DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Kazuki Hirata & Danshoku Dieno Vs Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi
2. Jun Akiyama, Yoshitatsu & Soma Takao Vs Toru Owashi, Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. DDT Extreme Title Next Challenger Match – Hardcore Match: Hideki Okatani Vs MJ Paul
4. Special Tag Match ~ DDT Vs AJPW: Takeshi Masada & Rukiya Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino
7. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA
Tomorrow we bid farewell to the wrestling career of Yukio Sakaguchi.
Yesterday Hideki Okatani put out a message asking for his match against MJ Paul to be turned into a Hardcore Match. Paul sent a letter via courier to the DDT office that was simply a large, bloody “OK” smeared on the page. Challenge accepted.
There will be contract signings for the upcoming KO-D Openweight Title and DDT Universal Title matches held before this show begins.
DDT “NEPPA OVER FLOWERS 3 ~TOTONOI TO YOU~”, 14/02/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Hideki Okatani, Yuni & Ilusion Vs Takeshi Masada, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
2. ~DDT Sauna Club Vs DDT Open Bath Club~: Kazuki Hirata & Naya Tonttu Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi
3. ~Toy Kojima’s Sauna Room~: Toy Kojima Vs Masato Tanaka
4. ~Shunma Katsumata’s Sauna Room~: Shunma Katsumata Vs Kuroshio TOKYO Japan
5. ~Mao Inoue’s Sauna Room~: MAO Vs Chris Brookes
6. KO-D Openweight Title ~Yuki Ueno’s Sauna Room~: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno
A conflict has suddenly broken out between the DDT Sauna Club and the DDT Open Bath Club. Although Kazuki Hirata declined to join The 37KAMIINA, he still gets to participate in the Sauna Club away from matches. While heading out to a riverbed one day Hirata confronted Kazusada Higuchi & Makoto Oishi from the Open Bath Club and an argument broke out between them. Hirata found himself outnumbered when all of a sudden somebody who looked like Yukio Naya showed up to protect him. That being is Naya Tonttu, the mythical guardian of the DDT Sauna Club! Hirata convinced him to team up against the Open Bath Club at The 37KAMIINA’s sold out show next week.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 1 – SHOKO NAKAJIMA IS BACK ~ NIIGATA HOMECOMING PERFORMANCE”, 17/02/2024 Niigata Dúo CEREZO
1. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Raku Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Kaya Toribami Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Zara Zakher
4. Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku Vs Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI
5. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Toga
6. Miyu Yamashita Vs Wakana Uehara
7. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto
The homecoming show for Shoko Nakajima sees her team up with Hyper Misao as Kyoraku Kyomei again. They cannot get full revenge on Daydream for being eliminated from the Max Heart Tournament but they still get to fight Miu Watanabe. Teaming with her here is Moka Miyamoto.
A first time singles match between Miyu Yamashita and Wakana Uehara is on the show. Zara Zakher also continues her tour with a match against Rika Tatsumi.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Yuki Iino, Yuni & Kazuma Sumi
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (w/ MJ Paul) Vs Akito & Soma Takao
3. Kazusada Higuchi & Yoshitatsu Vs Yukio Naya & Rukiya
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toru Owashi Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & X
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Toy Kojima
6. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Hikaru Machida
7. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Kaisei Takechi Vs Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada
Kaisei Takechi is responsible for selling out the show so no question he gets the main event slot.
So it looks like Hirata got Naruki Doi on board to join his new unit. He isn’t the only one though because Hirata is teasing another addition will be revealed at Korakuen Hall. Is he going for something Dragon System flavored as the unit’s theme I wonder?
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GRAND PRINCESS ’24”, 31/03/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Miu Watanabe
BASARA “BASARA 240 ~UTAGE~”, 23/01/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. KUBITO & Yasu Urano Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. SAGAT Vs Fuminori Abe
3. FUMA & Daichi Kazato Vs Ryota Nakatsu & Gouma Ryu
4. Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
5. Isami Kodaka & Minoru Fujita Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
Tomorrow sees a preview of next month’s Union MAX Title match between Minoru Fujita and Takato Nakano.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “THE FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 27/01/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Haru Kazashiro
3. Shoko Nakajima & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Aino & Toga
4. Miyu Yamashita, Nao Kakuta & HIMAWARI Vs Mizuki, Raku & Shino Suzuki
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
6. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Semi-Final: Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
Four teams remain in the Max Heart Tournament. On one side of the bracket the idol team of Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara have to face Daydream. On the other side Daisy Monkey is being pitted against Shinken Kusho.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 07/02/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino
2. Yukio Sakaguchi Retirement Match: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs HARASHIMA
The new KO-D Tag Team Champions are going to defend the belts against the team being called New BURNING. The feud between Daisuke Sasaki and Tetsuya Endo bubbled back up to the surface recently. Endo solidified his dedication to BURNING and got Yuki Iino to join the group. They have since won a tag match against Sasaki & KANON so are feeling confident they will win the titles from them in the rematch.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs X
2. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Hikaru Machida
One year ago Hikaru Machida challenged for the KO-D Tag Titles with Yukio Sakaguchi against the champions ShunMao. Machida lost the match and was pinned by MAO that day. Now one year later Machida wants to get revenge by beating MAO one on one for the DDT Universal Title.
DDT “NARAHA TOWN RESIDENT WRESTLER TOY KOJIMA THANKSGIVING DAY – NARAHA TOWN COME ON!”, 03/03/2024 Fukushima Naraha Sky Arena
1. Toy Kojima Vs X
DDT is going to run an outdoor show at Toy Kojima’s hometown. Obviously Kojima is the first name announced for it.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX 242 Fans
1. Kazuki Hirata & Yuni defeated Akito & Ilusion when Hirata pinned Ilusion with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (11:51).
2. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated MJ Paul with the Brain Claw Press (10:16).
3. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Takeshi Masada & Rukiya when Iino pinned Rukiya with a Lariat (12:09).
4. Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi when Oishi submitted Sumi with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (9:50).
5. Special Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Yoshitatsu defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata when Naya pinned Katsumata with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:18).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Soma Takao & Shota (c) when KANON submitted Shota with the Cobra Twist 2.0 (14:46). *ROMANCE DAWN fails in V4. DAMNATION T.A becomes the 81st KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Bryan Keith with a Running Palm Sole (18:27). *V4 for MAO.
