DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 3”, 01/08/2020 Shinjuku FACE 202 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
0. Special Under Match “I Cannot Stand Losing”: Tetsuya Koda defeated Hisaya Imabayashi by TKO with a Sleeper Hold (8:24).
1. Mizuki Watase defeated Yukio Naya with a Frankensteiner (7:26).
2. Crocodile Triple Hell Death Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Iino ended in a No Contest (R9 0:28).
3. Soma Takao & Mad Paulie defeated Danshoku Dieno & Akito when Takao pinned Dieno with a School Boy (8:58).
4. Rock And Roll 4 Way Death Match: A.YAZAWA defeated Saki Akai, “brother” KAZUKI and Shunma Katsumata when YAZAWA pinned KAZUKI with an Upright Kick (12:54).
5. HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Keigo Nakamura defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani when HARASHIMA pinned Okatani with the Somato (11:19).
6. Customer Lottery 6-Man Tag Match That Looks Like A Beer Garden Specialty: Chris Brookes, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazusada Higuchi defeated Tetsuya Endo, Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno when Yoshimura pinned Ueno with the Throwaway Power Bomb (18:38).
The lottery draw for the main event pitted friends against each other and had enemies teaming together. Nautilus found themselves on opposite sides but agreed that they would do their best when it was time for them to fight. Tetsuya Endo surprised Konosuke Takeshita and everyone else by coming out wearing his old Happy Motels gear! He was on his best behavior and shook everyone’s hands to prove it. But in the end it was all a big ruse. He Headbutted Takeshita then gave Yuki Ueno the Testuya In The Sky. Endo took off his Happy Motels clothes to show he was wearing his regular gear underneath then walked out on the match. Chris Brookes, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazusada Higuchi took advantage of the situation to win the match. Ueno still had some fight left in him but Yoshimura put him away with the Power Bomb. Afterwards Yoshimura tried to cool things down and thanked Ueno for wrestling him after a long time. He hopes next year everyone will actually be able to drink beer at the Beer Garden shows. But first he will beat Takeshita at the King Of DDT tournament!
Jun Akiyama got to wrestle with HARASHIMA for the first time ever. Hideki Okatani is making progress hitting the Northern Lights Suplex on a consistant basis but he can’t say the same when he attempts the Double Arm Suplex. HARASHIMA countered that and pinned him with the Somato. Keigo Nakamura refused to shake hands with Akiyama after the match. Makoto Oishi had to apologize to Akiyama for the rookie’s rudeness.
Antonio Honda was too lovesick to wrestle in the Rock And Roll 4 Way Death Match. A.YAZAWA took his place. It was already announced yesterday that “brother” KAZUKI was substituting for the recently banished Kazuki Hirata. Everyone had to dance whenever rock music played. Shunma Katsumata complained because it was not the kind of death match he was expecting. The music player broke halfway through the match which meant any genre of music would be randomly chosen from now on. “Never Give Up☆I LOVE YOU” by NωA played so Katsumata and KAZUKI sang karaoke for it. YAZAWA and Saki Akai did the same when “Otoko To Onna No Love Game” played. A song used for drinking games then came on causing all four to get drunk. KAZUKI was about to beat YAZAWA when “TOKYO GO!” of all things played. KAZUKI couldn’t resist and danced until YAZAWA pinned him with an Upright Kick.
After the match YAZAWA told KAZUKI he knows he is really Kazuki Hirata in disguise. He could tell from the way he danced. KAZUKI tried to deny it but eventually admitted it to no reaction. He admitted it again so the crowd would react this time. He can’t leave the country because of the Coronavirus so he bought a bandana and made hair extensions out of vinyl tape to create this disguise. “brother” KAZUKI will be retired today and he will go back to normal.
Akito warned DAMNATION that Danshoku Dieno was feeling frustrated today. The Coronavirus prevents him from running through the crowd kissing fans during his entrance so it left him with pent up energy. Soma Takao in particular was told to beware of him. Dieno immediately entered the ring from another part of the room so he could get his hands on Takao. He later went for the Lip Lock but got Akito by mistake instead. Mad Paulie then gave Dieno the Lip Lock. He stretched out his tights wanting to give Dieno the Danshoku Driver but Takao instead rolled Dieno over in a School Boy for the three count.
The Crocodile Triple Hell Death Match involves a toy crocodile with button teeth that you push. If the toy bites you then you have to drink a cup of tequila. The other participants get to drink beer. Every round lasted 30 seconds as an excuse to play the game and drink more alcohol. Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Sakaguchi and Yuki Iino all got drunk then got Yukinori Matsui to play so he could get drunk too. Iino stripped down to his underwear. Sasaki and Sakaguchi used scissors to cut the strings off his underwear and pulled them off so he was completely naked (except for his wrestling shoes). Iino used the crocodile toy to cover his shame as the match got called off.
Yukio Naya is getting criticism for not being dominant like a man with his size snd power should be. Mizuki Watase took the wind out of his sails by countering the Choke Slam into a Hurricanrana to steal the win from him.
