DDT “SPA AND POOL AQUA YUKARI – SAUNA ROJO PRO WRESTLING” Results

June 21, 2024

DDT “SPA & POOL AQUA YUKARI – SAUNA ROJO PRO WRESTLING”, 21/06/2024
Chiba Aqua Yukari
91 Fans

1. DDT Extreme Title & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Falls Count Anywhere Survival 5 Way Match: Shunma Katsumata (E/c) defeated Yukio Naya, To-y, Ilusion and Kazuma Sumi (I/c) (55:20).
1a. Shunma Katsumata, To-y, Ilusion and Kazuma Sumi eliminated Yukio Naya by Pinfall (37:09).
1b. To-y eliminated Ilusion by Referee Stoppage (45:33).
1c. Shunma Katsumata and Kazuma Sumi eliminated To-y by Pinfall (47:27).
1d. Shunma Katsumata eliminated Kazuma Sumi with the Totonou Splash from the wall through the Table (55:20).
*V4 for Shunma Katsumata. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 1,644th Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion.

Two championships were on the line when DDT paid a visit to the Aqua Yukari spa in Chiba. The Survival 5 Way Match was originally just meant to be for the DDT Extreme Title held by Shunma Katsumata. But recently Kazuma Sumi won the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title and since the match was elimination rules, somebody was going to end up as a double champion by the end of the match. Hisaya Imabayashi was there to make sure things did not get too out of control.

The spa features more than just a sauna and a swimming pool. The five wrestlers fought all over the place, taking everyone down stairways, through an arcade and past the café. There was also a karaoke booth where Sumi asked Imabayashi for money so he could sing a song or two for everyone. Sumi then wanted to take the fight over to the women’s bath area but Imabayashi told him it is out of bounds for them and they should go to the men’s bath instead.

In the men’s area Katsumata and To-y both tried to drown each other in the bath. There was a Headscissors chain formed with Yukio Naya at the end turning everyone over with a Crab Hold. He then threw everyone into the cold bath including Imabayashi and Keigo Nakamura. Then Ilusion got some payback by avoiding a Choke Slam and then sending Naya into the cold bath too.

Next place to visit was the sauna room. At this point Naya was getting tired and the increasing heat made things worse. He rushed out of the room and collapsed to the ground. Sumi covered him but he kicked out. Then everyone piled on top of Naya for the pin and he became the first elimination of the match. The remaining wrestlers went to sit outside but almost all got counted out because they were so relaxed it was like being knocked out.

Over at the pool the wrestlers started doing some high risk dives into the water. However To-y got a hold of him and submerged him under water. After a few moments To-y reemerged holding up Ilusion’s mask in the style of Robin Mask Vs Atlantis! Only Daisuke Kiso could see what happened to Ilusion beneath the water. He declared Ilusion was unable to continue so he was eliminated from the match!

To-y then found a giant plastic balloon to trap Katsumata and Sumi in. Once they were stuck inside, To-y got a hose and tried to fill it with water. However the other two overpowered him and rolled the balloon on top of To-y to pin him for the next elimination.

The final two wrestlers went back outside to finish the match. They attacked each other with chairs ending with Katsumata getting the upper hand. He put Sumi onto a table and then climbed a ladder next to it. Using the Totonou Splash, Katsumata put Sumi through the table and got the three count. He not only successfully defended the Extreme Title but won the Iron Man Title too!

Sadly however that reign did not last the night. Sometime after the match ended Katsumata found a place to sleep underneath a blanket. Nakamura and Kiso entered the room and Nakamura had a plan. He told Kiso to count the blanket pinning Katsumata because Katsumata was lying flat on his back. Kiso did so, making the Blanket the new Iron Man Champion! Nakamura then grabbed the blanket and put it in a Sleeper Hold. Kiso lifted up the other end of the blanket and dropped it three times. It didn’t respond so Kiso declared Nakamura knocked it out to win the championship!


KANON’s 5th Anniversary Match, DAMNATION T.A Get 6-Man Tag Title Rematch, More GCW Guests

June 17, 2024

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW CITY CIRCUIT ’24”, 23/06/2024
Shizuoka Act City Hamamatsu

1. 3 Way Match: Mizuki Vs Mahiro Kiryu Vs Runa Okubo
2. Yuki Aino Vs Chika Nanase
3. Shoko Nakajima & Kira Summer Vs Haru Kazashiro & Uta Takami
4. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
5. Suzume, Arisu Endo & Kaya Toribami Vs Miyu Yamashita, Moka Miyamoto & Toga
6. Nao Kakuta Vs Shino Suzuki
7. Miu Watanabe & Wakana Uehara Vs Rika Tatsumi & HIMAWARI

It will be the first time in over a year when Tokyo Joshi Pro comes to Act City Hamamatsu.

DDT “ROAD TO PETER PAN 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 10/07/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. KANON 5th Anniversary Match ~ Special Single Match: TAKA Michinoku Vs KANON

It should be no surprise to see that TAKA Michinoku is part of KANON’s 5th Anniversary match. Although it being just a singles match between the two is a bit unexpected. I would have thought there would be a tag of some sort involving them along with other wrestlers connected to KANON.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Masato Tanaka
2. Dramatic Dream Match: El Desperado Vs Chris Brookes
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
4. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) Vs Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge
5. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO

Yesterday DAMNATION T.A attacked members of Smile Squash as well as the DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi backstage during the show. Daisuke Sasaki took it far enough to grab a clothes hanger and hook the inside of Imabayashi’s mouth with it! He did it while demanding DAMNATION T.A be given a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles rematch. Akito gave in and accepted the challenge but only because DAMNATION T.A are the former champions. He believes they have the right for a championship rematch. Akito also decided the match should take place at Sumo Hall so Smile Squash can get their revenge on the big stage.

DDT/GCW “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER”, 12/08/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

More guest wrestlers from the GCW side will be at the show. Gringo Loco and Broski Jimmy are among them along with 2 Cold Scorpio! DDT are also marketing GCW’s other shows for their Japan tour but I won’t be writing much about them here unless there is a lot of DDT involvement in their lineups.


DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM BATTLE” Results

June 16, 2024

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM BATTLE”, 16/06/2024
TOKYO FM Hall
286 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – 5 Way Match: Kazuma Sumi (c) defeated Shunma Katsumata, Yukio Naya, To-y and Ilusion when Sumi pinned Katsumata after the Choke Slam from Naya (4:54).
*V? for Kazuma Sumi.
2. Akito, Kazusada Higuchi & Toru Owashi defeated Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Yuni when Akito submitted Yuni with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (7:34).
3. Sanshiro Takagi Indefinite Rest Road ~ Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Stone Cold Stunner (7:06).
4. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Makoto Oishi ended in a No Contest (2:55).
4a. Rematch: Takeshi Masada & Ilusion defeated Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi when Masada pinned Oishi with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (1:58).
5. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku when KANON submitted Koroku with the Just Cobra Twist (9:10).
6. Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Fuminori Abe defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Ueno submitted Nakamura with the Blackout Sleeper (14:49).
7. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) defeated Shiryu with the Michinoku Driver II (19:45).
*V9 for MAO.

Big stakes were put together for the DDT Universal Title match. Shiryu will be retiring in Michinoku Pro next week and thinks it would be suitable if he became a champion when it happens. Then Kaz Hayashi approached him, passing along the challenge from MAO. The match would be the closest MAO could ever get to doing The 37KAMIINA Vs Kaientai☆DX. Shiryu warned MAO he would do anything it takes to beat him for the belt today. MAO understood and even made a request on the day of the show. If Shiryu wins then MAO wants him to seal the Universal Title away when he retires because Shiryu deserves to keep a championship with the word “Universal” attached to it. During the match Shiryu proved he would do anything to win by brawling with MAO away from ringside. When they returned MAO’s head was bleeding and Shiryu had swapped his face mask for his heel mask. A ref bump back in the ring led to Shiryu attacking MAO with a chair and followed it up with a Power Bomb onto a table that MAO bounced right off. MAO regained control though hitting a Whirlwind Kick, Palm Strike and Iai Kick. He then used a familiar Kaientai☆DX finisher the Michinoku Driver II to win the match. MAO said when the switch was flipped halfway through the match he figured out just how much of an influence Shiryu was for him. Shiryu is a strange guy but MAO is even stranger! He will be taking a break from defending the Universal Title for now because he wants to focus on the KO-D Openweight Title match with Yuki Ueno coming up next month.

TOKYO FM Hall is seen as the holy land for Fuminori Abe because the venue was home to Battlarts in the 1990s. So he was very motivated to wrestle there today and wanted Yuki Ueno to work just as hard as he does. Ueno told Abe the next time he comes to DDT they should wrestle each other. He thinks that would be more fun than teaming together. Even after they won their match he can’t figure out why they were paired together for the show. Abe also thinks Keigo Nakamura looks like a Mokugyo. He wants to see Nakamura turn his rebellious spirit into passion.

