DDT “MAX BUMP 2016” Results

April 24, 2016

all-hail-sasaki

DDT “MAX BUMP 2016”, 24/04/2016
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,633 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. King Of Dark Title – 3 Way Match: Hoshitango (c) defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Gota Ihashi when Hoshitango pinned Ihashi with the Midnight Buenos Aires (5:28).
*Hoshitango passes D1. Gota Ihashi becomes the 15th King Of Dark Champion.
1. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Jiro Kuroshio defeated Shunma Katsumata, Kouki Iwasaki & Guanchulo when Owashi pinned Guanchulo with La Magistral Cradle (5:43).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai & Makoto Oishi defeated LiLiCo (c) & Mizuki Watase when Akai pinned LiLiCo after a Sleeper Hold (8:33).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,072nd champion.
3. Antonio Honda, Hiroshi Fukuda & Eddie French defeated Danshoku Dino, Soma Takao & Mao Inoue when Honda pinned Inoue with the Diving Fist Drop (7:22).
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challenger Decision 3 Way Match: Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie and Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi when Akito pinned Ishii with the Hanamasa (9:46).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Ultimate CCC Match: Super Sasadango Machine (c) defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock onto a chair (7:21).
*V2 for Super Sasadango Machine.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo when Sasaki submitted Takeshita with the Cross Facelock (15:22).
*V2 for Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Somato (18:58).
*V2 for HARASHIMA.
– KO-D Openweight Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated HARASHIMA (c) with La Mistica Cross Facelock (1:45).
*HARASHIMA fails in V3. Daisuke Sasaki cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 57th KO-D Openweight Champion!

harashima-somato-higuchi

There is a new ruler of DDT but it isn’t Kazusada Higuchi. It’s Daisuke Sasaki! A Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract was cashed in after the main event in which an exhausted HARASHIMA defeated Higuchi. The match between HARASHIMA and Higuchi was tense but respect was shown from both sides. HARASHIMA targeted Higuchi’s legs but an alternate tactic of bashing Higuchi’s head into the ring post had no effect on the challenger. Instead Higuchi picked up HARASHIMA and rammed his back into the ring post. Higuchi applied an Iron Claw back in the ring but HARASHIMA fought out of it and hit the John Woo Dropkick into the turnbuckles. He unleashed his arsenal of kicks and was able to lift Higuchi up for the Falcon Arrow. Higuchi fought back with Headbutts and a big Doctor Bomb. He was a fraction away from the three count but HARASHIMA somehow kicked out! HARASHIMA avoided the Goten and was set up for the Somato but Higuchi stopped him with a Lariat. HARASHIMA kicked out Higuchi’s left leg and hit an Enzuigiri when Higuchi was brought down to his knees. He then hit the Somato to the back, a Buzzsaw Kick and then another Somato and that was enough to put the big man down and out.

sasaki-crossfacelock

There was no time for anyone to catch their breath when Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa rushed the ring! Ishikawa attacked HARASHIMA’s seconds and then removed Higuchi from the ring. Sasaki told Amon Tsurumi that HARASHIMA is in a weak state so he will now cash in his Right To Challenge Contract for an immediate KO-D Openweight Title match! The bell rang and Sasaki jumped at the champion. HARASHIMA shocked Sasaki by hitting a Reverse Hurricanrana and the Somato but Sasaki kicked out of the pin and locked in the Cross Facelock. HARASHIMA escaped the hold but Sasaki caught him with his flash Hurricanrana. HARASHIMA kicked out but Sasaki then performed his La Mistica variation of the Cross Facelock. This time HARASHIMA had nowhere to go and he fainted while in the move. Yukinori Matsui called for the bell meaning Sasaki is now the new KO-D Champion!

sakaguchi-confronts-sasaki

The defeated HARASHIMA had barely left the ring when Yukio Sakaguchi appeared and stood face to face with Sasaki. He said he wasn’t going to copy Sasaki’s dirty plan because his principles are different. Instead he is sticking to his promise to cash in his Right To Challenge Contract for a regular title match in Sapporo on 8th May. He left the ring allowing Sasaki to celebrate his new found dominance of DDT. He may be small but he has a big attitude. He is now a double champion and he claims it’s all because of his talent and charisma.

takeshita-tope

Sasaki’s scheduled match was the KO-D Tag Team Title defence with Shuji Ishikawa against the former champions Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo. There was no love lost between the two teams as the champions attacked the challengers to kickstart the match. A brawl outside the ring left Takeshita & Endo in a bad state but some big risks began to pay off. Takeshita dove out of the ring onto the champions with a No Touch Topé. He later Superplexed Sasaki into Ishikawa! But it all fell apart when Sasaki escaped from Endo’s Torture Rack Bomb and a follow up Lariat from Endo hit Takeshita instead. Sasaki capitalised by putting Takeshita in the Cross Facelock and changing it to a modified stretch until Takeshita could take no more. The champions were confronted by their next challengers Akito & Yasu Urano. Urano told them he knows their weakness.

