What Are You Doing This Sunday, DDT Prepares For The Best Ever, Heaven Summit Semi-Finals

June 22, 2018

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2018”, 24/06/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Mizuki Watase & Aaron Anders
1. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Takatimo Dragon, Hiratimo Dragon & Toru Owashi Vs Keisuke Ishii, Antonio Honda & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. Worldwide Match: Mike Bailey Vs Sammy Guevara
3. “KUDO” 15th Anniversary Memorial Match: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Super Sasadango Machine
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kota Umeda, Yuki Ueno & Koji Takeda (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata
5. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Way Match: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Soma Takao Vs Daisuke Sasaki
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi

It’s been a month since he won it but Shigehiro Irie is ready for his first KO-D Openweight Title defence. Kazusada Higuchi has been a thorn in his side in the build up to this match. Power Vs Power is to be expected here but some words from Higuchi suggests that something more will be needed to determine who wins.

How much can you take DAMNATION at their word? They promise not to cheat or interfere in the DDT Extreme Title Match for the sake of sportsmanship but other than that there hasn’t really been anything else put in place to enforce the stipulation.

KUDO is celebrating 15 years of being a pro wrestler but everyone else involved in the match have their own accomplishments from 15 years ago to celebrate from company debuts to tournament wins.

DDT’s website has given a run down on Sammy Guevara in preparation for his debut. He’s being put in the ring against Mike Bailey because he might go through the same road Bailey has been on during his DDT career so far. Guevara’s nickname of “The Best Ever” has DDT wondering if he can prove it. Whatever happens, this could be the start of a new Japanese dream for a foreign wrestler. I think they have high hopes for this lad.

BASARA “TAKATO NAKANO LOCAL TRIUMPH BOX OFFICE ~PUSHING FORWARD~”, 24/06/2018
Okayama Saint Inn Kurashiki

1. Daichi Kazato Vs Yuki Aoki
2. FUMA & Yusuke Kubo Vs Gunso & Kabuki Kid
3. Takumi Tsukamoto, Akiyori Takizawa & Daiki Shimomura Vs Gouma Ryu, Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano
4. Fuminori Abe Vs Manabu Hara
5. Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & SAGAT
6. Isami Kodaka Vs Takato Nakano
7. Hotel Saint Inn Kurashiki Cup Struggle Battle Royal: X Vs X

Dove Pro are coming back in to BASARA to renew last year’s inter-promotional rivalry.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #9”, 26/06/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takatimo Dragon, Hiratimo Dragon & Toru Owashi Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. 41 Year Old Danshoku Dieno Is A Senior Who Follows Two Young People Aged 25 And 22 And Is Fighting Three People Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Tanomusaku Toba & MAO
3. Mr. Maji Manji Battle: Makoto Oishi Vs Kota Umeda
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie

Tenshin Nasukawa suffered a wrist injury from his recent kickboxing match in RISE and is taking four weeks of rest to recover. His role on this show to kick Ken Ohka a lot has been postponed until he is back in his best condition. However he will still be in attendance to do some commentary for the episode.

Meiko Satomura will be on the show for her first DDT appearance since winning her Right To Challenge Gauntlet.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “UP UP TOKYO JOSHI ~ALL UPPER KICK TOGETHER!~”, 27/06/2018
Shinjuku FACE

1. Maki Ito & Mizuki Vs Yuu & Reika Saiki
2. Saki-sama & Azusa Christie Vs Yuna Manase & Yuki Aino
3. Up Up Girls (Fake) Shinjuku Super Battleball: Nodoka-oneesan Vs Yuki Kamifuku (w/ Makoto Oishi & Hyper Misao)
4. Continue To Challenge, FIGHTING GIRLS! Challenge Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Raku
5. Continue To Challenge, FIGHTING GIRLS! Challenge Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hikari
6. Continue To Challenge, FIGHTING GIRLS! Challenge Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Hinano
7. Continue To Challenge, FIGHTING GIRLS! Challenge Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Miu

NEO Biishiki-gun and Yuna Manase are all back after a brief absence.

BASARA “VAJRA 72 ~FEAST~”, 28/06/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Takato Nakano & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Manabu Hara & Fuminori Abe
2. Takumi Tsukamoto & Gouma Ryu Vs Aaron Anders & Daiki Shimomura
3. Best Stretchman V3 This Is The Real Final Chapter “Banana Senga’s Last Day”: Best Stretchman V3 & Best Stretchman Amazon Vs Banana Senga & Ryuichi Sekine
4. Isami Kodaka, Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Trans-Am ★ Tomato, SAGAT & Yusuke Kubo
5. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Semi-Final: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Yasu Urano
6. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Semi-Final: FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi

The two leading figures of the Metal Family face off in the Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ semi-final. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi is the first winner of the tournament while FUMA made it to the final last year. On the other side Ryota Nakatsu can climb a big wall in the form of veteran Yasu Urano and establish himself in a bigger position on the BASARA roster.

Takumi Tsukamoto and Gouma Ryu were originally supposed to face each other but instead they will team up to take on Aaron Anders & Daiki Shimomura. Anders is getting more bookings across the DDT family while he is in Japan.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOGETSU BRIDGE~”, 30/06/2018
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. Takatimo Dragon, Hiratimo Dragon & Toru Owashi Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata
2. P Playful Series: Danshoku Dieno Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Saki Akai Local Triumph! Kyoto Specialty 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Antonio Honda & Yoshiko

The Saki Akai Vs Yoshiko rivalry is brought back for Akai’s homecoming show.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM DEBASAKI~”, 01/07/2018
Nagoya City Rokushima Sports Center

1. Soma Takao Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata
3. 3 Way Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Sammy Guevara Vs Daiki Shimomura

No time is being wasted in putting Guevara in the ring with Konosuke Takeshita.

DDT “MASAHIRO TAKANASHI DEBUT 15th ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL ~IN THE WORLD THERE IS NO STOREHOUSE~”, 08/07/2018
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Ryogoku Style Gauntlet Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Yasu Urano Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Makoto Oishi & Cherry Vs Antonio Honda & Riho Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Keisuke Ishii Vs Hoshitango & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Rekka
2. Takatimo Dragon, Hiratimo Dragon, Toru Owashi, Saki Akai & Gota Ihashi Vs Brahman Shu, Brahman Kei, Gorgeous Matsuno, Emi Sakura & Chupacabra (w/ Miyako Haru)
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Manjimaru Vs Kota Umeda & Yuki Ueno
4. KUDO, HARASHIMA & Ken Ohka Vs X, X & X
5. DAMNATION Vs Irie-gun: X & X Vs X & X
6. Masahiro Takanashi Vs Isami Kodaka

The gauntlet match will consist of five minute matches. In the case of a draw in any of the matches both teams will be eliminated.


Tokyo Joshi Enters King Of Trios, DAMNATION Picks Extreme 3 Way Match

May 31, 2018

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TSUKUBASAN~”, 02/06/2018
Ibaraki Tsukuba Capio

1. Naomi Yoshimura Vs Daiki Shimomura
2. Takatimo Dragon, Hiratimo Dragon & Toru Owashi Vs KUDO, Antonio Honda & Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Akito & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki
4. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Mike Bailey & MAO
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Keisuke Ishii Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata
6. Tsukaba Specialty! Gama Oil Selling Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie

It’s a new month and a new push towards the next Korakuen Hall show.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #7”, 05/06/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

0. NO TV Match: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
1. Akito & Makoto Oishi Vs Kota Umeda & Daiki Shimomura
2. Toru Owashi & Riho Vs Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai
3. Danshoku Dieno & Yoshihiko Vs Keisuke Ishii & Antonio Honda
4. Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase Vs Mike Bailey & MAO
5. HARASHIMA, KUDO & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie (w/ Daisuke Sasaki)
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata

Will all of the Gold’s Gym training pay off for Shunma Katsumata?

