big move on Tetsuya Endo was an Avalanche Brainbuster but Akiyama caught him with a Running Knee to the face and then another Exploder. Endo dropped him with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and picked up the win with the Shooting Star Press. Akiyama thinks Naya is beginning to develop into a better wrestler but BURNING was not going to lose to anyone today. Hino encouraged Naya to explode even more at their next match.
It was a mixed start for the two teams representing The 37KAMIINA. The Osaka duo of Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno won their match against the odd couple of Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata. There were times when Hirata was reminded not to start dancing because Kondo wants him to get serious. When they were put in Double Crab Holds, Kondo had to physically stop Hirata from tapping out by grabbing his arm before he could tap out. Kondo got his chance to square up against Takeshita but the match came down to Ueno and Hirata. Ueno blocked the Mad Splash and pinned Hirata with the Best Moonsault Ever. Takeshita admitted to being 1% afraid his team would lose the match. He is also interested in wrestling Kondo again. He thinks it would be fun if The 37KAMIINA goes over to the place where Kondo regularly wrestles and fight him there.
Things did not go as well for Shunma Katsumata & MAO when they took on Pheromones. They surprised their opponents with immediate Dropkicks and dives for an attempted quick win. But Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari got their chance to do Pheromone things. MAO got a face full of Iino’s backside while Imanari rolled up Katsumata in the Pheromone Clutch to steal the win. Imanari said that even when Danshoku Dieno isn’t here, they are still Pheromones! He didn’t think they could win but the inherited Dandy spirit of Dieno helped them push through with their goal to explore the true DDT essence of DDT.
Now Eruption is complete. A fresh start for Hideki Okatani means a fresh look too. Elsewhere in that generation, Yuya Koroku & Toui Kojima had a tense moment tagging each other in. Akito & Soma Takao tried working together to take out Kazusada Higuchi but Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai were there to even the odds. Eruption all got together to pick apart the opposing team and Okatani used a Diving Knee Drop to pin Kojima. Afterwards backstage, Okatani said he will absolutely beat Akiyama when Eruption has their first Tag League match on 5th February.
Sanshiro Takagi was pulled from the show due to a fever. There was no replacement for him so the dark match was turned into a Handicap Match. The trio of Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida were all unified by their sumo backgrounds. However Yusuke Okada avoided their Sumo Illusion triple team and Antonio Honda launched a Bionic Elbow counter attack. Okada ended up pinning Ishida with the Sudden Death.
A string of announcements were made for DDT’s 25th Anniversary show at Sumo Hall on 20th March. LiLiCo announced she be retiring from pro wrestling. She has knee problems that prevent her from wrestling but would like to have one more match. Hisaya Imabayashi decided she will get a retirement match at Sumo Hall. LiLiCo requested her match to be against men, handsome ones in particular.
Several wrestlers from DDT’s past are being gathered together by Poison Sawada JULIE to challenge for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles at Sumo Hall. JULIE will lead the DDT Legend Army consisting of himself, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba with Naomi Susan also in their corner.
A wrestler from AEW was heavily teased to be announced for Sumo Hall so there was a lot of excitement when a video was sent to DDT. It turned out to be from Michael Nakazawa. He wants to challenge Sanshiro Takagi to a Special Singles Match to celebrate the 25th Anniversary.
Two more big arena shows were added to the 2022 schedule. “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022” will be held at the Yokohama Budokan on 1st May. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” is happened at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 20th August.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER”, 29/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Nao Kakuta Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Marika Kobashi Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami
4. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Hikari Noa & Haruna Neko
5. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Moka Miyamoto & Yuki Arai
6. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Asuka
There is a change in the card after Raku was suspected of getting in close contact with a covid carrier. She tested negative from a PCR test but will not be at the show tomorrow just to be safe. Raku will keep an eye on if she shows any sign of illness but is likely to be back at the next show. The trios match will now be a tag match with Nao Kakuta moving over to Match #2 to turn that into a 3 Way.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Antonio Honda & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
6. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
After getting a fever during the week, Danshoku Dieno got a covid test and received a positive result. No DDT wrestler or staff were identified a close contacts so he is the only absence from the show (knock on wood). It was already announced that Yumehito Imanari will replace Dieno in the Ultimate Tag League and he will likely be a permanent fill in for the rest of the tournament.
Some of the teams got to give their thoughts going into the opening day. Konosuke Takeshita wants to show everyone his bond with Yuki Ueno. Ueno wants to win the league so they can become KO-D Tag Team Champions and defend them in Osaka. Tetsuya Endo wants to win as part of his journey to Sumo Hall in March. Jun Akiyama says he can kill two birds with one stone by helping Endo become a champion again and getting a title for himself in the process. Former champions HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura will make a massive statement about their dominance in the division by winning the titles they gave up, not lost. Yoshimura in particular will be very angry if another teams wins it.