The annual summer clash between the DDT and Tokyo Joshi Pro authority figures was as desperate looking as always. Hisaya Imabayashi told everyone to look out for his new Rainmaker Backfist move. However, Tetsuya Koda said he is sick of this feud being used as a joke for the wrestlers to laugh at backstage. He would instead lay down for Imabayashi and let him pin him. It was a trap and Koda caught him in a deadly Sleeper Hold. Imabayashi reached the rope but Koda would attack him with foreign objects and put him in another Sleeper Hold. Imabayashi was about to lose consciousness when voices of his children spoke to him. They told him they’ve been studying at home because they can’t go to school. They are also upset they can’t go to the shows this year but they still want their daddy to do his best! Suddenly Imabayashi woke up and fought back. He hit Koda with the Backfist and then the Kamigoye! Koda kicked out and put Imabayashi in one more Sleeper Hold. Imabayashi tried to fight it but could no longer go on. He shouted out the names of his kids and said he loved them before going out cold.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 2”, 31/07/2020 Shinjuku FACE 175 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Soma Takao defeated Hideki Okatani with the Diving Foot Stomp (5:58).
2. Chris Brookes & Akito Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie ended in a No Contest when Paulie ran away (11:53).
3. Jun Akiyama & Mizuki Watase defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Akiyama pinned Matsunaga with the Exploder Suplex (10:39).
4. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match – Elimination Tornado Pantyhose Generation Fight!: Seigo Tachibana, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura defeated Danshoku Dieno, Muscle Sakai, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda when Iino pinned Dieno with the Spear (11:38).
5. HARASHIMA Produce Loser Punishment 5 Way Match – Over The Top Rope Losing Rule: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi, Yuki Ueno and Naomi Yoshimura defeated Kazuki Hirata (11:32).
5a. Yuki Ueno defeated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (7:06).
5b. Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Kazuki Hirata hy Ring Out (9:15).
5c. HARASHIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata with a Crab Hold (11:32). *Kazuki Hirata is deported from Japan.
6. Tetsuya Endo Produce Hardcore Tag Match – DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Katsumata pinned Shimatani with a Samson Clutch (19:00).
Day 2 of the Beer Garden-Like shows was a bit more comic book like in the main event. Tetsuya Endo put together a Hardcore Match expecting Shunma Katsumata would turn up in his Super Hardcore form. Endo’s counter to that was giving Nobuhiro Shimatani his own Super Hardcore look! Even Konosuke Takeshita was blown away by how big Shimatani had become. However Katsumata appeared in his regular gear and wrestled his normal style. Midway through the match Endo got on the microphone and dared Super Hardcore Katsumata to get involved. Katsumata finally agreed when the fans applauded the idea so he ran out of the arena. Takeshita was left alone to fight two against one until Super Hardcore Katsumata arrived. The wrestlers slammed each other onto chairs and through tables. Lego filled the ring too making the match even more dangerous. A blown Super Kick from Katsumata to Takeshita allowed Endo to hit both of them with the Overhead Kick. Shimatani gave Katsumata the Fisherman Suplex for a nearfall. Katsumata snuck in a Samson Clutch to squeeze in the win. Endo apologized to Shimatani after the match and praised his Super Hardcore form. If he keeps at it he will become the No. 1 Hardcore wrestler before Katsumura does!
DISASTER BOX pitted themselves against each other in a Punishment 5 Way Match. The rules were every winner leaves the match until one wrestler is left, then that loser would be punished. Over the top rope eliminations were included so Kazuki Hirata jumped over by himself thinking he would be done with the match. Self eliminations didn’t count so he had to get back in the ring. Tension built up and even the closest of friends wouldn’t trust each other. Yuki Ueno thought Naomi Yoshimura would backstab him so Nautilus began fighting each other. Hirata tried to help HARASHIMA throw other opponents out of the ring but that backfired and Ueno threw out HARASHIMA to safely leave the match. Hirata tried to lure Toru Owashi and Yoshimura over the top rope but they used the rope to slingshot Hirata to the floor. The referee decided both Owashi and Yoshimura eliminated him so they were both safe. That left HARASHIMA and Hirata as the final two. Hirata did his best but HARASHIMA came out with the win. Hirata’s punishment is he must be banished from Japan! DDT then announced that newcomer “brother” KAZUKI will take Hirata’s place on tomorrow’s show. Hirata complained but was carried out of the ring by a group of wrestlers with pantyhose over their heads.
All of those wrestlers were from the match before where they all had to wear pantyhose while they fought. There is a new generation of wrestlers trying this match for the first time so Makoto Oishi taught them how to wear it. Danshoku Dieno also explained to them that it is ridiculous but if you do something ridiculous with all of your might then you will get funny faces out of it. Muscle Sakai was added to the match because Super Sasadango Machine left his costume behind at the hotel he is staying at. Akito came out and refused to allow the pantyhose match to go ahead. That joke is for kids and is not needed for the new DDT where he is the Vice President. Yukinori Matsui wanted to watch the match and convinced Akito to let it go on because the pantyhose joke represents everything about DDT. Akito agreed but only if everyone wrestled the match seriously. Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at the unintentional funny faces beneath the pantyhose. Akito kept complaining but it kept happening so he pulled Daisuke Kiso out of the ring. Matsui ran in to replace him but did so wearing pantyhose over his head. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to block him but Matsui gave him an Atomic Drop and allowed the match to finish. Akito learned his lesson after seeing that Matsui still did his job seriously underneath the pantyhose. He apologized to the wrestlers and promised the pantyhose match will be brought back.
