Video – HARASHIMA/Marufuji Vs MAO/Asuka

April 23, 2022

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 2”, 07/06/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio
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HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs MAO & Asuka


DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” Results

November 3, 2020

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” Preview

November 1, 2020

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 “GET ALIVE 2020” Results

September 7, 2020

DDT “GET ALIVE 2020”, 07/09/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

1. Akito & Yukio Naya defeated Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase when Akito submitted Watase with the Goliath Birdeater (8:42).
2. Super Sasadango Machine & Antonio Honda defeated Kazuki Hirata & Keigo Nakamura when Honda pinned Nakamura with the Diving Fist Drop (9:34).
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai (c) defeated Danshoku Dieno, Seigo Tachibana & Yoshiko when Sakaguchi pinned Dieno with the Gay-do Clutch (11:57).
*V2 for Eruption.
4. Team Big Boomers Vs ALL OUT!: Jun Akiyama & Sanshiro Takagi defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata when Akiyama pinned Katsumata with the Exploder Suplex (10:48).
5. DDT UNIVERSAL Title – No DQ Match: Chris Brookes (c) defeated Drew Parker with the Praying Mantis Bomb (13:55).
*V1 for Chris Brookes.
6. DAMNATION Vs DISASTER BOX Full Scale Battle! Elimination 10-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani defeated HARASHIMA, Naomichi Marufuji, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura & Toru Owashi (23:37).
6a. Soma Takao eliminated Naomichi Marufuji by Ring Out (13:48).
6b. Mad Paulie & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Toru Owashi were all eliminated by Triple Ring Out (15:24).
6c. Daisuke Sasaki eliminated Naomi Yoshimura with a School Boy (17:11).
6d. HARASHIMA eliminated Soma Takao by Ring Out (18:43).
6e. Tetsuya Endo eliminated HARASHIMA by Ring Out (21:13).
6f. Yuki Ueno eliminated Daisuke Sasaki by Ring Out (22:36).
6g. Tetsuya Endo eliminated Yuki Ueno with the Shooting Star Press (23:37).

The main event elimination match had No Tag and Over The Top Rope rules added to it before everyone came out. Naomichi Marufuji was the surprise first elimination when Soma Takao blocked the Shiranui, knocked him onto the apron and then Missile Dropkicked him to the floor. Toru Owashi evened the score in a big way by holding on to both Mad Paulie and Nobuhiro Shimatani in the apron. HARASHIMA & Yuki Ueno understood his plan and Dropkicked the group to the floor, bringing the match down to 3 Vs 3. Paulie & Shimatani stuck around however and distracted the referee so Daisuke Sasaki could Low Blow Naomi Yoshimura twice before pinning him. The entire DAMNATION side continued their attack until the full DISASTER BOX team fought back and HARASHIMA eliminated Takao by countering the Gin And Tonic into a Headscissors over the rope and out of the ring. Sasaki hit a Topé Suicida to Ueno while Tetsuya Endo caught HARASHIMA with the Overhead Kick. He lifted him up for the Torture Rack but instead of going for the Bomb like he normally does, he ran across the ring and threw HARASHIMA to the floor instead. DAMNATION’s 2 on 1 advantage backfired when Endo accidentally kicked Sasaki out the ring when he aimed for Ueno. Endo recovered from that mistake and pinned Ueno with the Shooting Star Press to win.

After the match there were two things DAMNATION had to talk about in regards to “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. Takao was discussing his tag match against HarashiMarufuji when he received two video messages from CIMA. The first message was CIMA saying how much he is looking forward to the match after it was delayed. Then the second video was CIMA suggesting he and Takao have a warm up match before that. But instead of them teaming together CIMA and Takao will have a match against each other on 27th September!

The other issue needing attention was Endo’s big announcement. Who will he choose to defend the KO-D Openweight Title against at Ota Ward Gymnasium? He chooses Daisuke Sasaki! Endo explained there are two wrestlers left he has to surpass. One is Kenny Omega but that match cannot happen for now. That means he will go with his other influence and that is Sasaki. The challenge was accepted but Sasaki made something clear. DAMNATION has nothing to do with this. It will be Endo Vs Sasaki, nothing else!

Years of friendship was put aside when Chris Brookes defended the DDT UNIVERSAL Title against Drew Parker in a No DQ Match. Parker had Abdullah Kobayashi in his corner while Masahiro Takanashi accompanied Brookes to the ring. The smashed birthday mug that led to all of this was a hint of what was to come. Parker Double Stomped Brookes through a pile of plastic cases from a ladder. He also threw him through a board of plastic forks. Brookes stapled paper to Parker’s cheeks and broke a chair over his head. He then used the Praying Mantis Bomb to put his friend away. The two got along again after the match and Brookes told the fans this won’t be the last time Parker is in DDT. Together they will go after the KO-D Tag Team Titles! They got permission from Hisaya Imabayashi to challenge Nautilus and the match will happen on 27th September.

Team Big Boomers put those young up ‘n comers in their place. Shunma Katsumata had his back targeted because he still had wounds over it from a recent death match he had in Big Japan. There was a small setback when Sanshiro Takagi accidentally kicked Jun Akiyama in the face outside the ring but other than that their teamwork was flawless. Konosuke Takeshita got to fight evenly with Akiyama again but was taken aside and had to watch his rival pin Katsumata with the Exploder Suplex. Makoto Oishi approached Takeshita after the match with a challenge. He wants to do three Junretsu Vs ALL OUT singles matches at the next Korakuen Hall show. They will put down three tug of war ropes hidden from view and whichever wrestlers choose the same rope will wrestle each other. Akito pointed out the possibility of Takeshita and Akiyama choosing the same rope which means their first singles match could happen before “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. But this rivalry between the two factions is now more than just Takeshita Vs Akiyama. The rest of ALL OUT also want to get that match against Akiyama.