ultimate-ccc

The latest DDT Extreme Title defence took place in an Ultimate CCC Match. CCC stands for Chair And Chair And Chair. Super Sasadango Machine was inspired to create this match when Kazuki Hirata got angry over him breaking a chair at the Nagaoka show last week. When one of three Ultimate CCC cards came into play then Sasadango’s seconds at ringside would bring chairs into the ring and they would be legal to use. One of the chairs turned out to be a beanbag chair and Sasadango drove Hirata into it with the Lehmann Shock. That didn’t do much damage. Hirata took control and used the chairs as part of his dance act. This allowed Sasadango to recover and give Hirata the Lehman Shock onto a pile of chairs to win the match.

watase-kisses-lilico

Sasadango was told that his next title shot is happening on 29th May. Sasadango said he doesn’t want to wrestle, he instead wants to fight somebody from Yahoo! Suddenly the unconscious body of LiLiCo was brought out to the ring on a stretcher. The shock of losing the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title earlier in the show put her into a deep sleep and only the power of love could wake her up. Mizuki Watase kissed LiLiCo and she awoke! She screamed that she has risen from Hell and she will bite more and more into DDT until she becomes a champion again. Sasadango took that as a challenge and accepted it.

drift-breaks-up

New challengers for the KO-D Tag Team Titles were declared in a 3 Way Match but the aftermath turned out to be the bigger story. Akito & Yasu Urano got the win and will get their title shot in Nagoya on 15th May. But the losing team in the match was Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie. When the match was over a defeated Ishii spoke into the mic and said Team Drift is breaking up! The audience was left stunned as Drift left the ring after their bombshell announcement.

honda-diving-fist

Danshoku Dino targeted Takao throughout the third match but Eddie French was there to hold him back. That was until French decided to throw him aside giving Dino the chance to chase after Takao and give him a Lip Lock. Antonio Honda cleared house with the Bionic Elbow and won the match with the Diving Fist Drop on Mic Inoue.

akai-sleeper-lilico

Saki Akai has finally achieved her goal to regain the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and gain revenge on LiLiCo in the process. The two wanted to fight each other straight away although their respective tag partners Makoto Oishi and Mizuki Watase stepped in to make sure the action between the women wouldn’t go out of control. It all went wrong for LiLiCo when a Running Elbow hit Inoue by accident. Akai grabbed LiLiCo and rendered her unconscious with a Sleeper Hold. Instead of keeping the hold locked Akai decided to go for a pin and she got the three count to become the new champion! LiLiCo was put into such a deep sleep she had to be stretchered away from ringside with Watase worriedly chasing after her. In a backstage interview Akai called herself the New Generation Iron Man Princess. This time she’s ready to take on anybody, anytime, anywhere.

kuroshio-moonsault

The mystery wrestler in Match #1 came from WRESTLE-1. The pretty boy known as Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio milked his entrance for all that it was worth, walking through the crowds and getting them to chant his name to the music. His antics won over the crowd and he received a loud “Ikemen!” chant after the match. Backstage both Sanshiro Takagi and Toru Owashi agreed that Kuroshio is ten times better than their usual partner Kazuki Hirata. Kuroshio will return on the 11th May DNA show.

ihashi-dark-again

Gota Ihashi is being sent back to where he came from, the pre-show. He is now a 5 time King Of Dark Champion. Poor bastard.

The Great Kabuki will appear at “PETER PAN 2016” in Sumo Hall on 28th August.

DDT will hold a show in Katsuragi, Nara on 30th July. Katsuragi is known as the birthplace of sumo wrestling. The mayor of Katsuragi sent a video message welcoming DDT to the city.

This year’s Beer Garden week is changing venue. It will now be held in Shinjuku FACE with a show everyday from 8th to 13th August.


Ai Shimizu Joins Ganpuro, Umeda Absence, Crash The Super Heavy

April 21, 2016

shimizu-joins-ganpuro

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “LADY NAVIGATION 2016”, 23/04/2016
Tokyo BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. III’s Vs Enjo-gun: Chikara & J-Soul Pandita III IV Vs Mitomi Masayuki & Rainbow Kawamura
2. Through A Time Of Three Years, Again!: Yumehito Imanari Vs Osamu Namiguchi
3. Yutori Generation X Vs Black Jack Of The Rubbish Heap: Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Minoru Fujita
4. Shota And Abe, In A Stationary Darkness: Ken Ohka & Shota Vs Madoka & Yukihiro Abe
5. Goddess Of Ganpuro, Advent: Ai Shimizu Vs X

Ganbare☆Wrestling is celebrating its third anniversary with two shows on the 23rd April.

