DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” Preview

August 10, 2026

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI)
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Delayed Entry Battle Royal: Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yuki Iino Vs Toru Owashi Vs Akito Vs Soma Takao Vs Fuminori Abe Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs MJ Paul Vs Ilusion Vs Yuni Vs Masami Inahata
3. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata & To-y
4. Hinata Kasai 1st Anniversary Debut Match ~ Special Tag Match: Jun Kasai & Hinata Kasai Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
5. DDT Extreme Title – Barbed Wire Death Match: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA (c) Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
7. Special Single Match: YAMATO Vs Danshoku Dieno
8. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & DOUKI Vs Antonio Honda & Tetsuya Endo
9. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Ryusuke Taguchi
10. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kaisei Takechi
11. KO-D Openweight Title – Goodcom Asset Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO

The show is named after Peter Pan because DDT is the company that never wants to grow up. However the story of the main event asks if the challenger has matured enough to finally dethrone the champion? The latest visit to Sumo Hall isn’t packed with the star power I would usually expect from its guests. There are crossovers with New Japan and Dragon Gate on the card though. The buildup has kind of felt lacking too because a lot of the outsider names weren’t around to interact with their DDT opponents. It all hangs on the main event for the KO-D Openweight Title. It’s a rematch from “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2024” in the same venue that never left as much of an impact as it hoped it would back then. This is the second chance to get that performance right, not necessarily the result. If this is supposed to be the crowning of a new champion, I’m not exactly feeling it the night before the show.

Before we begin, let me remind everyone there are currently three Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlets that are active. Two of them (Red and Blue) can be used to cash in a KO-D Title shot on a DDT show whenever the holder wants as long as the champion is around. The third one (Purple) is a trap Gauntlet that can be cashed in on anyone who holds one of the other Gauntlets. So yeah, imagine a Money In The Bank that you cash in on another Money In The Bank before that gets cashed in. That’s what we’re working with here.


1. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI)

Someone must have told Takeshi Masada that the second most important match on a wrestling card is the opener and he’s taken that theory to heart. One of the highlights of DDT this year has been paleyouth’s tag matches, especially the ones involving the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. While this unit of youngsters do not have as heavy of a chip on their shoulders as Team Dream Futures had years ago, their performances in the ring have been something I look forward to seeing on every DDT show. Daichi Sato really has something if he can grow into a proper heavyweight down the line. Character work needs some work between them (Yuya Koroku’s personality in particular could do with being slightly less dry) but you won’t find a more reliable trio elsewhere in DDT this year.

paleyouth currently ties the record for most KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles defences and winning this match will break the record. Masada believes such an achievement will need a lot of attention which is why he asked for the match to be put in the opening spot. One person in Strange Love Connection wants to stop them and has the opportunity to do so. KANON was part of the DAMNATION T.A trio that shares the most defences record with paleyouth. Even though that title reign ended when KANON was betrayed and kicked out of the unit, he is still proud of what he achieved back then and does not want to see the accomplishment get written out of the record books. His partners for the match have different levels of motivation going into the match. SLC introduced everyone to Viento Maligno six months ago but it didn’t take long for everyone to realised it was Keigo Nakamura under the mask, returning incognito from an excursion to Mexico that didn’t work out how he hoped. His performances were underwhelming and his true identity was revealed a few months later but Nakamura is sticking with it in an attempt to make this alter ego work. Demus gave him the name Viento Maligno (Evil Wind) but being a rudo is not in Nakamura’s nature so it has since been changed to Viento Levante (named after the Mediterranean wind). Yukio Naya has spent this time being Levante’s supportive big buddy and has promised to help Levante score the winning pinfall in this match.

There is an added wild card for this match, the Right To Challenge Anytime Anywhere Anytime Anywhere Gauntlet. This purple version of the prize was created to be cashed in against other Gauntlet holders instead of any champions. So anyone who has a regular RTC Gauntlet need to watch their back just as much as the champion does! KANON has possession of the Purple AAAA Gauntlet heading into this match and will likely keep it unless he directly takes the losing fall. That means he can cause some chaos later in the show if he decides to cash in on either the Red Gauntlet holder or the Blue Gauntlet holder.


2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Delayed Entry Battle Royal: Yuki Ishida (c) Vs Yuki Iino Vs Toru Owashi Vs Akito Vs Soma Takao Vs Fuminori Abe Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs MJ Paul Vs Ilusion Vs Yuni Vs Masami Inahata

Sometimes you just need to add a little extra incentive to encourage people. DDT usually puts in a Royal Rumble style match on the undercard for the most unstable championship in pro wrestling the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. What also often happens is the champion going into the match might get beaten and lost the belt to someone else on their way to the ring thanks to the 24/7 rules. It can sometimes make one wonder why wrestlers would even bother trying to be the champion going into the match. DDT decided to fix this problem by adding a special prize to this year’s Iron Man Battle Royal. Whoever enters the match as the reigning champion will receive a one year long travel pass for the Shinkansen bullet train to be used whenever DDT books them for shows held outside of Tokyo. That’s going to come in handy in the coming months when DDT make their Autumn trips to Osaka, Hokkaido and Yokohama. I bet those tours alone will pay off the pass by themselves unless DDT starts managing how their wrestlers are booked by using a bucket system.

At the time of writing Yuki Ishida is the reigning champion as he continues his journey into rediscovering himself. He’s kind of in the same position that Nakamura was in but it’s a lot more shallow. Ever since Kazusada Higuchi retired and Harimao went their separate ways, Ishida has struggled to keep up with the other wrestlers from his generation. Lately he believes he needs to change himself to finally make the progress he wants. All he’s been doing though is tell people over and over he wants to change and also take part in a photoshoot trying out different outfits. The one of him in a suit makes him look like a young Jaki Numazawa if Numazawa never took part in death matches so maybe there’s something to be found there. He really needs to put more thought into the idea though because right now it just comes off as him being superficial.

The usual bunch of undercard wrestlers are filling up the ranks. Yuki Iino is taking on double the bookings between DDT and NOAH. It’s working out great for him on the NOAH front with Iino getting a passionate makeover and winning the GHC Tag Team Titles with Manabu Soya. He has to hide his wild looking haircut back in DDT and his presence on shows has mostly been reduced to being another body in SLC multi-man tag matches. Soma Takao recently came back from injury and wants to remind everyone he is not just the guy who works at the Dropkick Bar. Yes, he’s been gone long enough for the newer DDT fans to be unaware that he is a wrestler. Naomi Yoshimura remains low on the card due to his physical limits but he has talked about having a special opponent in mind for his homecoming show later this year. Ilusion continues to be a trollish dick to everyone outside of DAMNATION T.A. He often gets away with it because MJ Paul is always nearby to have his back no matter what trouble he causes. Some of the other young guns like Yuni and Masami Inahata have briefly won the Iron Man Title in the leadup to the show. That leaves the likes of Toru Owashi, Akito, Fuminori Abe and Super Sasadango Machine to fill up the rest of the field. Sasadango’s been trying to join different stables as a Nagoya-only based member but those kind of alliances mean nothing in Tokyo!


3. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata & To-y

No matter how many enemies Sanshiro Takagi makes in the ring throughout his career, at some point he’ll try teaming up with them. Minoru Suzuki is the latest foe turned tag partner as it was the only way Suzuki could find a spot on the show. The two have caught attention in Japan and around the world for their feud built around Falls Count Anywhere matches in the unusual environments. They’ve fought inside an empty Tokyo Dome, they’ve fought along a tramline and most famously of all they’ve fought inside a moving bullet train. They must know each other inside and out by now so let’s see how they will get along as a tag team.

I would consider the opposition to be an Easy Mode option if it wasn’t for the risk of Suzuki & Takagi’s team becoming to volatile to last. We are approaching one year since the wonderful Summer Of Kazuki Hirata and he’s back in the 2nd match of the card where he himself would admit he belongs. He also continues to lose matches as soon as they begin which has been disastrous for Hisaya Imabayashi’s heart rate. To-y has been doing better than Hirata when it comes to win-loss records but his somewhat manical personality can lead him towards making some costful mistakes. He is the holder of the Blue RTC Gauntlet and the stage can be set for him to make a big splash later in the show if he decides to cash it in. Or he could make a foolish mistake like a certain stablemate of his from The 37KAMIINA did once before and let Suzuki open up a pathway towards becoming a DDT champion again.


4. Hinata Kasai 1st Anniversary Debut Match ~ Special Tag Match: Jun Kasai & Hinata Kasai Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya

What if the cat’s in the cradle and the cradle is also filled with lighttubes? Thankfully Hinata Kasai has not taken to following in his father’s footsteps the exact same way. Instead his pro wrestling career is with DDT where he’s been working as the fourth member of FANTÔMES DRAMATIC. It’s been apparent from his debut a year ago that he is lacking in physical skills but he’s been making up for it by looking sympathetic every time he takes a beating. When DDT announced that Hinata would team up with his dad Jun Kasai inside Sumo Hall to celebrate the one year anniversary of his debut, Hinata made it his goal to earn his first victory by then. That hasn’t happened yet so his self-imposed challenge is going straight to the wire. Jun Akiyama & Rukiya will be making up the wall Hinata has to try and climb over. This will be the first time Jun and Akiyama will have a proper match against each other (they were both part of a wacky Taiji Ishimori gauntlet match in New Japan last year). This is different from Hinata and Rukiya who have been regularly teaming up or fighting against each other on DDT shows ever since Hinata’s debut. Rukiya was even Hinata’s first singles opponent so if there’s anyone most suitable for Hinata to score his first victory against, it’s Rukiya.