Jun Akiyama is getting to know more of the DDT roster. This time Kazusada Higuchi and Tomomitsu Matsunaga wanted to test their skills against him. Akiyama and Higuchi got into a Chop battle. Matsunaga put Akiyama in a Scorion Deathlock until Mizuki Watase broke it up. Akiyama slowed down Matsunaga’s momentum with Knee Strikes and finished him off with the Exploder. Watase noted that he is Higuchi’s opponent in the King Of DDT 1st Round.
Daisuke Sasaki hadn’t stopped drinking from the day before. He carried out a load of cans and wanted to drink while he wrestled. Akito told him to stop because he didn’t want to already have a scandal on his hands after becoming Vice President. Sasaki promised to drink responsibly with Chris Brookes. He also promised not to give Mad Paulie beer because he is only 4 years old. Think of the match as a Captain’s Drink Tag Match! Akito agreed but soon regretted it. Sasaki and Brookes got too drunk to wrestle properly. Brookes then forced Paulie to drink a beer. Paulie said it was tasty and continued to drink until Sasaki knocked the beer out of his hands. Paulie cried and attacked Sasaki, then attacked Akito & Brookes, then attacked Matsui causing the match to get thrown out. A drunk Paulie flattened Sasaki with a Body Attack and pinned his tag partner thinking the match was still going on.
Hideki Okatani eagerly attacked Soma Takao before the bell rang. He did a Running Neckbreaker and a Running Bulldog but his Northern Lights Suplex was blocked. From there, Takao took over until Okatani hit the Northern Lights for a nearfall. Takao struck him with the Running Elbow Butt and got the three count with the Diving Foot Stomp.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 1”, 30/07/2020 Shinjuku FACE 192 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Chinko KISS Touch Rule: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino defeated Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Endo pinned Watase with the Puma Toke de Espaldas (10:54).
2. HARASHIMA & Chris Brookes defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when Brookes pinned Paulie with a School Boy (10:59).
3. Super Sasadango Machine Produce Match – Hell In A Blue Sheet Timed Blast! Kaidan Shin Numabukuro Death Match: Muscle Sakai, Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Akito, Yumehito Imanari & Shota ended when Honda used the Golden Tailed Kitsune on Hisanoyuki Imabayashi (16:51).
4. Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Keigo Nakamura when Okatani pinned Nakamura with the Double Arm Suplex (10:38).
5. Saki Akai Produce Match – NEO Biishiki-gun New Member Open Audition: Sakisama, Yukio Saint Laurent & Jiroko “Kawaii” Kuroshio defeated Kazuko Hirata, Margaret☆Owashi, Francoise☆Ihashi, Generic Martha & Kazuko Higuchi when Laurent submitted Hirata with the YSL (7:17).
6. Konosuke Takeshita Produce Match – DDT Sauna Club Vs DDT Legend Army!: Sanshiro Takagi, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno when Toba pinned Ueno with the Backhand Blow (16:32).
DDT was met with a blast from the past at the end of Beer Garden-Like Day 1. Sanshiro Takagi reunited with former alumni MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba to defeat the DDT Sauna Club. Takagi called for the match to go Lucha style but his attempt at a Flying Cross Chop failed against Yuki Ueno. He was still eager to fight the younger wrestlers, particularly egging on Konosuke Takeshita to hit him harder. Meanwhile The Suicide Boyz turned back the clock and were too much for the Sauna Club to handle. MIKAMI hit his Swanton Bomb on Ueno then wiped out Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata with a Tornillo dive. Toba then took the stage and pinned Ueno with the Backhand Blow.
After the match MIKAMI said he doesn’t know how long it’s been since the DDT Legend Army fought together. Takagi muttered that he and Toba don’t even follow him on Twitter. MIKAMI was aware Ueno holds a title but he didn’t know which. When he was told it’s the KO-D Tag Team Titles. This led to The Suicide Boyz challenging Nautilus to a title match. They agreed to have the match on 15th August. When they left, the Sauna Club regrouped. Takeshita was disappointed to lose his own Produce Match. He underestimated Toba’s Punch, Takagi’s Stunner and MIKAMI’s School Boy. Not even MAO standing around at ringside with lignum vitae leaves helped them. He cheered up when he realised it is only the first day of these Beer Garden replacement shows. “The hotter the sauna, the better. The hotter the match, the better. 1, 2, Sauna!”
The NEO Biishiki-gun unit was looking for new members so Sakisama held an audition. How did she get from Paris to Tokyo under the current global situation? I dunno, the Channel Tunnel? Anyway, one by one the contestants were judged by Sakisama & Yukio Saint Laurent. First was Generic Martha. She kind of looked like Martha but she wasn’t Martha, so pass. Next was the duo of Margaret☆Owashi and Francoise☆Ihashi. They danced to “Lonely Magical Fish” by Wink. It only left Sakisama & Laurent confused. Pirako was next and she got a nod from Laurent. Last was Kazuko Higuchi who was very shy. Sakisama was left even more confused by the end. There were 50,000 applicants and these were the best five out of all of them? No matter, the 5 Way Match to decide who joins NEO Biishiki-gun would go ahead. That is until Pirako interrupted her. She was actually Kazuko Hirata in disguise! She is here to lead T2HiJoshi and destroy NEO Biishiki-gun! She had one more surprise too. “HELLO” started playing and out came Jiroko “Kawaii” Kuroshio! She took a long time doing her entrance but her beauty grabbed Sakisama’s attention. Would she like to join NEO Biishiki-gun? Sure! The match turned into a 3 Vs 5 Handicap and NEO Biishiki-gun were victorious in the end. Afterwards Kuroshio has a confession to make. She wasn’t here for the audition. She was here to find her separated sister, Kazuki Higuchi! The two hugged while Laurent snuck up behind Higuchi and knocked her out with a syringe.