After that match took place, HARASHIMA & Akito were attacked by DAMNATION T.A backstage. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to stop them but Daisuke Sasaki attacked him too, sticking a clothes hanger into his mouth and holding him hostage until he gets a rematch against Smile Squash for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Akito reluctantly agreed because he thinks the former champions do have the right for a rematch despite their actions. He also wants it to happen on the biggest stage so the match will happen at Sumo Hall on 21st July!

A supposed lifelong grudge between Danshoku Dieno and Makoto Oishi was pushed to the side when their match got changed midway through. Dieno couldn’t keep his behaviour under control and ended up stripping both Takeshi Masada and Ilusion down to their underwear. The match was ruled a No Contest due to this. Masada & Ilusion then demanded a match against Dieno & Oishi so they can get some payback. Together they physically manipulated Dieno into giving Oishi the Danshoku Driver before picking up the win themselves when Masada pinned Oishi with his finisher.

The first of two 5 Way Matches happening this month was for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title being held by Kazuma Sumi. But when the match began it was Shunma Katsumata who was targeted by the other four. He was able to fight off most of them except for Yukio Naya. By that point Naya became the man to beat with To-y and Ilusion joining forces to fight him off. Naya took control again and gave Katsumata the Choke Slam. But before he could make another move, Sumi hit Naya with a Missile Dropkick and landed on top of Katsumata, pinning him to win the match. Sumi is now confident he will win next week’s 5 Way Match with the DDT Extreme Title on the line so he can become a double crown champion. The five wrestlers got into more arguements with each other backstage as the match.


Will Kazato Get Crowned? TJPW Prism Full Card, MAO Wants To Be The Focus Of Ryogoku

May 27, 2024

BASARA “BASARA 249 ~UTAGE~”, 28/05/2024
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Ryuichi Sekine, Fuminori Abe & Gaia Hox Vs FUMA, KUBITO & Yasu Urano
2. SAGAT Vs Gouma Ryu
3. Isami Kodaka, Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino Vs Lil’ Kraken, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
4. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Ryota Nakatsu & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto & Judomaster
5. Union MAX Title: Minoru Fujita (c) Vs Daichi Kazato

Tomorrow is the big day for Daichi Kazato. Is it his destiny to win the Union MAX Title from Minoru Fujita?

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN SHINJUKU”, 05/06/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. Special Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata
4. Daisuke Kiso Referee 14th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: Keisuke Ishii & Shigehiro Irie Vs To-y & Yuni
5. CDK 5th Anniversary Match ~ Special Tag Match: Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi Vs Makoto Oishi & Shiori Asahi
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul (c) Vs HARASHIMA, Akito & Yasu Urano
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi

There is currently a dispute going on over who is going to be the referee for the KO-D Openweight Title match. Hisaya Imabayashi is leaning towards having Yukinori Matsui as the official, which is normally the case. However Sanshiro Takagi thinks Matsui is too strict and wants somebody who will give him more leeway to do what he wants. He agrees the match will still be held under normal rules though. Yuki Ueno is willing as the champion to fight Takagi under his conditions. However he would prefer the match to have a strict referee so he wants Matsui to be the first choice.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN KYOTO”, 08/06/2024
Kyoto KBS Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Toru Owashi & Ilusion
2. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Takeshi Masada & Keigo Nakamura
3. MAO Vs Yuya Koroku
4. Sanshiro Takagi, Akito & Shinichiro Kawamatsu Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Kazuma Sumi
5. Special Single Match: Chris Brookes Vs Kazuki Hirata
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs D.O.A!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi

If losing in the King Of DDT semi-final wasn’t enough to annoy Chris Brookes, he now has to relive last year’s D-Oh Grand Prix when he was the only wrestler in his block to lose against Kazuki Hirata. There is probably no better time for Hirata to go for the upset win in a non-tournament rematch.

Keep an eye out for Yuya Koroku from this point onwards. He was the one to pin Poison Sawada JULIE over the weekend after being outnumbered for the finishing stretch of the match. I’m not saying he’s going to beat MAO next but we might be getting the start of something with him.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW PRISM ’24”, 09/06/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro
2. Chika Nanase Vs Uta Takami
3. Nao Kakuta & SAKI Vs Raku & Pom Harajuku
4. Aja Kong, Yuki Kamifuku & Kira Summer Vs Maki Itoh, Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
5. Special Single Match: Hikaru Shida Vs Moka Miyamoto
6. Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Aino Vs Wakana Uehara, HIMAWARI, Toga & Shino Suzuki
7. International Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs LA Taylor
8. Princess Of Princess Title: Miu Watanabe (c) Vs Vert Vixen

The full card was revealed yesterday and here it is. Aja Kong returns to team with Yuki Kamifuku again and this time Kira Summer gets to join in. RakuPom have been chosen to be the final opponents for Nao Kakuta & SAKI’s tag team. Either Chika Nanase or Uta Takami will earn their first singles win at the other person’s expense. The rest of the card is the usual veteran versus new generation type of matches.

DDT “WHAT ARE YOU DOING 2024 TOUR IN MATSUYAMA”, 09/06/2024
Ehime Matsuyama City General Community Center Special Exhibition Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Yuya Koroku & Ilusion
2. Shunma Katsumata, Makoto Oishi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Sanshiro Takagi (w/ Cutie Elly The Ehime), Akito & Tsuruhimeka
3. Special Tag Match: Jun Akiyama & Santaro Ishizuchi Vs HARASHIMA & Takeshi Masada
4. Matsuyama Specialty Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Bonjin Pulp
5. Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Imabari Taoru Mascaras Vs Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y Vs Yuki Iino, Kazusada Higuchi & Keigo Nakamura

Another person from Ehime Pro will be on the show but is not going to wrestled. Cutie Elly The Ehime will be in Sanshiro Takagi’s corner as his manager for Match #2 instead. She did the same at last year’s show in Matsuyama City.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM BATTLE”, 16/06/2024
TOKYO FM Hall

1. DDT Universal Title: MAO (c) Vs X

The Sumo Hall main event and KO-D Title shot is on the horizon but first MAO wants to defend his DDT Universal Title. His schedule prevents him from travelling overseas for the time being so he wants to defend the title against a wide range of wrestlers in Japan. He has begun searching for his first challenger and will choose one for a title match taking place at TOKYO FM Hall in a few weeks time.

Fuminori Abe will be on the show. That could be related to the title match or it might not.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”, 21/07/2024
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Masato Tanaka
2. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO

MAO is now guaranteed to be part of the Sumo Hall main event. It will be either Yuki Ueno or Sanshiro Takagi who will be against him as the defending KO-D Champion. Takagi said he would defend the belt against MAO in a Weapon Rumble if he is the champ.

Next time Konosuke Takeshita is in DDT he will face Masato Tanaka in a rematch from March 2020. Tanaka successfully defended the KO-D Title against Takeshita back then in what was the last KO-D Title match held in front of an audience before the global pandemic shut everything down. Did anyone notice that this year’s Fire Festival tournament is the first one without Tanaka taking part in it? I know ZERO1 is a zombie promotion now but how can you have a Fire Festival without Tanaka in it?

Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado will be on the show.


DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ FINAL!!” Results

May 26, 2024

DDT “KING OF DDT ~20TH ANNIVERSARY~ FINAL!!”, 26/05/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,005 Fans – No Vacancy

0. Dark Match: Yuni & Keigo Nakamura defeated Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi when Nakamura pinned Sumi with the Diving Headbutt (8:51).
1. KANON & MJ Paul defeated HARASHIMA & Akito when KANON pinned Akito with the Ground Cobra Twist (7:59).
2. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final: MAO defeated Kazusada Higuchi with the Iai Kick (11:43).
3. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Semi Final – No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki defeated Chris Brookes with the El Es Culero (13:48).
4. 3 Way Tag Match: Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi defeated Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada when Oishi pinned Hirata with a Rock Bottom (0:05).
4a. Rematch: Yukio Naya & Takeshi Masada defeated Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi and Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata when Naya pinned Hirata and Oishi with the Double Choke Slam (6:42).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shuji Ishikawa, Masahiro Takanashi & Yuya Koroku defeated Poison Sawada JULIE, Tetsumamushi Endo & Yuki “Anaconda” Iino when Koroku pinned JULIE with a Moonsault Press (9:01).
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Ueno pinned Matsunaga with the WR (11:45).
7. King Of DDT 20th Anniversary – Final: MAO defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the 450 Cannonball (23:45).

On the 20th Anniversary a new King Of DDT has been crowned and it is MAO! He reached all the way to the final where Daisuke Sasaki was there standing in his way. MAO wanted to win quickly and busted out the Hollywood Star Press for a nearfall. Sasaki then started targeting MAO’s knees before taking him outside to do a Super Diving Elbow Drop while MAO was sitting in the front row. MAO fought back by biting his way out of the Crossface Lock, turning Sasaki over with the Michinoku Driver I and then applying the Just Face Lock. Sasaki took a big risk to get back into the fight by giving MAO a Superplex out of the ring onto members of The 37KAMIINA and DAMNATION T.A below. He then tried using flash pins including the Hurricanrana but MAO wore him down with Palm Strikes, the Iai Kick and the Cannonball 450 to win.

