“LEC PRESENTS JUNIOR DREAM FESTIVAL ~ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL 2023~”, 01/03/2023 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1,381 Fans – Super No Vacancy
0. Special Gift Match: YOH, Soma Watanabe & Kazuma Sumi defeated Fuminori Abe, Akira Jumonji & Ryo Hoshino when YOH pinned Jumonji with the DIRECT DRIVE (10:35).
1. Fujita “Jr.” Hayato, AMAKUSA & Hiromu Takahashi defeated YAMATO, HAYATA & Kazuki Hashimoto when Hayato submitted Hashimoto with the K.I.D (8:52).
2. Isami Kodaka & MAO defeated Onryo & SHO when SHO was Disqualified for assaulting the referee (9:43).
3. Ganbare! Shinjiro Otani 10-Man Tag Match: Tatsuhito Takaiwa, TAKA Michinoku, Minoru Tanaka, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Jun Kasai defeated MUSASHI, LEONA, Kota Sekifuda, Shoki Kitamura & Chicharito Shoki when Takaiwa pinned Shoki with the Death Valley Bomb (10:28).
4. Hikaru Sato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yumehito Imanari defeated The Great Sasuke, Tigers Mask & Batten×Blabla when Sato submitted Blabla with a Cross Armbreaker (7:29).
5. 3 Way Tag Match: Volador Jr. & El Desperado defeated Yuki Ueno & El Lindaman and HANAOKA & DOUKI when Desperado pinned HANAOKA with the Pinche Loco (10:34).
6. Mistico, Gurukun Mask, Billy Ken Kid & Alejandro defeated Dragon Kid, BUSHI, Black Menso~re & Atlantis Jr. when Mistico submitted Menso~re with La Mistica (11:29).
7. Surprise Match: CIMA defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Meteor (7:16).
8. 5 Way Match: Taiji Ishimori defeated Shun Skywalker, Ninja Mack, YO-HEY and Soberano Jr. when Ishimori pinned YO-HEY with the Bloody Cross (9:38).
9. Master Wato defeated Atsuki Aoyagi with the Recientemente II (14:24).
I’m only covering the matches relating to DDT, BASARA and Ganbare☆Pro but the entire event is worth watching. One of the highlights was the unexpected appearance of Kazuki Hirata for a surprise match with CIMA! Given CIMA’s history with people previously associated with the “Tokyo GO!” song, he was in no mood to dance along with Hirata. CIMA grabbed the Hirata GO! glasses to prevent the song from coming back and got boos from the crowd, causing him to sulk. Later in the match Hirata got his glasses back and convinced CIMA to put on his own pair so the two could finally dance together. They shook hands afterwards and CIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato. Backstage CIMA praised the show for bringing the entire Junior Heavyweight wrestling scene together. If there are still barriers keeping these companies apart, he thinks we should get rid of them. Hirata asked if he is invited for this kind of show again then please do not put him in the unadvertised surprise spot.
Yuki Ueno was thrown into a lucha flavored 3 Way Tag Match teaming with El Lindaman. He was in the ring from the start squaring off against both Volador Jr. and DOUKI. But as the match went on Ueno & Lindaman started bickering a little bit while trying to fight off both DOUKI & HANAOKA. Then El Desperado got a few of his opponents out of the ring for Volador to dive onto all of them. HANAOKA stopped Desperado from doing his own dive but ended up taking the Pinche Loco from him instead for the finish. Backstage Lindaman said he does not hate DDT or Ueno, he just got worked up because he wants to beat everybody. Ueno said he had fun both wrestling in this match and from watching all of the others. He believes the strongest pro wrestlers are those who enjoy wrestling and he hopes there will be a second “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL” in the future.
Yumehito Imanari showed off his more pervy side by wearing a “Virgin Killer” sweater along with Hikaru Sato & Ryusuke Taguchi in their match. Because their costumes were at risk of becoming too revealing, their opponents were careful with how they fought to avoid shocking the audience. Batten×Blabla convinced Imanari to continue the match without the costume while Taguchi and Tigers Mask did some actual wrestling in between. Sato went on to tap out Blabla with a Cross Armbreaker. Afterwards Sato called his team the pinnacle of Japan’s Jr. division! If there are three wrestlers better than Sato, Taguchi & Imanari then send them their way. Sato has had enough of every pro wrestler trying to look cool. They should instead bare it all for the fans!
MAO wants fucked up pro wrestling for a fucked up world. Isami Kodaka wishes “Peace & Fuck” on the world. But the two of them combined still wasn’t as unusual as the combination of SHO & Onryo. SHO ended up using Onryo as a weapon by slamming him on top of MAO. Onryo got his own back by throwing his ectoplasm powder in SHO’s face. Then in an even weirder turn of events, Ram Kaichow got on the top turnbuckle and hit a Diving Cross Body on SHO. The match lost control when SHO got out of the ring, pulled the referee out with him and then started attacking him for the DQ. Kodaka got on the microphone and told SHO if he wants to use weapons so bad they should do a death match against each other! SHO refused and left ringside in a huff. Backstage Kaichow complained about the show only inviting male wrestlers. If another “ALL STAR JR FESTIVAL” happens she wants to wrestle on it!
A bonus pre-show match gave Kazuma Sumi a spot on the card and a chance to share the ring with YOH & Soma Watanabe. Sumi’s main confrontation was with Akira Jumonji but he had interactions with Fuminori Abe & Ryo Hoshino too. He ended up on the winning side thanks to YOH pinned Jumonji with the DIRECT DRIVE. Sumi thanked the organisers for inviting him and said Jr. Heavyweight wrestling is the best!
DDT “FRIENDSHIP, EFFORT, VICTORY IN NAGOYA 2021”, 23/02/2021 Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall 479 Fans
1. Hiroshi Yamato & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Keigo Nakamura & Toui Kojima when Yamato pinned Kojima with the Fisherman Suplex (5:14).
2. Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh defeated Antonio Honda & Saki Akai when Brookes submitted Honda with the Octopus Stretch (11:01).
3. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Yuji Hino defeated Yuki Iino with the Fucking BOMB (8:50).
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Akito, Kazuki Hirata & Shota (c) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno when Akito submitted Dieno with the Anaconda Vice That Breaks The Rules (13:28). *V3 for Young Communication Generation.
5. Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when Naya pinned Paulie with the Back Drop (8:29).
6. DAMNATION Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Tetsuya Endo & Daisuke Sasaki defeated Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata when Endo submitted Katsumata with the Modified Yurikamome (12:39).
7. Special 8-Man Tag Match: CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Hideki Okatani & Yusuke Okada when T-Hawk pinned Okatani after the AKACHOCHIN (15:49).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita & MAO when Higuchi pinned Takeshita with the Brain Claw Slam (22:12). *V2 for Eruption.
The DDT Sauna Club’s momentum has been cooled down like a cold shower after today’s show. Eruption threw their best shot at Konosuke Takeshita & MAO after a frustrating trend of bad results against them and this time stood victorious. The KO-D Tag Team Champions almost blew it when Kazusada Higuchi accidentally hit Yukio Sakaguchi with a Lariat. But they recovered when Higuchi caught MAO from a Moonsault and threw him into the God’s Right Knee from Sakaguchi. Takeshita tried to fight off Higuchi until he too got hit with the God’s Right Knee. Higuchi then went for his big moves until he got the three count with the Brain Claw Slam.
Eruption celebrated their title defence and encouraged Higuchi for his KO-D Openweight Title shot next month. Sakaguchi then called out for their next challengers to appear. HARASHIMA entered the ring and told Eruption that he and Yuji Okabayashi were always meant to be next in line for a title shot. Are Eruption ready for Smile Pissari? Sakaguchi called it an interesting match and Higuchi said he will do it anytime. Hisaya Imabayashi assured both teams the match will happen but he needs to talk with Big Japan first to decide when Okabayashi can come back to DDT. After he left, Saki Akai made sure that her partners weren’t injured. She then said Eruption will do their best to main event the next time DDT holds a big event in Nagoya.
