DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024 Tokyo Sumida Ward General Gymnasium
0. Dark Match – 3 Way Match: Yuni Vs Ilusion V Kazuma Sumi
1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Keigo Nakamura
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya & Rukiya
3. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) Vs Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sayaka Unagi (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
5. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y
6. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Kazuki Hirata
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Akito
Last week Sanshiro Takagi hatched a plan to get the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title off of Sayaka Unagi. He no longer trusts Unagi to protect the belt after she lost it to an unknown person in America last month and risked it disappearing from DDT forever. Takagi’s plan was to attack Unagi with a pack of Grilled Unagi in her dressing room before a press conference. Takagi choked Unagi with the unagi and she tapped out. The referee was about to hand Takagi the belt when he instead told him to give it to the Grilled Unagi! Sayaka Unagi got revenge during the press conference when she opened the pack of unagi, filled it in a bowl with rice and began to eat it. After taking a few bites, the referee checked on the unagi for any movement and ruled it had been knocked out which means Sayaka Unagi is the champion again! She then promised to defeat Takagi on behalf of all kinds of Unagi.
Keigo Nakamura asked MAO to put the DDT Universal Title on the line in their match. MAO likes the idea because the story of a wrestler winning the title in his comeback match from injury hasn’t happened before with the Universal Championship. He wants to do unprecedented things in his title reign and that matches what he is looking for. Nakamura developed a desire to win that particular championship while he was rehabbing from his injury.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 27/04/2024 Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Nao Kakuta vs Chika Nanase
2. Mahiro Kiryu Vs Kira Summer
3. Maki Itoh & Uta Takami Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Toga
4. Mizuki & Shino Suzuki Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Haru Kazashiro Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI & Runa Okubo
6. Miu Watanabe & Moka Miyamoto Vs Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino
This week Maki Itoh returns from America while Kaya Toribami will be travelling over to America.
BASARA “BASARA 246 ~UTAGE~”, 30/04/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. SAGAT & Gouma Ryu Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
2. Ryuichi Sekine & Masato Kamino Vs Yasu Urano & Yuki Ishikawa
3. Ryota Nakatsu & Fuminori Abe Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster
4. Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Gaia Hox Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Lil’ Kraken
Gaia Hox makes his BASARA debut.
The next challengers for the IRON FIST Tag Team Titles are Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster. They don’t have a date for the match yet so first Ryota Nakatsu will meet them in a prelim match with Fuminori Abe as his partner.
DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ 1ST ROUND”, 05/05/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni, Keigo Nakamura & Yuya Koroku Vs Ilusion, Kazuma Sumi & Rukiya
0. Dark Match: Shunma Katsumata, Akito & Kazuki Hirata Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
1. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1A: MAO Vs Poison Sawada JULIE
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1B: KANON Vs To-y
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1C: Yuki Ueno Vs Sanshiro Takagi
4. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1D: Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki
5. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1E: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya
6. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1F: HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1G: Tetsuya Endo Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Round 1H: Chris Brookes Vs Takeshi Masada
The King Of DDT 1st Round takes up the entire main card lineup so the other matches have to take place on the pre-show.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’24”, 06/05/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Toga Vs Shino Suzuki
2. Mahiro Kiryu, Chika Nanase & Kira Summer Vs Moka Miyamoto, Kaya Toribami & Uta Takami
3. Yuna Manase Vs Runa Okubo
4. Maki Itoh Vs Haru Kazashiro
5. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
6. Yuki Arai & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mizuki & Nao Kakuta
7. Princess Tag Team Titles: Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima
This is the full card for this year’s Tokyo Joshi Pro Golden Week show. Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino are teaming up using the name Burning Dragon. Also coming in is Yuna Manase for her first appearance on a TJPW solo show since October 2022. Runa Okubo is her opponent for her return.
DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 2”, 17/05/2024 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Danshoku Dieno Birthday Eve Commemorative Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs X
2. DDT Extreme Title: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Antonio Honda
There have been so many ways Antonio Honda has left his mark in DDT over the years. Shunma Katsumata believes Honda left his biggest mark with his DDT Extreme Title reigns. So much so that Katsumata now sees it as his mission to make his current reign surpass all of Honda’s. He nominated Honda as his next challenger and will come up with a match stipulation that will fit the Beer Garden vibe.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “NAO KAKUTA GRADUATION COMMEMORATION ~KIMITACHIHA ISSHOUNO TAKARAMONO~”, 25/07/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Nao Kakuta Graduation Match: Nao Kakuta Vs X
The end of July sees Nao Kakuta having her final match and graduating from TJPW.
DDT “SPOILER FREE BOX OFFICE VOL. 1”, 21/04/2024 Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market 312 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Bad Buddy Yuni & Pitochiko Sumi ended in a No Contest when it changed into Yuni Vs Kazuma Sumi.
1a. Bad Buddy Yuni defeated Pitochiko Sumi with a Sleeper Hold (7:50).
2. No Rope Survival 4 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yukio Naya, MJ Paul and Gota Ihashi (7:06).
2a. Yukio Naya eliminated MJ Paul by Ring Out (3:46).
2b. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Yukio Naya by Ring Out (6:43).
2c. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Gota Ihashi by Ring Out (7:06).
3. Special Tag Match ~ No Tag Rules: Yuki Iino & Yuki “Sexy” Iino (Rukiya) Vs Danshoku Dieno & Danshoku Dieno (Takeshi Masada) ended in a No Contest (12:55).
4. Different Martial Arts Special Tag Match ~ Rhythmic Gymnastics & Amateur Wrestling & Student Pro Wrestling Mixed Rules: Akito Nishigaki & Hayabucha defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Hayabucha pinned Koroku with the Firebird Splash (R3 2:59).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tyrannosaurus Inoue, Super Hardcore Katsumata & To-y Vs Takagi Sanshirobo (w/ Mad Dr. Hige), Pakuri Muso & Super Hardcore Chris ended in a Double Countout (14:35).
6. No Tag Rules: Yuki Ueno, Yuki Ueno (MAO), Yuki Ueno (Shunma Katsumata) & Yuki Ueno (To-y) defeated Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata (Kazuma Sumi) & Antonio Honda (Kazusada Higuchi) when Ueno pinned Hirata & Honda with Double Crucifix Pin (27:24).
Today’s show had a stipulation for the audience to follow. Everything that happened had to be kept secret and not be posted on any social media sites until after midnight. DDT also kept the results to themselves until the same time too. To live up to expectations, every match had something unexpected happen unlong with the unusual lineup that was already advertised. Akito would explain after the show the concept was something new that DDT wanted to do in place of the BOYZ and YaroZ events they used to run.
The main event was advertised as a Handicap Match where Yuki Ueno had to fight Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda two on one. Ueno was able to fight them off but just when he was about to win, Kazuma Sumi entered the match as another Kazuki Hirata. Then Kazusada Higuchi climbed into the ring as another Antonio Honda. The numbers soon evened out when Shunma Katsumata & To-y joined the match both acting like Ueno. Tyrannosaurus Inoue showed up continuing its fight against Takagi Sanshirobo. When Inoue was done he stripped out of the dinosaur costume to evolve into MAO as Yuki Ueno! The four Yuki Uenos then danced with the two Hiratas and two Hondas. The match then ended when the real Ueno pinned both the real Hirata & Honda with a Double Crucifix. All four Uenos made comments after the match and Ueno said he felt like his soul was split into four.
Some of the wrestlers in Match #5 took on some unexpected personas. MAO as Tyrannosaurus Inoue and Sanshiro Takagi as Takagi Sanshirobo was already advertised. However Shunma Katsumata and Chris Brookes both showed up in Super Hardcore forms while Fuminori Abe turned into Pakuri Muso, his bootleg version of Jinsei Shinzaki. This left To-y embarrassed because he was the only one not to take up an alter ego for the match. The two teams ended up fighting outside the ring over to where the company truck was parkers. Yoshihiko appeared and jumped off the truck onto everyone below. Katsumata also dived off the truck to put To-y through a table. The match ended in a draw after both teams were counted out.
Match #4 was a mixed martial arts bout in that every wrestler taking part represented a different martial art and the rules of their sport would all be mixed together. This included Tetsuya Endo and his Rhythmic Gymnastics background for some reason. Akito and Yuya Koroku were bout amateur wrestlers while HARASHIMA came in using his student pro wrestling gimmick Hayabucha. The rules included 3 minute long rounds and an amateur wrestling 1 Count for pinfalls. However pins would not be counted until the wrestler scored 18 points for their Gymnastics performance. Also anyone who was knocked out of the ring had to return to the centre and place themselves in the Par Terre position. Hayabucha got the win for his team after giving Koroku the Falcon Arrow followed by the Firebird Splash.