With this victory MAO thinks he now has a spot in the main event of “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” on 21st July. He called Yuki Ueno into the ring to tell him it could be those two fighting for the KO-D Openweight Title at Sumo Hall. However Ueno told everyone that he has to beat Sanshiro Takagi first on 5th June. Takagi entered the ring to congratulate MAO and tell him that he too is fighting to achieve his dream of being in a KO-D Title match at Sumo Hall. The closest he’s been to that position was the King Of DDT 2009 final but he lost to Kota Ibushi. MAO reminded Takagi he still had the Weapon Rumble match against The Great Sasuke that year and that match captured MAO’s heart. So much so that if Takagi becomes his opponent at Sumo Hall then they should have a Weapon Rumble match! But if he faces Ueno the match will just be held under normal rules. Ueno was relieved to hear that. The three of them all agreed by sharing a toast together in the ring.

Sasaki went through a war with Chris Brookes in the semi-finals. The two agreed to have a No DQ Match over expectations that both could cheat against each other. Instead it became a full blown hardcore match with tables, plastic boxes, chairs, a ladder, a stapler and even a fork board laid against the corner with “Fuck You Sasaki” painted on it. Brookes also had backup in the form of Mecha Mummy but Sasaki used a taser to make it short circuit and play no further part in the match. Sasaki was thrown from the ladder through a table and Brookes followed up by hitting a Diving Double Knee Drop onto the remains. Sasaki kicked out and then countered the Praying Mantis Bomb into El Es Culero cradle to steal the win from out of nowhere. A bloody Brookes threw everything he could get his hands on around the ring out of anger after the match.

The other semi-final had MAO beating a previous King Of DDT winner Kazusada Higuchi. He had to use Middle Kicks and Palm Strikes to try and match Higuchi’s Chops and Headbutt. The Doctor Bomb Higuchi used was kicked out of but so was the Green Tea Plunge that MAO pulled out. The match came down to duel between the two. Higuchi charged in looking to do the Buchikamashi but MAO blocked it with a Thrust Kick, stunned Higuchi with a Palm Strike, cut off a Lariat with a Hurricane Kick and finally put his opponent down with the Iai Kick. Higuchi had no problem admitting backstage that MAO is a really, really strong wrestler.

Ueno and Takagi used their 6-Man Tag as a preview for what to expect in the KO-D Title bout by brawling with each other in the crowd with the Dramatic Dream bike involved before taking the fight up to the balcony. They had more to offer back in the ring with Ueno doing a Dropkick and Takagi firing back with the Stunner. Tomomitsu Matsunaga used the opening to hit Ueno with the Tommy Bomber for a nearfall. Ueno recovered and Dropkicked Matsunaga in the face before pinning him with the WR. After the match Takagi said he does not care if Ueno is ready or not for the title match. Takagi is now free from responsibility and will be at his most immature on 5th June! Meanwhile To-y told Shunma Katsumata they will be enemies on 21st June because he wants to win the DDT Extreme Title from him in the 5 Way Sauna match. In fact, To-y accused Katsumata of not helping him during today’s match so they may already be enemies!

Plans for Match #4 changed when before the match Poison Sawada JULIE looking for his teammates to brainwash them with his Snake Magic. While this was going on, Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino asked Yuya Koroku in a nearby locker room to go find them something to drink. Koroku found some cans labelled “Modification Drink” in the room where JULIE was just in and gave them to his BURNING partners. What happened when they drank it scared Koroku out of the room while a returning JULIE was pleased with the results. It all became clear what happened when JULIE entered the ring with Endo & Iino both brainwashed into becoming Tetsumamushi Endo & Yuki “Anaconda” Iino! Koroku now had to team with JULIE’s original partners Shuji Ishikawa & Masahiro Takanashi in order to win the antidotes that would turn Endo & Iino back to normal. It was a tough challenge but a well timed dodge from Kuroku caused Iino to Spear Endo by accident. Koroku then gave JULIE a Back Drop and pinned him with the Moonsault Press. He then quickly fed his friends the cans of antidote to free them from JULIE’s snake magic. Whenever JULIE returns to DDT he promises to get revenge on Koroku for stopping him from turning BURNING into his new Snake Magic army.

The 3 Way Tag Match ended too quickly thanks to Makoto Oishi immediately pinning Kazuki Hirata with a Rock Bottom before one of the other teams even made it to the ring. It required a restart and the same result almost happened. Yukio Naya made it in time to break it up so the match could continue. A noticable trend then happened where Takeshi Masada became left out of all of the multi-man spots. Somehow Yukinori Matsui took his place! When Masada became upset over it, Hisaya Imabayashi paused the match and ordered everyone to let Masada be more involved because he is already a lonely college student. Most of them although Danshoku Dieno wasn’t really interested. Naya instructed Masada to climb the top turnbuckle and wait for the opportunity to do a big move while Naya took care of Dieno and Toru Owashi. Oishi and Hirata tried to give Naya the Double Miracle Ecstasy but it was countered into a Double Choke Slam. Naya decided to pin the both of them while Masada was still waiting on the top turnbuckle. The match ended with them as the winners but a sad and lonely Masada took his time to leave the ring.

DAMNATION T.A halted some of Smile Squash’s momentum in the opening match. HARASHIMA & Akito were doing well against KANON & MJ Paul until KANON caught Akito in the Cobra Twist. He then grounded the move and rolled Akito over to pin his shoulders to the mat for a 3 count. KANON bragged about beating Akito with a roll up style move, something that Akito is meant to be a master of. Fans like it when teams from the past reunite but he hates it and for that reason hates Smile Squash too. HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano weren’t angry over the result. They assured Akito that they now all learned KANON is capable of winning that way and they will have to be careful of it in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match.

In the dark match Yuni hit Ilusion & Kazuma Sumi with a top rope Moonsault out of the ring. He then gave Sumi a Spinning DDT in the ring and Keigo Nakamura followed up with the John Woo Dropkick for a nearfall. Nakamura didn’t waste anytime and landed the Diving Headbutt to get the win.

A new singles match was announced for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024”. Konosuke Takeshita will face Masato Tanaka in a rematch from March 2020!

There was an announcement during the show that DDT and GCW will be co-promoting a show together in Korakuen Hall on 12th August as part of GCW’s next tour of Japan. The show is called “NEVER ENDING NOISY SUMMER” and Effy sent in a video message to promote it. GCW talent currently announced for the show include Joey Janela, Effy, Allie Katch, Masha Slamovich, Mance Warner, Jordan Oliver, Dark Sheik, Alex Zayne and Rina Yamashita.

Before any of the matches began there was a special presentation held by Saki Akai. One of her first projects with DDT since retiring from pro wrestling last year was to set up a crowdfunding campaign to buy new training equipment for the company. The campaign succeeded and today Akai donated the new equipment to Takagi and DDT.

DDT will be launching a new photobook with Leslie Kee on 21st July. They previously worked together for a photobook called “Super DDT” back in 2013.


The 51 Types Of Tickets Available For Takagi Vs Sasadango

May 19, 2024

DDT “SANSHIRO TAKAGI VS SUPER SASADANGO MACHINE ONE MATCH EVENT”, 26/06/2024
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Super Sasadango Machine

Behold the most bizarre set of seating purchases a pro wrestling show has ever put together. This June DDT are holding a one match show between Sanshiro Takagi and Super Sasadango Machine. There will be 51 different kinds of tickets available to purchase with prices ranging from 1,000 yen to 999,999 yen. Oh and since this is being held in Shinjuku FACE there is also the mandatory 500 yen admission tax that will get you drink tokens.

Tickets That Include Souvenirs

1. Luxury Watch Ticket – 999,999 yen
You will receive one of Sanshiro Takagi’s favorite high-end watches.

2. Cheap Watch Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will receive one of Super Sasadango Machine’s favorite cheap Casio watches.

3. Black Tights Ticket – 20,000 yen
You will receive the black wrestling tights and underwear worn by Sanshiro Takagi.

4. Green Mask Ticket – 20,000 yen
You will receive the Sasadango mask worn by Super Sasadango Machine.

5. Backpack Ticket – 18,000 yen
You will receive one of Sanshiro Takagi’s favorite COACH backpacks.

6. Precision Plastic Mold Ticket – 20,000 yen + Additional Offer
You will receive a special plastic mold made by Muscle Sakai’s factory. You can also make an offer to buy and take over Sakai’s company so you can have your own mold manufacturing or metal processing business.

7. Sakidori Lucky Bag Ticket – 15,000 yen
You will receive goodies that will be included in the lucky bags being sold at the next New Year’s Day sales.

8. Getting Rid Of Inventory R Ticket – 10,000 yen
I assume this is DDT selling off their stock of old and unwanted merchandise.

