DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL” Results

December 4, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 THE FINAL”, 04/12/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
711 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Soma Takao, Hideki Okatani & Hikaru Machida defeated Yuya Koroku, Yuki Ishida & Takeshi Masada when Takao pinned Ishida with the Gin And Tonic (8:36).
2. Soccer Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari (3) defeated Akito & Antonio Honda (2) by Penalty Shootout.
2a. Akito (1) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Gene LeBell Style Rolling Cradle (1st Half 0:18).
2b. Akito (2) pinned Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (0) with a Free Kick (1st Half 1:21).
2c. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (1) pinned Akito (2) with the Ketsugoye (2nd Half 0:37).
2d. Yuki “Sexy” Iino (2) pinned Akito (2) with the Sexy Lariat (2nd Half 2:54).
*Pheromotia advance to the Final 8.
3. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima when Endo pinned Kojima with the Burning Star Press (12:09).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated HARASHIMA, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kazuma Sumi when Hirata pinned Sumi with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (10:25).
5. DDT Extreme Title – TLC Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Joey Janela (c) with the Wrist Clutch Exploder Suplex (11:32).
*Joey Janela fails in V5. Jun Akiyama becomes the 56th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. Special 8-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuji Hino, Chris Brookes & RSP defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON when Higuchi pinned Paul with the Buchikamashi (10:50).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – Final: Yuki Ueno defeated Yukio Naya with the BME (20:32).

The reigning DDT Universal Champion is now also the D-Ou Grand Prix winner for 2022! Before the tournament even began Yuki Ueno has been calling his shot to win the whole thing as part of his quest to be the leading figure in DDT. He achieved it here by beating Yukio Naya in the final. Naya came into the match as confident as he has ever been and looked to win with sheer power. He used an Avalanche Choke Slam as his big move to set up the Torture Cobra Twist. Ueno relied on his own speed and agility in response, nearly scoring a countout win after a Moonsault out of the ring. The BME was countered at first when Naya blocked it with his knees. Ueno tried to show fighting spirit against his opponent’s Lariats and Knee Strikes until he started to show signs of collapse. His second wind came when he countered a Choke Slam with a Triangle Choke. He used his new Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher but was too beaten up to go for the pin. When both stood back up, Naya got the first blow and landed the Back Drop. However he too was slow to make the cover and Ueno kicked out. Naya rushed in for a final attack and he ran straight into a series of Dropkicks until he couldn’t get back up. Ueno got to hit the BME in the end and that was enough to win him the match.

Naya received applause from the crowd as he left ringside. Ueno stayed in the ring to receive his trophy from Kenta Kobashi. Ueno called Naya a big and amazing opponent that he was able to beat on his own. Ueno promises he will still work hard to become the best in DDT and get more people to watch DDT. He wants everybody to love DDT as much as he does. He has the DDT Universal Title, just won the D-Ou Grand Prix and now wants to win the KO-D Openweight Title! He’s sure Konosuke Takeshita is watching him from America and knows he wouldn’t be working so hard if it wasn’t for his friends. Backstage Naya showed frustration because he said he was going to carry DDT on his shoulders like a big shot only to lose in the final. He swore in 2023 he will go higher and become big enough to challenge for the KO-D Title. Kobashi praised Naya for not running out of stamina during such a long match and being able to respond to Ueno’s fast pace. Last year he was told by people in DDT that Ueno is a genius. Kobashi is beginning to understand the claim after watching him throughout the Grand Prix. He also thinks the future of DDT is blossoming because the final was between two wrestlers in their 20s.

A collection of heavyweights from the D-Ou group stages all joined forces to fight against DAMNATION T.A. The size differences took Minoru Fujita off guard. The opposition all ganged up on him and pulled off the Kai En Tai pyramid pose with Chris Brookes posing at the top. KANON tried slowing down Yuji Hino with the Cobra Twist. Daisuke Sasaki wanted to fight everyone off with a chair but was given a Double Choke Slam from RSP & Brookes. Hino then gathered most of DAMNATION T.A together outside the ring so RSP could do a Topé into them. MJ Paul showed some fight against Kazusada Higuchi but he too was decimated with the Buchikamashi sumo charge for the three count. After the match Higuchi said it does not matter if his next challenger is Ueno or Naya. He just wants to fight and defend the championship.

For the first time in his decorated career Jun Akiyama was taking part in a TLC Match. His opponent Joey Janela came up with the stipulation for the DDT Extreme Title match for his own benefit. Except that does not change the face he still had to fight Jun Akiyama! The challenger gradually found his footing in an arena filled with Tables, Ladders and Chairs all available to be used as weapons. He threw Janela out of the ring onto a castle of chairs. He also gave Janela the Exploder Suplex onto a ladder inside the ring. Janela showed his guts and went high risk. It paid off with a Diving Elbow from a ladder putting Akiyama through a table. He wanted to continue the attack but Akiyama gave him an Avalanche Exploder onto another table. Janela kicked out so Akiyama had to give him the Wrist-Clutch Exploder to finally put him away and win the Extreme Title!

After the match Janela finally showed Akiyama some respect by shaking his hand. Janela later said Akiyama earned his respect by stepping into his area of hardcore wrestling and winning. As Akiyama was leaving the ring, Super Sasadango Machine appeared and called for his attention. He told everyone that he has not wrestled much in 2022 and wanted to make a year end adjustment. He figured if he could challenge Akiyama for the Extreme Title at the end of the year it would make up for his inactivity. Akiyama thought about it and agreed. He then asked Sasadango how much he weighed. Sasadango answered he is 125kg. Akiyama told him to lose 20kg and then left the ring. Hisaya Imabayashi used his GM powers to make the match official for 29th December.

Naruki Doi’s request to face DDT’s best led him straight to HARASHIMA. Although first he had to go through Kazuma Sumi because the rookie wanted to start the match against him. Kazuki Hirata did not show as much bravery when he had to share the ring with Yukio Sakaguchi. Doi and HARASHIMA got to fight each other eventually but Hirata continued to look like the weak link. He took a Running Knee from Sakaguchi in the corner, a Springboard Splash from HARASHIMA and a Standing Moonsault from Sumi. However Hirata kicked out of the pin and suddenly caught Sumi in the Miracle One Shot Cradle to win the match for his team out of nowhere.

Hirata wanted to give a victory speech but he was interrupted by Tetsuya Endo’s theme music. Endo walked out with Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada by his side. Endo said he hadn’t forgotten about Doi mentioning his name in Kyoto as somebody he wants to fight. This is Endo accepting the challenge! He also wants it to be a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. Hirata tried to speak but Doi cut him off. Doi thinks it is a chance of fate because not only does he want to fight Endo, he also never thought he would see Suzuki in a DDT ring again. Doi told them his next scheduled appearance for DDT is on 29th December. He asked Toru Owashi who was the authority around here and was confused when he was pointed over to Imabayashi. The GM confirmed the title match will happen on the 29th.

The BURNING trio had just wrestled in the match before, beating The 37KAMIINA. Suzuki squared off with Shunma Katsumata. The two of them had a singles match in DNA 5 years ago and Katsumata was eager to show hot much he has grown since then. Toi Kojima also wanted to test himself against the veteran. He ended up on the worst end of things by taking Suzuki’s Tombstone, then Okada’s Diving Headbutt and finally Endo’s Burning Star Press for the finish. Endo and Suzuki treated the match as their first introductions to each other. Suzuki also called DDT a new view for him to experience now that he is freelance. Katsumata wants another chance to fight Suzuki and show he can surpass him. MAO was in a bit of a bad mood after seeing the video of Akiyama interviewing Suzuki. In the video there are three times when Akiyama said DDT became a stronger place after he joined the company. That line has been bothering MAO ever since he heard it.