Jun Akiyama got to tussle with Naomi Yoshimura in their tag match. He approves of how energetic Yoshimura is. Hideki Okatani got the pin on Keigo Nakamura but that didn’t stop Nakamura from getting face to face with Akiyama after the match. Backstage Nakamura said he is losing momentum because he is Okatani’s senior but is losing to him more and more.
The most dangerous match in pro wrestling was used in DDT for the first time. Hell In A Blue Sheet! It’s so dangerous that nobody can see what happens under that blue sheet. A rule was added where if the match lasted five minutes then the sheet would be lifted and storyteller Hisanoyuki Imabayashi would tell his annual ghost story. Akito was proudly introduced as a CyberFight Vice President. He exchanged business cards with Muscle Sakai during the match. Shota brought in a microphone to call what was happening under the sheet. Whatever happened under there brought all the wrestlers to tears. The match reached the time limit and Imabayashi began his story. He pointed at every wrestler one by one, making them faint out of fright. Antonio Honda stopped him to point out he was making the Gongitsune hand sign. He figured out it is the Golden Tailed Kitsune! Honda convinced the spirit to use him as his new host and he used his new power to defeat Imabayashi! And that was how Antonio Honda learned the Gongitsune.
DAMNATION keep getting new signboards and they keep getting broken over heads. Soma Takao aimed for Chris Brookes but he ducked and Mad Paulie got hit instead. Brookes rolled over Paulie while HARASHIMA threw Takao out.
The Chanko KISS match is where tags only count when one wrestler kisses his tag partner in the crotch. Yukio Naya did not want to do that with Yuki Iino so the 3 Way Tag was turned into a 6-Man Tag with them on opposite sides.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 1”, 30/07/2020 Shinjuku FACE
1. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase Vs Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya
2. HARASHIMA & Chris Brookes Vs Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
3. Super Sasadango Machine Produce Match – Hell In A Blue Sheet Timed Blast! Kaidan Shin Numabukuro Death Match: Muscle Sakai, Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda Vs Akito, Yumehito Imanari & Shota
4. Jun Akiyama & Hideki Okatani Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Keigo Nakamura
5. Saki Akai Produce Match – NEO Biishiki-gun New Member Open Audition: Margaret☆Owashi Vs Francoise☆Ihashi Vs Pirako Vs Generic Martha Vs Kazuko Higuchi Vs X (Judges: Sakisama & Yukio Saint Laurent)
6. Konosuke Takeshita Produce Match – DDT Sauna Club Vs DDT Legend Army!: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno Vs Sanshiro Takagi, MIKAMI & Tanomusaku Toba
Sanshiro Takagi found out that neither MIKAMI or Tanomusaku Toba follow him on Twitter, after all of these years of working for him! No matter, he still thinks the three of them are such important figures to DDT that they can beat the DDT Sauna Club.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 2”, 31/07/2020 Shinjuku FACE
1. Soma Takao Vs Hideki Okatani
2. Chris Brookes & Akito Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie
3. Jun Akiyama & Mizuki Watase Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match – Elimination Tornado Pantyhose Generation Fight!: Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda Vs Seigo Tachibana, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
5. HARASHIMA Produce Loser Punishment 5 Way Match – Over The Top Rope Losing Rule: HARASHIMA Vs Toru Owashi Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. Tetsuya Endo Produce Hardcore Tag Match – DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata
The main event will be a Hardcore Match. That was Tetsuya Endo’s idea of course. That’s probably weak stuff for Shunma Katsumata after the Big Japan deathmatch he was in last week.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 3”, 01/08/2020 Shinjuku FACE
0. Special Under Match “Can You Lose?”: Tetsuya Koda Vs Hisaya Imabayashi
1. Mizuki Watase Vs Yukio Naya
2. Danshoku Dieno & Akito Vs Soma Takao & Mad Paulie
3. Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Hideki Okatani Vs HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Keigo Nakamura
4. Drunk 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Yuki Iino
5. Rock And Roll 4 Way Death Match: Saki Akai Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. Customer Lottery 6-Man Tag Match That Looks Like A Beer Garden Specialty: Tetsuya Endo, Chris Brookes, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura, Konosuke Takeshita, Kazusada Higuchi
The Beer Garden series will be short and sweet this year.
BASARA “BASARA 130 ~TOKUMARU GAHARA~”, 08/08/2020 Tokyo Takashimadaira Ward Hall
1. Tetsuo Usui Vs Tatsuya Hanami
2. Daichi Kazato & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Yasu Urano
3. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Yusuke Kubo
4. FUMA & SAGAT Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Jaki Numazawa
5. 8-Man Tag Team Elimination Match: Isami Kodaka, Ryuichi Sekine, Daiki Shimomura & Minoru Fujita Vs Fuminori Abe, Takuya Nomura, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
The main event sees the entire Sento Minzoku unit take on a mixture of Astronauts and the main BASARA roster.
Takumi Tsukamoto was originally supposed to team with Masashi Takeda but Takeda is now unable to participate. He got injured in yesterday’s FREEDOMS main event. Jaki Numazawa from Big Japan takes his place as Tsukamoto’s tag partner.