9. Getting Rid Of Inventory SR Ticket – 10,000 yen
Ditto but more?

10. Getting Rid Of Inventory SSR Ticket – 10,000 yen
Ditto again but even more?

11. Static Electricity Removal Ticket – 4,000 yen
You will receive an item that protects you from static electricity.

Tickets Where You Will Be Asked To Help With Work

12. Pinspot Experience Ticket – 8,000 yen
With guidance from Keigo Nakamura, you will be allowed to use the pinspot light to follow the wrestlers during the match when needed.

13. Red Corner Second Experience Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will be a second at ringside for Sanshiro Takagi.

14. Blue Corner Second Experience Ticket – 7,000 yen
You will be a second at ringside for Super Sasadango Machine.

15. Ringside Photo Ticket – 12,000 yen
You will be allowed to take photographs of the match at ringside just like a professional photographer. DDT will also have permission to use your photographs for their content.

16. 5 Bell Ringing Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will sit next to the ring announcer and ring the bell for the customary 5 times both at the start of the show and also at the end of intermission.

17. Pre-Show Experience Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will get to sit through the traditional pre-show ceremony that takes place before DDT events. GM Hisaya Imabayashi will read through all of the usual announcements using the script from a previous show.

18. Surprise Experience Ticket – 8,000 yen
Near the end of the match you will be allowed to make a surprise appearance and interfere in the match. By doing so you will have some influence on the match’s outcome. Even if you have no knowledge of pro wrestling you are welcome to buy this ticket.

19. Instax Photographer Red Ticket – 6,000 yen
You can be the photographer for Sanshiro Takagi’s cheki shoots that will be held after the match.

20. Instax Photographer Blue Ticket – 4,000 yen
You can be the photographer for Super Sasadango Machine’s cheki shoots that will be held after the match.

21. SSM Replacement Ticket – 8,000 yen
You will get to briefly participate in the match as a substitute for Super Sasadango Machine in order to reduce his busy work schedule. Applicants must be at least 180cm tall and be available to take part in a remote meeting held one hour before the match begins. You also must return the Sasadango mask that will be given to you when you are done with it.

22. Winner’s Award Presentation Ticket – 10,000 yen
You will get to present the winner of the match with your favorite item as their reward. Only available to participants who can bring or prepare their own items by themselves.

23. Pretend To Be A Reporter Ticket – 12,000 yen
You can relax and watch the match from the press box while pretending to be a reporter. You can also participate in the post-match events. (The “Yu Manabe Option” is also available for an additional fee)

24. Small Tanimatchi Experience Ticket – 10,000 yen
The wrestlers will go out of their way to sneak up to your seat and look at you during their entrance. They will also brawl near your seat when they go fighting outside the ring. You and your companions can also get your picture taken with the wrestlers during the brawl.

25. Catering Experience Ticket – 10,000 yen
During the match you can serve food that you brought with you to the wrestlers so they can regain their strength (Note: Super Sasadango Machine loves shrimp). These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

26. Weapon Carry Ticket – 10,00 yen
During the match you can hand over weapons that you brought with you to the wrestlers.

Tickets That DDT Does Not Know Will Actually Be Bought

27. Proposal Ticket – 15,000 yen (paired seat)
During the show you will be able to talk to your partner using the ring microphone and make a dramatic proposal to them. If it is a marriage proposal and the partner says yes, both Sanshiro Takagi and Super Sasadando Machine can sign the marriage registration as guarantors.

28. Don’t Laugh Ticket – 10,000 yen
Every time you laugh during the match you will be punished by getting hit in the butt by one of the wrestlers at ringside.

29. Retirement Ceremony Ticket – 10,000 yen
You will be given a 10 bell salute if you want to retire from something.

30. DDT Beginners Ticket – 3,000 yen
Available for new fans, you will be given a reasonably placed seat next to a “DDT Master” who can explain everything that is going on. If the DDT Master tickets are not sold then DDT’s staff will step in for assistance.

31. DDT Masters Ticket – 3,000 yen
You are allowed to explain DDT to the person sitting in the DDT Beginner seat next to you in a low voice.

32. Matching Ticket – 6,000 yen
Available to fans looking for a wonderful encounter at a pro wrestling show. Produced by Makoto Oishi.

33. Blindfold & Concealed Breast Ticket – 3,000 yen
You will watch the match while blindfolded and wearing a bra over your top from start to finish.

34. Limited To Professional Wrestlers Ticket – 2,500 yen
This ticket is only available for pro wrestlers. You may be asked to participate in the match to keep it from getting boring. This ticket is recommended for wrestlers who want to thank or fight Sanshiro Takagi before he takes a break from wrestling but don’t have the confidence to confront him in a singles match.

35. Limited To Celebrities Ticket – 4,000 yen
Sanshiro Takagi is always happy to have celebrities come to see his matches. Why not take photos of yourself with the wrestlers during the match or backstage after the show and post it to social media? You may bring along a companion.

36. Side Job Introduction Ticket – 4,000 yen
This ticket is exclusive to companies that would like to have Sanshiro Takagi help them in any way. Those who buy a ticket are free to discuss the terms and conditions with Takagi on an individual basis.

37. Birthday Celebration Ticket – 12,000 yen
If you are celebrating a birthday from 20th June to 30th June, a surprise party may be waiting for you at the show! (extra fee of 6,000 yen for the accompanying guest)

Tickets Being Sold Normally

38. Normal Front Row Ticket – 8,500 yen
For those who want a front row seat for an intense and exciting battle.

39. Normal Last Row Ticket – 4,000 yen
For those who prefer watching wrestling with a bird’s eye view of the entire venue.

40. Backstage View Ticket – 3,000 yen
Pretend you are at a sold out show by sitting in one of the backstage seats normally saved for when an event is held at full capacity.

41. Pipe Chair Ticket – 15,000 yen
Bring home the pipe chair you sit on, just like at the world’s biggest wrestling events every year.

42. Ebisuko Tavern Matsu Bento Ticket – 12,000 yen
Receive a special main course bento box from the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho, made and served by the tavern’s head chef Gota Ihashi. These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

43. Ebisuko Tavern Otake Bento Ticket – 11,000 yen
Receive a special bento box from the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho, made and served by Ken Ohka. These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

44. Ebisuko Tavern Plum Bento Ticket – 10,000 yen
Receive a special bento box from the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho, made and served by Rukiya. These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

45. Ebisuko Tavern Soup Bento Ticket – 9,000 yen
Receive a special bento box from the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho, made and served by Kazuma Sumi. These seats are the ones by the counter in Shinjuku FACE.

46. Watch At Ebisuko Tavern Ticket – 1,000 yen
Watch a live broadcast of the show at the Ebisuko Tavern in Kabukicho. You will be charged separately for drinks and the meal. (You cannot enter Shinjuku FACE with this ticket)

47. Support From Niigata Ticket – 1,000 yen
The show is taking place on a weekday so many of Super Sasadango Machine’s fans from his hometown in Niigata are unable to travel to the show. Buy this ticket to support Sasadango while you watch the match on Wrestle Universe. (You cannot enter Shinjuku FACE with this ticket)

48. Sasadango Shokai Ticket – 15,000 yen
You will receive original merchandise from Super Sasadango Machine’s webstore.

49. Normal Spectator Ticket – 6,000 yen
For those who just want to buy a regular ticket for a regular seat at the show.

50. Big Guest Invitation Ticket – 10,000 yen
Depending on the sales, DDT will invite major guests to the show using money spent on this ticket.

Tickets Being Sold For The Bonus Talk Event

51. Takagi’s Worn Shoes – 20,000 yen
You will receive the shoes Sanshiro Takagi wore when he walked through the streets near the Tokyo Dome.


DDT “SPOILER FREE BOX OFFICE VOL. 1” Results

April 21, 2024

DDT “SPOILER FREE BOX OFFICE VOL. 1”, 21/04/2024
Kanagawa Tsurumi Fruit & Vegetable Market
312 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. No DQ Match: Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Bad Buddy Yuni & Pitochiko Sumi ended in a No Contest when it changed into Yuni Vs Kazuma Sumi.
1a. Bad Buddy Yuni defeated Pitochiko Sumi with a Sleeper Hold (7:50).
2. No Rope Survival 4 Way Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Yukio Naya, MJ Paul and Gota Ihashi (7:06).
2a. Yukio Naya eliminated MJ Paul by Ring Out (3:46).
2b. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Yukio Naya by Ring Out (6:43).
2c. Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Gota Ihashi by Ring Out (7:06).
3. Special Tag Match ~ No Tag Rules: Yuki Iino & Yuki “Sexy” Iino (Rukiya) Vs Danshoku Dieno & Danshoku Dieno (Takeshi Masada) ended in a No Contest (12:55).
4. Different Martial Arts Special Tag Match ~ Rhythmic Gymnastics & Amateur Wrestling & Student Pro Wrestling Mixed Rules: Akito Nishigaki & Hayabucha defeated Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku when Hayabucha pinned Koroku with the Firebird Splash (R3 2:59).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tyrannosaurus Inoue, Super Hardcore Katsumata & To-y Vs Takagi Sanshirobo (w/ Mad Dr. Hige), Pakuri Muso & Super Hardcore Chris ended in a Double Countout (14:35).
6. No Tag Rules: Yuki Ueno, Yuki Ueno (MAO), Yuki Ueno (Shunma Katsumata) & Yuki Ueno (To-y) defeated Kazuki Hirata, Antonio Honda, Kazuki Hirata (Kazuma Sumi) & Antonio Honda (Kazusada Higuchi) when Ueno pinned Hirata & Honda with Double Crucifix Pin (27:24).

