DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 2”, 31/08/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. D GENERATIONS Special 8-Man Tag Match: Ilusion, Yuya Koroku, Munetatsu Nakamura & Kazuma Sumi defeated To-y, Daichi Sato, Rukiya & Hinata Kasai when Koroku submitted Sato with a Jumping Armbar (6:36). *Yuya Koroku wins Daichi Sato’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
2. ¥3,000 Match: Jun Akiyama, Super Sasadango Machine & Akito defeated KANON, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Akiyama pinned Honda with a Blockbuster (9:17).
3. Special 3-Way Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul and Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida when Masada pinned Ishida with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (18:59).
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) defeated HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki when Naya pinned HARASHIMA with The World’s Best Back Drop (11:37). *V3 for The Apex.
5. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated MAO with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (17:50). *V4 for Minoru Suzuki.
6. Double Main Event I ~ Dramatic Dream Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Danshoku Dieno with a Crab Hold (16:29).
7. Double Main Event II ~ KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Kazusada Higuchi (c) with the WR (20:42). *Kazusada Higuchi fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 86th KO-D Openweight Champion!
-. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazuki Hirata defeated Yuki Ueno (c) with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (2:51). *Yuki Ueno fails in V1. Kazuki Hirata cashes in his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover. Kazuki Hirata becomes the 87th KO-D Openweight Champion!
The second day of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” took place today in Korakuen Hall and by the end of it there was pandemonium over the KO-D Openweight Title going to the most unlikeliest wrestler in years! But first Kazusada Higuchi put the belt on the line against Yuki Ueno when just less than a day earlier he defended it against Jun Akiyama in a hard fought battle. Ueno pulled out the Sit Down Himawari Bomb for a nearfall and avoided the Claw Slam to hit Higuchi with a Dropkick to the back. Higuchi fought back using Lariats until Ueno blocked the fourth one and suddenly captured Higuchi in the WR to score the three count and become the new KO-D Champion! The two showed respect to each other after the match but then things took a wide swerve in a different direction.
Suddenly Kazuki Hirata made it down to the ring and he hesitated over whether or not he should cash in his Right To Challenge Arm Cover to get an immediate title shot against Ueno. He decided that since he held it on for so long, the audience’s expectations have grown too large. Hirata had also grown attached to the Arm Cover and didn’t want to lose it. He considered burning it in a shrine but that didn’t feel right so he’s going to use it for the title shot right away! The match began and although Ueno was tired from just wrestling Higuchi, he easily went on the offensive against Hirata. However Hirata kicked out of Ueno’s Frog Splash and suddenly rolled him up with the Miracle One Shot Cradle to win the upset of all upsets. Kazuki Hirata is now the KO-D Champion!
Hirata was just as shocked as everyone else that he won and admitted he didn’t mean to do that. Being the KO-D Champion is a heavy burden and he cannot think about what waits for him in the future but right now he is really happy. In his 15 years as a pro wrestler he’s had fun times, difficult times, injuries and a lot of other things going wrong. He persevered though and through hard work in all kind of forms he has made it to the top of DDT! He doesn’t feel any stronger though so he isn’t going to let his guard down. With that said, he promised the fans he will show them everything that is fun about the KO-D Title.
Hirata went back to the locker room where everyone was there in the hallway to give him applause. However Toru Owashi approached Hirata and gave him a slap across the face. He then led Hirata back out to the ring with everyone else was there waiting for him. Owashi then grabbed the title belt but it was only so he could wrap it around Hirata’s waist. The entire locker room took a group photo together and Hirata was given a pair of Hirata GO! glasses so he could do his complete dance routine uninterrupted in front of everyone. Backstage Hirata told reporters he would rather defend the KO-D Title against Hisaya Imabayashi or Daisuke Kiso instead of Higuchi or Ueno. The thought of being the defending champion at Sumo Hall on 3rd November sounds hellish to him. However it will never intentionally lose a match when a championship is on the line so he will give it his all to win every time, even if his first defence will probably be a tough one. Ueno said he has no excuses for losing to Hirata. He warned the new champ to be careful on his way home because everyone now has their eyes set on him! Higuchi said he is satisfied with how his weekend went because he gave it his all on both days. He’ll keep working hard to show his spirit with the rest of Harimao.
On paper a matchup between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Danshoku Dieno sounds like the most two opposite forces of pro wrestling colliding with each other. But look deep into the layers and you will find both men have a similar past background. Both are from the Kansai region, are nearly the same age and made their starts in wrestling by joining student pro wrestling clubs in college. It turns out this match was fate all along. Dieno couldn’t help but burst into tears when the match began. He needed all of his seconds at ringside to slap him across the face to psyche him up. As he went toe to toe against Tanahashi, he used moves from other DDT wrestlers like the nose grab from Masahiro Takanashi, the Stunner from Sanshiro Takagi, the God’s Right Knee from Yukio Sakaguchi and the Buzzsaw Kick from KUDO. He even added in the Kamigoye from Kota Ibushi for good measure. The Danshoku Driver couldn’t keep Tanahashi down so Dieno went for a Moonsault and missed it. Tanahashi went to town on Dieno with his signature moves ending with the High Fly Flow. But rather than pin Dieno, Tanahashi encouraged him to get back up so he could give him the Lip Lock! It took Dieno off his feet and when Dieno grabbed onto Tanahashi to try and pull himself back up, he instead pulled down Tanahashi’s wrestling tights to reveal he was wearing a Danshoku thong underneath this whole time! Tanahashi then tripped Dieno to the canvas and put him in the Crab Hold, forcing Dieno to tap out.
After the match Tanahashi talked to Dieno about their university routes. Their upbringings ended up being completely different but pro wrestling is what brought them together. Tanahashi really got a sense of what Dieno has achieved as a pro wrestler. So even though Tanahashi is retiring on 4th January, he encouraged Dieno to keep going because he still has a lot going for him. He then told Dieno if there’s any young wrestlers in New Japan that he likes, just let him know (his second at ringside Katsuya Murashima had a flustered look on his face when he heard that). Dieno was a little annoyed to have earned Tanahashi’s acceptance so quickly because he’ll have nothing to reach for if the top of the industry now recognizes him. This match wasn’t about winning or losing to Dieno, it was his chance to have a fun fight with Tanahashi and he wasn’t going to apologise for that if it went wrong. He will never forget what he felt today and he told Tanahashi he loves him. Backstage Tanahashi explained that passion is just the matter of where you direct it. He put his passion into training his boy while Dieno put his passion into DDT. It is all about heart and Tanahashi thinks it is good for NJPW to cooperate with companies like DDT and NOAH. With today done he believes he has settled of of his ties with DDT before his retirement. Now he has to wait and see what everyone will say to him about the Danshoku thong tomorrow.
Not even MAO’s craziness can surpass Minoru Suzuki when it comes to the DDT Universal Title. Suzuki lured MAO out of the ring so he could attack his leg using the steel post and also strike the limb with a chairshot. Suzuki then got his hands on KIMIHIRO and knocked him over with an Elbow Strike. KIMIHIRO got a little bit of revenge later in the match when MAO knocked Suzuki out of the ring and KIMIHIRO used his tie to strangle Suzuki on a chair so MAO could run over and hit a Cannonball into the champion. Back in the ring Suzuki tried to counter the Michinoku Driver II into a Front Neck Lock but MAO completed the move and also hit the Iai Kick. However Suzuki only fell down to one knee from the blow and immediately popped back up to put MAO in a Sleeper Hold. MAO got a rope break and tried fighting back with Palm Strikes until Suzuki caught him with a Dropkick, wore him down with another Sleeper Hold and pinned him with the Gotch-Style Piledriver.
Suzuki told MAO after the match that he had fun. He also found something he wants to do in DDT and that is keep the DDT Universal Title all to himself. It’s not like there’s anyone here that can take it away from him, right? Takeshi Masada felt otherwise and he got into the ring to challenge Suzuki. Unfortunately for Masada, Suzuki ignored him then threw him out of the ring when he wouldn’t get out of the way. He called Masada a brat who isn’t strong enough to deserve a title shot so he should just go home. Masada then accused Suzuki of running away. Suzuki grew furious over the comment and headbutted Masada before accepting the challenge. The title match was confirmed for the 28th September Korakuen Hall show. Masada promised that he isn’t afraid of Suzuki but Suzuki warns he is really going to kill Masada!
