DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Antonio Honda, Junta Miyawaki & Viento Maligno defeated Yuki Iino, Masami Inahata & Rukiya when Honda pinned Inahata with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (8:39).
2. Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi by Disqualification when Sumi attacked the referee (6:47).
3. Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Hideki Okatani, Posuke Sasaki & Daision Sasaki defeated Daisuke Sasaki (Yukio Naya), Daisuke Sasaki (Takeshi Masada) & Nerima Sting (Yuki Ishida) when Daision submitted Sting with La Mistica Crossface Lock (12:07).
4. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai ended in a No Contest (9:54).
4a. No DQ & No Tag Rules: Danshoku Dieno & Hinata Kasai defeated Kazuki Hirata & To-y when Dieno submitted To-y with his Hell Gate (8:37).
5. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA ended in a No Contest (10:42).
5a. 4 Way Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata, MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO), Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA and Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi when Katsumata pinned Yuni with the I Love You Splash (9:23).
No spoilers or talk about what happened on this April Fool’s Day show was allowed until the clock struck midnight. So for those who weren’t at the show, they had to wait until the next day to hear about Kazuma Sumi & Yuni all of a sudden showing their rebel sides. The show was meant to begin with a performance by NωA Jr. but it was cut off when Sumi & Yuni attacked Shunma Katsumata out of nowhere! The two of them told everyone they didn’t want to be idols anymore and they stormed out of the ring. They reappeared for their match dressed in rebellious clothing with new ring names to boot. They were now Bad Buddy Yuni & Pito Chico Sumi! Their tag match ended in Disqualification after they attacked their opponents with chairs and squeaky toy hammers.
They then reappeared in the 3 Way Tag main event because the theme of the match was every tag team were dressed as some type of delinquent. Their interference caused the match to get thrown out because they attacked the referee and caused more chaos afterward. The match restarted with Yuni & Sumi added as a fourth team. Katsumata (who was dressed as a delinquent schoolgirl by the way) got his revenge on them by pinning Yuni for the victory. Yuki Ueno confessed his love for Katsumata after the match only to start a chain reaction of all the others doing the same. Katsumata turned all of them down for Yuni and the two embraced. However Sumi suddenly got jealous and he tried to stab Yuni with an umbrella. He missed though and stabbed Katsumata instead by accident! Katsumata wished the two of them to be happy together and then died. Everyone sang a song to revive him and the show ended with everyone safe and sound. That was until Ueno approached Katsumata backstage and stabbed him with the umbrella. Sumi & Yuni revived him again and the three all agreed they should go back to being idols.
Both Kazuki Hirata & To-y had something planned for the show with their only clue being it would resemble a party gathering together underneath the blooming cherry blossoms. They ended up interfering in Match #3 to cost Hinata Kasai a victory against Danshoku Dieno. In that match whenever Dieno gave someone the Lip Lock, the victim would reveal they are wearing Danshoku tights beneath their clothes. It happened to KANON and Yukinori Matsui, turning the two of them into Danshoku zombies. That story was thrown out thanks to Hirata & To-y so it turned into a No DQ tag match where the two of them attacked Dieno, Kasai and the wrestlers standing near ringside with umbrellas and coathangers. However Kasai rallied the other wrestlers to grab To-y and carry him face first into Dieno’s Hell Gate until he gave up. The Lip Lock storyline continued with the victims turning back to normal after bumping heads with each other. It ended when Dieno finally got to give Kasai the Lip Lock.
A dejected Daisuke Sasaki has left Japan to go on tour across North America. He claims he will not return unless he falls in love and gets rejected but it was recently announced that New Japan has booked him for this year’s Best Of The Super Jr. tournament. Either way that leaves DAMNATION T.A currently without their leader. This has somehow led to an army of Fake Daisuke Sasakis appearing on today’s show along with a Nerima Sting. Also MJ Paul turned into Posuke Sasaki. During the match Ilusion would disappear only to return as Daision Sasaki to get the hot tag and win the match for his team. He said that from today onwards he is the new leader of DAMNATION T.A! Later at the end of the show, Sanshiro Takagi appeared also dressed like Daisuke Sasaki. He tried to attack Daision but was given a Low Blow instead. Takagi and Ilusion have a dark match coming up on 15th April and Ilusion keeps ambushing him with Low Blows to build up the match.
This month was a lot more tiring to write than usual for some reason. Probably it’s because I’m writing most of this after going through the DDT Anniversary show, the Tokyo Joshi Pro preview for Sumo Hall and then the Sumo Hall show itself. That’s a lot of typing for me to do lately. So I’ll keep this introduction brief. Miyu Yamashita went on a short tear in Europe this month, Konosuke Takeshita feuded with Jon Moxley over the AEW Continental Title, TJPW now runs Texas and Daisuke Sasaki has started his North American adventure. Next month is WrestleMania Week. I’m making the foolish decision to travel there mainly because I got a good deal for flights and the hotel in Vegas right around the time when WWE pulled the rug from under New Orleans. I’ll be at the TJPW show and might see Sasaki or some of the TJPW girls wrestle somewhere else.
AEW “COLLISION”, 07/03/2026 Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona, USA
1. Claudio Castagnoli Vs Konosuke Takeshita
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/03/2026 San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA
1. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli (w/ Marina Shafir) Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero
AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SUNDAY”, 22/03/2026 Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA
1. Mistico, Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight Vs Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander & El Clon
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Results
EVE “WOMEN BEHAVING BADLY #IWD2026”, 06/03/2026 Big Penny Social, London, England
1. Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita ended in a Time Limit Draw (20:00).
1a. Overtime: Jamie Hayter Vs Miyu Yamashita ended in a Time Limit Draw (5:00).
The match that had everyone talking from EVE’s big weekend was Yamashita locking horns with Jamie Hayter for a twenty minute spectacle that hit harder than anyone anticipated. As they fought into the final seconds of the match Yamashita kept kicking Hayter until she was given a Backbreaker and then the Lariat before the bell rang for a draw. However protests from Hayter convinced the show producer Will Ospreay to restart the match for five more minutes. Yamashita got back into another slugfest with Hayter with neither wanting to give up. The Skull Kick led to a double down with 40 seconds to go and Yamashita wasn’t fast enough to pin Hayter in time with a Buzzsaw Kick that happened right at the finish. The two shook hands after the draw but made it clear they had unfinished business together.
1. Miyu Yamashita defeated Nightshade with the Crash Rabbit Heat (?:??).
With hardly any good time to rest, Yamashita made it to Spain the next night for her first match with RCW Spain in a year. She survived taking Running Cannonballs into the corner from Nightshade and avoided a Neck Hanging Bomb to knock down her opponent with the Skull Kick. While Nightshade was put to her knees and collapsing after every kick, Yamashita made sure to keep up the attacks until she finished her off with the Crash Rabbit Heat.
AEW “COLLISION”, 07/03/2026 Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona, USA
1. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Claudio Castagnoli with the Raging Fire (14:39).
With only a week left for the PPV, Takeshita was so close to his big title match with Moxley but first he had to get through Claudio Castagnoli. Moxley watched on while providing match commentary, keeping his hands clean throughout the whole thing. Castagnoli thought tried to cheat by grabbing his CMLL World Heavyweight Title belt with the intention of using it as a weapon. However Hechicero ran down to the ring to stop him, allowing Takeshita to dive onto Castagnoli and get him back into the ring. The match wasn’t won yet but Takeshita rolled his way out of the Ricola Bomb to hit Castagnoli with the Powerdrive Knee and then pin him with the Raging Fire. Things weren’t done with there because Takeshita and Moxley had a stare down after the match. Hechicero blindsided Moxley much to Takeshita’s surprise and a brawl then broke out between the Death Riders and The Don Callis Family.