Today’s show had a stipulation for the audience to follow. Everything that happened had to be kept secret and not be posted on any social media sites until after midnight. DDT also kept the results to themselves until the same time too. To live up to expectations, every match had something unexpected happen unlong with the unusual lineup that was already advertised. Akito would explain after the show the concept was something new that DDT wanted to do in place of the BOYZ and YaroZ events they used to run.

The main event was advertised as a Handicap Match where Yuki Ueno had to fight Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda two on one. Ueno was able to fight them off but just when he was about to win, Kazuma Sumi entered the match as another Kazuki Hirata. Then Kazusada Higuchi climbed into the ring as another Antonio Honda. The numbers soon evened out when Shunma Katsumata & To-y joined the match both acting like Ueno. Tyrannosaurus Inoue showed up continuing its fight against Takagi Sanshirobo. When Inoue was done he stripped out of the dinosaur costume to evolve into MAO as Yuki Ueno! The four Yuki Uenos then danced with the two Hiratas and two Hondas. The match then ended when the real Ueno pinned both the real Hirata & Honda with a Double Crucifix. All four Uenos made comments after the match and Ueno said he felt like his soul was split into four.

Some of the wrestlers in Match #5 took on some unexpected personas. MAO as Tyrannosaurus Inoue and Sanshiro Takagi as Takagi Sanshirobo was already advertised. However Shunma Katsumata and Chris Brookes both showed up in Super Hardcore forms while Fuminori Abe turned into Pakuri Muso, his bootleg version of Jinsei Shinzaki. This left To-y embarrassed because he was the only one not to take up an alter ego for the match. The two teams ended up fighting outside the ring over to where the company truck was parkers. Yoshihiko appeared and jumped off the truck onto everyone below. Katsumata also dived off the truck to put To-y through a table. The match ended in a draw after both teams were counted out.

Match #4 was a mixed martial arts bout in that every wrestler taking part represented a different martial art and the rules of their sport would all be mixed together. This included Tetsuya Endo and his Rhythmic Gymnastics background for some reason. Akito and Yuya Koroku were bout amateur wrestlers while HARASHIMA came in using his student pro wrestling gimmick Hayabucha. The rules included 3 minute long rounds and an amateur wrestling 1 Count for pinfalls. However pins would not be counted until the wrestler scored 18 points for their Gymnastics performance. Also anyone who was knocked out of the ring had to return to the centre and place themselves in the Par Terre position. Hayabucha got the win for his team after giving Koroku the Falcon Arrow followed by the Firebird Splash.

At the beginning of the show an argument broke out among all of the wrestlers involved in Match #3 over Danshoku Dieno dying his hair pink. HARASHIMA calmed everyone down and told them to apologise. The four all bowed but also all banged their heads together. It caused a body swapping situation to happen, turning Takeshi Masada into another Danshoku Dieno while Rukiya became Yuki “Sexy” Iino. The real Yuki Iino finally got to experience what it was like to be a victim of Pheromones because his face was now getting shoved into the butts of other wrestlers. Just like in the old Pheromones matches, things got out of control. Hisaya Imabayashi tried to stop them from going too far but he wound up getting attacked too so the match had to be called off.

The ring ropes were removed for the 4 Way Match and the goal was to knock your opponents out of the ring to the floor. MJ Paul was the first eliminated when Yukio Naya knocked him to the floor. Naya then challenged Higuchi to a Sumo contest but blindsided him with a Knee Strike. Higuchi was knocked out of the ring at the corner but he grabbed onto the top of the post and pulled himself back into the ring without touching the floor. Higuchi then put Naya in the same situation. Naya almost saved himself the same way until Higuchi grabbed him in the Brain Claw and dropped him feet first onto the ground. That left Gota Ihashi as the other wrestler left but Higuchi easily dispatched of him to win.

Yuni & Kazuma Sumi showed up acting like heels and wanted to show DAMNATION T.A what it’s really like to be bad guys. Their match was turned into a No DQ bout. The new “heels” attacked Daisuke Sasaki & KANON with chairs. When they threatened Sasaki with a glass bottle, he pleaded for his life and offered to join their side. The three of them all attacked KANON together. KANON fought back which caused Sasaki to plead for his life again and swear he only joined the other heels as a spy. Yuni missed a chair shot and hit Sumi by accident. That caused the team to break down immediately and the two started fighting each other! KANON decided the match was now Yuni Vs Sumi with Sasaki as the referee. Sumi missed a chair shot, causing it to bounce off the ropes and hit him in the face. Yuni put him in a Sleeper Hold and Sasaki decided to end the match, declaring Yuni as the winner.

At the start of the show Keigo Nakamura approached MAO with a request. He wants his return match against MAO on 26th April to have the DDT Universal Title on the line. It is something he developed a desire to win while he was out recovering from his injury. MAO found the idea interesting. A guy like Nakamura winning the Universal Title in his comeback match? Nothing like this had ever happened before in DDT so MAO agreed to it.

Another title match was set up by Shunma Katsumata. He nominated Antonio Honda to be his next challenger for the DDT Extreme Title. According to Katsumata, Honda’s name is engraved in the title’s history and he must surpass him. Honda thinks not that many fans remember he was once an Extreme Champion. But he did treat the title with care when he held it and he would like to have it again. The title match will go ahead on 17th May. That is a Beer Garden show and Katsumata hopes to come up with a stipulation that will be appropriate for the venue.


Catching Up On The News I Missed

April 12, 2024

I’m back from holiday. The week both flew by while also feeling like a ton of news items happened while I was gone. I’ll be spending this weekend writing up last week’s show reports so you’ll be getting them eventually. But first I want to get the upcoming lineups out of the way. I’ll leave the King Of DDT and Ganbare☆Pro stuff for their own posts because I want to write about them separately.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “TJPW LIVE TOUR 2024 SPRING”, 13/04/2024
Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall

1. Yuki Kamifuku Vs Uta Takami
2. Mizuki & Nao Kakuta Vs Runa Okubo & Haru Kazashiro
3. Rika Tatsumi, Raku & Chika Nanase Vs Mahiro Kiryu, Toga & Kira Summer
4. Miu Watanabe, Suzume & Arisu Endo Vs Shoko Nakajima, Wakana Uehara & HIMAWARI
5. Moka Miyamoto Vs Juria Nagano
6. Moka Miyamoto, Juria Nagano & Kaya Toribami Vs Yuki Aino, Pom Harajuku & Shino Suzuki

The final matches of Juria Nagano’s career happens tomorrow. For her graduation she will be wrestling twice with her Shinken Kusho partner Moka Miyamoto. One match will be a singles match against each other while the second match is a 6-Woman Tag. Is that going to be the right match order though?

Hyper Misao is out of action with a right ankle fracture. It looked like she suffered the injury during her match against Steph De Lander at last week’s “GCW VS TJPW” show. Her return will be decided based on her doctor’s diagnosis and recovery time. The injury means she will miss her Daikaiju Pro match back in America later this month.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN FUKUOKA”, 13/04/2024
Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall

1. Sanshiro Takagi & Toru Owashi Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuma Sumi
2. Yukio Naya & To-y Vs Kazuki Hirata & Soma Takao
3. O-40 Title – 5th O-40 Champion Decision Match: Makoto Oishi Vs Azul Dragon
4. Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku Vs Chris Brookes, Takeshi Masada & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
5. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, HARASHIMA & Kota Umeda

As always whenever I see Kota Umeda added to a DDT card it makes me wish he never left wrestling as a full time career.

BASARA “GAISEN SAKURA PRO WRESTLING”, 14/04/2024
Okayama Shinjo Village Outdoor Ring

1. Ryota Nakatsu Vs Lil’ Kraken
2. FUMA & Daichi Kazato Vs Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga
3. Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi & Yasu Urano Vs Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino
4. Isami Kodaka Vs Ryuichi Sekine

This is the BASARA half of the first Gaisen Sakura Pro Wrestling show.

DDT “YAMADA SUISAN CO., LTD. PRESENTS – 4.14 SHIBUSHI MEAT AND FISH BATTLE @ UNAGI STATION”, 14/04/2024
Kagoshima Shibushi City “Unagi Station” Special Venue

1. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Kazuki Hirata & Yukio Naya
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuma Sumi
3. Jun Akiyama & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada & Rukiya
4. The 37KAMIINA Vs BURNING!: Yuki Ueno, MAO & To-y Vs Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku
5. Yamada Suisan Fish Army Vs Maruto Poultry Chicken Army Final Showdown! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shishamo Power, Unagi Mask & Super Unagi Mask Vs Makoto “Mr. CHICKEN” Oishi, Chris “THE FALCON” Brookes & Shunma “EL TURKEY” Katsumata

This will be the match order for the show.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “GAISEN SAKURA PRO WRESTLING”, 14/04/2024
Okayama Shinjo Village Outdoor Ring

1. Miu Watanabe Vs Haru Kazashiro
2. Mizuki Vs Pom Harajuku
3. Rika Tatsumi & Nao Kakuta Vs Arisu Endo & Mahiro Kiryu
4. Aja Kong & Raku Vs Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino

And here is the Tokyo Joshi Pro half of Gaisen Sakura Pro. The card had to be changed around a little bit due to Misao’s injury.