Ai Shimizu approached Ken Ohka directly to ask if she could join Ganpuro. The former Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestler has attended shows in the past and sees Ganpuro as the next place for her career. She even slapped Ohka to prove how serious she is to join the company. Ohka is now looking to find the best opponent for Shimizu’s first match.

Shibata was originally supposed to be in the opening match teaming with Mitomi Masayuki. Unfortunately Shibata had to pull out of the show due to a double booking. Rainbow Kawamura takes his place. Kawamura was a part of Enjo-gun faction before his injury and transformation. It’s unknown if his new personality will clash with Masayuki.

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “AI NO MAMA NI WAGAMAMA NI BOKU WA KIMI DAKE WO KIZUTSUKENAI”, 23/04/2016
Tokyo BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Mystery Of The Black Ships, Attack In Ganpuro!: Yumehito Imanari Vs Blonde Busty Foreigner “X”
2. Ganbare☆Wrestling Vs Tomodachi-gun: Ken Ohka & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Minoru Fujita & Takafumi Ito

Yumehito Imanari has been complaining of burnout and a lack of motivation after his match with Viper. Ken Ohka’s solution is to bring in another busty blonde foreign opponent for him. But he won’t reveal this person’s identity.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2016”, 24/04/2016
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. King Of Dark Title – 3 Way Match: Hoshitango (c) Vs Gota Ihashi Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
1. Danshoku Dino, Soma Takao & Mao Inoue Vs Antonio Honda, Hiroshi Fukuda & Heddi French
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & X Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kouki Iwasaki & Guanchulo
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai & Makoto Oishi Vs LiLiCo (c) & Mizuki Watase
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challenger Decision 3 Way Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Akito & Yasu Urano Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi
5. DDT Extreme Title: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi

Kota Umeda is taking time off to be with his relatives in Kumamoto after this week’s earthquakes hit the region. Mao Inoue takes his place in the opener.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “HOP! STEP! YOKOHAMA, JUMP!”, 29/04/2016
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Hyper Masao Vs Marika Kobashi
2. Azusa Takigawa Vs Nodoka-oneesan
3. Rika Tatsumi Vs Akane Miura
4. Nonoko Vs Yuu
5. Miyu Yamashita & KANNA Vs Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki

Miyu Yamashita and KANNA will team together for the first time in over a year. Since then KANNA has been a part of Biishiki-gun and Snake World Joshi. Now back on her own again she is trying to establish a new chapter in her career.

Yuu is undefeated but Nonoko is her first real challenge.

DDT “FRIENSDHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2016”, 15/05/2016
Nagoya International Conference Hall

1. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs Winners Of 24/4 Next Challengers Match

If Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa get past the New Gen Combo they then have to worry about either Drift, Smile Squash or Shuten-dōji in Nagoya.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS VOL. 3 ~FLOWERS ARE FLOWERS PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE~”, 22/05/2016
Osaka Yodogawa Ward Community Center

1. Crash The Super Heavy Special 6-Man Tag Team Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Jinsei Shinzaki & Toru Owashi Vs Shigehiro Irie, Kazusada Higuchi & Super Sasadango Machine
2. Twelve New Year’s Eve Dream: Konosuke Takeshita Vs HUB

While some of the wrestling world is getting ready for a Junior Heavyweight renaissance, DDT is dipping its toe into the Big Lads Division.

Gurukun Mask has been added to the show.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN NAGAOKA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOCHIO FESTIVAL~” Results

April 17, 2016

higuchi-pins-harashima

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN NAGAOKA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOCHIO FESTIVAL~”, 17/04/2016
Nagaoka Ao-re
369 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Keisuke Ishii defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga with the Kneel Kick (7:05).
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi defeated Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao when Owashi pinned Takao with a Modified Crucifix Pin (8:26).
3. Kazuki Hirata defeated Antonio Honda with the One Shot Miracle Cradle (10:57).
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi defeated Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi when Sakaguchi submitted Oishi with the Cobra Clutch (8:48).
*One of Danshoku Dino’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contracts is transferred over to Makoto Oishi. Yukio Sakaguchi wins Makoto Oishi’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5. Daisuke Sasaki, Shuji Ishikawa & Guanchulo defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo & Mao Inoue when Ishikawa pinned Inoue with the Splash Mountain (13:14).
6. Super Sasadango Machine defeated Hiroshi Fukuda with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock (8:46).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Shunma Katsumata & Kouki Iwasaki defeated HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano when Higuchi pinned HARASHIMA with the Goten (19:42).
*V2 for Team DNA.

Kazusada Higuchi stepped up big by pinning the KO-D Openweight Champion while defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles in the process! The DNA team put the belts on the line against Smile Squash and came out on top. Higuchi was unstoppable, giving both HARASHIMA and Akito a Double Choke Slam. Shunma Katsumata took out Yasu Urano with a Moonsault leaving Higuchi to pick up the pieces. HARASHIMA showed some signs of life when he hit a Jumping High Kick but Higuchi grabbed him once more and pinned him with the Goten. Higuchi told the Niigata crowd that he would like to return to the city as a double champion.