The success of Japan in the World Cup has Pheromones feeling football crazy. They all walked down to the ring wearing football kits and demanding their match be held under Soccer Rules. Every 1 Count pinfall counted as a goal. At first the plan backfired when Akito quickly pinned Dieno early in the 1st half. Dieno then caused a foul which allowed Akito to score a second goal from a free Dropkick. Antonio Honda was in the middle of telling his Gongitsune joke when Yukinori Matsui blew his whistle and ended the half. For the 2nd Half, Yumehito Imanari was brought in as a substitute for Dieno. Yuki Iino blocked Honda’s Bionic Elbow and used the Katsugoye to make the score 2-1. Imanari then pinned Akito to make it 2-2 but the pinfall was disallowed after a VAR review. Play restarted and Iino pinned Akito with the Sexy Lariat. Akito pleaded for another VAR review, claiming that Iino’s ball was showing outside of his skimpy costume. VAR showed that the ball was still in bounds within the line by the slightest of margins so the goal stood. The match went to an actual penalty shootout in the ring and Imanari scored the winning shot to send his team into the Quarter Finals! Final score: Pheromotia 3 – 2 Subjugation JAPAN.

The first match of the day featured the return of the kickboxer Hikaru Machida. He had some striking exchanges with Takeshi Masada when they were both in the ring. Yuya Koroku used a Waterwheel Drop on Soma Takao, setting up his team to launch a train attack against him. Yuki Ishida tried to take it all the way until Machida & Hideki Okatani cut him off. Ishida kicked out of Takao’s Running Elbow but was down and out when Takao did the Gin And Tonic.

Dieno announced some new matches for his book launch event at Korakuen Hall on 21st December. Doi and Katsumata face off in a first time singles match. Kazusada Higuchi, Thanomsak Toba & Yuki Ishida Vs Tesuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & DJ Nira will also happen on the show.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL” Results

November 18, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KORAKUEN HALL”, 18/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
450 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yusuke Okada defeated Yuki Ishida with the Sudden Death (6:45).
0. Dark Match – 3 Vs 4 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Akito, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda & Gorgeous Matsuno when Iino pinned Honda after the Sexy Lock Up (8:28).
1. Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Yuya Koroku when KANON pinned Koroku with the Sleepy Hollow (5:57).
2. Special 8-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Doi pinned Kojima with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (11:38).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) Vs RSP (4) ended in a Double Countout (11:36).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (5) with the Harai Goshi (7:05).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (5) with the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (16:53).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (4) defeated Yuji Hino (7) with a Modified Samson Clutch (12:10).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (8) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (7) with the Back Drop (19:05).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (6)
2. Tetsuya Endo (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
4. RSP (4)
-. Joey Janela (4)
-. Naomi Yoshimura (4)

B Block

1. Yukio Naya (8)
2. Yuji Hino (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
4. Chris Brookes (4)
5. KANON (2)
-. MAO (2)

The race to the final is complete and two men are left to fight over who will win the 2022 D-Ou Grand Prix. The Block was decided by what is possibly the biggest upset in the entire tournament this year when Yukio Naya defeated Kazusada Higuchi! The reigning KO-D Openweight Champion was one of two unbeaten wrestlers left in the group and when the path opened up for him to remain the only one at the finish, but Naya decided it would go differently. The Headbutt was the key move in a Higuchi match yet again. The twist however was the move came from Naya to get the advantage. Some Knee Lifts were used afterwards to soften up Higuchi for the Back Drop for the surprise result. Naya’s win means he vaults over the two top heavyweights to reach the final!

So how did it all go wrong for Yuji Hino, the other undefeated wrestler in B Block? Blame CDK for that. Chris Brookes relied on Masahiro Takanashi to help him get a win. The referee was taken out after being used as a shield then Takanashi gave Hino a Low Blow right when he was about to hit the Fuckin’ BOMB on Brookes. Makoto Oishi came to the rescue by grabbing the Asia Dream Tag Team Title belt off of Takanashi. However Brookes then pushed Oishi right into Hino, knocking the big guy loopy when he head first came into contact with the title belt. He was still able to kick out of the pin but was too dazed to kick out of a Samson Clutch afterwards. Brookes isn’t happy with this year being the fourth in a row he failed to win the final. If things don’t improve for him in the next 12 months he does not see a point in him being in the next D-Ou GP. Hino isn’t mad because he doesn’t feel like he lost. All he knows is his head and crotch both hurt so he just wants to go home and get into his bed.

The A Block was a much tighter race with five of the six contestants still in the running one way or another. When the dust settled it was Yuki Ueno who was left standing above everyone else in first place uncontested. He took a beating to get there because Daisuke Sasaki attacked him with plenty of chairs in their match. But Ueno had enough with that kind of stuff and stopped Sasaki with a Dropkick. He hit the BME but Sasaki only kicked out at one. He also blocked the Crossface Lock when Sasaki tried to convert it into the Crossover Facelock. However the BME only got a one count so Ueno had to pull out his new finisher, the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher to clear past Sasaki and book his place in the final. Sasaki is so upset over the loss he says 2022 has ended for himself and DAMNATION T.A as well as the first half of 2023. You’ll have to wait until the second half of 2023 to see them get their revenge!

Tetsuya Endo fell at the final hurdle thanks to Naomi Yoshimura. Endo was fighting for first place going into this show and would have made the final had he won, now that we know how Ueno Vs Sasaki went. Instead the Harai Goshi pinned Endo out of nowhere and dashed his chances of advancing. It’s been one of the few bright spots of Yoshimura’s tournament this year and he is currently not in the mood to talk about it. Meanwhile Endo is already thinking of any lessons he learned, figuring out that he has not grown since their last singles match while Yoshimura clearly has.

The two American wrestlers both left their mark in the A Block as wild cards disrupting everyone else’s chances. Both Joey Janela and RSP had slim chances of staying in the Grand Prix but they also had their sights set on each other during the entire tour due to their history together on the American indies. It led to a match where the two tried to destroy each other with the biggest moves they could think of. The biggest came when RSP gave Janela a Death Valley Bomb from the ring apron onto the floor outside. The move took out both men and the match ended in a Double Countout. Due to the new scoring rules implemented this year, a Double Counout means neither wrestlers received any points. Janela takes some enjoyment that the result stopped RSP from getting anywhere near the final. He also now wants to move on to his next target, Jun Akiyama! He thought he would get to fight Akiyama until he found out DDT added an age limit to this year’s D-Ou GP. If that’s not enough, while Janela is here in Japan Akiyama is in America wrestling Eddie Kingston in Janela’s previous workplace AEW! Janela wants Akiyama to come face him when he returns to Japan.

The D-Ou GP final is now set. The A Block winner Yuki Ueno faces the B Block winner Yukio Naya on 4th December. Ueno is in the final for the second year in a row and did not expect to be seeing Naya with him here. Naya’s a big guy but Ueno wants to live up to his promise to carry DDT on his own back. Naya said he is ready to do that too. He just beat Higuchi and now he has to beat Ueno. Should he do that then Naya will make it clear he wants to challenge Higuchi for the KO-D Title inside Tokyo Dome City Hall at the end of December!

Even without the tournament there is a lot of news coming out of this show. Naruki Doi made his next appearance for DDT, forming a team with DISASTER BOX that was nicknamed Disaster Muscle. Doi felt like he was being pranked with DISASTER BOX, The 37KAMIINA and even Takeshi Masada all getting him involved in wacky spots. Toru Owashi did his lucha while Kazuki Hirata tried to mimic MAO’s Koppojutsu but was easily brushed aside. He also tried to wear the Hirata GO! glasses but the music immediately caused Doi to kick him. Toi Kojima was the one to step up to Doi but was cut down with the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick. After the match HARASHIMA welcomed Doi to DDT and congratulated him on winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles, one of the few championships that HARASHIMA has never held. Doi asked the fans if they would like to see him face HARASHIMA some day? He then said he will be back in DDT on the 21st and 29th December. If anyone wants to fight Doi, Owashi & Hirata for the titles then Doi will accept any challengers… except for Shunma Katsumata.