DDT “DDT X ZEEKSTAR TOKYO SPECIAL PERFORMANCE ~ DDZT”, 26/04/2024
Tokyo Sumida Ward General Gymnasium

1. 3 Way Match: Yuni Vs Ilusion Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku Vs Yukio Naya & Rukiya
3. BURNING Vs The 37KAMIINA!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino Vs Shunma Katsumata & To-y
4. Keigo Nakamura Return Match: MAO Vs Keigo Nakamura
5. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Sayaka Unagi (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
6. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes, Masahiro Takanashi, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Mecha Mummy (c) Vs Toru Owashi, Hiroshi Yamato, Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Soma Takao & Shinichiro Kawamatsu
7. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs Akito

Due to the request of Toru Owashi we are getting a ground breaking second defence by the reigning KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Champions! None of the previous champion teams have ever stuck together long enough to take part in a second title defence. SCHADENFREUDE International can now become the most successfuly 10-Man Tag Champs ever if they can beat Owashi’s team of scrappy challengers.

Some controversy happened over the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title while Sayaka Unagi was on her tour of America. She unexpectedly lost and then won back the title against an unknown wrestler at some point. No video footage of the title changes exist and Unagi does not know the name of the person who beat her. After having discussions with the DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi it was agreed that “Strange Foreigner” will be recognised as the 1,620th champion and when Unagi won it back she became the 1,621st champion. The incident has motivated Sanshiro Takagi even more to reclaim the title for DDT in order to remove any risk of the championship being lost overseas forever.

Keigo Nakamura returns from injury and is immediately being put in the ring against MAO.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN SAPPORO – DAY 1”, 28/04/2024
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza Kanaeda

1. Takeshi Masada Vs Kazuma Sumi
2. Yuki Iino, Keigo Nakamura & To-y Vs Makoto Oishi, Tomoya & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
3. Jun Akiyama & HARASHIMA Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Rukiya
4. BURNING Vs DAMNATION T.A!: Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku Vs Daisuke Sasaki & KANON
5. Sapporo Specialty Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata Vs Noriyuki Yoshida
6. Special Single Match: Yoshitatsu Vs Danshoku Dieno
7. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Akito, Chris Brookes & Yukio Naya

Two days after their KO-D Openweight Title match, Yuki Ueno and Akito will still be wrestling each other in a 6-Man Tag Match.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAM TOUR 2024 IN SAPPORO – DAY 2”, 29/04/2024
Hokkaido Sapporo Sun Plaza Kanaeda

1. Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Sanshiro Takagi & Akito
2. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON Vs Noriyuki Yoshida & Rukiya
3. Makoto Oishi & Yoshitatsu Vs Tomoya & To-y
4. Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi
5. Yuki Ueno Vs Keigo Nakamura
6. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Yuya Koroku Vs HARASHIMA, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya
7. Shunma Katsumata 10th Anniversary Match: Shunma Katsumata Vs MAO

Nakamura is not wasting anytime for his return. A few days after he comes back he will be fighting Ueno one on one!

DDT “EARLY SUMMER BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING – DAY 1”, 16/05/2024
Tokyo Ueno Park Outdoor Stage

1. Yuki Ishida Return Match: Yuki Ishida Vs X

Coming up in May’s Beer Garden show, Yuki Ishida returns from injury too.

DDT “DRAMATIC DREAMS! VOL. 11 ~ YUKINORI MATSUI REFEREE 30TH ANNIVERSARY BOX OFFICE ~ MAKING THE SQUARE WORLD INTERESTING”, 19/05/2024
Osaka City Sumiyoshi Civic Center

1. ACF & Koyo Daiichi Consultants Co., Ltd. Presents Single Match: Bushimasa Vs Thanomsak Toba
2. Battle Between Generations! Legends Vs Next Generation Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Jinsei Shinzaki & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Takeshi Masada, To-y & Yuya Korku
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match ~Everyone Is Superhuman!~: HARASHIMA, Yuji Hino & Chris Brookes Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Shigehiro Irie & Yukio Naya
4. Special Tag Match Wrestling Masters Vs Let’s Go 40’s ~With The Bolivian Wind~: Dick Togo & Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda
5. Triple Main Event – Special Single Match Kuishinbo Kamen & Kikutaro & Yukinori Matsui, Everyone’s 30th Anniversary, Add Them To Get 90th Anniversary(!) Commemorative Match ~Laughing Fukuraimon~: Kuishinbo Kamen Vs Kikutaro
6. Triple Main Event – Special Tag Match ~DDT PRIDE~: Yuki Ueno & Kazusada Higuchi Vs MAO & Tetsuya Endo
7. Triple Main Event – From All Over The World, Arriving In Osaka. Special Singles Match ~THE ALPHA Vs King Of Pro Wrestling~: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Minoru Suzuki

The next match Yukinori Matsui is adding to his show is all about Dick Togo and the wrestlers who look up to him. Daisuke Sasaki, Yasu Urano and Antonio Honda have all been taken under Togo’s wing at some point during their careers.

So the first match on the lineup caught my attention. Thanomsak Toba will be taking on another martial artist called Bushimasa. The match is sponsored by A-Toys Challenge Fight, or ACF for short. I went looking for clips of Bushimasa and found some not so impressive looking fights of his. He has taken part in a match type called Tire Fights where a tyre is placed in the middle of the ring, both fighters stick a foot into the gap and have to box each other while keeping their foot in the tyre. Most of his fights I could find had him lose and convincingly so. I guess he exists to be a human punching bag?

Some of the other guests on the show include Jinsei Shinzaki, Yuji Hino and Shigehiro Irie. Also Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi has been added to the show lineup but does not have a match yet.


DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024” Results

April 7, 2024

DDT “APRIL FOOL 2024”, 07/04/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,334 Fans – Super No Vacancy

0. Dark Match – Unpaid Rumble FINAL!: Sayaka Unagi defeated Sanshiro Takagi by Ring Out (22:43).
Order Of Elimination: Kishida-kun & Lotus Mukai, Bide Nagata & Tonikaku Yaritai Akiyama, Dick Zlater, Thick And Hard Star Kankuro, Hoju Takemoto, Takashi Oyanaka, “Binbin 53cm” Hiwaietto Storm & Ashikoki Saiko & Kota Ibushikoshi & Dragon Sky, Yokutatsu, Yagi Hiroshi, Seto Hiroshi, Erin Takagi, Hurricane Oniba & HAYAZi & Lumberjack & Bison Fuji & Fuck Takeda & Jiro Sora Aoi, Big Bear, KAKERU & Toto Kawakami & Shinya & Tawaramachi Kid Jr. & “My Face Is Hidden Behind A Mask, But My Real Name Is Fukuda” & Torinonta Shinki & Toru Owashi, Ariji Akinori & Itto & Super Yakiniku Machine & Tezuka Awesome, Marilyn Joy & Kinnikuman, Great-CO-Khan, ASHUKA, Nyuji Nagata & GU Nagata & Akito, Tiger Mask V (Self-Proclaimed) & Washitomo Dragon and Sanshiro Takagi.
1. Yuni & Yuya Koroku defeated Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura when Koroku submitted Nakamura with the Modified Triangle Lancer (4:01).
2. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Naya & Hideki Okatani defeated Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & MJ Paul, HARASHIMA, Yoshitatsu & Takeshi Masada and Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Kazuma Sumi when Okatani pinned Sumi with the Double Arm Suplex (8:17).
3. D GENERATIONS CUP 2024 – Final: To-y defeated Rukiya with the Kojima Impact (10:22).
4. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki Vs Chihiro Hashimoto ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Good Luck!! Survival Deadly Weapon Omikuji Great Battle That Causes Pain: Shunma Katsumata (c) defeated Hi69 with the Sauna Trance Splash from the Giga Ladder (15:37).
*V2 for Shunma Katsumata.
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (c) defeated Jun Akiyama & Tomomitsu Matsunaga when Iino pinned Matsunaga with a Lariat (9:49).
*V2 for BURNING.
7. Dramatic Dream Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & MAO Vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Chris Brookes ended in a Time Limit Draw (30:00).