Ken Ohka is supposed to take part in a Punishment Match on “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI” at some point. No sight of him here yet.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 5TH TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 09/06/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Reika Saiki, Yuki Kamifuku & Hinano Vs Yuna Manase, Hyper Misao & Miu or Hikari
2. Miyu Yamashita & Raku Vs Yuu & Nodoka-oneesan
3. Saki-sama Vs Yuki Aino
4. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1E: Azusa Christie Vs Rika Tatsumi
5. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1F: Shoko Nakajima Vs Maho Kurone
6. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1G: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Mizuki
7. Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 1H: Marika Kobashi Vs Miu or Hikari

The big news coming regarding Tokyo Joshi Pro this week is their entry into the 2018 Chikara King Of Trios! The three longest serving women on the roster Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima are joining forces to enter the illustrious trios tournament being held in Easton, Pennsylvania on Labor Day weekend. Chikara are naming them the Tokyo Joshi Freedom Fighters to fit in with the Star Wars theme being used this year. This will be the American debuts for all three girls.

The DDT family have a history competing in Chikara’s big tag team tournaments over the years. KUDO, MIKAMI, MIYAWAKI and Yoshiaki Yago (the latter two represented K-DOJO but they were also regulars in DDT at the time) were part of the 2006 Tag World Grand Prix (which was how I discovered DDT in the first place). DDT have also sent teams to the 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions of King Of Trios with the likes of KUDO, Danshoku Dieno, Kota Ibushi and Michael Nakazawa involved among others.

BASARA “VAJRA 71 ~SENDAI SHISHIN~”, 17/06/2018
Miyagi Ward Cultural Center

1. Yusuke Kubo & Takato Nakano Vs Yasutaka Osera & Daiki Shimomura
2. Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, SAGAT & GAINA
3. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2: Fuminori Abe Vs Yasu Urano
4. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2: FUMA Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

The freelance from Tokushima, GAINA will be wrestling in BASARA for the first time. He’s been mostly wrestling for Michinoku Pro this year.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2018”, 24/06/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Extreme Title – 3 Way Match: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Soma Takao Vs Daisuke Sasaki
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi

Kazusada Higuchi gets the KO-D Openweight Title match after winning the Right To Challenge Rumble earlier in the week.

Daisuke Sasaki has decided on the stipulation for the HARASHIMA Vs Soma Takao match. He wants to make it easier for DAMNATION to get the DDT Extreme Title so he is putting himself into the bout to make it a 3 Way Match! All of DAMNATION have promised to be sportsmanlike for the match. Sasaki and Takao will not cheat. Tetsuya Endo and Mad Paulie will not interfere. Whether or not Sasaki is still injured entirely depends on if somebody wants to beat him up or not.


DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #6” Results

May 29, 2018

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #6”, 29/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
171 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Keisuke Ishii & Daiki Shimomura when Katsumata pinned Shimomura with the Moonsault Foot Stomp (8:18).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yoshihiko defeated Makoto Oishi (c) with the Reincarnation (9:02).
*Yoshihiko becomes the 1,315th champion.
3. Shigehiro Irie defeated Rekka with the Tazzmission (4:31).
4. Danshoku Soul Tradition – Kiss Only Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Tanomusaku Toba with the True Danshoku Driver (5:51).
5. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani (w/ Daisuke Sasaki) when HARASHIMA pinned Shimatani with the Somato (9:27).
6. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision & Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Rumble: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Kota Umeda with the Doctor Bomb (29:06).
6a. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Green Gauntlet: Mizuki Watase grabbed the envelope (6:09).
6b. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Kouki Iwasaki by Ring Out (7:14).
6c. Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Mike Bailey & KUDO eliminated Naomi Yoshimura by Pinfall (8:12).
6d. KUDO eliminated Tomomitsu Matsunaga by Ring Out (9:35).
6e. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Mike Bailey by Ring Out (12:09).
6f. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Yellow Gauntlet: Tetsuya Endo grabbed the envelope (12:40).
6g. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Black Gauntlet: MAO grabbed the envelope (13:50).
6h. Antonio Honda eliminated KUDO by Ring Out (17:33).
6i. Kota Umeda & Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Masahiro Takanashi by Ring Out (17:33).
6j. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Blue Gauntlet: Antonio Honda grabbed the envelope (22:17).
6k. Right To Take A Punishment Match: Ken Ohka grabbed the envelope (23:40).
6l. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Red Gauntlet: Meiko Satomura grabbed the envelope (25:22).
6m. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Akito by Pinfall (26:30)
6n. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Kota Umeda with the Doctor Bomb (29:06).

 

Six envelopes were hung above the ring for the main event. Out of the 15 wrestlers fighting over them it was Mizuki Watase, Tetsuya Endo, MAO, Antonio Honda, Ken Ohka and Meiko Satomura who pulled one down each. Kazusada Higuchi went on to win the Battle Royal portion of the match, last pinning his rival Kota Umeda to get the guaranteed KO-D Openweight Title shot on 24th June. After the match each of the prize winners opened their envelopes to discover what they won. Everybody got a Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere gauntlet except for Ohka. He pulled out a piece of paper that said “Punishment Game”. He now has to participate in one for next week’s episode of “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI”.

The others can cash in their gauntlet for a KO-D Title match whenever they want between now and 14th October. However if any of them lose a wrestling match in any company they must pass the gauntlet over to the person who beats them. That rule stays in effect until the title match is cashed in. Watase has no intention to use his title shot while Shigehiro Irie is the champion. He will wait until somebody else beats Irie but that totally won’t happen. Endo wants to sell his gauntlet. MAO thinks his gauntlet looks cool so he doesn’t want to get rid of it yet. Honda will wait for the right moment to cash in. Satomura has a busy schedule with Sendai Girls but will keep close attention to DDT in the meantime. She wants to get her title match whenever the opportunity is most attractive to her.

Daisuke Sasaki came to a decision over what kind of match HARASHIMA and Soma Takao will have for the DDT Extreme Title. It’s a match where chairshots and low blows don’t matter. It will be a 3 Way Match with himself included! HARASHIMA realised he will be in a 2-on-1 Handicap then wondered is Sasaki was still injured. Sasaki admitted he was never injured! He took that back when Yukio Sakaguchi threatened him. HARASHIMA accepted the match idea and promised the fans he will definitely win.

