DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN OSAKA!” Results

November 29, 2020

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN OSAKA!”, 29/11/2020
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

-. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA (6) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (2) by Forfeit.
1. Antonio Honda defeated Keigo Nakamura with a Backslide Pin (8:36).
2. Blow Away The D-Ou GP 2021 From The DDT Variety Team!: HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi defeated Danshoku Dieno & Kazuki Hirata when HARASHIMA pinned Hirata with the Somato (10:17).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi (5) defeated Soma Takao (4) with the Buchikamashi (11:30).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (4) defeated Makoto Oishi (2) with the Fujiyama Knee Lock Cutback (10:49).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (7) defeated Yuki Ueno (2) with the Shooting Star Press (22:56).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO (4) defeated Yukio Sakaguchi (4) with the Michinoku Driver II (9:53).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Chris Brookes (6) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (4) by Referee Stoppage with a Modified Armlock (24:21).

A Block

1. HARASHIMA (6)
-. Chris Brookes (6)
3. Akito (4)
-. MAO (4)
-. Yukio Sakaguchi (4)
6. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (2)

B Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (7)
2. Kazusada Higuchi (5)
3. Jun Akiyama (4)
-. Soma Takao (4)
5. Yuki Ueno (2)
-. Makoto Oishi (2)
7. Shunma Katsumata (0)

The injuries inflicted in the D-Ou Grand Prix have reached the point where it determines who wins or loses. Chris Brookes put all of his focus on Konosuke Takeshita’s injured left arm and it paid off with a referee stoppage. Brookes held Takeshita in a Modified Armlock with his leg clasped around Takeshita’s neck. Takeshita went motionless and Yukinori Matsui called for the match to stop. Brookes and Takeshita did shake hands afterwards and Brookes thanked the Osaka fans for coming to see the show. Backstage Brookes said that even a slight mistake would have cost him the match against Takeshita. But his plan worked and he now has a 3 win, 1 loss record against him. Takeshita is disappointed with the loss but has no complaints over how it ended. With his left arm injured, he can only train with his right. He believes he is strong enough to German Suplex opponents with only one arm but it wasn’t possible today.

MAO bounced back with his first proper win of the tournament, beating Yukio Sakaguchi in a scrap. He avoided the God’s Right Knee and hit Sakaguchi with a Palm Strike. From there he did the Michinoku Driver II and got the pin. Sakaguchi said he is happy to see MAO has gotten stronger and he even had fun wrestling him today. MAO wants everyone to know he is showing growth every time he wrestles.

The KO-D Openweight Champion defeated the DDT UNIVERSAL Champion. Yesterday’s double knockout meant Tetsuya Endo was not 100% for today’s match and he wrestled with the back of his neck all taped up. Yuki Ueno wanted to win the battle of champions in his hometown but couldn’t hit his finishers. Endo blocked the BME and countered the WR into a Backslide Pin for a nearfall. Endo relied on Overhead Kicks and Headbutts to lead into the match winning Shooting Star Press. Endo said backstage that the champion wins no matter what the situation. He was still hurt from yesterday while Ueno had the day off (Ueno went to the sauna, then the gym, got sunburned then spent the the night resting). This result proves that the KO-D Title is the strongest championship is DDT.

The two members of Junretsu in the Grand Prix finally faced each other one on one. It was a chance for Makoto Oishi to prove himself against Jun Akiyama. He toughened it out by taking Akiyama’s Knee Strikes then escaped out of the Wrist Clutch Exploder to roll Akiyama into the Fujiyama Knee Lock. Oishi put all his might into the move but Akiyama used that momentum to roll Oishi onto his shoulders and pin him for the three count. Oishi told Akiyama after the match he entered the Grand Prix this year so he could have a match against him. Next time he will be even more driven even if it means breaking Akiyama’s knees! Akiyama said it is impossible to break his knees.

It isn’t enough that Kazusada Higuchi is down his left leg. Soma Takao spent their match trying to injure his right arm too. Takao got the idea to target the arm when Higuchi missed a Chop and struck the ring post outside. Higuchi endured his injuries and still found ways to use his power moves. Takao tried using his elbow to cut off Higuchi but he was put away with the Buchikamashi sumo charge. Higuchi has two block matches left so he will continue to push forward. When Takao found out his next opponent is Akiyama he said he will go on a winter break. He’ll pay money to Akiyama if it means he can get a bye and avoid having to wrestle him.

Kazuki Hirata came out with another home made championship to be awarded to the No. 1 Crazy Awesome Guy in Osaka! Hisaya Imabayashi was fed up with Hirata’s fake titles made out of show posters so he took the belt off him and ripped it apart because the gag didn’t work in Tokyo. Imabayashi said HARASHIMA is at the top of his block so he cannot afford to lose concentration because of this non-tournament match. So he ordered Toru Owashi to stop doing fake lucha, Danshoku Dieno to stop showing his ass because he is over 40 and Hirata to stop dancing because he should have some self-respect as a KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champion. Everyone ignored his demands. Imabayashi complained until HARASHIMA stepped in. He thanked him for being thoughtful but all of these wrestlers are doing their acts with pride. Imabayashi understood and offered to sit on the top turnbuckle with the back of his pants pulled down so he could understand Dieno’s feelings. The match continued and HARASHIMA won it for his team. Dieno thanked HARASHIMA because he stood up for them. They are putting their support behind him to win the Grand Prix. Imabayashi was the last to leave the ring because it had to be disinfected after the match.

The opening match between Antonio Honda and Keigo Nakamura turned into both wrestlers attempted to Gongitsune poke each other. They chased each other under the ring and reappeared wearing each other’s wrestling gear! They ended up swapping personalities to so Nakamura was copying Honda’s physical movements. Honda pinned Nakamura with a Backslide and then celebrated as if he was Nakamura finally winning a match for the first time. The feeling quickly wore out because Honda’s body was still the same so he remembered who he was. So sadly this does not count as Nakamura’s first win.

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU” Results

November 28, 2020

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU”, 28/11/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

-. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi (4) defeated Daisuke Sasaki (2) by Forfeit.
1. Yukio Sakaguchi defeated Hideki Okatani with the Modified Haneorigatame (2:43).
2. No Touch Rules: Saki Akai, Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Yukio Naya defeated Danshoku Dieno, Antonio Honda & Keigo Nakamura when Naya pinned Nakamura with the Choke Slam (9:56).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Chris Brookes (4) defeated Akito (4) with the One More Round (13:10)
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA (6) defeated MAO (2) with the Somato (12:49).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao (4) defeated Makoto Oishi (2) with the Running Elbow Butt (2:30).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Jun Akiyama (2) defeated Shunma Katsumata (0) by Countout (9:53).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (5) Vs Kazusada Higuchi (3) ended in a Double Knockout (20:56).

A Block

1. HARASHIMA (6)
2. Yukio Sakaguchi (4)
-. Chris Brookes (4)
-. Akito (4)
5. MAO (2)
-. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (2)

B Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (5)
2. Soma Takao (4)
3. Kazusada Higuchi (3)
4. Yuki Ueno (2)
-. Makoto Oishi (2)
-. Jun Akiyama (2)
7. Shunma Katsumata (0)

For the first time in D-Ou Grand Prix history a match has ended in a Double Knockout! A bout between Tetsuya Endo and Kazusada Higuchi guaranteed to have bombs thrown at both sides but nobody expected it to exceed the limits of both men. Endo pulled off one of the turnbuckle pads and used a chair to wreck Higuchi’s leg. Higuchi had so much trouble standing up that the referee attempted to count him out. Higuchi was able to stay on his feet and used a Brain Claw to cut off Endo’s momentum. Endo hit the Canadian Destroyer expecting it to be the finish but Higuchi spent his last gasp charging Endo right into the exposed turnbuckle with the Buchikamashi. Higuchi couldn’t stand up again due to the pain while Endo was knocked right out by the move. Both were counted out and the match was ruled a draw. When Endo recovered he was sat up and given the microphone. He thought he had no enemies left to beat after Jun Akiyama but Higuchi proved him wrong. Still, Endo leads the B Block and promises to win his remaining Grand Prix matches. He has to because he is carrying the KO-D Openweight Title, the pride of beating Akiyama and the thoughts of Daisuke Sasaki on his back! Backstage Higuchi said his leg is in bad shape after his back to back matches with Makoto Oishi and Endo. He’ll crawl to Osaka for tomorrow’s match if he has to!