EVE “WRESTLE QUEENDOM VIII”, 08/03/2026 Indigo At The O2, London, England
1. Sudden Death Sixteen: Alexxis Falcon defeated Jamie Hayter, Miyu Yamashita, DASH Chisako, Anita Vaughan, Lucy Sky, Nyla Rose, Aluna, Lil Marz, Emersyn Jane, Princesse Lauriana, Yuu, Molly Spartan, Nightshade, Abi Cartwright and Charlie Morgan (34:43).
The unfinished business between Yamashita and Hayter started right back up again two days later when they were the first two entrants taking part in EVE’s Sudden Death Sixteen match. Imagine the Casino Gauntlet match where it is one fall to a finish but you still get taken out of the match if you are thrown out of the ring Royal Rumble style. Sadly for Yamashita and Hayter that is what happened to them when they knocked each other out of the ring, causing yet another draw in their sudden rivalry. Surely it cannot end like that!
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 11/03/2026 San Jose Civic, San Jose, California, USA
1. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli (w/ Marina Shafir) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Hechicero when Castagnoli pinned Hechicero with an Inside Cradle (14:09).
The previous week’s scuffle set the stage for this tag match to take place as on the go home show for the PPV. Neither Takeshita or Moxley could get the upper hand to each other so it was left up to Castagnoli to break the deadlock. A near ref bump threw Hechicero off enough for him to get poke in the eye and Castagnoli then rolled him up in a Small Package to steal the win. More fighting continued when Don Callis ordered Lance Archer & Mark Davis down to the ring but Takeshita showed a change of heart when he refused to attack Moxley with a chair. The message Takeshita wanted to send is he wanted to beat Moxley at his best. However the other members of the Family didn’t share the same feelings and felt he just wasted a perfect opportunity to get the upper hand.
PPW “HARDCORE FRIDAY THE 13TH”, 13/03/2026 TOKYO SQUARE In Itabashi
1. Hardcore Match: Chris Brookes defeated Gabriel Queen (14:11).
The Polish company PpW Ewenement Wrestling held a mini tour of Japan with two shows in Tokyo during the month. The big one had Chris Brookes involved in the opening match taking on Gabriel Queen. Despite its early placement on the card it was also made into a Hardcore bout, one that drew blood from Brookes and left him busted wide open! Queen didn’t take it seriously at first because he armed himself with a toy mallet. Brookes immediately turned it up a notch by pulling out a stapler in response. A plastic case smashing over Brookes is what cut his forehead open but he would cover up his wound. Queen would later put Brookes in the Crossface but Baliyan Akki would slide the stapler to Brookes from ringside so he could staple Queen’s hand and free himself from the hold. The violence would ramp up even more with chairs being piled up in the ring and Brookes would Superplex Queen onto them. He then got his own back using the plastic cases by slamming Queen through one with the Michinoku Driver for the victory.
AEW “REVOLUTION”, 15/03/2026 Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. AEW Continental Title – No Time Limit: Jon Moxley (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (23:32). *V2 for Jon Moxley.
Takeshita got the bad end to his story with Moxley but at least it was one hell of a match between them. Moxley busted Takeshita open and damaged his leg enough that it stopped him from doing the Powerdrive Knee late in the bout. Takeshita kept on fighting, kicking out of not just the regular Death Rider but a top rope version of it too! Moxley switched his plan over to using a submission hold and he fought to put him into a Rear Naked Choke. Takeshita flipped him off with a middle finger but couldn’t escape the move, losing consciousness and also the match. You know how it goes with Moxley in AEW. You bleed in the ring with him, you earn his respect. Takeshita eventually shook his hand after the match to make it so.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – AUSTIN DAY 1”, 17/03/2026 Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas, USA 1,951 Fans
1. Suzume defeated Uta Takami with the Ring A Bell (6:12).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Shino Suzuki with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (8:54).
3. Raku & Pom Harajuku defeated Hyper Misao & Mifu Ashida when Raku pinned Ashida with the Doctor Yellow (10:25).
4. Miyu Yamashita & Arisu Endo defeated Mizuki & Yuki Aino when Yamashita pinned Aino with the Skull Kick (13:53).
5. Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee defeated Shoko Nakajima & Wakana Uehara when McKay pinned Uehara after the IIdolizer (10:15).
6. Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi defeated Yuki Kamifuku & Yuki Arai when Watanabe pinned Arai with the Tear Drop (15:08).
AEW “COLLISION – SLAM DUNK SUNDAY”, 18/03/2026 (Aired 22/03/2026) Save Mart Center At Fresno State, Fresno, California, USA
1. Mistico, Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander & El Clon when Mistico submits Clon with La Mistica (13:10).
Takeshita got a change of pace for his first match after the PPV by getting into some fast pace trios action with a familiar face on the other team. Always nice to see Takeshita and Mike Bailey in the same ring together. Disaster struck for the Callis Family when Josh Alexander got injured from blocking Bailey’s Standing Moonsault Knee Drop with his own knees. Takeshita & El Clon had to wrestle the rest of the match one man down. Kevin Knight had Takeshita scouted by escaping the Raging Fire and leaping onto Takeshita to give him a DDT that planted him onto the canvas. Mistico went on to tap out Clon with La Mistica.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – DALLAS”, 21/03/2026 College Park Center, Arlington, Texas, USA 1,481 Fans
1. Shino Suzuki defeated Mifu Ashida with the Modified Cobra Clutch (4:55).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Uta Takami with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (7:57).
3. Suzume & Arisu Endo defeated Raku & Pom Harajuku when Endo pinned Harajuku with the Ju no Okite (11:32).
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen when Kamifuku pinned Aino with the Diving Famouser (11:55).
5. 3 Way Match: Mizuki defeated Rika Tatsumi and Hyper Misao when Mizuki pinned Misao with the Diving Foot Stomp (13:50).
6. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Arai defeated Miu Watanabe & Miyu Yamashita when Nakajima pinned Yamashita with the Diving Senton (16:48).
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW TEXAS STAMPEDE – HOUSTON”, 22/03/2026 POST Houston, Houston, Texas, USA 415 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House
1. Yuki Aino & Vert Vixen defeated Suzume & Shino Suzuki when Aino pinned Suzuki with the Venus DDT (10:26).
2. Sakura Hattori defeated Mifu Ashida with the Shinden Fudo Ryu Majime Ura (7:25).
3. Hyper Misao defeated Raku with the I Am A Hero (8:39).
4. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara defeated Miyu Yamashita & Kaylia Capri when Uehara submitted Capri with the Banana Pillow (12:20).
5. Yuki Arai defeated Pom Harajuku with the Modified Brainbuster (10:04).
6. Miu Watanabe, Rika Tatsumi & Arisu Endo defeated Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki & Uta Takami when Watanabe pinned Takami with the Tear Drop (16:59).
AEW “DYNAMITE”, 25/03/2026 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
0. Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Paul Virk (?:??).
I can’t find much information online but Daisuke Sasaki worked a dark match at AEW before that night’s Dynamite show. The ring had the ROH aprons so it was likely taped for their weekly show. I’ll correct the info if that turns out to be the case. Sasaki teamed up with local Minnesota wrestler Paul Virk to lose against The Gates Of Agony.
ROH/MLP “GLOBAL WARS”, 27/03/2026 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. 6 Pack Scramble: Michael Oku defeated Jake Crist, Daisuke Sasaki, Michael Allen Richard Clark, Ace Austin and Brent Banks when Oku pinned Crist with the Six Star Frog Splash (10:26).
Sasaki was advertised for the ROH joint show with Maple Leaf Pro but it wasn’t known in advance what he would get up to. It turns out he was the replacement for Barbaro Cavernario in a 6 Pack Scramble match. He was pretty much lost in the shuffle for most of the match.