KANON had a poor run in the tournament but that is all behind him now. He rejoined MJ Paul & Minoru Fujita to get a win against Eruption & Yuya Koroku. It was a close match with Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani keeping DAMNATION T.A on their toes. Koroku then took the lead against KANON but a reversal of fortunes saw KANON pin him with the Sleepy Hollow.

There were also two matches on the pre-show. Danshoku Dieno was absent with a fever so it was up to the rest of Pheromones to keep it up with their obscene antics. This is bad news for Akito because their behaviour is getting so bad that Korakuen Hall management may consider stepping in and banning DDT from doing further shows in the building. Yuki Iino & Koju Takeda may have found a kindred spirit because Gorgeous Matsuno was more than ready to compare his fit body with theirs. Antonio Honda used Iino’s backside to charge up Gongitsune but some bad targeting led to both Akito & Takanashi getting knocked out. Yumehito Imanari saw the opening and got his partners to lock up with each other. Doing so had them essentially teabag all of their opponents over and over into submission. Akito was mad with the result because he bungled the numbers advantage and now DDT is at risk of being kicked out of Korakuen. Pheromones need to be subjugated so Akito will bring in the political tag team of Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu for the big 29th December show at Tokyo Dome City Hall!

The other dark match saw Yusuke Okada take all that Yuki Ishida could throw at him. Ishida fought out of a Crab Hold and kicked out of a long distance Diving Headbutt. It was a good effort but Okada beat him with the Sudden Death in the end.

Katsumata feels like there is not enough excitement going around so he came up with an idea to do an Explosion Death Match in the new year. So one will take place in Tsurumi on 7th January where Katsumata will aim to surpass Atsushi Onita and become the Reiwa era’s version of “Evil Ways”. He promised that show will not end until he blows up Onita!

An update was given in regards to LiLiCo’s request to take part in the Anal Explosion opening ceremony for the 29h December show in TDC Hall. Hisaya Imabayashi took part in a show with LiLiCo’s husband Ryohei Odai during the week so he recorded a video discussing the situation with him. Odai does not like the idea but is under the impression that all couples have a rule where they do not need to be concerned for what their partners do with their anuses. So he is ok with LiLiCo and DDT going ahead with the ceremony.

DDT has a Korakuen show on 21st December to celebrate the launch of Dieno’s new book about his views on pro wrestling. Dieno will have a match against Muscle Sakai on the show. There will also be a match between Yuki Iino and Yumehito Imanari just because Dieno wants to see it happen.

Matsuno gave everyone a news update about his planned kidney transplant operation for his partner Junko Tashiro. It was previously announced that the operation was delayed until next Spring because Tashiro is in stable health and has no need to get a transplant right away. The operation is now scheduled for April but may be delayed again if Tashiro remains in good health. It is inevitable that the transplant will need to happen some day and when it does, Matsuno made a vow to return to the ring after it is completed.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KYOTO” Results

November 13, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KYOTO”, 13/11/2022
Kyoto KBS Hall
285 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. RSP, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Joey Janela, Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku submitted Sumi with the Chickenwing Arm Lock (4:59).
2. Pheromones Vs DISASTER BOX!: Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno by Disqualification when Iino attacked the referee (9:32).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya (6) defeated KANON (2) with the Back Drop (8:21).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino (7) defeated MAO (2) with the Fuckin’ BOMB (10:15).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Naruki Doi & Akito defeated Hideki Okatani, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Doi pinned Kojima with the Bakatare Sliding Kick (12:26).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (5) defeated Naomi Yoshimura (2) with the Sasaki Hurricanrana (9:10).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (7) defeated Chris Brookes (2) with a Headbutt (14:12).
8. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Saki Akai Produce Match: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & HARASHIMA defeated Aja Kong, Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata (c) when Sakaguchi pinned Katsumata with the God’s Right Knee (16:18).
*Yukio Sakaguchi becomes the 1,555th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Saki Akai defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (c) with a School Boy (7:59 pm).
*Saki Akai becomes the 1,556th champion.

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (5)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (5)
3. Yuki Ueno (4)
-. RSP (4)
-. Joey Janela (4)
6. Naomi Yoshimura (2)

B Block

1. Yuji Hino (7)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (7)
3. Yukio Naya (6)
4. Chris Brookes (2)
-. KANON (2)
-. MAO (2)

The day belonged to Saki Akai but we’ll start off with the D-Ou Grand Prix matches first. The B Block has become a close race between three wrestlers. Kazusada Higuchi is possibly one win away from reaching the final after he beat Chris Brookes. It may have come at a cost of his right hand though because Brookes attacked it with a metal fitting. The damage was enough to prevent Higuchi from using the Brain Claw but he pulled out a big Headbutt to put Brookes down for the three count. Higuchi felt his opponent’s passion in the match and felt he couldn’t lose to him. Brookes accepts he is out of the running but will do his best to beat Yuji Hino in his final block match.

Over in the A Block Daisuke Sasaki used a lot of foul play against Naomi Yoshimura by attacking his legs with chairs and getting MJ Paul to interfere. If that wasn’t enough, Sasaki used the Pedigree late in the match. That was the move Sasaki used to give Yoshimura a cervical sprain back in 2019. Thankfully the move did not end the same way today but Sasaki was able to pin Yoshimura with the Hurricanrana afterwards. The defeat ends any hope Yoshimura has of catching up with the field and he now cannot reach the final. Sasaki however is now neck and neck in first place with a former ally.

Hino finds himself tied with Higuchi in first place of the B Block. MAO tried to throw everything he could at him but couldn’t win. Not even the Alien Plancha and Michinoku Driver II could put the big man away. Hino still praised him for being an interesting wrestler. He said MAO’s Plancha was a higher jump than TAKA Michinoku’s and MAO’s version of the Michinoku Driver was more effective. For those reasons Hino is looking forward to fighting him again.

While Hino and Higuchi are fighting over the top spot, Yukio Naya is catching up with them. His win against KANON brings him only one point behind the leaders and a golden chance to leapfrog over them into the final. KANON ends his tournament run with only one win but still enjoyed being able to do whatever he wanted on his own.

With the Grand Prix out of the way, let’s get to the headline match. The show was Akai’s homecoming in Kyoto and she got to team with Yukio Sakaguchi & HARASHIMA against Aja Kong & The 37KAMIINA. The match was special for Shunma Katsumata too because of his longtime association with Kong going back to when he as a child got to meet and take pictures with her. Kong gave Akai a beating but Akai still fought back, hitting a big dive onto Yuki Ueno & Katsumata. Kong tried to attack Sakaguchi with a steel can but his Katsumata by accident. Sakaguchi then hit Katsumata with the God’s Right Knee, pinning him to win the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title.

Sakaguchi couldn’t even catch his breath when Akai rolled him up with a School Boy after the match to win the Iron Man Title from him! Before Sakaguchi could complain, Akai said he once told her not to show any openings to be attacked in the ring at any time. She is really happy she got to do a show in Kyoto again and be able to win a championship there too. After she finished her speech to close out the show, Hideki Okatani rolled her over with a School Boy but she kicked out at two, remaining as champion. She later said her goal with the belt is to achieve the most title defences with it.

Naruki Doi made his second DDT appearance today, winning a trios match with Tetsuya Endo & Akito on his team. He was impressed by the opposing team made up of young wrestlers but next he would like to have matches against both Endo and Akito!

