Ultimate Tag League Opening Day, Ueno Challenges Akito, DDT Vs Kongo

May 6, 2021

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2021 IN KORAKUEN HALL!!”, 09/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Toui Kojima
2. 4 Way Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Yukio Naya Vs Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Keigo Nakamura
3. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Iino
4. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yusuke Okada
5. Naomi Yoshimura Return Match: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
6. Ultimate Tag League 2021: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
7. Ultimate Tag League 2021: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino

The opening day of Ultimate Tag League 2021 will be held without an audience. The winning team at the end of the tournament receives a 1,000,000 yen prize and will be considered strong contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Eruption see themselves as the favourites because they are the former champions. Kazusada Higuchi wants to prove they are the strongest while Yukio Sakaguchi wants to get revenge on Smile Pissari and win back the belts. Makoto Oishi thinks Junretsu will win as long as he doesn’t lose any of the matches. Both members of The 37KAMIINA team have gained confidence recently, Konosuke Takeshita from his AEW excursion and Shunma Katsumata from wrestling in death matches. Daisuke Sasaki believes he needs to beat Takeshita in the first match to fully recover from his broken ribs. Sasaki suffered that injury during his D-Ou Grand Prix match with Takeshita last year. Yuji Hino admits he isn’t good competing in leagues so he’ll leave it to Sasaki to steer the team to victory. Antonio Honda is concerned with the state of his knees as the league goes on. Out of all the wrestlers in the league, he has the lowest level of crisis management. It doesn’t help that his first match is against Jun Akiyama’s team. At least Chris Brookes feels spiritual when he is near Honda so they should work well together.

DDT “AUDIENCE 2021 TOUR IN FUKUOKA (NIGHT)”, 29/05/2021
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Akito

Yuki Ueno is delving into his out of ring career for his next DDT UNIVERSAL Title defence. Akito hired him to manage the Dropkick Bar then left him high and dry when it came to giving any advice. That’s pretty much how DDT has been run for most of its existence. So this title match is personal to him. Shota admits that he can’t compete with Ueno on his current run but that doesn’t mean he cannot beat him. This is a challenge Akito will relish.

Azul Dragon will be on the show.

DDT/NOAH/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GANBARE☆PRO “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”, 06/06/2021
Saitama Super Arena

0. STARTING BATTLE ~ Staggered Admission Battle Royal: Yoshiaki Yatsu Vs X
0. STARTING BATTLE MAIN ~ Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Offer Match: X Vs X
1. DDT Vs NOAH Battle: Yuki Iino, Keigo Nakamura & Toui Kojima Vs Junta Miyawaki, Kinya Okada & Yasutaka Yano
2. Match Provided By NOAH: Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada & Hajime Ohara Vs Yoshinari Ogawa, HAYATA & Seiki Yoshioka
3. DDT Vs Kongo Full Scale 14-Man Tag Team Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Naomi Yoshimura, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani Vs Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya, Manaby Soya, Haoh, Nioh & Tadasuke
4. DDT Vs NOAH Battle: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura
5. Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
6. GHC Heavyweight Title: Keiji Muto (c) Vs Naomichi Marufuji
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs HARASHIMA

Some big additions to the show. The Princess Of Princess Title match went on a major turn and is now Miyu Yamashita against Yuka Sakazaki in a rematch of the 2020 Ittenyon show. Also added is a massive DDT versus Kongo inter-promotional match. Kongo’s leader Kenoh still hates that Sanshiro Takagi is his boss and also a powerful figure in control of NOAH.

All 22 members of the full time Tokyo Joshi Pro roster will be wrestling on the show. That means everybody except for NEO Biishiki-gun and Yuki Arai. However that does not mean the entire rosters for DDT, NOAH and Ganbare☆Pro will be booked. There’s still more matches and spots to be announced but it sounds like there will be a few absences when the line up is complete.


DDT “MAX BUMP 2021” Results

May 4, 2021

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021”, 04/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0 Fans

1. 3 Way Match To Bring Back The Smile On Kikutaro’s Face After All He’s Been Through: Kikutaro defeated Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda when Kikutaro submitted Dieno with the Jail Hold (7:11).
2. Akito defeated Mad Paulie with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (7:59).
3. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, Yukio Naya, Chikara & Nabe Yakan (c) defeated Keigo Nakamura, Hideki Okatani, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Takagi pinned Nakamura with the Sit Down Himawari Bomb (9:17).
*V1 for Team Thoroughbred.
4. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Yuji Hino and Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Iino when Takeshita pinned Iino with the MADMAX (11:26).
5. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes (E/c) defeated Saki Akai (I/c) with the Praying Mantis Bomb (17:38).
*V2 for Chris Brookes. Chris Brookes becomes the 1,507th Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion.
6. Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Yusuke Okada defeated HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Oishi pinned Hirata with the Blue Dahlia (11:42).
7. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Soma Takao with the WR (25:39).
*V5 for Yuki Ueno.

The empty Korakuen Hall doubleheader concluded with DDT’s evening show. For weeks Soma Takao has been a mixed book by provoking Yuki Ueno while acting like he has no real interest in winning the DDT UNIVERSAL Title. Apparently under the motivation to expose Ueno as a weak champion, Takao told the rest of DAMNATION at ringside not to interfere in the match. Ueno took control at first but when Takao was on the offensive, he poured over his opponent’s head to provoke him. Ueno got revenge when they fought outside the ring. He grabbed the can, poured what was left over Takao’s head and then Moonsaulted off of the entrance gate. Back in the ring the Gin And Tonic was blocked. Even an attempt to counter the WR into the move wouldn’t work. Takao then went for the Reverse Gory Special Bomb but Ueno slipped out of the move and landed on his feet. In the end, Ueno hit the WR to earn his fifth successful defence.