At the beginning of the show an argument broke out among all of the wrestlers involved in Match #3 over Danshoku Dieno dying his hair pink. HARASHIMA calmed everyone down and told them to apologise. The four all bowed but also all banged their heads together. It caused a body swapping situation to happen, turning Takeshi Masada into another Danshoku Dieno while Rukiya became Yuki “Sexy” Iino. The real Yuki Iino finally got to experience what it was like to be a victim of Pheromones because his face was now getting shoved into the butts of other wrestlers. Just like in the old Pheromones matches, things got out of control. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to stop them from going too far but he wound up getting attacked too so the match had to be called off.
The ring ropes were removed for the 4 Way Match and the goal was to knock your opponents out of the ring to the floor. MJ Paul was the first eliminated when Yukio Naya knocked him to the floor. Naya then challenged Higuchi to a Sumo contest but blindsided him with a Knee Strike. Higuchi was knocked out of the ring at the corner but he grabbed onto the top of the post and pulled himself back into the ring without touching the floor. Higuchi then put Naya in the same situation. Naya almost saved himself the same way until Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw and dropped him feet first onto the ground. That left Gota Ihashi as the other wrestler left but Higuchi easily dispatched of him to win.
Yuni & Kazuma Sumi showed up acting like heels and wanted to show DAMNATION T.A what it’s really like to be bad guys. Their match was turned into a No DQ bout. The new “heels” attacked Daisuke Sasaki & KANON with chairs. When they threatened Sasaki with a glass bottle, he pleaded for his life and offered to join their side. The three of them all attacked KANON together. KANON fought back which caused Sasaki to plead for his life again and swear he only joined the other heels as a spy. Yuni missed a chair shot and hit Sumi by accident. That caused the team to break down immediately and the two started fighting each other! KANON decided the match was now Yuni Vs Sumi with Sasaki as the referee. Sumi missed a chair shot, causing it to bounce off the ropes and hit him in the face. Yuni put him in a Sleeper Hold and Sasaki decided to end the match, declaring Yuni as the winner.
At the start of the show Keigo Nakamura approached MAO with a request. He wants his return match against MAO on 26th April to have the DDT Universal Title on the line. It is something he developed a desire to win while he was out recovering from his injury. MAO found the idea interesting. A guy like Nakamura winning the Universal Title in his comeback match? Nothing like this had ever happened before in DDT so MAO agreed to it.
Another title match was set up by Shunma Katsumata. He nominated Antonio Honda to be his next challenger for the DDT Extreme Title. According to Katsumata, Honda’s name is engraved in the title’s history and he must surpass him. Honda thinks not that many fans remember he was once an Extreme Champion. But he did treat the title with care when he held it and he would like to have it again. The title match will go ahead on 17th May. That is a Beer Garden show and Katsumata hopes to come up with a stipulation that will be appropriate for the venue.
Another Wrestlemania has come and gone. I would have posted this article sooner but I was in the middle of my own holiday and didn’t want to spend my vacation time keeping track of what MAO was doing or trying to figure out who was in the Clusterfuck and where in the match did they get eliminated. I eventually did find the time to watch as much as I could. It was a good week of work for everyone involved but I come out of it seeing diminished returns for so many groups that aren’t WWE or GCW. I usually love these weeks because there is too much going on and there’s round the clock stories coming out of it. But we’re reaching the point where there’s less fan interest in the indies and more people seem to be happy giving all of their attention towards WWE and AEW so a lot of these shows are kind of becoming wasted energy that could be refocused towards something else. Too many groups are fighting over the same dwindling audience of eyeballs and that just dilutes everything. GCW’s annual themed shows are also starting to look tired now too.
I am wondering how things will turn out next year and how much of it will depend on the time and place. The Wrestlemania related talk coming out of WWE and TKO this week is they still have not announced next year’s location yet and they may consider holding the event later in the calander to avoid clashing with other major sporting events like the NCAA Final Four or the PGA Masters. Up until now wrestling websites and even other media were pretty much convinced that Minnesota was set to be next year’s host. This week’s news now puts that into doubt and continues the years old running joke that Minnesota always gets considered for Wrestlemania but never gets chosen. Hey, if Las Vegas gets it instead and both DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro are going over again then I will be there for sure!
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Videos
AEW “COLLISION”, 06/04/2024 DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki Vs Trish Adora
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Results
AEW “COLLISION”, 03/04/2024 (Aired 06/04/2024) DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
1. Yuka Sakazaki defeated Trish Adora with The Magical Girl Splash (8:24).
Oh hey, Yuka Sakazaki finally made it back to America! That was a weird few months of her going missing. Don’t have to worry about that anymore, I guess? Sakazaki’s first AEW match since leaving TJPW was also her first appearance on the Collision TV show. She defeated Trish Adora and the result attracted the attention of Serena Deeb. Since then Deeb put out a challenge to face Sakazaki in a match. It has not been answered yet as of the time of this article being posted.
CIRCLE 6 “NEW FEAR CITY”, 03/04/2024 The Fire, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Chris Brookes & MAO Vs Casanova Valentine & Nate Webb
The first taste of DDT to be found in Philadelphia this week was over at Circle 6. Both MAO and Chris Brookes had barely just arrived in America on separate flights before they found themselves ready to fight a crazy no ring brawl together against Casanova Valentine & Nate Webb. I couldn’t find the result to the match but what I did find out was all four wrestlers sang “Wonderwall” and “Teenage Dirtbag” together for everyone in the audience afterwards.
1. Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos defeated MAO & Mike Bailey when Lykos pinned Bailey after a Blockbuster/Gory Special Combo (16:12).
2. Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title – BMF Battle Royal: Schaff (c) defeated Galeno Del Mal by Ring Out (14:57). Order Of Elimination: Gene Munny, LJ Cleary, Mr. Charles Crowly, Shota, Ricky Knight Jr., Luke Jacobs and Galeno Del Mal. *V? for Schaff.
The first appearance Shota made as a new freelancer was for DEFY, entering a Battle Royal for the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title. Sadly for him he was eliminated by the champion himself Schaff. Shota tried to give him a Tornado DDT but Schaff’s was too big and strong to be pulled off his feet. Instead Schaff lifted Shota up in a Gorilla Press and threw him out of the ring.
What was perhaps the longest 24 hours of MAO’s life begun here. DEFY was where he had the first of four matches he would have in one day. It started off with MAO and Mike Bailey reuniting as The Moonlight Express for a special tag match against another reunited team in CCK. They did their best but Bailey eventually fell to the barrage of signature moves from Brookes & Kid Lykos, ending with a sick tag move to finish him off.
SHP/LOL “EUPHORIA”, 04/04/2024 Attic Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. MAO defeated Matt Makowski with a German Suplex (10:04).
MAO’s second match of the day was held in a ring under a tent over at the Sean Henderson Presents show. His match against Matt Makowski was non-title but the confused commentary team on stream convinced themselves that the DDT Universal Title was on the line. MAO and Makowski brought the match out of the tent so they could briefly fight on the grass. But it returned to the ring where MAO rolled out of Makowski’s Sleeper Hold and used a German Suplex to pin him for the victory.
DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024 Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos defeated Bryan Keith & Shota when Lykos pinned Shota with the Brainbuster (8:28).
2. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett with the Burning Star Press (11:33).
3. Chiitan☆ defeated Dan The Dad with a Superplex through a Board (5:27).
4. Special Single Match: Yoshihiko defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Reincarnation (5:30).
5. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz ended in a Draw after a Double Pinfall (10:55).
5a. Rock Paper Scissors: MAO (c) defeated Billie Starkz when Scissors beat Paper. *V7 for MAO.
6. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada after the Freedom Call (7:11).
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:41).
8. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Mike Bailey with the WR (18:52).
GCW/JCW “GCW/JCW VS THE WORLD”, 04/04/2024 Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. GCW/JCW Vs The World 14-Man Tag Match: Mike Bailey, Tony Deppen, Calvin Tankman, Marcus Mathers, Charlie Tiger, Terry Yaki & Mr. Danger defeated LJ Cleary, Ricky Knight Jr., Yusaku Ito, Lou Nixon, Ho Ho Lun, Shota & Mizuki Watase when Bailey pinned Watase with the Ultima Weapon (9:54).
