DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN NUMAZU!!”, 06/02/2022 Shizuoka Kira Messe Numazu 121 Fans
-. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4) defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) by Forfeit.
1. Kazusada Higuchi defeated Toui Kojima with the Brain Claw (9:54).
2. Akito & Hideki Okatani defeated Toru Owashi & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Diving Knee Drop (9:36).
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when Iino submitted Honda with the Badonkadonk (13:47).
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (2) defeated Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) when Naya pinned Hirata with the Back Drop (11:26).
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO defeated Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when MAO pinned Koroku after the Oretachi no MADMAX (22:54).
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (2) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (0) when HARASHIMA pinned Paul with the Somato (21:52).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: 100,000 Subscribers To The Official Youtube Channel defeated MAO (c) by Pinfall (3:34 pm). *100,000 Subscribers To The Official Youtube Channel become the 1,529th champions.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Toru Owashi (c) defeated 100,000 Subscribers To The Official Youtube Channel by Pinfall (3:36 pm). *Toru Owashi becomes the 1,530th champion.
The former KO-D Tag Team Champions get their first win of the Ultimate Tag League. It became a dangerous match for HARASHIMA when Daisuke Sasaki began targeting his leg including some chair strikes to it outside the ring. Naomi Yoshimura tried to carry the match by himself but had to rely on double team moves with a less than 100% HARASHIMA. They were able to isolate MJ Paul and wear him down with big moves until HARASHIMA pinned him with the Somato. HARASHIMA told his tag partner there are more challenging teams to fight against in their group but they can beat them all, reach the final and reclaim the KO-D Tag Titles. Sasaki complained about the result backstage and threatened to boycott the rest of the tournament. He also won’t accept MAO’s challenge for the DDT Universal Title.
Tetsuya Endo’s big entrance performed live by Osamu Suzuki ended up spoiled when BURNING lost to The 37KAMIINA. Endo was disappointed he couldn’t win and get another live performance of his theme song. Jun Akiyama told him the tension between the two units is rising but when the Ultimate Tag League reaches the finish, all teams will be in the same condition. Endo said Konosuke Takeshita has a lot of crazy moves that are difficult to counter. One of them was even inherited from Akiyama! There is still a month to go until the KO-D Openweight Title match so Endo has time to come up with a plan.
The other Tag League match that went ahead was Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya beating Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata in the A Block. Hirata had the impossible task of trying to hurt Hino. It was up to Kondo to take the big man out, leaving Hirata to deal with Naya. Hirata almost got the win out of nowhere by countering the Choke Slam into a Small Package but Naya kicked out. Naya then hit a Running Knee Strike and pinned Hirata with the Back Drop. Hino is pleased with Naya’s growth and wants the two of them to win their remaining matches. Kondo tried to keep Hirata’s spirits up by telling him he is getting stronger day by day. Hirata isn’t sure if he should believe him, especially since he will have to fight Jun Akiyama next.
The Tag League match between Pheromones and CDK was cancelled because Masahiro Takanashi tested positive for covid last week. CDK forfeits the match, giving Pheromones an extra two points. A non-tournament replacement match took place instead with Chris Brookes teaming with Antonio Honda. A duel between Honda and Yuki Iino left Honda physically unable to continue fighting so he was put on a stretcher. However, Iino intercepted the stretcher and held it up so Yumehito Imanari could tape Honda to it! Honda was in a helpless state and verbally gave up when Iino was about to hit him with the Badonkadonk. Brookes swore revenge on Pheromones once Takanashi is cleared to return.
Today’s show was streamed live on Youtube to celebrate the DDT channel reaching 100,000 subscribers. At the end of the show MAO made his way over to the tripod to thanks all of the viewers. He got too excited though and the tripod ended up toppling over and falling on top of him. Yukinori Matsui saw the iPad resting on MAO’s chest and counted to three. After some deliberation, Matsui declared that all 100,000 Youtube subscribers had just won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! After that Toru Owashi then laid the iPad onto the ground, took off his shirt and laid on top of it. That prompted Matsui to do another three count and declare Owashi the new champion. Owashi waved goodbye to all of the viewers as the stream ended.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OYAMA!!~”, 05/02/2022 Tochigi Oyama City Cultural Center 90 Fans
1. Yukio Naya defeated Yuki Ishida with a Choke Slam (7:13).
2. 3 Way Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino defeated Chris Brookes and Antonio Honda when Iino pinned Honda with the Sexy Elbow (11:43).