The return of #STRONGHEARTS to DDT saw them clash with Junretsu and CIMA couldn’t resist trolling Jun Akiyama and Yusuke Okada over their previous home promotion. A few days ago CIMA won the AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Title and he flaunted it in front of Akiyama & Okada. In return Akiyama showed off the KO-D Title to CIMA. In the match itself, Shigehiro Irie stepped up to Akiyama while El Lindaman wiped out Okada & Makoto Oishi with a Topé Con Hilo. Hideki Okatani was left isolated and picked apart until T-Hawk pinned him. Akiyama showed respect to CIMA after the match by handing him his title and shaking his hand. CIMA then taunted Okada with the belt. In his backstage comment afterwards, Akiyama said he is well aware that he hasn’t won a match since becoming the KO-D Champion.
The Sauna Club’s other defeat on the show was against DAMNATION. When Daisuke Sasaki and Yuki Ueno faced off, Sasaki was able to avoid the WR. Tetsuya Endo eventually made Shunma Katsumata submit but he isn’t interested in chasing after the DDT Extreme Title. Instead he wants the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Still, he thinks champions shouldn’t lose so it’s a bad look for Katsumata.
DAMNATION were trying to get all over their opponents in Match #5. Nobuhiro Shimatani kept getting involved by distracting Yukio Naya and aiding Mad Paulie. Then Soma Takao threw a chairshot but Naya ducked and Paulie got hit instead. Toru Owashi used his Lucha skill to throw Shimatani & Hiroshi Yamato out of the ring. When things went back to normal, Naya beat Paulie in the heavyweight battle and got the win for his team.
Young defeated old in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles match. The DDT Legend Army saw their chances go up in smoke when HARASHIMA went for the Somato but Akito pulled Danshoku Dieno in the way and made him take the Somato right in the butt. Kazuki Hirata got rid of HARASHIMA while Shota did a Frog Splash on Dieno and then did a dive into Sanshiro Takagi. Akito finished Dieno off by putting him in an Anaconda Vice with a Lip Lock also applied to get the submission win.
After the match, Akito said the Young Communication Generation may not be able to rewrite the history of DDT that their opponents today built but instead they made a new folder for them to create new memories and records in. DAMNATION entered the ring declaring themselves the next challengers. It will be Endo, Takao & Yuji Hino will get a title shot on 14th March.
Hino doesn’t have to worry about Yuki Iino for the time being. He beat him fair and square with the Fucking BOMB and as seen above has already moved on from this feud. Iino however swears that one day he will beat Hino and he will do it with the Spear!
Match #2 was briefly turned into a Handicap match when Antonio Honda’s fake knee injury was so convincing he had to be taken out of the ring on a stretcher. Akai had to fight the NEO Itoh Respect Army on her own but her scream for help was answered by Honda coming to the rescue. He then tripped and hurt his knee again. Maki Itoh created her own Gongitsune to flirt with Honda’s version of it until Akai broke them up. In the end Chris Brookes caught Honda in the Octopus Stretch, making him give up.
In the opener, Shimatani thought Toui Kojima’s name was Oshima. He and Yamato took out Keigo Nakamura with the Double Sliding X, leading to Yamato winning with his finisher.
DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 06/12/2020 Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
-. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Chris Brookes (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (2) by Forfeit.
1. Chris Brookes defeated Hideki Okatani with the Elevator Action Death Parade (6:13).
2. Blow Away The D-Ou GP 2021 From The DDT Variety Team! ~ Narimasu Tag Death Match: Danshoku Dieno & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Akai pinned Hirata with a PK (8:27).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita (6) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (6) by Knockout with the Zahi (11:26).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA (7) Vs Akito (5) ended in a Draw after a Double Pinfall (16:26).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Shunma Katsumata (2) with the WR (13:56).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao (6) defeated Tetsuya Endo (7) with the Gin And Tonic (16:37).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (7) defeated Jun Akiyama (6) with the Brain Claw Pin (4:03).
With one last roar, Kazusada Higuchi finishes his schedule of block matches with a gigantic win over Jun Akiyama! He did it in quick time too. In just over 4 minutes, Higuchi applied the Brain Claw and pressed Akiyama down to the canvas to pin him. Higuchi got on the mic and said the top spot cannot be given to someone who is about to go back to All Japan. With this result, Higuchi is now tied in first place but he has no more matches remaining. He needs a bunch of results from other matches to play out a certain way in order for him to enter some sort of emergency tiebreaker match.
Tetsuya Endo could have sealed his place in the final here today if he had beaten Soma Takao. Instead he is in a position where it could all slip away. Takao avoided the Modified One-Winged Angel and trapped his stablemate in the Official Endless Waltz. Endo wouldn’t be pinned by it but Takao got him into the Gin And Tonic and got the upset victory. Takao reminded Endo he is still his senpai. He hates him but also loves him too. Backstage Endo said that Takao beating him means Takao has indirectly beaten Akiyama. If that doesn’t make him feel anything then he will never move past the spot he is in.
The DDT Sauna Club had another member versus member match in the D-Ou Grand Prix. That relationship came into play when Shunma Katsumata made Yuki Ueno sit down on a chair and waved him with a towel before choking him with it. Katsumata used more chairs to cut off a Plancha and then taped Ueno’s feet together for a possible countout. Ueno got Toui Kojima to cut the tape off and he made it back to the ring to continue the match. Katsumata tried using Daisuke Kiso as a human shield but Ueno maneuvered around them and hit a Standing Shining Wizard. Ueno then won with the WR. Katsumata praised Ueno for getting stronger and he told him to look up at the Finnish sky so they can see aurora borealis together. He told Ueno he will meet him again at the Grand Prix final. Ueno said that isn’t possible but Katsumata told him he wouldn’t give up.
HARASHIMA is clinging on to the top spot of the A Block. He got into a back and forth match with Akito and almost got counted out when he missed the Somato on the apron and crashed into the ring post. Akito then attempted the Goliath Birdeater but HARASHIMA attempted a counter Cradle. Both men’s shoulders were on the mat long enough for Yukinori Matsui to count to three. Matsui called it a double pin and declared the match a draw. HARASHIMA said the difference between Akito now compared to their past matches is the Goliath Birdeater so he knew he had to avoid it. Since there was no winner or loser, HARASHIMA doesn’t understand how to feel about the result.
The bad news for Konosuke Takeshita is his left arm is hanging by a thread. The good news is his recent run of results have gotten him back in the hunt for a place in the final. His victory over Yukio Sakaguchi today came from a clash of knee strikes. Sakaguchi hit the God’s Right Knee and Takashita got in the Zahi before they both crumpled to the mat. Takeshita was able to stand back up before the 10 count but Sakaguchi couldn’t do the same. Takeshita thinks luck is on his side and he will give up his left arm to finish the Grand Prix.
The non-tournament tag match was suddenly turned into a Narimasu Tag Death Match. After three minutes a weapon handed down from the ancient times would be introduced to the match. It was revealed to be Yuki Iino, Keigo Nakamura and Hisaya Imabayashi all sitting on the turnbuckles bent over with their backsides exposed. Danshoku Dieno appreciated the idea and copied them on the remaining turnbuckle. Toru Owashi and Saki Akai were thrown face first into the backsides. The four corners then joined in Kazuki Hirata’s dance with their butts still hanging out. They then all closed into the center of the ring where Akai threw Hirata and Hirata got his face full of everyone. Akai then hit a Penalty Kick and pinned him.
Chris Brookes spent most of his replacement match twisting Hideki Okatani into knots.
At the start of the show it was announced that Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno Vs Nayashiro Nayagi & Super Sasadango Machine will happen at Korakuen Hall on 27th December. Nayagi is Yukio Naya’s parody of Takagi from the Hiragana Muscle shows. Takagi saw that and noticed Naya’s posing and the angle he hits the Stunner with are not accurate enough. Takagi won’t stand for this!
The #STRONGHEARTS quartet of CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & Shigehiro Irie will be at the Nagoya Congress Center show on 23rd February.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium ??? Fans
0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Double Arm Suplex (4:24).
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango defeated Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Yamato submitted Watase with the Just X (9:00).
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Marines Tornado Splash (7:51).
2. Akito defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Mouth Breathing Sanno Type Kiss (9:51).
3. Survival 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata, Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda (11:03).
3a. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Nobuhiro Shimatani with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:12).
3b. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Antonio Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:50).