Unlike Higuchi there were a pair of heavyweights who survived the weekend with their championships still intact. The Apex were victorious against the pairing of HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki, meaning they achieved a successful KO-D Tag Team Titles defence for the second day in a row. Yuki Iino stuggled at first against Aoki’s grappling along with HARASHIMA targeting his back. The challengers also held the champions in stereo Cobra Twists. But when HARASHIMA went to go do the Somato on Yukio Naya, Iino cut him off with the Spear. Naya then used a Running Knee Lift on HARASHIMA before pinning him with The World’s Best Back Drop.
After the match Naya called The Apex the strongest tag team in DDT. Yuya Koroku then entered the ring wearing the Right To Challenge Arm Cover he won earlier in the show. To-y then entered from the opposite side to ambush Iino with a dive from the top rope. However he ruined the surprise by encouraging the fans to chant “T-O-Y” and Iino easily caught him. Luckily for To-y, Iino’s back was still hurt from the match so he couldn’t drive him into the turnbuckle like he did to Daisuke Sasaki yesterday. To-y said he and Koroku want to challenge for the titles. Iino refused because he is tired but he did show interest in taking the RTC Arm Cover from Koroku. Imabayashi decided a tag title match will go ahead between the two teams in Osaka on 23rd September. Iino agreed to it but said he will cancel the match if Koroku loses his Arm Cover before then.
The injury Daisuke Sasaki suffered in yesterday’s KO-D Tag Titles match was revealed to be a fractured rib. MJ Paul replaced him as Hideki Okatani’s partner in the 3 Way Tag Match. When Okatani was held in the Schadenfreude Tower by Chris Brookes & Masada, Yuki Ishida jumped on top to pull off a Dosukoi pose. Masada encouraged all of SCHADENFREUDE International to do a train attack on Naomi Yoshimura but Yoshimura knocked everyone down with Shoulder Blocks one by one. He then grabbed Bunbun and gave him the Coconut Crush, literally knocking the puppet out of its pants! Okatani attacked other wrestlers with his bamboo stick but ended up accidentally hitting Paul with it. Paul then tried to break up Yoshimura pinning Okatani but ended up squashing his partner by mistake. The match then came down to Ishida missing the Dosukoi Splash, giving Brookes & Masada the opportunity to double team him until he was pinned with Masada’s finisher.
If only we knew during the second match what was to come. Hirata was part of a 6-Man Tag Match teaming with KANON & Antonio Honda. This was also the match where Akiyama was placed for losing in yesterday’s main event, teaming with Super Sasadango Machine & Akito. Everyone in the match was still feeling tired from yesterday’s show so Imabayashi promised the winning team would get 3,000 yen as their prize. That fired everyone up to levels above even their normal standard. When Akiyama won the match for his team, they were overjoyed to receive the 3,000 yen.
The wrestlers from D GENERATIONS were put into the opening 8-Man Tag Match. Rukiya and Kazuma Sumi started off while Ilusion would get in To-y’s way when the opportunity presented itself. Ilusion didn’t stop there because he pushed his own tag partner Munetatsu Nakamura off the top rope just so he could do the Missile Dropkick instead. In the end, Koroku used the ropes to give Daichi Sato a Tornado DDT and he then made him submit to a Jumping Armbar, winning his RTC Arm Cover in the process.
Just like yesterday, NωA Jr. members Shunma Katsumata & Kazuma Sumi kicked off the show by singing “Going my ωay!!!!! ~You Are Not Alone~” for everyone.
Sanshiro Takagi made an appearance during the show to give everyone an update on his return to the ring. He has been cleared by his doctor to have his official return match at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” on 3rd November and his opponent will be against someone he has never fought before. It will be Hinata Kasai! Takagi congratulated the rookie on debuting yesterday and explained to him that the first match on a show is the second most important bout after the main event. It will be up to them to set the stage for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025”. Kasai asked how can a promising young talent like him lose to an old man who lost his breath from simply getting to the ring? He is going to beat Takagi at Sumo Hall! Backstage Takagi said that while Kasai has the obvious connection with his father Jun Kasai, there is something else about Hinata that draws him in and makes him excited for this match to happen. Kasai meanwhile is looking forward to winning in his Ryogoku debut. Later in a brief interview with Tokyo Sports, Takagi revealed that the actual reason for his absence was because he got diagnosed with angina. However it was detected early and he eventually made a full recovery.
Akito told the reporters some behind the scenes details about this weekend’s shows. “WRESTLE PETER PAN” this year was originally planned to take place as one show in Sumo Hall but the venue was unavailable around this time period due to renovations. He also thanked New Japan for giving them miracles like Zack Sabre Jr. while he is the reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion as well as what is likely to be Tanahashi’s final match in DDT before he retires. Akito couldn’t have imagined things like that happening if it wasn’t for NJPW and President Tanahashi agreeing to it.
DDT announced Kaisei Takechi’s remaining appearances for this year as well as his first booking for 2026. He is already announced for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” on 3rd November. He will also be at the Korakuen Hall shows held on 28th September, 19th October, 21st December and 3rd January.
DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1”, 30/08/2025 Tokyo Higashin Arena Main Arena ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Hinata Kasai Debut Match: HARASHIMA defeated Hinata Kasai with the Somato (10:24).
2. Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuki Ishida defeated Soma Takao & Rukiya when Ishida pinned Rukiya with the Flame Palm (6:32).
3. 3 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata and Antonio Honda when Dieno pinned Honda with the Danshoku Driver (9:19).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Ilusion, MJ Paul & Haruto Sakuraba defeated Akito, Naomi Yoshimura & Daichi Sato when Ilusion pinned Akito with the Swanton Bomb (12:21).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & Kumadori (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Yuki Ueno, Shinya Aoki & Kazuma Sumi when MAO pinned Sumi with the Ultra Big Tone (12:11)
6. DDT Extreme Title – Earn Your Own Life!! Pro Wrestling Life Or Death Death Match!: To-y (c) defeated Yuya Koroku by TKO (9:20). *V2 for To-y.
7. Muscle Sakai 15th Anniversary Of Retirement Match ~ Special Single Match: Minoru Suzuki defeated Muscle Sakai with the Gotch-Style Piledriver (7:42).
8. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when Sabre submitted Masada with the I’ve Mistakely Run To Windsor (19:49).
9. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani when Naya pinned Sasaki (16:01). *V2 for The Apex.
10. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated Jun Akiyama with the Claw Pin (17:41). *V2 for Kazusada Higuchi.
Two days of “WRESTLE PETER PAN” has begun and with it comes the biggest challenge of Kazuzada Higuchi’s reign as KO-D Openweight Champion. There are two title defences scheduled for this weekend, the first of which saw Higuchi face Jun Akiyama in a title rematch from 2021. Akiyama was the defending champion back then and Higuchi had the chance to get revenge on the legend for that match. Akiyama took a page out of Naomi Yoshimura’s book by using the Harai-goshi to break out of the Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex. Akiyama got a big blow in with the Jumping Knee Strike but Higuchi kept kicking out of the Exploder Suplex, including the Wrist-Clutch variation. When Higuchi kicked out of the Wrist-Clutch Exploder, he immediately grabbed Akiyama in the Claw and gave him the Claw Slam. Akiyama kicked out of that but Higuchi put him back in the Claw and used all his strength to pin Akiyama to the mat for the three count.
After the match Higuchi thanked Akiyama for the match. He said Akiyama is as strong and fearsome as ever no matter how old he gets. Akiyama told Higuchi not to call him old because he is a role model to everyone out there in their mid-50s. He encouraged Higuchi to do his best in tomorrow’s defence and if he wins, Akiyama will wrap the KO-D Title belt around his waist. Higuchi then called for tomorrow’s challenger Yuki Ueno to come out to the ring. Ueno apologized for being late and talked about the first time he met Higuchi ten years ago. He called Higuchi an incredible champion that DDT can be proud of. Ueno wants to carry the dreams of everyone in DDT along with everyone who loves DDT so he will go all out to win the KO-D Title tomorrow.