3. Yuji Hino & Akito defeated Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Hino pinned Koroku with the Best German Suplex In The World (12:13).
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DISASTER BOX!: HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima when Hirata pinned Kojima with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (15:50).
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata & MAO (2) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (0) when MAO pinned Sasaki with a Crucifix Pin (12:40).
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (4) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (0) when Endo pinned Okatani with the Burning Star Press (19:37).
BURNING takes the early lead in the Ultimate Tag League with two wins out of two in the A Block. Eruption and Hideki Okatani in particular badly wanted to beat them today. They even came close when Kazusada Higuchi used the Doctor Bomb on Tetsuya Endo to set up Okatani’s Diving Knee Drop. But Jun Akiyama was there to break up the pin. Endo recovered, got a neafall with Tetsuya In The Sky and then won with the Shooting Star Press. Afterwards Akiyama had a question he just had to ask Endo. When did he become a burning star all of a sudden? Because from today onwards Endo is the “Burning Star” and his finisher should now be called the Burning Star Press!
There was a clash of champions in the B Block match. Daisuke Sasaki is the reigning DDT Universal Champion while MAO currently holds the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. Things were looking grim for The 37KAMIINA when MJ Paul got rid of Shunma Katsumata with the Death Valley Bomb and DAMNATION T.A focused their double teaming on MAO. But Sasaki’s Crossface Lock was suddenly rolled over and countered into a Crucifix Pin, giving MAO the win out of nowhere. MAO then challenged Sasaki for a Double Title match with both the Universal and Iron Man Titles on the line!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 05/02/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Nao Kakuta Vs Kaya Toribami
2. Shoko Nakajima & Haruna Neko Vs Suzume & Arisu Endo
3. Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Hyper Misao, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
5. Miyu Yamashita Vs Marika Kobashi
A bunch of covid positives is throwing this weekend’s lineups out of whack. Tokyo Joshi Pro is missing Yuki Kamifuku, Hikari Noa, Moka Miyamoto and Maki Itoh. Kamifuku, Noa and Miyamoto all tested positive while Itoh was identified as a close contact. This prompted the rest of the roster to take fresh PCR tests and they have since all come back negative.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OYAMA!!~”, 05/02/2022 Tochigi Oyama City Cultural Center
1. Yukio Naya Vs Yuki Ishida
2. 3 Way Match: Chris Brookes Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
3. Yuji Hino & Akito Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs DISASTER BOX!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toui Kojima Vs HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (0) Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO (0)
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (2) Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (0)
The newly nicknamed “Red Super Comet” Hideki Okatani has called his shot. He is going after Jun Akiyama in the main event! And don’t forget the rivalry between Kazusada Higuchi and Tetsuya Endo. The names BURNING and Eruption are fitting to describe this main event.
GANBARE☆PRO “FALLING DOWN 2022”, 05/02/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Ganpro Vs Takaiwa Army Full-Scale Battle: Ken Ohka Vs Kenya Maeda
2. Special Tag Match “Furimukeba Yokohama”: Shigehiro Irie & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Jun Tonsho & Takahiro Katori
3. HARUKAZE Birthday & Triumph Memorial Special 6-Man Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Shota Vs Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Shinichiro Tominaga
4. Road To Korakuen! GanPro Vs Takaiwa Army Full-Scale Battle: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase
5. Ganpro Yokohama First Landing Commemorative Match ~Team Reversal Gym Yokohama Grand Slam Vs Wrestle Drunkers~: Shuichiro Katsumura, Tsuyoshi Okada & Yumehito Imanari Vs Keisuke Ishii, Tanomusaku Toba & Tyson Maeguchi
Referee Daisuke Kiso tested positive and won’t be at the Ganbare☆Pro show. None of the Ganpro roster are close contacts so the card remains unchanged.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN NUMAZU!!”, 06/02/2022 Shizuoka Kira Messe Numazu
-. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (4) defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) by Forfeit.