2. 4 Way Tag Match: MAO & Yoshihiko defeated Ciclope & Miedo Extremo Vs Robert Dreissker & Norman Harras Vs Man Like DeReiss & Leon Slater when Yoshihiko pinned Harras with the Reincarnation (22:36).
The fourth and final match MAO had on this day was another crazy affair. He joined forces with Yoshihiko to take on three other teams from around the world. Maybe it was random, maybe it was luck or maybe this kind of environment best serves their skills because they were able to stand tall against Los Macizos, the wXw team and Boisterous Behaviour to end the night and finally give MAO some rest.
Before the main event there was a 14-Man Tag Match pitting GCW & JCW against the rest of the world. Shota was part of The World team along with an unexpected appearance by Mizuki Watase! It turns out he made the trip over to Philly too. He said wrestling was not the priority of his visit though. He better have had a good reason because his travelling plans were plagued with delays and other problems according to his tweets during the week. It caused him to miss some wrestling bookings back in Japan too. If all of that wasn’t bad enough, he took the fall by taking a bunch of moves from the opposing team, ending with Bailey’s Ultima Weapon.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN PHILLY”, 05/04/2024 Penn’s Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Yuki Aino & Zara Zakher when Suzume pinned Zakher with the Twinkle Twinkle (11:01).
2. Billie Starkz defeated Hyper Misao with the Swanton Bomb (5:57).
3. Yuki Kamifuku & Viva Van defeated Raku & Trish Adora when Kamifuku pinned Raku with the Famouser (8:53).
4. Mizuki & Vert Vixen defeated Aja Kong & Pom Harajuku when Mizuki pinned Harajuku with the Cutie Special (10:31).
5. Shoko Nakajima defeated Rhio with the Senton Bomb (13:24).
6. Special Tag Match: Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh defeated Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe when Yamashita pinned Tatsumi with the Skull Kick (19:04).
GCW “JOEY JANELA’S SPRING BREAK 8”, 05/04/2024 Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1. Nick Gage & Maki Itoh (w/ Dewey Donovan) defeated Danhausen & Ram Kaichow when Itoh pinned Kaichow and Gage pinned Danhausen with the MDKokeshi (12:56).
The weirdest of first time matchups took place at GCW’s Spring Break show. Maki Death Kill had to fight the facepainted combination of Danhausen & Ram Kaichow. Danhausen quickly cast a curse on Maki Itoh but she fired one back with her middle fingers. Kaichow then brought in a voodoo doll and twisted it to make Itoh’s body contort in a painful manner. Itoh grabbed the doll off Kaichow and attacked her with it to break the spell. Things went south for Maki Death Kill when Kaichow blinded Nick Gage with ectoplasm dust and Dropkicked him through a board in the ring corner. Danhausen then grabbed Gage’s pizza cutter and sliced open Itoh’s forehead with it! Kaichow did the same while Danhausen poured a jar of teeth into Itoh’s mouth. Gage returned out of nowhere to tackle Danhausen through a board. Maki Death Kill then gave their opponents DDTs and hit the MDKokeshi on them together for the victory.
GCW/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GCW VS TJPW”, 06/04/2024 Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 672 Fans – No Vacancy
1. 3 Way Match: Suzume defeated SAKI and Pom Harajuku when Suzume pinned Harajuku with the Ring A Bell (7:54).
2. Session Moth Martina defeated Raku with the Codebreaker (5:56).
3. Arisu Endo defeated Shazza McKenzie with the Ju no Okite (7:29).
4. Steph De Lander defeated Hyper Misao with the Steph Five onto a bulk of Lipstick Cases (8:10).
5. Dark Sheik defeated Yuki Kamifuku with the Diving Leg Drop (7:43).
6. Mizuki defeated Allie Katch with the Cutie Special (7:35).
7. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe defeated Billie Starkz & Janai Kai when Watanabe pinned Kai after the Daydream Eternity (13:27).
8. Special 6-Woman Tag Match: Rina Yamashita, Masha Slamovich & Maki Itoh defeated Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino when Itoh submitted Aino with the Itoh Deluxe (21:01).
1. Clusterfuck Match: Microman defeated Nick Gage by Ring Out (117:52). Order Of Elimination: Jimmy Lloyd, Shota, Bam Sullivan, Lindsay Snow, Rob Shit, Loc, DeVito, Shane Douglas, Justin Credible, Jason Knight, Jeffrey John, Charlie Tiger, Facade, Tony Deppen, Tommy Dreamer, Trevor Outlaw, Frank The Clown, Mike Bailey, Masha Slamovich, Pollo Del Mar, Colin Delaney, Cheech, Midas Black, Jay Lyon, Rob Killjoy, White Mike, Davey Bang, August Matthews, Terry Yaki, Bobby Flaco, Mr. Danger, Aerial Van Go, Tara Zep, Philly Mike, Nate Webb, Emil Jay, Green Phantom, Sexxxy Eddy, Cheeseburger, CPA, Alex Zayne, Marcus Mathers, Dark Sheik, Edith Surreal, Jamie Senegal, Mercedes Martinez, Kaplan, Brandon Kirk, 1 Called Manders, Sawyer Wreck, Kasey Catal, Tank, Monomoth, Sam Stackhouse, Beastman, Viva Van, Grim Reefer, Fuego Del Sol, Cole Radrick, Alec Price, Big Vin, Lance Scaper, Kurt Bale, Man Like DeReiss, American Giant, Silver Potato, Dr. Cube, Double Unicorn Dark, Benny Saint-Hubert, Chiitan☆, Aja Kong, Gringo Loco, Johnny Kashmere, Jordan Oliver, Rina Yamashita, Parrow, Yoshihiko and Nick Gage.
One of the biggest signs that the week has reached the end and it’s time to start going home is whenever GCW holds the Clusterfuck match. The free for all Battle Royal features the most random lineups you will ever see on a wrestling show. Sadly almost the entire DDT and TJPW roster had begun their travels back to Japan by this point but there were still a few entries to keep an eye out for. Shota was the 3rd entrant in the match and got to fight Shane Douglas for a few seconds until he was eliminated by Douglas’ patented Belly To Belly Suplex. Chiitan was one of the biggest surprises, entering the ring while it was filled with other wacky looking fighters in massive costumes. Then right afterwards Aja Kong joined in and destroyed all of those competitors, Chiitan included. The last three wrestlers left in the ring by the end was Gage, Yoshihiko and Microman. Gage attacked Yoshihiko with the pizza cutter before eliminating the doll but at the end, it was Microman who was left standing tall.
DDT “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!”, 04/04/2024 Penns Landing Caterers Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 750 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos defeated Bryan Keith & Shota when Lykos pinned Shota with the Brainbuster (8:28).
2. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Andrew “The Giant” Everett with the Burning Star Press (11:33).
3. Chiitan☆ defeated Dan The Dad with a Superplex through a Board (5:27).
4. Special Single Match: Yoshihiko defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Reincarnation (5:30).
5. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz ended in a Draw after a Double Pinfall (10:55).
5a. Rock Paper Scissors: MAO (c) defeated Billie Starkz when Scissors beat Paper. *V7 for MAO.
6. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada when KANON pinned Masada after the Freedom Call (7:11).
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:41).
8. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno defeated Mike Bailey with the WR (18:52).
We can get used to this being an annual thing, you know. DDT came back to America for another WrestleMania Week, this time arriving in Philadelphia to join in the festivities. In the main event Yuki Ueno took on an important figure from the last decade of DDT who doesn’t get to appear in Japan that often nowadays. Mike Bailey has taken on a lot of other stuff lately but getting a non-title match against the KO-D Openweight Champion just had to be fitted onto his schedule one way or another. The ring apron was used as an effective landing point for some big moves. Bailey used the Ultima Weapon and Green Tea Plunge for nearfalls and could not pull off the Flamingo Driver when needed. Ueno took a page out of HARASHIMA’s book by using the Reverse Frankensteiner and Somato to land deep hits on his opponent. The Dropkick to the face was the key to victory because that opened Bailey up to get pinned with the WR. Ueno wanted to shake his hand after the match but Bailey gave him a kiss on the lips instead. He must have really missed him.