The AbemaTV audience got to decide the rules for Danshoku Dieno Vs Tanomusaku Toba. The choices included Normal Rules, Pinfall Only and KO Only but the viewers overwhelmingly chose the last option, Kiss Only. Pins and submissions would only count if the wrestler kissed the opponent in the process. Toba told everyone that he got married in February and he now has stepchildren. His 6th grade stepdaughter accepted him but his 1st grade stepson Yuto refuses to call him Dad. Toba wanted to beat Dieno to earn Yuto’s adoration. He hesitated to follow the Kiss Only rule but he had to do what he had to do. Unfortunately Dieno gave his own Lip Lock to Toba, hit an Exploder Suplex and won the match with the True Danshoku Driver. Dieno used his screen time after the match to speak to Yuto on the stream. Dieno said Toba is not even close to being a great person and he likes to visit Chinese salons to pass the time. But no matter how beaten up he gets, he always stands back up through clenched teeth even though he doesn’t have many teeth left. Toba promised he will make Yuto proud somehow. Dieno gave Toba another Lip Lock and he fell down, exposing his ass to the camera.

Makoto Oishi lived up to last week’s ruling and had his head shaved into a Reverse Mohawk. He defended the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title against Yoshihiko in a hard fought battle that ended in defeat. Oishi gave Yoshihiko a Turnbuckle Bomb then he climbed the turnbuckles for Corner Punches. Yoshihiko grabbed Oishi and Power Bombed him into the centre of the ring. It then hit the Resurrection for the three count to become the champion. Oishi swore revenge. At least on the bright side his new wife Misaki Ohata likes the hairstyle.

Shunma Katsumata says he is already feeling great after a week working out in Gold’s Gym. Konosuke Takeshita noticed Katsumata was more confident today and that added a sense of security surrounding their team.

The show began with a new commercial for the Suntory drink Jasmine Tea starring Kota Ibushi and Yuki Ueno. In the ad Ueno plays a salaryman who experiences a refreshing sensation from drinking Jasmine Tea that is represented by Ibushi giving him different wrestling moves.


Reminiscing About Happy Motels, Right To Challenge Line Up, Heaven Summit Round 2

May 24, 2018

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 5 ~MAY I KNOW THE RAIN~”, 27/05/2018
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. 4 Way Tag Match ~ NAMBARAMBU!: Keisuke Ishii & Kota Umeda Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Mike Bailey & MAO Vs Mizuki Watase & Daiki Shimomura
2. Yuni’s Net 2: Makoto Oishi, Saki Akai & Yuni Vs Danshoku Dieno, Takatimo Dragon & Hiratimo Dragon
3. Sumo! Sumo! Sumo! U-Genes!: Toru Owashi & Hoshitango Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki
4. Craftsmen Special Tag Match: HUB & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yasu Urano & MEN’S Teioh
5. Special Single Match ~Steel~: Dick Togo Vs Naomi Yoshimura
6. Not Serious Mask Man World’s Biggest Battle ~ Special 3 Way Match: Kikutaro Vs Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Super Sasadango Machine
7. DDT elder brothers Vs DAMNATION!: HARASHIMA, KUDO & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie (w/ Daisuke Sasaki)
8. Special Single Match ~Sustainable~: Shigehiro Irie Vs Magnitude Kishiwada
9. Special Single Match ~Heart~: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Antonio Honda

Konosuke Takeshita described his wrestling family. Yasu Urano was his dad, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi was his older brother and Antonio Honda was both his strange grandfather and respected uncle. Honda admits that his life changed after he and Takeshita wrestled together as part of the Happy Motels unit. He thinks Takeshita is so overflowing with positivity that it encouraged his own impulses to embrace everything. A pro wrestler can be both an athlete and a poet. Honda believes Takeshita has both of those qualities. Honda has always been there for Takeshita whether it was to give him advice about wrestling or just to lend him a CD or DVD. It was this relationship that made Takeshita understand the importance of having a “wrestling family”.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #6”, 29/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Keisuke Ishii & Daiki Shimomura
2. Shigehiro Irie Vs Rekka
3. Danshoku Soul Tradition: Danshoku Dieno Vs Tanomusaku Toba
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Yoshihiko
5. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani (w/ Daisuke Sasaki)
6. KO-D Openweight Title Next Challenger Decision & Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Rumble: KUDO Vs Masahiro Takanashi Vs Akito Vs Tetsuya Endo Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mike Bailey Vs MAO Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kota Umeda Vs Kouki Iwasaki Vs Mizuki Watase Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Ken Ohka

Pretty much all of the notable contenders you’d expect are entering the Right To Challenge Rumble. The amount of prizes on offer in total won’t be revealed until the show takes place.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #7”, 05/06/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata

ALL OUT were granted the No. 1 Contendership of the KO-D Tag Team Titles under one condition. Shunma Katsumata had to sign up for a Gold’s Gym membership. He did it and the title match can go ahead.

BASARA “VAJRA 70 ~NAGASONE KOTETSU~”, 10/06/2018
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Gouma Ryu Vs Akiyori Takizawa
2. Best Stretchman Final Chapter? “Why Did They Have To Fight?”: Best Stretchman V3 & Best Stretchman Amazon Vs Hercules Senga & SAGAT
3. FUMA & Yusuke Kubo Vs Yasu Urano & Daiki Shimomura
4. Isami Kodaka, Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Fuminori Abe & Takato Nakano
5. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2: Ryuichi Sekine Vs Ryota Nakatsu
6. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2: Manabu Hara Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi

Cavalry collide in the Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ 2nd Round.

BASARA “VAJRA 71 ~SENDAI SHISHIN~”, 17/06/2018
Miyagi Ward Cultural Center

1. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2: Fuminori Abe Vs Yasu Urano
2. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki~ – Round 2: FUMA Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

The rivalry between FUMA and Takumi Tsukamoto has come back thanks to the tournament.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “PARADISE TRAIN 2018”, 17/06/2018
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. Fresh Confrontation! Sweet Spring Cucumbers!: HARUKAZE Vs Kyuri
2. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura

Kyuri is from Ice Ribbon.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2018”, 24/06/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT Extreme Title – DAMNATION Picks The Match Rules: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Soma Takao
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Winner of 29/5 Rumble

HARASHIMA gave DAMNATION the rights to pick the stipulation match so he could get his hands on Soma Takao.


DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #5” Results

May 22, 2018

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #5”, 22/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
220 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. NO TV Match: Gota Ihashi defeated Rekka with the Frog Splash (5:45).
1. Kota Umeda defeated Jason Kincaid with the Umeda Driver (6:58).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Antonio Honda defeated Saki Akai (c), Maki Itoh, Nobuhiro Shimatani, Naomi Yoshimura, Daiki Shimomura, Antonio Honda, Toru Owashi and a Chair (10:52).
2a. Nobuhiro Shimatani eliminated Saki Akai (c) by Pinfall (1:07).
*Nobuhiro Shimatani becomes the 1,307th champion.
2b. Everybody eliminated Naomi Yoshimura by Ring Out (6:44).
2c. Chair eliminated Nobuhiro Shimatani (c) by Pinfall after a Big Boot from Toru Owashi (8:02).
*Chair becomes the 1,308th champion.
2d. Everybody eliminated Maki Itoh by Pinfall (9:25).
2e. Antonio Honda eliminated Toru Owashi and Daiki Shimomura by Ring Out (9:57).
2f. Antonio Honda eliminated Chair (c) with the Bionic Elbow (10:52).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,309th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda (c) defeated Kumiko Funayama by Kickout (7:33 pm).
*V1 for Antonio Honda.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Maki Itoh defeated Antonio Honda (c) with a School Boy (7:34 pm).
*Maki Itoh becomes the 1,310th champion.
3. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase when Katsumata pinned Watase with a Moonsault Foot Stomp (12:53).
4. Makoto Oishi 39 Year Old Perm Announcement Match: Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki when Oishi pinned Iwasaki with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (7:04).
5. Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie defeated HARASHIMA, KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi when Takao pinned Takanashi with the Gin And Tonic (11:56).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Makoto Oishi defeated Maki Itoh (c) after a Big Boot from Saki Akai (8:40 pm).
*Makoto Oishi becomes the 1,311th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Yoshihiko by Kickout (8:41 pm).
*V1 for Makoto Oishi.
6. Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Mike Bailey & MAO when Sekimoto pinned Bailey with a Lariat (17:07).