Shunma Katsumata promised that his Super Hardcore form was gone for the rest of the year. Akiyama didn’t get that message and walked down to the ring armed with a Lego covered baseball bat. Katsumata tried to get Akiyama counted out by taping his feet together but Akiyama was able to rip the tape off. Katsumata later got Akiyama back out of the ring and the two of them tried to stop each other from getting back in. Katsumata thought he pulled one out of the bag when he hit a 619 out of nowhere. But Akiyama got back up and bounced his opponent away with a Jumping Knee. Akiyama got back into the ring and won by countout. That result was another first in D-Ou history, the first block match to end by countout!

Soma Takao currently has the fastest win of the Grand Prix so far. He and Makoto Oishi quickly exchanged roll ups before going straight for their finishing moves. When the Miracle Ecstasy and the Gin And Tonic were both avoided, Oishi ran the ropes. He aimed to do a Running Forearm but Takao cut him off with the Running Elbow Butt for the three count out of nowhere. Oishi complained that his shoulder was up and there should be a video replay to back him up. Takao was happy to win quickly because normally that means he can go home early. He can’t though because he now has to travel to Osaka. Also his late start in the tournament means he has no breaks in the remaining schedule.

Three shows in and HARASHIMA leads the A Block with a perfect score of 6 points. Today he beat MAO, avenging his defeat to him back in D-Ou 2019 (the one held in 2018). After the match HARASHIMA told the fans he came into the match with a good feeling and won thanks to their support. He brought up how injuries are already taking their toll on the DDT roster during this Grand Prix but everyone will do their best to make it through the entire tournament. MAO in his interview said he did okay today but that’s not enough against the ace of DDT. He then talked about DDT’s history with wrestlers who spell their name under the traditional alphabet (HARASHIMA, KUDO and MIKAMI). Those wrestlers can all claim to be DDT’s ace at some point in time. MAO is the only one from his generation spelling his name this way and he will continue working hard to become the ace.

Akito made a request to Chris Brookes before their match, asking for a Lancashire Rules match. He never experienced Lanacashire wrestling before so he suggested fighting 3 minute rounds for 10 round. Yukinori Matsui refused because he wasn’t going to change the rules to a D-Ou match. Akito still used his phone to keep track of the time and took breaks whenever a “round” ended. Brookes ignored the break and Cradled Akito for a nearfall. He then said it was a round break, knowing that Akito wouldn’t break the rules he wanted to follow. But when a “round” ended while Akito held Brookes in an Armlock, Akito said the phone alarm was too noisy and he ignored it from that point on. He tried to do the Goliath Birdeater but Brookes escaped and used a Horizontal Crucifix Pin to get the victory. Akito was disappointed he lost but doesn’t regret coming up with his Lancashire idea. Brookes is happy to beat the best technical wrestler in DDT at his own game. He thinks tomorrow’s opponent Konosuke Takeshita is broken to the point where Brookes can’t waste this chance to beat him again. He is also trying to get the Shukan Puroresu reporters interviewing him to attend Masahiro Takanashi’s show in January.

The participants in Match #2 all wanted to steal the show from the D-Ou matches. They agreed to a No Tag rule for their match. However Hisaya Imabayashi came out and told the wrestlers that one of the curtains hanging over the ring was malfunctioning. At some point the curtain was going to fall down and completely block the north side of the room from seeing the show! So for the sake of the fans sitting in the north side, the wrestlers had to do their match quickly before the curtain falls. The curtain did indeed fall so Danshoku Dieno, Saki Akai and Tomomitsu Matsunaga all worked together to keep it held above the audience’s heads. The plan worked until Antonio Honda poked all of them in the eyes with Gongitsune. Yukio Naya and Keigo Nakamura finished off the match without the north section getting to see it. They had to be told what happened after the curtain was fixed and raised back up.

Yesterday Yukio Sakaguchi warned he would fight Hideki Okatani as if he was Daisuke Sasaki. So fair play to Okatani for bringing the fight, albeit brief to Sakaguchi. He used Bulldogs, the Northern Lights Suplex and the Neckbreaker Drop. Sakaguchi kept calm though and countered the Double Arm Suplex into a Sleeper Hold. He placed Okatani down to hit him with a Penalty Kick and then used the Modified Haneorigatame from yesterday for the finish.

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN KORAKUEN HALL!” Results

November 22, 2020

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN KORAKUEN HALL!”, 22/11/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
??? Fans – Withheld

0. Under Match: Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani defeated Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura when Watase pinned Nakamura with a Hurricanrana Cutback (5:54).
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Soma Takao & Mad Paulie, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata and Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda when Sakaguchi submitted Honda with the Anal Sleeper Hold (7:23).
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito (2) defeated MAO (0) with the Octopus Dream (7:08).
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA (2) defeated Chris Brookes (0) with the Somato (11:13).
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki (2) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (0) with the Crossover Facelock (13:45).
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi (2) defeated Shunma Katsumata (0) with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (7:39).
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno (2) defeated Kazusada Higuchi (0) with the WR (11:49).
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo (2) defeated Jun Akiyama (0) with the Shooting Star Press (14:00).

A Block

1. Daisuke Sasaki (2)
-. HARASHIMA (2)
-. Akito (2)
4. Yukio Sakaguchi (0)
-. Konosuke Takeshita (0)
-. Chris Brookes (0)
-. MAO (0)

B Block

1. Tetsuya Endo (2)
-. Yuki Ueno (2)
-. Makoto Oishi (2)
4. Soma Takao (0)
-. Jun Akiyama (0)
-. Kazusada Higuchi (0)
-. Shunma Katsumata (0)

The opening day of D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 marks Jun Akiyama’s first direct loss in DDT. He brought the fight to Tetsuya Endo by grounding him with the Front Neck Lock. He hit the Knee Stikes and Exploder Suplexes but Endo couldn’t be beat with them. Akiyama went for the Wrist Clutch Exploder but Endo escaped and countered with an Overhead Kick. With Endo taking control he hit a Handspring Overhead Kick and the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb for a nearfall. Akiyama couldn’t get back up so he became a sitting duck for the Shooting Star Press. Endo laughed after the match and said this was a dream. No it’s not, it’s reality and he really did just beat Akiyama! Before the tournament began, Endo said he would abstain from the rest of the Grand Prix if he won the main event today. But he’s feeling so good now he decided he will complete his remaining matches after all and win D-Ou 2021!

The other singles champion also made a good leap out of the starting blocks. Yuki Ueno had a big wall in the form of Kazusada Higuchi standing in front of him. Very little seemed to make Higuchi budge until Ueno caught him with the Blizzard Suplex. Ueno wore him down with a Northern Lights Bomb and the Frog Splash but Higuchi was still kicking out. Ueno then hit the BME but rather than pin him straight away, he instead used the WR to make sure Higuchi was down and out. Ueno called the result a big confidence boost. He couldn’t envision beating Higuchi and he feels like he used up all his luck to achieve this. But he is also the DDT UNIVERSAL Champion and he won as decisively as possible. He hopes this makes the fans see him as the champion to watch in the Grand Prix.

The memory of NωA flowed through the match between Shunma Katsumata and Makoto Oishi. Katsumata came down to the ring wearing an NωA shirt and used it to choke Oishi when they fought outside the ring. Oishi went for the Fujiyama Knee Lock when Katsumata missed the Stuka Splash. He couldn’t get it at first but he put his opponent in a Calf Killer and switched to the Knee Lock for the tap out win. Katsumata was upset and thought he was already eliminated but a reporter reminded him it is a league format. Oishi is now looking forward to his match with Akiyama in Osaka on 29th November. He was a little upset with Katsumata wearing the NωA shirt but he got one back by saying he beat a member of both ALL OUT and the DDT Sauna Club.

The early half of the show was focused on the A Block matches. Daisuke Sasaki celebrated his birthday with a big victory over Konosuke Takeshita. Sasaki was thrown around with German Suplexes but he caught Takeshita in the Crossover Facelock while Takeshita was still on his feet. Takeshita’s energy was sapped out of him and when he fell to the mat in the hold he gave up. Backstage Sasaki had a message for Takeshita. If you have any doubts, just come to DAMNATION! When Takeshita received that message he said that’s one way he could change himself. He then walked off.

Chris Brookes had a plan to target HARASHIMA’s arm. He threw it into the ring post outside, attacked it with Knee Drops and applied submissions to the limb. HARASHIMA still had his kicks and gutted through the pain to do a Falcon Arrow. His Swan Dive was countered into a Cutter but the Praying Mantis Bomb from Brookes was then countered into a Short Range Somato. HARASHIMA then hit the proper Somato to take the win. He was suprised to see Brookes do so much today because he thought he would have been careful in their first tournament match. Brookes admitted the D-Ou is a very challenging tournament because it throws so many singles matches at you in a short amount of time. He had a slow start last year but he ended up doing great at the end so he hopes it will be the same this year. He also promoted Masahiro Takanashi’s return show and said he feels 10 times stronger than usual because Takanashi is in his corner.