Eruption have gained new energy with Hideki Okatani joining them. Okatani wants to use other teams as a stepping stone and Kazusada Higuchi wants the entire unit to leap forward this year. Yuji Hino sent in a message saying he wants to evolve with Yukio Naya. A message was also sent by Shuji Kondo listing all the wrestlers he is looking forward to fighting. He is also aware his partner Kazuki Hirata will get targeted for being weak. Now is the time for Hirata to get serious so Kondo prohibits him from dancing!
CDK as a team have mostly worked together in ChocoPro rather than DDT. Because of this, Masahiro Takanashi thinks the team will be fighting on behalf of ChocoPro in the tournament. He wants to win the Tag Titles and bring them over there. Chris Brookes adds his goal is to win all matches and kill Shunma Katsumata. On the other hand, MAO has figured out that his previous attempts to destroy Katsumata prevents them from achieving anything together. So instead of saying “Crush Shunma Katsumata” he will now say “I Love Shunma Katsumata!” Daisuke Sasaki is getting fed up with DDT putting on so many tournaments every year to determine who the best is. He doesn’t care as long as everyone watches him in the ring.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OYAMA!!~”, 05/02/2022 Tochigi Oyama City Cultural Center
1. Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ishida
2. Yuji Hino & Akito Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
3. 3 Way Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DISASTER BOX!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
The Pheromones Vs The Iyasareru tag match will now be a 3 Way with the remaining wrestlers after Dieno was removed.
GANBARE☆PRO “ICE SMILE 2022”, 13/02/2022 Osaka City Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Tiger Vs Dragon In Osaka: Mizuki Watase Vs Ryuya Matsufusa
2. Ganjo Special Single Match: Yuna Manase Vs YuuRI
3. Ganpro Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Koshi Enjo Vs Harukatsu Shoot: Yumehito Imanari & HARUKAZE Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi
5. Ganpro Osaka Winter Team: Ken Ohka, Kouki Iwasaki & Katsumi Oribe Vs Shota, Soma Takao & Rapid
A couple of guests from Dotonbori Pro will be at Ganbare☆Pro’s next visit to Osaka. Rapid is a masked wrestler with a motif based around bullet trains. Ryuya Matsufusa is a newcomer who has been wrestling for the promotion since 2020.
Ganpro is hyping up the tag team of Tsuyoshi Okada & Tyson Maeguchi as an exciting MMA/Kickboxing combo.
YuuRI’s very first match in Ganpro was against Yuna Manase last September. It was all very abrupt because of her unexpected appearance on the show. Now it’s time for the rematch and both will be prepared for each other this time.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Sanshiro Takagi, Antonio Honda & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani Vs Akito, Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
7. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Minoru Fujita
Danshoku Dieno has gotten a fever and has been pulled from this weekend’s show. Since the Ultimate Tag League hasn’t started yet there was time for Yuki Iino to find a replacement and stay in the tournament. Dieno sent a message saying “Dandy” may die, but freedom will not! The philosophy of Pheromones will still be passed around the Tag League because Yumehito Imanari will replace him on the team. “Fantastic!”
DDT is teasing a wrestler from a foreign company will be appearing at the 25th Anniversary show. The special guest will be revealed on this show.
DDT “HANAYORI NEPPA ~TOTONOU IN THE MIDDLE OF SHINJUKU~”, 15/02/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Shinya Aoki Vs Toui Kojima
2. Hardcore Judo: MAO Vs Takayuki Ueki
3. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka
In February The 37KAMIINA is producing their own show. The main event sees Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata taking on Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka. It’s the return of Yankee Two Kenju to DDT!
MAO is bringing back the Hardcore Judo match that was created for a DDT Extreme Title match last year. This time the freelance deathmatch wrestler Takayuki Ueki will be his opponent. Ueki also has an atheltic background in judo.
Speaking of the Hardcore Judo gimmick, Shinya Aoki will also be on the show facing Toui Kojima.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN YOKOHAMA”, 22/01/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall 150 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. 4 Way Match: Yuji Hino defeated Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura and Kazuki Hirata when Hino pinned Hirata with a Lariat (10:40).
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino Vs HARASHIMA & Akito ended in a No Contest (11:23).
3. Chris Brookes & Saki Akai defeated Soma Takao & Maya Yukihi when Akai pinned Yukihi with the Rookie Award (10:12).
4. Jun Akiyama & Antonio Honda defeated Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Honda pinned Ishida with the Diving Fist Drop (11:30).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs Eruption!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Katsumata pinned Okatani after the Oretachi no MADMAX (13:52).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Toui Kojima by TKO when Koroku used the Chickenwing Armlock on Kojima (17:55).
7. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fujita Pro Wrestling School!: Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Fujita pinned Sasaki with the Modified Tombstone Piledriver (21:52).
Minoru Fujita now holds two wins in a row over DAMNATION T.A, this time pinning Daisuke Sasaki himself with the Sayonara Tombstone. He also reminded Sasaki that he beat him in a singles match last July. Now all that is left to do is beat Sasaki one more time on 30th January and become the new DDT Universal Champion. Fujita cannot wait to be the veteran with poor health from a rotten indie to become a champion in a wonderful group called DDT! Sasaki in response says he has now seen everything Fujita is capable of and knows he can crush him at Korakuen Hall.
The rookies are trying to steal the spotlight from the main eventers! Yuya Koroku and Toui Kojima brought the fight to each other while Tetsuya Endo and Konosuke Takeshita cancelled each other out. Koroku’s targeting of the arm paid off when he trapped Kojima in a Chickenwing Armlock and wouldn’t let go. Kojima passed out forcing the ref to end the match and declare BURNING the winners. Endo praised Koroku for getting two straight wins over Kojima. Koroku said he isn’t satisfied and will practice more and more. Takeshita encouraged Kojima to keep fighting because he needs to get stronger. Kojima agreed and admitted to crying when he lost last time. This time there will be no tears unless they are tears of joy when Kojima finally beats Koroku!
After Eruption were defeated in Match #5, Yukio Sakaguchi approached Hideki Okatani. He handed his Eruption jacket over to him and said it was a gift for teaming with Kazusada Higuchi in his place. Okatani accepted the jacket and promised to keep fighting. Higuchi wants himself and Okatani to reach for the top in the Ultimate Tag League.
In a reversal of roles, Jun Akiyama tripped over the ropes and injured his knee instead of Antonio Honda. He told his own Gongitstune story to make up for it.
An early warmup match before the 25th Anniversary show in March saw Saki Akai get the pin on Maya Yukihi. A Flying Knee Strike from Chris Brookes set Yukihi up for the Rookie Award from Akai to end the match. Akai said she never knew about Yukihi’s attempt to enter DDT that happened around the same time she became a wrestler with the company. She wrestled the men because she didn’t want to be treated differently for being a woman. She made it this far and doesn’t want people to resent her for it. However, Yukihi thinks Akai purposely beat her with the Rookie Award today to rub her success in her face. Yukihi always wanted to win that category in the Tokyo Sports Awards, so it’s another example of Akai having the career that she wants.
Pheromones got their match thrown out again. At first HARASHIMA & Akito were able to handle them but once there was a ref bump, everything went out the window. Hisaya Imabayashi called off the match and demanded Pheromones to take the upcoming Ultimate Tag League seriously. Danshoku Dieno promised to agree on the condition that Yuki Iino will get a DDT Extreme Title match against Shinya Aoki. Imabayashi refused because Iino doesn’t have the track record to deserve the match. Pheromones tortured him until he finally gave in. Aoki versus Iino will take place on 14th February. Dieno wants wrestling to understand that winning is not the only thing with value.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 TOUR IN OSAKA DAY 1”, 09/01/2022 Osaka 176BOX 180 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Akito defeated Yuki Ishida with the Figure 4 Leg Lock (7:36).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yuki “Sexy” Iino and Antonio Honda & MAO when Hirata pinned MAO with the Anal Tegatana (12:32).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Yuji Hino & Yuya Koroku when Sasaki submitted Koroku with the Crossface Lock (9:45).
4. HARASHIMA & Chris Brookes defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata when Brookes pinned Katsumata with the Oath Of The Peach Garden (13:58).
5. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Toui Kojima with the Walls Of Takeshita (13:45).
6. Osaka Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Bodyguard defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when Endo pinned Okatani with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (22:54).
A few days ago Tetsuya Endo was the oldest person wrestling in the DDTeeeen!! show at 30 years old. Fast forward to today and he is the youngest person on his team next to two wrestlers in their fifties. Jun Akiyama joked there should be a DDT spin-off for his age group called DDTFifteeeen!! because he is still going strong. Bodyguard joined in the fun and said he thought Endo was meant to be getting people like Akiyama on his side, not against him.
The opposing team are licking their wounds and turning their attention to the Ultimate Tag League starting at the end of the month. Kazusada Higuchi gave Hideki Okatani his stamp of approval and said he doesn’t care how he acts because he believes in him. Okatani swore to beat BURNING at the Tag League. Naomi Yoshimura said his team will definitely reach the final so it is up to Eruption whether or not they will join him there.