The main event match had to be changed because of Yuki Ueno’s injury. With him missing the show, he and Kota Umeda were no longer able to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles so the match was cancelled entirely. Instead Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi were given a non-title match against Mike Bailey & MAO. A table was taken from the stage and brought into the ring. Bailey went to do the Ultima Weapon to Higuchi on the table but Higuchi moved out of the way. Higuchi kept MAO away while Sekimoto went to finish off Bailey. The German Suplex was kicked out of but Sekimoto won the match with a Lariat afterwards. Higuchi told Bailey & MAO that he and Sekimoto will always be ready to defend the Tag Titles against anyone. Hisaya Imabayashi told the champions that their next defence is scheduled to 5th June. They asked for challengers and ALL OUT appeared. Higuchi approved of getting to fight Konosuke Takeshita but he doesn’t think Shunma Katsumata is qualified enough to be in the match. Katsumata said he knows the strategy to beat the champions but Takeshita cut him off and said he needed muscles too. He told Katsumata to go get a Gold’s Gym membership and spend the next two weeks working out so he can be ready for the title match.

Soma Takao again gave HARASHIMA a Low Blow during their match. Masahiro Takanashi almost had Takao pinned but Takao countered it into the Gin And Tonic to get DAMNATION the win. HARASHIMA challenged Takao to another singles match but Takao refused to say anything. Daisuke Sasaki spoke on his behalf and told HARASHIMA he already lost to Takao. He then went down on his hands and knees and mockingly asked HARASHIMA for forgiveness. Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie stopped Sasaki and picked him back up. HARASHIMA sweetened the deal by putting the DDT Extreme Title on the line. Takao still kept quiet so HARASHIMA said he would even let him pick the match stipulation. If it involves chairshots and low blows then HARASHIMA will be more than happy to beat him that way. Takao continued to be mute but Sasaki accepted the offer. He promised Takao that he will pick the best rules for DAMNATION.

As part of last week’s stipulation, Makoto Oishi had to change his hair to the perm hairstyle. Danshoku Dieno joked that Oishi was now Punch Oishi. He was kind of proven right when a hard punch from Oishi to Kouki Iwasaki was the set up to Oishi winning the match. Oishi thanked everyone for seeing his perm hairstyle for the first and last time. However he was then told that AbemaTV held another viewer vote during the match. The choices were either keep the perm, get a reverse mohawk, shave his head or shave his eyebrows. The fans voted and next week Oishi has to get a reverse mohawk!

When ALL OUT faced Shigehiro Irie & Mizuki Watase, Katsumata recovered from a Double Stomp Fire Thunder combo thanks to Takeshita breaking the pin. Katsumata stunned Watase with a Thrust Kick then used a Swan Dive X Factor to get him in position for a new finisher. The Moonsault Foot Stomp got ALL OUT a big win and in part sets up their KO-D Tag Title shot.

The “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI” return of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title brought along the usual mayhem surrounding the belt. The defending champion Saki Akai started off the Rumble with Maki Itoh but she was quickly pinned by the third entrant Nobuhiro Shimatani. He brought in a chair to defend himself but Antonio Honda, Maki Itoh and Toru Owashi all piled up on top of him for the three count. Since the chair was being pressed down on Shimatani during the pin, Yukinori Matsui ruled that the Chair was now the champion! The eliminations continued until Honda and the Chair were the last two left. Honda hit the Chair with a Bionic Elbow and pinned it to win the title. Shimatani attacked Honda with the chair after the match and the guest commentator Kumiko Funayama tried but failed to pin Honda. Itoh then snuck up on Honda and won the belt with a School Boy. An hour later Shimatani chased Itoh back into the ring with the chair. Akai came over too and kicked Itoh with a Big Boot. That was when Oishi showed up and stole the pin. His celebration stopped when the room went dark. The lights came on and Yoshihiko was perched on Oishi’s shoulders! Yoshihiko gave Oishi a DDT but Oishi’s perm cushioned the blow and he was able to kick out of the pin. He grabbed Yoshihiko by the neck and told it that they will fight for the Iron Man Title next week!

The changes in the main event meant that Bailey and Umeda changed places. Umeda was moved to a singles match against Jason Kincaid.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TONKOTSU~” Results

May 14, 2018

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TONKOTSU~”, 13/05/2018
Hakata Star Lane
393 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Takatimo Dragon & Hiratimo Dragon defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi by Disqualification when Sakaguchi unmasked Hiratimo (5:58).
2. Toru Owashi & Yuto Aijima defeated Antonio Honda & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Aijima submitted Shimatani with a Modified Camel Clutch (11:55).
3. Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase defeated Makoto Oishi & Azul Dragon when Kincaid pinned Oishi with the Philosopher’s Stomp (8:33).
4. P Playful Series: MAO defeated Danshoku Dieno and Yuki Ueno when MAO pinned Dieno with the Cannonball 450° (7:45).
5. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Daiki Shimomura when Takao pinned Shimomura with the Gin And Tonic (12:05).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Rules: HARASHIMA (c) defeated KUDO with the Somato (13:34).
*V1 for HARASHIMA.
7. Hakata Specialty Special 4 Way Match: Shigehiro Irie defeated Keisuke Ishii, Kazusada Higuchi and Kota Umeda when Irie pinned Ishii with the Beast Bomber (14:10).

As we get closer to their KO-D Openweight Title match, Shigehiro Irie is starting to figure Keisuke Ishii out. In a reverse from last week’s 4 Way Match this time Irie was able to get the better of his challenger. Irie kicked out of Ishii’s Hurricanrana then dropped him with a Death Valley Driver. Ishii then won with the Cannonball Drop followed by the Beast Bomber.

HARASHIMA avenged last year’s loss to KUDO by beating him in his first DDT Extreme Title defence. Yuko Miyamoto definitely left some influence on the champion because he used the Fire Thunder on KUDO shortly before hitting the Somato for the win. Soma Takao tried to attack HARASHIMA with a chair after his victory speech. HARASHIMA grabbed another chair to fight back but he was attacked from behind by Tetsuya Endo and Mad Paulie. Takao then hit him with a chair shot. Takao said in a later interview that this is the road he chose and he does not regret it.

MAO and Yuki Ueno agreed to work together against Danshoku Dieno. Both of them got groped pretty badly by Dieno but the numbers game soon worked out. Ueno missed the Frog Splash when Dieno rolled out of the way but all that did was position Dieno for MAO’s Cannonball 450°. MAO and Ueno were both happy because they perished the evil wrestler together. Dieno then came back and gave Ueno a Lip Lock before chasing MAO out of the ring.