Two title matches highlighted today’s finale for the weekend of shows held inside Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX. The headline match was MAO defending the DDT Universal Title against Bryan Keith, the American bounty hunter who already has a win against him that happened in the USA last year. This time Keith went for a bigger plan of attack, throwing MAO into the corner post with an Exploder Suplex from the ring apron. MAO had scouted his opponent’s finisher the Emerald Tiger Driver and was able to avoid taking it. But Keith was also too tough to be pinned with the Avalanche Michinoku Driver II. MAO used his own Tiger Driver among other moves but couldn’t put Keith away. But the constant attacks took their toll and Keith was finally pinned after being hit with a Running Palm Strike.
At first Keith refused to shake MAO’s hand after the match but that was just so he could bow to him instead. MAO responded with his own bow and then they shook hands. When Keith left the ring, Hikaru Machida suddenly appeared and climbed in. MAO remembers him from a KO-D Tag Team Titles match they had together a year ago. Machida remembers it too and has unfinished business with MAO. He wants to fight him one on one with the Universal Title on the line! MAO accepted the challenge but there was no authority figure at the show today to book the match. MAO told Machida it will have to happen sometime in February because he already has a tag match with TAKA Michinoku scheduled for the next Korakuen Hall show. DDT later confirmed the title match will happen at the 25th February Korakuen show.
New KO-D Tag Champions were crowned when DAMNATION T.A defeated ROMANCE DAWN! Of course there was cheating involved throughout. MJ Paul was at ringside to give his team the numbers advantage whenever the referee couldn’t see it. That put the champions on the ropes. Daisuke Sasaki gave Soma Takao the Pedigree and then hit Shota with a Spear. Shota got a second wind but that was cut off by KANON who submitted him with the Cobra Twist 2.0. KANON bragged about DAMNATION T.A getting their revenge with a complete victory over the team that won the belts from himself and Minoru Fujita. Sasaki then called for Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino to come out and challenge them, not noticing that they had already approached the ring behind him while he was talking. Endo pointed out that he & Iino had already declared their intention to challenge for the KO-D Tag Titles after they won their match earlier in the show. They also beat Sasaki & KANON in Osaka two weeks ago and they expect the same result to happen when the titles are on the line. Backstage Sasaki told the reporters he wants the title match to happen on 7th February because it is DDT’s next show after Korakuen. DDT later confirmed the match will happen there.
Is Yukio Naya starting to figure it all out? He & Yoshitatsu defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata and the finish all came down to him. He got rid of Ueno with a Choke Slam and pinned Katsumata with The World’s Best Back Drop. He said on the microphone that when he joined DDT he ended up making irreplaceable friends, meeting seniors he respects and also got to fight Ueno. Naya wants to show his gratitude to all of them by becoming the best and strongest in DDT. He thinks this is why he will beat Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title fair and square. After listening to his speech, Ueno ignored a handshake and gave him the NeppoWER!! pose instead.
Backstage Yoshitatsu said he noticed a change in Naya from when he wrestles to when he speaks. It reminded him of the time when he was a young lion watching Yoshihiro Takayama from ringside. Takayama was the biggest monster in wrestling back then and Yoshitatsu thinks Naya can become the biggest monster in wrestling today. He sees himself as a link between both and wants to team with Naya more for that reason. Yoshitatsu also said this will not be a teacher-student relationship but a team made up of equals.
The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions may have figured out the key to defending their titles against Hikaru Sato’s team at the end of the month. It all comes down to Danshoku Dieno’s ass! The lightbulb above Jun Akiyama’s head went off after he used the Exploder Suplex position to push HARASHIMA face first into Dieno’s rear end and then shoved Hideki Okatani’s face into the same target. Makoto Oishi was then clear to put Kazuma Sumi in the Fujiyama Knee Lock for the submission victory. D.O.A also have brand new T-shirts on sale so they are determined more than ever to retain the titles and survive as a unit otherwise DDT will get mad at them.
Both Yuni and Ilusion wanted to film the opening match on their phones while they wrestled because that’s what everybody does in 2024. Akito and Kazuki Hirata didn’t understand at first but got into the groove as the match progressed.
DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX 354 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: KANON defeated Yuni with the Cobra Twist (8:07).
2. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Ilusion with an Inside Cradle (10:06).
3. New Year’s Six Major Single Match ~ 30 Count Outside & Sumi Only 2 Count Fall Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Danshoku Driver (8:07).
4. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata, Yoshitatsu & Akito and Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino when HARASHIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato (12:38).
5. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Rukiya with the Knee Butt (12:04).
6. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Yukio Naya defeated Takeshi Masada with The World’s Best Back Drop (12:23).
7. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi when Keith pinned Oishi with the Emerald Tiger Driver (18:57).
One of the ideas DDT put together for its Fan Appreciation Day show was to have MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi bring back NωA for one night only! Unfortunately they lost their match but if you ask MAO that means nothing has changed since NωA were last around. What has changed is the first appearance of Bryan Keith in DDT. He scored the pinfall on Oishi, setting his sights on tomorrow’s match with MAO for the DDT Universal Title. MAO is calling the match an unusual battle of opposites. He is Japanese and fights with an American indies style while Keith is American and uses a Japanese Strong Style! Keith said there have been many wrestlers from Texas who made a name for themselves in Japan and he is going to be next when he gets his bounty from MAO!
Another element in the main event was ROMANCE DAWN getting to fight ShunMao. If Shota can get his way he would like to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against MAO & Katsumata in the future. Soma Takao told him to first focus on defending the belts against DAMNATION T.A tomorrow. They need to because Daisuke Sasaki & KANON attacked them backstage after the show! During the fight Sasaki told ROMANCE DAWN that Shinagawa is their graveyard and DAMNATION T.A will have a party tomorrow when they win the titles. However the champions stood their ground and fought off their attackers.
Out of all of the Special Single Matches that took place on today’s show Hideki Okatani was the only one one the underdog side that did not lose. He didn’t win either but getting to fight Tetsuya Endo to a 15 minute time limit draw is nothing to sneeze at. In fact the final moments of the match saw Endo miss the Burning Star Press and Okatani hit him from behind with a Lariat to the back of the head. The bell rang right as Okatani crawled over to cover Endo.
Rukiya was given a chance to show his toughness because Jun Akiyama was beating him up outside the ring. Rukiya beat the 20 count and also kicked out of the Exploder Suplex. He was finally beaten when Akiyama pulled down one of his kneepads and hit a raw Knee Butt for the win.