Kazuki Hirata watched Super Sasadango Machine’s match from a distance, the third floor balcony to be precise. Sasadango demanded Hirata to come down to the ring and face him but he refused. They finally faced each other backstage afterwards and they argued about a chair that Sasadango accidentally broke at ringside during his match. Hirata thinks Sasadango should have been disqualified for breaking the chair. Sasadango thinks Hirata is showing weakness by being so concerned about a broken chair.

The KO-D Tag Team Champions weren’t impressed by their competition. Daisuke Sasaki thinks the rematch against the New Gen Combo is just going to have the same result. A victory over them won’t feel rewarding and won’t give him what he wants: Candice LeRae. Konosuke Takeshita knows that this will be his & Tetsuya Endo’s last chance at beating Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa for the titles. They will have to win no matter what.

Danshoku Dino’s usual Right To Challenge tease at the start of the show was interrupted by Makoto Oishi. He thought it was stupid that Dino was withholding three contracts for a title shot while a 14 year veteran such as himself has nothing. Oishi demanded Dino to give him one of the contracts. Dino stood by his friend and gave him a contract. Unfortunately later in the show Oishi lost the contract to Yukio Sakaguchi after the Shuten-dōji fighter tapped him out with the Cobra Clutch. Oishi demanded Dino give him another contract after the match and Dino gave him the Danshoku Driver in response. Sakaguchi revealed in a backstage interview that he plans to cash in his title shot on 8th May in Sapporo.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN KANAZAWA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TORIYASAI~” Results

April 17, 2016

higuchi-dino-harashima

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN KANAZAWA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TORIYASAI~”, 16/04/2016
Kanazawa Distribution Hall
126 Fans

1. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Akito, Makoto Oishi & Hiroshi Fukuda when Hirata pinned Fukuda with the One Shot Miracle Cradle (9:50).
2. Tetsuya Endo defeated Mao Inoue with the Torture Rack Bomb (11:41).
3. Danshoku Dino defeated Kouki Iwasaki with the Danshoku Driver (6:04).
*Danshoku Dino wins Kouki Iwasaki’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Guanchulo defeated Antonio Honda & Konosuke Takeshita when Sasaki submitted Honda with La Mistica Cross Facelock (11:37).
*Daisuke Sasaki wins Antonio Honda’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5. Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga defeated Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao when Sakaguchi pinned Ishii with the Right Knee Of God (12:37).
6. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Shunma Katsumata when HARASHIMA pinned Katsumata with the Somato (17:36).

The Danshoku Dino hid in a corner with a blanket draped over him during the entrances for the main event. With three Right To Challenge Contracts now in his possession he could cash in for a title shot, lose a contract should he be defeated and still have one contract remaining for another go. However he instead got cold feet when both HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi stared at him. Dino said he just wanted to see a sporting contest between those two and made them shake each other’s hand before leaving.

In a small preview of the KO-D Tag Team Title Next Challenger match, Shuten-dōji defeated Drift in the semi-main event. After taking the pin Keisuke Ishii said he is now in a state of crisis over the match. How can he & Shigehiro Irie go after the tag titles if they can’t beat the competition?

Another Right To Challenge movement took place when Daisuke Sasaki made Antonio Honda submit in Match #4. Sasaki currently isn’t interested in going after the KO-D Openweight Title. He instead wondered if he could use the contract to marry Candice LeRae. He came to the conclusion that he will need to collect all five active contracts to make that happen.


Umeda Off This Weekend’s Shows, Max Bump Card

April 15, 2016

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN KANAZAWA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TORIYASAI~”, 16/04/2016
Kanazawa Distribution Hall

1. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito, Makoto Oishi & Hiroshi Fukuda
2. Danshoku Dino Vs Kouki Iwasaki
3. Tetsuya Endo Vs Mao Inoue
4. Daisuke Sasaki & Guanchulo Vs Antonio Honda & Konosuke Takeshita
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao Vs Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
6. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano Vs Kazusada Higuchi & Shunma Katsumata

Kota Umeda has been pulled off of this week’s shows due to the earthquake that hit his hometown Kumamoto yesterday. Thankfully none of his friends or family living there are hurt but DDT decided it is a bigger priority for him to keep in contact instead of wrestling this weekend.