The pantyhose joke is still funny to Yukio Sakaguchi so Eruption’s challengers had their gameplan ready. That was until Yoshiko refused to wear pantyhose over her head. Danshoku Dieno got her to wear jokey sunglasses instead and that worked just as well on Sakaguchi. Kazusada Higuchi wasn’t in a laughing move though. His goal was to slice off Seigo Tachibana’s little finger with a karate chop! Saki Akai was the only one on the champion team fully focused on the match and that’s because she was in the ring with her career rival Yoshiko again. Dieno took out more masks to make Sakaguchi laugh including a horse head he put over one of the production staff. Sakaguchi finally figured out he could unmask his opponents but Dieno still put the masks on other people to distract him. Sakaguchi got out of the ring only to come back in wearing the horse head himself. Dieno pulled it off to reveal Sakaguchi was wearing pantyhose on his head underneath! Dieno burst into laughter allowing Sakaguchi to put him in a Sleeper Hold. He then rolled him into a Gaydo Clutch to get the three count.

Normally in pro wrestling rookies get yelled at because they are not taking things seriously. In DDT rookies get yelled at when they do take things seriously! Keigo Nakamura got a grilling from Super Sasadango Machine, Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata because all he was doing in the match was wrestling. He didn’t dance, tell rude jokes or even do a PowerPoint presentation. Why even be in DDT if you don’t want to do stuff like this? To show Nakamura what he is missing, the others came up with a creative musical called TOKYO Gon. Honda sang “TOKYO GO!” with his own rude lyrics and Hirata danced to them. Nakamura got into it and joined in until Sasadango & Honda attacked Hirata & Nakamura with Bionic Elbows. Sasadango gave Nakamura the Verdict and Honda pinned him with the Diving Fist Drop while still singing “TOKYO GO!”

Junretsu came close to winning in the opener but they are still an unpolished product when Akiyama isn’t in the match. Oishi wiped out Yukio Naya with a Plancha. Mizuki Watase used a Wrist Clutch DDT and got a nearfall out of it. But Akito countered the Back Drop into an Anklelock. He turned it into the Goliath Birdeater submission and that made Watase give up.

The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 will take place between 22nd November and 27th December. Three of the shows from the tournament will be broadcast on DDT TV SHOW when the series comes back on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.


DDT “BLACK OUT PRESENTS KING OF DDT 2020 FINAL!!” Results

August 23, 2020

DDT “BLACK OUT PRESENTS KING OF DDT 2020 FINAL!!”, 23/08/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans

0. Under Match – 5 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda, Tomomitsu Matsunaga and Yukio Naya when Hirata pinned Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (5:33).
1. King Of DDT 2020 – Semi-Final: Tetsuya Endo defeated Kazusada Higuchi by Referee Stoppage with the Modified Yurikamome Hold (10:19).
2. King Of DDT 2020 – Semi-Final: T-Hawk defeated Akito with the Night Ride (11:19).
3. Danshoku Dieno & Seigo Tachibana defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai when Dieno pinned Sakaguchi with the Gaydo Clutch (7:32).
4. KING OF DDT 2020 Special 10-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno, Naomi Yoshimura, Chris Brookes & Minoru Tanaka defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani when HARASHIMA pinned Shimatani with the Somato (12:47).
5. Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, Shinya Aoki & Keigo Nakamura defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani when Takeshita pinned Oishi with the German Suplex (14:55).
6. King Of DDT 2020 – Final: Tetsuya Endo defeated T-Hawk with the Shooting Star Press (20:24).

Today confirms without a shadow of a doubt that Tetsuya Endo is the number one wrestler in DDT. The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion survived an early setback in the tournament to end up winning King Of DDT 2020! This is the second time in four years that Endo won King Of DDT. He had to beat his #DAMNHEARTS stablemate T-Hawk in the final. When the final began, Endo grabbed Hawk’d leg and attempted the Golitah Birdeater hold that Akito uses but Hawk dodged it. Hawk also used a rope break to stop the Modified Yurikamome Hold Endo used to beat Kazusada Higuchi earlier. Hawk’s strength came into play but whenever he tried the BT Bomb, Endo had it countered. Endo kicked out of the Night Ride and pulled out his new Wrist-Clutch Driver move (which DDT’s website is calling a Modified One-Winged Angel). After that Endo got the pin with the Shooting Star Press.

As the champion, Endo now gets to choose his challenger for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” this November. Hisaya Imabayashi entered the ring to get his answer. Endo said it is somebody he has mentioned over and over… Tomomi Morisaki. No, Imabayashi told him to pick someone else. So Takei? No. Kanna Hashimoto? No. Tomoya Nagase? No. Okay, okay, okay, Endo picks Kenny Omega! He is the only one he wants to fight. Imabayashi accepted the choice but warned Endo that the match is unlikely to happen because of the current global travel restrictions caused by the Coronavirus. Imabayashi will try to negotiate but if that plan falls through then Endo will have to pick another opponent. Endo admits it is an irresponsible choice and accepts that it might not happen but he wants to follow through on the promise he made last month to wrestle Omega at Ota Ward Gymnasium. With that settled, Endo also decided to split his tournament winnings evenly among the other DAMNATION members. Daisuke Sasaki is busy trying to claim 90% of it for himself.

The “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” isn’t set in stone but the undercard has some confirmed matches. One of the big ones is Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama facing off in a singles match! Takeshita’s team defeated Junretsu in an 8-Man Tag bout. Akiyama had his hands full with both Takeshita and Shinya Aoki across the ring from him. Makoto Oishi tried to take the load off him but Takeshita escaped from the Fujiyama Knee Lock to pin Oishi with the German Suplex. Takeshita told Akiyama they are even in tag matches so he challenged him to the singles match. Akiyama said he will stand in front of Takeshita in his best condition.

HARASHIMA led his team to victory against #DAMNHEARTS in the King Of DDT 10-Man Tag. Afterwards, Imabayashi told HARASHIMA and Soma Takao not to leave the ring because he had news for both of them. The HarashiMarufuji Vs CimaSoma match that was supposed to happen back in June will now take place at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”! Takao said backstage he is happy to team with CIMA in his hometown.