Since Kyoto is home to game masters Nintendo, Danshoku Dieno declared he & Yuki Iino were going to become Pheromones Masters today. The result of this was Iino stripping out of his wrestling gear and “evolving” while Pokémon game music played over the speakers. This plan backfired when he ran the ropes in as little clothing as possible and ran into Yukinori Matsui, crotch to face. That was enough to get Iino disqualified.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 2” Results

November 5, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 2”, 05/11/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall
280 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Harimao Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul defeated Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when Paul pinned Ishida with the Death Valley Bomb (9:10).
2. Yukio Sakaguchi Produce Match ~ 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Pokotan & Gota Ihashi defeated Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Kazuki Hirata when Pokotan pinned Hirata with a Diving Body Press (9:59).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes (2) defeated KANON (2) with the House Piano Death (11:30).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Joey Janela (4) defeated Tetsuya Endo (3) with a Cradle (13:47).
5. Jun Akiyama, HARASHIMA, Soma Takao & Yukio Naya defeated MAO, Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Takeshi Masada when Naya pinned Masada with the Choke Slam (11:18).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno (4) defeated RSP (4) with a Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher (12:29).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (3) Vs Yuji Hino (5) ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).

A Block

1. Yuki Ueno (4)
-. RSP (4)
-. Joey Janela (4)
4. Tetsuya Endo (3)
5. Daisuke Sasaki (1)
6. Naomi Yoshimura (0)

B Block

1. Yuji Hino (5)
2. Kazusada Higuchi (3)
3. Yukio Naya (2)
-. Chris Brookes (2)
-. KANON (2)
-. MAO (2)

The second half of today’s Yokohama doubleheader ended with Kazusada Higuchi and Yuji Hino fighting each other to a 30 minute draw. A lot of it was built around Chop battles between the two inside and outside the ring. Shukan Puroresu reported 182 Chops were thrown in total (Higuchi threw 100 and Hino threw 82)! Higuchi used the Brain Claw as a counter to the Fuckin’ BOMB but Hino applied his own Brain Claw to Higuchi in response. Hino’s claw looked to be the stronger version against Higuchi’s but time ran out before anything could be determined. Hino remains undefeated and in first place. He compares Higuchi’s strength to those of Yuji Okabayashi and Daisuke Sekimoto. However he thinks Higuchi still has a long way to go and should focus on making his body bigger. Higuchi admits he probably put too much focus on the Chop battle because it was too much fun.

Yuki Ueno pulled out a new finisher to give RSP his first loss in DDT. The WR was ineffective against RSP due to the weight difference between the two. So Ueno used a move that for the moment is called the Rolling Guillotine Ace Crusher. It looks like a more flippy version of the Overdrive/Play Of The Day. Ueno said no matter how much damage he takes, it’s all about getting those two points at the end. He is the one who enjoys DDT the most and wants to make it to the final instead of anybody big or scary like RSP. He has a big match coming up next in the block against Naomi Yoshimura. RSP said if he had to lose to anyone, he is honored it was from Ueno because he is one of the best. He also made comments about Joey Janela, reminding “The Bad Boy” that boys do not become kings, grown men do.

Speaking of Janela, he lived up to his promise to score an upset win over Tetsuya Endo! The result almost did not happen that way when Endo blocked a Superplex and instead gave Janela an Avalanche Canadian Destroyer. Janela then kicked out of the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb so Endo went for the Burning Star Press. It was blocked by Janela’s knees and Endo was then rolled over into a Cradle for the surprise result. Janela is still fired up over losing his first match in the tournament and now has Daisuke Sasaki next on the schedule. He now promises to be a bloodthirsty wolf in Osaka and give everyone there a festival of blood! Endo still isn’t sure if his ankle is at 100% but he does not blame today’s loss on that because he was able to do the Sasuke Special. He warns Janela that the DDT Extreme Title is still in his sight even though he lost today.

KANON is the first wrestler to be mathematically eliminated from reaching the final. His fourth match out of five in the block was a defeat to Chris Brookes. The Cobra Twist that KANON relies so much on was skillyfully countered by Brookes into an Octopus Stretch. From there the move was turned into the House Piano Death and KANON had no choice but to give up. Brookes thinks he had the advantage because he only had one tournament match today while KANON had two. But he also thinks KANON does so many unnecessary things to try and throw his opponent off their game. That doesn’t work on Brookes because his soul is already dead. KANON was angry backstage and broke down into tears because he cannot fulfill his promise to meet with Sasaki in the final. The only thing that can cheer him up is if he kills Yukio Naya in his last group match!

Yukio Sakaguchi decided to produce a match without putting himself in it. So since he was absent, Kazuki Hirata figured he would make a good replacement and came out with Eruption acting and looking just like Sakaguchi! He and Hideki Okatani spent the match fighting with Pokotan while Gota Ihashi creeped out Saki Akai with his lust for her. Hirata knocked off Pokotan’s head, revealing it was Sakaguchi in the mascot costume all along! Hirata freaked out until he was caught by Eruption so Sakaguchi could Penalty Kick him. Sakaguchi then finished Hirata off with a Diving Body Press. Ihashi tried to pose with Eruption after the match but Sakaguchi threw Pokotan’s head at him.

DDT will be returning to the JR Omori Station in Tokyo on 27th November for their first outdoor show at the location in four years. The annual show always featured a defence of the World Omori Title which was last held by Chikara. Four years ago Masahiro Takanashi became the No. 1 Contender for the belt but this year he will be in Singapore while the show takes place. Soma Takao has been nominated as the next contender because of his reputation as the strongest drinker in Ota Ward. Takao does not want to be in the match but he is being forced to take part.


DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 OPENING ROUND” Results

November 1, 2022

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 OPENING ROUND”, 01/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
411 Fans

0. Dark Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino, Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno & Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) Vs Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata (w/ Akito) ended in a No Contest (7:49).
1. Yusuke Okada, Hideki Okatani & Yuki Ishida defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with a Spinebuster (9:03).
2. Joey Janela & Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Daisuke Sasaki & MJ Paul ended in a No Contest (7:39).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: RSP (2) defeated Naomi Yoshimura (0) with the GTF (8:14).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: MAO (2) defeated Chris Brookes (0) by Countout (11:53).
5. Jun Akiyama Produce Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA defeated Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada when Akiyama pinned Masada with the Exploder Suplex (11:38).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino (2) defeated Yukio Naya (0) with the World’s Best German Suplex (13:04).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (2) defeated KANON (0) with the Brain Claw Slam (18:33).
8. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Yuki Ueno (0) with the Burning Star Press (15:41).

A Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (2)
-. RSP (2)
3. Daisuke Sasaki (0)
-. Joey Janela (0)
-. Naomi Yoshimura (0)
-. Yuki Ueno (0)

B Block

1. Kazusada Higuchi (2)
-. Yuji Hino (2)
-. MAO (2)
4. Chris Brookes (0)
-. Yukio Naya (0)
-. KANON (0)

A minor ankle injury did over the last week does not seem to be much of a bother for Tetsuya Endo. His start to the D-Ou Grand Prix could not have gone any better. A big win over Yuki Ueno in today’s main event sent the message loud and clear. Endo is determined to win the Grand Prix and after that every DDT singles championship will be in his sights, even the DDT Universal Title held by Ueno! Endo’s next match in his block is another difficult one. He and Daisuke Sasaki have so much history together. Endo is feeling pain in his left ankle and admits he is not at his best, but he will be fine whenever he gets into the ring.

Maybe it’s not a good idea to spend so much time taunting Kazusada Higuchi. Sure, KANON got away with it once or twice heading into today’s match but here is where it all came back to bite him. KANON did show a good fight by getting a nearfall with the Sleepy Hollow. He also grounded Higuchi into the Cobra Twist but getting grabbed with a Brain Claw turned things around. Higuchi smashed him with a few Lariats and pinned him with the Brain Claw Slam. After the match Higuchi brought up KANON’s claim that he would be laughing over his corpse today. That didn’t happen and even if KANON could beat him, he would never die. Instead Higuchi is aiming for the top by winning the DDT Grand Slam! He already won King Of DDT and holds the KO-D Openweight Title. Now he just needs to win the D-Ou Grand Prix.