1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Toui Kojima
2. Toru Owashi & Akito Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
3. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (0) Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0)
5. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (0) Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul (0)
Masahiro Takanashi tested positive after showing symptoms of a fever during the week. CDK’s match against Pheromones in the Ultimate Tag League has been forfeited. Instead Chris Brookes will team with Antonio Honda to take on Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari in a non-tournament match. CDK’s next league match is scheduled for 14th February so Takanashi could be cleared in time for that.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “POSITIVE CHAIN ’22”, 11/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
2. Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Asuka, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Suzume Vs Yuki Arai
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa & Marika Kobashi Vs Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
7. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
Itoh will be able to return at the 11th February Korakuen Hall show and Kamifuku is aiming to be cleared in time to be on the show too. So for the moment their International Princess Title match is still on the schedule. However the match will get called off if Kamifuku’s condition does not improve by then. The timing of Noa and Miyamoto getting their positive results back might prevent them from being on the show depending on when they started their isolation periods. The easy solution if they can’t show up is to replace Noa with Miyamoto’s opponent Arisu Endo and just do six matches instead of seven.
DDT “DDT FREE -FEBRUARY- ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN SHINJUKU!!”, 14/02/2022 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Tag Match: Saki Akai & Toui Kojima Vs Maya Yukihi & Yukio Naya
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
5. DDT Extreme Title – Turkish Wrestling Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
The DDT Extreme Title match will be held under Turkish Wrestling Rules. Both Shinya Aoki and Yuki Iino will have oil rubbed all over their bodies before the match. They are also allowed to have one ringside attendant each to apply more oil to them whenever they ask for it. Danshoku Dieno believes Aoki came up with the stipulation because a greased up body is difficult to grab. In reality, Aoki picked the match because he wants Yumiko Hotta to be his attendant and rub his body down.
GANBARE☆PRO “FALLING DOWN 2022”, 05/02/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Special Tag Match “Furimukeba Yokohama”: Shigehiro Irie & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Jun Tonsho & Takahiro Katori
2. HARUKAZE Birthday & Triumph Memorial Special 6-Man Tag Match: Moeka Haruhi, HARUKAZE & Shota Vs Yuna Manase, YuuRI & Shinichiro Tominaga
3. Ganpro Yokohama First Landing Commemorative Match ~Team Reversal Gym Yokohama Grand Slam Vs Wrestle Drunkers~: Shuichiro Katsumura, Tsuyoshi Okada & Yumehito Imanari Vs Keisuke Ishii, Tanomusaku Toba & Tyson Maeguchi
4. Ganpro Vs Takaiwa Army Full-Scale Battle: Ken Ohka Vs Kenya Maeda
5. Road To Korakuen! GanPro Vs Takaiwa Army Full-Scale Battle: Tatsuhito Takaiwa & 5th Black Tiger Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase
Soma Takao has been identified as a recent close contact to covid and has been pulled from this weekend’s shows. Jun Tonsho will be his replacement on the Ganbare☆Pro show.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN NUMAZU!!”, 06/02/2022 Shizuoka Kira Messe Numazu
1. Kazusada Higuchi Vs Toui Kojima
2. Toru Owashi & Akito Vs Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida
3. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO Vs Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
Over on the DDT show Yuki Ishida replaces Takao.
There will be a live performance of Tetsuya Endo’s new entrance song “Core Tool” by Osamu Suzuki.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 IN OSAKA!!”, 12/02/2022 Osaka Suminoe Maikon Hall
1. Yuya Koroku Vs Yuki Ishida
2. 3 Way Match: Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino
3. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada Vs Toru Owashi, Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani
4. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Chris Brookes, Akito & Toui Kojima
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO
6. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block – Maikon no Kohara Presents: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya
The main event is now sponsored by Maikon no Kohara, an Osaka grocery company that specializes in kelp related products. The store has the naming rights for the venue, which is why it’s called Suminoe Maikon Hall. The winners of the main event will receive an award from the sponsors.
