DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (6) Vs Yuki Ueno (6)
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (6) Vs Yuki Ueno (6)
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SE~NO, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2020”, 19/12/2020
Nagoya Civic Gymnasium 3rd Stadium
1. Yuki Aino & Nao Kakuta Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
2. Mizuki, Hyper Misao & Moka Miyamoto Vs Miu Watanabe, Hikari Noa & Raku
3. Christmas Special 6 Big Single Match: Suzume Vs Sena Shiori
4. Christmas Special 6 Big Single Match: Nodoka Tenma Vs Haruna Neko
5. Christmas Special 6 Big Single Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
6. Christmas Special 6 Big Single Match: Shoko Nakajima Vs Mirai Maiumi
7. Christmas Special 6 Big Single Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Marika Kobashi
8. Christmas Special 6 Big Single Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs Pom Harajuku
The random draw took place for the six special Christmas matches. Each match will have a 10 minute time limit. The one causing a stir is Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh because Itoh wanted the match to happen in Korakuen Hall on 4th January. She will get her way but still has to wrestle Yamashita in Nagoya this week. Yamashita said she is not interested in rematching with Itoh so soon unless she doesn’t beat her in Nagoya.
BASARA “BASARA 144 ~GLITTER~”, 22/12/2020
Shin-Kiba 1st RING
1. Takato Nakano Vs Banana Senga
2. Gouma Ryu Vs Tsutomu Oosugi
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Minoru Fujita
4. Ryuichi Sekine Vs Fuminori Abe
5. Takumi Tsukamoto, Yasu Urano & Masato Kamino Vs FUMA, Yusuke Kubo & Daichi Kazato
6. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Final: Isami Kodaka & Daiki Shimomura Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT
Final BASARA show of 2020 and their first full year of independence in the books.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Toi Kojima Debut Match: Toi Kojima Vs Hideki Okatani
2. 3 Way Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
3. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Shinya Aoki
5. Hold Your Stomach! Forget The Year Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine
3.
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Konosuke Takeshita vs Jun Akiyama
The final DDT show of the year will see the D-Ou Grand Prix winner crowned. Konosuke Takeshita gets his chance for revenge after losing to Jun Akiyama at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. Akiyama recently made a point that DDT needs to decide if they really want to compete against New Japan. If they are willing to face the challenge head on, he will fight for them with everything he has. Could that be a hint Akiyama will stick with DDT after his loan period with them ends? I can’t imagine he will go back to All Japan after all of this.
The DDT Sauna Club gets a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. The final visual we could see in a DDT ring this year is the warm and calming collection of Sauna Club wrestlers celebrating their success. It would ruin the Young Communication comeback show weeks before it takes place.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI PRO ’21”, 04/01/2021
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Arisu Endo Debut Match: Arisu Endo Vs X
2. Miyu Yamashita Vs Maki Itoh
3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino (c) Vs Yuki Kamifuku & Mahiro Kiryu
4. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi
Itoh wants her match with Yamashita to happen in Korakuen for a couple of reasons. They headlined Korakuen on the 2019 Ittenyon show. Yamashita was also Itoh’s opponent when Itoh had her pro wrestling debut. Finally after all their matches together, Itoh has never beaten Yamashita. If she can finally beat her, Itoh said she will then challenge for the Princess Of Princess Title. This is all part of her efforts to spread the name of Tokyo Joshi Pro around the world in 2021.
DDT “HELL GATE DAI BUKAI EDITION”, 13/12/2020
Hell Gate
0 Fans
1. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs Tawaramachi Kid Jr.
2. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs Satoru Otake
3. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs Kai
4. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs Benio
5. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) Vs Shinya
6. DDT Extreme Title – Meat Grilled Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi (c) & Rambo Kawamura Vs Zosaku Inoue & Super Nikuyaki Machine
7. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) & Rambo Kawamura Vs Akinori Ariji & Hen China
DDT “HELL GATE DAI BUKAI EDITION”, 13/12/2020
Hell Gate
0 Fans
1. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) defeated Tawaramachi Kid Jr. with a Dragon Sleeper (1:25).
*V3 for Sanshiro Takagi.
2. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) defeated Satoru Otake with a Soccer Ball Kick (1:49).
*V4 for Sanshiro Takagi.
3. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) defeated Kai with a Back STF (1:13).
*V5 for Sanshiro Takagi.
4. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) defeated Benio with a Half Crab Hold (2:12).
*V6 for Sanshiro Takagi.
5. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) defeated Shinya after a Machine Gun beating from Rambo Kawamura (2:50).
*V7 for Sanshiro Takagi.
6. DDT Extreme Title – Meat Grilled Death Match: Sanshiro Takagi (c) & Rambo Kawamura defeated Zosaku Inoue & Super Nikuyaki Machine when Takagi pinned Machine with the Spicolli Driver onto the meat grills (2:51).
*V8 for Sanshiro Takagi.
7. DDT Extreme Title: Sanshiro Takagi (c) & Rambo Kawamura defeated Akinori Ariji & Hen China when Takagi pinned Ariji with the Spicolli Driver onto a Chair. (6:36).
*V9 for Sanshiro Takagi.
Today’s set of DDT Extreme Title defences took place at a “Hell Gate” located in the mountains near Sammu City, Chiba. Sanshiro Takagi met with a mysterious man who was there to guide him to the Hell Gate. It was a vast open space of land where Takagi would fight against Nariagari, an elite group of amateur pro wrestlers under the tutelage of Danshoku Dieno. When Takagi met with Dieno, they noticed there was no referee around. One of the Nariagari wrestlers Hen China was told to put on a sports jersey and officiate the matches.
Takagi’s first challenger was Tawaramachi Kid Jr. This masked wrestler wore a happi coat and armed with wooden stick instruments to cheer himself on. Takagi quickly submitted him with a Dragon Sleeper.
The second defence was against Satoru Otake, a normal everyday salaryman. Otake handed Takagi his business card then hit him with his briefcase. He screamed about being a newlywed who needs money. Takagi rolled him onto the ground and soccer kicked him in the back before pinning him.
The third challenger then appeared, an English speaking backpacker named Kai. Takagi gave him a Soccer Ball Kick but the backpack worked as a shield against it. Kai put Takagi in a Crossface Lock but Takagi freed himself by stealing Kai’s passport and throwing it away. Takagi put Kai in the STF. Kai reached towards his passport on the ground but gave up when Takagi rolled him away still in the STF.
Next up was a doctor who simply went by the name of Benio. He didn’t look threatening in his medical coat but when he took it off, he meant business. Benio threw a Lariat and smiled when Takagi hit him back with Chops. Takagi gave him the Stunner but Benio still smiled and wouldn’t fall down. Takagi eventually got him on the ground with a Lariat and made Benio submit to a Half Crab Hold.
The fifth and apparently final challenger made his way to confront Takagi. Shinya “The Wandering Metaller” carried an electric guitar and declared today as his debut match. Takagi avoided the guitar attacks and had Shinya beaten when another mystery man suddenly appeared…
The man was Zosaku Inoue, one of Nariagari’s Heavenly Four Kings! He blew fire from Hell at Takagi, scaring him away. Shinya joined in and also blew fire from the opposite side, trapping the champion and hurting him greatly. Shinya went for the pin when suddenly Rambo Kawamura ran in to rescue Takagi! He fought off Shinya with his machine gun and knocked him out for Takagi to pin him. Takagi asked him why he came to help and Kawamura said he didn’t want to see these guys take the DDT Extreme Title from his “Colonel”. From here the two of them decided on teaming together to fight the Heavenly Four Kings.
Together they started their search. Kawamura told Takagi he forgot the Extreme Title belt earlier so he grabbed it and gave it back to him. They then approached Dieno with two of the Heavenly Kings: Inoue and Super Nikuyaki Machine. They challenged Takagi & Kawamura to a Meat Grilled Death Match right away! Nikuyaki emptied a bag of metal grills and tongs. Kawamura used the tongs to pull a bullet out of his stomach. Takagi slammed Nikuyaki onto the grills with the Spicolli Driver for the victory. Inoue ran away, abandoning his partner. Takagi & Kawamura decided to give the fallen Nikuyaki an honorable goodbye and they buried him under the grills.