MAO excitedly told everyone today was the opening round of the tournament. At one point in his match, MAO got tangled upside down in the turnbuckle. Akito went to attack him until Daisuke Kiso kept him back and set MAO free. MAO then tried using Kiso as a shield for the rest of the match. Akito sent MAO into a scramble of pins and cradles that led to Akito using the Octopus Dream to grab the three count. MAO was disappointed that the British style of wrestling he learned wasn’t enough to beat Akito. But still, Akito could see improvement in MAO. He’s only just come back from injury after all. Akito also purposely came up with moves that would surpass the British style too. He doesn’t think the D-Ou will be interesting this year unless everybody switches up their fighting styles.

Before the 4 Way Tag Match took place, Kazuki Hirata brought out a cardboard championship called the DDT Variety Championship. He said the winner of the match would be given the title because this match didn’t deserve to be the show opener. Both Danshoku Dieno and Antonio Honda were eager to win it but Soma Takao didn’t care so he attacked Hirata. Dieno set himself up in the Hell Gate position and Hirata’s Tegatana hand ended up getting wedged in there. Hirata pulled his hand out and used it to make everyone else faint. Yukio Sakaguchi avoided it and he hit Dieno in the backside with the God’s Right Knee. Sakaguchi then stuck his arm into the Hell Gate and used it to put Honda in a Sleeper Hold. Honda fainted and Sakaguchi was declared the DDT Variety Champion! Sakaguchi taunted Hirata and dared him to challenge for the belt whenever he wants. DDT does not recognise the DDT Variety Title as an official championship so it won’t be acknowledged in the results.

The pre-show match had the Junretsu team of Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani go over Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura. Watase’s Back Drop was countered by Nakamura but his attempt to follow up with a Hurricanrana was rolled back into a cradle for the three count.

A new trainee makes his debut on 27th December. Toui Kojima will face Hideki Okatani on the next Korakuen Hall show. Kojima introduced himself to the fans in a relaxed manner. Hisaya Imabayashi wanted him to make it sound like a bigger deal so Imabayashi repeated the news in a more exciting way.

Danshoku Dieno announced a full scale war between the DDT and Big Japan mascots. Pokotan Vs Death Kamo will happen on 4th December!

Akito announced the card of matches for the 24th December BOYZ show. He and Imabayashi asked if anybody had anything important going on for Christmas Eve? Toru Owashi raised his hand because that day is also his birthday but everyone ignored him.

The next Hiragana Muscle show will take place in Korakuen on 9th March. They will also hold a show in Osaka on 18th March.

Takanashi promoted his self-produced return show on 19th January. He said the timetable for his full time return is currently blank because he hasn’t decided when he will return to DDT yet. However if Brookes wins the D-Ou Grand Prix and goes on to main event Culttz Kawasaki next year, he will definitely be there no matter what happens.

It was revealed that the winner of the D-Ou Grand Prix will receive a KO-D Openweight Title match at the 14th February Culttz Kawasaki show next year. Also taking place in February is a big show held in Nagoya Congress Center on the 23rd. It will be the first time in 5 years DDT will be holding a major show in Nagoya.

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DDT “DRAMATIC LOVE FOR FUJI! 2020” Results

November 15, 2020

DDT “DRAMATIC LOVE FOR FUJI! 2020”, 15/11/2020
Shizuoka Fuji-san Messe
??? Fans – Withheld

1. Akito defeated Tomomitsu Matsunaga with a Figure 4 Leg Lock (9:23).
2. Antonio Honda defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Diving Fist Drop (10:42).
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Danshoku Dieno & Hideki Okatani when Sakaguchi pinned Okatani with a Gaydo Clutch (9:06).
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi defeated Mad Paulie with a Diving Body Press (11:08).
5. DAMNATION Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno defeated Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani when MAO pinned Shimatani with the Michinoku Driver I (15:57).
6. Makoto Oishi 42 Year Old Local Triumph! Fuji Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase defeated HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Kazuki Hirata when Oishi submitted Hirata with the Fujiyama Knee Lock (17:18).

The show was all about Makoto Oishi wrestling in front of his hometown crowd. Kazuki Hirata stole some of the spotlight by dancing in front of Jun Akiyama for his entrance. The final moments of the match saw Oishi and Hirata scramble for the win. Oishi ended up catching his opponent in the Fujiyama Knee Lock for the submission victory. After the match Oishi said he wanted to show off Mt. Fuji to everyone who travelled from Tokyo but it was too cloudy to see the view. Instead they got to see the Fujiyama Knee Lock which is the next best thing. He was also happy to wrestle in front of his daughter Akari for the first time but she slept through his entrance (and possibly the entire match) in Misaki Ohata’s arms. Akiyama said she will grow up to be a big deal someday. He also won’t forgive Hirata for his dancing.

The DDT Sauna Club continues to boost through the rest of the roster, this time beating DAMNATION. The well oiled team lifted up Nobuhiro Shimatani for Shunma Katsumata to do a Diving X Factor on. DAMNATION were there to break the count but couldn’t stop MAO from finishing him off. Katsumata told the fans he wants the Sauna Club to challenge for either the KO-D Tag Team Titles or the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. Backstage Yuki Ueno kept telling him a team of four can’t challenge for a trios championship. Katsumata waved him off and kept telling him over and over the club’s bond has deepened.

Kazusada Higuchi said he will not let Akiyama win their block in the D-Ou Grand Prix. He seems to be a little annoyed that all the wrestling press is putting Akiyama as the favorite.

Danshoku Dieno gave Hideki Okatani advice before their tag match. He said if Okatani wants to win a championship in the soonest time possible, he should wrestle with his tights pulled down just like Dieno tends to do. Dieno kept telling him that wrestling wit his backside exposed will definitely make him stronger. Okatani eventually gave in but Yukio Sakaguchi did the same and pinned him with the Gaydo Clutch while both their shorts were pulled down.

The second match was briefly paused so Antonio Honda and Keigo Nakamura could both get their skin checked by the beauty product sponsor C’bon Corporation. Honda was judged to have cleaner skin and that caused great damage to Nakamura. Honda ended up winning with a skin smooth Diving Fist Drop.

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Kendo Kashin In TJPW? IRON FIST TAG Continues, D-Ou Comments

November 13, 2020

TOKYO JOSHI PRO “FALL TOUR ’20 ~WOMM (WRESTLING OF MY MIND)~”, 14/11/2020
Shin-Kiba 1st RING

1. Shoko Nakajima & Suzume Vs Nao Kakuta & Pom Harajuku
2. Hyper Misao Vs Moka Miyamoto
3. 3 Way Match: Rika Tatsumi Vs Maki Itoh Vs Mahiro Kiryu
4. Nodoka Tenma, Yuki Aino & Mirai Maiumi Vs Yuki Kamifuku, Marika Kobashi & Hikari Noa
5. Sakisama Vs Sena Shiori
6. Yuka Sakazaki, Mizuki & Raku Vs Miyu Yamashita, Miu Watanabe & Haruna Neko

It’s a fresh new chapter for Tokyo Joshi Pro. We have newcomers joining Yuka Sakazaki in the champion club with no immediate challengers for any of the titles on the horizon. Sakisama is returning which is usually a sign that NEO Biishiki-gun is looking for new members. Nao Kakuta makes her Tokyo Joshi debut.

We now know why Kendo Kashin showed up to “WRESTLE PRINCESS”. He approached Tetsuya Koda declaring himself the new part-time coach for TJPW! He spoke to Koda in a “Western” accent, explaining he can use his world class coaching skills to make Tokyo Joshi world class. That will result in Tokyo Joshi becoming World Joshi, or WJ for short. Koda said he was grateful for the offer but turned Kashin down. A world class coach means he would have to be paid a world class salary and Koda just can’t do that right now. Kashin insists he can do a great job because the “WJ” roster is full of gold eggs. With his teaching they can wrestle anywhere from the Budokan and the Tokyo Dome to the Capital Wrestling Center and the ThunderDome!