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN NAGAOKA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOCHIO FESTIVAL~”, 17/04/2016
Nagaoka Ao-re

1. Keisuke Ishii Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi Vs Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao
3. Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda
4. Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi
5. Super Sasadango Machine Vs Hiroshi Fukuda
6. Daisuke Sasaki, Shuji Ishikawa & Guanchulo Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo & Mao Inoue
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Shunma Katsumata & Kouki Iwasaki Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano

HARASHIMA has a shot at taking the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title from Kazusada Higuchi before their KO-D Openweight Title Match. Also Kouki Iwasaki will be back from injury so he may not be at 100%.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO X IDOL “SHIBUYA NIGHT DANGER!”, 18/04/2016
SHIBUYA DESEO

1. Yuu Vs Nodoka-oneesan
2. 3 Way Match: Yuka Sakazaki Vs KANNA Vs Azusa Takigawa
3. Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima Vs Rika Tatsumi & Akane Miura

Akane Miura is back to normal now that Poison Sawada JULIE has been banished from Tokyo Joshi Pro.

DDT “MAX BUMP 2016”, 24/04/2016
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. King Of Dark Title – 3 Way Match: Hoshitango (c) Vs Gota Ihashi Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
1. Danshoku Dino, Makoto Oishi & Kota Umeda Vs Antonio Honda, Hiroshi Fukuda & Heddi French
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & X Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kouki Iwasaki & Guanchulo
3. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challenger Decision 3 Way Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs Akito & Yasu Urano Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi
4. DDT Extreme Title: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai & Makoto Oishi Vs LiLiCo (c) & Mizuki Watase
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo
7. KO-D Openweight Title: HARASHIMA (c) Vs Kazusada Higuchi

HARASHIMA and Higuchi have been pretty even in their skirmishes so far.

Kazuki Hirata has lost every match he’s been in since being chosen as the No. 1 Contender for the DDT Extreme Title.

Heddi French is a French wrestler who has wrestled in IGF and Big Japan in the past. He also fought Yukio Sakaguchi in Hard Hit last year.

DDT “DNA 16”, 11/05/2016
Kitazawa Town Hall

1. KENSO Vs Kouki Iwasaki
2. Kota Umeda Vs Shunma Katsumata

Umeda’s been a bit distant from the rest of DNA ever since he joined Shuten-dōji. A clash with Shunma Katsumata at DNA 15 sets up this match here.

KENSO makes his presence felt in DNA. Iwasaki is there to defend the brand’s honour.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN OITA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TORITEN~” Results

April 15, 2016

where-is-harashima

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN OITA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TORITEN~”, 10/04/2016
Oita Event Hall
178 Fans

1. Daisuke Sasaki & Guanchulo defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata when Sasaki submitted Hirata with the Cross Facelock (8:55).
2. Masa Takanashi defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga with a School Boy (12:27).
3. Antonio Honda defeated Mizuki Watase with the Diving Fist Drop (9:47).
4. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo defeated Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi when Takeshita pinned Oishi with the German Suplex (11:17).
5. Kazusada Higuchi & Mao Inoue defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Kota Umeda when Higuchi pinned Umeda with the Goten (11:02).
6. HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao when HARASHIMA pinned Takao with the Somato (17:08).

Day three of Danshoku Dino’s mind games with HARASHIMA again didn’t work. Dino appeared at the start of the show and said he wasn’t cashing in and the main event will not have Kazusada Higuchi there to interfere with his ambush. However the main event began with all Drift wrestlers attacking Smile Squash as they entered the ring before Dino could do anything. They brawled around the hall so when Dino finally appeared from under the ring HARASHIMA was not inside the ring. Dino instead grabbed onto Soma Takao while the ringside seconds tried to drag him out of the room.

Before Match #4 began Dino & Makoto Oishi remembered that it was in Oita Event Hall one year ago that Tetsuya Endo broke his foot during a dive. During the match they both panicked whenever it looked like Endo was going to dive onto them. Afterwards Endo said told the audience he is back to his old self, both his mind and his body are strong. He assured everyone that he and Konosuke Takeshita will win back the KO-D Tag Team Titles.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN MOJI ~DRAMATIC DREAM NIWATORI KASHIWA MESHI~” Results

April 14, 2016

honda-piano

DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN MOJI ~DRAMATIC DREAM NIWATORI KASHIWA MESHI~”, 09/04/2016
Fukuoka Moji Red Brick Palace
186 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Yukio Sakaguchi & Masa Takanashi defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (9:50).
2. Aso, Turueno Guerrero & Suntree defeated Danshoku Dino, Dynamite Kyushu & Tetsuo when Suntree pinned Kyushu with a Lariat (16:16).
3. Falls Count Anywhere Match: Antonio Honda defeated Makoto Oishi with the Diving Fist Drop (9:02).
4. Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Nozomi Kubo when Irie pinned Matsunaga with the Flying Sausage (10:06).
5. Soma Takao defeated Kota Umeda with the Gin And Tonic (10:05).
6. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Gaunchulo when Endo pinned Guanchulo with the Torture Rack Bomb (12:56).
7. HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Mao Inoue & Mizuki Watase when HARASHIMA pinned Watase with the Somato (19:03).