3c. Yukio Sakaguchi eliminated Kazuki Hirata with a Cradle (11:03).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Shinya Aoki (c) with La Magistral Cradle (10:55). *Shinya Aoki fails in V6. Sanshiro Takagi becomes the 49th DDT Extreme Champion!
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: CIMA & Soma Takao defeated HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji when Takao pinned HARASHIMA with the Gin And Tonic (12:47).
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the WR Unlimited (14:05). *Chris Brookes fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 4th DDT UNIVERSAL Champion!
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Front Neck Lock (25:38).
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Shooting Star Press (27:48). *V3 for Tetsuya Endo.
The stage was set for the Battle Of DAMNATION over the KO-D Openweight Title. The challenger Daisuke Sasaki walked down to the ring carrying a chair with Hiroshi Yamato backing him up. The champion Tetsuya Endo appeared with #DAMNHEARTS flanking behind him. Sasaki immediately went for the Cross Facelock when the match began and Endo fled out of the ring. Endo went for a Shooting Star Press at the first opportunity and Sasaki too backed away. Sasaki blocked a Quebrada and attacked Endo’s leg with the chair. Nobuhiro Shimatani bought Endo some time to recover by pulling Sasaki out of the ring but Endo’s leg was too damaged to do the Sasuke Special. Shimatani again pulled Sasaki out of the ring and the rest of #DAMNHEARTS joined in the interference. When Endo was handed a chair to use on Sasaki, he threw it away and told #DAMNHEARTS to stop getting involved. He wanted the match to stay one on one. Everyone appreciated his noble intention except for Sasaki who gave him a Low Blow. Later Shimatani and Mad Paulie got on the apron to distract Yukinori Matsui. Things went out of control from there when Sasaki catapulted Endo into the three of them, taking the referee out. Endo grabbed the chair off Sasaki and readied his swing when Paulie blocked the chair and allowed Sasaki to Low Blow Endo again! Sasaki hit a chairshot over Endo’s head and placed him in the Cross Facelock in time for Matsui to recover. However Endo reach the ropes. Sasaki used his flash Hurricanrana but only got a two count. Endo quickly turned the tables and hit the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb yet his Shooting Star Press was blocked by Sasaki’s knees. Sasaki rolled Endo back into the Cross Facelock and tried to switch it into the Crossover version but it was broken up by a Cradle pin attempt. Endo eventually did the Modified One-Winged Angel but Sasaki kicked out at two. Sasaki was spent at this point and could do little else. Endo hugged him then Headbutted him before winning with the Shooting Star Press.
Sasaki was helped to the back by Yamato and Paulie when Endo told them to come back. Endo is going to take responsibility for Sasaki’s future in front of everyone. A defeated Sasaki wanted none of it and demanded a ten bell salute to mark his retirement from pro wrestling. Yamato went to ring the bell but Endo stopped him. Retirement is not taking responsibility in Endo’s eyes. He’d rather see Sasaki stick to wrestling. He wanted a serious fight with Sasaki today and he got it. So now he wants them to reach the top together as part of DAMNATION! Sasaki began to cry and asked if that means he can disregard the retirement stipulation he promised? Endo would allow it. The two shook hands and suddenly Shuji Ishikawa walked out singing “Ito” by Miyuki Nakajima. He congratulated his friends and told them how happy he is to see them make up. He then went back to singing, ignoring anyone who asked him what he was doing. Endo closed out the show with his victory speech when Ishikawa was finished. The Saitama Super Arena show was cancelled and then the Sumo Hall show was cancelled but DDT was able to get it done in Ota Ward Gymnasium. Endo thanked everyone for believing in them to put the show together. #DAMNHEARTS gathered together on the stage for one last pose. “Into The Light” played while the credits rolled and the final view we see is Endo and Sasaki walking down a hallway side by side.
In the post-show interview, Endo said he was so driven to get the match he wanted today that he wonders if he is now reborn because of it. Sasaki still thinks he should retire for losing. He and Sasaki agreed that he should at least go on a retirement tour. The “Charisma Retirement Tour” begins tomorrow and will last until the year 2080. Sasaki expects either he or the media will be dead at that point so they should all be around to witness the tour from beginning to end. Endo said there is no limit for DAMNATION’s goal to reach the top. He wants them to win all of the titles in DDT! He also brought up the idea of DDT going back to Shiroishi because he recently became a tourist ambassador for the city. Ishikawa pointed out he has now sung inside Sumo Hall, the Budokan and Ota Ward Gym. Only the Tokyo Dome remains!
Jun Akiyama made Konosuke Takeshita tap out! Stamina was Akiyama’s concern over the match so he wanted to win early. They kept battling over the German Suplex and the Exploder Suplex as well as the Lariat against the Jumping Knee. Akiyama outlasted his opponent and got a critical strike in when he pulled down a kneepad and struck with his exposed knee. Takeshita kicked out of the Exploder but seemed to be done when Akiyama did the Wrist Clutch Exploder. But rather than pin him, Akiyama instead applied the Front Neck Lock and made Takeshita tap to win. Backstage he praised Takeshita and said he has all the tools a great wrestler needs. But he is still missing experience. Akiyama knows many of the moves Takeshita uses and if there was more emotion put into them then maybe today’s result would have been different. If Takeshita can take the lead from Akiyama in a match then he will win. But for now Akiyama is still in the lead. A defeated Takeshita is now left wondering if the path he took all this time was the wrong one.
A new variation of the WR made Yuki Ueno the new DDT UNIVERSAL Champion! He used a Wrist Clutch version of the hold called the WR Unlimited to pin Chris Brookes. Ueno thanked everyone for their support and invited all of DISASTER BOX into the ring. He thanked each of them before announcing he is leaving the group! The reason he was able to win and defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Naomi Yoshimura was because of everybody in DISASTER BOX watching over him. He worked hard ever since joining the group and it paid off with his first singles title today. He thinks Yoshimura and Kazuki Hirata will be good rivals for him while all of his senpais will become a high wall for him to climb over.
DISASTER BOX posed together with Ueno for the last time. When they left, MAO entered the ring wanting the new champ’s attention. Ueno is now alone? Well MAO is alone too. Since they are not both feeling lonely they should be together! Ueno was confused and thought MAO was asking for a hug. Instead MAO hit him with a Palm Strike and explained he was asking for a UNIVERSAL Title match as soon as possible. Hisaya Imabayashi made the match official for the 8th November episode of DDT TV SHOW.
In an upset, CimaSoma defeated HarashiMarufuji with Soma Takao getting the three count on HARASHIMA! The veteran outsiders CIMA and Naomichi Marufuji cancelled each other out whenever they faced off. They both did Corner To Corner Dropkicks on each other’s partners at the same time. Takao intercepted HARASHIMA’s Somato with the Schwein, giving CIMA the opening to do the Mad Splash. Takao followed up with his own Mad Splash but Marufuji broke the pin. Takao struggled to get HARASHIMA into the Gin And Tonic and got rolled over. But he readjusted himself to stand back up with HARASHIMA still in position to take the move. Takao pulled it off and got the win because of it. CIMA was surprised by the result and admitted as such. Takao felt a little awful that CIMA thought he couldn’t win but he’ll forget about it. After all, Takao got to wrestling in his hometown, teaming with somebody he highly respects and wearing similar gear too! Takao asked CIMA to team with him again so they can go after the KO-D Tag Titles.
The contract for the DDT Extreme Title match was finally signed in the ring moments before the match took place. As soon as Shinya Aoki put pen to paper, he attacked Sanshiro Takagi and the match began. Aoki gave Takagi a Piledriver on the table before the first weapon showed up. It was Keigo Nakamura. He and Aoki worked together to fight Takagi. The second weapon was a Sound Only Current Blast Bat. Takagi pressed the button to switch the bat on and swung it at Aoki. Nakamura took the hit instead to the sound of a large explosion, knocking him out. The next weapon was Maku Donaruto. He helped Aoki until Takagi’s equalizer appeared. It was Hayato “Mach” Sakurai! He tossed over Donaruto (not in the way Donaruto wanted) and chased him away from the ring. Aoki’s next weapon was “Exposure Talk”, a video of Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine with their faces blurred talking about embarrassing stories involving Takagi. It caused great psychological damage to Takagi. However the weapon after that was another “Exposure Talk” video. This one was of an unidentified woman (possibly Aoki’s ex-wife) making innuendos about how awful Aoki’s “ground game” is. Takagi rolled Aoki over for a School Boy but Aoki kicked out so Takagi called for another “Exposure Talk” video. This time the video was of another woman revealing the dirty Instagram DMs Aoki had been sending her. The video was so shocking that Aoki became lifeless. Takagi easily pinned him with La Magistral Cradle then bowed in apology. Aoki was carried out of the ring on a stretcher while Takagi was handed his newly won title.