Kazuma Sumi really wanted to win his match so he asked Danshoku Dieno if he could only need a 2 Count pinfall to beat him. Dieno talked with Yukinori Matsui about it and agreed on the condition that he got to add a rule too. Dieno then attacked Sumi before that rule was revealed. They fought out of the ring and up to the balcony behind a curtain. Sumi reappeared holding Dieno’s tights and a bare bottom could be seen sticking out from the curtains. Sumi made it back to the ring by the time Matsui counted to 20. But instead of ending the match, Matsui kept counting. It turned out the other rule was a 30 count was applied for being outside the ring! Dieno snuck back into the ring in his thong revealing that the butt in the balcony was not his. It was Makoto Oishi’s butt! Dieno then put Sumi in the Lip Lock and pinned him with the Danshoku Driver.
Before any of the matches began there was a contract signing for the three upcoming title matches in DDT. First was MAO and Keith talking about the Universal Title bout. Keith said he beat MAO once in America and he will do it again in MAO’s home country. MAO said he will never forget the match they had in America. He had Yoshihiko by his side then but this time he cannot find the doll anywhere so he has to fight Keith on his own. He wants the fans to support him as much as he can because he admits it is possible he can lose the title to Keith.
Next up was Kazuki Hirata and Katsumata for the DDT Extreme Title. Hirata has decided on what rules the match will have. It will be a Toy Kojima Challenge Death Match! When a wrestler gets a 2 Count pin Kojima will have to take on a challenge. If Kojima succeeds then that wrestler wins the match! Katsumata convinced Hirata to let him help choose what challenges Kojima will have to do. Hirata said if he wins this match then it will be fate for him to break the record for most Extreme Title defences.
Last was the KO-D Openweight Title match between Yuki Ueno and Yukio Naya. The challenger Naya said he has a strong desire to win the title and will do so with everything he has. Ueno talked about winning the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix and then losing his title shot against Kazusada Higuchi. He expects the strongest version of Naya to come fight him and he wants to beat him to show he is the strongest future DDT has. The two shook hands after signing the contract.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 20/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Yuki Aino, Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Suzume, Arisu Endo & Shino Suzuki
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1A: Kaya Toribami & Haru Kazashiro Vs Yuki Arai & Wakana Uehara
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1B: Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
4. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1C: Nao Kakuta & HIMAWARI Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 1D: Miyu Yamashita & Toga Vs Moka Miyamoto & Juria Nagano
This year’s Max Heart Tournament is about to begin. Tomorrow is all of the Round 1 matches.
DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: KANON Vs Yuni
2. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Ilusion
3. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi
4. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata Vs HARASHIMA & Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yoshitatsu & Akito Vs Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino
5. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
6. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Yukio Naya Vs Takeshi Masada
7. New Year’s Six Major Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Hideki Okatani
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Makoto Oishi Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota
The latest medical woes in the DDT locker room comes from Yusuke Okada. Just like what happened to Chris Brookes last month, Okada discovered he has a tumour in his lower abdomen and will need surgery to remove it. He will be out of action for a while. Toru Owashi is replacing him on tomorrow’s show.
Contract signings for some of the upcoming title matches will be held in the ring before the show begins. Signings will take place for the the DDT Universal Title match happening on Sunday and the KO-D Openweight Title match and DDT Extreme Title match both happening on 28th January.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 4TH “FUTARI WA PRINCESS” MAX HEART TOURNAMENT”, 21/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2A: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Mizuki & Shino Suzuki
2. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2B: Winners Of Match 1B Vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe
3. “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Round 2C: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
Round 2 of the Max Heart Tournament takes place on Sunday.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Kazuki Hirata & Yuni Vs Akito & Ilusion
2. Special Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MJ Paul
3. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
4. Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs HARASHIMA, Hideki Okatani & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Yukio Naya & Yoshitatsu
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Soma Takao & Shota (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith
Bryan Keith has arrived in Japan and ready to get his bounty on MAO!
Okada will be replaced with Ilusion on Sunday’s show.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 11/02/2024 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Single Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Yoshitatsu
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
A first time singles match between Makoto Oishi and Yoshitatsu is happening.
Tsutenkakka will be on the show.
GANBARE☆JOSHI “GANJO EMERALD DRAGON ’24”, 12/02/2024 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Special Single Match: Riara Vs Kizuna Tanaka
Here comes Riara’s best chance so far at getting her first win. Kizuna Tanaka is a young wrestler from WAVE whose parents are Minoru Tanaka and Yumi Fukawa. She debuted around the same time Riara did last year so they should be seen on a similar level reputation wise. However in the time going from debut up to now Tanaka has wrestled in at least double the amount of matches that Riara has so she still has an experience advantage over her. Tanaka herself has yet to win a singles match too from what I could find about her.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NAGOYA”, 12/02/2024 Aichi Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center
1. The 37KAMIINA Vs SCHADENFREUDE International!: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Akito
3. Nagoya Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Yoshitatsu & Yukio Naya Vs Lowther, Jack Kennedy & Kazuma Sumi
Time to look into the local wrestling scene in Nagoya and see what they have to offer DDT. One name familiar to DDT is Lowther. He has made sporadic appearances around DDT a bunch of times through the years. Jack Kennedy is an American who has been with Yanagase Pro Wrestling since 2020. He’s been getting attention in the news this week for his debut acting role as an American soldier in the NHK historical drama “Boogie Woogie”.
DDT “PRO WRESTLING WINTER FESTIVAL 2024 IN JOETSU DAY 2 – INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN NIIGATA”, 18/02/2024 Niigata Dúo CEREZO
1. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine
DDT needed to find an important match to put on their next Niigata show. Danshoku Dieno against the hometown hero Super Sasadango Machine fits the bill I guess.
Happy new year! December featured plenty of CyberFight related appearances in North America. Tokyo Joshi Pro held its second show in USA. They also had two seperate championship matches happening within minutes from each other in two different countries. Konosuke Takeshita remains stuck in AEW limbo, Maki Itoh wrapped up the latest leg of her US bookings, Shota paid a visit to California and MAO partied hard as the end of 2023 counted down to midnight.