At the last show Minoru Fujita surprised everyone by willingly joining DAMNATION T.A after he lost to Daisuke Sasaki. He betrayed his friends from ChocoPro in the process, apparently teaching them a lesson about how kindness holds them back when it matters. Chris Brookes gets the first shot at revenge but he has to team with Akito & Toui Kojima instead of Masahiro Takanashi & Baaliyan Akki.
Match #2 is now a 3 Way because of Danshoku Dieno’s absence with Covid.
DDT “ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 THE FINAL!!”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani Vs Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Shunma Katsumata & MAO
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – Final: Winners Of Block A Vs Winners Of Block B
Three more wrestlers have been booked on the show. Minoru Fujita and Maya Yukihi already have their stories going on in DDT. Joining them is Shishamo Power, making his Tokyo debut. He sent a video promoting the show and looks to have completely changed his body shape since the last time he appeared. Almost as if he is a different person…
GANBARE☆PRO “BAD COMMUNICATION 2022”, 27/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Unleash The Curse Of The Great Prophecy!: The Great Sasuke Vs Yumehito Imanari
2. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Tatsuhito Takaiwa (c) Vs Kouki Iwasaki
A big singles match for Ganpro is added to their Korakuen Hall show. The Great Sasuke makes his Ganpro debut for a first time singles match against Yumehito Imanari.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2022 WINTER ~YOKOHAMA PERFORMANCE~”, 05/02/2022 Yokohama Radiant Hall
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Marika Kobashi
One more homecoming for Marika Kobashi before she graduates from Tokyo Joshi Pro in April. She gets the biggest challenge possible, a singles match against Miyu Yamashita!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “POSITIVE CHAIN ’22”, 11/02/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Vs Arisu Endo
2. Hyper Misao, Nao Kakuta & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Asuka, Haruna Neko & Kaya Toribami
3. Suzume Vs Yuki Arai
4. Sakisama & Mei Saint-Michel Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa & Marika Kobashi Vs Shoko Nakajima, Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki
6. International Princess Title: Maki Itoh (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku
7. 2nd “Futari wa Princess” Max Heart Tournament – Final: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
The two strongest teams in TJPW right now seem to be Daydream and The Bakuretsu Sisters. They both reached the Max Heart Tournament final and the time is coming to see which side is better. There have been two previous matches between the teams and the Princess Tag Team Titles were on the line both times. Daydream won the first one and the Sisters won the second time. This will be the definitive rubber match given how Nodoka Tenma’s wrestling career is nearing its end. Yuki Aino thinks this match is their destiny. She still wants to wrestle with her sister which she thinks is one of the reasons why they were so successful in this tournament. However Miu Watanabe believes Daydream is now at their strongest. Rika Tatsumi is looking ahead to the winners most likely getting the next Princess Tag Titles shot against The Magical Sugar Rabbits.
When Yuki Kamifuku pinned Maki Itoh earlier in the tournament, Itoh kept her temper knowing that Kamifuku would become a potential challenger for the International Princess Title. Her instinct was proven correct and Kamifuku gets the title shot at Korakuen Hall. Itoh wants her current reign to surpass Kamifuku’s time with the belt so whatever feelings Kamifuku shows in the match, Itoh will give it back 100 times more. Kamifuku feels motivated after teaming with Asuka and thinks it will be a bad look for their friendship if she has nothing to show from working so hard. If she becomes champion again she wants to expand the Wrestle Universe audience across Asia, because America and Europe are already being catered to. Harsh words were also given when Kamifuku called herself the coolest in the world. Itoh said “Piss off you piece of shit” in response.