BASARA “BASARA 140 ~THE 7TH FOX PRINCE~”, 14/11/2020
Tokyo Oji BASEMENT MON☆STAR

1. Yusuke Kubo Vs Masato Kamino
2. 4 Way Match: FUMA Vs Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi Vs Daiki Shimomura Vs Takato Nakano
3. Isami Kodaka Vs Daichi Kazato
4. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Fuminori Abe & Tetsuo Usui Vs Ryuichi Sekine & Minoru Fujita
5. IRON FIST TAG TOURNAMENT – Round 1: Takumi Tsukamoto & Yasu Urano Vs Ryota Nakatsu & SAGAT

One side of the semi-final bracket is filled. This show determines the other half. Takumi Tsukamoto has all the momentum behind him as the new Union MAX Champion. The previous champ Fuminori Abe has to move on and not let that loss get to him.

DDT “DRAMATIC LOVE FOR FUJI! 2020”, 15/11/2020
Shizuoka Fuji-san Messe

1. Akito Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga
2. Antonio Honda Vs Keigo Nakamura
3. Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Danshoku Dieno & Hideki Okatani
4. DDT Megatonweight Single Match: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mad Paulie
5. DAMNATION Vs DDT Sauna Club!: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Konosuke Takeshita, Shunma Katsumata, MAO & Yuki Ueno
6. Makoto Oishi 42 Year Old Local Triumph! Fuji Specialty Special 6-Man Tag Match: Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi & Mizuki Watase Vs HARASHIMA, Chris Brookes & Kazuki Hirata

This is the confirmed match order. They weren’t going to do Makoto Oishi dirty in his hometown.

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN KORAKUEN HALL!”, 22/11/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Under Match: Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani Vs Yukio Naya & Keigo Nakamura
1. 4 Way Tag Match: Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito Vs MAO
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Jun Akiyama
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno
7. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi Vs Shunma Katsumata

I was invited to record a preview podcast of the D-Ou Grand Prix for subscribers to the Wrestling Omakase patreon. Had plenty to talk about with each of the participants and what matches we think you should look forward to. They will also be covering the tournament with podcast coverage after every show on the patreon.

The majority of the wrestlers made public comments about the tournament today. In the B Block, Jun Akiyama is being targeted by everyone. Tetsuya Endo is certain their opening match will determine who makes the final. Endo says if beats Akiyama he will abstain from all remaining block matches. But if he loses to Akiyama then he will forfeit his remaining block matches. I can’t tell if we’re supposed to take this seriously based on DAMNATION’s recent broken stipulations.

Soma Takao’s motivation is down. Nothing can match the high he got from wrestling CIMA then teaming with him to beat HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji. No prize money for winning the Grand Prix isn’t helping either. Yuki Ueno has become more conscious of wins and losses since becoming the new DDT UNIVERSAL Champion. He believes Endo thinks the same. Shunma Katsumata’s confidence has grown ever since he got compliments from Akiyama. He hopes he will get Akiyama to join the DDT Sauna Club.

Kazusada Higuchi said he will beat Akiyama because he will not give up the top spot to somebody who is on the verge of finishing his wrestling career in Japan. Oishi revealed he volunteered to enter the Grand Prix. He has never done a round robin tournament before so he wants to show everyone what he’s got. Akiyama wants to win every match, reach the final and win the whole thing. If he can’t beat Endo then he won’t be able to win the tournament.

Over in the A Block, Konosuke Takeshita has been questioning himself ever since his loss at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”. Is his chosen path the wrong one? He cannot take a new step until he goes back to Akiyama. Daisuke Sasaki said he has a secret weapon to win. It’s roll ups. HARASHIMA has had a tough go throughout 2020. He lost the KO-D Openweight Title in January and couldn’t wrestle as much as he wanted because of the epidemic. He is also coming off a loss at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” so he is motivated to win the Grand Prix.

Chris Brookes admitted he does not want to wrestle Akiyama in the final. He’s sure Akiyama will beat him up. He does want to face Ueno again so he’d love to see him win the other block. MAO thinks he was entered into last year’s tournament on a fluke. This year he thinks he is worthy to be a part of it. He is looking forward to his first singles match against Brookes. Akito was to make an ordinary tournament look extraordinary. Yukio Sakaguchi sent a message that just said “Kill everyone!”

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DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #11” Results

November 8, 2020

DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #11”, 08/11/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio
0 Fans

1. Playfulness Series Act 2: Danshoku Dieno defeated Yukio Naya with a Cradle (4:31).
2. O-40 Title: Toru Owashi defeated Gorgeous Matsuno (c) with La Magistral Cradle (8:19).
*Gorgeous Matsuno fails in V3. Toru Owashi becomes the 3rd O-40 Champion!
3. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata defeated HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura when Katsumata pinned Nakamura with the Stuka Splash (13:23).
4. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie defeated Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani when Endo submitted Okatani with the Yurikamome (10:30).
5. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) defeated MAO with the WR (13:13).
*V1 for Yuki Ueno.

The DDT Sauna Club watched on as members Yuki Ueno and MAO faced off with the DDT UNIVERSAL Title on the line. At “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” Ueno felt he was at his physical best but today he struggled to keep up with MAO. He nabbed the victory by countering a Hurricanrana into a Backbreaker then flipping him over with the WR. Ueno said he is glad that MAO came back in better condition than ever. MAO thanked everyone for supporting DDT while he was absent, both from wrestling in the UK and recovering from an injury. The Sauna Club got together in the ring and Ueno told them he wants them all to team together at the next DDT TV SHOW. They can all go to the sauna and talk about it.

In the aftermath of “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” we now have Tetsuya Endo and Jun Akiyama setting their sights on each other. Endo holding up the KO-D Openweight Title up to Akiyama’s face would set off something like that. Endo did it again after DAMNATION beat Junretsu. Backstage Akiyama talked about wrestling Endo once before back in 2016. He wants knows Endo is a different person now, a champion. He swore to beat him at the D-Ou Grand Prix on 22nd November. Endo could immediately tell the atmosphere was different today because Akiyama was in the ring. He thinks their D-Ou match will be interesting. Daisuke Sasaki forgot to bring the DAMNATION signboard.

The other two members of the DDT Sauna Club had a good time teaming up today. I mean they’re also ALL OUT members so of course they have good teamwork. Konosuke Takeshita worked over Keigo Nakamura until HARASHIMA could tag in. Shunma Katsumata was in danger when HARASHIMA gave him an Avalanche Brainbuster. Nakamura followed up with a Swan Dive Dropkick but only got a nearfall. Katsumata recovered with a Casadora Foot Stomp and hit the Stuka Splash for the 3 count.

For the first time since January, the O-40 Title was defended. Gorgeous Matsuno couldn’t leave a scratch on Toru Owashi so he came up with a plan. Since there were no fans in the room, Owashi could instead promote his merchandise to the fans watching at home. Matsuno then attacked Owashi when he was distracted. He tried to roll him up with a School Boy but Owashi turned it into La Magistral Cradle to win the title.

Danshoku Dieno entered the ring after the match. He was furious to see Matsuno lose the title after he defended it against Dieno back in January. Matsuno put all of his effort into defend the title all year and Owashi showed him no respect for it. Owashi pointed out that Matsuno hasn’t wrestled in months let alone defended the belt. Dieno said Matsuno is obsessed with the O-40 Title. Matsuno asked if Dieno wants the title because he won’t let him have it! He’s not going to let anyone take his precious treasure from him so he demanded a rematch! A confused Owashi exited the ring wanting none of what was going on. Matsuno then turned to Dieno and challenged him to a match before he goes after the championship again.

Yukio Naya has now been in DDT for a year and a half. He was curious to find out if the Danshoku wrestling style really works. He went into his match with Dieno determined not to react to the Danshoku moveset. It looked like he would succeed at first but eventually everything took its toll. He left his guard open for the Lip Lock and Dieno rolled him into a pin from there. After the match Naya simply told Dieno “It’s not bad” and left the ring.

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Sunday’s DDT TV SHOW Card

November 5, 2020

DDT “DDT TV SHOW! #11”, 08/11/2020
DDT TV SHOW Studio

1. Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata Vs HARASHIMA & Keigo Nakamura
2. Playfulness Series Act 2: Danshoku Dieno Vs Yukio Naya
3. DAMNATION Vs Junretsu: Tetsuya Endo, Daisuke Sasaki, Soma Takao & Mad Paulie Vs Jun Akiyama, Makoto Oishi, Mizuki Watase & Hideki Okatani
4. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno (c) Vs MAO
5. O-40 Title: Gorgeous Matsuno (c) Vs Toru Owashi

The next episode of DDT TV SHOW will be on Sunday this week because “WRESTLE PRINCESS” is happening on Saturday.