When last we saw Konosuke Takeshita dealing with The 37KAMIINA he was showing tough love to some of his old friends followed by a personal moment to congratulate Ueno on reaching the top of DDT. Here in Philly he fought Shunma Katsumata with both wrestlers having chips on their shoulders towards each other. Katsumata attacked Takeshita during the entrances and there was a little more oompf to their attacks than usual. Takeshita blocked the Totonou Splash and got a nearfall with the Running Knee Strike. Driven to win, he then applied the Walls Of Takeshita to make Katsumata give up. He said it is always fun to wrestle him and it was their first singles match against each other in around 6 years. He is only going to get better so he will be waiting for his friend to try him again. Katsumata cannot figure out what it will take for him to finally beat Takeshita. He lost today but it has now become his goal to surpass his friend.
A reunion for Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada ended poorly when they lost to Daisuke Sasaki & KANON. Wayne was on fire leading up to a Quebrada onto his opponents outside the ring. However Sasaki kicked Masada below the belt, allowing KANON to take him down with a Lariat. The two DAMNATION T.A wrestlers then finished him off with the Freedom Call. KANON suggested to Sasaki after the match that they should invite Wayne to join DAMNATION T.A. He can clearly sense a bad side to him. If Sasaki didn’t get too drunk to forget the idea he will ask Wayne the next time he sees him.
No Rules were needed for the DDT Universal Title match between MAO and Billie Starkz. That led to a problem when all of the chaos they caused together in the ring ended in a Double Pinfall draw. A solution was needed and they quickly agreed to decide the winner via a game of Rock Paper Scissors. They tied the first two tries but on the third MAO used Scissors to beat Starkz and her Paper. MAO said he always stays one step ahead of everyone else which is why he is so universal. Although he realises he would have saved a lot of time if they just went straight into Rock Paper Scissors from the beginning. Starkz wasn’t pleased to have the result be decided that way. She hopes to return to Japan and fight MAO for the belt again over there.
A true trademark DDT match was promised and delivered to the Philly crowd when Kazuki Hirata fought Yoshihiko one on one. Hirata used all of his might to give Yoshihiko a Power Bomb from the top turnbuckle but only got a two count out of it. Yoshihiko then sent him on a ride in an unstoppable Locomotion German Suplex. Hirata kicked out of the pin in a final show of life until he was put down for the count with the Reincarnation. The two shook hands in a show of good sportsmanship afterward. It was a match Hirata always wanted to bring to America. Next time they can team up in the USA or even just a 3 Way Match would do. Yoshihiko backstage said Philadelphia was awesome.
I was going to say the above match was unlike anything else that weekend but the one before it was just as wild and unexpected. American indie wrestler Dan The Dad entered the ring demanding a match against anyone backstage. The fighter to answer the challenge was the psycho mascot Chiitan! It knocked Dan’s favorite mug out of his hand and the two brawled. A board was precisely placed on top of chairs and Chiitan Superplexed Dan through it for the victory. The mascot’s celebration was cut short when Chris Brookes suddenly attacked it from behind. It turns out Brookes still hates Chiitan to death! Dan joined in the beating causing Yoshihiko to make a rescue and chase them out of the ring. That was not the end for Chiitan’s woes during this show. At the very end of the event Takeshita knocked Chiitan out with an Elbow Strike just because he felt like doing it.
The Burning Star Press beats a giant’s Shooting Star Press. Whatever size difference existed between Tetsuya Endo and Andrew Everett was a challenge he could overcome. Endo kicked out of the Choke Slam and later countered the move into a Canadian Destroyer. He needed a giant move to put his opponent away so Endo did the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb from the top rope to set up the Burning Star Press for the victory. It is a matchup that Endo wants to experience more of whether it is in DDT, USA or anywhere else. Whenever they fight Endo wants to beat Everett with the best Shooting Star Press in the universe.
Shota’s first match as a freelancer put him in a familiar company but at an unfamiliar setting. He’s wrestled a bunch of times for DDT and GCW but it was a fresh experience getting to team with Bryan Keith to take on CCK. The tag team experience of CCK was unmatched though and Kid Lykos pinned Shota with the Brainbuster for the win. Shota is still happy with his lot in life. He is making some really great friends in wrestling such as the people he was in the ring with today. Keith is also feeling the love for DDT and wants to come back.
BASARA “BASARA 244 ~UTAGE~”, 19/03/2024 Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Fuminori Abe
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Gouma Ryu Vs Takato Nakano & Yasu Urano Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Takumi Tsukamoto, SAGAT & Judomaster Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Daichi Kazato
4. Isami Kosaka Vs Kazusada Higuchi
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Masato Kamino
It looks like Judomaster is here to stay for as long as Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi is suffering from that dreaded love sickness. Curse that illness!
DDT “SPRING BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 1”, 21/03/2024 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Makoto Oishi & Yoshitatsu
2. Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul Vs HARASHIMA, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani
3. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Round 1D: Yuya Koroku Vs Rukiya
4. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Round 1C: Munetatsu Nakamura Vs Kazuma Sumi
5. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Round 1B: To-y Vs Tsubasa Suzuki
6. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Round 1A: Yuni Vs Ilusion
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada Vs Danshoku Dieno, Yoshihiko & Pokotan
8. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuki Hirata
We begin the preview tag matches between Yuki Ueno and Akito and also start this year’s D GENERATIONS CUP.
1. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Nick Wayne & Takeshi Masada
2. Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos Vs Bryan Keith & Shota
3. Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Yoshihiko
4. Special Single Match: Tetsuya Endo Vs Andrew “The Giant” Everett
5. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Special Single Match: Yuki Ueno Vs Mike Bailey
7. DDT Universal Title – No Rules Match: MAO (c) Vs Billie Starkz
The headline match for Philadelphia is definitely the craziest one on the list. MAO’s current DDT Universal Title reign is inspiring him to go out and set the world ablaze. Billie Starkz will be waiting for him at Wrestlemania Week and might be tempted to outdo whatever MAO comes up with.
Andrew Everett is already saying what the selling point of his match against Tetsuya Endo will be. Who has the better Shooting Star Press?
Last year we got to see Nick Wayne and Takeshi Masada gel together whenever Wayne appeared in DDT. That relationship started in America as opponents and will continue in America this time as a team against DAMNATION T.A.
DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. No Gamble FINAL!: Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Toru Owashi Vs X
1. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: X Vs X
2. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
3. DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hi69
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Jun Akiyama & X
5. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes
BURNING is now a few months into life without Jun Akiyama guiding them. According to Endo the time is now for he and Yuki Iino to face Akiyama head on. They want to defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles against him and anyone else. Akiyama isn’t going to team with anyone else from D.O.A so who could it be? Another wrestler from BURNING’s history? Somebody Akiyama knows from AEW?
At last NOAH is crossing over into DDT a little bit more. Hi69 from the TEAM NOAH unit is interested in challenging for the DDT Extreme Title and will go through a Hardcore Match in order to win it. Shunma Katsumata is a little annoyed at how little Hi69 knows what the championship is all about. It’s more than just your typical Hardcore Title. Also it’s up to the champion to choose the match stipulation. Katsumata is willing to fight on Hi69’s terms to prove his point.
DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024 Tokyo Sumida Ward General Gymnasium
1. Keigo Nakamura Return Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs X
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
3. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Akito
There’s been a specific list of wrestlers Yuki Ueno wanted to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against in order to establish himself as the new ace of the company. He has just one more name to tick off and that is Akito. While the match does not sound like a major contest on paper, Akito is somebody who eats, sleeps and breathes DDT 24/7 while working as the company’s vice president. If beating Ueno for the KO-D Title is what it takes for Akito to prove how much he loves the company more than anyone else then so be it.
D.O.A ended the existence of Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor over the weekend and now find themselves under threat by DAMNATION T.A. Remember, the current KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions made a deal with each other to disband once they lose the titles. It could happen here.
After being out of action with injury for almost a year, Keigo Nakamura will return to the ring a the end of April. Hopefully he got his right knee sorted this time because it’s an injury that has hampered his wrestling career right when it started to pick up.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X
There will be a couple more KO-D Title defences going on between April and July so who knows who will be the defending champion when DDT returns to Sumo Hall.
Both Konosuke Takeshita and El Desperado will be on the show.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,491 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. “Intern Wrestler” Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Soma Takao defeated Tsubasa Suzuki with the Perfect Driver (9:08).
2. Yuya Koroku Return Match: To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya defeated Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi when To-y pinned Koroku with the Kojima Impact (8:42).
3. Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Kawamatsu defeated Toru Owashi & Gorgeous Matsuno when Ishii pinned Matsuno with the Double Arm Driver (9:26).
4. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Akito ended in a Draw when both of them fell asleep (7:20).
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda when KANON submitted Honda with the Just Cobra Twist (11:21).
6. Special Single Match: Ken Ohka defeated Sanshiro Takagi with the Spear Of Flame (10:32).
7. Special Tag Match: Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya when Ishikawa pinned Higuchi with the Splash Mountain (12:24).
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Belt Contra Dissolution: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki when Oishi pinned Hirata with an Egoist Driver Cutback (9:48). *V4 for D.O.A. Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor must disband.
9. DDT Extreme Title – Painful Jungle Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Hideki Okatani with the Totonou Splash onto a Barbed Wire Board (13:38). *V1 for Shunma Katsumata.
10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai when Endo pinned Honda with the Burning Star Press (16:57). *V1 for BURNING.
11. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Takeshi Masada by Knockout with the Senpukyaku (4:22). *V6 for MAO.
12. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Yuma Aoyagi with the Modified Falcon Arrow (19:16).
13. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated HARASHIMA with the WR (22:50). *V3 for Yuki Ueno.
27 years of DDT called for another marathon show at Korakuen Hall to celebrate. 13 matches took place across almost 6 hours in front of a big crowd. The big bout at the end was Yuki Ueno moving past HARASHIMA in the latest defence of his KO-D Openweight Title reign. The match called for a big performance for the champion who wants to be established as DDT’s ace against the wrestler who himself is nicknamed “Mr. DDT” for his own dominance over the company throughout the years. Ueno did a Moonsault from one of the aisle entrance ways while back in the ring HARASHIMA did an Inverted Hurricanrana off of the top rope. More action took place out of the ring and almost ended Ueno’s reign but he returned at the 19 count. HARASHIMA hit the Somato but only got a two count with it. Another attempt was countered with Ueno’s big Dropkick and when Ueno gave him the WR, HARASHIMA had no answer for it and was pinned.
After the match Ueno hugged HARASHIMA and Kenta Kobashi handed the KO-D Title to him. Ueno talked about figuring out how to put his thoughts and feelings about his relationship with HARASHIMA into words. Today his heart feels full and satisfied because he got to have a big title match with HARASHIMA. He is sure HARASHIMA will continue to be an ace and they will often be opponents again in the future. But next time Ueno will be stronger and even a little more cocky. He thanked him for always being there.
Now Ueno turns his attention to his next defence. It is scheduled for 26th April in Sumida Ward General Gymnasium. There is one more important person Ueno wants to have a title match and that is DDT’s vice president Akito! Ueno ignored Akito’s objections and called him into the ring. Akito explained it’s not right for a wrestler in his position to take on such an important challenge. He also has not won any singles matches at all this year. Ueno agreed there are other more suitable challengers out there but none of them interest him more than Akito. He has a lot of jobs as vice president and Ueno argued that being a title challenger is one of them. Akito understood but warned the champion what could happen once his filter is switched off because there is nobody who thinks more about DDT than he does! Not Sanshiro Takagi, not Danshoku Dieno, not HARASHIMA and not Yuki Ueno! 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at work, at home, no matter where he travels to, it is Akito who devotes his life to the company. When DDT has good times he has good times too. When DDT has hard times he has hard times too. Akito is betting his entire life on DDT and will use all of his poison to erase Ueno’s brilliance!
Given this match was DDT against All Japan, you’d expect it would be Konosuke Takeshita coming out doing the wacky DDT entrance. Nope, it was Yuma Aoyagi who got into the swing of things riding to the ring on the Dramatic Dream bike and wearing a crazy looking helmet. The match itself was a smash with the two living up to expectations. Takeshita hit Aoyagi with the Jumping Knee and the Wagamama but it wasn’t enough to win. So he did the deal with the same Spinning Falcon Arrow he used to win a match in AEW earlier this week to get the same result here. Backstage Takeshita sent his thanks out to Aoyagi for accepting his invitation to do the match in DDT. Takeshita respects every wrestler from his generation no matter what company they work for and if possible would like to fight all of them. However he has something to do in America next so he has limited chances to wrestle again in Japan for the time being. He said it is up to his generation in Japan to liven up the wrestling world. Aoyagi called the match refreshing. He would like a rematch once every couple of years on a schedule similar to the Olympics. He also wants to fight other DDT wrestlers from his generation, like Yuki Ueno for example. But not now. Let him take a rest first.
It was a long show and time was not wasted in the DDT Universal Title match. Fueled by the recent criticisms aimed against him by the champion, Takeshi Masada attacked MAO before the bell with a Missile Dropkick. MAO responded with a Leapfrog Stunner over the ref and the match officially began from there. In the next four minutes MAO controlled the match and had an answer for most of what Masada threw at him. Masada got hit with big strikes but was determined to keep on fighting until he was hit with the Whirlwind Kick. Masada couldn’t return to his feet in time and was counted out. MAO quickly moved on and asked for who his challenger will be in America. An image flashed on the screen showing he will defend the Universal Title at Philadelphia on 4th April against Billie Starkz in a No Rules Match! MAO loves the Universal Title so much he will use it to set the whole world on fire!
There was another DDT Vs AJPW match on the card, this one had the KO-D Tag Team Titles on the line. The champions BURNING had been trying to sort themselves out lately over some miscommunication problems. New Period were coming over to be a big distraction for them, one that could see All Japan take over one of DDT’s main championships. The challengers even allegedly got in touch with Yoshihiko to learn what weaknesses of the champions they could exploit! However BURNING in the end got to show their problems with teamwork. In fact it was a missed double team from New Period that led to Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai hitting each other by accident. Later Yuki Iino charged towards Tetsuya Endo and Endo dropped down into the splits. Iino then jumped over him to Spear Honda! Endo then gave him the Torture Rack Bomb for a nearfall and finished him off with the Burning Star Press.
Endo declared the result a victory for BURNING and the KO-D Tag Titles still belong to them. However he admits it won’t be long until New Period’s time truly arrives. When that time does come Endo & Iino will want a rematch against them. Endo also told Honda it’s fine to use Yoshihiko but he has to return DDT’s property back to their office (later Honda and Yoshihiko got into a fight backstage bringing their short lived friendship to an end). BURNING’s next title defence will be at the 7th April Korakuen Hall show. Endo asked for Jun Akiyama to be one of the opponents because he wants to defend the title against him. Akiyama accepted but none of his regular partners are available at the moment. If he or DDT can find someone suitable to team with him he will do the title match on 7th April. Iino then tried to provoke Akiyama by doing the BURNING pose in front of him. Akiyama smiled, left the ring and did the same post in the dirction towards Kobashi at the commentary table. Endo told fans to look forward to the new BURNING, one without Akiyama or Kobashi in it!
The Painful Jungle Death Match lived up to its name, providing DDT with one of its most bloodiest matches in a while. Many sharp and piercing objects were placed in the ring along with some jungle looking items. For example there was a barbed wire board with a large snake toy caught on top of it. Shunma Katsumata and Hideki Okatani proceeded to throw and slam each other onto everything with the DDT Extreme Title at stake. Okatani couldn’t get the win with either the Double Arm Suplex or Quetzalcoatl. Instead Katsumata got the upper hand and won with the Totonou Splash while the snake and barbed wire board was placed on top of Okatani. The two embraced after the match and Katsumata thanked Okatani for giving him such an intense match. A video then played on the screen. It is a message sent by Hi69 from NOAH (or TEAM NOAH to be exact). He wants to challenge the Extreme Champion to a Hardcore Match for the title on 7th April! Katsumata is happy to hear Hi69 show interest but he does not know the first thing about the Extreme Title! The champion is supposed to make the rules, not the challenger. Katsumata accepted the challenge anyway.
Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor we hardly knew ye. They went up against D.O.A in a match that had both the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles on the line as well as the future of Kazuki Hirata’s new unit. Sadly for Hirata the match ended in tragedy when he gave Makoto Oishi the Egoist Driver but left himself open for Oishi to cradle him into a suddent defeat. Naruki Doi did not mind facing the consequences. He consoled Hirata over what happened and then told Shinya Aoki it was time for them to go home. However Hirata wanted to soak in the moment knowing it would be the last time Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor would all be together. Hirata gave a speech that made Doi become impatient but sent Aoki to the brink of tears. The three then stood together for a special dissolution ceremony which included the singing of the unit’s anthem plus a narrated history of the unit. All 22 days of it. Meanwhile backstage DAMNATION T.A attacked Makoto Oishi, demanding the next shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles.