After the match Ueno said he did his best because of the fans watching at home. He even had fun wrestling against Takao and thanked him for the drink. Hisaya Imabayashi asked Ueno who he wanted to defend against next. He chose Akito. It was Akito who chose him to be the assistant manager of DDT Foods. However Akito’s promise to support Ueno in that role rang hollow because he never helped out. They’ve been close workmates for years so it’s time for them to get even closer with the UNIVERSAL Title on the line. Akito was grateful to be nominated but doesn’t think he can compete with Ueno’s generation. Ueno was about to withdraw the challenge when Akito interrupted him. Akito said he couldn’t compete with Ueno but that doesn’t mean he cannot beat him! He accepts the challenge and the title match will take place in Hakata on 29th May.

Kazuki Hirata had a big target in his sights. “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021” is coming up and Hirata was going to take out a certain figure important to that show. Did he mean Jun Akiyama? No, he meant Makoto Oishi so he won’t be in Akiyama’s corner for the KO-D Openweight Title match. His threats were ignored so Akiyama and HARASHIMA could start the match. When Hirata did get to fight with Oishi, he immediately tapped out to an Achilles Tendon Hold. Toru Owashi had to distract the referee so the match could continue. Yusuke Okada attacked Hirata’s leg and Akiyama then applied a Sharpshooter for another tap out. Owashi again had to grab the ref’s attention so he wouldn’t see Hirata giving up. The match did end when Oishi pinned Hirata with the Blue Dahlia, a Crucifix Driver style move. Akiyama and HARASHIMA had a stare down afterwards. Backstage Akiyama said he doesn’t want his title match with HARASHIMA to be upstaged by Keiji Muto Vs Naomichi Marufuji.

In the double title match, Chris Brookes came out on top against Saki Akai. Brookes was accompanied to the ring by Masahiro Takanashi while Akai had the rest of Eruption by her side. Akai’s big chance to win was by hitting the Quetzalcoatl. Unfortunately she was low on energy and took too much time to go for the pin, allowing Brookes to kick out. Akai had one more chance by Cradling Brookes out of the Praying Mantis Bomb. Brookes kicked out again, struck her with a knee and hit the Praying Mantis Bomb for the win. The two praised each other after the match and Brookes celebrated holding both the DDT Extreme and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Titles.

Konosuke Takeshita was given a rude welcome back from DAMNATION. Daisuke Sasaki led his team to ambush Eruption & Yuki Iino at first, then turn their focus to The 37KAMIINA. Takeshita and Kazusada Higuchi worked together to get rid of Yuji Hino but Hino wiped them out with a Double Lariat. Tetsuya Endo then hit Higuchi with a Sasuke Special out of the ring. Hino was finally stopped with a Spear from Iino but that left Iino alone against The 37KAMIINA. Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated him with their new double team move the MADMAX. It is a Spike Brainbuster with Takeshita doing the Vertical Drop Brainbuster and Katsumata spiking it down with the Springboard X Factor. After the match Takeshita said he and Katsumata are the dark horses to win the Ultimate Tag League 2021. He also has his tag team with MAO continuing to MAO evolve and a tag team with Ueno ready to take on NOAH.

Speaking of NOAH, there was a surprise appearance by Kenoh after Match #3. He called out Sanshiro Takagi to come down to the ring. When Takagi arrived, Kenoh simply apologised for the recent inconvenience he caused when he caught the Coronavirus. Takagi gave Kenoh the Stunner after he bowed. He said it isn’t like Kenoh to be polite like this. Not when he is writing articles in Shukan Puroresu magazine threatening to not show up at “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021” in June. Takagi is ordering Kenoh and the rest of Kongo to wrestle on the show. Kenoh started blasting insults at Takagi and said NOAH is better than DDT. Marufuji is better, Takashi Sugiura is better and even Muto is the more exciting champion! Suddenly Yukio Sakaguchi entered the ring to confront Kenoh. The two stared each other down while Takagi announced a full scale DDT Vs Kongo match to take place in Saitama Super Arena!

Takagi has just been part of a KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles defence with the rest of Team Thoroughbred. They defeated a team of DDT rookies in a match that went all over the place. Nabe Yakan attempted the People’s Elbow on Yuya Koroku but missed. Chikara went for the Sabre Chop but hit Takagi with it instead. Hideki Okatani almost had Takagi beaten in his weakened state. Yukio Naya and Toui Kojima had a back and forth. Takagi brought in the Dramatic Dream bike but Keigo Nakamura knocked him off with a Missile Dropkick. Nakamura then stole the bike and crashed into Takagi with it. Takagi intercepted Nakamura with the Stunner and pinned him with the Sit Down Himawari Bomb.

Akito cut down Mad Paulie to size by targeting his knees. One big Lift put Paulie in his back and when Akito applied the Figure 4 Leg Lock, Paulie gave up.

Poor little Kikutaro wasn’t in the mood for any wrestling. Imabayashi explained to Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda what happened to the guy recently. He was detained in Hawaii for two days and isn’t allowed enter America again. It was up to Dieno and Honda to cheer him up. The problem is everything they did reminded Kikutaro of his traumatic experience. Imabayashi tried to make him laugh with impersonations but that led to Dieno attacking him. Kikutaro finally snapped back to normal and fought Dieno off. Honda then made a Gongitsune joke but this time it was about a Cockatiel. This made Kikutaro angry because it reminded him of his pet parakeet back in America. He got rid of Honda and made Dieno submit to the Jail Hold while shouting “Don’t say Hawaii!” for the win.

It was announced that the winners of the Ultimate Tag League will be given a 1,000,000 yen prize from the sponsors BLACKOUT.


Ultimate Tag League Starto! Hiroshi’s 10th Anniversary Goes Ahead, NOAH’s Big Match For CyberFight Festival

April 30, 2021

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021”, 04/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. 3 Way Match To Bring Back The Smile On Kikutaro’s Face After All He’s Been Through: Danshoku Dieno Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kikutaro
2. Akito Vs Mad Paulie
3. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, Yukio Naya, Chikara & Nabe Yakan (c) Vs Keigo Nakamura, Hideki Okatani, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku
4. 3 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Yuji Hino Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yuki Iino
5. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes (E/c) Vs Saki Akai (I/c)
6. Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
7. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Soma Takao

Two DDT shows in Korakuen Hall during May. The first one has Yuki Ueno defending the DDT UNIVERSAL Title against Soma Takao, the double championship match between Chris Brookes & Saki Akai and a KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles defence.