MLP “UPRISING”, 28/03/2026 St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1. No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Bryce Hansen with a chair assisted Diving Splash (8:12).
Sasaki had more to do on the next night’s MLP show when a backstage confrontation with Bryce Hansen forced a No DQ Match to take place between them. Don Callis was on commentary and seemed to be impressed with Sasaki’s dirty tactics. Sasaki hit Hansen below the belt with a kendo stick, Speared him twice into a table (because it didn’t break the first time) and then pinned him with a flying chair dive from the top rope onto the rubble below.
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Upcoming Appearances
GCW “LAST CALL”, 03/04/2026 FSW Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs Marcus Mathers
With Canada out of the way, Sasaki heads on over to America for a couple of GCW appearances. He has two trips to Las Vegas in him and the first is for a match against Marcus Mathers.
GCW “MANIAC”, 04/04/2026 Ukrainian Culture Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
1. GCW World Title: Atticus Cogar (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
Sasaki’s big hopes of becoming a triple crown champion have gone up in smoke after he lost the DDT Universal Title before leaving Japan. He can still be a double champion if he can beat Atticus Cogar for the GCW World Title and then remember he still has the O-40 Title back home.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 1”, 11/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Less than two weeks to go and not a lot announced. J-Rod is officially booked for the Vancouver shows so she might get a warm up match with Yuki Arai before they get to Las Vegas.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “VANCOUVER PREMIERE – DAY 2”, 12/04/2026 Great Canadian Hastings Racecourse & Casino, Vancouver, BC, Canada
What’s the hold up, Sayuri Namba?
PODER~! “PODERMANIA~!”, 15/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Tag Team Match: Amira & Lil Marz Vs Toga & Jazzy Yang
Toga is starting things off early for WrestleMania Week.
PANDEMONIUM PRO “WHATEVER, FOREVER”, 15/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Jiah Jewell Vs Daisuke Sasaki
I heard about Jiah Jewell being this crazy wrestler last year but his match with MAO wasn’t much to write about. Maybe Sasaki will get a better fight out of him this year.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Toga & Uta Takami
2. Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku Vs Alexis Lee, HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki
3. Special 3 Way Match: Miyu Yamashita Vs Mizuki Vs Miu Watanabe
4. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
5. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
6. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod
This is the full card for TJPW’s return to Las Vegas. Three championship matches fill up the second half but the match that will surely be the talk of the show will be the 3 Way between Miyu Yamashita, Mizuki and Miu Watanabe.
“DEATH VEGAS INVITACIONAL”, 16/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Daisuke Sasaki Vs X
I’m not expecting Sasaki’s match on this show to be anything spectacular given the lineup so far. Maybe stick him in the ring with ISHIN for something?
GCW “JOSH BARNETT’S BLOODSPORT XV”, 17/04/2026 Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Miyu Yamashita Vs Janai Kai
Yamashita’s doesn’t have a good winning record against Janai Kai under regular wrestling rules. Is Bloodsport rules the ingredient needed for her to change that?
PRIDESTYLE “OUT OF THIS WORLD”, 17/04/2026 Bizarre Bar, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. Special Single Match: Taniya Vs Miu Watanabe
There might be other TJPW related stuff happening during the week (Maple Leaf Pro’s show looks like it will be crossover heavy) but for the moment it looks like Watanabe’s appearance at PrideStyle will be the last TJPW related match on the schedule.
EVE/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “EVE X TJPW”, 25/04/2026 Big Penny Social, London, England
1. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Shoko Nakajima Vs Hollie Barlow
2. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Round 1: Miyu Yamashita Vs Aliss Ink
3. EVE International Title Next Contender Tournament – Final: X Vs X
The TJPW contingent heading over to Italy at the end of April have another stop planned in England. EVE is hosting TJPW for a second combined show and this one is being built around a one night mini-tournament to crown the No. 1 Contender for the EVE International Title. Yamashita and Shoko Nakajima are taking part on the TJPW side while EVE is being represented by Hollie Barlow and Aliss Ink. Barlow is apparantly the same height as Nakajima while Ink wants to see if her strikes are at the level of Yamashita’s.
SAJ/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SAJ X TJPW”, 26/04/2026 Centro Sport Cesate, Milan, Italy
1. Mirko Mori, Nico Inverardi & Adriano Vs Goro, Merak & Spencer
2. Shoko Nakajima Vs Kanji
3. Sebastian De Witt Vs Miyu Yamashita
4. SAJ Openweight Title: Lupo (c) Vs Kouga
Plans changed a little bit for the SAJ Wrestling show in Italy. Yamashita’s match against Sebastian De Witt was supposed to be for the SAJ Openweight Title but De Witt lost it at another show earlier this month. Funnily enough the NOAH wrestler now known as Kouga is getting the title shot on this show instead. Nakajima’s match on the show will be a first time meeting with Kanji. TJPW would be good to get Kanji over for a tour or two if she’s up for it.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 1”, 09/05/2026 JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
DDT and TJPW’s tour of Malaysia is back for a second year. It will take place over two days in the same venue as last time with idol performances happening alongside the wrestling matches.
DDT/TOKYO JOSHI PRO “LOVE & PEACE 2026 SPRING SUPPORTED BY TIF ASIA TOUR – DAY 2”, 09/05/2026 JioSpace, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
The Japanese wrestlers going over for the shows are Yuki Arai, Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Shino Suzuki, Uta Takami, Marika Kobashi, Shinya Aoki and Shota.
GCW/BZW “NOW OR NEVER”, 23/05/2026 Espace Isabelle de Hainaut, Rue de Saint-Quentin, Bapaume, France
1. MAO & Yoshihiko Vs X & X
MAO & Yoshihiko are heading back to France! They still hold the BZW Tag Team Titles so who will BZW find to challenge them this time? GCW are involved so could it be a team often seen over there?
WXW “DRIVE OF CHAMPIONS 2026”, 06/06/2026 Turbinenhalle 1, Oberhausen, Germany
1. Jun Akiyama Vs X
Don’t mind me slipping this in, I just forgot to include it before posting the article. Jun Akiyama is going over to Germany to wrestle for wXw!
DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Something With To-y & Kazuki Hirata: To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army!: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Nise Daisuke Sasaki A, Nise Daisuke Sasaki B & Deka Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
Nothing about tomorrow’s show can be revealed until April Fools Day in Japan has ended. What we do know is there will be more matches happening than what is announced above.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “HOME CHEER HOME ~MIFU ASHIDA HOMECOMING SHOW~”, 04/04/2026 Kyoto Fukuchiyama City Sandanike Park General Gymnasium
1. 3 Way Match: Yuki Kamifuku Vs Pom Harajuku Vs HIMAWARI
2. Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao Vs Raku & Mahiro Kiryu
3. Suzume & Haru Kazashiro Vs Miyu Yamashita & Kira Summer
4. Sakura Hattori Vs Chika Nanase
5. Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe & Shino Suzuki Vs Yuki Aino, Toha & Ren Konatsu
6. Wakana Uehara Vs Shion Kanzaki
7. Yuki Arai & Mifu Ashida Vs Mizuki & Uta Takami
The big homecoming show for Mifu Ashida is also Yuki Arai’s first appearance as the new Princess Of Princess Champion. The Kyoto Tag will be fighting this year’s Max Heart Tournament finalists Mizuki & Uta Takami in the main event.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki
For Harimao’s last match, the rapper BIG MOOLA will be at the show performing their entrance song live.