Takao Joins DAMNATION, Audience 2018 Matches, The Rest Happening In May

May 12, 2018

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOFU CHIKUWA~”, 12/05/2018
Tottori Yonago Industrial Gymnasium Sub Arena

1. Tottori Darazu Pro Wrestling Tag Match: Rey Falcon & Gaina Tiger Vs COW Saeki & DAISUKE
2. Takatimo Dragon & Hiratimo Dragon Vs Antonio Honda & Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Daiki Shimomura Vs Kota Umeda & Yuki Ueno
4. Konosuke Takeshita, Danshoku Dieno & Lowther Vs Toru Owashi, Shunma Katsumata & MAO
5. 4 Way Match: HARASHIMA Vs KUDO Vs Mad Paulie Vs Mizuki Watase
6. DAMNATION Vs Shuten-dōji!: Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi
7. Yonago Specialty Irakuru! Special! Tag Match: Shigehiro Irie & Jason Kincaid Vs Keisuke Ishii & Makoto Oishi

The big news happening in DDT this week is Soma Takao breaking up the remains of Smile Squash so he can join with DAMNATION. This was a plan that had been brewing in the background for a long time and Takao isn’t just joining the unit to be another one of Dasuke Sasaki’s pets. Maybe by teaming with Tetsuya Endo, Takao can make Endo focus more. Endo seems to be more interested in showing off his pet beetle than wrestling his best lately.

Kouki Iwasaki was supposed to be wrestling this weekend but had to pull out due to acute gastroenteritis. In other words he has diarrhoea.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TONKOTSU~”, 13/05/2018
Hakata Star Lane

1. Takatimo Dragon & Hiratimo Dragon Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi
2. Toru Owashi & Yuto Aijima Vs Antonio Honda & Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Makoto Oishi & Azul Dragon
4. P Playful Series: Danshoku Dieno Vs MAO Vs Yuki Ueno
5. Hakata Specialty Special 4 Way Match: Shigehiro Irie Vs Keisuke Ishii Vs Kazusada Higuchi Vs Kota Umeda
6. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Daiki Shimomura
7. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Rules: HARASHIMA (c) Vs KUDO

HARASHIMA is using the same logic for his DDT Extreme Title defence against KUDO as Yuko Miyamoto did for him. HARASHIMA wants to be certain he can beat KUDO in a fair fight with no extra rules needed. This comes from KUDO beating HARASHIMA in their previous singles match last September.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LET’S GO TO KITAZAWA IN THE SPRING, BRING YOUR FRIENDS TOGETHER!”, 19/05/2018
Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Shoko Nakajima & Miu Vs Hyper Misao & Hinano
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Yuki Aino
3. Miyu Yamashita Vs Raku
4. 3 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Maho Kurone Vs Nodoka-oneesan
5. Saki-sama, Azusa Christie & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Yuu, Yuna Manase & Hikari
6. TOKYO Princess Tag Team Titles: Reika Saiki & Marika Kobashi (c) Vs Maki Ito & Mizuki

Yuki Kamifuku has been accepted into NEO Biishiki-gun as an apprentice. Everybody associated with the unit is against this idea except for Saki-sama. Whatever she wants, she gets.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “I HAVE NEVER SEEN 2018”, 19/05/2018
Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Shimokita Super Mixed Battle: Baliyan Akki & HARUKAZE Vs Hagane & Koharu Hinata
2. Ganbare☆Wrestling Vs Katsumura-gun: Ken Ohka & Yukinori Abe Vs Takeshi Okada & Black Ribera
3. Ganbare☆Gift To Wrestling: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Jason Kincaid
4. Attitude Of The Imanari Revolution: Yumehito Imanari Vs Shuichiro Katsumura
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Shota

Jason Kincaid has been impressing a lot of people in DDT during his stay. Ganbare☆Wrestling gets him for a show so he’s going against their own indie specialist Shinichiro Tominaga.

BASARA “VAJRA 68 ~OSAKA CLUB SHOGETSUKI~”, 20/05/2018
Osaka Oyodo Community Center

1. Billy Ken Kid Vs Takato Nakano
2. Best Stretchman V3 & Best Stretchman Amazon Vs Yasu Urano & Fuminori Abe
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Yusuke Kubo Vs Manabu Hara & Akiyori Takizawa
4. Reversal Pro Wrestling Trial: Gouma Ryu Vs Hercules Senga Vs X
5. Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs FUMA, SAGAT & HUB
6. Union MAX Title: Naoki Tanizaki (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

HUB is back to help out the IRON PRIEST half of the Metal Family.

DDT “AUDIENCE 2018”, 20/05/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Rekka Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Mike Bailey & MAO Vs Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Yuki Ueno
2. KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai Vs Takatimo Dragon, Hiratimo Dragon, Rihotimo Dragon & Toru Owashi
3. Now Variety Group Vs New Variety Group – Summer Night Fever In Korakuen: Danshoku Dino, Antonio Honda & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Makoto Oishi, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Daiki Shimomura (w/ Yuki Iino)
4. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Kota Umeda
5. Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Soma Takao
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

HARASHIMA gets his shot at revenge on Takao. But with Smile Squash pretty much done for, the numbers game is way against him now.

Kazusada Higuchi already defeated one half of the tag team No. 1 Contenders. Now he’s facing the other. Higuchi and Kota Umeda had a lot of battles against each other in the early years of DNA. It’s time to reginite that feud!

Makoto Oishi thinks the time for change has come. For too long DDT was built around men like Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda and Super Sasadango Machine. Oishi has found the next generation of wrestlers to take their place: Nobuhiro Shimatani, Daiki Shimomura, Yuki Iino and lastly of course himself. The two sides will battle for the future of DDT! At least that’s what Oishi wants to think.

We have another Lucha Libre superstar joining the ranks. Rihotimo Dragon makes her debut.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #5”, 22/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Kota Umeda & Yuki Ueno

Popteen cover model Kumiko Funayama will be the special guest.

DNA “DNA 45”, 03/06/2018
Shinjuku Village Studio C 106

1. Great China Alliance Vs New Beijing Pro Wrestling!: Choun-Shiryu & Rekka Vs X & X
2. Yuki Iino Return Match: Kota Umeda Vs Yuki Iino
3. Kouki Iwasaki Vs Ryota Nakatsu
4. Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno

The comeback rally by DNA has put Naomi Kingdom on the ropes. Yuki Ueno is winning more often and has become confident enough to challenge Naomi Yoshimura to a match.

Yuki Iino is making up for lost time by picking Umeda for his first match back.

Choun-Shiryu & Rekka have put aside their differences and are now strong allies again. Shiryu is confident that Rekka has what it takes to take part in New Beijing Pro Wrestling. China’s oldest wrestling promotion doesn’t want to be overshadowed by that fancy new stuff.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #8”, 12/06/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 3rd Match: Masato Tanaka Vs Kota Umeda

Umeda is 0-2 in his trial series so far and the matches are only going to get more difficult from here. Masato Tanaka is next on his list.


Irie Brings In A New Dawn, Will Things Change?