Friends and tag team partners Yuji Hino and Yukio Naya had to face each other in their opening block match. Naya is putting a lot of effort into convincing everyone he has taken a step up and is ready to win the tournament. He came out to new music and new ring gear to cap off a new version of himself. Unfortunately for Naya, Hino is still one of the strongest wrestlers around. There was the surprise of Naya kicking out of the Fuckin’ BOMB but he was done for once Hino hit the World’s Best German Suplex. Hino was happy to see how much his friend has grown and admitted the German Suplex was a last minute move he needed to win. Naya is not letting the loss get to him because he knows he can still reach the final if he wins his remaining matches.

In non-tournament action, the veteran team of Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA welcomed the challenge of Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada in a battle between the generations. The youngsters gave Akiyama a Double Brainbuster and Masada followed it up with a Triangle Kick for a nearfall. Akiyama cut him off with Running Knee Strikes then shrugged off Masada’s Elbow Strikes to hit some more Knee Strikes. The Exploder Suplex then put an end to the match. Akiyama praised Masada for showing guts and wonders if he will be in the D-Ou GP next year if he continues showing progress. Koroku however might be getting pushed around to easily if Akiyama is being honest.

Back to the Grand Prix where MAO attempted to avenge last year’s tournament loss to Chris Brookes. Last time MAO was counted out in embarrassing fashion and it has haunted him ever since. Both were fighting for the countout win, oddly enough. It led to them fighting up in the balcony before racing back to avoid the 20 count. MAO got ahead and leapt over the barrier, landing on one end of a wooden plank leaning over it. It caused a see-saw effect where the other end hit Brookes right between the legs! MAO made it back to the ring in time to win by countout. He said what we just saw is his ability to win by imperfect means. He only had to put in a 65% performance and he was able to win this way. MAO faces Naya next and he thinks he will have to go 100% just to match Naya’s improved performances.

The debuting RSP put a dampener on Naomi Yoshimura’s start to the tournament. Yoshimura is Kenta Kobashi’s pick to win the tournament but couldn’t find anything to put his American opponent away. Instead RSP got the win with his GTF finisher. RSP explained afterwards that even though Yoshimura’s attacks hurt, he is used to pain and could withstand all of it. Yoshimura is frustrated to lose yet can’t help but love fighting against big and powerful foreign wrestlers.

Some of the undercard matches went out of control a little bit. Joey Janela and Daisuke Sasaki are upcoming opponents so were put in a preview tag team match. Sasaki had good ol’ reliable MJ Paul with him while Janela found himself in an odd couple with Yukio Sakaguchi. Things went off the rails from the get go when Sasaki and Janela fought outside the ring. Chairs were brought into the brawl and Janela accidentally hit Sakaguchi with one. Sakaguchi stormed off in anger, leaving Janela by himself to fight off Sasaki & MJ Paul. Janela was able to give Sasaki a Low Blow and a chair shot before the match was called off by the referee. Janela said Sasaki crossed a line and swore revenge. He later asked interviewers why isn’t Jun Akiyama in the tournament? Janela has fought many old wrestlers from the ages of 50 to 75 so he wants to add Akiyama to the list!

A mixture of DDT talent among the different stables were put together for the opener. Yusuke Okada from BURING, Hideki Okatani from Eruption & Yuki Ishida from Harimao defeated Shunma Katsumata & Toi Kojima from The 37KAMIINA along with the unaffiliated rookie Kazuma Sumi. Ishida pulled out a Sitout Spinebuster on Sumi to get the win.

So much for the Pheromones Subjugation Squad. Akito’s first day in charge of keeping Danshoku Dieno and his buddies under control ended in complete failure. Or did it? Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata were rendered powerless to stop them until Akito revealed he had a secret plan. It was Akito stripping himself down to his underwear for some reason. Hisaya Imabayashi called off the match and told Akito there was no point taking his clothes off because there was already too much stripping going on. However that meant Pheromones didn’t win the match so in Akito’s mind his plan kind of worked!

Kenta Kobashi led the D-Ou opening ceremony where all of the entrants were introduced to the fans. He said he was looking forward to seeing exciting fights that would be worthy of the tournament and asked the fans to show their passionate support for the wrestlers.

The day began with Sanshiro Takagi promising to announce an important piece of news about DDT. First, footage was shown of Yuki Iino spending his one day as CyberFight President as promised. After that, Takagi came out and announced DDT has begun a business partnership with Sun Music to open up more entertainment opportunities for their wrestlers. Takagi then introduced everyone to Hiroyuki Oka, the vice president of Sun Music. The goal is to give DDT wrestlers more exposure in the entertainment industry while also bringing in comedians, singers and other talent who are interested in pro wrestling. Oka got in the spirit of things by complimenting the wrestlers in the dark match for all having beautiful butts… It was a Pheromones match, what did you expect?


DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022” Results

October 23, 2022

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022”, 23/10/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
701 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. Dark Match – Pheromones Vs Takagi-gun Complete Showdown FINAL ~ Dissolution Contra 1 Day President! 2 Vs 5 Handicap Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno (w/ Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari) defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Akito when Dieno pinned Takagi after a Chairshot from Hisaya Imabayashi (7:39).
*Yuki “Sexy” Iino gets to be CyberFight President for 1 day.
1. Kazuma Sumi Debut Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Kazuma Sumi with a Crab Hold (8:48).
2. Daisuke Sasaki, Minoru Fujita, MJ Paul & KANON defeated Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima, Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani when KANON pinned Kojima with the Sleepy Hollow (12:08).
3. Special Tag Match: Soma Takao & Hikaru Machida defeated HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada when Machida pinned Masada with the Iai Punch (10:56).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku defeated Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida when Koroku submitted Ishida with the Triangle Lancer (10:39).
5. Road To D-Ou GP Special 6-Man Tag Match: Naomi Yoshimura, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes defeated Tetsuya Endo, MAO & Yukio Naya when Brookes pinned Naya with a Roll Up (15:22).
6. DDT Universal Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda with the WR (15:24).
*V2 for Yuki Ueno.
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi with the Brain Claw Slam (16:12).
*V4 for Kazusada Higuchi.

A fourth successful KO-D Openweight Title defence is in the books for Kazusada Higuchi and it was his most emotional one yet. Yukio Sakaguchi spent the build up to the match pulling the “big brother” card and reminding everyone that he is Higuchi’s senpai. It was all mind games to see if Higuchi has really moved on from Eruption or not. It added more danger to Sakaguchi’s kicks and choke holds. The attacks left Higuchi bleeding from the bridge of his nose. But Higuchi hit back with the Brain Claw Slam and several Horizontal Chops. Sakaguchi was spent by the end of it while Higuchi yelled at him to stand back up. Both of them knew the match was finished and a tearful Higuchi gave his “big brother” another Brain Claw Slam to get the win.

The aftermatch saw Sakaguchi praising Higuchi for being merciless and also as strong as ever. He told Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida that they are part of a good unit in Harimao and they should trust Higuchi as their leader. It also made Sakaguchi tell Saki Akai & Hideki Okatani that Eruption need to fire up even stronger from now on because they cannot lose. Higuchi thanked Sakaguchi & Akai for what they taught him in Eruption. He then gave Okatani a gift. It is Higuchi’s entrance gown he wore when he was part of Eruption. When they left, Higuchi said the D-Ou Grand Prix is a physically and mentally tough challenge but he is going to face it and break through. The next KO-D Title defence won’t be until 29th December.

Old allies from the DNA days turned into fresh rivals for the DDT Universal Title. The champion Yuki Ueno not only had to worry about fighting Koju Takeda but the rest of Pheromones too. However The 37KAMIINA were there to support Ueno and get Pheromones out of the way, although it took some dives from Takeda and Ueno to help clear out the interference. When it went back into a 1 on 1 match, Ueno pinned Takeda with the WR to defend the title. He told Takeda afterwards he is glad their match has gone from Kitasenju Theatre 1010 to Korakuen Hall. Ueno doesn’t want to face anyone from Pheromones again but he can’t help but feel jealous at them. Now he will move on to the D-Ou Grand Prix where he hopes to do one better than last year and win the tournament.