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2021 IN KORAKUEN HALL!!”, 09/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Toui Kojima
2. 4 Way Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Yukio Naya Vs Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Keigo Nakamura
3. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai & Yuki Iino
4. Naomi Yoshimura Return Match: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
5. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yusuke Okada
6. Ultimate Tag League 2021: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino
7. Ultimate Tag League 2021: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda

The second Korakuen show is the kick off for Ultimate Tag League 2021 as well as Naomi Yoshimura’s return from injury.

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2021 IN SENDAI!!”, 15/05/2021
Miyagi Sendai PIT

1. Akito & Toui Kojima Vs Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani
2. Danshoku Dieno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai
3. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yusuke Okada, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
4. DAMNATION Vs The 37KAMIINA! A Special 6-Man Tag Match Where Tetsuya Endo From Shiroishi City And MAO From Osaki City Will Fight For Miyagi’s Will And Pride!: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & MAO
5. Ultimate Tag League 2021: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
6. Ultimate Tag League 2021: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino

This will be the third of five shows during the Ultimate Tag League. The second show is an empty studio taping on the 10th. No full card has been made yet because DDT doesn’t need to sell tickets for that.

BASARA “BASARA 156 ~TAKAGARI 3~”, 15/05/2021
Takashimadaira Ward Community Center

1. Daichi Kazato Vs Ryota Nakatsu
2. 3 Way Tag Match: FUMA & Yusuke Kubo Vs SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Yasu Urano
4. Takumi Tsukamoto, Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Fuminori Abe, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
5. Hiroshi Rumble: Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs X

The BASARA card that was meant to take place on 5th May is now being used for 15th May. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi gets to celebrate his 10th anniversary after all. The only thing different is Speed Of Sounds being added to Match #2.

DDT/NOAH/TOKYO JOSHI PRO/GANBARE☆PRO “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”, 06/06/2021
Saitama Super Arena

0. STARTING BATTLE ~ Staggered Admission Battle Royal: Yoshiaki Yatsu Vs X
0. STARTING BATTLE MAIN ~ Ganbare☆Pro Wrestling Offer Match: X Vs X
1. DDT Vs NOAH Battle: Yuki Iino, Keigo Nakamura & Toui Kojima Vs Junta Miyawaki, Kinya Okada & Yasutaka Yano
2. DDT Vs NOAH Battle: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Winner Of 4th May 3 Way Match
4. GHC Heavyweight Title: Keiji Muto (c) Vs Naomichi Marufuji
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs HARASHIMA

Over in NOAH their big match for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021” has been decided. It’s Keiji Muto versus Naomichi Marufuji for the GHC Heavyweight Title! So far the match listing on the DDT website suggests that the KO-D Openweight Title match will close out the show but nothing has been confirmed yet. NOAH’s website only lists the matches they are involved in.


Video – Sasaki Vs Kodaka Vs Katsumata For The DDT UNIVERSAL Title

April 29, 2021

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 1”, 06/06/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio
0 Fans

DDT UNIVERSAL Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Isami Kodaka Vs Shunma Katsumata


Kiyomiya Visiting DDT, Yuki Arai Joins TJPW, Ueno Not A Weak Champion

April 14, 2021

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THAT’S J-PW”, 15/04/2021
WRESTLE UNIVERSE

1. Maki Itoh Vs Pom Harajuku

The second “THAT’S J-PW” episode airs on WRESTLE UNIVERSE tomorrow.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021 TOUR IN ASAKUSA”, 15/04/2021
Tokyo Hanayashiki Asakusa Flower Theater

1. Makoto Oishi Vs Toui Kojima
2. Danshoku Dieno & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Akito & Keigo Nakamura
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Yuya Koroku
4. Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
6. Asakusa Specialty! Hana Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Hideki Okatani & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO

NOAH wrestler Kaito Kiyomiya tweeted he will be at the show tomorrow. He wants to have a look at the competition for “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”. He won’t find one of his opponents Konosuke Takeshita there though. He’s over in America wrestling for AEW at the moment.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021 TOUR IN NIIGATA”, 18/04/2021
Niigata Bandaishima Multipurpose Plaza

1. Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino Vs Hideki Okatani & Toui Kojima
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Akito, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
3. Tetsuya Endo Vs Yusuke Okada
4. Gorgeous Matsuno 60th Birthday Commemorative Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO
5. “Celebrity Of Niigata” Super Sasadango Machine Local Triumphant Return!: Super Sasadango Machine, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi

Just to remind everyone, the leader of Junretsu is Makoto Oishi, not Jun Akiyama. However Oishi hasn’t achieved the results that a man with his position should be getting. He can spin that around by winning the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Akiyama right before the Ultimate Tag League 2021 begins. What motivates Akiyama to win is so he can appear on the cover of Weekly Pro-Wrestling again with a cool picture this time. The cover of the current issue shows his head stuck in Danshoku Dieno’s tights and he finds it embarrassing. HARASHIMA is excited to defend the tag titles in Niigata for the first time ever. Yuji Okabayashi is excited to fight against the mighty Akiyama & Oishi. Both Akiyama and HARASHIMA will not let the result of this match shake their confidence going into “CYBERFIGHT FESTIVAL 2021”.