A couple of weeks ago DDT had a match where all of the wrestlers wore pantyhose over their heads. Danshoku Dieno found out the joke makes Yukio Sakaguchi laugh so much it makes him weak. So that was the battle plan for Dieno and Seigo Tachibana today, wrestle Sakaguchi & Saki Akai while wearing pantyhose over their faces. It worked! Sakaguchi kept laughing at the silly faces seen beneath the pantyhose. Dieno’s was pulled off but he put it over Yukinori Matsui’s head, gave Sakaguchi the Lip Lock and pinned him with the Gaydo Clutch! Tachiabana was left impressed by Dieno’s wrestling knowledge. With a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match against Eruption coming up, how can they lose? Akai is annoyed at Sakaguchi for laughing at basic comedy. She’s from Kansai and grew up watching a lot of comedy so she learned how to no sell it.

T-Hawk had to go past Akito in the semi-final. The CyberFight Vice President kept to what worked for him so far. He targeted Hawk’s legs, weakening the Cerberus knee strike in the process. What saved Hawk was his ability to avoid the Goliath Birdeater. He used a Reverse Power Slam to put Akito on the ropes and won with the Night Ride. Akito said this year was the strongest feeling he had to win but T-Hawk is stronger than him. Still, he learned a lot and thinks it was his best showing in the King Of DDT.

Higuchi’s sumo charge momentum met its end against Endo in the other semi-final. He went for big hit after big hit but when he went for the Buchikamashi, Endo countered it into the Yurikamome Hold. Endo maneuvered himself on top of Higuchi in the hold for added pressure, causing Higuchi to pass out. Endo was ruled the winner by referee stoppage.

The audience was introduced to Mecha Pandita for the first time. The robot entered the ring and attacked Shunma Katsumata while he promoted the “STREET FIGHT CLUB” happening this Tuesday. Pandita landed a Dropkick, a Standing Shooting Star and then poured coffee beans into Katsumata’s mouth.

The 5 Way dark match turned into a dance rave when Yukio Naya took out penlights to dance differently against Kazuki Hirata’s glasses. Soon everyone in the match danced with penlights until Hirata pinned Antonio Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle. Naya finished his dance anyway.

It’s worth noting that Shota was the referee for some of the matches today. Daisuke Kiso is still absent from shows.


Video – DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 2” Digest Highlights

June 9, 2020

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 2”, 07/06/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio
0 Fans

1. Super Sasadango Machine Remote Produce Match – Chop Up Challenge: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima Vs Rika Tatsumi, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
3. DDT Extreme Title – Celebration! Release Outdoor Restriction Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yukio Naya
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Makoto Oishi
6. HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs MAO & Asuka
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura (c) Vs T-Hawk & El Lindaman
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 2” Results

June 7, 2020

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 2”, 07/06/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio
0 Fans

1. Super Sasadango Machine Remote Produce Match – Chop Up Challenge: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda ended in a Draw (72:45) (1,000 Chops Thrown).
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima defeated Rika Tatsumi, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino when Sakazaki pinned Aino with the Magical Magical Girl Splash (15:31).
3. DDT Extreme Title – Celebration! Release Outdoor Restriction Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) defeated Yukio Naya with a European Clutch (10:49).
*V3 for Shinya Aoki.
4. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh when Sakaguchi pinned Itoh with the PK (12:01).
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Makoto Oishi was a No Contest.
6. HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji defeated MAO & Asuka when HARASHIMA pinned Asuka with the Somato (17:24).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura defeated T-Hawk & El Lindaman when Ueno pinned Lindaman with the WR (22:13).
*V4 for Nautilus.
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Tetsuya Endo defeated Masato Tanaka (c) with two Shooting Star Presses (26:19).
*Masato Tanaka fails in V5. Tetsuya Endo becomes the 75th KO-D Openweight Champion!

Tetsuya Endo’s path to reclaim the KO-D Openweight Title ends with success and maybe a few extra scars. Masato Tanaka put him through a table twice in their match, bringing back memories of their D-Ou Grand Prix final last December. The first table crash had Tanaka throw Endo through one from the turnbuckles. But the second happened when Endo used his knees to block the Diving Body Press. Damage to Endo’s leg prevented him from doing the Handspring Overhead Kick until late in the match. He could barely stand after kicking out of the Super Fly but Tanaka dared him into doing so. Tanaka hit the short range Sliding D after Endo missed the Shooting Star Press but Endo was close enough to grab the ropes for a pin break. Tanaka ran to the ropes for another Sliding D but Endo countered it with Testuya In The Sky. He hit a Package Canadian Destroyer for a two count then dragged Tanaka to the corner. Endo hit the Shooting Star Press not once but twice to get the three count and become the new KO-D Champion!

Tanaka grabbed the title belt from Yukinori Matsui after the match but it was just so he was the one to hand it to Endo. Tanaka left the ring when Endo called out to him. Endo promised to hold onto the title long enough for them to have a rematch at Saitama Super Arena! He looks forward to standing across the ring from him again. For now there is no No. 1 Contender set in place so Endo wants all potential challengers to know he is the one who beat Masato Tanaka when nobody else in DDT could. He then gathered DAMNATION together for a their first group pose in months. Together they are the symbol of strength in DDT and they have most of the championships to prove it. Not just DAMNATION but all of #DAMNHEARTS too!

The only miss on #DAMNHEARTS’s record this weekend was in the KO-D Tag Team Titles match. The challengers T-Hawk & El Lindaman failed to beat the champions Nautilus. At points the #STRONGHEARTS team ran circles over their opponents, cutting Yuki Ueno away from Naomi Yoshimura. But the tables turned when Ueno used a Hurricanrana to throw T-Hawk into Lindaman, knocking him off the top rope. Ueno gave Lindaman an Avalanche Uranage and then the Osaka Trad for a nearfall. Ueno then hit the Frog Splash but didn’t go for the pin. Instead he used a new finisher, a forward flipping DDT called the WR to win the match. Ueno said he was happy to have a title match like this today. They twice couldn’t win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from #DAMNHEARTS but today’s win shows how much progress Nautilus has made because of those matches. Maybe they’ll have another match and this time do it in OWE.