A lot of the D-Ou field used today’s matches to get ready and call their shots for the tournament next month. Chris Brookes declared after the trios match he was going to win the D-Ou GP. Yoshimura then cut off the music to say he would win it instead. Yuji Hino called the two of them idiots because he will win. Then Tetsuya Endo questioned all of their opinions and decided he was going to be the winner. MAO kept cutting in during this so everyone just heard the two of them talk over each other. Yukio Naya had enough and shoved them over to say he will win. They played his music to end the segment, which annoyed Brookes because Brookes beat Naya to win the match.

The wrestling politicians team came back. Osamu Nishimura & Shinichiro Kawamatsu teamed with Ishida to take on three members of BURNING. Kawamatsu was thrown right in there with Jun Akiyama which has to be both an exciting and terrifying experience for a long time wrestling fan. Maybe the same can be said for Yusuke Okada getting to fight Nishimura. But it was the two youngest wrestlers of the match who determined which side won. Yuya Koroku timed Ishida’s momentum well and drew him into a Triangle Lancer to get the submission victory. Okada criticized Kawamatsu’s performance in the post-match interview backstage. He said the politician should put more energy into his performance. Elsewhere Kawamatsu said he fell into the same trap as his last match. Whenever he gets into the ring, his mind goes blank and his body stiffens up. If he gets another chance to do a match he promises to devote himself into showing everyone a more solid performance.

A brand new challenge was presented to Takeshi Masada. How would he fare taking on a kickboxer like Hikaru Machida? The match also presented a big challenge for Machida because HARASHIMA was Masada’s tag partner. Masada held his own against both Machida & Soma Takao until Machida started getting the combos in. They took their toll on the rookie and he was done for once the Iai Punch found its target. HARASHIMA would like to team with Masada again but they need a better tag name. The suggestions they got were Pantaloon Tag and Harashimasada but HARASHIMA thinks both of them sound too dorky.

The two members of DAMNATION T.A entering the D-Ou GP are also looking in good shape going into it. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON were victorious along with Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul against a combined foursome of Eruption and The 37KAMIINA members. Sasaki and Shunma Katsumata had a close exchange but KANON got the win by pinning Toi Kojima. After the match Sasaki said he hates the D-Ou GP but will make sure he still wins it. He will see KANON in the final. KANON replied that the D-Ou GP will be covered in DAMNATION T.A’s colours. However things looked to get tense between the two so Fujita and Paul stepped in to keep things cool between everyone.

The debut of Kazuma Sumi gave Kazuki Hirata the opportunity to wrestle a mostly serious match without his wacky antics getting in the way. Sumi made it clear he is going to be a fast moving high flyer. Hirata stopped mid-match and asked Sumi what his goal is going to be. Sumi said he wants to win the match. Hirata asked for the answer to be bigger and louder. Sumi shouted he is going to be at the top of DDT! Hirata wanted an even bigger and louder answer. Sumi shouted he will become the KO-D Champion! Hirata shook his hand and then kicked him to continue the match. He got the rookie to submit to the Crab Hold, as is tradition in pro wrestling. Kojima said Sumi has a good mindset but there are a lot of young wrestlers now in DDT that Sumi has to compete with. Sumi said a week ago he fell into a slump and couldn’t sleep but his debut match was fun and he has Hirata to thank for that.

Perhaps the match with the greatest consequence today took place on the pre-show. The dark match featured Sanshiro Takagi leading a team of wrestlers against Pheromones in a 5 Vs 2 battle. It was kind of 5 Vs 3 because Yumehito Imanari was there at ringside to help his mates out. Still, Yuki Iino & Danshoku Dieno still had to fight Takagi, Toru Owashi, Makoto Oishi, Antonio Honda & Akito all at once. Takagi had Dieno beat with the Himawari Bomb and called Hisaya Imabayashi into the ring. He gave the DDT GM a chair and told him to finish Dieno off once and for all. Imabayashi hesitated until he finally swung the chair… at Takagi! Dieno jumped on top of Takagi to get the three count, meaning Yuki Iino now gets to be President of CyberFight for a day!

Imabayashi explained his actions after the match. He was not betraying Takagi to join Pheromones. Instead he was taking a stand towards Takagi for his abuse of power. A 5 Vs 2 Handicap match was unfair from the beginning. Takagi has too much on his plate as CyberFight president to keep worrying about Pheromones. DDT has a very important project coming up next year that Takagi needs to put his full attention on. Imabayashi won’t be able to feel at peace when he leaves DDT if Takagi doesn’t move on. Takagi understands and announced he his “graduating” from his feud with Pheromones. However he appointed Akito to take his place and keep the feud going. Akito complained that he always fights Pheromones anyway but he accepts the decision.

Midway through the show Saori Anou & Riko Kawahata were brought into the ring to be announced as the opponents for Reiwa AA Cannon on 29th December. Anou was carrying the ICEx∞ Title from Ice Ribbon with her. She said she will prove she is more attractive and strong than either Saki Akai or Yuki Arai. Kawahata said she lost to Akai the last time she was in DDT so she wants to mess up the faces of both Akai & Arai on 29th December. Later Akai said she had singles matches against Anou and Kawahata before. She wonders if anything has changed with Kawahata since their previous match. She also thinks it will be great experience for Arai to fight wrestlers from other promotions and see what they all have to offer.

The big project for next year seems to be DDT’s return to America! First, Takagi announced “DDT GOES HOLLYWOOD” will take place on 30th March, 2023 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles! The show will be part of The Collective, a series of events spearheaded by GCW held during WrestleMania week. If that wasn’t enough, Joey Janela sent in a video announcing “GCW VS DDT” will take place in the same venue on 31st March! It will be the first time in 4 years DDT will be holding shows in America. Takagi said he’s been wanting to do it every year since the New York show in 2019 but the pandemic kept putting them back at square one. The Yen is weak against the Dollar right now so Takagi is aiming to make a lot of money while DDT is in the USA.

Soma Takao is now the store manager of the Dropkick Bar. So if you ever want to drink with Takao, he’ll be waiting for you at the Dropkick Bar!


DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 2” Results

October 16, 2022

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 2”, 16/10/2022
Hokkaido Sapporo ii-one Stadium
238 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Special Single Match: Saki Akai defeated Ami Kanda with the Rookie Award (9:31).
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs MAO & Toi Kojima ended in a No Contest (11:04). (Special Referee: Akito)
3. HARASHIMA & Makoto Oishi defeated Tomoya & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Masada with the Luminous Press (12:02).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Noriyuki Yoshida defeated Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & Chris Brookes when Yoshida pinned Katsumata with the Officially Approved By The Person In Question Lightning Leg Lariat (14:46).
5. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Yuji Hino & Yusuke Okada when KANON pinned Okada with the Sleepy Hollow (12:10).
6. Sapporo Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi, Hideki Okatani & Kouki Iwasaki defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when Okatani pinned Ishida with the Double Arm Suplex (15:46).

Perhaps Yukio Sakaguchi’s words to Kazusada Higuchi yesterday have left the KO-D Openweight Champion feeling a little bit of doubt. The final moments of today’s headline match saw Sakaguchi knock out Higuchi with the God’s Right Knee. Meanwhile Hideki Okatani beat down Yuki Ishida with Suplexes until he kept him down with the Double Arm variation. Backstage Sakaguchi said by the end of next week the KO-D Title will be around either Higuchi’s waist or his own. Either way he is looking forward to the match. Meanwhile Naomi Yoshimura is trying to get Higuchi’s head back in the game. He has to be proud of himself to be the champion but this weekend just proved he is running behind Sakaguchi right now.