BASARA “BASARA 155 ~GLITTER~”, 20/04/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Yusuke Kubo, Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Daichi Kazato Vs Minoru Fujita, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. 3 Way Match: Fuminori Abe Vs Gouma Vs Yasu Urano
3. FUMA Vs Takato Nakano
4. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT
5. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Masato Kamino

A big test for Takato Nakano fresh off of his match with Isami Kodaka. If it is his time to step up a level then beating FUMA would do that for him.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND 2021 ~WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR DREAMS~”, 04/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki Arai Debut Match: Yuki Arai Vs X

This week Tokyo Sports reported that SKE48 idol Yuki Arai was going to attend this weekend’s Tokyo Joshi Pro show in Korakuen Hall. Arai, who in 2018 wrestled a match in DDT and is a former Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion, was expected to announce she was joining TJPW to become an active pro wrestler and her “re-debut” match was taking place on 4th May. TJPW pushed their announcement to today and confirmed the news is true.

Arai’s previous involvement with pro wrestling outside of DDT was with the Tofu Pro Wrestling project where she used the name Bubbly Arai. When she had her match in DDT, Sanshiro Takagi was impressed with her performance and has held discussions with SKE48 management since then over getting her to continue wrestling. Arai wants to work as both an idol and a pro wrestler so for the moment her deal is to wrestle one match a month while Miyu Yamashita helps trains her. She is currently preparing her theme music and wrestling outfit. One of her goals is to avenge losing the Iron Man Title to Maki Itoh. Also attending the show is another SKE48 idol, Jurina Matsui. She will be there to support Arai.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021”, 04/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Yusuke Okada Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
2. KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles: Sanshiro Takagi, Yukio Naya, Chikara & Nabe Yakan (c) Vs X, X, X & X
3. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Chris Brookes (E/c) Vs Saki Akai (I/c)
4. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Soma Takao

Yuki Ueno is taking it personally when Soma Takao calls him a weak champion. He’s beaten some amazing wrestlers in his title reign and he feels bad for them when Takao pinned him at Korakuen last weekend. It’s a frustrating feeling but it made him think. It would be frustrating for Takao is if he loses to the “weak champion” in a main event championship match at Korakuen Hall. So Ueno convinced Hisaya Imabayashi to make the DDT UNIVERSAL Title match the main event of “MAX BUMP 2021”. Takao complained and said he should be fighting the weak champion in the dark match. He agreed to it anyway because he thinks Ueno will only nominate weak replacements if he turned it down. He got under Ueno’s skin further by pouring a drink over his head during the press conference.

The double title match will not have any extra stipulations added to it. Chris Brookes decided it will be a normal singles match after he thought about Saki Akai’s challenge to him last week. He found out Akai last had a singles title match five years ago and she only got the shot by winning a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. He has a lot of respect for her and wants to show it by facing her in a regular rules match. Akai understands she might lose this match 99 times out of 100 but she will take that chance to become a double champion.

Kikutaro will be on the show. He had trouble travelling to America last month using an ESTA instead of his work visa because it expired. The immigration officer checking him believed he was trying to enter the country illegally to work. Kikutaro claims he was only visiting to sort out a matter with his home in Las Vegas. The result was Kikutaro getting detained for two days and then deported back to Japan. He thinks he was discriminated against and is trying to clear his name through the Japanese Embassy. For now he has to stay in Japan.

DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2021 IN KORAKUEN HALL!!”, 09/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yusuke Okada
2. Naomi Yoshimura Return Match: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki Ueno & MAO
3. Ultimate Tag League 2021: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
4. Ultimate Tag League 2021: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Yuji Hino

Naomi Yoshimura gets his wish. Yuki Ueno will be one of his opponents in his return match. DISASTER BOX will be further represented with HARASHIMA involved. There’s no hard feelings over Ueno leaving the unit for The 37KAMIINA. At least I don’t think there is. MAO will do something to annoy them probably.


TJPW’s 1st Hardcore Match Tomorrow, Dieno’s Middle Finger To Akiyama, Takao Wants The “Weak” Champion

March 31, 2021

Everything should be fine but if the blog suddenly goes quiet for a few days in April it’s because WordPress hid the classic editor function from me again and I would rather throw my laptop out the window than learn to use whatever the hell that Block post format is.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW INSPIRATION”, 01/04/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe
2. Rika Tatsumi Vs Miu
3. Hardcore Match: Hikari Noa Vs Rina Yamashita

A bunch of new Tokyo Joshi Pro projects are starting in April. First up is the debut “TJPW INSPIRATION” show highlighting new experiences for some of the roster. Then there is the show for women only taking place a few days later and just over a week after is the beginning of “THAT’S J-PW”.

Hikari Noa finally gets to take part in a Hardcore match, the first of its kind in TJPW. Let’s just hope Rina Yamashita doesn’t go wild with the piercing spots.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SPRING TOUR ’21 ~THE BULLET~”, 03/04/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Raku Vs Sena Shiori
2. Hikari Noa Vs Mahiro Kiryu
3. Yuki Kamifuku, Mirai Maiumi & Suzume Vs Nao Kakuta, Haruna Neko & Pom Harajuku
4. Maki Itoh Vs Moka Miyamoto
5. Rika Tatsumi Vs Arisu Endo
6. Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino, Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki, Miu Watanabe & Marika Kobashi

It’s 1st April in Japan right now so the April Fool jokes are already being sent out. Like the “news” of Miyu Yamashita joining The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling).