April 30, 2018

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #3”, 01/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

0. NO TV Match: Mad Paulie Vs Daiki Shimomura
0. NO TV Match: Toru Owashi & Hiratimo Dragon Vs Antonio Honda & Kouki Iwasaki
1. Shigehiro Irie, Mizuki Watase & Jason Kincaid Vs Keisuke Ishii, Makoto Oishi & Yuki Ueno
2. Gota Ihashi 5 Match Series – 2nd Battle: Kendo Kashin Vs Gota Ihashi
3. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs HARASHIMA & Soma Takao
4. Tradition Of The Soul ~ Loser Gets Ketsu Bat Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Miyu Yamashita
5. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Kota Umeda & MAO

Unless it’s being done to attract the audience early, surely Shigehiro Irie’s match should be placed later in the card now that he is the champion. The match is also meant to push his title defence against Keisuke Ishii.

Smile Squash gets a shot at revenge on DAMNATION after the heel group tried to recruit HARASHIMA then immediately attacked him.

Kendo Kashin is still sending friendly text messages to the DDT offices that are meant for Gota Ihashi.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TAN~”, 04/05/2018
Miyagi Yume Messe West Wing Hall

1. KUDO Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
2. Toru Owashi & Hiratimo Dragon Vs Antonio Honda & Masahiro Takanashi
3. Dirty Single Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Mad Paulie
4. HARASHIMA & Soma Takao Vs Makoto Oishi & Yuki Ueno
5. Shigehiro Irie, Mizuki Watase & Jason Kincaid Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki
6. Osaka City Origin MAO Local Triumph! Miyagi Specialty Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi & MAO
7. Born In Shiroishi Tetsuya Endo Triumph! DAMNATION Vs Shuten-dōji!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi

Both Tetsuya Endo and MAO are from Miyagi so they have to share their homecoming show.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TSUGARU SHAMISEN~”, 05/05/2018
Aomori Hamanasu Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Danshoku Dino Vs Hiratimo Dragon
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Toru Owashi Vs MAO & Yuki Ueno
3. Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kouki Iwasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani
4. Smile Squash Vs Shuten-dōji!: HARASHIMA & Soma Takao Vs KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi
5. Shigehiro Irie, Mizuki Watase & Jason Kincaid Vs Keisuke Ishii, Kota Umeda & Antonio Honda
6. Department Of Civil Engineering, Hachinohe Institute Of Technology (Now Disappearing) Makoto Oishi Triumphant Return! Aomori Specialty Special Single Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Konosuke Takeshita

With Kazuki Hirata banished from Japan again, Hiratimo Dragon takes his place in the previously announced 3 Way Match.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM CLOCK TOWER~”, 06/05/2018
Hokkaido Sapporo Susukino Mars Gym

1. Dirty Single Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Antonio Honda
2. Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie
3. Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Koji Yoshida & Kouki Iwasaki
4. Smile Squash Vs Shuten-dōji!: HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Tomoya Vs KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi

Smile Squash are down to two members with Yuko Miyamoto and Yasu Urano both cutting ties from the group. Maybe Tomoya can attach himself to the unit.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #4”, 08/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Saki Akai (c) Vs Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Makoto
2. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 2nd Match ~ Hardcore Match: Ryuji Ito Vs Kota Umeda

Kota Umeda’s trial continues with a clash against Big Japan’s own Ryuji Ito.

Joshi wrestler Makoto appears in DDT for the first time in a very long while. She has been in sub-brands like Ganbare☆Wrestling and New Beijing a few years ago but I can’t remember when she was last in DDT proper.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TONKOTSU~”, 13/05/2018
Hakata Star Lane

1. DDT Extreme Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs KUDO

HARASHIMA wants to avenge his defeat to KUDO last year. He is willing to put his newly won DDT Extreme Title on the line to do so.

Yuto Aijima and Azul Dragon will be on the show.

DDT “AUDIENCE 2018”, 20/05/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii

Irie’s first defence is against an old friend. A former friend too. They held the All Asia Tag Team Titles together but that’s all in the past. Ishii has only beaten Irie twice in singles matches but that was early in their careers. Since then Irie has gotten the upper hand and has won more of their matches against each other. Both are champions now and currently feel they are the best they’ve ever been.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 5 ~MAY I KNOW THE RAIN~”, 27/05/2018
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Craftsmen Special Tag Match: HUB & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yasu Urano & MEN’S Teioh
2. Not Serious Mask Man World’s Biggest Battle ~ Special 3 Way Match: Kikutaro Vs Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Super Sasadango Machine
3. Crash The Super Heavy Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura, Mad Paulie
4. Special Single Match ~Clouds~: Yuki Ueno Vs Dick Togo
5. Special Single Match ~Heart~: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Antonio Honda

The teams for the Super Heavy Tag match will be determined during the show.

Magnitude Kishiwada and Shoichi Uchida will also be wrestling.


DDT “MAX BUMP 2018” Results

April 29, 2018

DDT “MAX BUMP 2018”, 29/04/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,279 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Under Match: Mad Paulie defeated Kouki Iwasaki with the Reverse Splash (6:26).
1. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 1st Match: Go Shiozaki defeated Kota Umeda with the Gowan Lariat (8:29).
2. Loser Gets Exiled Overseas Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, MAO, Mike Bailey & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (7:46).
*Kazuki Hirata is banished from Japan.
3. Soma Takao & Yuki Ueno defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Keisuke Ishii when Ueno pinned Higuchi with a Frankensteiner (6:43).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo and Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shunma Katsumata when Kincaid pined Katsumata with the Philosopher’s Stomp (7:14).
5. Cherry’s Last DDT Match!: Danshoku Dino, KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi defeated Cherry, Francoise☆Takagi & Masako Oishi when Dino pinned Cherry with the True Danshoku Driver (11:23).
6. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Rules: HARASHIMA defeated Yuko Miyamoto (c) with the Somato (12:51).
*Yuko Miyamoto fails in V4. HARASHIMA becomes the 41st DDT Extreme Champion!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie defeated Konosuke Takeshita (c) with the Beast Bomber (14:21).
*Konosuke Takeshita fails in V12. Shigehiro Irie becomes the 62nd KO-D Openweight Champion!
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Super Sasadango Machine (c) with a Trash Can Strike (2:21 pm).
*Nobuhiro Shimatani becomes the 1,301st champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani (c) with a Big Boot (2:22 pm).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,302nd champion.

The reign of Konosuke Takeshita is over! Shigehiro Irie is back at the top of DDT as the new KO-D Openweight Champion, recapturing the belt over four years and eight months since he last held it. It marks the end of a bizarre return for Irie. He disappeared from DDT for months because it no longer resembled the DDT that he loved then he returned with the goal of winning the title. The challenger quickly hit a Topé Suicida after the match started then he threw Takeshita into the corner posts. Takeshita got his own back by giving Irie a Back Drop onto the ring apron. Back in the ring Takeshita applied a Cross Arm Camel Clutch to wear down Irie. In return, Irie used a Tazzmission as his submission hold of choice. He also hit a Black Hole Slam, a Vertical Drop Death Valley Driver and the Beast Bomber to deal a lot of damage to the champion. Takeshita dropped Irie with the Surprise Rose but couldn’t get over fast enough to pin him. Takeshita then gave Irie a German Suplex for a nearfall. Takeshita went for another one but Irie bit onto the top rope to stop it. A Sliding Elbow from Irie was turned into the Cross Arm German Suplex but Irie again kicked out. A Beast Bomber knocked Takeshita for a loop and he was down long enough for Irie to hit the Diving Cannonball Drop. With victory in his sights, Irie bounced back and forth from the ropes and struck Takeshita with one last Beast Bomber. That was it. Takeshita’s record breaking title reign has come to an end!