A rough KO-D Tag Team Titles match took its toll on one of the competitors. The Apex and DAMNATION T.A took the fight out of the ring where chairs were used as weapons. MJ Paul then brought the chairs into the ring to attack the champions with. Daisuke Sasaki pulled off one of the corner pads but that proved to be a costly mistake when Yuki Iino drove Sasaki back first into the exposed buckle. Sasaki held onto his side after impact and couldn’t get back up. So when Yukio Naya Choke Slammed Hideki Okatani and snapped his bamboo sword in half, he noticed Sasaki was injured and simply pinned him to win the match. DDT later confirmed that Sasaki suffered an injury to his side and will not be wrestling on tomorrow’s show. Paul will take his place in the 3 Way Tag Match. Meanwhile The Apex will now defend the KO-D Tag Titles again tomorrow because their match with HARASHIMA & Shinya Aoki now has the belts on the line.
Some New Japan involvement is taking place on both nights of “WRESTLE PETER PAN”. The first show had Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita from TMDK coming over to face Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada from SCHADENFREUDE International. It was a chance for one pair of friends Sabre and Brookes to wrestle each other for the first time in years while the other pair of friends Masada and Fujita got to wrestle each other for the first time ever. Antonio Honda and Bunbun both got in the way when Honda climbed to the top of the Schadenfreude Tower spot while Bunbun gave Sabre a Headbutt! Sabre got revenge by turning the rubber band spot against Brookes (but only when Yukinori Matsui ordered him to let go of the band) and kicking Bunbun out of the ring! Brookes and Sabre later faced off while putting each other’s partner in Octopus Holds next to each other. Later Fujita took out Brookes with a Suicide Dive while Sabre locked Masada in the I’ve Mistakely Run To Windsor submission hold to win the match.
Brookes thanked Sabre for coming to DDT but brought up how Sabre has always been stronger than him in the 18 years they’ve known each other. Sabre mentioned the last time they had a singles match together was seven years ago in Revolution Pro and they haven’t fought one on one in Japan yet. Brookes then brought up the idea of finally doing that match at Sumo Hall for “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” on 3rd November! Hisaya Imabayashi asked Sabre if New Japan would be okay with that and he assured them both the company and its president Hiroshi Tanahashi will be fine with the idea. Backstage Sabre said today was so much fun and he’s looking forward to the match featuring the best foreign wrestler in DDT against the best foreign wrestler in NJPW. Fujita said he could feel the pride that DDT wrestlers have for their company. He’d love to fight Masada again in either a New Japan or DDT ring. Masada said if Brookes is going to get a singles match with Sabre, then he would like to get a singles match with Fujita!
Before Muscle Sakai could go out and fight Minoru Suzuki, he decided first to do a PowerPoint Presentation as Super Sasadango Machine to explain why the match was taking place. Sakai originally retired in 2010 to go run the family business in Niigata and his final match was with Suzuki. But in 2012 he got the bug to wrestle again and created the Sasadango gimmick to do it on a local level. The gimmick caught on which led him to working with DDT again more and more then before he knew it, it was like he was a regular again. He heard Suzuki was upset over him breaking his retirement so this match was put together on the 15th anniversary in the hopes that he could clear the air with Suzuki. With that said, the plan to win to the match is for Sakai to hit Minoru Suzuki in the groin.
He also relied on Danshoku Dieno interfering in the match but that only made Suzuki mad. It was all part of the plan though because soon several wrestlers wearing Sasadango masks all entered the ring so Sakai could hide among them. Except they all wore different clothes and Suzuki could easily tell which one was Sakai. He put Sakai in the Sleeper Hold but intentionally stopped him from giving up. Sakai briefly turned the tables with a Low Blow and a few nearfalls but Suzuki blocked the Lehmann Shock, twisted the mask over Sakai’s head backwards to blind him and then gave him the Gotch-Style Piledriver for the win. Suzuki continued to attack him after the match, chasing him backstage with a chair. Suzuki then told reporters he accepts Sakai’s return to wrestling on the condition that Sakai fights him in 100 consecutive matches! He then mocked DDT fans for expecting MAO to beat him for the DDT Universal Title tomorrow. Sakai tried to save face by acting like he was able to push Suzuki to his breaking point today and he is the only one in DDT who was ever able to do so. He also said that since Sasadango debuted in 2012 that means he is part of Konosuke Takeshita’s generation. That generation will lead the pro wrestling industry and he will be part of it!
Life Points were the name of the game for this DDT Extreme Title defence. In the weeks leading up to the match To-y and Yuya Koroku went to social media to try and go viral. For every post they made that made at least 10,000 impressions they would receive one Life Point. Then when they wrestled today the goal was to reduce the opponent’s LP to zero. Points were lost for every pin count, rope break, giving up to a submission hold and getting thrown out of the ring. Leaving the ring also counted towards this as proven when Koroku threw money to the floor and To-y ran out to get it, losing a point. When the match began To-y had 23 LP while Koroku had 20 LP. Koroku quickly used some Cradles to whittle down To-y’s LP so To-y resorted to constantly throwing Koroku in and out of the ring from the floor to do the same. More cradles led to points getting lost until To-y won by using the Kojima Impact for a two count, removing Koroku’s two final points.
It turned out both wrestlers enjoyed the match and had fun fighting each other. To-y said he was glad he didn’t give up because he knows lots of fun still awaits for him in the future. But when he was about to praise Koroku, he was suddenly attacked from behind by Ilusion! He quickly declared himself the next challenger and To-y has no reason to turn him down. If he does decline then Ilusion will beat him up and the footage will be seen all over the world! To-y said there was no reason for Ilusion to ambush him, he could have just challenged normally and To-y would have accepted. Imabayashi confirmed the title match will happen in Sapporo on 14th September. Backstage To-y and Koroku talked about how they are always there for each other to solve their problems together so maybe the time is now for them to start teaming up? Meanwhile Ilsuion talked about how belt collecting became his recent hobby and the purple Extreme Title belt will suit him. He is going to save the title after he found out To-y went gambling with it!
Kumadori and the Strange Love Connection had big entrances for their match. Kumadori performed a dance along with the rest of O-MENZ while MAO & KANON had KIMIHIRO rap them down to the ring. The trio proved to be in sync with each other because they went on to beat Ueno, Aoki & Kazuma Sumi. Kumadori landed a Tornillo Press on Sumi while MAO followed it up with the Hollywood Star Press. Ueno broke the pin and took out KANON with a Plancha but the match returned to MAO against Sumi. MAO ended up using his AI finisher the Ultra Big Tone to pin Sumi. KANON said everyone on their team had the same vibe today because SLC became a little more street style to match with O-MENZ. Well, MAO said he was his usual self but he didn’t like wearing Calvin Klein underwear because that’s not a street brand. KANON promised to get a different brand next time. MAO also said Kumadori might start wrestling on a regular basis soon and could be appearing on DDT’s regional shows as well as the big events. Ueno told Sumi that he should start acting braver so Sumi said he is willing to fight Kumadori more and more to prove he is better and more popular than him!
DAMNATION T.A brought “The Monster” back to DDT and he was again a force to be reckoned with. Haruto Sakuraba proved to be a big challenge for Naomi Yoshimura to try and overcome. Chops and Lariats couldn’t knock Sakuraba off his feet but Yoshimura was able to throw him down with the Harai-goshi. However Ilusion did damage to Akito & Daichi Sato by giving them Low Blows and Sakuraba came back to cause more pain for the opponents. It resulted in DAMNATION T.A picking up the win with Ilusion claiming that nobody can stand a chance against Sakuraba! He’ll be back anytime he is called upon which is good because Sato wants to fight him!
Dieno has a very important match against Tanahashi coming up tomorrow so the last thing DDT needs was for him to get hurt somehow. Imabayashi told the participants of the 3 Way Match to take things likely in order to ensure Dieno will be 100% for tomorrow’s match. He even told Dieno he didn’t have to do anything and should just let the other two fight each other as if it was a singles bout. Dieno wanted to take part in the match but Imabayashi kept trying to stop him. He eventually got fed up and grabbed the microphone to say even if he got injured right now and the Tanahashi match got cancelled, he would not regret it because he lives for today! Imabayashi understood and allowed the match to continue as a 3 Way. He stayed involved anyway and gave Kazuki Hirata a Stunner. Honda used Dieno’s Hell Gate to charge up Gongitsune and poked Imabayashi in the eyes with it. But Dieno blocked the Shining Gongitsune and gave Honda the Danshoku Driver for the win. Afterwards Dieno said that unless he has an accident while taking his pet dog Haku out on a walk, his match with Tanahashi will absolutely happen tomorrow. This will be his last chance to beat Tanahashi before Tanahashi retires and he is going to grab the opportunity!