Two classmates born in 1998 will face off when Suzume takes on Yuki Arai in a first time singles match. Suzume has two years of extra experience in the ring but Arai is coming off of a super rookie year that’s been covered by the Japanese wrestling press across the board. While Suzume knows how popular Arai is, she remembers getting many votes herself to qualify for the IP Title No. 1 Contender Battle Royal last December (Suzume even beat Arai 210 votes to 199). Who gets attention doesn’t bother her, she just wants to win against Arai in a match between two TJPW wrestlers.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2022 ~DDT 25TH ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2022 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. LiLiCo Retirement Match: LiLiCo Vs X
2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata & Yoshihiko (c) Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba (w/ Naomi Susan)
3. DDT 25th Anniversary Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Michael Nakazawa
4. Special Single Match: Saki Akai Vs Maya Yukihi
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo
Wrestlers from DDT’s past will come to Sumo Hall to celebrate the company’s 25th Anniversary. The rumored AEW name turned out to be Michael Nakazawa and he blatantly tried to make people think it would be Kenny Omega to get more attention. His long rivalry with Sanshiro Takagi gets revived for the big occasion.
The DDT Legend Army consists of DDT’s big players from the 2000s era of the company. Poison Sawada JULIE and his paranormal powers made him a force to be reckoned with in his prime. Takashi Sasaki is still going today, flying the flag for FREEDOMS over the last 12 years. His Aka Rangers tag partner GENTARO was a DDT mainstay from 2001-2003. The Suicide Boyz of MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba were the focal point of DDT’s tag division throughout the decade both together and in separate teams. Tying up the challenging team is Naomi Susan at ringside. She played a major role for DDT behind the scenes as the liaison for foreign wrestlers and was also the manager for Union Pro Wrestling.
Celebrity and former multiple DDT title holder LiLiCo wants to wrestle one more match before she calls time on her pro wrestling career. 2018 was the last time she wrestled in DDT and it will really make it worth her while if they can find her some handsome opponents for her farewell.
DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2022 ~ULTIMATE TAG LEAGUE 2022 OPENING ROUND~”, 30/01/2022 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 516 Fans – No Vacancy
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 2 Handicap Match: Antonio Honda & Yusuke Okada defeated Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida when Okada pinned Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:46).
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani defeated Akito, Soma Takao, Toui Kojima & Yuya Koroku when Okatani pinned Kojima with the Diving Knee Drop (10:32).
2. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (2) defeated Shunma Katsumata & MAO (0) when Imanari pinned MAO with the Pheromone Clutch (9:35).
3. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (2) defeated Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (0) when Ueno pinned Hirata with the BME (14:10).
4. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (2) defeated Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya (0) when Endo pinned Naya with the Shooting Star Press (14:40).
5. Ultimate Tag League 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi (2) defeated HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (0) when Takanashi pinned HARASHIMA with a Pedal-Style Uwabami (19:13).
6. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) defeated Minoru Fujita with La Mistica Crossface Lock (19:27). *V4 for Daisuke Sasaki.
The main event saw two rule-breakers try to be dirtier than the other in the ring. Daisuke Sasaki called upon MJ Paul to get in and help him but Fujita had backup from his friends from ChocoPro. Sasaki hit a Low Blow on Fujita and also a chairshot but Fujita got even with a supposedly inadvertent Low Blow to Sasaki as he fell to the canvas. Fujita did an Avalanche SAYONARA Tombstone but Sasaki kicked out at two. The champion then overcame Fujita’s Cradles and trapped him in La Mistica Crossface Lock for the submission win.
In a surprising moment after the match, Fujita went to shake Sasaki’s hand despite protests from the ChocoPro wrestlers. Fujita then offered to shake Baaliyan Akki’s hand but instead kicked him low and gave him an Implant DDT. Fujita told his friends their kindness will make them lose at the most crucial moments and they should wake up! If they don’t win then there is no justice. Fujita was about to leave when Sasaki called him over and asked him to join DAMNATION T.A. Fujita accepted and said he will give all of him to the unit. They then attacked the ChocoPro wrestlers and Sasaki told them to go back to Ichigaya. The show ended with Sasaki saying finally DAMNATION T.A is ready to bring destruction and chaos to DDT!
The bulk of the show was dedicated to the opening matches of the Ultimate Tag League 2022. The big match saw CDK scoring an upset win over DISASATER BOX, causing an immediate dent to the former KO-D Tag Team Champions plan to regain the belts. Some clever maneuvers from Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi included putting the ref on top of HARASHIMA and flipping them over into an unintentional Takatonic. When that misfired, HARASHIMA used Naomi Yoshimura as a stepping stone to hit a Flying Double Knee to Takanashi. Brookes was wiped out with the Somato but Takanashi caught HARASHIMA in a roll up to snatch the win out of nowhere. Brookes called DISASTER BOX their strongest opponents in the group, everybody else is all B teams.