Quick sidenote before I move onto the next match. I should really take the time to watch the Jun Kasai “KYO-EN” documentary that was made a few years ago to see what presence Hinata has in that. That kind of info would have been really helpful in hindsight. If it’s good enough for Hideo Kojima then it’s good enough for me.


5. DDT Extreme Title – Barbed Wire Death Match: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata

The show was missing some kind of spectacle but I didn’t expect DDT would go the violence route to fill in that spot late in the buildup. Hideki Okatani has gone on a mean streak as DDT Extreme Champion to prove his superiority over other wrestlers from his generation. It’s all so he can come face to face with one wrestler in particular, the one who welcomed him into Hardcore wrestling in the first place and he could never beat in two previous attempts. But simply making this a Hardcore Match feels underwhelming to Okatani. He wants to use the most exciting rule he can think of so he decided he will defend the title in a Barbed Wire Death Match!

Shunma Katsumata is no stranger to the Extreme Title and has twice defended the championship against Okatani. The first in 2023 ended badly when Katsumata suffered a leg injury that forced him to vacate the title despite winning the match. The second in 2024 worked out better for him as he won the match without getting injured this time. This past Katsumata has with Okatani feels kind of special to him because he keeps being involved in Okatani’s first experiences. He must be an important person in Okatani’s life because he seems to be the only one who can motivate Okatani into making these really violent kind of matches.

There’s an extra prize on the line too. Okatani is going into the match holding the Blue Right To Challenge Gauntlet that he recently won from Katsumata. Whoever wins this bloody battle will walk out with both the Extreme Title and a Gauntlet. But will the winner be in any state to cash it in later in the night or could they end up becoming a sitting duck for the holder of the Anytime Anywhere Gauntlet to ambush once the ring gets cleared of all the sharp barbed wire?


6. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA (c) Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki

I don’t think I will ever be able to imagine DDT without HARASHIMA. Even without changing anything about himself he continues to stay relevant with the company as one of the most reliable wrestlers you can ever count on. He continues to show it here as a backbone member of FANTÔMES DRAMATIC and a 12-time holder of the KO-D Tag Team Titles. Whatever it is that keeps him feeling young is probably being provided by Chris Brookes because that guys keeps finding ways to stay busy. Whenever he’s not wrestling in Fandora tag matches, he’s off causing mayhem with the Baka Gaijin + Friends. It will take a pair of wrestlers as “Baka” as the two of them to take the KO-D Titles away.

Here’s where Shinya Aoki comes in as a challenger who both Brookes & HARASHIMA are very familiar with. Joining him is the sunlight of NOAH who came to DDT looking for new experiences. Junta Miyawaki is on a year long loan from The Ark and spends some of his time here taking part in every DDT comedy gimmick he can think of. The rest of the time Miyawaki has attached himself to Aoki, having been taken under the MMA fighter’s wing after spending years being influenced by Aoki’s skills. This new mentor/student dynamic can make Miyawaki’s stay here even more worthwhile if it can win him his first DDT championship.

What might get in the way of this promising new tag team is Aoki’s plans for the rest of the year. He recently ended his MMA contract with ONE Championship and quickly made the jump over to RIZIN. Aoki now has a big fight coming up in September against Mikuru Asakura. If Aoki & Miyawaki can win the tag titles, Miyawaki has promised to carry the belts down to the ring for Aoki’s fight next month!


7. Special Single Match: YAMATO Vs Danshoku Dieno

Alas poor Dragon Gate, the company where you sometimes have to remind yourself it’s no longer the promotion it was from 15 years ago. Shun Skywalker has buggered off and the new units being created all sound like a half completed title of a Kingdom Hearts spinoff that was generated by AI. But you can always count on YAMATO to be a flagbearer for the company and take the lead whenever others fail to do. Working relationships between DDT and Dragon Gate have a tricky history together. There were times when they joined forces to put on “DRAMATIC DREAM GATE” events and then there were the times when DDT took in the runaways who couldn’t cut it at the dojo in Kobe. Things seem to be okay between the two companies right now (maybe thanks to UJPW?) so YAMATO is coming to DDT looking for a suitable opponent for an inter-promotional bout.

YAMATO’s request is a grand one. He is looking for somebody of comparable stature to his own. Somebody whose collection of work could create or even carry a company by itself just like how YAMATO has done it for Dragon Gate. Even if you didn’t know the match already you knew the opponent was going to be Danshoku Dieno, right? YAMATO tried to get the match changed because in his opinion nobody wants to see him grappling with Dieno in the ring. The DDT fanbase, or at least those who were inside Korakuen Hall when the match was announced, tend to disagree. YAMATO now claims that he is immune to Dieno’s antics but we’ll all discover together how truthful he is being at Sumo Hall.


8. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & DOUKI Vs Antonio Honda & Tetsuya Endo

The cheek of DDT to hold a contest asking fans to predict what match Daisuke Sasaki was going to be in and this is the answer. The spots began to fill when DDT announced Antonio Honda was going to be on the other team. It would then be up to Sasaki and Honda to choose their own tag team partners. Sasaki made the first move and contacted DOUKI from the House Of Torture to join forces with him. It’s a perfect fit. Sasaki has known DOUKI for many years, it’s a fellow heel who wouldn’t look out of place standing next to DAMNATION T.A and he’s coming off one of the most dominant runs the NJPW Junior Heavyweight division has seen in years. Honda was rightfully worried about who he is going up against and was motivated to choose a tag team partner that would feel just as unfair towards Sasaki.

A call was made to repair a broken bridge. Honda was part of a unit from a decade ago called Happy Motel and another member of that group left them behind to join DAMNATION. Honda has never teamed with this person ever since but the time had come to let bygones be bygones. Honda’s partner is Tetsuya Endo! Even though Endo is now a full time wrestler with NOAH he has a plan to come back to DDT once he wins the GHC Heavyweight Title. He failed to become champion back in June but decided to briefly return to DDT when he saw how lazy Sasaki has become lately. The Sasaki he sees now who has been standing to the side and letting others in DAMNATION T.A claim leadership of the group is nothing like the Sasaki that Endo knew from the original DAMNATION. Honda claims he only asked Endo to team with him because it would make for a more exciting match. Endo says he is taking part to remind Sasaki what his true colours should look like.


9. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Ryusuke Taguchi

This is an odd one although that’s to be expected with Ryusuke Taguchi being involved. The stalwart of NJPW’s Jr. division was one of the first guests to be booked for the show so when Kazuma Sumi asked if he could defend the DDT Universal Title against a New Japan wrestler, Taguchi got the spot. Sumi has felt annoyed over missing out on the recent DDT Vs NJPW matches especially since NJPW have been on the winning end more often than not. But putting any ill feelings on the matter aside, he is also happy to fight Taguchi and use him as a stepping stone to the top of the Junior Heavyweight scene. The odd thing is Taguchi seems to be accepting his fate. He’s been the stepping stone before for Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega so this scenario is nothing new to him. All he can do is teach Sumi a lesson. If Sumi isn’t careful then he could end up becoming used as a stepping stone for somebody else!

When it comes to star power, this is not the match I would have booked for Sumi. However that isn’t the goal DDT has in mind here. They want a solid hand to help Sumi take the next step and Taguchi still has those kind of performances in him once every blue moon. You can always count on him to have that one particularly good match every Best Of The Super Jr. and I bet the goal is for him to give Sumi the same match here. Some rumours over NJPW replenishing their Jr. division earlier this year have not come to pass but I think something is coming up over the horizon after the company recently changed ownership. Taguchi had suggested during the contract signing that he and Sumi could team up together for an upcoming tag tournament in New Japan. He even suggested they both shave their heads so they can be called The Buzz Cut Brothers. Sumi is indecisive over the idea (the last time he shaved his head everyone thought he was being punished for something but it was for a TV role) but who knows? This might end up becoming an audition for something bigger down the line.


10. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kaisei Takechi

DDT’s new gravy train goes up against the company’s pride and joy. You know I would really appreciate it if DDT announced their attendance numbers again so we could find out how much of a draw this match is but we’re going to be left in the dark. Konosuke Takeshita is taking a time out from the G1 CLIMAX to semi-main a Sumo Hall show. He has one more A Block match to get through a day later but the odds are in his favour he can make it to the playoff stage (knock on wood). Don’t expect him to act like he’s taking the night off. He’s promised to go all out given who his opponent is here.

Just like the rise of Yuki Arai in Tokyo Joshi Pro, I reckon it is only a matter of time before Kaisei Takechi takes to pro wrestling on a full time basis and becomes DDT’s top pushed act. We’re still a while away from that happening though. His schedule had slowed down after the early part of the year due to him suffering from a case of pink eye than having priorities elsewhere by the time it cleared up. He’s going into this Dramatic Dream match understanding that 99% of his fans expect him to lose. That just means he’s going to fight his heart out for the 1% who do believe in him. Surviving against one of the best in the world is the goal here but the closer he gets to achieving that, the more he can figure out if Takeshita isn’t as fresh as he claims to be thanks to the G1.