GANBARE☆PRO “NEON DEMON 2026”, 05/04/2026 Tokyo Takashimadaira Kumin Center
1. Moeka Haruhi & YuuRI Vs Yuki Mashiro & Konomi Hori
2. Ken Ohka, Guts Ishijima & Banana Senga Vs Yumehito Imanari, Fuminori Abe & Shota Kawakami
3. Shuichiro Katsumura & Sentaro Motoshima Vs Takuya Wada & Ryuma Sekimo
4. Shinichiro Tominaga Vs Tyson Maeguchi
5. Mizuki Watase & X Vs Keisuke Ishii & X
Champion and challenger for the next Spirit Of Ganbare World Title will get to choose tag partners for a preview match coming up first.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW SPRING TOUR 2026 ~NEXT DOOR~ IN FUKUOKA”, 05/04/2026 Acros Fukuoka Event Hall
1. 3 Way Match: Hyper Misao Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Ren Konatsu
2. Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
3. Suzume, Haru Kazashiro & Uta Takami Vs HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki & Mifu Ashida
4. Sakura Hattori Vs Shion Kanzaki
5. Yuki Kamifuku & Kira Summer Vs Yuki Aino & Chika Nanase
6. Mizuki Vs Wakana Uehara
7. Yuki Arai & Toga Vs Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima
For Miyu Yamashita’s homecoming show she will be teaming up with Shoko Nakajima, which is a rare occurrence between the two in the last few years. Arai & Toga will be their opponents for this special team up.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “POKAPOKA SPRING PRO WRESTLING IN UENO”, 08/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. International Princess Title Next Challenger Determination 5 Way Match: HIMAWARI Vs Shino Suzuki Vs Haru Kazashiro Vs Mifu Ashida Vs Uta Takami
The next International Princess Title match will take place in America but the next contender for after that will be determined before Tokyo Joshi Pro heads off to Las Vegas. A 5 Way Match is going to pit HIMAWARI, Shino Suzuki, Haru Kazashiro, Mifu Ashida and Uta Takami all against each other with a big spot on the Golden Week show on the line.
DDT “O HANAMI PRO WRESTLING 2026 ~BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING BEGINS AGAIN THIS YEAR~”, 09/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Jun Akiyama, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Masami Inahata Vs Daichi Sato, Yuki Ishida & Hinata Kasai
2. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
3. 4 Way Match ~ Junta Miyawaki’s First Beer Garden Pro Wrestling: MAO (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Antonio Honda Vs Junta Miyawaki V To-y
4. Special Tag Match ~ Yuni University Entrance Commemorative Match: Shunma Katsumata & Yuni Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
5. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku
6. KING OF DRUNK 2026 Opening Round: Chris Brookes Vs HARASHIMA Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs KANON Vs Yuki Iino Vs Rukiya
Beer Garden not only brings back the King Of Drunk tournament for another year but there is also a Nautilus reunion happening on the show too! Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura will be properly teaming up for the first time since 2020. There’s been a multi-man match or two when they’ve been on the same side but an honest to God Nautilus match you’ll have to go back five and a half year or so to find the last one.
They grow up so fast. Yuni is becoming a college student but is still too young to legally drink so it’s a bit mean of DDT to have this match happen at a Beer Garden show. At least Junta Miyawaki is allowed to take part in the fun for his first Beer Garden show. Masami Inahata too, I think.
1. Takeru Inoue Vs Daichi Kazato
2. FUMA, Ryuichi Sekine & Kohei Kinoshita Vs Takumi Tsukamoto, Daiki Shimomura & Banana Senga
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Gouma Ryu & Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Minoru Fujita & Yasu Urano
4. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Isami Kodaka
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken
It was only back in January when SAGAT & Lil’ Kraken challenged for the Iron Fist Tag Team Titles. They lost the match and had a crisis of confidence but quickly patched themselves up. When Aijin Tag won the titles, the Super Family pair jumped at the chance to ask for another shot. They’re being rewarded for being so bold but it may just be that Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino see them as an easy first defence.
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE IN LAS VEGAS 2026”, 16/04/2026 Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
1. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Sakura Hattori
2. Princess Tag Team Titles: Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
3. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs J-Rod
All three new champions coming out of Sumo Hall will be making their first defences at the Las Vegas show. It was already announced that J-Rod would get the Princess Title shot but instead of getting a rematch with Miu Watanabe, it will now be a first time singles match against Yuki Arai. J-Rod sent a message saying pro wrestling is not a fairy tale and she is ready to become the first American Princess Of Princess Champion on her own home soil. There is a chance that Arai and J-Rod will get a preliminary tag match against each other at one of the Vancouver shows but Tetsuya Koda has not made his decision yet.
Kyoraku Kyomei will be The IInspiration’s first challengers for the Princess Tag Team Titles. Both Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao like to gamble big whenever they visit Vegas. They also took it upon themselves to get the brand new tag title belts back in TJPW’s hands. Unfortunately Misao cannot confirm if there will be Dramatic Hypami bike in Las Vegas after the one in Texas fell apart. Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee showed concern for the roster after hearing the wrestlers had a troublesome trip back home to Japan from the Texas tour. However, they claim they were able to win the titles on just three hours sleep so how will Kyoraku Kyomei fare against them when they have the full eight hours in America?
Before Suzume can make it to Golden Week, she must survive fighting the ninja Sakura Hattori under the bright lights of Vegas! Hattori handed Suzume a scroll at Sumo Hall to tell her she wanted a title shot. Another scroll has since been sent telling Suzume to be prepared because Hattori is targeting her and can take the IP Title away in an instant! As we get towards the match, Hattori is sprinting through a singles match winning streak that’s been going on ever since her gimmick switch.
GANBARE☆PRO “HATAAGE 13TH ANNIVERSARY – MAD MAX 2026”, 29/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. PSYCHO & Yuya Susumu Vs Shota Kawakami & Sentaro Motoshima
2. Moeka Haruhi Vs Ram Kaichow
3. YuuRI Vs Utami Hayashihita
4. Ken Ohka 25th Anniversary Match: Ken Ohka & Guts Ishijima Vs Masaaki Mochizuki & Ryota Nakatsu
5. Minoru Suzuki & Shuichiro Katsumura Vs Hideki “Shrek” Sekine & Akira Shoji
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Yumehito Imanari & Shinichiro Tominaga (c) Vs Takuya Wada & Tyson Maeguchi
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii
All of a sudden Ganbare☆Pro has a Korakuen Hall main event rematch that is three years in the making. Back in Mizuki Watase’s first reign as Spirit Of Ganbare World Champion he defeated Keisuke Ishii that was highly praised by those who took the time to watch it. Ishii won a No. 1 Contender tournament to set up the rematch and Watase wants it to be an even better fight than the first one!
Both Takuya Wada & Tyson Maeguchi have held the Spirit Of Ganbare Tag Team Titles in the past. In fact, Maeguchi was one of the first champions and Wada was one of the second champions. Together they might be the team that can beat Touchable for the belts. That would mean a lot to Maeguchi in particular because the physical championship belts did not exist when he was supposed to hold them.
I get how Minoru Suzuki & Shuichiro Katsumura against Hideki “Shrek” Sekine & Akira Shoji is meant to be the shooter match but I feel like this is going to be a coin flip over if it will be good or not.
All of these comedy matches Moeka Haruhi has been doing lately has lead her to this. She now has to face the Triple Six queen herself Ram Kaichow!
TOKYO JOSHI PRO “YES! WONDERLAND ’26”, 04/05/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Winner Of 5 Way Match
Suzume is noticing that many wrestlers in TJPW have been growing stronger lately, many of whom she hasn’t defend the title against before. She thinks there will definitely be plenty of first time matchups happening during this title reign.
DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026 Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated Takeshi Masada, Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai when Ilusion pinned Kasai with the Swanton Bomb (?:??).
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuma Sumi & Kazuki Hirata when Akiyama pinned Hirata with the Exploder Suplex (8:42).
3. Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida defeated MAO & Masami Inahata when Ishida pinned Inahata with the Flame Palm (12:27).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda defeated Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuni when Honda pinned Yuni with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (14:21).
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya when KANON pinned Rukiya with the Lariat (13:39). *KANON & Viento Maligno becomes the 1st MOP Tag Team Champions!
A new collaborative tour of DDT shows held inside Mitsui Outlet Parks began the crowning of a brand new championship. The MOP Tag Team Titles were up for grabs in the main event where KANON & Viento Maligno came out on top against Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya. KANON congratulated Maligno on winning his first championship since coming from Japan and got KIMIHIRO to translate his comments for everyone to hear. Maligno said Strange Love Connection are on a roll and they will defend these championships in Kobe and Toyama next month to the death! He wants to make these championships so valuable that he and KANON will be invited onto MOP’s TV commercials.
Although Yuki Ueno was unable to wrestle on the show due to injury, he still attended the event and greeted the audience in the ring before the main event.
DDT “DDT X MOP WRESTLE TOUR 2026 IN MITSUI OUTLET TAMA MINAMIOSAWA”, 28/03/2026 Tokyo Mitsui Outlet Park Tama Minamiosawa
1. MAO & Masami Inahata Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida
2. Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku Vs Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi
3. Hideki Okatani, Ilusion & MJ Paul Vs Takeshi Masada, Daichi Sato & Hinata Kasai
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuni
5. MOP Tag Team Titles: KANON & Viento Maligno (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Junta Miyawaki & Rukiya
Some changes to Saturday’s card have been made because Yuki Ueno needs to go get laser surgery in his eye. His doctor found signs of a possible retinal tear in one of his eyes and its needs to be dealt with. He will only be out of action for a week but that means Ueno will miss the next DDT show.
DDT “NO SPOILERS EVENT VOL. 4 IN UENO”, 01/04/2026 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage
1. Something With To-y & Kazuki Hirata: To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Playfulness Series Act 5: Danshoku Dieno Vs Hinata Kasai
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki Army!: Hideki Okatani, MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Nise Daisuke Sasaki A, Nise Daisuke Sasaki B & Deka Daisuke Sasaki
4. Special 3-Way Tag Match ~ Best Friends (Mav) Superior: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
There will be more matches happening on the show but they will not be revealed until they happen.
DDT “CHANGE AGE 2026 ~TOBIKIRI ZENKAI POWER~”, 05/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Rukiya
1. Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai
2. Variety King Decision Match: Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Akito
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Jun Akiyama & Junta Miyawaki
5. Special Single Match: Kaisei Takechi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: MAO & KANON (c) (w/ KIMIHIRO) Vs Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~ Harimao Last Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida Vs Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki
The first week of April will now have the retirement of Kazusada Higuchi taking place. Sadly he will not have one more match to mark the end of his career. Instead the other members of Harimao will team together one last time before the group disbands. Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida will face three opponents from Higuchi’s past going all the way back to their DNA days. Shunma Katsumata recently returned to action and was an early rival of Higuchi. Both Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki rarely show up in DDT these days but such an important occasion have brought the both of them back.
FANTÔMES DRAMATIC are on the hunt for some gold and could get plenty of it if things go their way soon. Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA have become the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The timing could not be better because KANON is coming off of a failed KO-D Openweight Title challenge and may need to rely on MAO to do all the hard work if he hasn’t bounced back by then.
DDT “DREAM LIGHTS ~HOW DO YOU LIKE DDT WEDNESDAY~”, 15/04/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dramatic Dark Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Ilusion
1. Special Single Match: YOH Vs Antonio Honda
2. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai
3. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Yukio Naya
4. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Yuki Iino
Ueno will definitely be ready to defend the KO-D Title against Yuki Iino no matter what. He was someone Iino learned a lot from when Iino trained to become a pro wrestler. Ueno was also a part of Iino’s debut match back in 2017.
Meanwhile Yukio Naya has gone and challenged Hideki Okatani for the DDT Extreme Title. His logic is “Extreme” means big so the title should belong to him.
Brookes & HARASHIMA could be double tag champs if Fandora wins the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from paleyouth. The wild card is Hinata Kasai. He hasn’t directly won a match yet but Antonio Honda thinks having Kasai on the challenger team will add some drama to the title match. The idea has painted a target on Kasai when Brookes threw Bunbun into the crowd after the challenge was made. Takeshi Masada blames Kasai for that and wants to get revenge!
DDT “MOTSUNABE BUSTER”, 18/04/2026 ACROS Fukuoka
1. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
The new DDT Universal Champion is looking to surpass a wrestler he looks up to. Kazuma Sumi nominated Katsumata to be his first challenger to repay him for his support over the years. However the repayment will be completed when Sumi beats Katsumata! Same goes the other way around. Katsumata will show his appreciation for Sumi by crushing him for the championship!
Kumadori will be on the show.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
1. Dramatic Dream Match: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Kaisei Takechi
The next time DDT goes to Sumo Hall they will give everyone a Konosuke Takeshita versus Kaisei Takechi match! Hopefully neither of them will get a case of pink eye right before the match again.
A press conference was held by DDT in Tokyo today to announce that Kazusada Higuchi will be retiring from pro wrestling on 5th April. Higuchi had been taking time off since from wrestling since the start of the year to deal with a neck injury. This comes after he previously had to take eight months off during 2024 into 2025 to recover from other injuries including a cervical hernia. This decision came about when at some point between December and January, Higuchi went through a health checkup that is regularly given out to everyone in the DDT roster. The doctor found Higuchi had subluxation of the first and second cervical vertebrae and told him that continuing to wrestle (or take part in any kind of contact sport) would be dangerous for his health. Higuchi and his doctor had discussions with DDT over him having any possibility of continuing his wrestling career but they reached the decision that it would be best for him to retire.
Unfortunately due to the current state of Higuchi’s neck, he has already wrestled his last match and his retirement at DDT’s Korakuen Hall show on 5th April will just be a ceremony without a final match preceding it. Higuchi said he is currently not feeling any symptoms over his condition but understands that his neck has reached it physical limit. He regrets not being able to wrestle again but is glad to have detected this problem early so he could exit the business on his own two feet. Although he will no longer live in the ring, he believes his life will continue for a long time.
The press conference also had comments from Sanshiro Takagi and Akito both speaking as representatives of CyberFight. Akito explained the above routine health checkups that the DDT roster goes through over the new year period. He also noted that the cervical condition Higuchi has usually gives the person symptoms of numbness or even paralysis in the limbs. Higuchi does not have those symptoms but the doctor determined that no amount of treatment would solve the problem. Surgery could be an option but it comes with the setback of restricting Higuchi’s neck movement and he wouldn’t be able to wrestle in that condition either.
Takagi told the story of the first time he was introduced to Higuchi by a friend, leading to the former sumo from Hokkaido to join DDT. He claims there were times when Higuchi’s powerful style helped DDT and he became a symbol of the company’s strength from 2022 onwards. He is surprised by the sudden news and thinks the best thing DDT can do is to give him the warmest send-off possible. By Higuchi’s request, his unit Harimao will have its final match on 5th April taking on a team of wrestlers who are also all close to him. It will be Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida against Shunma Katsumata, Kota Umeda & Kouki Iwasaki. Once that match is finished, Harimao will disband. He has a message to tell the other members of the group but will say what he wants to say after the match.