In Match #2 Shinichiro Kawamatsu got to hit Soma Takao with the Axe Bomber that was passed down to him by the late Hulk Hogan. After that Yuki Ishida hit Rukiya with the Flame Palm to win the match for his team.
The first match of the show was Hinata Kasai’s debut match. He is the son of Jun Kasai and was pitted against HARASHIMA for his first bout. Kasai got off the blocks early with an Arm Lock, Chops and a Missile Dropkick. HARASHIMA took control with Middle Kicks and the Falcon Arrow but Kasai caught one of the kicks and knocked HARASHIMA back with a punch. HARASHIMA held him down with a Crab Hold after that and then pinned him with the Somato. Backstage Kasai said there were times he considered quitting during his training but he is glad he didn’t. The thoughts of his first win, his first championship or when he achieves his dreams all excite him so he wants to continue being a pro wrestler. HARASHIMA said one of the things that makes him happy to have wrestled for so long is he gets to have matches with people he has known since they were a child. He noticed Kasai does not have much skill but he does have passion so he looks forward to seeing what he does in the future.
The show began with two members of NωA Jr. performing a song for everyone. Shunma Katsumata and Kazuma Sumi went out there to sing “Going my ωay!!!!! ~You Are Not Alone~” to welcome the fans to the big weekend of shows.
DDT “YOKOHAMERMAID”, 09/08/2025 Yokohama Radiant Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Takeshi Masada with the Aoki Clutch (7:21).
2. Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere 3 Way Match: Kazuki Hirata defeated Danshoku Dieno and Super Sasadango Machine when Hirata pinned Dieno with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (13:27). *Kazuki Hirata wins the Yellow Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Arm Cover.
3. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Daichi Sato with the Somato (9:41).
4. Named By Kazuki Hirata “I’m Koroku” Rule: Chris Brookes & Yuya Koroku defeated Yuki Ueno & To-y when Koroku submitted To-y with the Modified Triangle Lancer (12:29).
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida defeated Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Higuchi submitted Matsunaga with the Claw (9:22).
6. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Minoru Suzuki & Akito when MAO pinned Akito with a Gedo Clutch (14:16).
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (c) defeated Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani pinned Sumi with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (20:42). *V4 for DAMNATION T.A.
The two and a half heavyweight challengers tried using their size to take the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles from DAMNATION T.A. by stacking up on each other. But they didn’t think it through so Kazuma Sumi tried and failed to piggyback Yuki Iino and Yukio Naya over his shoulders. MJ Paul then pulled the referee out of the ring when Naya had Choke Slammed Hideki Okatani. With the ref down, Daisuke Sasaki started attacking the other team with a chair and Ilusion gave them Low Blows too. The Apex figured out how to stack themselves up properly by having Iino piggyback Naya and Sumi stand on top of them for a dive. Unfortunately Sumi missed and despite trying to use the School Boy for a last gasp victory, he ended up getting pinned by Okatani with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster.
After the match Okatani taunted The Apex by telling them to train more for the KO-D Tag Team Titles match at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025”. Sasaki said that won’t matter because he and Okatani will surpass them through sheer talent alone. He then had an announcement to make about “CHARISMANIAxMANIAxMANIA” on 2nd October. The main event is going to be Sasaki & El Desperado taking on Shuji Ishikawa & Antonio Honda! Two years after Sasaki and Desperado fought each other in DDT, they now want to team up!
A trickster to the end, MAO was involved in one of the more creative match finishes of the year. He tried to pin Akito with the Japanese Leg Roll Clutch but Minoru Suzuki blocked it and put him in the Sleeper Hold. KANON broke that up and knocked Suzuki into MAO back to back. From there MAO gave Suzuki a Backslide Pin while applying the Gedo Clutch to Akito, pinning both of them for the win. With this victory MAO believes he is now the only person who can take the DDT Universal Title back from Suzuki. However Suzuki has now sworn to kill him at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025”!
Kazusada Higuchi is looking forward to defending the KO-D Openweight Title against Jun Akiyama. He sees it as his chance to get revenge for failing to take the title from Akiyama back in 2021. Akiyama said he may have lost today’s prelim match but he got to have a good look at Higuchi. They still have a few more weeks to go until the match so Akiyama hopes he and Higuchi will stay in good condition until then.
The DDT Extreme Title exists to be an avenue for wrestlers to be at their most creative. To-y is expecting Yuya Koroku to come up with an idea crazy enough to make their upcoming title bout exciting. Today Koroku tested his idea out by applying “I Am Koroku” rules (Kazuki Hirata came up with the name) to his tag match against To-y. The rule was a total pinfall count of 20 was needed to win the match alongside the other usual ways. However Koroku ended up winning the match by submission instead. To-y complained that the rules never said that but Koroku defended himself by explaining he never said pinfall was the only way to win. Since To-y is the champion he gets to pick the rules for the title match. He announced them on social media after the show. From now until the day of the show, he and Koroku will receive one life point for every social media post they make that reaches over 10,000 impressions. During the match itself every one count pinfall, rope break and getting thrown out of the ring will take away a Life Point until the loser is reduced to zero.
The first Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere prize was up for grabs. This year the prizes are represented with different color Arm Covers. However the first match featured wrestlers who were all hesitant to win for one reason or another. It turns out Danshoku Dieno, Super Sasadango Machine and Kazuki Hirata all do not want to deal with the pressure of holding the title shot that they could lose before cashing it in. Hisaya Imabayashi pleaded with them to take the match seriously so they did. Hirata won the match and couldn’t help but feel fired up over it. He now expects to get beaten up more than usual while building up anticipation for when he will cash in his KO-D Title shot. If he loses it before then he will only be disappointing everyone so he promised to keep it like it was part of his costume.
DDT began the show with a 10 bell salute dedicated to the late Tomohiko Hashimoto. He passed away at 47 years old from liver cancer on 5th August.
DDT “BATTLE OF HAMAMATSU”, 02/08/2025 Shizuoka Act City Hamamatsu ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Hideki Okatani defeated Kazuma Sumi with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster (7:04).
2. 3 Way Body Slam Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Akito and Yuya Koroku when Dieno Body Slammed Koroku (7:32).
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Iino & Antonio Honda defeated Hideki “Shrek” Sekine & Kazuki Hirata when Honda pinned Hirata after The Apex Elbow from Iino (10:53).
4. HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & MJ Paul when HARASHIMA pinned Paul with the Somato (12:01).
5. Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ HIMIHIRO) defeated Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato when KANON pinned Sato with the LONELY DEZIRES (12:15).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, To-y & Shinya Aoki defeated Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when To-y pinned Ishida with the Kojima Impact (22:41).
Today’s main event might serve as a preview for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 2” because Kazusada Higuchi and Yuki Ueno were both in it. However Ueno also had to worry about Shinya Aoki because for some reason Aoki broke up a pinfall when Ueno covered Yukio Naya. He later explained it was because he thought Naya was making funny faces at him during that moment. Back in the match Higuchi held Ueno in the Candian Backbreaker and then grabbed To-y in the Claw Hold. Yuki Ishida then tried to get the win at To-y’s expense but instead To-y pinned him with the Kojima Impact. Backstage Higuchi said he hadn’t considered today to be a prelim match with Ueno because he is focused on his KO-D Openweight Title defence with Jun Akiyama first. All Higuchi got from today’s match is he is feeling like he is in good shape.
Since Hideki Sekine is from Hamamatsu and was wrestling in front of friends he didn’t want to do anything embarrassing during his match. That includes dancing so he took the Hirata GO! glasses away from Kazuki Hirata. However when Antonio Honda pulled out Gongitsune, Sekine changed his mind and wore the glasses to fight back while dancing. While this was happening, Yuki Iino beat up Hirata and gave him The Apex Elbow. Honda was able to pin Hirata while Sekine was busy dancing by himself.
There were two tributes for the late Hulk Hogan on this show. Hisaya Imabayashi decided to turn the 3 Way Match into a Body Slam Challenge where the first wrestler to successfully do the move would win. Also at the start of the show Honda entered the ring in full Hogan cosplay and performed his rendition of Hulk Hogan Gymnastics.