Takagi was approached by Imabayashi about his first title defence. Who, when and where are the questions Imabayashi wants the answers to. Takagi wants the title to shine brighter so every one of his defences will take place outside the ring and on the streets! He wants any wrestler from any company with any amount of experience to come challenge him. His title defences won’t be shown on WRESTLE UNIVERSE or ABEMA. Instead they will be held on DDT’s Youtube channels! It will be an All You Can Eat Extreme Defence Battle! Takagi went up to the stage to celebrate but was attacked by Shunma Katsumata with a chair. Katsumata made it clear he wants a title match.
Sasadango had a cunning plan for the Survival 4 Way Trios match. He needed to confuse the #DAMNHEARTS team so hidden underneath his mask was his face painted to look like Mad Paulie. He claimed the make up was made with a special elixir from the African Amazon. A match with this many wrestlers involved already became a mess when everyone gathered around Daisuke Kiso asking to be body checked all at once. Antonio Honda went through great effort not to lose his balance but still tripped and hurt his knee. He wanted to tell a Gongitsune story but El Lindaman stopped him. The time was now for Sasadango’s plan. He unmasked, showed them his Paulie facepaint and said he wanted to join them as Paulie #2! #DAMNHEARTS excitedly accepted him and they posed together. They then attacked Sasadango’s tag partner Makoto Oishi. A Sandwich Lariat from Paulie & Sasadango missed Kazuki Hirata and then a Double Lariat hit Shimatani & Lindaman instead. Hirata took advantage and pinned Shimatani to eliminated #DAMNHEARTS. The match continued with everyone attacking Hirata. He got all of them to stop and then tricked Yukio Sakaguchi to do a hop spot on his own. An Estrella chain was made around the ring and Honda stood in the centre to tell his Gongitsune joke. He poked everyone in the eyes and then pinched Sakaguchi’s nipple. Hirata snuck in and pinned Honda to eliminate his team. It was down to Eruption and DISASTER BOX. Kazusada Higuchi took out Naomi Yoshimura & Toru Owashi with a Double Lariat. When they recovered outside the ring, Saki Akai dove onto them from the top turnbuckle. Hirata went for the Miracle One Shot Cradle on Sakaguchi but it was reversed for the three count, giving Eruption the victory.
There was hardly any time for Eruption to celebrate when Hirata got on the microphone and called Sakaguchi a coward for how he won the match. Suddenly Shota got into the ring wanting to speak to Sakaguchi. He brought up comments made by Sakaguchi & Akai about Eruption defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against any trio who are motivated enough to challenge them. Shota wants himself, Hirata and Akito to get a title shot by representing the Young Communication generation! Sakaguchi doesn’t know what that is and thinks Hirata is too old to be part of something with “Young” in the name. Akai did say Eruption would take on all comers so they accept the challenge. The match will be held on the 14th November episode of DDT TV SHOW.
Looks like nerves got the best of both Danshoku Dieno and Akito. Dieno was found by Imabayashi outside the restroom backstage. Dieno looked like he was having stomach cramps but Imabayashi ignored him to bring up something more important. Dieno is still prohibited from kissing other wrestlers for safety reasons so he must wrestle the match with bamboo held in his mouth. Meanwhile Akito couldn’t sleep last night so he drank bottle after bottle of energy drinks to stay awake. The end result was Dieno and Akito both wrestling with sick stomachs. Dieno resisted using his regular attacks until Akito begged him to do them. Dieno finally removed the bamboo so they could have the vulgar match they wanted. Suddenly Akito asked for a time out due to stomach cramps. Dieno attacked him anyway and did the Danshoku Driver. The expression on his face froze and “Gurenge” from the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba began playing. Yukinori Matsui began to notice a smell in the ring while Dieno tried to sneak away. Akito attacked Dieno as the smell got worse. Dieno fought back and pulled his tights down to reveal he was wearing a diaper underneath! He gave Akito the Final Nightmare and called Matsui over to check if Akito was still conscious. Suddenly, Yuki Iino jumped onto the ring apron encouraging Akito not to give up. Akito recovered and put Dieno into the Goliath Birdeater, changing it up so he could get close enough to give Dieno the Lip Lock so Dieno would give up. Akito is satisfied to have had such a vulgar match during the Coronavirus pandemic. He is both prepared as a pro wrestler and determined as the CyberFight Vice President.
MAO’s comeback match with Shunma Katsumata resulted in the ring getting filled with toy blocks. There might also have been little bits of glass from lighttubes in there for which Katsumata apologized for. MAO used a Swan Dive Phoenix Splash to win. It’s called the Marines Tornado Splash because its was originally used by Marines Mask II. MAO had always wanted to try the move himself. He and Katsumata were in good spirits together afterward. They’re considering whether or not to team together again for the first time since their NωA days. They are still connected through the DDT Sauna Club so they are thinking if they can turn that project into a proper unit. Katsumata later MAO “Congratulations on your return!” when he found out nobody else said that sentence to him.
At the start of the show, Yuki Iino gave a brief update on his hip injury. He was safely discharged from the hospital and is currently rehabilitating with the goal of returning in February next year. He performed the Haka to kick off the show.
There were two pre-show matches. One of them saw Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango defeat Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya.
The other saw Hideki Okatani beat Keigo Nakamura in the battle of the rookies. Can you tell I’m getting tired?
The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 field was announced after intermission. The A Block consists of Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Sakaguchi, Akito, MAO and Chris Brookes. Block B features Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Soma Takao, Makoto Oishi, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata and Jun Akiyama. According to Akiyama he is looking forward to wrestling more of the DDT roster after focusing so much of his time on Takeshita.
DDT’s first major show of 2021 on 14th February. “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” will take place in Culttz Kawasaki.
DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020 Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
0. Under Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these things. A year ago in fact! Skipped over writing a preview for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” because everything was put together in too short of an amount of time but I can’t complain about a lack of build for this one. As no doubt many of you have seen, most of the pro wrestling industry worldwide has been chugging through the Coronavirus pandemic, good idea or not. For DDT they ran empty arena shows until fans were allowed back in. The block of wrestling companies owned by CyberAgent that DDT is a part of all merged their management together to form CyberFight in order to survive. Some big plans for this show went up in smoke. “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” was originally meant to be in Sumo Hall, now it is happening in Ota Ward Gymnasium because Ryogoku became unavailable. Also Kenny Omega was supposed to be here but travel restrictions nixed that idea. DDT adapted to the problems, came up with a card they want to reach across the world and show that they aren’t just a storm in a teacup.
0. Under Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani
It’s been fun watching these two rookies flourish throughout 2020. Keigo Nakamura has become this lovable little gremlin who can adapt into whatever scenario DDT throws at him. When they need a flexible punching bag, Nakamura is there to take those lumps. I can only imagine what his imagination will be like when he has some more years on him and gets the chance to put something together by himself. It’s not all antics either. He seriously wants to win matches and isn’t happy to see the younger Hideki Okatani quickly overtake him. Okatani has been more straightforward in his first year as a wrestler. He wasted no time standing up to Jun Akiyama for a few DDT TV SHOW bouts. It led to him being the fourth man for Junretsu and getting a bigger spotlight than his “senpai” Nakamura. But these two are still fresh rookies so they get the curtain jerking spot on the pre-show.