Emotional over the result, Takeshita grabbed the title belt from Irie after the match. However it was so he could place it over Irie’s shoulder. Irie called Takeshita a wonderful champion. He was pleased that two wrestlers who last fought each other on the pre-show now had their match in the main event. Irie said when he came back to DDT he thought he was on his own. But today he got a lot of cheers from the audience and he also has Mizuki Watase and Jason Kincaid as his friends. He was in the middle of talking when Keisuke Ishii entered the ring carrying the Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title he won yesterday. Ishii had been thinking of his track record against Irie ever since Irie came back. Because of this Ishii wants a title shot. Irie accepted and told Ishii that their win-loss record against each other doesn’t mean much. After all, Irie went missing for months and is now the KO-D Champion after only a few matches back. Irie then said his only friends in DDT now are Watase and Kincaid. Irie Vs Ishii for the title will be at the 20th May show in Korakuen Hall. Backstage, Irie said his vision for DDT is to make it more open. He wants to go to many places around the world as the champion.

HARASHIMA went into his DDT Extreme Title shot wearing new ring gear. It was a special match after all. He and his friend Yuko Miyamoto were wrestling against each other one on one. No extra stipulations were added by Miyamoto so it was a regular wrestling match, an unusual decision in regards to the championship’s purpose. HARASHIMA hurt his foot during the match which gave Miyamoto something to target. Their usual moves weren’t enough to beat each other so both of them then used each other’s attacks! Miyamoto hit the Somato while HARASHIMA did a Fire Thunder. After that switch around they went back to their own moveset. HARASHIMA kicked out of the Fire Thunder and hit the Somato to become the new Extreme Champion! HARASHIMA thanked Miyamoto for putting together the match and he was so happy to fight his best against him. HARASHIMA was told by Hisaya Imabayashi that his first defence will be on 13th May in Hakata. Imabayashi asked if there was anybody that HARASHIMA wanted to defend the belt against. HARASHIMA said yes. He wants to face KUDO! He lost to KUDO in a big singles match last September and he wants to get revenge for it. KUDO accepted the challenge and told HARASHIMA the result will be the same.

When KUDO went away, HARASHIMA was left in the ring with the rest of Smile Squash: Miyamoto, Soma Takao and Yasu Urano. In the build up to their match, Miyamoto temporarily left Smile Squash with the intention of rejoining afterwards no matter the result. However Miyamoto isn’t satisfied with the loss and is determined to beat HARASHIMA some day. He can’t be in the same unit as HARASHIMA for that to happen so Miyamoto has decided to leave Smile Squash for good. Urano tried to stop Miyamoto but then he had a change of heart. Urano has been a freelancer for a year and while he still had a comfortable spot in Smile Squash, there are so many new things for him to do elsewhere. Urano decided that he too will leave Smile Squash. Both Miyamoto and Urano left the ring and HARASHIMA was alone with Soma Takao. Takao said that as much as he wants to stop them from leaving, he knows he can’t. However he is staying in Smile Squash with HARASHIMA so they can continue fighting together as a duo. The moment was interrupted when DAMNATION came down to the ring. Daisuke Sasaki handed a DAMNATION T-shirt to HARASHIMA and welcomed him to the group. Sasaki announced that HARASHIMA was a traitor to DDT and the newest member of DAMNATION! HARASHIMA looked puzzled and had no idea what Sasaki was talking about. Sasaki then shouted he would betray HARASHIMA and DAMNATION attacked the champion. Takao easily saved HARASHIMA from a beating and sent DAMNATION fleeing. HARASHIMA said there was so many things going on that he is now confused but whatever is going on he will do his best.

Cherry was given a hero’s farewell for her final match as a DDT wrestler. For the match she teamed with Francoise☆Takagi & Masako Oishi (both taking the places of Sanshiro Takagi & Makoto Oishi). to take on Danshoku Dino, KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi. It started off with some fun when Cherry, Takagi & Oishi struck a pose together and shouted out “Fantasy Illusion”. But then KUDO decided not to hold back his kicks to Cherry. Dino also didn’t shy away from using lewd moves on her like the Danshoku Nightmare. Cherry fought back and hit the Cherryton Bomb on KUDO. She also countered the Danshoku Driver into the Fantasy Illusion cradle for a nearfall. It all went wrong for Cherry when she accidentally hit both of her partners. Takagi pulled his wig off in anger and hit Cherry. Oishi then gave Cherry the Miracle Ecstasy. Dino ended the match by giving Cherry the Danshoku Driver. After the match everyone thanked Cherry. Even though she is becoming a freelancer, she will always be a part of DDT. Cherry said she has spent the last 14 years as part of DDT and Union Pro. She had a lot of experiences and got to wrestle so many wonderful colleagues. She was given a bouquet of flowers from Takagi and everyone got together for a group photo.

Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase were both out to impress in the 3 Way Tag Match, although in different ways. Watase entered the ring wearing a black suit and wrestled in everything but the jacket. Kincaid went all out with a Diamond Dust through the ropes on Tetsuya Endo outside the ring. He then climbed the steel pole while Watase positioned Shunma Katsumata for him with a Back Drop. Watase leapt off the post and hit the Diving Double Stomp on Katsumata to win the match. In the backstage interview Watase said that Kincaid is a gift sent to DDT from Irie. Together all three of them will make a new history for DDT when Irie breaks the old history.

Yuki Ueno scored a massive victory when he pinned Kazusada Higuchi in a tag team match. It looked bleak when Higuchi gave him a Choke Slam but Ueno recovered a caught Higuchi with a Frankensteiner to nab the three count.

Everybody except for Kazuki Hirata agreed to add a Loser Leaves Japan stipulation for whoever got pinned in the 8-Man Tag Match. Hirata tried not to get involved in the match but Yukio Sakaguchi stopped him from escaping. Meanwhile MAO overpowered Antonio Honda’s “Gon, The Little Fox” attack by changing his shape into a heart symbol with both of their hands together. MAO & Mike Bailey wiped everyone out with a Double Moonsault outside the ring. Sakaguchi then pinned Hirata with the PK. Hirata refused to leave the ring and then his “Tokyo GO!” music began to play. Yuki Iino came out dressed in a makeshift Hirata costume. He danced to the ring, lifted Hirata from the canvas lowered him onto a group of wrestlers outside. Hirata was then carried away from ringside by the mob.

When Hirata was gone, DDT immediately announced the debut of two masked wrestlers for tomorrow’s show in Mie. Please welcome Takatimo Dragon & Hiratimo Dragon!

In the first match of his trial series, Kota Umeda went face to face with Go Shiozaki. Umeda took all the chops he could and fired back with Middle Kicks. He wore down Shiozaki as much as he could but a Lariat was the start of his downfall. Umeda was able to kick out of a Fisherman Buster but he was put away with the Gowan Lariat. Shiozaki thanked Umeda afterwards and said he would like to fight him again. Umeda then learned his next opponent in the series will be against Ryuji Ito in a Hardcore Match on 8th May! Umeda accepts that he lost the first match but he will do anything to win the Hardcore Match.

Mad Paulie’s strength continues to be too powerful for his opponents to handle on the pre-show matches. He flattened Kouki Iwasaki with a Lou Thesz Press, got a nearfall with a Fisherman Suplex then won with the Reverse Splash.