This wasn’t their original match for the show but HarashiMarufuji reunited for the first time in ages. MAO & Asuka proved to be a lot for them to handle. They hit Double Moonsaults out of the ring and Asuka threw both HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji around with German Suplexes. The momentum shifted when HARASHIMA blocked Asuka’s Moonsault with his knees. Marufuji got rid of MAO with the Tiger King knee strike then stunned Asuka with a Trace Kick. HARASHIMA then crushed Asuka with the Somato to win. After the match they offered handshakes but Asuka slapped Marufuji across the face before leaving the ring. HARASHIMA told Marufuji he isn’t satisfied by today’s match. He wants to team with him again and go against the pair they were originally meant to fight: CIMA & Soma Takao!

All throughout the week, Danshoku Dieno and Makoto Oishi tried to have their Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match over at the Ochanomizu Dojo. However one setback after another prevented the match from happening. Either Dieno forgot to turn off his stove, the referee never turned up, Oishi was busy babysitting or both wrestlers forgot their gear and weren’t allowed wrestle in the nude. After so many cancellations today was finally the day. Dieno waited in the ring for his opponent but Oishi never appeared. A text message came saying Oishi had to mind his baby again but he promised he would still make it. Yukinori Matsui and Hisaya Imabayashi couldn’t wait and wanted to cancel the match because it was eating into their ABEMA broadcast time. Dieno begged them not to. All he needed was three minutes and Oishi will be here. Memories of Dieno and Oishi together filled the screen when suddenly Oishi appears at the entrance! He sprints down to the ring but tripped over the steps, knocking himself out. Matsui then called off the match as Dieno looked on stunned.

Eruption defeated the NEO Itoh Respect Army in the intergender tag match. Maki Itoh avoided getting into the ring with Yukio Sakaguchi unless she was certain she had the advantage. Chris Brookes tried to help out but was met with a short range God’s Right Knee. Saki Akai then got rid of him with the Quetzalcoatl. Itoh showed one last act of defiance by giving Sakaguchi the middle finger. She got a Penalty Kick for her troubles before getting pinned.

The DDT Extreme Title match had no countouts to celebrate the relaxation of Tokyo’s outdoor restrictions. Shinya Aoki and Yukio Naya fought around the hallways of Shinjuku FACE, dragging Keigo Nakamura along for the ride. At one point they all moved past Maki Itoh who was warming up for her singing entrance. Aoki, Naya and Nakamura ended up back in the ring with Nakamura getting most of the beating. Aoki countered Naya’s Back Drop into a European Clutch to score his third successful defence.

The Tokyo Joshi Pro offer match saw Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima defeat Rika Tatsumi, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino. The result was almost the opposite when Tenma & Aino gave Sakazaki the Bakuretsu Bulldog. Nakajima came in to even the numbers and with Sakazaki did a Double 619 to Aino. Yamashita knocked Aino silly with the Backspin Kick and Sakazaki got the three count right afterwards with the Magical Magical Girl Splash.

The longest match of the show by far was the opening contest between Antonio Honda and Toru Owashi. Before the match, Super Sasadango Machine sent a video message from Niigata announcing he would donate 100 yen to a medical workers charity for every Chop that happens in the match. Both Honda and Owashi promised to put their power and soul into their Chops for such a noble cause. They then spent the match lightly chopping and slapping each other’s chests while Shota kept count. The left the venue still chopping so the show moved on to Match #2. When that was over we saw Honda & Oishi chopping each other in the locker room. They decided to go get something to eat. After Match #4 they made it to Ebisuko Tavern but Ken Ohka refused to give them entry over social distancing guidelines. The Tavern is doing everything it can to run business safely so the last thing they want to do is let in two sweaty naked men slapping each other. Honda and Owashi agreed to get a take out meal but they also dragged Ohka along with them back to the venue. After Match #5 Honda and Owashi ate their take out meal in the locker room with a captive Ohka bound and gagged behind them. KUDO entered the room demanding money because nobody paid the 3,100 yen bill! KUDO agreed to chop Ohka 31 times instead, bringing the total number of Chops thrown to 1,000! Everyone agreed to end the match there resulting in 100,000 yen being donated to charity in Sasadango’s name.


Revised June Schedule, Audience Shows Return, Complete Peter Pan 2020 Cards

May 31, 2020

First let’s get the bad news out of the way. Even though Japan is entering the second phase of lifting their Coronavirus restrictions, the DDT Group are following requests from venues to cancel the following shows in June and July:

DDT “BLACK OUT PRESENTS KING OF DDT 2020 THE FINAL!!”, 28/06/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2020 ~DRAMATIC DREAM TAKESHI~”, 02/07/2020
Tokyo Hanayashiki Asakusa Flower Theater

MUSCLE “HIRAGANA MUSCLE 3”, 09/07/2020
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

DDT “KAZUKI HIRATA 10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW! 10 YEARS OF HIRATA GO!!”, 18/07/2020
Tokyo Belle Epoque Beauty School 2nd School Hall

DDT “DATE CITY 2ND ROUND! 1 YEAR UNTIL THE 60TH BIRTHDAY! ~GORGEOUS NIGHT~”, 19/07/2020
Fukushima Date City Hobara Gymnasium

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Now here’s the good news. The DDT Group can run shows in front of audiences again! They have to put in safety precautions of course such as limiting the number of seats at the venues (either around 100 fans or 50% capacity looks to be deal across the board depending on the venue size). Fans going to shows will need to wear medical masks, get their temperatures checked and have their hands disinfected as they enter. New shows in June have been announced today across the different promotions. They will be held in venues that provide a lot of open air and ventilation. That means Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Shinjuku FACE, Itabashi Green Hall and Tsurumi Vegetable Market for those not paying attention. DDT TV SHOW episodes #7 & #8 will also continue to take place as planned. DDT can now advertise the worst kept secret that they were taped in Shinjuku FACE. The revised schedule for June is as follows.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “KOKO NI IRUZEE!”, 13/06/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