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
This is Hoshitango’s first match in DDT this year. As far as I know he’s done nothing but be JR level horny on Twitter during his time away from the ring. If he’s been on other wrestling shows I can’t find them. Hiroshi Yamato made several DDT appearances doing not much of note until recently. He willingly got into the DAMNATION drama and came out of it slightly changed. He hasn’t been singing during his entrances and his eyes have gone black. After years of being stuck in the mud, Mizuki Watase is starting to progress again as part of Junretsu. He needed that kick up the bum and to be honest it isn’t enough if he wants to stop treading water. Yukio Naya is in a similar position of underachieving. He’s been accused of not performing like a man his size should. To be fair he must have a ton of pressure on his shoulders coming from such a well regarded sumo family. His grandfather is a legendary yokozuna and his three younger brothers have all joined sumo stables in the last two years. At least he has his hobbies.
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
MAO is back from injury and he wants to break Shunma Katsumata. It’s a good sign that the world can go back to normal. A left MCL injury in June has kept MAO out of action so he was reduced to just hanging out at shows when he could. He’s still the same guy he always was. Katsumata however is no longer the sweet little boy we all knew. He was always into deathmatches but he jumped in hard this year. When he’s not wrestling Super Hardcore on Lego in DDT, he is earning his blood soaked stripes in Big Japan also with Lego. It is quickly reaching the point where I wonder if Katsumata is better off in Big Japan than DDT? There isn’t any stipulation added to the match but if MAO and Katsumata wanted to bring weapons in I’m sure nobody will want to stop them.
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito
One of the biggest beneficiaries from the creation of CyberFight is Akito. Ever since he became a Vice President for the company, his success in the ring has soared. The key to his newfound momentum is the Goliath Birdeater, a disgusting looking submission hold that was originally used by Taku Iwasa in Toryumon (“It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Threeeeeaaaaad”). It tangles up all of the victim’s limbs just like a spider the move is named after would do. Outside the ring, Akito is taking his new role very seriously and it has made look at things with a more critical eye. He singled out Danshou Dieno in particular, asking him if his work over the summer was up to par. For you see, Akito has always wanted to wrestle Dieno in his prime. He thinks they are both one of a kind in DDT and mixing together can create something special. A match like that should happen in a big venue like Ota Ward Gymnasium. Dieno agrees and wants to prove his best days are not behind him. There’s still a lot of ideas in that creative mind of his. Who could be better than Akito to help bring them to life?
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda
As things stand now the entire tag team division belongs to Eruption. The trio have been a force to be reckoned with and were highly featured on DDT cards throughout the year. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi recently won the KO-D Tag Team Titles and with Saki Akai they also hold the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. So far they are living up to their goal of creating their own path in DDT. Higuchi & Sakaguchi have been regular threats to championships. Akai meanwhile completed the Okabariyasu series where she fought the likes of Rina Yamashita, Miranda Gordy, Syuri, Saori Anou and Meiko Satomura. There are no challengers for either tag titles at the moment so Eruption are in a non-title 4 Way with a bunch of DDT regulars. One team is DISASTER BOX with former tag champion Naomi Yoshimura having his final match before taking an extended break to recover from his cervical injuries. Toru Owashi is still in his gatekeeper position while Kazuki Hirata recently reminded Sakaguchi not to take him or the Miracle One Shot Cradle lightly. #DAMNHEARTS are represented by Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani. I bet Lindaman doesn’t want to be reminded of losing the trios titles to Akai after all of that big talk he gave to her beforehand. The last team rounding out the field is Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda. Sasadango has been busy producing the Hiragana Muscle revival that was meant to be the first pro wrestling musical (until Chris Jericho & MJF beat him to the punch). Oishi has been refreshed by becoming the leader of Junretsu. Honda is still Honda and er… let’s leave it at that.
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
It has been nigh on impossible for wrestlers to take the DDT Extreme Title from Shinya Aoki. The championship that is defended under many different rules has been over Aoki’s shoulder since March and no amount of DDT foolishness has slowed him down. He’s defended the belt in a Blindfold Hidden Bra Death Match held in the centre of an empty Saitama Super Arena. He’s defended it in a Falls Count Anywhere match to celebrate the end of Japan’s lockdown. He even defended the belt against Maku Donaruto. Nothing seems to stop the MMA veteran. Only one man is left to stop him and he has just the plan needed to succeed. It’s Sanshiro Takagi and the Weapon Rumble! There’s one problem though, Aoki hasn’t signed the contract yet and would rather forfeit the title than do that match. Probably serves DDT right for promoting the match before getting Aoki’s signature but they might have figured out the reason why it came to this. Takagi suggests that Aoki has a phobia of signing contracts because it reminds him too much of his marriage and divorce. He had to sign a marriage certificate and he had to sign the divorce papers. Maybe those memories left him mentally scarred. Takagi does not want to become champion by default and is determined to make the match happen one way or another. If this turns out to be a negotiation tactic to drop the Weapon Rumble stipulation then Takagi will agree to it. Anything to ensure that Aoki shows up to Ota Ward to defend his title. I can’t blame Aoki for his paranoia about this. The weapons used in Weapon Rumbles are just as much for psychological pain than they are physical damage. What if his ex-wife shows up as a weapon?!? Probably not, from what I could find it sounds like they had a nasty split. One that is maybe too upsetting to make fun of by reuniting them in the ring.
Geez way to end the comedy match preview on a sad note, me.
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
This match was originally meant to take place at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” back in June. When DDT got to run shows in front of crowds again, HARASHIMA and Soma Takao were told that the match was back on. There was another risk of the match getting cancelled again when CIMA got into a traffic accident, breaking his nose, fracturing his wrist and getting a couple other minor injuries across the body. Thankfully he recovered and made it back to the ring in good shape. He also has been getting a lot of ring time with Takao, both as tag partners and as opponents. Takao used to wrestle using a tribute gimmick called BIMA when he was in a college wrestling club. CIMA wants to help Takao surpass him so he can start from B, skip C and go straight to D. Then he can be renamed DIMA! Plus they get to to this in Soma’s hometown of Ota. That kind of ambition and regular reps might make them a better oiled machine than HARASHIMA and Naomichi Marufuji. The HarashiMarufuji team have worked together a couple times this year but not as much as CimaSoma. In September there was an Elimination Tag Match where Takao eliminated Marufuji early by throwing him out of the ring. Marufuji wants to get revenge for being humiliated like that. Rustiness is the only weak point I can see with HarashiMarufuji. Experience and skill levels combined makes that team nearly unbeatable otherwise.
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
The newest championship in DDT has been tailor made for Chris Brookes. In February Brookes became the first DDT UNIVERSAL Champion, holding a belt created to boost DDT’s global presence. There was a setback over the Spring where he lost the belt in his first defence and had a hell of a time trying to reclaim it. But reclaim it he did and he’s having a much better go around this time. He got his cockiness back with this reign and it’s been rubbing some of the other wrestlers the wrong way. Like Yuki Ueno for example. After Brookes successfully defended the title against Naomi Yoshimura, he called him weak. Brookes then looked over to Ueno and called him even weaker. Ueno snapped and challenged Brookes for the title so he could shut him up. Brookes accepted and then put Ueno in the Octopus Stretch. Ueno got something back in the mind games department when he used the Praying Mantis Bomb in a match. Things went worse from there with Brookes attacking Ueno again after Nautilus lost the KO-D Tag Titles. Brookes continued to rub Ueno’s face in by presenting him with flowers at a press conference as if he was in mourning of Ueno’s title loss. He has the recent success behind him to back up his cocky attitude. The normally quiet Ueno has to step away from his safety net especially now that Yoshimura is taking time off. By all means the talent is there for Ueno to be a top name for DDT in the future. I always thought Yoshimura would be the stand out of Nautilus but the KO-D Tag Title reign (which has been my highlight of 2020 DDT by the way) was a breakthrough period for Ueno. This match has sleeper hit of the show written all over it.
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita
Usually it’s one company’s loss that becomes another company’s gain. In this case two companies losing out benefitted DDT. Jun Akiyama was supposed to spend some time in Florida back in May working as a temporary coach in the WWE Performance Center. COVID-19 prevented that trip from happening so DDT offered him the same role for their own roster. Akiyama got to spend time in the ring with guys like Mizuki Watase and Hideki Okatani, teaching them valuable lessons in King’s Road wrestling. The idea worked out so well that DDT struck a deal with All Japan to rent Akiyama’s services for the rest of this year (that is the other company losing out, nobody is expecting Akiyama to go back when his rental period ends). From the get go the plan was to put Akiyama and Konosuke Takeshita together as opponents. Akiyama was here to teach King’s Road but Takeshita was more interested in experiencing Akiyama’s personal wrestling style. In return Akiyama gets to experience the high level of DDT presented by Takeshita. Akiyama formed the unit Junretsu (intentionally referencing the pop band with the same name) to fight against Takeshita & ALL OUT. There is no grudge between the two wrestlers but the fights between them have been fierce. The result of this generational confrontation will shift the balance of the pro wrestling world. There’s no holding back here. Win or lose, Akiyama will do his part to nourish one of DDT’s best and help him grow even stronger.