Akito was chosen by management to be the special guest referee for the 3 Way Tag Match in order to keep Pheromones under control. He did not have a referee shirt so he pulled down his shorts to reveal he was wearing an O-back underneath. Pheromones went overboard anyway with Danshoku Dieno using a wooden plank to see-saw Toi Kojima’s face into Yuki Iino’s rear end. Other wrestlers had their shorts pulled down causing ring announcer Ken Kato to step in and call off the match. Everyone then ganged up on Kato and removed him of his trousers.


DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 1” Results

October 15, 2022

DDT “GOD BLESS DDT 2022 TOUR IN SAPPORO – DAY 1”, 15/10/2022
Hokkaido Sapporo ii-one Stadium
234 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Shunma Katsumata & Ami Kanda defeated Kazuki Hirata & Saki Akai when Katsumata pinned Hirata with the Totonou Splash (10:23).
2. Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Toru Owashi & Chris Brookes ended in a No Contest (10:19).
3. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON defeated Yusuke Okada & Takeshi Masada when Sasaki submitted Masada with the Crossface Lock (11:12).
4. HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Tomoya defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Toi Kojima when Hino pinned Kojima with the Fuckin’ BOMB (13:53).
5. Special Single Match: Kouki Iwasaki defeated Hideki Okatani with the Back Drop Hold (11:03).
6. Sapporo Specialty Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama defeated Noriyuki Yoshida & Yuya Koroku when Endo submitted Koroku with the Yurikamome (11:07).
7. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura defeated Yukio Sakaguchi & Akito when Higuchi pinned Akito with the Brain Claw Slam (18:00).

After the main event, Yukio Sakaguchi told all three members of Harimao they should join Eruption. This was not a suggestion or invitation though. It was an order! Sakaguchi is pulling the senpai card on Higuchi to add more stakes to their KO-D Openweight Title match. However Naomi Yoshimura told Higuchi afterwards it is time he gets over the past. Yoshimura was able to move on from DISASTER BOX and surpass them so it is now Higuchi’s turn to do the same with Eruption.

Kouki Iwasaki got to wrestle in his home region of Hokkaido as he prepares to go freelance. He thinks his opponent Hideki Okatani has a bad look in his eyes and those are the types of opponents he loves to fight. He’ll be teaming with Eruption tomorrow so he’s also looking forward to fight alongside Okatani.

The Pheromones match was called off when they targeted the ring announcer Ken Kato and tried to strip off his trousers. The ring apron ended up being wrapped around Kato’s waist to keep him looking decent.


DDT “GET ALIVE 2022” Results

October 12, 2022

DDT “GET ALIVE 2022”, 12/10/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
419 Fans

1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani defeated Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul Vs Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Yumehito “Fantastic” Imanari Vs Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku when Naya pinned Koroku with the Choke Slam (6:02).
2. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match! ~ Settling A Grudge! Complete Settlement! No DQ Hardcore Match: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata with La Magistral Cradle (0:12).
2a. Rematch: Kazuki Hirata defeated Toru Owashi with La Magistral Cradle (0:14).
2b. Another Rematch: Toru Owashi defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Nodowa Otoshi (5:31).
3. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match! Yuki Ishida 1st Anniversary Match ~ Playfulness Series Act 4: Yuki Ishida defeated Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno after the Throwaway Himawari Bomb from Sanshiro Takagi (7:33).
4. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match!: Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Takeshi Masada by TKO with the Purgatory (7:48).
5. Makoto Oishi 20th Anniversary Match ~ Men’s Club Vs The 37KAMIINA No Touch Rule: Makoto Oishi, MEN’S Teioh & Shiori Asahi defeated Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata when Oishi pinned Katsumata with the Luminous Press (10:48).
6. Get Alive 4 Major Single Match!: Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda defeated Toi Kojima with the Shining Driver (4:57).
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when Endo pinned Takanashi with a Backslide Pin (11:48).
8. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & KANON when Higuchi pinned KANON with the Brain Claw Slam (19:41).
*V2 for Harimao.
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Shinya Aoki by TKO with a Headbutt (10:57).
*V3 for Kazusada Higuchi. Shinya Aoki cashes in the Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere NFT.

The life of a double champion is not easy. You never know when you will find yourself having to do two straight title defences one after the other. That is what happened to Kazusada Higuchi today. The original main event was Harimao defending the KO-D Tag Team Titles against DAMNATION T.A. Higuchi went into the match nursing an injured right hand. The injury was caused by Daisuke Sasaki & KANON in the weeks leading up to this match so the clear plan for the challengers was to target the right arm. But no matter what they did to it, Higuchi fought through the pain. He stopped Sasaki’s chair attack by Headbutting the chair into him. Then when KANON applied the Cobra Twist, Higuchi caused a rope break by biting onto the rope because his arms were both held back. Higuchi then smashed into KANON with the Buchikamashi and got the win with the Brain Claw Slam.

Naomi Yoshimura took the microphone to give a victory speech for his team when suddenly Shinya Aoki entered the ring. He dropped a tablet in front of Higuchi, the one containing the Right To Challenge NFT. He was cashing in his KO-D Openweight Title shot and it will take place right away!

The match began with Aoki aiming his kicks at Higuchi’s injured arm. He fought for submission holds to the arm over and over but Higuchi kept fighting out of them. In a change of tactics, Aoki then went for a Topé Suicida and then back in the ring applied a Manjigatame. Higuchi found a way to power out of the move and counter it into the Brain Claw Slam. He then struck Aoki with a big Headbutt to the face, causing the referee to stop the match via knockout. Higuchi survived the cash in, proved NFTs really are worthless and remains the KO-D Champion!

An exhausted Higuchi was flat on his back in the ring when Yukio Sakaguchi approached him. Sakaguchi told him to get up because they will be fighting each other for the championship on 23rd October. Higuchi got back up to his feet and thanked Sakaguchi for firing him up. He also thanked DAMNATION T.A and Aoki for challenging him in different ways because no matter what obstacles are in his way he will break through them!

Two days ago Tetsuya Endo defeated Masahiro Takanashi in a singles match. However Endo was not satisfied by the result because he thinks Takanashi left a better lasting impression on the Osaka crowd. So today Endo wanted to get revenge by stealing the spotlight from Takanashi. The set up had Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuji Hino all give Takanashi, Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA an Exploder Suplex all at the same time. With the the match now down to Endo against Takanashi, the back and forth ended with Endo doing the splits while pinning his opponent with a Backslide. Using a flashy looking pin against the wrestler who likes to use flashy looking pins is one way to get one over on him.

Avert your eyes all you want, you will still get blinded by Koju “Shining Ball” Takeda! He pulled off an easy victory against Toi Kojima to help him prepare for his upcoming DDT Universal Title match against Yuki Ueno. Takeda called the champion into the ring after the match. He said Ueno hasn’t changed a bit while Takeda has evolved into the “Shining Ball” you see before you. Ueno corrected him because in the years that passed since they teamed together, Ueno is now a champion while Takeda remained as a pervert.

There was some confusion over what the Men’s Club Vs The 37KAMIINA was meant to celebrate. It was supposed to mark Makoto Oishi’s 20th anniversary in pro wrestling. However MEN’S Teioh pointed out his own 30th anniversary passed by last month. Shiori Asahi suggested they add them together so the occasion can be turned into a 50th year anniversary. Men’s Club argued about it while they wrestled but eventually made it all to the same page. Oishi & Asahi took out Ueno with the Cactus Flower while Teioh gave MAO the Miracle Ecstasy. He did the same move to Shunma Katsumata and Oishi followed up with the Luminous Press to win the match. Oishi told Ueno and MAO to take what they learned today and use it for the D-Ou Grand Prix. Teioh then announced that the one day revival of Men’s Club has finished and he would like to join The 37KAMIINA instead! Backstage he told Oishi that he originally wanted Men’s Club to win all of the different multi-man championships in DDT but Oishi already won the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles with Ω. Oishi promised Asahi if Teioh does join The 37KAMIINA, they will fight to take him back to Men’s Club. Or maybe they replace him with Ueno, they like that idea too.