Does this kind of count as another DDT Vs AJPW match? Both Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu have called All Japan their home promotion up until very recently. They have since taken different paths away from there but those paths reunited them here for a match against two of DDT’s main heavyweights. Ishikawa had a handle of Kazusada Higuchi by the end of it. He blocked the Brain Claw Slam and turned it into the Fire Thunder for a nearfall. Ishikawa followed it up with the Kamigoye and Running Knee Strike for another two count before getting the victory by using the Splash Mountain. Yukio Naya didn’t want the fight to end though and stood toe to toe with Ishikawa afterwards. This won’t be the last we will see of Ishikawa in DDT this year. He is entering the King Of DDT tournament. He believes what he did today shows he is the only choice to win it. Both Naya & Higuchi are warning him not to mess with DDT’s heavyweight division.
The reason why DDT names its anniversary shows “JUDGEMENT” goes back to its very first show in 1997 where the audience in attendance back then judged whether or not Sanshiro Takagi and his crew would go ahead with running more shows. So it is only fitting that Takagi would himself judge whether or not Ken Ohka and Ganbare☆Pro are ready to go independent from CyberFight. GanPro’s next chapter begins in April and the entire group was in Korakuen to support Ohka at ringside while he fought his soon to be former employer. Ohka took a beating in the match and was almost counted out in the ring. But he got back to his feet all fired up, even giving Takagi a Stunner. Ohka then got the better of a strike exchange, knocking Takagi down with a Lariat. The opening was there and Ohka took it. He hit Takagi with the Spear Of Flame and beat his boss!
After the match an emotional Ohka said his life wouldn’t be like this if he never got involved with Takagi. He has changed Ohka’s life so much. Sometimes it was sad and painful but without Takagi, Ohka would not be so happy right now. From now on he will make GanPro a great wrestling company without the need to rely on Takagi and for that he thanks him. Takagi told Ohka he’s had a dramatic life but saying stuff like that makes it sound like Takagi was ruining his life! If that was true then he wouldn’t have a group of friends that all make up GanPro. Whatever happens in the future, Takagi wants to get with Ohka again whether it is to work together or fight each other. He then presented Ohka with a graduation certificate and told him to cherish his friends. Takagi hopes he will continue to give dreams to many people and have a more dramatic pro wrestling life than anyone else. Later Ohka told reporters he will continue with his goal to make pro wrestling into a major sport. Baseball has Shohei Ohtani, basketball has Michael Jordan, Formula 1 has Mika Häkkinen and football has Pelé. Ohka wants to become as great in wrestling as they are in their respective sports.
DAMNATION T.A’s path to a KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles shot started earlier in the show when they beat SCHADENFREUDE International. As always Antonio Honda was bothered by his trick knee but used Gongitsune to bounce back from it. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON hit him with the Freedom Call but CDK were there to break the pin. They got rid of Sasaki & MJ Paul but it turned out KANON could handle the 2 Vs 1 odds that were against him. The match came down to him against Honda and KANON countered the constant cradle pins into the Just Cobra Twist to make Honda submit.
Akito isn’t the only busy wrestler around here. Super Sasadango Machine has his own management problems to deal with and took valuable time out of his schedule to be at this show. So when he found out he wasn’t booked for a match despite being on the poster, Akito offered to fight him as an apology. Both of them have been feeling tired over work lately and Sasadango’s PowerPoint Presentation explained they were both going to wrestle at just 10% of their normal energy bar. However the presentation kept switching to a video of Akito being attacked backstage by all of the young DDT wrestlers so that was the actual reason why he made it to the ring in a tired state. When the match began it was as if Akito and Sasadango were already entering into the finishing stretch. Sasadango gave Akito the Lehmann Shock and went for the pin but before the count reached three everything froze. “Etuprika” began to play and the audience was shown a video of Akito’s inner monologue. Then in slow motion Akito kicked out, fought back and hit Sasadango so hard his mask peeled off. Akito slowly applied an Ankle Lock when time stood still again so everyone could hear Sasadango’s inner monologue. This time Sasadango spoke about how good and relaxed he felt. So much so that he fell asleep. Akito had run out of energy too so both men were practically out cold. Yukinori Matsui checked on both of them while they slept and had to rule the match a draw.
Did the world really need a face off between Gorgeous Matsuno and Shinichiro Kawamatsu? Well they got one. Matsuno’s offence was the weakest its been for a while even with Toru Owashi’s help. Things went from bad to worse when Keisuke Ishii got involved and did not hold back. When he lifted Matsuno up for the Double Arm Driver, Matsuno started to tap out. However the ref was standing on the other side and couldn’t see it so Ishii was free to drop him right onto the canvas for the win. Luckily Matsuno was not hurt too much. He returned at the very end of the show to sing everyone off.
Six of the young wrestlers entering the D GENERATIONS CUP were put in a 6-Man Tag together early in the show. To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya ended up beating Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi. It was also Koroku’s return match from injury but he took the losing fall to To-y in the end.
When Soma Takao had his debut match in DDT he won the bout with an Ultra Hurricanrana. So Tsubasa Suzuki trying to win his first DDT match as an intern with a Phoenix Splash isn’t that too outlandish. Too bad he missed his target. The match was going well for him up until then. He still had his wits about him to block the Gin And Tonic but Takao switched over to the Running Elbow Butt and then the Perfect Driver to win the match. He told reporters he could have used a traditional Crab Hold but he wanted to win with the finisher he used in his college club days. He is looking forward to the day Suzuki will beat him with the Phoenix Splash. Suzuki admits he is still weak and the difference between pro wrestling with student wrestling is like competing in a different sport. He hopes to grow into a stronger and better wrestler.
Keigo Nakamura appeared during the early portion of the show with some good news. He is returning to the ring on 26th April!
A guest wrestler was announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. It is the return of everyone’s amigo El Desperado!
The full list of entries for the King Of DDT was revealed. Entering the tournament are Poison Sawada JULIE, Sanshiro Takagi, Danshoku Dieno, HARASHIMA, Shuji Ishikawa, Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi, Chris Brookes, Yuki Ueno, MAO, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada and the D GENERATIONS CUP winner.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. “Intern Wrestler” Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Soma Takao Vs Tsubasa Suzuki
2. Yuya Koroku Return Match: To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya Vs Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
3. Toru Owashi & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Keisuke Ishii & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Akito
5. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
6. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ken Ohka
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Belt Contra Dissolution: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki
9. DDT Extreme Title – Painful Jungle Death Match: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
10. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
11. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Takeshi Masada
12. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi
13. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs HARASHIMA
Yesterday DDT held a press conference to promote this Sunday’s big show. The main event will determine who really is the strongest in DDT right now. HARASHIMA wants to win the KO-D Openweight Title not to turn back time but to show everyone a new DDT. Yuki Ueno said the previous design of the KO-D belt is in his mind attached to HARASHIMA. However the modern belt design currently belongs to Ueno and by beating HARASHIMA only then will it fit him completely. He wants to be the last one standing so whenever fans see the current KO-D Title design, they think of Ueno. HARASHIMA has never held the modern belt design as champion and thinks it would look cool on him. HARASHIMA pointed out he is over 20 years older than Ueno but that doesn’t mean anything to the champion. Ueno expects HARASHIMA to fight him with all of his might and is confident he will match his challenger’s heart and soul.
The press conference was the last chance for Takeshi Masada to talk back to MAO over recent criticisms. In the leadup to the DDT Universal Title match MAO accused Masada of not loving DDT or pro wrestling enough. Here Masada said he cannot explain in words alone how much DDT and wrestling means to him. Everyone will see just how much he loves it when he wins the Universal Title. MAO took another shot at Masada, saying his response was not a good one. He thinks the other members of SCHADENFREUDE International have shown more love than he does. MAO then explained the way he treats Sanshiro Takagi is done out of love because he is trying to bring Takagi back to his prime days. Masada is only doing this match for the glory, not for the love of it. That was proven when he challenged MAO in the first place. There could be an interesting future the two can build together but instead MAO is going to show no mercy. He has plans to defend the Universal Title around the world no matter the country he travels to or the gender of his opponents. Masada however wants to nominate wrestlers he has previously lost to as his challengers should he become the new champion.