11. KO-D Openweight Title – Goodcom Asset Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO

We’re back here for a second try. Two years ago Yuki Ueno and MAO fought in the main event of “WRESTLE PETER PAN” in Sumo Hall with the KO-D Openweight Title on the line. It was a match determined to establish the two as DDT’s big rivalry of the era much like Takeshita Vs Endo or Ibushi Vs Omega both were in times past. It didn’t hit the mark. So what has changed two years later that DDT is giving the match another go? For one, Ueno has finally grown into the confident ace the company has been looking for post Takeshita and Higuchi. Even though this is his third reign as champion, it’s really his second because of a fun detour that Kazuki Hirata sent everyone on last year. Once the title returned to Ueno he has looked the most comfortable he’s ever been when taking the reins and setting a long path towards the dream destination that is the Tokyo Dome. That’s one half of the problem sorted. Has the opponent matured just as much?

According to MAO he’s taking the steps towards deserving a KO-D Title run. He left The 37KAMIINA to form his own team turned unit Strange Love Connection. This was all so he could stand across the ring from Ueno and eventually catch up to him, raising their rivalry to the same level as Takeshita/Endo, Ibushi/Omega and even further back to HARASHIMA/KUDO. Ueno and MAO always like fighting each other, it’s just that their friendliness towards each other was one of the reasons why their previous Peter Pan main event didn’t land the way they thought it would.

MAO is the question mark I’m having trouble with because two years ago showed his wrestling style is not suited for the big arenas. Sure he has the crazy spirit I want from a DDT superstar but I don’t see him eagerly Moonsaulting off of a balcony like Ibushi did. MAO is at his best the smaller the room is. His antics go down a treat in Shinjuku FACE (I’m going to miss that place) and his appearances in Baka Gaijin + Friends are often my favorite part of those shows. He also likes to take out of the box chances as shown from his Universal Title run but that’s a role I can’t see being done with the KO-D Title, at least at this point in time. There is a way MAO can positively stand out as a KO-D Champion. That way is not by having a forced 30+ minute epic main event in Ryogoku. Should MAO win the title and leave Sumo Hall as champion, DDT will have to go in a completely different direction than where they’ve been heading with Ueno on top. Can that direction also take them to the Tokyo Dome or is it time to put that dream to rest after bringing it up so often for the last year or two? I hate to end this preview with that question but it’s the mystery that’s swirling around in my head.


DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026 PRESS CONFERENCE AND PRE-EVENT PARTY IN IKEBUKURO” Results

August 7, 2026

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026 PRESS CONFERENCE & PRE-EVENT PARTY IN IKEBUKURO”, 07/08/2026
Tokyo Ikebukuro West Exit Park Global Ring Theater
??? Fans – Unannounced

1. Rukiya defeated Hinata Kasai with the Proto Bomb (10:06).
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – DAMNATION T.A Vs NωA Jr.!: Shunma Katsumata & Yuni defeated Hideki Okatani & Ilusion when Yuni pinned Ilusion (c) with the Messiah DDT (7:42).
*Yuni becomes the 1,879th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Ilusion defeated Yuni (c) with a Title Belt Strike (2:57 pm).
*Ilusion becomes the 1,880th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Masami Inahata defeated Ilusion (c) with an Argentine Backbreaker (5:10 pm).
*Masami Inahata becomes the 1,881st champion.
3. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato defeated Kazuma Sumi, To-y & Masami Inahata when Masada pinned Inahata (c) with the Masada No Chikara KOBU Mukimuki (15:14).
*Takeshi Masada becomes the 1,882nd champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yuki Ishida defeated Takeshi Masada (c) with an Ichizorigatame (7:10 pm).
*Yuki Ishida becomes the 1,883rd champion.

It is a couple of days before “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” and DDT went to Ikebukuro for an outdoor day of matches and contract signings. At first it looked like the matches held on the day would not have much circumstances to until the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title got dragged into things. First the title changed hands multiple times going from Ilusion to Yuni then back to Ilusion. He mocked the fans afterward for spending their free time on a Friday to be at this show and claimed to have hired 60 guards to protect him from losing the title before next week’s Sumo Hall show. However a brawl later broke out between a group of wrestlers all wanting to fight Ilusion. Masami Inahata put him in an Argentine Backbreaker to win the title but he would end up losing it in the main event to Takeshi Masada. After all of that, Yuki Ishida sneakily pinned Masada after the match to win the title and still have it by the night’s end.

Contract signings were held throughout the day for the big matches happening at Sumo Hall. MAO talked about getting to fight Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Title again. In the past DDT was defined by the HARASHIMA/KUDO era, the Kota Ibushi/Kenny Omega era and the Konosuke Takeshita/Tetsuya Endo era. Right now it’s just the Yuki Ueno era so by winning this match MAO gets to add his name next to Ueno and everyone will know which two wrestlers were leading this era of DDT. MAO also wants to be at his most dazzling for the match so he has changed his hair back to an old hairstyle and is confident he can unleash 200% of his pro wrestling because Ueno is his opponent. Ueno said he enjoyed the matches he’s had with MAO in the last month and it’s hard to put into words how much joy it’s given him. If MAO is that motivated to reach the level Ueno is at now it only motivates Ueno to beat him and climb even higher. It’s all so he can help bring DDT to the Tokyo Dome.

Konosuke Takeshita had taken time away from the G1 CLIMAX to appear at this event and hype up his match with Kaisei Takechi. According to Takechi, 99% of his fans are expecting Takeshita to win but he is going to put his whole life on the line for the 1% that believe he will win. Hearing that, Takeshita promised to put everything he’s learned in his 14 year career into his match against Takechi. He also ensures he will be at 100% and he isn’t feeling fatigue from fighting in the G1.

Perhaps there is a future in store for Kazuma Sumi and Ryusuke Taguchi as tag team partners after their DDT Universal Title match. Taguchi wanted to study his opponent in the lead up to the show and thankfully he discovered Wrestle Universe offers a week long free trial. He still hasn’t gotten around to using it yet but he encourages everyone go use the offer to watch Sumi use him as a stepping stone. Taguchi hasn’t found a tag partner for the upcoming Super Jr. Tag League so he suggests maybe Sumi can team up with him and get the same haircut so they can become The Buzz Cut Brothers. Sumi did subscribe to NJPW World so he could study Taguchi but he can’t grasp what his weaknesses are yet. He also doesn’t want to shave his head to a buzz cut again because he did it once before for a drama role and everyone around him at the time thought he did something wrong and got his head shaved to apologise for it. He will consider Taguchi’s idea to team up though. After they signed the contract Taguchi hit Sumi with a Hip Attack but Sumi got him back by giving him a Kancho butt poke.

The DDT Extreme Title match now has a stipulation and it is a dangerous one. Hideki Okatani believes simply having a Hardcore match with Shunma Katsumata again would be underwhelming so he decided they are going to have a Barbed Wire Death Match! Katsumata ran down the history of Hardcore matches he previously had with Okatani and said he feels incredibly happy to be such a special person in Okatani’s heart. He thinks he is the only who can motivate Okatani to bring out his real self and will beat the real Okatani to win the Extreme Title. Even though Okatani is the champion, he is treating this match like he is the challenger and he thinks the fans will see something amazing at Sumo Hall.

HARASHIMA announced he will become a PR ambassador to promote Ome City later this year. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise, the name Ome has been in FANTÔMES DRAMATIC all along!


DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2026” Results

August 5, 2026

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2026”, 05/08/2026
Shinjuku FACE
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Dark Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga & MBM defeated Soma Takao & Hinata Kasai when Matsunaga submitted Kasai with a Spinning Toe Hold (8:28).
1. Jun Akiyama & Rukiya defeated Kazuma Sumi & Yuki Ishida when Akiyama pinned Ishida with a Knee Butt (8:41).
2. Ilusion, MJ Paul & Tetsuya Koda defeated Sanshiro Takagi, Naomi Yoshimura & Hisaya Imabayashi when Koda submitted Imabayashi with the Sleeper Hold (9:17).
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Hisaya Imabayashi defeated Tetsuya Koda (c) with the Uraken (7:27 pm).
*Hisaya Imabayashi becomes the 1,877th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Ilusion defeated Hisaya Imabayashi (c) with a School Boy (7:30 pm).
*Ilusion becomes the 1,878th champion.
3. Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani defeated Shunma Katsumata & Masami Inahata when Okatani pinned Katsumata with the Skewer-Style Claymore (11:30).
*Hideki Okatani wins Shunma Katsumata’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
4. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata with an Armbar (0:12).
4a. Virtual YAMATO! High Speed Danshoku Battle: Danshoku Dieno defeated Kazuki Hirata with the Lip Lock (5:00 + Additional Time).
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Shinya Aoki, Junta Miyawaki & Akito defeated Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda when Miyawaki pinned Honda with the Sunshine Clutch (13:15).
6. Special 10-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato & To-y defeated MAO, KANON, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI) when To-y pinned Levante with a Counter Cradle (19:41).
*To-y wins Viento Levante’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.