DDT “SANKO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. OME PRESENTS HARASHIMA RETURNS HOME! ~WE’RE HOLDING A SHOW IN OME! WHY? BECAUSE IT’S MY HOMETOWN!~”, 27/07/2025 Sumitomo Metal Mine Arena Ome Sports Hall 1 ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Team Ome Presents: Kazuma Sumi defeated Ilusion with the School Boy (5:41).
2. Cockpit Ome Co., Ltd. Presents: Naomi Yoshimura & Soma Takao defeated Makoto Oishi & Shinichiro Kawamatsu when Yoshimura pinned Oishi with the Hara-goshi (6:27).
3. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Gaydo Clutch (8:12).
4. Ome Shinkin Bank Presents: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul defeated Antonio Honda, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yuya Koroku when Sasaki submitted Matsunaga with the Crossface Lock (10:51).
5. Enoki Kougyou Presents Harimao Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida when MAO pinned Ishida with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (10:25).
6. JA Nishitokyo Presents Falls Count Anywhere Match: Yuki Ueno & To-y defeated Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada when To-y pinned Brookes with the To-y Who Travels Through Time (15:50).
7. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Seiwa Shoji Co., Ltd. Presents: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato when Naya pins Sato with The World’s Best Back Drop (19:27). *V1 for The Apex.
8. Toyota S&D Nishitokyo Co., Ltd. Presents HARASHIMA Debut 24th Anniversary Match – Special 6-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Togi Makabe & Yasu Urano defeated Shinya Aoki, Shuji Ishikawa & Akito when HARASHIMA pinned Akito with the Swan Dive Somato (17:41).
It was a glorious homecoming for HARASHIMA as DDT held a show in his home city of Ome in Tokyo. He invited his old buddy Togi Makabe from the Teikyo University Pro Wrestling Club to team with him and Yasu Urano in the main event. HARASHIMA started the match off with Shinya Aoki while Makabe traded Lariats with Shuji Ishikawa. Urano took a beating from the other team but HARASHIMA avoided taking the Splash Mountain from Ishikawa. Makabe Clotheslined him out of the ring to allow HARASHIMA to pin Akito with the Swan Dive Somato. HARASHIMA thanked Makabe after the match for making memories with him. Backstage Makabe said he is overwhelmed with emotion because he sees how hard HARASHIMA is working to promote DDT. HARASHIMA talked about the times they trained together in the wrestling club 30 years ago and now here they are standing in the same ring together as pro wrestlers. He always wanted to wrestle in his hometown and it took everyone’s help to finally make it happen.
The Apex got past Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato for their first defence of the KO-D Tag Team Titles but the next pair of challengers quickly revealed themselves. Akiyama & Sato came close to winning the belts when Akiyama gave Yukio Naya a Superplex and Sato followed up with the Mad Splash. But Yuki Iino broke the count and Naya regained his footing by hitting Sato with Knee Lifts before finishing him off with The World’s Best Back Drop. As soon as Iino tried to speak on the microphone, Ilusion came out and distracted The Apex so Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani could attack them from behind with chairs and Low Blows. They then said DAMNATION T.A are the next challengers because they want the belts and The Apex do not deserve them. The champions accepted the challenge and will do the match on 30th August. Backstage Iino & Naya praised Sato for his performance and look forward to fighting him even more in the future. Akiyama also told Sato they can keep challenging the champions as many times as it will take to beat them. Then even later Iino confronted DAMNATION T.A demanding a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles shot. Sasaki refused because The Apex don’t have a third man to team with. Iino quickly found Kazuma Sumi nearby and told him he’s the perfect “heavyweight” to team with him and Naya. That title match will happen on 9th August.
The tag match between The 37KAMIINA and SCHADENFREUDE International was turned into a Falls Count Anywhere Match on a few days notice but everyone involved took to the idea like a duck to water. There was a lot of action that took place outside the ring, a castle of chairs that everyone crashed into and a lot of dives that happened over by the entrance stage. Takeshi Masada Power Bombed To-y into a stack of chairs and he tried to pin To-y on top of them but Yuki Ueno broke the count by diving into them. Chris Brookes then added extra damage to everyone by doing a Senton onto the pile of bodies. Even Bunbun got caught up in the carnage when Ueno gave him a Backbreaker and threw his mangled body high into the air for SCHADENFREUDE International to catch. Ueno then followed with a dive onto them. After that he placed Masada onto a table for To-y to do a Diving Body Press from the stage to get the three count.
The Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata bout was the only match on the card that did not have any sponsorship attached to it. For that reason Hisaya Imabayashi ordered Hirata to stop Dieno from doing anything vulgar so DDT can run a show in Ome again next year. The GM also did his part by staying at ringside to block Dieno from approaching any fans. It became too difficult for them to stop Dieno from being, well, Dieno so Imabayashi brought in a chair to attack him with. However Hirata stopped him and gave a speech about how a pro wrestler is as good as dead if they ever lose their individuality. Imabayashi didn’t agree and tried to attack Hirata with the chair. Hirata deflected him right into Dieno’s Hell Gate, knocking Imabayashi out. Hirata hugged Dieno but then tried to hit him with an Axe Bomber. Dieno dodged it, put Hirata in the Lip Lock and then pinned him with the Gaydo Clutch.
Shinichiro Kawamatsu wanted to win his match with the Axe Bomber he inherited from the late Hulk Hogan and even hit the move on Soma Takao. However Naomi Yoshimura knocked him out of the ring afterwards and pinned Makoto Oishi with the Hara-goshi. Kawamatsu revealed backstage he had tried several times in the past to set up a Hogan appearance for DDT but was never able to make it happen. He promised to continue working hard while thinking about what Hogan would want to tell the Japanese fans.
DDT “ROCK IN RING 2025 ~STRIKE THE BEAT, SHOUT THE CHEERS~”, 13/07/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Antonio Honda defeated Soma Takao & Yuni when Honda pinned Yuni with a Jackknife Pin (6:36).
1. Chris Brookes, Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato defeated Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Yuki Ishida when Sato pinned Ishida with the Mad Splash (8:29).
2. 3 Way Match: Super Sasadango Machine defeated Danshoku Dieno and Kazuki Hirata when Sasadango pinned Hirata with a School Boy (4:19).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: MAO, KANON & Kazuma Sumi (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated Masashi Takeda, Ilusion & Haruto Sakuraba when MAO pinned Ilusion with a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch (11:10).
4. Special Tag Match: Kosei Fujita & Takeshi Masada defeated To-y & Yuya Koroku when Masada pinned Koroku with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (12:22).
5. DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki (c) defeated Shinya Aoki by Referee Stoppage with Elbow Strikes (15:17). *V3 for Minoru Suzuki.
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Akito & Kaisei Takechi defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul when Ueno pinned Paul with the BME (11:40).
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi (c) defeated HARASHIMA with the Claw Slam (16:55). *V1 for Kazusada Higuchi.
The new KO-D Openweight Champion treated his first defence as if he was the challenger instead of the title holder. Kazusada Higuchi took on this mindset because his opponent was HARASHIMA, one of his most difficult career opponents who he had never beaten in previous matches where the KO-D Title was on the line. HARASHIMA targeted Higuchi’s arm in a bid to shut down the Claw Hold and Claw Slam. Higuchi caught HARASHIMA’s Somato at ringside and slammed him back first onto the ring apron. He was also able to apply the Claw Hold after catching a kick leaving HARASHIMA open to be grabbed. HARASHIMA took him down with a Cross Armbreaker but Higuchi powered himself back to his feet to slam him down. He did get hit with the Somato but kicked out and was able to pin HARASHIMA with the Claw Slam to score his first defence.
After the match Higuchi called HARASHIMA a crazy 51 year old. Higuchi has only been able to beat him once so he has a long way to go. HARASHIMA told him he will keep challenging again and again if he can so Higuchi should keep polishing the belt for when he takes it back. Hisaya Imabayashi then told Higuchi his next title defence will be at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August. Before Higuchi could select his challenger, Jun Akiyama entered the ring and said the time is right for Higuchi to wrap the belt around his waist again. Higuchi responded that he will make Akiyama wrap the belt around his waist one more time and accepted the challenge. Akiyama then took the first shot by hitting Higuchi with a Lariat! The winner of the match will go on to defend the title on Night 2 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 31st August against the winner of a Battle Royal that will be held on 16th July.