DAMNATION is one big happy family again. Daisuke Sasaki is back in the group but according to Tetsuya Endo he has been relegated to signboard holder status. Jun Akiyama is moving on from his feud with Konosuke Takeshita in order to experience the rest that DDT has to offer. He has a few DAMNATION opponents in his D-Ou Grand Prix block so he’s getting a taste of what to expect from them here.

Sanshiro Takagi will not be on the show because his DDT Extreme Title defences will be exclusive to DDT’s Youtube channel, whenever they happen. He will also only defend the title in Street Wrestling matches. The first wrestler to send him a challenge is Rambo Kawamura, formerly known as Rocky Kawamura or Ryo Kawamura whenever he isn’t impersonating his favorite Sylvester Stallone movies. Takagi is impressed enough with Kawamura’s initiative to send him to the top of his list of potential challengers.

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D-Ou Grand Prix 2021

November 4, 2020

The 14 entries for D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 have been revealed. This year’s tournament will last for eight shows. The field is split into two blocks of seven wrestlers and the winner of each block advances to the final. 2 points for a win, 1 points for a draw and 0 points for a loss. Block matches have a 30 minute time limit and the final has no time limit. If there is a tie for first place then a tiebreaker match will be held to determine who advances. That means no direct confrontation rule for the tiebreaker this year.

A Block

Konosuke Takeshita (4th Appearance, 2nd Winner)
HARASHIMA (4th Appearance, 1st Runner-Up)
Daisuke Sasaki (4th Appearance)
Yukio Sakaguchi (3rd Appearance)
Akito (3rd Appearance)
MAO (2nd Appearance)
Chris Brookes (2nd Appearance)

B Block

Tetsuya Endo (4th Appearance, 3rd Runner-Up)
Kazusada Higuchi (3rd Appearance)
Soma Takao (4th Appearance)
Makoto Oishi (1st Appearance)
Yuki Ueno (2nd Appearance)
Shunma Katsumata (1st Appearance)
Jun Akiyama (1st Appearance)

DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN KORAKUEN HALL!”, 22/11/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Daisuke Sasaki
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Chris Brookes
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito Vs MAO
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Jun Akiyama
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Yuki Ueno
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi Vs Shunma Katsumata

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU (FREE!)”, 27/11/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Akito
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs MAO
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Chris Brookes
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Makoto Oishi
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao Vs Yuki Ueno

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU”, 28/11/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs MAO
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Akito Vs Chris Brookes
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Kazusada Higuchi
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao Vs Makoto Oishi
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Shunma Katsumata Vs Jun Akiyama

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN OSAKA!”, 29/11/2020
Osaka Azalea Taisho Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Chris Brookes
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Daisuke Sasaki
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs MAO
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Yuki Ueno
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Soma Takao
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi Vs Jun Akiyama

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU (FREE!)”, 04/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs MAO
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Akito
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Shunma Katsumata
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao Vs Jun Akiyama
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Makoto Oishi Vs Yuki Ueno

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 06/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: HARASHIMA Vs Akito
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Chris Brookes
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Soma Takao
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Kazusada Higuchi Vs Jun Akiyama
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Shunma Katsumata

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 IN NARIMASU!”, 12/12/2020
Tokyo Narimasu Act Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA
2. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Akito
3. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – A Block: MAO Vs Chris Brookes
4. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Tetsuya Endo Vs Makoto Oishi
5. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Soma Takao Vs Shunma Katsumata
6. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – B Block: Yuki Ueno Vs Jun Akiyama

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DDT “D-OU GRAND PRIX 2021 THE FINAL!!”, 27/12/2020
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 – Final: Winner Of A Block vs Winner Of B Block

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DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” Results

November 3, 2020

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium
??? Fans

0. Under Match: Hideki Okatani defeated Keigo Nakamura with the Double Arm Suplex (4:24).
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango defeated Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya when Yamato submitted Watase with the Just X (9:00).
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO defeated Shunma Katsumata with the Marines Tornado Splash (7:51).
2. Akito defeated Danshoku Dieno with the Mouth Breathing Sanno Type Kiss (9:51).
3. Survival 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai defeated Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata, Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani and Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda (11:03).
3a. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Nobuhiro Shimatani with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (7:12).
3b. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Antonio Honda with the Miracle One Shot Cradle (9:50).
3c. Yukio Sakaguchi eliminated Kazuki Hirata with a Cradle (11:03).
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi defeated Shinya Aoki (c) with La Magistral Cradle (10:55).
*Shinya Aoki fails in V6. Sanshiro Takagi becomes the 49th DDT Extreme Champion!
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: CIMA & Soma Takao defeated HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji when Takao pinned HARASHIMA with the Gin And Tonic (12:47).
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Yuki Ueno defeated Chris Brookes (c) with the WR Unlimited (14:05).
*Chris Brookes fails in V3. Yuki Ueno becomes the 4th DDT UNIVERSAL Champion!
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama defeated Konosuke Takeshita with the Front Neck Lock (25:38).
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) defeated Daisuke Sasaki with the Shooting Star Press (27:48).
*V3 for Tetsuya Endo.

The stage was set for the Battle Of DAMNATION over the KO-D Openweight Title. The challenger Daisuke Sasaki walked down to the ring carrying a chair with Hiroshi Yamato backing him up. The champion Tetsuya Endo appeared with #DAMNHEARTS flanking behind him. Sasaki immediately went for the Cross Facelock when the match began and Endo fled out of the ring. Endo went for a Shooting Star Press at the first opportunity and Sasaki too backed away. Sasaki blocked a Quebrada and attacked Endo’s leg with the chair. Nobuhiro Shimatani bought Endo some time to recover by pulling Sasaki out of the ring but Endo’s leg was too damaged to do the Sasuke Special. Shimatani again pulled Sasaki out of the ring and the rest of #DAMNHEARTS joined in the interference. When Endo was handed a chair to use on Sasaki, he threw it away and told #DAMNHEARTS to stop getting involved. He wanted the match to stay one on one. Everyone appreciated his noble intention except for Sasaki who gave him a Low Blow. Later Shimatani and Mad Paulie got on the apron to distract Yukinori Matsui. Things went out of control from there when Sasaki catapulted Endo into the three of them, taking the referee out. Endo grabbed the chair off Sasaki and readied his swing when Paulie blocked the chair and allowed Sasaki to Low Blow Endo again! Sasaki hit a chairshot over Endo’s head and placed him in the Cross Facelock in time for Matsui to recover. However Endo reach the ropes. Sasaki used his flash Hurricanrana but only got a two count. Endo quickly turned the tables and hit the Swivel Torture Rack Bomb yet his Shooting Star Press was blocked by Sasaki’s knees. Sasaki rolled Endo back into the Cross Facelock and tried to switch it into the Crossover version but it was broken up by a Cradle pin attempt. Endo eventually did the Modified One-Winged Angel but Sasaki kicked out at two. Sasaki was spent at this point and could do little else. Endo hugged him then Headbutted him before winning with the Shooting Star Press.

Sasaki was helped to the back by Yamato and Paulie when Endo told them to come back. Endo is going to take responsibility for Sasaki’s future in front of everyone. A defeated Sasaki wanted none of it and demanded a ten bell salute to mark his retirement from pro wrestling. Yamato went to ring the bell but Endo stopped him. Retirement is not taking responsibility in Endo’s eyes. He’d rather see Sasaki stick to wrestling. He wanted a serious fight with Sasaki today and he got it. So now he wants them to reach the top together as part of DAMNATION! Sasaki began to cry and asked if that means he can disregard the retirement stipulation he promised? Endo would allow it. The two shook hands and suddenly Shuji Ishikawa walked out singing “Ito” by Miyuki Nakajima. He congratulated his friends and told them how happy he is to see them make up. He then went back to singing, ignoring anyone who asked him what he was doing. Endo closed out the show with his victory speech when Ishikawa was finished. The Saitama Super Arena show was cancelled and then the Sumo Hall show was cancelled but DDT was able to get it done in Ota Ward Gymnasium. Endo thanked everyone for believing in them to put the show together. #DAMNHEARTS gathered together on the stage for one last pose. “Into The Light” played while the credits rolled and the final view we see is Endo and Sasaki walking down a hallway side by side.

In the post-show interview, Endo said he was so driven to get the match he wanted today that he wonders if he is now reborn because of it. Sasaki still thinks he should retire for losing. He and Sasaki agreed that he should at least go on a retirement tour. The “Charisma Retirement Tour” begins tomorrow and will last until the year 2080. Sasaki expects either he or the media will be dead at that point so they should all be around to witness the tour from beginning to end. Endo said there is no limit for DAMNATION’s goal to reach the top. He wants them to win all of the titles in DDT! He also brought up the idea of DDT going back to Shiroishi because he recently became a tourist ambassador for the city. Ishikawa pointed out he has now sung inside Sumo Hall, the Budokan and Ota Ward Gym. Only the Tokyo Dome remains!