They reached a power line structure and found an imposing figure waiting for them. It was Akinori Ariji. Hen China took off his jersey and joined his side. They were the two remaining Heavenly Kings! Satoru Otake returned to be the referee for the final match between the two teams. China blew into a vuvuzela to distract Takagi then attacked him with glow sticks. Kawamura meanwhile tried to poison Ariji by force feeding him grass. Zosaku Inoue returned to blow more fire at Takagi, allowing the other Kings to throw Takagi into a castle of chairs nearby. Takagi grabbed a chair and broke it over Ariji’s head. Kawamura then shot Ariji in the head with a suction cup arrow at point blank range. Takagi finished him off with the Spicolli Driver to complete today’s quest.
The Nariagari wrestlers all gathered around for Takagi to speak to them. He called them strong and admitted he probably would have lost eventually if Kawamura did not come to his aid. He asked Dieno if they are doing more than just training. Have they only done one show previously behind closed doors? That won’t get through to anybody. They should be given the spotlight more often. Takagi encouraged Nariagari to hold a second show this time in front of an audience. Kawamura offered to take part because he doesn’t have a job to keep him occupied.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 06/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA (6) Vs Akito (4)
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Mad Paulie & Nobuihiro Shimatani defated Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani and Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Shimatani pinned Nakamura after a Combined Body Press (8:13).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata (4) defeated Soma Takao (6) by Countout (10:05).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (8) defeated Yuki Ueno (6) with the Front Neck Lock (11:51).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (7) with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (19:26).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito (7) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (6) by TKO with a Modified Figure 4 Leg Lock (8:56).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO (6) defeated Chris Brookes (6) with an Inside Cradle (14:28).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (8) defeated HARASHIMA (7) with the German Suplex (20:39).
A Block
1. Konosuke Takeshita (8)
2. HARASHIMA (7)
-. Akito (7)
4. MAO (6)
-. Yukio Sakaguchi (6)
-. Chris Brookes (6)
7. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
B Block
1. Jun Akiyama (8)
2. Tetsuya Endo (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
4. Soma Takao (6)
-. Yuki Ueno (6)
6. Makoto Oishi (4)
-. Shunma Katsumata (4)
The dust has settled and no tiebreakers were needed. The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 final will be between Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama! The A Block was decided in the last three matches of the show with Takeshita winning the group by beating HARASHIMA. Takeshita’s injured left arm was targeted in by HARASHIMA in a last ditch attempt to avoid the German Suplex. But Takeshita wrestled his way into position to pin his opponent with the move. Takeshita gave HARASHIMA credit and said today’s match was the strongest he’s ever been. HARASHIMA joked and asked Takeshita if his arm was sore. Akiyama came out and told Takeshita he already beat him on 3rd November. If Takeshita wants revenge he needs to recover from his injury and bring his best on 27th December. Takeshita told Akiyama he won’t lose to him again.
A lot of come from behind results happened for the blocks to end up the way they did. Chris Brookes lost to MAO to get knocked out of the running. MAO added a Reverse Quetzalcoatl to his move set but that wasn’t enough to win. Instead he had to counter the Praying Mantis Bomb into a Small Package to pin Brookes. MAO admitted he would like to have seen Brookes reach the final because they are friends outside the ring (they go to karaoke and sing “One Night Carnival” a lot) but he wasn’t going to lose to him today. MAO is also feeling tired of wrestling in singles matches. He wants to do tag team wrestling again.
The other wrestler in A Block to fall at the final hurdle was Yukio Sakaguchi. He was only interested in grappling with Akito so he did not throw many kicks in their match. Akito got the better of him on the mat and tangled him into a modifed Figure 4 Leg Lock. Sakaguchi refused to give up but the referee had to end the match when it was clear that Sakaguchi was done for. Sakaguchi admitted his knee wasn’t 100% after his match with HARASHIMA and Akito was smart to go after it. Akito wasn’t fully motivated to wrestle today because he wouldn’t reach the final. He wondered if Sakaguchi intentionally invited him to mat wrestle to give him that motivation. He found a new way to do a Figure 4 so in the end he did get something out of it.