It was a baptism of fire for DDT’s newest signing. Kaisei Takechi brought in a big crowd to the show like he did in his previous DDT appearances last year. Now THE RAMPAGE star will be delving into a deeper adventure into the promotion starting off with a match against DAMNATION T.A. He and Hideki Okatani had fought before and Okatani gave him a cheap shot to start off the match. Takechi relied on teamwork with Yuki Ueno & Akito to control the match until Daisuke Sasaki threw a chair at him and beat him up around ringside. Takechi caught a chairshot from Sasaki only to get hit from behind by Okatani with another chair. Yet the big comeback had Akito Side Suplex MJ Paul and Ueno follow up with a Frog Splash. The Takechi grabbed Sasaki by the neck and Choke Slammed him out of the ring onto the rest of DAMNATION T.A plus a few ringside seconds below. With the ring cleared, Ueno then landed the BME on Paul to win the match.
Takechi got on them microphone afterwards and spoke about his goal to bring pro wrestling to people who have never seen it before. If these dots connect they can make the circle of fans even bigger and create an amazing whirlwind that will help DDT become more popular. He wants to fight more opponents in DDT and also confirmed he will compete at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2025” in Sumo Hall on 3rd November. Akito, speaking from his role as a CyberFight director later said he would like to get Takechi to appear in DDT as regularly as he can before that show. Ueno asked if that means he could even be at the outdoor Ueno Park shows? Akito said absolutely! DAMNATION T.A also wants to fight Takechi more often. They accept him as a DDT wrestler but warn him that next time he won’t get away with the trouble he caused them today!
There’s been a few times Minoru Suzuki and Shinya Aoki have shared the wrestling ring together but today was the first singles match between the two accomplished fighters. The DDT Universal Title held by Suzuki was on the line too so both were trying to be at the top of their game. Suzuki flipped a switch and turned a back and forth grapple exchange into a ringside fight. Aoki hit a dive and then back in the ring went for different submissions until he locked in the Full Nelson Hold. However when he rolled it into the Aoki Clutch it was too close to the ropes and Suzuki escaped the pin because of it. Aoki applied the Full Nelson again but this time Suzuki rolled out of it and applied the Sleeper Hold as a counter. Aoki tried reversing it only to end up back in the Sleeper Hold. However Aoki still had some fight left in him and did what he could to avoid the Gotch-Style Piledriver until Suzuki fish hooked his mouth to finally pull off the move. Rather than go for the pin, Suzuki instead slapped and threw elbow strikes at Aoki repeatedly until Yukinori Matsui called for the match to end by TKO.
Suzuki told Aoki this is how much fun pro wrestling can be. Someone like Aoki cannot even get a foothold on Suzuki so Suzuki told him to get out of the ring. He then asked if there was any challenger out there who deserves to be called a Universal Champion? MAO came down to the ring and Suzuki admitted he was waiting for him to show up. MAO talked about his recent success with Strange Love Connection as well as his performances in the Best Of The Super Juniors. All of a sudden he is now feeling the urge to beat Suzuki, bring the Universal Title back to DDT and more importantly bring it back to himself! Suzuki accepted the challenge and said he’s been wanting to wrestle MAO after travelling to shows in other countries with him. MAO later called the Universal Title his ex-lover and he’s going to rescue it from that lust-driven old man!
A close friendship that crosses wrestling companies led to Takeshi Masada inviting this year’s BOSJ winner Kosei Fujita over for a tag match. The two of them fought To-y & Yuya Koroku in a match showcasing their generation. Most of the match pitted Fujita against To-y while Masada and Koroku continued their growing rivalry. Masada & Fujita ended up gelling greatly as a team and won in the end. Fujita wiped out T-oy with a dive out of the ring allowing Masada to pin Koroku with the Masada no Chikara KOBU Mukimuki.
Things went up a notch after the match when Chris Brookes entered the ring with Bunbun on his hand. Shortly following after him was the arrival of Zack Sabre Jr.! All of a sudden there was a face off between the SCHADENFREUDE International side and the TMDK side. Bunbun started mouthing off so Sabre grabbed him off Brookes’s hand and threw him out of the ring. While this was going on Hisaya Imabayashi had gotten in contact with New Japan and got their permission to book Sabre’s match at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025”. It’s going to be Brookes & Masada against Sabre & Fujita! Backstage Fujita said he had fun in DDT today and he’d like to return the favour and invite Masada over to NJPW sometime.
DAMNATION T.A’s massive weapon was back for his second match. Haruto Sakuraba teamed with KANON for his debut but things were different this time. Now KANON is the enemy that Sakuraba came to rip apart while Ilusion and Masashi Takeda made life hell for MAO & Kazuma Sumi. However Sumi was in sync with the Strange Love Connection and KANON fought to match Sakuraba’s power with his own. Sakuraba came out on top of the exchange but Ilusion couldn’t capitalize on it. He missed the Swanton Bomb aimed for MAO and was rolled up in a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch while KANON used the Cobra Twist on Sakuraba and Sumi pinned down Takeda with a School Boy to hold them both back from breaking the pin. After the match KANON and Sakuraba continued to provoke each other. Then backstage Sakuraba blamed Ilusion for losing the match and said it isn’t over between him and KANON.
The participants of the 3 Way Match were given strict instructions by Hisaya Imabayashi to not waste any time and start right at the climax. So Danshoku Dieno immediately went into the Hell Gate position in the corner while Super Sasadango Machine unmasked himself and laid prone on the canvas. He then got back up to attack Kazuki Hirata once Hirata finished his entrance. When Dieno got the back of his tights fully pulled down, Imabayashi ran into the ring to protest it and give Sasadango a Stunner. Hirata knocked out the GM and shoved him face first into Dieno’s Hell Gate. He then hit Sasadango with an Axe Bomber but as he posed heroicly, Sasadango rolled him up with a School Boy to win the match.
After the 3 Way Match ended, Sasadango had a PowerPoint presentation to shoe everyone. In it he talked about his recent DDT Vs NJPW match and how afterwards Hiroshi Tanahashi met him in the waiting room asking to be treated to a meal sometime. Sasadango couldn’t help but wonder what Tanahashi’s intention was so he looked into the origin of the word “ogoru” (“treat”). He found out the word can be used for arrogance or pride, then discovered a Greek origin where it refers to someone following their desires and stepping into forbidden territory. So when Tanahashi asked him to treat him to a meal, Sasadango worked out that what he really meant was Tanahashi wants a singles match against Danshoku Dieno! DDT then confirmed the match will happen at Night 2 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 31st August!
When Dieno heard about the match he said it will not be about DDT or NJPW. For him the match is his final chance to see if Dieno’s way of life can reach Tanahashi. He then talked about the recent “shocking” discovery that Sasadango is really Muscle Sakai, who retired from pro wrestling 15 years ago. The anniversary of that retirement is coming up so Dieno thinks it would be a good time for Sakai to revisit that match. This is going to be Dieno’s treat to Sasadango. It was then announced that Muscle Sakai will face Minoru Suzuki at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August!
The Apex met their next challengers in a preview of the upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles match. Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato went toe to toe with them with Chris Brookes and Yuki Ishida throwing themselves into the action. Sato suffered the numbers game against Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya but Akiyama & Brookes were there to cut them off. That left Sato to give Ishida a Fire Thunder Driver and then get the win with the Mad Splash.
The dark match had Antonio Honda telling his jokes, Naomi Yoshimura joining in the fun, Soma Takao shilling the Dropkick Bar shirt and Yuni Moonsaulting into Honda’s raised feet so he could get pinned with a Jackknife afterwards.
There was a lot of news announcements at the beginning of the show. Rukiya announced he will return from injury on 17th August. He has been out of action since May 2024 with a cervical sprain. He described how frustrated he was seeing the other young wrestlers working so hard while he’s been gone so he is starting from scratch in a bid to catch up, surpass them and reach to the top.
A new trainee introduced himself to everybody and this one is noteworthy. If “Happy Boy” Hinata Kasai is a name that sounds familiar then it should because he is the son of “Crazy Monkey” Jun Kasai! Hinata is 21 years old from Yokohama, is 171cm tall and weighs 79kg. He will make his pro wrestling debut at Night 1 of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025” on 30th August. There is a dream he set out for himself and that is to surpass his father as a pro wrestler!
This year’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere challenge was announced. It will begin next month with four Right To Challenge prizes being put on the line in matches held on the 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th August. The four prizes are all KO-D Openweight Title shots that can be cashed in during the period between 9th August and 19th October. If a prize holder directly loses a match on a DDT show they will transfer their title shot over to the person that beat them.
DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2025 IN UENO”, 08/07/2025 Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Yuya Koroku & Yuki Ishida defeated Makoto Oishi & Kazuma Sumi when Koroku pinned Sumi with the Moonsault Press (8:53).
2. Beer Specialty “Youth” Borrowing Competition Death Match: Yuni defeated Kazuki Hirata when Yuni reached 3 Points (10:19).
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Jun Akiyama, Daichi Sato & Soma Takao when Iino pinned Takao with the Spear (10:37).
4. Falls Count Anywhere Crocodile Death Match: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Ilusion pinned Honda with the Crocodile Splash (16:10).
5. A Match To Win 1,000 Yen In Pocket Money: Hikaru Sato & Akito defeated Yuki Ueno & To-y when Sato sumbitted To-y with an Armpit Hold (15:15).
6. KANON 6th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) defeated HARASHIMA & Danshoku Dieno when KANON pinned Dieno with the Ground Cobra Twist (13:59).
KANON got to celebrate the 6th Anniversary of his debut match successfully by scoring a pinfall victory over Danshoku Dieno. The two will be facing off again soon with a singles match on 15th July so KANON hyped it up with MAO and KIMIHIRO to end the show.
The DDT Extreme Title contract signing took place and To-y revealed to Hikaru Sato what the rules of their match on 1th July is going to be. It will be a 10,000 Yen Pocket Money Pro Wrestling Excursion Death Match! To-y said they will be given 10,000 yen each and must spend an hour before the match spending it on items and hiring allies to appear in the match. Sato convinced To-y to increase the spending time from one hour before the match to 24 hours before the match. Both wrestlers are also allowed to gamble their pocket money in the hopes of getting more to spend. So later in the show they had a tag match where they wagered their money on penalties. They would have to give over 1,000 yen for every time they get pinned, 2,000 yen for every rope break they use to escape a submission hold and 3,000 yen whenever their tag partner had to break up a pin or submission. Sato’s team won the match and after all of To-y’s penalties were added up, Sato now had 19,000 yen while To-y only had 1,000 yen. To-y was upset with having so little cash that he pleaded with Sato to lend him 9,000 yen. The fans convinced Sato to lend him the money so they are now back to 10,000 yen each. Backstage Sato said he thought DDT wasn’t that kind of company anymore where everyone borrows money a lot. But if the cost of winning the Extreme Title is 10,000 yen then Sato is willing to pay it.
The Crocodile Death Match was pretty much a big excuse for SCHADENFREUDE International and DAMNATION T.A to have a massive water fight against each other. Everyone brought out water guns of various kinds, they dunked each other into big bins filled with water and Daisuke Sasaki tried to drown Bunbun. The crocodile was attached to Ilusion’s back by Hideki Okatani & MJ Paul. He jumped from a bench onto Antonio Honda in the kiddie pool to pin him for the three count. Chris Brookes and Takeshi Masada tried to get the last laugh by throwing buckets of water at DAMNATION T.A after the match.
The heavyweight trio of Kazusada Higuchi & The Apex were dominant over Jun Akiyama, Daichi Sato & Soma Takao. Akiyama was in danger of being beaten by Yukio Naya so Sato went to fight Naya off. But that left Yuki Iino free to Spear Takao and get the win for his team. Iino was impressed by Sato’s kicks during the match and encourages him to strike him more. Naya however warned Sato not to underestimate him. Akiyama meanwhile told the KO-D Tag Team Champions not to hold back against him and his tag partner. This has only just begun.
A special rule was added to the Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuni match. Hisaya Imabayashi would write a request on a piece of paper and the wrestlers would have to go do that request to earn a point. The first to reach three points would then win.
With Shunma Katsumata currently out injured, NωA Jr. had original NωA member Makoto Oishi fill in for him in the opening match. He did the entrance as well as wrestle in the match.
DDT “YOKOHAMA NIGHT SPLASH”, 05/07/2025 Yokohama Radiant Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
1. Special Single Match: KANON defeated MJ Paul with the Just Cobra Twist (7:50).
2. 5 Way Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Yuya Koroku ended in a Time Limit Draw when the Earth’s destruction was averted (?:??).
3. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Kazuma Sumi defeated Ryota Nakatsu & Yuki Ishida when Ueno pinned Ishida with the Frog Splash (9:52).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Hikaru Sato & Daichi Sato defeated Yuki Iino, To-y & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Akiyama pinned Matsunaga with the Exploder Suplex (12:23).
5. Special Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya defeated HARASHIMA & Soma Takao when Naya pinned Takao with The World’s Best Back Drop (12:13).
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (c) defeated Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Ilusion pinned Honda with the Bombo Claat (21:17). *V3 for DAMNATION T.A.
Chaos broke out for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles main event. Bunbun was left to hang upside down from one of the nearby banners in the room. Antonio Honda tried to beat Ilusion with the Tenzan Tombstone Driver but MJ Paul pulled the referee out of the ring to stop his pin count. That allowed DAMNATION T.A to attack SCHADENFREUDE International with chairs. Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani got rid of Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada, then hit Honda with the Claymore Kick and the Pedigree onto the chair. However Ilusion missed the Swanton Bomb and landed on the chair, allowing Honda to roll him up in the Japanese Leg Clutch Hold. Okatani just about broke the pin in time and Ilusion used his own Arm Clutch version of the move on Honda called the Bombo Claat to get the three count in the end. No new challengers stepped forward afterwards so Ilusion declared DAMNATION T.A as the forever champions!
Both Kazusada Higuchi and HARASHIMA signed the contract for their KO-D Openweight Title bout earlier in the show. During the signing Higuchi brought up all of the times he challenged HARASHIMA for the KO-D Title and lost. He believes successfully defending the KO-D Title against him will be his way of getting revenge. HARASHIMA said he wants to win the title to he can bring it with him for his homecoming show on 27th July. They then faced off in a tag match with Yukio Naya and Soma Takao also involved. HARASHIMA was able to hit Higuchi with the Somato at ringside but Naya ended up beating Takao in the ring. After the match HARASHIMA said he could feel Higuchi’s mental strength as well as his physical one.
Hikaru Sato has been hearing To-y’s claims about being a crazy wrestler so he wanted to give him an extreme test to prove it. Michael Nakazawa recently sent him bottles of laxatives from America so Hikaru and To-y agreed to drink a bottle each one hour before their match today took place. Their match also involved Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato warming up against Yuki Iino for their upcoming KO-D Tag Team Titles bout. Akiyama & Daichi noticed To-y was holding it in so they purposely targeted his stomach while Hikaru was also showing signs of panic. Thankfully nothing disgusting was let loose in the ring and as soon as the match finished both Hikaru and To-y sprinted for the toilets while Iino and Daichi kept fighting each other. Then once things calmed down, Hikaru and To-y returned to the ring to pose over the DDT Extreme Title. Hikaru later said the match left him feeling refreshed because he and To-y fought their guts out. To-y promised to come up with a crazier rule for the title match and will keep the belt for when Shunma Katsumata returns from injury.
Apparently the 5 Way Match was all in Hisaya Imabayashi’s head. He dreamed about the impending destruction of the planet so everyone had to try and win the match before the world was doomed. Time ran out though and explosions could be heard throughout the room. Nothing happened after that and the wrestlers looked around in confusion. They noticed Imabayashi was sleeping at his desk and woke him up, learning that it was all a dream he was having.
DDT “KING OF KINGS ~ARASHI’S JUNE SHOWDOWN~”, 29/06/2025 Tokyo Korakuen Hall ??? Fans – Unannounced
0. Dark Match: Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida defeated Akito & Kazuma Sumi when Ishida pinned Sumi with the Flame Palm (6:46).
1. Jun Akiyama, Daichi Sato & Soma Takao defeated Toru Owashi, Antonio Honda & Takeshi Masada when Sato pinned Masada with the Mad Splash (8:53).
2. International Special Tag Match: Mansoor & Mason Madden defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when Madden pinned Hirata after the Danshoku Driver-Style Centrefold (8:57).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Poison Sawada JULIE (c) with the Stunner (12:08 pm). *Sanshiro Takagi becomes the 1,749th champion.
3. Special Tag Match: MJ Paul & Ilusion defeated HARASHIMA & Kumadori when Ilusion pinned Kumadori with a Cradle (10:43).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani defeated MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO) and Shunma Katsumata & To-y when Sasaki submitted Katsumata with La Mistica Crossface Lock (8:39).
5. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Yuki Ueno defeated Shinya Aoki & Yuya Koroku when Ueno pinned Koroku with a Chickenwing Arm Lock Counter (14:03).
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya defeated Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura (c) when Naya pinned Abe with The World’s Best Back Drop (14:14). *Astronauts fails in V6. The Apex become the 87th KO-D Tag Team Champions!
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the Claw Slam (20:43). *Chris Brookes fails in V5. Kazusada Higuchi becomes the 85th KO-D Openweight Champion!
Three months after his return from injury, Kazuasada Higuchi has climbed to the top of DDT again to regain his place as the KO-D Openweight Champion! His match with Chris Brookes started with a Chop battle and quickly escalated from there. Brookes did a Piledriver onto the ring apron, a Diving Foot Stomp to the outside, an Avalanche Double Arm Suplex back into the ring and also the Somato. Higuchi kicked out of the Praying Mantis Bomb, Heabutted his way into taking control of the match and did the Claw Slam, which Brookes also kicked out of. Higuchi then powered his way out of the Octopus Hold and used Lariats as well as the Doctor Bomb to soften up the champ. Another Claw Slam (that Brookes tried to stop by pinching Higuchi’s nose) after that kept Brookes down for the count and made Higuchi the new champion!
Brookes was leaving the ring when Higuchi called for him to come back. He told Brookes he is really strong for brushing off every challenge that has come his way in order to defend the KO-D Title. Brookes wrapped the belt around Higuchi’s waist then Harimao and SCHADENFREUDE International shared cans of beer together. Higuchi talked about how it was his dream to regain the title when HARASHIMA approached the ring. He said he always admires strength which is why he always aiming to win the strongest championship in DDT. Therefore he is here to challenge Higuchi for a title match! Higuchi agreed and the match will take place at Korakuen Hall on 13th July.
A new heavyweight tag team has taken over the tag division. Yuki Iino & Yukio Naya only just recently joined forces but their combined power was too much for Astronauts to handle. The result brings an end to their KO-D Tag Team Title reign at the halfway point of reaching their goal to get the most title defences. Fuminori Abe continued to stop Iino from doing his “I Am BURNING! Yeah!” catchphrase as he’s been doing in the buildup to this match. But Iino got the last laugh by hitting him and Takuya Nomura with a Double Spear then gave another Spear to Nomura so he wouldn’t be able to stop Naya pinning Abe with The World’s Best Back Drop. However Abe was able to get one last sucker punch in to stop Iino from saying his catchphrase after the match.
Despite becoming the new KO-D Tag Champs, Naya told Iino they still have a lot to learn but at least together they will make DDT the best it can be. Iino is pleased to have safely come back from his eye injury and win his comeback match. He also revealed to everyone their tag team’s new name. Is it BURNING? No, it is The Apex! They way he announced it left the audience feeling a bit confused but Jun Akiyama & Daichi Sato walked out to quickly move on from the awkward moment so they could challenge The Apex for the titles. Akiyama even said out loud what a confusing name it is. Earlier in the show Sato directly won a DDT match for the first time today and he wants to carry on that momentum to get a title shot with Akiyama. Naya accepted but warned Sato not to get too cocky just because he won one match. The title bout will happen in Sumitomo on 27th July.
Earlier in the show Minoru Suzuki and Shinya Aoki had a contract signing segment for their DDT Universal Title match taking place on 13th July. It went ahead without any trouble although the two had a tense staredown at the end of it. Then later in the show they fought in a tag team match with Yuki Ueno on Suzuki’s team and Yuya Koroku on Aoki’s. This turned out to be a lot more dangerous with Suzuki and Aoki having a ringside brawl with chairshots being thrown. Back in the ring Koroku went for the Triangle Lancer on Ueno but Suzuki found himself getting trapped in Aoki’s Sleeper Hold. Ueno made a surprise cradle counter on Koroku to get away with the win but as this was happening, his partner Suzuki was choked out cold by Aoki! After the match Aoki got on the microphone and simply said it was an “Easy job.” He had already made his way to the back when Suzuki regained consciousness. Suzuki then immediately went on a rampage by kicking referees, attacking the wrestlers doing ringside duties and throwing furniture around the venue.
A 3 Way Tag Match featuring wrestlers from Strange Love Connection, The 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION T.A was always going to get out of control. To-y wanted to show how crazy he is but Daisuke Sasaki hit him in the back with a chair. To-y tried to get revenge with a Diving Body Press but Sasaki blocked it with his knees. MAO & KANON worked over Hideki Okatani with double team moves until Shunma Katsumata stunned MAO with a Thrust Kick. MAO fired back with the Michinoku Driver II but Sasaki broke the pin and then put Katsumata in La Mistica Crossface Lock to make him tap out.
Other members of DAMNATION T.A played spoiler for Kumadori’s return to DDT. Ilusion in particular wanted to make an example of the O-MENZ dancer because he got served when it comes to dance moves. HARASHIMA came to Kumadori’s aid by hitting Ilusion with a Standing Somato and then went to hold MJ Paul back. But Ilusion found the referee’s blind spot to give Kumadori a Low Blow and get away with cradling him for the three count. Ilusion made fun of Kumadori afterwards, calling him a weak baby who should go back to his mom’s bed instead of being in the ring. Kumdaori demanded a singles match with Ilusion and he is going to get it at Shinjuku FACE on 16th July.
Perhaps MxM Collection are an even better fit in DDT than I thought. They made their entrance to “Death By Glamour” from Undertale and did their own little dance along with their chic poses. They weren’t going to beat Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata in a popularity contest though, if only because Dieno brought his pet dog Haku down to the ring. Once the match actually began Mansoor quickly found out how much of a pervert Dieno is. MxM did some of their own Danshoku moves to Hirata but that only made Dieno want to take Hirata’s place. It fired him up enough to get the hot tag just so nothing could stop him from getting a piece of Mason Madden. But when Madden grabbed him for a Choke Slam, Dieno successfully pleaded him not to do it because Haku was watching from the corner. When Mason bowed to Haku in apology Dieno knocked him out of the ring, attached the handle to Haku’s dog collar around his neck and made Haku walk forward to strangle him. Mansoor then tried to take Haku and bring him up to the top rope when Hirata stopped him. Dieno stripped off his main tights and tried to do Danshoku things to MxM when Madden escaped and hit a Double Spear to Dieno & Hirata. Madden then put Dieno’s tights on himself and with Mansoor gave Hirata the Centrefold (elevated double team Pedigree) to get the win.
Sato’s first DDT win was almost overshadowed by Soma Takao attacking Bunbun with an unwarranted Leg Drop during the match. Toru Owashi used a little bit of lucha to deal with him and Sato while Antonio Honda prepared Gongitsune. Things almost got passionate between Sato and Takeshi Masada but Akiyama was there to give Masada the Exploder Suplex. Sato then scored his first win by hitting the Mad Splash from the top rope.
Naomi Yoshimura’s limited schedule has put him in the dark match for today’s show. He and Yuki Ishida kicked off what became a good day for Harimao by beating Akito & Kazuma Sumi. Akito targeted Yoshimura’s massive legs to slow him down but couldn’t count on Sumi to finish Ishida. Instead Ishida gave him a Back Drop followed by the Flame Palm for the victory.
To celebrate the 25 years of the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title its creator and current champion Poison Sawada JULIE went and created a brand new belt to replace the first generation prize that has become badly worn down. Sawada explained it was originally created so he could fight Sanshiro Takagi 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However many, many different things got in their way resulting in so many wrestlers, oridnary people, animals and inanimate objects to become champions over the last 25 years. Hisaya Imabayashi presented the 2nd generation belt to Sawada who started laughing because nobody will ever be able to take it off him! Then Takagi ran into the ring, gave Sawada the Stunner and pinned him to win the title. Backstage Takagi said he hopes the new belt will make new history for the championship. He also told fans to keep an eye on its movements because it will also show up in Super Japan as well as DDT.
It was announced that Zack Sabre Jr. will compete at “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2025 – DAY 1” being held in Higashin Arena Main Arena on 30th August. This news came out hours before Sabre won back the IWGP World Heavyweight Title at today’s New Japan show.
Posted by JamieOD 
Dramatic DDT 