Tatsuya Hanami is from 2AW.
GANBARE☆WRESTLING “HEAVEN’S DOOR 2020”, 22/08/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
1. Ganpro Vs FREEDOMS All Out Battle!: Washi Sakurai Vs Tomoya Hirata
2. First Single! Toyama’s Strongest Decisive Match!: Ken Ohka Vs Shinichiro Tominaga
3. 6 Men And Women Summer Story! Special Mixed 3 Way Tag Match: Shuichiro Katsumura & Moeka Haruhi Vs Yumehito Imanari & Yuna Manase Vs Shota & HARUKAZE
4. Teacher & Student Tag Vs Aikata Tag: Keisuke Ishii & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Ikuto Hidaka & Minoru Fujita
5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Hagane Shinno (c) Vs Asuka
These might be the final Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title defence if Hagane Shinno gets his way. The new champion is in the twilight of his wrestling career and believes the title no longer serves its use. His peak was beating Kota Ibushi for the belt which means it should only be defended against a wrestler on the same level. Asuka is getting the title match because it was already promised to her when Keisuke Ishii was the champion. If Asuka can beat Shinno and achieve her goal of becoming the youngest ever Indy Jr. Champion, then Shinno will be convinced she can become as big of a superstar as Ibushi.
Yuna Manase is now a full time member of Ganbare☆Wrestling! Two weeks ago she received an invite from Yumehito Imanari to wrestle for them on a regular basis. She couldn’t give an answer then because she had not finished her commitment to Tokyo Joshi Pro. But when she appeared at last Sunday’s show she announced she wants to do more with the group and be part of the Ganpro family.
Today a joint press conference was held at CyberAgent HQ featuring members of their pro wrestling companies. It was announced that on 1st September the companies DDT Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH will merge their operations together and become a new CyberAgent prof wrestling subsidiary called CyberFight. The president and CEO of CyberFight is Sanshiro Takagi, the current president of both DDT and NOAH. Naomichi Marufuji and Akito will serve as executive vice presidents. DDT director Takahiro Yamauchi and NOAH director Arihiro Takeda will retain their roles.
Since CyberAgent’s purchase of NOAH back in January it was inevitable that the management for DDT and NOAH would be unified. Takagi says that both companies have been in good condition under CyberAgent but they were also greatly damaged by the Coronavirus. Due to the unpredictable nature of this epidemic, a decision was made to merge the managements together in order to keep pro wrestling going ahead with optimized personnel and improved cost efficiency. By uniting DDT and NOAH together, CyberFight will strengthen its ability to respond to the changing times.
Takagi, Marufuji, Yamauchi and Takeda are pretty much continuing the management roles they had before. Akito though is the new blood involved. He’s been working with KUDO for the DDT Foods family of restaurants (they are also now part of CyberFight) and earlier this year took over promoting the BOYZ brand. For now he will continue managing the DDT Foods arm of CyberFight as well as the merchandise end. But the hope is for him to become more involved with higher company management in the future.
The actual promotions of DDT and NOAH will still be separate brands with no changes to their identity and in-ring product. The online operations are planned to be improve with an expansion for WRESTLE UNIVERSE being one of the goals. On the wrestling show front, CyberFight is aiming to hold a show at the Tokyo Dome and their overall goal is to take over the No. 1 spot from New Japan Pro Wrestling!
Some of the wrestlers and staff commented on the news. Akito said that since he works with DDT’s restaurants, he often gets to communicate directly with DDT fans. Under his new role he can bring that voice of the fans and their concerns directly to management. He also hopes to serve as a bridge between the young and old generations within the company.
Marufuji never would have expected to see his company change so rapidly. But he wants to focus on the positives instead of the negatives. He would like to continue showing real pro wrestling and he believes CyberFight will raise both NOAH and DDT to the top of the pro wrestling world.
Yuka Sakazaki says this news means Tokyo Joshi Pro is going to get bigger. But Tokyo Joshi will remain as Tokyo Joshi and she will liven it up at her own pace.
Katsuhiko Nakajima from NOAH believes this change is and evolution for his company. He will dream of the day CyberFight becomes number one and will continue taking the next steps forward until then. So keep up with them!
Go Shiozaki is grateful for all that CyberAgent has done for NOAH. He made similar comments as Nakajima of making NOAH the number one wrestling promotion that pushes the industry forward.
Jun Akiyama from DDT (still feels weird typing that) promises to do his best in helping the company catch up to New Japan and then overtake it.
Tetsuya Endo from DDT describes the news as an opportunity. It is all up to the individual work of the wrestlers to make this opportunity a reality.
Chris Brookes says it is a difficult time for pro wrestling to survive while there is a pandemic going on. With NOAH and DDT together in management, WRESTLE UNIVERSE will create more opportunities for people around the world to watch Japanese pro wrestling.
Last but not least, Ken Ohka from Ganbare☆Wrestling gave a somewhat impassioned speech about his small promotion that he created by himself. It is not the size of the other brands in the deal but still Ohka will never give up. He thinks pro wrestling is more amazing than baseball and football. It can give you hope and courage for tomorrow. That is why regardless of the promotion’s size, Ganpro will continue to show their struggle and passion inside the ring. Even if the company changes and grows, what they do in the ring will not change.