Over in the B Block, Tetsuya Endo was stunned by a submission loss to Makoto Oishi! The shock result happened when Oishi grabbed Endo’s leg to avoid the Canadian Destroyer and got him into the Fujiyama Knee Lock. Endo was managing to withstand it until Oishi put all of his power into the hold, getting the tapout. The result meant Akiyama was going to the final instead of Endo. Oishi said it would have been uncool if the leader of Junretsu couldn’t help get Akiyama to the final. For anyone who thought it’s time for Oishi to retire, his message today is it’s not his time yet! He’s still getting better and he is not going to retire before Akiyama.
The penultimate B Block match was where Akiyama cemented his spot in the final. He took over when Yuki Ueno missed the BME and hit the Exploder Suplex. He then did the Wrist-Clutch Exploder but Ueno kicked out at two. Akiyama didn’t waste time and he put Ueno in the Front Neck Lock for the submission win. Backstage Akiyama gave his thoughts on the current wrestling scene. The likes of Ueno need to step up more. They’re not going to catch up to Akiyama if they’re just aiming to get along with him. There is a difference between trying to get better together and trying to get better alone. Akiyama is in DDT to compete and that difference is why he is beating wrestlers half his age. He says it’s fine when Sanshiro Takagi says he wants his company to catch up to New Japan and overtake them. But when you say that then you must treat the business as a competition and you must compete. You can still go and create interesting ideas that are different from the norm, but if it’s not done with the intention of competing then pro wrestling will eventually have nothing left.
Soma Takao’s chance to win the block was ruined thanks to Shunma Katsumata. He has to give some of the blame to Nobuhiro Shimatani though. Also himself but he still blamed Shimatani. He used the steel basin in the match but Katsumata fought back with Lego. Shimatani grabbed the basin but hit Takao by accident. Takao then purposely hit him with the basin and chased him out of the room with Katsumata following them. While the 20 count was being made, Katsumata returned to the ring first. Takao then came back with his legs taped together forcing him to hop back to the ring. He was about to break the count when Katsumata dropped the basin on his head, knocking him down and leaving him counted out. Katsumata said the tournament has been hard for him because he injured his knee during the summer. That is why he’s been cheating throughout the Grand Prix so he could still leave an impression with his matches. Today was the end of his tournament run but as a pro wrestler he will continue to rise.
In the non-tournament 3 Way Tag, Shimatani jumped onto Mad Paulie’s back and together they squashed Keigo Nakamura.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Mad Paulie & Nobuihiro Shimatani Vs Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao (6) Vs Shunma Katsumata (2)
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno (6) Vs Jun Akiyama (6)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (7) Vs Makoto Oishi (2)
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi (6) Vs Akito (5)
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO (4) Vs Chris Brookes (6)
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (6) Vs HARASHIMA (7)
There’s the match order for the final matches in the group stage. So let’s grab a drink and figure out the paths that can play out. DDT only said a tiebreaker match will be held in case of a tie for first place. No mention of the direct confrontation rule so the previous results may not be as advantageous as they normally are. I am writing these paths assuming that the tiebreaker will happen no matter who finishes with the same amount of points. Also it’s a Friday night so if I’m wrong I’m not going to worry too much about it. Show’s on in a few hours time anyway.
A Block
1. HARASHIMA (7)
A win over Takeshita guarantees a spot in the final. A draw means getting into a tiebreaker with Chris Brookes and/or Yukio Sakaguchi if they win their matches. If they both fail to win in that situation then HARASHIMA gets a lucky escape.
2. Yukio Sakaguchi (6)
A win over Akito, HARASHIMA losing and Brookes failing to win gets Sakaguchi first place. If Sakaguchi gets a draw he needs HARASHIMA to lose and Brookes to not win in order to enter the tiebreaker.
2. Chris Brookes (6)
Brookes will finish first if he beats MAO, HARASHIMA loses and Sakaguchi fails to win. If Brookes gets a draw he needs HARASHIMA to lose and Sakaguchi to not win in order to enter the tiebreaker.
2. Konosuke Takeshita (6)
Needs to beat HARASHIMA to stay alive. Finishes on top if Brookes and Sakaguchi both fail to win. Otherwise it’s a tiebreaker.
5. Akito (5)
Any result of the main event prevents Akito from finishing first so he is eliminated. He ends Sakaguchi’s run if he beats him. Maybe even a draw.
6. MAO (4)
Cannot reach the final but can eliminate Brookes.
7. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
Completely out of it because of injury. Sorry for rubbing it in.