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki
Ambition is what caused this main event to exist. Ambition is what led to a betrayal and then a betrayal of that betrayal. Ambition is what created a fracture in the most powerful faction in DDT. Tetsuya Endo achieved his goal of winning the KO-D Openweight Title from Masato Tanaka back in June. In the midst of the empty arena shows he built up the momentum needed to knock Tanaka off his throne and carry the main event picture onwards. It was Endo’s savviness to form a business alliance between DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS, creating #DAMNHEARTS. Then he had an even bigger goal he wanted to accomplish. He let the world know when he won the King Of DDT tournament as the reigning KO-D Champion. Endo wanted to defend the title against Kenny Omega at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”! Endo even began using a modified Wrist Clutch One-Winged Angel to prepare for the fateful match. Unfortunately it was unable to happen at Ota Ward so Endo was tasked to find a replacement challenger. He knew who it had to be. There are only two wrestlers left he needs to defeat. One is Omega. The other is his leader Daisuke Sasaki!
At first it looked like the match would happen smoothly. Endo is loyal to Sasaki so there was no bad blood to look out for. Then cracks began to appear when they tagged together. Double team moves would backfire but ultimately would not cause them to lose. Both would take this in somewhat good spirits (if that’s even possible for the mood Sasaki is always in) and instead banter about getting into better shape more than the other can. It all came to a head in September when Sasaki turned on Endo, banished him from DAMNATION and instructed #DAMNHEARTS to join in the beating. Except they didn’t. Instead #DAMNHEARTS took Endo’s side and held a mutiny on Sasaki, kicking him out of the group instead! It turned out that Sasaki and Endo had the same idea of turning on each other and both approached #DAMNHEARTS to join them. Given the choice, #DAMNHEARTS picked to be with Endo. The new leader declared that DAMNATION can now conform, kiss ass and get married! A furious Sasaki declared he was the only member of DAMNATION and the others were banished but he can’t stop them from using the name anyway. His lone attempts to fight his former allies looked hopeless until Hiroshi Yamato came along to help him with mixed results.
As the weeks went by Sasaki fell deep into his drinking and came up with an ultimatum. If he cannot beat Endo at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” then he will retire! He will flee Japan in shame and go find a job in another country where he can work three days a week with no early morning shifts. Now it’s difficult to tell how serious Sasaki is with going through with this plan. He has a history of throwing down championships and threatening to quit whenever he loses only to drink his misery away to forget about it. He also has a DAMNATION show celebrating his 15th Anniversary in wrestling happening on 12th November (that the DAMNATION wrestlers have since been banned from) that seems to be going ahead no matter what the result is. What also prevents a Sasaki win from being a sure fire bet is Endo’s supposed match with Omega. Will that still happen if Endo loses the title? You’ve seen what Omega is like now. He probably isn’t going to be interested in making the trip back to DDT when allowed if both Endo and the KO-D Title isn’t involved.
DDT “WHO’S GONNA TOP? 2020”, 27/09/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Withheld
1. Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated Toru Owashi, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when Takao pinned Okatani with the Diving Foot Stomp (6:45).
2. Playfulness Series Act 2: Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:34).
3. DDT Extreme Title – Lost Point System: Shinya Aoki (c) defeated Antonio Honda by TKO (9:45). *V5 for Shinya Aoki.
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) defeated Chris Brookes & Drew Parker when Yoshimura pinned Brookes with the Throwaway Power Bomb (11:00). *V7 for Nautilus.
5. Junretsu Vs ALL OUT 3 On 3 Tug Of War!: Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata (2) defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase (1).
5a. Konosuke Takeshita defeated Makoto Oishi with the Cabello 2020 (9:55).
5b. Jun Akiyama defeated Akito by Referee Stoppage with the Front Neck Lock (2:19).
5c. Shunma Katsumata defeated Mizuki Watase with a Buzzsaw Kick (5:38).
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman defeated HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Yukio Naya when Sasaki submitted Naya with the Cross Facelock (16:32).
There’s been a mutiny in DAMNATION! In the main event the group worked like a mostly well oiled machine when they defeated HARASHIMA’s team. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo worked together to put down Yukio Naya. Sasaki held him for Endo’s Overhead Kick and that hit the target as planned. Sasaki then hit a Diving Elbow Drop and Endo followed up with a Swan Dive 450 Splash. Sasaki went for the pin and when Naya kicked out, he rolled him into the Cross Facelock for the submission victory.
It was after the match when the double cross happened. Except that double cross was countered by another double cross. Sasaki got on the microphone and said he was in the best shape ever, even better than Rasse in his prime. Endo took the microphone and said he was tired of hearing about what shape Sasaki was in. Suddenly, Sasaki gave Endo a Low Blow from behind and started stomping on him. He revealed that ever since Endo nominated him to be his opponent at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, Sasaki decided to banish Endo from DAMNATION! He ordered the rest of the unit to beat Endo up.
But that didn’t happen. Instead Nobuhiro Shimatani smacked the DAMNATION signboard over Sasaki’s head! T-Hawk struck Sasaki with a right hand, El Lindaman gave him a German Suplex, Soma Takao planted him with the Gin And Tonic. Even Mad Paulie gave his master a Lariat! Endo then finished Sasaki off with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb. DAMNATION’s secret plan wasn’t to kick out Endo, it was to kick out Sasaki! Endo will no longer refer to Sasaki as “Charisma”. He admitted that when Sasaki came up with the plan to banish him, Endo came up with the same plan to banish Sasaki. The unit no longer needs Sasaki and he can be read like a book. DAMNATION does not flock, does not flirt and most of all does not need somebody as weak as Sasaki! The entire #DAMNHEARTS group then posed with the fallen Sasaki to rub extra salt in his wounds.
In the post-show interview, #DAMNHEARTS spoke about what had happened. Shimatani said it was great to finally smash Sasaki with the signboard. Lindaman said Sasaki was the first one to approach him about banishing Endo. But when Endo approached him afterwards about banishing Sasaki, everyone in the group chose to side with Endo. T-Hawk also confirmed this means Sasaki is now blocked from the unit’s LINE group and Sasaki should unfollow him. Endo promised to end Sasaki’s career at Ota Ward Gymnasium. Lindaman suggested Sasaki should fight Shimatani in a Chain Death Match at the show instead of challenging for the KO-D Openweight Title because Endo will successfully defend it for sure. A furious Sasaki said he is DAMNATION and everyone else is banished! He will be DAMNATION on his own from now on. He will never forgive Endo and the others for what they did to him.
At the start of the show ALL OUT and Junretsu came out to determine who would face who in the Tug Of War series of matches. Three ropes were placed under a mat in the ring with each end hanging out of the sides. Every wrestler chose a rope end and whoever was connected by the same rope had to wrestle each other. Makoto Oishi convinced Jun Akiyama to swap ropes with him at the last second and Oishi ended up having to wrestle Konosuke Takeshita in the first match!
Each match in the series would take place immediately after the previous so the wrestlers on both sides were at ringside throughout the entire challenge. Each match had a 10 minute time limit and Oishi came very close to surviving the full length. He still tried to win and attempted the Jikiden Tornado Clutch but Takeshita countered it into a Tornado Bomb. In the final ten seconds of the match, Takeshita applied the Cabello 2020 to make Oishi submit.
The second match pitted Akito against Akiyama and this one was short. Akito started off fast with the goal of applying the Goliath Birdeater. Akiyama escaped before the hold was completed and took over with Knee Strikes, Exploder Suplexes and then the Front Neck Lock to make Akito pass out. The series was tied 1-1.