DDT “WITH DRAMATIC DREAM TEAM”, 14/06/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

GANBARE☆WRESTLING “COMEBACK ANYTIME 2020”, 14/06/2020
Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “KOKO NI IRUZEE!”, 20/06/2020
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #7”, 20/06/2020
Shinjuku FACE

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TSURUMI VOL. 1”, 21/06/2020
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #8”, 27/06/2020
Shinjuku FACE

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TSURUMI VOL. 2”, 28/06/2020
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market

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DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 1”, 06/06/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio

1. Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Keigo Nakamura & Hideki Okatani
2. Keisuke Ishii & HARUKAZE Vs Hiroshi Yamato & Saori Anou
3. DDT Yuru-chara No. 1 Battle In Niigata: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Pokotan
4. Singles Match Between Wrestlers Who Want To Participate In DDT Regularly: Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Seigo Tachibana
5. Jun Akiyama & Mizuki Watase Vs Akito & Yuki Iino
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title – Hardcore 3 Way Match: Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Isami Kodaka Vs Shunma Katsumata
7. DDT Vs Kongoh All Out Battle!: Sanshiro Takagi, Kazusada Higuchi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya & Hao
8. TOKYO 2020 LAST MAN STANDING: Yoshihiko Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Before the audiences can come back, “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” will hopefully be the bookend for DDT’s empty arena era (fingers crossed). I don’t think I’ll write a full blown preview for these shows due to the short amount of time most of the matches were put together. So this will do for now.

The big feud of DDT TV SHOW has been between Konosuke Takeshita and Yoshihiko. A hatred led to warning messages of “ALL OUT All Dead” where Yoshihiko defeated each member of the unit one by one. It even brought back another battle doll named Akihiro to join the fight. Yesterday ALL OUT reached their breaking point and launched a vicious counter attack where Takeshita ripped off Akihiro’s arm. Alone again, Yoshihiko has to fight Takeshita one more time in a Last Man Standing match!

Kongoh popped by to visit Sanshiro Takagi on yesterday’s DDT TV SHOW. They seem like nice lads. Well if you ignore the leader Kenou threatening violence on Takagi if he doesn’t leave NOAH alone. That’s difficult because Takagi is NOAH’s president. And as president Takagi is ordering Kenoh, Masa Kitamiya & Hao to fight him, Kazusada Higuchi & Tomomitsu Matsunaga in a DDT ring!

Daisuke Sasaki originally chose Shunma Katsumata to be his next DDT UNIVERSAL Title defence because he thinks it is a match he can easily win. Then two things happened that he did not expect. One, Isami Kodaka came in wanting to win a title that didn’t exist back when he was a DDT employee. And two, Katsumata went into his Super Hardcore form to attack the champion. A Hardcore 3 Way Match will solve those problems.

Mizuki Watase has shown some progress by wrestling with coach Jun Akiyama. This is the first time they are teaming together.

Both Nobuhiro Shimatani and Seigo Tachibana want regular bookings in DDT. The company isn’t big enough for the both of them.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020 DAY 2”, 07/06/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio

1. Super Sasadango Machine Remote Produce Match: Toru Owashi Vs Antonio Honda
2. Tokyo Joshi Pro 6-Woman Tag Match: Yuka Sakazaki, Miyu Yamashita & Shoko Nakajima Vs Rika Tatsumi, Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Chris Brookes & Maki Itoh
4. DDT Extreme Title – Celebration! Release Restriction Rules: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Yukio Naya
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Danshoku Dieno (c) Vs Makoto Oishi
6. HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs MAO & Asuka
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs T-Hawk & El Lindaman
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo

On Day 2, Tetsuya Endo reaches his destination. There was a setback here and there but now nothing is stopping him from facing Masato Tanaka for the KO-D Openweight Title. Endo’s big goal for #DAMNHEARTS is to monopolize DDT’s championships so T-Hawk & El Lindaman are challenging Nautilus for the KO-D Tag Team Titles.

MAO will return from injury one day too late. The last active Right To Challenge Gauntlet has expired and he was too hurt to use it. So he has to take a detour and will chase after the UNIVERSAL Title. MAO will also team with Asuka for now because the Coronavirus measures prevent Mike Bailey from entering Japan. They get a big challenge in the form of HarashiMarufuji!

Danshoku Dieno is finally moving away from his Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title defences against Antonio Honda. He still hasn’t beat him but another figure decided to get in his way. Makoto Oishi has a decade of history with Dieno and he will let it all out for the big clash.


DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #5” Results

May 30, 2020

DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #5”, 30/05/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio
0 Fans

1. Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Chris Brookes, Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya by TKO when Sakaguchi used the Modified Sleeper Hold on Watase (9:41).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Antonio Honda defeated Danshoku Dieno (c) by Disqualification when Dieno gave the referee a Low Blow (8:11).
*No title change due to Disqualification.
3. DAMNATION VS ALL OUT!: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao defeated Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino when Takao pinned Iino with a Running Elbow Butt (13:18).
4. Jun Akiyama defeated Hideki Okatani with a Crab Hold (4:24).
5. Konosuke Takeshita & Akito defeated Yoshihiko & Akihiro by Referee Stoppage when Takeshita ripped Akihiro’s arm off (9:35).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & El Lindaman (c) defeated HARASHIMA, Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura when Endo pinned Ueno with the Shooting Star Press (16:17).
*V2 for #DAMNHEARTS.

One week to go until “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” and everything is set for the big weekend. Tetsuya Endo is now all clear to challenge for the KO-D Openweight Title. Today’s main event was changed into an official KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles defence when DISASTER BOX asked for it. Yuki Ueno wanted the most motivation possible for his first match back in two months. El Lindaman accepted on his team’s behalf but only DISASTER BOX understood that challenging twice in a row means there is also a big risk attached. #DAMNHEARTS had already beaten them once before and they wouldn’t agree to a second chance under normal circumstances. T-Hawk dodged the Somato from HARASHIMA but was Clotheslined out of the ring by Naomi Yoshimura. Lindaman got rid of Yoshimura with a German Suplex and then held Ueno up for Endo to hit him with the Handspring Overhead Kick. Endo got a nearfall with the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb then hit the Shooting Star Press while his teammates held the rest of DISASTER BOX back.