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GO GIRL WOMEN ONLY FREE BOX OFFICE”, 04/04/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Marika Kobashi Vs Pom Harajuku
2. Mirai Maiumi Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao & Raku Vs Nodoka Tenma, Nao Kakuta & Haruna Neko
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Yuki Aino & Mahiro Kiryu
5. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Ito Vs Hikari Noa & Sena Shiori
6. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Suzume Vs Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Arisu Endo

The free show that is exclusively for a women-only audience has reached its capacity of tickets reserved. So it’s going to have the max attendance allowed in the venue on the day.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2021”, 11/04/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toui Kojima
1. Chris Brookes, Saki Akai, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Makoto Oishi, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Keigo Nakamura
2. DAMNATION Vs The 37KAMIINA: Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO
3. Yuya Koroku Debut Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
4. Gorgeous Matsuno Pre-60th Birthday Commemorative Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno

A press conference was held yesterday regarding the contract signings for the two title matches at the next Korakuen Hall show. Danshoku Dieno attended wearing his wrestling gear and spoke about the last time he was in a KO-D Openweight Title match. It was when he lost the title to Daisuke Sasaki at “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2018”. At one point during that match Dieno fought in the ring completely naked and he remembers Jun Akiyama was one of the wrestlers outside of DDT who got angry with him at the time. Akiyama argues that EVERYONE was angry at Dieno over it. When people get angry at Dieno, he can’t help but let out his feelings and give people the middle finger if they don’t like what he’s all about. That’s why he stuck up his middle fingers to Akiyama at the end of the last Korakuen show. Akiyama understands how much DDT means to Dieno and vice versa but he will not forgive him for that behavior. He sees DDT fans on social media are cheering for Dieno to win the KO-D Title one more time, but Akiyama is going to be realistic with them. A grown man in a pink T-shirt shouldn’t be giving middle fingers to people especially for a company with a growing young roster on shows that could potentially be watched by children. He’s going to break the fingers off so Dieno can’t do that anymore.

Kazusada Higuchi is still reeling over losing to Akiyama. He doesn’t like Akiyama Vs Dieno main eventing the show over Eruption defending the KO-D Tag Team Titles against Smile Pissari. Meanwhile Yukio Sakaguchi is confused over why Eruption have been entered into the Ultimate Tag League 2021 when they are the champions. Hisaya Imabayashi explained the tournament is meant to determine the strongest tag team in DDT so it should also involve the tag champions. Sakaguchi disagrees, explaining that the strongest are already the champions and the next strongest team should come and challenge them. He also complained about having to defend the titles against someone from outside DDT. Higuchi added that HARASHIMA changes tag team partners too much. The challengers have a much more positive attitude going into the match. HARASHIMA thinks he and Yuji Okabayashi can light up the wrestling by winning the tag titles. Okabayashi wants to leave Korakuen with a smile on his face and the belts around him and HARASHIMA.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021”, 04/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Soma Takao

Didn’t take long for a new challenger to make himself known. Soma Takao crashed the press conference to complain about having to wrestle Hideki Okatani at the 24th Anniversary show. He doesn’t want to fight weak guys, he wants to fight for more championships. He thinks Yuki Ueno is a weak champion who only defends the DDT UNIVERSAL Title against other weak wrestlers. Ueno has never beaten Takao with his most recent defeat to him happening at the D-Ou Grand Prix. He later accepted the challenge.


Takeshita Gone In April, Akiyama Vs Dieno, That’s J-PW, Normal Of Normal Princess

March 29, 2021

DDT “PEANUTS ARE ALSO A GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN! 2021”, 03/04/2021
Chiba 2AW Square

1. Akito & Toui Kojima Vs Yusuke Okada & Yukio Naya
2. Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai Vs Antonio Honda, MAO & Keigo Nakamura
3. Playfulness Series Act 2: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hideki Okatani
4. Eruption Vs DAMNATION!: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
5. Junretsu Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
6. Uchibo, Sotobo, Dai Boso! Chiba Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Yuji Hino Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Yuki Iino

Konosuke Takeshita made a request to take April off from DDT. He isn’t sick or injured. Instead he wants to take a chance to evolve into something stronger and needs to be away for a month to do it. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it? If it means what I think it means then I couldn’t be happier for the guy. Anyway he returns to DDT on 4th May.

BOYZ “BOYZ BE AMBITIOUS! 2021”, 04/04/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall 2nd Floor

1. Oishi & Okatani Produce Match: Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuki Ueno & Kazuki Hirata
2. Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao Vs Chris Brookes & Jun Masaoka
3. Keisuke Ishii Vs MAO
4. Akito Vs Shota
5. BOYZ Army Vs YaroZ Army Full Scale Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Shunma Katsumata & Toui Kojima Vs Antonio Honda, Yuki Iino & Keigo Nakamura

An email sent from the address new.damnation.japan.com@gmail.com was sent to the DDT office asking for an opportunity to be recruited for DAMNATION. The mystery person asked for Tetsuya Endo & Soma Takao Vs Chris Brookes & Jun Masaoka to take place on the BOYZ show. Oh, and the email is signed under Jun Masaoka’s name. The email was forwarded to BOYZ producer Akito and after some consideration he agreed to put the match together.

YAROZ “YAROZ PART 9 ~THE SAME DAY AND SAME VENUE DECISIVE BATTLE WITH THE FATEFUL BOYZ! NEVER LOSE TO THOSE WHO ARE POPULAR! RAISE UP THE YAROS! SHOW OFF A MAN’S STORY OF BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS!~”, 04/04/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall 1st Floor

DDT’s newest signing Yusuke Okada really wants to be part of the BOYZ brand. Unfortunately everyone else thinks he is more suited to YaroZ whether he likes it or not. So for the BOYZ Vs YaroZ double booking, Okada will be wrestling on the YaroZ show.