Fresh back from its trip to America, DDT had a special main event lined up for it’s April visit to Korakuen Hall. Long time friends Yuki Ueno & MAO teamed up to fight another pair of long time friends, ones that come from England. Chris Brookes invited Zack Sabre Jr. from New Japan over so his mate could get to experience DDT first hand (he brought along Kosei Fujita too). Both Ueno & MAO wanted to fight him and got plenty of chances to do so. What started off with some chain wrestling in the ring burst outside and all the way up to the Korakuen balcony. While Sabre was up there he bumped into Pokotan. They got into a fight that ended with Sabre ripping Pokotan’s head off. Back in the ring The 37KAMIINA convinced Yukinori Matsui to allow the use of plastic cases as weapons. Ueno & MAO Power Bombed Sabre through the cases but Matsui refused to count the pinfall. That was his compromise for not disqualifying The 37KAMIINA over using the boxes as weapons. Sabre turned the tables with his submission game. He countered Ueno’s Shining Wizard into an Ankle Lock while Brookes did what he could to try and keep MAO away from rescuing his partner. The final minutes of the match came down to a back and forth between Ueno and Sabre. In the very last seconds, Ueno was unable to pull off the WR and the match ended in a 30 minute draw.

Ueno told Sabre there must have been plenty of obstacles he had to climb over in order to make this match happen so he thanked him for coming to DDT today. He asked Sabre why did he want to come here? Sabre said he is a big Japanese pro wrestling nerd (as opposed to a Big Japan Pro Wrestling nerd) so getting to wrestle in DDT was a dream come true. Nobody won today though so they need to do another match sometime. Ueno welcomed him into the DDT family and said everyone here from now on will be supporting him on his quest to become the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion! MAO described the crazy couple of days he just went through which included wrestling 5 matches across two days in America. That is the crazy love he has for pro wrestling. It just goes to show if Ueno and MAO want to make pro wrestling bigger then they have the abilities to do it. Backstage Sabre praised Ueno for having high flying skill, power and speed. He also thinks he is both handsome and scary. All that was missing for him during his DDT stay was Yoshihiko. Brookes thinks Yoshihiko still had a few matches scheduled in America which is why it wasn’t here today. Sabre reckons the next time we will see him in DDT, he will be the IWGP Champion!

The current generation of BURNING took on their former coach Jun Akiyama along with Tomomitsu Matsunaga in a wild card role. It was the first time in ten years that former champion Matsunaga got to challenge for the KO-D Tag Team Titles again. And it’s been almost 17 years since he had that tag title reign with Michael Nakazawa. He had pinned Yuki Iino with a Crucifix Pin in the build up to the match but the same move did not create the same result here. Instead Iino powered out of an Exploder Suplex attempt and kept hitting Lariats until Matsunaga could not kick out anymore. Tetsuya Endo said it is always frustrating when a talented wrestler like Matsunaga never gets the spotlight for such a long period of time. He called him one of the most underrated wrestlers around and could tell from today’s match he can do so much more. Akiyama agrees and told Matsunaga he still has a long way to go even at the age of 43. He is also encouraging Endo to build a new BURNING that fits the current era of DDT. Endo still has Kenta Kobashi’s blessing to take the unit name so he should use it however he sees fit. As for Akiyama he always preferred being a Sternness guy.

Luck was needed to get ahead in the DDT Extreme Title match. Mystery boxes were placed in every corner in the ring and whatever the wrestlers could find inside was theirs to use as they pleased. A torii gate was also placed in the ring as a background piece while Shunma Katsumata and Hi69 fought each other. The discovered weapons included chairs, Pico Pico Hammers, stuffed panda toys, the official NOAH protein drink, block toys and most important of all the Giga Ladder! Katsumata jumped off the Giga Ladder and hit the Totonou Splash onto Hi69 for the win to remain champion. He admitted being lucky to win and the result would have been different if he did not draw the Giga Ladder ticket. Hi69 called Katsumata a tomboyish champion but he will not give up on winning the Extreme Title. He wants another shot at Katsumata someday in the future.

In a rematch from December 2022, Chihiro Hashimoto was back in DDT to face Shinya Aoki again. Last time Hashimoto was victorious in under 10 minutes. Aoki was more prepared this time around but his efforts could only earn him a 15 minute time limit draw. Aoki tried using the Cobra Twist and Sleeper Hold to try and submit Hashimoto but her powerful strength kept her in the fight until the time expired. Aoki believed he had spent the last year thinking more about pro wrestling and martial arts than Hashimoto did. It turns out he was wrong and even though he got a draw this time, the gap between them is not closing in. Hashimoto wants to have another rematch and thinks DDT is the only place where it should happen.

The final of the second ever D GENERATIONS CUP had the last spot in this year’s King Of DDT tournament on the line. The bracket came down to To-y against Rukiya and both young wrestler went all out. To-y tried using the Kojima Wonderland a couple of times including one from the top turnbuckle. Rukiya meanwhile wanted to use the Proto Bomb to get the win he wanted so bad. But in the end it came down to To-y using the Kojima Impact for the three count, winning him the D GENERATIONS CUP! Rukiya admitted he didn’t expect to get so much fan support during the tournament. With that support he will climb back up and become stronger. To-y said Rukiya often talks about being plain and good natured. He used to be the same but had to start believing in himself if he wanted to climb higher. That is how he seizes his opportunities. His next opportunity is to enter the King Of DDT and he will use that path to get him even closer to his biggest goal of all, the KO-D Openweight Championship!

The 4 Way Trios match was the last time we’ll be seeing Hideki Okatani in action for a while. After today he is taking time off to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee. With four teams of three all involved there were no tag rules in effect to keep the match going. Danshoku Dieno didn’t pay much attention to the times Kazuma Sumi was in trouble. Sumi however tried to rescue Kazuki Hirata when DAMNATION T.A all ganged up on him armed with chairs. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya were powerhouses that needed to be dealt with but that was what HARASHIMA, Yoshitatsu & Takeshi Masada were all there for. The match came down to Okatani pinning Sumi with the Double Arm Suplex for the finish.

The teamwork between Yuni & Yuya Koroku was what helped them defeat Ilusion & Munetatsu Nakamura. Koroku ended up submitting Ilusion with the Modified Triangle Lancer.

The Unpaid Rumble was moved to the pre-show as a special dark match. Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi and Akito welcomed a whole bunch of volunteer wrestlers from all corners of the independent, amateur, college and hobby scenes. Along with the regular Battle Royal rules, Hisaya Imabayashi was also judging at ringside with the power to disqualify any entrants if he felt they did not belong in the match for any reason. One by one the participants came and went, each looking odder than the last. Just when it looked like the whole project was a bust, the final entrant appeared. It was Sayaka Unagi with the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title! She eliminated Takagi to become the last one standing and win the match!

Unagi’s reason for entering the match was because she’s been taking care of the Iron Man Title since January but DDT hasn’t done anything out of it. Is Takagi an idiot? They should fight each other in a singles match and if Unagi wins she will become the Super Big Boss in pro wrestling! Takagi said he doesn’t really want to win the Iron Man Title again but he does in fact like making money so he accepted her challenge. On 26th April Unagi will assess Takagi!

Some returns are coming up soon. Keigo Nakamura’s first match back from injury will be against MAO on 26th April. Yuki Ishida also announced he will be back on 16th May.

The King Of DDT 1st Round Matches on 5th May are MAO Vs Poison Sawada JULIE, KANON Vs To-y, Yuki Ueno Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yuki Iino Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yukio Naya, HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa, Tetsuya Endo Vs Danshoku Dieno and Chris Brookes Vs Takeshi Masada.


DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024” Results

January 28, 2024

DDT “SWEET DREAMS! 2024”, 28/01/2024
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1,120 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. Special 10-Man Tag Match: HARASHIMA, Tomoya, Antonio Honda, Takeshi Masada & Kazuma Sumi defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi, Akito, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Yuni when Sumi pinned Yuni with a School Boy (7:07).
2. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki, KANON & Bryan Keith (w/ MJ Paul) defeated Tetsuya Endo, Yuki Iino & Rukiya after KANON pinned Rukiya with the Freedom Call (8:39).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi Korakuen Final Match ~ Special Single Match: Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Hideki Okatani with the God’s Right Knee (5:42).
4. MAO Birthday Commemorative Match: MAO & TAKA Michinoku defeated Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi when MAO pinned Takanashi with the Cannonball 450 (8:45).
5. DDT Extreme Title – Who Is The Fated One!? Toy Kojima Challenge Death Match: Shunma Katsumata defeated Kazuki Hirata (c) (8:33).
5a. Kazuki Hirata pinned Shunma Katsumata with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (0:57).
*Toy Kojima fails his challenge.
5b. Shunma Katsumata submitted Kazuki Hirata with a Crab Hold (4:04).
*Toy Kojima fails his challenge.
5c. Kazuki Hirata pinned Shunma Katsumata with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:42).
*Toy Kojima fails his challenge.
5d. Shunma Katsumata pinned Kazuki Hirata with a School Boy (8:33).
*Toy Kojima passes his challenge. Kazuki Hirata fails in V6. Shunma Katsumata becomes the 59th DDT Extreme Champion!
6. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – DEAD OR ALIVE Contra DEAD OR ALIVE: Jun Akiyama, Danshoku Dieno & Makoto Oishi (c) defeated Hikaru Sato, Kazusada Higuchi & Ryo Kawamura when Oishi pinned Kawamura with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch (8:20).
*V3 for D.O.A.
7. Special Single Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA defeated Naruki Doi with the Wagamama (10:58).
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated Yukio Naya with the Twister (23:35).
*V1 for Yuki Ueno.