It was up to Shunma Katsumata and Mizuki Watase to decide which team would win. Katsumata tired out Watase with non-stop Locomotive School Boys. When Watase used up his energy to kick out over and over, Katsumata hit him with a Buzzsaw Kick for the three count. ALL OUT wins the challenge 2-1 and Takeshita promised a complete victory over Akiyama at Ota Ward.
Nautilus have their hands full in the tag division. First Chris Brookes & Drew Parker gave them a tough fight for the KO-D Tag Team Titles. The challengers surprised the champions with a Topé Con Hilo before the bell and then put them through tables at ringside. The plan was to inflict so much damage before the match began so an easy victory could be achieved once the bell rang. However Naomi Yoshimura dodged a chairshot from Parker that hit Brookes instead. Yuki Ueno dove onto Parker and Yoshimura pinned Brookes with the Throwaway Power Bomb. Yoshimura challenged Brookes for the DDT UNIVERSAL Title afterwards. Brookes tried to ignore him by saying he doesn’t understand Japanese but Hisaya Imabayashi made it clear to him the match will happen on the 10th October episode of “DDT TV SHOW!”
That’s one team out of the way, now Nautilus has another squad to deal with. Eruption came out and Yukio Sakaguchi dared Ueno to repeat what he said about him in Itabashi a fortnight ago to his face. That day Nautilus challenged Eruption for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles and Ueno asked if Kazusada Higuchi & Saki Akai needed Sakaguchi to make the decision for them. Ueno explained that to him today and asked again if they will get the title shot. They already have a third person to fill out their team. It’s their DISASTER BOX stablemate Kazuki Hirata! Sakaguchi accepted but in return challenged Nautilus to defend the KO-D Tag Titles against himself and Higuchi. Imabayashi stepped in and said both title matches can happen but they need to figure out the schedule to do them on separate shows. Sakaguchi told him there’s no need to do that, they can do both title matches back to back at the next Korakuen Hall show on 25th October! Both teams agreed to the terms. The main event and semi-main event of the next Korakuen will be the two title matches between Nautilus/DISASTER BOX and Eruption!
The DDT Extreme Title match used a Lost Points system. Shinya Aoki and Antonio Honda both start the match with 5 points each. They lost a point for everytime there was a pinfall, knockout, rope escape or if they laughed at their opponent’s joke. A box full of props was placed in the ring for the wrestlers to use. Honda easily lost points by being outwrestled but turned the tables when he started making jokes. Aoki soon resisted laughing and dared Honda to try harder with the props. When they finally lost all of their usefulness, Aoki twisted Honda into submission to make him lose his final point.
After the match, Imabayashi asked Aoki to select his challenger for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. Aoki said after five title defences he had ran out of enemies he wanted to face. But there is one guy who others have said was badmouthing him and even exploiting him. Aoki picked Sanshiro Takagi to be his next opponent! Takagi joked that he wasn’t meant to appear on today’s show because he wasn’t on the poster but he appreciates being challenged. Aoki even allowed Takagi to come up with the stipulation. Takagi decided it will be the return of the Weapon Rumble!
Being in the second match of a show is a badge of honour for Danshoku Dieno. That was until Hirata took the spot from him. Today Dieno and Hirata fought to determine who was the king of Match #2! The Hirata GO! glasses were used to resist the pull of the Danshoku Driver. Dieno fought back by pulling off his tights one by one to diminish the power of the glasses. Dieno then wore the glasses and danced while Hirata put on the Danshoku tights behind his back. Hirata stunned Dieno with the Lip Lock and rolled him up with the Miracle One Shot Cradle for the victory.
Who would have thought when DAMNATION kicked off the show they would do what they did a few hours later? The team had a bit of trouble when Akai put Paulie in a Cross Armbreaker but Shimatani broke it up with a Standing Shooting Star Press. Hideki Okatani was put in danger too many times for Toru Owashi to rescue him. Takao knocked down Okatani with the Running Elbow Butt and won with a Diving Foot Stomp.
MAO returned and announced his first match back from injury. He will face Katsumata at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. The only thing MAO had to say is he will destroy Katsumata.
1. Reiwa’s Summer Battle!: Chikara defeated Nobuhiro Shimatani with the Saber Chop (10:12).
2. 3 Way Match: El Lindaman defeated Antonio Honda and Intelligence Sensational Grand Passion Mask #4 when Lindaman pinned Honda with the German Suplex (14:10).
3. Soma Takao & T-Hawk defeated Mineo Fujita & Leo Isaka when Takaon pinned Isaka after an Accidental Dropkick from Fujita (11:58).
4. Shuji Ishikawa & Mad Paulie defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya when Paulie pinned Naya with the Reverse Splash (12:54).
5. Tetsuya Endo Debut 8th Anniversary Match: Tetsuya Endo defeated Ryuichi Sekine with the Shooting Star Press (15:04).
6. Special Single Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Tsutomu Oosugi with La Mistica Cross Facelock (20:40).
The main event lost control when Tsutomu Oosugi accidentally knocked down Yukinori Matsui. After that happened, Daisuke Sasaki pulled Oosugi into the Cross Facelock and made him tap out with no referee there to see it. Matsui was revived in time to see Oosugi roll himself on top of Sasaki almost pinning him for the three count. Sasaki went for La Mistica Cross Facelock and eventually got it in. Oosugi reached for the ropes but gave up when Sasaki re-positioned themselves back to the middle of the ring.
After the match, Sasaki did something that is rare for him. He thanked his opponent. He chose Oosugi to be his opponent today because Oosugi showed him how fun pro wrestling is. There’s probably other reasons but Sasaki can’t remember them. He told Oosugi he respects him. Oosugi asked if Sasaki kicks every person he admires in the crotch? He thinks Sasaki’s life has gotten a lot worse, more than he ever realised in their previous tag matches. However, Sasaki showed him his true colours in today’s singles match. Oosugi believes wrestling is all inclusive and he will always remember the Sasaki he knew from their days in Mexico. Sasaki said they should go back to Mexico and have a match there.
Tetsuya Endo has been warned before by Sasaki not to get too close to Ryuichi Sekine. However Endo respects Sekine so much that he got him to be his opponent for his 8th anniversary match. Although Endo admitted afterwards that Sekine was his third choice. Still, he thinks they had a really good match.
The return of Shuji Ishikawa was meant to be a good time. It looked that way when he and Mad Paulie defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya. But after the match Ishikawa told Paulie he only came here to wrestle, not to sing. This was not the time for karaoke. He would only sing when he thinks the time is right. Ishikawa apologised for the disappointing news.
The master of unintentional groin attacks Mineo Fujita showcased his abilities. Soma Takao in particular was scared to fight him and backed off whenever he felt his crotch was in danger. T-Hawk also refused to tag in when Fujita was in the ring. Fujita eventually found ways to do his thing, falling headbutt first onto Takao’s groin then giving T-Hawk a Facecrusher onto the same spot. Fujita’s cursed ability was his team’s downfall because he accidentally Dropkicked Leo Isaka in the dick. Takao pinned Isaka to save everyone’s manhoods from further harm.
When the 3 Way Match began, Antonio Honda got upset over being left out. He was about to tell a Gongitsune joke when El Lindaman and Intelligence Sensational Grand Passion Mask #4 both attacked him. Lindaman (25) and Passion Mask (39) then began arguing over their ages. It led to everyone sitting down in the middle of the ring and refusing to be the first to move. Honda yelled at everyone to stand back up and start Chopping each other. The three wrestlers eventually had their tights accidentally pulled down and they all fought in their underwear. Honda hit the Diving Fist Drop 2020 ~Homecoming~ on Passion Mask but Lindaman then gave him a German Suplex to steal the win.
Nobuhiro Shimatani and Chikara kept yelling their names at each other inbetween moves. They mostly Chopped each other a lot.
All of DAMNATION got in the ring at the end of the show. Ishikawa explained to Sasaki his self-ban on singing karaoke. Sasaki called him stupid and asked what does Ishikawa want to do? Ishikawa wants to sing! He got to sing while Takao, Endo and Paulie danced around him. When they finished, Sasaki announced “DAMNATION ILLEGAL ASSEMBLY RETURNS VOL.2” will happen on 11th December!