As of today YUMI has left Tokyo Joshi Pro and ended her time in pro wrestling. She last wrestled in November so she could take her high school exams. She was able to pass them but could never find a balance between her education and her wrestling career. She ultimately made the decision to focus on her studies. YUMI apologises for the sudden announcement and wants everyone to remember the fun she had in the ring.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TOKYO JOSHI 2020 SUMMER ~TJPW IS 『 』~”, 25/07/2020 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall
Tomorrow’s show will have its matches kept secret until they happen. That seems to be the plan for the rest of this series of Tokyo Joshi events. Pretty much all of the regular roster will be here except for Natsumi Maki. She has other commitments tomorrow.
DDT “BEER GARDEN-LIKE PRO WRESTLING 2020 DAY 2”, 31/07/2020 Shinjuku FACE
1. Soma Takao Vs Hideki Okatani
2. Chris Brookes & Akito Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Mad Paulie
3. Jun Akiyama & Mizuki Watase Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
4. Danshoku Dieno Produce Match – Elimination Tornado Pantyhose Generation Fight!: Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda Vs Seigo Tachibana, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
5. HARASHIMA Produce Loser Punishment 5 Way Match – Over The Top Rope Losing Rule: HARASHIMA Vs Toru Owashi Vs Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. Tetsuya Endo Produce Match – DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT!: Tetsuya Endo & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata
The DISASTER BOX 5 Way Match will have the wrestlers exit the ring when they win a fall. The match continues until one wrestler is left and he will be declared the loser. Kazuki Hirata asked for Over The Top Rope rules to be included. If somebody gets thrown out of the ring they automatically lose the match. Toru Owashi also asked for the loser to be punished after the match. HARASHIMA agreed to both.
Another reason why this is a Beer Garden-Like show instead of a proper Beer Garden show is because alcohol is currently not allowed at the venue. It’s to prevent Coronavirus from spreading so food and drink in general aren’t allowed other than water that people bring themselves to stay hydrated.
BOYZ “SUMMER BOYZ VACATION!”, 16/08/2020 Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall
1. Shall We Dance??: Chris Brookes Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Smile Nishinari Yankee First Formation!: HARASHIMA, Konosuke Takeshita & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Kazusada Higuchi, Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani
3. Nautilus Vs Oishi Asahi!: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
Six months after its revival, the BOYZ are back in town! Makoto Oishi reunites with Shiori Asahi for a high level generation tag match against Nautilus. Also Konosuke Takeshita teaming with Smile Yankee is an eye catching trio.
DDT “GET ALIVE 2020”, 07/09/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Danshoku Dieno, Seigo Tachibana & Yoshiko
2. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Drew Parker
If Chris Brookes Vs Drew Parker headlines the show it will be the first time DDT has an all British main event. Even without that position I think this is the first all British match promoted in DDT period.
Danshoku Dieno, Seigo Tachibana & Yoshiko is a group of superfriends if I ever saw one. Yoshiko bakes, Tachibana is evil and Dieno is the responsible one. Can Eruption match that? Saki Akai is pretty responsible, Yukio Sakaguchi has an evil side. Don’t know about Kazusada Higuchi’s cooking skills but if he can whip up a decent crème brûlée then that’s a good time for everybody.
Naomichi Marufuji will be on the show.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
1. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs KING OF DDT Winner
The winner of this year’s KING OF DDT tournament gets the KO-D Openweight Title match at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. The early story coming out of this is if Tetsuya Endo wins the tournament he gets to choose his challenger. And top of his list is Kenny Omega! Word has reached Omega and he isn’t impressed. He tweeted today “Your title will be nothing more than another trophy to me. I’ll feel nothing when I see you and the entire locker room crying. This is what you chose for DDT and yourself.”
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2020”, 23/07/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 435 Fans – Super No Vacancy
1. Soma Takao & Mad Paulie defeated Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Takao pinned Nakamura with the Running Elbow Butt (3:53).
2. Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Seigo Tachibana defeated Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata when Tachibana pinned Hirata with the Ikemen Otoshi (8:45).
3. DDT Extreme Title – Special Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) defeated Maku Donaruto with the European Clutch (9:49). *V4 for Shinya Aoki.
4. Chris Brookes & Drew Parker defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Parker pinned Shimatani with the Swanton Bomb (11:07).
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai (c) defeated HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Riho when Sakaguchi submitted Honda with the Triangle Choke (12:34). *V1 for Eruption.
6. Junretsu Vs ALL OUT All Out Battle!: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino when Akiyama pinned Takeshita with the Wrist Clutch Exploder (17:21).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated Yuki Ueno with the Shooting Star Press (21:45). *V2 for Tetsuya Endo.
During the week, Tetsuya Endo attempted to use a new dangerous looking move on Yuki Ueno but wasn’t able to pull it off. Today in the Korakuen Hall main event, he was able to do the move. Before that happened, Ueno was ready to hit the WR but Endo grabbed Yukinori Matsui to block it and then he Headbutted his way out of it. Endo threw Ueno over with the Tetsuya In The Sky but Ueno quickly rolled him into a pin for a nearfall. Endo did the move again, going for the pin afterwards but Ueno kicked out at 1. It is here where Endo used his new move, a Wrist Clutch Muscular Bomb. Somehow Ueno kicked out of that too but he was down for good when Endo did the Shooting Star Press.