The visiting New Period team are still enjoying their appearances in DDT. They like getting stronger opponents every time they show up and are really pleased to fight the KO-D Tag Team Champions next. Yuma Anzai claimed All Japan’s brand of bright, fun and intense pro wrestling won’t lose this challenge. Ryuki Honda has two goals in mind if they win the titles. New Period wants to elevate the KO-D Tag Titles in AJPW and also draw DDT fans over to All Japan! He then revealed he has recently become friends with Yoshihiko and the doll has told him about all of BURNING’s weaknesses! Tetsuya Endo has a similar idea to Honda because he too wants to defend KO-D championships in other companies this year. He thinks New Period is a great name because it implies a new era is coming. However BURNING are not going to give away their era yet. Yuki Iino talked about taking on training camps by himself for this title match. His team will win to show everyone it is a New BURNING rather than a New Period. After the talking stopped Iino and Honda got into a confrontation at the table when Iino wouldn’t stop chanting “BURNING!” at Honda.
The intern is getting an opponent with a similar pro wrestling background to him. Tsubasa Suzuki is currently in college and participates in the student pro wrestling scene. Soma Takao was part of the same scene before he turned professional. Suzuki would like to believe everything he’s done in the last few years will lead to him getting the win. He has wrestled Takao before and Takao wonders if he has since learned how to tell the difference between college club wrestling and actual pro wrestling. If Suzuki hasn’t then Takao will be happy to teach him the rigors of being a professional. Although Suzuki is only just starting in DDT, he said his goal is to someday win the KO-D Title. He will be entering the upcoming D GENERATIONS CUP and also has a series of trial matches coming up in the future.
BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “VOL. TWELVE: TEEN AGE RIOT”, 27/02/2024 Tokyo ARENA Shimokitazawa
No matches have been announced yet for tomorrow’s Baka Gaijin + Friends show. All that has been advertised is Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, MAO and Mad Dr. Ueki are all scheduled to appear.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 03/03/2024 Shinjuku FACE
1. 3 Way Match: Suzume Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Uta Debut Match: Miu Watanabe & Uta Vs Raku & Shino Suzuki
3. Kirra Debut Match: Nao Kakuta & Kirra Vs Arisu Endo & Chika Nanase
4. Rika Tatsumi Vs Haru Kazashiro
5. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Pom Harajuku
6. Miyu Yamashita & Moka Miyamoto Vs Wakana Uehara & Toga
7. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino Vs Mizuki & HIMAWARI
This show is a happening a few days before the first anniversary of Toga’s debut match against Miyu Yamashita. So they get to be on opposite sides of the ring again to celebrate it.
The debuts of Uta and Kirra are coming up this Sunday. We’ll likely get their official ring names in the next few days. Uta’s debut puts her in the ring with the rest of the active Up Up Girls. Kirra’s first match also involved Chika Nanase who only just debuted over the weekend.
BASARA “BASARA 243 ~TAKAGARI 23~”, 09/03/2024 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Lil’ Kraken Vs Munetatsu Nakamura
2. Daichi Kazato Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
3. Takumi Tsukamoto & Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
4. KUBITO & Yasu Urano Vs SAGAT & Banana Senga
5. Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita Vs FUMA, Ryota Nakatsu & Fuminori Abe
Masato Kamino has stepped forward wanting to be Minoru Fujita’s next opponent for the Union MAX Title. The challenge was accepted but is not happening just yet.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2024 ~27TH ANNIVERSARY 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 17/03/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. “Intern Wrestler” Tsubasa Suzuki Debut Match: Soma Takao Vs Tsubasa Suzuki
2. Yuya Koroku Return Match: To-y, Ilusion & Rukiya Vs Yuni, Yuya Koroku & Kazuma Sumi
3. Toru Owashi & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
4. SCHADENFREUDE International Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Yoshitatsu
6. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ken Ohka
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Yuma Aoyagi
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Belt Contra Dissolution: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Ryuki Honda & Yuma Anzai
10. DDT Extreme Title: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
11. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs Takeshi Masada
12. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs HARASHIMA
The 27th Anniversary of DDT’s first show contains 12 matches so they will not overrun the 5 hour timeslot in Korakuen Hall this time. The DDT Universal Title is up for grabs as well as who will get to defend that championship in American this April. MAO believes he is now the greatest DDT Universal Champion ever and wanted his next defence to be at the Philadelphia show. However Takeshi Masada really wants to be in the same position and wanted to challenge MAO before then so he can take that spot instead. MAO only wants to be challenge by wrestlers he thinks can be trusted with the Universal Title. He doesn’t believe Masada is at that level yet but the audience support for the challenger convinced MAO to give him the chance.
The newest unit in DDT could quickly become champions before we know it. Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor will now face D.O.A for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles after Naruki Doi pinned Makoto Oishi yesterday. Just like with D.O.A’s previous defences, high stakes must be on the line for both teams. Doi decided that if his team loses then they will split up. That sounds like a serious stipulation until you find out Doi does not want to be part of Kazuki Hirata’s new unit so he isn’t going to lose any sleep if they lose and never have to team up again.
Shuji Ishikawa returns to DDT for the first time since last July. He is coming off of a bad split with All Japan and now has new responsibilities as the GM of Evolution Joshi. So if this is his only DDT appearance for the year I’ll take it.
The Intern Wrestler Tsubasa Suzuki gets Soma Takao for his first match.
GANBARE☆PRO “GANPRO 2024 TRUE BLUE”, 20/03/2024 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Shuichiro Katsumura & Takuya Wada (c) Vs Shota & Soma Takao
Right before Shota leaves Ganbare☆Pro to go freelance he & Soma Takao are getting what could be their final shot at the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles. It is a championship that ROMANCE DAWN has never won. Shota would love to claim it and defend it wherever he goes next. GROUND ABSOLUTE will try and stop that because Shuichiro Katsumura isn’t looking to lose either of his championships anytime soon.
DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto
2. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes
A big surprise was dropped in DDT yesterday when Chris Brookes invited his friend Zack Sabre Jr. to come over for a match. Sabre has a few DDT tapes in his collection back home so the place was always on his bucket list. Sadly his hopes of fighting Yoshihiko or the Ladder aren’t possible at the moment so he identified DDT’s two strongest singles champions as wrestlers he would like to fight. Yuki Ueno & MAO are just as excited to do the match as Sabre & Brookes are.
There is also going to be a rematch from a DDT bout that took place at Tokyo Dome City Hall in December 2022. On that night Chihiro Hashimoto beat Shinya Aoki clean and Aoki wants to avenge that loss to her. He expects the rematch to be as dramatic as sumo wrestler Shinichi Suzukawa’s return from injury was!
DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024 Tokyo Sumida Ward General Gymnasium
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs X
The next KO-D Title defence after the 27th Anniversary show will be in April at a DDT collaborative show with the Zeekstar Tokyo handball team. Either Ueno or HARASHIMA will be the defending champion.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024”, 25/02/2024 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,600 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi & Antonio Honda defeated Yuki Iino, Yuni & Ilusion when Brookes pinned Yuni with the Our Love Letter (8:48).
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Akito & Soma Takao when KANON pinned Takao after the Freedom Call (8:24).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazuki Hirata, Naruki Doi & Shinya Aoki defeated Danshoku Dieno, Makoto Oishi & Toru Owashi when Doi pinned Oishi with a Crucifix Pin (9:05).
4. Special Single Match: To-y defeated MJ Paul with a School Boy (7:12).
5. Kazusada Higuchi & Yoshitatsu defeated Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Higuchi pinned Rukiya with the Brain Claw Slam (10:58).
6. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Hikaru Machida with the Michinoku Driver II (14:27). *V5 for MAO.
7. Kaisei Takechi Debut Match ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Kaisei Takechi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada when Ueno pinned Okatani with the BME (20:19).
Today’s DDT show was a little bit different than usual. The big attraction was the debut pro wrestling match of Kaisei Takechi, a member of a famous dance group in Japan called THE RAMPAGE, which itself is part of an entertainment collective called EXILE TRIBE. In 2022 Takechi took a role on a TV drama about wrestling called Fukumen D. That show featured involvement from DDT (represented on the show as a fictional company called BBT, Brave Battle Truth) and it led to the two sides coming up with this deal. The hype behind today’s debut led to best business DDT’s had at Korakuen Hall in years. Tickets had been sold out for weeks thanks to THE RAMPAGE fanbase buying them up to see Takechi’s big performance.