Next week DDT will be back in Sumo Hall for their big show of the summer. Today’s show was pretty much a last chance for everyone to get ready for Ryogoku. The main event served as a preview for both the KO-D Openweight Title match as well as the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles match. And just for a little bit extra, the result meant one of the Right To Challenge Gauntlets changed hands as well. Strange Love Connection focused a bit too much on the paleyouth although MAO’s target was Yuki Ueno. It was the The 37KAMIINA that made the difference but barely so. To-y was able to counter a double team move from MAO & Viento Levante and through that counter pinned Levante to win the match. That means To-y now holds a Gauntlet that he could cash in on Ueno if he wanted to. Ueno asked him to wait until after “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” because he’s looking forward wrestling MAO for the title first. MAO warned Ueno that he’s become so strong he might hurt him. He cannot stand in the ring unless he becomes the KO-D Champion but at least he’ll have fun while beating Ueno. Takeshi Masada then warned that paleyouth will be looking to crush Levante at Sumo Hall.

The KO-D Tag Team Champions are feeling mixed over their match today. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC lost but HARASHIMA noted that neither he nor Chris Brookes took the fall against Junta Miyawaki. HARASHIMA wonders just how much Miyawaki and Shinya Aoki have both grown but he also expects the title match at Ryogoku will be fun. Aoki overheard him say that backstage and accused HARASHIMA of becoming complacent. Miyawaki said he wants to beat HARASHIMA for the titles and then walk down the RIZIN entrance aisle with Aoki carrying the KO-D Tag Title belts!

Kazuki Hirata offered to help Danshoku Dieno get ready for YAMATO because beating Hirata in only a couple of seconds doesn’t prepare anybody for much. He knows YAMATO hates the Danshoku style so he came up with an idea to have Dieno chase him around the ring, thinking it will improve Dieno’s speed to use against YAMATO. Hirata also had a trick up his sleeve to wrap tape around Dieno’s tights so he couldn’t remove them and do the Danshoku Driver. Dieno could still use the Lip Lock though and ended up catching Hirata with the move.

The other standard Right To Challenge Gauntlet changed hands when Hideki Okatani pinned Shunma Katsumata in a tag match. This came after the two fought each other with chairs while Daisuke Sasaki rendered Masami Inahata useless with a Low Blow. Okatani got the better of Katsumata and now has a Gauntlet he can cash in.

The longstanding feud of the GMs could be heading towards a thrilling finale. Tetsuya Koda showed up to team with wrestlers from DAMNATION T.A, which means today he was DAMNATION T.K! was able to defend the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title against Hisaya Imabayashi in a 6-Man Tag Match. But after the match Imabayashi faked a handshake to kick Koda below the belt and knock him down with the Uraken Backfist. Imabayashi won the belt and told Koda that all of their matches against each other going back to August 2017 have happened in Shinjuku FACE. Since the building is shutting down soon Imabayashi challenged Koda to a final showdown in the venue on the 14th August Beer Garden show. Koda accepted and told Imabayashi to hold onto the title because not only does Koda want the belt back but the loser should immediately retire! Imabayashi accepted the challenge only for Ilusion to suddenly roll him over and pin him to win the Iron Man Title.

The paleyouth and SLC teams involved in the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles match had a contract signing ceremony at the start of the show. Yukio Naya said he is putting his entire support towards Levante winning the match for their team so he can prove he is not weak. KANON is more focused on stopped paleyouth from breaking the record for most KO-D 6-Man Tag Title defences. The reason is KANON currently ties the record with paleyouth. Levante admitted his talk has been week leading up to the match and he feels he has no choice but to win. Masada made a request to DDT that the match be placed as the opening bout for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” because he thinks paleyouth breaking the most defences record would be a special moment for the show. Yuya Koroku heard about KANON’s goal in the match and made it his mission to target him in order to break the record. Daichi Sato wants to outshine Naya in the match so that whenever wrestling fans think of heavyweights in DDT, they will think of Sato instead of Naya. All of paleyouth (including Bunbun) promised to work harder than ever before.


GM Wars Intensify, Princess Cup Quater Finals, Upcoming Max Title Matches

August 4, 2026

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2026”, 05/08/2026
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao & Hinata Kasai Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & MBM
1. Kazuma Sumi & Yuki Ishida Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
2. Sanshiro Takagi, Naomi Yoshimura & Hisaya Imabayashi Vs Ilusion, MJ Paul & Tetsuya Koda
3. Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani Vs Shunma Katsumata & Masami Inahata
4. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Shinya Aoki, Junta Miyawaki & Akito
6. Special 10-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato & To-y Vs MAO, KANON, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI)

The Tokyo Idol Festival is over and Tetsuya Koda has come out of it as the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. The Tokyo Joshi Pro boss pulling off this stunt does not impress the DDT GM Hisaya Imabayashi. The two authority figures have been at each other’s throats on and off for years. The Iron Man Champion is meant to be wrestling on tomorrow’s DDT show which means Koda now has to take part. Such an idea is insulting to Imabayashi so he is adding himself to the match in response to this so he can teach Koda a lesson that DDT is not the place for amateurs in their fifties!

Going into tomorrow’s show the Right To Challenge holders are Shunma Katsumata (Red), Viento Levante (Blue) and KANON (Purple).

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 13TH TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 08/08/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. Miu Watanabe & Ren Konatsu Vs Wakana Uehara & Momo Sato
2. Miyu Yamashita, Sakura Hattori, Haru Kazashiro & Chika Nanase Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Raku, Shino Suzuki & Uta Takami
3. Yuki Arai, Mifu Ashida & Shion Kanzaki Vs Mizuki, Mahiro Kiryu & Pom Harajuku
4. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Suzume Vs Shoko Nakajima
5. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Toga Vs Yuki Aino
6. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Arisu Endo Vs HIMAWARI
7. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Hyper Misao

We’re currently on a little break from the Tokyo Princess Cup until it resumes with the Quarter Finals this weekend. Rika Tatsumi and Hyper Misao are back in the ring against each other so soon after their Princess Tag Team Titles feud last month. The other end of the bracket has Suzume against Shoko Nakajima in what is sure to be a barnburner. HIMAWARI can set off a Cinderella run if she can defeat last year’s finalist Arisu Endo. The same could be said for Toga if her frozen demeaner doesn’t melt against Yuki Aino’s fire. After this round the brackets will get jumbled up for the final four which makes predicting this round a little bit more difficult than it looks on paper.

DDT “KANDA MYOJIN CULTURAL EXCHANGE PRESENTS AFTER PETER PAN ~RYOGOKU AFTER PARTY~”, 17/08/2026
Tokyo Kanda Myojin Hall

1. New Generation Variety Team Discovery Audition Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kazuma Sumi Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Rukiya Vs Masami Inahata Vs Hinata Kasai
2. Super Sasadango Machine Title: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Ilusion

I think there have been times in the past when Muscle Sakai would defend the championship belt he wears around his waist but I can’t remember a time when Super Sasadango Machine has ever done it in DDT. That changes when the belt labelled King Of Sasadango it put on the line against Ilusion.

The DDT comedy wrestlers are looking for new additions to their “Variety Team”. They are holding an audition and it is mandatory for the wrestlers they invited to take part in it.

This DDT show is going to be a small one because it is more like a fan event with some matches taking place rather than a full on wrestling show. Only one more match is planned to be added to the card.

BASARA “BASARA 314 ~UTAGE~”, 21/08/2026
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Daiki Shimomura

The new Union MAX Champion already has challengers lined up for him. When Takumi Tsukamoto held a 7-match Gauntlet to prepare himself for his title shot the only wrestler he dropped a fall to was Daiki Shimomura. Now is the time for Shimomura to call his shot and get a title match with his former tag team partner.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “FUCKED UP FEST 2026”, 22/08/2026
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR

1. SEKIFUDA 1 YEAR OF BAKA ~ Special Single Match: Kota Sekifuda Vs Minoru Suzuki
2. Hardcore Tag Match: MAO & Shunma Katsumata Vs Jun Kasai & Chris Brookes

Just imagine the mess everyone will have to clean up after the Hardcore Match. Jun Kasai takes part in his first “FUCKED UP FEST” to join Chris Brookes so they can fight ShunMao together.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 13TH TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/08/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yuki Kamifuku & Wakana Uehara Vs Sumire Natsu & Mifu Ashida
2. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: X Vs X

This doesn’t look like it would be a tough challenge for Ober Eats. After all, Yuki Kamifuku already knows how effective it is to use makeup remover against opponents who are caked in the stuff. Sumire Natsu is like 80% makeup and 20% human at this point! Best stick Wakana Uehara and Mifu Ashida in there to make sure things don’t get too catty between Kamiyu and Natsu.

BASARA “SHINJUKU FACE COUNTDOWN SERIES – BASARA 316 ~KOO~”, 23/09/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. Union MAX Title: Takumi Tsukamoto (c) Vs Ryota Nakatsu

The winner of the 21st August title match will go on to defend the MAX Title against Ryota Nakatsu at BASARA’s final show to be held inside Shinjuku FACE. The show is happening on the first day of the Shinjuku FACE Countdown Series, a list of wrestling events happening in the final days of the venue’s existence. They will be on after Sendai Girls that day.