So what is there new to expect in 2024 when it comes to international stuff for DDT and its family? I think the focus will be what Yuka Sakazaki will get up to. I will continue following her career using these articles. If she sticks within AEW/ROH then it won’t be much work to see what she gets up to every month. But I want to see her spread out to some of the indies. At least go to Deadlock Pro every now and then. She owes them a match anyway.
Video starts at 11:02. MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023
MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins Vs Shota & J2 Mattioli
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 08/12/2023 Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
1. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal Vs Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita
DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura Vs Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee
SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023 Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA
1. Rebel Storm Vs Shota
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA 400 Fans – Super No Vacancy
7. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly
Video starts at 16:20. MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023 MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. Shota Vs Jr Mattioli
PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Mike Bailey Vs Miyu Yamashita
CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023 Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Nate Webb
———————————————————————–
Results
BLACK LABEL PRO “SLAMILTON”, 02/12/2023 Berwyn Eagles Club, Berwyn, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Rachel Armstrong with the Itoh Deluxe (11:22).
Let’s begin with a show that has become an annual event for Black Label Pro. Six months ago Rachel Armstrong had a match here against Miyu Yamashita so now it was Itoh’s turn to see what the fuss is all about. A naïve Armstrong fell for Itoh’s crocodile tears act but took control using her speed and agility. A Northern Lights Suplex in particular came very close to getting her the win. But Itoh had control for most of the match, trapping Armstrong in the Itoh Special and then building her way up to the Itoh Deluxe to make her tap out.
GCW “WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?”, 03/12/2023 Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn, New York, USA
1. Maki Itoh defeated Mike Bailey with a Cradle (16:14).
Is this the upset of the year? Mike Bailey learned the hard way not to kick Itoh in the head because it is as hard as iron! When the shock of that wore out, Bailey took her seriously, even pulling out the Flamingo Driver that Itoh kicked out of. His frustration led to his undoing because when he grabbed Itoh’s legs to do a Boston Crab, Itoh twisted over and cradled Bailey for the flash pin! Itoh had to console Bailey after the match because he burst into tears over the result.
AEW “RAMPAGE”, 06/12/2023 (Aired 08/12/2023) Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
1. Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal when Hobbs pinned Daniels with The World’s Most Dangerous Slam (8:38).
What was looking to be Takeshita’s only match of the month was teaming up with Powerhouse Hobbs to beat Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal after the latter tried standing up to The Don Callis Family. During the month Don Callis announced that his unit will now be using “Family Rules” for their tag team matches against Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega going forward, which is just their name for Freebird Rules. The storyline they’re doing is falling apart though because Omega is now out of action indefinitely with diverticulitis.
MYSTERY WRESTLING “MYSTERY WRESTLING 5”, 07/12/2023 Centre Aydelu, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
1. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) defeated Jody Threat (?:??). *V3 for Max The Impaler.
There was a surprise International Princess Title match for the fans at this month’s Mystery Wrestling show. Evil Uno runs these events every couple of months, airs them live on his Twitch channel and keeps the VOD on his Patreon. Max The Impaler was brought in for a match against Jody Threat and agreed to put the championship on the line. TJPW gave their authorization and recognizes the result as an official title defence.
MLW “ONE-SHOT”, 07/12/2023 Melrose Ballroom, Queens, New York, USA
1. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) defeated Delmi Exo with the Skull Kick (9:13). *V2 for Miyu Yamashita.
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) (w/ Salina de la Renta & Jesus Rodriguez) defeated Maki Itoh with the Modified Dragon Sleeper (7:27). *V2 for Janai Kai.
Both Itoh and Yamashita were at MLW’s final show of the year, each in a championship match. Itoh was given a big title match against Janai Kai for the MLW World Featherweight Title. She had an unfair disadvantage though because Kai had both Salina de la Renta and Jesus Rodriguez (the former Ricardo Rodriguez from WWE) in her corner to interfere when needed. There was also an unexpected run-in from the masked wrestler Ichiban that distracted Itoh long enough for her to miss a Diving Headbutt. If that wasn’t bad enough, Matt Striker on commentary completely did not understand Itoh’s gimmick. Maybe he had good intentions by trying to put Itoh over as a fighter to be taken seriously but he’s been so bad as a colour commentator for so long he should not get the benefit of the doubt.
Yamashita was at the show to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo. Her opponent is a former MLW Featherweight Champion and brought her best fight to the match. Yamashita kicked out of the Ocean Cyclone Suplex and got Exo up to the top rope for an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment. Yamashita kept the pressure up and Exo was helpless by the time she was beaten with the Skull Kick. The result helps establish Yamashita’s current title reign being about taking on opponents from around the world. Her next challenger will be back in TJPW on 4th January against Masha Slamovich.
DREAMWAVE “UPRISING”, 08/12/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Skull Kick (10:59).
Over to DREAMWAVE where Yamashita appeared on a weekend of shows for them. The first one was an all women’s event where Yamashita beat Shazza McKenzie in a rematch from their ROH bout from earlier this year. DREAMWAVE later announced they will be spinning off a new all women’s wrestling promotion called Uprising: Women’s Athletes so don’t be surprised to see Yamashita show up there in 2024.
MPW “THE LONG NIGHT”, 08/12/2023 MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins defeated Shota & J2 Mattioli when Rose & Hopkins pinned Mattioli with a Sunset Flip & Body Press (?:??).
Shota spent the month of December travelling over to America again for a short tour. Just like last year, Shota found went to the obscure end of the US indies including Millennium Pro Wrestling who welcomed him back with open arms. Shota teamed with one of his opponents from the last excursion, J2 Mattioli to take on a team called 24K. Sadly the team lost when Miggy Rose & Michael Hopkins used a double team Sunset Flip to pin Mattioli. Afterwards Mattioli apologised to Shota for losing and then challenged him to a singles match for the following week. Shota accepted and shook his hand.
DREAMWAVE “GOOD AS GOLD”, 09/12/2023 Knights of Columbus, LaSalle, Illinois, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita & Emi Sakura defeated Zayda Steel & Maggie Lee when Sakura pinned Steel with the Double Arm Backbreaker (8:02).
There was a small change to the match when one of the original opponents Zamaya was bumped up to the semi-main event for the DREAMWAVE Women’s Title. So Yamashita & Emi Sakura instead found themselves teaming up against Zayda Steel and Zamaya’s replacement Maggie Lee. A lot of the match was Steel & Lee working on Yamashita so Sakura can get the hot tag. Still it’s not everyday you get to see Sakura & Yamashita teaming together. They won when Sakura gave Steel the Double Arm Backbreaker and Yamashita gave Lee the Attitude Adjustment, leading to a double pin.