After the match Endo told Ueno it will be a long time before he wins the KO-D Openweight Title. If he can’t accept that fact then he can try again as many times as he wants. No matter what Ueno does, he is far away from where Endo is at. When Ueno left, Endo asks Hisaya Imabayashi who his next challenger will be. Imabayashi told him it will be the winner of the KING OF DDT tournament and that match will take place at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” on 3rd November. Here’s the fun part. If Endo wins the tournament he gets to nominate whoever he wants to be his challenger. He named his top 3 choices, all celebrities but there is one other person he’s thinking of. Kenny Omega!
After weeks of skirmishes the full force clash between ALL OUT and Junretsu went ahead. The match began with Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama in the ring. It also ended with those two in the ring. Hideki Okatani was in danger early but used a Neckbreaker Drop on Yuki Iino to get out of trouble. Mizuki Watase used a Double Stomp to counter Iino’s Spear. Things for him got more difficult when Akito tagged in and targeted his legs. Makoto Oishi used his wits to make Shunma Katsumata DDT Akito by mistake. Takeshita and Akiyama both tagged in to set up the final minutes of the bout. Takeshita had his opponent in position for a German Suplex when Oishi cut him off with a Swinging Complete Shot. Akiyama got up first and hit Takeshita with Running Knee Butts. He gave a couple of Exploder Suplexes but Takeshita wouldn’t stay down. Akiyama had to use the Wrist Clutch Exploder to put away his new rival.
If you can’t beat them, make them laugh. That’s the usual plan with Antonio Honda yet today it was particularly effective against Yukio Sakaguchi. He couldn’t help himself when Honda brought out the old Gongitsune bit even when the rest of Eruption interrupted it. Riho and Saki Akai had an even fight. Riho stayed on to test herself against Kazusada Higuchi but she needed HARASHIMA’s help to escape from a Canadian Backbreaker. It took the combined effort of the three challengers to take down Higuchi. Honda did the Gongitsune joke in full this time and Sakaguchi burst into laughter. He then made his own Gongitsune hand signs to combat Honda. Riho used Honda as a launching pad to hit Higuchi with the Somato. Akai hit Riho with the Rookie Award kick. Honda got rid of Akai with the Shining Gongitsune. Sakaguchi then trapped Honda in the Triangle Choke to make him submit.
When Eruption won their match, Danshoku Dieno & Seigo Tachibana entered the ring. Both of them want to challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. They even have a third friend who agreed to team with them. A video played on the screen showing Yoshiko! The video was Yoshiko explaining what she will do in the ring as if she was baking a cake. First she will squint at her opponents. Then she will throw in 75kg of Elbow Drops. After that she mixes her opponents into one big mess that she will throw onto the canvas. Add in a Diving Senton to finish it off and voila! New KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions fresh out of the oven. Akai is eager to fight Yoshiko again so she accepted the challenge. Sakaguchi looked at Tachibana and wanted to know who the bald guy was standing next to Dieno. Tachibana got mad that Sakaguchi didn’t recognise him after they just wrestled each other two weeks ago. He got even more mad when Higuchi pretended he was going to slice off his little finger. The title match was agreed to take place on 7th September.
Nobuhiro Shimatani proudly showed off a brand new black DAMNATION signboard. Chris Brookes broke it over Daisuke Sasaki’s head. Easy come, easy go. Drew Parker ended up pinning Shimatani with the Swanton Bomb. Parker said in Japanese that the next time he comes to DDT he wants to fight for a championship. He doesn’t want the KO-D Tag Team Titles though. He wants to wrestle Brookes for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title! Brookes also spoke in Japanese, asking if Parker was serious. Hisaya Imabayashi came in to confirm the match but Brookes told him in English that he doesn’t understand Japanese. The title match will happen on the 7th September Korakuen show.
The DDT Extreme Title match was a normal pro wrestling match where wrestlers were allowed to remove their clothes. Maku Donaruto wrestled in grappling gear and wanted to mat wrestle with Shinya Aoki. Things got explicit as tights got pulled down and the wrestlers got into compromising positions. Aoki got his backside exposed while Donaruto was stripped down to his thong. Aoki ended up doing something Donaruto would do and it led him to getting the pin with a European Clutch. Donaruto may have lost but Aoki won a place in his heart after today.
Tachibana is now bald after he lost a Hair Vs Hair match in All Japan during the week. Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine knew something looked different about him but couldn’t figure it out. Tachibana was introduced in the ring as a thug, but a harmless one. Kazuki Hirata stood up to him because he’s not as scary as Sakaguchi is. Tachibana put on the Hirata GO! glasses and “Tsuppari High School Rock’n Roll” played instead of “TOKYO GO!” He pinned Hirata with the Ikemen Drop, securing Tachibana’s first win in DDT. Backstage after the match, Naomi Yoshimura said he wants a match with Takuho Kato from Big Japan. Doesn’t matter if it is a singles or for the KO-D Tag Titles.
There wasn’t much chemistry between Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura as a tag team. Their big idea for a team move was Naya Choke Slamming Nakamura onto Soma Takao. Takao rolled out of the way and Nakamura was slammed onto the canvas. Mad Paulie got rid of Naya and Takao easily finished off Nakamura.