Some New Ryogoku Warm Up Matches Announced, Match Orders For A Few Other Shows

July 29, 2026

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 13TH TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 30/07/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. Yuki Kamifuku, Sakura Hattori & Momo Sato Vs Chika Nanase, Ren Konatsi & Shion Kanzaki
2. Miyu Yamashita & Haru Kazashiro Vs Mizuki & Shino Suzuki
3. Rika Tatsumi, Arisu Endo, Wakana Uehara & Uta Takami Vs Hyper Misao, Raku, HIMAWARI & Mifu Ashida
4. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2E: Toga Vs Mahiro Kiryu
5. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2F: Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino
6. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2G: Suzume Vs Pom Harajuku
7. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2H: Yuki Arai Vs Shoko Nakajima

Tomorrow sees the other half of the Tokyo Princess Cup Round 2 bracket take place. Although this might not be the exact match order.

BASARA “BASARA 313 ~SUPER BRILLIANCE~”, 02/08/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. FUMA, Ryuichi Sekine & Seiya Morohashi Vs Daiki Shimomura, Takeru Inoue & Yasu Urano
2. Grace Project Presents – 3-Way 6-Man Tag Match: Captain Grace, Yusaku Ito & Violento Jack Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi, Tsutomu Oosugi & Banana Senga (w/ Gouma Ryu) Vs SAGAT, Lil’ Kraken & Minoru Fujita
3. Daichi Kazato Vs Ayato Yoshida
4. Dosukoi no Tsudoi Presents: Ryota Nakatsu Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. Iron Fist Tag Team Titles: Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (c) Vs Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto
6. Union MAX Title – Clutch Supporters Association Presents: Shuji Ishikawa (c) Vs Takumi Tsukamoto

Some of the matches for BASARA’s return to Korakuen Hall now have sponsors applied to them.

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2026”, 05/08/2026
Shinjuku FACE

0. Dark Match: Soma Takao & Hinata Kasai Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & MBM
1. Kazuma Sumi & Yuki Ishida Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
2. Daisuke Sasaki & Hideki Okatani Vs Shunma Katsumata & Masami Inahata
3. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Ilusion & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion
4. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata
5. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda Vs Shinya Aoki, Junta Miyawaki & Akito
6. Special 10-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato & To-y Vs MAO, KANON, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI)

Some more preview matches for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” coming up next week. We now have FANTÔMES DRAMATIC against Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki to look forward to.

At the moment Raku is currently the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion and so would have to take part in Match #3. DDT isn’t counting on her enough to remain champ by the time the show begins so the marketing for Match #3 is just whoever is champion on 5th August will be in the match teaming with Ilusion.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026 PRESS CONFERENCE & PRE-EVENT PARTY IN IKEBUKURO”, 07/08/2026
Tokyo Ikebukuro West Exit Park Outdoor Theater

1. Rukiya Vs Hinata Kasai
2. DAMNATION T.A Vs NωA Jr.!: Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Shunma Katsumata & Yuni
3. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato Vs Kazuma Sumi, To-y & Masami Inahata

DDT is holding a public press conference in Ikebukuro where many of the wrestlers involved in the major matches for Sumo Hall will take part in a contract signing ceremony for the show. There are a few matches planned to take place throughout the day as well.

GANBARE☆PRO “IT’S A SUMMER FILM 2026”, 15/08/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Keisuke Ishii, Sentaro Motoshima & SUSHI Vs Shinichiro Tominaga, Guts Ishijima & Shota Kawakami
2. Moeka Haruhi Vs Rydeen Hagane
3. Yumehito Imanari Vs Hyo Ogawa
4. Ken Ohka 25th Anniversary Match Part 2: Ken Ohka, Akira Shoji & Masashi Takeda Vs Isami Kodaka, Chris Brookes & Fuminori Abe
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Takuya Wada & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Yuya Susumu
6. Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Takumi Iroha
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

This is the match order for Ganbare☆Pro’s Korakuen show.

Earlier this week GanPro gave an update on Munetatsu Nakamura’s condition. It’s been confirmed he tore his ACL in his right knee and he will need to go under surgery for it. The surgery is scheduled for 31st August and once GanPro sees how his rehabilitation progresses they will begin working out when he can be expected to wrestle again.


Wrestle Peter Pan Lineup, Shinjuku’s Last Fighting Beer Garden, F’ed Up Fest III

July 27, 2026

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 13TH TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 08/08/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall

1. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Rika Tatsumi Vs Hyper Misao
2. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Arisu Endo Vs HIMAWARI
3. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 2E Vs Winner Of Match 2F
4. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Quarter Final: Winner Of Match 2G Vs Winner Of Match 2H

Four spaces in the Quarter Finals have been taken, four more are left to be filled. We’ll find out who is joining Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Arisu Endo and HIMAWARI on Thursday.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Delayed Entry Battle Royal: Raku (c) Vs Yuki Iino Vs Toru Owashi Vs Akito Vs Soma Takao Vs Fuminori Abe Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs MJ Paul Vs Ilusion Vs Yuni Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Masami Inahata
2. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata & To-y
3. Hinata Kasai 1st Anniversary Debut Match ~ Special Tag Match: Jun Kasai & Hinata Kasai Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI)
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA (c) Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
6. Special Single Match: YAMATO Vs Danshoku Dieno
7. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & DOUKI Vs Antonio Honda & Tetsuya Endo
8. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
9. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Ryusuke Taguchi
10. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kaisei Takechi
11. KO-D Openweight Title – Goodcom Asset Presents: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO

This is the full lineup for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” but the match order has not been decided yet outside of the main event. Yuki Ueno got one over on MAO this past weekend by making him tap out to a Sleeper Hold. He thinks MAO isn’t hitting the heights of his potential for what should be the most important KO-D Openweight Title challenge of his career. MAO is certain he still has that crazy side of himself, it’s just that he has matured a little bit so he can be ready to become DDT’s champion.

There is a shadow following Hideki Okatani’s reign as DDT Extreme Champion that he needs to vanquish next. He needs to defend the belt against Shunma Katsumata! They have fought over the title two times before with Katsumata winning both times as champion. The first match in 2023 was an important stepstone for Okatani because it was his entry into hardcore wrestling. That match was also where Katsumata injured his leg and had to vacate the title afterwards. When he returned and won it back in 2024, Okatani was one of Katsumata’s first defences during that title reign.

A partnership forged in fire has made Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki decide to chase after the KO-D Tag Team Titles together. They previously fought Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA for No. 1 Contendership over the titles back in March. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC won that match and went on to become the champions so there is plenty of setup for the rematch.

DDT are giving Hinata Kasai a tough challenge if he wants to get his first win while teaming with his dad Jun Kasai. They will take on Jun Akiyama and his DDT protege Rukiya.

Minoru Suzuki & Sanshiro Takagi are joining forces after years of being enemies inside the ring, outside the ring, at an empty Tokyo Dome and even on a bullet train. The strength of their alliance will depend on how annoying Kazuki Hirata & To-y will be in front of them.

Speaking of bullet trains, Raku now holds the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. Whoever enters the Battle Royal as the champion will get a bullet train pass for one year to use whenever DDT books them for shows held outside of Tokyo. I’m not sure if that also applies to Tokyo Joshi Pro if Raku gets the prize.

DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2026 IN SHINJUKU 【FINAL COUNTDOWN 3】”, 13/08/2026
Shinjuku FACE

0. Special Dark Match: Ilusion Vs Yoshihiko
1. Rock ‘N’ Roll 4 Way Death Match: Antonio Honda Vs Kazuki Hirata Vs Junta Miyawaki Vs To-y
2. Enter Sandman Match: Yuki Ueno Vs MAO Vs Daisuke Sasaki Vs Takeshi Masada Vs Danshoku Dieno Vs Super Sasadango Machine

The final set of Beer Garden shows to be held in Shinjuku FACE will happen in August and the usual match gimmicks will be held there. Miyawaki gets to join in the Rock ‘N’ Roll Death Match for the first time. Ilusion and Yoshihiko are also having a pre-show rematch of their Korakuen Hall dark match from April. Last but not least, Kumadori will be on the show.

DDT “THE FINAL SHINJUKU FACE BEER GARDEN PRO WRESTLING”, 14/08/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match ~ I’m You, You’re Me: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Fake Daisuke Sasaki
2. Our LariPro ’26: Keisuke Ishii, Danshoku Dieno & Junta Miyawaki Vs Shunma Katsumata, Yuki Iino & Kazuki Hirata
3. Unit Shuffle! Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, MAO & HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes, KANON & To-y

It’s up to Daisuke Sasaki to deal with the fake forms of himself that have been showing up recently. Keisuke Ishii gets to host his Lariat Pro Wrestling match in Shinjuku FACE for one last time.