Danshoku Dino was ready to try his plan from the previous day again. He wasn’t cashing in his Right To Challenge contract but wanted to play mind games with HARASHIMA. He attempted to ambush him again before the main event. Kazusada Higuchi was there to stop him but this time Dino tried to put the Lip Lock on him. That plan failed when HARASHIMA came to the rescue and kicked Dino in the face with a Big Boot. The main event went on as normal.

The New Gen Combo got the better of Daisuke Sasaki before their KO-D Tag Team Titles match. But there is a big difference between fighting Guanchulo and fighting Shuji Ishikawa.

Antonio Honda and Makoto Oishi wanted their match to be Falls Count Anywhere. They found a piano near the ring and Honda played a tune with it.

Kouki Iwasaki was taken off the show when he got injured during a warm up session.


DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN HIROSHIMA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOKASAN~” Results

April 14, 2016

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DDT “ROAD TO RYOGOKU 2016 IN HIROSHIMA ~DRAMATIC DREAM TOKASAN~”, 08/04/2016
Hiroshima Aster Plaza Multipurpose Studio
190 Fans – No Vacancy

1. Antonio Honda & Konosuke Takeshita defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Kazuki Hirata when Honda submitted Hirata with a Manjigatame (10:55).
2. 3 Way Match: Gaunchulo defeated Makoto Oishi and Masa Takanashi when Guanchulo pinned both Oishi and Takanashi with a Double Cradle (8:47).
3. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Kota Umeda & Kenshin Chikano when Takao pinned Umeda with the Gin And Tonic (11:51).
4. Danshoku Dino & Rey Paroma defeated Yasu Urano & Mizuki Watase when Dino pinned Watase after the 3P (12:01).
*Danshoku Dino wins Mizuki Watase’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
5. Daisuke Sasaki defeated Tetsuya Endo with the Sasaki Huracanrana (10:45).
6. Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki & Mao Inoue defeated HARASHIMA, Akito & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Higuchi pinned Matsunaga with the Goten (18:45).

The different potential contenders for the KO-D Openweight Title are starting to get in each other’s way. Danshoku Dino appeared at the beginning of the show to say he was not going to cash in his title shot but he would sneak up on HARASHIMA at some point so the champion would not forget about him. Dino then claimed a second Right To Challenge contract when he pinned Mizuki Watase in a tag match later in the show. Then in the main event Dino appeared from beneath the ring to ambush HARASHIMA during his entrance. Kazusada Higuchi of all people saved HARASHIMA and Headbutted Dino, bringing an end to his night. Higuchi went on to get the pin in the main event and had a staredown with HARASHIMA.

Daisuke Sasaki seems to be over his obsession to fight Johnny Gargano. But he still wants a match with Candice LeRae.

Kazuki Hirata went into the opener with the goal of pinning Antonio Honda for his Right To Challenge contract. With a DDT Extreme Title shot in the bag Hirata also wants a KO-D Title shot so he can become a double champion. However when the HIRATA GO! glasses came out both danced together and the mood lightened. Honda offered a handshake but it was a trap and he locked Hirata in a Manjigatame when his guard dropped. Honda’s still feeling salty over being left out of the DDT Extreme Title race.


DDT “DRAMATIC GRAND ILLUMINATION!” Results

April 14, 2016

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DDT “DRAMATIC GRAND ILLUMINATION!”, 03/04/2016
Shizuoka Izuguranparu Park
500 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Gota Ihashi when Iwasaki pinned Matsunaga with the Leg Capture Suplex (5:10).
*Kouki Iwasaki wins Tomomitsu Matsunaga’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
2. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Shunma Katsumata & Guanchulo when Hirata pinned Guanchulo with the Viagra Driver (7:33).
3. Danshoku Dino & Makoto Oishi defeated Masa Takanashi & Kota Umeda when Dino pinned Umeda with the Danshoku Driver (8:41).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Illumination Match: Super Sasadango Machine (c) defeated Shigehiro Irie with the Vertical Drop Lehmann Shock (8:34).
*V1 for Super Sasadango Machine.
5. Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Keisuke Ishii & Soma Takao when Urano pinned Ishii with a Rolling Cradle (10:47).
6. DDT Special 4 Vs Happy Motel Falls Count Anywhere 8-Man Tag Team Match: Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Antonio Honda, Konosuke Takeshita, Tetsuya Endo & Hiroshi Fukuda when HARASHIMA pinned Fukuda with the Somato (18:48).

DDT went to the great outdoors for this show. Izuguranparu Park was holding a light show and DDT was brought in as the lead up to the event. A ring and stage entrance was set up in the area but everyone in the main event didn’t care and took the match over to different areas of the park. Yukio Sakaguchi and Saki Akai entered the area in style by driving a car over to the ring. Sanshiro Takagi cycled to ringside on his Combat Bicycle. He used a fire extinguisher on anyone in his way. Then there was a daisy chain of Necklocks along a pathway. The match went over to the trampoline area where everyone got on swings and tried to swing into each other. Takagi was thrown into a night covered in lights and acted like he was caught in a barbed wire explosion blast. Tetsuya Endo Moonsaulted off of a vending machine. Then he was run over by the car driven by Sakaguchi. Konosuke Takeshita found a baseball bat covered in lights and swung it at Takagi. The match eventually found its way back to the ring and HARASHIMA pinned Hiroshi Fukuda with the Somato to win.