The 5 Way DISASTER BOX match on the 31st July Beer Garden-Like show will have special rules. The match will continue after every fall with the winners being removed until there is one man left. Hirata protested the rules knowing he will likely be the loser. He asked for Over The Top Rope rules to be included. Toru Owashi agreed but only if the loser of the match takes a punishment afterwards. HARASHIMA thinks that is a great idea and made it official despite Hirata’s complaints.
Some of the spinoffs will return after a lengthy absence. BOYZ will be back on 16th August. The Muscle revival holds its third show “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 3 ~SPECIAL MOVES OUTBREAK~” on 9th November. There will be an open rehearsal show first on 21st September.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “BRAND NEW WRESTLING 4 ~TAKE NOT, BUT GIVE~”, 23/07/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Moka Miyamoto Debut Match: Moka Miyamaoto & Suzume Vs Mirai Maiumi & Sena Shiori
2. Himawari Unagi Return Match: Himawari Unagi & Haruna Neko Vs Pom Harajuku & Mahiro Kiryu
3. Hikari Noa Vs Raku
4. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Mina Shirakawa
5. Yuna Manase Regular Participation Last Match: Yuna Manase, Nodoka Tenma & Maki Itoh Vs Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki & Natsumi Maki
6. Princess Tag Team Titles: Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
7. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki (c) Vs Yuki Aino
English commentary of the show on FITE TV will be provided by Sonny Onoo and Dan Madigan. Yeah the former WCW guy who tried to carny GCW out of Disney World passes earlier this year and your one who pitched the frozen Nazi Heidenreich gimmick in WWE (also wrote the WWE movie See No Evil and a PWTorch podcast he did years ago was where I heard the Vince McMahon burrito story for the first time). I mean, if you’re looking for an eccentric pair of people to do English commentary for a company like DDT then these two fit the bill I guess. Don’t have a problem with Madigan being there, Onoo is the one who makes me worried over the whole thing.
DDT “SUMMER VACATION 2020”, 23/07/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine & Seigo Tachibana
3. DDT Extreme Title: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Maku Donaruto
4. Chris Brookes & Drew Parker Vs Daisuke Sasaki & Nobuhiro Shimatani
5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai (c) Vs HARASHIMA, Antonio Honda & Riho
6. Junretsu Vs ALL OUT All Out Battle!: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Akito, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
English commentary of the show on FITE TV will be provided by Sonny Onoo and Rob Hochman. Hochman’s another one with a dodgy reputation in wrestling from what I could find about him. Found a couple stories about him cancelling indy shows he promoted and ghosting everyone afterwards. He also holds a grudge with Wrestlecon for some reason. FITE sure knows how to pick ’em. Maybe I’m being harsh and the commentaries will be of acceptable quality but I can’t help but think somebody will be getting an undeserved payday out of this. The announcement reminds me of the early FMW DVDs Tokyopop produced where the commentators just made shit up. I’d be happy to get proven wrong over this.
The wrestling unit Junretsu (準烈) this week received the approval of the pop group Junretsu (純烈) over use of the name. The two groups met in public to discuss the situation. The wrestling Junretsu leader Makoto Oishi (yes it’s him, not Jun Akiyama) explained the thought process behind their version of the name. Mainly it was the most popular choice in a Twitter poll. The pop group Junretsu gave their blessing on the condition that the wrestling unit will cherish their fans, aunts and mothers the same way the pop group cherishes their own. Oishi said his mother is a big fan of the pop group. He asked if they could perform a song right there and then so he could send a video of it to his parents. They agreed and sang their most recent single “Ai Wo Kudasai ~Don’t You Cry~” with Oishi filming it on his phone. In return, Akiyama agreed to chop one of the members in his bare chest.
DOVE PRO “CLASH! DOVE X BASARA”, 26/07/2020 Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
1. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki/Choten~ – Semi Final: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Naoki Tanizaki
2. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki/Choten~ – Semi Final: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Kenshin Chikano
3. Heaven Summit ~Itadaki/Choten~ – Final: X Vs X
BASARA held the first two rounds of the Itadaki/Choten tournament. Dove Pro gets the rest of it. The final four consists of Takumi Tsukamoto and Ryota Nakatsu on the BASARA side while Dove is represented by Naoki Tanizaki and Kenshin Chikano.
GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI PRO “GAKE ONNA FESTIVAL! 2020 SUMMER ~STAR☆IT’S SUMMER~”, 01/08/2020 Shinjuku FACE
1. Special Single Match: Nobuhiro Shimatani (w/ Mao) Vs Keigo Nakamura (w/ ARISA)
2. Falls Count Anywhere Tornado Gake no Fuchi Hardcore Special Tag Match: Miyako Matsumoto & Chris Brookes Vs Drew Parker & Rina Yamashita
Punk rock idol band BURST GIRL will be part of the show. They will be joined by idol Hikari Shiina.
BAKUHA KOSHIEN “STREET FIGHT CLUB”, 25/08/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
Stop me if you heard this before. Atsushi Onita is starting a new wrestling project! “STREET FIGHT CLUB” is the latest of Onita’s creations, this one being produced under the Bakuha Koshien banner. Many things have changed but Onita believes pro wrestling is forever. He is going to Korakuen Hall to bring back the hardcore Street Fights FMW was associated with. There was supposed to be a Bakuha Koshien show back in March but it was cancelled because of the Coronavirus. Explosions aren’t allowed in Korakuen so the next best thing is to create this spin off and put together a Street Fight that is just as intense as a hot explosion.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 