GANBARE☆PRO “IT’S A SUMMER FILM 2026”, 15/08/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Keisuke Ishii, SUSHI & Sentaro Motoshima Vs Shinichiro Tominaga, Guts Ishijima & Shota Kawakami
2. Moeka Haruhi Vs Rydeen Hagane
3. Yumehito Imanari Vs Hyo Ogawa
4. Ken Ohka 25th Anniversary Match Part 2: Ken Ohka, Masashi Takeda & Akira Shoji Vs Chris Brookes, Isami Kodaka & Fuminori Abe
5. Special Single Match: YuuRI Vs Takumi Iroha
6. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Takuya Wada & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Yuya Susumu
7. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

The Toyama Army that Ken Ohka’s been gathering together has a new member. Masashi Takeda is not from Toyama but apparantly his dad is and he’s visited the area enough times in his life to qualify for membership. There is no disputing that Akira Shoji is part of the team.

Moeka Haruhi and Rydeen Hagane were not on the same page during their tag match over the weekend. They blamed each other for losing that match so the obvious direction to go is have them wrestle each other to settle their differences.

BAKA GAIJIN + FRIENDS “FUCKED UP FEST 2026”, 22/08/2026
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MONSTAR

1. SEKIFUDA 1 YEAR OF BAKA ~ Special Single Match: Kota Sekifuda Vs Minoru Suzuki

It’s been over a year since Kota Sekifuda left Big Japan to go freelance. The first anniversary of his debut in Baka Gaijin + Friends is happening in August too so his present is a match against Minoru Suzuki.

The live music lineup for “FUCKED UP FEST 2026” includes a lot of bands with wrestlers in it. They are Dos Quatro (MAO), Daisetz (Antonio Honda), NωA Jr. (Shunma Katsumata, Kazuma Sumi & Yuni), Channel D (Daisuke Sasaki) and Super P And The Space Bandits (Filipino wrestler Super P). So those might be the clues as to who else will be wrestling on the show.


DDT “ROCK IN RING 2026 ~ONE HIT KILL~” Results

July 26, 2026

DDT “ROCK IN RING 2026 ~ONE HIT KILL~”, 26/07/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

0. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Dark Match: Antonio Honda, Masami Inahata & Hinata Kasai defeated Naomi Yoshimura, Yuni (c) & Rukiya when Honda pinned Yuni with a Jackknife Pin Reversal (7:18).
*Antonio Honda becomes the 1,845th champion.
-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Raku defeated Antonio Honda (c) with the Lullaby (11:27 am).
*Raku becomes the 1,846th champion.
1. Special Single Match: Shinya Aoki defeated Junta Miyawaki with a Sunshine Clutch Counter (10:54).
2. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Jun Akiyama defeated Sanshiro Takagi & Danshoku Dieno when Akiyama submitted Dieno with the Front Neck Lock (5:48).
3. DAMNATION T.A Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yukio Naya & Viento Levante defeated Daisuke Sasaki & Ilusion (w/ MJ Paul) when Levante pinned Ilusion with the Diving Headbutt (8:37).
4. Special 6-Man Tag Match: Daichi Sato, Soma Takao & Kumadori defeated Kazuma Sumi, Kazuki Hirata & To-y when Kumadori pinned Hirata with a School Boy (9:43).
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA (c) defeated Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku when HARASHIMA submitted Koroku with an Armbar (14:50).
*V3 for FANTÔMES DRAMATIC.
6. DDT Extreme Title – Belt Contra Hair: Hideki Okatani (c) defeated Yuki Ishida with the Claymore (15:20).
*V4 for Hideki Okatani.
7. Road To PETER PAN 2026! Special Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Shunma Katsumata defeated MAO & KANON (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI) when Ueno submitted MAO with a Sleeper Hold (19:22).

It’s a little over two weeks until DDT graces Sumo Hall once again, this time for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”. But before that could take place there were some things to settle in Korakuen Hall first. The Ryogoku main event got a preview today with Yuki Ueno and MAO on opposite sides of a tag match between The 37KAMIINA and Strange Love Connection. MAO & KANON tried to overwhelm Ueno with their square shaped powers but Shunma Katsumata was there to take KANON out of the picture with a Topé con Hilo. MAO went to seal the deal by giving Ueno the Michinoku Driver II but missed the Cannonball 450°. Ueno switched his gameplan to getting MAO into a Sleeper Hold whether it was catching him Blackout style or keeping a grip on him with a Body Scissors. Ueno’s relentless hold of the move kept MAO from escaping and he eventually had to tap out to the KO-D Openweight Champion.

When the match was over Ueno took the microphone and said MAO still has a long way to go. He remembers when MAO left The 37KAMIINA and fought him for the KO-D Title at Sumo Hall two years ago. Back then he thought MAO was shining so brightly he would soar to the global stage and blow the whole world away. In the two years since then, Ueno has wondered if MAO could ever become the champion who can lead DDT to the Tokyo Dome. The upcoming title match should be the most important and exciting thing that has ever happened to MAO so Ueno wants him to show the most dazzling brilliance he’s ever had on 11th August. Backstage Ueno said that MAO needs to be more fiery because he hasn’t been as passionate as he was back when he was in The 37KAMIINA. However, MAO said backstage that since he left the unit he’s cut down on drinking, given up eating ramen and has become more disciplined. He is still edgy but now he has matured a bit. Everything he’s been doing is so he can beat Ueno for the KO-D Title!

Well, Yuki Ishida has been saying for weeks how much he wants to change and he got what he wanted in the end. He wagered his hair to get a shot at the DDT Extreme Title held by Hideki Okatani and… er… he doesn’t have his hair anymore. With his best effort Ishida blocked the Claymore kick, Power Bombed Okatani and fought his way into finally hitting him with the Ensho but at the last second Okatani got his foot on the ropes to break the pin. Okatani then booted Ishida in the head over and over until he kept him down with the Claymore to win the match and claim Ishida’s hair. Okatani said after the match there is no way Ishida could beat him but he acknowledges his spirit. Ishida took it upon himself to cut his own hair and when he was finished, Okatani told him to not to forget this feeling. He also reminded Ishida the reason why he joined Harimao was because someone (Kazusada Higuchi) saw his potential so he should not give up here. When Ishida left, Hisaya Imabayashi asked Okatani who he wants to defend the Extreme Title against at Sumo Hall? There is only one man and that’s Shunma Katsumata! The two have previously fought each other for the title twice with Katsumata winning both times. Katsumata didn’t want to waste words and accepted the challenge with little else to say.

The tag team championship rivalry between FANTÔMES DRAMATIC and paleyouth that has gone on for the last month has ended in a stalemate. Fandora weren’t able to beat paleyouth for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles two weeks ago and paleyouth weren’t able to take the KO-D Tag Team Titles away from Fandora today. Yuya Koroku came prepared for HARASHIMA after the warm up matches they had leading up to today. He rolled backwards to avoid the Somato and trap HARASHIMA into an Armbar. He then got Takeshi Masada in so they could give HARASHIMA their double team finisher and although Chris Brookes was kept away from breaking the pin, HARASHIMA still kicked out of it. Koroku thought he had the match won when he landed a Moonsault Press but HARASHIMA suddenly turned the pin into an Armbar submission of his own, surprising Koroku and making him tap out to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. After the match Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki both approached the champions to ask them for a title match at Sumo Hall. HARASHIMA said he would take a challenge from anyone at anytime so they will get it.

The masked dancer Kumadori was getting some attention online in the last week with highlights of his DDT matches gaining traction on social media. He didn’t waste time showing his agility in the ring alongside Kazuma Sumi but the pace changed once Daichi Sato and Kazuki Hirata tagged in. To-y attempted some high flying of his own with the T.O.Y. Diving Cross Body but nobody was there to catch him. Hirata wanted to try the same move (he calls it H.R.T) but his legs buckled from the pressure of standing on the top rope. To-y at least got some momentum back by pulling Soma Takao’s t-shirt over his face and Machine Gun Chopping his bare chest in the corner. Even though Takao was blinded by the shirt, To-y still missed another T.O.Y. dive when Takao walked out of harm’s way. Hirata rallied his team to literally run circles around Kumadori but when it was time to put on the Hirata GO! Glasses, Kumadori kicked him away and put on his own pair! The two fought past everyone else to dance with each other until Hirata got Kumadori with a cheap shot. Kumadori stopped Hirata in his tracks to make him dance more but it was only so he could roll up Hirata in a School Boy and pin him for the victory.

Ilusion recently introduced his own version of the Right To Challenge Gauntlet to use on existing Gauntlet holders but ended up losing it to Rukiya. So now Ilusion was on the hunt to win one of the regular Gauntlets currently held by Viento Levante. Speaking of Levante, his focus is on winning the KO-D 6-Man Tag Titles with SLC at Sumo Hall. Having a Gauntlet for a KO-D Title shot is just a bonus for him at the moment. Ilusion & Daisuke Sasaki attacked Levante & Yukio Naya before the bell. They also had MJ Paul at ringside interfering for DAMNATION T.A unlike KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI who were both there for SLC. However Levante dodged a chair attack from Suzuki and Naya stopped DAMNATION T.A from further using the weapon. Naya then Choke Slammed Ilusion into position for Levante to do the Diving Headbutt and win the match. Backstage Levante promised he will not cash in his Gauntlet until after “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”. He is tempted to steal the glory from MAO that night but is thinking about cashing in somewhere else afterwards.