#DAMNHEARTS got an extra few shots in on DISASTER BOX after the match. Lindaman reminded them about the big risk they accepted. Now it’s time for the other tag belts to be defended. T-Hawk & El Lindaman want to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020”! Yoshimura accepted the challenge. Meanwhile Endo got confirmation that he is guaranteed to face Masato Tanaka for the KO-D Title on 7th June. He promised #STRONGHEARTS will take the KO-D Tag Title belts from Nautilus and he will take the KO-D Title from Gold’s Gym! Endo wants everyone to know that Saitama Super Arena is not his end goal. His end goal is for #DAMNHEARTS to monopolize all of the championships and make pro wrestling even hotter!

If having #STRONGHEARTS around wasn’t enough for DDT to handle, now there’s another invading force coming in, one a little more closer to home. The Kongoh stable from Pro Wrestling NOAH entered the ring before the main event and their leader Kenoh demanded to see Sanshiro Takagi. Kenoh hates Takagi! He hates that Takagi is the president of NOAH. He believes Takagi wants DDT to take over NOAH so Kenoh swears to protect NOAH from him. Takagi came out and told him they are in a DDT ring. He can complain all he wants but if it bothers him that much they should fight over it. As the president of NOAH, Takagi orders Kenoh to fight him in DDT! Kenoh shouted that he will! DDT and Kongo will face off at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” next weekend.

An eye for an eye. An arm for an arm. ALL OUT came out for revenge on Yoshihiko & Akihiro in a violent clash. The battle dolls were ambushed by Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Iino during their entrance. Konosuke Takeshita & Akito joined the beating and brought Yoshihiko into the ring to finish it off. Akihiro came to the rescue and the dolls gave Takeshita a Double Canadian Destroyer. They then went to German Suplex Akito but he switched positions with Katsumata’s help. Takeshita then grabbed onto them to deliver a quadruple stacked German Suplex! Akito dragged Yoshihiko over to the stage and tied him in knots before hanging the rolled up doll from the banners. Akito then forced Yoshihiko to watch on as Takeshita ripped off Akihiro’s arm! The referee stopped the match by TKO and Takeshita celebrated with his new trophy. He blamed Yoshihiko for all of the physical and mental anguish ALL OUT has suffered over the last month. Now it has suffered like they have. Takeshita challenged Yoshihiko to one more match next week to settle the score. It will be a Last Man Standing match!

The younger generation of DDT wrestlers have shown themselves eager to get in the ring with Jun Akiyama. The rookie Hideki Okatani jumped out of the starting blocks hitting Running Elbows. Akiyama took the wind out of his sails with a Body Slam onto the floor outside. Okatani tried to regain ground with more Elbow Strikes and even went for a Northern Lights Suplex but Akiyama cut him off with a Guillotine Choke. Akiyama let go just to knee Okatani in the head. There was enough in the rookie to kick out of the pin but when the Crab Hold was locked in it was all over once Akiyama moved it to the centre of the ring.

Soma Takao pinned Yuki Iino in the DAMNATION Vs ALL OUT tag match but the story to focus on was what happened afterwards. Daisuke Sasaki’s interview was interrupted by an attack from Shunma Katsumata in his Super Hardcore form. A confused Sasaki shouted about how Katsumata looked like he came from a wedding while he was being attacked. He then called for the police or Batman to save him. Katsumata beat him up with chairs and gave him a Pedigree onto the chair covered with toy blocks. He then raised the DDT UNIVERSAL Title over his head.

Let’s try this Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title match again! Early in the bout, Antonio Honda put Danshoku Dieno in a tight Hammerlock. Dieno sounded like he was about to say “Give Up” but instead said different phrases that rhymed with it. Honda then tried palm reading to see Dieno’s fortune. He found out Dieno’s pro wrestling luck is the worst! Dieno put Honda in a Sleeper Hold and almost made him pass out. Honda’s arm fell two times but on the third it popped up with a Gongitsune puppet on his hand. The match suddenly paused and the WRESTLE UNIVERSE audience were given time to vote on Twitter what they wanted to happen next. Either a) Dieno could listen to Gongitsune, b) Dieno told his own story or c) the referee gets attacked for some reason. The audience voted for b) and Dieno told his own Gongitsune story. But when he went for the Sweet Chin Music sneak attack, Honda dodged it and it hit Yukinori Matsui in the groin instead! For some reason Dieno and Honda agreed to attack Matsui together. Matsui fought them off with a Double Lariat but when he went to leave, Dieno gave him a Low Blow. A badly hurt Matsui disqualified Dieno but he remains the champion.

More antics happened straight away when Makoto Oishi entered the ring and gave Stunners to Dieno and Matsui. He demanded an Iron Man Title match because he can give Dieno a lively challenge. Dieno told Oishi he’s been waiting for him all this time and on 7th June they will settle 10 years of history between them. He went for a handshake but Oishi spat in his face instead.

Unfortunately due to a right ankle injury he suffered during training, MAO is currently out of action. The good news is he will recover in time to wrestle on 7th June. The bad news is the Right To Challenge Gauntlet he currently possesses expires before that date. Today’s show was the last chance it could be used. MAO threw a hissy fit over the decision and said he wants to give the Gauntlet to Mike Bailey if he can’t use it. Hisaya Imabayashi told him that was impossible. MAO has no other friends so he doesn’t know what to do. Imabayashi then struck him a deal. He gives up the Gauntlet and it becomes invalid. In return a new Gauntlet will be active after “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. When MAO comes back he will be put in the match where the new Gauntlet is on the line. MAO agreed to the deal. He then found out he will team with Asuka to take on HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji for his return match! MAO likes that idea. Since Bailey can’t be in DDT for now, maybe MAO teaming with Asuka will be the next best thing.