Toui Kojima got the jump on Konosuke Takeshita during his ring entrance. Despite his best efforts, his momentum ran out and Takeshita took control with submission hold after submission hold until Kojima finally gave up. Takeshita understands why Kojima acted this way because he felt the same when he wrestled his seniors at the same age. He knows a match like this can be the turning point for a young wrestler. Kojima promised to become stronger and stronger because if he doesn’t, he won’t be able to beat anybody in DDT.
Kazuki Hirata charged up his Tegatana arm by sticking his hand into Danshoku Dieno’s backside. He then deflected the Gongitsune to strike Antonio Honda with his charged up arm and win the match.
DDT “DDT FREE -JANUARY-”, 07/01/2022 Shinjuku FACE 233 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Antonio Honda & MAO when Owashi pinned Honda with La Magistral Cradle (9:55).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: MAO defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (7:16 pm). *MAO becomes the 1,528th champion.
2. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno, Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Kazuki Hirata & Shunma Katsumata ended in a No Contest (12:57).
3. Saki Akai & Akito defeated Maya Yukihi & Yuki Ishida when Akito submitted Ishida with a Sasori-Gatame (9:01).
4. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes defeated Yoshihiko with the Praying Mantis Bomb through a Table (13:15).
5. HARASHIMA & Yuji Hino defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (12:09).
6. Special Tag Match: Minoru Fujita & Soma Takao defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul when Fujita pinned Paul with the Modified Samson Clutch (12:24).
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima when Koroku submitted Kojima with a Chickenwing Arm Lock (24:12).
The result of the main event is a little reminder that BURNING is not just about Tetsuya Endo. It was Yuya Koroku who picked up the win for the first time in his 9 month long career by making Toui Kojima submit. Koroku didn’t join the unit just to be Endo’s or Jun Akiyama’s henchman. He wants to put himself out there and reach for the top! Meanwhile Endo & Akiyama declared their intention to win the Ultimate Tag League and Endo promised to be the last man standing at Sumo Hall at the 25th Anniversary show! Meanwhile Konosuke Takeshita mentioned he will have nothing to say if he & Yuki Ueno don’t reach the Tag League final.
The DDT Universal Title match is just around the corner and Minoru Fujita showed he is in good enough shape for the champion. Fujita won the tag match by rolling up MJ Paul with the Samson Clutch. His message to Daisuke Sasaki was to sleep well and eat well before they fight for the title in Yokohama. Sasaki is happy to see the dirty fighter version of Fujita reappear because that is who he wants to wrestle against.
Maya Yukihi told Saki Akai a personal story about her first attempted entry into pro wrestling. Yukihi was always a DDT fan and approached the company eight years ago wanting to become a wrestler. She was turned down. So when she saw Akai join DDT and have her debut match with the company around the same time period, she felt an ugly jealousy towards her. But the rejection sent Yukihi on the path towards joshi wrestling and she made her career through that direction instead. So as a proud joshi, Yukihi challenged Akai to a singles match in a DDT ring. Akai accepted the match and asked for it to take place in either Shinjuku FACE or Korakuen Hall. Instead Sanshiro Takagi decided to book it for Sumo Hall! He apologised to Yukihi for DDT rejecting her all those years ago. Akai told her what an important milestone it is for a singles match between two women to take place at the 25th Anniversary show. Yukihi said she will put all that she’s done in joshi to the test against her.
Chris Brookes knew he was in for the fight of his life against Yoshihiko and wasted no time going in for the attack. He left the doll beaten and battered outside the ring hoping to get a countout win by Yoshihiko dragged itself back into the ring. Drew Parker set up a table and Brookes put Yoshihiko through it with the Praying Mantis Bomb to finally end the match. The hellacious fight ended with the two earning each other’s respect and they shook hands afterwards. Backstage Brookes called Yoshihiko the strongest wrestler in DDT but he had the stronger desire to win.
The DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi is sick of seeing Pheromones getting away with their antics and putting the live broadcasts at risk. He hatched a plan with their opponents before the match. He noticed that every match Pheromones wins involves their butts getting exposed so preventing that will increase their chances of losing. Imabayashi himself got involved by grabbing hold of Yuki Iino’s tights so he wouldn’t pull them down. However Danshoku Dieno then grabbed Imabayashi’s pants and pulled them down. The match got called off when Imabayashi was thrown face first into Iino’s backside. Dieno called this a New Year’s gift from Pheromones. They are entering the Ultimate Tag League and promise to drag all opponents down to their level.
MAO winning the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title means we’re going to see that belt get passed around during the Tag League.
Super Sasadango Machine announced that Hiragana Muscle will hold five shows in three days at Kitazawa Town Hall from 29th to 31st March. All five shows count as “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 6”.