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This is bumming me out. It’s the news I was worried would eventually come to light when Higuchi took another injury break in January. Writing this blog for 16 years means I see a lot of wrestling careers of various sizes come and go. This is one of the most significant ones. A fascinating moment in wrestling happened in October 2014 when DDT introduced the DNA generation, a new class of seven (later eight) rookies about to turn pro at a time when many wrestling companies in Japan were struggling to find new blood. Higuchi very quickly stood out as top of the pack with his powerful stature coming from his sumo background and he was given the rookie superpush that spread into DDT itself. While he was a serious no nonsense wrestler at first, spots would come here and there that allowed Higuchi to show his silly side, allowing him to fit in more with DDT’s comedy while still being positioned as someone who is difficult for anyone to beat. An early highlight of his to seek out is the week long DNA Grand Prix tournament that was held in October 2016 where he went on an undefeated run all the was to the final in order to face Mike Bailey.
The presentation of Higuchi being so unique in DDT included something that I’ve seen follow his entire career among the foreign fanbase. I have long lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard people online say they wish Higuchi was with NOAH instead of DDT because he looked like a better fit there. It’s easy to see why on the surface. Hard strikes, mean looks and an iron head to go with it is catnip for those who like their wrestling to not pull back its punches. Yet I just could never imagine him shining brighter anywhere else than with DDT. The formation of Eruption with Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai in 2020 was a major step forward for him. Then with DDT emerging from the pandemic the seeds were planted for his ascension to the top when he feuded with Jun Akiyama over the KO-D Openweight Title in an act of rebellion towards the legend joining the company. He lost that match but had the ultimate redemption in 2022 when he was the one chosen to rebuild DDT’s reputation over the Tetsuya Endo/Katsuhiko Nakajima incident.
The visual that should follow Higuchi’s career came when he won the 2022 King Of DDT tournament. By winning it he finally claimed the KO-D Title after eight years of trying. He had now become DDT’s literal symbol of strength, waving a giant flag of the company logo in victory and having Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist as a show of his respect. Higuchi would then spend the year being a central figure of DDT’s title scene as they tried to push a bigger focus towards heavyweights. Eruption would go away along with the careers of Sakaguchi & Akai. Higuchi would then move on to forming Harimao, building the unit more around sumo like themes. He got to hold the KO-D Title again last year but this time it was a short lived run. It’s hard to believe that only a few months later his career would end like this.
I can’t quite put my finger on why his runs on top went the ways they did. As much as Higuchi’s style appealed to the likes of us, it wasn’t really the same with DDT’s fans in Japan and business hardly picked up with him as champion. You can point to the social distancing rules at the time which resulted in low attendances for everybody but there’s just some factor missing that meant his title reign didn’t connect like I thought it would. I just look at the hot streak DDT is having with Korakuen now and wish Higuchi would have a role to play in it. Perhaps Takagi has a bigger point to make when he talks about how much Higuchi helped DDT. Maybe history will treat him as the person who patched up DDT at a time when the company needed it rather than the rising star who carried the company to greater heights.
There’s so much of Higuchi’s career I’m leaving out. He was a perfect opponent for HARASHIMA. Their matches together going back to the earliest years of Higuchi’s career were like they were made for each other. His singles matches with Konosuke Takeshita, Shuji Ishikawa and Yuji Hino are all barnburners. Those were the kind of matches that fueled the constant wishes he would move over to NOAH where he could get more attention. There are all the times he would be driven head first into the ring post just to no sell it (probably not a good idea in hindsight). When DDT had their “MAJI MANJI” weekly series, Higuchi insisted on putting somebody through a table on almost every episode he was in. When a Falls Count Anywhere match would happen outdoors, Higuchi would usually show up wearing just a mawashi. I’m pretty sure he sumo pushed a van away one time too. I’m going to miss seeing this guy wrestle.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Yuni defeated Hinata Kasai with the Jorge Clutch (7:26).
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase defeated Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki when Kazashiro pinned Kanzaki with the Fisherman Suplex (9:53).
1. Jun Akiyama defeated Rukiya with the Exploder Suplex (6:20).
2. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Evil Uno & Akito when Iino pinned Akito with the Spear (11:12).
3. 3 Way Tag Match: Viento Maligno & Kumadori defeated MJ Paul & Ilusion and Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata when Maligno pinned Ilusion with the Driver Maligno (8:25).
4. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with a Running Palm Strike (12:04).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA defeated Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki when HARASHIMA pinned Miyawaki with the Somato (12:33).
6. DDT Extreme Title – No Hitting With The Bamboo Sword! If You Want To Use It Make Them Laugh! Staring Contest Punishment Bamboo Sword Deathmatch!!!!!: Hideki Okatani defeated To-y (c) with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (12:20). *To-y fails in V8. Hideki Okatani becomes the 64th DDT Extreme Champion!
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda, Hisaya Imabayashi & Glasses defeated Minoru Suzuki (c) when Glasses pinned Suzuki (11:51). *Glasses becomes the 1,812nd champion.
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Masada pinned Ishida with the Manburi (14:17) *V1 for paleyouth.
9. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with a Big Boot (0:07).
9a. Rematch: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with an Elbow Butt (0:10).
9b. World’s 20 Vs Adachi Ward’s 2! Let’s Have A Great Death Match!: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson) with the Walls Of Takeshita (9:02).
10. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) with the School Boy (16:48). *Daisuke Sasaki fails in V1. Kazuma Sumi becomes the 21st DDT Universal Champion!
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated KANON with the WR (25:12). *V6 for Yuki Ueno.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Glasses (c) by Destruction (18:47). *Antonio Honda becomes the 1,813rd champion.
The 29th Anniversary of DDT was also the first attempt by KANON to try and win the KO-D Openweight Title. For the weeks leading up to this match, KANON had been winning matches with the Lariat so Yuki Ueno tried to weaken it by hitting KANON’s hand off the corner post early on. KANON would still use the Lariat as an equalizer but then tried using his other moves to win. The Cobra Twist, Sleepy Hollow and LONELY DEZIRES wouldn’t work so he went back to the Lariat. However Ueno’s well time Dropkick to the face helped him to set up the Blackout Sleeper to squeeze the life out of KANON. While he was eventually able to get out of it, KANON was then given the WR to put him down and out.
Ueno told KANON after the match that he’s been thinking about him a lot. He thinks KANON is strong, handsome, kind and also weird. If he wants to make it to the top of DDT he cannot stay the way he is now. KANON needs to show more. Still, Ueno had fun and reminded KANON he’s been part of the DDT family even going back to when he was part of DAMNATION T.A. When he was done, Yuki Iino got into the ring feeling moved by Ueno’s speech. Iino asked for a title match because Ueno was his senior who taught him everything about pro wrestling back when Iino was a trainee. Ueno was also Iino’s first ever opponent. Ueno said he would accept the challenge on the condition that Iino would not immediately attack him after they shake hands. Iino agreed and they shook hands without incident. Ueno then told the fans he will carry the hopes of everybody as DDT moves into its 30th year.
After several failed attempts, Kazuma Sumi solved the puzzle and got to pin Daisuke Sasaki with the School Boy to win the DDT Universal Title! Sasaki targeted his leg from the get-go, including attacking the limb with a chair. A ref bump also led to the other members of DAMNATION T.A interfering on Sasaki’s behalf. Sumi fought against the odds but almost paid big by missing the Reverse 450 Splash. His luck then turned around when DAMNATION T.A interfered again only to backfire on Sasaki when Ilusion accidentally hit him with the chair. From there Sumi tried to pin Sasaki with the School Boy several times. Sasaki caught him in the Crossface Lock only for Sumi to counter it into another School Boy, this time pinning Sasaki down for the three count! Sasaki complained backstage that his “visa” for travelling the world was now taken from him and he’s trying to figure out does this mean he is being banished from the country? He only remembers being hit by a chair so that means Sumi cheated to win! Sasaki will accept his fate for now. He will go abroad, fall in love, get dumped and then come back home.