BURNING started their campaign with a good win against the heavyweight duo of Yuji Hino & Yukio Naya. Near the end Jun Akiyama threw his Exploder Suplexes but Hino fired his own back at him. Naya’s big move on Tetsuya Endo was an Avalanche Brainbuster but Akiyama caught him with a Running Knee to the face and then another Exploder. Endo dropped him with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb and picked up the win with the Shooting Star Press. Akiyama thinks Naya is beginning to develop into a better wrestler but BURNING was not going to lose to anyone today. Hino encouraged Naya to explode even more at their next match.
It was a mixed start for the two teams representing The 37KAMIINA. The Osaka duo of Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno won their match against the odd couple of Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata. There were times when Hirata was reminded not to start dancing because Kondo wants him to get serious. When they were put in Double Crab Holds, Kondo had to physically stop Hirata from tapping out by grabbing his arm before he could tap out. Kondo got his chance to square up against Takeshita but the match came down to Ueno and Hirata. Ueno blocked the Mad Splash and pinned Hirata with the Best Moonsault Ever. Takeshita admitted to being 1% afraid his team would lose the match. He is also interested in wrestling Kondo again. He thinks it would be fun if The 37KAMIINA goes over to the place where Kondo regularly wrestles and fight him there.
Things did not go as well for Shunma Katsumata & MAO when they took on Pheromones. They surprised their opponents with immediate Dropkicks and dives for an attempted quick win. But Yuki Iino & Yumehito Imanari got their chance to do Pheromone things. MAO got a face full of Iino’s backside while Imanari rolled up Katsumata in the Pheromone Clutch to steal the win. Imanari said that even when Danshoku Dieno isn’t here, they are still Pheromones! He didn’t think they could win but the inherited Dandy spirit of Dieno helped them push through with their goal to explore the true DDT essence of DDT.
Now Eruption is complete. A fresh start for Hideki Okatani means a fresh look too. Elsewhere in that generation, Yuya Koroku & Toui Kojima had a tense moment tagging each other in. Akito & Soma Takao tried working together to take out Kazusada Higuchi but Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai were there to even the odds. Eruption all got together to pick apart the opposing team and Okatani used a Diving Knee Drop to pin Kojima. Afterwards backstage, Okatani said he will absolutely beat Akiyama when Eruption has their first Tag League match on 5th February.
Sanshiro Takagi was pulled from the show due to a fever. There was no replacement for him so the dark match was turned into a Handicap Match. The trio of Toru Owashi, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuki Ishida were all unified by their sumo backgrounds. However Yusuke Okada avoided their Sumo Illusion triple team and Antonio Honda launched a Bionic Elbow counter attack. Okada ended up pinning Ishida with the Sudden Death.
A string of announcements were made for DDT’s 25th Anniversary show at Sumo Hall on 20th March. LiLiCo announced she be retiring from pro wrestling. She has knee problems that prevent her from wrestling but would like to have one more match. Hisaya Imabayashi decided she will get a retirement match at Sumo Hall. LiLiCo requested her match to be against men, handsome ones in particular.
Several wrestlers from DDT’s past are being gathered together by Poison Sawada JULIE to challenge for the KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles at Sumo Hall. JULIE will lead the DDT Legend Army consisting of himself, Takashi Sasaki, GENTARO, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba with Naomi Susan also in their corner.
A wrestler from AEW was heavily teased to be announced for Sumo Hall so there was a lot of excitement when a video was sent to DDT. It turned out to be from Michael Nakazawa. He wants to challenge Sanshiro Takagi to a Special Singles Match to celebrate the 25th Anniversary.
Two more big arena shows were added to the 2022 schedule. “MEGA MAX BUMP 2022” will be held at the Yokohama Budokan on 1st May. “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2022” is happened at Ota Ward Gymnasium on 20th August.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 