Sakaguchi’s preparation for his KO-D Title shot was straight to the point. Kick the crap out of Takeshi Masada. The young Masada tried to go strike for strike but ended up getting knocked out with the Purgatory Right High Kick. If both Higuchi and Sakaguchi are both aiming to win their matches by knockout, their title match on 23rd October is going to become a slugfest!

Yuki Ishida’s one year anniversary saw him get caught in the crossfire between Pheromones and Sanshiro Takagi. Before that happened Ishida showed how determined he was to win by wearing multiple trunks as a defence mechanism against Danshoku Dieno. They were all eventually stripped off anyway so Ishida was reduced to wrestling in nothing but a red loincloth. Dieno’s next attacks all missed their mark and he kept knocking out referees. Daisuke Kiso and Yukinori Matsui were both taken out of action. A third referee Yuto Nakata was then stopped by Takagi and the boss decided to sort it out himself. He entered the ring wearing a ref shirt but refused to complete a 3 Count for the Danshoku Driver. Instead he gave Dieno the Himawari Bomb, dragged Ishida on top of him and then fast counted to three. Takagi congratulated Ishida for his first singles win and then promised to end Pheromones on 23rd October. Dieno said if Pheromones must split if they lose their match on the 23rd then Takagi’s team should put something on the line too. He wants Takagi to use his powers to the fullest so if Pheromones win, Yuki Iino gets to become the president of CyberFight for one day! Takagi said Dieno lost his mind and Pheromones have no chance of winning a 2 Vs 5 match so he agreed to the stipulation. Yumehito Imanari warned everyone backstage that when Iino becomes president, the employee ID cards will be replaced with O-back trunks.

For years Toru Owashi had to deal with Kazuki Hirata and his dancing nonsense. They have been tag team partners for what feels like an eternity but the time had come for the two to face off. A match of this magnitude deserved a fitting stipulation so weapons were left around the ring for what would surely be a violent No DQ Hardcore Match. Owashi gave Hirata a Big Boot and pinned him with La Magistral Cradle in 12 seconds. GM Hisaya Imabayashi was furious. All of this build up for that?!? He told Hirata he should quit wrestling but then broke down into tears. He is leaving DDT at the end of the year and wants to see Hirata live up to his potential. He pleaded with Owasahi to allow the match to restart and it went ahead. This time Hirata pinned Owashi in 14 seconds with La Magistral Cradle. Imabayashi got mad again and demanded another restart. It did and the third time was the charm. Owashi and Hirata fought their hardest for 5 minutes. Owashi blocked the Mad Splash with his knees. Hirata kept kicking out of Owashi’s moves until he was finally stopped with the Nodowa Otoshi.

The supposed grudge between Owashi & Hirata was now finally over and done with. Owashi now had an offer for Hirata. He wants the two of them to challenge for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles in Osaka on 12th October. Hirata asked if HARASHIMA would be the other partner? Owashi told him it is somebody else and HARASHIMA already gave his approval to the idea. A video message then played from Naruki Doi! The now former DRAGONGATE wrestler is choosing DDT as his first freelance booking because he heard DDT has a trios championship and he wants to win it. Owashi, Hirata and Doi are combining together as a “Dream Triangle DDT” to win the titles!

The opening match was a 4 Way Tag featuring teams from BURNING, DAMNATION T.A and Pheromones. However it was the unaffiliated team of Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani who became the winners. Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul didn’t know what to make of Pheromones. Yusuke Okada used Pheromones own tricks against them. Naya got the pin in the end by Choke Slamming Yuya Koroku.

The mystery tag team appearing at the Tokyo Dome City Hall show on 29th December was revealed to be Reiwa AA Cannon from Tokyo Joshi Pro! While Saki Akai being on a DDT show is nothing out of the ordinary, this will be Yuki Arai’s first DDT match since becoming a pro wrestler. She previously won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and took part in a Battle Royal back in 2018 but that was when she was just an idol.


All The Stuff I Didn’t Include In The Last Post

October 7, 2022

BASARA “BASARA 201 ~GLITTER~”, 11/10/2022
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block – 2 Count Rules: FUMA Vs Daiki Shimomura
2. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block – 2 Count Rules: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Yasu Urano
3. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block – 2 Count Rules: Minoru Fujita Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
4. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block – 2 Count Rules: Isami Kodaka Vs Banana Senga
5. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block – 2 Count Rules: Tsutomu Oosugi Vs Lil’ Kraken
6. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block – 2 Count Rules: Takato Nakano Vs SAGAT
7. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 A Block – 2 Count Rules: Fuminori Abe Vs Daichi Kazato
8. Chouten ~Itadaki~ – Round 1 B Block – 2 Count Rules: Takumi Tsukamoto Vs Masato Kamino

The 2022 Chouten ~Itadaki~ begins on Tuesday. Every match in the first round is being held under 2 Count Pinfall rules so the odds of an upset are even higher than usual.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 OPENING ROUND”, 01/11/2022
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Jun Akiyama Produce Match: Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Ueno
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Naomi Yoshimura Vs RSP
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs KANON
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino Vs Yukio Naya
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs MAO

It is up to some parts of the DDT roster to come up with non-tournament matches for the D-Ou Grand Prix undercards. Jun Akiyama is up first and his idea is to team with HARASHIMA to go against the younger team of Yuya Koroku & Takeshi Masada.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 1”, 03/11/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. HARASHIMA Produce Match ~ Blindfold Breastfold Tag Death Match: HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda & Shunma Katsumata
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Joey Janela
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Daisuke Sasaki
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino Vs KANON
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: MAO Vs Yukio Naya

HARASHIMA’s idea is a little more wild. He wants a match where you have to wear blindfolds and try to strip off your opponent’s top! Antonio Honda is well aware of these kinds of matches. Kazuki Hirata and Shunma Katsumata are being dragged into the fun too.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN YOKOHAMA DAY 2”, 05/11/2022
Yokohama Radiant Hall

1. Yukio Sakaguchi Produce Match ~ 2 Vs 3 Handicap Match: Pokotan & Gota Ihashi Vs Saki Akai, Hideki Okatani & Kazuki Hirata
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Janela
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs RSP
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuji Hino
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs KANON

Even though Yukio Sakaguchi has bigger fish to fry in November, he still took the time to book a match and he isn’t even in it. The other members of Eruption have to team up with Hirata in order to fight the odd pairing of Pokotan & Gota Ihashi in a Handicap Match.

DDT “ROJO PRO WRESTLING IN SHINGASHI EXCITING FESTIVAL”, 06/11/2022
Saitama Tobu Tojo Line Shingashi Station West Exit

1. Falls Count Anywhere 4 Way Match: HARASHIMA Vs Makoto Oishi Vs Shunma Katsumata Vs Nabe Yakan

Here’s an extra Falls Count Anywhere match added to the schedule. It is taking place on the street outside Shingashi Station in Saitama. Nabe Yakan returns here for the first time since he lost the KO-D 8-Man Tag Team Titles last July.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN OSAKA”, 12/11/2022
Osaka Edion Arena #2

1. Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Produce Match: Yuki “Sexy” Iino & Danshoku “Dandy” Dieno Vs Aja Kong & HARASHIMA
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Naomi Yoshimura
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Joey Janela
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs RSP
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs MAO
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Chris Brookes Vs Yukio Naya

If the previous matches aren’t weird enough, here is Aja Kong being added to the mix! Danshoku Dieno wants her to experience Pheromones in the flesh.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2022 IN KYOTO”, 13/11/2022
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. Saki Akai Produce Match: Saki Akai, Yukio Sakaguchi & HARASHIMA Vs Aja Kong, Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Naomi Yoshimura
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Chris Brookes
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yukio Naya Vs KANON
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2022 – B Block: Yuji Hino Vs MAO

Saki Akai brings things back down to earth a little bit. Beating Kong has been a long time goal for her and the chances to do so shrink away year after year. Can she finally achieve it in Kyoto?