Eruption are now bouncing back from their failed plan to take over DDT’s main event scene. Their win in the opener was also a preview of their tag match against the NEO Itoh Respect Army next week. Chris Brookes got to tangle with both Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai. A motivated Mizuki Watase went after Sakaguchi but his Back Drop was countered into a Sleeper Hold. Brookes & Yukio Naya were taken out by the rest of Eruption while Sakaguchi sent Watase to sleep.

After last week’s setback, Seigo Tachibana returned at some point during the show again demanding to be booked. Imabayashi told him he wouldn’t because he couldn’t beat Okatani last week. Tachibana threatened him into giving another match. Suddenly Nobuhiro Shimatani entered the room also demanding to be booked! He lost 15kg in weight since his last DDT appearance and thinks he deserves to be here more than Tachibana does. The two were about to fight when Imabayashi told them they can have a match on Day 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. Tachibana then admitted he thought that show was today.


DDT “JUDGEMENT 2020 ~DDT 23RD ANNIVERSARY~” Results

March 20, 2020

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2020 ~DDT 23RD ANNIVERSARY~”, 20/03/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
916 Fans

0. Exhibition Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Jordan Heatley with the Canadian Backbreaker (3:50).
1. Hideki Okatani Debut Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Keigo Nakamura defeated Shunma Katsumata & Hideki Okatani when Yoshimura pinned Okatani with a Lariat (6:01).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Masahiro Takanashi defeated Toru Owashi (c) with a School Boy (11:51 am).
*Masahiro Takanashi becomes the 1,474th champion.
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Battle Royal: Kazuki Hirata defeated Masahiro Takanashi (c), Toru Owashi, Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda, Mizuki Watase, Yukio Naya and Hiroshi Yamato (7:42).
2a. Toru Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato eliminated Masahiro Takanashi (c) with a Double Lateral Cradle (2:06).
*Toru Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato both become the 1,745th co-champions.
2b. Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase eliminated Toru Owashi (1/2 c) & Hiroshi Yamato (1/2 c) with Simultaneous Pinfalls (2:40).
*Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase all become the 1,746th co-champions.
2c. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Mizuki Watase (1/4 c) with a School Boy (5:13).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes 1/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2d. Kazuki Hirata (1/4 c) eliminated Yukio Naya (1/4 c) with a School Boy (5:54).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes 2/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2e. Kazuki Hirata (2/4 c) eliminated Antonio Honda (1/4 c) by Pinfall (6:54).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes 3/4 of the 1,476th champions.
2f. Kazuki Hirata (3/4 c) eliminated Danshoku Dieno (1/4 c) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:42).
*Kazuki Hirata becomes the unified 1,477th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) with a School Boy (12:01 pm).
*Toru Owashi becomes the 1,478th champion.
3. CIMA, Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & El Lindaman defeated Shinya Aoki, MAO, Mike Bailey & Makoto Oishi when Takao pinned Oishi with the Mad Splash (9:24).
4. HARASHIMA, Naomichi Marufuji & Yuki Ueno defeated Akito, Yuki Iino & Royce Chambers when HARASHIMA pinned Akito with the Somato (10:33).
5. Business Alliance Vs Eruption!: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Tetsuya Endo, T-Hawk & Nobuhiro Shimatani when Sakaguchi pinned Shimatani with the God’s Right Knee (9:15).
5a. Emergency Decision: Tetsuya Endo defeated Royce Chambers with the Shooting Star Press (4:42).
*Royce Chambers cashed in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the Crossover Facelock (20:35).
*Chris Brookes fails in V1. Daisuke Sasaki becomes the 2nd DDT UNIVERSAL Champion!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Masato Tanaka (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Rolling Elbow (22:56).
*V2 for Masato Tanaka.

Heck if I know if it was a good idea to do this but DDT’s monthly Korakuen Hall show went ahead today in front of an audience. The main event to celebrate DDT’s 23rd anniversary saw the face of the company attempt to regain the KO-D Openweight Title. The champion Masato Tanaka used chairs to great effect, using them to attack Konosuke Takeshita’s knees as well as hit a direct chairshot to the head. A Splash from the top rope through a table outside also caused great damage to Takeshita. However Takeshita used the chair against Tanaka by Corner To Corner Dropkicking it into his face. Takeshita hit an Avalanche Air Raid Crash but Tanaka kicked out of the pin. The Fable was countered into a Power Bomb. Tanaka kept using Elbow Strikes to cut off Takeshita’a offence. He would hit short range Sliding D’s but Takeshita would find a way to prevent Tanaka from hitting the move at full force. Takeshita threw his own Elbow Strikes but Tanaka stood tall at the end when he pulled off his elbow pad and struck Takeshita raw with an unprotected Rolling Elbow. There was no kicking out after that.

Tanaka said he was so happy to fight Takeshita today because of the struggle he gave him. When Takeshita left ringside, Yuki Iino approached the ring threatening to cash in his Right To Challenge Gauntlet. However it was only a threat and he left without doing anything. Tanaka had an opportunity to choose his next challenger again but he wasn’t sure who to pick. Suddenly, Yukio Sakaguchi sprung into the ring! He wants the next title shot in April. The match was accepted with Tanaka standing on the middle rope so he could look down on Sakaguchi. The final words went to Sakaguchi. In April will win the KO-D Title and Kazusada Higuchi will win the Saitama Super Arena Sword. That will mean when June comes around, the main event of Saitama Super Arena will be occupied entirely by Eruption! Sakaguchi then thanked the fans for coming out today. He works a regular job along with his pro wrestling career so he is grateful that the fans continue to support DDT. In return everybody in DDT is encouraged to do their best.