EWF “PRO WRESTLING LUCHA LIBRE”, 09/12/2023 VFW Post 8737, San Bernardino, California, USA
1. EWF Vs The World: Kid Noah defeated Shota (?:??).
An outdoor show held in December doesn’t sound that pleasant even if it’s in California. Shota wrestled twice outdoors during the tour. The first one was at Empire Wrestling Federation where he lost to Kid Noah.
GCW “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM 2”, 09/12/2023 Ukrainian Cultural Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie defeated Nick Gage & Maki Itoh (17:42).
Itoh’s last GCW appearance of the year had Maki Death Kill back together to take on the husband and wife team of Johnny Game Changer & Taya Valkyrie. The match went from a normal two vs two tag into a brawl with chairs and doors being used as weapons. Valkyrie put Nick Gage through one of the doors and then tried giving Itoh the Road To Valhalla. Itoh countered it into a Roll Up but Valkyrie then blocked the counter and grabbed onto Itoh’s tights to pin her for the three count. Itoh demanded a singles match against Valkyrie afterwards.
SKYFIRE PRO “NAVIDAD NIGHTMARE”, 10/12/2023 Bay City Brewing Co., San Diego, California, USA
1. Rebel Storm defeated Shota with the Thunderstruck (?:??).
Shota’s second outdoor match of the month was for Skyfire Pro Lucha Libre. He tried his best to outwrestle his opponent but Rebel Storm stopped him in his tracks with a Headbutt followed by the Twist Of Fate that he calls Thunderstruck.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 The Vermont Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA 400 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku defeated Rika Tatsumi & Amira when Harajuku pinned Amira after the Wasteland War Justice with Max (10:20).
2. Trish Adora defeated Moka Miyamoto with the Lariat (8:42).
3. Mizuki defeated Sandra Moone with the Cutie Special (10:21).
4. Miu Watanabe defeated Hyan with the Tear Drop (8:33).
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta (c) defeated Janai Kai & Shazza McKenzie when Noa pinned McKenzie with the Blizzard Suplex (9:42). *V3 for Free WiFi.
6. Taya Valkyrie defeated Shoko Nakajima with the Road To Valhalla (10:47).
7. Special Tag Match: Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly defeated Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh when Slamovich pinned Yamashita with the White Knight Driver (18:00).
MPW “NAUGHTY OR NICE 2023”, 15/12/2023 MPW Academy, Chatsworth, California, USA
1. J2 Mattioli defeated Shota with the Playmaker Lariat (?:??).
The match between Shota and Mattioli was a mostly friendly back and forth match between the two. Mattioli ended up using his Playmaker Lariat to win, capping off a year he was really happy with.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “HOLIDAY IN LA”, 17/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Keita defeated Shota (?:??).
2. Miyu Yamashita defeated Mike Bailey with the Skull Kick (?:??).
Okay so this month we found out that Bailey’s weakness is Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. He lost to Itoh in GCW and here in Pandemonium Pro he lost clean to Yamashita! There were no tears in this one, instead these two tried to kick the tar out of each other!
Shota completed his USA tour by making Pandemonium Pro his final stop. Originally he was going to face Vinnie Massaro but that guy is busy living it up on a NOAH tour right now. So Shota was given the newcomer Keita as a replacement opponent. Keita made the most of this opportunity and beat the more experienced Shota.
AEW “WORLDS END”, 30/12/2023 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, USA
1. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Sting & Darby Allin defeated Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Powerhouse Hobbs & Konosuke Takeshita when Guevara pinned Starks with a Shooting Star Press (15:42).
What a mess this storyline has turned out to be. Omega falling ill meant that he and Jericho couldn’t go ahead with challenging Ricky Starks & Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Titles so they had to throw in The Don Callis Family, Sting, Darby Allin and the return of Sammy Guevara to make it an 8-Man Tag Match. Takeshita was not part of the lineup when the match was made but then a day later AEW swapped him into the match and took Kyle Fletcher out. Then on the day of the show allegations of Jericho’s past behavior resurfaced online from Nick Hausman as part of Jericho’s online spat with a lawyer with a that could not have been handled any more uglier than it did. Almost everybody except the alleged victim is coming out of it as a bunch of massive scumbags. So come to the part of the show when the match happened and there was an uncomfortable atmosphere that could be felt through the screen as the match went on. I wish I could instead focus on Takeshita getting to wrestle Sting and throw Allin around like he’s Yoshihiko but everyone watching was in a bad mood over what emerged throughout the day.
CIRCLE 6 “KING OF THE DEATHMATCHES”, 30/12/2023 Don Quixote, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. King Of The Deathmatches – Round 1 – Ultraviolent Baptism: Bobby Beverly defeated MAO with the Fisherman DDT (?:??).
How about taking part in a deathmatch tournament to bring out the end of the year? MAO entered the King Of The Deathmatches that was being held by Circle 6 and faced Bobby Beverly in the 1st Round. MAO brought along chairs and plastic boxes but soon smashed lighttubes over his opponent. He also put Beverly through a bunch of chairs with a Double Arm Piledriver and used high flying moves but couldn’t get the win. A triple Low Blow spot that also included the referee brought the match back to an even fight. Wooden skewers were stabbed into each other’s heads and Beverly smashed MAO with lighttubes before pinning him with the Fisherman DDT.
CIRCLE 6 “BARROOM BLITZ”, 31/12/2023 Knucklehead Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Nate Webb with the Diving Radio Silence from the Bar Counter (?:??). *V3 for MAO.
MAO stuck around in Circle 6 on New Year’s Eve so he could defend the DDT Universal Title against Spyder Nate Webb. The match went outside to Santa Monica Blvd so they could fight on the street as traffic drove by.
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Upcoming Appearances
MLW “KINGS OF COLOSSEUM”, 06/01/2024 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Nao Kakuta
2. MLW World Featherweight Title: Janai Kai (c) Vs Hyper Misao
TJPW’s working relationship with MLW continues into the new year. Hyper Misao has been selected to be Kai’s next challenger for the MLW Featherweight Title.
Also happening on the show is a TJPW offer match between Moka Miyamoto and Nao Kakuta. Miyamoto is only just now starting to wrestle abroad while Kakuta has already done it a few times in 2023. The two matches here are a little glimpse of what TJPW in Philadelphia will look like next April.