B Block
1. Tetsuya Endo (7)
Just needs to beat Oishi to win the block. A draw ties him with the winner of Ueno Vs Akiyama and Takao if he beats Katsumata. Endo still has a chance if he loses but that direction won’t be pretty.
1. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
This is the chaos path. Higuchi already wrestled all his matches. Only hope is if Endo loses, Takao doesn’t win and Ueno Vs Akiyama ends in a draw. That results in a massive 4 way or even 5 way tiebreaker.
3. Jun Akiyama (6)
Needs to beat Ueno, Endo loses and Takao loses. Akiyama Vs Ueno ending in a draw, Takao not winning and Endo losing leads to chaos.
3. Soma Takao (6)
Can squeak into the final if he beats Katsumata, Endo loses and Ueno Vs Akiyama ends in a draw. Otherwise Takao winning sends him to a tiebreaker against the winner of Akiyama Vs Ueno if Endo still loses.
3. Yuki Ueno (6)
Ueno’s in the same position as Akiyama. Just read his bit and swap their names around.
6. Makoto Oishi (2)
Won’t reach the final but can play one hell of a spoiler against Endo. Root for him if you want to see the the entire block turn on its head.
6. Shunma Katsumata (2)
Down and out but can ruin Soma Takao’s chances.
DDT “ATSUSHI ONITA VS KURO-CHAN! CHRISTMAS FINAL BATTLE! SKYTREE STREET CURRENT EXPLOSION WRESTLING!”, 23/12/2020
Tokyo Solamachi
1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Akito
2. HARASHIMA & Yukio Naya Vs Makoto Oishi & Keigo Nakamura
3. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Hikari Noa Vs Miyu Yamashita, Nodoka Tenma & Marika Kobashi
4. DDT Sauna Club Vs DAMNATION!: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno Vs Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Hiroshi Yamato (w/ Daisuke Sasaki)
5. Current Explosion Death Match: Atsushi Onita (w/ Sanshiro Takagi, Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh) Vs Kuro-chan (w/ Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine & Yuki Kamifuku)
Kuro-chan reluctantly accepts Atsushi Onita’s challenge for a Current Explosion Death Match but with some added conditions. The two met up at Tokyo Solamachi yesterday with Kuro-chan wanting to turn down the match. His excuse is he is just an amateur. Onita, armed with a current blast bat told Kuro-chan that this year’s dirt must be cleaned. He then forced Kuro-chan to sign the contract for the match. Onita then blew up a Christmas tree with a picture of Kuro-chan attached to it with the bat as an experiment. It was revealed later that the explosion level for the actual match will be triple the strength.
Onita said the match must happen because hundreds of thousands of fans will be watching. Kuro-chan wouldn’t betray them by no-showing, right? Kuro-chan agreed and requested he should bring some pro wrestlers to the match to help him. Sanshiro Takagi agreed and told Onita he should have some helpers too. Takagi immediately chose himself, Chris Brookes and Maki Itoh to be in Onita’s corner. Kuro-chan wanted to pick Jun Akiyama but he did not have his contact information. He thought about finding people who have grudges with Onita but ended up staying within the DDT stratosphere. In the end his helpers are Shinya Aoki, Super Sasadango Machine and Yuki Kamifuku.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 06/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
??? Fans – Withheld
-. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Chris Brookes (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (2) by Forfeit.
1. Chris Brookes defeated Hideki Okatani with the Elevator Action Death Parade (6:13).
2. Blow Away The D-Ou GP 2021 From The DDT Variety Team! ~ Narimasu Tag Death Match: Danshoku Dieno & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Akai pinned Hirata with a PK (8:27).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (6) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (6) by Knockout with the Zahi (11:26).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA (7) Vs Akito (5) ended in a Draw after a Double Pinfall (16:26).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Shunma Katsumata (2) with the WR (13:56).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo (7) with the Gin And Tonic (16:37).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (7) defeated Jun Akiyama (6) with the Brain Claw Pin (4:03).