For the main event Takechi wanted to team with Yuki Ueno, the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion who coached him during training. He also wanted to be in the ring against wrestlers his own age so DDT decided the match would be Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Takechi against Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada. These are all wrestlers considered by DDT to be part of the same generation. Takechi got to get time fighting each one of his three opponents during the match. He also got moments to do double team moves with his tag partners. He was able to land a Diving Cross Body to Endo and slam Masada with a Full Nelson Buster. The finish however came down to Ueno pinning Okatani with the Best Moonsault Ever.
With his team declared the winners, Takechi loudly proclaimed after the match that pro wrestling is the best! He said the power of everyone who came to support him is amazing and inspired him to do even better. There is still a lot he would like to do inside the ring so if he ever gets another chance he will take it. He didn’t appreciate how Okatani treated him during the match so he would like to fight him again. There are 15 other members of THE RAMPAGE so he hopes any of the DDT Fans who are impressed with him will take up an interest in following the group. The same goes for any of THE RAMPAGE’s fans if they liked what they saw from DDT today. Ueno teased that perhaps one day Takechi will fight him for the KO-D Title but he’ll have to work a little harder to get there. So this might not be the last we will see of Kaisei Takechi in DDT!
MAO’s adventure with the DDT Universal Title took him over to fight against a high level kickboxer. Hikaru Machida. The two had unfinished business over a KO-D Tag Team Titles defence one year ago and Machida was looking to avenge losing that match. A battle of strikes broke out and then the two fought outside the ring over by one of Korakuen’s staircases. Machida hit his patented Iai Punch but MAO reached for the ropes to avoid getting pinned. MAO then used a Stunner to break out of the strikes and pinned Machida with the Michinoku Driver II to win.
MAO was full of praise for Machida and then called himself the best DDT Universal Champion ever. He announced his plans to defend the title at “DDT GOES PHILADELPHIA!” in America on 4th April. However Takeshi Masada suddenly entered the ring with his own idea. He wants to win the title from MAO before they go to America so Masada will be the champion in Philadelphia. MAO told Masada he only has one rule for this championship. He only wants challengers he feels comfortable entrusting the title with should they beat him for it. He thinks that is too high of a hurdle for Masada to climb but if the fans want to see the match, he will agree to do it at DDT’s 27th Anniversary show on 17th March.
Today is Rukiya’s 23rd birthday so he was eager to do his best in his tag match. Yoshitatsu patronised him by giving him a pat on the head and rubbing his hair. Yukio Naya played his part to keep Rukiya in the fight. He hit Kazusada Higuchi with a Knee Lift so Rukiya could then do the Proto Bomb but Yoshitatsu made it in to break the pin. Naya then had to break the pin when Higuchi gave Rukiya the Doctor Bomb. Rukiya used what energy he had left to throw Elbow Strikes until Higuchi knocked him down with a Lariat and pinned him with the Brain Claw Slam.
To-y was supposed to take on HARASHIMA but unfortunately the match was cancelled because HARASHIMA tested positive for covid over the weekend. MJ Paul became To-y’s new opponent and he attacked him with a chair outside the ring. To-y rebounded and had Paul on the ropes when the rest of DAMNATION T.A decided to interfere. Thankfully To-y had Katsumata in his corner and he stopped KANON from doing a chair attack. To-y then rolled up Paul with a School Boy during the chaos and got the 3 count for the upset victory.
While Jun Akiyama was away in America this weekend wrestling in AEW, the other two members of D.O.A teamed with Toru Owashi to take on Kazuki Hirata’s new unit. Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor’s first match together was a successful one and it was a win against two-thirds of the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions! The non-wrestling fans in Korakuen were given an eyeful thanks to Danshoku Dieno pulling the back of his tights down and laying himself over the top turnbuckle. Even Toru Owashi went above expectations by using the Lip Lock on Naruki Doi. A lot of wrestlers got their faces pressed against Dieno’s butt until Doi trapped Makoto Oishi with a Crucifix Pin to win the match.
Doi admitted it is shocking that Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor won their first match and it ended with him pinning a champion. That means they should get the next shot at the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles! Oishi argued that he is the weakest wrestler in DDT so Doi shouldn’t be proud of the result. Doi disagreed because Hirata is the weakest. Oishi won’t accept the challenge unless the other team puts something on the line. Doi suggested his team put their hair on the line but Oishi refused because they all have short cuts. Oishi then offered to disband Zuncha♪Muscle Survivor if they lose. Oishi thinks that idea is too much but Doi said he would be happy with either winning the titles or breaking up the team he doesn’t even want to be part of. The challenge was accepted and will take place on 17th March. Later backstage Shinya Aoki made demands for a rematch with Chihiro Hashimoto. He lost to Hashimoto on a DDT show at the end of December 2022 and wants revenge! DDT later announced that match will go ahead at the 7th April Korakuen show.
DAMNATION T.A also used a chair as a weapon to help set up their win against Akito & Soma Takao. After a ref bump, Daisuke Sasaki kicked Takao below the belt and then hit both opponents with the chair. Then Sasaki & KANON gave Takao the Freedom Call for the tainted win.
SCHADENFREUDE International found a convoluted way to win the opening match. But before that happened Antonio Honda got to tell his latest Gongitsune joke and engage in a twisted nipple battle with Yuki Iino. Later Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi physically manipulated Yuni & Ilusion into doing a Rolling Cradle on each other. CDK then piled on top of them to score the pinfall.
After the match Brookes told the fans he had a present for them and it is a dramatic dream that involves a friend of his. Out walked Zack Sabre Jr. from New Japan down to the ring! He is here because he wants to have a match in DDT! Brookes asked him who he would like to face. Sabre said Yoshihiko and the Ladder. Unfortunately Yoshihiko’s asking price is too high and the Ladder he’s thinking of has been retired for years. Sabre then said he would like to fight two champions so how about Yuki Ueno & MAO? Brookes can even team with him so it can be a tag match! Ueno & MAO heard the challenge and came down to the ring to accept it. It will happen on the 7th April Korakuen show.
DDT announced the next KO-D Title match after 17th March will be at Sumida Ward General Gymnasium on 26th April. Also Konosuke Takeshita will appear at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” at Sumo Hall on 21st July.
DDT “INTO THE FIGHT 2024 TOUR IN OSAKA”, 11/02/2024 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall 180 Fans
1. MJ Paul defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Running Body Press (4:23).
2. Osaka Specialty Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Hideki Okatani defeated Kazuki Hirata & Tsutenkakka when Okatani pinned Hirata with the Quetzalcoatl (10:32).
3. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu defeated Makoto Oishi with the This Is My WWE (8:42).
4. Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Toru Owashi defeated Kazusada Higuchu, Yukio Naya & Rukiya when Akiyama pinned Rukiya with the Running Knee Butt (10:04).
5. Special Single Match: MAO defeated Akito with a Wedding Clutch (11:45).
6. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada when Endo pinned Masada with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb (14:55).
7. The 37KAMIINA Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Katsumata pinned KANON with a Jackknife Pin (18:56).
The three champion members of The 37KAMIINA were all winners on today’s show. The main event had the KO-D Openweight Champion and DDT Extreme Champion defeat DAMNATION T.A together. Earlier on the show MAO defeated Akito in a match where the DDT Universal Champion could put on a strong display.
After the main event Daisuke Sasaki admits his group has fallen to the bottom and it may take a while for them to climb back up from there. But just because they lost today’s tag match does not mean they will lose any singles bouts from now on. Yuki Ueno noticed KANON is looking bigger and stronger than the last time he saw him but he looks a little more depressed too. He wonders if it’s because Sasaki & KANON lost the KO-D Tag Team Titles recently? Even if they aren’t they still wouldn’t have beaten Ueno & Shunma Katsumata today based on their team strength. That’s according to Ueno of course.
The Tag Titles now belong to BURNING but there is still a lot that Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino need to work on. Iino accidentally hit his partner with a Lariat during the match and was then scouted for the Spear when HARASHIMA countered the move with a mid-air Double Knee Drop landing on top of him. Endo was able to recover and pin Takeshi Masada, resulting in a close call for the champions. Endo told Iino that not everything will fall into place whenever the Spear hits its target. But he is confident they can iron out all of the misfires and perfect their teamwork in time for their title defence against New Period on 17th March.
Chris Brookes came up with a new way to fight against Kazuki Hirata’s dance moves. Just go over to the soundbooth and shut off the music! It is only a matter of time until that plan stops working though and Tsutenkakka held Brookes back outside the ring so Hirata could power up and dance again. That didn’t matter though because Hideki Okatani pinned him with the Quetzalcoatl anyway.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 