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2021”, 11/04/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toui Kojima
1. Chris Brookes, Saki Akai, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Makoto Oishi, Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Keigo Nakamura
2. DAMNATION Vs The 37KAMIINA: Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO
3. Yuya Koroku Debut Match: Yusuke Okada Vs Yuya Koroku
4. Gorgeous Matsuno Pre-60th Birthday Commemorative Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, Toru Owashi & Antonio Honda Vs Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Yuji Okabayashi
6. KO-D Openweight Title: Jun Akiyama (c) Vs Danshoku Dieno

There have been two wrestlers who have either stood up to Jun Akiyama or criticized his role in DDT. Akiyama just dispatched of Kazusada Higuchi so he now has to take care of Danshoku Dieno. Dieno accepted that Akiyama became part of DDT’s history when he signed a contract but the temptation of becoming KO-D Openweight Champion one more time means he cannot stay quiet anymore! If Akiyama hasn’t experienced full blown DDT before, he will now.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THAT’S J-PW”, 12/04/2021
WRESTLE UNIVERSE

Tokyo Joshi Pro is launching a new series of English shows for WRESTLE UNIVERSE. Every week on Monday and Thursday mornings in Japan “THAT’S J-PW” will host an exclusive TJPW match filmed without an audience and a Q&A session, all presented in English. Chris Brookes & Baliyan Akki will provide commentary and the episodes will last around 15 minutes each. Tetsuya Koda explained the name has a double meaning. The J in “THAT’S J-PW” stands for both Japan and Joshi.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021 TOUR IN ASAKUSA”, 15/04/2021
Tokyo Hanayashiki Asakusa Flower Theater

1. Makoto Oishi Vs Toui Kojima
2. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Yuya Koroku
3. Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino Vs HARASHIMA, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
5. Danshoku Dieno & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Akito & Keigo Nakamura
6. Asakusa Specialty! Hana Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Hideki Okatani & Yusuke Okada Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO

While Takeshita is away, the rest of The 37KAMIINA will keep the waters warm without him.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STILL INCOMPLETE”, 17/04/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. International Princess Title: Yuki Kamifuku (c) Vs Nao Kakuta
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Maki Itoh

A criticism that has been aimed towards Nao Kakuta since she started wrestling for TJPW is that she is too normal to stand out. Even her challenge to Yuki Kamifuku for the International Princess Title was considered plain or even a bit boring according to the champion. Kakuta thinks it is fine to be normal. She can be called the Normal Of Normal Princess as far as she is concerned. Her other nickname is “Rat Chaser” (she used to have a catgirl gimmick) and she found her rat in the form of Kamifuku. All she has to do now is catch her! Kakuta also said that she has no senpai or kohai figures in TJPW because she came from somewhere else so she feels comfortable enough to stretch out and use her own fighting styles that she likes.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021 TOUR IN NIIGATA”, 18/04/2021
Niigata Bandaishima Multipurpose Plaza

1. Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino Vs Makoto Oishi & Toui Kojima
2. Tetsuya Endo Vs Yusuke Okada
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Shunma Katsumata
4. Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani Vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yukio Naya
5. Gorgeous Matsuno 60th Birthday Commemorative Match: Gorgeous Matsuno, Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO
6. “Celebrity Of Niigata” Super Sasadango Machine Local Triumphant Return!: Super Sasadango Machine, Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie

The spotlight shines on Super Sasadango Machine and Gorgeous Matsuno in Niigata.

Whether he wins the KO-D Tag Team Titles or not, Yuji Okabayashi will at least be around for another DDT show in April. In a match against Akiyama too.

Match #2. That is all.

GANBARE☆PRO “GANBARE☆JOSHI PRO WRESTLING ~BUTTERFLY DANCE 2021~”, 24/04/2021
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

1. Ganjo Vs Gake no Fuchi Joshi Full Scale Battle: Asuka, Hagane Shinno & Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Chris Brookes, Drew Parker & Miyako Matsumoto
2. Ganjo Jacket Match: Cherry Vs Shuichiro Katsumura

The defence squad has been put together for the Gake no Fuchi Joshi invasion. If Asuka, Hagane Shinno & Shinichiro Tominaga still have the GWC 6-Man Tag Team Titles then it would make for an exciting title defence too.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021 TOUR IN NAGANO”, 25/04/2021
Nagano City Museum of Art Act Space

1. Hideki Okatani Vs Yuya Koroku
2. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
3. DDT Nagano Sales Manager Toru Owashi (Free) Local Triumph! 20th Anniversary Of Debut “Owashi And His Delightful Friends Part 8” Special 6-Man Tag Match: Toru Owashi, Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Yukio Naya

The rookie Yuya Koroku gets to face off with one of his senior classmates in Hideki Okatani.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2021”, 04/05/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X

Defence number 5 on the schedule for Yuki Ueno. Who will step up to challenge him this time?


DDT “DAY DREAM BELIEVER 2021” Results

March 14, 2021

DDT “DAY DREAM BELIEVER 2021”, 14/03/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
508 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Toui Kojima with the Northern Lights Suplex (4:19).
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Top Of The Super Book 2021: The Young Bucks Autobiography “Killing The Business”, Danshoku Dieno & Keigo Nakamura defeated Saki Akai Photo Book “Lip Hip Shake” (c), Saki Akai & Antonio Honda when Nakamura pinned “Lip Hip Shake” with the Exquisite (8:33).
*Keigo Nakamura becomes the 1,500th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Keigo Nakamura (c) with the Rookie Award (6:20 pm).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,501st champion.
2. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie, Konosuke Takeshita & MAO and Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya when HARASHIMA pinned Iino with the Somato (8:44).
3. Junretsu Vs Eruption!: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi ended in a Double Countout (7:44).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Barbed Wire Casket Death Match: Chris Brookes defeated Shunma Katsumata (c) by Casket Burial (14:10).
*Shunma Katsumata fails in V2. Chris Brookes becomes the 51st DDT Extreme Champion!
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino defeated Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) when Takao pinned Shota with the Running Elbow Butt (13:07).
*Young Communication Generation fails in V3. DAMNATION becomes the 43rd KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions!
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Yusuke Okada with the WR (20:01).
*V4 for Yuki Ueno.

The young champion Yuki Ueno took another step up the DDT ladder in what turned out to be a big day for his group. The show began with the DDT Sauna Club revealing it has been renamed to The 37KAMIINA (pronounced “Sauna Kamiina”) to establish itself as a proper stable. Then in the main event, Ueno put the DDT UNIVERSAL Title on the line against Yusuke Okada. He went big with a Flying Hurricanara out of the ring then later kicked out of Okada’s newly named Tricolor. A Dropkick turned the match to his favour and Ueno won with the WR for his fourth defence. Ueno told Okada it was fun to wrestle him and he wants them to have more main events together. He also said The 37KAMIINA will work hard towards being a forwards thinking group in 2021.