Yuki Ueno’s run as KO-D Openweight Champion has just begun and in his first defence he put down Yukio Naya, shutting down the D-Oh Grand Prix winner’s momentum. The champion went for big dives from the get go but took high risk damage of his own when Naya gave him an Avalanche Choke Slam. Naya also blocked the BME with his knees and used a Wrist-Clutch Back Drop. Ueno was only able to break the pin thanks to a rope break. He switched to using Dropkicks and got a nearfall with the BME. Naya tried fighting back using Knee Strikes but Ueno grabbed him in a Face Lock and pulled him into a Twister hold, making Naya give up. After the match Ueno said Naya has nothing to be ashamed about. He is a great wrestler not because he crawled from the bottom up to the top but because he uses pro wrestling to stand up for himself. Ueno will take what he learned from Naya today and carry them on his own shoulders.

Ueno was told the next KO-D Title defence is scheduled for 17th March. He expected to hear that and already has an opponent in mind. He wants to defend the KO-D Title against Danshoku Dieno and he is willing to do it before the mandatory March defence. The 37KAMIINA will be holding a produce show in Shinjuku FACE on 14th February and Ueno can defend the title against Dieno there. Sanshiro Takagi entered the ring and told Ueno his request cannot be met. The KO-D Title is DDT’s top championship and its matches need to attract large audiences. Ueno explained he does not want this match for the venue size or as an easy title defence. He chooses Dieno because Dieno is the most amazing guy and interesting wrestler in DDT. Takagi accepted his reasoning and gave permission for the match to go ahead. Dieno told Ueno what he said to Jun Akiyama three years ago. He knows the champ will not let him win and DDT does not want him to become the KO-D Champion but if you flash the belt in front of his face he is going to want it! And if he does win the belt who knows what direction he will take DDT in!

The semi-main event was a first time ever meeting between Konosuke Takeshita and Naruki Doi. Takeshita dealt a big blow by giving Doi a Brainbuster on the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring Doi had to rely on speed to try and keep one step ahead of his opponent’s power. He used the V9 Clutch to counter a Lariat for a nearfall. There was one power spot Doi got the better of. That was for a Brainbuster that led to the Doi 555 and Bakatare Sliding Kick combo for another two count. Takeshita blocked the Muscular Bomb and used Doi’s rolling attempt to throw him over with a German Suplex. He then hit the Wagamama to get the victory. Takeshita called it a fun match that made him feel like Takeshita the young wrestling fan again. He never forgets that feeling wherever he goes. He wants to fight Doi again and next time it should be in America.

The D.O.A branding is safe again for the time being. The name was up for grabs along with the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles for the second time after Hikaru Sato complained about his catchphrase being stolen by them. Akiyama was the first one to stand against Sato and Kazusada Higuchi in the ring. Ryo Kawamura ended up sparring with Dieno and made the mistake of putting him in a Triangle Choke. Makoto Oishi kept trying to bring out wasabi and eventually succeeded in wiping it over Dieno’s backside. Both of them regretted it when Kawamura shoved Oishi face first in there but Oishi recovered and flash pinned Kawamura with the Jikiden Tornado Clutch. He celebrated the successful title defence by saying he is well aware that other people use the phrase “Dead Or Alive” so we are all D.O.A! He hoped Akiyama & Dieno would join in but he was left alone in the ring. Sato questioned if the team really are D.O.A because they show no intentions of staying alive and act like they only want to die.

The fate of the DDT Extreme Title all rested on Toy Kojima’s shoulders. Kazuki Hirata and Shunma Katsumata were wrestling each other under 2-Count Fall rules for the belt but the match result would only stand if Kojima could pass a challenge given to him backstage. He didn’t have to wait long for his first task because Hirata pinned Katsumata with the Miracle One Shot Cradle in under a minute. Kojima had to endure bumps for 30 seconds but he couldn’t so the match restarted. Katsumata then submitted Hirata with a Crab Hold so Kojima’s task was to drink a bottle of cola in one go. He couldn’t do that either. Hirata pinned Katsumata with the Miracle Cradle again so Kojima had to play Pop-Up Pirate for 10 turns without losing. He lost in the first turn. Katsumata used a School Boy to pin Hirata so Kojima had to play with a Kendama toy. He was given three goals to swing the ball onto the cup. He did it on his third and final go, making Katsumata the new Extreme Champion!

Katsumata thanked Hirata for coming up with such a fun ruleset. He also announced that after talking with the other members of the group, Kazuki Hirata has been accepted as the newest member of The 37KAMIINA! Unfortunately Hirata changed his mind and no longer wants to be part of the team. Why? Because he wants to create his own brand new unit instead! He later found Naruki Doi backstage and kept pestering him to join this new stable. Doi is reluctant but may have been talked into joining. Meanwhile Katsumata was asked for who he wants his challenger to be for his first defence on 17th March. He suggested Hideki Okatani so they could renew their rivalry over the title. However MJ Paul then came out to attack Okatani, handed Katsumata a piece of paper saying he wanted to challenge him and then he attacked Katsumata too. Katsumata and Okatani worked together to fend off Paul’s attack. Hisaya Imabayashi came up with a solution. Okatani and Paul will face each other on 7th February and the winner will get the title shot for 17th March.

MAO was having a big birthday bash and invited the likes of TAKA Michinoku and CDK to be at the party. One present he got was to be the headpiece of the Kaientai spot with poor Masahiro Takanashi being the victim. Somehow Chris Brookes got to be on the good side of that present. CDK fought back using their double team moves to wrap their opponents into each other but it couldn’t get them the win. Instead TAKA dropped Takanashi with the Michinoku Driver II and MAO pinned him with the Cannonball 450. MAO is happy to start off being 27 years old with a win. He said no matter where his career goes, TAKA Michinoku’s name will always be around him because he is his hero. TAKA said he is proud to be an influence to people outside of K-DOJO and JTO. He calls MAO one of the few genius young wrestlers he’s seen and that geniuses often don’t see it in themselves. He is sure he can become the KO-D Champion some day. CDK were disappointed to lose but everyone in SCHADENFREUDE International was happy to see Brookes be healthy and wrestle again.

Today was the final time Yukio Sakaguchi would wrestle in Korakuen Hall. He was given a singles match against his former Eruption teammate Hideki Okatani for the occasion. It was a chance for Sakaguchi to test how Okatani could fight by himself. Okatani took all the kicks he could and fought back with the Double Arm Suplex. But Sakaguchi blocked the Quetzalcoatl and put Okatani down with the God’s Right Knee to end the match. His message to Okatani backstage was to ask what is his strength? He needs to find that answer in order to change from what he is now. Okatani thanked Sakaguchi for the lesson and will use the DDT ring to show him what he learned.

The services of Bryan Keith were used by DAMNATION T.A to fight what’s currently left of BURNING along with Rukiya. MJ Paul interfered to take the Spear from Yuki Iino instead of KANON. Keith used the Emerald Tiger Driver on Rukiya then left him for the others to pick at the pieces. Daisuke Sasaki & KANON used a Vietnam Driver & Diving Elbow combination called the Freedom Call to finish Rukiya off. Sasaki called BURNING worthless and thinks the group should disband. KANON made fun of them, telling them to go home and drink their mothers’ protein. Iino complained about KANON needing Paul’s help because he doesn’t want to take the Spear. Tetsuya Endo thinks he needs to improve his accuracy because today’s performance wasn’t up to snuff. But he is confident that if he and Iino hit DAMNATION T.A right, they will win the KO-D Tag Team Titles from them.

The opening match went ahead with No Tag Rules. Takagi quickly gave Kazuma Sumi the Stunner but was then caught in a Train Attack that included the referee getting involved. HARASHIMA and Toru Owashi got to fight each other until Akito came in to target HARASHIMA’s leg. So did Tomoya and Shinichiro Kawamatsu in what turned out to be a battle between pro wrestling politicians. Antonio Honda paused the match for his Gongitsune joke but it backfired. Yuni gave Takeshi Masada a Tornado DDT but then missed a Moonsault aimed for Sumi. That allowed Sumi to roll up the school boy with the School Boy for the win.

The first set of wrestlers to enter this year’s King Of DDT are a mix of previous winners and finalists to mark the 20th Anniversary of the tournament. Poison Sawada JULIE (2004 winner), Sanshiro Takagi (2009 finalist), Danshoku Dieno (2012 finalist), HARASHIMA (2010 & 2013 winner, 2017 finalist) and Shuji Ishikawa (2016 winner) have all been announced to be taking part.

Kaisei Takechi’s debut match on 25th February has him teaming up with Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata. They will be against Tetsuya Endo, Hideki Okatani & Takeshi Masada.