A Block
1. HARASHIMA (7)
2. Yukio Sakaguchi (6)
-. Chris Brookes (6)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (6)
5. Akito (5)
6. MAO (4)
7. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
B Block
1. Tetsuya Endo (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
3. Jun Akiyama (6)
-. Soma Takao (6)
-. Yuki Ueno (6)
6. Makoto Oishi (2)
-. Shunma Katsumata (2)
With one last roar, Kazusada Higuchi finishes his schedule of block matches with a gigantic win over Jun Akiyama! He did it in quick time too. In just over 4 minutes, Higuchi applied the Brain Claw and pressed Akiyama down to the canvas to pin him. Higuchi got on the mic and said the top spot cannot be given to someone who is about to go back to All Japan. With this result, Higuchi is now tied in first place but he has no more matches remaining. He needs a bunch of results from other matches to play out a certain way in order for him to enter some sort of emergency tiebreaker match.
Tetsuya Endo could have sealed his place in the final here today if he had beaten Soma Takao. Instead he is in a position where it could all slip away. Takao avoided the Modified One-Winged Angel and trapped his stablemate in the Official Endless Waltz. Endo wouldn’t be pinned by it but Takao got him into the Gin And Tonic and got the upset victory. Takao reminded Endo he is still his senpai. He hates him but also loves him too. Backstage Endo said that Takao beating him means Takao has indirectly beaten Akiyama. If that doesn’t make him feel anything then he will never move past the spot he is in.
The DDT Sauna Club had another member versus member match in the D-Ou Grand Prix. That relationship came into play when Shunma Katsumata made Yuki Ueno sit down on a chair and waved him with a towel before choking him with it. Katsumata used more chairs to cut off a Plancha and then taped Ueno’s feet together for a possible countout. Ueno got Toui Kojima to cut the tape off and he made it back to the ring to continue the match. Katsumata tried using Daisuke Kiso as a human shield but Ueno maneuvered around them and hit a Standing Shining Wizard. Ueno then won with the WR. Katsumata praised Ueno for getting stronger and he told him to look up at the Finnish sky so they can see aurora borealis together. He told Ueno he will meet him again at the Grand Prix final. Ueno said that isn’t possible but Katsumata told him he wouldn’t give up.
HARASHIMA is clinging on to the top spot of the A Block. He got into a back and forth match with Akito and almost got counted out when he missed the Somato on the apron and crashed into the ring post. Akito then attempted the Goliath Birdeater but HARASHIMA attempted a counter Cradle. Both men’s shoulders were on the mat long enough for Yukinori Matsui to count to three. Matsui called it a double pin and declared the match a draw. HARASHIMA said the difference between Akito now compared to their past matches is the Goliath Birdeater so he knew he had to avoid it. Since there was no winner or loser, HARASHIMA doesn’t understand how to feel about the result.
The bad news for Konosuke Takeshita is his left arm is hanging by a thread. The good news is his recent run of results have gotten him back in the hunt for a place in the final. His victory over Yukio Sakaguchi today came from a clash of knee strikes. Sakaguchi hit the God’s Right Knee and Takashita got in the Zahi before they both crumpled to the mat. Takeshita was able to stand back up before the 10 count but Sakaguchi couldn’t do the same. Takeshita thinks luck is on his side and he will give up his left arm to finish the Grand Prix.
The non-tournament tag match was suddenly turned into a Narimasu Tag Death Match. After three minutes a weapon handed down from the ancient times would be introduced to the match. It was revealed to be Yuki Iino, Keigo Nakamura and Hisaya Imabayashi all sitting on the turnbuckles bent over with their backsides exposed. Danshoku Dieno appreciated the idea and copied them on the remaining turnbuckle. Toru Owashi and Saki Akai were thrown face first into the backsides. The four corners then joined in Kazuki Hirata’s dance with their butts still hanging out. They then all closed into the center of the ring where Akai threw Hirata and Hirata got his face full of everyone. Akai then hit a Penalty Kick and pinned him.
Chris Brookes spent most of his replacement match twisting Hideki Okatani into knots.
At the start of the show it was announced that Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine will happen at Korakuen Hall on 27th December. Nayagi is Yukio Naya’s parody of Takagi from the Hiragana Muscle shows. Takagi saw that and noticed Naya’s posing and the angle he hits the Stunner with are not accurate enough. Takagi won’t stand for this!
The #STRONGHEARTS quartet of CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie will be at the Nagoya Congress Center show on 23rd February.