The rest of the championship matches on the cards all had title changes. DAMNATION took the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles away from the Young Communication Generation. The defending champions tried using speed but hit a road bump when Yuji Hino got involved. Akito & Kazuki Hirata together couldn’t knock him off his feet and it was only with Shota’s help were they able to get him out of the ring. Tetsuya Endo had an exchange of submission counters with Akito until he wiped out everyone on the floor with the Sasuke Special. That left Shota alone with Soma Takao in the ring. They both ran the ropes and Takao got his strike in first with the Running Elbow Butt. That was enough to get him the three count and bring the belts back to DAMNATION! But they’re not too impressed with the title belts themselves. Backstage Daisuke Sasaki called them 100 yen belts. Endo suggested they leave them behind at the Suidobashi Station when they go home tonight. Takao is at least pleased he took the titles from those bottom feeders at Young Communication.

The Barbed Wire Casket Death Match was dangerous but Yukinori Matsui made sure it wasn’t too dangerous. He prohibited Chris Brookes from using a sickle he brought to the ring with him. All of the barbed wire boards, thumbtacks, ladders, construction signs, chairs and toy blocks were okay though. The casket used was covered in blocks and the barbed wire was found to be inside the casket when it was opened up. Shunma Katsumata also hid a few fire poppers in there to catch Brookes by surprise. Katsumata wasn’t the only person who appeared in Super Hardcore form. Konosuke Takeshita & MAO showed up dressed as druids with Joker facepaint to aid Katsumata with a Springboard Tornado DDT. Katsumata placed Brookes leaning over the casket and climbed the top rope. Brookes got out of the way and Katsumata’s Stuka Splash ended with him landing inside the casket. Brookes closed the lid on top and became the new DDT Extreme Champion! He hammered a few nails into the lid to close the casket shut for good measure. He is very much looking forward to defending the Extreme Title in stupid ways because that is the Dramatic Dream Team way!

The pressure is growing between Jun Akiyama and Kazusada Higuchi as we get closer to their KO-D Openweight Title match. Today Higuchi decided to wrestle barefoot and fought with Akiyama outside the ring. He was thrown head first into the ring post and no sold it. Akiyama did get him off his feet with an Exploder onto the floor. Yukio Sakaguchi intercepted Akiyama with an Apron PK but then Makoto Oishi took out Sakaguchi with a low Dropkick. All four men were unable to get back into the ring and the match ended in a Double Countout. Higuchi thinks now the situation is starting to get interesting. Akiyama is getting serious now, which is what Higuchi has been hoping for all along. He thinks they have to fight this way otherwise it wouldn’t be interesting.

Former stablemates Takeshita and Yuki Iino now have to be opponents for the 4 Way Tag. It’s a chance for new directions and Takeshita proved that by deciding to cooperate with Sasaki when it was offered to him! Iino went wild with Spears, using it to take out Toru Owashi, MAO and then a double one to Sasaki & Mad Paulie. Takeshita made Iino spear Yukio Naya by accident then dropped him with the Last Ride. However HARASHIMA then hit Takeshita with a High Kick and ran away with the win by pinning Iino with the Somato.

In a match that would be a main event in any library around the world, The Young Bucks autobiography “Killing The Business” got its chance to reclaim the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Saki Akai’s photo book “Lip Hip Shake”. But first DDT had to get “Lip Hip Shake” away from Gota Ihashi’s possession. He refused to let it go backstage so Antonio Honda had to knock him out. The match began with the two books squaring off much like Go Shiozaki and Kazuyuki Fujita did. The match was interrupted when Ihashi ran out armed with a plastic spoon. He stabbed Danshoku Dieno with it, then stabbed “Killing The Business” to protect his photo book. Nothing will come between Ihashi and Akai’s photo book, not even the real Akai herself! He knocked her down and climbed the ropes for a Moonsault but Akai rolled out of the way and Ihashi went splat. Dieno gave Akai the Danshoku Driver but was then attack by the photo book! Dieno was almost pinned until Keigo Nakamura broke it up. He placed “Lip Hip Shake” on the canvas and did the Exquisite Springboard Moonsault onto it. Nobody was there to stop the pin and Nakamura became the new Iron Man Champion!

Nakamura wanted to celebrate winning his first ever championship but he got distracted by “Lip Hip Shake”. He gave it a read in the ring and suddenly found himself experiencing an embarrassing moment in public. Akai took advantage and hit the Rookie Award to pin Nakamura and become the new Iron Man Champion. She ran off with the belt, her photo book and Ihashi chasing after her. Backstage Honda said it felt like he was teaming with two Saki Akai’s out there. He also found out the price for other copies of the photo book have risen on Mercari ever since it showed up in DDT.

In the pre-show match, Hideki Okatani defeated Toui Kojima. The had a meeting of chops and elbow strikes that ended with Okatani using a Running Neckbreaker. He then got the win with the Northern Lights Suplex.

Sanshiro Takagi came out after the death match to reveal his team for the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles match on 28th March. His first partner is Yukio Naya, who was busy cleaning up the ring when he found out. Takagi explained that the most important thing in pro wrestling is not physical or technical ability. The most important thing is bloodlines! So Takagi’s team is made up of wrestlers who come from successful families. Naya is one because of his yokozuna grandfather. The second partner is Chikara, the grandson of Rikidozan! Last but not least, filling out the team is comedian Nabe Yakan, whose father was also a successful comedian from the Showa era. Takagi promised to protect these noble bloodlines as they unite to win the 8-Man Tag Titles. Together this team is called Team Thoroughbred!

23 year old trainee Yuya Koroku was introduced to the audience at the start of the show. He will have his debut match on 11th April. He promised to spend the next month working hard preparing for his debut.