GCW “NO COMPADRE”, 12/01/2024 Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
1. Maki Itoh, Effy & Allie Katch Vs Matt Cardona, Steph de Lander & Broski Jimmy
Itoh and Bussy all share grudges with Matt Cardona & Steph de Lander so it was inevitable that Maki Death Bussy would join forces to take on Deathmatch Royalty. The latest development in the story is Cardona forced Jimmy Lloyd to become his new disciple in GCW, turning Lloyd into Broski Jimmy.
GCW “56 BIRDZ”, 13/01/2024 Valley Dale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs Tony Deppen
The day after that Itoh will take on Tony Deppen in a first time match. GCW at times have promoted Deppen as their gatekeeper. A win for Itoh here could be a sign of things to come for her in GCW.
F1RST “WRESTLEPALOOZA – NIGHT 2”, 14/01/2024 First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
No match announced yet for Itoh’s appearance at F1RST.
SPW “CHAMPIONS NEVER YIELD 2”, 19/01/2024 Foo Chow Building, Singapore
1. Mizuki Vs Alexis Lee
2. SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Da Butcherman & Dr. Gore
In November 2022 CDK defeated The Horrors to win the SPW Southeast Asia Tag Team Titles. Now after more than a year later comes the rematch. Dr. Gore got to wrestle in Japan for a little while and gain some experience while Da Butcherman kept himself busy in Singapore. There is a chance the match might not go ahead because Chris Brookes had surgery this month to remove a tumor from his abdomen. At the time of writing there is no decision made yet on when he can start wrestling again. But even if he can’t make the trip, Masahiro Takanashi still will.
SPW’s own Alexis Lee continues to be the opponent of choice for joshi coming into Singapore. She lost the Queen Of Asia Title to Yuki Kamifuku last month but is looking to bounce right back with a win against Mizuki.
SETUP “BANGKOK SHOWDOWN”, 20/01/2024 The Circus Studio, G Village, Bangkok, Thailand
1. IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Kevin Weng & Pondhub Vs Anont Alonzo & Mister Suchart
If CDK can go ahead with travelling together in January then they have a tough challenge waiting for them in Thailand. SETUP is making them defend the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Titles in a 3 Way Match against St. John Innocent College and THE GOOD DEAL. CDK won the titles from THE GOOD DEAL in an impromptu match bck in October. But even though the former champions are getting a rematch, they have to share it with St. John Innocent College. That kind of multi-man chaos is an environment that CDK benefits from.
GCW “LOOK AT ME”, 26/01/2024 Egypt Shrine Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
1. Maki Itoh Vs X
What will await Itoh in Florida next month?
BZW “X”, 03/02/2024 Salle Jacques Brel, Faches-Thumesnil, France
1. Yoshihiko Vs X
2. MAO Vs X
MAO is coming to France and he’s brining Yoshihiko with him! Also Minoru Suzuki and KUSHIDA are booked for the show too. Banger Zone Wrestling won’t know what hit them.
TNT EXTREME “MERSEYSIDE MASSACRE”, 04/02/2024 Hanger34, Liverpool, England
1. Yoshihiko Vs X
Yoshihiko heads over to Liverpool the next day for TNT Extreme. Surely not by itself though.
DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN OSAKA”, 09/12/2023 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul Vs Yuki Iino & Rukiya
2. Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi Vs Akito & Kazuma Sumi
3. Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs MAO, Toy Kojima & Ilusion
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Kazuki Hirata (0) Vs Rei Saito (2)
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) Vs KANON (2)
6. All Asia Tag Team Titles: Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada
7. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) Vs HARASHIMA (2)
8. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (3) Vs Tetsuya Endo (2)
The D-Oh Grand Prix continues tomorrow. A Block still has everyone in the race so it’s only fair to have Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi Vs HARASHIMA be the top two matches of the show. But over in B Block Yukio Naya is one more step towards cleaning up the entire group if he beats KANON. The Kazuki Hirata Vs Rei Saito match is pretty much just for pride at this point. Not that Hirata has that much pride to begin with but you know what I mean.
Eruption are also back from the Real World Tag League looking to shake off their middle of the table finish. They might have a long line of challengers forming up in front of them so they need to retain the All Asia Tag Team Titles against BURNING if they have any intention of dealing with that.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’24”, 04/01/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Aja Kong Vs Wakana Uehara
2. Rina Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
3. International Princess Title: Max The Impaler (c) Vs Yuki Arai
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Masha Slamovich
Last night in the space of about half an hour there were two Tokyo Joshi Pro title matches taking place in North America. Over in Quebec, Canada Max The Impaler had a surprise International Princess Title defence at the Mystery Wrestling show put together by Evil Uno. Max defeated Jody Threat in the semi-main event. Word of the match reached back to TJPW and they officially recognize it as Max’s third successful title defence. That now means if Max beats Yuki Arai on 4th January they will tie the current record for most IP Title defences in a single reign at four wins.
Then as soon as that match had finished Miyu Yamashita was entering the ring in New York, USA to defend the Princess Of Princess Title against Delmi Exo at an MLW show. She won that match to earn her second defence in this latest title run. Maki Itoh was also on the show but she lost to Janai Kai in a match for the MLW World Featherweight Title. I’ll write more about the matches on the next DDT Around The World article at the start of next month.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/01/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. Something by HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, etc.: X Vs X
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno, MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toy Kojima & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy
The three main members of DISASTER BOX are all putting their heads together to book something for DDT’s first visit to Shinjuku FACE in 2024. Whatever it is the three of them will be involved along with others.
1. Legendary Hostess Vs The Toughest Girl In Osaka: Riara Vs Momoka Hanazono
When Ganbare☆Pro heads to Osaka in the new year Riara takes on Momoka Hanazono. This joshi wrestler’s nickname may not match with all of the flowers and bubbles she surrounds herself with but it is still accurate. Hanazono has a background in rugby before becoming a pro wrestler.
HARASHIMA, Soma Takao, Ilusion, Tyson Maeguchi and Banny Oikawa will all be on the show.