Jun Akiyama made Konosuke Takeshita tap out! Stamina was Akiyama’s concern over the match so he wanted to win early. They kept battling over the German Suplex and the Exploder Suplex as well as the Lariat against the Jumping Knee. Akiyama outlasted his opponent and got a critical strike in when he pulled down a kneepad and struck with his exposed knee. Takeshita kicked out of the Exploder but seemed to be done when Akiyama did the Wrist Clutch Exploder. But rather than pin him, Akiyama instead applied the Front Neck Lock and made Takeshita tap to win. Backstage he praised Takeshita and said he has all the tools a great wrestler needs. But he is still missing experience. Akiyama knows many of the moves Takeshita uses and if there was more emotion put into them then maybe today’s result would have been different. If Takeshita can take the lead from Akiyama in a match then he will win. But for now Akiyama is still in the lead. A defeated Takeshita is now left wondering if the path he took all this time was the wrong one.

A new variation of the WR made Yuki Ueno the new DDT UNIVERSAL Champion! He used a Wrist Clutch version of the hold called the WR Unlimited to pin Chris Brookes. Ueno thanked everyone for their support and invited all of DISASTER BOX into the ring. He thanked each of them before announcing he is leaving the group! The reason he was able to win and defend the KO-D Tag Team Titles with Naomi Yoshimura was because of everybody in DISASTER BOX watching over him. He worked hard ever since joining the group and it paid off with his first singles title today. He thinks Yoshimura and Kazuki Hirata will be good rivals for him while all of his senpais will become a high wall for him to climb over.

DISASTER BOX posed together with Ueno for the last time. When they left, MAO entered the ring wanting the new champ’s attention. Ueno is now alone? Well MAO is alone too. Since they are not both feeling lonely they should be together! Ueno was confused and thought MAO was asking for a hug. Instead MAO hit him with a Palm Strike and explained he was asking for a UNIVERSAL Title match as soon as possible. Hisaya Imabayashi made the match official for the 8th November episode of DDT TV SHOW.

In an upset, CimaSoma defeated HarashiMarufuji with Soma Takao getting the three count on HARASHIMA! The veteran outsiders CIMA and Naomichi Marufuji cancelled each other out whenever they faced off. They both did Corner To Corner Dropkicks on each other’s partners at the same time. Takao intercepted HARASHIMA’s Somato with the Schwein, giving CIMA the opening to do the Mad Splash. Takao followed up with his own Mad Splash but Marufuji broke the pin. Takao struggled to get HARASHIMA into the Gin And Tonic and got rolled over. But he readjusted himself to stand back up with HARASHIMA still in position to take the move. Takao pulled it off and got the win because of it. CIMA was surprised by the result and admitted as such. Takao felt a little awful that CIMA thought he couldn’t win but he’ll forget about it. After all, Takao got to wrestling in his hometown, teaming with somebody he highly respects and wearing similar gear too! Takao asked CIMA to team with him again so they can go after the KO-D Tag Titles.

The contract for the DDT Extreme Title match was finally signed in the ring moments before the match took place. As soon as Shinya Aoki put pen to paper, he attacked Sanshiro Takagi and the match began. Aoki gave Takagi a Piledriver on the table before the first weapon showed up. It was Keigo Nakamura. He and Aoki worked together to fight Takagi. The second weapon was a Sound Only Current Blast Bat. Takagi pressed the button to switch the bat on and swung it at Aoki. Nakamura took the hit instead to the sound of a large explosion, knocking him out. The next weapon was Maku Donaruto. He helped Aoki until Takagi’s equalizer appeared. It was Hayato “Mach” Sakurai! He tossed over Donaruto (not in the way Donaruto wanted) and chased him away from the ring. Aoki’s next weapon was “Exposure Talk”, a video of Danshoku Dieno & Super Sasadango Machine with their faces blurred talking about embarrassing stories involving Takagi. It caused great psychological damage to Takagi. However the weapon after that was another “Exposure Talk” video. This one was of an unidentified woman (possibly Aoki’s ex-wife) making innuendos about how awful Aoki’s “ground game” is. Takagi rolled Aoki over for a School Boy but Aoki kicked out so Takagi called for another “Exposure Talk” video. This time the video was of another woman revealing the dirty Instagram DMs Aoki had been sending her. The video was so shocking that Aoki became lifeless. Takagi easily pinned him with La Magistral Cradle then bowed in apology. Aoki was carried out of the ring on a stretcher while Takagi was handed his newly won title.

Takagi was approached by Imabayashi about his first title defence. Who, when and where are the questions Imabayashi wants the answers to. Takagi wants the title to shine brighter so every one of his defences will take place outside the ring and on the streets! He wants any wrestler from any company with any amount of experience to come challenge him. His title defences won’t be shown on WRESTLE UNIVERSE or ABEMA. Instead they will be held on DDT’s Youtube channels! It will be an All You Can Eat Extreme Defence Battle! Takagi went up to the stage to celebrate but was attacked by Shunma Katsumata with a chair. Katsumata made it clear he wants a title match.

Sasadango had a cunning plan for the Survival 4 Way Trios match. He needed to confuse the #DAMNHEARTS team so hidden underneath his mask was his face painted to look like Mad Paulie. He claimed the make up was made with a special elixir from the African Amazon. A match with this many wrestlers involved already became a mess when everyone gathered around Daisuke Kiso asking to be body checked all at once. Antonio Honda went through great effort not to lose his balance but still tripped and hurt his knee. He wanted to tell a Gongitsune story but El Lindaman stopped him. The time was now for Sasadango’s plan. He unmasked, showed them his Paulie facepaint and said he wanted to join them as Paulie #2! #DAMNHEARTS excitedly accepted him and they posed together. They then attacked Sasadango’s tag partner Makoto Oishi. A Sandwich Lariat from Paulie & Sasadango missed Kazuki Hirata and then a Double Lariat hit Shimatani & Lindaman instead. Hirata took advantage and pinned Shimatani to eliminated #DAMNHEARTS. The match continued with everyone attacking Hirata. He got all of them to stop and then tricked Yukio Sakaguchi to do a hop spot on his own. An Estrella chain was made around the ring and Honda stood in the centre to tell his Gongitsune joke. He poked everyone in the eyes and then pinched Sakaguchi’s nipple. Hirata snuck in and pinned Honda to eliminate his team. It was down to Eruption and DISASTER BOX. Kazusada Higuchi took out Naomi Yoshimura & Toru Owashi with a Double Lariat. When they recovered outside the ring, Saki Akai dove onto them from the top turnbuckle. Hirata went for the Miracle One Shot Cradle on Sakaguchi but it was reversed for the three count, giving Eruption the victory.

There was hardly any time for Eruption to celebrate when Hirata got on the microphone and called Sakaguchi a coward for how he won the match. Suddenly Shota got into the ring wanting to speak to Sakaguchi. He brought up comments made by Sakaguchi & Akai about Eruption defending the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles against any trio who are motivated enough to challenge them. Shota wants himself, Hirata and Akito to get a title shot by representing the Young Communication generation! Sakaguchi doesn’t know what that is and thinks Hirata is too old to be part of something with “Young” in the name. Akai did say Eruption would take on all comers so they accept the challenge. The match will be held on the 14th November episode of DDT TV SHOW.

Looks like nerves got the best of both Danshoku Dieno and Akito. Dieno was found by Imabayashi outside the restroom backstage. Dieno looked like he was having stomach cramps but Imabayashi ignored him to bring up something more important. Dieno is still prohibited from kissing other wrestlers for safety reasons so he must wrestle the match with bamboo held in his mouth. Meanwhile Akito couldn’t sleep last night so he drank bottle after bottle of energy drinks to stay awake. The end result was Dieno and Akito both wrestling with sick stomachs. Dieno resisted using his regular attacks until Akito begged him to do them. Dieno finally removed the bamboo so they could have the vulgar match they wanted. Suddenly Akito asked for a time out due to stomach cramps. Dieno attacked him anyway and did the Danshoku Driver. The expression on his face froze and “Gurenge” from the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba began playing. Yukinori Matsui began to notice a smell in the ring while Dieno tried to sneak away. Akito attacked Dieno as the smell got worse. Dieno fought back and pulled his tights down to reveal he was wearing a diaper underneath! He gave Akito the Final Nightmare and called Matsui over to check if Akito was still conscious. Suddenly, Yuki Iino jumped onto the ring apron encouraging Akito not to give up. Akito recovered and put Dieno into the Goliath Birdeater, changing it up so he could get close enough to give Dieno the Lip Lock so Dieno would give up. Akito is satisfied to have had such a vulgar match during the Coronavirus pandemic. He is both prepared as a pro wrestler and determined as the CyberFight Vice President.