Super Sasadango Machine presented his thesis on “The Creation Of Mutual Benefit In Professional Wrestling And Illumination” before the DDT Extreme Title match. He then faced Shigehiro Irie in an Illumination Match. As daylight went away the lights in the area would switch on. Sasadango was hoping that the pretty lights would distract Irie so he could hit the Lehmann Shock three times, enough to beat anyone. In order to do this he had possession of three Illumination Cards that would activate Royale Mode and switch on the lights. The plan surprisingly worked and Sasadango pinned Irie after the third Lehmann Shock. The champion admitted he thought he was going to die and he wanted to turn down his next title defence scheduled for 24th April. Kazuki Hirata came down on a segway and challenged Sasadango for the title.

Kouki Iwasaki took the Right To Challenge contract from Tomomitsu Matsunaga by pinning him in the opener.


DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 10” Results

April 13, 2016

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DDT “SAITAMA SLAM! VOL. 10”, 02/04/2016
Saitama Kasukabe Hall
330 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. King Of Dark Title: Seiya Morohashi (c) defeated Hoshitango with the Quarrel Bomber (4:55).
*Seiya Morohashi passes D2. Hoshitango becomes the 14th King Of Dark Champion.
1. Guanchulo & Mizuki Watase defeated Saki Akai & Makoto Oishi when Watase pinned Akai with a Dropkick (6:37).
*Mizuki Watase wins Saki Akai’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract.
2. Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Gota Ihashi when Owashi pinned Ihashi with La Magistral Cradle (7:27).
3. Decision To Allow KENSO Or Rekka Into DNA Match: KENSO defeated Rekka with the Diving Elbow Drop (8:14).
4. Danshoku Dino defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Arm Clutch Lip Lock (1:07).
4a. Emergency Decision Single Match: Aja Kong defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Uraken (3:48).
5. Keisuke Ishii, Shigehiro Irie & Soma Takao defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Masa Takanashi & Kota Umeda when Ishii pinned Umeda with the Kneel Kick (10:37).
6. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo defeated Antonio Honda & Hiroshi Fukuda when Endo pinned Fukuda with the Sky Twister Press (12:33).
7. HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki & Mao Inoue when HARASHIMA pinned Inoue with the Somato (14:06).

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I was in Japan for almost two weeks for a gigantic wrestling trip across Tokyo. A blog post about that entire trip is in the works but for now I’ll focus on the DDT show I got to see in Saitama. After all what sort of DDT fan would I be if I didn’t get to see one of their shows during this trip? They were gearing up for a tour around Japan during my stay but Kasukabe Hall was within distance from where I and my friends were staying. So after an email exchange with DDT to get tickets myself, Joey from America and Matt from Canada set off for Saitama.

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Kasukabe is a quiet town from what I can tell. We found a sushi restaurant and through very limited Japanese (zero from myself) were able to order a meal that included tiny little appetizer squids. I didn’t have the stomach for it (blame Splatoon) but the others were happy to try it. According to them it tastes like ginger. We found Kasukabe Hall afterwards, got our tickets and lined up for the show. After getting in it didn’t take long for Amon Tsurumi to greet us. This was the start of a surreal evening where different members of DDT staff came over to greet and thank me for the work I do on this blog. Joey and Matt were amazed at the situation.

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The show began with a King Of Dark Title match. Seiya Morohashi defeated Hoshitango to get rid of the cursed belt and pass it over to the Argentinian. Morohashi treated the belt with disdain by swinging it between his legs during his ring announcement. A Quarrel Bomber put away Hoshitango in a brief match. Morohashi then announced he will be quitting DDT in April and is becoming a freelancer. He will still work for their Best Stretch business which is opening a second office in Shinjuku later this month.

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The show began with the current Right To Challenge contract holders filling the ring then moved onto the first match. The dates for the next four scheduled KO-D Openweight Title defences were announced. They are happening on 24th April in Korakuen Hall, 8th May in Sapporo, 29th May in Korakuen and 3rd July in Hakata. This does not include any possible Right To Challenge cash ins.

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The first match began with Mizuki Watase offering an apology to Saki Akai for the bad blood between them but then yelled he lied. The two were rough to each other throughout the match and Mizuki got the pin on Akai after a Dropkick to win her Right To Challenge contract. Makoto Oishi took the blame for his team’s loss. He and Akai will face Watase and LiLiCo at Korakuen on 24th April. With both the Right To Challenge contract and Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title on the line Akai has a chance to win either of them back from her enemies.