During the post-show clean up, Nobuhiro Shimatani attacked Super Sasadango Machine behind the stage entrance and pinned him to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. He ran down to the ring to celebrate until Saki Akai went after him and kicked him in the face with a Big Boot. Akai pinned Shimatani to become the new champion then ran away. She had an interview backstage and said from now on she will avoid people dressed in striped clothing because they could be referees.

Akito spoke about the tendon injury in his right arm. He went back and forth on with his doctor over whether he should get an operation. Akito decided not to get surgery because it is possible for him to return to wrestling sooner if his just lets his arm heal. He doesn’t know how long the recovery time will take and he apologised to the fans because he cannot guarantee how long his absence will take.

Masahiro Takanashi will be producing the DDT show in Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall on 8th July. The main event will be Takanashi Vs Isami Kodaka.


Schedule For Golden Week 2018, Akito Injured, Kincaid Coming To DDT

April 26, 2018

DDT “MAX BUMP 2018”, 29/04/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Mad Paulie Vs Kouki Iwasaki
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shunma Katsumata
2. Yukio Sakaguchi, MAO, Mike Bailey & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Keisuke Ishii Vs Soma Takao & Yuki Ueno
4. Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 1st Match: Kota Umeda Vs Go Shiozaki
5. Cherry’s Last DDT Match!: Danshoku Dino, KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Cherry, Francoise☆Takagi & Makoto Oishi
6. DDT Extreme Title – Regular Rules: Yuko Miyamoto (c) Vs HARASHIMA
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

Akito suffered a ruptured biceps tendon in his right arm during last Sunday’s main event. He is expected to miss several months. With this injury the card for “MAX BUMP 2018” has been changed around not just to accommodate his absence but also to feature a debuting foreign wrestler.

Shigehiro Irie promised to bring over a friend of his from America to DDT. The only hint he gave was by calling his friend “The Gift”. It has since been announced that Jason Kincaid is coming to DDT. Kincaid is a 14 year veteran and had a lengthy 5 year reign as the NWA Southeastern Heavyweight Champion. Kincaid will be teaming with the person who seems to be Irie’s only friend left in DDT, Mizuki Watase as part of a 3 Way Tag. That match replaces the originally planned ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION tag team bout that Akito was meant to be in.

The DDT Extreme Title match will just be a regular pro wrestling match with no extra stipulations added. Yuko Miyamoto made this decision because he has never had a proper one on one match with his friend. He strongly wants to find out if he can beat HARASHIMA under a normal ruleset.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TEKONE SUSHI~”, 30/04/2018
Mie Messe Wing

1. Makoto Oishi 39 Year Old Trial Single Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Mad Paulie
2. Shuten-dōji Vs T2Hide!: KUDO & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Antonio Honda Vs Kota Umeda & MAO
4. P Playful Series: Danshoku Dino Vs Soma Takao
5. Shigehiro Irie, Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Keisuke Ishii, Masahiro Takanashi & Kouki Iwasaki
6. ALL OUT Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo
7. Keisuke Okuda Local Triumph! Special Tag Match: Keisuke Okuda & Naomi Yoshimura Vs HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno

DDT gives Keisuke Okuda the limelight for his return home.

DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #3”, 01/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Gota Ihashi 5 Match Series – 2nd Battle: Kendo Kashin Vs Gota Ihashi
2. Tradition Of The Soul ~ Loser Gets Ketsu Bat Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Miyu Yamashita
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Kota Umeda & MAO

Kendo Kashin has been sending daily messages to DDT addressed to Gota Ihashi. In these messages Kashin talks about drinking tea (every message included this), checking his blood cholesterol level, recommending 1,000 hindu squats, losing sleep because he keeps thinking about Ihashi, talking about a train accident that happened near his home, eating an Siberian onion and describing his experience with using Uber. What the fuck is up with this guy?

BASARA “VAJRA 66 ~COMMEMORATING THE HEAVENLY HEART~”, 03/05/2018
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Takato Nakano Vs Manabu Hara
2. Fuminori Abe Vs Masato Tanaka
3. Count Down To Extinction ~ Hardcore Tag Match: FUMA & SAGAT Vs Jun Kasai & Gunso
4. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Return Match: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Osamu Nishimura
5. Elimination 8-Man Tag Match: Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano, Daichi Kazato & Gouma Ryu Vs Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi, Trans-Am ★ Tanaka, Trans-Am ★ Shinya & Yusuke Kubo
6. Cavalry Vs Aikata Tag!: Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita
7. Union MAX Title & DOVE World Title: Isami Kodaka (U/c) Vs Naoki Tanizaki (D/c)

The 8-Man Tag Match is now under Elimination rules after a confusing request by Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TAN~”, 04/05/2018
Miyagi Yume Messe West Wing Hall

1. Dirty Single Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Mad Paulie
2. Born In Shiroishi Tetsuya Endo Triumph! DAMNATION Vs Shuten-dōji!: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi

The latter half of Golden Week focuses on a few Road To Ryogoku shows held in some of the wrestlers’ hometowns.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TSUGARU SHAMISEN~”, 05/05/2018
Aomori Hamanasu Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Danshoku Dino Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Department Of Civil Engineering, Hachinohe Institute Of Technology (Now Disappearing) Makoto Oishi Triumphant Return! Aomori Specialty Special Single Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Konosuke Takeshita

A big match for Makoto Oishi. Maybe he can finally get something of a new direction because Shunma Katsumata and MAO have left him for dust ever since the NωA split.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2018 ~DRAMATIC DREAM CLOCK TOWER~”, 06/05/2018
Hokkaido Sapporo Susukino Mars Gym

1. Dirty Single Match: Danshoku Dino Vs Antonio Honda
2. Smile Squash Vs Shuten-dōji!: HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Tomoya Vs KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi

Noriyuki Yoshida will be on the show for his first DDT appearance since October 2017.

BASARA “VAJRA 67 ~EMBRACING THE AMBITION~”, 06/05/2018
Hokkaido Susukino Mars Gym

1. Takato Nakano Vs Akiyori Takizawa
2. FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Katsuo Vs Daichi Kazato, Hiroshi Kondo & Daiki Shimomura
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Trans-Am ★ Ryuichi & SAGAT Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Fuminori Abe & Yasu Urano
4. Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Naoki Tanizaki & Manabu Hara
5. NWA World Jr. Heavyweight & International Jr. Heavyweight Titles: Isami Kodaka (c) Vs Ikuto Hidaka

BASARA is having a busy schedule for Golden Week too.

DNA “DNA 44”, 09/05/2018
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Joji Otani
2. Chinese Rebirth Of Revenge Match! Endless Battle!: Choun-Shiryu Vs Rekka
3. Mizuki Watase & Jason Kincaid Vs Baliyan Akki
4. Kota Umeda Vs Daiki Shimomura
5. DNA Vs Cavalry!: Kouki Iwasaki & MAO Vs Ryuichi Sekine & Ryota Nakatsu
6. DNA-gun Vs Naomi Kingdom!: Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Ueno & Koju Takeda Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Keisuke Okuda & Akira Jo

The DNA Vs Naomi Kingdom grudge continues. Both Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki have been able to get wins over the enemy unit in singles matches but under tag matches it’s been pretty much all Naomi Kingdom victories save for a DQ loss here and there.