MAO’s comeback match with Shunma Katsumata resulted in the ring getting filled with toy blocks. There might also have been little bits of glass from lighttubes in there for which Katsumata apologized for. MAO used a Swan Dive Phoenix Splash to win. It’s called the Marines Tornado Splash because its was originally used by Marines Mask II. MAO had always wanted to try the move himself. He and Katsumata were in good spirits together afterward. They’re considering whether or not to team together again for the first time since their NωA days. They are still connected through the DDT Sauna Club so they are thinking if they can turn that project into a proper unit. Katsumata later MAO “Congratulations on your return!” when he found out nobody else said that sentence to him.

At the start of the show, Yuki Iino gave a brief update on his hip injury. He was safely discharged from the hospital and is currently rehabilitating with the goal of returning in February next year. He performed the Haka to kick off the show.

There were two pre-show matches. One of them saw Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango defeat Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya.

The other saw Hideki Okatani beat Keigo Nakamura in the battle of the rookies. Can you tell I’m getting tired?

The D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 field was announced after intermission. The A Block consists of Konosuke Takeshita, HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukio Sakaguchi, Akito, MAO and Chris Brookes. Block B features Tetsuya Endo, Kazusada Higuchi, Soma Takao, Makoto Oishi, Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata and Jun Akiyama. According to Akiyama he is looking forward to wrestling more of the DDT roster after focusing so much of his time on Takeshita.

DDT’s first major show of 2021 on 14th February. “KAWASAKI STRONG 2021” will take place in Culttz Kawasaki.

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Posted by JamieOD

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” Preview

November 1, 2020

DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”, 03/11/2020
Tokyo Ota Ward Gymnasium

0. Under Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani
0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya
1. MAO Return Battle: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata
2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito
3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda
4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi
5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao
6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno
7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita
8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these things. A year ago in fact! Skipped over writing a preview for “WRESTLE PETER PAN 2020” because everything was put together in too short of an amount of time but I can’t complain about a lack of build for this one. As no doubt many of you have seen, most of the pro wrestling industry worldwide has been chugging through the Coronavirus pandemic, good idea or not. For DDT they ran empty arena shows until fans were allowed back in. The block of wrestling companies owned by CyberAgent that DDT is a part of all merged their management together to form CyberFight in order to survive. Some big plans for this show went up in smoke. “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” was originally meant to be in Sumo Hall, now it is happening in Ota Ward Gymnasium because Ryogoku became unavailable. Also Kenny Omega was supposed to be here but travel restrictions nixed that idea. DDT adapted to the problems, came up with a card they want to reach across the world and show that they aren’t just a storm in a teacup.

0. Under Match: Keigo Nakamura Vs Hideki Okatani

It’s been fun watching these two rookies flourish throughout 2020. Keigo Nakamura has become this lovable little gremlin who can adapt into whatever scenario DDT throws at him. When they need a flexible punching bag, Nakamura is there to take those lumps. I can only imagine what his imagination will be like when he has some more years on him and gets the chance to put something together by himself. It’s not all antics either. He seriously wants to win matches and isn’t happy to see the younger Hideki Okatani quickly overtake him. Okatani has been more straightforward in his first year as a wrestler. He wasted no time standing up to Jun Akiyama for a few DDT TV SHOW bouts. It led to him being the fourth man for Junretsu and getting a bigger spotlight than his “senpai” Nakamura. But these two are still fresh rookies so they get the curtain jerking spot on the pre-show.

0. Under Match: Hiroshi Yamato & Hoshitango Vs Mizuki Watase & Yukio Naya

This is Hoshitango’s first match in DDT this year. As far as I know he’s done nothing but be JR level horny on Twitter during his time away from the ring. If he’s been on other wrestling shows I can’t find them. Hiroshi Yamato made several DDT appearances doing not much of note until recently. He willingly got into the DAMNATION drama and came out of it slightly changed. He hasn’t been singing during his entrances and his eyes have gone black. After years of being stuck in the mud, Mizuki Watase is starting to progress again as part of Junretsu. He needed that kick up the bum and to be honest it isn’t enough if he wants to stop treading water. Yukio Naya is in a similar position of underachieving. He’s been accused of not performing like a man his size should. To be fair he must have a ton of pressure on his shoulders coming from such a well regarded sumo family. His grandfather is a legendary yokozuna and his three younger brothers have all joined sumo stables in the last two years. At least he has his hobbies.

1. MAO Return Battle: MAO Vs Shunma Katsumata

MAO is back from injury and he wants to break Shunma Katsumata. It’s a good sign that the world can go back to normal. A left MCL injury in June has kept MAO out of action so he was reduced to just hanging out at shows when he could. He’s still the same guy he always was. Katsumata however is no longer the sweet little boy we all knew. He was always into deathmatches but he jumped in hard this year. When he’s not wrestling Super Hardcore on Lego in DDT, he is earning his blood soaked stripes in Big Japan also with Lego. It is quickly reaching the point where I wonder if Katsumata is better off in Big Japan than DDT? There isn’t any stipulation added to the match but if MAO and Katsumata wanted to bring weapons in I’m sure nobody will want to stop them.

2. Danshoku Dieno Vs Akito

One of the biggest beneficiaries from the creation of CyberFight is Akito. Ever since he became a Vice President for the company, his success in the ring has soared. The key to his newfound momentum is the Goliath Birdeater, a disgusting looking submission hold that was originally used by Taku Iwasa in Toryumon (“It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Thread, It’s a Spider Threeeeeaaaaad”). It tangles up all of the victim’s limbs just like a spider the move is named after would do. Outside the ring, Akito is taking his new role very seriously and it has made look at things with a more critical eye. He singled out Danshou Dieno in particular, asking him if his work over the summer was up to par. For you see, Akito has always wanted to wrestle Dieno in his prime. He thinks they are both one of a kind in DDT and mixing together can create something special. A match like that should happen in a big venue like Ota Ward Gymnasium. Dieno agrees and wants to prove his best days are not behind him. There’s still a lot of ideas in that creative mind of his. Who could be better than Akito to help bring them to life?

3. 4 Way 6-Man Tag Match: Kazusada Higuchi, Yukio Sakaguchi & Saki Akai Vs Toru Owashi, Naomi Yoshimura & Kazuki Hirata Vs Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani Vs Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda

As things stand now the entire tag team division belongs to Eruption. The trio have been a force to be reckoned with and were highly featured on DDT cards throughout the year. Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi recently won the KO-D Tag Team Titles and with Saki Akai they also hold the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles. So far they are living up to their goal of creating their own path in DDT. Higuchi & Sakaguchi have been regular threats to championships. Akai meanwhile completed the Okabariyasu series where she fought the likes of Rina Yamashita, Miranda Gordy, Syuri, Saori Anou and Meiko Satomura. There are no challengers for either tag titles at the moment so Eruption are in a non-title 4 Way with a bunch of DDT regulars. One team is DISASTER BOX with former tag champion Naomi Yoshimura having his final match before taking an extended break to recover from his cervical injuries. Toru Owashi is still in his gatekeeper position while Kazuki Hirata recently reminded Sakaguchi not to take him or the Miracle One Shot Cradle lightly. #DAMNHEARTS are represented by Mad Paulie, El Lindaman & Nobuhiro Shimatani. I bet Lindaman doesn’t want to be reminded of losing the trios titles to Akai after all of that big talk he gave to her beforehand. The last team rounding out the field is Super Sasadango Machine, Makoto Oishi & Antonio Honda. Sasadango has been busy producing the Hiragana Muscle revival that was meant to be the first pro wrestling musical (until Chris Jericho & MJF beat him to the punch). Oishi has been refreshed by becoming the leader of Junretsu. Honda is still Honda and er… let’s leave it at that.