Easy come, easy go. The first DDT UNIVERSAL Champion loses the belt in his first defence. An out of ring brawl made up the early part of the match with Chris Brookes attempting to put Daisuke Sasaki through some chairs with the Praying Mantis Bomb. Instead Sasaki dropped both Brookes and himself into the row of chairs with a Russian Leg Sweep. Sasaki also hit a Diving Elbow Drop from the ring corner to a seated Brookes outside the ring. DAMNATION interfered once Brookes regained some ground. Sasaki intentionally used Brookes to take out Daisuke Kiso. Tetsuya Endo’s Overhead Kick hit Sasaki by mistake and Brookes hit the Praying Mantis Bomb. Kiso counted the pin until Mad Paulie pulled him out of the ring. Brookes wiped out DAMNATION with a dive then made Sasaki submit to the Octopus Hold but there was no referee to call the match. Nobuhiro Shimatani came in to attack Brookes with the DAMNATION signboard but Masahiro Takanashi came out to get rid of him. Kiso got back up to count some nearfalls like Sasaki’s Diving Elbow and Brookes’ Tombstone Piledriver. Brookes went for the Praying Mantis Bomb once more but Sasaki countered it into the Cross Facelock. He then switched it into the Crossover Facelock to make Brookes submit.

Sasaki’s first words as the new champion was “Old dog never die!” He said all beer from the UK is soft with no carbonation so he will not take on any challengers from Britain anymore. Antonio Honda entered the ring to challenge Sasaki but he tripped over the ropes. He got back up and said Sasaki has a filthy heart. Sasaki began to meditate to fix that problem but Honda told him to get back up. Honda challenged Sasaki to a title match but he was turned down.

As briefly mentioned earlier, Eruption has the main event of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” in their sights. Sakaguchi is going straight after the KO-D Title while Higuchi is now targeting Endo for the SSA Sword. Higuchi threw Endo for a loop by using a Package Power Bomb but it was Sakaguchi who won the match by pinning Shimatani. T-Hawk was earlier taken out with a Higuchi Lariat so it was a rough match for the Business Alliance.

When the match ended, El Lindaman promoted the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match he, Endo & T-Hawk will be a part of in two days time. ALL OUT interrupted the Business Alliance because Royce Chambers had something to say. He will be going back to Australia tomorrow so he is using his Right To Challenge Gauntlet to win the SSA Sword right now! Chambers went for the kill by using his own high flying moves to counter Endo’s. They both used Canadian Destroyers on each other but Endo took it one step further by doing a Double Arm Canadian Destroyer. Chambers kicked out of the pin after that but was down and out when Endo hit the Shooting Star Press. Endo got on the mic and said as long as he is in the ring, nobody else will get the chance to be at the top! He told Chambers to study more Japanese if he ever comes back. He then joked about wrestling in saunas before warning ALL OUT that the Business Alliance will win the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles! Whoever comes out as the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions after 22nd March will defend the belts against DISASTER BOX on 4th April.

Naomichi Marufuji was back to team with DISASTER BOX and his partnership with HARASHIMA in particular had not lost a step. When Yuki Ueno dove out of the ring onto Iino & Chambers, it left HARASHIMA & Marufuji alone with Akito. Together they hit a Double Thrust Kick, Marufuji did the Shiranui and HARASHIMA won with the Somato.

After the match, HARASHIMA thanked Marufuji for reforming HarashiMarufuji after a long time apart. They brought up the idea of tagging together at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. That caused CIMA & Soma Takao to come out. CIMA made fun of the HarashiMarufuji team name. It isn’t an easy name to say. CimaSoma is easy to say which means it is a better name. CIMA could have confronted Marufuji back on the 3rd January DDT show but he was occupied with Business Alliance stuff. In the end CimaSoma challenged HarashiMarufuji to a match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. Marufuji isn’t interested in fighting Takao but he can’t turn down the chance to wrestle CIMA for the first time since their Budokan tag match in NOAH way back in 2007!

A Mad Splash from CIMA followed by a Mad Splash from Takao gave the Business Alliance the victory in the 8-Man Tag Match. The bout was Shinya Aoki’s first 8-Man Tag Match and also the return of Mike Bailey to DDT. Aoki found out after the match that his next DDT Extreme Title defence is on 5th April. An opponent has not been decided yet but he would like to face Makoto Oishi in a matchup between Sambo and Judo. Meanwhile The Moonlight Express want to win the KO-D Tag Team Titles so they can claim the shiny new championship belts.

The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title lineage was fractured into multiple co-champions during the Battle Royal. Before the match even begun, Takanashi pinned Toru Owashi during his entrance to win the belt. Everyone chased Takanashi into the ring so the Rumble style entries were thrown out and a regular Battle Royal began. Owashi & Hiroshi Yamato pinned Takanashi at the same time to they became co-champions. The two of them were then all pinned by Danshoku Dieno, Yukio Naya, Antonio Honda & Mizuki Watase at the same time creating 4 co-champions! Kazuki Hirata had to eliminated each of the 4 co-champions to unify the title back into one whole piece. All of that hard work was taken away when Owashi pinned Hirata after the match to become the champion again.

The debuting Hideki Okatani was pinned in his first match as expected. He was mostly on the defensive against Naomi Yoshimura and also Keigo Nakamura. He was able to do a Northern Lights Suplex after Shunma Katsumata softened Yoshimura up. But a Lariat put Okatani down for the three count. Just like Nakamura, Okatani’s goal is to beat a senior wrestler as soon as possible.

The trainee Jordan Heatley faced Higuchi in the pre-show exhibition match. Heatley tried to put on a Tazzmission but Higuchi instead submitted him with the Canadian Backbreaker. Heatley will make his official debut against Honda on 2nd April.

Yoshiaki Yatsu appeared to introduce the show and also promote his return match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN”.

The 5th opponent in Saki Akai’s “Okibariyasu” trial is Syuri. Akai knows Syuri is a powerful kicker so she is looking forward to comparing them with her own kicks. Their match is on 2nd April.

DDT is holding a Falls Count Anywhere Match inside the Saitama Anzukai Clinic to protect the elderly from the COVID-19. The match on 30th March will be Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata & Gorgeous Matsuno Vs Shinya Aoki, Makoto Oishi & Gabai Ji-chan.