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The 2nd match had a lot of comedy based around getting Gota Ihashi tired. He was made to run the ropes a lot and was constantly thrown out of the ring and tossed over to a wall. Also Toru Owashi and Tomomitsu Matsunaga had a duel using their contract arm bands as weapons. Ihashi missed a Moonsault and Owashi capitalised with La Magistral Cradle to win.

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Match #3 was KENSO and Rekka fighting over who deserved to be in DNA. KENSO is trying to find any way to join DDT full time. If he has to go through DDT’s developmental brand then so be it. Rekka had the DNA roster support and was led out to the ring in a train formation with the wrestlers. KENSO was relentless and even did a Plancha onto Rekka. They brawled very close to us and KENSO hit a nasty looking Brainbuster onto the floor. Rekka tried to fight back and even kicked out of a Brainbuster at one but he was put away with a Diving Elbow Drop. KENSO told Rekka and the other DNA wrestlers that this business is not so sweet and he is above their level. Kouki Iwasaki took offense and challenge KENSO to defend DNA’s pride. Tsurumi was reluctant to make the match because he doesn’t want to book KENSO again but agreed to let it happen at DNA 16 on 11th May.

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Next up was Danshoku Dino Vs Kazuki Hirata. I warned Joey and Matt about Dino’s entrance antics but luckily for us he only had eyes for Hirata on this day. He attacked Hirata before the dance could begin and the match began. A minute later Dino applied the Lip Lock and then twisted Hirata’s arm for a clutch variation of the move, winning the match by tapout. After the match we found out Hirata had his date with Aja Kong and it was recorded. A video played on the screen of the date. They went on a ferris wheel and Hirata was scared of heights. They then ended the night sitting on a bench and looked like they were about to kiss until Hirata got cold feet. He said he tried to like her but it’s impossible. He apologised and ran off, leaving Kong alone.

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Dino asked Hirata why he ran off. Hirata said it’s because she’s too chubby and the date was a terrible prank. We then got a surprise when Aja Kong showed up at ringside! She was in a cold state of emotion and Hirata was frozen with fear in the ring. Dino suggested they wrestle a match there and then. He took out a referee shirt so he could look over the match. The bell rang and Kong took her time beating up Hirata. He had one chance at a comeback but wasn’t strong enough to lift Kong up for the Viagra Driver. Kong beat him up again and Dino was too scared to call any fouls so he just let her do what she wanted. One Spinning Backfist later and that was it for Hirata. Dino very slowly counted the pin but it was clear that Hirata was out cold. When he came to he said he realised how wrong he was to ditch Kong and offered to take her out again. Kong rejected him and instead showed interest in Nobuhiro Shimatani, chasing him out of the ring when he got too scared of her. Dino and Hirata were left stunned for a few minutes by what happened. “Eeeeeeh?” … “Eeeeeeh?” … “Eeeeeeh?” ……….. “Eeeeeeh?!?”

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I can now say after seeing them in person Yukio Sakaguchi, Kota Umeda and Shigehiro Irie all hit hard. Really hard.

During intermission I got to meet Sanshiro Takagi and Guanchulo and had a brief talk with them. I also got to finally speak with the man behind the Extreme Party website who was such a help during the early years of this blog. It’s pretty weird when Takagi called me over to his table and showed me my Twitter accounts on his phone in order to ask if I was that guy. This show happened half a day after Kota Ibushi’s appearance on NXT Takeover: Dallas but that wasn’t the place to talk about it.

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“American Dream” played over the speakers for the semi-main event. Antonio Honda and Hiroshi Fukuda came out for an all Happy Motel tag team match against the New Gen Combo. Honda & Fukuda tried to keep the match at their pace but Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo came out the winners in the end. Fukuda’s Perfect Plex was countered into a Brainbuster and Endo hit the Sky Twister Press for the pin. Honda & Fukuda threw their support behind the New Gen Combo for their KO-D Tag Team Titles rematch with Daisuke Sasaki & Shuji Ishikawa later this month.

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The main event was the best match of the show. Kazusada Higuchi has a great presence about him and knows how to throw his weight around. His moments with HARASHIMA were very good and the match played around all of Smile Squash trying to cut down Higuchi by the legs. Mao Inoue also shined during the ending sequence but my highlight of the match was HARASHIMA countering Inoue’s Screw Kick with a Leg Sweep in mid air. HARASHIMA won with the Somato of course and Higuchi left the ring to go lick his wounds. The show ended with Smile Squash giving a victory speech. A good end to the evening.

I would like to thank Sanshiro Takagi, Amon Tsurumi and Guanchulo so much for all that they did to accommodate me, Matt and Joey throughout the show. I’d also like to thank Naomi Susan for everything she did to help organise tickets. Quite a few surprises happened along the way and afterwards but I don’t think I can say much about it for now.