The (one-sided) rivalry between Sanshiro Takagi and Minoru Suzuki was brought back to the forefront but there is now going to be a twist in the tale. Before the match began, a camera backstage filmed Takagi complaining to the GM Imabayashi about not having a match booked for Sumo Hall yet. Imabayashi told him if he could win his match he would consider putting him on the card. Takagi had Danshoku Dieno as his tag partner to fight Suzuki & Jun Akiyama but that was not enough of an X factor to get him his desired result. Dieno almost lured Akiyama into the Danshoku Driver but he ended up getting the Exploder Suplex instead. Akiyama then held Dino in a Front Neck Lock and Dieno gave up when Takagi accidentally shoved is own face into Dieno’s backside while trying to escape a Manjigatame that Suzuki put him in. After the match Imabayashi told Takagi he won’t be wrestling at Sumo Hall but Suzuki says otherwise. Suzuki was actually impressed at how Takagi defended himself from the Manjigatame so he wants the two of them to team up at Sumo Hall! Imabayashi couldn’t refuse Suzuki’s idea and went to work with putting a match together. It was later revealed that Suzuki & Takagi will face Kazuki Hirata & To-y on the show.

Before the team up of Shinya Aoki and Junta Miyawaki happened, the two faced off against each other in a singles match first. The two went back and forth with holds and counters. At one point Aoki used the ropes to his advantage to tangle up Miyawaki but Miyawaki got some moments of control whether it was using an Osui Suplex Hold for a nearfall or a Cattle Mutilation to stretch out Aoki. He also hit the Sunshine Driver but Aoki kicked out of the pin. Miyawaki then went for the Sunshine Clutch but Aoki found a way to reverse it and get the three count out of nowhere. It was backstage after the match when Miyawaki caught up with Aoki telling him he wants to wrestle with him more. Aoki suggested the two of them chase after the KO-D Tag Titles which led to them making the challenge to Fandora later in the show.

The pre-show and the introduction had some major implications for the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title. During the dark match both Yuni and Rukiya felt like marked men with Yuni holding the Iron Man Title and Rukiya holding the RTC Gauntlet that can be cashed in on other Gauntlet holders. Hinata Kasai wanted to pin Yuni quickly to win the title but Naomi Yoshimura was there to throw both him around. Antonio Honda struggled to contain Yuni at points but had the wherewithal to block a Jacknife Pin and press himself down to get the three count and win the Iron Man Title. Both Masami Inahata and Rukiya tried to pin Honda after the match but Honda escaped the ring.

Honda would then reappear at ringside during the show opening announcements. Three members of The Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) were in the ring with Imabayashi at the time to promote Tokyo Joshi Pro’s upcoming appearances at the Tokyo Idol Festival. Honda tripped over the ropes on his way into the ring so he decided to tell The Up Up Girls his latest Gongitsune joke. Obviously his sense of humour isn’t appropriate for the idols so Miu Watanabe and Uta Takami both covered their ears. That made them defenceless so Honda got the both of them with Gongitsune eye pokes. Raku however countered him with a lullaby that sent both Honda and Imabayashu to sleep. She then quietly pinned Honda to become the latest Iron Man Champion! Remember that whoever enters the Iron Man Title Battle Royal at Sumo Hall as the defending champion will receive a bullet train travel pass for one year as their prize!

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Delayed Entry Battle Royal: Raku (c) Vs Yuki Iino Vs Toru Owashi Vs Akito Vs Soma Takao Vs Fuminori Abe Vs Naomi Yoshimura Vs Super Sasadango Machine Vs MJ Paul Vs Ilusion Vs Yuni Vs Yuki Ishida Vs Masami Inahata
2. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Sanshiro Takagi Vs Kazuki Hirata & To-y
3. Hinata Kasai 1st Anniversary Debut Match ~ Special Tag Match: Jun Kasai & Hinata Kasai Vs Jun Akiyama & Rukiya
4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI)
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles: Chris Brookes & HARASHIMA (c) Vs Shinya Aoki & Junta Miyawaki
6. Special Single Match: YAMATO Vs Danshoku Dieno
7. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & DOUKI Vs Antonio Honda & Tetsuya Endo
8. DDT Extreme Title: Hideki Okatani (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata
9. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Ryusuke Taguchi
10. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kaisei Takechi
11. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO


Princess Cup Round 2, Iron Man Title Ryogoku Mystery, Kamiyu’s Last Super Japan Match

July 21, 2026

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 13TH TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 25/07/2026
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. Yuki Kamifuku, Mifu Ashida & Shion Kanzaki Vs Haru Kazashiro, Uta Takami & Momo Sato
2. 3 Way Match: Raku Vs Sakura Hattori Vs Ren Konatsu
3. Yuki Arai, Suzume, Miu Watanabe & Mahiro Kiryu Vs Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Aino, Pom Harajuku & Toga
4. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2D: Wakana Uehara Vs HIMAWARI
5. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2C: Arisu Endo Vs Chika Nanase
6. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2B: Mizuki Vs Hyper Misao
7. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2A: Miyu Yamashita Vs Rika Tatsumi

There was nothing really shocking coming out of the first round but Round 2 of the Tokyo Princess Cup is going to serve up a few big casualties. One half of the bracket will be getting ready for Saturday where Miyu Yamashita and Rika Tatsumi will have their first single match against each other since the summer of 2021.

One of the non-tournament matches is purposely pitting Yuki Kamifuku against the trio of teenagers. She’s either going to teach them all a valuable lesson or spend the match battling the reality of aging.

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 13TH TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 30/07/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2E: Toga Vs Mahiro Kiryu
2. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2F: Miu Watanabe Vs Yuki Aino
3. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2G: Suzume Vs Pom Harajuku
4. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Round 2H: Yuki Arai Vs Shoko Nakajima

The other half of the bracket has Yuki Arai against Shoko Nakajima as the highlight although Miu Watanabe and Yuki Aino are probably going keeping Shoulder Blocking each other until one of them falls down.

DDT “MEMORIES OF SUMMER VACATION 2026”, 05/08/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Single Match: Danshoku Dieno Vs Kazuki Hirata
2. Special Tag Match: Sanshiro Takagi & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Ilusion & Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion
3. Special 10-Man Tag Match: Yuki Ueno, Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato & To-y Vs MAO, KANON, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO & YUZUKI)

This wll be the last DDT show before “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026” and likely where we find out who will go into the show as the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. Whoever the champion is must first take part in a tag match with Ilusion as their tag partner. If the champion is a wrestler who is already on the show then they must still compete in the match, therefore becoming double booked! But what will happen if the champion turns out to be either Sanshiro Takagi or Naomi Yoshimura?

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “THE 13TH TOKYO PRINCESS CUP”, 23/08/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. 13th Tokyo Princess Cup – Final: X Vs X

Both Hiroyo Matsumoto and Sumire Natsu will be on the show. It will be Matsumoto’s first appearance in Tokyo Joshi Pro since November while Natsu is making her TJPW debut.

SUPER JAPAN “SHINJUKU FACE COUNTDOWN SERIES ~GOODBYE SHINJUKU FACE~”, 28/09/2026
Shinjuku FACE

1. Special Tag Match: Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Yuki Kamifuku Vs Kumadori & Saira
2. Special Single Match: Yuji Nagata Vs Satoshi Kojima

Kamifuku’s retirement road takes a stop in Super Japan for what will be her second and last appearance for the promotion. The last time she was here she got to fight Kuroshio TOKYO Japan so this time they will be tag team partners. Facing them will be Kamifuku’s friend Kumadori as well as the Up Town rookie Saira.


DDT “LET’S GO! IMAIKE MOTTOIKE 2026” Results

July 19, 2026

DDT “LET’S GO! IMAIKE MOTTOIKE 2026”, 19/07/2026
Aichi Imaike Gas Hall
??? Fans – Unannounced

-. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Yuni defeated Shunma Katsumata (c) by Submission (1:01 pm).
*Yuni becomes the 1,844th champion.
1. Junta Miyawaki, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion (w/ MJ Paul) when Rukiya pinned Ilusion with a Running Elbow Butt (10:57).
*Rukiya wins Ilusion’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere, Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Kazuma Sumi & Yuni defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata and Akito & Hinata Kasai when Yuni pinned Kasai with the Jorge Clutch (10:12).
3. Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante defeated Jun Akiyama, Naomi Yoshimura & Masami Inahata when Levante submitted Inahata with the Body Scissors Sleeper Hold (10:53).
*Viento Levante wins Masami Inahata’s Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet.
4. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs paleyouth!: Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato defeated Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda when Masada pinned Honda with the Osui Suplex (12:41).
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA defeated Yuya Koroku with an Armbar (8:09).
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeated MAO, KANON & Muscle Sakai (w/ KIMIHIRO) when Katsumata pinned Sakai with a School Boy (20:41).