Sasaki had a message to give at the start of the show. It is something everyone is thinking. “Fuck Corona!” Everyone applauded.
BAKUHA KOSHIEN “STREET FIGHT CLUB”, 25/08/2020 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans
1. The Mystery Of Laos! Amazing Mecha Pandita First Time Out!: Shunma Katsumata defeated Mecha Pandita with a Diving Body Press (10:36).
2. Gake no Fuchi Joshi Vs Pocchari Joshi Full Face To Face Battle!: Yuna Manase & Yumehito Imanari defeated Miyako Matsumoto & Chris Brookes when Manase pinned Matsumoto with the Suzuki Dynamic (11:41).
3. Hage Torongezu Vs #STRONGHEARTS! – No DQ Match: T-Hawk & El Lindaman defeated Jiro Kuroshio & Seigo Tachibana when Lindaman pinned Tachibana with the German Suplex (12:27).
4. STREET FIGHT CLUB Special Match ~Royal Traditions Match~: Jun Akiyama defeated Yukio Naya with the Exploder Suplex (12:04).
5. Street Fight Scramble Bunkhouse 6-Man Tag Death Match: Atsushi Onita, Yuko Miyamoto & Rocky Kawamura defeated Takashi Sugiura, NOSAWA Rongai & Kaz Hayashi when Onita pinned Rongai with a Chair Attack (15:49).
Normally in a Scramble Bunkhouse, both teams stand in opposite sides of the room, wait for a countdown and then charge down to the ring to grab the weapons first. Atsushi Onita’s team didn’t have the patience for that and he attacked Takashi Sugiura during Sugiura-gun’s entrance. Chairs were whacked over heads, people were thrown into barbed wire boards and NOSAWA Rongai smashed a guitar over Onita’s head. Yuko Miyamoto and Kaz Hayashi briefly brought some athleticism into the match but other than that it was a brawl. Rocky Kawamura got some punches in on Sugiura. In the end, Onita hit NOSAWA with chairshots until NOSAWA couldn’t get back up. After the match, Onita said he might have broken some ribs so he couldn’t do his usual Onita Theatre ending where he spits water into the crowd. That’s the reason along with the Coronavirus. Onita assured everyone he tested negative before the show but he wouldn’t risk passing along the virus that way.
Jun Akiyama was surprised to see the rest of Junretsu standing in Yukio Naya’s corner for their match. Makoto Oishi explained to him it was only for today. Naya got a nearfall with a Running Kneelift. Akiyama hit his own one then lowered his kneepad down before doing it again. Naya was able to kick out but he was done for after the Exploder Suplex.
An electric shaver came into play for Match #3. El Lindaman bought it before the show but it went missing. Seigo Tachibana revealed he snuck into the locker room and stole it from Lindaman’s bag. They demanded the match be made No DQ and threatened to shave each other’s heads. T-Hawk and Jiro Kuroshio did the same when they faced off. Lindaman grabbed the shaver and chased after Yukinori Matsui until the ref gave him a Lariat. Tachibana went to give Lindaman a Back Drop but Tachibana escaped by shaving a straight line through the middle of Tachibana’s hair! When Tachibana figured out what happened he was left in a shocked state. It was easy pickings for Lindaman to pin him with the German Suplex. He shaved off more of Tachibana’s hair after the match.
Chris Brookes created a new double team move called the Holy Diver. It involves picking up Miyako Matsumoto and Crucifix Power Bombing her onto the opponent through a plastic box. They tried it on Yuna Manase but Manase rolled out of the way and Matsumoto crashed through the box on her own. She still had enough fight left to counter the Suzuki Dynamic into a Roll Up but Manase hit the move on the second attempt to win. After the match Yumehito Imanari called Brookes and Matsumoto crazy. He wants both Gake no Fuchi Joshi and Pocchari Joshi to show the world how crazy they are.
The debut of Mecha Pandita shows the robot has plenty of kinks that need to be worked out. Controlled by Onita from the locker room, Pandita tried locking up when Shunma Katsumata was nowhere near it. When Pandita was able to attack properly, Katsumata placed it outside the ring and hoped it would get counted out. Pandita got back in on time and took over. It missed a 450 Splash allowing Katsumata to Body Slam it despite being a heavy robot. Katsumata grabbed a cold spray and climbed the top rope, expecting Pandita to follow him. His guess was right and Katsumata froze Pandita with the cold spray, causing it to fall down to the canvas. Katsumata landed a Diving Body Press and got the three count. Backstage Katsumata said the next time he fights Pandita he will destroy it. And someday he will fight Onita too!
Daisuke Kiso was officiating some of the matches so he is safely out of self-isolation.
DDT “BLACK OUT PRESENTS KING OF DDT 2020 3RD ROUND”, 10/08/2020 Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall ??? Fans
0. Under Match: Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura defeated Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani when Naya pinned Watase with a Power Bomb (6:27).
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Danshoku Dieno & Seigo Tachibana, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata and Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino when Sakaguchi pinned Hirata with the PK (5:18).
2. Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda defeated El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Brookes pinned Shimatani with the Praying Mantis Bomb (10:11).
3. DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION ~ Lucha Libre Rules: HARASHIMA, Toru Owashi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie when HARASHIMA pinned Paulie with the Somato (11:05).
4. King Of DDT 2020 – Quarter Final: T-Hawk defeated Yuki Ueno with the Nightride (13:23).
5. King Of DDT 2020 – Quarter Final: Akito defeated Shinya Aoki with the Goliath Birdwatching (8:24).
6. King Of DDT 2020 – Quarter Final: Tetsuya Endo defeated Minoru Tanaka with the Shooting Star Press (17:20).
7. King Of DDT 2020 – Quarter Final: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Buchikamashi (16:13).
The King Of DDT Quarter Finals are done and there are four wrestlers left. Kazusada Higuchi took a page out of his sumo rulebook to defeat Konosuke Takeshita. After an intense exchange of strikes, Higuchi ran into Takeshita and tackled him down with a Buchikamashi charge to pin him.
Minoru Tanaka’s late request for a KO-D Openweight Title shot was denied and his match with Tetsuya Endo was non-title as scheduled. Endo was able to rope break his way out of Tanaka’s submission holds. He got a nearfall with the Canadian Destroyer and had his arm raised after the Shooting Star Press. When Tanaka left the ring, Endo signaled for him to have a rematch some day. Tanaka admitted he learned the distance between himself and the KO-D Champion today. He was close but Endo is still strong. He accepts defeat today but won’t forget about the KO-D Title because Tanaka loves to win championships he never held before.
Up until today, Akito was using the Goliath Birdeater submission hold in its original form. Against Shinya Aoki, he modified the move into a clutch pin to hold Aoki down and prevent him from breaking free. It worked as intended and Akito got the pin. He calls this version of the move the Goliath Birdwatching. Akito had previously told Aoki that there are more ways to win pro wrestling matches than using joint holds. Today he proved it.
Last but certainly not least, T-Hawk completes the final four. The combination of Cerberus, BT Bomb and the Nightride ended Yuki Ueno’s tournament run. Not a good sign for the KO-D Tag Team Champions when one of them loses to a previous challenger.
The Semi Final draw took place after the main event. Endo and Higuchi drew each other which means Akito and T-Hawk takes the other match-up. T-Hawk promises to win King Of DDT as a representative of #STRONGHEARTS. Akito swore to avenge his loss to T-Hawk at Sumo Hall last February. He doesn’t care about Endo so he wants to face Higuchi in the final. What he said made Endo even more determined to chase after him, that and the Round 1 loss. Higuchi said he will go through who is left one by one, starting with Endo.
The DISASTER BOX Vs DAMNATION match was held under Lucha Libre rules when Mad Paulie of all people asked for it. Kazuki Hirata snuck into the match for a few spots during the chaos.
El Lindaman used cold spray to freeze Antonio Honda’s Gongitsune hand. He then summoned his own Gongitsune but Honda froze his hand with the cold spray. Honda poked Lindaman in the eye, a blinded Lindaman poked Nobuhiro Shimatani in the eye and Chris Brookes pinned Shimatani with the Praying Mantis Bomb.
Yukio Sakaguchi was tricked into doing the hop spot during the 4 Way Tag. Saki Akai was embarrassed over it.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 