When Sumi celebrated with the title he said he is so glad he never gave up. He was able to keep going because of everyone’s support. He was then asked to nominated his first challenger for a title defence in Fukuoka on 18th April. Sumi chose Shunma Katsumata because he wants to repay him for all of his kindness ever since he debuted. However Sumi’s way of repaying Katsumata is to surpass him so he is not taking him lightly by putting this title match together. Katsumata agreed to the match and said he is going to treat Sumi as his equal. His way of repaying Sumi will be to crush him and win the Universal Title!
Kazuki Hirata was given the biggest entrance possible by having John Robinson sing him down to the ring with a live performance of “TOKYO GO!” Then after all of that hype, Konosuke Takeshita pinned Hirata in seconds after a Big Boot. A rematch immediately took place but Takeshita won again this time with an Elbow Butt that knocked Hirata out. Hirata begged for another rematch and Takeshita accepted. He even allowed Hirata to only need a 2 Count pin to beat him while Takeshita would need to pin Hirata for a 20 Count! The match began again with those conditions. This time Robinson got involved by stopping Takeshita from attacking Hirata with a chair. He also offered a pair of Hirata GO! glasses but Takeshita destroyed them. Robinson got on the mic to sing “TOKYO GO!” again in order to revive Hirata’s chances. This time Takeshita put on the glasses and started dancing only for Robinson to sneak in and Low Blow Takeshita! Hirata then got in the Miracle One Shot Cradle but Takeshita kicked out at one. Hirata’s comeback was cut off with the Wagamama knee strike but he somehow kicked out at 19! Another Miracle One Shot Cradle was done as a counter for the Raging Fire but Takeshita kicked out at one again. Possibly knowing how close of a call that was, Takeshita flipped Hirata over into the Walls Of Takeshita to win the match by submission instead of pinfall.
After the match Takeshita told Hirata his style of wrestling is one of a kind and it is time for him to become No. 1 in DDT again! He wants Hirata to show him the ultimate Dramatic Dream. Then they can have another rematch where this time Takeshita will need to pin Hirata for a 30 count! After they left the ring, DDT announced that Takeshita will return at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” in Sumo Hall on 11th August for a single match against Kaisei Takechi!
paleyouth got their first KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence in the bag after beating Harimao today. The challengers were accompanied by Kazusada Higuchi but he stood by and did not get involved. Daichi Sato stood toe to toe with Naomi Yoshimura while Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku threw both Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida away with German Suplexes. The match came down to Masada dodging Ishida’s Flame Palm and then hitting him with two Manburi kicks for the victory.
The champions were then greeted by FANTÔMES DRAMATIC after the match. Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda were there to get the next title shot until Honda talked about how dramatic it would be for a team with Hinata Kasai in it to win the titles from paleyouth. Masada asked if Kasai had even won a match yet? Kasai said he hasn’t but that doesn’t mean he cannot get his first win against them! He thinks the best way to celebrate his first win would be to hold championships with the rest of Fandora. All of a sudden, Brookes grabbed Bunbun and threw him into the audience! He went to retrieve him afterwards only to throw him to another part of the room! Masada swore revenge by declaring he will take all of his anger out on Kasai!
As part of the plan to get the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title from Minoru Suzuki, the opposing team in the Handicap Match took part in Gongitsune training before the match. Their logic is Suzuki’s biggest weakness is his eyeballs so it will be up to Honda to poke them. Hisaya Imabayashi bravely started the match with Suzuki but was left to fight by himself and was almost choked out with the Sleeper Hold. Sanshiro Takagi got into a Chop Battle with Suzuki while Danshoku Dieno stopped him with a Lip Lock. When Honda’s attempts at Gongitsune kept on failing, Suzuki got on the microphone to ask everyone how long is DDT going to keep doing this kind of pro wrestling? This is the kind of pro wrestling that makes New Japan wrestlers look down on them! He called Takagi the root of all evil but then admitted to having good memories with everyone in the ring with him. Honda finally poked him in the eye with Gongitsune during the speech but Suzuki didn’t react. He revealed he had trained his eyeballs in anticipation for this match! Honda charged up Gongitsune by using Dieno’s Hell Gate but Suzuki blocked it by stealing Imabayashi’s glasses and putting them on to act as a shield. Suzuki then fought off Toru Owashi & Super Sasadango Machine but was caught with the Stunner by Takagi. Suzuki resisted the impact at first but soon ran out of energy and collapsed to the match. Everyone piled on top of him to get the pinfall but Daisuke Kiso declared afterward that it was Imabayashi’s glasses that pinned Suzuki which means the Glasses are now the Iron Man Champion! Later at the end of the show Honda found the glasses over at the timekeeper’s table and destroyed them to be declared the new champion.
The rule for the DDT Extreme Title match was Yukinori Matsui had to wear a helmet with a button attached to it on his head. If To-y or Hideki Okatani pressed the button, they would then need to make Matsui laugh during a staring contest. Succeeding in that would allow them to use a bamboo sword as a legal weapon for one minute. To-y was eager to follow those rules while Okatani was not in the humour to mess around like that. When he kept ignoring the rule, Matsui told Okatani he wants him to make him laugh. Okatani finally obliged and made a funny face to make Matsui collapse in laughter. Okatani then whacked To-y over the head with the bamboo stick and pinned him with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster to become the new Extreme Champion.
After the match KIMIHIRO appeared at the entrance to make an introduction for Yukio Naya. When Naya got into the ring he told Okatani that “extreme” means big so he’s going to use his size to take the Extreme Title from him! Okatani called Naya arrogant but accepted his challenge for 15th April. According to him, just because Naya is big doesn’t mean he can beat Okatani to win the title. Meanwhile To-y accepted defeat and praised Okatani for being the star of the match even though he expected Okatani would remain as a supporting character.
Fandora have another championship match to look forward to soon. Brookes & HARASHIMA teamed up against Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki to determine the No. 1 Contenders for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Miyawaki almost had HARASHIMA beat with the Sunshine Clutch but Brookes broke up the pin. HARASHIMA fired himself back up to put Miyawaki on the defensive and used the Somato on Aoki to knock him off the ring apron. Meanwhile Brookes gave Miyawaki a Piledriver, rolling him into position for another Somato to give Fandora the win. Backstage HARASHIMA said they knew their opponents had moves that could beat them regardless of how much stamina they had so it was up to their own teamwork to get past any close calls and win.
It was 29th June, 2025 when Shunma Katsumata last wrestled a proper match. Now after spending the last nine months rehabilitating from a torn ACL he was back in action and wrestling his good friend MAO. They wasted no time in setting their pace and MAO even broke a few plastic boxes in the process. Katsumata went for the Totonou Splash but MAO blocked it with his knees. Katsumata tried to fire himself back up after taking the Michinoku Driver II but he was put away with a Running Palm Strike afterward. Katsumata spoke about how happy he is to be back in the ring after 265 days. As long as he gets to wrestle like this he will never complain. He might get injured again but he’ll recover and return again no matter how many times it happens! MAO said he hopes this is the last time Katsumata has a comeback match. He and Katsumata will also make sure they will never put themselves in a position where they have to forfeit a championship again.
The 3 Way Tag Match featured the DDT debut of Masami Inahata. He got to start off the match against Kumadori until Ilusion got involved trying to form alliances. When that didn’t work, MJ Paul went on the attack by targeting Makoto Oishi. Inahata got his moment by giving Paul a Brainbuster but Ilusion ruined it by giving Inahata a Low Blow afterward. In the end it was the teamwork of Viento Maligno & Kumadori that won out. Kumadori did a Fosbury Flop onto everyone outside the ring while Maligno pinned Ilusion with his finisher to win. Kumadori liked teaming with Maligno but wishes they could communicate better because Maligno doesn’t seem to understand Japanese. Oishi told Inahata that today is a new beginning for him and he will become even bigger in DDT.