DDT “NEW YEAR FAN APPRECIATION DAY!”, 20/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima Vs Bryan Keith, Soma Takao & Shota
Three days of DDT appearances await for Bryan Keith in the new year. He makes his Japanese wrestling debut here by teaming with ROMANCE DAWN against The 37KAMIINA. Keith was an opponent for Shota during Shota’s US excursion last year.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024 TOUR IN SHINAGAWA”, 21/01/2024 Tokyo Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Bryan Keith
The next day Keith gets the match MAO has been demanding. The DDT Universal Title is on the line for this rematch from West Coast Pro during the summer. Keith won the first battle and MAO wants revenge! What happens to a bounty hunter when it’s time for them to repay a debt?
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Naruki Doi
Keith’s third and last appearance on this tour will be at Korakuen Hall near the end of the month.
DDT “D-OH GRAND PRIX 2023 IN SHINJUKU DAY 2”, 03/12/2023 Shinjuku FACE 266 Fans
1. Special Tag Match: KANON & Demus defeated MIKAMI & Kazuma Sumi when Demus pinned Sumi with La Valagueza (10:36).
2. HARASHIMA, Akito, Toy Kojima & Takeshi Masada defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Yusuke Okada & Rukiya when Masada pinned Rukiya with the Masada Power KOBU Mukimuki (8:58).
3. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) defeated Kazuki Hirata (0) with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:39).
4. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Yuki Iino (0) with the Burning Star Press (13:36).
5. D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (3) Vs Daisuke Sasaki (1) ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).
6. DDT Universal Title – D-Oh Grand Prix 2023 – B Block: MAO (c) (4) defeated Chris Brookes (2) by Countout (21:34). *V2 for MAO.
1. Yukio Naya (6)
2. MAO (4)
3. Rei Saito (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
-. KANON (2)
6. Kazuki Hirata (0)
In an unusual turn of events MAO came out before any of the D-Oh Grand Prix matches began and demanded his bout with Chris Brookes be for the DDT Universal Title and also be moved to the main event. What prompted this was the announcement of American independent wrestler Bryan Keith coming to DDT in January. Hisaya Imabayashi was confused by MAO’s actions but when Brookes agreed to it he went through the proper channels to make it happen. The main event itself played off of last year’s D-Oh match between MAO and Brookes where they both purposely fought to win by countout. They took the action all over the room. Brookes used tape to stick MAO flat onto a table but Shunma Katsumata & Toy Kojima lifted him back to the ring. SCHADENFREUDE International then interfered after a ref bump and had to be fought off by The 37KAMIINA. Outside the ring Brookes gave MAO the Praying Mantis Bomb onto a counter but couldn’t crawl back to the ring in time because his legs were all taped together. MAO however recovered and jumped off the counter across the aisle onto the ring apron to beat the 20 count and win! It is a successful title defence and MAO now wants to have a Universal Title match against Keith when he shows up next month.
Yuki Ueno now leads the B Block in the early going but only just. He scraped a point by going to a 30 minute draw against Daisuke Sasaki. The match was a struggle for Ueno to get going because MJ Paul was there to help Sasaki when needed. He could have won when he hit the Jul.2 but Paul pulled away the ref during the pin. Sasaki got his second wind to go back and forth with Ueno. By the time Sasaki took him down with a Spear, the bell rang and the match ended without a winner. Ueno said whenever he has momentum, Sasaki is always there to get in his way and today’s result is not good enough. He wonders if the next time he fights him will the KO-D Openweight Title be on the line? Sasaki’s hopes of winning the tournament have gone the complete opposite from yesterday. He thinks if he can’t beat Tetsuya Endo in the next match it will be all over for him. So therefore Sasaki claims if he loses to Endo then that will be his retirement match! Nobody believes him so he made sure the reporters wrote that down.
It was time to see how the new and improved Yuki Iino could fare against Endo. He was fired up from the start but Endo used that eagerness against him. Iino charged around ringside but kept missing his target, instead running over Yusuke Okada or crashing into a row of seats. Back inside the ring the smaller space meant Iino was able to hit Endo with Spears and other tackles until Endo caught him with the Tetsuya In The Sky. Iino withstood the attacks for as long as he could but he was pinned with the Burning Star Press to end the match. The two shook hands afterwards. Endo credited the win to Iino’s lack of stamina being his weak point. He is sympathetic to him because they were both part of units that were forced to split up. Where the reborn Iino will end up is anyone’s guess.
The B Block is currently being ruled by Yukio Naya. With three wins out of three matches last year’s runner up must be having a good time out there. He got to party during today’s match because his opponent was Kazuki Hirata and that meant Hirata GO! glasses being used to set up a dance battle! The two danced together then started fighting along to the music. It ended with Naya pulling off his glasses and giving Hirata The World’s Best Back Drop to win. Naya said he loves this part of DDT and knew what to expect. He was one step ahead of Hirata the entire time. Hirata’s next match is with Rei Saito and he is not looking forward to that. He asks Saito to please be considerate towards him. Hirata also believes it would be impossible for him to dance in All Japan because the heels there will crush him if he makes any mistake.
DDT “GET ALIVE 2023 IN OSAKA”, 19/11/2023 Osaka Edion Arena #2 354 Fans – No Vacancy
1. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Kazuma Sumi & Yuni when Okada pinned Sumi with the Sudden Death (8:58).
2. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Tsutenkakka defeated Danshoku Dieno & Ilusion when Tsutenkakka pinned Ilusion after the Stunner from Takagi (8:32).
3. KANON & MJ Paul defeated Akito & Rukiya when KANON pinned Rukiya with the Vietnam Driver II (9:30).
4. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Takeshi Masada with the Crossface Lock (11:10).
5. Special Hardcore 6-Man Tag Match: The Great Nita, The Great Koji & HARASHIMA defeated Jun Akiyama, Bodyguard & Makoto Oishi when Nita submitted Oishi with the Chain Hanging (9:23).
6. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Demus with the Cannonball 450 (14:38). *V1 for MAO.
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Road To D-Oh Grand Prix Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Chris Brookes, & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yukio Naya & Kazuki Hirata (c) when Ueno pinned Hirata with the WR (23:38). *Yuki Ueno becomes the 1,594th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: MAO defeated Yuki Ueno (c) with a School Boy (8:18 pm). *MAO becomes the 1,595th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: The Great Koji defeated MAO (c) with a Cradle (8:19 pm). *The Great Koji becomes the 1,596th champion.