Poor Muscle Sakai just cannot find a home to settle in. A while back he lost a mask match as Super Sasadango Machine and was apparantly kicked out of a unit that absolutely exists called DHAOS. He was rescued by Strange Love Connection and accepted into that unit as a part time member whenever SLC comes to visit Nagoya. Today was Sakai’s first match as a Nagoya only member and it ended pretty badly for him. He tried to assist MAO with his Flying Stunner but was too large for MAO to jump over. The 37KAMIINA took advantage of it and Shunma Katsumata pinned Sakai with a School Boy after Yuki Ueno hit him with a Lariat. Sakai’s performance was so disappointing that SLC kicked him out of the group after the match! Then the members of DHAOS (Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda) came down and at first looked to make peace with Sakai. Instead it turned into another group beating so Sakai had to be rescued by The 37KAMIINA. When the dust cleared, The 37KAMIINA then decided to accept Sakai into their group as the Nagoya-Only member Wellbe Sakai!

The latest series of matches between FANTÔMES DRAMATIC and paleyouth were split one side a piece. First there was the tag match where Chris Brookes brought back the SCHADENFREUDE International rubber band spot. Daichi Sato grabbed the stretched band off of him but let it go to snap Takeshi Masada in the face. Masada still won the match for paleyouth by countering Antonio Honda’s Japanese Leg Roll Clutch into an Osui Suplex cradle hold for the pinfall. In the singles match HARASHIMA caught on to Yuya Koroku’s plan to submit him so decided to do that to him instead. HARASHIMA hit the Somato on Koroku and rather than pin him, he put him in an Armbar to make him tap out.

Hideki Okatani attacked Yuki Ishida after their match and then got on the microphone. He said some of the Nagoya fans in attendance won’t be at Korakuen Hall for the Hair Contra DDT Extreme Title match so he’s going to give them a preview of what’s going to happen. He then took out a pair of scissors and cut off a braid of Ishida’s hair! Later backstage Ishida said he is going to make Okatani pay for this.

There’s been some action in regard to a few different DDT prizes during the show. Viento Levante submitted Masami Inahata to take the Blue Right To Challenge Gauntlet from him. Ilusion also lost his Right To Challenge AAAA Gauntlet to Rukiya only a few days after introducing the new purple Gauntlet to the proceedings.

Shunma Katsumata currently holds the Red Right To Challenge Gauntlet and told the fans he is going to protect it to raise its value until he feels the time is right to cash it in on Ueno. However he ended up losing the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title to Yuni at the beginning of the show entirely by accident. When NωA Jr. were performing their song each member all picked a side of the room to cheer the loudest. Katsumata admitted he lost the game because Yuni’s side was the loudest. Yukinori Matsui overheard that and decided that also meant Katsumata submitted to Yuni which makes Yuni the new Iron Man Champion!


Where’s The One Wish Willow When You Need It?

July 17, 2026

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’26”, 18/07/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Momo Sato Debut Match: Uta Takami & Ren Konatsu Vs Shion Kanzaki & Momo Sato
2. Shin Sakura Katsushika Hirota, HIMAWARI & Mifu Ashida Vs Raku, Pom Harajuku & Chika Nanase
3. Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro Vs MIRAI & Toga
4. Aja Kong Vs Arisu Endo
5. Yuki Kamifuku, Kumadori & Sakura Hattori Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Yumehito Imanari & Mahiro Kiryu
6. Mizuki Vs Chris Brookes
7. International Princess Title: Suzume (c) Vs Wakana Uehara
8. Princess Tag Team Titles: Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi (c) Vs Shoko Nakajima & Hyper Misao
9. Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai (c) Vs Miyu Yamashita

Unfortunately Willow Nightingale’s flight was cancelled and Tokyo Joshi Pro were unable to rearrange her travel plans to get her to the show in time so her match with Mizuki has been cancelled. Mizuki will now be facing Chris Brookes tomorrow in a last minute attempt to find Mizuki a big name opponent. Given that Nightingale teased doing an angle with Thekla while in Japan (Thekla is over there as part of the AEWStardom relationship) I don’t know if this means her entire trip was cancelled or just her TJPW booking.

Normally when a TJPW rookie has her debut match in a tag team bout she enters to the music of her senpai tag partner. However Shion Kanzaki has given her approval to let Momo Sato enter the match to her own theme song for her debut.

DDT “LET’S GO! IMAIKE MOTTOIKE 2026”, 19/07/2026
Aichi Imaike Gas Hall

1. Daisuke Sasaki, Hideki Okatani & Ilusion Vs Junta Miyawaki, Yuki Ishida & Rukiya
2. 3 Way Tag Match: Kazuma Sumi & Yuni Vs Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata Vs Akito & Hinata Kasai
3. Jun Akiyama, Naomi Yoshimura & Masami Inahata Vs Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante
4. FANTÔMES DRAMATIC Vs paleyouth!: Chris Brookes & Antonio Honda Vs Takeshi Masada & Daichi Sato
5. Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Yuya Koroku
6. The 37KAMIINA Vs STRANGE LOVE CONNECTION!: Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & To-y Vs MAO, KANON & Muscle Sakai (w/ KIMIHIRO)

Sunday will be the first DDT show where both Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlets will be active along with the brand new bonus Gauntlet. Shunma Katsumata has the Red Gauntlet, Masami Inahata has the Blue Gauntlet and Ilusion has the Purple Gauntlet that lets him cash in on either of the other two.

The Nagoya show is sold out.

DDT “OSAKA VS TOKYO ~DREAM EAST-WEST PRO WRESTLING BATTLE 2026~”, 02/08/2026
Osaka Umeda Stella Hall

1. East Vs West Showdown: Daichi Sato (Kanagawa), KANON (Ishikawa), Viento Levante (Iwate) & Hinata Kasai (Kanagawa) Vs Yuni (Osaka), Yuki Ishida (Kumamoto), Rukiya (Osaka) & Masami Inahata (Osaka)
2. East Vs West Showdown: Shunma Katsumata (Chiba) & To-y (Saitama) Vs Kazuma Sumi (Mie) & Junta Miyawaki (Kagawa)
3. East Vs West Unknown Showdown ~ 3 Way Tag Match: Soma Takao (Tokyo) & Shota (Tokyo) Vs Akito (Aichi) & Naomi Yoshimura (Osaka) Vs MJ Paul (Unknown) & Ilusion (Unknown)
4. East Vs West Showdown: HARASHIMA (Tokyo) & Antonio Honda (Tokyo) Vs Jun Akiyama (Osaka) & Danshoku Dieno (Hiroshima)
5. East Vs West Showdown ~ Special Single Match: Kazuki Hirata (Tokyo) Vs Gym Trainer Kotoka (Kumamoto)
6. East Vs West Showdown ~ Special 6-Man Tag Match: Yuya Koroku (Chiba/Vice Captain), Daisuke Sasaki (Tokyo) & Yukio Naya (Tokyo) Vs Takeshi Masada (Osaka/Vice Captain), Hideki Okatani (Kochi) & Chris Brookes (Great Britain)
7. East Vs West Showdown ~ Special Tag Match: MAO (Miyagi/Captain) (w/ KIMIHIRO) & Shinya Aoki (Shizuoka) Vs Yuki Ueno (Osaka/Captain) & Sanshiro Takagi (Osaka)

An entire show of DDT matches pitting the roster from the east side of Japan against everybody from the west side. Among the match is one where Soma Takao & Shota reunite as ROMANCE DAWN.

DDT “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2026”, 11/08/2026
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Time Delayed Entry Battle Royal: Shunma Katsumata (c) Vs X
2. Hinata Kasai 1st Anniversary Debut Match ~ Special Tag Match: Jun Kasai & Hinata Kasai Vs X & X
3. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: Takeshi Masada, Yuya Koroku & Daichi Sato (c) Vs KANON, Yukio Naya & Viento Levante (w/ KIMIHIRO)
4. Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & DOUKI Vs Antonio Honda & Tetsuya Endo
5. Special Single Match: YAMATO Vs Danshoku Dieno
6. DDT Universal Title: Kazuma Sumi (c) Vs Ryusuke Taguchi
7. Dramatic Dream Match: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA Vs Kaisei Takechi
8. KO-D Openweight Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO

Antonio Honda claims he only picked Tetsuya Endo as his tag partner because it would make the match against Daisuke Sasaki & DOUKI more exciting. However Endo has history with both Honda and Sasaki. He used to be in DAMNATION with Sasaki and isn’t impressed with what Sasaki has been doing lately. Endo also used to be in Happy Motel with Honda and this match will be the first time in about a decade when the two will be teaming up together.

Either paleyouth are going to break the record of most KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Title defences or Viento Levante will find redemption over his decision to keep his luchador gimmick.

GANBARE☆PRO “IT’S A SUMMER FILM 2026”, 15/08/2026
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Yumehito Imanari Vs Hyo Ogawa
2. Ken Ohka 25th Anniversary Match Part 2: Ken Ohka, X & X Vs Chris Brookes, Isami Kodaka & Fuminori Abe
3. YuuRI Vs Takumi Iroha
4. Spirit Of Ganbare World Tag Team Titles: Takuya Wada & Tyson Maeguchi (c) Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Yuya Susumu
5. Spirit Of Ganbare World Openweight Title: Mizuki Watase (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie

With Munetatsu Nakamura out of action Chris Brookes is now being moved over to Ken Ohka’s 25th Anniversary Match. He’s going to team up with Isami Kodaka & Fuminori Abe while Ohka’s partners are yet to be announced.