Evil Uno was welcomed back into DDT for a tag match against The Apex. Uno teamed with Akito but the pair of them were overwhelmed by the power of Iino & Naya. One big Spear from Iino to Akito was all it took to end the match. Iino hasn’t been wrestling that much lately but he reminded everyone he is still training hard. Uno said he should be unhappy over the result but the last time he was in DDT he had to kiss Dieno’s butt so today was a much better experience for him.
Jun Akiyama stood before Rukiya as his big challenge in the opening contest. Rukiya tried to deal some damage outside the ring only for Akiyama to do that to him instead. Rukiya was able to rope break his way out of a Crab Hold and he also kicked out of the Exploder Suplex. Akiyama waited patiently to hit him with a Knee Strike before using another Exploder to beat him.
One of the dark matches was put together by Tokyo Joshi Pro to promote “GRAND PRINCESS ’26” taking place at Sumo Hall on 29th March. HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase went on to beat Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki. Kazashiro scored the win for her team and got to advertise the show for her post match victory speech.
The other dark match was Yuni taking on Hinata Kasai. As already mentioned earlier, Kasai still has not won a match by himself yet. He tried to submit Yuni with the STF but Yuni got out of it and used the Jorge Clutch out of an Arm Drag to pin him.
The participants for King Of DDT 2026 were revealed during the show. The entries are HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dieno, MAO, Chris Brookes, Yukio Naya, KANON, Takeshi Masada, Hideki Okatani, To-y, Shinya Aoki, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato, Kaisei Takechi, Junta Miyawaki, Kazuma Sumi and Minoru Suzuki.
DDT “JUDGEMENT 2026 ~29TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 HOUR SPECIAL~”, 22/03/2026 Tokyo Korakuen Hall
0. Dark Match: Yuni Vs Hinata Kasai
0. Dark Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: HIMAWARI, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Toga, Ren Konatsu & Shion Kanzaki
1. Jun Akiyama Vs Rukiya
2. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya Vs Evil Uno & Akito
3. 3 Way Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion Vs Makoto Oishi & Masami Inahata Vs Viento Maligno & Kumadori
4. Special Single Match ~ Shunma Katsumata Return Match: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles Next Challengers Decision Match: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
6. DDT Extreme Title – No Hitting With The Bamboo Sword! If You Want To Use It Make Them Laugh! Staring Contest Punishment Bamboo Sword Deathmatch!!!!!: To-y (c) Vs Hideki Okatani
7. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 1 Vs 6 Handicap Match: Minoru Suzuki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda & Hisaya Imabayashi
8. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Naomi Yoshimura, Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida
9. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kazuki Hirata (w/ John Robinson)
10. DDT Universal Title: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Kazuma Sumi
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs KANON
A press conference was held in Tokyo earlier today highlighting several of the big matches taking place on the Anniversary show this Sunday. Yuki Ueno has thought a lot about his match with KANON ever since it was announced and came to the conclusion that he should enjoy the day as much as he can. He wants to lead DDT into their 30th year as the KO-D Openweight Champion with the Tokyo Dome as their ultimate destination. KANON knows he will win the title someday but hasn’t thought about what will happen next if he wins on Sunday. Right now his only focus is on winning the title. He’s been with DDT for four years so he is going to put all of those four years into the match on Sunday.
Kazuma Sumi is feeling confused going into his DDT Universal Title match because he cannot figure out how he can beat Daisuke Sasaki. All of the warm up matches leading up to this has had Sasaki counter the School Boy and then beat Sumi with little trouble. However Sumi is not afraid of losing or being embarrassed in front of everyone so he will not give up. He found out that at 22 years of age he can become the youngest person to ever win the Universal Title. He wants to set that record and then break the record for most defences. Sasaki had way more harsh things to say, telling Sumi he has zero chance of winning. He will lose immediately and be forced to take the introductory test all over again, which he will fail! Sasaki recently found out he will be getting a GCW World Title shot when he wrestles in GCW during his American tour next month. He wants to bring the Universal Title with him to make it a Title Vs Title match! He later admitted on Twitter he forgot he also has the O-40 Title, so he corrected himself and said it can become a triple crown title match.
The KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles are up for grabs. Ryota Nakatsu hasn’t fought two of paleyouth’s members much but he has fought Takeshi Masada many times. Yuki Ishida is well used to fighting all three opponents and thinks they are all lacking in substance. Meanwhile Harimao are all strong and they also have Kazusada Higuchi in their corner. Naomi Yoshimura brought up that it’s been one year since he returned from injury. He always wanted to win the 6-Man Titles with Harimao but due to that injury he’s never found the courage to make the challenge until now. He thinks he is in perfect condition now and has no worries of getting hurt. Daichi Sato is still basking in paleyouth winning the titles and despite the team recently losing a warm up match, he is certain their best performance is yet to come. Yuya Koroku brought up that it is the DNA generation that is currently leading the way for DDT. He wants D GENERATIONS to be ones who lead DDT towards the Tokyo Dome. Masada said everybody in the match are all now on the same channel and he hopes everyone else will tune into the came channel to witness a wonderful future coming from this match.
The stipulation chosen for the DDT Extreme Title is a mouthful to say and is also built around Hideki Okatani’s bamboo sword. The weapon will be allowed to use legally under certain circumstances. A button will be placed on the referee’s head and whoever presses it will get a chance to make the ref laugh. If he succeeds then they will be allowed to use the bamboo sword as a weapon for one minute. Other than that, the usual ways of winning wrestling matches applies. Okatani understands the reasoning for the rule, that sometimes you need to sacrifice something to succeed. But he noticed To-y isn’t sacrificing anything for this stipulation. To-y agreed and said he doesn’t need to do that because he is a strong Extreme Champion. He thinks Okatani used to be extreme like him until he joined DAMNATION T.A. Okatani walked away only to come and attack To-y with the bamboo sword. He told To-y he will teach him what real extreme is!
More chaos broke out over the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match, the result of which has changed the 1 Vs 6 Handicap bout a little bit. Toru Owashi and Super Sasadango Machine couldn’t attend the press conference so both sent messages to be read out loud. Owashi’s message was just an advertisement for the miso he sells while Sasadango demanded that Hisaya Imabayashi should immediately relinquish the title in order to be a good role model for his son who recently got accepted into Keio University. Those who were in attendance all threatened Imabayashi in their own ways. Antonio Honda wants revenge for being hit in the head with the belt, Danshoku Dieno knows that Imabayashi still holds a grudge against him over Pheromones and Sanshiro Takagi complained that the company went through all the trouble of making a new belt to increase its value but it’s now meaningless because Imabayashi is wearing it. Minoru Suzuki was the odd one out because he doesn’t care about this match and wants to go fight Ueno for the KO-D Title instead. Imabayashi said he won the title in order to protect it from being taken by New Japan. He then accused Akito of corporate harassment for forcing him into defending the belt in a 1 V 6 Handicap Match. However he will find a way to remain champion so he can go defend it in Sumo Hall one week later at the Tokyo Joshi Pro show. When it was time for the group photo, Suzuki changed his tune and suddenly put Imabayashi in a Sleeper Hold to win the title! The other wrestlers all warned him they will rip the belt away from him on Sunday but he suggested he might not be the champion by then because he could lose it at the Shawn Capture show he’s wrestling on tomorrow! DDT later officially swapped the positions of Imabayashi and Suzuki so it is now Suzuki on his own against the other six opponents. However the company cannot guarantee the title will make it to TJPW’s Sumo Hall show if the scenario Suzuki came up with comes true.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 