Ten years ago the Great East Japan Earthquake happened. When DDT ran their Korakuen Hall show that month, they decided not to record an intro video for the show to preserve energy. Instead the show intro took place live in the ring with all of the wrestlers entering and posing when their match was announced. For the 10th anniversary, DDT did the same thing for today’s show.


Ueno And Okada Speak On UNIVERSAL Title, Barbed Wire Casket Match For Extreme Title

March 10, 2021

DDT “DAY DREAM BELIEVER 2021”, 14/03/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toui Kojima
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Top Of The Super Book 2021: Saki Akai Photo Book “Lip Hip Shake” (c), Saki Akai & Antonio Honda Vs The Young Bucks Autobiography “Killing The Business”, Danshoku Dieno & Keigo Nakamura
2. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie Vs Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
3. Junretsu Vs Eruption!: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
4. DDT Extreme Title – Barbed Wire Casket Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Chris Brookes
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yusuke Okada

A press conference was held in Shibuya’s Abema Towers today to promote two of the title matches taking place this Sunday. For the DDT UNIVERSAL Title match, Yusuke Okada is going into it thinking it is now or never. He is a freelancer and knows the day may come when DDT won’t book him again. This match is his turning point and he will risk his life to become champion. Yuki Ueno is feeling the pressure to be in the main event of a show containing four title matches. It’s a big main event for both because they both have less than five years of experience in the ring.

The feud between Shunma Katsumata and Chris Brookes has come to this. The grudge between them has gotten so bad they will now have a Barbed Wire Casket Death Match to end it once and for all! The winner of the match is whoever puts their opponent into the barbed wire casket and then closes the lid on top. Most weapons will be allowed, except for those the referee thinks are too dangerous. Brookes has some death match experience from his time wrestling in the UK so he thinks the stipulation works in his favour.

Brookes was present for the announcement and said Katsumata was too scared to show up. If he was Katsumata he wouldn’t run away but accept the embarrassment of losing the DDT Exteme Title in four days time. Brookes has won all of his previous singles matches against Katsumata in DDT. Brookes even won one of those matches on his own event the same day Katsumata became the Extreme Champion. He is motivated to win the Extreme Title because his tag partner Masahiro Takanashi is a former champion. Also this is Katsumata’s first singles title so Brookes would love nothing more than to take that from him. Brookes promises to make Katsumata feel the same way he did when Katsumata got his Twitter account banned.

A big surprise came for Brookes at the end when Super Hardcore Katsumata showed up! He attacked Brookes with party poppers, gave him a Low Blow and set off another party popper inside Brookes’ mouth. Katsumata then posed with the title belt with one foot pressing down on Brookes.


Itoh Travels To AEW, The ★ Trans-Am, Bakuretsu Braces For NEO Biishiki-gun

March 8, 2021

AEW “REVOLUTION – THE BUY IN”, 07/03/2021
Jacksonville Daily’s Place

Thunder Rosa & Riho Vs Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. & Maki Itoh (w/ Reba)

Maki Itoh is now in America wrestling in AEW! This is the “scheduling conflict” that took Itoh out of yesterday’s Tokyo Joshi Pro PPV. It caught me by surprise. It shouldn’t have because the hints were there all along but it did. The schedule clash, Itoh telling Miyu Yamashita she was going away for a while, her tweets back and forth with Britt Baker and then her Twitter going quiet for pretty much an entire day. I didn’t put two and two together because I thought there was some sort of quarantine she would have had to take which would make the whole scenario impossible. Turns out all you need to enter Florida is a negative Covid-19 test from the last 72 hours and you’re good to go. Even then it would have been difficult to get from Tokyo on Saturday to Florida on Sunday which is why her appearance was kept as a surprise. The slightest delay in travel would have resulted in her missing the show. But hey, she’s in AEW for now and is already making friends… and reuniting with foes from her past like Thunder Rosa and Riho. Good luck, America. She can be a handful.

DDT “DAY DREAM BELIEVER 2021”, 14/03/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani Vs Toui Kojima
1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Top Of The Super Book 2021: Saki Akai Photo Book “Lip Hip Shake” (c), Saki Akai & Antonio Honda Vs The Young Bucks Autobiography “Killing The Business”, Danshoku Dieno & Keigo Nakamura
2. 4 Way Tag Match: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie Vs Konosuke Takeshita & MAO Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
3. Junretsu Vs Eruption!: Jun Akiyama & Makoto Oishi Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi
4. DDT Extreme Title: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Chris Brookes
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Yuji Hino
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yusuke Okada

The DDT UNIVERSAL Title match main events the show. Yusuke Okada celebrates his 28th birthday today and joked on Twitter he has the face of a 48 year old.

BASARA “BASARA 152 ~GLITTER~”, 23/03/2021
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ryota Nakatsu, SAGAT & Akiyori Takizawa Vs Takato Nakano, Masato Kamino & Yasu Urano
2. Jacket Tag Match: Fuminori Abe & Gouma Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs The ★ Trans-Am
4. IRON FIST Tag Titles: Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura (c) Vs FUMA & Yusuke Kubo
5. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Daichi Kazato

It’s a Trans-Am ★ Reunion. The wrestler previously known as Trans-Am ★ Ryuji lost his name in January after he had a “Dragon Contra Dragon” match against Gouma Ryu. That match ended in a draw so both men lost the “Ryu” related part of their names. As a result of this, Trans-Am ★ Ryuji is now simply being called The ★ Trans-Am.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “STILL INCOMPLETE”, 17/04/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel

The winners of the first “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament is NEO Biishiki-gun. The last thing Sakisama wants is more trophies so she is letting Mei Saint-Michel keep both of them in her room. Instead, Sakisama wants to get something better looking like the Princess Tag Team Titles! It is up to The Bakuretsu Sisters to stop them. Neither Nodoka Tenma or Yuki Aino have ever beaten the previous iterations of NEO Biishiki-gun in title matches though. Like for a lot of the roster, Sakisama is a difficult road block to get past.