4. DDT Extreme Title – Yanekabe Presents Weapon Rumble: Shinya Aoki (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi

It has been nigh on impossible for wrestlers to take the DDT Extreme Title from Shinya Aoki. The championship that is defended under many different rules has been over Aoki’s shoulder since March and no amount of DDT foolishness has slowed him down. He’s defended the belt in a Blindfold Hidden Bra Death Match held in the centre of an empty Saitama Super Arena. He’s defended it in a Falls Count Anywhere match to celebrate the end of Japan’s lockdown. He even defended the belt against Maku Donaruto. Nothing seems to stop the MMA veteran. Only one man is left to stop him and he has just the plan needed to succeed. It’s Sanshiro Takagi and the Weapon Rumble! There’s one problem though, Aoki hasn’t signed the contract yet and would rather forfeit the title than do that match. Probably serves DDT right for promoting the match before getting Aoki’s signature but they might have figured out the reason why it came to this. Takagi suggests that Aoki has a phobia of signing contracts because it reminds him too much of his marriage and divorce. He had to sign a marriage certificate and he had to sign the divorce papers. Maybe those memories left him mentally scarred. Takagi does not want to become champion by default and is determined to make the match happen one way or another. If this turns out to be a negotiation tactic to drop the Weapon Rumble stipulation then Takagi will agree to it. Anything to ensure that Aoki shows up to Ota Ward to defend his title. I can’t blame Aoki for his paranoia about this. The weapons used in Weapon Rumbles are just as much for psychological pain than they are physical damage. What if his ex-wife shows up as a weapon?!? Probably not, from what I could find it sounds like they had a nasty split. One that is maybe too upsetting to make fun of by reuniting them in the ring.

Geez way to end the comedy match preview on a sad note, me.

5. Special Tag Match – HarashiMarafuji Vs CimaSoma: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji Vs CIMA & Soma Takao

This match was originally meant to take place at “WRESTLE PETER PAN” back in June. When DDT got to run shows in front of crowds again, HARASHIMA and Soma Takao were told that the match was back on. There was another risk of the match getting cancelled again when CIMA got into a traffic accident, breaking his nose, fracturing his wrist and getting a couple other minor injuries across the body. Thankfully he recovered and made it back to the ring in good shape. He also has been getting a lot of ring time with Takao, both as tag partners and as opponents. Takao used to wrestle using a tribute gimmick called BIMA when he was in a college wrestling club. CIMA wants to help Takao surpass him so he can start from B, skip C and go straight to D. Then he can be renamed DIMA! Plus they get to to this in Soma’s hometown of Ota. That kind of ambition and regular reps might make them a better oiled machine than HARASHIMA and Naomichi Marufuji. The HarashiMarufuji team have worked together a couple times this year but not as much as CimaSoma. In September there was an Elimination Tag Match where Takao eliminated Marufuji early by throwing him out of the ring. Marufuji wants to get revenge for being humiliated like that. Rustiness is the only weak point I can see with HarashiMarufuji. Experience and skill levels combined makes that team nearly unbeatable otherwise.

6. DDT UNIVERSAL Title: Chris Brookes (c) Vs Yuki Ueno

The newest championship in DDT has been tailor made for Chris Brookes. In February Brookes became the first DDT UNIVERSAL Champion, holding a belt created to boost DDT’s global presence. There was a setback over the Spring where he lost the belt in his first defence and had a hell of a time trying to reclaim it. But reclaim it he did and he’s having a much better go around this time. He got his cockiness back with this reign and it’s been rubbing some of the other wrestlers the wrong way. Like Yuki Ueno for example. After Brookes successfully defended the title against Naomi Yoshimura, he called him weak. Brookes then looked over to Ueno and called him even weaker. Ueno snapped and challenged Brookes for the title so he could shut him up. Brookes accepted and then put Ueno in the Octopus Stretch. Ueno got something back in the mind games department when he used the Praying Mantis Bomb in a match. Things went worse from there with Brookes attacking Ueno again after Nautilus lost the KO-D Tag Titles. Brookes continued to rub Ueno’s face in by presenting him with flowers at a press conference as if he was in mourning of Ueno’s title loss. He has the recent success behind him to back up his cocky attitude. The normally quiet Ueno has to step away from his safety net especially now that Yoshimura is taking time off. By all means the talent is there for Ueno to be a top name for DDT in the future. I always thought Yoshimura would be the stand out of Nautilus but the KO-D Tag Title reign (which has been my highlight of 2020 DDT by the way) was a breakthrough period for Ueno. This match has sleeper hit of the show written all over it.

7. Special Single Match: Jun Akiyama Vs Konosuke Takeshita

Usually it’s one company’s loss that becomes another company’s gain. In this case two companies losing out benefitted DDT. Jun Akiyama was supposed to spend some time in Florida back in May working as a temporary coach in the WWE Performance Center. COVID-19 prevented that trip from happening so DDT offered him the same role for their own roster. Akiyama got to spend time in the ring with guys like Mizuki Watase and Hideki Okatani, teaching them valuable lessons in King’s Road wrestling. The idea worked out so well that DDT struck a deal with All Japan to rent Akiyama’s services for the rest of this year (that is the other company losing out, nobody is expecting Akiyama to go back when his rental period ends). From the get go the plan was to put Akiyama and Konosuke Takeshita together as opponents. Akiyama was here to teach King’s Road but Takeshita was more interested in experiencing Akiyama’s personal wrestling style. In return Akiyama gets to experience the high level of DDT presented by Takeshita. Akiyama formed the unit Junretsu (intentionally referencing the pop band with the same name) to fight against Takeshita & ALL OUT. There is no grudge between the two wrestlers but the fights between them have been fierce. The result of this generational confrontation will shift the balance of the pro wrestling world. There’s no holding back here. Win or lose, Akiyama will do his part to nourish one of DDT’s best and help him grow even stronger.

8. KO-D Openweight Title – BLACK OUT Presents: Tetsuya Endo (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki

Ambition is what caused this main event to exist. Ambition is what led to a betrayal and then a betrayal of that betrayal. Ambition is what created a fracture in the most powerful faction in DDT. Tetsuya Endo achieved his goal of winning the KO-D Openweight Title from Masato Tanaka back in June. In the midst of the empty arena shows he built up the momentum needed to knock Tanaka off his throne and carry the main event picture onwards. It was Endo’s savviness to form a business alliance between DAMNATION and #STRONGHEARTS, creating #DAMNHEARTS. Then he had an even bigger goal he wanted to accomplish. He let the world know when he won the King Of DDT tournament as the reigning KO-D Champion. Endo wanted to defend the title against Kenny Omega at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020”! Endo even began using a modified Wrist Clutch One-Winged Angel to prepare for the fateful match. Unfortunately it was unable to happen at Ota Ward so Endo was tasked to find a replacement challenger. He knew who it had to be. There are only two wrestlers left he needs to defeat. One is Omega. The other is his leader Daisuke Sasaki!

At first it looked like the match would happen smoothly. Endo is loyal to Sasaki so there was no bad blood to look out for. Then cracks began to appear when they tagged together. Double team moves would backfire but ultimately would not cause them to lose. Both would take this in somewhat good spirits (if that’s even possible for the mood Sasaki is always in) and instead banter about getting into better shape more than the other can. It all came to a head in September when Sasaki turned on Endo, banished him from DAMNATION and instructed #DAMNHEARTS to join in the beating. Except they didn’t. Instead #DAMNHEARTS took Endo’s side and held a mutiny on Sasaki, kicking him out of the group instead! It turned out that Sasaki and Endo had the same idea of turning on each other and both approached #DAMNHEARTS to join them. Given the choice, #DAMNHEARTS picked to be with Endo. The new leader declared that DAMNATION can now conform, kiss ass and get married! A furious Sasaki declared he was the only member of DAMNATION and the others were banished but he can’t stop them from using the name anyway. His lone attempts to fight his former allies looked hopeless until Hiroshi Yamato came along to help him with mixed results.

As the weeks went by Sasaki fell deep into his drinking and came up with an ultimatum. If he cannot beat Endo at “ULTIMATE PARTY 2020” then he will retire! He will flee Japan in shame and go find a job in another country where he can work three days a week with no early morning shifts. Now it’s difficult to tell how serious Sasaki is with going through with this plan. He has a history of throwing down championships and threatening to quit whenever he loses only to drink his misery away to forget about it. He also has a DAMNATION show celebrating his 15th Anniversary in wrestling happening on 12th November (that the DAMNATION wrestlers have since been banned from) that seems to be going ahead no matter what the result is. What also prevents a Sasaki win from being a sure fire bet is Endo’s supposed match with Omega. Will that still happen if Endo loses the title? You’ve seen what Omega is like now. He probably isn’t going to be interested in making the trip back to DDT when allowed if both Endo and the KO-D Title isn’t involved.

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Posted by JamieOD

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