Several of the participants in the D-Oh Grand Prix faced off in a 6-Man Tag main event. Yuki Ueno got the win for his team, pinning Kazuki Hirata to become the new Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion in the process. That didn’t last long because after his victory speech MAO rolled him up to win the title and then he lost it to The Great Koji. But more on that later. The wrestlers in the main event all gave their comments for the upcoming tournament after the show. Ueno said what happened to him today is a reminder not to make any stupid mistakes. His goal is to win the D-Oh so he can nominate Konosuke Takeshita as his next challenger. Kazusada Higuchi is taking part not only as a representative of Harimao but also as one half of the IRON FIST Tag Team Champions in BASARA so he is tightening up his game. Yukio Naya wants to make up for last year’s disappointment of finishing as the runner up. His first opponent is Chris Brookes and Naya is confident he will beat him. Brookes said he won the King Of DDT and KO-D Openweight Title this year so he is going to win the D-Oh and make it a “Perfect Three”. Tetsuya Endo said four of the wrestlers in the main event are champions but he isn’t one of them. He not only wants to become a champion again, he also wants to see how much of an impression he can leave on fans. Last but not least, Kazuki Hirata announced he is now graduating from the main event scene! He’s tired of it and it’s starting to dawn on him just how difficult the D-Oh is going to be. He still wants to win it though no matter how dramatic it will get.
MAO found himself a tricky first challenger for the DDT Universal Title but he figured him out by the end. Demus mixed together some lucha submissions with a few dirty tactics and his Kinniku Buster finisher, La Valagueza. However MAO kicked out of it and when Demus used the referee as a shield, MAO leapt over him to catch Demus with a Stunner. MAO eventually hit the Cannonball 450 to win and keep the title. He praised Demus for being an interesting opponent the likes of which he never fought before. MAO wants this title reign to show fans different worlds of pro wrestling. He has not decided on his next challenger yet. Instead his focus is on the D-Oh. Demus, using Daisuke Sasaki as his interpreter, said MAO’s style of Lucha Libre is the Tohoku style while his own lucha is world class. He thinks the next challenger should be his wife Hiroka because she is more stronger than he is!
Today DDT got to experience The Great Nita and a new tag partner very similar to him. Atsushi Onita’s alter ego now has an ally in the form of The Great Koji, a new alter ego for Toy Kojima. Together with HARASHIMA they had a chaotic fight against Jun Akiyama, Bodyguard & Makoto Oishi. It ended with Nita & Koji both using a chain to hang Oishi by the neck over the ring apron until Oishi gave up. Backstage Nita & Koji gave a hint that they next want to fight for the All Asia Tag Team Titles. Koji reappeared at the end of the show to win the Iron Man Title. In the aftermath DDT determined that Toy Kojima and The Great Koji are completely different people. That means the Iron Man Title will change hands again only when Koji loses to somebody, not Kojima.
Bodyguard is sticking around a little bit longer because he has a problem with D.O.A. His theme song is called “DEAD OR ALIVE” so it is unacceptable that somebody else in wrestling is using the phrase! He challenged D.O.A to a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. If D.O.A wins then they get his blessing to continue using the name. But if Bodyguard wins he gets the titles and the team name! He wants his team to be completely made up of wrestlers from Osaka. Tsutenkakka volunteered to be part of the team and was accepted. Bodyguard said he will decide on the other member when the date of the title match is determined.
In the lead up to the show Daisuke Sasaki teased his match with Takeshi Masada was going to be Hair Vs Hair. He even took out a pair of scissors during the match and tried to cut off Masada’s locks. Masada fought back to take the scissors off him and he tried to cut Sasaki’s hair too. The rest of the match went on without incident.
Danshoku Dieno continues to fill his mouth with wasabi paste to power up the Lip Lock.
DDT “GET ALIVE 2023 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 16/11/2023 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Single Match: Demus Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. 53rd KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions 1-DAY Tournament – Round 1: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi
3. 53rd KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions 1-DAY Tournament – Round 1: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toy Kojima Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
4. Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku Vs Noriyuki Yoshida & Rukiya
5. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Did you Know!? Past → Present DDT Trivia King Death Match: Kazuki Hirata (c/c) Vs MIKAMI
6. Soma Takao, Shota, Tetsuya Endo & Yukio Naya Vs Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Akito
7. 53rd KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions 1-DAY Tournament: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
A public contract signing for this weekend’s DDT Universal Title match will be held before the show begins. Both MAO and Demus will be there for it.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO/PRESTIGE “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”, 14/12/2023 ???, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. Miu Watanabe Vs Hyan
2. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh Vs Masha Slamovich & Killer Kelly
Uh… so everybody just found out overnight that The Globe Theatre has suddenly shut down without warning. Prestige are now searching for a new venue in Los Angeles to host “COMBAT PRINCESS USA”. They are confident the show will go ahead somewhere in LA on 14th December as scheduled.
“NEW YEAR’S EVE PRO WRESTLING 2023 ~TOSHIWASURE! SHUFFLE 6-MAN TAG TOURNAMENT~”, 31/12/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1A: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
2. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1B: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
3. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1C: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
4. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Round 1D: DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X Vs DDT X, Big Japan X & Dream Slot X
5. X Vs X
6. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1A Vs Winners Of Match 1B
7. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Semi Final: Winners Of Match 1C Vs Winners Of Match 1D
8. X Vs X
9. Shuffle 6-Man Tag Tournament – Final: X, X & X Vs X, X & X
Bati Bati F’N In The Sky: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sekimoto & Fuminori Abe Big Bombers Kai: Yukio Naya, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Minoru Suzuki Team Katagi Returns: Kazusada Higuchi, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Kinoshita Anal Destruction Hidaka: Danshoku Dieno, Daichi Hashimoto & Ikuto Hidaka The Kind People: Chris Brookes, Kazumasa Yoshida & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Lonely Hot College Students: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Aoki & Koji Iwamoto Smile Lizard Gorilla: HARASHIMA, Kota Sekifuda & Yuji Hino Go For It! The Three Detained Brothers: Hideki Okatani, Yuki Ishikawa & Brahman Shu (w/ Brahman Kei)
The teams for the New Year’s Eve tournament are all gathered together and names have been made for all of them. The tournament brackets will be revealed as soon as they are determined.
DDT “NEW YEAR’S CURRENT BLAST! 2024”, 14/01/2024 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
1. Current Blast Death Match: Atsushi Onita & Toy Kojima Vs X & X
Atsushi Onita returns to DDT to celebrate the new year with an explosion death match. Toy Kojima will also be part of the match.